Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Benjamin nudged his horse and made a clicking sound with his tongue in order to try and keep up with Malcolm, who was already half a field away from him, chasing down the deer they had wounded in the woods. Mithril was no longer suffering from an injury she had picked up the season before, and was putting the younger knight’s horse through its paces. The doe was running with an arrow lodged between her gut and back right leg, kicking at the foreign object as she bound across the open grasslands, making a beeline for the cover of thick shrub in the distance.
Determined not to let the animal get away, Malcolm stopped his horse all of the sudden and raised the loaded crossbow. He had used it twice this morning and missed both times. With the bolt checked and his trigger finger at the ready, he peered down the sights and adjusted his aim before taking a breath, as Elyna had coached her students in the past, and exhaled as he pulled the trigger, releasing the bolt. The deer’s back legs flew over its front, and as it tumbled to the ground, Benjamin raced by on his mount, first to jump down and leap on top of the struggling doe.
“Right in the neck!” He boomed, tearing the bolt from the back of the animal’s neck.
Mithril trotted over and lowered her head to pull at the grass as soon as Malcolm had climbed down from her back. “Dead?”
“She is now,” Ben twisted her head to show his hunting partner where his knife had cut, dealing a quick death.
“Looks like we have dinner,” Malcolm said.
Benjamin removed his arrow and returned it to his quiver. “A team effort.”
“Want me to skin it?”
“We can do that at the house, no point making a mess of our gear.”
“Aye,” Malcolm agreed.
Benjamin lifted the deer over his shoulders and wandered towards the horses, who had already made some ground, cutting a track through the long spring grass. “How have things been? You didn't say much about… well, you know.”
Malcolm cleaned the crossbow bow and walked alongside his friend. “Different,” he told the man, “new house, new scenery.”
“Things good with Elyna?”
Malcolm gave the man a sidelong glance and laughed. “What's that mean?”
“Nothing! I'm just curious,” Ben smiled. “Things had been rocky, right?”
Malcolm sighed. “Things are good, too good. I don't deserve her.”
It was Benjamin’s turn to laugh. “What do you mean? You two are perfect for each other. You've tempered the fire that is Elyna, and if nothing else, she's made you a bit more fun to be around.”
The man's words were answered with a playful shove. “Watch it you.”
“Well it's true,” he shrugged. “Maybe you don't remember, but when Vanessa was alive, before Elyna, you did tend to bury yourself in your work.”
“I know.”
“So what's up?”
“Just…”
Benjamin gave the man a reassuring smile, as if to say he wasn't here to judge, just offer an ear. “Just?”
“Why did you cheat on Belinda, Ben?”
“Young and dumb,” Benjamin shrugged without giving it too much thought.
“Is that all?”
“I don't know.”
“Did you tell her?”
“I did,” Benjamin nodded, “biggest mistake of my life.”
“Cheating?”
“No,” he laughed, “telling her I slept with another woman.”
“Would you do it again?”
Benjamin shook his head. “No, I don't think so, why?”
“Nothing.”
They walked in silence for a time before Benjamin stopped in his tracks and stared at Malcolm, his jaw ajar. “Did you…”
That sick, heavy feeling had returned, and Malcolm raked his fingers through his hair, trying to escape it. “I didn't mean to.”
Benjamin looked horrified, as if Malcolm had just told him the world was ending. In reality, Benjamin had just realised the man he looked up to was human after all. “Didn't mean to? What did your clothes fall off without help? Next you're going to tell me you slipped and fell.”
Malcolm didn't want to laugh, but he was very nearly tempted to. The ache in his gut intensified. “I was angry.”
“At who, Elyna?”
The warden nodded.
“What did she do?”
“It doesn't matter.”
“Clearly.”
“Don't take that tone, Ben.”
“I just find it hard to believe, that's all. It's not like you, and I know how much you love that woman, it makes me sick whenever you two look at each other. Whenever she's angry at you, I can sense it, all she wants to do is jump your bones, it's disgusting.”
“That's love.”
“It's weird.”
Another shove, this one harder. “Shut up, Ben.”
Benjamin smirked. “Well it's true.”
“I think I should tell her.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Did you not hear anything I just said?”
Malcolm studied the man, torn. “If I don't tell her it will continue to eat at me.”
“That feeling is guilt, and believe me, it won't last forever.”
“I have to tell her, Ben. No secrets. I promised to always tell her the truth.”
“Then pray she doesn't ask, brother, because if you do tell her, things will never be the same.” He frowned, and Malcolm could tell his friend was right, after all, Benjamin was speaking from experience.

