#complicated romance

[princess-of-thieves-id]

13

Arik finds out what happened...and a confrontation ensues....

"Who is she?" Diyan’s voice held an aggressive edge as he fought grinding his teeth.  He knew he had been lied to, to what extent, he wasn't sure yet.  After how things had gone down just a few minutes before, he had ended up sending his First Mate up to retrieve Arik from the bridge, afraid he’d lose his temper up there, for all to see and hear.  They still might hear him, as irritated as he was.  Standing now, feet shoulder width apart and arms crossed over his broad chest, he cut an intimidating form, yet Arik met his gaze evenly.  Whether that was a stupid move was yet to be seen.

Diyan’s mood was not exactly what Arik had expected when he’d walked in the door.  Disappointment at being turned down, embarrassment at probably being slapped, pain at maybe even having his family jewels injured - those he could have anticipated.  Diyan standing there looking like he wanted to remove Arik’s head manually had not been in the list of possibilities he’d been considering on the way down from the bridge.

"What do you mean, who is she?  I thought we covered that topic when we were discovered?" Arik eyed Diyan suspiciously as he answered.   What had happened during dinner for that to be the first question, and asked with such venom that he could almost feel the anger coming off his friend? 

Diyan’s lips thinned as he pressed them together, looking down briefly before once more raising his head to pin Arik with a murderous stare.  He knew he had been lied to, and he wasn’t buying the stupid act.  "Why would she think Prince Diyan is an asshole, Arik?  Some random woman you ran into, what exactly would she have to do with him?  Even better question, old friend, why when she got mad would she then start to say she would almost think that I am the Prince who she was…” his jaw ticked and his brows drew lower, “she was what, Arik?" He saw the shock on Arik's face, obviously the beauty had fumbled exactly what Diyan thought she had. "She was what?  Supposed to marry, maybe?"  His brows rose, a sarcastic smirk forming on his lips.  He was still trying not to just throttle Arik till the anger he felt was gone.  

Riona truly being Inara was the only thing that made sense.  He’d tumbled it over and over in his mind since she’d run from the room.  He had desired her from the beginning, and she completely hated him.  He should have agreed to the damn wedding.  A little late now.

"Diyan," Arik was cautious, "what did you do to get her to say anything about your real name?"  He was worried about her, and gave not one fuck about Diyan being upset.  If he had to further confront Diyan he would, but he’d prefer not to.  Feelings of protection for Inara were rising up quickly, making it hard for him to maintain the calm veneer. Obviously something serious had happened for this to be the current conversation.

"Answer. My. Question." Diyan knew that in a way Arik had, but he wanted to hear the man admit his deception.  

"Answer mine first.” Arik’s head tilted slightly as he looked at Diyan.  A sense of dread was settling in the pit of his stomach and it only fed his rising anger. “What did you do or say?  You were seen in the hallway, with her upset, by more than one of the crew.  I told you not to."  His hands slowly closed to fists and opened as he stalked towards Diyan slowly.  Why couldn’t Diyan get through one damn meal without upsetting Inara?  It couldn’t have been that hard, Arik hadn’t upset her once in the entire time they’d been around each other, yet Diyan seemed to not be able to be in her presence without making her uncomfortable or upset. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Diyan?  Do you have no ability to just STOP?”  Now it was Diyan who was shocked and looked uncomfortable. 

"I tried to kiss her." Diyan didn't miss the flare of anger that was instantaneous in Arik. There was a ticking in the other man’s jaw that was obvious and the way his brows immediately dropped lower over his eyes that became intense was not a positive sign.  There was going to be a fight, and it was going to be brutal, he was now sure of it.

"You don't listen or learn, do you?" Arik shook his head, proud Inara had put him in his place at least somewhat, but now even more concerned about her. "Yes, the woman you keep completely alienating is Princess Inara.  I don't know what more you did to make her invoke your now alter ego, but your disregard for anyone other than yourself probably played a part.  That I care for her and we're building something didn't stop you from trying to kiss her.  Her making it clear we're together the last time the three of us were in this room didn't stop you.  Because goddess forbid you not get what you want, even if someone else has it.  Even if that someone is me." His voice was a growl and he was fighting yelling at Diyan.  He wanted to deliver the blow that would give his old friend that broken jaw he’d asked about earlier, but there seemed to be no satisfaction in that.  All it would do was give him a sore hand.

