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The entire family had turned out to bid farewell to Wraith, Shakura, and the newlyweds. Verdigand had, of course, carved a beautiful little statuette for each of them as a little going-away gift: a magnificent stag for Wraith, a doe and her faun for Shakura, and an exquisite copy of Ralu and Sora dancing together. He'd carved them as wearing their wedding garb, but rather than showing them dancing a few inches apart, he'd put them in the pose of a waltz, which was much more romantic-looking. He presented it to them with a proud little smile, then embraced his son warmly.
"Thank you, Paitre - it is beautiful. We shall put it with the courting gifts," Ralu promised, burrowing his face against his father's chest for the merest moment, as he had when he'd been a little boy. Then the two men broke apart, and Verdigand, rather unexpectedly, hugged his daughter-in-law for the first time. He was a taciturn man, not usually given to showing such gestures of affection to those outside his family. That he did it now was a silent acknowledgement from him that Sora was his second daughter now, and his quiet smile told the same tale.
"Farewell, children. May Holiest guide your steps," he said, then turned to say his farewells to the parents. He shook their hands and thanked them warmly for their much-needed assistance in the war, and if the wound in his chest still pained him, he didn't let it show.
Rea was much more enthusiastic in her farewells. She squashed each of them with an exuberant hug, her green eyes bright with happiness. Strands of forest green stood out against her brilliant red hair, and creases had begun to form in a once-ageless face, but her smile was just as jolly as ever, her round cheeks flushed red, as they always were when she was particularly emotional. "Sora, you take care of this young man. He needs someone like you to keep him out of mischief. If he starts to get restless, a good adventure usually gets him settled down again, but try not to let him go rushing off into any dangerous situations without you." She grinned at the two of them, a spark of mischief entering her eyes. "I can't wait to see what your children will look like! You two are so different! And oh - imagine the wanderlust they'll have! You're to tell me as soon as you find out I'm having grandchildren, understand? Good!" She kissed each of them on both cheeks, then rushed off to throw her arms around Wraith. Ralu's ears were bright red, and he glanced out of the corners of his eyes at Sora, waggling his eyebrows playfully.
Next it was Deorma's turn. She stoically allowed herself to be embraced by an enthusiastic brother, smirking a little. "Treat your little wife well, Raza. And listen to her! She has more common sense than you do. Sora, be sure to let him know when he's being an idiot. Sometimes you have to take him down a notch." The blind princess cupped her brother's cheek affectionately, then tweaked his ear and backed away.
Zemor cleared his throat, looking vastly uncomfortable. He, like his father, was not much given to shows of affection. Rather than hugging them, he took each by the hand for a moment, smiling a little sadly. "I shall miss you two," he said simply. It was obvious that he meant it, too - his time by Sora's bedside during her long recovery had brought him close to her, and he had always admired his younger brother. Sometimes, he wished that he could be so adventurous, but he knew it wasn't what Holiest led him to. Besides, it was probably a lot more uncomfortable than he'd been led to believe.
Mirlocke was the last to say goodbye. He gave Sora a hug, and a smile that said he hoped she didn't have any hard feelings over his hesitance to resurrect her. Then he clapped his brother on the shoulder, told him not to make Sora rescue him again, and turned away.
The horses were standing there, waiting patiently. Ralu vaulted into the saddle of his favorite horse and waved farewell to his family, a bright smile on his face, and a tear or two in his eyes. He would miss his home, but it was high time that he paid the court of Collura a longer visit. They deserved to know the husband of their princess, and besides, he hadn't been able to see nearly enough of her kingdom and its customs on his earlier visit. If only they could have traveled on their own... But he hadn't had a good reason to say no when Wraith offered to accompany them with the entire Colluran army, and now he knew that he wouldn't be getting nearly as much time alone with Sora as he might wish. It felt rather like they were being chaperoned...
 Ithtar · Sat Sep 22, 2012 @ 01:46am · 0 Comments |
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