Arcaea/Dining Hall/Springtime for Madelena
Madelena was glad that she did not have to travel to Saex after all to help rescue Lady Harmony. She had much prefer stay at home. She had taken to walking a lot in the woods recently and really enjoyed getting into a good routine for the day.
She would arise not long after the sun was up, usually to the sound of birds on the tree outside her window. She would open the catchment to see how much the weather had changed from the day before and to take in the first breaths of the day before deciding what to wear. She would then wash before Sarah would help her dress and do her hair.
The mornings were given over to holding court, and other civil duties. She would hear the complaints of the peasantry that had escalated to her and she would have to pass judgment and sometimes make tough decisions. She tried to remember a story she had once read from an ancient religion in which a King, by the name of Solomon, had been a wise and fair judge. She would always try and imagine what he would do.
Lunch would usually consist of cold meats or a slice of pie and some bread, along with ale. She reserved her fine dining for the evening when she had more time to enjoy it, and when she often entertained guests.
In the afternoon she would ride or walk, or both. One particular afternoon she rode out and found that a robin's nest had fallen from a tree. She couldn't understand why the mother had decided to fix her abode upon so precarious a bow where wind or storm could displace it with such ease, but she had done so and the babies were now on the forest floor. One was already dead, but three remained moving so Madelena gently picked them up, placed them back in the next, and placed the nest back on the bough, being careful to ensure it was more firmly in place.
Madelena then rode a short distance a way, dismounted and sat down on a fallen tree trunk and watched and waited, praying fervently that the mother would return. She didn't expect she would as she knew it was highly uncommon. Eventually however, after what seemed like an age, the mother returned with fodo in her mouth, and after having fed her young ones, proceeded to sit on the nest for what felt like hours to keep them warm. Madelena rode home making a mental note to check on them on the morrow.
Lady Madelena Rossini Countess of Orbeh
Quietly, so much quieter than when he had first arrived on this island, Tenal disembarked in Remton. It was a different point of view, that was certain. Never before had he peacefully been inside its gates. It was a refreshing change.
Tenal picked his way through the city streets, the sounds and smells much more familiar than the East continent. He shuddered again at the thought of what he had encountered there. Though he had returned to the Far East, he did not return to his former home. Sartania had fallen, both in reality and in his heart. Sartan was still present in his soul, giving Tenal courage and strength, but not the country.
He found a suitable inn, catering to nobility, whose name was a bit of a surprise. The Black Bull inn turned out to be an extension of his favorite gathering place in Niel, the White Calf. A faint smile broke through Tenal's grim visage at this stroke of luck. He got a room and began writing letters straight away.
Madelena had a little difficulty in finding the Church of Sartan in Sasat, but she got there eventually. It was in the middle of a wooded area and had partially become a ruin with ivy growing over much of its walls. She shivered slightly before the statue of Sartan himself. This was no easy thing which she did. The God of War had been the old religion in Orbeh for many generations of Rossinis and Madelena could not remember a time when he had been the one to whom they were all to bow down.
But now this was to change. Standing full in front of the statue she spoke with as bold a voice as possible. "I, Countless Madelena of Orbeh, of the House of Rossini, do renounce you, Sartan, as my God. You are no longer to me God of all Gods, Height Upon all Heights, Majesty upon all Majesties. From this point force I shall consider myself free to follow my own spiritual path and shall in no way be bound by your dictation."
Upon completion of this speech Madelena wrung her hands together and closed her eyes, waiting for the lightening to strike her down, but it never came. Sure the night was coming on and the moon was starting to cast shadows through the chinks in the walls of the chapel, and she even thought she heard a wolf howl in the distance, but she was still alive.
Turning to leave she thought she heard movement at the back of the chapel and she froze with fear, her heart pounding in her chest and the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Reaching inside her cloak she put her hand on her dagger and waiting to see who or what would creep out of the shadows.
Lady Madelena Rossini Countess of Orbeh
"Hello, my Lady."
Stepping from the shadowy grove, Tenal removed the hood of his cloak and smiled sadly at Madelena. "I hope you don't intend to use that dagger. It wouldn't be good to die now." He approached her and stood next to her, facing the statue of Sartan.
