Cold Hands, War[m] Heart [Namingtoohard & Fanatasia]

[Namingtoohard]

The king would glance up briefly as Aine called out to the group that had gathered outside, features wrinkling briefly as he listened to her objections. The main remained silent, however, quite content to trust his wife's judgement in ordering the dragon around. Regardless, it seemed that they had the situation under control, and he quickly glanced back down at Aine as she spoke up once more. A soft chuckle escaped him as he listened to her words, and he tightened his arms around her waist a fraction, holding her close.

"You know...I rather like the sound of that" he offered, a small smile flickering across his features as his eyes met hers. Still, he would relax slightly at the mention of Sorei and Fiora, quietly pondering what path the two of them would take once things reached their inevitable conclusion. He glanced across towards the door then, eyes slightly distant as he pondered the possibilities. Surely the two would be able to afford a place of their own, if they so wished.

"Do you think that they'll end up finding a place of their own, then? I mean, they'll have their hands full with a child of their own. They'll probably be too busy looking after their own kid to babysit the two of us anymore" he offered, chuckling softly to himself at the thought. "Of course, they'd be welcome to stay with us, or even just come to visit whenever they like, even if they do decide to move out" he added hastily, turning his gaze back across to his lovely wife.

"All in due time, I suppose. Until then..." he started simply, a sly smile spreading across his features as he beheld Aine. Slowly, he would bring a hand up, sliding his hand about her neck gently, while leaning in to claim another kiss. This one was more drawn-out and slow than the last, and Leith quickly lost himself in the sensation. All the frustration of their time spent apart, and the emptiness that had accompanied it, relieved in just a single moment.

[Fanatasia]

Aine leaned forward briefly, grinning slightly. "Thought you would." She would nuzzle into his chest, musing, "I think that they will live in the village, perhaps. Fiora and Sorei's child is certain to be adorable, though, babies always are." She commented, closing her eyes to envision it in her mind's eye.

With a lot left to the imagination, Aine opened her eyes only when her husband pressed a kiss; a deeper kiss, to her lips. She leaned into it, her hands tangling against the back of his neck, tugging at the ends of his hair.

A swift knock at the door caused Aine to jerk backwards, startled. She always forgot she was not alone; that other people were around. "Aine, are you in here?" It was Sorei, and Aine groaned, leaning into her husband.

"I guess this is goodbye." She pouted, leaning for another kiss as she heard the door click open. Sorei held the hands of the older girls, and had two bags slung over her shoulder. "We're packing light--I figure we've got enough funds to have clothes made, as we need." Aine blinked slowly and shook her head, "But... all of the family funds are invested in the kingdom..."

[Namingtoohard]

Rather predictably, Leith was somewhat disappointed when the knock at the door came and interrupted the two of them. A soft groan escaped him as he pulled away from the kiss and straightened up again, turning his gaze back towards the door where the offender would undoubtedly make their appearance. He frowned as he caught sight of Sorei, inwardly disappointed by the timeliness of her arrival. He and his wife had finally started to get along again, and just like that, she had come to take Aine away from him once more. Not in such a volatile manner, but she was carting her off nonetheless...even if it was at his request.

"You won't have to worry about funds for long. The council will be paying for just about all of our expenses soon enough" he said idly, dismissing such concerns with a casual flick of his hand. Still, he returned Aine's kiss wholeheartedly, before glancing back across at the open window on the far side of the room.

"I suppose you should call Oron and Yelena back then, if its time" he muttered idly. Leith didn't take it upon himself to do so - largely because he still wasn't entirely convinced that the dragon would obey him, especially before his mistress was yet to leave. Hopefully he would remain some measure of composure this time, instead of freaking out like the last time he had been separated from his mistress. Still, regardless of whether they retrieved the girl or resolved to do it outside, the king would then take it upon himself to link arms with his wife.

"Allow me to escort you to your carriage. I should see you all off properly, at the very least" he announced rather simply. His impending goodbye with Fiora lingered at the front of his mind, though he knew that this was really just a stalling tactic - a way of dragging their parting out as long as possible.

[Fanatasia]

Aine pouted, and moved to find the window, leaning out of it to hold her hand in the air. She did not speak, flames simply rushed to the center of her palm. The dragon snarled, and landed roughly underneath her hand, the hiss of heat coming against his chilled skin prominant in the air. "Good boy."

Flames out, Aine pulled Yelena into her arms, and soon found her arm linked with her husband's. She released Yelena to Sorei, who started on ahead. The queen flashed a smile, "So, if Oron disobeys--what you need to do..." She'd go on in length to describe how she had trained Oron with flame; and as they started down the corridors, and towards the outside of the castle, Aine would remove a thin golden chain, that was light enough it blended with the copper-tone of her skin. She often wore it tangled into her hair, or tied as a belt--but on one end, was a small vial.

