Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Elves of All Kinds (1x1)

Arthur sighed slightly. "Well, he's right, Belle. You shouldn't be serving me anymore. I'm capable of getting my own food, or at least asking to have someone help me out for it." He smiled, though. "But...thank you. I appreciate the thought. And the fruit is delicious." He looked over at her and nodded. "Your brother patched me up, so I'm fine." He didn't mention any of his dizziness or anything. He didn't want her to worry. "Is it nice to see your family again, Belle?"

"It is! I'm so happy to be home, but..." Belle trailed off, and glanced down at her lap. "I... I don't know. Everyone's just so...different, I suppose. It didn't used to be this way, not at all. Everyone used to be happy and friendly. My grandmother used to take in human travelers, you know. But now I suppose everything's too changed to be like that."

Arthur smiled gently. "...things change, Belle. It's okay. I'm sure you'll get used to it. You've been gone for a long time, you can't expect to just settle back in right away. It will take time, but soon this place will be home to you once again. Don't worry. You can handle it. Look at how far you've come; I'm sure staying with your family again won't be near as much of a trial."

Belle nodded slightly. "I suppose so..." She glanced up when she heard knocking on the door.

"Oi, Belle. Father wants you back in the house." It was Valenthion. He tried to open the door. "...why is the door locked?"

Belle looked apologetically at Arthur, and quickly stood to unlock the door. "Yes, yes, I'm coming." She passed by Valenthion to return to the house swiftly.

Arthur smiled gently at her. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Thanks for the fruits. Just go enjoy your family, Belle." He watched as she left, then he sighed slightly and ate a couple more pieces of fruit. Man...he was getting too good at hiding things. He shifted slightly to flop onto the pillows, closing his eyes. Those fruits...he'd had them before. Once...long ago, with a woman he called mother. He put his arm over his eyes, hiding tears from a blind man.

Valenthion peered into the room quietly. He eventually cleared his throat. "...I think you might want to stop all this nice-y nice-y talk," he muttered. "I heard my parents talking about getting rid of you as soon as possible because they don't want Belle to start having feelings for you. So... Maybe try distancing yourself. If not for your health's sake, then for Belle's. It'd be a shame to leave her lonely when my father kicks you out of the village." He stayed for a moment, before quietly backing away to leave Arthur to rest in peace if he had no other remark.

Arthur took in a soft breath. "It doesn't matter. I'm not staying. I'm not going to be mean to her. She won't get feelings for me. I was her master. They need to stop worrying about foolish things." He sighed and just stayed where he was. When Valenthion left, he simply cried softly, and then slept. His sleep was full of nightmares, though, and whenever the next person came by, Arthur was awake, sitting at the table, elbows propped on it, staring at the bowl of fruit. He was pale and almost sickly-looking from the blood loss, but he looked better than he did earlier. A little.

This time, Arthur was being tended to by a young elf girl whom he hadn't met yet. She hesitantly entered, a jug in one hand and a cup in the other. "H-Hello," she said softly, looking frightened of the human. After a moment, she slowly entered, setting down the cup. "U-Um, river wine. Compliments of the chieftain." Whatever Arthur answered, she would shakily pour the 'wine' into the cup. "It'll h-help you to feel stronger."

Arthur glanced over at the girl and he sat up, giving a slight stretch and then wincing at the pain it caused. "...river wine?" That name didn't make any sense, unless they had a literal river of wine flowing around. He watched as she poured it into the cup and nodded slightly. "Thank you." He waited, feeling a bit frustrated that this girl was afraid of him and he hadn't done a darned thing. When she'd poured the cup, he reached over to take it, peering into it curiously.

The liquid looked just like water, but smelled like strong, hardy fruit. The girl bit her lip and held the jug close. "O-oh! And he told me to tell you that it isn't actual wine. No... No alcohol, sir." Seemed she was told to stay with him until he drank it.

Arthur looked at her for a moment, then nodded slightly. It was odd that she was staying here. Arthur recalled the mention that they were trying to get rid of him and he glanced at the jug. "...why don't you have some with me?" he asked calmly, giving a little smile. "It's always better to drink with others, and since there's no alcohol, there's no harm, right?"

The little girl blinked, and looked down at the jug. After a moment, she nodded. "M-Mm." She quietly came to sit beside him—not too close, though. "We've only one cup, though," she mentioned softly.

Arthur glanced around for a moment, then smiled and set his cup down. "Watch." he said softly, as if he were sharing a secret. He picked up one of the fruits, ripped it in half and scooped out the inside. Then, he nudged the real cup towards her and lifted his fruit-cup. "I'll use this. Mind pouring me some, then?" He held the fruit-cup out to her. It was a genius idea, really. The shell of the fruit was meant to keep in the juices, so it'd certainly keep in this river-wine.

The girl's eyes brightened. She had never thought of that before! With a small, excited smile, the girl poured some river wine into his 'cup'. She then set down the jug and lifted her cup to him. "To Truth and Life," she said with a happy blush on her cheeks, before taking a small sip. It was a slightly vague saying, so it must be tradition to say when drinking river wine with elves.

Arthur was kind of curious about the saying, but he smiled and nodded. "To Truth and Life, both very good things." He chuckled slightly and sipped from his drink. It actually tasted pretty good. He drank from his fruit cup, and smile. "This is good. I've never had it before, but it's very good. You'll have to give the chieftain my thanks."

"Mm, I will!" the girl promised. She drank down her cup, and shifted slightly. "If... If you don't mind my asking... How old are you?" Her eyes lit up curiously, watching Arthur with utmost intrigue.

Arthur blinked. "I'm pretty young compared to elves. I'm twenty-nine." He set down his fruit-cup and smiled at her. "How old are you? I'm going to feel really young comparatively, I'm certain." He chuckled a bit and played idly with his fruit cup while he waited for an answer.

"You're twenty-nine?!" the girl repeated in surprise, before setting down her cup. "I'm turning fifty in the winter," she admitted shyly.

Arthur laughed softly. "Yes...I had a bad feeling that was it. I guess I'm just a youngster." He chuckled slightly and shook his head. "At my age, our life is considered half over for humans. It's odd, isn't it?" He toyed with the cup, then set it aside. "What is your name? I'm sorry, I just realized I never got it. And I'm not sure if you ever got mine. I'm Arthur."

The girl looked a bit saddened at his comment about his life already being half-over, but when he asked for her name, she sat up a bit straighter. "Melianna, sir." She smiled weakly, and looked down at her lap. "My papa says you're bad," she said bluntly. "But you don't seem bad. Not like the humans all the adults talk about." She looked back up at him.