Just for this moment

[isadora]

Isadora made an effort to smile at her subjects and acknowledge those who bowed or moved away as they made their way through the market, and it helped to distract her from her troubled thoughts. It slowed their progress through the streets, too, but she was used to that; she had never walked the town as anything other than a princess, after all. She was just starting to forget about her dream, when Alistair spoke up, and asked to go to...the forges? Her smile dropped off, and she turned to look at him.

It was unusual for him to make requests at all, but even dismissing that, Isadora wondered if it could be just a coincidence that he wanted to go there. What could he need from the forges? The castle armorer provided all the knights of Gwent with armor and weaponry, unless he wanted something less than standard. She knew he preferred weapons other than those the knights wielded, perhaps that was why? Or maybe...he just knew. But that wasn't possible. She was being silly, and after a moment, she jolted herself from her reverie, and nodded. There was nothing to be worried about...and if there was, she needed to know.

"Of course. But what do you need at the forges?" She asked, again trying not to think about her dream, but now it seemed impossible. Part of her wanted to run away, and never return to the smithies of Gwent ever again, but she knew she couldn't do that. Especially not simply on the basis of a bad dream. So they would go to the forges, for...whatever it was Alistair needed.

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[Alistair]

When he asked to go to the forges she had looked at him with an odd expression. It caused him to glance to where she had just been looking to see what had caused that look on her face but there was nothing there. It wasn't a large look but there was something there on her face that gave him pause. But she agreed and spoke as if nothing was wrong.

It took him a moment before he could answer; as he was trying to find the word to describe the look in her face. It wasn't real fear but a bit of surprise and something else. "Do men of your world not visit them forges in hopes of finding gifts for the ladies they wish to impress?" He asked to put her at ease since he could not ask her what was wrong in case someone was near to over hear.

[isadora]

Isadora couldn't keep the smile from tugging her lips upwards at his answer, both because it was so sweet and thoughtful and she liked that he was trying to think of ways to keep her happy, but also because it meant that he had another reason for wanting to go the forges, that had nothing to do with her terrible dream. She was still somewhat wary of going there, but it made her feel somewhat better to know his reasons. She raised her eyebrows, looking at him with a very pleased expression.

"Oh? And are there ladies you wish to impress, Sir Alistair?" She replied, her tone flirtatious, also speaking in riddles in case anyone was listening. It was widely known that Alistair was courting the Princess, so flirting and taking her for walks in public were expected...no one knew that he'd already won her heart, of course. They'd know soon enough, but until then...buying her jewelry could only be a good thing.

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[Alistair]

While he did not smile; there was an amused tilt to his head and eyes. Alistair had never enjoyed conversation for the most part of his life. He was only lately enjoying the banter between two people. Mainly only ever with her. While small talk still confused him; asking questions you already knew the answer too; he did enjoy the banter they sometimes had.

They used to fight constantly and he knew it bothered her; so he did his best to not rise to the bait and never fight with her. Sometimes they still fought; but he hoped less and less. He wanted her happy; and to not regret taking the risk of her life for him. "There is one." He told her; "That would wish to please with a gift."

[isadora]

Isadora feigned surprise and raised her eyebrows when he admitted that there was one woman he wished to please, as if she didn't already know that. She knew that words were not his strong suit, but it pleased her to no end that he was willing to play along, even if only for appearance's sake. She liked flirting with him, even if he didn't really understand why. "Oh? Then you must tell me of this lady who has caught your eye."

Her voice was full of interest, and she didn't have to fake that, because she was genuinely curious to hear what he had to say on the matter. She knew that he loved her, that wasn't in question, but sometimes, she wanted to hear the reasons why. And for the benefit of anyone who might be listening, she kept her voice light and carefree, exactly the way a noblewoman gossiping should sound.

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[Alistair]

Tell her of the girl who caught his eye? He thought back to when he first started thinking of her as something other then a Princess. Something--someone other then the friend of the men who had his family killed as if they were animals and not people. He could not pin point any one moment; for it was all blurred into the same few days. She had not been anything he expected. A spoiled hateful royal pain in his ass.

