A Hole in Time

Mumbling something agreeable as an answer she remained silent on the matter, she wasn't too sure that would work, but what else could she really do, so far the only things she could do that came to mind was to not panic and really take it all in when she was alone. Further thoughts on the matter was pushed aside slightly as the horse climbed a small hill and a castle came into view, it was beautiful against the unspoiled landscape around them and Natalie realised just how a lord lived, she hadn't really thought about it even when Ailred had mentioned his father recieving the land from the King. Natalie noticed the stares on her as Ailred stopped in what she would guess to be a courtyard and workers came to take the horse, she wasn't shy but it was unnerving to be stared at as if she was an oddity or a crazy woman, apparently dresscodes were more important here than on any job in her time.

Swinging one leg over the horse's back she landed on the ground ignoring his hand, either he was very polite or women didn't ride often here, whichever it was Natalie was too used to getting on and off a horse on her own without the aid of other people or thingscourtesy of a strict riding instructor. Before the horse could be led off she gave it a gentle stroke, sad to see it go so soon, she hadn't noticed until now how much she actually had missed being around them. "Thank's, but I'm fine for now," she said as she followed after Ailred, she had showered this morning and on the other hand she would like to be a bit more comfortable with this place before getting into a more vulnerable situation. Stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets, something she almost always did out of habit and the reason why she prefered to wear clothes with pockets, "your home is quite beautiful." She said, of course very lacking of modern additions like electricity or isolation she guessed, but just standing inside a real castle was amazing in its own.
 
Ailred blinked when she swung down by herself, hand left ignored. When she patted his horse almost affectionately, Ailred could not help but smile. Anyone that was kind to animals was a good person in his mind. He began to move towards his room at a leisurely stroll, allowing the servants times to get the things he had requested. "As you wish, MIss Queens," he said before blinking over at her. "And thank you. She is a beauty."

Pride in his partial creation soared. Looking around he took her elbow and gave her a mysterious smile. "If you think this is beautiful, come with me first," he said before leading the way to his true pride.

The room was just off the main hall, an addition he had planned for the wedding that his Eldest brother had had. It was maybe twenty feet across and made of white stone along the walls and very rare colored glass for a roof. It had taken two full years worth of work and money to create the room and as they entered the colored ceiling lit up under the sun, throwing colors on the stone walls that showed different flowers, trees, and even a very small animal here or there.

He stood out of the way so he could judge the woman's reaction. Very few had seen the effects the sun had on the room and those that had had simply smiled, nodded, and moved on without a comment to the youngest son's creation.
 
Being led to a room by Ailred she at first didn't think it seemed so much different than the other rooms they had walked past, the walls were white and seemed to have some carvings on them. But as they stepped inside she saw that the roof was actually made of glass, multicoloured at that even, and as the sun fully shone down through it the light scattered and cast colours across the walls and the floor. Now Natalie saw the myriad of motives on the walls clearly, trees, flowers and when she looked closer she saw animals in the mix as well that came to life from the coloured light.

Her dark brown eyes widened in wonder and she stepped further into the room, not able to get enough of the beauty, since they arrived at the castle and before that Natalie knew she had used the word beauty a lot but this time the word would not make the room any justice. She wondered briefly how much it would have cost to finish this as even with modern tools a room like this would have taken a lot of time and money to make.

"This is..." she began but had trouble finding the right word to describe the room. "...wonderful," she finished with a bright smile, moving along the walls and examined the design on the walls. "This must have taken so much effort to finish," she said and tore her gaze from the lit up walls to Ailred, especially as she new what kind of tools could be used to make the process easier that didn't exist in this time. As much as she tried she couldn't wipe of the child like grin of amazement from her face, if only she'd had a camera with her, although a video or a photo wouldn't entirely make it justice she would at least have it captured to remember when she made it back to her time.
 
Ailred beamed as he stood in the doorway to let her explore the room as she wished. When she turned to him, he pushed himself up from the doorway and walked in. "It took two years to finish just in time for my brother's wedding. They held it in here actually," he explained before walking towards where she was, reaching out a very delicate hand to trace the shape of one of the few animals. "I worked with four other carvers, each with their own talents on the walls once they were set. That took about a year because we had to make sure not to mess it up because the walls cannot be moved easily or replaced. The glass was another year gathering, melting and coloring it the right shade and then placing it in the frame to make sure it highlighted just the right area as the sun hit it."

From the way he spoke it was obvious that had this room been a child it had been his. Pride, protective, love. Inhaling he broke his gaze from the wall and turned to her. "Would you like to remain for a time more or shall we each get cleaned up to meet my parents?" he asked gently, obviously willing to stay in the room longer without complaint if she did.
 
