Marken had finally pulled Ella's hair free, now running his fingers completely through the free locks of hair happily, glad that it was free of the constraints of her rather unattractive bun. She was attractive either way, but he found her much more beautiful in the brief moment that he was allowed to see her with her hair down, before his damnable governess arrived. He pulled her more tightly to his form, feeling protective of Ella in the woman's presence.

"Call me impulsive if you will, I will treat my soon to be wife how I wish. I would expect you to extend her the same respect I do." He stretched out his arms as Ella pulled herself away from him, scowling at the governess, a very irritated tone to this voice. One of the few things he enjoyed doing, and she decided to take it from him. His scowl only deepened as she undid all of his hard work, restoring the bun, even more tightly than before, and taking away what he thought to be one of Ellas greatest traits. He let out a low sigh as he stood himself, walking over to Ella.

"She is, er, was, my governess when I was a child. Given the fact that I've been of age for three years now, and that I'm being married, I would have assume she would have left me alone. I don't think she likes you, given your lower birth than me own. Remind her, next time she dares question your birth, that she hails from something far less than even you. It should shut her up." Markens tone was excessively cold, clearly having taken offense to her insulting Ella through thinly veiled words. He pushed his chin up, just enough to look her in the eye, and gave her a smile, before pressing his lips softly to her cheek. "I do find myself hungry, however. Shall we depart?" He took Ellas hand in his own, waiting for a response.

"You'll find a lot of things about me are different from what other princes would have." He let out a small smile as they walked through the halls, pulling Ella closer to him. "I've got a surprise for you tomorrow, I think you'll like it." His voice was soft, though held a very tangible feeling of excitement to it. Whatever he had planned, he was clearly eager for tomorrow so that he could give it to Ella.

The servants paid little mind to the couple walking to the dining hall, deciding that their princes affairs weren't any of their business. And truly? They weren't. "Hopefully though, she'll be recovered enough for you to talk to her. Her name is Regina, and I think you'll enjoy her company greatly. Like I've said before, she's certainly not my father." Finally, they entered the dining hall, Marken moving inside first, pulling out a chair for Ella, before sitting down himself next to her, glancing around at the full table.

He enjoyed his dinner, having another glass of wine, though this one was obviously stronger than the desert wine he used for casual drinking, though it affected his speech none. Clearly, Marken was one who knew how to handle his drink well. That tended to happen with experience afterall. The conversation was enjoyable enough, Marken gliding through it with ease, thinking for all the world that the girl he was speaking to was as enamored with him as he was with her. It made it surprisingly easy to talk about meaningless things when it was with the girl you were in love with.

After dinner, when they were safely back in his apartments, he was annoyed quickly by his governess. She was trying her best to keep him away from his fiance, and he didn't care for it at all. He was the damn prince, and he would be close to whomever he felt like, and he didn't know where she got off telling him otherwise. He waited until she was gone, before entering her own room, deciding he would bid his soon to be wife good night on his own terms.

Walking up to her, Marken would wrap his arms around her, pulling her form against his, his lips brushing against her ears. "Dinner was lovely with you there..." Pulling back, he would cup her chin and press his lips to hers, for a long minute, drawing out the final kiss of the day, before allowing her to fall away from him. A large grin was present on his face. "Good night Ella.'

Marken left her behind her door, walking over to his bed with a loud groan and a large stretch. A change in his clothes was quick, a silken night robe to lay in. For the briefest moment, Marken considered removing Ellas amulet, and decided against it. If he couldn't share her bed, he could atleast have the comfort that the little piece of jewelry would bring. He laid down then, pulling the blankets over himself and closing his eyes with a deep sigh. He stared at the ceiling for thirty minutes, waiting for sleep to claim him, feeling the familiar pangs of worry from before returning.

Shaking his head, Marken reached up and grasped the amulet between his fingers, pulling it up to his lips to plant a small kiss on it. He felt comforted by the action, and laid down to sleep again, this time finally able to succumb to his fatigue. His sleep, however, was no peaceful. He thrashed around occasionally, shifting blankets around, until he was only half-covered, lying on his back, the amulet facing straight up. This continued for several hours, until a stirring drew his attention.

The prince cracked open an eye groggily, looking across from him. Both of his eyes widened as he realized what was happening, Ella was climbing into his bed. He decided to close his eyes again, seeing that she hadn't noticed them open, allowing her to pull close to his embrace, their faces barely inches apart. He felt her hand reach over to grab his, and Marken decided to react than, draping his arm over her entirely. His voice came out cracked and very tired, but still held a soft edge to it. "If you wanted to share my bed... You could have just waited until the governess left..." Still, Marken didn't care at all, instead just laying there with his arm draped protectively over her, his own worries from before fading again. He was asleep in minutes.

