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[sterngaze]

I love me some gen threads, especially funny or drama-filled ones, but I am also shamelessly here for shipping AUs. The general Liem-shipping vibe is "I want more than this, but I shouldn't & they can't possibly want me back," so if you're into that, I've got what you need. His default setting is very D&D-like high fantasy, but I'm comfortable playing him in modern fantasy settings as well. Pretty much any prompt can also accommodate Liem being a full vampire instead of a dhampir, if that's your thing. Prompts for inspiration: • Arranged Marriage: Liem's shady vampire family has arranged his marriage to you, but he seems a rather reluctant fiance. • Bodyguard Shipping: It's Liem's duty to keep you safe and out of trouble, possibly despite your best efforts. • Companion to Royalty: Reclusive vampire king Liem and YOU! Are you a gift from a local power? Sacrifice from the townsfolk? Or did you just stumble up the road to his castle during a storm? • Enemies to Lovers: Maybe Liem is a foreign agent trying to sabotage your country or organization. Or maybe you're rebelling against the current regime and he's trying to take you in. • Fake Dating/Fake Married: A relationship is your cover story while you're travelling for some secret reason. Gotta keep up appearances. • Hunter & Hunted: Are you a hunter trying to track Liem down? Or a snack that proved more than he bargained for? • Hurt (Comfort Optional): Whether he's hurt, sick, drugged, or just upset, two things remain constant: Liem needs help, and he doesn't want to accept it. But maybe you don't want to fix him anyway; maybe you want to make him worse. • Living a Lie: Whether you're undercover on a mission, or you lied to cover something up and now you have to commit, you're stuck playing a role until you accomplish some secret objective — or until you can shake off your nosy company. • Loss of Control: For whatever reason, one of you is struggling not to go berserk — or perhaps has already failed. If it's Liem, can you help him come back to himself, or are you the one pushing him over the edge? • Out of the Frying Pan: The classic "tried to help someone in trouble, ended up with a new and possibly worse problem" situation. But at least you're in it together! • Priest/Celibacy: Default here is that Liem is the priest, but it could go the other way. Smutty, or just laden with UST? You decide. • Texting: Stupid TFLN-style text threads, my beloved... • Random Scenario: For if none of the above tickle your fancy. contact. Sporelett | info. Link | permissions. Link

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[greenbriar]

[ He can't help the satisfied curl of his mouth at Liem's admission. Truthfully, Cardan had not been entirely sure he'd be able to pull this off, even with all of his idle scheming -- and, after all, he had not planned to do this today. It makes something warm and pleased unfurl in his chest, an odd feeling of pride he does not often get to feel. It feels like an accomplishment to give Liem something he wanted, for once.

Cardan pulls back to eye him, briefly, before pressing his lips to Liem's jaw, the tender skin just below his ear. The peppering of unhurried kisses will continue even as he puts the warm washcloth to Liem's skin, starting on the task of removing some of the night's excesses.

He will be rather thorough about this, too: it is only because touching Liem remains a singular delight even after countless hours of having him. There is a possessive pleasure in running the scented cloth over the pale skin with its fading bruises, in cleansing even this from Liem, so that when they sleep, he need think of naught but the embrace of Cardan's arms around him. ]

Was it as you imagined? [ he'll ask, as he coaxes Liem's knee up so he can run the cloth over the inside of his thigh. Of course, no real thing can live up to fantasy -- for one, they could not have kept going for all eternity -- but he is curious nonetheless. ]

[sterngaze]

[For all the trials and torments of the day, for all his frustrations, it takes little more than the smile curving Cardan's lips and the warm touch at his jaw for the restless buzzing beneath Liem's skin to quiet. He doesn't need much more than this: his husband regarding him with quiet satisfaction while Liem rests contentedly in the palm of his hand. He is happy to be there; Cardan can do whatever he wishes with him, as long as he has his touch and his affection.

