Into the shade...

4th Amansdae, the 30th day of the month of Semens (Sem), the 3672nd year of Salvation's Landing

It had been a whole day since she had ventured outside, choosing to cloister herself away. Drawing the drapes closed and enduring what she must, the bouts of melancholy had not been upon her in some time. But it the last few days or so, it had come back.

Looking over the side of the smallish footbridge, she looked down into the waters of the small creek that ran through the Polivandrian palace grounds. The sight of the water was calming, especially when it was coupled with the gurgling sound it made as it ran over the rocky bed. Though not very deep, the waters looked incredibly inviting. So cool. So dark. It was not terribly deep, but deep enough for her current mood.

The spring sun was bright as it hung high in the sky. Thankfully, Deela carried a parasol to offer her Falina some reprieve. If the shade were not there, she knew that her head would be pounding. Her handmaiden was ever dutiful, and when she looked her way, Deela looked back at her, her lips quirked up into a sheepish smile.

Falina appreciated the small vote of inspiration from her maiden, but the well of emotions were dry for her to pull from. She felt taxed. To feel right now was exhausting. She blinked at Deela before returning her gaze back to the running water. The girl deserved more, but there just wasn’t anything to give her at the moment. So she would have to endure in silent contemplation as the Western noble did the same.

Not certain how much time had passed, Falina’s attention was drawn to her handmaiden by a quiet ‘eep’ the girl made. When she looked to Deela, she could see that she was looking elsewhere. Following her eyes, Falina then saw someone approaching. It took all of an instant for her to know who it was and all that she could muster was a soft sigh of resignation.

By all accounts the man that made his way toward her would be deemed desirable. Yet, in her mood she had no real interest in any kind of interactions with the guardsman. But that was not something a noblewoman did, regardless of how little she felt that title fit her.

When she could make out his face clearly, he did not wear a face of one making pleasantries. Perhaps he could read people’s demeanor more than she would have given him credit for. For his eyes were narrowed and looked to be trying to puzzle out something.

“A good afternoon to you, my Lady… Mistress…” He addressed the two of them in turn, glancing between the two. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Lady Falina. I pray that all is well?” The way his tone was indicated that perhaps that was not the case at all.

But Falina could not be so forthcoming. Especially with a stranger. “I am well enough, thank you…” That bit alone wearied her, but she had to persist. “You will have to forgive me. I have been having spells. And my dear Deela was but attending me as diligently as she always has…”

Giving her a polite nod, Reglin then bowed slightly, “Well, please know that if there is anything I can do to assist yourself, or ease Deela in anyway, please feel free to call on me.” He paused to look off into the distance, “I had not come this way to bother you, truly. I was looking for my compatriots who should be patrolling about this time. I guess I will call myself lucky for this chance however.”

Even with the numbness Falina felt at this time, she recognized that this man was disarming, as troublesome as it was to her at this time. She found something in herself alight. And something in her told her that she did not want this interaction to end just yet. Literally, she felt something telling her this. Something that she viewed as disembodied from herself. And now that he looked to be heading on his way to find his fellow guards her heart hammered as she tried to find a way to hold him here for some reason.

Bowing his head once more, the tall, handsome guard gave a small smile. He was an imposing figure. That smile was at once inviting as well as something… predatory? Perhaps too menacing a word to describe it. It made the hair on her neck stand up and made her feel like a hare hunted by a wolf, yet a hare that may not mind being caught. What was going on with her? This was far from the norm. And yet her mind grasped… What to say?

“Master Reglin… You carry writ of land in the Cenochabhal Duchy, you say. Has it been officially recognized?” She opted to try and push down those strange feelings by pushing forward in official House capacity, as fraudulent as she felt by doing so.

The big man’s face twisted into confusion at her words. He folded his hands behind his back and in doing so, only accentuated the broadness of his shoulders. Imposing indeed she thought. “I was not aware that this was a necessity. Not that I am in a terrible hurry since I have duties to perform here. But if it something that is needed, I suppose I should have it done.”

Falina was questioning her own knowledge of bureaucracy within her Duchy, but she thought that recognition was a thing that her father had to do before any Baronies could be lifted. She opted to go forward with confidence. “It is not a necessity per se, but it will grease the axle of the cart going forward so to speak. My father will be in the city in a few days’ time. Perhaps I can arrange an audience for such a recognition to be performed?”

Knowing that she was at a severe disadvantage in this palace when it came to drawing the attention of a man’s desire, Falina wondered if what she offered would be enticing enough. She knew she did not have the utterly jaw-dropping looks of the Nordling Noblewoman. Nor was she even very capable in social interactions. She knew how to handle them and what was expected of her perfectly. Yet, when performed, she knew she could not come across as

anything more than wooden or ****.