"So, you said goodbye to Sartan. Can't say I blame you. He only brought misery for you. I only hope you won't curse Him in your heart, now that you bid Him farewell. He's pretty misunderstood, after the twisted preachings of the Church. Anyway, I'll let that go. You made your choice."
Shifting his weight slightly, the silence built between the two lost lovers.
Then, from the folds of his cloak, Tenal produced a flower. A yellow rose with red tips. He gently placed it in Madenelan's trembling hand. "I haven't earned the right for a red one yet. I hope we can try again, in a new land, with no politics to interfere." He paused, "What say you, my Lady?"
Sir Tenal Quasath (Knight of Remton)
Madelena looked down at the rose in her trembling hands and up at Tenal. She gazed into his sad but hopeful eyes and in that moment she knew that the love between them was still there. How could she ever have pretended to herself that it was over?
"Oh Tenal!" She exclaimed as she flung her arms around him and held on tightly as the tears started to fall down her cheeks. "I thought I would never see you again! I thought you were gone from me forever after I ignored you on the road outside of Neil! It is really you, isn't it, and not a figment of my troubled imagination? Let me see your face again"
She released herself from the embrace and held his face in her hands, the tears still flowing from her eyes. "You have come back to me!"
Lady Madelena Rossini Countess of Orbeh
The path upwards to the fortified estate was treacherous to a horses hooves, especially in the dark, but the mare made her way upon the narrow road calmly and surely. Aerywyn smiled at the thought of being in such good hands. An older horse is best for travelling, not one of those giddy young stallions, Whispering sweet nothings into her ear, he stroked her gray coat and made a mental promise to take extra special care of her. A stable boy came and took her away, after he was tossed a silver.
Aerywyn wrapped the cloak tighter about him to stop the wind from biting so, but it was merely a token gesture. He loved the chill, the fierce wind and the horizontal rain which drained away all a man’s insignificant problems: nothing in the face of this force. It had always been that way. Yet, he thought as he stepped into the great hall, the other children were not kind to the strange boy standing aloof. Trying to shift his mind to other things, he busied himself shortly by brushing the dust of his clothes. They were modest, yet fine and eloquent in their own simple way; earthy colours like a country lord with his hair loosely bound back in a short tail.
'I’m falling into brooding again…'
It was evident there was something about him that seemed so different from his typical cheeriness, though those few who had known him for a length of time tended to ignore it as just one of his peculiarities. Someone would ask him what was wrong, and the response would simply be a weary smile dispelling any deaper fears. He was fine, they would think, just exhausted. As it was tonight, however Aerywyn did not enjoy the crowds nor the awkward conversation. There would be another time to socialise.
Taking a cup of hot wine alone, he left the feasting hall and headed for a secluded window at the end of one of the corridors. He had arrived late, and whence he passed the likes of Euran found them to be well and truly drunk, though he noted that the youth Mar was nowhere to be seen at first. The lad seemed diligent to his duty, and chances were he left early to revel in his marshalship. Another time and they would meet, perhaps…
The window sill seemed spacious enough that Aerywyn lay across it with his back to the wall, the cold stones pressing against his thighs and back whilst a spray of light rain touched his face. Finally he allowed his exhausted sadness to weigh down fully upon him, pressing down on his chest. He did not know how long he had travelled in his last nightmare, but the feeling was the same.
It was the end of autumn, the bridge to winter, the end of a day each time. The landscape changed each time yet was always somewhat familiar, despite how alien he felt in it. Weariness would breach through the barrier between dreams and reality, affecting his mind whilst his body trudged on. Yet it was the choking sense of hopelessness that always brought him down, the sense that he was losing, aging, dying… that combined with the extreme loneliness made it hard to wake at times.
Aerwyn sipped lightly at his wine, though he scarcely tasted it. To while away the time, he took the letter from Madelena and read it again. Tenal. He may as well see the man...
Aerywyn Haerthorne Banker of Arcaea
Tenal carefully got out of bed and dressed. He didn't want to wake Madelena yet. He gently kissed her forehead and unwrapped the red rose he had kept inside his cloak. He laid it on the pillow next to her with a note.
~My love, sleep well. I return to Remton for business. I also have one last matter to settle in Sasat. If you wish we can either meet in my estate in the capitol, or at your manor in Orbeh. By the way, word came through the servants this morning. Your sister left Sartania. Who knows if she's following me, or her own heart. Either way, there are more exciting times ahead, wouldn't you say? Love, Tenal~
Throwing a copper to the stableboy, Tenal mounted his horse and made for the woods of Sasat. His god waited.