They rode back to the city and had arrived by the afternoon with the deer in tow. Malcolm took it by the back legs and helped carry the animal up to the house from the stables, and walked it through the hall to the back door so that they could hang it up outside and skin it. Benjamin had brought a bag of salt from the market, promising to show Malcolm his tanning techniques as long as he could keep the skin, to which Malcolm had agreed.
Before they started their task, the warden went through the house in search of Elyna, finding her in the kitchen with Benjamin’s wife, Belinda, and all three of the children, including the twins and Elsie, who was twice the size of Benjamin’s kids. He greeted Elyna with a kiss on the lips and pressed a kiss to either side of Belinda’s face before wrapping her up in a hug.
“It's good to see you out of the house,” he told the fair haired woman.
“Out of one kitchen and into the next,” she replied to Malcolm.
He smiled. “Well I appreciate you being here.”
“Don't sweet talk me, knight, or I might move in.”
Benjamin laughed and gave Elyna a hug. “I'd be happy with a straight trade.”
Belinda whacked his arm. “I wouldn't be so cruel to lady Burhan.”
Malcolm smirked. “We will be out the back cleaning up our catch.”
Benjamin stalked out of the kitchen like a giant cat. “Get those cooking pots ready, I'm putting the ribs on the grill.”
“You can put them anywhere you like,” Malcolm told him, “as long as some of that meat goes into a pie.” He winked at Elyna.
The pair ventured outside, Malcolm with the skinning knife in hand. Benjamin used some thin rope to string the animal up, and pointed to the chest where he liked to make the first cut, at the base of the neck.
“Really?” Malcolm asked, “I've always started on the legs in the past.”
“Right here and down the belly,” Ben told him.
Malcolm followed the man's instructions, making a square cut at the base of the belly before going up the length of the legs. Benjamin’s style was different, but he could see how it worked. He traced around the top of the neck, leaving the head untouched, and started pulling the skin away with his fingers, trying to minimise the use of the knife and thus the the opportunity to make mistakes. When the pelt was pulled away clean and any extra flesh was removed, Benjamin told Malcolm to rub salt into every inch of the flesh on the hide, and started doing the dirty work of gutting the doe. He put the innards in a bucket to keep the good parts and threw the bad parts on the lawn to boil up for the hunting dogs he owned but hadn't taken out on the deer hunting trip.
Vara wandered over and sat licking her lips. She chewed on a bit of intestine before being shooed back into the house by Malcolm, and locked out of the garden behind a closed door.
“How's this look?”
Benjamin looked up from his work. “Perfect, use all that salt, really rub it in and we will leave the pelt hung up to dry.”
“You don't want to stretch it to try and keep its shape?”
“No,” Ben shook his head. “If you did a good job scraping it clean it shouldn't need to be stretched, besides, if you over stretch it and leave it to dry too long, you will lose some of the hair. We don't want that to happen.”
“Lettuce pray.”
Benjamin laughed and stared at his friend. “Did you just make a joke?”
“I don't know, Ben, you're the one laughing.”
He laughed again. “Shit, they must have really tortured you on that mountain.”
Malcolm only smiled.

