Dinner and a Show [Anne]

[King Edmund Heartbridge]

It had to be acknowledged that this was an unusual occurrence, for the king and queen to sit down alone to have supper together. They were either engaged in a great feast or chose to take their meals separately from each other in their respective quarters. Though they appeared to be a loving - if not particularly passionate - couple in public, the truth was that they lived as almost-entirely-different entities, with a stone wall ever standing between their bedrooms, neither of which the other had ever entered. No, there had not even been a wedding night, no consummation of the marriage that the entire kingdom had celebrated.

At least, not until tonight.

There was no guarantee that his efforts would prove fruitful - in fact, it was more than likely that they would fail miserably, just as every other attempt to win his wife's affection had been, though admittedly none of the others had been as carefully planned as this one - but still he had promised himself that he would try. He would try to woo his wife. Really, he shouldn't have to; he was the king, and was used to getting his way. It hardly mattered whether or not his wife loved him as long as she was going to take the measures required to produce a child. Or so every one would say, anyway, but the king did not need to consult councilers regarding his bedside manner.

After all, he had already produced two children from his earlier marriage, and by that logic needed no more. Therefore he did not even really need a queen, except perhaps for the hope that she might make him happy. This had not exactly happened so far. He was trying to gain her affection and she had given him little in return; the rumors of her flirtatious ways had reached her husband, who was obviously none too pleased. But still he cared for her and was determined that the man she batted her eyes at, by choice and not obligation, would be him.

The table was aglow with candles which provided light to soften Anne's face as Edmund gazed at her while he chewed his food. Finally, he mustered up the courage to speak after clearing his throat. "So, did you have a good day today, sweetheart?" The words must have sounded foreign from him, particularly the term of endearment, but he swallowed his anxiety and reminded himself that this was the first step. He had to be able to communicate with her; this was a safe start, was it not? "Did you get to do anything that interested you? Receive some friends, perhaps?" He himself had been busy reading, as usual, and would have read all through the night if the idea had not come to him to have dinner with his wife. What happened next...well, that was more or less up to her.

[Queen Anne Heartbridge]

A few minutes ago she had been dressing for dinner, putting on a simple yet elegant gown of cream silk with some simple embellishments such as gathered pieces of silk to form a sort of 'bustle' of fabric at the back. It wasn't unusual of her to bother dressing up for simple things as dinner, ask any of her ladies that and they'd say the same. But for some reason, unbeknown to her, it had only dawned on her as she had entered the dining room that this was the first time she had had dinner with her husband. She wasn't quite sure how to react or even whether to react at all, but as she had taken a seat she had kept calm and now, seated almost beside her King with a plate of something that she couldn't even recall what it was, she was simply still and quiet. Something that she always kept to whenever she was around her husband in private. That was why it was such a surprise to her when he suddenly began to speak, she didn't remember the last time they had had two words to say to each other that wasn't exepected of them.

Part of her also wondered whether something might happen tonight, something lovely, unexpected....romantic... though she quickly brushed off the idea, if he hadn't touched her on their wedding night there was no way he would now... besides she didn't love him....did she? It was a question she couldn't answer, perhaps once she might have been able to answer it but now....now she hadn't a clue. Love was something an arranged marriage wouldn't bring, it was also something that came of fair Ladies and Knights....her Knights. Yes, she mustn't think of such romantic notions with her husband, her King.
As he posed his question to her, her expression was at first a puzzled one which quickly changed to a softer, less exposed one. Clearing her throat a little, she started to answer,

Yes, there appeared to be no clouds in the sky at least. The townspeople seemed solemn today though, perhaps it's just the time of year.

That was it, talk of the townspeople and the weather....other than that she was almost at a loss for words. Promises, hopes and all sorts of impossible thoughts were filling her head she found it quite hard to focus on anything but him. But she knew she mustn't reveal her true feelings, whatever they were, or any feelings at all. Instead she made her eyes focus on the plate infront of her again, she couldn't eat so instead she traced a finger around the intricate pattern of the plate. Making herself look as relaxed and carefree as if talking and having dinner with her husband happened everyday. She then decided to perhaps mention a few activites she had done during the day, that way the conversation would seem as idle as any other and it might, perhaps, make the worry inside go away...

My ladies and I, went to a joust earlier in the day. We didn't find any worthwhile matches though....

As her words drew to an end she held his gaze for a few seconds before letting her eyes wander back to her food. She didn't know whether her words would affect him or not, but for some reason she wanted to see his reaction, she wanted him to take in her words and just understand them for once!

[King Edmund Heartbridge]

It was hard to act indifferent to Anne's presence when she entered the room. She certainly made it hard to ignore her. She was dressed in exquisite cream fabric, looking for all the world like a bride on her wedding day, which did not escape Edmund's notice as a possible sign, a hope of reconciliation. He did not notice he was holding his breath as his beautiful wife walked in, layers of the skirts of her dress swishing audibly around her ankles. She looked, literally, breathtakingly beautiful. Only her own indifferent expression could possibly mar her otherwise perfect appearance, and not wishing to face the censure of her eyes, Edmund looked down at his plate while she seated heself next to him.

It was strangely silent; the table was empty except for just the king and his wife. He wished foolishly that she had sat across from him instead of directly next to him, because there was already a tangible distance between them which could not be increased even by decreased proximity. It was clear he had caught her off-guard with his question, and he was unsure whether to be gratified or chastised by it. And her answer confused him slightly as to what she meant by "this time of year". More than that, it was simply unsatisfactory. Edmund gave his wife a sad smile. "So this is what we have been reduced to - speaking of other people, and unable to speak to each other."

Well, to be fair, it was not really that they had been "reduced" to it; things had sort of always been this way between them. During the courtship he had been similarly reserved, for propriety's sake of course. He had seen her vibrant and happy, but that was only around other people, usually other men. Damn them. Perhaps his statement had been incorrect, or if not that, at least too forceful, but he wondered whether being a bit assertive could truly be a bad thing, since whatever he'd been doing so far got him nowhere. "You look lovely," he murmured, simply to fill the empty space created when she began to play with her food in silence.

It was disappointing, really. He hoped she could tell that he was trying. It didn't seem much like she was. For a moment he regretted doing this, and realized how foolish of an idea it had been. He was conscious of the fact that she was throwing it all back in his face when she mentioned the joust. He had forgotten that it was going on today, but of course she wouldn't. "I suppose you saw some handsome knights," he commented, trying to sound nonchalant. "Did you bestow your favor on any of them, unworthy as they were?" If bitterness crept into his voice, he could not really be blamed. It was common knowledge, he supposed, that his wife flirted with other men, but he alone had to live with the pain that she had never lain with her husband, and was perhaps, when he wasn't looking, lying with someone else.

