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Post by bradums on Apr 10, 2010 19:50:51 GMT -5
The royal Britannia Palace was one of the most esteemed places in the known world, home to the ruling family of the world's strongest superpower. Obviously, then, it was also one of the most well-guarded places, as well. No one in their right mind would think of infiltrating or attacking the Palace, as it was the center of the Britannian Empire's system of control. One person, however, knew he could get away with it - whether through stealth or through title. The man knew the location well, from its construction to its patrol regimen. Times, areas, and even some of the soldiers themselves were well-known to the cloaked man. He had a personal interest in the Palace, its residents the most important of them. Taking paths that avoided the patrols with incredible speed, the man tore through the Palace grounds and to a wall that held a specific individual's chambers above. With a heavy push off the ground, he managed to jump to the walkway two stories above and pull himself up with ease. Repeating this method, the young man leaped until he reached the exterior ledge of the window he was searching for. Carefully, he pulled himself up so that his eyes could see inside. It was Sylvana li Britannia's chamber. With a little more noise than he had intended, he broke the hinges of the window and tapped them open. With a roll, he front-flipped over the window's frame and tumble inside the room to a kneeling position. Scanning the room, he couldn't tell if the princess was present or not, but he had to finish his task. Walking to her bed, he reached into his coat for the envelope he was to leave for her. A lot had changed, and he had a lot to answer for. The letter may not be enough, but it would have to serve as his start... [Feel free to intercept or allow him to leave the note. Either way ]
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Sylvana Li Britannia
Global Moderator
First Princess of the Imperial Family[M:-2237]
A lonely fairytale princess longing for her prince.
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Post by Sylvana Li Britannia on Apr 11, 2010 21:25:50 GMT -5
With the amount of work Sylvana had yet to do, and with her stress levels as high as they were, sleep was not a luxury she had dared to indulge herself in often if at all recently. What that had led to, however, was a notable lack of patience and an intolerance of interruptions. She had no time to deal with trivial matters that were not directly related to the wedding or urgent military business, and with Kuro busy with his consort, she had left instructions for all other inquiries to be directed to Euric. All the detailed instructions in the world, however, couldn’t prevent the occasional incompetence. The messenger that had informed her of Captain Kaoto’s request for a meeting almost over a week earlier had almost gotten a paperweight to the head for the interruption, but when another messenger hadn’t had the same good fortune, Euric had all but ordered Sylvana to bed. The First Prince didn’t exactly have the personality to demand that she stop working, but he was definitely persuasive, and Sylvana didn’t deny that she needed more sleep than she was getting; she just hated to lose the time. She had eventually conceded to retire for the night and resume in the morning well rested and hopefully with a clearer head.
The First Princess was not a particularly light sleeper, especially when she was as exhausted as she was, so she didn’t stir as her window was opened. What did rouse her was simply a sense of someone else in her room. After their mother’s death, Sylvana had very quickly become accustomed to one or both her sisters coming to her in the middle of the night, and she quickly developed a sense of telling when she wasn’t alone in her room. Some part of her subconscious recognized that someone else was nearby, and tired blue eyes slowly opened and began to adjust to the darkness of her room. When it became apparent that the silhouette at her bedside was neither of her sisters, however, Sylvana’s mind woke up quickly, and she slowly and quietly slid a hand under her pillow, seeking the knife in her pillowcase. With even Britannia in such an unstable state, she wouldn’t allow herself to sleep without something to protect herself with.
Her fingers found the hilt right as the shadow’s hand reached for what she presumed to be a gun. Acting quickly, the princess pushed herself up, and, judging her spacing as best she could in the darkness, she reached for the intruder’s arm with her free hand, hoping to prevent him from grabbing his own weapon as she brought the knife up level with his chest. She was well aware that she did not have the advantage in the situation, but she kept anything but confidence and authority out of her voice as she addressed her would be assassin. “You have been severely misinformed by your contractor if you thought that I was so easy to kill. Drop your weapon,” she ordered. With the intruder’s back to her window, Sylvana could focus on little more than his shape and made assumptions on that and the situation. What reason other than assassination would someone have for sneaking into her window in the middle of the night?
