BotB Ch13
Allen POV!
Date written: 6/23/2011, 7/7/2011, 7/10/2011
Date typed: 5/21/2012
Date originally posted: 9/27/2012
Date edited: N/A
Born of the Blood
Chapter 13: Boy is Clueless - Parts 1 & 2 of 3
Part 1
[Pink, 9th Moon, Cemrota of Stahl, Year of Slate East] (April 1990)
Allen glanced at the young woman at the other side of the bench. Eries was flipping through a book she had smuggled out of the palace library. Were he a religious, praying man, he would thank Jichia for blessing him with a friend in such a position with the passion to aid him. Instead, he was simply thankful to Eries as a person for helping him secure his family inheritance.
He returned to skimming the document she had given to him to read. Tomorrow, he would begin meeting with the lawyer Eries had suggested. This document was his lifeline; on it was written all the important information he was to tell the lawyer. Eries had cut out what she had called "fluff" - lengthy, flowery wording; aiming only to convey the simple fact that Allen merely wanted to reclaim his family's legacy.
Eries had done so much to help him. Research, sneaking out of the palace, reading books, writing down and simplifying what he needed to know. They were still practically strangers, yet she felt compelled to aid him in his plight.
"Eries?" She looked up expectantly at him. "You are a great friend and I want you to know how much I appreciate you and all of your hard work."
She was blushing at his kind words. "You're most welcome, Allen." Eries paused, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "You're not thankful to Jichia?"
Allen blinked at her bluntness. "I… I guess my - my parents never really believed in Jeture. We rarely went to services when I was young; I'd never been educated in the faith. What I do know doesn't really appeal to me much, I guess. I haven't found any reason to believe."
There was a long pause before Eries responded, "I never really thought about the belief… I don't believe that Jeture is an actual entity that listens and answers our prayers. But the people need something to believe in and he hasn't failed us yet. I certainly don't believe he's a dragon."
Focused on her duties, Eries always was.
Part 2
Allen glanced up at the young woman sitting on the bench on the balcony. Marlene had several notebooks sprawled around her; she'd even pulled a small end table out onto the balcony with her to hold more stationary equipment. The bobbing of her quill as she wrote was mesmerizing and Allen couldn't help but stare as the eldest Princess wrote.
She'd been out on her balcony for over an hour. Allen had come into the courtyard to escape from the silent, empty house that he could finally claim as his. It was his by right, his inheritance, but it was a mansion, a house, an empty building filled with the lingering sense of loss. His family had abandoned him, been torn from him, and fallen away from him and the house was too painful for him to be in for long. It was no longer home.
He had tried the cemetery first, of course, but without Eries and her law books, it felt empty.
The young man found solace in the garden. His mother had always loved flowers and he'd met Marlene here and she had smiled at him; genuine, pure, and full of light. She'd seen past his disgraceful father, the mysterious disappearance of his sister, and the sadness of his ill-taken mother. Marlene had smiled at him.
"Allen?"
He blinked, pulling himself out of his reverie. "Yes, Princess?"
"Why are you here?" She put her notebook on the bench beside her, adding it to its brethren piled there. The Princess stood and moved to the railing. She was wearing a lovely dress of wine-red and Allen thought it accented her beauty well. She leaned against the railing to better speak with him.
"I desired to be in a place of serenity. Having the lovely Princess' presence is an added blessing."
The corners of her lips pulled upward and light radiated from her. A faint pink rose-kissed blush tinged her cheeks. "You sound like Prince Erroll."
Dreaming in the clouds, Marlene always was.
Date written: 6/23/2011, 7/7/2011, 7/10/2011
Date typed: 5/21/2012
Date originally posted: 9/27/2012
Date edited: N/A
Born of the Blood
Chapter 13: Boy is Clueless - Parts 1 & 2 of 3
Part 1
[Pink, 9th Moon, Cemrota of Stahl, Year of Slate East] (April 1990)
Allen glanced at the young woman at the other side of the bench. Eries was flipping through a book she had smuggled out of the palace library. Were he a religious, praying man, he would thank Jichia for blessing him with a friend in such a position with the passion to aid him. Instead, he was simply thankful to Eries as a person for helping him secure his family inheritance.
He returned to skimming the document she had given to him to read. Tomorrow, he would begin meeting with the lawyer Eries had suggested. This document was his lifeline; on it was written all the important information he was to tell the lawyer. Eries had cut out what she had called "fluff" - lengthy, flowery wording; aiming only to convey the simple fact that Allen merely wanted to reclaim his family's legacy.
Eries had done so much to help him. Research, sneaking out of the palace, reading books, writing down and simplifying what he needed to know. They were still practically strangers, yet she felt compelled to aid him in his plight.
"Eries?" She looked up expectantly at him. "You are a great friend and I want you to know how much I appreciate you and all of your hard work."
She was blushing at his kind words. "You're most welcome, Allen." Eries paused, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "You're not thankful to Jichia?"
Allen blinked at her bluntness. "I… I guess my - my parents never really believed in Jeture. We rarely went to services when I was young; I'd never been educated in the faith. What I do know doesn't really appeal to me much, I guess. I haven't found any reason to believe."
There was a long pause before Eries responded, "I never really thought about the belief… I don't believe that Jeture is an actual entity that listens and answers our prayers. But the people need something to believe in and he hasn't failed us yet. I certainly don't believe he's a dragon."
Focused on her duties, Eries always was.
Part 2
Allen glanced up at the young woman sitting on the bench on the balcony. Marlene had several notebooks sprawled around her; she'd even pulled a small end table out onto the balcony with her to hold more stationary equipment. The bobbing of her quill as she wrote was mesmerizing and Allen couldn't help but stare as the eldest Princess wrote.
She'd been out on her balcony for over an hour. Allen had come into the courtyard to escape from the silent, empty house that he could finally claim as his. It was his by right, his inheritance, but it was a mansion, a house, an empty building filled with the lingering sense of loss. His family had abandoned him, been torn from him, and fallen away from him and the house was too painful for him to be in for long. It was no longer home.
He had tried the cemetery first, of course, but without Eries and her law books, it felt empty.
The young man found solace in the garden. His mother had always loved flowers and he'd met Marlene here and she had smiled at him; genuine, pure, and full of light. She'd seen past his disgraceful father, the mysterious disappearance of his sister, and the sadness of his ill-taken mother. Marlene had smiled at him.
"Allen?"
He blinked, pulling himself out of his reverie. "Yes, Princess?"
"Why are you here?" She put her notebook on the bench beside her, adding it to its brethren piled there. The Princess stood and moved to the railing. She was wearing a lovely dress of wine-red and Allen thought it accented her beauty well. She leaned against the railing to better speak with him.
"I desired to be in a place of serenity. Having the lovely Princess' presence is an added blessing."
The corners of her lips pulled upward and light radiated from her. A faint pink rose-kissed blush tinged her cheeks. "You sound like Prince Erroll."
Dreaming in the clouds, Marlene always was.