He is a tall man so skinny that you would see most of his bones if it weren't for the thick and billowy robes he wears, he also seems to be getting on in his years, perhaps 60 to 65 years old, and Mardac knew he could use this to his advantage. Mardac also knew he was a man who didn't like being cheated, he would have to handle the discussion carefully. As Mardac walks toward the dioceses, Lord Kranic stands and walks forward to meet him. After shaking hands in greeting, Kranic turns and beckons Mardac to follow. Walking toward a door to the left side of the hall, Kranic walks into a small study with a cozy fire already lit. He takes a seat after an inviting gesture from Kranic.
Getting right to the point "So, an alliance between the houses of Mardac and Kranic, what do we gain?" Knowing he would only have a narrow opening to catch this lord's interest, Mardac wasn't going to waste it. "What do we gain? I would think that was obvious. The mutual wealth we would both obtain, with your iron and silver mines, and my timber yards and fine cloth. Then there is the force are combined armies would make. That would make Her Majesty give a little more respect to both houses." he could tell the thought of putting the queen in her place was appealing to him. Was it possible that he could get him to agree solely with that motivation? No, Kranic had a hatred for her but not enough to make him forget his judgment: "and to show my good faith, I propose something a little more solid then a written contract." "Such as?" "If I remember correctly, your third son has reach the age of 10, has he not?" "He has." "My daughters have reached their 10th year as well. Perhaps we could strengthen the agreement with a Promise Marriage, for when the children are old enough of course." "Your daughters? Hum, I had almost forgotten that you had children, your wife died at such a young age. I do remember that she was quite lovely though. Do her children take after her?" "They are a mirror image; it almost hurts just to look at them." Mardac replies with false remembered grife. "Hum" Kranic thinking it over to himself "I may consider your proposal. I will send a messenger when I have decided, on both issues you have given me." This clearly ment that the discussion was over, at least for now.
* * *
The day was arranged for the children's introduction. The Lords Kranic and Lorak would both arrive that day with their sons to arrange the engagements. The girls were waiting in the side room to be called. Mardac had personally informed them of the arrival, AND what would happen if they didn't properly present themselves. He was working in his study, when one of his stewards came and announced there pending arrival. He went to the grand hall to meet them as they came in. He had made sure that the hall was prepared for the occasion, bringing trinkets, paintings, and other decorations out of storage.
When the two lords entered the grand hall, their sons were in tow behind them, and their ladies walking about 10 ft behind chattering with Mardac's mistress Leva. She had raised his daughters, and taken on the domestic duties of the manor after his wife had died during childbirth. She handled the responsibility well for a commoner. She had even taught his daughters how to adjust for their deformity. He, himself, forgot most of the time that they couldn't see. The only hint of it was their white eyes, which he hoped Kranic and Lorak would overlook. " My lords, my ladies, I hoped you traveled well." he greets them, walking forward taking both of the hands the lords, and kissing those of their ladies. "Leva, if you will show their lordships to their rooms. I am sure they are tired after their journey." Leva nods, "If your lordships will follow me, I can _" "My lady may go if she wishes, I would like to get to business if Mardac has no abjections." interrupted Lord Kranic. "I have no abjections, are you fine with this Lord Lorak?" Mardac turns to Lorak. He is man in his prime around the age of 30 with black hair and brown eyes, and has a calm presence that seems to spread to those around him. "I have no abjections.", he says in a smooth oily voice.
* * *
In the ballroom Mardac, Kranic, and Lorak take a seat at the main table, the sons sitting at both sides of their fathers. "Well, where are they Mardac?" Kranic asks. Giving Kranic a slightly annoyed glance he turns and gives a servant a signal to bring them. The servant walks out, and a different one walks in bringing drinks and refreshments. After a few minutes the curtains at the right side of the doorway start to rustle and a young girl stumbles out as if she had been pushed. Quickly gaining her feet she stands up strait trying to recover her dignity, and sends a scolding look at another girl confidently walking out from behind the curtain with a smug look on her face. They curtsy to the lords and say in almost perfect unison " My lords, it is and honor and a privilege to have you in are home.", and walk toward the waiting men at the table.
The two boys are quietly nudged to their feet by their fathers, being reminded of their manners. They each pull out a chair for the girls and walk over, exchanging questioning glances, and offer each girl an arm. "Lady, may I escort you." they both greet. Having heard them they knew what to expect and took the offered arms with out mishap. However, before they even get there, Kranic gets up and walks over. Bending on one knee before the girls, he puts a hand to one of their foreheads pushing back their bangs. Flinching at the unexpected contact the girl backs up, just in time to avoid being knocked over by Kranic. With hatred in his eyes Kranic turns on Mardac, "You offer are sons cripples, and expect them to marry." he practically yells. The girls and sons step back, even Kranics own son, who was accustomed to his father's anger. "What?" says Lorak. But Kranic seems to not have heard him: "Did you think we would allow are sons to be tricked into marrying blind cripples?" he continues at Mardac, oblivious to the site of his wife walking through the door into the room.
