"Feathers"

Calista was his ringer, it had just started as a fluke game they played but now...now Eldarion and Calista liked playing as commoners. They got a rise out of it, irrational perhaps, dangerous certainly but it was something that excited them and brought them together. Twice now they grew so excited they had had sex in an alley behind the Inn that they played Feathers at. Feathers wasn’t in every bar or Inn but it was beginning to catch on more and more around the city. What you did is roll a wooden wheel down a packed dirt alley to try and get it to fall as close to the feather as possible. Calista was a natural at it and even drunk she hardly ever lost. Eldarion would begin playing and do moderately well though progressively worse the more ‘drunk’ he got. At the end he’d make a wild wager that involved Calista instead playing the game and more oft than not, someone would take it up and then lose to her in short order. Their winnings had begun to mount and they made far more than they spent though the money was not why they did it. It was for their relationship.

Eldarion had had an affair a while back and Calista had had a difficult time forgiving him. What made it worse was that the affair was made public and both of them shared in his shame. Something Eldarion has been trying to make up to her for a while now. That and they’ve been trying to have a child. Something that also has not happened which only added to their problems.

The Blue Sparrow was not a fine Inn but it had a new Feathers alley and Eldarion had just lost to a man who was nearly as drunk as he was. The onlookers clapped and hooted as one of their own, a rather short man with a thick middle and chubby face collected his winnings from the gamekeeper. Eldarion lifted up his mug to congratulate his rotund competitor as he moved to give Calista a rather passionate kiss and openly squeezed her behind as well. Soon it would be Calista who would ask him if she could play and get him to keep raising the stakes to her satisfaction.

They both knew that they shouldn't be sneaking out, but it didn't stop them. For Eldarion and Calista, these night outings into the city were when they could truly relax and have a good time. As the future King and Queen of Gondor there was already a lot of pressure put upon them and with their relationship still healing this gave them a way to have fun and repair their marriage. Calista enjoyed the thrill of it all...particularly knowing that they could get caught at any moment. A few times people had nearly recognized them and it was because of that that they had started going to different inns and taverns every time they went out. Eldarion had been rather impressed to see how much she could drink. She enjoyed ales and the harder liquors and almost never turned anything down.

Feathers was a game that they both enjoyed and it was always something they looked for in any establishment they chose for the night. Calista had a natural talent for it and she and Eldarion had come up with a game where Eldarion would play first and then after the stakes had been raised to her satisfaction, she would come in and shock everyone by winning. Neither of them did it for the money and they had begun taking their winnings and donating it to those in need. They did it because they enjoyed it and it was something they could do together.

It was a cool, fall evening and The Blue Sparrow was full of men and women drinking and having a good time. Calista and Eldarion had spent the first part of the evening drinking and now they had begun to turn their attention to the game. As always, Calista let Eldarion play first while she watched. Very few women played the game and Calista always enjoyed it when the men would judge her as she would step up to play and then have the smiles wiped off their faces when she won. Eldarion had just lost, but was still in a very good mood judging by the kiss he had just given her. She could taste the ale on his lips and tongue and it matched her own. She finally pulled back and took another sip of her ale.

"I think I would like to play," she said to him, but loud enough for the others around her to hear.

Eldarion feigned surprise but then leaned in, kissed her and said for all to hear. “Well, what my darlin wants...she gets!” He held out a few coins and Calista shook her head. He dug into his pocket and brought out more and still she shook her head and her posture was annoyed and impatient. Finally he brought out 3 gold and 10 silver and sho made it seem as if it were just enough. “Who wants ta help me lose some money!?” He asked loudly and slurred his words. “My dearest wishes to play!” He added as he slapped the coins down at the gamekeepers table. Hungry faces, most of which could not afford such a wager licked their lips at the gold. One man though stood up. He was middle-aged and had a fine, blue cloak. “I’ll take that bet,” he said and shrugged off his cloak and handed to who Eldarion thought might be his servant. “Well dearest...I found an opponent for you!” He said and staggered.

Calista could tell Eldarion was quite drunk, but she was rather drunk herself and didn't care. She shook her head and sighed until Eldarion finally got the amount to where she wanted it. She then waited for her opponent to take the bait. Finally, a middle-aged man wearing nice clothing stepped forward. Calista waited as the man shrugged off his cloak and handed it to another man who was with him. Calista remained inwardly confident, but did not show too much of that confidence on the outside...nor however, did she appear nervous. She smiled slightly at her opponent.

"Why don't you go first so I can make sure I know how it is done..."

The man didn't peer at her exactly but he definitely made no secret that he was looking at her. “I'll not take it easy on you because you are...pleasant to look at, not when coin is involved,” he said plainly as he took up his wheel.these wheels were made of wood and had wooden spokes inside to make them look like small versions of wagon wheels. A novelty that has been catching on of late but did make the wheels favor o e side or another. She noticed though that though the man held his wheel like she was want to do to aim he had not tested its lay. Doing that nonchalantly was important she knew. If the wheel favored one side or another it might tip sooner than expected during its roll. That would make it easy to roll against and she had lost enough rolls to know that now. 

