Fandom Dragon Prince: Divining the Dark [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

“I would rather not know precisely how much of it you see,” Viren somewhat agreed to having Aaravos not comment on his relationship. There were things he was just…better off not knowing, after all, considering how much Aaravos had the potential to see, and what Viren hoped for in the future of his relationship with Farah.

Especially if he’d finally start to have some time with her.

That pang of guilt was something he ignored and pushed back. He would feel bad about this happening to Alette, but she also should have minded her damn business and stayed out of his affairs. He understood where her concern came from, but…well, he didn’t need it! Farah didn’t need it!

“I am trusting you not to make this worse. Or to do more to Alette’s mind,” that was said with an edge, but then, what could he do? That he understood there was nothing he could do did little to ease those pangs of guilt, because what if Aaravos did do more? What if he actually harmed Alette?

Or anyone else?

What if he’d already done it to Viren?

Or Claudia?

He didn’t fear for Soren in that way; although he didn’t understand Aaravos fully, he had an idea in his head that somehow, Soren was safe. Something in his mind knew that dark magic was the door, because it was always dark magic.

He just sighed into that realization.

Everything about what they were doing was too important to worry overlong about what steps Aaraovs may take to ensure it’s success. “Just…let me know when it’s done.”

~***~

Claudia nodded eagerly along with the idea that everything was being resolved peacefully now, and there wouldn’t be more problems or outbursts from the pair anytime soon. She didn’t know this, but she definitely hoped for it, and might have to look into it if it did continue. Why would Alette keep wanting to bring up terrible things like that? And make things worse?

“Oh, no, no, no! I don’t mind! I mean,” Claudia tilted her head, “it is weird,” of course it was, her dad hadn’t seen anyone from the time her mother left. At least, not that Claudia knew about, but still! “buuuut you’re the first person my father’s shown an interest in, and I want him to be happy. You don’t seem too bad.”

Claudia also didn’t know her. Not really.

“So I’m willing to let you two figure things out!” Claudia declared, “besides, I’ll be an adult soon and if I don’t like you, I can just…leave!” A laugh, as if that were totally fine and also totally what she would just do.

That she wouldn’t do that didn’t matter.

~***~

The way Soren’s demeanor changed said it all. Soren had been in a similar position before, and the secret he had kept was nothing mild. He knew, sadly, what kind of man his father could be. Curious as Alette was about this secret, she wouldn’t ask. She wasn’t giving up her secret, after all – and what if it wasn’t that big of a thing, and Soren was just overreacting to it?

‘He’s not though.’ That made Alette wonder all the more at what she was doing in helping Viren keep this secret, in proceeding with this war, that was helped along by Aaravos.

Aaravos, an unknown, trapped somewhere, for crimes so damnable his name was ripped out of history. ‘It’s not too late.’ Alette bit down on her bottom lip even as Soren’s demeanor shifted just as quickly back to cheer. “Thanks, Soren,” the chuckle was false, but she shook her head to clear it, and wipe her expression away.

She would have to figure it out.

As well as a lot of other things.

“You have a good night, all right? We’ve got a lot of marching in the morning!” She’d bid him farewell before returning to her tent, and back to her work on an ingredients list, before sleep stole over her once again.

Far from peaceful, but when was it ever? This time the stars were King Florian and his assassin…Viren.

And Alette could do nothing to warn Florian that the High Mage didn’t have good intentions for him.

 

[cleopat]

Aaravos wouldn't comment on how much he sees, or promise not to see in the future. He would let the silence torture Viren with a mischievous smile. No, he didn’t intend to actually spy on Viren and Farah when they were alone, but the implications for Viren were amusing enough.

“I will do only what we agreed upon,” Aaravos reassured him. Doing anything more than simply erasing her memories of what Viren had done would be no fun, nor useful to his goals. And besides, Alette as herself was entertaining enough for him. He didn’t wish to see any major changes to her personality due to him going a little crazy with the spell.

“You have my word.” His word that he wouldn’t do more to Alette’s mind. His word that he would immediately come back to Viren to let him know that the spell worked. And with a bow, Aaravos left him, to await in his prison until Alette had fallen asleep and entered her dreams.

And when the time came, Aaravos easily slipped inside her dreams as last time. This time there was no chaos of her earlier memories while working with her father. There was King Florian and Viren, and the lingering doubts and guilt over her decisions remained obvious for Aaravos.

No, they couldn’t wait another night or two to perform the spell and erase memories of Viren ever doing anything of the sort.

