Some Friendly Advice

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin didn't feel stupid for apologising to Yassia about making her feel jealous. After all, she had been rather excited back when she had first met Yassia. If the feelings of an unrequited love were still heavily in the front of Yassia's mind then it was no surprise that her friend had had these feelings niggling in the back of her mind. She merely remained quiet and looked to her engagement ring momentarily. She wondered what Griff would make of this, of course she would tell him a version through rose tinted glasses. She would not embarrass Yassia by sharing her outburst with Griff.

As she saw a tear roll Yassia's face, Caitrin felt something shift uncomfortably in her stomach. She didn't want her friend to feel like this. The raw hurt that her earlier words had caused were still in the back of her mind, and would remain there for some time, but now all Caitrin wanted to do was make whatever Yassia was going through more bearable. She wanted to help lift the burden in some way. She took a few more steps towards Yassia and carefully wrapped her arms around her friend and pulled her into a gentle hug.

She did not pull her into the hug forcefully, she left room for her to pull back if she didn't feel comfortable. After all, she had batted her hand away a few moments earlier, and Caitrin was not after a repeat of that. Caitrin just wanted Yassia to know that she was there for her. The woman's earlier words had been foolish, and had been spoken out of jealousy, but Caitrin was still Yassia's friend, and it was now time to step up to the mark. She would expect her to do the same after all. "Well then, you are forgiven." Caitrin knew it would take time to fully heal the wounds Yassia's words had left her with, but this was the start of that healing process. They would once again become the friends they were before any of this rotten mess; before Oliver had come back into the picture.

Caitrin then released her friend out of the hug and let her alone to just compose herself and settled herself down in the chair. She was settled in the fact that Yassia joined her and sat down in the chair opposite. Caitrin felt like she was in quite a fortunate position to be able to help Yassia, after all she knew Oliver. However, she did not know Oliver's feelings towards Yassia, but she would after tonight make it her mission to discover if there was anything there. She wouldn't let Oliver mess Yassia around as he had so often toyed with women back in Mercia. No, Yassia was worth more than that, and Oliver should know that too.

Caitrin was intrigued by Yassia's description of Oliver's behaviour. It seemed totally out of character for him. Perhaps this was an odd night for both of them. Thoughtfully she pressed her lips together. Something didn't ring right in the way that Oliver had behaved. After all, she had never known Oliver deny a conquest, even if the woman in question was of royal blood. Perhaps he had done some growing up after all since she had left Mercia. "I can't believe that he hates you." She confirmed. Perhaps she was being a bit too bias towards Oliver's actions, but she couldn't see him hating Yassia for such a simple thing of concealing her identity. He had done the same thing after all hadn't he? "Did he give you any reason to suggest that he hates you?" This didn't sound right at all to Caitrin.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Now the storm was over, Yassia felt oddly empty. There was still confusion en masse, but after she had now snapped for the second time in one night, the anger seemed to be completely used up, consumed by a seething fire and left her with nothing but weariness and devastation. She was so tired of it all. Tired of having to battle her way through everything, breaking her heart for every little gain. Tired of making do with the little snippets of favor fate liked to throw into her way, just a little out of reach. And yet she knew if she gave in now to this devastation, she would fall down into a black hole and never emerge from it again. She would give up. And she could not. Not now. Not ever. If she gave up, her whole journey would have been pointless. She wanted nothing more than to go home, but she also feared that after such a long time, there would be no one waiting for her there anymore.

What she needed most now was someone just to hold her, to support her so she could find the strength again to carry on. And gladly, aside from all that had just passed between them, Caitrin seemed still willing to take up that particular role. The last time Caitrin had reached out for her, Yassia had rejected the contact, now she was seeking it. When her friend pulled her into her arms gently, the princess returned the hug almost desperately, clinging to her for a long moment as the tears started running again. How could she ever deserve such a friend? She could complain about her life all she wanted, but she had this one precious treasure, a true friend, and this she would not trade for anything in the world. Not even if Oliver decided to speak to her again… she would not even trade that for Caitrin! Or at least she could not imagine herself to.

”Thank you…” she muttered and breathed out a long, shaky sigh. “I really hope we can work over this some day… I’m such a horrible fury. Did I ever tell you my father started the only war Ailantha has ever been in because of a temper fit? Granted… my mother and my brother had died in a treacherous ambush before that, but still…”
She trailed off. Now was truly not the time to speak about such things. Caitrin must already be confused enough, without Yassia revealing more of her twisted life story.
When Caitrin released her, Yassia took another deep breath, more firm this time and tried to regain what little was left of her calm demeanour. She hoped that for tonight she was thoroughly done with flying off the handle. But she could feel the spark inside her having been thoroughly quenched. Now she was only dead tired, but she would not allow herself to rest yet. She needed advice first, else she would not be able to sleep anyway.

Caitrin couldn’t believe Oliver hated her? Well, she could not believe it either, but she knew it was true. It had been evident in so many things, even though she still thought it to be thoroughly undeserved. She had done nothing he had accused her of! Not willingly, anyway! Still, if she had had better control over herself back then, none of this would have happened, she would not have allowed herself to get involved this far… and him not either. But what’s done is done, and she could not take back any word and any touch. And if she was honest with herself, she did not even want to!
”His eyes showed enough of that…” she sighed, shaking her head, “and his words as well. He accused me of playing with his feelings”, a bitter laugh escaped her lips, “ME! Of all people! Can you believe that? I COULD not tell him who I really was, why can’t he see that?”

[Caitrin de Archer]

It felt a little strange for them to now have their voices hushed, and for the shouting to have stopped. For her part, Caitrin had brushed away the bitter, angry tears which had all but threatened to fall at Yassia's ill-chosen words. There were many insults Caitrin could take with good graces, as she knew she was not the most uptight woman, and that she was quite stubborn and often did not know when to hold her tongue. However, with the matter of her love for her future husband, Yassia had hit a nerve, and one that Caitrin did not want to revisit. Oh, to think that she, Caitrin de Archer, had let herself fall so completely in love with Griff. She would never have thought it possible, but her reaction to Yassia's words confirmed what she had known for quite a while. She did utterly and completely love Griff. Some might have thought her mad for falling for him and his charming ways, but she had, and he loved her back. And that was all that mattered to Caitrin. She was sure that later on tonight she would just bury herself in his arms and realise how lucky she was to have him by her side.

