Meeting the Emperor (Gespard and Corine)

[Azrael]

The Ferelden noble allowed a faint smile to flash across his face as he looked at the passing chevaliers. The looks of contempt they gave him was almost too amusing for him to bear, especially the way it fell when they realised the source of the pelt that was used for the cloak that he was wearing. He was striding down the paths of Val Royeaux itself in full military regalia, his silverite heavy chainmail polished to a mirror finish with his red lion pelt cloak worn neatly over the top, the twin silverite blades were away from his hip in this instant, worn at the front of his belt instead to emphasise that all of his weapons were in plain sight, even his knife was in a conspicuous location at this point. "Ha! Look at ze clothes zat Fereldan turnip eez wearing!" He heard a noble laugh to a friend as he passed. A simple glare soon shut him up. The silent smile on Azrael's face said it all as he turned to the woman behind him. Lucille was wearing a powder blue dress in the current Orlesian fashion and had her silver blonde hair hanging loose about her shoulders. "Is everyone in Val Royeaux like this Lucille or have they simply gathered up every village idiot from here to Kirkwall to greet me?" He grinned, a small part of him actually enjoying this. His smile was met with a coy smirk from his companion.
"No, these are the friendly ones." She responded, pointing to the palace. "Just wait until you get in there."
"I cannot wait."

Striding through the doors to the palace Azrael found a suitable place to wait and silently descended into thought. Officially he was here due to troubles between the borders, less officially his sources had spotted an elf matching the description of his beloved Corine within Gespard's court- the issues between the borders weren't a big problem as such, he could probably handle it with a small team without issue or his counterparts knowing however doing it "officially" meant that he had a cover for his real motive. Investigating the presence of this elf. And if he had an easier time of clearing out no-man's land so much the better. With a quiet sigh he looked around the room. Most were nobles with some sort of business or other, though there did seem to be a few military commanders in chevalier plate, some of whom acknowledged him with nods that showed respect for a fellow warrior whilst others sneered or glared. Not that he hadn't expected the latter. They had only been driven out forty years ago after all. He allowed his mind to wander slightly, wondering just how many of those around him were playing the "Game" or wanted him dead right now. Suddenly he felt very much vulnerable. Shaking the thought he continued scouting round, knowing that Lucille had his back. Completing his assessment of the crowd he settled back and waited, plans going through his head at high speed.

[corineshalen]

"I demand to see his grace, it is a very important matter", the Orlesian lord said, his thick accent rising slightly above the slight buzz of gossip and discussions. He was clad in a bright-red armor, the details on the shoulder and chest pieces displaying wealth and prestige. A small cluster of medium-armored guards stood behind him, their gaze diverted to the floor section, not wanting to see their lord embarrass himself.

"I am sorry, but his grace is very busy..", the 5`3 tall she-elf spoke, the polite voice underlined with a subtle undertone of stress. "And I would not dare the fury of a Ferelden noble, when he finds out that his appointment was cancelled". Lowering her head, she held the list of appointments against her chest, making sure not to crumble the paper.

"A Ferelden dog lord? He is probably just gonna complain about how much his dirty mabari has pissed on the cheap carpets. His grace should not waist him time on petty-". He fell silent as two men from the royal guard looked in his direction, their silent gazes causing the noble`s decorated body to shake a little.

"Please take a seat Messere, I will send someone you can make an appointment with". She felt pity that Gespard would have to meet this selfish human being, but she doubted he was the worst of them. Then again, he fit Gespard`s character; full of himself, believing he is mightier than all others, and like most Orlesians present, he loved his Emperor.

The medium-high ponytail brushed across the top of her shoulders, as she made her way down one of the main hallways. The small heel of the thigh-high boots made little noise against the blank floors, the light from the many chandeliers getting reflected in the keen sky-blue eyes. Azrael Talin... Skimming down the list, she brushed a nimble finger across the name, feeling a mixture of happiness and worry. It was a relief to know he was alive and well, but he had always let his emotions get the better of himself. It would´t be good, if he blurted out Amon`s status as a mage...

