|
|
Post by Tismri on Apr 5, 2009 14:16:35 GMT -5
Marola nodded to Max.
"Just about everyone is the same," she told him, "There are a few new faces, but I mostly kept my father's staff." She looked at Hannah.
"Is he upstairs?" she asked him. The servant nodded and grinned.
"Yep, upstairs and asleep, though I'm sure he'd love to wake up and see you." Marola smiled at her, then turned to Max.
"There is someone new I would like you to meet," she told him, leading the way to the stairs. She walked to the nursery and quietly opened the door. Her heart about melted when she saw the tiny infant lying in the crib. She walked quietly over to him and saw that he wasn't actually sleeping. His blue-green eyes were wide open. He reached up his arms to her, and she bent down and picked him up, twirling him around as he laughed with childish glee. Then she turned back to Max.
"Maxwell, I would like you to meet Cortell. Can you say hi, Cortell?" The baby smiled in a charming way that only children can. He wasn't at all shy.
|
|
|
|
Post by sumdood on Apr 5, 2009 16:30:24 GMT -5
Max smiled as he saw Marola and how happy she was with her baby.
"Well, hey there, Cortell," he said, grinning and looking at the baby, putting a finger up to nudge his nose gently,"You have beautiful eyes, just like your mother. You look so much like her, too."
He looked up at Marola, grinning, and said,"So who's the lucky man?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Tismri on Apr 5, 2009 21:09:40 GMT -5
Marola smiled at Cortell and Max together. The baby gave a gleeful squeal when Max touched his nose. Marola kissed her son's black fuzzy hair and cradled him. Her smile died, however, when he asked about her son's father.
"The lucky man is dead, thankfully," she told him in an icy voice, "Lucky for him, anyway. If I ever found him alive, I would have made him wish he was dead."
|
|
|
|
Post by sumdood on Apr 5, 2009 21:17:27 GMT -5
Max looked at Marola, surprised at her.
"Well......what did he do?" he asked her, giving her a concerned look,"He didn't hurt you, did he?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Tismri on Apr 5, 2009 21:23:51 GMT -5
Marola shook her head and looked away.
"Not physically," she told him, "but...he was a master at making it seem like he cared for me when all he really wanted was...not me. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a half-dozen other children out there, all from different mothers. I think I only realized how much I hated him when I saw his reaction when I told him I was pregnant." She sighed and stared Cortell again, struck by just how much her son looked like Tyr.
"I hated him--and still hate him--so much, yet he gave me the one thing I truly cherish..."
|
|
|
|
Post by sumdood on Apr 5, 2009 21:25:59 GMT -5
Max pursed his lips as he listened to Marola talking, and then reached over and gave her a hug, kissing her on the cheek.
"Well, hey, he's gone now, if what you say is true," he said, still hugging her, gently so that he didnt' hurt Cortell,"I'm sorry I brought him up."
|
|
|
|
Post by Tismri on Apr 5, 2009 21:32:23 GMT -5
Marola bit her lip a little and still couldn't meet Max's eyes, just gently stroked Cortell's head.
"There's no way you could have known," she whispered, choking back a flow of tears. "I know he's gone...but I still find that I can't forgive him, anymore than I can forgive the man who killed my father, even though he's dead as well." She leaned against Max. "Oh, Maxel," she said, calling him by her childhood nickname for him, "I found myself wishing you were there to support me the whole time. I missed you more then than I ever had before."
|
|
|
|
Post by sumdood on Apr 5, 2009 21:40:21 GMT -5
Max looked at Marola, shook his head sadly, and wiped a single tear from her face.
"Come on, Rolie," he said, smiling at her,"Don't cry. You're too strong for that."
He reached up and kissed her on the forehead.
"And, now that we've found each other again, we can be there for each other, can't we?" he said,"So...don't worry. I'll be there when you need me."
|
|
|
|
Post by Tismri on Apr 5, 2009 21:45:17 GMT -5
Marola nodded a little and concentrated for a few minutes on reining her emotions in. Soon her face was an incrutable mask with its usual cynial expression on it.
"And I am glad, Max," she told him, "and I will try to be there for you when I can. But it is sometimes hard to beg time off from our king, you know." She smiled a little, then placed Cortell back in his cradle. He gave a pout at being put down, but didn't cry. Marola could tell he was getting tired, too. She sighed. "It's so hard to keep secrets from him," she said in reference to Galbatorix, "but I can't let him know about Cortell. If he were to find out..." she shuddered a little, then buried the thought.
|
|
|
|
Post by sumdood on Apr 5, 2009 21:50:41 GMT -5
Max almost did a double take when Marola talked about working for the King.
"Wait a minute....you work for the King??" he said, incredulous,"Why? He's a monster. He keeps his soldiers occupied with this ridiculous war with the Varden when he should be leaving at least small garrisons with the towns and villages to protect them from bandits.
"But, instead, he's left them to fend for themselves against brutal monsters who do nothingg but destroy and pillage. I've been doing what I can to help, but.....it's never enough. For every life I save, several others are extinguished because he does nothingg but fight!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Tismri on Apr 5, 2009 21:56:13 GMT -5
Marola stared at him as he gave his complaints against the king.
"He fights this war against the Varden because they attacked first. If someome drew a sword and charged at you, would you just stand by? It takes every bit of his forces, including all his Dragon Riders, to fight against them. Sometimes it seems they are barely being kept at bay." She smiled a bit ruthlessly. "You seem to forget that my father was his most loyal Rider, his second in command before he died. And he has helped me tremendously in my work to avenge my father...as I promised him I would do." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Would you like me to take your complaints to him myself? I am certain he would appreciate knowing what people think of him."
|
|
|
|
Post by sumdood on Apr 6, 2009 1:44:45 GMT -5
Max shook his head.
"Let's not get into this," he said with a sigh,"I don't want to get into a fight over something this trivial."
He pulled his fingers to pop them and said,"So....think I could get a drink? I'm kind of thirsty."
|
|
|
|
Post by Tismri on Apr 6, 2009 12:08:06 GMT -5
Marola regarded him for a few minutes, then nodded, letting the matter rest...for the moment.
"Of course," she told him, relaxing again. She walked out the nursery door as another servant walked by, a rather young, skinny man who worked in the kitchen. She stopped him.
"Yes, my lady?" he asked him. She turned to Max.
"What would you like?"
|
|
|
|
Post by sumdood on Apr 6, 2009 12:10:37 GMT -5
He shrugged, giving the man a smile.
"Water'll do just fine," he said, coming up just behind Marola in the doorway,"I just need something to get my mouth wet again. Traveling when its hot like this makes me very thirsty."
|
|
|
|
Post by Tismri on Apr 6, 2009 12:19:38 GMT -5
Marola nodded at the servant, saying, "Take it to my suite. We'll be talking in there." The servant scurried away to do her bidding. She led Max to the living area of her suite, a rather large section of the house. There were two chairs facing each other before a fireplace, with a gray rug between them. All the windows were to the north, letting in light most of the day and never too much. Marola sat in one of the chairs, gesturing for Max to sit in the other one.
"So what all have you been up to through the years?" she askedh him.
|
|
