In the Name of a Queen

[Falcon]

Greagor was still a bit stunned over the news that his Queen had claimed one of her own knights as husband, though as he thought about her other prospects he had to admit she could certainly do worse, much worse if half of what he had heard of Anton were true. Nicoli was a good man with a generous heart and made of steady character. A solid man, one who could not remain in the guard forever and once out his prospects were bleak without some form of intervention. Not that Greagor believed the whole thing had started from a case of pity. Nicoli had too much pride to put up with that. Rather Greagor was astonished the man had given into any feelings for the Queen at all. It was going to take some adjusting, but the more he thought about it the more he believed it might be a change for the better.

He tried to keep his thoughts focused on the matter at hand, but Captain Oswin caught him yawning, and as the Queen still needed to see what Dotty's friend, though Greagor knew the woman well enough to assume that the term lover would be more appropriate, had to say the meeting was dismissed for the time being.

Greagor, with Oswin's help, quickly found himself in the kitchen with a hot bowl of stew and a mug of mulled wine set before him.

"For security purposes," the captain was saying, "it is best to presume for now that Nicoli knows nothing about what we are actually doing. Let the Queen tell him what he needs to know. If he takes issue with that, well it's her concern, not ours."

Greagor nodded his understanding as he shoved practically an entire dinner roll into his mouth. The knight was famished and unconcerned with manners.

---

When Dotty appeared and began whispering in his ear Lampkin's grin was entirely genuine, and he kept it even when he realized her words were anything but honeyed wine.

"The Queen wants to speak with you." He didn't have to fake the shiver as her lips brushed his ear.

Glancing over to where Anton sat at his desk going over the most recent report from Leondeal, Lampkin slipped an arm around Dotty's waist and maneuvered them both slightly back into the doorway to the hall where his back would be just barely in the king's eye line.

"Now?" he murmured keeping his voice low and smooth, he knew what trick Dotty was playing what it was they were leading Anton to believe. With any luck the king would take the bate and Lampkin would have plenty of time to converse with those who could further his cause. He summoned up the memory of the previous night and all he and Dotty had done together as they worked out an arrangement that was pleasing to both of them, particularly what happened when he had kept his promise to keep the night focused on her pleasure, and his voice took on a decidedly husky tone as he continued the answer. "His Highness still had need of me, important matters of state –"

"Go, Lampkin," Anton called to them both, a decidedly annoyed sound to his voice. Whether it was for them or what he was currently working on Lampkin couldn't tell. "From the sound of it she's got you worked up and there'll be no getting anything useful out of you until it's out of your system."

Less than fifteen minutes later Lampkin found himself kneeling, in respect, at the young Queen's feet.
"If it pleases you to speak with me, so have I come."

 

[moffnat]

Anne spent the majority of the time after the meeting, what little amount of it that she had, pouring over old maps and scrolls detailing Leondeal's inner workings--tunnels, wells, sewers, anything that could be used as a route of entry or escape. She had poured herself four refills of wine and still felt normal, gliding her quill across various copies of maps to create some sort of plan. Nicoli would need to take the safest route, of course. She would inform every knight in his attendance to protect him as if he were the king, because he was. There wasn't a shred of denial or hesitation in her heart now. Nicoli de'Arbolshire would be the sole monarch of ReValya after her death, should Prince Arandon also fail to survive through this ordeal. There was no other she trusted with her kingdom, not even Captain Oswin or Ser Tristen. She sat at her desk and took another long sip of pale white wine, looking down upon her work with mild admiration until three single raps on her door signified that she had a visitor.

"Who is there?" she called from across the room.

"Dotty, Your Majesty. And Lampkin of Leondeal."

That was fast. Anne frowned and set her filled goblet aside her work, returning the maps to a hidden position so he wouldn't be able to see what she was doing. She couldn't risk being exploited from her mission so soon. I have to tread carefully here, or all could be undone. "Come in."

