After the awkward breakfast was over, Théoden left to start his morning routine and I was given a plate of cookies which I walked happily up to my room.

Once in my room I slipped off my dress and started the water. It had been a bit since I last took a long bath and honestly, I thought I deserved it.

Why? I stood up for myself against the Council. Not only that, I was going to be a part of something that my father was a part of.

Once the tub was full of steaming hot water I lowered myself into it. After about fifteen minutes of soaking I stepped out of the tub, drained the water and started to dry myself off.

Once I had the towel wrapped around my waist I heard a knock at my door.

For fucks sake. This better not be the Council again.

Should you get dressed first before answering?

Perhaps I should but nope.

Hmm.

I smelt him through the cracks. Maybe I should. However, before I could move any more he knocked again, “Maria?” Marcel’s voice echoed through the door.

I think this is worse than the Council seeing me in a towel.

Now, I know I could have the conversation through the door and perhaps that probably would have been the smartest choice. However, I didn’t want to shout or talk through a door so I took a deep breath and opened the door. “Yes?” I questioned him with a bit of an annoyance in my voice.

He looked me up and down and smirked, “well is this how you treat all of your guests?”

I rolled my eyes, “Please you just caught me at the wrong time.”

I went to close the door so I could slip on some clothes but he put his foot in the way, “No need to rush off darling. I like what I see.”

I could feel my face start to flush. “Please let me change and we can talk properly.” I begged him.

He thought about it for a moment, “Fine but I really just had a question to ask you.”

I sighed, “What’s that?” As I moved my body between him and the door.

“I would like you to join me for a drink in thirty minutes down in the grand hall.” He said with a smile.

“A drink this early?” I questioned him as it was only seven in the morning now.

“I don’t see why not. Besides, consider this a game. We both will ask each other questions and if we do not want to answer, we drink.”

“Fine. I will meet you in thirty. Now let me get dressed.”

“Can I watch?”

“NO!” I said and slammed the door shut.

Told you that you should have gotten dressed first. Theoden said with a bit of anger laced in his voice.

I hate it when you are right.

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I shivered at the thought of Marcel seeing me naked. Damn him.

Thirty minutes later I went downstairs and saw that he had a table set up for the two of us. There was a single rose placed in between us and Roland who was holding a pitcher of Bloody Mary.

"Take a seat," Marcel said as he pulled a chair out for me, sitting across from me in turn. "First round, please." Roland quickly poured the drink into a tall glass and stepped back. "Rules are simple. One question each round. We answer as honestly as possible if you wish not to answer drink."

"Can I drink regardless?"

I had a big drink as I was not going to tolerate him without a buzz. I just had to hope that these drinks were strong enough to take the edge of otherwise it was going to be a long morning. Considering the first big gulp didn't affect me too much I took a few more before we proceeded.

"First question: Why are we doing this?" It was the most basic question I could have asked, but I wanted to know what he hoped to gain from this.

"Just interested to learn a little bit more about my fiancé. What motivates you, dreams, and hopes." Marcel placed his hands on the table and tapped once. He closed his eyes and thought for a minute. "What would be one thing that you would change if you had the proper authority to?"

Clever bastard, I wasn’t going to let him get under my skin this quickly. "I haven't thought much into it. There are a lot of rules that need to be reworked, rules that the council had implemented that need to be changed." I didn't want to tell him all of the details, and I couldn't. If my suspicions of Sybil were correct, he could have his dirty claws deep in the council.

"It's your turn to ask." He took a sip and stared up at me. I could sense his magic trying to work, but I refused to look at him directly, so nothing was taking hold.

I was thinking of ways we could get answers out of this. I wanted to be just as clever as him. "Your leading lady, how did you and her meet?" I took a shot, hoping he would tell me more about Crimson.

His smile twitched. "Ah, Crimson. My wing woman. We met back home. She was….a gift, though I don't think the term gift is the proper slang for it. I have known her for hundreds of years like you have known your guard. I consider her my guard, and right now, she has been a big help with keeping Summer Crest running properly."

I nodded, sipping the Bloody Mary, "I think it is your turn."

"Considering you asked about her, I'll ask about him. How did you meet him?"

Fuck. I dared to hesitate, so I came up with something real quick. "It was by fate. It was a simple passing. From there, it was…history." I tried hard not to look up but was curious about his reactions.

I felt a surge of magic as one word was spoken, "More?"

I managed to fight his magic on my own, as it was a small amount he could pass by, and I quickly looked the other way. "I think it's my turn to ask the question. Why Winterfall?"

I saw his lips curl into a smile, "Why not Winterfall? This place is something special." The basic answer is to go figure. "Why are you so fond of that guard of yours?"

"He has saved my life a handful of times now." There were several occasions, but I wasn't about to list them all out for a man focused on mind manipulation. One of those times was when my parents died. I was tempted to harm myself, but he talked me out of it, pulling me from the bottomless pits of darkness, me of my worth. "My turn. What drew you to Summer Crest?" I wanted answers.

"The King was a coward. He would have put up more of a fight for his Kingdom. But King Xander, as he was called, failed to rise to the challenge. He failed to save his Kingdom and brought destruction to his pride. He let his gluttony get in his way. Xander. A man was full of pride. A man full of self-worth. He called upon forces that knocked him off his pedestal. As my army advanced, he called his back. He was only leaving a handful of his best fighters to face me. When the last was to fall, he broke his silence. Forfeiting his own life to save his Kingdom. His final words - my soul and my Kingdom stands."

It was spoken as if it was poetry. I had no idea if I could believe a word he said. King Xander was known to hold onto his pride; he wouldn't have backed down quickly and would have gone fighting, which I knew. If he genuinely traded his soul for his Kingdom's safety, I almost wanted to believe it. Xander was a man built on pride, and the one thing he was proud of the most, other than himself, was the Kingdom that he helped create.

"My turn, my dear. If you were in King Xander's shoes, would you give your life for your Kingdom?"

I knew the answer to that. "I would do anything for my kingdom." I kept my answer as simple as possible.

"Interesting…" He tapped his fingers a few more times on the table. "I think we are done here." He stood up and went to the door, "One more thing, tell your guard I said Hello." His words sent a chill down my spine.