Marken watched her squirm in her seat and gave a light chuckle. This was what he had wanted to evoke from her with his teasing, not anger. Anger wasn't fun to watch or deal with, but a girls embarrassed squirming? That was another thing entirely. Her next words brought a wide smile to his lips, as he looked over to her. "I'm certain it won't need to be." He watched her curiously as she stood up, realizing her intentions right before she acted on them.

Another chuckle issued out from his lips, and he extended an arm over to her shoulder, pulling her close to him. "You won't get used to being near me if you can barely stand to sit next to me..." In all honesty, as true as it was, that wasn't Markens reason for pulling her to him. He wanted to hold her to him again, like he had when they had kissed. It felt good to hold her in his grasp, as he leaned back, allowing her to lean onto his form, his arm secure around her shoulder.

"So, let's stay like for this a little while, because I intend to have my arm wrapped around you in public often, and then we'll go meet my father." He nodded to himself, looking down to Ellas face, waiting for a reaction.

He smiled as Ella leaned into him more, bringing a hand up to idly stroke her hair. He had no clue why he was being so affectionate, it was making him closer to a girl who would be out of his life eventually, and that would only make it hurt all the worse when it did happen. The idea already didn't sit well with him, considering she was the first one he'd met, aside from other royalty, who simply didn't care about his lineage. Well, she cared of course, but it didn't dominate her way of seeing him, and it allowed her to actually speak her mind, rather than mindlessly agree with anything he said in the hopes that he would take a liking.

"Atleast I would have given you a reason for it then. Ironic, isn't it? The one girl who doesn't want my hand in marriage is the one who gets it." He chuckled, bringing his other arm to loop around her too. Strangely enough, she seemed to adapt to him holding her very quickly, despite her shaky words about it just minutes earlier. Perhaps she enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms as much as he did. Deciding to test this, he shifted his arms to pull her up to him more, so that she would be leaning on him more than just her head. If she resisted, well he'd have his answer. And if she didn't, then she would be deeper into his embrace, which would only please him.

He was ecstatic when she tucked herself further into his arms, having the answer to his question. She enjoyed his presence, atleast physically, as much as he did hers. He wrapped his arms around her more securely, moving his head just next to hers. Honestly, with all of the excitement recently, he hadn't sleep much, something that was clearly reflected in her as well, with the way she seemed to be nodding off in his arms. Not that he minded, it felt good to have her in his arms, and if she fell asleep in them, than they would be like this for much longer.

Her words brought a smile to his lips, and he softly whispered into her ear. "Perhaps... But you're going to be my fool, soon enough..." He closed his eyes, shifting her slightly so that he could get into a better position, resting his chin just on her shoulder as he prepared to fall asleep himself. He brushed a lock of her hair out of his face, before idly stroking her back as he held her.

Marken remembered the way she had held a dagger to his throat, highly doubting that this was a wise course of action. He didn't really care, though, he simply enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms too much. He was comfortable holding Ella in his embrace, where he could nuzzle into her, an affectionate act that he was curious why he wanted to do it so badly. He took a deep breath through his nose, taking in her smell, before letting out a sigh of relief. If he didn't play his cards right, he may very well end up in a position where she could manipulate him, not that he expected her to. For now, though, such matters were in the back of his head, instead focusing on the feeling of the girl in his arms as he drifted to sleep.

Marken sighed as he was awoken, looking around the room with bleary eyes. "Hmm, what?" He saw the attendant again, a look of annoyance crossing his face, while his arms looped more fully around Ella. "I suppose supper is the best time to tell my father..." He heard her second question, and didn't even get a chance to answer it before Ella did for him. A smile crossed his lips, before he yawned.

"You're dismissed, we'll be to the dining hall shortly." The attendant nodded, and left without a word. It was good to have authority, he supposed, in situations like this. "How long would you say we've been asleep Ella?" His arm pulled her back to him, a smile crossing his lips. "And who told you to pull away from me?" His next words were spoken in a much softer manner, teasing her once more.

Before she could give him an answer, he gently pushed his lips to hers, only for a brief moment. "Expect more of those, we're getting married after all." In all reality, the kiss was for his own benefit, rather than any kind of preparation, not that he would openly admit that.

The kiss was brief, but it sent sparks through Marken, though it wasn't nearly like the ones they had shared before they had fallen asleep, as practice. The thought brought a smile to his face, if that was practice, what would a real kiss between them feel like? He felt a sense of warmth, for real reason in particular. When she spoke, he nodded, thought he abrupt way she pulled herself away from him gave him a frown.

He could see her eyes for just a brief moment, as she pulled herself away from him. He recognized that look, he'd seen it in his own face several times. What was she disappointed about? He would find out soon enough, he hoped. Standing up himself, he straightened out his clothing, before stretching out and yawning again. "Yes, I suppose he will be. Couldn't have that." He would approach Ella and gently place an arm around her waist, leading her out the door, to begin walking to the dining hall.

"His name is Glenn, if you didn't know that already. I'm sure you know how to properly address someone of royalty, so I won't give you an lecturing there. Just... Act in love with me, and things should be fine." He gave her a reassuring smile, his voice soft the entire time they walked. This was probably the most important meeting they would have, and they barely had any preparation for it. Acting in love, with the very thing questionable. Still, to anyone they passed, they appeared to be a couple, with Markens arm wrapped securely around her waist.

As they walked, Marken could feel her dragging behind. She clearly didn't want to do this, and he was curious why. He looked at her and tried to give her a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine, it's only dinner." He remembered how she had relaxed at his words before, hoping that it would happen again. She didn't seem to, this time though. No, this time she seemed to be more nervous than before, and he didn't like that.

