The King's Court

[Sebilla]

"My Aunt reacted violently toward you? That is unusual. Igraine is a sweet woman, one I'm proud to call a kinswoman." Sebilla kept her arms crossed but she seemed more at ease, whether it was from the Fascination or the topic they were talking about.

"I'm not certain that this...Uncle of mine is a good influence on my Aunt. Perhaps he is the one that is truely causing the chaos between you and Igraine?" Sebilla had no idea how close to right she was. However, she also didn't realize at the time that the glamour hiding the King was...needed.

"From what I could tell he is my mother's brother -- and that means he must have some demon in him. My grandfather was part demon. I'm not really sure how I ended up human." Sebilla shrugged her shoulders as if she was sorry for not having that explanation. "My mother doesn't speak of my father."

"A marriage? That's fascinating." Sebilla unclasped her hands from under her breasts and slid them behind her back, clasping them there. She was becoming a little more comfortable with her surroundings as the Fascination worked on her. "I never thought my Aunt would marry. She's a wonderful person, but I think she believes that she doesn't need a man -- that if her mother could rule without a man, she could do the same. As I see it..." Sebilla waved her hand to gesture slightly. "I don't think Aunt Kahlan really wanted to be alone. It could be good for you to try to push your case. You should elaborate on things that would make the marriage between you a good power match. She won't necessarily jump to your cause because it will bring peace between countries -- she's stronger than that. Frankly, she's quite stubborn."

Sebilla looked up at Pendaran and smiled, a little hesitantly. "I apologize for being so forward with my ideas. It just seems like you've been wronged because of my family." Luckily the girl hadn't given away any important information because she didn't know any.

And luckily for her, Pendaran had no clue that she was a powerful psychic. She hadn't had a vision in so long that she had mostly forgotten that aspect of herself as well.

[Paroxysm]

Pendaran held his hand up in a flat, halting gesture.

"No apology needed," he asserted. "I get enough subtly and cleverness from advisors; it gets bothersome," he shrugged, "I like direct, sometimes."

The king remained silent for a moment, contemplative. In his stillness, though the glamour held, he appeared inhuman and statue-like, an ageless and ancient air about him. He licked his blue-tinged lips with his tongue and regarded Sebilla more closely, with eyes so sharp that they could cut to the soul.

“Enough about me,” Pendaran declared, voice stern, “tell me about you, girl. You were in Xexoria, yes? Is your family looking to reassert its claim?”

The nation of Xexoria was a country after Pendaran’s own heart and especially so after Shiva’s coup and the establishment of her power base in Zin-Elentari. Even now, Shiva’s touch still remains on the city and because of it, Winter’s power grew. Politically, Xexoria did well to match Pendaran’s tastes, too, and if his diviners were right, things would only get better as time went on. The only truly distasteful part of Xexoria was that it was almost always under the influence of anarchy in some form or another. Bandits prowled the desert along with nomadic clans, law enforcement barely existed, if at all, and its politicians typically bumbled about uselessly. Shiva, tyrannical or not, had been the best answer for Xexoria's problems, Pendaran had always thought, but even she underestimated the country and its penchant for tearing rulers apart.

[Sebilla]

Sebilla looked around herself a little, hoping she wasn't monopolizing the King's time with her chatter. No one else appeared to be around, but the glamor she didn't know she was under was probably hiding them all.

"I don't know that my family wants Xexoria anymore, if I may be so bold. My mother was the last Xanathi ruler. My grandmother ruled solidly for fifteen years before she died, but after her death everything went to chaos. My mother actually gave birth to me and my brother during the Yuurei invasion. I think all of the assassination attempts and nearly losing us twice when she was pregnant have put her off trying to regain rule.

Sebilla remained standing and she looked up at Pendaran as she spoke. Her long black hair falling over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes had once been silver when she was younger, but they had changed while she grew in the Faerie realm. Pendaran might know this aspect but he would know she was nothing but human. He wouldn't even be able to feel the Seer power buried within her, though her chaotic capture had rattled the wall that she had put up between her and her power.

"There is not much to tell when you look at me. I am nothing but a mortal human woman. It's taxing in a family of powerful demons, angels, and fae." Sebilla sighed and looked away from Pendaran, as if being a mortal human made her less interesting to him. For a mortal woman, though, she was pretty enough to at least keep his interest briefly.

