Arcaea/Dining Hall Late 08-09/Goffrey's Miraculous and Disturbing Recovery
Harmony went straight to the Castle after the day’s patrolling was wrapped up. She considered stopping at her house to change into some girly clothes, but Edara was informal enough and just as like to be in trousers herself. Besides, since the attack, Harmony had felt more comfortable staying in clothes that she could move in…and she felt silly strapping her sword on over a dress…not to mention that her working attire left her other weapons more accessible. She was not foolish enough to think that she could take on a warrior that had left Goff in such a state, but she was certainly not going to go down easily. Her skills might be rustier than they used to be, but she felt that she could hold her own against any ordinary man.
As she entered the Hall, Harmony wondered if she would find Goffrey awake this time…and perhaps coherent. He had seemed to be improving nicely though her cousin’s healer had been keeping him well-dosed up. She felt a twinge of guilt considering Goffrey…he was such a nice young man…and so very pretty…but…she had only wanted to play with him a bit…not…engage his affections.
She thought again of ‘Dara and her Jenred…and the way that her father occasionally spoke of his deceased wife…and wondered…maybe that sort of love happened…but maybe it was just so rare…and the rest just had to make do with affection and pleasant encounters. Certainly, she had never felt anything that approached…love…much less…that sort of…undying devotion. And speaking of…there were the undyingly devoted themselves…wrapped around each other as always…despite the company of a pretty, auburn haired young woman.
Harmony’s eyes looked to the great table…oh…damnation…where was Goffrey?
“Edara! Goffrey…he didn’t…he’s not…dead…is he?”
Lady Harmony Kindon (Dame of Nocaneb)
Goffrey meandered about the castle aimlessly, more to loosen his aching muscles then anything else. He had managed to elude the guards at his door, placed they're to make sure he wouldn't "Escape" by sparking a religious debate between the two. They seemed level headed enough to avoid coming to blows over the issue, yet passionate enough to forget that the Lord they were supposed to be keeping an eye on was no longer in his quarters.
Unfortunately Goffrey was still unable to find a shirt, as he had returned Aerywyn's cloak before he had left a few days before. (yes I just skipped us ahead a few days sorry but it had to be done)
So shirtless and more or less lost, Goffrey stumbled upon Edara's Parlor almost entirely by accident, managing to catch Harmony's question right as he entered. The sight of her brought a smile to Goffrey's face, and he strode into the hall completely forgetting his current state of half dress.
"Oh," he said, catching the girls off guard,"I don't suppose I was quite as injured as I let on."
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Harmony raised her brow at Goffrey as she took in his shirtless self. My, he was pretty.
“I might buy that ridiculous statement if you weren’t still swathed in bandages…and if I hadn’t seen you with your insides spilling all out of you. Sit down, you bloody fool.”
Harmony and Edara both jumped to their feet to push Goffrey onto a sofa. Their tandem motion caused them to look at each other and laugh.
“Goffrey, really! Idelle will be furious if she catches you out of bed. You’re supposed to be resting and recovering and not wandering about half-naked in the cold and getting sick on top of being all stabbed,” Edara paused in thought for a moment, “I really should call Idelle and have her come in and yell at you for a bit…you’d probably think twice about getting up for a day or two…”
“Oh, ‘Dara…let him alone…he can rest here just as well as in his bed…and I expect he’s bored to tears. Here…we’ll just cover him up,” Harmony grabbed a throw from the couch and draped it over Goffrey, “And…order him something hot to drink…that ought to stave off any chills.”
Edara looked at her cousin and grinned, “All right then, but if Idelle finds out, I’m blaming you…you are the guest, after all. It would be very inhospitable of me to go against your wishes.”
Harmony looked at her little cousin, “You know…you do surprise me sometimes.”
Edara looked at her quizzically, “Why? What do you mean?”
“You are rather naively straight forward in most respects…but then…every once in a while, I catch this little bit of sneakery about you…I rather like it.”
Edara wasn’t sure that she liked being called naïve, but she smiled at Harmony’s words, “I’ve been practicing avoiding the wrath of Idelle for years…straight forward is usually not the answer there.”
Harmony returned her attention to Goffrey, “How are you feeling…really? None of this man-fakery…tell me the truth.”
