Throne of Glass Character Imagines!!

That night, you were again marveling at your reflection in the mirror once the servants had you dressed for dinner.  Tonight you wore a golden gown with embroidered lace down your arms, and a pair of heels so tall you thought you could see the top of a mountain while wearing them.  Normally you weren't one for heels, usually opting to wear comfortable flats or a small heel, but today you weren't given much choice.

Your feet burned as you were escorted through the halls, yet again by Chaol.  He said very little to you, and ignored your many attempts at a casual conversation.  If you were going to give this a real shot, then you were going to have to try and make friends.

Once you were outside the dining room, Chaol paused and turned to you.  A menacing look filled his eyes as he said, "That was quite a scene you made the other night."  His hand went to a sword on his belt, with a golden pommel of an eagle.  "I don't care who you are or what arrangements have been made for you.  If you lay a finger on Dorian or anybody in that dining room, I will take you down so fast you-"

"Thank you," Dorian's voice said from a short distance down the hall, and a moment later he was beside you.  "Thank you, Chaol, that will be all."  Dorian looked at you and smiled as he extended his arm, and you found yourself returning the grin and taking it.  He opened the door for you and led you into the dining room, over to his family's private table.

"y/n," Georgina said, looking at you with a smile.  "I'm so happy you finally decided to join us."

You smiled back at her.  "I'm so sorry Your Majesty for my behavior the other night, I was very tired from the long journey and still getting used to this whole arrangement."

She waved her gloved hand.  "Water under the bridge, darling."

Dorian pulled out a chair for you, and once you were seated he sat beside you.

"I'm so glad to see you two are getting along," Georgina said with a wide grin.  "Dorian, your father will be most pleased."

Dorian smiled at her, then turned his attention to you.  "y/n, tell me about Wendlyn."

You took a deep breath.  "It's beautiful, truly." A smile graced your lips as you recalled your home, the beautiful Castle gardens and the healthy green foliage of all the cities you'd visited throughout your lifetime.  "Of course I've never spent too much time out of Varese, but everything is so very green.  Grass, trees, flowers, the soil is so healthy and it makes for a truly beautiful scenery."

"That sounds amazing," Georgina said.  "Tell me, y/n, are you finding our Castle similar to yours?"

You nodded your head.  "Very much so." A plate of food was placed before you, and a cover was lifted off of it to reveal your dinner.  

"Have you seen the gardens here?" Dorian asked you.  When you shook your head, he smiled and said, "Perhaps we could take a stroll after dinner, I can show you them."

This actually wasn't going as awfully as you thought it was going to.  The idea of going for a walk with Dorian actually sounded quite nice, so you nodded your head and said, "I'd like that very much."

You ate your dinner with the Havilliards, making polite conversation and actually semi-enjoying yourself.  Once you were finished, Dorian stood and held out his arm to you.

"Milady," he said, causing you to giggle as you stood and took his arm.  He led you out of thee dining room and, yet again, you could feel every pair of eyes on you.  But for an entirely different reason this time.  

"That was very nice," you said to Dorian once you were away from the dining hall.  "I quite enjoyed it."

He smiled.  "I'm glad."  He opened a door for you, and you were outside in the gardens.  They had all different types of flowers growing there, all different shapes and colors and sizes.  

You marveled at the flowers and let out a content sigh.  "This is so similar to the garden back home, yet so different."

Dorian reached into the flowers and pulled out a beautiful yellow and pink plumeria, and gently he brushed the dirt off the stem and slipped it behind your ear.

You giggled as you felt your face heating up in a blush.  "Thank you," you said with a wide grin.  You held onto his arm again, and listened as he lectured you on all the different flowers.  It was so calming, so peaceful, spending this time with him.  Perhaps this arrangement wasn't as terrible as you'd thought.

When you reached an obsidian clock tower, Dorian led you to a bench and you both sat down.  "Well?" he asked.

You turned to face him.  "Well, what?"

He cleared his throat.  "Would you like me to get you back to Wendlyn, or will you stay?"  His sapphire eyes met your turquoise and gold, but you couldn't read them.  "I will support whatever decision you make."

You smiled at him, and slowly raised your hand to cup his chin.  "You truly would make a great husband, wouldn't you?"  You ran your thumb across his cheek, then lowered your hand.  "I did enjoy tonight, Dorian."  Your eyes flicked up to the sky.  "Did you?"

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him nodding.  "Very much."

You suddenly became aware of your raging heartbeat.  Your palms felt clammy, and you attempted to wipe them off on your dress.  It was true, you'd had a nice time.  But could you really base the rest of your life off of a single night?

No.  Perhaps, you'd stay longer.  Test out the waters a little more, and if you ever decided to leave, you would.  What Dorian had said earlier was right, you had to think of your family and your Kingdom.  You looked back down at him and said, "If it's alright with you, I'd like to stay longer."

He gave you a wide smile and nodded his head.  "I'd like that very much."

Ever since that moment, something had changed inside of you.  You knew it was over.  You knew you'd end up staying in Adarlan, and you were okay with it.  Because you wanted to.

Weeks passed by, turning into months.  Your wedding was scheduled to be eight months after your arrival, and shortly the day came.  Every evening when you went to bed, you found yourself more and more excited for it.

The morning of the wedding, you were dressed in a fine wedding gown, and your hair was plaited with flowers woven in.  You smiled as you looked in the mirror, and you were so nervous that you hardly noticed when the door opened.

"You look stunning," a familiar voice said behind you.  You turned around to face your father, but you couldn't pull on a smile.  Though everything had worked out in the situation, he had betrayed your trust.  "You make the most beautiful bride, my girl."

You took a deep breath.  "This is quite a surprise, I was never told you were coming."

He smiled at you.  "A pleasant one, I hope."

You slowly shook your head.  "Not quite."

His smile dropped.  "I know you're unhappy with the situation, but it's all worked out hasn't it?"

You stepped towards him.  "Father, you lied to me.  You betrayed my trust and shipped me off overnight.  Though I am here marrying Dorian, I still feel your betrayal."  You looked over his shoulder, at the door.  "Please leave, so I-"

"Do not talk to me like that," he said, his face reddening.  If there was one thing you knew your father hated, it was being disobeyed.  "I am your King, and I-"

"No, you're not," you said, cutting him off.  "You're the King of Wendlyn, and I live in Adarlan now. You have no control over me here, you have no power. But I do. In less than two hours I am going to be the Crown Princess of Adarlan, and one day I will be the Queen. And trust me, Father, you do not want to be on my bad side when that happens."

You turned away from him and looked at your reflection in the mirror.  "Please go away, so I can enjoy my wedding."

Your father sighed.  "You will always be an Ashryver, y/n," he said.  "Both Galan and myself love you very much.  You will always have an ally in Wendlyn."  He walked over to the door, but paused in the doorway.  "Congratulations, y/n."  With that, he turned and walked out of your room.

You took a deep breath and fixed your dress in the mirror.  When Chaol finally appeared in the doorway, a true smile graced your lips.  You and Chaol had become friendlier in the months you'd spent in Rifthold, and you had asked him to walk you down the aisle.

"Are you ready?" he asked you.

You nodded.  "Yes, I am."

He held out his arm to you.  "Then let's go," he said with a smile.

You chuckled and looked at his arm.  "I thought you said you wouldn't touch Dorian's woman."

He chuckled lightly.  "I'll make one exception, to give you away."