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Post by bradums on Apr 12, 2010 18:33:09 GMT -5
The shadow let a slight smile spread across his lips. She was fast, even in his level of comparison. However, it would be fair to say that the intruder wasn't a typical assassin. In fact, he wasn't really a typical human by his own reckoning...
He was stronger, faster, more agile. And not in the sense that a professional athlete is strong or fast, but in the sense that such an athlete would look unbelievably slow and weak by comparison. In the blink of an eye, the hand in his coat flicked out a light envelope, sending it floating down onto the bed. The rest of his body, however, moved to a different purpose. His other hand moved to her knife with lightning-quick speed. Instead of trying to wrest it from her grasp, however, he plunged it into his own chest and took a step away from the bed for a moment's distance. A rather blunt way to deal with a threatening knife at his chest, but her advantage was nullified.
"I didn't expect you to be here..." he said softly. The knife remained lodged in his chest, with the sound of blood dripping on the floor breaking an otherwise silent atmosphere.
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Sylvana Li Britannia
Global Moderator
First Princess of the Imperial Family[M:-2237]
A lonely fairytale princess longing for her prince.
Posts: 239
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Post by Sylvana Li Britannia on Apr 13, 2010 16:04:57 GMT -5
Of all the things that the First Princess had expected of the intruder, plunging the knife into his own chest was not one of them, so when the shadow’s hand pulled the knife toward himself rather than sideways or toward her, Sylvana didn’t offer much resistance. From the speed and strength behind the move, however, she doubted she would have won the exchange had he tried to turn it on her anyway, and that made it all the more confusing. It was only when the intruder stepped back that she noticed the envelope on her bed, easily enough seen in the dark. Was that what he’d been reaching for? Not a weapon? If it was, why hadn’t he just said so? Sure, it was common knowledge that her disposition was far from forgiving at the moment but still… Why commit suicide? That thought only added to Sylvana’s confusion. There had been no cry of pain. Her intruder was still standing. Something was very wrong here. Sylvana had far too many questions, and she was about to demand answers when her guest spoke first.
When he spoke Sylvana froze. She hadn’t moved from where she half sat, half crouched on her bed after he’d taken the knife from her while she waited to see what he would do next, but now she simply couldn’t. Her breath caught in her chest and her eyes widened. She knew that voice, and she knew who it belong to.
“Tristan…?” His first name came without any really consideration from Sylvana. So many thoughts and feelings ran through her mind at that point, and she could put none of them into words. Some small part of her was automatically self conscious of herself sitting on her bed in hardly professional attire and another part of her was simply angry about his presence in her bedroom in the first place. She was confused as to why he was here so suddenly, but she was relieved that he was alive and well… and then panic hit her. It was Tristan’s voice. It was Tristan in her room. It was Tristan who she’d threatened, and it was Tristan who had taken the knife from her and stabbed himself.
Concern about where they were and her own appearance was pushed aside by panic, and Sylvana quickly slid off her bed and turned the lamp on her bedside table on. It was her reading light, and hardly enough to light the room, but it was enough to let her identify Tristan’s face, and to see knife lodged in his chest. “It is you... Oh god… Tristan, why did you…” Panic ebbed away to confusion as she stepped toward him. Sylvana was not a medic. She had a bare knowledge of field medicine, and therefore had no intention of taking the knife out, but she also knew that he should not still be standing. Her earlier questions returned as she looked between the hilt of the knife, and Tristan’s face. There was a question that she couldn’t or wouldn’t put into words, but needed an answer to.
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Post by bradums on Apr 13, 2010 18:29:54 GMT -5
Tristan tried hard to maintain his emotionless expression. It was hard enough to remain distant from Sylvana or the young Ayame without this incident pulling him back into their affairs. He had changed for the worse, and the Tristan they had known died on Anderson's table. He wasn't the same man, if he could be called a man at all.
Her question begged one of his own, however. She didn't complete it, and with the myriad questions she was likely to ask, it was hard to determine what she wanted to know. Turning aside his first instinct to simply flee the room, he stepped closer to the First Princess and pulled the knife out from his chest. Turning it in his hand, he wiped the blood off with his coat and placed it on the bed, returning it to Sylvana.
