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Taming the Gypsy Trade (Valanaer)

The elven woman let out a soft sigh and nodded once, showing she understood. She waited until Saren's eyes were closed before she let her own eyes close. Her body began to relax into sleep as her mind slid into sleep. The bed was just as comfortable as it was the night before, but oddly this night, it felt like she should be in the bed. The only reason she could think of was because of what the two had just done. No matter what it was though, she lightly hugged the pillow under her head and began to fall into sleep.

Some time after she closed her eyes, Tari moved closer, laying her head against the man's chest. She barely moved for the rest of the night, choosing the comfortable position she had now entered over trying to find another one. Nothing disturbed her in the room and any sounds that may have come inside from the windows or the door weren't loud enough to bother her. It was one bonus to living in the woods, she would hear plenty of sounds, but none were bad enough to disturb her. Sleeping in the castle was nothing compared to what she was used to.
 
Saren had no problem falling asleep, the comfortable bed and his slight exhaustion after what he had just done made it easy. So that was what he did, he fell asleep and soon he was dreaming, nothing in particular but dreaming nonetheless, a pleasant experience as always. It wasn't until he felt movement in the bed that he awoke, only to find that Tari had snuggled up on him, her head against his chest. Saren smiled, not moving an inch as not to disturb the slumbering beauty, his own body instantly relaxing and he even found it strangely comfortable. It wasn't long before he fell back into sleep and it was even better than before.

What was happening in other parts of the castle while they were sleeping wasn't nearly peaceful, Kilel was plotting, tired of his brother. He was discussing the elven bitch, as he kept calling her, with a few members of the aristocracy that he trusted, and it had started off as simply bashing her. What had begun to happen after awhile was Kilel going on about his brother, subjects such as how he only thought himself to be smart, and how he had threatened at dinner to usurp the throne with the knights. It was then that plans were being made, the aristocrats and Kilel discussing things in secret. Kilel had several plans being tossed around, things as dark as having someone rape Tari simply to spite his brother and going as far as to mention assassination of the second prince. The discussion lasted long into the night, many ideas being tossed around, it was only a matter of time before Kilel enacted one, because while he was spineless, he had no problem paying for a job to be done, no matter what that job was.

What Saren didn't know couldn't ruin his sleep and he easily slept through the night, not waking again after Tari situated herself on his chest. When he did wake he found it quite early, his eyes opening but only staring up at the ceiling for the time being, not looking anywhere. He was trying to decide whether or not he would get up yet, wanting to sleep a bit longer but not out of necessity, only because of how comfortable he was. After a good bit of deliberation he took a deep breath, his willpower not enough to decide so he took the easy way out. If Tari was still resting comfortably on his chest then he would remain in bed until she woke, if she wasn't on him or if she wasn't on the bed and instead somewhere else, he would go ahead and get himself up. Without further hesitation the prince looked down, mostly hoping her head would still be on his chest.
 
Tari was still asleep when Saren woke up, barely moving as he turned to look at her. Her arm was laying on his chest, her body curved against his, looking to be quite comfortable in the way she was positioned against him. But, just like in the day before, as the sun began to peak through the windows, Tari opened her eyes, only to close them a second later, hiding her face from the light against his chest. It took her a minute to adjust to it, but when she did, she opened her eyes again and glanced at what she happened to be laying on. Her eyes followed his body up to Saren's face, where she settled on his eyes.

"Good morning," she mumbled, too comfortable to move right away. Eventually she would have to, but for the time being, she was enjoying the situation she had put herself in, if only for a few minutes. Luckily, she remembered where she was that morning, so there was no small panic attack that often times came with being in a new place. She let out a soft sigh before turning away enough to prop herself up on her arm, brushing her hair back from her face with her slender fingers.
 
The sight of Tari lying so peacefully brought a smile to his face, he sat perfectly still as not to interrupt her. She stirred as the sun came in through the window though, burying her head in his chest to escape the bright rays. It was cute how she was acting, almost similar to a cat, curled up next to him and hiding from the sun. Saren just smiled when she looked up at him, his arm wrapping around her gently as she said her good morning. "Morning." He spoke back, his voice soft as he enjoyed the closeness they had. For a time he didn't even budge, relaxing in the bed and watching Tari, that was until she propped herself up. Tari brushed the hair out of her face, only leaving a single strand still there and Saren laughed gently, "Missed a bit..." He moved his hand and removed the last string from her face, tucking it behind her ear before finally moving himself into a sitting position.

The prince looked around the room, it was lit up by the sun at this point, not terribly bright but enough. It was only after sitting up from the comfortable position that he felt his soreness, his muscles aching a bit since he had used parts of his body he wouldn't use doing anything else. It wasn't too bad but it reminded him of what they did last night, causing him to turn to Tari again with a small smirk, "If it wasn't for the small aches I would think last night was nothing but a pleasant dream." Saren leaned over, kissing Tari on the lips, he wanted to do more of course but he was trying to not be his usual sex craving self. Instead he held himself back with a single kiss, pulling back after that and slipping out of bed, making sure to turn and give Tari a small wink as he showed off his naked body in the morning light. As much as he loved showing off he wanted to get the day started, so he grabbed the pants from the day before and slipped them on.

