Sims 2 Tales

Welcome to Chapter One of Forefathers. This mini-series will follow several generations of the Le Grande family, from late medieval times to the present day. It was inspired partly by the various Legacy Challenges, and I hope you will enjoy it.

The cover is "God Speed" by Edmund Blair Leighton (www.artmagick.com).

Hugh Le Grande’s family had been the owners of Normandy Manor since just after the Norman Conquest of 1066. From their humble origins in a small village close to Bayeux, they had steadily increased their wealth and reputation as one of the most powerful families in England. Some four hundred years later the threat of war was hanging over the land once more, and the prospect of being called upon to go into battle had been weighing heavily on Hugh’s mind for several months. It was winter 1460 and the new conflict, which would later become known as the Wars of the Roses, was beginning to gather pace.

Hugh’s wife, Eleanor, was the only child and heiress of the Le Breton family. With no brothers to inherit her family’s property she was a considerably wealthy woman, and although their marriage was often considered by their neighbours to have been a financial arrangement, it was actually a true love match. Hugh and Eleanor were devoted to one another and to their son, Walter. The family had spent many happy years together at the Manor, and had continued to add to and improve the home they loved. However things were about to change ….

On an unusually mild December afternoon, Eleanor had just completed her daily stroll around the grounds when she spotted an elderly woman.

"Hello, can I help you?" called Eleanor. The woman, whom Eleanor now recognised as a gypsy, turned around and smiled.

"Good afternoon my Lady," she replied, "my companions and I are staying in the neighbouring village for the Christmas Fair, and I was wondering if any of the good folk in these parts would like to know what the future has in store for them?"

"Well I can’t speak for my neighbours, but I would be interested in a reading" answered Eleanor cheerfully.

The gypsy took a large crystal ball out of her bag, and after Eleanor had given her a few silver coins she took a deep breath and stared into the globe. At first her expression was unchanged, but was soon replaced by a look of despair.

"What have you seen?" asked Eleanor, her voice a mixture of concern and fear.

"Things too dreadful to describe," replied the gypsy, who fled before Eleanor could ask for more.

All manner of thoughts and ideas raced through Eleanor’s mind as she stood on the bridge. She wondered if the gypsy had been mistaken in her interpretation of what she had seen, or maybe she hadn’t really seen anything at all?

"She didn’t appear to be a trickster, so she must have seen something," Eleanor mused as she walked towards the gatehouse. She was just about to pass through the doors when she realised that tears were running down her face.

That night before going to sleep, Hugh and Eleanor relaxed and talked about the day’s events. Noticing that Eleanor was quieter than usual, Hugh asked what was troubling her.

"A gypsy here for the Fair saw something troubling when she looked into our future," she replied nervously.

"You shouldn’t take notice of those old women and their toys," Hugh scolded gently, "they’re just trying to make a few pennies and frighten people."

"But she seemed genuine Hugh. And of course everyone’s saying that another battle could be waged at any moment."

Eleanor began to sob quietly, and Hugh realised that she was very upset by what had happened. "Think no more of it this evening," he said putting his arm around her until she fell asleep, and secretly hoping that the gypsy really was mistaken.