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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Sept 11, 2011 11:09:33 GMT -5
Having Rory back was like waking up from a long dream, and Phoenix hadn't even realised he'd been asleep until she'd waltzed back into his life with a ring on her finger and a smile on her face. To him, the trip home had been a rather happy blur, and the only thing that put even the remotest cloud over things was the gnawing longing for alcohol in the pit of his stomach. He thought he managed to hide his withdrawal well, though his hands were pretty shaky when he tried to do anything even remotely delicate. They were firmly around the reins now, at least, as the little town at the foot of the mountain came into view. Phoenix actually found himself smiling as he looked at the place, surprised how much he had missed it.
He glanced over his shoulder to the carriage. "We should probably get lazy bones up soon." He smiled, breath coming out in a cloud of white. He too was covered in a fur-lined cloak, the knight holding the reins in one hand and putting an arm around Rory with his other. "Mmhm, that's where we're going. I'm glad you like it... you think you'd be happy living there, maybe?" he asked, looking down at her and kissing the top of her head, before he was forced to look back at the road.
They had a welcome party waiting for them in Chemin Vert when they arrived. Phoenix's eyes widened at the bright banners and the cheering people, shaking his head and smiling softly. "Looks like we were missed. I bet this was Lexie's work." He laughed. Sure enough, the jester was dressed as colourfully as ever in the village square for the carriage, an array of colourful illusions filling the place with light and sound and colour, chasing away the chill. Phoenix was impressed, and he couldn't hide it. "Whoa..." he breathed, grinning as he realised Roux was there as well, the old man on a horse to escort them back up to the manor house.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 19, 2011 8:10:49 GMT -5
“Happy?” Her gaze flickered up to Phoenix as he kissed the top of her head, a smile playing over her lips. “I would be happy no matter where we were so long as you were there with me.” She murmured, looking content sat with his arm around her. As cliché as it may sound, there was nowhere in the world that Rory would rather be than sat up on that carriage with Phoenix right now, cold or not. “I think that we will be more than happy here. It looks perfect, and we don’t need to hide now.” Living without having to look over their shoulders every five minutes? That was going to be a real novelty. It almost felt strange to feel safe.
“We can leave him to sleep until we stop, he’ll probably hear all the noise anyway.” She murmured, shuffling to sit up a little as she spotted all of the colourful flags and the people. “They’ve done all of this for you?” Rory was smiling brightly as the carriage trundled through the main gates and into the village, the people throwing fresh flowers down in front of the horses. It was refreshing to see the people so happy to have their Knight back. This wasn’t just an excuse to have a celebration, you could see it in their faces; they were genuinely glad to see Phoenix return. “I like this place already.”
Phoenix and Rory weren’t the only ones who were impressed by the welcome that had been laid out of them. Kevay had the window in the carriage door open and the curtains pushed aside, his arms folded over the small window sill, chin resting on his arm. His eyes were alive as they took in all of the colour, his smile easy. This was Lexie’s work; of course it was Lexie’s work. All of the colour and the happy and the life in the village, that was obviously the jester’s work and that was exactly why he liked her company. She was his own personal little rainbow. [/size][/right]
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Sept 19, 2011 11:16:50 GMT -5
Phoenix was glad of the chill making his cheeks rosy, because it was very likely that he was blushing as well at her words, cliché or no. He smiled as he watched the people throw flowers and cheer to them, the knight shaking his head softly. It was obvious in his expression that he hadn't been expecting anything like this, so it was something different for him as well. He chuckled as she spoke about Kevay, nodding to her. "Yeah, you're prob'ly right. A celebration like this? He'd not be able to resist," he agreed, holding her closer to keep her warm as the carriage moved through the village. Eventually they drew to a stop in the little square, Phoenix tugging the reins to make the horses slow down.
"Lexie, you've outdone yourself." Phoenix smiled as someone moved to take the reins for him, the knight swiftly dismounting and holding up his hands for Rory, to help her down. The little jester only giggled and shrugged to them. "You'd been gone a while, people were starting to miss you. So I asked around and we decided to throw you a celebration. Oh! Sorry!" She stepped back, dropping into a bouncy little curtsey as she realised she'd forgotten about Rory. Lexie might be a jester but she was still polite when it counted. Phoenix smirked to her, shaking his head. "You didn't have to do this." He looked to Roux, who smiled secretively. Of course he'd had a hand in this.
