The Offering (Markas, Azure)

[Lovely]

November 26th 2009
2 a.m.

By the moons, what was she doing here? The same she could and should ask of him, being so far from his usual course of duty, but this was the only place he could come, it seemed, to feel he could be comfortably away. She'd come upon him suddenly, or so it might seem to her. He'd been in the clearing for a while, enjoying the peace the night air brought, and the promise of her pending arrival that was sweet on the light breeze. She appeared and he rose slowly, as though she'd caught him and he fawned at the mercy of her blade, stepping closer to show he meant no harm to her. "M'lady smiles like sister to the Second Moon. Should I check for fangs?" He greeted her with the compliment of the shine of her hair and grace like the very second moon that lit the woods in which they stood, though some found insult in the saying.

She could handle a sword a bit, though she pretended she was as sure with it as she was with a needle or harp. The blonde girl was young, petite but nearly perfectly carved, she was shorter than the man who rose and from his attire she figured he belonged to the house she was supposed to be sneaking to. She was young and usually level headed but the recklessness of youth had gotten the better of her this night. "You have to get quite close to check for fangs... are you sure you want to come that close?" She did her best to pretend she was as confident as he seemed and not worried about his sudden unexpected appearance.

He pulled closer, moving slowly still so she could see him as clearly as he could her without the moons' gracious beam. He smiled gently, briefly, not trying to challenge her but simply clarify what her business was, if not him. "Your point?"

He was more confident than she was and she knew she was well out matched in skill, size, and strength, but she did have her intelligence and wit that might help her slip out of this spot of trouble. "That I might.. have points?" Her smile was faint but curved her lips ever so sweetly, her eyebrow arched as she looked him over, he didn't seem overy concerned at the blade she held, surprising herself with keeping it so steady. "Who's side are you on?"

"Mine," he shrugged slightly, speaking truth enough for even the least trained to believe. His gaze danced in the moonlight as he chuckled a little, not moving any further. Even if she believed he was not against her, belief was not the same as trust.

The girl watched him for a long moment, considering her words carefully, he had his own wit and was certainly not a mindless beast. She knew she could easily find herself in a world of trouble, yet he'd made no truly aggressive moves to show his intention was so. Perhaps it wasn't, but she didn't yet know for sure and was hesitant to trust him fully, though something tugged at her, whispered to her ear that she could and should. "Which side is Mine aligned with?" She finally asked, hoping for a more definite answer from him.

She appeared to gauge carefully what was said and if she would not lower her blade for him to dance her around the clearing, he would try with his words instead. His brow lifted though his gaze was as piercing as her sword. "The one that says I get to find out what else you might have besides fangs that might interest me, hm?"

Her eyes widened a bit and for a moment she didn't breathe as she regarded him, part of her warned that he was dangerous and part of her enjoyed his charm as it was. Her green eyes met his though they were not as sharp as his. "What if neither side says you do?"

He frowned and pondered that briefly. "Well then I'd guess I get to pretend that I like the side that says I do, so that I can. If it's still neither, then I must resort to asking m'lday, which side does she want me on?"

It was just a ruse, he was charming her to distract her from her intended destination, he couldn't possibly be interested in anything about her. A hint of a smirk twitched her lips into an amused expression. "The side that wants me to get into that castle to find out how my kin are faring with the enemy." She pointed in the direction she'd been heading and toward the Onmadian keep.

[Lovely]

"That castle there? How they're faring on Onmadian grounds? Why... if they're busy making love and not war, doesn't that make your father's job a little easier? Good thing that, since he's in bad health, right?" A lone messenger sent out to observe the welfare of her brethren on enemy grounds... why was he confused? He listened for more. "Go on."

Her expression shifted to something more guarded and cautious, hiding as best she could any fear she felt. "That's what I'm here to find out.. and don't worry about my father's health.. worry about your own." Her voice held an edge nearly as sharp as her sword, the point of which touched his throat. ".. and how do you know who I am?"

He sighed and pushed the blade point away, though it cut his throat and fingertip a little. "Someone.. who knows who you are and why you're here. I'm not here to fight you. No blade was drawn on you."

He had a valid arguement there and it pulled her lips into a small pout, her eyes steady on his face and her blade lowered, a little. "You know more about me than I do about you.. that tends to put one on the defensive, especially when so far from home and allies.. I am merely keeping myself ... safe." Again her words were chosen carefully, delivered cautiously.

He smiled nobly. "I would daresay, you'd be more safe not killing one of that castle's princes, hm? Safer still to have one of them invite you in... far safer than beheading him and still having to fight the guard to get your answers?"

"Damn it." She sighed and narrowed her eyes on him. "You would be.. wouldn't you.." She chuckled softly and shook her head. ".. why would you help me? After all.. I am the enemy."

He looked at her and the surrounding clearing, searching for a clever retort as well as a hint of how many of her entourage were hiding at the edges. He shrugged, holding her gaze. "We're not our fathers. You're his enemy. Does that mean you're mine as well?"

"Usually.." She replied softly, shifting her hand to stow her blade and let her eyes wander past him towards the castle. "Do you know.. what my kin has been authorized to offer your father in barter?" She took a step closer to him a flash of challenge in her eyes.

