80th of Ashan, 717
Almost to the door, Celeste's words slowed him down and he paused to turn to her, smiling sadly at her admission to wanting to start a family she had always yearned to be apart of. The words struck him so soundly, he was frozen in place. More than most, Andraska understood, and had done nothing but aim to bring that change within the Venora line himself. He had craved the fall of his father – his demise; trained for it – and with the change in Alistair's heart, had hoped that he could have brought Zvezdana home. So they could heal and one day... be happy. Together.Andras thought of Alzorn, waiting for him in Sabaissant and the challenges his family might face. And then he watched Celeste, how thoughtful and comforting she had been. How genuine. A breath of fresh air that had been denied to his own line and when she talked of Alis, he almost openly disagreed.
Alistair... lesser than him? That was a good joke, but her eyes were earnest. Even though she might be the only person to feel that way, he wanted to believe it. He yearned to hear that perhaps he wasn't at the bottom of his sibling's shoe – always beneath him, always his baby brother, never his equal.
'I wouldn't have left you.' he almost admitted, growing more and more frustrated with his brother the more he learned of Celeste Andaris. True, Alis deserved happiness, but couldn't he marry and still find it? After all, Andras had agreed to meet with Olivia, a prospect - the least his brother could have done was get to know his fiance a bit more. Andráska couldn't help but wonder... if Celeste had spent a season or two in Venora, would things have turned out the same?
The dark haired woman was in front of him, teasing him and poking her tongue out even in her condition, and he felt that same swell of loyalty rise within him. He had finally found another person to trust – and he wanted to protect that at all cost. Having good people surrounding you as a noble was a fragile thing, and he shifted his feet, looking to the floor. Such a boyish thing to do, so innocent in that moment, that when she insisted he stayed, he smiled. It was fleeting, his eyes lighting up for only a few ticks before he acquiesced, “Yes,” he said softly, a slip of pink tongue peeking through his lips as he returned the teasing gesture.
"I think we both feel better for being together, don't we?"
“Yes, we do.”
