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

She was a bit relieved for the break in contact between them as she stood by and watched him spread out the blanket. Knowing that he would more then likely protest her helping to unpack the saddle bag, she took her place on the blanket, waiting for him to deliver the items for her to unpack to their proper places for lunch.
 
It didnâ??t take him long to unpack the saddle bags and place the stuff for her to arrange. As she was working on that he unpacked one last thing from the horse a longbow and quiver of arrows. He set ti leaning against the tree since he had placed the blanket under its shade. Taking a bottle of spiced wine and two glasses he broke the seal on the bottle and poured them both some. â??Would you care for something to drink Terra?â?
 
She first started to unpack the things he laid before her only to pause a moment when she noticed the long bow in his hands, leaning it against the tree. Of course she knew what it was. She had gotten pretty good with one while in the Fox's care. "Thank... thank you..." she sort of stuttered as she snapped back into her task finishing setting everything up. Once it was all in place though, her eyes went to the bow and arrows once more, "What are those for?"
 
He looked where she was looking and took a drink to cover a smile knowing that she would be interested. â??Well it is best not to go into the woods with out some form of defense.â? He settled down on his side on the blanket across from her. â??But I also thought that I would get in some target practice, I wasnâ??t sure if you would want to talk to me all day or not so I thought I would be prepared.â? He took another drink. â??Do you shoot?â? it was matter of fact not hinting at anything just like he asked if she rode.
 
She instantly shook her head no. A little too quick really. "No. I don't. I have held one before but... I don't shoot. It just isn't proper for a lady to know how to shoot a bow or hold a sword or... well... you get the idea." Oh course she knew how to shoot, but the duke didn't need to know that about her. She just, she didn't want to seem even more inappropriate for a duchess then she already thought herself to be.
 
He raised an eye brow at her remembering that she shot very well for a beginner. It hurt that she lied to him wanting ot appear more prim and proper then anything else. â??Ahâ?¦I would have thought the Fox would have taught you seeing as he is the most skill archer known and you said you were in love with him.â? he shrugged reaching for a piece of fruit and starting to nibble on it giving her another chance to tell him the truth.
 
Her eyes raised to his face again, seeming almost shocked he would come to such a conclusion. Such a correct conclusion to be exact. "He did attempt to show me but.... I'm not a good student for I failed miserably." She picked at some of the food before her but something nagged her and bothered her, "Why do you always bring up the Fox?" Her voice actually seemed a little hurt. "Everything I do or don't do always seems to come back to him. Will you hold what happened between he and I against me for all time?" Of course she was not seeing things the same way that he was seeing. Like always.
 
He blinked as she told him only a half truth biting his lip to keep from reminding her of the truth. It was her attack on him that made him leaned back in a bit of shock looking into her eyes as she spoke. How could she even think he would do thatâ?¦and then he realized that coming from her point of view as the prince had suggestedâ?¦it was clear that he was holding it against her. he stood up and leaned against the tree sighing softly looking out over the forest. He had to think of a good answer to this.

Finally he sighed and knelt down next to her on the blanket. â??Terra, Iâ??m sorry. I wasnâ??t meaning to hold that over you.â? He sighed and bit his lip for a second before continuing, â??I am a little Jealous of him truth be told. After meeting you I find you to be a interesting and complex woman someone that I could find a place in my heart for with little troubleâ?¦but I know that your heart belongs to him and it makes me jealous.â? He sighed taking her hand, â??Forgive me please I will do better to never bring him up again.â?
 
She looked only at his hand as it held onto hers, her eyes clearly thoughtful as she was silent for a long while. "I'm being so terribly unfair to you. And... and to him..." she didn't seem to think she need to be included in this equation. She sighed and tried to smile but it was a sad smile, "Perhaps it would be best.... if..." she closed her eyes as if in pain before reopening them once more, "If we both tired to forget it ever happened. It's only fair to you." He was finally going to get what he wanted. It seemed that Terra was ready to move on. Or did he know Terra well enough to know that what she said and what she really did inside her own head and heart were two totally different things.
 
He smiled and brought his hand up to her cheek brushing it softly. â??Shhh, you forgot someone Terra. you are not being very fair to you. You deserve to be happy.â? He smiled looking into her eyes before he blushed softly and coughed. â??Sorryâ?¦I meant today to just be a time of us being together since we havenâ??t had much chance to get to know one another yet.â? He took another drink of his wine and looked at the food for a few seconds trying to figure out what to do now.
 
In all honesty, she didn't know if she thought herself deserving of happiness. She had left her Fox devastated. She was being totally unfair to her husband. So how could she be fair to herself? No. No she didn't deserve it. That was the conclusion she came to in her head. But... she would not say it aloud. It would only make him unhappy. Perhaps that was the key. To make him believe she was happy. It would make him happy then. She didn't know quite what to say, nor did she had much of an appetite for eating at least. She picked a little and sipped a little, not saying anything until, "What did you want to know?"
 
He smiled and shrugged a little seeing that she wasnâ??t eating much. â??I donâ??t know, anything about the woman that has had such a huge impact on my life already.â? He smiled before standing as he saw she wasnâ??t eating much. â??Come let us go for a walk and enjoy the fresh air together the pond is beautiful and the day is perfect and I have a very beautiful woman for company it couldnâ??t get much better.â? He offered her his hand to help her up if she wanted too.
 