You smiled as you took his arm, and he led you through the halls out to the garden, where your ceremony would happen.  Dorian had insisted the ceremony be there, though he would not tell you why.

Music began playing as you reached the carpet that had been rolled out, and you spotted Dorian at the end.  Your heart fluttered as you took in his appearance: He wore a sapphire blue shirt beneath his black tuxedo jacket, and a crown upon his head.  Everybody watched as you walked down the aisle, and Chaol placed your hand in Dorian's before standing beside the groom.

Once everyone was seated, the High Priest of Adarlan began the ceremony.  "We are gathered here today to witness the wedded union of Dorian Havilliard and y/n Ashryver."  He looked at Dorian and said, "You may recite your vows."

Dorian smiled and looked at you, meeting your eyes.  "I remember that first day that we met, y/n.  I remember us being at each other's throats, because neither of us wanted this arranged marriage.  And I remember a couple days later, when I saw you in the library and convinced you to give this a chance.  That conversation..."  His sentence trailed off as he quickly licked his lips.  "That conversation was the beginning of everything.  And that night, when we went for a stroll in the gardens after dinner, was when I first realized that I was falling in love with you."  He squeezed your hands in his and said, "That's why I chose to have our wedding here.  And I know, we didn't have a lot of time together to be a couple and create memories before today, but we have the rest of our lives to do that, starting with right now."  

Chaol placed a golden wedding band in Dorian's hand, and he gently slid it onto your left ring finger.

You tried to blink back tears as you smiled.  "I remember that first day, too.  I remember the library, the dinner, the gardens, and everything after.  But one thing I remember specifically is me telling you that I wanted to fall in love and get married, not be forced into a marriage for the sake of alliance."  You let go of one of his hands to gently cup the side of his face.  "I got my wish, Dorian.  Slowly, I began to fall in love with you, until suddenly I couldn't remember a time where I wanted to return to Wendlyn."  You removed your hand from his cheek and grasped his again.  "You won me over with your kind heart, and I can say with confidence that I'll never look back.  I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life by your side."  Dorian's wedding band was placed in your hand, and you slid it onto his left ring finger.

Dorian smiled at you again.  "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," you responded, returning his smile.

"Now," the High Priest said, "Dorian, please repeat after me.  I, Dorian Havilliard,"

His eyes met yours.  "I, Dorian Havilliard."

"Take you, y/n Ashryver."

Dorian squeezed your hand.  "Take you, y/n Ashryver.

"To be my lawfully wedded wife."

His sapphire eyes glistened as he said, "To be my lawfully wedded wife."

"To have and to hold."

His finger began playing with the ring on your finger.  "To have and to hold."

"In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death do us part."

Dorian licked his lips again.  "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death do us part."

The Priest turned to you.  "Y/n, please repeat after me.  I, y/n Ashryver."

You smiled at Dorian.  "I, y/n Ashryver."

"Take you, Dorian Havilliard."

You played with the ring on Dorian's finger.  "Take you, Dorian Havilliard."

"To be my lawfully wedded husband."

You blinked back tears.  "To be my lawfully wedded husband."

"To have and to hold."

You cleared your throat to keep from crying.  "To have and to hold."

"In sickness and in health, for better or for worse,  until death do us part."

You licked your lips nervously.  "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death do us part."  A crown was placed atop your head, and you squeezed Dorian's hand gently.

"Do you both agree to these terms?" the Priest asked.

Dorian nodded.  "I do."

You smiled yet again.  "I do."

"Well then," the Priest called out, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife!"

Dorian smiled and grabbed onto your hips, pulling you towards him until your lips met his.  People cheered all around you as the world seemed to disappear, and it was only you and Dorian.

You had done it.  You had gotten your wish.  You'd been offered a way out, but you didn't take it.  You didn't marry for an alliance.

Days passed before you decided to leave your rooms.  Most of the time you had spent in your self-isolation was writing letters back to Wendlyn, to your family who had done this to you.  Some of them were to Dorian, and how you didn't want to get married.

Once you finally decided to leave your rooms, you had some servants escort you to the library.  If there was one thing you'd loved while living in Wendlyn, it was the library at the castle.  Perhaps you could make the best of Adarlan's, as well.

Once you arrived, you began searching the shelves for any familiar titles.  Unfortunately you found none, since the King had banned many of the books you'd read after he began his conquest of the continent.  You felt a pang in your heart, another moment of homesickness and a desire to return.  

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of searching, you found a familiar book.  It was nothing special, it was a cheesy romance novel about a sick girl in a poor village, and the boy she meets who makes her want to live again.  You were surprised the King hadn't burned it, honestly, as it talked about hope for better times.  Nonetheless, you took the book off the shelf and quickly flipped through the pages.

"You truly are a romantic, aren't you?"  The sound of another person's voice startled you, and you dropped your book on the ground as a small yelp escaped from your lips. You bent down to pick the book up, but found a hand already grasping at the binding and holding it out to you.  You looked at the person, only to see Dorian Havilliard standing before you.  "I'd like to consider myself one as well," he said.

You took the book from him, but did not meet his eye.  "Thank you," you said quietly.  You turned back to the shelf and began rummaging through the books to look for other familiar titles.

Dorian stood beside you.  "I want to apologize for my behavior the other night," he said, leaning against the bookshelf and looking at you.  "It was incredibly rude of me to call you a whore."

You rolled your eyes.  "You think?" you said sarcastically, turning to face him.  "Look, Prince.  I'm far from happy with this arrangement.  I've been trying to find a way out of this since the moment I found out about it.  So I don't need your fake apologies, because I'm going to find a way back home, and we'll never meet again."  You pulled a random book off the shelf, and turned it over to read the description.  Anything to distract you from looking at Dorian's infuriatingly handsome face.

"But it isn't fake," he said.  He gently grabbed onto the book in your hands and pulled it from your grasp.  "I had similar dreams to you, you know.  I wanted to fall in love."  He turned to face the bookshelf, replacing the book in its place.  "Unfortunately, we weren't born into lives where that is acceptable.  Maybe in another world, another lifetime, we can have what we want.  But right now..."  He turned back to face you.  "Right now, we need to think of our families, and do what is best for them.  Not only them, but our Kingdoms."

You paused for a moment before letting out a sigh.  "My family betrayed me."

"Your family did what was best for you."  He stepped away from the bookshelf and motioned for you to follow him.  "Take your older brother, Galan, for instance."  He led you to a small parlor in the library of tables and chairs, and motioned for you to sit.  "Tell me about him."

You reluctantly sat, giving Dorian a side-look.  "Why?"

He chuckled lightly.  "I'm going to make a point, darling."

You hated the sound of the words on his lips.  Darling.  You were not his darling.  But, you had to play nice until you found a way out of the castle, because you couldn't do anything hiding in your rooms all day.  "Galan is going to be a great King one day," you said as you put your book down on the table.  The thought of your brother made your lips twinge upward ever-so-slightly, until you remembered his betrayal.  "He's a soldier."

"But soldiers don't survive every battle," Dorian said.  "How often would you wonder if he'd return home alive?"

"I have complete faith in my brother."

He looked at you, meeting your gaze.  "y/n, let's be honest here, okay?"  There was a pleading look in his eyes, and you found yourself giving in.  

"Fine," you sighed.  You broke his gaze and looked down at your hands, watching your fingers play with each other.  "Every time."

