As the King and Asher stood before the portrait of the late Adalier Padillia, the previous king, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension. The King's voice quivered as he struggled to find the right words, his mind clouded with a sense of unease. He had a question burning within him, one that he knew he had to ask, but he didn't know how to go about it.
"You... um, you two are not related by blood, are you?" The words finally escaped the King's lips, the question hanging heavily in the air.
Asher responded with a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood. "What gave you that idea? No, Papia is not my daughter by blood, but I love her just as if she were." The words sounded convincing, but the King felt a twinge of sadness as if in his heart he knew that it was a lie.
In Papia's mind, she was cursing Asher, so convincingly lying to the king that just for a moment, she even believed what he was saying, having to remind herself again that he was lying through his teeth.
Trying to dig deeper, the King inquired, "And does she have a mother?"
Asher laughed nervously, "Not yet, my lord, not yet. You see, for an elf, I am still very young, but we choose a partner for life, and I want to spend my time with someone who complements me, and who I can also complement."
As Asher's eyes locked onto Papia's, the King, once again, felt a pang of sorrow. He could sense that there was something deeper going on beneath the surface, something that Asher was unwilling to reveal.
"But my peers do not understand this," Asher continued, his voice heavy with emotion. "They think that I am much too late in choosing a mate, but choosing one for the sake of having chosen someone makes it feel lesser; makes me feel like it would make a mockery of the whole process. I hope you can understand my feelings in that regard, King Padillia."
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"I- uh, of course. As a single father, I can imagine the sort of difficulties you face in finding someone suitable for you and your daughter. I, myself, have been in a similar situation. My wife- my first wife, Patronilla, I loved her very much, but after delivering my son, Willibard, thirteen years ago, she departed from this world. To my great shame, I must admit that I spent years in grief and wallow."
"This reminds me of something," Asher said off-handedly.
As they continued to talk, it became apparent that both men had experienced great losses in their lives. The King had lost his first wife, Patronilla, and Asher had seen many relationships crumble under loss. The pain of their respective losses weighed heavily on them, and the conversation took on a somber tone.
Asher seemed to sense the King's sorrow, and he spoke again. "Loss is an ugly thing," he said. "It has the capacity to destroy us and everything we once were. I have seen it firsthand, a father and daughter who drifted so far apart that when one was ready to reconnect, it had been far too late. I am overjoyed that you have found someone who anchors you so that you have not drowned in it."
The weight of Asher's words hung in the air like a heavy fog as the two men tried to come to terms with their respective losses. It was clear that the topic was deeply personal for both of them, and the sadness was palpable.
To put an end to the awkwardness, the King ordered two servants to lead them to their rooms. As they made their way down the hall, the sun began to set, casting a somber light over the castle. It was a fitting end to a conversation that had left both men feeling raw and exposed.
As they parted ways, the King couldn't help but think about the powerful connection he had felt with Asher. Despite their different backgrounds and experiences, they had found common ground in their shared grief and loss. It was a poignant reminder that, no matter who we are or where we come from, we all face the same struggles and challenges in life.