[IC] =Epine de Rose's Teepee= (Paramekia)

[Epine de Rose]

.[It's a Matter of Trust].
Love is a complicated thing, one that no one can truly understand until it embraces them absolutely. The expectations of a parent can weigh heavily on one's shoulders, but their instincts are second to none. As Raniero returns home, it is revealed that though a potential bride is not necessarily what his father desires for him - that doesn't mean she may be completely written off...

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Never in all his life had he anticipated that he would have been landed in such an awkward position. Flashbacks of previous conversations with his father were now common place in the forefront of his memory and cast aside any other musings he may have had prior to the encounter that had left him all but reeling. He was half way between fury at the position her mother had placed him in and at the fact that he had very nearly accepted it! Yes, Marut was an exceptionally attractive mare in her own right but that did not mean he was responsible for her well being. That was the duty of her parents and to infer that he was now responsible well...they didn't even fully comprehend the issues that caused!

You see, the problem was that Marut wasn't a purebred and for all her beauty and quirks this couldn't be ignored. He understood the expectations of his father and while he had disagreements with him there remained an extreme level of respect. While Marut was an agreeable mare and he would not be adverset o her company, he couldn't lie to his father and then attempt to explain potential half breed traits when they cropped up. This was not his immediate concern though, given that the entire situation was not something that Raniero was well versed in at all.

Give him an emotional spat at a distance any day.

"Thundering through a forest as though you are a wild boar will do nothing for your mother's nerves," the voice purred from the nearby shadows, his father's golden rings releasing a very soft chime as the larger stallion came to rest his weight against the trunk of the tree. A brow raised enquiringly at the erratic behaviour of his son, though the composure was quickly found in response to his observation.

"My brother does it often enough, I should permitted at least one moment to storm about," Raniero responded coolly, shaking his head albeit promptly as he reigned in an attitude born of frustration. His father had done nothing but spoil him, permitted him to go about his own business as he saw fit. Hell, Paramekia hadn't even batted an eyelid as rumours circled his son regarding his sexual orientation - all he had done was request that his son do one thing for him before continuing with the rest of his research - he'd requested he sired an heir. Admittedly Raniero hadn't gotten around to it yet but he had made that promise.

"Indeed, though it is most unlike you," the brow rose higher and Paramekia removed himself from the shadows with yet another soft chime, navy robes parting the foliage at his hooves with each step. "Why so dramatic, so sudden?"

"When you chose mother as a mate, was it out of necessity, lust or love?" A little abrupt and forward for any child to ask their parents but Paramekia had encouraged such things. An heir who was 'to the point' achieved results much more swiftly than one who acted timidly. It was an odd question for his son to ask, but given recent murmurs and chattering amongst the critters of the forest there were reasons behind it. Ah yes, the appearance of the rogue mare in his forest hadn't gone unnoticed...nor had Raniero's desire to hide from her.

"Lust, initially - your visitor isn't working out quite as you planned, is she?" Paramekia chuckled softly, circling his son as the younger male slumped slightly and echoed his father's previous pose. His shoulder resting against the tree trunk, amber eyes trailed after his father. It was important now more than ever for him to maintain his composure given that his father was peering at him in an otherwise scrutinising fashion. As any parent would have, Paramekia had many questions to ask but unlike other parents he waited for his son to tell him first - why pry when his eldest son should have been comfortable enough to explain on his own.

"I am not entirely sure how it happened, a random encounter turned into a number of exchanges, it was of no concern to me for the most part given that she is a tomboy and could scarcely tell the different between a male and a female - hell the bloody mare doesn't even recognise when a male is only humouring her because he wants to look at her a**!"

"Something changed then?"

"She woke up," Raniero shifted his gaze towards hi father and shook his head slowly. He had always been the studious type and could recognise a shift in one's feelings immediately, but this was simply too much for him. "I am not like her other friends, I cannot run for miles or spar and I recognised her as female first and foremost."

