|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 8:21 pm
Chloe offered the groom a deep bow that was half-curtsy and smiled, blushing. Would it be uninteresting or exciting to have the in-word on one of the lords' companions being a common girl? She certainly hoped the latter, at least until it was dangerous for Andrus.
While she was glad that someone was holding the horse steady, Chloe showed fair muscle memory in mounting up, albeit ungracefully. For a moment she sat astride, then shifted her weight and lifted her other leg over the mare's head. She was nothing if not nimble, at least in the legs. Her arms had more issue, but luckily that didn't matter in the case of horseback riding. It took another moment of adjustment before she smiled to Andrus.
"Who, me?" she asked, meaning no offense in the question. It hadn't quite struck her that there was no one else to be asking aside from the mare herself. The girl laughed slightly and shook her head. "Fine, thank you. It'll take a bit of getting-used-to, I think, but I'm beginning to remember how fun this was." She stroked the mare's neck and touched an ear before rubbing her head. Such a large beast, so powerful, and stood directly beneath her, not so much in her power as much as they were companions. What was her name? Something with a T. "What's her name?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 3:53 am
The groom handed Chloe the reins and stepped away with the mounting block. He didn't know the purpose of this ride, or the reasons behind it, but it pleased him to see his lords interacting with her. The lifestyles of the upper class rarely seemed healthy.
"That's good," Andrus said, joining in the laughter. "Theresa. She will take good care of you."
"Let's go riding, then!" Jordun cut in. Idriss would have loved to bolt off into the woods and go racing through the fields. She and Archer had an ongoing competition between the two of them. The little doe was much more nimble and surefooted on the winding forest paths, but Archer's long stride made up for that over open fields. She flagged her tail and bleated, but her Chosen put an end to those ideas with a firm thought.
"My brother grows impatient," Andrus said with a wry smile, turning his horse toward the trails.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 12:02 pm
Chloe nodded, patting the mare's neck and giving her thanks once more to the groom before turning to Andrus.
"Well, it wouldn't do to make him wait, would it?" she asked, taking a moment or two to remember how, exactly, to get a horse to move while riding aside. Theresa would take good care of her, he'd said... hopefully the re-learning curve wouldn't be too steep.
At some point, Chloe knew that conversation would start up again. She would rather have liked to know how Andrus had escaped his imminent beau, especially on the night of her welcoming party. Perhaps some other charming lord had stolen her eye, although the Countess had seemed rather intent. She'd have liked to know where she could find Andrus now that her work with the Countess was finished. For now, though, she was content to simply ride, in awe of the estate. It was like an entire village could live upon this land, and it was meant for only one family and their employees. There was something romantic about this place. The grass seemed greener, the trees taller and more elegant... didn't they always, though? but here, the way the sun shone, it was like living in the pages of one of her novels.
"Thank you, Andrus," she said, her voice soft and distant. He had not owed her anything. There had been no requirement to invite her on this ride. Even if he had not been behind it, to not cancel their visitation and forget all about her, but he hadn't. It meant more than he could ever imagine. This was where he lived, after all. This was his life.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 8:37 pm
"My wrath would be devastating and terrible," Jordun offered as Andrus turned around in his saddle to ensure that Chloe was managing.
"That's it, relax your hands and let her take the reins. She knows what to do." Andrus didn't subscribe to the train of thought that said a horse looked more fashionable with its head uncomfortably high in the air. He had found that they were much smarter than most gave them credit for, and that they could better take care of themselves and their riders when left well alone.
"Shall we take this trail through the woods? There is a field on the other side, and a small river running through," he added. It would be a good place to stop for a while and linger. His horse seemed to know already where they were headed, and ambled toward the trees.
Jordun, too, sent Idriss off toward the woods, keeping her controlled by firmly disagreeing with all of her notions of races. Not today, he told her, even as she bounced about with obvious excitement. "She thinks she is going to win this time around," he said, even though the doe always lost once Archer came into the rolling fields.
