Allyria had managed to get back to her room without too much of a hassle, her friends had seemed ready to leave her be now that she was safely back inside the palace proper. Whether they suspected anything other than her shifting moods remained to be seen, but she doubted they would be eager to seek out Nysterica to vent any worries. The heir to Starfall was thankfully absent for the remainder of the afternoon, and it was unlikely she would seek out her sister after their spat from earlier in the day. Nysterica always had better things to do than talk to her. 

But time passed slowly and Allyria could only fret over what to where for so long. She had pulled out three gowns, unsatisfied with each choice until she was frenzied to the point of tears again. She had to look just so, she had to. She had to be stunning or else it would all be ruined. The girl had given up and called for a bath, something to take up time and hopefully ease her mind into being able to make such an important decision. 

Scented with flowers and oils, she sat in the copper tub until the water began to cool and a handmaiden she had never seen before entered her chambers uncalled for. Allyria began to chastise her before she realized that this was the girl Jaekar had sent to help her escape the palace to where his boat was docked. She sheepishly mumbled her apology but quickly turned to demanding help in choosing the proper gown of the three. 

Finally dressed and feeling somewhat better about the ensemble she had chosen, a fit similar to what she had worn earlier but in a deep blue hue that brought out her eyes and with billowing sleeves made of the sheerest fabric. It was cut lower, somehow, than the seafoam gown, though it was remarkably plain otherwise. Allyria had reached for jewelry to better finish the look but was given a stern “no” from the servant girl. To make matters worse, she was handed a dull and worn looking brown cloak to cover the meager beauty she had managed to compose. 

“I can’t wear that, I’ll look dreadful.” She whined. 

The servant girl clucked her tongue in disapproval. “You need only wear it until we are a safe distance from the palace.” 

With a frown, Allyria had thrown it on over her dress and followed the girl as she lead a twisting path through servant’s hallways and rooms. She had never seen this part of the palace before and had little desire to see it again without reason. Jaekar was worth it, even if the cloak did smell bad. 

It took time to make their way through unseen and the young lady began to fret that they would miss the sunset if took much longer. As her despair began to grow to an unbearable level she badgered the servant only to receive curt one word answers. “No” was chief among them. 

Finally though, they were greeted with the open air of the city that existed around Sunspear. The smell of the sea was stronger here, but so too was the scent of the unwashed and common folk. She moved to take off the cloak, but thought better of it herself. She didn’t want to get muck on her gown. “Is it much farther?” Allyria at least attempted to keep her voice low and with as little whine to it as she could. 

“Not so far now.” 

Twisting through the streets now, the serving girl lead the way with a certainty Allyria was amazed by. She had no idea where she was except that she had certainly never seen this part of Sunspear before either. The docks began to loom in the distance and it was none too soon for the sky was beginning to darken with the oncoming evening. 

“You should keep the cloak on longer, though he will see you in it, other eyes may see you out of it. Consider that.” She pointed ahead, down a long dock where a familiar figure stood, his back towards them. Allyria glanced back to say something to her guide only to discover she had gone. [i]Rude.[/i]

Begrudgingly though, she did take the girl’s advice, painful as that was. Jaekar must expect her to arrive covered so, and she would follow his instructions to the letter then. His back remained turned to her the entire time she approached, so seemingly oblivious to her presence that she began to think perhaps she was better at sneaking than she had thought. She would surprise him, and then discard the cloak as soon as she could. Very little space remained between them, she had to stop herself from running the final few steps. 

Jaekar stood watching the sea, the pleasant waves around Sunspear turned near-black as the Sun had fallen so low behind the palace and city, light sparkling off only the very crests of the waves. Even over the the noise of the sea, calm as it was around the coastal city, he could still hear her approaching. While the servant he had sent, after having finally been convinced that such a task wouldn’t be so bad, had managed to keep them out of sight, she certainly couldn’t account for her steps, thankfully Allyria wasn’t a larger person, or at this rate, she’d have probably alerted the whole palace. At least he thought so, many weren’t quite as intune with their sense. Grinning, he waited until the last moment, before spinning on his heels and grabbing her. It was a fast motion, and with the momentum, he spun her in the air, for a few moments she was hoisted above the sea, before he brought her close into a full embrace, her feet still dangling above the wooden planks of the dock.

