Now that I think about it | 4.14 evening | Athena, Arryk

[Athena]

She sat at her vanity, her long hair down over her shoulders as she brushed through it with her silver comb. Behind her, in the mirror, she could see her husband readying for bed though it was still early yet. How could be already be tired? They dined not too long ago, though she supposed arduous training was exhausting him. She eyed the sword he sat by the bed, the sword she’d retrieved for him the day she’d purchased him from her cousin. She wondered what was so special about it once again, but said nothing. It was yet another mystery to her husband, another unknown.

Turning and tossing her hair over her shoulder, she got to her feet and walked around to her side of the bed, turning the blankets to crawl underneath him at his side. She was not yet tired enough to sleep, but she hated that he went to bed and that she’d come in hours later… He never stayed asleep, and he always had a tendency to reach for a weapon of some kind. Not only did she hate waking him, she was actually afraid one of these days he would not wake up soon enough to stop himself.

Propping herself up on her pillows, she turned to look at him again, her eyes glimmering with curiosity. “Arryk…?” she began, turning onto her side and setting her hand upon his stomach so that her fingers could trace small circles on his skin. “I was talking to Lady Rowena the other day… and then later, my sister, and I realized that… even though I love you more than anything, I really don’t… know that much about you. I know this is a very cliché way of starting a conversation, my love, but… tell me about yourself.”

[Arryk]

He was exhausted. He'd been up since before dawn and on the training field for nearly all the day. Getting back in time to clean up, have dinner and fall into bed was about all there was he could do before passing out. He opened his eyes to look at Athena, and sighed. "What do you want to know, love?" he asked and yawned. Arryk had no idea what she was after but hoped she'd get to the point. Before he fell asleep.

[Athena]

She almost shrunk away from that look. Not that he was staring at her in any sort of way that indicated she was in trouble, but she could see he was… tired? She’d go with that for now. “Well… everything, really,” she said, making her hand be still now. “Your past. What it was about your name that made Lord Costayne just toss lands and a title at you? Your childhood. What it was like? I feel like you know so much about me, and I know nothing about you.”

[Arryk]

He sighed. "I'm a Mercado. My family's the first source for mercenaries this part of the world, and you know I fostered with the Sanseverinos." He rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Is that enough for tonight? I'm sorry but I can hardly keep my eyes open."

[Athena]

Athena pulled her hand from him and just stared for a moment. “Fine… close them,” she said in a short voice, turning her back to him and scooting closer to the edge of the bed. Normally she slept nestled against him, the safest place in the entire palace. But right now… “I suppose it’s my fault for thinking you’d tell me more.”

[Arryk]

And she was pissed. Lovely. Arryk groaned and rubbed his eyes again. "What else is there to tell? Born on Tocken, raised in Gyllene, went to war. Got caught by your cousins, and now I'm here. End of story."

[Athena]

“The way you tell it, you make me feel older than you,” she said, hating that he was just talking now to mollify her. Like she was a child that needed to be pacified. She half turned to glare at him and said, “If amazes me how you speak of your life in the barest of details. There’s no feeling, nothing but the relation of facts… I don’t know you anymore than my cousins who caught you do. Lord Costayne knows you better than I do,” she pointed out. “Don’t mind me, though. I’m nobody. Just your wife…”

[Arryk]

"Costayne knows my family and he knows the Sanseverinos. No, I'm not talking about it more than that. Not tonight. Can't we talk about this later, Athena?"

[Athena]

She turned away from him again, staring at the window. Words to shut her up, to hurry this conversation along so that he could go to sleep. Athena sat up and slid her feet into her slippers. “Do not worry about it, soldier,” she said, staring down at her ankles. “I won’t ask you anymore questions. We do not have to talk about it any more. We do not have to talk anymore than you want to…” She was about to get up, but she cast another look over her shoulder. “If I don’t come back to bed tonight it’s because I’m afraid you’ll fucking cut me in half with that stupid sword of yours.”

[Arryk]

"I'm preparing for a fucking war, Athena. I'm sorry if I'm a little jumpy, but it's not going to get you cut in..." Why was he even arguing? She would do what she wanted anyway. "Fine. Good night, Athena." He laid back down and let his eyes close.

[Athena]

“Don’t you dare!” she hissed, her eyes narrowing at him as he just… blatantly wrote off her anger. She just glared at him for a moment, realizing that no matter what… she could not win against him. He would always be right… at least in his mind. “I’ll only ever be a child to you…” she muttered, getting to her feet. “I see how it’s to be then. Well, good-night Lord Mercado,” she said, reaching for her robe. “I’ll go sleep in my sister’s room tonight, but perhaps Jaeryth would not mind putting me up in my own room. Would hate to disrupt your sleep, after all. I see what good I am to you… And now that I’m carrying your child, I suppose I’ve carried out half of my uses…”

[Arryk]

He sighed and shook his head. "Good night, Athena. Either you're being deliberately provoking or you've run mad, and I'm too damn tired to care which. Give my greetings to Belle." He rolled over and let her do whatever it was she was going to. He had a sudden realization of how Troy's attitude toward Savannah might have come about, and only wished he had the energy to be more upset about it.