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Fantasy Draconic Disagreements

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Warmth. Comfortable, blissful warmth. If her head hadn't been pounding she might have laid in bed forever. Dahlia frowned to herself trying to will herself back to sleep since the hangover from drinking yesterday might fade away if she was able to fall back to sleep. The throbbing pain that matched her heartbeat was too much though and Dahlia gave up after five minutes to try and force herself to slumber longer.

She sighed and began to stretch out her limbs and then halted. What was she sleeping on that was so damn warm and firm? Her hand glided over Thane's torso as she groggily tried to figure out what she had slept on. As more of her senses awoke she breathed in a familiar scent and her eyes snapped open. She was laying partly on Thane!

In a swift movement she scrambled away from him grabbing a pillow and began to thoroughly smack Thane with it over and over. "Why are you in my bed?!" she shouted, still not aware that she was the offender who had violated Thane's space and curled up against him, not that he had snuck into her bed while she was drunk. She continued to smack him with the pillow until her eyes caught the color of the pillow... it wasn't the color of the ones on her bed.

Her attack on Thane stopped and her face went pale as she stared at the pillow. Then her eyes went to the bed sheets. Wrong color. The bed posts. All wrong. Dahlia quickly released the pillow in shock then her eyes darted to Thane and all she could do for a moment was stare at him in complete and utter mortification before she scrambled away from him and tumbled off the bed and onto the floor with a yelp.

Why was she in his bed?! Wait... just because she was in his bed doesn't mean she was at fault, he could have put her there for all she knew! So she got up on her feet and her expression was a mixture of confusion and anger. "Y-You!" She said pointing at him and clearly struggling to speak what her jumbled mind wanted her to spit out. "Y-You put me in your bed?!"
 
Fable Fable

Warm and pleasant dreams. Thane could not recall the last time he had slept so well. None of the nightmares, none of the panic, no waking in the dead of night with a pounding heart and painful ache along the length of his scar. Just… sleep. Even as he drifted along on a wave of pleasant and mundane dreams, the conscious part of his mind was aware of the reprieve he was receiving and agreed with the rest of him that they should enjoy this as long as possible. Too long, as it turned out.

A Warlord was supposed to wake at the drop of a hat, out of necessity if nothing else. But there was something about the soft and unthreatening quality of the pillow being smacked against him that did not drag Thane from sleep as sharply as he would have expected. Perhaps it was his body protesting against leaving this newly discovered state of true restfulness, but for whatever reason it was only when she began shouting and then fell off the bed that he properly woke.

Yawning widely, Thane began to sit up, rubbing at his eyes and blinking in confusion. Dahlia was standing beside his bed, finger pointed at him accusingly and expression twisted into a mixture of rage and confusion. He couldn’t really blame her, drunk as she’d been it was a wonder, she’d been able to puzzle through it as quickly as she had.

His eyes landed on the pillow thrown haphazardly on his bed and he picked it up, examining it with a frown. “Did you hit me with the pillow?” that would explain what had woken him up, though the thought of her smacking him with it was amusing. He almost cracked a joke about her finding better ways to wake him but thought better of it… even if only because her expression made him feel the slightest bit of sympathy.

Sitting up against the backboard of the bed (though making no move to actually get up), he sighed and began tugging his fingers through the long, tangled locks of his hair. “If you don’t want to end up in my bed, you probably shouldn’t get so drunk,” his tone was gently chiding. “Then again, that was the best sleep I’ve had in decades, so perhaps I should encourage you to drink more,” a small smile rose at that thought but faded eventually and he sighed, leaning his head with a thud against the backboard. “You were already curled around me when I woke in the middle of the night,” he shot her a quick glance out of the side of his eyes, “I didn’t do anything to you if that’s what you’re worried about… well, save for holding you in turn I suppose. But you were the one to drape yourself over me in the first place.” The smile returned, softening his face, “Not that I minded.”
 

Thane's lack of proper fear and guilt only increased her ire. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world as he sat up against the headboard asking if she had hit him with the pillow. Dahlia remained planted on her feet angrily staring down at Thane even as he stated that she shouldn't get drunk if she didn't want to end up in his bed. The muscles in her body tensed and relaxed and tensed again as she nearly tackled the offensive male who was casually lounging in the bed without a care. He even went so far as to joke he should encourage her to drink more if it meant she'd end up in the same situation with a smile!

Just as she was about to lunge at him and grab his horns and beat his head against the headboard, just as she took the first step of her lunge he spoke again saying he was woken up by her curling around him in the middle of the night. She staggered as she moved to stop herself because literally throwing herself at him was a bad idea, very bad idea! He was saying she had been the one to drape herself over him in the first place and then clearly said he hadn't minded.

Dahlia lost her balance and fell forward onto the bed with a thump, catching herself with her arms and quickly getting back up. "Y-You," she began again, pointing once more still clearly upset and blushing deeply. "You should have just put me back in my own bed! I-Instead you... you..."

She couldn't even say that he had been holding her because in the back of her mind she knew when she had awoken she had found herself very comfortable resting that way. At least until she realized where she was and thought he had taken advantage of her.

Her hand found another pillow and she chucked it at his smiling face angrily and then stormed out of his room and into her own, slamming the door violently behind her. Her chested heaved and her heart pounded as she leaned her back against the door and glared angrily at the floor. That stupid visit had been so awful that she had decided to drink to avoid conversation and to also try and relieve the edge of anxiousness that had haunted her the entire day with the two princes.

The pounding of her heart only made her monstrous hangover even worse and she had to close her eyes. The adrenaline coursing through her was wearing off and so the headache was increasing every pulse. She didn't know how long she had stayed here as there came a small knock as Ilia called out to let her in, offering a remedy to soothe the hangover. Dahlia opened the door and literally yanked Ilia inside before slamming it closed once again.

Ilia had brought her some juice, tea, toast and a banana. "After you finish all this you should try and eat some breakfast if you feel well enough," Ilia suggested as she set down the food items on a small table. Breakfast. Nope! Because that meant she'd have to face Thane and she was not in the mood for that. She sat down at the small table and stopped herself from chugging down the sweet juice. Ilia remained in the room with her though at Dahlia's insistence.

Once she had finished and llia moved to clean up and leave the room Dahlia tugged on Ilia's sleeve. She had nearly used the woman as a messenger, but Ilia didn't deserve to be dragged into the middle of the mess between herself and Thane. So she released her grip and let Ilia be on her way. Dahlia paced her bedroom in her chemise, still having not changed into an outfit for the day. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was frowning.

Internally she was at war with herself. They were mates so it wasn't like such a thing was uncommon yet they also weren't actually mates so it was inappropriate. He should have just taken her to her room when he realized she had wandered into his bed by mistake. In a way that made her feel he had taken advantage of her vulnerable state. If she was going to... to... cuddle with him she at least should be aware she was doing such a thing!

She let out a low growl of frustration and sat at the small desk and began to scribble down a note. She folded it over and then shoved it under her door and then stared at the gap between the floor and the door.

YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST PUT ME BACK IN MY BED!
Would you want to wake up in the bed of someone and not remember how you got there or what happened while you were there?
Yes, it's my fault if I crawled there in the first place, but being drunk and left there feels like I was taken advantage of.

YOU EVEN MADE JOKES!​
 
Fable Fable

Was this the most flustered and upset he’d seen her? Quite possibly. At the very least it was the most discomfited she’d been since he had agreed to pursue a proper courtship with her, and his smile faltered at the look of rage and upset on her face. She staggered towards him and fell onto the bed, but the helping hands that Thane began to offer went unneeded and unasked for as she quickly bounced back upright.

Even with the explanation her mood did not improve. The finger she pointed at him, even as she blushed deeply, and the stammered insistence that he ought to have carried her back to her own bed only made his smile begin to waver more.

The pillow she threw at him, not even permitting him to answer her accusations, wiped the expression away entirely. By the time he’d batted the pillow away, her door was already slamming shut and wordlessly Thane stared after where she had disappeared. What in seven hells had just happened?

Baffled, the Warlord sat enthroned by his blankets until Ilia and Roarke entered to tend to their respective masters. Roarke turned a puzzled eye onto Thane while Ilia kept her gaze expertly averted and went to Dahlia’s door instead. Thane ignored his manservant and focused on Dahlia’s door, hoping that when she opened it, he might catch her eye and try speaking with her. No such luck. Perhaps anticipating this, his mate dragged Ilia into her room through a gap barely large enough to admit her and slammed it shut again.

Sighing, Thane turned to Roarke.

“Courtship not going well?” the manservant said sympathetically as he laid out breakfast, though there wasn’t any real surprise in his voice which peeved the Warlord.

“Actually, she crawled into my bed last night and fell asleep against me,” Thane snapped back, “Now she’s furious that I chose to keep her there instead of carrying her back to her own bed.” Ordinarily this was not something he would have shared with Roarke, but Thane was so entirely baffled that he welcomed any advice.

