A Very Good Friend

Life, Relationship change

Fenneck comes home to Flottenheim and makes up with Alexei and they decide to hang out at the festival together. Afterwards they have sex and Fenneck finds out Alexei saw his thiramin who is the visiting princess Padma from Sivania. He and Jasna help them meet each other.

Fenneck walked into Alexei's tavern and saw Vyndius, Catherine, and Gwynsickle catching up at the bar. They hadn't been back to Flottenheim for a few years now. Alexei saw Fenneck approaching and smiled at him, "Hey! Where have you been?" Alexei asked him. Fenneck had taken his time in leaving the mountains. This whole year he had tried to avoid Flottenheim whenever possible. He was still upset about the political situation and the fact that his friends had hid it from him for so long. "Oh, just making sure Natalya was comfortable for the winter." He tried to play it off. Catherine and Vyndius shared a look with Alexei. Alexei continued for them, "How... is she?" He asked hesitantly. Fenneck knew they wanted gossip but he wasn't in the mood tonight. "She's fine. She's comfortable up there. We've helped quite a few families this year so it's going well. We fought a troll last month, that was fun." Fenneck enjoyed the boredom on their faces. "So how and where have you two been?" He asked Catherine and Vyndius. "We've been good." Catherine started, "We traveled around to a few different places." Vyndius let Gwynsickle finish his drink as he joined in. "We just arrived here after sailing from Schmain as a matter of fact," he said. "We found out they have a whole other kind of chromatic dragon over there. Yellow, which is apparently different from the gold ones we have here." Fenneck seemed intrigued by this. "Really? Did you get to actually see one?" he said, genuinely interested but hoping Vyndius wouldn't go on a whole spiel about it. Vyndius looked disappointed. "Well, no, not really. We saw drawings and paintings, but we didn't have any reason to go around looking for dragons," he said. "We weren't there for long, maybe a few months," Catherine added. "We were there mostly to find out about their government. We asked about and studied their techniques for manufacturing, farming, infrastructure, stuff like that to help improve Glitterfjell." They relayed their adventures for a while and after a few drinks Vyndius and Catherine shared a look. "Well," Vyndius said declaratively, "we'd love to catch up more, Fen, but Catherine and I are pretty tired so we're gonna get settled and rest for the night." He winked at Catherine in what Fenneck decided was the single least subtle action he had ever witnessed. Catherine sighed, rubbing her forehead, and Gwynsickle mimicked her with his flipper, equally embarrassed by Vyndius' lack of nuance. Alexei stifled a smile and Catherine shrugged as they left, leaving Alexei and Fenneck alone at the bar. They were quiet for a minute or two before Alexei asked, "Fenneck, look, I know you're still mad that..." He hesitated and Fenneck finished for him. "That you lied to me for two years about the fate of our country?" Alexei sighed and gave Fenneck a desperate look. Fenneck shrugged, "I came here because I don't want to be mad at you anymore. I'm still upset about the whole situation, though," he qualified. "I just feel left out. You all did this to me during the revolution, too, which I understand, but it still hurts, especially now." Fenneck explained. Alexei nodded, "I know. I hated it and told them not to, but Baegla insisted for... reasons. Reasons I'm sure she'll explain in time but... I knew you'd be upset. She didn't think there was a reason to include you other than to anger you." Fenneck shook his head, "How are you not upset?" He asked Alexei. Alexei frowned and shrugged. "Sure, we could possibly hold Pufuktin in another standoff on the Great Skyway... but wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to, Fen? Soldiers are people, after all. Lives to be lost." Fenneck opened his mouth but Alexei put up a hand to stop him from protesting. "I know you know this, but it bears repeating. The revolution was hard, Fenneck. People died. Baegla doesn't want to lose anyone else. This alliance with Thymryu will deter him... at least to an extent." Fenneck sighed and put his head in his hands. "What if we lose our freedom to this, though? Or what if Zeitdrache turns out to be evil? What then?" Alexei nodded and leaned on the bar, "Those are risks. Baegla weighed them. You have failed to realize, though, that they came to Baegla for guidance and economic expertise. They want our resources and our success. They have poor, struggling people too, and Baegla saw it as a way to help them." Fenneck sighed again, having a hard time coming up with a good counter-argument. Alexei reached out and squeezed his hand, "I know it sucks, but I think in the long run you'll start to see her reasoning. It's not fair of her to keep it from you, I agree. That was shitty." Fenneck squeezed Alexei's hand back and smiled softly at him. Alexei smiled, "How are you, though? I mean how are you really?" Fenneck shrugged. "I'm fine." Alexei gave him a stern look, "How is it going... with Natalya?" Fenneck looked into Alexei's brown eyes and sighed from guilt. He knew he should be up front about his feeling for her. He and Alexei had been trying to fix their relationship over the last couple years and keeping it from him was starting to get to Fenneck. "It's... good. Mostly. We're quite busy with the refugees and she's still... with him." Fenneck didn't hide his frustration from his voice and Alexei gave him a sympathetic look, "Is it... weird?" He asked. Fenneck shrugged and looked up at Alexei, "I need