Sorrow {Odette}

[Tybalt Lyon]

Tybalt remained sitting in the tub for a good ten minutes after the princess had left, all his pride gone. How fucking embarrassing. How completely humiliating. Had that honestly just happened? He didn’t even dare answer that question. He lifted a hand, resting it against his face in despair, sinking down into what little water was remaining in the tub. He didn’t think he could go out there. How could he face her after this?! He tried to gather up his courage a few times, but each time he failed miserable, slumping back into the bathtub with a loud sigh. How much had she seen anyway? How the hell was he going to look at her?! Or, more so, how was she going to look at him? Oh, how awkward… He just wished he could disappear… That wasn’t an option though, unfortunately. Damn it! And they had to share a bed tonight too, didn’t they? Ugh. He’d just sleep on the floor.

Eventually, the water started to get cold. He knew he couldn’t stay in there forever, and... You know what… to hell with this. He slowly climbed from the tub, half expecting the door to fly open again, and then changed into the clothes he had been wearing earlier that day, which were now even more wet from the bath water that had spilled over them. He would have put the nice dry ones on, but there was something else he wanted to do with those. He imagined that the princess was soaking wet too, her and that goddamned dress of hers. He knew these were men’s clothes, he knew that they would be too big for her, but at least they were dry. She was going to catch her death if she didn’t change out of what she was wearing soon. She’d been soaking wet for over an hour now, first being drenched by the rain and then being drowned in a bathtub. It was probably too late, and the cold had probably already taken its toll on her, all because he’d had to be immature and sulk in the bathroom for who knows how long. Tybalt didn’t care if his clothes were wet. It was slightly uncomfortable and the clothing stuck to his skin oddly, but it wouldn’t kill him. He was a lot tougher than the blonde. So, he pulled the wet clothing back on and then stomped out of the room. He could do this.

He glanced around the room, eyes resting on the princess for a moment. He quickly looked away though, unable to hold her gaze. “These,” he muttered, tossing the dry clothes at her. “Put them on. Now.” He walked to the other side of the room, turning his back to her, arms folded across his soaking wet form. Water dripped onto the floor, pooling at his feet. He didn’t care though. It didn’t matter if he was soaking wet and caught pneumonia. No one would care if he dropped dead, except maybe the tavern owner because he probably got half of his coins from Tybalt’s pocket. The princess, on the other hand, couldn’t die. He had already saved her, if that’s how you wanted to look at it, from one disaster today. If she were to die from pneumonia or something now that would’ve all been for nothing. Yes, he was probably being a little overdramatic, but that was just part of who he was, always thinking of the worst possible outcome.

A few moments later the door opened, revealing the face of the doctor’s wife. “I brought you both some tea to warm you up!” she announced, letting herself into the room without the slightest of hesitations. She set the two cups down on a table in the center of the room and then gasped. “Oh my, you’re soaked to the bone!” She looked Tybalt up and down, shaking her head disapprovingly, and then her gaze travelled to the princess and she did the same. “Whatever happened?” Hah! So she was pretending not to know, was she? Tybalt narrowed his eyes at her and muttered, “None of your damn business.” However, he quickly seemed to realize that this was not a fitting thing to say, especially to someone who was hosting you, and he tried to cover up his mistake. “I mean, sorry, I um… forgive me. That was out of line.” He rubbed the back of his head, a nervous gesture, and then turned away from the woman. “I’ll bring you both some new clothes right away,” she told him and hurried off. Good riddance.

Making the best of the woman’s absence, Tybalt moved over to the table where the cups of tea had been set. He didn’t like tea much, but it was warm. He leaned down, grabbing the cup, and slowly put it to his lips. He made a face, wondering if she had made it with dirty dishwater or something. Either that or she was trying to poison them, though he doubted that she would do that. She might be a little over eccentric, a little strange, but he didn’t think she was that crazy. After a few gulps from the cup, Tybalt set his back down on the table and then glanced over at the princess, who was still in the corner of the room. With a quiet sigh, he grabbed the other cup, lifting it from the wooden table, and carried it over to her. “Here,” he muttered, holding it out to her carefully. “It tastes like crap, but it’s good for you. So… you might as well drink it.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke, eyes directed up at the ceiling rather than her face. “You didn’t, uh, pull your stitches or anything, right?” he added under his breath, some of the color from before returning to his cheeks.

[/blockquote]

[odette]

[/i]. She was pampered, she knew, not ever knowing truly what being cold, or going hungry was. The few times she'd snuck out alone she'd seen more of those who had than when she went out as the Princess. She'd always brought something for them, even if it were only for the children. She definitely had enough to spare for others. Odette shook her head, coming back to the present. She'd been trying to kill her habit of going off into her memories or other fantasy worlds but it was hard to get rid of a habit she'd had since she was young.

When the door next to her opened, she didn't look up. There was only one person who would be walking out of that particular room, so she had nothing to fear from him. He paused in the doorway, and she looked up towards the man, seeing he was scanning the room for her, before turning to look down at her. The two of them glanced away at the same time. She bit her lip, feeling a bit guilty. Then again, if the woman had told her that Tybalt was in the bathroom, all of this would have been avoided. Her eyes looked around the room suddenly, realizing something. That woman had them in a room with only one bed - was she expecting them to sleep together? Even if the little bathroom scene hadn't occurred, she wondered how well that little plan of hers would have fared.

"These." His voice was just loud enough for her to hear. Clothing landed on her, and she scrambled to scoop them off of her soaking body and keep them from landing on the floor. "Put them on. Now." He ordered, striding across the room to face the wall, his back to her. Any other time - and any other person - and she'd have challenged his order. But she was soaking wet and injured, not to mention tired, and he'd been helping her this whole time. Besides, it was much easier to follow someone elses orders than to try to think for herself. Changing into clothes sounded like a good idea, even if it was male clothing. It wasn't like anyone was going to see - or if they did they wouldn't care.

As she was still debating with herself as to when she was going to stand up - her body was not liking the idea of moving - the woman entered the room without so much of a knock. "I brought you both some tea to warm you up!" She told them cheerfully. Odette's eyes followed the woman through the room as she sat the cups on a table, watching as she realized her guests were soaked. "Whatever happened?" The wife asked, shaking her head at the sight of the two of them. "None of your damn business," was Tybalts' immediate response, and Odette glared at him for half a moment before looking back to the woman. "I mean, sorry, I um... forgive me. That was out of line." Odette just shook her head. There was no way she was telling this woman what had happened. The woman told the two of them she'd get them some clothes and rushed out of the room.

Well, at least she wouldn't be wearing men's clothing, right?

