A Secret Told [log]

[Aric Demarais]

[ALEXANDRIA] A couple of tedious days had gone by with being stuck in bed, barely able to move. She spent a lot of that time sleeping-- something she had not done for quite some time. But when she was awake, she felt she would go insane. It was not often that Alexandria stayed still for so long.
So when she was finally able to sit herself up, she felt hopeful that the healing would be quick. Whenever the servants or healers weren't around and she was alone, she would push herself. And at this moment, she had her legs over the edge of the bed and her feet on the floor, trying hard to breathe her way through the pain so she could try to stand.


[ARIC] Although he wanted to check in on her every waking moment, he tried not to, only stopping in occasionally in hopes that she would still be resting and heeding the healer's advice. He tried to handle everything else, as far as the Aralorens would allow. Prince or not, he wasn't married to Alexandria yet, so he did not want to overstep his luck. It was only a couple of days since the attack, and this morning one of the men had come to him with a gruesome discovery. Just outside the eastside of the castle, a pile of men had been found. And not just any men, but the Tresterian guards, stripped of their armor and weapons. It proved Edward was innocent, to an extent, but Aric wasn't about to tell him any of this. Instead, he thought he should bring it to the queen's attention first and foremost.
Rapping gently upon her door, he waited a few seconds before opening it...only to rush in at seeing Alexandria wincing in pain. "Are you alright?" he asked. He was eying her side to make sure there was no blood from her possibly breaking more stitches.


[ALEXANDRIA] She was startled by the knock on the door, only because she feared the healer and what he would say of he found her like this. So when the door opened she held her breath, releasing only when she saw it was Aric and then he was rushing to her. She held her hand up as if not to touch or help her just yet, her other hand was braced on her side where her wound was. She took a deep breath and nodded, then. "I'm fine..." She lowered her hand and held into the edge of her bed, and she tried to stand but winced in pain, suddenly becoming annoyed with herself. She wanted to cry, but she held it in, not wanting to appear weak in front of Aric. So instead, out of her frustration, she threw a pillow to the floor, releasing an aggravated sigh. "I cannot stay in this damn bed any longer!" She finally cried out, looking to Aric, then. It was evident the queen was going stir crazy with being cooped up and trapped in bed.


[ALEXANDRIA] Everyone was telling her to stay still, don't push it, don't rush things, rest... She was growing tired of it, but knew that she needed to heed their words of advice. So when Aric said that very thing she had heard over and over the last couple of days, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Though when Aric grabbed hold of her arms and instructed her to hold onto him, she offered an appreciative smile. Her cold fingers wrapped around Aric's forearms, holding tightly as she used him to lean on, slowly standing from the bed, wincing in pain, but forcing herself to power through it. When she stood, she leaned against him, resting her head against his chest as she caught her breath. Alexandria had to hope Aric wouldn't mind her appearance right now. She was still only clothed in a nightgown, and her hair was a bit unruly from laying down. Though, for once, she looked well rested, behind the pain that displayed on her features.
She lifted her head again, to look at him. "Thank you..."


[ARIC] Sitting still, especially when so many things needed to be tended to, was never an easy thing to do. He knew this, and wanted to help her...but he would also be the first to tell her to slow down if he felt like she was doing more harm to herself than good. Funny how this thought was coming to a man who survived a shipwreck, had stitches from being impaled, and constantly tore them open.
But that didn't bear repeating.
"Doesn't hurt to ask for some help," he said gently, allowing her to lean against him for however long she needed. They were emotionally closer than ever before, and yet, he still felt like he was tiptoeing around things. The idea wasn't entirely a bad thing, just...strange. A wonderful sort of strange, even. "I'm glad you've been able to sleep." Yes, he had noticed. Alexandria had been somewhat forced to rest (considering she couldn't really move around a whole lot), but it had done her some good.


[ALEXANDRIA] She had a hard time asking others for help, especially being a woman ruler that others were often doubting. She kept her body close to his, leaning on him so she did not put too much weight on the side her wound was on. She secretly enjoyed the warmth of his body against hers, as she felt frozen, so she remained in his arms for perhaps longer than she typically would. Alexandria had new sort of feelings for him, maybe because she had admitted them to him and he seemed ok with them. But still, she couldn't help but feel that they needed to hide their feelings, maybe from others. For now. Or maybe she was still feeling worried and scared of whatever this was between them.
She nodded, looking back at him, then, laughing slightly. "It's the only thing I have been able to do..." Alexandria reached up, fixing his shirt, even though it didn't really need to be fixed. She let her fingers linger on his chest, as she stared at the wrinkles in his shirt, silently thinking to herself. Finally, after a long moment of awkward silence, she looked back at him. "How are you doing?"


[ARIC] It was not hard to feel how cold she was, and being immobile probably didn't help. He carefully and casually ran a hand up and down her back as though trying to rub some warmth into her skin. Leaning his head down, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.
He grinned at her words. "That's a good thing, because if you're anything like me, you would've tore open those stitches again." He quietly watched her face as she idly tried to smooth out his shirt, making that smile reach his eyes. It would seem that Aric didn't mind the strange silence at all. His expression did falter a bit, however, at her question. "Confused. Worried." Weren't they all? "Your guards...they found the bodies of the Tresterians just outside the castle, their clothing and armor stripped of them." He looked concerned and somehow relieved at the same time. "It may mean...that Edward had nothing to do with the attack. Just means we don't know who was."


[ALEXANDRIA] She was appreciative for Aric and that he was taking care of things for her in her absence. Her servants and whomever came to see her, commented on him and how much he seemed to care for her kingdom. It made her further trust that Aric had not intentionally meant to give up her kingdom to Edward, and that he did not have ill intentions. She smiled at his kiss to her head, and let out a small laugh. "You were more stubborn than I am, which I did not think was possible for anyone to be more stubborn than I." She continued to play with the folds of his shirt, until he admitted his feelings and the Tresterian guards. She instantly frowned, her own expression filling with confusion, now. "Was anything else left behind? Perhaps the clothing that they changed out of to put the Tresterian armor on?" She silently hoped so. If she looked at them, maybe she could figure it out. But there was something in the pit of her stomach that she suspected and she really hoped it was not the case. She sighed, now looking worried herself. "So we are holding Edward for nothing, then? Which will only fuel his anger and unwillingness to help us...?" Her mind wandered back to the evening of the attack and she nodded. "I had a feeling he had nothing to do with it... He seemed just as surprised when the guards began attacking and they were not following his orders. And why would they attack him, too? Why would he risk bringing his family here with him, if his plan was to attack?"


[ARIC] The last thing he wanted was to step on anyone's toes. Were someone to try and step up and handle things, Aric would carefully back down. This wasn't his kingdom; he wasn't a fool...and he wasn't his brother. In the meantime, if he could help, he would, so were he to hear that he didn't seem to be hated by all, it would have made this job a lot less stressful. Even Cassandra had taken initiative straight after the attack...and that certainly wasn't like her. Aric had expected his cousin to scream and freak out, and although she had been clearly shaken, she didn't rush off to her room and demand to be doted upon. Who was this Duchess and what did they do with his cousin?
He chuckled, "Unfortunately, you really don't know the half of it." There had been a time when he expressed she didn't understand fully how he could be a miserable man. Stubbornness went along with that. Still, despite everything that was shrouding them, he appeared...happy. Or at the very least, content.
When her expression changed back to the dark matters at hand, his own face sobered up. "They are still searching. It was likely the Tresterians were killed and then dragged to the outside. I've...been working with others to help identify them. They need to be sent home to their families..." They were his kin, slaughtered like they were nothing. And Edward should be doing this, however, he wasn't so keen on telling his brother that he was proven innocent. As cruel as that may be. It was buying them some time.
"Edward is, simply put, an angry man. Nothing will change that. He wants what he wants, and sometimes there's no stopping them..." He removed one of his hands from the queen's back so that he could cup the side of her face, to get her to look at him. "I will fix this. I...don't know how yet, but I will. Even if it's to manage getting him to agree to the original terms somehow. If you can still bear to marry a grumpy, stubborn Tresterian prince." Funny how neither of those words described him currently, with that small smile on his face again.


