Family Time

[Matthias Thorne]

It was not often the man was home at normal hours of the day. As a general of one of Tresteria's armies, Matthias Thorne was a very popular man. Not always in positive ways, but he was kept busy regardless. Most of his time he spent with people, talking, training, collecting reports from soldiers, officers, nobles and the like. He also spent a fair amount of time at the military isle and at the castle, keeping up to date with news.

Matthias would not go so far as to say he was friends with the previous monarch. One was not friends with such a being. Instead, he was a supporter. An avid one. There were however a few topics he had come to distance himself from over the years. Still, the rumors of the king's death had staggered him. The truth of it...or at least the truth that was released...it had still been a lot. More out of obligation, he had offered himself as regent, being that the young King needed one. But Matthias wasn't sute where those discussions would go. There was plenty of the royal family in position to take the reigns. Still, he was committed to serving his country and while not overtly ambitious, putting his name out there made sense.

Of course, there was Rylan and Arielle Thorne to consider. And he did like being home.

He was sitting on the terrace of their large home, having a drink because he was tired and needed to relax after a long day. But not too long, this time. Rylan wasn't used to having his father home and while Matthias didn't often play with his son, the boy was adamant this afternoon that his father be included. The toddler was set on bringing him his entire collection of toys.

"You have quite the armory, Rylan," he teased, looking over the collection of wooden weaponry (swords and bows and arrows) and horse figures. Soldier figurines too, as well as capes and boots. Quite literally an armory. "Those are mine," he said to the boys latest acquisition, one of his own boots. Actually, the other one was his too. Huh.

"My army," the boy insisted.

"And you're the General?"

"Yes. Like father," Rylan agreed, stumbling through the word 'father' but Matthias knew what he meant. He surveyed his collection and then looked at Matthias' boots and pointed. "Mine?" At least it was a question.

"I need these. It's cold outside."

The boy made a face. "No it's not!" He finally decided and pointed again.

Matthias snorted and took another drink. "How about...I enlist in your army. Can I keep my boots then, General?"

Rylan grinned, overjoyed, his face flushed from the cold and excitement. It was what he wanted to hear of course. "My army," he repeated.

"Yessir," Matthias smiled.

[Arielle Thorne]

Arielle was used to being alone most of the time, and while part of her liked that, she also found herself missing Matthias when he was gone. It was one of those things that you appreciated when it was away. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her husband- she just never imagined her life this way. Something was missing from it, and she never felt she could truly tell him that. She was truly happy.

Matthias was home today and he had gone outside to play with their son. It left the house quiet inside, and still, with her whole family present and close by, she felt lonely. She had been unable to shake that feeling for quite some time now and yet, couldn’t exactly explain or figure out why.

One of their servants found Arielle as she stood by a window staring out into nothingness as she was deep in her thoughts. They informed her that dinner was ready and she nodded, offering a small smile. “Right. Thank you.”

She glanced back out the window for a moment before pushing away from it and moving to the door that led out to the terrace where her two men were. Slowly, she opened the door and stepped out, immediately wrapping her arms around herself in attempts to block out the cold. At seeing Rylan playing and speaking to his father about having an army, Arielle couldn’t stop the wide grin that formed on her lips and she rolled her eyes giving Matthias a look as if she were questioning him if he were serious. Yes, he probably was. She moved over towards her husband and stood behind him, leaning down to wrap her arms around his shoulders and clasping her hands at his chest. She kissed his cheek before whispering into his ear. “Dinner is ready if you two would like to come back inside.”

Arielle stood straight again and moved around the chair to where Rylan was and she crouched down to his height. “My dear boy… You wouldn’t want to leave your mother to go join an army, so soon, would you? Then I would have to miss both of my favorite boys.”

[Matthias Thorne]

It wasn't often Matthias was home for dinner. Or days sometimes. He did generally sleep in his own bed with his wife but he was gone sun up to sun down on those days. Not to mention there were just as many days in the past when he was on the road. He enjoyed working more than he did being home but that was not to say he did not love his family. He always missed Arielle and Rylan.

He wasn't so much playing as observing and offering structured commentary. Matthias glanced up at the footsteps and smiled at his wife. Oh, he doubted the boy was serious. He hardly knew what any of those words meant but had heard them many times.

