ulirblood - Tumblr blog

[ulirblood]

"when it is going to hurt you, sorry, but no." she huffs on the way there, and it should be outrageously clear on her unwillingness to budge from this position.

she's about to ask what he means when he mentions the knights and this abyss thing when they arrive at the dining hall, stopping the conversation short.

no one seems to look her way when she enters the dining hall, a stark difference to the warm greetings she's used to as a loved professor of the blue lions house.

certainly this is not the warmth that she is used to feeling from the students, but it is far from being detested like andrei speaks of. "you need to relax." she whispers to keep their conversation to themselves as she heads to where the food is served. "you're just here to eat like everyone else."

she does however note the glances aimed towards her— or rather what is presumed to be andrei— from the few knights currently in the dining hall. looking at them produces nothing except for an obvious effort to look at anything but him when noticed.

strange. a brief frown tugs at her lips before she lets the thought go and stops in front of the serving counter. "excuse me, miss." she calls out politely to the student working behind it, a smile uncharacteristic of her brother replacing the previous frown.

oopsie woopsie we made a fucky wucky

[ulirblood]

The most intangible things take the longest to prepare.

Even as the date approaches, even with all of his practice under Lady Deirdre's tutelage, as diligent as his practice with the bow had been all his life, Andrei remains unsure of his decision. It would be easier, he knows, to simply acquire a trinket with his limited funds, as he had the previous year. There would be no chance of failure, and Edain would accept it, would appreciate it, would find it meaningful.

(After all, she expects so little of you that anything you have to offer would be a pleasant surprise.)

But it wouldn't have been as meaningful, not to him. He'd known what he'd wanted to do, had known ever since his ill-fated return to Jugdral had been a failure. If he cannot be allowed to rectify his mistakes... he would at least attempt something truly right and good, for once. Even at the risk of Edain not quite understanding the significance of such a gesture, coming from him, it is something he needs to do.

And so it is with this conviction that he seeks her out. "There's... something I'd been practicing, that I wanted to show you," he says, the only explanation he gives before reaching out with palm up, a silent gesture for her to take his hand. Should she comply, Edain would find her brother's fingers, slightly cold to the touch as usual, closing over hers. A beat of silence, then—

Warmth, and a soft, white glow, blooming over her hand.

It's easier to cast a Heal spell without the presence of a physical wound. It's what beginners are set to practice, over and over, until they are deemed ready to work their magic on living beings needing treatment. For all intents and purposes, this is not a difficult task for Andrei, who had worked tirelessly to master the spell in the lessons given to him. Still, his expression holds the same utter concentration as when he'd shot his first arrow, under Brigid's watchful eyes.

(This is important, so he cannot fail. A sentiment unchanged across time and circumstance, for better or for worse.)

The light finally dissipates. Andrei squeezes Edain's hand, his own still warm from the lingering magic. A small, inadequate repayment for the kindness she'd given him since their reunion, but an earnest attempt all the same.

"It's not really much of a present, but..." he trails off. It's not a present, but at the same time, it's what he'd wanted to show her. That she'd left a mark on him, one as potent as that of Lady Sister Brigid, though he'd been blind to it nearly all his life. That he sees her, that he'd always seen her, as important, even if he'd tried his hardest to convince her — and himself — otherwise. That her faith in him isn't completely in vain, despite how much he might stumble.

That he would choose to take her hand, as long as she is still willing to extend it to him.

"...Happy birthday, sister."

once upon a time her brother had berated her at the thought of her becoming a priestess. there wasn’t anything to be had in nunhood, he would have scoffed a long time ago. how would they find lady sister if not as a bow knight of the beige ritter?

and she had subscribed to that idea too, for a long while— for longer than she should have, perhaps. she’d grown up dreaming of becoming an esteemed knight of the beige ritter— with no mark of ullr, there should be nothing else for her. yet she learned the role of the priestess, ones who did not hurt but healed. women and men serving bragi and the crusaders and using that faith to help the people around them. she was never the religious sort beyond her appreciation for her ancestor and crusader ullr. yet still, edain knew she wanted to be part of that. andrei at that time would still have insisted that the bow is the only path for them.