“Such an outlandish dream, isn’t it?” Aaravos spoke, the tendrils of his spell already weaving through Alette’s mind and memories. “For one friend to have such ill intentions towards another friend. Your mind is surely playing cruel tricks on you.”

~~~

Farah was relieved that Claudia didn’t mind, even if she agreed that it did seem a bit weird to her as well. But she wanted her father’s happiness. She still knew very little about his ex-wife, including how long ago it was that she left.

Had Claudia or Soren been able to see their mother since then?

She gave Claudia a soft smile, with a tinge of sadness, when the girl mentioned leaving if she didn’t like it. Farah didn’t like that. “No, you can’t do that. If you don’t like me, then I would rather if you stayed with your father than to leave him. I can’t be the reason a family separates.” No family should have to part over such reasons.

Farah would rather herself out of the picture than Claudia.

“But hopefully you do like me, and it doesn’t end up like that,” Farah chuckled.

 

[Lucyfer]

The dream was a torture in and of itself. Alette was but a shadow, a mist, that Florian couldn’t see, couldn’t hear – not that she made a sound. Every attempt to scream was met with an echoing silence, and when Viren thrust the knife, her attempt to stop it failed. What could smoke do against steel?

Nothing at all.

Florian’s blood was testament to that, before a stranger stepped in. ‘No, he belongs here.’ Alette turned as she heard him, form solidifying, voice returning, as her mind screamed at her that he belonged right at Viren’s side, despite his words, and the heaviness that settled following them, trying to sink the part of her that suggested he belonged.

He didn’t belong.

What elf belonged in Del Bar?

The context was enough that this time, she could name him as Aaravos, and sense he belonged, which did cause that terrible jarring sensation in her head as she tried to reconcile what he said of a dream. “No…no this…this isn’t,” wasn’t it? Despite not having the Primal stone, the sunfire glow was upon the hand that usually held it, trying to wrap it all in the light of truth.

Not real magic, just the dream of magic, brought on by the sense of real magic even if she couldn’t explain it. “You helped him.”

~***~

Claudia just laughed a bit as Farah insisted that she should be the one who stayed – but it was nice. Even if it might be a lie. “Don’t worry! I don’t plan to dislike you,” Claudia reassured, because that much was at least true. “It was just a joke!” It was, and it wasn’t. Mostly, it wasn’t, but not because Claudia would act as she said.

That didn’t need to be hashed out, though.

There was much to see about how she’d end up liking Farah. “We’ll just…have to spend some time together! Just us girls!” Claudia noted, “Ooo, but not tonight, I do have to finish up a few things.” And she would leave Farah’s side not long after that.

Another day would pass, and they would reach the lava pass. The dragon’s horn that Soren had broken off would find its use at last in allowing them to pass into Xadia, and there they would set up camp.

There, Viren would go over marching orders and drills again with some of the Katolis soldiers, and find himself running a few drills with them. Not with the Crownguard – it was too weird to do so with Soren – but with some of Katolis’s more elite soldiers, all the same. The need to be on top of their game was pressing given they had crossed over to the other side.

Enough, that Viren did lose track of time just a bit in running those drills, which had turned into running some practice with the soldiers, and reminding them why they had to be wary of the foes ahead – magic was a different beast.

Viren didn’t have Primal magic, but he still showed how an elf could fight with magic by using his staff like a true weapon, as well as fluidly conjuring spells – non-fatal, and never aimed lethally – against the soldiers who stepped up to learn.

 

[cleopat]

Dreams were such a finicky thing, but with the right words, with the right actions, Aaravos could make all of Alette’s dreams nothing more than a fleeting thought upon waking up, doomed to be forgotten in the deep recesses of her mind.

Dreams were often forgotten immediately upon waking up.

“I did not help Viren assassinate your king, as Viren did not assassinate him.” The tendrils of his spell continued to weave its way through Alette’s mind, deep into the memories and knowledge of the assassination that never wanted to leave her memories. He would just…move them somewhere else, that would help suggest to Alette that those thoughts were nothing more than a lucid dream.

“You were so affected by the death of your friend, that your mind is playing tricks on you in an attempt to cope with the tragic loss.” Aaravos stepped forward, closer to Alette, as he willed his manipulation further into her. “Isn’t that right?”

~~~

Farah thought Claudia a peculiar child, but she smiled at the teenager as she left. They would indeed have to spend some more time together, especially if Farah’s relationship with Viren deepened. Something that they would have to wait and see what happened on the journey.

They passed into Xadia without incident, though now within Xadia, everyone remained on guard, as if any elven army would attack without warning. Which exactly could happen.

But the first day in Xadia passed without any attacks, and they set up camp as the sun began to set. Farah remained with her troops for a little bit, reviewing logistics and strategies of their army combined with the other kingdoms with her captains and general of the army. After a brief conversation with Samir, she headed over to where the Katolis army set up camp, hoping for another evening with Viren.

Hoping to be able to continue where they left off the night before, before Alette interrupted them.

Upon approaching where Viren was, Farah was greeted by a sight she was definitely not expecting. Viren practicing with his soldiers, using his staff just as fluid as a sword, with the added bonus of wielding magic. She stopped to watch for a little bit, mesmerized by the way he moved.

In a break in the drills, Farah stepped forward, “I suppose you don’t have one more round in you?”

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Of course you did, that’s the only reason I met you.’ Alette wanted to cling to that as she glared the elf down for his lies, wanted to remind him of that, but was that true? She stepped back at his approach, knowing there was a threat, but not knowing from where, or even, how. The back of her foot hit the body, of course, and she couldn’t go further without stepping over.

Something she couldn’t will herself to do.

That kind of thing would be tantamount to blasphemy, to step over the body and leave it to…to what? It was dead! Somehow, that didn’t matter. You didn’t leave a friend to the wolves!

What wolves, though?

Her resolve, her focused thoughts, seemed as scattered as the logic of any dream. A moonshadow elf, not smokey, stood in the background. That was the wolf, right? Yes, she had arrived too late, the sun had eliminated the assassin and reduced them to only smoke….

What else was there to it? The magic of the stars put an end to the questions, and the glow of the sun faded from her hand as the scene solidified with missing details, rewrote it as if she never found the truth, never looked for the truth, and it was just a moonshadow assassin that had killed Florian.

And she had been angry at Viren, because Katolis should have kept all the elves from crossing their borders.

The glare faded, softened, dissolved as Alette’s posture lost that defensive stance to it and she reached for Aaravos instead, burying her face against his chest as the tears came because yes, goddamnit, she missed her friend. “I want him back,” but she couldn’t have that. She couldn’t have Del Bar back to how it was under Florian, either, without all this brutal training, without this war, without….

The scene faded to one meant to be safe, her own quarters at Del Bar. What was behind her foot became her own bed, canopied and golden. The room itself was a mix of colors, as if Alette could never pick a theme – it was a miracle all the woods matched that made up her shelves and her desk, as even the pillows on the bed and rugs on the floor refused to match in theme or in style.

~***~

Viren knew he was being watched, but he had not realized who was among the crowd until Farah approached him as he was winding down from the training to ask if he had time for one more round. His brows lifted in surprise, before he smiled at the request. He understood she wanted to try against him, and although he could refuse in an effort to not hurt her, that was likely to be more offensive.

If he learned anything from Harrow and Sarai, it was that not sparring with your partner was bad.

So, of course, he was intrigued with the idea.

“I do,” he said, “although I am curious how it is you fight,” he couldn’t help the smile, before he added, “if it is with bows I will have to refuse; I’m not quite prepared for a ranged fight where there’s actual risk involved,” he chuckled, meaning it both as a compliment towards what Evenere was known for, as well as the more practical aspect of it. It was quite difficult to use arrows in a spar without causing lasting pain and damage to the other individual. Not to mention, the pain of arrows still stung him from the last time, not that long ago. A phantom pain now, but all the same, it was a bit hard to make that practice.

He knew what spells to use to not cause real or lasting harm against his opponents, and he wasn’t looking for real or lasting harm from any other method of sparring, either. Not on their end, or his own end.

 

[cleopat]

Aaravos watched as Alette’s memories slowly transformed into what everyone else believed, that only the moonshadow elves had killed King Florian as an act of aggression and war, and not, instead, as a suggestion by the elf standing in her dreams to her dear friend in order to secure the support for the invasion of Xadia.

Even as the images in her dream changed, Aaravos continued to weave the magic through her mind, to ensure that the memories wouldn’t be so easily corrected.