The great double doors opened, only to be closed right behind the pair that entered. Anne rose from her seat and brushed the skirts of her simple scarlet gown back into place. She did not like the way that the king's henchman strolled into her chambers as if he had been crowned King of ReValya himself, proud and arrogant, though much more tame than he was the last time she and the brute had come face to face. I won't forget that, either. Lampkin knelt before her and said words of courtesy she couldn't care less for. "Rise," she stated in slight irritation. The queen moved back to her desk and pulled a second golden goblet from the drawer, filling it and making an offering to the snake in her presence.

"Before you begin to speak and say useless lies, I am going to ask you three questions in search of truth." She moved back to her desk and, instead of sitting behind it, leaned against the front so that she was mere feet away from Lampkin himself. She propped one arm back on the edge of the furniture and used the other to bring her own glass of wine to her lips for a gentle sip. He had already shown he was attracted to her once. Perhaps if he showed it again, she would have better reason to throw him from the top of her tower. "Three questions," she said again, "and you must answer them honestly. If you fail to do so I will remove you from my presence and never offer you this time again. Answer in a way I do not like, and the same result will befall you.

"First question," Anne stated, pushing off from the desk to walk in painfully slow circles around the chair in which he sat. The only sounds echoing through the room were her voice and the intimidating clicks of her heels.

"How many people have you betrayed?"​

 

[Falcon]

Lampkin rose when bidden. He could hear the irritation in her voice and he felt the Queen had every right to it; with the way he had behaved he deserved no less. Still, it would make things more difficult now. He had never intended for her to learn the truth. It was a mark of his own weakness that Dotty had.

As he rose Lampkin hooked his arms behind his back, away from any weapons he might have, and did have, on his person, and directed his eyes to the floor. The last thing he wanted was for his gaze to unsettle her, as he knew it had in the past, and studying the pattern of the rug beneath his feet seemed far safer than daring to look at the young queen before him.

He nodded his understanding as she spoke, accepting the wine though he did not drink from it, his mind finding difficulty in grasping what she was asking. Her very statement of what she expected of him seemed contradictory yet he knew better than to point that out. She wanted honesty, yet she also wanted him to tell her what she wanted to hear. That was a dangerous path, twisting the truth to please another's ears; to please the ears of one he did not know well. Especially when a miscalculation with the truth she no doubt wanted could see him meet the hangman's noose before dawn. Better to be entirely honest and hoped that outweighed her disappointment in his answers.

Yet the first question she voiced set a certain amount of dread in his heart.
"How many people have you betrayed?"

He stared at the floor in silence for a moment, weighing his words before speaking, "Betrayal implies a mutual understanding of trust," he started slowly. "If your question is have I ever betrayed someone to whom I have pledged fealty, the answer is no. However the nature of my profession requires me to bend certain truths in order to obtain information for my employer and keep an eye on those persons whom they do not trust. Many have been mislead accordingly, most by their own assumption. In some cases my actions have even lead to-" he paused and licked his lips uncertain on how to phrase the next part "– the removal of a party in one form or another . . . occasionally permanently."

There was no pride in his words, no indication of a liking for the task, but neither was their any hint of guilt. It was something he had done, a fact, and nothing more. If she wanted, the young queen had every right to kill him for admitting as much.

 

[moffnat]

"Do not speak as if you regret those choices," Anne scoffed, sipping thoughtfully at her fifth goblet of wine. "You are betraying Anton by coming to speak with me, are you not? By offering intel to Dotty? You have sworn fealty to him no doubt, but it is another's fealty you treasure more. I wonder, by speaking with me, whose intentions are you so willingly disobeying?"

I have my suspicions.

The young queen turned to lean against the desk once more, staring down at him with painful disinterest. "My own men have put others to the sword. It is, unfortunately, an act we all must commit for the good of the realm. But this leads directly into my next question since your answer to the first was...hm. Satisfactory."

She set the goblet atop the desk and stood straight, folding her hands before her in the intimidating manner every queen should master.

"How many people have you killed?"​

 

[Falcon]

"Anton holds no loyalty of mine!" Lampkin snapped almost angrily before taking a deep breath and composing himself to silence. He did not know why he expected anything else considering the role he had been playing for years, the role the queen had seen him portray since the start of this whole marriage business, the role even the king himself believed was real.