[ALEXANDRIA] Aric really did not know the half of how Alexandria could be, either. But she did not repeat that. She had dealt with a lot of different people, and even if Aric was this horrible man he described himself as, she knew she would be able to handle it. Even if that meant giving him tough love. Alexandria seemed sweet and fragile, but she could be horrid if provoked.
She instantly nodded in agreement at Aric's mention of needing to send the fallen men home to Tresteria. "Of course, we can arrange that."
Her eyes found his when he urged her to look at him. She had a serious expression as she listened to him, studying his features as he assured her he would fix this. But at his last comment, she couldn't help but smile and let out a small laugh. "Only if you can still bear to marry a woman ruler whom is incapable and weak, and not good enough for you, supposedly.. And perhaps just as stubborn..." She remembered Edward's words at the banquet as he tried to cut her down, in front of everyone. He barely knew her, but assumed such horrible things about her. She tried to not let it bother her, but they were hurtful words.


[ARIC] Neither knew everything about each other, but they had come a long way since his arrival in Aralore. It was progress, and good progress. He admitted before that he didn't expect anything out of this alliance, that he would have just been there to seal an alliance and nothing more. And yet, he fortunately found more, and he was glad for it.
The smile on his face filtered away at her words, and he was shaking his head even before she could finish. "Do not heed his words, Alexandria. You know better than that. You know you are quite capable and strong... because you would not be standing here now were it otherwise." He sighed. Aric was never not going to be aggravated with his brother, was he? "And if I couldn't bear this," he added, looking back down to her after a moment of contemplation. "I would have let Edward break the deal...and now he knows how I feel, despite my attempts to avoid telling him. I'm afraid it will give him more leverage." That was a sad thought, but a truthful one.


[ALEXANDRIA] She never would have imagined the two of them getting close. At least not before their marriage. But they had, and now she honestly wasn't too sure what to do with this. With her feelings--whatever they were. Her eyes found his again as he spoke. Slowly she stood up straight, finally putting more of her weight on her own feet, but never letting go, as she used him for her balance. She took his hand into her own, intertwining her fingers with his. "What do you mean?" She was not aware of Aric's visit to his brother, nor their conversation. "How does he know how you feel?" She wasn't exactly sure how he felt, either. He hadn't told her, exactly, other than through his kiss. "He seems quite oblivious to other's feelings--I am sure he has no idea. But how would he use it as leverage?"


[ARIC] When she took his hand, his attention dropped to that instead of her face as she questioned him. All of this was strange and awkward, but not entirely in a bad way. It just didn't feel like the time to be speaking of feelings and a possible future when that very future was a huge question mark. "He suspects," he answered her. "He normally couldn't care less about others' feelings, but this affects what he wants." Aric held back a sigh. "If he knows...how much I care for you, Alexandria, he will use it to manipulate me. I don't know how or how far he would go, but he would know that I'd do anything to keep you." It was a scary thought, and a scary one to admit. He had told her that he loved her while he fretted over her health, but she had been losing so much blood, struggling to stay awake...Aric wasn't sure if she even recalled that moment. Now, it felt foolish to mention it seemingly out of the blue.


[ALEXANDRIA] Unfortunately, Alexandria did not remember much after Aric had attacked the man and killed him for her. Everything following that was a blur. Her vision and hearing had tunneled on her, making everything so distorted. And after that, everything seemed, or perhaps was, a dream.
She squeezed his hand gently as he spoke, admitting that he would do anything to keep her, which caused her to smile. The queen brought his hand up to her lips, holding it there for a long moment before letting their clasped hands fall, never letting go. She sighed and looked back into his eyes again. "Well," she started, pausing for a moment as she contemplated her words. "Then we will do everything in our power to prevent him from separating us..." He words seemed strange to her, as if she hadn't expected to say them. Something in her stomach fluttered and she felt her cheeks blush.


[ARIC] With everything weighing heavily upon both their shoulders, surrounding them in constant questions and unsureness...perhaps he didn't need to feel unsure about the queen herself. At her words, he was offering that gentle grin; dark eyes remaining focused upon her lovely although tired face. He would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe, as well as Aralore. This kingdom was her heart and soul, and he be damned to let it fall into the hands of a tyrant, into the hands of someone who did not understand her or her gracious queen. There was so much they would have to discuss and worry about, but he was afraid to bring them up now. She still needed to rest.
Hesitating, and shoving all of these dark thoughts to the back of his mind, his free hand reached up to take hold of her chin, urging her face up. And he kissed her. It was soft and brief, not like their first which was heavier and deeper and desperate to express everything lest they were too late. This was tender and chaste, and he rested his forehead against hers when it ended. "I shouldn't keep you," he said, knowing she might very well protest. "You need to rest more."


[ALEXANDRIA] Her eyelids fluttered shut as Aric kissed her, kissing him back, of course. This time that desperation gone, but his lips still made her cheeks flush and her breath escape her. She smiled as their lips parted, but it was soon to fade when Aric spoke. "I've rested enough. There is so much I need to do... I can't go back in that bed right now." She would protest, as she was starting to become very restless now. She had laid and slept in that bed for several days now.
She pulled away from him, though never let go of his hand. And just to prove she was fine, she started to force herself to walk away from her bed.


[ARIC] And there it was, her refusal to rest. Wouldn't he have done the same? Hadn't he already done the same? When Cassandra was taken, Aric had been ready to jump straight onto the next ship to help the search, despite a shipwreck being the very reason he nearly died to begin with. He'd torn his stitches again that day, riding madly to the shore. Even still, she had to heed the healer's words if she ever expected to get better.
He actually chuckled when she began to walk away, in the opposite direction of the bed. And since she still held onto his hand, he clutched hers a little bit tighter, refusing to let her go too far. "Alexandria..." he tried to console while attempting not to laugh again. "If you will not lay down, then will you sit at least? You can't push it- believe me, I do know how you feel."


[ALEXANDRIA] Yes, Aric was being quite hypocritical now, since she had been thenine begging him to rest when he was injured. Now the tables had turned. She turned her head to look back at him when he refused to let her go. She, however, couldn't help but laugh, holding her side to try to avoid the pain from her laughter. "Hmmm... I seem to remember this exact conversation a little over a month ago?" She poked at him.
Heeding his wishes, however, Alexandria slowly moved to her table and lowered herself down into a chair. She looked at him and gave him a questioning look. "Do you need to leave? Every time you kiss me, it seems you are trying to dismiss yourself by telling me I should rest..." She laughed again, wincing slightly, her expression then becoming a little more serious. "Do you feel strange...or awkward now that you know my feelings for you? Perhaps I should have kept them to myself?" She frowned and finally looked away from him and down at her fingers she fumbled with.


[ARIC] "Yes, I remember the exact same conversation, and you saw how long it took me to heal." Heed your own words, Majesty he nearly said. Aric simply grinned instead to further get his point across. When she finally relented, he was quickly pulling out one of the chairs for her to sit, offering a further hand if she needed it. At her questioning, however, the smile slowly dissipated the more serious she got about the matter. It still made him feel like he had done something wrong to warrant her confusion, but he didn't say so.
"Do you?" he flat out turned it around on her, brow lifting in question. "Feel strange or awkward?" Aric had been rounding to the other side of the table, pulling out the other chair, but stopped himself. Dark eyes were staring at the pattern in the wood's grain. "I tell you to rest because you need to. You need to get better because there are many matters that are awaiting your insight and rule. But, I do feel strange," he added that last part after a moment, his attention drifting back down to her. "After...so much time locking myself away, wallowing in self pity...I didn't think I could care about someone else like this." It was also strange for him to be so open and honest like this. He was trying, at least.


