To her relief, the king smiled warmly at her. He nodded towards the garden as he picked up the delicate tea cup sitting in front of him, "This room was renovated by my late wife, Rose. Before she got hold of it, it was quite stern and gloomy. She had a knack for brightening a place up, even if she did adore fripperies a bit much for my taste."
He sipped at the tea, a nostalgic expression on his face. If Alyssa had to guess, she would've wagered money on that particular teacup having been personally selected by the late queen. Grateful that he hadn't commented on her blunder, she said softly, "She had exquisite taste. This room is restful, a perfect place to start or end a day."
Rowan nodded, his expression softer than she'd ever seen before, "Yeah, mother had a way of making a room welcoming, of putting people at ease. It's a talent that we've sorely missed since she's been gone, the way that she softened our rough edges."
Alyssa blinked, unsure what to do with such unexpected vulnerability on Rowan's part. There had been a wistful warmth in his voice, a distant ache of loss underlying his words. Even the king's mouth twisted into a sad smile at his words, although his eyes remained warm. Unable to find the right words but not wanting to leave him hurting, she reached out and tentatively covered his hand with hers as she met his eyes, trying to ask him wordlessly if he was all right.
He smiled gently at her, picking up her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it, "It's all right, Lyssa. Even though she's gone, her presence is all around us and we take comfort in the fact. So don't worry about offending us by asking questions about the palace or about her, we don't mind, I promise you."
Airell chuckled, "He speaks the truth, Lady Alyssa. While Rowan and I butt heads more often than not, he has Rose's temper and my stubbornness, Rose is the one thing that we share without regret. So, you don't have to watch your every word about her."
Alyssa raised an eyebrow at Rowan and murmured, "You have a temper?"
He finally released her hand to rub the back of his neck guiltily, "Did my actions last night not indicate that?" He glanced at his father, "Although, don't let Father fool you, he has a temper as well."
Alyssa shrugged, although she was smiling, "Last night was rather unusual, I'm not planning on using that as an indicator of how things might usually be."
Something occurred to her and she turned to the king, "And please, Your Majesty, just call me Alyssa. There is no need to be so formal."
He shook his head, "I don't want you or the court to think that I don't properly value your presence here at the palace. As a monarch, one has to be careful of their every action."
She took a bite so that she could take a minute to think her words over before she replied. Rowan also turned his attention to his plate, willing to let them handle the matter between themselves. The silence for the next few minutes was heavy but surprisingly, not awkward like she half expected. Finally, she spoke, "Be that as it may, Rowan is my mate, no matter how things end up between us. Since we are in a sense, family, I would prefer not to stand on ceremony all the time. So, if it's all right with you, when it's just us, I would prefer if you would simply use my name. I agree that you both have greater knowledge of the court and how it runs than I do, so I won't insist upon it in public, but it must be tiresome to be a king or a prince, a leader, at all times. I would prefer if we could rest and just be ourselves when we're not in the public eye."
Rowan's expression had warmed and eased when she had acknowledged him as her mate, although it had quickly turned to surprise at her use of the word 'family'. But she had grown up in a close-knit family and if she was reading things right, Queen Rose had done her best to be the peacemaker between the king and Rowan. If she were to truly become part of the royal family, she'd prefer to be able to relax when she was not in the public eye. Otherwise, this pairing would truly not work if she was expected to act like a royal all the time.
King Airell's expression was surprised as well. He studied her for several moments before saying, "I must say that you are quite, unusual, milady."
She took a sip of her tea, her mouth had gone dry from nerves at her audacity, before smiling and replying, "My family is a close-knit one, Your Majesty. There is a certain amount of informality that I'm used to. My parents would often discuss matters dealing with the running of Anaria over meals with us children. So while I understand the need for leadership and everyone having their own roles, I was also raised knowing that when it was just family, that we could relax and be ourselves. I hope that I haven't offended you with my bluntness about this matter."
He shook his head, his smile reappearing even as he looked like he was secretly enjoying something. "Not at all, I think that your parents have done an excellent job of raising such a fine young woman. I intend to inform them of this fact when I write them as well."
She felt her face warm at the unexpected compliment. "Thank you for your kind words. If you'd like, I could take the letter when I return home."
Rowan scowled at this, his fork held in a death grip in his hand. Airell glanced back and forth between them uncertainly before venturing, "You're leaving already? I had thought..." His words trailed off as he seemed to be trying to read what was going on from their body language.
Tapping Rowan's hand lightly in a wordless command for him to ease his grip, she answered easily, "I'll be returning home in three days for a few days while I gather my belongings and inform my parents as to what happened. I'll also have to make arrangements for my duties at Anaria to be overseen by others, I had not planned on being chosen and thus I only made short-term plans. It will take a week, two at the outside, and then I shall return to the palace so that our courtship can resume."
The tension in the room dropped as the men seemed to realize that she wasn't fleeing the palace and planning to never return. Rowan finally set down his fork and offered, "If you can delay your departure by a day, I would be able to accompany you and properly introduce myself to your parents. After I finish up these last negotiations, there should be nothing immediately pressing and I would be able to stay until you wish to return to the palace."
