Playing with Fire

It wasn't a decision Carina had made easily, or lightly. Being open, emotional, vulnerable to Sven had made her feel so light and weightless. She had enjoyed not having to hide anything; it had, if only for a moment, made her feel stronger than ever to know that the love she held for someone was reciprocated. It made her feel as though she could do anything, take anyone on. She felt a sense of passion and pride, watching as her and Sven's plans were put into motion and the instant effects it had on Ignis.

Seeing the people happier, despite her rocky start with them, and the improvement in both economy, production and trade had been something Carina marvelled at. She had never expected to be a part of such a major influence, and because of that, she felt as though she and Sven would be a force for the future. Together

But the burn on her leg symbolised that there was no returning to that. Him making her feel as little and scared as she had been as a child had belittled and embarrassed her. His cruel insults, while she knew she was more than deserving of them, were uncalled for in their number after she had done nothing but accept everything he had thrown at her, apologised endlessly and would have walked to the gallows without a fight for a crime she had not committed. And he didn't believe her; when he knew how difficult it had been for her to confess her love after all that had happened and due to her father's teachings. He didn't believe her, and thought her to be a manipulative, lying bitch.

"It's not as though I wanted things to go this way, Natalia." Carina replied, voice hushed, observing how the smile of supposed support didn't quite reach the adviser's eyes, "I'm just... I'm scared."

The confession surprised her and Carina dropped her gaze to her hands as a result, frowning down at them, "He thinks I'm a deceptive bitch now and...I worry the rest of Ignis will soon believe so too. Things had not only turned with Sven but with the people too... if they turn on me because their king has... I don't want to be left vulnerable, like I have already once been." She took a deep breath, but did not lift her eyes.

"I would... appreciate some advice, if you have time to spare. I'm clinging onto a fraying rope here and I don't know how to keep it from snapping. I... I need your help. I-- I don't want to heed my father's words but right now, I see no other choice. I see it as the only way to... keep myself from getting hurt again. You understand?"
 
"...I understand completely, Carina. You opened yourself up and got b--" she paused to consider her rewording, unsure that remarking that Carina had 'got burn' would be the best choice of words given the current injury she was unjustly sporting. After a moment to think, she offered a smile, this one reaching her eyes, before continuing "you got hurt in the process, physically as well as emotionally. I understand why you'd withdraw from expressing yourself in those circumstances, of course I do. I just don't think you can keep it up forever, it'll drain you, and... if that doesn't break you first, the kingdom's reaction will."

Sensing the need to elaborate, and to offer the advice that Carina was seeking, she surveyed the new bedroom the Queen had been given before opting to pull a chair away from a nearby writing desk to sit just opposite the bed. She smoothed out her dress as she settled in the weaved chair, a soft sigh escaping at the chance to finally take the weight off her feet after a morning of hard work she had grown unaccustomed of doing (when she had been gifted the role of Sven's adviser in her teens, the cleaning and maidly duties she tended to in the castle had been abandoned). Her eyes dropped to her fingers, reddened, sensitive and pained from the work of the morning, in order to collect her thoughts once more.

She had every intention to offer her opinion and pass along advice (whether Carina chose it or not), but blurting it all out to her unthoughtfully wouldn't help either of them.

"The kingdom... the people here, they've taken to these new ideas of fairness. When I was fired, I returned to my childhood home; I worked in the town, amongst them, day-in, day-out. I know what the common man and woman think of these changes. They don't have to worry about their fathers, brothers or sons being sent to war. They no longer fear execution for the simplest of crimes that doesn't need nor justify vicious punishment, as was rife during Sven's father's reign and the Kings before him. I watched Sven from afar as he headed before the crowd, hearing their recommendations, and after he'd left, I heard with my own ears how they raved about him - and you. How you were the King and Queen Ignis had been crying out for; how you were for the people and on their side," she began softly, her eyes having raised midway through her words to glance across at Carina. It wasn't necessarily easy for her to discuss a time of her life where she had to hide herself within a crowd in order to even see Sven, a period where everything for her felt hopeless and when she had felt lost and useless... but that time had come with its benefits too.

She had heard for herself just how much progress was being made by the couple and, more importantly, just how welcome that progress was for the people affected directly by it. And it was because she had been there, hearing their support in the taverns or along the market stalls, that made her fear the repercussions that could follow Sven and Carina's decision to revert to past behaviours that had once dominated their lives.

"Of course, you're free to do what you wish and protect yourself the way you see fit, but returning to how you had been when you first arrived here, when the kingdom was epitomised by chaos and unruliness; when an old circle of powerful men and a rowdy, brutal King ruled everything without listening to the people? It signals that all that progress that was made is retreating. It'll cause fear that things are going back to how they once were, and when the people have had a taste of this brighter future, it'll hurt all the more to think it's disappearing before them.

"That said, I... I'm not sure what you should do to spare yourself the hurt. But you're the Queen, Carina. It was never going to be an easy job, but you-- you have your duties to the people who have begun to trust you. If you want my advice, I... I wouldn't recommend letting them down by returning to the cold, icy woman that first entered the land when they've come to like you for who you are now. The same inevitably goes for Sven too."
 
The Queen said not a single word during Natalia's advice, not wishing to interrupt her train of thought or the words that the other woman had obviously so carefully crafted to best suit the situation. She also didn't wish to disrupt the moment that was had as Natalia thought back on that darker moment in her life, and Carina remembering Sven's state after that betrayal.

She knew, deep down, that Natalia was right. The adviser was good at her job, and now she had had the experience of being out there amongst the village people (albeit not that she had a choice), Carina knew that the woman was intellectually tuned in to what the feeling was throughout the kingdom. Due to her pregnancy and the lingering fear that the Ignisian people still hated her, Carina hadn't dared to venture out into the crowds as Sven had done during their blissful few months, so had no idea that public opinion was more positive about her these days. Sven saying it was one thing, but hearing it from Natalia was another.

"I don't wish to take these new ideas of fairness and a just nation away from them. That is the last thing I want. Nor do I want them to go back to fretting over the lives of their loved ones because the monarchy had shifted back into the darker days of the past. Just because we may be miserable, they do not have to be."

Carina nibbled lightly at her lower lip, thinking for a moment and reflecting on Natalia's words. It was slightly painful to reflect on those more hopeful days where she and Sven faced those old, archaic dinosaurs in his study and in the meetings rooms together. When they finalised plans and signed their names on treaties, together. It truly was not just the start of a new life for Ignis, but for the two of them as well.

