Peace for a Price (1x1)

Eleazar stared at Malisia, his face devoid of expression as he patiently waited out her words.

"I can neither deny nor approve of your request because I have no idea what you are talking about," he said bluntly. "You are talking like we are two people who have known each other for weeks or even months when we have barely known each other for a few hours. I do not know if your relationships - friendship, business, or otherwise - have all been instantaneous, but I find I need time to get to know someone. You will have that time as we travel. That is a part of the purpose of this trip."

He finished his tea. "It does not matter if parties and similar events is 'not you,' that is part of both of our duties as royalty. We might host them less than royals who do enjoy them, but they must still be held. I do not particularly care what sort of attitude you show to me behind closed doors so long as you are not outright disrespectful to me in front of anyone other than close servants. You can be whoever you wish to be as long as when in front of those I need to impress, you do not act like a complete monkey or disrespect them or me. Be silent, be witty, be silver tongued, whatever."
 
She pressed her lips tightly together, truth be told, she thought she sounded clever, but now? She felt like even more of a fool now.

Speaking from her heart sounded like a good idea at first, but now it felt like she'd ruined any amount of credibility she had previously. Idiot, Idiot, IDIOT, she thought, but remained silent on the outside.


No tears, not a tremble or sigh escaped her, she simply nodded.


"Yes- Your highness. Forgive me, I spoke without thinking... It will not happen again."


Getting closer on two days, of course it couldn't work, but could anyone really blame her for being desperate? That didn't matter. This was it, her new reality, she had to live with it, and be realistic.

Even if they had time to learn to be around each other, that didn't mean he would accept her, or share any sort of attraction towards her. And given how good of an impression she was giving at the time, she doubted things would look any brighter.


And so the pessimistic thoughts flooded back in. Her sight focused somewhere on the floor rather than Eleazar.

He hadn't said anything particularly mean, he just said the truth, which was certainly more painful that she expected.
 
This was so awkward and uncomfortable, and he wasn't certain exactly why. He had no idea how to deal with this sort of emotional distress, so he decided the easiest thing was to keep moving forward. She at least had maids to look after her. She was not entirely alone. He did attempt one bit of comfort.

"It takes time to settle into a new place, Princess, and time to learn about new people. Let yourself have that time," he said gently. "As it happens, our kingdom has never had a princess, so the people are all very curious about you and do not know exactly what to expect or how to treat you. They will need time to get accustomed to you just as it will take time for you to become accustomed to them."

He tapped lightly on the table and continued. "Today, rest, take your time, and explore if you wish. I will give you a tour, if you desire, or you can wander on your own. Tomorrow, we will head out on our trip, and after that, you can settle down in a home of your own. For now, we'll see how things go. One day at a time."
 
She wasn't sure what to say, or rather, if she should say anything in the first place.

Eleazar's words were correct, he was never disrespectful or unreasonable, if anyone was being dramatic or problematic, was her, and she was quickly realizing this, which didn't exactly help to calm her racing thoughts.


"Of- Of course..." She stammered. "I will not interfere with your plans. If you had planned to take me and and show me around the castle then... So be it."


The woman kept her head down, speaking in a hushed tone for the sake of not making herself look worse.

"Thank you..."


She chose not to eat, not as a form of protest, but rather due to the knot that kept tightening itself around her throat, making her nauseous and lose any appetite she may have had, not that she was particulary hungry from yesterday's party in the first place.

Malisia was, ashamed to say the least, she had acted like a teenager who was confessing her feelings to her sweetheart for the first time.
 
Eleazar ate, though less than he normally might have. Last night had been a lot, but it took a lot to keep him fueled. When he finished, he set his teacup aside and pushed his chair back. "If you would like to explore on your own, I will not object, but I would be happy to show you around myself." He stood and offered her a hand. "If you will allow it."
 
She hesitated, clearly still a bit shaken by the talk they had just gone through, but she didn't deny him, accepting his hand to stand up before letting go momentarilly.


"I- Should get dressed into something more proper, my handmaidens will do all the work, but I'd prefer for the rest of the staff at the castle to- Not see me in this state." She admitted.


"I'd appreciate if you could... Wait outside while I do that."
 
Eleazar almost smiled at that. "I will be out in the hallway. Take whatever time you need. I will not be going anywhere." He turned and walked out, closing the door gently behind himself.
 
Malisia took a deep breath in relief as she was left alone in the room, her handmaidens didn't take long to come to room in a rush, carrying clothes that may fit a day of walking around better than the dress she had been using since yesterday.

