<span style="color: #FF0000">The inn was just down the street and the keeper had a pleased look on his face as the pair approached the bar.<br/><br/>"My old friend, what are you doing so far out? The hunting season does not start for another moon or so," the slender man with long beard and a weathered face spoke. His eyes moved from BrÃ¡dach, to Maria and then back as he waited to be introduced. <br/><br/>"Aye, Watson. I am here a bit out of season, but there are always work for those who seek it, " he spoke in a cryptic nature and with a small smile. "Do you have a couple of rooms available for the night?" <br/><br/>"Aye, I have a room that overlooks the village and the town, sure that the two of you would be more than com..." Watson spoke with a friendly smile to the woman whom he had still been not introduced to.<br/><br/>"No, two rooms. One for her and me, together side by side if possible adjoining even if you have it," BrÃ¡dach spoke quickly and cut Watson off before he even had a chance to speak about Maria and he being...romantic with one another.<br/><br/>"Oh...I had thought that the two of you were...a couple," he bowed his head. "I'm sorry," he replied sincerely as he looked between the pair. <br/><br/>"No need, she is merely my responsibility and the reason for my out of season travel. Along with those rooms we will need baths and she will need to speak with your wife if she may? Given how talented she is with a needle and thread, I thought I would ask her to make a couple of outfits for her for the remaining part of our journey." <br/><br/>"Sure. No trouble at all, I will let her know after I get done with the rooms. Anything else?" <br/><br/>"Yes, two large hot meats? Oh and an ale with each of them. After that I would say that we will be set for the night," BrÃ¡dach laughed a bit. <br/><br/>"You two grab a table and you let olde Watson will take care of everything," he left with a huge smile. <br/><br/>There was nothing to be said or done, so BrÃ¡dach stood then took a  glance about the place for a moment before he nodded at a table.<br/><br/>A sigh spilled for his lips as he sat down, the cold look still there as he looked at Maria. <br/><br/>"Have you ever had ale before?" he asked simply while they waited for their food.</span><br/><br/>Though the walk was uneventful, the inn's face looming ahead, she still felt wary, watching for everything over her shoulder. Even after they stopped, she continued to look around, almost expecting another horde of children to descend.<br/><br/>Or worse.<br/><br/>But nothing happened, nothing but an awkward conversation with the inn's keeper. He was a kindly man, someone BrÃ¡dach obviously knew and had a history with. As it wasn't her place to interject, nor did she think it prudent to introduce herself as she was, she remained silent, only blushing at the mistake of them being romantically linked. Her eyes slid over to him, wondering if they really did look like it, but she doubted it. If anything, he looked at her with disdain and disgust; How anyone could think they were together with that left her wondering about their sanity.<br/><br/>Following his gesture, she sat down at a table, cloak off and trying to get comfortable on the wooden seat when all she wanted was a bed. No food. No ale. Bed.<br/><br/>"Have I ever had...?" Maria started to repeat, before shaking her head and looking pointedly elsewhere, his cold eyes less than comfortable. "No, I've never had ale." She almost started to chastise him for thinking royals drank something so crass, but decided against it, knowing it wouldn't be smart to be so vocal on such matters.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"I should have guessed not, but I thought that maybe you were the rebellious type that could have snuck away and had a drink or two with your servants," he paused and smirked. "Then again, you are the goody goody type that does not disobey, even when you are unhappy with something. Right?" the remark was a bit cold, though there was something else in his voice. Disappointment perhaps?</span><br/><br/>That earned him a look, along with a scoff though she didn't dignify it with a spoken reply right off. "I didn't see anyone else apart from my ladies-in-waiting," she tried to clarify. "And I do what I need to do; I don't need to justify myself to you, simply because your skull is too thick to understand."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"If you say so, your royal highness. But, that does not negate the truth of my words," he replied with an arched brow and a smile. "Regardless you shall have a chance to try it now," and as he sad this their meals were placed in front of them. It looked to be like a thick slice of lamb, with some roasted potatoes and slice of fresh bread. It smelt delicious and he said as much while they drinks were placed before them as well, "Thank you so much, Cherral." The wench blushed at his wink and was more than pleased with the coin he slipped into her apron.