Private Tales To Eclipse Them All

[Leovold]

A fair point. More than one might expect. Surely the nobility had played these little games of life and death for more than one generation in their never ending hunts for power.

"There will be times in-between to plan. Doors to close, whispers to be had behind them. Let it be known that Leovold Solherre might be brazed, but he is no fool."

With that assurance, the music drew to a close. Leovold let slide a "tch" before bowing to his new fiancée. Their families would expect them back sooner rather than later.

 

[Eira]

Eira could hear what was unspoken in Leovold's words. There was an act she must keep up, one they both needed to put on for show.

Not just for their families, but for Thanasis and beyond...

After he bowed, Eira sank in a deep curtsy before him. She would wait until he extended a hand to her, and it was that moment Eira would need to sell the perfect picture. Her head would lift as soon as she registered his movement, her eyes glancing up to his hand before traveling to his face, and there, she would hold his stare a moment before taking his hand.

In that brief moment, any trained eye would see the infatuation.

The Moon looked to the Sun.

Standing before him, Eira feigned a small smile that gave her a flattering look. "We may also speak in public. It is xpected for us to court, to be seen. If we do well in that, in selling our act, we win the favour of the nobility. Their support will help us all with the aspirations we have..." She murmured so softly, her lips barely moved. She took his arm, motioning sublty for them to return to their families that still gathered where they had been before the dance.

"See, Mother, how happy Eira is? This is an advantageous marriage proposal... you brought her up to be a lovely wife to a Lord one day." Ilir smiled, but there was a stiffness in his gaze. It was as if he was watching his younger sister with calculated scrutiny, deciphering whether or not her gentle attentions to Leovold were a game or genuine emotion.

Eira gave him no room for doubt as she willed her cheeks to redden.

She was glad she had worked with Leovold in the past, had crossed paths and engaged in conversation while with the Thunder. Without that, it would have been harder to convince her family she was content with this arrangement.

"It is easier to accept such an arrangement when you are good friends with your husband to be." A pulled her lips into a winning smile, ensuring that it grew wider still as she turned to look up at Leovold before looking to his father. "And I will insist on having dinner with you, Lord Solherre, and your family. I hope to learn more about your family's histories, and the dragons. No need to convince Tyafainne to make friends with the Sun Dragons..." And at that, she laughed. Kleio Malennis surprised herself by joining in, but it was Eira's act that had her concerns lessen.

She knew her daughter to be strong, built for this.

Ilir watched Eira, amusement sparking across his face.

"A perfect match for House Solherre. She was born for this." And her brother smiled, bade the Solherres farewells before escorting his mother elsewhere in the ballroom. Eira did not cower being left alone. She was dressed like the darkest hour before dawn, a moment waiting on the sun to rise and fill this world with light.

The Lords of both their Houses did not know what they were in for.

 

[Leovold]

There was a curiosity in Leovold's gently glowing eyes as he returned Eira's stare. For a moment he sensed that there was something else to it, but he dared not assume to place what it was. What he beheld before him was a beautiful woman who held both his respect and his earnest promise. Though he cursed his father and her brother for casting them together so abruptly, so unwillingly, he could not deny that he was far from cursed by such a pairing.

For now, however, there was a game to be played. Play it they would. He watched intently as Eira cast her hand first, playing to put Lord Tyros on the backfoot. She could not have known that such details were a blind spot in the elder Solherre's expertise, yet she struck flawlessly at them regardless. Leovold had to fight the urge to smirk.

A brief moment of silence stirred, and Tyros forced a smile.
"But of course, Young Lady Eira. As my son's future wife, we would be more than happy to entertain you for a dinner in our halls. And many more, I'm sure," he said after Kleio and Eira had ceased their tittering. He watched as Ilir left thereafter, the little bonfires in his eyes trailing the boy's departure. "If you excuse me, I believe my wife and I will leave you two to your devices. There are many others we must unfortunately make pleasantries with."

And suddenly, it was just Eira and Leo.

"Well...this should be interesting, at least."

 

[Eira]

Eira turned her gaze to that of her husband to be's.

"One more dance, to please the sycophants in this room." She murmured with a practiced smile. They certainly were holding attention of many onlookers, some praising them aloud and others raising a glass to Leovold for his match. "This night is the opening act to our story, shaped and directed by only us..." Eira stepped in front of him, lifting her head to meet his gaze. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders, but the Malennis daughter knew what she was doing.