By the time they emerged on the other side of the woods, the sun had passed its peak. The sound of the creek bubbling across the field greeted them, and Archer pricked his ears in recognition. "We can rest by the water a while," Andrus suggested, glad that their ride had remained incident-free.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 2:20 pm
Chloe's delightedly at Jordun's comment, and then entertained the thought of being spirited away by the under-ridden horse, the wind blowing her hair as they galloped through the moors, which for some reason stretched several towns' lengths in her mind. Of course, sweet and docile Theresa didn't seem the type to go on an uninvited trip, and Chloe was just as grateful. Adventure was fun, but not getting lost with a horse was probably better. As it was, she could watch their surroundings freely without fear of veering off the path or into a stream and her legs were growing more used to their bent-and-hooked position in the saddle.
She might have regretted not conversing with her Coincidence and Jordun were it not for how unreasonably beautiful the world had become around them. The most noise she made was a small sound of awe when a rabbit ran by between the trees, otherwise admiring the way the sun streamed through the leaves, dappling her companions' hair with soft shadow. They were real, she reminded herself. These were actual, living noblemen who had taken a liking to her, and they were actually all on a ride together through the wood. It was an experience Chloe never would have imagined she would experience in real life, although the stories in her mind often led somewhere similar.
"That sounds wonderful..."
It was the sound of the creek that drew Chloe off of her steed, leaping to the ground in a rather ungraceful manner. She rushed to the water and crouched, dipping her fingers into the flow and peering up and down stream at the cool water ribboning between the rocks. She peered up at Andrus then, a grin splitting her face. It had been so long since she'd seen running water, and especially this clean. The girl paused then to stand and lifted a book from her bag. She looked first to Andrus, but as she continued to speak her gaze turned to Jordun, and it was one that said very plainly that the proceedings may not be entirely agreeable with him. It was a soft, happy expression that she imagined only dreamers knew, and she liked Jordun.
"Would you mind coming with me for a moment? I have something to show you." She lifted her skirts, traveling into the water only barely and perching atop a large stone. She turned to Andrus, waiting for him to come and placing her hand gently upon the rock beside her in an attempt to guide him there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:07 am
Jordun swung down from Idriss' back and caught Chloe's look, which told him everything he needed to know. That was the whole point of this exercise after all, and this was as good a place as any to let her spend some time alone with Andrus. The grass bending under the soft touch of the wind beckoned, and the dreamer in him desired some time alone as well.
Andrus followed in dismounting, and seemed to pay little attention to his brother while securing the horses so they could graze without worry. Leaving Idriss to nose along at the grass beside the horses and to act as his eyes and ears into the situation, Jordun turned and melted into the shadows of the woods again. The light dappled across the leaves and the twisting tree roots set the perfect stage for a story, a painting or a sketch, and though he had no paper or pen, he could envision such works of art coming to life simply by taking in the scenery.
By the stream, Andrus regarded Chloe's book curiously. Watching her step into the water, seeing the grin on her face, brought back memories of a childhood spent dashing across these very rocks and an adolescence spent hunting foxes across these fields. There had been a sense of wonder embedded in the land back then, back when the child in him had been in charge and had been allowed the freedom to experience such things. Seeing her now, Andrus thought he felt some of that wonder flooding back.
So he followed, stepping into the water and climbing onto the stone to join her. "I ought not be afraid, I hope," he said with a smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:04 am
Grateful for Jordun's discretion, Chloe placed the book in her lap and began turning through its pages. This was her most recent sketchbook, full of pencil drawings and the occasional ink or soft pigment. She was searching for one piece in particular, a silly sentimental sketch that she had nevertheless toiled over whether to tear it out or not. Even the most scribbled-upon page of her earliest work had never been removed, but she assured herself that this was a different situation entirely. The more she searched, though, the more her face flushed. This was silly. Sentimental. While she as certain that she was something special to Andrus as well, she couldn't be certain just how special. Upon finding the marker she was looking for, Chloe ignored the sketch nestled between two irrelevant pages and simply pulled forth a ribbon she had once worn in her hair.