to get back out there, huh? To start dating again." Alexei chuckled, "You feel like you're finally ready for that?" Fenneck sighed, "I don't know. It's just confusing with her, though. I need to just fuck something and clear my head I think." Alexei laughed, "Oh, Fenneck. You're not exactly one-night-stand material." He teased him. Fenneck scoffed, "I can if I want to be! Tell you what, the festival is tomorrow. How about we go together and you be my wing man since you seem to know literally everybody in this town?" Alexei considered it for a moment. "Fine. But you have to listen to my advice! If I tell you someone is a no, you have to listen to me!" Fenneck held out his hand, "Deal!" Alexei shook it and looked Fenneck over. "It should be easy enough. The hard part will be finding someone who won't fall in love with you or try to trap you into a marriage." He commented. Fenneck waved his hands, "No one wants to marry me. I'm a weirdo who lives in the mountains with my ex-girlfriend who's sleeping with a KAV soldier in Lenisily." Alexei shrugged dramatically, "Or you're a prince who helps rescue people in Lenisily from Pufuktin's tyrannical rule and has been waiting to find his one true love for almost a hundred years after a tragic event took the love of your life away from you." "Which one?" Fenneck asked, confused. Alexei dropped his dramatic sales pitch, "Either. Your real life is too obscenely tragic for anyone to believe it actually happened twice, though." Fenneck chuckled. "I guess I'll find you in the morning. In the ballroom?" He asked Alexei as he got up from his stool. Alexei smiled, "I was going to come to your door with flowers, but sure, meeting in the ballroom is cool." He feigned disappointment. Fenneck rolled his eyes, "You're finding me a date remember? Not volunteering." Alexei winked playfully at him, "Oh, we'll see about that!" Fenneck scoffed at him, "I'll see you in the morning." He told Alexei before turning to leave. "Have a wonderful night, your highness!" Alexei teased him. Fenneck looked back and gave him a dirty look before leaving the bar and heading up to his room. The next morning he laid out his clothes and got into the bath. He wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to try and finally have sex again. He started to get quite nervous and when he had finished bathing he spent a good ten minutes looking over his naked body in the mirror. He seemed sexy enough but he was still scared. He had completely butchered his experiences with Natalya. He felt guilt rise up in him for wanting to sleep with someone other than her. He thought about her long, beautiful red hair cascading down her beautiful breasts and started to feel conflicted when he heard a knock at the door. "Shit." He grabbed a robe, threw it on and ran to the door. He opened it and saw Alexei there with a bouquet of flowers looking quite handsome in a nice dark blue dress tunic with his jet black locks loose around his face. He looked at Fenneck whose hair was still damp and had clearly just thrown his robe and gave him a dirty look, "Oh, come on! It's almost eleven already!" He said, annoyed at being held up. Fenneck looked at the flowers and back at Alexei's face to see if this was some kind of move. "It's for the bit!" Alexei said, shoving the beautiful bundle of orchids and lilies into Fenneck's chest and walking into his room. Fenneck studied the flowers for a second and closed the door. "You know orchids are my favorite." He said suspiciously. "What? I can't bring my lovely friend - and prince - a bouquet of flowers without it meaning something?" He said somewhat awkwardly as he plopped himself down at Fenneck's table, looking impatient. Fenneck grabbed a vase and put the flowers in the center of the table. He couldn't help himself from smiling at the gift and smelling the beautiful pink and white flowers. "Is that what you're wearing?" Alexei asked him judgingly. Fenneck scoffed at him, "Somebody's impatient today." He said, walking over to his clothes hanging outside his wardrobe. He took off his robe and felt Alexei's eyes watching him as he put his trousers on. It had been a very long time since they had seen each other naked and Fenneck wondered if Alexei still liked what he saw. Alexei sat forward in his chair and said "I'm just excited, is all. You're going to help find me a date too, you know." Fenneck turned and looked at him, "That wasn't part of the deal." He pointed out. "No, but I'm adding it. Why should you get to have all the fun?" Fenneck chuckled, "So are you looking for a night of fun or a life-long companion?" He asked Alexei. Alexei pursed his lips in thought. "Maybe something in between? I don't know, the whole idea of commitment still freaks me out a bit." Fenneck laughed softly at Alexei's indecisiveness. "I thought you were ready to meet your thiramin?" Fenneck asked him as he finished putting his clothes on. Alexei laughed, "Ha! No thank you. Not after your fiasco!" Fenneck frowned at Alexei's interpretation of his relationship with Natalya. "You know, I think it's making sense at least. I don't suppose we'll be together like that but... it is nice. Having her, I mean. We both want the same thing in life. You know, helping the refugees and whatnot." He started brushing his hair. "Yeah, but you hate each other." Alexei pointed out. Fenneck hesitated and caught Alexei's eye in his mirror. He tried to look away but Alexei saw it. "Oh, Fenneck. No!" He said, standing up and walking toward him. Fenneck stood and moved away. "Look, I can't help it, Lex. It's fine, I'm okay with it. It's enough to just... to help the people we're helping." "You love her?!" Alexei asked him in disbelief. Fenneck