It was mid-morning before the horse-drawn coach she'd requested arrived at her family's estate. Smiling slightly as the driver hurried to secure her luggage, she took the few steps across the gravel, thanking the man with a nod as he helped her into the coach.

Sitting down onto the comfortably cushioned seats she curled one leg under the other and settled herself in for the half-day journey to the Noyraerda province and the city of Arden where hopefully her new life would begin.

The gentle movement of the carriage and the soft sounds of the horses' hooves as they connected with the gravel mingled with the birdsong carried on the wind and smiling gently Elysia felt herself begin to doze off, images of how her new life would be flickering behind her closed eyes.

******

A slight jolt in what had previously been steady carriage movement startled her from her nap. Rubbing the sleep and grit of travel from her eyes she peered out the window closest, realising that the wide plains and heavily wooded areas of Dea Al Mon had given way to bustling streets and market stalls aplenty. She clapped her hands together happily (albeit a little childishly) as she realised they'd finally arrive in Arden and that all to soon she'd be faced with the Grey-jeweled Warlord Prince of Dea Al Mon, the man who would hopefully accept her into his service.

As the coach wound through the streets, she blocked out the voices of the many people as a small worry began to gnaw at her. Her mother had told her the new ruler was a Warlord Prince by the name of Nohlan Elaionas and there were few in Dea Al Mon who didn't remember the fear that name struck into the hearts of some of the older generations. She'd heard the story from her mother many times and it had never quite dawned on her until now that she would be serving one of the Elaionas line. Was he going to be just like the others in the stories? Would this turn out, not to be a fresh start for her, but a trap?

Attempting to squash down this thought lest it colour her entire experience, she pulled herself together when the driver opened the door and extended a hand to help her down. She was half-tempted not to smooth out the wrinkles of her sea green tunic and leggings but the fastidiousness bored into her by her mother made her swiftly flatten the material before assessing the manor that stood before her.

Not overly large, but not small either. The stone seemed warm enough and she heard, rather than saw, the gardeners and other servants attending to the general grounds-keeping duties. Half-wondering whether the grounds extended further than she could see, she made her way towards the door, knocking once, than once more before stepping back.

While she was waiting she sent a psychic thread to the driver, asking him if he minded staying for the moment until she knew whether she was accepted into the Court or not. Satisfied once she got his reply she brushed one finger against the opal-jewel in her choker and hoped this new life would be everything she wanted.

He just stared at the wall, hoping that the task that he had presented to his Hearth Witches went over quickly and successfully. It had been an angry morning for both Nohlan and all of his staff while he had managed to come across a dress of Liralen’s. The scent alone was enough to drive the male mad with heartache to the point he was ripping it to shreds. The woman he loved.. the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.. gone and in only a matter of moments. He had let her go on a trip and when she had never returned, what was he to think? He sent everyone he knew out in search for her, but nothing came back from the tangled forest of his land. Nothing at all. Even as the month progressed, just nothing. No word from her, no sign at all and that most of all was what hurt the Warlord Prince he most.

It had even made Nohlan revise his ruler ship, wondering if he could really keep on going on when his mind or heart wasn’t in the game. Nohlan had turned that right around with his progress recently, but that still didn’t mean there was room for flaws. That morning was just an example of it and as he sat in his study just staring at the blank wall he couldn’t but what wonder what had gone wrong. It was in the midst of his deep thoughts though that he was told that his next meeting had arrived and was now waiting at the door. Sighing to himself, Nohlan pulled himself from his desk and from his office, his blue eyes looking down towards the hall where he knew his staff were working to make sure he didn’t come across any more items. Nohlan clenched his jaw as he pushed forward to the woman in waiting, still remembering the scent of the woman he loved.. wishing that he could have himself surrounded by it again like before.

Telling his staff to let the Lady into his home, Nohlan met the woman half way in the hallway to the entrance with as best of a warm smile as he could give within that moment. “Good day. How was your journey here?” He asked casually while offering his hands palms down in the respectful manor he should. “I do hope not too boring or stiffening.” He said delicately, wondering if the Opal jeweled Black Widow w as hungry. “Would you like any refreshments or something to eat?” He said while motioning to his side for her to enter one of his more comfortable rooms so they could relax, eat if she chose and where he could find out the details of the meeting. He was curious himself to know what it was about.

Something seemed a little off as the butler let her into the front entrance hall and she noticed the servants scurrying every which way. Doing her best to avoid what seemed a mad dash but assuredly had a point, she started a little when Prince Nohlan entered the entrance hall and smiled at her before heading her way.

Detecting the slight flickers in his psychic scent and the frenzied nature of the servants something wasn't quite right but she decided to ignore it for the moment, after all why cause trouble before she'd even been accepted into the Court?