Instead she had cried over a a nameless guard she thought he killed; and fought him ever step of the way. She had not cried over the mud and harsh life but done everything he demand of her no matter how bloody; muddy; or lower then her the job was. How did you tell a girl you liked her when she was at her lowest first?

"She's beautiful." He told her not giving her the answer he had in his head but the one he thought she wanted to hear. He wanted to please her and wasn't sure what to say.

[isadora]

Isadora waited, somewhat impatiently, while he considered his response. She knew that he held no gift for words, but Isadora had always liked that he spoke plainly. He never lied to her; she knew that if he bothered to tell her something, it would be the truth. If he didn't want her to know something, he wouldn't tell her, but he would never lie to her. Or so she was very thoroughly convinced. So she was willing to wait, however much it pained her to do so, while he found the words that usually so eluded him.

Only to be disappointed. "Surely there is more to this woman than just a pretty face." She replied, she knew that he didn't just love her because she was beautiful, although if he kept talking like this, she might start to think it was a large part of the reason. She liked being told she was beautiful, but she wanted to hear more from him than just that. Maybe she was asking too much, from a man who spoke so little.

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[Alistair]

Alistair was quite while trying to figure out what he said wrong. Did not all women like to be told they were beautiful? He was still trying to learn when to tell her the truth and when to tell her what he thought she wanted to hear. Before he came here he'd not have cared or bothered (or known) the difference. He's just have told her what he wanted to tell her when he wanted to tell it to her.

"She is . . . " He paused to think while looking at her; not appearing to think too hard but in side his mind was running thought all the things he liked and love about her for something worth telling her. Something that would not disappoint her again. "Very smart." There! Something that wasn't a pretty face; and not going to get him in deeper trouble. He hoped.

[isadora]

She waited while he pondered his next move, and she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking of. Probably that he was already tired of this noble word-play, and would much rather just throw her over his shoulder and take her back to bed and show her how he felt about her. But even if she knew how he felt, that wouldn't answer her question of what he thought about her, and why he loved her. The reasons might seem trivial, but they were important to her; and she wanted to know that she was more than just beautiful to him...that in years, when she grew old and weary and her beauty faded, he would still find something in her to love.

When he started speaking again, she looked to him with a hopeful smile, at least he seemed willing to try again. She kept her smile firmly in place when he finished, not wanting to discourage him, but...that wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, either. And, she realized, maybe that was why he was failing. He was trying too hard. "You know, Sir Alistair, I find all too often people try to tell me what they think I wish to hear...but they're doomed to failure, because all I want to hear is what is truly in their heart." She hinted, she had hundreds of courtiers willing to say what she supposedly 'wanted' to hear, she needed him to speak the truth.

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[Alistair]

"---because all I want to hear is what is truly in their heart." Apparently he had not told her what she wanted to hear. He wasn't sure what that anymore. The damn woman had put him on the spot and while he loved her; he didn't have a clue what to tell her. The truth? Would she even really want that?

Alistair glanced around the crowd before taking a step closer to her so his voice could drop to a low rumble and no one else could hear. "What do I say?" He really wanted to know; for he did not not the workings of the female mind. "Do you wish me to say that the moment I saw you different was you covered in dirt and sweat while tied in my tent and smiling over the rabbit?" She had told him he was harmless; but they both knew that he was only as such to her. To others he would remove them before they became a harm to them.

"Or that whatever pushed you to fight back knowing you were helpless and had no control made me proud of you?" These were not small delicate things that ladys would want to hear. She would be displeased; but he had nothing else to tell her. It was the passion that she did things with not her face that drew him and kept him near. "Or the only moments when I do not still feel like the idiot child who hid from his uncle is the moments when you are near?" He felt like an idiot now; he had said too much in his annoyance with him self and his voice showed it.

[isadora]

Dirt and sweat was what appealed to him? She felt like she should be surprised, and yet...she hadn't fallen in love with Alistair because of his grooming or his manners, either. She thought back to that night...it seemed as something from another life. She'd smiled because he fed her rabbit after she'd called him a bunny, and the memory still brought a smile to her face. She was certain the irony hadn't been intentional, but even so, she found it immensely amusing, even now.