But Aaravos was surprised when Alette came towards him and buried her face into his chest as she sought out comfort. It…had been a long time since anyone came to him for comfort in such a manner, that he nearly froze in what to do next. He hesitantly put his hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair. “The loss of a loved one is always hard. We all have those we miss and want back, and yet we must learn how to live without their presence in our lives.”

Oh how Aaravos had many loved ones gone forever.

The scene changed, and Aaravos raised his brows at all the different colors present in the room. Which, he assumed to be her room. “Is this yours?” he asked, glancing around and studying the small details.

~~~

Farah chuckled and shook her head. “Oh no, I’ve learned to fight with a sword.” While she wasn’t as well trained as her elite soldiers, she had been trained since she was a child by several soldiers close to the royal family, including Yaseen and her husband.

A spar with Viren, with or without magic, would surely be interesting.

“As for how I actually fight, you’ll just have to find that out for yourself. I can’t give anything away right now and give you that advantage.” She smirked and grabbed a sparring sword before she stepped closer to Viren, where he had been sparring with the soldiers. She was still dressed from traveling, so her clothes would be appropriate enough for a sparring session.

A shame she couldn’t take off her tunic to try and distract Viren, much like their previous chess game. That could prove embarrassing for Farah in a public area during a physical altercation.

“I’m ready when you are,” she said, her feet in position for the first move.

 

[Lucyfer]

Alette’s mind still felt like it hung in a strange middle-place, heavy with grief and uncertainty. It pulled towards lucid in that, nearly waking her as the slow realization that the fabric she clutched barely felt like it was there. The comfort she wanted wasn’t present, but the grief clung to her despite all the other falsities of the dream.

She didn’t wake.

She sunk back into lucidity with no recollection of the previous dream, except that it must have made her terribly sad, as she drew away from Aaravos to see they were, indeed, in her room at Del Bar. She wiped the back of her hand by her eyes, wondering how wet her pillow was in reality.

“Oh,” it was her room, and she couldn’t help but laugh a bit in embarrassment. It wasn’t exact, the dream still clung to things that were no longer present, “Yes, it is. Mostly,” she said, wishing she could wave it away, “far comfier than a war camp on the move,” she noted, which wasn’t a stretch.

Most bedrooms would be cozier than that.

Naturally, she gravitated towards her desk, “Sorry about…whatever made me so sad earlier,” she shook her head, “as I’m sure you’ve figured out, I never have good dreams, so the interruption is appreciated,” what would make her so sad in her room? Or had she been elsewhere? The transitions made no sense, but she wouldn’t ask as she took a seat on her desk, rather than the chair.

“I’d say my room is more coordinated nowadays, but I think it might be worse,” she chuckled. Not that she was immediately certain how. It was just her room to her. “I never really understood why people wouldn’t have things they liked if the things didn’t fit, you know?” Like the blue couch, and mosaic-like rug that had just been too pretty to not take home.

~***~

Viren chuckled at her unwillingness to give anything else up. Farah had definitely seen enough of him to have an idea of how he fought, but whether that would be enough of an advantage was yet to be seen. Viren did have that wonderful advantage of magic, after all, and his staff was capable of some feats without ingredients that always took people by surprise.

Even him, if he was honest, but he wasn’t going to complain.

“Very well, Queen Farah,” he acknowledged her readiness as he adjusted his own posture back into a more combat-ready stance, while looking over her own for signs of weakness of ways to improve. Naturally, he wouldn’t comment on any such thing right then. First, he’d have to see how she actually fared.

What seemed weak in Katolis could be a strength of the Evenere style.

He wouldn’t state when he was ready. He would let actions speak for him as he quickly closed the gap and used the length of his staff to strike out before he would be in range of Farah’s sword, swinging it hard at her knees to see how well she could protect her lower-half, when most foes went for mid or high ranged blows.

He would also continue on that testing phase for a bit, holding back on any magic until he got a better feel for how Farah fought, and if it would even be necessary.

 

[cleopat]

Alette’s room was far more chaotic than Aaravos’s…prison. He couldn’t really call it his room, even if it was the place he’d been sleeping in for centuries now, but it was organized to his liking and his interests. Bookcases lined the walls, and everything in a color scheme of either blue or purple.

“Well, we’ll just have to give you pleasant dreams, won’t we?” Aaravos said with a grin, fiddling with a random tchotchke he found before putting it back in its place.. It was easy to discern a personality to fit the room - as colorful and vibrant as the woman who decorated it.

He casually strolled closer to where Alette had perched herself on her desk. “Why do you think you have bad dreams often?” he wondered. “Are you really hiding so much pain?” Of course he knew the loss of her friend, the old king, and he knew a bit of her childhood thanks to the first dream he found himself in.

Aaravos leaned over her, one hand resting on the desk beside her. He couldn’t really talk much about hiding pain. How much was he hiding himself? Or even denied to himself that he was hiding? Far, far too much.

But he was interested in getting further inside the mind of Alette right then.

~~~

Farah had indeed seen enough of Viren’s fighting style to get a feel of how he fought, and she had started thinking of ways to counteract his style before she moved forward, ready for their little spar to begin.

Of course Viren had the great advantage of magic, which could be wildly unpredictable to those who never wielded it, or even to those who have, according to what Samir has told her.

Quick into action, Farrah tightened her grip on the sword as Viren swung at her knees. Without a second thought, she jumped up and over the staff without a moment’s hesitation. The staff, she thought, would be her main focus. To try and knock it out of his grip. It would be his source of magic to try and defeat her, as she saw from his previous sparring matches.

Farah swung the sword at his arms, aiming for a blow that would help weaken them. She hoped for successive blows to them, if she was at all successful in landing at least one blow. But she would also maintain vigilance in protecting her own body against him, and making sure she didn’t tire herself out too much too early in the fight.

That would ensure a victory for him.

 

[Lucyfer]

Aaravos thought the solution simple, and Alette had no qualms with her regularly scheduled nightmares being interrupted. Even this was far better than…well, she didn’t actually know what she dreamt of. It faded in the light of day, as all such lying terrors did. The fact these dreams didn’t fade spoke to the truth of them, something she knew she should keep in mind when Aaravos came closer, leaning over her, all of him so very near.

Without the warnings of his interactions in the scheme to kill King Florian blaring in her mind, she certainly wondered how pleasant these dreams could be. They’d done enough flirting. He was still hiding something, but was it significant enough? Debatable.

