A Brief History of Time

[Astrid Brynn]

Astrid stood, watching the crowd from afar. She had agreed that wearing a cape with a hood was the safest option. Well, she had agreed to it only because that would allow her to enter the streets without unwanted attention. Still, her green eyes peered through from underneath the hood and her body nearly trembled with excitement.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been allowed to leave the castle grounds for longer than a few days. Why her family had changed their mind, she didn't know - nor was she sure she really cared. Everything was different here - it felt less convoluted and restricted. Perhaps this was what freedom tasted like.

Although naive, the young woman had been trained in combat for as long as she could remember. She knew how to take care of herself and how to carry weapons without them getting noticed. She preferred larger weapons such as swords and bows, but a dagger would have to do for the time being.

She eagerly pointed towards a stand where children seemed to be braiding flowers into their customers hair and then tugged at the giant's arm, urging him forward. There was so much to see and so much to explore. Astrid didn't know where to begin, though the stand seemed like a good place.

[Severn Alderman]

Severn hated crowds, always had. Crowds meant being vulnerable. Someone could move about unseen despite being in plain sight. They allowed for far too many people to get close to him and his charge. Astrid didn't seem to have nearly as many reservations about it as he, a fact he took a great deal of pride it. It remained his duty and his duty alone to be the reason she was able to walk freely among the citizens of Goldcrest with nary a concern crossing her mind.

Piercing blue eyes had drifted out over the bustling street, scanning each person moving along with the wariness of a vigilant guardian. Only when he felt the hand upon his arm did Severn drop his gaze to the young woman. With a grunt he complied, allowing himself to be pulled along by the much smaller royal. Silently he moved forward, eyes narrowing suspiciously as he studied the stand and the children that surrounded it. Even on such a day with the sun shining brightly in the sky and the laughter of children as they ran around in the street Severn refused to allow himself the privilege of letting his guard down.

[Astrid Brynn]

As much as the blonde wished to deny it, she was still a child at heart. She was naive, but bright. She held a certain expectation to the world, that even through all the darkness, there was light. And she was fully prepared to take advantage of any minuscule of light she could possibly find.

And children where, to the best of her knowledge the source of innocence and light.

Sitting down on the offered chair, the blonde let her hood down; her blonde locks fell down her shoulders and the children started their work; each one eager to get to work on the royal's inherited blonde hair. "Don't look so glum, Severn," she chastised him.

[Severn Alderman]

The big man glared at the children who fluttered around the blonde haired royal, tittering among themselves as they began to lightly tug at her golden locks. It was almost as if the Sentinel believed one of them would suddenly brandish a knife to threaten Astrid. He would be damned if such a thing would happen while he still had breath in his body. To Severn's mind everyone and thing was a potential threat. Even small children with flowers.

Another grunt came with Astrid's remark. He glanced at her, his gruff, stern expression remaining locked upon her gaze for a long while before it softened in spite of his reluctance. A low sigh escaped and he shook his head. Roaming around the streets of Goldcrest was nothing like Astilon where a small contingency of soldiers were dispatched with every royal who wished to make an appearance. Here Astrid commanded much less attention, though this also made her more accessible to potential threats. And even then there was no hope of Severn retaining his intensity under the weight of her brilliant emerald gaze.

"You know how difficult that is." He pointed out, arms folding across his chest again as he did the only thing he could think of to maintain his professional bearing and glanced away from Astrid to look out over the busy street.

[Astrid Brynn]

Grinning, the blonde chuckled softly. "I do," she replied; she knew exactly how hard that was for him. She too, felt protective of the older man. He was the closest thing she had to family. Or rather, the closest thing that felt like family. She loved the protective way of which he regarded her and she would never question it.

It would be foolish of her to.

"But you're also allowed to have fun," she reminded him as the children kept on tugging at her hair - braiding it, she assumed with their chubby, untrained little fingers. She figured it was a good thing her hair was not a vulnerable root of pain. "And don't pretend like you don't know what having fun means, because I have seen you laugh."

[Severn Alderman]

Another grunt. Severn often seemed to communicate almost exclusively in low grunts, cold glares and reluctant sighs. He was a prideful man of few words who rarely allowed personal needs to get in the way of his sworn duty. Even though Astrid was right, there had been candid moments between the two. If he had the mind to argue he would have pointed out those moments came with them sitting around a fire during a simpler time they had left behind many years ago.

"I'm afraid flowers in my wouldn't look nearly as grand." He said with in a rare slip of his stoic demeanor. A faint smirk touched his lips as he glanced back to Astrid. "I suppose I should take your advice." He admitted. "At least in the presence of childr-"

Movement drawing closer cut Severn's words off before he could finish his thought. One of the children, a young girl of no more than three or four years of age had shuffled her way to him. Large, brown eyes peered curiously up the large man who stared back with a blank expression. The two stood there staring at one another for a long while until the girl lifted her cupped hands upward and offered a freshly bloomed, clean, white lily.

Severn's head tilted slightly at the gesture and he glanced almost uncertainly toward Astrid. For a moment his unwavering duty clashed with the heart that was buried beneath the stoic, severe demeanor. Finally, a thin smile softened his features and he knelt to the child and carefully plucked the offered flower from tiny hands.

[Astrid Brynn]

Astrid watched curiously as the young child stepped up to the large, broad man. Her head tilted as she watched the scene unfold before her; the two seemed caught in some kind of staring competition and the young woman couldn't help but feel slightly amused about her sentinel's reaction.

Then when his eyes met hers, she couldn't help but to smile widely in his direction. Then her heart swelled with happiness and pride as Severn accepted the flower the young child had offered him. He needed to see that kindness was still a thing within the world and she couldn't have been happier that there was someone else besides herself that had shown it to him.