“Ah. Females are difficult,” Roarke’s gaze shifted to Dahlia’s door though somehow Thane didn’t think he had Dahlia in mind while he said it. “Well, good luck with her.” He had finished laying out clothes and now turned to exit. Thane stared at him, mouth falling open in disbelief. His manservant usually gave his opinion whether it was wanted or not, but now he suddenly had no advice to give? Any protest died a quick death as Roarke finished his escape and Thane was left to scowl at the closed door.

Before long, Ilia left Dahlia’s room in turn but neither looked at him nor offered any message. Dahlia did not appear either and so Thane sighed loudly and finally pulled himself out of bed, tugging on his clothes and glancing at the prepared breakfast table. Their food was getting cold… surely Dahlia could be coaxed out for breakfast if nothing else?

After a moment’s hesitation he paced to her door, but his fist paused above the wood as he observed a neatly folded note sitting just outside the gap between floor and door. Frowning, Thane stooped to pick it up and carefully unfolded it, eyes scanning the page.

He scowled at what she’d written, shaking his head mutely to himself before striding over to his writing desk. In neat and handsomely penned cursive he wrote his reply and then stepped stiffly over to her door, shoving it underneath and standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

If it were your bed then I would not care. Clearly you think very poorly of me to imagine I would have taken advantage of you. Why should I wake you and drag you to your bed in the middle of the night anyways? You’d have been even more disoriented and angry. Besides, we’re mates aren’t we? It isn’t like I did anything to you. You’re being ridiculous.​
​
Also, breakfast is getting cold.​
 

Dahlia stared down as Thane's written reply slid under her door. She angrily snatched it and her eyes darted over the words. Her body grew tense with a growing fury and her hand shook slightly in effort to keep herself from ripping the note, opening the door and punching Thane's face. She inhaled a shaky breath and stormed over to her desk and wrote out her reply before shoving it under her door once again.

You are so fucking obtuse!

I'm not going to spell it out for you this time. Until you actually manage to be bothered to try and understand I do not want to speak nor see you. I will not take any meals with you.

Don't you have some place else to be?​

She took a large decorative pillow from her bed and shoved it against the base of the door to block any further notes to be passed by him into her room. If he tried to shove a note under it would halt in its track unless he practically forced it manually under the door and pillow. Dahlia would ignore it of course if he did this and wait until she heard his heavy steps walking away followed by a long period of silence.

There she sat on her bed with a burning stare at her door as she waited for Thane to leave and spend his day doing what Warlords did. Even when she was certain he had left she remained a bit longer, at least until Ilia knocked on the door and told her Thane had left for the day. Dahlia would let Ilia in and finally get dressed in a casually burgundy dress. Her hangover was still there even as she had finished what Ilia had brought her earlier and it had served her just fine as breakfast.

With the seething anger still within her she didn't want to stay cooped inside the estate. She made sure to spend the day outside. First she brushed Levent and spoiled the horses with treats of carrots and apples. Dahlia spent her time not riding Levent but practiced mounting without using the mounting block to learn the best method for her to mount and dismount. She didn't care that she wasn't exactly dressed in the correct attire. Maddock had seen her sour expression and steered clear of her unless she shouted for him.

Dahlia returned to eat lunch and Greta thankfully neither mentioned nor inquired what exactly had happened to cause her and Thane's mood. Once she was done eating she returned to the barn and stables and went right back to practicing until she was physically exhausted and sweaty. She didn't know when Thane would return home exactly and she still didn't want to see him. The problem was having a room connected to his and a shared bathroom. There was a high risk she'd encounter him in his own quarters.

There was a small sigh has her in her tired state her frustration and anger faded slightly. She was still upset with him, mostly for his lack of understanding of the line he had crossed and how it felt like he brushed things aside simply because they were legally viewed as mates.

Besides, we’re mates aren’t we?

The line from his note flashed in her mind and she frowned as she removed Levent's saddle. To Dahlia they weren't mates, not really. This was just them both stumbling, blindly trying to navigate courtship; a practice that had died out ages ago. Her gaze flicked over to the estate as the sun began to set over the horizon. Part of her was tempted to just spend the night in the barn nestled in the hay. It wouldn't exactly be the first time she'd slept in such a place.

With great hesitation she made her way back to the estate, though she took her sweet time in doing so. She made her way through the servants entrance into the kitchen to quickly eat dinner.
Greta wouldn't let her starve even if Thane had a rule that Dahlia was required to eat meals with him. She had decided on her way back from the barns to just use one of the many empty guest rooms. She had drawn her line in her last note. He needed to reflect on her words and try to understand on his own why what he had done had upset her.

Thane could always hunt her down and confront her that way of course. She wasn't sure how likely that actually was though she assume it might be high since he didn't seem like the kind of person who would take being told 'no' with any sort of grace. He barked out orders to his men and they probably followed without question or objection.

Dahlia and Ilia found a room and Dahlia soaked in the normal sized tub and tried not to think about Thane or what had happened last night which led to this morning. Of course that never worked out because by trying to avoid it her brain only made her focus on it more. It wasn't that the feeling of being curled up against him was unpleasant, it was just that he took advantage of her drunk state. She wouldn't want Thane to drunkenly cuddle with her because he wouldn't be aware he was doing so. If she was going to cuddle with him then she would do it with complete awareness of her own actions and desires in wanting to do so.

Ilia had grabbed some clothes from Dahlia's room and Dahlia changed into a fresh chemise and curled into the foreign bed. She was so tired by this point she fell asleep relatively quickly. And this was how she was going to spend her days; avoiding Thane until something clicked in his brain and he managed to even fractionally understand.
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

The Warlord stared down at the note in his hands for a long time. The feelings they evoked were complicated, but it boiled down to a hollow and angry pit that yawned wide in his chest. The mere thought that she felt taken advantage of was so unbelievably unfair. Hadn’t he been the one whose bed had been invaded? And yet she somehow had expected him to wake up and carry her off to her own bed? He had done nothing save keep her secure in his arms and she treated him like a villain.

Well, so be it. She was right on only one count, he did have places to be.

Crumpling up the note, Thane tossed it in a wastepaper basket, grabbed his cloak, and was gone.

Laleia waited for him in the stables, fully tacked up. He had snatched up his lunch, muttered a farewell to Greta, and hurried to the barn in such a maelstrom of emotion that he hadn’t even remembered breakfast. The servants he encountered, Greta especially, knew that something was wrong, but none were foolish enough to ask.

He had ridden his mare hard to the nearest garrison of his men. Greeted with salutes and dancing eyes as they looked him over for signs of a fulfilling honeymoon. They found none. If anything, Thane seemed more miserable and withdrawn than he had before. Some chalked it up to him being morose over being parted from his mate so quickly, but others wondered if there was something else afoot. In the end, the reason didn’t matter. What did was the fact that he harnessed all his frustrations and unleashed it onto them.

By day’s end many were bloody, all were weary, and all of them desperately hoped that a night at home would improve his spirits come morning. Otherwise… well, they would rather not think about the alternative.

They were doomed to be disappointed.

Part of Thane had hoped that upon his return she would have calmed down and they could at least talk about it, but it seemed that Dahlia was making good on her threat. She did not join when dinner was brought, nor did she return to their rooms. The Warlord left his plate untouched on the table, a part of him still hoping she'd appear at some later point. He stayed up for a long while, sitting stiff and tense in his armchair, trying not to watch the door but she never appeared. Eventually, Roarke came and murmured that she had taken up residence in one of the guest bedrooms. So, she had meant it.

He told himself that this decision of hers didn’t hurt, even though he knew that to be a lie. Thane almost stormed off to confront her, to demand she at least honour her part of the bargain and eat with him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Having to sit across from her while she glared at him was just… too much. Besides, he was not about to go crawling to her like some worm, begging for forgiveness when he didn’t believe he had done anything wrong.

Still, sitting alone at the table in his room late that night with a single plate set before him—which had never previously bothered him—felt suddenly awful. It left him with an overwhelming sense of malaise to the point that he barely even picked at his meal. In the end he had to abandon it, shoving the plate away with a sigh and stalking off to the baths where he sat long into the night until he was halfway to becoming a prune.

In the end, he collapsed into an exhausted heap on his bed… though even here he found no real comfort or rest. Now, it reminded him of the previous night and how warmly and sweetly Dahlia had fit into his arms. How deeply and well he had slept. A memory that quickly was becoming painful though he was powerless to push it away.

The few snatches of sleep he managed to gain were not enough to function very well but considering how ruinous every other part of his life felt at the moment, Thane moodily decided that this was simply par for the course.

The rest of the week passed similarly. He rose early, left quickly, and returned as late as was possible. Sleeping in his own bed proved impossible, so Thane had a futon brought in that he curled up on instead. It was not particularly comfortable but at least it didn’t make him think constantly of Dahlia, affording him a little more rest than he would have gotten otherwise. She avoided him just as handily so that he didn’t see her once in all that time.

As far as meals went… for once, Thane found that eating made him feel restless and nauseous, so he hardly touched most of his meals. It wasn’t bad enough to impair him over just one week, but it was clearly going to become a problem if it went on for much longer and no one was more aware of this than Greta. To make matters worse, the closer they came to the weekend when it was expected for him to remain home all day, the less inclined he seemed to be to so much as touch his plate.