“Do I look like I’m hiding that much pain?” Asked, of course, with a cheeky grin and straightening up, rather than backing down or leaning away. The goal of hiding was not to be noticed, so of course, she didn’t look it, and of course, she chuckled and shook her head, “No, it’s just that nuisance side effect of dark magic. You know, ruined appearances, bad dreams, people being afraid of you. Well…I suppose you wouldn’t know about ruined appearances,” a comment made far too lightly as she reached to touch the scrap of cloth on his shoulders, as if it needed readjusting. She barely felt it, but all the same, there was a certain enjoyable tension.

The act of touch was still like a real one, fraught with the possibility of rejection, and there was something exciting to it all.

“If you were ever prettier than this, I doubt I could look at you without going blind.”

~***~

Knocking a staff out of hand was far more difficult than a sword for the simple reason of size. A sword could only be held at the hilt. A staff could be held almost anywhere, and Viren didn’t tend to keep his hands at just the bottom of the staff. He centered them as he was put on the defensive, guarding against the queen’s quick strikes, and stepping back, or stepping off to the side to try and get clear of the next strike.

He could try a spell from the staff.

He could also try a spell from among his pockets of items.

Or he could try a cantrip, which he thought might pay off better.

When her sword struck again, he didn’t back up, but stepped forward, pushing back against her sword. He wanted to throw her guard off, but didn’t mind if he failed. He braced himself as he took one hand off of the staff, aware her full weight might fall back on him, and flicked his hand out from the safety of being close to him, to get between them, close to her face.

Flame flicked into life in his hand without a word, just a brilliant flash. He wouldn’t throw it at her, the intent just to surprise with the sudden flash of light and the heat, before he’d try to step away and slam the staff into her back or side.

 

[cleopat]

Aaravos was pleased that Alette didn’t back down, but rather straightened up to get even closer to him. “I’ve always found that those with the most pain tend to hide it the best.” Oh, how much pain was he hiding? How much pain did those he knew throughout his life hid?

Far, far too much.

At the comment of his appearance, Aaravos chuckled, and reached one hand up to gently brush against her cheek, the touch fleeting, but there. “I do know about people being afraid of you and bad dreams,” he admitted, his thumb grazing her cheek.

“But it would be a shame if you went blind from looking at me.” He was terribly amused by her comment though, one he had heard before it different iterations. Aaravos knew he was pretty. He heard it many times before. Why deny what was the truth? “What exactly about me do you find so pretty?”

~~~

Farah quickly realized the firm grip Viren had on his staff. It wouldn’t be easy to knock it out of his hands like she wanted, so she had to think of a new strategy before her energy waned.

But as she was mulling over the different choices in her head, as she braced her sword against his staff, a flash of brilliant light invaded her vision. Farah let out a small cry from being startled, not expecting the bright light and heat at all. She used one hand that wasn’t gripping the hilt of the sword to cover her face, more so as a reaction, and took a step back.

She realized her mistake a moment too late when the staff slammed into her, sending her sprawling on the ground. Any further hesitation would be the end of the sparring session, so Farah was quick to roll out of the way and back to her feet. She had seen Viren use magic on his soldiers during their sparring matches, so she shouldn’t have been surprised that he used it.

But having it used on her was an entirely different sensation.

While Farah was still low, she swung her sword at Viren’s legs in two successive swings.

 

[Lucyfer]

The touch was still too faint, but it was better than nothing. That was a thought Alette supposed she might regret, as it would only add to the longing, and she didn’t know how long it might take to actually meet Aaravos. How long had he not found a way to escape? ‘And for what crimes?’ Still the plaguing question, although she suspected it was crimes against elves and dragons, not humans. He was there to help them end the Xadian threat, after all, when their monarchs had all been assassination targets by the Dragon Queen.

That wasn’t worth dwelling on when he was fishing for compliments, though.

She’d indulge his ego a little more. His confidence suggested he didn’t actually need it, but wants deserved attention, too. “Several things, but it’d waste the whole dream to go through them all,” perhaps not, but indulgence was the name of the game now. “I can just list the highlights for now.”

And there were enough of those, “Like your complexion, with all the stars, especially,” she easily dropped a finger to circle the one on his chest, “the large one. And your hair,” she envied the ease with which he wore it, uncertain if it had always been white, or if it was a sign of dark magic in elves, too. But she liked it, either way.

Humans didn’t – not even when it came naturally from age. Perhaps that was why, though. They thought of frailty and death at the sight of such pale strands.

“Your eyes - black and gold - also quite pretty, but I’ve always liked gold,” so of course, she’d like that, “and then the confidence you carry yourself with just adds to the whole package. How could anyone see anything else but someone to know, to aspire to be, to want, when you carry yourself as you do?” Alette teased, drawing her hand down the star and then away from him, “And you know it.” She couldn’t help but point that out. “That little smirk of yours says it all.”

~***~

Despite being caught off-guard, Farah still responded quickly. He hummed approval even as he stepped back from one swipe, and slammed his staff into the ground with the second one. The sword thus hit that instead of him, and a wave of energy left the staff to shake the ground around him.

It wouldn’t have much impact on Farah, as low to the ground as she was, but it would certainly serve as a reminder of his capabilities if the flash of fire wasn’t enough to do that.

Viren would hoist his staff back up, and allow Farah time to get back to her feet as well, keeping a distance so he couldn’t reach her with his staff – although spells were still fair game, he’d let her have a moment to regroup before he would go back to fighting with the staff, matching blow for blow, before again, returning to magic.

And again – not from the staff.

He’d take out a bit of powdered dust from a butterfly’s wing and bring it to life with the words, “tsud gninekcis, daerpS.” His eyes darkened to that purple glow, and he let the powder fly from his hands and towards her face, the intent to start a coughing fit in the middle of the battle to leave her a bit easier to fight down.

Still, nothing fatal.

Nothing permanently damaging.

He knew how to avoid that.

 

[cleopat]

It had been far too long for his liking since he had last been so close to someone, even if he wasn’t actually physically close to Alette. An unknown distance still separated the two, but her dreamworld would have to suffice for now to satisfy that longing urge to be touched and praised.

And Alette indulged in his little not-so-secret desire to be praised and admired.

He wished the feeling of her finger on his chest was more concrete instead of that ghostly graze. And oh how he wanted to grab the strands of her hair! But he could lightly run his fingers through her strands, feeling the faint softness, as she listed off some of what she liked about him.

“Maybe I do know it,” he said, that smirk still gracing his face, “but it had been quite some time since I heard anyone say it.” He couldn’t even say with confidence how long it had indeed been. Only the melting of candles helped him with keeping track of time. One hand slipped to rest at her waist. Aaravos couldn’t grab her like he wanted.

All of it, so frustrating.

Without speaking another word, Aaravos bent down to press his lips against hers, as firm as was possible given the dream-state. There was so much more he wanted, but he would give what he could with every flicker of desire that coursed through his body.