Lady Harmony Kindon (Dame of Nocaneb)
Jenred ineffectively smothered a chuckle at Harmony and Edara, and began laughing into his shoulder while trying to give Goffrey looks of sympathy. He really needed to get the man out a bit...Hmmm...Maybe a supervised trip to the "library" to evade all these crazy females...Needed to keep quiet now though, otherwise Harmony at least would be suspicious. Besides...He wasn't done cuddling yet.
He pulled Edara back down as Harmony took the lead in caring for Goffrey, and began planning how he'd get the two of them past all these sentries...
Sir Jenred Bedwyr Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea
Goffrey smiled despite himself, the little bit of normalcy between cousins doing him good. He sighed dejectedly and found thoughts of similar moments between him and Richter flowing into his head unheeded.
For a moment he was so fully lost in nostalgia that he almost missed Harmony's question. His face fell as he found himself staring at the floor, shifting through his tattered emotions to find an answer to her inquiry.
'How are you feeling...such a simple question...such a damnably complicated answer,' he thought bitterly 'Physically I think I'm pass the point where my life is in any danger...but some wounds run deeper then that...much deeper.'
Goffrey shuddered slightly, as if feeling the cold for the first time, but knowing it was more then that. For the longest time he had convinced himself that his father was a good man at heart, a hard, bitter, and aggressive man, but a good one none the less. He managed to fool himself when he was younger, that all the training, the bruises the scars the matches against hunting dogs and worse, had been Siegfried's way to show that he cared.
That illusion was broken thoroughly now, he had seen the killing intent in his father's eyes, he knew that Siegfried was perfectly capable of killing him and then having a full nights sleep that evening. Siegfried was going to kill him that night, SHOULD have killed him that night, but didn't, not out of love, for Goffrey knew he had none in him, but out of his own twisted purposes.
Fear covered Goffrey like a blanket, the fear that a child has of a wrathful father, the fear that comes with a certainty of immanent death, and most of all, fear of what exactly his Father's purposes were.
Goffrey hid his face from Harmony for a bit longer, reining his thoughts in, desperate not to let anyone know what exactly he had been thinking.
'I can't let them worry, if they worry they may get involved,' thought Goffrey as he straightened his face out, 'I can't let that happen, this is my fight, its my problem I'll fix it mysely, no one is dying on my account, I don't think I could take it.'
So Goffrey bared his best fake half smile, starred right into Harmony's eyes, and lied like a professional gambler.
"I'm fine."
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Harmony watched Goffrey carefully as he looked away, gathering his thoughts…she watched him as he looked her in the face and told her he was fine…
“Liar,” she said calmly, “Oh…it was a valiant effort…and a reasonable performance…but Goff, I was a professional…you can’t lie to me. You are not fine…so…quit trying to pretend that you are…Is this a man thing? Do you not wish to reveal your weakness before me? I assure you that I will think no less of you.”
She pondered, “Or…is there something more to this insistence…Come…confess and be hanged* for we are your friends here and, as the Poet tells us, a friend should bear his friend's infirmities*. We know that it was your father that did this to you...” Harmony caught the twitch in his face…
“Oh…yes…I see…is it that you cannot bear to discuss it? I won’t press you if it is too painful to speak on.”
- Marlowe the first; Shakespeare the second.
Lady Harmony Kindon (Dame of Nocaneb)
Goffrey chuckled bitterly, disturbed that he was so easy to read, the fact that Harmony was indeed a professional was the only thing that soothed his injured pride.
As his chuckling died down he found himself at a lost for words, he know that he was caught, and sticking to the lie would accomplish nothing at this point. He sat immobile thinking for a moment, letting silence fill the room until it was almost defining.
"On my 15th birthday," said Goffrey, breaking the silence finally, "My father gave me a sword and a shield, then locked me in a room with a monster 3 times larger then a man," he said simply, as if he was discussing the weather.
"My Father told me as he was closing the door, that I would ethier fight or die, and if I did die then I was no son of his."
"I'll spare you all the gory details, suffice to say I crawled out of pit and that thing did not," continued Goffrey, "I don't remember much after that, but there is one thing that sticks out in my mind. I was laying in the infirmary, the healers had just announced that I would live, when my father strode up to me, clasped me on the shoulder, and said three words I would never forget," said Goffrey, as his eyes welt up in a barely visible manner, "'Thats my boy' he said to me......like....like he actually meant it, I KNOW he meant it....."
"I figured from then that he was just a poor old man, whose wife left him and took his heart with him, and thus had nothing left but his sons who he could never properly love," said Goffrey, as he tried to pass rubbing his slightly watery eyes off as scratching his head, "I rationalized that all the training all the nights of endless studies, was just the only means he had to show that he cared."