"Exactly," he said, and you looked up at him again.  "If he dies in a battle, his Queen would not choose a new King.  Instead, you'd be married off, and that would decide the fate of your Kingdom."  He slowly reached his hand out and put it on your arm.  "Your father and brother can't protect you forever, y/n."

You looked down at his hand, gently holding your bare wrist.  You knew he was right.  Deep down, part of you always knew it.  You just never wanted to admit it.  You always knew that you could be Wendlyn's last hope of continuing the Ashryver line.

"I'm sorry I was rude to you," you said quietly.  His hand lifted from your arm, and the skin was warm where he had just touched.  It was a rather soothing feeling, that warmth.  You looked up into his sapphire eyes, and gave him a small smile.  "I'd like to start over."

Though the situation was nowhere near ideal, it could have been much worse.

Dorian smiled at you.  "I'd like that as well.  How about at dinner tonight, we try this all again?"

You returned his smile.  "I'd be happy to."

He looked around the room quickly, as if scanning for bystanders, before gently taking your hand in his.  "And if after dinner you decide that you don't want to stay, I will find you safe passage back to Wendlyn."

Your heart began to race.  It was such a generous offer, he would go against the will of two of the most powerful families in the world - for you.  A girl he hardly knew.  

"Do we have a deal?" he asked.

**A/N you are y/n Ashryver, younger sister of Crown Prince Galan Ahryver

You were less than thrilled about your current situation.  You had just arrived at the Glass Castle in Rifthold to meet your new fiancé, Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard.  You were escorted to your rooms immediately upon arrival to change for dinner, where you would meet him for the first time.

Servants quickly dressed you in a sapphire blue ballgown, and you spent a moment admiring yourself in the mirror.  Though you weren't excited to be in Adarlan, they did have beautiful clothes.  You'd have to pick some up before you went home.

You were planning on going home.  Perhaps not to your family, not to the luxurious life you'd grown so used to, but still back to Wendlyn.  You didn't want to marry a stranger, and your father knew this.  He'd told you over and over again, you would never be traded for peace or gold, or anything in between.  

Your head servant led you through the lavish halls of your father's castle, into his majestic throne room.  There he sat, atop his golden throne, Galan at his side.

A smile spread across your lips.  You hardly ever saw your brother anymore, so it was always a treat when he returned from an adventure.  "Father," you said, bowing low to your father.  "Brother," you added once you were upright, offering Galan a pearly white smile.

"Sister," Galan said, though he did not smile back at you.

"Galan has returned from a trip to Adarlan," your father said.  "They have something we need, desperately.  And apparently, we have something they want."

You brushed your hair out of your face, unsure of what else to do.  Normally, you were never involved in politics.  It must be important if they brought you in on it.  "What do they want?"

There was silence for a moment.  So filling, so complete, you could have sworn you heard your own heartbeat ringing in your ears.  

"Their Crown Prince is growing older, and has no signs for choosing a bride," your father said to break the silence, "and they want to make sure that if they give us what we want, we will not betray them."

You got a sinking feeling in your stomach at the word bride.  "Father, you promised," you said.  Your heart began pounding in your chest, your face twisting into a snarl as you realized what he was talking about.  "You're a liar!" you yelled.  A servant tried to grab your arm to calm you down, but you pushed them away.  "How on earth are you expected to be loyal in an alliance when you cannot even keep a simple promise to your daughter?"

Your father's face became red as he looked down at you.  "This was not some simple promise, girl.  You asked me to step away from one of my duties as King, and I said I would try.  I never made any promises, and I will have no more of your foolishness.  You're leaving for Adarlan tomorrow."  He stood up and descended the stairs that led to his throne, but did not step towards you.  "That is final.  I may be your father, but I am also your King."

A light knock on the door startled you, and you turned to see a man standing in your doorway.  His brown hair was neatly combed out of his face, and he was dressed in a uniform similar to that of the guards that escorted you upon your arrival.

"You're y/n?" the man asked you.  You knew that he already knew the answer.  It was not a question, but a statement posed as a question for formality.

You nodded, swallowing your fear of the beautifully menacing man.  "Yes.  Are you-"

"No," he said, cutting you off.  "I'm Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Royal Guard.  I'm here to escort you to your dinner."

Part of you was disappointed, but yet part of you was relieved.  You hadn't yet prepared yourself to meet Dorian.  "I'll just be a moment," you said as you turned back to your mirror.  You took a deep breath and stepped closer to it, looking into your own eyes.

You can do this, you told yourself.  You took one more deep breath before turning around and facing Chaol.  "I'm ready now."  You held out your arm for him to take, but once he saw it he shook his head.

"I shall not touch my friend's woman," he said plainly.

You were baffled.  He talked about you as if you were an object.  You hummed in annoyance and rolled your eyes as he motioned  to the doorway.  

"After you, Princess," he said.  Once you steppped passed him into the hall, he closed the door to your rooms.  He led you through the many stone halls, and you looked around as you walked.

"Why am I not in the Glass Castle?" you asked him.

He didn't turn to you when he answered.  "Because Dorian prefers to live in the stone portion, so you will as well."

You hated everything about this.  You had lost control of your entire life - you didn't even get to choose your gown for dinner.  Though they had chosen a beautiful one, you wished you had options.  You didn't get to choose your rooms, your gown, most likely not your dinner, and most infuriatingly of all, your husband.

Chaol opened a large wooden door for you, and it led into a large room the size of the biggest ballroom back at your Castle in Wendlyn.  He escorted you through the door and through the many tables, filled with Lords and Ladies whom you couldn't recognize if your life depended on it.  Finally you arrived at a secluded table, and Chaol pulled out your seat for you.

"The Havilliards will be here momentarily," he said once you were seated.  "In the meantime, is there anything I can get for you?"

You looked up at him.  "A way out of this?" you asked, only half-joking.

He opened his mouth to respond, but his voice was replaced with another.

"Chaol," a smooth voice said, and a young man approached.  You caught his eye for a second, and your heart began beating rapidly once you noticed their color.

Sapphire.

You looked down at your dress, and suddenly you hated it.  The aura of confidence and authority around that man, there was no mistaking who he was.  This was Dorian Havilliard.  Your dress was chosen to match his eyes, and you wanted nothing more than to tear it off your body and stomp it on the ground.

Dorian turned and looked at you, and he smiled.  Though you would admit that he was a very handsome man, you wanted nothing more than to turn and run away.  "You must be y/n," he said.  He approached you and gently took your hand in his, placing a light kiss on your knuckles before releasing it.  "I'm Dorian Havilliard, Crown Prince."

You tried your hardest to swallow down your disgust.  "N-Nice to meet you," you said.  You almost cried when he pulled out the chair beside you and sat down.

"I hope your travels from Wendlyn were smooth and easy, this whole thing was arranged rather quickly."

You looked down at your hands.  "More like deranged," you said quietly to yourself.

Dorian let out a sigh, and you looked back up at him.  "Look, y/n, I'm not too excited about this either.  But we don't have much choice in this, it's for the good of our kingdoms.  So please, can we just be civil?"

Civil.  Civil?  This was the man you were being forced to spend the rest of your life with, and all he wanted was civil?  You didn't want civil, you wanted love.  

"y/n," another voice said, and you turned to see another man approaching.  You could tel just by his appearance that he was the King.  He gave you a small smile before sitting down across from Dorian at the table.  "How was your journey?"