but maybe, just perhaps, what if ullr was telling her to follow her heart?

it was those few gran that she spent in agony, constantly wondering if the bow was how she wanted to help people. if the bow was the only way that she would ever see her twin sister, or if there was some other way that they would be reunited. 

that’s why she remembers far too vividly andrei’s confession of hatred after she had said she would go into nunhood and become a priestess. he’d accused her of giving up— as if such a thing was ever possible for lady edain of yngvi.  the announcement had ended up in tears and their separation, with andrei telling her that he hated her.

she remembered that moment for a long long time, could never quite get rid of that memory forever. with time she had managed to justify the memory— they were both kids with a lost sibling people were giving up on finding, how could they ever have been expected to communicate properly? the maturity was not there. their decisions were informed by the trauma of losing their dearest sister. all sorts of little statements to herself as if to keep herself sane.

but still, it stuck in her mind despite her best efforts to not let it affect her emotional health. it wasn’t until she met up with him in fodlan after belhalla that she had finally gotten closure on that relationship. he had never said it out loud, but she knew that her brother had really loved her the entire time. first it had been the way he had said he didn’t hate her— and then it had been his recurring presence now for her birthday. little things that had her believing he loves her that added up over the last few gran.

it is safe to say that their relationship is doing far better now than it was doing only ten gran ago. still, she does not expect him to ever take interest in her faith and her profession— and that she would never blame him for. she recognized how different it was from their ancestor’s way of handling things, after all. how different it was for a yngvi to go into healing, of all things. even her sisters of nunhood had scoffed at the idea of a noble princess like herself becoming a priestess until she proved herself to them.

so when he takes her hands and tells her there is something he wants to show her, she does not know what to expect. she looks down, larger more calloused hand embracing her own soft and dainty one. the warmth of a heal spell does not quite hit her right away.

but when it does, her eyes widen in surprise. she looks up to see the concentrated expression on andrei’s face. the very same one she used to see at the training grounds in the duchy of yngvi when he would pull the string of his bow back. “andrei…” she whispers his name in disbelief in the brief silence between the two of them. it’s not really much of a present, he says.

he could not be more wrong. “you…” she swallows and looks down at the ground, shaking her head as she feels tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “you idiot. this means the world to me.”  did he know what this really represented for her?

it was once again more evidence that he loves her, but this piece larger than anything she’s seen from him before. a reminder that she was seen for what she believes in and a reminder that she was not the only one putting effort into their relationship. 

“thank you.” she sniffles briefly, pulling her hand away and moving in closer to hug him tight and bury her head into his  shoulder. she did not even stop to think where he’d learned this from, only the meaning behind it all. “this is the best present you could have given me, brother.”

[ulirblood]

@lockpicnic (moved from here)

“Ah— sorry, Auntie…” Her cheeks are practically stained red, her embarrassment continuing to set in. She boasted so much about being a good cook and knowing her way around a kitchen knife, only to quickly make a fool of herself. At least she could put the knife away for now. “Yeee-ep! The sauce is already made for us!” She runs back to the fridge and grabs a jar of tomato sauce and places it on the counter along with all of the chopped ingredients. “Now’s the fun part— puttin’ it together! Well— it ain’t as fun as when we get to eat it, though.”

“just be a little more careful next time, alright?” a fond smile returns to her face, because for all the fear she’d felt just now it was nice to be able to do something normal like this. briefly in her mind she wishes that brigid was here to see how her daughter had grown, but she throws the thought away in order not to pull the atmosphere down. this was about having fun with her niece and nothing else!