He figured it would be good enough to wear yesterdays clothing until he could bathe, though he had a fun idea assuming Tari was game. Wearing his best smile and in the most serious tone he could manage he turned to her and asked, "Want to take a bath with me this morning?" He wasn't sure what she would say but he had to try, just like with the horse, and it was a tactic he would use quite often.
 
While Saren seemed ready to get up, Tari was still quite comfortable in the bed and saw no reason to leave it yet. She laid her head on the pillow she had abandoned during the night and casually smiled at the reminder of the night before. She didn't say anything about it, but the smile was enough to show that she agreed, at least somewhat, with what he was saying. Tari hadn't moved enough to notice her strained muscles, if she had any, but she was expecting to feel the affects soon enough when she finally did leave the bed. The kiss was a nice addition and she was pleased that the man didn't try anything else. But when Saren left the bed and sent a wink back in her direction, she chuckled to herself and turned to the brightening ceiling, just as Saren had done earlier.

The warmth that was still under the covers was comforting and the general feeling of the silk sheets pleased Tari greatly. She laid in silence while waiting for Saren to either speak or leave the room. In this case, it was speaking and she directed her attention back to the human. While a bath sounded like a good idea, taking one with Saren made her take a minute to think. Her shoulders shrugged and she rose into a sitting position, facing Saren.

"Depends," she said, tipping her head enough to pull a crack from her neck, loosening the stiff feeling she had in it. "Are you planning on being in it all morning?" In other words, did he have an idea to repeat their nightly activity that morning or would it be an actual bath.
 
Saren looked at Tari, she was comfortable in the bed and he was glad to see it, of course anyone would be comfortable in his bed and he was confident in that. He would prefer to get her out of the bed though, or get back in and repeat the night before even if it did push his endurance to the limit. He knew she wouldn't go for another round in the morning, or at least he assumed not and he didn't plan on asking, he would hold himself over with some harmless flirting and the occasional kiss or grope. She seemed to think he had much more in mind though, soon putting the idea of fun in the bathroom into his head. He smirked as soon as he heard her question, turning to look at her and not bothering to hide his interest. "Not that I really planned on doing it, but if you really want to we can turn bath time into playtime."

He walked over to the edge of the bed and with a playful grin yanked the silk sheet away, taking a look at her body again and whistling. "God, you look even better in the light." He was way too amused with himself, not that it was a lie that she was just as beautiful, if not more, in the light, but he just found it kind of fun to mess with her. He quickly tossed the covers back over her, giving her the choice to cover herself up again or get out of bed and join him. "Anyways, your choice. Just remember, if you come with me, you get to see me naked." With a laugh he turned from the bed and went to grab himself some clothes for the day, deciding to wear leather again seeing as they would most likely be getting into some mischief with his men and later be riding. When he had it all gathered he turned and looked to Tari, checking to see what she was doing.
 
With a slight roll of her eyes, Tari shook her head. She wasn't too keen on the idea of bathroom playtime, or much of the sort in the morning, for that matter. As she had said the night before, her morning had plenty of things to do, and sex was not one of the things on the list. So when Saren didn't push it further, Tari took it gratefully and allowed the man to tug the sheets away. With a smile, the elf struck a pose, placing her hands on her hips as a joke, swiftly catching the blankets when they were tossed back to her. She wrapped it around her body and watched the man as he picked out his clothing for the day.

"The way you're parading around, it doesn't seem like I need bathtime to see you like that." A smirk grew on her lips before she slid to the edge of the bed, picking up her shirt and slipping it over her head. It was enough to get her to the bath, when she could change into a proper outfit for the day. "I'll go with you, but no 'playtime'." She held her finger up to the man, physically enforcing it. She gathered up another set of clothing and slipped on the pants before holding the rest over her arm. "Lead the way, your highness."
 
Saren watched Tari slide to the edge of the bed and he wasn't particularly thrilled when she put the shirt on, her chest being covered by the fabric. When she agreed to go with him he let it go, not wanting anyone else to see her beautiful body but himself and knowing soon enough he would see her not only naked but nice and wet and for obvious reasons that made him very excited to share bath time. "Hey, all you have to do is ask and I will let you see me naked any time. I wouldn't blame you for asking either, my body is pretty nice." He was a bit arrogant but then again he was only joking, and of course there was also the fact that his body could back up the talk.

He simply smirked when she said no playtime though, not entirely convinced she wouldn't want something by the time their bath was over, of course he didn't even have sex in mind at the moment, he just wanted to tease her a bit. Teasing her sounded awfully intriguing to the prince, his usual women being one night stands who he only say for a few hours before sending them away or departing, with Tari he could tease her throughout the day, see her cute reactions and by the end of the day she would no doubt be more ready than ever. It was just an idea but he would have to give it a try.

