love for SALE [Veryan]

[Diana Lovell]

(((Don't worry, this is PG )))

It was a few days after the young blond man had 'rescued' Diana from the big bad river and she had to admit that perhaps she had been a little testy due to the fact that she did not think she had needed rescuing and also due to the fact that she had been a little disoriented. As an apology, and perhaps more out of interest, Diana sent Veryan a little note inviting him to her chambers. It was nothing more than a friendly gesture, though Diana did admit he was rather good looking and had tried to rescue her. Perhaps he would not bore her as the other knights of Camelot did. He was knew to Camelot as she had been recently, though she kept it a secret that she had been raised not far from here. Perhaps Diana did have to keep a great many secrets, but she was a decent liar.

Sitting in her chambers, Diana wore a dark, wine colored crushed velvet dress and her dark hair was simply adorned with a silver circlet. Her hair fell in waves, luxurious around her shoulders as she had made sure to brush it even more than usual for today. Her cheeks were flushed and her skin glowed as she mentally prepared herself for the encounter. Her chamber was rather large for a non-noblewoman, though if things had turned out differently she would have been known as one, but because of her profession, she was granted a spacious room for her pleasure. She rarely entertained men in here, unless their wives were present in their own chambers. But the furnishings were tasteful, though the main color was red. Red did get the blood flowing, as well as other things.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Diana replied, "Come in!" thinking it was him.

[Veryan Lithônion]

OOC: LOL don’t worry I’m 19
IC:

It had not been long since the morning Veryan saved Lady Diana with Rowen’s help he was called to the Lady’s chambers. Perhaps she was to ask for forgiveness for she did act a bit rude after he saved her life and ensured she would not get an illness of any kind for the fact her skin was exposed to rough temperatures but he did not mind. He was used coming across people who would not value his help or would even dismiss him with an insult.

In fact there was certain cheerfulness in his character that allowed him to take things with sarcasm and laugh more about things than get angry or upset. You only life once and certainly Veryan wanted to make the best of this life. He had come back home from the forgery and had mastered the making of short knives and so he was truly proud. He washed off the dirt and sweat from the hard work when suddenly his mother called out for him stating he had a visit.

He put on his newest clothes and fixed his hair to be deserving of such visit though he had yet to know who it was. He jogged down the stairs of his room while putting on his belt, which secured his sword in place and looking ahead at the person who had come to see him. He was surprised to see it was a messenger from the Castle. Who could know him and call for him? Did he offend someone? Was the messenger sent to ask for a craft? Though he was still learning he had done some pretty good crafts and surely people talk and quickly spread the word when it comes to those things so he was somewhat proud of it.

But none of his speculations had been right, the messenger stated Veryan was to accompany to visit a Lady Diana Lovell and so he nodded and told his parents he knew her and stated it was the lady he had found in the icy lake striving to survive. So his parents the smiled and took it she was grateful for such act and wished to thank him, something quite natural when the man was a knight but Veryan was simply a blacksmith, how could that make him deserve the gratitude of such a lady? Still he agreed to ride on the horse readied for him at the Castle and then rode along with the messenger.

It was a swift and yet enjoyable ride, his dark cloak shook with the wind a she rode alongside the messenger who’s crooked smile he did not understand. He tried to avoid the thought and simply took the man for an old rogue. The moment they arrived at the Castle people gathered from the streets to see who it was and so Veryan pulled the hood on his cloak even further so that no one could see how he blushed at the thought of being important for once in his life.

The moment they entered the Castle he followed the messenger toward Lady Diana’s chambers, though on the way Veryan could hear the giggles and see the flirting smiles the Ladies of the Castle gave him as he passed them by and it made him shake his head and chuckle as he finally arrived at the door. The messenger knocked and when she invited in he entered and said, “Veryan Lithônion, as you requested milady.” The man then bowed and left and Veryan entered, the door closed behind him. The moment he looked into her eyes reflected by the mirror he stepped forth and once in the middle of the room he removed his hood and said, “You wished to see me Lady?”

[Diana Lovell]

Diana waited patiently as she was trained to do. Of course she had not been dressed when she had sent the messenger, but Diana had learned the skill of dressing quickly. Her dark eyes scanned over a scroll she had been reading earlier as she plucked a piece of fruit out of the silver bowl a servant had placed on the table earlier. Her dark red lips engulfed the fruit and she enjoyed the feeling of its juices filling her mouth before she swallowed. Her long, slender finger raised to wipe away a little but of juice that had gathered at the corner of her mouth. And then he walked in.

Veryan was even more handsome than she had remembered before, and she guessed that she was more vibrant and full of life and color from the last time he had seen her. All she could think about was the see-through white shift that she had been wearing and how that cloak had continued to slip off her shoulder, baring white, frozen skin. Diana smiled and stood up, her tall, graceful figure fully revealed in the wine colored dress. Her pale skin looked even whiter with her dark hair and dark red contrast.