[ALEXANDRIA] Her eyes watched him as he moved to the other side of the table and turned her question around on her. She contemplated her own answer, because she honestly wasn't sure how she felt. But before she could answer, he was explaining his feelings. She listened intently and frowned slightly. "I completely understand, Aric..." She, too, had nearly done the same, but perhaps hadn't been allowed to fully mourn her loss, as she was expected to move on like nothing had happened and continue to rule. "I do feel a bit strange, too." Alexandria signed, "I wasn't allowed much time to mourn, and I fell into this arrangement expecting nothing-- maybe even using it as an excuse to never allow myself to love again... It was just an obligation, it was my duty to protect my kingdom and do what was best for it..." She finally looked back at him and shrugged her shoulders. "But I don't know what happened, or how... But you've somehow figured out how to get through to me..." She smiled slightly. "I'm a little afraid, too... That it's wrong, somehow? I don't know what I am supposed to feel... not feel, anymore... Should we be hiding this? We are to be married.... What difference does it all make, anyway?" She was rambling now, and so she fell silent, glancing back down at her hands.


[ARIC] It would appear that he had had a bit more time to cope with the loss of his wife and child far longer than she had to mourn her betrothed. Perhaps it shouldn't have bothered him, but it did...perhaps because it made him feel so out of place. Like he was in the wrong when he really wasn't. It wasn't anyone's fault. Yet now that his feelings were on his sleeve, even if Alexandria didn't recall everything he had admitted, he couldn't (and didn't want to) take them back.
The more she said, the worse he felt. It was like that walking on eggshells feeling when he knew he shouldn't. And yet, it simply couldn't be helped. Her sudden small smile helped him feel better, but only by a little. "Why would it be wrong?" Aric found himself asking without thinking about it first; he was desperate to know now. Why was this beginning to feel like another step back?


[ALEXANDRIA] She glanced back up to Aric and frowned slightly. She wasn't sure if she knew how to explain what she meant. But she would try. "I.... I'm not sure." She hesitated slightly. "Maybe because I did not expect this... Because every time I fall in love, something bad happens.... My heart gets broken. So I am afraid of that." She sighed softly, placing her face into her hands for a moment. "It's why I tried to fight it so badly... But now..." She looked back at him, her eyes searching him. "But now, I don't want to fight it anymore. I care deeply for you, and I cannot imagine life without you, nor do I want to..." She frowned. Her voice escaping her now with just a broken whisper. "Please don't leave me... I cannot survive another heart break..." She felt almost desperate as she spoke those words. Maybe even pathetic. Alexandria couldn't explain how this had happened between them, and why she felt this strong pull towards him.


[ARIC] As she covered her face, it took everything within him not to move forward and removed her hands from shielding it. But he wanted her to continued, wanted her to explain and make him feel like he wasn't alone. Like he wasn't insane or wrong. And yet, she was saying all the right things to make him not want to be so conflicted.
'I cannot imagine life without you, nor do I want to...' It gave him pause, made that smile begin to creep its way back onto his face until it halted. Her worry seemed to go deeper and he almost didn't hear that desperate whisper. Then he was falling to a knee in front of her, taking her hands so that she couldn't shield herself with them anymore. "I won't," he promised. Aric had every opportunity to and didn't take it, because he didn't want to. "I will not leave unless you want me to." Pressing a kiss to her knuckles, he sighed. "This is why you must rest, get better so that we may deal with Edward. I do not trust myself to do it alone. I can't." He may very well may matters worse and botch it up. But they had something to hold over his head now, albeit a lie. It was all they had to work with.


[ALEXANDRIA] Her sapphire eyes lifted to look back into his as he knelt in front of her. "I don't want you to leave." She responded to him simply, and then watched as he placed the kiss upon her knuckles. Her fingers squeezed his hand and she smiled as he brought up her needing to rest. Again. "I am resting." She hadn't moved from her seat, despite the fact that she wanted so badly to slide off of it and crawl into his arms as he knelt in front of her. "And I won't make you deal with Edward alone. This is now our battle. We will work through it together..." A soft sigh escaped her and she offered him a reassuring smile. "Please do not feel strange around me... We are in this together now."


[ARIC] He would have gathered her up into his arms already were it not for that wound at her side. There was a faint smile when she said she was, in fact, resting, and he nodded. Not entirely what he meant, but it was still truth, and he didn't argue it. Dark eyes remained upon her and he would soon shake his head. "I don't feel strange around you. I've just forgotten...how to be, is all. I've said it before, and I'll say it again..." He rose up just enough so that he could be eye level with her; a smirk curling his lips as he dared to linger close. "You've given me a reason to be a better man. A reason to live." Perhaps it was sad to say such things, that he felt he had little will to live before...but there was no use in denying it. Aric had been a miserable human being, and was maybe only well on his way to doing better. Aralore and her queen gave him a purpose he didn't realize he needed so badly.


[ALEXANDRIA] Her eyes searched his as he crouched in front of her, closely. She smiled softly as he admitted again that she had given him a reason to live. In all honesty, Aric had made her feel more alive, herself. He made her feel things she never imagined she would again. He gave her hope, more than anything. A hope she thought she had lost with the war.
With him being so close to her, she reached her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers weaving into his hair as she pulled him closer. This time, it was her turn to initiate a kiss. She leaned into him, pressing her lips gently to his in a kiss that wasn't as desperate as the first, but a bit more passionate than the last. Perhaps the kiss alone, would help him realize how much he meant to her, then.
Reluctantly, Alex pulled away, though she rested her forehead against his, her lips still lingering dangerously close to his. "You've given me reason to not give up..." Her thumb brushed along his jawline as she held his face closer to hers, not willing to let him go just yet. "To feel again..." She placed a couple more quick kisses to his lips again, before she pressed into him, continuing that first kiss she had started.


[ARIC] Alexandria gave him reason to smile again. To see her bleeding out on that floor, so close to slipping away into the darkness, he didn't think he would have been able to recover if something had happened to her. It was barely a year since they had first met, but he realized now that it wasn't wrong or strange to feel this connection again with someone. It was a feeling and adoration he needed to heal his once aching and cracked heart. Alexandria wasn't a replacement for the wife he had lost, but simply a new chapter in his life. Because that's what he had to do- he had to live.
Aric was about to draw back when that slender hand wrapped around his neck to pull him down. He hovered over her, hands supporting him upon the armrests of her chair while their lips met in a kiss he hadn't instigated this time. It was a purely new sensation now, to feel the emotions in such a simple form of affection, to be told everything without her needing to utter a single word. It was everything he couldn't say; speaking of such things felt so foreign to him now, despite how he was trying. Heavy-lidded eyes studied her face when she drew back briefly, feeling her soft skin against his face, and he was grinning when she was kissing him once more. Carefully and yet urgently, he pulled her up from her seat so that he could stand up straight, gently holding her against him. Fingers filtered through those black locks of hair, cradling the back of her head in the palm of his hand as his mouth slanted against her own. This certainly wasn't letting her rest, but he was happily ignoring his own words at the moment.


[ALEXANDRIA] It was a new chapter in both of their lives--their stories weaving together at last. And as Cassandra suggested that they could live their lives afraid together, it hadn't made much sense to her, until this very moment. Her fear was slowly dissipating the more she was around Aric; The more he assured her that everything would be alright. She wanted, with everything in her heart, to trust in him.
She carefully stood with his help, leaning against him, her arms wrapping around him, holding onto him tightly, not willing to let go of him just yet. Her own mouth remained against his, allowing her kiss to deepen slightly as her lips parted so her tongue could lightly tease at his lips. She ignored whatever pain drifted through her torso, as their kiss seemed to mask it, leaving her with many different sensations and emotions she could not describe.


