He listened to her speak, clearly agitated with him and how he seemed to be accusing her. Granted, he was, she'd betrayed him and his trust. Ella had taken Arianas side over his own, had just assumed she was a slave, had assumed she was just another innocent person being forced to play a dangerous game. But she couldn't just be that. Ella had the chance to kill Marken, to prevent this from ever happening, and instead she'd resisted, she'd had the sense of good inside her not to do it. Ariana had killed at the first chance, ending a guards life for no other reason than he showed up to help. No... She deserved her fate, no matter what Ella thought.

He was surprised when she stood up, drinking even more, to the point of being drunker than him. His tolerance for hard liquor was practically non existent, but she'd had too much for any tolerance to be of use. He was even more surprised when she collapsed in his chair, nearly on top of him, on the very verge of crying. Sighing, Marken wrapped an arm around her as he moved his fiance into his lap fully, pulling her legs overtop his so that she was slightly more comfortable. They both reeked of alcohol, herself more than him, but she wanted some kind of comfort. He wasn't sure she deserved it, but he wanted his fiance...

"I don't hate you Ella..." He nuzzled the top of her head with his chin, stroking the girls back absently in some comforting motion. Both arms were wrapped securely around her, ensuring she felt safe, and that she couldn't run off if the urge struck her. "I just want you... Don't make me feel like you're choosing between people again... I wanted to protect you, nothing else Ella." His words came in small whispers to her as she sobbed into his chest, trying to comfort her. Yes, he wanted to get past this, just like she did. He wanted to have his fiance, he wanted the girl he'd fallen in love with.