Elise continued to ride on the white mare and for some strange reason she felt a slither of relief after having told her tale, not once had she voiced it to anyone before partly because her father had forbidden it and in truth, she never wanted to relive that moment again. Now, she felt an odd sensation almost like it had been freeing even with having told Ozragad of all people. This hidden secret of her past. If her father knew she had told their enemy of all people he would go mental, probably as he would assume it exposed a weakness that he could take advantage of. [color=00aeef][i]Is he my enemy though?[/i][/color] Even with the peace treaty she knew how her father thought, and she wouldn’t be surprised for one moment if he was already finding loopholes to bring this country down. Brutal honesty also told her that it didn’t matter if she was his wife or not, she would go down with the Kingdom alongside him. 

[color=00aeef][i]It’s a start between us, I guess. I don’t know what possessed me to tell him. I’ve never… [/i][/color]

Frowning to herself as her eyes focused on her wrist, the fabric hiding the scar that she knew was there beneath it. [color=00aeef][b]“I’ve never told anyone about it, and I’m sure you can understand why it’s not been broadcasted before. I just ask you respect that and keep it to yourself.”[/b][/color] Her voice was soft, no hint of her usual stubborn self as she had shared something quite intimate and even though she was to marry this man he will still a stranger to her. 

[color=00aeef][i]I don’t need anyone’s pity on the past.[/i][/color]

Nodding along as she listened to him talk about the wounds he had received on the battlefield, how the adrenaline fuelled him she couldn’t help but wonder if anything did scare him. Had there ever been a moment in his life he truly feared for something? 

[color=00aeef][i]I can’t ask something like that.[/i][/color] 

It was only then did her eyes widen slightly as he admitted to know of the same feeling she had experienced, life slipping away without having any sort of power to stop it. Whether directly or not she couldn’t quite tell as he didn’t go into it, maybe he would another day as after all this wasn’t the conversation, she had expected to have with him. Elise had just expected to exchange small pleasantries, wait for the Hunt to be over and return back to her room as if it was any other day here. No in depth talks or getting to know one another like it had turned out to be. 

The silence was almost deafening as she glanced to the sky to see the hawks crying over them and she took the chance to look at the lands before her. They were beautiful in its own sense and she found herself comparing it to Eorzia and what her home was like, but she had to remind herself that it was no longer her home. Not when her life was to be here now. They still had meadow grass here and although when she had first approached the city it was in some sort of cave it still had some green land. Not much from what she had seen so far, but enough for wildlife to live inside. That is probably why lands were a big part of the deal. 

Meeting his gaze as she looked back towards him a wave of confusion crossed her face, why was he sorry? It wasn’t like he had specifically ordered the rebels to do such a thing, and then there was her father who hadn’t done anything to help her at that age which to her was just as bad. None the less, the apology from him had stirred an emotion inside and she wasn’t sure what it was exactly. [color=00aeef][b]“No… I.”[/b][/color] Hesitating for a moment as she glanced away her fingers gripping the reigns of her horse painfully tight, [color=00aeef][b]“It means more than you realise, to offer sincere words like you have. Thank you.”[/b][/color]

As Elise spoke her chest tightened as she tried to process what she was feeling in the valley, rather than make an effort to figure it out she put whatever it was down to not feeling one hundred percent and that it was having an effect on her rationale side. At a loss for anymore words she offered Ozragad a warm smile before he raced down to the encampment, keeping the horse at her own steady pace she continued on just watching his retreating figure finding that she wanted to know more about him.