They noted her disheveled appearance, and took their time to ask what had happened to her that made her end up in this state.

Although they both agreed that the princess was being a bit dramatic, they decided to give advice rather than shutting down her emotions completely.


Romance, was a dance after all. She hadn't danced with him yet, in any sense of the word, so she would have to make some steps towards that. From the ground up, she had to do her best to court the man properly, it didn't matter if they were already married.

The princess listened, though it was obvious she was struggling to even understand how to do any of that. She tried her best to take in their advice as they finally finished preparing her.

They hurried her out of the room so she didn't keep the king waiting any longer, though she looked much more presentable now.


She was dressed in a dark green robed, with her shoulders uncovered except for a thing strap which held the outfit together. It had a softly tied ribbon around the waist, and flowed down to her ankles, with enough room that she may have free movement during any activities they would have to go through their exploration of the castle grounds.


"I'm... Ready now your highness." She gently held out her hand, taking the first step for once, as she waited for him to take it and lead her to wherever they would go first.
 
"You look better, Princess," Eleazar complimented her. He took her hand and led her toward the stairs. "This hall is... a hall. We will not be here long, but for the time you are here and if you when return, as is likely for various political affairs where your presence would be required, this floor is yours to do with as you wish. I was not certain what sort of decor you liked, so I requested the servants not decorate it too much. I would suggest holding off decorating it until your next return, but it is your choice."

He paused at the stairs. "WOuld you prefer to start at the top and work our way down, or go from the bottom up?"
 
Malisia looked around, not seeing much that she would like to chang if it was her choice, so she imply shook her head.

"I do prefer minimalism... Unless you do prefer something else, which in such case, I'm sure I would like it as well."


She was doing better, of course, her eyes weren't swollen and burning from her tears. She would take advice for once and listen to her servants.


"Top and downwards sounds more appealing. But if you have something to prioritize to show me, will not mind either."
 
"Top to bottom it is," Eleazar said.

He led the way up the stairs to the next floor. This floor held primarily the servants and other inhabitants of the castle. One side was dark, shaded, and quiet while the brighter side was bustling with activity. The active side did try to keep their voices lowered for the sake of those sleeping. Those out and about paused and curtsied or bowed to the king and his princess before continuing on their way. Eleazar did not linger here, just showed Malisia how they'd decorated their floor and where the servants lived. Then they moved up to the fourth floor, the extra huge area, which was a sort of overflow space but did have amazing views. Some of their long-term special guests stayed here with balconies and similar. Then, from the fourth floor, they crossed over to the other side of the castle, which was split in half by a wide stairway and the various event spaces. There were four towers here. One was used for birds, one for astronomy, one for flight, and one was Eleazar's personal space, and that was the stairway he warned her not to go up.

From the fourth floor, they started making their way downward. There were a lot of random spaces to see as a place as big as the castle needed a lot of things to keep it going. Cleaning, storage, extra bedrooms, meeting rooms, and more storage. This side had the short-term areas like where Malisia's parents had stayed. That was down on the second floor. He did not bother to spend much time there.

The first floor held far more interesting rooms. The kitchen and the library were the two largest rooms, and the library actually stretched up two stories in the center of the castle. Pages rustled quietly with dozens of individualized lanterns. Smaller lanterns were available for readers to take with them if they needed help seeing the books. The kitchen was only one story, but it seemed to be a world of its own filled with bustling cooks and their helpers. Eleazar did not go far into the kitchen. It was somewhat dangerous to do so at the speed most of the people within were moving.

As they walked, he talked about the areas, though in some places it was clear he did not know what to say. He was not particularly chatty, but he made an effort.
 
She didn't ask many questions, nor comment, except to say how she particularly liked some rooms, such as the room where they kept the birds, the stronomy tower, the library and a couple of the halls which she found most cozy due to their dim lighting.

Malisia didn't really say it outloud, but she appreciated Eleazar's effort after all of this. she had been, less than pleasant up until now. She didn't expect him to understand, not because he was a monster, but rather, she didn't expect him to understand the turmoil she had gone through the past few days, the whirlwind of emotions, especially because they were nonsense, or at least she thought it was nonsense.


Her attention remained on him and his explanation of every space they went through, showing a weak, but honest smile through the tour.


She made sure not to get too curious or nosy about the space she had been told not to go through, she was not stupid enough to defy him directly, as much as she did hope to know one day what hid behind those walls..
 
They ended their tour back in the area of the chapel and the banquet hall. The chapel was actually a separate building that had eventually merged with the castle by way of a short hallway, and the banquet hall was only a few steps from there. Eleazar stood in the open door of the banquet hall frowning at the three bodies laying on the floor and draped over the table.

