Peace for a Price (1x1)

The blonde inclined his head. "Adaptation to anything new, even if it is a good thing, takes time. Forgive me for not introducing myself first. I am Chaunce Hearthrune. I am in charge of night security, but now and then I get a bit of time to myself to greet the lovely new princess and welcome her to our harsh but glorious land!"

Eleazar gave Chaunce a mild look but then went back to finishing off his last mushroom. He was the last one eating these dratted spongy wood things.
 
"Pleasure to meet you. Thank you for the warm welcome." Malisia replied, not going into details about herself since, of course, everyone in Cravonid knew who she was at this point.

She had finished the food on her plate a while back into the conversation, she hadn't realized how fast she was eating, then again, she was hungry, it was only logical to devour her food... Though that may not have been elegant or proper, she couldn't worry about that now that she was done.

With a soft cough she cleared her throat, and looked back at Eleazar, raising an eyebrow at his struggle with the fungi.


"So... What did you plan to do after the meal, your highness?.."
 
Chaunce looked interested in continuing the conversation with Malisia, but when she turned away and back to Eleazar, he leaned back with a little shrug. As he did so, the main course came out, and empty plates were whisked away to be replaced by something colorful and meat-related. It was reindeer meat, carefully prepared and plated in such a way as to appear as fancy as they could manage in order to impress the princess.

At Malisia's question, Eleazar replied, "I intend to spend some quiet time in my room. After that, there are some things I would like to go over with you before we leave tomorrow. Other than that, I did not plan."

The things that needed going over was the massive pile of gifts that he knew would take a long time in opening. His current plan was to open the biggest ones or anything that appeared time sensitive and then take the smaller ones with them to open as they traveled.
 
"I see- Will make sure to stay in my room while you do that."

She spoke awkwardly. she wasn't sure what the things they needed to go over was, and of course, she didn't even think of the gifts for a moment, she was focused on the possibilities of the trip, or worse, what if she'd finally gotten under Eleazar's skin and had gotten herself a one way trip to exile?

Malisia shook her head lightly, brushing off those ideas.


"Perhaps we could return to the gardens later?..." She mentioned this as more of a request than anything else, though she wouldn't complain if he declined.
 
"If there is time, yes, and I can go with you, but you have the freedom to go by yourself if you desire," Eleazar told her. "As I said before, you are welcome to explore nearly anywhere in the castle. You need not wait for me if you want to go, or you may ask another to accompany you. Anyone here at this table would be honored to be in your company."

He had thought she would enjoy the gardens, but not to this degree, and why was she acting as though she could not go anywhere without him? Was this normal and he was overthinking things? Or was this something she was accustomed to? Or was she afraid to wander alone?
 
Malisia nodded, keeping her hands over her lap now that she was done eating, simply waiting for the time to leave.

"Thank you. I understand and I do indeed appreciate it... Although I have the freedom to do so, I would rather go along with you my lord. I can wait."


She had her servants, and Lance had stated he'd be there if she needed anything, not to mention the newcomers who she could talk to and try and establish a friendship with.

But then again, was it wrong for her to try and get closer to Eleazar? She didn't want to make a fool of herself again, she was struggling and fighting the need to break down again, but she kept her mouth shut and kept her composture. She would make it work, somehow, but if that was to happen he'd have to want it too, she couldn't force anything to go faster than it was.
 
Eleazar dipped his head slightly almost as if in a shrug. "Very well, if you do not mind waiting, I will go with you," he agreed. He did not know why she wanted to wait for him, thinking she would want the chance to explore unimpeded, but if that was her choice, he would not argue against it. He focused on eating the food before him, finidhing it in far less time than the mushroom.

Lastly, there was dessert. It was in the form of individual cups of carefully decorated rice pudding, a traditional dish here in their kingdom. Or as traditional as one could be in a fairly young kingdom. Rice did not grow in many places in this land, but where it did grow, it grew in abundance! Plus, it was easy to transport and import from other places, making it one of the most used and most versatile of the grains.

Dessert finished among quiet chatter, and Eleazar rose to go, pausing to pull back Malisia's chair if she wanted it.
 
Malisia seemed most delighted with the dessert, she was familiar with rice, but never encountered it in the form of pudding, it was wonderful and had a pleasant texture though simple, she'd found a preferred dessert.

With a satisfied sigh, she stood up aided by Eleazar and took his arm once again, though, much slower this time as she didn't want to startle him again.


Of course, she would eventually let go of him when they had to part ways, but for now, she tried her best to remain close, giving him a gentle pat on the arm as she was ready to head out, smilling softly even though she wasn't looking directly at him.
 