You met the King's eye, and you internally recoiled in fear.  The hardness in his dark eyes was menacing.  You didn't want to get on his bad side, no matter how much you already hated him.  "It went very well," you said, in the most polite tone you could manage.  

"That's good to hear."  

You turned to Dorian, and gave him an obviously fake smile.  "So Dorian, tell me.  What made you decide to partake in this arrangement?"

Dorian only gave you a side-glance.  "My parents," he said plainly.

Perhaps you could anger him enough to convince thee King to let you out of this.  If you made him dislike you, maybe he could talk his parents into calling off the engagement.  "Me too," you sighed.  "I always dreamed of this big, fancy wedding that I got to plan and design, with the man of my dreams."  You looked Dorian up and down, then shook your head before turning your attention to your empty plate.

"Well big and fancy is guaranteed," Dorian said.

You chuckled and gave him a side-look.  "Fancy, yes I'll expect.  But big...?"  You looked at him and smirked, and his face blushed red slightly.  "We'll have to see about that."  Or not.

Another chair was pulled out, and you turned to see a woman sitting down beside the King.  Presumably, this was Queen Georgina.  "Are the kids getting along well?" she asked.

"Well enough," Dorian said, and his mother scoffed at him.

"Dorian!  Be polite!" she chided.  

Dorian turned to you and gave a fake smile.  "Did you have another suitor lined up at home?  Perhaps four or five of them, just waiting their turn?"

Your eyes widened, and you stood up.  "Do not insinuate that I am a whore, Havilliard!"

"y/n!" Queen Georgina said, baffled.  

"Have a servant bring my dinner to my rooms," you said.  You picked up the skirts of your dress and walked out of the dining hall, and you could feel every pair of eyes watching you.  Tears slid down your face as you wandered the Castle halls, trying to remember the way back to your rooms.  

After what felt like hours, you finally stopped and asked for help.  You were guided back to your rooms and changed into a nightgown before finally, you laid down on the bed.

You looked out the window, up at the dark night sky.  "You will pay for this, Father," you said to yourself.

You did not consider yourself a Lady of the Court.  Not in the slightest.  You only held your title because of your father, who was one of the King's most trusted advisors.  But you were not Ladylike in the least bit.  You loved to run and have fun, get dirty and fight.  You loved going on adventures.  You didn't like the frilly dresses and gossip of the Crown Prince, or the endless parties and courtesans your friends sent to you.

You were pretty sure that was what caught the Captain of the Guard's attention in the first place.  He'd seen you one day, coming inside the Palace and covered in mud, but with a smile on your face.  He'd asked what you had done as if to discipline you, but he found himself engrossed in a story about how you chased a bird all around the courtyard, just because you wanted to pet it.

Ever since, he began accidentally running into you more and more, until the two of you began making plans to spend time together.  

He was one of the few people who you genuinely enjoyed spending time with.  He didn't expect you to be a Lady, he expected you to be yourself.  That was just one of the many qualities about him that you had fallen helplessly in love with.

After a lot of begging, you had convinced Chaol to teach you how to use weapons.  Usually, if you were ever in combat - as you sometimes were when you ventured out into the city - you would fight with your fist, but you wanted to know how to use a weapon.  It would make you feel safer, and Chaol understood that - though he offered to go with you as protection instead.

Eventually you wore him down, and two times a week you would go to Brullo's weaponry, and Chaol would teach you sword fighting.  You were never very good at it, but nonetheless you appreciated the lessons, and didn't plan on giving up.

"You're late," Chaol said jokingly as you walked into the weaponry.  You saw him leaning against the far wall, his sword hung in its normal spot at his side, his hand resting on the hilt.

"Sorry," you said as you pushed your hair out of your face, and pulled it behind your head to tie back.  "Kaltain sent another courtesan."  Annoyance dripped from your voice.  You knew Kaltain sent them just to anger you, because she knew you weren't interested.  You hated her more than words could express, but your residency in the Palace depended on you being on good terms with everybody.

Chaol just chuckled as he pushed himself off of the wall.  He approached you as you grabbed a sword off of the wall of weapons.  "You think today is going to be your day?"

You knew exactly what he meant.  You had yet to beat him in a duel, and he mocked you to no end about it.  "I know it is," you said, smirking at him as you approached the dueling ring.  You got into your fighting stance and faced Chaol, who just laughed at you.

"You're doing it wrong," he said between chuckled.  He approached you and stood directly behind you - nearly on top of you - making your heart beat out of your chest.  "Pull your left foot back a little bit," he said.  "Until your heel hits my toes."

You did as he said, though you were hardly focusing on it.  All you could focus on was the handsome man standing over you as he put his hands on your waist.  "Turn a bit to the right," he said,  gently pushing your body so you were facing the proper direction.  He did not remove his hands though, and you turned to him.  Your faces were so close, your noses just barely touching, eyes locked on each other.  Just a few inches and you could-

"Arms out," he said, breaking your gaze and adjusting your arms so you held your sword out a little bit more.  He let go of you, and your arms felt cold where his warm hands had just been.  "Perfect."

You tried your hardest to steady your breathing as Chaol positioned himself across the ring from you.  Your eyes trailed to his hands, and the way that he held his sword.  Tightly, but not too tightly.  You imagined him holding you like that, his strong arms wrapped around you as you went on adventures together, his lips-

You were on the ground in a second, and you nearly screamed at the shock.  You had zoned out completely, and had not noticed Chaol charging at you, disarming you, and knocking you to the ground.

He smirked down at you.  "Still think it's your day?" he asked with a laugh.   He held himself over you still, but dropped his sword so that he was holding himself over you - if he attempted to do a push-up, he would have landed right on top of you.

You scoffed at him.  "You cheated, I wasn't paying attention."

He smirked down at you. "No rules against that.  Your enemy is gonna wait until you're distracted."

Your y/e/c eyes rolled.  "Yeah, whatever."

His dark brown eyes met yours once again.  "You know, I'm starting to think you're just pretending to be awful.  I think you just like me pinning you down to the ground."  He continued to smirk as a laugh escaped his lips, but you found yourself at a loss for words.  "I know this is my favorite part," he said, and a hint of red crossed his face.  

You just stared up at him, unsure of what to say.  Was he possibly...Trying to make a move?  No, no, he couldn't be.  Chaol didn't feel that way about you.

After a moment, he picked himself up and held out his hand to you.  "Come on, let's go again."

You nodded and took his hand, using it to pull yourself up.  Once you were standing, you began to put yourself back into position, before a thought crossed your mind.  You purposely positioned your body improperly, hoping that Chaol would assist you again.

He laughed and shook his head, walking over to you and standing directly behind you again.  He placed his hands on your hips and said, "Heel to toes, y/n.  Look down once your feet are positioned."

You slowly slid your foot back, and felt your leg brush up against Chaol's.  Wait - was that his leg?  It didn't really feel like one...

Chaol let out a small grunt as he began twisting your hips again, turning you to face the proper direction. 

You turned your head to face him again, and saw his face had turned deep red.

That wasn't his leg.

What had caused that?  Could it have been...you?  You looked into his eyes, and couldn't help but blush as his eyes met yours.  They came closer and closer until eventually, your eyes closed and your lips collided.  You immediately dropped your sword on the ground and raised your arms to hang around his neck, but he pulled away.

"That was not safe," he said with a chuckle.

You just rolled your eyes.  "You wanna lecture me about safety, or you wanna kiss me again?"

