King Chester had been rather enjoying himself, his wine, and his company this evening. Almost since they had taken their seats at the table, he had begun regaling King Imperium with tales of his son’s time in their court. It seemed to him that the King must not have had too high an opinion of his oldest son, but he was quite pleased upon hearing the stories of his time with them.<br/><br/>He had been so pleased that he had summoned the boy to join them. Before long, the familiar young man pushed the doors open and came walking in and took a seat between them. “Yes, you were quite entertaining, and a good friend to my daughter!” Chester told him, “It was always a comfort to know you were protecting her!” he added, laughing heartily.<br/><br/>The idea of the young man protecting her once again was a welcomed one. He knew that she was not thrilled to be here, even if she had accepted this duty without protest. It would be a great comfort to him to know that she had a friend to make her feel more comfortable, and to protect her at once.<br/><br/>It brought him great joy that the young vampire prince had agreed to watch over her. He was not sure about allowing them to sleep in the same room together, though. It was not proper, at least in their own culture. It did bring some comfort to know that it was not improper here, but he was not entirely convinced.<br/><br/>That was the case, at least, right up until Valolie mouthed off, suggesting that Valor could not stop someone like him from… well, something that was undoubtedly unpleasant, but which he never got the chance to speak. Valor was quick to react to the threat, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was not only capable of but willing to protect Ariella. In fact, he seemed more than willing, as the abrupt change in his demeanor suggested that he truly cared for her safety.<br/><br/>As if to break the tension, King Chester stood and clapped his hands together loudly, giving a hearty chuckle. “Well done!” he said to Valor before gesturing for him to return to his seat, “Come, join us again,” he said, returning to his own seat. He took another deep drink of the wine and looked to King Imperium, “I am glad you enjoyed the wine! It is the finest wine our country has to offer. Only the best for my daughter’s wedding, after all,” he laughed heartily.<br/><br/>When Valor returned, he turned his attention to the young man. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the alcohol, but his deep blue eyes still managed to carry some wisdom in them. “I admit, I was hesitant to agree to your suggestion,” he told him thoughtfully. “But you have proven that you are more than capable of protecting my daughter. If you believe that this is the best way you can do so, then so be it,” he agreed to Valor’s request. “I will leave her in your hands. Please protect her, and make sure she feels welcomed in her new home,” he sounded surprisingly sober and even solemn as he spoke, before he suddenly raised as glass and grinned, “To Prince Valor!”<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Ariella didn’t intend for her movements to be so mechanical; it was just hard to get into something like this when you felt nothing. There was no love, nor even any desire, so what was there to fuel her actions but duty. She didn’t want it to be so uncomfortable, for herself or for him. She didn’t want them both to be miserable. She didn’t want to punish them both for something that was neither of their faults.<br/><br/>It wasn’t fair to him for her to be so cold towards him, either. It wasn’t his fault. It was just easier to feel nothing than to feel the weight of everything. In truth, though, she had no idea how to make it more comfortable, for either of them. She’d only ever been with one person, so her own experience was rather limited. She hadn’t had to make him more comfortable, and she might have felt shy and embarrassed the first time they had been together, but she’d never felt uncomfortable, per se. Not like she felt now.<br/><br/>She couldn’t help but notice how shy his actions were, and she wondered if he was in the same boat that she was in. His actions were timid and shy as he touched her breast, teasing the nipple between his thumb and index finger. It was a stark contrast to the bold confidence of his brother. Not that she hated that. It made her feel a little less nervous, knowing that he felt just as timid as she did.<br/><br/>She didn’t miss the way he bit his lip, seeming to be thinking of something before he tentatively averted his gaze and leaned down. She wondered what it was he had been thinking about, but she could guess who it was, anyways. She tried not to dwell on that, just as she tried not to dwell on Valor. She tried not to feel awkward, to try to relax, to not resist so much. If she kept this up, they would be here all night. It was best to try to let herself feel<span style="font-style: italic">something</span>.<br/><br/>If nothing else, it was cute, or at least somewhat endearing how shy he was, and how his cheeks blushed softly when he took her other nipple in his mouth, teasing it gently with his tongue before sucking softly. It was a pleasant sensation, although perhaps more so if her mind would stop drifting off, trying to think of someone else. It felt somewhat embarrassing, but she let out a soft sigh, trying to give him something to let him know that it was not an unpleasant sensation. She had to appreciate that he was trying to do something she might enjoy, to try to make her more comfortable.<br/><br/>She forced herself to relax, to disconnect her thoughts and emotions and try to just think of it as physical enjoyment. Doing so was not exactly her forte, or at least it was not a skill she had ever applied in this arena, but she knew it was something that other people did, so why couldn’t she? Objectively speaking, he was attractive, even if she’d pointed been ignoring that fact, and he was cute, so if she had to do this, she might as well enjoy it. It wouldn’t be the same as it was with Valor, she knew that, but it didn’t have to be torture or unpleasant, either.