we are what the fire could not burn

The faintest a chuckles fell from the little nymph's lips, infectious and syrupy-sweet, muffled by a palm quick to latch to his mouth as he rustled like a small animal through the dense greenery, the thickness of the woods surrounding the river, offering a sliver of privacy amidst the tribulations of late, which he, in his infinite boredom and desire to entertain himself, had deemed fit to violate—a wisp of pale hair moves amidst the evergreen.

sloane's mind had been crowded as of lately, and so it would only be cleared by two things. writing and walking. and the trip to heliophra, as well as the death of lady garramoth and the names of the eligible chosen had already been transcribed in her notes, she decided it was time to take in the warm air of the land she once called home. she had not been nearly five and twenty minutes into her walk when she saw lord chae emerge from a dense area, giggling with a bundle of clothes in his hands.

sloane's eyes narrowed, and she was immediately reminded of a child. how clouded was her judgement, to think her daughter had influenced lord chae's actions in any way? no, baeksa clearly was not one to allow others to have the upper hand. "is there no other way you can spend your time? perhaps in a more productive manner," she chided, her tone very much that of a mother.

They were right. A war drum pounded beneath his skin—did he not welcome its reverberations? Better than the blankness that had made a home within him. He had turned his body into a haunted house, an abandoned tomb, a hollow suit of armor. He had desired this, and yet he could not accept the cost it carried: the complete, devouring desolation left in the wake of his loss.

But Luz deserved a teacher, not a maddened hound.

So he inhaled through his nose—once, twice—and said, “You are right. I should have warned you.” He ran a hand through his hair, seeming less a man and more a lion pacing his cage. “In the midst of battle, it is tempting to let ferocity fuel you. Become mindless. Drive your body forward even as your limbs ache with strain.” He huffed. “It is, however, a temptation that can bring about your own demise. It seems I, too, needed this reminder.”

The dulled carnelian of his eyes drifted away from Luz, searching for no point in particular. Shame flooded him. Vow and duty meant nothing if he lacked the strength of will to uphold them.

“I will do better.”

the moment hiran acknowledged his fault, any irritation or anger that was buzzing through luz was released through a deep sigh. their shoulders fell as their body grew more relaxed and they nodded their head. but as hiran continued, speaking of battle and how your actions could be your undoing, luz found herself concerned for her mentor. how often had he allowed his emotions to fuel him?

she did not hesitate to reach out a hand and place it on his arm, a warning for the softness and concern that would come in words only momentarily. "are you okay?" luz asked, using the back of their free hand to wipe away the sweat that had started falling down their face. "i mean no offense but, you seem troubled. right now you're acting as you did after the fire." her voice came out gentle, not accusing the man before her but simply willing him to open up to someone. "you can be the most honorable man i know. kind and gentle to those who deserve it. but sometimes hiran, you seem as though you are on the edge of falling into a dark pit that you cannot claw your way back out of." a simple observation, one she hoped he would speak on and not disregard.

Marya  clasps  her  hand  together,  her  flesh  cold  as  the  contact  settles  between  each  of  her  fingers.   " There  is  always  something  kept  from  someone.  Perhaps  that  is  what  makes  life  so  very  interesting. "  She  held  herself  as  the  image  of  ease,  with  no  further  explanation  to  accompany  it,  only  a  dreadful  narrative  that  said  no  more  than  it  said  less.  She  was  a  riddle  of  omissions;  like  a  page  with  missing  verses, neglected and bereft of mirth,   or  a  room  with  no  doors,  the  dust  gathering  undisturbed, where no footsteps seemed to intrude.  Still,  if  Marya  knew  anything  about  the  death  of  Lady  Garramoth,  she  found  no  reason  to  spare  her  information  with  someone  who  rejected  their  way  of  living. 

luz simple watched marya, a look of confusion spreading across their features. she spoke in riddles that luz found deeply confusing. the squire had never claimed to have a sharp mind, simply fast reflexes and an ability to read her opponent. but that seemed to only exist within a sparing ring or on the battlefield. pretty words and any avoidance from the truth was not the solkarith's forte. so she simple scoffed at the lack of information. "okay." they muttered, as they rolled their eyes.

it took everything in her not to simply hiss and clack her jaw at the way luz instantly defended the knight they were swearing themself to. knights. creatures she didn’t truly understand. what was honor really? honor was subjective. what one believed was honorable might not be the same for another? she did not find fighting for imaginary honor to mean much. for herself. for her family. her sister. her people, that made sense to her. fighting for vryn. that was what meant more to morella than anything else.

