[M] The Dragon, the Princess, and the Knight (Holey & lobo)

[Holeypaladin]

Had he been asked to marry someone of a... less attractive race, Gregor might have had his own reservations. But given the circumstances, he couldn't really see much need to complain... in a sense, this arrangement saved him the trouble of getting to know a woman and attempting to woo her. In that aspect, it was as if he already won.

Nodding to her words, he felt the girl's hand in his own yet again. "Indeed..." he remarked, thinking ahead to the process of giving the amulet its power, with a slight smirk on his face at the thought. As people gathered in the ballroom, music started playing, and he nodded to the princess' words.

"Very well then," he said, squeezing her hand and leading her out to the dance floor. This was a dance he had rehearsed in preparation for the ceremony... a simple waltz, really. Gregor wasn't much of a dancer, and in this situation, he was only required to perform this one dance before he had a chance to withdraw from the festivities. He began to lead the princess across the ballroom in the simple, circular motion in tune with the music.

[lobo]

As the music began and the dancing ensued, Amelia found it rather easy to keep up with Gregor's steps. She hadn't been dancing in years, definitely no less than two. That didn't mean she didn't know how, it had just been such a time since she last had the chance. It seemed a bit odd that the two of them had to do so in front of the guests, but the princess had a feeling it represented more than just a dance to some.

Amelia followed him step by step, finding herself smiling through much of the routine. Every step she took matched the knights, all the way until the song faded off, and a different one began. At this point she ceased her dance, her light blue eyes landing on her now husband. "You're quite good at dancing," Amelia murmured, her grip on the male disappearing as she returned her arms to her own sides. Though it hadn't been anything too fancy, it was still quite good in her eyes.

Now that the dance was finished, she knew the two of them had the opportunity to leave if they so desired. "Did you want anything to eat before we go?" she suggested first, already drifting closer to the different assortments of food. She wasn't quite sure what was in store for them after this, so she started to push off their little chat that they had planned earlier.

[Holeypaladin]

As he led the princess across the dance floor, Gregor was surprised when she told him that he was good at dancing. He chuckled somewhat and shook his head slightly. "Not really," he admitted, "At least... not when I haven't properly rehearsed. I didn't want to humiliate you on the dance floor, so I practiced this simple step so that I would not..." He gazed at her, trying to remain focused on the steps. "I would not be good for a second, I'm afraid." Come to think of it, this was the most he had said to her so far.

As the first song concluded, he was free to evacuate the dance floor before he made a fool of himself, while the other guests all began their own series of dances which would last all night. As he began to head away from the dancing, he noted the way the dragon drifted off in the direction of the food. "It seems you're quite hungry yourself..." he remarked.

Thinking over her offer, he shrugged. "Get yourself a plate if you like but... it might be best not to eat too much." He only grabbed a few snacks for himself. "We can take it with us..." he remarked. Truthfully, he wanted to be away from this crowd of strange nobles before any of them attempted to start up some sort of awkward conversation.

[lobo]

Yet again, Amelia was a bit surpised by the man dancing with her. She was flattered that he would learn something such as dancing, just so he could do it well with her. Though she was sure part of it was to avoid self embarrassment, she couldn't help but still find it...sweet, that he decided to learn.

She didn't comment on that though, deciding to finish up their dance in relatve silence. As the food was mentioned, and the man commented on her movement towards the food, she let a little laugh slip from her lips. "I think I'm just more curious than anything," she admitted, moving to take a few glances at the different sorts of food that was put out for all of the guests. She took his advice though, choosing to rummage through and one grab a few different fruits that looked rather delicious.

Once she had what she wanted, she moved back around to her knight, reaching a hand out to curl it around his bicep. She then tugged lighty, motioning towards the door. "You look anxious to leave," she murmured, motioning for him to come along as she started to lead them out of the little ballroom. The fresh air was nice to enter again, and the princess felt as though she could breathe a little better now that she was away from all the other bodies.

[Holeypaladin]

"There will be time to try more tomorrow," the knight suggested as a response to the dragon's curiosity. "Nobles love to use these weddings as an excuse to feast, after all." She seemed to catch on that he wanted to leave before anything awkward happened, so he allowed the girl to grab on to him, heading out of the banquet hall and through a garden.

He glanced over to his new wife to see how well she liked the garden as he walked her through, eventually arriving at a honeymoon suite that had been prepared for them. "Here we are," he remarked, opening the door for her. "We can talk more inside."

Inside were a few different cheeses and quite a bit of wine, along with elegant furnishings highlighting a rather impressive bed that made up the obvious centerpiece of the room. Of course, there was only one bed, since they were expected to share it. He realized he had brought her here to talk but... he couldn't honestly think of where to begin. "Uh...." he said awkwardly, "What do you want to talk about?"