Wrapped in the brown cloak, she seemed rather different from before, playing at stealth made her look even more naive, at which though he placed a quick kiss upon her lips, his heart melting slightly, if only slightly.

“Did my lady find ‘sneaking’ to her fancy, or is it more for us common folk?” He finally spoke with a grin, his eyes much darker without the light of the sun, they still appeared warm, if now with a more mysterious edge.

Even with his hands holding her tightly, she clung to him and couldn’t stop herself from squealing with a mix of delight and fear at being hoisted up and over the sea until she was safely back in the full embrace of his body. Had it only been so few hours since they had met in the gardens?

“It was all very exciting.” She admitted in a whisper, her face pressed against his she need only whisper. “Even if I had to arrive looking so lowly.” Allyria gave a few soft, sweet kisses to his cheek and jawline, before again remembering how much she wanted to be done with the cloak. “Can we get on your boat now? We don’t want to be seen right?”

“What’s to be seen? An unknown man with a ‘lowly’ girl. Is it not exciting that right now, not a soul is keeping tabs on you?” He spoke with a grin, putting her down. He stressed lowly, slightly more sarcastically than he had intended, he doubted she could appear lowly even if she wanted to, nature and nurture had given her looks few common folk could rival, even without the characteristics of the Daynes, that said, from a distance, a brown cloak changed everything.

He took her hand, before, somewhat surprisingly, leading her back down the dock. She had been deliberately brought to the ‘wrong’ berth, and so, a walk of a few minutes, no more, in which he promised her that they were in fact going the right way, they arrived at the right one, at its end, the luxury barge he had acquired while in Sunspear. Small enough to be steered by a pair of men, but long enough to provide privacy for those further along it, blankets and pillows had been placed for them, along with an as-yet-unopened basket. As they reached it, he lifted her up once more to place her upon the deck, before calling to the men at the sail and rudder in Braavosi, removing the rope holding them to the dock himself, the wind soon carried the vessel out onto the calm sea. The man seemed intent, gazing back at the dock until they were far enough to not be clearly defined from the shore, before turning to Allyria.

“The other night, while I was out on the water, I discovered the perfect spot to watch the Sun frame Sunspear, it will only take a moment to reach it.” He smiled at her, the gentle breeze blowing through his rather distinctive hair. He had changed to, although in a more subtle manner, a leather tunic, black, with silver thread, and remarkably well made if you knew of such things. Moving closer, he placed a kiss on her forehead, his warm smile present in full force.

Allyria had waited, with as much patience as she could muster, for as long as she could. She was finally removing the cloak and dropping it to the floor and smoothing out the gown that had been suffocating beneath it. The breeze this far out at water seemed stronger, it ruffled her full skirts and sleeves, and sent her hair curling around her face and neck. She felt somewhat naked without the jewels she had wanted to wrap around her neck, and her hand instinctively went there, looking for something to fidget with in her sudden nervousness. This was what she had wanted, to be alone with him with no chance of interruption, but now that the moment had come she felt anxiety over what to do or how to act. 

The sweetness of his kiss placated those feelings slightly, though there were still a hundred butterflies stirring inside of her. “It’s already so beautiful.” 

The ship rocked slightly, and Allyria realized she should probably sit down before she sent herself tumbling embarrassingly. There was little but the blankets and pillows available for her, and her eyes flashed from him to where they lay awaiting. Though the gown’s material was light, there were several layers, and getting herself down gracefully seemed like it would be a difficult task not being on solid, dry land. She looked back to Jaekar, hesitant to act as if she had no idea what she was doing. 