Yet her next question hit painfully close to the mark and his eyes closed a moment before he spoke. As he opened them it was with the look of a man who was counting faces.
"Fourteen in the last five years," he stated simply, "not counting those slain in combat. That was when I was first placed into service to Anton." He took a deep breath and rose his eyes to meet her own. "Prior to that - the number is greater, but that would be delving into things you would likely rather not know, things that would put other lives beyond my own at risk. There are some questions I cannot, will not, answer completely at this point in time."

Even should she choose to take my life because of it.

He hoped she would accept this too and not pry further than was necessary to ease her conscience.

 

[moffnat]

"Fourteen," she mused, nodding her head in understanding. "That's only nearly three people every year. Not something to be too terribly concerned with, after all. But I wonder who you killed and why, and which orders demanded that the deed be done."

Oh, she had him figured out.

"Alas, I digress. One final question and we can discuss further business, hm?" The supposedly sweet queen pushed off from the desk once more and drank deep from the glass of wine, finishing it off in a few final gulps. Knowing it best not to refill the thing again, Anne adjusted her sights and turned them toward the Leondeali henchman sitting nervously in his seat. There was no doubt in her mind that she had spooked him, made him uneasy. It made her glad to know she had that effect on him.

Instantly, the smile fell.

"You've betrayed people who trusted you and killed what I assume to be many." Anne leaned forward and dug her eyes into the depths of his soul through his, pressing her weight with her hands on the arms of the chair he sat in. Their faces were mere inches apart.

"I want you to tell me why."​

 

[Falcon]

Lampkin watched as she drank the wine and set the goblet aside. How much had she drunk? Was her judgment impaired? Did it really matter in the end?
He kept his seat firmly, watching her every move, not afraid, but wary. The queen, to him, was an unknown factor, an element that could destroy everything he had been working toward with a single move. If only he knew her mind.

And then she was leaning over him, eye to eye, searching his face for any sign of lie as he sought out any hidden trick in hers.

Why?

It was a loaded question, Any answer he gave full of implications and possible outcomes. Question was did she truly want to know? Yes, he could see it in her eyes. How much did he tell her? The truth obviously, but how much? Did he dare send her to another for the answers she so craved? It might be the only way.

"Because," He stated firmly, matching her blink for blink, stare for stare, never once flinching away. "Since the death of his majesty King Aldrich, Anton's uncle and late king of Leondeal, I have been employed as nothing less than her royal highness the Queen Dowager's royal executioner and personal assassin. Every move she makes has been aimed at freeing the country from house Leon's iron grip. With every gesture Anton worms his way higher on her list of problems that must be dealt with though she has, unfortunately, so far been to softhearted to give the order."

There. Let her make of that was she will.

Lampkin was curious. Would she hang the hangman for doing his job?

 

[moffnat]

That was certainly the truth. Anne had inherited her father's intuition for reading the souls of liars and betrayers through the portals of their eyes, so long as she remained unclouded. The signs were easy enough to read and it matched the information she'd been receiving from Dotty since she first sent her out on the task. Lampkin, though a scoundrel and a snake in the eyes of Queen Anne, wasn't lying to her in the slightest. She would have felt bad for treating him like a criminal had she not known he truly was one.

"Good. Very good."

Anne rose from her intimidating perch over her guest and retreated to the painted desk facing the creature in her presence, clearly ready to discuss a deeper subject of business. She folded her hands atop the surface of the wood and smiled.

"The Queen Dowager is someone I would like to meet, in time. Perhaps I'll invite her to the wedding. I find she would like that more than she thinks she might." It was clearly a dropped hint, one she hoped reached the Dowager's ears. "Unfortunately, since you have admitted to your betrayals in the past which were based on mutual trust, I am unobliged to provide you with any information in regards to my plans for Anton. All you need know is that, if the Queen Dowager takes advantage of a wonderful opportunity, she will have all she wishes for without shedding a drop of Anton's blood.