"Of course, just keep up beautiful." Saren kept his head in the game, not wanting to give away the fact that he had plans for the bath and the rest of the day for that matter. He turned, his clothing in hand, and walked to the door, opening it up to see that the guards were outside in the hall as usual but unlike usual chatting away about something, only to stop immediately when the door opened. Saren was curious but at the same time he didn't really care too much and he didn't like to pry, especially with the castle and royal guards, most of them being more like spies than soldiers employed by his family. So he simply walked past them, keeping a slower pace to make sure Tari kept close. It wasn't long before they were out of the halls and into the bathing room though, stepping inside and looking at the bigger bath that he used. He waited for Tari to come in ready to close the door and lose the clothing, just as soon as she joined him.
 
The elf had a smart response in return to his comment, but she kept it to herself. The idea of being able to ask him literally any time was perfect to tease him with, even if he wouldn't actually go through with such a thing. She held a firm smirk on her face, hiding the thoughts she had inside her head. She knew Saren had the body and physique to back up anything he would flaunt about it, but it wasn't something Tari would ask often to see, although when she did, it would certainly be something she'd take advantage of looking at. When Saren left the room, Tari followed him out, not bothering to look around the halls like she had the day before. There wasn't much that could have changed over night and nothing that could make her feel more like she was at her own home.

Her eyes swiftly ran over the guards outside, greeting them both with a small nod. As she walked down the hall away from them, her tuned ears listened in to what they were saying, trying to get at least a small ounce of their earlier conversation. Most of her believed it was something about her now living in the castle, just as she was warned, but she hoped that they were talking of something else, just so she didn't have to worry about the men guarding the room going after her in the middle of the night. Of course, when they got to the bathing room, there was nothing she could do or nothing she could listen to, and she simply just ignored any other words.

As soon as they were alone, Tari approached the tub and started the water. Once she was sure it was the proper temperature, she removed her shirt, knowing it would be just a bit colder in the new room then in the bedroom. She set both articles of clothing to the side of the room, along with her new set, and glanced over to Saren, letting her eyes fall down to his chest before raising again.
 
Once they got into the bathing room Saren took the first minute to put his stuff down, sitting his clothes far enough away that no matter what they did water would not make it to them. He then turned his attention over to Tari who was already running the water for the bath. He walked over and felt the water as she went to put her stuff in the corner, his eyes following her as his fingers dipped into the water. As she removed her shirt he couldn't help but stare, even if he had seen it just a few minutes before, he still liked to look. Tari looked as well when she turned around, down his chest and he couldn't help but feel a bit proud that his body was appealing to an Elven woman, for some reason he figured Elves would be more attracted to thin and lanky men, like the males of their race. She seemed interested enough though and that kept Saren in high spirits, because as confident as he was she was a different woman.

Saren didn't hesitate to remove his pants after that, throwing them across the room near his other stuff and standing next to the bath as he waited for Tari to come. "Come now, don't be shy, this will be fun, we can wash each others backs and all those hard to reach areas." Saren grinned, he was having way to much fun this morning, from the time they woke to now he had been in a very good mood and it showed. He did want to bathe though, the day ahead would be much easier after getting cleaned up, so he stepped in to the large bath, sinking down in the hot water, a sigh escaping his lips as he leaned back and just enjoyed it for a moment, his head turning and looking at Tari as he did, "Come on in, the waters fine."
 
A chill ran over her skin as the cold air touched her body. Tari calmly shook it off, feeling the man's eyes watching and admiring her form. Most elves were satisfied with the thinner figures the elven men held, and Tari had been at one point in her life. But the first time humans came into her forest, she was part of the group that kept watch over them, making sure they followed the rules her clan had in place. That was the first time she saw a shirtless man and her interests parted. Although the elves were still her first choice, as it was what she could find and was used to, the human form was something that attracted her. Her tastes hadn't changed, but luckily for Saren, she found the man's form attractive. And she could tell by the look in his eyes that Saren found her just as interesting.

She didn't have to be told twice to come and join him. She approached the tub, waiting for Saren to get in first, watching him as he settled into the water and relaxed. When he invited her in, the elf stepped in and slowly lowered herself inside, watching as the water rose with her entry. Once she was in, her eyes closed and she continued down until her head was under. When she rose only seconds later, she wiped the water from her eyes and opened them, looking straight at Saren, wet hair clinging to the sides of her face, shoulders and back. She smiled at the prince. "Feels good," she agreed softly.
 
Saren watched as Tari lowered herself into the water, his eyes fixed on her as she went all the way under, her head disappearing beneath the surface only to come back up almost immediately. She probably wasn't aware of just how sexy she looked when she came back up, the hair clinging to her body, the wet skin, it was quite appealing. She smirked, deciding to do his own little dunk, although he doubted he would look nearly as sexy as her, but he could always try. So after she spoke he nodded, going under the water, which was a bit harder due to his height but he managed, and then rose back up, his usually messy hair matted down and making him look quite different, though not in a bad way. He looked over with and nodded, "Yes it does." Of course the water aside he began to think that it wasn't the best idea to invite her to the bath with him, his thoughts shifted to what he wanted to do to her almost immediately, his hand begging to be allowed to stray and touch the beautiful skin.