The house wasn't new, but it looked well built. Down stairs guests would find the study and kitchen beyond the front door, the kitchen opening out into a nice living and dining area. At the end of the hall was a door to the back garden and under the stairs another door led to the bathroom. Upstairs there were three bedrooms, which was considered quite large for a townhouse situated near the crown, one room that had all of their weapons and gear locked away, while the other two were occupied by the small family, with Malcolm and Elyna’s room overhanging part of the entrance, and Elsie’s room off to one side.
Elsie was already six months old, but looked twice that age, with dark hair and her father's features, glassy green eyes always looking about, but never quite sating her curiosity for new knowledge. She didn't mind being handed around strangers, having had a lot of socialisation at a young age, but she did prefer to hang off Malcolm or Elyna’s arm, usually making herself known if she was upset.
Inside the house boasted warm, earthy colours, and the wild lavender above hung the door had already started drying, filling the air with a sweet scent that was far outdone by the cooking. Outside the walls were made of layered stone downstairs, and painted wood upstairs. It was a fine little house, but might feel a little crowded with anymore than four people stood in any one room at once, which was why the couple had decided to set up dinner outside at a long table made of three thick slabs of polished wood, with a few pieces and cut stumps holding it together. The setup was rustic, warm and inviting, with forest greens and earthy reds, much akin to the colour wet clay, used to decorate the table.
Malcolm put out the plates before lighting the large, disk shaped candles, and went back inside to help Elyna with anything else she might need before the guests started arriving.

Elyna had never found it easy to talk to strangers, particularly woman that she didn’t know. So usually she hid, behind her nobility or behind her rank as a Skyrider. There were set patterns and rules for interacting in those ways, and if she managed to stick within them, no one was offended and she was less with the desperate anxiety that she’d done something wrong; or said the wrong thing and made herself a fool. Belinda though, was different. She was Ben’s wife and an important person to Malcolm and Benjamin. So, there could be no hiding behind nobility, without being a snob. There was no hiding behind her rank, without appearing as she viewed the woman with disdain. So there could only be Elyna. If Malcolm noticed the somewhat desperate look she watched him with, as he and Ben prepared for the day of hunting, he made no mention of it. Nor did he offer for her to come with them, and join in the fun. Instead, she was left at the door, waving like a housewife as the men rode out of sight. She hated it.
Still, it wasn’t Belinda’s fault.
“I’ll make us some tea?” With Elsie on her hip, she boiled the water and watched Belinda managing the twins. The tea was brewed and small-talk exchanged.
They moved out into the garden and the twins were set down to sit in the soft grass, the two woman perched on stools as Elsie ran between them, offering a selection of weeds and the occasional dead flower pulled up from the dirt.
“You must be so pleased to have Malcolm back?” Belinda peered at her.
Elyna could only nod, her chest tight whenever she considered the alternative, “it’s a miracle,” she agreed and examined her tea, “I don’t know what I’d do if-”
“With two?” Belinda dropped her gaze to Elyna’s bump and the noblewoman flushed.
“Exactly,” she looked up in time to see Elsie chasing Vara across the lawn. The puppy bounding around, yapping with excitement. The skyrider sighed and called the puppy to heel. The twins weren’t as advanced as the gifted grand-daughter as an Immortal and she didn’t want them to be afraid of the dog. Vara whined, but curled up beneath her skirts and Elyna wondered if the pup was secretly pleased to be out of grabbing range.
“How do you manage?” Elyna watched wide-eyed as Belinda knelt, pulled a face and collected one of the twins, changing the soiled nappy in swift movements.
“You find a way,” the woman looked up with a smile, “you will find a way. We just…do.”
Elsie stumbled back to her mother for a cuddle, and the skyrider was only too happy to oblige. “I keep thinking that I’ll give up my post at the skyriders,” the noblewoman admitted, “to spend more time with the children.”
“Aye,” Belinda returned to her stool, her tea finished.
Elyna checked her own empty cup and climbed to her feet, Elise clinging to her side like a limpet. “I suppose the dinner won’t cook itself.”
They retreated to the kitchen, and thankfully the small heard of children and puppy were happy to curl up on a pile of blankets and take a nap. Carrots and potatoes were peeled and diced. Elyna rolled them in melted butter and then sprinkled them with salt, ready to roast once the meat was a half-break from ready. Belinda was melting a cacophony of chocolate and cream to make a desert, and the smell of it made the noblewoman’s’ mouth water.
“Then,” Elyna spoke without thinking, hands deep in the water bowl as she started splitting pea shells, “then I think about what I’ll tell Elsie about following her dreams when she’s older. How I want to be a good example…I don’t want to be giving up, just because it’s hard.”
“But you’re tired?”
“I’m exhausted, though I suspect it’s a feeling you understand well,” she looked over the sleeping children and the temporary angelic nature of naps. “Then…I think about all the good I can do as a Skyrider, for the people of Rynmere and the city…and then…then I think maybe I’m allowed to keep a piece of my life for just myself.” The woman pulled a face at the bowl of sugar peas, “but that seems too selfish when you start bringing children into the world.”
“Perhaps you demand too much?” Belinda shrugged. The man returned with their kill. Strutting like peacocks they hung it up for the world to see and were proud of their achievement. Belinda and Elyna were left exchanging glances and returned to preparing for the meal. Elyna rolled the dough and baked three fresh loaves of bread whilst Belinda became a saint in her eyes, and chased after the three children.
“And you and Lord Krome?”
Elyna looked up from a final wipe of the kitchen counters and turned to survey the room. Most of the mess had been put away. At least now they could pretend to be respectable.
“Yes?” She blinked.
“You’ve been through a great deal…”
Elyna grinned, “yes…and yet…” she bent, watching Malcolm out the window as he concentrated on the task at hand. “I don’t know. He’s a little different…but I can’t imagine what they did to him. What scars I cannot see.” She drew a breath, “time,” she nodded to herself, “we all need a little time.” With the preparations complete, Elyna washed and changed into a fresh dress of deep emerald green. It hung loose about her body, more like a tent or canvas over the growing bump. Her hair, she pinned up and away from her face. If she couldn’t control her body, then at least she could control her hair. Belinda changed in the guest room and Elyna sought out her lover, pressing a kiss to his cheek “you’d better be changing,” she warned him, gaze dropping to the blood-spattered shirt, “our guests are due to arrive any moment.”

