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 Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:42 pm
"I do not know if I ever have any intention of getting married. The closest thing to it will be when we find a wife for Lord Mana. Only once he is settled in his role as Emperor will I even attempt to have a life of my own." It may have sounded sad but Gabriel did this out of love for his cousin. He didn't want him being hurt or unhappy with his destined position.
He also didn't want him to have an unhappy marriage. Gabriel was also part of that process. He refused to leave it up to the advisors who would just find a girl would be quiet and stay out of the way. But the white merman wanted more than that for Mana. He needed someone he could enjoy spending time with and raise happy children. The former Empress was a choosen wife but she had made a wonderful impression on the Emperor and his advisors.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:52 pm
Lysander was a bit taken aback by Gabriel's certainty that he would likely remain unwed. Lysander was fairly certain that he would never marry, but that's because he didn't meet many people, particularly of the female persuasion, and he couldn't imagine falling in love, or marrying for any other reason. He knew people did marry for other reasons, important people who had to think of others before they thought of their own desires, but he was one of those who was insignificant enough that it hardly mattered who he chose to marry, as long as he didn't decide to marry someone important. It wasn't exactly a flattering light in which to view himself, but he wasn't bothered by it all that much. If he was meant to find love, he would, but he rather suspected that love would have to find him, because he wasn't about to go looking.
"You should marry," he said firmly to Gabriel. Then, to make sure he didn't sound like some sort of crazy person, he continued, "I mean, you have responsibilities, too. You're a powerful magic-user, which means you're kind of obligated to create more powerful magic-users. There's always a shortage, after all."
He realized that his clarification probably hadn't made him sound any more sane, but he did feel very firmly that those with the most talent had a responsibility to have talented children and raise them to realize their potential. It was the only way to combat the overwhelming numbers of idiots and drones the worlds seemed to turn out.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:02 pm
"Ah but I came from two parents who have barely any magical talent. So who's to say my children will be magically inclined? And what sort of father would I be if I only bred for the sake of passing on my abilities? What if the child wasn't magical? Would he or she think themselves less of a proper child because it wasn't what I wanted?" He smiled through all of this. It was in good nature he spoke, because he had this conversation with several other people, one of which being his own mother.
"I do not feel it is right to have a child merely for the chance of having one that will be great. After all, if that was all there was to children then Princess Uriel would not be here for the heir was already born. Why have another child?" He remembered the announcement of Empress Nautilia's pregnancy. Mana had done flips all day yelling that he was to be a big brother now. All the kingdom had rejoiced when Uriel was born for she bore the loveliness of her mother. But Uriel was hardly a young lady. She liked to wrestle, fight, and race horses. He suspected she would one day take up arms and join the Atlantian Defenders under his Uncle. Who knows, perhaps she would be his successor.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:36 pm
"Certainly," Lysander agreed smoothly, "if you had children only for the sake of passing on your abilities, that would be unfortunate, especially if, as you suggested, your children turn out not to have your gifts. However it is unlikely. Magical ability, in particular, seems to be fairly capricious, but I think your family is full of gifted people who possess a variety of useful skills and traits, magic and intelligence among them. It would be a shame if you never even attempted to contribute to that."
He shrugged and shifted his weight so that he was supporting himself with his right hand instead of his left hand as he sat on the dock with his left knee raised and his right leg bent on the dock with the foot hooked around his left ankle. He worked the kinks out of his left wrist by rotating it and flexing his fingers. He was not a heavy person, but supporting most of his torso on one hand for prolonged periods of time still made his wrist throb and his hand fall asleep.
"It's your life and your decision, of course, and definitely none of my business," he said, grinning. "Really, I'm just some person you happened to meet, and my opinions probably don't have too much value for you, anyway, except to serve as interesting things to consider. I hope they're at least mildly interesting."
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:51 pm
"Ah but you are most interesting, and at least a good conversationalist. It is hard to find that amoung the goblins I've discovered. And while I am enjoying our meeting I am afraid I need to attend to some matters at courst so I must leave you." He leaned forward as his long muscular legs glowed a bit before forming the smooth fish tail. He slid into the water then resurfaced.
"If you ever wish more conversation or help with your magic, feel free to come back to the lake and speak with me. I am often at this dock. Farewell my friend, Lysander." With a nod the ghostly merman drove into the water and swam back towards the deeper part of the lake.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:41 pm
Lysander bid the merman farewell and watched as he swam off. He had learned some new things, and that, in itself, had made the conversation worthwhile, but he had enjoyed meeting Gabriel, too. That was more important, he told himself as he collected his things and decided to try his communication spell another day.
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