[ARIC] All he needed now was for her to completely trust him, and he'd do whatever it took to make that happen. Even if it meant turning against his own brother. Alexandria was strong, she had people with strong shoulders helping to keep her upright as best they could, and he wanted to be one of them. He wanted to be the foundation in which she could build her life, thus a better life for Aralore. Aric could say that a reason for him wanting to stay was helping Aralore...but it wasn't entirely the truth anymore. Selfishly, it was Alexandria. The world around them could crumble, and he wouldn't care so long as she was still standing tall beside him.
The sensation of her tongue did a lot to him, impulses and reactions beginning to spiral out of control, and it took every ounce of his will not to hold her even closer; his mind still wary of that injury...an injury he was silently cursing out. To stop himself, his other hand drifted from her back to cup her jaw; the other still entangled in her dark hair as the kiss deepened. He claimed her lips with some new, fervent need, an expression he had been too afraid to share until now.


[ALEXANDRIA] Despite everything: her stress, the kingdom and all that was left to restore still, the trouble Edward had caused, her wound, none of it bothered her as they were lost together in this long overdue kiss. She forgot everything in that moment, and all she could focus on was the way his lips felt against hers, how his hands touched her, and made her heart beat faster in her chest, and the warmth and comfort of his body so close to hers.
As that kiss deepened even more, the heat rose into her cheeks and she found herself clinging to him, her fingers pressing into his shoulders, before one hand moved to his chest, grasping onto the fabric of his shirt. She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this, and she didn't want it to stop. But the longer the kiss lingered, the more she forgot about her wound, so in the heat of things, when she moved to press herself against him even closer, that shock of pain forced her to break their kiss, a moan of both pain and pleasure escaped her lips as she fell against him, out of breath. She rested her head on his chest as she caught her breath from their kiss and the shock of pain that ran through her. Her fingers still clutched the fabric of his shirt at his chest and she stayed, leaning against him, afraid to open her eyes to allow everything back in. The room was spinning and her heart continued to race, but when she was able to, she slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes to find his face. "Aric...." She breathed his name with such affection, not knowing what else to say in that moment.


[ARIC] So much was waiting before them, threatening to hold them back, threatening to make every day more of a challenge. But he didn't care. He couldn't care. All he had done was stress about his future until he simply didn't care what happened to him. Suddenly, an arranged marriage he done everything in his power to stop, turned out to be his saving grace. This beautiful woman stopped every ill thought and made him realize the dark stubbornness of his ways.
His hand unfurled from her hair to slowly travel down her back, then lower even still. As though it had a mind of its own, it found her hip of her uninjured side and kneaded the pliant flesh beneath her nightdress. His heart was beating uncontrollably, pounding against his chest. She would feel it after she broke their kiss, leaving him breathless while she leaned against him. Speaking his name, he found that he could not speak. All he could do was look down at her in adoration, in desire, in loving affection while he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. After a lingering moment of silence, he smirked in wry amusement, "This...is not resting, Your Majesty."


[ALEXANDRIA] Damn her wound. If it wasn't holding her back, where would things have led to in this moment? She honestly wasn't sure, but the thought of it, made her blush even more. She stared into his eyes, still feeling breathless, even now in just the way he was looking at her. She reached for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his, a laugh escaping her at his comment, causing her to shake her head. "Perhaps not...But it is helping me to forget everything else..." She smiled slightly and then rested her head back on his chest. She could feel and hear it still pounding in his chest, which made her smile. At least she was not the only one feeling this way.
Alexandria remained there for a moment, thinking quietly to herself. All the thoughts he had managed to make her forget during that kiss, were suddenly coming swarming back to her. She sighed quietly and slowly lifted her head up so she could look at him again. Not really knowing what to say, she said the first thing that came to mind, "will we ever be able to get things done anymore while in each other's presence?"


[ARIC] That wound at her side was currently the only thing keeping him mostly gentlemanly. Perhaps he may not have tried anything further...but the way she had clung to him, refusing to let him go, it would have been difficult to refrain. Even now, in the silence of her chambers, he was fighting with himself. Maybe it was wrong of him to have any kind of carnal thoughts, but he was only human. She may have been suddenly remembering all the drama she would soon have to walk into
Running a hand through his hair, trying to do anything to distract himself, those dark eyes dropped to their entwined fingers briefly as she spoke. And that wry grin curled his lips once more. He lingered close, nuzzling the side of her face as his words were a low whisper in her ear, "We will." A brief pause. "Just might take far longer." Aric appeared amused by that, chuckling quietly before planting a kiss to her cheek. Then, he drew back so that he could try and usher her back to her seat...and to hopefully help keep his hands to himself.


[ALEXANDRIA] Well, this was just torture--the way he stood so close to her, his scent lingering about and the way his whisper breathed down her neck, causing her to shiver. She grinned at his comment, her cheeks still burning, perhaps even more after he kissed it. Sapphire eyes watched him as he drew away and she nearly sighed in relief as she slowly sat back down and she was out of his grasp. But that warmth was soon to fade away without him so close anymore.
She sat quietly, unsure, again, of what to say. Her thoughts and emotions were a whirlwind of a mess and excitement.
She lightly cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure and she needed to find something to distract herself from him and how badly she wanted to go back into his embrace, and continue that kiss.
She sighed softly before speaking, bringing up business once again, which was always a good distraction to ruin the moment, "I suppose we need to figure out what to do about your brother..." Yep, definitely a mood kill.


[ARIC] Mood kill, indeed, but it was a necessary one. For many reasons, that is. Aric, too, was thankful for that space between them finally, only because keeping his composure and control might prove to be more difficult if that closeness continued. Not to mention, there were far more pressing matters at hand that they needed to be dealt with. Alexandria didn't wish to rest, so perhaps this was the best time to discuss such matters.
As much as he really didn't wish to.
Aric took the seat across from her, the table now between them, and sighed lightly. Yes, his brother. "We can prove that Tresteria, thus Edward, had nothing to do with the attack...but he doesn't necessarily know this. Last I saw him, he was told that his head might be wanted mounted onto a pike." It was a cruel thing to say, but Aric was neither smiling nor remorseful about it. He could not blame the Aralorens if they desired the king's head, believing he had threatened their queen.


[ALEXANDRIA] She watched as Aric moved to sit across from her, the table now a barrier between them. But it could not prevent her eyes from admiring him still. She almost regretted bringing up his brother and destroying their moment, but they both needed the distraction now, or things may have happened--putting her at risk of injuring herself further. Though she could not get that kiss out of her head, and it was making it hard for her to concentrate. So much, so, that she barely heard what he had said.
His voice caused her to blink herself out of her thoughts and she tried to focus on him in a more serious way. He had taken her bate in her killing the moment, and he only aided in doing so. Her lips falling into a frown at the mention of his brother's head being wanted mounted onto a pike. Alexandria's brows furrowed, only angrily and confused. "Who would tell him something like this?" She did not like that her people would be so quick to judge, though she didn't fully blame them, either. He did after all, questioned her on who would rule her kingdom should she die. And what a coincidence it was that directly after her answer, they were attacked--as if he were waiting to hear her give her kingdom up to Aric, before he'd strike to get her out of the way all together.
She sighed at the memory of everything and shook her head. "He does not know that we found out they were not Tresterian guards?" Her head was starting to turn with some ideas, but she needed some more information. She needed to make sure that it really had nothing to do with Edward or Tresteria before she acted. "And we need to figure out who those men were."