~~~

Farah was quickly realizing that her current method was doing nothing in what she hoped. Her sword was no match for the staff and its capabilities. Capabilities of its wielder.

And she was also realizing that the power Viren held was…making her feel a certain way about him.

I’ve got to get that staff away from him.

Eyes narrowed in suspicion when Viren brought something out, and seeing the powder, Farah quickly covered her nose and mouth with one arm before he could finish the spell. She didn’t know what it would do, but she learned a little about dark magic from Samir.

It was capable of much.

She attempted to move out of the way of the path of the powder, though some still got into her eyes. Her vision blurred from irritation, but she didn’t let that deter her. Again, her thoughts focused on the staff in his hands.

One more idea ran through her head. Without a second thought, Farah dropped her sword and rushed at Viren in an attempt to grab his staff and twist her own body to twist it out of his grip.

 

[Lucyfer]

Aaravos didn’t deny that he knew it, but admitted what was obvious: he enjoyed hearing it, anyways. He enjoyed that others knew it. Alette wouldn’t go fishing for his own thoughts on her, not that it was wholly needed. There was some answer in his actions, no matter how faint, she still noticed.

Being desired by someone like Aaravos was pleasant enough; she didn’t need to think about the likelihood he’d desired others far better than her, or hear comparisons, right then.

Not when it was better to try and get lost in what she could feel, and try to heighten in, when he kissed her, and she responded immediately, pressing back more, wanting back more, and knowing how impossible it was. It was almost a challenge for that as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him in that much closer.

It really was a shame it wasn’t real, although Alette knew they would both remember it. It might make talking to the bug a little more awkward. Or at least, listening to the bug when she had to pretend it couldn’t talk – that was definitely going to be more difficult.

Sadly, she wasn’t allowed much time to linger with him post-bliss. The waking world called, and it called unmercifully before the sun had fully risen to prepare to move on. Alette was not at all pleased to wake, even if Viren dropping by to apologize for the fight over the Moonshadow elves was a bit of a surprise because he brought sweet pastries. That was reason enough to forgive him.

Even if he seemed strange about asking forgiveness, as if he was looking for something else in there, asking odd questions. She shrugged it off, blissfully unaware he was testing her memory before he left.

She did not ask for “Starling” back that morning; the mere thought of trying to explain why she wanted to talk to bug pal in the morning was mortifying enough, so she left that subject alone completely. Normalcy would be best.

It was another tedious day of travel, but they did make it into Xadia, and Alette was able to pass out the list of ingredients she wanted scouting parties as evening came, before she was subjected to training with Captain Trish again.

And falling into the dirt. Several times.

The temptation to use magic rose every single time, as Alette clawed her way back up from the dirt and bit the inside of her cheek against Trish’s disparaging sigh, “All right, let’s try again, maybe this time you can remember not to twist your legs like that when you move. It upsets your balance.” Not that Trish really showed her how to do it. Just as she couldn’t really show Alette how to use a staff. She didn’t know.

~***~

Farah wasn’t completely oblivious about what she ought to do when the powder came into sight, but it still impacted her. He saw that as it went into her eyes. It may have missed its target, but it destabilized her, which had been what he wanted. He swung out at her, but that was when she made her decision to throw her sword.

She had put herself just out of reach and threw it.

“What are you—” the answer was clear when her hands grasped his staff and she tried to wrest it from his grip, using her body to put more power behind herself as she twisted herself. So, he let it go rather than fight, certain she’d fall with the staff to the ground, and he’d have time to pick up her sword, and put it to her throat.

At least, that was the plan when he let it go and turned to grab the sword from the ground.

A sword was just as effective a weapon, and if she managed to get up in time, he highly doubted she was capable enough with a long weapon such as that to deal with him, a sword, and even more magic.

But he’d be willing to see how long it took her to regret her decision. He was more than a little amused by the decision. Amused, and admittedly, annoyed. He didn’t like not having his staff in hand. He knew it enhanced his power, and had enough tricks of its own.

 

[cleopat]

Soren spent many hours since his conversation with Alette pondering over what it was his father could have done that would upset Farah. He loved his dad, but he was capable of much, as Soren knew all too well.

Like killing the princes. He was totally convinced of that.

He didn't tell Claudia of his concerns, not yet. He wanted to find out more information before he did. Or…something. Soren wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure about anything right now.

But one thing he was sure about, as he walked across camp they made that evening, was that Alette looked like she needed help. Maybe even saving. Biting back a chuckle, Soren jogged up to the area where Trish was torturing, or training, Alette, and waved at them. “Hey! Do you mind if I take over from here?” he asked Trish.

