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Somewhere in the world (Candira and runawayninja)

Candira sighed and slipped out of bed, brushing her hair and then going to change back into her priestess garb. She could hear the party, and she knew Rafe would want to go, so she leaned over him and gently shook his shoulders. "Rafe? Wake up, dear..."

At the party, Nora was enjoying herself. She chatted with other priestesses and chuckled, drinking with them. She'd seen the guest of honor and did her part to thank him by cheering and smiling when he looked at her. She'd also caught sight of Lionel, but she decided to let him alone for the time being. He'd probably had quite enough of her company as of late.
 
Rafe awoke slowly and when he learned of what was going on, he smiled a bit and stretched. "I feel more alive at night..." He replied softly. "Maybe its an effect of the Raven Lord." He stretched a bit and smiled in anticipation. He helped Candira out the bed, looking at her. "I fear I am mothering you too much, but...it makes me feel better."

Lionel had start to nurse his second stein of beer and gotten a plate of food, watching the party-goers and revelry when Rafe and Candira arrived. Rafe looked at the two and noticed they were split apart and he frowned a bit, saying a prayer to Lord Sin to guide these two through their own darkness. Rafe watched the party for a bit before he casually walked to Nora, smiling a bit. "Hey...why aren't you chatting with Lionel?"
 
Candira smiled as he helped her up. Though it wasn't really necessary, she didn't want to complain. After all, it showed just how much he cared about her. She kissed his lips softly as he told her it made him feel better. "Well it makes me feel good, too. Don't worry. I won't get spoiled," she teased, taking his hand. She squeezed it and then walked with him toward the party. It was alive and well when they arrived. They were both welcomed with great joy by everyone, the returning champion included, though he paid more attention to Candira than Rafe.

She smiled and helped Rafe spot the two of them. She saw Lionel first since he was more easily spotted amongst all the priests, and then Nora. While Rafe attended the princess, she decided to tend to the guardian. She grabbed her own stein of beer and a plate of food before she greeted him with a smile. "Well, do my eyes deceive me or are you having fun?" she teased.



Nora grinned and greeted Rafe with a little hug, nursing a mug of beer. "Hello to you too." She smiled and shrugged at the question. "He looked like he was having fun. It's not often he gets to be with his peers, you know. I figured he's probably tired of me by now anyway. I'll get over there at some point," she said, beginning to feel a bit of a buzz. She hadn't had as much liquid courage as Lionel, but she hadn't eaten yet either."
 
Rafe chuckled softly and smiled at Nora. "C'mon...go talk to him, I bet he wants more of your company with what you've told me. Who brings up such a childhood memory to someone that is boring them? He wants to talk to you, he's just shy...c'mon!" He smiled warmly at her, sipping some beer.



Lionel smiling, if only just a little bit. "I am capable of the emotion, I just don't often wear it on my face much with those outside my family. But you and Rafe and Nora have grown on me a bit."
 
Nora chuckled and smiled softly before sipping at her beer. "Alright, alright. I'll go talk to him. But you know it would be nice if he'd come to me once in awhile." She shrugged and started to look for him in the crowd again before she noticed Rafe wasn't with Candira. "Hey, where's lady Candira?"

Candira chuckled. "You might try it more often. It's a good look for you. I'm glad we've grown on you. But how much, is the question," she said, popping a piece of fruit in her mouth, she glanced around and then returned her attention to him. "Speaking of Nora, have you seen her around? By the time I'd gotten my food and drink I'd lost sight of her."
 
Rafe looked around, almost certain that Candira would be behind him, but he saw her talking to Lionel and he smiled a bit. "She's over there, talking to Lionel, probably trying to talk him into talking to you, like I'm trying to talk you into talking to him." He gave a soft chuckle and smiled warmly.



Lionel looked at Candira and looked down at his beer. "She's sitting over there, in the other corner." He knew right where she was and he didn't need to look. He had known where she was.
 
Nora followed Rafe's gaze to Lionel and Candira. Sure enough it seemed to be the case that she was working on getting his attention. What friends she had. She chuckled and looked up at Rafe curiously. "Hey, can I ask you something? How come you're so bent on getting the two of us together?"



Candira blinked and then looked over to where Rafe was standing with Nora, though the Princess was still seated. "Huh, so she is. Pretty keen eyes to find her in a crowd of pretty young women dressed just like her. I'm impressed." She wondered if he'd say anything regarding the princess' looks or aura, curious to see if he felt a connection with her or if he could always pick her out. It would be interesting to see his reaction in any case.
 
