resort_link | 03 - Public / Video

There's merit in any story told. [She gives a slight shrug.] I can go first, if you like.

[Linda nods, glad because that will at least give her an idea of how Grainne does this] Okay. [she shifts, relaxing against the back of the bench to listen] Let's hear it.

[Grainne clears her throat and stands up walking a ways away as if she were about to recite something, which wasn't too far off the mark really.

To add to the flavor, she shifts into her Caster dress, minus the cloak and veil.

It had been a long time since Grainne had even heard the story in her first life, so she isn't too sure how well she would do here at remembering the details.]

A long time ago, when our forefathers were barely a gleam in the eye of their fathers, there was a mighty king named Conchobar, of Ulster. Some said he ruled with a fair hand, others said a just hand, some said he was arrogant, or greedy, or many numbers of things. It depended on who you ask.

At the same time, there was a babe born, a sweet little girl as fair as the sun rise. A prophecy came about that this babe would grow up to be the most... most beautiful girl in the kingdom.

[Grainne's voice cracks a little, but she clears her throat as if to cover it.]

Conchobar said, if she is to be the most beautiful, then it is only natural she would be my wife. And he sent her to live with a caretaker, so that none may see her beauty before it was time and want them for themselves, and she would live there until she came of age.

[She pauses to gauge Linda's reaction.]

[Linda's eyes widen when Grainne's outfit changes. she almost asks about it, but Grainne is clearly setting up a mood, so she thinks better of interrupting]

[and when Grainne pauses, she is frowning, listening in interest. though she hasn't heard this story before, she's heard one like it, and she wonders where it will go. from Grainne's comment about naivete, she hopes that means a happy ending]

[Oh, Linda.]

[Grainne takes the look of interest as a sign to continue.]

The girl's name was Deirdre. Leabharcham, the old woman Conchobar had given the child to to raise, one day foretold her young charge Deirdre would love a man strong of heart, with hair as dark as a raven's feather, skin whiter than the mountain's snow, and lips red as blood. Deirdre thought on this for many days, wondering what such a man would be like.

Now, Leabharcham, being a wise woman, knew that Conchobar would never be a fit mate for a girl so young and beautiful. Deirdre owned her own heart, and only those she deemed worthy should have it. Leabharcham loved her as a daughter and wanted her to be happy. And she knew of a young man that fit those words exactly.

He was Naoise, the nephew of the king, with the arm of a mighty hunter yet could sing sweeter than a bird.

Leabharcham sent for Naoise secretly, and, feigning an illness, sent Deirdre out in her place to fetch some water. Being a clever one, she had arranged for the two to meet.

[She trails off, trying to remember the rest of the story. It had been such a long time since she heard anyone tell it, her mind went in seach for the details and any little bits she could remember. Some of it didn't seem right so far, but without hearing it again, she couldn't be sure.]

[Linda is still listening intently, and she smiles at this turn of events. when she speaks, she keeps her comment quiet, not wanting to ruin the mood, but she can't help adding it] Sounds like Deirdre's lucky to have someone looking out for her.

I suppose so. The old woman meant well, at least.

Deirdre fell in love with Naoise at first sight, but he tried to dissuade her, knowing that she was destined for the king. Deirdre would not be, and she swore to him that she would not marry the king, nor love him, and her heart would be broken forever if Naoise did not leave with her. He finally gave in and took her away, taking her for his lover.

Now it had been time for Conchobar to check on Deirdre, so he sent for Leabharcham's message on how Deirdre was coming along, and if she were as beautiful as was foretold. She returned that Deirdre had suffered an illness and was not beautiful at all. The king distrusted this, and sent a friend of his to spy on Deirdre and tell him the truth. His friend returned and told him that she was as beautiful as ever, but had gone off with a warrior...

Conchobar was enraged with this news and summoned his men to go after them. They chased the two for months, always coming close, but Naoise kept the two safe.

Naoise... he fell in love with Deirdre deeply, and swore his life to protect her from the sad fate of being sacrificed to a old king's lust, and Deirdre cared for him more than anything in life.

[Her tone becomes wistful and sad, but yet somehow hopeful as well.]

Conchobar and his men were too strong for the two, for when Naoise had been out hunting, they caught him. Conchobar asked of his nephew to foreswear Deirdre and he would forgive him. Naoise returned that he would never abandoned Deirdre.

Conchobar's friend slew him right there, and left his body behind...

[Her shoulders slump and she sighs.]