She did accept his hand to help herself up, brushing off her skirts a bit before taking her place at his side to walk with him. "A walk may be nice..." she commented as she followed him along, still not really starting any kind of conversation with him still. "So..." was the most she contributed on her own.
 
He smiled as they slowly walked through the glade. The air was rich with the smell of flowers and the rich green scent of spring. â??So, I would love to know more about your family and how it was growing up so near to the capital?â? he walked with his hand in hers just lightly holding it willing to let her go if she wanted.
 
She did not let go, but she also did not grasp it any harder in her own. "It was perhaps the same as it was for you living out this far from it. My father did not let the girls go often to the capital city. We spent most of out time at home. Only really ever going to neighboring properties for parties and such." She shrugged a little, but since those were mainly for finding husbands and I was already betrothed to you, may times I was not taken along with my sisters. They needed husbands for themselves and I think he thought I may draw attention from them." In truth, she did not mind it. It was times like that when her family would be off together and she left behind that she really was able to be free to find the person she truly was inside.
 
He sighed softly as she told him about the parties and not being able to go because of her father and being betrothed to him. he shook his head slightly, â??Iâ??m sorry Terra, it seems that being betrothed to me has only brought you problems. First not being able to attend the parties with your family and then holding your honor making you come here and marry me afterâ?¦â? he stopped himself and sighed, â??Sorry I didnâ??t mean to bring it up again.â? His tone was one of sorrow truly feeling bad for what he had put her through just because their parents had made a agreement.
 
He didn't mention it directly but it was enough that she softly pulled her hand from his and she just lightly crossed her arms, breaking the connection between them. "You don't have to be sorry. It would have happened to one of my family. If not me then one of my sisters. And I would have been the girl at the party waiting for someone to show any kind of interest in her at all." She sighed, "If anything you saved me. I spent my life learning to be your wife rather then learning first how to attract a husband and then also learning to be his wife. Being betrothed to you saved me some extra lessons at the very least."
 
He bit his lip as she pulled her hand away and they continued walking like two people that didnâ??t know each otherâ?¦which they didnâ??t hardly. He smiled as she mentioned being saved lessons. â??Well that is some good that came out of it at least.â? He looked over at her smirking lightly. â??After all all lessons are dull and boring no matter how important the teacher thinks they are, and normally you forget what you are taught and have to learn it again most the time.â? He was trying to make something of a joke about the way children seemed to learn in this day.
 
She laughed ever so slightly, "You forget... you are a man. Grew up the heir to a title. You were given the chance to forget what you learned and re-learn it. YOU didn't grow up with MY father... the perfectionist. If we didn't learn it right we didn't sleep until we knew it perfectly. So we all got into the habit of learning it right the first time all the time."
 
Nathan winced visibly, â??ouchâ?¦ Iâ??m not sure which way I would prefer. Because often the lessons were re-taught though what people call the school of hard knocks.â? He smiled and shook his head. â??Though from what you just said Iâ??m not sure your school wasnâ??t the same thing.â? He looked over at her and smiled, â??So tell me about your mother and your sisters, I have heard some about your father already I want to know the rest of them too.â?
 
She shrugged, "There is not to much to tell. They are much like your average ladies. Helen is the eldest. She married the Earl of Kenworth." Whom he would know it a much, much older man. "Ilsa the one just older then I is married to the Baron Wistorsor's heir. She just had her second son. And then Elizabeth is the baby of the family. She has not found a husband yet. As for my brothers, Robert is father's heir and has recently wed a lovely local lady. Georgie however is a bit of a scoundrel with wandering eyes. I'm sure he will settle in time, but not until he's had his fill I'm sure."
 
He laughed softly and shook his head as she told him about Georgie, â??I dare say there always seems to be one in every family, no matter how strict or lenient the father may be.â? He looked up into one of the blossoming trees and sighed softly remembering his youth and how he had once wished to be like Georgie. But now he wanted nothing then to be here with her. â??Soâ?¦why does your father not like the idea of a woman riding a horse or shooting a bow?â?
 
She laughed once again, "He would ask you why you think a woman should ever have the need to learn either." She started talking in a gruff voice, clearly imitating her father, "A ladies place is in her husband's home. No where else. She is to oversee his home for him. What need is there to ride a horse. A lady rides in a carriage. Terra I don't want to hear about you riding that horse anymore. It's simply not proper." She didn't realize that in minicing her father she let slip the truth about her and horses.
 
He smiled as she mimicked her father hearing the slip and laughed lightly. â??I see so you were the rebel of the family? You would ride horses even though your father said not too?â? he clicked his tongue lightly clearly mock-scolding her, â??Shame shame such behavior from a duchess.â? His smile had only gotten bigger making it clear he was joking.
 
Her face paled a second once she realized her slip up. It stayed a bit pale as well as she tried to explain herself, "So.... maybe I can ride. I had to teach myself though. Father and mother were so fixated on winning husbands for my sisters they never paid much attention to me. It wasn't until they were both married off they started to focus on me. In the last two years really. I use to be rather free to do as I pleased, I would not have called it being a rebel. Suppose they would though. In fact, that's one of the many words they used if I recall..."
 
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