Silence filled the room as a darkness came over Goffrey's face.
"But I was a fool," he said bitterly, "I was nothing but an Aenil damned fool, I should have known what he was from the start, I should have stopped him when I had the chance, I should have been preparing for something like this ever sense he left, I should have.....I should have...." he stopped, suddenly feeling extremely exposed, fearing that he had reveled far too much of himself.
Shame gripped him and his face fell to the floor, and in a guilt stained voice he said only two words.
"I'm sorry."
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Harmony listened, sickened, as Goffrey spoke. She kept her face carefully neutral, afraid that any sign of sympathy on her part would completely undo him. She heard Edara make a small mewl of pity behind her and hoped that Jenred would stop her from jumping up and embracing Goff with all her well-meant concern.
She maintained her bland expression until Goffrey started to blame himself. Harmony’s face twisted as a cool anger slid through her.
“Really? YOU are sorry? You should have seen this coming? YOU should have done something?” She gave a brief, sardonic laugh, “Yes…because you were a child and he was your father and he was completely MAD…you should have known that this would happen.”
Harmony stood before him with her hands on her hips, “What in nine bloody hells is wrong with you, Goffrey Massey? Don’t you ever apologize for that murderous excuse of a father again! None of this is your fault, you blithering idiot. Why would you think that you needed to be responsible for that puling cur? He was supposed to be responsible for you…and instead…he tried to kill you…repeatedly by the sounds of it.”
She stared hard at Goffrey…what she actually wanted to do was smack him…hard…right upside the head. She opened her mouth to continue berating him when Edara’s voice caught her attention. Harm turned and blinked at her sweet little cousin who was cursing steadily and creatively. Jenred had a grip on her arms, and appeared to be somewhat less bemused than Harmony was…she had never seen Edara get angry before. Harmony tucked a few choice phrases away in her mind for future use and shook her head in amusement…her cousin did surprise her sometimes…
She turned back to Goff, her annoyance somewhat tempered by hearing Edara’s stream of obscenities.
“Goffrey,” she said in a more gentle tone, “Stop being a fool. Your…father,” she sneered the word, “Is a crazed beast and no fault lies with you. And don’t think that you are going to do some silly, heroic thing like hunting him down on your own…do you think that we’re all going to sit by and let you go off and do this by yourself?”
Lady Harmony Kindon (Dame of Nocaneb)
Jenred, still keeping a tight grip on Edara, decided it was time to chime in.
"Honestly Goffrey...Do you actually expect that I of all people would let this be? And, do you actually think that you could evade or outwit me, with all the resources I have to call upon? With my powers as Imperial Magistrate, all my diplomatic contacts, and Edara's help pulling in the resources of Nocaneb? Not to mention I could almost guarantee that once it was publicly known that your father had attacked you, a good portion of the rest of the realm would join in? I'll forgive you since you are wounded, but really, Goffrey...That's just errant nonsense. A Baron of the Realm attacked, and you expect everyone to sit idly by while you go off and try to become one of those tales you tell so well? I prefer my Heroes living, instead of dead."
Edara seemed to be subsiding, so Jenred loosened his grip, hoping she'd remember not to hurt Goffrey when she clasped him.
Sir Jenred Bedwyr Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea
Edara was sad and she was angry. How could people like that exist? Really, Goffrey’s father was as bad as Jenred’s…worse even. She cursed fluently. Poor Goffrey! She wanted to do…something…but Jenred was holding her back. When his grip on her finally loosened, she leapt to her feet and rushed over to where Goffrey sat staring up at Harmony.
Edara threw her arms around him and hugged him…not too hard…she did remember that he was wounded…by his own father, dammit.
“Goffrey…I am so sorry that your father is…is…”
“A festering boil? A pestilent sore? A raving lunatic?” suggested Harmony.
“Yes…well, I’m sorry that he is horrible, but Harmony’s right, it isn’t your fault and you shouldn’t be blaming yourself and besides, we’ll send an awful lot of men out to kill him and then he won’t bother you or anyone else ever again, and he won’t be coming around murdering people in my castle.”
She gave him another gentle squeeze before stepping back, tears in her eyes, “I really am just so sorry.”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Nocaneb
Goffrey sat in shockd silence, a little overwhelmed by the reaction he had garnered. The withering dressing down, the conformation of friendship and support, the cursing, and the hug, resulting in a very off put Goffrey siting solemnly on the couch.