She had played a part for so long, tonight gave way of a new story.

Her hand lifted, resting just shy of his heart, Eira then shook her head slightly to bring attention to the waterfall of dark hair that grazed her back. Then she smiled, coy and demure all the same. "One more dance..." She asked aloud, playing to the adoration all around them.

---

True to her word, Eira Malennis was expected to dine with the Solherre family at their ancestral home. She had insisted to go alone, without her meddling Lord brother or her mother, she had insisted this night be spent with the family she would wed into.

Her attire was elegant, but easy to ride on Tyafainne. No stranger to dresses while on dragonback, this evening called for something more striking. The dress itself was of fine midnight Thanasian silks, and the softest chiffon of a saturate mauve covered her arms left bared from the dress. As she walked into the home she was welcomed into, Eira looked every part of a Lady pined for by many of the sons of the nobles houses.

Her heart belonged to a lost son, to man Marked, and yet she now walked through the very halls of the man he hated.

After the gala, Ilir had intercepted her. Had told her of the crimes of what she had done and the very person the punishments were to be given to. It had been reckless of her to go see Cullen in the prison tower, but she had to see him, had to tell him she would not give up.

Only... Ilir's plans had been long in wait.

"Lord and Lady Solherre, I present Lady Eira of House Malennis." The attendant bowed and left the room, leaving Eira standing before the named Solherres. She tried her best not to notice or comment on Leovold not being in attendance, and a show of frustration came in teh form of her fists tightening, hidden in the folds of her silken skirts.

"Thank you for accepting my wishes to dine with your family, Lord Solherre." Eira released her hands to hold her skirts as she gave a perfect curtsy, bowing her head.

 

[Leovold]

Lord Tyros and Lady Anneliese stood from their seats at the table within the grand Solherre dining hall, offering her a respectful bow and curtsey, respectively, in turn.

"You are most welcome, Young Lady Malennis. You are soon to be my daughter-in-law...it is only natural that we might entertain you," the mountain of a man said with a meter that felt as though he'd rehearsed the line for some time in advance. Then, his jaw set forward, and his eyes wandered towards a nearby flight of stairs. "You must forgive my layabout son...I instructed him to be down here to join us by this time, yet he is so impudent as to make not only his father, but his fiancée wait!"

"Please, calm yourself, dear...tonight is not a night to allow tempers to flare," the gentle lady of House Solherre intoned, placing a hand softly on her husband's shoulder blade. "Besides...I am certain Leo means no disrespect. You know how meticulous that boy can be."

As if on cue, Leovold's footsteps could be heard descending the stairs. His own outfit came into view, looking like a much more refined and well-fitted version of what he had worn to the ball.

Leo wore his usual smug, confident grin as he entered the dining hall. He swept up astride Eira, looping his arm in hers.
"My Lady. I hope I did not keep you waiting long," he said, guiding her to a seat that he would pull out for her.

 

[Eira]

There was no denying that Leovold Solherre had his own aura of charisma, and it was something she believed he did not put on at all times. He had not held this swagger when they had first officially met, nor did he seem to show any signs of commanding a room when they were on a reconnaissance mission.

Eira recognised an equal, and deep within her grieving for Cullen and her loss of title, she knew there were worse candidates to be betrothed to.

"Thank you." She murmured, slipping into the seat he held out for her and gave him a polite smile as he helped push her chair in. Eira looked about the table, smiling wider now and looking up to the Lord and Lady of the House. "This is a wonderful display Lord Solherre, Lady Solherre."

The Malennis rider turned to where Leovold took his seat, her eyes staying on the accents of his outfit. "The gold reminds me of your dragon, Iralux. A brightness in the dark."

Gods, that was quite sappy to say, but Eira noted that it painted her as a lady betrothed would be found to say. She finished her words with a lingering stare before having to avert her gaze and gaze an apologetic wince to his parents.

 

[Leovold]

The young nobleman drank in the sight of his bride-to-be, his eyes tarrying at the high slits of her dress and the thigh-highs she'd seen to pair with the outfit.

"And your dress's elegance matches that of Tyafainne, as majestic as the moon," he chimed back, unusually poetic for him. If there was anyone he had to be married to, he was thankful that it was someone who was both unwavering in her competence and convictions as well as someone who was so impossibly beautiful.