"Why?" he echoed, "Why do I remain hidden? Why did I take the knife into my chest? Or why did the knife not kill me?"
Sighing, a slightly pained expression crept across his face. The answer to all three was held in a single explanation. He was reluctant to give it, of course, but she deserved an answer. Tristan had disappeared with no word for quite a while, and here he was, sneaking into her bedroom in the dead of night to deliver a letter.
"Anderson...changed me, your Highness," he began, choosing a formal title for Sylvana, "He took me from the hospital and used me for an experiment. I don't know for how long, but he must've been watching me for some time, because there were others he selected for various reasons. I was...I was the only one who survived..."
His hands began to tremble as his mind recalled what had happened in the dead city...the dimly lit metropolis underground.
"The nurse...or what we thought was a nurse...she was his...partner, or assistant. She's not human. She's some sort of immortal thing, and he used her to experiment on me and make me...like her," the blue-eyed man explained, touching the quickly-regenerating wound in his chest as he did, "The chance of success was almost zero, but I lived. He wanted to use me to his own ends, but...I left, knowing he couldn't really stop me. And even if he can, I'm willing to test the possibility."
Shaking his head, he concluded, "I'm a monster now. I look the same as I did when last you saw me, but inside, I'm a monster. That's why I chose to disappear. With my rank, title, and all that's required of me, I couldn't return as the man I've become."
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Sylvana Li Britannia
Global Moderator
First Princess of the Imperial Family[M:-2237]
A lonely fairytale princess longing for her prince.
Posts: 239
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Post by Sylvana Li Britannia on Apr 13, 2010 23:37:54 GMT -5
“What are you doing?!” Sylvana yelled as Tristan pulled the knife from his chest like it was nothing, but she closed her mouth when he spoke again. He wasn’t startled or concerned about the wound, and as much as all of Sylvana’s logic told her otherwise, she would try to wait for an explanation and bit her tongue. She would wait even though she thought she could guess at least part of the story. He sighed, and she hated the look on his face. Although expected, she hated the name that came out of his mouth, but what she hated more was her own title. It was ironic. The princess who prided herself on propriety and who normally would have been thrilled to have a sense of formality injected into the situation, hated the sound of her title. Recognizing that that was nowhere near the important part of Tristan’s words, however, Sylvana just let it feed her fury at Anderson.
She’d known. On some level she’d known what Anderson was doing or at least what he’d intended to do, but she just hadn’t been able to find any proof let alone any clues as to where he’d gone. To now be certain that every bad feeling she’d ever had was true made Sylvana’s blood boil, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. And it wasn’t just Tristan! There were others! Alastair had to know. He had to. He and the ‘doctor’ were simply too close for him not to. It wasn’t just Tristan, but his was certainly the case that bothered Sylvana. She blamed herself. Ayame hadn’t liked the nurse, and Vana had ignored her warning, thinking that anyone was better than Anderson. She wanted to apologize, but she doubted Tristan wanted to hear it.
Vana saw the tremble in his hands as he talked, and she dug her nails into her palms but forced herself to slowly relax them. Now was not the time for her own anger; it would accomplish nothing. Tristan was here, and that was what was important right now. Alastair, Anderson and the girl would have to wait. The girl… Sylvana didn’t know what to make of her, but she’d known she was involved from the video. She just didn’t have a clue who she was or in what capacity she was involved with Anderson. “Immortal…?” Sylvana whispered confused. It didn’t make any sense, but not much involving Anderson did. Still, she couldn’t help an astonished gasp when she saw his wound almost healed. While she would never have thought that Tristan would make up such an incredible story, without the evidence of its truth right in front of her, Sylvana would have had a very hard time believing it.