Saren was able to control his urges well by now, so instead he simply got a bit closer and reached forward, brushing the hair away from her face gently. "Should I add anything to the bath? There are sweet smelling flowers and mixes if you wish to smell of anything in particular." With his comment his hand retreated and he simply relaxed in the water, waiting for her answer. Of course usually he didn't add anything to his bath, he used some soap and on rare occasions he would use a scent after the bath, but rarely did he want to smell like flowers. Hell his men would probably make fun of him a bit but he didn't mind, in fact it would be interesting to see if anybody picked up on him and Tari smelling the same, that was if she even wanted a scent.
 
The elf inched to the side, giving Saren plenty of space to go down on his own, watching as he did so. His thoughts were correct, it wasn't nearly as 'sexy', but the way his hair was now flattened drew a slight, soft giggle from her. She came towards the man, brushing some of the hair back from his face, allowing him to get a couple light touches in before she decided to back away. Tari wasn't looking for an early morning romp, and she knew to keep her distance, in case Saren had the thought in his mind, but at the same time, there was only so much space she could put between them before one of them was forced out of the tub. She would just have to be careful with her actions.

A smug smirk crossed Tari's face when Saren asked about smells in the bath. She knew several things she could ask for that would be noticeable by anyone who approached the two for most of the day after they left the bath, but it all ran a risk of being quite embarrassing for Saren, if he were to feel that way over such a thing. She shook her head, not wanting to put the man through such torture. When it came to scents, Tari enjoyed the strong ones which would last for the whole day. She didn't think that Saren would share in the same pleasure, so it was safer to leave them out. "Not today." The smirk crossed into a smile as her mind continued on the path. "Wouldn't want your men finding out you smell like lavender all day, would you?"
 
Tari giggled at his appearance, the matted down hair doing about as much as he thought it would, not exactly sexy but a different look. She moved some of the hair from his face in the same way that he moved hair from her face, the moment not exactly intimate but it was interesting, it involved little sexual motive. Then again he wasn't looking to have sex, not yet, he only wanted to tease and touch Tari for the time being, to make her want it until eventually it bubbled over and they went at it again, he knew it would worth the wait. She seemed intent on keeping away from any such actions, which while no doubt making it harder for him to make any sort of move also meant that it would be more of a challenge and ultimately more exciting to do so. So he planned, trying to figure out what exactly to try, whether he would get shot down or not, and watching her for any opportunity.

In the meantime Tari seemed to have a few ideas when the scented bath idea came to mind and Saren could do nothing but hope she didn't have some diabolical plan in mind. As he waited to see what the smirk meant he continued to relax, although it wasn't extremely difficult due to the night with the elf in the tub with him, all his stress and tension had already dissipated from his body, leaving him utterly relaxed. After a moment Tari declined his offer to add a scent, commenting on his men finding out he smelled of lavender, and although he could have just as easily been honest and agreed, he took it as a challenge instead. "It wouldn't bother me if the men gave me a hard time about the lavender because there would be a very intriguing pro to the situation... I would smell absolutely amazing to a certain beautiful elf." He shot her a smirk leaning over and rubbing his hand against her thigh, not being aggressive but making it clear, "The real question is, how would you handle it if I smelled that good all day?"

It was a risky move but it was Tari's game now, he had played his hand. In the end whether she chose to or not Saren believed it to be in his favor, that was the main reason he was challenging the woman back. If she declined further he would smell as he normally did, but if she decided to add the scent, whether it be lavender or some other pleasant smell, he would definitely smell fine to the woman in the bath with him, a definite pro even if it did come with a bit of harmless joking from his men.
 
The elf slid to the side of the tub, leaning against it as she let her body soak for some time in the warm water. It was relaxing, on top of pleasant, but at the same time, it was a good way to wake up. If the water was any colder, she would be uncomfortable; the temperature was perfect. And the company wasn't bad in the slightest. She was pleased that Saren wasn't trying anything with her and satisfied just sitting with the lack of scents.

Slowly, she shook her head, angling her body enough to comfortably face the man. "This is fine," she told him with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Your men seem to have enough to pester you with. I wouldn't want to give them another thing." She smiled, tensing her back for a second before relaxing it in light pulses. The action loosened her muscles enough that she could sit comfortably again, without getting up and performing a full stretch. As for the prince's question on the topic, Tari shook her head once more, inching ever so slightly closer.

"I wouldn't mind it," she told him, shifting so her hands were on either side of the tub, closing the man in against the back edge. "The elves I'm used to working with always smell like some sort of flower. But the smell I can't resist," she began, her speech tempo slowing as her voice dropped into what could be described as a loud murmur, her body inching closer into Saren's lap. "The only smell in this world that I can not resist is the smell of sweet, freshly brewed Miruvor." The sound of her elven drink rolled off her tongue, sounding even more graceful then any of her past words. "The scent of the honey would make any man's mouth water. And you, my friend, could never dream of the pure flavour. You can only wish that it would ever. Grace. Your lips."

