Naveen

Normally I was treated with a nice view before joining her in bed. But this night I didn't as I'd waited out of the room to remove my armor and weapons. As I walked into the room and heard her words I paused in surprise with one hand touching the covers.

I didn't answer right away. Instead I sat on the edge of the bed and considered it. "I'd stay for my people, in the hopes that their lot would improve. But that would break off our agreement Rina."

Rina:

I curled to face him at the edge of the bed. “It would, yes,” I said. My heart ached at the thought. Did he only see this as our arrangement? Well. Why shouldn’t he? That was all it was… “Even if- if I didn’t want to be with whoever it was? If it was nothing more than a lawful binding… Would you still not… lay with me?” My voice was soft and uncertain.

I paused to look at her. She always looked young, just in comparison to the number of years I'd been alive. But in this moment she looked even more young, fragile even. "Rina..." I sighed softly, "What if the places were reversed and your husband had someone on the side?" I shook my head, "I wouldn't lay with you, not while you are with someone. That isn't just unfair to them. But unfair to you. I don't want to see you taken advantage of."

Rina:

I sat up, bringing the sheet up to cover myself to some degree. Because he was sitting on the edge, I was just behind him. I put my arms around him. “I wouldn’t care about what they did. If they had a mistress,” I said and pressed my cheek to his shoulder, I didn’t want him to see my face. “And it wouldn’t be taking advantage of me. Not if I wanted it too.” I didn’t know why I was trying to talk him into the fictional situation. It seemed important to me. I didn’t like the idea that what we had would eventually end. It had to. It was just an arrangement after all.

"Rina...what would we do if we got caught? It wouldn't a simple slap on the wrist like it is now. I'd be killed outright instead of beaten and jailed. And your name would be dragged through the mud and all manner of things would be heaped at you." I reached up to grip her arm, offering what solace and comfort I could through the touch. "I wouldn't want what we have to end, but it must if you are going to get married."

Rina:

My heart was beating heavily. I hoped he couldn’t feel it through his back. “I’m not getting married,” I said firmly. I relaxed my arms and reached up to turn his face to me. I kissed him. Before I hadn’t been in the mood for anything more than holding each other. But now I needed to be closer. I didn’t want to think about not being with him. I just wanted to be with him.

I didn't know if it was relief or disappointment that I felt at hearing those words. But as she kissed me I brushed the thoughts and feelings away. I didn't go for lustful passion this time, but let our feelings burn slowly as I took her.

As the glow of our session faded I let out a slow breath and gently traced patterns on the skin of her side. Sleep felt fleeting like a light just out of reach. And that only left me to dwell ever deeper into my thoughts.

Rina:

I snuggled into his side afterward and laid my head on his chest, listening to his slowing heart beat. For a while it seemed like we were both awake but lost in our own thoughts. I fell asleep with my head on his chest and my heart in a fretful state.

He left in the morning before my maid came in with a promise that he would return shortly to collect me.

Eventually I drifted off, but I was up with the sun. I was used to the lack of sleep by now, as any time I spent the night with her I had to be gone before the chamber maids stopped by. I dressed in my armor and kissed her awake with the promise I'd be back after I changed.

I left the room and made good time to my own without anyone stopping me and barely a glance in my direction. I changed and cleaned myself up before donning my simplest armor. Right before I left I paused as I gazed down at the floor beside my door. An envelope rested on the ground, having been slid under the door during the night sometime. I picked it up and stuffed it into my pocket before making my way back towards Rina.

Rina:

The door to my chambers was open when Talon returned. I was in the sitting room with my maid seated behind me while she twisted my hair into a pattern I could not achieve on my own. The drapes and shudders were open, bringing in a clean spring air.

I smiled when I saw Talon. I was in a surprisingly good mood despite the night. We would spend the day outside, I decided. The weather was perfect.

My maid muttered something behind me. It took a moment before my brain comprehended it for it was not common dialect. It was a colloquialism of villagers. Not something you would hear spoken by nobles. I knew it because I had grown up outside the castle and spent much time around such people.

What she said translated to “whore of the beast” a term for a woman who slept with a demon. Or more commonly used in reference to a woman who took a partner of a different race.

“Excuse me?” I said, cold fury blossoming in my tone. I twisted around to her, yanking my hair out of her hands. She looked shocked. Likely she thought I wouldn’t know what she said.

I didn't know enough about human language to understand what was said but I knew that tone of Rina's. I glanced between the two and stepped off to the side for if...or when Rina made the maid run in terror. Folding my arms I wondered if perhaps I should have taken longer...

Rina:

I stood up and looked down at the maid. “How dare you?” I wasn’t the carefully composed princess the woman had always seen before. I was the same person how had been in Brian’s army for years and held my own on missions.