Returning his smile with one of her own and a courteous nod she placed her upturned palms against his own, feeling the lightest pressure as they each gave the respect required. "A lovely day to you Prince. My journey was fine thank you, I slept most of the way. The sun's warmth was simply too persuasive to resist." She laughed a little to herself before moving in the direction he had motioned. "A pot of tea would be quite welcome thank you Prince; if it's not too much trouble."

Deciding it wouldn't be rude if she took a seat in the room, she chose a chair somewhat off-center of the room. Not the hardest chair in the room but neither was it a chair one slouched in casually. After all, impressions did count and she wanted this new life to start off on a good note. she briefly pondered what she knew of Prince Nohlan as she waited for him to enter the room and start the meeting.

She seemed like a pleasant witch, which the Warlord Prince had to take carefully considering her caste. Of course there were always nice Black Widow’s among the land, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t that fierce, aggressive predator within them that they were known for. He smiled courteously though while she responded to his gesture, nodding gladly that her trip wasn’t horrible. Nohlan himself didn’t like carriage rides much because he felt stiff afterwards. The land called to hi.. the air and to run it in called him, not being stuffed in a little coach.

“A pot of tea it is then. Though I do hope you don’t mind that I have something a little stronger than that.” Nohlan said as he followed the witchling into his living room, one of the rooms where they could gain privacy and the most comfort. As he watched her sit comfortably, he called in a fine crystal bottle of Brandy that he could more or less use at the moment with what happened earlier. He could still smell the fine edges of Liralen's scent, enough that his jaw clenched and his anger flared a bit. He just had to get through the meeting calmly, he thought. He did hope that there weren’t too many witches running around after his snarl vest to at least get the woman’s tea..

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like something to eat? I’m quite starving myself.” He said warmly, pouring his drink heavily into a glass before sitting in a chair just to the side of the Black Widow. Taking a sip of his drink before hearing her answer, Nohlan thought of some snacks for them even if she did decline, sending them to the cook of the house. “So what can I do for you Lady…?” He said asking her name seeing as he hadn’t been told and wondering what the little visit was about.

She raised an eyebrow at the crystal decanter but her eyes widened slightly when she saw how much brandy he had poured into the glass. It was barely past mid-day and he was already starting off quite heavily. Adding the large glass of brandy to the servants scurrying around the entrance hall, making sure to draw as little attention to themselves as possible, Elysia came to the conclusion that something quite major had happened and judging from the tense line of the Prince's jaw, it was still eating at him which meant the meeting had to be handled with a little more care and warmth.

She shook her head at his mention of snacks, now that she was finally here and seated within the Elaionas estate the nerves were running rampant in her stomach. As the Prince asked what she was doing here she turned her attention to face him, shifting slightly in the chair to face him better. "Do forgive my rudeness Prince. I am Elysia Mavin, born to the Mavin's of the Deyen province." She didn't know whether or not the Prince had heard of her family but her mother's damn training was coming out in full.

She paused for a few moments, gathering her thoughts on how best to address the reason she was here. Deciding that the best way was to start with the truth she continued on. "I've recently returned from serving 3 years in the District Queen's court. Whilst I enjoyed my time there, events took place which required me to make a somewhat hasty departure." her eyes darkened slightly before she spoke again. "I'll spare you the boring details Prince but my reason for this meeting is that I'd like to serve in your Court, in particular I'd like to be considered for the position of Head of the Hourglass of the Dea Al Mon."

The words seemed to take on more meaning and a heavier responsibility the moment she said it and she shifted a little uncomfortably, taking a sip of tea to try and hide her nerves. Her mother had schooled her in Protocol but every person understood it differently. Fiddling with the handle of the tea cup she glanced up at Prince Nohlan, holding his gaze as she waited for him to speak.

Nohlan was trying to be as civilized as he could be, especially with the current little mishap still being resolved. How was it his fault that they had cleaned out everything of Liralen’s when he specifically asked them too? How was it his fault that just one simple sniff of her scent drove the Warlord Prince insane with lust and reminded him of the broken heart still healing in his chest? It wasn’t his fault when he found the article of clothing of Liralen’s that morning and neither was it the servants. He may have asked them to get rid of it, but it shouldn’t still have affected him so much.. maybe he wasn’t moving on as fast as he should have been.

It was all these thoughts and the natural temper a Warlord Prince possessed that brought on the alcohol in such a manner and as strongly as it did. As his deep blue eyes, softened with his temper still evident as he watched the Black Widow respond to his motions of the drink, Nohlan tried his best to relax more. He didn’t want to upset the woman, even with her aggressive caste stating that she could take care of herself one way or another. It especially wasn’t her fault for what was going on around the palace. Even to ease any discomfort the witch may have been feeling, Nohlan thought snacks would be best, but she did not. Nonetheless he would send for them anyways incase she did want some and to satisfy his own little hunger.