[Queen Anne Heartbridge]

As he replied to her statement about the people and the weather, she was left feeling a little shocked. They had never spoken out loud of their strained relationship before, but as the sentence had left his mouth she couldn't help but agree with him. It was...pathetic to be plain, that they couldn't....she couldn't talk to her own husband without mentioning some thing of little importance. She had to be honest with herself, she wasn't even trying to fix their relationship. She had never tried to....the night he had left her untouched and still a virgin had been the night she had given up on him, her husband and most of all her King. Something that her parents had taught her never do to, infact if they knew of the circumstances she was in now......she dreaded to think what they would do or worse think of her.
Such a silly thing that she should only now be worried of what her parents thought of her, an even sillier thing that she should be thinking all this of a simple sentence. Keeping her emotions hidden and her face a mask of silence, she looked at him and spoke calmly,

Do not other people matter as much as ourselves?

Anne wasn't sure how he would take her reply, perhaps he would view it as insolence on her part or he may not even take notice of it....she wasn't sure which she preferred him to do. All she knew was that this dinner was one of the hardest she had had to face in a long time. Yet there were so many things she could do about it, but either she didn't want to or was afraid of the consequences of such things. She wondered whether he would drag her back if she were to walk out and leave or whether he would simply let her go like he always did. It was an experiment she was unsure of whether to try though the idea of it somehow thrilled her, or perhaps just the thought of a reaction from him....Anne no longer knew what she wanted from him and yet she was interested in the thought of testing him.

Her thoughts were disturbed however, as she heard him complimenting her. It was almost as rare an occurence as them taking dinner together, but this time her firm mask slipped and showed her surprise. It was something else she wasn't sure of how to react to, usually if any other man had complimented her she would respond with a similar compliment or even a flirtation. But it was no mere man, no this time it was her husband and she had no idea how to react. Clearing her throat a little, in order not to show how nervous she was or worse effect her speech, she spoke the only two words she could form in her head.

Thank you

Her gaze then returning again to her plate, she tried to bloack out all the thoughts in her head, if she had a clear head she would be able to deal with the situation. Deal with him. But then of course, he wouldn't let her do that. No he had to simply speak and she would have to start all over again, clearing her thoughts, and right now he seemed to have picked up on her words about the joust. It was as if he knew that she wanted a reaction from him, as if he knew that she was teasing him, and wanting to ignore her games. Well, she'd let him ignore it now but then she would have her turn again and she'd try harder to extract the strangely desired reaction from him.

Perhaps....I suppose I didn't take much notice of their looks....though I did happen to bestow my favour on one or two in particular....

Lifting her gaze from the plate infront of her again, she slowly met his. She wondered whether he could see the challenge in her eyes, and hoped that he might this time. It was strange to her how before she entered this room, her thoughts and goals had been of attending the next joust and hoping for some new Knights to take part, and now....now they were focused strongly on gaining a reaction, any reaction from her husband and King....

[King Edmund Heartbridge]

“Of course they are. I wasn’t suggesting that they weren’t important,” Edmund said, finding that his tone sounded a little sharper than he had meant it to. He paused, clenched his teeth, and then exhaled, forcing himself to calm down. Of course he cared about his people – he was a good king. Everyone said so. Didn’t they? He told himself that his wife hadn’t been suggesting otherwise. She wouldn’t do that. So he wasn’t going to get angry about it. The point of this evening was to get her to like him, and that was not going to happen if he lost his temper. Perhaps she was goading him on purpose. Fine. But he was going to be civil. He was going to behave properly, and like a good man – like a good king – should. That would show her.

He thought that their subjects were important; he just didn’t like the fact that she was using them as a barrier between the two of them, like she was just going to talk about them so she could avoid talking to him about anything personal, like the problems that existed in their still-new marriage (who could have known things would get so bad, so fast? It wasn’t really as if things were so terrible, it was just that it hardly felt like they were married at all. He knew that was his fault, which was why he was taking initiative now to try to fix it, but she certainly wasn’t helping). In fact, if she only cared about their citizens as a way to distract herself from her own problems, did she really care about them at all? He thought that it was important for them to be healthy and happy first – because if the country’s leaders were well, then the country would be well, too.

He wondered whether the only reason she cared so much about other people was because she was infatuated with the knights. He knew she was, or at least, he had heard it. He didn’t really want to believe it, but what if it was true? Didn’t that mean that he would have to deal with it, somehow or another? He pushed the thought out of his mind, for the moment. He reminded himself once more that the purpose of this night was to prove to his wife that she could love him, that he was worth loving. He sighed. “Yes, other people matter. Thank you for being so concerned about our subjects. It is what will make you a good queen someday.” He gave her a small smile, which felt forced. His hand hesitantly reached out for her own. “I married you for a reason, you know.”

It was clear to him that his wife was trying to test him. He hoped that he was passing. IT was unlike him, he knew, to be so free with his compliments, and he could tell that he had shocked her a little by complimenting her the first time. This time had been even more bold, more brazen, and he could only wonder what she would think of it; she probably would be surprised once more. He didn’t mind that, in fact, perhaps he was getting brave enough to test her in return. While at first he had felt like he had to always walk on his tiptoes around his wife, he thought that it was a good thing that they were starting to get more open with each other. Communication was key, wasn’t it? He wasn’t great with words, but he was trying, and that had to be enough to start. “You’re welcome,” he replied – anything to fill the silence.

Well, something had passed between them without any fuss, at least. If he kept praising her, would she be happy, surprised, or suspicious? For the moment, he let them both fall silent, mulling over his thoughts. He could only wonder where this was going to go. She was staring at her plate again, and when she spoke, he was the one to be surprised. He supposed he shouldn’t have been – after all, bestowing favors on a knight was what was always done – but he found himself bothered by the way she said it. Was that some kind of double entendre? “And what kind of favor was it?” he asked, failing to sound as casual this time. “Usually married women don’t practice that unless the knight is their husband.”

He had not meant to sound as if he was scolding her, but it really did bother him. It was true that they were a married couple only in name, but the public expected them to act like it, and what she did wasn’t really in keeping with that. “And one or two? That sounds counterproductive to me,” he added, a bit of color beginning to rise in his cheeks. He was getting the feeling that this was more important than it sounded; like she was trying to phrase the words in a way that made them sound like they meant something other than they did. “I suppose you don’t really know much about marriage, since you are so young and have never been married before,” he said, forcing his voice to remain calm, steady, even. “Will you let me teach you?” His eyes met hers as he spoke the tentative question, seeing a challenge in it and wondering what she was up to. He had tricks up his own sleeve, though no one would expect it of him.

[Queen Anne Heartbridge]

She looked up at him interestedly as his tone sharpened, she could sense that he was slowly getting angrier with her and for some reason she preferred that to his usual reserved self. She knew it was wrong to speak to him so and to goad him into getting angry but she found that she couldn't help herself, it was like a interesting new game for her. And this time she was particularly intent on winning.... Anne then sighed silently and leant her elbow on the table with her cheek resting in her hand, she glanced across at her husband before replying in a bored tone,

There's no need to shout, dear...