She held it in her palm and stretched it out toward Andrus.
"It's silly now, I know," she said, laughing slightly in her embarrassment, "It's overly-sentimental of me, but seeing as to how my employment is no longer so close to your hearth, and your brother will be leaving and taking with him the will to summon me at a whim, I thought maybe... something to remember me by?" She gave a self-depreciating laugh and touched her free hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry. You can throw it out once we turn a corner, I'll never know. I just prefer to think you won't forget me."
The sketchbook still lay open on her lap, displaying a common girl's rendition of the day they had met. The characters were recognizable, a maid in the arms of a lord, well-dressed with a ballroom encroaching upon the wall and cabinets that had existed in reality. The chair that Chloe had been standing on stood close behind her as she laughed. The opposite page was unrelated, a series of strangers' faces for the sake of study, and upon closer inspection one might see that the particularly personal sketch had been gently torn from its original casing, perhaps in another book entirely, and laid between two others for preservation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:02 am
Andrus reached for the ribbon and studied it. He was greeted by a sense of familiarity and assumed she had worn it on one of the days they had met; the first day, perhaps. Though he could not pinpoint the exact occasion, he understood the meaning behind it and the significance it held. It was a token, however small, of the time they had spent together, though it was not long. The ribbon was fitting as a representation of the scattered moments they had shared: trivial perhaps, but hardly worthless.
He had to smile. "Don't worry, Chloe, I couldn't forget you," he reassured her. A hand went to retrieve his pocket watch, drawing it out and laying it flat. The other looped the ribbon around and tied it to the chain. "You see?"
An errant glance brought the sketchbook to his attention, opened to a picture of a scene the both of them recognized. "Neither will you forget, I see," Andrus added. It was a good thing, a moment worth treasuring. "Sentimentality is hardly a bad thing. Otherwise neither of us would be here, and that would be shame."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:32 pm
Chloe felt a rush of emotions that confused her, and could only smile. There was a chill at the back of her neck and a sadness behind her eyes, but her heart felt so warm, and the chill there was barely a chill, more like a... chirrup? She hated that their time together was likely coming to a close, but memories were not something that ever left you. She could remember their days until it came her time to go, flip through her books and remember the warmth of his hands and the swell of his chest. He would always be her Coincidence, even worlds away and even without her ribbon.
"Oh? You can look, if you'd like," the girl responded after a moment, lifting the book from her lap and offering it to Andrus. She wondered as she straightened the loose page: was there anything particularly embarrassing in it? No, she decided, save that one page consisting almost exclusively of Andrus, his face and his form and 'he sings such sweet silence'. Otherwise there were faces, animals, sights from windows and eyes of the past, her old home, her old life, she and Andrus in situations that had happened or had been spoken of, scattered amongst scenes from her novels and from her imagination. There was nothing to be embarrassed of, anyway. Even if Andrus did not feel the same way about her, he simply had to be aware how fond she was of him. The only truly questionable art had been forged weeks prior, a lonely girl perched on a bed with a bun on a napkin beside her. It wasn't quite ominous, just a bit sad.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 10:57 am
He accepted the proffered sketchbook, flipping carefully through the pages and pausing to study each drawing. "These are beautiful..." he said, half lost in thought as he perused the book. "No wonder you and Jordun get along... he's a bit of a dreamer, as you've probably already seen." And after a while, he seemed not to quite notice what he was saying as he browsed through her drawings.
Each time he came to a page of them, he stopped and seemed reminded of those fond memories, brief as they usually were. The dance, the book, the park; they each brought a smile to his face. And then he turned the page onto one of... him, and the likeness was more than impressive. Unbidden, his hand reached to trace one of the lines and passed over the words Chloe had written, lingering there. He sings such sweet silence.
