She listened as he continued to belittle her feelings.  Peace? It had been mere months since she had lost everything, but his words also caused her to wonder what had happened to her family. Why was Storka so invested in having him with them? Was it the bond he spoke of, the one their fathers had begun to foster in hopes of uniting two families under a single flag someday?  King Rollo had not pushed her towards any other suitor, not that Maleki had been that, they were far too young at the time...but now she could see plans forming, years ago. Their fathers were no longer pulling the strings, but it seemed Storka was.<br/><br/>Her instinct was to back up as he closed the space between them, but his hand on her jaw kept her in place.  Their bodies were touching, flush against one another. He had tried to leave and now she was trying to leave and it seemed as if...either Storka or some other unknown force kept pushing them back together, like magnets, they could only get so close before unseen forces flung them in each other's path.  Why did he have to follow her?  He could have remained in his own tent, he could have gone.  Maybe Tommen would follow him this time, but she had just sworn that she would not.<br/><br/>"You want a distraction?  You want to forget?  Fine." Aleksandra growled through gritted teeth. She saw the sorrow in his eyes, the look of a caged animal unable to break the bars that held it.  She wondered if he saw that same echo in her own eyes, because that is how she felt now.  She had so many questions, about the LeVane family attacking his family, about Storka, but they did not form on her tongue.  Instead, her hand came up his shoulder and she used the leverage to press her lips, hard, against his. The fire between them had brewed and he had already claimed he found her attractive.  This was a horrible idea, but all she wanted was to forget. To numb the pain and drown out her feelings for a few hours, since she could not escape any of it.<br/><br/>Within a moment regret again sank in and she pulled herself free of him, turning away, toward the cot that he had spent his days recovering in.  "Fuck. No.  Just...Go.  If Storka is keeping you here, I'll figure out a way to stop her..." She lifted a hand to her lips, she could still feel the heat of him there, and it felt...oddly right.  But she was not going to trap him.  She was not going to force him to stay here.