he was not able to catch up to the lad though he did manage to keep sight of him until he ducked behind a large tree and in his frustration he stamped his foot and nearly fell from the slickness. angrily he weighed the choices of leaving and calling out

The warm breeze rolled smoothly off of the river, gently crinkling the leaves of the tree above, and giving his hair a soft ruffle as though it were as soft as grass. His head gently rested against the bark of the tree as he listened to the softly sounds of the river. The light sound of waves, and the chittering of birds not far away, and the loud sound of his name. Wait- no, that was not normal to hear. Standing from his spot, the boy looked around the wide trunk of the tree to see the Prince not far away, though certainly not steady on the damp ground. "My Prince?" He questioned, standing from his nook, "What are you doing?"

he was spared having to call again when a familiar face popped up from behind the tree he had lost him behind and straightening he stared out at his errant wife. "i came looking for you and you disappeared. i would think i had lost you to the nixes"

“Sometimes I think I lose myself to them as well, but the power of calling one's name has more power than one might think,” He commented as he started back through the rutted ground and weeds to his Prince once more. “Why had you come looking for me? It is not as though I would actually disappear from you, my Lord.”

he did not feel correct in answering the question and so avoided it, "a man's name is his life, i could not think it meant more than everything my lord." he trained his gaze on the other even as he moved over the uneven ground, "is there more to it than that for you and your faeish brethren?"

"Practice. When you grow up with terrain as this one tends to learn to walk on it quickly." He fell in line beside the Prince, feeling the ground beneath him squish under his boots. "Otherwise no, I am afraid. The only tip I may have to offer you would be to watch where you step. Though, if you are still uneasy on your feet I can offer as aid back to the gardens."

it was not the answer to his question but he did not say that and only offered a sour grimace, "i do not need your help to walk but if you must give it i will not refuse the service"

The look did not bother him, and rather than adopting the frown he wore before, he took upon a brief smile. "No, of course you do not need my help, you made it this far on your own. However, walking in the muddy soil and shrubbery is always easier with one to escort." He offered the man an arm

he was glad for the help and the walk back moved much quicker and easier than the first with a skilled pair of legs leading him and he repaid the boy by not insulting him for being so able in such land

He did not want to bring up the depressing subject of leaving so soon, though he was sure it would not be long before they were to take to the carriages and leave anyways. Pressing the toe of his shoe to the stones of the garden beneath their feet, the boy looked off to the side. "When is it that we must take our leave, my lord?"

"i am not certain, only that it must be soon..... does it make you sad wife?" he turned and caught the other's eye, "will you cry when you must say goodbye?"

Quickly he looked away as their eyes met, finding sudden interest in a bush of flowers beside him. "Of course it makes me sad, I do not want to leave my home." He took a seat on the edge of the flower bed, "However, I do not know if I will find myself crying."

"oh?" waiting for the lad to settle he kneeled down as well mindless of the earth ruining his clothing. "you cried the first time did you not? it is a woman's way to cry and when you leave here it will be as a woman"

The reminder was not one he desired, and the idea of once again having to dress as a woman gave him cause to wrinkle his nose. "I only cried when I first left out of anger for my sister having left me in the position. It was not until I arrived at the castle that I cried out of missing my home." He did not raise his eyes to look at the Prince despite his joining him amongst the insects and earth. "This time is different. I know what the future holds when we are set to return back to your home, and it is not pleasant."

the declaration made him unhappy and he frowned. "and if i said i desired tears from you? if i said i would rain abuses on you as soon as we were away from your ancestral home? what would draw tears from you my sweet little lord?"

He drew his knees closer as he looked to the Prince to find an almost determined face with a twinge of something the boy thought of as loss. "I do not know, my lord. Many a thing would cause for me to spill tears, but none of those things are present right now. I do not know how I might offer tears without a cause, my lord."

his look soured at the words and almost tenderly he reached up to take the other by the back of the head. "could i give you a reason to cry instead then? i would not mind." he watched ainsley's face fall to worry but he allowed the lad no time to tell him no and tightened his grip so that he had a large hank of his wife's locks in his grasp. "i wanted two things so very badly, to see my wife's beautiful smile and to see my wife's most desirable tears.....i was given the smile but only that, where are my tears? cry for me my wife so that this trip will be the most wonderful of my life"

He could feel the knuckles pressing hard against his scalp as the grip around his short locks tightened. Already he could feel his eyes begin to well up, and his attempt at telling himself not to cry only ended in the falling of a tear. Reaching up he tried to release the grip around his hair, but his attempts only hurt more, and the grip was as hard as iron around the inky strands. He closed his eyes tightly as the warm trickle of tears spilled from his lashes down his cheek, "Please stop, Ambrose. Please."

he followed the request but not before he pressed his lips to one of the shining pools that graced his wife's face. he leaned back as he licked his lips. "that was not so hard was it?"

