Elise had to hold back the bile in her stomach from watching the scene before her, as much as she wished she could look away she had to watch the reality. It only affirmed what she and Lady Cheldarine had spoken about and that enemies would be everywhere she turned, though she couldn’t discern if this had been meant for her also it still left a foul taste in her mouth. Not once had she seen someone die in such a gruesome manner and seeing the serving boy die had resurfaced a repressed memory of her own. 

It took all her strength not to hurl her guts as the image of her dead younger brother crossed her mind, remembering how she had been defiant pushing past the guards and her elder brother to see what the commotion was. Instantly she had regretted the decision as for many nights after she had nightmares surrounding it and even to this day it came back to haunt her on occasion. To see her younger brother sprawled on the bed skin ghostly white, blue tinging his lips and fingers adorned by red blood splatters. Crimson stained sheets from the usual bright white they were. To remember the haunted look of horror on her young brothers face as her eyes looked over the wounds, a deep slice across his throat and smaller ones on his wrists and then feet. The younger Prince had bled out and no one had heard anything, no scream and no signs of fight meaning the coward that had done the deed had done so whilst the Prince slept deeply. It had later been found there was a sleeping aid in his drink so he wouldn’t have stirred at the attack. 

So, caught up in her own whirlwind of horror Elise didn’t pay any sort of attention to Ozragad and Manawyndans conversation until she heard the shut of the door leaving her alone with him. Panicked for a split second she whirled around to look at Ozragad as he returned to his seat at the table, silence forming between them as she couldn’t find any sort of words to say and it seemed he couldn’t either. 

Elise didn’t dare move from the spot she was standing, using the table to keep herself steady fearing that her own legs would fail her and crumble beneath the pressure. A shaky breath escaped her lips, one that she didn’t realise she had been holding as she slowly gained the courage to move back to her seat the whole way using the table to lean on as she lowered herself into the chair glad to have the support of the wood beneath her. 

[color=00aeef][b]“I understand.”[/b][/color] Clearing her throat to try and sound confident and not show how unsettled she had been from this incident; it had dredged up memories she wished to be kept buried. [color=00aeef][b]“I’ll take it as a compliment that he thinks I could orchestrate such a thing under your watchful gaze.”[/b][/color] Trying to settle she knew the comfort she needed would not be gained here, but she was not looking forward to the nights to come knowing the nightmares would resurface and that was a vulnerability she wanted no one to know about. 

[color=f7941d][b]“Why? Why did you choose to save me?” [/b][/color]

Why had she saved him? Pausing as she thought on how to answer him because she didn’t know herself, it could have been down to instinct. It could have been because she knew her survival depended on his own, or maybe she was warming to the idea of marriage. It could have even been because peace was sorely needed in their lands and the blood that had been spilled was more than enough to last a lifetime. 

[color=00aeef][b]“I don’t know in all honesty.”[/b][/color] Elise folded her arms as her brow furrowed trying to piece together her own scattered thoughts, [color=00aeef][b]“Poison is cowardly.”[/b][/color] Muttering out her distaste for the substance until she found herself sighing again cringing at how he assumed she despised him and the palace. It wasn’t true, she despised that her freedom had been taken, that her father had forced this on her which she had channelled through onto Ozragad when it wasn’t his fault she had been put in this position. 

[color=00aeef][b]“I don’t despise you or this place maybe some of your actions. It’s actually beautiful here in its own way. I [i]despise[/i] the fact my freedom was taken from me because I was born a certain gender. That as a woman you can’t fight. If I had allowed you to drink that poison than you’d have died. Maybe I could have had a chance at my freedom, but that wouldn’t be the case.”[/b][/color]

Elise stopped for a moment placing her head in her hands on the table finally admitting to herself something she very much knew, and something Lady Cheldarine had also reminded her of as she was honest with him. [color=00aeef][b]“My life is very much in your hands, it’s dependant on you being alive because you are the only thing stopping those that wish to tear me apart because of my heritage. I have a handful of men and they’d be crushed in a heartbeat leaving me to deal with whatever horrors my enemies wish me to live, I wouldn’t be able to make it out of here and if by some miracle I did I would not be able to navigate your lands or go unrecognised for that matter.”[/b][/color] Lifting her head up slightly to meet his gaze she could feel her own mental exhaustion of this place creeping in. 

[color=00aeef][b]“We came to an agreement. I will uphold my side of it.”[/b][/color]