Rafe blinked and thought about it for a long moment. "Well...it seems like you like him. And it seems like he likes you. There's just some emotional barriers in the way and...well...Candira is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I just want the two of you to be able to enjoy that as much as we enjoy each other..." A light blush came to his face. "Well...umm...each others company I mean. Umm...I..." He got a bit flustered. "See? She has that kind of a power over me...my soul cannot deny or resist her, I am her slave..."


It was beginning to work. Lionel was absently drinking from his stein. "I've been watching her since she got in...I..." He shrugged a bit, absently. "I've been thinking about going over to talk to her, but...since I told her about a certain memory I have of her as a youth, I fear I've said too much. That I've embaressed myself."
 
Nora chuckled and drank her beer, not aware of quite how much she was drinking or how quickly it was working. It was sweet that Rafe wanted Lionel and her to be happy. But sweeter still was the way he reacted to his lover even when she wasn't present. "I didn't realize she had such a power over you. You seem pretty free-willed," she teased a bit. "But I'm glad of your good intentions."



Candira smiled knowingly, recognizing the look on his face. There was a bit of longing there, distraction from the rest of the room--reality even. "Oh? Did she say something to make you embarrassed?" she asked, trying to be helpful. She was mindful of how much Lionel was drinking, but the main thing was to keep him talking and keep him open to the idea of Nora accepting him--to the possibility that the two of them could be good together. She only hoped Rafe was getting Nora ready to make her move, because she was sure that Lionel would never be so forward--at least not the first time.
 
Rafe smiled and nodded slowly, looking at her. He was trying to read her at this point. "Nora...what do you think about Lionel? What does he make you think? What does he make you feel?" Rafe was wondering if she truly felt what he and Candira did. Or might in the future.


Lionel looked at Candira. "No it's...what I said to her." Lionel told her about the memory he had of her as a boy. "I just...wonder if I said too much and embarrassed myself. That's why I'm not sure I should talk to her."
 
Nora frowned for a moment, thinking as she sipped at her drink. "Hmmmm, how to put it to words..." After a brief pause, she set her stein down and said, "Lionel is special. He makes me feel protected, of course, but not just physically. As if he'd work hard to make sure I never felt any kind of pain...but he frustrates me because I like his company and I think he likes mine, but he'd never really admit it unless I dragged it out of him." She sighed and leaned back. "He also makes me feel jealous, as silly as it might sound. You should have seen the priestesses milling around today. Turns out he didn't even know he was being ogled." She shook her head and took another sip. "But the thing is...if I try to imagine my life without him...I can't. And when he told me about that memory of his...I felt so relieved. Because for once I could tell that he meant what he said. I wasn't just his charge...And that made me feel wonderful."



Candira sighed as he told her the memory, smiling. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'd wager that's the most you've ever told her about that. She's probably very glad that she knows. I certainly would be. No, you've nothing to be embarrassed about...unless you're ashamed of it somehow?"
 
Rafe smiled a bit and nodded slowly. "That sounds familiar. Yea, it sounds like you really like him. So...why don't you tell him? Why don't you tell him how you feel and how he makes you feel? Tell him that you want him to open up to you."


Lionel shook his head. "I'm not ashamed. It's a cherished memory. I'm concerned for her...if something happens...if the royals were to find out, it wouldn't matter what would happen to me, but her honor, her reputation, I wouldn't want to hurt those. I wouldn't want to spoil her future because of my feelings for her."
 
Nora glanced over at the object of her affection before looking back at Rafe. "I'm afraid he'll say no. He's a pretty old-fashioned guy, you know. I'm not sure I could handle that at this point. I don't want to ruin things as they are now..." She frowned and took another sip of his wine. "And then there's the possibility that he'll just avoid the topic..."



Candira smiled at him and sipped her beer. "Well if it's a cherished memory then I don't think you have anything to be embarrassed about. As for the royals, they probably don't care so much what she does as you think they do. Certainly, her conduct is a reflection of her family and the people in general, but it's not like she'd be shacking up with a peasant she hardly knows. She'd be romantically involved with someone she's known all her life who clearly cares for her. A noble and a knight. And let me tell you, I've been around this country--and some of the surrounding ones. She could do a lot worse than someone like you." She grinned and shrugged.