Tybalt crossed the room to the cups while Odette looked down at the clothing in her arms. They were, for the most part, dry. She'd managed to keep them from getting wet against her clothes or the floor and she was holding them above herself. With a sigh, she carefully tossed them to the side, far enough away that they wouldn't land in any water. She didn't take into account her body acting up, and they landed at the edge of a puddle of water - either from her or from Tybalt she wasn't sure. She sighed, but she made no move to fix it. She didn't want to get up for an outfit that was about to be replaced. Just in time, it seemed, because Tybalt was bringing her the other cup of tea. "Here. It tastes like crap, but it's good for you. So... you might as well drink it." He wasn't looking at her, but she didn't have that luxury. To take the cup he was offering her, she had to look up at him.

Carefully Odette accepted the cup from him, lifting the cup to her lips and taking a drink. He was right, this stuff was awful. It was warm, though that was the only compliment she could pay this drink. She took another quick gulp before holding it in her lap, letting it warm her hands. "You didn't, uh, pull your stitches or anything, right?" He asked softly, still not looking at her. Now that he mentioned it, her shoulder was completely pissed off with her. She'd been ignoring it, but now she could feel the flare of pain that came with her exerting her wounded arm as she had. "I don't think so... It hurts though." She told him after staring at the soaked bandage, as if that would tell her. There wasn't any blood in it - but then again there were so many bandages wrapped around her shoulder that it could be bleeding and she wouldn't be able to tell.

Odette could hear footsteps coming towards their room. Hopefully it was the woman with the promised clothes. Indeed it was her with two sets of clothing. A dress - a white thing - and some new clothing for Tybalt. She set them out on the bed, and before Odette could say anything to her she was gone again, without a word. Wonderful. Odette had absolutely no idea how she was going to change out of this dress and into the other one without help - and she was not going to ask Tybalt for his aid. It wasn't that she was one of those nobles who didn't know how to dress themselves, it was that her hurt shoulder would make it impossible to unfasten the buttons at the back that was holding the dress in its proper place.[/ul]

[Tybalt Lyon]

"I don't think so... It hurts though."

“That’s what happens when you decide to go swimming in a bathtub,” he muttered quietly, mostly to himself, though she could probably hear. And then, louder, he added, “You’ll need to get the bandages changed.” He doubted it was good to have wet bandages. He didn’t think water would hurt the wound, but it would be better, and definitely more comfortable, if the gauze was dry. He sighed to himself. He’d say something to the lady when she came back, request to see her husband again, apologize. He would probably ask what happened. Tybalt snorted at that. What the hell was he going to tell him? That the princess had decided to take a dive into the tub fully clothed? He doubted he’d even believe that, despite it being the truth. Tybalt was still unsure what had taken place in there, though he didn’t dare ask. He wanted that subject to be over with, forever forgotten, as if it had never happened.

The door opened, interrupting Tybalt from his thoughts, and he looked up to see the old lady again. He eyed her suspiciously as she placed some dry clothes for them on the bed and walked back out. Thankfully this time she didn’t say anything or try to strike up conversation. Tybalt watched as the door closed, and then he turned back to the princess. She made no move toward the clothes. He waited, but then figured that she was probably just uncomfortable because he was in the room with her, which, especially after that incident in the bathroom, might be slightly awkward. So, he grabbed the clothing that had been left for him and walked back into the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. As he stepped inside, he nearly fell flat on his face, feet slipping on the water that was still all over the floor. He landed with a hard thud on his knees, and then frantically scrambled back to his feet. He gave a frustrated shout, which was followed by a string of curses. Luckily, the princess hadn’t been there to see that. He’d already suffered more embarrassment than he could take.

The former knight quickly stripped down, and then pulled on the new clothes, the dry ones. The material was a little rough against his skin, but it was better than being soaking wet and cold. He ran a hand through his dark hair, sending water droplets raining to the ground. He waited there for a few moments, eyes closed, lost in his thoughts. He would have just gone back out there, but he didn’t want to walk in on the princess while she was changing. He supposed that would only make it fair, she saw him, he saw her, but he’d rather avoid any more awkwardness. He’d had enough of that for one day. So, he did the polite thing and waited, and only when he was sure he had given her enough time did he peek out of the door. To his surprise, the princess hadn’t moved and was still dressed in her soaking wet dress.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. Why hadn’t she changed? At this rate she was going to catch pneumonia. His face scrunched up in confusion as he tried to figure it out. Ugh. Women… Maybe she didn’t like the dress? He looked down at it thoughtfully. Hm. Well, it wasn’t the most beautiful dress in the world, and the fabric was thin and worn, but it was still a dress. “Is the dress not to your liking?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow. He knew that she was spoiled, but surely not that spoiled. Even if it was hideous, the important thing was that it was dry. Tybalt grabbed the white dress from the bed, strode across the room, and all but shoved it into the princess’s face. “Just put it on,” he told her with a sigh.

He was still too embarrassed to look at her, though most of the color had disappeared from his face now. He continued to hold the dress out to the girl, eyes looking somewhere off to the side, avoiding her face. He realized he was probably being a bit childish about this whole thing, maybe a little immature, but he didn’t care. She wasn’t the one who had been assaulted while naked in the bath. He took a slow breath, trying not to think about it. Pretend like it never happened, he told himself, repeating the words over and over in his mind. However, the more he did that, the more he thought about it. Ugh! It was impossible not to think about. Just… oh… whatever. “You’ll fall ill if you remain in those wet clothes,” he added in a mumble, turning his face away.

[/blockquote]

[odette]

[/i] The man muttered, though she didn't think she was supposed to hear it. He was standing over her, though, so it was kind of hard not to. She blushed and looked away. It was an accident! She'd have never went inside of the bathroom if she had known what was lying in wait inside. "You'll need to get the bandages changed." He told her, and she nodded even though he probably wasn't looking at her still. After the woman left, the two of them didn't move for a few long moments. Then, Tybalt snatched his clothing up off of the bed and went into the bathroom quietly.

She heard a muffled thud and a shout, followed by a stream of words she'd heard before - but they were used much more creatively. She laughed quietly to herself for a moment - she doubted he knew she could hear him. It was so quiet in this inn she was surprised the old woman hadn't heard her fall into the tub! That sobered her up quickly, and she sighed. Then, she tried to rise from her position next to the door - fighting against uncooperating limbs all the way. They were cold and weak from blood loss. Why couldn't they just stay where they were and not work? That would be nice. But no, she needed to rise and get over to the bed and figure out how in the world she was going to get into the other dress.

But, before she managed to do any of that, Tybalt was back in the room again in the new clothes. He saw she was still in her wet clothing and he wasn't too happy. "What are you doing? Is the dress not to your liking?" It wasn't the dress. Honestly, she could care less what the dress looked like - it would be dry and warmer than the clothing on her body. Besides, did the dress she was currently wearing look like something the Princess was supposed to be wearing day to day? No. They made her wear more elaborate clothing for audiences and Council meetings. It was rare to get to be able to wear something that didn't weigh as much as she did - because when you added the jewels and crowns and layers upon layers of petticoats that was exactly what you got.

