Baroness Ekaterina Von Drasek

[Ekaterina]

Port of Kiel, the high cliffs of this region creates the excellent natural harbors along the coast, the low lying area has fertile agricultural land except in the center, where heaths and moors predominate. Farming (grain, potatoes, and vegetables) and cattle raising are pursued, although agricultural production accounts for less than one tenth of the lands's yearly output. Shipping and fishing are important along the coasts, and made up the brunt of the wealth to be gained in the area, as well as it's vast reserves of timber, iron, copper, and other precious minerals. Manufactures of Port of Kiel include ships, paper, beer, and clothing. It's very heart the trading center for areas of Othlund and those close about. The markets included Jewelers who made not only precious bobbles, but precision watches, the fish market where a large variety of sea food could be found. Being the hub of imports and exports, exotic fruits and flowers were also found here.

The high cliffs were the claim of those who held wealth and power. Estate Manors that rested close to the edges in order to harbor a view of the vast spans of water before them. They would also overlook the lower areas, peppered with farms and ranches. Which stood between them and the busy hub of the Port City and it's vast markets. Here all walks of earth would intermingle in business and trade. Those of reputation as well as those that crept from the lower dredges of humanity. As usual in such places, one area catered more to the dock hands, fishermen, and sailors that came to the area to sell their wares, or simply gain employment. Businesses that catered to such men with their supply of liquor and fast company.

Balls with symphonies would be held in the higher elevations, while fiddles played and scantily clad women danced in the taverns and Inns of the port. Such would be her inheritance, and as she stood on the upper balcony of her new home, this is what she would gaze out upon. Her mother wasn't so nuts after all, too bad it cost her life to try and gain all this for her daughter. This evening she was adorned in a simple gown of forest green, a heavy brocade to encompass her toned form. It took some time to get the servants to accept their new Mistress, just as it would she to adjust to her new title and placement. What one gains from the tomfoolery of others, was simply amazing. A slow smirk to form upon unpainted lips as she stood enjoying the coolness of the crisp sea breeze.

There were still things to see, people to meet, and arrangements to be made for her total settlement in the area. A business is what this all was, her coffers to be filled by the sweat and blood of all those she now gazed down upon. Some would be more blood than sweat, which of course did gain a soft chuckle at her thoughts. Thick waves of that long flaxen mane danced about shoulders when captured by the passing breeze, it's ends drifting about hips as it was left to fall loosely over shoulders. Eyes the color of glaciers, icy shards of crystalline blues, slowly drifted over the span of land that reached out before her and disappeared within the depths of the waters. Ships in port, some having docked for the day, while others prepared to make sail. Ships that carried cargo and passengers alike. All this was her's, all because one man was so vain, so assured of what he would claim.

She can still remember the look on his face, and that which burned in his eyes when he had realized his final fate. So sad everyone seemed to be with his passing. If they only knew, only knew the truth of what transpired, but that would never happen. Cut and dried was the purpose of his demise, and there was even one that felt the end of the rope upon the conviction of the innocent man. Remorse? Had to have a conscious for that. All things had a purpose, and for this is what they'd be used. The best part, this was a new beginning and the surface had yet to be scratched to what it had to offer. She was young and had a long life ahead of her, and quite the treasury to ensure it was done in comfort.

A servant disturbed her thoughts by announcing his arrival. There was a guest in her parlor, someone who wished to greet the new Baroness of Kiel. She'd acknowledge the servant and give instructions to have her guest settled in the parlor and applied with drink. On purpose, she'd make them wait for nearly fifteen minutes before she'd make her appearance. On her way back through the room, she would pause before a full length mirror. Hands moved to run fingers through her hair to put it back in order from it's windblown state. Then move to smooth the material of that gown over that supple toned form. For a moment she just stood there gazing at herself, slowly a smirk would form upon those unpainted lips, and then she'd smile. It made her look younger than her true age, which was twenty and four years. Flutter of lashes as she tried to look demure, which only had her laughing at herself. It was then she put on the airs of the Noble she was, and headed to the parlor to see whom it was that disturbed her this day.

The Port of Kiel, now the home of Baroness Ekaterina Von Drasek, and she would be the keeper of this Pandoras Box.

