The Meeting (Private)

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin shifted, listening to Walter wish Namari to be careful. He smiled when he heard Lenore repeat Walter’s words in the knight’s voice. Except she omitted ‘M’lady’ and added his name instead.

“Be careful, Aerin.”

“You worry too much, Lenore.” He called back, and received an annoyed squawk in reply. Lenore shuffled her feathers and sat back, glancing at Walter. The protector and the guide, soon to be left behind.

Aerin tensed as he felt Benny’s wings spread, heard them as they stretched out, and he felt the dragon rise, felt the beast’s heart pumping beneath him, the muscles tensing, ready to launch up and away. Then the dragon leapt into the air, feet leaving the ground, and the air flew past them in a quick, hot current. Aerin tightened the grip he had around Namari, but once Benny straightened out, he loosened it again, though it wasn’t loose enough to be considered relaxed.

They were flying! He was flying on a dragon! He was actually flying on a dragon! Aerin felt joy pour in, but it poured slowly. He was still terribly nervous. And it showed, considering that his forehead was currently pressed against Namari’s shoulder, his eyes squeezed shut.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari was in pure bliss; wind flowing through her hair, the rise of Benny's lungs against her legs. Nothing seemed different. Until that is, she realized that a certain elf was behind her. Her bliss turned into laughter; she was not expecting this reaction from Aerin. Though it was to be expected that most would react this way.

"Are you alright, Aerin?" Namari laughed. "There's no need to worry. We're probably safer up here than on the ground. Just let yourself relax; throw your hands into the air! Have fun!"

Had she been able to see his face, no doubt the woman would be laughing at the fact that his eyes were closed.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin quickly straightened, opening his eyes slowly. He remembered a few elves from the village commenting on how strange it was that he sometimes still acted as if his eyes worked. Shutting them when in a high place, or sometimes just moving them in general. He always had to remind people that for the first eight years of his life, they had worked fine. Old habits die hard. He paused, musing for a moment over Namari’s suggestion, before he quickly let go of her, mostly so he wouldn’t over think it and become too scared to do so. And, miracle of miracles, he was still sitting on the dragon just fine. The elf grinned, putting his hands out to the sides, his shirt whipping about him. He gave a laugh.

“Safer? I do hope so. But I suppose if we weren’t I’d figure something out.” He replied, feeling the wind flowing through his hair, flowing around him. He wondered how high up they were, and wished he could see the land, see Benny, and see where they were going. But feeling was good too. And he always had a creative imagination.

“Can Benny breathe fire?” Aerin asked, leaning back in the saddle a bit, putting his arms down, head tilted up, towards the sun. He wondered how it was that Namari didn’t ride Benny everyday! She was probably very busy, but surely she was in a high enough position to take time off every now and then and do this. But that probably depended on what kind of position she had. High enough to have a dragon and have knights escort her.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari smiled, giving a nod.
"Yes he can! Usually it's playful flames though."
The Queen could only think of a few times that he had ever used his fire aggressively; Benny could hardly hurt a fly.

"His species of dragon, from what I've gathered at least, is one of the more powerful types. But Benny is certainly not one to show it!"

She chuckled slightly, tucking some of her flying hair behind her ear to keep it from going into her face. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in, before relaxing with an exhale.

"We have to do this again sometime. I rarely get out of the castle enough for this, and I think I should."

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin laughed with Namari when she spoke of Benny. No, he seemed like a very gentle creature, despite his potential for power, it seemed. But that always seemed to be the case, didn’t it? The big creatures who could do the most damage always seemed to be the nicest ones too, if raised properly.

“I would love to do this again. You’d need only send for me and I’d come limping.” Aerin joked, before leaning forward, his chest lightly pressed against Namari’s back.

“You live in the castle, have knights to guard you, people speak to you with high respect, and you have a powerful dragon for a pet.” He listed off, smiling. “You’re royalty, aren’t you?”

[Namari Lovelle]

Her ears perked up, a surprised look on her face. A few seconds passed by. What if she just said that no, she was not? Certainly he wouldn't treat her any different if she said that. It had been so long since Namari had gained a friend that she felt treated her like a normal person. Sure, there were old friends from before she had turned Queen.

But new people tend to look at someone different if they rule over a kingdom.