As she drew to a halt in words, Tari grew still in the man's lap, once again. Only this time, she held herself there, her lips only inches away from the man's own. Some time during her sweet purr of a description, the elf had wrapped her arms back around Saren's neck, holding herself against the man, making sure to tease him in the best way possible. The drink she spoke of was a rarity for humans to get a hold of. There were stories of it being traded for large, expensive game, along with an un-spoiling bread the elves had, but rarely was it actually given away. Every story gave it more power, either of will strengthening to repairing of scars and wounds. Only the elves knew the secret to this powerful liquor, and Tari had it stored in the back of her mind, a detail she doubted Saren would expect.
 
Tari didn't allow his plan to overtake her, instead she pushed back in a more offensive manner, her hands on the edge of the tub and her body keeping him still against the edge of the tub. Her voice dropped as well, and as she went on it was clear that teasing her would come with a small price, she would tease him right back, her arms around him and her lips very close to his own as she grew still on his lap. It wasn't one sided, his arms were wrapped around her as well, his hands resting on her lower back, slowly sliding down and cupping her firm ass as she grew still, pulling her as close as he could, the position actually quite comfortable, especially in the water. He looked into her eyes, not kissing or making a further move, just letting his hands stay where they were and their bodies remain close, no intention on going all the way at the moment, his urges completely in check, at least sexually.

What he wasn't in complete control over at the moment was his curiosity, the mention of Miruvor getting his attention immediately. In fact he had made sure to contain himself after hearing it, not wanting to sound to eager or god forbid ruin the moment and interrupt the woman. So it was only after she was situated comfortably in his lap that he even made an effort to speak, and even then he kept his voice in check, not wanting her to think he was incredibly excited to hear of the fabled drink. "Ah, Miruvor, it seems you have a very exquisite taste in both men and drink." A small smirk crossed his lips as he leaned in a bit, their lips almost brushing together as he spoke again, "You have caught my attention though, the mention of such a thing cannot be simply dismissed. Care to tell me a bit more about this rare drink, the one I have heard of many times but even with my status never even seen?"

While he was able to hide the majority of his curiosity he couldn't contain it all, the tone in his voice while calm also hinting that he really wanted to know. It wasn't unusual though, humans did not have easy access to Miruvor and very few ever saw the drink, much less been fortunate enough to drink it. Now of course Saren could come up with the money to purchase it if he really wanted but even he was not so greedy to demand the amount for even a small amount of the liquid. With Tari's mention of it his curiosity was peaked though, not that he would take it to far, such as demanding any of it but he would most likely not let it go until he knew a bit more about the Elven drink. Although as he kept close to the beautiful woman his mind did begin to drift to a less than scholarly place, a bit of him wondering what kind of night he could have with the beauty on top of him if they both had the drink said to renew vigor and strength.
 
It was hard for Tari to be sure, but she thought, if only for a second, she saw a twinkle of interest in the man's eyes. But it was gone in a flash, allowing her to finish what she had started before he brought it up again. Her lips tugged back into a smile. The Elven secret had been kept for quite a while and she was excited to hear that even Saren hadn't gotten his hands on any of the prized liquid. Tari settled in her new found seat, getting quite comfortable before she spoke. Her arms remained lightly draped over the man's shoulders, fingers locking together between each other as she let out a slow, relaxing sigh. At least he wasn't going too far into her teasing actions.

"Miruvor is something even we don't get often," she told him, making it clear before she continued any further. "I have only had it a few times in my life, but my father was the brewer for my clan." She paused, taking a chance to think of the scent, bringing it into her mind so she could describe it fresh to the man. "It's scent holds that of fresh honey, both thick and sweet, with the hint of apricot mixed in during the process. And it's taste. Imagine your sweetest fruit wine, aged to perfection in the oldest, richest barrel available. Add a touch of cider, and a tag of sweet apricot, to top it off." Her mouth was watering as the smell began to return to her senses. She could taste exactly what she was describing, only ten times better, as she had actually been graced by the flavours.

The elf took in a slow breath to control herself, biting back her initial response to the memory. The last thing she wanted to do was attempt to either run or mix her own version of it. For sure, anything she could try to make would simply turn her stomach, if not done properly. That was the last thing she wanted to ruin the scents she had brought back to her. "It's perfect."
 
Tari seemed to be as comfortable in the current position as Saren himself was, the Elven woman settling herself in his lap and they were still as close as ever, neither making a move to pull away. Instead they just continued speaking, or listening as Saren was doing, the Miruvor being a thoroughly interesting topic. It was even more interesting when she made mention of how even the Elves didn't drink Miruvor very often, the assumption of most humans being that the Elves drank it quite often. Of course when Tari said her father had been the brewer he was beginning to wonder just what she was among her clan. Her grandmother was the high priest if he remembered correctly and her father the brewer of Miruvor, it sounded as if she was rather high in status herself. Perhaps his knowledge of her people was limited but he had a feeling that she was more than just another woman of the tribe.

