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Garion+Nicky. Shortly after this thread, but we didn't manage to get online with enough time to log until now. :')
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. It almost seemed as if Garion's world just crashed down on him. King Chris Valhalla was dead. Dead. From one second to the next Garion became aware of this fact. There wasn't even the slightest hint of him being ill or anything like it. But yet... he died.
And Lady Velthomer. First she dissapears from Velthomer without a word. And the next thing you know she's somewhere in a safe place, pregnant with the next Lord of Velthomer. What was up with that?
And not to mention cousin Alice! She went to the desert. The desert. Everyone is told not to get even near that place. And what does she do? She enters that place. With someone like Seth Jungvy no less!
It took Garion only one swing to send his journal a few feet away from him. Why was this happening? Why?!
Well, there was novelty and there was ridiculous.
It was strange how the books had permuted their lives so, although Nicky would be the first to admit that she took shameless advantage of their convenience. Still, using it to speak to someone sitting not 30 yards away was a bit much. She stowed her journal and the accompanying orb in her saddle bags, using the time to collect her thoughts before making her way to Garion's side.
All things considered, there was an awful lot to think about. With the king dead and no heir apparant, there would be interesting times ahead. She'd stake her life on it.
Nicky watched Garion pace for a few moments before she spoke.
"Were you that close to His Majesty, or is there something else that's eating you?"
Garion didn't even notice Nicky getting near, his thoughts flying in all different directions. So when she spoke, his heart skipped a beat and he looked up and saw her standing there. It took a while before her question sunk in and it took even longer before he managed to provide her with a proper answer. Proper, and short.
"No. I wasn't." That much was true. Garion wasn't exactly on friendly terms with Chris Valhalla. Garion thought of him as an cold, heartless bastard and the King wasn't afraid of making it clear he wasn't particulary fond of Garion either. But the thought of Grandbell wihout a major-blooded Narga on the throne...
"It's just..." Garion went silent again, trying to formulate his thoughts into coherent sentences.
She knelt to pick up his book, brushing off the dust as she stood.
"Just what?"
He wanted to tell Nicky about everything. Tell her about what's bothering him. Even the Velthomer deal. Just to get it off his shoulder. And he almost opened his mouth to do so. But then he remembered the promise he made his cousin. There was a small voice inside of him, telling him that she deserves it for doing something so rash and... stupid. But no...
"He's left the country with no heirs. No heirs of his own. This is going to be a political mess. Now, I could have dealt with just that information. That information alone. But had it not been for Variel, I wouldn't have known that my dear cousin went into the bloody desert! The desert! Can you believe it?" Then again, she probably could. "Oh, of course you do... Because Seth's with her, too!"
It was going to be a total mess. Nicky would have thought that she was lucky to not have to deal with the debates directly, but she wasn't so naive to think that she wouldn't get dragged into the whole affair sooner or later. It was rather fortuitous timing, that she was already on the road by the time that the news hit. The journals gave them just a little bit of advance warning, but hopefully she should be able to meet with Variel before the family at large began to panic.
Kadi probably wouldn't care enough to tell, Bridget had burned her journal, and their aunt was too far away to spread the word. So that had left Rhia, Variel, and Seth, whom she hoped had enough sense...
Seth wasn't in Jungvy. Right. So where was-
"...the desert?"
That definitely wasn't somewhere that you'd expect anyone to go voluntarily. "And here I was thinking that Seth was one of the more sensible ones in the lot."
"I had the same thoughts about Alice. She didn't seem like the kind of person to head into the place without some protection. But I guess we were both wrong on our two cousins. They'd better have a really good reason for getting even near it."
Without realising it, Garion had started to pace around again. This is a mess. A complete mess. If Variel was being treated poorly by Ulir, then Garion wasn't much better off with Tordo, it seems.
"If I recall correctly, Seth's a fair hand with a sword, even if he never did take much interest in magic."
Nicky couldn't say that she knew why Garion's cousin had went to the desert, but judging from what she had seen a couple of months ago, she had something of an idea why her cousin had.
"I suppose as long as Alice keeps him away from any tall staircases, they'll be fine. Provided that they don't die of thirst, that is."
That statement probably would have made it easier for Garion to cope. Had it not been for that one incident... "Well, he has a fair hand with a glass of alcohol, too." It's usually the first impression that lasts longest. But in this case it was the second.