[Ekaterina]

"The Tests..." He shuddered, having memories flood back to him in a rush, very unpleasant memories. "The Tests take that which one least expects. Before the Tests, I was a strong, handsome youth with a fiancée. I was talented in my Art, respected and loved. When I left to take the Test, I knew it would be difficult and that death was the price of failure; but I was arrogant, figuring that I was talented enough to pass easily. I do not remember much of the Test, only the very end. The Test ended for me in a white hot flash, and I was left at the very edge of death, and blinded by the experience. Although considered fatally wounded, the other Knights did everything they could to keep me alive, and they were able to save my eyesight. When I awoke, I found myself as you saw me when I dropped the mask; scarred, deformed in the eyes of society, a monster! Needless to say, thinking I had been cursed, my family disowned me, and my fiancée left me."

A slow shake of her head. "Why is it in the direst time of need, those who you once counted on are always the first to turn and flee?" Head to rest against the back of the sofa once more, while those pale eyes of hers continued to remain fixed upon him. "Too many put stock in the wrong things, when it comes to the way they treat others."

He could not hold her gaze. He was not happy with the fact that the pain of telling of this story was just as fresh as the pain of living it and it showed on his face. "I don't blame them, my family never took me very seriously, and we had quarreled over my taking the Tests. I, in my arrogance, insisted that passing it was easy and journeyed to take it anyway. My fiancée....on the other hand, was devastated when I returned. From her reaction, it was as if I had died." A tear ran down his cheek.

At that moment she noticed the tear, two emotions welled within her. One of compassion towards the man sitting before her, and that of anger in the way he was received by those once close. A shift of seating and upon her knees she'd raise from the position she had been settled in. One hand to rest upon skirt covered thigh, to leverage her body as she leaned forward. Calloused surface of index and middle finger to brush the tear from his cheek. "Quite a price you indeed did pay to follow your dream." Softly whispered. Head tilted as pale eyes followed the trail of liquid saline upon distorted flesh. "My opinion is that which you've endured has been nothing more than a succession of tests. It ended not with what you call a near failure." Slowly crystalline blues would rise to meet earthen hues. "They have continued, pushing you to be the best at what you do, and in who you are. Perhaps what you created that day came from deep within, as a sign to the greatness you're able to achieve. It was just at that point and time, you were not ready to unleash what is still harnessed within the very core of your being."

Her profound words pierced the pain of having to tell her of the lowest point in his life, his gaze lifted back up to regard her, a hand coming to close over the one on his cheek. A soft smile would find its way onto the face of the forlorn fallen Knight, whispering, "You are, as always, far too kind to me, Ekaterina." The other hand reached out to caress her cheek. "I have carried that weight for a long time. Thank you for lightening the load, rather than making it heavier." He tilted his head slightly, peering into her eyes, "I wonder, my dear Ekaterina, what weights do you carry?"

Head tipped slightly towards the light caress of his hand. "I've no reason to be an added burden to you Xander. I honestly believe that we are to be the offered shoulder to one another, in a time of need, when no other is available." Touch more of a smile to form.

"As for mine?" Pale blues held earthen hues for a moment, and then lowered for a brief moment. "My weights are not that of guilt, nor remorse for anything I've done in my life. Many don't understand this, and it's that which weights heavily upon me." Icy shards to slowly rise to meet his gaze again. "It was an action of vengeance that had me head down the path of my choosing. In that act, I found I easily held skills I had no idea I possessed. I was borne into a family of wealth and prestige, even if on what was considered a lower scale than some."

Free hand lifted a slight wave to the right with a twist of wrist. "I was being molded into being what was expected of me in society. A proper lady, a courtier to draw the eye of a noble Baron, or that of royalty. It would be due to the dreams of my parents, which I would find myself in quite a position." A moment’s pause, focus would shift towards the burning embers at the base of flames.

Dropping his hand, he moved a bit closer. The interest both in her and her story was apparent in his eyes. "That comes as no surprise; you have the look and elegance of a noblewoman about you, Ekaterina." How often had he thought that when he directed his gaze in her direction? He could not think of a day that he laid eyes on her that he had not thought that there was noble blood in her, from her proud bearing and behavior. He knew himself well, and one of the reasons he found himself so entranced by her was her pride. He continued, having lost his train of thought, "But you were not the type meant to be caged by the strictures of such a society, I think."

Softly chuckles. "A rebel, what my father used to call me. Especially during those times, when I traded skirts for pants, and was out wrestling with the boys my age, instead of fluttering lashes and acting coy." Slowly her head turned, as did those crystalline blues from the fire, to rest upon his features. It was then her gaze met his. "These actions continued through my teens, then into the age when my mother thought I should have been tending to more courtly matters. Especially on trying to impress this Baron. Of course I toyed with the situation, more so the man it seemed all wanted me to be with; all, except for my father. He was the only opposition, and in that, I was kept safe from my mother's and this Minn Erik Vlaken’s wants. Minn Vlaken was not a man who took no for an answer, and became angry at my father for his refusal."