sighed, "Yes. Of course I do!" He admitted as if it were obvious. "Since when?!" Alexei asked him. "Since... the first refugees she found. She had given her ring that I made her to the young child and..." He felt himself growing flustered as he thought back on the memory. "She's so good, Alexei. She's sacrificed so much in her life to be able to help others. How could I not fall in love with her?" He asked Alexei desperately. Alexei started rubbing his head. "But she left you, Fenneck! She was heartless and cruel and-" Fenneck cut him off, passion creeping into his voice as he took a step forward. "She didn't want to hurt me, Lex! She loves Dimitri and I'm happy for her." Fenneck told him genuinely. Alexei shook his head is disbelief. Fenneck continued, "I want to move on, Lex. To get myself back out there. She's my thiramin, but I think I need to look somewhere else for love. I'm trying to get there, Alexei. I... I'm getting better." He met Alexei's eyes and Alexei nodded understandingly, "Okay, okay. But is that really what you're doing to your hair?" He asked, trying to move away from the subject of Natalya and Fenneck's depression. Fenneck looked at himself in the mirror. "What? I think it looks fine!" Fenneck said as Alexei shoved him toward his vanity. He plopped Fenneck down and pulled half of it back into a braid. "I thought you hated braiding hair?" Fenneck asked him. "I hate braiding my hair." He qualified. When he finally had Fenneck looking how he wanted him they headed down into the palace. They walked into the ballroom together and joined in the polka dances. Fenneck forced himself to loosen up a bit, without assistance from alcohol, and found he still had pretty good game. He danced with quite a few different elves he hadn't met before. For the first time in years Fenneck let himself enjoy the fun dancing and sounds of the balalaikas, accordions, and bards that filled the palace walls. By the time people where heading down into the mountain for the ceremony, Alexei appeared out of the crowd and dragged Fenneck into a corner, "Fenneck!" He exclaimed fearfully. "What's wrong?" Fenneck asked him before giving him a quizzical look. "Have you been drinking gin again? You know what that does to you." Alexei shook his head frantically, "No! I haven't been drinking." He looked like he had seen a ghost and Fenneck looked out into the crowd to see if anything looked suspicious, but everything seemed normal. "What's wrong?!" He asked Alexei again. Alexei looked up into Fenneck's eyes for a moment before kissing him passionately and pushing him out of the ballroom. They stumbled down a hallway. It was the same hallway Fenneck had stumbled into the first time he had been with Evelyn. He felt Alexei's hands reach under his tunic and start caressing him. Fenneck pulled away, "What are you doing?!" Fenneck asked him, freaked out by Alexei's sudden desire to jump in the hay together. "You want to do this, right?" Alexei asked him, "Just for fun. Just to get you back out there. It makes sense, Fenneck. One more time together." Alexei's eyes begged him desperately. "The ceremony starts soon!" Fenneck pointed out, realizing they should make their way down into the arena. "Then after. In your tower." Alexei said, determined to make this happen. Fenneck nodded and kissed Alexei back, pressing him against the wall. He felt excitement start to burn in his chest. He pulled himself off of Alexei and they went down to the arena together. They were careful not to touch each other around their friends. They shared an understanding look that this should be on the down-low, for now at least. They sat down next to each other and experienced the wonderful ceremony. Fenneck found it hard to focus, though. He hadn't been this excited in a very long time, even with Natalya next to him. It was easier to imagine being with Alexei. They had a history and it reminded Fenneck of a time when he was more carefree and fun. Alexei was one of the sexiest people he knew and he was excited to finally be with someone again. He felt ready. He cast a glance over at Alexei as they sang and saw the same nervous excitement in his eyes. As the ceremony ended, he squeezed Alexei's hand and Alexei pulled him toward the exit. They climbed up into the palace and into Fenneck's tower. The instant the door closed behind them they let themselves go entirely. When they finished, Alexei collapsed into Fenneck's blankets. The sun had been shining for hours at this point and they were both covered in sweat, among other things. Fenneck leaned down and kissed Alexei passionately before collapsing next to him. They caught their breath and Fenneck looked up at the ceiling. "I'm such an idiot." He said, softly laughing at himself. "Yes. Why this time?" Alexei teased him. Fenneck laughed, "That I've put this off for so long. Sex, I mean." Alexei chuckled, "How long has it been?" Fenneck sighed, "A hundred and twenty-seven years." Fenneck started laughing at his own ridiculousness. Alexei laughed with him. "It must be a world record, honestly." Alexei sighed and closed his eyes. "What's wrong?" Fenneck asked him. Alexei turned his head to look at Fenneck, "Is... is it weird... being with a woman?" He asked nervously. Fenneck cocked his head in confusion, "What do you mean? You haven't been with a woman before?" Fenneck asked, surprised. Alexei shook his head, "No. I haven't specifically avoided it... I just tend to go for men." He explained. He seemed upset about something. Fenneck sat up on his elbow, "Well, it's not too different. Less sticks and more holes, I guess." He said, trying to be funny. But Alexei didn't laugh. "What's wrong, Lex?" Fenneck said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Alexei