( lavender is heavy in the air as he exits the house and into the massive, winding garden outside. he remembers when most of the trees here were little more than saplings. now they tower over him, obscuring the moon and stars hanging above as he strolls past the rows of flowers into the maze. after some walking, he finds his minister of intelligence, monsieur de philippe, at the end. the harsh smoke from his cigarette mingles with the honeysuckle along the evening breeze as the man relates the doings in the capital.
"the interior minister is ill at ease. the general wants to send the army to retrieve you,"monsieur de philippe says languidly as though he speaks of the weather and does he not? constantin glances through the creeping wisteria vines above them to the dark sky. this is but a storm. it soon will pass and be a far-off memory. still, he takes his spymaster's words seriously when he describes the reactions of the other cabinet members. never before has the king been at his summer home for so long with so little communication or explanation. it's unusual for him to be gone for this long. there's an old saying that only the sun works as hard as the king does, so for him to be away on holiday after already being gone from the capital for weeks has sparked a concern within his cabinet.
constantin thanks him with a bow of his head and turns to leave. before he gets three steps away, monsieur de philippe's voice cuts through the air and asks for the lady's name. when his gaze swings back, the spymaster's slight smirk gleams in the faint red glow of his cigarette but it's impossible to gauge his expression in the darkness. constantin doesn't answer and instead wishes him a good night.
but in some way, the storm stays with him and he decides he must return to acacia. with feyre and without an explanation for her strange and sudden appearance in their country. a big reason why he's so hesitant to return is that he doesn't know how to explain her. what is the best way to present her to his people without stirring up fear and unrest? although the common ornefluerian is kind and affable, the common courtier is less so, at least from the onset. how would they treat her? if history indicates anything, it would not be well. but how would his cabinet react to this mysterious woman's pointed ears and magical powers? would they react well or...? the general's response of military force might be the most sensible of them all.
but there is no other choice and, this time two days later, the king is back in acacia. the next day, he holds a cabinet meeting to assuage them of his health and safety. a storm cannot bend him. the day after, there's another cabinet meeting. conferences and briefings take up his hours. life returns to normal, and there's hardly time for him to speak with his guest who wanders the hallways of the blue palace. but then there's hardly time for others to speak of her as well, even when he sees curiosity burning in the eyes of his interior minister and monsiuer de philippe. they are permitted to matters of the state not matters of the heart.
is it so wrong that after a century he grants himself a little spark of joy? that is what the people of ornefluer wish for their dear king, isn't it? to disallow that would be tantamount to blasphemy; a crime against the gods themselves. but, as pleasing as this small concession, constantin cannot forget that it comes as a cost for feyre. she is far from home; away from her family, friends, and everything she loved and knew. trapped in a strange world until... zhiva knows when. despite the fun she might have exploring the blue palace's fifteen hundred rooms, sadness will always overshadow the joy.
constantin knows what it's like to be far from home.
the long-winded minister of agriculture, monsieur reubens has been taken ill so his reports of ornefluer's cheese reserves and apple prices will have to be saved for another day. but now the king has a hole in his schedule. a rare scrap of free time floating in the air. will he let it fly away or will he catch it? he decides the latter.
although he hasn't hunted in some time, tracking is still in his bones. the ravninyraya is still in his blood. it takes little time or effort to locate feyre at the fountain in the royal garden behind the blue palace. it's not unsurprising that she's here โ it is a beautiful and serene place.
but it is her serenity sitting at the fountain that he debates interrupting. he hides behind the corner of a tall hedge. constantin knows what it's like to never have a moment of peace and privacy to oneself. so he decides to let feyre keep it and leave her to her thoughts. ultimately, however, he has no choice in the matter when his dog, a giant dustball with long legs, comes charging up behind him and around the corner. )
Ostanovka, Arakhis!( constantin shouts in his native language. arakhis's long tail escapes his grab and he bolts to the fountain and to feyre. )
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i am so embarrassed of myself ๐ฉ
"the interior minister is ill at ease. the general wants to send the army to retrieve you," monsieur de philippe says languidly as though he speaks of the weather and does he not? constantin glances through the creeping wisteria vines above them to the dark sky. this is but a storm. it soon will pass and be a far-off memory. still, he takes his spymaster's words seriously when he describes the reactions of the other cabinet members. never before has the king been at his summer home for so long with so little communication or explanation. it's unusual for him to be gone for this long. there's an old saying that only the sun works as hard as the king does, so for him to be away on holiday after already being gone from the capital for weeks has sparked a concern within his cabinet.
constantin thanks him with a bow of his head and turns to leave. before he gets three steps away, monsieur de philippe's voice cuts through the air and asks for the lady's name. when his gaze swings back, the spymaster's slight smirk gleams in the faint red glow of his cigarette but it's impossible to gauge his expression in the darkness. constantin doesn't answer and instead wishes him a good night.
but in some way, the storm stays with him and he decides he must return to acacia. with feyre and without an explanation for her strange and sudden appearance in their country. a big reason why he's so hesitant to return is that he doesn't know how to explain her. what is the best way to present her to his people without stirring up fear and unrest? although the common ornefluerian is kind and affable, the common courtier is less so, at least from the onset. how would they treat her? if history indicates anything, it would not be well. but how would his cabinet react to this mysterious woman's pointed ears and magical powers? would they react well or...? the general's response of military force might be the most sensible of them all.
but there is no other choice and, this time two days later, the king is back in acacia. the next day, he holds a cabinet meeting to assuage them of his health and safety. a storm cannot bend him. the day after, there's another cabinet meeting. conferences and briefings take up his hours. life returns to normal, and there's hardly time for him to speak with his guest who wanders the hallways of the blue palace. but then there's hardly time for others to speak of her as well, even when he sees curiosity burning in the eyes of his interior minister and monsiuer de philippe. they are permitted to matters of the state not matters of the heart.
is it so wrong that after a century he grants himself a little spark of joy? that is what the people of ornefluer wish for their dear king, isn't it? to disallow that would be tantamount to blasphemy; a crime against the gods themselves. but, as pleasing as this small concession, constantin cannot forget that it comes as a cost for feyre. she is far from home; away from her family, friends, and everything she loved and knew. trapped in a strange world until... zhiva knows when. despite the fun she might have exploring the blue palace's fifteen hundred rooms, sadness will always overshadow the joy.
constantin knows what it's like to be far from home.
the long-winded minister of agriculture, monsieur reubens has been taken ill so his reports of ornefluer's cheese reserves and apple prices will have to be saved for another day. but now the king has a hole in his schedule. a rare scrap of free time floating in the air. will he let it fly away or will he catch it? he decides the latter.
although he hasn't hunted in some time, tracking is still in his bones. the ravninyraya is still in his blood. it takes little time or effort to locate feyre at the fountain in the royal garden behind the blue palace. it's not unsurprising that she's here โ it is a beautiful and serene place.
but it is her serenity sitting at the fountain that he debates interrupting. he hides behind the corner of a tall hedge. constantin knows what it's like to never have a moment of peace and privacy to oneself. so he decides to let feyre keep it and leave her to her thoughts. ultimately, however, he has no choice in the matter when his dog, a giant dustball with long legs, comes charging up behind him and around the corner. )
Ostanovka, Arakhis! ( constantin shouts in his native language. arakhis's long tail escapes his grab and he bolts to the fountain and to feyre. )