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The cool summer night air lazily drifted around Meri, playing with the hem of her dress and bringing goosebumps to her bare arms. She closed her eyes and willed her body to relax. The dinner had finished and through the distant balcony doors she should hear tables being shifted to make room for dancing. As enjoyable as the celebration had been she had needed a moment alone. One of the many advantages of her position was the ability to demand it when called for and so she was alone in the courtyard. From the garden path beyond the sounds of expectant revelry could be heard, the low murmur of conversation and laughter, waiting for the entertainment to begin.

Ever since childhood large crowds had made her uncomfortable, and an intolerable sense of pressure accompanied any gatherings. This small solace was an indescribable relief. She should have taken Eibhan’s offer to leave early, but he promised her a dance and she was determined to collect.

Meri opened her eyes and smiled. She felt Eibhan’s presence long before he reached her and her stress evaporated as he stepped up behind her, slipping his hands around her waist. His breath warmed her neck as he bent down to kiss the nape.

“Are you all right?” he asked softly, face buried in her collar.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied, eyes on the night sky where the first of the evening’s fireworks traced a lazy arc over the lake before exploding in a burst of light and sound.

“We can always make excuses and head back to our quarters.” His arms tightened around her and she leaned back into his warmth.

“We can’t, and you know that.” Her heart was racing, but no longer because of her anxiety. “So how has your first day as a member of the gentry been?”

“Not a hell of a lot different, really.” He sounded exasperated, and tired. “I’m not even sure what to expect. It isn’t as though my duties have changed substantially.”

Eibhan’s title was largely a sop to soothe the more prickly of the families who expected Meri to marry one of their heirs. She didn’t expect it would work, but her interaction with the houses had been limited, between her illness and deployments, as well as her anxiety at court. Other than the few who regularly visited Corraught, or those with active members in the service did she have any sense of rapport. They’d just have to accept it. She certainly wasn’t marrying anyone else.

That reminded her. “I saw Marquess Arnarson at the reception. He and Brita were here to speak with father.” She turned in the compass of Eibhan’s arms and smiled up at him before resting her head on his chest. “It seems Archrios has finally proposed.”

Eibhan gently traced a hand up and down her back. “Well, that is long overdue.”

Her brother had been with the youngest daughter of Arnar Tristansson for as long as Meri could remember. There had been talk of them marrying when she first awoke from her long sleep, over a dozen years before. “I wonder what prompted it,” she thought aloud.

The lights from the fireworks sketched her outline on Eibhan’s chest, the pattens almost mesmerizing. So much so that she nearly missed it. Her whole body tensed and Meri gently pushed away against the circle of his embrace. Belying the sudden flush of adrenaline and fear, she casually propped herself up on her toes and brought her lips to his. “We have company,” she whispered as her lips met his.

He met her kiss without comment, but she could tell from the subtle shift in his footing that he had noticed. She had only seen one, but Eibhan’s stance told her there was at least one other. Armed men in the palace grounds, stalking towards them. There was no time to discuss the why. Now was the time for immediate action.

She moved her hands down his chest while they kissed and drew his own into hers, their fingers interlacing briefly. While there could be no way to communicate an effective plan, she’d trained with Eibhan for a decade now. She knew him almost better than she knew herself. She shifted her weight down and readied herself, breaking the contact with his lips reluctantly. Their eyes met, never once betraying their knowledge of the enemy approaching from their peripheral.

If their goal was to kill them, they could have done so from across the courtyard. Better to let them approach unaware. Eibhan finally broke the silence. “That is such a lovely dress, it would be a shame for it to get ruined.”

“I can always get another, love.” With that she tensed and released her grip on his hands, and shifted to grasping his forearm tightly, her silent signal to begin.

**

With this I hope I’ve broken at least a bit of my writer’s block. This is the first scene I’ve had solid inspiration for in this series in over two weeks. I have been productive however. I set myself a goal of creating the visuals for all the possible side-characters I will need for the prologue. Having their names and visuals will be of great aid when sitting down to finally script out the first part.

I know, I use this rifle a lot... this scene is also testament to the Universal Dress. It handled this pose without any explosions or complaint.

At any rate, enjoy! This scene is shortly before I'm going with you! , for those following along.

If you are interested in following along, I have prepared a timeline for the storyboards here: Storyboard Timeline .