[Paroxysm]

Pendaran smiled a predator's smile when Sebilla turned away and mentally filed away what she had told him about Xexoria and her family.

“It must be hard,” the king said sympathetically, “to be plagued by human weakness in such a well rounded family. Written off as weak and useless, and ever protected, ever dependant. Of course,” Pendaran sat up straight and steepled his fingers, “I could trade you power or something of power,” he made a rolling gesture with one of his hands and produced a ring of some glittery metal, neither steel nor silver, “for something of equal value. Immortality of a sort, riches, magic, charisma, if you want it, or political clout. Whatever you want,” he waved his hand and the ring disappeared, “but it’s your choice.”

It was unfortunate, but Pendaran was honor bound to not use his Fascination to influence Sebilla and force a deal. She had to consciously commit herself to such a bargain or the magic simply would not take; in that way, it was not unlike the enchanted bauble that had held Sebilla prisoner not so long ago.

“Consider it,” he recommended. “My prices are fair.”

[Sebilla]

"What is your price?" Her mother had taught her never to take strange things from unknown people. This King was about as unknown as she could possibly get. She was curious though, his offer begged the question. The was no way around not asking, in her opinion.

It certainly didn't help that Sebilla was a curious human woman.

Something inside Sebilla warned her away from the ring. Perhaps it was a sense of self preservation, because if she took the ring she would have a vision. It would be inevitable. It seemed that if she took certain objects, especially magically fabricated ones or especially old objects...she was capable of "Seeing".

Being a Seer was not fun, and being such a powerful Seer had it's drawbacks. Sebilla was of the type that could see the future, and it usually was dark and bloody in ways that would make a person throw up. Her visions weren't always gloomy though, there were a few that had been good -- but there was a reason Trydian always watched over her. She was capable of having visions at any time.

What was rare for her was to see the past, though with some ancient pieces of the Vuri Temple she was capable of seeing some of what had occurred in the Temple before. She had found out, but had not told anyone, that it was the Temple of Tempus, the very temple that her grandmother had been the High Priestess over before becoming a Queen. She had seen it. It was actually the last vision she'd had for almost a year.

Having a vision was something that was completely physical. Depending on the power of the vision, Sebilla might just momentarily black out and see the vision. However, if it was a strong vision, she would go into full body convulsions -- speaking the vision for anyone to hear.

"It is a very pretty ring. It's so nice of you to offer it to me." She was curious, and usually that was all it took to hook a mortal -- but Sebilla had been raised by non-mortals and it would take more goading to get her to take such a trinket.

[Paroxysm]

“That would depend entirely on what you want, my dear,” the king replied happily, “I can give you power enough to travel unbound and free, and its cost would be as little as your shadow, which seems awfully fair to me; it is only your shadow, after all, and you mortals rarely pay any attention to it anyways.”

Sebilla’s caution was understandable considering her origins. It was surprising, however, that she had never sought power from the Seelie before, but perhaps she was unable to or the thought had never occurred to her. She seemed innocent enough, at least. It excited the king all the more.

“I am not adverse to polygamy,” he shrugged, “so marriage, too, is an option, but I don’t doubt your brother would disapprove of that. Tell me,” he pressed gently, “what would you want and I’ll tell you what I would take for trade.”

If she was curious enough, he could, perhaps, corner her into a bargain, and offer her something she simply could not resist. The protection of loved ones could have worked, given her apparent innocence, but he knew better than to ruin the fragile image she had of him. If she did become aware of whom she was truly dealing with, however, it would matter little if he could get her into an agreement. Entering a contract with the Unseelie was easy and sometimes even advantageous, but it was often hard to get one’s self out of such a dealing. There would be no hard feelings if she chose to reject the offer, at least.

[Sebilla]

Sebilla toyed with her fingers, looking down at her hands as she listened to what Pendaran had to say. Her head snapped up when he offered marriage and she looked stunned.

"Oh I, well I couldn't possibly. I'm from a displaced royal family. I am flattered you would offer, but I am not looking to marry any time soon." Sebilla pulled her raven black hair over one shoulder and looked up at the King. Her sky blue eyes were beautiful, a sheen of silver around the edges that gave an added sparkle. She might make a good wife to some man if she wasn't so dreadfully mortal.

"There is something that I would like, but it's silly really. A strange thought for you perhaps." Sebilla twisted her fingers as she looked down at her hands again, a nervous habit that Trydian tried to break her of.