Deirdre was heartbroken. She was captured and taken to the castle, where she was forced to wed Conchobar, but she was cold to him, and refused his advances. He tried to woo her day in and day out, until one day, a year later, he became angry with her rebuffing him.

He asked her, who of all in Eire did she hate more than him?

Deirdre spat at him, and replied that the only man she hated more than him was the man that killed Naoise.

Deciding then, he ordered his chariot readied, and took her out in it. He asked her if she wanted to know where he was taking her, and he laughed when she glared at him instead of answering. He told her that he was taking her to the man that had killed Naoise to offer her in marriage to him, and that she would find no peace for as long as she lived.

Deirdre cursed him and cursed his future, his children, and told him he was a monster in man's form. She tried to jump from the chariot, but he reached for her and set her off balance. When she landed, she dashed her head upon a rock...

But she rejoined her beloved in death, and had all of the happiness due her and Naoise at last.

[Grainne sighs then, and her dress dissolved into her regular clothes.]

[Linda's cheerful interest quickly turns to concern as the story progresses, and she frowns sadly] His own nephew...

[by the end, her expression is stricken. for a moment, she doesn't know what to say. finally, she manages:] That's...wow. What a story... [she wonders why Grainne said she liked it more when she was naive. after all, even if there's hope in death, it's not exactly a happy ending] That's so sad...

[shifting her focus to Grainne herself, though, she adds:] But I think you were wrong about storytelling. You're really good at it.

Is it though? [Grainne tilts her head, walking forward to sit down again.] She met her beloved again in death and was happy for the rest of time. They were free from hardships and from anyone who wished to keep them apart. Not every love story ends that way. Some never meet again, even in death.

[She shakes her head suddenly and smiles.]

I suppose I am not bad, but only after many years of practice. If you ever listened to the Bards at Newgrange when it was in its heyday, I am likely a poor storyteller compared. What is your Beauty and the Beast about? I take it there is a girl, and a beast of some sort.

Well, yeah, but...in most stories that's what happens after death, isn't it? And they didn't get to live together happily during their lives. [she rubs the engagement ring between the fingers of her uninjured left hand. the story made her think of Rusty--but she reminds herself that at least he's out there somewhere safe]

[she lets Grainne change the subject, though. after all, she did promise to tell her story, and she smiles at Grainne's opening guesses] That's a good start. I'm not a storyteller at all, and I don't know if I remember exactly, but... [she pauses, not quite sure how to start. she doesn't stand like Grainne did; she doesn't want to pretend to be a storyteller like the ones Grainne knows when she's never even seen one. instead, she straightens a little where she sits and decides to just dive in]

Like you said, there's a girl--a beautiful one, named Belle. She's quiet and loves books, but she dreams about having adventures away from the small village where she's grown up. Other people think she's weird, with ridiculous ideas. But her father, an inventor, always supports her--just like she supports him. For a while, Belle's only problem is a man named Gaston, who has decided he's going to make Belle his wife even though she keeps refusing him. But then her father tries to travel through the woods to a fair to show off an invention--and on the way, he gets chased off the path by ferocious wolves. His horse comes home to Belle alone.

[she pauses, wondering how Grainne will react to the opening and trying to remember more of the details of a movie she hasn't seen in quite a few years]

[Linda doesn't need to worry. From the moment she starts, Grainne sits listening, fascinated already.

A beautiful girl who dreamed of adventures... an obnoxious suitor... a father in trouble... it seems a little familiar to her, but of course all stories have elements of each other in them.

When she gets to the part where the horse returns home alone, Grainne gasps softly.]

Oh... poor Belle, she must have been devastated.

[Linda nods, relieved that Grainne is interested. she continues] But she got their horse to take her back to the spot where he lost her father. And she found out that he hadn't been killed--instead, he'd found a castle there when he was running from the wolves, and he'd hidden inside it. But it was owned by a terrible beast--a giant man, like a lion with fur over his body and a scraggly mane. So while the staff had helped her father find safety there, when the Beast had found him in his castle, he had locked him up.

Now that Belle knew where he was, she couldn't leave her father like that. So she did the only thing she could do--she offered to trade places with him. She would stay as the Beast's prisoner if he set her father free. Her father protested, but he couldn't change Belle's mind, and he was freed and sent away. He hurried home, hoping to find help in their village to come back and free his daughter.

Meanwhile, the Beast invited Belle to dinner, but she refused him. Angry, the Beast declared that she wouldn't get any food if she wouldn't eat with him. Luckily for Belle, the servants took pity on her and invited her to dinner anyway. Belle discovered that the servants in this castle were very strange--they were all household items, like a candlesticks, a clock, and a teapot with her teacup child. They came together to serve her an amazing feast and took her on a tour of the castle.