It felt strange using a word such as 'dear' to describe her husband, so she had twisted it in a way that sounded sarcastic, a way that she could use to her own advantage in their game. Perhaps one day she would like to utter the word and truly mean it, but for now......now it was for her own purpose. Some part of her felt as though she was tormenting someone who had really done nothing to her, but then she realised that that was the point wasn't it? He had done nothing to her, the nothing that somehow still mattered in her strange, twisted little world. Anne felt as though she ought to run, run as far as possible, away from this man, her husband, away from him who could change her into such a bad person.....
But then all she had to do was think of her parents, her people, and her King and all those thoughts were forgotten. Sighing again but this time more audibly, she changed her expression into a softer one, a more thoughtful one. This time she was ready for his own softer tone and words, she decided to smile at his compliment of her concern for the people, a quick, hidden one but one none the less. Her earlier words and attitude now seemed like a different person had said and acted like that, all she wished to do now was to at least try to be civil to her King. Which made it much easier when he reached out for her hand, at first she again felt surprised at his movement but after a few seconds his touch started to become familiar, comfortable even.

His accompanying words 'I married you for a reason' echoed through her head, a part of her wished that reason were the one she had so hoped for at the start, but the more sensible part of her knew better than that. He had married her simply because he needed a Queen, he needed spare heirs, he wished for an alliance with her parents....any reason other than the one she wanted. She cast her gaze down again and slowly drew her hand away from his warm touch, almost whispering her next few words,

Yes....I know....

She kept her eyes down and tried her best not to show any more emotions like she had been doing so far. Her mask had slipped and she didn't like it one bit. Inside her head she was again a mix of feelings, trying to decided how to act next or whether to act at all. Next time she would make her excuses when they were to dine together, she never wished to do such a confusing thing as this again! The only thing that appeared to be keeping her sane was the thought of another joust tomorrow, she kept hoping of the day when one of the Knights would be the right one and would carry her away from all the akward and awful moments she had to face. Still, it seemed selfish of her to want happiness for herself when so many others in the Kingdom were not as lucky as she. All she really wanted was to get the balance right, between the care for her people and the wish for true love and happiness for herself. At the moment everything she hoped and dreamed for either seemed selfish or too generous.

She was brought from her thoughts as he spoke again, this time his reply to her thought out jest about the Knights. She looked up abruptly, too abruptly, and tried to register his words and expressions. He appeared to be slightly bothered by her jest of the Knights which changed her mood quickly, she already felt much more confident in her game even if his small change in mood only lasted a few words. A sly twinkle in her eye, she glanced directly at him as she spoke,

Oh you know....the usual kind of favour.....

She trailed off and averted her eyes for a second before continuing in an almost sad tone of voice.

That may be true, but the poor Knights rarely get such favours anymore.

Another sly glance followed by her eyes slowly travelling back down to the brushed wood of the table and she was almost sure she had him. Anne was determined to win her game whether it caused either her or her husband new found pain or passions. She wondered whether this time he would truly get angry with her, so much so that it would scare her. Anne didn't particularly wish to be scared by her husband, but as she was now thinking, anything was better than their silence.

To her husband and anyone else, her favours towards the Knights may have seemed forbidden or worse breaking the vows of her marriage, but to her they were simply a way to forget and make her feel some small happiness. Yet again, something that she was not proud of and was sure was her being selfish. Keeping her gaze down, she appeared to think for a second before answering her husband.

One.....two.....three....it hardly matters either way.

Anne purposely spread out her words, taking meaningful pauses between each number. She wished to make this a good game while she could and if she had looked up she would have seen his slightly flushed cheeks, and it would have made her even happier to know she was affecting him so. Her moods, thoughts and expressions seemed to be changing as quickly as anything whilst she was with her husband longer and longer. Before she had never noticed it, merely because they rarely spent longer than necessary together.
Her head turned however when she heard him almost forgive her jests over the Knights, upon looking at him she also noticed he appeared to be calmer now. Every step she took in her wicked game to recieve a reaction from him, he always seemed to reverse it in some way. It was as if they both knew what the other were trying to do and each time seeked to stop it from happening.

Though at his next words, her mood changed again first suspicion followed by a strange desire to say yes as loud as possible. He was speaking aloud everything she had so wished to hear from him, and yet he posed it as a challenge. Challenging her to accept him, challenging her to refuse him.....Anne no longer knew just what to say to him. Placing a finger on her chin, she adopted an equally challenging position and spoke, her voice above a whisper, soft and welcoming,

Now, what would you have to teach me?

[King Edmund Heartbridge]

So she was using a tone of endearment, but only to mock him. For some reason that really hurt, more than a mean word could. He did not know why he expected anything from her, since he had not given her really any reason why she would want to do anything for him. But then again, he was king, dammit; he had elevated her to the position of queen, and had taken care of him. So of course she owed him something. But he did not want her to take care of him simply because she felt obligated to him, like she owed him something, and was in his debt and had to repay it. No, that should not be his motivation for wanting her to be kind to him. He wanted her to genuinely care about him. But he highly doubted that would happen.

He wondered what he had done to push her away from him. It was not like, until now at least, he had yelled at her. He had never hit her. In fact, he hardly saw her at all. He had thought she would be afraid on their wedding night, so they had never had one. Why could she not understand that he was trying to do this for her own good? Every nice thing he did for her just seemed to get used against him. He hated it, and he hated not knowing what he could do to change things. He was trying, and she was not making any effort in return. Would it be so difficult for her to? It was not as if he had asked anything of her. He had made her queen! She had servants, a grand home, the best food and dresses anyone could possibly ask for. What more did she want from him? What more could she want?

And all he wanted from her in return was her love. But how unwilling was she to bestow it! He felt a flush creep up his neck as he looked at her. She looked undeniably seductive, even though she had looked angry, or maybe because she looked angry. At least they were feeling something. Even if it was anger. The boring public kisses were dull by comparison. He wondered if she thought the same way. It did seem as if she enjoyed this banter, since she was doing nothing to stop it. Her sigh shook him from his thoughts, and his close watch of her gave him the privilege of the tiniest, most fleeting of smiles. He was desperate to know what that little smile meant, but before he could think much about it, it was already gone.

His hand in hers was also something that did not last long enough for his taste, and it was his turn to sigh when she pulled away. “Do you know?” he murmured. “Because it seems like there is a wall between us, that blocks out all affection.” He knew that she was avoiding his gaze. “You don’t want to talk to me, do you? That is exactly what I mean. Any hint of affection between us seems to get snuffed out as soon as it begins.” He sounded defeated, not angry. His voice was soft, just as hers had been. He looked away, his eyes downcast. She was so cruel to him, and she did not even realize it. He was wise enough not to accuse her of being the one to reduce the affection between them. He had not been open enough in giving it. But if she took her love and gave it out to other people – such as those damned knights – she was certainly not helping the situation.

The usual kind of favor? Dear God. He supposed that meant exactly what he was supposed to think it meant when she said that. Sexual favors. Had he married a harlot? Or was she teasing him? He did not know her well enough to know whether or not she was jesting. Their courtship had been a whirlwind one. She probably thought it had been fast because he had needed a queen, or something, but no: he had been desperate to marry her quickly, and get to her before someone else did. But it appeared that he had been too late anyway. Even though he was married to her, other men were still going after her, and she appeared to be welcoming them. Was it his fault, or hers, or the knights’? It was probably on account of all of them. Instead of sighing, his eyes narrowed.