He smiled at her, the worry clear in her eyes, although the gown had succeeded in its desire effect of drawing his gaze all over her form, he’d ‘recovered’ quickly to catch her emotional distress. Somewhat endearing that she was so worried about her appearance in front of him, he nevertheless would rather ease her mind. Approaching her, he placed another kiss, this time on her cheek, before sweeping her up in his arms, horizontally. While she wasn’t petite, a man used to weaponry found the weight of the noble girl very easy to manage, appearing as if the act provided no real strain for him, he approached the blankets, his walk swaying easily with the slight tide, sea-legs apparent as he balanced them both. Standing above the fairly luxurious affair, he lowered her gently onto the blankets, with her back on the mound of pillows. While it didn’t show on his countenance, as if he had just done it by coincidence, he was careful not to allow her outfit to fall out of place, key as that was to her worries.

Moments later, the barge came to a halt, followed by three successive splashes. The anchor had been dropped, and then the two men controlling the vessel had dived into the sea, as planned. While Jaekar trusted them entirely, it was as much to impress the noble girl with their solitude. With that, he lowered himself into the spot beside her, closest to the basket, before wrapping an arm around her shoulder, eyes turned towards Sunspear as they first colourful rays of sunset broke past its spires.

“I hope you didn’t have much in the way of dinner...I’ve brought a rather wide array of treats, chosen from my travels,” He smiled, motioning towards the basket, as his eyes turned from the view to her, once again taking in the delicacy of her gown, and the form it barely hid.

She hadn’t eaten a thing, she realized, since the early lunch she had shared with her friends, and she had been so morose she had barely taken more than a few bites before pushing the plate away. The rest of the day she had spent too nervous to even think about eating, until now that he was mentioning it. Her eyes flicked towards the basket with curiosity. Allyria was hungry, though until she felt more comfortable again she wasn’t too sure how much she’d be able to stomach. The departure of the men who had rowed them to their spot of solitude helped, two extra sets of eyes in such an intimate setting had been worrisome. 

Allyria closed her eyes before answering. She nestled down into the crook of his arm and took two slow, deep breaths. It was just the salty sea, the setting sun, her sweet bard, and her. No reason to be nervous, no reason to be anxious, other than the obvious worries of her secret being discovered so soon. She would have to not think about that. 

Her eyes opened back up to the brilliance of the setting sun’s rays bursting over the palace in vivid oranges and reds. The sky beyond was already turning a dark navy very much like her gown. She felt better, at least in a little. 

“No,” she answered at last, her gaze still locked on the sunset. “I missed dinner completely. I didn’t want to be late...what sorts of treats?” She turned her head enough to catch his eye from the corner of hers and her heart fluttered in response. “Are there mangoes? I’ve seen them once, but I never got to try them. I always wanted to…”

“Unfortunately no, I thought I’d provide you with a taste of things you may never have even seen before, after all, I do wish to make an effort for the prettiest girl in Dorne. Especially as she was so worried about being late.” The compliment was fairly sickly, but she seemed to respond well to such. Not that it was necessarily untrue, she certainly was among the more eye-catching women he’d encountered in his short visit to Dorne.

He reached into the basket, keeping his eyes on the sunset, he located the first item by touch. The [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya]fruit[/url] was a bright red, with green spokes rising from it. The fairly dramatic food was fairly aptly named, which he immediately took the opportunity to tell her; “Dragonfruit, although it doesn’t come from Valyrian, they found its look rather...similar, to the eggs, supposedly anyway.” With that, he removed a knife from his belt, intricately designed, the handle took the shape of a snake, the head containing within it two sapphire eyes. The fruit split in half easily, no liquid spilled out, the dry climate the fruit hailed from making it more convenient to eat. The flesh inside was white, dotted with tiny black seeds, when he removed a small silver spoon from the basket, he offered it to her, although he held the fruit for her.

“Do try it, the sweetest thing that grows, or so they say.”

Her disappointment at the lack of mangoes was short lived when he brought out the strange fruit. She had never seen anything like it and found it hard to believe it to be edible, with the spikes that covered the skin. Allyria looked from the strange flesh of the fruit to Jaekar before taking the spoon from his hand. Delicately, she dipped the silver utensil into the flesh, a small morsel being carved away when she removed it. “Like dragon eggs? Have you seen real dragon eggs?” 