[ARIC] The pounding of his heart was beginning to slow down, but the anger he held for the mere thought of Edward was forcing his lips into a firm frown. It certainly looked bad from anyone's perspective on the outside. The king of Tresteria forcing an arranged marriage for this alliance, then making comments about the queen's death just before an attack? Servants talk, and there was no doubt in his mind that news of it had spread like wildfire. Not many people knew that the Tresterian guards had been found dead outside the castle walls.
At her displeasure, his dark eyes lifted up to her face and drawing him from his thoughts. Aric sighed. "I did," he told her. "It may or may not be true...but it's a possibility that he needs to understand. You are their queen, Alexandria. Even if they aren't furious enough to storm his chamber doors, he should be fearing it anyway." Shaking his head, he leaned back in his seat while fingers massaged his temples. His headache from lack of sleep and the stress of everything was finally returning. "He does not know yet."


[ALEXANDRIA] Her eyebrows furrowed as he admitted to her that he had been the one to tell Edward his head was wanted on a pike. She wasn't sure if she should laugh then, or remain upset that the King's life was threatened without her knowing. She carefully leaned forward before she spoke, "you threatened your own brother's life?" Her lips pulled into another frown and she tucked strands of hair behind her ear, eyes studying Aric again. It was strange to her that one minute Aric was throwing her kingdom to Edward's feet, and the next threatening his life? She wasn't sure what to make of it all.
A sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes, bringing her hands up to briefly cover her face as she thought. How was she going to resolve all of this and get things back as they should be?
Edward did not know that the Trestarian guards had been found dead, so for now, until they figured things out, they could let him think that they still blamed him. As long as the rumors didn't spread around and get to him.
She lowered her hands and looked back at Aric. "I need to write some things down. Can you go into my desk and get me some ink and paper?"


[ARIC] He had been clearly frustrated with himself after he left Edward that day, but his brother had this knack for getting under his skin. It was wrong of him to speak such things, but he wasn't in the right mind to stop himself. A hand was running through his hair again as he sighed. "I know, I know," he murmured, hearing the frown in her tone without needing to look at her. "I wasn't in my right mind. He just-" A wave of his hand he dismissed that topic since it would be nothing but him complaining about Edward's lack of compassion. Something they all knew already. "It isn't true...as far as I know." He knew Cassandra had done her best to contain the horrid ordeal within the castle as much as she could, along with whomever else...so hopefully, not many others outside the castle knew exactly what had happened.
Aric nodded at her request and rose up from his seat to retrieve the items from her desk. Grabbing the quill and ink, he was opening one of the drawers in search of parchment. When he was pulling out the stack, something else came with it and clattered to the floor at his feet. "What's this?" he inquired idly as he bent down to retrieve it.


[ALEXANDRIA] She understood Aric, without him needing to explain to her. She could sense how Edward was and how he really got under his skin. She saw it at the banquet. She simply nodded in response, relieved to hear that it perhaps wasn't as bad as she was imagining. She hoped, at least.
As Aric walked over to her desk, she watched him, in case he needed her to tell him where something was in the desk, but he seemed to manage to find what was needed. But when that tiny glass vial hit the floor, she instantly knew what it was before he even questioned it. Eyes widened and without even thinking about it, Alexandria was quickly on her feet. "NO! Don't touch--" But with her quick movements, that pain in her side got the best of her, causing her to collapse to the floor in pain.


[ARIC] Immediately pausing from her sudden outburst, his fingers mere inches from the strange, little vial, he was dropping both paper and ink to the stone ground where the blackness seeped out in a puddle. Aric was already rushing to her side, overly concerned at her reaction to whatever was inside that trinket. It had been enough to spur her to her feet without wariness over her wound. He couldn't find the words to question what had just happened, his eyes immediately going to her side. Only half relieved that he currently saw no blood staining her nightdress, he was drawing her up into his arms to carry her over to her bed and lay her down. "Are you alright?" he finally said. "What is it? What were you thinking?" He glanced over his shoulder and down at the vial that was still there; the black ink still pooling out of its bottle. Cursing beneath his breath, he went over to try and clean it up.


[ALEXANDRIA] She had forgotten that vial was in her desk, but what she didn't understand, was why it was so easily able to fall out of the desk. She had tucked it away safely so it would not look suspicious, but also so it would never fall out. This only meant one thing--someone had gone digging through her desk before.
Had it been the men who posed as Tresteria guards? Were they looking for something?
She was holding onto her side, groaning in pain as Aric lifted her and placed her back in bed, where she had been fighting to avoid all morning. She simply nodded in response, "I'm fine... I wasn't thinking..." She watched as he went to clean up the ink, her eyes falling over to where the vial laid, a strange bright blue liquid inside of it. For now, she didn't answer Aric's question about what it was. She couldn't even fathom trying to explain it to him, so she tried in the moment of silence, to think of something...an excuse of sorts.


[ARIC] There was little he could do. Unfortunately, he would need to get a servant in here to mop it up, but it was the last thing on his mind. Because, in that moment, he was turning to that vial to pick it up between his fingers. Whatever it was had sent the queen into a complete panic, so of course he wasn't going to ignore it. He turned around, holding it up for her to see; the liquid inside so strange to him. "What is this?" he asked her again.


[ALEXANDRIA] After she was able to catch her breath and ease herself from her pain, she carefully sat herself back up, but remained on her bed. She watched as Aric picked that vial up and she shook her head. Still, she hadn't thought of anything to say about it, so even still, she tried to dodge his question. "I think someone broke into my room during the banquet...and went through my desk..." She suddenly thought of something, and the color from her face nearly drained as panic rose in her eyes. "I think I might have an idea of who the attackers were..." But she wasn't certain. It didn't make any sense--Lord Aramis was dead, and they had won the war against them, what reason would they have had for coming back? Other than to find the reason for the vial.


[ARIC] Alexandria was dodging the question. It wasn't difficult to see, and it both worried and bothered him because she was holding something back. If she was holding something back...it meant that she didn't completely trust him. However, palming that vial, she'd get a few more moments to come up with some sort of excuse while he latched on to the next thing she said. His brow furrowed and his jaw tensed. "Who?" he asked simply.


[ALEXANDRIA] Even Aric's next question was something she didn't even know how to begin to answer him, because she wasn't sure if he knew the whole story or the extent of why there was a war to begin with. It was a lot to tell, and though he deserved to know it all if he was to marry her and become Aralore's king, she feared it might either chase him away, or if she could truly trust him with the knowledge of what was inside that vial.
She sighed and shook her head. "I'm not certain... But I think it may have been people from Saelis... The ones who started war with us..." She hesitated, unsure of if she should continue or just leave her guess up in the air like that.


[ARIC] He watched her in silence, unable to get rid of that nagging feeling that she wasn't saying something or she was stalling. Her answers were so vague that he shouldn't have bothered asking in the first place. Slowly approaching her bedside, he didn't like the fact that she thought it might have been Saelis that attacked. Aric had known enough about the war, but they were only the necessary details to make him understand why an alliance was necessary. Alexandria hadn't spoken much of it otherwise. "What makes you think that? Would they have a reason to initiate another war?" What concerned him even more was how they had gotten into the castle so easily.


[ALEXANDRIA] Her stomach was in knots, and she felt sick as she tried to put the pieces together. Surely, some of the army had escaped and gotten away, perhaps informed everyone that Lord Aramis was dead. She tried to think of who would be next in line and if he was aware of what they truly had been after with her and Aralore. Though, she really did not know much other than what she had dealt with regarding them. For all she knew, they were a lot bigger and stronger than she imagined.
Had they used Tresteria's entrance into Aralore to their advantage? Posing as if they were part of their fleet and their guards. It made sense as to how they could have gotten in when they had worked so hard at securing all the ports and the castle.
She blinked out of her thoughts when Aric continued to press on for answers, and she rubbed the temples of her forehead in thought. "I uh... I don't really know... We killed their ruler... Perhaps revenge?" Her eyes drifted down to his hand where he still held onto the vial. She bit her lip, trying to think of something--anything. She was at a loss on what to do. "That vial was tucked away in my desk... It should not have fallen out like that... Which makes me believe someone went rummaging through there and it became loose..." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.