Eleazar accepted Malisia's hand on his arm, though he was starting to feel a bit like a walking stick. Was this normal for royals in other kingdoms? Or was this just a thing the princess did? He had no idea, and he doubted he'd find out. Despite their height differences, they walked together rather easily, and he led her back to their floor and their separate rooms.

He paused outside of her door and pulled out a pocket watch to check the time. "I will be ready to discuss things in one hour," he told her. "After that, unless it has grown too late, we can go see the garden. Dinner will be a much smaller affair and served in our rooms rather than the dining room." He paused and added, "Unless you prefer to eat there. The location can be changed easily."
 
Once she was ready, she released his arm, and stepped through the door, with a small bow of gratitude as she turned back to him.

She felt as if a stone fell down onto the pit of her stomach as they made eye contact after a long day of small talk without, any sort of direct view of each other since they had been looking at the halls, the different rooms, the gardens, and they were sit side by side, she had never really realized how difficult it was to look at someone in the eyes, no, this wasn't normal, what was it?

She was starting to grow... Attached? Gods protect her, how could she be attached?

"Thank you my lord... I will remain here and wait. About dinner- Perhaps, just for tonight I would prefer to be alone for dinner... Alone with you that is. If it's not too much trouble, of course."

She corrected herself, attempting to swallow saliva despite the knot she felt in her throat.


Malisia had time to be alone, although, she was already planning to ask her servants to help her pretty herself up for the night, she just felt the need to so, as if that would change anything.
 
Eleazar thought at first that she was asking to spend dinner by herself. He would not have blamed her if she did want to eat alone. It had been a trying few days for him, and he had not even had to move countries. Then she continued to say she wanted to eat alone with him. Was she overwhelmed by people but didn't want to be alone? Did she want to speak to him privately about something? Surely she couldn't just want to spend time alone with him. He was a cause for why her life had been uprooted in the first place, and, besides, they'd spent most of the day together. Whatever her reasons, he had no reason to deny her, so he nodded.

"Yes, that is fine. We can have dinner together," he agreed. He waited to make sure there was nothing else before turning toward his own room. "I will knock on your door in one hour."
 
She thanked him once more with another bow, though deeper this time as she watched him leave through the door.


Malisia had an odd sensation, as if she was unable to breathe. She took a few shallow breaths as she sat on her bed and pondered.

Was this really as difficult for everyone? She pushed those thoughts a side, gathered her things and began preparing, after all, she only had an hour to pick what she would wear for the evening.

She paced around for a long time, but finally made her choice, got dressed, and waited for Eleazar.

She looked out the window, breathing in and out conciously, trying to calm her nerves.

This could be her last chance to do click with him, she couldn't waste the opportunity.
 
For his part, the first thing Eleazar did when he arrived was to stretch out his wings and arms, twisting his torso and easing the tension in his joints. Despite his efforts to relax, he continued to remain tense and on guard when near Malisia. He did not trust her. Could not trust her. It was not that he expected her to jump up and stab him in the back at any moment, but he could not quite rule that out as a possibility, either. He needed time to get to know her and decide if she really was as meek and vulnerable as she acted or if it was a front. Lance had told him she'd been quite... "spunky" in front of her parents, but he hadn't seen much of that. Maybe it was nothing more than the fact that she now felt vulnerable. He did not know, but there would be plenty of time to learn about each other during their trip. Long road trips tended to bring out the worst in anyone.

Stretching done, he went to his bed - a much smaller bed than the one in Malisia's room - and drew the curtains closed to create a dark refuge. Then he slept. While Malisia paced and worried, he was dead to the world with barely a twitch for almost exactly one hour. His internal alarm woke him without fail, and he sat up groggily.

Then he rose, splashed a bit of water on his face. He took a moment to untangle the worst of the knots his hair had created around his horns and brushed himself off before going to Malisia's door. He knocked and waited.
 
Malisia stepped towards the door, and not a minute after he knocked, she opened the door with a slow almost anxious motion.

She had changed her attire again, already prepared for bed since it was that time of day. Regardless, she always kept a similar style through all her attires. the gown was made from soft, breathable linen in a rich, deep green, as simple yet elegant design, embroided with gold and earthy tones, and a neckline that dipped slightly lower than most would consider modest or proper.

The skirt flowed gracefully from the waist, falling in soft, natural folds to the floor, held in place by a simple braided leather belt, adding a touch of rustic charm without compromising comfort. Though it did have a subtle slit on one side, allowing for easier movement and a hint of leg when she walked. How scandalous, how could she?!

Shame on her and her deviant style.


