Silver
Doing her best to evade Cyran's judging stare that she could constantly glimpse from the corner of her eye Silver relented after not much consideration and asked curtly. "What?" She didn't even turn her head in his direction.
"They're quite handsome is all."
"Not my type."
"You have a type for every day of the week," He stopped walking ad looked at her, "You won't fool us all forever. Will you tell me who this great love of yours is?"
She stopped and looked into his eyes with her mouth hung wide open in obviously feigned terror, "Valar above! How did you know?" Before she started walking forwards once more and he had to jog to catch up.
"There must be someone. You're waiting for him… or her perhaps?" He looked at her sideways.
"Maybe I'm not the type to sleep around."
"That's not what I was insinuating." He became more serious when he said that before relapsing into real stupidity, "I just thought that with a culture like yours…"
"Stop. Now." She turned to him and stopped once more, they were now in the clearing where the Kaldari had made themselves comfortable. "I come from a proud people. We may not be vain like the 'pure' and 'almighty' elves but there are elves among us. Just like me and just like you. I was raised alongside men, dwarves and an all manner of different races so do not proceed to make a mockery of us. We stand together and suffer the adversity that your communities throw at us and that you throw at each other and we have earned the right to laugh at your foolishness. We are not a community of whores, thieves and cutthroats as you have been groomed to presume." She finished her small rant breathing heavily and noticed that she had attracted a crowd and Ambrose had a hand gripping her wrist painfully in an effort to restrain her. She composed herself and looked at Cyran. "You were too blind to see me but I was never hiding from you, you know me child and you know in your heart that I am not an evil creature."
"No, you have been friend to me since I was a child and I apologise for my unfounded prejudice, I see now that I have caused you unnecessary pain I am truly in deepest regret. But how can you protect their honour if you left them?" He had become quieter in tone and the crowd had dispersed so few heard his words and for that she was grateful but Ambrose had closed in further and positioned himself behind her with an arm around her waist.
"I did not chose to leave them." She looked down for a second with eyes closed leaning into the embrace of the man beside her slightly so he knew that he would not need to restrain her but he did not move and she made no real attempt to remove herself. "Ambrose I would speak with you, privately I believe we are done here young Prince."
Ambrose lead her away and into the talan that he had been given as a sign of the elves respect to his position, Cyran and Silver had also been given these accommodations but until that point not one had bothered preferring to stay with their people. Once inside with the door closed she turn into him completely and he embraced her fully.
"What prompted you to say such things?" Ambrose prodded after a while. She stepped away from him and composed herself.
"I believe there must be a stiff drink in here somewhere?" She deflected, he began to search the talons cupboards in the dining area and she stretched herself out onto a long settee.
He returned empty handed but took a hip flask from his belt and handed it to her. "Answer me." She took a moment to study him.
Ambrose was a warrior. He was tall, almost a head taller than Silver who considered herself quite tall most like because of her heritage. He had a noble face, ruggedly handsome but with a thin white scar from ear to chin on his left side, she thought that made him more fetching. He had brown eyes that she considered soft but she knew that he had seen terrible things and done some, they could burn with fury if they so wished. It was his voice that set him apart. He had a unique voice in her opinion, it was unlike the melodical voices of elves and she found that a welcome change, he was gruff with a northern accent to match.
"You haven't answered my question." She took a lengthy swig of the burning amber liquid and gulped it down.
"Good whiskey."
He sighed and removed his jacket and weapons leaving him a grey tunic and his breeches.
"You hurt my wrist."
He met her eyes silently and knelt to his knees in front of her, she sat up in the chair so their faces were at an equal height.
"You haven't been sleeping again have you?" She shook her head no. "Thats who you went to Thara?"
"You know full well why I decided to stay with her last night, you may have been the first that I spoke to about my plans but you were not nearly the last and you will not tell them that. You are not the most important either." He nodded at the last part.
"Thats what we're talking about in here then I presume?" She looked at him in answer, "I see. We have been friends for years why do you shy from talking to me now?"
"I don't know why I snapped on him in that way."
"Because you're tired, even when you sleep you do not let yourself rest I am willing to bet that you pretended to be asleep all night last night to stop her worrying about you…"
She cut him off with a resounding slap, he stood up shocked. "Why did you protect me?" She stood up and shoved his chest, "Why did you have to storm in with all your bloody chivalry and rescue the damsel from Dakath's reign of terror?" She laughed and slumped back down.