“I figured maybe different fighting techniques could really help her out!” Yes, that was it. That sounded good.

~~~

Viren letting go of the staff without a fight took Farah completely by surprise. As she had threw so much force into trying to get the staff away from him, she tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground. Right as she realized what happened and began to try and get up, Viren had managed to grab her sword and held it to her throat.

“Fuck.” A clear loss.

Her chest heaved as she struggled to even out her breathing. Farah let out a low groan before dropping her head back on the ground, chuckling. “Normally I know what to do with a long staff, but apparently I need some more lessons.” A not at all subtle suggestion between the two of them.

She knew deep down that her skill wouldn’t quite match Viren’s, based on what she had seen between him and his soldiers. She hadn’t been extensively trained, not like soldiers or those prepared to fight. She could defend herself, and Viren had an added advantage of magic.

 

[Lucyfer]

Alette saw Soren approach and winced as he offered to help. Although the reason why evaded her, she felt as if she ought to be avoiding revealing much to Soren – just a lingering feeling that she had already suggested too much to him. Likely, something personal and stupid. He’d already found her asleep in a library before.

She didn’t want to embarrass herself anymore in front of the Crownguard, although Trish didn’t seem to mind handing over the reins, “It definitely can’t hurt,” she acknowledged and stepped back to give Soren room in the training field they had cleared in the Del Bar camp.

Alette bit her bottom lip before sighing as she straightened herself out, “I’m a bit of a lost cause, Soren,” she wasn’t supposed to think that way, but everything indicated it was true. She wasn’t grasping what Trish was teaching her at all. She knew she shouldn’t move her feet and twist her body, but she kept doing it and unbalancing herself. No matter how good a grip she had on her staff, it didn’t help if she couldn’t keep herself from being forced to the ground by every upsetting attack.

Still, she wasn’t going to send him away. Trish was right – it couldn’t do addition harm. Well, unless he broke her leg or something, but she didn’t think Soren was actually that unaware of his own strength. Or how bad she was.

~***~

Farah didn’t have the reaction time necessary to evade defeat, and Viren couldn’t help the somewhat smug smile that graced his lips as he tossed the sword aside, and then offered his hand for her to take and pull herself up. He understood her comment, as well. It did nothing to get rid of that smirk. “Well,” he said, “you’re always welcome to come train here. I may even have time for a few private lessons if you’re really interested in how to work a staff.”

That wasn’t subtle.

Then again, there was little reason to that when things likely would have progressed far beyond such innuendos if it weren’t for certain interruptions. Interruptions he was sure were over with after seeing Alette and realizing she truly didn’t remember anything. Aaravos hadn’t lied. And Aaravos had also seemed annoyingly smug over it all.

Either way, he would help Farah to her feet, and get his staff back. “It is tricky to combat if you’re not used to, especially with magic, but it is what our soldiers need. You ought to set Lord Samir to training the soldiers as well, if you have not already. Magic is not something they face often, and they will face plenty in Xadia. The elves have it naturally,” and it was why he was practicing.

He knew Alette should also be helping but her new king was refusing, insisting that Alette first needed to know how to fight before magic was even considered. Which, he probably had a point about, Alette might actually kill someone on accident without proper understanding of combat…but Viren doubted it. “Is that what brought you to camp today, or were you looking for something else?”

 

[cleopat]

Soren beamed at Trish as she allowed Alette over to him. No, it definitely couldn’t hurt, and maybe he could even speed up Alette’s progress! He had hope.

And he wanted to see how she fared after their conversation the previous evening.

“No one’s a lost cause!” Soren announced, fully believing his words. Anyone could be taught, if given the right teacher and the right approach. “If I could teach Prince Callum a thing or two about defense, I’m confident you can learn a few things as well.”

Seriously, everyone has the ability to learn. Even someone as uncoordinated as Callum!

“We just need to start with the basics,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Your stance isn’t great, and that is key to everything else you will learn about fighting.” He spread out his feet, shoulder-length apart, with a slight bend of the knees. “A stance like this will be less likely to lead to you tripping over your own feet.”

Which she definitely had been doing.

~~~

Farah was pleased with the fact that Viren played along with her wordplay as evident by the smirk on her face, despite lying supine on the ground with a sword to her neck, now cast aside so he could help her up.

She took his hand and gracefully rose to her feet, brushing off any dirt that got on her clothes in the process of the match. “I think I just may ask you for those private lessons. I do have much to learn.”

Farah hoped to evolve beyond such innuendos very soon, if they didn’t get interrupted again. What was with Alette and her impeccable timing?

“I admit that the soldiers facing magic in combat is not something I’ve thought much of. I shall speak with Lord Samir about this issue and see to it that the soldiers get training in dealing with magic.” It was smart, and honestly she was a bit surprised that Samir hadn’t brought up the issue before. Surely he thought of it?

But he was also busy preparing spells and potions for the upcoming battle. Likely it just hadn’t crossed his mind yet.

“I was looking for something else,” Farah said, beginning to move in the direction of Viren’s tent. “I was hoping for a rematch of last night’s chess match.” She paused, turning to look at him. “That is, if you’re up for another match? I know it must be daunting, being so close to not scoring a victory last night.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Alette couldn’t help but give a rueful smile at Soren’s optimism, wondering how long until that gave out. She didn’t know much about Prince Callum to know if he was a lost cause or not, but from the sounds of it, he definitely wasn’t a warrior. So, Alette tried not to roll her eyes at the stance thing.

She knew about stances.

Stances were great! Until you moved, and the stance got all kinds of messed up by moving in any way, shape, or form. That’s when the tripping problems arose, among other problems. Even so, she did her best to mimic Soren’s stance, and bit back her comments. No need to throw too much pessimism into this now.

But she could add one note: “I understand the idea of it…but I always have to move in a fight and that upsets the stance. I can’t…find balance again easily.” There, that was stating a problem and not making it depressing! That was direction to fixing problems!

No matter how hopeless.
~***~

Although it was surprising that Samir hadn’t mentioned it to Farah, it also wasn’t. Viren knew Samir to be more of an academic, rather like Alette, than a fighter. He may have had the thought cross his mind a time or two, but to put it into action? That was something else entirely. So he just nodded as Farah mentioned to speaking Samir, and wondered if the mage would actually agree to it or not.

As for Farah’s reason for being there, he was not at all surprised.

That meant that despite his flares of temper, she still wanted to spend time with him. There also shouldn’t be anymore of those flares that night, given Aaravos had done his job well. So Viren chuckled along at her jest of almost victory. He wasn’t thinking of that in chess terms, either. But why should that be solely his victory?

She’d almost won, as well.

“I am not afraid to continue playing chess with you, Your Grace,” he was more than amused, “I tend to find the games more enjoyable when they’re actually a challenge,” perhaps not in the moment, when he was thinking about moves and frustrated, but he did prefer those to others, and led the way to his tent without further instruction on that matter.

“I apologize, I have not had time to prepare a dinner,” his time sparring had taken up more time than he anticipated. He was sure Soren and Claudia could fend for themselves well enough, but he still felt a bit bad for it. And for not having something prepared for Farah, though he hadn’t been positive he’d see her so soon after last night.

 

[cleopat]

Soren hummed, nodding at the complaint Alette mentioned. “And that’s a good starting point!” he praised, hoping to ease some of her trepidation and pessimism that he could sense, common of any person learning how to fight.

He easily saw enough of it in Callum in his early days of learning how to swordfight.

“You just need to practice! The more you practice some basic moves, the more it will naturally come to you to reassume the correct stance,” Soren stated as if it was basic knowledge. Which, to him, it was! This was what he knew. This was what he was good at.