She brought the spoon to her mouth tentatively, it smelled wonderfully sweet, and slid the fruit into her mouth. It was sweet, sweeter than any fruit she had tried before. The young Dayne woman smiled her approval, it had an odd texture, but the taste was as exotic as it’s appearance. Dipping the spoon back into the fruit, she now held it out towards Jaekar. 

He took the offered bite with a slight roll of his eyes, nevertheless enjoying the taste, before he spoke again, “You should eat first, if you’ve missed meals, I’m sure there will be more than enough left over for me, should I be hungry.” He laced his words with a hint of concern, as if the noble girl eating lightly for a day genuinely worried him, although in truth, he did suspect she would be hungrier than he was, with the lack of social dilemma that affect him.

“Although, if you’re one who only eats lightly, I’d leave some room, there’s much more the world...or at least this basket, has still to offer you.” He smirked slightly, he would guess she wasn’t exactly the most conservative or gluttonous of eaters, but it was worth pointing out he had much more prepared for her. Finally, he, with some hesitation, answered her question about dragons, or at least, their eggs.

“Very few have heard this, and even less believe, but my mother actually rode a dragon. I’ve seen eggs, but only ones which are dead, hollow things. Still, a live dragon and a clutch of pristine eggs, more than most will ever see.” The sigh that followed his words added some genuine feeling to it, even if another soul might simply have seen it as a tale to impress a pretty girl, if so, he’d done a very good job of acting genuine.

Heeding his advice, she had taken another spoonful of the sweet treat. She did so delicately still, rather than ruin the lady-like image she had been so thoroughly taught to emulate no matter the circumstances. She couldn’t hide her disbelief, though, that his mother had ridden a dragon. She had thankfully swallowed the bit of fruit for her mouth hung open briefly, her eyes widened. It wasn’t just anybody who rode dragons, if his mother had been a Targaryen, and one with a dragon...the relation to the boy who sat their throne must be closer than she had guessed. 

She had heard that all the dragons were dead, though some in Dorne disputed that fact. She had heard people have disagreements over what that meant, but Allyria didn’t have a mind or care other than a strange curiosity about the creatures. “Was the dragon larger than a horse? I know the stories about them, about how they were large enough to block out the sun. It seems impossible.” Maybe, the young girl realized only after begging for more information, he didn’t want to talk about his family’s creatures that were all slain. He had seemed rather sad about it. She flushed red in response, her head dropping down. There had been a war, she knew, though the details had never much interested her. Death and fighting were best left to the songs bards sang. 

“It didn’t block out the sun, although it was at least three times the size of a horse, it never rivalled the ones the Targaryens rode, she told me. Probably the reason it survived the Dance, small enough that they wouldn’t miss it, with the ones the size of small castles fighting in the skies.” He continued to talk, although then noticed her head drop. His hand moved to her chin, pushing it up so that she was looking at him, before he leaned down to kiss her. She tasted sweet, from the fruit, the though reminding him there was more for her to sample, causing him to lean back after a few moments.

“It seems I have made you sad...perhaps another exotic specimen can cheer you up.”

“I didn’t want to make you sad, about them all being gone.” She managed to get out in hushed tones after he pulled away. Allyria placed her hand on his knee and squeezed it softly, looking back up to meet his eyes, a faint smile pulling at her lips even if she had to force it there for now. She hoped she hadn’t made a fool of herself with her ramblings about dragons. “Another specimen sounds good, I think you will keep me surprised all evening.” 

The first thing he removed, having placed the far from finished dragonfuit back, were two glasses, plain but finely made, he handed her one, before pulling a bottle of Dornish red from the basket. “Now, this you might be more familiar with, but fear not, it’s only here to compliment the food itself,” He laughed slightly, pouring her a rather generous glass, before doing the same for himself, seemingly far more willing to be even, than with the fruit.

What he then removed from the basket was a small bowl, of what appeared to be small green crabs, taking one, he eat it whole, the lack of crunch surprising, given the expectation of a tough shell, he then titled the ceramic container towards her.

“From Braavos, they live in the some of the lagoons close to the city, they have to be caught and cooked just at the right time, when they are ‘changing’ their shells, combined with the various oils and spices, they’re soft, and rather delicious,” He grinned, before taking a sip of his wine, blending perfectly with the taste of the crab and its marinade.

