Vioroll looked up from where he'd been meditating. "You smell like him. And you've had a limp since you left his palace. I assume the two of you had sex." He raised a hand to forestall any comments from her. "I'm not going to complain about that. You are old enough to make your own decisions, and I can't fault you for seeking relief after all the stress you've been under. I would have preferred you wait and make sure you weren't going to regret giving it up to him, but it is too late now." He thought to the discussion he had finished with his sister the night before, and was suddenly struck with a slight amount of worry.
"I'm not going to give my approval until I've spoken to Kurai in private, but for now, I won't object to you spending time with him. However, you had better keep this a secret from your aunt for now. She's been considering...matches, for you. If she finds out about this, she'll have a contract sent to him by sundown." He looked her in the eye. "On the other hand, I must remind you that you are still the heir of War. The kingdom must come first. If he tries to pressure you into doing something that is against War's best interests, you have to refuse."
He thought for a second, not really pausing. "You need to decide if you actually like Kurai, or if this is just stress relief. And if he feels the same. If he doesn't...then you'd better hope you like one of the other matches." He frowned slightly. He wasn't a big fan or arranged marriages, but he knew how important they could be. "Your moth-" He suddenly cut himself short, his expression pained. "...I don't want you to make a mistake and get stuck with someone who only wants you for your body or title. You are my daughter, and I want you to be happy. I don't want you to turn into an old dog like me, or an empty schemer like your aunt. I want more for you."
He sighed, and the mask he always seemed to wear dropped away for a few moments. The cold expression fell away, and Charlie had one of the few rare glances into her father's soul she'd ever see. His eyes closed, and he was clearly thinking about something in the past. "We didn't want this life for you, Charlotte. I've been hoping my sister would have children for years. Once she did, we were gonna retire, see the world...do something other than fight this unending war. And I wanted you to be free as well."
He gestured to one of the other meditation stones. "But Vaerath has taken that from you completely now. Even if my sister were to have children, you've been elevated above them. You will be war now, and I hope we will be able to watch you come into your own with pride, but..." He sighed. "My duty means I'll die before my sister. I don't get to watch you grow into being a Queen that our family can look on with pride. You'll need to learn to stand on your own, rise above both myself and your aunt. Your mothe- I have faith that you can."
The glance into his soul suddenly ended, as his expression returned to normal. "Anyways, we have to start your training. Have a seat, and I'll begin working on helping you access your power. Hopefully you'll be able to do the easier method, and you don't die." He really didn't want to have to force it the hard way. While he knew she was strong, he didn't know she could take him in a fight.
"I'm not going to give my approval until I've spoken to Kurai in private, but for now, I won't object to you spending time with him. However, you had better keep this a secret from your aunt for now. She's been considering...matches, for you. If she finds out about this, she'll have a contract sent to him by sundown." He looked her in the eye. "On the other hand, I must remind you that you are still the heir of War. The kingdom must come first. If he tries to pressure you into doing something that is against War's best interests, you have to refuse."
He thought for a second, not really pausing. "You need to decide if you actually like Kurai, or if this is just stress relief. And if he feels the same. If he doesn't...then you'd better hope you like one of the other matches." He frowned slightly. He wasn't a big fan or arranged marriages, but he knew how important they could be. "Your moth-" He suddenly cut himself short, his expression pained. "...I don't want you to make a mistake and get stuck with someone who only wants you for your body or title. You are my daughter, and I want you to be happy. I don't want you to turn into an old dog like me, or an empty schemer like your aunt. I want more for you."
He sighed, and the mask he always seemed to wear dropped away for a few moments. The cold expression fell away, and Charlie had one of the few rare glances into her father's soul she'd ever see. His eyes closed, and he was clearly thinking about something in the past. "We didn't want this life for you, Charlotte. I've been hoping my sister would have children for years. Once she did, we were gonna retire, see the world...do something other than fight this unending war. And I wanted you to be free as well."
He gestured to one of the other meditation stones. "But Vaerath has taken that from you completely now. Even if my sister were to have children, you've been elevated above them. You will be war now, and I hope we will be able to watch you come into your own with pride, but..." He sighed. "My duty means I'll die before my sister. I don't get to watch you grow into being a Queen that our family can look on with pride. You'll need to learn to stand on your own, rise above both myself and your aunt. Your mothe- I have faith that you can."
The glance into his soul suddenly ended, as his expression returned to normal. "Anyways, we have to start your training. Have a seat, and I'll begin working on helping you access your power. Hopefully you'll be able to do the easier method, and you don't die." He really didn't want to have to force it the hard way. While he knew she was strong, he didn't know she could take him in a fight.
