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[img]https://media.giphy.com/media/DvGvyHhz3R5kI/giphy.gif[/img][/center][hr][center][b][color=#E15436]Location:[/color][/b] Abhainn's Ballroom
[b][color=palevioletred]Interacting with:[/color][/b] Each other, Lady Alice Allaire {[@Lionhearted]}, Prince Antoine {[@vFear]}[hr][hr][/center]It was a blessing that Antoine excused himself then. How awkward it would be for Maddox's future nephew to witness him rekindling a relationship with a past lover. It certainly wasn't something he wanted Julianna hearing of from anyone. 

[color=#E15436]"It was a pleasure meeting you, Antoine,"[/color] the king replied, inclining his head subtly. Maddox had just begun to turn towards Lissa when Antoine caught his attention once more. He gave a slight nod. [color=#E15436]"Of course. I hope that you and I can be quite frank about these matters with each other. It is a good thing to be able to trust family."[/color]

It was as Antoine moved away that he looked back towards Lissa and couldn't help but make a slight face in passing. Perhaps they would be able to trust each other about [i]most[/i] things at least. He met her gaze for a moment as she took a step closer. As her eyes brushed along his form, he too took the opportunity to take all of her in. He had missed this.

[color=#E15436]"Hello, Lissa,"[/color] he returned softly. Maddox moved his hand slightly, yearning to take her hand in his, but he clenched his fist and brought it back to his side. [color=#E15436]"Do I?"[/color] He gave a soft laugh. [color=#E15436]"Does it show that much?"[/color] Maddox looked back to her again in response to her lilting tone.

[color=#E15436]"It has been such a long time,"[/color] he breathed. How he wanted to take her hand and run off with her like they were teenagers again and had no obligations. But then she mentioned Julianna and his smile faltered. His lips pursed, but he kept a steady gaze ahead as he watched Julianna move through the crowd.

[color=#E15436]"Yes, she...she is."[/color] And she was. He felt a pang of disappointment in himself, for she certainly seemed to be a good woman. But he could feel his emotions for Lissa bubbling up. Maddox let his hand reach for her hand, pulling it towards him in what he hoped could be taken as a respectful gesture. [color=#E15436]"So are you."[/color]

The achingly familiar touch of a hand dragged Lissa out of her frantic thoughts, and, automatically, her fingers loosened to mold into his grasp. Her eyes, for a second, rested on his lips - an action out of habit, she told herself as she forced her gaze up to meet his. She yearned to just melt into him so that they could dance under the stars forevermore, or run away to somewhere there wasn't prying eyes watching or beautiful princesses stealing Maddox away from her. Instead, she let out a deep sigh and gently withdrew her hand. She knew better than to believe in fairytales. 

[b][color=palevioletred]"You're too kind, your majesty."[/color][/b] Her sentence stopped abruptly, her lips left slightly parted as if she wished to say more. She did not, however, and allowed a brief silence to shroud the pair of them. Then, speaking suddenly as if she wanted to get the words out before she changed her mind, Lissa's mouth worked frantically. 

[b][color=palevioletred]"You know, I'm -... well....I -" [/color][/b]she hesitated, taking a second to figure out how she would put what she intended to express into words, before blushing daintily and continuing. 

[b][color=palevioletred]"I'm sorry, Madds. I'm sorry for being so frivolous and reckless and stupid. I'm sorry that I had to leave to some foreign kingdom and, most of all, I - I'm sorry for not saying goodbye."[/color][/b] Biting her lip, she kept on talking, one part of her mind sighing with relief at the feeling of finally being able to express herself, while another was screaming at her to shut up. 

[b][color=palevioletred]"I wish things were how they used to be, you know? I really do. But I suppose they can't. Of course they can't...can they?" [/color][/b]

The question that trailed off at the end of her spiel held a note of vulnerable hopefulness that she could only cringe at. She knew with upmost certainty that things would never be the same, and with that certainty came the shame of her outburst as she lowered her gaze to the ground. 

Within a second, however, she was smoothing down her skirts and straightening up again - all signs of vulnerability vanished. For the first time in what seemed like months she welcomed the familiar coldness of her court stature in, and lifted her head once more to address the King with that soft voice paired with a rare, mixed accent that she possessed.