However, Carina grasped on to a phrase said by Natalia towards the end of her little speech: Carina had her duties to the people.

No matter what was going on in her personal life, not matter how desperately she wanted to shut herself off and become numb to the whole of Ignis, not just Sven, and shove her distrust onto every single Ignisian... she couldn't.

"T-thank you." Carina replied, finally looking up to the adviser and clasped her hands together firmly in her lap, "That is... that is something I needed to hear."

Taking a deep breath in, her gaze flickered to the wardrobe before she reluctantly swung her legs from the bed to stand. Immediately a white hot pain flamed up her left leg as a result from the burn, causing her to shift the majority of her weight onto her right. "Help me dress, won't you? If Sven wishes to stay hungover in his room for the rest of the day, I'll look after Lorcan and take over his duties. You can be there to help me every step of the way. Have a fresh breakfast brought to the study for the both of us. It's important you look after yourself now too." Carina limped to the foot of the bed, the only sign of her pain being the clenched jaw, "Do you think you could... help me dress? I could have the maid fetched but that'll take longer than I'd like."
 
Even though she had spent much of her adolescence and now her early adulthood as an adviser (aside from a brief few months' absence from the role), there was always some reservation that came with offering her insight. Though she had helped Sven with much more than her job title suggested, her primary job in his life was to advise him; to offer support as well as critique if he needed to hear it... but it was far from an easy role to uphold.

She valued their friendship, but she also knew that offering someone an insight that possibly contradicted their own, critiquing a decision they had come to and held confidence in, could place her in a precarious position. Regardless how open Sven had appeared to be to hearing her suggestions, there were times where he took offence to her advice and refused to hear it - as rare as those times were, they had existed and made her job that touch more difficult than it already was.

But they were friends from their early childhood; they had grown and blossomed into young adults beside one another's side. Any offence he took was easily brushed aside when their friendship meant much more to him than a silly argument over a mere disagreement. There was, therefore, an informality there. As professional as Natalia was, the privacy of Sven's study allowed her a chance to unwind and engage with him as a friend, rather than solely as his adviser.

When she didn't have that long-time friendship with Carina, there was every chance she would disagree with everything she had said and decide to (metaphorically) freeze her out from her life; uphold the coldness to her as she had decided to do with everything else. When their friendship was only starting to bud, having it cut down so abruptly would be a bitter disappointment--

So Natalia couldn't hide the relief that flooded her features when Carina took in the advice maturely and thanked her for it. It was the job she had spent years in, but being thanked for helping, for possibly making a difference and preventing future disorder and disarray, was always... comforting, and most definitely reassuring. Any doubt she might have had about the job she was working hard to regain had all but been brushed away at a simple show of gratitude from Carina.

"I'm glad I could help. I can't profess to care about a lot, but this kingdom and its success matters to me, especially now it's on such a good path - with you at its helm. As hard as it may be, you'll succeed, I know you will. In all the time I've known you, you've never struck me as someone to simply give up. The kingdom will be better for it," she reassured for emphasis, just to ensure the message -and her support of Carina in the role as Queen- was as strong as it could be. Only then did she allow herself to move on from the heaviness of the conversation, physically having to release a sigh and roll her shoulders back just to relieve herself of the weight she had felt pushing itself onto her at the seriousness of their words.

"Of course I can help you dress, it isn't a bother. My mother was a dressmaker in her youth; I would always help her put on her dresses so she could see how the fabric moved and swayed on a person rather than a mannequin, so... I'm adept at it," she revealed quietly as she stood from the chair to make her way over to the wardrobe where the other's clothes had been moved and stored. The release of more personal information hadn't been a deliberate choice to form a connection; it had slipped out naturally, thereby confirming to Natalia the existence of that budding friendship.

"She made the dress I'm wearing, in fact. She always anticipated I would take over the business but-- when Sven offered me a job, I could hardly turn him down. I'm probably not creative enough for the world of dressmaking anyway."
 
"I would be a fool not to listen to you, not after... everything you have experienced. Granted, there may be times when we may not agree and a compromise may need to be reached... but to not take your advice when you've worked alongside Sven in the past and heard first-hand what the people think... I would only have myself to blame for any future consequences." Carina exhaled heavily, but quietly, at the ache that throbbed from the burn. Her mind momentarily drifted to the physician, and if she would be able to request some pain medication from him if she were to become more active so soon after the incident without a healed injury.

She followed the adviser to the wardrobe, gaze dropping to her dress at the mention of her past and her mother, "It's a wonderful outfit," she complimented, voice softening, "...Perhaps your mother would be willing to make a few gowns for me in the future. Nothing too ostentatious, more like yours, suitable for work. Strong, business-like yet still flattering and feminine."

Carina knew she didn't have to make such an offer, but she wanted to. She meant what she said, that the gown was lovely and flattering to Natalia's figure. Besides, if she knew a seamstress herself, then she could control the colouring and cut of the gowns she would have.

She would not return to Ignisian red.

"You're full of surprises, Natalia, do not doubt yourself before you've even tried." Carina then told her, opening the wardrobe door and keeping hold of it with one hand while the other searched for a suitable dress. "It may be something you wish to do when you retire, in the future, don't shut the door on that option just yet. Not that I'm looking to get rid of you-- God, no. Please don't think that. I just wish for you to keep your eyes open to the opportunities you have should you ever get sick of the drama here."

The last sentence was accompanied with a wry grin, eyebrow raising before she looked back to the clothes and pulled out a dress.

As she had Natalia help her with her dressing, Carina sharply looked over her shoulder as the door opened to see the physician. At the sight of the Queen standing, the man stepped hurriedly to her, "Your Majesty-- you... you should be resting." He spluttered, looking between Natalia and his Queen.

"His Highness returned to work a day after of rest from being stabbed. I have merely received a burn. Laying in bed on account of it while the King is... indisposed of elsewhere with his work waiting in his office did not sit well with me. I have had enough idleness and being cooped up in my room, Doctor."

Once Natalia finished with the back of her dress, Carina went to the vanity table to spray some perfume and run a brush through her hair. The physician hesitated, "But... the burn is not a light one, Your Majesty. It requires treatment and monitoring. The sores and blisters could still become infected--"

"And if they do, you will tend to them. However, I am sure that your treatments are the very best, Doctor, otherwise you would not hold the position you hold. Natalia here will remain with me as we tend to the King's work and you can visit me in the King's study. What I would like to ask for is some pain management. It is rather sore to stand on and I would rather not be distracted during the work Natalia and I must do today." Carina's stern tone was accompanied with a smile to soften the words.

