Post by Rosie on Dec 18, 2010 5:05:18 GMT 10
Title: The Flipside
Rating: G
Card: 3
Bingo: training master + new beginnings + brandy + cushions + manners
Summary: Gareth struggles to please everybody.
--
"You're late," Roanna murmured drowsily, having fallen asleep where he'd left her, curled up in the chair with his abandoned book and brandy snifter by her side.
"I'm sorry," he answered, planting a kiss tenderly in her hair. "It took longer than I thought. You should have gone to bed."
"I didn't want to go to sleep without you," she said, stretching out her cramped muscles. "I seem to have been overruled on that. Speaking of overruling, what did Roald want?"
Gareth hesitated, knowing that she wouldn't be pleased with the response. "He's asked me to be training master."
"Am I to take it he didn't take your refusal well?"
"Roanna."
"You know they want to tie you to the capital, Gareth. With the baby coming, they're frightened you'll be spending more time at Naxen. Where you should be."
"This isn't up for negotiation, Roanna. It's my decision, and I've made it."
"It's Lianne's decision," Roanna corrected him, getting to her feet and wrapping the brocade robe around her tighter. "Please don't let them do this - it's not like when they restricted your freedom to explore other countries by making you Champion, or when they brought you back to the capital by making you Prime Minister. This is - I'm worried it's going to be too much for you. How will you handle it all?"
It had all seemed so much simpler with Lianne's imploring eyes fixed on his. Roanna's were penetrating; this was the flipside of laying yourself bare to somebody. "Roald is a peaceful king, so there isn't much call for me to be Champion, and training masters generally oversee, so I'll have plenty of time to be Prime Minister."
"And to be father? Husband? Duke of Naxen? How much time did your sister leave you for that?" Roanna removed the dressing gown; he realised it was the first time he'd seen her at night without it this winter. She always wore it when it was cold, but now she was handing it over, looking very much as though she wished she had gone to bed without him. "You don't always have to be so polite, Gareth. I hope you manage to say no when they ask you to be kitchenmaid."
With that, the discussion was clearly at an end, since she crawled into their bed. If the conversation and dressing gown hadn't given him enough of a clue as to how she felt, the wall of cushions between their halves of the bed certainly did.
Rating: G
Card: 3
Bingo: training master + new beginnings + brandy + cushions + manners
Summary: Gareth struggles to please everybody.
--
"You're late," Roanna murmured drowsily, having fallen asleep where he'd left her, curled up in the chair with his abandoned book and brandy snifter by her side.
"I'm sorry," he answered, planting a kiss tenderly in her hair. "It took longer than I thought. You should have gone to bed."
"I didn't want to go to sleep without you," she said, stretching out her cramped muscles. "I seem to have been overruled on that. Speaking of overruling, what did Roald want?"
Gareth hesitated, knowing that she wouldn't be pleased with the response. "He's asked me to be training master."
"Am I to take it he didn't take your refusal well?"
"Roanna."
"You know they want to tie you to the capital, Gareth. With the baby coming, they're frightened you'll be spending more time at Naxen. Where you should be."
"This isn't up for negotiation, Roanna. It's my decision, and I've made it."
"It's Lianne's decision," Roanna corrected him, getting to her feet and wrapping the brocade robe around her tighter. "Please don't let them do this - it's not like when they restricted your freedom to explore other countries by making you Champion, or when they brought you back to the capital by making you Prime Minister. This is - I'm worried it's going to be too much for you. How will you handle it all?"
It had all seemed so much simpler with Lianne's imploring eyes fixed on his. Roanna's were penetrating; this was the flipside of laying yourself bare to somebody. "Roald is a peaceful king, so there isn't much call for me to be Champion, and training masters generally oversee, so I'll have plenty of time to be Prime Minister."
"And to be father? Husband? Duke of Naxen? How much time did your sister leave you for that?" Roanna removed the dressing gown; he realised it was the first time he'd seen her at night without it this winter. She always wore it when it was cold, but now she was handing it over, looking very much as though she wished she had gone to bed without him. "You don't always have to be so polite, Gareth. I hope you manage to say no when they ask you to be kitchenmaid."
With that, the discussion was clearly at an end, since she crawled into their bed. If the conversation and dressing gown hadn't given him enough of a clue as to how she felt, the wall of cushions between their halves of the bed certainly did.