Dinner, warm cosy heart wrenching dinner with Malcom Krome and Elyna Burhan. They had to be joking. Vakhanor felt sick, the last time he'd gone to dinner was when he was thirteen years old just arrived in Sirothelle and 'warm' was not the word he would use to describe it. There would be outfits and cutlery. When was the last time he used cutlery?

A wardrobe was a lacking commodity in Vakhanor's life and time was running out. Earlier that day he'd been skirting around clothing shops and walking into stores dumb-founded in his search for a new outfit. Fashion was a strength for women and queer men, not beaten and scarred blacksmiths. For the first time since the fire Vakhanor saw his face in the mirror and ran his fingers over the healing scars, the beam that hit his face had sent a line from the corner of his forehead that ran down to his ear. The mark of a new life, littered with anger and revenge. In his reflection he saw a man, tall, with fiery hair and piercing eyes looking back at him dressed in the casual outfit of a new wool jumper covering the white shirt beneath, brown cotton trousers and smart leather shoes. That man was a that looked together and who wore scars like an old war veteran.

"I'll take these," he requested from the keeper, ripping the tags off and placing a small pouch of coin on the table. The attire was not fit for a noble gathering, the colours were dark and although they were well made the clothes suggested more of a young man going for a night out than attending a fancy dinner. He was dressed for the company of a Skyrider and her husband.

Breaks passed and there he was, stood outside the couple's new home with a bottle of wine in his hand and a flabbergasted look on his face as he stood a distance away from the house, eyeing the company that entered. Was this some kind of set up? A finely dressed woman with long locks of golden hair and well refined curves wandered into the doorway. She looked like she'd just shown up from a brothel. "This is going to be a long night," he muttered, looking past the quaint fresh flowering scenery of the new, large wooden built house that his friends resided in.