The physician continued to linger, glancing to the adviser as if to get an opinion from the woman before looking back to Carina, "O-of course, as you wish, my Queen."

It wasn't long until another small jar of pills had been placed in Carina's hand, "These are safe for you to take while feeding the young prince, Your Majesty, unlike the sleeping tablets. However, I would recommend you wait until this evening to feed Prince Lorcan, to ensure the sleeping tablets have fully left your system."

Carina nodded, smiling gratefully, "Of course, thank you, Doctor."

With a final look to Natalia, the physician exited the room, leaving the two women alone. Carina's gaze dropped to the jar of pills before she once again gave Natalia her attention, quickly smiling, "Right, shall we?"
 
The prospect of Carina working for the remainder of the day and evading the chance to rest and recuperate in bed properly wasn't one Natalia could claim to be entirely enthused about. As certain as she was that Carina had to resume the duties of Queen, nobody could deprive her her rest after all she had been through - if the kingdom knew of the goings on within the castle, the people would understand the need for Carina to rest and take some time off from the responsibilities she had.

But trying to convince her of that when she was this certain was a waste of breath. Besides, Natalia didn't feel the need to contradict her when she would ultimately be spending the day sat in a comfortable chair at a desk, in the privacy of a warm, cosy office. She wasn't pacing about like Sven had been for much of the week, tormented by stress and uncertainty.

If she was, Natalia would have made more of an effort to convince her to rest. Instead, when she would be sat down and physically taking it easy, there wasn't much of a risk to be found, other than managing the pain she was inevitably still suffering with but she also seemed to have that covered too.

It was why the adviser kept quiet as the woman discussed the matter with the royal physician, declining to speak up even as the doctor glanced in her direction as though assuming she would take his side and advise Carina differently... but she couldn't, not when there was work to be done and with Sven missing in action, it fell onto Carina to resume the duties for him. Was it preferable for the Queen to rest up before tomorrow's visitor arrived? Of course - but that wasn't the reality of their situation.

Being part of the ruling class, if they truly cared about the kingdom they oversaw, meant making sacrifices, and as far as Natalia was concerned, Carina was proving her loyalty to the land and its future more and more each day.

"Mhm, we'd best get on with it then. I suppose it'll be nice to work in the study with someone other than Sven; even when he breaks himself out of his hangover, you ought to feel free to stop by and... be involved in the work of the kingdom. You're as much an influence in the progress being made as Sven; just as deserving of a say as he is," she began as she swiftly exited the room, unable to hide the joy that came at the idea of finally getting back to the work she prided herself on. Doing so without Sven would be a change, but not an unwelcome one; it was nice to get the chance to work alongside Carina, see the business-focused side of her come into action.

And when Natalia was a self-confessed workaholic, she couldn't think of a time better suited to bond with Carina than over a day spent working in the office together.

"You didn't attend the party last night, did you? That was a wise choice. It wasn't as debauched as the parties the old King would throw but it was... certainly wild. I can't confess to have enjoyed the night too much; I returned to my room rather early on. The soldiers were out of control, there were people from the village there; women from the tavern. I suppose they at least enjoyed their time with the soldiers; they didn't care to be subtle about the business I think ought to be reserved for the bedroom, unfortunately."
 
"Unfortunately I don't think that will work... Sven made it quite clear last night that the last thing he wants to see is my face. So 'stopping by' isn't really an option anymore." Carina drawled, freezing the pain she felt as the conversation in the nursery entered her mind. Sven may not wish to face anyone who knew about him burning his wife, and Carina did not wish to dwell any longer on the pain and torment his words caused her.

She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to look at Sven again without hearing what he had said to her the night before. He may have been drunk, but that only made things worse - because drunks were cruel, but they were also honest. For Carina, every single sentence he had spat at her was coated in a potent venom that had left her unable to retort in the moment. So beside herself with grief and hurt that someone she still loved would say such things to her, she had been left speechless for the first time since she had arrived in Ignis.

"And regardless of that, I doubt my opinion matters to him now anyway, so whose to say that anything I wished to implement would be carried forward or my request to become involved will be accepted? How I understand it, he only wants to see me when we're in public and I'm to be an ornament, brought out on special occasions."

Her voice was bitter, turning harsh as they walked. As his emotions had done towards her, hers turned darker towards him. Her remaining ebbs of love for him burned weakly underneath heavy, smothering layers of betrayal, pain, grief and anger.

Carina requested a quick detour to check on Lorcan and also to inform the nanny she would be by in the evening to feed her son. She also said she would be by during a small lunch break, simply to get some cuddles from the baby. It did disappoint her to know she would no longer be able to take Lorcan to her room to curl up with the child there; she didn't dare do so simply for the lack of energy to deal with any consequences that decision would garner from Sven.

"If he comes to the office and throws a fit, I can't promise to be civil, Natalia." Carina informed the adviser, glancing to her for a moment as they left the nursery, "I won't be going to see him - I'll let you handle trying to get word to him about Andrew?-- Andrew's arrival. But if he finally decides to turn up to do some work today, I won't take lightly to him making any comments about me being there with you instead."

In Carina's mind, Sven had shown his cards. At first she had the hope that she would be able to fight her way back into his good books; her guilt for what she had done and her love for him a dangerous mix that made her ready to do or say anything that would have him believe she really did love him, as she honestly did. However, the burn that sent a white-hot ache up her leg with every step had destroyed that version of herself. Instead, Carina finally recognised that things were even worse than they were when she first arrived in Ignis.

Back then, at least Sven had to keep her alive to get the heir he so desired. However, this time, he had made it abundantly clear his lack of want for her as a love or a wife in name. He would sleep with other women, have children with other women, right under her nose and would probably make no secret of it. She disgusted him, repulsed him to a point where he couldn't bear to look at her, let alone have the stomach to touch her anymore.

While her love, as mentioned, was smothered beneath such negative emotions, the mere thought of him touching, kissing, sleeping with someone else did not sit well with her. It made the nausea roll in her stomach and a dark, fuzzy haze frame her sight, ice seethed furiously within her veins. So, matters were not made any better at Natalia's observation that women from the tavern were at the revelries the night before.

"I didn't exactly get an invitation, no. And I wasn't about to interrupt anything." Carina muttered, frowning, "Well, at least you escaped unharmed. Though I am now beginning to wonder if Sven is hungover or if he is just entertaining in private."
 
