Constantina folded her arms, displeased. The discussion between herself and her husband was not quite an argument, for Egon was yet to have said more than a few words in it, but it was clearly a disagreement. He remained seated, she did not, but his height and her lack thereof would prevent this from having any bearing on the outcome. Still, she liked the feeling of authority it gave her, she was a woman of Archades after all.
"So you will make me go unaccompanied?" Constantina asked crossly. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and the thick fabric of her skirt made a rustling sound. "You would have me go alone?" Her voice was scornful. Egon sighed. He looked tired and worn down, and he did not meet his wife's eyes. Instead he kept his gaze on the table before him, as if admiring the grooves and marks on the wooden surface.
"That's not what I said. Only that, if you must insist upon going, I will not be going with you..." he tried to explain, and it was just as well that he was not putting too much effort into his reasoning, as Constantina seemed to have no desire to let him finish speaking.
"Well if not you, Egon, then who?" she demanded. Her sudden change in tone, much more angry now, made the other occupants of the small kitchen look up.
Noah and Basch had stayed out of the discussion until this point, as the matter at hand did not concern them and they were preoccupied trying to fix a hole in a bucket, but neither of the brothers wished to see this turn into a proper argument.
Noah lightly pushed the sorry excuse for a bucket towards his twin and looked over at his parents. His father had not attempted to offer an answer, and his mother seemed to be losing her patience.
"I could escort you, Ma-ma" Noah said, seemingly out of the blue. Neither Egon nor Constantina had realised that the twins were paying any attention. Indeed, they had been so quiet so far that their parents had thought them outside. Constantina considered what her son had said, then smiled. There was a satisfied, almost proud look in her grey eyes.
"Why, Noah, that's a splendid idea. It would do you some good to be acquainted with the other side of your heritage; I do not believe you have been to Archades yet... And there are many friends of mine that have yet to have had chance to meet you..." she tapped one finger to her lips in thought.
Egon sounded less enthused about the idea. "Noah, I don't want you to feel like you have to go, I'm sure we can arrange an alternative..." he began, but was once more prevented from making his point, though it was Noah who cut him off this time.
"No, father, I would quite like to go. As has been said, I've yet to go to Archades" Noah assured, his voice certain. It was clear there would be no changing his mind now. So, with the matter at hand pretty much solved, the attention was turned to the one person who had yet to contribute to the conversation.
"And what of you,Basch?" Noah asked. His tone suggested that he was already sure of his twin's answer, though he did not quite approve of it.
Basch looked up from the bucket, a little taken aback. He quickly realised what he was being asked though. He looked at his parents shyly, but avoided Noah's eyes. "If it's all right... I'd rather not go..." he answered quietly.
Egon nodded "I thought not. I do not think you would much like Archades" he said, and Basch smiled. Constantina did not seem pleased, but she did not seem displeased either. She also nodded.
"Then Noah shall come with me. Case closed"
Noah didn't know if his mother had been keeping back some old clothes from Archades just for a situation such as this, or if she had obtained them recently, but she had quickly organised a suitable outfit for them both. How she had managed to obtain something that fitted him, he was equally unsure of. Still, he did not question it out-loud, for there was little reason to complain.
When he had tried the strange clothes on in front of Basch, he felt he looked a fool, and he was suddenly quite sure that he would never make it in Archades and would ruin their family name. Basch consoled him of course, and commended his bravery for going, even though Archades really wasn't all that far from home. There was nothing very convincing in his brother's words, but Noah felt better for it nonetheless.
As the days remaining before their departure dwindled further, Noah was still feeling uncharacteristically nervous. He was aware that Archades was a place of strange customs, and such a formal occasion as the one they would be attending allowed little room for mistake. They had less than a week, and Constantina decided they should try and cram as many lessons on the topic into that time as they could. They were fortunate that Noah picked things up fast.
