Prayer (Jeon)

[severine]

Aveline had been stopped in front of Jeon’s door for what seemed like a long while, her hand raised to knock. Her errands for the day had already begun, widely avoiding the King’s family breakfast, but she hoped to the gods above that her friend was here now. She withdrew her hand from its raised position, toying with the ring that hung around her neck under folds of gold fabric around her throat.

Of all the pieces needed for this plot to work, Jeon was the most important to her. He had been there in both of their lives… it was important to her that he be there for this as well. Everyone else could be changed, but not Jeon.

Aveline sucked in a breath and reached out, finally knocking on the door. “Jeon?” she asked, leaning towards the door. “Jeon, it’s Aveline. Are you there? I need to talk to you.”

[Deleted]

Jeon had been walking through the castle trying to avoid any communication with servants or royal family members. It had become quite a puzzle. He had to take turns and go up stairs that he normally wouldn't have because of all the people he was avoiding. Talking to them was either boring or a waste of time. They had only known him as a child so there were many comments and how much he had grown and so many questions about his pursuit for a wife. This kinds of inquiries had always made him uncomfortable. He father had always handled this kind of questioning for him. Jeon's life was a tad complicated in that arena. He had never told anyone, but he knew he parents knew.

As he came across a hallway he saw a young lady knocking and standing in front of a door. He was going to skip the hall till he noticed she was knocking at his old room. He paused and analyzed further. It was Aveline. Oh good! Someone he could actually enjoy spending time with! He walked toward her and tapped her on the shoulder"Ave! How are you? and why are you knocking at the door of the late Duke?"they had found him dead in his room with a large array of treats covering his body. It had been a gruesome choking someone had told Jeon. No one noticed he was gone till the stench had started to creep down the hall. Luckily, Jeon had moved his room higher in the castle so he could have access to the towers.

[severine]

Aveline turned her head sharply when she felt the touch to her shoulder, jolting and nearly tripping back over her skirts. She looked to Jeon, eyes wide. At first there was confusion and she looked back to the door. “Late-?” she looked back to Jeon, then shook her head, pushing herself forward to hug him.

Aveline hugged him tightly, briefly, then pulled away, her hands on his arms. “I need- I need to talk to you about something important, then we need to go someplace. Is your room close?” she looked anxious, looking back over her shoulder and then his to see if anyone else was coming down the hall.

[Deleted]

"It's relatively close,"Jeon was confused by the frantic hugging. His nerves started to jumble in the rush,"pift bide boder pers......it's up those stairs!"he was tripping over his words. He lead them both up to his room. He made sure to close the door firmly behind her and went and sat down on his giant bed. The blankets had been stripped from its mattress and tied to the posts to make a hammock. He patted the spot right by himself.

"What is so important that you forgot I had moved rooms?"he asked with a giggle.

[severine]

Aveline followed Jeon up to his room, clinging to the edge of his sleeve like she was a child again. This was familiar, as was the all too familiar anxious terror that was gripping her. She followed as quickly as she could manage, her free hand lifting her skirts so she could move faster. When they reached his room, she locked the door while Jeon settled down. She moved to sit beside him, hands folding in her lap, arms trembling. She looked down at her folded hands, suddenly unable to find words.

“I- ah. S-something has happened-” Aveline swallowed hard, then took in a deep breath. This was going to be a very long explanation.

“S-so I’ve been working with Captain Walker for a w-while now and we were paired together at the Goddess Festival- that’s how we started working together b-because he didn’t quite remember who I was before that but we- we’ve gotten very close s-since then and well with the break-in and when he was stabbed we had a talk and Jeon I’m betrothed.”

Aveline reached forward and grasped his hand, looking up at him. Her eyes were shining with tears starting to form there but she was smiling. “Roland proposed to me and I said yes. He proposed. And we- we want you to be there. Because we are going to have to elope or my mother will do something awful if she finds out. I- well, we- we want you to be our witness. It’s going to be during the first ball of the Festival so you will have to sneak away with us but the party will be very small and you can return after the ceremony and-” Aveline wiped her eyes hard, an anxious laugh escaping her.

“I’m getting married.”

[Deleted]

Jeon's eyes looked at her with a narrow confusion. His mouth had slightly opened. The surprise had left him in shock. He was not expecting this. His eyebrows kept raising as if he was about to say something and then settling back into place. His eyes glanced around the room: he was thinking,"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhhhhh.....,"he shock started to dissipate and his eyes began to widen, his mouth to form into a huge smile and he suddenly stood up,"Bless the gods above!"he shouted. He confusion had done a complete 360 and had become uncontrolled bliss.