Oh, Garion knew. He knew all too well. But he chose to ignore it. While Alice was fond of Seth, Garion wasn't. Not at all.
Staircases? Garion raised an eyebrow at that particular comment, but he didn't feel like going into details. "Well, I'm sure they-- my cousin is sensible enough to bring enough supplies."
"Or, if we're very lucky, a guide."
She had always been fond of Seth, even if he tended to be a dissapointment in comparison to her memories from their teenaged years. But amnesia can do that to a person.
"There's not much that we can do about it at this point."
Nicky was right. There isn't much they can do at this point. Not about those two, at any rate.
Garion let out a sigh and stood still. It was only now that he realised he was still pacing. And he also realised he had calmed down. A lot. Talking to Nicky always felt so comforting and familiar. It was almost as if the world around them disappeared and--
"Thank you, Nicky."
Seth and Alice would survive, or they wouldn't. And no matter how worried she was about him, there were more pressing matters at hand. They wouldn't have to deal with any of it until they reached Jungvy, but she couldn't help but wonder.
"Do you have any idea about where you're going to go from here?"
That was indeed an interesting question. When the news of the King's death hits Freege, its citizens would look to Garion for answers. If he wasn't there to answer them...
"We're on our way to Jungvy and that's exactly where we're going." Garion had enough on his mind without his people pestering him. Besides, he promised Nicky he'd see her safely to Jungvy. And Garion was not the kind of guy to break promises. At least, not to Nicky.
That hadn't been exactly what she had been ask, but it probably wasn't the best of times to press the matter. As things currently stood, Jungvy and Freege were on good terms and would hopefully remain so.
In a perfect world, the succession would be resolved calmly. Nicky wasn't exactly an optimist.
"We should probably make the best of the time left before we get there."
If Garion had anything to say on it, Jungvy and Freege would remain on good terms for a long, long time. While some individuals were an eyesore, he found a friend in Variel and something more in Nicky. Something much more. It'd take a while longer before they got to Jungvy, so why not...?
"I think that's a fabulous idea. I guess we'll set up camp and call it a night, then?"
"Why Garion, that sounds like a plan."
"Excellent." Had one looked at Garion now, one never would have expected him to be upset some time ago..."
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. It almost seemed as if Garion's world just crashed down on him. King Chris Valhalla was dead. Dead. From one second to the next Garion became aware of this fact. There wasn't even the slightest hint of him being ill or anything like it. But yet... he died.
And Lady Velthomer. First she dissapears from Velthomer without a word. And the next thing you know she's somewhere in a safe place, pregnant with the next Lord of Velthomer. What was up with that?
And not to mention cousin Alice! She went to the desert. The desert. Everyone is told not to get even near that place. And what does she do? She enters that place. With someone like Seth Jungvy no less!
It took Garion only one swing to send his journal a few feet away from him. Why was this happening? Why?!
Well, there was novelty and there was ridiculous.
It was strange how the books had permuted their lives so, although Nicky would be the first to admit that she took shameless advantage of their convenience. Still, using it to speak to someone sitting not 30 yards away was a bit much. She stowed her journal and the accompanying orb in her saddle bags, using the time to collect her thoughts before making her way to Garion's side.
All things considered, there was an awful lot to think about. With the king dead and no heir apparant, there would be interesting times ahead. She'd stake her life on it.
Nicky watched Garion pace for a few moments before she spoke.
"Were you that close to His Majesty, or is there something else that's eating you?"
Garion didn't even notice Nicky getting near, his thoughts flying in all different directions. So when she spoke, his heart skipped a beat and he looked up and saw her standing there. It took a while before her question sunk in and it took even longer before he managed to provide her with a proper answer. Proper, and short.
"No. I wasn't." That much was true. Garion wasn't exactly on friendly terms with Chris Valhalla. Garion thought of him as an cold, heartless bastard and the King wasn't afraid of making it clear he wasn't particulary fond of Garion either. But the thought of Grandbell wihout a major-blooded Narga on the throne...
"It's just..." Garion went silent again, trying to formulate his thoughts into coherent sentences.
She knelt to pick up his book, brushing off the dust as she stood.
"Just what?"
He wanted to tell Nicky about everything. Tell her about what's bothering him. Even the Velthomer deal. Just to get it off his shoulder. And he almost opened his mouth to do so. But then he remembered the promise he made his cousin. There was a small voice inside of him, telling him that she deserves it for doing something so rash and... stupid. But no...