"All right. Noah, as I know too well that you have never even seen a ballroom in all your years, it is only natural that you would not know how to dance in one. However, that is something that shall have to be quickly remedied" Constantina explained, adopting the tone and pose of a school teacher. Noah nodded in understanding, but said nothing. There was a keen, observant look in his eyes. "It would be best if you watch a demonstration first, before you try it yourself, but I have misplaced your father..." she continued, putting her hand on her hip in slight irritation. "But as I'm not willing to change the plan just yet, Basch will have to do"
Noah gave a slight smile, beside him Basch had visibly tensed up. Constantina gave a short laugh. "Basch don't look so frightened. Now, come here, we're actually going to be swapping roles for the sake of this demonstration, so you just have to follow my lead" she explained as she gestured for Basch to stand opposite her. Noah stifled a laugh. Constantina glanced over at him. "Noah, watch carefully, as I'm sure your brother will only let me do this once"
Noah straightened up and did as he was told. Basch was a graceless as was to be expected, and so was a bit of a distraction, but Noah was able to pick up the basic idea. Constantina then made him practise with her and she found herself quite pleased by how quickly her son was learning. Basch watched them quietly, but there was a slightly sad look in his eyes.
As the day began to draw to a close, Constantina decided they had done enough. She hugged her son tightly, and it seemed like there was tears in her eyes. "Oh Noah! You're going to be wonderful! This, this is what you were meant for!" she praised, and Noah guessed that she wept in joy. She stroked the back of his head, as she used to when he was younger. "I'm so proud of you..." she whispered, her voice trailing off.
There was an awkward silence between the twins that evening. It lasted for quite some time before Noah decided he'd had enough. "What is it that's bothering you, Basch?" he asked, he was concerned, but sounded more irritated. Basch looked at him from where he sat at the end of the bed. His eyes were still sad.
"Bothering me...?" he repeated quietly. Noah frowned.
"Don't even try to pretend that nothing is wrong, I can read you even more easily than the others" Noah warned, and Basch shook his head.
"I know that,it works both ways, 'bothering' just seemed like a strange term for it, that's all" Basch explained, he looked away for a moment as if thinking about what to say, then he looked back at Noah. "You will be coming back, won't you?"
Noah looked almost confused, as though trying to guess what could possibly have brought this question to his brother's mind. He thought back to the events of the day passed, but could find little to aid his understanding. "What has you question that?" he asked.
Basch looked down. He had been hoping for a more certain answer. "Mother seems to think that you shall enjoy Archades very much, and I much hope you do, but even if you do...You will come home, won't you?" he explained, turning to look back at Noah as he spoke.
Noah's expression softened. He crossed the gap between them and sat on the bed. Basch looked at him, trying to decide what this action meant his brother was about to say. Noah embraced him. "Basch, you're so silly. How could I not come home when half my very soul is here?" he laughed. Basch returned the embrace, but didn't look very convinced. He quickly pulled away again.
"You are sure?"
"Without a doubt"
Egon and Basch came to see them off on the morning of their departure. Basch had wanted to walk them to the aerodrome, but unfortunately he was needed elsewhere and could not be spared. Noah had found this somewhat amusing, as he quickly realised that his departure was probably the very reason why Basch could not be spared. Still, the two had come to the edge of the town with them and, after a quite touching 'bon voyage!', waved until they could no longer be seen.
It was a short walk to the next town, which is where the aerodrome was located, and they soon found themselves on the flight to Archades. Noah was thankful that this would also be short, as he found the air travel made him uneasy and he was sure that it would be quite some time before he got used to it. He laughed at the thought though that already he had decided that Basch would be glad to have stayed at home. He would not like this one bit.
Constantina spent much of the flight wandering the rooms and talking to people, most of which Noah was sure she did not know. However, she did meet a few 'old friends', one of whom she made a point of introducing Noah to.