</span><br/><br/>An angry retort had welled up, but remained silenced, the smell of the food suddenly before them smelling divine. It even smelled better than the food she'd been served in the castle, with all their fancy spices and herbs. Then she saw the wink, and the way he slipped money into the wench's pocket, and her brow quirked, raising the tankard to her lips and trying a sip for something to do. There was an instant eye widening, followed by a shiver of distaste...but it was alcohol, and she needed to loosen up...so she took another sip. "So..." she finally said, breaking the silence. "Is Cherral one of your girlfriends?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"No, just a lovely lady who has been a friend to me before," he remarked while he cut into his lamb. "Not many pass through here enough for her to get enough coin and she has a couple of sick siblings at home that she cares for." There was a shrug of his shoulders while he took a long drink from his ale. "Jealous?" he asked with a grin.</span><br/><br/>The rolled her eyes, picking at her food, taking every ounce of restraint she had to not devour it. "No, merely making conversation is all. I figure a man like you, who 'does as he pleases' would have many a girlfriend. And, where it's obvious she's a thing for you, I thought it might have been a reciprocated understanding," she explained, taking another sip of her ale.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"I do, do as I please and I happen to enjoy helping those who have no one to help them. I have this whole, thing to help out charity cases, which I am sure you are aware of," he took a rather large portion of his food and chewed while he moaned at the taste. It seemed so long since they had anything but the couple of rabbits he had managed to catch.</span><br/><br/>She declined her head in a slight nod, "Exactly. I would know about charity cases such as yourself; You're welcome, by the way." The ale replaced on the table, she went back to her lamb, the meat practically melting in her mouth, a small, happy sigh escaping. Nothing, not even his presumptuous remarks, could ruin this meal for her.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"See, I thought that you were the charity case. Since I had to escort you and protect you. Then...save you and keep you alive. Buy you this meal and everything, else." All the while he spoke he continued to eat, the flavors savory and delicious. "Drink the ale, it will help with ...making you feel better," he said while he gestured with his knife at her cup.</span><br/><br/>A small laugh escaped, not even bothering with a retort, instead sipping from her tankard. Now that she'd gotten passed the taste of burned fermented grain, it didn't taste half bad. It had her throat feeling warm, as was the rest of her, slowly but surely. And, with each passing moment, her cheeks started to take on a light blush, a warm, healthy glow. "The ale is better than I thought it'd be," Maria finally remarked, looking down into her cup before replacing it on the table and cutting into some potato.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"It takes a bit to get going," he said with the smallest of smiles. "What kind of drinks are you used to?" he asked with a serious thoughtful expression.</span><br/><br/>"We have wines mainly," she replied after swallowing the bit of potato. "Wines, waters, and some nectars, depending on what's in season."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Private wines? As in wine that only the castle has and no one else?" he asked paused in his eating to focus on her.</span><br/><br/>"I suppose they'd be private, though not all of them are. We get presents from others in the kingdom, wines theyve made and the like," came a thoughtful response. "But we do have our own private vineyard."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"What is special about the private vineyard?" he asked as he took a drink from his tankard and then a bite from his bread.</span><br/><br/>There was a shrug, followed by another sip of ale. "Nothing in particular, save for it being our own. We know the process that goes into making it, can add things into it as we see fit. It's just something we like."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Nothing special with the taste?" he asked.</span><br/><br/>She started to shake her head, but then stopped. "Well, it depends on what we've made and how long it sat...We add in things like other juices...we had an amazing strawberry wine at one point...Maybe I'd find it more special if I had other things to compare it to."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Hmmm..well they have a selection of wine here, we could try? For you to compare?" he offered, the tone now more friendly than cold.</span><br/><br/>The offer was tempting, to try something that she was more used to, but she already felt bad enough. He was paying for her food, for her lodging, for a new dress so that she wouldn't have to walk around in torn petticoats and animal skins. "You've already given me plenty...I wouldn't feel right to make you spend more on me than you've already had to...charity case, or not." The last was added as a self-deprecating joke, but a joke nonetheless.