[b]Ella held in a small giggle as Marken flattered the guard, practically turning the man to putty in his hands. Was it really that easy to turn commoners into willing slaves with just a few compliments? No wonder Marken had been so frustrated that she all but ignored him at his ball. It must have been maddening to him that any woman wouldn't be completely enraptured by him.

Resting against the cell door a bit more, Ella wondered to herself if people would react to her the same way. In honestly, it made her a bit curious. Once she got out of her cell, she'd put her wondering to a test.

"Did you really mean that?" Ella asked Marken softly as the soldier began to make his rounds again, giving the two more privacy, "He really is nice, after all."[/b]