"Ah, Noah, there you are! I was wandering where you had gotten off to" came his mother's voice as he approached. She was accompanied by a woman a few years older than herself and dressed in the finery of an Archadian noble. Noah gave a polite half-bow, which was received with a nod of the head. Constantina smiled. Noah always knew how to make a good impression. "Noah, this is Lady Arienne Voclain"
"A pleasure to meet you" Noah said calmly; he was surprised to find himself much less nervous than he had anticipated he would be.
Lady Voclain gave an approving smile, but the tilt of her head made her to appear to be looking down on him. "A fine young gentleman, Constantina; one wouldn't guess that he was born and raised in Landis" she perhaps intended it as a compliment but Noah could not bring himself to see it as such. He frowned and politely removed himself from the conversation.
He spent the remainder of the flight by himself, watching the clouds go by and wandering what Basch was doing right now. He had not expected Landis to be held in such a light, by anyone, though the more thought he gave to it the more he realised that perhaps he should have. Still, he was unsure how much he would be able to tolerate such remarks about the place of his birth.
When they disembarked in Archades, Noah was overwhelmed. The city seemed to reach further into the sky than the ship from which they had just disembarked and the further up he looked, the more buildings he saw. Constantina smiled at the look of awe upon her son's face, and lightly tapped his wrist to urge him to keep up. As good as Noah's sense of direction was, even he would get lost in this maze of grand buildings and disinterested people.
He walked along beside her, but his attention was still directed at the unfamiliar surroundings. "So, what think you of Archades?"she asked, her voice was soft despite the edge of pride to it. She watched him looking at each new building that they passed with a sense of wonder and it warmed her heart. When he looked back at her to answer her question, he for once looked as young as years.
"I have never seen anywhere so grand..." he answered simply, and Constantina's smile broadened.
"I know. Now, stay close to me; as I'm sure you've already guessed, this city is one where the inexperienced are easily lost. The friends we are staying with own a small manor in Molberry, so we haven't too far to go" Constantina explained, striding on ahead in a strangely Landisian way. Noah had to turn his attention away from the buildings once more in order to keep up with her.
"Molberry...?" he asked, a little at a loss, as he managed to catch up with her. She gave a short laugh as she realised his confusion.
"Yes, Molberry. That's the name of the section of the city that we shall be staying in" she explained, and Noah looked to understand, his confusion replaced with curiosity. He was always curious; it had gotten him into trouble quite often as a child.
"They have names?"
"Why, yes, how else would the taxi drivers know which area they were required to be present in?" Constantina answered, it was a rhetorical question, she was well aware that Noah didn't know what a taxi was. Noah looked as though he was about to question further, but shook his head when he realised that this could go on forever. Any answers he received would only leave him with more questions.
There was a long series of formal introductions when they were met by the people they would be staying with. Noah kept quiet and spoke only when he was required to. He was beginning to feel strangely like Basch. His mother did not seem to mind though; perhaps she had expected it of him.
Constantina was quickly caught up in all the usual niceties; how had she been? How was the family? How were things in Landis? She found it quite comforting to go through the familiar procedures. She was also quite enjoying listening to the new information that had been uncovered and discussing the latest gossip. She couldn't really give her opinion which of his brothers she thought the young Lord Vayne would grow up to resemble, as she really hadn't heard enough about him, but she found it amusing how people tried to guess these things even though the boy couldn't be any more than four years old! She could remember the similar discussions when Emperor Gramis's first son was born, and again for the second.
"Can I get you anything Miss Gabranth?" one of the servants of the household had asked partway through the conversation, which had caused some laughter among the group.
"Miss Gabranth no longer! What is it now, Mrs von Rosenberg?" their hostess had jested, and Constantina had also laughed, though she shook her head.
"Fon Ronsenburg" she corrected, though it was met with further laughter.
"I think I prefer Rosenberg, it is much less gruff!"
After the necessary banter was dealt with, the two of them were shown to the rooms they would be staying in for the few days that they would be remaining in Archades. Noah had been quite shocked that a household would have so many spare rooms. This had caused Constantina to playfully ruffle his hair and tell him that much of the world was very different from Landis.