He sized up the distance than rolled his wheel. The crowd roared as he let it loose and it rolled up than tipped over fairly close to the feather. The hollers rose in intensity and they called out his name and how he should just pay the man now to save his ‘wench’ a little embarrassment. Eldarion didn't like anyone calling calista that but they both knew it wasn't ‘her’ they were insulting. And in truth it seemed to excite her when they called her baudy names. He gestured for her to take her turn and he looked at the crowd worriedly as he did often which practically sent them toppling over in laughter. 

“You got this,” he said to her confidently. Then he kissed her in front of everyone and not chastely either. He even backed her up against one of the bar shelves and forgot there were people around. He stopped though his hands had touched her in places where he ought not to in public. He looked abashed but didn't really feel it. He liked how red calistas cheeks were and he thought that maybe another trist in the alley might be in order tonight. He was already ready for her and doubted he could wait for them to get home.

Calista stood back and looked away slightly as the man clearly eyed her. He was clearly a noble and she could only hope that he would not recognize her. She relaxed when he didn't seem to and watched as he took his turn. He didn't take the time to test the wheel and instead just rolled it right away. She watched as the wheel fell very close to the feather. It had been a good roll and she began to wonder if she would be able to beat it. The men in the inn cheered and applauded and called out for her to forfeit, but she would not. Eldarion suddenly stepped up to her and kissed her rather passionately in front of everyone. She was drunk enough not to care and even kissed him back. Her face flushed from the kiss and she felt her own desire growing. However, she needed to focus. She stepped away from Eldarion and picked up the wheel. She could immediately tell it was going to curve slightly to the left therefore she would need to accommodate for this. She eyed the feather at the end of alley and took her aim. Even drunk her hands did not tremble. She drew in a breath and then pushed the wheel down the alley. At first it appeared to be too far to the right, but then towards the end it curved slightly to the left. Everyone in the inn suddenly held their breaths and watched as her wheel came down touching the feather itself.

The crowd roared with the excitement of the sudden change in fortunes. The noble harrumphed and stomped off back to his table. Eldarion was overjoyed and in his excitement he lifted Calista up then set her down again and kissed her. “Excellent roll,” he said...how bout a round innkeep! Ale for all!” He said and tossed the largest gold coin that was among their winnings to the bartender and pocketed the rest. He took Calista’s hand and headed back through the drinking hall toward the back where the door to the alley was.  Alisha would know what kind of debauchery was on his mind, they had done this before.

Meanwhile, Alina, one of Calista and Eldarion's servants, walked briskly down the dark and quiet hallway of the royal apartments towards the king and queen's. She tried to keep herself calm, but felt nearly frantic. She had been unable to sleep and had gone to get some tea when she had noticed the main door to her prince and princess' quarters partially open. Peering through she had been able to see that the rooms were a mess and the prince and princess were gone. Fearing that something may have happened to them, she knew that the king and queen needed to be alerted immediately.

As she approached the quarters belonging to the king and queen she spotted two of their guards near the main door.

"I apologize, but the king and queen must be awakened. Prince Eldarion and Princess Calista are gone and their rooms are a mess. I fear something may have happened to them."

The threat of betrayal and threat of the murder of his children was real for Elessar, very real. He rose quickly but asked Nauriel to remain but he knew she wouldn't. He put on his black robe as he moved with his guard toward the front room where Alina was. Nuriel had run past him though and her face was painted in worry.

“Alina, tell us what you saw?” She asked and Alina did to their horror. The king cautioned against  prong to coming to conclusions but it wasn't like them to leave without a guard. That and the state of their home being in disarray made him think something untoward could have happened. 

“Wake the watch and fill the city. Do not return without my son!” Elessar said as he decided to get dressed himself.

Calista and Eldarion remained out for several more hours after their tryst out in the alley. They were both having a great time and neither of them wanted to return to the palace just yet. However, Calista finally realized how late it was. Dawn was approaching and they needed to get back before someone noticed they were missing. Reluctantly, they headed back up the streets towards the palace. As they walked up one street, Calista noticed several guards a street beyond and quickly realized they were palace guards. Wordlessly, she got Eldarion's attention and directed it towards the guards. Had they been discovered missing? They needed to get to the palace without being caught.

With guards on just about every street it was going to be very difficult to get back without being seen. That and one of the guards wore a white and green cloak of the king. A King’s guard. “Look,” he whispered as they huddled behind a hedge and he pointed at the King’s guard. “My father is out here...and maybe mother too,” he said and he heard her breath catch at that. If Nauriel found her out like this...found them both it would be much worse for her and they both knew that. “What do you want to do? If we decide to lie, we’ll need something good,” he told her with a smirk. “And I think you need to um, fix that,” he said and looked at her chest. Half of her bosom was out as her dress wasn’t exactly put back properly. “Very sexy though,” he added as he looked away to watch the guards move past.

