Fireside Chats

"Hmmmph" Thad grunted noncommitally. "Between Feluanil, Wynn and yourself, all this talk about my extraordinary 'greatness' is getting intimidating."

He sighed a bit and poured himself some of the whiskey. "So you believe her then... Father sold me out for Cor... and I'm getting married to a woman I've never seen away from the water..."

He gave her a wry grin and added. "I'd hoped the royal spymaster would be a tad more suspicious.... I have a lot of questions, and I'm going to need a lot of answers."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Sarala reached over and took the glass of whisky from her brother's hand. "The whiskey is for me and you know it. Besides, what would Wynn say if you show up drunk to your little tete-a-tete later?" After pouring the whiskey from his glass into her own she set the glass back down on the desk.

Picking her own glass back up again she took another sip. Swirling the liquor in the glass she stared down into it's amber depths. She could understand some of Thad's bitterness about the situation but it didn't make it any easier to hear his complaints.

"I don't think it's as simple as that," she murmured. "Father selling you out for Cor... I don't think that's really what happened. You make it sound like favoritism, or worse. Father wasn't that kind of man. There must be something more that we don't know, that we don't understand.

"I have questions too, you know."

"Favoritism? Betrayal? Call it what you like, but she indicated that the third son was more expendable then the first." There was a touch of bitterness there that Thad didn't bother to hide. All noble children felt a certain amount of jealousy toward their elders. The 'ranking' had so much depending on it, it was nearly impossible not to. Thad had thought he'd grown beyond those feelings, even after Cor tried so hard to 'put him in his place' when they last spoke. But hearing this idea attributed to his father... apparently tore off an old scab he'd long thought healed.

"It doesn't sound like him at all... I agree. I find it very hard to believe that he lied to me. He sounded so certain that the fey would return for you... and never said anything about a bargain made for me...

"But this means that one of them lied doesn't it? Regardless of which it was... it doesn't bode well for me."

"Tell me how you really feel!" Sarala shot back, "You know, it's easy to kick a man when he's dead, when he has no way of defending himself. You keep blaming father for lying to you, mistreating you. When did that ever happen?" The sylph shook her head in frustration.

"Father only ever loved you! He wanted the best for you and he did everything in his power to secure that. Just because you have a chip on your shoulder from living under Cor's shadow all your life doesn't make you some expendable piece easily jettisoned for a favorable political move!"

Sarala set her glass down on the small table beside her. She wanted to get it out of her hand before she felt the urge to throw it across the room. She was already feeling the urge to slap Thaddeus, and she would have, if she thought it would help. She didn't even know if her words would help at this point. It seemed that Thaddeus had made up his mind about this situation and wasn't about to change it.

"I don't know what world you're in right now, Thad, but your perspective is seriously messed up. If you were even thinking remotely straight about this I think you would come up with different conclusions. Instead, you're acting like a little girl."

Thaddeus raised his eyebrows in stunned silence at her barrage. Finally when it looked like she was through he responded.

"Your right. My perspective is skewed. Drastically and and I admit I need time to get my head around this." He sighed trying to contain his own temper.

"I asked you here, because I wanted to get your perspective. The last time one of us was roped into a marriage that we didn't have a say in... Something that would have benefited our land and family... but didn't seem right... We left home and haven't looked back.

"That's not an option here. I'm not doing this because of something Father did when we were babies... I'm doing it because I needed that alliance. Why a wedding is needed to cement it? I have no idea. Tradition? I have enough honor and integrity to honor an alliance without tying my life... and my kingdom to a stranger.

"Does she?"

So he finally brought it up. Her escape from an advantageously arranged marriage. She had wondered when that would surface, hoping that it wouldn't but knowing it was too pertinent to ignore. Wasn't it the first thing she thought of when the queen implied such a union between herself and Thad was not only expected but also set in place long ago. There had been a voice in the back of Sarala's mind screaming at her that forcing him into this position wasn't fair even as she tried to persuade her brother that this arranged marriage was a good thing. She still didn't think it was very fair despite the opposite feeling that it was very right. The juxtaposition sat heavy in her heart.

"Thank you for bringing up my past indiscretions in all their glory." Sarala sighed, and reached for her glass again but thought better of it. "I'll admit that running away from the arranged marriage wasn't the smartest thing I've done...