Arik stepped towards Diyan, pointing one index finger towards him as his voice became colder and his expression harder. "I helped her escape rather than head down to a wedding neither of you wanted.   I've kept her safe, vowed my life on it, and I won't have you breaking that.  I loved you like a brother, Diyan.  I see I was just another thing to be used by you. I'm going to go check on her.  How you decide to handle this is up to you.  I won't tell her who you are and you won't reveal it either, or that you've figured out who she is.  You've done enough damage in the last 24 hours, I don’t need you doing any more.  I used to think I knew you, it’s clear I never really did." He strode from the room before Diyan could respond.   Arik was afraid if he did, he’d break more than Diyan’s jaw in response and ending up in the ship’s brig with Inara alone was NOT an option.                         

[plots-and-prompts]

Dialogue Prompt #25

"You still love him?"

"I never stopped"

[hisherconfusingmingle]

I love you At the end of my knife We're in a lover's affair A grudge match Love isn't very fair Your eyes intensifies your need Your desire Your lust Your rage Undress me with those eyes Disarm Derobe Unthrone me I'm the queen I'm the king I'm the ruler of your mind Your soul is mine Romance and hatred mix They blend They dance so lovingly Share a kiss Take a bite Our chemistry is unmatched Is this a relationship Or a blood spat?

[princess-of-thieves-id]

12

Dinner is over, what more could the night hold...

"See, that wasn't so bad was it?" Diyan sat back after they had finished eating.   Most of the meal had been in silence.   What wasn't, had been him apologizing to her and trying to get her to relax.  Arik was no doubt going to have a lot to say to him later.

"No, but now it is over and I will be returning to my cabin." It wasn't just the Captain that had her wanting to get out of there.  What he'd said about Arik’s words still had her heart aching.  

"Is there any way I could convince you to have coffee with me and talk for a bit?" He rose and walked over to offer her a hand to help her stand. "Nothing more. Just talk. We got off to a bad start and I upset you this evening.   I would like to remedy that."

Inara took his hand to stand then felt herself pulled closer to him.   She looked up into his face and saw what she thought to be sincerity.  "Noar, what are you hoping to accomplish with all of this?" She gestured to the table. "I've made my feelings clear. "

"Renisa," his hand not joined with hers rose to run his fingers down the side of her face softly, "you have.  I won't lie that I'd like to change those feelings." He stepped closer to her, seeing how far she'd let him go. 

"And this is what you think it would take to do that? A nice dinner and some seductive looks will make me forget that the man I am starting to care about is not in this room,  but up on the bridge?" Inara remembered what Noar had said about Arik not being with a woman like her, and had a feeling she knew why.  Noar stole them.

"Yet he didn't protest this dinner."  He closed the small space between them.  "He didn't declare you his.  Didn't tell me not to touch, hold, or kiss.  He said nothing of the sort." His fingers caressed her face as his drew nearer.

"In fact he didn't say not to do anything you might enjoy.  So what does that say?" He was going to kiss her.  As defiant as she seemed, she was going to let him.

"Is that so?" Inara’s heart hurt even if she knew why Arik might have done just as Noar said. She was trying not to get drawn in by those whiskeyed pools of Noar’s but it was hard with the way he was looking at her and the deep and seductive tone of his voice. 

"It is, Renisa.  He may care about you, but not enough to say anything." His voice deepened. His fingers danced across her skin.  Almost there…

The shove away from her and hard slap Inara delivered caught the Captain off guard.  "Maybe he was saving his breath.  Goddess knows you haven’t listened to me because it's not what you want to hear.   You say he hasn't had a woman like me? Maybe because you were too busy seducing them into your bed, or his other best friend, the asshole Prince, was."  Her eyes were narrowed and she was trying to control herself, her hands balled to fists as she shook lightly.   She was beginning to not believe a word of what Noar said, even if it stung.  Something felt off. 

"Now wait a minute, Renisa…" He was going to die.  Arik would kill him.

"No, you don't get to tell me what to do.  Throw me off at the next port if you have to, but I'm not some prize for you to try to win.  I’m not a rope for tug-of-war.  I've made it clear how I feel about your supposed best friend and you keep trying to seduce me and change my mind.  I'm done listening to you.  If I didn't know better I'd swear you were the asshole Prince Diyan who I was…" Inara’s anger had gotten the better of her and she'd almost given away who she saw.  Arik was going to be upset.  Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d just done and she backed up away from him more.  

Diyan felt he'd had all the air knocked out of him.   He was before her in one step, both her upper arms in his hands. "Who you were, what?"  His words came out sharper than he’d intended and his face was closer to hers, needing to know what she was about to say.  There was no way that she was going to finish the sentence the way he thought she would.