For a split second she thought that Yassia was going to push her embrace away again. Yassia didn't do anything to make her think this, no, it was merely the memory stirring of Yassia's earlier actions. But instead she clung onto Caitrin, as Caitrin did to Yassia. Jesu, they needed to get past this whole outburst now somehow. She always saw Yassia as a true friend, one she could count on for anything. That was the true meaning of friendship after all wasn't it? She gently tightened her hug slightly, just so it was in some way comforting; as she wanted it to be. Caitrin let out a small chuckle as Yassia explained about her temper, "That is nothing, you should see me when I work myself into a temper."

When Caitrin fully lost her temper, no one wanted to be within a mile of her. She had only fully lost her temper a few times in her whole life, and the receivers of that anger never fared well. She did smile though as Yassia spoke of Ailantha. She loved hearing of Yassia's homeland, as it always felt like a fairy tale sort of land to Caitrin. Like something you would tell your children about. It was so far away after all, it seemed impossible for it to be a real place, but it was, and perhaps sometime in the future Caitrin would visit and see her friend in her rightful place on the throne.

As they both moved to be seated, Caitrin leaned slightly forwards in her seat. She did not want to appear too casual at the whole event, but neither did she want to be too forwards. Instead, she just listened to Yassia as she spoke without interrupting, and just thinking on her friends words quietly. No matter what Yassia said, she could not believe Oliver capable of hating any woman, especially such a beautiful one. No, there had to be something else there for the two of them, and Caitrin of course would be the one curious enough to try to discover it.

For now though, she pressed her lips together, trying to think back to this morning when she had met Oliver in the courtyard. In truth there had not seemed to be much different with him, so he and Yassia must have met in the Great Hall afterwards. However, Caitrin could not recall seeing either of them in the festivities, then again she had been rather preoccupied with Griff. The only thing Caitrin could suggest was a rather unhelpful comment, but it was really the only thing she could think of. No one usually came to her looking for relationship advice as they knew her rather liberal attitude to the topic. "Perhaps you should speak with him after you have both had time to come to terms with the others story." Yes Yassia was not exempt from this view. After all, she had been the one who had snapped at Caitrin in the first place. "His words may have been as misplaced as yours were to me; it does not sound to me like something he would just come out and say." That was the truth. To Caitrin this seemed totally out of character for Oliver.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

"That is nothing, you should see me when I work myself into a temper."
Despite the situation, Yassia couldn’t help but return Caitrin’s amused chuckle. Now could she really equal or even surpass Yassia in anger? That would be an interesting experiment were there no true feelings involved. As things were now, she did not want to relive these few painful moments ever again. But maybe some day she could witness Caitrin lashing out at someone else? No, that would probably require her friend to be hurt beforehand, and that was also the least Yassia wanted. So should she simply accept the ‘challenge’ and accept Caitrin as equally tempered without even seeing it? Hmm… that decision was truly a hard one to make, even though being so violent in anger surely was nothing to be proud of. And yet, Yassia had always seen it as part of her very own personality. That no one could best her temper. Well, she had been bested in many things once before, so why not there as well?
”Oh?”, she teased her cocking her head. “I’d say I beg to differ, but then I’ve really not seen it yet. How about we agree on that the man we should one day gang up against will most likely not live to tell?”
For some unfathomable reason the sneering face of Vortigern flickered through her mind at these words.

As Yassia sat and told her part of the story, she wondered what of it she wanted to disclose. Not that she didn’t trust Caitrin, she would trust her with her life and more, but these memories still hurt. Could she bear to tell her friend the little silly game they had played according to the old folk tale the Frog Prince? To think that in fairytale standards they now were all but married did not make this any easier. It had been a game only of course… but henceforth in her dreams Oliver had always been Yassia’s frog prince, the man she only needed to kiss to turn into the man she always had wanted. No look who he was: a prince… but as this life was not a fairy tale, they would not have a happy ending. The princess had lost her frog again forever… as for him it always had been nothing but a game… or had it?

”Speak with him?” her voice sounded fairly bitter. “Oh I tried to speak with him, I confronted him after we danced at the banquet. He rushed off and I ran after him… yes I admit it, I snapped again, similarly to what I did with you, but mind you he said the same to me … he accused me of having my way with his brother Edmund, when all he did was escorting me to my chambers.” Yassia’s eyes flamed up with anger once again and she balled her fists. “The nerve of it all! Making out in front of my eyes with another and then judging ME by HIS standards… I just don’t GET him.”
A wry smile crossed her face as she recognized the little rebuke in Caitrin’s words. Subtle, but so well placed indeed. This was nothing either of them would forget easily it seemed. Words were like arrows indeed… once released you could never take them back.

”Hah, I guess I deserve that bit”, she grimaced. “Yes… I don’t get it either, that is why I wanted to ask you. The first time we met, he was so different. Kind, caring, even sweet and still a handful to deal with.” A weary smile crossed her face. “He could meet my jibes tit for that… I never have witnessed that in all my life and I loved the challenge. Now… we’re just good in insulting each other endlessly.”
Could she tell Caitrin how much she missed this? This carefree joking and just feeling safe in his arms? It was pathetic to still cling to a dream... but she could not help it.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin quickly prayed that Yassia would never see the full extent to her temper. It was after all an incredibly ugly aspect to Caitrin's personality. It stemmed from when she was a child, it had never worked to merely speak, but when she had shouted or been angry then she had been paid some attention. Of course since then she had reigned in her fiery temper, and her old nursemaid Helgund had had a lot of help to give her in that department; she had been a true guide in that sense. She had taught her different ways to use that energy she had, rather than just getting annoyed with the world all the time. "Trust me, you really do not wish to see my fully temper." She pulled a bit of a face, even Caitrin hated getting to that harsh temper. After all, it meant that she had lost control when she lost her temper, and she simply hated doing that. The thoughts however of one day using her temper on the one man in the world who truly deserved it appealed somewhat to Caitrin. "That sounds like a deal to me." She said softly, but it was a bittersweet thought. Getting revenge on Vortigern would mean having to see and speak with him again, something Caitrin was not in a hurry to do.