“So we’re going to go back to basics. I am going to lunge at you, and you are going to dodge, and as quickly as you can, go back into the stance you are in now. Got it?” If prepared, Soren would lunge at her, with full speed. He may not be attacking her in the moment, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn speed right then.

~~~

“I do enjoy a challenge myself, which is why I think I am eager to challenge you again,” Farah chuckled, though her mind wandered into some of the…other challenges she had faced recently with Viren. Namely, the challenge of trying to further things with Viren in the middle of a war camp, when they had so little privacy.

There were moments Farah wondered if they should just wait until after the war, when there would be so much less stress and chaos around them.

But that trail of thought didn’t cross her mind as she stepped inside Viren’s tent. And while she may have been a tad disappointed to not taste Viren’s cooking, she smiled at him as she stepped further into the tent. A teasing smile that hinted at something more. “I’m sure you will find a way to make it up to me.”

And she was eager to see in what ways he would make it up to her. By simply keeping her company for a while, by somehow conjuring up a dinner for them under such short notice, or through other means she had hoped to progress to the other night before they were interrupted.

 

[Lucyfer]

Soren was unflappably optimistic, which was…nice?

Alette was used to the hopelessness and exasperation of the guards here when dealing with her. Then again, Soren hadn’t yet had time to realize she was hopeless, so she was sure it would falter. Of course, what Soren said was true. This just…wasn’t as easy to her as magic, or medicine. She’d tried this so much!

Of course, the others hadn’t taken things very slow, assuming she’d get it quick enough.

Soren gave a simple direction. Dodge, and regroup.

Alette could do that – and she dodged, her footing not at all graceful, and her attempt to restore herself to the position panicked because she fully expected Soren would swing right after the lunge, and not give her the time to regroup.

So, when he did, she was a bit taken off guard, clear enough in her expression, and the, “That’s it?” question that fell from her lips. Of course, that wasn’t it – that was just the first step, and she knew that…but it was never like that training with others who were quick to push her towards second, third, and fourth steps, all at once.

~***~

Viren couldn’t help the sidelong look and the, “Oh?” at her suggestion of making it up to her. As if dinner was already a guaranteed thing of her visits and not a delightful treat. He was amused by it, a little, as well as curious by the suggestion this ought to be a norm – to have food ready for her, each time, each day.

“Perhaps.”

There were ways to make it up, though he wasn’t going to go through cooking. Mostly, because she’d see it, and once people saw it, they usually weren’t as interested in it any longer. The dark magic aspect always threw them off, for some frustrating reason. They were fine not knowing! They were always fine not knowing where their bounty came from, but as soon as they saw it, it wasn’t acceptable any longer.

“I’ll see to it that we have some dinner brought if you intend to linger a while,” and he would briefly step out to direct a guard to bring two dinners, before stepping back into the tent. “While we’re waiting on that,” he went to take his seat, “we could start that game of chess, but that always feels more like dessert.”

So, he wouldn’t dig that out as he approached her, rather than take his seat. He let his hand go to her arm, “Why don’t you tell me more about your swordplay practices. Do you enjoy it, or do you keep it up more for, mmm…pragmatic reasons?” an easy question, with a twist lead, “that will help me teach you how to get better at handling a staff.”

Which it would, of course. If she didn’t enjoy this, then there were quick and easy skills he could impart. And if she did, there was more nuance.

But obviously, the double meaning was there.

 

[cleopat]

Soren rubbed the back of his head with a slight chuckle. “Well, no, that’s not quite it, but it’s what we’re going to practice for a few minutes, until we add another step to practice with it.” But he wouldn’t do that right then.

Not when it was so clear that Alette was suffering.

“Do you know how to dance? Think of it like learning how to dance!” he said enthusiastically. Not that he really knew how to dance…but he saw others dancing! He knew that learning was a slow process that took time and careful footwork, just like sword fighting.

And with that, Soren would lunge after her a few more times, commenting on how exactly she moved and how to improve. Namely, with more practice. She would soon know the proper footwork to dodge in her sleep. He was sure of it!

“Now, after dodging and getting back into the correct stance, I want you to lunge after me. Do you think you can do that?”

~~~

Of course Farah didn’t expect dinner every night, but she still couldn’t help her slight tease and how Viren would react to it. He didn’t seem insulted by it, but rather amused. Good. Hopefully he caught on well to her own wordplay, which, if he was as intelligent as he seemed, then he should.

Still, he called for dinner to be brought to them, which after sparring, and if she were indeed to linger as long as she hoped, they would need dinner to get through the evening. “If we do start that game of chess before dinner, then I suppose we could always do something else afterwards for dessert.”

Something she hoped didn’t go over his head.

Farah hummed in thought for a second at his question of her swordplay. “Although I admit my preferred form of fighting is archery, I do enjoy swordplay on the regular.” A simple, truthful answer, even as she caught on to the double meaning. Innuendos she hoped they would leave behind very soon. She reached one hand up to gently rest on his chest. “It’s an excellent and…enjoyable form of physical exercise.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Alette did know how to dance. She actually liked that, and she’d heard the comparison before. If the steps to battle had any damn consistency, she might have figured things out, but so far she’d never grasped it in the same way.

At least Soren was trying to teach her. With each lunge, he offered tips, and Alette adapted them – sometimes at the cost of something she was good at before, but it was balancing, and putting it all together, until she started to feel it was coming together. Bit by bit. It was nowhere perfect and Soren kept noting that it would take more practice.

He didn’t think she should already know it.

Or be great at it.

But he did move to another step, and so Alette nodded, even if she wasn’t sure how great an idea lunging with a staff was in practical application, she still followed through. And she still took his advice each time she went through the same motion, so that it would be better, smoother, and faster than the last time.

Not that it was great. And it felt a bit silly…but at least Soren wasn’t acting as if it was silly.

‘Definitely like you better than Trish.’ So far she hadn’t been knocked on her ass, after all!

~***~

Viren had hardly planned on chess being the real dessert. It just seemed to make things flow so much more naturally towards that other real dessert than a dinner did. With her own competitiveness, it would be easy to play into such things. He was glad that Farah was still very much of that mindset.

Her hand lifted to his chest as she answered, obviously speaking of the two things in question.

“Mm, and usually much better with a partner who can hold their own,” he agreed, folding a hand over hers, “there’s certainly a few things more I can show you,” he stepped in to close the distance and meant to lean down to kiss her, to start showing something, but no, the gods were still clearly against him.

“Lord Viren – dinner is here,” the guard outside the tent called, jarring him from that simplest of acts. He couldn’t help the groan, as he parted from Farah to go and get the dinner he hadn’t expected to arrive that quickly so he could bring it inside and they could pretend they cared about the dinner at all, or the chess game, or anything else.

And then get interrupted when they tried to actually act on what their real intentions were.

Why was this his luck? Some lingering curse from Alette? Aaravos ruining his life for entertainment?

 

[cleopat]

Soren beamed as Alette seemed to have understood what it was he was trying to teach her. Start off slow, then build their way up to more complicated maneuvers that Trish had been trying to teach her, and fail. Some people are able to get the steps better and can be thrust into sparring, but some…needed a different approach.