On the other hand, was Aerin the type of person to change his entire view on someone over something like this? Perhaps not. Perhaps nothing would change. Besides, he must have already had suspicions to even ask the question.

Namari did not wish to lie to Aerin either. He was a good man.

"Aye," she finally said, cheeks a little flushed but a smile on her face. Heart pumping. Now or never.
"I suppose I'll introduce myself formally. Queen Namari Lovelle, former princess of Fidelite, and former Knights Hand to King Phillis Von Christ."

Not even a second passed by before her head tilted slightly behind her to look to Aerin.
"Though I hope your opinion of me won't change at all because of that."

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin could have almost laughed when Namari finally confirmed his suspicions. He thought maybe he was with a princess or even some relative of the main royal family. But, surprise, he was sitting on a dragon with the queen of the city he had just moved to. Life was certainly funny. It had a weird way of twisting into the most interesting outcomes. He was a bit thrown when she asked if his opinion had changed.

“No, it hasn’t. Is it normally supposed to?” He asked, head tilted. After a moment it clicked. She hadn’t wanted to tell him she was queen because she had an advantage. His blindness. He couldn’t see what kind of person she was, and therefore she didn’t have to play as a queen if she didn’t want to.

“Well, lovely to meet you again Queen Namari. And now that I’m feeling a bit more comfortable, how about showing me what Benny can really do up in the air?” He suggested, readjusting his grip on the elf woman.

[Namari Lovelle]

A slight look of surprise dawned upon Namari's face; but it was quickly replaced with a smirk. A look of excitement. She fixed her hair ever so slightly.
"Of course!" She replied, giving a laugh before gently kicking at Benny's sides and moving the reigns up. The dragon knew what to do

Quickly the golden beast beat at his wings faster, the wind picking up speed around them as they went higher. Towards the taller trees of the forest. Then, Benny was barreling through them, spinning and turning out of the way. Namari gripped at Aerin's arm to make sure he was hanging on, laughing as leaves nearly caressed their faces.

Of course, Aerin could not see the trees. But he could feel the wind. The bends. The speed. And that was good enough for Namari.

But Namari's own smile was not just of the exhilaration that riding a dragon would naturally bring to a person. No, it was also Aerin's character. The man had turned out just as Namari wanted; someone who did not care about her being Queen. And that's all Namari could ever ask out of someone.

"Any tricks you want to try out?" She managed to laugh out, the side of her face turned to The elf so she could hear him better.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin grinned as he felt the change in Benny, the dragon’s wings pumping faster, the wind about the elves increasing, the dragon breathing harder. Aerin wondered how high up they were. He could hear the rustling of leaves as they flew by, so not terribly high up. Just as he was wondering how tall the average tree was in Avaleur, the dragon’s course suddenly shifted and things went a bit crazy. Aerin let out a half laugh, half cry in surprise as his body was jerked suddenly. It then melted to a real laugh, feeling the dragon fly by obstacles that he couldn’t see, but he could sense. He could feel the branches of the trees as they nearly caressed him, the whistling through the leaves.

“Well, has he ever flown in a loop before?” Aerin replied, wondering what it would be like to ride a dragon as it did a loop through the air, or maybe a corkscrew roll of some sort. He was probably pushing his luck, but it wasn’t like he ever did this before. And he wasn’t sure how likely it’d be for him to ride Benny again. So he’d milk this for all it was worth. And maybe he liked to think he’d be adventurous when riding a dragon if he could actually see and walk. Who knew? Aerin had never been the adventurous type though, and he had realized some time ago that he sort of regretted that. Good thing Elle pestered him into doing their stupid stunts when she did prior to the accident. Because now he’d give anything to be able to climb a tree and see it’s green foliage.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari pursed her lips, eyebrows furrowed. Had she done a loop before. She confirmed to herself that yes she had. But had been quite some time. She was a bit rusty.
"A few times, yes," she confirmed allowed, before gripping the golden coloured reigns tighter in her hand. She looked around, slowly guiding Benny more upwards and further away from the tall trees.

"I would suggest wrapping your arms tight around me," she said, as she tightened her hold on Benny through her legs. The dragon, feeling the pressure, let out a soft purr of delight. After all, how ofter was it that he got to fly with people on his back? Let alone do tricks.

