Trying a Picnic Again (D4 MA)

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya shook her head, "papa would not perrmit it, and I always prreferred to keep to the shallows. I can swim, but therre arre crreaturres of such fascinating colourrs and shapes in the tidal pools. That was always farr morre interresting to me."

Looking down at herself, she frowned, her lips pressed together, "I do not know if it will be the same, now that I am grrown," the thought seemed to trouble her.

[Davelyn Sand]

"Just takes practice," he says, moving his hand to her chin to gently lift, allowing his eyes to meet hers. She would see a warm smile on his face as he spoke. He then pulled his hand back to take up a bit of chicken. "You can do anything you set your mind to, I have no doubt. Perhaps if we get a bright and warm enough day we can practice in the river here." He punctuated that by eating the piece of food he held.

[Kaliya Redding]

She put away the thought that had unsettled her, she had gotten quite good at compartmentalising. "As farr as I am concerrned, it will not be warrm enough until summerr rreturrns," her tone is light-hearted, even as she adds, "how is an irris to bloom in such cold conditions?"

The mention of flowers brought Lord Tyrell to mind, she thought of Kaelyn's pretty green and gold gown, House Tyrell colours, and grew solemn.

[Davelyn Sand]

When she became solemn, Davelyn looked at her with a sad smile. "The days arre grrowing chilly," he says. "What is it that botherrs you Kaliya? I'm happy to listen, no matterr if what you wish to sharre is happy orr sad, inspirring or frrustrrating."

[Kaliya Redding]

"It is always this way in earrly sprring, the last grrips of winterr holding on. But it is not the chill in the airr that botherrs me. I saw the Silent Sisterrs this morrning, come to prreparre Lorrd Tyrrell's body." She shuddered, remembering the stones painted with eyes placed against her husband's sunken sockets as he lay in state, she hated the way those eyes stared, so flat and gruesomely childlike, with clumsy eyelashes. Staring up at the ceiling. Staring and never blinking.

[Davelyn Sand]

He takes one of her hands in both of his. "It was a tragedy to be sure. What happened should not have happened and I would never wish that on anyone. We lose people in life, that is the way of things, but such a premature and unexpected death is heartbreaking. Anything I can do to help, I'll be glad to. Though I suspect that not too many Reachmen would be too keen on me doing so, the offer is available anyway."

[Kaliya Redding]

When Kaliya looked at Davelyn, there was deep concern etched in her expression and she squeezed his hand, "you are a man of the Storrmlands, but you arre also a Prrince of Dorrne. Show those damned Marrcherrs what a man of honourr trruly looks like." Her grip tightened, almost desperately, "between Lorrd Kevan's bay for justice on the head of the Laughing Stag, and the imminent arrival of Lorrd Commander Dunn, the Rreach faces warr on two frronts. Warr she cannot win."

The sudden burst of emotion surprised her, but it was too late to take it back, and so she held the Dornish knight's gaze, their dark eyes mirroring one the other's.

[Davelyn Sand]

"Thank you Kaliya, for your kind words. They mean more to me than you might know." His eyes have an intensity and pride to them.

But then he thinks about it... politically... and draws a blank. He honestly has very little idea what he might do in that moment to help the situation. "I would, if I could, work to prevent war. I would give my life to do so. My heart and honor may be strong enough to accomplish much, but my position does not have the strength to do enough. You are far more politically minded than myself, so if you could think of any way that I can help I will ask permission of Lord Cedric. But I will certainly show my personal honor as soon as I am able to get into the jousts. Prove that not all people can be lumped into categories."

[Kaliya Redding]

"If yourr position is not strrong enough, then imprrove it," she insisted, "earrn yourr glorry. Forr yourr house, forr yourr leige, forr ourr kin. Give men rreason to speak well of you, and stand in the name of peace, even if you must knock a few heads to do so." Her mind was ticking over, trying to find a path, the right ears to whisper the right sweet words.

She could begin with the ones right in front of her. Kaliya leaned close, close enough that her breath brushed hotly against his ear. "Marrtell blood is in your veins, you arre the son of Nymerria. Be the man you were borrn to be."

[Davelyn Sand]

Despite the whisper, the feeling of her breath causing him to feel a stir... what he wanted was something more. This was probably the last thing she was expecting, but rather than react how she may have expected he pulled her into an embrace. His hands didn't wander her seeking to please, he didn't whisper back or brush her with his lips. He spoke plainly, but with care. "I'd love nothing morre. Will you help me?"