"Just put it on." He told her, holding the dress in front of her. She looked up at the male, biting the inside of her cheek. Honestly, she didn't want to admit that she couldn't do it by herself. Because either he'd have to help her or he'd send that strange old lady in to help her - she wasn't sure which of those scenarios was worse. On the one hand he wasn't a stranger and - while it would be embarrassing and even more awkward - he wouldn't try anything (at least she was pretty sure he wouldn't). That old lady... she was weird. Odette didn't know what that lady might or might not do. "You'll fall ill if you remain in those wet clothes." He insisted when she was still silent. Odette sighed.

"It's not the dress, Tybalt. I don't know if I can put it on." She told him, looking down at her hands and the remnants of the tea. Before he could interrupt, she explained what she meant by that. "This dress buttons up in the back... I can't get them with this arm. And that one probably has something similar..." She trailed off, knowing he'd figure out exactly where she was going with this. If he didn't, he was much more dense than he let on. [/ul]

[Tybalt Lyon]

"It's not the dress, Tybalt. I don't know if I can put it on. This dress buttons up in the back... I can't get them with this arm. And that one probably has something similar...”

She looked down at her hands as she spoke, seeming a little self conscious. What was she…? Oh, wait. It didn’t take Tybalt long to figure out where she was going with this. She needed help changing. He didn’t react right away though, instead remaining silent. She needed help because of her shoulder. If she tried to do it herself it would probably hurt a hell of a lot, and the movement might stretch the skin and rip the stitches. He sighed, closing his eyes. “Why do you women have to wear such complicated clothing?” he muttered under his breath. Women, ugh, women… Nothing good ever came of them, hence why Tybalt knew so little of them. He preferred not to get involved with them if he could help it. Why? Because…well…because things like this happened!

He opened his eyes again, slowly. A frown spread over his face. What to do, what to do… He supposed he should probably go find the old woman again, shouldn’t he? He doubted it would be very proper for him, a man, to help this young girl change. Then again… he didn’t exactly want to go find the doctor’s wife. Yes, she had been very helpful, too helpful, so far, but Ssomething about her seemed a little off. Maybe it was the fact that he still believed the woman was the one who had sent the princess in to assault him, but whatever the case, the idea of was displeasing to him. However, that would mean he would have to do it instead.

“Ah,” Tybalt said at last, deep voice awkward. He looked a little uncomfortable himself, but he didn’t see a way around this. He was just helping her change clothes, he reminded himself. It was a simple task, nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, she was probably used to people dressing her, right? After all, she was royalty, so he figured she probably had servants or something to help her with that. Then again, they were probably women and he was a man… but… agh! It didn’t matter right now. She’d already seen him naked, so who cared if he saw a bit of skin on her.

That was it. To hell with this. “Get up,” he told her, a note of finality in his voice. He nodded to her, gesturing with his hand for her to stand. “I’ll do it.” He doubted she was going to like this, but guess what? Neither was he. It had to be done though, and as soon as possible. She’d already been sitting there freezing her ass off for a good hour now. At this rate she’d have pneumonia before the sun even set! “I won’t try anything,” he added in a huff, rolling his eyes up toward the ceiling. He’d just undo the goddamned buttons, rip the dress off, and then slam the other one over her head. Yes, that was the plan. He could do this.

Tybalt glanced down at the princess impatiently. She needed to hurry and get on her feet. Then he could get this over with! It couldn’t be too hard, could it? “What are you waiting for? Get up.”

[/blockquote]

[odette]

[/i] That was a good question. She liked how they were pretty, but they was so much to them! At least she wasn't wearing a dress that required multiple petticoats along with a hoop skirt and all that. She would never have been able to get out of all that - but then again with that much clothing on she'd have been found out before she snuck off the grounds. Even if she had, there was no way they'd have gotten this far with her in so much. In response to his question, she shrugged. The complication just added to the appeal she supposed. Without some sort of annoyance, they'd be the perfect and there was no such thing as "perfection". Nope, so they had to be annoying by having buttons and petticoats and other such things men didn't have to deal with.

"Get up. I'll do it." What? She looked up at him, confused. She honestly thought she heard him wrong - she didn't expect him to offer to help her change himself. She'd actually thought he'd insist on getting the doctor's wife. It wasn't odd for her to be aided in changing her clothes - with all the aforementioned petticoats and hoop skirts and gowns she needed all the help she could get! Getting dressed for an audience was a ridiculous affair, requiring more time than she'd rather take to get dressed. And then she'd have to prance around in a dress that felt like it was going to drag her to the floor while smiling and pretending she liked it. She liked being pretty - don't get her wrong - but when it took hours to do all of that it was just a little much. Honestly.

"I won't try anything." He'd better not! That went without saying. Sure, she'd been helped by others to get dressed, but never had one of them been a male. That was unseemly. However, she was pretty sure that the events that had so far occurred in this room would not even leave this room. No, they were far too embarrassing even to speak of to each other, much less to people who weren't there for what had actually happened. This had to be the single most strange day she'd ever had. Never had so much weird stuff happened to her within the span of a few hours. She blamed the weather.

"What are you waiting for? Get up." Tybalt told her, and she tried to comply with his command. Man, this was the only person - other than her parents and teachers (who had orders from her parents) - who had ever dared order her around like he was. He was lucky that she wasn't her brother - or that her brother wasn't here (though then it would be REALLY awkward and crazy) - because he'd have taken great offense to the way Tybalt was acting. Her body just did not want to comply with her orders, no matter what she tried. She sighed heavily.

"Would you help me up? I seem to be having trouble." Odette said, looking up towards him. If he said 'no' she'd have to figure out what to do - but she highly doubted he'd say no. Even if she was letting him tell her what to do, they both knew where the two of them stood in terms of rank. Not that she was trying to pull rank - she just wanted a hand up. Hopefully he didn't do it in the same fashion as he had before - yanking her up onto her feet so fast she didn't know where she was for a moment. She set her tea on the floor just in case - he might just do that again and then the tea would be everywhere (much like the water in the bathroom. Stop going back to that, stupid mind!) and extended her good hand up towards him.[/ul]

[Tybalt Lyon]

"Would you help me up? I seem to be having trouble."

She couldn’t even stand up now? That wasn’t good. Though, he figured that the blood loss she had suffered was probably kicking in now that she was finally able to relax, if this could be called relaxing. “Of course,” Tybalt said, a sigh following his words. He slung the dress over his shoulder, and then he leaned forward and grasped her outstretched hand. He locked his fingers around hers and then slowly began to pull her to her up. He placed his other hand against her side, trying to help support her as he brought her to her feet. She didn’t seem very steady… Perhaps after she was changed it would be a good idea for her to lie down and get some rest. That might help liven her up a bit, and give her body a chance to regain some of its strength.