Slowly and very eventually Vakhanor made it to door and knocked, revelling in the pleasant aromas of the cooking food as he patiently waited for someone to allow him in.

Elyna was laughing at the mortalborn. He’d suggested that perhaps he would wear the dirty shirt for dinner, and she had threatened to turn out the pie in the oven and feed it to Vara. He’d moved quick for the stairs, and the young woman had followed, albeit at a more laboured pace. With Benjamin, Belinda and the children downstairs, the skyrider folded her arms beneath her chest and leant against the doorframe. It was a bad habit, but eased some of the ache in her feet. There certainly wasn’t space to leave a convenient chair in every room for her to perch. Taut, muscular skin showed beneath the man’s shirt and her stomach gave an uncomfortable pinch, cheeks a little flushed she wondered how they had ended up here, and happy.
“Am I early?”
The noblewoman hadn’t heard the door and turned, surprised at the strangers’ voice. The polite phrases of welcome fled from her tongue. She was gorgeous. Young, lithe and blonde, with a pair of eyes like the sky on a summer's day. Eyes that barely shifted from the man, stood behind Elyna. The Skyrider swallowed.
“Violet Warrick. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Burhan. Malcolm speaks so fondly of you.”
Lady Warrick. Malcolm’s noble student. Then came the lie. Malcolm speaks so fondly of you. With her arms folded, the young woman clenched and unclenched her fingers around her forearms. Her gaze moved from the woman’s shining golden hair to the pale shoulders and the soft flesh on view. The dress was an invitation if she’d ever seen one and by contrast, she felt enormous. Unsteady on her feet and barely human. This had been a bad idea. Why had she and Malcolm decided that socialising was fun? Malcolm had invited the Lady Warrick, and Elyna remembered the young woman’s face. Windswept, riding out of the city on a cold Cylus day. Whilst the skyrider was terrible with names, she remembered faces. With a neat turn on the stairs, Violet Warrick excused herself and left Elyna in stunned silence.
Jealousy was a cruel mistress and the young woman turned back to Malcolm and tried to offer him a smile. Her eyes fixed on his collar, unable to look any higher and meet his gaze. “I best go see to our guests…and lock Vara out of the way.”
She descended the staircase, holding the rail like an old woman. The puppy bounced in from the garden and around her feet, barking with excitement.
“Come on Vara,” Elyna feigned excitement and led the dog towards the study. The small spaniel tumbled through the door and spun to find it had closed in her face. She whined, scratching at the floor but Elyna remained resolute. Elsie had been staring at Violet from behind the kitchen counters, peeking out from the corner.
“Look!” The child exclaimed and Elyna found her smile return.
“Elsie,” she summoned the child who edged out from the counter and stumbled towards her, arms outstretched. She scooped the child up as the door sounded. “Excuse me, just a moment Lady Warrick.”
The Burhan had never been so happy to see Vakhanor as she was at that moment. The door was pulled wide open and she grinned at him, “Vakh!” She leant forward to embrace him with Elsie balanced on her hip, and kissed his cheek, “you look wonderful,” she stepped back to allow him entry into the house.

Elyna was happy again, and so easy to be around. They played and joked with one another like old friends, lovers. She had followed him up the stairs and watched him change, the pair of them exchanging an almost shy glance in each others direction. Malcolm fastened his leather trousers and pushed his feet back into his boots before pulling his shirt off, hoping to exchange it for a clean tunic if he could find one handy. As he hunted about for something to wear, a familiar voice saw him look up, captivated for a moment by the disarming stare of Violet Warrick.
Malcolm wasn't ashamed of his body, but he did turn his back to the woman in an attempt to hide the fresh scars on his chest, seventeen marks in total, gifted to him by the handful of Qe’dreki rebels that had managed to catch up with him in the Burning Mountains.
“I'll be down soon,” he told Elyna, and settled for the first thing he put his hands on, a cream coloured, long-sleeved tunic that he tucked into his belt with haste.
That dress, why in the world would the woman wear a dress like that to a dinner amongst friends, he wondered, but then, perhaps it was perfect, maybe his son Vaughn would take an interest, and a proper match could be found for the young noble. A pang a guilt struck the man low in his stomach, and he thought of Elyna… and the slave girl.
His hands grew sweaty.

