After Dara's address, a handmaiden clad in wisps of white fabric came and found him. Shew was shorter than Poe and gazed up at him with curious green eyes. She stood quite close to Poe, which Poe couldn't decide how he felt about.
"You are the princesses consort?" she said quietly and eagerly. Poe nodded, and looked around him. Why was she being so quiet? Was nobody outside of the palace staff meant to know? Were they all really that loyal? "Such a surprise to find the Princess has found love. She all but swore away from emotional entanglement." The small, well-built woman looked off distantly as though deep in thought. "I am sorry!" she said quickly, her attention snapping back to Poe. "The Princess has sent me to escort you to her. Do you have need of anything before we go, sir?" Poe thought it was actually quite funny to be called sir. Poe was just Poe. He was just a pilot. The best pilot, granted, but not a sir.
"Uh…. No. Thanks. I'm all good." The handmaiden bowed a head and took off, politely making her way through the slight throng that Poe had managed to get engulfed in. Poe followed slowly, still staring around him. The ceiling was all glass that revealed the beautiful blue sky, with aesthetically pleasing fluffy clouds floating past. The walls had stylised pictures of heroes, and Queens, or Princesses, or whatever they were. The figures were all dressed in strange costumes. He walked through a set of heavy oaken doors behind the throne, with the squat handmaiden waiting for him.
Down a short corridor, a large room opened up in front of him. Lush couches and chair, heavily carpeted floors, red velvet drapes, and a cluster of handmaidens around the scarlet figure of Dara. That same commanding voice filled the room.
"Leave." she said shortly. The handmaidens bowed their way out of the room. Once it was only Poe and Dara in the room, she turned and looked at him. The set of her face seemed more like herself, but he still thought she was the most intimidating sight he had seen. "Poe… I… I can explain…" She sounded nervous and young again.
"You said it before. You're sort of actually a real princess. I should have been expecting this." He tried to smile for her, but it felt fake and it died quickly.
"How could anyone expect this?" she said, pulling the elaborate headpiece from her hair, disentangling it from her own hair. She threw it down onto the floor, and shook her hair loose. "I hate this. I hate being this." She was frowning, and looking quite conflicted, she picked up the golden headpiece, delicately, and held it in her elegant fingers like something of great emotional importance. She looked quite sorry.
"Dara, you can't help being who you are. I mean, yeah it's a little intimidating, but you're still you. You still snore in your sleep, regardless if you're a princess or a pauper."
She looked offended for a second, but then grinned at him.
"I snore?! As if." Poe came to stand closer to her, and gently prized the crown, or whatever it was, out of her fingers. He set it down gently on the table next to them.
"You snore, you speak Wookie in your sleep, you snort, and you grind your teeth." He put his hands on her waist, and held her close. Dara looked down at Poe with concern.
"But does this… change anything?" Poe shook his head.
"Well, I mean, you've just made a very public anti-Order statement. But to me, nah. I just, didn't know Jedi could be in positions of power…" She stepped away from him and began to pace.
"Am I? Am I a Jedi? Couldn't I just be a neutral power of the Force? Why do I have to be anything?"
"Dara…"
"I know, I know that sounds bad."
"Dara."
"Poe, please. I know. But I'm not evil. I'm not a Sith."
Poe sat down and watched her pace. She kept trying to convince Poe that she wasn't a Sith and that she was a good person, but that she didn't see why she should have to make the vows of a dead order.
"Dara, please. Stop. I know. I know you're a good person. Come on. Will you sit down. Please." He was getting dizzy and tired just looking at her. "How about we spend some time here. You can show me your planet, you can take care of your people, and you know. Give your mother some time to work on the information we gave her. I think you're pretty stressed. So we should just hang out." Poe shrugged. Dara laughed.
"You want to just hang out with a princess?"
"Yes. But she has to be you." Dara chuckled again.
"Okay Poe Dameron. I'd be honoured." They smiled at each other for a time. Poe felt exceptionally fond of Dara. He wanted to make sure she was going to be okay. "Playing hooky with my favourite pilot would make me less stressed." Dara called in a handmaiden, the same one that had brought Poe to her. "Bring him to a room, make sure he is cared for. Call in the others and have them undress me." The squat handmaiden bowed low then smiled at Poe. He followed her from the room, with one last look at Dara, who gave him a wink in farewell.