She huffed, trying to play it off. "That I loathe.  I owe you no explanations, Noar."  Her eyes narrowed and her voice dripped venom.  "The only difference between you and the Prince is at least he has royalty going for him.  You don’t, but otherwise your egos are the same size, as is your behavior.  I want nothing to do with either of you." She wrenched her arms free from him and all but ran from the room.  She knew he didn’t believe her lie.  There was no way he didn’t know.  Oh by the goddess and all the fates, what had she done!?

Diyan stood there trying to process what just happened.  Had he been hosting his fiance this whole time? The more he went back over Arik's words, the more that he became convinced he had; and that now he had made things even worse for everyone.

[princess-of-thieves-id]

11

Not off to the best start...

Diyan checked himself in the mirror one last time and adjusted his three piece suit again before heading out of his cabin. Everything was in order to try and impress Renisa, and maybe earn some forgiveness from her.  Then he’d have to figure out how to fix things with Arik.  The fact that if things went well with Renisa, it would make them worse with Arik, was on his mind.  This was not a rock and hard place he liked being betwixt.

His hand impacted the door to the cabin Renisa and Arik were sharing harder than Diyan had intended, and he was glad she took a minute to answer, so he could take a deep breath and try to relax.  Ever since he’d left the bridge, he’d been thinking over the conversation with his best friend, fuck his ONLY friend, and how horrificaly it had gone. He’d just become more tense, but for some reason, he just could not bring himself to cancel the dinner.  Every time he considered it, he second guessed himself.  Maybe Arik was right about it all.  

When the door opened, Inara was once more struck by how tall Diyan was and how broad his shoulders were.  He seemed to tower over her.  He wasn’t that much taller than Arik, but the difference in the two men’s frames caused the difference in feeling…not to mention their personalities.  “Captain Noar, I was beginning to think you might have changed your mind.”  She gave him a soft smile and left out the part that she had hoped he HAD changed his mind.  It seemed she wasn’t so lucky.

Diyan’s eyes raked down Inara’s body and he wondered if she could tell just how much he appreciated the sight of her in his clothing.  He didn’t stop his mind from going places it probably shouldn’t, enjoying those thoughts a bit more than he knew he should, given the situation with Arik that involved them both.  Still, he was a man, and there was not a formal relationship between the woman he wanted and his friend…so he was going to shove all that aside for the evening unless forced not to.

“Now, why would I do that to such a lovely woman?” He put on his best charming smile and tried to act a whole lot more relaxed than he felt.  He extended his bent arm to her, “are you ready, my lady, to attend dinner?”  

For a minute, she looked up at him skeptically, still not sure if she trusted him or not.  Yes, she had promised Arik she’d try and relax, so that she wasn’t completely miserable the whole time, but she also knew that Arik was jealous and Noar had ulterior motives.  The only part of either of those that gave her any amount of satisfaction was that Arik was jealous.   To be jealous, you had to have some kind of feelings towards the other person. Sliding her hand into the crook of his arm, “I am.  Remember that you promised that this would be painless, Captain.”  While it was said with a smile on her face and not a drop of sarcasm in her voice, the barb was felt.  She could tell by the way his eyes had dropped to view her sideways out of the corner as he escorted her down the hall.  While he didn’t know it, she had been sitting at Court with her father since she was a small child and part of that was learning how to deliver insults without appearing to.  

“I did, and I do plan on upholding that promise, Renisa.” Although he had a feeling she was going to make this painful for him.  Diyan gently wrapped his fingers around her hand on his arm, trying to then lift it up to kiss the back the way he had so many times to women as he had at Court.  He found, much to his dismay, that she was having none of it.  This intrigued him once more as he wondered exactly who this woman was that Arik had with him. 

“Is there something wrong, Captain?  Your brows seem to be furrowing.”  Inara gave him her absolutely best innocent and confused expression, belying the absolute delight she was feeling at thwarting any attempt at flirtation he might try.  Had she not known better, she’d swear he was one of those annoying Princes who thought that they just had to smile and do the right actions and she’d swoon.  Instead, she wanted to gag.

“Now, what could be wrong, Renisa?” There was no way she could be that clueless, which meant she was frustrating him on purpose.  Lovely.  Did Arik give her pointers?  Or was he that obvious?