Mentioning Sven was all but inevitable, and Natalia wasn't so naive that she thought she could manage to keep his name out of every conversation she held with Carina... but she was at least determined to limit the frequency of those discussions. She didn't want to bring forth the sort of bitterness that inevitably arose at his name, however understandable it was after all he had done to Carina over the last week and the violence that concluded it, however accidental the expulsion of flames might have been.

It was enough to consolidate the anger and hurt as the overriding emotions, suffocating whatever love miraculously remained.

Thus, while it couldn't always be avoided, she could only fall silent in regret at having mentioned him when it hadn't been completely necessary, her choice provoking the pain and anger that she knew stemmed from a place of hurt. She didn't recommend Carina suffocate those feelings and bury them deep down, but she also wanted her to have some freedom from having to constantly address the breakdown of the marriage and all the emotions that rose from it.

Evidently, she hadn't done the best of jobs in providing the Queen with that escapism.

"I doubt he will leave his room today, Carina. I've seen him hungover before and he'll rarely get up until midday, and that was without all the stress and pain and... events he's experienced and undergone as of late. He'll keep to himself, I can guarantee it. He'll make an appearance tomorrow morning at breakfast, hopefully with an apology-- though it's an entirely without your right not to accept it or hear him out. Do what you think is best," she murmured as she clung to that faint hope. It was a rare moment of optimism (she preferred to be a realist, rather than delude herself with positivity that would just fail her) but one she felt inclined to vocalise.

Perhaps Carina didn't care to receive an apology from Sven, or hear him attempt to explain himself whatsoever - and maybe he wouldn't even bother. Perhaps he would be stubborn and believe that in spite of what had happened, he was still the one in the right; still the one that had been hurt far worse. Perhaps nothing would go the way she desperately wanted them to... but such a thought, of their opinion of one another to remain so fraught with anger and hurt, was so negative and depressing that she couldn't allow herself to consider it as a possibility.

Someway, somehow, she had to hope that things between them would, in time start to recover.

"For what it's worth, he wasn't... involved with any woman last night from what I saw when I was there. He was with some of the soldiers, drinking, but had no female company hanging on his arm like they did, so... perhaps it's best not to torment yourself with that thought when I doubt he's got a woman in his room with him. He's hungover, Carina. You've seen him hungover; he'll be under his duvet, feeling sorry for himself. No woman will find that appealing," she returned quietly as she settled herself in the King's study, taking a moment to admire the work she had done in getting it into shipshape, every book alphabetically in place; each shelf dusted; every paper in its precise folder and stored neatly.

She had no doubt it wouldn't stay that way for long, not when Sven tended to leave items out of their place until everything in the office descended into chaos... but for now, she could admire her work proudly.
 
"I'm not tormenting myself," Carina hastily denied as she shut the door to the study behind them both, frown deepening, "I couldn't care less. Why should I? He made things perfectly clear even when he was sober. Best of luck to the woman he decides he wants more children with."

She was aware she would have to work on her supposed indifference. Not, she imagined, that it would matter. Sven had already witnessed the hurt such a thought caused her, and Natalia was not stupid. However, if Sven was to begin taking up new mistresses now, Carina doubted that it would remain a secret for long, at least within the castle. The servants would be looking to her for a reaction, and she would refuse to give them one should that time come. As Lorcan grew, she would shield him as best as she could from any gossip or whispers.

Her body purposefully turned away from the loveseat that she and Sven had sat at for his lunchbreak, cooing and gushing over Lorcan. It hit her that that was the same day that Lauren and Thorin would enter their bedroom with the intent to kill.

Carina busied herself with admiring Natalia's handiwork, nodding in appreciation and approval at the order that had been restored, "You've been busy." She observed, not wanting to linger anymore on her husband and whether he was hungover, with a woman, or if he would apologise for what he had done. Carina expected nothing from him, having come up with plenty of reasons why he had become a stuttering, apologetic mess not long after the deed had been done. Her latest theory was that he acted in such a way in case someone was nearby, having heard her first set of screams, wanting to come across as someone who had (which he truthfully had, unknowingly to Carina) lost control of his flames due to the alcohol in his system.

"Right, shall we start? I imagine there's quite a bit to get through." She continued her path around Sven's desk to sit behind it. Her gaze wandered over how it had been left the last time he sat at it. Despite her best intentions, her fingers reached out to graze over the wax seal stamp that had been left discarded near some envelopes and brush over the feathers of the quill that lay over some untouched paper.

"Where do we begin? What needs looking at first? I'm relying on your expert management skills here to help me." Carina quickly smiled, pulling her hand back and looking up to Natalia.
 
As much as she might desire to avoid the topic of Sven as often as she could, there was little point in doing so when sat in the study he spent hours of every day in. Everything in the room, no matter where Natalia glanced, held some reminder of whose office it was, from the painting of Carina proudly framed and hung on one of the walls (he had yet to take it down which gave Natalia further cause for optimism that things might recover) to the ashtray on the windowsill.

His office was the only place he could continue to smoke, despite his promises to Carina that he would quit. The continuation of the habit might have caused a little disagreement between them, some bickering even, but compared to everything else hey had clashed over in recent days, it was mostly inconsequential.

Trying to block out all mention of Sven when so many reminders of him were present was as close to impossible as it could get.

"...Well, Sven usually starts out day out with a cigarette or two, I don't think I need to keep that secret from you anymore when he's left the ashtray out. Then we usually go over the letters he's received - the only one of any importance you've already looked over. However, I know that-- well, Sven had been making plans for a masquerade ball; he said he wanted to bring together royals from other kingdoms for an event. Ignis has never hosted one when the outlook on other kingdoms was always... disparaging. I suppose he thought it would be a good way of further cementing the progress being made by inviting them here; building on the good atmosphere being created," she explained as she turned from the table in order to peer across at the various colour-coded files stacked neatly in rows nearby. After a few seconds of peering across them, she reached out for the royal red file with a smile in triumph at the neat notes she had taken down in spite of Sven having all but rambled idealistically about his new idea.

"Ah yes, this is it - 'a masquerade ball, a formal event to rebuild connections my father and my ancestors severed'," she quoted quietly, lifting her eyes from the page to inspect Carina's face for her reaction. Before she could speak and offer that opinion, however, Natalia shut the folder and set it on the table with her hand resting over it.