Allyria sipped at the offered wine, relieved to have something to drink but also to have something to calm her nerves again. It was a good year, she could tell that much, though stronger than she usually drank. Her wine was typically still watered down, especially when Nysterica dined with her. The crab he took out was strange looking, especially so that it was meant to be eaten whole. She took another sip before glancing at the glass and realized she should perhaps take it slowly, she wanted to be relaxed, not drunk. 

She reached into the container, surprised at the soft texture of the crab. She didn’t think he had lied about them, but it was different to what she had expected from the seafood. It was at least small enough to pop into her mouth in one bite without feeling she would look like a glutton. Her mouth moved slowly as she chewed it, the taste very different from what her people would do. It was without heat perhaps, but certainly not without flavor. Another small sip of wine, and she swallowed, the mixture of flavors really quite good. “You are right again, that was delicious.” 

The tasting went on for a good hour, the sun dipped below the palace and the inky evening sky had replaced the vibrancy of dusk. Allyria felt no hurry to return to shore, particularly not after having finally had enough food to constitute a real meal, and enough wine to go with it that she was feeling pleasantly warm albeit slightly numbed. The nervousness and anxiety had at last been washed away, and she found herself quite comfortably laying in the mound of pillows and blankets, her body curled against the Valyrian bard’s. 

Her tongue had been loosened as well between the wine and stolen kisses shared during the meal. “I wish I didn’t need to go back.” Allyria spoke as, for the first time that night, she pulled herself away from Jaekar. She glanced back out over the still visible skyline of the palace and drained the last of her wine, there had barely been any left anyways. “They want me to marry the Prince, William, that is.” There was a relief that came with telling Jaekar, as if a burden had lifted, even though she had been so uncertain earlier about how or when to tell him. “I don’t want to. I’ve never wanted anything less…” Anything less than to marry a prince, but not that prince. Even Richard in comparison to Jaekar seemed to pale, he had flirted with her, but it had not felt so genuine, so real. 

Allyria had turned out to be a rather warm drunk, or at least, what wine she had consumed had only made her more so. With his arms wrapped around her, they had watched the sun set, as he had suggested and it had been just as beautiful as the first time he had seen it, arriving at Sunspear for the first time. As she spoke, her words calmer, if slightly more slurred, he filled her glass up one more time, before doing the same for himself, starting to feel the warming effects himself, as the finished off the bottle, or at least, decanted it.

He paused at her revelation, not that he didn’t already know, but an immediate response would seem odd, that, and he took some time to word a response properly himself; “It may not feel like it...but there are worse fates, so what, marry this Prince, doesn’t mean you have to give up all your secrets,” He grinned, squeezing her side as he did so, “Or maybe one day, I’ll just whisk you away, even a Prince can’t catch a wanderer like me,” He chuckled as he spoke, overly jovial from the drink, even if it was having a remarkably weaker effect on himself than the girl curled up against him.

“At least you’ll still be sheltered, warm and rich...many would probably love to marry a Prince, even if he isn’t ‘the’ Prince.”

As much as she tried to let his words make her feel better, to cheer her up, they fell flat. She didn’t want to do it just because her sister had decided it to be so. Nysterica got to choose her husband, a man far below their station. Nysterica didn’t ask for permission, she didn’t love her husband, she did it because she was selfish. Well, what was good for Nysterica could be good for her too. “I won’t.” It was a shaky and uncertain proclamation, but it was out there, spoken. 

“I won’t marry someone I don’t want, even if he is a prince and rich.” She noticed then, her reactions dulled, that her glass had been refilled. Allyria didn’t quite gulp, but she took a long swallow before twisting her body back towards Jaekar. “Whisk me away then, won’t you? Promise me you will, one day, just before I have to marry [i]him[/i]. I want you, I’ll love you.” Her words were slurring a bit more than she would have liked, but there was an earnest desperation, a need for her feelings to be accepted, validated. Flushed from the wine and overly emotional display, it was too late to care if she had said too much. With the hand that didn’t hold the wine glass, she roughly grabbed at the black tunic he had donned, catching the fabric near the neckline. “Please?” [i]Say you’ll take me away, say you’ll love me, say you want me…[/i] Allyria wasn’t certain which one was the most pressing need. 

