Yes

"Er, Captain," you say, turning to Navarre, "I believe I would prefer if you stayed here in the Great Hall, with our guests. I have no qualms about being alone in Queen Alayna's company, especially here in my own castle."

Alayna raises an eyebrow, and looks curiously at Navarre to see his reaction - which is completely stoic.

"With respect, Sire," Navarre says, "I would ask that you reconsider, and allow me to accompany you. To allow you to walk about without a guard in the company of those who are armed with swords would be a neglect of my duties. I mean no disrespect to Her Majesty, Queen Alayna; it is a matter of obeying my sacred oath."

"I understand, Captain. Nevertheless, I would have you remain here; we will not be gone long."

"If it is a direct order, Sire, I will remain here."

"It is, Captain."

Navarre comes to attention, bows his head, and then takes up a position at the door.

"Would you have me leave my own guard behind as well?" Alayna asks you.

"That is your choice, my Queen. I do not ask it of you, and I will take no offense if you wish for your guard to accompany us. I am in my home, and therefore feel most secure here; but you are in unfamiliar surroundings, and one of your profession inevitably has enemies. I could not swear that one or more of them would not be among my guests today. If our positions were reversed, I would certainly not be so quick to dismiss my own guard."

Alayna considers for the briefest of moments, and then says, "It seems to me, King Xavier, that we each carry an excellent sword. Therefore, I shall swear to serve as your guard for the time being, if you will make the same promise to me, and in that way we will both be protected."

"Consider it done, Queen Alayna," you reply. "My sword is yours."

"My Queen, I -" Alayna's guard begins, but she cuts him off.

"Captain Calloway, you will remain here," she says, and you are startled by the sudden shift in her tone; her voice has lowered by at least an octave, and she speaks with a commanding authority which you have never heard from any woman, and only a scant few men for that matter. It is your first glimpse of the true Warrior Queen, and it makes an impression.

"As you command," he replies, and immediately goes to stand beside Captain Navarre.

"Shall we, then?" she asks, smiling at you, and once again the transformation is profound, and even a little unsettling.

Still, you are able to keep your composure. "By all means. The conservatory is this way, Alayna."

"It is certainly refreshing to abandon the titles and the trappings of authority, Xavier," Alayna says as you walk together. "I am glad we both decided it isn't necessary with each other, it can be so exhausting to have to deal with someone in that manner."

"If I may, authority seems to come naturally to you," you tell her.

"Oh, far from it! What you see when I command my people is a learned skill, carefully cultivated to the point where it may seem like second nature, but it is a mask I must wear. I knew from the moment that my destiny was revealed to me that I would face far more adversity than would a man in my position, and so I would have to learn to lead with twice the confidence, twice the presence. And even so, many of my people follow me only because I am undefeated in the field; my first loss may very well be my last battle."

"I feel that I am privileged to see the woman behind the mask, Alayna."

"And how do you know that you do?" she asks, smirking slightly as she looks at you. "Perhaps I wear a mask even now, one which is calculated to appeal to you so that I might come out ahead in our negotiations?"

"I think not, Alayna. It is working much too well; if you were trying to deceive me, I think you would be slightly less appealing, so that I would not suspect a trap."

She laughs then, and this time it reaches her eyes. "Perhaps it is because you were not born to royalty, but I see the same sincerity in you, Xavier. I think we should both be careful, lest we lose our heads and forget that we must be shrewd and cunning with each other."

"Or, we may be open and honest. Why must that be so difficult a thing for two people in our position to do? We have no history of broken promises, no cause to be suspicious of each others' motives. I want to keep my kingdom secure and protected; surely, there can be no question that I actually mean that. I presume that you want a safe haven, a place to rest your soldiers and to use as a base of operations; that makes perfect sense, and needs no ulterior motive to explain it. Let us simply be straightforward, and not waste time with maneuvering and posturing."

"Can you be so sure that I have no other motives?" Alayna asks.

"If you do, I imagine I will find out about them much more quickly by not trying to draw them out of you with guile. Ah, and here we are."

The guard at the thick oak door to the conservatory comes to attention as you approach. "Sire," he says, "you wish to enter?"

"I do, guardsman. And, we would prefer not to be disturbed; so please allow no one else to enter, save the usual exceptions."

"Yes, Sire!" He takes the key from around his neck and fits it into the lock, turning it and then sliding the bolt, then opening the door for you and Alayna to pass through. A warm breath of air wafts from the interior, carrying with it the scent of mingled herbs and flowers.

As you enter, Alayna's eyes climb up the walls to the ceiling, where the Sun gleams through the crystal panels of glass. "Extraordinary," she whispers.