“I have no idea, Captain.  You just seem…stressed.  Weather holding?  Arik able to handle the bridge?  I do not want to distract you from your obligations after all.”  The voice that Inara was using, the one that was just about a seductive purr, was about to nauseate her.  They were playing a game, one very like chess.  They were going to dance around the board till one of them cornered the other to get them to admit defeat.  It was a pity for him that she’d been dancing around that board her entire life and not one male yet had gotten her in a corner.  It was the lack of a game completely that she so liked about Arik.

Since he was taller than her, it was less obvious when he narrowed his eyes, more looking like he was just looking down at her.  The truth was he knew she was up to something, but wasn’t sure what.  That annoyed him.  Had Arik asked her to piss him off to get out of dinner sooner?  Their terse conversation up on the bridge hadn’t seemed planned, otherwise he might have believed that.

“Maybe you are not the only one nervous, Princess.” He gave her once more a charming smile and ran his fingers lightly over the back of her hand on his arm.

Inara stopped in the middle of the hallway, her face no longer hiding her annoyance as she ripped her hand away.  “I’m sorry, did we suddenly become familiar, Captain?  Do not assume that a term of affection used by Arik is free for anyone to use regarding me.” She turned to face him, eyes becoming cold and hard as her chin lifted defiantly.  She had been dealing with men like this far too much.  If they, or at least she, got kicked off the boat for this, then so be it.  She’d apologize to Arik later. "You are not the man I choose to share a bed with, nor that I allow to kiss me.  Before you think to use any name for me besides the one I have provided, ASK." She was well and truly pissed.

It seemed that Diyan was not going to be able to keep on her good side to even get to dinner, let alone through it.  “I’m sorry, Renisa.  It was not my intention to offend.  I didn’t realize that it was that sensitive of a matter.  I’m serious, I wasn’t trying to be an ass or upset you.”  He sighed and looked around the hallway.  If Arik appeared he’d be icing his jaw.

"Please, Renisa, I know we had a bad start," her snort at that told him he was in for a hard road, "but I am honestly trying to make up for that.  I'm not really that good at this.'  He couldn’t tell her she was the first woman he'd had to apologize to like this.  How could he explain?  

"I know that you and Arik are friends, but we are not.  You are the man who attacked me when I was bound before you for no reason.  Do not assume this dinner makes us good." She kept her chin lifted and her eyes locked on his.  Inside she was a bundle of nerves but she couldn't back down now.  If only Arik would show up and end this.

"I'm trying to make up for that mistake.   I cannot tell you how sorry I am for what happened.  That you mean something to my best friend makes it even worse. I really just want a second start."  How the hell did Arik get anywhere with this woman?  She was harder to crack than granite. 

"Then do not assume familiarity.  Maybe as a Captain you are used to women falling at your feet, but that is not the type of female that I am.  I am also not promiscuous, so know that I am with Arik." She wasn't sure where that came from.  They had kissed, yes.  He'd admitted he was jealous, yes.  They'd even admitted they both felt like they were falling. But that did not equal a relationship of any kind.

"That was not how I had understood things from him," Diyan started but stopped when he realized her expression was as if he'd slapped her.  Fuck!  Forget breaking his jaw, he was dead when Arik heard.

"What did he say?" There was a wobble just at the end of her sentence as Inara fought to keep emotion and hurt out of her voice.   Had Arik really said that there was nothing?

How did he answer this and not end up on the receiving end of a hard punch?  "That there was nothing officially between you.  He didn't seem to have a problem with this dinner or say there was a line not to cross with you." Diyan stepped in closer, trying to eliminate the distance between them.  He itched to take her in his arms.

Had he been putting on a show for her about being jealous and feeling like he was falling for her too, or was the show for Captain Noar about not caring?  She honestly wasn't sure what to think, and Noar moving back into her space wasn't helping.  Inara’s eyes moved everywhere, not wanting to look at Noar and trying to keep the tears from spilling. "Are you sure there was nothing else?"  Could Arik really not care if she was with the Captain?  One tear began to track down her cheek.

Diyan closed his eyes.  She wasn't going to drop it, and now she was crying

  He was fucked.  "I was warned not to upset you, which I seem to have failed at."  He sighed.  If he upset her more or made her doubt Arik, it could get worse for him. "He trusts you to do the right thing, whatever it is." 

There it was.  The Captain didn't know it but the line about trust was what told her that Arik had been honest but also had tried to make it clear that they were something to one another.  Why would he need to trust her if there was nothing?

"I see." She kept her voice a little withdrawn as a couple more tears joined the first one. "Let's get to dinner then."  Without another word she turned and started heading down the hall.  She could hear Noar start to follow.  For some reason Inara’s heart still hurt, making her want this over even faster than before.

