(A/N): Here it is, the chapter that scared me the most to write. I hope you enjoy it. It is my first attempt at writing something romantic, so please provide as much constructive criticism as you can.
Disclaimer: Own the Overlord series, I do not. My characters to me belong.
Chapter XIX: The Dreaded First Date (of doom)
True to his word, Gnarl procured a beautiful black silk dress with a ruby necklace and bracelet. Assira was speechless as she stared at the beautiful creation of fashion before her. "Where did you get this?" She asked as she held it up to her lithe frame. It seemed to be made for her. "I ordered it when you first arrived. One can never be too sure when such things are needed."
Elizabeth was once again in the throne room yet again, watching suitors prance about in a vain attempt to catch her interest. She sighed and smiled at yet another group of suitors as they bowed and left the throne room. "They never stop coming…will they ever stop?" Elizabeth asked William. The paladin sighed and shook his head "when we deny some, even more show up. The population of the city has almost doubled in the last month or so." "None of them are even slightly interesting! It's almost as if they were all cut from the same mold."
"They have similar upbringings, so here they are: one thousand and one versions of the same person. Not all have the privilege to think of things other than the continuation of their line."
"How is the stadium coming along?" Elizabeth asked, hoping to allay the boredom that was closing in. "It is almost complete. Most of the lords and knights have responded to our summons, so the tourney shall begin in a few weeks." "And Ryrin? Will he come?"
William cringed inwardly as he saw the effect the name of the strange knight had on his daughter's mood. "He was one of the first to respond. He said that unless unforeseen circumstances arise, he shall be at the tourney."
Assira fussed at her appearance in the mirror and constantly checked if it was time to descend to the dining hall. Despite the fact she had been the focus of men's desires for five years now, since the age of sixteen, she felt as nervous about meeting the man behind the steel as robbing the Royal treasury.
At last, Gnarl came to her door and rapped on it twice with some sort of walking stick that looked it had come out of a well-to-do noble against his will. Assira was sure that the red coloring on the tip was the blood of its previous owner.
"If you're ready, we can go," he said with that strange smile of his that seemed to encourage and threaten at the same time. As the unlikely duo descended the stairs, the minion master began to reminisce about the "good old evil days." "It seems like yesterday that I escorted the third Overlord's mistress down these very steps, to meet her future…husband." "How long ago was that?" Assira asked, feeling like a little girl walking with her grandfather again. "If my memory is correct, approximately three-and-a-half thousand years ago."
The rest of the descent was in silence, both Assira and Gnarl remembering the past. At last, the duo reached the dining hall, where Hanson was pacing restlessly, as nervous as the woman descending the stairs. The dining hall was a huge stone chamber in the heart of the Dark Tower, similar in design to the Throne Room. Huge columns rose to meet the ceiling and were carved with images of past Overlords. The room was lit by a hearth and the numerous torches that lined the walls. Despite the light, the ceiling and its gold inlay remained invisible.
Hanson had picked out his best clothes (according to Gnarl), a black velvet tunic and breeches as black as the void. The tunic was trimmed with red, and the Overlord's crest was embroidered on the front: a helmet with the crown of spikes.
On the inside, the minion master was chortling at the sight of the Overlord and Assira. Only his long service to the Overlords kept him from bursting out laughing. That, and the memory of what happened the last time he laughed at an Overlord. The heated Iron Maiden left a lasting impression on the minion master.
"I will leave you two to your dinner. I have to attend to the new prisoner. Information doesn't extract itself." With a bow, Gnarl left the dining hall and headed towards the dungeon, glad that the walls were soundproofed.
Silence extended between Hanson and Assira. Both smiled at one another and nervously made their way towards the dinner table. "So, I don't know much about you or your family, but from what Gnarl tells me, you know at least some of my background," Hanson began. "There's not much to tell," Assira said. "I ran away from home at sixteen when I understood I was going to be married off to some man I never met." "You're of noble blood?" Hanson asked, slightly surprised. "I've never heard of any noble running off by themselves." Assira smiled slightly "clearly your experience in the open world is limited."
"True, I lived in the Northlands until I reached twenty. Then, I set out to find my fortune. Fate brought me here. The rest you know. Would you like some wine?"
As the two sipped the finest wine in the entire land, Elven Red, a brown dressed in the outfit of a cook appeared at the table and looked expectantly at the duo. Hanson's smile slightly soured as he recognized the minion as Grubby. Having a being named "Grubby" cooking his food, did not appeal to Hanson.
"Tonight, we have roast beef with mashed potatoes," the minion said with almost perfect pronunciation. "The food will be served soon." Hanson wondered how long it took Gnarl to teach the brown those two sentences. "I have never heard a minion speak so well before, except Gnarl of course," Assira said as her eyes followed the minion out. Hanson took a quick peek at he notes he had painstakingly written on sheaves of paper and placed in his sleeves. While his companion was distracted he read the first line: Tell her how beautiful she looks.
"You look very beautiful tonight," Hanson said trying not to let his nervousness get the best of him, smiling as best as he could. Assira noticeably brightened and smiled back, a true smile this time, as she grew more comfortable in Hanson's presence.
Gnarl stood on a ledge high above the two, a tube pressed to his ear, the book he carried under his cloak open, a quill in the minion master's hand. Aha! He thought as he heard snatches of the conversation below. Gnarl dipped his quill in the ink and began to write whatever he heard in the tome.