After turning the corner, it was easy to spot him; She had seen him briefly in Kirkwall at the hanged man, but it was only now that she really got to see him, all dressed up with weapons on full display. It was surprising that, even after 11 years since their first meeting, he haden`t changed much. Yes the face had matured slightly, and the hair was a bit different...but it was still him; the big-smiling, light-hearted blonde noble, who`s attempts at flirting were worse than her own...oh, and the father of her child.

With a calmed face, she approached him fully, the fine details in her uniquely-designed page clothes coming in display. Corine herself didn`t mind the outfit, it was soft and easy to move in...but the sheer quality of it, and the fact that it hugged her chest and hips in just the right way, made her feel like a thing on display sometimes. But alas, that wasen`t what was important at the moment.

"Welcome to Orlais, Messere Talin, I hope you had a pleasant trip. The Emperor will be ready for you soon". Keeping the tone formal, she glanced at the woman next to him; an escort, or perhaps he had moved on to get married?

[Azrael]

Hearing the blustering noble from round the corner Azrael allowed something between a smirk and a sneer to cross his face, hopefully they weren't all- wait, 'complaining about how much his mabari pissed on the cheap carpets'? Oh, it was on. "Lucille, find our 'friend once I'm meeting the emperor and show him just what those sorts of comments get him once I'm summoned" He muttered to the woman.
"Mai oui Capitan." Was the simple response, delivered in the Orlesian's usual silky tone. With a nod Azrael turned and saw the page coming towards him. What were the odds? "There she is Lucille..." He whispered, nudging the blonde. Once Cori had adressed Azrael Lucille stepped towards her. "My lord has much been looking forwards to this meeting, I shall leave the two of you, for I have other business assigned to me." With that the Orlesian wandered off into the crowd to find her target.
"Thank you my lady and may I compliment you on your lovely eyes?" Azrael then followed up, bowing slightly Corine. A wry smile then crossed his face, along with a subtle wink. "Just as lovely as when they captured my heart eleven years ago." The latter was much quieter than the more official opening, meant for her ears and her ears only. "Still, it appears that you're doing well for yourself, a page to the emperor of Orlais himself." Noting that a few of the crowd were attempting to listen in he immediately changed attitude. "Well, best not keep his grace waiting, let's be on our way!" He stated slightly louder, causing many of the would be eaves droppers to lose interest. Casting another glance around the room he met Lucille's eye for a moment as she spoke with a noble in fine red armour, exchanging a faint smile with her. "Let's find somewhere a little quieter shall we?" His voice dropped down once more as he looked into the elf's eyes, enjoying a sight that he had dreamed of for years.

[corineshalen]

"My lady?....to an elf.."

"Ze Ferelden are indeed beasts...Ze Emperor is really meeting with that dog?...Look at that cape.."

"Ze elf is a bad one...clings to his Grace like a puppy..now a dog lord..."

And away the Orlesian tounges wragged, the gossip and banter buzzling through the bright-lit room like bees in their hive. The subject of interest wasen`t uncommon, heck insulting the "dog lords", was one of the most common subjects. But the comments on his compliments to her, did set off some alarm bells. Granted his compliment was simply used as more fooder against him, but it still made her worry; it would sully his family name, if their relationship became public.

"Eleven years ago, neh?", she mumbled, keeping her gaze lowered to avoid any uncormftable eye contact. It had really been that long, since they met in that clearing? She, a stubborn teenanger on her way to becomming a fine hunter, and him, the handsome young noble son, who`s moves in combat resembled the most graceful of dancers.

Before she got too caught up in memories, Azrael spoke out loudly, quelling the majority of the whispers. It seemed that he had matured a bit, as he discreetly requested that they went somewhere quieter, where their words shared would`t be heard by a hundred pairs of curious ears. "Yes, right this way Messere".

Holding her back straight and keeping a quick pace, the short page lead the blonde noble down the main hallway, turning left and right a couple of times. She had been here for months now, so she quickly located one of the rooms rarely used, located only a few minutes from the Emperor`s hall.