"I want my brother. I want him safe with me always. I don't think I could ever bear to be separated from him. He is my twin and I love him." Pendaran would know that the love transcended familial loyalty. Her pulse quickened when she thought of her brother, when she professed her love for him. She was positive that he didn't know it, and she was okay with him not knowing that she loved him more than a sister should love a brother. She just wanted him with her for as long as she was capable of living and breathing.

"I know it seems like such a strange request, but you see my brother is so capable of making rash decisions based on my mortality. I wish that he didn't feel the need to have to protect me from everything. Just the other day he beat a mortal man to the ground for touching my waist. He just seems so overwrought with the need to protect me. I know it wears on him, he looks so worn sometimes when he looks at me. I just want him safe, with me. He doesn't have to know that I love him."

It was not a wish for love. No, never that. Her mother had warned her against wishing for love from anyone offering her any sort of magic. That would always end badly. This was a wish for protection, though she had not reached out and completed the deal. She was still reserved. She still didn't know what the King would say was her payment for such a request.

[Paroxysm]

The king made to explain that his offer of marriage had mostly been an example - a possibility, to be sure - but that he had not actually intended it to be considered. However, before the words could escape his mouth, Sebilla had already begun outlining her desire. While the mortal girl spoke, Pendaran listened, quietly and solemnly, and when she finished, he shook his head and parted his lips:

“What you want is sweet, girl, but it is unfortunate, too, because it seems your brother and my emissary have already struck a deal,” Pendaran’s eyes became distant and cloudy, “and I cannot promise him to you in such a way. There will be times when he cannot be with you, either by choice or by task, and I cannot guarantee his safety, either. I can alleviate some of his and your concern, however.”

The king smiled brilliantly.

“If you want it, I will give you a gift,” he declared, “but it will only be one of two things: I can give you power enough that your brother’s concerns will not be especially warranted . . . Not much power, mind. Just enough. Or I can tie his and your’s feelings together and create an empathetic bond between the two of you. Only especially strong thoughts would ever carry over, but the gist of what you feel will always be there. It is not especially useful,” he admitted.

Love was not a foreign emotion, truly, but it was not an especially strong one for the Unseelie and possibly, even, the Seelie, too. The strongest of them were immortal, ageless beings, after all, and love was a curiosity at best. There had only ever been a couple of times that he would have used the term 'in love' for himself and it was never strong enough that he would have sacrificed something to keep it. Mortals, humans especially, were strange in that respect. An empathetic bond simply appeared useless to the Unseelie king, but if such a gift could influence Trydian’s loyalty, it was as good as any bargain. Assuming Sebilla chose it, of course. She could outright refuse them both, if caution won out.

“A freely given gift,” he said again, this time in clearer terms.

[Sebilla]

"What sort of powers?" Sebilla tilted her head, almost like an exotic parrot might, her hair rippling like shadow back over her shoulder.

"I don't think that being bound to my brother...emotionally would be a good idea. He is a demon, after all." Then Sebilla seemed to register what Pendaran had said and frowned. Her brows drawing together as she looked at him. "What sort of deal did my brother make? Why would he be in danger?" She picked up on more than most humans. It was most likely due to her once Half Demon and now full Vuri mother. Caela was a cautious one after the Yuurei invasion, and she taught her daughter well.

Sebilla thought a moment before sitting on the ground before the dais. She would make a pretty adornment for Pendaran. Even the Unseelie were not above trivial things such as beauty. Many creatures could be trapped with the essence of innocence and beauty, and an Unseelie was not to be above that persuit. All Fae enjoyed superficial things. Anything that sparkled, anything that was beautiful, anything that was unusual. If only Pendaran knew that Sebilla was a Seer he might treat her differently, he might covet her. Perhaps that was why he was offering her such a deal, maybe he saw further into her than she realized.

"Does freely given mean no attachments? No giving you my shadow, my soul, or my undying love?" She wasn't going to agree to being tied to Trydian. It was something that she couldn't see having a good outcome. What if she had a vision? He could be in the heat of battle and that explosion she felt inside her head...he would feel it too. It would cripple him and it could get him killed. No, he was much safer if she didn't agree to such a strange gift.

Power though, power was a draw for all humans. If she could ease some of the stress on her brother...but accepting power from strange men wasn't a great idea. In fact, her mother had warned her against it many times. She had much to fear as a mortal human woman.

