A/N: Was anybody else wondering how Buri ended up in Raoul's room the night of the midwinter feast?
Disclaimer: Don't anything; just play in their world for awhile.
Buri eyed herself in the mirror one more time, "Oh get over yourself, he won't care what you look like, you're only doing him a favour"
A knock interrupted her muttering, Buri strode over to the door and pulled it open, to see Raoul smiling on the other side.
"Good Evening Buri, instead of us riding as we would normally do, I called for a coach" Raoul reached over to the coat rack just inside the door and grabbed the cloak hanging there, as he wrapped it around Buri's shoulders he leaned down to whisper, "You look lovely"
Buri felt an unaccustomed blush cover her cheeks, this was her best friend, the one person who had taken the time to get to know her when she had come to Corus with Thayet, a man she had fought along side, he shouldn't make her feel nervous. Clearing her throat, Buri laid her hand on Raoul's arm.
"Thank you, but I didn't do it for you alone, we do have a dragon to allay do we not good sir?"
Raoul shuddered at the mention of his great aunt, "It means a lot to me Buri that your willing to put yourself through this. My Mother and Sisters aren't so bad as my Great Aunt, just smile and nod when she tells you that I'm an overgrown boy who plays with other over grown boys."
Buri raised an eyebrow, not quite sure if she should believe him, after all Raoul had been known to pull a prank or two. Seeing her look of scepticism Raoul simply muttered, "just you wait"
The coach pulled up in front of a small manor house that had all its windows brightly lit, there were small glass globes with candles lit lining the walkway up to the main door.
"Raoul, it's lovely" Buri looked around in delight, there were strings of coloured berries woven with ribbon wrapped around the shrubs, there was even popped corn strung on string thrown across for the birds to feast on. The snow threw back golden glitters as the candlelight flit across the drifts; it matched anything that Buri had seen up at the palace.
The door flew open and out tumbled a platoon of young children, they clamoured around Raoul, Buri chuckled at the sight of the feared giant killer looking rather like a tree in the palace menagerie covered in marmosets. After Raoul had managed to greet each and every child and hear about the latest scrapes they had gotten into he looked around for his friend.
Motioning Buri forward with an arm encumbered by two identical twins, Buri found herself the focus of ten pairs of eyes.
"Who dis, Unca Roo?" the child who clung to Raoul's neck asked, shyly hiding her face in Raouls neck when Buri leaned forward to smile at her.
"Who is this?" Raoul corrected gently, "This my young heathens is Buri, a K'mir and Commander of the Queen's Riders." Pointing to each child in turn, Raoul named them; the older children bowed or curtsied as they eyed Buri with curiosity.
One of the twins announced from where he hung, "Great Dragon says that you're a heathen savage," at a hissed reprimand from his older brother, Garret retorted "Well she does, but I think your pretty" Dropping down, Garret bowed as best as a five year old could and requested, "May I escort you into our house?"
Hiding a smile, Buri replied as if she was answering a courtier, "Most certainly kind sir, I would be delighted."
Raoul huffed, "How come I can never get her to agree with me like that?" Causing the children to laugh.
Cloaks were shed; greetings and introductions were exchanged before the couple was swept into the drawing room. "There is Great Dragon holding court by the fireplace," Raoul whispered into Buri's ear, before leaving her in the care of his sister.
Handing Buri a mulled cider, Illana looked Buri over, "You really don't look like the woman I pictured."
"Pardon me?" Used to the courtiers who used words as she would knives Buri was not flustered by this bald announcement of Raoul's sister.
Realizing how she must have sounded Illana hurried to apologize, "I am sorry, Raoul always said I spoke before I thought, I just meant, I had always tried to imagine the first woman my brother would bring home, and you look nothing like I imagined." A smile broke out over Illana's face, "But you are most definitely perfect for my brother."
A shocked Buri could only stare at her, before Buri had a chance to try and explain that she and Raoul were only friends a servant announced dinner.
At dinner Buri found herself seated between a Priest of Mithros and a family cousin. Buri laughed softly to herself, as Raoul cast her a pained glance, he was stuck between a fat merchant wife and her dyspeptic looking daughter. The mother obviously had designs on Raoul being her son-in-law, the daughter simply looked like she wished she was elsewhere.
"What do you mean he brought a woman?" The voice rang out across the table, "Who did he bring? Commander of what? Where is this woman?" The Great Dragon placed her lorgnette to her eye as she peered down the table, Raoul's mother sent her a silent apology with her eyes, as she pointed Buri out.
"She looks fine enough, hmmph, where's dinner. Servants aren't what they used to be in my day, should fire the lot of them." With that pronouncement dinner was served, Buri enjoyed her conversations with the Priest of Mithros, a well educated and scholarly gentleman, and she only had to bury her fish fork into the back of her other dinner partners hand once.
The after dinner refreshments were served in the library, where the Great Dragon sat ensconced as if on a throne at the end of the room.
Noticing the dark looks Buri was receiving from the cousin, Raoul strolled over, handing Buri a glass of juice he asked, "Any problems?"
"None that I couldn't handle," looking around the room Buri took in the children who scampered from group to group of adults showing them their gifts. The adults all stopped to admire the gifts, not at all bothered by the children's interruptions. Here and there a small head drooped, parents excused themselves to carry their children out of the room. Turning to smile at Raoul, Buri was surprised to see that he had been studying her, "What, am I wearing the fish course?"
Raoul simply took her hand in his clasping it lightly, he turned his gaze out toward the room "So what do you think of them?"
"I like your family, though apparently I am not what most of them imagined." Buri replied dryly.
