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Post by Kavan Forrester on Dec 2, 2015 6:24:25 GMT
The whole of Keld seemed to be abuzz with activity as soldiers were being prepared to move out. Currently Kavan was taking a much needed break for food. The Commander had been quite busy as of late with the preparations, and as was wont to happen in those situations, he hadn't taken much time to consider his body's needs. If he were to be quite honest he probably hadn't eaten since the previous evening's meal. While he had been up at the crack of dawn; as was usual for the man, he hadn't taken the time to break his fast. And with the nooning meal quickly approaching, he'd finally found the time to stop and feed his now rumbling stomach. If not for the fact that he knew he needed something to sustain him through all of these preparations, he probably wouldn't have stopped for food even now. There was a part of the Commander, even at his age and with as much war as he had seen in his time, that couldn't help but get caught up in the anticipation that came with preparing to march off to battle.
Having been a soldier for the vast majority of his 48 years, war had become a vital part of who he was. Without war or crusades going on, he never seemed to know what to do with himself. But when the mention of battle reached his ears, he transformed into an entirely different person. His step seemed lighter and his usually grim expression seemed less so. It wasn't so much that he enjoyed war. Far from it, to the contrary. War was hell, and he'd been through that hell far too many times to find any sort of enjoyment in the grimness that sometimes pointless deaths entailed. No, it was that as a soldier and a commander he was made for war. He knew what to do, knew mostly what to expect, and was far more confident in himself when there were battle strategies to plan and men to prepare. Actually, since the first rumors of war started to spread across Ireland, Kavan had found himself in the training arena far more often than was normal for him. He'd spent time honing his own; somewhat rusty, battle skills, as well as helping the younger generation by showing them the flaws in their tactics.
As he entered the dining hall of Keld's castle, his bright eyes glanced around the room, taking in all of the soldiers that were also in search of food. A crooked smile graced his lips when he took note of several who were still sporting bruises from the weeks that they'd spent in the arena with their Commander. He might be getting older, but he'd more than proven that he still had 'it' in the arena. Some of the younger soldiers who hadn't been brought up under his specific instructions had thought they were big enough to take on the 'old man.' He was relatively certain now that they had learned to respect him in spite of his age. He strode toward the long table where many soldiers were spread out and was greeted with smiles, salutes, and even some general hellos. This was where he was most comfortable; even if there was a part of him that had always longed for more. Kavan settled into a seat, waiting for a servant to arrive, but just before one did the doors of the hall opened again and his gaze was drawn to the presence of the woman who had made him yearn for more in his life. Even after all these years she alone had the ability to make his heart leap and cause him to feel like a young man with his first crush.
He excused himself from the table and stood to stride across the room where he paused in front of her and swept her a gracious bow. "M'lady," he greeted warmly, though as always he did his best to hide the reaction that her presence stirred in him. As her Commander it was never seen as unusual for him to greet her when she entered a room, and even less so now that they were preparing Keld's soldiers for war.
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Post by Amena Bayn on Dec 2, 2015 7:37:39 GMT
Amena sighed as she stepped out of her audience chamber, reaching up to rub her hands over her face as she stepped into the empty hall, finally alone after a day and a half of being bombarded by nobles and commoners alike, all worried and anxious about the impending war. She had thought to see Keld's people for half of yesterday, but as soon as word was put out that she was taking audience with anybody who wanted word with her, the castle had been stormed with people, all fighting to gain her attention. So, she had been forced to stay the entire day yesterday, and when she saw how many people were left wanting a word with her, had promised half of the day today. And yet she still hadn't been able to speak with everybody. However, she had put an end to the entire charade, telling everybody that she had important work to attend to and that she didn't have any more time to spend with them, no matter how much she desperately wanted to calm their fears. She had a war to get ready for, for Christ's sake. She couldn't remember who had convinced her that this would be a good idea, but she would be sure to never listen to the same advice again. A whole day and a half wasted. Thankfully, she couldn't sleep the night before and had at least managed to get some work done; mostly she'd mailed off letters and mulled over strategies and troop placements.