Being quite terrible herself when it came to building or creating with her hands Natalie was impressed that people could do all this by hand and even make it better than with modern tools. Sure things made with tools may be perfectly aligned and all that but it couldn't create that special and unique feel that handmade creations gave off. "So you carved some of these?" she asked casting a look at the noble man beside her. She wasn't intending to make it sound like Ailred was incapable of working, but from what she remembered from history was that rich people had others doing things for them.

"Then you are very talented," she said. "All this must've been so hard without any kind of tools to help the process." The castle had been quite nicer on the inside than she had expected, seriously when someone said medieval castle how many envisioned dark, damp and cold halls. However this one was much more pleasant actually but even so this room really took your breath away. "I'm in no hurry," Natalie said, very willing delaying the meeting with his parents and the awkward moment when she would have to try and explain where she came from without making them think she was crazy.

Concentrating on the carvings and how the colours spread across them, bringing them life Natalie tried to push that away, as well as the obvious problem of getting home. It was almost too much to take in, having to accept that you had fallen back in time had been easier than she'd thought and in a way Ailred was to thank for that. Natalie had never like breaking apart in front of others and by having to keep her looming panic at bay everything had gone much smoother, it would be a whole other thing when she would be left alone next. "Why is there no people here?" she asked after a deep breath to gather herself again. "You'd think a room like this would never be left empty."
 
Ailred watched the woman in order to guide her away if she was bored. Her question though stunned him into a few moments of silence. Tilting his head to the side he considered how to answer those questions.

"Well, we did have tools, the normal kind to etch into stone--small chisels and a hammer. And yes I did some of the work. Here," he walked over to where she was standing and pointed to where a stag was standing behind a few trees peaking out at the world. Beckoning her closer, he traced the line of the stags head. "Look just behind this line here, but don't focus on the colors directly." Hidden there was the head of a doe right behind her mate as if it was protecting her from the world jealously. "I did these two and then some of the odder details."

He stared at the small section of the wall. "As for why it isn't crowded, it is because no one but my family, the crafters I worked with, and you know I created this. Everyone else thinks I merely planned it and then let the masons and stone carvers takeover. so it is a testament to their artisan-ship and not mine. Being the youngest son and out of the public eye so to speak has its advantages. That and most do not seem to appreciate the artistry in this room all that much," he said almost mournfully as his hands continued to travel the lines of the stags' head.
 
"Yes, of course," she said quickly. He couldn't know what kind of helpful tools she was talking about, she would have to watch her words better if she were to avoid either suspicion or be taken as a fool, neither of which she liked the prospect of very much. Leaving the subject behind she leaned forward to look at the wall where Ailred pointed at, first she could only see the stag, detailed and lifelike but when she stopped trying to see what he meant a figure emerged, a doe's elegant head hid behind her mate. "That's very well done," she praised. "It must take skill and patience to bring out shapes that takes help from the light to fully form."

If she ever came back home Natalie would try her best to come over something even close to this wall, be it as small as a key chain. Trailing a hand over the carvings to get a sense for how delicate the work really was, it surprised her how no one seemed to really appreciate the room. "Then they do not truly understand the artistry here, but it's also their loss," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets she took a deep sigh, it was probably better to get it all out of the way instead of dragging it out, in the end it wouldn't matter at all, but perhaps she could figure something out on the fly.

"Maybe we shouldn't let your mother wait too long?" she said reluctantly, not in a hurry to deal with what lay ahead nor exchange her clothes for the latest fashion here. "I don't know your customs here and I don't want to offend anyone here before my first day here has even ended." Her mind went ahead on its own wondering just how many days she would have to spend here.
 
The young nobleman smiled and shrugged. "My mother is relatively laid back for a woman of her status and having grown three boys herself and is helping to raise a few grandchildren," he said with a small chuckle before he offered Natalie his arm and motioned towards the door before guiding her through the halls to his personal chambers. He smiled as several women bustled around, taking the girl in hand.

"Hannah, take care of her kindly please," he told a young woman that was close to his age before he was ushered away by two giggling women though he paid them hardly any mind at all.

Hanna was a young, twenty-something year old woman that was brushing out two beautiful dresses that had been acquired to fit the young woman whom Ailred had found. "Aye milord Ailred," she said calmly before turning to the young woman and smiled for a moment before she saw her clothes. "Oh my, those must go! How could you stand it milady, to wear such flimsy things as those in front of a man? Alone, out on the wilderness I could understand if you were a Huntress, but in front of Ailred!" Her eyes, a bright blue in color that matched her blond hair that was pulled back in a braid, widened to the point of popping as she ushered the girl behind a changing screen that had been put up. It was just high enough to hide the woman from shoulders down. "Now, which do you like?" She asked, motioning to the two dresses.