His mind only strayed for a moment though, he wasn't about to zone out and miss what came next, the description, her words painting quite the picture. It sounded immaculate, the reputation it had being easily increased with the description as far as Saren was concerned. It was a bit sadistic in all honesty, to tell him how perfect Miruvor tastes and to describe it in detail but for him to also know the chances he would ever try it were minimal. He tried not to think on the depressing bit for too long, instead just nodding, "Well, with the way you describe Miruvor it has to be delicious. Makes me a bit envious to be totally honest, the fact that you have had something so good. I do not believe humans have something that compares." He shrugged, humans had good things of course but Miruvor by legend and Tari's description sounded like something leagues above anything he had ever tried.

His mind slowly descended back into its usual train of thought though, going from trying to imagine the liquid to what exactly he would do if he had something so wonderful on hand, and as usual he would abuse it, drink too much or something else of the sorts. It was quite obvious that Tari craved the drink, and while he didn't think it would be possible for her to try any in the immediate future he was sure that eventually she would taste Miruvor once again. "It's unfortunate that the drink is not easier to get, if it was readily available I would spare no expense to acquire some for you, and I would have to try some for myself as well of course." It wasn't going to happen, he knew that, so while he didn't have anything else to say it would be on his mind for awhile, the description fresh in his mind as he tried to imagine the taste.

He gave a small smirk, his curiosity satisfied for the moment, and he didn't want to make her think too much about home, if he did she would no doubt be less inclined to relax with him and enjoy her current situation. "So, do you wish to get out of the water yet or should we stay and have a bit more conversation and... Fun." His right hand began to caress her firm ass his eyes still looking directly into Tari's, and while he was being careful not to make it seem like he wanted to have sex, he was also making sure to make Tari away that he wanted to touch her more intimately.
 
With thoughts of the precious drink on her mind, it was hard for the elf to not feel homesick. The scent certainly was one which brought her back to the earlier days, before the gypsies took her and when things were comfortable. She had tried not to think of her home while she was away, knowing the feelings of regret would simply grow and she could do nothing about them. But she missed her family, both close and clan, and that feeling was hard to shake. The dread of never seeing her home again began to leak into her immediate thoughts but thankfully, Saren directed both of their attention away from the idea of her home. Although he spoke about the drink, it was enough to keep her mind away from the memories she had tied to her home.

It was true, humans rarely had a chance to taste the drink. Often times elves would share the goods with a human, if they did something important enough, but that was quite rare. In this case, it wasn't because elves were cocky, it was simply because they rarely went to humans for help. Most of what they needed done could be handled by their own warriors or with help of the nearby clans. Humans were rarely brought into the mix, simply because they lived too far away from most of the elven cities. "You may have something close," she suggested, but her lack of knowledge of human food made it hard for her to suggest anything.

Tari knew that if Saren's city were to trade with the proper people and befriended the right families, there was a good chance he could get his hands on some of the sweet nectar, but for a very high price and quite a bit of convincing. That also meant his family would have to hold their tongues long enough to get the elven brewers into the city and convince them to had over such a drink. That would be a feat within itself, although worth it, if Saren's brother and father went along with it. She didn't think it was right to tell him such a thing, as that also meant the rest of his family would insist on tasting it. One of the last things Tari wanted was one of them getting their hands on the drink. She was sure it would spoil with a touch of their hands and she certainly didn't want to risk it.

A smile crossed the woman's lips as she leaned in closer, barely touching the man's. "Is this not 'fun' enough for you?" she softly teased. The elf could feel the water slowly loosing its heat and the bath was beginning to loose it's allure. She knew it was about time for them to get out anyway, if they wanted to get any training in during the cool morning. "Perhaps we should get out," she finally suggested. "I want to get on the archery range before the sun gets too high." There would be plenty of time for fun later, that was for sure.
 
Saren was glad that Tari seemed to be moving on without it looking like she was sad, although he would imagine she was at least a bit sad at the thought of her home. The closeness of their bodies kept everything in check though, it was hard to think about much else, at least for Saren, when they were so close, especially as she leaned in even closer. "Of course this is fun, it could just be much more fun..." His hands were still in place, his eyes still locked but as they sat there he was almost sure that she would wish to get out. Tari had been much too cool and collected to allow him such a position when sex wouldn't be had until later, she wasn't near dumb enough to willingly let him tease and caress her body. It was just another thing that made her fun to be with, aside from her ability to keep up with him physically, she was also able to stop his manipulations and tease him back, it was exhilarating.

She did suggest they get out, and as much as he wanted to disregard her wishes and have a bit of fun with her, he wouldn't. He wanted this to be a battle, he had told her the first time they had met that he wouldn't take her by force and while this wasn't the same scale it was the same principle, he would tease and taunt until she finally gave clear indication that she wanted it, whether it be words or an action that invited him onward. So instead of making a move her scooped her up, his hands still on her ass as he stood up with her in his arms, making easy work of it as he stood, lifting her up, and stepped out of the bath. With a light kiss he let her down, a smirk on his face as he gave her tight behind a slight smack before going and grabbing a towel to dry off with.

