Coming home should feel like taking a breath after breaching the surface of a deep sea. Or like that feeling you get sitting directly in front of the fireplace after hours of playing in the snow. Or like taking a long, cold drink of water on a hot day.

Coming home should feel easing to the soul.

However, on this dreary, brisk day as Madame ushered her towards her father's office the moment they stepped through the floo from her return from school, it felt as though the cold clung to her. It took all of her will to suppress a shiver as she was paused in front of the pair of heavy oak doors while her cloak was removed and her governess fussed and muttered over the state of her. How could the state of her be her fault? She'd just spent hours on a train traveling all the way from Scotland to England and then a floo to Wales, with no time to refresh herself. Wasn't that worth a little slack?

Not when you're a Annwyn, evidently.

Once the fussing was over, and the reminders of behavior and decorum were hastily rattled off before Madame pulled one of the doors open; only just enough for Taliesin to slip inside quietly. Despite how carefully Madame closed the door, the latching of it still echoed through the room, entirely decorated in dark, heavy woods and ornate decoration.

Taliesin could count the amount of times she'd been inside of her father's office on one hand, but she'd never been left in here alone. Her bright eyes tracked around the room that echoed with reminders of the house's age and vast array of grandeur that had been collected over generations. From heavy velvet curtains that draped dramatically over the massive, gothic windows, to the carved, cavernous fireplace, to the collection of old books and bobbles filling bookshelves that covered nearly every available space; and where ever they didn't reach, the space was occupied with paintings or other such decor.

Though all the while she looked, she didn't move a single other muscle. The young Annwyn stood perfectly still where she'd been left; straight backed, shoulders squared, hands folded neatly behind her, chin level with the floor. This was a situation she was specifically trained for as she waited to be acknowledged or addressed by the man, her father, currently sitting in a rich leather, high backed chair behind a desk that was as comparably heavy and grand as the rest of the room.

Lord Annwyn didn't even look up when she'd entered, continuing on with whatever it was he was writing, occasionally sifting through papers. It felt like years past, though it was likely only a couple of minutes, before he finally put the work down and spared her a glance, "Welcome home, Taliesin." he spoke in the deep, rumbling voice that always made her think of a bear from one of her stories.

That was her cue, the acknowledgment she needed, to at ease as she dropped her head in a bow, "Thank you, father." she spoke carefully. This was not the time to allow a nervous stutter over her words.

"I trust your travel home was fair?"

"Yes, father."

He gave a short nod and a gruff hum of approval before standing from his desk. The scrape of the chair against ancient floorboards was her next cue that she could look up from her head bow. Her posture must remain perfect though.

He gave a bored wave of his hand as he moved towards a pair of chairs near the fireplace, "Sit down." an order, no response required. Taliesin nodded, her whole focus staying on her presentation as she moved towards the chairs, waiting to see which he'd take before she sat down in the other. Edge of the seat, straight back, level chin, legs crossed at the ankle and angled back and away from whomever you're speaking with.

"You were sorted into Slytherin House?"

"Yes, father."

"A respectable place." she found relief in knowing that pleased him, "What are your most proficient classes?"

"Herbology and Potions."

"Herbology and Potions?" he echoed. There was a minor inflection in his tone. He wasn't satisfied, "Extracurriculars?"

Her confidence was starting to shake, but she could maintain her bearing, "I continue with my piano and language lessons, and my other work sent from Madame Daaé."

"That was not my question, Taliesin. What are your extracurriculars? Sports, clubs, activities of that nature."

The young witch swallowed hard, "No, Sir. My studies occupy my spare time."

"Rectify it." his tone was calm, but sharp in a way that felt like stinging nettle in her chest.

"Yes, father."

He leveled his gaze at her. Emyr Annwyn cut an imposing figure. His hair was a rich auburn that had started to silver at the sides, with deep blue eyes that made her think of the beach just before a big storm. Sometimes if the firelight hit them just right, it looked like flashes of lightening. He had a short, meticulously tidied beard, broad shoulders and a strong chest. Though he was never the tallest man in the room, his presence controlled a room effortlessly. He had an air about him that projected authority and demanded respect. It seemed fitting that he should be the Lord of an Ancient wizarding family.

"Taliesin," he began after completing his analyzation of her. Whatever determination he came to about her was a mystery, "Its time for you to rise to expectation." she bit her tongue to suppress her face from giving away a reaction, "You were indulged here, but now you've started your magical education. Your mother and I, I know, have always maintained high expectations of you; many of which you've failed to meet up to this point."