"Of course I will be there!"his brain went on it's own cycle. He didn't really think about the circumstances and consequences. Rarely did he have to as a royal. He went over and hugged her tight as she was sitting on his bed and tried to pull her off to jump in glee with him. It was surprising and happy news.

While jumping in glee his face became confused again,"What do you mean he got stabbed during a break-in?!"it was genuine surprise. Jeon had been out of the loop for a long time.

[severine]

Relief washed through Aveline at Jeon’s reaction- he was happy. Thank the gods, he was happy. She had been half-expecting a lecture but she knew Jeon better than that. She grasped his arms, laughing. “Shh! You cannot tell anyone!” she stood with him, laughing again.

“Ah- oh! You don’t know? I can-” she grasped Jeon by the sleeve again and pulled him to the door. “We can go see him. He’ll want to see you.” she opened the door and began to pull him down the hall. “The castle was broken into by that woman who tried to murder the King a few months back and she stabbed Roland in the back. He’s recovering now, but it was… it was scary for a little bit.” She pulled him through the winding path of the castle to the infirmary where Roland was staying, knocking on the door. “Captain, I’ve brought Lord Jeon!”

Aveline grinned over to Jeon and opened the door, pulling the both of them inside and shutting the door behind them.

[Roland]

Roland looked up as Jeon and Aveline enter the room. With a grin he swings his legs over the side of his bed and rises to his feet striding over to him and embracing Jeon and a great bear hug. "Good to see you're doing well Jeon. Lilith has mentioned she's been making excellent progress under you." He admires with shimmering eyes. About three hours before Roland had finally tested his 'paths' and found them more or less healed. His eyes were once again a dull amethyst, though not quite the beacons that they usually were.

With a smile he releases Jeon and snaps his fingers closing the door behind them. "Now tell me all about what she's been doing at the Arch." He beacons as another shimmer of light burns in his eyes and the room becomes warded against eavesdropping in the same manner Aria had used. He was not one to turn away a useful spell once he had seen it.

With a sigh he walks back over to the bed and sits down. The earlier reaction being a front in case they were being followed. But now there was no way to listen in on them. "It is good to see you Jeon, how much have you been told?" He asks.

[Deleted]

Jeon's thoughts went wild. Someone tried to murder Noku?! Why had he not been told?! Did the castle not trust him?! And now there's an assassin running loose in the capital!? What had happened while he was stuck in his room at the Arch? He didn't have much time to think while Ave pulled him down the halls to the healing ward. He was still in a confused haze as Roland gave him a large hug. At least the man was in a healthy attitude, but Jeon could tell his magic was taking longer to heal.

"Lillith is doing great....but that is beside the point. You were stabbed!"there was an obvious anger in his face,"Why hadn't I been told?! Also, Noku was almost murdered!? Whoever this wench was, I promise I will get my hands on her and....put her in jail,"his pacifist mind clocked back in. The air had started to slightly pick up in the room, but after a long breath it settled down.

"...and I've been requested to be a witness for your marriage,"he was still trying to take in all the events that the excitement of marriage had lost its power.

[Roland]

Roland smiles to see Jeon rain against the woman who had attacked him and it made him glad that he was close to the boy. He had no idea if the boy would be a good commander or leader, but he was certainly a good friend. “Hold on now Jeon, the woman who attacked me had a companion with plate that neutralized all the magic I could bring to bear against it. These are not people to try and deal with on your own, even I have needed to start considering preparations to make in order to deal with them. Actually too that point, I have a spell I would like to talk with you about at some point, I think I've devised something VERY powerful.”

When Jeon brings up the marriage Roland nods his head. “Yes, I would like you to be there as both a friend and to give your blessing as a Noru, I know you dislike politics, but this is going to be messy and it would really help if we had some legitimate sanction.” He explains closing his eyes. “This will definitely enrage Severine, and it will cause some commotion in the court I assume.”

Roland and Severine's rivalry was well known so this act could cause a very complicated set of circumstances depending on how it played out. “But I would also like you there as a friend, and when things settle down and we can have a large ceremony I would like you to act as my best man.”

[Deleted]

Even though it was an act, Aveline couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Roland embracing Jeon. Perhaps soon Roland would feel comfortable enough to be this openly affectionate soon. When Roland went to sit down she followed after him, settling back down on the bed and taking his hand, gesturing for Jeon to sit on the nearby chair. “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

At the thought of commotion she sighs and nods. “It will cause a lot of commotion. But I think we can ride through it.” she looked to Roland with a smile, then back to Jeon. “But obviously this will have to remain a secret for a while. I’m not sure how we are going to tell everyone yet once we go through with the ceremony.”