She presented it to her husband. "He'll obey the flame. You won't have to open it, or anything." She flashed another smile. "It's how I trained him before I was open about having flame. It's my fire, so he senses that. He'll treat you right." She grinned slightly. "He trusts the flames. For an ice-dragon, he's quite trusting."

The woman slowed, to hug the man. "And if he starts to stop eating, you have to let him have the chain. It's long enough to wrap around my waist six times--" which explained some of her outfits. "--so it'll go right around his neck. The metal is strong, despite being thin and light."

[Namingtoohard]

With the vast majority of their affairs sorted, Leith would walk Aine through the now-familiar halls of Sinder's palace. He slowly steered her towards the front entrance, where he could only assume Sorei had their transportation waiting. The process was virtually automatic, given how well he had come to know these hallways during their journey, and he could listen to Aine alongside their journey almost effortlessly. The chain he proffered him was met with a frown, but one born not so much out of distaste for the flame and what it represented. Rather, the length of the metal was his real concern. Just how was he going to carry around something so large, and have it remain inconspicuous at that?

"Oron gets a chain filled with your own personal flame as a parting gift? Why, I'm almost jealous" he offered, giving her a bit of a wry smile as he temporarily withdrew his arm from hers, just so that he could try and gather up the chain all at once. His attempts failed somewhat spectacularly, and he soon settled for looping it about his forearm several times. Even then, it still hung dangerously close to the floor, but it was the best he was going to manage. With that, he would take his wife's arm once more, before resuming their journey.

When they arrived at their destination, Leith would quickly lead his wife over to where Sorei was waiting with Fiora, the children, and their carriage. He would take the liberties of walking her right over to the step that led to the interior, though he held her back for just a fraction of a moment, so that he might bid her farewell properly.

"Your carriage awaits, my lady. Until we meet again" he offered rather simply, before leaning in to press his lips to hers in another quick kiss. This time he did not pull back early or otherwise try to cut things short, only withdrawing when the moment had passed. When he finally straightened, he was greeted by a rather unhappy Fiora, who was glaring at him with both of her arms crossed. From the looks of things, Sorei had already explains to her what he intended to do.

"You're an idiot. I do hope you know that" she offered, before he could so much as speak. The man smiled wryly to himself at that, feeling a strange fondness for her because of the insult.

"Fiora, I hereby officially release you from my service. You are free to do with your life as you wish...provided you take Sorei with you. Thank you, for everything...and do come and visit us some time. Your child can't grow up without her godmother" he offered simply, giving the girl a bit of a mischievous wink.

"Don't linger for too long now. I have work to do, and you all have a long way to go"

[Fanatasia]

Aine grinned quietly, listening to him struggle with the chain. "I used it as a belt. I actually wore it... most of the time," she shrugged, it was typical of a Sinderian woman to wear gold-toned belts, though. Especially chains such as that. He paused with her, and she leaned into the quick kiss, sighing softly.

Instead of truly releasing him, she simply curled her arms around his middle, and leaned against him as he addressed Fiora. The woman leaned for a final kiss after Fiora and Leith's exchange ended. She whispered, "Don't you linger too long."

And with those words, Aine had reached for Sorei, who helped her into the carriage. It would have been faster to travel by dragon; but Aine was determined to leave the beast with her husband.

Once everyone was within one of the various carriages, the caravan started out.

[Namingtoohard]

With their farewells said, the king would reluctantly let his wife leave, stepping back from the carriage. He would watch in stoic silence even as the rest of their little party piled inside, before the convoy was kicked into motion and finally set off. Leith would stay silent for a moment, watching their little party trundle off slowly into the distance. Irina even made a sudden appearance, moving around the outer edge of the castles to join her master, though she stayed quiet. It seemed that the beast could sense his quiet, wistful mood. She stayed close enough to offer the comfort of her presence, but remained distant enough to avoid disturbing the man.

He would only move when the carriages had finally disappeared from view, slipping behind the scenery and out of sight. He took a few seconds to compose himself, reminding him of the purpose of all this, and the importance that he accomplished his goal. The man would turn to face Irina then, taking a few small steps towards her. She lowered her snout to his level, and he patted her nose affectionately for a moment.

"Won't be long now, girl. It'll all be over soon" he muttered to her softly. He lingered for a moment, fingers brushing across her scales, before finally turning back towards the castle's front door. He would stride inside, before turning his attention to the first servant he crossed. Expression calm, he would approach them quickly, much to their dismay.