finally met his eyes, "I felt it yesterday." He said, looking frightful, "With a woman, a high elf I think, across the ballroom. I don't know who she was and I freaked out and I... I ran to find you." Fenneck shook his head in surprise, "You mean thiramin?" He asked. Alexei nodded nervously. Fenneck sat up, "Why did you do this?" He asked Alexei, motioning to himself. Alexei sat up and shrugged guiltily. "I... I wanted to be with someone, one more time. Before the window closes. In case it does actually work out." He hesitated and shrugged, "I wanted to be with you. I wanted to be with you again. I thought we might try it... for real and then... then it happened and I freaked out." Fenneck collapsed back into the bed and sighed, "I'm truly cursed, aren't I?" He asked Alexei. Alexei shrugged sadly. "Look, I like you. You're not with your thiramin. Maybe we can be together and forget the stupid concept altogether." He suggested. Fenneck saw the portrait of his parents across his room and felt the tingling of Natalya's presence within him. He shook his head. "No, Lex. You have to find her. At least try it!" Alexei looked down at him sadly, "What if I'm not ready?" he said, fear filling his eyes. Fenneck sighed. "You don't have to be. You're supposed to take your time, anyway. We have to at least find out who she is!" He was curious as to who this woman was. "What did she look like? You didn't know her?" He asked Alexei. Alexei shook his head, "I know everyone in this mountain, Fen. I have never seen her before. She had long dark blond hair and purple eyes. She was wearing really weird clothes, though." He said. "What kind of clothes?" Fenneck asked. Alexei shrugged, struggling to find the best way to describe them. "I haven't seen anything like them here. Bright oranges and purples and silky fabrics. She was wearing a diadem and she had lots of gold and... like, ropes or something on her outfit. You could see her waist and she was wearing weird shoes with like, straps of rope on them." He described. "Was she pretty?" Fenneck asked. Alexei nodded, "Yeah, I guess so." He looked conflicted. "I don't know what to do, Fen!" Suddenly they were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Who the hell?" Fenneck stood up and Alexei buried himself under the blankets to hide as Fenneck wrapped a robe around himself. He opened the door and saw Lev. "Good morning your highness!" He said excitedly before giving Fenneck a formal bow. "I told you to stop calling me that." Fenneck told him, exasperated. Lev shrugged. "Sorry, her grace demands it. Speaking of her grace..." Fenneck flinched at the titles, knowing Baegla told Lev to use them exclusively in Fenneck's presence to irritate him. "She would like you to come to lunch this afternoon to meet the Duke of Sivania. He's visiting for the festival!" He said, a little too excitedly for Fenneck's tastes. Fenneck groaned, "Okay, I'll get dressed and head down." "Great! Have a wonderful day, your highness!" He said, much to Fenneck's annoyance. He bowed again and skipped off down the stairs. Fenneck closed the door and rolled his eyes. "Why couldn't it have been Lev?" Alexei said sadly, still buried in the sheets. "He's so cute and fun!" he said, throwing a pillow in the air. Fenneck groaned. "I have to do this... thing. I do want to help you find this woman, though." He told Alexei, who was finally up and getting dressed. "Please don't. I'm going to go hide in my bar and hope that I never see her again." He said, trying to fix his matted hair in Fenneck's mirror. "Look, thiramin worked for my parents." Fenneck pointed out. Alexei huffed, frustrated with his hair. "Yeah, but they were just perfect. You and I are shitshows," he argued. Fenneck laughed, "Perhaps. Just... don't base your opinion of it on me and Natalya. Naertho and Ayred felt it too, remember?" Alexei smiled, "Honestly, one of the cutest love stories." He agreed. Fenneck nodded, "Indeed." He gently shoved Alexei out from in front of the vanity. "Move, I have to go meet royalty." He stuck his tongue out in disgust and Alexei laughed at him as he went around to stand behind the chair, still trying to fix his hair. "I'm sure it will be plenty boring. He's the duke of... what was it?" Fenneck rolled his eyes. "Sivania. It's one of the other fiefdoms. Have you not done your research into our new country?" Fenneck scolded him playfully. Alexei shrugged, "I actually work all day, unlike you, sitting around playing chess in the mountains all day." Fenneck turned around, feigning offense. "We don't just play chess. Sometimes we read. I've been teaching Natalya Giant." Fenneck said in his defense. Alexei groaned, half at Fenneck and half at his tangled hair. "That's the most boring thing I've ever heard. No wonder she hasn't slept with you." Alexei teased him. "Oh, ha-ha! You're hilarious." Fenneck said sarcastically. He stood up and took Alexei in his arms, "As soon as this boring meeting is over, I will come find you and we'll figure out who your mysterious thiramin is." Alexei put his hand around Fenneck's neck, "I wish it was you." He said lovingly. Fenneck sighed and thought about all the times he had said that to Erikur. "Tell you what. Promise me that you'll meet her, for her sake. If after that you still don't want to pursue it," He pulled Alexei into his chest romantically, "then we can decide if we want to take control of our own fate." His breath teased Alexei's lips before pulling him into a long, passionate kiss. They finally pulled away from each other and Fenneck led them out of his room. When they entered the palace, Alexei headed down back to his bar and Fenneck made his way to the dining