Following his untouched dinner on Friday, Greta stared at the plate for a long moment, sighed heavily and went to find Dahlia. She carried the plate with her, feeling a touch apprehensive but also fully determined.

When she found her at last, Greta held out the plate, her lips thinned into a grim line. “I know it’s not my place. But something needs doing. The fool male isn’t eating his food and that’s going t’ be a problem before much longer. I don’t know what happened between the pair o’ you, but I aim to help get to the bottom of it.” Placing the plate down on the nearest surface, Greta crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. “What did he do?”
 

Dahlia distracted herself with learning all she could regarding proper horseback riding. She'd made quick progress since she had some basic knowledge already and just built off from that. Her mind would wander at times in regards to Thane because he hadn't even attempted to seek her out. She didn't know if that was because of stubbornness, if he was even bothering to try and understand her, or if he even cared.

An entire week had gone by with no contact.

When Friday arrived and Greta entered the room Dahlia had claimed - already having finished her own dinner - with another plate of food, the dragoness quirked a brow wondering why the elder woman was bringing another plate of food. She didn't have to wait long before Greta voiced that Thane hadn't eaten and that it was going to be a problem if he went on like this and then asked what he did exactly.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she regarded the food laden plate. Part of her wanted to be dismissive and tell Greta that Thane was perhaps trying to make her feel bad with some sort of food strike. But that's wasn't something she'd think Thane would ever do. Not with the way he ate. So Dahlia informed Greta with some reluctance about her drinking too much and in the middle of the night mistaking Thane's bed for her own and that instead of correcting the mistake he instead took advantage of her drunken state and kept her in his bed.

"I know it probably seems silly because everyone sees this mark on our necks and think it's perfectly natural. 'You're mates.' The thing is I don't consider us mates, not really. This mark right now feels more like being branded as someone's property. Waking up like that and having him just... dismiss my feelings on it because 'we're mates' was like an emotional slap. If I had woken up in the morning in my bed and he told me he had to move to back to my bed I would have just been embarrassed for my foolish drinking resulting in my mistake of using his bed. Instead he just decided to take advantage of the drunken me, the one who wasn't aware of what she was really doing."

Another long sigh. "I don't see the point in explaining to him when he just... doesn't really even try to understand." She got up and wrote a small note and handed it to Great. "It probably won't help."

If a woman who wasn't your mate drunkenly wandered into your bed, would you have let her remain there?

Just because I'm marked as your mate doesn't make our bond as though we actually are. There are still boundaries and barriers that exist between us.

Ask yourself would you prefer someone who was aware and desired to share your bed or someone who was there not by their own true will?​
​
​
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

When Greta brought him the note, Thane spent a long time simply staring at it after he had taken it from her fingers. There was a surprisingly large part of himself that did not want to open it and see what she would say. He looked haggard and felt haggard, more scathing words and anger were not things he felt equipped to handle. Still, one thing was painfully clear… he could not continue on like this. Whether the resolution to this situation severed her from him entirely or not, Thane could not handle the pain of it. Females, it seemed, were cruel. And “crushes” as Dahlia had called them, were crueller still.

With unusually clumsy fingers he unfolded the note and read. It made him sigh, eyes falling shut. The words cut, as he had expected. Thane knew that their bond was not that of what she believed ‘true’ mates to be, but evidently, he felt affection more strongly towards her than she did to him. Enough that he still saw nothing so terrible about what had happened. How that had happened and when, he was not quite sure.

The barriers and boundaries she fancied still cut them off from one another were not obstacles in his mind. Not in this case. He’d been half asleep himself! It had crossed his mind to wake her, yes, but… He shook his head and moved slowly to his writing table, spreading out a piece of paper and dipping the quill into the ink. And there, he paused. What could he even write back? This wasn’t a conversation he could easily have back and forth through notes, using Greta as some go-between. Seven hells! He was a Warlord, not a little boy! Growling, Thane put the quill down, grabbed her note, and strode towards the door. Greta had been waiting there and he thought he caught her nod approvingly as he moved past her.

The usual put-together and composed appearance that he carried was conspicuously absent. His shirt was askew, cotton pants sporting some ink blots from where he had accidentally brushed the quill against them, and the scar peeked noticeably through the excessively opened V-neck of his shirt. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was visibly tangled in places. He looked less a Warlord and more some feral creature that had been poked at one too many times with a stick.

Still, Dahlia could see none of this when he finally came to a halt in front of her door. There, he paused for a few long moments, pulling out the note and re-reading it before sucking in a breath. She was there, just on the other side of the door, he knew this and so he rapped twice on the door and began to speak before she could open it. She’d be able to hear him, and he didn’t feel prepared to face her directly yet.

“My intention was not to take advantage of you or make you feel that way,” he said, his voice a low growl though earnest. “I was half asleep myself and didn’t know what to do. Yes, it might have been selfish,” he closed his eyes, struggling mightily with his own pride. “But can you really blame me? Had I never woken after you crawled into my bed nothing would have changed about what happened. Would you still hate me then?” It was dangerous to say more, he knew, but Thane couldn’t bring himself to lie, “I’m not going to pretend I regret it,” he said, low in his throat, “But I am sorry that it distressed you so… and obviously I would have preferred if you’d come to me willingly and knowing.” He clicked his tongue softly and shook his head, feeling foolish. “I’ll leave you be now.” And so, he turned to walk back to his empty room.
 

Dahlia had stared at her door for a few long minutes after Greta had left. She didn't know what Thane would think or how his reaction to her note would be this time. Eventually she turned her attention to approach one of the large windows and stare outside. She wondered if Thane would send a note back, come confront her himself, or just completely ignore her. Dahlia wasn't going to stay up all night waiting for him and so she didn't built up and expectations at all, though that was easier said than done as she had an urge to pace and glance at her door as though she could will Thane to appear.

She jolted when there were two knocks on her door. It was probably Greta, that was what she though until she heard Thane's deep voice on the other side of the door. Dahlia cautiously approached the door as she spoke to her through it. She stood there and let him speak, staring at the door handle and debating on whether or not she should open the door. It wasn't until he announced he was leaving that she impulsively opened the door and said, "Wait."

Internally she swore at herself because now she had to actually face him after a week-long avoidance campaign and she honestly had no idea what to say to him. She just didn't want him to go. As much as he had upset her, she had to use her frustration as a crutch to hold steady to her promise to not see or speak to him. In the week of making sure she wouldn't run into him she at times found herself hoping their paths would somehow cross. That they'd somehow spot each other at the barn. Even just a glance and those were the moments where she actually found she missed his presence.

"I accept my own blame for getting drunk," she began, trying to show that she didn't put everything onto him. "But you can't just... dismiss such things with a comment like 'we're mates' like it makes everything fine. It just added insult to injury."

She paused for a moment and swallowed nervously.

"I-I don't hate you. Frustrated? Oh, frequently. Shows you have a thick skull," she tried to awkwardly joke in this tense situation. "I just wish you tried to understand why it distressed me. To wake up not knowing how I got in your bed, why I was there, what had happened during that lost time. To learn that you did wake up and made a choice..."

Dahlia stopped there and half-sighed and half-groaned as she recalled the event. "You're a Warlord so I can't give a great scenario for you to compare a feeling, but just... realizing you'd left yourself vulnerable when you didn't want to."
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

He had barely managed two steps down the hall when he heard the door handle turn and she called for him to wait. Thane froze, blinking a little owlishly. It felt strange to actually hear her voice. He’d played imaginary arguments with her over and over in his head over the past week, but to finally hear her speaking to him made his heart speed up and also clench uncomfortably.

It hadn’t been hard to avoid her this week. He rose well before her and returned home exceedingly late, always making a beeline for his rooms and looking neither left nor right. Most times he assumed she was already asleep and that suited him just fine. He hadn’t anticipated running into her today either, but here they were.

Thane kept his back towards her, shoulders tense. He listened quietly as she spoke, waiting for a few seconds after the final word to make sure she was done before he turned around. He didn’t really want their first meeting in a week to be while he looked so horrendous, but this was happening, and he wasn’t going to run off just because he looked pathetic.

“I didn’t think of it that way, Dahlia,” he said quietly when he finally was facing her properly. They were still separated by a fairly large gap and he made no move to bridge the distance. “It felt… natural to me,” he let out a somewhat shaky breath and looked to the side, “It didn’t occur to me that you would find it so disorienting and upsetting come morning. I'm sorry you were hurt by my lack of comprehension.”

For a long moment, Thane thought of leaving it there, but he wanted her to understand his perspective too. “Surely, though, you can understand how your reaction made me feel? I realize you felt vulnerable and confused, truly I do, but you treated me as though I were some villain. In all the time since we’ve been mates, I have not once tried to take advantage of you—even before we came to our agreement. It showed how poorly you think of me, and I suppose that stung more than I anticipated,” his eyes wavered and looked away from hers.

“But, at least you don’t hate me,” this was muttered under his breath more than anything else and he followed it with a slightly self-conscious tug of his fingers through his hair. This failed, badly, as they met the resistance of a knot and he cursed to himself before removing his hands back to his side where they belonged.