"Yes, I wanted to thank you for the other day, properly," Diana said, her voice taking on the hint of seduction. It was only natural when she was talking to a handsome man for her to start playing the role of courtesan. She had not told Veryan exactly who she was last time and she assumed that from this appearance, he would only assume she was a lady by birth, which was technically true. "Please, sit down," Diana said, motioning to the love seat across from her. She sat down herself, positioning herself in such a way to show off her curves. "Have some fruit, help yourself." This would be fun.

[Veryan Lithônion]

She seemed fully entertained by the parchments she seemed to be reading the moment he entered and it made him curious, he loved reading whenever possible and surely when meeting people one could grow curious on their tastes and likes and reading was one that made him the most curious, though at this moment he had come to answer a call and could possibly leave that question for later, that would be the wisest thing to do, otherwise, she might think him imprudent and rather lacking interest in her company and a guest could never be that rude, at least not Veryan.

He watched her silently as she looked at him as he greeted her through the mirror before he eyes before she smiled cunningly and stood up slowly. It was as if she had been trained in the courtly life knowing how to walk and behave on court but at the same time which moves and gestures could make a man weak on the knees. Though perhaps Veryan was at the verge of becoming a man for he had reached eighteen springs and would son be nineteen he knew that he had yet to master the art of blacksmithing before he could do a project in which he could show his father he was ready to embrace the harsh world.

She did make his eyes fix upon her as she moved though and for a moment he felt he hardly recognized the Lady he had rescued at the river that cold winter morning and perhaps many would ignore it but the moment he became in touch which his connection with the elements and began to use it to help others he had somewhat entered the journey to manhood and could pride himself in that for many did not do such but years later, many years later…

He could tell in a way she was examining his behavior toward every movement and gesture, every smile and word she graced him with. Though he was not afraid he somewhat felt he had to be a bit careful when it came to women like Diana; though that did not mean he could not be friendly to her. Her glazing eyes looked at him as she moved over toward her sofa and though he thought that perhaps standing still would suit him best sine he was not of noble blood nor knight by birth he thought it would be rude to neglect to do as she wished in her chambers.

"Yes, I wanted to thank you for the other day, properly,"

He could sense a hint of strangeness in her tone though he did not recognize it… it was enough to send a chill down his spine for he had never been spoken which such tone before. He simply bowed his head and said with a gentle smile on his lips, “There is nothing to thank milady, it was my duty to do so for then we would not have such grace in this world.” –Perhaps he was not the best at giving compliments but they were honest enough he trusted she would understand them.

"Please, sit down,"

He looked at the sofa she pointed at for a moment before he decided to do so and then thanked her and walked over to the sofa and sat comfortably making sure for his sword not to twist as he did so and then moved the cloak so it did not pull his neck. He was glad he was wearing his finest clothes for this occasion for she looked astonishing, he only hoped he was well dressed according to standards and that she would not feel insulted by his presence.

"Have some fruit, help yourself."

He smiled at her and then looked at the bowl of fruit while she sat down as well. He truly could not decide easily for all fruits looked truly delicious but he decided to pick an apple since he enjoyed them very much. It was ripe and red and as he took a bite and after he enjoyed the juicy bite and swallowed he said, “I am glad to find you fully recovered from the incident milady, I feared I might have not come to you on time.”

[Diana Lovell]

Diana smiled as she watched Veryan sit down. She noticed that his clothes were nicer than the ones she had seen him in before. She wondered if they were his best clothes. If so, it would mean that he was not of noble birth. It also meant that he did not know how lucky he was right now because he would normally not have enough money for an audience like this. But Diana was not talking to him for money. She wanted to thank him and she did not know many ways of thanking a person, other than giving them things, or offering things. When it came to Veryan, the very fact that she summoned him to her chambers was his gift. Diana grabbed a grape and popped it slowly into her mouth, her red lips encompassing it. The act was not to seduce Veryan; Diana just liked the feel of the grape sliding into her mouth. It was one of the few things she actually liked doing that with, though men would find that surprising.

"So, what do you do?" Diana asked. She decided to ignore what Veryan said. She was still convinced that she would have been perfectly alright if he had not jumped in at that moment. But Diana wanted to be pleasant and cordial and she could not do that if she allowed herself to be stubborn. Diana continued to smile as she stood up for a second and summoned her maid to fetch some wine. Once the maid was gone, Diana returned to her seat, one of her legs peeking out from under her skirt as it was now revealed that there were slits on either side of her legs. Her foot was covered by a thin red slipper and her shoes was dangling from the tip of her toes as she lounged in her chair. Perhaps Diana should have been sitting like a proper lady, but she was not a proper lady and Veryan would find out about that sooner or later.

