Later that night, after I had participated in a dinner with Bran and Nee, I sat at my desk penning a letter to Oria, informing her of Vidanric and my impending trip to Tlanth, telling to her expect us in a week, for we were to leave on the morrow. I also informed her of our new relationship, so she wouldn't be shocked to see how we acted together on our little vacation.
As soon as I was finished composing the letter, I heard a soft knock outside my tapestry. I went over and smiled to see Vidanric waiting outside my rooms, as he had promised. Tonight was one if the nights designated for us to talk about what had happened between us during the war and since.
I pulled Vidanric into my rooms and lead him over to the ample pile of cushions spread under the window. He sat down, with me close beside him, and I bade Mora, who had yet to go to bed, to bring us some hot chocolate, then go rest, for she had been awake for quite a while, and had a lot to do to pack for my trip tomorrow. She nodded and silently left the room, leaving us to ourselves.
"So where shall we start tonight, love?" Vidanric began, before leaning in to give me a soft kiss of greeting.
"When I was at the ball, my first here, the one Russav threw for me, and you made that comment coming down the stairs, truthfully did you mean something by it? You told me it was simply a diversion, but was it really?" This question had been haunting me for some time, and I wanted to get it out of the way before anything else happened.
"Truthfully, I did not, my dear Meliara. It was the first thing that came into my mind that had a chance of setting you at ease, for I knew that you were scared out of your wits. I desperately wanted to spare you any humiliation that might have come from you being that nervous. Most people tend to accomplish the stupidest things when they are nervous."
Our conversation continued like that for a few hours, then we spent the rest of our time agreeably, drinking our hot chocolate and reading a book I had wanted to get my hands on for quite a while. When I closed the book at the end of a particularly boring chapter, yawning while I did so, I looked over to see that Vidanric had drifted off to sleep, his exhaustion from working himself overly hard finally claiming him. I smiled down at my fiancé, and leaned against his chest, sleep seeming like the most wonderful thing in the world at the time.
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I awoke to quiet laughter outside my door and the sun shining bright in my eyes. It took me a few moments to realize where exactly I was, for I wasn't in my bed. Everything came clearly back to mind as I saw Vidanric still sleeping soundly next to me. I panicked, wondering what time it was, for Mora obviously decided not to wake us. Then the implications of the laughter dawned on me, as I realized that I must have missed breakfast that morning, which was supposed to be with Bran, Nee, and Savona. They must have come into my rooms worried about my absence and found me in quite the shocking position with Danric. I stood from the cushions, careful not to disturb Danric, and hastily walked to my tapestry.
The scene outside my door was one I will never forget. Bran and Savona were cracking up, nearly crying from mirth, while Nee looked rather astonished. When they realized I was standing in front of them, all three tried to regain Court composure, but the two males failed miserably and went off into peals of laughter once again. Nee grabbed my hand and dragged me into her rooms, leaving the two men to wake Vidanric.
"What in the world was that little scene we happened to walk in on?" Nee cried, apparently scandalized.
"Um…well…you see…"I muttered, not really wanting to explain.
"Please, Mel, you can tell me anything. I am hurt that you felt you had to hide this from me."
I looked down at my still bare feet, but was startled when Bran and Savona, still laughing their heads off, came into the room, dragging a sleepy, but embarrassed Vidanric behind them. They deposited him next to me, which seemed to set them off laughing even harder. I forced a fake smile onto my face, resisting the urge to smack the both of them, and grabbed Vidanric's hand.
Bran was the first to regain the ability to talk. "Mel, Danric, why…? What…? HOW…?!?!" was all he managed to choke out.
"Sit down, let the two of us eat something, and we shall explain it all to you, if you manage to regain your manners and do not go off into sets of laughter at every word we speak." Vidanric was completely serious, and Bran and Savona quickly quieted down and sat at the table, where Vidanric and I haltingly explained our tale, with me spending most of the time blushing so red I was sure I resembled a rose. We covered everything from the letters and the rings to our planned vacation together to Tlanth later that day. Bran and Nee's only reaction was to look stunned, while Savona took a much louder opinion on the tale.
"Well, Danric, it's about time you finally made your move! I wish you the best of luck, though Mel, I believe this means we can no longer flirt with one another. Pity really, I rather enjoyed your dancing. I trust Danric here will cede you to me for at least a couple of dances every now and again." Savona continued with his rambling until I swear, close as they were, Vidanric was about to hit him. Luckily, the suave Duke knew when to stop pushing Vidanric's buttons and gave up soon enough.
