((A/N: You know the drill. Enjoy! Don't for get to review, please ... ooh, yeah... and writer's block is EVIL ))

Chapter Four

In Two Days

Going to the dresser, blanket still pulled over her, she grabbed a pair of black cloth pants and a sleeveless white and blue shirt. There were other clothes in the dresser, some fancier than what she was wearing, but she didn't like them. Ren was, all in all, a casual kind of girl, and she preferred to stay that way as long as possible. As she was pulling on a pair of sandals, the door opened and she immediately glared at Aitigus as he stood in the doorway. "Praetor says he wishes to speak to you. Hurry up," the redhead said.

"Everything's always a rush for you," she grumbled and got to her feet, tapping the tip of her sandals on the stone floor to make sure they were on right.

As she began to walk from the room, apparently walking too slow, Aitigus grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room. Keeping a firm hold on her wrist, he then nearly dragged her down the hall until they reached the dining room. "Through that door," Aitigus said and pointed her to a doorway across the room, one that she had never really noticed before.

A bit confused, the commoner crossed the room and passed through the door. Finding herself in a darkened hallway, she followed the only available path and continued through another door. The light on the other side was so bright that she had to shield her eyes. Waiting for her sight to focus, she glanced about and took in her surroundings.

The walls were made entirely of glass, except the wall behind her that the door was attached to. Stacks of books ran along the wall at her left. The books didn't complete the circle, they barely went a fourth of the way, but they were high stacks, almost reaching to the ceiling. A pair of love-seats sat near the center, facing each other, with a small table between them. Along the curve of glass to her right sat a desk with a melted candle, three big books, a white-feather quill, and a thin book that appeared to be a journal.

Movement caught her eye and she turned to see the praetor standing before the glass opposite the door she had come through. He didn't turn to her; he didn't say a word. Ren merely crossed her arms and watched him as the sun forced him to be a silhouette in her vision. Her mind was in another place when he finally spoke.

"My apologies," he said, and Ren jumped slightly, startled by the sound of his voice. Turning, he had a smile upon his lips, and for once, Ren could read it. The expression was false; he wasn't happy, and he was having a hard time hiding it. The smile bothered her, yet she didn't know why. "It was rude of me to ignore you," he said and bowed respectfully. Holding his hand out to her, he said, "Please."

Not quite sure what he wanted, Ren approached him cautiously, yet she did not take his hand. She stood at next to him, and the scene outside the window quickly caught her attention. Eyes gliding over the view of Bevelle, she took a deep breath and kept her eyes there.

They stood in silence for a moment. She watched the city; he watched her, a look on his face that bordered confusion. Finally, he shook his head and looked out the window to the city below. "I asked you here for the reason that I felt I should speak to you myself, without the presence of Aitigus. Lately he's been a bit... forgetful."

Opening her mouth as if to speak, Ren killed the thought before the words left her mouth and she continued to stare out at the city.

"Tomorrow we are to go into Bevelle. To celebrate our engagement with the locals. Then the day after that, come morning, we are to be married," the praetor said, a tone of reluctance in his voice.

Ren still said nothing.

Glancing to her, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you listening, Ren?"

"Yes," she replied, not lifting her eyes to his.

"May I ask why you tend to avoid eye contact with me?" he inquired.

"I'm not avoiding eye contact," she lied, "I've just never seen the city from this height. It's beautiful."

Sensing the lie, the praetor didn't bring it up. "Are you unhappy with this arrangement?"

"You mean our marriage?" Ren inquired softly, still not meeting his eyes and he watched her reaction. She kept her face blank, void of emotions that wanted to surface, such as anger. Anger was the easiest to manage, she was used to it, and it was an alternative to crying.

"Yes," he replied.

Instead of answering him, she turned the question back at him and asked, "Are you unhappy with it, Praetor?" her eyes still sliding over the busy city.

An uneasy silence broke over them, sliding around them and holding them unmoving for a long moment. It was evident, neither of them wanted this, but they were both going to go through with it; him for New Yevon, her for her town, which was still being threatened by Aitigus. "Two days then," Ren finally said, and a tension that had begun to fill the air vanished.

"Yes," Baralai said. He ran his hand over his head and sighed. Turning to the commoner, he said, "I suppose I should do this right," and knelt to the floor, gently taking her hand in his.

Automatically Ren retracted her hand. His eyes glided to hers and she made true eye contact for the first time. "Save it," she said rather harshly. When a confused expression crossed his face, she turned her eyes to the city once more and said a little softer, "Leave the show for your people."

Slowly getting to his feet, Baralai said softly, respectfully, "May I ask you a personal question?"

"Ask all you want," she replied. "It doesn't mean I'll answer."

A genuine smirk flashed over his lips and then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. "What is your history? Something tells me that there's more to you than you are showing," he said.

"That's too personal," she replied softly, eyes swiftly gliding over to the only door that led in and out of the room.

He bowed his head slightly and told her, "My apologies, I meant no offense."

"Even if you had," she began to say, but thought better of it and didn't finish her statement.

"Will you join me for lunch?" he asked, changing the subject.

Instead of a proper response, Ren bowed mockingly.

The praetor seemed displeased with her "reply". Taking a breath that seemed as if it were to steady his nerves, though it wasn't, he went to the door and held it open for her. Together they went through the dark hallway and out into the dining room where Mareike and a few other cooks were already bringing in food. Ren, remembering that the young woman wasn't even supposed to be in her room the night before, only said, "Thanks," and didn't show any recognition from the night before. Mareike smiled and simply nodded her head in response.

Sitting down at the far end of the table, her usual spot, she leaned forward, setting her elbows on the table in a very casual fashion. Baralai sat at his end of the table and watched her for a moment. He was curious as to her past, not only because she hadn't told him, but because she seemed very familiar. Taking a breath, he decided to ask. "Ren," he said, beginning to cut his food. "Have we met before? I mean, before all of this?"

"Not that I know of," she said and put a piece of food in her mouth. Once again she wouldn't meet his eyes, and he new that maybe, just maybe, she was lying this time.