"And, yes, I admit that my persuading you to enter upon an arranged marriage yourself seems very wrong... especially after all you did to help me escape from mine. You have every right to be angry with me about that. It is justifiable."

Sarala paused, waiting for the condemnation, waiting to be sentenced out of the room. But it didn't come. She looked at her brother and even behind the frustration she could see that he was waiting. Waiting for her opinion about Feluanil, about the alliance and it's strange requirements.

"I don't think this is about the fight against the Red Doom. The arranged marriage, I mean. And the alliance. Queen Feluanil doesn't seem the type to enter into anything lightly and I have a feeling that her alliances are not just a momentary agreement for a single situation.

"She mentioned fate, your fate to be exact. I have a feeling that this fate isn't simply your defeat of the Red Doom and subsequently leading the kingdom of Novastasia into unparalleled prosperity. As nice as that sounds we still have this prophecy of Wynn's hanging over our heads. What if whatever it is that Wynn says we are tied to threatens the fey in a bad way? What if that's what Feluanil saw? And what if, in some way, the binding of a marriage alliance is the only way to save you and her and the kingdoms you both represent?

"It's a heavy thought... isn't it?"

"It is...." Thad agreed thoughtfully. There was something about independent confirmation of Wynnsaren's threat that gave him a cold lump in his stomach.

"I'm not sure how... unless it's not my fate to fight this darkness but our children's..." He shook his head in confusion. "I wonder what they'll be like... Half-human, half... something? I've heard that fey offspring can be a mixed bag... For that matter... Can she give me heirs? I've never heard of her kind before... so they must be rather rare..." For all the talks of marriage and heirs he'd suffered through since accepting the rule of this kingdom... he hadn't really considered himself as a father before... the thought was fairly staggering.

He was silent for just a moment before he asked another question. "Do you think she was the one who made the deal with father personally? You keep saying she's long lived, and I admit I get that feeling too, but what are we basing that on? Poise and attitude on my part."

He nodded towards his feybane sword leaning on the wall. "Every major weapon we've found here has been some kind of cold iron or feybane weapon... I think it's obvious that the humans and fey have had problems before...

"I wonder how many kingly alliances have been made before this one?"

"How many rash decisions were based on complete misunderstanding of a foreign race?" Sarala followed her brother's gaze to the sword. "Does having a fey bane sword make all fey untrustworthy? Come on, Thad. Sometimes you talk as if you didn't spend half your life learning about the fair folk. You should know better than most that they are a repeatedly misunderstood people.

"And does it matter if Feluanil made the deal with father? Either way the deal was made... She may be old, she may be young. She may be old to us but young to her kin. One thing is for sure, the good fey seem to respect her. Maybe she deserves that respect because she a good leader? I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

Sarala looked her brother with a questioning gaze. "Does her unknown age bother you?"

"A little." Thaddeus admitted with a scowl. "I'm not sure why... but the idea that she done more, seen more, been a ruler longer..."

He shook his head in annoyance. "It shouldn't... However, I can't deny an intimidating presence I'm not used to." He chuckled a little helplessly when he remembered who he was talking to.

"It's a little ridiculous, I'll admit. I mean my sister is a Sylph, and one of my best friends is an Aasimar... and I have no problems there... but yeah, for some reason, thinking that every 20 years or so she manipulates someone into being a king for a few years... It bothers me a bit. I really want to know more..."

He looked over at Sarala with a quizzical look. "Does none of this bother you at all? If it was Feluanil who made the deal with father... then it stands to reason that she's the one who gave you to us...

"Since finding out the truth... have you ever wondered about what your life would have been like without the Fey getting involved? Somewhere there is another family who lost a daughter... you may have actually met the one who took you from them..."

"Wow," Sarala rubbed her temples. "What is wrong with you? Since when did you just start assuming someone was evil without giving them the benefit of the doubt? I thought you were a champion of redemption and change, giving people a chance to explain themselves and all that... Not writing someone off just because they unexpectedly propositioned you with a marriage proposal."

The sylph got up and started pacing the room. She had to find a way to get rid of all her nervous energy. She wanted to fly at Thad, tell him to snap out of it, but he was in one of his stubborn moods. That age old Medvyed trait. To be diplomatic they called it "endurance" but the truth of the matter was they were all just stubborn. Today was no exception, for either her or Thad. She felt like they were two puppies tugging on opposite ends of a rope. Sarala was getting tired of pulling. She almost wanted to let go and watch her brother fall on his face, but then she didn't really want to see him get hurt. So she was at a bit of an impasse. How could she make him see what an idiot he was being about the whole situation.