As he gently tugged at her, trying his best not to be too rough, he found himself feeling slightly guilty. This girl in front of him was the princess, and he sure as hell hadn’t been very polite to her. Now, granted, he was showing more manners to her than he usually graced people with, but he knew he could still do better. It was just that today had been one thing after another, and the stress of it all was driving him mad. Oh well, the sun would be setting soon… and then they could both get some sleep, even if that sleep would consist of sleeping on a hard wooden floor for him. There were only a few more hours left, and honestly, he couldn’t imagine anything else that could go wrong within those hours.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Just as he thought that, suddenly, he felt the girl falling into him. The movement caught him off guard, and he stumbled back a step, foot slipping in a puddle of water that had been on the ground. He tried to catch himself, but the princess was already falling, and somehow she managed to bring him down with her, falling against his chest and pushing him back. Tybalt let out a surprised shout, which was quickly cut off as his back struck the wooden floor, knocking some of the air from his lungs. This was the second time, the second time he had fallen! This time, however, it hadn’t been completely his fault. The princess was the one that had slipped first, and if he hadn’t fallen too she would have been the one to hit the floor. The poor girl had already been beaten up enough today, what with being stabbed in the shoulder, kicked in the chest, and then brutally pushed from a tub. She probably already had enough bruises.

“Are you…okay?” Tybalt asked, getting some of his breath back. He slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the girl, and that’s when he realized that she was on top of him. She had fallen in a rather awkward angle, wet body pressing against his, face hovering dangerously close… For fuck’s sake!!! Tybalt felt his eyes widen and his muscles tense up. His heart started beating faster in a reflex reaction. Shit. He tried to take a deep breath to slow it, but that didn’t do any good. No! Damn it! She was going to hear it, probably feel it, and get the wrong idea. It was from embarrassment, nothing more! His first instinct was to shove her off him, but then he reminded himself that she was injured, and that a movement like that would most definitely rip her stitches. That is, if their struggle in the tub hadn’t already. Ugh... Damn. As that memory returned to his mind, the situation became more awkward than it already was. He just needed to stay away from the female race. Trouble, that’s all they brought! After today he vowed to never talk to women again.

“You just can’t seem to stay off me, can you?” he mumbled, sarcasm clear in his voice. He diverted his gaze, and then he forced an awkward laugh, because what more could he really do.

[/blockquote]

[odette]

[/i] he sighed, reaching down to help her up. His hand grabbed hers and pulled her up gently, and she used his strength to get herself onto her two feet. She was a bit unsteady on her feet, and his other hand went to her side to help her keep her balance. She took a small step forward to steady herself, only to catch the hem of her dress - which only threw her more off balance. Odette found herself falling against Tybalt, which startled the man helping her up. He stepped back and fell himself, and down they went into a heap on the floor. He fell with a shout, which was cut off as his back hit the ground. It probably didn't help that she landed smack on top of him.

He was warm - she could tell because it was a sharp contrast to the cold dress she was wearing. She tried to prop herself up on her arm, only to have it collapse under her weight - which was only to be expected because she'd used the injured arm, which happened to be her dominant side. "Are you... okay?" Tybalt asked, opening his eyes (she hadn't even noticed they were closed until then) to look at her. His eyes widened and his body tensed as he looked down at her. What? Did her shoulder start pouring blood again? For a few moments, she was literally completely oblivious to the obvious, but when his heart rate picked up she clued in. They were so close together that she could actually feel how hard his heart was beating. That was when she realized how close they were, and how their bodies were pressed together.

"You just can't seem to stay off me, can you?" He told her sarcastically, with an awkward laugh. She blushed. Honestly, everything was going all screwy today! First she got caught in the middle of a fight, injuring herself and she had to be carried to a doctor. Then the crazy lady left her in a room and she ended up falling into the same bathtub as Tybalt - she still wasn't sure how she managed that one. And now this. The day couldn't - wait, it could. More stuff could happen that would screw them over and it would be awkward. She'd rather not make fate actively try to mess with their lives. "What? You mean women don't do this to you all the time?" She said after a moment to think about what she was going to say. Immediately she blushed and pushed herself up with her good arm, realizing just how unseemly that sentence was. Nope. There was no way to play off that one.

And, just when she thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, the door opened.

Odette turned her head towards the noise, confused. The door shouldn't be opening. She was still propped up above Tybalt on one arm, when she saw the old woman again. Why was she even there? Odette hadn't heard the womans' footsteps - but then again she was more concerned with the fact that she was laying on top of Tybalt. But, for all the two of them knew, she was standing just outside their door to listen in on whatever conversation they had. She was old - she'd have had taken some time to get to their room. Was she standing right outside their door? That would be creepy.

"Uhm..." Odette said stupidly, for once all of her eloquence and creativity deserting her. She didn't think her face could get any redder than it already was. "Having fun, are we? I thought I heard a noise and came to investigate... I didn't meant to intrude." The woman said with a raised eyebrow. What? No! That wasn't what was going on at all! But Odette couldn't manage to get her voice to work. She shook her head weakly, trying to refute what the woman said. There was absolutely no way to save this situation. The woman was probably going to gossip about this to her friends and it would be all over the kingdom, and her advisers were going to go in a frenzy. They wouldn't listen to her, nooo. She could just imagine it now. [/ul]

[Tybalt Lyon]

"What? You mean women don't do this to you all the time?"

The princess propped herself up with one arm, putting a small amount of distance between them. Tybalt snorted at what she said, rolling his eyes as he did so. She was trying to be funny, right? “I can only wish,” he replied in the same sarcastic tone he had used before. He sighed dramatically for effect. He didn’t wish that at all, and in fact, he wished exactly the opposite. After today he didn’t want to be anywhere near women. They’d caused him too much trouble. He should still be drinking his ale! But no, instead he was babysitting the princess of Astale, caught up in some crappy old inn, and was now soaking wet again. For god’s sake! He had just managed to get dry, but now those clothes were soiled too, a result from the princess being on top of him, the water from her dress seeping out onto his shirt and pants. “Now, would you so kindly remove yourself from me?” he asked between his teeth, shifting uncomfortably underneath her.

It was just as these words left his mouth that the door flung open. He managed to turn his head, eyes darting up to the figure standing in the door. No! Not that damned woman again! And she had walked in at the worst of times. God knows what was going through her mind as she saw them on the ground like that. He got his answer a few seconds later.

“Having fun, are we? I thought I heard a noise and came to investigate... I didn't mean to intrude.”

He mentally cringed at her words. Shit. “This is not what it looks like!” Tybalt objected from the ground, glaring up at the woman furiously. Of course she had chosen now to barge into the room. Hadn’t she ever heard of knocking?! Oh, he was really beginning to dislike this woman. He knew he shouldn’t, that she was only causing innocent harm, but it was starting to get on his nerves. First the bath, now this. What would be next?! Tybalt considered saying something sarcastic, playing along just to mess with her, but then he decided against it. If this woman told other people, gossip would soon spread around the kingdom. People would start rumors, saying the princess was messing around with random men, and her already poor reputation didn’t need to get any worse. He opened his mouth, about to explain, but the woman was already leaving, closing the door behind her, blurting out apologies between awkward giggles. Tybalt watched the door close and then turned his gaze back up to the princess, who was still perched atop him. Did she really like sitting on him that much?

