[b]Despite her best efforts to stop her tears, Ella allowed Marken to hold her in his arms as she sobbed quietly into his chest. Her little fit only lasted a couple of minutes, but she was totally exhausted by the time her tears dried, and she no longer had the strength to pull herself away. Instead, the young woman laid her head on Marken's chest as her breathing evened out, his warmth comforting her.

Ella wished she could say that she was more comfortable with going along with the plan now, but in all honesty, she'd just accomplished convincing herself that the king would probably only be disappointed for a short while before pushing Marken to marry another woman. Of course, there was also the growing concern that Ella may not want to leave later on. She could probably force herself to do it, but it would be crushing for herself.

Eventually, rest demanded Ella's attention and she curled her feet onto the sofa, her slippers sliding off of her feet as her body stayed curled against Marken and her eyes grew heavy. She wished that she could fully enjoy this, that the rest of the nights of her life were filled with him comforting her. All she could do for now was to enjoy the attention. It would make for a good memory in the future. [/b]