"Are you interested in continuing this conversation?" Anne smiled in a matter that could bring men to their knees. "I find that my information could be in Leondeal's great interest. Now, it rests on the shoulders of your decision."​

 

[Falcon]

Lampkin sighed inwardly as the queen returned to her desk. He knew that look in her eye. That look that said to her he was no better than the dirt on the underside of her shoe. Perhaps his original estimation of her had been right after all. She really was like all the other nobles. Had the Queen ordered him executed he would have at least know she was judging him as a criminal who needed to face the consequences of his actions and not a swine who could not be expected to know better. It stung a bit. Knowing Dotty put so much faith in the girl he had hoped for more. Yet it was not the Queen he was here for and so her opinion of him hardly mattered.

He made no outward acknowledgment that he understood her hints, yet at her mention of his "betrayals" he couldn't help but crack a smile.
"I think your definition of loyalty and mine are very different," he muttered under his breath. But she continued to speak over him.

As she spoke and laid her proposal before him, Lampkin leaned forward in his chair, draped his arms across his knees and tilted his head to one side, making it clear he was listening. Was he interested in her offer?

"So long as it is understood that my loyalty is to her not you," he answered, "So long as you know that if you plan something I know my Queen will disagree with I will act according to her best interest, not yours. And so long as it is clear that I make no guarantee to you of Anton's life." He straightened in his chair, resting his hands loosely on the arms, and looked her directly in the eye. "I have my own reasons to see the problem he presents taken care of, and so far it is her orders alone that stay my hand."

He relaxed a bit and looked back over his shoulder at the place where he had last seen Dotty. He really was growing soft.
"However if knowing that you still wish to make your offer, I will listen to what you have to say and extend to my liege any message you wish to send."

 

[moffnat]

"I don't want your loyalty." Anne was rather upfront and abrupt about the statement, but she felt no need to sugarcoat it. "I distrust you. The last time we came face to face, you made great claims about Anton ruling ReValya enough to order the execution of the knight who unhorsed him, and you spit at my feet. While that may have been for show since Anton was directly beside me, I don't appreciate threats against my Queensguard, nor do I forgive them. Your loyalty is better attached at the hip of the Queen Dowager. I want none of it." She reached over and grabbed the bottle of wine, filling her goblet once more, knowing rather well that she shouldn't.

"Dotty," she asked, summoning the girl forward. "Grab a quill and ink with some parchment, please. I mean to bring the proposal in writing to the Dowager of Leondeal, so my message does not become skewed."

"Of course, Your Grace." The maid moved forward and opened several drawers, collecting what was needed.

"No doubt you're aware that Dotty is no maid," Anne chuckled, sipping thoughtfully from her wine. "Be assured that she'll slaughter you in your sleep should this message fall into Anton's hands and not the queen's." Empty words, of course. Anne knew that Dotty was developing feelings for Lampkin, but she had no intention of letting him think her soft when it came to matters of ReValya's protection.

Besides, he had threatened her king. He had threatened Nicoli. There was no forgetting that, not for Anne, not ever.

"Ready, my queen." Dotty sat at the desk, prepared to write.

"From Queen Anastasia di ReValya the first, the Mother of--you know the drill, all those formalities." Anne drank from her wine again and began to feel the buzz, rising from her seat with grace despite the coming affliction. "The Queen Dowager is formally invited to the wedding King Anton, blah blah, formalities, to the Queen of ReValya. She and any great number of household guard are requested at the ceremony. Rooms will be prepared for the knights you provide, and of course, yourself. I look forward to meeting you, blah blah, make up the rest." Anne waved a dismissive hand and drank a larger gulp than usual from her goblet.

"Go, Lampkin. Send an owl or a raven or whatever bird you choose, but make sure it reaches her soon. When she comes with her men, there will be no doubt of Anton's undoing. This I can promise."​

 

[Falcon]

Lampkin took the queen's signed and sealed missive and bowed over it as he tried not to sneer. She truly was just like the others. A stubborn politician who liked to play the game and then felt insulted when it was played against them. He felt no need to explain that by making her hate him he had also caused her to foster a dislike of Anton by association. It mattered not what she thought of him so long as his goal was achieved.

Neither did he point out the hypocrisy of her threatening him to achieve her goal, and yet apparently hating him for doing the very same in regards to her Queen's guard. He had seen it in her face as she spoke, yet there had been a look in her eye when she had referenced her knight, as if he were not just a soldier who put his life regularly on the line, but someone very dear to her. Lampkin would have to see what he could learn from Dotty on the matter, later.