<br/><br/>She allowed the muscles in her body to relax, rather than being so tense. Closing her eyes, she tried not to think about anything, tried to just focus her mind and body on the physical sensations rather than any emotions that might want to invade. She gently placed her right hand on his head, forcing herself to get over her own timidity and at least touch him. If he could do it, so could she. She found that his white hair was surprisingly soft, almost as soft as her own. She decided to leave her hand there for the moment, playing with his locks of hair as she tried to let herself be more comfortable with him.<br/><br/>It got easier after that, both of them gradually growing used to one another, becoming less uncomfortable and awkward. After this, they shed the remainder of their clothing and Aria led him to the bed, where they made love—if you wished to call it that. It was still nothing to write home about in comparison to what she was sure both of them had experienced in the past, but that was to be expected, wasn’t it? Perhaps it would have been different if neither of them had been with someone else, or if they weren’t both in love with other people, but then again, maybe not.<br/><br/>After that, they had both dressed and gone to the party. Aria hadn’t stayed long because she had been exhausted from the day’s events, and because for some reason, all of the strong smells just seemed to make her stomach uneasy. Then again, perhaps it was just all of the nerves. Whatever the reason was, she hadn’t felt well, so she had done only what was strictly necessary in the way of pleasantries and such, and then she had retired for the night, along with her new husband.<br/><br/>She had initially slept somewhat restlessly in the new bed, tossing and turning, despite the person who slept next to her. She also struggled with nightmares that were no doubt brought on by the stress. At some point, though, she was finally able to relax and get some rest, and she slept through the remainder of the night without waking. She hadn’t even woken when Jalice had left the bed, nor when someone else joined her.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">The next morning…</span><br/>Ariella wasn’t sure what time it was when she finally began to stir. The room lacked any windows at all, which was rather disorienting, and made telling time difficult. As her sleep slowly faded and her mind became more aware, she suddenly realized that she was in someone’s arms.  This was not expected—but not unpleasant—and it took a moment for her mind to process it before it seemed to remember the events of the previous night. The moment she came to this realization, she instinctively jerked away, pulling herself free of his arms and then turning to face him.<br/><br/>She had expected to find Jalice, but instead, it was Valor that she found herself face to face with. Still at least a little groggy from the sleep and the lack of any natural light in the room, she couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. As if to make sure she wasn’t seeing things before she spoke, she rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away all of the sleep from them, so that she could see clearly. But even after doing it, he was still there.<br/><br/>“Valor?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “What are you doing here?” she wondered, her eyes searching his furiously, as if she would find the answers to the million other questions she had buried somewhere inside that sea of violet. “You shouldn't be here. If they find you, they’ll—” she stopped, realizing that right at that moment, she didn’t want him to leave, even if it was risky.<br/><br/>Some part of her told her that she should be mad at him, or at least hurt, while another part of her warned her for probably the millionth time now that she shouldn’t be involved with him, and then there was the that little voice that told her that she didn’t need to be afraid, that she knew she wanted him, so why resist? As usual, it was this last voice that she listened to. Her eyes stung from a few tears that she sprung uninvited to her eyes as she reached out and touched his face; but these tears were ignored as she leaned in and kissed him harder than she meant to, pouring all the things she felt for him into the kiss; love, longing, pain, sadness, desire, and so many other things she didn’t have words to say right then.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Rosalie pouted when Kera insisted that she wasn’t going to let her fight with Angry Kera. It made her smile just a little when Angry Kera smirked at her and essentially challenged her, asking if she thought she could stop them if they were to fight. As much as she did want to fight, she didn’t want to upset Kera. Perhaps another time she could convince her.<br/><br/>She laughed despite herself when Kera explained why she was late, attributing it to her terrible sense of direction and the two other versions of herself that she referred to as baggage. Kera was different than anyone else she’d ever met. Maybe some might think she was weird, but she was amusing as hell, and somehow, she always seemed to know what to say to ease the tension. It was a talent that she herself had definitely not been blessed with.<br/><br/>“You were never good with directions, were you? How is it that you travel so much if you never know where you’re going?” she wondered, “Or maybe that’s why you stay away for so long? Because you can’t find your way home?” she was teasing, because humor helped her to forget that she was hurting, and she knew that Kera wouldn’t mind.<br/><br/>When Kera placed a hand on her shoulder, though, she knew that she was going to say something serious, so she focused on her, listening to her words. She felt tears rise unbidden to her eyes when the woman reminded her of the situation at hand, of her pain, telling her that she was sorry. She quickly wiped them away, hating that she probably seemed so weak and pathetic right now.<br/><br/>It meant a lot to her that Kera could say those things and mean them when she knew that she’d had issues with Jalice in the past. But she put those things aside because she knew how much Rosalie loved him, how much it must hurt her to watch him get married to someone else. She was right. It ripped her up inside. It felt like someone just stabbed a knife into her heart and just kept twisting it and stabbing her over and over instead of just letting her die.