*****

"I wasn't heading down that hallway, she was pissed." One of the sailors was saying to another as they came onto the bridge.  Arik’s head snapped up and over to look in their direction.   What had Diyan done?

"Really?  He must have made it worse before Jones saw them, he thought she was going to cry." Arik's teeth began to grind as he fought to pay attention to the sea and his instruments.  "Said the Captain was apparently fumbling over his words."

"Who is she?  Normally he just fucks them and leaves them in port."

"The female stowaway.  He had some fancy dinner made for them. Guess she'll be more than a one night stand.  Never known a woman to turn him down." Arik wanted off the damn boat, and to take Inara with him.  After his conversation with Diyan earlier and now hearing this, he just wished to help them both disappear where they knew no one.  It seemed his friendship might have been one sided.

[princess-of-thieves-id]

"So, were you just flirting with me back there in order to annoy Noar?" Trying to figure out what Inara had been doing had been driving Arik insane since she sat directly on his lap; and now he finally had her alone in their cabin again, so he wasn’t wasting time in finding out the truth. Until the thought had occurred to him, he had not realized how much it would bother him if she did. After the night they’d had before, he hoped that she was honestly attracted to him and wanted to be with him; and not just to piss off Diyan.

"What?" Inara turned quickly from where she was hanging up the shirts Noar had given her, her eyes narrowing as her brows drew closer together. Why would he ask that? She had thought they had both felt the same attraction and pull the night before. Had it been only her? When she saw the look on Arik’s face, she threw the hanger and shirts on the bed and crossed the room to him. It was clear to her that she had not been the only one to feel things, but that he was as unsure of everything as she was, and at least she could put his mind at ease. That he was unsure helped her to feel better. "No, Arik, it wasn’t just to piss him off! Did you really think that?" There was a slight look of hurt on her face, and it could also be heard in her voice as her eyes searched his face. He always wore a mask to hide his emotions but there were tells that she had started to notice on their journey to the vessel and now that they were on it.

"I needed to know. I didn’t want to assume and be wrong." He swallowed and his eyes wouldn't quite meet hers now. Clearing his throat, he continued, "As amusing as it was to watch you two trying to one up each other, I was hoping you'd win and there would be no dinner. I wanted you bringing me up, to be because you wanted to be with me, and not just because it made him grind his teeth every time you did." He shrugged and finally met her gaze, obviously somewhat uncomfortable.

"Are you jealous?" Inara’s head tilted and her brows drew together. She took a small step closer to him so that their bodies brushed against one another and her hands gently laid on his chest, where she could feel his thundering heartbeat. "Arik, I was trying to avoid it. You ARE the man I’d rather spend the evening with." He was one of the few men who had never treated her like a Princess, but an equal. The night before he hadn’t laughed at her nightmare, but instead made her feel safe without making her feel less. He had promised to keep her safe, and she definitely did feel that way with him.

"I know. And you looked at me more than once to help get you out of it." He leaned his head forward till their foreheads touched, his breathing deepening as he felt the need to be in contact her becoming like an ache in him.. "I wanted to, gods I did. Especially after how you reacted when I first entered the room." One of his hands gently caressed the side of her face, the other lightly resting on the small of her back. "Noar doesn't give up if he wants something. I knew stepping in would make it worse. That doesn't mean I like it, so yeah," he shrugged with an annoyed look that he had to admit it, "I'm jealous. I’d rather you be wearing my shirt and having dinner with me."

"Arik…" Her eyes softened as she looked at him, his emotions that had been impossible to read earlier now plain before her. He was feeling similar towards her as she was him. "As soon as dinner is over, I'll be with you."

"I'll still be jealous of the bastard the whole time." His lips twitched up into a smirk. "It might make it up to me if we had a repeat of last night, just without the nightmare." Why did he feel so nervous with her? She was confirming she wanted to be with him too. He’s held Princesses in his arms before, hell, he’d even taken a few to his bed. None of the women he’d entertained in the past were like Inara though, not in any way. She was special in so many ways, and it scared him a little.

"I think that can totally be arranged." Inara smiled and tipped her head back so their noses softly ran along one another before her lips brushed his. There was a tingle as they did that made her sigh at the feeling. His body was hardened muscle, honed from training and work, but his touch and his lips were soft. It made her want to melt against him. She had to be losing her mind.

