Lewis tried to look away, but Simone’s stormy grey eyes kept forcing his gaze. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he said. Still, her insistence was something that he couldn’t ignore. He had always found it attractive when she was brazen, but this was a whole new level, something that Simone had never really done around him, or had the need to.

“No…I didn’t come here to kill you. But it’s good to know you’re free of Alvaro and his curse,” Lewis said with a half smile. That was the first true thing he had said to her, and it showed. He sighed. “I don’t know what to say about a scent, but…” He closed his eyes. Why was it easier to explain to a younger Simone? He opened his eyes, trying to gather determination to explain.

“I…you…we….Uhh…” Lewis blinked. She was intoxicating like this, even though she wasn’t his Simone. But it was like seeing her right in front of him. “You’re not her…you’re nothing like my Simone…” he said finally. “Yet here you are…making me miss her more than anything…” The words were tumbling out now, even if they didn’t make sense aloud. “I need to save her…which means saving you. And all I want to do is see her again…”

Lewis looked away, taking a moment to recompose himself. It was rare that he lost his senses like that. “I’m sorry…that didn’t make much sense…I’m a bit of a mess….”

He wasn’t making sense to her so Mone did what she did best she improvised and put him in a worse position. Pushing him now she was on him with the dagger to his throat, reverse grip and all. “You know so much about me. Even my curse now?” Her hair fell and brushed against his face as she hung over him.

“It smells like wildflowers and woods. Not heavy, but like an oil of some sort.” It was Simone’s hair oils that she often coated Lewis in on accident when they took a bath together. “Now, I want you to try me. You are sitting here upset about not having your Simone but saying I am not her. Your friend knows way too much about me for coincidence. You aren’t a stalker that’s for sure otherwise you would know that…” She stopped herself and leaned down. “That I don’t want to be married to Llywellyn and you would have tried to seduce me to get out from under my blade.”

She sat on his chest, “What’s your Simone like?” She released the blade, “And why do you think I need saving? Other than the fact I obviously don’t want to be here. Llywellyn married me to save my honor since I was raped. Tortured for seven years. My kingdom was in fire. You must know all of this to know about the curse. He’s the one who found out where Alvaro was keeping me and brought me out of the dungeon himself.”

She gave up and got up off of him, “I’m feeling faint again.” Simone looked obviously more tired as she had taken a lot of energy to do what she did. “I’m miserable. I love my daughter but… how can I love a man who pities me? You said you wanted to save me. Is that what you are supposed to save me from?”

With her so close to him, he couldn’t help but be aroused by her. The dagger mixed with the pressure she had against him was so much more than he was used to from his Simone, but…she was just like her, if only a little different. His excitement didn’t go unnoticed either, with Simone blushing once she realized what was happening. Neither one of them wanted to admit what it was, or what they were feeling about it, so both ignored it for the moment. After all, there were more pressing matters.

She was smelling him, his ‘scent’, of sorts. It was a mix of his and Simone’s, something that was a unique blend that could never really be anyone else's. When she leaned down close, Lewis’ breath hitched. Her lips were the same as his Simone’s. Her eyes, piercing his. She was close, barely a breath away. That tension wasn’t something he had felt in a long time….

When she pulled away, Lewis was almost relieved. A part of him was disappointed, but as she sat on his chest and pulled the dagger away. She explained parts of the story that Lewis had already heard, all but the one where Llywellyn saved her before she was ever thrown in the lake.

“You lucked out, then,” Lewis said finally as he stared up at her. “My Simone was tortured for seven years, just like you. However, she was a hell of a fighter, and Alvaro got tired of it. She had her womb ripped out of her, and she was chained at the bottom of a lake. Three hundred years passed before anyone found her…” He glanced to his side as she got up. Avoiding her gaze was easier than facing it at the moment.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to save you from,” Lewis said as she asked the question. He still wouldn’t meet her gaze. “But I do know that if things keep going like this, that you’ll break eventually.” With that statement, he locked eyes with her. “The front you put up broke a long time ago. Your misery will turn into resentment soon…and Llywellyn and your daughter don’t deserve that.”

The sexual tension between the two was more than anything Simone had ever dealt with. However, what he had to tell her was the worst she had heard. “I think I would have killed myself.” She sat there on his chest and gave him a frown as her eyes met his. She was sad as they connected.

“Is she happy? Your Simone?” She wanted to hear that she was justified. “Am I just so spoiled that I can’t be happy with Llywellyn? I made it through something so bad and I just can’t bring myself to love him… It’s tearing me apart. I hate it when he touches me but he has to…” She had tears in her eyes.

“I love my daughter but I can’t stand being touched by someone I don’t even love. I can’t stand the looks he gives me because I worry him…” His Simone would have never opened up like this to him. “All I want is to love someone and be loved back… but this one-sided love that Llywellyn gives me is breaking me. I hate it. What do I even do?” She hugged herself to him.

“Your Simone is so lucky…”

Lewis hated seeing her like this, but he didn’t have an answer for her. He had no idea what he was supposed to do here, or how to help. This displeasure was evident in the way he looked at Simone, but he quickly tried to stifle the feeling. It was bad enough that he couldn’t find a way to help Simone. The last thing he needed to do was worry her more.

