3- "It's Morning"
When she woke up in the morning, he was there. Not the near-to-crazy Akkarin from the day before, nor the severe High Lord from usual. He was a man who had somehow found a compromise between those two men.
He was sitting on a chair, looking at her while she opened her eyes. His look was one of tenderness, regret, shame and hope, all mixed together. At once Sonea knew that he hadn't forgotten anything of what happened. The question was, was he here to tell her to forger everything or… or was he waiting for her answer?
"It's morning, Sonea, and the effect of the drugs have stopped."
Baddum-baddum. In her chest, Sonea's heart was beating like crazy. Ok. Second choice, then. Now, how was she supposed to react?
"I know I shouldn't have acted like that, taking drugs, and all that stuff… But I am sincere. I have said nothing yesterday I do not think today, and since a long succession of days and nights." It was a strange feeling to see him here, when he was not sure if it was better to look at her or away. "I know all too well the opinion you have of me, but please just think –"
"How would you know?" she said before thinking twice. As the High Lord looked at her with stunned eyes, she felt her face becoming hot. She went on: "How would you know the opinion I have, when you never asked about it? Surely you can't have seen everything I think when you looked into my mind –" she stopped.
Akkarin's gaze has changed now, as if he just realized that he could have been wrong by presuming she hated him.
"Tell me, then." He asked – no, begged her. "What do you think of me?"
"I… I don't know! How I am supposed to know, when your personality changes as easily as it does? I'm not even sure of who you are! One day you're the most dangerous I ever met, abducting and threatening me, and the other day you take drugs and go crazy about weird marriage-stuffs –" she realized she was just gaining time by babbling, and shut up.
"I'm sorry about that, Sonea, really. About all you went through because of me. But as I said, it's morning, and I haven't taken any drugs today. And I won't ever again. Will you answer me, as you promised?"
Sonea blushed and got up from the bed before saying:
"All the required conditions are not fulfilled."
"No? Wait – which one did I miss?" he asked, clearly not understanding what she meant.
"I promised you that if tomorrow morning – that is now –when you're not under drugs effect anymore, you come and ask me the same, you will definitely have your answer. You didn't ask. I can't answer a question I've not heard." She was headed toward her wardrobe while speaking, partly to put something else on her shoulders than her nightshirt, partly to avoid meeting the gaze she was feeling on her back.
"Sonea, I… am not sure whether I can do it again or not. I may be very powerful, but I'm not skilled for… this kind of stuffs. I just don't know how to speak of love. That was what the drugs were for."
"Great!" She turned to face him and rolled her eyes. "Do you intend on being under drugs for the wedding too? And the day after that? And the day after the day after that?"
Akkarin jolted from his chair and crossed the distance between them to stand very close to her. He seemed to have difficulty to find his voice, which finally came out even lower than usually.
"Is this your answer?"
Sonea turned her back to him. Her face was growing hooter and hotter, redder and redder. "You didn't ask. I can't answer."
He let out a brief, quiet laughter. "My so cruel and so dear Sonea!" then he embraced her from behind, led down and whisper to her ear the question she was waiting for. "Will you marry me?"
In his arms, she couldn't do anything but nod, and replied in the same tone: "I'll marry you".
She rose her face towards his, and their lips met. And for the first time, she gave herself entirely up to the kiss, and to the man who was holding her so tight, as for never letting go of her.
Funny, the way my chapters grow shorter and shorter... Anyway, I think that I could end this story like this, and it would not give a "something-is-missing" impression. I do have some ideas of what could follow, such as Sonea/Dorrien episode 2, Lorlen/Akkarin, and why not? a Sonea/Akkarin/Rothen scene as well, but it is not essential, so I'm not sure whether I should write it or no. So if you're interested and want to read more, tell me and I'll go back at starring my ceiling, which I hope will provide me again in good (?) ideas and storylines.