Ironsides Family/Bowie/Tea with Machiavel
Tea with Machiavel
Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier (7 days, 7 hours ago)
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Machiavel arrived at the location Bowie had invited him to, with generous supplies of Iashalurian hei cha tea he had brought along for the trip. When he Bowie, he greeted him with a hug. "Old friend, I can see why you came here", he said, gesturing to the mountains with his hands. "This place, it suits you. I always saw you ending up in a place like this. It's been quite a while since I last saw you... Many, many years... It has been quite some time since I have seen a familiar face beyond D'Hara, as well. I can't even remember the last time I left D'Hara, I feel young again just to leave our borders!"
Roleplay from Bowie Ironsides
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Bowie was thrilled to catch up with a long past friend.
"It has been a very long while," he said as he sat in a comfortable chair. A table was near them for when the servers deliver their tea. Bowie continued, "I've never been as far as Iashalur and will never get the opportunity to, unfortunately. I'm not allowed to travel on the Occidens on account of the daimons." He gave a shrug and an amused smile as if to say, what did you expect?
"I do enjoy the mountains and the air here, though. You are right about that. I hiked through here once as a rogue, if you remember, when I escaped prison in D'Hara. It can't be coincidence that I am back again. I am unsure your beliefs on these matters, but I am certain fate and destiny play their gentle hand in my life frequently. Say, if you are invigorated by journeying outside of D'Hara why not try living outside of it? Swordfell is slowly maturing into an incomparable realm! We have a collection of glorious nobles amongst us. Counting you in that mix would be fantastic. Hm?"
Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier
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Machiavel grinned. "I've never been as far as Iashalur either. Word is that its quite a nice place, though." He took a sip of his fermented black tea, still a little too warm for his own preference. "This time around, I saw a bit of the North-East. Really, to think of it, even in the days I did travel, it was rarely north of Terran and never east of Fissoa. Busy trading, busy doing diplomacy. This time around, I traveled hoping to do both, and ended up doing neither. "I do believe in fate, though I do not claim to predict it, nor understand it. I've always went with the flow of things... from the day I joined Shadovar to today, from a realm to another, a monarch to another, a government to another. I had a certain calling for the isles, before I even came to these wild new lands. I knew I had to go there, that I was meant for the inner sea. Though I am glad to see you, after all of this time, I'm afraid I cannot come here, for these lands are my life. Besides, I find the seas to soothe my ailing lungs. I would likely not survive long far from them."
After more tea, and staring out the window for a few seconds, he resumed "You know, the daimons did benish you from the occidens... but in time, I have faith you will be able to see these lands once more. I do not know how and when, nor why, but I know it in me to be true".
Roleplay from Bowie Ironsides
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Sipping and nodding Bowie replied, "It is sad but understandable your commitment to the Isles. Living there counts amongst my fondest memories in life. There was much I had to leave behind when I fled." A thought made him pause, "And many people I fled too. Tell me, how much has it changed since back then? Is that dolt Cenarious still squatting on the throne? Are there any remnants of our old religion? I remember well your beliefs in the elements and the flow of nature but has that really replaced your relations with the Great Dragons? Nothing has shaken mine."
He put down his cup to let it cool. It was fresh and burned his tongue just a little bit, but he didn't want to flinch in front of his friend...
Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier
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"I have never been a follower of the church of the dragons. Indeed, I was the one who brought Verdis Elementum to D'Hara, and to the whole south. It was my efforts that brought almost all of D'Hara, at one point, to be elementalist. I also helped build up the church in Barca, and had some limited successes in Madina and Fissoa. You could almost say I made the church grow despite itself, for the elders were not that motivated to grant me the authority I needed to bring the faith down south. With time, though, D'Hara was a greater bastian of the faith than Caerwyn was: we had the biggest temple of all the lands, and I suspect we might even have had more followers as well. I must say it is a little depressing to see the empty temples nowadays, however... the starvation was great, the buildings were built in more prosperous times. The vast libraries accumulate more dust than books, or just about. Still... D'Hara is the Dragon, and the Dragon is D'Hara. The old monarchs used to think the Dragon lived in the west, what is now known to be Zuma lands. I really doubt this to be the case. If anywhere, I'd suspect that it'd be under the sea, somewhere by the Isles. I'd suspect somewhere South-West personally, no doubt it'd have been to blame for the dispersing of the invading Madinian fleets that were defeated at Paisly." He grinned as he thought of the Royal court in his mind a moment before speaking. "But yes, indeed, the Dragon King is still on the throne. Quite funny that you asked, for a young noble just proposed that he be removed and that our Prime Minister be given the title... Obviously that's not going to happen. The royal family is alive and well, although they have almost no contact with the outside world now. I frequent his court every now and then, but barely any other. And since yo asked of the royal court, you might be interested to know that it also asks of you...", he added, intentionally trying to intrigue his interlocutor.