"Yes, well I did try to warn you about the Great Dragon"
"No, I don't mean your Great Aunt, I mean your sisters and your mother," at Raoul's panicked look, Buri laughed, "Oh my friend you can face down armies but your own women folk scare the breeches right off of you." She was still laughing when,
"You Raoul's woman come over here" rang across the room, stilling all conversation, "Raoul you stay there I want to know what she's made of."
Buri made her way across the room to where the Great Dragon sat; she curtseyed as if greeting a queen. "Humph, at least they trained those heathen manners out of you girl. Get up, I don't want to crane my neck, I want to see you"
Buri rose to her full height, standing straight and tall, she bit back a sharp retort.
"So you think you can marry into this family, eh? I don't approve of you riding around like you're a man. How do I know your good enough for my great nephew eh?"
Raoul moved as if to come to her rescue but a shake of Buri's head held him back.
Buri smiled, to those that knew her that smile caused them to tremble in fear, "Madame as your nephew has not asked more of me than a supper, I do not believe that I will be marrying into this family."
"Don't get above yourself young lady, your still a heathen savage as far as I am concerned and you still didn't answer my question, what makes you think your good enough for my nephew?
Buri lost the tenuous hold she had on her temper, "Madame I have withstood your insults for long enough, what makes me good enough for Raoul, I think the question is Raoul good enough for me."
The old woman gasped in shock and outrage, "Who do you think you are young lady, to speak to me like that. You will never be married with an attitude like that, no man will have you."
"Madame, I look at men as I would a horse, they must have excellent stamina, good bones, strong teeth, and intelligence but as with horses I would not have any man until I rode him. Good evening Madame." Buri left the old woman choking in rage her face purple, as she strode out of the room, Buri heard a few of the men and women whisper congratulations to her for facing down the Great Dragon.
Buri grabbed her cloak from the servant at the door, she felt humiliated by the fact she lost her temper, and even worse for Raoul, as she must have embarrassed him terribly. Buri stumbled her way down the steps and threw herself into the coach that waited at the foot of the pathway, "The Palace and hurry" she called out to the driver. So wrapped up in her own thoughts she did not see Raoul rush from the manor calling her name.
Buri cursed the skirts that kept her from moving more quickly as she crossed the quad to the Riders barracks, a hand grabbed her arm startling her into a self defence move, which was promptly blocked. Buri threw a few more moves taking her anger out on the person who had grabbed her, suddenly she found herself pinned to the ground with a large twitching body holding her down.
Buri blinked a few times to bring the face above her into focus, "Raoul? Where did you come from? Why aren't you having Midwinter with your family?" A part of her mind realized that the reason Raoul was twitching was because he was trying not to laugh. "Ooooh," Buri was so mad that Raoul found this situation funny she couldn't even speak, she tried to throw him off of her but Raoul was simply to big, "Oh, go ahead and laugh you big overgrown metal headed.."
Buri's rant was cut off by the simplest means available Raoul kissed her, his lips were cold against hers, Buri tried to tug her hands out from his grasp, she wasn't sure if she was going to hit Raoul or hug him. Buri lost herself in the sensation of the kiss, the weight of Raoul as he was cradled between her thighs, how hot his body was even through the layers of clothing, a dim part of her mind went 'I wouldn't need as many blankets in winter with him in my bed.'
Raoul's voice was thick with passion when he finally broke off the kiss, "You were saying?"
"Hmm, what?"
Raoul chuckled as he rose up on shaky legs, "I think we can continue this discussion someplace warmer, don't you?"
Suddenly remembering what caused her flight from the midwinter dinner Buri tried to pull her hand out of Raoul's, "Oh no you don't Buri, you are going to come with me you deserve a medal for what you did."
"Your not ashamed of me, of what I did?" Buri was confused by her friends' actions, her mind swirling with thoughts she did not realize that they were in front of Raoul's door until he turned her towards him.
"Buri do you want to come in for cider? We can leave it at that if you want and forget what just happened." Raoul looked down at the floor at his feet, awaiting Buri's reply.
"Cider sounds lovely," Buri wasn't sure where they would be tomorrow but she knew where she wanted to be tonight. Stepping into Raoul's study Buri allowed Raoul to hang take her cloak before stepping over to the banked fire. Raoul moved up beside her and handed her a glass, Buri looked deep into the glass as if trying to see the future.
"If you don't want this Buri," Buri lifted her hand and placed it over Raoul's mouth, "Shhh, I do want this, I have wanted it for some time, I want to savour this moment."
Shock, disbelief and happiness warred on Raoul's face as he stared at the tiny woman in front of him; he ran a finger across her cheek looking deep into her eyes. Smiling Raoul led her over to a chair where he sat pulling her down into his lap.
They spoke of inconsequential things, of how the training was going of the Riders and King's Own, before Raoul brought up the subject Buri had been dreading.
"So you think you should ride me before you decide if you could marry me hmm?"
Buri blushed a bright red, "Raoul I am sorry I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your family like that,"
Raoul cut Buri off, "Buri in case you didn't notice my family was cheering you as you left, in fact Illana warned me that if I didn't go after you there would be dire consequences."
Buri hid her face in the crook of Raouls' neck "I did hear them but it still was a horribly awkward way to say what I did" Laughing she leaned back to look into Raouls face, she was caught by the look of mischief and desire in his eyes.
"So, does that mean you don't want to test me out?" Raoul asked with a raised eyebrow, as he pushed his hip up giving no doubt of his desire for Buri.
Laughing Buri scrambled from Raoul's lap, "C'mon then, we don't want you up to late do we?" With a growl Raoul chased her into the bedroom.
Later as the sweat cooled on their naked bodies and their breathing slowed enough to speak, Raoul asked, "So do you think I'm worth marrying now?"
Raised voices' from Kelandry's room stopped Buri from answering, as Raoul rolled out of bed donned his loin cloth and grabbed his sword before striding out of the room