[Veryan Lithônion]

It didn’t take him long to conclude Diana was what was considered as a courtesan. Of course he had not thought so the day he saved her life for she was more busy arguing with him and throwing at him she would have been safe even if he had not ventured to save her, of course she was wrong, unless she was one of the immortal deities which he knew she was not though she had been granted of immeasurable beauty, that had to be admitted, she was still as mortal as Veryan.

He noticed how she knew perfectly well how to move, eat and even smile to lure a man into her liking; surely it had taken her years of practice and he would do best to keep to his own, she could not know he had figured her out for he feared she might be one of those persons who appeared to be sweet and desirable and then would use the men to her liking. Of course he could not be a hundred percent of what his mind thought of her since he was new to Camelot and its surroundings and happenings, but that also meant he could seldom trust anyone and perhaps that would help him survive until when knew what was actually happening in these lands and the people he could come to trust and befriend in the end.

The moment she ate a grape so pleasurably Veryan took the opportunity of the silence to take another bide of his ripe and crunchy red apple, he wondered where she could get fruit like this in the middle of the winter, in fact he considered the possibility of asking for some fruit to take to his family and give most of it to the poor who were merely surviving this cold and perilous winter, he felt rather guilty for eating with such luxury when others outside the Castle walls were dying of hunger and cold.

"So, what do you do?"

He noticed how she changed the topic, had it been she still felt she had supernatural powers or abilities to fight the cold of a frozen lake? He swallowed the piece of apple he had been chewing to hide a chuckle at her and then thought for a moment before he answered, “I am a blacksmith apprentice, mi Lady.” He then used the very moment she got distracted to clean his mouth from any apple juice he could have on his lips and then watched her as she asked for a glass of wine the moment he finished his apple and thanked the maid for taking the remains of the apple. He noticed she smiled at him and then left laughing silently to herself, he wondered why…

He then added to make up for the conversation as she so luxuriously sat with the goblet in hand, “We lived in Cornwall till present, back there my father became truly well known for his blacksmith abilities though when hearing of the court of Uther in the Summer country he decided it would be best appreciated here, of course he knew not of the hardships of the journey nor how hard it would be to start from scratch. Where do you come from fair Diana?” He could tell she was not from these lands either. He fixed his black leather fingerless gloves making sure they were in place and covered his hands completely, except for the fingers for he needed their sensibility to do things. He did not want the scar on the back of his right hand to show. A secret only he and Selphia knew by now…

[Diana Lovell]

The maid returned with a second glass of wine, which was offered to Veryan. She had every intention of loosening him up so that he was not so stiff and secretive, though there was no way for him to know that. "Apprentice blacksmith," Diana said with a grin. That would mean that under his shirt he would be rather impressive, though he was still a boy. But technically she was still a girl. And yet Diana felt so much older. She had never really had much of a childhood after her father and brother were killed. She wondered if she regretted the secret dalliances in the meadows, dancing around the maypole in a white dress with the other young girls, and finding innocent young love. She had been deprived of so much, and yet Diana did not know what she was missing.

Diana listened intently as Veryan spoke. She really did want to be interested in what he said versus the pleasant shape of his mouth and the strength in his hands. She could not help admiring manliness and beauty in men since she had been trained to find it in every one of her clients. She just never had a young man like him in her presence. She knew she had to behave herself today and restrained herself from standing up and sitting down next to him on the couch. "I am from France, though I was born here in England. My parents are dead, though they left a nice estate in Yorkshire." Technically the estate now belonged to the king, but Diana would reclaim it after she took his life.

Diana looked at Veryan, almost longingly. It could have been mistaken as desire for him, though what she desired was his simple life. He still had a family and a home. He probably had an easy childhood and would grow old with a simple wife and children. He probably would never be persecuted by the king and would die happy with little blacksmith children. Diana did not know what her life held for her. She supposed after she killed the king she would be executed, though the Brotherhood might be able to protect her. Diana's thoughts wondered as her eyes roamed the young man's face.

[Veryan Lithônion]

OOC: Sorry but I really could not stop myself form doing this rotfl hopefully you will know which comedy this comes from?

- Spirit of Jazz: Yorkshire? What is Yorkshire?
-Howard Moon: Yorkshire is a place; Yorkshire is a state of mind.