"And don't let go while we're looping. It'll be quick, but trust me. Two seconds in a loop is all you'll need to get you riled up," Namari let out a chuckle as she thought about her own first experience. At first it was terrifying. But a few seconds after she was laughing like no tomorrow.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin grinned when Namari confirmed that yes, Benny has flown in a loop before. So the dragon and the queen had practice with the act before. That was good. It made Aerin feel a bit better. Obviously Namari lived to tell the tale.

“Right.” Aerin called back, wrapping his arms about Namari’s form. Left hand gripping his right arm, right hand gripping his left arm. He bowed his head, mouthing a few words to himself, and a light flashed dully for a moment before leaving two glowing rings that circled both his wrists, and arms. As if the light tied his hands to the opposite arm. It was a binding spell, to make sure he wouldn’t let go of Namari. It seemed like a fancy thing to do, but he honestly didn’t know if he’d be able to hold on. The spell would be his own personal safety net.

“Alright, ready when you are!” He said excitedly, holding onto Namari tightly, but not enough to crush her. He took a breath, trying to mentally prepare himself for the little trick that Benny was about to perform.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari smiled a very large grin, before yelling out a big cry, "Here we go!"

She yanked the reigns up gently, and Benny knew what to do. With one big gust of his wings he flipped, slowly turning upwards until it felt like they were suspended in the air. Then the wind began rushing at them quickly, as he turned with the ground at his back. They nearly hit a few trees, though Namari was not about to mention that, as Benny straightened himself out a bit once more.

Then, deciding to give him a little more, Namari said, "Keep holding on, we're gonna do a cork screw!" The Queen laughed as she twisted at the reigns once more, and they began to barrel round a few times. When they were finally straightened out, Namari could not stop laughing, dizzy from the spinning.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin tried to prepare himself but…well there really was no way to prep yourself for something like this, was there? He let out a little gasp as Benny flew up, and he laughed when he felt the world go upside down. His blood rushing to his head for a moment. It was exhilarating! As the dragon straightened himself out, Aerin was laughing at the pleasant dizzy feeling he felt. He wondered how intense it would have been if he saw the landscape and sky switch places, then decided he was glad. He’d hate to get sick in front of Namari. Assuming he had a weak stomach for those kinds of things.

Namari spoke up, and Aerin barely caught what she said before it registered. Wait, they were what?

“Whoa!” He cried as the dragon began to barrel roll through the air. The sudden movement caught the blind elf off guard, but it wasn’t so bad. It was fun! He laughed with Namari as Benny straightened out, the dizzy feeling in his head intensified now. How could she not do this every day? She had responsibilities of course, but this was entirely too intoxicating not to indulge in regularly!

“If my mother could see this, she’d have a heart attack.” Aerin said, dispelling the binding spell he had to reach back and run a hand through his hair. He was sure it looked like a mess but it didn’t really matter. No matter how messy his hair got all he had to do was comb a hand through it and the golden locks fell back perfectly into place. Elle was very jealous of this, and claimed he had some sort of charm cast on his hair. It was rather funny.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari laughed, nodding vigorously as her mind straightened itself out.
"I believe my mother would as well; then she'd ground me," Namari couldn't help but imagine the thought; Namari Lovelle, Queen of Avaleur, being grounded by her mother. It was an amusing thought, and no doubt her fretful mother would not hesitate to do it.

She wondered how her family was doing.

"I believe we've let Walter and Lenore alone long enough," the Queen stated, slowly turning Benny into the direction they had left the bird and knight. Amusement tickled her lips as she added, "Lets hope they have not tried to kill each other yet."

She could just imagine Lenore flying from tree to tree with Walter's sword, and the knight trying desperately to catch her, all the while trying to control his rage.

[Aerin Vaettir]

“Yes, I hope they haven’t. Though Lenore is a master at pushing people, so if he did try to kill her I wouldn’t be surprised. I’d be more surprised if he succeeded.” Aerin laughed, feeling Benny turn and began to go back the way they came. It had been a fun ride, an experience he’d definitely cherish.

“Thank you for this Namari. It really meant a lot.” He said, meaning every word. She was very kind, and the fact that she was a queen made that face even more extraordinary. He was glad to have met her out in her gardens.