Evidently the wine was having more of an effect then he had anticipated, the Dornish usually being more accustomed to such beverages, or so he’d been told. The speed of her infatuation with him had taken rather less time than he had thought, but wasn’t entirely surprising, she was young, drunk and even worse, had been discontent with the lot chosen for her. Again he felt her actions pull at his heart, although he’d been prepared for that, it wasn’t her his plans would hurt, or perhaps he wouldn’t have been cold enough to do so.

“You are too kind my lady, and far too beautiful for me, I couldn’t help but want you, and if you say you could love me, well I do not think it would take much for me to show the same. I can’t promise to take you away, not yet, plans would have to be made, I do not think you could be happy simply as a runaway. Much would need to be in order, but I can promise to try, and if the time comes that you still wish to fly from Dorne, then I can make it so.” His arms wrapped around her at the waist, holding her to him, especially as the barge rocked slightly under the tide, in an attempt to keep her both close and steady.

It was enough, enough to calm her from turning into a mess of tears and regrets. She wanted to forget about it, but it seemed unlikely to happen, even with the wine having flowed quite freely. Allyria had spilled her feelings so plainly and left herself so vulnerable, that quite conversely, she felt more emboldened than ever. 

With a new fever growing, she pressed herself into him, her lips seeking his with the same passion as their first kiss. It wasn’t words she wanted. And if she couldn’t disappear tonight, then she would make sure it was Jaekar who would take her first, she would be his, even if no one else could know who her heart, her body belonged to. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him into her, and for a moment, she kept a hold on the glass of wine that slipped first from her mind, and then from her hand. 

Just as Jaekar’s mind fully registered the attractive young woman wrapping herself around him, the wine poured down his back, cold in the night breeze, he recoiled visibly, tipping both himself, and by extension Allyria, to the side as he flinched in time with a strong rock of the boat. Laughing slightly, he stood to remove his shirt, untangling from her, if only for the moment, turning to watch Sunspear as he undid the jerkin. casting it aside onto the deck, her turned with a slight grin, “And I was told the Dornish could handle their wine...I didn’t know that would be wrong literally to.”

She was slow to realize why he suddenly had no interest in returning her kisses, a frown forming as she felt him disentangle himself and stand. Allyria turned about, suddenly much less distressed as the black jerkin came off. She took her time in admiring his body in the light reflected from above and the city. Particularly pale in the night light, she could see the muscular definition of his arms and back. His teasing did not so matter so much in light of that. “I’ve handled it just fine, I think. Except for having missed a few spots.” 

Jaekar laughed, seemingly appreciating her rather drunken attempt to cover the slip of her hand, “Perhaps you’re more cunning than I gave you credit for, deviant, even.” He smirked, as he returned to the soft fabric of the blankets, although this time he simply lay there, terribly close, but not quite touching her. “Maybe I should be weary of such tricks.” It was becoming harder to tease her so, as close as he was to the attractive Dornish girl, the young man was beginning to feel the wine more strongly, and found himself hoping rather strongly that she would ‘bite.’

Allyria reached out as soon as he had come back to laying next to her, her hand finding first his bare arm, then his chest, she traced her fingers lightly against his skin with no particular pattern, but simply enjoying the contact, however limited. “No, you should trust me completely.” And she grinned, mischievousness gleaming in her eyes. “What harm could I cause?” 

She pulled herself up, to rest her head on her hand, her elbow to the pillows. In doing so, she managed to rather dishevel the already precariously low neckline. “Besides you are the one who teases, you say you cannot help but to want me and there you sit, ignoring me almost completely!” Allyria felt herself growing silly again, though the same desires continued to course through her body, some of the boldness had faded. 

The powerful arms, that had so easily spun and carried her before, now grabbed her, moving her beneath him as their lips met again, before his kisses descended down her neck, inching closer to her barely-there neckline, before his eyes returned to hers, in the dead of night, they seemed little more than pools of emotive darkness, the light of the rising moon beginning to catch in them. His hands rested on her hips, as an even greater passion began to spark between them.