The princess lowered her eyes, not knowing what to say, but three words from Tristan’s mouth suddenly left her with plenty of her own. “Stop it!” Vana said softly but firmly as she looked back to the man in front of her. “You are not a monster. I don’t care what Anderson did to you physically, he can’t change who you are unless you let him.” Vana stepped toward him and placed a hand on his arm lightly, not sure if he wanted to be touched. “I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like, but you are still you, Tristan.” Vana’s words were sincere and she looked up at him as she spoke, but she was hesitant to use his name when he’d picked her title. Given the circumstances, however, she just couldn’t bring herself to use his title. Maybe it was because of what he’d told her, or maybe it was because it was hard to be a commander standing before him in her bedroom in a nightgown. “So long as you have the free will to choose how to live your life, Anderson can never truly change you. As far as I’m concerned you are still the same man who saved my life, and I still entrust it to you.”
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Post by bradums on Apr 14, 2010 15:42:44 GMT -5
"And what if the man you entrust to save your life is shot in the process? How will we explain to the people why Tristan Leodegrance, Captain and noble, can be shot, stabbed, or otherwise murdered and not die?" the young man asked in return. There was a hint of defeat in his tone. In a perfect world, he could drop what had happened during his time away and what had been done to him, but reality made it hard to pretend that could happen. The next time he took a bullet for Sylvana wouldn't be life-threatening in the physical sense, but it would no doubt seem strange that death wouldn't come to claim him were he to be shot in the line of duty. That said, how would people react?
That aside, what about his new-found physical abilities? Tristan wasn't exactly weak before the experiment, but neither was he bulky or strong. Now, with no apparent difference in size or muscle structure, he could heft things three or four times his size and weight above his head with relative ease. Not to mention the speed and agility he now possessed. This would be somewhat strange to witness.
These were the concerns on his mind. Things that kept his intentions away from public view, and kept he himself out of sight. He was altered, unnatural. To return to his old life would be to bring trouble to those who took part in it.
Tristan looked into Sylvana's eyes and simply shook his head.
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Sylvana Li Britannia
Global Moderator
First Princess of the Imperial Family[M:-2237]
A lonely fairytale princess longing for her prince.
Posts: 239
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Post by Sylvana Li Britannia on Apr 14, 2010 23:03:14 GMT -5
Sylvana opened her mouth to answer, but quickly reconsidered. She didn’t know. A small part of her wanted to say that they didn’t have to explain that, but it was a fool’s hope and was quickly dismissed. It wasn’t realistic. She didn’t know how people would react, but she could guess that there would be a good number of those who didn’t approve. That was how the world worked. Discord ran the world not harmony. And with Britannia already in a state of disorder, Sylvana doubted that the citizens and other soldiers in particular, would take the news well.
The princess sighed and she lowered her eyes. “I don’t know…” She answered honestly. “I really don’t know. I would prefer that you not get shot, stabbed, or otherwise injured on my behalf, but…” Sylvana sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair, pulling in frustration when they snagged on tangles. She wanted a better answer than that, but she didn’t have one. There was no way for her to know how people would react, and as much as she wanted to suggest it, she didn’t want to improvise when it happened.
Pulling her hands from her hair, Sylvana ran them over her face instead before pacing in a short line. “There has to be a better solution to you simply disappearing and throwing your life away.” There had to be, but she didn’t know what it was at the moment. “I want to give you an answer. I want to ask you to come back, but I don’t have an answer. My best solution is to wait until it happens and try to spin it that the wound either wasn’t as bad as it appeared or was treated exceptionally well, but I don’t like that. I would suggest going to Alastair, but I’m all but positive that he is involved with Anderson even if it’s indirectly.” If anyone was likely to convince the people to be accepting of Tristan it was the Emperor.
Vana’s pacing stopped suddenly as a thought came to her. For regular officers, and soldiers the Emperor’s approval would go a long way, but for special ranks… She looked back to Tristan for several moments before turning her eyes away again as she thought it over. It was certainly better than essentially relying on their ability to avoid inquiry and cover up the incident, but… The First Princess slowly turned her eyes back to Tristan again. There was no guarantee it would fix the problem, but it would… or at least should… raise the percentage who accepted him. It was her best idea, so she had to offer it, and Vana turned to fully face Tristan again. “What if I named you my knight?”
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Post by bradums on Apr 15, 2010 18:16:43 GMT -5
Knight. The word echoed in Tristan's mind over and over again. It was something he had heard a few times in his life. More often than not, it was used in his father's declarations of displeasure, calling Knights a "false and undeserved nobility". Such comments were somewhat expected of a man like Tristan's father...a man at the top of the line of nobility through the family's title and clout. To have to acknowledge a military officer from what was likely a common heritage as a noble irritated him.