Guessing that she didn’t have the strength to remove herself, Tybalt placed his palms on the ground next to him, using his arms to push himself up. With a soft grunt he was able to rise into a sitting position, bringing the princess up with him, and she fell back so that she was now sitting in his lap. “That was certainly a graceful move, your majesty,” he said sarcastically, though this time his voice was teasing rather than rude. “Just think of the rumors that will spread.” He thought about this for a moment, and then a frown formed on his face. Great. And he would be involved in them. He didn’t want any damn gossip about himself going around. Hah. Oh, this would really give people something to talk about. The dreamy princess and the fallen knight. Maybe he was lucky and that woman didn’t know who he was. Maybe she just thought he was some randomer, because, after all, she hadn’t even known who the princess was until he had explained.

A heavy sigh left Tybalt’s lips, his chest rising and falling. “I do apologize that you’ve had to get involved in this,” he added, this time in a serious voice. “Perhaps you will not sneak out of the castle again, seeing what trouble lies outside the walls.” He glanced off to the side, staring down at the wooden floor with an unreadable expression on his face. He was silent for a moment, and then he turned his dark grey eyes back to the princess. “We should get your dress on now. You’re going to catch pneumonia or something if you stay in those clothes any longer.”

[/blockquote]

[odette]

[/i] His tone was still sarcastic - and his heavy sigh added to the effect. She was sure that if she wasn't an active participant in all these scenarios it would be quite hilarious. However, since she happened to be part of it, they were just downright awkward and embarrassing to say the least. At least no one had witnessed any of it - that would be worse! "Now, would you so kindly remove yourself from me?" Tybalt asked, his body shifting beneath hers. Yeah, she should probably do that. That would help alleviate some of the awkwardness. Hopefully. This whole getting dressed ordeal was probably going to be just as awkward - or maybe even more-so after her falling on him and the whole bathroom spectacle.

Then the woman barged in and Odette froze. Her mind was screaming at her to say something to diffuse her assumptions, but her throat wasn't cooperating with her. Tybalt, however, did not have any such problem. "This is no what it looks like!" The man underneath her yelled, though his words really didn't help the situation any. Either denying it or agreeing with it, the result was still the same. This would be all over the kingdom in a day or two, and then she was going to be in so much trouble. Great. Being the figurehead of a nation sucked royally sometimes - pun intended. She couldn't do anything or go anywhere without anyone talking about it or following her. It was so stifling. She found herself envying the children on the street - at least they could be themselves. She wasn't even allowed that luxury anymore.

After a few more moments, the woman left with giggled apologies. At least that was one less thing to worry about - for now, anyway. Later, she'd worry about the rumor that was going to spread about her and Tybalt. It would be her luck that the woman wouldn't know Tybalt's name, and she'd spread the rumor about a "man". Then there would be all sorts of men claiming to be her lover, and she'd be saddled with that mess. Unless, by the time she got home, the rumors had reached the Council's ears. Then they might stop Tybalt and do something about the situation. Whatever. She doubted he'd say anything - he'd probably just go back to that tavern she'd met him in and go back to living his life before she bothered him.

He slowly sat up, pushing both of them upwards. She shifted the lower half of her body, else she'd have been in a good deal of pain from sitting with her body at a ninety degree angle. Honestly, she'd have gotten up herself, but she couldn't get up off the floor from a seated position earlier. Why would she be able to get up from laying down then? That just wasn't logical, really. Now she was sitting in his lap. She hadn't sat on anyone's lap since she was seven, and that had been her father and not some male she barely knew. Not that it mattered at that moment - he'd carried her to this place and she'd fallen into the tub with him on accident, not to mention that woman walking in on her splayed out on top of him. Honestly, sitting on him was not the highest on her list of embarrassing or even mildly awkward things of the day.

"That was certainly a graceful move, your majesty," he told her, his voice still laced with sarcasm. At least this time he didn't sound as insulting as before. She managed a faint smile. "Just think of the rumors that will spread." And then the smile faded and she groaned softly. "Don't remind me. My advisers are going to absolutely kill me. And you, if they find out it was you the rumors are based off of." She said, resolutely. Seriously, she was the Princess and she was afraid of facing a few people at the castle. They should be afraid of what she'd order, honestly. The youngest person on her Council was more than double her age, and they terrified her only like her parents did. She could order them to do whatever, but they were the ones helping her keep this country running. Without them, she was screwed, and she tried to keep them happy whenever she could.

"I do apologize that you've had to get involved in this. Perhaps you will not sneak out of the castle again, seeing what trouble lies outside the walls." He told her, the sarcasm gone as he looked away. He thought this would deter her? Okay, maybe for awhile because the Council would make it much more difficult for her to get away, but after that she'd probably come out and about again without an escort. She liked pretending she wasn't the same as others. "You and my Council both hope I'd get that good sense, but I doubt I will." She told him with a sigh. "The world outside the castle is much more exciting than paperwork and audiences. I mean, they're important, but it's so stifling." She admitted to him. Not like he'd be able to tell anyone what she'd say - and they probably wouldn't believe him anyway.

"We should get your dress on now. You're going to catch pneumonia or something if you stay in those clothes any longer." Odette nodded. With his help, she got back onto her feet carefully, making sure not to fall on him anymore. Her head felt odd, light. She was lightheaded. Odette bit her lip - she should be fine until after they got this stupid dress off. Then she could lay down or something. Yes, that was what she would do. She'd lay down after this was done. "Sorry about your clothes." She murmured as she turned her back to him - making sure not to step on her hem - and swept her long hair away from the back of the dress. Let's just get this over with.[/ul]

[Tybalt Lyon]

"Don't remind me. My advisers are going to absolutely kill me. And you, if they find out it was you the rumors are based off of."

“Then let’s hope they don’t find out,” he said with a sigh. “Maybe she won’t tell anyone.” He’d rather not be involved in any promiscuous rumors with the princess, but he supposed it was too late now. He could only hope that the woman didn’t know who he was. He doubted it. If she didn’t know who the ruler of her own damn country was she probably didn’t know what the fallen knight’s name was, right? Even if he was safe though, the princess probably wasn’t. He knew what that would mean for her, and it wasn’t good. It seemed very few people took her seriously, and if they heard of this incident they would take her even less seriously. It would almost be worse, for her anyway, if Tybalt went unnamed, because then it would sound like she was just having ‘fun’ with random men, like some kind of tramp. He didn’t know if there was really anything he could do about that though…was there? He didn’t have much time to think it over because the princess spoke again.