By the time Grubby and two reds brought in their meal, Hanson and Assira were talking amicably to one another and laughing at some joke that Hanson had made about the nobles at King William's court. Far above, Gnarl sniggered and wrote down all he heard for the ages to come.
As Grubby served dinner, Hanson used the distraction to take another peek at the notes in his sleeves. The notes in his left sleeve had been used up, so Hanson took a peek at those in the right sleeve. The first note read: Offer to give her a tour of the Tower.
Hanson cleared his throat, took a sip of wine out of the ornate goblet at his side and quickly said "?" "I'm sorry?" Assira said. He behaves like I'm the first woman he's ever talked to in person. He's like a little kid when it comes to social functions, she thought to herself smiling fondly.
Hanson felt himself go red and mentally thanked Gnarl for only half-lighting the dining hall. He took another breath and said more slowly "would you like to take a tour of the tower with me?" "Of course," she said acting like the noble lady she was supposed to be. On the inside she was suddenly nervous again. Memories came up unbidden of her first suitor who also offered her a "tour" of his castle. Only the skills her father's weapon master taught her in secret had saved her. The suitor had tried to chase after her, but it's hard to chase someone who just reverse-kicked you in your "special place."
Brushing her concerns aside, Assira realized that if Hanson had wanted to have his way with her, he would have done so long ago instead of going to all this trouble. "Of course," she said, pushing those memories further down into the recesses of her mind. "But, wouldn't it better if we had our meal before we go wandering about?"
"Yes, that was what I had meant," Hanson said, mentally slapping himself for leaving out that important detail.
Their conversation continued until dessert, a cake made of rare fruit that the greens had "liberated" from the druids when returning to the Dark Tower. Hanson took a quick peek at the notes he hadn't yet read, and stood up, straightening his tunic. "My lady?" he said extending his scarred and calloused hand. "Would you like to begin?"
Assira nodded graciously and stood up, lithe as a panther (A/N: not the German WWII tank, as that wouldn't be very lithe), despite the meal which she had just devoured. "Of course my lord," she said. "Lead the way."
On the ledge, Gnarl nodded to himself in satisfaction. The first stage of the Overlord-Mistress relationship had gone well. Now, the test of the First Kiss, the minion master thought.
A short while, the romantic duo were making their way through the main hallway that led to the spawning pits. The hallway was lit with numerous torches and the walls were lined with paintings and carvings of Overlords past, depicting scenes of triumph and the destruction of their enemies.
A new painting had appeared since Hanson had last been there, depicting his father, the Old Overlord battling William the Paladin with the help of the Shadow. Hanson paused in front of the painting so suddenly that Assira slightly bumped into him. The new Overlord's face could have been made of stone as he made a fist with his right hand and pressed it against his chest where his heart was, saluting his father.
"That's your father then?" Assira asked gazing at the painting in awe. "The closest thing I've ever had to a father was ripped away from me minutes after I succeeded in the fight that made his son," Hanson said, both hands now clenched into fists at his sides. He relaxed with visible effort. "One man is responsible for this," he continued, staring at the picture form of William with hooded eyes. Assira looked into his eyes and saw the raging inferno within Hanson. She felt very small and insignificant, yet she gathered her courage and took one of Hanson's large hands in her own. "We'll bring him down together,' she said, hoping to break Hanson out of his rage-induced trance. Her touch seemed to re-awaken the man who had graciously offered her a tour of the Tower.
"I apologize for that," he said with a small smile. "I was reminded of why I strive to destroy my enemy. When I came to the Tower, I had nothing to lose, but every time I succeed, I seem to gain something that is ripped away shortly thereafter." "Well," Assira said with a smile, "I don't plan on going anywhere."
Something in Hanson's heart blossomed at those words, and he became aware of his heart pumping at the speeds a dwarf usually chugs beer. He felt flushed and scared, like the first time he saw a frostwolf in the Northlands. "I don't know what's going on with me," he said. "I first noticed it when we started talking in earnest, but now, my heart starts to beat irregularly and blood shoots through me at speeds I previously thought impossible." "It's called being in love. Didn't anyone tell you tales about knights and princesses when you were young?" Assira asked, humor shining in her green eyes.
"Well, yes, but they never mentioned what happens on the inside. They just read 'they fell in love at first sight' and that's it," Hanson said, pretending to be offended. What happened next, no amount of training could prepare him for. Assira smiled coyly and wrapped her arms around Hanson's waist and pulled him in close. Their lips met and Hanson knew at that moment that his heart couldn't stand being apart from the small figure in front of him.
Gnarl ducked back around the corner, a grin plastered on his face. He seen scenes like this so many times over the course of his long years, but every time he did, he remembered what it was like to be a young minion in the service of the First Overlord. The minion master ducked into a side passage and made his way towards the dungeons to interrogate Illyra.
Ohhhhhh snapppppp! That's the end of this chapter. Dear readers, you have NO IDEA how long I sweated over this chapter (particularly the scene at the end) it would mean a lot to me if you would review. The above was my first serious attempt at writing romance, so ANY constructive criticism would be much appreciated to help me improve! Thanks! ~RussianOverlord~
*Sweeping bow*
*Dramatic exit*
P.S. Look forward to an extra-long chapter over the weekend or on Monday. I'm certainly exited to write it! :]