But Belle snuck away from the tour to explore the castle more on her own. And she went to the one place in the castle that was forbidden--the west wing. There, she found a room full of broken items and a shredded painting of a prince--as well as a rose in the middle of the room, glowing and floating in a glass case. Belle moved to touch it, but the Beast found her, snatched her hand away, and screamed at her to get out. Terrified, Belle ran not just from the west wing but from the entire castle. She ran out into the woods--and this time it's Belle who gets attacked by the wolves.

What a strange curse to lay on so many people... [Grainne knew what teapots are, and the kinds of things household items are in the modern eras, but that everyone had been transformed into living tools is somewhat unsettling.]

What happened to her? Did her father come and rescue her?

Edited 2015-05-31 14:44 (UTC)

Yeah, Belle didn't understand the curse at the time. But it didn't matter much when she was surrounded by wolves. [Linda finds that she's getting into the story now, encouraged by Grainne's interest, and she continues eagerly] You're right--her father did try to bring a rescue, but no one back in the village would believe his story about what had happened. They thought he was crazy. And so he tried to go after her alone, but he got lost in the woods on his way.

Belle did get rescued, though. The Beast went after her himself, fending off the wolves even though they scratched and injured him in the process. He brought her safely back to his castle, and after that display, Belle started to feel like the Beast might not be as beastly as he'd first seemed. She took care of his wounds, and knowing her love for books, he promised her the castle library as a gift. Belle found that, for that moment at least, she didn't mind being the Beast's prisoner so much. The staff even set up a romantic dinner for them to share together, and after they ate dinner, they danced together. It was like the Beast was a gentleman rather than a monster.

But Belle missed her father. She desperately wanted to see him, so the Beast used a magic mirror to let her--and to her horror, she saw him lost in the woods, dying as he tried to find her again. Belle was desperate to save him, and the Beast let her go, giving her the mirror as a gift to remember him by.

Because what Belle didn't know was that the curse on the whole castle was because of the Beast himself. Once he'd been a prince, but he'd been selfish. An enchantress dressed as an old beggar had come to his castle looking for shelter with only a rose to offer him in return, and he'd sent her away. She'd transformed the whole castle, including the Beast, and he had only until his 21st birthday--10 years--to love someone and be loved in return, or he would be trapped as a Beast forever. And this very night was his last night to break the curse. If Belle left now, he'd never be human again. But he didn't say so, and he let her go. [she pauses, watching Grainne for her reaction]

Oh no! [Grainne sits up straighter, eyes growing slightly shiny. The Beast must have loved her, or at least cared for her more than his own well being... It strikes a very deep chord in what was left of Grainne's heart.] Oh, poor Beast... was she falling in love with him?

[she considers that] I think she was, but I don't know what she would have said if you'd asked her then. But believe it or not, everyone's problems were about to get even worse. After her father's wild declarations about the Beast's castle, Gaston decided there was a way to make Belle marry him. He paid off an official--if Belle refused him again, he would have her father committed to an asylum for the rest of his life.

So when Belle did rescue her father and return home with him, Gaston confronted her with his ultimatum. But Belle had other ideas. She used the magic mirror to show the Beast to the people of the village, proving that he was real. Only to Belle's shock, Gaston used the Beast's appearance to stir up a lynch mob. Now the villagers wanted to kill him--and Gaston locked Belle and her father in their basement so they couldn't help. Then he led the mob into the woods to go after the Beast.

[she pauses for breath, having been speaking quickly in her excitement as the events of the story picked up. she doesn't stop for long, though, too eager to share more with Grainne. she's enjoying this now, which is both surprising to her and thrilling, even as the story itself grows more serious]

The villagers made it easily to the Beast's castle, but the staff rallied to protect their home. They used their strange, cursed forms to their advantage and kept most of the mob busy with tricks. But Gaston managed to get past them and made his way to the Beast. And the Beast, thinking he had already lost the only person he had ever cared about, didn't fight back.

[she pauses again here, fully into the story and enjoying seeing Grainne's reactions to the suspense. after all, this is a story that she first heard--saw, really--when she was very young. it's exciting to see someone's reactions who is hearing it for the very first time]

No! [Thoroughly distressed, Grainne places her hands over her face.] Poor Beast... Poor Belle... being treated like property... all to suit someone's vanity!