Listening to the woman, Nohlan recalled the family, but he didn’t know too much about them. He did remember the woman’s name though as she went on to discuss what it was she had wanted to talk to him about. Then as if something changed in the woman she got right down to the point, pushing away her former formalities. It was with that change that Nohlan brought his glass down from his lips, ignoring the sip he was about to take and simply just smiled. He also noted the fiddling of her fingers of her cup which was the breaker between his glass finding his lips once more.

“I have to admit that your request is quite interesting.” He said, knowing that serving in his Court just didn’t come out of a first introduction. Nohlan especially liked to get to know who he was considering for such positions and that definitely didn’t exclude the woman before him. “I think that it could be possible, but I’d like to spend a little more time with you. The position is big and though I’m sure you’re more than qualified.. well.. I just like to get to know people in my Court.” He gave her a warm smile, while calling in another glass and pouring some of his brandy into and offering it to. “So if you don’t have any other engagements, maybe after a drink or two and a nice dinner, we discuss further things.”

Leaning towards her and offering it to her while wondering what she would do, Nohlan turned his head for a moment to hear everyone still going around. When he turned his head back he grinned, “A nice evening may even qualify you to know why everyone is running around so crazily.” He said trying to make things more comfortable, wondering what the woman was really like without the formalities still.

Even though she had been over-joyed at the thought of a meeting with the Warlord Prince of the Dea Al Mon, she had to admit the meeting hadn't quite turned out like she'd expected. The sight that had greeted her when she'd first arrived hadn't been at all what she was expecting and now the fact that the Prince was pouring himself a very large glass of brandy, all combined together to make her wonder what exactly she was getting herself into.

Her mind was drawn away from this speculation as the Prince spoke and she realised he was addressing her about the request to serve in his court. As he mentioned that there was the possibility of her serving but that he wanted to get to know her better before making a decision, the last strain of nerves that had been coursing through her body disappeared and she smiled delightedly, the smile lighting up her face as she took the second offered glass of brandy and took a rather large swallow before placing the glass on a small side table. "Drinks and dinner would be lovely Prince, it'd be a welcome change from a dinner where every emphasis is on being proper."

There was a slight twist to her mouth as she said this but quickly enough it was gone and at the mention of finding out why everyone was acting as if they had scelties in their pants, she brightened even more (if such a thing was possible). "I assumed you had instructed them to act in such a way as to entertain me if you were unable to greet me when I first arrived. Are you telling me this is not so? I must admit, I'll be most disappointed if it is."

A small chuckle escaped her as she finished the last sentence and picking up her glass, waited to see what response the Prince would have.

[/ooc]Sorry it's a bit all over the place, my muse kept jumping everywhere[/ooc]

So, maybe he had been a little forward with everything and maybe it wasn’t really normal for the Warlord Prince of the territory to do so, but Nohlan felt strong about his choice of words and actions. He did want to know more about the Black Widow, especially before he gave her such a position. Was that wrong of him? The question still pushed at his brain, but he felt it fair enough. He liked Elysia.. but what else did he know of her? A simple drink..dinner shouldn’t have been hard if she was worth it. Nohlan finished his speech while he waited to see what she said.

However, as the glass was taken and the drink was took Nohlan smiled brightly. Seemed she was on the same page as him.. Taking his own drink to his lips he chuckled at her words before placing the drink to his side. “Good. I was hoping you would say that. In fact, if proper is all your used too lets have an improper night. Call me Nohlan and we’ll drink till our brains are sore.” He smiled at the woman, kidding and not kidding in which she could figure out what he was and wasn’t on her own.

Nohlan laughed again, “You do notice things quickly.” He said as he adjusted in his seat. Nohlan then looked towards the door as his drink found his lips once more. When he was gone he cleared his throat, feeling she should know what was going on especially if his still simmered anger pushed back with full force. “Well.. I’m not sure if you know, but I’ve lost my Queen recently.. the woman I loved and wanted to have children with.” Nohlan paused as his gaze hit the floor but his mind raced on. “The woman I wanted to experience everything with.. feel everything with.. just b with. She left me. Without a word and.. “ Nohlan sighed a bit, “today I found an article of clothing of hers. Her scent..” Nohlan turned and down the rest of his drink, pouring more another three times before he felt a calmness.

“Well. Lets just say I’ve been in better moods. People work better with an unbroken heart.”

Between the moment where she'd accepted the brandy and the moment when she'd asked the Prince whether the disruption was for her entertainment something had changed in him, a darker presence had settled over his mood and after taking a few healthy swallows of the brandy she rested the glass in her lap, watching the Prince indulge in more alcohol.

Wondering if it really was prudent for a territory leader to be consuming so much alcohol but then remembering he did wear the gray and would no doubt burn it up quickly, she smiled as he asked her to call him Nohlan and watched as he put the brandy glass down for the moment.