room. He opened the huge mahogany double doors and saw her. She was exactly how Alexei had described her and she stood next to two other sun elves who were also wearing bright warm colors and dripping in gold. They were huge and strong looking, especially the male. He looked like an actual gladiator. The elf next to him who Fenneck assumed was his wife had long black hair and also seemed quite physically intimidating. Unless Naertho was in the room, Fenneck was used to being the tallest one around but he felt miniscule compared to this family. They were gathered around Baegla, Jasna and a few other court members. Baegla called Fenneck over when she saw him enter. He couldn't help but crack a smile at how Baegla looked even tinier than normal next to these massive elves. Baegla levitated up to about Fenneck's height, not even bothering to try reaching up to them. She gestured to Fenneck, introducing him to the sun elves. "Your grace, this is Prince Fenneck Frostears." she said formally. "He was quite instrumental in the revolution. Fenneck dear, this is Duke Rajyet Gaddafi of Sivania, his wife, Duchess Neferu and their daughter, Princess Padma." She gestured to each elf as she said their name, and they smiled and bowed their heads elegantly to Fenneck. He matched their regality as best he could. "It's wonderful to meet you, your graces." he said, bowing politely and subtly studying Padma. She fit Alexei's description perfectly. The tailor in Fenneck couldn't help but admire their garments. He had to keep himself from staring as he took in the finesse used to craft such fine silks. "The pleasure is all ours, your highness." Rajyet bowed to him again as he spoke, his voice as luscious as his attire. He stood at least a full head taller than Fenneck, with his perfect posture conveying regality the likes of which Fenneck hadn't seen even in King Zeitdrache. "Shall we eat?!" Baegla asked excitedly, floating down to her seat and beckoning everyone to the table. Fenneck casually sat down next to Padma, cutting Jasna off as if playing musical chairs, much to her annoyance. "Are you finding Flottenheim to your liking?" He asked her. She looked him over cautiously, "I am. Your way of life is quite fascinating." She said evenly. Fenneck smiled. "I imagine it's quite different from Sivania, especially the weather." He said as they started fixing plates and pouring the wine. "Indeed." She said politely. "Do you find one setting preferable to the other?" He asked her. She glanced over at her father who was busy speaking with Baegla before turning to Fenneck and smiling, "I quite enjoy my home, but it is nice to have a change of scenery. It's an easy trip from here to Sivania, you know. We take the ferry to Ringstadt, and from there we travel the rest of the journey on the Great Skyway." "Indeed." He said, excited that she was willing to talk more. "One of my favorite hobbies is cartography, so I've studied tons of maps of Thymryu and other fascinating places in the world." He told her. "Do you travel a lot, your highness?" She asked him curiously. He shrugged. "Of a sort. I do more exploring in the mountains to the northwest of here. I haven't really left Glitterfjell." He said, finding himself a little sad at the realization. "Do you travel frequently, your highness?" He asked her, making sure he remembered the correct way to address her. She nodded, "We travel extensively throughout Thymryu. I quite enjoy Brindellis, especially during the arts festival. They import some of the best liquors and treats from Schmain." Liquor, Fenneck thought. There was at least one thing she and Alexei had in common. He continued as they all began eating. "Before the revolution, I was a tailor and we would sometimes get the most beautiful shipments of fabrics from Schmain." He said. She smiled whimsically as he spoke. "It must have been quite something." she remarked. "The revolution, I mean. And for your life to change so dramatically afterward! I've been a princess my entire life, so it's intriguing to see someone move up in rank in such a way, going from a tailor to a prince." Fenneck found this observation odd and reminiscent of his time with Evelyn. "Well, personally I don't enjoy the titles so much... I think we should move past monarchical systems and try to implement a more... people-friendly system of government." He decided to try and find out her political views, just in case she was crazy and he could tell Alexei not to make a horrible mistake. He noticed her eyes light up a bit as he brought up this subject. "Like what?" she asked curiously. He shrugged and cast a glance over at Baegla to make sure she wasn't listening, "Like an election system. Personally, I would prefer to give the people more power. The chance to choose." She smiled at him mischievously, "You don't know much about Sivania, do you?" She asked. He cocked his head at her, "I suppose not." He admitted. She smiled, "We use just such an election system for electing our duke. It so happens that the people adore my father and have consistently re-elected him for a couple hundred years now. Everyone else in his court is also elected, and it has served the fiefdom quite well." He was surprised by this. "Really? What about partisan fighting and rigged elections and things of that sort?" He asked her. She shrugged, "We haven't really had a problem with it. My parents were famous, you see. In Sivania we have a giant arena called a colosseum where we host gladiator fights. My father is one of the most famous and strongest of the fighters. My mother is second only to him - and by a razor-thin margin, I might add." She bragged. Fenneck turned to her, fully engaged now, "Are you a fighter