Finally a single thought broke through the static gathered about his mind, and with enough force he gave that thought a voice.
"No," he said, with a sense of finality, "No one else is getting involved in this, this is my fight, this is my family, no one else dies, not because of me."
"I can't....I can't...." he stammered out, looking directly at Harmony, before letting his face fall to the floor once again that night, "This is just something I have to do myself."
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Harmony made an aggrieved sound, “Goffrey, if you weren’t so badly injured, I would shake you. Did you listen to anything that any of us said? None of this is because of you…and no one need die: especially not you. And damned if we’re going to let you do it yourself.”
She flung her arms in the air in frustration, “You have got to be the most stubborn, most foolish man that ever lived! We have armies of men at our disposal…why the hell do you think you need to go off on some stupid man-quest and kill him yourself? We can sick the whole bloody realm on him, you idiot!”
Harmony was practically shaking, she was so annoyed. What was wrong with this man? Did he hear nothing?
Lady Harmony Kindon (Dame of Nocaneb)
Goffrey was on his feet in an instant, frustated that Harmony just wouldn't let things be the way he wanted to be. And desperate to get his urgency across.
"BECAUSE I CAN'T LOSE YOU ALRIGHT?" he said in desperate angry tone, "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALRIGHT? BECAUSE I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT MY FATHER IS CAPABLE OF AND I KNOW EXACTLY WHO HE'LL TARGET TO GET TO ME."
Goffrey had more to say, but he bit his tongue, realizing that he had probably said too much as it were. He turned to leave as he tried to exhale some of his frusation.
"I need some air," he said as he reached the door fully intent on finding said air elsewhere.
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Harmony stared after Goffrey in horror. Damnation! This was exactly what she had been afraid of…She swiftly followed him to the door.
“Don’t you dare make a statement like that and then walk away from me,” she said, grabbing his arm, “Goffrey, you are an idiot…sweet…but an idiot. For one thing, you do not love me…you barely know me…you see this,” she waved a hand at herself, “And you think that the lust you feel is love,” she gestured back towards Jenred and Edara, “That is love…don’t confuse the two.”
Harmony took a deep breath, her mind working quickly, “For another…all the more reason to do this our way! I don’t want to be the target of your mad father…how about instead of relying upon your solitary, injured self, we send a hundred men with crossbows? That seems a far better way to protect my skin…of which I am rather fond.”
She smiled winningly at him and shamelessly played her trump card, “If you really love me, you won’t want to risk my death…you should be happy to send as many men as it takes after your putrid father…just to ensure my safety.”
Harmony dropped the smile down half a notch, “In the meantime,” she raised her voice, “You are not going out for air! You are going to sit back down and rest or I shall send for Idelle and ten burly men who will hold you down while she pours one of her potions down your gullet. Then you will spend the next week in bed in a stupor,” she tugged hard on his arm, “Don’t test me, Goffrey…I won’t stand by whilst you do injury to yourself or try to get yourself killed.”
Lady Harmony Kindon (Dame of Nocaneb)
Goffrey rested head against the door, visibly worn out from the emotional debacle he had plunged himself head first into. On top of that, he had failed utterly to protect his friends from fighting his battles for him, and a large amount of agitation at himself was doing little to help matters.
He turned his head to regard Harmony, her smiling face, her unfairly beautiful eyes.
'Oh that's cheating, THAT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO FAIR,' thought Goffrey as he hurriedly looked away, already realizing it was too late.
He sighed dejectedly, feeling at least 20 years older then he should, as he cast a glance at Harmony, Edara, Jenred, then back to Harmony.
"Fine," he said dejectedly, obviously not happy at all, "Just...fine...seeing as my opinion doesn't matter with regards to my own family, then....just....fine."
He sighed heavily, as if shouldering the weight of an impossible burden.
"There is a reckoning to come between me and him, and I don't think all the armies in the realm will stop it from happening," said Goffrey tiredly as if resigned to his fate, "When it does happen, promise me one thing, just one tiny thing, that you will let me do it myself, please, I need you to understand this."
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Harmony looked back at Jenred and Edara for a moment, and silently willed them to back her up.
She looked into Goffrey's eyes guilelessly--her training coming to bear--and lied, "Oh, Goff...of course...we understand your need for personal vengeance. Just as long as you don't go off on your own and let us use troops to hunt him down...you can deliver the coup de grace."