When Arielle wrapped her arms around him, he absently reached a hand up to caress her arm gently. "Ah, good," he said quietly. "It is a bit cold."

"No!" The boy smiled suddenly. Just because he wanted to insist it was not cold did not make it so.

"Don't you want to eat?" He asked, slightly amused. He finished his drink before he stood. "I think you have quite a while before anything like that," he affirmed. As much as he liked the idea of his son following in his footsteps, there was plenty of time. Favorite boys, huh? He smiled slightly.

[Arielle Thorne]

Arielle breathed a small laugh at Matthias’ admitting it was cold. She leaned in closer and spoke quietly into his ear, her voice gave away the smile that played on her lips. “Then why are you out here, am I that intolerable you don’t wish to be inside with me?”

She laughed quietly at Rylan’s insistence that it wasn’t cold. “We are having your favorite!” She chimed in after Matthias asked the boy if he wanted to eat.

“Choc!?” Arielle laughed and shook her head. “No--not chocolate, silly. Maybe for dessert if you eat all of your dinner.”

“Okay!” Rylan quickly got up, leaving his toys behind as he ran into the house. Arielle shook her head, a grin on her face as she remained crouched down, picking up the toys before she stood. Bright blue eyes glanced at her husband and she smiled at him. “What?” She smirked and tilted her chin in a gesture towards his own smile.

It wasn’t often that Matthias was joining them for dinner and it was a nice change for once. “I’m afraid dinner won’t be that same delicious gruel you eat over on Militare Island.” She smirked, her voice filled with sarcasm.

[Matthias Thorne]

"'Intolerable?'" he scoffed. "Darling, Rylan quite literally had to drag me out here away from your company," he teased. While their son had tugged him by the hand or sleeve or pants until he agreed, the man hadn't minded taking a moment for a drink. "Besides," he added quietly with a hint of a smile, "Someone has an earlier bedtime than you do and I owe you both attention."

Matthias did not know what his son's favorite was, though the notion didn't bother him too much. While he certainly made an effort to know some things, other things, such as the topic of food, didn't concern the military man. He did appreciate that Arielle knew these things however. Not to say that raising children was her sole purpose (they had staff for that, she could occupy her time in other ways) but it certainly wasn't his. He smiled at her smirk as he stood from the table and finished his drink. "I can't like looking at my radiant wife?" he said, reaching out to taker her arm in his and lead the way after their son and toward the dining room.

He wouldn't call the food on the island 'gruel' exactly, though it was fair to say the drinks were a lot more palatable than the food. Arielle was right, of course, their own cook's offerings were much easier on the eyes and stomach. "I suspect I will manage."

[Arielle Thorne]

The grin remained on Arielle’s lips as Matthius tried to explain his way out of making her feel intolerable by leaving her alone in the house, despite her joking nature. She enjoyed that he answered her as if she hadn’t been joking. It at least convinced her that she really wasn’t the reason her two men ditched her.

She laughed softly and nodded. “Oh--didn’t you know?” She looked at him with a more serious expression, though it was easy enough to tell in her sarcastic tone, that she was still teasing.
“I started going to bed much earlier than Rylan does, now. He usually keeps himself occupied drinking all of your alcohol and playing with your swords and knives.” Her grin grew a bit more and she bit down on her lower lip, trying to force herself to keep her smile at bay if just to try and appear like she wasn’t kidding.

At his complimented question, Arielle playfully rolled her eyes at him. “Radiant, hmm?” She gave him a questioning glance, “What do you want? Flattery won’t get you anywhere, sir.” Arielle laughed and shook her head, placing a hand on his shoulder just before he took her arm and led her into the dining room.

The table was filled with roasted chicken, various vegetables, and an entire feast to go along with it all. Rylan was already seated at the table, with a servant helping to fill his plate and were urging him to eat. She took a seat next to him and began to place food on her own plate.

“So, dear husband of mine…” There was curiosity in her tone, “How long do we get to keep you for now?”

[Matthias Thorne]

This one he understood to be a joke. He also didn't find it very funny. The notion of his son, young or not, drinking and playing with weapons didn't frustrate him nearly so much as the idea he would not be getting any attention. But watching Arielle's poor attempts to bite back a smile meant he wasn't really upset anymore than she was really serious.

