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“I will not let you be harmed,” you tell her.
“I know,” she smiles.
“That is not to say you should not go,” you continue, and her smile dies.
“Oh.”
“Here, you are a hostage or a whore. There… you are a lady, are you not?” you ask.
“To some,” she says. “I would say it is the other way around.”
“That may be so,” you concede. “But you can be a lady if you return. I will be making dealings with your uncles. I will be there before you might be sold off to your priests or knights.”
“My uncles might brand you a sellsword or worse. If they knew of your involvement with those pirates…” Ellyn cautions.
“They need know only good things. I trust you to play your part,” you say.
“I have blue hair,” she flatly states. “My part? You must be mad if you think they will see me as a maid after all we have done… I had even thought to try something new tonight before you spoke of abandoning me.”
“Abandon? I speak of courting you as a lady,” you tell her.
“Oh? Will my lord ask me to dance and speak sweet words to me in the gardens? We could do that here, you know. I have heard of your masquerades. You could take me to one. I would show you just how much of a lady I can be,” she teases.
“You could show me in your lands,” you say in return, thoughts wandering to what she has been scheming.
“And what if they say no to you? What if I am punished with a motherhouse or worse? What if they demand some absurd bride price? What will you do then?” she questions.
“I will take great offense,” you say, continuing in spite of her exasperation. “Make no mistake, I will be there as a banker of Tyrosh. I may just as easily take my dealings to Elym or Stenmoor or this Wyrmwood.”
“Which still leaves me to face their wroth,” she says.
“No. You will still be mine,” you assure, inwardly cursing the hollowness of your words. She makes for enjoyable company to say the least, but neither of you are under any illusions as to what could happen should your dealings fall through. It leaves the weight of silence upon the evening as your paramour turns pensive, a great difference from her usual talkativeness.
