1x1 Dragon/Color

[ColorCoffee]

♡Valentine♡

Desdemona looked up at the clouds and thought for a moment. "That question is not an easy one to answer. I want many things such as to be a great leader and do the best I can to make the right decisions for my people. Sometimes I want nothing more than to just escape for a while and be alone with myself. But what do I want most?" she smiled "It might sound cheesy, but I think the thing I want most is to be happy. I find that sometimes I forget what it means to be truly happy instead of just the pretend happy I put on for everybody around me. Being Queen means that no one can see my flaws, or else they may see me as weak. It's a little dehumanizing honestly."

[DragonDream]

Gawain
"Its not a foolish desire in the slightest. Being a leader does take a lot of sacrifice, but I don’t think that it has to take your happiness. I doubt anyone exists in perpetual happiness, and if they did they would take it for granted. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that sometimes happiness has to be seized. Even if it is a moment, something you know brings you joy or pleasure. It is not always weak or selfish to do things for yourself. Sometimes it’s just what needs to be.”

[ColorCoffee]

♡Valentine♡

"I suppose you're right. Now to figure out what makes me happy." she grabbed two sandwiches from the basket, offering one to him. "What about you? What do you desire most, Kellan?"

[DragonDream]

Gawain
Taking the sandwich he thought about it. "I think I was happy. When I was in Sertha. I had enough there to where I think I could have been content forever. Now that I am here I don't quite know what it is I want exactly. I know that I tire of playing the game the tiresome nobles are about. They think that just because they got me here that I will sit quiet and happy and play king while they run a kingdom into the ground with their squabbling. I don't think I truly cared at first. Maybe I wanted to see the place I had been deprived of, to satisfy my curiosity. Now that I am there I realize just how much they truly need a king. The people have suffered greatly. My brother's death, a foreign leader on the throne. There has been so much confusion and fear. Especially for the commoners. How are they to know that they are safe? That things won't fall apart again? I think the people deserve stability. If Gawain can run amok and act like a petulant child and still grow his kingdom, can I not grow mine while keeping my head and acting with some sense?" Taking a bite of the sandwich he watched a bird chase a bug around the roses. "I certainly don't want to be miserable, but if I just left Carahan I would live the rest of my life knowing that I only caused more chaos in the wake of my absence. I can run off and play diplomat because people are running the kingdom for me. But I think that I want to rule. To rid myself of the snakes that convinced me to leave my home for theirs."

[ColorCoffee]

♡Valentine♡

"That seems like a fair desire. You deserve to be able to rule the kingdom they handed you, not just act as some pretty pawn of theirs. That is not what a true ruler is. Snakes are hard to get rid of though. After the death of both my father and my husband, I was left in charge suddenly and unexpectedly. From the moment I took the throne, the council that had been made up of both of their trusted officials and nobles that thought they could use me as just a pretty pawn piece while they did all the ruling. It took a while, but I finally managed to show them otherwise and rule my kingdom myself. You can do it too."

[DragonDream]

Gawain
"I hope so," he said, a focused look in his eyes. "Otherwise I may just go crazy in that stone prison of mine."

[ColorCoffee]

♡Valentine♡

"If you'd like the help, I can give you some pointers on how to do it without turning everyone against you. Over tea some other time that is. I'm quite enjoying the carefreeness of the conversation right now."

[DragonDream]

Gawain
"It couldn't hurt," he grinned. "I don't think it will be a horrible time though. I think one of my true pleasures is being around people. Good or bad. I like conversation, I like people. Most people that is."

-------------------------

Upon Eira's constant request, Cyrus had decided to hang around with her for the day. In her words she was 'Tired of his constant moping and hiding' and 'He needed to make up with Clary'. Since he grew tired of her persistent pestering he relented and allowed her to drag him around like a dog. He helped her run some wedding errands in town, mainly those that involved him being a pack mule for the rest of the trip. Then when they made it back to the castle she dragged him to lunch to eat with everyone else, sitting him right between her and Clary.

Despite the tension that had been between them for a while, Clary acted as if there was no bad blood. He figured Eira had talked to him about it. There was something amusing about her trying so hard to maintain the peace. Her micromanaging everyone was really like her running her own little social kingdom. Before he was even really aware of it, she had started an argument that got him talking more than he had in a while about who the better swordsman was, which only escalated into more conversation. Cyrus realized what she had done when she grew a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

[ColorCoffee]

♡Valentine♡

Despite herself, Valentine couldn't help but smile at Cyrus' small attitude change. It made her happy to hear him speak again. When she became aware of her smile, she quickly let it drop back into an expressionless line, averting her gaze down to her plate of food. With all of the wedding plans being made and queenly lessons, Valentine was able to keep distracted and keep away from Cyrus. It was all good until she would spot Cyrus out of the corner of her eye, walking the halls, or in the dinning eating a meal with everyone. When she saw him her stomach would flutter with a hundred butterflies that would quickly turn to lead and feel like a horrible knot in her stomach. It had gotten so bad that he had even begun to plague her dreams. All of these things were making it very difficult to be excited for her own wedding.

She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. She could feel the pain in his and she wondered if he could sense the pain in hers. After dinner Valentine told Gawain that she wanted to walk around and get some fresh air before heading to bed. After he left, Valentine sought after Cyrus. Thankfully she was able to catch up to him in the hall. "Cyrus." she called out softly to him to get his attention. His name seemingly like a melody and a curse all at once as it bounced off the castle walls. "Would you mind taking a walk with me? she asked.

[DragonDream]

Gawain
Hearing his name called he tensed, the familiar voice causing him to turn slowly. Her request made him hesitate. Cyrus wanted to decline, to retreat somewhere far from the situation. Against the ounce of judgment that he had he nodded, following along with Valentine, all the while being very conscious of maintaining a safe distance. He felt foolish.