"Is something wrong?" He spoke at the same she did, though he heard what she said well enough. Before she could continue speaking, though, his father interrupted them. Damnit, he would have to wait until after dinner. "Hello father. I've brought my soon to be wife to dinner with us, so you can meet her. Her name is Ellanor Winters." He would release her from his grasp, and step to the side, so that his father could approach her and appraise her himself.

"So you're the one who's won my sons heart?" He smiled widely, looking to Ella before clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Glad to have you for dinner." Marken led the way to the table, taking his seat opposite his father, a place already set for Ella. It was clear she was expected here, likely the work of the attendant. Atleast things were already prepared, so they wouldn't start off awkwardly.

The dinner wasn't as great as he was hoping it would be. He had assumed that Ellas nervousness was simply showing through, and it gave him an idea on how to explain it to Glenn. "I must apologize, on Ellas behalf for her silence, she's rather... Shy, when it comes to meeting royalty, and you being the king of Rhal and all..." He gave a joking smile, faked of course. He wasn't enjoying this dinner much, though his nerves were kept much more under control thanks to a glass of stronger wine, now that the evening had come. Of course, one glass wasn't enough to make Marken tipsy, as he had already built up a resistance to the drink, but it was enough to take the edge off a negative mood.

He had idle chatter with his father, though nothing important, just conversation one would expect at dinner. His meal was consumed quickly though, something he did purposely to end the dinner and get Ella away from his father. There was clearly something wrong, and the more time she was around others, the less it could come out. He knew from experience that hiding negative emotions only made them stronger.

Eventually, the time came for dinner to come to a close, Marken finishing off his glass of wine with an audible smack of his lips. "Well, much as I would love to get the details of our wedding sorted out tonight, it appears that I'll need to talk to Ella beforehand. I'll come talk to you later tomorrow about them father." Glenn nodded waving his hand dismissively.

"Yes yes, you've got yourself a bride, and she's more important right now." Marken smiled and stood up, offering a hand to Ella, so that she could pull herself up using it. He decided that with the way her nerves were, a kiss or anything similar wouldn't be helpful, so he instead gently wrapped his arm around her and began to escort them back to his room.

Marken felt her shaking, knowing something was far more wrong than he'd thought. This wasn't, couldn't, just be nervousness. No, she was flat out dreading something. They reached his room and she collapsed on the couch, right next to him. When she burst into tears, he was completely caught off guard, and so he did the first thing that came to mind, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to help calm her.

Her words hit him hard. He hadn't even thought of that, of what this would do outside of the two of them. However... It also left a curiosity in Marken. "I understand that it'll hurt him but... Why do you care?" His words carried both concern for the situation, and also a light amount of curiosity. He watched her wipe her tears from her cheeks and shook his head, pulling her face into his chest.

"Let it out. If you try to stop yourself, it will only hurt more..." Markens voice was calm, and soft. He'd dealt with similar issues in the past, though nothing to the point of breaking out crying. Nothing quite that severe. He held her, allowing her to vent her emotions into him, closing his eyes and simply leaning back into his seat, preparing himself for the inevitable wash of emotion.

Marken simply held her in his arms, allowing her to find comfort in his form. He hugged her tightly to his form, finding it rather amusing, despite the circumstances, that they would likely end up asleep in their dress cloths. Oh well, there was a time and place for everything. She didn't answer him, but she didn't really need to either. Marken could very well connect the dots, and decided that she was, in their brief time together, becoming closer to him. She'd likely been fed propaganda by whatever kingdom she worked for that told her explicitly that his family was barbaric. What good was that doing them now, he wondered?

When Ella started falling asleep in the mans arms, he sighed and started making himself comfortable, realizing he was likely going to spend the entire night in this position. Using his feet, Marken forced his shoes off and laid his feet on top of the table, laying himself out the best he could, hoping that he was atleast a comfortable pillow to the girl in his arms. He waited for a few minutes, knowing a servant would show up. They always did after dinner, ready to fill his requests, usually for a drink or something similar.

Soon enough, the door cracked open, a boy who looked no older than fifteen walked inside, asking Marken if he needed anything. "No, however lock the door on your way out. Make it aware to the rest of the houses staff that if someone enters this room before the night is over, they won't be employed by my family any longer." His words were spoken with a completely neutral tone, Marken meaning every word he said. He would not tolerate someone like that attendant from earlier barging in. With that settled, and the door closing, Marken sighed and closed his own eyes, allowing himself to fall asleep with the girl in his arms, after adjusting both her and himself so that she wouldn't be able to move without waking him up. "Good night Ella." He doubted she would hear the words, but said them anyway. They seemed fitting.

A scream, of what sounded like pain, caused Marken to bolt up awake, right as she seemed to do the same. "What's wrong?" In his sleep hazed mind, he was able to figure out that she was likely have a nightmare of some sort, though he knew that nightmares usually didn't do anything like that, unless they visited often. She didn't seem to answer him, but perhaps that was because she was too tired herself, instead pulling away from him. Infact, she didn't seem to notice that he'd woken up at all. Well, she would notice soon enough he decided.

He watched her grab the blanket and realized that she didn't intend to move from her spot, which pleased him to no small extent. However, before she could move herself back onto him, Marken decided he would make himself more comfortable too. "Give me a second..." He'd loop his legs around, putting one of them on each side of her, so that he was laying fully on the sofa too, before nodding to her that she could lay back down again.

Now, she was fully laying ontop of his form, and they were both covered up by the blanket, giving Marken even more warmth, though most of it came from Ella pressing into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her again, tucking his chin just above her head before allowing himself to fall to sleep, unmeasurably comfortable with the girl in his arms. It was official, she was making him fall for her, whether she was intending to. That would make his job harder...