Without love no man is a king

26.

The prince watched Inara cautiously, she'd struggled away from him on their arrival at their marital quarters in protest, sitting silently watching the snowfall. He sat on a chair just observing her. Finding the silence between them both calming and unnerving. He eventually stood from his chair walking over to his wife. A women he once thought would be a burden and in a short time had found her way into his heart and now he could not bare the thought of sending her back to Dreconton.

"Inara?" He spoke softly into her hair "my beautiful curious little Drecontonian princess. Life is not as simple as it is back in Dreconton. I know you are angry...."
"No angry" she shook her head looking back out of the window
"I know you are heartbroken...sad....that you are not happy, with me, with life, with anything. That is alright. It is alright to be sad, you do not have to be brave and behave. I do not want that. I want you to be you. Cry in my arms, shout at me, slam doors, rant and rave, smile, dance...kiss, love. I want it all....maybe ease up on the slapping" he giggled into her hair. "She means nothing and soon she will be gone. Lady Stephanie will be gone and then...." she cut him off by getting up and walking away from him. "so this is how it is now? The love we feel for each other, that we have not long discovered, means nothing because I have been with another woman? I refuse to believe that."

"Inara...Inara want...."
"What? What do you want? Anything....but don't ask me to kill her because I can't. It is the one thing I can not do. It is against our law. She has committed no crime."
"Crime? New word."
"Crime...wrong doing....law."
"Law" she nodded eagerly "Dreconton law! Wrong doings!"
"I understand but we are not in Dreconton. We are in Erathern. It is frowned upon. It is scanderlous but it is not against our law because we were not married under my God and I realise now under yours we were but my mind had not realised this. If it had I would not have done it. If we were in Dreconton I too would be punished. Are you understanding my words?"

"No happy" she shook her head, a tear rolling from her eye, breaking the prince's heart. "No happy....forever"
"No. You will be. You will be happy again. I promise you. I will make you happy."
"No...no.....Roland no....no make good!"
"You are saying I can not undo what I did. This is true but I can make up for it, I am offering you something I did not offer her. That I never offered her. I was clear with my intentions, with her, it was no more than pleasures of the flesh between us. I understand that it still hurt you but I never intended to be with her, as a husband or lover after I married, beyond the summer. She never held my heart Inara."
"Mother.....mother no like Roland"
"I am very aware" he chuckled nervously "I can understand why on multiple levels."
"Mother....mother Inara....Roland no love."
"I know she has told you this but it is not true."

"My Roland?"
"Yes?"
"Irana...irana death" she pointed to her heart, her tears flowing again "my Roland death Inara" she pointed again
"Death? Pain? You mean pain? In your heart?" He pointed at his own, trying his best to communicate "I have broken your heart, let me mend it. Fix it."
"No mend." She shook her head going back to the window
"Let me try" he whispered, moving her hair, kissing her neck softly "let me show you my love for you. You believe I do not desire you but it is not true. I was simply waiting for you to want it too. To want me. Do you want me Inara? If you want me you can have me. All of me. I'm yours." He paused waiting for an answer, never sure if she could understand him or was simply ignoring him. When no answer came, he kissed her neck again, slipping her dress down over her shoulder slowly.
"No" Inara pushed his hands away when he made advances, pulling her dress back.

"I will fix this I swear to you Inara. On my honour I will fix your broken heart. I will make it up to you."
"Inara want go home mother" Inara sniffled sadly, watching the snow again
"I know you miss her. I want you to stay."
"Stay" she nodded "peace"
"No. Love" the prince stepped closer again
"No"
"If you did not love me you would not be feeling the pain you are feeling. Your heart would not feel like it is dying. You would not have these tears falling from your angelic eyes on these adorable freckles." He wiped them away with his thumb gently. "We will talk more on this when our guests have gone. Inara? Can I hold you? Comfort you?" Silence, the room returned to the unbearable silence, Inara curling away from the prince.

"No touch!" She snapped when he tried again
"Alright" he held his hands up in surrender "understand? I will not touch you. I will sit with you." He took a seat opposite her, watching the snow fall, his wife's head rested on the cold glass. "I will not give up on you Inara. Quimby was correct, you are very special." He reached to grab a blanket offering it to her "here if you will not allow me to keep you warm then have this. It was my mothers." He dropped it over her "she would have loved you, Inara. I am saddened she will never meet my beautiful wife."