"Go call the council to assembly. We have important matters to discuss" he ordered simply, before watching as the unfortunate worker scurried off to do his bidding. A small smile flickered across his features, before he would turn and head off towards the meeting hall. He wanted to be ready and waiting when they arrived, and get things underway as soon as possible.

[Fanatasia]

The convoy was met by only peaceful travels. It would take them two or three days, with Sorei taking shifts with the normal driver; so that they had to stop less. The children slept in one carriage, and Aine in another.

Upon finally reaching the summer palace, the children each picked a room, and Aine was helped through the building; to the master bed. She seated herself upon the edge of the bed, and sighed quietly... To the maid, she inquired: "Does Noxus still live here?"

"The butler? Yes."

"Send for him, then."

"Of course, milady."

Aine sat in silence, her eyes closed. As the door opened, and an old man entered, a large great dane behind of him, she spoke softly, "Noxus."

"Milady."

"Did you bring her?"

"Her name is Saphire. She's fully trained--I've had the boys' working with her for two years now to ensure she'd be prepared to guide you." The man offered in reply, releasing the leash and moving to settle next to the queen. The dog bumped its snout against the woman's outstretched hand. "And what about the male?"

"Trained as well, for the child."

"Thank you. We can introduce them tomorrow."

"I understand."

That night, as Aine lay in the center of the bed, with the large dog beside of her, nestled against her, she could only wonder what was happening back in the capitol.

[Namingtoohard]

The travelling convoy had no word from their king over the few days their trip would end up taking, though this was unsurprising. His plans would doubtless take more than just a few days to put into effect, and contacting the group whilst they were travelling would have proved somewhat difficult. Despite the obvious logic that they would not hear from him any time soon, though, Fiora continued to worry about the fate of her master. Even though he had released her from her servitude, the former guard had difficulty thinking of him as anything else, and remained concerned for his welfare.

Fully aware that the stress was bad for the child she was carrying, the girl sought out other means to distract herself. She spent a fair part of the trip entertaining and caring for the group of children that now lay directly in Aine's care, doing what the queen would struggle to handle herself given the ongoing problems with her eyesight. It served, in Fiora's mind, a good means of practice for what was to come. Caring for her own child would doubtless prove an entirely different experience, but at this point Fiora was willing to take whatever she could get.

Their first evening in the castle she would spend tucked away in one of the guest rooms, snuggled up with Sorei beneath the covers of the bed they shared. She nestled up against the sleeping form of her lover, embracing her affectionately, whilst contemplating what was to come. Eventually the girl would drift off to sleep, though only after she had resolved to discuss a few of the things that she had been pondering. A part of her wanted to get such discussions out of the way immediately, but Fiora didn't wish to disturb her partner, who looked so peaceful, lying there asleep.

It would only be the next morning, during breakfast, in which the girl would finally voice her concerns. She had barely touched the meal on her plate, for reasons that were much too familiar for comfort, when she finally posed the first question that had been lingering on her mind.

"Sorei, were you planning on staying here with your sister for the foreseeable future? Even after Leith and Oron get back?" she questioned simply. The girl wasn't waiting for any specific answer - she fully expected Sorei to wish to stay and care for Aine, whilst Oron and Leith were both away and could not be trusted to do it for her. Of course, the question hinted at one of the thoughts that had been crossing her mind recently.

[Fanatasia]

While Aine was worried about her husband, she busied herself with the children. Introduced them to the dogs, the servants. She kept busy. Without Oron, the dogs proved easier to handle; especially as they could come into the house with her.

Today, she held Saphire's leash in one hand, and Gypsium's leash in the other. She ordered them to sit, as she reached to find Aspen, fingers brushing over the girl's hair. "Hey." She murmured, as she reached to find the child's hand. "I'm going to introduce you to a very special friend; who was trained to help you get around." It'd been something she'd been wanting to give the girl since they'd moved from Neve.

Her fingers ran across the dog's collar, to read the cut letters, they were cut deep enough that their impression was easy to feel out with your hands. "This is Gypsium, and Aspen--he's yours." She stated, as she brought the girl's hand to the collar.

Saphire had seated herself, waiting patiently. Gypsium would learn as well. "Since we don't know this house, and I figured you may want to get around without help," She shrugged gently.

Sorei tilted her head slightly, reaching to brush a strand of Fiora's hair behind her ear. "I plan to go wherever you do, darling." She moved to tangle her fingers into the other's hair, gentle. "If you want to stay, raise the baby here, we can. If you want to move, even across the country, we can. I can always find a new job--I'll need too, at any rate." She flashed a smile, as she moved to release the girl's hair, and claim the fork from her plate, offering up a bite of egg.

"Eat, though. Don't let stress and worry keep you from eating." She murmured, watching the other girl carefully.