“So, what now then?” he said, uncertainty, frustration and unpleasant vulnerability making his voice sound a touch churlish. And, as an after thought, in a soft tone, "I've... missed eating with you."
 

Thane looked... well not as well kept as he normally was. He looked more tired than normal and completely disheveled. Was this due to his work or because of the issue between them resulting her a week-long avoidance? Dahlia didn't want to assume she had such an affect on Thane, but with Greta coming to her with a barely touched plate of food with concern about Thane's health... it was hard to just dismiss her role resulting in his current state.

She stood her ground as much as part of her wanted to go back into the room and hide from a possible argument with him once again. Her heart skipped a beat and a pleasant clench pulsed from it when he said that it had felt natural to him. He apologized as well, something she hadn't expected from him at all due to her perception of him being pridefully stubborn. When he asked her if she understood how her reaction made him felt and said that she had treated him as some sort of villain weighted her with shame.

Dahlia closed her eyes and lectured herself internally. "You.. you're not a villain," she began softly and opened her eyes once again, though she was hesitant in facing him directly because of the guilt she felt for hurting him. She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat because as much as she was also stubbornly prideful, she also didn't want Thane to feel as he did. So she moved to close the gap between them and looked up at him directly into his hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said, but she wasn't sure what else to say. It seemed anything would come off as her trying to be defensive of her actions and offended at his. "To... sum up my behavior would basically be to say I, well, overreacted."

Dahlia fidgeted slightly as though the movement would relieve the anxiousness she felt. "Waking up where I was, not remembering or knowing how I got there, feeling like my worries were brushed off with an excuse... and feeling like the joke was at my expense while having my head feel like someone was slamming it against a stone over and over..."

"Not my best moment," she tried to joke weakly.

She cleared her throat and straightened up, trying to regain some self-confidence even as she admitted fault. "As for what to do now. You need to eat or Greta is going to smack me with a ladle until you do." Dahlia lifted her had slightly, paused for a moment to consider if she should or shouldn't follow through with her action, before cautiously taking Thane's hand. It gave him plenty of time to rejected the movement if he wanted to avoid it.

Holding his hand or not she'd insist he go to the kitchen to at eat something, even a small snack. Though a few steps into this mission while walking slightly ahead of Thane and not looking back at him, "I missed you as well." She didn't specify she only missed eating with him, because it wasn't just those times with him that she had missed. Just his entire lack of presence felt strange during the week.

Her cheeks heated as the blood rushed to them with her admission. Hopefully he'd not press her further on the topic, if he did she'd have to retaliate and ask him things he'd probably not want to answer in regards to this blossoming connection between them.

When the reached the kitchen Greta was still there, though it was with the intent to clean for the day. She didn't say a word to either of them as she got Thane a small snack to hold him over until breakfast, which the woman would note he'd probably eat a few servings to make up for the lack of proper nutrition. "Just clean up when you're done," she said as she took off her worn apron and hung it up, retiring for the evening and leaving Thane and Dahlia alone at the small kitchen table.
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

He was braced for her to cut into him again, to launch into some diatribe on his insensitivity and boorishness. It never came. Instead, her voice was soft as she told him he was not a villain and then closed the gap between them. Within arms reach now, Dahlia looked up into his eyes and Thane felt the full crushing weight of her absence over the past week. He had missed her. Not just at mealtimes, but through the entire day. Even at night, though they slept in separate rooms, he had grown accustomed to her nearness at least and the loneliness had gnawed at him in a way he had never anticipated. Not after so many years alone.

As she continued to speak, his shoulders began to sag, the weariness seeming to grow in proportion to his relief that she appeared to be willing to forgive him. More than that, Dahlia was apologizing in her own stead, further explaining her perspective with gentleness rather than abrasion. It made his heart pang with a mixture of guilt and warmth—both at the grace she was extending him and at his own lack of consideration for how she must have felt.

Somewhat addled from the pendulum swing of emotions, not to mention his own weariness from an exceptionally sleepless week, Thane was still trying to get his thoughts together to answer her when Dahlia decreed that they needed to start by getting him some food. This earned a low chuckle, but any response on his part vanished in shock when her small hand gently took his own.

His heart thudded uncertainly in his chest, the uneven beats flustering him into silence. Still, Thane wasn’t about to let her hand go and made no attempt to rebuff the gesture. Instead, he let her lead him, like some mute, dumb, animal, towards the kitchen—sluggish brain still struggling to catch up with how quickly things had turned around. Trying to process the fact that she was in front of him again, touching him. And then, as if that wasn’t already enough, she told him she had missed him. If his heart had been unquiet before, now it positively thundered in his ears.

Speechless, Thane gave her hand a gentle squeeze following this admission, unable to summon the right words to answer her in kind.

As they continued to walk, he blew out a soft and shaky breath, fighting to regain his bearings. She made him feel vulnerable and out of his depth. There were things he wanted to ask her, questions about what her missing him meant exactly, but he had a queasy feeling that they would earn difficult questions for him in turn and he didn’t know if he had the energy to answer what she might ask.

For the time being he was saved by Greta’s presence in the kitchen and the anticipation of a snack. The unmanly butterflies in his stomach made Thane feel as though he wouldn’t be able to eat, but as soon as the food was put in front of him, he felt an all-consuming hunger rise through him. Evidently the melancholy that had taken away his appetite during the week was lifted.

It was simply a plate of assorted sausage and ham slices, but his mouth still watered as he jabbed a fork into one and popped it into his mouth, becoming blissfully relaxed. Or at least he was, until Greta told them to clean up when they were done and left.

Thane swallowed compulsively and choked a little on a piece of sausage. It was foolishness. The pair of them had spent a great deal of time alone but after a mere week away from her he suddenly found himself feeling nervous. And severely out of his depth. Clearing his throat and doing his best to ignore the churning nervousness of his stomach, Thane rolled a slice of ham around his plate and finally summoned up the nerve to look at Dahlia.

“It might not count for much, but I promise that should you ever drunkenly end up in my bed again I’ll be sure to wake you or return you to your room myself,” his eyes shifted back down to his plate and the hand playing with the ham grew still. “Will you…” he paused, struggling to make himself say the words, tongue feeling thick and rubbery in his mouth, “Will you return to our rooms tonight?” Thane grimaced and began to tug his free hand through his hair before pausing as he remembered the knots and lowered it again. “I, ah, have gotten used to your presence I suppose, and I’ve not been sleeping well this past week.” It was a monstrous understatement, and danced around the real issue, but he couldn’t quite summon the nerve to speak more plainly at the moment.
 

Dahlia felt awkward sitting there in silence with Thane after Greta had left them both only with each other's company. At least he was eating and that was a good sign. There had been a small worry that she'd drag him and he still wouldn't want to eat anything after skipping his dinner. Her eyes focused on the worn wood grain of the table from years and years of use where the friction had slowly and natural softened the edges of the table and rounded them.

Her attention was pulled away from the table as Thane spoke, finding him looking at her in return. He promised that should she ever drunkenly end up in his bed again he'd do as she wished instead of leaving her in his bed. This was followed by a moment of hesitation and his hazel eyes looked away from her as he asked if she was going to return to her normal bedroom. She couldn't stop the small smile as his hand had reached up to run through his tangled locks only to stop himself.

That small faded when he mentioned that he hadn't been sleep well during the week. He normally didn't sleep well to begin with, but based on his current state he probably was running on even less rest. There was that feeling of guilt once again due to feeling responsible for Thane's current state. It wasn't like she had slept that well either, but she didn't desire to share that with him. As much as she felt something for Thane, actually saying things like that out loud made her anxious for some reason.

"I.. was planning to," she managed to reply somewhat shyly. She wasn't going to say something stupid like 'unless you don't want me to.' If her presence had been missed then it was unspoken that he wanted her to return to their shared rooms.

There was a long pause from her and the silence that stretched from this awkward moment was too much for her to take, and so she rambled a bit. "Thank you," she began, "about any future drunken incidents. I'm not really a fan of getting drunk so it shouldn't be a common problem. I could always lock myself in my room, I don't think in a drunken state I'd be able to figure out how to unlock the door... but then I might pound on it loudly and wake you up anyway to help me get out."

"You also have permission to intervene if I drink too much, though I might fight you in the moment you try," she admitted. "I might also... say things that might not be.. appropriate?" She added this with a sheepish smile. She'd been told that there had been occasions where she had too much to drink and ended up not censoring herself. She'd basically blurted out at a town ball that she'd seen a mated female with a male who was not her mate. Her older brother had to laugh like it was a case of mistaken identity and that Dahlia had been confused because she had too much to drink.

Having Gideon explain what she did the next morning and why her mother was upset with Dahlia had made Dahlia not drink anything with alcohol for an entire year. She shared this story with Thane while her cheeks flushed with embarrassment from the incident. "It was a secret apparently everyone already knew about but just kept to themselves. I wasn't invited to many parties for a while after that either."
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

A smile brightened his face when Dahlia said that she planned to return to their rooms tonight. Perhaps he’d finally get a tolerable night’s sleep, much needed after this past week. More of the tension that had remained coiled in his shoulders began to unravel and he popped another slice of ham into his mouth.