He knew then that she understood him somehow but was confused by him all the same, in the same sort of never-ending dance that the two of them seemed to be dancing around each other. Around, toward, away; even Andrus couldn't tell. For all intents and purposes, it seemed like what little time they had together was done. And yet, somehow, it felt as though it had yet to begin and that an ending was not yet on the books for the two of them.
"Chloe," he said, and for a moment it seemed as if he had said it just to hear the sound of her name. Then finally, "There are many things I would like to say, silences I would like to break... And if this was a book, perhaps I could, but... I don't think this is a story I'm allowed to write on my own. Do you understand? There are so many others... My father, my brother..." The Family. Wasn't it their story too?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 2:35 pm
Chloe's expression turned soft. She smiled faintly, and in her eyes was a young woman who had seen unfairness and loss in her short time. It hurt her to think so, but there was a fair chance that she and her Coincidence would be forced to drift apart; gently, she hoped, so she could sleep nights and focus on her work. She would have loved to see some forbiddion relationship, some budding romance, a change in decision, but she was no fool. The real world didn't work like the books. Otherwise, she would not have lost her parents. If she had, it was only to find herself great success and true love in the future. She wasn't silly. Her life was meant for work and for being alone, and that was her place in the world just as Andrus had his far above her head. She had never truly hoped that he would turn to her; such a thought was only destructive in the long term. No, she had just imagined and known that some day they would end, to some point.
After all, Andrus had specifically said that he wouldn't forget her, and she knew that he would stay with her in head and heart until it was her time to pass. She was lucky to have had any time with him, a lord who by all logic should never have given her the time of day. He was different, she knew, but even dreamers had their limits.
The girl lifted a hand and placed it on Andrus' cheek, her head tilting slightly in sadness.
"Oh, Andrus. I know. Where ever we may end, it is right to let it go, even for the aching of my heart," she said, and her smile grew while her nostrils flared with a surge of emotion. She would not cry. She would not apply guilt to an already unsavory situation. "We can be comforted with the stories in our head, can't we? When you have a wife, a family, you can think of me fondly and with distance. I would not want to interfere with your life, Andrus. It is not my place, nor my right. I wish I knew what you held in silence, but your decisions are your own. I ask for nothing. You have already given me more than I could have dreamed, and I will never forget."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 11:29 am
There was so much in her eyes, so much reflected there that Andrus would never fully understand. She was so many worlds away from him and he from her, and yet here they both stood, right beside each other as if nothing separated them at all. As if, he dared to think, there ought to be nothing separating them. But who was he to make a judgment like that?
He thought of his father and the look of disapproval usually reserved for Jordun. Everything his father and grandfather had worked for had culminated in their family as Andrus knew it, a burden that rested upon his shoulders. It was his job to hold it up and do all that he could to prevent it from collapsing around him. That was his legacy, to build upon what had already been created.
But could this be goodbye? Could it be, as she said, that they were doomed to a future of thinking fondly of each other when he had a wife and a family? It was a bitter image that burned into his thoughts, haunted by the ever-present fear of a cold and loveless future with a woman like the Countess' Claudia. What was it all for, if not for happiness? Could the money and the reputation bring joy if all of their hearts ached for something or someone in the distance? There seemed to Andrus a leap of faith involved that was much more than just a leap, and the future seemed a vast abyss from which there was no return.
He understood, suddenly, that Chloe was the adventure that he had banished from his life for so many years, the adventure that the younger Andrus would have chased without a second thought. This was the one, the grand adventure he had been searching for all his life and now that he had found her, he was poised to stand back and wave her along on her merry way.
It didn't seem right.
"Don't," he heard himself say. "Don't ask for nothing. Nothing will get you nothing, and... gods." A less proper man would have cursed, but Andrus held back the choice words that leaped to his tongue. His hand went to grasp the one Chloe had placed on his cheek and slowly pulled it away. For a moment, it was unclear even to Andrus what the gesture meant, unclear whether he intended to break the contact between them once and for all.