IC:

"Apprentice blacksmith,"

He thanked the maid when she presented him with another glass of wine though truly he seldom drank ever and that meant he would have to be careful not to drink so much that he would ruin his reputation and his family’s name by acting like drunk men and then being found sleeping in the middle of the street during daytime, it would surely be something that would revolt him and he did not wish to reach such an extreme situation. He noticed how she grinned as she spoke and he wondered if it was because of how respected that profession was and how wealthy he could become if his work was admired by a King and his Court. He would have to make something elaborate though he was already in the middle of doing so and, despite being eighteen years old, he knew he would soon be nineteen, old enough to start with his own projects.

He would have to gain his father’s acceptance first but that would not be a difficult task if he came connected to the royal family’s taste in weapons and crafts and he was sure he could easily do so. Then he would have to earn the people’s respectability and good opinion and that was the hard bit for who ever said people were not individuals and unique? But he trusted his skills would be good enough to gain such favor. After all he was soon to be a young man, and as such he wished to make sure people stopped viewing him as simply a boy; but what lad his age did not wish to be respected and treated like a man? He silently took a sip from his glass and noticed how suddenly Diana’s eyes seemed vague, rather distant as if she recalled something within her past and he could feel, through the elements her amusement and yet there was something mysterious about all this, why would she bring him to her chambers simply to thank him?

It made him wonder whatever could he have that could cause such impression upon the Lady? What could he, a mere blacksmith apprentice, have within abilities or a past that could make him so valuable that he should be gifted with a courtesan’s attention and tricks in order to hand her over such secrets even he was so unsure of? Perhaps he had to be more careful than he had thought at first.

"I am from France, though I was born here in England. My parents are dead, though they left a nice estate in Yorkshire."

In other words she was from Angliaterra and for some reason she had left to France and then come back. He was estranged for if she did posses and estate what was she doing here in Camelot when she could be right, live a pleasant life and perhaps not need to be a courtesan anymore. He noticed how she looked at him and for once he could guess she pondered about the kind of life he had for many had told him he was lucky for such a quiet life, he could not stop himself from smirking and then drinking some more of the glass, if only they knew what was truly going on in his life, how he had to flee from his country to spare his life, how he knew that someone was looking for him and he had to constantly move about Angliaterra in an attempt to flee an unknown enemy until he had the mean to fight him and perhaps revenge.

Truly nothing in life was ever simple…

[Diana Lovell]

(((I actually don't )))

After a few seconds past, Diana added. "Unfortunately being a woman I could not inherit it. It now belongs to the crown." That was one possible truth. It would have been her dowery once she was married off to some nobleman, but Veryan would not necessarily know that. "It would seem that women have to find ways of being free and unfortunately not all those ways are pretty." Her way was becoming a courtesan. Earning her own money and having control over men was her way of carving out her own life and destiny, even if her whole life was no longer in complete control. She did have to kill the king.

"So, young blacksmith, what gets your blood racing?" Diana asked, raising one eyebrow, an impish grin on her lips. Of course she only meant what were his hobbies and interests, but she could not resist asking in such a manner. Deep down she did want him to desire her as other men did. She was tired of old men who could only be excited by pretty young things as their wives were now as worn and wrinkled as they were. Of course there was always the occasional young nobleman passing through, but Arthur never had taken an interest in her.

[Veryan Lithônion]

"Unfortunately being a woman I could not inherit it. It now belongs to the crown… It would seem that women have to find ways of being free and unfortunately not all those ways are pretty."

He nodded, for the time he had spent in Angliaterra he knew well enough women’s position though where he came form they could freely chose what to do with their lives it seemed that with the culture that had overthrown the Old Faith, women were but domestic beings neglected of any forms of profession and possession, it was a pity though for women could be so smart and lively as well. He then said, “I’m afraid it is so in these lands, milady, though I wish there was something you could o to reclaim your lands, for they are rightfully yours anyway.”

He surely could tell by now what her profession was though that did not make him dislike her or pity her but to realize that such was one of the few professions Western women could employ themselves with and it was truly degrading and inhumane plus it served only to make men believes themselves more in control anyway.

Not that he liked that… not one bit…

"So, young blacksmith, what gets your blood racing?"
Well he was truly taken aback by the question but taking it form a courtesan it could only mean one of two things. So he took a sip of his goblet in a way to attempt to hide his sudden astonishment and then thought on both options. One could be she simply wished to know his hobbies and the sort and though she asked it in such a way perhaps she was used to such language. The second option could be she wished to seduce him, to lure him into her web.

He wanted to believe it was the first idea and though it seemed to be so he could yet not get how anyone could be attracted to him, for most took him for a mere boy. It was true he disliked that so much but there was nothing he could do about it. On the other hand, though, he had never experienced love or any sort of passion leading to that one feeling before so how could she expect to make him burn? Or was that something hidden he had yet to explore?

After another sip form his goblet he set it on the table empty and then said, “Hunting, horseback riding, I confess I enjoy the wilderness.” He then said without thinking, “What about you?”