If one thing could be said for certain about Atriane, it was that he was an adamant advocate of change. Change, the only constant and guarantee in the universe, was what made the world go round in his view. Whether it was change for the better or for the worse. Change was the concept that led to the world's innovations, fueled passions, made kingdoms rise and fall, industrialization, life, death, creation, revolution, destruction--evolution. Where one being triggered a reaction, all that were attached to that being in some way were affected as well. Change, or rather evolution as Atriane preferred to call it, was the base of which all life existed and revolved around. All were susceptible to it and none could avoid it. He was even willing to admit that even a sly and passionate creature like himself was vulnerable to it.
He had come to rely on this idea, always looking for the next new and exciting endeavor he could experience. And even as he disliked the concept of marriage, avoided it while he could, he couldn't help but admit that he was still curious as to what marriage was like. And it was with the same curiosity that he regarded the concept that he pondered as to where Adelaide was dragging him. It was an indisputable truth that her mannerisms irritated him, but not her presence precisely. It was merely the way that she conducted herself that wasn't to his liking. To be utterly honest, he really knew so little about her that it would be exceedingly difficult for him to hate her. No, he did not hate her; he merely hated how her presence disturbed him so and that seemed to have inconspicuously stemmed to the concept that her presence was unbearable. He simply could not envision the rest of his existence being married to someone who could have such an effect on him. But, in remembering the last seconds of their first meeting, there was something that nabbed his attention, something in her words that interested him. He still couldn't pinpoint what it was that did so, but it astounded him anyway. In the three weeks between then and now, he hadn't forgotten about it.
He allowed himself to be led to the meadow and for some reason his brows furrowed in amused curiosity. His feet slumping along the uneven ground made him feel like a cumbersome giant, especially in how taller he was than her. But the night was beautiful. The star-studded sky flashed down on them like a million tiny torches. In peering up the full moon as she did when she released her grasp on his hand, he thanked the heavens and any other divine being he occasionally gave regard to that the werewolf that lurked within his being was one of magic and not of blood or else he would have surely lost control. His attention turned to her as she spoke. He stuffed his hands deeply into the pockets of his breeches and leaned his weight against the trunk of a small tree beside him rather negligently. A word did not pass his lips as he listened like a fox would for a predator to her words. While the words registered his eyes moved about her place of peace. Everything about it was serene, the same nature that inhabited the forests surrounding Rhododendron but a different sense of nature. The stream triggered thoughts while the quietness of the meadow summoned others. Memories of his mother, of when he was a child, of when he was growing up and the dreams he had during the process. And when she finished, a small smile touched his lips and he laughed suddenly. It was not a laugh filled with the mockery of their first meeting but a genuinely amused laugh, the kind of laugh a person would ring out when something they thought funny came across their minds and simply couldn't help belting it out, even if they were the type of person who didn't laugh much at all.
He was not directing his laughter at her or her words, for there was truth in them and he valued truth. But merely at the thought of the situation they were in. Neither of them had wished to be where they were now, yet there they were. He smiled in good humor at her when he stopped laughing and his eyes twinkled with understanding. Apart of what drew people naturally to Atriane was that he was a very easy person to talk too. His presence was neither too overbearing nor too meek for most, though some didn't like him, true, but it wasn't his fault, he claimed. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke in a sympathetic tone, "I wouldn't consider myself too unlucky, milady. You've got your ups I'm sure. I've just been too stupid to see them." He moved away from the tree and stood beside her, looking down at the stream before continuing on.
"I appreciate you being honest with me. It's not often I come across a lady who is and, frankly, I respect you for being honest. Saves me a lot of trouble in the end. Listen, since we're being honest, I'm sure you don't like me anymore than I like you, don't want to marry me anymore than I want to marry you, or want to be married for that fact. But I'm also sure that you love your family as much as I love my father, and in this love I honor him and his wishes. I respect the fact that he had to take matters into his own hands since I would not." He bent down, resting his elbows on his thighs and continued to rest vigilance on the flowing, glistening stream. Sighing deeply, he persisted. "I don't hate you, if that's what you think. To be honest, I don't really know that much about you to hate. We're simply different; you have all the serenity in life that I lack. I have no taste for timidity, too much gentility, or subservience." He made a gesture toward the meadow around him. "I've always liked nature, too. But I love nature when it is raw and audacious. I love nature in its purest form, not necessarily when it is too quiet. Such silence is enough to bring about madness. In my judgment, you are this stream, small, quiet and flowing while I am the raging river, and just as wild." Atriane fingered the water for a moment and plucked a blade of grass from the bank.
"We may not have been made for each other and I may believe that happiness can only be achieved when two beings are alike in some way. Despite this, our paths have cross for a reason." He then stood and approached her, fingering the blade of grass in his hands. He looked at her in her eyes as he spoke, the passion of living showing in them like a candle in the darkness, "And even though you say you don't like nor want the life you were born into, you have a duty to uphold even if you severely detest it. As do I. In honor of my father, I will swallow my pride and perform my duty and marry you, as you should do as well. Sure, you could run away, but such is cowardice. While the traits I've detected in you were not to my liking, I don't see a coward when I look at you and I respect your bravery for taking the time to speak with me. And, who knows, maybe marriage will be fun."
With that he smiled and held the grass with one hand while covering it with the other. In an instant, a small blue, flash of light emitted from his hands. Atriane felt the magic of his learnings surge through his fingertips in the form of miniscule sparks of electricity and into the grass blade. Turning his wrists over to her, he revealed a thornless rose in his hands, its crimson petals glittering with water droplets in the beautiful moonlight. He smiled wryly at her, handing her the rose. "Come, on. We should return to the house or we will be missed." He motioned toward the path they came on and moved a few feet forward before twirling around and observing her quietly in the moonlight. There it is again, he thought quirking his dark brows. His magenta eyes, swirling in mysticism, scanned her form quickly then he spoke wryly, "Just so you know, I'm not the type who is easily embarrassed. And again, I thank you for your honesty. You don't know how much I respect a woman who is." His eyes twinkled again for a moment before he realized what he was saying. Apart of him was confused as to why he had said it. Maybe he just needed her to hear it, put some ease to how much she detested him. He didn't know what effect his words would have and he hardly cared to think about it. Instead, he motioned back towards the manor and took her hand, tugging it gently to set them back into motion.
[As ever, Atriane talks way more than he's asked. I knew he'd come around eventually though, stubborn bastard that he is. Sorry for the lateness, too.]