"With your leave, my Lady, I will depart," he stated backing towards her door. "And If I may be so bold, you would do well among the political intrigue of the court of Leondeal." It was every bit the insult he intended it to be.

---

Nicoli woke feeling refreshed and even more confidant in his plan. Not yet knowing that Greagor had returned or that Anastasia was at that very moment in closed conference with an agent of Leondeal, the knight set about his usual daily preparations adding to them the arrangements required to provide an outing and a picnic for himself and the woman he considered his bride. One of those things he would have done long ago had they been of the same cast.

A short note explaining his idea, in his absolute best handwriting, had been sent to Diana in hopes he could learn from her whether or not she thought Anne would be amiable to the idea, and requesting her help in procuring what he would need without raising the suspicions of the rest of the castle. He had several hours before he was due to take his post at the Queen's door. That should be plenty of time.

 

[moffnat]

The instant Lampkin left, Anne gave a heavy sigh and a smile. She swirled the liquid in the bottle and poured some more in her glass, offering some to Dotty.

"Grapejuice?"

"No thanks." Dotty chuckled. "Nice tricks, though. Even I fell for it. Do you think he'll tell the king that you're a mean, filthy drunken queen who is as much a hypocrite as any other politician?"

"I certainly hope so." Anne set the false wine atop her desk and grinned. "I don't want Lampkin to see who I really am, yet. Let him go on believing that I'm a cruel woman who is nothing like the title she has earned. It'll let him know I'm not one to mess with." She forced a cork in the bottle of grapejuice and stowed it away in the ice bucket beside her bed, resting her hands on her hips. "It was pretty convincing, I'll admit that much."

"You would've made a wonderful actress, Your Majesty." Dotty chuckled and curled a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "If you'll dismiss me now, I think Maxine needs me out in the gardens."

"Of course, of course." Anne smiled warmly. "Do what you must. I've got a meeting with Lord Dunshire and Duke Beaumont before six, so I'd better get to it. Just...hm. Don't get too close to Lampkin, Dotty." The queen frowned, her gentle face etched over with concern. "He is not our friend."

"I know, I know." The maid returned the queen's sad gaze with one of reassurance. "I don't think he has a heart to love with anyway, to be completely honest."

"But you do."

"Yeah." Dotty sighed. "I do."

---

The sun was beginning it's descent over tree-lined horizons when Anne finally returned to her chambers, less than thirty minutes before she could unite with Nicoli once again. The break was much needed, to be sure. So many little fibers and figures in her plan were tightening together in an intricate weave, treason to Leondeal's current king, liberation for the rest of the realm. I definitely could use one of Nicoli's massages. Anne adjusted her hair and gave another squirt of perfume against porcelain skin, sitting on the balcony to await the arrival of her beloved.​

 

[Falcon]

When six o'clock came Nicoli waited until he was sure Sir. Bran was out of sight before he turned and slipped quietly into the Queen's rooms. Part of him balked at the idea and whispered that it was inappropriate to approach the queen this way, but another part said that legally or not she was his wife and he had every right to see her. If she did not want him around at the moment she would simply have to say as much and send him away.

As he entered he closed the door softly behind him and let his eyes glance to a corner where he spied a small picnic basket exactly where Diana had said she would leave it. At least it was there so if Anne said she did not want to go out he would still have something to surprise her with.

The woman in question was a bit more elusive until he spied the door to the balcony slightly ajar. He slipped out and up behind her before bending down over her seat to wrap his arms around her shoulders and press a kiss to the hollow behind her ear.
"I hope you'll forgive that I let myself in," he whispered, nuzzling against her jaw and breathing in the scent she was wearing. "You smell good," he sighed.

A moment later he had come around and pulled up a stool so he could sit facing her. "I brought dinner with me," he started taking her hands in his, "but if you don't have any objections, I'd like to take you someplace special to eat it."

 

[moffnat]

As always, Anne was pleasantly surprised as Nicoli joined her, welcoming his kisses and touches like they were medicine and she was terminally ill. The comparison was more applicable than one might think. She chuckled as he pulled up a seat and took her hands in his, beaming with love for the man she had married in sight of the gods. Anne couldn't resist reaching out and stroking his cheek with affection.