He shook his head. "That would be the purpose of our meeting here. I was to find that out only you were faster in arriving here than I was leaving to find my answers in your father's house. So... well met," he grinned, holding his ground as she came closer to him again. "You could make my journey much shorter if you don't keep me in suspense."

"I'd rather behead the messenger before the offer can be made.. if you would kindly point me in the right direction." The edges of her smile curled up in an amused expression, though her eyes burned with a determined fire.

"The castle's there. Rather hard to miss it," he gestured over his shoulder, keeping wary of her temper and her blade. "The thing is, traveling alone when the guard knows I've just come through here..." He shook his head again. "If you'll accept the escort, I'd rather take you than point you there."

"Why should I trust you to help me.. you know very well it will look as though your house assasinated our emmisary.. what would you gain from that, unless you plan to turn me in, turn your guards on me.. or simply get me close enough to kill me or capture me yourself?"

He laughed. "If it was your capture... in that fashion... I'd have done it already. I told you, I'm not here to fight you. If it were to appear however, that you are holding me hostage and demanding entrance into my own home, upon threat of my death, you as their emissary are safe and unharmed, my guard is amused although worried, but they'll get over it, and I have a story to tell my grandchildren someday of how I allowed myself to be apprehended by a ... girl." He winked, trying to reassure her that her demise in such a publicly noteworthy fashion was farthest from his thoughts, though he had workings in his mind of capturing her in other ways.

Her eyes sparkled and she chuckled softly. "You're assuming that I can allow word that I was here to get to anyone.. I am not here on behalf of my house.. you're also assuming I can allow you to walk away, knowing I was here and what my intent was.. whether I am able to see it through or I am deterred." The emerald of her dancing eyes swept over him and she sighed once more. "Pity we had to meet this way.. given time you might have been able to convince me that your kind are not all wretched beings."

[Lovely]

"By 'my kind' you may wish to be a little more specific... princess. Or is it warrior today... or outcast... or 'gift'? You've given me much of the answer I sought. Now answer one more. Do you really pity that we've met?"

A quick retort came to her and nearly flew at him from her sharp tongue, but she paused and studied him for a long moment before she replied. "I.. am not sorry that we met.. only sorry for the circumstance." Her teeth nibbled the inner edge of her lower lip and her hand came away from her side, unarmed and extended towards him slightly. "It's Azure.. the gift.. that keeps giving?" A tiny smile peeked from beyond the tilt of her head to hide it.

"And a pleasure to receive," he nodded, his stance betraying his station as a lord and not a simple commoner. His ungloved fingers took her hand to offer the kiss to her knuckle, his fingers nearly as cool as the blade he'd slid aside moments before. "I have no intentions of 'turning you over' either, if that is your concern. Behead me if that is your intent, but please, don't pierce my heart further," he grinned. "I've insulted you and I am sorry for it. As I am expected to be away, then away I shall be. You want your answers. I am not my father, but I am his thoughts and secrets and I ... am your willing captive if you will grace me with a smile."

She held her breath for the time his lips touched her skin, her gaze locked on him.. her enemy who now enchanted her. His skin was cool and she wondered if he'd been born with the blessing or if he'd been chosen.. or perhaps both. She'd been born with certain aspects of the blessing and proven herself worthy of an elder to gift her further. She'd not yet undergone the full change, which meant she was more vunerable to him then she'd first percieved, he might have the power to finish what had been started. "His thoughts and his secrets.. then answer this.. If offered a daughter of the House of Devhano.. would he accept and what fate would that daughter face? He has no use of a wife or consort for himself.. " Her eyes flickered to castle for a moment and then to his again.

"Him?" He laughed, holding her fingers a moment longer than perhaps he'd intended. "He has need of nothing but a nurse to pour out his bed of his filth every evening. He would serve as a better 'king' of pigs then of men. If that's the fate your father intends, perhaps I should take your blade and render mercy on you now. If, instead, he means you to have a prince," his eyes warmed slightly, though his expression was still chilling and telling of how much he disliked his father. "Then I may borrow that same blade to ward off my brothers from your hand and thank them at once that I met you first."

"I suppose my fate is at your father's discresion.. should he accept the terms.. unless someone else stood in his place in this matter.. " Her fingers swept down to run over the gently curved blade and she watched the shadows move beyond the lit windows of the keep. "Did you know our emmisary has permission to deal with a prince of Onmadia, should your father be too ill to attend the meeting."

She spoke as if offering the information off hand and gripped the handle of her blade, pulling it free. Azure held it out to this prince, the blade poised at her own throat and waiting for him to take. "If you were given the chance.. what would you really choose?.. Tis a fine blade."

"It is," he nodded, reaching slowly for it if she would truly allow his hand to take it, but only to lower it from harming her. "I would therefore not soil it in such a manner... not if the emissary has an alternative to dealing with the lump of wilted flesh that was once the grand Onmadian King. If a prince may say that indeed the man is too ill to attend his continence, then he is also too ill to attend his affairs. That same prince would take audience in his father's place and thereby decide your fate... if that is more agreeable?"

Her fingers curled slowly around his as she let him take and lower the blade from her neck, her hand lingered a moment before pulling away to leave the blade in his. "It is more agreeable and much less bloody." She spoke softly and sincerely, nodding her approval. "Of course.. that still leaves you with the problem of a Devhanon Princess wandering alone through your territory at night.. I could cause all sorts of trouble if left unattended for too long.. " She didn't quite smile but winked, though whether that meant she would behave or wouldn't was left to his interpretation.