Nee was the next to speak. "Mel, I am so very happy for you! You know, I suspected this a little, but I never mentioned it to you. I hope you enjoy your vacation, you need it almost as much as Vidanric. I wish Bran and I could accompany you to Tlanth, I know Bran misses it so, but we must stay here and prepare for the wedding. I will miss you while you are gone." Nee was bubbling over with delight and true congratulations at our announcement, with Bran standing behind her nodding his agreement. I knew that Bran, not being his sharpest in the morning (though I still had no inkling of what time it really was), was still letting the news seep into his brain, and that later today he would doubtless pull me aside to congratulate me.
The five of us spent the rest of the morning happily discussing the details of my brother's wedding, and some details about us, such as how to announce formally to the Court, our engagement. I informed them that, although I happened to know the widely used custom of engagement announcements, I would look into it during my free time at home and come up with an interesting idea. Possibly an obscure one, which seemed so fitting after my ball for Bran and Nee, which seemed to have brought back into fashion many long-forgotten customs and clothes, something I was delighted about.
We had much to do before Vidanric and I could actually leave for Tlanth, so we didn't get away until nearly dinner-time. We still had to enlighten Danric's parents about the engagement, and although Prince Alaerec seemed genuinely caught off guard, Princess Elestra hinted that she had known all along, which did not surprise me, nor Vidanric. They, too, wished us a fond farewell and Elestra gave me confidential orders to ensure that her son regained his full health and ignored crown matters for a least a couple of days. Bran also pulled me aside a little later to bid me goodbye in private, tell me to inform all our friends he missed them, and congratulate Danric and I.
So it was with genuine hugs and goodbyes that Danric and I left the palace Athanarel and rolled out of Remalna-city, Danric on his horse, me in the carriage, and headed for the quiet seclusion of Tlanth and my childhood home.
****************************************************
Author's note: This chapter was hastily put together, for I just finished re-reading Court Duel for, oh the 70-billionith time, and I decided to make good use of the imspiration to dash off another chapter. Besides, all through the day, I had been trying to decide exactly how to write this chapter, or more to the point, the scene where Danric and Mel are discovered, so I decided (at 12:30 at night) to simply sit in front of my computer and whatever happened to appear on the screen was what I would go for. This is what happened. Thanks to all who have already reviewed!
As soon as I was finished composing the letter, I heard a soft knock outside my tapestry. I went over and smiled to see Vidanric waiting outside my rooms, as he had promised. Tonight was one if the nights designated for us to talk about what had happened between us during the war and since.
I pulled Vidanric into my rooms and lead him over to the ample pile of cushions spread under the window. He sat down, with me close beside him, and I bade Mora, who had yet to go to bed, to bring us some hot chocolate, then go rest, for she had been awake for quite a while, and had a lot to do to pack for my trip tomorrow. She nodded and silently left the room, leaving us to ourselves.
"So where shall we start tonight, love?" Vidanric began, before leaning in to give me a soft kiss of greeting.
"When I was at the ball, my first here, the one Russav threw for me, and you made that comment coming down the stairs, truthfully did you mean something by it? You told me it was simply a diversion, but was it really?" This question had been haunting me for some time, and I wanted to get it out of the way before anything else happened.
"Truthfully, I did not, my dear Meliara. It was the first thing that came into my mind that had a chance of setting you at ease, for I knew that you were scared out of your wits. I desperately wanted to spare you any humiliation that might have come from you being that nervous. Most people tend to accomplish the stupidest things when they are nervous."
Our conversation continued like that for a few hours, then we spent the rest of our time agreeably, drinking our hot chocolate and reading a book I had wanted to get my hands on for quite a while. When I closed the book at the end of a particularly boring chapter, yawning while I did so, I looked over to see that Vidanric had drifted off to sleep, his exhaustion from working himself overly hard finally claiming him. I smiled down at my fiancé, and leaned against his chest, sleep seeming like the most wonderful thing in the world at the time.
*********************************************************
I awoke to quiet laughter outside my door and the sun shining bright in my eyes. It took me a few moments to realize where exactly I was, for I wasn't in my bed. Everything came clearly back to mind as I saw Vidanric still sleeping soundly next to me. I panicked, wondering what time it was, for Mora obviously decided not to wake us. Then the implications of the laughter dawned on me, as I realized that I must have missed breakfast that morning, which was supposed to be with Bran, Nee, and Savona. They must have come into my rooms worried about my absence and found me in quite the shocking position with Danric. I stood from the cushions, careful not to disturb Danric, and hastily walked to my tapestry.