Marken had been sound asleep when the governess had come in again, his arm curled up around Ella with an almost invisible smile on his lips. He was startled awake by the sudden pressure in his chest, looking over to Ella and letting out a small smile. He noticed his governess walking off in a huff, and let out his own chuckle. He laughed fully at her own words though, imagining a group of women in robes slinging holy water. It was quite the amusing thought.

Her lips on his cheek brought him a much softer smile, and Marken tilted his head, wrapping his fingers behind her head and in her hair. "Come on now, surely you can do better for a morning kiss?" His voice held very obvious amusement, with a badly hidden smile. He'd gently pull on her head, clearly giving her the option to deny him if she wanted.

If she didn't, Marken would lean in as well, pressing his lips to hers for the first time in the morning. He held her there for a long minute, savoring the feel of her lips against his, his other arm still snaked around behind her. The feeling was quite exquisite, he believed, his lips parting again like before, wanting to explore her mouth. Still, the option was still always there for her to back out if she so wanted, Marken had no intentions of forcing anything upon anyone.

As they pulled apart, Marken seemed to be much more awake now, a very pleased expression on his face. He even chuckled a bit as he remembered one thing in particular. "I didn't think you'd make a sound like that. Maybe I should do that again..." He chuckled again, very seriously considering doing just that, though he never pulled his body away from her, feeling even closer to her, the first time they had cuddled like this in their night clothes.

"I suppose that will be good. Maybe we'll even meet her at breakfast. I could let you two speak and get acquainted, while I see about getting something made." He pulled her closer to him again, pushing their lips together for another long moment, Marken letting out his own soft groan at the lovely feeling, before slowly pulling back. He hugged her tightly, his lips just brushing past her ears.

"Not sure how often we'll be able to do this, until we're married anyway, so I intend to enjoy every close moment like this to its fullest, understand? Also, if you want to share my bed, next time, just wait until she's gone, I'd rather not toss and turn without you for the entire night." His voice was very soft, as he pulled back from Ella, his arms uncurling from around her form to allow her to leave his bed, turning around himself to climb out. He needed to change into something more appropriate for the public.

Without thinking of the person in the room, he went through an action that he practiced so often before, reaching up to pull his nightshirt off with a single smooth movement, leaving his entire upper body bare to Ella. He couldn't be described as muscular, but he wasn't out of shape either, instead just maintaining a healthy body for a nineteen year old. He looked over to Ella, as if remembering her presence, and said nothing, though he didn't look embarrassed either. Marken was comfortable with his body, considering how close he and Ella had been, it wasn't as if this was a massive gap to cross for the couple.

He let out a soft chuckle at Ella's reaction. "This will be interesting, getting used to living with a woman in my room..." He muttered to himself, a small smile clear on his face. The man went about changing into his own outfit, humming softly to himself, changed in a matter of moments. A comb was brought through his hair, straightening out the last of what remained from his sleep as he tossed about.

The knock as his door brought Markens attention away from himself, and his thoughts, and another chuckle was let out. "I'm decent, if it truly matters Ella. Afterall, we just shared a bed." He walked up to it and opened it, giving Ella a very clear smile. "I feel like you need to loosen up at some point. It's not like people will know what goes on behind these doors, and after we're married, it'll be acceptable regardless to your customs."

He pulled her into a gentle embrace, before hooking his arm around hers as they had done in the past. "So, let's go see if we can meet my mother, hmm? I really think you'd like to meet her. I can't remember if I've told you her name, but I think I'll let her introduce herself." With that, he'd allow Ella to lead the way out of the apartments and towards the dining hall once more. Again, he started humming some song he'd heard at the ball, unable to remember anything other than the melody for the life of him.

Marken led her to the dining hall, looking around for his parents. Strangely, enough, he didn't see either of them, though he simply assumed that they were still in their room. He doubted they would miss breakfast, Glenn would atleast show up to tell his son of her recovery, if nothing else. He pulled out Ella's chair for her, remembering atleast common courtesy for a noble lady. Marken was a strange man, ignoring some customs, and following others. In all honesty, the man did what he felt like doing. He didn't have ulterior motives for snuggling against Ella at night when they slept, it was just something he enjoyed.

Taking his own seat, Marken made himself a plate of eggs, fried potatoes, and gravy. A biscuit was added, as he mashed up the sliced potatoes with a fork, taking care not to get any off his plate. He was still royalty, and while he ignored a great deal of customs behind closed doors, the man still exuded the aura of royalty in public. His very presence carried authority it usually didn't have in the rooms they now shared. Impaling a large piece of egg, Marken began to dig into his breakfast, finding himself quite hungry and ready for the talk that he would have with his mother, and with the jeweler he intended to speak to.

