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The Sword and The Rose. ((Kolath x Butterfly))

He sighed softly at her tone of voice and wishing that she would stop being so formal about everything. He pulled on his boots and then slowly came around to her side of the bed. He stood there for a moment before looking down into her eyes. If she was going to be cold and distant he was going to give her just the opposite. He leaned in and kissed her deeply his hand slipping behind her head holding her against his lips as he poured his passion into her that way he had last night. Finally after several moments he pulled back and whispered heavily. â??I enjoyed every moment my wife, and if you arenâ??t careful I might decide to continue our nightly fun into this morning.â?
 
He more then likely did not get the reaction from his wife ha have expected, anticipated, and certainly wanted. For as he pulled back to look into her face, he was looking into a face mixed with total shock, confusion, and a hint of actual fear. She was starting to wonder about him for.... she had heard things of kinds of men that... well..... wanted only one thing from their women and could grow violent should they not get it. He seemed to want a lot of that from her and she could not help but wonder...

Her voice was meek as she replied quietly, "If... if that is... what you want your gr-Nathan... I meant Nathan..."
 
He sighed and brushed his hand over her cheek smiling. â??I do wish but I can see that unlike last night you do not wish it.â? he kissed her softly and then stood back up slowly walking to the door. â??I will send Anya in to help you get dressed your grace.â? His words held a little bit of bitterness in them it being one of the first times he hadnâ??t called her Terra. he stepped out and looked at Anya. â??Your mistress awaits you.â? He walked out of her chambers heading right for his and closing himself in there for a while. He hadnâ??t washed off the dust of the road last night and needed a change of clothes but he also wanted time to think.
 
In all honestly, his bitter tone was not lost on her. It actually stung a little the way he called her 'your grace.' She did not realize how much she liked her name until she heard her title said like that.

By the time Anya came in at last, Terra was sitting at her dressing table, head down on the table top in her arms and she was crying. She didn't want things to be like that, like this, but she didn't know what she wanted.

No, that was a lie. She still wanted the Fox. Perhaps it was because he was the first to love her for just.... her. And while Nathan seemed to want that as well she just, everything was wrong. It was going ways she never thought they would and because of it.... she didn't know what was coming next. It was a frightening thought to her. Terribly frightening.


Meanwhile.... memories of what the prince had told Nathan of how he should approach the situation with Terra. He had told him that he had to place himself in Terra's shoes. See things the way she did. To him, she is the love of his life. To her thought, Nathan is still a stranger. He can't push affection on her when she doesn't see there reason to be affection. Slow. Take things slow. As hard as it would be, he had to forget that he knows Terra and learn about her all over again. It had to be back to square one. Only then could she love Nathan for himself and perhaps let go of the Fox.
 
Nathan sighed deeply as the memory came back to him about what the prince had said. It was solid advice but it was hard to stop loving someone that you loved as much as he did Terra. he sighed leaning against the wall looking out into the court yard. He watched as the yeomen of his guard practiced in the archery range. He blinked and then smiled slightly. Just because he had to win her heart all over again didnâ??t mean he couldnâ??t use what he already knew about her to do so.

He called Arnold and set some things in motion for later that day and also sent a message asking the duchess to join him for a picnic at lunch time.
 
Terra spent most of her morning preparing for the requested luncheon from her husband. She could not help but be nervous after their early morning encounter. Anya tried her best to be supportive to her lady, but the poor thing seemed completely lost at the moment.

Come lunch, Terra awaited him to arrive for her in the sitting room. The weather was pleasant and so she picked a light weight, pale purple dress to wear that would be suitable for sitting upon a picnic blanket. It seemed a little odd that he wanted to picnic with her. He was a duke and she just, couldn't picture a duke sitting in the ground to eat.
 
Nathan came to her sitting room, he was wearing a white shirt and leather pants. The only thing that marked him as a duke was the sword at his side the hilt having his signet in it. being let in when he knocked he smiled as he saw her and came over slowly taking her hands and kissing them lightly. â??You look lovely Terra. Shall we go?â? he motioned to the door and offered her his arm. He had several things planned for them today but he was pretty sure that when she got outside and saw two horses saddled instead of a carriage she would be a little shocked.
 
She graced him with the soft smile of a proper wife as she took his arm. The smile faded thought when they reached the courtyard and the horses were there before them. She looked at the horses, then looked down at her dress, then back at the horses again. Then to him, looking a little worried with her surprise, "We are to ride your grace? I don't know if it's wise in this dress. I did not think when you said a picnic that we would leave the grounds."
 
He raised a eyebrow at her. surely she had ridden side-saddle before, and this was one of the saddles made for women to ride on in dresses. â??Well I know this beautiful place not too far away in the woods. We could walk there if you would prefer but I can help you mount and dismount without a problem. Have you never ridden a horse before your grace?â? they were in public now and they did have a arranged marriage so appearances had to be kept up, only reason he didnâ??t use her name.
 
"I have.... yes I have ridden...." but she failed to tell him that little of it was side saddle. Once or twice she had, yes but in all honestly she had slipped away back at home often with her horse. Well, it wasn't her horse. Her father didn't approve of ladies that rode. She liked to think of the mare as her horse even if it was not though. She learned how to ride astride in secret. That was how she liked to ride. But with her husband... "Just not that often. My father didn't think a lady ever belonged on a horse."
 
He sighed and nodded understanding there were still those out there that thought that way. It was sad but true. â??Well I will ride right next to you the whole way and help you if you want it. unless you would like to join me on my horse?â? it was a thought since she seemed so wary of riding that he thought might work ad be enjoyable just to have her close.
 