Quietly Kranics' lady looks over at the two frightened girls: "Pretty things, of that there is no doubt, and they will one day be beautiful women, of that I am sure. They obviously have wit if they are staying out of reach of my lord. And blind or not, he shouldn't be raging like this.", she thought to herself. "This is deceit; I will have your head Mardac. _" "You will go SIT and calm yourself." :his lady's yell cuts through his rage like a knife. Shocked out of what he was going to say by his wife's outburst, he quieted and allowes himself to be lead to the side by his wife.
"Thanks be for strong women." Lorak thinks to himself. Walking over to the girls he kneels down in front of them, and gently pulls their hair out from in front of their eyes, both of them flinching at his touch, seeing their white eyes, he slowly pulls away and stands to his feet. Turning to face Mardac "However much I may disagree with Kranic's overreaction, I must admit he is right that the children are blind. I can not condone my son having to marrying ether one of them under that condition, he will need a strong, uninhibited wife to help him run his holding when he takes control after I step down. So unless there is a cure to their problem this conference is over." and he looks over a Mardac questioningly.
Thinking fast he remembered some strange beast that commanded these small creatures called Draie dragons. He remembered seeing them at the caslte one day. While listening around, he over heard that the beast's creatures had laid a clutch and that she was GIVING them away.
Brightening " Yes, actually, I have made arrangments to have some creatures sent to me that are supposed to have the ability to substitute for their blindness." even while not knowing this for certain, he figured it would give him some time, and if it was true then all the better. "If that is the case, then I believe we can wait and see what kind of results the creatures will bring about." says Lorak. "Do you agree Kranic" "If these creatures can restore their site I will wait." he says, much improved from his earlier fury. "Then let it be done. Send us word should the creatures prove to be effective." Lorak says turning and leaving the room his lady on his arm. Kranic following after.
* * *
As good as his lie. Mardac sent a request to Gryor, the Draie dragons keeper. It took him completely by surprise when Elina sent him a message requesting that "My cousins be sent to me for a time", and that "your request has been sent to me, and, I trust, should you not want them to hatch without the girls being present, I await my cousins arrival." Along with the girls, he sent one of his servents, Richland. The man was a tricky one, and Mardac had come close to having him beheaded one then once, but the man had proven useful on more then one occasion. Making him worth keeping around, at least to a certain extent. He had thought being at the castle would be enough to keep him in line. Apperantly he had given Richland more credit then what he had deserved.
* * *
The day had come. The eggs had started shaking early that afternoon and the girls were eagerly waiting. As the eggs shook more and more, a crack formed in one of the eggs and started spreading, the other eggs following after. A small beak breaks through one egg, a tail through another. Slowly the shells fall away leaving the small dragons exposed. Suddenly they start to shrill with hunger, lifting them out of the make shift nests the girls walked them over to the carcuss that had been butchered earlier to feed them. Slowly they gorged themselves, when the carcuss is almost half gone the dragons start to fall asleep.
Walking over to pick them up the girls are suddenly grabbed and pulled away from the table. Tripping over their feet they fall to the floor, confused as to what happened. "Gottcha." exclaimes Richland as he grabs the sleeping dragons. The dragons startled squawks of protest are drowned out by the cold voice that seems to fill the room. "HOW DARE YOU.", finding himself frozen in place, the dragons seem to become very heavy, as his hands slowly open, releasing them. Opening their wings the dragons fly to the girls who are getting up from the ground. Landing on the floor next to them and grabbing onto their cloths the dragons make small reassuring hums, and squeaks of self-pity. While Richland finds himself lifted up into the air and floating along the floor toward the doors. "Take him down to the cells! I will deal with him personally!!" Elina tells the two guards as she releases him from her spell, they take Richland by the arms and start leading him down the hallway. When he is out of site she turns back to the girls, already sitting in chairs and reassuring their dragons.