Lexie blushed and shrugged, before moving to the carriage, leaning up on her toes to peer in at Kevay. She grinned at him brightly and shook her head, before opening the door for him. "Hiya stranger!" She beamed, taking in the state of him. "You look... uh. You... yeah!" She grinned again. Saying 'you look a bit crap' wouldn't do much for Kevay's ego, or so she thought.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 21, 2011 13:11:40 GMT -5
Rory had no idea where to look first as the carriage moved through the streets of the village, all of which were adorned with the same colourful flags and cheering people. It was quaint, the type of little village where the hero always starts off in a fairytale, with a mishmash of different buildings and winding cobbled streets that all met up with one another. She would bet anything that all of the people here knew each other, and that they knew everyone’s life stories, and that they were loyal to their lord as long as he did right by them. Honestly, it was the type of place that she had dreamed of escaping to as a child. All right, so perhaps she was wearing rose tinted spectacles right now, and village life perhaps wasn’t as idyllic as the picture that she painted in her head, but even after everything, Rory was naïve and idealist.
She shuffled over to the edge of the seat before taking Phoenix’s hands, managing to dismount gracefully. She was a princess, grace was bred into her. Her hand remained in Phoenix’s as she stood next to him, smiling lightly to Lexie in greeting, shaking her head as she curtsied. “You don’t need to do that.” She murmured rather shyly and shook her head, glancing up at Phoenix. Well, she didn’t know who anyone was here. She was a little out of her depth at the moment.
“Hiya gorgeous!” Kevay sat up as Lexie opened the door, flashing her his most charming smile. “I look like I’ve not had a shower or changed my clothes for days. And I look frustrated, but love drunk, it’s all a pretty trippy combination really.” He shrugged to her before sweeping out of the carriage. “We have a royal guest, Lexie. I need to get my party clothes on, and you need to come with me because I missed you.” [/size][/right]
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 4, 2011 11:50:58 GMT -5
Phoenix smiled kindly to Rory, kissing the back of her hand after Lexie had given her a slightly nervous smile and turned her attention back to Kevay. "Welcome home," the knight murmured, letting one of the servants he recognised from the manor take their bags, while a stable boy helped to hold the horses steady in front of the carriage while Phoenix gave his fiancée a mini tour. He led her carefully up the steps to the little platform where Roux was waiting, having dismounted from the horse. "This is Roux, Rory. He helped me to adjust when I first got here. He's still helping me now." He smiled. Roux gave them a short bow, kissed the back of Rory's free hand, and straightened up again.
"Charmed." He smiled. "It's wonderful to finally meet the girl Monsieur Garcia has pined after for so long." He laughed quietly, earning a playful glare from Phoenix. "The carriage will take you up to the manor when you are ready," Roux told them. "Until then, everything has been running as smoothly as possible as we awaited your return. I hope you find things to your liking, Mademoiselle."
Lexie, of course, melted as she saw Kevay, smiling brightly to him and nodding in agreement. "I imagine it is," she murmured, hugging him as he clambered out of the carriage. "Of course I'll go with you!" She grinned, hugging him close. "Party clothes? I'm already in my party clothes." She giggled, looking up at him. "Travelling for days doesn't suit you, Kevay." She shook her head and smirked, obviously not realising he was also in withdrawal... again.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Oct 5, 2011 14:17:47 GMT -5
“Enchanté.” Rory smiled to Roux as they were introduced, glancing to Phoenix before looking back to him. “So you’re the one that’s been looking after him? Thank you, I hope he’s not been too much trouble.” There was a playful tone to her voice as she glanced back to Phoenix again. She knew him, and she knew that adjusting to life as a noble wouldn’t be an easy feat for him. Plus, she got the impression that there was something that he wasn’t telling her, something that he was trying to hide, but that wasn’t anything that she wanted to get into right now. For the moment she was just happy to be with him, and happy to be safe.
“This village is lovely. I think that I should be more than happy here.” Well, Rory would be more than happy just that she was with Phoenix, no matter where they were. Having a nice, comfortable manor house to call their own was just a bonus. “You have to show me everything, and everywhere.” She nodded to the Knight, looking excitable. “Everyone obviously loves you here, which is a good sign, you’ll have to tell me what you’ve been doing.”