[lobo]

The princess allowed herself to admire the garden as they walked through it, deciding then that she enjoyed the small nature things that the mortals all seemed to have. Living up in the mountains made it so plants and lovely flowers weren't seen all that often. Though that made the view of the garden that much better, and allowed Amelia to truly enjoy the scenery that they walked through. "It's beautiful out here," the woman spoke after a moment, her gaze still sweeping across the plants that the two of them walked through.

As they approached the suite, the dragon slowed her steps for a moment, knowing that she could no longer delay their conversation...and the events that were to follow. She thanked the man quietly as he held the door, slowly making her way inside the suite. She looked around curiously for a moment, before her gaze rested on the single bed in the center of the room. The sight had her breathing a sigh, yet she still walked over to take a seat on the edge of the mattress.

It was then that her husband spoke, and she turned her focus towards the Knight. "I want to give you a chance to back out of this. I know it's for the good of our people...but if this is something that will end in disaster, I would rather put an end to it sooner rather than later," she finally spoke up, biting down on her bottom lip. She wanted this to at least be relatively fair for the mortal. An eternal life was much harder for humans to adjust into. Plus, he would be put into much more danger being her husband than he would be if he remained as he was.

[Holeypaladin]

The knight was glad that the princess seemed to enjoy the garden. The fact that she had an appreciation for beauty meant that she was a woman, after all, not some strange alien creature. Granted, her species was... quite a bit different than humans, in every way, but at least she had enough in common so as to appreciate some of the same things.

He noted the way she slowed... it seemed she was hesitant to go forward, which he didn't exactly blame her for. It was one thing to promise to do something, but quite another when it actually came time to go through with it. He watched as he went ahead and took a seat on the edge of the bed, filling up one of the wine glasses before heading over towards her.

He offered her the wine glass as she spoke, chuckling somewhat at her words. "You know," he remarked. "There are many humans who go to great lengths to expand their own life spans in order to achieve the sort of eternally youthful appearance that you were born with." He shook his head slightly. "But I've been briefed by the Emperor, who told me that such an existence tends to be more of a curse than a blessing, for humans."

"Nevertheless..." he remarked, "I knew the risks going in, and chose to accept this arrangement anyway. If anything, I should be the one offering you a chance to back down." He wasn't sure if the princess had accepted this marriage willingly as he had, or if it had been forced upon her... but so far he had seen nothing but beauty in her, despite their fundamental differences.

[lobo]

Amelia graciously accepted the wine glass that was handed to her, a soft murmur of thanks leaving her lips as he handed it over. She lifted the cup to her lips, taking a slow sip of the alcohol while the man began to speak. She listened closely for any sort of hesitation, or even any sort of look to suggest he was not being honest. When she found nothing, she could feel her shoulder relax, and a soft breath of...relief, fell from her lips. She took a moment of silence to mull over his words, and the way he had returned the offer to her made her smile once again.

"Though I don't want to end this, I don't believe I woild have a choice in the matter anyway. My father said you were of the best...if not the best. Getting out of this would only trade you for another, and I don't quite see the point," she explained, lifting a hand to slowly run her fingers through her hair. She then lifted the wine glass again, taking another small sip from it. She would rather be wed to the man her father thought was worthy, than toss him away and try to find someone else. Plus, the man seemed like a gentleman thusfar, and sometimes those alone were difficult to find.

Amelia let out another sigh then, finishing off her wine before placing it on the small table next to the bed. Now for the inevitable. "I suppose if we're both in agreement...we should get this going then, hm?" she murmured, looking towards the knight and then the amulet around his neck.

[Holeypaladin]

As the princess accepted the wine, Gregor went and poured one for himself as well, sitting across from her and sipping at it as he listened to her words. It seemed like she was trying to gauge his own honesty, but her reply indicated that she was just as committed to the success of this arrangement as he was. Drinking the wine as he listened to her words, he eventually finished his glass with a nod, setting it aside.

"Glad we had the chance to clear this up," he remarked, his gaze drifting over her as he slowly rose to his feet. "It is reassuring to know that you are willing to proceed." He approached her, reaching out to stroke her hair before giving her a more tender kiss than the one in the ceremony earlier. "Don't worry..." he whispered to her as he settled his hands on her shoulders. "I'll be gentle."

[lobo]

******************

Amelia let her hand slowly uncurl, pressing her palms flat to his well toned chest. His words made her smile, giving a slow nod of her head. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she decided, leaning into his gentle touches. Her own hands even started to roam a little, stroking down his chest and over his torso gently.

Though now that it was morning, she was beginning to realize it was probably time for the two to get up. She was sure there were matters to attend to, and people for Gregor to meet. “Should we get up?” she spoke her thoughts aloud, blinking up at Gregor.