As he dried and clothed himself he began to think about the mention of archery. It would most likely be the first time he really lost to her in something, his skills being alright but even he wasn't confident enough to think he would defeat an Elf with the bow, especially Tari, as he had already seen she knew how to handle herself, and her bow was beautiful. As he slipped on his pants and shirt he looked over to her, watching her movements and deciding that a wager was in order, to make it a bit of fun and perhaps push him to really try his hardest, although some would call it masochism to do what he was about to do, "How about we make it interesting, the winner of the archery contest can make the other do whatever they want sometime today. Perhaps simply telling the absolute truth or make them perform some specific action. What do you say, confident enough in your skills to bet on them?" He still didn't think he would win but he sounded confident. Besides, he was sort of betting on a loss, he was curious to see what she would make him do or say if she won, and on the off chance that he won, well... Endless possibilities.
 
Tari's arms tightened enough to make sure she wouldn't slip away from the man, which could only end in her falling to the floor in some ungraceful fashion. When she was released, she slid away from the man, her eyes narrowing in an instant when he slapped her behind. She turned away without a word and picked up her own towel, smoothly drying the water off of her body. The edges of the item began to glow a faint, leaf green as the elf began to work her magic on it. It was always nice to have a soft towel and the one she was using didn't have the right feel to it right away. It was simple magic, just changing the feel of the fabric used, and took no energy at all for the woman to do.

She glanced back over at the man when he spoke of a contest. He was really challenging her to a contest? Her smile grew even before the reward was mentioned. And when it did, she seemed to light up. "You should be questioning your own skill, human," she suggested, reminding him that he was about to go up against a member of the archer race. Tari tugged on her pants and lifted her shirt, crossing the room to Saren, slipping on her shirt as she did so. "I'm up for the challenge, if you are." She smiled at the man this time, tipping her head enough to wrap the towel around the ends of her hair, rubbing it dry.

Her mind came up with several things she could ask of the man; anything from a list of questions to simply giving her some time alone in the nearby woods. She was careful not to show any hint of the ideas to the man through her expressions, in case he had any training on reading people in such a way. It didn't take long for the idea to dawn on her. When she won, as she was certain she would, Tari would ask for a horse and time alone. As soon as she got that, she would make a run back to her home. It was only a day or two away and if she rode over night and a good chuck of the next day, it would be hard for the soldiers to catch up to her before she got to her town. And once she entered her own forest, she had the protection of her clan once again. She would be safe. The only catch was if Saren didn't agree to let her go completely alone. She'd have to shake off the guards in order to follow through with her plan.
 
Sure enough Saren found his deal being accepted, Tari being quite confident by the sound of it, but Saren knew she would be, she was an elf and he had challenged her to archery of all things. Even if it was more to see what she would make him do than anything. he was not one to back down from anything, his personality making him all the more fired up as Tari spoke. "I am most certainly up for the challenge, although I think you will be quite impressed with my skill either way, I am a decent shot... At least for a human." He watched as she finished getting her clothes on and as she dried her hair, his mind still focused on the challenge he had just issued even though his eyes were looking directly at Tari, scanning her curves. He had to keep up appearances of a nonchalant ladies man, not that it was a lie, he was just also ready to get a bit serious and take his best shot when they got to the archery range and that required at least a bit of mental focus.

After a moment he took a breath, grabbing his dirty pants and looking back to Tari with a smirk, "Well let's go, I am eager to see how this ends." He walked to the door, opening it up and heading out, waiting in the hallway to not leave Tari behind, his mind not at ease with leaving her on her own in the castle, at least not yet, he wasn't sure exactly what would happen, though he assumed it wasn't anything pleasant, if anything. As soon as she followed him out he headed down the hall and back to his room, tossing his pants into the corner and heading directly over to the table with his weapons on it, not even bothering to look back and kiss or flirt with Tari as he grabbed his weapons and began to equip them, his sword and dagger both being slid on to his belt and his bow being grabbed up as well, the large wooden weapon gripped tightly in his hand, he would try his hardest to win, even if there was no hope.

He looked down at the bow in his hands and thought about the bet again, no nerves but he was curious again, much like with the mention of Miruvor. His curiosity was about the thing she would be able to make him do, or make him tell her, though whatever it was would have to wait until after the match if she won, besides, he had set a time limit on the prize, she would have to use it that day and no matter what happened it would be over. So he turned around on his heels, bow in hand and a smirk on his face, looking for Tari, a bit of determination in his eyes but most of all excitement, he was ready to go. "I hope you are ready Tari... I am going to give it all I've got, because you know there are things I would love to make you do." With a last smile he stepped over to the door again, waiting for Tari to be ready and eager to actually get the competition started, and no doubt both a bit of gambling done by his men and of course it was something that, if he lost, they would give him a bit of crap about, even with her being an Elf.
 