Now, as she finally got a moment alone, the only thing running through her mind was what she had to do next. She couldn't decide on what should be at the top of her list of priorities; there were so many things that she still had to complete. Not only did she have to prepare for the war, but she had to make sure that her Duchy stayed afloat during it. As her mind whirled with all of the things she had yet to do, her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since...who knew when. She took in a deep breath and straightened her posture, feeling less frazzled now that she knew what she was going to do next; she was going to sit down and have a meal in the dining hall with her men. A smile teased the corner of her lips as she thought about it, and despite how obviously tired she was (her pale complexion and dark half-moons beneath her eyes made it hard to fool anybody), she found a skip in her step as she went off to find something to eat.
When she reached the doors to the dining hall she would pause for a moment to make sure that she was composed, running her hands over the skirt of her dress and then reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. Once she had gathered herself, she would enter the hall, the warm buzz of life that greeted her serving as a balm to the soul. She loved seeing her people so happy and full of life. However, she didn't have all that long to appreciate it before her whole world shifted to the man that was walking towards her. A broader smile tugged at her lips and butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she watched her Commander bow in front of her, "Kavan," she greets him, finding it hard to keep the love that swarmed in her chest from flowing into her speech. She managed it though, even if she was tired and a little cranky from wasting her time for the past day and a half. She hadn't realized it until now, but she hadn't needed food, or to see her men happy and healthy to lift her mood; she'd merely needed a glimpse of the man that consumed her entire world. Even if he didn't know it.
"Have you eaten yet, Commander?" she asks, as she moves to pass him, expecting him to turn and walk with her. She moved to take her place at the head of the long table, watching with amusement as soldiers vacated the seats beside hers; already knowing that Kavan would be granted the seat to her right, and the seat to her left would remain empty on the off chance that one of her children would want to dine with her. As she sat, she would watch the Commander of her Army expectantly, waiting to see if he would sit with her or say that he had already eaten.
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Post by Kavan Forrester on Dec 3, 2015 7:39:15 GMT
He couldn't help but smile in response to her greeting. Hearing her use his name always seemed to bring a smile to his face, even if he didn't believe there to be anything more than friendly affection in her doing so. When she asked if he'd eaten yet he and started to move past him he would turn and follow her. Some might say that he followed her around like a lost puppy whenever they were together, and in a way they would be right. His loyalty to the Grand Duchess was quite like that of a dog. Give a dog affection and otherwise good treatment and they tend to be loyal to a fault. In some ways that was what she had done with him, whether intentional or not. He'd fallen in love with her when they were much younger, and since then she'd always given him just enough attention or affection that he remained unswerving in his loyalty to her. "I have not," he said as he pulled her chair out for her before he settled himself into the chair to her right. Almost as soon as his bottom hit the chair servants appeared to fill their goblets with drink. His own was filled with a light ale that he tended to prefer with his meals to the almost sickeningly sweet mead that some others drank with their food.
Before he said or did anything else he picked up his goblet and took a long drink. It was only then that he realized he couldn't remember the last time he'd even stopped for something to drink. Clearly he'd been neglecting his body's needs in favor of seeing to preparations, but in his defense he'd known that Amena would be busy with the political aspect of preparing Keld for war. So he'd done what he could to make up for her being caught up with people who required her attention. He'd worked almost endlessly for the last two days; breaking only long enough to scarf down some food or catch a few hours worth of sleep. This would be the first real break that he'd taken and didn't end up with him passing out on his bed two minutes into it. Likely it would also only last as long as the Duchess was present. When he set his goblet back on the table it was promptly refilled, and shortly thereafter servants arrived with food. "The men are mostly prepped. There is only a small number of things left to be done," he informed her before he took the first bite of his food. "Your son, however, has sent a recommendation that you and I seek an audience with the new Queen," he added after he had swallowed that first bite of food. "If you cannot make the time in your schedule to do so, I can carry whatever word that you need to her," he offered before he took another bite.