And he has so much more than that. His breath flutters delicately from him at the leisurely press of Cardan's mouth against his jaw, the warm transit of gently-scented cloth over his skin. Somehow, he had not expected this endless night to conclude as it had started: with Cardan's gentle hands helping him bathe, unsolicited and alarmingly comforting. He wants to slip beneath the surface of this feeling, drown himself in Cardan's familiar presence and never re-emerge.]

Yes — but better. This is better.

[It's better because of the voice in his ear and the lips brushing his skin. It's better because of his lover going to the effort of cleaning them both up, though this was not part of Liem's fantasy and he had not requested anything like it.

And it's better because the fantasy he used to revisit when he sought his own pleasure, however titillating and forever fantastical, had not had Cardan in it. And as he has discovered again and again, and somehow continued to be surprised by each time — he would not give that up for anything.]

[greenbriar]

[ It's strange: for all that he has praised Liem strategically and often in the past hours, he is surprised by the warm satisfaction that spreads through him, hearing Liem's assessment of his efforts. He has found himself wanting many things he'd never wanted before over the past few weeks -- but this is new even so. Cardan had sworn to himself long ago that he would not care what anyone thought of him, good or bad. He'd spent years rejecting compliments and insults as inconsequential. It is probably dangerous for this to change now.

And still, his tail curls with it, smug as the irrepressible little smile he hides against Liem's skin. ]

Never has my mischief been so thoroughly encouraged.

[ Part of him finds himself wishing to prolong the moment -- to draw out the peaceful pleasure of tending to his husband at the end of a long ordeal, to indulge himself with the sound of Liem's quiet sighs and soft voice. But it is late, and keeping Liem up would be its own kind of selfish cruelty; besides, it is a strange thing to want.

He concludes the makeshift bath with a quick kiss to the inside of Liem's knee, throwing the cloth back into the basin with a splash. After that, all that is left is drying his husband off.

Then and only then will Cardan finally slide into bed with him, busying himself with the effort of wrapping the both of them in eiderdown and silk. ]

[sterngaze]

[If Liem's satisfaction is encouragement to Cardan's mischief, then so be it. He can think of worse things than encouraging his husband when he wishes to monopolize his attention, considering that Liem continues, even now, to be so desperate for his husband's hungry gaze and greedy touch and warm mouth. He has no energy to solicit these things, and yet he covets them still. If he had his way, he would drift into sleep to the caress of Cardan's deliberate kisses, tucked inside the circle of his husband's warm embrace.

His marriage continues to spoil him; the way things are going, he's entirely likely to get just what he wants. He barely recalls the last time he had to sleep alone, and doesn't care to dredge the memory from its months-old bed; he'd much rather relinquish himself into Cardan's care, and let himself be bathed and dried and kissed and bundled sleepily into the blankets.

As he snuggles against his husband, seeking his warmth before Cardan has even finished drawing the blankets over them, he he breathes a soft, contented laugh.]

I must share with you my desires more often, Cardan.

[He has displayed such skill for turning Liem's wants to reality.]

[greenbriar]

[ He is tired; he does not realize how much until he slides between the sheets, wrapping the blanket around them, and settles in with Liem nestled -- as he always is -- against his chest. How strange that such a thing had become so typical; how strange that he now feels that Liem belongs there, his cool skin warmed by Cardan's foolishly thundering heart.

How strange that his husband's laugh tugs at something soft and fragile in him. ]

Is it not my right to know? [ he murmurs, and is relieved to hear himself sound only arrogant about it, even as he brushes his lips against Liem's temple, his breath quiet in the space between them.

Despite his exhaustion, it will take him some time to fall asleep, buoyed as he is by the drug that yet traps restless energy under his skin. He spends hours petting Liem's hair and watching his face, perfect and still in slumber. And when Cardan finally succumbs to silent, dreamless sleep, he sleeps for far longer than he intended -- the night and most of the following day, rousing only to prevent his husband from leaving and to accept brief offerings of tea and refreshments.

