Post by wordy on Dec 2, 2021 20:52:40 GMT 10
Title: Happy meetings
Rating: G
For: Lisa
Prompt: 1. Found family
Summary: Midwinter brings people together. Set post-PotS.
Midwinter in Corus was a dazzling affair of banquets and parties, spiced wine and candied fruit, shopping, heartfelt gifts, songs, cold days and colder nights.
But according to Neal, it was a mistake.
“You do realise we left Mandash in charge,” he said.
“Sir Warric is perfectly capable,” Kel replied calmly.
“He’s a child.”
“There's no need to be dramatic.”
“You say that now, but just you wait until we get back to find New Hope burned to the ground.”
Kel sighed. Through some miracle of matrimony that she was likely never to be privy to, Yuki had somehow managed to cure her husband of his urge to wring his hands, but neither love nor friendship—nor even fatherhood—had tempered his love of drama.
This was their first night back in Corus and their first social obligation to be fulfilled. Ordinarily, Kel would have preferred an entire day and night to recover from their travel, but one could hardly refuse a banquet invitation from one’s king. So, for the last half an hour, she had sat and watched her best friend wet and re-wet his hair in an attempt to coerce it into a less wind-swept style while he fretted enough for the both of them.
“Mithros save us,” he muttered finally, tossing the comb in the sink. “Let’s go.”
Yuki was visiting friends with the children and Kel was currently unattached, so she and Neal travelled to the palace just the two of them. There was a need for some patience once they arrived and were required to shuffle along amongst the flow of other guests, to wait for their invitations to be checked, at which point Neal once again began to demonstrate how intolerable a companion he could be.
“Stop fidgeting,” Kel muttered, trying and failing to angle her elbow for a precision strike into his side. She directed a Yamani-smooth smile towards the older couple ahead of them who had turned to look at the sound of Neal's noisy sighing.
“In all those lessons with Master Oakbridge, I don’t recall any mention of having to stand about waiting for this long,” Neal complained.
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
He looked down his nose at her. “Don’t get smart with me, Mindelan,” he began, only to cut himself off at the sight of something over her shoulder. “Well, here’s trouble.”
Kel turned. Making their way towards her and Neal were some familiar faces: Seaver of Tasride and Faleron of King's Reach, goblets in hand, wove through the growing throng of guests with as much grace as Peachblossom would have—which was to say, with none at all.
“Hello there, strangers,” Faleron greeted them, raising his wine goblet, his pale cheeks already sporting a lively flush.
“Hello yourself,” Neal said as the four of them all shook hands cheerily. “It looks like you’ve started without us.”
Smiling back, and feeling incredibly grateful for the many friends she had somehow collected along the path of her life so far, she linked her arm through his.
Rating: G
For: Lisa
Prompt: 1. Found family
Summary: Midwinter brings people together. Set post-PotS.
Notes and Warnings: Happy holidays! Hope you enjoy this mini-reunion as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Midwinter in Corus was a dazzling affair of banquets and parties, spiced wine and candied fruit, shopping, heartfelt gifts, songs, cold days and colder nights.
But according to Neal, it was a mistake.
“You do realise we left Mandash in charge,” he said.
“Sir Warric is perfectly capable,” Kel replied calmly.
“He’s a child.”
“There's no need to be dramatic.”
“You say that now, but just you wait until we get back to find New Hope burned to the ground.”
Kel sighed. Through some miracle of matrimony that she was likely never to be privy to, Yuki had somehow managed to cure her husband of his urge to wring his hands, but neither love nor friendship—nor even fatherhood—had tempered his love of drama.
This was their first night back in Corus and their first social obligation to be fulfilled. Ordinarily, Kel would have preferred an entire day and night to recover from their travel, but one could hardly refuse a banquet invitation from one’s king. So, for the last half an hour, she had sat and watched her best friend wet and re-wet his hair in an attempt to coerce it into a less wind-swept style while he fretted enough for the both of them.
“Mithros save us,” he muttered finally, tossing the comb in the sink. “Let’s go.”
Yuki was visiting friends with the children and Kel was currently unattached, so she and Neal travelled to the palace just the two of them. There was a need for some patience once they arrived and were required to shuffle along amongst the flow of other guests, to wait for their invitations to be checked, at which point Neal once again began to demonstrate how intolerable a companion he could be.
“Stop fidgeting,” Kel muttered, trying and failing to angle her elbow for a precision strike into his side. She directed a Yamani-smooth smile towards the older couple ahead of them who had turned to look at the sound of Neal's noisy sighing.
“In all those lessons with Master Oakbridge, I don’t recall any mention of having to stand about waiting for this long,” Neal complained.
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
He looked down his nose at her. “Don’t get smart with me, Mindelan,” he began, only to cut himself off at the sight of something over her shoulder. “Well, here’s trouble.”
Kel turned. Making their way towards her and Neal were some familiar faces: Seaver of Tasride and Faleron of King's Reach, goblets in hand, wove through the growing throng of guests with as much grace as Peachblossom would have—which was to say, with none at all.
“Hello there, strangers,” Faleron greeted them, raising his wine goblet, his pale cheeks already sporting a lively flush.
“Hello yourself,” Neal said as the four of them all shook hands cheerily. “It looks like you’ve started without us.”
“It took you long enough to get here,” Seaver said, grinning. He was practically of a height with Kel now, she realised, and from where he stood beside her she couldn’t deny that the combination of his sparkling dark eyes and the aroma of wine wafting from his goblet lit an ember low in her belly.
“Yes, well, we had to make sure we looked presentable.” She tipped her head towards Neal and raised a meaningful eyebrow. The other knights laughed; so did Neal, in fact, though it was more of a sarcastic, “Ha. Ha.”
“She just doesn’t understand us,” Neal said mournfully, throwing his arm around Faleron's neck.
“Us?” Faleron asked, trying to keep a straight face.
“Us beautiful people,” Neal explained. “Seriously, Kel, you think this sort of perfection happens on its own?”
They were all saved from answering this nonsense by the line moving forward. Seaver and Faleron promised to meet them inside and disappeared back towards the end of the line, where they’d caught sight of someone else to catch up with. Kel smiled at the attendant who checked their invitation, feeling suddenly giddy at the prospect of an evening free from responsibilities, with good food and better company. When she glanced across at Neal, he too seemed more relaxed than he had been before.
“You don’t want to turn around and go check on New Hope?” she teased him as they passed through the doors, which had been hung with boughs of spruce and red-berried holly.
“Kel! Neal!” a raised voice came from inside. Esmond of Nicoline's freckled complexion and gaudy green tunic drew their attention; he waved them over, and from the group he was with Kel picked out a few more faces she hadn’t seen in quite a long time.
Neal looked at her, offering his arm with a smile. “Shall we?”