The room itself was one of serveral rarely used guest rooms. It was far less impressing than the rest of the rooms in the palace, but still beautiful when compared to the average room of a taveren; two medium-sized beds, white walls decorated with pictures of the Orlesian landscape, a large candelier hanging from the tall celling, booksheleves lining the left wall, and a fireplace with two chairs, meant for the guest and potential company that he or she might have. After all, Orlesian nobility rarely spend a night alone, escpecially with all the beautiful women walking the halls.

Placing the list of meetings on a small table next to the fireplace, she turned to face Azrael, the light from the chandelier reflecting off the golden threads on her page uniform. "...What are you doing here?", she spoke without shuttering, the brown ponytail jumping slightly as she threw her head back, looking up at him, the sky-blue eyes capturing his with little hesistation.

"The problems at the border can easily be handled by your own troops; there is no reason for a son of Talin to have traveled all te way here, for a matter so small...". Sounding more worried than angry, she lowered her voice, the sharp eyes looking into his directly. "..Why are you here, Azreal?", she spoke, her voice growing softer for a second, as she spoke his name for the first time in four years...

[Azrael]

Resisting the temptation to draw both swords and gut the entire room as he heard the comments going around Azrael focussed on the elven woman in front of him, noting that she seemed momentarily distant. He could guess where her mind was, a certain clearing where he himself had spent far too much time over the last few years, allowing himself to drift back. She then agreed to take him somewhere more private and he followed calmly, straight backed and head up, almost defiantly flaunting his presence to those insulting him as he wandered down the corridor, noting how well the page's outfit suited her. Following her into the guest room he examined his new surroundings, surprisingly tasteful for Orlesian. A quick scan of the bookcase caused a brief smile to flicker across his face. Some nice volumes to be sure. Turning his attention back to Cori he smiled, attempting to appear reassuring. "I might have known you'd work me out." Sighing he turned his gaze towards the ceiling for a moment before dropping it back down. "I never stopped searching. A week too late to protect you. Not knowing for sure what happened... It almost killed me." He responded. "My sources told me about you, I had to find out for myself, the border provided an excellent excuse. And besides, doing it like this I can afford to be a little less subtle." He knew that lying to Corine would be pointless- she knew his body language too well and he needed her to be confident in him. "Don't worry, I've got my bases covered, still, look at you, a page to the emperor of Orlais himself eh? Nice to see things going your way at last. How are Daeron and Amon doing?" He caught himself suddenly, ending his ramblings there. Slowly he reached out and grabbed her hand. "I misses you so much..."

[corineshalen]

Her eyes rested silently on his approaching hand, as if it was something unfamiliar...and well, it kinda was; A relic of the "better" days, in which her familiar had lived a somewhat normal life, and a pair of loving arms had embraced her for seven years. "..You may have changed in your appearance, but your still the same moronic blonde as back then", meaning no harm with the rather harsh statement, she reached out, lovingly running her hand across his cheek.

"There has never been anything to protect, you silly shem". Her eyes met his again, though she held back from embracing him, through it was hard to resist. "Until the world learns to accept mages for what they are, we will never be "safe"...we are to be hunted, and with this war, killed on sight or turned tranquil..".

"But, none the less...we are doing fine now. Gespar-..His grace is, despite the outwards appearance, a good man. He dosen`t hit me and has..". A sudden shiver runs through her body, as she remembered a few of the fond moments across the last few months...A kiss on the cheek when serving the evening tea, the few nights that he had been alone in which she had kept him company...even the very first night back in Kirkwall, where he convinced her to join his court.

"Has a kind heart". Removing her hand from his cheek, she tilted her head to the side, an eyebrow getting raised. "But putting that aside...If I remember correctly, I told you not to track me, didn`t I? Mama`s killing of that templar squad isen`t forgotten; If your connected to me, you could put yourself in a grave danger". With a sigh and over dramatic eyeroll, she stepped closer, her arms wrapping around his chest the best she could, through she could barely reach around half of him. "Your a silly man, Azrael Talin". Giving up on embracing him, she rested her cheek against the metal, a hand reaching up to run across his neck.