Sir Tenal Quasath (Knight of Remton)
Madelena awoke with the sun streaming down onto her pillow. She had not heard Tenal stir but she stretched and rolled over to find the rose on the pillow with the note which she read. She held the rose to her nose and smelled the sweet aroma and smiled from ear to ear. She did not think she could be happier than she was at that moment.
I am not sure that either of them had intended that this night, of all nights, would be the one where they would consummate their love for one another, but they had been apart for so long, and so much pain had passed between them, that they couldn't bring it upon themselves to part. To Madelena it had felt like a dream and if the physical flower and note had not been beside her when she awoke the chances are she would not have believed it to be true.
She wished Tenal had waited for her though, for she herself had an errand to run in Remton. She needed to send money to her dear friend Edara for the tournament. She also didn't know how or where she could get in touch with Tenal again. She decided to leave a note for him on his bed, when she had found his.
"Tenal my love, thank you for coming back to me. Thank you for last night. It is hard for me to be apart from you for even a minute but I understand you have things to do. I too need to go to Remton so maybe I shall see you there. If not, then come to me in Orbeh as soon as you can. All my love, Maddy."
She then got up, washed and dressed, and set out on the road to Remton, singing as she went. Her men started murmuring amongst themselves, and they were being somewhat crude about their mistress until the Captain rode by and told them to shut it. Madelena was oblivious. She truly believed that nothing could ever spoil her day again.
Lady Madelena Rossini Countess of Orbeh
Whistling as he came from the Orbeh manor kitchens, Tenal spied a few servants lookly oddly his way. He gave them a grin, and raised the full basket he was carrying in a salute. Eager to please their Countess, and her man, the cooks had packed a succulent lunch from sweetmeats to salads to some kind of pudding and fruits.
The servants had all heard about Tenal when he was the Keeper in Sartania, and were afraid at first. The rumours that had spread about him, both as a Judge, and as the bastard who broke their Lady's heart, were difficult to overcome. While there may still be gossip in the dark corners, Tenal's friendly, yet serious, conversations with them had eased some tensions. At least he didn't have a cape that dripped blood. That was one rumour that could be put to rest.
Tenal walked to the stables, where he had previously requested his and the Countess' horses be made ready. He gave the stableboys a hand strapping the basket to the back of his saddle. "Any word from the Countess, boy?" asked Tenal. "Yes, sir. It's said she's busy with paperwork, and may be a while." "Well, now, that won't do. She needs to relax before her duties carry her away. Alright, keep the horses ready. I'll be back in a moment."
Leaving the boy to handle the reins, Tenal walks briskly back into the manor. He quickly finds his way to Madelena's chamber, knocking lightly on the door before opening it. Leaning into the doorframe, Tenal spots his love, head buried in a pile of papers. "Darling, time for our picnic." Looking up confused, Madelena looks at Tenal, then outside her window, then at the pile of papers. To ease her decision making, Tenal sweeps into the room and pounces on Madelena.
With a shriek he picks her up off her feet and cradles her in his arms. "Like it or not, Imperial Magistrate, you're going for a ride!" With wide smiles, the pair of them race through the hallways, Madelena still in Tenal's arms. Reaching the horses, Tenal gently lowers his love before helping her on the horse. Jumping into his saddle, he thanks the boy, then whips his horse into action.
The pair ride through the manor gates, Madelena slightly in the lead to guide Tenal to the willows. Their laughter echoes back over the dust-churned path.
Madelena had not realized Tenal's strength until that moment. To have him carry her from her rooms and out to the stable was both an enbarrassing and exhilarting thing all rolled into one, and the experience of it made her giggle uncontrollably.
She rode off with him with a heart full of the joy of the moment. She was bursting with happiness and, quite honestly, relieved that he had dragged her away from her paperwork. She had spent all the morning on it, since the sun had risen, and if she had stayed working for much longer she felt sure that her vision would have become blurry and she would not have been able to read things properly.