Although Yassia seemed rather skeptical about her advice, Caitrin still stuck to it somewhat. After all, surly it would help if the two of them just acted like adults when the initial shock of all this died down. What else was there to do after all? There was no use in just getting annoyed by ones self for the sake of it. No, truly there was no point in that. The way Yassia described Oliver's behaviour sounded rather like how Yassia had reacted to Caitrin's earlier words. There was one underlying factor here which seemed to have been present for most of the evening; jealousy. Perhaps Yassia could not see that though; to Caitrin it was completely obvious. She had known that there were tensions between the royal household when she had lived in Mercia. It made sense now for Oliver to have such a reaction when his brother was once again holding the limelight really. "His reaction to yours and Edmund's time together sounds rather like your reaction when you discovered I had previously known Oliver in Mercia." Caitrin mused softly, tapping her fingers on the wood of the chair. Jesu, she was glad her love had not been this complicated. Although Yassia was already reaching this conclusion by herself, it was Caitrin's job to confirm it.

To Caitrin this seemed like one big confusion, and one which would only be resolved with time and thought. However, time was one thing which was not in their favour. Oliver, after he had invited herself and Griff to Mercia with him, had said they were leaving the day after tomorrow. If Yassia was going to act, she would have to be quick. Caitrin did not want to be so forwards as to say that Oliver could be jealous, and perhaps that would be making things worse rather than better. "I still believe you should speak with him when you have both had a good nights sleep and chance to calm down. Things always seem better in the morning." That was defiantly true in Caitrin's experience. She faltered slightly and ran a hand through her hair, "He is only here for the next day or so anyway Yassia, if you wish to truly discover his character then I suggest you do so sooner rather than later."

Caitrin could see the twinkle in her friends eye as she spoke of her previous encounter with Oliver. It was something she could relate to, it was something she had identified within herself when she thought of Griff. In truth she wasn't quite sure how to answer Yassia. Earlier in the day, when Caitrin had been speaking to Oliver he had told her that only nomads ever touched his heart.

Wait

In as much a subtle way as Caitrin could manage she smiled at Yassia and lifted herself up out of the seat, and began to walk towards the fire behind where Caitrin's chair was. Her head was ticking away with both Oliver's and Yassia's words. How on earth had she managed to get entangled between them both anyway? Oliver had told her of some rare, exotic nomad who he had come across and had not wished to fall for her for fear of breaking her heart. She breathed out slowly, though she could not assume completely that it had been Yassia he had been speaking of, it certainly sounded like her within those few words. She poked the fire softly as she looked into it, completely unsure now of what to say. Should she come clean and tell her friend everything? Or would that be a betrayal of Oliver's trust?

"I do not think you should give up on him, if he can make you feel like that." Caitrin now spoke, looking up from the fire to Yassia with a smile, "Try to speak with him once more when he is without his father or brother. Tonight he was probably in shock more than anything, as were you, so I believe perhaps tonight was not a true reflection of his feelings." She shrugged, she could not put feelings into Oliver's mouth, but she Caitrin could give a well-reasoned educated guess and hope that Yassia headed her advice.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

If Caitrin told her with such vehemence that witnessing her temper fits should not be on Yassia’s list of liking, the princess was inclined to believe her friend. Often enough, a temper could be something that crept up on you and you couldn’t stop and think until it was too late. Many people cursed with a temper would not even admit they had it, her father had been one of those, and if Caitrin was reasonable enough to even warn Yassia, then it must be really of some substance. It also took a great deal of self-reflection and strength to be so clear about one’s flaws, and in honest truth, Yassia admired her friend for her composure. After all, the previous accusations would have been more than enough to set Caitrin off. But even though she must have been hurt, she had reined herself in. She truly possessed more self-restraint than Yassia ever had had!

“Alright, then let’s truly pray I will never be on the receiving end”, she concluded with a smile. “But one day, he will pay and it will be my dearest pleasure to make it happen once I am queen.” Revenge had not been a concept Yassia was familiar with as he kingdom had been very peaceful. The ‘Mercenary Doom’ had changed that somewhat, but in her heart of hearts Yassia still believed in a peaceful dealing with incidents. Not when it came to Vortigern though, his scroll was too charged.

"His reaction to yours and Edmund's time together sounds rather like your reaction when you discovered I had previously known Oliver in Mercia."
“WHAT?!” This comment pulled Yassia from her fixation on the past and tossed her almost brutally into the here and now. Had Caitrin truly just implied…? It was not possible, was it? What REASON would Oliver have to be jealous? He had not needed long to find another maiden to compromise after all yes? “But, no…” Her denial had been meant to sound more determined, more sure of herself being right, but even as the words left her mouth, her treacherous heart started to leap and pounce on this simple explanation. Could it really be all so simple? Was he jealous? And wasn’t jealous an indication of feelings? “I see…” she murmured, but then doubts perked up again and confused her mind even more. This was too easy, he hadn’t even recognized her anymore, why should he still feel for her? “Huh…?” was all she got out in the end and her facial expression depicted utter helplessness.

Then Caitrin spoke of time, and it made Yassia laugh bitterly. “Oh no, I don’t think time will be much of an issue here, after all, his brother and father invited me to visit Mercia with them. And I accepted… partly to spite Oliver, because he said I would not want to, but partly also…” she broke off, shaking her head with another sigh. “I don’t know why. Maybe it was the stupid hope that we could work this out. And Caitrin”, she swallowed hard, for a split second avoiding her friend’s gaze, “I know I have no right to ask yet another favor of you, particularly after how I repaid you for the first one… but… could I ask you to come with me? We always wanted to visit Mercia together…” The truth though was that Yassia already knew she would be lost without her friend. She could not see into the future, but she already feared that what had come to pass between Oliver and her would only be the beginning.