“tsk, you didn’t need him to have faith in you,” she finally ground out her jaw tight. a foolish solkraith that thought family was who they needed when all they needed to do was find their own meaning. just to have a knight of all things give it to them. “nor your family to have faith in you,” her words remained low, not for others as some still moved about the room while breaking the fast meal was being provided.

finally, she moved her cool eyes towards the other. really looking luz over. even with her distaste for knighthood, it was true that the braxigarian seemed brighter. but were they brighter because of someone else or simply they finally allowed themself to be. “you just needed faith in yourself…”

luz felt their jaw clench and their teeth ground together. it was easier said then done. to have faith in yourself when you feel as though no one else does. the solkarith had spent many of their formative years feeling as though they were unbreakable and unstoppable, but that illusion eventually faded. with every hit they took from ran in the fighting ring, or time they were called a solkarith runt, luz felt it. and no matter how skilled she was, she knew a path of honor and duty was not laid out before her. especially not in braxigar.

"Seems you've come ill-prepared, Seren." The taunt rolled off his tongue with no ill intent; he'd always been wont to tease, to jest, as the youngest of one's family might take to doing naturally, in order to arrest attention. The snap of her head had coaxed a soft chuckle from him; with each step, Cai seemed to ease into his usual, youthful insouciance. "One would have expected you to do your due diligence, and research these lands with every attention to detail." As befitted a scholar, and guardian of knowledge. He did not add that part, confident she would infer as much, and let a debonair grin soften any edge of criticism his words might have carried.

"But you've already begun to adapt." He noted as she remarked upon the unusual heat. His emeralds flitted to her hair, to the artful manner in which her raven locks had been swept upward and held in place. "Your hair. It looks lovely."

To bear the arid air, his wardrobe had shifted to breathable fabric, linen tunic and silk-lined doublet in paler shades than he was known to don. It painted a fine contrast to his dark hair, which tumbled more freely than usual. "I am touched to hear she remembers me so fondly. It was a pleasure to keep her company." He let his mind linger on his conversation with Lady Elowen for a moment, remembering most vividly her tender vigilance for her daughter. She had struck him as a clever woman, dangerously so, with an eye much keener than his own could hope to be. It was why he had not dared twist truth in her presence, confident she would have read him for falsehood before he'd even finished the lie.

she let her mouth fall open in offense at his words, although a laugh soon followed in a way that showed she felt no true disrespect. she had learned of cai's playful and teasing nature early on, and had come to grow fond of it. it reminded her to allow herself to be playful sometimes. allowed the serious nature she often carried to be washed away for a moment. "forgive me, the local wildlife was not at the top of my research list. i was too busy looking over maps of heliophra and familiarizing myself with local politics." there was truth to that, but she had also come ill prepared. spending much of her time in vallarion with her family and settling her emotions after another frightening event.

at the compliment regarding her hair, the woman found herself blushing a breaking eye contact for a moment. "thank you," she breathed, softly laughing as she remembered the conversations that surrounded the updo. "my maid said it would help cool me, and also mentioned something about elongating my neck," what a strange comment, she had though, given her neck would not change depending on how she wore her hair.

she looked him over then, realizing his attire and windswept hair caused him to look every bit like the debonair hero you would read about in stories. "heliophra agrees with you as well. i am sure many have remarked on how beautiful your eyes are, but against the brightness of the moon and the shade of your tunic, they are... mesmerizing." she allowed herself to hold eye contact for a moment longer then she normally would, before the warmth of her cheeks and chest had her turning her attention to her hands, grasping amongst her pockets for a fan.

