[M] Royally Mistaken [Ashen & Midoripickle]

[Midori-Hime]

His touch along her body left her skin tingling and she found herself wanting to do the same, but he stopped them before things went any further. It was for the best… If she gave herself to him now, she would never be able to let him go. Jessamine turned to catch her breath, blushing as she laid on her side with her back to him. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, her thoughts lingering his lips and the sound he'd made, wishing she could hear it again. But Giuseppe proved himself to be a gentleman and she appreciated it at a time like this.

Her eyes widened for a moment as he slipped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. She never felt more safe and she closed her eyes with a smile, nuzzling into his arm as he whispered in her ear. His voice was so soft and it started to lull her to sleep. Shifting her hand to hold his, she sighed softly. "I love you too, Giuseppe…" She whispered, her eyes still closed. Even if the prince would want her by his side, who knew if they would be allowed to marry. The King and Queen could have other plans for him. But she had wanted him to know before their time together was over… possibly for good.

[Ashen]

Her words were so soft, so wonderful, that Giuseppe wondered if he were already dreaming. She was pressed against him, comfortably, and he never wanted to move. He was too comfortable, and soon, he drifted off into sleep.

He awoke with Jessamine still beside him. A smile immediately greeted his lips at the sight of her. He was so glad to have her with him. His eyes went to the window, at the sun rising. Today they would reach their destination, and Giuseppe would be able to start the negotiations he did not want to start. The sooner this was over, the sooner he could get home to his castle, the sooner he could start his life with Jessamine. Thoughts from last night flooded through his mind. Was he serious about that? He'd decide when he got back. For now, they had to get going.

Giuseppe got up and checked on Jessamine. She was still sleeping soundly, so he slipped out of the inn and made his way to a well in town. There he tried to clean himself up, washing away mud and blood and the reminders of their journey so far. By the time he was finished, he looked far more presentable. He'd retrieved a cloak from the saddlebags on his horse and adorned it well. It was a light blue thing, with the emblem of his country sewn into it. By the time he returned to the inn, he looked like the prince he was.

Jessamine was up when he got back. He greeted her with a bow. "Are you ready to arrive in Florick? We have less than an hour to go now, I would think. The horses are well. The rest has done them good. I saw them earlier, and they are both walking normally. My ankle feels better, a little sore, but better. We should be uninterrupted now." He walked to the window, pointed to a distant landmark. "There's the castle, I think. I look forward to seeing how it compares to home." He turned back to her. "Shall we be off?"

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine woke alone and for a moment she'd been worried that last night had been nothing but a dream. However, the bed beside her still had his imprint and a lingering warmth there. She blushed deeply, smiling to herself before rolling over to press her face into his pillow. It still carried his scent and she sighed softly before getting up. The prince was likely busy getting ready for the rest of their trip and so should she. She washed herself up a bit, combing her mess of curls and pinning it up quickly, and then got dressed.

She was slipping on her boots when he came back to the room and she looked up at him with a smile. He looked like a proud prince once again and she greeted him with a curtsey in return. "Yes, quite ready." She chuckled. At least they would have a bit of a reprieve in Florick before they had to make the journey home again. Still, the thought of going home made her anxious. What if everything went back to the way it was once she was home? Jessamine brushed those thoughts aside for now and grabbed the rest of their things. "I'm glad your ankle is well… Now I hope you learned your lesson~" She teased, nudging him gently as she moved to peek out the window. "It looks impressive…" She muttered, then nodded to him. "Yes, it's about time we got on our way." She agreed, following him outside to where their horses were ready and waiting for them. Jessamine packed her things and mounted her horse before looking to the prince, waiting for him.

[Ashen]

They started on the last stretch of their journey. The sun was shining brightly, and happy clouds danced through the sky. It was a good day to spend outdoors, and Giuseppe would be spending it in Florcik Castle. He let out a sigh. He spent the rest of their walk talking about what a shame that was, and how boring this conference would be, and how aggravated he was to be seeing a distant king, King Thordinmay--or Thorn-in-me as Giuseppe called him--who seemed to bring problems wherever he went. He made fun of many of the members of the court to Jessamine, knowing she would not mind, and knowing she would join with him. Before they knew it, they were at the gates of Florick.

There were guards at the gates, and Giuseppe jumped down to shake hands with them. He showed them an emblem of Ibeacia, and they allowed him safe passage inside. Before they continued, however, Giuseppe noticed a colorful flower growing by one of the columns of the gate. "Oh, Jessamine," he said, crouching beside it. "Look at this! I knew there would be different flora outside the kingdom. This is beautiful." He picked the flower, causing a sideways glance from the guard. He walked it back to his horse, mounted him, and offered the flower to Jessamine. It was a large, blossoming flower, different from the smaller bulbs in Ibeacia. "Do remind me to pick up a bouquet for Violet. There should be a book in one of the saddlebags. I will press one of the flowers for her. She would love it."