Malcolm went down stairs as the front door was opened and spirits lifted once more. Elyna greeted the man, Vakhanor, with a kiss to his cheek. Malcolm hadn't meant to sneer, but caught himself, the left side of his upper lip raised as he looked down the hall in disgust, and then turned away to exit through the back door, hoping no one had noticed.
The house had felt stuffy and hot with all of the cooking that had been going on inside, and Malcolm crossed the lawn to meet Ben halfway. The fair haired knight looked at him with brow cocked and the tips of his fingers closed between his teeth in a mock bite.
“Who is that?” he asked, eyes fixed on Violet.
“Lady Warrick,” Malcolm told him, “one of my students, she was there on campaign with us in Zi’da.”
“What a woman,” he whistled, the sound low, made under his breath. “Is she the one you…”
“What? No!” Malcolm looked at him with knotted brow, horrified by the accusation. “No,” he made that very clear. “Never.”
“Never say never, brother.”
“You want to roll your tongue back into your mouth? Your wife is standing right there,” he nudged Benjamin.
“Yes, Ser,” Benjamin smirked.
“Show some respect,” he frowned. “She's a noble, and a guest in my house.”
“Sorry,” Benjamin smiled. Belinda walked by him and he gave her a wink, remaining quiet until she entered the house to check on the children.
“Stunning.”
“Dog,” Malcolm shook his head.
Benjamin lifted his own head in a mock howl, and the two of them laughed.

It wasn't long before they were joined by Violet, and Malcolm introduced her to Ben, sure they had met at least once before, though Benjamin denied these claims. He watched the woman interact with the knight, and came to the conclusion that she was more comfortable around men than woman. It was probably because she was a little younger, Malcolm thought, and thus had little time or love for children.
Malcolm caught himself looking at the woman’s dress, and wondered if she might be cold, her sides from shoulder to hip on display for all the world to see. Like any red-blooded-man, he found the woman attractive, but four hundred years on this earth had taught him that those bewitched by youth were sorely disappointed in later life. There was so much more he looked for, and had managed to find in a partner. He just hoped Vaughn couldn't tell the difference, at least no yet. Securing a marriage between house Krome and house Warrick would ensure continued peace between the two regions.
“Let me get you a drink,” he told Violet, and disappeared into the house once more where Belinda stood close to Elyna, and stopped talking as soon as the Mortalborn entered.
“Welcome,” he said to Vakhanor, looking at the man for a split second before turning his eye to the wine and glass he had taken down from the shelf in order to pour Violet a drink. “Can I get you anything?”

Moments later Elyna stood in the doorway adorned in a gown of green wool, bright eyed and cheerful as she welcomed the smith with open arms. Mindful of the child Vakh returned the affectionate greeting, "Hey Stranger," an unbridled softness entered his voice "you look beautiful." Ashan had been a painful cycle for them both and a break from the dramatics of death and despair came as a rare gift.

"Hey little princess," Vakh whispered, withdrawing to avert his attention to the child clinging to the skyrider "have you been a good girl?" Shy like her mother, the toddler clutched her fingers around Elyna's dress and turned away from him. Unfortunately for him, the reaction wasn't as odd as he had expected it. When Vakhanor had last seen the child his parents were shouting at each other, which Vakh naturally assumed the child associated his presence with anger. The last thing he wanted was to get in the way of Elyna's happiness.