Tari straightened up when the man told her his skill level. Hopefully he would prove some sort of challenge, or impress her in some way. But in a case like this, she was hoping there would be no chance the man could win. As he reminded her, there were plenty of things he would want her to do and a part of that played with her nerves. She couldn't even begin to imagine, or want to imagine what the man had planned out in his mind. The elf rolled her eyes ever so slightly, wiping away the thoughts that came with the bet. She had settled on what she would agree on, if she were to win.

She followed the prince back to his room, dropping her clothing on her pile of goods and crept up to her weapons. They had laid beside Saren's for the entire night, simply sitting peacefully, as if settling with a new companion. Her eyes fell over the table, spotting the note and picking it up to read. She casually smiled before setting it down and putting her knife on her belt once again. Her hand wrapped around the bow and she lifted it from the table, taking a chance to do a quick look over. The knights had delivered it in perfect condition and she smiled, only to properly tighten the string again and lay it across her back and chest, the string holding it in place against her. Her eyes shifted to Saren and a smirk crossed her lips.

"You'll have to work for them," she told him. "I doubt you'll be winning this round. Perhaps in another challenge." She didn't let the man respond. She left out the door, following the same path they had taken the day before out to the grounds and the range. She couldn't wait to see the men again, as they were the closest people in the castle to her own kind and by far the kindest. And of course, embarrassing him in front of his own men would be well worth it, but making him follow what she said for even just part of the day was the perfect topping to the treat.
 
Confidence was a very important thing, especially during a competition, and Tari had plenty of it. She was confident she would win and of course she was probably right, Saren was not near the skill level of an Elven archer, hell there were very few humans who could match the Elves, and he was not one of them. So resigned to his fate he followed her out of the room and headed in the direction of the range, and of course his men, the entire time walking a bit behind Tari, his eyes looking over her more fondly than he realized. It didn't last long, soon enough they left the castle and were back in the open area that all the knights trained at. He smiled as he saw all his men around the circle again, a few of them in the middle of training with swords and shields, the main weapons of the knights. It was different than the hand to hand, the speed was much faster and every single knight had amazing skill, especially the two in the ring. It was the same two veterans who did hand to hand but they were moving much faster.

Saren smirked as it ended, the elder of the knights shield bashing his opponent and holding his sword up to the man's neck, thus having won. Saren nudged Tari gently, "Now that is the real skill, the hand to hand was basic compared to their sword skills." With that he walked past her and over to the men, shouting his greetings, "Hey guys, we're back!" He went over and gave a few friendly slaps on the back and congratulated the men in the ring as they stepped out. They were just as glad as ever to see their leader and they all gave their own greetings to Tari, welcoming her into the group yet again, some of them even trying their best to pronounce the name they had been given, though Eluch'l was difficult for them, although their effort was obvious.

Saren looked at all of them after they all said their greetings, having to speak over them since it was never really quiet around them, and doing so with some excitement in his voice. "Alright guys, special event today. Another match between me and Eluch'l, but this time we are competing with archery." He paused, the men all staring at him and laughing a bit, in good fun but they had seen him shoot and it was nowhere near a true Elven archer. "Oh and if that doesn't get you excited enough, we made a bet on it, so just you wait." He gave them all a look and they simply laughed, a few of them pushing him and a few looking over to Tari, all of them beginning to go on and on about how it was already decided which of the two would win, until Roran spoke, trying to quiet down the others, "Come on, let's not delay this event, let the two go and do it, because I for one can't wait to see Saren finally lose." The boy ended it with a smirk pointing over at the archery range, the lanes open and arrows already waiting by each position. Saren turned to Tari and smirked, "Need some time to practice?"
 
Tari didn't pay too much attention to Saren as they left the castle, choosing instead to focus on the light outside of the halls. Once she was outdoors again, she smiled and paused, looking at the men inside the ring. It was rare for elves to use shields with their weapons, so Tari never had much practice or even much time to watch anyone train in such a style. She waited and watched the two veterans inside the ring before Saren took a chance to explain it to her. Her eyes ran up to him and slowly nodded, watching as the prince walked away to greet his men. Tari caught up seconds later with a smile, greeting the men, helping a few of them pronounce her name properly. They at least tried and she gave them a good compliment for doing their best.

The elf smiled to herself as Saren began to tell the men about the bet. She watched their expressions and reactions and grinned at their responses. Her eyes darted to Roran as he spoke and nodded, stepping back and turning towards the range. She smiled and nodded. "Just a bit," she told him. "I recommend you do a good bit though." She slapped him on the back as she went towards the range, removing the bow from her back and stepping up to the line, knocking one of the arrows available to her. Without another word, she lifted her bow, pulling the string back to her ear, holding herself in a perfectly trained posture, carefully aimed at the target and waited. she took in a breath or two, making sure she was on target, before her chest rose, taking in a final breath and releasing the string from her fingers, sending the arrow down the range and into the target.

The tip landed in the red ring around the yellow on the target and the elf let the breath go, lowering her bow. Although she was on target, she was off of the bulls-eye. Pretty good for not having shot in a few months.
 
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