[Kaliya Redding]

She had meant to inflame his mind, not his body, with her words. She judged that she had succeeded. Though part of her saw that helping him could further her own ends, Kaliya also wanted him to... do well? succeed? be happy? She didn't know, but she hid that behind her smile, "of courrse."

[Davelyn Sand]

"Of course... there is the issue of not being well known. Though here at the tourney a man could make a name for himself," he says releasing her. "But my attempts thus far to join the lists have been frustratingly outdone by men of much higher position. I cannot show those that do not wish to see that a man can be a man of honor no matter his birth."

[Kaliya Redding]

Of course, now that she was in his embrace, Kaliya's thoughts strayed to things other than politics. She caressed the line of his jaw, "you will have yourr chance," she purred, "but that is just one step on yourr path, and it may not be the firrst." Twining her fingers in his thick hair, she locked him with her gaze, "do you trrust me?"

[Davelyn Sand]

He smiles at her. "Of course I do, Kaliya," he says with a nod. "And the words you've shared with me have been inspiring. But if we wish to help each other... I hope you can find it in you to trust that I only want what is best for you, for you to be happy."

[Kaliya Redding]

Then you arre a grreaterr fool than I was, she thought uncharitably, but he was sweet and kind and... she pushed the thought away. It would only distract her.

"This is not forr me, Davelyn, norr forr you, but forr Dorrne, for the Rreach," it wasn't a lie, exactly. If I had a drragon for you to battle in noble combat, I would, betterr that than these shifting worrds and helpless pawns.

[Davelyn Sand]

He smiled at her and pulled back. "We are part of these places just as they are part of us. When we act on their behalf it is also for ourselves."

[Kaliya Redding]

His words grated on her, so she didn't answer. Instead, she pressed a fiery kiss against his lips, hot as the sands of Dorne.

[Davelyn Sand]

He accepts the kiss but on his end it feels... less than it has been? When he pulls away from her lips, he smiles sadly and looks down at the blanket, organizing his thoughts. "I..."

He faces her once more. "Kaliya. You asked if I trrust you. I do... but because I choose to. If you tell me you believe in me then I choose to believe you. If you tell me I can be morre than I am then I choose to believe you. If you chose to toy with my hearrt and brreak it, I would let you because I choose to trrust you."

"I do not expect the same frrom you. You likely think it's stupid of me given what you've told me and you've been thrrough. But may I please ask just one thing of you?"

[Kaliya Redding]

Her gut twisted savagely, guilt and fear welling up painfully in her throat, and she tried to force them down, tried to recover that sense of balance that came of not having to feel anything. Composed but wary, "you may ask."

[Davelyn Sand]

He nods to her, his eyes looking towards hers. "You to be beautiful in more ways than just physical. That I am attracted to your mind and spirit as well. Your determination and will. Your love for Perlera and your disdain for war. Your fierce desire and your intensity. There is so much more that is beautiful about you that I'm not sure you understand I see. I can be dense when it comes to clever wordplay. I can be slow to pick up on things. But I am not blind and I am not a man that doesn't know what he wants. I want you right now, what man wouldn't... but here in this moment I want to know who you are even more."

"I ask that you trust me when I tell you that you are far more beautiful to me than you may think I see."

[Kaliya Redding]

She cursed internally, apparently there was something about the fresh air that made the Dornish knight prone to confessions of love, even after what she had told him the last time. Why does he perrsist? How can he not rrealise I cannot give him what he wants?

"Verry well," she withdraws from his embrace, uncomfortable with the uncertainty it engendered.

[Davelyn Sand]

"Why do you withdraw?" he asks, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in the air between them. "I never said that I didn't want to be close. Take a chance, and if you don't like it we don't have to sit together like that any more. It cannot hurt, because I promise that if you never wish to again I would understand." He held his hand out to her.

[Kaliya Redding]

"I told you last night why," she prickled, recalling the man who had tried to be kind to her, but still gave her away like a thing to be used.

[Davelyn Sand]

"I am not him," he says quietly, looking a bit sad at that. "And I could neverr be him. I would soonerr die than take yourr frreedom orr hurrt you Kaliya."

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya pressed her lips together, regretful that she had saddened the man and, though she did not understand his purpose, she moved close to him once more. "I did not say you werre like him," she said petulantly.

Collapsing into the arms of a lover when they were both spent she understood, she enjoyed the contact, but when her husband had held her like a trapped animal so that she could not escape, the only place to go was deep inside herself. If he does not wish to trrap me, why must he rrestrrain me so?