* * *
"He tried to take us, he tried to take us from you." both girls could hear in their minds, as the dragons begged for reassurence, and they tried to give it. "It's alright he can't try to take you anymore." they replied to they're pleas. "No, he can't, you are are's and we are yours." "Yes, no one will take us away." "What are your names little ones?" Toelina asks trying to divert them from what had happened. "I am Kalia. I will protect you now." "I'm Jeshli, he is gone right?" Talia quickly reassures him. "I'm Helian and she's Lilli, can we play now." "Yes, you can." " You will watch us." "We can't watch, but we can listen." "Why? Can't you see us?" "We wish we could see you, but are eyes don't work." "We can be you eyes." and before the girls knew what was happening images started to appear in their minds the different colors, and shapes of the room as the dragons saw them. It was more then they had ever imagined, and it almost over welmed them. "Very thoughtful of them I think, you will need to get used to it of course, but thats nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of training." With their attention diverted to Elina the connection was broken. "And I think it's time I started teaching you your birth right." "Birthright?" "Of course, didn't your father tell you?" "Tell us what? He hardly knows we exist, didn't even know we were blind until we were almost 8." "We'll then I guess your in for a treat then arn't you." as a small smile plays across Elina's face.
When Mardac recived to news of the hatching and a shackled Richland, for a moment, he felt a sence of relife, then was overcome with rage when Richland came into his sight again. They say that if you go to Mardac Manor, you can still hear his screams of tourture as Mardac's guards punish him for his betral.
* * *
They meet at the Castle gates, dispite Kranics objections, and followed a servent to the meeting room where Elina was waiting for them. Taking seats around the fire burning in the hearth, Kranic staying as far away from Her Majesty as he dared. The girls who were sitting on floor cushines watching the dragons, stand and curtsy to everyone. "So I see you managed to get them posetion of the beasts, but what of their merits?" Kranic almost sneers. "I'm not really sure myself. I could almost forget they were blind when they didn't have the dragons. and I havn't seen them since Her Majesty kindly took over their care." responded Mardac with forced kindness. "I can assure you their merits have been well recieved." Elina confirms. "Meaning no offence your highness but I would like a little more reassurence then simple word of mouth." Kranic says just short of open insult. "Very well if you require more proff, perhaps a demonstration will convince you." she says seeming not to notice his insolence, and pulls a deck of cards from inside her rodes and hands them to Kranic.
Giving her a questioning look Kranic says: "And what exactly am I supposed to do with these?" "Show them to the girls." she says with a small smile. Shuffling the cards in his hands he holds up a red one: "What is it?" "Red." picking another one from the middle of the deck he holds it up. "Orange" Toelina replies before he even asks. Going through almost all of the cards in multy different orders Kranic finally gives up. "Well it would appear that the situation has been solved." says Lord Lorak at last. "Yes, it would seem." says Kranic not sounding all to pleased about it. "Well all that need be done now is to come to an agreement. Unless there is something else?" says Mardac cautiously. "Yes, perhaps that would be better served in the study." suggests Elina pointing to the next room.
As everyone stands "Perhaps it would be better for the children to stay here." she also suggests. "Should they not be there to see what their future intails." asks Kranic falsely innocent.. "They know what their future will intail, they have been trained for and reminded of it sense birth. Being their seeing you three haggle over and sign papers isn't going to make any difference. More then likely all it will do is send them into silent fits of bordom. Let them stay, it will do them no harm and no benifit lost. Personally I think it will be more beneficial to let them be awhile." "Reasonable enough lead on Majesty." interjects Lorak before Kranic can say anything more.
* * *
After the adults leave the room the girls visable relaxe. Grinning at each other one stands up and walks over to the door at the back of the room and pulls a rope. Seconds later a group of servents walk into the room, set up a table of food, and leave as quickly as they came. Taking sets at the table the girls look over at the boys who are still sitting by the fireplace, as their dragons fly over to small platforms where food had been set for them. Recovering from their uncertainty the boys stand up and take seats at the table.
As they eat, the dragons finish their meals before the children, flying over to the table, they start to beg for tidbits from the boys before they are sent away through mental commands from their bonds. Looking ashamed, they curl up near the fire and promply fall asleep. Making sure their charges are settled the girls look over at the boys apologetically: "We would like to apologize for that, I thought they had better manners then that.". Not saying anything, the boys just nod their heads and set back to eating.
After their meal the children go sit near the fire place. Talia sees Loraks son sneaking sidelong looks at the dragons sleeping on the floor. Getting up she walks over to the dragonets and picks one of them up, walking back over to her seat she sits down next to him and places it in her lap. Looking over at him, the dragon raises it's head and gives her an inquiring chirp. With a slight nod of her head the dragon jumps over and lands on the arm of his chair, pushs at his arm impatiently, crawls under it, and curls up in his lap. Looking at the creature falling asleep in his lap, his arms are raised, afraid to disturb it. Looking at Talia confused, she's giving him a reassuring smile: "Rub adove her eyes." she suggests. Looking started at the idea, he reaches down, and does as she suggests. Humming with pleasure the dragon falls asleep.