too, then?" She shrugged teasingly, clearly trying not to brag, "I dabble." He chuckled, "What's your weapon of choice?" He asked her. "Guess?" She toyed with him. Fenneck looked her over, "You seem dexterous, I'm going to say... a spear?" He guessed. She smiled, "Sword and shield." She answered, seeming proud of herself. "My father fights with a spear, though. You should visit sometime and watch a match or two. I'd suggest you compete but," She gave him a glance over, "it might not be your cup of tea." He feigned offense, "I'll have you know that just last month I took down a giant frost troll in the mountains." She looked over with a twinkle in her eye. "I can beat that. I killed three giant Naga snakes last week on a stroll to visit our local brass dragon, Ukris, for a friendly chat over tea." Fenneck smiled at her competitive spirit. "You're friends with a dragon?" He asked her, intrigued. "I am. He's quite friendly. If you're ever in Sivania he'd love to meet you." She smiled at Fenneck as she took a sip of her wine. "Guess I'll have to plan a trip." He said, also taking a sip of wine. He suddenly felt her hand on his lap and he choked on his wine. "What are you doing?" He whispered to her in surprise. She looked up at him, as if her intentions were obvious. "What? Did Baegla not arrange this?" She said quietly. "Arrange what?" He asked her, bewildered. "My father said that there was an eligible suitor here for me. I assumed it was you, being a high elf prince and... I... I thought we were getting along quite well." She said seductively. Fenneck looked at her in shock. He considered the situation for a moment before leaning in to her ear, "Follow me! Don't make it look conspicuous though." He stood up, wiping his hands and mouth before addressing the table. "Please excuse me for a moment." He said before leaving the dining room. He walked out into the hall and paced for a few moments. A few minutes later Padma joined him. He motioned for her to follow him and he led her down the hall and into his staircase and closed the door. All the formalities left the both of them as Fenneck whipped around to look at her. "How dare you!?" He accused her. "What?!" She said, clearly startled and offended by his attitude. "You met your thiramin yesterday!" He watched her face look at him in horror. "How do you know that?!" She said, clearly uncomfortable. "He's my best friend!" He exclaimed. She put her hand to her mouth in shock. "Oh no no no!" She said before sitting down on the staircase with her head in her hands. "What?" He suddenly grew cold at the possibility that she didn't reciprocate thiramin. "You did... feel it, didn't you?" He asked her, growing concerned. She nodded, "Wood elf, right? With black hair and..." She trailed off in distress. "What? Is he not your type?" Fenneck asked her. She looked up at Fenneck and looked into his eyes for a long moment before shrugging sadly, "He... he ran when it happened." Fenneck saw her face flood with sadness and fear. He sat down next to her, "He's... a bit scared." Fenneck admitted to her. "But he's quite wonderful." He felt conflicted about how to go about this, "Look, I don't want to deceive you or anything. Last night, after it happened... he freaked out. He slept with me..." She looked at Fenneck with an even more hurt and confused look and he tried to save the situation, "but that's a whole complicated thing in and of itself." Fenneck said, getting flustered as he continued, "He was scared because he's never been with a woman and he's never been one to settle down before. He's a bartender, in the mountain. He... I think that if you two meet each other, it might help." He suggested, trying to recover from his fumble. "He's a bartender?" She asked, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. Fenneck sighed, "Yes." He admitted. "Only because he loves it, though! He was our best source of information during the revolution. He really coordinated the entire thing. He's quite smart and Baegla has tried to give him a court position many times but he always refuses her. He likes getting to know people though..." Fenneck suddenly had a wonderful idea. "You like games, right?" He asked her. She gave him a weird look, "What?" Fenneck waved his hand as if that were a dumb thing to ask. "What if you did meet him, but he didn't know it was you?" He felt excited as the idea fell into place. "You could just get to know him and see if there's a spark or not. Jasna can make you look different and he'd never suspect otherwise. If there's no spark, you can leave and I'll never tell him who you were, but if not..." He suggested, his green eyes begging her to give Alexei a chance. She considered this carefully. "I guess it would help us get past the awkward stage..." She said hesitantly. "He is cute..." She mused, smiling a bit. Fenneck smiled with relief, "He's one of the best elves I've ever met." He tried to assure her. She still looked conflicted. Fenneck gently reached out and took her hand. "I know it's weird. Thiramin, I mean." He said, understanding the complexity of such an emotionally turbulent experience. "Just be glad you aren't in my situation." He said half-joking as he thought about how uncomfortable and weird he and Natalya's first moments were. She looked up at him and squeezed his hand as if to say thank you. "Okay." She agreed. "When?" She asked him. "Are you free tonight?" He asked her, becoming excited. She nodded. "Great. We'll still have to get Jasna on board, though." He said, trying to decide how to go about that. "He won't be upset, will he?" She asked Fenneck, worried about offending Alexei. Fenneck shrugged, "Honestly, he lies to me all the time so I think it's fair to get