“I should hope they rarely get such favors anymore,” he replied tightly. “You’re married now.” He tried to control himself and quell his anger, but his eyes flashed with irritation. His voice was calm, but his expression was not, and there was emphasis on certain words. His heart began to beat a bit more rapidly, his broad chest rising and falling quickly under his tunic. Her smoldering gaze was upon him, dark eyes seductive as they looked into his. She was doing this on purpose, taunting him – torturing him, almost worse than an enemy could do. “You’re married to me.” As if she did not know that. She would do well to remember!

She spoke slowly, sensuously. He wondered what it was that the knights had experienced, when they were with her… when she had given them those favors. How casually had she given them those favors, and how brazenly did she speak of it. He was calm for a moment, but only for a moment, before the flush continued into his face, his body rigid. Still, he managed to look calm, even though underneath it all his flesh was raging. The position she had taken, as if thoughtful, was really probably just meant to be sexy. Damn straight, two could play at that game. If she was seducing him, then she was certainly winning. But she was not going to do that and get away with it.

Suddenly he realized that things might not be going bad after all, and even if she won this game, he would still win, in the end… “I will teach you the duties that come with marriage,” he pronounced, “since you do not seem to know.” His voice was calm, calmer than he had expected himself to be capable of. “I know that being married is new to you, and you think that you can go around bestowing favors on any man you see. But you are my queen, and you belong to me.” Well. She did not belong to him body and soul – not yet. But perhaps soon. His eyes were dark with longing as he looked at her. “Do not worry, my dear. I am a good teacher.” Feeling braver, he gave her a slight smile. This was not what he had been expecting at all. Nor did he quite expect it when he leaned toward her and, without thinking, kissed her.

[Queen Anne Heartbridge]

Smiling in satisfaction as she watched him flush red, she wondered how longer they could keep up the game. All she knew was that it was the most delicious, yet tedious game she had ever played....and she wasn't even sure if she wanted it to end. Yet, again a part of her couldn't wait for the game to end and for the winner to recieve their prize, whatever the prize ended up being... Anne only hoped it was a prize worth playing for and not something that she would later regret playing so intensely for....
One thing that she was now regretting however, was her use of the word 'dear', almost immediately she had seen that she had hurt him with it and wondered whether that had been her original intention or not. Most of her intentions seemed to be getting lost along the way, half the time she didn't know what she had said what for or just why she wanted to say it in the first place. One thing was for sure, and that was that her head was absolutely spinning and just from one dinner with her husband...

Anne was a little surprised as she heard him sigh once she had pulled away. It seemed almost unusual compared to the strange yet small anger he had shown earlier. She listened carefully to every word he uttered and almost wanted to hang her head in shame. All his words repeated in her head and she couldn't help but agree with him completely, he was making every effort and all she did was trick and play with him. Concealing feelings and affection one minute whilst trying to drive him to anger the next.....she had no explanation for it though, all she seemed to think about was winning their game if she did that it wouldn't be so confusing anymore....well she hoped so...
She so wanted to tell him that she did care, that she needed the affection, that the wall could be broken down so easily but it wasn't what either of them needed to hear. Anne knew that their wouldn't be a simple answer to it all, no it was complicated enough without being put into words. So instead, she acted as if she didn't care, as if it were all a game and yet she still desperately wished to win....

Again that bizarre happiness as she realised she had hit another nerve with more of her comments on the Knights. They seemed to be the main subject that evoked such strong reactions from him, it almost made her want to brag about them! Though that would of course be a very short conversation.... With an ever satisfied grin slowly spreading across her face, she watched his eyes narrowed and almost wanted to laugh in glee at his choice of words. 'You're married now' he had said, and gosh didn't she know it too? Anne was only too happy to tell him just what she thought of their so called 'marriage' but then that would just completely ruin her game, wouldn't it? Her interest in the game reached higher levels as she finally began to wear him down, she could see it in his expressions, his choice of words, infact everything about him smelled of anger..... Half of her wanted to run and hide whilst the other much more rampant part of her wanted to stay and endure the fire that would no doubt soon follow....

As she refused to answer him and simply sat, looking him over, taunting him silently, with her body language and her earlier words, she noticed his constant changes in mood.... Anger, jealousy, lust....three emotions that were practically unheard of in their usual relationship. But this....this was something entirely different! Unusual, bizarre, amazing.... Her eyes flashed with a strange hunger as she continued to stare him down whilst inside she felt so many peculiar emotions of her own. Her eyelashes seemed to flutter individually, deliberately enticing him of their own accord as she listened to his next words.
Again she longed to tell him just how much she wanted to belong to him but the fiercer side of her stuck it out and refused to even think those words. So instead of telling her feelings she simply raised an eyebrow as he spoke to her, and slowly traced her lips with her finger. Anne knew that she was blatantly teasing him yet she found it entertaining and had to try hard not to giggle.

She hadn't failed to notice the lastest look in his eyes either and was pretty sure that soon one of them would crack and the game would get closer to being won.... The small smile he gave her after he'd finished talking threatened to break down her defences and so she slipped past her own defence to utter one sentence in a whispered but still silky voice,

Oh, I'm sure you are....

Then she was taken by the greatest surprise as she realised he had leaned in closer towards her and that his lips were now touching hers... For a few seconds she was so taken aback that she didn't move but then all her emotions spilled out at once and she found her own lips moving against his to kiss him back. The feeling of his lips on hers was undescribable, they felt as soft as the silk in her dresses yet as worn as the cobblestones in the streets...and yet she didn't mind at all, infact she loved the feeling of them....
Yet part of her told her that she should stop this now before it got any further....before she fell for the man that couldn't, wouldn't love her back. Before she betrayed her own mixed feelings to him and before she spoiled her wicked game....

Gathering all the strength she could find she drew her lips away from his and gently pushed him away from her. Anne took a moment to catch her breath before quickly glancing at him and then looking away again in shame and in her game....

[King Edmund Heartbridge]

Edmund did not know what he had been thinking when he first leaned in for the kiss. Perhaps he was thinking that this would be his only chance that he would be alone with his wife (for their public kisses surely meant nothing), seeing as how rather disastrously this dinner was going and she would probably not agree to another (he did not know what had made her agree to this one, actually). After all, the kisses on the cheek were nothing compared to this. Or perhaps he had been thinking he wanted to show her how he felt about her, let her know what she was missing, perhaps. But it was most likely that he had not been thinking at all.

After all, given their history, it was not likely that she would respond positively to being given a kiss, other than one given on the cheek for public benefit. They had not really expressed their affection for each other, let alone passion. But clearly, they both had a lot of passion, because when he kissed her, she kissed him back. Wholeheartedly. It was a total surprise, but a pleasing one. She was an excellent kisser. Edmund's first wife had been gentle and distant and kind, but did not have the fire that Anne did. That much was already obvious. He leaned eagerly into the kiss as she deepened it, her lips parting in a passionate kiss that almost allowed his tongue to dart in, if only he had dared.