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Post by Amena Bayn on Jan 24, 2016 6:27:48 GMT
She was relieved when he settled into the chair beside her and said that he hadn't eaten, glad to be able to spend time with him. She remained silent as the servants poured their drinks; ale for him and water for her as always. She sipped delicately at her water as she waited for them to bring food and disappear again, knowing that after their meal was brought that they wasn't likely that they would be disturbed again. She didn't tend to hold personal conversations until after her servants were out of hearing range; they liked to gossip, and she didn't enjoy private matters being made public. Kavan seemed to know this, though, and waited until the food was brought to begin speaking. She picked at the contents of her plate while he spoke, though her eyes never left his face. She gifted him a smile when he said that the men were mostly prepped, "Fantastic," her murmurs her thanks, though it only caused her to think about everything left to do. Truthfully, it wasn't all that much, but they did have a deadline. She was silently pondering this as she took a small bite of food, though her attention quickly snapped back to Kavan when he spoke of her son's recommendation. Her eyes lit up as she thought about making the trip with the Commander of her Army; it had been a long time since they'd shared each other's company alone. However, she quickly realized that he hadn't been thinking the same thing when he continued to speak. To be honest, she felt an ache in her chest whenever she was reminded that he didn't share the love she felt for him, but she never let it show. It wouldn't be fair to anybody if she threw a fit over something that was out of their control, would it? She knew that he couldn't just choose to love her, and she wasn't going to punish him for it.
However, she was almost tempted to allow him to go alone, but she realized that she did need to meet the Queen in person. As the Grand Duchess she had yet to introduce herself and there was an upcoming war, it wouldn't be very responsible for her to decline a meeting. After she finally swallowed her bite of food and washed it down with a sip of water she would speak, "No, that isn't necessary. I will call Zephan back to watch over things here so that we can make the trip," she says. "He must have a reason for wanting us both to go and I'm not going to question it," she adds. She had been relying more and more upon her son, trying to ready him to take over the reins when she retired. She couldn't do that if she continued to question his decisions so she had begun to rely upon his judgement. After taking another bite of her food she would shift her gaze to meet Kavan's, "I think it would be best if we made the journey alone. We'll make better time that way, and we need as many people to stay here as possible," she says, her voice quieter, though her speech was somehow more urgent. She wondered silently if he would realize what she was trying to say and if he would want the same. The relationship that they shared was filled with a lot of unknowns, but at least they shared something. She knew that she probably shouldn't be worrying about how to hook up with her lover when they were preparing for war, but she also knew that there wasn't anything that she put above her duchy. So, yes, she might have ideas to spend every night of this trip alone with her Commander, but she wasn't going to allow it to consume her every thought. The trip was still for the duchy itself, and she would spend plenty of time doing her duties.
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Post by Kavan Forrester on Jan 24, 2016 7:04:20 GMT
He was all too happy to have her thanks and praise, but as always did what he could to keep that joy from showing. But it was difficult, exceedingly more so the closer that she got to handing the reins of Keld over to Zephan; the son that he'd loved from afar and had never allowed to realize the full extent of his affection for him or for his mother. There was a part of him that wanted to believe that when she finally retired as the Grand Duchess he might have his chance with her, but his overly logical brain always denied that possibility. Amena hadn't ever refuted his claim to love her, but he'd never given her the chance to do so. His brain told him that there was no way that a woman like her could ever have feelings for a man like him. And he knew that he would rather be stuck with the uncertainty of not actually knowing than ever have her tell him the truth if it meant that she felt nothing for him. He had spent the last twenty-seven years of his life in love with her, and to find out after all this time that she'd never felt anything for him would literally shatter his heart. When she responded to his words about Zephan's request he nodded along. He, of course, was absolutely thrilled when she suggested that they make the trip alone, though he kept that emotion from reaching his face and selling him out.
"Of course, it would be best if we made it there and back in as timely a manner as possible," he said, forcing his tone to remain even. It was so hard, though, to keep the excitement from his tone at the prospect of taking a trip like that with this woman. Unfortunately he was now consumed with ideas to keep himself busy on a trip like that and not end up getting too close to her for what would be appropriate. Certainly the two of them had traveled together before, even a few of those trips had been alone, but it had been many a long year since the last time they had traveled alone together. In fact he might be willing to bet a large sum of money on the fact that it had probably been since before he ever made the stupid mistake of confessing his love to her. There were times when she still acted stiff and formal around him, and he of course attributed it to the fact that she probably remembered that confession and believed he was still some love-sick fool. Not that he could claim otherwise, really. He hadn't ever married, despite having always wanted a wife and children that he could claim. He couldn't bring himself to, because he'd always seen it as betraying her, even if she didn't love him the way he did her. "I must admit that I am curious to meet this new Queen," he said after a few moments of silence had hung in the air between them while she picked at her food and he forced himself to eat with the proper manners of a civilized human being rather than scarfing down his food the way he had over his last several meals. "I, of course, realize that she is the daughter of the late Risteard O'Maoduin, but I've heard some interesting things about her," he added in an attempt at conversation. What he didn't realize about the new Queen was that she was one of his own soldiers.