Alette was definitely one of those people.

But by the end of their session, Soren smiled at her, with not a single bead of sweat on his brow. “I think we made great progress!” She was still…far off from where he knew Trish wanted her to be at, but she certainly now stood a better chance in their sessions. He hoped.

“It does also help to keep your mind clear. I’m sure last night…you wouldn’t have been able to make great progress,” he gently pried more into their conversation from last night, as it still weighed on his mind. Exactly what it was his father was hiding that Alette hated so much.

If what he was hiding could hurt someone else.

~~~

Farah had prepared herself for the kiss she knew was inevitable. She leaned her head up, waiting for that blissful moment when their lips finally met after all the teasing and innuendos, but that moment never came.

No, they had to be cruelly interrupted yet again.

She let out her own huff of irritation as Viren broke away to go get the food. She wasn’t even hungry, and she doubted that Viren was truly hungry himself.

Well, she was hungry, but it wasn’t for food.

So when Viren placed the food down, Farah approached him, placing a hand on his arm. “I don’t suppose you’re able to reheat food?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Soren wasn’t sweating – but Alette was. Not that she was terribly upset by it, for once, she felt she’d made some decent headway into understanding something that had been evading her. She didn’t quite know what, but this was progress, and she wanted to keep at it. She almost wanted to beg Soren to come back the next evening so she wasn’t stuck with Trish.

“Heh, yeah,” she’d had an argument with his father, “Sorry about that, your dad’s difficult,” she remembered talking to him about it, although the details eluded her. Just that sense she’d talked to him and vented about the difficulties. “I hope you didn’t take any offense last night, because I’d like to ask you to come back up here to keep working with me on this stuff. Trish…doesn’t seem to know how to help me.”

Trish was a great fighter.

Not a great teacher. Not for her.

Alette had no idea how much more Soren meant by his words, nor did she even recognize they were intended to be probing.

~***~

Farah’s irritation was obvious, but Viren couldn’t just send the food away when he’d requested it, nor could he have the bearer of the food wait outside indefinitely. They had other business to attend to. So, he grabbed the food, and dismissed them a bit too curtly as he turned back to the tent. He set the food on a table, trying not to sigh.

Farah stopped him from suggesting they go on to eat and keep to a ‘normal’ schedule of events.

He couldn’t help but smirk at her not at all subtle proposal. “I can,” and even if he couldn’t, cold food wouldn’t be the worst thing he’d ever had in his life. He didn’t think Farah would have minded, so with his hands relieved of the food he turned so he was facing her and easily wrapped an arm around her waist.

“I did leave off on a rather important note; I think the food can wait.”

This time, when he moved the arm she’d touched up to her cheek, no one interrupted him when he pressed his lips to hers, and pulled her tighter to him, not intending to let go anytime soon after he had finally taken a moment to have her, without all the innuendo and lies, without worrying about the judgement of others.

He was finally free of that.

 

[cleopat]

“Heh…yeah, he’s difficult alright,” Soren agreed with a halfhearted chuckle. But something didn’t seem quite right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He almost never could without the help of Claudia, but she couldn’t help him with this situation.

So Soren would do his absolute best. All he could ever do.

“But of course I’ll keep working with you on this stuff!” It was something he was great at, after all. Helping people train was what he was meant to do! “You said nothing that offended me last night. Quite the opposite, as I am still curious as to what exactly you were talking about.”

Something very bad his father did.

“But of course you still can’t talk about that, can you? That…thing my father did?” Soren looked to Alette for any reaction to his words, and if she would show any emotions towards them.

~~~

Farah grinned as Viren easily accepted her subtle proposal, and as he moved to press his lips to hers, she slid her hands over his chest, one resting at the nape of his neck, and the other entwined in his hair, feeling the soft, short strands in her fingers.

It had been long enough since she allowed herself to indulge in such passion.

There had been one other since her affair with Samir, but even that had been a few years. And though there was that soft voice in her head that reminded her she was still in mourning, she squashed that for the time being and allowed herself to indulge in this one selfish act.

Farah was going to enjoy this evening, assuming that no one interrupted them for once.

Lips still locked together, she maneuvered them towards the bed, pushing Viren towards it. Farah refused to be subtle any longer about what she wanted.

 

[Lucyfer]

Alette was relieved that Soren would continue to help her out, and showed it in the sigh that she gave, glad to have his help. He did a better job at understanding what she needed than Trish did. Perhaps she would actually learn something! Not that she ever really wanted to fight with her staff. Magic was good enough, and even then…she preferred to be on the healing side of things, not the violent side of things.

Except, apparently, Soren still wanted to know more about last night. It would have been easy to mention the Moonshadow elf disagreement, but…something she couldn’t talk about? Her brows knit together in confusion.

What couldn’t she talk about?

“It was just about the Moonshadow assassins….” Though she spoke that as if from a distance, “I upset him when I brought it up, which is understandable, given….”

Given what? ‘Harrow.’

No that wasn’t it.

It was a whisper in her mind, like a dream. She couldn’t grasp it, “I think I must have just been embarrassed for upsetting him over something so trifling so I didn’t want to talk about it.” That made sense, yet it didn’t feel right at all, and she couldn’t help that feeling that there was something wrong.

The more she tried to think about her conversation with Viren, the more she felt her thoughts drifting off from it. “I also think he was upset I interrupted him and Farah – I should have read the room better,” she had no idea, of course, she’d told Soren she wanted to separate them.

~***~

Innuendos were quickly left behind. One kiss was all it took, and Viren had no qualms about going straight to the bed from there, no qualms about being pushed – although he was quick to wrestle with control as they hit the bed, and enjoy the play of it from a woman who may not have been Queen…but was still quite accustomed to having things her way.

Denying her was a treat – not that he did so indefinitely. Only long enough for her wanting to start to crack her pride. He wouldn’t let it shatter, of course. That would be…unbecoming, and they were both there seeking solace in each other, in what the physical pleasures could provide, away from the stresses of the war and their losses.

For several moments, those were all gone.

And they were left in the afterglow with cold food waiting somewhere, chess forgotten, and a bed that was a bit too small for two people. That was made up by them being somewhat on top of each other and entwined, but all the same, Viren would have preferred a larger bed.

“I don’t miss skipping dinner for this,” he couldn’t help but say when his lazy gaze around the room fell on that cold plate, “I’m certain you taste far better now,” he didn’t even need to consider testing the theory by trying the food.