It was strange how normally he would not have dared to do something like this. He was not particularly romantic, nor had he thought he was passionate, until now. But so long his feelings had been restrained, and now seemed to be determined to let themselves loose, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was out of jealousy, or the fact that her room was adjacent to him and every night he had imagined her laying naked within it without mustering up his courage to go have the wedding night which had been delayed - until now. He had certainly worked up his courage now, though. Or at least sort of. He was not exactly certain what he ought to do next, but thankfully, his body seemed to know better than his mind.

But he did not get the chance to see. Because as suddenly as the kiss had begun, she was ending it, pushing him away and causing their lips to pull apart like a ripping seam. As he fought to catch his breath, chest heaving as he gasped, her eyes met his for the briefest moment before she glanced away. Could she possibly be nervous? Or was she just embarrassed that it had happened, that she had willingly kissed (or at least kissed back) the man who until this moment she had seemed determine to hate, even if they were married? Did she feel disloyal to her damned knights for kissing her husband?

Tentative, gently, he took her chin in his hand and turned her face back towards his. "Anne," he said softly, looking her in the eye again, "what are you so afraid of?" They were married. They had nothing to lose. And she did not know it, because he had never told her - he had not known how to tell her - but he loved her. He knew she didn't love him back, but that was okay - he was not going to give up trying to persuade her. Still looking into her eyes and gently holding her chin, he tilted her face up towards his and leaned in again. This time, when their lips met, it was slow and soft and searching, or at least it was at the beginning.

If she did not want this, he could not force her. Well, he could, but he did not want to - he was not that kind of man. He would not enjoy this if she didn't. The hand which had been at her chin gently swept across her neck to cradle her head at the base of her skull, holding it gently and tangling in her thick hair as he continued to kiss her. He finally allowed himself to thrust his tongue into her mouth. He forgot anything about the knights as he wrapped himself up in her, with his one hand steadying himself against the table while the other hand supported her head. She could break away, if she wanted to, but he prayed that she didn't.

After a moment, he drew back gently, just because he had to breathe. He watched her, panting, wondering what her reaction was going to be, what was going through her head. She was still something of a mystery to him - one he hoped he could figure out. But right now, he could not think, only do. He was breathless when he looked at her. She really was beautiful. His body had longed for her for weeks and was already shamefully aroused, as he hoped she couldn't see. He had caught his breath enough to speak. "I am better than the knights, you know," he panted. "Stronger, harder... better rider." He did not know the man who spoke these crude words. He blushed and ducked his head, mumbling an apology. Had he just ruined everything?

((ooc: hope there wasn't too much godmoding))

[Queen Anne Heartbridge]

(OOC - No problem, its fine! Infact that works just nicely for me... Also it's quite hard not to godmod when you do action! ;D )


The ends of her mouth would've turned up in a smile at seeing him breathless, if she hadn't already been preoccupied. Her thoughts were yet again in tatters, one minute it was all a game to her, the next everything was so real. She wondered whether she ought to have broken their kiss or whether she should have let it continue to a bitter end....but then would it have been such a bitter end? The thought startled her almost, before she hadn't even thought twice of her husbands desires or even her own....Yes she had been fascinated with the Knights, still was, but not because of those kinds of desires.... true she had just taunted her husband with such things, but then she hadn't been herself...
She still wasn't herself and she couldn't see it changing tonight, this whole dinner, her husband, her stupid stupid game, that kiss.... She would cry if it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't alone and that it just didn't seem fitting at all.

Anne almost jumped at his touch as he took her chin in his hand and made her look at him. She tried to divert her gaze but somehow she always ended up looking back into his face, as she looked at him she noticed for the first time the shade of his eyes. They were a lovely golden brown colour, not light enough to be called copper but not dark enough to be called ebony. It was strange how now she was describing his eye colour when at the start of the dinner she had wanted nothing to do with him! It was almost laughable, if it hadn't been for the fact that she was ready to break down in tears.
Her bottom lip felt as if it were trembling as he asked her what she was afraid of, if she told him he'd either strike her or pity her and she didn't want either from him. Anne was afraid of falling in love with her husband, afraid of getting hurt, afraid of loving her King.... And there wouldn't be a cure, she was sure of it.

She swallowed silently as he began to tilt her head towards his own, she knew that he intended to kiss her again though she couldn't tell yet whether she was anticipating it or dreading it.... It seemed as if an age had passed before their lips finally touched, though in reality it had only been a matter of seconds. Anne felt the same lips she had kissed before though this time they didn't seem nearly as surprising or lovely as they had before...
It wasn't as if he were forcing her to kiss him, no she knew she could pull away at any second if she wanted. If she wanted....words that seemed foreign to her yet as close to her heart as any. If she wanted she could pull away, if she wanted she could leave this room, if she wanted she could run, if she wanted....then why didn't she?

A tiny sigh would have escaped her lips, as he swept his hand across her neck, if it hadn't been for the fact that they were wrapped up in his. The wonderful feeling from before seemed to return as the kiss again turned deeper, she found herself enjoying his hand tangled in her hair and the sensation as his tongue entered her mouth. She had a feeling that this kiss would need to be remembered, and it made her ever wary of just what would occur next. Though her eyes had been closed as soon as their lips had touched she kept them closed as she slowly drew away. She could hear him trying to catch his breath as was she, though this time she couldn't make herself look away. This time she found that her gaze stayed directly on him, watching him silently but for her gasps of breath.

By now she already knew the effect she had on him though for some reason she was still unsure of just how he effected her. Her heart was beating fast yes, she had trouble breathing too, but inside her head it was complete chaos. Her thoughts went from the kiss they had just shared to the Knights that she felt such loyalty to. It was bizarre how they suddenly came to her at a moment like this, and for some reason in particular their faces came to her one by one. They all merged into one another, some she couldn't name whilst others she thought she knew. It made her want to giggle hysterically, thinking of all the lies and truths she had told about them when she hardly even knew who they were! Though she hardly know who her own husband was, so why should some simple Knights bother her so?

She closed her eyes again and shook her head, trying to rid herself of them and all her other confused thoughts and troubles. Right now, all she really wanted was complete and utter silence in which she could either die or cry in. Again thoughts of how selfish she was turning out to be... She had no children, no lover, no brother.....no one who even cared though, so why shouldn't she be selfish? It was just what Arthur had done, wasn't it? Running away from all his problems as well as the people who loved him.... Her thoughts were disturbed however as she heard him speak again. His words 'I am better than the Knights, you know' made her snap her eyes open and look at him for once. He seemed to have spoken his exact thoughts on the Knights and herself in just that one sentence! But before she could either rise in anger or cower in shame he continued with his words. She had to repeat them in her head a couple of times before they sank in fully, though she still couldn't get over them.