“alright let’s take care of the sauce!” she says as she picks up the sealed jar, opening it with a surprising amount of ease. it definitely did not look like something you could just pop open like she did… “now we just spread it evenly all over the dough, right?” she looks to patty for instructions even though she didn’t really need them— she just wanted to involve her niece in this process as much as possible.

dominoes — patty and edain

[ulirblood]

“be careful. don’t overextend yourself.” she warns, watching him stand up to inspect the lock on their prison cage. she does not say anything while he inspects it, allowing him the silence to concentrate.

it is only when he speaks back to her again that she approaches him, standing far closer than before. “a tool, hm.” she hums, looking at the lock herself. if they hadn’t stolen all her belongings, she probably could of used one of the pins she used for her hair to pick it. or maybe they might not have gotten everything on her person…?

she digs through the smaller pocket on her dress, the only place it would be, only to find nothing. they had really taken everything. what barbarians. “if they hadn’t stolen our things…. we have no choice.” she shakes her head in frustration, looking back to reyson. “we’re going to have to catch someone’s attention. they have to have a guard who patrols consistently. “ she crosses her arms, hand on her chin in thought. “if they’re keeping us in a cage like this, they probably want us alive. we might be able to get someone to unlock the door if one of us fakes an illness or an injury.”

reyson wake up we fucked up big time!

[ulirblood]

"Do you know," he said, straightening from his position near Seliph to turn to Edain. He extended the platter of meats as he spoke, and afterthought almost, a prelude to the main course. The platter is displayed with a variety of finely roasted poultry meats, cooked in a traditional Chalphy style of one-within-the-other. The skin of the turkey is crispy, and the fats from the duck have marinated both the chicken within and the turkey without. There are cloves and lemon slices studding the plate, combining to form a melange of rich flavors. The choice of which piece to take is up to the feaster – there is plenty to go around!

"Do you know that I could spend all day listing your finer qualities, and still not have summarized all that I could be thankful to you for, my lady? No, no, it is true! You are my oldest friend, my closest comfort - you have looked after me through so many dark nights in my life, and you have done the same for my son in my absence. It is to you that I credit his health, his wellness, and his strong spirit - that came not from me, I think."

It was easy to say these things to Edain - thankfulness was something that he was used to, with her, something that tipped from his mouth in just as effusive quantity as warmth.

But that was also the problem, for he knew not precisely how to emphasize how much she meant - not just to him, but to all around him.

"Do you know that I would be lost without you, my dear friend?" His eyes creased with his smile. It was not as flowery as an admission as he might have given on another occasion, but if Edain looked closely, she might have seen the mist in his eyes - might have heard the crack in his voice, if she'd the ear. "You have my love, now, and always."

sat between seliph and larcei, her friends’ future children, edain thinks she could not be happier as when she watches sigurd give his speech of thanks. it’s cheesy and a bit boyish but it is so very him. 

after belhalla, she thought she could truly be happy again, but by all accounts the impossible has been accomplished. her loved ones had been brought back to her. the chalphy family is alive and so too is her brother. it is only midir and brigid that are missing, but even they stay alive in her heart. edain smiles warmly, watching sigurd come up to her. it is like a dream, she thinks. she does not take from the platter of meats right away, instead focusing on sigurd as he speaks.

similarly to how deirdre had earlier in the evening, his little speech is only filled of praise and compliments towards her character— nothing of her beauty as once expected by all the noble men around her. sigurd has always been authentic with her, and she would not change that for the world.

“lord sigurd.” she speaks after he finishes, wishing she could grasp his hands tightly as if to cement the compliments she’s about to speak herself. “you do not realize how important you are to me, i think.” she cannot help but chuckle, out of both nerves and amusement. “you have been there for me since my days of knighthood, the first person who was able to show me how authentically kind a man can really be. you are my dearest and closest friend— and i know that i would do anything for you.” she clears her throat, getting a little bit teary eyed herself. “if there is anything i want you to take away from this feast, i want you to know that i will always be on your side no matter what.”

sigurd is a man she will follow into death if she has to, even if he might protest it. “thank you.” and after a moment allowed to calm from the sudden wave of emotions, edain takes her own smaller serving. she was not someone who ate lots and lots, even at feasts like this. placing her plate back on the table, she turns to sigurd and playfully pushes against his back. “you have the other guests to give thank to! don’t keep them waiting.”

[ulirblood]

"ah…" her gaze follows to where seliph looks to his father, a sympathetic smile tugging at her lips. he certainly was still standing closer to the entrance, greeting every guest that decided to pay a visit— even if they were clearly late. "your father has always spread himself too far for the people around him." edain says with a clearly fond shake of her head.

she isn't sure how much her older self might have told seliph about sigurd, but she hopes his son knows how good of a man he is.

