I awoke the next day to a maid, nudging me gently. I grumbled a bit, rolling over blearily, trying to wake up.
"The Captain Durmn is here to see you, whenever you will receive him."
I sighed. I didn't want to keep him waiting. Waving her off, I rolled out of bed, fumbling for my dressing gown, at least. "I'll be there shortly."
The buttons would not cooperate with me, as I did them up the front of the soft blue gown. They slipped through the holes, and finally, I got to brushing through my hair carefully. I wanted to look at the least presentable.
Standing in front of the mirror, I pulled the hair back into a bun, close and tight, pinned with a few soft jade hairpins which had been gifts from Durmn. A few days ago, I never would've thought about using them, but let's just say, views had shifted slightly.
Wandering over to the door, I opened it carefully, easing my way out into the new morning lit corridor. There was Durmn, flowers in hand. He looked so vulnerable in the sun light, and I couldn't help but smile a bit as I cleared my throat.
He whirled around, and his eyes lit up. "Aurienne." He bowed a bit, and came over to me, bouquet in front of him shyly. "How are you this morning?"
"I'm fine, Durmn." I blushed a bit, taking the bouquet, and burying my face in the blooms that I'm not sure how he found at this time of year. The bright purples and blues and pinks seemed to warm my heart; I was happy for such foliage, instead of seeing all the pine that was so abundant at this time of the year.
He placed a hand lightly upon me, motioning me to look up. I could see he was nervous, and I cocked an eyebrow, wondering what he'd be getting at this time. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly. And then, he opened them, and began to speak, carefully.
"Aurienne, I know you don't like me all that much and I know that things have been difficult between us since we were children, to say the least. I also know that we're legally betrothed, and that there's not much either of us can do about it. But I was wondering, perhaps, if we could take a different approach to things." He straightened his collar nervously, as my mind wondered where he was taking this. "I was wondering if perhaps..." He stopped, and started again. "I was wondering if perhaps I could court you. Formally court you, and perhaps we could see where we would go."
My heart was pounding in uncertainty.
She had a scared, flighty look on her face. I inwardly cursed myself for messing up another idea. "We could stop at any time you wanted us too, if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I'm okay with whatever you decide." Indeed, in truth I wouldn't be, I wanted her damnably to be mine, but I couldn't force her to do anything, could I?
Her expression didn't change, and I stepped away from her, from her warmth, her presence. "Never mind, Auri. This has been just a stupid idea of mine, and I'm sorry..."
Her hand grabbed mine, just before I could pull away. "Wait." Her eyes captivated me again, as I turned back to them. "I think..." She cleared her throat, her thoughts. "I might like that."
I blinked, oafishly I'm sure. "Come again?"
"I might like that, as long as we could take it slow." She bit her lip, and something inside me rose, begging me to lean over and kiss her.
Breathing in deeply, I squeezed her hand lightly. This was like a new beginning for me, for her, for any hope of us. I bowed, kissing her hand. "My lady Aurienne, it is a pleasure to serve you."
She giggled and blushed, and curtsied. "My lord Durmn, I'm honored to have you serve me." She rose, and suddenly became more serious.
"You do realize that the following events may get in the way of our courtship? We're going to have to keep it professional for the time being, I don't want us interfering with the procedure of the state."