"So the wallflower bloomed much later than she should have," Paramekia shrugged loosely at this and turned to face his son, his brow creasing somewhat as he mused over the possible issues regarding this little revelation. No doubt his mother's teachings regaridng respect of the opposite gender had come in somewhere given that the reports were that the mare was attractive, but the father was also more than aware of his own expectations and how important his son considered them.

"Right as she introduced me to her mother," Raniero pointed out plainly. However while he had expected the eyebrow to raise he had not been prepared for the 'snerk' that was released from his father. Perhaps it was the irony he found amusing, or perhaps he had already predicted that his son had already shot himself in the hoof. "I am aware that I should never have agreed to it in the first place but I couldn't say no!"

"Then what appears to be the problem? You have an attractive mare at your disposal who is obviously inclined towards you, I have no doubt that her parents approved of your good manners and I am assuming she is agreeable..."

"She doesn't even know the specifics behind courting, she is beyond naive and her mother pretty much threatened to kill me if I break her heart though I made no attempts to lead her on."

"Except that you humoured her for so long."

Raniero visibly twitched at this and released an almost pained snort at the fact that his father was indeed correct. There was no denying that he had perhaps sent the wrong messages to the young mare, but the fact still remained that he hadn't done it maliciously - he had felt compelled to. There was a distinct difference and he was fairly certain his father knew of this. That being said his father had long ago said that he didn't give a toss who the mother was provided he had an heir within the near future - it was a black and white issue for his father, or that's how it felt at least.

"She is not a purebreed, she is of mixed blood too and that is where the problem lies," not strictly true but the stallion was not about to get into the myriad of complications regarding the disputes in his head at this moment in time. "The age difference and the differing hobbies is of no issue to me, the naivity could be dealt with but -"

"How severe?"

"Kalona."

"That is a problem," Paramekia agreed softly, popping his lips as he mused over the awkwardness of the situation. There was something the child wasn't telling him, though for the most part he had explained the situation in as clear a manner as one could while surpressing the rest of the facts. "She is definitely not pregnant?"

"One hundred percent positive that she isn't."

"Hence the question as to whether I paired with your mother out of necessity, lust or love. You like her."

"I don't know, I feel...compelled to do things I would not normally consider."

"Like visiting her parents?"

Raniero shot his father a rather dark stare at the jagged comment but had to admit he had a point. For one so rational as he, he should have denied the request immediately having recognised the risks but he hadn't. Instead he had agreed and as a consequence has landed himself in such an awkward position, made worse only by the fact that the mare wasn't a purebred. Even now he could see his father musing over the complications with such a set up.

"She is attractive, she can be useful when she is not ruining my research and she compels me to do things I would normally not consider but the fact still remains that she's part Kalona..."

"That isn't the issue with you though is it? That is my issue, an issue in which you try to hide behind in an attempt to offset the necessity for you to come to terms with the truth behind this entire problem." If anyone had overheard that they would know instantly where Raniero had received his scholarly nature from, that overly analytical and articulate manner of addressing people. While his brother had turned into his mother, Raniero had most definitely become an image of his father.

"She's too naive - I can't hurt her. Morals are a terrible thing, father."

"And if she suddenly developed clarity on this issue would your feelings change?"

"Possibly," Raniero confessed with another small shake of his head. "A part of me does not believe that I have the ability to deny it either, but another part of my being is also aware of your desire for pure children and if that was the case then that is not something I would be capable of providing."

"I will be the judge of that."

"What?"

"If your Princess is brave enough to seek you out with an true awareness of her feelings then she is at my disposal," Paramekia raised a brow and eyed his son coolly. A challenge to some, but simply an expression that required absolute understanding on the part of his child. Paramekia had no intention of harming Marut but as Marut had sought approval from Neve, she would be subject to the exact same scrutiny from Paramekia if she was brave enough.

"You propose a test then..." Raniero murmured softly, musing over how such a thing might be received.

"Yes."

"And if she were to fail?"

Paramekia smiled ever so slightly at this and rolled his shoulders again. With this he circled his son once more and flicked at his flank with his tail. A soft chime of the golden jewels within his hair and he disappeared into the shadows once more, a soft and almost inaudible sentence just managing to catch his son's ears.

"It is a question of trust, Raniero..."