"I don't think it's wise to continue with the plans. The idea was, admittedly, one I was looking forward to, if only for my mother's sake - she would adore the project of creating me a party dress when Ignis has never really... had such a formal event, only disgusting celebrations of private debauchery, but... well, the way things are with you and Sven, it would require you both to put on a display on such a grand scale, before such eminent couples? In front of elite aristocrats? I'm not sure it'd be... easy for either of you."
 
Carina's eyes had locked onto the painting of herself the moment she had looked up from Sven's things on his desk. It made her feel hollow, her eyes wandering over the careful skill that had been applied to bring such a moment to life. Her hands slowly moved together across the surface of the desk to clasp together, a thumbnail pressing into the soft flesh on the back of her hand. The image symbolised the beginning of their new, loving reign together, and she remembered how long she had left him waiting for an answer, one that he had given up thinking it would come. She had seen it before, like when she brought Lorcan to see him, however, it didn't hold such painful memories before.

Sharply, she looked away, tearing herself away and turned her head towards where Natalia say instead. She had seen the ashtray by the window earlier, but decided not to comment. It wasn't as though she had to make him uphold his promise any longer.

"Maybe it's a habit I should start taking up, it seems to help relax him somewhat." She murmured, but not truly meaning it. Just as Sven did, her father smoked and drank. She didn't wish to become him. Sven's re-enactment of her childhood nightmare last night was enough.

Carina leaned back into her chair as Natalia brought up Sven's idea of a masquerade ball, eyebrow raising in amusement at the idea of such an event going ahead now. She had no idea what Sven's feelings were towards their policies of peace and the treaties and trade deals they had created with other kingdoms. She wasn't certain if their new, peaceful approach would even be upheld anymore, if Sven thought she had deceived him and that these new ways of Ignis were a part of that.

The amused look slipped off her face at the quote Natalia read out, the young queen turning her face away to look out the window. Her elbow propped up on the arm of the chair, hand raised to press to fingers to her lips in thought. Clearly the idea had been one of great excitement and importance, and she could understand why. A grand event such as a masquerade ball, in all it's decadence and opulence, actually hosted in Ignis would be a gesture that the other kingdoms could not ignore. It promised openness, a willingness to invite in their new allies.

The irony was not lost on Carina.

"All the more reason to go ahead with his idea," she concluded, turning her head back and lowering her fingers from her lips. She nodded towards the folder under Natalia's hand, pushing herself up straighter in the chair, "Sven and I cannot hide from such events, regardless of if they are in Ignis or not. We will have to put on an act for people sooner rather than later. Personally I would prefer it to be here, at least then excuses can be made - Lorcan, for example." Her fingers quietly drummed against the end of the chair arm, "Not to mention, we need to quash any ideas that there is weakness within Ignis, mine and Sven's relationship, or just ourselves personally. News would have reached them about the attack on Sven, we need to show that everything is as it was. Not just to avoid any thoughts that may include taking us on, but also that we are incapable of holding up our end of any deals."
 
"I suppose I'll have to get Sven's agreement on the matter -I'd have sought out your agreement too- but I'm sure he'll realise it's too good of an opportunity to turn down. He's the one who proposed it, after all, and he was particularly keen in setting all those plans into action so it shouldn't be an issue. We can start planning for it once he's given his agreement," she replied calmly as she reached for the file, dipping her own quill into the small pot of ink on the desk to make the necessary notes.

She wasn't entirely sure it was such a good idea for them to have to present a false image of married bliss to gathered royals from other kingdoms who would be experiencing Ignis in person for the very first time. That alone was a lot of pressure, but to then have to pretend to be enraptured with one another, as though nothing devastating to their marriage and to their trust of one another had occurred, only heightened it.

But it was perhaps too good of an opportunity to brush aside. It would consolidate the kingdom's move towards a fairer, progressive future, rather than its refusal to move on and repair broken ties, and help to form connections with other rulers whose support was always desirable. She doubted Sven was too interested in continuing the plans that he had once held with Carina, at least not to the same extent if he believed them to be part of her deception and manipulation of him, but he was too smart to pass up on a chance to socialise and interact with powerful men and women from kingdoms near and far.

It was something his ancestors had never wanted, and given his intense dislike of the way they had ruled, it ought to be all the motivation he needed to put his full support behind the idea even if it meant putting on a show with Carina for the entire night.

"...They have heard of his injuries; there's been all sorts of gifts sent from the kingdoms we've been doing business with. You might want to sort through them and draft letters of gratitude, thanking them for their well wishes? Sven had started to but then... Lauren was found and... that took priority," she continued as she slipped the folder back onto the desk (not placing it back just yet in case they got around to planning some initial details later on) before removing herself from her seat to collect another folder, pulling a sheet out and handing it across to Carina with a smile.

"It's a list of the Kingdoms that sent over gifts or sent letters. There were some rather generous gifts - baskets of fruit and bottles of champagne from the eastern kingdoms; they'll need looking over before the fruit rots, I think. You might want to focus on that this morning; returning letters in thanks for their concern, reassuring them of his condition. It's only polite."
 
"Well, we will wait and see. He proposed it when all was well between us, after everything, it wouldn't surprise me if he turned his back on it. But yes, let's get his thoughts first... if he should ever leave his room."

Carina turned her gaze back onto the window, waiting for Natalia to finish scribbling whatever notes she needed to make. Her mind wandered to nowhere in particular, idle thoughts, ones with no real weight to them. Like a brief wondering about the last ball she attended... perhaps it was the one held for in her supposed honour by the late king after the fall of Eira. Or the last time she had been to something that was themed as a masquerade... she believed that to be back for her 18th birthday ball.

She didn't wish to concern herself with the worry of how she and Sven would cope, pretending to be enamoured with one another in front of countless other royals and dignitaries. That was a problem for if her husband (if only in name) agreed to the event in the first place.

She could understand the reservations Natalia had about holding an event so soon after the week from hell, for both herself and Sven, but in Carina's eyes, they could not afford to falter. She would put on a brave face and a warm smile and act like a happily married wife if it meant safeguarding a better, more peaceful for Ignis. It would have been something she would have done if she was Queen of Eira, but now Ignis was her kingdom and she could no longer neglected it after coming to find qualities in it that she admired.

Zoning back in to the matter at hand, Carina provided the adviser with her attention once again, "Yes.. of course. I can do that." Carina agreed softly, tucking some hair behind her ear and leaning forward. Even if it was a rather menial job, she was grateful the chance to do something that would keep her busy.