Even though she did not dare pin her hope too much on Caitrin’s advice, she knew her friend was basically right. The only question was, how long would her pride agree to battling against windmills? She would not beg for Oliver’s affection, oh no, she wouldn’t! She was not that desperate yet! And if he continued to be so brazen and insulting, she would have to ask herself what she ever saw in him anyway. He was more the frog than the prince now, clearly!
“I will try, Cait”, she promised with a weary smile. “And I hope you are right. Let’s try and start anew tomorrow… if he wants to that is, I will not force myself on him.”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin merely smiled at Yassia as she expressed that she would not want to be on the other end of Caitrin's temper. If Yassia and Caitrin had this conversation a few years ago, then Yassia would have felt the full fury of Caitrin's temper. Once upon a time it took anything to set her off into a fiery rant. Nowadays Caitrin was a lot calmer and it took a lot more than some hot words to send her off into the full ugliness of her temper. It hadn't taken her long to settle her temper when she had moved to Camelot. Her Uncle had taught her to use her anger in more productive ways than shouting about it. Caitrin was now more sarcastic, and was more able to keep her temper in line without losing it. It was a valuable skill to have, but it had taken years to master. However, losing her temper with Vortigern would be a worthy cause, so perhaps she would allow herself to lose it that once. "I shall join you when that day arrives." Caitrin promised faithfully; she had as much of a score to settle with Vortigern as Yassia did.

Caitrin stared into the fire as Yassia began her incoherent outbursts. She might not have liked her friends words, but from Yassia's further confused little outbursts, it seemed that she had given her something to think about at least. From Caitrin's point of view, the key to understanding all of this was of course by understanding the emotion of jealousy, and why people acted as they did. Oliver would not have passed up such a beautiful woman without proper reason. She leaned her forearm against the head of the fireplace and sighed out softly. Love was such a complicated topic, she was glad to have an engagement ring already on her finger sometimes; it made things less complicated. They would probably have to think about setting a date soon, seeing as they had already been engaged for quite a few months. That was not to be thought of right now though; these things could always be thought of at a later date. She looked back to Yassia and pushed herself from in front of the fire and smiled at her friend. "Have I given you something to think about?" She asked with a soft wink.

Oh, so Yassia was to travel to Mercia as well? Her stomach sank, did Yassia know then that Oliver had asked her and Griff to go to Mercia with their little party as well? Clearly not as Yassia's next question caught her completely off guard. Jesu, two invitations to Mercia in one day; somehow Caitrin felt strangely popular. She bit her lip, but then stopped herself, she didn't want to look as if she was declining Yassia's invitation after all. "I can offer no objection to accompanying you to Mercia." She said softly and walked back over to where her friend was still seated, "As myself and Griff have already been invited back there with the party you are travelling with." It was quite unusual to be invited to the same place twice, but this was an unusual situation on the whole. "So yes I will go with you; as long as you do not mind Griff accompanying us as well." Her face broke out into a soft smile, after all, Oliver's reasons for inviting the pair was to throw a pre-marriage feast for the pair of them.

Of course Caitrin didn't expect Yassia to just throw herself at Oliver, and neither would she advise her to. Relationships were two way things, and Oliver would have to be in the right frame of mind for a conversation, as would Yassia. "I am sure if you speak with him when both your minds are clear then you will both get a different response from the other." It was never ideal to talk initimatly in the court environment; there were too many eyes watching, and too many mouths ready to make assumptions at the drop of a hat.

It was at this point that Caitrin realised just how late it had become. Of course with Yassia's concerns she hadn't put much thought into being tired, or where Griff had got to, but now these things were quite clear in her mind. She stifled a short yawn; it had been quite a long day after all. "I wonder where Griff has got too; its not like him to stay away so long." It unnerved her when he was gone from her side for quite a long time, not because she didn't trust him, but because she worried for him. After Morgana's reign Caitrin had been left rather shaken, and this was just one way in which she showed it.

[Griff Aubert]

It was quite probable that Griff Aubert had had too much to drink. Evidence to suggest such a theory included, but was not limited to, the fact that he was having to rely on an almost stranger to help him back to his chamber. He’d only met this Tristan fellow a few minutes ago. The man had been looking miserable and refused any wine, so naturally Griff had had to go and introduce himself. Or at least attempt to. It hadn’t gone exactly to plan, and just resulted in Griff colliding with a wall. Almost instantly, Tristan had declared Griff too drunk to continue being in the Great Hall and told him he was being taken back to his chamber. Easier said than done, as neither of the two men was sure where that was.

It was all Caitrin’s fault for leaving really. She knew where they wanted to be, she was probably there now. Enjoying the warmth and comfort of the room, and generally being in a better state than Griff was. In his opinion, that was just selfishness.

“Hang on! I think this is it!” Griff declared, rather triumphantly, pointing at a closed door.

Tristan looked at him sceptically. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m never wrong.” He was rather offended that he was being questioned.

“Hmm. Well alright. If you’re sure.”

“I am.” He pushed himself forward, no longer relying on the young knight to remain standing, but ended up leaning against the wall.

Tristan still wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t particularly feel like spending the rest of his evening with the man so just shrugged and said, “I’ll leave you to it then.” before making his way back downstairs.

Griff stood in the corridor for a few seconds, momentarily having forgotten just what he was about to do. Ah yes. Sleep. Sleep was good. It was something he was quite looking forward to. Maybe Caitrin was asleep, that would be annoying. He’d probably fall over and wake her up and then she’d be annoyed. It was such a hard life he led. Oh well. There was nothing he could do about that at the moment. He just wanted his bed. On opening the door he practically threw himself into his room, only instead of seeing a rather lovely redhead he found himself staring at a possibly lovely brunette. Maybe this wasn’t his room after all. That was embarrassing. “Oh. Hello.” If he’d turned his head a mere ninety degrees or so, he would have seen Caitrin. Only he didn’t, so he just remained confused. He mentally shrugged, deciding he might as well go with it. He grinned at the woman. It had been a long time since he’d had an opening line – not that anything was going to come of it mind, he was a happily engaged man, but a little flirtation was good for the soul. And besides, Caitrin wasn’t there. "I appear to be in your room..."