"this isn't the battlefield seliph." she speaks after a few seconds of silence with some mild understanding of how he grew up, looking back at him. "he's your father and you're his beloved son. you're allowed to be selfish. though i understand it might be a bit nerve-wracking when he's surrounded by so many people…." she trails off, then decidedly claps her hand onto his shoulder like a doting mother might. "but i promise he would be happy to know his son wants to talk to him."

@ulirblood sent:

"seliph, over here!" edain calls out with her hand in the air to get his attention. the feast that the chalphy and yngvi family would have together was something of the past that she didn't think their children would be able to see again.

yet sigurd and ethlyn had so graciously put together this feast— and now here their children were to attend it. she couldn't be happier that they were getting to participate in time-honored traditions— even if they had turned a bit unconventional. as soon as seliph is in her vicinity, she pulls him close for a tight hug. "you've grown so much since you were a baby." she pulls away after a chuckle. "i'm happy that you're here seliph. if you need anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask, okay? and don't be afraid to approach your father, either."

"lady edain!" seliph's face lights up at the sight of a familiar face. the corners of the young man's mouth tug upwards into a smile that could brighten up an entire room without its owner being any the wiser.

his feet change their course.

soon enough, seliph finds himself being pulled into a hug.   &   it's without hesitation his arms wrap around edain in return, any awkwardness having been left long behind. the familiarity and warmth undoubtedly spring forth childhood memories of the lady edain who is older but just as kind as the one in front of him.

"of course." a nod accompanies his response while unspoken gratitude reflects in the pair of sapphire-blue eyes. he looks away in order to locate his father's head of blue hair before turning back to her. "it seems father is still busy greeting the other guests... i think i'll go say hello later."

perhaps he ought to look around. after all, it's a rare opportunity for him to learn about the traditions of his father's house!

"but i'm glad to see you here as well."

[ulirblood]

Hand-imals - Proud parents in the Duchy of Chalphy happily display their children's handprints decorated to look like animals (such as turkeys, reindeer, or others!) this time of year on their iceboxes. With the large array of art supplies provided, can you create a masterpiece worthy of such an honor?

“Ta-daa! Pretty neat drawing, wouldn’t you say?”

“I think I’ve actually outdone myself this time… Say, Lady Edain, what do you think? You know what this is supposed to be, right? Right??”

"oh, it looks lovely sweetheart!" edain smiles and claps her hands together despite the fact that doesn't really know what it is she's looking at. it's definitely some kind of animal just going by tradition, but the specifics are a bit… lost on her.

then larcei says she should know what this is, and edain cannot help but sweat a little. a horse maybe, or a reindeer…? "it's so creative." she says instead, because she'd rather not offend by assuming she knew what it was. "why don't you explain it to me? i want to know every little detail." yes, that is most certainly a safer answer than blindly guessing.

[ulirblood]

Thankful - A Chalphy tradition after a harvest is to thank the earth for its bounty, the Crusaders for their blessing, and for one’s loved ones for their presence. Why not get a little festive (and potentially cheesy) and tell someone exactly what they mean to you?

"Lady Edain," Deirdre reaches for the priestess's hands and pulls her to a quiet corner of the dining hall. "I do not know if I have ever had the chance to properly thank you for everything you have done for me over the years. I have heard it is tradition in Chalphy to do this at a feast like this."

She has often thought about just how different her life would have turned out if she had never met Edain. How she would still be living her life in Verdane's Spirit Forest. Alone.

"You were the first person outside of the Spirit Forest to ever show me true kindness. My very first friend. You told me stories of Lord Sigurd and I fell in love with him before I even met him. You were there at my first wedding and the birth of my first child. You were a guiding source of light."

Her grip tightens just slightly. The next part is difficult.

"Even after I was taken, you were there for me. You cared for my Lord Sigurd and my Seliph. My son knows the warmth of love because of you. And now, you are patient and gentle and understanding. I know that things are not the same as they had been before but I love you, Edain. Please know that I am eternally grateful for everything you have done for me and especially so that we have been brought back to each other."