Matthias snorted softly. "Well, considering he has all his fingers, he must be quite proficient. Perhaps he should start training soon."

He was pretty sure flattery could get him somewhere, just not on its own of course. "I didn't say I wanted anything," he said evasively with a smile. "I missed you," he added. And he meant it. While he certainly liked his work, it was nice to come home sometimes.

He settled at the head of the table and served himself. It was a little uncouth, but he'd spent enough time in the army that waiting to be served was tedious and annoying and he could very well get what he wanted. He did wave a servant over to pour him another drink. Just one more, with dinner, shouldn't be a problem. "A few days. But I have a meeting in the county with Lord Farthings about some horses tomorrow, so I expect you won't see me until the next day. Unless you'd perhaps like to make a trip out of it?" Not that he imagined Arielle all that interested in horses, it could be a nice way to get away from the manor.

[Arielle Thorne]

Arielle knew her husband would not be amused by her little joke--perhaps it was why she made it if just to get a rise out of him, to challenge him. She had never been the type of woman to be fake and accommodating to any man. She tried to be herself and not let anyone control her. It had gotten her into so much trouble in earlier years, of which Matthius had come to her rescue. She appreciated him, to say the least.

She grinned at his counter and nodded, playing along with him. “Oh, quite proficient. You would be proud, for sure.” Arielle laughed softly and nudged Matthius in the shoulder playfully.

But her grin slowly faded to a more serious smile and her tone lost its playfulness and became more genuine. “I’ve missed you too. Happy to have you home.”

She was starving and the food smelled and looked amazing. After she filled her plate with the food she wanted, and the servant filled her glass with wine, she watched as her husband filled his own plate and silently waited until he was done serving himself and was answering her question before she picked up her fork and began to eat.

He would only be home for a few days. Arielle fought the urge to frown as he admitted one of those days, he would still be away. Typical. But when he was inviting her, she perked up a bit and smiled only briefly, as if not to appear too anxious. She took a bite of a roll and pretended to think and consider the idea before finally nodding. “That sounds like a lovely idea… If you would like to have us along.” She turned her attention to Rylan and leaned forward as if telling him a secret. “What do you think, love? Would you like to go with your father to see the horses?”

Rylan’s eyes lit up and he screeched in excitement. “YES PLEASE!” He shouted a little too loudly and the servant quickly shushed him. Arielle laughed and sat straight in her chair again, glancing back at her husband, her smile wide and devious. She took another bite of her food, an innocent look on her face. “I suppose you are stuck with us now.”

[Matthias Thorne]

Arielle wielded her personality like a sharp blade. It was equally endearing as it was frustrating. At the moment, after being away from home, it was more the later. Matthias very much preferred his wife the way she was, bold and unwilling to be shackled to anything or by anyone. But he also would sometimes like to just be able to come home and have a simple conversation with his wife where neither of them tried to get a rise out of the other. Which he supposed was being rather rude and sexist of him. Perhaps he was just tired.

He softened his weary expression with a genuine smile of his own when she returned his sentiment about missing him.

Matthias had hardly any idea what his wife did while he was away. He imagined she spent some of it with Rylan, some of it directing the staff about the home, and the majority of it out with her sisters and peers. Certainly he didn't imagine she was bored without him. A bit lonely perhaps, just as he was without her, but not so desperate that she didn't have a schedule to fit him into. As such, her pause to think seemed quite reasonably believable.

Us. Matthias glanced at Rylan. He hadn't explicitly said he was only inviting Arielle and not their son, thinking it could be a bit more...intimate of a time away from the home. But neither was he opposed to spending time as a family. It simply had not been what he intended. But seeing the way his wife spoke about it and encouraged their son, and then Rylan's...enthusiastic reply, he couldn't very well back track from where the conversation had gone. He even smiled rather than chide his son for poor behavior. "I believe I am 'stuck' with the pair of you for quite a while," he suggested. "Luckily I like both of you." Intentionally using such a vague and simple term as 'like.' "Enough to spend a few hours in a carriage with the both of you," he added.

He focused most of his attention after that on eating, more than pleased with the meal and happy to enjoy it without feeling the need to rush or entertain various other nobles during the meal. It helped too that he had had a few drinks and was tired already that starting conversation seemed a larger task than usual, but he was happy enough in present company.