She has changed clothes again; this entire courting business is proving ridiculously expansive to her wardrobe. Every time she enters her chambers, it seems as if more clothes have been put in her closets. This time she is wearing deep rose-colored silks which gradually darken to inky violet at the hems, her long dark hair braided and coiled atop her head with diamonds and amethysts. The veil matches her gown, which is snug-fitting but begins at her throat and covers her to her ankles and her wrists. The trailing train is violet-black, and a knot of actual violets is caught in the train's tail.
She is in one of the libraries as she waits for the King's arrival, upon the balcony, examining the view of the city and the clustering clouds overhead. Her dark eyes are distant, thinking of other things than here and now, although always with a pressing awareness, of the reminder of time passing. One would never wish to be rude, after all.
An attendant houri stands in for brother, who stood in for father. But she remains unobtrusive, blending into the environment of the library like just another book. The door to the library opens and a tall man, very fair of features, with a lean and athletic build appears. He is dressed nicely, in a grey wool suit with a silver tie, the tie bearing a rampant horse tie pin. His hair is white-blonde, cut neatly, and his eyes are a very rich, very vibrant green. He has cradled in his arms a bouquet of exotic flowers, pink and purple.
King Eavan of Silverglen, the forested kingdom neighbor to Rose, Rosewood and Red Castle, nods graciously to the attendant and then looks for the Princess, smiling, pausing, as he sees her upon the balcony...
The door to the balcony from the library ticks open, signaling his arrival. "Your highness," King Eavan says. His voice is quiet, serene, deep, with a lyrical touch to his accent. It sounds vaguely Irish. "It is a pleasure to meet you." The flowers are offered to you. They are wrapped in spun silver. He is the first to bring a gift, at least.
She turns, and though it is half-concealed behind the veil, she smiles. "Your majesty," Tanira returns gracefully. She accepts the bouquet with another smile; it shows around the corners of her eyes. She does like presents, and it is appreciated, this one. "The pleasure is mutual. I hope that this competition is not wearing too heavily upon the nerves."
It is wearing a bit at hers, although she keeps it cleverly concealed. She is too moral for games, in some ways. She has yet to learn how to lay aside the heavy burden of conscience to be able to engage in, and enjoy, these taradiddles; but she is trying. Now she brings the flowers up to her nose, carefully, examining their scent. "Are these from your homeland, perhaps?"
He smiles pleasantly, warmly. "I've only just started my turn. But I have been where you are now since taking my throne. I have gotten to where I no longer answer my Chancellor's invitations to dinner. And, yes, they are a sampling of some of our flora. I brought plants along with me as a gift to your mother for her gardens and to present you with a glimpse of Silverglen. The wind orchid, which only grows on tree tops, is our most famous flower, and is the state flower, and this blossom," he points to a fluted flower with purple petals, "... is called Pan's Flute. Both are... so far... only found in Silverglen."
The wind orchid has a very faint fragrance, sweet but very light. Pan's Flute has a slightly stronger perfume, similar to a lily.
King Eavan looks to you. "And how are you holding up, Your Highness?" he wonders with care for you.
She smiles. "Is your Chancellor after you herself - if it is a her - or do you find when you go to dinner that there is an endless parade of young women?" Tanira asks. "I would find myself dining alone a great deal, I suspect, myself."
She lays the flowers down gently for the moment. She'll find a suitable vase later on. "I am a bit tired," she admits. "I hope you will forgive if I am not filled with effervescence, although it is true that I am not the bubbliest of my sisters in any case. I am still pleased to meet you, however." And she smiles again. "Tell me," she adds lightly, tone one of divertissement, "did your Chancellor insist that you come?"
Eavan laughs quietly, blushing and shaking his head. "Oh no. Lord Lugh prefers more...petite fare than I. But... yes... there have been special unannounced guests at these events. Who knew it would be so difficult to fall in love?" he smiles. "Or to want to. I suppose I would have better luck if I were a baker. It's a lot of pressure, don't you think? To find someone who is right for you and a kingdom? I understand your weariness."