[Lovely]

"And what sorts of trouble might I count on you to cause if you're not left unattended?" He tipped the blade and stepped closer to her to sheath it properly back at her side. "For safe keeping. Can't have a Princess run around unarmed, can we?"

She leaned closely to him, her mouth a mere breath from his and her eyes partially shuttered, a hand lifting to cup his cheek gently. "The kind of trouble that you'd need to be there for."

"Then I'd better not let you go astray, should I?" There was warmth in her breath and the sweetness of life about her he could taste. In truth, he was a prince - by blood, but not by birth. His loyalties, being chosen were those chosen for him and at this moment the ones he chose for himself were to none but those in the clearing... himself and her. "So whose side does that place me on now?"

"Mine." Her whisper would reach his ear but carry no further as she accepted his allegience with a lingering kiss. Her arm snaking up between them to clutch his shirt and bring him closer for a deeper taste, her other hand still gently cupping his cheek.

Her lips were warmer than her breath and traced hotly over his chilled mouth. There was an essence, a taint that flowed with the kiss, her brethren, indeed his enemy, but that wasn't his top concern as he let her explore as she wished. If she sought fangs, she'd find them. From his own belt, a small dagger found his fingers and this instead was placed to her throat gently.

The cool metal against her soft skin froze her in mid kiss, she pulled her mouth away from his, careful of her movements and her expression questioned this action as her hands dropped away from him. "and so the tables turn.." She murmured, cautious of what he would do now.

"It's not what you think," he said, tipping the knife so only the barest of scratches was left and the tiniest of ruby drops appeared on the tip of the blade. He watched the wound close and pulled the drop to his lip, smelling before tasting it to clean his blade. He then offered her the same favor of himself, scratching a similar mark at his own shoulder, though hardly any mark remained once the blood marred blade was given to her. "It is not an attack. It is a precaution."

Her brow arched and she accepted the blade from him but did not yet take the drop from the metal. "A precaution? I don't understand.."

He smiled. "A matter of trust? You are not like I am. I'm not certain it is something you wish to be. I have just pledged allegiance to you beyond our stations, princess. If you are willing to do the same, I will do you nothing beyond your bidding, nor any less."

Her fingers toyed with the dagger and she smiled gently. "Your taste.. did it tell you what you needed to know?" She wasn't like him, she'd been born to her station and though not fully blessed at birth, the gifts she held were enough to set her apart. "I am intended to finish what was begun.. it's no longer a choice for me." The tip of her tongue cleaned his blood from the dagger and she held the small weapon out for him to take. "The only choice would be to allow you to finish it instead of the other. To 'bind' me to you, to bind us in that way.. but is that something you'd wish to do?"

"If it is your majesty's wish for it, though I will not do it here," he nodded and cautioned her at once. "The pain of it is immeasurable and I would do you the courtesy of any comfort I can provide in the release of what mortal coil remains yours to hold... if it truly is inevitable. Though to think such beauty as you stand here now would be everlasting, I can scarcely think why I would dare hesitate, but there is advantage in delaying the process. My father does still live and breathe and I do have brothers that would detest as much as he would having you in our house. For them to know you were turned by me would not be beneficial... yet."

Azure nodded, understanding at least somewhat his reasoning. "Perhaps.. in your negotiations.. you could request or stipulate that I remain as I am.. until you finish the change.. I am not sure how best to pursue the matter." She'd come here, head strong and rebellious, intending to demolish her father's plan to give her over to the Onmadia House and now it appeared as though she was helping ensure her fate would be so. "Should I return home or would it be better that I stay close by? If your brothers truly feel the way you say.. my travel home may no longer be safe."

[Lovely]

"And to choose not to travel and stay close... would you feel more safe? He laughed a little that staying with the man who'd put a knife to her throat would be more appealing than taking flight. The laugh faded to darker truths as he continued. "The road to either house is the least of worries you should consider. I've already told you, I will not turn you here, but I did not say I would not finish it... I merely said 'not yet'. That part of the negotiation should be quick enough - it will be when I decide I want to get into deeper trouble." He smiled, not swayed by the promise of such 'trouble' as he put the knife away and felt the slow light whisper of her trickling into his mind and heart from the drop on his blade.

"The question was not if I'd feel more safe, it was which would be more safe for me. Your answer only tells me what I already know, which is that neither is truly safe. I am no more safe in this wood than I am in my home, or on the road.. it may be slightly safer than the Onmadian castle.." She shrugged softly, letting out a sigh as she folded her hand in front of her waist. "As I have already agreed to your terms and to allowing you to be the one to finish my transformation it is not an issue with me where you purpose to take such action. I merely suggested stipulating in your negotiations with the messenger that was sent, that you are to be the one to do so, which we would hope would deter anyone else from forcing such upon me." She explained her postition as not questioning his intent or trying to debate with him. "I was merely asking what you'd suggest is the safest course of action for me right now, since I have already entrusted my fate and future safe keeping to you. I suppose upon considering it I would like to remain close or accompany you, but that does not mean it would be at all wise." Azure chanced a small smile at him, hoping she had not offended him by speaking her mind so openly. "I am sure if left unattended I might find some trouble to get myself into." It was a slight tease, considering how he'd found her alone and set upon a dangerous mission of her own device. Her eyes took in his movements and she wondered what he might be thinking about the head strong princess he'd come upon in the wood.