She smiled slightly as a thought crossed her mind. Stopping in the middle of the room she turned and fixed Thaddeus with a glare. "You know what's bugging me the most?" She arched an eyebrow, "You are acting just like Zaistrun! You assume you know everything about this new betrothed of yours but do you have any proof? So far you've called her a liar, selfish manipulator interested in her own gain, and a thieving, home wrecking child stealer. Is there anything else you want to add to your list of evil assumptions, or have I heard it all?"

Thad shook his head as he listened. "I never said 'evil'... I actually checked for that on our first meeting. I also never said 'liar...' but you can't deny... a baby was stolen or as the pixies used to tell us found.

"The alliance was based on my 'fulfilling the vow in my name.' Balancing the lives of everyone in Akiros over a marriage? If she isn't being manipulative... I at least feel manipulated. The farther back in our history this goes... the more manipulative it feels.

"She claims to have seen the threads of my fate... but Wynn claims that the fate of all of us are important here..." He stared into the fire as he tried to see the big picture. For a warrior interested in the here and now, the big picture was frequently hidden from him. Though sometimes he managed glimpses. "It doesn't take much imagination to believe she saw your fate too. You've been integral to getting us all down here.

"Well... Except for Paido. But your betrothal was what spurred us to this land... and Zaistrun fully intended to move on when the mapping charter was finished... Now he's right here with us where we'll need to be.

"No... it doesn't take much imagination at all to think you were purposefully placed with us for the greater good..." He gave her a troubled grin. "Now I'm being asked to acknowledge that stealing children for the 'greater good' is actually a thing...

"You know I'm not an 'ends justifies the means' kind of person... Even if those means were what gave me you!

"But you didn't answer my question... What do you think about this? Of having another family somewhere... of this marriage in general? Do you think it is GOOD... or merely unavoidable?

"It's possible she may not have been involved with any of the prior stuff... but she knows a lot more about our past then we do..."

He lifted his arms in a frustrated shrug. "I don't want to judge her unfairly... I really don't, but we both know enough about fey to realize how... different their mindsets are. Some are honest, some are truly not. Perhaps I am wrong to assume the worst in this woman... but it would be just as big a mistake to treat her the same as our childhood friends.

"Even though we knew the friendly ones... don't tell me you forgot the warnings we had to suffer through each time we were caught... There are bad fey too, and not just mites. Knowing the truth about you and Cor... the warnings only make more sense to me."

Sarala was quiet for a while, giving herself time to let all the aggravation slip away. They were Medvyed's, despite the foreign blood running through her veins. It wouldn't do for them to be at odds with one another. They needed to endure-together.

"What do I think?" she murmured to herself. She leaned over to sit on the one dry edge of the desk. "Well, for starters," she looked up with a wry smile, "I think you and I see the fey a bit differently. But then, when have we ever completely agreed on anything?

"I think we should trust the fey queen until she gives us concrete proof that we should do otherwise." Sarala chewed on her lower lip. "And I think you should spend more time with her before you make any decisions about her character. You've seen her, what, all of two times?

"I think I'll have to change my stance on arranged marriages." She let out a wistful sigh. "Maybe it's a sign... that I'm growing up. If this is the kind of commitment you need to make in order to lead this little piece of the countryside into a better future then I'm all for it. I also think that it wouldn't hurt to ask her the reason why.

"I think this is way more than we ever imagined would happen with our lives... not exactly what you or I had planned, and it's a lot to take in... a lot of questions to be asked, and should be asked.

"But there's one thing I do not think about," pausing the sylph hung her head letting a curtain of white hair fall across her face. "I don't think about the way I ended up with the fey. Whose to say they didn't save me from some ill fate. I do not believe that I was taken out of spite or jest. I only have one family," pushing the hair away from her face she locked eyes with Thad, "and their name is Medvyed."

"And never forget it..." he said with a hearty laugh as he raised his scarred hand to her. "Blood binds deeper then anything." It was something that he truly believed, despite his differences with Cor. Family was family.

