#//REGARDLESS OF WHAT MIRANDA SAID HERE LMAO /i/ had fun :) ty two for hosting!!!!!

[anruraiocht]

It is with care that Ethlyn approaches Miranda to offer her a taste of the main course of the feast. Their last meeting had not gone smoothly at all but Ethlyn still holds Ulster’s princess dearly in her heart. Even if Miranda may not wish to have anything to do with her, Ethlyn still owes her her deepest thanks.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you decided to come.” Ethlyn offers a soft smile as she offers a platter displayed with a variety of finely roasted poultry meats, cooked in a traditional Chalphy style of one-within-the-other. The skin of the turkey is crispy, and the fats from the duck have marinated both the chicken within and the turkey without. There are cloves and lemon slices studding the plate, combining to form a melange of rich flavors. The choice of which piece to take is up to the feaster – there is plenty to go around!

“If you will allow it, I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude from my family to yours. From me to you.” She bows her head, an attempt to show just how much she truly means this. “I know my words must seem awfully hollow and meaningless when set beside everything that’s happened to you. I know that it is actions that truly show how much a person cares but I will promise you this: one day I will find a way to prove it to you.”

Miranda is many things. Stubborn. Foul tempered. Haughty. A princess of little power. Oft forgotten in the grand scheme of things.

A fool, though, she is not.

She knows exactly why she is seated where she is and she resents it.

"I did not come here for you," Miranda says bluntly, stabbing her fork into the white meat. It doesn't truly matter what piece she takes, because she doesn't think she'll be able to taste it anyway. "I came because Lord Sigurd insinuated attendance was mandatory. That is all."

Her mother would have loved such an event, would have cooed over how tall Leif had become and teased over how Ethlyn had never told her what a beauty her daughter was. She would have been delighted to find Leif and Nanna still attached at the hip and Finn watching over them as their guardian.

Her father... well, he would probably feel awkward seeing Quan again, but he would still manage to be polite. That's the kind of man he was. Compared to all of the rambunctious personalities at this gathering, he would fade into the background. He wouldn't mind too much, because the peaceful atmosphere would have brought a smile to his face regardless. Just like in the old days, Leonster and Ulster would be seated together as allies.

None of this matters, though, because her parents are not among the ghosts attending this banquet.

It does not matter what they would have done or thought, because they are dead. Whatever miracle had brought Leif's parents back to him had not done the same for Miranda. Surrounded by the entirety of the Leonster royal family and their loved ones, Miranda sits alone.

(No, not entirely alone. Sara is next to her; the only thing keeping her from leaving altogether. Nanna sits across from her as well, even if Miranda tries to avoid her gaze. Leif, seated diagonally from her, reflects the discomfort she feels like a mirror.)

She is unable to taste the poultry, but the glass of wine clenched in her hand tastes just as bitter as all the other times. It matters not that it stings and burns her throat when it's the only thing at this table she can taste.

Leonster's lady bows her head to Miranda and she knows, diplomatically speaking, how she should respond. She should smile and reassure her that everything is in the past and that what happened to her no longer mattered. Everything is fine now that (most) everyone is together again, just like in the past.

These are not the old days, though. The heirs of Leonster and Ulster are broken, fractured mirrors that don't suit this kind of event at all, hastily reassembled in the charade of nobility. Miranda has dressed up, because that is what she knows how to do. Leif has dressed down, because that is what he knows how to do.

But neither of them knows how to navigate a relationship that shouldn't exist.

"Lady Ethlyn, my family has fed your son and now your family has fed me. That is as far as I wish for your concern for me to go."

#toabaldrsbounty #👑 ic #👑 support: ethlyn #ladyleonster #alcohol cw / #//REGARDLESS OF WHAT MIRANDA SAID HERE LMAO /i/ had fun :) ty two for hosting!!!!! #//sorry i couldnt be around much yknow how it is with (coughs up blood) finals