Again his laugh was light and the moonlight cast a silver shine and sparkle into his eyes. "Whoever said we needed to wait until negotiations are over to start trouble? Apparently I already have," he pointed out, getting a clearer picture of such trouble in his mind the more her essence rooted within him. The single drop she'd taken, although strong, was likely only to allow her to grasp pale shadows of his thoughts, though he wondered whether he underestimated her as she'd amazed him so much thus far. "If we were to be wise, we would simply stay here," he sighed, glancing toward the castle where his duty lay as well as her mission. "Though I find seeking out trouble and having an able accomplice quite enticing."

Azure found herself chuckling softly at his first comment and nodding to his second in regard to 'if they were wise'. He was right on that account but he was also enticing her to go find trouble to stir up. "Then I'd suggest negotiating quickly and coming to find me.. or keeping me close at hand to start trouble with after negotiations." She responded with a slight and tempting smile of her own.

"If you instigate trouble half as well as you've started the negotiations themselves....," he paused, not wanting to stir much else into their ideas or he feared they would never leave the wood, nor would he care except knowing that he'd detained possibly the only hope of ending the battles between their houses. Markas sighed lightly, shaking his head that filled with mischievous thoughts and turned the fire around the smoke in his dark green eyes. "I fear, it's nearly time to go then."

She looked at him the confusion clear on her face as she shook her head a little. "I have not started any negotiations.. I never even reached the palace... and I was trying to prevent the negotiations." She glanced down at the ground, lost and not understanding anything more than his comment of it nearly being time to go. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"You could say that," he chuckled, his tongue slipping over his own lip. Perhaps she could read more into the way he looked at her, the gaze melting over her features as he understood more about her from only the first small taste. Her blood called to him to drink more, and her essence sang to be held, but he had to endure patiently for now.

For a moment she had no idea what his answer meant but she watched as his gaze melted over her and she understood. Azure shook her head with a slight nervous laugh. "I suppose I left myself open for that.." She cleared her throat softly and rephrased her inquiry. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

He motioned to the edge of the clearing that went equally between their houses, not approaching anything more than cover from the brighter moon of the night. "I would... please... this way."

Azure followed him walking a step behind his pace, growing quiet for a moment as they moved toward the edge of the clearing.

[Lovely]

Under the cover of thicker branches that dappled the moonlight less and less in the thickened shadows, the whinny of a single horse that nibbled at grasses met them. The horse was not tethered, but remained calm as he brought Azure to the nesting of stones and the cold fire pit that served as a lookout point in some early day of his father's reign. The earth around it was leveled for camp and his gear that had been set aside was resting against a ridge of stones that provided a quiet and private place to rest away from the 'eyes' of the clearing. "Markas," he said as an aside. She'd not asked him his name and for all she knew he addressed the horse. Hopefully she understood it to be himself, however.

"Markas" She repeated the name softly, her smile softly illuminating her already beautiful face. "I like it." She glanced at the horse and around at the camp before settling her attention on the man. She was thrown by him, confused and intrigued, he was not what she'd expected to find. "Where shall we go?"

He chuckled lightly to reassure her. "Right here. Find a rock that suits you. The hard surface may not seem comfortable, but it's better than the damp ground. Some say these stones were charmed by a cleric to soften them, but I can't tell the difference. Maybe you can?"

"Here?" A slight worry and confusion filtered into her expression as she looked about, taking in more detail about her surroundings. "What am I meant to do here? Wait?.. hide?"

"Wait... for a short while. Only until the second moonrise. That's when my brothers will be returning from the commons where they're likely busy roughing up your brothers out of spite... or the other way around, whoever's hand is heavier and drink is lighter at the time. Once they've returned and we don't run chance of engaging any of them, we can leave here. Unless you're so anxious to leave my company already that you insist we go now?"

"I.. am anxious." She admitted quietly, with the touch of a soft smile on her face, she walked closer to him and selected a stone near to where he was to perch on. "..but you mistake the cause. I worry about brothers, yours and mine.. neither would be pleased to find us in each other's company, don't you agree? Moreso I am worried that I may find my fate sealed to one of your brothers instead and this would be our only moments to spend."

He liked that she was anxious for other reasons, but it worried him that she might be overly so. "It wouldn't be truthful of me to say I don't like the sound of that, princess, however, we have more than just these moments. The second moonrise, although soon, is not that soon and this place is mostly forgotten. Strange fate is ours for having come across it in passing... or perhaps an omen the clerics have seen... or devised," he nodded, agreeing that that had to be some part of the reason of their meeting. "For whatever reason we're well met here, there is equal reason I believe we are safe... and alone... for long enough."

"Perhaps.. we are safe here.. we might have days and nights to lose count of.. but while we keep still the emmisary from the house of Devhano brings closer an offer to the House Onmadia. and as the night stretches on.. I am called for." Her voice lowered as did her eyes, she knew some of her father's reasoning for wanting her sent away but she'd been requested by an elder of their clan and she was unable to deny the hunger which brought him the first taste of her. "Besides.. what would you do alone with me for so long?"