[Paroxysm]

"Ah, right, he is a demon, isn't he? I had nearly forgotten," Pendaran laughed and it was not a jovial sound. Sebilla's concern was noted, though, and he would drop the offer of an empathetic link between the two.

“In short, your brother has joined my court,” the king said, blunt and to the point, “and he will be aiding me in the coming storm, though I fear his opinion of me is more negative than positive. A shame,” Pendaran shook his head, “but I will honor his contract, regardless of his personal feelings.”

It would not be until Jack returned that Pendaran would be made fully aware of the terms of the contract that Trydian had made with the Unseelie. The king knew what he had told his emissary to bargain with and he knew, too, that Trydian was now a member of his court, and, likewise, he was compelled to not harm Sebilla, but the specifics didn’t communicate all that well. It was, at least, obvious that Trydian had given himself up for his sister’s protection. Which was admirable of the demon, Pendaran admitted; he liked when his servants were willing to sacrifice themselves for something. Those kinds of feelings were easy to manipulate and corrupt.

"You needn't worry though," Pendaran said reassuringly, "it is not unlike being a knight or what have you in a human kingdom, honestly, but I digress, don't I? - let's continue with our previous line of conversation, yes? When I say 'freely given' I mean free, no strings attached, but it is only a gift and without equal trade, it will not be as impressive as if we agreed to a bargain. So what would you like? A weapon or a charm, or power, itself? You can always take some time to think on it."

_______

Trydian's arrival

_______

Without an established waypoint or a true destination in mind, newcomers to the Unseelie Fae lands had only one point of arrival open to them: Sadb’s parlor, a seldom used nexus of sorts; after all, while it was not unheard of for visitors to come to Tír na nÓg, it was not commonplace, and it was almost unheard of for someone without a specific destination in mind to ever pay the Unseelie court a visit.

But, rare though it may be, there were times when someone did, in fact, want to come to the Unseelie and when they did so without prior knowledge of how to traverse its lands, it was Sadb’s parlor that they found themselves in, and by the very nature of being a thoroughfare, Sadb’s parlor could connect them to wherever they needed to go, although that was not always where they wanted to be.

The parlor, itself, was not a room or an obvious path, however, but a clearing, surrounded by thick woods and cut through the middle by a flowing stream that ended in a bubbling pool and a mound of stones, water cascading off of the pile and splashing nosily against the surface of the pool. Jutting from the earth was a pillar, leaning crooked and carved in swirling, squiggling runes and symbols, and draped across this monument was a feminine shape, skin of soft blues and white, and a faint, wordless song drifted from between her lips.

[Trydian]

Trydian continued walking the same path, until his world seemed to shift and lift like a frail veil. Everything felt the same, but there was some foreboding presence- as if he should second guess their existence. The new scene confused his senses, almost intoxicated with the experience. The feminine creature didn't speak, or look directly at him. Trydian kept his guard, not trusting the being and their strange form.

Comparing how nature itself seemed to change on the whim, he assumed he was in the Unseelie Realm- perhaps this creature was some type of escort, or would lead him to his new master. He knew that his sister wouldn't be very happy with his fate, but there was little he could do about it. Gathering wit and strength, he waded through the water and faced the pillar.

“I assume you will take me to the Unseelie King?” Trydian asked the strange phantasm. He knew that there were eyes and ears everywhere with the Unseelie. It would be foolish to assume he was safe, so he continued to keep his body tense and ready.

Trydian thought he could sense Sebilla, but with the new contract, it almost made it impossible to fully concentrate on her like he had in the past. Knowing that Sebilla might be there to witness his alliance with the Unseelie King, he began to let the dark moods take over his mind. Thankfully, he had given up the chaos blade to his uncle- even if that might not have been the best choice, at least the Unseelie King wouldn't be able to wield it.

He was unfamiliar with this type of magic or glamour, so there was very little he could do in defense. Trydian waited for some sign that he was being listened to.

[Sebilla]

Sebilla listened to the King and tilted her head up to look at him. He was nice enough, but she didn't know that it was all an act. She couldn't feel her brother nearby, she was only human, but she would have been happy if she could.

"A knight? That isn't so bad I guess. I'll miss him though." She let out a long sad sigh and wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on her knees. "What kind of charm or power would you give me?" She wasn't comitting to anything, it wouldn't be wise to rush such a decision. Her mother had taught her that rash decisions killed mortals. She didn't want to die, she liked living and being with her family far too much to let all of that go.

