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Post by Cyran Fenastra-Asiliari on Feb 15, 2024 9:30:23 GMT -5
“Thank you for the offer. It means a lot.” Oh, Cyran wished he could sit and daydream more about his wedding, about the things and people there, about the dress she might wear and the love they might share…
But circumstances made it a touch difficult.
It was hard to consider a wedding when the Rha’Oriyn family was still out there, looking for blood to be repaid. It was so very kind of Leandros to offer his manor, and Cyran wished to entertain it. But it only served to remind him that such an event would only put Leandros and his family in danger… that they couldn’t even hold their wedding until things were fixed… that there was a possibility things might not get fixed.
He stared at his hands where they rested on the table while Leandros spoke.
“I am very glad the two of you have found such a wonderful union. That you picked love and found a way to make it reconcile with duty.” That hadn’t been an option for him in the past. “You could say the same of myself and Del. I’d long since accepted that I wouldn’t find someone that made me feel that way. Del was a bit of a surprise in that regard.” He let out a small laugh.
It had taken a long time to recognize the feelings for what they were; but the two had just… clicked, like it was natural. And by the time he recognized it he couldn’t imagine a world where he hadn’t walked past that street a year ago and spotted her in the shadows.
He nodded. “She is my port in the storm. My Fighter. I’m not worried about leaving home behind, because I know it rests with her. And we’ll build it anywhere we go. I know little about flowers… it’s silly, but I’ve always associated her with sunflowers. Always growing and seeking warmth and life. And she has carved me such lovely lily of the valleys.” He tapped at his cloak, the little wood-carved pin on his cloak. “I’m not sure what those mean in flower language, but…” He shrugged.
His eyes widened at Leandros’s offer.
“Horses? Ah, we don’t exactly have stables for them… but they are rather practical gifts. Though it’s just wonderful to be thought of. We’re grateful for anything you wish to give, of course.” He smiled, rather touched that Leandros would even think of them in the first place. It meant a lot to have people so kind in their life. “You’ve already offered so much in your support… I don’t even know how to thank you, Leandros.”
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Feb 15, 2024 10:14:57 GMT -5
"A return to happiness....somewhat fitting for you both I think." He gently smiles as he looks over the pin. "Humility...purity can also be associated with it."
It was rare Leandros was ever matched in the fond tone he speaks when it comes to his wife, but it seems Cyran feels just as passionate about his wife. That alone gave Leandros the confidence to know it would work out for them no matter what path was taken.
He then laughs gently at Cyran's words, "Friends don't do thing for the thanks, Cyran....besides stable or not, it always helps when I know horse is going to get love and use...Not to boast, but the Aurthurian line of horses are often status symbols, but we train them to work...so imagine you spend all your life learning the skills you have, then someone just keeps you in a room and occasionally puts you in fancy clothes to parade around. Byrr is already protesting his retirement after Vulcadreus."
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Post by Cyran Fenastra-Asiliari on Feb 24, 2024 19:12:10 GMT -5
“A return to happiness.” Cyran repeated with a satisfied nod. Perhaps it was cliche to think of it that way; but it was the truth. They’d both lost peace… Cyran and his daughter, and Del and her mentor. But somehow, they’d managed. A peace which Vulcadreus had shattered - which Cyran had shattered, really, by making the stupid mistake that cost them both friends - but perhaps they would find it again. Del seemed to believe so, and even when Cyran wasn’t so keen on trusting his own intuition, he would believe in hers.
“Those all sound about fitting.” He gave a satisfied nod.
“Perhaps not, but I’ll still find a way to offer it all the same.” Del was not the only stubborn one between them; though Cyran was more reserved, and definitely more prone to anxiety, he’d not spent the better part of his third century being a father to not know how to put his foot down when it came to giving people the kindness and support they deserved.