"He's left the country with no heirs. No heirs of his own. This is going to be a political mess. Now, I could have dealt with just that information. That information alone. But had it not been for Variel, I wouldn't have known that my dear cousin went into the bloody desert! The desert! Can you believe it?" Then again, she probably could. "Oh, of course you do... Because Seth's with her, too!"
It was going to be a total mess. Nicky would have thought that she was lucky to not have to deal with the debates directly, but she wasn't so naive to think that she wouldn't get dragged into the whole affair sooner or later. It was rather fortuitous timing, that she was already on the road by the time that the news hit. The journals gave them just a little bit of advance warning, but hopefully she should be able to meet with Variel before the family at large began to panic.
Kadi probably wouldn't care enough to tell, Bridget had burned her journal, and their aunt was too far away to spread the word. So that had left Rhia, Variel, and Seth, whom she hoped had enough sense...
Seth wasn't in Jungvy. Right. So where was-
"...the desert?"
That definitely wasn't somewhere that you'd expect anyone to go voluntarily. "And here I was thinking that Seth was one of the more sensible ones in the lot."
"I had the same thoughts about Alice. She didn't seem like the kind of person to head into the place without some protection. But I guess we were both wrong on our two cousins. They'd better have a really good reason for getting even near it."
Without realising it, Garion had started to pace around again. This is a mess. A complete mess. If Variel was being treated poorly by Ulir, then Garion wasn't much better off with Tordo, it seems.
"If I recall correctly, Seth's a fair hand with a sword, even if he never did take much interest in magic."
Nicky couldn't say that she knew why Garion's cousin had went to the desert, but judging from what she had seen a couple of months ago, she had something of an idea why her cousin had.
"I suppose as long as Alice keeps him away from any tall staircases, they'll be fine. Provided that they don't die of thirst, that is."
That statement probably would have made it easier for Garion to cope. Had it not been for that one incident... "Well, he has a fair hand with a glass of alcohol, too." It's usually the first impression that lasts longest. But in this case it was the second.
Oh, Garion knew. He knew all too well. But he chose to ignore it. While Alice was fond of Seth, Garion wasn't. Not at all.
Staircases? Garion raised an eyebrow at that particular comment, but he didn't feel like going into details. "Well, I'm sure they-- my cousin is sensible enough to bring enough supplies."
"Or, if we're very lucky, a guide."
She had always been fond of Seth, even if he tended to be a dissapointment in comparison to her memories from their teenaged years. But amnesia can do that to a person.
"There's not much that we can do about it at this point."
Nicky was right. There isn't much they can do at this point. Not about those two, at any rate.
Garion let out a sigh and stood still. It was only now that he realised he was still pacing. And he also realised he had calmed down. A lot. Talking to Nicky always felt so comforting and familiar. It was almost as if the world around them disappeared and--
"Thank you, Nicky."
Seth and Alice would survive, or they wouldn't. And no matter how worried she was about him, there were more pressing matters at hand. They wouldn't have to deal with any of it until they reached Jungvy, but she couldn't help but wonder.
"Do you have any idea about where you're going to go from here?"
That was indeed an interesting question. When the news of the King's death hits Freege, its citizens would look to Garion for answers. If he wasn't there to answer them...
"We're on our way to Jungvy and that's exactly where we're going." Garion had enough on his mind without his people pestering him. Besides, he promised Nicky he'd see her safely to Jungvy. And Garion was not the kind of guy to break promises. At least, not to Nicky.
That hadn't been exactly what she had been ask, but it probably wasn't the best of times to press the matter. As things currently stood, Jungvy and Freege were on good terms and would hopefully remain so.
In a perfect world, the succession would be resolved calmly. Nicky wasn't exactly an optimist.
"We should probably make the best of the time left before we get there."
If Garion had anything to say on it, Jungvy and Freege would remain on good terms for a long, long time. While some individuals were an eyesore, he found a friend in Variel and something more in Nicky. Something much more. It'd take a while longer before they got to Jungvy, so why not...?
"I think that's a fabulous idea. I guess we'll set up camp and call it a night, then?"
"Why Garion, that sounds like a plan."
"Excellent." Had one looked at Garion now, one never would have expected him to be upset some time ago..."