"If there are too many fruit baskets to count, then perhaps some of them can be distributed to the local villages. No point in letting the fruit rot when it could be put to good use in some of the more poverty-stricken areas." Carina suggested, taking the sheet from Natalia's hand to glance down the list. Three long columns of writing signified the name, the country and the title of the person (or family) sending their king their best wishes. "The champagne can be put below in the wine cellars. I'm sure Sven will break into them during any future revelries should he see fit."
 
Though some fruit miraculously managed to grow in Ignis' volcanic landscape, it was notoriously bitter and difficult to enjoy naturally. Often, the fruit would be made into a particularly potent and strong wine or crushed and sugared into jams that provided a few local businesses with their primary source of income. Very rarely was it collected and sold on as fruit to be enjoyed in its initial form, so the openness of the borders and the encouragement of trade allowed for Ignisians to enjoy the more exotic of fruits that grew in more accommodating climates.

Spreading out the gift baskets amongst those that had didn't have the fortune of experiencing the benefits of Ignis' international progress was more than just a generous idea; it was proving to those in the less fortunate areas of the kingdom that they weren't forgotten about, that they were just as important as their more affluent neighbours.

"...That's a wonderful idea, Carina. Most of those people won't have had a chance to taste any of the produce we're starting to be able to sell here, so it's... a great idea," she grinned, making a note to inform one of the butlers to prepare a carriage in preparation for transporting the fruit out to the local villages by the next morning. That way, families could wake up and look forward to a nice breakfast courtesy of the Queen's kindness.

She knew she didn't need to constantly praise every decision Carina made, but it was difficult not to compliment the decisions she was making when they aligned with the brighter future she -and Sven- had promised to their kingdom. Seeing that progress continue in spite of all the difficulties that had tormented Carina made her worthy of praise - it took strength to put aside her pain, after all.

Her attention from her hurried note-taking only drifted at the study door opening, correctly assuming it to be the maid with the fresh breakfast Carina had requested. The sight of the meal made her smile, not having had a chance to have so much as a cup of tea yet that morning, so she set aside the quill in order to prioritise fulfilling her hunger - though the appetite somewhat drifted at the sight of Sven appearing at the door just seconds after the young maid had left.

She hadn't expected him to stir from his bed before noon, or stir from the room at all when he was feeling sorry for himself... but evidently, such confident assertions had been incorrect. Granted, she thought he was better off in bed given the dishevelled state he was in, the King having opted against changing out of his pyjamas and neglecting to even run a comb through his hair. He was tired, his head ached, his stomach churned and his muscles felt heavy - he didn't much care to look good when he didn't have the energy to make such an effort.

He wouldn't have dragged himself out of bed if he hadn't been desiring a cigarette, traipsing the entire way to the study just to collect the packet he kept in the drawers of his desk, which was why he appeared at the doorway and why his eyes locked onto the scene before him in surprise. His eyes, framed by dark circles and the whites of them slightly bloodshot (neither being surprising given last night's antics), averted from Carina almost as soon as they had landed on her, unable to look her in the eye when memories of the previous night stirred.

Him storming into the room.

Him searching for her hiding place.

Him drunkenly expelling his flames and burning her.

None of it made him feel particularly... great, but neither did the sight of her in his chair, talking business and having breakfast in his office with his friend; his only friend he had left, in fact.

"I see you've made yourself comfortable in my absence," he muttered as he collected another packet of cigarettes he had kept up high on the bookcase (he had a few packets dotted about, to ensure he always had one somewhere if Carina found the ones in his desk), deciding not to make any movement towards Carina for both their sakes. Instead, he flopped down on the sofa beside the fireplace and stretched his legs out with a tired groan, one that only left when taking the first, long drag on his cigarette. "Remarkable how quickly you seize the chance for power when I'm otherwise indisposed."
 
Her gaze raised to Natalia at the other woman's praise, the surprise to hear it. Not because she didn't believe in the new, positive relationship that she and the adviser had, but simply because she didn't expect it. Nonetheless, it was certainly appreciated. It allowed a blossoming warmth to slowly grow out from the centre of her chest, and she smiled quietly to Natalia. However, not wanting to make a fuss or embarrass herself by voicing her gratitude for such support, Carina set the piece of paper that had been handed to her aside and picked up the quill that had been left discarded on the desk.

Dipping the quill into the ink pot and beginning on the first letter of what seemed to be hundreds, Carina didn't bother lifting her head as the door opened. Her stomach twisted at the thought of it potentially being Sven, but given her conversation with Natalia about his probable condition earlier that morning, she had been certain he wouldn't make an appearance.

So, when she lifted her head, unable to fight the tempting scent of a fresh breakfast, for her eyes to catch Sven lingering in the doorway, Carina's fingers tightened around the quill in her hand. She was forced to put it down, concerned that her grip would snap the fragile stem, and swallowed thickly at the sight of him.

He truly looked a mess, not that she held much sympathy, given it was his own fault and after what had occurred during his drunkenness.

The burn, hidden beneath the layers of ointment, bandage and dress skirts, throbbed as if to remind her what the man before her had done, and her discomfort and shock was hastily replaced by an expression of hardened neutrality. She busied herself with pouring a cup of tea, a muscle in her jaw jumping at the first sarcastic comment that came from his mouth. In response, an amused smile appeared on her lips, remaining in place as she slowly stirred a spoonful of sugar and a dash of milk into the brew.

"Just as remarkable how quickly you fell back into the pit of debauchery." Carina stated, taking a sip of her tea and looking at him from over the rim of the cup, pausing there with it still at her lips before lowering it back onto the saucer, and then onto the desk. "You weren't answering your door to Natalia. I'm a Queen by law, Sven, I am expected to help when you are... indisposed."
 
"I just thought, assumed, that when I told you that this marriage was now in name only, you would realise that meant the business of the kingdom is no longer a domain you have entitlement to enter. Ergo, this office, my study, isn't open for you to stroll in alongside my... adviser. Emphasis on my,," he retorted as his eyes remained focused on the cigarette, watching calmly as the sun shining in from the window illuminated the smoke rising from it.

He might feel guilty for what he had done in his drunkenness (he had woken up and assumed it to be a dream until Natalia's calls from outside the door referencing the incident forced him to acknowledge the awful reality) but one horrendous accident borne from drunken anger didn't absolve all the hurt and pain he had felt towards her prior to it. He had nothing to justify what he had done to her, as his horror shortly after the flames left his body served to prove (even if she thought the reaction to be manipulative) but he still felt he had a right to be angry; to claim his feelings of hurt to be just as valid as her own.

