Spillin' the Tea

A roleplay transcript by Iskrin Orin'Darr and Etain Moonflower

Iskrin smiled, pleased that she had accepted, and led her into his small parlour just off to the side of the throne room. He gestured to the sofa for her to sit and busied himself putting a kettle on the fire, warming the water for the tea. "I would not blame yourself, Etain," he said, his back to her as he looked into the flames while he waited. "I cannot tell you I was pleased when I learned that you and Malekith had begun a relationship. The Crown and the Hollow have never been united... I was... concerned." There was no animosity in his voice. Rather, he sounded tired. He took the kettle out of the heat and poured the water over the leaves in the two cups that already sat on the sideboard. Hove kept his needs well taken care of. He brought the cups over to the couch and sat next to Etain, handing one to her and bringing the other to his face to breathe in the steam. "But that is over," he said finally, looking into her eyes, sadness present in his own which he quickly chased away. "I'm sorry," he said. Then he smiled a gentle, sympathetic smile. "I don't think I've said that to you before, and I truly am. Malekith was a good man. Infuriating, impulsive and stubborn, but wise and kind when he needed to be. You would have made a good match."

Etain took a seat on the sofa, watching Iskrin as he worked. Her eyes lit on the back of his blonde head and fell to his shoulders, then his arms as he heated the kettle. "Why is that," she questioned him. "Why were you not pleased?" The nymph asked with simple curiosity. She took the cup from him, lifting it to do the same - the heat warmed her eyes and cheeks, and she found it mildly comforting. "It never prevented me from fulfilling my duty to the Hollow and my sisters. They have always come first, and they always will." It was neutrally said, a mere fact. Her eyes met his and her smile echoed that which spread softly over his lips. She lowered her cup, dropping her gaze just then and watched the tea swirling inside the teacup with feigned interest. It may appear that she did not hear him or entertained other more pressing thoughts at that moment, but heard him she did. His words tugged at her heartstrings. She was sorry too. The way things turned out. She had had a feeling she would outlive Malekith. She had outlived all of her past lovers on the material plane, but Malekith was special - he was different. He was her idea of perfection. "Thank you, Iskrin," she whispered so quietly, but he would have heard. She swallowed hard, tears pooling in her green eyes. She didn't want an apology though - she wanted a fight. She wanted to feel something other than pain. She wanted to be angry, to wring Caldiin's neck. Etain wanted to erase the past few days, where she felt she was no longer whole - where she felt she was broken and drowning and dying. She nodded, the cup in her hand shaking from her trembling grasp. She spilled a bit of tea on her gown, but she paid it no mind. She leaned forward, setting the cup of tea on the round table in front of her, watching the hot herbed liquid spill onto the glass. Etain gritted her teeth. The anguish in her heart causing her to close her eyes, to compose herself. "Yes," she said at length. "We made a good match. He knew what I needed and he gave me just that - what I needed to cope. What I..." She sniffled and placed her fingertips to clenched eyes. Her fingers pressed against her lids causing tears to spill down her cheeks. She shook her head, not looking at Iskrin but gazing straight ahead into the fire. "This isn't what I wanted to discuss," she snapped. "Iskrin," she began with bated breath, "I am to blame for Malekith's death."

Iskrin watched the emotion wash over the nymph. He reached out to comfort her, but as he did so, the constant ache in his chest ignited into a bright flame of pain. He grunted in surprise more than anything and drew back his hand. The pain subsided. He sat for a moment, watching her stare into the fire and trying to concentrate on her words. He parceled what had just happened into a corner of his mind for study later. He wanted to give Etain his full attention. He nodded as she spoke of Malekith, but made no further move soothe her with his touch. Then her tone changed, like a storm cloud passing over her sorrow. He heard the words she spoke, but his mind immediately dismissed them as hubris or guilt. Then another part of his mind picked up the thread and tugged on it. When he spoke, his tone was neutral and kindly: "In what way are you to blame, Etain?"

Etain swallowed over a lump in her throat, her brows knitting as she continued staring at flames licking wood logs. “I was supposed to be there with him that night.” She straightened her back, and pushed a lock of hair behind one long, pointed ear. “Malekith liked for me to stay with him in the evenings, and I would return to the Hollow in the mornings. But this particular night…” She frowned, meticulous brows furrowing deep. “This particular night I did not return. I wanted to anger him.” She turned her head, looking at Iskrin just then. Her long, wispy lashes damp from tears. “It was a game we played.” She shook her head again, “If I had been there as I should have been, perhaps that would have been enough to keep Caldiin away.”

Iskrin watched her straighten and listened to her explanation. He released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, relieved that this was all she meant. He could understand how she might feel guilt, but it was not an act of hers that would require him to do anything unpleasant. He smiled sympathetically. "I understand why you might feel that way, Etain," he said. As he said it, he was surprised at the emotion in his own voice. It was unexpected. He stopped speaking and breathed quietly for a moment or two, searching his feelings. Then: "But you are not to blame. I am." As he said it, a wave of sorrow, relief and, eventually, humour passed through him. "I'm sorry," he said, as laughter burst from his lips and he stifled it. "It just occurred to me that we could go on demanding we are to blame all night and still not be right." He collected his composure. "What I mean is that whoever killed Malekith - and I do believe it was Caldiin - should not have been able to. The King's ice magic was too powerful. I am not sure that even Silmariel could withstand its full power." He shook his head, thinking. "No, I believe that whoever killed Malekith..." he paused, not quite able to continue his sentence. He turned to look at her, sorrow in his eyes. "I believe Malekith wanted Caldiin to kill him. I believe he let his brother end his life."