"You and my Council both hope I'd get that good sense, but I doubt I will. The world outside the castle is much more exciting than paperwork and audiences. I mean, they're important, but it's so stifling."

“Are you serious?” he asked, pulling an odd face. He lifted one eyebrow, tilting his head to the side, and his lips trembled as if he were stifling a laugh. Even after all that had happened today the princess was still willing to brave the outside world? “Brave girl,” he mused after a pause, going through the list of all that had happened in his mind. In the course of a few hours she had been stabbed, shared a bath with a naked man, drank tea that tasted like dishwater, nearly caught pneumonia, taken an awkward fall, and somehow Tybalt was sure other things had happened, but he just couldn’t think of them at the moment. The list was already long enough, and hopefully nothing more would happen to lengthen it. He didn’t dare think any farther on that subject, for the second he thought it he would jinx it.

The princess finally got to her feet, freeing Tybalt. She seemed a little unsteady, and as Tybalt came to stand next to her, he put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. She swept her long blonde hair back, giving him room to work, and he hesitantly held out his hands. Right. He could do this. They were just buttons. That’s all they were. His fingers grasped the first one, and with a slightly unsteady hand he undid it. He fumbled rather awkwardly with the first few, biting his lip as he did so, and then he paused. Maybe if he talked it would make this less awkward…

"Sorry about your clothes."

Luckily, she spoke, interrupting his thoughts. “Oh.” That’s right. He was all wet again, wasn’t he? “It’s just water,” he muttered. “It’ll dry.” He began to fiddle with another button, moving his hands lower. “Honestly though…” he spoke again, voice becoming more firm. “You need to be careful, Princess.” Even if half the things on that list were harmless, she had been violently assaulted today. She could have been killed. Then what would happen? What would the kingdom do? “There are, as I am sure you’re now well aware of, people out there who want you dead. Or did you forget the little incident earlier?” In a way, he pitied her. She was trapped in the castle. She couldn’t even walk the streets without worrying about being assassinated. On the other hand, however, he would do just about anything to get back inside those castle walls, to walk among the mighty again. “It would be wise of you to heed the advice you are being given. Someone won't be there to save your ass every time.”

He unfastened another button, and another, fingers working more smoothly now that he had something to concentrate on besides the bare skin of her back. “Not that I can do anything to stop you,” he added after a slight hesitation, knowing it was true. If she wanted to sneak out then by all means she would sneak out. It wasn’t as if he could do anything about it. Maybe if he was still a knight he could, but as it stood, he was useless.

Eventually, Tybalt ran out of buttons. They stopped around her waist. So…now what? Did he just…let the dress drop to the floor? But then she’d be… No, he shouldn’t be thinking about that. Maybe he should look away? But, wait, what if she needed help getting the other one on? She had said something about that, hadn’t she? God damn it. What the hell was he supposed to do? He stood there awkwardly for a few moments. “I’ve, um, got them all…I think,” he mumbled. “Can you get it from here, or should I…?” He trailed off at the end. As he waited for her to answer, he bent over, reaching down to the ground. He grabbed the worn white dress, which he had dropped when he’d been tackled, and held it up. Luckily, it had stayed dry, or mostly anyway. That was a relief. He’d hate to ask that old lady for more clothes.

[/blockquote]

[odette]

[/i] Odette nearly laughed at the foolishness of that comment. "I'll be surprised if the rumor isn't spreading by morning. The Council will hear of it, of that I have no doubt." Every rumor reached the castle at some point - she was just worried as to how badly it would be twisted by the time it got there. Sure, the rumor might say she was sneaking around with a lover, but by the time the Council heard it the rumor might say she had a gaggle of lovers. That would be crazy and she had no idea how in the world she was going to get out of the trouble it was going to cause.

"Are you serious? Brave girl." What he thought was brave the Council thought was stupid. At least his word was nicer. The Council could be mean, but she supposed she'd be crotchety too if she had to know everything on the kingdom so that they could advise her. That had to get boring and hurt their heads. Poor men. Ah well, they could always train someone to replace them - their replacement might even be nicer! Odette shrugged at the male. "I suppose. Maybe not so much in the brave area, though." She'd ignored the look on his face - it took away from the niceness of the words.

When she was finally standing, lightheadedness and all, Tybalt rose to stand next to her, stabilizing her with one hand on her good shoulder. After a moment, his hands were at her back, unfastening the buttons. He fumbled a bit, having some sort of difficulty. Well, she understood that it was probably quite awkward. She was forcing herself to believe it was one of her maidservants at her back and not a male she'd known for all of maybe two hours. It wasn't hard - between her imagination and the distraction the lightheadedness she would be able to make it through this mini-ordeal. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as the whole tub incident. That was probably what made this even worse.

He waved off her apology, instead turning to chide her once more. "Honestly though... you need to be careful, Princess." His hands became steadier as their conversation distracted him, and they slowly went lower down her back. He continued to tell her how people wanted her dead, so she had to keep herself safe. Did he think she didn't know that? "I think I have at least two attempts at my life a week, during the audiences." She told him with a sigh. They were fools, all of them, to think they'd be able to reach the dais to kill her. It was impossible to get a bow into the audience chamber, though there had been throwing knives a few times. That first time she barely managed to drop from the throne, making the blade miss her - but only just. Since then she had to have a guard at her side, in case of throwing weapons - which there were.

They'd try to confiscate weapons, but there were so many different places to hide weapons. Besides that, it was a free country and people were allowed weapons. Certain ones - long swords and bows - were taken because it was impossible to hide. Daggers and other weapons openly carried were removed from their persons as well, but other than a minor search there wasn't much they could do. Sure, she had sorcerers to help her defend herself from the more malicious of them, but other than that all she had left were her guards. It had proved to be enough, so far. "The people are afraid, and fear makes people do stupid, rash things. I wish they would stop though." She sighed.

"It would be wise of you to heed the advice you are being given. Someone won't be there to save your ass every time." He told her firmly. She did listen to them, most of the time anyway. She used their knowledge to help her decide on what to do with the kingdom. She did as she was told when it came to audiences - what to wear, how she should phrase responses, how to better aid her guards in her defense. She did what she was advised almost all of the time - except for when it came to sneaking out, and she didn't do that often. That'd be bad for her and the kingdom. Once in awhile, though, she just had to get away from the court and it's gossipy noblewomen and demanding advisers. If she wasn't busy every moment of every day, the Council believed she was slacking. She was a human being - she couldn't live like that!

"I try to do as I'm told, except in the case of sneaking out." She admitted to him. Not that it would be hard to tell, if he heard anything of the court. They kept her on her toes and laden with work. "Not that I can do anything to stop you." She smiled slightly at that, though he couldn't see it. "I think your unveiling me will put a stop to it for a good while. You should be pleased." She told him, teasingly. They fell into silence again, and she found the dizziness was returning. Her vision was graying slightly at the edges, and she blinked quickly to try to clear them.