"Martha," he called, barely raising his voice.

"Sire?" Martha was a tall woman who's stern features could not be softened by the soft, downy grey fur tracing her cheekbones and up to her head where it flowed like short hair and covered her pointed ears.

"Why are there people sleeping in the hall?" Eleazar asked.

"Because none of us dared to move them, Sire," Martha said in a tone that said she disapproved of their sleeping habits as much as Eleazar. "The last time someone attempted to roust a sleeping Sir Coheed, they nearly found themselves carrying a new dagger."

Eleazar huffed in annoyance. "I had forgotten that incident."
 
Malisia squinted her eyes behind her glasses, clearly not thrilled about the, strange choice of sleeping places the guests had chosen.

She was not an expert in manners or ettiquete in the slightest, but even she was aware that sleeping on the halls was not exactly, respectful.


Her sight shifted from Eleazar, to Martha, then the guests and back to Eleazar, as if waiting to see what he would do about it. She chose not to pressure either of them, tilting her head lightly to salute the tall woman, before speaking up, a question that was meant for both of them at the time.


"Is this a common occurrence then?..."


She asked, clearly concerned that this was something that the the king had to deal more than once at this point.
 
"Only during celebratory events, which is far too often for my tastes," Martha sniffed.

Eleazar sighed and turned away. "Let them sleep it off, but don't let them leave. I will deal with them when they are hungover and headachy."

"I suppose we can clean around them," Martha agreed grudgingly. "I will let the guard know that these three have an appointment with you."

"Good." Eleazar looked at Malisia. "Is there anywhere else you wish to go? We can return to some places, if you desire."
 
Malisia thought for a moment, there weren't many places she wanted to go to in particular, but having a walk together wouldn't be too terrible either.

She twisted one of her curls between her fingers for a moment, before finally choosing to go out to the courtyard, if he'd allow it of course.


"Could we go outside and have a look at the grounds? I didn't have the time to do so when I first came here and wondered how the structure is from the outside."
 
"Outside?" Eleazar considered this and nodded. "Very well. A moment, please."

He took her toward the front door but then left her for a moment as he went back. A few minutes later, he returned with a pair of dark glasses that he slid on before offering her his arm again.

"Alright, let us go outside." He nodded to the doormen, who pushed open the door for them and stood aside.

The castle grounds were impeccably kept, but none of the plants were anything like what Malisia would find back home. Since this kingdom sat farther north, the climate tended to be colder with a lot of wind. Thus, most of the plants were hardy, scrubby looking things. They produced a lot of many colored flowers, but in smaller quantities. They'd been arranged into many different patterns and shapes that were noticeable from the ground but easier to see from the sky.
 
Malisia seemed rather surprised about his need for protection from sunlight. But was soon reminded about what he mentioned before how many of the Cravonid inhabitants did make most of their living during the nights rather than at plain dayligjt, she should probably start to change her habits too if she was to adapt to the new kingdom.


She accepted Eleazar's arm and walked beside him.

The plants were a delightful surprise despite the differences between what she was used to and these lovely pieces of flora.


Her curiosity got the best of her during the stroll, seeing the scarce amount of larger, fuller plants.

"The deal you struck with my father in exchange of my hand... It was about resources. Wasn't it? I was not told much but, the land isn't very fertile, is it?"


She didn't say much of it for now, but she kept it in her mind regardless.
 
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Eleazar dipped his head, a little surprised but not completely to discover that she did not even know why she'd been given away. "This is a harsh land, and while in many places the soil is at least acceptable, the weather and short warm months mean that not much can withstand long enough to ripen. It is enough for a few people, but as our kingdom's population grows, so does our need for food, and the land simply cannot sustain the need. Root vegetables and herds do best. Raindeer, one type of cow, and pigs if we are careful during the furrowing season to protect the piglets. Older pigs can usually manage when given shelter, but the little ones stand no chance. We do have excellent fishing, but if we are not careful, we will run out of fish. It does not help that not everyone is suitable for farming."
 
"I see- Hhopefully something can be done about it, in time..."

Malisia looked around for a long time, taking in her surroundings, despite it not being an incredible place full of lush and beautiful forests and wildlife, Cravonid had its own charm.


Maybe it was the people, or just her heart trying to be optimistic despite the situation at hand.


"Thank you for the tour... It was pleasant to finally see the castle in its full glory. Is there any other place you'd like to show me? Perhaps inside this time, I wouldn't like you to hurt your sight further with the sunlight..."
 
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