As the story unfolded, the smile slowly disappeared and there was a hardness that took over those youthful features and icy shards. "My father paid for this, dearly. My mother and Minn Vlaken conspired to take my father's life. My mother had much to gain in this, being the mother in law of a wealthy Baron, and his promise to see that she lived like a Queen as long as he got me. Their one mistake, was during my father's funeral, while I hid away to be alone with my grief, I overheard them discussing what happened, and how." Again she'd pause to gain control over the rage the remembrance brought back to life. Feeling it swell in her breast, with the same intense heat of anger, as she did that very night.

He listened intently, but kept silent as she spoke. As she finished, "It would seem as though you were betrayed by those closest to you as well." He had noticed her smile fade, and that came as no surprise, seeing that she was recounting something extremely unpleasant. What did surprise him was the hardness of her gaze now. The flecks of ice blue in her eyes had solidified into a hard sheet, a cold barrier that he found nearly impossible to penetrate. It struck him suddenly that like his own eyes, this terrible hardness had been the last thing that some had seen before departing from this realm. How terribly alike, we are. He thought to himself. In a breathy whisper, "Go on, if you will."

"I wasted no time in plotting my father's revenge...." Refocusing upon his features, it helped to keep the full brunt of that being relived at bay. "...The very next day, I sought out an Apothecary who lived deep in the forest. It was from her I found the weapon I'd use against my mother. A poison that had no scent to it, nor taste. I began using it to taint her meal that very evening. It was a slow agonizing death for her, as her health began to fail and pain became a daily occurrence. None questioned her deteriorating health, thinking my father's death had affected her greatly. I silently was the one who relished in that which she suffered every minute of every day. To stand at her bedside acting like the dotting distressed daughter, when in all truth I bathed in the glory of knowing she was suffering.

The Baron continued to press me to wed him, using every conceivable excuse he could think of to own my hand. I convinced the Baron it was improper to marry immediately after such a tragic event, socially. Yet I continued to toy with his affections, leading him to believe I was vulnerable and in need of his strength due to my loss, and the ill health of my mother. He moved us into his home, hired the best physicians in the lands to tend to her needs. Of course they failed horribly, and my mother did eventually die." The way this was spoken, there was a coldness that touched her tone, no remorse of any kind, nor was there an indication of relief.

"The Baron was becoming frustrated, and when my mother passed, he insisted that we should wed, because it was not proper for me to be alone. That was when I drew my plan to a conclusion. I had told him in secret, I wished for us to meet out under the stars, that I needed to be with him in the way a woman is with a man, to help ease my pain of such great loss. It wasn't hard to convince, nor was it to get him to keep this meeting between the two of us. It wouldn't look good socially for us to be seen together in such a close manner. He made his excuses for taking off that night; a last minute meeting had been called on a business matter he had to attend to right away. I was seen retiring to my chambers, and locking myself in. Using a passage he had told me of the night prior, I secreted away from the manor to meet him in an abandoned cabin deep within the woods. It would be there he would meet his fate. Our first and only kiss, ended with a dagger driven deep into his heart. I returned to the manor undetected, it would be several days before his body was found. Due to his excuse for being away that night, it was considered a business dealing gone bad, and he was murdered for it."

She couldn’t help but to grin slightly at this point. “It was shortly after his death that I was called upon by his Barrister. It would seem, in order to gain my mother’s support in me being his, he had to name me in his will, and she too, of course. That if anything was to happen, I was to be his legal heir. How ironic. I not only inherited the estate of my parents, but that of his, along with a title.” Bit of a chuckle. “And the best part, I never had to give up my hand.” Soft tsk tsk to sound. “Such is fate, eh?”

Small shrug of shoulders. "It was after that, when I realized how easy it was to be rid of my mother and the Baron, and offered my services to those who wished vengeance, at first. A ghost I had become by night, a noble woman grieving by day. Soon if the price was right, I would take the job, not caring for the reason. Most contact me via a referral, those seeking others like me, to tend to a job they wanted not to dirty their hands. Notes left in various places in the forest, along with a bag of gold. Nothing more than a name, and the area in which the individual could be found. If I accepted, they'd know when they learned of this person's death." Again her gaze would meet his in full. "This is the weight I bear, Xander. A life I openly chose."