She pointed back towards the sofa, "Now please...either sit back down there and rest, or I'll have the aformentioned burly men come and escort you back to your room."
Lady Harmony Kindon (Dame of Nocaneb)
Jenred gestured with a hand, grinning slyly.
"Come now, Goffrey...Do you really think you were going to get away from all of us? Really? Honestly? Harmony here is too kind. I'd just go soak your head in a barrel of ice-melt until you came to your senses."
Sir Jenred Bedwyr Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea
Goffrey sighed dejectedly, not entirely sure if he should believe her, yet to tired to continue arguing at this point. He let her lead him back to the couch, partially leaning on her for support the further they went. Reaching the cushioned piece of furniture, Goffrey partially sat partially collapsed onto the sofa.
Realization struck him, as he realized exactly what he had said to Harmony in a fit of frenzied desperation.
A melancholy bitter laugh emanated from Goffrey, as though he was finally let in on some sick joke that everyone knew but him.
"I really am an idiot," he said with an empty half smile, "Just a fool who thought he was in love," he said, laughing a bitter ironic laugh as barely visible tears formed in the rim of his weary eyes, "I suppose I should get used to this, I'm betting this wont be the last time it happens."
He lent his head back as he felt his exhaustion grip him more firmly, his laughter receded to a dark chuckle as sleep took him to a dark and morbid place worthy of the deepest of depressions.
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Jenred sighed, and whispered a few words to Edara, who looked at him in shock and uncertainty.
"Do you really think...?"
Jenred nodded, and Edara grabbed Harmony and dragged her out of the room, whispering an explanation. Jenred sidled over next to Goffrey, and began speaking quietly.
"Do you know how I came to the Far East when my home was in Atamara, Goffrey?"
Goffrey, barely registering the question, shook his head. Jenred continued softly.
"I watched my mother die, you know. Right in front of my eyes. She got one of those terrible wracking coughs one winter...And my father refused to let anyone treat her, indeed, to even let her out of our cell of a room. I was young, still a teenager, and I watched as she coughed harder and longer, until blood started coming up. I tried everything I could think of. I gave her my share of our water, tried to moisten the bread to make it easier to swallow, tried to keep her warm, but none of it mattered. Eventually, she started coughing up more than blood. It took me a moment, but I realized she was actually coughing what was left of her lungs out."
Jenred paused, closing his eyes and taking a long, shuddering indrawn breath.
"I killed my first man then. The guard opened the door to drag my mother's corpse out of the room, and I jumped at him, mauling his throat with a bit of broken wood from our chair. There were always two guards, just in case something like this happened, but the second had run off to tell my father the news of my mother's death. Gaharis was holding a local court, with a number of guests and other minor nobles. I thought if I could show myself before enough of them, show them my eyes...None but a Bedwyr has ever had these eyes so far as I know."
Jenred gave a short bark, that was apparently supposed to be a laugh.
"I was weak and ill from lack of food, and the guard ran far faster. Before I made it to the Great Hall, a pack of guards cornered me, and beat me unconscious. Gaharis himself came to watch the beating. He sneered, and told them to ship me off as far as possible. When I came to my senses...I was tied up on a boat heading to the Far East."
Jenred closed his eyes again, recovering a moment.
"And what did I do then? I started to gather as much power as I could. I wanted to go "home" at the head of an army and burn Bedwyr manor to the ground with my father in it. What I actually did is another story, and I have changed a great deal from that angry boy...But the point is this: I know your anger, your hate. But do you not see that by insisting to do this alone, you are fighting by his terms, under his rules? You are trying to do exactly what he wants you to. He is no honourable foe, worthy of respect. He is no honoured adversary. He is a mad dog. You don't fight creatures like that. You have them butchered by the quickest, most efficient means possible. This isn't a duel. This is an execution. It is only fitting you wield the final cut, if you wish, but even I wait for my guards to bring prisoners to me before killing them. Let us be your guards, my friend. We shall be the gaolers to your executioner."
Jenred held Goffrey's eyes with his own, forcing the man to see the truth in his words. Jenred just hoped...No. It would be enough. Goffrey needed to be woken from this blackness, and by the Aenil, Jenred would do it.
Sir Jenred Bedwyr Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea
Goffrey held Jenred's gaze for a moment before leaning his head back and sighing dejectedly. He sat their staring at the ceiling as he began to speak again.
"I feel for you my friend," he said, with all the sincerity in the world, "I truly do, but the fact is, you don't understand, I don't want vengeance, I want proof."