The handsome guardsman’s eyes were without focus, as he appeared to be mulling over the subject matter exchanged. His head made an abrupt turn and looked off to the northern section of the grounds. When Falina ventured a look of her own, she saw the Magistricia heading in the direction of that stone outbuilding that stood along the running water, close to the wall line. She only took note of her movement and how odd it seemed to see her going out there before looking back at Reglin. His eyes were still on the blonde royal advisor, a brow raised in curiosity maybe?

The man’s attention returned to Falina as he gave a small nod, “As I have said, it is not that necessary for me to handle this busy so quickly, but if you are able to make a meeting available, I will be in your debt.” He smiled at her and it was remarkable to her the sincerity in it. He was big. He was scary. He was sexy. And he was… nice? Those kind of people had been a rarity in her twenty-three years of life so far. She could probably count the number on two hands. And the majority of them had been encountered once she came to the palace.

“I know we are to ask the Steward for any special detail assignments for the guard, but perhaps you can make an exception and accompany Deela and I? We will walk a path that would be conducive to your own duties if that will help.” Another attempt to stay in his presence a bit longer. She tried to muffle the sounds in her mind, focusing on the dark-haired man. As open as he seemed to be, that in itself was a mystery that confounded Falina. “We could discuss what would be expected of yourself as a Baron within my duchy.” The words came across as cold and calculated in her own ears.

Luckily for her, the man didn’t appear to take it as such and offered a bow to her and Deela, who couldn’t make herself look at anything but the ground in front of her feet. The poor girl was somehow more antisocial than Falina herself. He then offered his arm in a courtly manner. He already had more court polish than most in her father’s court. The landholders in the west were either too busy to attend court as they tried to repel or vanquish the clans, or amoral sycophants. If this man were to come to her father’s court, he would bring a modicum of respectability with him.

Taking the offered arm with a bow of her head, Falina and Reglin stepped off along the path that went around the palace grounds. Deela, in a hurried few steps, took her spot next to her lady, still providing shade with parasol, though less effectively so. She had made note of the guard’s impressive height and erred on the side of note bashing the man in the face with the implement. So, it more or less was over the handmaiden, but gave some cover to Lady Falina.

As they walked, Falina spoke of the southern territories on the Cenochabhal Duchy, where Reglin’s eventual land was to be. She told him what little she knew of Lord Bormley, who had parceled out the land for Reglin and his men. He was a young lord, eager to prove himself. She remembered those days ago what Reglin’s own assessment of the man was, and she had to agree. The overarching stratagem of the Polivandrian army was of little aid to Bormley in regard to his House’s growth. It spoke well of him that he had rewarded this witchhunter unit that had saved him with a commodity he valued so fiercely. With Reglin recognizing the Lord’s obstacles, he would show Bormley a fair deal of loyalty if she didn’t know any better.

When Falina took time and looked at the towering guard next to her, she had a hard time reconciling the fact that he was indeed a witchhunter. Just a little more than a decade ago, her family was one of those defiant clans fighting against this power hungry king. The clans’ witches were revered and feared. No one to be trifled with. And this man led a unit against them specifically? And did so for years? He had hard edges in his face that shown through how dangerous he was, but the youth was still quite evident. A peculiar man, this Reglin.

Coming to close proximity of that stone outbuilding, their conversation was halted momentarily as the Magistricia exited the building with a member of the palace staff in tow. The other woman was a brunette with hair the color of chestnuts. She was shapely, though moreso on her lower half. Her hips caught the eyes, even to Falina, with how they rocked from side to side as she walked.

Both women’s eyes went to Reglin initially and Falina thought she saw something in them, but not quite sure what. It was a but moment before they had both acknowledge the western noble, given a curtsey and the appropriate words in greeting. Both herself and Deela gave returned curtsies to the Magistrica, given her station and Reglin bowed and made a leg to both women. The tone in his voice was decidedly warm, which only made the thoughts in Falina’s mind run faster still. The interaction was very brief and within a minute’s time, the two women were on their way to the palace.

Reglin had watched them leave with just bit more than a passing interest, but Falina made nothing of it. Instead, the trio continued on with their stroll. But, it was not long after that the decorated witchhunter spoke of duties he had to return to before his Master Sergeant had kittens. That earned a small smile from Falina, regardless of how despondent she had felt only half a bell ago. “Well then, Master Reglin, Deela and I will offer what spirit we have to you on the morrow for your competition. We will both be there. As for my father, I am certain that I can get you an audience when his retinue arrives, though it may not be immediately…”

Taking a step out in front, the man held her hand as he bowed over it. Giving it a gentle kiss on the knuckles, Falina felt a strange surge of… something, pulse through being. “My Lady, as I have said, there is not need for immediacy, yet I am indebted to your offer alone. If more comes of it, more’s the better. I apologize for not being able to escort you the entire walk, but I would gladly do so in the future. Just have to run it through the right channels though…” He rubbed the back of neck at that, looking chagrinned.