The following day was the day of the event that they had travelled all this way to partake in, and Noah had to admit that he had almost forgotten about it. As the evening drew nearer, he began to grow more nervous, and by the time it had taken for everybody to get ready he was feeling physically nauseous. His thoughts flitted to home, and he wished Basch was there, though he knew that his twin would have liked it even less. He always felt less nervous with Basch there, though he couldn't explain why.
Everyone else in the household seemed quite excited, and there was light chatter as everyone busied themselves. Noah tried to recall all the things he had been taught in preparation, but to his dismay could remember very few of them. His mother assured him that he would be less anxious when they actually arrived, and that even she had always gotten nervous of such things in her childhood.
The ball was held in what Noah was sure was the grandest building he'd yet seen, and he was forced to trail closely behind his mother so as not to be lost amongst the gathering people. It was strange to see the different types of clothes and finery; it looked like some sort of strange contest, with each family striving to outdo their rivals as the best dressed. Constantina seemed to be enjoying it, keenly observing her fellows and judging the state of each family from things much too complex for Noah to comprehend.
Noah closed his eyes for a moment and tried to think over the ever growing sound of conversation. Much as his mother had said, he found it much easier to remember what he had learned once things started to get underway. He was perhaps quieter than most, but that was to be expected, and he found himself acting much less like his own shy brother as time went on.
It may have been after an hour, it may have been two, it may have been more, Noah could no longer tell, but at some point later in the evening he was reacquainted with Lady Voclain. She was accompanied by Constantina, which Noah guessed was how they had managed to find him even in this bustling hall, but also by two others, a young man and a young woman, both a good few years older than himself.
Noah, as before, gave a polite half-bow which both Lady Voclain and her guests seemed to consider acceptable. The young woman held her skirts in what might have been a curtsey but the look on her face suggested that she found these formalities more than a little humorous. The young man she was with bore a similar expression. Lady Voclain did not seem so amused.
"Allow me to introduce my daughter, Drusilla" Lady Voclain said formally and the young woman gave a smile.
"A pleasure to meet you, Noah fon Ronsenburg" Drusilla greeted himpolitely. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other in a decidedly feminine manner but there was something very strong about her. It was clear that she thought little of this whole ordeal, and was most likely only attending so as to please her mother, otherwise she would be much happier doing her own thing.
"The pleasure's all mine" Noah responded accordingly, and though he knew it to be correct he saw Drusilla and the young man chuckle slightly. He felt a twinge of embarrassment, but it turned out to be unwarranted.
"Where are you from?" Drusilla asked out of curiosity, "You have an unfamiliar accent"
"Landis..."
"Interesting" it was the young man who spoke this time, though Drusilla nodded in agreement with him. Realising that he had yet to introduce himself, the young man stepped forward and shook Noah's hand. "I am Theodore Archendahl, sorry, I had thought that Dru was going to introduce me" he explained, and the formalities were repeated.
Lady Voclain pursed her lips in distaste. "Theodore, please refrain from calling my daughter 'Dru', it is such a boyish name and really quite unbecoming" she reprimanded, and Drusilla and Theodore exchange playful glances. Theodore then turned to Lady Voclain and lowered his head apologetically.
"My apologies, I was not aware that you disapproved so" he said politely, and Lady Voclain raised an eyebrow.
"I suppose no harm is done" she said, though her voice still showed displeasure, "In any case, we shall be leaving you to your own devices now. I'm sure you are capable of keeping yourselves from getting into too much trouble" and with that she turned and strode upon her heel. Constantina gave a smile to the three and followed on after the indignant Lady Voclain. She was glad to see Noah making friends.
Drusilla watched her mother leave before returning her attention to her companions once she was sure that the Lady was out of earshot. "I must apologise for my mother's behaviour, I'm afraid she is always so...stuffy" she said, frowning slightly. It took Noah a moment to realise that she was addressing him and not Theodore, suggesting that Theodore was already quite aware of this.