Description

The cool summer night air lazily drifted around Meri, playing with the hem of her dress and bringing goosebumps to her bare arms. She closed her eyes and willed her body to relax. The dinner had finished and through the distant balcony doors she should hear tables being shifted to make room for dancing. As enjoyable as the celebration had been she had needed a moment alone. One of the many advantages of her position was the ability to demand it when called for and so she was alone in the courtyard. From the garden path beyond the sounds of expectant revelry could be heard, the low murmur of conversation and laughter, waiting for the entertainment to begin.

Ever since childhood large crowds had made her uncomfortable, and an intolerable sense of pressure accompanied any gatherings. This small solace was an indescribable relief. She should have taken Eibhan’s offer to leave early, but he promised her a dance and she was determined to collect.

Meri opened her eyes and smiled. She felt Eibhan’s presence long before he reached her and her stress evaporated as he stepped up behind her, slipping his hands around her waist. His breath warmed her neck as he bent down to kiss the nape.

“Are you all right?” he asked softly, face buried in her collar.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied, eyes on the night sky where the first of the evening’s fireworks traced a lazy arc over the lake before exploding in a burst of light and sound.

“We can always make excuses and head back to our quarters.” His arms tightened around her and she leaned back into his warmth.

“We can’t, and you know that.” Her heart was racing, but no longer because of her anxiety. “So how has your first day as a member of the gentry been?”

“Not a hell of a lot different, really.” He sounded exasperated, and tired. “I’m not even sure what to expect. It isn’t as though my duties have changed substantially.”

Eibhan’s title was largely a sop to soothe the more prickly of the families who expected Meri to marry one of their heirs. She didn’t expect it would work, but her interaction with the houses had been limited, between her illness and deployments, as well as her anxiety at court. Other than the few who regularly visited Corraught, or those with active members in the service did she have any sense of rapport. They’d just have to accept it. She certainly wasn’t marrying anyone else.

That reminded her. “I saw Marquess Arnarson at the reception. He and Brita were here to speak with father.” She turned in the compass of Eibhan’s arms and smiled up at him before resting her head on his chest. “It seems Archrios has finally proposed.”

Eibhan gently traced a hand up and down her back. “Well, that is long overdue.”

Her brother had been with the youngest daughter of Arnar Tristansson for as long as Meri could remember. There had been talk of them marrying when she first awoke from her long sleep, over a dozen years before. “I wonder what prompted it,” she thought aloud.

The lights from the fireworks sketched her outline on Eibhan’s chest, the pattens almost mesmerizing. So much so that she nearly missed it. Her whole body tensed and Meri gently pushed away against the circle of his embrace. Belying the sudden flush of adrenaline and fear, she casually propped herself up on her toes and brought her lips to his. “We have company,” she whispered as her lips met his.

He met her kiss without comment, but she could tell from the subtle shift in his footing that he had noticed. She had only seen one, but Eibhan’s stance told her there was at least one other. Armed men in the palace grounds, stalking towards them. There was no time to discuss the why. Now was the time for immediate action.

She moved her hands down his chest while they kissed and drew his own into hers, their fingers interlacing briefly. While there could be no way to communicate an effective plan, she’d trained with Eibhan for a decade now. She knew him almost better than she knew herself. She shifted her weight down and readied herself, breaking the contact with his lips reluctantly. Their eyes met, never once betraying their knowledge of the enemy approaching from their peripheral.

If their goal was to kill them, they could have done so from across the courtyard. Better to let them approach unaware. Eibhan finally broke the silence. “That is such a lovely dress, it would be a shame for it to get ruined.”

“I can always get another, love.” With that she tensed and released her grip on his hands, and shifted to grasping his forearm tightly, her silent signal to begin.

**

With this I hope I’ve broken at least a bit of my writer’s block. This is the first scene I’ve had solid inspiration for in this series in over two weeks. I have been productive however. I set myself a goal of creating the visuals for all the possible side-characters I will need for the prologue. Having their names and visuals will be of great aid when sitting down to finally script out the first part.

I know, I use this rifle a lot... this scene is also testament to the Universal Dress. It handled this pose without any explosions or complaint.

At any rate, enjoy! This scene is shortly before I'm going with you! , for those following along.

If you are interested in following along, I have prepared a timeline for the storyboards here: Storyboard Timeline .