Elyna stepped back and his brow furrowed, he was far too pre-occupied to even notice the figure approaching behind him or Malcolm's look of disdain. Gracefully accepting the invitation to enter, Vakh wandered into the kitchen and immediately the homely aroma of spices and roasting meat hit his nostrils, creating a warm atmosphere. "Hiya. Cheers," the smith greeted the knight in return, placing the wine on the counter "Red Wine." Stood beside Malcolm the tall scantily clad woman was oozing with the threat of debauchery and Vakhanor had to make a conscious effort not to roll his eyes.

Whatever she was after, the smith wasn't under the impression she was going to get far. Ignoring her for the time being Vakhanor sought to address the knight directly. "Malcolm, can I borrow you aside for a bit?" he asked, folding his arms and leaning back against the counter "need to chat."

“Thank you for the wine," Elyna smiled at Vakhanor as he lingered at the door, "and…Elsie has remained Elsie,” whether that was good or bad, was anyone’s guess. Elyna smiled at her friend waited to see if Elsie was going to be friendlier towards the Smith. When the child hid in her skirts, Elyna scooped her up and returned to the kitchen, “you look really good Vakh, be careful no one steals that jumper from you,” it was a quiet smile as she approached the kitchen and found Belinda frowning over a pot of gravy.
“What’s wrong?” Elyna peered at the bubbling vat before looking up at the woman.
“I can’t remember if I added the rosemary?”
Elyna couldn’t help but grin, “just add more?” she lifted her shoulder a shrug and looked around, smiling at Malcolm as he returned, Violet on his heels.
“Parents,” the new arrival caught her off-guard. She turned and came face to face with Vaughn. Stunned, she looked him over and was overcome by the sudden desire to throw her arms around him. Not in a Motherly or Familial way, she wasn’t that and he was older than she was for the sake of Immortals. She wanted to hug him, because he’d been captured by the Qe’dreki and held as their prisoner. Since she’d seen him last Ashan, then world had changed for them both and in that moment, her heart squeezed for him. The skyrider however, resisted and offered him a cautious smile instead.
“This is indeed, Elsie,” her smile only grew until she spotted Violet watching Malcolm over the rim of her fresh glass. A little distracted the skyrider looked between Vaughn and her daughter before realising that Malcolm’s son was holding Vara. Then she laughed. “I knew she’d get out somehow,” she muttered as Malcolm fixed Vakhanor a drink.
Violet stepped forward to introduce herself and the skyrider fell quiet, embarrassed. She’d purposely avoided Violet’s title in order to help the Smith feel more at ease. More than aware of how Vakhanor was less than a fan of nobility.
“I wasn’t aware that most ladies were equipped with much honour?” Elyna said without thinking before blinking. Realising that the words had come out of her mouth, she turned back to Vaughn and extended Elsie towards him.
“Elise, this is Vaughn,” she explained. The baby eyed up the man before lunging at him and Vara. Eager to be reunited with her favourite playmate.
“Vaan,” the toddler exclaimed and reached one hand to Vara and the other hand to poke in the young-man’s ear. “Van,” she repeated happily and left Elyna staring.
“Little toad,” the skyrider muttered, shaking her head. Trials and trials of attempting to coax a Mum, or a Mama from the baby, and here she was, upstaged by a man. Elyna let out a slow sigh and turned to examine the worktops.
“Vaughn, seeing as you have your hands full, would you mind bringing the two trouble makers outside? Elsie should probably eat sooner than we do…” It was then that she turned and collected a large earthen dish of vegetables, cloths wrapped around the handles and pressed it, without ceremony into Violets’s grip, “and my lady, thank you for your assistance, if you wouldn’t mind?”
Elyna collected the pie from the oven herself, taking care not to burn herself by using an old apron. It was then that she led the pair of young nobles out, gesturing for them to go before her, and leaving Vakhanor and Malcolm in the kitchen – and not without a pang of anxiety. What would Vakh need to discuss with Malcolm?
“Lady Warrick, perhaps you could tell us all of those stories Malcolm has shared…do you talk after your classes at the University?” She scrambled for conversation and set the hot pottery down on the tablemat. Where else would they be talking afterall? Did Malcolm have a lot of time after his lectures?