Altaea Saga: Valania IC

[GourmetItalia]

= Pontius Valdemar =

Life was so precious to the elf and he felt that it was moments like these that seemed the most meaningful. As Ryanna's dove chirped and flew happily around the hallway, Pontius himself raised his own hands, causing the dove to flutter its wings and chase Ryanna's dove out of an open window. Closing his eyes, the elf inhaled deeply to savor the sounds of birds and the gentle trickle of water from the manor's courtyard. It was exhilarating to hear the sounds of nature and to savor the fresh cool morning air in a land that seemed so foreign to him. When the elf opened his eyes, Ryanna smiled at him. "Thank you," she said softly. Smiling, the elf tucked his arms behind his back and stepped into the cascading sunlight coming from a nearby window. "RiHlit il-alf miil tabda’ bixaTwa," the elf softly said in return, bowing slightly while keeping his firm gaze upon Ryanna's eyes.

[St.Jimmy]

Ryanna's eyes widened slightly as the elf bowed and spoke words in a strange language that she did not understand. It was almost entrancing; she found that she could not remove her gaze from his and she felt a flutter in her chest that was completely unexplained. Why on earth should his words make her feel so ... exhilirated?

"I don't understand," she said, but in the back of her mind, she was aware of seeing words in that language before. It was written in the dusty tomes of old books, books that spoke of legendary creatures that she had never believed in. But why would Pontius be fluent in that tongue?

[GourmetItalia]

= Pontius Valdemar =

There were many females he had met of the human race and they were all very unique in their own delights. The way that Ryanna's eyes widened and the way she stared at him reminded him of certain woman he had met in the past. The woman Ryanna reminded him of was one of the most intriguing females he had ever met and she was the wife of the deceased King of Sarife; from whom Folken had slain in hand to hand combat. As the acting Queen of the fallen Sarifen Empire, she watched helplessly as her kingdom fell and was forced into a puppet subservience amongst the dominating Suitanians as the Suitanian princes spread their dominance over Sarife's population centers. Lady Ryanna's featured seemed so similar to the widow of the Fallen Sarifen King, but also, the way that she stared at him in exhilaration reminded him of the way the Queen looked at him during the early years of the Suitanian occupation. "I don't understand," Ryanna said as her gaze stood transfixed on the elf's. Nodding his head, the elf replied, "That's understandable; none speak classic Sarifen as some once did." Straightening his back, the elf inhaled deeply while reverting his gaze to the ceiling and after a moment's pause, the elf exhaled. "'RiHlit il-alf miil tabda’ bixaTwa' is an old Sarifen proverb that means, 'From small beginnings come great things,'" the elf said, reverting his warm gaze back to Ryanna, "When the Suitanians conquered Sarife, they did not seize everything from us and this proverb was one in which many a Sarifen spoke to another amongst difficult times. And thus, it is so, Ryanna; from small beginnings come great things."

[St.Jimmy]

Ryanna was not quite sure what he was trying to tell her with the use of this proverb, but his words and manner transfixed her and she had seldom felt so involved as she did now. Her husband largely ignored her, as did the rest of his friends who dined here on occasion; Pontius, however, was very different. He seemed more keen to spend time with her than he did even with her husband, and that was very new for Ryanna. She gestured at the seat opposite her at the table; he was still standing and it only now occurred to her that it had been impolite not to offer him a seat earlier on. Something about him just appeared to remove all thought from her mind, other than the one which encouraged her to engage him in conversation.

"Won't you sit down?"

[GourmetItalia]

= Pontius Valdemar =

Ryanna did not say anything, but her gaze stood transfixed upon his eyes, causing the elf to wonder if he was really staring at a descendant of the "Won't you sit down," Ryanna said, gesturing to a seat opposite to her at the table? First looking towards the Ryanna, then towards the seat she gestured towards, the elf bowed his head in politeness and said, "Thank you." After pulling out the chair opposite to Ryanna, Pontius rested himself along the cushions of the furnished chair and placed his elbows along the edge of the table. As he sat there, he remembered a remark that Lord Elireth had made the previous day, consisting of Ryanna's fondness of books and knowledge. He was curious to know of her learnings and of what she had read and after a moment of thought, said, "Your husband mentioned something of your extensive literacy in literature and histories. You must enlighten me with what you know."