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Darn right had Caitrin given her something to think on! She would probably now lie awake all night, pondering over what could have been on Oliver’s mind. It was all so peculiar, really! One moment he did not even recognize her and the next he accused her of playing with his heart. She had done nothing of that sort! And would he truly be jealous? Just because his elder brother had been so courteous as to accompany her to her chambers? Well, he had not exactly queued up for it! He had made it more than clear he wanted her out of his sight! And then later…he had danced with her… it had felt so perfect. But the whole time he had been insulting her! Someone just observing them might have thought them the perfect pair, but he had made it more than clear he did not want any of that sort…

It shocked Yassia not little to hear that Caitrin and Griff had already been invited. On one hand that was good, because it spared her a lot of hassle trying to or even having to explain to Lord Bayard – or heaven preven, Oliver! – why she wanted her friend to accompany her, on the other hand, a tiniest prick of jealousy instantly returned, though she fought it down. She didn’t even know if it had been Oliver inviting Caitrin, and even if so, he apparently had invited Griff as well. Now that was a clear message was it not? So stop being grumpy, Princess Yassia and wise up!
”Oh, now that’s a surprise!” she exclaimed and tried to keep all inklings of irritation out of her voice. “Is there any special reason for you two to be invited? Or is it just a courtesy call by old friends?”

Apparently just as Caitrin had voiced her concern about Griff being still absent and Yassia wanted to give a reassuring comment, the door was opened rather forcefully and a slightly swaying Griff burst through it, stopping abruptly as he caught sight of Yassia. It was obvious from his rather puzzled expression that he couldn’t quite make sense of the situation and Yassia bit her lip hard to not burst out in a mistimed chuckle. It was also obvious he had not caught sight of Caitrin yet, because his words were solely directed to her.
He also did not seem to recognize her. What was it with her appearance today? Had she suddenly aquired a different face or why did men have such a hard time telling who she was?!
”No, Griff, I appear to be in YOUR room”, she chuckled. “But before you read anything into that, let me tell you I was not here to see you, but Caitrin. No offense of course.”
Yassia couldn’t quite tell why she suddenly was in a joking mood. Maybe Griff just proved to be the perfect comic relief for her complicated state of mind.

[Caitrin de Archer]

The shock of a prior invitation was clear to see on Yassia's face. For a moment she almost felt guilty that it was Oliver's offer she had taken up first. But that had been this morning, before any of this had come to pass; she hadn't known that Yassia too would want her to accompany her to Mercia. "He wishes to throw a pre-wedding feast for myself and Griff." She said slowly but then perked up slightly, "You must attend if you are to be in Mercia at the same time!" She exclaimed. Of course Caitrin could never be certain that Yassia would be around for her actual wedding, but it was important for her friend to celebrate that with her.

As the door opened, Caitrin only looked around shortly. She knew who it was going to be as anyone else would have had the decency to knock. However, she wasn't exactly expecting what came out of Griff's mouth. Her elbow was leaning up against the fireplace and she buried her head in her hands and groaned softly. The man who she had just fiercely defended in front of Yassia was now drunk, and flirting with her. Fabulous.

She stifled a laugh at Yassia's words, thinking now that Griff would have the sense to look around at his bride to be. She pushed herself away from the fireplace and her arms folded; her eyes raised at the rather drunk man in front of her. She wasn't quite sure what to feel. His flirtatious nature was something she would never change, and nothing ever came of it so she couldn't get annoyed at him because of that. Well not in front of Yassia of course. Caitrin had her own ways of getting back at Griff, and of course some could not be exploited here in company.

Caitrin walked over towards Griff so she was only a step or two away and looked him over. Jesu he even stunk of wine! She would have to stop him spending so much time with her Uncle if this was the effect it was having. "Now sir, you appear to be in my room." She slightly jested and pressed her lips together. She wasn't about to apologise for his state to Yassia, as if he wanted to apologise then that was his business. However, she suspected that her talk with Yassia may be drawing to a close because of her fiancee's condition. "Now tell me, how many other women were you intending to flirt with tonight?"

[Griff Aubert]

Nim, there's a slight god-mod here. Let me know if you want it edited.

Oh, well, this was nice and awkward, or at least it would have been if Griff wasn't drunk and therefore invincible and beyond the powers of awkwardness. What he wasn't, however, drunk or otherwise, was beyond the powers of gravity, and had to steady himself against the wall, obviouslty the best way to do this was using his forearm. For a second or two he had absolutely no idea who the brunette was, or how she knew his name and was only able to to stare at her with furrowed eyebrows and a slightly open mouth. And then his brain decided to pay attention and his look of confusion turned into one of recognition. "Yass!" Everything made sense once more. "Cait's not-"

"Now sir, you appear to be in my room. Now tell me, how many other women were you intending to flirt with tonight?"

He stopped mid-sentence, pressing his lips together and turning his head slowly. Maybe she was here after all. This was brilliant. He just stared at the woman, trying to figure out if there was something he could say that would make the less dangerous. "I wasn't flirting..." He replied, trying to laugh it off, "I was saying hello..." Griff pushed himself from the wall, quite impressed that he was managing to stand up by himself, although he was swaying slightly. "Is there," he began, raising a hand, "Any way to get out of this? Before you answer," he tried using that hand to gesture towards Yassia, but ended up losing his balance and stumbling forward. Luckily for Griff, but perhaps unluckily for Yassia she was the first thing he found to steady himself on, or rather her shoulder was. "We are in the company of a friend..." Hopefully that would save him, for now at least.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Yes, there was no denying it, Griff Aubert was more than just a little drunk. He hardly could keep himself upright, and however funny that may be to watch, Yassia already had had a run in with a drunk man today and she had no desire to renew that episode.
Sweet stars, why did all drunk men have no control over her basest instincts anymore? Griff’s flirting might have been subtler than the rude comments Oliver had given her today, but the bottom line stayed the same: Drunk men thought they could say and do everything to women, mainly because they did not have enough soberness in them to think through what they said, but sometimes that also showed their true nature, right? What was the saying? In wine lies truth. And as much alcohol as Griff must have had, he probably was a wandering oracle right now.