Instead of answering, he wrapped his arms around your waist and turned you to face him as his lips reconnected to yours.  Your arms went back up to hand on his shoulders as he pushed himself against you, gently guiding you backwards until your back hit the wall.  Your hand travelled down from his shoulder over his chest, sailing over his stomach, until you reached the area where you knew he needed you most.  You pressed your hand against the bulge beneath his pants, and he let out a low grown.

You slid your other hand down and began to unbutton his pants as his lips moved from yours to your neck.  Once the button was undone and the zipper was opened, Chaol bit down gently on a certain spot that had you letting out your own moan.

You didn't care that you were in a technically-public place.  You didn't care that someone could walk in at any time.  You just cared that Chaol was there, and he wanted you.

Chaol pulled away from you for a second to life your tunic over your head and threw it on the ground behind himself.  He didn't seem to care much either about the publicity.

You rolled your hips against his, causing you both to let out moans.  The heat between your legs was more intense than it had ever been, you wanted him so badly.  Your lips began attacking his neck as he played with the button of your pants, only pulling away for a moment to pull off his black shirt before quickly reattaching.  You didn't want to leave any marks because that could lead to suspicion and issues for him, but you still bit down light enough for him to feel.

You didn't notice that he'd gotten your pants off until you felt his fingers dancing around your entrance.  You gasped slightly at the contact and moaned as he pushed a digit inside of you - followed closely by two more.  This was not your first time, but you found yourself wincing a bit at the sting.  

Chaol's lips captured yours again as he pumped his fingers in and out of you, and once the pain was entirely replaced by pleasure, you found yourself thrusting into his fingers.  It didn't take long before your breathing was coming in pants, and Chaol knew you weren't going to last much longer.

You wanted to kick him between the legs when he pulled his fingers out.

He smirked at you as he sucked your juices off his fingers, one by one.  You bent down and smirked back at him as you pulled his pants and underwear down his legs, and placed his bulging member into your mouth.

Chaol let out a loud moan, and you pushed him into your mouth as far as you could until you gagged.  You sucked him for a second before pulling back and focusing your mouth on his head, while one of your hands began playing with his balls.  He let out another moan and thrusted into your mouth, and that cycle continued until his thrusts were becoming sloppy.  You pulled yourself off of him and stood up, reaching down and grabbing the waistband of your pants to pull them up, when he grabbed your wrist.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

You shrugged your shoulders and smirked at him.  "I didn't get to finish, neither do you."  You had every intention of finishing, either with or without him.  

He pulled your hand away from your pants, and they dropped back onto the floor.  "I fully intended to finish the job," he said, catching your lips in his yet again as he lined himself up at your entrance.  You moaned as he pushed himself into you, and your fingers dug into his back as you adjusted to his size.

"Gods," you panted, your chin resting on his shoulder.

"You haven't seen anything yet," he said, and you felt him smirk as he began moving in and out of you.  Slowly at first, but his pace began to build up until he was practically slamming you into the wall behind you.

Your head leaned back on your shoulders as you moaned yet again, and Chaol's mouth attached to one of your breasts.

"Chaol," you called out as you struggled to keep yourself standing.  He was hitting a spot inside of you that you never thought possible, and you knew you were close.  You began pushing against him, pushing him even deeper inside of you, and you couldn't hold it.  Within seconds, you released all over him as another moan escaped your lips.

Chaol's mouth released your breast and went up to your neck again.  "Almost there," he grunted into your ear quietly.  You reached down and took his balls in your hand as he pounded in and out of you, and within a minute you felt your insides warming up as he released inside of you.

He waited a moment before removing himself from you, putting his hands on either side of your head to hold himself up as he leaned over you.  "Wow," he gasped between heavy breaths.

You tried to steady yourself on your feet, but instead found yourself tumbling to the ground.  Chaol caught you before you hit it and laughed.  

"That good, huh?" he asked you with yet another smirk.

**A/N based off of the poem Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,

You looked across the Royal Dining Hall to where the Havilliard Family was seated at their private table.  You felt Dorian's eyes on you for a second, but you did not meet his gaze.  Instead, your focused your vision on the man sitting beside him.

The King of Adarlan.

You despised that man more than anything in the world.  He had destroyed everything in Erilea, taken away everything that people had stood for.  If he wasn't stopped he would practically burn Erilea to the ground.  His conquest raged like a flame, and nothing was strong enough to put it out.

Which was why you wouldn't meet Dorian's eye.  You and Dorian had been seeing each other in secret for months, but he had no idea of your intentions.  He had no idea that you were leaving the Glass Palace to return home and join the rebellion in Eyllwe.  After the news of Princess Nehemia's death, you knew you couldn't remain there any longer doing nothing.  Living a luxurious life while hundreds of thousands of people were suffering.  You couldn't stand it.

Some say in ice.

You loved Dorian.  But if you let your desire for some young Prince cloud your judgement and keep you from doing the right thing, you knew you would never forgive yourself.  Your carriage back to Eyllwe was arriving at eight o'clock that evening, giving you two more hours to say your goodbyes and gather the few belongings you were taking home.

You stood from your seat and placed your napkin on the table, removing your gaze from the King so you could walk out of the room.  Your legs carried you through the hallways with no true destination in mind as you thought about Dorian.

He deserved to know.  But if you told him, he would either convince you to stay or do something completely reckless.  You knew he hated his Father's regime as well, but you would not put him at risk by bringing him along - that would most certainly be a death wish.

No, Dorian would stay.  And unfortunately, when the sun rose again, he would be your enemy.  You would either destroy the Havilliard Empire or die trying.

From what I've tasted of desire,

When you realized where you had wandered to, your heart began racing.  You were in the stone part of the Palace, near Dorian's rooms.  You turned around to run out of there, when you noticed the beautiful black-haired man turn a corner and enter the hallway.  His eyes lit up when he saw you, and he quickened his pace until he reached you.

"Good evening, m'lady," he said in an exaggerated fancy tone as he took your hand in his and gently kissed your knuckles.  "This is such a surprise, to what do I owe the honor?"

Usually, you would laugh when Dorian pretended to be all Prince-like.  But tonight, you weren't in the mood for joking.  "I was just walking around," you said, as if it was something you did all the time - which he knew it was not.  If you spoke to him, you knew you'd end up telling him the truth.

"Care to join me for a while?" he asked you with a smile.  "I was just going to relax for a while, I'd greatly appreciate your company."

Damn those hopeful sapphire eyes.  Those beautiful, dark, deep eyes that you lost yourself in every time you looked at him.  The eyes you couldn't say no to.  The eyes you would never forget.  "I can spare a few minutes," you said with a small smile.  Maybe you could get some sort of a goodbye in.

I hold with those who favor fire.

You almost wished that you wouldn't make it through the Rebellion, so you wouldn't have to live in a world without Dorian.  You knew that if the Rebels succeeded, the entire Havilliard line would be eradicated - including Dorian, no matter how pure his true intentions were.

You followed him to his rooms, where he collapsed down on a sofa and opened his arms for you to join him.  You obliged and leaned your head on his chest as his arms wrapped around you, and you felt yourself reconsidering - only for a moment.

No, you couldn't stay.  It wasn't right.

"Mother is beginning the plans for a Ball.  Hollin is returning from Schoool in a few weeks," Dorian said.  "And I plan to bring you with me, and tell my parents the truth."

But it also wasn't right to leave Dorian this way.  He'd spend thee rest of his life wondering where you went, why you left him.  You couldn't tell him the truth, but you couldn't lie to him.