He couldn't hide the smile her query pulled forth. "Foil the plans for the emissary's work and keep Devhano's gift entirely for myself? Why is it, I wonder, that you trust me so easily? You hadn't even asked my name, yet you are wishing even this moment to be pulled into eternal darkness and a life void of breath and warmth. Isn't that curious?" His words were more stated than asked, his fingers brushing near enough to her cheek to feel the chill of them.

The breath she had caught at his close almost touch and her eyes shuttered for a moment. "Because .. I feel.." Her hands lifted, trying to express what she did not have words for, as if she could sense something around him, in the air around them, inside of her. "I can hear you calling to me.. even when no words are coming from your lips.. and the other voice is fading farther away each moment that passes with you near.. I feel free again.. alive again.."

[Lovely]

"Perhaps I should have warned you. Our blood, my brothers, my sister... we're the first line and it is very strong. Perhaps I was careless," he said quietly. "Perhaps it is also by design that what you know should fade from you. Willing and unafraid. Bolder than myself," he admitted softly. "Or are you?" His hand reached behind her, filtering into her hair as he leaned to speak closer that she would feel his breath, forced and cool over her neck and whispered as softly as his words. "What is it you fear?"

Where others would have most likely trembled in fear, Azure did not. Her chin tilted almost as if a little defiant and her firey eyes lifted to meet his as her head moved just enough, deft fingers lifted to brush the long gold kissed locks over her shoulder. "Agosti.." The name was spoken very softly as though she feared him greatly, which she did, but perhaps the mark revealed on her shoulder, in the bend of her slender neck would tell him why. It had not healed swiftly like the nick from his dagger had, the flesh had been harshly ripped away by sharp fangs, savagely and without mercy or care of the pain it had caused. The scar remained as reminder of the elder's power and hunger and to show her father what his precious peace would cost him... cost her. "I am not afraid to die.. I am afraid of how many others will. My father's failing health is not due to natural ailments."

His gaze stayed on hers a long moment, piercingly challenging her words... did she truly feel and hear his thoughts without him speaking? If so she would know the vengeful hiss at the name she spoke and the fury it wrought from him. Sister... indeed he'd once had several, but at the cost of the savagery between the two clans, all but one was lost, and more than one to this ... Agosti... he would never call him a man. His gaze shifted to the wound on her shoulder and further attention to it as he kissed her neck beside it. "Such marks are unbecoming of a princess. Though I believe I know your choice, I offer another. The cleric of our house could repair it and make you whole. The alternative... is me."

She tipped closer to him, nearly nuzzling to his neck, her cheek close to his and her words whispered. "Your cleric could surely repair the mark.. but could never undo what has been done." Her sigh tickled over his cool skin. "When I set out this night.. my way was clouded by reckless will, I only knew I would not let someone else decide my fate without regard to what I wanted.. I didn't know what the right course was.. I wonder, now, if fate may have had a plan all along. I believe my choice is clear.. You, Markas of Onmadia.. if i have any say in what my fate is. I choose you."

"Then it is done," he sighed, agreeing now if only to anger Agosti for all that had been taken from him, though he had reasons far beyond his revenge. The woman beside him was fate brought to light, a gift, but not for his father. Fate's gift... his gift and one he did wish to keep. His kiss was warm and would sting for only the moment for he bit tenderly around the mark that had already scarred her. He worked gently around the wound, intent on healing first, for however she was when taken would be how she would remain for an eternity and he wished her beauty to shine for all and for her not to feel ashamed of her station, a princess befitting a prince. Painted in her crimson, he pulled away to speak. "Whatever so I may heal that you are whole and mine, show me and it will be done."

The pain was nothing, like a sweet sharp kiss.. unlike the tearing and burning agony that had caused the scar. Azure let her eyes close and leaned into his embrace until he pulled away from her shoulder, her smile was soft as she lifted her lids to gaze upon his 'painted' mouth. She nodded slowly to his request, suddenly feeling less confidant than she had originally when she'd set to her task earlier in the night. She'd suffered less than most had at the beast's hand, but she was his kin and he'd not intended to destroy her yet, her purpose was much greater.. by taking her he could also by rights have claim to her father's throne. The man who stood with her now was something so different than the one who waited to destroy both their clans. Gently she guided Markas' hands to touch the silken skin hidden beneath her coverings, her fingers led his to feel the raised welted scars where Agosti's clawed hands had dug and tore at her to keep her in his grasp as she'd struggled against him. "I was lucky." She whispered softly, her eyes casting away, for though she knew this as fact, having suffered as she did, she did not feel very lucky.

His gaze stayed fixed though his fingers, toughened from handling weapons, yet gentle, smoothed over the raised markings. Markas' head shook slowly, "This is no amount of luck. This is his warning of what worse there is to come. Let this be a warning to him in return not to cross me further, though I fear he may try, purely out of spite. Show me. Every mark I take from you, he will earn five times over and twice as deep, I swear it."

[Lovely]

Her hands drifted slowly away, leaving his to brush over the marks as she unlaced and shifted the cloth from her torso, baring her lean form for him. She'd turn or let him move around her as he wished to see what had been done and heal what he would, she was hesitant but once standing before him, she was unafraid and unashamed. Though 'on display' with her scars unhidden she showed a bit of fire in her eyes, the hint of her more playful and wild nature dancing in the depths below the hushed moment. Her form showed of sculpting and muscle that would not be noticed as well under her clothes, flowing gently with the softer curves. She was stronger than she appeared and well trained, but held herself with poise and grace of her station.

