A Father's Plea -- Addressed to Garnett Wenfrith

Dearest Lady Wenfrith,

I hope this letter finds you well -- the courts of Ygriss have not been the same since your departure, though as a fellow parent I understand that we do what we must for our children. This is in fact the reason for my correspondence, and I hope I have not presumed too much by contacting you. Please bear in mind as you read that you are my last earthly hope.

You may recall that my dear wife left us unexpectedly some eight years ago, and that the family as a whole took it especially poorly. My daughter Tamarilyn has had the worst time of it and it shames me to admit that I believe I have lost her completely; the child has become a bane of any peace I might have hoped to cultivate in my courts.

The girl has developed certain... unladylike habits which she flaunts openly. She rejects all female company, and I have had her dragged from sparring rings and removed from the archery range on more occasions than I can count. The discourteous and audacious things she says have grown more extreme by the day. The servants, who remember the gentle little girl who used to enjoy sweets and singing and having her hair braided indulge her in secret against my wishes. To worsen matters, she has grown into a beautiful young woman--and the effect this has had on the men of the court has not gone unnoticed on her part.

I have tried every punishment I know of and it seems only to steel her resolve to misbehave. I confined her to her room after one incident, and the brazen little fool climbed out the window to escape. A siege ladder had to be fetched to rescue her from the keep's wall. I hope you will not think me a wicked father, but I was sorely tempted to leave her up there.

I had her lashed (privately, of course) on another occasion. She endured no more than a couple of strokes before retaliating violently -- she bit my man's arm and broke three of his fingers before being subdued. I should note that she has never been aggressive toward a woman, nor has she lashed out at any man who did not strike her first. I would never knowingly put you or your family in harm's way.

This is my last resort, Lady Wenfrith, and I do not believe this is a lost cause. The girl has a good heart (though damned if she doesn't make every effort to hide it), but is damaged-- she suffers from night terrors, and often cries for her mother when she believes nobody can hear her. I can see no option but to remove Mari from this household where she has so much sway over my people. She is perhaps a week behind this letter in her journey to your son's stronghold. I am not too proud a man to beg of you-- please, find her a mentor, or a husband to teach her a lady's ways. I shall give my consent to any match or means you see fit, whether it please the girl or not. Your fine children are a testament to your mothering skills, my lady, and I pray that you might succeed where I have failed.

Most Sincerely,

Lord Rickard Direnni II

A couple of notes on background. Up to you whether your character would know any of this ICly:

- Lord Direnni was a close personal friend of Lord Wenfrith, Garnett's late husband.

- Mari's mother was murdered. While the assassin was caught and hanged for his crimes some time ago, there exists some suspicion that Lord Direnni or his mistress were involved in planning the murder. It would be rare to overhear these whispers, since anybody caught repeating them would likely be imprisoned or executed.

- Mari's outrageous antics are a source of shame for the Direnni family, and in spite of her father's efforts to keep them under wraps, stories and rumours have no doubt escaped the family courts. Lord Direnni's wild daughter is probably infamous in some circles.

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» Addressed to Quess
» To Derryk Wenfrith
» Addressed to William