“You are always in your party clothes.” Kevay smirked to Lexie, glancing up to watch Phoenix move off with Rory, smiling to himself. “She’s pretty, right? Just like a Princess should be, and look at the state of me. Stupid travelling.” He huffed, offering his hand to Lexie. “Let’s go spruce me up, then we can properly get this party started. With water and fruit juice, of course.” [/size][/right]
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 7, 2011 6:36:32 GMT -5
"Trouble? Mademoiselle, I don't know what you could be talking about." Roux flashed Rory a playful smile in response to her tone, shaking his head while Phoenix pouted at them both. "That's right, crack out all the jokes now, while you can." He smirked and rolled his eyes, giving Rory's hand a squeeze. She was right, of course; he had found it difficult to adjust to life as a noble and he was still finding it difficult. It didn't help that he had a drinking problem, and that this time last year he had been a mess because of Miles's untimely passing. But he was trying, and he had succeeded in getting Rory back, and to him, that was the greatest gift in the world. It made all of his flaws and hardships fade into the background.
"Everythin' and everywhere?" Phoenix arched an eyebrow at the princess, before laughing quietly and leaning over to kiss her cheek while Roux backed away to go and ready things for them at the manor house. "I think I can try to manage that." He nodded at her, his arm slipping around her waist now as he turned to lead her away into the little square so they could look at the decorations and greet some of the people Phoenix knew. "I'm sure not everyone loves me," he murmured sheepishly, looking awkward. "I just do what I reckon is right." He shrugged.
"She's beautiful," Lexie whispered, just in case Rory overheard her and got mad because they were talking about her. "She's like a princess from all of the fairytales and stuff. No wonder Phoenix fell so hard for her." She giggled and took his hand, helping him down from the carriage and nodding. "Mmhm, let's go make you gorgeous and reintroduce you to your adoring fans, eh?" She winked at him and led him away through the crowd towards the stables where her horse was tethered.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Oct 8, 2011 7:30:48 GMT -5
?I just want to make sure that you?ve been looked after.? Rory smiled to Phoenix happily, giving his hand a small squeeze. While they were travelling he had told her all about how he had met Kevay, and how he had come to earn his Knighthood, though she was afraid that her stories weren?t even half as exciting as his. You didn?t really get to do very much or see very much. She had sat in her room, stopped talking and read, not the most fulfilling of experiences. ?It?s nice to put faces to names, and finally see where you?ve been.?
Rory made sure to stay close, leaning lightly against Phoenix as he put his arm around her, her gaze moving all over as they walked. ?I think you?re the only person that I?ve ever heard say that, that you do things because you think they?re right.? She murmured, sounding proud of him. It was a lot of responsibility for Phoenix to take on, but she knew that he could do it; she knew that he would be able to do some good here. ?This place seems perfect, Phoenix. Like one of the little places from a book.?
?Gorgeous and so nice too. I keep waiting for her to start singing to birds and have them flutter around her or something.? He laughed as he walked with Lexie, glancing back over his shoulder to Phoenix and Rory for a moment, smiling to himself at how happy they looked. ?He proposed. She said yes.? He told the jester, looking back around at her. ?Can?t keep the adoring fans waiting. It?s been?forever. Phoenix wouldn?t let me pick up hitchhikers. Said that it wasn?t dignified or proper in front of a Princess.? He huffed playfully as they stepped into the stables. [/size][/right]
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 13, 2011 13:49:22 GMT -5
"It is, huh..." Phoenix smiled and nodded in agreement, looking around at the... his little village, glad to see it was still in one piece now that he was back, and that nothing drastic had happened to it. He didn't comment as she said he was the first person she'd heard say something like that; he just smiled again and held her a little closer, looking over his shoulder just in time to see Lexie gasp about the news of their engagement. Well, this was going to be a busy little night, he could see it now.
Lexie had taken Kevay up to the manor and had returned within the hour, refusing to let him fuss over himself for too long in case they missed all the fun. There was music and dancing and fireworks and general celebrating, Lexie pulling out her best illusions for the occasion. Phoenix had introduced Rory to his closest friends in the village (for a noble he knew everyone, from the smithy to the baker to the maid's little sister), danced with her while someone played a guitar in the background, had had a sneaky glass or two of whiskey and was now looking around for Kevay, since everyone seemed to be heading home. He hadn't noticed it get so late.
"The carriage is ready to take you to the manor," Roux told them from his horse, the gentleman promptly heading away into the darkness to go home. Lexie heard this from where she was juggling for a few of the children who were still avoiding sleep. She looked over her shoulder, still juggling, and sought out Kevay as well. "Heeeeey, pretty-face! You ready to go and get some sleep?"