Eventually, he will let himself be coaxed out of bed for a bath, during which he splays over the tub's edges and lets Liem put fragrant soaps in his hair. It is mid-day, and a demented time to be awake, so he does not elect to stay up after the bath -- though he waves Liem off just before crawling back between the newly changed sheets for another nap. ]

Your friendly butchers miss you, I'm sure. Go.

[ The "friendly butchers" are, as it happens, the group of redcaps who meet to spar and trade stories near the palace training grounds. Most of them sport the crescent-and-blood-drop crest of the Grand General rather than the great tree of the Greenbriar line, but they are palace knights regardless. With their greenish skin and sharp teeth, not to mention the abundance of scars and penchant for eating raw meat, they make an intimidating group even among Elfhame's warriors. Other fey tend to avoid their campfire. Initially, they had seemed skeptical of the young, slight vampire and his toothpick rapier -- still, his invitation to spar had come readily enough, and they seemed impressed by his discipline if nothing else.

Cardan had found it incredibly funny: of course the most bloodthirsty among Elfhame's knights would adopt his husband and pepper him with tips and tricks on murder like so many family recipes.

Tonight, however, there is another figure in their midst. He is trim and well-built, faun-like with the legs of a deer below his knee and small horns upon his brow. Like his brothers, Prince Dain is very beautiful; unlike them, he is fair, with curls the colour of spun gold and quicksilver eyes. Tonight, he wears no coronet, and his ornate sword leans against the petrified log he is using as a seat.

He looks up just in time for Liem's approach. He's still smiling at a knight's joke; the expression does not diminish, though it turns a little bemused. ]

Ah, Liem Talbott. [ His voice carries easily in the space between them. ] I have heard much of you. Join us.

[ And though he delivers it with charming gentility, it is not a request. ]

[sterngaze]

[It doesn’t seem possible that he could fall asleep so quickly, given the almost-painful restlessness that has taken up residence in his chest, quickened by the gentle caress of Cardan’s hands and Cardan’s lips. His heart feels overfull with a want that is unlike the one that had kept him up all day; it threatens to spill out when his husband wraps around him and brushes a kiss against his temple. The feeling gathers in his throat, poised to shame him by escaping altogether.

But it doesn’t, and instead, his exhaustion pulls him swiftly into a deep and dreamless slumber. He sleeps through the entire night in a most un-vampire-like fashion, and by the time he blinks groggily into wakefulness, the sun has climbed high into the sky above the palace, and he is feeling better-rested than he can remember being in a long time, even given the abundance of sleep to which he has been treated since their arrival in Elfhame.

His wakefulness demands an outlet, but for the first few hours he is content to bother his husband with soft affection, with food and drink, and eventually with a proper bath while servants finally change their sheets. Though Cardan still looks tired, Liem has had enough of sleeping, and not near enough of his spouse. He takes advantage of Cardan’s uncommon pliancy to bathe him with a methodical tenderness that he is not sure he would otherwise have been permitted, massaging slick fingers through his dark hair and over the warm, relaxed lines of his body.

When Liem finally kisses his husband goodbye and allows himself to be persuaded out into the palace proper, he is well-rested, still recently fed, and in as good a mood as he could possibly have wished for. Freshly-groomed and dressed for activity, he goes in search of the palace’s training grounds, and the redcaps whose company his husband so scorns. (He is well aware by now that the feeling is mutual. He is beginning to think the only person on this entire island who actually likes Cardan is him.)

When he arrives, an unfamiliar man is sitting in their midst. Curiosity ripples through him as he notes the new figure, followed quickly by a jolt of nervous realization. He supposes he’s lucky to have had several days to adjust to Faerie before being forced to encounter Prince Dain; he still does not relish the opportunity.

Blinking owlishly at the scene he’s walked into, Liem executes a courteous bow when the prince addresses him.]

Your Royal Highness. It would be my pleasure.