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He chuckled, "Yes, but this is your time out here in the world so you might as well enjoy it. Right?" Even while he spoke he signaled Cherral back and whispered to her for a few moments. "I mean you only get to really live once, so you might as well indulge from time to time, no?"</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">That's right...it <span style="font-weight: bold">is</span> my time in the world. My only time that I can have any sort of fun before being promised to some man I've never met who will likely feel me once, and then we'll be done until I die... A little wine wouldn't hurt right? He's offering, so I may as well.</span>Her thoughts justified it for him, ignoring the slightly jealous twinge at watching the two get close and whispering back and forth. "Sure. I guess it couldn't hurt, right?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Precisely, I mean we are out here and with no one to tell us what to do. So, we should have fun," as if it were perfectly timed Cherral returned with a couple of bottles of wine and some glasses for them. "Thank you," he said as he gave her another smile and another coin piece, before he focused back on Maria and their wine. "What was it like growing up in the castle?"</span><br/><br/>This BrÃ¡dach she liked. This one wasn't cold, wasn't angry at her. He was smiling, a smile that actually reached his eyes, and left her feeling less than hated for a change. Taking a sip off of her ale, she tried to think of how to explain it. "It was...different. For me, it was normal, having people always around me. And, even when with all of them...I felt oddly alone. Sure, they'd give me compliments, but I swear that's what they were paid to do. I'd get read to, as it wasn't proper for a lady to read...And I was taught to do needle-point. I watched competitions, though not the violent ones. If they were bloody competitions, a curtain would be drawn until after it was finished as worrying over violence would 'give me wrinkles'." Then there was a look, a look of dimmed mischief in her violet eyes. "But I did teach myself to read...I snuck books and hid them under my mattress, well beyond where my foot warmer would be, and they never knew..."<br/><br/>She shrugged, taking another sip, and allowing the feel of tingles to calm her further. "It was a dull life, now that I think about it...Even here, I wouldn't be able to cut my own meat, half the time. Knives were meant for men, and we ladies were just there to pretty things up..." Here came a slight bit of disdain for how she was treated, but then it was gone, and a laugh came out. "I wouldn't mind living in a small house, living like those my family rules over do. At least there wouldn't be a corset in sight!"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">That he was not expecting. Sure he had expected her to talk about her time in the castle, but nothing like that. Not with such, distaste and disdain. No. He had expected her to brag and talk about all of the wonderful things that she experienced and all of the wonderful things she did everyday. Yet, here she was talking about the opposite of that. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">She was even a bit of a rebel...</span> he thought with a smile as he uncorked the wine and poured her some.<br/><br/>â€œThis is a honey flavored wine, should be a bit sweet but not overpowering,â€ he spoke gently. Then after a moment of thought. â€œWhat happened to your mother? I did not notice her there in court?â€ There was more questions he had about her life there, about what she would do at night when she was alone? Did she look out her window and up at the stars? Thinking that there was someone else out there like her, alone but wanting to not be alone?</span><br/><br/>"Honey flavored wine..." she repeated, swirling the wine about in her glass as she smelled it, appreciating it and its color before taking a sip. The wine was so much better than the ale, in her mind, that another happy sound escaped, the first sip quickly followed by a second. Only when the question registered did the happy feelings diminish. "My mother died." She said it so simply, her voice quiet, a finger tracing around the rim of her glass before raising it for another sip, this one larger than the first two. "She got sick and didn't recover...One day she was there, and the next, she wasn't...Everything went downhill after that, with my father, I mean. He lost focus, and Sirmia's tactics for getting to him affected him more than he was willing to admit...It's one of the reasons I was so willing to agree to this...to not fight it. Yes, I don't want to be traded like cattle, but her death hit him hard...He actually<span style="font-style: italic">loved</span>her. It started off arranged, but he loved her...and she loved him...and now that she's not there, he's lost. He needs someone to do what he can't, and that someone is me..."