[St.Jimmy]

Ryanna felt a flush creeping over her cheeks as Pontius spoke; he really did seem to have an interest in her, and it was flattering; it really was. She was hesitant at first, but the more she talked, the easier it became - it was obvious that he was listening carefully and attentively, and she found herself telling him of the many history books she read so often, in preference to fictitious works. At last, she stopped, realizing she had been speaking for quite some time and afraid that she may have bored him. He did not appear to have lost interest, however.

"And yourself?" she enquired. "Are you well-read?"

[GourmetItalia]

= Pontius Valdemar =

When Ryanna's face flushed, the elf knew she took a liking to literary works and eagerly focused his attention on her as she spoke of her learnings. For every tale she told and every book she mentioned, the elf nodded, drinking every word that came out of her mouth, analyzing the details in which she described, studying the facial expressions along her face, and absorbing the plethora of knowledge that she exhibited. Of all the works she had spoken, he only recognized a select few and they consisted of some of the most recognized playwrights in Sarife. Even if many of the play wrights were unfamiliar to his knowledge, Pontius was quite impressed by the wide range of taste she held in the fine arts, finding delight with every new work she spoke of. It was rare indeed that he had met a female who held such an extensive memory or interest in history or fictional works and at times he found himself gazing up in the ceiling while his imagination ran wild. Ryanna's detailed accounts contributed greatly to his brief moments of wild imaginations while drawing his attention towards her explanations of the historical events following Folken the Great's death and beyond. Of interest were the many historical happenings that occurred after Folken's death and the elf found his interest in Ryanna increase ten fold, the more she spoke of the continuing evolutions of many of the world's nations.

When she inquired the elf upon his knowledge and asked if he was well read, Pontius' mind literally swam through a sea of works both fictional and literary. "My knowledge does venture amidst extensive literary realms if this is what you inquire," the elf said with a nod and cheeky smile, "however, out of common courtesy, I will refrain from listing all the novelties I have chanced upon for fear of boring you to death. Some of the works I have studied are written in languages few scholars may comprehend, let alone attract interest and I am unsure whether or not there are existing manuscripts of those specific novelties. The reason behind this matter pertains exclusively to my lengthy absence from Sarife, not excluding my mansion burning to the ground when the Suitanians invaded Sarife." The elf paused for a moment, as he directed his gaze away from Ryanna and down upon the table as if he had just entered a stupored dazed. He was not greatly disturbed at such trivialities as the burning of his personal possessions, but felt the bitterness at the painful memories he had experienced when the Suitanians had occupied Sarife. It was after a very short moment that the elf realized he was beginning to be lose himself in his own thoughts and turned his gaze back towards Ryanna. "Forgive me for rambling, Lady Ryanna; your natural interest in the fictional works earns my respect and my curiosity. Would you care to enlighten me more of your learnings?"

[St.Jimmy]

Ryanna would have dearly loved to continue this conversation with him; he was speaking to her without being patronizing because she was a woman, and this was a rare occurrence. She was able now to meet his eyes, to smile when she spoke to him; some of her true personality was once more being revealed in her face as she opened her mouth to speak more on the issues at hand - and that was when her husband entered the room.

At once, everything about her shut down. The momentary surge of confidence disappeared as Eyrial dropped into his usual seat, closely followed by their son. Ryanna's gaze fell to the tablecloth, and she folded her hands in her lap, all talk fading from her. How could she continue conversation with Pontius now, with her husband there to pour scorn and suspicion on every word? Rather than even attempting to, she allowed him to engage Pontius in morning greetings, remarking on the Duke's unusual choice to remain in his night clothes during breakfast with as much tact as he could muster. The servants soon brought in food, and Ryanna picked at her own, knowing she needed to eat some in order to stay alive, but her appetite gone with her husband's arrival.