Goffrey paused and looked at Jenred and saw that an explanation would be needed.
"I need to know that I'm not him, that I wont ever be him, that I'm better than he ever was, and the only way to do that is to fight him......and win," he said, with a hard edge to his voice, "He could have easily killed me in that hall way, he should have killed me in that hallway.....no....he has other plans for me, and I have to prove, if to no one else then myself at least, that I'm not the man he wants me to be."
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Jenred shook his head slowly.
"You think that besting the beast in combat means you are better than he is? Goffrey...All that proves is you are a better fighter, a better killer than he. And, do you not see, that is exactly what he wants. And if you fight him on his terms, you won't prove you are better. You will prove you are the same as he."
Jenred's eyes blazed. By all the gods, he was not going to let Goffrey slip like this!
Sir Jenred Bedwyr Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea
Goffrey fought against his building rage with a dogged determination. He bit back several dozen choice phrases, and finally managed to settle down after an enormous effort, resorting to gripping the sofa instead of Jenred's neck.
"I'm done talking about this Jenred, if we keep going at this rate we're going to end up at each other's throats before to long," he said, the barely restrained rage boiling behind his eyes, "I'm tired, just let me get some rest."
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Jenred's eyes flared before he gave a soft sigh. Hellfire and damnation...Goffrey was a stubborn man...
"Very well. Get some rest, and may your sleep be dreamless."
Jenred rose and walked away, gesturing to a pair of guards to see Goffrey wasn't disturbed. He'd have to come up with something to change Goffrey's mind...
Sir Jenred Bedwyr Imperial Magistrate of Arcaea
Harmony withdrew from the room at Edara’s insistence, reluctant to go after Goffrey’s piteous remarks, but not certain what else she could say that wouldn’t just…make everything worse.
“Wait, what is Jenred going to tell him?” she asked her cousin as they walked down the corridor.
“Oh…things about his own father, I think,” Edara told her with a frown, “I hope he doesn’t upset himself…Jenred’s father…,” Edara snarled, much to Harmony’s surprise and amusement, “Is a horrible, horrible man who should die slow painful deaths…loads and loads of deaths…I’d like to kill him a lot, and then wake him up and kill him some more.”
Harmony arched her brow at the little red-head, “Remind me not to get on your bad side, Coz,” she smiled briefly, then sighed, “I hope that Jenred can get Goff to see some sense. That boy is just determined to go off and get himself killed…and now I’ve hurt him…I wouldn’t have been so brusque if I wasn’t so damn worried that he’d do something stupid…I would have let him down more easily,” she paused, looking around them, “Where are we going, Edara?”
Edara hesitated, “I was trying to get to my rooms, but…this…no…that corridor…that’s the one,” she led her cousin back a ways and then down a turning that they had passed, “I’ll never figure this castle out…” she hesitated, “Harm…are you certain that you can’t love Goffrey…he’s awfully sweet. I don’t know why you think that he doesn’t love you.”
“He barely even knows me…he just loves what he sees on the outside…you can’t love someone that you don’t know…not really.”
“Ah…here we are,” Edara led them into her suite, “Jenred didn’t know me long before he loved me…are you saying that…he doesn’t really love me?” her tone was worried.
“Oh ‘dorable ‘Dara…it doesn’t take a minute in your company for people to love you…you are…who you are…all over…and, I assure you, Jenred would walk through fire for you. I have never seen such love as you two have…” Harmony stopped and struck a pose:
Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love.*
“Well…it should be never doubt that he loves…or you love…but, I believe that you get the point,” she laughed slightly and curled up onto a couch in front of the hearth, “You two are…an inspiration…I never thought to see such a bond…but, having seen it…well…if I can’t have that…I’d like something close…and…while Goffrey is a sweet boy…and I am very fond of him…I do not love him in that way. I hate to have hurt him…but better now than later. He’ll recover from this…there are lots more beautiful women for him to lust after.”
Edara looked at Harmony thoughtfully, “I think you are too hard. I don’t see why someone couldn’t love you quickly…I did…”
Harmony smiled fondly at her cousin, “And that is part of your charm, Coz…you love and hate in an instant…but with your whole heart. But a man…well…being loved for my face and form is not how I would be loved…I want someone to see me…I want someone who would love me even if I looked like the back end of a horse. When that man shows up,” she gazed into the fire, “That man I shall keep.”
- Good old Will
Lady Harmony Kindon (Dame of Nocaneb)
