Lapis lazuli. That was the colour of her eyes. Alun could not help but notice them as the Lady Guillevic dismounted from the carriage that had brought her up to Farkeep’s gates, though they had some travel time ahead of them still before they reached the Castle In The Sky -- something that the locals had already started passing further south to their surrounding companies. It was something to behold, framed as it was on the landscape. Up close like this, the great keep was a shadowed silhouette that stretched toward the heavens that did not seem to far away this far up into the mountainside, where the clouds clung closer to the ground and the air was thinner, colder. Up close, their new visitors could see just how precisely its form melded in with the mountain itself, called Pardes, so that it appeared to be floating through the clouds that drifted around its peaks. With the sun hanging low in the late afternoon, its beams also caught its main spire, topped with an opulent tower that was rumored to be made entirely of gemstones.<br/><br/><br/>The rumor was not entirely untrue. A large portion of the Dawn Tower was crystal and glass, meant to provide a clear view of the heavens above, though the instrument that resided in the tower helped see them more clearly than a man’s eye ever would. Alun wondered idly if the girl who had transposed herself onto his arm would one day be allowed to venture up to its heights, or if Locke and his trusted few were to horde their treasures away even from she. It was not even that Alun meant ill toward the Farseer; they were cousins, after all, even though that fact escaped him - and others - when it came time for introductions to be made. It was only that the other man shrouded himself in so much mystery that he tended to cut others out of his own mind. Caught up in his own thoughts, the sovereign of the ancient kingdom come back to life relied wholly on the council members to make the kingdom’s decisions for him. Including that of the girl that Alun led past her carriage to a shaggy grey mare that was built to climb up to the highest mountain peaks.<br/><br/><br/>“Your entourage may accompany us if they wish, as accommodations will be made for them at the keep. I will have my men deposit your belongings inside your room for you and a maidservant will be sent in to you to assist you in unpacking, bathing, and readying yourself for tonight’s dinner. I advised Loc-- Lord Tyrven that it would be best to have a quiet evening, so none of these passersby will be in our company. I am afraid it will be the entirety of the council, as they wish to make your acquaintance, my lady Arnarra…”<br/><br/><br/>He listened. He might not have obliged completely, but he had listened. Even more, he listened to the tone and undertones of her voice with an inquisitively cocked head. For the moment, his eyes strayed away from the lovely vision that had stepped from her cocketted adornment of a carriage to signal his men to disperse and send the people away. There would be time enough for the girl to get to know her knew patronage, assuming things went according to plan. As the circle of leather clad knights moved forward, their voices mingling with the mutter of their spectators, eyes followed Alun and the Lady Arnarra as he squeezed her arm reassuringly and dipped seamlessly to catch her foot and help her up onto the back of the mare. “Up you go,” he grinned again, dark eyes fastened to her face.<br/><br/><br/>“It is a short ride up to Karkeep’s entrance and then a walk up a couple of flights of stairs that you will be in my company then. Please, feel free to ask me any questions that you might have, my lady. The Lord Tyrven, of course, would be obliged to answer any questions that I cannot tonight.”<br/><br/><br/>Alun pulled himself back up on the back of his own mount and winked over at her as he tightened his grip on the reigns and lifted the lead that strung their two mounts together. Digging his heels in slightly, he tossed his head and yelled over his shoulder. “We head back,” he instructed his own entourage. From there, his horse shook its head, whinnied faintly, then clomped forward at a steady pace down the broad, cobbled street surrounded on both sides by the forefront of shops that networked through the market square, eventually easing into more pedestrian corners of the city, then finally tapering out into lush countryside. The vast majority of trade happened here, however, right at the foot of their beloved keep.<br/><br/><br/>“There is no need to be afraid here,” Alun spoke up again once they had pulled ahead of the group that clamored behind. His tone had changed, softened, and his stare was pensive as he studied her from the side. “I can promise you this. The people mean well…” He hesitated, trying his best to smile reassuringly. “And Locke? Have patience with your betrothed. He is a great man, but I fear he is lackluster when it comes to the care of women. I feel that he will need guidance as much as I suspect you will. No?”<br/><br/><div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-single-image="1" data-src="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/lukepasqualino7-jpg.3285/" title="LukePasqualino7.jpg">
<img alt="LukePasqualino7.jpg" class="bbImage lazyload" data-src="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/lukepasqualino7-jpg.3285/" data-url="" data-zoom-target="1" height="571" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='568' height='571' viewBox%3D'0 0 568 571'%2F%3E" style="" title="LukePasqualino7.jpg" width="568"/>
<noscript><img alt="LukePasqualino7.jpg" class="bbImage" data-url="" data-zoom-target="1" height="571" src="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/lukepasqualino7-jpg.3285/" style="" title="LukePasqualino7.jpg" width="568"/></noscript>
</div>