It rang different now, though. Tristan pondered the offer for a moment, unable to come up with any sort of response to such a bold question at first.
Bold, however, was likely an understatement. He was the son of one of Britannia's most powerful noble families who had left Pendragon to enlist in the military and rose to the rank of Captain. He had already shrugged off his title of nobility for a military rank. That aside, he was also a Captain who was - at present - Missing In Action. A little strange, to say the least, but...there was undeniable wisdom to the offer. It was a way to clear most of the obstacles. Not only would it separate him from the military network he would've otherwise been stuck in, it separated him from the standard military altogether. He would be independent of the military as a Knight in service to Sylvana li Britannia, the First Princess.
Looking the princess in the eyes, he asked sternly, "You know the gravity of what you're offering, don't you? Is this really what you want, or is this all for my sake?"
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Sylvana Li Britannia
Global Moderator
First Princess of the Imperial Family[M:-2237]
A lonely fairytale princess longing for her prince.
Posts: 239
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Post by Sylvana Li Britannia on Apr 16, 2010 0:36:01 GMT -5
The questions were perhaps more loaded than even Tristan realized, and Sylvana turned her head a moment, not knowing how to answer. She had not made the offer lightly, but it seemed that any answer she gave him now would be a lie, and she neither wanted to lie to him nor did she believe she could. It just wasn’t so simple as a ‘yes this is what I want’. There was a reason that Sylvana did not already have a knight, and she’d argued with her father about it at length when she was younger, but her refusal had nothing to do with not wanting a knight. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The princess would have welcomed a knight, but Sylvana had rejected the idea out of a perceived necessity. She simply couldn’t have one and still be the Commander.
Were things different now? Sylvana honestly didn’t know, and that was enough to make the commander in her refuse again. But it wasn’t that simple. It was never that simple. What it came down to was what Sylvana wanted more: her reputation as a strong leader, or a man who both the commander and the princess valued. It wasn’t such a hard decision when she realized that her two roles seemed to agree on something. “I know what I offer,” she said softly, turning her gaze back to Tristan. “And I will offer it to no one but you, but is it what I want…?” Sylvana paused for a moment before nodding. “Yes,” she told him honestly. Vana would much rather have him at her side than have him disappear again, and she’d rather have him as her knight than risk persecution in the standard military. Maybe in just this, she would be able to protect him for once. “Yes, it is what I want, but is it wrong if is for your sake as well?”
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Post by bradums on Apr 16, 2010 10:49:09 GMT -5
Tristan smiled slightly, admitting, "No...it's not wrong. I just...I didn't want you involving yourself with me if it was only going to put you in danger for my sake."
His grin widened when he added, "I think that's a sentiment we both tend to be stubborn about."
Turning, he took a few paces, his eyes stern and focused as he thought of the repercussions of what his knighting could mean. His family title would be pushed aside, though that obviously wasn't a concern. His more ambitious brother could keep it. Other than that, his career in the military would be less of a career and more of a straightforward duty, as he would get rid of the desk and protocol for something more...direct. There wouldn't be anymore red tape, no branching chain of command to report to, no busy work or stacks of papers when he was able to be reined in and kept away from battle. It would simply be Tristan serving Sylvana, the First Princess. Freedom, in a sense. And going back to the words he had just spoken, not only would it separate him from scrutiny, it meant it was now his duty to serve and protect the princess, whether he would be at risk or not - though risk wasn't as easy to come by in his present state.
Turning back to Sylvana, the blue-eyed Tristan took steps to return to her as he concluded, "My disappearance seemed to be the easiest way to protect everything I knew. It seems all I did was run from the issue."
As he approached Sylvana, he dropped to a courtly kneel and bowed his head. "I understand now that this is my place. No more running or hiding," Tristan spoke, his head still bowed low as he knelt, "I...I can't protect the things I hold dear from the shadows, when they need me more at their side. I...will be your Knight...your Highness. And I won't leave you again."