"Dinner?" she chuckled. "How sweet. Where are we going? Hopefully not too far, tomorrow..." Tomorrow you will wake early and ride far from me, and I will b e plagued with the sadness of your absence. She smiled sadly and shook her head. "Nevermind. I'm sure wherever you have planned is wonderful. Today has been tiring and stressful, and being with you was all I had to look forward to. I'm sure your secret spot will be more than the refreshment I need.

"But first," the queen said, rising from her chair to sit on Nicoli's good knee. She slid her arms around his neck and placed slow and soft kisses all over his face between words. "How was your day? Tell me everything." Anne tucked herself against his chest and nestled against his neck, letting Nicoli become her security.​

 

[Falcon]

Nicoli sighed in contentment as Anne settled into his lap, and he wrapped an arm firmly around her as his other hand soothingly stroked her hair. He could feel her need to be held and was more than willing to oblige her.

"My day," he hummed, "could be called very boring considering everything you have to put up with. After watching you sleep all night I returned to the barracks and got some sleep of my own once my shift was over. Then I worked with Diana to get our dinner in order without looking suspicious. Or rather I told her what I wanted to do and she did most of the work so I wouldn't get caught and have to answer awkward questions. You've really got a gem in that girl." Nicoli smiled, his lips pulling against the skin of her forehead where he had rested his chin.

"Let's see, after that Rebecca made an appearance trying to see if anyone wanted to adopt a kitten. Apparently the litter their cat had a few weeks ago is up and active and in need of a home. She thought the barracks might be able to use one, but she was unsure who to even ask about the other four . . . then I polished armor and sharpened some weaponry for a while before coming here."

His grip tightened for a moment before it suddenly loosened and he pulled away so he could see her face, his heart in his eyes as he traced is thumb down her cheek. "The place I was intending to take you is about an hour's ride if you're up for it? We can share Red unless you'd rather have your own horse . . . and if you want to change? I thought we could picnic under the stars." Nicoli suddenly felt very uncertain. She had seemed to enjoy herself at the faerie camp and the memory of that had been what had given him the idea, but doing so might remind her of less than pleasant things.

 

[moffnat]

Anne leaned against the chest of her steel-coated lover, letting gentle eyes fall shut as his voice and arms wrapped around her delicate frame almost protectively. She supposed it was hard for him not to act in such a way. The stresses of her stressful and trying day melted and slipped through her fingers, off to some unnameable abyss that she didn't care to ponder, and nothing was left to flood her mind but the points of Nicoli's day and all she had asked for. She paid attention as best she could, feeling a bit tired as he spoke and wanting to fall asleep right there in his warm embrace, but she would not turn down the opportunity of his pleasant surprise.

Especially because she knew what came next.

"That sounds like a much easier day than I had," she chuckled, lifting her head to kiss his cheek. "But that doesn't matter. It's over now, and we're together." The queen rose from her spot on the knight's good knee and held out her hands, waving her fingers innocently towards herself in a gesture to help him stand.

"A picnic under the stars sounds like the best thing I could ever want today. Thank you, my love. I truly need this."

Anne's face was alight with the soft glow of her smile.​

 

[Falcon]

He helped her get ready as much as he was able, and then, tucking the picnic basket under one arm, led his wife discreetly out of the palace through a series of deserted servant's passages. They were let out by the stables where a single lantern burned, and after a quick look around, Nicoli rescue a bundle of blankets and a large bed roll out from under a clean tarp where Diana had hidden it from prying eyes.

He made quick work of saddling Red after that (had she said "no" Nicoli had not wanted the horse to be left all made up for travel) and after seeing that they were both astride and comfortable, led the mount quietly through a small side gate were only Oswin was there on watch to observe.

"Now, my lady wife," he whispered softly in her ear after some moments of silence as the sight of the castle walls faded in the distance behind them, "What should be the topic of conversation as we ride? I can tell a story or sing if you like? or if you'd rather travel in silence?" His arm curled steadyingly around her waist as his other hand held the reigns, and his chest was solidly at her back, but it was missing the chill of the armor he had warn earlier. Nicoli was ever on guard against danger, but thinking of her comfort he had removed his breastplate and tucked it safely in the pack over the bedroll.