A loud clanking of metal on stone from the hall drew his attention. Turning around, Marken noticed two of the Paladins trudging down the hall, Glenn and Regina behind them. He raised an eyebrow at the added security, but honestly thought it was probably a good idea. One assassination attempt, that now failed, would likely be followed up, so the guards would help stop that. Marken wanted to meet the assassin who could fight one of the paladins, much less two.

His mother appeared to be in much greater health than she was the day before, a bright look on her face, though a bit pained. The poison wasn't completely worked out of her system, but it was very obvious that she was much better than before. "Who's this, sitting next to my son?" Her voice was quiet and very soft, though filled with an exceptional kindness. Unless she was a very great actor, she was as Marken made her out to be, at first glance. He waited patiently for her to take a seat, watching as she moved carefully, likely sore and stiff from the long period she spent in bed.

"This is Ella, mother. You've missed quite a bit, since you fell ill. I'm glad you're better, I visited you yesterday... The ball that father hosted was a success, and I found this little gem in it. We're to be married as soon as I can get the details worked out with father." The way he spoke about her illness made it obvious that he didn't intend to flat out say that she'd been poisoned, though they all knew it.

She let out a small laugh, and nodded in her direction. "I'm Regina Caitiff, Markens mother and queen of Rhal. I'm very pleased to meet you dear." She had a curious expression on her face, waiting for Ella to speak now.

[b]Quietly, Ella listened to Marken introduce his mother as she entered the room. A tightness in her chest formed as the woman spoke, her own curiousity taking hold. Was this what a mother was like? They were... warmer than she anticipated. This didn't ease her concience at all.

"I-it's very nice to meet you, Your Grace," Ella said with a small smile, "I am Ellanor Winters, daughter and heir of Vincent Winters."

Ella stood quietly after, unsure of what to do. What else should she say, besides the obvious? Everyone already knew that she wanted to marry Marken.

She smiled warmly at Ella's words, allowing a servant to make her a plate of eggs and potatoes. He clearly avoided giving her a large portion, doubting she'd have the appetite to eat anything more. He placed it in front of the queen and gave a small bow, though Glenn made his own plate. Clearly, the royal family only accepted a servants aid if it was truly required in such trivial tasks, the queens need clear to anyone who knew her recent condition.

"The Winters family? I've heard of them. No sons, if I'm correct? Forgive me for my ignorance, it's hard to keep track of the endless amount of families that continue to appear." Her reply was abrupt, but not rude. Rather, she was trying to clarify facts, albeit in a blunt manner that some might take offense to.

She folded her hands underneath her chin, glancing over to her husband. With a small sigh, she continued. "What about my son interests you Ella? He's never been one to socialize well..." Marken let out a groan of both annoyance and embarrassment as his mother spoke, though he looked to Ella as well, curious what she would say about it.

Marken was curious about her answer as well, wondering just what had caused her to fall in love with him. They hadn't exactly met on the best circumstances, her trying to spy upon his family, and then him forcing her into a marriage for his own selfish reasons. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure what about her that attracted him so. While he knew a great portion of it was the fact that she didn't lick at his heels like an overfed puppy, he knew that there was something beyond that. Afterall, love would be a weak thing if it only struck because someone treated him like a person, rather than a position.

So, when she spoke, Marken found himself strangely un-offended by her answer. However... She had one thing wrong. When they married, she would be his responsibility as the kingdom would, and so she would take the same priority that his kingdom would. Still, he was silent about this, having nothing to truly contribute to the conversation. Instead, he allowed his mother to interrogate his fiance, a small smile on his face as he consumed his breakfast. Hopefully she wouldn't embarrass him too much with her questions and statements.

Regina, on the other hand, had lost her smile. It wasn't that she was angry, she was simply listening to Ella speak. For a moment afterwards, she said nothing as they all ate their breakfast. "Well, I think you mean more to him than you think. It's been brought to my attention how close you've been at night..." She let out a humored smile. "Don't worry, I'm not going to judge you on it. I think you're a very nice young lady, and I think that Marken here is lucky to have found you." Her tone was filled with mirth, even as her voice was soft and weak.

Marken suddenly stood up from the table, looking over to his parents. "I'm going to see Luke about something." Regina raised an eyebrow at Markens sudden announcement. Then she smiled even wider, remembering who Luke was.

"I'll keep Ella company, don't worry about me." She waved her hand to Marken, who took it as a sign that he was dismissed. Glenn didn't seem to care, one way or the other, instead focusing more on the mountain of food before him. "So, Ella, tell me more about yourself. What was your childhood like?"