[After all, what can he do but acquiesce, and join them where they have gathered? So he does. It is not a pleasure at all, of course; it is nerve wracking, to sit in the presence of the man whom he is honour-bound to ruin and defang by whatever means necessary. But he is well used to being in the company of those superior to him in age and power, which has been most vampires he has ever known, and continues to be most faeries he meets. He knows by now how to mask his unease.]

[greenbriar]

[ If Dain is discomfited by the sight of a man he had tried to enslave, or if he knows that Liem is telling him barefaced lies -- he shows it not at all. All his handsome face betrays is a gentle curiosity; he receives the bow with the ease of a man who knows his due and thinks little of it.

But he will point to a seat by his side with an elegant, sparsely bejewelled hand. ]

Sit; let us have a drink as in-laws.

[ There is blackberry mead, though fortunately for Liem, it will not be as potent as the herbal concoction he imbibed at Hollow Hall -- albeit still far more heady than mortal drink. ]

My brother has not introduced us. [ There is nothing in his mild tone that suggests reproach, and yet somehow the meaning is plain: Cardan has been neglectful. ] But perhaps he saw no need, as we plainly know of each other.

[sterngaze]

[When Dain gestures toward an unoccupied seat, Liem takes it without a word, feeling a bit like a wild beast being coaxed into a pen. It’s an unwelcome feeling, compared to the uncomplicated enjoyment he’s derived from his last few visits here, to listen to the redcaps debate and joke with each other and to test his slender blades against the cutting weapons the knights seem to favour. The fey in this group all seem too old and too experienced to be dazzled by a foreign visitor a fraction of their ages, which is to Liem’s preference. By contrast, the pleasant interest the middle prince now extends his way sits uneasily with him.

But he accepts a drink when it’s offered, for all that he has no taste for liquor right now, and little fondness besides for the sweet drinks that the fey seem to favour. He will do little more than wet his lips with it, a habit he’s taken to prevailingly since arriving in Elfhame (though clearly not quite often enough).]

Perhaps, Sir.

[A slight frown appears between Liem’s brows. Though he is unwilling to condemn his husband outright, Dain (obviously) speaks no falsehoods. He cannot leap to Cardan’s defence when he and Liem have both been quite happy to avoid Dain completely.]

He seems loath to speak of himself, and in many ways I feel we are still strangers. You surely know him better than I.

[greenbriar]

[ If Dain notices Liem's lack of enthusiasm for the drink, he politely avoids mentioning it. The redcaps are paying attention; though the conversations around them don't stop, they quiet, lose some of their natural flow. Perhaps they feel the tension in the air -- or perhaps it is simply fascinating, watching Eldred's favoured child meet the spouse of his most unfavoured one.

Then Dain looks up -- mild, as with everything he has done -- and the knights' presence suddenly recedes. As one, they appear to understand the prince's desire for privacy. As naturally as breathing, the grizzled men and women of the court shift onto the training field, away from the fire and the family business unfolding before it.

Dain had said not a word. Now, he fixes his sharp silver eyes back on Liem. ]

That may be. But I suspect that of the three of us, you and I are the more alike. [ His tone is dry; it is phrased as neither a compliment nor a complaint, though of course it is the former. ]

Is it challenging being wed to someone you do not know?

[sterngaze]

[Liem watches as, with only a glance from the prince, the redcaps resting about the fire gather themselves and move their activities to the training field itself. In only a short time, he finds himself virtually alone with the golden-haired prince, seated beside him as though he might really be having a pleasant time getting to know his new brother-in-law.

Why wouldn’t he be? Dain seems patient and courteous, and is far more pleasant to Liem than a fair portion of the people Cardan actually introduced him to. The polite inquiries are a distinct step above Valerian’s creepy stares or Nicasia’s outright disinterest.

And certainly none of Cardan’s other siblings had suggested that he and they might be anything alike. For a moment, Liem looks at the other man, surprised.]

My husband and I could hardly be more dissimilar, [he admits. He is matter-of-fact, like he has long since laid this grievance to rest and chosen to focus on other things.] And the demands on my time have become greater since we were wed. But it is just business, Sir. I never expected my marriage to be any different. My father is pleased with the arrangement, which is primarily what matters.