She blushed slightly, "No, I think I can manage. It you well at least help me to mount up that is." Moving away from him she went to the horse with the side saddle since clearly that was meant to be the horse she could travel on. The horse was a lovely cream colored mare and Terra could not help but smile as she stroked the large creature's mane and neck, "She's a lovely horse. Does she have a name?"
 
He smiled and walked with her down to the mare and patted the girlâ??s flank. â??Buttercup, she was named by my cousin, she is fifteen now but when she saw this horse she was eight and that is when the name was given to her.â? He smiled and knelt down cupping his hands in front of him to give her a place to step up on so she could mount. He would lift her up slightly as she mounted just the way he was meant to.
 
She gave Buttercup one last pat on the neck before going along the side to mount up with his help. She placed one hand on his shoulder and the other reached for the saddle to steady herself as she rose up. Her foot in her hand, they worked together to hoist her up until she was planted in the saddle firmly. Well at least as firm as a lady sitting side saddle could be. She took the time to pat done her skirts for her own dignity then took the reigns, ready to ride.
 
After she was up Nathan went and mounted his stallion and turned him coming up along side his wife. â??Shall we then?â? he clicked his tongue and Wesley his stallion started forward through the gate. He made sure she was following him and they rode through town side by side even if she tried to be behind him. his people heard that he was passing through and so they had quiet the group out there to greet them as the rode through the town. People cheered and bowed for both the duke and his new bride that most of them hadnâ??t been able to see yet. Shouts of â??Congratulations, your grace.â? And â??Sheâ??s a fine catch your grace.â? And from the women, â??May he be as good a husband as he is a duke to you your grace.â? Were common as the rode the duke taking many peopleâ??s hands as they held them out to himâ?¦it looked oddly similar to something she had seen with the Fox.
 
She could not help but think that very thing as she watched the people and how they responded to Nathan. Oddly similar to say the very least. More like eerily was a better word for it. The strangest feeling of deja vu came over her. The feeling was only broken as she felt someone tap on her leg. Turning she looked down and there was a young girl following along side her and her horse. She smiled up at Terra and handed her a small bouquet of flowers. Terra smiled back at her and accepted the lovely gift, "Thank you. They are beautiful." She held them to her noise to smell them, "And they smell just as lovely as they look." The young girl was clearly honored by Terra's acceptance of the gift and her smile grew even larger as she and the rest of the crowd seemed to pull away while Terra and Nathan continued onward towards their destination.
 
Nathan led her out of the city and own down the road a short ways before turning off the path. It looked like he was turning right into the thickest part of the forest. But after a few feet the trees spread out and there was a small path just barely wide enough for the horses to walk down. He turned in his saddle as he let his stallion just continue walking. â??So my bride what do you think of your subjects? Or at least the ones you just met?â?
 
She still held the flowers in her hand as well as the reigns. "The people are simply lovely and well... they all seem to love you as well," she replied raising those very flowers to her nose to smell them once again. "My father never for such a reaction for those living on his land. Never in a million years. They act like you are the king to them."
 
He smiled at her comparison to the king, he knew that what she said was true only the true king ever received such a welcome and more so. If the king ruled well there was no reason for his people to hate him all that was required was the knowledge that all governments rule at their peopleâ??s pleasure, any king that forgot this would soon learn a hard lesson. They rode out into a large glade with a tree resting at the top of a hill and a small spring running out from under it into a pool on the crown of the hill. Doves lifted off the trees as the rode through causing flower petals to fall as they came into the sun.
 
The day was just..... beautiful. There could not be a more perfect day for something like this. The way that the petals feel from the sky almost like a soft snowfall was just dazzling. "Your land is just beautiful Nathan. Like something out of a fairy tale book or a painting. I had no idea that places like this truly existed."
 
He smiled and slowly rode up the gentle hill before slipping off of his horse and tying him up. He came back to her smiling up at her and holding his hands out to help her down. â??Iâ??m glad you like it my bride, I was thinking that we might build a small cabin out here that either one or both of us could escape to when we just wanted to just get away from the castle. What do you think?â?
 
She reached down, placing her hands on his shoulders and preparing for the dismount, "Truly?" she looked about from this point atop the horse at the area. "I think an ugly building would ruin the beauty of it. Unless you perhaps put a little cottage in the nearby woods. Hidden away yet close still to this place." She moved so that she was now in his control to lower her to the ground.
 
He smiled and gently lifted her away from the mare then let her slowly slide down the length of his body. his hands around her waist were strong and his shoulders barely seemed to strain at her weight as he lowered her looking into her eyes the entire time. â??I was thinking something rustic that fit the mood of the place, and there is a man in the castleâ??s town that has a talent for making things look older and like they fit in with nature better than anyone I have ever met.â? He let her feet touch the ground his hands still on her waist. Still looking into her eyes, â??Though I agree I donâ??t want to ruin the beauty of this place.â?
 
He was talking but she was only half listening. Her traitorous body was getting all hot and bothered once again. Did he realize how totally tempting he was the way he rubbed her body down the entire length of his until she was gazing up into his eyes, hands still on his shoulders, just.... staring. Her heart racing so that it seemed to be pounding in her ears. Perhaps that was shy she could not hear him all that well. "I... agree..." she sort of half commented at the end of all his talking. Was that even the appropriate thing to respond with?
 
He smiled and hadnâ??t realized how he was turning her on because that wasnâ??t his goal today. Today he just wanted to be with her and get to know her more and more, and to let her know him the duke. He took her hand smiling. â??Good then we will do some designing and try and see if a cottage here will ruin the beauty of it or not. If it does then we will move it into the woods a little but still close enough to come here and enjoy the peace.â? He went to his saddle bags and got out the large blanket laying it out for her before going to unload the food.
 
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