The next day, Mora awakened me for breakfast and a bath before my planned ride with Vidanric. He wanted to see the entire forest I had grown up in, leaving no rock unturned as he discovered my childhood. I personally did not think he could understand the wild aspect of my younger years through all his civilized court background, but Danric had surprised me with his depth of understanding before, so I imagined he very well might be able to astound me again.
I thanked Mora and dressed in one of my simpler morning gowns, for I had none to impress and no pressing engagements till later, so I summoned Oria for a quiet breakfast to catch up on her affairs as of late. She arrived soon after with a two servants trailing behind her carrying trays of steaming breakfast foods. She and I settled on the pile of cushions in my sitting room and partook of the food, while discussing some of the events that had taken place at the capitol. I expounded to her on Savona and his outrageousness and the problems I had with Tamara. She seemed surprised at first at my decision on how to handle the occurrence at her party, but commented on how very like me it seemed, such a selfless decision. Finally the conversation slowed, for nothing had really happened at the castle, and my life at the palace Athanarel had been pretty well told of in my letters.
"Mel can I ask you a question, while I have you here to myself, without your blonde counterpart?" Oria asked, tentatively, as though she was not sure if she was stepping out of her bounds.
"Of course, 'Ria. You can ask me anything."
"Well, Lord Vidanric…you…exactly how did that happen?"
I realized then that though all my general social happenings at Court had been told to Oria, I had never told anyone, even Nee, about my letters. I blushed and began to explain her the story. "You see, it began only a few days after I arrived at Athanarel, on my name day. Bran forgot, and Nee didn't know, so I was disappointed, but I found this ring on my desk in a lovely gift egg, there on my vanity. Bran didn't give me it …" I continued with my story for a while until a knock outside my tapestry interrupted me.
Annoyed at being stopped while I was in the middle of a tale I thoroughly enjoyed finally being able to tell, I was about to berate the person unfortunate enough to have knocked, but was greeted by a pair of grey eyes dancing, obviously having heard my current subject of conversation. "Mel, my dear, I regret to inform you that morning has long since past, and unless you wish to repeat last night, we may very well wish to be off on our ride," Vidanric smiled, entering my rooms. He spotted Oria pulling herself off the cushions and sketched a bow to her, "Lady Oria, I half expected you to be one I would find in here delaying my wonderful companion." He smiled at Oria's girlish blush as she curtsied, correctly in a bow to the sovereign. I smiled and wondered if Mora had been giving her discreet lessons on how to interact properly with royalty, or soon-to-be royalty anyway.
"Please, simply Oria, or 'Ria if you please, my Lord. I am no Lady such as that stands so rightly beside you. Now, Mel, I believe Mora has already laid out your riding clothes. While you change, I will take his Lordship down to the stables to chose his horse and get it ready. Am I correct in assuming you will prefer to be riding Topaz, my lady?"
"No, 'Ria, I should think not. Knowing his Lordship as I do, I suspect he will be choosing Versio, and I shall need a quick mount to keep up. As much as I adore my reliable Topaz, I think Kyrlei shall do nicely for our outing," I said, ecstatic to see a confused look upon Vidanric's face, for it was not often that I could confuse him so thoroughly.
"Very well, my lady. My Lord, if you would be so kind as to follow me, I shall lead you to the stables. Jon, my dear," Oria said, now speaking to a servant boy that was waiting just outside the doorway, "please go downstairs and fetch Lord Vidanric's cloak please and meet us out at the stables." The boy went running off towards the stairs as Vidanric left the room after, though Oria tarried a moment longer.
"Meliara," she whispered, "I don't know if it would be of any consequence to you now, but tonight is the celebration of Kaldea's Flower Day. Lord Vidanric might well enjoy our 'rustic celebrations', future king though he might be. It's my own opinion that a good king should well be fair familiar with everyone in the county that brought about the prior king's downfall." Oria winked and swept out of the room, motioning for Danric to follow her outside to the stables. I quickly changed into the clothes Mora had indeed laid out and hurried after them, wishing to save my fiancé from a assured long lecture from the grooms on the disadvantages and advantages of each horse he considered, especially when I knew fair well that Versio was the horse he would inevitably chose because it was closest to his favored grey mount still back at Athanarel. I would never admit to myself that the other reason for me to hurry such was that I wished to quickly be rid of people and their prying eyes and to simply be alone with Vidanric, only the eyes of Hill Folk upon us, for Hill Folk do not judge and give no outward indication of proper and improper actions.
