The Tourney at Ashford

Arwyn's horse moves gracefully under her, a fine Palfrey whose chestnut coat was decorated with wide swaths of white, matched by its main and tail, both white with a few dark streaks. Finally, they emerge into the secluded clearing, and she dismounts easily, leading the stallion to the side of the clearing. "You can stay here for a bit, Solys," she says, stroking the stallion's neck. She stepped away from him, taking a deep breath of the fresh air of the forest, enjoying the cooling temperatures.

She looks over to her companion out here, smiling with might might be the most relaxed expression he's seen on her. "Thank you again for the escort, my lord."

Kevan crushed some sticks as he dismounted and removed some old, yellowed cones from before him with a kick as he moved to join her side.

"You thank me for something that is already a reward, my lady." He returned a brisk smile. His facial expressions unfolded fast. Smiles did not creep in nor brows arched slowly. Once committed to an emotional direction, they were there at once. "Is it places like this you feel most at home?" He gestured around with both hands, turning round.

She looked up toward the tops of the trees with a smile, another breath of cool air refreshing her. "Yes... When my mother used to look for me as a child, she learned quickly to look in the godswood first. Ashford castle doesn't have one, but this feels close to it," she replies after looking back toward him, the breeze toying with the tips of her dark, wavey hair. "They say the old House Forrester had a special connection to the wood. Ironwood would only burn for them."

"I find it quite believable that your house is blessed by the Old Gods with fairy powers when I look at you, my lady." He chuckled, meeting her gaze for a moment, keeping his venturing smile. "Is your natural pull toward the forest from an early age not a sign of that?"

Her pure blue eyes meet his for a moment or two with a smile before glancing down a little. She was a little surprised to find a bit of genuine color rising to her pale cheeks. "You're too kind my lord... but perhaps. A lot of very old things sleep under the snow in the North, I suspect." She finds a relatively clear place to sit, lifting her skirts gracefully again to avoid exposing the visible portions to too many stains and dirt, and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

In reaction to her blush Kevan took a deep breath, a way to accommodate his less obedient thoughts, and lowered himself into a seat by her, keeping a bit of distance for appearances. "What then is the most magical thing you've personally experienced in the North, my lady?"

She chuckles a little and shakes her head. "That's what they say... I'm afraid my life personally has been fairly boring," she says, shaking her head softly. "They do say you can sometimes hear the Old Gods if you listen closely in a godswood. I felt like that once or twice, but it could just as easily have been a trick of the wind that day." She looks up at the rustling leaves with a gentle smille.

"So how do you know they are real, the Old Gods?" That was a genuine question. He wanted to know what Arwyn believed in. But then, he may have found the answer himself. "Through the wonder of nature?"

"Mm... They are basically gods of natural things, so something like that. Trees, stone, rivers, oceans, the sky... Both the wonder and the fury of nature," she replies with a nod. "The natural world isn't always kind."

She looked over toward him. "I'm curious about the same question with the Seven, if you don't mind me asking. My mother was a Reachwoman, so she taught me some about them, but I'm curious how you see thing."

"Hmmm." He gave it a genuine thought, looking around, and at her. "By analogy, I think they are best understood as personified principles of humanity, not just raw forces, but carriers of moral truths. They are as we should be, and yet they also have their two faces, benevolent and wrathful, just like nature. Father protects and metes out justice, however severe. Mother is both fierce and clement. Stranger brings an end that is also a beginning. They are the perfect ideas of how people can be and while we cannot accomplish that perfection, without those beacons we wouldn't know too well what makes us good or bad people." He looked at her, a bit concerned, with an apologetic smile. "...I don't know if I am making enough sense."

She looks up and considers how to put what she wants to say diplomatically. "You're making sense, I think. Though it does make me a little surprised that the House of the North are regarded, generally, as honorable. I suppose I should be glad there isn't more suspicion based on our not following similar sorts of paragons."

"Perhaps you just know what we forget and must be taught again and again?" Kevan tilted his head as he teased her a little, adding a wandering smile.

She broke into a laugh, looking over at him with a blush rising again at the teasing. "Sorry... How has the tourney been for you since we saw one another last?"

"I believe I spied you out in the audience of the squires' joust, cheering for your brother. So unless my pass was too unremarkable to draw your attention, you might just now that it went mostly alright." It was his time to laugh. "After that, I got into a small brawl to stop some mob justice."

"I noticed the joust," she replied, shaking her head. "You did well... At least as well as he did." Her eyebrows went up. "A brawl? What on earth happened?"

"There was an altercation between a servant girl who spilled ale on a man and that man. But the excess of chivalry may have ended in a lynch so I got involved. In the Reach lords mete out justice, not the street crowd." He frowned at the recollection.

"Oh dear..." She let out a soft sigh and rested a pale hand against her cheek. "Yes... As it should be. It's a bit of an insult to Lord Ashford, if you look at it that way. I hope it was resolved."

"In a sense." He the chuckled. "Your brother and I were fighting side by side, spreading discouragement among the mob to a good extent."

She smiles warmly at that. "I'm glad to hear it. You both have a good head on your shoulders," she noted. For her, it was a high compliment, more than anything about appearance or martial prowess.

The intended magnitude of the compliment was actually recognised by Kevan, probably thanks to being put in one row with her dear brother, and made him feel humble for a moment as he lowered his chin in a diffusing chuckle. "Thank you for your words, my lady. It feels like an obligation now, to keep my head good this way so as not to lose your favour." He shot her a glance, his smile becoming wider. "I suddenly find it quite important to me, for you to think well of me."

She was looking toward him when he shot her a glance, looking a little embarrassed when their eyes met, turquoise on ice blue. "Important enough to feel like an obligation..." Her head dips. "I'm humbled by your regard, my lord. I find myself wanting you to think well of me, as well."

"You make it easy for me, my lady, practically effortless and completely natural." He chuckled softly, remaining entranced by her gaze.

She lifts her head, looking fully back toward him. "You don't make my favor a trial to gain, yourself. I've enjoyed your company these last couple of days a great deal."

"That bodes well for our tentative travelling plans." He smirked, not really knowing how serious she had been about them the other day. He shifted in his place slightly as part of him wanted to close the distance between them while the other cautioned him to retain decorum. "I hope I can keep up the good work in days to come because your company is a delight and an inspiration I wouldn't be as happy without as I am now." He took a breath, holding his hands together as he tried to study her features in dimming light.

"I hope they come to pass..." The same conflict between getting closer and maintaining decorum was reflected in her eyes and the way she touched the side of her lower lip lightly with her teeth before they disappeared. "I wouldn't be as happy, either." She took a breath. "We talked around it a little bit, but you've given me hope for what a marriage could be. More than just part of an agreement or something to help my family."