“Really?” Cyran blinked, surprised. It had been some time since his proverbial hat had been thrown into the ring of politics, but even then, his knowledge of old lineages was… muddled and rusty, where information he’d not cared to learn was discarded. He knew little of the Aurthurian clan besides what he knew from Leandros himself. “Well, I’m sure they’d get plenty of use with us, though perhaps not in battle. Are they good with children? I usually keep animals around Shade’s Valley… docile ones, of course, but therapy animals are good for the kids. They might like riding lessons, if it were possible.” His first thought hadn’t even been about battle - but making sure his charges were happy and enriched.
It was probably a faux pas to say such a thing in front of a man infamous for his warhorses, but he didn’t think Leandros would mind.
“I wasn’t aware he’d been retired.” Cyran remembered Byrr, and found the animal quite well trained. More importantly, both horse and rider had shared a bond of trust. “What will you do now? Select a, er, younger one?” It was difficult to imagine Leandros with a different horse, but he was familiar with lifespans. In his youth he’d seen his own mounts come and go. Such was life... and Byrr was fortunate to still have one, after the dangerous battle they'd all faced.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Feb 25, 2024 11:14:45 GMT -5
Leandros thinks a moment as Cyran talks through some of the things he and Del might want if they take on a horse. He leans back on the bench where they sit, resting his arms on the back.
"I recently purchased a Zenavian Quarter horse...she could mate with Byrr....though even than their foal might be bigger than necessary. Byrr is a rare case in his size, hence why we seemed to bond so well." The knight offers a small chuckle.
"Give me time to see what we have at the stable, we may have a pair that could already work for you, otherwise it should be no trouble to breed a pair for you. I imagine you and Del are not rushing into things."
When Cyran asks after Byrr, a fond smile crosses Leandros' face. "He should be so lucky to be retired, it means he gets to roam the pasture and make children for the rest of his life. Thankfully, his injuries were not life threatening, but they were bad. He's recovered nicely now, but I do not wish to risk him like that again. Besides..."
He pauses with another little smile as a shadow passes over them. High in the sky Haurach is hard to full identify, but it is hard to mistake the shape and outline of a dragon. They soar in a circle over the waters of the Isles.
"I have found a new partner in battle."
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Post by Cyran Fenastra-Asiliari on Mar 3, 2024 15:28:33 GMT -5
“There is truly no rush.” Cyran murmured, not wanting Leandros to go out of his way, but touched that the man wanted to; most of all it was just good to see him happy and excited.
He leaned back in his seat, thoughtful.
“There’s a good chance we’ll have to wait before even planning anything.” He admitted truthfully. “The instability in Darkveil means it will be some time before we can properly plant roots. There is too much work to be done.”
And they couldn’t go home until Cyran cleaned up his own messes.
“Like I said before, there is no expectation on our part. We are simply grateful to be thought of, and will make use of whatever you wish to share. Your friendship is already more than enough.”
Cyran nodded as Leandros shared the details of what happened during the battle to force Byrr into retirement. It was… unfortunate to hear, but Cyran supposed that for such a kind animal to find the end of his journey in a loving home where he would be cared for to the end of his days was all anyone could ask. It was what Cyran found he sought, too.
Confused, his gaze followed Leandros to the sky; though his sight was only slightly more advanced than average eyes, Cyran could just barely make out the blurring shadow of a winged creature amongst the clouds.
“I’m sorry.” Cyran muttered, at a loss for words. “How in the nine hells did you manage to find a dragon?”
First Astrid, now Leandros - Cyran was beginning to wonder if dragons were a fad these days, and if he was missing out on a new trend.
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Mar 4, 2024 11:30:44 GMT -5
"I know our situations are quite different, so take this as you will, but life rarely waits until you are ready for it. Vulcadreus brought that into focus for myself...I still worry about leaving a wife and now soon a child behind, but what that beast represented....A cycle of destruction...of violence...it reminded me that my life is short. I wish to break that cycle, to hold onto the naive belief that I can create a peacful world for my child, but until then the cycle of life is not going to stop and wait until I am satisfied. Whatever path you two take, so long as it is taken together, that's what matters."