And she couldn't help a brief laugh when he said that he was proud of her for fighting. She thought he might be regretting that by now, they fought almost as much as they got along...but at least they enjoyed making up afterwards. It had been even worse when they'd first met; she'd fought him at every opportunity, and even when she gave in, it was only so that she might have another chance at escape later. She liked knowing that it was her passion that he loved, even if she knew it drove him crazy sometimes, because she didn't plan on changing that anytime soon.

But the last thing he said didn't make any sense. She blinked, not sure what he meant, and her smile faded to a look of confusion and curiosity. She wanted to know what he meant, but she could tell from his tone that he was growing annoyed; considering how little he was used to talking, this had been very good for him. She wanted to kiss him, but a glance around told her that wasn't an option. Maybe later. Instead, she put a smile back on her face, and turned towards him. "Yes, Sir Alistair," she answered, "that is exactly what I want to hear."

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[Alistair]

THAT was what she wanted to hear? THAT? Of all the things he could have said and done that was it? Alistair wasn't sure he would ever understand women, especially this one. Not that he wanted to; mysteries were the point of life. If he knew everything he'd be board; but he still wanted to know a bit more. How to predict her some so he wasn't left looking like a bloody fool for giving two wrong answers.

He didn't say anything as she told him it was what she wanted to hear; falling back on his say nothing policy. Silence could be taken in many ways; and it made most uncomfortable. No one thought you were an idiot for silently watching them. He knew she would not be uncomfortable with his silence; she never was, but he was not going to say anything to make him look a bigger fool.

[isadora]

She giggled when he fell silent beside her, glancing at him to see his expression, only to see that it was as unreadable as ever. Well, that was her druid, he had probably already used up all of his words for the day and she wouldn't be able to draw any more conversation from him today. That was okay, though...she'd liked what he had to say, brief though it was.

As they'd been walking, Isadora hadn't been paying attention to their surroundings, content to let Alistair distract her from everything else; it was something he was very skilled at. So it came as all the more shocking when she finally glanced around at the world going by around them and she saw it. The very same smithy she'd seen in her dream, from the soot collected on the stone around the forge to the scratches and dents on the anvil placed off to the side, and she stopped walking abruptly, going stock still, her body rigid and her eyes wide as she stared at the place where, mere hours before, she had seen a man burn to death.

After staring for a moment, she began to see the differences. Moving her eyes to the left, she couldn't see any horses approaching from the way she'd seen them come in her dream...and upon closer inspection, even the man behind the forge appeared to be different from the man whose death she'd watched. She didn't see that man anywhere, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She must've just...seen this place before, and somehow, her mind had twisted that into the terrible images of her dreams. Or so she had to believe, if she was going to stay sane.

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[Alistair]

Now that bloody woman was laughing at him. He stared at her for a moment before looking away. If he did not feel the idiot before he did not. He was getting better with know what to say and when to say it. Years watching Vaughn play with words like they were his third sword had taught him some; but he'd never self sure enough to use them.

He was thinking; lost with the words in his mind that he could not say when she froze. Alistair stopped besides her and scanned the area for any sign of danger before looking at what she looked at. Then at her face. Something was off but he could not place it. "Princess?" He asked in a low rumble rather then a normal tone so others could not hard. "Is all well."

[isadora]

Alistair was talking to her. It took her a moment to realize that before she could tear her eyes away from the forge before her, looking up at him with a lost and bewildered expression, and a moment more before she had processed what he had said enough to answer him. Her mouth opened, but no words came out, until she had swallowed the lump in her throat. "Ummm...y-yes." Isadora did not stammer. She didn't stutter, and she was very rarely at a loss for words. But she was still reeling from the shock.

She avoided looking back at the forge, looking up at Alistair instead to try and recover her wits. "Let's move on, shall we?" The color had drained from her face, but she was determined to get away from the forge before she made an even bigger fool of herself. She didn't like looking so weak, and it was silly to get so worked up over a dream; no matter how terrible it may have been. She touched the back of Alistair's hand lightly before she carried on her way, the only contact she dared in such a busy place, but it helped her to calm down a bit.