To your question, his blond eyebrows lift and his eyes show a ready humor. "Actually, no. Lord Lugh discouraged it, actually. He said, and I quote: Eavan you aim too high. Silverglen isn't a very large kingdom. But it is beautiful and ... well... I like it," he says with a smile. "What could it hurt, I told him, to meet you and to see if you would like it or me? I'm not above a little gambling when it comes to matters of the heart. Sometimes, you simply have to try for what seems to all other sensible people to be completely out of reach. And I know the competition is quite stiff. I hear there are actual Archangels from Heaven here. The pressure must be staggering." He pauses. "If it helps, or means anything at all, Princess: you are holding up unbelievably well given the circumstances. Are you looking for love," Eavan wonders, "... or a match? Obviously, optimally one would love the one that matched the best on paper. I just have come to believe that's not always the case. Perhaps almost never the case. But," he smiles, "I shouldn't project my opinions. Rather, I wish to hear yours."
"At the very least," Tanira agrees, smiling, "you might form a friendship. And there are worse things to do than to make friends. It is never easy, is it." She colors slightly, then says lightly, "But where are my manners? Would you care to sit?" She suits her question to actions, heading to one of the seats on the balcony and lowering herself gracefully onto its edge.
"I would like to find love," Tanira admits. Her fingers brush idly over the gems that wink in her hair. "I have had no success at it on my own, you see," she tries for a tone of light self-mockery, "and so I decided to turn the issue over to my parents, in a rare show of filial piety. I have simply gotten tired of being alone; and my siblings, as much as I do love them, do not alter that 'aloneness'. My family is putting no pressure on me, which is quite kind of them; but then, I put enough pressure on myself to compensate. I think, though, that you should find a new Chancellor. It hardly sounds as if Lord Lugh is on your side."
King Eavan takes a seat adjacent to you -- not so distant as to be across; not so close as to be right next to you. It shows both interest and willingness. "I think people make assumptions, as I certainly could have done, or listen to harsh criticism, and are afraid to fail or be rejected. I think the higher that one's position is, the more likely that is to be the case. Certainly, and this will sound perhaps like a line, but I don't mean it in a pandering way: your solitude is not due to your lack of beauty, charm or grace. I feel the same way. But then, as a king, it's hard to know if one is loved for oneself or one's crown. I am sure that also applies to princesses. And then," he smiles, "...it's not as if there's a bar where kings and princesses can meet on weekends. We are all off in our own nations, doing our best. Occasionally there are state visits -- I would have been here this week for the coronation regardless of any potential suit -- but those are few and far between. Where are the opportunities to meet people? Well... people that one's people might approve of."
Eavan looks to his hands briefly, then to you. "Perhaps you and I should write a how-to book for others." He grins. "We could be on to something there. And Lord Lugh means well. He's a bit of a lion. He is loyal if not a romantic. And somewhat surly. But he served my father well, and in his passing I thought it best to retain such a stalwart old servant. I will miss him when he goes, even though we don't always see eye to eye."
And in this case lion could actually mean lion...
"I am glad they are not putting pressure on you. That raises my already high opinion of them. We are great admirers of your fathers. Tiernan had assisted my father with several engineering projects that put an end to our annual flooding in the north. We are great fans of your family. I know that, speaking from my people's point of view for a moment, they would welcome you with nothing but affection and warmth. I had to beg them not to make the special commemorative plates just yet. They are ready for me to marry. I am ready too. I ... am wanting to fall in love, to have a wife and a queen."
Eavan reddens just slightly. "Is there... anything you'd like to know about me or Silverglen? I know you have received the bio and usual package of materials. But if there is something you would like to ask or know about me or my lovely little paradise, I would be ... more than happy to share."