“Benny really is a magnificent creature. A shame you can’t see more of him.” He remarked, tilting his head back slightly and letting the wind pass him.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari chuckled. No; Walter was not fast enough to harm Lenore, most likely. He was a rather heavy warrior.

"It really was no trouble Aerin. Really. I've enjoyed the experience myself. And I'm glad to have made a new friend."
A soft smile glowed on her face as she thought about it. A new friend; someone who could accept her for what she was.

It was wonderful.

"I wish I could see him more often as well, but, there's no helping it," she shrugged. "I make sure people visit him, at least, so that he's never too lonely. But perhaps with my health coming back to me, I might be able to more now."

Sne smiled; but did not wait a mere second before her eyes went wide in surprise, moving her head so that the side of her face faced Aerin.
"Perhaps you should visit him sometime. Maybe even introduce him to your sister. Now that he knows you he'll recognize that you're good. It'd be quite good for him if you could."

Then, in her mind, she realized that it might be nice, or even good for Aerin as well.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin tilted his head, looking a tad surprised. Come and see Benny? As in, whenever he wanted? It was a more than attractive idea. In fact there was no way he could ever say no, really.

“Are you sure? I’d certainly love to see…well spend more time with him.” He said, smiling. It’d be nice. He could study a dragon, spend time with Benny, cure Lenore of her general fear of the creatures, and get out more. Elle wouldn’t be able to yell at him about being anti-social. Not when he made a friend of the queen of the city. Who would have guessed that would happen?

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari nodded vigorously, seeming to forget for a moment that he was blind. When she realized, she laughed and nodded again.
"Of course! It'd be good for him, anyways. Besides, I can tell you're itching to do this again anyways. The second best thing to this is hanging around Benny all day, so why not?"

Squinting her eyes, Namari could see that they were almost where they began, the carriage in sight. She smiled. "Almost down. Benny isn't exactly graceful when he lands; it's more of a thump. Just to warn you."

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin chuckled. “Yes, this is true. And I do think it’d be good for the both of us. If you say it’s alright, then I’d love to visit Benny. I’d like to get to know his personality more. He seems like such a sweet dragon.” He said. He tilted his head, hearing the rustling of leaves as they flew by. He also heard a raven calling. Lenore sounded happy to see Aerin returning. What he couldn’t see was the fact that Lenore was resting on the shoulder of his twin, who was casually leaning against the carriage.

She wore a white dress with a golden corset, and on her head was a crown of flowers. She had another in her hands, which she was just finishing making. Overall she was dressed much more appropriately than what she normally wore, but her cleavage still showed a lot, and the dress had a snug fit around the waist that most men would appreciate.

“Oh, that is alright. He could land hard enough to throw me off, I’d be happy. I’d probably need the momentum to get off anyways.” Aerin said, smirking. He really didn’t want to think of the price he would pay later for this ride. His hip was already screaming at him, his leg throbbing, now that he was relaxing. Oh well, it was worth it. He’d just chew on a malikin root or two until he was utterly high and pain free and sleep for twelve hours. He’d wake up feeling drugged and have a fierce case of cotton mouth but it would be better than lying all night in such intense pain he’d start considering suicide as a means of escape.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari chuckled; but she did wonder if he was joking or not. Aerin was such a serious man it was difficult to tell.

As they got closer Namari noticed a woman by the carriage; someone they did not arrive with. She was cautious until she saw Lenore on the woman's shoulder, and Walter nearby, resting against a tree. The woman couldn't be dangerous.

Benny, trying desperately to be graceful, slowed down as slowly as a large dragon could. But even that did not stop him from thumping onto the forest floor, jerking Namari slightly forward. The forest seemed to shake as if there had been a tiny earthquake, startling Walter as he flinched from the impact.
The dragon huffed in annoyance at his clumsy feet, but Namari only chuckled as she rubbed at his fur.

She looked over at the woman, an one of her eyebrows raised slightly. She reminded her of someone. It clicked; was this the sister Aerin spoke of?

Her attention was flicked off from the elf woman when Walter stepped forward, a hand outstretched. "Everything went well I hope?" Walter spoke, a tone of warning in his voice. The Knight still did not know this man after all. With the only hand she had Namari took the knight's, hopping off the dragon

"Of course," she replied, before turning to Aerin, "Need a hand?"