Roughly he wiped away the tears that he continued to shed even after his head was released. It still stung, and even more than the touches the words struck him. He pushed himself free from his spot in the ground and left to flee

eyes followed the running body but he did not get up to follow. he got what he wanted from the other even if it was not as much as he wanted and the lingering taste coupled with the image of the other so exquisitely under his control was enough to sate him. when he grew tired of sitting in the muck and greenery he stood to head back before someone thought to question his leaving

He had not meant for his parents to see him cry, but he knew that the time left before departure was beginning to dwindle, and he knew he wanted to say his goodbyes while he had the time. His mother cried alongside him, and though his father did not he still seemed upset by the fact that the Prince acted in the ways he did, and did such things to his only son. Still, goodbyes never took long for the boy, and asking for one of the servants to pack away his things in the carriage he followed them out to get some fresh air before it would be polluted by dust and the Prince's presence

he was not told when they were to leave but the flow of servants and the taking of his things did not leave him confused that it was to be soon. when the time finally did arrive and he was heading to the carriage he found himself under the gaze of the lad's father and was not sure if he was angry or pleased with the mix of fear and hatred he could see in the old man's eyes as he walked by. "do not forget my eel"

He had began to feel anxious for their leaving as he sat in the cabin of the carriage. With the heavy curtains brushed the gentle breeze inhanced with the sweet smell of the garden's flowers happily flowed in, giving him the barest indulgment of home before he was to be whisked away and once again captured in the walls of the castle. A wistful sigh left him as he laid his head against the side of the cariage when he spotted the Prince's approach.

he expected his wife to be unhappy though the defeated look was not the expression he thought he would see. taking the helping hand into the carriage he sat across from his slumping spouse, lightly he kicked the other's seat. "that look does not suit you wife"

There was an air of reluctance that hovered around him as he tucked his legs beneath the bench as best he could while straightening his posture. A hand brushed against the velvety material of his skirt as he smoothed it out across his lap. Folding them together he let them rest there as he only glanced to the Prince once as recognition before he looked away once more

he grew angry at the light dismissal of his words and sitting straighter stared hard at the lad. "are you offended by my presence wife?"

He shifted in his seat to neatly cross his legs. "Are you offended by my look, husband?"

he sneered even as his eyes fell to watching the fabric fall across his wife's leg. "your look and the insolent attitude behind it wife, i gave you what you wanted and i received less than i expected for it. i have been cheated wife"

He folded his arms over his chest as he glanced back through the curtain. "I am cheated nearly every day, husband. You spend much of your time with those scullery maids while I must remain with those cows in the garden."

he could not help himself and burst out laughing at the accusation. "wife, ha- i would not have known you to be anything but frigid if not for these words just now. if you wish for more of my time it is yours to have as the law states though you have not before given me any indication that such things appealed to you"

He turned to look at the Prince's unfit choice of action with a perturbed look. "The law does not state that a spouse can demand to spend more time together simply for a way to escape conversation with ragged, gloating women. It states that a spouse can demand consummation of the marriage and to procreate--" Halting himself he looked at the Prince with narrowed eyes as he revaluated their words only to find his cheeks beginning to burn. "That is not what I was insinuating!"

he laughed again and slid forward on the seat so that their knees nearly touched. he grinned, "maybe or maybe not but you said it and i think it is a fine idea.... you will sleep in my chambers tonight"

He deepen his frown as his eyes continued to glare at the Prince, though he felt more disgusted at himself than the man who sat across from him. Childishly he slumped back against his seat, his arms still crossed tightly across his chest while he adopted a dissatisfied look

he turned up his lip when he finally looked up and found the lad back in the mood he was in before. huffily he slouched in his seat

It seemed so quiet after the both of them fell into their childish attitudes, but at the same time he was pleased with the silence. It only seemed appropriate as he watched his childhood home fall further and further out of sight until he could no longer see it from the side of the carriage. He focused his sights down onto the floor of the carriage as he rubbed at it with the heel of his foot as he worked to distract himself

it did not take so long for the lad to begin twisting and fidgeting in his seat and he himself in his boredom was caught watching his wife move around and soon found himself wanting to touch. reaching out he hooked the leg with his own and pulled it enough to grab it with his hand, lightly he ran his fingers over the velvet. "wife, do not tease"

He turned his head to watch the leg wrap around his own, causing for him to cease his fidgeting. "Why not?" He questioned, watching as the hand wrapped around his leg, the soft velvet rubbing against his leg. "I see nothing wrong with harmless teasing."

"hardly 'harmless', you tease someone who is at pains not to abuse you too terribly before you are taken back home." twisting his wrist he moved so that his other hand could slip under the long hem, "i do not think i could have you here wife"

Feeling the hand slip against the long hem of his skirt, he gently tried to pull himself from the teasing grip. "I do not think you could either, it would be a poor choice to even try"