He wasn't as quick to dismiss Sarala's origins as she seemed to be. They had wondered too long about her powers and what they meant... and then after father's death where they had come from... Feluanil may have answers... but Thad knew enough to let that conversation go for now.

"Your right of course... there is much that needs to be discussed with her. Frankly, this whole courting thing seems to have been handled completely backwards. I hope there is time to get some of decent conversation in before.

"Preferably in person. That's how it should be done... but it seems like I have do everything the difficult way." He smirked at his sister and shook his head.

"As I was saying about the 'spymaster'... I was hoping you could find out some of the basics for me when the fey arrive. I realized later that she claimed she'd send some... but didn't say anything about coming herself.

"I'll have Piotr try to research anything he can in the historical records, but you have a better knack of finding out personal information than he will. Talk to the fey... You seem to get along well with Ambergretchie. See what you can learn about her...

"Preferably the kind of things that will just be... awkward for me to start a conversation with my betrothed... Things like 'What are you... How old are you... What powers do you have? uggghhh,,,, " He groaned at the undoubted awkwardness in his near future.

"We have so much to talk about... I'd prefer going in with something already known... I've made enough of a fool of myself in this matter I think..."

"Sometimes a man making a fool of himself for a girl is a bit... endearing." Sarala winked playfully at her brother. "But if you want my intervention than who am I to refuse you? It isn't that often you ask me to officially spy for you anyway, even if it's just to get information you are too embarrassed to get yourself. Kinda lame, but I'm not complaining...

"Is there anything else you want me to ask about? Her weight perhaps?" Sarala grinned openly at Thad, awaiting his reply.

Thaddeus cringed with a touch more exaggeration then he felt.

"Well... I wouldn't ASK you to find that out.... but right now, I'd take anything. More information is better then less!" He broke into laughter. When he regained some composure he gave his sister a wink.

"Besides... If foolishness makes me endearing, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to endear myself to her." He glanced around with a bit of a conspiratorial grin. "In fact if she has any invisible spies in here tonight... I'm sure she's practically swooning as we speak."

Sarala raised a single eyebrow with a look of proud assurance. "One can never be completely sure about when they have been spyed upon..." She grinned a little.

"I'll try to get the information you so desperately need, but in the meantime I need bath since I smell like horse, and you have another meeting to attend to." Once again she walked to the door, picking her way around the objects that had fallen off of the shelves in her tirade.

"I, er, hope I didn't break anything... important..." She looked back her brother, her face betraying a hint of the sadness and guilt that lay heavy on her heart. "Thanks, you know, for the meal."

Thaddeus grinned widely as she walked to the door. He considered pointing out that since they rode spectral horses that day, the smell had to have been from her alone.

Normally he wouldn't have let an opening like that slip past... but in the interest of greater diplomacy what he actually said was, "How about tomorrow then?"

When they had first started this kingdom and laid the first stones for the castle, the Medvyeds had shared most dinners together and catching up on the individual trials their new lives had brought them. As the kingdom grew it seemed that had slipped to the side and the meals came fewer and fewer.

It was a ritual he hoped to return to. Though looking around the scattered room, perhaps in a place he wouldn't have to clean himself.

As he started to straighten a few of his books, and realized what a chore it would be... he was glad he'd decided to Wynnsaren in the garden for a change...

A brief background: Thaddeus and Sarala have been traveling from Pitax for over a week now. The journey has gone from strained to decently civil as Sarala has cooled down after Thad's wedding date announcement and Thad has begun to share some of his more intimate conversations with the fey queen. Much to Thad's chagrin, Sarala has asked Thad more than once to relate his words and Feluanil's with little to no comment of her own. She is quietly taking in all this information.

Finally she has something to say.

It is evening. The summer sun has yet to set but the campfire is already burning. The evening meal has been consumed and the rest of company is preparing their tents for the night leaving Sarala and Thad alone beside the fire.

"Tell me again," Sarala knew that Thaddeus would cringe at her next words. "Tell me again what Feluanil said the last time you two spoke?"

Thaddeus glanced up and sighed in mild frustration.

"What more do you want to know? It hasn't changed with the tellings..." He frowned as he went though the conversation with his betrothed yet again. It had been nearly two months now since that last frustrating meeting and he'd replayed that meeting frequently in his mind.

The last meeting until the founder's day festival of course, which she agreed to attend. Little was discussed at that time. They were civil to each other, but it was a busy night, and took place in the middle of the Rushlight Festival. There wasn't much time for personal discussions.

