The Elves in the Room

Eber sat in his study, glancing over maps and reports of movements from the kingdom's troops. While his chair was comfortable, he'd been sitting for longer than intended. He needed to stretch, rest his eyes, and possibly find something to hold him until dinner. He leaned back sloppily in his chair while running his fingers through his hair. It was something completely normal fir most, but for one raised as a noble, it wasn't an appearance he wished to share with others. 

It was for this reason that he shot upward, hitting his knees under his desk, when there was a knock at the door. It was a heavy knock with a dainty hand, not one he could immediately place. There was also a brief silence. Any staff would've already announced themselves and asked for permission to enter. Eber questioned the identity of the one beyond the door as he sat up. 

He didn't have to wait long, as the door opened slightly and a cream colored pointed ear came into view. That was all he needed to know to confirm that the person was Spica. He breathed an inward sigh of relief that she hadn't seen him a moment prior. Given their general rapport, or lack thereof, he assumed she'd find a way to tease him for it, though she'd been acting quite differently after their trip to her estranged family's estate. She'd become... kinder, still teasing, but also not antagonistic. That being said, it wasn't to the point that he'd be happy about her calling him...

"Dear, I brought you some tea and biscuits."

He reflexively raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that why there are servants here? And those are cookies."

She, in turn, replied, completely undeterred, "They'll be eaten all the same, and you meant the staff who you told not to disturb you unless someone was dying or the city was under attack? The ones who either witnessed or heard tales of the incident that gained you the moniker of 'the Usurper'? Yes, most would rather face exile than defy you."

Spica casually approached the desk, a silver platter of cookies and a tea set for two in hand. She deftly grabbed a nearby serving cart and set the tray on it, then poured tea and divided the snacks with all the grace and fluidity of a maid. She then did something no maid would do and pulled herself a chair, sitting opposite Eber at his desk.

"So, I assume you have a good reason for disturbing me..."

"Is it so wrong to care for my fiancée?"

Eber winced, which had become a bit of a habit of his, specifically when Spica referred to him with any sort of kindness, whether it be genuine, dripping with sarcasm, or the more recent 'seemingly genuine but teasing' version. "That, 'my dear', depends on your motive."

Spica failed spectacularly at holding back a smile, and her cheeks flushed slightly. "Running a territory is a lot of work. I don't want to see you burn yourself out. The territory needs you, and the guardians that are left need this place. Not to mention me."

Eber stopped just short of picking up his teacup. He was glad he hadn't reached it yet, or it surely would've been dropped by now. He raised an eyebrow and gave the woman sitting opposite him his full attention before clearing his throat, "Spica..." He paused, realizing he still wasn't quite used to calling her by her taken name. "... I get that you like to antagonize me when the situation permits, but isn't this a bit far?"

Spica sighed, as if expecting this, "Under any other circumstances, I'd be inclined to agree."

"I'm sensing an 'ass', urm, I mean but."

Spica chuckled, "A but, indeed. When we first met, you were a prisoner, and I, your judge. Racially speaking, we were very much at odds. I levied a lenient, albeit rather unusual punishment, and you honestly made Solaris a better person for it." Her expression looked somewhat forlorn as she sipped her tea.

"You gave him the education most wouldn't, and gave him the magical basics that my standing wouldn't allow me to give. That gained you my gratitude."

"This far exceeds gratitude, wouldn't you say?"

Spica nodded, "It does. We all somehow survived the Eclipse Extermination, and then I came to find out that we're literally being hunted by mercenaries and the unsavory, and as fortune would have it, I found this city, and found that it was made relatively safe for our kind quite recently. Imagine my surprise when I learned that you were responsible for that. That gained you my budding respect and more than a little curiosity. After all, I too, heard the stories of your nickname."

She gingerly took a bite of a cookie and washed it down with a gulp of tea. "I baked these myself, you know, and the tea tastes better while it's still hot."

Eber grimaced, and Spica smirked, mischief dancing behind her eyes. Eber realized his misstep too late as Spica picked up a cookie. Her outstretched arm had closed the gap by the time he noticed, and a cookie was less than a finger's breadth from his lips. The aroma wafted into his nostrils, and he was reminded of how little he'd eaten over the course of the day.

"Say 'Ahhh'." Spica stuck her tongue out, and Eber curlishly chomped the cookie, not bothering to consider Spica's finger placement. Of course, as the antagonist of the moment, she expected this and ensured her digits were out of harm's way.

Her composure was commendable, as she only gave a refined chuckle once more, before taking another sip of tea and refilling her cup."After arriving, I saw how hard you applied yourself. You listened to the people, made their lives better, and though you've made quite a nuisance of an enemy in the king, you gave Guardians a place to feel safe, to feel like they belong, at least as much as one can feel in this world. You earned my respect, day in and day out, stone upon stone until it formed something akin to a mole hill."

"... A mole hill? Really?"

His complaint was ignored as she continued. "You earned my trust when you agreed to take me to my ancestral home. Undoubtedly, you knew of my circumstances and that it could cause a great number of problems. Yet you not only allowed for the trip to happen, but you even went yourself... into the near heart of a territory that despises your kind. You and Solaris could've easily come to harm."

"Then why did you not try to stop either of us from going?"

"Because beggars can't be choosers."

"I am... surprisingly... inclined to agree with you."

Spica's smile momentarily surfaced again, then her expression soured slightly. "I suspect you will not like this next part. It's what brings us to the current situation."

They both sipped tea, the sounds of which were the only noise present in the room until Spica started speaking again. "When facing my father, who, like us, should be dead, you used our antagonistic relationship to snap me back to reality. You used the racial tension to draw my father's attention to yourself. You proposed marriage in a bid to save my life at even more risk to your own. And you used your words and emotions to let me know that you care for me... enough to get angry on my behalf. It was to such a degree that the gods saw fit to grant you a celestial weapon if for no other reason than to protect me." Spica paused, the corners of her eyes moist. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and shrugged, seemingly resigned to her current state.

"There were surely other ways to handle the situation. You didn't have to agree to my request. You didn't have to go on the trip as well." Tears began to fall down her flushed cheeks, her expression a mixture of happiness, apologetic, and self-pity, or a confused mess.

"You didn't have to protect me from my father's wrath, or spill blood for my honor..." Her words became more sporadic as she began to sob, casting dignity and refinement aside. "You could've done something besides proposing... You could've shouted at me any number of things... You could've let them end me..."

Eber sat slack-jawed at Spica's unrestrained confession. The cookie he'd been 'fed' sat in his mouth, partially chewed, with no sign of continuing the process.

"But you knelt by my side... stood me up... and in no subtle way... declared to everyone you were on my side... and would cherish me when none other would."

A multitude of thoughts flowed through Eber's mind, but he had the decency to hold his tongue. Actually, he realized the cookie was only partially chewed and resumed eating it.

"I know you don't like it, and I wasn't thrilled about it either once I realized, but it doesn't matter to me if you did it in an antagonizing way. Your message was clear, and because of that, I've come to love you... more than I dare try to convey with words. The only thing I can do now is give an answer to your proposal..."

Eber's mouth opened again. She'd been teasing him, and he'd been worrying over a proposal that hadn't technically been accepted... but the instant this realization hit, and the moment his gaze took in Spica's joyous tears, his breath caught in his throat, and his heart skipped. He was utterly transfixed on the woman before him as the scene etched itself permanently into his mind.

Spica's expression was serene as she wiped her eyes and spoke, "Marquis Eber Frostbane, I, Taliall Sérëvëa, accept your proposal."

For the first time since they met, Eber had no want nor intention of contesting her.