[ARIC] She looked tired, but he was also getting tired of all of these questions. He was prying because he was concerned about what all of these meant, what this vial was that would alarm her so much as to hurt herself, but she was skirting around it. Gritting his teeth for a moment, Aric held back a sigh as he absently looked down at the vial in his hand. Instead of pressing further about it, he took a different approach. "And what could they possibly have been searching for?" And in her room. That was the most unnerving part of all. He would be doubling the guards outside her chambers immediately.


[ALEXANDRIA] She wanted so badly to just spill everything out to him, but the outcome of him knowing, worried her more than that urge she had to tell him. And she still hadn't thought of an excuse to give him--because she wasn't good at lying. She didn't want to ever have to tell him about any of the dark past and history that fell on her and Aralore's shoulders. She didn't want to have to share that burden with him.
At Aric's question, she glanced down at his hand again, where he held the vial. She reached to take his hand with one of hers- and her other reached to take the vial from him, which she then held up to show him, as if indicating that they were looking for that. "But they don't know exactly what they are looking for. And I don't know if anything is missing, since you put me back into my bed..."


[ARIC] Hesitating for only a moment, he allowed her to reach for that vial. So they were looking for that, and yet, he still didn't know what it was. That was what she was holding back from him. It was instinct for him to constantly question her, but they were on a good path that he feared ruining it...as foolish as that might have been. "Alexandria-" he said, seating himself at the edge of her bed. "You know what this is." It was a statement now, not a question because she had made it quite clear. The fact that she was holding back on answering him made him realize now that it was something very serious. And that was even more worrisome. "Tell me...how am I not to wonder what all of this is about?"


[ALEXANDRIA] She kept her eyes away from Aric, for now, focusing on the vial that was now in her own hand. Her expression was of both sorrow and fear, and as Aric moved to sit next to her on the bed, she fought the urge to look at him, sapphire eyes staring at the vial still. It wasn't until Aric's question, did she only half glance at him, understanding completely how he must have been feeling. She didn't blame him, and had the tables been turned, she would be questioning him as he was her now. Another sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head. "You have every right to wonder..." She finally looked at him, contemplating on whether or not she should just tell him. But no one else knew, but her. It was so risky. Her eyes pleaded with him, hoping he would not press any further and just trust her that she needed the time and courage to figure out how to tell him and when to tell him. They already had so much to deal with. Her lips parted, but she hesitated before finally speaking. "I will tell you... I..." She paused, eyes still searching his, hoping she would not anger him, as she was also afraid of ruining what they finally overcame together. "I am just not sure now is the best time? We need to deal with your brother first..." Her words sounded silly, even to her. Because if this was Saelis' doing, they needed to act on it to prevent anything else from happening. Her only bit of assurance she had, was that all was safe since she still possessed that vial. In all honesty, she did not want Edward, or any of his people around to catch wind of the fact that Saelis was still a threat.


[ARIC] She was keeping it from him. As she pleaded with those beautiful eyes, he wanted to simply let it go and move on...and yet, even if he did just for this moment, he knew he wouldn't be able to. Not fully. There was something dangerous in that vial, something about it that made Saelis come here, murder his own people and pose as them in order to kill her. Why couldn't she tell him? His jaw tensed again; it was all he could do to keep himself from getting angry at the strangeness of all of this.
Rising from her bed, he paced back over to the table where he would lean against a chair, his back hunched and facing her. "And how do you suppose I help you deal with him, when the very reason this all happened in the first place is because of something you can't tell me?" His voice was even, but there were hints of frustration. Turning around to face her, he held his arms out a bit in a look of defeat. "So, all I can ask is...what will you have me do? How do you wish for me to deal with him?"


[ALEXANDRIA] She nearly flinched at Aric's reaction and his new questions. He had every right to respond this way, and still, she didn't know how to respond. Her hands covered her face briefly, as she allowed a moment of awkward silence to linger between them, after Aric finished speaking. When she looked back at him, she noticed that look of defeat he wore. If he only did know, he would understand her hesitations. How horrible was it, that no one in her own kingdom knew the full truth of the war they had fought for her? It killed her.
"I just... Want him out of here." She shook her head. "And it's not for you to deal with... It's something I need to deal with.... But I can't because I'm stuck in this fucking bed!" She slammed her hand down onto the edge of the bed, frustrated with everything, now. There was so much she wanted and needed to do, and she was being held back because she had been wounded. It didn't suit her, she couldn't relax.
Carefully, she stood back up and started to try and walk over to her desk, not saying another word. She couldn't rest any longer.. There was too much to do, and she would power through whatever pain she had, to get things done.


[ARIC] If he could simply will Edward away, he would have already. But the situation had gotten far more complicated than that. The moment his brother knew it wasn't Tresteria's fault, the tables would be reversed and they would all be right back to where they had been at the banquet. However, he couldn't think on how to fix any of this if he didn't know the whole story. And he clearly didn't know the whole story.
He finally sighed with her outburst, but he didn't move to her side. Aric was forcing himself not to budge. "You're a queen, Alexandria. All you need to do is request whatever it is you need, and it will be brought to you. This matter doesn't require you to charge into battle from the saddle of a horse." Even as she got up to go to her desk, he remained where he was. She had flat out told him this wasn't his matter to handle, and he couldn't help even while he wanted to.


[ALEXANDRIA] But she was unlike any other queen, and Aric should know that by now. She did not make requests for things to be done for her. She tried to do things herself, whenever possible. So at his remark, she turned to look at him, shooting him a narrowed glance. Still, she said nothing as she moved to her desk, opened a drawer and carefully put the vial away. Only after then, when she knew it was once again, tucked away safely, did she turn back to Aric. "Then what should I request? That your brother be brought to my chambers so I can handle this dressed inappropriately, looking like a weak and damaged queen? Or do I send someone with my words, so he can think I am incapable of speaking and standing up in front of him?" She walked over to him, then, closing that distance between them again, and she looked him in the eyes, questioning him.


[ARIC] It took everything within him not to roll his eyes at her. It took everything not to yell back at her as her frustration only grew. Aric didn't waver as she shot venom at him, placing the vial back in the same drawer he had found it in to begin with. She definitely wasn't going to tell him what it was now, so he supposed he was just to stand there twiddling his thumbs.
"Don't be a child," he practically spat. If she wanted to act childishly, then he would respond to her as such. "Rest means not stomping around. It means lying down or seating yourself in a chair, taking it easy." As she made her way closer, he still didn't move, a new tiredness in his eyes while he watched her. "You could request help getting dressed, to be presentable. Request those closest to you to come to your aide, to guide you in this matter. You are a queen and you need to start acting like one. And that means not trying to do every single meaningless thing there is. That makes you appear incapable. That makes you appear as though you do not trust a single soul around you." Perhaps that last part was directed at himself, because she wasn't trusting him enough to fill him in on everything he clearly needed to know now. She didn't trust him. It didn't just appear that was...it was the very truth of it.


[ALEXANDRIA] Her brow rose as he told her not to be a child and then lectured her on what resting meant. Was she acting childish? In her own mind, she did not think so. Stubborn, maybe. But not childish. He was right though--Alexandria had a hard time asking for help, and asking others to do things for her, even her servants. It just wasn't how she grew up, and she still wasn't used to it. So when he snapped at her and told her to start acting like a queen, her mouth hung open as if to yell at him, but she stopped herself, letting him finish speaking. When he did, she just kind of stood there, shocked by his words, unsure of what to say to him at this point. Did she trust others? It was difficult for her to-- especially with everything she had gone through in her life. With all who had wronged her in one way or another.
She sighed quietly, at a loss for what to say, yet again. Until finally, she fell defeated, speaking in just a hushed tone. "You're right... I have a hard time trusting others... And I have a hard time asking for help when I need it..." She looked back at him and frowned. "I do need help with all of this.. But I don't know how to ask for help, and I don't know who I can truly trust..." She could have easily thrown it back into his face that she had trusted him, and he went and offered up her kingdom to Edward, without consulting her or giving her any kind of heads up. She knew he had done it out of panic, but he had done it regardless, and now they needed to clean up that mess. She refrained from throwing any blame at him, but she needed to figure out how and if she could really trust him with every breath of her being.