back at him for once." He said half-jokingly. Padma smiled and giggled a little. As if on cue, Jasna burst into the staircase. She looked down in surprise to see them sitting and talking, instead of what she had clearly assumed was them running off to have sex together. "What's going on?!" She asked them. Fenneck waved her over and she closed the door behind her. "I was about to come find you." Fenneck told her. Her mood shifted very quickly and she became excited. "Oh my god, is this actually happening?!" She said looking seductively at Fenneck and Padma. "Fenneck, you crazy bastard! I swear you've been holding out on me all this time-" Fenneck interrupted her fantasy. "Padma is Alexei's thiramin." He told her. Jasna stopped in shock, processed the situation for a moment and then squealed with excitement. "Hush!" Fenneck told her. Jasna started bouncing on her heels. "Oh my goodness! When did you meet?!" She asked Padma excitedly clenching her fist to her heart in admiration of such a match. "Well, we didn't." Padma said hesitantly, clearly taken off guard by Jasna's excitement. "We saw each other across the ballroom last night and..." Padma looked at Fenneck for help. "And Alexei freaked out and slept with me last night." "What?!" Jasna exclaimed even more excited by the juicy gossip that Fenneck's sex life had risen from the grave. Fenneck ignored her. "He didn't tell me about you until we were done, though." He added to Padma so he wouldn't seem like a guilty party. He turned to Jasna who looked like she was about to explode from excitement. "She wants to meet him." He told her. "In disguise. Just to see if there's a spark there or not." He explained. Jasna squealed again, "Oh my gods! Okay! I'm in! Oh Alexei is so cute and sexy and oh your babies will be so cute!" She said jumping up and down in the stairwell. "Don't get ahead of yourself, they just want to meet." He told her, trying not to get her hopes up. "Okay okay." She took a deep breath to calm down. She continued to bounce on her toes though. "When are we doing this?" She asked, seeming ready to run down to Alexei's bar at that very moment. "Tonight. We can meet here." Fenneck decided. "Okay!" She waved her fists around excitedly. "The spell I can use will only last an hour though so be ready to get out of there if you don't want him to find out. Fenneck, try to scout out the bar ahead of time so we don't send her in when he's super busy." "Of course." He replied. He turned to Padma, "Are you still in?" He asked her, trying to make sure she was still comfortable with the idea. She nodded and gave Fenneck a small smile. "Great, come here when you're ready to head down." He told her. "I suppose we should filter back to the dining hall?" He asked Jasna who had a sudden look of realization on her face, "Oh yeah! Baegla sent me to look for you." Fenneck rolled his eyes at Jasna's silliness and headed out alone. They eventually all made their way back into the room and feasted for a while longer. Eventually everyone retired to their rooms and Fenneck meditated as he waited for Padma to arrive. Once she and Jasna got to their rendezvous point, Fenneck headed out in front of them. He made it to Alexei's tavern and looked around to see a full table of halflings in the corner drinking and chatting very loudly. The bar itself was empty though. Alexei saw him and waved him over, "Hey! How was your meeting with the duke, your royal highness?" He teased Fenneck. Fenneck walked over, "It was... interesting." He said thoughtfully. At that moment, two elven women walked into the bar which Fenneck understood was Jasna and Padma in disguise. Alexei looked at them in surprise, used to recognizing everyone that comes into the bar. "Oh I like this place, it's cute and quiet." Padma said, pretending to be a tourist. Jasna chipped in and playfully elbowed her new friend, "So is the bartender." Padma giggled and met eyes with Alexei who smiled and welcomed them, "Welcome! You two aren't from around here, are you?" He asked them. Fenneck sat down at one end of the bar as Jasna and Padma took the other. Jasna answered, "No, we're visiting from Sivania. I'm sure you've heard our duke is visiting as well?" Alexei nodded and waved over to Fenneck, "My friend here was lucky enough to dine with him this afternoon." Jasna looked over at Fenneck and batted her eyes. Alexei waved him over, "I'm sure his highness would love to grace the presence of two beautiful elves such as yourselves." Alexei said, trying to talk Fenneck up. Fenneck found this behavior a bit odd considering their intimate morning together. Fenneck stood and waved him off, "Oh please, there's no need to be formal here." He assured Alexei. "This is his highness Prince Fenneck Frostears." Alexei introduced him, clearly trying to help Fenneck's game. Fenneck sat down next to Jasna who took the opportunity to force Alexei to interact with Padma, "Well hello, your highness." She batted her eyes at Fenneck and Fenneck turned on the stool to face her. "Well are you going to get these lovely ladies some drinks or not?" Fenneck asked Alexei, looking into Jasna's now blue eyes. Alexei smiled, "What will you be drinking tonight?" He asked them, casually throwing a rag over his shoulder in the sexiest way imaginable. "I'll have a vodka on the rocks. Oh! And make sure there's a little cherry in it!" Jasna answered giving Fenneck a coy smile. "Can I get a single of your best scotch?" Padma asked Alexei innocently. Alexei smiled and gave her an intrigued look, "Of course." Jasna started chatting with Fenneck who found himself enjoying their silly little game of pretend flirting. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Alexei and Padma started talking intensely about many different topics. Fenneck had never seen Alexei so engaged before and smiled when he noticed Alexei's flirting behavior. It was working. It was getting close to the hour and neither Jasna nor Fenneck wanted to interrupt them. Fenneck caught Alexei's eye though and saw Alexei glance at the women and then back to Fenneck. Alexei smiled at him coyly before turning back to Padma, "Would you like to come talk in my room? Privately? It seems as though Jasna and Fenneck could use a room to themselves as well." He said, seeing through their spell. Padma smiled and nodded shyly as the spell dispersed. Alexei smiled at her, "You're even more beautiful as yourself." He told her before gently taking her hand and leading her into his room. On the way, he gave Fenneck a small, sad smile. Fenneck smiled at the happy couple and Jasna squeezed his hand excitedly as the door closed. Fenneck dragged her out of the bar and into the street where she danced around in joy and gave Fenneck a giant huge. "Oh my goodness! Did you see how happy they were? Oh they were getting along so well!" She grabbed Fenneck's hands and spun him around excitedly before stopping abruptly as her eyes filled with tears. "Oh I wish I could have that." Fenneck was taken aback by her behavior and he pulled her close to him. "What's wrong, Jasna?" He asked her softly, prompting her to look up at him. "It's nothing." She tried to wave him off but she couldn't keep the pain and sadness from her face. "Jas..." He begged her softly as he wiped a tear from her cheek. She met his eyes and squeezed his hands, "Fenneck... I'll never... have... thiramin." She said. "I don't understand?" He asked her, confused. "The curse, my family, I... I went to Corellon and he promised to keep me safe from Mephistopheles, but he said I could never experience thiramin or bear elvish children in return." She explained, wiping her tears from her eyes. Fenneck pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her head, "I'm so sorry Jasna." He said, caressing her hair. "I'm so sorry." She squeezed him tightly. Suddenly her anger at him for treating Natalya the way he had made sense. He realized how sad Jasna really was underneath her bubbly exterior and crazy nights with random strangers. She had lost even more than he had during the revolution. She had lost her entire family and any promise of a lasting elvish relationship or children who would outlive her. He squeezed her tightly and nuzzled her affectionately. "I'm sorry." She said, finally pulling away and collecting herself. He gave her an understanding look. She shrugged her tears away and sighed, relieved. "I should have told you a long time ago, Fen." He took her hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for telling me at all." He shook his head in shame. "I often forget how much you lost to it all as well. You've somehow handled yourself better than I have over the years though." He said smiling at her. She shook her head, "I'm just as broken as you are Fenneck." She said sadly before shaking away the last of her sadness. "But hey, you and Alexei really slept together? Like you actually had sex again? Gods Fen, how long has it been? Did you forget where to put it?" She teased him lovingly. He rolled his eyes at her and they started walking up to the palace. "We did." He said, unable to keep himself from smiling, "It was... liberating." He said thoughtfully. She smiled, "I'm glad. You've grown so much in these last few years." She said wistfully. She hesitated a brief moment before looking up at Fenneck. "How is it going with Natalya?" She asked him as they got onto the lift. "She's good. She is still with Dimitri and I'm happy for her. She... " He stopped and sighed at the automatic response he was used to telling people and shook his head, "I'm in love with her, Jasna." He admitted painfully. She squeezed his hand and shook her head despairingly, "I'm so sorry, Fen. Maybe we're both cursed." She half-joked. He leaned into her playfully, "Perhaps we are." He said in agreeance. They got off and Fenneck walked her to her room, "What a day." He mused. "Do you think Alexei likes her?" She asked him, still worried something might have gone wrong. Fenneck smiled, "I do. They clicked." He said thoughtfully, "I wish Natalya and I would have started off like that." He said sadly. Jasna squeezed his hand, "It probably would have helped." She agreed. After a moment, she looked up at him, "Fenneck?" She asked. "Yes?" He turned to her. "Thank you. For always being a good friend. I lost a lot during the revolution but I gained a lot too. You've been like a brother to me, well, better than my experience with a brother because mine was literally possessed by a devil," she tried to laugh at the unfortunateness that was her family situation, "but you're what I imagine a brother should be. You loved my sister so purely and were one of the only good things in her short life." She tried to fight the tears that brimmed her eyes, "Thank you for being my family all these years. I know we fight... a lot... but I am so grateful for you." He squeezed her hands and pulled her into his arms. "I love you so much Jasna. I'm grateful, too." He kissed her forehead and held her out so he could look into her face. "It's nice having a big sister. I always hated growing up without siblings. I thought it was grossly unfair that Erikur had one and I didn't." He said jokingly to lighten the mood. Jasna smiled up at him, "Goodnight Fenneck." He kissed her forehead again, "Goodnight Jasna." Jasna gave him a soft smile before disappearing into her room and Fenneck went up to his tower feeling happier than he had in many years.