<br/><br/>She hugged Crying Kera when she was pulled into another of her hugs. She hated to admit it, but she kind of needed it, so she wouldn’t push her away like she might have any other day. She laughed a little through the tears when Kera suddenly pulled her away, telling the other two versions of herself to disappear for now, which they reluctantly obeyed.<br/><br/>Her brown eyes shifted to the remaining Kera when she told her that if there was anything she could do, she could ask. “Thank you,” she said, feeling just a little bit better knowing that at least someone was on her side. She wanted to ask her to help her kidnap this princess and get Jalice back, but she knew that she couldn’t do that. Well, she couldn’t drag Kera into it if she did, anyways.<br/><br/>“Really? You’ll stay?” she asked hopefully. “I would love for you to stick around, if you can,” she admitted before quickly looking away and clearing her throat. “I mean… If you want to… that’d be cool with me,” she corrected herself, feeling self-conscious about so readily agreeing, as if doing so meant admitting that she couldn’t or didn’t want to handle this alone. She didn’t want to seem weak or pathetic, after all.<br/><br/>“Were you planning to attend the feast?” she hated to ask, as she didn’t particularly want to attend herself, but she knew that Kera had come all this way for the wedding, so it seemed selfish of her to keep the woman from attending at least some of the festivities. She wasn’t sure if she could control herself if she had to watch Jalice and the princess enter the feast, knowing where they had come from, what they had done. It made her angry just to think about it. But if Kera were with her, she thought that it would be at least a little more bearable.<br/><br/>She ended up going to the feast, just to see if she could catch a glimpse of Jalice, maybe even talk to him alone for a moment, but by the time she had arrived, they were gone. She found out from someone that the princess had not been feeling well, so she had retired for the night, and he had gone with her, to make sure she was okay. Rosalie felt irritated by this, but there was little she could do about it now. She couldn’t very well storm through the halls to their room and barge in. If she did, what would she even say?<br/><br/>Instead, she just left the party, heading back to her room. As she walked back, she suddenly remembered something. How had she forgotten? Jalice was leaving tomorrow to spend some time traveling around the Valic Dominion to meet with various different lords. He had invited her to travel with him. The princess would not be going, which meant that she would have at least several days, if not longer, to spend with him, without his new wife.<br/><br/>This put a bit of a pep in her step, although she tried not to make this much obvious as she stalked off to her room, giving anyone who looked her way and irritated glance, as if she were insulted by the fact that they even bothered to look her way. Once she was in her room, though, she couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as she spun around the room happily for a time, before remembering that she needed to pack her bag. That didn’t take long, though, and before long, she had a fully packed bag waiting near the door, and an outfit for the morning sitting out.<br/><br/>She changed into something more suited for sleeping and then climbed into her bed. As she did, she found a note under her pillow. She quirked a brow and brought it out in front of her so that she could read it. She sighed a little when she recognized the handwriting but read it anyways. Once upon a time, she would have burned it, and even now, she normally would have gotten irritated just reading it, but right now, she didn’t have it in her.<br/><br/>She had once confessed her love to him, and he had rejected her. He’d been more interested in human girls, so naturally, she wasn’t his type. She’d been so angry at him for not reciprocating her feelings, for liking humans, for being such a playboy, and it had left a bitter taste in her mouth for years. When she had fallen in love with Jalice, though, she realized that whatever she had felt for Valor back then, it wasn’t love. It was a crush, an infatuation with the charming and talented boy that many other girls had fallen prey to, both at that time and since then. What she felt for Jalice, that was real love. There was no comparison.<br/><br/>After that, her anger and hatred for him had dwindled, but she’d never been able to truly be friends with him again. Most of the time, she still acted like she hated him; it was easier than trying to mend a broken friendship, and it meant not having to reveal that soft and vulnerable side of herself that she didn’t like to show others. Perhaps one day, though, that could change. She didn’t think it would be today, but perhaps someday, especially if he truly did understand her pain.<br/><br/>She wondered what he meant by those words, but she didn’t wish to dwell on it now, as it reminded her of the pain that she was trying not to think about. She crumpled the note up and tossed it on her desk, closing her eyes and forcing the thoughts away. She wanted to will this dreadful day away and wake up to a better day.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">The next morning</span>:<br/>Rosalie woke earlier than she normally would have, probably because she’d gone to bed excited to get up today. She started her day by going out for a run to blow off some steam, then came back and washed off before getting up for the day. Her bag was already packed, so she snatched it up and headed off towards where she was supposed to meet Jalice before they headed out.<br/><br/>She was a little early, so she guessed that he probably wouldn’t be there, but she didn’t mind waiting. Better to wait there for him than to wait alone in her room for time to pass by. At least this way, if he arrived early, she would be waiting to greet him, and she could see him just a little sooner.