Two carriages roll into the Herst Castle courtyard from the west entrance. Making their way along the recently cleared stone paths, they come to a stop before the main entrance.
The first carriage, large with double doors, has a body made of light ash and sealed with clear limewash, holds the immediate Epp?ns family: Brenwal Baron of Ianor?, his wife, Gelae Elspeth, their eldest daughter, Arka Lydy, and her husband, Bereas.
The second carriage is smaller, made of a brown-stained oak, and holds the immediate Letser family: Gekael, his wife Glyna Els, and their son and daughter, Tyes and Wonyka Frony.
Ferran steps out of the door; having been given the list of attendees by both Alawel Heren and Romyll Dornytter, he knows he will have little time to do anything besides greet and assist guests, so there is little reason to leave the entranceway. He makes his way to the first carriage and opens the door.
Brenwal promptly steps out first and greets Ferran with a warm smile. The Baron of Ianor? is a man of a stout build and slightly shorter than the average Ianian man with large, thick fingers. His round face was split by a long, waxed blonde mustache, which sat perfectly balanced on his upper lip before curling upwards above his pudgy cheek. A beige overcoat protects his clothes from the snow. When he reaches the ground, he turns to help his wife down the steps.
Baroness Gelae has a similar frame and visage to her youngest daughter, Awenela, except her blonde hair is chopped short just above the shoulders. Her glasses promptly fog upon exiting the heated carriage; she removes a white silk cloth from the pocket of her blue winter frock and cleans them as she makes her way to the foyer.
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Bereas wastes little time exiting the carriage, not wanting his wife to spend too much time exposed to the cold winter winds.
Bereas takes the hand of the steward in a firm grasp and shakes it. “Bereas Skypwyr. I am the husband of the wonderful Arka. Excellent to meet you, Ferran.”
“The pleasure is all mine. If I may be so bold as to speak on behalf of Vela’Herst, we are happy to have you here.” Ferran has, at no point in his life, ever heard of this specific branch of the Skypwyr—ove’Ianor?—family, and he doubts if Gekaryna has either.
“I look forward to meeting her.” Bereas turns and takes Arka’s hand, helping the pregnant woman safely exit the carriage.
Hurriedly, the two join the others in the foyer to escape the snow and wait for Ferran to take them to meet with ?nnywella. When they are clear of the snow, Bereas runs his hands across his brown hair, brushing the snow off and fixing the part. He does the same with the top of Arka’s fur hat and the shoulders of her cape.
The group watches as Ferran pulls open the door to the Letser’s carriage, all pitying the poor steward for having to spend so much time in the frigid weather in casual attire.
The Letsters are far less organized in their vacating of the carriage, leaving in an order dictated less by familial rank and more of one based on proximity to the door—everyone of them excited to escape the unheated carriage and dive into the warm embrace of Herst Castle.
Wonyka hurriedly makes her way out of the carriage, passing Ferran with little more than a ‘thank-you.’ In thin braids, her light-brown hair bounces to and fro as the tall girl takes long strides towards the door.
Glyna follows at the same pace as her daughter, except she takes the time to give Ferran a slight bow. Upon joining the group in the foyer, she brushes the snow from the hood of her green wool coat.
Tyes Letser and his father, Gekael, exit one after the other, both lining up to greet Ferran. The son, a spitting image of the father, both tall with glasses, undercuts, and long brown overcoats—the only distinguishing difference is Gekael’s thick beard.
Ferran follows them into the foyer and leads the group to meet with ?nnywella.
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