Damien had taken a breather from the dance to stand a distance away and breathe in the fresh air. While it was calming, watching the squirrels play, he did have the errant thought that squirrels had it easy. No-one was trying to marry them off or plan their weddings for them. They didn't even have weddings. With a small frown, he shook himself out of this trail of thought. Clearly the mead had gone to his head, on top of spending the day listening to Leia talk about his wedding, and then the evening avoiding Saskia. Sparing the squirrels one last look, he turned to go back, and was surprised to see Eithne approaching. Then again, she knew him best, and could probably sense his mood.
Eithne was, sad to say, always attuned to where Damien was and how he was feeling so, when he left the dance, she waited for a few moments before following him. She was sure he hadn't interacted with Saskia at all this evening - which, if anyone else was paying attention, might raise an eyebrow. He seemed a little out of sorts so Eithne wanted to make sure he was ok. "Hey," she said with a smile as she approached. "Is everything peachy?" She wasn't sure why the humans used that turn of phrase but it made her laugh, so maybe it would cheer Damien up.
Damien wondered what it said about the situation that Eithne was the one who noticed and who came after him. Not his wife-to-be, not even his sister. He'd known he would marry Saskia since he was old enough to understand the concept. They'd never really seen eye-to-eye, but he'd thought they'd both grow up and grow closer together. Surely it would still happen? He supposed, if he was avoiding her, it never would. "Somewhere approaching plummy," he said, just to make her smile. "It's just..." He didn't even know how to explain it in a way she would understand. Only Saskia and he understood what it was like, having your whole life mapped out for you. And they'd never even spoken about it.
Leaning against a tree, Eithne had to smile at his response even if it didn't really answer the question. "It's just...?" She enquired gently, encouraging him to finish. The two of them had never really discussed Damien's apparent hesitance to marry Saskia - well, Eithne suspected he was hesitant. He didn't tend to open up to anyone about his feelings. Eithne wished he felt he could talk to her, but imagined that he believed it would be too overbearing, or that he should keep his emotions in check as a prince. Even if he didn't want to talk about it, though, she would still be there for him.
