That said Leandros was still thinking through pairings to bring together for two elves he'd grown to care for. Maybe he could gift them a mated pair, that would be a cute idea. He leans back to look up towards the sky.
Haurach dips beneath the clouds to snatch a fully grown tuna from the waters. Her scales almost look like the polished armor Leandros wears, glittering in the sunlight. With a meal in claws, the dragon flies off to find a place to land and snack.
"A nameday gift from a dwarf my grandfather knew. He had helped him reclaim a mine in his youth and ever since has been a dear friend to the family. Apparently in one of the tunnels they found an egg they thought had been finalized. Gundren told me it reminded him of the first breastplate he forged for me on my 18th nameday, so naturally he thought it a great gift. Turns out being buried in stone makes it hard to hatch. The latent magic in it seemed to rekindle and naught but a week after receiving it we heard a cracking during dinner. What I thought was a beautiful mantlepiece was instead a drake."
He smiles and laughs.
"She's taken well to training as a war mount just as Byrr did...I've studied a little of draconic language to help with commands....Haurach, which if I did my work properly means justice."
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Post by Cyran Fenastra-Asiliari on Mar 14, 2024 8:59:58 GMT -5
Leandros’s words rang like the bell of a harsh truth. Cyran wasn’t sure what to say, so he elected for staring down at his lap. Though his life stretched a little longer than Leandros, he’d been subject to the very recesses of the god’s conscious… the eons Vulcadreus ensured, the spinning of a cycle like clockwork. In the grand scheme of things, it was only a matter of time before the hands struck twelve and midnight brought about a new day. In the grand scheme of things, Cyran and Leandros were only a small drop in the microcosm of forever.
That did not make their lives, or what they did with them, any less meaningful.
“I have rarely thought myself an active participant in my life.” Cyran started, slow and heavy, as if the words themselves dragged leaden weights behind them. “I merely… reacted to things which happened to me. My wedding - it will have been a choice that I have made with the woman I love. I don’t necessarily want to wait, though circumstances have made such a union difficult at the moment. I find that I do not mind much. Because when it happens, it will mean that we’ve reached the aft end of turmoil.” At the end, he offered a small, sad smile.
Perhaps, if it had been the Cyran of even a year ago, the kind of smile tinged with someone so trapped in the throes of the day to day that he couldn’t even see the light beyond the shadows. Yet, despite all Cyran had undergone, the past year had come with as much joys as it had sorrows. The kind of joy that made him feel like he could breathe for the first time in ten years. The kind that reminded him to stop living in the shadows.
Leandros’s story pulled him out of his musings. Cyran tilted his head, nodding along with rapt attention. To be honest, he wasn’t… particularly surprised by this turn of events. Ever since he met Leandros - through Del, as the three of them set off to slay a dragon - Cyran had always gotten the sense that Leandros Arthurian was the kind of man to whom adventure flocked. As if the world itself knew he was the kind of man to protect innocents from danger and slay what needed to be slain.
“Haurach.” Cyran repeated. “An apt name. As miraculous a tale it is, though, I’m very gladdened to hear that you have a new companion. One that will protect you and your family well.” He finished with a satisfied nod, pleased to hear Leandros was safe.
Cyran stood then, offering Leandros a smile. “I think a small drink is in order to celebrate all the good news, no? On me.” He whisked himself away to grab a couple of drinks; Cyran was only gone for a few minutes, but when he returned, he had two small cups in his hand - a drink from a nearby stall. Given Leandros hadn’t seen him acquire them, and the lack of solars in his pocket, it was entirely possible that the ex-assassin had filched them.
Cyran offered one to Leandros. “To family, new and old.”
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Mar 14, 2024 22:40:04 GMT -5
It was funny how a simple choice made for yourself and by yourself can make such a difference when it comes to your own happiness. When that choice revolves around love and the person that gives you that affection it feels even more overwhelmingly like the right thing to do.