She flinched slightly at that. Slight, nearly imperceptible. This wasn't the time to break bearing, "And that will not change." his tone hinted that he'd noticed. Damn his sharp eyes, "You will be what is expected of you. That is true now, more then ever." he spoke with a tone of finality as he stood up from his seat.

When he eyes fell off her as he moved towards his desk, she allowed her mask to fall for a moment -just a moment- before she stood and slid it back into place, "Father, I..." pull it together, Taliesin, "I understand that in the past I have disappointed you-"

He cut her off, "You have a singular role, Taliesin." his voice was always so controlled, so seemingly calm. But after a while, one learns how to read another, "Had we a son, expectations for you would be different. However," he paused a moment, seeming to consider his words carefully, "that is not the case." she was pretty sure an 'unfortunately' was meant to be inserted in there someplace.

Taliesin understood what he meant. If there had been a son, he would be the next heir and all Taliesin would be expected to do is become an accomplished porcelain doll, marry well and make a family. But such a son didn't exist. Her parents were stuck with a ragdoll on her best days; she had minimal natural grace, poor attention to the finer details of decorum and propriety, and a mind that seemed stuck in a perpetual daydream. No matter how hard she strived to do everything exactly as they asked, she was always just short of perfection; and if she could not be perfect, she might as well be nothing at all. At least, in her parents' eyes.

Lord Annwyn retrieved something from his desk drawer before coming back towards her, "You are a daughter of the Ancient House of Annwyn. You are my daughter. Everything this family has built, that I have built, will be your responsibility one day. And I will not permit your indelicate nature to sully that. If that requires adjustments to ensure you learn, then we will implicate whatever measures are required." he lectured as he placed a small, aged box in her hand. She already knew what was inside. She'd dreamed about it when she was little; and this conversation was certainly not going how she'd dreamed it would.

Taliesin imagined pride in this moment or excitement. This should be an exciting moment in her coming of age, yet, dread was pooling in her stomach, "Taliesin Eirys Annwyn, as head of the Ancient House of Annwyn, I formally name you Heir to the House of Annwyn." Taliesin released a silent sigh through her nose as she opened the box. Inside rested a signet ring, delicately crafted from Welsh gold and inlayed with deep green enamel to highlight the golden images of curling vines and oak leaves.

The ornate piece's dark stone bevel still remained blank as he tugged it free from it's cushion. This moment was meant to symbolize her coming of age within the family, rising up to a higher position as next in line and becoming the symbol of the family's future... a future that, from her parents' perspective, seemed bleak. She wasn't the heir they were hoping for, and they wouldn't let her forget it until she got it right. She had to get it right.

"I accept." she said softly, offering her hand as he carefully slipped the ring onto her right pinky. With the magic imbued within it, the ring sized itself to her, glowing and vibrating softly before etching itself with it's interpretation of her; as the light faded, the image appeared. The whole process felt reminiscent of her sorting.

Her initials presented backwards in an ancient looking calligraphy, then slowly through carefully placed curves and intricate weaves, a knotted tree of life etched itself deep into the gemstone, splitting her first and last initials to either side of it's trunk. A symbol of growth, endurance, unity and wisdom. All aspects that she would be thought to grow into per the ideas of her family.

As the etching came to completion, she looked to her father who kept a neutral expression that she struggled to decipher. Sure, it wasn't a boar or a stag or something else to encourage ferocity or power; but it certainly wasn't a bad omen. Not if she knew her own history correctly. All the same, her father gave a neutral hum before releasing her hand and starting back towards his desk.

"Llongyfarchiadau, ferch. Bydded i ti gael dy arwain fel hyn.¹" he recited, in that age old tradition he was compelled to follow. Taliesin smoothed her clothes, swallowing the disappointment of how this long awaited milemarker played out. By the desk, she head the man clear his voice a moment, recapturing her attention before he spoke, "Dinner will be soon. Go and settle in before that. We will meet again before you go back to Hogwarts to discuss everything further."

That was her dismissal cue. With another bow of her head, she spoke, "Thank you, Father." not that he was even looking at her, his gaze fixed back again on whatever work he'd been doing before her arrival. This was the end of their little meeting, and Taliesin was more then grateful for it as she quietly slipped out of the study and back into the hall to where Madame had been waiting.

Wordlessly, the woman spirited her away back towards the other wing of the house towards her own room. Merlin, she couldn't wait to just be back in the sanctuary of her own room.

1: "Congratulations, daughter. May you be guided in this way."