A Fresh Start

Ember was all set to continue their tour around Hearthstone when Rebel stopped her and brought up finding somewhere her parents wouldn't find them so they could drink more of the wine. The Carpathian girl's heart missed a beat in panic, whipping around to face Rebel with an incredulous look of shock on her face. Steal a whole bottle and hide while drinking it?! She might as well have gone up to her dad and smacked him in the face! The whole notion left Em speechless and stunned. Could she really bring herself to break the rules and disrespect her parents so blatantly like that? She was mad at her dad, yeah, but that would upset her mom too, and Briar had been nothing but good to her. No, no she couldn't do that... not now, at least. "Uhh, rain check? I don't think it'd be a great idea to steal a bottle of wine and run off when I'm supposed to be showing you around first." Maybe another time she'd feel daring enough to take up Rebel on her offer of teenage rebellion, but not today.

Waiting until Rebel had put the bottle back, Ember led her back up to the main level of the castle and down the corridor across the foyer to the east wing. "Over here is the east wing of the castle. Here, we have our infirmary, lounge, and guest rooms." Ember briefly showed Rebel the lounge filled with comfy furniture and plush pillows, then led her to the open doors of the infirmary, where Gwynevere was inside stocking shelves with various medicined and poultices. "If you ever get hurt or feel sick, this is where you come. My Aunt Gwyn is the best healer in the world, and Syanna is crazy smart about weird diseases and things. And I guess my brother's learning to be pretty good too. Hi Aunt Gwyn!"

With a little wave to her busy aunt as they passed, Em led Rebel past the guest bedrooms and to the baths next. Stepping inside across the smooth stone floor, Ember made a sweeping gesture across the large unfilled tubs. "These are our baths! There's two large tubs that fill with the faucets on the sides. Dad says they pump directly up from a natural hot spring under the castle and drain out to the sea, so there's always hot water available. They feel great, especially on cold or wet days, and it means we're able to stay clean no matter the weather or season!" The baths were one of Ember's favorite rooms. She'd spent so much time in here learning her grooming and beauty techniques with her mother.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"