There was a long silence between them after that, but just when Thane began to feel he should find some topic to break the silence, Dahlia began to speak. Perhaps she had also found the silence awkward, he didn’t know, but either way he welcomed her voice. Would have welcomed it regardless, having not heard it for the past week.

She rambled, flitting from thanking him for his promise regarding any future drunken shenanigans, to various suggestions for other scenarios, to ending on a story from a time she drank too much and made inappropriate comments. This last one made him smile again. Thane had been focused on eating as he listened, but the plate was cleared of food now and he finally shifted his gaze upwards to look at her.

“It was an innocent mistake. If they didn’t wish to face consequences, perhaps they shouldn’t have violated the sanctity of mateship,” he said dryly. But, even as the words left his mouth, he wondered at them a little. He had never had any patience for those who would break mateship vows, but he couldn’t help but wonder how many other females there were who had feeling similar to Dahlia. Who found themselves mated to males they found intolerable and desperately wished for different companionship? They had no say in the matter, was it really so strange for them to seek the arms of another? No, it wasn’t, but that didn’t necessarily make it right, either.

“Well, perhaps they had their reasons,” he muttered as an afterthought, not wanting to raise Dahlia’s ire should she (understandably) sympathize with the female who had broken her vows. “At any rate, I’ll do my best to intervene should I fear for your sobriety,” he said, a slightly impish grin starting to cross his face. “Can’t imagine that going well for me, but I think I wouldn’t mind hearing you speak uninhibited… though you seem to do that anyways, drunk or no.”

He actually managed a laugh, the expression wiping away some of the haggardness from his face. Yes, he had missed her. Had missed this. He’d been starved for companionship for many years, to the point where he thought he had learned to live without it, but Dahlia had reawakened that hunger in him and he no longer believed he could be at peace without it. “Let them try uninviting you from parties now. Say whatever you like, they wouldn’t dare turn away the mate of a Warlord. The position does have some benefits,” he said dryly. “Conversely, refusing to go to parties is also your prerogative, though I will say that not attending any can get tongues wagging,” he shrugged a shoulder, “But let the tongues wag, I care not. Provided you’re happy, I’m content.” He realized, too late, that this statement was far too revealing of his own feelings and he quickly cleared his throat, glancing towards the pantry in the hopes that he might distract her. “It’s in a bit of bad taste, considering, but would you like a glass of wine?”
 

"Ultimately, it wasn't any of my business," Dahlia sighed out. It was true though, she had basically stuck her drunken nose where it didn't belong. She wouldn't want someone drunkenly spewing out things about her; truthful or not. Thinking back, she was lucky she hadn't been completely plastered after her mateship ceremony with Thane. The things she might have blurted out could have resulted in a very different outcome for their relationship.

While Dahlia smiled as Thane said he would intervene should he fear for her sobriety, when he commented how he wouldn't mind speaking uninhibited though she seemed to do so anyway, she stuck out her tongue at him quickly in a childish manner. This was followed with a small laugh.

"Are you saying I can be a party crasher?" she joked in response to his comment about people not inviting her to parties they hosted. "I wonder how that would work out, showing up to one uninvited. I'd rather go someplace I'm wanted though." she said with a small shrug of her shoulders. "As far as not attending, I don't see what sort of gossip could result from that."

She did pause for a few seconds before continuing, "You should be happy too, Thane." Dahlia had actually said his name. She had been avoiding it for a while because it was a way to remind herself to keep her distance from him at the start. That as long as she refused to call him by his name she'd subtly somehow show she hadn't accepted him. Of course that had changed a while ago when she proclaimed she had developed some form of feelings towards him.

While it perhaps was in bad taste to drink since drinking was what caused this rift between them in the first place, Dahlia nodded to indicate she was fine with some wine. "Just one," she emphasized with a smirk. "On the topic of being drunk and doing embarrassing things, I can't help but wonder if you've ever done something." It was an invitation to talk about himself a bit more. He'd already personally witnessed her in an intoxicated state and even shared a story of another time she'd caused trouble.

"Hopefully you're not a..." she halted before she finished that sentence. She had been about to say 'bitter drunk' and managed to stop herself. That was one way to sour the evening entirely. "I mean hopefully you're a fun type of drunk." It was probably a poor attempt to deter the conversation from going down that path. Her father wasn't a violent drunk, but when he was drunk he became bitter. He'd only a few times verbally release that mood, most times he would simply sulk silently, but the aura from him in those moments was unpleasant. This wasn't even much of a secret either.
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

They fell back into their usual banter and Thane felt a bubble of happiness begin to bloom in his chest. He had missed this, had feared it would be gone forever, but seeing Dahlia sticking her tongue out childishly at him and joke about his comments from the other side of the table reassured him that this was not true. It lifted his spirits far more than food could do, and he chuckled, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms when she said she didn’t see what rumours could pop up from her not attending parties.

“Oh, I can think of a few. ‘She’s been disfigured by her monstrous mate, that’s why she refuses to attend,’” he pitched his voice upwards in a horrifically butchered attempt at mimicking a female’s voice, “Or ‘he keeps her locked away in a room somewhere, only to entertain him at night,’ potentially with a sprinkling of ‘she thinks she’s too good for the rest of us because she had a prince after her but was stolen away by that Warlord,’” he chuckled a little to himself, head tilting to the side ever so slightly. “And I imagine there are more than that, only capable of being curbed if you’re there to keep them at bay. Then again, I’m sure they speculate regardless so perhaps it doesn’t matter.”

A brief silence followed his admission that he was content so long as she was happy, long enough that he was beginning to fear he had ruined the moment when Dahlia said that he should be happy too… and used his name. Warmth and tenderness surged with equal strength in his chest at this. Was it the first time she had said his name? He believed this might be so, and hearing it from those pretty lips made it a special kind of music that set his heart to uneven pounding.

Fortunately, Dahlia indicated that she was alright with a drink and this gave him an opportunity to stand and turn away from her, working to compose himself as he busied his hands with grabbing the wine and glasses. It was a good thing there was a table between them and that his nerves were still a bit frayed—otherwise it would have been difficult not to bridge the distance between them and do something he’d surely regret.

Instead, Thane plucked one of the good bottles from where Greta hid it (in vain) and filled a glass for each of them. He carefully kept his back to her as he replied. “Never fear, I won’t let you get drunk.” He was in no mood to deny her anything though, so as he blew out a steadying breath and turned back to her with the two filled wine glasses, he ruminated on what he could tell her about his behaviour when drunk.

“As it happens, there’s a reason why I’m always very careful to imbibe only so much,” he said, setting a glass in front of her and settling back into his own seat, automatically holding his glass out towards her for them to toast each other. He held it there for a moment to allow her to clink hers against his if she wished, before pulling it back to his lips to take a long sip. “I hail from a long line of silly drunks… and, sadly, I am no exception.” Thane sighed, taking another longer sip and then setting the glass down so he could drag a hand down his face in mild pre-emptive embarrassment.

“My brothers got me drunk one evening after my first successful battle against the humans. ‘Blood was spilled, now wine must flow in equal measure,’ they told me. Foolishly, I agreed. I’ve always been fairly reserved and introspective, but not so when drunk,” a small smile curled his lips at the memory. Moronic as he had felt come morning, it had led to stories that were still whispered today. “I don’t remember it very clearly, only snatches, but if my brothers—and the soldiers who had the misfortune of being present—are correct, I sprang upon a table and sang some bawdy tavern song I’d picked up from Jorgen… and sang badly no less.” Thane chuckled low in his throat and took another sip, glancing up at Dahlia to gauge her reaction. “My brother’s never let me live it down and they tried desperately to get me drunk again. Unfortunately for them, the teasing was a cure for overindulging and I haven’t been drunk since.”
 

A laugh escaped her lips at Thane's comment that he wouldn't let her get drunk. She glanced to him as he spoke and set down her own glass of wine before her before settling back into the seat across from her. She took up the glass, her amber eyes flicking over to where he lifted his own for her to click her own against his; which she did lightheartedly. Her smile grew to a small curious grin as Thane admitted that he came from a long line of silly drunks and that he was no exception. She rested one elbow on the table casually and let her chin rest in her hand, the other settled on the wine glass.

"I really want to meet drunken Thane," she laughed with mischievous eyes before taking a sip of her own drink. "He sounds like a blast. Just perhaps drunken Thane and drunken Dahlia shouldn't ever meet. I'm not sure what kind of trouble they would cause for our sober alter egos or messes for them to clean up."

She let out a soft laugh at the imagined trouble they could cause with both of them in such a state. It was dangerous territory for sure and the servants would probably wonder what had happened to cause such chaos. "Here's a story for you," she began with a gleaming glance. "The very first time I got drunk was completely on accident. It was actually the very first social engagement I'd ever been invited to or attended. My mom was too busy socializing to keep an eye on me and my brothers weren't at this particular party either as they were off at one of the borders with my father."

"One of they estates attendants brought me a drink, a sweet alcoholic one. One drink led to another as the evening progressed. I don't remember much else of what happened except from the gossip about me afterwards and what my mother explained to me."