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Sylvana Li Britannia
Global Moderator
First Princess of the Imperial Family[M:-2237]
A lonely fairytale princess longing for her prince.
Posts: 239
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Post by Sylvana Li Britannia on Apr 17, 2010 1:29:19 GMT -5
The smile on his face was a welcome sight, and Sylvana felt a soft smile curve her own lips. It set her mind more at ease and made her more willing to relinquish her anger for the moment. Her fury at Anderson and admittedly her elder brother could wait a few hours. As Tristan knelt before her, Sylvana let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She didn’t know what they would have done… what she would have done if he’d refused.
Having him kneel at an official ceremony would be completely understandable, but here it was a strange blend of formal and informal, and Sylvana quickly bid him to rise after he accepted. His final sentence, however, made her blush lightly. Attempting to ignore the color she knew to be on her cheeks, Sylvana addressed Tristan. “You needn’t be so ceremonial here of all places. A simple ‘yes’ would have sufficed,” she told him with a small smile. “But this means you do as I tell you, and that currently includes sticking to more traditional forms of disarming someone. I understand that you may for some reason find it more efficient now, but I’d rather you didn’t get injured if at all possible, even if it will heal.” Tristan had never seemed to have a problem with following orders short of their disagreement about him staying in bed while injured, and that was certainly not going to be an argument Vana could win anymore, but she felt the need to make it clear.
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Post by bradums on Apr 17, 2010 12:44:41 GMT -5
"I understand," he replied. She was right, obviously. Though in private quarters, it was no issue to disarm Sylvana like he had; in public, it would be a little bit harder to explain why he would take a knife to the chest voluntarily. Regardless, he was to be her Knight. Any command she gave, it was his purpose to fulfill. Even if it meant going against his own instincts, she was his only commander now, and her wish was his order.
Raising an eyebrow, he added, "I'm guessing a ceremony is in order to make this official throughout the Empire?"
Traditionally, when a member of the royal family chose a Knight, it was hailed as a national event. All media throughout the Empire focused on it, and it was made official through the ceremony in which the member of the royal family knighted their chosen protector before a gathering of the nobility and prominent citizens of the Empire. Though Tristan wasn't normally a fan of over-the-top gatherings, he figured the ceremony was necessary to prove the legitimacy of the selection before the whole of the Empire and bring him back from the dead, so to speak.
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Sylvana Li Britannia
Global Moderator
First Princess of the Imperial Family[M:-2237]
A lonely fairytale princess longing for her prince.
Posts: 239
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Post by Sylvana Li Britannia on Apr 17, 2010 14:27:43 GMT -5
“Please… don’t even mention the word ceremony right now.” Sylvana ran her hands over her face. Another event to plan was just about the last thing Sylvana wanted to deal with right now. She had been plenty stressed with the security for the wedding considering that Alastair insisted on inviting practically everyone short of Zero himself who wanted his head on a platter. But then with Tristan and Ayame’s kidnappings Sylvana had quickly exceeded her limit for stress. Even with her sister and now Tristan returned, however, Vana was far from relaxed. She dealt with a reasonable stress level rather well for the most part, but she did not de-stress easily.
With a sigh, Sylvana moved to sit on the edge of her bed, letting her fingers lightly rub her temples in a desperate attempt to coax away the headache she could already feel coming on. “Of course there will have to be a ceremony. I just… I can’t right now. I can’t even think about it right now. I have to wait until after Alastair’s wedding.” Sylvana groaned as a thought hit her. “I hadn’t even thought about it for Ayame and Eriol…” She sighed looking back up at Tristan. “I’m sorry. It has to wait. Do you mind waiting for the public declaration?”
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Post by bradums on Apr 20, 2010 10:28:00 GMT -5
"No, not at all..." Tristan replied with a chuckle, "To be honest, I'm not one for ceremonies. It's just a show, where the spectators are generally strangers who only attend in an attempt to get into someone's good graces."
"Or at least, that's how I remember it," he added.
Ceremonies and planned gatherings were things Tristan never enjoyed, even back in Pendragon. They always seemed so forced and unnatural. To him, it was always just a collection of Britannia's nobility, all jockeying for position in a more subtle way.
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