Calista was nervous. What were they going to do? It was clearly evident now that their disappearance was known and that the king and queen had been alerted. She could only assume that the king and queen were out looking for them as well. When Eldarion pointed out that she needed to fix her dress, she looked down and noticed that she hadn't quite adjusted everything properly. She quickly made a few adjustments and smoothed out her dress and her hair. Glancing at the guards again she sighed and shook her head.

"I doubt we will be able to come up with anything that your mother and father will believe. I think we will just need to make a run for it and hope we aren't caught. Perhaps we can say we were inside the palace all this time..."

“Oh? I think not,” a familiar voice said from behind them and Eldarion knew who it belonged to. Nauriel stood with her arms across her chest and her eyes gleamed with an angry light. He closed his eyes and winced. Nauriel was the best hunter and tracker in the city most likely and she had made out his scent. Her eyes threw daggers at Calista when she caught her eyes. “I can believe my ‘son’ capable of such recklessness but you?” She said in a very disappointed voice as they stood up. Guards ran over toward them and they called out to stand down the search. The call was relayed in the distance as well as Nauriel’s angry stare lingered. Her gaze flowed over her and her eyes paid particular attention to how low cut her dress was. “To your apartments with you and Calista...I will see you in my chambers in one hour!” She barked as she made an about face and stomped away. Eldarion whispered an oath that he had picked up during their nightly outings as he took Calista’s hand and started back to their apartments.

Calista froze when she heard Queen Nauriel's voice behind them. Her blood ran cold and her body tensed up immediately. Ever so slowly she turned with Eldarion to face her. Calista knew in an instant that they were in far more trouble than she could have ever imagined. She thought of Queen Nauriel as her own mother now after everything she had been through with Eldarion and to see the disappointment in her eyes was heartbreaking for Calista.

With her head bowed, she walked with Eldarion back to their apartments. Wordlessly, she washed her face and changed. Then, she gave Eldarion a nervous look before exiting their apartments and walking down to the King and Queen's. A servant met her at the door and showed her inside to meet her fate.

When Eldarion had stepped into the large room with her his mother turned and looked at him in surprise. The King wasn’t there either, they both noticed that right away. “Eldarion...your father is waiting for you...on the Western practice grounds...I wouldn’t keep him for long,” she said and her voice became much less kind on that last part. He could tell she wanted to slap him silly but she kept her hands at her sides with some effort. “And close the door, Calista and I have much to discuss,” she added and he gave Calista a worried, consoling look as he left there. She had a cup of tea that steam on her desk, She did not offer Calista one and she gestured for her to sit. When Calista did she sat across from her.

“You know how important it is for Elessar, your King and father! To have an heir yes?” She asked. When Calista looked as if she was going to answer the queen raised one finger at her. “We are NOT untouchable here and there are those that seek to do harm to us. Eldarion is reckless and unthinking at times...you know this better than most Calista. He needs guidance and someone to look out for him...I have had high expectations...apparently too high that this would be you. Not only have you allowed this...this reckless behavior to happen, you’ve taken part in it. I can only guess how long!” She said angrily and then rubbed her temple with her offhand and looked down to the floor a moment.

“You will tell me what all you’ve been doing so I know how to deal with anything that comes from it. And I will hear it all Calista,” she said in a dangerous tone.

Calista gave Eldarion a grave look as he went off to go find his father and speak to him. She took her seat immediately and sat there quietly and respectfully as the Queen began to speak. She forced herself to continue to look at her even though she wanted to look down. She felt her face flush with embarrassment and for a long moment afterward she remained quiet as she tried to figure out what to say.

"Eldarion and I never meant to cause anyone any worry and I will admit that we weren't thinking properly about our own safety. Ever since his affair we have been desperately working to heal our marriage and it somehow make it stronger. Everything we tried seemed to fail. The added pressure of court and producing an heir did not help. We only meant to go out once, but we found the freedom we felt and the happiness of doing something without pressure together helped our marriage more than anything else we have tried. I accept full blame for the first night we went out was my idea. I do not ask for forgiveness and I am sincerely sorry for the fear and worry we caused you both."

Calista then went on to tell the Queen everything they had done (leaving out the fact that they had engaged in sexual activity three times outside). Afterwards, she sat there quietly waiting for her to speak in response.

The queen set down her tea and tried not to stand up and pummel her to death as she spoke. However in all truth it really wasn’t THAT bad. They stayed within the city and hadn’t done anything like ‘have sex in public’ after all. She knew Calista was prideful but wouldn’t do anything so raunchy as that. She and Elessar had before...but that was a very long time ago...she cleared her throat as her cheeks began to color. She intended to file those emotions for later and remind Elessar how handsome he was...ok, back to the matter at hand, she decided.

“What is it that you want? A man that loves you? Eldarion does, of that I am certain. Forgiveness is a two way street daughter,” she said and picked back up her tea.

"I know that Eldarion loves me," Calista replied honestly. "I have forgiven the mistake he made, but things were still...awkward for us," she admitted. "These nightly outings allowed us to reconnect on a personal level and fall back in love with each other. We never meant to alarm anyone and I can give you my word that we will not do this again. The last thing I ever wanted to do was to disappoint either you or the King. I am very sorry."

ooc-new thread