[Azrael]

Azrael was slightly taken aback as Corine called him a moronic blonde. "Well, the events that changed me the most were about ten years ago..." He responded with a shrug, though he enjoyed the feel of her skin on his once more, a tender touch that he had craved for three years. "And you know exactly what I meant silly dwarf ears. And besides, what about-" he hesitated, wondering if it was safe to mention the mountain holds here, after all, they were designed as refuges in the event of an Orlesian invasion. "There are certain places we could have gone to where we would have been almost impossible to find." He tailed off, allowing himself to choose a hold for future reference. "Still, at least you have somewhere now that is relatively safe for now, if you'd humour me though I'd like to learn more about the emperor, nothing sensitive mind just about the sort of man he is." The noble smiled, enjoying this reunion. He cocked his head moments later however as Cori reminded him that she had told him not to follow, his smile only returning when she attempted to embrace him. "You should have known better and besides, who's the more foolish, the fool or the one who falls in love with him?" He whispered, embracing her for a moment, just long enough to enjoy the feeling before breaking away again, a slightly concerned look on his face. "Perhaps this is not the time, I wouldn't want to jeopardise what you have here." A small sigh escaped his lips as he spoke but even though he hated it he knew that what he said was true, there was no telling who might find them.

[corineshalen]

A sting of discomfort struck through her nimble body, the cold metal of his armor having no mercy on her skin. The page clothing was certainly woven from fine materials, and study enough to hold for at least a year, but it offered little protection against the coldness of the sudden embrace, leaving Corine shivering as he pulled away, voicing his concerns about them getting caught.

"This is the nobles of Orlais, Azrael", the female elf spoke, crossing her arms in an attempt to regain lost heat. "They flirt, sleep and run around with each other`s daughters, wives, sons and husbands. Yet when it comes to light, it is viewed as a scandal". She tilted her head at his attire, a smirk pressing its way onto her lips. "And here, your attire is enough for them to be a scandal...getting caught hugging a servant is nothing".

"Maker...listen to me, talking like I have lived here all my life". Pressing the edge of her rump onto the table, she leaned slightly back, keeping her feet rested on the floor to spare the table from her full weight. "But I suppose its a good thing I adapt this quickly...its not easy, being the page of the mighty emperor. From what I know, I am the first page who has made it past five months, So I guess I am doing something right". Keeping out the rather...complicated relationship between herself and Gespard, she tilted her head once more, an eyebrow raised.

"But I am afraid there isen`t much I can say, that the gossiping Orlesian wives haven`t mentioned..He is a man you don`t wish to anger, a man who loves his country..and an unbelievable about of sugar in his evening tea, I swear there`s more of that than there is water..". Holding out her hands to show the amount of sugar compared to water, her smirk relaxed a bit, falling into the curves of a smile. "And, despite his age, he knows his way around women. Its not official, but its no secret that the Emperor conquers hearts as he does thrones...Speaking of conquering..".

The smirk returned in full force, her head tilting to the other side, the brown ponytail swaying behind in delight. "How come there is no word of marriage by the border? To my knowledge, nobles loves to marry their children together at a young age...but your not that young anymore. Surely your family wants you to settle down with a pretty lady and produce and heir or two". With the change of subject, Corine moved herself off the table again, her hand reaching up, slowly grasping the sides of his jaw, pulling his head downwards so he was looking at her.

"What`s holding you back, Azrael Tallin?"

[Azrael]