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[Alistair]

Alistair did not quite believe her. Her face was pale and her words were hesitant. His eyes moved to again take in the surroundings but nothing looked out of place. Everything was normal for how he saw it on most days. No fires of unusual sizes; no fighting in the streets; nothing out of place. He did not like the know she lied to him but he was not sure how to prove it.

How was he to protect her when she would not tell him what made her appear so white? She had touched his hand; and he no longer cared about rules. Turning his hand over he grabbed her's; engulfing it in his larger palm. "Something has caused you to look like this. I would know the the reason." It was not a question; he wanted to take care of her but if she hid things from him he could not do so. "If there is danger; I serve you better to know."

[isadora]

Isadora stopped when he took her hand, turning to look up at him. What was he doing? If someone saw... but when he spoke, her expression grew slightly guilty. She looked away for a moment, then shook her head. "There's no danger...it's not that." She assured him, she didn't want him to worry more than he needed to, even if she was hesitant to admit the source of her distress. She didn't want him to think any less of her, because she got freaked out by a nightmare...he had nightmares all the time, and they didn't make him freeze in distress.

"It's silly. Nothing to worry about." She added, trying to get out of explaining...but something told her that wasn't going to be good enough. She sighed. "It's just...that place. It was in my dream last night." She finally admitted, looking back up at him, she hoped he would understand. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, before she slid her hand free of his grasp, hoping that no one else had noticed their moment. She liked that he wanted to protect her, but from things like this, she knew that he couldn't. And she didn't want to trouble him with stories of her nightmare, not when he had plenty of his own to keep him occupied.

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[Alistair]

He had known but not cared about holding her hand in the market. If dreams were what troubled her; it was something he could at least relate to. "Your dreams are not real." He told her in a soft voice so no one would over hear them. "I do not know how mortal dreams work; but you are safe when you are awake."

Whatever she had saw wasn't going to get her today. Even if his dreams could go to her; he was here to protect her. He was having his own dreams. Things to watch out for; and prepare for. He knew his were real; and that his would be coming there way one day; not soon but one day. Her's were not. She was safe from her dreams; unlike he was his. "You should not fear." He knew thinking on it would drive her mind; as thinking on his would do to him. "You should look for something that would be a gift to you."

[isadora]

"I know," she replied when he reminded her that her dreams were not real; not in the same way that his were. "I was just...surprised." She reasoned, it wasn't as though she remembered this exact forge from anything besides her dreams, although she supposed that she must have seen it before, otherwise how could she have pictured it so...accurately? "I didn't expect to walk right into a scene from my nightmare. I'm not afraid." She went on, rationalizing her fear into the much more acceptable shock. She didn't want him to think she would get scared so easily.

She smiled when he reminded her that he wanted to get her a gift. It wasn't so much that she wanted anything from him, she had more than enough jewelry and trinkets as it was, but she was pleased that he wanted to do something to impress her. Anything she received from him would be a symbol of his desire to make her happy. She was glad he was here to distract her. "You're so good at distracting me."

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[Alistair]

The look she had worn was not one of surprise but one of fear; still he knew that there was nothing to fear here. Should something evil happen here then surely he'd have seen it in a dream. He'd not; he'd been dreaming of something else. Something darker. Alistair did not often share his dreams with her; knowing that magic unsettled her and if she knew dark thing in this world she would try to stop them all. The whole point to his dreams were that they did not change.

If you saw someone die; they died. If your dreamed stopped before the death; you had a chance. Everything he saw in his dreams always happened but he was able to either stop it from getting worse; or get others out of the path.

Since he was apparently good at distracting her; he ducked his head a bit to make them level; to make sure all fear was clearing from her face. Once satisfied; he stood up fully and reached out to touch her noise with one of his fingers. "Come; we find this gift and see about putting color in your cheeks." Meaning he was going to make her blush; very soon.