"You are no damsel." He sat beside her. "Fine, I'll tell you whats making you so tense then shall I?" He smiled a crooked smile, "You are scared of going home and you are scared of finding Ryn most of all and him not being the man we need. You're scared of being scared and if you'd stopped at all these past weeks then you would be fine because you would have the strength to go on like you usually do."
"Hmm and alas I still can't rest." She looked around and caught sight of the bed through the open doorway, "I believe I'll stay here tonight."
"It's barely midday and this is my talan if you recall, imagine that… a farmers son in an elven talan. Well anyway, you are welcome to stay here."
"You took off your things, I'd say that it was your intention also."
"Well we've been close enough these past years, you know that you can trust me and you know that Cyran's foolish comments were harmless he's a boy."
"Don't speak of him it is forgotten." She looked at him again, "We are not friends." She announced before she captured his lips in a demanding kiss, moving herself so that she was sat upon his lap, his hands grabbed her waist to aid her before travelling up and tangling in her hair. She sat back on his knee and took a deep breathe, she looked into his brown eyes and remembered the fires of passion that also awoke in them smiling fondly. "You know that you are the only one that can help me sleep at night, It's been too long Ambrose…" She trailed off as he recaptured her lips and stood, lifting her with her legs entwined about his waist and carrying her to the bed still locked in a lovers embrace.
"I'll make an honest woman out of you one day, I swear it." He whispered as he laid her onto the bed.
"I will never be an honest woman, it's not in my blood and you've never seemed to mind." She smirked opening her blouse to give him a full view of her breasts. He took a shaky breathe and she smiled bringing her slender fingers up to release his shoulder length brown hair from its binds massaging his scalp. "It's been years as you have said, why do you seem nervous?"
"I know that this is coming to an end." He breathed out before leaning down and capturing one of her nipples in his mouth causing her to moan.
"Never." She grasped his face between her hands, he still shook his head, "Never." She said more forcefully.
"Am I the only one?"
She nodded looking in the eye, "For the last 8 years anyway… You don't like the way that I am?"
"I am not jealous Silver." She smiled up as his raspy voice said her name, "Tell them." He begged her with his eyes, "It was selfish of me to deny you a real relationship so that I could stay in the kings favour and now that doesn't matter."
"They knew."
"You mean he knew…" She shied from his gaze as he said that. "I love you." She flipped them over in response taking control and kissing him desperately undoing his shirt and throwing it open so that she could run her hands down his muscular chest feeling the maze of this scars before moving lower and undoing his breeches and pulling them down as he began to untie the sash that held up hers. Her lack of response shouldn't have troubled him any more, he knew that but he felt a silent rage begin to build inside his chest once more and a quiet pain that stung at his heart. He gripped her waist with forceful hands and sat them up so that he had the control, she relinquished.
"I love you." She whispered before he lifted her up to gain his entrance, it was almost unintelligible but he heard it nonetheless and he pondered for a moment whether she had meant for him to hear or if the words were meant for him at all as they began to move together. All of their thoughts were dissolved into their passion.
Thara
"Thank you Mîria." Thara finally broke through her laughing fit. "Will that be all?"
The maid thought for a moment as she sat the kettle pot down on the table beside Thara's bed, "No!" She announced rather loudly when she remembered, she corrected her tone and began to explain, "The Lady would much like to see you today if you feel well enough that is your Grace."
Thara nodded, she was desperate to leave this room and get on with her life, she felt useless sat there doing nothing and making no progress. Not to mention the fact that she had not had the chance to see Cyran yet.
"Oh wonderful." Mîria clapped excitedly, "Ill fetch the dresses oh how you'll love the dresses." The ellith skipped off once more.
"Would you like me to escort you to your meeting with the Lady?" Haldir asked Thara who looked up at him surprised by the offer.
"Very much so thank you my Lord." She smiled, "I'm quite nervous…"
"I couldn't tell." He said the words in a truthful voice but his eyes betrayed his mirth and she let out another giggle.
"It's just rare that I ever met another noble is all, my fathers court was small and visitors were few, especially the ones he let me meet."
"You will be well I assure you, I must check on my brothers I shall be back to escort you once you are ready."
"Oh yes," Thara attempt to stand for the first time in days to say an appropriate goodbye but she soon found herself faltering and held up by Haldir's firm but kind grip, she was silent all words caught in her throat at his close proximity. She could feel the warmth of his breathe.
"Good day then, Princess Thara." She shivered as he said her name and sat back on her mattress thankfully as he strode from the room, she was sad to see him go and glad when Mîria stumbled back with arms full of beautiful dresses.