Exchanging a half amused, half annoyed glance with Caitrin, Yassia was prepared to watch the rather funny scene unfold, though already feeling a little like she was prying on a private scene. As long as Caitrin had been alone, she had been visiting her friend only and it had been fine. Now she was witnessing a scene that was not meant for her eyes and ears, at least not completely. Maybe she should excuse herself soon? She had a ton to think on after all, and frankly, she did certainly mind being in the company of another drunkard. Usually she liked Griff and even when so far gone he was rather funny than anything, but… still…

She had just come to that decision, when Griff clumsily used her as some sort of stabilizer. Yassia had not expected his full weight to practically pounce down on her, so she stumbled backwards, extending her right hand to steady herself against him.
”Griff!” she protested sharply. “Yes, it’s me, Yass, and you better use your fiancé to lean on, alright?”
Gladly he had only grasped her shoulder, but even that was unseemly enough. “Goodness, how many drinks DID you have?”
How funny indeed, if you thought about it, the different details both women were interested in. Caitrin asked about the flirts and Yassia about the drinks… well, the reason for that was obvious. Not so far from jealousy either, are we, Cait? Yassia thought with a little grin.

[Caitrin de Archer]

The look on her husband-to-be's face as he realised that Caitrin had been stood by the fire the whole time was priceless. It would be quite interesting to see how exactly Griff intended to get himself out of this little scenario, especially in the state he was in. She just kept her eye brows raised at him, no matter how drunk he was, surely that still signaled that she was incredibly unimpressed with her fiancee on the whole. She should have thought to bring him back with her when she had retired for the evening. He had been getting tipsy then, but she hadn't wanted to ruin his evening on her account.

She shook her head as he asked if there was anyway to get out of it, and rushed forwards slightly as he stumbled. She wasn't quite sure why she should be bothered if Griff injured himself in his drunk state. But she had some care about him, even if she was annoyed at the moment with him. Luckily he steadied himself on Yassia and Caitrin let out an amused laugh at him. "Do not think the fact that Yassia is here means that you will get away with this." She would not strike up an argument while Yassia was here, but she had her own ways of getting her own back on Griff, sometimes actions spoke louder than words.

Looking back up at Yassia, the look she gave her friend was of mere thanks that she had thought to keep steadying Griff. Lord knows, he didn't exactly look able to support himself at the moment. At Yassia's words, she stepped forwards and put her arm around Griff's waist and moved his arm around her shoulders so he could shift his weight onto her rather than on Yassia. "Shift your weight onto me." She said rather bluntly, trying to catch Griff's full attentions. Perhaps she could seat him on the bed or something, he couldn't stay stood up for much longer, and Caitrin was not strong enough to support his weight for an overt amount of time.

"Too much." She answered Yassia's question quickly, although really it was meant for Griff. Oh details details, the answer was clear for all of them to see. "I'm sorry our words may have been cut short tonight." Caitrin voiced softly to her friend and looked up to Griff. She wasn't apologising for his actions, she was apologising for the effect his actions had caused. Caitrin now looked around to Griff, and started to incline him towards the bed, so he could at lest frame his mind into the idea of moving. "Let us hope you have sobered up enough to make the journey to Mercia in a few days time."

[Griff Aubert]

I don't appear to have given you much to go on, so let us know if you want me to edit.

Hmm, Caitrin was annoyed. This was not unusual. It seemed to be her default position, either that or flirting with some random man, then again, he was no better. It was a wonder how they managed to not kill each other. Actually, it was a wonder how she'd managed not to kill him, his killing skills were rather wanting. The only good thing about Caitrin's current state of annoyance was Yassia's presence, and while she seemed pretty intent on the fact that she would make sure he knew just how annoyed she was as soon as Yassia was no longer there, it gave Griff some hope that maybe he could talk his way out of it, or, and this was his preferred method, be sober enough to flirt his way out of it.

Yassia didn't seem terribly pleased about his leaning on her. This was confusing. Who would want to be used in such a way, especially by Griff? In his drunken state it seemed perfectly normal that someone should jump at the chance to have him leaning on them. Before he could voice such confusion Caitrin had taken over and his weight was now on her. Looks like someone did appreciate such an oppurtunity after all. Normally he would have protested - it was hardly manly to have to lean on one's fiancé to remain upright - but being manly wasn't his primary concern at the moment. "I didn't drink that much!" He protested, only slurring his words slightly. He had drunk just enough, and besides, it was hardly anything compared to the amount Caitrin's uncle had managed to knock back.

He appeared to be moving towards the bed. Either he was far more intoxicated than he thought and had lost the ability to feel his own legs moving, or Caitrin was doing it. In his current state either was possible. He just left her to it, actually rather tired and aware of how inviting that bed looked, especially with Caitrin next to him, and then something caught his attention. What was that? "Mercia? What are you talking about?" He wasn't sure if this was new information or whether he had just forgotten about it, either way though, he was just confused again.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Oh this was clearly getting beyond a joke! It might be funny, but it was also irritating. What more could a day possible enclose? A coronation, a shattered reunion with a Frog Prince, an invitation to a foreign kingdom, a conversation and near argument with her best friend, and now this: her best friend’s drunk fiancée using her as a pillar. Well, she should call herself lucky probably he had not tried using her as a pillOW. How funny language similarities sometimes were indeed, and as Yassia had grown up more or less bilingual, the word plays never ceased to amuse her, because she sometimes was the only one noticing them. Things you said in your own language did usually not strike you as funny, as you didn’t have the multiple meanings of a word in your mind at once if you needed just one.