 
That gave her some relief at least, Natalie had a picture of the classic lady type after her history classes, the calm and stern lady that was as glued to tradition as all seemed to be in the past and even though not as obvious still to this day, or the future if you will. But all the same her stomach steadily knotted itself ever tighter as she fretted inwardly on how to solve this matter, she didn't want to openly stated she was one of the McQueens as that would be a lie in this time but if she said she wasn't a relative of theirs then what would she say she was from. She got interrupted by maids arriving and as one was directed to stay with her two followed Ailred away and although he technically was as much a stranger to her as all others here he still was more familiar than this young woman and Natalie felt uncharacteristically unsure of herself.

"I like these clothes," Natalie retorted as she was ushered into a room by Hannah. "These are my favorite jeans," she continued before remembering that she had promised herself to be more tight lipped about the future and any of the terms used there.

Finding herself behind a screen Natalie looked at the dresses prepared for her and with a sigh let go of her stubbornness, it wasn't the end of the world and they were both beautiful and expertly made. "The beige one with long sleeves," she decided after a few moments of silence. It was of a simpler design than the black one, the stitching and the belt was the only decoration but it was more appealing to her overall.

"I'm Natalie by the way," she said with a smile to Hannah unsure if her name had already been told or not. Removing her beige jacket Natalie hung it over the screen and looked again at Hannah seeing no indication she was about to leave. "Are you gonna stay here while I change?" She asked, hesitating to remove more clothes, she wasn't shy but she did prefer to dress herself in some privacy.
 
Hannah was bustling around, taking the dress that was declined and putting it a wardrobe that had been set up and then bringing the beige one over to the dressing area and letting it rest on the screen that was between her and Natalie. "I am Hannah, milady," she replied slowly, as if trying to gauge what the woman was doing was out of curiosity or some other kind of tactic that nobles might use to catch a maidservant up. "And of course I will remain if you require it milady. That is what I have been trained to do --help young women such as yourself dress. Milord's wife, the Lady of this household, has been training me personally," she answered finally.
 
"Nice to meet you Hannah, but you don't have to call me 'milady'," Natalie said as she kicked of her shoes. "I'm just a normal girl," well if you don't count her being in another time then yes she was average. Casting a look at her sneakers, they didn't exactly match the dress, not much of a problem for her but she had a sneaking suspicion that people here would object. "Is there any other kind of shoes I could borrow?" She asked Hannah.

Taking advantage of the screen Natalie stripped out of her clothes, hanging them beside the dress on the screen she proceeded to pull the dress on. She smoothed it out and tied the belt, it wasn't that bad, if you overlooked the hindering long skirt. "How is it to live here?" She asked after some hesitation, she didn't want to seem like she was snooping for gossip but she was curious about this place and this time, anything that would better prepare her.


 
"Of course there are shoes for you to borrow milady," Hannah said with a small smile, having turned to pick up said shoes from where the dresses had been hanging before. Light, small, beige shoes appeared in her hands as she stepped near the screen and held them over for the woman to take when she was ready. "And you might as well be used to being called milady. As long as your, young Lord Ailred's guest you are of the same rank. No 'normal girl' gets invited by Lord Ailred. He's a ... peculiar one that he is. Kind and gentle enough to most, more than others at least, but he doesn't take kindly to just any woman, God save his soul. He's been presented with almost twenty young women alone in the last couple of months but none floats his bottle so to speak," she found herself rambling before her cheek's flew from pale to bright red. "Oh, I meant no offense, it's odd I don't normally talk this much milady. Please, forgive me." Her gaze lowered quickly to the carpet at her own feet.
 
Giving a reflexive thanks as she took the shoes Natalie quickly slipped them on and stepped out from behind the changing screen. "Well, I'll guess I'll consider myself lucky then," she said with a smile. Combing through her long hair with her fingers, it was actually a nice dress and as long as she didn't have to run any long distances she could get used to it. "No worries Hannah, it's me who was curious. I'm new here and I only want to learn some things about where I am." That was an understatement, she knew next to nothing about this place and she wanted nothing else but to return home, but the tiny problem of how left her helpless, it took all her willpower to not think too much. "Can you please save my clothes somewhere? I don't want to lose them."
 
Hannah had begun to gather the clothes up, frowning at the flimsy materials and the seams when Natalie turned to ask her to save the clothes. "Milady, they are... strange clothes, one can hardly see the seams in them. I was about to ask if I may examine them to see if I could learn some skill from them," she said with a small smile as she began to fold them carefully. "I will leave them here in the changing room. No other will touch them milady."

There was a sudden knock and Ailred stuck his head within. "Are we ready?" he asked only to have to dodge one of Natalie's strange shoes from Hannah who looked like a mother bear seeing a wolf come after her child.