[GourmetItalia]

= Pontius Valdemar =

The Duke highly anticipated for Ryanna to continue to speak of her expertise in learned subjects, but their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of her husband and son. All talk of subjects both present and past faded away and Lady Ryanna directed her gaze onto her table cloth without uttering another word. With the arrival of Eyrial and Erin, the elf greeted them respectfully, but found slight embarrassment in Eyrial's remark about remaining in his bed clothes during breakfast. Rather than remarking upon his unaccustomness to the unusual formalities of this new and current age, the elf made a mental note to adapt to the changes and began to enjoy the breakfast that had been brought forth. As expected, Pontius found no trouble in expressing his compliments to Eyrial for the wondrously prepared culinary exquisiteness that had been enjoyed since the previous night. Indeed, Eyrial was quite wealthy to have gained the privilege of enjoying such rare and finely prepared foods in such poverty stricken times. Of course, such luxuries were common amongst nobility even in the harshest of times due to their inherited wealth and over taxation of the common folk and in the back of his mind, Pontius still pondered how Eyrial acquired his wealth. There were many questions that pressed into his mind, yet as he directed his gaze towards Ryanna, his questions were overridden by the acknowledgment in her unenthusiastic behavior. Her lack of appetite was evident in the ridiculously small proportions she ate and her somewhat sullen expression seemed so odd considering how just minutes ago, she seemed so vibrant and full of enthusiasm.

Pontius mentally promised himself to learn more of the Elireth household to grasp a better understanding of the Lady's unusual habits. The previous night, she did mention something about there being nothing he would be able to accomplish when he asked her why she was crying and there was also that bit about how she begged him not to tell Eyrial of her condition, but that was all. He felt a great amount of sympathy for her considering how much she knew and how much potential she carried, but felt the reality of how many human noblemen treated their wives. A common sight amongst humans, the elf wondered if humans ever learned at all from their mistreatment of others. Perhaps fate carried justice in its own way seeming as how so many human couples he met were unhappy with their partners and succumbed to the whims of adultery. Quite simply, he would've preferred to see more love and faith amongst human couples in a world so cruel. The gods knew how pathetic and ignorant many of the worlds beings acted towards one another, with so much war, hate, blood, and injustice running so rampantly. It was depressing to know and to think about and in unintentional irony, talk turned to that of the Valania's economic condition. Much of the elf's interest became invested into the subject and he held as much as his fascination for it as he did for his concerns from his many life experiences. There were many questions the elf wished to be answered, but one of the largest concerned Sarife's connection to Valanian affairs. Pontius took a sip of his drink and folded his hands before turning his gaze to Eyrial, asking, "So Eyrial, I understand there are numerous Sarifen military squadrons occupying Voltas' streets. I've never fully grasped what Sarife's involvement was in Valanian territory, however I feel your opinion may clear any misunderstandings I hold."

[St.Jimmy]

Eyrial looked surprised at the question and glanced up from his food in order to meet the Duke's eyes. It was not often that anybody was so bold as to even remark upon the possibility that the Sarifen troops did not seem to be accomplishing much for the Valanians themselves, never mind question their use altogether. Erin's gaze dropped to his plate, understanding the fact that his father was likely to take offence from the unusual question, but to his surprise, Eyrial shook his head.

"I won't pretend to understand you, Pontius," he said, folding his napkin for a moment. "You seem so unfamiliar with so many things that are part of day to day life - for example, that question is possibly a dangerous one to ask in the current climate. Questioning the Sarifen troops can get a man into a great deal of trouble with the wrong people; the King, for instance, does not take kindly on hostility towards the troops. The answer to your question is simply that they are here for the good of the country, for the Valanian peasants are uncivilized and would tear each other apart without disciplined troops to mediate. Before the Sarifen occupation, this country was in a far worse state than it is today."

Ryanna made a sudden impulsive movement, as if she was on the verge of opening her mouth and arguing. Within seconds, however, her gaze had been redirected to the tablecloth and she carefully avoided her husband's eye; he was not looking at her anyway. Instead, he surveyed Pontius for a few more careful moments and then returned his attention to his food.

"Does that help to clear up your misunderstandings?" he enquired.