Snippets – actually!

My dear readers,
"I yet live!", my previous post, was labeled 'snippets' yet contained no such thing. For that I must beg your forgiveness and trust to your magnanimity that you might forgive me.
With that out of the way, I can continue on the course which was the true purpose of this post: to actually provide those promised snippets.

~

Igraine’s heart froze and she no longer heard the babbling voices of the men. It was certain then. Uther was dead. Dead.

~

"Arthur," said Rayfus, "I think that you should start looking for a suitable wife. You are sixteen, which is high time to be married. Besides, a king needs a good wife."

~

“May I help you?” Gwennie looked up. An older man stood in front of her, leaning on his staff.

“Who are you?” she asked, not answering his question.

“My name is Merlin Uwain of Avalon.”

You can’t be the famed Merlin, suspected by many and talked of by all! News of the man had spread quickly – his mysterious arrival at the castle a few days ago and his suspiciously benign presence since then. And I have him in my garden! What would all the gossips say? She smiled at Merlin. “I would greatly appreciate it if you split a few logs.”

~

“She died, you know.” Arthur had not known. “She died of the Black Death. I was away, at the time. We had quarreled – I was in the wrong – and I had left with it still between us.” His deep voice broke. “I left for a tournament – a blasted tournament, for heaven’s sake!– before the epidemic had even reached our town. When I came back, everyone was dead. Dead. Without warning, or message, she was dead.” Bedivere stopped talking and fell to his knees.

A secondary reason for this post: to satisfy my sister who has been gently harassing suggesting to me that I follow up my mention of my other sister's pregnancy with a mention of my niece. Well, okay. I give in. But, my dear readers, being an aunt has done desperate things to me. I used to like babies. I thought some (very few, but some) babies were cute. That was before I met the baby who is literally the cutest baby I've ever seen.

I'd quote Mary Poppins and say she's practically perfect, but then I'd be lying because there's no "practically" about it.

Yes, this is Frances, my niece. She is such a dear! Six weeks old as of yesterday.

And a thirdendary purpose is to share my initiation to the Les Miserables obsession support group. That is to say, I watched the highly impacting and very well done musical last weekend. Over a year ago (my, how time flies!) my mom came back after watching it, her heart completely full of love won over, but I didn't feel the need to see it since I'd heard about its darker sides and gotten a full synopsis from her. We finally got around to watching it, and… Wow. That's just about all I can say (to quote Mr. Slinger). Since then I've constantly had one (or two, or three) Les Mis songs flitting (or yelling rather passionately) through my head. And although I went so far as to tell Fantine to be quiet last night, I'm no less awed by that spectacular film.*

*Disclaimer: We did forward through Master of the House and part of the scene before I Dreamed a Dream. So I'm no judge of those parts (though you can judge by the fact that I decided not to watch them).