But what a lot there was to read! She had no idea how much work was involved as Imperial Magistrate. Volumes upon volumes of Arcaean law had to be read, learned, and inwardly digested. Trials and appeals had to be heard and the necessary paperwork which accompanied that must of course be completed. Then there was the work which had to be done to ensure the security of the realm was maintained. Informers had to be paid, spies had to be sent out, bodyguards employed. No stone was left unturned, and then of course there was the headache of what to do about the repeated intruder in Remton.
But for now, for this moment at least, she could enjoy the freedom of some time with the love of her life. She lead him to the low, flat, grassy banks of the river Orbeh, where the Willow trees cast dancing fingers in the current as it swirled, gushed and gurgled past them. They tied their horses to a tree and then found a good spot on which to lay a blanket and eat their lunch.
"Tenal, you really didn't need to invest so much money in Orbeh you know. You have such a good and generous heart," she said as she ate her lunch and sipped on the blackberry brandy. "I know you may wish to avoid this, but can we talk about some of the things which have happened? Like me leaving Sartania, and that day on the road to Neil? I want everything to be ok between us. I don't want anything to go wrong this time. I also had a letter from my sister today. She wants to see me. She wants to see you too. She wants us all to be reconciled and I share this sentiment. She says that she hammered broken glass into your back and that you threw a bottle at her. Is this true Tenal?"
Madelena stroked Tenal's hair as he rested his head in her lap. She knew this would be a difficult conversation but she also knew that it needed to happen. What she didn't tell Tenal was that they were sitting at the precise spot where Madelena's father had proposed to her mother all those years ago.
Lady Madelena Rossini
Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea, Countess of Orbeh
Breathing peacefully while listening to his love and the river, Tenal felt wonderfully calm. Relaxing after the exhilarating ride, drinking excellent wine and nibbling breads and cheeses, he relished this moment. His head in Madelena's lap, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her fingers in his hair.
Then she talked about the past. He sighed. This was bound to have happened, and he supposed it was better done sooner than later, but still...he wished it was another time. Opening his eyes, Tenal looked up at Madelena and spoke.
"Do you want the short and gritty version, or the long and complicated? Well, I'll just start talking, and you tell me to stop.
You left Sartania, and you brought Orbeh with you to Arcaea. That threw both myself and the government into a panic. I had pushed you to do so, though I suppose I tried to deny that. Through our recent conversations at that time, with my disappointment in the Old Powers, and your worry about the people of Orbeh, I gave you the idea to switch to Arcaea. Then you did. Even I was surprised. I was vastly more surprised to learn that I also had fallen in love with you, during all our secret meetings. Needless to say I was a conflicted man at that time. I professed my love to you, then denied you. I had my duty to the realm, as corrupt as it was. That's when you first fell ill. That's when I began drinking.
Your sister, Cypreana, confronted me over what was going on. I was ignoring your letters, it was too painful to read them, but your sister was also getting letters, and she had a lot of spirit. She stormed into my manor and demanded...well, I think she was uncertain what she was demanding, but she was demanding something, heh. She said I was a coward, etc. Well, being drunk and angry I did what all drunken men do, I threw a bottle at her head. Then we got to tussling, as Cypreana lost control, fighting and crying at the same time. I got some nasty cuts that night."
Raising his shirt, Tenal points out the scars on his back, the multitude of cuts, some shallow, some deep, that never healed properly. "Courtesy of your sister, heh. I hold her no ill will, though. She did it out of love. Well, your sister finally understood then that I had chosen duty over love. We parted with a certain understanding.
Time passed, and you recovered somewhat from your illness. You have no idea how relieved I was to hear that. Then, for some odd reason, you appeared in Niel. Sartania was in an uproar, with nobles crying for your head, and Roberd clamoring about his duel to the death. Well, you were back. I had to protect you. I publicly declared my love for you, I didn't care about the consequences, and I offered myself as your champion. Roberd was the better swordsman by far, and he probably would have killed me, but that never happened. Instead you did something which broke my heart a second time. You left without a word, barely a glance at me. Ooh, that hurt, my love! I was shattered inside a second time.
Soon after my end came in Sartania. I couldn't take the utter lies of Ascanius, nor his supporters. I left the realm for the East Continent. Though King Jenred offered me a place in Arcaea, through our letters as Judges, I couldn't accept. You had rejected me publicly. Or so I thought at the time. So many misunderstandings, my love.
In the East, I had a few weeks to think about my life. I had an epiphany. I needed you. I came back. Thank the gods you took me back."