"lady deirdre." she parrots back, allowing deirdre to take her by the hands and pull her to a quieter corner in the dining hall. a curious gaze holds her, wondering what deirdre would have of her. she would do anything for the woman, as long as it was something she was capable of.

edain's lips part slightly as she listens to deirdre speak of their friendship and how thankful she is that she has someone like herself close to her. they hold hands throughout it all, and she feels deirdre's grip on her tighten at the most subtle level.

"i……… thank you, deirdre." she smiles warmly, dropping the title of 'lady' just as deirdre does for her. "i wish that it was different, you know. i wish that you could have grown older together with sigurd. i wish you could have cared for your son seliph as he grew up." she confesses, because as easy as the mantle of mother is to take up for her friends' children, she knows it will never be the same as a biological mother's love.

"i wish you could have had the proper experiences a mother should have." she murmurs, eyes slightly shiny. "but i am honored to know that my presence in your life has helped you so much. i am honored to be the figure that your child needs in his life. and…" she cannot help but sniffle, wiping away at the single tear that strays from the corner of her eyes. "i love you as well, deirdre. i always will."

[ulirblood]

As a dog -- and a puppy, mind you -- Honk has no concept or understanding of the tradition of mistletoe. That doesn't stop him from finding a loose sprig of it and instantly using it as a chew toy. He tosses his head back and forth, shaking the plant around and even dislodging a berry or two.

He lets it go sailing after another good shake of his head, chasing after it and bumping into a pair of legs in the process. The puppy recovers quickly with a yap, grabbing up the sprig once more and rolling invitingly onto his back; paws flailing and tail wind-milling at the prospect of a playmate.

"oh!" edain gasps in surprise when she feels something bump into her legs, falling slightly forward but managing to stabilize herself before she could well and truly fall over. she looked behind her to see who the culprit was just as the puppy yaps at her and grabs the sprig it had been evidently holding in its mouth for a while now.

she isn't sure how someone had managed to bring a puppy here given all the food that was a potential target for it to nab, but still she kneels down and treats the dog with a warmth and kindness very familiar of edain. "my, what have you got?" she giggles, eyes crinkling in amusement and delight as she rubs furiously at the puppy's belly. "stealing is bad, sir." she chastises playfully.

[ulirblood]

she of course would not allow herself to sit and watch everything be prepared. the feast was a recreation of the past one's she had with the chalphy family, and in those past feasts she had always helped out in some way. she would do as she always had and help them out.

it is that thought that automatically guides her to the kitchen while some last minute guests are still coming in— greeted rather diligently by lord sigurd and lady ethlyn.

hearing some humming in the kitchen, she can't help but be a little curious. "excuse me." she approaches, and when he turns to look at her she stops where she is.

this isn't a person she recognizes, not by voice or name, but something of his facial features comes familiar to her. she blinks slowly, staring at him for a moment and trying to place why his facial features are so familiar. he looks like he'd handle a sword well.

'my name's fergus, a sellsword from jugdral.'

the same continent, but the familiarity is more than that, more personal. before she can try to pick the face out from her vast amount of memories, she realizes she's gone completely silent. edain rushes to bow her head in something of an apologetic gesture. "apologies, fergus. i.. didn't mean to stare or anything." is what she manages to come up with.

she's done worse in her apologies, at least. "i am, yes. i know the two hosting the feast. our families were very familiar with each other and would host something similar every year. it's only right that i help out in the kitchen." she smiles softly at the warm memory of a chalphy-yngvi gathering, looking to the ground for a brief moment before her gaze flits over to meet his directly.

it's his eyes that are most familiar to her she decides then, but she still wonders why. "my name is edain.... from yngvi. you might recognize the family name, being from jugdral."

✢⁎. kitchen belhalla

[ulirblood]

her face flushes hot red, not quite with embarrassment but with anger. the fact that arvis would speak of sigurd like that. she cares not what arvis thinks of her, but what he thinks of her friends is far too important to edain for her to back down.

sigurd is not some plot point in a storybook and nothing more. her lessons of nunhood and knighthood fall away, escaping from her grasp and refusing to allow her to calm herself.

deep down she knows. edain knows that lord sigurd should be dead, that she should be back in tirnanog raising a family. the presence of her friends’ children who were supposedly raised by her make that impossible to deny. her destiny was to pick up the shattered pieces of her closest allies and slowly but surely build them back up in the from of their children.

but… but…

when lord sigurd is here and alive, when she has been reunited with her allies— she cannot fall to that destiny.