[ARIC] It was just a vicious cycle. It was a moment of panic, something he was willing to fix...and yet, the queen stood there refusing to tell him whatever it was that was going on, that could be a vital part in figuring out how to fix all of this. Aric was wearing his heart on his sleeve, only to be shunned away again. He should have simply walked out of there. He should have refused to say anything further and leave that room before his anger got the best of him. But he didn't.
"A sovereign's job is to make difficult decisions. But it's also her job to appoint those she trusts to help. It is not something you do on your own, Alexandria. You can't; there's too much weight to bear." That instinct told him to reach out to her...but he didn't. Again, he refrained from his usual reactions when it came to her. He felt betrayed. Then again, maybe he couldn't really blame her. He was, in fact, Tresterian, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.
Taking a step back, he sighed. "What of your brother?" Dark eyes lifted to her face after a moment. "Do you not trust him enough? What of your ambassador? Tell me who I should summon for you, and I shall leave." Perhaps, any other time, he may have sounded hurt...but he was merely defeated. All of this was beginning to pile up again, and she wasn't allowing him to try and help her out of it.


[ALEXANDRIA] "But I have done it on my own. And I have worn the weight on my own shoulders. No one else's. So tell me why should it be any different now?" Her voice was stern and she looked at him with frustration. Perhaps it should be different now, because he was there with her. And maybe it sounded like she could care less that he was, but that was far from the truth. He just didn't know the severity of the weight Alexandria wore on her shoulders.
Her expression changed to one of sorrow as he stepped back and questioned her on if there was someone else she trusted that he should get for her to help. With a sigh, she shook her head and looked down. "I do not want you to leave, Aric... and no, I do not even trust them enough." Her words stung, even her. To admit she didn't trust her own brother. She knew if he had heard that spoken from her lips, he'd be completely hurt. She kept her gaze down and started to cry, finally turning from him. She covered her face, crying into them for a moment. It was obvious that whatever she was hiding was a heavy burden that clearly only she held. She turned back to look at him, tears rolling down her cheeks, and out of frustration she spoke again. "No one knows what that vial is. Only I do."


[ARIC] Those eyes widened in his shock. How could she not hear herself? There have been several times where she broke down under the pressure of everything...and she was wondering why things should be different? Born to this life or not, she should know better. She should be able to realize how foolish that all sounded. "Because you aren't alone!" he protested in sudden desperation. "You never have been, and yet, you keep everyone in the dark. Then you wonder why the stress of it all is slowly killing you." His tone was harsh and perhaps louder than it should have been, but it was the truth. Rulers had councils and advisors for a reason, which she appeared to be blind to with the words she was saying.
Even though she cried, even though it killed him to stand there and do nothing about it, Aric still did not move to her side. To know that she had literally told no one else about this, that she couldn't or refused to trust anyone else only helped alleviate his sadness a little bit. But it was still a problem. She was crumbling beneath the weight of whatever it was, but how was anyone to help her? "What would you have me do, Alexandria?" She didn't want him to leave, so was he to pointlessly stand there? Was he to marry her and stand beside her and be nothing but that? Maybe he didn't deserve anything more, but he knew others that served her would gladly bear some of her burden as well. "If you expect me to stand here and watch you wither away, I won't do it. If Saelis was behind this attack, it needs to be dealt with before it's too late." A single step forward was taken and no more. "If you will not let me advise you then you must tell me what it is you need from me...because whether or not you want it, I am your most humble servant. I will do as you ask." He couldn't force her to tell him anything, or tell anyone for that matter. That still did not mean he wouldn't help, with whatever she did ask for.


[ALEXANDRIA] It was slowly killing her. There wasn't a day that went by without her thinking that she wished all of this hadn't fallen on her shoulders--that she remained a commoner and never knew of this life. But there had to be a reason for all of it as it was. She blinked at Aric's harsh tone and refusal to stand by and watch her wither away. Her eyes fell downward again and she fumbled with her own fingers then, feeling at a loss of what to say or do at this point. When he finished speaking and the room fell silent again, Alexandria looked to him, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "Aric..." She hesitated, trying to think of her words carefully, she did not know what to say, and it was evident in the way she stumbled on her words now. "I need you." It was hard for her to admit that she needed help, it really was. "I need you to continue to be my reason... to be my strength..." She realized, eventually, he would need to know, she just didn't know how to tell him. She needed to show him, probably. But right now, she did not have the strength or energy for that. "Please do not be upset or angry with me... You must try to understand..." A sigh escaped her and she reached up to wipe the tears from her face. "I've held onto this burden for years... My family before me, has held onto it for many years before that... How could I throw such a burden on your shoulders now? Without fear that you would not want it? That you would leave, wanting no part of it? That I was selfish for throwing such a burden on your shoulders, when it is my problem?" She shook her head, "you have not yet even married me, and I do not expect you to take on these things, even if you are to be my husband, because I don't want to lose you." She tucked strands of hair away from her face and behind her ear. "As far as Saelis goes, I need more evidence to prove it was them... Or else I am worrying for nothing..."


[ARIC] He really hated when she cried, and he hated that he couldn't stop it and was possibly making it worse. But again, it was that vicious cycle. He couldn't fix what he did not know was broken. But another step was taken towards her, ever so slowly closing that gap between them.
Aric...I need you. Dammit all to Hell. As she tried to explain, tried to say anything, he couldn't take it anymore and gathered her back into his arms. He had been mean and angry, but it had been out of concern. The man didn't know how to balance these emotions well anymore. Her stubbornness was going to get her killed and possibly others as well. He would know that first hand, considering he had been in the very same boat not too long ago. "I'm trying to understand," he admitted calmly but tiredly. "But I'm asking you to trust me. Your burden should be mine. I'm here asking you to share the weight. If not with me, then with somebody." To be truthful, Aric was surprised (as well as worried) that she wasn't even willing to speak with Orin about it. The sigh that escaped his lips rattled him to the core. "You cannot keep doing this. If it concerns Aralore, it concerns more than just you, do you understand?" Hand cupped the side of her face, peering down into those sapphire eyes. "No matter what I said or did before, I'm still here. Do you hear me? I'm still here, Alex." He tried to dry up her tears with the pad of his thumb. "I nearly lost you before...I'm not willing to let that happen again."


[ALEXANDRIA] She stood silent, eyes downcast at the floor until she felt Aric wrap his arms around her. Instantly, she buried her face into his chest and listened to him as he spoke to her, trying to convince her that she needed to trust him and that her burdens should be his, too. As he sighed, she lifted her head and he was taking her face into his hand, which forced her to look into his eyes. She quietly searched them as he spoke again, assuring her that he was still there with her. A forced smile played upon her lips and she nodded in response. He was still here. He could have left long ago--ran away, stayed in Tresteria, refusing to come back. But he remained by her side and had been there for her in her times of need. Even as she laid injured, he stayed by her side in her unconsciousness.
She took his hand into hers again, squeezing it gently. The room fell silent again, though Alex's mind was too loud for her to even notice it. When she realized she hadn't said anything, a sigh escaped her and she looked at him, eyes searching him for something, anything to let her know that what she was about to tell him was alright. It needed to be alright.
Hesitantly, Alexandria leaned into him, bringing her lips to his ear and she spoke with a whisper only his ear would hear. "It is a weapon." She lingered there, pressing her face into the nape of his neck. Knowing he would want to know more than that, she moved back to his ear. "If it were to get into the wrong hands..." She paused, struggling to come up with the explanation. "... It would cause so much destruction... My family has been protecting it so it does not get into the wrong hands..." She rested her head down on his shoulder then, her fingers clutching to his back as if frightened by what his reaction would be, and afraid to let go of him, to look at him.