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Post by Angel ♥ on Oct 22, 2011 9:41:24 GMT -5
All in all, it had been a pretty amazing night. Rory wasn’t sure what she had been expecting from Phoenix’s village, but as the night wore on she realized that she shouldn’t really have expected any less from him. He was a people person, not the type to shut himself up in his manor and pretend that the rest of the world didn’t exist. She was proud of him and everything he’d achieved in a relatively short time. But mainly, she was just glad to have him back. They had danced and talked and laughed all night, and now the Princess was pretty exhausted, laid curled up on the seat in the carriage with a blanket over her, trying not to fall to sleep as she waited for Phoenix to come back. She liked this village, she felt safe here.
Kevay had also been enjoying the party, and enjoying all of the attention. He, of course, made it sound as though he and Phoenix had been on an epic adventure to rescue the Princess, and made himself out to be a courageous knight in shining armor. He may have just…elaborated on the truth somewhat. He had spent the most of the rest of the night reacquainting himself with his fans, most of which too k his mind off the withdrawal. Mostly. He’d had a sip or two of whiskey here and there, just to chase off the shakes, but other than that he was doing pretty well, if he did say so himself.
The cupid stumbled out from behind a building as he realized that he was being called, his shirt open, still trying to fasten his trousers up, looking generally like he’d been caught res handed. “Huh? Wha’? Oh, sleep? Yeah.” He grinned to Lexie, reaching out to steal one of the balls that she had been juggling with before tossing it back to her “I think I’m all partied out anyways.” He murmured, hiding a wide yawn behind his hand as he moved over to his jester, expecting her to lead him home to bed. Her bed preferably, but he knew that wouldn’t happen. [/size][/right]
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 24, 2011 8:49:25 GMT -5
Phoenix relaxed as he spotted Kevay with Lexie. He could count on her to get the cupid home, which meant he could go on ahead with Rory. It was late and she was exhausted, but she still had so much more to see. But a tour of his manor could wait (it still felt a little strange to think of it as his manor). Phoenix actually found himself getting a little nervous as he climbed into the carriage with his new fiancée. What if she didn't like the place? She was a princess after all, she was used to the best by default. It wasn't her fault. He laughed inwardly. He'd never been so nervous about taking her down into the Avalan slums. God, Phoenix must really have it bad.
He settled himself next to her comfortably, clicking the carriage door shut and tapping the side of it gently to let their driver know that they were ready to go. They lurched into a gentle trot up to the manor, Phoenix putting his arm around Rory and wrapping her up in the blanket properly. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. Yeah, he was happy.
Lexie gasped as he stole one of the juggling balls, snatching it back and gathering everything together into a bag before turning to look at him again, smirking as she looked him over. It was obvious what he had been up to, but the jester wasn't going to question him about it. It was Kevay. That was all you needed to know. She grinned and took his hand as he swept over to her, nodding and leading them off to the stables to get her horse and take them back up to the manor. "You do look pretty sleepy. Today was a long day for everyone." She giggled, clambering up into the saddle to wait for him, before heading out into the darkness.
They arrived at the manor less than half an hour later, the carriage already having stopped. Phoenix was just getting out of it, holding his hand up to Rory to help her down. She was sleepy, he didn't want her to fall.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Oct 25, 2011 9:03:51 GMT -5
Rory glanced up as Phoenix climbed into the carriage, offering him a content and sleepy little smile before shuffling up to lean against him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. It had been a great night, but that added to the long journey meant that she was pretty exhausted; right now she felt like she could quite happy sleep for a couple of days. She dozed as the carriage trundled up towards the manor (Phoenix had pointed it out for her, but right now she was far too tired to be properly excited about seeing his home for the first time), looking pretty surprised as Phoenix moved away from her and out of the carriage. They were there already? Oh, she would have to apologise for falling to sleep on him tomorrow.
She took a moment to fold the blanket back up neatly and stow it away under the seat again before moving to get out of the carriage, taking Phoenix’s hand to let him guide her down, her gaze up on the manor. It was dark, and she wasn’t really all that awake, but it looked perfect to her. “This is yours, Phoenix? It’s perfect.” Yes, Rory may be a Princess, but she wasn’t one to take anything for granted. She would have been happy living in the slums with Phoenix just as long as it meant that they were together. “Can we do the tour tomorrow? I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can keep my eyes open right now.”