Of course, she didn't find any sort of shame in dressing this way, showing her neck and shoulders wasn't particularly uncommon for Malisia, nor did she find it repulsive, after all, it was still a rather normal way of dressing in most parts, though to her very "proper" family, the fact that she wasn't dressed traditionally would've been a nightmare and a curse to their eyes.


Malisia dipped her head in a bow as she let Eleazar into the room.


"Welcome again, your highness."


She brushed a strand of her curly hair behind her ear, as she waited for Eleazar to pick a place to sit so she may sit with him.
 
Eleazar did not comment on her change in her attire, though he was confused by it. It looked like a nightgown to him, but it was still early in the afternoon, only being a little more than an hour past lunch, and she had mentioned wanting to go see the garden again. Perhaps she had taken a nap as well and, unlike him, had changed for it. Perhaps she would change back for the garden visit or had changed her mind. Either way, she could do as she pleased.

He stepped inside the doorway but no further. "We have some things we need to go through and look at," he said, skipping the greeting since it had only been an hour since they'd seen each other. "The gifts that were given need to be gone through and at least a few opened. There were many, so we can take a few with us to open as we travel. They are all in another room, if you will follow me?" He stepped back out into the hallway but waited for her to see what she would do.
 
Malisia's lips pressed together tightly as reality began to set in, she had not thought about the hour too much, nor did she ask her servants for help. The sun was still out, yet, the time that they spent apart had felt much, much longer than what it truly had been, and yet she just now realized she had miscalculated the time, she didn't acknowledge it out loud, but her embarassement was already showing through the blood flowing to her face and painting pink on the lighter spots of her skin.

She cleared her throat standing back up straight as the words of her handmaidens came back to her mind, she needed to stand up straight, she didn't want to be even more awkward than she'd already been.

With a quick nod she stepped out of the room and stood beside him, though this time she avoided taking his arm or hand, they weren't going that far and she had already invaded his space enough times today.


"Yes, of course- I had forgotten. Let's procced then."
 
Eleazar led the way to the room on the opposite side of his and opened the door. Brightly wrapped gifts filled the not-so-small room in organized stacks, creating a maze of short walls throughout. A few gifts weren't wrapped, but they were the large ones that were awkward or too big to wrapped.

"Here we are," he sighed, overwhelmed by the sight of it all. "I think we should start with the large things that we cannot take with us. Beyond that... where would you like to start?"
 
She placed her hands behind her back, looking around the gifts for a moment.

"Well, let's go in order of size then-" She said, almost as if repeating what he had said already, but then, she began to organize things one by one, separating anything beyond certain sizes in smaller piles, at least those she was able to move on her own or that she was able to notice given her poor vision.

Malisia was making mental notes on everything she was able to see, already guessing certain objects based on size or the sound of them as she gently placed them in different groups.


Once she was satisfied she stood beside Eleazar again.


"Now we can see all the bigger ones easier and have a proper method of checking each gift... And the servants will not struggle having to figure out what we will take and what we will not." She sighed in satisfaction to her work, and gently dragged the first of the larger wrapped gifts over to Eleazar without too much effort, placing her hands together as if letting him open them first since she had done the job organizing them.

Although she didn't really take longer than a few minutes doing so, did she need to do all that? No, but she wasn't exactly the definition of a sane person.
 
Eleazar watched Malisia work with mystification. He had no idea why she was doing what she was doing, and it seemed like a waste of time to him, but he was not going to get in her way. If this was how she wanted to approach it, so be it. He'd been lost already, so what was the harm in a bit more rearranging?

"Should we look at the unwrapped gifts as we go?" he asked uncertainly, reaching out to unwrap the gift she'd already designated. It looked like it was some sort of statue. He peeled a bit of the paper to show that it was, indeed, a statue of... a turtle holding the world on its back? He believed that was one of the religious orders, but not one he ascribed to. He glanced at Malisia to see what she thought of the statue. It was an excellent piece of work made of rare jewels and precious metal. A bit gaudy, but well made.
 
"Oh, I believe so, yes." She said, almost forgettiing the gifts that had no wrapping.

Her brow furrow for a moment as she looked at the statue, struggling to understand it at first, but she simply assumed it was abstract art.

Valeskiar had, many, many, many.... MANY religions within its lands, travelers gathered and shared their traditions, and sometimes it was hard to know what was traditional of ancient Valeskian folklore and what wasn't.


The only religion that most people kept sacred within the territory of Valeskiar were the Traditions of Shogko, a pantheon of many deities that were related to fertlity, the elements, death and so on. There was no official number of Valeskian gods, given the fact that the pantheon seemed to expand yearly.

"It's... Very pretty, It is a bit confusing but, it will make for a fine piece of decoration." She nodded, grateful regardless, after all, it was still indeed an impressive work.
 
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