Ooohh a huge thank you to
The Tribble's Pen
ScarletChakra
Kassandra Black
and
Crazed-AuthoressI hope this gets the same awesome response :D
Breaks a new heart every day
"Oh my, I'm so sorry." A shout came from the other side the bedroom that Ben had been allocated for however long he'd be staying for. He didn't know quite yet how long that would be for but definitely at least until Alice had some life back in her eyes, her smile and well just her really. Speaking of the monarch, she was currently pressed against the door and her face was no doubt on fire. He glanced down at himself, peering through his wet hair and realised that she was embarrassed because he was topless. He'd been giving himself a wash from the hand basin.
"Oh come on Al. You've seen me topless before…" During those times there'd been other company present of course and most others were topless. She did travel with men usually after all. And it's not as if she hadn't seen it all before. He remembered the lusty, dreamy-eyed expression that stole over her when someone had asked what she missed most about life in the palace. She'd given some generic answer about the food before proceeding to joke about the stuff that passed for food in the Mourningwood Fort but Ben had seen the look in her eyes. And chosen to ignore the faint stab of jealousy for a guy he'd never met seeing as he'd only known her for two weeks by then and she was the Princess.
"Well yes but it was different those times." Al stammered, her voice muffled slightly by the door blocking her mouth, "just cover up so I can talk to you." With his usual roguish laugh he threw something around his shoulders. It wasn't much but enough to keep the sudden modesty of his queen intact. It still felt weird calling her that as she was his close friend for at least two years.
"You can turn around now your majesty." He teased trying to raise a smile from her but it seemed that she was in too bad of a mood to even care. She turned finally, her eyes not daring to move from his own; her pretty brow puckering from whatever was annoying her. He resisted the urge to reach out and sooth the lines that were starting to appear on her too young face.
"Well seeing as you're so eager for me to do my queenly duties how about you accompany me to the ball tonight?" It had probably meant to be a polite invitation but her mood was so black that it was issued as a violent, sarcastic question. He guessed that he didn't have a choice in the matter and he guess correctly as she went on to rant, "I'll have Jasper fit you out. He did love to do that for Walter and I and I think he needs a break from the Sanctuary… sorry Ben." She suddenly deflated realising that she was taking her anger out on the wrong person, "Hobson is just getting on my last nerve. Praise Avo that I don't have to wake up to his annoying voice tomorrow. That and I hate balls." She flounced over to the bed in pride of place in the middle of the room and threw herself dramatically on to it, her ball dress puffing up around her waist. It felt good to be childish again. It was one of the things she loved liked about Ben. It was ok to be herself around him, to be the child she'd once been instead of the adult she was forced to grow into too quickly.
"Surely there's something about balls that you don't mind?" Ben decided not to broach the subject of him attending as it would be futile. What Alice wanted, Alice got. It didn't look to be too bad though now she was queen seeing as all she wanted to do was travel. He turned to put on his travelling top, well-worn and looking dirty next to her regal self and much to his chagrin, after the initial blush, she didn't seem entirely effected by his topless state.
"There's Adrian but that's complicated... You'll meet him tonight." He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to despite her enigmatic way of saying the word complicated, "balls. I do hate dressing up in these stupid outfits. Tramp, can't you just take me away to Aurora for an exotic vacation or something? Away from the ridiculousness of it all." There was such a wistful tone to her voice that Ben couldn't help but look over with his own frown. Well that and the fact that she had called him Tramp without a nostalgic sigh tagged on the end. Having spent all afternoon together and finally, for them both really, some human contact longer than a few moments or nights in Ben's case was starting to do them some good.
"Not much has changed since I left then." He smirked, referring to the fact that she still hated everything to do with queenly duties. The decisions that you had to make were tough but at the moment people were still so grateful to be alive, the memory of the Crawler attack fresh in their minds, that only the nobility squabbled amongst themselves like spoiled children. She hadn't been complaining in the afternoon because they had been sparring with their swords, comparing their gun sizes and exchanging weaponry.
"I wouldn't quite say that. I've become an avid fan of Hollows and Hobbes, where the dashing Hero must rescue the Princess from the evil Baron and Demonic Chickens. I have game nights every Tuesday don't you know." She snorted inelegantly from the meringue that had enveloped her on his bed. Given her previous enthusiasm for the pretend games that the children often played, she had even joined in one this afternoon when Ben had needed a rest, the Hollows and Hobbes idea was disturbingly realistic prospect.
"Alice, I'm almost ashamed to be seen as your friend. By rights I shouldn't accompany you to this ball."
"Leave me lonely and I'll set your crotch alight." The flippant way she whipped out a ball of flame from the omnipresent gauntlet of her favourite spell made him think that she might actually follow through on the threat. Wearing the gauntlet all the time was her way of reminding everyone that not only was she handy when there was a bad lighting situation but was also powerful enough to command the use of Will, as Walter had called it. Most of Albion just called it magic or witchcraft.
So instead of teasing her, he just flopped down on the bed beside her, trying to find her amongst her skirts, "Alice… should you so ask of me, I will never, ever leave you lonely." Alice stared at him for a few moments. His serious face was so alien to her that she didn't know if he was teasing or not. There was a long silence in which she placed a hand on his cheek for a reason she couldn't identify other than the overwhelming urge to touch him, capture one of the rare moments of seriousness that Ben Finn had before it slipped away. Then she cast her gaze back to the material canopy of the four poster bed.
"Ah my little tramp. I wonder how many hearts you break using lines like that."