[greenbriar]

[ Dain chuckles at Liem's description of his marriage -- a soft sound, not without sympathy. But he will raise his cup, the silver-embroidered falcons at his cuffs catching in the firelight. ]

To our fathers. May they always be pleased with us.

[ He drinks deeply, because apparently alcohol tolerance is a familial trait -- or maybe it's just that princes of Faerie acclimatize to this kind of poison. After he sets his cup down and wipes at his mouth, he will lean to brace himself on his knees, his face illuminated by the fire.

Despite his fine clothing and jewelry, despite his fine elfin features and young face, it is the posture of a soldier, and one who is more weary than not. ]

Do not be too harsh on my brother. You may not know this, but he was meant to be consort to the Princess of the Undersea. You have met her, surely? They are boon friends, and have been since they were quite young.

I don't think he expected this turn in his fortunes, and Ironside is hard on our kind.

[ The look he throws Liem's way is not particularly readable. ]

Though I hope he has not shamed us by acting ungraciously.

[sterngaze]

[Liem mirrors Dain's toast readily, without a trace of irony as he agrees:]

To our fathers.

[The drink he takes from his own cup is more of a modest sip, but surely he can be forgiven for not having a taste for drink at this hour, when the sun is still in the sky and most sensible vampires would still be abed. The sun makes him groggy enough without adding liquor into the mix.

Not for the first time, he considers that if he is really to do business in Faerie, perhaps he should be improving his drinking fortitude in addition to his etiquette.

The news that Cardan and Nicasia had been promised to one another comes as a surprise to him. The closeness they plainly still share makes him wonder what could have caused those plans to fall through — but that is not a matter for him to puzzle over here and now, with Prince Dain still commanding his attention.]

We were introduced, though no more than that.

[Certainly she had not made an effort to get to know her boon companion's new beau. He had not previously bothered to feel any offence about this, but he does now, summoning a wrinkle of irritation between his brows so he can properly answer Dain's question.]

It is likely as you say, Sir. If he has been temperamental, or caused any frustrations, I am sure it was only because being alone in my father's realm has been difficult for him. Making him feel welcome has been a challenge.

[greenbriar]

[ Dain nods, as if Liem's answer to the question had been wholly expected, and in fact he had already thought a few branches ahead in this (admittedly quite predictable) conversation. ]

Perhaps you are right. Though I imagine your father's realm is replete with comforts, [ which does, by extension, make Cardan an ungrateful little git, ] it was remiss of us [ of Elowyn ] to send him off to a strange land with no companions to ease the journey.

I will talk to our father. Cardan is not unpopular among the gentry; I am sure there are those who would be glad to journey to Ironside as his attendants.

[ And surely Liem would not try to gainsay him on this matter, not when he just lamented the difficulty in making Cardan feel at home? ]

[sterngaze]

[It is a testament to Liem’s demanding upbringing that, when Dain suggests that he might arrange for companions to send back to Ironside with him and his husband, Liem’s expression remains frowningly pensive, even though the idea makes ice wish to creep into his eyes and the line of his mouth. Does the prince think him entirely wet behind the ears, or just callous, that he could send an assassin to kill Cardan and still expect Liem to allow strange faeries to attend him?]

Are there, Sir?

[Surprise is audible in his voice. He’s encountered those in Elfhame who seemed eager enough for Cardan’s attention, but to leave behind the magic and wildness of Faerie for the hardships of Ironside seems an uncommonly large imposition, even for those who might enjoy his company.]

I couldn’t help but notice that none of my husband’s friends attended our wedding, and he has roundly shunned the attendants we provided for him. Though it would make my life easier were he to be occupied, I fear unwanted company might make him more disagreeable.