They continued on to the castle, and once more Giuseppe went through the routine of proving himself as prince. Once he was allowed inside, he dismounted and waited for Jessamine to do the same. A castle stablehand took their horses away. Giuseppe looked over Jessamine. "I will not make you join me in this conference. You are free to explore, if you would like. I should be done by suppertime, I should think. If it runs longer than that, please hire someone to kill me." He looked towards the castle. Giuseppe wanted Jessamine to join him, though he did not want to subject her to that. He knew, with her there, he could at least mutter things under his breath and at least half-enjoy it. His face gave away nothing. "They are waiting on me. Will you be alright?"

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine looked surprised to see him kneeling by a flower but it made her smile to see him so enthralled over something most nobility would simply stick their nose up at. And then he brought it to her and she bit her lip, sniffing it softly. It had a nice scent and she felt it tenderly as a gift from her prince. "I'm sure she will…" She agreed and then followed him to the castle. Worried she might crush the flower, she stuck it in her hair before dismounting her horse.

She put on her act as a lady of nobility as they made their way inside the castle, looking around curiously. Jessamine laughed at his joke and then quickly tried to quiet herself down, covering her smile with a hand. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that…" She said quietly, smirking at him. "I'll be just fine… I know it's not the place for a woman." She muttered, sounding perhaps a little bitter at that. She reached to touch his cheek briefly while no one was looking. "Behave yourself~" She said before wandering off.

Soon enough the ladies of the Florick court found her and drug her along to sit with them, where they talked about poetry, court gossip and other boring things. Jessamine ignored it all, staring out the window as she daydreamed about last night. Giuseppe said he loved her… That was real, wasn't it? Jessamine blushed until the mention of his name out loud broke her away from her reverie. "He's handsome isn't he, Prince Giuseppe?" "I wonder if he's betrothed yet?" Another giggled. "Even if he is, it doesn't mean he's immune to flirting~" Jessamine frowned. "We could ask Lady Jessamine… After all, she's been traveling alone with him all this time…" The other ladies then looked at her suspiciously and she could see the questioning in their eyes, looking for some more gossip to entertain their boring lives. "I don't have to tell you anything… Quite frankly." Jessamine said suddenly, catching them off guard before she stalked off out of the room. She huffed, wandering down the hall to cool off.

[Ashen]

Jessamine's comment before she left gave him pause. I know it's not the place for a woman. She seemed upset by that fact, which got him thinking. Maybe, when he was king, he'd change that. He'd allow his wife to settle diplomatic matters if she pleased, and she would be allowed to go where she wanted, do as she pleased. Giuseppe smiled, knowing Jessamine would love the freedom. As he bade her farewell and headed off into the castle, he didn't even realize that he already had associated her with his queen in his mind.

The meeting was as boring as anticipated. Giuseppe was the only prince there, and all the kings made a point of that. "What, King Fred could not be bothered to attend himself?" King Thordinmay jabbed.

Giuseppe had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "King Frederick is busy with more pressing matters, and sent his very capable son to handle this matter of diplomacy. Is that such a problem?"

"Capable son? Sir Lory--" He turned to a guard by his side "--did you know Fred had two sons?"

Some of the kings gathered laughed at Thordinmay's joke. Giuseppe crossed his arms over his chest and turned to the King of Florick, the young King Thomas. "Might we be able to start now?" he demanded.

The real discussions started soon after that. Giuseppe tried to not look as bored as he was, but it was increasingly difficult, especially when kingdoms far from Ibeacia were brought up. He maintained a calm demeanor throughout, and was delighted when the meeting finally adjourned sooner than anticipated. It had been successful--the matter in question was about a migration of one kingdom's soldiers through another kingdom's borders. Giuseppe had given them permission to cross through Ibeacia unharmed, but their agenda was elsewhere, and all were doubtful it would even come to that. With that taken care of, Giuseppe could finally relax and head home.

Soon, Giuseppe found himself surrounded by noblewomen. He had been led to them in pursuit of Jessamine, and was surprised to find she was not among them. He looked around for her, trying desperately to get away from the women who followed him. Eventually he found her, though she seemed peeved. "Jessamine?" he said softly. "Lady, is there something wrong? We are permitted to leave now, if you would like."

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine amused herself enough, simply wandering around the strange castle, until finally she heard the prince's voice. She turned suddenly, her gloomy expression disappearing in the instant she laid eyes on him. "Y-yes, I'd be glad to." She said eagerly, then shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just reminded how much I hate being a Lady of the court sometimes…. Well, most of the time." Jessamine chuckled softly. "I doubt the Ladies of Florick will miss me much." She said proudly, however, the smile slowly fell from her face.

