• Closed • [Astedia]From Andaris to Etzos and everything in between

[Xander Andaris]

18th of Cylus, Arc 718

The twins were napping and Xander stood in the lobby of his home awaiting the arrival of his guest. The house was warm, too warm if he were to be consulted but with the children they could not risk it getting too cold. Still he was fed up of it and so he moved to stand outside for a moment, opening the heavy front door and slipping out into the driveway. The icy air of Cylus stung his skin slightly but he had felt worse, the North of Krome was a harsh place to grow up. He certainly preferred the cold though, it was much easier to get warm than to cool down or at least eh thought so.

Still he pulled his collar closer around his neck and watched the gravel road that lead up to the front of the large white stone manor house. He had only met Doran once and that was seasons earlier but he had taken a liking to him. The man had a certain straight forwardness to him and the skills he had taught him still helped him with his combat to this trial. Hearing that he had become an ambassador for Etzos was interesting and the Duke was certainly interested to see if any deals could be made.

When he saw the other man approaching Xander raised his hand in greeting, smiling a little as he moved further out to meet Doran. He held his hand out first, offering a shake. "Doran, it is good to see you again. I hope your journey was easy enough, Cylus can be a difficult time." Xander turned sideways and gestured towards the doors.

"If you please we can go inside and escape from this bitter cold." He began to move and shuddered slightly as a chill ran up his spine. "I must warn you though it is dreadfully warm in there, not for me though for the babies. If it were for me it would be quite a bit cooler." He pushed open the door for the other man, holding it and waving him in. "Luckily for us we managed to get them down for a nap just before your arrival."

Following the ambassador in Xander shut the door quickly behind him and removed his own fur cloak, hanging it from a stand by the door. It was immediately warmer, like stepping into the Saun suns in contrast to the stark cold outside. "May I take your cloak?" Xander had decided it best to do this himself today, dismissing the servants in favour of a more intimate meeting.

[Doran]

It was dark, and it was cold, so cold that the Mortalborn’s breath formed little clouds of mist in front of his face, but neither the cold nor the darkness bothered him particularly. Whereas the mortals that lived around him complained about the low temperatures – and fell victim to the same weather-related accidents as every arc, as if they were incapable of learning – he simply sat on the horse that he had rented for the duration of his journey, a black stallion by the pretentious name of Prince – with his back straight and his head held high and observed his surroundings with interest. It had been a while since he had visited that part of the kingdom. A lot had changed since then.

When they had last met, Xander Andaris, the man that he would pay a visit, had simply been Xander Krome, the son of a baron and he his teacher. From what he had heard, he was a Baron now and would likely soon be more, he had married Celeste, the heiress of House Andaris, one of the most powerful women in the kingdom, and become a father, and he was apparently the Marshal of Astedia now. His rapid ascension would have surprised most, but the Mortalborn had already suspected that he would go far when they had first met. Xander had been one of his most promising students.

Before long the house came into view, and he rode down the gravel road. As he noticed that his host was standing outside the door, waiting for him, he raised an eyebrow in surprise, before he returned the greeting, descended from his horse and handed the reins to a servant so that they could take it to the stable. “The journey was acceptable. I encountered no problems”, he replied to Xander. “I used to study in Viden. The winters in Rynmere thus bother me little, but I agree, let’s go inside.”

He paused briefly before he spoke, “I haven’t offered you my congratulations on the birth of your children yet, My Baron. What are the twins’ names, if you don’t mind me asking?” There had been a time when the mention of children would have made him slightly melancholic – his daughter had died in infancy, consumed by her own powers, and as far as he knew he had no other children – but he was above such pointless emotions now.

He nodded at Xander as he held open the door for him before he walked inside. The change in temperature was quite astounding. He had not believed the lord when he had said it, but it was dreadfully warm, and he immediately took off his black cloak, revealing the coal and crimson suit that he was wearing underneath, and handed it to his host. “Thank you”, he spoke, aware that a noble didn’t normally take his guest’s cloak.

“It has been a while, hasn’t it?” he remarked as he waited for Xander to take him to wherever their meeting would take place.