[Linda falters at Grainne's words--and the emotions behind them. it's easy to get used to a children's story and no longer think about the meaning of it, but she knows that Grainne is absolutely right. not to mention the way the villagers quickly take Gaston's side is nothing short of sick to her, as well]

Yeah, they were being treated like that... But no matter how bad things are, there are always good people out there who will do their best to help. [her tone is firm; she truly believes that] In this case, Chip, the little teacup, had stowed away with Belle when she left the castle. And he was small enough to get out of their prison and smart enough to find a way to free them. So with Chip in tow, Belle and her father rushed back to the castle.

Meanwhile the Beast and Gaston were fighting on the roof. And at the sight of Belle coming to help him, the Beast got his resolve back and easily fended off Gaston. But the Beast had changed since he'd met Belle, and he wasn't a selfish man anymore. He spared Gaston's life, ordering him to leave, and went to meet Belle. Gaston, though, was too awful of a man to let that be the end of it. He came up behind the Beast, stabbing him--a move that cost Gaston his life. [her expression is dark] He slipped and fell from the castle to his death.

But the Beast's wound was bad, and he was dying in Belle's arms. By then, Belle knew exactly how much she loved him. She cried over him, telling him so--at the very last second before the curse became permanent. [Linda breaks out in a smile as she comes to the happy end of the story at last] And then it was broken, restoring the Beast's life and turning him back into a human prince. Overjoyed, Belle kissed him, and everyone and everything in the castle transformed, too, turning back into what--and who--they'd been originally. And from that day forward, Belle and the former Beast were able to live together happily ever after. And... [she pauses, smiling widely] That's the end.

[Grainne gives Linda a slightly astonished look.]

That is the end? They lived together, happily? Everything was all right and they were for the rest of their days? It seems like a miracle they were not killed by Gaston...

[It's hard to wrap her head around. She knows love stories could end happily, at least on an intellectual level, but most of the ones she heard personally ended... well, realistically.]

They must have had a godling or very good luck watching over them. I know mine did not end that way at all. That is amazing, wonderful even. It gives hope...

[Linda frowns at Grainne's surprise] Yeah. I mean...it's a children's story. Don't you know other stories like that?

[she pauses, struggling for words. she's never thought about why this is a normal part of so many children's stories before, so it's not easy for her to come up with a way to describe that reason. after a moment, she says:] It is about hope. Hope is--important. I mean... [she makes a face, not quite sure how to say what she's thinking] What would we do if we stopped believing there was any way for things to turn out okay? We'd just...stop when things got hard. Wouldn't we?

[Grainne looks away for a moment, then down at her hands.]

No, not until I came here. Our stories tend to be based in real events, which do not always have a happy ending, or one that favors any particular person and very often speak of tragedy on all sides. They speak of hope, too. I would even dare to say Belle's story did not turn out a happy one for Gaston.

But then, those who persist in foolishness bring about their own ruin, too. Gaston may have been selfish, and barbaric in some ways, though he also must have been an important member of the community to rally and lead the others so, and feared for the safety of the village. Ignorance and fear are not permanent afflictions, except it was not his ignorance and fear that ended his life, but his lack of mercy.

I have always believed it is important for my children to be prepared for the harsh realities of life that they will face on their own. They would not always win just because they felt themselves just. It has always been my duty as a parent. That does not mean I did not teach them to hope or to stop believing in other people to do the right thing.

Oft, it is believing in others that brings out the best in them. Sometimes that is all that they need.

[She sighs, and drops her hands to grasp the seat on each side of her.]

I suppose when it comes down to it, I could not tell my children stories that were not true, not when their father's ended so badly.

[Linda stares at Grainne for a long moment. she hadn't expected that reaction--hadn't been thinking about this exercise in storytelling nearly so seriously. and she'd had no idea what Grainne might have come from before she came to Blackway, but just that short allusion to her life strikes a chord with Linda. finally she asks, quietly:] You're a mother?

A mother, a grandmother. Great-grandmother... my descendants number thousands. My surviving children founded a clan and spread across the world. Not a one claims me as their founding mother.

[she still doesn't understand how Grainne could be who and what she claims to be--so old and also dead but not. but there's one question that hits Linda before anything else] But...why wouldn't they?

As I said before, not all stories end happily.

[She sighs heavily, discontent.]

You can try to save someone, do something that you absolutely hate to succeed, and be hated by that someone for it.

03 - Public / Video

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Do you want to finish this out? I think we're close.

yeah

no subject

just gonna use this account

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)