“i chose to follow a good man that was betrayed by his own country. and i would die all the same in a shallow grave for his sake.” she confesses with frightening ease, pressing her hand against her chest and leaning forward ever so slightly.

“thanks to his foolish heart, lord sigurd inspired loyalty in me no matter the circumstance— i can say very little the same about you, lord arvis. i was willing to give you a chance like i did my brother, but you feel no remorse about the things you have done in this world.” she shakes her head. “nor do i see any want or potential to change.”

he wasn’t really sorry about midir. everyone in sigurd’s army was merely a chess piece to him. she takes a sharp breath, glaring one last time at him.

“i have no idea what lady deirdre sees in you.” comes her last hiss, breathing slightly heavily by the end of her tangent. “and i would rather die than follow your advice. good day.”

she does not curtsy or bow, turning away without a second thought and returning to the festivities.

[END]

𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵.

[ulirblood]

she knew that she did not have to worry about sigurd accepting her brother. the man was kind and amicable, and andrei had not yet done enough to deserve total scrutiny. edain lets go of andrei’s wrist, allowing sigurd to pull her brother into a hug  with little to warning.

she smiles and giggles, warm expression slightly covered by the gently clenched fist over her lips. “lord sigurd, please do be careful.” she says, amusement and love both clearly laced into her tone.

she had not even stopped to think that sigurd would not remember her brother beyond his first few years. “thank you for accepting him, but he’s not the excitable puppy you are, my lord! he likes his personal space.”

@ulircursed

sorry about my grinch brother — andrei & edain & sigurd

[ulirblood]

it took quite a bit of convincing and talking, but in the end andrei had allowed her to drag him where sigurd sat— still working on making sure everything was going according to plan for the feast.

"you don't have to be anxious, andrei." she reassures with a light and airy voice. "lord sigurd is a good man. he will not turn you away." the very man that killed him is at this feast, after all. a bitter thought that she doesn't voice out loud.

"lord sigurd!" she calls out to him loud enough to get his attention, all while holding onto andrei's wrist like he's a child who might get lost in the sea of people. "do you remember my brother at all? i was able to get him to join the feast!"

@ulircursed @bxldrsdraumar

sorry about my grinch brother — andrei & edain & sigurd

[ulirblood]

He's going to regret this.

Andrei would never have given attending a feast organized by the Chalphys a second thought on his own, but Edain had mentioned it to him, encouraged him to attend. And while he hadn't given a straight answer in the moment, in the end, he'd still made the decision to head to the surface, through the grounds and into the dining hall.

(Perhaps some part of him trusted, implicitly, that things would be alright as long as his sister is there.)

Now, that unspoken faith wavers in the presence of the throng of guests at this party. There are plenty of unfamiliar faces, to be certain — this is clearly not a Grannvale or even Jugdral-only affair — but merely the ones he recognized, whether vaguely or by name, bode ill enough.

Sigurd and Ethlyn, of course, front and center as the hosts of the feast. The Isacchian seated across the table from Edain, and the Silessian prince not far away. Even, he notes grimly, Lord Arvis. Interactions with any of them had much more potential to end poorly than otherwise.

He waits, then, for Edain to leave her seat for one of the side tables. The crowd hides his presence from any hostile individuals until he is able to approach, and he does so with an air of disconcerted irritation. "I'm here now," he hisses at his sister the moment she is within earshot, arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"I don't know why you would possibly think my acceptance of the invitation is anything but a terrible idea," he says, "There is no one here who would be happier for my presence, least of all myself."

even as she mingles with her family, not blood-related but equally as important, she can still not help but wish for her brother's presence here. in the last few gran their relationship had been getting better— more stable. there was still lots of progress to be had, but she welcomed any improvements between them.

this was the very reason she had invited andrei to come as well, though time was clearly ticking and there was no sign of him yet. had she too much hope in their relationship, to expect him to accept her invitation? to expect him to at least poke his head in for a few minutes…?