"The only downside is that you'll have to meet Hollin," he said with a laugh.

"I'm going home," you finally blurted out.  Your eyes widened as soon as you said it, and you regretted it.  

But if I had to perish twice,

Dorian was silent for a long moment, and you could feel his heartbeat racing against you.  You thought he wasn't going to say anything at all, until he finally said, "When?"

You found yourself blinking back tears as you stuttered out "T-Tonight."  You looked up at his  face and saw a look in his eyes you never wanted to cause: Pain.  Your stomach felt tight, you'd hurt him.  You had no idea how you would look at yourself knowing that you took this amazing, pure-hearted young man and broke his heart.

He sat up so he could meet your eyes.  "Why?"  The sapphire orbs began glossing over; he was going to cry too.

You looked down at your hands.  "Nehemia is dead, the people are outraged," you said quietly.  That wasn't a lie, it was just not the whole truth.  

"Isn't there anybody else who can go?" he asked as the first tear fell down his face.  

You slowly shook your head.  "It has to be me."  You couldn't stay with him any longer.  Seeing him like this was breaking your heart - you wouldn't be able to leave if you saw him like this.  But you also would never forgive yourself if you abandoned him like this.

He took a deep breath and wiped away his tears.  "Will you be back?" he asked, but you both already knew the answer: No.

Now you wished you'd die before you could even join the Rebellion.  The pain it caused you to hurt Dorian like this, nothing was worth that.  He deserved the world, and you had wasted so much of his time.

"How long have you known?"

"Since today," you said.  That was not a lie.  It had been a snap decision made this morning after days of pondering it.  "I'm so sorry, Dorian."

I think I know enough of hate,

You hated the King of Adarlan.  You hated him for raising an army that conquered the continent.  You hated him for being evil and massacring so many innocent people.  You hated him for being the kind of man that required a full-on Rebellion.

But most of all, you hated that he had a son who made you not want to fight.

To say that for destruction ice,

The world would either be brought to ruin by the King, or the hate he inspired.  There would be no in between.   You knew that the Rebels would never stop until he was dead, or they all were.

You slowly stood up off the sofa.  "I'm sorry, I should go."

He grabbed your hand, practically flying off of the couch.  "I'll go with you."

Your heart began racing.  This was exactly he reaction you were afraid of.  He wanted to do something reckless. "No," you said quietly.  "You have to stay here."

"I can't just lose you like this-"

"I don't want to go, Dorian," you said as tears fell down your face.  "You think I want to leave you?  Abandon the life I've been building for several months?  All the friends I've made, you think I want to just up and leave them?  Leave you?  I don't.  But I don't have a choice."

You knew that he would bring up you leaving to the Council, and they would tell him that nobody made you leave.  But by that time, you would be long gone.

He pulled you closer by your hand, then put his other hand on your cheek as he brought his lips to yours.  You closed your eyes as the tears fell, savoring this one last taste of his lips.  You knew you would never have a love quite like what you had with him.

"I love you," he whispered once he pulled away.  His forehead rested against yours, his hand still holding your cheek.  

Is also great,

"I love you too," you said quietly.  You gave him one last light kiss on the lips before gently removing his hands from you.  "I need to go, my carriage is arriving soon."

Another tear fell from his beautiful sapphire eyes.  "Maybe we'll be together again someday," he said, putting a fake smile on that was probably meant to be reassuring.

But you knew you'd never be with him again.  But he didn't need to know that.

"Maybe we will," you said, giving him a sad smile before turning and leaving his rooms.  You wandered to the outside of the castle where your carriage would be getting you, and you sat against the stone wall sobbing until you heard the turning of wheels, and looked up to see your carriage arriving.

You took a deep breath, sniffled one last time, and wiped your tears from your face as it came to a halt before you.

And would suffice.

You stepped up into the carriage and took one last look at the Palace.  Your heart ached as you thought of Dorian, but you closed your eyes and pushed those thoughts aside.

Nobody knew that the Crown Prince of Adarlan had secretly taken you as his lover.  Not one of his numerous, meaningless one-night stands, but a true relationship.  A relationship with courting and dates and love.  But it was kept secret, because you were not of a rank that would be acceptable to the King and Queen.   Not to mention, you did not want the hatred from all the other Ladies of the Court.

It was Yulemas Eve, and Dorian had invited you to his rooms for a private dinner.  You never dined together openly because of his Father.  

You couldn't focus on Dorian, though.  You had heard whisperings through the Castle that Queen Georgina had given Dorian a list of suitable brides.  They were looking for him to begin producing heirs and "grow into his role of Crown Prince".  Just the thought of it - the thought of losing Dorian to one of those women who didn't even truly love him - made your heart sting.

You knew you were not on that list.  You were lucky you were even allowed in the Castle - you were of noble birth in your homeland of Terrasen, and the King had decided to bring you back to Adarlan when he began his conquest.  The King would never allow Dorian to be with you, and you knew that.

"Are you alright?" Dorian asked you, concerned.  His sapphire eyes studied you for a moment, and he put his fork down beside his plate.  "You're awful quiet."

You nodded your head, trying to push the thoughts from your mind.  "Yes, just a little tired," you said.

You couldn't push out the thoughts.  You hated having to hide with him.  You wanted to go on strolls through the Gardens and enjoy time together out in the open.

"I hope you aren't too tired," he said.  "We're celebrating Yulemas tonight."  He flashed a bright smile at you, and your heart skipped a beat.  After all this time, Dorian still gave you butterflies.

You wished you could spend Yulemas with him.  You would be with him - you were going to the Royal Ball, but you couldn't be with him.  You'd have to watch as Dorian danced with woman after woman, song after song, all of them trying to win him over to choosing them.

You smiled back at him.  "The difficult part about celebrating Yulemas with you is that you already have everything," you said with a laugh.  

He shrugged his shoulders.  "You give me an amazing present nearly every night," he said with a wink, making you blush deep red.  Your thoughts drifted from your mind as you focused on what was happening then, not what would be happening the next day.

You pulled a small box out of the pocket of your cloak.  "Then you're going to love what I got you."  You put the box on the table and pushed it over to him.

He smiled at you.  "You didn't have to do this."

You shrugged your shoulders.  "I know I didn't.  But it wasn't much trouble, I just went into the city."  You smiled back at him excitedly.  It wasn't anything special, but you knew he was going to love it.

He took the box and opened it up, pulling out a smaller box.  A smirk crossed his face, and his eyes lit up as he looked at you.  "Contraceptives?"

You nodded.  "Yup.  That way we don't have to keep asking for them every day."

He put the box down on the table, and his smile grew so wide it reached his eyes.  "There's a lot in here."

"Then we'll just have to use them all," you said, smirking.  You caught his face reddening slightly, and you felt a small sense of pride that you made Dorian Havilliard blush.

He stood up from the table.  "Excuse me for a second, m'lady," he said, and he exited the dining room.  A moment later he returned with a box in his hands.  He sat back down in his chair as he placed the box on the table.  "Happy Yulemas, y/n."

Your face blushed again.  You'd told Dorian not to get you anything.  Not only would it be too suspicious, but you couldn't ask for anything from him.  "You didn't have to," you said with yet another smile.

It was his turn to shrug his shoulders.  "But I did, so open it."