“Don’t ever say I ignore you...dangerous things will happen.” He grinned, his chest rising and falling as the excitement reached his core, blowing away any form of facade for the moment. After tonight, she wouldn’t forget him, and he highly doubted the ability of any Dornish prince to sway her otherwise.

It was not easy, to get the words to form properly, the heat from his gaze, from his body, from the deep breaths she could his whole body working to take...it was all so very, very distracting. The tension that longed for release was palpable in the air between them, but she returned the grin, albeit a more nervous one. “Dangerous? I don’t believe you.” 

The look he gave her was one part passion, one part pity. He sighed for her, the drunk girl with her head wrapped up in romance, maybe if he too wasn’t feeling the warm flow of drink inside him, he wouldn’t have risen to the bait, but she’d called him up on it. It wasn’t fashionable, or a matter of pride, that the temples of Lys had taught him many carnal things, but bastards needed any leg up they could find and it had hardly been the most distressing skill set of his to learn. Her dress was gone barely moments after she had spoken, before he lowered his lips to her ear, the same deep, hushed tone he had used upon her before.

“Later, remind yourself, this came with a warning.”

Allyria couldn’t ignore the anxiety anymore than she could ignore her lust or the lust in Jaekar’s eyes and hushed tones. It was a bizarre but intoxicating flurry of emotions. This was what she wanted, this was what she had not been able to keep her mind off all day, and even with the wine in her, even with how much she thought her sweet bard cared for her, there was a pit of worry. What if she did something wrong? 

The doubts faded quickly replaced with only the fire of lust. 

---

Wrapped in a light blanket as protection from the cool breeze, Allyria stared up at the sky. Her chest rose and fell with each heavy breath, her skin slick with perspiration that only now, in the silence, seemed to be cooling. Her mind was racing to put everything in order, everything that had happened, she didn’t want to forget, didn’t want to lose a single moment of it. She didn’t try moving far, though she reluctantly acknowledged she would have to at some point. Her body didn’t feel solid anymore, she wasn’t even sure if she could stand should she need to that moment. 

She absently ran her fingers over Jaekar’s chest, from where she lay she could hear his heart beating loudly though it was slowing in time to her own. What could she say to him now? She smiled to herself, biting her lip to avoid sighing or giggling. 

His arm wrapped around the body of the noble girl lying against him, his other hand holding the wine glass which he had set aside, Jaekar grinned at Allyria while he sipped the drink, watching the heft of her breathing. Lys didn’t teach you things you ever forgot, but she had been enjoyable to, a far cry from the hesitant affair of his first dalliance in the word of sensuality. When she bit her lip, his hand, resting on her hip, squeezed her slightly, as if to tell her he knew how she was trying to contain herself. Amusing, that even after tonight, she was still worried about appearing silly in front of him.

“We don’t have long...I can only keep you sister’s ‘eyes’ away from you for so long...even in the dead of night.” While it wasn’t exactly the most romantic statement, his tone remained calm and caring as it was when he spoke pleasant things to her, although he remembered to add a little strain, not that it was overly hard, he hadn’t anticipated enjoying her company so, but then, that had only made things easier.

“That, and I wouldn’t want you to catch you death of cold...not only after having just had the pleasure of finding you.”

“I know.” She sighed, turning her head back onto his shoulder she closed her eyes. She was tired, exhausted really, or at least, her body was. “I…” Allyria yawned, pathetically trying to hide the fact with her hand. “Mmm...That was…” But no word seemed right for the situation, for him, for what they had done. She sighed contentedly, that seemed a fair description of their night together. 
Jaekar laughed, again with a lack of malice, at her sigh. Things had gone rather well it seemed. Taking another sip of his wine, his eye caught a flash of light from the shore, the signal it was time for them to be ready to leave. The young woman wasn’t in her most responsive of minds, and her reluctance to leave probably didn’t help, however the thought of the returning sailors probably spurred her into some form of action as he helped her back into her dress, his own clothing returning to his form moments later. He finished his wine with a gulp, before placing the glasses back in the basket. Standing, he held her, even if he didn’t want to, he somewhat doubted her ability to support herself, what with the boat slowly rocking in the tide. It wasn’t long before the two men from before were steering the barge back into port. Under some duress, although she hardly seem prepared resist anything, the brown cloak returned to cover her, while a similar item of clothing provided him some anonymity.