"Out Ailred! You and your lack of manners, out!" Hannah snapped as the man ducked back out with a laugh. "That man has no manners sometimes! What if you'd still been indecent?!"
 
"Feel free to do that," Natalie said after a few moments, she couldn't find any harm in that. Clothes from the past where very skillfully made so she didn't think looking at her clothes would cause Hannah to learn something she shouldn't. When Ailred opened the door only to be chased away by Hannah, Natalie let out a laugh, she couldn't help it, a servant chasing of her master with a shoe wasn't something you saw everyday. "Boys will be boys no matter where you are I guess," she said.

As she was dressed Natalie had it difficult getting upset, besides she wore her modern underwear still and in her eyes that wasn't so bad either, people had no problems walking around in bikinis after all and a bra and panties where the same except the material, although explaining that would probably not work here. "Seeing as Ailred is finished I guess I can't drag out the time here," she said. "Thanks for your help Hannah." Taking an extra breath Natalie headed for the door and headed outside. "Maybe you should be more patient when entering rooms," she said to Ailred with an askew grin, "then you could avoid projectiles."
 
Ailred was lounging gently back against the wall next to the door, smiling as if nothing had been done wrong previously. "Aw," he pouted playfully, "But what fun would that be? And if you were to ask my brothers, I would be doing more training ducking projectiles than I ever did outside of the castle, a plus in their columns." He pushed himself away from the wall and gave a small bow. "But for our McQueen guest, I will try and refrain from opening doors into which room she is without proper approval. May I escort you to the room where my mother awaits then so that you may tell her just how awful of a son I am?" Despite his flowery words, his gaze was gentle and teasing as he looked up at her and offered his arm for her to take.
 
"As long as you know the consequences," Natalie said with a shrug and a smile. She wasn't overly worried as in this time all changing seemed to be done behind a screen and even if not she had learned growing up with a brother and his friends coming over that dressing quickly was a good idea. Holding back a smile over his bow and offered arm, it was just a surreal feeling seeing it when it normally was something that only happened in movies. "You may," she said, this time around accepting his offered arm. "Although you're not that bad so far," she added with a teasing grin.
 
This brought a laugh forth from the man as he led the way through the castle, pointing out different areas that she could visit until they found a way to return her to her family. Finally they ended up in front of a pair of large doors that he stopped in front of. Poking his head in he smiled and then pushed one of the doors open for Natalie to enter. "Mother, father, might I introduce the Lady Natalie McQueen that I found out in the forest?" Sitting at a desk, a man that could have been Ailred in thirty years looked up, eyeing them as a woman elegant in an intricate dark blue dress stepped over to stand just behind his right elbow, eyeing the pair as Ailred ushered her in.

It was the woman that spoke first. "Come in dear, the both of you and take a seat Miss Natalie, if you wish." Her voice was steady and calm, a motherly voice despite all the formalities.
 
Looking at what Ailred showed of the castle and trying to remember it Natalie couldn't quite wrap her head around it, she was too busy being worried about the meeting with his parents. She had no idea what was correct or polite enough when meeting with nobility, in some way Ailred's personality made it easier to be normal with him but now a knot was forming in her stomach as they stopped in front of large double doors. Too soon she was led inside and stood face to face with an older version of Ailred and a wonderful woman who look just as regal and elegant in her dress as royalty.

Having rather wanted to remain standing Natalie didn't want to seem rude or in some other way manage to make this first impression more painful for her, "Thank you milady," Natalie said as she accepted the seat offered, smoothing out the beige dress to have something to keep her hands occupied. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," she said with a smile that she hoped didn't show any of her nervousness. Normaly she was quite good at hiding such feelings and wasn't very easily rattled but here it seemed she'd forgotten all that.
 
The young nobleman shifted to stand just behind Natalie and lean back against a decorative tapestry until he received a small glare from his mother after which he stood straight as a pole as if he was afraid of some great general or executioner. Ailred smiled a little though after his mother had returned her attention back to Natalie before he shifted to the side a bit and then leaned against the stone wall again.

"The pleasure is ours," Lord Tyril said as he walked around his desk and leaned back on it as he eyed the girl. "That dress used to look amazing on you Maria, but it seems to have found a body it works better upon than our daughter-in-laws."

"Oh Henric, stop it," the Lady Tyril answered with a laugh and a shake of her head, slowly relaxing back in her chair. "That was so long ago I'm suprised this one didn't feel disgusted by the old fashion. Miss Natalie, please excuse my husband's lack of manners when it comes to assessing a woman's outfit. He likes to think we are still newlyweds sometimes and assesses every dress I used to wear as if it was never good enough for me." She laughed softly to herself before motioning towards Natalie with a little bit more formality. "Why don't you tell us what got you so far south?"
 
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