He left Conrad’s room leading the direction to the stables, mood soured. "Those damn fish better be biting," he cursed. This is what happens when he tried to do the nice, older brother bit. That will teach him. Conrad could take care of himself, he didn't need his older brother to greet him and smile and try and make him feel welcome. The whole damn castle could do that at the party.
"I'm sure that something will catch your line today... And if not, I have your favourite foods, the cold ones anyway in my magical hamper. It's not magical or anything it's just a really big hamper. No inventions. I promised!" Anissina tried to distract Gwendal, or at least make him less frowny!
She pointed to the horses out by the stables through a window, two horses saddled, and one that seemed strained under the weight of a saddlebag picnic basket.
"Oooooh, I forgot totally about the party tonight. I wonder who I should ask to escort me." Anissina teased as she mounted her horse.
She hadn't had an escort since her debutante ball back in Khrennikov and even then it was more down to friendship - and a brief fling - and even she knew that Gwendal knew it. She'd had just the right dress made by the wonderful mades of the castle, perfect to blow Gwendal's eyes right out of his head shock any male targets she might set her eyes on tonight.
Quickly, she called over a stable boy and told him where they were heading, just in case of emergency. He was one of the trustworthy ones, mainly because of her helping with the local school.
"Just in case someone needs us urgently." Anissina told Gwendal. "He won't tell anyone but if we are needed, Tom here will ride out to get us. Now .. shall we leave?" She smiled.
His eyes narrow as she muses teasingly about who will escort her tonight. "I will be the one honored to escort you this evening."
He waited silently, observing as she spoke with Tom about how they were to be reached in case of emergency.
"Shall we leave?"
"Let's," he says leading his horse away from the stables. He glances over his shoulders to see Blood Pledge Castle retreating into the distance. "Sometimes it's nice to simply get away from the responsibilities that have become burdens."
He reached out for the reigns of her horse and drew their two steeds side by side before he stole a quick kiss from her lips, then he released her horse's reigns. "It is nice to be getting away with the one I trust most when there are no experiments involved."
Anissina smiled. So Gwendal would apparently be escorting her. Well, wouldn't he be surprised when he saw her dress!
Anissina blinked when he grabbed the reigns of her horse and kissed her. She nearly fell off the horse. She nearly kicked him. She nearly spurred her horse on in pure unadulterated shock. Sure, she realised that he was kissing her but on horseback, where they could still be overseen?
"Person you trust most? But..." She blinked as she moved her horse on. "But... Wouldn't that be Conrad, or Gunter, or anyone bar the person who blows up the castle on a semi-regular basis?"
"Person you trust most? But...But... Wouldn't that be Conrad, or Gunter, or anyone bar the person who blows up the castle on a semi-regular basis?"He laughs at her question, recognizing the truth of it all. "Alright, the person I trust most after Gunter," he conceeds. He trusts Conrad, mostly, but his brother has a habit of making stupid mistakes in his misguided sense of duty
( ... )
"Okay, that makes more sense." Anissina admitted when she was placed after Gunter. All was right with the universe again. Or rather, the running man finally admitted that he was a bit threatened by her massive brain power! Or something to that effect.
"Gwendal, you know that I will always be there for you, whether you like it or not!" She said quietly. "I just want you to be happy. It's about time you know!"
"And you know darned well that everything is usually just shinier and brighter when you leave the castle in my hands." She smiled.
She stuck out her tongue at the usually frowning man and kicked her horse on. This day was about fun. Not dwelling on the past. About futures and time away from responsibility. Maybe even about about dunking Gwendal in the lake?!
Together, they reached their lake destination and Gwendal tied his horse's teether to a low hanging branch of a large tree and did the same for the animal with the magic hamper on its back
( ... )
Anissina laughed as Gwendal made the earth rock. "Wow... I thought that was only supposed to happen in a bedroom, a stable, kitchens, my lab, the hallway outside my lab."
She tried to make him blush with her lewd connitations. But of course, it was slightly ruined when he offered her a worm.
"Um... No. I'm fine." She repressed a shiver. "I think I'll just use an artificial bait!" She held up a tiny silver sliver of metal and hooked it onto the end of one of the most complicated looking fishing rods.
She smiled as she moved to a nice sheltered spot under a rather large tree at the edge of the lake. "Okay... But what are the stakes?"
She slipped off her boots and socks and let her feet dangle into the water.