Shrugging slightly Azrael looked at Corine. "I don't give two flying ones what they think of me, I'd prefer that I didn't risk putting you in harm's way however. You'd survive though, you always were good at emerging from any situation with a smile." He explained, adjusting his cloak a little as he finished, his movements stopping abruptly as he realised what had just been said. "And what's wrong with how I'm dressed?" The mock hurt was evident in his voice as crossed his arms as if insulted, though he struggled against the tugging of the corners of his mouth. He allowed the smile to spread slightly after a moment however although it fell slightly as she mentioned that she had lasted longer than Gespard's previous pages, five months... The thought was slightly disturbing and he found his right hand seeking the comfort of the hilt of one of his blades. Aside from this slight tick he kept his council on the subject, trying to convince himself that she would be fine, after all she'd lasted this long. Instead he focussed on her comments on the sort of man the emperor was, a light chuckle emerging as Corine finished. "Sounds kind of familiar... Aside from the level of his sweet tooth..." What Cori had said was pretty much in line with what he had heard across the border, aside from his love of sugar anyway. "Perhaps he is the beat for the job then... Unless he wants to regain all of the provinces of course." He shrugged, knowing that in the event of a full scale invasion his death was almost certain. He was snapped out of this thought however as she questioned him about marriage. Smiling as she brought his face towards hers he gazed once more into the eyes that had entranced him so long ago. "That, Corinettes Ishal Shalen, is because only one woman has ever taken my heart and if I can't have her I'll happily go alone and my father respects that opinion." He smiled warmly at the page even as his arms slowly wrapped themselves around her waist. "So tell me miss Shalen, am I to walk alone?" Leaving the question hanging in the air he leaned in to kiss her, his worry over them being caught overwhelmed by his feelings for the elf.

[corineshalen]

There was a tug in her heartstrings, as he used her full name. It wasn't a pleasant tug, no, it was rather a forced pull of guilt that throbbed in her chest. Instead of having moved on, Azrael was still stuck in the childish dreams, about running away together, raising their family in peace. And as appealing as that was...things had changed.

Maker why did he have to come at a time like this!? Finally allowing herself to seek a proper new life, and the old, yet welcoming memory, shows up..

A blush of frustration and body heat flushed to her cheeks, as she felt his larger arms around her, his face moving downwards, the familiar lips getting close enough so that she could feel his warmth breath. Lost in the moment, Corine didn't budge her head, allowing the taller noble's lips to reach her again, sending a warmth through her she hadn't felt for many years...

It didn't last long though, as the images of a certain night in Kirkwall, caused her to pull her head to the side, laying her cheek against the cold chainmail armor, cheeks blistering red. "You will never walk alone, Azrael..but I am not worthy of walking besides you anymore..". Remaining his embrace, the younger elf tugged her fingers into the edges of his armor, her chest feeling cold against his finely crafted armor.

"For the past three years I have-". The elf mother froze as she saw their white-haired child in the doorway..

"Mamae? Your in here-..". Having closed the door behind him, the long-haired mage looked towards Azrael and his mom, the bright-blue eyes looking out from the silken white hair. Like Corine, he was also dressed in servant clothing, although his was made of lesser materials, and only had a faded symbol of the Orlesian court displayed on the back of his servant jacket. The waist-long white hair was tied into a low ponytail, though sections of it had gone loose, leaving the ivory bangs to frame his narrowed jaw.

"Amon..". Releasing herself from Azrael's arms, the elven mother approached her human son, tugging the 4'10 tall child firmly against her own body with both arms. "Dad is here to see master Gespard..why don't you say hello?".

"H-hello...Papa-...Sir", the young mage spoke, hiding his face against Cornie's stomach. His fingers nervously tugged into the finely detailed outfit of his mother, the blue eyes peeking scared, yet also curiously towards the taller noble..

[Azrael]

Azrael's brow creased slightly as Corine pulled away from the kiss, for that one moment everything had been perfect again but looking at Cori now he wasn't sure that she felt the same way. Could it be that she had moved on? Found someone else perhaps? Part of him almost hoped so even as he felt his heart creep up his throat. Silently thinking to himself for a moment he listened intently. "Not worthy? I'm hardly a male Andraste, you know? I've committed my fair share of-" He started, tailing off as he realised why Cori had stopped speaking, his mouth falling slightly agape as he saw his son stood in the doorway. He stood dumbstruck for a moment as Corine explained the situation to the child, only regaining his composure once Amon addressed him, squatting down in front of the boy and extending his hand. "Long time no see little man, you're looking good." The noble smiled kindly, trying to put the child at ease in spite of his own awkward feelings at the situation. Truth be told he was a little perturbed by his own son's apparent fear of him but refused to allow it to show more than he could help. "Been good for your mother I hope." He'd dreamed about this day for three years but suddenly felt as if he was intruding in the lives of his love and their child. It was a less than pleasant feeling.