a  blush  crept  into  her  cheeks  at  the  mention  of  her  devition  .  she'd  never  thought  the  words  she  uttered  about  vaelor  to  be  any  different  than  the  words  for  others  ,  but  perhaps  she  wasn't  able  to  be  neutral  when  it  came  to  the  man  who  would  one  day  become  her  husband  .  she  came  from  a  family  of  many  ,  of  keepers  of  dragon  hatchlings  and  a  household  rooted  deep  in  their  bonds  .  she  might  be  the  wrong  one  to  ask  when  it  came  to  vaelor  ,  for  how  could  she  not  show  off  how  worthy  he  would  be  ?  no  matter  how  frightened  she  was  of  him  taking  upon  himself  something  he  should  not  need  to  .  however  ,  who  else  was  worthy  ?  who  else  would  sacrifice  their  lives  together  ,  happily  in  drakathar  ,  but  him  ?  for  the  sake  of  prosperity  and  wealth  to  the  people  .  "  perhaps  he  is  the  perfect  fit  because  he  in  truth  does  not  want  it  and  maybe  that  is  why  he  would  be  a  good  choice  .  "  she  murmurs  and  tries  to  smile  back  at  the  woman  ,  now  accompanying  her  and  her  book  .

her head fell softly, a brow lifted as she asked, "he does not want it?" but he had to have put his name forth in order to be considered, did he not? unless he was convinced to submit his name for chosen, but had never truly wanted such a title for himself. if that was the case, perhaps he was the best one suited for it. she would much rather have someone in the seat of power who did not crave it.

His gloved hand shakes hers, and there is a glint of amusement in his eyes, there and gone again. Cian gestures with a tilt of his head for her to take his side, and then they start to trail around the fountain’s wide edge. “To be frank, were there need to choose, I would wish for the latter over the first. Then I will know whether you’ve already reached the end of mine own inquiries, and I shall know which ones are hopeful even if their truth remains unknown.” He ventures a small breath of a laugh. “And your theories are welcome to join mine.”

The shadows cast by that which grows around them flicker in the corner of his eyes, but his steps do not stumble and neither do they stop their steady pace. “I shall offer one of my own, disjointed as it may be. It may even sound more like a fear, but what happened over a moon ago speaks of great ill: a seat of sacred knowledge lost to the flicker of heartless flame. And a family, now grasping to keep whatever they can.” A pause. “Does that not sound familiar? But I do not understand to what end.”

so they would not bother with formalities or pointless conversations. she appreciated that. when it came to knowledge, theories and fact, she would much rather speak plainly and get to the meat of it all, then waste time elsewhere. as he offered her his theory, she kept her fave neutral. had this theory grown because he knew that the fire started had never been the councils doing, or because he wanted to ensure no one looked too closely at the council as a potential subject? she would not ask such questions outright, but hopefully could goad such information out of him. "it does sound familiar. painfully, familiar in fact." she answered, clasping her hands behind her back and holding tightly.

"however one could argue that in all the ways they are similar, they are incredibly unalike. the fire that was lit in my home was contained to the library, with clear intention to remove all the knowledge we carried. the fire upon the coven seemed to happen with the goal to create a much larger impact. why choose a moment when we were all gathered inside, when the largest amount of casualties was possible? if their intention was to rid nocturnia of the knowledge the coven harbored, they could have acted while we were all at the ceremony site. in fact, that would be allow the arsonist to ensure the most impact, as we could not do anything to stop it so far away from the great oak." she paused then, if only to wet her lips after talking for so long. "unless the fire itself was a distraction? are we certain the scroll was burned?" had it been taken?

seeing seren, did something to denma’s heart that she couldn’t completely explain. not in love, but in grief. this was the last person to look upon her little brother’s face before he died. the last person that had felt any warmth in his skin or seen the light in his eyes. for all of the death denma saw and all of those she ferried to the next life with love. with respect. burning her brother’s body had been the first time her hands had ever shook. the first time she had ever wanted to weep and perhaps join them as they left the world completely.

but – that pain did not turn into anger for the woman. could never do so. not unless the blade had been in her hand and that was something denma knew to not be true. she had grieved in the halls of arshamal. had gone home for the first time in months to confirm the news to her parents. they had all grieved then. their hearts were loud and bleeding things on the floor as they allowed themselves to cry. it had not just been her or a select few that had built his gravestone among their family with careful precision. those of their lands and come to. in the open air, under the moon, they all grieved.