She'd come to this kingdom in prince Giuseppe's company and it suddenly dawned on her that her behavior wasn't just a a reflection of herself any longer. It would also affect Giuseppe's standing with the surrounding kingdoms. She could care less if she embarrassed her parents, in fact, she almost lived for it… But if she had any hope of being with Giuseppe, she would have to be more careful how she handled such situations.

Jessamine looked down then. "I'm sorry Your Highness." She said quietly. "If I caused you any trouble. It's just… They were saying somewhat distasteful things about you… and rather than telling them what I truly thought they could do with their opinions… I walked out." She confessed, hoping he wouldn't be upset.

[Ashen]

Giuseppe sighed in relief when he heard what had been bothering Jessamine. He waved off her apologies. "It was better that you walk away than say something distasteful, I should think," he told her. "I am glad you walked out on them. They shall know I do not spend my company with women like them. Thank you for standing up for me, Jessamine. I really appreciate your actions."

Then it was finally time to be heading home. The two stocked up on supplies again and started off. Giuseppe decided, even if he was offered a place to rest in Florick Castle, he'd rather be away from the nobles as soon as possible. They were going to rest in the town they had left from that morning, and start on the mountain tomorrow morning. Then it would be a calm path home, or so he hoped.

The got to the next town with no interruption. Giuseppe took their horses to the stables, checked in with the authorities, and rented out a single room in the inn. It was only sunset when all was said and done, far too early to get to bed. He looked around the town, wondering how they would kill the time. From all the negotiations, he was a bit tired of people. He wanted to spend his night alone, with Jessamine.

They stood in the center of town. The smell of bread wafted over to them from a nearby bakery. Giuseppe turned to Jessamine. "Would you care for another picnic?" he suggested. "I think it would be a nice way to end the day. A short relaxation period before we start on the journey home. We could visit this bakery, and get food from the inn, and find a nice spot in town... What do you say?"

[Midori-Hime]

Jessamine was glad to be on their way home and she hoped it would be a much more pleasant journey home. However, there was still the nagging in the back of her mind that wondered if things would change when they came home. She shook the thoughts away for now, deciding to focus only on the moments she currently shared with Giuseppe.

As the prince rented a single room, she blushed, suddenly recalling the last night they'd spent together. She then pretended to look around the town as they walked, attempting to hide her deep blush. Her face had cooled, but her heart was still fluttering when they stopped in the center of town and she looked to him curiously. "Yeah, I think that would be nice indeed." She smiled brightly and went along with him to the bakery. After gathering their meal, they had found a small hill overlooking most of the town to sit and eat. And then after they enjoyed a pleasant meal, they watched as the stars rise in the sky before deciding to return to the inn for the evening.

This time Jessamine had help undressing and came to bed with a robe before slipping into bed beside the prince. Her heart beat echoed in her ears and she worried it was so loud that he might even hear it. But they simply held hands as before and she fell asleep soundly in his strong arms. The next morning, sunlight would fill their room and Giuseppe would find himself pinned. Somewhere in the middle of the night, Jessamine had shifted to lay her head on his chest, her arm around his torso, and one leg lifted to rest on his hip. She stirred a little, finding the light on her face irritating and with a soft groan she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent.

[Ashen]

Giuseppe enjoyed his picnic with Jessamine, and he enjoyed stargazing with her even more. They made shapes of the constellations, pretending to see their futures within the gaseous balls. Afterwards, they returned to the inn and got ready for bed. Giuseppe was once again tempted, but it was easier to keep his cool tonight. He had done it once, and he respected Jessamine too much to ruin that now.

The next morning Giuseppe awoke to the sunlight kissing his eyes. He blinked them open and was surprised to find that, sometime through the night, Jessamine had rolled on top of him. He smiled warmly and stayed perfectly still, not wanting to wake her. He was comfortable having her on top of him, with no one to bother them. She slept so peacefully, and her little snores made him feel even more at ease. She stirred, and he watched her to see if she was awake. "Jessamine?" he called gently. But she only burrowed into the crook of his neck. Giuseppe relaxed again, and soon he fell back to sleep.

He awoke again some hours later. The sunlight was lower, and their journey needed to start. They would still have plenty of time to cross the mountain, so Giuseppe wasn't terribly worried. He nudged Jessamine and sang her name. "It is time to wake up," he said. "Come on. We have horses to get and mountains to cross." When she awoke he helped her into her gown and got ready himself. Afterwards, they were free to get their horses and start off. "Let us hope the mountain treats us better today," he said, remembering the horrors they went through last time. "I do not think my ankle can take another blow like that, and the horses need to be well for our rematch. You thought I forgot about that."