Dahlia cleared her throat and blushed lightly and even cringed slightly at what she was about to share, "I apparently went to swim in one of the very large fountains on the estate. Even stripped down to my undergarments to do so. I attracted quite a bit of attention you can probably guess. Someone apparently ran to get my mother and she had to get help from one of the servants to drag me out because I refused to leave the fountain. My mother told me that as she shamefully dragged me to the carriages, when she asked why I had done such a thing apparently I simply replied with 'It was too stuffy and hot and it seemed like fun and that I didn't understand why no one else was swimming in the pool'."

"My mother was horrified, embarrassed, and stressed regarding how it would affect my potential for suitors. To have her daughter so shamefully expose herself. It was quite the scandal, at least for about three months until a different one happened to someone else and then attention focused onto the latest gossip and drama. Whatever it was apparently was worse than what I had done since they moved far away after the incident."

As if to punctuate her story, Dahlia took a long sip of the wine. "Since that eventful occasion my mother watched me like a hawk at parties and if she couldn't one of my brother's had to serve as a personal escort to make sure I didn't cause any trouble. It seems now it shall be your unfortunate task." The last line was an obvious joke and she was almost tempted to give him a playful wink just to further try to amuse Thane.

One of the grandfather clocks nearby chimed the hour and it was fairly late in the evening now, past the normal time Dahlia went to bed. She finished the wine and then went to clean it and put it away. "Probably best to get some sleep," she stated as a way to express her intention to head back to her room, the one within Thane's personal quarters. She'd wait for him to join her before making her way casually in that direction. She didn't need a bath as she had actually taken one much earlier.

When they did reach his bedroom Dahlia paused before she passed the threshold and into her own room, a teasing and challenging glance, "Need me to tuck you in?" Another joke. She didn't expect him to take her up on her offer, she just wanted to see his reaction.
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

“Hmmm, I don’t know if you would like to meet him. He’s as ridiculous and impulsive as you,” Thane said through a smile, taking another sip of his wine. “No telling what he would get up to… let alone if we added drunk Dahlia to the mix,” he chuckled. The mere thought of them both being drunk… it would undoubtedly be a nightmare, made worse by the fact that he doubted either of them would remember what happened come morning. All the aftermath and none of the pleasant memories.

Dahlia began to tell another story and Thane leaned towards her with interest. The wine was softening what nervous edges had still remained and with the heightened relaxation his eyes practically glowed as he listened. Watching her expression change as she flushed in embarrassment before diving into the meat of the story only made the Warlord grin wider though the story itself—picturing Dahlia swimming blithely through a fountain in only her undergarments—earned a true bark of laughter.

She carried on explaining the aftermath and Thane could only nod in sympathy. He could well imagine the horror her mother must have felt, though he found the thought of Dahlia freed of what few inhibitions she had to do something so ridiculous quite endearing.

“That would have been a sight to see,” he mused, studying her with a twinkle in his eye, “Though clearly it had no bearing on your eligibility as a mate. I never even heard a breath of such things,” he didn’t add that this wouldn’t have concerned him anyway. The scarcity of females rendered choosiness impossible and she was surely well aware of that. “Still, it is my honour to take up the mantle of keeping you out of your cups in public,” he said with mock solemnity, toasting her with his wine glass before taking yet another sip. “Of course, you in turn must try and keep me out of trouble,” he clicked his tongue as he thought back to the princely visit. “Evidently where it concerns you, I tend to lose my ability to be rational.”

By now his glass was empty and the chiming of the clock drew Thane’s attention away from the conversation. It was late. Well, late for Dahlia at least. As far as Thane was concerned, this was still early in the evening. Give it half a dozen more hours and perhaps he’d drift off for an hour or two before dawn. “Mmm, you’re right of course. Wouldn’t want you to be tired come morning.” It might have seemed a sarcastic answer considering his own obvious lack of sleep, but Thane said it genuinely.

They reached their rooms, the Warlord feeling a sense of rightness as Dahlia passed the threshold. He only halted when they reached the door to her own room and then leaned against the doorframe as she began to enter it. He would have simply said goodnight at that point and left her be, but her teasing question about tucking him in caught Thane by surprise and he snorted. Having eaten very little that day (or the past week) coupled with a full glass of wine had him slightly buzzed, enough to make him a little less reserved and cautious than normal.

“Hah! Only if you stayed with me afterwards,” he said it with a grin, eyes almost boyish as he looked at her. It dawned on him far too slowly that he was overstepping, and the smile faltered, his hand waving dismissively as he struggled to correct himself, “I’m only teasing. I’ll… manage. Let me know if I’m too loud and wake you up, I fear the wine might be muddying my mind a little.”
 

Thane was indeed amused by her joke about tucking him in. His comment about only allowing it if she stayed with him caused her to blush, perhaps it was the wine in her system, but she was feeling somewhat devious. As much as Thane back tracked his words and said he was only teasing her and saying he would manage and that the wine was muddying his mind, it was too late now.

"Oh? So you want me to tuck you in and read you a bedtime story?" she teased back, twisting what he had said a bit behind what he meant by having her stay if she tucked him in. She couldn't keep a straight face and snickered slightly. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Goodnight," she said before turning away to enter her small private domain, closing the door gently behind her. Dahlia shook her head to herself as she thought about their banter which they had eased into despite their bickering from earlier in the week. It was just... easy now it seemed to fall into such things with Thane.

She quickly changed into a sleeping gown and would deal with Ilia's sighs tomorrow morning from having to bring Dahlia's things that had been left in the other room and returning them to their rightful place. Dahlia slid under the covers and squirmed and wiggled till she was comfortable. Sleep didn't come easy to her, her eyes kept wandering to the door where on the other side Thane was most likely not sleeping.

Her brows furrowed then. He'd been asleep hadn't he, when she had attacked him with the pillow that morning? She couldn't remember and it was frustrating, what she did remember was abstract and she doubted she could trust her drunken memories. She remember hugging something warm and of course knew it was a 'who' and not a 'what' that she had curled up to. Recalling this made her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

Something soft touched her forehead? Dahlia brought up both her hands to her face trying to will the blush away. Her heart flittered in her chest as a thought crossed her mind; she had liked being there. At least up until not remember how she had gotten there. She had spent so much of her time away from Thane at first trying to keep herself angry at him, which hadn't actually lasted that long and soon after she found she had missed his presence, even if he had upset her.

Thrashing around in the bedding for a few seconds as Dahlia tried to keep herself from admitting she had been comfortable didn't alleviate those thoughts either. Tossing and turning was what she ended up doing for a long while that night as she tried to fall sleep but her mind would recall that morning right when she woke up, before she snapped at Thane. Her eyes kept looking towards the door and then she'd chastise herself.

When morning came she was more tired than usual. She'd gotten some sleep, but hadn't rested that well, so after she had gotten dressed and opened her door to enter Thane's room and her mouth was open in a wide yawn which interrupted her attempt to offer a morning greeting. Certainly once things were back to normal in their routine her traitorous mind wouldn't remind her of that moment of peaceful comfort.

Breakfast was being brought in at the moment as well. Greta hadn't teased Thane's appetite this time. The woman had gone out of her way to have a large serving of his favorite breakfast items for him consume, probably to make up for the lack of eating during the week. Dahlia's was a normal and balanced portion compared to the steaming savory foods that rested on Thane's side of the table.

Dahlia sat down and stretched out her arms over her head casually, "Enjoy it what you can." Once Greta was certain Thane wasn't famished she'd probably go right back to slowly increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables he ate, as much as he disliked them the woman presumed Dahlia could get him to eat it.

Roarke at this time brought a tray holding a sealed letter intended for Dahlia. She quirked a brow as she lifted the envelope and snapped the wax seal. She took out what was clearly an invitation, "Raskar apparently wasn't drunk enough to forget to have his mate invite me it seems. Next weekend she's hosting a party and we're both invited." She paused and then gave Thane a hesitant glance, "I-I don't have something that would probably fit their dress code... besides the one you cut up."

She was trying to subtly hint that she was going to have to go shopping for a dress if she was going to attend. Most of her clothing wasn't formal enough for a party hosted by royalty. Sure, it passed perhaps with her position being a Warlord's mate. "Maybe I shouldn't go," she said since with the invitation in her hand now, there was a pressing feeling of not belonging in such a space.
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

“Ahh, yes, wouldn’t that be nice,” he said with a strained chuckle, straightening up from the doorframe and already beginning to back away. “…Goodnight, sleep well,” he murmured back at her, waiting until the door was fully closed before he sighed and paced back to his armchair. It welcomed him as it always did, with open arms and a cushion that had molded itself to fit him perfectly after so many years of use.

On the end table beside the chair, The Princess Bride sat with a bookmark somewhere near the middle. He had forgotten to mention it to Dahlia in his surprise and pleasure at her talking to him again, but he’d found himself reading the book during the week when he truly couldn’t sleep. It was a fairly simple story, but he could see why she considered it a favourite. It had a certain charm to it that was difficult to quantify, a sweetness that had earned tired smiles from him when he let it sweep him away.