she would hold him in her heart until her end of days, even as she took a seat next to young tenelith, she offered a nod and the slight switch of her smile still curved her lips. “i fear far too many of us have been touched by dread these last months,” she offered softly, soft bells jingling on her belt as she shift. “i do not wish for any of us to be reminded that it can touch us here as well.”

the reminder that death seemed to follow them all was like a ice cool bath. in quick succession seren was reminded of that night moira castle, of the dance with the chosen. of the fear she felt when the lights went out and the dread that filled her bones when she saw the bodies at her feet, the blood spilling from their wounds.

moments later seren shook away such images, and blinked away the warmth building in her eyes. "then we should hope for nothing but health and happiness during our time here in heliophra." she said through a partially forced smile.

at the question of her family, her smiled bloomed into something softer, more genuine. "yes, yes my mother's injuries she sustained in the fire have healed, as have my own. we spent most of the last month enjoying each other's company. and you? your family?" she wondered, another question quickly forming in her brain. she paused for a second, before following up her first question with another, "were you allowed to leave braxigar even when the rest of us were confined to our hollows?"

.✦ ݁˖ ⸻ Similar to the last gathering, where they were forced to linger in close chambers while madness and undeath lurked, Taemris placed as much distance as one could before it could be translated as fleeing from obligation. His things were placed within the chambers designated for House Morvaen and before Marya and he could even plausibly discuss such fetid turn of events, Taemris disappeared into the blinding hues of gold and ivory. Even amidst the blankets of dark which housed their kind as velkynar, the sharp brilliance of Heliophra was unnerving. Elaris Keep was built fragile as glass yet had withstood time as resilient as stone; an anomaly within itself yet something to be respected.

Taemris sat within the sanctuary of night, perched within a low hanging branch. Silence had overtaken him and only thing which broke through such stillness had been the occasional thwack of his throwing knife hitting the tree bark opposite of him. It sprayed in small splinters, dusting the ground beneath it. When footsteps resounded off the path leading to his little alcove of peace and solitary, Taemris did not pause his target practice; the knife now diving into the ground, nestling just between the two feet of that who had approached.

upon arriving in heliophra, eliza had desired to explore further. to shift into a being of four legs and dark fur and run for as long as her lungs could handle. and so when the moment presented itself, she snuck out into the surrounding foliage of elaris keep. she had though her steps silent - she had taken off her slippers, after all - unheard by any potential guards or staff, but she was mistaken. the appearance of a knife in her path, close enough to have taken off a toe if she made one step sooner, had the girl bringing a hand to her mouth to muffle a scream.

before an sound could be let past her lips, she looked up towards the owner of said weapon. the anxiety over another potential attack dissipated when she saw it was lord morvaen. the fearful expression on her face began to settled, the tears in her eyes drying up, as her breathing returned to normal.

it was a nice reminder, that tristan also was so unexperienced in the world around them. so often did eliza fell as though she was years behind her friends and peers, that she would never catch up to their lived experienced. and yet now tristan did not seem that much different then she. "i believe heliophra may be my favorite so far," she said, with a playful smile. of course she had said the same of vallarion, but she had not seen heliophra at that point.

when he asked of her perfect world, where she could choose a path before her and no longer fear violence or death on the horizon, eliza's eyes grew wide as numerous ideas overtook her. "i think i would travel. see all that nocturnia has to offer. visit ever nook and cranny in every hollow, and perhaps detail my travels in a journal!" she had loved to read books, why not write them? "and you, brother? what will you do when the world is open to you? find someone to share it with?" while eliza was delighted to have one sibling married, she was ready for her brother to find someone to spend his days with. he was magnificent. one of the best people she knew, and so deserving of love. she had already decided to help tristan find a match. he did not know it, but she had a list of all the eligible nobles hidden away beneath her mattress.