She was about to ask whereabouts dinner would be served when Nohlan shifted uncomfortably in his seat and once more brought the brandy glass to his lips. Even before he spoke she knew it must be something to do with the commotion she'd witnessed before and so it was with a soft look that she listened to the Warlord Prince as he spoke about losing his Queen, the heart of his soul and castle, and about the pain that had ripped through him when he'd found that article of her clothing.

It fell silent for a few moments after he finished speaking and rapidly downed three more glasses of brandy before he spoke again. His wording about people working better with an unbroken heart was true, it tugged at her very core. She knew of loss, of not being able to understand why someone had done what they had, of running over scenario after scenario in your mind, all the time asking why?

Hoping she wasn't about to be out of line, she placed her glass on the table and shifting forward slightly, placed a hand on the prince's arm, using the brief contact to weave a gentle soothing spell about him. Not enough to warrant suspicion or that she was trying to lull him into forgetting about his pain but just enough strength to take the edges off his temper, at least for tonight. The temper which a Warlord Prince lived with was never to be taken lightly, especially when it concerned the woman he loved.

Sitting back in her chair, she smiled slightly, addressing Nohlan once again. "I do hope you'll forgive that intrusion Nohlan, I wasn't trying to lull you into forgetting, just trying to soften the edges enough for dinner to be pleasant." She fell silent after this, knowing she had no resistance if for whatever reason he decided to attack her; knowing that what she had done may be viewed as a very personal thing and it may anger him.

His mind was completely elsewhere for a moment when he knew that his attention should be completely on the Black Widow beside him. He should be considering her feelings and he should be giving her that time to get to know her. Nohlan wanted too, hellsfire he knew how rude it was to visit someone and have them ignore you, let alone him being the ruler of the territory. He was trying to focus, but he couldn’t stop himself from remembering the events of the morning. Finding the clothing of his Queen’s.. finding that familiar scent and allowing it to set him off in the manner it did. He was still on edge and all he could do at the end of the day was apologize to Elysia for his behavior and let her know that he wasn’t an alcoholic by any means especially with the way he was downing the drinks right in front of her. He just needed to distress a little.

The grip on the glass Nohlan had became very strained as he continued to think. It was when he felt Elysia’s hand touch his arm and the soothing effect he found himself a little startled at first, but then allowing her craft to help. His sapphire blue eyes never left the Black Widow as he just watched her curiously. It took a lot for a woman to help a Warlord Prince who was rising to the killing edge slowly and evidently. He just wanted her for a moment until she retrieved her arm and seemed alright with everything. Nohlan respected Elysia very much for what she did.

He listened, nodded and couldn’t help but smile at Elysia. “No intrusion, I needed that. Thank you very much Elysia and I do apologize for being a rude host. I promise that dinner will be more light hearted and stress free.” He gave the woman another big smile while he placed his brandy down and adjusted in his seat again. “The food should be ready soon, but is there anything you’d like to do in the mean time? Ask me questions and vice versa to get to know each other, get a tour of the palace or maybe play a game of some sorts?” Nohlan asked calmly while he tried to lighten the mood.

Elysia brushed a lock of stray hair behind her pointed ear as she left out her breath in a quiet whoosh as Nohlan's words reached her. It had been a very tense moment; Warlord Prince's were dangerous on a good day, let alone when one was approaching the killing edge with a shocking swiftness. "I don't find you rude at all Nohlan, I'm more impressed your words are still coherent after that," she titled her head towards the brandy bottle where barely a third remained, "especially with the way you've been slugging them back."

She felt a smile twitch at her lips as this last remark. He did wear the Gray which meant his body would burn it up quickly enough but still, it was never the healthy way to drink brandy. She raised her own glass to her lips and took another couple of sips before addressing the Prince once again. "Since dinner is still a way away perhaps a game of cradle or two?" A predatory gleam came to her eyes as she used craft to call in a deck of cards and busied herself setting up a table between the two arm-chairs. "I'll let you deal first since I'm such the gentleman."

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

"I concede the table to you Prince Nohlan; I do swear though that the brandy is to blame for my abysmal losing streak." Her eyes were slightly narrowed as she glanced down at the piece of paper she'd been keeping score on. She prided herself on being somewhat of a seasoned pro at cradle but the skill and efficiency with which Nohlan played was something else.

"I do believe dinner is ready Lady Elysia. Please, follow me." Nodding agreement she stood, brushing down her tunic before shifting around the table and following Nohlan out the door and through the winding corridors until they arrived at a smallish dining room off the hall. Glancing around as Nohlan entered she smiled, thick carpets covered the floor and the water-colours that adorned the walls made one feel as though they were dining in the midst of a beautiful summer meadow. Smiling as Nohlan pulled out her chair for her before settling in his own, she continued to study the room, enjoying the companionship she had sorely missed these last few months.