His attention was wholly focused on her as she spoke, the rise and fall of his chest and the circles his thumb made on her arm being the only movement from his body. When her head settled on him he didn't raise a word of protest, it was rather darling how she peered up at him through that light hair of hers, seemed to curl into him somewhat for warmth. It kept the smile playing around the edges of his lips, even as she spoke of rules... things that were of much burden to her. His mother wasn't much of a rulesy person when it came to him, she might frown in displeasure when a maid tumbled giggling and half naked from his room and give him an icy stare when he came home bloodied up, but she had never made him anything other than what he was. The few rules his mother had she enforced fiercely, he had the scarring on his back to prove it. He was always a quick learner, though, so he only had the one long, pale scar that ran diagonally across his back. His only true blemish, and it was a doozy.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"one question... how can you be a symbol of any sort of hope if you can't show you've got the back bone for it? If you can't show that you're not afraid to get down in the dirt with your people?"</span>Of course, he was a man, though, he had never seen the Queen out and about among her subjects. They tended to try and avoid him, unless they were the men and women who tried to sweet talk their way up the social ladder, but still, he had been out among them more than once. Been in tavern fights among the Dark Knights and Soldiers, along with the common drunkard. He supposed it would be different here, though, too. That was just how it worked...<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"and a Prince, is it? A wealthy one? I suppose one of these days mother expected me to marry some nice little wench in line to a kingdom... she always was a greedy one. What she doesn't take by force she won't hesitate to take with cunning, especially if she wants it enough... in the end nobody refuses her..." </span>The statement drifted off into the silence of the room, his gaze having unfocused a moment as he thought about their last conversation. She was expecting him to deliver her this kingdom in particular right to her, all tied up in a bow and ripe for the picking. He supposed he could block out any emotion he felt for this poor little flower of a girl, but that didn't stop him from remembering just a tiny bit, maybe feeling the slightest resentment of the fact that he would tear her precious little kingdom, that she seemed rather unhappy with ruling, right from under her.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"you're going to show me around your own kingdom tomorrow, yes? I'd like to see where all the little people live, it may be helpful in your dance lesson, as well, if you can think of anywhere they would be dancing..."</span>Alexander smiled down at her, excited at the prospect of what the next morning held.