What exactly had she done to make him speak to her this way? Had it been her lies about the Knights, the way she had said them, or the way she had displayed herself to him? However much she wanted to gain a reaction from him, this was most definitely not the one she wanted! Hell, she had acted as if it were, she knew it, but now that it came down to it...
Anne didn't want to be treated as if she were some street whore, she wanted better than that and ok maybe she had presented herself as one when she had lied about giving such favours to the Knights but it wasn't what she wanted at all! She had made the King, her husband, a nice enough man, a complete beast in only a few minutes! What kind of monster did that make her? What kind of woman cast such trickery, played stupid wicked games, and made a man treat her like a whore??

No longer able to control any emotions, she let a single tear begin to slide slowly down her cheek and drip onto the flowing skirt of her white gown. Virgin white indeed! More like temptress white! Infact why had she worn it at all, she ought to have worn a brass red!
Soon the single tear began to be followed by a few more, she had simply given up trying to hold them in and let them go as freely as birds from a cage. A tiny sound like a cry came from her mouth, it was quiet yet audible to the two people in the room, she now realised how shameful she was acting. In one swift move she was standing up, a hand across her eyes attempting to both catch and hide her tears.

Turning towards the closed doors she wondered how long it would take her to open them and run as fast as possible to her awaiting rooms. Walking as fast as she could without running she headed towards them. Reaching for the cold silver handle she wondered whether he truly would follow if she ran, though that thought was quickly wiped out by her increasing tears....

[King Edmund Heartbridge]

For a moment, King Edmund was simply frozen as he watched his wife try to run out of the room. It appeared that he had done something wrong after all. For God’s sake, was she crying? Was that what that little sound had been? She crossed the room towards the door and he was paralyzed as he stared at her in shock. He rose finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a second, and strode over to her, reaching her in a few long steps. His arousal made movement rather difficult, even painful, but not enough so to keep him from getting to her before she left. Gently, he took her arm, not so tightly that she couldn’t pull away if she wanted to; just enough to get her attention. Hopefully just enough to keep her from leaving. “Don’t go,” he said softly. “Please. Can we just… talk about this?”

He looked at her beseechingly for a moment, then sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Anne. It was too much, too soon, wasn’t it?” Perhaps it was just as well that he had not touched her on their wedding night, if this was the reaction he would have received. He had folded his hands behind his back neatly as he approached her, head slightly downcast in an attempt to look nonthreatening, but he had a sinking feeling that it was a bit too late for that. “I’m sorry,” he said again, rather meekly. She should feel proud of herself, for having reduced a king to a position of near subservience, for he was at her feet, practically, bowing before her to allow her whatever whim she desired, just so that he would feel forgiven. But he knew that it couldn’t come that easily. Nothing seemed to with her, but that was probably his own fault, too. Everything seemed to be. That was just his luck, wasn’t it?

He had been borderline vulgar with his barely-veiled comments. He had thought that Anne would be able to handle that, what with her own comments about the knights and her favors for them. Of course it didn’t seem fair that she could “dish it out but not take it” – that is, make comments of a rather sexual nature about other men, in reference to what she had done for them, or rather to them, while the king – the KING! – was not allowed to say anything about the queen herself in a similar nature. He would think that he would be able to do whatever he damn well pleased, but he supposed that she, being king, had to be respected. Even if she wouldn’t respect him, damn her. Little harlot. He really ought to hit her. Or something. In fact, if he wanted, he could take her, right now, and fuck her against the wall. But he didn’t want to. That would ruin everything. He knew that. And it just wouldn’t seem right. He wasn’t that kind of man, no matter what she might think of him.

And he wanted to prove that to her. He wanted to show her that he was a good man. He thought he had been doing a pretty good job of that, up until his bad comments, apparently. But it seemed unfair, again, that a few words could ruin everything that he had done up until that point. After all, one mistake couldn’t negate a bunch of good things, could it? Even if the mistake had been a rather big one, it certainly could have been worse! If anything, the bigger mistake would have been kissing her, but she had certainly been fine with that, both the first time and the next and the next, and when it had been deeper and more passionate, she had not at all stopped him. In fact, if anything, she had encouraged him, vixen that she was! Not that Edmund had minded. But he did mind that he was receiving mixed messages from her.

Had he been giving mixed messages to her as well? He did not think so. He had made it pretty clear that he wanted her. Hadn’t he? I mean, perhaps it had been strange of him not to touch her on her wedding night. But couldn’t she understand the fact that he hadn’t wanted to scare her? Granted, that seemed to have gone out the window and hadn’t worked, since she appeared pretty scared of him at the current moment. But he had tried. Since that hadn’t worked, he had tried something else, and that – obviously – had definitely not worked either. So what was he going to do next? If anything? It appeared that she really just didn’t like him. No matter what he did, it was a lose-lose situation, and she was going to hate him for it. She had liked being kissed, but he doubted she was going to let him get close enough to do that again, seeing how upset she was.

And she was very upset. After all, as he looked at her closer, it was obvious that she was crying. Tears were running down her face, even though she had tried to brush them away. Gently, he reached up and with the pad of his thumb wiped away a tear tenderly, a small frown on his face growing out of his frustration with himself and with the situation in general. He didn’t want to blame himself, and in fact he kind of wanted to blame her but he knew he couldn’t, and doing so wouldn’t solve anything anyway, since she was upset about something that he did. Right? It wouldn’t make sense if she was mad at something else. Then, it didn’t really make sense that she would be mad at him right now, either, given the way she had acted. But she was a woman, and she was crying, and he was trying to get her to love him, or at least to have sex with him (both at the same time, being preferable), so he had to be sensitive. So he stood there and waited for a reaction. “What do you say?” he prompted gently. “Do you think we can try and fix things between us?”

(ooc: sorry it took so long. I got busy, and then I got really sick… not a good combo :/ hope the post was okay!)

[Queen Anne Heartbridge]

(OOC - Hehe I love your post! All I could think as I read it was, I'm gonna love replying to this! ;D Btw, as you know I'm not on all that regular either so your totally excused for not being on and being ill and all! Hope you're feeling better now! )


Just as she was about to turn the handle and leave the private hell she had got herself into, she felt him take her arm. He wasn't rough, no he was the complete opposite infact she could have still ran. But for a moment she was curious as to what he would say, do, how on earth would he react to her now? Did she even want a reaction anymore? No, the more she thought about it the more she wanted to escape the entire situation and be safely back in her rooms, eating there as usual.
However, she let herself listen to him if just for a second then she could escape if she wished....right? As she listened to his plea for her to stay, part of her wanted to obey him and not just because he was her King and husband but for some other unknown reason she didn't yet wish to comprehend.

She attempted to clear her throat but it came out as a half-choked sniffle which made her want to cover her face all together and hide in embarrassment. Trust her to cry so much over something so silly, and to make herself look as unladylike as possible....her parents would roll in their graves if they were dead. As he let go of her arm and instead placed his hands behind his back she tried to decide whether to escape or not, again those strange feelings.....what on earth where they? Why wouldn't they go away?? Anne was on the verge of hysterics she was sure but somehow she managed to calm down and instead closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Keeping her eyes closed she listened, half alert, to his words. As he uttered the two words she desired at that moment, she thought of earlier. Earlier she would have applauded herself for bringing him to an apology, infact she probably would have jumped for joy!