[greenbriar]

[ Of course there are. Ironside may not be attractive to the folk, but visiting the court of a vampire lord certainly is -- though Dain will not say as much. He's too busy watching Liem. His pleasant smile twitches into something just a fraction wider at his brother-in-law's objection. ]

Be that as it may, you have said it yourself: you are as strangers, and he is my brother.

[ Which is to say: he was not soliciting Liem's opinion or permission. Instead, Dain rises, reaching for his sword in its exquisite silver scabbard. ]

My duties demand my presence. Still, I would have you indulge me before I go, young Lord Talbott. Let us have a bout; the knights have much praise for you.

[sterngaze]

[Happily, Liem's lukewarm reception of Dain's offer does not seem to have dampened the prince's pleasant mood. Having voiced what he considers to be rather obvious concerns about Cardan's reception of this thoughtfulness, Liem dips his head in acquiescence.]

As you say, Sir.

[He is not Liem's prince, but he is the favoured son of the High King, and ultimately there is nothing Liem can do to persuade him one way or another in this matter. He has no choice but to accept it graciously.

But like hell is he going to permit any faerie courtier picked by Dain to set foot anywhere within his home.

When Dain rises, Liem has cause to be especially glad that he hadn't drunk deeply of his mead. He sets his mostly-full cup aside, rising along with the prince so he can once again continue his tradition of being dwarfed by all Cardan's annoyingly-tall male relations.]

My visits with them have been unfailingly instructional. I would gladly cross blades with you as well, Sir.

[He's less glad at the prospect of being shown up by the man who seems so ready to view his own baby brother as an annoyance and an embarrassment, but nonetheless, morbid curiosity compels Liem to accompany the middle prince away from the fire, his silver toothpick sword and his main gauche kept close at hand as always. Like the redcaps, Dain has the advantage of reach over him, on top of his age and experience. Still, Liem will do his best with what he has, which is mostly youthful discipline and a vampire's preternatural speed.

After the prince departs, he finds he has little desire to linger in the company of the sharp-eyed knights. Saying his respectful goodbyes, he traverses the palace's beautiful earthen halls back to the rooms where he'd left his sleeping husband, his head abuzz with thoughts that he doesn't wish to be alone with.

It's an uncommon sentiment for him; he's most used to seeking solitude when confronted with a problem he doesn't know how to solve. The desire to spill his troubles into his husband's waiting ear is new, and unnerving in its sudden intensity — but Cardan is Liem's only refuge in this entire strange land, and he now finds that he misses him keenly.]

[greenbriar]

[ Dain does not bother pulling his punches. Like his quarry, he has been taught swordplay from a young age; unlike Liem, he has had more than one century of practice. His skill is on par with most of the redcaps, though he loses efficiency in favour of a certain showy elegance -- the habits of a man who knows he's always being observed and has shored up his manner accordingly.

He does not tarry once they are finished, and his goodbye is friendly but detached.

In the meantime, Cardan has had a lovely evening.

He doesn't feel -- rested, exactly, but there is a pleasant ache in his bones that recalls a job done well. He'd slept deeply for a long time, first bundled up with his husband and then on his own, only occasionally waking to pick at the refreshments left by his bed. When sleep does finally recede, it does so slowly; he spends a long time drifting in and out of soft, dreamy thoughts, of cool fingers clasped against his and the sharp scent of frost. He feels oddly content with it, wrung free of the tension that has plagued his mind long before he'd ever left Faerie.

Thoughts of his brothers are the furthest thing from his mind.

When Liem returns, Cardan is still in bed, though he has found a bowl of pomegranates to snack upon. He looks up at the sound of the door, puts the book down, and stretches a deep, languid stretch. The fingertips of his left hand are stained red. ]

Have you had enough callisthenics for the night?

[ It's a little early for Liem's return; it occurs to Cardan that he might have been worried, which is foolish but endearing. ]

[sterngaze]

[Except for some bruises to his pride, Liem is uninjured when he makes it back to his and Cardan’s rooms. If he suffered so much as a bump or scratch during his bout with the golden-haired prince, the marks have already vanished, leaving the slight crinkle between his brows as the only remaining sign of his meeting with Dain. Even the sight of his husband’s charmingly fruit-stained fingertips cannot distract him from his disgruntled mood.