After  her  vows,  Diya  found  herself  hooking  herself  up  on  a  balcony,  driven  by  a  restlessness  she  could  not  name  or  suppress.  It  had  been  a  few  weeks  now,  where  the  ballroom  floor  of  Solari  Sanctum  had  been  decked  in  a  pool  of  jasmine,  the  candlewicks  flickering  their  shadows  across  the  gilded  arches  and  the  polished  marbles.  At  times,  Diya  can  still  smell  the  fragrance  of  that  evening,  as  though  it  had  been  bottled  and  oiled  upon  her  bronze  skin,  sweetening  her  color.  The commotion happens all at once, when Diya  lifts  her  eyes  and  turns  her  head  as  the  balcony  door  swings  open. Her  fingers  grip  the  hardened  wood under them as she  watches  silently  for  a  moment,  lips  coming  to  press  into  a  thin  line.  Her  shoulders  tighten  from  the  lady’s  distress.  Softy,  Diya  walks  over,  her  footsteps  as  light  as  water.  A  hand  reaches  out,  touching  her  clavicle.  But  her  hand  scorches  the  other,  and  Diya  draws  her  hand  back  as  if  burned,  holding  it  up  lightly  as  she  hovers  it  in  the  air.  She  hears  the  song  of  the  birds  overhead.

the woman before her was clad in armor and had an air around her that immediately eased eliza's soul. she realized now how unbecoming she must look, and how she could turn off an eligible bachelor. but another woman, a dame none the less, granted her a moment to feel safe from judgement and ridicule. in an attempt to ease an discomfort or tension, eliza tried to joke, "i believe a number of lady's would disagree with you. showing emotion so openly seems like it could be a great offense," she brought a finger up to wipe away her tears as she said it. but it was no use, her crying was not stoping any time soon.

"You are right to ask." Lenore began to lightly stir the surface of the pond with her fingers, tracing patterns that rippled and faded as quickly as they came. “Fairness and justice are concepts easily wielded by those who have never known true defiance, who have always been assured in their power. How easily those virtues are abandoned when the crime is brought to one’s own doorstep.”

A faint breeze stirred the bushes surrounding them, releasing the scent of night orchids into the air. In the distance, crickets chirped a moonlit serenade.

“But in truth, you could be right. Yet ‘could be’ is not enough.”

She listened without interrupting, then nodded. “The ideal solution would be to bridge whatever chasm has formed between your houses. In what manner, I will leave to you. But Varyn…” Her eyes lifted, clear yet merciless. “If you do not succeed, I will have to interfere. And my solution will lack Amarei’s gentle diplomacy.” A beat. “For I cannot allow interruptions in my own design.”

Lenore rose then, took her shoes in hand, and circled the pond toward Varyn. Slowly, so as not to disconcert. This was no threat. She lowered herself beside him, kneeling in a spill of skirts. “Hopefully, they will settle on the candidate of my choosing.” Her eyes met his with intention. “But if not, I will still hold the council’s ear, one way or another. I promise you that.”

he found himself watching the water as she ran her fingers through it, calmed by the ripples as he listened to her words, that were a heavy. there was so much uncertainty on the horizon, especially regarding the future crownwearer. if vaelor did not get chosen, these questions that plagued varyn were essentially put to bed. or at least minimized to just issues existing within drakathar.

"i will talk with amarei. spending time together in drakathar has helped us in ways i did not expect. perhaps she has ideas on how to ensure the gap between graveholt and vexmarsh is closed." althought, after the conversation they had earlier he can't help but feel as though the distance was already too great. it was just not his decision or actions that would influence efigenia's choices, or her feelings towards varyn, amarei and house mirethorn. in fact, if anyone had to choose what would happen next, it would be his bride. as efigenia was her sister. but instead he asked, "what would your solution be?" he knew she was willing to make hard decisions. to be as cutthroat as a situation required. but if she would be to go as far as try to remove efigenia from the board all together... amarei deserved to know.

A pause, then. Unbidden tension settled in her jawbone. "Tell me of your visit to Draegor Keep. We were too preoccupied at Vexmarsh to discuss it in enough detail, it seems." She hummed in almost-laughter, a practised diversion, the exhale diffusing into the gentle veil of steam. Only when he pressed his lips to the arch of her neck, did she feel unease bleed away once more. "In part. She shared her intentions of applying for crownwearer. But she did not speak of her plans to persuade you to do likewise, and my sister does not act without due consideration." Amarei corrected. "Her ambition has always burned differently to mine. I have always known we were walking different paths... But we are at a crossroads from which there may be no returning."