But this was not the time to focus on wordplays either. It might be a clear indication of how worn out Yassia really was that she now found her own thoughts so intriguing she stayed with them instead of focusing on what was going on before her very eyes. Not that there was much to see of course. There was a drunk Griff and an annoyed Caitrin. Quite the lovely pair still. It made Yassia’s heart ache to see that however angry Caitrin might be at her fiancé, she did not push him away, still helped him out. Of course she would probably give him a piece of her mind once Yassia was gone, but it did not alter the fact that she was there for him and loved him.
Yassia on the other hand stood in front of a large pile of shards she had partly caused herself. She would need all her strength to clean it up without cutting herself to pieces. Strength she did not know if she ever would possess…

Then however, something that Griff said caught her attention, and she looked to Caitrin rather confused.
”He does not know yet? Did you not tell him before what Oliver said? Sweet stars, then good luck of getting it into his head. I can tell from experience that drunk guys usually never listen …” That had come across more bitterly than she had wanted, and she hastened to ease her words with a smile, however lopsided it turned out to be.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin just stared at Griff and then switched to roll her eyes as he spoke. Was he that drunk he honestly didn’t know how much he had had to drink? Honestly! He could just about stand with her support, and she was taken aback by how much effort she actually had to put into supporting him over to the bed. He was after all quite a bit taller than she was, and if anything it had been a long day, and Caitrin was incredibly tired.

Caitrin looked back to Griff exasperatedly. How could he have forgotten what she had only told him a few hours since? She had met up with Griff after parting with Oliver, and had told him about the trip. She resisted the urge to flush with embarrassment and kept her tongue in check as well. “I told you that Oliver had invited us both to Mercia for some sort of pre-wedding feast.” She defended quickly as she finally reached the bed, and began to help Griff into a sort of sitting position on the bed. Once that had been achieved she leant up against the bed post and looked back to Yassia. “I shall probably have this conversation again with him in the morning.” She flashed quite an amused grin at her friend and then looked back to Griff; her arms folding and her lips pressed together. But she could not keep a smile from them for long, the prospect of what was to come was indeed too exciting to get bogged down in little details. “Well now Yassia wishes us to accompany her as well, it will be quite a merry little party won’t it?” Caitrin was glad to be going back to her homeland in the company of friends. Such a journey after all should not be made alone, especially given the circumstance that Caitrin left Mercia under.

Looking back to Griff, a new worry dawned on her mind. Her father was probably going to be at this wedding feast and well, she would have to make sure Griff was at least sober for the duration of their stay. Though with Oliver and his ways, such a task would be hard to recognise, he had already voiced his desire to get Griff quite drunk. Caitrin blinked and tried to get that image out of her head, she was engaged and there was nothing her father could do about it. She now turned back to Yassia and smiled, “You will at least try and speak to Oliver before we go won’t you?” It was important for Yassia to at least try, “Though I can sympathise if between him, and my fiancé you have had quite enough of men for one lifetime.” She then cast a glance back at Griff which spoke in a ‘yes, I am talking about you’ kind of way. She was not impressed with his conduct, even more so because she knew she would not be able to stay annoyed with him for too long. He had as many ways of getting around her as she did. Hmm, bringing up Oliver may have confused Griff even more, not that he would be able to remember much of this conversation in the morning but still. She pushed herself off from the bed post and looked across at Yassia with a grin, “Would you prefer to fill Griff into why you sought me out tonight, or would you rather wait until he is sober?” Whichever she chose was really at her own risk, it didn’t feel like she or Griff were experts on feelings or matters of love. They just did what came naturally to them, and loved each other entirely; even when one of them was intoxicated beyond belief.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Oh so he had forgotten, typical!! Yassia shared the eyeroll and shook her head. What WAS it with men, alcohol and their brains? They became forgetful about very important details, failed to recognize faces and their overall behavior, especially towards women, became very questionable indeed! First Oliver and now Griff… well at least Griff had not started to yell insults at Caitrin or her, that was definitely a plus. Just that it did not help Yassia in getting composed at all. She was torn between laughing outright and growling with anger, cursing all menfolk to the lowest parts of hell! When she ever became queen, she would highly fancy decreeing that only a reasonable amount of alcohol was permitted per day, if anyone was to be seen drunk, draconian measures would be allowed to get them into a sober state again.
Oh yes… the mental image of Oliver getting attacked with buckets of ice cold water suddenly seemed very appealing…

“Trust him to forget such a ‘minor’ detail”, she sighed. “Yes, it’s gonna be a merry party indeed…” was there a hint of sarcasm in her voice? But then she chuckled almost merrily. “Imagine… Oliver and I keeping such a distance even on horseback it would be difficult to see if we still belong to the same party, you, trying to talk with us both while you tow a groaning, hungover Griff on his horse behind you…”
This particular journey would be unnerving and trying enough for both of them without Griff hanging like a sandbag over his mount. It was also what made Yassia turn serious again, not the image of Griff, but rather the prospect of having to speak with Oliver again before they embarked on their journey. Sorting it out… was there even still something to be sorted out? Hadn’t the fronts hardened beyond belief now?

“It’s true”, she sighed and raked a hand through her hair again. “Looking at it now, I would be more than ready to just be through with it all for a lifetime. But I doubt things will be so easy for me. They never were easy.”
Even after all that happened, Yassia still thought the stars guided her path, however twisted this path was and however little she understood of it. There had to be a reason in her re-meeting Oliver again here. Maybe she could not see the reason now, but it surely was more than just to throw her into the deepest abyss of misery and make everything just a little worse. It was that faith that kept her upright now.
Then she looked at Griff and examined him with a frown. “Will it even be of any use if I tell him now? He might not remember in the morning…. Then again, maybe that’s good? I still don’t know how I feel about this.” Griff was soon to be her best friend’s husband, so what he knew didn’t exactly count as public knowledge, but still… it was complicated.

[Griff Aubert]

The young man was only half listening to the conversation going on around him. Not a lot of it seemed to be directed at him, so he wasn’t expected to pay attention and comment. The rest of it just didn’t make sense – but then he was only half listening. Maybe if he was giving it his full concentration he would understand what Caitrin and Yassia were talking about, but concentrating meant using more brain power than he was willing to at the moment.

His head was beginning to hurt which wasn’t a good sign. In his experience headaches were usually a sign of something worse to come. He was not going to feel good in the morning, but that was the price he had to pay for having enjoyed himself tonight. Even so, it was a depressing thought, knowing that in only a few hours he was going to feel absolutely awful. He would have to learn how Rouland managed to drink so much and suffer so little. The man was clearly a genius.