However, she was past all that now, past her small madness....no apology could stop her sadness or her tears. Only one thing could.....and she had no idea what it was. What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she have to take everything to the extreme? He was probably thinking just that himself and even wondering why he married her in the first place... Anne had to admit that she hadn't had any truly redeeming qualities back then and still didn't. She was simply a Princess, or a Queen for now, who wanted true love, enjoyed a good joust and could seemingly play with men's hearts as she could an instrument. If her mother knew of the situation she was in....she would've earned a slap across the face already. She knew her parents had pinned their hopes on this marriage and they would be telling her to consummate the marriage immediately if they knew of her lonely wedding night.

And as much as she hadn't wanted to admit it to anyone her wedding night had been lonely. Not just because her husband happened to be missing but because she had truly felt alone then. After all, she was living in a different place, she was a married woman, and a Queen....her family were no longer around her and her brother.....her brother had missed her wedding day..... Even now, after so long without her brother, she couldn't help but distress over his disappearance. But that was besides the point wasn't it? Her brother had nothing to do with this awful mess. No, this was all hers!

The worst thing about her situation was that the man infront of her could do as he pleased, if he wanted to he could crush her right now and if he wanted he could take her too. If he wanted.....but would he? That was the most urgent question on her mind, before any reaction from him would have excited her and for some reason the thought of a reaction from him still intrigued her. She knew she was being that stupid whore again and it was not a character she wanted to be at all, but for some reason all that time of missing.....missing.....pleasure had made her desire it more than she ever had before.
Before she had expected and welcomed the thought of loving her future husband in that way, but she had never desired it before... Perhaps this was the reason why she had felt that strange feeling when she had accepted him?

Wanting to shake away all her thoughts forever she took the tiniest of steps backwards towards the door. It made her feel much safer....cleaner to be closer to her means of escape. After this encounter, she knew she would be praying for an awful long time and it almost scared her....then again she was always scared of praying after such occurences.....she had proved that with her joust going. Finally finding some small strength to open her eyes, she did so only to find his hand coming towards her face. For a small second she thought he was going to strike her but her momentary fear evaporated as he instead wiped away one of her runaway tears. That small yet tender action almost made her want to open up to him but she didn't, instead her facial expression showed her gratitude. It was probably showing a number of other things too but she didn't want to bear thinking about that, instead she'd rather slip into her familiar mask....

As he asked her whether she thought they could fix things, a match somewhere inside her lit up the flame of before and she found herself easily putting her mask back on. Anne was sick of the mind games, the expressions, the words, their relationship.... So, clearing her throat and sniffing her tears away she tilted her head a little and spoke in as clear a voice as she could muster,

Why don't we just quit the formalities and have that wedding night? Then we won't have to deal with each other again.... I mean, thats what you want isn't it?

She stepped forward, feeling braver, and continued in the same half mocking, half angry tone.

Mindless sex. Pleasure from your wife. Infact we could simply do that every so often and never have to utter a word to each other again!

As she had said the words 'sex' and 'pleasure' she had said them sharply, trying to sound as crude as he had to her. And on her last sentence, Anne, had flung out her arm to emphasize how little it all meant to her, how she would comply to whatever he wished. She waited with bated breath for his reaction, answer or expression.

[King Edmund Heartbridge]

"Anne, that isn't fair," he murmured, looking genuinely hurt. "That isn't what I want." He lowered his eyes, feeling ashamed of himself. He had been rather vulgar, hadn't he? The euphemisms he'd used hadn't hidden it. Had he even meant it that way? He couldn't remember now, but he supposed it made sense - and it didn't really matter if it made sense to him as long as it made sense to her, because she was obviously going to think whatever she wanted and he wasn't going to be able to convince her otherwise, because it was becoming more and more apparent to him that no matter what he said, she was going to hate it, and hate him. It was starting to seem like a lose-lose situation.

And it was going to be a lose-lose situation, because in his heart, he had made a decision - he would not take her unless she wanted him to, and right now, since she didn't want him to (obviously), he was not going to. He knew he could, but at the same time, he wouldn't feel right. He would feel like a rapist, a low criminal. Even if she had given him permission. He sighed. Did that mean she wanted him to? No, she was just trying to hurt his feelings. He wasn't the smartest man in the world, but he knew that much. She wouldn't tell him to take her unless she knew he wouldn't do it... Or if she thought he would do it and she wanted him to. And that was just far too confusing for him to sort out, so he would just deprive himself. He had already done so for a long time, so what was one more night?

Except tonight, he had kissed her, and it had aroused him. That had not happened before. Sometimes he had to admit, he had fantasized about her, and sometimes he had gotten hard. Sometimes, he'd had to take care of that himself. It was shameful and embarrassing, to be like an inexperienced teenager again, especially since he knew that he was a king, and should be able to easily get any woman he wanted into his bed to relieve him of that... problem. And yet his own wife did not seem willing to have him in her bed. She ran from him. She hadn't at first, but when it had started getting good, she was gone. It was like some game to her, playing with his heart and his body, and she must be so proud of herself to have rendered helpless the most powerful man in the kingdom of Heartbridge.

"It will not please me if you are not pleased," Edmund said, quietly, as if it pained him to say it. And it did pain him. It was painful to stand here, obviously aroused, and know that he was not going to be able to get rid of it. Again, his self-restraint was going to hold him back from getting what he wanted, even what he needed, because he was afraid of upsetting Anne. Who was clearly already quite upset. "And it is obvious from the way you wrenched away from me that I do not please you." If a bit of sadness and bitterness crept into his tone, could he be blamed? "Is it because I am too old for you? Am I not as young and handsome as your knights?" he asked, sounding more sad than angry. It was not his fault that she was younger than him.

It was not his fault, really, that they had gotten married at all, when it had primarily been set up by her parents. It was frustrating to him that he had done all this for her - elevated her family status, given her dresses and a home and room to herself and other gifts, not to mention the freedom to go do whatever she liked without questioning her, even see those damned knights - and all he received back was hatred. But if he mentioned that she would just hate him more. He always had to be the one making exceptions for her, tiptoeing on the ice. Did he regret marrying her? No, he didn't think so, but if more heartache like this was all that lay ahead of him, then perhaps someday, he would. It was too much for him; he had too many other things to worry about to overthink this.

But he had one more thing to say, before he went to his room, to be once more alone with all of his crushed dreams. He took a step closer to her, just as she had done to him, and looked at her, eyes sad and grave. "So no, to answer your question, that is not what I want. I do not want to take you against your will. And, in case you were wondering, I like talking to you - when you allow me to. I don't like mindless sex, as you call it, because I only lay with women I like, and who like laying with me. If you only lay with men who you like, I suppose you have the knights for that, since it is obvious that you do not at all like me. But if mindless sex, dear wife, is what you want, then by all means, tell me so, for you know I cannot deny you anything."