* * *
Some time later the adults return, some looking satisfied, some not, to find the children sitting quietly. Toelina and Kranics son playing a game of chess, Talia and Loraks son talking by the fire. They stand when they see the adults enter the room. "Well, it's time to be off." Kranic says and walks toward the door, his son following after. Lorak, giving a bow to Elina, starts walking out of the room.
Shrieks of outrage fill the air, as three of the dragons dive at Kranic's son. Raking at him with their claws the dragons continue to shriek at him. Shocked at the dragons behavior, only Toelina knows that her blue dragon, Helian, is trapped in his rodes. Quickly whispering the situation to Talia, they call off the dragons, putting their will behind the command.
"What is the meaning of this!?" demands Kranic. Not even looking at him Toelina looks at his son "Release her now.". Shocked he releases the hold he had on his cloak and Helian falls out and flies to Toelina: "He tried to trap me, but I got him for it." he says to her.. "What do you mean 'got him' " she asks sharply. "What have you let that thing do to my son!?" Kranic was yelling, holding up his son's shirt, showing the scratch marks that had been made from Helian's claws. "It looks to me as if he did it to himself. Girls take them back to their rooms. I think they have had enough to deal with for one day." Elina starts, gesturing to a servent to come forward. "Lorak if you do not mind, she will show you to the carriges.", looking over at Kranic, "We should probably have those looked at before you depart.", with a nod from Kranic, she leads them off, her hoping that this would be the end of the matter.
After seeing the full damage done by the dragon, Kranic starts raging about the room "I want that thing destroyed" he yells at Mardac. "Is that nessessary" Mardac says. "Yes, I want that thing gone." Kranic yells. "If that is what you require." and Mardac turns and starts walking down the hall, headed toward the girls quarters.
* * *
After seeing that Kranic's son was being taken care of, Elina had headed back to the girls room to check on them. As she reaches for the door she hears the sound of fast foot steps walking toward her. She turns around just as Mardac walks around the corner, rememdering the set look on his face from a past bad experience she is determined that he will not be let in the room: "Is something wrong?" "No, I just need to discuss something with my daughters." "About what?" "THAT is none of your affair." "How so?" "Because they are my daughters and mine to deal with." "Really?" "Yes."
"What are you doing, Highness?" demands Kranic, who had shortly followed after Mardac when he left the infermiry. "It is not your buisness what Kranic needs to do with his daughters, or those creatures that they possess. That thing needs to be dealt with, and I will see to it that he does it." "What do you mean, it needs to be dealt with?" "I demand that it be destroyed." "WHAT? Are you insane? You will do no such thing." "It is not your place to say. Or theres. Now out of the way." Forgetting himself Kranic tries to push her out of the way. A stong wind comes out of nowhere, literaly, and throws Kranic partialy down the hall. "Get out! If I see you within a year, I will not be as kind as I have been this day." but unfortunatly at this time, the sounds of the commotion had drawn the girls to open the door. "We will settle this now. You, go get your blue beast." Mardac orders Toelina. "What for?" "Just bring it.". Being sure that her father had no good intensions, she lossens up and gets ready to run. "No!" "What?!" "What I said, No!" "You, go get it" he says to Talia. "No!"
At this his face clinches into a look or pure rage. He starts to take deep breaths, but strangly he suddenly relaxes and his face turns into a a picture of blank emotion. "You two would both dare to deny me, to refuse me. When for all of your lives you could not have survived without my kindness," after a pause, "Very well then, for this act, you are no longer my children, and you will never be allowed back to the Manor. We will see how you fare with the drudges."
As he starts to form a small smile on his face the one he gets from Elina quickly wipes it away. "I don't know weather to be mad at you or to thank you. Now that you have released your childern to my custody." "What do you mean? At best they are now unbonded-blind servents, and from what I hear commoners have little pity for nobles weather they still have their tital or not." "That may be true for your commoners, but things are quite different here. And I can assure you they are worth quite more then common servents. After all you were the one to renouce them, not me." and before he can speak "With your renouncement of them, you have been removed from the position of next in line for the throne which is what you gained from your marrige to their mother. And now as they are next in line for the throne, and without another place of residence as is usual, they will now take up residence here, and be under my selected tutilege." a pause as he gaps at her with an open mouth. "And now, all is as it should be. LORD Mardac, formally known as PRINCE Mardac."
And that is all there is to tell, at least for now.