“My Simone is lucky. She’s happy, but…even she had her breaking points. It’s a lot of work between us…is that not something that you and Lywellyn do? Talk through things?” When Simone shook her head, he wasn’t surprised. It had taken the real Simone dying for the two to start talking, and even then it required an immense amount of work.

Before either of them could continue further, a guard and Llywellyn came down into the cells.

“Ah. This is where you got to, though I shouldn’t be surprised,” Llywellyn stated as he opened the cell door. “Well..I would love to keep letting you two chat, but as Simone is feeling better, I do believe you’re free to go. Xeik here has told me that he’s willing to help for as long as you all stay. I’ve already made arrangements for your rooms.”

With that said, he turned his attention to Simone, giving her a look. “As you’re feeling better…tonight might be a good night to…” He paused, realizing that he was being rather open about things in front of strangers. “Er…it’s time. Come Simone.” He held out his hand.

With that, Simone and Llywellyn left the room, leaving Xeik, Lewis, and the guard awkwardly standing there before the guard finally decided to do his job and lead the two to their rooms.

It didn’t take long for the two to settle. They barely had any belongings, this being an alternate timeline. The ex-assassin sighed. He had a general idea of what may be happening, and was trying to keep it out of his mind.

“I need to walk,” Lewis said finally as he excused himself and stepped out the room. It wasn’t long before he was wandering aimlessly, his mind mulling over what he had to do to ‘save’ Simone in this time. What was there to save her from, other than herself?

It was true she and Llywellyn never discussed anything. He was a king and she was his wife and that’s all there was to it. So when he came to her she looked back at Lewis with a frown. “Yes, isn’t it my duty?”

Llywellyn paused and brushed back her hair, “I wish you wouldn’t talk about it like that.”

“Please get settled into nice rooms… The palace help will be around to collect you,” Simone said as Llywellyn brought her away to do her queenly duties as well as it was.

He was walking past a balcony when a foot dropped down from above him. Soon another foot dropped and she started to slip a bit. “You!”

Lewis’ aimless strolls took him out to one of the main balconies. The cool, night air was just what he needed to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. I need to figure this out. What can I do here? He was lost in thought, pacing back and forth. It was then, that Simone dropped from the balcony above, and the two of them were equally shocked to see each other, Simone even stumbling.

Out of instinct, Lewis grabbed Simone’s wrist, pulling her back up, Though, there was an overcorrection and she stumbled into him. For a moment, neither of them moved, but finally Lewis took a step back. “Sorry,” he muttered. “What the hell are you even doing here?” She was in nothing but a light, nearly see through nightgown. “I thought you and the King had some duties to fulfill or something.” He was being rather coy about the act, trying to avoid the image of his Simone with anyone other than him. It was a painful thought, but this wasn’t his world, and it wasn’t his Simone. It shouldn’t bother him, but…

“You shouldn’t be here. I’ll probably be killed if I’m seen with you like this. Or worse. I’d really rather not end back up in a cell.” It was meant to be a joke, but it came off just awkward.

Simone was pressed into him and she was blushing a bit. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m getting some fresh air and I couldn’t quite cross the room to get my robe. Llywellyn falls like a log when he has too much whiskey. It’s how I get out of having sex with him if you must know.”

There was a coy smile from Simone as she pulled away from him. “Lock you up in a cell? Killed? That sounds like bullshit.” She knocked a vase with a cloak in it. “Let’s go. Or are you afraid of getting caught? No husband of mine would be afraid of getting caught.” She pulled out the cloak and put it on.

“I have something to show you. Let’s go… Unless you are afraid.” She started to climb down the balcony again. "I want to take you to my favorite spot in all of Virens. With as much whiskey as I gave Llywellyn, he'll be out until dawn."

Simone was being…odd. It was hard to really pinpoint what she was going for, or why, but it was almost like she was trying to play a game. She was teasing and toying with Lewis, and he wondered where that rebellious streak of hers came from. Of course, his Simone had one too, so it wasn’t too hard to believe. That almost brought a smile to his face.

Lewis sighed, “It’s less about fear and more-” but she was already starting to climb down the balcony. The ex-assassin sighed, rolling his eyes, and started to climb down after her. The two hit the bottom, and Simone was already off, as if yelling at Lewis to follow. She’s brave. Fearless. Either that, or she hasn’t a care in the world. I wonder if that’s a part of the problem. Still, he followed her. It took little time to catch up with her, and when she noticed that he was easily keeping pace with her, she smiled, as if to say ‘that’s more like it’, and pressed on.

“The only time I can be myself is when I can be out here. Outside the eyes of the elves,” Simone paced herself with him now. “Even in the palace, I have to be careful how I hold myself. They were quite pissed when Llywellyn chose to marry me against his father’s wishes. He murdered all of them you know. I appreciate him but… I feel guilty. He never asked me what I wanted.”

She brought him out to a small pond that seemed to have thousands of fireflies around it. There were lilies and other flowers. “This is my favorite place in all of Sulwal.” She took a rock and threw it watching it skip. “I want to bring Llynette here someday but because of how dangerous it is… Llywellyn won’t permit it.”

She took a breath. “I want my freedom to choose. Everything even my destiny has been chosen for me.” These were familiar words that even his Simone had complained about in the past. “The rules so to speak… Are not in my favor as a woman.”