She nibbled absently at her lip, turning logistics over in her mind. There was a chance if she delayed an extra day that the news of her mate bond would reach Anaria and her parents before she was able to inform them herself. However, the fact that she would be accompanied by her mate would probably counterbalance the fact that she wouldn't be able to inform them of the bond herself. Not to mention, seeing how Rowan behaved away from the palace and when he saw her home would help her to better understand him as well.
Offering him a shy smile, she asked, "Are you sure that it won't disrupt your schedule? I'm sure that you have many important duties to oversee."
His face brightened at that and he shook his head, "Not at all. After I finish this last set of negotiations, then the rest of the trade talks can wait until I return. The rest of it my second can handle in my absence. Not to mention that Father will be here if there is anything of immediate urgency."
She nodded, "Then I will delay my departure, I look forward to your company on the visit." Her curiosity spiked and she couldn't resist asking, "What are you negotiating?"
She wondered if she had overstepped her bounds and he would brush her question aside. But he answered immediately, "The Sanduin want to renegotiate the prices for their spices and textiles, many of the prices increasing by ten percent or more." He sighed. "I just can't understand why they suddenly need to renegotiate immediately after nearly a decade of peaceful trading."
She traced the pattern on her teacup with the tip of her finger, her forehead furrowing as she turned the matter over, "Well, it only makes sense after all. After all, it's currently the season of winds. However, their country has been dealing with a drought for the past two years. Because of this, there have been more sandstorms and some of their more desperate people have turned to banditry as their farms dry up in order to feed their people. Because of this, the trade routes have become more treacherous as they try to raid the caravans for supplies, causing the caravans to have to hire extra guards. Not to mention that the costs of basic supplies have nearly doubled because of the drought. Yes, it's no surprise that they're trying to renegotiate so that they can feed their people until the rains come again. Which, if the cycle holds true to past patterns, will be in about eighteen months, give or take a few weeks."
Disbelief and amazement warred in his voice as Rowan asked, "And how do you know all that, Lyssa?"
She shook her head, "If you're worried that someone leaked your business to the candidates, you needn't. I oversee the trading in Anaria and the Sanduin are one of our most reliable merchants, so I made sure to study up on their history and culture in order to better negotiate with them, nothing more than that. I can tell you what I know about them if you'd like." She hesitated and looked down at her plate, feeling suddenly foolish and unsure, "Although I'm sure that you already knew all of this. I know that the palace archives are second to none and that there are many learned scholars here."
Rowan reached over and gently lifted her chin so that their eyes could meet, "Yes, there are many renowned scholars here. But they've been studying for so long that they've often forgotten how the information affects the real world around them. You managed to sum up not only the issue behind the negotiation but also the underlying causes driving it. Any information that you're willing to share would be most appreciated."
Feeling the tiny knot of worry in her stomach dissolve under the approval in his gaze, she found herself smiling at him. "Very well, whenever you have some time, I'll go over the most relevant points or at least try to. I'm afraid that when I'm fascinated with a subject, I tend to go overboard and study everything that I can get my hands on about it. Or if your schedule is full, I can always write a report for you. I'm sure that our stroll and this breakfast are probably using up whatever free time you might have."
She couldn't resist adding the last part, a roundabout way of fishing for answers. Had he truly been too busy to go on a mate hunt? Or was he merely too lazy to exert himself to go find his mate on his own?
Rowan frowned, obviously deep in thought. Finally, he said firmly, "My schedule is busy today, but you are more important. And it was nice to visit the gardens, I don't get to spend nearly enough time outside as I'd like. Would you be willing to come to my office? I'll have them set up a desk that you can work at and we can discuss the matter in between my meetings. And once we return from seeing your family, we can get you an office of your own set up." He suddenly looked unsure, "Of course, only if you'd like an office. You needn't feel pressured into anything."
She felt her interest stir. Seems like her prince not only instinctively knew that she would want to keep working, but approved of her continuing if he was offering her her own workspace. It was definitely more tempting than being merely a decorative court piece. However, it would depend on what duties he offered her because if it was something like planning balls, she would go mad from boredom very quickly. But since he seemed to be willing to listen to her knowledge about the Sanduin, then perhaps she could continue with the traders and merchants.
Still, it wouldn't do to get ahead of herself. They'd only recognized the mate bond the day before, even if a lot had happened since the initial meeting. Best to ease into this whole situation slowly. Realizing that they were still waiting for her answer, she smiled at Rowan, "A desk in your office will be fine for now. Or I can work somewhere else if you need privacy for your meetings."
He shook his head, relief clear in his gaze, "No, it's only routine matters today, but necessary."
She nodded, "Then I look forward to our discussion."
She hurriedly turned her attention back to her rather neglected breakfast so that she wouldn't end up grinning like a fool. Talking about trading and goods was one of her favorite subjects. It would be interesting to see how Rowan thought about these matters, especially if they ended up courting.
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