He gently reached up and took her head, lowering her lips to his, for a sweet peaceful kiss by the river.
Sir Tenal Quasath (Knight of Orbeh)
A shiver went down Madelena's spine as Tenal kissed her, but she also gently felt the small ridges of scars on his back left behind by her sister. She wished she could make them go away. As their lips parted she smiled at him once more and continued to stroke his hair, looking intently into his eyes.
"I am sorry for the pain I have caused you my love, and I forgive you for choosing Sartania over me. I didn't ignore you on the road to Neil. In truth I was still quite ill that day and had instructed my coachmen to take me to Nocaneb. Being so used as they were to following the Neil road they must have gone that way without thinking. I had been asleep for most of the journey and awoke to all of the shouting. I was both alarmed and weak. I was overwhelmed by the number of people. I honestly didn't even see you though I have been told you were right in front of me. But I am glad in a way, for I am glad you did not fight that idiot Roberd. Whether he be a better swordsman or no, he is not half the man you are and does not deserve to lay a finger upon you much less a sword. I love you, I have always loved you, and I believe I shall love you for the rest of my life."
They kissed again and Madelena could feel a desire inside of her stronger than anything she had ever felt before. She wanted to be as close to this man as possible. She felt like the two were one, that they were indeed soul mates whom the Gods had brought together and that now, sitting in this sacred family spot, she knew that nothing would happen to ever divide them again.
Lady Madelena Rossini Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea, Countess of Orbeh
On his way to Saex, Tenal recalled the remainder of the previous day.
The rest of the afternoon with Madelena had been a blur. More wine and brandy, more food, more kissing, and more! By the time they decided to return to the manor, they had sweated out most of the alcohol. They took a quick swim in the river to clean themselves before riding back. Upon their arrival at the manor, the wind had dried their hair and they thought themselves free from gossip. (Not that that was going to stop the servants. The way that Tenal and Madelena stared at each other as he helped her dismount, along with the kiss that lingered a few seconds too long, soon blossomed into new rumours. By the time Madelena left for her duties, the talk was already circulating the second floor.)
Madelena had resumed her duties soon after their return, with Tenal helping the stableboy brush down the horses and feed them. He gave back the basket to the kitchen, thanking the cooks for the tasty lunch. The day darkening, Tenal walked back to his estate. The next day Imperial Magistrate Madelena had left Orbeh, and Tenal soon followed suit, going south to Saex.
Sir Tenal Quasath (Knight of Orbeh)
Madelena was sorry to have to leave Tenal after the incredible afternoon they had spent together. She would have wished for it to go on longer but they both had work to do and errands to run. Her first stop was Nocaneb which she went into the temple of the M.A.E. and officially became a member of that order. She stayed one night in Nocaneb before riding on to Remton.
Madelena really was a county girl at heart. The hustle and bustle of the city was oppressive to her and she longed to be back in a place where people took the time to smell the roses and you could actually hear birds singing in trees which really existed. However she went to cash her bonds and then looked around some rather exclusive traders for some material for new clothes. She may be a country girl but she also knew that her role as Imperial Magistrate meant that she had to look the part.
Just as she arrived in her new apartments in Remton, and had seated herself at the desk of the Imperial Magistrate, a messenger arrived with news that there were monsters in Orbeh.
"Can't the militia deal with it?" Madelena asked, almost annoyed.
"Maam they can but the people want to see you there supporting them maam."
"I don't know why I bothered paying for such a large militia when I still have to be back to hold their hand at the slightest hint of trouble!" She said annoyed.
She stood up and rang the bell for Sarah and instructed her to pack without haste as they were heading back to Orbeh via Sasat. She knew the problem would be gone by the time she arrived but she also knew that she wouldn't hear the end of it if she didn't go. Besides, she needed to make sure that her family was ok.
Lady Madelena Rossini Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea, Countess of Orbeh
Tenal watched as his new recruits slowly got the hang of the drills that Captain Gisbert inflicted on the Pumas. They were shaping up nicely, though they hadn't been blooded in battle yet. That was always the true test.
That's when he got the letter from his Lady Madelena. He read it with a slow spreading grin on his face. "Captain, stop the drill and get the men ready to march. We're returning to Orbeh." Looks like the recruits test would be happening shortly.
Sir Tenal Quasath (Knight of Orbeh)