He was far less apologetic about making such a display in front of his father. Anything that might irk him, especially if it pleased Eira. He sat next to his betrothed, and his parents sat after, across from the two of them.

"Thank you, dear," Lady Anneliese intoned, looking quite pleased with both herself and Eira. She held up a little bell and waggled it, the chime summoning servants to lay out food and wine for the present nobles. "I've put quite some effort into making this place feel more welcoming and less brutal. Solherre men are so blunt, even in their décor!"

Leo's mother tittered and quietly thanked the servants as they placed down trays and filled her goblet.

Tyros kept his arms folded across his chest, grumbling at the exchange. Leovold simply smiled. Regardless of how the night went, it was bound to be entertaining, at least.

 

[Eira]

Eira did her best not to smirk at Leovold's returning compliment. It felt as if they stepped into a game of pleasantries, and testing how ridiculous they could make their compliments be without rousing suspicion from his lording parents.

But Eira gave Lady Solherre a gracious smile, mostly constructed with sincerity. "Your home is beautiful, warmth or not. I have always heard that the architecture in these halls are reminiscent of the Palace. The same architect, was it not? Or perhaps a student of his?" All the homes of the Great Houses differed but had their own unique design or history. Eira was sure to brush up on everything she could find about the family she was to marry into.

This was not a night to remind them she was a Malennis. She would answer any questions they had about her family or dragon, but tjis was her chance to learn about the family Tyros was running. Eira already was acquainted with Leovold, but seeing him before his father made her curious of just how much of an equal match he proved to be in the game of power.

Her hands were placed on her lap, playing with the silk that rested on her thigh. She was dressed like a Malennis, something she was expected to represent before her wedding day, but Lady Solherre was right that she did her best to warm the home. Despite the cool of the night and from her flight, the dining room wrapped her in a warm embrace that left her pleasant in her attire. "I think I would like to see some of your home after dinner, if you permit it, Lord Solherre?"

 

[Leovold]

"That's correct," Leovold pitched in at Eira's question, quite proud of the answer. It was "meaningless drivel" according to his father, but Leo had always been quite proud of his family's history. "House Solherre have long had close ties to the throne since many of us have served as Scaleguard since the time of our founding, and the pact of the Dawnstone. Our ancestral home was designed by the Palace architect as a commemoration of our service to the monarchs."

Anneliese looked delighted to see her son so enthusiastic to share their family history, while Tyros looked bored, already stuffing a large forkful of food into his mouth and washing it down with a large swig of wine.
"A pale imitation at best..." the man muttered, resentment marking his tone and the little wrinkle of his brows.

Lady Anneliese jabbed her husband with an elbow, and Tyros glanced up at Eira, registering that he'd been asked a question.
"Hmm? Oh, yes, very well. A preemptive tour of the halls you will come to know well, I'm sure," he agreed dismissively.

 

[Eira]

Eira's gaze turned to Leovold as someone went around the table and poured red wine into their crystal glasses. "I think I would like to see this home under your guidance, Leovold." And a moment of privacy to talk without anyone to hear.

The hand playing with her skirt released the silk and reached for the wine after it was poured, and with surprise, she found the flavour quite pleasing and palatable. It reminded her of the dinners her father would educate herself and her siblings on wine and their tastes. How they paired well with certain foods.

It seemed the wine would pair perfectly with their meals, and the small portions of their entrées were set before each noble.

"Oh!" Eira stared at her plate. "Is this honeyed duck?"

She first looked to Leovold out of instinct before looking to his mother next, who seemed to be the one in charge of the menu. It would have been her duty to have her staff question the Malennis staff about Eira's favourite dishes.

A smile erupted her face, pleasantly surprised and happy that a delicacy such as this was before her. Duck was hard to come by and was often delegated to special occasions.

 

[Leovold]

Leovold cast a curious glance towards Eira, a brow quirked in her direction and a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Of course, my Lady. I'd be most happy to," he replied. Tyros simply glared for a moment before grunting, shrugging, and returning to his meal. He wasn't a terribly difficult man to annoy, but it seemed that Eira had a knack for it too.

Annaliese was happy to jump in at Eira's next question.
"Why yes, it is! I thought it fitting to have a duck caught for just such a night. I imagine we'll have another at your wedding, as well! Ah, and the honey, well," the Lady of House Solherre bore a proud look, like that of a housewife showing off a hobby she was well accomplished in. "I harvested it myself. The boys have their dragons, but I have my bees."