Tybalt finally spoke, after which she realized he hadn't been messing with her dress for a short period of time. "I've, um, got them all... I think. Can you get it from here, or should I...?" She was pretty sure he got them all too - though she honestly couldn't tell without feeling. There were enough gone that if she slipped the dress forward slightly, it would pool at her ankles. "I'll see if I can... Let me see the dress." She told Tybalt, holding one hand behind her for the cloth. Once it was pressed in her hand, she pulled it before her. Before carefully letting the dress fall, she said, "I'm going to change, now," so that he wouldn't freak out all of a sudden.

Once the pink material was at her feet, she was as naked as the day she was born. Her hair was once more at her back, so that was some shield between the two of them, though not much. She looked at the dress, having to wait to let her eyes properly focus so that she could attempt to dress herself. That should have been a sign to stop - her eyes weren't focusing, she was having grayed vision, and she was feeling dizzy. But no, she was determined to do this. That was her downfall, in the end. Odette made to step into the dress, but she hadn't even gotten a leg into it before her body began to go limp of its own accord.

"Tybalt..." She whispered, only getting one word out of the sentence she wanted to say. "Tybalt, I'm going to fall," was the intended words, but she only got the one word out. Her body went slack and her eyes closed as they fully clouded over. She couldn't see or smell anything - and she had barely retained the ability to feel or hear.[/ul]

[Tybalt Lyon]

“I try to do as I'm told, except in the case of sneaking out. I think your unveiling me will put a stop to it for a good while. You should be pleased.”

He could tell that the girl was teasing. “Well, good,” Tybalt muttered. He supposed that was the ‘positive’ way of looking at it, something that he didn’t often do. “At least I’ve done something right, eh?” His own words were slightly teasing, as he did not believe he had done anything right, nor see any good that could come out of this mess.

“I'll see if I can... Let me see the dress. I'm going to change, now.”

Tybalt turned around abruptly, spinning around in the opposite direction as soon as the girl spoke. He stood there, arms folded across his chest, back to her. Well…good. At least he didn’t have to do this part. That would just make things more awkward. Was she even wearing anything under it? Wait, no, he shouldn’t even think about that! So, he just stood there, staring at the wall, waiting impatiently as the princess slipped out of her soaking dress. He heard the shuffle of cloth, the fabric hit the floor. He stared intently at the wooden wall, studying the lines in it, counting the cracks in the surface. Couldn’t she go any faster? Damn it. She was so slow. He knew she had an injured shoulder, but still… ugh. There were only so many cracks that he could count!

“Tybalt...”

The former knight jumped a little at the sound of his name. “W-What?” he demanded, glancing over his shoulder out of reflex. Shit. He shouldn’t have done that, should he? What if she wasn’t done changing? As Tybalt turned his head, he looked just in time to see the princess’s body start to slump forward. For a moment, he forgot that she was naked, that not a single cloth covered her body, and he reacted again out of reflex, stepping forward swiftly and attempting to grab at her. His arm caught her at the last moment, pulling her against him hard, just barely stopping her from colliding with the ground. “Whoa there!” What the hell had just happened? Fuck. Had she just fainted? Fuck fuck fuck. “Hey! Are you all right? Princess?” He tried to lift her a little, pulling her up, trying to straighten her body so she could stand again. Her legs wouldn’t seem to work though, the muscles limp. This wasn’t good. Had she seriously just passed out? What should be do?!

It was around this time that Tybalt realized that he was, indeed, holding a naked woman. He had forgotten this fact in his hurry to rush to her aid, but now, standing here, it seemed to dawn on him. She was every bit as naked as he had been in the bathtub. He also realized that when he had grabbed her one of his hands had landed on her breast. He nearly dropped her, quickly readjusting his grip. He felt his cheeks grow hot, blood rushing to his face. Get a hold of yourself, Tybalt. He held her around the waist now, doing his best to keep her from falling. Her skin was warm, soft… Wait, no! This…this was indecent! He couldn’t think about this. Oh god, what if the woman were to walk in again?! Shit! He needed to do something, and he needed to do it fast. The dress, where was the dress? His eyes frantically scanned the floor for it. He almost missed it in his panic, but then his eyes finally found the white dress. He bent over, trying to reach it, but it was a little hard while he was holding a naked woman in front of him, and his head collided awkwardly against her bare shoulder. For the love of god! Obviously, this was not going to work.

Tybalt stumbled over to the bed, dragging the princess with him, all the while trying to focus on something else other than the fact that she was very naked. He laid her awkwardly on the bed, doing his best not to look, and then quickly turned around and snatched the dress off the ground, nearly falling over as he did so. He held it up, making sure it hadn’t gotten wet or anything, and then walked back over toward the bed, holding the dress in front of his face like a shield, blocking the princess’s naked body from view. As he arrived at the bedside he realized something. How the hell was he going to get the dress on her while she was lying down? Agh!

Just as Tybalt was thinking this, he heard the door creak open again. His eyes shot wide and he nearly dropped the dress from his hands, praying it wasn’t the woman. What was she doing here again?! It wasn’t the woman though, and this time, instead, it was the doctor. He stared at the scene for a long moment, blinking his wrinkled eyes, and then gasped. Tybalt could see his wife peeking in over his shoulder. “No wait!” he shouted frantically. “S-She fell! I was just – ”

“My apologies,” the doctor said, taking a step back. “I’ll leave you two be. My wife said that our patient here needed some new bandages, but I can see that she’s quite all right.” And with that, the door closed, leaving a shocked Tybalt and a naked princess. Fuck! “A-At least knock next time!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, nearly ripping the dress he was holding in two. Well, if there hadn’t been any rumors before, there sure would be now!

Tybalt turned back to the princess, quickly closing his eyes. He staggered blindly toward her, only peeking open one eye so that he could lay the white dress atop her. He draped it over her body, letting it cover up her bare skin, and then he took a step back. What should he do? Was she conscious? Why had she picked now to faint? Damn it all. “Hey… Hey,” he called. He took a breath and then sat down on the side of the bed with her, telling himself to stop being a child. It wasn’t as if he had never seen a naked woman before… “Princess.” He reached out a hand and patted her cheek. “You there?” She felt warm, as he had noticed before, and he began to wonder if she had a fever. He placed a hand on her forehead, frowning. He inhaled slowly as he did so, an attempt to calm his racing heart. This was too much for him to handle all in one day. Too much.

[/blockquote]

[odette]

[/i] She heard faintly, and then something was grabbing her. If she had any motor skills whatsoever she might have struggled, but there wasn't anything she could do at all. Her body wouldn't respond and something was grabbing her - holding her in place. She couldn't do anything and it was terrifying. If she had been in her right mind she would have realized that Tybalt was holding her up and that she wasn't well, which was why she had fainted. But, unfortunately, she couldn't recall why she would be needing to be held up by a person. Once the fainting spell had passed, she would probably recall, but until then she was firmly in the belief that she was being held against her well.