“I told you that Oliver had invited us both to Mercia for some sort of pre-wedding feast.”

As he lay on the bed, trying to get comfortable and not really achieving much, he managed to catch snippets of their conversation. Something about going to Mercia. Wait. Wasn’t that in...the north? Where it was cold, and dark and devoid of happiness? And, what’s more, it was Caitrin’s home, so there was a good chance that it would be filled with Caitrins too. One Caitrin he could deal with, because one Caitrin was charming and all kinds of wonderful...but a whole kingdom full? This was not going to end well. He could already imagine it: icy and black and being shouted at constantly by angry redheads. Couldn’t he just stay here? That was probably the safest option. “But I won’t survive!” He protested, or at least tried to through his slurred and somewhat inaudible speech.

Who was this “Oliver” anyway? And why were they being forced into some sort of pre-wedding feast? What was going on? It all seemed complicated and stupid to Griff. This was not just him being drunk and forgetting everything, this was him not being told anything and expected to understand. Well that was charming. He would have started sulking if he wasn’t too tired. Instead he just stared at the two women and hoped things would start making sense soon.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin grinned wickedly at Yassia and let out a small 'heh' noise at her words. "If Griff is that hungover I won't be towing him anywhere; he can walk." It was cruel yes, but they all knew it would never happen so it was fine. Anyway, hopefully the day in-between the ride out to Mercia would give him time to sober up. She smiled again but her thoughts straight away went to Yassia meeting with Oliver once more. In Caitrin's mind, the next meeting should be anywhere but in front of the party heading to Mercia. It was going to be awkward enough without it happening in public. "You will try and speak to Oliver before we ride out won't you? Promise me Yassia." She was being serious now, because Yassia and Oliver were both adults, and really they needed to resolve their issues before they came to a more public light.

It was true, Caitrin had heard enough of Yassia's story to know that life had never dealt her a fair hand. She could only look up at her in a sympathetic way, wondering when things would finally start going right for her friend. "They aren't all bad all the time." She defended softly with a hint of jesting as she looked back to her drunk fiance. "I'm sure it will all work out for you, one way or the other." She shrugged, the only way Yassia would resolve this would be to talk to Oliver and work it out like adults.

Looking at the state Griff was in now, she raised an eye brow and considered Yassia's words. "Perhaps we could continue this conversation in the carriage to Mercia?" She suggested, "Griff might even be sober enough to pay attention by then." There was no point in telling him things now, he would only forget them and then she would have to repeat herself. "And it would give you chance to gather your thoughts?" Shrugging again she turned back to Griff, who had finally thought to reply to her words on Merica.

This was ridiculous! She was clearly getting nowhere with Griff, she'd already had this conversation about going to Mercia with him this afternoon, she wasn't going to try and reason with him in this state. She rolled her eyes at him, but he confirmed her own fear about her family in a way. If her father wasn't out fighting then he would seek her out, after all it would look strange if he didn't wouldn't it? She'd spent enough time trying to avoid her fathers thoughts on her marriage for long enough. Now she was taking her betrothed into Mercia with her. Great. "You'll be fine." She said in a more serious tone, she was more annoyed at how drunk he was more than anything. On top of that she felt slightly embarrassed that this was all happening in front of Yassia; though hopefully he would feel just as embarrassed when he reaslised what state he had been in. "I'll explain everything when your half sober." She then said in a rather matter-of-fact way. She really couldn't be bothered dealing with Griff in this state. If she tried to tell him everything he'd either forget or fall asleep halfway through her speech.

Giving a small yawn she pressed the back of her hand up against her mouth. "You must excuse me." She directed at Yassia as she let out another yawn. "It's been a long day." Caitrin had been somewhat worn out at the coronation. She had either been listening to her Uncle moan, or she had been dancing with Griff in the proceedings. Although she had enjoyed the feast, she was now incredibly tired and her bed, despite the presence of a drunk, did look inviting.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Promises, promises. Why was she always either staying true or running away from promises? It had the be the story of her life, really. She was here because she wanted to fulfil the promise to her people to protect them and allow them a life in harmony and prosperity, and there had been a promise between her and Oliver as well… though not in so many words. He had broken his part of the vow by insulting her like he had, not being responsible at all… and they had been acting on the ancient signs of marriage in the fairytales, who were a promise in themselves. Eating from the same plate, drinking from the same cup and falling asleep in each other’s arms. But the Frog Prince had taken on his human shape all by himself, and then they had cast each other into the wall without any result aside from both getting hurt. So how would the promise of speaking to him solve anything?

”I will try”, she promised though. “I will see that I can catch him tomorrow somewhere. I couldn’t… I couldn’t bear this journey with such an unresolved issue anyway. Well, of course I could, but… it’d be hard.”
And wasn’t it already hard enough? Tonight Yassia really was in a complaining mood and she was at her strength’s and wit’s end. The coronation, seeing Oliver, arguing with him, dancing with him, nearly killing him – that was enough for a lifetime, not to mention a single day. Now that the tension was through Yassia could feel fatigue weighing down on her like a heavy blanket. She probably wouldn’t be able to sleep as her mind was still racing, but her body needed rest.

She was also apt enough to see that this conversation was at an end. Caitrin did not look any less exhausted, and there was no productive talk coming from Griff in his inebriated state anyway. So Yassia nodded thoughtfully to Caitrin’s suggestion and took a step forward. “I think I’m gonna take my leave anyway. You are right, maybe thinking about it further will clear a few things up for me.” In all honesty, she doubted it, but arguing would only prolong this conversation. Not all in one day, her mother would have said when she was already running two miles a minute in her head as a child. They still could work this out on the next day or the day after that. That was a good thing and a bad about journeys: if you travelled in groups you were locked up with people for a certain time.
Stepping forward, Yassia gave Caitrin a quick hug. “Thank you for everything Cait, I don’t know what I would have done without you. And I am so glad you both will come with me. Good night! And I hope Griff will not be hungover in the morning… all too much.”

With a last, casual wave, Yassia turned to the door and stepped out into the dark corridor, making her way towards her own chamber where she undoubtedly would have a rather difficult night.