Leo couldn't help but chuckle a bit, looking sidelong at Eira. His mother was such a bright and cheery woman; that a grump like Tyros could have married her could only speak to arranged marriages not always finding good fits for young couples.

 

[Eira]

Eira happily cut into her honeyed duck and gave a tentative sample, her eyes delighting in the flavours and richness of that honey. She was beginning to enjoy the evening now, at ease and content that the Lady Solherre made the effort to welcome Eira in such fashion. Once her mouthful was clear, Eira looked to Lady Solherre with a disarmingly sweet expression. "The honey... it is nothing like the one I use at tea time. It is lovely, Lady Solherre."

Again, Eira could not stop herself from looking to Leovold. Her smile was still on her face, but looking to Leovold allowed her a moment of surprise to see him glancing back at her. She held his gaze for a moment before returning to her plate and taking another cut piece to her mouth.

She should be treading carefully, she should be making a fuss because Cullen was in a cell... but she had freedom to survive. She had the chance to come out in top and be in a position to help Cullen's situation one day. Ilir would not be the type to kill someone. He was always the one to play with his food, to tear it apart as he played along.

Eira should not be enjoying herself... but between Lady Solherre and her son... it was easy to forget her troubles weighing on her.

"You must keep an excellent garden then, Lady Solherre. I should like to see it upon my next visit, when the sun is still strong in the sky." She looked to the Lady, forcing herself to keep that eye contact and not look to Leovold at her side.

 

[Leovold]

Leovold let slip a soft, knowing laugh. Eira had picked the perfect topic to touch on, and delivered just the right compliment. The dam would soon break, and his mother's gushing would soon follow.

Sure enough, Lady Annaliese lit up like a sun dragon, positively beaming in an instant. She clapped her hands together and leaned a cheek against them, full of glee.

"I'm so very glad you think so, dearest! And, well, I do fancy myself something of a gardener as well, though I should think my bees far more responsible for that than me! In fact, I'd love to show..." the noblewoman went on, and on a bit more, fit to chat Eira's ear off if she was allowed. Tyros looked like he wished for death, and Leovold looked pleased. Pleased that Tyros was even further annoyed, sure, but also that his mother was given the chance to go on about her interests, and that Eira seemed to be enjoying the company.

It was an odd moment of normalcy, of genuineness in what they'd only recently both agreed to be a less-than-optimal or wanted situation. It was...nice.

Dinner carried on, and eventually Lord Tyros seemed to have had enough.
"Do excuse me. Alas, I've urgent matters to attend to as Lord of this House. Young Lady Eira, thank you for joining us. I bid you good night," Tyros spoke with the last of his patience as he shoved his chair away from the table and rose from his seat. He placed a massive palm on his wife's shoulder just once before making his way off, somewhere out of the dining hall and anywhere else.

After a long pause, Leovold broke the silence.

"I'm honestly surprised it took him that long to do that."

"Leovold!" his mother scolded him, to which Leo laughed.

 

[Eira]

Conversation with Leovold's mother came easily. Eira did not have to muster up courage to keep up, rather be content with the back and forth questioning. It was a good show and example of Eira's own upbringing, that despite the sharp as steel gazes the Malennis' were born with, they were capable of being pleasant dinner guests.

Eira, however, mustered up a polite smile as Tyros stood up and announced his leave. She even thanked him and wished him a njce evening as he strode from the room.

Her eyes darted between mother and son, unsure of what to speak of now as the Lord's departure made her forget what they were all discussing. Her hands tightened on the utensils the moment Leovold spoke, fighting a laugh of her own when Lady Solherre, Annaliese as she had been told to use, chastised her son. "I am happy he made an effort. Although do tell him I would not wish to keep him prisoner to this dining table the next time I dine with you all."

Exact sentiments she will write in a letter tomorrow to thank the Solherres for hosting her.

Their plates had been cleared, and when the doors opened once again, it was to bring out the apple crumble cakes for dessert. She was not so surprised now that Annaliese had done her research on Eira and her favourite foods. "Truly, you do not need to convince me any further to marry into this family." The tease was on her tongue easily, but her stomach felt as if she were taking a few punches of guilt.