Pity she couldn't say or do anything about it. It might have been entertaining.

"Whoa there! Hey! Are you all right? Princess?" She was lifted up a bit more and her feet brushed along the floor. Odette tried to strengthen her legs to hold her up, to let her get away, but they remained as limp and useless as a cooked noodle. It frustrated her, but there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't speak to call for help, she couldn't move to run away, and she couldn't see to identify her captor. All she could do was faintly hear what was being said and let herself be carried along by the person that was behind her - if the warm presence at her back was any indication of where they were, anyway. They sounded like a male. A man, then.

Her feet dragged along the ground slightly as the man tugged her along to wherever she was being carried. Desperately she wished she could see, so that she would at least know where she was being taken. All she knew was that she was being carried somewhere by a man. If she had realized that there were no clothes upon her body, her mind might have been even more frantic than it was already. She was only a tad bit panicked, rather than full-blown frantic from fear. There were so many locations she could be taken. From the man's voice before, he could be concerned that she was out of it. Then again, she could have imagined it - she was having a hard time of it right now. She could be being taken to a doctor... or to some hideout to be kept for ransom. At least she wasn't dead. Unless this was what being dead was like. This was nothing like what was promised, if that was the case.

Then she was laid upon something soft. Her whole body was horizontal, flat on the soft surface. It was most likely a bed - she couldn't think of any other object that would be soft like this. She was left alone for a few moments - nothing stirred her or the assumed bed. Then, there were voices once more. "No wait! S-She fell! I was just -" That was the voice of the man who had carried her to the bed - at least that was what she had assumed. "My apologies. I'll leave you two be. My wife said that our patient here needed some new bandages, but I can see that she's quite all right." A new voice said. It sounded like it belonged to an older man - so soft was he that she could barely hear him. "A-At least knock next time!" The other man yelled - she assumed there was a door involved then.

Her head hurt. She wished she had- wait. Her head hurt. That was more feeling than she had a few moments ago. It had come gradually, but she still had the pain. She seized it like a greedy child would snatch a sweet. Gradually pain returned to her body - no sight or voice yet, but at least it was something. Her shoulder was aflame, it hurt so. She was vaguely aware that the man was talking to her - she was trying to force herself into consciousness rather than this cold gray place she was currently dwelling. "Hey... Hey, Princess. You there?" The male tapped her cheeks - she could feel it much more than she could the arms that had held her up before. A hand slid to her forehead and rested there. His hand felt cool against her skin; it was a pleasant feeling.

It was a few minutes more before she could do anything else. She was aware of all the aches and pains in her body though. Her eyesight gradually came back - not that she knew it at first. The gray just turned darker and darker, until it was black. It was minutes more before she actually realized that if she opened her eyes she could see. They fluttered open cautiously - afraid that there'd be some creepy person looming over her. But no, she was greeted with the sight of a familiar male. Tybalt. That's right. She was so stupid, to have been afraid of the arms that had held her and taken her to the bed. Why had she forgotten? That was scary.

Not that she was going to divulge that information to him.

"S-Sorry." She mumbled with a sigh. Her cheeks went red as she realized that the dress was merely draped over her. She hadn't even managed to get it on before she'd passed out. Thankfully Tybalt had ignored her indecent state long enough to get her to the bed - or at least not let her slam into the floor. Now that conversation she'd heard made more sense. It seemed the old man had come in and seen her naked. Great. This was so bad. So terribly, horribly bad. "Sorry about this. All of it. You know you don't have to stay. You can go." She whispered, looking away. She desperately didn't want to be left alone in this strange place, but she wouldn't force him to stay - especially in light of all the crazy events of the night.[/ul]

[Tybalt Lyon]

“S-Sorry.”

Tybalt jumped a little at the sound of the princess’s voice. He cast his gaze down at her, seeing that she had opened her eyes again, and a huge sigh of relief left his lips. His body slumped forward a little, and he rested his head in his hands. “Thank god,” he breathed quietly. He remained in that position for a few moments before slowly raising his head to look at her again. She didn’t look well at all, her face ghostly pale. “You could try to at least warn me before you go passing out like that,” Tybalt muttered, unable to meet her gaze. “I mean…just…I…ugh…forget it.” He stumbled over his words and then gave up, having no idea what he was even trying to say. He tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling, not sure where else to look. He hadn’t fully recovered from what had happened yet. “A-And just so you know, I didn’t see anything,” he added hastily.

“Sorry about this. All of it. You know you don't have to stay. You can go.”

Tybalt stared at the ceiling for a moment longer, and then lowered his gaze, staring off somewhere in the room. “Yeah,” he muttered, “I know that.” And he did. He knew he didn’t have to stay. He could have walked out at any moment, which, honestly, probably would have been the wise thing to do! If he had never gotten involved with this girl, if he had left, he would have saved himself a hell of a lot of embarrassment. So, why was he still sitting here? To be truthful, Tybalt wasn’t really sure. Probably just because she was the princess, and he felt some obligation to protect her. Maybe it reminded of him of when he used to be a knight or something. Then again, he felt like more of a babysitter than a knight right now. “I know I don’t have to, but I’m going to. I don’t want to just leave you lying here naked,” he added under his breath. “What kind of person would I be then, eh?” He paused, daring to look down at her from the corner of his eye. “Plus, after what happened at the tavern, I hardly think it’s safe for you to be left on your own. So, whether you like it or not, I’m not going to leave you.”

Tybalt sighed heavily. He turned his body so that he was angled toward her, and he reached down his hand again, resting it gently against her forehead. “Damn,” he whispered. “I think you have a fever.” What the hell was he supposed to do about this? One god damn problem after another. Sheesh. What did you do for fevers anyway? He thought long and hard on it. Warm drinks, did those help? But…ugh…that tea had tasted like dish water. Sleep would help, right? Maybe a cold cloth to put on her forehead? Would that do anything? He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. Okay. First thing first. She needed to get dressed. The cold air wouldn’t do anything to help, so the sooner she got some clothes on the better.

“Can you sit up?” Tybalt asked, glancing down at the girl beside him. If she could manage to lift herself up, even if only for a small amount of time, he would be able to at least pull the dress over her head. He couldn’t just leave her there lying there naked. “We’ve still gotta get this damn dress on,” he added in a mumble, glancing awkwardly off to the side as his face reddened a little. Seriously, he hadn’t thought that dressing a girl would be so freaking difficult. It was though, much more complex than he would have ever thought. He would have never guessed that so much could go wrong in the course of a few hours. It had to be a record! He kept thinking ‘no, nothing else could possibly happen,’ but then a few minutes later another catastrophe was be taking place.

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