"I can tell you the words again if you want to hear them... but the overall is pretty simple. She doesn't think too highly of our family... which after Dracean's slip I... dishearteningly concede.

"She's immortal, She knows everything I ever think, even as I think them... She's annoyed at my doubts and appears offended that I'm not giving the same open faith in her that I do Sarenrae."

He shrugged as he went through the conversation in his head.

"Talking with telepaths is... difficult on any level. This is worse then I'd expected. When I'm polite or charming as you'd say, I'm accused of being manipulative... when I speak my mind I'm accused of being offensive.

"I literally have no idea what to say to her..."

Sarala considered her brother for a moment. She knew that he wasn't ready to hear what she wanted to say so she left it alone for the time being. Instead she tried to think of what she could say that would draw out Thaddeus even more. She knew that he was being completely honest with her about his frustration, but she had a suspicion that there was something deeper going on in his heart, something he may not even have identified yet.

"What did you expect?" the question was a simple one, and yet she hoped it would cause her brother to do some introspection. "What did you expect talking to her would be like? What did you expect to say?"

"Something... Anything..." he shrugged helplessly. "I'm not really sure.

"She's not like anyone I've met before... woman OR Fey. We were raised to know about the fey-folk... but with her, it seems everything was taught in vain.

"Something I'm sure would just be laid as another failure of father's." He sighed again.

He stretched his legs out and stared into the fire for a moment. It was kind of nice being awake in the open like this, but without the need to be ever on watch. There were some advantages to having a retinue of guards at his disposal. Thankfully they knew enough to keep a respectful distance from the private conversation.

"Ruling over people... it requires masks. A certain hardness that doesn't come easily to me. With you, and the rest of the council... I can let that the crown slide a bit. Talk as a brother or a comrade.

"I guess I'd hoped for something like that with her. To learn more about her as a person or even as a queen... Maybe she would be more... at ease, without being surrounded by her subjects or mine.

"I wanted to see behind the mask. Now? Now I'm not sure she even wears one... "

Sarala snorted despite her best efforts to stay away from derision.

"From what you are saying I would have thought you would be happy to find that she lacked a mask, and yet you are disappointed. Why?"

So many thoughts and reasons swirled around in Sarala's head, begging to get out. Even so she kept them at bay, hoping patience would win the day.

Thaddeus raised an eyebrow at his sister as he considered her question briefly.

"She's cold... distant... not exactly known for showing any form of emotion... Is that the kind of woman you imagined I'd end up with?

"I certainly never did."

Sarala had a hard time believing that all this frustration stemmed from the fact that Thad was not engaged to his ideal woman. She didn't think he was that shallow. Granted, she had been that shallow only a few years ago, but she thought Thad looked at things with a bit more common sense than that. Maybe she didn't know her brother as well as she thought. Could it be that deep down, he was just as rash a thinker and feeler as she was?

"Yes, I can see how that would disappoint," she signed with resignation. "So in truth, a part of you wanted her to somehow be all that you ever dreamed your wife to be... Even, if you tell yourself that you aren't expecting Feluanil to fill that role, you still want her to... because you can't let go of the expectation you've had since you can remember.

"What an easy way to set yourself up for disappointment. Nothing has been what we imagined it to be, brother. How is this any different?"

Sarala knew she had said too much, but once one word came out the rest had tumbled out after, rushing to complete the idea that was forming in her head. It had been quite rude of them to do so and she inwardly chastised herself for letting it happen. She would have to be more vigilant.

"True..." the young king admitted with a bit of a smirk, "but it hasn't been all disappointment. Running a kingdom has been more work than I ever imagined, but some of it has turned out better then I ever dreamed.

"Our castle... the cathedral... Look at the map sometime. We're growing by leaps and bounds. Other kingdoms are concerned by our good fortune, and we've already outlasted Varn and... probably the Draleves.

"Also, not what I had ever imagined. That doesn't mean I'm disappointed. We're doing good things here, and people are flocking to us. Fate has truly smiled on our own little corner of the world.

"I suppose that's part of what makes the disappointments hit harder."

He let out a long breath as he changed direction. "That's at least part of my personal issues... In a more official capacity... I honestly have as many concerns about her being our queen as much as I do about her being a suitable wife."