The Princess and the Blade

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi accepted the insignia numbly. Proof of his favor. Favor predicated on protecting Tenara and staying out of her room? The first he could do, but the second? "I am grateful," he said, planning his words carefully. "But I cannot promise the conditions you proposed. He held up a hand, asking Atul to wait for his explanation. "She is my Yurivis. If she asks of me something you would not like, I will obey her orders above yours, be it where I sleep or how I guard her." He grimaced. "On top of that... my will is not always my own." He looked at the sword meaningfully. "A weapon can not truly guarantee how it will be used. If that blade falls into the wrong hands, I could even be wielded against her. So I can't promise you her safety. All I can really swear is that if that day comes, and I bring danger into Tenara's life, I will honor the pledge I made to her mother, and disappear from her world."

[Emora Deen]

Atul appraised him quietly, and then glanced at the sword tucked under his arm. "Perhaps you would be better off in a vault," he said softly, thinking of the dangers that might befall Tenara should the sword fall into the wrong hands. "Serve her as she asks, then. If that is the best you can do, I'll accept it. Especially if you would rather leave her than bring her harm."

As they moved to leave the office, Atul cocked his head slightly towards Havitharon. "What is a Yurivis?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Havitharon straightened up, doing his best to hold back his growing irritation. This was his third time being weighed and measured, and told he was found wanting, by Tenara's parents in as many days. He had been a disappointment to his sister all his life for not accepting a match, but never because he was insufficient. It was the opposite. He was a prized stallion paraded and gambled and gladiated to ensure her interests, all because he refused to serve. Now, he'd chosen someone in a world that didn't need him, where men were a dime a dozen and his worth amounted to a few pounds of metal in a cozy black scabbard.

And now he was to explain, to this man in this place, what a Yurivis was? Even Tenara barely understood it. What good would it do to explain it to someone who didn't want them sharing a room?

"It is a difficult relationship to explain," he said, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "In this world's view... I guess it's a kind of servitude."

[Emora Deen]

Atul fidgeted with the sword. "Is it something you chose?" he asked, scratching at the back of his neck. "I ask because... Tenara is soft hearted. She will not want you to feel obligated to her." He set his jaw again, words beating at the back of his teeth. "I meant no offense a moment ago. I just..." He let out a rumbling sigh that was partly a growl. "My daughter was taken from me, never meant to return, but she did—with you. I am terrified of losing her again. We all are. Yesterday..." He glanced out a window as they passed. "Yesterday I nearly lost them all. You saved them, and her, and I am grateful. I am. But I can't rid myself of the anxiety of it all, and I know my daughter. I know her." He paused and looked at Havitharon. "She will grow to love you. If she hasn't already. I don't want her hurt again."

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi thought of his heat, of that first day when she'd claimed him. He thought of the softness in her voice as she'd called him her sun. His expression softened. "Yes. I chose this. I will never betray her as he did. Even without the sword situation, it would be almost physically impossible to displease her."

[Emora Deen]

Atul swallowed, glancing out the window again. He was not accustomed to having such conversations about his daughter, but he was happy with Havitharon's answer. He made a strained sound as he cleared his throat and hesitantly gave Havitharon a pat on the back before urging him forward.

When they reentered the garden conservatory the dining table was empty. Tenara and her family were in the garden, where a table had been set up. Her mother stood on one side and Tenara on the other. Each had a small paddle in their hands. A white ball bounced hollowly across the top, each taking turns clapping the ball back and forth at varying speeds. It was clear one was trying to outdo the other. Tenele struck the ball soundly, sending it bouncing off the table, past Tenara. Tenara laughed and spun after it. "Its not fair that you're so good at this."

"Warrior reflexes," Tenele said, winking at Vlad.

Tenara turned back for the table and spotted her Papa and Havitharon approaching. She paused, her gaze turning curious. Then, she abruptly tapped the ball onto the table with the paddle while her mother was distracted, sending the ball off the other side. "Point..."

"That doesn't count!"

[Soran Nightblade]

Havitharon trailed a few steps behind Atul when they entered the garden. He felt exhausted by his exchange with the man, and relief that he'd apparently passed whatever test that had been of his loyalty without getting locked in a vault. Apparently his utility had outweighed his liability, for now.

"That doesn't count!" He emerged from his thoughts to find his Yurivis doing some kind of bizarre victory dance with a wooden paddle. What in the world...

He wandered closer to the table. "A game?" he asked, observing their movements with the paddles curiously.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara nodded. "Yes! You have to knock the ball to the other side of the table, into that square. The goal is to knock it into the square and have it bounce out before the next person can strike it back to you. If you do that, you get a point."

"Would you like to play, Havitharon?" Tenele asked, offering her paddle. "Be careful. She cheats."

"I do not!" She glanced at Havitharon, a mischievous smile sprouting on her lips. "Well, not all the time."

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi accepted the paddle and wiggled it in his grip, feeling its weight. "Seems about the same," he murmured to himself, analyzing the paddle with interest. He looked back at Tenara. "There's no need to interrupt your game. I can compete next."

[Emora Deen]

"Oh, it's not interrupting," Tenara said.

Atul slipped into a wood chair next to Vlad, placing the sword on the ground next to him and resting his hand on Vlad's thigh. Tenele stepped away from them, moving to sit in Atul's lap. "This should be interesting," she quipped to them in a whisper.

"Alright," Tenara said, guiding Havitharon to the other side of the table. She put him into position, showing him the correct stance and how to swing the paddle. Then, she skipped back to her side of the table and held up the wood ball. "Here we go." Tenara served it, going gentle on him for his first round.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi reversed his grip, holding the paddle in a strange upside-down position. He watched Tenele serve, and returned it with about the force he thought the ball would require. It rocketed just over the net, hit her side of the table, and whizzed off so fast that it smashed into a statue a few yards behind her.

He winced. It had been much, much lighter than he expected. "I'll retrieve it." He jogged toward where the ball had been lost, only to discover it badly dented on one side. He returned to Tenele and showed her the damage. "Apologies," he murmured, aghast.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara took the ball, admiring. "That was... amazing." She glanced back at the statue of an old Hajaran king, noting the crack in his marble. "You and Daddy should arm wrestle. I want to know who's stronger."

Tenele snorted.

Tenara skipped to a small bucket and plucked out another ball. "Okay. Round two. I'm not going to play nice now, okay?"

She urged him back to the other side of the table, took a breath, and served as hard as she could. The problem, though, was no matter how big Tenara talked, she was legitimately awful at the game.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi returned it again, gentler this time. It blew past his Yurivis and rolled across the grass. 7 points later, Vlad was in stitches in his chair. He doubled over every time Tenara spun around looking for the ball, clutching his chest. His insides might be boiled, but his sense of humor was well intact. "Go easy on him, daughter," he cheered her on from the sideline.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara scowled at her father as she jogged over to the bucket for a new ball. They played like that until she went for a ball and discovered the bucket empty. She curled it into her arms. "Alright, you ball shark, you get to help me collect them." She pushed the bucket up against Havitharon's chest, sounding serious even though she was grinning and looking a little winded from her valiant attempt to beat him.

"That was the most entertaining thing I've watched in a long time," her mother called, still lounging in Atul's lap.

"Yeah, yeah. How about you play him next." Tenara wandered further into the garden, searching the grass over and collecting balls into a bundle she'd made of her skirts.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Yes," Vlad nearly wept, patting his wife, "You play him next."

Havi retrieved the last few balls and placed them in Tenara's skirts. "I will teach you, if you wish," he said warmly while they were still a bit away from the others.