"What's happening between us, Inara?" Arik felt like he could drown in her without a desire for returning to the surface for air of his previous life. She was perfect to him, especially that she was not like any female he’d ever met. Whatever it was, he didn't want it to end. He didn’t want to lose her to Diayn.

"I think that the Princess is falling for her valiant knight." She felt his arm around her tighten, but her eyes never left his dark ones that she was becoming ever more fond of gazing into. Inara knew it. She felt it.

"He promises to catch her." Arik's chest felt tight, like he couldn't breathe, and his voice was low and deep. Inara wasn't the only one falling. "As long as she promises to do the same for him."

Inara’s heart was thundering. The man that a little over forty-eight hours ago was helping her escape from a wedding she didn't want was now the man she did. "Always." It felt surreal, but she knew that fate and destiny had a way of doing that. She'd heard the tales from the seers and oracles to the Royal Court since she was a child of those who were chosen by the gods, but always considered them fairy tales.

For his part Arik was trying not to let doubt defeat him. Living your life in Diyan’s shadow wasn't easy. They were on even footing now and to have Inara still wanting him made her even more precious than she had been before. Slowly he pulled her tighter to him, his fingers getting lost in her hair slightly before his lips found hers and he lost himself in their kiss.

[princess-of-thieves-id]

2

Further discussion between Captain Noar and Arik reveal more about the situation at hand...but not all are clued into what is transpiring...

"Fine.  Then you are both going to tell me the truth of what is going on.  Aren't you Miss. Renisa and Mr. Arik?" 

“Let. Her. Go. First.” Arik slowly enunciated each word, pushing the tip of the blade harder against Noar’s back. A spot of red appeared, he’d pay for that later, but it would be worth it. 

Noar released the woman’s neck with a growl in his throat, and held his hands out to his sides. His jaw was clenched and he was lightly shaking his head.  If he wasn’t so pissed, he might have had to hand it to Arik for having balls big enough to hold the Captain of a vessel full of mercenaries at knife point.  However, he was thoroughly and completely pissed, so all he wanted to do was turn around and hit Arik till he was unconscious again.

“She’s free.” Noar said as he moved then side stepped twice to get out from between them.  Arik at his back with a sharp blade was not something he wanted to continue allowing.  He’d prefer no one get injured, but if someone had to, he really preferred it not be him.  

“Turn around,” Arik said to Inara.  Once she did, he sliced through her bonds and then motioned for her to get behind him.  This had Noar’s brow raising as he considered why the knight would do that.  Who was this woman?  Something was wrong with this whole scenario besides his best friend pulling a knife on him.

“Now, she’s free. I’m over here.  Can one of you please tell me what the fuck is going on and why you both are on my ship?” Noar gave them a sarcastic smile and tried his best not to shout at them. His head tilted to the side as he waited.  

Arik was about to tell one hell of a huge lie and he hoped he and Inara could pull it off.  The male in front of him finding out the truth would cause another issue for them he didn’t want.  The truth would come out in time, but by that time hopefully the man in front of him would be a fuck ton more calm.   “My previous mission had a rather catastrophic issue, which had me exiting the castle far in advance of when I was to have.  As I was doing so, I ran into Renisa who tried to help me out of sympathy, pity, or the goodness of her heart.  As I now have a price on my head , I couldn’t just leave her there, so I brought her with me as I ran, Captain…”  He had no idea what name the man was going by now and had been unconscious if there had been an introduction when they were brought into the room.  He reached behind him and took Inara’s hand.  He had no doubt after what had just happened she’d play along.

“Captain Noar,” Inara started, getting the idea that wasn’t his real name since Arik obviously knew he had a previous injury but not knowing his name.  “There are Tribaldi soldiers who are searching for us.  I do not know what the outcome would be if they found us.  I’m sorry for the trouble we have brought to you, we just were trying to get out of the kingdom and to the next unnoticed.”  She was almost trembling, but Arik’s hand tightening on hers helped calm her some.  She was surprised he had defended her the way he had, and still was.

“Arik, put the damn blade away.  If I’d wanted to fight you, I’d have tried to disarm you when you were behind me.”  Now Noar had a droll stare as he looked at the two.  What the fuck had Arik done?!  “How much danger have you put me and my crew in with Tribaldi?”  He looked at the two of them and sighed.  

Arik turned and looked back at Imara, he couldn’t tell her how bad this situation was.  He couldn’t tell Noar how bad it was either.  He would ask what more could go wrong, but he didn’t want to chance the universe deciding to tell him. When he turned his head back to face Noar, his face was grim.  “They would spare Renisa’s life, but I would face beheading.” 