<br/><br/>As her wine was finished, her ale was picked up and downed, willing the tingles to help her calm and relax now that the memories had taken a turn for the depressing.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Again, this was not what he expected to hear and it made him hate himself for the harsh words that he gave her days ago. This was not something that she wanted, but that she did not only for her people but for her father....<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">I need to learn to not run my mouth without thinking....</span> he thought to himself. <br/><br/>â€œIs there no other way for there to be peace for you people? I mean why are the two kingdoms even fighting in the first place? I have studied the war in school but I cannot remember the reasons behind the war...â€ he took a sip of his own wine, the taste was sweet and it reminded him of something....or maybe someone.</span><br/><br/>She poured herself another bit of wine, sipping it as before letting loose a quiet, bitter laugh. "No one remembers why they're fighting anymore. It's been going on for so long, what started it isn't even agreed upon anymore. If you ask my father, it's that the Sirmians tried to claim our land as theirs along the borders. If you ask the Sirmians, it's that my father's father disrespected their customs when he'd gone to meet them and discuss an alliance. No one knows anymore, and I doubt they care why it started. Now it's just a contest of who can hold out..." There was a pause, and more wine was drunk, her food long since forgotten in front of her. "If there were another way..." Maria started to add, her voice having dropped barely above a whisper. "...I wouldn't be here right now...No one's willing to concede on either side...It's either this...or we all die."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-style: italic">Yeah...I am an ass...</span><br/><br/>He sighed for a moment then smiled as he lifted his glass, â€œThen we shall dine and enjoy our time together for all that it is worth. We do not often get to choose the destiny that the stars have planned for us, but we can make best for what is given to us. I promise you a great adventure, Maria, so that you have fond memories to always look back on.â€</span><br/><br/>Lifting her own glass in a sort of toast, she nodded. "To fond memories and a final hurrah," she amended, before sipping her wine. Briefly, she wanted to ask why the sudden change, but she chalked it up to her misreading him, allowing him the benefit of the doubt in her tired, relaxed state.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">â€œNow, let's eat these meals before they get too cold. Then we can finish bottle and start on the next,â€ he smiled and cut into his meat again.</span><br/><br/>There was a smile, but not a large one, nor did it reach her eyes. For a while, she ate in silence, and then her curiosity won out. "What was it like? Growing up like you?" she finally asked, still more focused on him than her food.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">There was a question that he had not really expected. No one ever really asked him about his past, there were none who knew him back then to even speak of it. Yet, here he was with Maria. This woman whom he had thought about as nothing more than just a job and now...she had shared with him. Talked about what hurt her and what it was that drove her to do what she did.<br/><br/>He sighed and smiled a soft smile, â€œMy life was...enchanted...â€ he began then paused to take a sip of the wine.<br/><br/>â€œThe rumors were that my mother was fairy folk and my father some god of the woods, but that was not true....â€ he looked down at the golden liquid while it swirled in his glass. â€œMy mother was beautiful, fair, sweet and gentle,â€ a great fondness was in his voice as he spoke about his mother. â€œSimple born and with not a mean bone in her body, she caught the eye of a young lord who happened upon her in the market one day,â€ another pause another sip. â€œShe often said it was love at first sight and that he had sought her out relentlessly for days and days until she finally gave in to what she wanted, to what they both wanted, and...â€ at this he shrugged and gestured with his free hand down at himself. â€œMy father could not wed my mother, he wanted to and was going to renounce his title to have her, to be with her but...like you, his people needed him. Yet, he could not leave my mother, could not leave me, so he hid her away before she had me. Delivered me himself and came to see us every chance that he could. He taught me, about the world, language, math, to read and about the woods. I loved my life, loved my parents...it was a perfect childhood....â€ he said this with a smile though it was a sad one, that did not really meet his eyes.