Roleplay from Bowie Ironsides
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Bowie laughed at Lord Machiavel's remarks. "The royal court of D'Hara asks about me? Why? Do they still seek the bounty on my head? Confessor Kisharianda has been retired for a very long time. Not to mention that she was one of my closest friends. I don't think she would believe in bringing justice against me after all of these years. If anything, she probably just wants to learn that I am well and keeping on."
He shifted in his seat, thinking he bested the D'Haran court's intentions. Then, as if he caught wind of something, he said, "I'm not surprised the royal family stays out of public. Cenarious, I imagine, probably did something to lose all favour in the public's eye. Let me guess, did he launch a rebellion against himself? The dummy! Ha! If only the Old Bat Katayanna listened to me! Hahahaaa!"
Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier
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"You'd be surprised the support Cenarious still has, and the monarchy as a whole. It's part of the beauty of the lands, I'd say, this dual nature. We defend our republican government as fiercely as we defend our monarchic institutions. I believe it was a perfect compromise, really. The rule of the Dragon monarchs was not very good for D'Hara, not past the first few years of reign, at least. Still, the monarchy profoundly marks D'Haran culture, even today. But no, fear not. The questions do not come from his royal highness, or the queen consort. They'd probably prefer to hear less of you. Rather, they from one much younger..."
Roleplay from Bowie Ironsides
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Now Bowie was curious. Instead of making a quick remark or trying to solve it aloud he remained quiet. His eyes shrunk a bit as he thought deeply upon what Lord Machiavel may have implied. He stared at the D'Haran ambassador, his old friend, and thought that he couldn't be speaking of what he may have been speaking about.
"The only other person I know of in the royal court is -" He stopped before he said it. Images flashed back to him. It was such a very long time ago, a long time since he last saw his daughter.
"Selena?"
Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier (5 days, 16 hours ago)
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Machiavel smiled. "She had grown quite a bit, to become a fair lady. Very studious, pure of heart. Sometimes, I see her staring by the windows out at the sea. She can remain like this for hours sometimes, and she wonders about you." Roleplay from Bowie Ironsides (5 days, 10 hours ago) Message sent to everyone in the region Balance's Retreat (11 recipients)
Bowie held his hand over his mouth holding back his remarks. His eyes were frozen like glaciers melting slightly and slowly into tears. A torrent of questions competed for his tongue. His heart jammed back and forth into his ribcage. Lord Machiavel is acquainted with Selena? And why not, he thought to himself. They live on the same islands. They probably frequent the same circles, and since Selena is the adopted daughter of the royal family she has probably been present to many civic ceremonies. And he knows her!
"What does she look like?" Was all he could bring himself to say. The only image, real image not fantasy, he could bring to his mind was when she was a little girl. No older than four. She had well combed black hair and his green eyes, and a dress that Lady Kisharianda had given her for her birthday. He was there that day and she loved the dress. He also remembered the look on her face when she received his gift - a pet monkey (albeit trained to hate Cenarious, but in love with her nonetheless). That was the last time he saw her.
The dam broke and he could not stop himself.
"What occupation has she taken up? Or trade? Or has she taken the vows of a wife and married? Any children? She'd be about thirty or so now, wouldn't she? What does she wonder about me? Does she know I am still alive? Does she know about her brothers? Has dumb Cenarious and the lovely Kisharianda raised her right? Is she a proper woman? A noblewoman? What faith does she practice? Does she need gold, or servants, or a better home? Is she in need for anything?" His tongue kept wagging but the words stopped. He was invigorated.
Selena! Selena wondered about him!
Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier
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"It is said she has your eyes, and her hair is now fair. She is the envy of many in the court, but her true beauty lies in her heart: a truly caring and compassionate lady. She spends her time studying and tending to matters of the court. With the royal family aging, she handles a lot of their things nowadays, as well as the practice of their church. For, if I have tutored her much as a young lady, I have respected the Dragon King's instructions and taught her of the Dragons, and not of the Elements. And I doubt she needs much, for she is treated as a princess, but it is obvious she sometimes envies you, for you have traveled the word while she has rarely ever left the palace, and never left D'Hara. She is growing old alone, however, for the Dragon King has not met a candidate of his liking. After all, he adopted her and cares greatly for her, he has always treated her as his own. Which was part of the reason for my coming here, actually... Selena has grown of age, and can thus be released from the Dragon King's tutorage. I wanted to ask you for her hand."