She laughs quietly, shaking her head. "Commemorative plates should wait," Tanira agrees, looking amused. "I realize that it is ... an exciting notion. And that is one of the things people in our position do have to keep in mind; when we marry, it does not affect our lives only, but the lives of everyone around, under, over... whichever direction. I don't know how useful a how-to book would be, though; love and marriage are rarely homogenous."
She lifts a hand, examining it for a moment, then settles it daintily in her lap. She tilts her head to the side, examining you contemplatively. "Actually, I am more curious as to what you feel, your majesty. I do not wish to presume; of my sisters, I am perhaps in many ways the least presumptuous, unless I am either on the defensive or about to attack." She smiles slightly behind her veil. "You say that you are ready to marry. But what is it that you feel, about being here? I would like to know your opinion less of my family and more of all this," she gestures, "pageantry."
"They do get excited. They are still in breath-holding mode. I've only been king for six months. In time, I am sure that my every move will not be nearly as interesting. Oh, is that the king? Fishing again, I see." He chuckles quietly at that.
King Eavan considers your next question, looking from you to these surroundings, to his hands and then lastly to you again. "Pageantry is a process. To me. It is a necessary ritual, I think, that helps a people and a leader through the various stages of life and its ups and downs. Personally, I'm fairly middle of the road when it comes to comparing ourselves to this. I have a very lovely home, I think it's lovely -- it is a multi-turreted castle at the center of a redwood and redbud grove in the middle of a silver ash and silver birch forest. It is lovely, not exotic in the way that the Capitol is exotic. But we like it. We have, and I prefer, a really accessible court -- working class, merchant class, upper class -- and a lot of festivals, at least once a month. I prefer warm to grand." He pauses, smiling. "I'm not sure that wins me any points in comparison to Archangels and the Desert Jewel, but it is genuine and the truth and who I am. I am a man. I do like beauty. But beauty comes in a lot of forms, small and large, exotic and simple."
Eavan peers at you. "Does that make sense at all? I'm sometimes accused of rambling. If you meant something else, then I will try to answer more clearly. How I feel about being here is "...apart from anxiety, which there certainly is some of that," he admits in warm, self-depreciating humor, "is hopeful. Excited. This place represents Possibility. That is why it is so grand. To show what is possible."
"You are all different men," Tanira answers the underlying question first. "I do not wish you to all be alike. This court is not of my making, although it is one with which I am most familiar, having been born in it, raised in it; you do not need to excuse your court being different, King Eavan." She smiles. "And you are right. My fathers are harbingers of Possibility, and, sometimes, even Impossibility. They take the impossible and make it possible, and that is a very heavy legacy to live up to."
Tanira reaches over to the table, lifting a cut-glass decanter of sherry; she holds it out in offering. "Truth be told, I don't really know what to ask. I do not entirely like the feeling of - of interview, as if I were hiring a maid," she acknowledges. "I know, rationally, that every relationship must start somewhere, and that it is best if there is a clear beginning. But that is logic."
"Oh, please, thank you yes," he says to the sherry. He smiles, a soft laugh exhaled. "Well, it is rather interview like. I don't guess that it can be avoided really. How else will you know if you don't ask? Unless you can read palms. Perhaps we should start with the obvious. Are you," he colors slightly, "... attracted enough to wish a second date, or rather a first date but a second meeting?
King Eavan pauses, smiling. "If so, is there something you would most like to do, Your Highness? I'm sure each man is trying to impress with his best ideas. But I would like to know how you like to spend your time, what you would like to do if you had an afternoon free. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, almost spring-like, for the next few days. It is as if your father special ordered it for the occasion."
She removes the stopper and pours with great care. "I am not ruling you out that quickly, your majesty," Tanira answers with a light tone paired with a slightly teasing smile. "You may relax. You have not lost your opportunity thus far."
