December 24, 1175
"So." Lord Severin leaned forward in his seat, resting his forearms against the edge of the desk. He was completely calm and that was somehow just as unnerving as the infernal wrath Isidro had feared. "Riona plans on raising Alya herself, then."
Isidro fidgeted with a loose thread on his sleeve and nodded. Here he was, a grown man, restless as a child awaiting a scolding about some hi-jinx gone wrong. Why couldn't he just bash him across the head with the shield on the wall and be done with it? "They're inseparable, sir."
"Then it would be cruel to try." He reached to the side and straightened the pile of books on his desk with a hasty hand. Seemed Isidro wasn't the only one feeling anxious. "I take it her baby is yours?"
Well, now it was coming, certainly--and yet, he looked no more fussed than he might have had Isidro swiped a slice of bread from the kitchens. Isidro swallowed. "So you noticed."
"A little hard not to, don't you think?"
Shit. Had he just insulted the man's intelligence? Shit, shit, shit... "My lord, I--"
"Isidro. Please--I'm not keen on titles." Isidro fell silent, the air in the room both lighter and heavier at the same time. Unruffled, Lord Severin drummed his fingers against the surface of the desk. "Are you planning on marrying her?"
"If she'll have me."
The older man raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?"
Considering this was Riona's own father he was talking to, he probably should have just said 'yes'. Idiot! "I mean... well, I don't know. I have nothing to offer."
"I see." Lord Severin pushed back his chair and rose to his feet, stepping around the desk and stopping just in front of Isidro. "Do you love her?"
"More than anything, sir."
"Then that should be enough." Hands at his waist, his mouth twitched into the ghost of a smile. "There's an empty castle by the mountain pass and I've been looking for someone to man it. It's yours if you want it."
What a world. Knock up a lord's daughter and get a castle as a reward. Not that Isidro was in any position to argue. "I won't let you down."
"Good. I'll have Vera and Aldara see that it's furnished, then you and Riona may move in at your convenience." His new lord crossed his arms and glanced toward the coat of arms on the wall. "What of your family, though? Do they know where you are and will they want you back?"
It must have been nice to have led a life that would allow for that assumption. A little queasy, Isidro shook his head. "There's no room in my family for me."
A few seconds of silence ticked by, tense and dreary as the minutes after a storm. Lord Severin closed his eyes. "There's always room in ours."
NEXT CHAPTER:
9 comments:
Gaaah, this new need to crop so much is driving me insane. It's pretty much impossible to get multiple Sims in the same shot unless they're right next to each other :(
In other words, this month's other featured story is Realmspeaker (updated yesterday). I feel kind of bad missing some Ashelia days during the end of August, because I'd hoped to finish off Dusk, but I guess this leaves some time to polish up the outline?
Also, just for kicks, there are now bi-weekly polls at my blog (http://dinurielhq.blogspot.com/). The current one closes midnight on the seventeenth and allows for multiple answers. If you have any ideas for polls, feel free to share :)
What a world. Knock up a lord's daughter and get a castle as a reward
Only if its one of Severin's daughters. I know it's been mentioned before, but Severin's atypical view of the time seems to be confusing Izzy a little there.
Severin is a shock to the system of anyone coming in from outside his sphere of influence, definitely. This doesn't always win him popularity contests, but to someone like Isidro--who was raised and treated miserably by a man who could arguably be described as an Anti-Severin--he'll probably be a relief after the initial surprise wears off.
Severin pretty much did exactly what I was expecting him to do. Go Severin! I love it when you make me right! ;)
I also kind of loved Isidro's "If she'll have me," even if it confused Severin. But of course Isidro wouldn't be taking Riona for granted. He's learned to take nothing for granted. I just hope he learns that for Riona, what he has to offer her is more than enough, as it clearly hasn't been with his birth family.
And maybe Casimiro can come join them someday? ;)
Lastly, Severin's "There's always room in ours" made me go awwww. But there is always room in the Kemorin family for one (or half-a-dozen) more. There has to be -- they all breed like rabbits! ;)
There are times when the aim is to surprise the readers, but this wasn't one of them ;)
Isidro is a bit of a modern soul. Some boys with misogynistic fathers grow up to be misogynists themselves, but I think the opposite happened in Isidro's case, possibly because his father was almost as shitty to Isidro himself as he was to Isidro's mother. We saw a bit of this back when he was giving Riona that pregnancy test--saying it was up to her what they did about it and whatnot. We might see a bit more of this if we ever see him with his daughter(s?) when they're of an age to reproduce.
Casimiro in Naroni? I won't say no ;)
Heheh... Izzy and Alya and the new baby make eight thousand and five :P But yeah, with their libidos and their fertility, the Kemorins do need the emotional capacity XD
Oooo...I like the idea of Casimiro in Naroni. Someone for Sparron to rebound with? It was Casimiro that was the one that set off the "likes-boys" radar right?
My word verification is Bacons...silly blogger. lol
Heheh... what did Casimiro do to deserve to be in a relationship with Sparron? :S
(Granted... what did Searle do?)
Sparron's not really in a place where he should be having relationships right now, and I think he realizes it.
But who knows? The way they reproduce in Naroni, at least a few citizens of any inclination are liable to pop up sooner or later ;)
Bacons! :D
Maybe I'm the only one, but I really like Sparron. I don't like that he basically has been torturing himself and everyone who loves him for the longest time. Now he's not eating, hearing voices, ect. I dunno I always fall in love with the under-dog hoping beyond hope that he'll pull himself out of it. Find some strength somewhere. Maybe not Casimiro, but someone to lean on would be good. His wife is no help and now he's pushed Searle away. Anywho, I like Sparron, here's hoping he doesn't end up dying alone in a shivvering mass of insane sim...lol
Oh, don't get me wrong, I like Sparron too. He's just... not really in a place to be getting himself tied up in another romance just yet :S
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