“Leave now. I don’t want to see you in my room again,” I hissed. She ran out, without a second glance at Talon. I stood there for a long moment, staring out the window. I was no longer in a good mood. And only half the hair on the side of my head had been pinned up.

In hunting there were two situations that you tried to avoid if you could. You never got between a mother and her cubs. And you also never cornered a wounded animal. Both situations were dangerous but both of them seemed mild compared to making my presence known right now. From what I'd come to know about Rina this ended two ways if she focused on me again. Either she'd huff and throw her arms around me and apologize for whatever had just happened. Or. That ire she'd just rained upon the maid was going to be turned on me. I expected the latter for the most part.

Rina:

“Would you please close the door, Talon?” I asked turning around. I sat down again and began taking the pins out of my hair with a heavy sigh. When I was done I put it into a simple braid. I had been called names before. I had been called worse, having spent a great deal of time around all male soldiers. But never had I been called something like this that was based on truth. It as insulting, of course, but it also meant that the maid knew, or had guessed at my relation to Talon.

“She called me a whore,” I said bluntly after a few minutes of silence. I wasn’t going to add the degrading bit about him.

"A whore. You?" I had finished closing the door after she asked, surprised that this hadn't taken a turn like I'd expected it to. I'd expected water or fire, but this was more muted. Slowly I came to stand before her, settling my hands on my hips. "I can't think of anyone less likely to be one."

Rina:

“Really?” I said dryly. My eyes flicked up to him. “Because I am chaste, innocent, pure? I’ve never had a man in my bed because I’m saving myself as every lady should?” I huffed and looked out the window again. “She didn’t mean it as in a literal pay for pleasure whore, Talon. She meant it as in I’m a woman who will go to bed with a man who is not my husband.”

"No because you don't throw yourself around and sleep with whatever catches your fancy. Remarkably I seem to find that males of many races desire a woman to sleep with them but then when they finally decide to settle down they want one who hasn't slept with anyone else. It's hypocritical. And that goes doubly the other way around, the women who turn their noses up at the idea of just sleeping with someone are usually the same people who once they are married turn to sleeping around as they've suddenly found this new pleasure." I retorted. Shifting my weight from one foot to the other and back again I sighed. "Why is this bothering you so much?"

Rina:

“Why does it bother you when humans call you an animal?” I said without feeling. I toyed with the end of my braid even though I had already tied it. “She knows, or suspects us,” I said a moment later. It was possible, that she simply disproved of me having an elf as a guard and called me the name because of that. Because any human who fraternized with anything but were considered dirty. But we had not always been careful when we were together. Particularly when I had been to his room.

"Because I am not an animal. I am not human either. And most humans don't see any difference between the two." I moved over to another seat and settled into it with a sigh. "So. Any ideas on how we handle that?"

Rina:

I looked at him finally. “There isn’t much to be done without bringing further suspicion.” I sighed. “I only hope she’s the only one who has such thoughts, and that if she talks, she’ll also talk of how I reacted.”

"No one likes to be accused of sleeping with an animal. It's a normal reaction I'd say. But perhaps it would be better to spend less time together." I raised a hand to stop the outburst I expected, "What I mean is, less nights together. Get more sight of me being away from you in the evening."

Rina:

I looked away. “I suppose,” I said trying to keep any emotions from my tone. I had grown used to sleeping next to someone. His proposal meant he would likely no longer spend the night at all and when we did come together it would have to be infrequent and hurried.

I wondered if he was somewhat glad for the distance. Perhaps he guessed that my attachment was greater than it should be. Maybe the space would help cool things…

"I just want you to be safe...the last thing I want is for you to be the target of any accusations. And I especially don't want you to get hurt..." I rubbed my face for a moment before putting my face between my hands. It always seemed to be one step forward and two steps back for us.

Rina:

“I understand,” I said, again as unfeeling as I could. I wanted to say that that the likelihood of either of us getting hurt only increased when we were separated, but I didn’t want it to seem like I was arguing against his idea. The conversation last night had been ill timed. In fact, I never should have brought it up. It displayed my feelings more than I was comfortable with. It also showed the inequality of his.

“It’s a beautiful day,” I said without joy. “I thought we could spend it outside in the gardens.” I was doing my best to detach myself from my feelings. What happened to the cold hearted woman who had hated talon for his arrogance?

There was a chirp and a light weight on my shoulder. Iris had freed herself from the drawer I kept her in. I reached up and grabbed her. She turned into a dagger in my hand.

Raising my gaze I searched her face. I'd said the wrong thing. I had been so caught up and distracted with the whole mess with the maid I'd forgotten about what had happened last night. I wasn't stupid enough to not be able to see what I'd done wrong. But I had no chance to make it up now. Perhaps while we were out in the gardens. "I'd like that. Rina....I'm..." I started to apologize but cut it off before I finished.