"I don't see why you apologise, I was under the impression that such formality was commonplace in Archades" Noah responded, and Drusilla and Theodore laughed shortly.
"It is," they both agreed, though they sounded somewhat tired of it.
Noah passed much of the night in the company of Drusilla and Theodore both, and was starting to feel quite well acquainted with them. He had learned that Lady Voclain was none too fond of Theodore, or the attention he paid to her daughter, seeing him as an obstacle in the way of Drusilla 'courting a respectable gentleman'. Upon also acquiring the knowledge that Theodore was a Judge, an elite warrior of some considerable standing in Archadia, Noah had been led to question why Theodore was not a suitable match.
When he had voiced this, Drusilla had laughed. "Oh, he is a suitable match" she explained, and Theodore had also laughed. "But if he is indeed interested in me in such a way, my mother would much prefer it if he just proposed already!" She said in mock frustration, and Theodore pretended to be ashamed. Drusilla looked back at Noah again, smiling. "And what is it that you do, Noah?" she asked, curious.
Noah returned her smile, "I am hoping to be a soldier. That is, when I have finally managed to convince my fellows that just because I am in possession of a brain and the knowledge of how to use it, my arm is no less strong!" he jested, the duration of the evening having lifted his mood. Drusilla looked him over with a gleam in her eyes.
"Smart and strong? And here I was thinking that Theo and I were the only ones in possession of such traits" she said, a little flirtatiously, and Theodore laughed. He looked at Noah, who was looking a little shocked.
"Now now,Drusilla, he is but a boy, you should know better" he scolded, much in the tone of Lady Voclain's earlier remarks. He then put one hand on Drusilla's wrist. To Noah he said, "I'll take her away now, I think she may have had a little too much to drink" and together they lifted her to her feet, much to her protestations. With a smile, he led her away.
Noah caught sight of them once more before the n
ight was over, both looking a little liberated by the wine. They had fled towards the gardens in some haste, with Drusilla struggling to keep up.
"Oh come on,Dru, can you go no faster?" Noah had heard Theodore call, and Drusilla had responded in honest irritation.
"Easy enough for you to say! You're not wearing a corset!" she growled, "Nor these ridiculous shoes!" she added, as her heel slipped from underneath her. She paused before angrily taking off both shoes and proceeding to follow Theodore with bare feet. Theodore had laughed at the sight.
"Just keep the corset on, ok, Dru?" he teased.
Most of the household slept late into the morning, exhausted from the night before. Noah was surprised to find he had been no exception, as the sun was already high when he forced himself to rise from bed. They would be returning to Landis that afternoon, and Noah was also surprised to find that he did not look forward to it. From the few days he had spent there, he had found that he quite liked Archades, though if he had been invited to any more balls in the time that he was here he would have had to politely refuse. Still, he missed Basch, and it would be good to see him again even if home was rather unexciting.
After he had gotten ready, he started straight away on packing. His head hurt and he wasn't hungry, whatever the meal at this time of the day would have been, so he thought it the best use of his time. His mother would take hours packing her own things, and if Noah was ready quickly then he might be able to speed the process along a little.
Constantina came in a short while later, when Noah was very nearly done. "What did you think of last night, Noah?" she asked, setting herself down upon the bed. "I saw that you and Theodore were getting along very well, and Drusilla too. And I'm proud to say you have Lady Voclain's approval, though I did have to remind her that you were too young for marriage just yet. Oh,Noah, this is the life that you were meant for! Can't you tell?" she sounded suddenly sad, and on the verge of tears. Noah didn't know what to say to comfort her.
"We will be able to come back again though, won't we?" Noah asked, then put one hand on his mother's shoulder. He had to ask, it had been bothering him all night. "Ma-ma, if you miss Archades so much...why did you leave?" Constantina looked up at him; he was taller than her now. How he'd grown... To think those sixteen years had passed so fast...