She'd unlaced and disrobed and he reached to gather the folds of fabric to set them neatly aside if she'd allow him to. Although he viewed her now as a healer would, he did appreciate her form and her courage. Markas made note of every line, every curl of scar, every unnatural ripple that had been left as Agosti's reminders of his montrous nature. "It will be a pleasure to seem him earn his reward," he sighed, offering her comfort of his embrace to keep her warm while he addressed each wound, sitting outstretched upon a long flat stone. "Please allow me," he asked, yet demanded gently. He would see her healed before the moonrise they awaited.

"You show me far too much kindness." She murmured, reaching to take his hand if he'd allow her to and curl into his embrace with her back to him so he could tend to her as he saw fit. She'd begun the night intending to do what ever it took to ensure she'd not 'fall' into the hands of her enemy and now she willingly took that hand and curled closely.. knowing this man was not the enemy she had been intent to disrupt. There was something about him that made her feel safe, even disrobed in the open air as she was.

"No, it is you are far too kind to allow me," he whispered and partly teased, nestling her in the warmer crook of his arm and his lap and curling about her, his arms protecting her modestly from the eyes of creatures in the clearing. The kiss held no bite but was soft on her neck this time. He did not care for the taste of fear or confusion, but did savor the heat of her earlier fury still fresh though it had changed now. The kiss moved back to the opened wound, the scar split wider still for him to now knit. He soon found that his hands felt the warmth against her skin as he took a little more of her blood on each pass of his tongue.

The smile curled half way, lifting the corners of her mouth and lighting her face with it's touch. "My father calls me wild.. reckless.. too spirited for my own good.. he'd scold me for trusting you so quickly.. call me foolish." Her chuckle was soft and sad, it was clear she was fond of her father, his illness weighed heavily on her heart. Her arms curled with his around her front, holding them together in the warm and comforting embrace. Maybe she was foolish for trusting Markas, but it was a risk she was willing to take, for what she felt was telling her this was the right path.. that he was something different, what she'd been searching for but never quite knew and certainly had not found before.

"You are spirited, but hardly foolish," he murmured over her skin, beginning to delight in what he found, but trying not to take too much before she was healed and whole. Markas was perhaps the foolish one, letting his guard down a little at the moment.

Her fingers curled over his hands as he held and supported her petite form, his voice seemed to continue to whisper to her even after he'd stopped speaking. She liked that he didn't think her foolish, though she wondered if he would find her too spirited? She was head strong and could be quite stubborn -a trait among the girls in her family.

A deep inhale pulled her fully into his senses that swam full of her essence now. Though the air itself was not needed to sustain him, it livened him and brought a sparkling smile to his features. "Agosti hates me and now has reason more to...," he said, nodding to the wound that was sealed and healing over.

The chuckle that floated ever so softly from her throat was a sound of sorrow and amusement entwined. "Agosti would hate you more for being within five feet of me. I do not wish to cause you any undo troubles.. but if it is your wish to rile or repay his ire in some way, tell me what I can do for you." She tilted her head to try and see him over her shoulder. "I don't know which is worse really or if either truly is.. to have him angry with me or to have him.. not angry." Her lips turned to a slight pout. "I shouldn't pull you into this.. " She whispered quietly, her eyes shimmering a gentle green and straying to his lips for a moment as she found herself with the 'sudden' thought of kissing him.

"You already have," he said, though not being clear on which account. Her thoughts in her eyes pulled a simple reply from him as he leaned to answer her more quietly now with a kiss. "I go nowhere I do not wish to," he smiled again for her, watching the moon glisten against the green of her eyes.

[Lovely]

His kiss as well as the words that followed made her smile brighten again and she leaned against him. Her eyes stayed with his gaze and she was silent and still for a moment. She'd felt like a tiny spark had skipped through her when his lips had come to hers and it made her want to giggle, but she stayed quiet. "Where is it you wish to go?" Her hand slid the short distance to lightly brush along his cheek and come to let her fingers rest on his jaw, she leaned up to kiss him once more.

"Someday? Where there are no boundary lines or lands to be bound by them. Our fathers live by old ways, though there's little you or I can do about that... today," he mused. "For now, I'm content to stay here, though before moonrise it would be wise to come up with a better idea."

She was in agreement with him and her simple nod conveyed this, but her face tilted down and her smile melted away. "The emissary may have already laid the offer on the table by the next moonrise.. The.. wisest choice for you may be to simply hand me over."

He shook his head. "The emissary is meant to hand over someone else, someone marked and someone not wanted as far as your father appears to be concerned. From what I see, that is not what you are," his whispers came to her more quietly and more from his eyes and his thoughts than his words.

The forest floor seemed to have her full attention as she mulled the thought over. "The emissary will be empty handed then.. and if the offer is accepted.. Devhano will not deliver.. it may make things worse.. I.." She felt lost again, so unsure what best. "what would you do then.. if not hand me over?"

