"I suppose you're right about that. It's a good thing to show what you cherish, what good is locking or hiding something away that you cherish and are proud of. No good, that's what." Fredric grins at her comment about his preparation, he's glad she's noticed and he bows his head, grinning. "Well Sidonie, perhaps I was hoping that you would come early so I hedged all of my bets and threw caution and, "He straightens up mimicking a well known stuffy courtier, "proper conduct to the wind." He catches her eyes with his own, the dark green irises streaked with red. The green almost glows as he smiles, looking away and out the window as well.
"The Healieicorp is a rare sight. It's very uncommon to see one anywhere in my lands, they normally like the Marshes, deep in the foggy depths, to see one is considered to be good luck, for if you escape fortune has already blessed you." Her contact isn't lost on him and he puts his hand on her back, careful of the wings, pointing to the meal in progress. "The poor cow was mismatched from the beginning. But I'm sure the Healieicorp has younglings nearby, so the circle of life will continue, yes?" Speaking of wings, his own are very relaxed, where at court, they were often very rigid and the red timps crimson, they're relaxed gently waving in the currents of warm air, the muted blues more vibrant, sparkling in the sunlight filtering in through the windows, the tips are a lighter red, nearly pinkish.
She catches another smile with her last comment on what's inside, a considerate smile that lingers as his eyes wander her face, taking in the beauty and eagerness displayed. He nods in response. "What's inside is all that matters to me Sidonie. The outside is too often just a facade." The Fall river flows below them, large chunks of ice free floating in the currents, flat bottomed barges dodge the chunks, loaded heavily causing them to float low in the water as they make their way to or from the capital. He points to the far east, where the tundra suddenly disappears and a huge cloud of mist rises above the plane. At the end of the river is a large canyon jutting inland from the cliff side, the river flowing over the edge, down into the nothingness beyond. Overlooking the edge is an ancient castle, lying in near ruin with a large lighttower reaching into a sky, at the top is a huge torchfire, blackening the rock at the top of the tower. At the base of the castle are a multitude of docks, last stop on the river before it careens over the cliffside. "This is the Tear, this is what I wanted to show you. The End of the earth. Only Dragons can breach that mist." True to his word, snow lies thick on the ground, except for the roads trailing to the north and another crossing a repaired stone bridge over the river to the west.