"It is indeed," you say with some pride. The room is very large, tall enough for the fruit-bearing trees to reach the same height they would if they were grown outdoors, and with ample room all around for herbs and spice-plants aplenty. An ornate wrought-iron bench sits back in the shade, with a view of the the mountainside through the windows. Behind you, where the wall is made of glistening white stone, heavy red curtains hang to protect the frescoes which are still under repair.

"Oh!" Alayna exclaims involuntarily, as a robin flutters only a few feet from her face and makes its perch on one of the orange tree branches. "Are there wolves in this forest as well?" she asks, smiling once again.

"We drove them all out years ago, along with the dragons," you tell her.

She laughs lightly at that, and turns to look at you. For a moment your eyes make a connection... not as heads of state who meet to negotiate an alliance, but as a man and woman. The look lingers for a moment, and then she breaks it and turns her eyes back to the garden.

"Xavier," she says quietly, stepping away slightly and still keeping her eyes averted. "I know that you are seeking a woman to rule by your side... I do not want you to have the wrong idea of my intentions here. I did not come to Elyssia to offer my hand in marriage."

"I would be lying, Alayna, if I said that that idea had not crossed my mind. But, although I do indeed seek a queen, I believe that I will find one when the time is right. It is not the purpose of this festival, nor did I bring you here in an attempt to seduce you."

"Why, then?" she asks, turning back to you. "You have singled me out for attention, do not deny it. I know when I am being cultivated, it has certainly happened before!"

"Alayna, you have impressed upon me the value of a alliance between the two of us," you say. "Yes, I admit that I am looking to see if we can form a personal connection as well as a political one. Such a thing would only strengthen our alliance, after all... but please believe me when I say that I am not thinking only about matters of state, nor am I attempting solely to entice you into my bed. Can there not be a middle ground? Of course we must engage in diplomacy, but must I pretend that I have no personal interest?"

"People in our position do not have the luxury of freely indulging our personal interests, or believing only the best of others," she says.

"I agree," you reply. "I have a responsibility to my people, and so do you. We cannot simply follow our hearts and live with the consequences, as those consequences go far beyond ourselves. But I believe that we may have the best of intentions nonetheless, even if those intentions will not be fully accepted or trusted. If you cannot believe that I would approach you with all sincerity simply as a matter of principle, then believe this: my first priority, when it comes to you, is to settle upon terms of alliance which are agreeable and beneficial to both of us. I would not wish to take advantage of you in negotiations, even if I believed for a moment that I could, for that would lead to resentment and an unstable truce. The best way for me to be sure that we can reach agreeable terms is to approach you with honesty, and I trust that you are intelligent enough to realize that your needs are best served by doing the same."

Alayna seems to ponder your words for a long moment, "King Xavier," she says at last, "you are... not at all what I expected."

"In what way have I disappointed you, Queen Alayna?"

"I do not offer insult - I mean no offense to you, King Xavier. Allow me to say only that there are rumors and tales told of you which do not entirely match up with reality, and perhaps the fault is mine for putting too much stock in such things."

"I should not be surprised," you say, "but truth be told, I never really thought about the idea that I might enjoy a measure of infamy beyond the borders of this city. As others might not be bold enough to do so, perhaps you could enlighten me as to what the whispers on the wind say about me?"

"Well, as I have already said, the most persistent rumor is that you merely play at being king, issuing one daft proclamation after another which are generally ignored, but that you are too self-centered to realize it. It is said that your advisors truly rule, while you serve as a figurehead and a distraction. One of the favorite stories is that this kingdom is such a paradise because its king is a fool; people seem to like imagining that such things would be true."

"I certainly won't deny that I've relied on my advisors, especially during my early days in this job," you reply. "I am fortunate enough to have very good ones. Lord Duncan is undoubtedly the wisest man I have ever known. General Ferdinand is a peerless strategist, present company excepted. I don't believe you have had the honor of meeting Lady Hypatia, who keeps the castle library, but I think she has more knowledge of the world in her head than in her entire collection of books; and that collection fills several large rooms. I would compare my council to any other collection of royal advisors in the world, and be confident that they would never be found wanting."

Alayna's brows knot slightly upon her forehead. "And here, you are still not what I expect. Any other king would have vehemently denied such an unflattering rumor... but you did not deny it when I first brought it up, and you still do not! Instead, you acknowledge that it has its roots in truth."

"I would deny it if I felt the need to, Alayna. To assume that you believed it, especially now that we have spent some time together, would be an insult to you."

Speaking of your advisors reminds you that Lord Duncan is probably waiting in some agitation for your return, and it is certainly unmannerly of you to neglect your other guests. Perhaps it is time to return to the party... but you and Alayna do indeed seem to have made a personal connection, and it might be unwise to interrupt the moment.