Etain’s mouth gaped in astonishment as Iskrin laughed. It caught her off-guard, and where she would otherwise be angry at the laughter in a moment such as this, she found herself following suit. She lifted her hands to her face once more, running her fingers over her skin to wipe away any signs of previous sadness and odd humor from her own awkward laughter. “He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t let someone, even his brother, take him away from me,” she selfishly said. “You don’t understand, Iskrin, he loved me. And I loved him,” she said in a small voice. She felt pathetic, yet passionate about what she had just said. The nymph whipped her head away though, so he could no longer see her face. For she felt that some of what he said may be true. What if Malekith did not truly love her. There were instances in his punishment… she nodded slowly, and it was as if her head moved in slow motion before she turned back and searched Iskrin’s eyes. “In any case, that is all I wanted to share with you.” She sheepishly smiled, but her eyes were still haunted by her thoughts. She inhaled deeply and reached for tea. “Now about the topic of Regent, Lord Iskrin,” Etain said graciously, her courtesy a shield for what she felt deep in her core. “My personal opinion is that a Regent council would work well in your situation. However, if you feel strongly about choosing Lady Silmariel as Regent, why not try it on a month to month basis?” Her gaze roamed over his form again, a playful glimmer surfacing in hazel eyes that locked on him as she lifted the teacup to inviting, full lips. She swallowed, lowering the cup to her lap. “A question though. How would it work making Silmariel Regent when she owns the Bank and Trust?”

Iskrin listened quietly as she spoke, pleased that the laughter had broken their shared sorrow. At least for now. He did not comment on her thoughts about Malekith loving her. It was something only she could decide and not his place to pry. He nodded and sat up straighter as she moved back to the less emotional topic of the Regent. Before he spoke in response to her question, he paused a moment to consider it properly. "As Regent... if she were Regent... I could require her to relinquish direct control of the bank, I suppose," he said thoughtfully. "Were she elected Queen... I do not know how the High King would act." He sipped from his tea, savoring the liquid in his mouth before he spoke again. "If it were up to me, I would let her keep the bank. Silmariel's value as Regent... or monarch, were she elected... is that she has a vested interest in the success of the Kingdom and its people. A bank cannot function without depositors. Without a prosperous Kindom, the bank has no clientele. Of course, with access to the royal coffers, perhaps the bank loses interest for her in the long term..." he trailed off. "A month to month basis would not bring the stability the kingdom needs at present, I think," he said, picking up the other thought Etain had offered. "The Regent needs to serve long enough to begin and complete the election of the true monarch. They must be given the support and security to do that well, without worrying about their own political neck." He shook his head. "No, a monthly posting will not work." He paused, rubbing his temples a moment. "Now the idea of the council ruling for now... as I said, my experience is that committees do not take decisions well. But given my concerns, perhaps it is the right thing to do. Then all who are interested can stand in the election for monarch." He braced himself, wondering whether the pain in his chest would return, but it did not. In no conversation about the regent had the shard of the King intervened.

Etain gave Iskrin her full attention as he spoke to each idea she had offered. “I have no doubt you will make the right decision,” she said again for the second time that day, her smile ever present. She took one last sup of her tea and returned the cup to the table, moving to stand. “I’m afraid I must go, Iskrin. I will speak with the Dame Commander first and then Lady Silmariel.” The anthousai pulled at silken locks, placing them over one shoulder just so. Appearances were everything. “It was nice seeing you again, though the circumstances…” Her voice trailed a bit before she added, “Come see me in the Hollow. I think I promised you some personal time a while ago.”

Iskrin stood with his guest. "Thank you," he said. "It would... not feel right, just now." He moved to open the door for her. "Do let me know the outcome of your meetings," he said. "I will be at the palace almost permanently until a Regent has been appointed." He watched her adjust her hair and smiled. Nymph's were unreliable and passionate beings, in his experience. But Etain had a poise and grace that spoke of assiduity and care. He knew little of her origins or her power, and he was forbidden, by the High King's command, of trying to find out. He was also forbidden from attempting to interfere in the activities that took place within the Hollow, though not forbidden to enjoy the pleasures of that strange and lovely domain. "Will your sisters take care of you?" he asked, suddenly concerned that someone should be offering comfort to this beautiful creature, even if he was apparently forbidden from doing so now. "Will you be... well?"

“No, not now. Whenever you are ready though,” Etain said sweetly. “I will be fine, my dear friend,” the nymph said in response to his questioning. “I can begin healing as soon as we capture Caldiin." She had turned to go. “Oh, Iskrin,” she added as an afterthought, turning back to him, “Can I be there when he is captured? Can I watch his execution?” She knew the First Estril would not let her leech the life from Malekith’s twin herself, but she wanted to at least be present.

"Yes," he said, a grim look crossing his face. "We will both be there."

Etain nodded, giving him one last parting smile before she turned to go in search of the Dame Commander.