The servant girl hadn’t returned, which wasn’t entirely unexpected, and so Jaekar took it upon himself to return her to the Palace. Drowsy as she was, it seemed prudent to carry her, and while over his shoulder would have been easier, he carried her horizontally, her arms wrapped around his neck. The ascent through the streets was slower than the journey had been for her during her ‘escape’ although there was much less chance of them being seen, the cloaks making them vague blotches, if that, in the blackness of night, the streets keeping the light of the moon blocked from them.

Getting back into the Palace may have been more of a challenge, if the servant girl hadn’t followed his instructions to the letter, the right doors were open, a single guard drugged via his wine, although he would only appear to have been overly drunk, if anyone did find the slumbering individual. Soon the blandness of the serving quarters became the opulence of the quarters where Allyria was staying, with her head pressed to his chest, and her exhaustion still present, Allyria didn’t notice the man walk straight past two guardsmen, one even nodded to the secretive ‘bard’, before he slipped into her chambers, resting her on the luxurious, and far larger than necessary, bed. Finding appropriate sleepwear for her proved more difficult than actually getting her home, even a Spymaster had difficulty locating quite where everything was kept in the large array of clothing, eventually a night dress was found, pretty, but then, Allyria didn’t exactly have much in the way of ‘functional. He helped her change clothes, her tired mind just about going through the motions, before he quite literally tucked her in, placing a kiss on her forehead, before removing a [url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bR3of-x60pE/T5Pu-0EqzjI/AAAAAAAACto/viO3ePDf5g4/s1600/Apr.Diamond%2BNecklace%2Bwith%2BRuby%2Band%2BPeral.jpg]necklace[/url] from his pocket, placing it beside her, but just about hidden from anyone checking in on the noble lady.

She was asleep before he even left the room, another thing that he couldn’t stop from chuckling at, before leaving without another sound.

---

Wrapped in the layers of blankets, her head nestled deeply into her pillows, Allyria came to her senses slowly. Nothing was moving, and steadily, memories of the night came trickling in until her eyes shot open. She was in her room, in her bed, alone. She moved, stretching her legs and groaned. She tried to roll over and found her body quite resistant to the movement. Everything was sore, her head not spared thanks to the wine. Painful in some ways, yet there was a pleasant sensation to it, a tingle in her muscles whenever she tried to stretch them. The young noble grinned from ear to ear now that she was alone, her heart beating rapidly as she remembered the time on his boat. 

Allyria could not so well remember how she had ended up back here, but given that the sunlight was pouring into the room, it was late enough and still quiet enough that it seemed no one had noticed her extended absence. She found the energy to push away the blankets when her hand ran across something metal. She picked it up, eyes wide in awe, it was a beautiful piece of jewelry, perhaps more beautiful than anything she owned if only because of who it must have come from. 

Swinging her feet over the the edge of her bed, she had to pause, sitting upright had sent her head spinning. She had a sleeping gown on, strange she didn’t remember getting changed, just images of the city passing by and then the warmth of the palace. She had been so tired, so blissfully tired. 

The necklace was put on first, if he left it for her certainly he meant her to wear it. She couldn’t wait to see what her friends would think about it. It’d drive them crazy. Allyria pulled off the sleeping gown, content to dress herself for the day, and was soon glad to have not called for one of the handmaidens to help her. She had marks, small purple bruises, teeth marks on some of them, scattered across her body. Nothing that would be noticed once she was dressed, but she would know they were there, pleasant reminders. Allyria hoped they wouldn’t fade before she could see him again, with just the hours of sleep having passed, she found herself yearning to be by his side. Perhaps it would be a foolish waste of time, but spending the day in the gardens again seemed as good of place to wait as any, especially if it meant her sister would be unlikely to find her.