Varinia puts her hand to her forehead and rubs her brow. Well that was telling. "I meant over the years. But nevermind that." She makes a quick adjustment to how the gown is sitting, then spins around. "Do I look alright?"
She shakes her head "Oh no, he doesn't last that long. That would hurt after that much time wouldn't it?" When you ask how you look she grins broadly "You look wonderful my dear."
Varinia decides to ignore the first half of that, and smiles at the woman. "Thank you." She heads out of the door, going to breakfast. She's hungry, but she doesn't hurry. She wants to observe as much of the castle on the way as she can. Get the lay of the land, as it were. She keeps a particular eye out for windows or doors: ways out.
A page is there to guide you to the dining hall, and before long you are grateful for the opportunity- the castle appears to be massive. You see plenty of stained glass windows, numerous staircases, including two you go down to get to the dining hall, a library, two ballrooms, a balcony on the same floor as your bedroom, a loom, a window box garden, and just about every indoor activity associated with femininity that a traditional woman might care to use to spend her time if they were going to be in the castle for a while.
Breakfast is robust- ham, eggs, vegetables, bacon and pastries. Cu sits at the head of an excessively large table while you are seated at the other and servants bring the two of you food enough to laden the entire table.
Varinia follows the page slowly through the castle, taking in the sights. And also, though she obviously doesn't mention it, trying to memorise the path such that she might make her way back unaccompanied.
At breakfast, she takes her assigned seat, smiles down the table at Cú, thanks him for the food, and tucks in. She eats heartily, not having had fare so good since she left Scotland, and wanting to recover her strength after her injury, transient though it had been.
He asks how you slept and other pleasantries, and though your voices carry well in this hall he quickly decides to get up and move down the table closer to you, pulling his chair so that you can now sit within arms reach.
She replies that she slept well, thank you, and generally tries to return the pleasantries. She smiles at him when he moves his chair down. "It really is an awfully large table, isn't it? Do you often get enough guests to fill it?"
He shakes his head "I don't think I've ever had enough guests to fill this table. I often have enough food though."
"Och, a shame. I do hope it doesn't all go to waste. You don't get many visitors, then?"
"Not for a long while, the hall used to be full, with warriors drinking ale and boasting of heroic deeds. Heroic deeds seem in short supply these days."
"Och, that sounds like a sight to see. And aye, they seem to be." Varinia sits back, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "Tell you what: why don't you tell me of some of your own heroic deeds? I still feel like I hardly know you."
He leans back "there was the time when Medb invaded Ulster to steal a prize bull. I was in part to blame for I was supposed to be on watch when a fair maiden caught my eye and led me away from my duties, and then was a curse laid upon the men of Ulster that they should each endure the pains of a woman giving birth, from which I alone was spared. I went then to defend Ulster alone against her army, standing at the ford in the river and challenging single combat. For three months I stood there and fought champion after champion that Medb sent to face me, until her army balked and no more men would come to meet my challenge, and they turned away from Ulster."
Varinia winces at the mention of suffering the pain of childbirth, but admiration comes across her face as the tale continues. "My goodness! Three months? That's incredible! You must have been quite knackered after all that!"
"Well I certainly needed a good night's sleep before I entertained that young maiden again."
Varinia chuckles. "And what of Ulster's curse? Do the other men there still suffer that?"
"The curse was lifted when Medb retreated."
"Fortunate for them. Though I must admit, it would have been interesting to see the men get a taste of a woman's pain. I wonder if it made any of them a little more thoughtful." Varinia's gaze wanders into the middle distance as she ponders her own question, nibbling on a pastry.
But her mind soon returns to the conversation, and she sets down the pastry, patting her belly. "My goodness, I don't think I can eat anything more!" Her eyes rove over the spread upon the table, in which she seems to have put hardly a dent. "I'm quite stuffed."
He takes your hand in his and kisses the back of it "then what would you like to do this morning?"
With her hand still resting on her belly, Varinia looks thoughtful for a moment. "How about you show me around your castle, while we digest this?"
"Certainly" He takes your hand and shows you around, music halls, ball rooms, library, One floor has a courtyard garden with earth filled boxes and a stone floor with an open roof. There is an extensive kitchen, an armory, a room set aside for the palace cat, and numerous bedrooms decorated in a variety of styles. You spend what feels like hours walking the halls as he gives you a brief history of each room.