You giggled as you picked up the box.  It was a small square white box, wrapped in a red ribbon.  You untied the ribbon and placed it on the table, opening the box to reveal a beautiful crystal ring.  Your heart leapt in your chest as you looked up at the handsome man sitting across from you.  "Dorian..." you said, at a loss for words.

He smiled at you.  "Don't worry, it is not an engagement ring."  He stood out of his chair again and walked over to you, gently taking the box from your hand.  "It's a promise ring."  He took the small band out of the box.  "I promise that I love you, and that I will continue to.  Regardless of my family.  I choose you."  He gently took your right hand in his and slid the ring onto your fourth finger.  "The crystal is from Terrasen, so you can carry a piece of your home with you wherever you go."

You were at a loss for words.  This was so sweet, so generous - you looked up at him in shock.  You didn't know what to say.  You felt your eyes start stinging slightly, and you knew you were going to cry.  You stood up and hugged him tightly.  "It's beautiful," you said.  You felt his warm arms wrap around you, and your heart felt warm at the promise he just made you.  "I love you so much."

You felt him smile against your skin.  "I love you too," he said quietly.

You stepped away from him and looked into his sapphire eyes.  You smirked at him and picked up the box you'd brought, shifting your eyes to the door that led to your bedroom.  "How about we go use your Yulemas present?"

He smirked back at you, and within a second he had you lifted in his arms bridal-style.  You let out a small surprised yelp as he ran into his bedroom, carrying you in his arms.

<Time Skip>

You walked into the Yulemas Ball in a beautiful white ballgown.  You smiled at the many people you knew as you passed, and headed right for the table where some of your acquaintances were sitting.  You sat beside Kaltain Rompier - who you did not particularly like, but tolerated for the sake of your residency in the Castle.

"Lady y/n," Kaltain said, not even looking at you.  Her eyes were focused on the dance floor, where Dorian was dancing with a young Lady.  

You watched the two for a moment, not responding to Kaltain.  You watched them twirl and dance, and you saw Dorian smile at her.  Your heart ached to watch him with this other woman, especially when you knew that his mother was bride-hunting for him.  You looked down at the crystal ring on your finger, letting out a small sigh.  You loved Dorian, and though you were happy with the promise he'd made you, you knew that his will would not surpass that of the King.

A moment later you felt a tap on your shoulder, and you looked up to see a handsome man in a plain black suit.  You vaguely recognized his face, but did not remember his name.  

"Excuse me," he said, a smile crossing his handsome face.  "My name is Nox Owen.  Could I possibly trouble you for a dance?"

Your eyes quickly glanced over to the dance floor, where Dorian had chosen another dance partner.  Your eyes returned to Nox, and you smiled.  You were flattered, and if Dorian was allowed to dance with other people, so were you.  "Sure," you said, and you took a hand that he extended out to you.  He led you out to the dance floor, where you both quickly got into position and began to dance.

Your face flushed as you realized that you hadn't introduced yourself.  "I'm y/n l/n," you said, smiling up at him.  He was a handsome man, you would admit, but he paled in comparison to Dorian.  Not just in status, but in everything.  Dorian had won your heart fair and square.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said as he twirled you around.  You caught Dorian's eye for a quick second, and noticed a small frown cross his face before he was out of your line of sight again, and you were facing Nox.  "If you don't mind my asking, what is your business in the Palace?  Are you a princess of a neighboring land?"

You blushed again.  "No," you said with a sigh.  If you were a princess, you and Dorian could be together without hiding.  "I'm from Terrasen, the King brought me here when he..."  You couldn't bring yourself to say the words.

When he conquered it.

Nox nodded in understanding.  "I'm from Terrasen, too," he said with a smile.  "Perranth."

You smiled up at him.  "Orynth."

"So close, yet so far away," he said, looking down into your eyes.  "Just like right now," he added, pulling you a bit closer to him.

You knew what he was trying to do, but it was not going to work.  "I should get back to my friend," you said, letting go of Nox and stepping away from him.  You saw a disappointed look on his face before you turned away from him and returned to the table that Kaltain had since abandoned.

You didn't want to be at the Ball in the first place.  You just wanted to return to your rooms and go to sleep, and wake up on a day where you could see Dorian.  You sat at the table alone for a few moments, lost in your thoughts, before you felt a warm hand on your shoulder.  You looked up to see no other than the Crown Prince himself standing before you, a smile on his face.  

"I don't believe we've met," he said, winking at you.  "I'm Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard.  Would you care to dance?"

You smiled and nodded as you took his outstretched hand.  He led you to the dance floor and you entered the dancing positon as your heart was beating out of your chest.

"What are you doing?" you whispered to him.  "If your father sees us-"

"I dance with a dozen women at these Balls," he whispered back.  "He doesn't care in the slightest.  And this time, I get to dance with the only one I care about."

Your face blushed red, and you smiled up at him.  

"You look stunning, by the way," he said with a smile.  "You look beautiful in white.  Perhaps the next time you wear it will be on your wedding day."

Your heart began beating even faster.  "P-Perhaps," you stuttered out.

He chuckled.  "I have another Yulemas present for you," he whispered in your ear before spinning you in circles.  When you were finally facing him again, he held you close as you swayed to the music.  "I'm going to tell my Father."

Your eyes widened, and you were so shocked that you accidentally stepped backward and broke the heel right off your shoe.  You tumbled to the ground, and embarrassment filled you as you noticed everybody watching you.  You noticed the King's gaze on you, a light laugh escaping his lips, and you knew you had to leave.  The embarrassment was too much.

"y/n!" Dorian said, kneeling down to help you up.  "Are you okay?"

You slowly nodded, standing up and balancing on your broken shoe so you didn't fall again.  One of your feet was three inches higher than the other, due to the broken heel, so that proved to be difficult.  You stood up on your own and said, "I'm going to my chambers."

Dorian stood.  "y/n please-"

"Goodnight Dorian," you said, and you curtsied to him before turning and rushing out of the ballroom - as fast as you could in your broken shoe.  Part of you hoped he would follow you, but when you looked back, he was nowhere to be seen.  Crushed, you tried your hardest to blink back tears as you rushed to your rooms, where you immediately threw off your shoes and summoned a servant to get you out of your dress.

You were so embarrassed.  You had humiliated yourself in front of the whole entire Court.  There was no way they would ever approve of you being with Dorian now.  Once you were out of your dress and corset, you put on a nightgown and sat on your bed.  A sob escaped your lips as you laid back and pulled the blankets over yourself.

You laid there crying for a while, until you heard the door open.  It was probably just one of the servants, but you still didn't want to be seen crying.  When you felt a weight push down on the end of your bed, you poked your head out to see Dorian sitting on the edge of your mattress, his hand on your blanket-covered leg.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a worried tone.  You could see the concern in his eyes as he looked at you, and you looked away.  

You didn't answer him.  You pulled your head back under the blanket and curled up in a ball.  Why hadn't he gone after you?  He could've left anytime he wanted to, but he chose to stay.

The room was silent for a moment, until he spoke up again.  "I didn't come right away because I was talking to my father," he said, as if he could read your mind.  "And I told him the truth."

Your eyes widened, and you jolted up into a sitting position.  "You did what?!"

He nodded.  "It was time."  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled-up piece of paper.  "My mother gave me a list of potential brides," he said as he uncrumpled the paper and handed it to you.  "Your name is on the list."

You looked down at the paper and sure enough, right in the middle, was written y/n y/l/n.

You were at a loss for words as you looked at him.