She sets the decanter down, lifting the glasses to offer you your choice of them. "It is not impossible, although it is just as likely that my brother, or my uncle, or my mother had a hand in the weather." She smiles again. "You do realize that to marry me means to be attached to my family, good or bad, yes? And it is not all High King this and angel that. There is my brother, the Sun King; there is my uncle, the Holly King; my other uncles, the ravens of Madness and Despair." She is half-joking, but only just. "Not everyone would wish for that. As for what I would like to do... to tell you the truth, your majesty, I have been so long so caught up in all this planning and preparation? I have absolutely no idea."
"And you would acquire my gracious mother, Beatrix, the surly Lord Hugh, my sister Erin, who you might well like, but also my insufferable cousins, Lords Coy and Roy. Yes... Coy. And their mother, Flora. But, you would also gain Lord Fox, who is a dear friend of mine. So, hit or miss here as well," he smiles. "It is like with everyone else. You marry one person but get a whole family of idiosyncrasies."
He takes his glass, settling back with a sip. "How about this," he proposes with another sip, sitting forward, "... why don't we meander. I like a good meander," he notes softly. "We can start at the market, and if we get bored, we can take a carriage ride to the vineyards for a picnic. In fact, we can buy whatever we need at the market, and just... get away." He smiles. "Sure, we might be tempted just to keep going, but at least we can both pretend to run away for responsibility and plans and preparations for an afternoon. Does this sound agreeable? I would really like to spend more time with you. I know this appointment is ...drawing close. I ... really enjoy talking with you."
"I am amenable," Tanira answers with a slight smile, "although I suspect that your cousins might object. If my chaperones will permit it, your majesty, I see no fault in your idea. I have enjoyed speaking with you as well, although I hope that you will forgive me for my ... formality. I am - not very good at being informal, I fear, and I retreat to it when I am ... tired, or feeling bruised, or - whatever other reasons come to mind."
She sips her own sherry daintily, giving every appearance of composure, although there is a hint of color for her admission. "I am," Tanira says suddenly, "going to make a recommendation, your majesty, which is both impolitic and a trifle rude. And I hope that you will not take it amiss. However, no matter - how things should turn out, I feel I should say this. Should this not come to fruition, King Eavan.... and I say this out of friendship, new-sprung though it is, and I hope that it is not too impertinent..."
She is in danger of obfuscation, and she draws herself up, pressing a hand to her temple, fingertips massaging. "What I am trying to say so badly," Tanira finally manages, tone wry, "is that whoever you should end up marrying, please don't consider marrying Lady Imogen. I do not know if you have met her. She is not a bad woman, particularly. But ... I feel very certain that you would end up deeply unhappy, if you were to marry her... and it seems likely to me based on what you've mentioned that she would rank, through lack of personal knowledge, high on your Chancellor's lists. And very possibly upon your aunt's, and your cousins' as well, although for differing reasons."
The King seems to both know and understand your point. "For my part, selfishly, I hope that I don't have reason to consider other options. But I do appreciate that. I am familiar with the Duchess of Rosewood. That would be reason enough for me." He takes the final sip of sherry, setting the glass aside. "I do not take it amiss. In fact, I'm flattered that you would warn me. And ... don't apologize for formality. I tend toward it as well, Princess. It doesn't mean that I am aloof or not interested. It is a matter of manners for me. And...certainly...when I know you better, as I sincerely hope to, I will eventually call you by your name. That is, if you allow it." He smiles at himself and at you. "Do not worry. We are similar creatures, in some ways, I think. And I will send word to your fathers, and arrange for suitable chaperonage. I know they will want an agent of their kingdom and family there. Which only makes sense."
King Eavan smiles to you, some of his anxiety dissolving. He rises. "For now, however, I think I should let you have a few moments of blessed silence and well deserved peace and rest. I ...understand completely what you mean. As for our outing, I will make the arrangements for day after tomorrow but will send a proposed date and time to you. If you need to change it due to conflicts, just tell my man and we'll come to accord. It ... has been a distinct pleasure, Princess Tanira."
He leaves you, not with a presumptive kiss upon your hand, but with a pleasant smile and a final, whispered word of Rest.
Posted by rowan at March 12, 2010 08:49 PM
