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[Arieus De'Chevia]

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Arcana’s Rose:

Stuffing on some rather prickly, studded armor that the house blacksmith had prepared, the warrior pondered his recent revelations. It had been a long day, and waking at mid-afternoon was typically not his style. He mumbled and hastily fixed his “bed head”. Then, he rinsed his mouth with some liquor/juice combo and his face began to form the most hideous, grinch-like curl of a frown at the cleansing taste. He smacked his lips and grabbed a standard sword, recently oiled, from the arsenal, which promptly slid from his hand a struck his big toe: “Ow! Fark…Ahhh shi…..!” He was noticing a series of misfortune this day likely due to a quirk in schedule, carefully; he finally grabbed a rudimentary shield. The shield was of the larger variety, but a simple metal, and now having secured basic tools, he began to walk through the gates of The Citadel for perhaps the last time. "I seem to have my brother's luck today."

The edge of that large shield, caught the corner of the gate as he strode through, and fell to the ground in front of him with a thud. It now, rested atop the snow making a perfect sled for his body, which was in the process of falling due to the impact, and heavy gear he bore. Landing oddly in a seated position, the motion of his form carried smoothly to the shield, and thus did it produce the perfect sled. “Ahhhhhh..” He, sled (the shield), and gear proceeded down the slight slope leaving a wake of debris, eventually slamming heavily into the mountain wall about 50 yards ahead: “Ooof!Gahhh!” He shook the snow from his crumpled body and peered with a frown at the sprawled out gear, now strewn along the path he had the misfortune of taking. “Perhaps ‘someone’ is trying to tell me something here.” Arieus thought in jest.



It was now beginning to turn to dusk, as the recently fallen snow gave an amber shimmer complimenting the angle of the setting sun. This caused his eyes to squint at the incoming pigeon aloft, the fowl struggling upon the thermals of the peaks. Arieus again mumbled aloud: “Damn, almost got away”. He sighed and took the bird upon his forearm, gently detaching the note from its leg. He opened a note and began to read the seemingly, urgent message from Lady Arcana. “What timing”. He pondered, after all these years, perhaps now he would be properly and firmly informed that he could take a proverbial hike. “Good lets get this over with.” He thus expected bad news, and awaited her arrival, in the mean while, re-thinking his route which would lead to the mercenary arts.

It was now well into the eve, and still he waited, thinking she would not arrive; he then strode to the teleporter to re-sort his items and perhaps try to depart on the morrow. He was rummaging through stuff, when a familiar ward rang upon his ear, the warning of a presence in the courtyard. He scurried forth and peeked down through a window above to the form of Arcana below, quickly whirling around and blinking: “And now the goodbye..FINE!” He then proceeded down, masking his inward turmoil, and greeting The Lady with his usual pleasant smile and affection: “Well, well …how’s the head”? He asked her, rubbing his own shoulder from a serious wound he had received at 1st Luna.

To his surprise, she was very sympathetic, and seemed extraordinarily concerned and worried. Obviously something was troubling Arcana, she was nervous, tense, and even ….uncharacteristically distant. Arieus said, as kindly as possible: “what’s wrong Arcana?”

Arcana said hesitantly: “I..have something…to talk about.” Eying him to make certain she was still welcome.

He nodded, offered her a seat and then braced himself for the inevitable shun, turn down, and typical evasion. Yet as she looked up to him, it was a sympathetic, crestfallen and a mysterious mixture of expressions that was etched upon her features: “I have something for you to preclude our discussion.”

She was reaching for an item, and he thought for sure it was to be a formal refusal of past propositions, yet instead, what manifested was shocking. All he could do was ponder its magnificence, its symbolism, and the sheer beauty of it. He managed a low: “oh my”.

Slowly, and timidly, Arcana pressed a Brilliant Blue Rose towards him. “I am sorry for the way I have treated you, my best knight”. She continued: “Please forgive…..me?”



Arieus was utterly speechless, and he could find no words for some time. He held and marveled at The Rose. His confused expression now darted to Arcana, and he squeeked: “I will cherish its beauty as I cherish all that you are.”

Slowly, as the shock wore off, Arieus then began to listen to what she had to say. And the words that followed were those which he thought never to hear. “I love you”, Arcana began, and the rest of the conversation was inspirational to both their souls.
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[Arcana]

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"I thought someone should give you flowers, too," Arcana said softly as she handed Arieus the rose, alluding to his words to her some months ago.

She had never before realized how Arieus' eyes shone with love when he looked at her... Until last night, when she'd seen them gaze at her without it. Her hesitant smile held all the long unrealized love for this man, her hopes that she had not realized it too late, and her real fear that it was indeed, too late. Her fear that all she would see in his eyes was apathy, or worse yet scorn. Arieus simply stared in silence at the exquisite rose in his hand.

"It is one of a kind," she said. He looked up, gazing at her with an unreadable expression. Arcana's heart quailed, but she summoned her courage.

"I tended this rose so carefully," she said, " but I've long neglected our friendship." The words hung in the air uncomfortably between them, neither needing to complete the analogy of untended flowers whithering. "I've treated you so terribly, you my truest knight," she continued, her voice catching. She lowered her head and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Please forgive me..."

With her head lowered, Arcana did not see the sudden tears well in Arieus' eyes. They regained their warmth for her as if a curtain were suddenly drawn aside. It was a long moment before he mastered his voice enough to say, "I will always cherish this. Always." He hardly stopped himself from once again expressing his love for her, proclamations she probably did not want to hear from him...

"There's more... Arieus, I..." She leaned forward in her chair and took his hand in both of hers.

"I love you."

All Arcana's fears and doubts were swept away as Arieus wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. The whispers they shared soothed many an old wound, but much still lay between them.