“Motherfucker!” Noar swore, and he saw Renisa move closer to Arik’s back, which meant he was scaring her.  He held up his hands.  “We already have Coaltmor legions after us, so it’s not like we’re not running as well.”  He closed his eyes and shook his head, his arms coming up so his hands could pull his hair back and wrap a leather thong around it to tame it while he thought on what they were going to do now.  One armada after his ship was one thing, now they had two.  “What did you do, Arik?”  

Here went nothing.  He was going to be honest-ish.  “There was to be a wedding in Tribaldi.  I was to guard the Princess from murder.” He saw Noar’s jaw go slack and was glad, what he was hoping to imply was getting across.  “She did not make it to the wedding.  It did not happen, she was not there.  By the time the ceremony was to be, the legion was already hunting me.”  

Noar turned away from Arik and scrubbed his face with both hands.  He should have been there.  His mother had always told him his selfishness would one day cost someone their life.  He was going to be sick.  At least he could save Renisa, that would be his penance.  He stood staring at the wall in front of him blinking slowly, trying to get a grip on himself. 

Arik watched Noar and immediately hated himself.  He knew how Noar would take it, but he could not reveal who was behind him.  And he couldn’t let Inara know who was in front of them.  The situation would go from a shit show to a full blown cataclysm; it was bad enough as it was already.  Inara had a deathgrip on his hand and was pressed against his back gripping his shirt, what he assumed was her forehead was against his shoulder; it was not pointy enough to be her chin and she was shorter than he was.  He could have sworn he heard a sniffle a time or two as well, he hated himself.

“Did she suffer?”  Noar had not turned around, he couldn’t face Arik.  He was still dealing with the news, and not well.  What. Had. He. Caused? 

“No, she went very quietly.  Not a sound was heard.”  Arik answered.  It wasn’t a lie exactly, she had escaped without making a sound.  If Arik hadn’t been in the room, hiding in the shadows, he would have missed her escape completely.  He was hating what Noar was thinking.

Turning around to face the couple, Noar thought for a minute.  “I will find you a room to share on the ship.  You will help with the tasks on board.  We are all fugitives and pirates, so you will be in good company.”  He took a deep breath, “Renisa,” he waited for her head to rise and for her to move so she could see him, “I am sorry for my behavior earlier.  Our departure from Tribaldi was stressful and I was shocked to see the state Arik was in.  You did not deserve that. I hope in time you can forgive me.”  He inclined his head towards her.

Inara nodded but said nothing.  She was still in shock and slightly terrified of the Captain and confused about what was going on between him and Arik.  The one thing she did know was that Arik was ready to commit violence to keep her safe, so until they were alone, she was going to be quiet and stay right next to him. 

Arik let go of Inara’s hand and slid his arm around her waist to pull her next to him.  The Princess was trembling, and he wanted to comfort her.  He couldn’t really blame her for her fear.  Noar was intimidating when he wasn’t completely pissed off.  Six four, broad shoulders, dark eyes, and an overall demeanor that made most people uneasy.  When Arik was around him, people tended to scatter, so the fact Inara was almost clinging to the six foot two, even darker complected in all ways Arik he found ironic.  The fact he hadn’t had her up against the wall by her neck probably factored into that.

Noar was still trying to figure out this dynamic and it was not computing for him.  Walking over to the door, he opened it about six inches.  As he suspected there were several of his men out there, he closed his eyes and shook his head with a wry smile.  “Will one of you please take the lovely Miss Renisa to one of our empty rooms with the larger bed, get linens, BE. NICE.  Also, get some water, see if she’s hungry.  She’s a personal guest at this time.  Got it?” He raised his brows and got nods all around.  

Turning back to where the couple stood.  “You will be safe.  No one is going to harm you.  I need to speak with Arik privately.  He will join you shortly, I promise.”  Noar hoped she’d go on her own.  Having one of his men pick her up and carry her would just make everything ugly again.  No doubt someone would get stabbed, most likely him. “Renisa, it’s ok.  I’ll be there in just a minute.  I know Noar.  He’s an asshole, but he doesn’t lie.  If he says you’re safe, you are.”  Arik nodded at her and kissed her cheek softly as he pulled her in tighter.  “I told you I’d keep you safe, I’m not stopping that now that we’re on the boat.”  He met her eyes when he pulled back and she nodded, Arik was thankful she trusted him.  It was a small blessing.