The scene outside my door was one I will never forget. Bran and Savona were cracking up, nearly crying from mirth, while Nee looked rather astonished. When they realized I was standing in front of them, all three tried to regain Court composure, but the two males failed miserably and went off into peals of laughter once again. Nee grabbed my hand and dragged me into her rooms, leaving the two men to wake Vidanric.
"What in the world was that little scene we happened to walk in on?" Nee cried, apparently scandalized.
"Um…well…you see…"I muttered, not really wanting to explain.
"Please, Mel, you can tell me anything. I am hurt that you felt you had to hide this from me."
I looked down at my still bare feet, but was startled when Bran and Savona, still laughing their heads off, came into the room, dragging a sleepy, but embarrassed Vidanric behind them. They deposited him next to me, which seemed to set them off laughing even harder. I forced a fake smile onto my face, resisting the urge to smack the both of them, and grabbed Vidanric's hand.
Bran was the first to regain the ability to talk. "Mel, Danric, why…? What…? HOW…?!?!" was all he managed to choke out.
"Sit down, let the two of us eat something, and we shall explain it all to you, if you manage to regain your manners and do not go off into sets of laughter at every word we speak." Vidanric was completely serious, and Bran and Savona quickly quieted down and sat at the table, where Vidanric and I haltingly explained our tale, with me spending most of the time blushing so red I was sure I resembled a rose. We covered everything from the letters and the rings to our planned vacation together to Tlanth later that day. Bran and Nee's only reaction was to look stunned, while Savona took a much louder opinion on the tale.
"Well, Danric, it's about time you finally made your move! I wish you the best of luck, though Mel, I believe this means we can no longer flirt with one another. Pity really, I rather enjoyed your dancing. I trust Danric here will cede you to me for at least a couple of dances every now and again." Savona continued with his rambling until I swear, close as they were, Vidanric was about to hit him. Luckily, the suave Duke knew when to stop pushing Vidanric's buttons and gave up soon enough.
Nee was the next to speak. "Mel, I am so very happy for you! You know, I suspected this a little, but I never mentioned it to you. I hope you enjoy your vacation, you need it almost as much as Vidanric. I wish Bran and I could accompany you to Tlanth, I know Bran misses it so, but we must stay here and prepare for the wedding. I will miss you while you are gone." Nee was bubbling over with delight and true congratulations at our announcement, with Bran standing behind her nodding his agreement. I knew that Bran, not being his sharpest in the morning (though I still had no inkling of what time it really was), was still letting the news seep into his brain, and that later today he would doubtless pull me aside to congratulate me.
The five of us spent the rest of the morning happily discussing the details of my brother's wedding, and some details about us, such as how to announce formally to the Court, our engagement. I informed them that, although I happened to know the widely used custom of engagement announcements, I would look into it during my free time at home and come up with an interesting idea. Possibly an obscure one, which seemed so fitting after my ball for Bran and Nee, which seemed to have brought back into fashion many long-forgotten customs and clothes, something I was delighted about.
We had much to do before Vidanric and I could actually leave for Tlanth, so we didn't get away until nearly dinner-time. We still had to enlighten Danric's parents about the engagement, and although Prince Alaerec seemed genuinely caught off guard, Princess Elestra hinted that she had known all along, which did not surprise me, nor Vidanric. They, too, wished us a fond farewell and Elestra gave me confidential orders to ensure that her son regained his full health and ignored crown matters for a least a couple of days. Bran also pulled me aside a little later to bid me goodbye in private, tell me to inform all our friends he missed them, and congratulate Danric and I.
So it was with genuine hugs and goodbyes that Danric and I left the palace Athanarel and rolled out of Remalna-city, Danric on his horse, me in the carriage, and headed for the quiet seclusion of Tlanth and my childhood home.
****************************************************
Author's note: This chapter was hastily put together, for I just finished re-reading Court Duel for, oh the 70-billionith time, and I decided to make good use of the imspiration to dash off another chapter. Besides, all through the day, I had been trying to decide exactly how to write this chapter, or more to the point, the scene where Danric and Mel are discovered, so I decided (at 12:30 at night) to simply sit in front of my computer and whatever happened to appear on the screen was what I would go for. This is what happened. Thanks to all who have already reviewed!