A fish tugged on Gwendal's line so he pulled it to shore and unhooked it from his simple hook. He released the large 14 inche long fish into the bucket he has secured on the shoreline.
The first fish was his, that made him the favorite in the odds department regarding any sort of bet, especially given Anissina's complicated fishing pole. He had a feeling it wouldn't be quite an effecient contraption, of course it could always be surprise and be a functioning invention of hers, they did on occasion work!
"If I catch the most fish in both quality and quantity we skip tonight's party. If you win, we go."
"Hmmm..." Anissina thought. "Your mother isn't going to be happy if we don't show up. How about... We show up, smile happily for thirty minutes and then disappear. And if I win, you have to let me dress you and stay at the party until the end!"
Anissina felt a tug at the end of her line and started to reel in the fish. But it turned out to be a boot instead.
Gwendal's lip curls up at the sight of Anissina's 'catch' while at the same time there is another fish tugging at his line. "Acceptable," he agrees to her stake's listed.
Gwendal raked his mind for conversation, Anissina had planned this event so he should try to think of something to say. Something not related to the management of a kingdom.
He was in the library the day before, perhaps something he read would be a good conversation. Actually, it was an excellent topic given that Anissina wrote stories!
"I believe I have seen the Gretas reading your books before. How do you have the time to create stories?" There was one evening when he heard Greta reading aloud and the story had involved a heroic female, evil tyrant who seemed to be a wizard of sorts, and the male protagonist had be a rather serious and dour individual.
"Where do you find your inspiration?"
Was he supposed to be the dour, serious individual? His brow wrinkles into a frown, he wasn't dour!
Anissina blushed hard as he brought up the subject of her writing. She had no idea that Gwendal even knew she wrote anything besides scientific papers.
"Um ... I ... Well ... You see I got a little bored one day while waiting for Gunter to power up one of my inventions so I..." She bit her lip. "... kinda started to write while he pedalled and it just sort of went on from there."
She bit her lip again. I will not tell him that he's in my books. Definately not.
"Um, inspiration. Well, I think it's mostly just made up, but there are a couple of real people in there... Changed slightly of course." She smiled.
"Hn. Interesting. From what I heard I thought the protagonist characters sounded remarkably similiar to you and I." Gwendal pulled in a third fish and watched Anissina as he unhooked it.
"Does this mean I'm the man you picture when you envison a hero?" He used the final worm he had gathered to bait his hook before tossing the string back into the water. He set the pole by his feet and then leaned back, arms behind his head as he stared up at the sky.
"Tell me Nisa, if you could have anything, anything at all, what would it be?"
He waited a moment, "I'll tell you what I would wish for, it would be to speak with my father. To be able to confide in and seek his wisdom."
Anissina blushed more as Gwendal pointed out the obvious. "No... No... That's just coincidence, I'm sure. There are a lot of broad shouldered sexy men with dark hair around." She pushed her hair back over her shoulder as she tried to concentrate on fishing.
"Hmm... Hero, not always. Annoying guy who keeps yipping at the heroines heels when she's trying to make the castle a better place mainly." She teased. "Or the love interest who convinces her that men aren't all chauvanistic pigs and should be listened to occassionally."
Something tugged at her line and she reeled it in. It was another boot! This wasn't going too well.
"Anything? Peace. Lack of fighting thoughout the kingdom." She sighed. "That's what I want. Everything else will come along in it's own time."
"Those damn fish better be biting," he cursed. This is what happens when he tried to do the nice, older brother bit. That will teach him. Conrad could take care of himself, he didn't need his older brother to greet him and smile and try and make him feel welcome.
The whole damn castle could do that at the party.
Reply
She pointed to the horses out by the stables through a window, two horses saddled, and one that seemed strained under the weight of a saddlebag picnic basket.
Reply
Reply
She hadn't had an escort since her debutante ball back in Khrennikov and even then it was more down to friendship - and a brief fling - and even she knew that Gwendal knew it. She'd had just the right dress made by the wonderful mades of the castle, perfect to blow Gwendal's eyes right out of his head shock any male targets she might set her eyes on tonight.
Quickly, she called over a stable boy and told him where they were heading, just in case of emergency. He was one of the trustworthy ones, mainly because of her helping with the local school.
"Just in case someone needs us urgently." Anissina told Gwendal. "He won't tell anyone but if we are needed, Tom here will ride out to get us. Now .. shall we leave?" She smiled.