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Author's note: I know you guys were desolate that I didn't update last night, but I didn't have time to post it though I had wirtten it. Anyway, here it is though it is a little short. I will write tonights chapter and post it tomorrow probably. Happy New Year!
I thanked Mora and dressed in one of my simpler morning gowns, for I had none to impress and no pressing engagements till later, so I summoned Oria for a quiet breakfast to catch up on her affairs as of late. She arrived soon after with a two servants trailing behind her carrying trays of steaming breakfast foods. She and I settled on the pile of cushions in my sitting room and partook of the food, while discussing some of the events that had taken place at the capitol. I expounded to her on Savona and his outrageousness and the problems I had with Tamara. She seemed surprised at first at my decision on how to handle the occurrence at her party, but commented on how very like me it seemed, such a selfless decision. Finally the conversation slowed, for nothing had really happened at the castle, and my life at the palace Athanarel had been pretty well told of in my letters.
"Mel can I ask you a question, while I have you here to myself, without your blonde counterpart?" Oria asked, tentatively, as though she was not sure if she was stepping out of her bounds.
"Of course, 'Ria. You can ask me anything."
"Well, Lord Vidanric…you…exactly how did that happen?"
I realized then that though all my general social happenings at Court had been told to Oria, I had never told anyone, even Nee, about my letters. I blushed and began to explain her the story. "You see, it began only a few days after I arrived at Athanarel, on my name day. Bran forgot, and Nee didn't know, so I was disappointed, but I found this ring on my desk in a lovely gift egg, there on my vanity. Bran didn't give me it …" I continued with my story for a while until a knock outside my tapestry interrupted me.
Annoyed at being stopped while I was in the middle of a tale I thoroughly enjoyed finally being able to tell, I was about to berate the person unfortunate enough to have knocked, but was greeted by a pair of grey eyes dancing, obviously having heard my current subject of conversation. "Mel, my dear, I regret to inform you that morning has long since past, and unless you wish to repeat last night, we may very well wish to be off on our ride," Vidanric smiled, entering my rooms. He spotted Oria pulling herself off the cushions and sketched a bow to her, "Lady Oria, I half expected you to be one I would find in here delaying my wonderful companion." He smiled at Oria's girlish blush as she curtsied, correctly in a bow to the sovereign. I smiled and wondered if Mora had been giving her discreet lessons on how to interact properly with royalty, or soon-to-be royalty anyway.
"Please, simply Oria, or 'Ria if you please, my Lord. I am no Lady such as that stands so rightly beside you. Now, Mel, I believe Mora has already laid out your riding clothes. While you change, I will take his Lordship down to the stables to chose his horse and get it ready. Am I correct in assuming you will prefer to be riding Topaz, my lady?"
"No, 'Ria, I should think not. Knowing his Lordship as I do, I suspect he will be choosing Versio, and I shall need a quick mount to keep up. As much as I adore my reliable Topaz, I think Kyrlei shall do nicely for our outing," I said, ecstatic to see a confused look upon Vidanric's face, for it was not often that I could confuse him so thoroughly.
"Very well, my lady. My Lord, if you would be so kind as to follow me, I shall lead you to the stables. Jon, my dear," Oria said, now speaking to a servant boy that was waiting just outside the doorway, "please go downstairs and fetch Lord Vidanric's cloak please and meet us out at the stables." The boy went running off towards the stairs as Vidanric left the room after, though Oria tarried a moment longer.
"Meliara," she whispered, "I don't know if it would be of any consequence to you now, but tonight is the celebration of Kaldea's Flower Day. Lord Vidanric might well enjoy our 'rustic celebrations', future king though he might be. It's my own opinion that a good king should well be fair familiar with everyone in the county that brought about the prior king's downfall." Oria winked and swept out of the room, motioning for Danric to follow her outside to the stables. I quickly changed into the clothes Mora had indeed laid out and hurried after them, wishing to save my fiancé from a assured long lecture from the grooms on the disadvantages and advantages of each horse he considered, especially when I knew fair well that Versio was the horse he would inevitably chose because it was closest to his favored grey mount still back at Athanarel. I would never admit to myself that the other reason for me to hurry such was that I wished to quickly be rid of people and their prying eyes and to simply be alone with Vidanric, only the eyes of Hill Folk upon us, for Hill Folk do not judge and give no outward indication of proper and improper actions.
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Author's note: I know you guys were desolate that I didn't update last night, but I didn't have time to post it though I had wirtten it. Anyway, here it is though it is a little short. I will write tonights chapter and post it tomorrow probably. Happy New Year!