</span><br/><br/>It was stories like that that left her wanting. It was heroins like that she read about in books, the one that caught a man's eye and left him pining for her, love at first sight...That's what she'd always wanted. Always craved. Storybook endings. She leaned a little more forward, following his eyes word while she played it out in her mind's eyes. But then..something kept her from sighing happily at his memories: the smile.<br/><br/>His smile was sad, one that told of an ending he'd yet to regale, something that was personal, painful. If she'd not been drinking, she'd never have thought to ask and breech that boundary, but... "...What happened?" came a quiet voice, anxious to hear what happened, while bracing for the worst.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He sighed, â€œShe found out...â€ he said with barely controlled anger. â€œMy father's wife, a woman he did not love but was forced to marry for the sake of others. That bitch! Found out and came into my home...while father was away and....,â€ he stopped completely and closed his eyes, his broad chest filled slowly from the deep breath he took before he slowly released it. â€œMy mother smiled even as they....she smiled and whispered to me it would be alright...,â€ he opened his eyes to look over at her again. â€œFather arrived later, it was cold then the fire had gone out but he was there, the look on his face, the scream he let loose...I have never seen a man hurt so much in my life. Then when the pain subsided his eyes took on such a cold and hard look. That night he told me I should never trust royalty and never forsake my heart for anything in the world. Then he kissed the top of my head, hugged me and left, I head later that he killed his wife and was then executed for his crimes.â€<br/><br/>His tale done he emptied his glass and sat there in silence for a bit, not sure why he had shared so much and why he had told the truth. He could have lied, he could have said anything else in the world, but he had not. Because it was her and he felt her pain understood it and wanted to be honest with her as she had been with him.</span><br/><br/>His sudden burst of anger had her jumping, physically leaning away from him as she jumped, eyes blinking wildly as she followed his train of thought.<span style="font-style: italic">She...she was...</span>Maria couldn't even finish the thought to herself, and she didn't even know the woman. To be murdered for your love, a love that couldn't ever be fully realized, it was a cruel fate.<br/><br/>A tear trickled down her cheek as she continued to listen, her heart lodging in her throat, lip trembling. What did one say to that? It made her feel horrible for how she'd been acting of her own fate, her own life. Everything felt trivial in comparison to all of that. So, she had to marry someone she'd never met. Big deal. His mother had<span style="font-style: italic">died</span>for loving a man she couldn't marry, and his father for avenging her...<br/><br/>What did one do to comfort for that? Was it even her place to try and offer comfort?<br/><br/>Hesitantly, a hand reached across the table to take one of his, eyes focused on it rather than his face as she wasn't sure if he'd allow her touch. Allow her to try and comfort through touch. He'd been nice up to this point, yes, but this was a personal subject, one she'd forced her way into knowing. If he'd allow her to...she'd try to comfort him the only way she could.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The touch of her hand as she held his own, it was a comfort and he just looked at it. This was not what he had planned when the drinks had been ordered and he had questioned her. There had been more the thought to further tease about the kiss. To harass her about being a spoiled brat and about her being...well...her. Now..it was different. He had shared his past with her, a past that none knew about, but he had felt inclined to share with her. <br/><br/>â€œThank you,â€ he spoke softly, his eyes flicked up to meet her own. They were no longer cold but that what emotion was there now one could not be sure, because he himself was not even sure.</span><br/><br/>When his eyes met hers, she lifted her gaze. There was a sadness in her eyes, but something else there...just like in his own. She was too buzzed to try and figure out what was there, and figure out what it was. Instead, she just let her thumb smooth over the back of his hand, and nod, remaining silent, unsure of how to move forward with any other topic.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">â€œHow about we open up the other bottle? Give it a taste?â€ he offered as he slowly extracted his hand from her own so that he could uncork it. â€œThis one is mixed with some wild berries so it will be sweet but also a bit tart...â€ he explained as he poured them each glasses. â€œHow about we toast to letting go of the past and looking forward to the future?â€ he asked with his glass raised.</span><br/><br/>There was a grateful nod, glad of something else to focus on as he poured the glass. Lifting her own, she tried at a small smile, but stopped part way through, feeling like it looked more akin to a grimace. "To letting go and moving forward," Maria agreed, raising it a touch higher before swirling it and taking a small sip, her face scrunching up at the tartness of it.