"It's a beautiful flower," she told the young child.

[Severn Alderman]

Severn still wasn't completely convinced the children weren't part of some elaborate scheme to draw nobles into a false sense of security so they could be pounced on, even though it was apparent the offering of the lily had softened his features as well as his usual stoically gruff demeanor. He let out a low sigh, both in resignation and for the purpose of making himself relax. Astrid had been damn near begging him to stop being so wound up since they'd arrived in Goldcrest and he was starting to believe she was right.

Though he'd be damned if he'd ever admit it.

There was just the faintest hint of a smile that touched his features and crept into his ice-blue eyes. The big man gave a short nod to the retreating child and cast a glance toward Astrid. He paused a moment to watch as the other children, buzzing with delight as numerous pairs of hands all gently groped for the princesses's golden tendrils. He gave Astrid a nod then as he took in the sight. It was a calm moment that reminded him of the years the two of them had spent. Certainly it wasn't the time or place to be stricken with nostalgia and Severn was hardly the sentimental type, but there she was, positively glowing.

"I swear you're going to be the death of me, child." Severn said with a deep chuckle as he moved to Astrid's side. He was careful not to interfere with the weaving of flowers within her hair as he dropped his eyes down to the flower he held carefully within his thumb and forefinger. It was a sweet gesture, to be sure, he just didn't know what to do with it now.

[Astrid Brynn]

With her eyes closed, the blonde raised her eyebrows as she scoffed. "I hope you're not referring to me as being the child," she replied simply, though there was a ghost of a smile lingering at the corners of her lips. Try as she may, Astrid couldn't stay mad for long, let alone pretend that she was. 

She had been told numerous times that she was too forgiving. Perhaps even a little bit naive. It wasn't suited for a princess, they said. She was supposed to look critically on the world and be calculating. She was supposed to see what factors would benefit rather than please. "Relax."

[Severn Alderman]

"Age has nothing to do with it." Severn replied. Though his response may have been vague, his intent was clear. Astrid would always be his charge regardless of how old either of them were. She may not have been his blood but the bond between them had only grown stronger as the years went by.

And yet, sometimes it felt the more things changed the more they stayed the same. Severn issued a resigned sigh and nodded. His arms folded across his chest as he turned to glance at Astrid. 'Relax' was rarely a word found in his vocabulary but even he was finding it an uphill battle to maintain his overly stoic demeanor. "Okay." He said finally. It took a deep breath and one last look around the area before he allowed his rigid posture to soften just ever so slightly. "I suppose I don't need to suspect the children of foul play." He reasoned aloud.

[Astrid Brynn]

"You really don't," she said with a nod. The children then finished braiding her hair and Astrid rose to her feet, offering each of the children some coins for their beautiful work. She then nodded towards Severn, before offering the girl that had given him a flower an extra coin. She patted each of them on their heads before they ran off to find their next victim.

Turning towards her trusted knight, Astrid smiled. "See, I told you they weren't hiding any knives..." she paused then. "Unless of course, they put poison in these flowers and every time they rub against my skin, they take me step closer towards a painful death." She looked at him with a serious expression before casually shrugging her shoulders and making the move to move further down the street.

[Severn Alderman]

Severn cast Astrid a quick, more severe glance than her playful ribbing had warranted. It didn't last long, though, as he sighed and pushed aside any thoughts that poison may be involved in the seemingly innocent act of braiding flowers into the young princesses's hair. Even in times like these he found himself on edge far more than he should be. He blamed the paranoia that came with Astrid now being known as a member of the royal family that had been hunted by the Coterie just a few years before.

"You're not funny." He said, taking a few long strides to catch up to Astrid. He couldn't help the nearly exasperated smirk that touched his lips, though. She often drove him mad, though he appreciated every moment spent with his younger charge. "One of these days you'll be glad I'm around." The smirk widened then as he glanced to her again.

[Astrid Brynn]

Looking at him over her shoulders, Astrid smiled innocently. "I am hilarious," she said with certainty. "It's not my fault you don't appreciate my sense of humor." She couldn't quite help the smile from growing on her lips. "I'm always happy to have you around, old man." It was true. He was like a father and a brother to her all in one package. She would never take his presence and company for granted.

However, that didn't mean that Severn would do bad from loosening up some. She supposed she couldn't blame him. She still had her naivety and didn't share his jaded view upon the world. In many ways, Astrid suspected that Severn was happy about that.

[Severn Alderman]

Severn waved a hand in Astrid's direction and shook his head. He may have outwardly dismissed her words but they never ceased to touch his heart whenever she took the time to speak them. He couldn't explain what had compelled him to take her in in the first place but he was glad he did. In many ways she'd become his purpose in life, for better or worse. It helped his own conscious to know she was safe so long as he had breath in his body though he sometimes wondered if he was too suffocating and intense.

Having briefly lost himself in his train of thought, Severn snapped back to reality. His head shook a little and he gave a soft, resigned sigh. Astrid was right. Sometimes he really did need to relax. "You have a strange way of showing it." He said, a thin smirk now spreading across his features. "Ridiculing me for attempting to protect you from those children who I know carried nothing but evil intent."

[Astrid Brynn]

All she could do was shake her head at his words. It seemed as if no matter how hard she tried, Severn would always remain cynical. She supposed it was part of what made such a huge contrast between the two. Where she was naive, he was distrusting. It was a nice balance when the two clashed together.

Well, not that he'd ever be able to sway her opinion and it wasn't as if she'd ever stop trying to sway his.

"Let's just head back," she said with a light shrug to her shoulders before her hand went around Severn's arm and she started pulling him along.