Giving a nod and an exaggerated smile, Falina picked through her emotional mindset while giving her farewells, “Perhaps we will do so. And make no more apologies, Master Reglin. I knew the constraints beforehand. You should be on your way, before your Master Sergeant births those kittens of his.”

His smile was wide and warm at her attempt at a jest, even though she didn’t feel it in her. As he bowed once more and turned to leave, Falina enjoyed the sight of him as a whole, allowing herself to just feel that superficial feeling of physical desire for someone as attractive as Reglin was.

When he was more than fifty yards away and Falina had not moved, nor ceased watching him, she worried. She was frozen in place. Then it came, ‘YES… HE MAY DO WHAT THE OTHERS FAILED TO. YOU WILL MAKE YOURSELF HIS!’ The voice reverberated in her skull and caused an involuntarily gasp.

Deela, who was always overly attentive startled at Falina, “My Lady! Are you… well?” She laid a hand on the melancholy noblewoman’s wrist.

Breathing belabored breathes, Falina gave a small nod. ‘Was that real?’ she thought. It had been a long time since she had heard that voice for true. Though she heard echoes of it in her dreams often enough. Even more so in the past few days. It was why she did not venture from her apartments yesterday. She looked at Deela then and spoke softly, with as much care as she could muster, “Yes… I am well enough. But do me this favor, sister. Tell me if you hear it in your dreams once more…”

That was all she could muster. And judging by the size of Deela’s eyes, that was all that she could handle anyways. Perhaps that was unfair. She came across as skittish and troubled, but Falina knew that there was a strength in her little sister. A strength that had held up against malevolent forces.

With the two women remaining silent, they opted for a most direct path back to the palace. Falina wanted to shut herself in once more for some unknown period of time. But she couldn’t. She had to watch him tomorrow. She had to make herself available to him. He had to have her… The strangeness of those thoughts floated across her consciousness as she hadn’t thought them at all. They were just there now…

~This is knowledge for the Reader~

The Affection Multiplier

~Mana: 552 (+28) 580~

~Mana Channels: ~Labiae Passionii (Lips of Passion) free, ~ Corpu Vigorii (Vigorous Body) 100, ~ Uirtau Proelium (Martial Prowess) 100, ~Mensu Lucidae (Bright Mind) 100, ~ Tactu Beatae (Blissful Touch) 100, ~Plurem Amatrixae Normalii (The Normalcy of Many Loves) 500, ~Corpu Libidaem (Lustful Body) 100, ~Corpu Spectabilum (Intimidating Body) 100, ~Mentulae Potencii (Potent Cock) 150, ~Limbu Infinitum (Endless Loins) 100, ~Voluptae Gustatum (Delightful Flavor, Gratify the Appetite), ~Figurae Cultura (Shaping Culture), ~Vulgum Venerae (The Love of the Masses), ~Corpu Vigorii Magii (A More Vigorous Body) 400

~Lovers~ A: 200 E: 200 L: 200
~Tabitha~ Affectionae: 100 Erosii: 100 Libidae: 100 (Effective 63)
~Asha~ A: 100 E: 100 L: 100 (Effective 56)

~Royal Polivander House~ A: 74 E: 43 L: 80

~Nobles~ A: 113 (+12) 125 E: 12 L: 78 (+10) 88
~Lady Wilmyna~ A: 72 E: 12 L: 63
~Lady Falina~ A: 16 (+12) L: 0 (+10) 10
~Lady Vidala~ A: 25 L: 15

~Royal and Noble maidens~ A: 192 (+4) 196 E: 8 L: 122 (+2) 124
~Maiden Caterina~ A: 18 E: 1 L: 2
~Maiden Gwynfuir~ A: 15
~Maiden Erynna~ A: 5
~Maiden Oliyah~ A: 29 L: 19
~Maiden Iridia~ A: 4
~Maiden Freighla~ A: 76 E: 7 L: 67
~Maiden Deela~ A: 12 (+ 4) 16 L 0 (+2) 2
~Maid Camilla~ A: 30 L: 34

~Day watch~ A: 249 E: 3

~Evening watch~ A: 22

~Night watch~ A: 6

~Palace Staff~ A: 64 L: 6