The night was moderately dark, but far from silent. The stars above twinkled brightly down on the couple and the woods and fields around them were filled with the sounds of crickets and frogs competing for loudest chorus while an owl hooted intermittently. If Anne were paying attention she would notice they were heading for the lake she loved so well.

 

[moffnat]

"Well, my lord husband," she began with a little chuckle as she settled against his chest, "I would like to talk about anything but politics, for I have had my fair share of that for the day. Oh! But I have to tell you what happened with Lord Dunshire and Duke Beaumont. It was a disaster but I was trying not to laugh the entire time, it was so ridiculous." She sat up straighter, though still leaned against the strength of her lover's chest, occasionally twisting her neck to look up at him when the tone in her speech called for it.

And of course, she was not paying a single bit of attention to where Nicoli was leading her.

"Lord Dunshire wanted to sue Duke Beaumont because one of his men eloped with his only daughter. He claimed it was against the law for a girl to marry without her father's consent, and was enraged that the man her daughter ran away with was a gardener! Duke Beaumont has always been one of my biggest supporters and was frustrated that his gardener and Lord Dunshire's daughter couldn't just live in peace. I reminded Lord Dunshire that the law has changed under my reign, and a woman may choose her spouse without the influence of her father, which angered him more. He went on to rant about how my father wouldn't have approved of this and how his daughter wouldn't ever get to make the money he wanted her to make, how he would appeal to "King Anton" when the time came to do so...all the while I was chuckling to myself, because I wish I could see the look on his face when he finds out that the son of a stable hand and a maid is now his true king."

Anne took a deep breath and sighed. I suppose it is a look I will never see.

"But, oh well. He is set in his ways but he can legally do nothing about the marriage. I can only hope that he'll accept his daughter's choices. Where are you taking me?" She chuckled, "We're going farther out than I anticipated."​

 

[Falcon]

Nicoli chuckled as he listened to Anne tell the story of the two quarreling men and envisioned their faces when they found out Anne had chosen much the same way as the daughter in the tale. "I hope they are very happy together," he stated when she was done.

"As for where we are going, look," and he gestured ahead with his hand.

Through a gap between two trees was a lake. Its clear blue waters reflecting the stars as the waves lapped gently against a sandy shore that turned quickly to newly green grass. To one side was a smooth gray rock that jutted out into the water, perfect for a person of uncertain footing to hold onto should they decide to swim. On the other side of the path was a thin growth of aspens that gave view of the lake, but would screen the area from the opposite shore.

Nicoli helped his bride from the saddle and then on a flat plane of grass behind the trees he spread a blanket for her to sit while he continued to unburden the horse. First came the bedrolls and extra blankets so she could get comfortable, and shortly after the picnic basket was placed in the center. Red was hobbled and left to himself as Nicoli settled down beside the woman he loved.

"My father used to bring me here. It's where I learned to fish. Afterwards we would cook our catch and tell stories. My mother always brought an extra meal though, just in case the fish were asleep. I wanted you to see it."

 

[moffnat]

Enchanted. If there was a word to describe what her eyes bore witness to, it was that. Her mouth fell open and she remained in awe even as Nicoli lifted her from the horse and set up the sweet dinner he'd prepared for her. Stars reflected along the water and the colors of the flowers and grass remained present and potent even through the darkness of night, lit dimly by the crescent moon. That, combined with the sight of Nicoli's affections for her made the night magical in it's own right, even more-so than when they visited the Faeries.

It was certainly a sight to remember.

Even while Nicoli was talking, despite how hungry she was, Anne untied the back of her scarlet dress and slipped from the silk, pulling the laces on her corset out and off, and gracefully pulled the slip over her head, leaving nothing but the small undergown. She was aware that Nicoli had stopped talking, no doubt to watch her undress, and the queen chuckled when her eyes met his after the silence.

"It's time for a swimming lesson," she told him, "and you can tell me all about this place while we practice."

She held her hands gingerly out to him.

"Come on. Up and out of those clothes."​