If that meant continuing to reply to her with the same sharpness in her own remarks, then he would... even if they lacked the sharp venom of his words the previous night. As cutting as they were, they weren't comparable to the pure poison that had been spat at her then.

"...But if you want to do my work for me, I suppose I have no complaints. It'll be good for you to do something around here for once--"

"She gave birth to your child; she carried him for months on end. I wouldn't call that nothing. Motherhood is as tiring a job as the business of the kingdom, Sven. You know that. I don't think you mean what you say," murmured Natalia quietly as she retrieved a cup of tea for herself, her eyes remaining fixed on the folder resting on her lap. It wasn't entirely comfortable to be sat between the married couple as they quipped and bickered with one another, especially not when Sven looked and sounded to be in a complete state... but she would speak up if something was out of order.

Particularly when she knew Sven didn't mean a word he had said; that he valued everything Carina had done over those months in bringing their child into the world.

The lack of pushback against her words, the lack of desire to defend his claim, was evidence of that.

Instead, he shrugged dismissively and took another drag from the cigarette, expelling the smoke out with another content sigh at fulfilling his addiction - or at least one of them, his yearning for a strong cup of coffee only growing by the second.

"I didn't reply to her because I was sleeping. I had no intention of residing in my room all morning, not when there's work to be done. I'm hungover, I won't try to deny it, but I'm well enough to work."
 
"That was for my duties to you as a wife, Sven, not Queen. As far as I'm aware, you're incapable of stopping me from continuing my duties in that role, at least. Unless you fancy actually following through and, you know, put a noose around my neck." Carina retorted casually, not bothering to look up at him and signing off her first note of gratitude with the sweeping cursive of her signature.

She was eager to seem unaffected by the reference to her own death when in fact, that whole week had terrified her. Nightmares leaving her choking on her own breath when she woke from a restless sleep, the torment of wondering if the footsteps approaching her door would be the beginning of the end... but what good would it do her to allow anyone to know that truth? Not even Natalia knew the extent of her anxieties.

Carina snorted softly at his comment about her finally doing something, eyebrow raising in amusement as she focused on her next letter of thanks, quill dipping into the ink just as Natalia spoke up.

The adviser's words caused the woman to pause, the scratching of quill to paper quieting, until she forced herself to continue. She appreciated Natalia speaking up for her, but she didn't want her friendship with Sven to suffer because the other got jealous that Natalia was defending her rather than him for a change. Even if his words were out of order and unnecessary. She knew how much Sven meant to Natalia, and how much the former relied on the latter in return. While her own relationship with Sven now laid in tatters, that didn't mean she wished to see the same happen with his friendship with Natalia.

But rather than say anything to discourage Natalia, preferring to potentially tell her she didn't have to worry about defending her to Sven in private, Carina kept silent and signed a second letter, putting it off to the side to then pick up her cup of tea.

"Not all morning," she repeated dryly, a small twitch to her lips, "Just the majority of it. Enough of it to miss Natalia's urgent question about this supposed half-brother that's coming to visit tomorrow-- oh wait... yes, you don't know about that yet, do you? Because you were hungover and sleeping."
 
Natalia didn't have an issue in defending the other, as she would defend Sven if something out of order was said. She would let the two bicker and mutter digs at one another without intervening, but she couldn't, and wouldn't, sit idly by if their words began to get hurtful and cruel to one another. Admittedly, Sven was the more likelier of the two to perpetrate the more vicious words and though Natalia remained determined to reprimand him for it (or at least make a comment to remind him of how unnecessarily mean he was being), the repercussion was the consolidation of his paranoia.

The fear that his one remaining friend, the only person he felt he still had on his side, was slowly starting to abandon him in favour of Carina.

It wasn't the case whatsoever. She remained fiercely close to Sven and wanted their friendship to persist regardless, but she had also connected to the Queen during that week; seen another side of her that she couldn't claim to dislike. Purposely trying to find elements in someone to dislike, just for the sake of hating them, was unnecessary drama she didn't particularly need in her life.

Sven could pout like a petulant child all he wanted, but she was keen on maintaining a friendship with him while simultaneously allowing one to blossom with the Queen. It was just unfortunate that his desire to cruelly snap at her subsequently caused the adviser to appear like she was solely in her corner, when that wasn't true in the slightest: she was neutral, doing her best to remain balanced between them.

Not that Sven saw that. All he could see was his supposed friend enjoying a breakfast in the study, working alongside Carina - and then proceeding to jump to her defence despite him also being on the receiving end of such bitter remarks. The lack of defence for him made him scowl as he rested his head back against the arm of the sofa, trying not to move too much in fear of awakening the nausea that had, fortunately, started to settle.

However, it arose immediately as he jerked and sat bolt upright at Carina's proceeding remarks, a long groan escaping him as his free hand clutched his head - with the sunlight now in his face, his eyes burned at the brightness and his present migraine intensified. Slowly, he moved to lay back down, knowing that was the best position to be in if he wanted to avoid awakening the effects of his hangover.

"What the fuck are you talking about? What-- What half- brother? I don't have siblings, my parents made it abundantly clear that one of me was enough," he muttered, his eyes rolling as he recalled the amount of spite that often accompanied his parents' words to him. He could brush it aside without getting too hurt by it now they were no longer in the picture, present to taunt him at any moment. "If this is a way to hurt me, Carina, it's creative but it won't work. I have no half-siblings--"

"A letter arrived this morning from a man named Andrew in a village down South, in the Fiore Kingdom boundary. He claims to be your father's offspring; he's arriving tomorrow. We thought it appropriate to at least... hear him out, see if there's any credibility to his tale. I did... try to tell you, Sven. You weren't answering so I went to Carina; I couldn't keep the information to myself and she is the Queen, she has a right to know as much as you--"

"...That's... this is a lie, isn't it? An inventive lie to... to what? Hurt me? Trouble me? Or-- say this man exists and he is, in fact, arriving tomorrow, do you honestly expect me to allow you to welcome him in? A letter arrives a week after news of me being attacked, stabbed in my own bed as I slept. He's obviously some... chancer who thinks he can spin a lie to get into my home and finish me off. It's bullshit, Carina. I won't see him, it's... it's not true. I am my father's only child, that's the fact of the matter. I'm not going to have some nobody show up and claim otherwise," the King scoffed as he allowed a bitter laugh to escape him, however tight the noise was. In truth, his entire chest felt constricted at the news of a half-brother; a claim he genuinely believed without any evidence for the matter.