"I'm not saying that we're getting married right now," he said as he reached under the blanket and took your hand in his.  He ran his finger over the crystal ring and looked deep into your eyes.  "But that means it is possible one day, when we're both ready."

You sighed lightly.  "They'll never approve, I embarrassed myself-"

"You think you're the first woman to have a wardrobe malfunction?" he said with a light laugh.  "Everything is fine, y/n.   You've been invited to breakfast in the morning with us."

Slowly, a small smile crept across your face.  It was really happening.  They approved.  You jumped forward and enveloped Dorian in a hug as you sniffled.  "I love you," you whispered quietly.

"I love you too," he said, before noticing your discarded dress in the corner of the room.  "Aww," he said as he looked at the dress.  "You already took it off?  I was looking forward to that."

You laughed lightly.   "Nice try, Havilliard.  Better luck next time."

He let out a dramatic sigh and laid back on your bed, and you had to pull up your legs so he didn't lay on top of them.  "I was going to lead you to my rooms after we danced, and I'd gently begin unzipping your dress."  He rolled over onto his side, so he was facing you.  "I'd leave kisses down your back as the zipper went, until it was off entirely."  He crawled forward so he was towering over you.  "I was gonna lightly nip at your neck for a moment as I undid your corset," he added, leaning in so his lips just barely touched your neck.

"And then I would have come back around to face you, and look into your beautiful eyes," he said, leaving a light kiss on your neck before pulling back to meet your y/e/c orbs.  "And I'd tell you just how much I love you."  He came closer to you, so your noses were barely touching.  "I'd tell you how stunning you are before placing a kiss on your lips," he whispered, looking at your lips but not approaching them.  "And then from there, I would make sweet, sweet love to you," he whispered again, right in your ear this time.

You wanted this.  Just the thought of it made you wet, and you squeezed your legs closed to try to get some sort of friction.  "W-Wow," was all you could say, as you imagined how it would feel.

He sighed again, pulling himself off of you.  "But you're obviously in no mood," he said, looking back at the discarded dress.  "Such a shame, all day I was motivated by the thought of getting to use my Yulemas present again."

You grabbed his hand and pulled him back to you, pulling his face to yours and connecting your lips.  You threw your blankets off of yourself and pulled Dorian closer, his hands immediately going to cup your face.  You began to unbutton his deep blue shirt, and it was quickly discarded off to the side of the bed.

"I didn't bring any of the contraceptives," Dorian said, disappointed as he looked down at you.  "I was planning to bring you to my chambers.  I had the mood set in there and everything."

You giggled as you looked up at him.  "You really went all out, huh?"

He leaned down and kissed your neck.  "Only the best for you," he whispered against your skin.  "Feels like such a shame to waste it," he said quietly, "But I don't think I can control myself long enough for us to get there."

You sat up in your bed.  "Alberta!" you called out, and immediately your head servant rushed into the room.  "Would you be a dear and get us a contraceptive?"  Without waiting for a response from her, you returned your attention to Dorian.  

You connected your lips to his for a second before flipping him over, so you towered over him.

"This is new," he  said with a smirk.

You blushed as you scooted downward and unbuttoned his dress pants.  You kissed the open spot where the button had been, reaching him through his undergarments.  You slowly unzipped them, and left kisses in the wake of where the metal pulled apart.  You then pulled his pants down his legs and climbed up again, and he immediately pulled you in for a kiss.  You placed yourself atop him, rolling your hips against his, causing you both to let out loud moans.

"Gods y/n," Dorian whispered against your lips.  He tugged your nightgown up over your head and threw it to the side.  He attacked your neck again while rolling you over, so he was back on top.  He slowly slid his hand down your body, until he reached the waistband of your underwear and pulled it down.  His finger danced around your most sensitive area for a second, before he carefully inserted it into you.  

A second moan escaped your lips as there was a knock on the door, and you turned your head.  "Who is it?" you asked, hoping it was just Alberta.

"It's me," Alberta's voice came from the other side.  "I have the contraceptive."

Dorian looked down at you for a second, before looking at his hand, still inside you.  He began to putt it out, but you squeezed your legs shut to hold him in place.  You threw a blanket over you both before saying, "Come put it on the nightstand."

The door opened and Alberta entered, making sure to only look down at her feet, and she rushed out of the room as soon as the packets were out of her hand.  When the door shut behind her, you removed the blanket.

Dorian inserted a second finger into you, and you tried to fight back a moan as his fingers pumped in and out.  "Don't be afraid to make noise," he whispered.  "That's the best Yulemas present you could give me."

Your eyes slowly closed to enjoy the pleasure of Dorian's fingers as you let out a loud moan, thrusting into his hand to make his fingers go deeper.

Dorian smirked as he looked down at you.  "The best sight in the world is watching you fall apart," he said, before slowly removing his fingers from you.  He inserted them into his mouth and had a taste before taking one of the multiple packages off the nightstand and opening it.

You reached your hands down and pulled down his underpants, to see that he was hard as a rock and ready to go.  The sight of it still made you blush, and you felt your excitement as you watched Dorian roll the contraceptive over his member.  He then lined it up at your entrance and slowly slid it inside of you, causing you to wince slightly.  It still hurt after all this time, due to the size, but that was quickly replaced by pleasure.

Dorian leaned down and kissed your lips as he pushed himself into you.  You moaned yet again and wrapped your legs around his waist, so he could go deeper.  Your fingers clawed into his back as he pushed himself in and out of you, and after a moment he hit a perfect spot.

"Dorian," you moaned, pushing yourself against him as he went in.  He hit the same spot over and over, and soon you felt your stomach beginning to tighten.

One of Dorian's hands travelled up your body, to cup your breast in his hand.  His lips met yours once again as his thrusts became sloppier, and you knew he was close.

"Ah-" you said, trying to tell him you were close, but you couldn't think of the words.  All you could think of was him.

"Say my name again," he whispered quietly as he hit that same spot.

"D-Dorian," you stuttered out.  Your eyes closed as you pushed against him again, and you felt your release coming.

"Louder," he said.

"Dorian," you called out this time, your eyes shutting in ecstasy.

He gently bit down on your neck.  "One last time, scream for me," he whispered.

"Dorian Havilliard!" you called out at the top of your lungs, and you felt him release inside of you.  That was enough to send you over as well, and you released all over him.  It was the most powerful orgasm you'd ever experienced.  He pulled out of you and threw the contraceptive in your bedside trashcan.

He laid down beside you, both of you panting and smiling like idiots.  Dorian looked over at you, and he kissed you gently.  "That was the best Yulemas present I've ever gotten," he said quietly as he held himself over you.  

"Me too," you said as you laid your head on his chest.  His arms wrapped around you, and you smiled.  Then, an idea popped into your head.  "Hey Dorian?" you asked, looking up at him.

He looked down at you.  "Hm?"

"Can you spend the night?" you asked, your cheeks burning red.  You and Dorian had never slept in the same bed together, you always had to get out before someone could find you.  But now that his Father knew, you didn't see the harm in it.  "Just this once?"

He frowned.  "Only once?  Am I not allowed back after tonight?"

You smiled at him and hugged him tightly.  "You're always welcome here, you know that."

He kissed the top of your head.  "I'd be honored to spend the night with you."  You felt his racing heartbeat in his chest, and felt him chuckle as he said, "You know what that means?"

You shook your head, not looking up at him this time.  "What?"