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He chuckled a bit at her face, â€œThink I should have let it breathe a bit before I poured itâ€ then took a sip of his own and made the same face. â€œYes...definitely,â€ he chuckled again and smiled at her, this time there was a warmth in not only the smile but his eyes too.</span><br/><br/>She laughed, nodding as she replaced her glass on the table and stretched, neck popping a bit. "Yes, yes perhaps you should have," she agreed. "It'd pair well with venison, though. It's not dry, but not overly sweet as to overpower the meat...Maybe not the best left by itself."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Just think that tonight we get to sleep in a bed," he remarked as he eyes took in her stretch. "And a bath, I know that I smell like the dirty backside of a bufflo ass," he laughed at himself.</span><br/><br/>"A bed! I can't wait to sleep in a bed...And that bath!" There was a happy sound, one that could have been even slightly resembling a moan in her enthusiasm, but she was oblivious. "That warm water...just relaxing...and then being able to cuddle into a bed and blankets? I'll be in heaven."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The moan made him lick his lips slowly, though he worked at not focusing on it. "We are in for a treat tonight, that is for sure. Um...do you have any opposition to perhaps wearing pants?" he asked with a slight clearing of his throat.</span><br/><br/>"Hmm?" was her initial response, having been more focused on imagining the bed and the bath that awaited her. "I can't say I've ever worn pants...But pants are more practical, so it would be smarter to wear them, right?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Yes," he smiled. "They are more practical and well to me more comfortable, though I cannot say that I have ever worn a dress so my opinion is rather biased."</span><br/><br/>"You could try to wear mine?" she joked, waggling her brows a bit. "Though, it's a shame you couldn't try my corset before you cut into it...That'd have been a real experience." Then she laughed again, nodding, "We'll go with pants."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Doubt I would fit into the dress," he said as he stood and lift his shirt to show off his waist and thighs. "I am a bit....thicker than one would think..." he laughed. "Corsets are the most impractical thing in the world, I am astonished that women put themselves into that willingly"</span><br/><br/>There was another sound as her eyes wandered down what she could see of his form, before they closed as she laughed, shaking her head. "I was far from willing! I was forced into it as we were meant to test them, and apparently my waist needs to be comparable to the width of a coin."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"That is stupid. Where is a man supposed to place his hands when he and a woman...." his voice trailed off for a moment, tongue again darted out to lick suddenly dry lips. "Dance...."</span><br/><br/>Her eyes slipped to his lips as his tongue darted out over them, her own parting as she took a shaky breath, chest heaving a bit with the sudden effort it took to breathe. "I...don't know, but apparently not at their waist," she joked, though her voice was admittedly more breathy than she'd intended.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Well, those are stupid men. The curve of a woman's waist are one of the finest things in life," he replied tone pitched a bit deeper and would have continued had Cherral not arrived to let them know their rooms were ready.</span><br/><br/>There was another blush, but was ignored as the announcement of their rooms brought an even bigger smile to her lips. "I cannot wait...to take that bath," she remarked happily.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Perhaps it was a good thing that Cherral arrived at the time that she did? His mind clouded with drink and urges of a less than chaste mentality  had him thinking. But, their rooms were ready and he stood to follow Cherral up. When she showed them Maria's room, he went in first to check it over. Sometimes he would wipe his finger on something to taste, as he had to be sure, completely sure that someone did not think to poison her. When he was satisfied he took the door that lead to his own room and checked it as well, when it was all said and done he nodded to Cherral.<br/><br/>"Do her bath first, I will wait until she is done before I do mine," he stated simply. "That way I can be there to protect you should someone try something," he said to Maria with a small smile. <br/><br/>From there it was a matter of watching the inn employees bring up the tub and bucket, by bucket fill up the brass tub with hot water and sweet soaps and perfume. When they were done, he nodded to them then looked over at Maria, "This time there is no corset to help with, so I will just turn my back and wait for you to get in the tub? Ok?" <br/><br/>Would he be tempted to look? Would the sound of her as she undressed cause him to look? The sound of the water on her body....