Kevay’s ride back up to the manor wasn’t quite as comfortable as Rory’s, but he looked pretty happy sat on the horse behind Lexie, slouched with his head on her shoulder. “Aw, I missed this place.” The cupid smiled to himself as they arrived at the manor, straightening up to stretch out and yawn mightily before sliding down from the horse, holding his arms up to help Lexie down. Well, she was only little, it was a pretty long way down for her. “Lexie, my bed’s gonna feel all lonely with just me in it.” He pouted up at her, glancing across to watch Phoenix and Rory, smiling to himself. They were cute together. [/size][/right]
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 26, 2011 10:29:07 GMT -5
"Yeah, I suppose you could say it's mine," Phoenix murmured, smiling softly as he looked up at the manor. It still felt like living in someone else's house, to him, but then Phoenix hadn't really tried to treat it like a home. He'd been too busy trying to forget about never seeing Rory again, and doing a terrible job at it. He put an arm around her protectively to keep her close as he led her carefully up to the manor, not wanting her to trip and fall over anything because she was so sleepy. "Tomorrow? Of course. I think someone has already taken our things up, so they should be in your room." He smiled. Rory's room was just opposite Phoenix's. Of course he hadn't expected her to jump into his bed even if they were engaged. He could deal with her being across the hall.
He led them up the steps and into the entrance hall of the manor, Roux standing and waiting for them. He smiled and bowed as they entered. "Everything is ready for you both, Monsieur and Mademoiselle. I hope you have a very good evening."
Lexie hadn't found it that easy to ride up to the manor with Kevay's head on her shoulder, the jester having to be careful where they rode so the horse didn't jolt and she didn't break the cupid's jaw with her shoulder. She yawned and rubbed at the back of her neck when he slid down, reaching out to take his hands and leap down next to him. "Hmmm?" She looked up at him, following his gaze to Phoenix and Rory and smiling to him. "It issss? Aww. You should have chosen one of those lovely ladies to bring home with you. I'm sure Phoenix wouldn't have minded." She smirked. Her 'no' was rather glaringly obvious.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Oct 26, 2011 15:18:56 GMT -5
“At least we won’t get lost trying to find our luggage.” She smiled, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Kevay and Lexie had arrived without a problem as she moved inside with Phoenix. In all honesty, she didn’t pay much attention to their surroundings, the Princess leaning comfortably against Phoenix as they walked, smiling thankfully to Roux as he spoke to them. She murmured her own thank you and good evening before they headed up the stairs, Rory glancing at each of the closed doors as they passed, obviously wondering which room was his.
“You’ll not be far away, right?” She asked eventually, smiling hopefully as she looked up at him. It was far too soon for her to even consider feeling safe when Phoenix wasn’t around, and she wasn’t sure that she could stand knowing that his bedroom was all the way at the opposite end of the manor to her own. It would only be good manners for them to be separated, they weren’t married yet, but this was his house, hopefully he had a spare room close to his own for her.
“We have company.” Kevay sighed, as though bringing someone back with him had been considered. He couldn’t bring someone back when they had a new guest, a new royal guest, who didn’t know him yet, it was just bad manners. “Awh, but come on Lexie. I just want someone to cuddle. You’ve not missed me?” He pouted to her and gave her his best puppy dog eyes, obviously hoping to change her mind. “I missed youuuu.” [/size][/right]
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Nov 5, 2011 11:11:10 GMT -5
"Far away?" Phoenix smiled to her gently and shook his head. "Barely a door away. There's always been an empty room opposite mine," he told her. "You're staying in that one." The truth was that Phoenix had made that empty room into a bedroom in the hope that one day he might have a princess to stay in it, but he'd never actually thought it would happen. He'd resigned himself to never seeing Rory again, but here she was under one of his arms as if she'd been hiding there all along. He kissed the top of her head and fell silent as he swept along the corridor to his bedroom, pausing outside his open door and smiling.
"That's where I am." He nodded, and then pointed at the door opposite. "And your room is there. Not far away at all, right?" He smiled hopefully, glancing over his shoulder into his bedroom. It was clean, pristine and in order as usual - Roux had taken good care of things while he'd been away. Suddenly Phoenix was just as sleepy as Rory, and he hated himself for it because it meant he had to leave her to go and get some sleep. "Sleep well, Rory," he murmured, leaning down to steal a kiss from her lips suddenly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of kissing her - it felt as good as the first time whenever he did it.
"I did miss you," Lexie admitted begrudgingly, rolling her eyes playfully to Kevay and smirking. "A'right, a'right. But only for tonight." She waggled a finger at him, smiling up at him. "And your cuddling better be chaste," she warned, leading them up the stairs to her bedroom.
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