"You want me to go to a party with you?" She didn't mean to sound so incredulous, she was just very suspicious of his motivations.
"It's more like a soirée," Egon insisted. She laughed at the distinction.
"So a party in fancy dress?" She teased.
"It's at the home of the eldest prince, if that changes anything. It's just dinner and some dancing." He was really trying to sell it to her.
"So I'd be your date?" She looked over to Evander, who put both his hands up, shrugged, and shook his head. "You are aware that I'm married."
"That's never gotten in my way before," he joked. She didn't find it appealing. Whether he was referencing her or other women, it was a little too crass for her taste.
"Yes, that's going to get you a date," she chastised.
"I'm sorry," he insisted, getting up from the dinner table and walking over to her. He got down on his knees beside her and held her hand. "Please, would you be my date to this party tomorrow night?"
"I'll think about it," she teased. She wasn't sure she wanted to go to something where she could potentially be recognized. Who knew what the royal family knew of her family, or who else was going to be in attendance?
"I think you should go," Van offered. "I think you deserve to have a little fun."
"You'll be here alone, though," she reminded him.
"Casper is coming back tomorrow, so not for long, if at all. Besides, you don't have to worry about me," Van insisted.
After dinner, Egon stayed in again and went to the courtyard for more practice. When it was time for her to go to bed, Evander walked her up the stairs to her door.
"Sleep well," he said, but before he could go, she grabbed his hand.
"Stay. At least for a while. I'm not tired quite yet. You're the one who said you wanted to spend more time together." She looked up at him earnestly.
"Okay." He smiled. She grabbed his other hand and pulled him into her room, then shut the door behind them.
"Great. Turn around so I can get ready for bed," She insisted and grabbed her robes from the wardrobe.
All she normally wore to bed was a shift, but if he was going to be there, she'd have to cover up. He obliged, going over to the window to look outside. She made sure she couldn't be seen in a reflection before untying her dress and pulling it up over her head. Then she quickly pulled the robe over her shift and tied it at the waist. She went over and joined Van at the window, which looked out over the courtyard. Egon was going through his poses again. Van seemed to be enraptured by it.
"Done," she said quietly, stopping to watch Egon herself. He looked at her and blushed.
"Wait, what am I going to wear?" He asked.
"Nothing," she joked. "I have another robe if that's enough for you."
"It is." She went to her wardrobe and pulled out the second robe for him and handed it to him before taking his spot at the window. More than once, Egon glanced up at her window, which made her wonder if he knew Evander was in her room. She didn't have to wonder for long because when Van joined her at the window, Egon took a glance up at them, a small smile on his face.
Van took her hand and pulled her away from the window to sit on the edge of the bed. They sat in silence for several moments as they both tried to decide what to talk about. Abusive fathers and dead mothers were all they currently knew about each other, and that didn't seem like a place to start.
"If you could be anything other than queen, what would you be?" He finally broke the silence.
"I'm not sure. I've never had a problem with my station. My problem has always been this dagger," she said, clutching her chest. "It takes away all my freedom. I've always felt stuck. This trip is the closest to free I've ever been. So I guess I'd be free."
"Me too. I mean, the 'free' part. Being incarcerated for 6 years only to be turned out with nothing and no prospects because of this, " he held out the brand that marked him as a criminal, "isn't really freedom."
"This is actually something that's been bothering me. Your mother, she died because you couldn't afford treatment, or you couldn't find the treatment?" What little of his story she had had been breaking her heart since she met him.
"A combination of both. Casper helped out whenever he was in port, but when he was gone, it was up to me to find work to pay the bills and buy food. My mother had taken a turn for the worse, so all our extra money had gone to a doctor. I had no choice but to steal the bread. She needed food." He looked solemn as he recounted the story.
"And you never made it home," she was so sad for him and his mother. He was just a kid and had so much on his plate.
"No… but Casper made it back the next day. He found out about my arrest from other people in the city. He ended up staying with her until she passed. Lost half his crew because they needed the work and there was none."
"I'm so sorry." She was tearing up for him. It felt so selfish. He was sitting there, staying composed while he talked about his greatest tragedy, and she was nearly sobbing. He put his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug.
"No more sad stuff." He squeezed her and used his fingers to tip her chin up to look at him. He smiled weakly and placed a kiss on her forehead. "No more tears."
She leaned up and kissed him gently on the mouth. It started as little kisses and began to grow deeper and more passionate gradually. He continued to hold her around her shoulder with one hand and by the chin with the other. She shifted on the bed so that she could comfortably lie back, and he followed her, never breaking their kiss. He carefully arranged himself over her on his hands and knees. The manufactured need caused by their bond was growing. She could feel it, but tried to push it aside. This wasn't about that. This was about two people who wanted each other. She wasn't going to let the bond push her or him into anything they weren't ready for.
His warm hand slipped into her robe. He gently cupped her breast over her shift. She could feel her nipple getting hard under his attention. He pinched it, rolling it gently between his fingers, and she let out a gasp between their lips. One of his knees found its way between her legs and pressed against her. She began to rub herself on it, determined to feel the same way she'd felt the night before with Egon. He pressed his body into her, making sure she could still rub herself on his thigh. His eager erection pressed against her belly.
She moved the way she had instinctively moved the night before, rocking her hips into him. He moved with her, still teasing her nipple with his fingers. He began kissing a nipping at her jaw and then her neck. The heat and pressure began to build low in her belly. She rubbed against him more urgently, and he happily obliged, pressing his hardness against her over and over. Moans escaped her lips unabashedly. She kind of hoped that Egon could hear her as she was pushed off the edge, warm vibrations exploding through her body. Evander seemed to ride the wave with her, letting out the most delectable moans she'd ever heard, not that she'd heard many.
They stayed pressed together for several moments, breathing into each other. It was Evander who carefully rearranged them so that they were on their sides facing one another. She smiled at him a little shyly, and he took her lips briefly. Then he just looked at her again.
"That wasn't too much?" He checked in. He was so ridiculously considerate.
"No. It was perfect."