[b][color=palevioletred]"On the other hand, I must congratulate you on your engagement. It must be truly wonderful to be able to unite our kingdoms like this."[/color][/b]

He probably thought she was deranged by now with her ever-changing manner of speaking, but it was merely her way of struggling to gain control of herself. She wasn't used to being this flustered - she had never felt this way around her husband (or any other man, for that matter). The one thing she yearned for now was to just dance like she used to - it would free her mind from the confusion, her heart from the ache, and her fingers from trembling as they were now. She had made a vow to herself, however. Lissa would not dance so carelessly any more. It was improper.  

To feel her hand is his once more was a sensation he hadn't thought he would experience again. Their eyes locked in a moment of intimacy, and he could swear it felt just like it had in the years before she had gotten married and moved away. Maddox felt the urge to pull her in or to pull her after him as they raced away from the ball, seeking the company only of each other.

But then she pulled her hand away, and the moment dried up and died before he could process it all. [color=#E15436]"Lissa..."[/color] he started, trailing off as she spoke suddenly and abruptly. Maddox waited, hoping she might finish her statement, but there was a silence that descended over them, masking what had been such a tender moment for a few heartbeats.

Her emotions spilled over all at once, and he found himself taking a small step backwards as if to compensate for the sheer power of her panicked apologies. The moment was shattering, he was thrown once more into the present, to the horrid realization that the only reason they were here was to celebrate him marrying some foreigner against his will because some damn treaty said he had to.

[color=#E15436]”Lissa...stop,”[/color] he started to say, his voice registering much quieter than he had hoped. Maddox cleared his throat gently, as if generating a new wave of gusto or motivation to speak up. [color=#E15436]"We can...we can have what we once had. What I had for you...that isn’t dead, Lissa.”[/color] Maddox struggled to salvage the moment, floundering slightly as he struggled to find a response.

But whatever transpired for Lissa in those few moments was enough to revert her to someone he had never known. She was no longer an anxious young girl, and instead, he saw her as the woman who had returned from so many years in Sliabh. She was cold, and he hated it greatly.

[color=#E15436]"Thank you, my Lady,"[/color] he replied, his voice becoming one of a true royal now, losing its familiarity far too quickly for his tastes. Why did it have to end like this? [color=#E15436]"I hope the union will be prosperous for both kingdoms."[/color] Maddox's focus was broken by Alice's approach, and he turned suddenly to look her way, catching her gaze as she curtsied to him, flashing the way her dress cut almost too low to be considered proper. Blood rushed to his face instinctively, and he returned her gesture with a slight inclination of his head.

[color=#E15436]"You are far too kind, my Lady."[/color] He beamed back at her, his smile only broadening as she winked his way. She was his close companion, a friend he had been able to count on for years - especially in Lissa's absence. And yet he found himself blushing like a boy at her. Perhaps it was the wine - his head was still spinning gently, and his encounter with Lissa had not made that any easier.

His retreat from the passion he had spoken with hurt her more than it should have - and she found that every cold word spoken was as if a dagger had pierced her heart. Lissa was not surprised, however, at his withdrawal. It was necessary, wasn't it? Anything else would be stupid. 

She let her gaze fall to the floor.[b][color=palevioletred] "Yes. As do I."[/color][/b]

 Lissa was just turning to leave when a voice, infuriatingly familiar, made itself known to their left. The audacity. It took every ounce of Amaryliss' willpower to stop her lip from curling in disgust at the woman - despising the fact that she was outshining Lissa in every aspect possible. Her dress, her mask, her hair, and even the way she held herself was superior to Amaryliss and it was maddening. Her irritation was magnified as Lady Alice swept into a graceful curtesy and adopted a tone dropping with silken seduction. 

Lissa didn't even bother to return the empty smile to Alice, for fear that her face may split in two. Instead, she accepted the malicious sweep of the Lady's sharp gaze with her usual look of superior contempt. Her jaw clenched momentarily at the flirtatious glances she insisted on shooting the King and moreso his reaction to them, yet that was the only signal of annoyance she dared to display. There was no way hat she would allow this [i]harlot[/i] to be alone with Maddox, so all previous thoughts of a hasty escape vanished. 

[b][color=palevioletred]"Yes. You did seem rather...flustered upon our last encounter, Lady Alice. It's rather flattering that my presence could have such an effect on you." [/color][/b]As she spoke, Lissa didn't bother to even meet the dame's eye, her gaze fixed on Maddox, until the end of her original statement. She then continued, with a complacent tone and a burning stare, to answer Alice's question. [b][color=palevioletred]"Nevertheless, I feel as at home as I did back when we were young. Abhainn will always be where I belong - nothing could change that." [/color][/b]