[ARIC] Truly, she didn't have to tell him whatever it was...so long as she spoke with someone and got help with this. If he couldn't be that support, she needed to find someone who could be. Holding this all in, bearing the entire weight of it on her slender shoulders was becoming too much. And now, she had nearly died from it.
Aric didn't know how to express just how he felt, why he was so desperate to ensure her safety no matter the cost. Yet all thoughts ceased the moment she whispered in his ear, as if others would be able to hear them through her chamber door. The blue liquid in that vial, somehow, was a weapon. He had so many more questions as the shock of it overcame him; questions he wasn't sure how to even voice, except for one. "And...you think Saelis is searching for it? That tiny vial?" What even was it, and how could such a small thing be this dangerous? His back had stiffened, knowing what had happened to Aralore during the war...and if this weapon was as sacred and evil as she was making it out to be then it certainly was a frightening thought.


[ALEXANDRIA] The queen could only imagine the array of questions Aric would have after hearing her secret. She had been very vague, simply because it was not something as simple as a tiny vial. It was something that may take quite a long time to fill him in fully. She lifted her head off of him and stood straight, finally looking him in the eyes. She shook her head in response. "No... Even they do not know what they are looking for... Just that it exists and I possess it..." She sighed quietly. "I think a man was tortured for the information, but died before he could tell them the whole story. That is all I know of what they know." Alexandria could see the confusion and the questions turning in his mind and without him even asking, she continued to spill what she could. "The vial is the original formula, before it was produced in larger quantities and hidden, because it cannot be destroyed." She frowned and continued softly, "If this liquid is mixed with fire..." Honestly, Alexandria did not want to know what would happen, but the look on her face, alone, explained it to him.


[ARIC] He should be asking everything, asking to know more but he couldn't. It was too much. Not only for him but for Alexandria, and he needed to prove that he could handle this newfound information as brief as her explanation was. One step at a time, and this had been a huge leap for her. She was terrified, it wasn't hard to see...and, if he were being honest, so was he. Aric froze when she said it had been produced in larger quantities, that if mixed with fire...he understood how dire and dangerous it could be just by the mere expression on her face. It would not be good, plain and simple. It took him a moment to nod, registering everything, deciding on what to ask next without overwhelming either of them. "Is more of it here in Aralore?" Was that was Saelis had been here, or were they simply looking for the formula, or something to lead them to the ultimate weapon?


[ALEXANDRIA] This was a huge leap for the queen. For years, she had lived in isolation with this burden, fearing that if someone else knew of it, they would want to figure out how to use it and utter chaos would unfold.
She stared at Aric, trying to read his expression, and she could see that fear and concern he held. "Not that I am aware of, yet..." Even she had just learned of this just before they left the original land of Avalendor. She was still finding things out about it. And the further she searched and dug it out, the more terrifying it became. She sighed softly and held his hand tightly. "It's not simple... there is a lot more to everything... It's why I did not want to get into this just yet, as we have enough on our plate already... I want your brother gone... and my kingdom safe and independent from anyone... before I delve into this mess... But now, if this was Saelis who attacked us... I..." She shrugged her shoulders and whispered, feeling defeated. "I don't know what to do..."


[ARIC] He appeared stunned, unsure on how to comprehend everything all at once. There was so much at stake and so much on their plate, that Aric wasn't sure where to begin to fix everything. Dark eyes blinked as Alexandria started to speak; her voice pulling him out of all of these thoughts. "I know," he said quietly. Some more clarity came back and his concern was on her more than anything else. "I know," he repeated. "One thing at a time, Alexandria." He drew up her hand to press a comforting kiss to against those white knuckles. "We'll find out more about Saelis, I have men looking. For now, we need to handle the situation with my brother." And he didn't expect that to be easy.


[ALEXANDRIA] Aric wore the same expression she had when she had found out about all of this. It was a lot to comprehend and taken in. But upon telling someone else about it, she felt a bit of that burden lift from her shoulders. As Aric spoke, she fell silent, simply nodding in agreement with him. "One thing at a time..." A breath of a laugh escaped her and she sighed shortly after, "if only things came out one thing at a time..." She gave a light squeeze to his hand and glanced into his eyes with a serious expression, "I am sorry you have been dragged into all this mess...."


[ARIC] It was a lot all at once, but such was the life of royalty. The decisions of everything crashed down upon them and these were certainly trying times. Aric shook his head in soft dismissal of her apology, one she had been uttering a lot these days. "Do not be sorry. I cannot be your partner if you do not share the burden." This was a job that she couldn't do alone. Most couldn't.


[ALEXANDRIA] Her gaze fell to the floor after he dismissed her apology. Despite him feeling that he should share her burdens, she still felt badly about it. He hadn't asked for any of it. His brother threw him into it, neither of them knowing the dark history and dangers that bestowed on Aralore.
Yet, Aric was here, he wasn't running away from any of it. He stood by her strongly and willingly now. Something she appreciated more than her words would ever be able to express.
With a sigh, she squeezed his hand tightly, not wanting to let go of it. Her gaze lifted to look at him and she whispered, "I don't think I could ever ask for a better partner..." She forced a smile and reluctantly let go of his hand. "I want to get dressed. I cannot stay in here doing nothing anymore..."


[ARIC] Even if he hadn't come to love the queen, Aric was still an honorable man, despite what he would actually say of himself. He fought this alliance before knowing her, before knowing Aralore, and even if he didn't have this deep desire to remain by Alexandria's side now, he still would have. He would have seen the destruction of the land and the desperation of its people. They needed help to be strong again, a strength he saw in every citizen's eyes, clinging to hope.
He smiled warmly at her words. If he could keep her happy with that, he would feel accomplished. When she let go, he nodded lightly. "So long as you promise to take it easy..." It was a warning set within a softly joking tone. He meant it, but he understood that she needed to keep busy. Even if that meant sitting still in a chair and handling kingdom affairs. "Shall I call some of your ladies to you?" Personally, he didn't know who attended her, but someone was bound to know. Cassandra had been the one to help her the other evening, and that was the extent of his knowledge on that.


[ALEXANDRIA] Her duty as Aralore's queen, and the protection of her people had been initially what drove Alexandria to agree to this arrangement, not minding sacrificing her happiness to ensure her kingdom's strength. But when Aric turned out to be something more than an arrangement, she had least expected to fall in love with him, it left her feeling both relieved but also scared. Alexandria never had luck with love. She felt she was cursed and unable to keep love in her life.
She simply nodded, a slight smile given to Aric at his demand. "Of course..."
But what would she do first with all of this mess to deal with.
"Yes, please... and maybe gather up Nemeris, Orin, if he is feeling alright, and Cassandra...maybe Edward's wife? Should we include her?"


[ARIC] He was quick to shake his head. "Eleesa will not speak against him, no matter how much she may want to." A dark shadow fell over his face then at the thought. He didn't think Edward was physically abusive, but many were aware of the man's affairs and simply how he treated his wife. She was wise to keep her mouth shut because it would probably only be worse for her. "She is the one who has to go back to Tresteria with him..." He figured Alexandria would understand.
Leaning in, he kissed the queen's forehead. "I'll have everyone gathered to meet within an hour. See you then." Turning, he made to leave; offering her a quick glance over his shoulder before closing the door.


[ALEXANDRIA] She nodded understandably, though she only simply meant to include her so she would know what was going on, rather than leave her in the dark.
She took Aric's hand just before he walked away, offering him a smile, and a look that begged him not to tell anyone of the conversation they had, not that she thought he would. "Thank you," she whispered before letting his hand go.