Then he thought he heard whispered words, saying, Child, it is time for an adventure. Vaguely, it occurred to him that the voice would have fit perfectly with Feather, had she possessed a voice. He could feel her nearby. Her proximity made him feel inexplicably good, and the next moment he knew that he had pulled Chloe's hand away so he could kiss her. He bent toward her, thinking distantly that he might scare her again, but felt, quite magically, that he wouldn't this time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:54 am
"You have given too much for me to ask any more."
Chloe might have cried when her hand was removed, but she had been preparing for this day since their third encounter. Instead she just smiled and nodded, a sadness on her face but no tears on her cheeks. She did not think that Andrus much relished their parting either, but he had duties to uphold that she could never imagine. Being nobility seemed to hold just as much burden as being destitute, although in very different ways. She understood his obligations as what they were, and she would never forget the days they spent entirely ignoring and even disobeying them.
The kiss, however. She had not been prepared for that.
It was not frightening and it was not unwanted, but it was certainly a surprise. With so much talk of duty and legacy and silence, for her Coincidence to lunge so suddenly away from it all was shocking. The girl's eyes widened a moment before she fell into the kiss. It was not something she had done before, and yet it seemed so inherent, so gentle, so soft. It was now that the tears came, and she had to stop the glorious interaction to breathe, to sob, to hold Andrus' hand and fall against his chest.
Never did she imagine that she would have her kiss.
Never did she imagine that she would have her love, for even a moment.
What could this mean? What would it bring in the future? Her tears were sweet, and she touched Andrus' face as if she had never seen it before. Her reverence for him was unmistakeable in her soft expression.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 9:43 am
He was as surprised as she was, wondering where it had come from, wondering how, for all that he knew he had to do right by his family, he had let it come to this. But there little regret in him, little, really, except for a warm satisfaction that spread through him and let him know that he had made the right choice.
He buried his face into her hair, breathing in her smell, encircling her with his arms and feeling the weight of her in his embrace, so close to him, like they were dancing once again but this time, it was better. It was so right, and yet... Andrus knew it was not. The voice in his head was saying two different things at once: hold her close and keep her, but also, let go before you drag her into a world that won't necessarily want her there.
He leaned back to wipe the tears from her face, saw the look in her eyes and knew that letting go was not any option. No, they had come a long way for this, a longer way perhaps than either of them realized.
But there were obstacles yet, a society that could not, would not welcome her the way she was. A society that he could not very well leave behind. "I will to find a way," he said finally. "I promise you, I will. If it's the last thing I do, I'll find a way."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 11:38 am
To be held like this was new, and very welcome. There was a strength to a man's chest and a warmth to his arms that she had only read about in stories. She was comforted and excited simultaneously, relishing how close he came to her, how he buried himself in her hair. When she had asked to go for a horse riding lesson, she certainly hadn't expected it to turn into this!
She could only imagine the conflict in Andrus' mind. She knew that he had a duty to his family as the eldest son, and yet it seemed as if he felt a duty to her as well. Her Coincidence, who had meant so much to her from their first meeting, seemed to hold her in the same high regard. if she had known sooner, certainly these tears would no be coming, but then the sweetness of this moment would certainly be lessened.
She looked to him with lips parted, peering up unto honest eyes with total admiration. He loved her, and he was determined. Perhaps this was no temporary affair. perhaps he had something more steady, even potentially more public in mind.
She laughed then, a light and chiming sound.
"You must think me silly for all these tears," she said, turning to kiss his cheek for the sheer thrill of his flesh against her lips, "Know that it is all in joy. I trust you, Andrus."
She put her hands to his chest then, simply because now she was allowed. She pressed just slightly, then ran her fingers down his ribcage. He was so strong. So... real. She turned again to his face and ran her thumbs over his brow, her hands over his cheeks, and then massaged the muscles of his shoulders.
He was truly there. A real man, and one she felt so fondly toward. She could not possibly describe the feeling in her chest or the whirring in her head.
She had entirely forgotten Jordun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