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Post by Amena Bayn on Jan 24, 2016 8:04:22 GMT
A smile found its way to her face when he agreed to take the trip alone with her. She hadn't been sure he would, oftentimes she found it hard to know what he was thinking or feeling. Whether or not he enjoyed her company, if he wanted to continue the aspect of their confusing relationship that had brought about children. She often wondered how she had gotten into this mess in the first place, though she always concluded on the same thought - it didn't matter how she had gotten here; she loved him, and having him in some ways was better than not having him at all. At least, she thought that she had him. As far as she knew he wasn't having relations with anybody else, he obviously wasn't married but that didn't mean...she usually stopped herself from thinking beyond that. The one time she had furthered that train of thought several years ago, she'd locked herself in her chambers and cried for hours. And she couldn't do that; she had responsibilities. Which was the reason why she'd never pushed a conversation with him about feelings or commitments. She wouldn't be able to handle it if she was right and he didn't love her in the same fashion that she loved him. It would break her, and in turn it would break the Duchy, and it would all spiral downhill from there. It wasn't what any of them needed to happen.
When he spoke again and broke her thoughts she would laugh softly and nod, "Aye, I'm eager to meet her as well," she says, only to quiet as he spoke about her father. He was probably the only one that she would quiet her own voice for, but that was probably only because she enjoyed listening to his so much. "I've been told that she's nothing like him," she says, grinning at the thought. It had been awhile since they'd had a competent ruler, and it seemed that they might have found one. "I'd like to believe that it's true, but we'll see for ourselves soon enough," she murmurs, before glancing back at her plate. She hadn't eaten very much, but she found that she wasn't all that hungry anymore. She pushed the food around her plate for a moment before carefully setting down the fork and picking up her water, leaning back in her chair as she sipped from her cup. Once she swallowed her drink, she would lower the glass to the table. "Once you're finished eating, perhaps we should go make arrangements to leave. I'd like to try to leave tonight, or possibly in the morning," she says, biting her lip afterwards. If it had been anybody else, she would have made demands, not suggestions. But this wasn't anybody else, and she was always left feeling a little uncertain. She wanted his approval and craved his advice, which probably made her stupid and weak. But she found that she didn't really care.
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Post by Kavan Forrester on Jan 24, 2016 19:29:27 GMT
He chuckled at her remark about being eager to meet the new Queen as well. He knew the woman was young, and had heard that she wasn't exactly what people expected when they heard the word 'queen.' From what little he had heard about the young woman it seemed to him that she'd been giving everyone a hard time. He knew most nobles tended to prefer to keep things traditional, and this new Queen sounded like she was anything but traditional. The thought made him smirk as he imagined a child-queen running through the halls screaming about how she refused to wear a dress. Little did he know that imaginary scene wasn't completely off from the truth. When Amena spoke about making arrangements to leave once he'd finished eating he gave a dutiful nod. "Of course," he assured her and, though he never faltered in his manners, he did eat a bit more hastily once she'd spoken those words. Whether she knew it or not he was always eager to please her, and never wanted her to feel like she had to wait on him for very long. It took only a moment or two after she had mentioned making arrangements to leave for him to finish his own meal. He set his fork down on his plate, carefully used his cloth napkin to clean up any crumbs that had fallen around the plate, and as always stacked his dishes in a way that would be easiest for the servants to remove them from the table.
Only once he finished with that task would he slide his chair back from the table and stand. He pushed the chair back before he stepped around behind Amena's chair and carefully pulled it away from the table for her. Technically speaking that wasn't something that he was required to do, but he'd always felt it was the right thing for him to do. It was one of the very few ways that he allowed himself to show any kind of affection for the woman who owned his heart. He couldn't risk tender expressions, or even light touches, because those things could be picked up on by other people. But always treating her the way any gentleman would wasn't something that other people would usually misconstrue, especially since Kavan was the type of man to treat any woman he was around like a proper gentleman. That said, Amena was the woman he was around most often. Once she stood he would slide her chair back against the table and offer her his arm should she choose to take it. Of course he knew they would part ways once they left the dining hall, but a proper gentleman always escorted a lady as far as he was able to.
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