"But that's just my opinion--one noble to another. Anyway, they care more what David does, since he'd be inheriting the throne. Nora's kind of just a runner-up."
 
Rafe frowned softly and took another drink before he looked at her. "Is it any worse to have him so close, and yet so far? To not know for certain how he feels? To...not be able to simply cross the room and talk to him? It would be torture for me..." He looked over at Candira. "Maybe this is the start of a great romantic adventure for the two of you."


Lionel sighed softly. "Nora's family might still have a political union for her in mind. To cement an alliance, especially in this perilous time. But..." He looked down at his drink. "I suppose she could suggest the idea to her family and they...might not be opposed to it. My family has been a very loyal one."
 
Nora frowned, a little more heavily buzzed now. "Well, I guess you do have a point...it is a little like torture. I just need to figure out a way to tell him how I feel that he can't ignore or pretend away...I'm working on it. It would be a lot easier if he saw in him what everyone else does." She sighed and looked at Rafe. "What about you? How did you tell Candira how you felt?"



Candira smiled at Lionel and shook her head. "See? That's the spirit. But if you want a little reality check--you aren't giving yourself enough credit, friend. Being the personal body guard of the princess, and being entrusted with her safety on this mission speaks a great deal of your character and position. And you're already of noble birth. Once this is through, I fail to see how the royal family could deny you. And if you really pursue Nora, she'll fight for you." She smiled and shrugged. "But that's just what I think. So the question is, how does she make you feel?"
 
"Well...it was really awkward because of who I had been before and how we first met. But it had gotten to the point where I just couldn't ignore it anymore. I couldn't hide how I felt anymore and I just had to tell her." He smiled softly, a whimsical look crossing over his face at the thought of it.


Lionel put a lot of thought and a long gulp of his drink before he answered her. "She...makes me feel safe. Like I can let my guard down around her, when I'm not protecting her. Like I can tell her anything and I know I'll have her confidence and trust..."
 
Nora smiled and wondered if Lionel would ever feel that way about her. "How did you tell her?" she asked, finishing off her beer. She probably should have had something to eat as well. Oh well, it was a party. She'd eat a little later. "How did you do it?"



Candira smiled and nodded. "That's a pretty rare trait to possess," she said thoughtfully. "Seems like she's pretty important to you. Do you think you could live happily without her? If you left her now, for whatever reason, would you be happy?"
 
"I just...reached down inside, where your bravest parts of your soul are and found the nerve to confess to her what I couldn't keep inside anymore. I was just flooding over with this feeling inside of me. I couldn't not tell her, it was just...too much. And I didn't do anything special, I just told her and let it come out from the heart." Rafe smiled a bit and looked at her. "Maybe he'll just be touched to know how you feel."


Lionel drank quite a bit and ate a slice of apple before he looked at her. "I think I would never leave her willingly...I'd only do so if ordered. I...imagine that being away from her would...just the thought of it makes my stomach turn." He grimaced. "I don't like the thought of it at all..."
 
Nora was glad she could talk to Rafe about this particular issue. She felt a great deal braver now than she had before. And he'd made some good points: it would be very difficult to go on as they were, without saying anything. Besides, if she didn't take her chance while she could, she might never really get to be with him. "All right. I guess I'd better do something. He might if he weren't so afraid...maybe if he knew..." she drank the rest of her stein and set it down before looking at Rafe. "Wish me luck."

And with that, Nora started to head across the room.


Candira watched, eating some of the finger food on her plate as Lionel drank. She smiled softly as he told her that he didn't like the thought of being without the princess. "So why hesitate? If you feel that way about her, tell her. Fight to keep her with you. Both of you deserve to be happy with each other. She stepped out of the way for a moment to glance at the two of them only to discover that Nora was a few feet away now. "Oh, looks like she's coming over after all. I'll just give you guys some time.."

And just when she started to back up, Nora came right up to Lionel and before he could say or do anything about it, she pulled him into a deep and heart-felt kiss, her arms coming around his neck for a long moment before she pulled away and said, "I...I think you're an idiot....and I think I'm in love with you."

Candira stood, open-mouthed as Nora backed away. Never had she expected the princess to do that. She looked in amazement to Rafe before her senses came back to her. Clearing her throat she said, "Seems like you two should talk some place quieter..." She nodded to the hall and then took her leave, smiling as she came back to Rafe.
 