</span><br/><br/>Following Cherral's lead, she went up to her room, waiting where she was instructed to while BrÃ¡dach moved through the room, checking over everything. The way he tasted things had her perking a brow, swaying a bit as she stood in place, but she didn't question him. If anything, she were more focused on his body as it moved, and the muscles she could see rippling beneath the clothing and skin that she could see.<br/><br/>Then she continued to stand about as people moved around her, filling her tub with the intoxicatingly warm water, barely acknowledging BrÃ¡dach's instructions. There was a vague nod and she moved passed him, dipping her fingers in the water and allowing another low, throaty sound to escape. The dress he'd made was slid off without much ado, followed by the petticoats, chemise and bloomers, lowering into the tub and a full moan fell free.<br/><br/>Did she care? Not even remotely.<br/><br/>The water felt too amazing to keep her reactions bottled up, relaxing into it and letting her eyes close for a moment before she started to wash up. "So...BrÃ¡dach can I...ask you a question?" came a hesitant, slightly breathless voice.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The sounds of her moans and the clothing being removed had him...distracted. "um...ye...yes. Sure," he managed to get out as he cleared his throat.</span><br/><br/>Lagging on continuing to talk, she ran her hands over her arms, washing them before lifting a leg up and out, resting her foot on the edge of the tub to wash it carefully. "...What's it like? To...to<span style="font-style: italic">dance</span>with somebody?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The sounds of her moans and the clothing being removed had him...distracted. "um...ye...yes. Sure," he managed to get out as he cleared his throat.</span><br/><br/>Lagging on continuing to talk, she ran her hands over her arms, washing them before lifting a leg up and out, resting her foot on the edge of the tub to wash it carefully. "...What's it like? To...to<span style="font-style: italic">dance</span>with somebody?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">That was an interesting question and it took him a moment to answer. "It is...well...not the same wtih each person," he began to explain. "But...those who you feel something for. It feels better, I would say..."</span><br/><br/>As she listened, she tried to wash her back, shoulders popping as she shifted, so she left it alone for the time being. Instead, she leaned her arms on the edge of the tub and looked over at him, completely focused. "But...I don't have anything to compare it to...nothing to even...base what feels good and what doesn't on...to say it feels better...Can you...describe it? Or...compare it to something?"<br/><br/>Yes, she was being slightly forward, but she was curious. Her inhibitions were gone for the moment, and Maria had an urge to ask, so she did.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">For some reason his throat was suddenly dry but that did not stop him from answering her. "Once...I thought that I loved this girl. She was sweet and made me smile," he began to explain. "When she and I <span style="font-style: italic">danced</span> it was.. special. I can remember every moment and will always remember it. That first time is special...."</span><br/><br/>There was a happy sigh, a soft sort of whimper as her mind ran away with her...and then reality hit her and she dropped back in the tub with a heavier sigh, this one more frustrated and disheartened. She'd never get that. Her first time would hurt, as he'd said, and it'd most likely be her last time. It wouldn't be special, it wouldn't feel "better", as he'd said. "Sounds incredible..." was all she said on it, dipping into the water to wet her hair a bit more and then popped back up, removing all of the pins finally and running her fingers through it.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He sighed as he realized that he should have thought before he spoke and taken into consideration her future situation. "The first time for one person is not the same for every person and it can...happen later. As in...well that first time feeling can happn with someone after your first time...." he said and tried to help and make her feel better.</span><br/><br/>A bitter laugh fell free before she could stop it, quiet, falling out as a few tears fell though she didn't acknowledge them. "My first time won't happen. I'm marrying him, remember? I'll forever be the Queen of Sirmia...Married to a man who won't love me, whom I'm expected to bear an heir for, and that'll be that..." She stopped, dipping below the water so that the tears could look like just water, if he looked, wanting her hair not to look frizzy. "Sorry, I shouldn't be complaining about this. Forget it...Thank you for answering my questions.."