#;;aslan

@ashemarklion

the hall had grown louder as the evening stretched on.

music spilled from the musicians’ gallery above, bright and lively, though much of it was swallowed by the steady hum of conversation. cups of wine passed from hand to hand, servants weaving carefully through the crowd with trays of food. the banners of the reach hung around them, green and gold catching in the candlelight.

cerissa had been smiling for what felt like hours.

another lord stood before her now, speaking with polite enthusiasm about roads and trade and the promising prosperity of the region. she nodded where she was meant to nod, fingers loosely folded before her, though her attention had begun to wander long before he finished his second cup of wine.

it was always the same. the careful questions. the courteous interest that circled endlessly around her family, her lands, the fortune everyone knew came with her name.

her gaze drifted across the room even as she tried to stay focused on the conversation in front of her. that was when she noticed him.

aslan stood near one of the stone pillars at the edge of the hall, half removed from the swirl of the celebration. there was something familiar about the set of his shoulders, the quiet stillness of him amongst so much noise. cerissa had known him long enough to recognize the look even from across the room.

he was brooding about something. 

her attention snapped back just in time to hear the lord speaking to her pause expectantly, as if waiting for a response to something she had not heard. cerissa blinked once, then offered a soft, apologetic smile.

“forgive me, my lord” she said gently, lifting a hand toward her temple as if only just remembering something important. “i have just remembered i promised someone a word. i would hate to keep them waiting.”

before he could protest, she dipped her head politely and slipped away into the crowd. the moment she was free of him her shoulders loosened slightly. it took a little weaving between guests before she reached the quieter edge of the hall where aslan stood.

“hiding already?” cerissa said softly as she approached, the faintest hint of amusement in her voice.

she stepped beside him, folding her hands loosely before her as she glanced out toward the crowd he had been avoiding.

“i thought gatherings like this were meant to inspire hope for unity and friendship” she continued, tilting her head slightly toward him. “yet you look as though you have swallowed vinegar.”

her blue eyes flicked toward him then, warmer now.

“should i be worried?”