"I think I should change. I have blood on my shirt." Sebilla straightened up a little plucking at the collar of her shirt. She couldn't exactly remember how she had gotten the blood, she didn't really remember that she had been shaken around inside that crystal ball. It was a small side effect of the fascination that the King had going. She was becoming so comfortable that she couldn't remember some of the finer details of her capture.

"I don't have anything to wear though. It just seems incredibly rude to be in your court with blood on my shirt." And on her forehead. It would piss Trydian off to see his sister with blood on her at all, especially her own. He would be Pendaran's servant but that didn't mean he wouldn't go into a rage just looking at her being hurt.

[Paroxysm]

Taking a deep breath, Pendran held tight onto the reigns of his anger to prevent it from escaping and coloring his fascination. He was not entirely sure why Sebilla was so stubbornly cautious of his offer, but it was beginning to wear on him a little. Pendaran could accept that a mortal may not want to make a deal with him or even accept a gift that came from his hands, but even his patience was not without limits. The truth of the matter was that he really was sincere in his offer, especially now that Trydian was serving under his court's banner. Although it wasn't necessary, it would make life easier for everyone involved if Sebilla had some manner of protecting herself.

“Something to protect you or that you can use to harm others, or maybe the beginning of an education - knowledge is power, after all. I could find you a neutral spirit to tutor you in the arts, magic and otherwise.”

Pedaran shrugged and then smiled.

“Yes,” he agreed, “it would probably be a fashion misstep to not get washed up and changed for the coming festivities. We will discuss what I can give you later, but,” Pendaran clapped his hands and there was a sudden drop in temperature, “for now, at least, let’s let you wash up before the feast.”

As if on cue, an icy orb of light rushed into the throne room and darted around before coming to an exaggerated skidding stop. At the center of the light was a finger sized girl with short, cropped hair and a pinched face, and like the king and others in his court, her lips and eyes were tinged blue.

“Keev here will show you to the room I’ve had prepared for you.”

_______

After Trydian spoke, the woman appeared startled and her song immediately stopped. When her eyes finally rested on the demon, she almost appeared to dismiss him, unconcerned with his reason for being there or where he wanted to go, but she thought better of it and slipped from the monument with natural grace, a cunning intelligence shining behind her eyes.

The woman made a sharp sound that may have been a laugh, "No," she said, "Sadb is not an escort. She is a guardian," as the woman spoke she directed her attention to the water and it began to rapidly chill, it would not freeze over, however, but it would be enough of a demonstration to get the point across: “Please do not stand in the water.”

Although the woman worded what she said in such a way that it was a request, if Trydian did not comply, it was clear that she would make him. She had no particular grievance with demons or mortals, but Trydian was standing in water that had, until today, been untouched and untainted. Pure, life-sustaining water-the kind of water that many of the Fae spirits needed to survive, to procreate. Fortunately, he would not have caused much damage, but it was a poor first impression.

Not one that Sadb couldn’t overlook, however.

The woman breathed in and out, inhaling and exhaling, and the more she did it, the more the wind picked up, growing stronger by the second, and when it grew so strong that it felt as though it could have knocked a person caught unawares down, it dispersed and an eerie stillness enveloped the clearing.

“O’erton?” The woman asked, an expectant look in her eye, but she was looking out toward the woods rather than at the demon, Trydian. After a brief wait, the woods answered her in the form of snapping and breaking, and of great amounts of earth moving, too. Eventually, visible changes in the surrounding woods could be see and more, too, were happening; namely, this was in the form of a cloud of dust and the obvious shifting of trees. A road for Trydian’s convenience was being created.

“Give it a moment,” Sadb said, “and don’t worry, you won’t have to travel for too awfully wrong. Distance and time is irrelevant here,” she waved her hand in a mystic gesture. In parody, of course. "You do not even need a road," she said with an informative tone, "but an inexperienced traveler may get lost or have an accident."

King Pendaran ruled, yes, but that did not mean his law and authority influenced everything or even everyone in the realm. In truth, there were times when a powerful Fae, one who was as old or older, even, than Pendaran, took interest in someone or something, and in those cases, it usually only ended well for the ancient Fae. Bandits, too, could show themselves at any time; it was hard to completely police a kingdom that had no need of conventional transportation.