"My father is not likely to accept and would have you and the emissary killed," he sighed, looking skyward for the moment. "Oh, he'd give every appearance of taking the offer, taking you and letting your father have his moment of seeming triumph. Then my brothers and I would be at your father's door, telling him what the Mighty King Alos would like him to do with his right hand and his offer of peace. I should therefore think I'm not letting him have you.... nor my sword for that snipe. He can pull his sagging carcass from his own bed to deliver that message himself if he wants it done, but not at your expense."

She nodded slowly, thinking his intent was to send her back to her father and thus back into Agosti's view and reach... and there would be no chance for peace between their houses from how he spoke. "I wonder if anyone remembers .. what it is we're fighting about.. Why am I supposed to hate you? My father.. may be old and failing, but he is a wise man. Whatever started this fued.. this war was long before my time.. long before our fathers.. Devhano's King knows that all this war has gained and lost is blood spilled, pain, and death.. "

"Something that died with our father's fathers and something that shall likely outlive us as well unless we seek to change it ourselves, our wait out their lives. Alos is too stubborn to stop breathing and I won't put it past him to take the blessing and prolong his sorry state," he bemoaned his father's state. "Don't think that I will send you home, either. I believe your father's intention is wise, but I do not believe his means or his timing are just. As for the rest, believe what you will, but I do not believe you hate me."

"I don't hate you." Her head shook twice, her golden hair swaying and slipping over her shoulders. "I don't think I can now that I have spent this time with you... I think you are a kindred spirit Markas.."

The faint and subtle hint of rust flavored his kiss to her, offering the barest drop to ease her and keep her as she healed further in his care. The change would be slow and gentle for her unlike the manner in which he was chosen and shown his new 'life'. He pulled away gently, brushing a hair back along her temple. "You do not find it offensive, I hope."

[Lovely]

Her eyes slowly opened from their shutter while he kissed her, shades of bright green met his gaze. Her tongue coming gently to lick her pink lips as she stared up at him. "Being kissed by you?" She asked innocently. "Not in the least.. I find it wonderful, my lord."

He shook his head gently. "I am not sovereign to you, princess, and I am not your lord.... not entirely," he teased. "The title means little here. I am only Markas... Markas the knight... Markas the fool... Markas the misguided... Markas... at your mercy." He paused, taking a forced breath to inhale her sweetness and pierce his tongue more sharply for the kiss he now offered, filled with fire.

"Then with you.. I shall be simply Azure.. " She whispered softly. ".. just a girl enchanted by a handsome knight." Her smile curved gently as she accepted his kiss, finding herself returning it with a fire of her own.

The taint of the kiss was stronger and he hoped not to offend as he offered his honesty and his blood to her, pulling them closer moment by moment. ~Enchanted~ echoed through his mind in her voice, overlaid with his own, feeling it as well as returning it to her as he was lost in the depth of green in her gaze.

The taste of him drew her to a deeper kiss, her tongue coming shyly to brush just past his lips, tentative and exploring. She pulled back to meet his gaze, her eyes wide as she brought her fingers to her lips and then to his. "I never.." She began at a loss for the right words. ".. so different.." She seemed more enchanted, mesmerized -her tongue shifting to roll the flavor of him in mouth a bit more. She cast her eyes away, he was not her first taste, but the other had been forced upon her and tasted sour, bitter.. she'd choked on it and had been forced to take more.. till she was ill and begging for mercy.. "I did not expect I could ever.. enjoy.. I don't know.." Her eyes searched his, lost and needing an anchor.

"Shhh... it's alright. That is his doing, feeding your doubt and worry. It will fade in time," he reassured in the barest whisper. "Soon, you will have strength instead of sorrow, hope where he only gave you pain... and you will have no need of fear any longer, but it will take time. What he did to you..." His words could not express the contempt he held for Agosti, but she'd begin to feel as he did, the burning hatred that matched and perhaps surpassed her own, the images and thoughts forming in the mist of his memory that she'd slowly begin to see as they became closer.

A single lonely tear trickled down her cheek as shimmering shaded of green gazed up at him. "I never imagined I could feel this way.. ever be close to anyone.. like you.. because of all he's done to me.. even my own sister has been pushed away and my father.. how could he let it happen.. but yet he is just a mortal creature.. I have been so lost for what feels like forever.. " She sighed softly, curling herself toward him more, drawn to him -feeling as if he could be what she dreamed of for so long but had thought impossible until she stumbled upon him.

Again he shook his head and shushed her quietly, pulling her into the embrace. "Forever? That eternity, princess, will seem but a day or shorter soon, very soon. The ways of kings are misguided and unforgivable more often than they are not, but I cannot answer to your sister's actions. You are her borne blood kin, so I do not understand, nor could I, but I believe there is something to do with a jealous heart perhaps... or a stubborn one... that she means differently than she appears. You are not alone, Azure."

She smiled softly. "I meant differently about my sister.. she was born with more than I.. fully blessed. I pushed her away because she was a reminder of him. She attempted to help and was punished swiftly by Agosti and then father when she tried again." She sighed again, biting her lip. "..and now he sells me off.. offers me to Onmadia.. like I am meat in the market.. I begin to wonder what I mean to his heart. Markas I am so confused.. where do I belong?"