He knew his father's tendencies, his unashamed behaviour with the several lovers he had clinging to his arm (Sven, at least, had been more careful and private with such matters). His carelessness made it seem inevitable that there was an illegitimate child out in the world somewhere. Sven was only surprised it had taken so many years to hear about it.

"The fact you're spilling the news with such glee is rather sadistic of you. But I wouldn't expect anything less, you love it when I'm hurt, don't you?"
 
During Sven's shocked denial where he prattled on - much to Carina's annoyance who, despite being the one to tell him the news, just wanted silence to continue with the letters that really should have been coming from the king himself - she took the opportunity to partially turn away from the to and take in hand the jar of pain medication the physician prescribed her. Popping one from the jar, she fixed the lid back on before laying the jar down on the desk under a pile of papers. The pill was taken subtly, quickly, with a mouthful of cooling tea before she turned back to continue with another letter.

While she may not wish to have anything to do with Sven after last night, she didn't care for him to see that she needed pain management after the burn. For multiple reasons. One, because he had actually been stabbed, and that to Carina was a lot worse. Two, because she still believe he intended to cause harm to her, and didn't want him to know just how much he had hurt her. And three... she didn't need him making jokes at her expense.

"Please, we all know that your father was a philandering gorilla who would take any woman whenever he felt like it." Carina scoffed, lightly scratching at an itch on the side of her cheek as she passed Natalia the two completed letters to be placed into envelopes and sealed. She then reached for the tea pot to pour herself another hot drink, "And I'm not asking you to be there. If you're that concerned that this will be another attempt on your life, then let me see to the man. It's a win-win for you, isn't it? If he is your brother, then you get another wonderful link to your father. If he isn't, then he'll try to kill me. I'm sure you'll be delighted either way." A sickly-pleasant smile was thrown in his direction, mockingly and rather unkindly.

Regardless of Sven's decision, Carina was determined to meet with this supposed half-brother now. Partially because it was clear it was something he didn't want, but now also out of curiosity. She wondered what features or traits this Andrew had inherited from his father, and secretly prayed they weren't the cruel ones.

"Perhaps this will be a good learning exercise for you. What not to do with your illegitimate children 101." She smirked, cup raising to her lips again, "You can take what you're feeling and make sure Lorcan doesn't feel that way in the future. You know, make him aware from the beginning he'll have half-siblings so he's not caught unawares when he's king." She continued once having taken a sip of tea, placing it back onto the desk once she was finished

Her smile then slipped from her lips and she caught hold of his gaze, allowing her own to latch on and stay there without wavering. "Only as much as you love when I'm hurt, dear husband."
 
The assumption that he would somehow delight in her death made him snort, albeit not in amusement; far from it. The thought of her having to walk to the gallows and hang for the crime she was presumed to have committed hadn't filled him with a sadistic sense of joy. In fact, for the week leading up to the date set for her execution, he had been a wreck, pacing in his room in spite of his stitches in the inability to lay in the same bed he had once shared with her, where memories of their time cuddled into one another and expressing their love only served to torment him.

He hadn't taken any joy at the thought of having to send her to an early grave, contrary to what she believed. It was been one of the single most horrifying moments of his life to have that week proceed with that execution (and the reluctant admission of its inevitability) and know that he would possibly lose her to it. Even before her presumed guilt had been removed from tarnishing her character, he didn't want to see her hurt or suffer the sort of pain he himself had endured at the end of Thorin's blade.

Of course, any attempt to convince her of that, reassure her that for all his anger and hurt he wouldn't ever wish to see her harmed, now faced even more of an uphill battle after last night's incident; one that was unsubtly referenced and thrown back in his face. Despite him standing little chance of effectively protesting his genuine innocence (at least in terms of intent, of which he had had none to hurt her), he couldn't remain casual in the face of such an accusation when fundamentally, he knew it wasn't true.

He knew he had committed actions that there was no justifying, but the accidental burn was something he could at least proclaim with his entire chest that he hadn't intended, and to bear the brunt of her assuming something so terrible of him was horrible.

...Though it at least made him aware of the despair she must have felt at being assumed to be some power-hungry tyrant who had a hand in the stabbing, when that also wasn't the case.

"I told you last night; it was an accident. If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have set that room on fire, Carina. Especially when alcohol fuelled my hurt and anger. I wouldn't have... settled for a burn on your leg if I truly desired your pain. It was a terrible accident that I am sorry for causing. I take full blame in how abhorrent my actions were - so don't sit there and class me as some... some violent sadist when it was an accident," he retorted as he shifted his position just enough to be able to glance -or rather, glare- back across at her. He had wanted to apologise and while spitting the words out in anger wasn't the best form such an apology could take, he was still glad to have gotten it off his chest.

She might not believe him, but he had said all that he was willing to say. He could have gone into detail about the disgust and burning shame that he was dealing with after recollecting his actions and examining them with hindsight, but he wasn't particularly willing to open himself up when he didn't trust her to keep what she heard to herself.

The trust, on both sides, had been broken and it wouldn't be repaired easily, if at all.

"I'm not going to get on my knees and beg you for your forgiveness. But it was an accident. A horrible, regrettable accident. I don't think it's fair to accuse me of being a monster over that, but you do what you wish-" He sighed, his eyes rolling once more as he reached across to tap ash from the cigarette onto the table. The movement wasn't the best, another groan escaping him as he reached for his side, the pain emanating from the healing wound rather than an effect of his hangover kicking in again. He flopped back against the couch and clenched his eyes shut tightly to overcome the wave of pain that swarmed through him, his free hand clutching the plush exterior of the furniture beneath him to overcome the momentary pulse of agony as best he could.

"Are you alright-- should I call the Doctor to see to you? You've gone pale, Sven, that can't be good--"

"S'fine. It's... f-fine, just... I'm fine. The stitches came a little... undone, but I patched myself up, it's all go--"

"You patched yourself up? They come undone? That's-- ridiculous, there must have been blood and... how much more did you lose? You don't know what you're doing, you can't have stitched yourself up properly."

"I took a swig of whiskey and dealt with it, Natalia. Relax. It stung but I... dealt with it, no need to cause a fuss," the King replied, the faint waver to his voice hardly helping his attempts to convincingly sell the assurance. He wasn't prepared to admit that, in fact, he had probably undone most of the good work by drunkenly sticking a needle and thread into the wound and aggravating the bleeding: if he had to grin and bear the pain than admit how much pain he was in, he would. Especially in front of Carina who, similarly to her reasoning, didn't want to provoke any delighted ridiculing at his expense.
 
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