Reply
He waited silently, observing as she spoke with Tom about how they were to be reached in case of emergency.
"Shall we leave?"
"Let's," he says leading his horse away from the stables. He glances over his shoulders to see Blood Pledge Castle retreating into the distance. "Sometimes it's nice to simply get away from the responsibilities that have become burdens."
He reached out for the reigns of her horse and drew their two steeds side by side before he stole a quick kiss from her lips, then he released her horse's reigns. "It is nice to be getting away with the one I trust most when there are no experiments involved."
Reply
Anissina blinked when he grabbed the reigns of her horse and kissed her. She nearly fell off the horse. She nearly kicked him. She nearly spurred her horse on in pure unadulterated shock. Sure, she realised that he was kissing her but on horseback, where they could still be overseen?
"Person you trust most? But..." She blinked as she moved her horse on. "But... Wouldn't that be Conrad, or Gunter, or anyone bar the person who blows up the castle on a semi-regular basis?"
Reply
Reply
"Gwendal, you know that I will always be there for you, whether you like it or not!" She said quietly. "I just want you to be happy. It's about time you know!"
"And you know darned well that everything is usually just shinier and brighter when you leave the castle in my hands." She smiled.
She stuck out her tongue at the usually frowning man and kicked her horse on. This day was about fun. Not dwelling on the past. About futures and time away from responsibility. Maybe even about about dunking Gwendal in the lake?!
Reply
Reply
She tried to make him blush with her lewd connitations. But of course, it was slightly ruined when he offered her a worm.
"Um... No. I'm fine." She repressed a shiver. "I think I'll just use an artificial bait!" She held up a tiny silver sliver of metal and hooked it onto the end of one of the most complicated looking fishing rods.
She smiled as she moved to a nice sheltered spot under a rather large tree at the edge of the lake. "Okay... But what are the stakes?"
She slipped off her boots and socks and let her feet dangle into the water.
Reply
The first fish was his, that made him the favorite in the odds department regarding any sort of bet, especially given Anissina's complicated fishing pole. He had a feeling it wouldn't be quite an effecient contraption, of course it could always be surprise and be a functioning invention of hers, they did on occasion work!
"If I catch the most fish in both quality and quantity we skip tonight's party. If you win, we go."
Reply
Anissina felt a tug at the end of her line and started to reel in the fish. But it turned out to be a boot instead.
Reply
Gwendal raked his mind for conversation, Anissina had planned this event so he should try to think of something to say. Something not related to the management of a kingdom.
He was in the library the day before, perhaps something he read would be a good conversation. Actually, it was an excellent topic given that Anissina wrote stories!
"I believe I have seen the Gretas reading your books before. How do you have the time to create stories?" There was one evening when he heard Greta reading aloud and the story had involved a heroic female, evil tyrant who seemed to be a wizard of sorts, and the male protagonist had be a rather serious and dour individual.
"Where do you find your inspiration?"
Was he supposed to be the dour, serious individual? His brow wrinkles into a frown, he wasn't dour!
Reply
"Um ... I ... Well ... You see I got a little bored one day while waiting for Gunter to power up one of my inventions so I..." She bit her lip. "... kinda started to write while he pedalled and it just sort of went on from there."
She bit her lip again. I will not tell him that he's in my books. Definately not.
"Um, inspiration. Well, I think it's mostly just made up, but there are a couple of real people in there... Changed slightly of course." She smiled.
Reply
"Does this mean I'm the man you picture when you envison a hero?" He used the final worm he had gathered to bait his hook before tossing the string back into the water. He set the pole by his feet and then leaned back, arms behind his head as he stared up at the sky.
"Tell me Nisa, if you could have anything, anything at all, what would it be?"
He waited a moment, "I'll tell you what I would wish for, it would be to speak with my father. To be able to confide in and seek his wisdom."
Reply
"Hmm... Hero, not always. Annoying guy who keeps yipping at the heroines heels when she's trying to make the castle a better place mainly." She teased. "Or the love interest who convinces her that men aren't all chauvanistic pigs and should be listened to occassionally."
Something tugged at her line and she reeled it in. It was another boot! This wasn't going too well.
"Anything? Peace. Lack of fighting thoughout the kingdom." She sighed. "That's what I want. Everything else will come along in it's own time."
Reply
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