“Thank you, Captain Noar.” Inara said as she passed him.  He nodded, and felt horrible for what happened earlier.  She was gorgeous and now seemed like a frightened kitten.  While he didn’t mind intimidating his crew, and those he needed to, he normally didn’t go around attacking innocent women for no reason.  The fact she was with Arik made it even worse.  

As soon as the door closed, he turned to Arik.  “How fucked are we?  Be straight with me.  Does she have any clue who I am?”

[princess-of-thieves-id]

4

Arik arrives at the room Inara was taken to...

Arik was led through the belly of the ship to the cabin where they had put Inara.  He knocked on the door and when he heard nothing, knocked again.   Still there was no answer.   Slowly he opened the door and peaked in.

Apparently boredom and exhaustion had won over waiting for him to return.   The Princess was passed out on the bed.  Her shoes kicked off at the end.  She looked so peaceful that it made Arik smile.  In other circumstances he might have worried about her safety, but knowing who the Captain was, they would definitely be on the "hands off" list.

As quietly as he could, Arik slipped into the cabin and closed the door.  It had an internal deadbolt, which he did throw just to be safe.  Then he took off his own shoes and made his way over to the bed.  taking his side of the blanket , he wrapped it over Inara to keep her warm.  He would be fine without it.  

Just as he'd made it snug around her shoulders she came awake and sat bolt upright holding onto his wrist in a death grip that had her nails digging into his skin, she was breathing heavily and her eyes were wide and darting about the room.  "Arik?" His name came out almost as just another pant rather than a word and she looked ready to flee the bed and the room if he so much as twitched wrong.

"Hey..hey..Inara, it's just me, Princess.  Shhhh….  You're safe.  I was just putting the blanket over you."  He smiled to try and reassure her, not one hundred percent sure where the panic was coming from.  He slid closer to her on the bed.  "What's wrong?  Did someone hurt you?" His hands lightly ghosted over her, not quite sure what to do.

She shook her head. "No, no, just a nightmare I guess." Her eyes dropped to her lap as Inara tried to get a grasp on reality again. "I guess your touch just made it feel real and when I woke up…" her eyes squeezed shut as her head shook again.  She had been back in that cabin with Captain Noar all over again, only this time Arik hadn’t been there.

"Shhh..it's okay,”  Arik reassured her, now gently pulling her to him and wrapping her in a protective and comforting embrace.  "I've got you and you are safe now.  God, I'm so sorry about earlier, sweetheart.   If I'd been conscious…" he growled, not able to finish.  He was still so frustrated over the whole thing. Diyan kind of blowing it off didn’t help.  "You're safe with me, my Princess, always." He gently kissed the side of her head.

Inara clung to him as if he was the last tether to life.  She knew he had no control over what the Captain had done. "Noar is just an ass." She said softly.  "Do you think  we…or maybe just I am safe on this boat, Arik?  Do you think he'll.."her words were cut off by a hic that turned into a stuttered breath as she still battled with her panic.  She didn’t know what to do or where to go if they got off.  It was obviously harder for the Tribaldi soldiers to find them if they were hidden on the boat, but she wasn’t sure she was much safer here than with them.

Arik pushed her back slightly from him so he could very gently take her face in both of his hands. "Inara, you are perfectly safe.  He's an ass but he does feel bad and wants to try and make it up to you.  He won't ever do that again. If he even tries, next time it won't be an option for him to stop before I hurt him.  I WILL keep you safe." He kissed her forehead, letting it linger an extra beat.  It was a vow he intended to keep no matter what happened from here on out.

He didn't know how a woman he had just been sent to make sure stayed alive and made it to a wedding somehow became so important to him.  Maybe it was she didn't fight him, or that she was a quick study, or that they had so quickly learned to work together, or maybe it was something in that moment of seeing a woman he'd come to respect for all those things being utterly terrified and at the mercy of an enraged Diyan.  The way she had clung to his back after he'd freed her had done something to him.  He'd realized in that moment she truly trusted him to protect her.  Even now, he could see *something* in her eyes that called to him like a magnet to iron.

"Arik?"  She waited until he was once more looking in her eyes with a raised brow.  "Would…would you mind holding me till I fall asleep?  That nightmare…" Inara felt like such an idiot and so weak asking, but after everything, she wanted his comfort and to feel safe.  

"Let me kick off my shoes and get more comfortable and I have no problem with that at all." He brushed both her cheekbones with his thumbs.  "Anything I can do to help."  He gave her a soft smile before sliding off of the bed. He didn’t add it, but like he was going to mind having her curled up next to him.  He hadn’t planned on staying up much later to begin with.