Pausing just past the door, he breathes a short sigh before making his way further into the room, stripping off his sword belt as he goes.]

Not exactly. I was diverted.

[The sword belt with its slim, decorated leather sheathes slumps onto a convenient table, discarded. Coming to the foot of the bed, Liem perches upon its edge so he can lean down and unlace his boots with quick, jittery movements of his fingers. It probably would have done him good to stick around the training yard to burn off his nerves, but he just hadn’t been in the mood by the time Dain had given his princely farewells and taken his leave.]

Your brother was there. He seemed quite pleased by the chance to speak with me.

[greenbriar]

[ Ah, and there it is: the inglorious death of the happy, relaxed state he had somehow managed to con his way into. He feels it shiver icily down his back, arresting his stretch. His mouth tastes ashen. ]

Which brother?

[ It should probably have been obvious, but he cannot tell. He would not have expected Liem to be so disquieted by either of them -- and he seems more jittery than Cardan has seen him since they dismounted from the ragwort steeds.

Anxiety coils in his belly, hot and acrid. There is no point to it: regardless of whether Liem met with Dain or Balekin, it would have happened eventually. And it's not like his husband is any less safe here than he would be anywhere else -- not if any of Cardan's family wanted to harm him badly enough. Not like he was harmed, by the look of him.

He breathes out, making a conscious effort to relax the hold of his shoulders, to look as unaffected as possible. He suddenly feels very vulnerable with naught but the sheets draped over his lap to protect him from whatever Liem is about to tell him.

But at least they hide his suddenly twitchy tail, and this much he is grateful for. ]

[sterngaze]

[It’s a little churlish of Liem to hurry back from his outing to steal Cardan’s hard-earned relaxation from him. He hasn’t even gotten dressed yet, and here Liem is to drop a new trouble straight into his lap. Guilt weighs unhappily in his stomach, but he suspects his husband wouldn’t appreciate him keeping this to himself just so he could enjoy a few more hours of rest.]

Prince Dain.

[Once he’s unlaced his boots, he straightens, toeing off first one and then the other. When he looks over at Cardan, his expression is sober, though he doesn’t pause in divesting himself of the afternoon’s garb, shrugging out of his jacket even as he watches his spouse force the tension from his posture.

The frown that has taken up residence on his own face and the restless energy lingering in his hands likely give him away, but he doesn’t see the point in pretending to be unruffled about this. If anything, he thinks it would be more concerning for him to be completely at ease after a run-in with the man they are, ultimately, here in order to scheme against.]

He invited me to have a drink with him, and we spoke a little. [Glancing away, he tosses his jacket over a nearby chair, then thumbs open the buttons at his throat as he returns his gaze to his husband.] Then we had a bout, which he of course won handily, and he took his leave.

[greenbriar]

[ For some reason, Cardan had not expected Liem to strip; he blinks, a little bewildered at the mismatch between his husband's expression and the decisive way he's divesting himself of clothing. It distracts him even through the cold-sweat realization that Liem had a casual drink with his brother, the habitual poisoner.

Well-- distracts is not the right term. It only hits him on a delay; he swallows, his mouth growing tight despite his best effort at inscrutability. ]

You fool, [ he says softly, which is unfair. How could Liem have refused a prince? And still, Liem should have found a way, because the thought of his sharing gossip with Dain makes Cardan's chest ache in a profoundly mortifying way.

Cardan reaches out, intent on beckoning close the husband he's just berated. But then: if Liem is going to undress, he should do it where Cardan can touch him. ]

Come here.

[sterngaze]

[Liem’s expression doesn’t waver when his husband calls him a fool; he’s already spent the last hour listening to his inner critic fault his every move, regardless. He may be foolish for drinking with Dain when he’d already been apprised of his willingness to use poison to get his way — but what else was he to do, other than snub the man completely? Anyone who’d observed him at parties knew that he did drink at least sometimes. It was far too late for him to pretend otherwise.