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He turned about slowly, though he kept his eyes averted. "Maria...I'm sorry...." he whispered to her. "If...it were not for your situation....things would be different, right? You would do what you wanted and not worry about anything else," he paused. "We...could do what we wanted...." he said in an even softer voice.</span><br/><br/>There was another laugh, though this one sounded more like a sob, she couldn't even look at him. Wouldn't even look at him. "Well, sure, I could do what I wanted, but what good is it to think about what I'm missing out on?" she sobbed quietly, no longer attempting to hide the tears. "I'm stuck. And, if I hadn't been stuck, I wouldn't have met you in the first place, so I couldn't ever have gotten what I wanted, because I wouldn't have known you otherwise to figure out what I want."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He felt for her, ached for her even. "We can...do....something without you, losing your virtue," he said the words carefully and watched her reaction closely.</span><br/><br/>There was a brief glimmer of hope, her heart skipping a beat, only to dash it away, physically bringing her fist down into the water in anger. "Do what, BrÃ¡dach? Because I don't know of anything I can do...and it would just be tease anyway..." Then she looked at him, cheeks tear stained and eyes desperate and hurting. "What can we do? Why do you even want to do anything? I thought you hated me; I mean, it got worse after that kiss and then you didn't speak to me for four days..."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Our lives were not what we wanted them to be," he began, his eyes now boldly found her own and held them. "We suffered at the hands of thos who thought they were in the right," he knelt at the tub. "I thought you were like them...but you are like me....," he reached out and cupped the side of her face. "I want to...at least share in one thing with you so that you can at least have something through all of this...."</span><br/><br/>For the first time since she'd gotten into the tub, he looked at her, he held her gaze. Her breath hitched, tears still falling as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart skipped several beats, leaning into his touch as he cupped her face, trying to keep herself in check enough to hear what he said. "Sh-Share what, BrÃ¡dach?" she asked, not sure what they could share in that kept her virtue intact. "I don't..I don't know of anything...I just...I'm so lost and alone and I just..."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He leaned in and kissed her, as he had in the cave. It was soft, it was tender and sweet while he held her to him. If he could do anything for her it would be this one thing. A moment of pure pleasure that she can hold onto when her nights grow cold and lonely. For right now, they were the only ones in the world.</span><br/><br/>Any breath she'd had left was gone the minute his lips hit hers. Her eyes drifted closed, a hand held his to her cheek, and another reached up to hold his own, not caring that she was wet in a tub.  BrÃ¡dach was kissing her, was doing the very thing she'd been thinking about since he'd saved her from the river, was doing exactly what she'd pictured...There was nothing else that mattered. Nothing at all. Just him, and his kiss. The war could wait.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">As the kiss continued he worked at deepening it. His tongue sought entrance to her mouth, his free hand rose up to glide across her shoulder, then slowly lower until just the tips of his fingers brushed across her nipples. This was not anything he had ever thought would happen after the first time, but now...he wanted it to happen and would make sure it was what she deserved and hoped it would be.</span><br/><br/>Maria had never kissed a man like this. Ever. Yes, she'd kissed a man, but it was always on the cheek, to congratulate him on winning whatever competition she'd been the prize of. He had been her first real kiss, and now...Now his tongue was passed her parting lips and she felt nervous, but in a good way. Her tongue danced along his own, hands holding him closer and then she jumped a bit, the fingers that skimmed across her nipples bringing about such a startling reaction. It was electric. Where his touch had been like fire, the minute he got close to them, the fire turned white hot. An ache she'd only felt once before, with him, had started up in full swing, and it left her moaning into his mouth, hands gripping a little tighter.<br/><br/>Her mind was trying to work through what was going on, what they could do that wouldn't compromise anything, even as a voice was screaming at her to stop kissing him. That she needed to stop and shouldn't have allowed it to start, but she wanted him. She wasn't married yet, and while her hand was promised elsewhere, that hand hadn't even seen the Prince's yet, so a kiss wouldn't hurt right?