She smiled at him. "Because, Noah, I love your father more. He could never have adapted to Archadian life, you can guess that from the way Basch is. It was much easier for me to go to Landis, and though it is not nearly as glamorous, I like it there. It is homely and quiet, and much more friendly" she explained, and Noah could see that she was feeling much better for telling him this. It was as though she had been reasoning with herself all these years, but only now that she said the words aloud could she actually believe them.
Constantina lightly touched Noah's arm, "I see you're nearly done here. Would you be so good as to help me as well?" she asked, and her son nodded; it would be short work between the two of them. Having voiced what she had held for so long, Constantina felt a strange need to return home as soon as possible, as if to prove her words true.
Basch had caught sight of them first, Egon was either inside or elsewhere in the town. Noah could not contain his smile as his twin abandoned his previous task in favour of rushing to meet them. The two embraced tightly, and Basch laughed. "I've missed you! It felt as though you were gone an age!" he said and Noah shook his head.
"We weren't even gone a week, Basch!" he teased, but Basch paid it no mind. Noah had missed him too, it was clear in his eyes.
Constantina watched them happily until they had calmed down enough to help her take the bags inside. There was a strong smell of something cooking as they crossed the kitchen, it was probably soup of some kind. Noah glanced at the pot over the fire, then looked at Basch. "Tell me you've been living off something other than just soup..." Basch looked a little flushed at this assumption, and Constantina laughed.
"I was about to ask the very same" she remarked, and Basch looked at the floor sheepishly.
"Guilty, sorry" he replied simply, met with further quiet laughter from both his mother and Noah.
"What are you guilty of,Basch?" came a man's voice from the door way. Constantina looked around in recognition, and Noah and Basch quickly followed her lead. Egon stood, smiling, with one hand resting against the wooden frame. He looked tired, but well, and was happy to see them. He continued, "if it is that you did not come and get me when your mother and brother returned, then yes, you are indeed guilty"
To this Basch could only smile again, just as sheepishly as before. "Sorry" he apologized again. If Egon had been standing closer, he would probably have ruffled Basch's hair, but distance let him off this time.
As Constantina swept across the room to greet her husband, the twins decided that now was probably a good time to leave. Taking Noah's bag with them, they disappeared up the narrow staircase, closing the little door behind them.
Egon wrapped his arms around Constantina's waist and kissed her softly. "Did you have a good time?" he asked, and she looked up at him. His brown eyes looked weary, just what had occurred in the short time she'd been gone? She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.
"I did, yes, but I think I should have preferred to stay home" she said softly, and Egon held her a little tighter.
The twins sat on either end of the bed, as was usual. Conversation was always harder if one had to sit on the floor, and they had a lot to talk about. Well, Noah did anyway. Basch sat wide-eyed as Noah told his tale. He told Basch about Archades, about how the buildings went on forever and about the strangely dressed people and about how anyone could get lost there.
"Why, I think even father would! And father is never lost!" Noah had added, Basch simply looked stunned.
Noah told him about the grand house they had stayed in, and about how there had been servants milling around. He told him about the ball and the dancing and the bright crystal-like lights. And he told him about Drusilla and Theodore.
"I have never met people like them before. They were very strange, but I liked them a lot more than the other people I met there. They were very friendly, and clever, Theodore's a Judge!" Noah said with pride, and when Basch was left asking what a Judge was, Noah launched into a most detailed explanation. One would never have guessed that he had not known either until a few days perviously.
When Noah finished his story,the sun had long gone down. Their parents must have decided that the twins weren't hungry, or they would have come down, as there had been no mention of soup at any point and it was much too late to eat now.
Noah shifted his weight on the bed, briefly taking in the room around him and feeling decidedly glad to be home.
"So,Basch, what have you been up to while I've been away?" he asked, realising he had completely dominated the conversation up to that smiled.
"Well, I fixed the bucket."