"excuse me, i'm going to make sure everything is going alright in the kitchen." she smiles politely as she scoots her chair out, making an excuse to have a moment to herself.

it is coming within vicinity of the entrance that she hears his voice. her head whips around in surprise, wondering if she was imagining things, but no—!

"brother!" she gasps, a genuine smile taking to her face as she hurries to meet him where he is. "you made it, i'm so glad." she reaches around to give a tight-knit hug than pulls away shortly after.

"nonsense, andrei!" she shakes her head. "this is a chance for you to make some new friends! and besides— i'm far happier now that you're here."

[ulirblood]

he is cold and calculating— yet with a manner of arrogance to him that far too many noblemen had the problem of wielding like a shield. she wonders how deirdre could ever love a man like this. she stops where she is, staring back at him as he continues speaking without breath.

“… it is true that lord sigurd did not approach the situation in the best of ways.” she speaks slowly, glaring back up at him. it is not very often that edain has to use her tongue to speak like a myrmidon would unsheathe their sword, but it is not something she hesitates to do in this scenario. “he is brash, bull-headed, stubborn. all sorts of things that can make a woman go crazy.” a small fond smile tugs at her lips, thinking of him now as her gaze flits briefly to the ground. “but in that same breath, he is kind, strong-hearted. willing to do whatever he must for his friends. i suspect you do not know that side of him like i do.”

her gaze returns upwards to arvis, warm expression gone. “he does not control how the people around him react. he could not control his father’s decisions. he could not control verdane as it took control of castle yngvi and captured me. he could not control king chagall’s refusal to truce. he could not control the beige ritter as it slaughtered the pegasus knights of silesse. i could keep going but i don’t think i need to for you to understand his hand was forced into battle so very often.”

“… a good man like him, forced to act by the people around him.” the priestess pointedly frowns. “and where does that put you, lord arvis? lord sigurd trusted you in belhalla, and you betrayed that trust. you sent all my friends to death when we were all ready to put down our weapons. you had control of that scene, and you chose death.”

“it does not bode well of your character either. that, rather than take accountability and address the things you have done wrong, you point to another man first. as if that will cleanse you of your sins.”

𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵.

[ulirblood]

‘she cares for your companionship quite a bit.’

edain’s gaze turns soft thinking of the woman, thr blonde staring out in front of her for a brief moment. “…lady deirdre is important to me as well.” she murmurs, her voice just barely loud enough for arvis to make out what she says.

she looks back towards him after they turn the corner, the hot blooded eyes of a yngvi following the way in which he apologizes and bows to her.

he is sorry for her loss, he says. edain has trouble believing the sincerity of that statement, but it is not just that that bothers her. but rather…

this would be far more simple if it was just midir that she lost.

“thank you, lord arvis.” she does not smile nor does she bow her head back. “but what of the others?” she purses her lips, watching his reaction carefully. “what of the fathers and mothers that will not return to their children? what of the many orphans that remain after belhalla— the families you have separated?” she pauses, breathes in then out. “it is not just me that you owe an apology to.”

𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵.

[ulirblood]

her body surprisingly does not stiffen at the sound of his voice, but perhaps it is the soft tone that it takes on that lowers her defenses. though she hardly hated him like the others, she was surprised to see that he had not only been invited but also accepted such an invite. she pauses, brow slightly furrowed and turns to face him.

the man who killed not only her beloved but sigurd and the rest of her friends as well. "…lord arvis." she manages basic courtesy thinks to the combination of her lessons in nunhood and noble etiquette, bowing her head slightly and even gently curtsying for him.

"very well." she nods slowly, though does not offer his arm. she's not quite eager to cozy up to him, even as unbiased as she tries to remain with him. the crease in her brow is not so easily erased with a simple honeyed tone. if it was, she would not have rejected every man that came her way before she was engaged to her knight.

"i can only assume that lady deirdre must have talked to you." she walks alongside him now, keeping a comfortable distance from him. close enough that only the two of them can hear each other, but far enough that she does not have to brush shoulders or hands with him. "what did she say to you? about me."

𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵.