Kiss

When Gilth turned back around, he found Lady Cadewyn gone, swallowed by the festivities.

"Damn," cursed Gilth. Everyone was wearing a mask now. He looked around quickly. She couldn't have vanished, could she? Gilth began moving around the courtyard, nodding and shaking hands with nobles as he snaked his way through.

He looked from mask to mask. He was utterly confused. How would he find her in this mess?

Then he stopped. Of course! Lady Cadewyn had one thing he knew no one else had. Those eyes, which looked so much like a restless sea on a stormy evening. As he continued through the party, he looked past the masks and into the eyes of the wearers, searching for those grey tempests.

There! He spotted her through a throng of nobles. Her dark hair shimmered, and she wore a grey silk and leather mask, with feathers that floated softly in the air and jewels which sparkled in the torchlight.

As if choreographed, the crowd parted slightly, creating a tunnel. Gilth swallowed, and strode forward through the crowd. He stopped before her, and gently removed his mask. He opened his mouth to speak, when her words sprung into his mind.

I am not in love with you.

Those words bit him harder than her sword had the first time they met. Of course she wasn't. She had only just met him socially this evening, and by Ora he knew he was not looking anywhere near his best tonight...

He glanced at her soft hands. He longed to take hers in his again, but dared not for fear of the quickness she had withdrawn from him with when he first said hello to her.

He became acutely aware of the eyes around the courtyard which had transfixed upon them, and that he was simply staring awkwardly at her.

Say something, you idiot! He thought to himself.

He placed a hand on his heart and bent slightly at the waist. "My lady," he said softly, "I am truly in your debt this night. I-- well, er... I would like to thank you... and, um..."

He looked around quickly, his face burning as the nobles around them stared.

Seeing him approach her she waited, smiling softly. He looked so nervous and it had mirrored her own turmoil from earlier. It reassured her that he had sought her, that she had not hurt him when she so thoughtlessly spoke. And so, hearing him falter as all seemed to watch him, she gave him a reprieve.

Cadewyn smiled and extended her hand towards him. "Sir Gilth, I would love a dance. Thank you for asking." She took half a step closer to him, closing the space in order to give the audience less to hear.

"You owe me nothing Sir Gilth, truly. You asked for a chance and did all you could to keep it. You earned this. You will have an audience for quite awhile and that must be hard. I am sorry for that. But I would like a chance to know you. You are someone many will want to know, so I hope I do not get lost in the crowd."

Lady Cadewyn extended her hand, and took her hand in his. Regaining his composure, he slipped his hand to the small of her back and lead her to the left in a slow waltz, letting the violins carry his feet.

"My lady," he whispered to her, "How could you ever be lost in the crowd?"

He spun her and caught her close again.

"You are the only thing my eyes see in a crowd. Your beauty brought me to this strange land. It brought me into fold with men and women who would risk themselves for a man they hardly knew - nay, a man who was recently their enemy! Your beauty brought me to serve a ruler truly worthy of the warriors she leads. Your beauty brought me here to you, so please never worry of being lost in the crowd. The stars do not pale to your light casually."

The violins ended with a flourish, and the two stopped their spinning. Gilth clapped absentmindedly for the musicians, staring into Cadewyns grey eyes.

Cadewyn flushed and lowered her eyes, ducking her head in shyness.

"You make me quite uncomfortable Sir Gilth, in such a pleasant way. Anyone would be distracted were they spoken about in such a tone I think. But I am not some fairy princess, not a beauty to be sung of by bards. I am a Knight, a real woman of real imperfections. I worry that I will fall from this pedestal you place me on... "

Turning she also gave her appreciation to the musicians.

"Would you enjoy a chance to walk with me?"

Gilth smiled at her.

"I can think of nothing I would like more," he bent his arm and offered it to her.

As they walked from the courtyard through the garden, Gilth could hear the crickets rustling in the night. Fragrances of flowers danced through the air. The full moon bathed them in white light.

"I understand," he said simply, "I am quite aware that you are no lady-in-waiting. You are unique beyond comparison."

He breathed deeply the night air, and closed his eyes.

"I have always found solace in the night," he told her, his eyes still closed, "My family tells legends, of demons who rule the darkness, but I have always found peace in its dark embrace. It surrounds you, and the world becomes a much smaller place. I know those demons are there, and I go there anyways. There was much danger coming to Xavax. I would never have flipped my world upside down if I simply found you pretty. You are special, Lady Cadewyn. A woman with whom a man could ride across the plains with, wind whipping our hair, the thrill of a hunt under-weigh. A partner who will challenge and excel. I did not let you wound me that day. You did so of your own skill. I have killed three men in duels to the death, and do not fancy myself a simple dandy with a blade. Yet you bested me, and made me desire to be a better man every day..."

He trailed off, eyes still closed, aware of the silence.

By Ora's grace, please tell me she hasn't left and I am talking alone in the dark... he thought. She had been leaning against a pillar, listening, her masque pushed up to reveal her whole face as she watched him speak.

"Perhaps we should duel sometime. I have done well enough in them, though none were to the death. Even had the Xerarch attend once..."

She turned to look up at the night sky, her voice becoming huskier as she spoke again.

"I have a betrothed, I think. He has disappeared and many would say that whatever the cause of his absence, I am free from obligation to him. I suppose I do but it is hard to tell your heart how to feel.

He was the first to see me, to accept that I would make a better soldier than merchant. That to be a wife left at home would be a misery for me. Until him I had none on my side, fighting against expectation of my family.

But he had been a mercenary before becoming a knight. I got no courtly words, no roses, nothing more than plainly spoken feelings and a promise." Here she paused and sighed.

"Do you see the problem you present me? In some ways you are nothing like him and in others... but my heart is haunted by a spectre that I have words for when he asks why I even acknowledge another. And yet I find that simply denying you a chance... I can not do it. It may be curiosity. It may not. But you seek a woman with a ghost in her heart and a cautious view of you. What kind of man thinks to be happy pursuing that?"

"I think," Gilth turned to her, "That you would find any man who is fearful of challenge terribly uninteresting, thus strengthening my resolve."

Duel. He stopped and touched his left hip gently. He suddenly remembered Emry still had his sword. He hoped the guard hadn't wandered off with it, never to be seen again...

Gilth fiddled with the cut ends of the stitches in his brow, "My lady, I am afraid I would have to insist on a duel, considering our last dance of battle left us both wounded and could be considered a draw," he dropped his hand from his forehead self consciously, "Not to the death, of course."

He half turned to face a planter, softly touching the petals of a blue flower. His voice took a more serious tone.

"Cadewyn," he said her name softly, for the first time. He turned back to look into her eyes, and took her hands in his, "I would never mean to be the cause of your pain. My heart flutters like a cage of butterflies when I look upon you. I understand your plight, and I remorse in it. Know that I would never overstep my bounds as a gentleman. I would very much like to get to know you. My heart has made up its mind, but would never expect such decisiveness from yours."

When he said her namely, plainly, intimately, she smiled and then looked away again.

"I like the way your lips form my name." It was almost whispered out into the dark. And then if she had not spoken at all her mood shifted and she laughed lightly.

"So once you are all healed we shall cause another spectacle for the Court. Until then, newly made Knight of Xavax, what would you most want, right now? You have won a great challenge in facing our Xerarch and I think you deserve a boon. Anything you can wish for, I will give you, but just this once."

Gilth pretended to think for a moment.

"I would like..." he pretended to ponder, "...something spectacular to remember this otherwise uneventful night. Perhaps... a kiss?"

She had expected such answer. She took her time, slowly straightening, sliding her masque off her face, the sound of her hair slipping through it like silk on silk. She stood, her face turned up towards him, eyes a soft green grey in the light of the evening, a new color for him to see. And ever so achingly slowly her lips parted into a smile.

"Come then and claim your boon... Gilth."

Stepping forward silently, Gilth touched his hand to the side of her face, his thumb gently caressing her ear. Slowly, with eyes locked, he drew her to him. Their lips hovered, slightly apart, her soft nose brushed up against his. He breathed her in for a half moment, and then gently pressed his lips against hers. Her lips were soft, beyond belief, and he gently touched her hip with his other hand as his whole world fell into her.

For one beautiful moment, Cadewyn melted into him. It was like everything melted off her, the weight of her own broken heart lifted and she felt like the wind, free and dancing.

His touch was so gentle, so delicate it surprised her a bit. It did not seek to possess or claim, merely to exist on her, to be noticed by her and only that. Not as if she was fragile but more as if touching her was an honor to be cherished and not rushed in any way.

It lasted seconds. It lasted hours. But she felt it all too soon, the sadness, the ache tug, the weight of Daxion hovering like a shadow behind her. And with a sigh, regretful and sad, she pulled away. she looked down a moment and when she next met his gaze her eyes were dark, troubled.

"We shouldn't ignore the party inside. Others will want to speak to you, raise a glass with you This is your party after all. We should go in..."