Another sigh, followed by a longer silence. "You are sweet to ask." She smiled briefly. "Most of us come to understand how we are by what we have. How deeply we are bound to our traditions, to our blood." He should know; he had spent his life thus far defending his own. She turned to face him, her palms settling against his chest. "I was shaped by what my family lacked. By what we were denied. All my life, Graveholt has never been a home. It is a void, and I have long decided I would not spend my life trying filling it. Efigenia believes I cannot part from Graveholt, without parting from her."

he nodded at her words, although he could not help but wonder if her opinions were truly worth applying to everyone. yes, the majority of their peers were playing a political game where people were saying one thing and thinking, or doing, another. but if varyn would use one word to describe vaelor, it was that he was sincere. the man often acted in what he thought would be everyone's best interest, and prior to recent events, varyn had never walked away from a conversation questioning the man's intentions. so should he really do the same now?

at the mention of their time in vexmarsh, varyn chuckled and squeezed her closer to him. "are you complaining?" he questioned, nuzzling into the base of her neck even further. after a beat, a soft exhalation of air, he answered her question. "not much happened in draegor keep. when i arrived vaelor was out on the estate. i eventually stumbled upon him with help from his staff and offered my congratulations. he questioned if they were sincere, before offering me food and drink before my return to vexmarsh. it feels as though he is taking my words for face value, out of good nature, but perhaps is preparing himself for different outcomes."

“Well—! It is not as if it was planned!” They speak from under their loose hood, startled enough to forego any proper greetings. With all the festivities abound, this apothecary in particular had the bad luck to be out of the way enough to not be graced with the great influx of clientele. And yet Ásta would make up for it, and rather well—they had ordered a tincture and a pouch of smelling salts, a custom mixture commissioned on the spot, and told the fretting woman manning the counter that they could simply wait for it to be made and then brought. A perfect plot to take much longer to linger. “You know if it had been, you would’ve been among the first ones to know.”

So surprised they had been that it is only after that Ásta fully takes him in. Their eyes light up with the force of their own smile. “Varyn!” They breathe, hand closing around his arm, squeezing in greeting as to replace the hug they could not give before they let go of him. “I’m so happy you are well—When I heard the news I almost fainted on the spot!” Had looked so shocked the barmaid had had to check they were well. “Your staff gossips of me? Truth be told, I did not think me leaving would be such a big deal…” They fret, just as embarrassed as they are confused. “But, how are you—you do not know of what they speak of so far away, really, it’s all jumbled and mumbled. And, are you really unharmed? And what have you been up to and anything new with you and—” Their mouth feels a bit dry. “And an engagement, Varyn?” Ásta nudges him. “You are to be a lord husband? That was so fast!”

he let out a boyish laugh as greeted each other in a way that had become natural for them over the years. a way that would not give way to the true nature of their friendship and closeness (that they had been secret companions since their youth). "the news?" he asked, brow furrowing as his head tilted in confusion. he did not allow the expression to linger for long, before unclasping their hands and moving to stand next to àsta as though they were friendly shoppers.

"the staff could not stop talking about the missing malaric." he murmured, as they stood side by side. varyn did not hesitate to begin grabbing items and herbs and other elements that he knew he could use for future experiments. while he understood the disappearance was not planned, it did not mean there was not a small part of varyn that did not slightly resent his friend for their vanishing. even if it was out of their control, it still caused him to worry for their safety for months. "i am fine. and yes," he let out another laugh, this time one of amusement. "lady velwyrn and i are to be wed. i supposed some could say it is fast, but i've come to think we are well matched." he smiled, thinking of all the ways they've grown closer in recent months.

“That is because you’ve always known what’s in your best interests, Varyn,” Lenore replied lightly, the soft tenor of her voice woven with the barest trace of mirth. Her eyes followed the movement of his fingers with languid observation, his posture bearing a comfort he had not usually worn in her presence. Another change among many, something to be folded away for later recollection. For a moment, she said nothing, lifting one foot slightly out of the water and watching liquid beads of moonlight glide down the slope of her ankle.

