The Dragon Prince's Consort

Forty-Two

"So, ah..." Remitha fiddled with the embroidered edge of her dupatta, pinching it in nervous fingers. "Lady Lienfang, it is quite the surprise that one of our people would find herself in your place. I admit, of the many times I've met and spoken with the Drassians I had not met Prince Valen until just now."

The Lady smiled and shared a look with the Drass. "He's normally very shy, but when the First Prince introduced us we couldn't stop talking. I thought, 'he's just so charming and sweet, why doesn't he have a woman already?' I think he just needed to meet the right person to open up." Her eyes never left his and as Remitha watched the two interact her insides seethed. The Prince's uninjured hand stroked the top of his Lady's, and the back-tilt of his ears and the softness in his eyes detailed a deep sense of peace; just being near her eased his anxieties about leading these negotiations. Remitha recognized the early signs of two people whose hearts and minds were set not just on each other, but their respective dreams, hopes and ambitions. This was no ordinary infatuation, this was serious.

"A-and the bride price?" Remitha desperately wanted to know.

"A formality, really," Prince Valen answered. "My brother's idea, and a complete surprise to me. More tea?" He gestured to the carafe, then to Thomas whom Remitha had forgotten. "And you?" Thomas accepted a cup from His Highness with extreme politeness, then politely shut his mouth.

"Surprised the hell out of Uncle Lee," Lady Lienfang chuckled softly. "My father didn't know what it meant – he thought the Drassians were trying to buy me for some kind of sex thing." She winced and the Prince's ears drooped with embarrassment. "But after I explained what happened and why the Drassians were giving him money, he wasn't worried any more." Her grimace turned to a smile. "So far, it's been perfect."

"Perfect..." Remitha turned her dainty little cup on its saucer, spinning it around and around like her thoughts. Perfect... "Erm, what about the rest of them – the Drassians, I mean – what has their reaction been?"

This time Valen was the one to smile, though from the tilt of his ears Remitha sensed some reluctance. "My father was... taken by surprise. But considering that I'm the odd one, he didn't seem too surprised that I was the one to do something outrageous. I think he was more upset that Tias had done it without speaking to him first – but a gift is a gift, and it would've been insulting to turn him down. Especially when the gift was something I wanted more than anything..." Remitha watched him shift back to his Lady, and a flash of red under the table alerted her to the sight of the Drass's tail curling loosely around the woman's ankle. He can't stop touching her, like he can't believe she's real. Abeo had been the same when Remitha had first met him, utterly fascinated by her and often touching her hands, face and clothes when they were alone. Perhaps for a dwarf Drass, finding a woman who didn't rebuff him for his shorter stature had seemed impossible and so this one was all the more precious to him for it.

"It hasn't exactly been a breeze," Lady Lienfang picked up, smoothing a wrinkle in Prince Valen's sleeve. "It happened fast, I don't think the other Ladies had time to process it. Lady Yena has been wonderful, but I think Lady Aisana was shocked and, well, I don't know what Lady Shisa thinks." She chuckled quietly. "No one's given me any trouble, though."

"Ah, that's... That's good," Remitha nodded, struggling for words. The Dragon Prince's tail kept distracting her, as did the glitter of so many gold chains and the flash of his bewitching orange eyes. He's watching me, but why? Did having a human companion make him realize that his tastes were... different? "I wouldn't want you to, um, to feel uncomfortable."

"Eyah, not at all!" Lady Lienfang's use of a Drass exclamation surprised her. "I guessed they would need some time to adjust so I've been staying out of the way, mostly. And Lady Aisana just had a baby, so everyone's excited about that. Have you seen him?"