"Where you heart tells you," he said after a moment. "The Fates will guide you there or the moons will light your way. For now, it is here, perhaps it will remain so, but I cannot be the one to decide that." His embrace tightened gently, assuring her where his words did not that he had no intention of letting her leave his side. He traced the edge of her smile with a cool fingertip.

[Lovely]

Her eyes closed as she leaned against his chest, her arms wrapped fully around him and returning his embrace. "You feel like home.." She whispered softly. "My future is yours Markas.. my heart tells me I should be with you. You're... so kind.. I do wish we could have come to know each other under better circumstance." Her lips caught his finger in a soft kiss, her eyes washing over his face. "Markas.. fate brought us here by chance or divine direction.. either way, I feel as though I can never return to what was before."

"No. Neither of us can. Fates' Will be ours, we're on a new path... seemingly together," he smiled. "May their wisdom not falter, at least not until we've gotten our footing. Your father's own wisdom was to sell you off like a broodmare or canvas to adorn my father's bed or wall or whatever would suit him in the name of peace. Onmadia has no use for peace because he finds no peace in anything and doesn't wish others to find it or know it. You're right that you cannot step within those walls and I was foolish to think we could march in there under any guise. I cannot go back with you, and I do not wish to without you."

Her eyes lowered and she nodded solemly to his words, words that held a truth that frightened her beyond anything she'd known. "What shall we do then? Would you return to Devhano with me?.. could we?.. where do we go from here?.. I feel as though I meant to be where you are.. and though we have only just come to each other.. that i might fade into nothing in the darkness without you.." Her fingers lifted to trace and caress his cheek, her emerald eyes intently searching his features and coming to meet his eyes if he would hold her gaze.

"I'll not let you, princess. What I've started, I will no doubt have to finish or you will fade," he nodded, admitting the truth of what he'd done, his blood mixing slowly with hers. "Fade into madness... or worse. I will not allow it."

"Madness would be a mercy compared to what else awaits me without you. Your father and whatever his desire if I go forward. Agosti and whatever he forces upon me should I go back.. " Her eyes cast down once more and her head shook. "By the moons.. what have I pulled you into? What fate have I cursed you to?"

"One I chose for myself," he reassured softly. "It would be wise not to mention that malodorous serpent's name above a whisper, Azure. He travels different paths and turns up when least wanted, which is whenever he turns up at all." His attention seemed suddenly divided. Though he spoke to her directly, he listened, perhaps smelled or sensed beyond senses she was yet aware of, something in the darkness beyond their camp.

It was as though she could hear his distraction and her eyes followed along his form and slowly around their camp where she was able to see without turning her head. "Markas.." His name was whispered as she shifted closer to his protection. "Forgive me for my error.."

"Wasn't your words. Someone's upon us, though," he nodded away from the clearing and to the thickness of densely wooded forest that had seemed to protect them for the moment. "Horses, with very skilled riders. I'd have missed them, but for Fates' Warning. Be ready... use that," he cautioned that she restore her clothing quickly and use the shield that rested loosely tethered to his horse.

Azure nodded, reaching to retrieve her dress and slipping behind his shoulder to gather herself back into the material. Her lacings left half undone in her haste to be covered and protected, her long locks spilling in shimmering honey dripped waves over her bare shoulders. "Onmadian?" She asked him softly, worried as to what or rather who would be coming upon them.

He shook his head and nodded again to the shield. It could have been Agosti, but it was more than one rider. He readied himself, taking the heavy blade in hand, not securing more than one bracer on his wrist as he held the blade. Whoever it was was riding at a determined pace and coming up on them quickly, and unexpectedly, he'd hoped. It was no trap set by or for her, that much he knew, felt with all his being as he turned his attention from her, hoping that the shield would be enough to cover her if the riders carried arrows or blades. It was not his intention to allow her to fight, but a second blade, smaller, more of a dagger, stayed tethered to his saddle if she wished to use it. In stature and poise of a skilled warrior, his expression now changed, intense and calculating as he evaluated what could not yet been seen in the darkness, but was soon heard by human ears in the rapid approach of hooves on hard earth.

Azure slide near silently to the right, bending to gather her own small blade from the pool of her cloak, then shifted behind him once more. It was clear that he was more experienced and wiser in such situation, she'd been trained to handle a blade and defend herself but she was still a petite girl and not nearly as skilled as this princely warrior who stood ground in front of her. Her sister Tasa was much more the warrior and skilled with blades, fast.. a natural their father had always boasted. She swallowed, bracing herself to face what might come from the darkness at them as the sound of determined hooves became clear and persistant.

Markas glanced over his shoulder and saw the glint of the blade in her hand, her own. He nodded and whispered, though the voice seemed to come partly from within her ears as more of a sense than a sound. ~Stay low to the ground~ He took a step forward, holding his own blade before him. The riders showed no sign of slowing or stopping on their account, but whether they sensed him as much as he did them, he wouldn't know until he struck. The first of the riders emerged on the edge of their camp and his blade swung, carefully aimed at dislodging the rider and saddle only in hopes of not harming animal or rider should either be needed for another purpose.

[Lovely]

Name: Zachary Aliases: Zach Position: Cleric Son of Tripp & Lyeal't played by: Lovely likeness used: Eric Balfour

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Name: Lady Bijou of Onmadia Aliases: Gigi played by: Tripp likeness used: Laetitia Casta