Tonight, though, Thane brushed his fingers over the cover but left it be, sinking his head into the back of the chair instead and staring up towards the ceiling. He was too tired to read, but his mind was also too preoccupied with the evening’s events to let him sleep. Ironic, really. He had fully believed that Dahlia’s return to their rooms would make him fall asleep immediately but instead he was too busy feeling elated to feel tired. Or… at least his mind refused to be tired. His body, meanwhile, was howling at him.

The hours ticked away as usual and Thane’s mind whirled. More questions than he had answers for, clawing for attention before being whisked away the very next moment as his drowsing brain forgot them in exchange for new ones. Underpinning all of this, as it had been for the entire week, were memories of Dahlia being tucked against him that night and how well he had slept.

It was a poor substitute, but he’d been contemplating taking in some lonely mutt to share his bed in lieu of his mate. He wondered if any company would do, or if it was Dahlia specifically that had soothed him. Thane was a bit scared to find out, and was not keen on being laughed at by her or Roarke, so he had abandoned the idea. Still, in moments like this when he craved for nothing more than to sleep… it seemed a much more plausible scheme than it did by daylight.

In the end, he managed to fall into bed and snatch a few hours of sleep. It wasn’t nearly enough to be considered restful, but at least this night he wasn’t plagued by nightmares as he had been during the week, so what sleep he did get was deep and restful. All the same, Thane was awake well before Dahlia was.

Seated in his armchair once again, Thane turned when he heard Dahlia’s door open, his own morning greeting disappearing when he saw her yawning and noticed the general air of tiredness around her. One thing he was terribly good at noticing was weariness in other people—he had ample experience to recognize it, after all. Breakfast was also being brought in, so he was distracted from interrogating her for the time being by the mouth-watering scent of a meat-laden breakfast.

Dahlia commented on it almost immediately, seating herself and allowing for a luxurious stretch as she reminded him to enjoy it now while he still could. “I intend to do just that!” Thane said, feeling his mood already beginning to improve with the food in front of him and Dahlia sitting across from him—just as things should be.

He had barely managed a few mouthfuls when Roarke interrupted them by bringing in a letter for Dahlia. While she perused it, Thane shot his manservant a glare that clearly showed his displeasure at being interrupted. Roarke only shrugged, not even close to apologetic, and Thane scowled. He hid the expression though, behind a quick mask of neutrality, when Dahlia looked up and announced that it was an invitation from Raskar’s mate for the both of them. Her further explanation that she had nothing to wear to such an event, followed by a hesitant statement that maybe she shouldn’t go brought the frown back in full force. He suspected he knew the source of that feeling.

Shoving his plate to the side, Thane pushed himself to the front of the chair so he could lean across the table and gently take her hand if she’d allow it, to emphasize his point. “You’re my mate, Dahlia. You can stand shoulder to shoulder with any of them and not find yourself lacking, believe me.” Assuming she’d allowed it, he released his gentle hold on her and cleared his throat. “Besides, finding allies or even making friends can only be a benefit for you. Not to mention the fact that I’m there. If it becomes unbearable, you can make some signal to me and I’ll invent an excuse for us to slip away.” He’d done it many times before. Not at the behest of a mate, of course, and usually the ‘excuse’ was simply ‘I’m leaving now,’ but those were not pertinent details to share.

“As to a lack of something to wear… that is easily fixed,” he shrugged a broad shoulder, “I have no duties to attend to today, so we could make a trip to town if you wish. Find something to put the rest of them to shame,” he grinned a little wickedly at the thought. It wouldn’t be hard, he’d seen the members of the soiree before… Dahlia outshone them all by far, even in her simple riding clothes, let alone in true finery.
 

Dahlia's eyes tracked the movement of the plate as Thane pushed it aside to allow himself to lean across the table. When he took her hand her eyes shifted there before glancing back up with her head slightly tilted. When he spoke about how she could stand equally with them and not find herself lacking she couldn't stop the light flush that bloomed on her cheeks. It lingered there even after he released his grip and retracted his hand.

His words about finding allies and friends to be a benefit for her made lips straighten to a thin line. "Allies makes it sound like I would have enemies," she commented. "Such a relationship feels like one of more mutual benefit until one is no longer useful to the other. That's... not something I want. I don't want to be approached or to approach someone with some ulterior motive. I'd rather have real friends that wouldn't want something in return just for being so."

She took a long sip of her drink as she considered his suggestion of some sort of signal for her desire to leave. "As far as a signal, I'm not sure what would work in such a situation. It's not appropriate to make bird calls in the middle of a conversation," she joked.

"Are you sure about going with me to town," she began with some mild nervousness. "I-I mean it seems the type of thing males would find bothersome. Also, I'd rather find something to not put anyone to shame. I'm not there to make a war declaration with my introduction to those in high society." She said the last sentence in a lighthearted manner, though she knew some basics about teh inner workings of those who had a higher position in the social caste.

If she showed up trying to show off she was definitely going to make some enemies. As much as she was mated to Thane and as such technically held a position based on his own social standing that didn't mean she could go into their territory on equal ground. Then there was the issue of the rumors around Thane, which as his mate now she had to deal with and any rumors about her he would get dragged into. She didn't want to give anyone a chance to believe she thought herself having already having earned a place among them. She knew that there would probably be a few who wouldn't want her around because she hadn't been mated to Liordan but to Thane.

Dahlia had already been subjected to bits and pieces of that gossip the moment the news was announced that she was going to be Thane's mate and not Prince Liordan's mate. It had been a shocking to pretty much everyone; even Dahlia. The things that were said were nothing kind. Most had been wondering at how Thane had managed to manipulate the situation, some speculated threats to her family and the reason for him snatching her from Liordan was because of his dislike of the prince. The rumors about her were mostly ones of pity.

'Poor Dahlia, to be mated to such a brute when she was going to be mated to a prince!'

'She must be so upset to lose such a promising match with Prince Liordan.'

Who knew what rumors circulated in those social circles who were closer to Liordan in rank and privilege if that was what the people in her tiny town thought. She pulled herself out of those worries deciding she'd just deal with such things as they came. Worrying about them now did nothing but drag her mood and she didn't want to sour the atmosphere with her brooding.

"I-If you want to join me though I won't object," she informed him before taking a few bites of her breakfast. If she was going to get a dress it needed to be soon since they'd have to alter it for her, or worse if they insisted on making one from scratch for her it would take longer for the dress to arrive in time for the party.
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

“You likely do have enemies now,” Thane said grimly. Much as he wished it were not true, that he could tell her that she was right and there was nothing to worry about, he knew better. “I am not well loved among the other Warlords, particularly now that I’ve stolen you away from Liordan,” he sighed very softly. “Finding friends, true ones who will be loyal to you, is a rarity among the nobility. At least with allies you know the parameters of the relationship and there is nothing to test—when it is no longer mutually beneficial you know they will abandon you. I choose the knife in front rather than the one slipped in my back,” he shrugged a little uncomfortably after that.

He’d grown up in this world. One in which the only ones he could trust implicitly were his family and even then… Thane mentally shook his head. Allowing himself to be sidetracked by unpleasant memories was not acceptable at the moment. He wanted to keep his focus on Dahlia. Even though this was simple reality for him, he could understand her longing for a genuine friendship. He didn’t have any himself—unless Roarke was counted, and the manservant was a touch too peevish for Thane to consider a friend—but that didn’t mean he didn’t empathize with her desires here. “Perhaps things are different among the females,” he offered at last, “My concern would be that they are ordered by their own mates to get closer to you to look for ways to bring me down. Perhaps it’s mere paranoia on my part. Regardless, I don’t think there’s any harm in at least trying it once. If unbearable, we simply never go again.”

Her teasing about the signal made him chuckle, “It’s Raskar’s palace… I wouldn’t be surprised if he had exotic birds flitting about that made a birdcall unobtrusive,” he shot back with a dry smile, following it with a thoughtful hum as he mulled over another alternative. “You could also always get a maid to fetch me, that would be a safe choice I imagine?”

“As far as me going with you to town…” he shoveled in another mouthful of meat before continuing, “I’ve spent an exhausting week without seeing you at all, of course I wish to go with you. Far better than the alternative of sitting here alone.” He took a few more bites and then shot her a quick glance. “You choose whichever dress you wish, of course, I don’t pretend to know anything about such things… though I would certainly like to see you in full social battle dress,” his eyes drifted towards the window as he imagined it and a grin unfurled across his face, “That would be a sight to see!” It wouldn’t win her any friends though… probably not allies either, so her preference for something less flashy was likely prudent.

“At any rate, we can go as soon as breakfast is finished,” he was—for the first time this past week—nearly finished clearing his plate already and was about to rise to go tell Roarke to prepare the carriage when a thought occurred. “Ah, I was going to suggest we take the carriage but… would you prefer to ride the horses? The weather is good enough for it I think, though it isn’t quite as proper.” Thane had never cared much for appearing the picturesque ‘Warlord,’ one of the things that had ruffled the feathers of other nobles, and he had only used the carriage twice: once to his mateship ceremony, and once back. “I tend to prefer horseback so I thought I should extend the offer, but the choice is yours.” Traditions be damned, if she wanted to ride Levent into town beside him on Laleia… why not? And if not, well, at least he had made the offer.
 