“You know perhaps someday our parents should meet...Mother was an...exact type of woman. I am probably thinking about this too late in life....how I was treated as a child, but incoming Fatherhood brings the thoughts up. That feeling of being reactive is common among us, Mother had her plan for me and my opinions on it were not really asked for. I think she considered disowning me after I broke off that first engagement...then again when she first met Apogee...she was below my station after all.....Hardly so, the De Lacus family may not have the same political ambitions as her, but they were wealthier than most. Instrument making is a lucrative business.....all of that rambling is to say no choice you make is wrong so long as it is the choice that you have made.”
He smiles and accepts the drink when offered, more than ready to take it after so much talking. He spoke often about how little he desired to be a politician or do anything like that, but he had a knack for speeches and he wanted to make people feel better after talking than they did before.
“To the lives we have made for ourselves.”
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Post by Cyran Fenastra-Asiliari on Mar 19, 2024 8:00:15 GMT -5
Cyran was silent as tombs while Leandros spoke of expectations and stations and the trappings of nobility.
“I think…” He said after a long moment, glancing eastward; towards the palace of bone that marked his birthplace. “Your mother and my father would get along quite well.”
Two peas in a pod, they were.
“Mine disowned me when he found little use for my services. When you have no need for a chess piece, you sacrifice it to gain a better advantage on the board.” He laughed, hollowly, one that turned to genuine warmth as the memories became fond. Not gripped by daunting failures.
“He was quite livid to learn I’d become engaged to a smith. Where he looks down upon the toil that makes one’s hands rough and calloused I have found no greater comfort than in the sturdiness of their embrace. That is a choice I’ll never regret.”
Admittedly, Leandros’s story did make him feel better. Whether the man had any idea of it himself, he had the easygoing charisma of a man sure of his convictions; a leader, one you were wont to follow. More than anything, there was comfort in knowing a friend understood you so wholly - that he would not judge you for your past, but found kinship in it.
To the lives we make for ourselves indeed.
“I’ll drink to that.” Cyran said with a laugh, clinking his glass to Leandros’s own and taking a small, polite sip. “May they be rich and satisfying.”
He took another small sip.
“Thank you for your reassurances. I’ve not been… nervous, but I suppose I can’t break the habit of questioning myself. You and Apogee are very happy with one another, and that means the world. I wish you all the blessings I can muster for your continued happiness and peace in the coming days.” Then, with a twist of his lips one might describe as somewhat mischievous, “You’re going to need it once the baby arrives.”
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Post by Leandros Aurthurian on Mar 19, 2024 16:00:19 GMT -5
"His loss." There is a rare tinge of anger and edge to Leandros voice when he says those words. Sure, he has incredible strength, has fought a god, dragons, done so many things befitting a warrior, but he was still a gentle giant.
Cyran had been present when Leandros' voice did rise in anger before, but that was when challenging great threats. It was rare it came out when not in the pitch of battle, but hearing how Cyran was regarded immediately brought it to the front.
"Men like that are the reason there is so much distrust among the people, when they become pieces instead of individuals you've lost sight of what it means to hold your station..." He sighs and adjusts his sitting position to buy him time and avoid another rant.
Thankfully, Leandros is not one to hold on to that anger and it fades as Cyran takes about his engagement to Del. The elf might not think it, but the knight looked at him in much the same way as Cyran saw him. Leandros' path in life as a lot straighter of a line, but he could tell Cyran was always a good person even with whatever happened in his past. The character he holds is not something you just stumble upon later in life...though maybe with a couple more centuries on him its possible to make greater change.
He smiles and swirls the drink in his cup and takes a drink, "Questioning yourself is good...so long as you aren't afraid of finding the answers...and the good thing is you never have to find those answers alone now."
The knight can't help but laugh at the little smirk from Cyran, "Believe me I know and I appreciate your well wishes..and don't worry I will make sure you and Del are some of the first to know after family."
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