But at Cardan’s instruction, he rises and comes without complaint to sit beside him, dishevelled and half-undressed, with his shirt fallen open at the throat. Given the unpleasant direction his afternoon has taken, those words are more welcome than any others Liem can imagine coming from his husband’s lips just now. His nearness is ever a balm to Liem’s nerves, whatever myriad frustrations inflict themselves upon him.]

We spoke of you, [he admits, though surely to no real surprise. Still, reluctance drags at his words as he undoes the buttons at his cuffs.] And he… implied that he was going to find companions for you, so you would not be without other folk in Ironside. I would not be surprised if that was the reason he wished to speak with me to begin with.

[greenbriar]

[ At this, at least, Cardan’s tension breaks; he snorts, derisive to the core. ]

—is that what so rattled you? Please. He will have given me a boon.

I do so seldom get the chance to tell his lackeys to walk off a pier.

[ He lifts his hands so he can catch Liem’s face in the cage of his fingers, uncaring of the fact that his left is still sticky with juice. His eyes traverse Liem’s features with the sharp attention of someone looking for injury, though of course there is none. The thing that concerns him would not be so easily noticed.

He represses the wild, unreasonable urge to mark that white throat, as if it were a ward against Dain’s corrupting influence. Just thinking of him in Liem’s vicinity makes Cardan feel a little ill. ]

He spoke with you so that he could take your measure. [ And presumably so he could drip poison in Liem’s ear if not his stomach. ] And because, if she is smart, his assassin will not have returned to his employ.

[ Which means that Dain is surely wondering what happened — and how much they know. ]

What did you tell him?

[sterngaze]

[Liem’s frown deepens slightly at his husband’s scorn, and at the unwelcome acknowledgement of his agitation, though he has not really been trying to hide it. Perhaps Cardan is simply too familiar with his brother’s threatening presence in his life to appreciate why him sniffing around their marriage would put Liem’s hackles up.

As far as Liem is concerned, the danger or lack thereof presented by unwelcome faerie tag-alongs is of little issue. He mislikes the attitude Cardan’s brothers take toward his spouse, like he is theirs first and foremost, regardless of where he now lives or whom he has married. It disturbs an angry jealousy from somewhere deep in his chest, which grows wilder, more rabid with each move Dain makes to poke his pedigreed fingers between them.

He is my brother, Dain had said, and expected Liem to defer to him simply because of his status and his blood. But Cardan belongs to Liem, not Dain, and the need to pretend otherwise tastes bitter indeed.]

I told him what I would tell any of your kin or companions if they asked about our marriage. [His fingers fall still on an undone sleeve cuff, and he leans his face gently into Cardan’s non-sticky hand, his expression sober.] That you are difficult, and demanding, and loath to speak of yourself. I also told him that our marriage is a business matter, that none of your friends were at our wedding, and that you’ve shunned the company of my house’s attendants.

[greenbriar]

[ That is exactly what Liem should have said. Impressively, it is also all true -- even though he hardly needs to take refuge in clever wording when a lie would suffice. Regardless, Cardan knows too well the danger that appearing too closely aligned would put them into: it opens too many avenues for manipulation and makes them both too vulnerable to attacks against the other. Is that not why they had been pretending to be disdainful of each other all this time?

And still, the thought of Dain gloating over his business matter marriage makes his mouth thin. And though he usually delights in being both demanding and difficult, this time, it feels like a flaw -- like he's being criticized for it. It's such a stupid thing to feel. He is angry at himself for it, not that this makes it any better.

He slides his hands from Liem's face and leans back against the pillows, his eyes half-lidded to give less of himself away. ]

And I imagine he was exceedingly sympathetic.

[ The smile he directs at Liem is more than a little bitter. He cannot seem to help it: Dain ever puts him on the defensive, like an animal snarling out of fear. ]