Roleplay from Bowie Ironsides
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Bowie concealed his shock. His hand froze the tea cup midway between the table and his mouth. His eyes fixed on Lord Machiavel, half curious half furious.
"You? Lord Machiavel, you're old enough to be her father. In fact, aren't we about the same age?"
The tea cup remained in mid air. The Demon thought. He hadn't seen Selena in - her whole life, and now he discovers there are plans for her to be married?
"What does she think of you? Is she aware you have these intentions? Did she ask you to come to me? Was this Cenarious' bright idea? To send you to the mountains to tease me with such news? How do I fit into all of this? Selena doesn't know me...she doesn't need me. Even though I want her to."
It occurred to him that this was the first time he heard about her in decades. This was big news. Perhaps she wanted to reach out to him and this was the best excuse she had to override Cenarious' block. Why wouldn't the Demon attend her wedding? He was her father, after all. Lord Machiavel wasn't a bad match at all come to think of it. He was a man of substance and renown, especially in D'Hara. It would be good for her, great for her even.
Bowie smiled.
"Alright, Lord Machiavel, I am listening. My daughter is pushing on in the years and I suppose you are the best she found. Not too bad for her if we sized you up. What will you do for her? For her life? I expect a full ensemble of attendants to aid and wait on her. Full wardrobe, fully furnished palace - the works! She is the royalty of your islands and therefore you are getting the leg up. Can you prove a worthy match for her?"
Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier
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Machiavel bowed his head a little, embarrassed by the question. "Yes, it is true... I did see her grow from the little baby that she was, and I was one of the Dragon King's closest advisers even at the time, had held my share of offices by then. But although unusual, this age difference would not be exceptional either. But there are few on this continent who could offer her the life I can. She is not, however, aware of this proposal. Nor is the Dragon King, for I doubt he would approve... I doubt he would approve of anyone, he would let her die old and alone. Indeed, if I came to you, it was to have her released of his foster care: I think it has been long enough. You should come to D'Hara and meet her in person, to see her once more for yourself. Even if my duchy is in a little rough shape right now, it is known to be one of great wealth, luxury, and prestige. And despite talks that are going on about royal succession, and the hereditary legitimacy of both adopted and extra-marital children, I can assure her a life of at least her current level of opulence in my court, if not greater.
Roleplay from Bowie Ironsides
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Bowie stood up and paced the room. He did not look over to Machiavel nor did he show him his own face. He was thinking.
Pausing in mid pace he faced Lord Machiavel with his answer.
"Yes. I give you permission to marry my daughter - should she accept you. I could care less what Cenarious thinks. But make sure you get the approval of Lady Kisharianda. She is more a mother to Selena than the actual woman who bore the child."
Bowie smiled and sat back down.
"So! If everything turns out for you there will be a wedding in the future. I'd love to come to D'Hara. It has been too long since I touched down on the Tomb Islands. And it has been a lifetime since I've seen Selena. Tell her," he leaned closer, "tell her when you explain all that you did to earn her that when you spoke with me you found me buckled. That I have yearned to contact her and visit her for her entire life but held back on account of my reputation and her position in the D'Haran court. Yet, with this occasion, perhaps I no longer have to be concerned for her association with me. Now, she will be associated with you. A far better man than I." Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier (3 hours ago) Message sent to everyone in the region Tranquil (3 recipients) Machiavel was obviously relieved, and smiled. "Will you come back to D'Hara with me? I think she would really be happy to finally get to meet you. And you need not be so humble!"
Roleplay from Bowie Ironsides
Message sent to everyone in the region Tranquil (3 recipients)
"It will be the pleasure of my entire life to see my daughter, but I cannot return with you just at this time. Bring the good news back to your realm and to your imminent fiance - if she accepts you, and let her know that I shall attend the wedding when it commences. For now I have a great deal of nonsense to be up to here in Swordfell. It is too shaky of a time for me to depart on a vacation."
Bowie stood up and bowed. He foresaw good things coming from this union, both for his daughter and Lord Machiavel. Good things in the way of grandchildren and family unity. Things he lacked in his tempestuous days.
It was now time for that.
Roleplay from Machiavel Chénier
Message sent to everyone in the region Tranquil (3 recipients)
"Very well, and you have my eternal gratitude. Let me know when you could come, I would very much like for you to be there. It would likely take place in Port Raviel, at the old Royal Palace." Machiavel stood up as well and bowed in return. "For now, I shall depart to return to D'Hara. I have been gone quite a long time, and my duties call for me to return. I was happy to finally meet with you again, after such a long time, and hope you will be able to find some time to visit us soon."