“The road will take you where you need to be, but do keep your focus and stay on the path. If you really are to see the king, it will be a disorienting experience... You probably won’t remember the details all that much, but this road will eventually connect to the hall that leads to his throne room. Be respectful.”

Once the Fae woman was done speaking, she moved away from Trydian and provided the demon did not strike up a conversation, she would be more than happy to ignore his presence and sing to herself, tending the stream and pond.

[Trydian]

Trydian didn't know of this realm, or of the Unseelie ways- he felt most ignorant. Stepping out of the water, he simply followed the path silently. He decided to keep any visible powers hidden, knowing they could possibly manipulate him that way. Following the path, he kept his focus as the strange woman had instructed. His feet never strayed, his mind always focused on the task. If it was one thing Trydian felt uneasy about, it was following a path destined for you- especially when you had no other alternative.

The path could have lead to his death, or worse, the death of his sister. Sebilla must be alive, or the contract would have never been sealed. Keeping himself composed, he watched the scenery shift in a fluid motion. What was once a forest path, was now an elaborate hallway. The change had happened instantaneously. Tyridan remembered the woman's warning about feeling disoriented. Trying to keep his focus, he simply pressed on and waited for some cue that this was in fact his destination.

He didn't change pace entering the hallway, but his eyes did scan for his sister. If this was the entryway to the throne room, then she must be being kept somewhere for the King's enjoyment. Just knowing their plight, caused a fury to rise. Trydian was well trained at keeping his emotions intact, even if he was feeling something entirely different from his facial expressions. Now was not the time to go into a rage and disintegrate any chances of seeing his sister.

Entering the throne room, he simply bowed on one knee. He didn't speak, until the King would address him. If there was one thing he was grateful for, it was the fact he no longer carried the sword. He still had one on his person, but it didn't hold such a significance.

[Sebilla]

"Thank you, Sir." Sebilla followed the creature to the room that had been made for her arrival. The fascination reached this far, allowing what would be an awfully cold and lifeless room to have a quaint and warm feel to it. The creature showed her to a wash basin and a closet of clothes she could pick from. Sebilla washed up methodically trying to get rid of the blood, sweat, and tears that she had been caked in. The water turned a pinkish brown after she was done and she made a face, gingerly touching the wound on her forehead.

Sebilla reached into the closet and pulled out a simple but pretty dress that was as blue as her sky blue eyes. She undressed and folded her dirty clothes, setting them down in a place that would be out of the way but easy to get to if she needed them. She pulled on the clean underclothes and the dress over her head. The dress seemed to tighten around her of it's own accord and she realized with a start that the seams were being tightened by tiny spiders that looked like glass. She watched as the spiders tightened all of the seams around the bodice and down her arms, a few were even hemming the skirt to a length that wouldn't have her tripping over the fabric. Their presence didn't scare her as it would most humans, Sebilla thought that spiders were fascinating creatures despite their ominous reputation.

"Oh how pretty..." Sebilla looked at herself in the mirror as the spiders finished their job. She caught one of the little creatures in her hand, watching it skitter across her fingers and descend on a thin strong strand of spider silk. It scuttled away across the floor and back into the wardrobe with the rest of it's bretheren, leaving Sebilla with a small smile. It would be one of the only good things she would remember about this place.

Without any shoes, Sebilla walked back with the creature to where the King was. She looked good in Unseelie clothes, really good. The Seelie clothing was less form fitting, unless requested otherwise. She had spent more time in gossamer robes than any sort of real dresses during her stay in the Seelie realm. This dress, though, was form fitting. It left enough to the imagination to be demure, but with the bodice of the dress stuck to her curves, Sebilla was a little worried how she would get out of it without tearing it.

That was lost on her though when she saw Trydian on one knee. She bolted for him and threw herself against him. Her body weight might throw him off guard enough to send them both tumbling to the floor, but Trydian usually caught her before anything could happen to her. He would be painfully aware of the wound on her forehead and the dress. He would feel her heart and know how happy she was to see him.

"Oh Trydian. I'm so happy you're here! The King has been ever so nice to me. I'm not even sure how I got here though..." Sebilla babbled about her recent abduction without much thought, the fascination still working on her. Trydian would see that too, in her eyes, a sort of glazed look that said she was potentially drugged or under some sort of spell.

Sebilla smothered Trydian's cheek and forehead in kisses, knowing all too well that he would be in the service of this King and that she may not get to be near him for much longer. A knight was something of a serious position after all.