Finally, her gaze shifted, misted with thought. “I have been considering how best to move forward.” Each word was slow and measured. “I need not state the obvious. Vaelor Malaric on the throne could potentially cause us further trouble, for we still cannot tell where he stands, and I doubt he will share his confidence with you anytime soon, despite your cordial connection.” Her voice lowered. “A crown-wearer’s wife may hold no title of her own, but she does hold his heart and ear.” Her attention returned to the water then, as if she might read the future in its mirror, or at least glean her friend-turned-enemy's thoughts. “Did you know your sister-in-law-to-be would apply? If you did not, that is no fault of yours, but it would give me cause for concern.” Her eyes lifted again. “The intentions of your marriage were to unite your houses, after all—to stand as one against those who might act against you.”

he smiled in jest at her words, and for a moment varyn realized how much easier it would be to speak with lenore now that he did not fear the potential of alerting others to their allyship. but as the conversation turned to more political endeavors, varyn's expression turned serious. the weight returning to his shoulders as he listened and considered everything she was telling him. most of which he had already concluded himself. "do we believe there is a world where vaelor malaric would be a fair and just crownwearer?" he posed, already knowing her answer to the question. "he has done his best thus far as a ruling lord of drakathar to approach every conflict with a fair and just mind... do we feel he would not do the same as crownwearer?" perhaps he would, if not for the bride now at his side. who knew what a man in love was capable of.

at the mention of efigenia, varyn shook his head. "no, i did not. before leaving drakathar she tried to convince me to put forth my own name as a contender for the throne. i told her i had no interest, and that my goals remain in drakathar. i suspect in that moment i was no longer useful to her." he sighed, massaged his hand over the back of his neck. "i am aware of the intention," his voice rose only slightly. not because he was made at lenore, but because these were words he had already told himself. how could this union continue to prove to be beneficial if efigenia continued to act on her own? "i will talk with amarei and hopefully we can come to an agreement on how to reign efigenia's ambitions in." or at least figure out how to ensure they benefit them.

"then you will deign to join me in the water?" spoken as if in continuation of his murmur. she had detected no vestige of protest, of course -- but amarei would rather hear that it was her company that delighted; the easing of minor ailments being a welcome byproduct. now that she had granted him insights of her mind, she would not dilute her susceptibility to flattery. she observed, without abashment, the discarding of cloth, pooling on marble floor -- a subtle curl to her lips, as if she were challenging him to note the attention she lavished upon him. to reciprocate it. when he settled behind her, enclosing her, lithe limbs slackened. he had grown familiar, and she had grown comfortable in how her frame aligned with his.

"you wish to speak of court, now?" a ripple of surprise. she had not invited him to discuss politics; they could have well done that over supper, another time. but she would not object, if he had need of discussing it. "your concerns must press heavily on your mind." a gentle observation, soft-spoken, understanding. "whose name surprised you most?" wanton never sparked surprise in her; it was the realm's lifeblood. but she had mused on lord vaelor, lord cavit -- both had lost brothers, both had yet to see justice be delivered. ambition and revenge did so like to move in tandem. "i knew my sister's name would be amongst contenders; the reach of her ambition is no revelation to me. still... i did not think she would conspire without my knowledge." they had spoken of it whilst in drakathar; when they did, varyn's mentioning of her sister's intentions to utilise him to obtain the crown had been a first to amarei. the sting had not lessened, since.

"then i will gladly join you in the water," he corrected, letting out a comfortable sigh once he was comfortably settled. his brows shot up in surprise as her own shock regarding his topic of conversation. it seemed a natural subject, considering they had just arrived at heliophra and there was plenty of new information presented to them. and was she not plagued by the knowledge that her sister now sat amongst the willing contenders to take their place upon that throne?

"my concerns have seemed to grow by the day, ever since lenore visited vexmarsh," he confessed, brows furrowing as his fingers continued to absentmindedly graze along her arm and shoulder. "if chantara seeks revenge at any moment, and vaelor is plucked amongst the options presented, then i fear for our house. i have done what i could to remain respectful of him, but the man is hard to read. i often leave our interactions wondering how different his thoughts are from his words." he paused, knowing he would not have admitted this to her (or anyone) if they had not spent the last month learning to trust each other. "i am afraid what will happen, if he is chosen. when the feud stretched only between us and house thanachalerm, i was much more confident of prevailing." he did not know what he was searching for in telling her this. perhaps he just wanted to finally speak his mind freely in the company of another.