Dahlia could do nothing but let out a small sigh as Thane said she would likely have enemies just for being his mate. She figured that was a possibility, but she had hope that perhaps it wasn't as volatile of a situation as that. As much as she hated being dismissed because she could be written off as a 'mere female' she knew that being viewed as such could be used to her advantage to avoid getting pulled into things she would prefer to stay out of.

Her mind replayed his sentence about preferring to take a knife to the front than the back and she couldn't help but wonder if Thane had ever had any friends without ulterior motive behind the relationship. Dahlia had her grandmother and brothers who she trusted. Not so much her mother and father who had both used her in some manner; her father for his debt to Thane and her mother to climb the social ladder of society through her.

"As far as them using me to bring you down, you've caught on. I was sent here to weaken you by making you eat your vegetables. Greta is in on it," she said with a flat tone and serious face before bursting out laughing. "S-Sorry, I couldn't help but joke at your expense."

She took a few breaths to calm down her fit of laughter, "As far as a signal, we have time to plan before the party. I may have an idea though. Innocently dropping an items and then picking it up is casual enough to not catch anyone's attention that it's a plea for help in an escape."

When Thane said he wanted to go with her because he hadn't seen her all week her heart jumped slightly that he wanted to spend time with her. "Social battle dress you say? Well, I can always get more than one dress then. It's always good to be prepared and I'd rather have one on hand when I need it," she said to him with bright eyes and a devious smile. It was true though, you never knew when you would need a social battle dress to fight back and while she hoped to never need wear such a thing she wasn't going to be unprepared.

"I'd prefer the carriage in case we actually have to carry anything back here. That and when I am ready to ride Levent I will be challenging you to a race, not to trot to town for a dress."

Dahlia finished most of her breakfast and it wasn't long of a wait for the carriage to be prepared to take Dahlia and Thane into the nearby town. She was curious about the town itself since she only ever known the one that was closest to her family's estate. She didn't have much to compare the size to beyond when she went to Raskar's palace for the mateship ceremony which had been bustling with strangers. Why so many people had come was still beyond her, but she had a feeling it was to see the elusive Thane and the 'pitiful' girl who was to be the ruthless Warlord's mate. Wouldn't they be shocked he wasn't actually harsh with her.

She would sit across from him in the carriage, doing her best to hide a smile as Thane clearly did his best to not get his horns stuck as he entered. "S-Since we'll be out and about can we eat lunch in town? Not sure if Greta would be upset about that, but I think it'd be nice. Though I think you might scare away any others eating out with your presence due to your reputation. Though having an entire place to ourselves might not be bad either if they are going be scared off."
 
Fable Fable elusivethought elusivethought

“I knew it all along. I suppose I must devise a punishment for the pair of you,” he said gravely, matching her mock seriousness with his own, even as a smile threatened while Dahlia laughed at her own joke. Ah, but it was good to see her laughing again. Another thing he had missed over this week.

The rest of her replies to him were met with agreeable nods. He didn’t say it out loud, but privately he was excited to see Dahlia in a gown to put all others to shame. A social battle dress to drown out the other dragonesses and put them firmly in their place beneath her feet. Considering he was a Warlord he lived quite frugally and so money would be no object when it came to getting her what she wanted. He would deny her nothing… a dangerous thing to decide ahead of a shopping trip, but Dahlia didn’t seem the sort to spend excessively so he wasn’t too worried. Time would tell if she’d prove him wrong.

The choice of the carriage was a bit of a letdown and he nearly muttered that they could always stuff the dresses in the saddlebags, but her declaration that she wanted her first real ride with him on Levent to be a race was what mostly kept him from complaining. He liked the idea of that, almost as much as he liked the thought of winning. “I imagine you’ll arrange for a prize to give the winner?” he had teased her, knowing full well how much she enjoyed her games.

By the time the carriage was prepared, Thane was in far higher spirits. Was. Because, predictably, upon trying to enter, his horns clacked against the doorframe and he had to mutter and curse while he contorted himself to make them fit inside the space. Dahlia was very obviously trying not to laugh at him, and while he appreciated the gesture it almost made him feel like she was pitying him which was even worse than her laughter.

“Yes, we’ll eat in town. I’ll even let you choose whatever place appeals to you,” he muttered darkly, still nursing a bit of wounded pride from the debacle with his horns. “I always get exceptional service during the few times I indulge in cooking from people other than Greta,” he added with a sigh, rolling his shoulders as he tried to make himself get past the embarrassment. “Likely for that exact reason—they fear me and therefore they treat me to the utmost limits of what they’re capable of. I won’t complain. My reputation ought to carry some benefit, after all.”

He lapsed into silence for a bit while the carriage carried on, but after a few moments a thought occurred that brought an amused smile to his lips. “I suppose things are quite a bit different this go around. Last time we were in this carriage you were negotiating terms with a terrifying Warlord, letting the tigress peek out, and this time you’re bringing the Warlord—tame as a kitten—to shop for dresses with you,” Thane actually laughed at this. It was ridiculous, put that way. “At this rate my fearsome reputation will be irreparably damaged,” though he couldn’t pretend that this troubled him much.

The town nearest his estate was large and sprawling. It catered primarily to nobles, as those were the ones who owned most of the land around here, and so the shops were opulent and upscale. The cobblestone streets were swept clean of manure and the air itself had a feeling of value to it. “Repulsive, isn’t it?” Thane murmured, glancing out the window at the city. “So terribly pretentious, as though putting on airs and sweeping the streets clean of filth means the horses don’t shit.” He gave a disparaging snort and then paused, “Pardon my vulgarity, uncouth of me, I simply find it distasteful.”

He leaned back in his seat and studied Dahlia thoughtfully, arms crossed over his chest. “I told the driver to take us to a shop owned by an old female I think you might like. She might be the only sane one here, and I believe she only maintains her tailoring business and dress shop because she’s been here since before the town existed,” he explained. “She makes my clothes for me, so perhaps we can make this trip more productive and I can be fitted for something new as well,” Thane glanced back towards the window to try and hide a small smile. “I must try to match my lovely mate, after all.”
 

"I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting a carriage ride home after the mateship ceremony. Based on your reputation I wouldn't have been shocked if you threw me over your lap onto your horse and rode home with me like some prized kill," she laughed before clearing her throat as she wondered if Thane would get upset at what her expectation of him had been. "I'm not sure how much damage I could do to your reputation. You can always just grunt and look at everything with disdain while we're out shopping. Perhaps you should practice on the way there."

She was back to teasing him again. It was just something she enjoyed and happened naturally.

Her attention was drawn away from him when they reached the town, her eyes widened and darting around with interest at all the opulent shops in the area. "Pretentious; I'll take your word for it. Compared to the town near where I lived this is extravagant."

As Thane informed her he had directed the driver to a specific shop, saying the old woman who owned it was the only sane person in the town, Dahlia just nodded though was only partially listening as she took in the town. She couldn't help but be excited just for simply being some place so lively and different. If she was a cat her ears would have been perked and alert to take in all the sounds, eyes wide and absorbing the scenery. She was so engrossed she missed Thane's comment where he called her his 'lovely mate.'

When there was a moment of silence she blushed and turned her attention back to him and let out a nervous laugh, "Sorry, did you say something? I got caught up in gawking."

It wasn't too long before the carriage stopped at its first destination. Dahlia eagerly and excitedly got out and literally tugged Thane into the shop, but only after his horns were clear of the carriage. Inside the walls were lined with all sorts of fabrics one could possibly imagine. They were all well organized based on their color, texture, finish, and pattern. There were spools of lace and other little decorative pieces for the clothing made here. Some mannequins were dressed in gowns and put on display showing the quality of the craft that could be obtained here.

An elderly woman peered up from behind a counter and looked at Thane and then to Dahlia, "Congratulations on your mateship." She introduced herself to Dahlia and greeted Thane before asking what they were shopping for in regards to clothing. Dahlia explained she needed two dresses that would both be appropriate for a royal party; one that wasn't too excessive and the other to be something a bit more daring.

Soon enough Dahlia was being measured by the woman who had her assistant taking down the numbers for everything. She suggested Dahlia wear blue as it was a fitting color to contract her hair and eyes. It was a bit dizzying for Dahlia because the woman asked her so many questions about things like movement, accents, and all manner of things. Eventually Dahlia said she had faith the woman would make something that fit her perfectly. While the woman assured Dahlia the more subdued dress would be ready before the party, the more elaborate one would take a bit longer. As this was being discussed the assistant handed Thane a written bill of sale with that casual retail smile as she waited for him to pay.

Just as Dahlia was ready to leave the elderly woman reminded Dahlia she'd have to get accessories as well, at least a pair of shoes to go with the dress and suggested which shops to visit. It was honestly something Dahlia had overlooked. She had figured just a dress was all she needed since no one really looked at shoes, right? Not to mention the minimal jewelry she did have would serve her well enough.

"L-Let's go get lunch before we lose a few more hours," she suggested since it had taken a large chunk of time to deal with the dress planning and measurements. "While you did say you might let me pick out the place I'd rather you take me where you like to eat."
 
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