Rafe blinked in surprise. He had been drinking when she got up so he couldn't move in time. "Wait I...I meant..." His voice faded as he saw her go. "Let him drink some more..." He could only watch, but the events made his jaw hang open.


Lionel looked up at Nora when she spoke and he intended to say something but his mouth was sealed with a kiss, his eyes as wide as the plates the food was served upon. When their lips parted, he was stunned into silence, simply staring at Nora when Candira spoke about them moving to someplace more private. Looking from one girl to another, Lionel finally looked down. He gulped down the rest of his drink. Then he gulped down Candira's drink. Then he walked to Rafe and gulped down the rest of his drink before he took Nora's hand and slowly walked from the party with her.
 
Nora's heart was beating like a drum as she waited for Lionel to respond. The poor guy looked like he'd been given the shock of a life-time. He hadn't returned her kiss. He hadn't touched her. He just stood there, staring at her as though every thought had evaporated, and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She was starting to feel sick from all the anxiety she felt as she watched him look between the two of them and then down his stein, Candira's stein, and Rafe's. And then after what felt like an eternity, he took her hand and led her away.

She said nothing, having already said what she needed to get out. Oh, she would say more, but she needed him to say something--anything--first. God help him if he tried to talk her down or tried to talk her into thinking they weren't right for each other. She'd had quite enough of that, thank you. He either felt the same way or he didn't, and that was that.



Candira, in the mean time, watched curiously as this unfolded before her, letting Lionel drain her stein while she ate from the food plate she'd taken. She hurried to Rafe's side and leaned against him. "Well that was unexpected. As much as I would love to be a fly on the wall for what happens next, I won't butt in. But I will press them for details later...What on earth did you say to her?"
 
"Well..." Rafe looked down as if he might have done something wrong. "I uhh...just told her how I told you that I loved you. I told her to reach down into her gut and to find the bravery to tell Lionel the truth about how she felt. I didn't tell her to just walk up and kiss him! But uhh...at least it's out now?" He smiled innocently and shrugged a bit. "I...honestly didn't expect that..."


Lionel took Nora out, down a few hallways and then he firmly pulled her up against the wall. He had a serious look on his face as he stared at her before he slowly leaned forward to softly kiss her on the lips. He held the kiss for a long time before finally parting. "You make me feel safe...like I can tell you anything...no one has even made me feel that safe..."
 
Candira chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Well if I remember correctly, in the process of telling me how you felt, you kissed me too," she said, putting an arm around him. "Albeit, your confession wasn't quite so abrupt. I don't think she expected to do that." She smiled and stayed right where she was. "Good job, you."



Nora wasn't sure where they were going. She held onto his hand as he strode with a purpose, and when they were a fair distance from the party he pulled her up against the wall. Her breath caught in her throat and as that serious expression crossed his face she thought he was about to tell her off. She was starting to feel sick when she noticed the distance between them diminishing. Before she knew it, he was kissing her, and it was her turn to be shocked. It didn't last long, however. She kissed him back and put her arms around his neck, pulling him a bit closer. When he pulled away, she was breathless.

Staring up at him, she blushed as she heard him speak and she smiled softly. "I do?" Smooth. But what else did one say to something like that?
 
Lionel nodded slowly. He looked into her eyes and stroked her cheek softly. "You are a kind and generous person, a truly good person, you are more than royalty, you are noble and humane. You have an open-heart and you are what all of your class should be. The world of politics and easy access to the finer things in life haven't corrupted you. You are...worthy of your people and...worth a thousand of my lives." He looked away, a bit uncomfortable with being so forward, but it was time for this. "I'm...not good enough for you." He confessed what had been in his soul for a long time.
 
She shook her head and cupped his face gently in her hands, looking up at him. She brought him down to her level and kissed him softly. She smiled softly as she pulled away and ran her hands over his handsome face. "That isn't true," she said softly. "You're the kindest knight I know, and I do know quite a few. You're so dedicated to everything you do, and you're fiercely loyal. And you're humble to a fault." She smiled and shook her head. "You can't even see how wonderful you really are. Your love is worth everything I'll ever have and so much more." Looking into his eyes she took a deep breath.

"You make me feel safe and wanted, and more human than anyone I know. But at the same time I feel so special. I can't imagine not being with you. It's just too sad."
 
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