When he had finished, he stood there, simply staring at her in silence. That was the most he had probably ever said to her at once, and certainly the most emotional he had ever said, anyway. He did not like sharing his feelings, knowing well how dangerous that could be - and now that he had, he felt vulnerable, exposed. He hated himself for it, for bearing his soul to her when she would just throw it back in his face, as she seemed to do with everything. Now, he could leave, as it seemed she had already answered his question, by running away from him - she obviously didn't want him. So he turned on his heel to go.

[Queen Anne Heartbridge]

No.....wait....

Her words had been a whisper, a muttering, seemingly only audible to her but she had still said them. With no time to think, she grabbed his arm before he could leave. The action was surprising, even to her, but she had no time to dwell on it not whilst he thought so badly of her, not whilst he tried to leave.... She was most likely contradicting her own actions, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he stayed a little longer, which was why she gently placed her other hand on the side of his face and reaching on her tiptoes brushed her lips against his. That strange, pleasurable feeling returned and she moved the hand that was still grasping his arm onto the back of his neck. He could push her away if he wanted and leave the room like he'd planned to but right now she'd prefer it if he didn't....something she'd never expected to think before..... She looked into his eyes for a second before meeting his lips again, this time kissing him deeply and longingly. It was as if a hidden part of her had finally released itself, the kisses they had shared moments before were nothing compared to this kiss now. It felt....it felt.....real.

The hand on his face caressed his cheek whilst she continued to kiss his lips, she slipped her tongue inside his mouth and soon found his own tongue. Her head was spinning again but she didn't care, all she could focus on was the kiss and the way it was making her feel. It was as if she were a bottle of wine that had finally been opened, her feelings, her true feelings were laid out for all to see and her mask had disappeared entirely. Her eyes closed, her tongue caressed his, and the hand that was placed at the back of his neck had slowly moved into the thick, black wavy crop of hair. At moments she felt him tense, but she knew she had to continue or else all would be lost and he'd leave.....Anne still had no idea why she wanted him to stay, nor why she was kissing him so passionately, or feeling so much.

Out of breath, she realised she had to stop or else she'd faint on the spot and that would do no good at all. Slowly and reluctantly drawing herself away from him, she found herself gasping for breath and tried to catch it without making herself look or seem worse infront of him than she already had done. His words from before echoed in her head, 'I do not want to take you against your will', 'I like talking to you - when you allow me to', 'I suppose you have the knights for that', 'for you know I cannot deny you anything'......She was spoiled, that much was now plain to her, it was true what he said, he had given her everything once they were married and even before that! And all she had done was throw it back in his face, as usual......and the Knights....her Knights, what would they say or do if they knew about her lies? About the accusations the King made against them? Some of them wouldn't mind, some of them would brag.....but most would refuse her favours and disassociate themselves from her altogether! Would she care? Part of her would, because it was true she did have feelings for them.....but what about her husband, Edmund?

His name felt strange in her head, she'd never actually called him by it or even thought of him as it, yet he often addressed her as Anne. It was as if she didn't even know her husband at all, had never even tried to. The only thing she knew was his name and that he was a King, everything else was unknown to her and it just didn't seem right..... Having finally caught her breath, though her thoughts were as much a muddle as before, she turned to look at Edmund surprised that he was even still there. She wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure how to, so clearing her throat slightly, she just decided to come out with it,

Your age doesn't matter to me, it never has....the Knights.....they're nothing, not really. I've been a fool, a spoilt, rotten, desperate, fool. You never should have married me or even met me, Edmund, I'm a glorified wench, whore, harlot, whichever word you would prefer to use, they all mean the same.

Before she had been angry but now she was resigned, reserved, returning yet again to that sadness and her tears, she realised as her eyes filled again and a lone tear began to fall. She looked weak and she knew it, he was probably thinking about what a pathetic mess she was and she knew she had to agree. There was nothing left she could do, he could leave if he liked and she could stay standing here and wallow in her sorrow. And tomorrow..........tomorrow she would go to the Knights Ring, watch the jousts, flirt with her Knights, perhaps confide in one in particular.....yes, it would heal the wound from tonight....


(OOC - Sorry if I've godmodded anything!)

[King Edmund Heartbridge]

The king had been about to leave when he thought he heard something, which he thought sounded suspiciously like "no, wait", but he didn't dare to hope. But then suddenly her hand alighted on his arm, and just as quickly her other hand was on his cheek, and her lips were against his. He didn't know what it was that had caused the sudden change, but he wasn't complaining. When the kiss broke and she look at him, it was so honest, his heart skipped a beat. And when her hand clenched in his hair and she deepened the kiss, her tongue tangled with his, he was unable to supress a soft moan of pleasure. So this was what he had been missing out on. He wondered if this was how the knights felt. And far too soon, it was over, wanting more, chest heaving.

He didn't know what it meant when she said the knights were nothing. Had she had sex with so many of them that she no longer felt guilty? She had called herself a whore (which had made him wince). He could have the knights killed for adultery if they had laid with his wife, but he knew that would kill her, and he couldn't do that. He could also have her killed for adultery, and get a new queen, one who would treat him better... But he didn't want that, either. He could not. He had fallen in love with her during their courtship, and no matter how much she rejected or mistreated him, no matter how many other men she went to, he still loved her, and he did not know if he would ever be able to stop loving her.

And so he could not bring himself to hurt her, even if it might benefit himself - because he knew that if he hurt her, he would also be hurting himself. Gently, he took one of her hands in between both of his and brought it to his face to kiss each individual knuckle tenderly, sensuously, all the while looking into her eyes as he did so. When he had finished he kept his eyes on her and her hand in his. "Don't say that," he said softly. "Don't call yourself those things. And don't say I shouldn't have married you. Because I'm not sorry." He lowered his eyes. "I... I love you, Anne. Ever since I first met you. I am glad we're married." Squeezing her hand as he remembered her passionate kisses, he whispered, "I believe we have yet to consummate that marriage, my queen."

Face flushed in the candlelight, he looked up at her again, in embarrassment and desire. After all that happened, he did not know if she still wanted to. It seemed sort of like she had a moment ago, the way she had kissed him, but that could have been just another one of her games, for all he knew. But she had not ever talked before the way she just had. Even if she did want to... He didn't know if he wanted to. This dinner had been such an emotional storm. What if taking her would ruin everything? ...but what if not doing so would ruin everything? After all, wasn't what had gotten him into trouble in the first place the fact that they had never had a wedding night? After a long pause, he continued his previous statement, "...If you want to..."

Oh, who was he kidding? Of course he wanted to take her. He had been waiting to for months. He wanted her. She was beautiful and mysterious and she was all his, untouched for so long, and waiting for something always makes a person want it more, true? Besides, he was still quite aroused from their earlier kisses, and the latest ones, which had been even more passionate, certainly hadn't helped matters in that department. He was sure she knew that she had aroused him, as they had been pressed together during the kissing, and he hoped that had not scared her off. He tried not to think that she might be experienced after being with the knights - but even if she was, he would not love her less. So he waited with bated breath for her answer to his statement.

(Ooc: totally fine with me, especially this kind I'm glad something good is *finally* happening for these two )