Francois couldn’t prevent the grin from spreading wide and pleasantly across his face as the Princess began to walk toward him. He knew she’d see him—and that she’d come. So far, so good. He made a movement to bow (slightly awkward in lieu of his injuries, both past and present) as she approached, but almost eagerly a hand reached out to right him before he could complete the action. His eyes locked with her for a second as she asked him not to bow, but Francois quickly averted them casually. “Of course,” he answered. “It was such a beautiful day, I couldn’t resist going out for a stretch.”
His golden eyes drifted toward his gracious lady’s companion. She was a pretty young woman, but hardly captured his attention—she was rather ordinary, for a Lician: blonde haired, blue eyed, and obviously severe without even needing to say a word. While he had nothing against them in general, Francois found his tastes were much more suited toward…the unique. Regardless, he smiled at her in turn. “Charmed, Ms. Lindval.”
Folding his arms carefully behind him, Francois moved his gaze quickly around them, taking in the beautiful scenery which surrounded them. What else could one expect, from a palace? Although, he had to admit, he was partial to the cuts and colors of the Deamone palace. “Would you care to join me? It would be quite a waste not to enjoy the weather while it’s this clear.”
To his delight, she accepted, and soon they were heading toward the menagerie. Evidently, some birds had been whispering about Reena. It was only too perfect that the object of his interest, herself, would have wanted to sneak a peek. But as he knew, I can do better than a glance.
On the way there, he explained lightheartedly the (somewhat untruthful but very frequently recited) manner in which the elephant came to be under his care—noticing the subtle but all very present reactions by the guards and Alarice herself in regards to the knowledge that he, the “exotic aristocrat” had come to Licia on the back of an elephant. How shocking. The quiet murmurings underneath the cheerful tones of banter were easy enough to ignore, however. It was blatant insult from a pair of passing court ladies that Francois could not so easily tune out.
And yet, even as his mouth formed into a tight line, he couldn’t help but bitterly admit that it was almost an apt comparison. Almost. More than anything, the young man found himself reflecting on the bad taste it left him to have to hear his primary language directed in such harsh words against him. Like being cut with your own knife. Nonetheless, he managed to force the pleasantness back to his face as he assured his lovely companion that no offense had been taken. “I know which sort of remarks are and aren’t worth the effort to listen to.”
Once they had reached the menagerie, having had the pleasure of meeting Lt. Chand, Francois found that he would have preferred the gawking bimbos. But he supposed there was some form of blessing in having such an early run-in with a potential suitor (and rival), however small and annoying it may have been. I have a name and a face; it’s all I need to find out whether this man is even a threat. Needless to say, Francois was glad to be rid of the Lician—and once that unnecessary character was out of the way, there was nothing stopping him from actually enjoying the walk. And hey, why shouldn’t he enjoy himself on the job?
Following the Princess (although a tad less enthusiastically) to the extravagant pen where Reena was being kept, carefully sidestepping the curious children, Francois leaned against a beam. “Feel free. Reena is exceptionally docile—and she loves to be flattered,” he explained casually as he watched the manner in which the elephant and the girl became acquainted with one another. “Keep going on in such a fashion and she’ll be absolutely enamored of you in mere minutes.”
As Reena trumpeted and brought her trunk up to Alarice’s cheek as if in a mock kiss, Francois found himself joining in on her laughter. “Would you like to ride her?” Giving a short pause, he added, “she probably hasn’t gotten much exercise, if any, for the past couple of days.” As he expected, the brunette smiled widely enough to count as an affirmation, but before she could get a word in her (male) Lician guard cleared his throat, sputtering uncomfortably—but as thoroughly as he could muster—about the importance of following protocol. While they all shared an incredulous glance at the man, and began to discuss the legitimacy—or even possible existence—of protocol in regards to elephants, Francois turned his attention back to the Princess, who smiled again (albeit more sheepishly).
“I would love to,” she said quietly, and Francois stepped into the pen. It was a simple matter, making Reena bow. The years she had spent with the twins—and more predominantly, Bellamy—had trained her to specific touches, sounds, and their meanings. A touch to the soft dip behind her ear and she stooped complacently to one knee. Given her size, the task appeared fairly laborious, but the elephant appeared otherwise comfortable. Francois offered his hand to help as Alarice climbed carefully onto the wide, textured back. The way she grinned unabashed atop the steed was nothing less than simply breathtaking. Reena’s trunk curled around his arm. When she gave a small cry, Francois looked in her eyes; he could tell that she was reading him like a book.
Yes, I know, he thought, I think that she’s an exceptional young woman, as well—but don’t you look at me as if you think I’m an amateur. I thought you knew me better than that.
Untangling himself gently, Francois climbed up behind the Princess—nimbly despite his still-sore arm due to the familiarity of the act. He noticed the manner in which Alarice’s female companion looked uncertain about what she was expected to do in this situation, but didn’t move to stop him and that was good enough. “I hope you don’t mind the proximity,” the young man apologized smoothly from behind her once he had settled, “but I wouldn’t want you to slide off on your very first elephant ride.”
Once the guards seemed to get on the same page, Francois gently spurred Reena into action. He steadied the Princess when she threatened to slide off due to the heavy manner in which the elephant righted herself. Her skirts positively fanned themselves unnaturally; clearly it was not proper attire for such a venture, but there wasn’t much they could do about it in any case. But once that had been tackled, the steps became easier. Less jumpy than a horse, but easier to get queasy—both due to the height and the manner in which the cumbersome steps Reena took would cause the riders to rock gently from side to side. For Francois, it felt peaceful, almost soothing. Of course, he couldn’t guarantee how the uneven steps would affect the Princess.
More than once as they strode slowly about the yard, flanked by all four guards, it seemed as if the royal was going to tip over, but Francois was always quick to steady her with a smile. “Easy…” he’d whisper, somewhere close to her ear. Sometimes he’d give a light laugh. “You’re doing great.”