The Streets of Travére.

Lady Arianne had been delivering baskets to the homes of the city folk, as those families that had wounded were currently with their wounded at the hospital, and those families that had dead honor guard members were currently saying their prayers for their souls while the bodies were wrapped and prepared for their departure into the Summer Lands.

It was as she was delivering the food that she smelled fire, and she looked to the skies. Indeed, black smoke had begun to rise in the air, and she had quickly mounted Sionnach and had ridden towards it. It was as she approached that she saw her husband-to-be's feat. Her blue gaze was ponderous on him as he emerged, the crowd clapping for what he was able to accomplish.

She did not clap, however. The curvaceous redhead smoothly dismounted from Sionnach, and she walked towards him in her fine riding clothes.

Perhaps the most endearing (or the most disgusting, depending on how one viewed romance) about seeing Lady Arianne and King Renaux together was that they seemed like a handsome and beautiful couple. Renaux may have been soot-marked and a little ashy, but he still cut a handsome figure, and Arianne, of course, looked the part of noble woman in her white leather riding coat, studded with small diamonds, a silver belt around her waist.

Her blue eyes took him in, the golden crown he wore on his head, the smile he sent her way. She, too, didn't seem to notice the crowd, but she certainly noticed him. Her head turned to regard the two baskets that were still tied to Sionnach's saddle, and then she looked back at her betrothed.

"The Royal Cooks had prepared all of the food for the wedding feast tonight. I've given it to the people instead," Arianne explained. "I also wanted to talk to you about tomorrow." She paused, took a deep breath, and said quietly to him, "I think that we should hold off the wedding."

"I think that now... given the feelings of the city and the... the time. It just feels wrong. We should properly honor the dead first," she glanced away from Renaux towards the burning building. When she looked back at him, she blushed a little and lowered her gaze, her lashes fanning across her cheeks.

"And... I would be lying if I didn't admit that I'm not sure I'm ready for marriage."

She looked away from him, pursing her lips together, temper flaring in her eyes. Her displeasure was easily read in her face, but as she gazed away from him, she saw the people staring at the King and his Betrothed, and the look in their eyes. A gentle frown took over her face, and Arianne turned once more to look at Renaux.

"It's almost hard to believe that just this morning, we were flying," she said very, very quietly. She could feel the pressure now, of the people watching them. He was right, of course. The people wanted to see hope and love, but Arianne didn't feel any hope, nor any love.

Still, she stepped closer to Renaux, and she laid a white-gloved hand on his arm. Up on tip-toe she rose, and her sweet mouth gifted him with a kiss-- on his dirty cheek. The crowd was audibly pleased by the gesture, and a few even gave a little clap.

"Then... marriage, it will be," Arianne said to him, ever the reluctant bride. She turned away from him then and towards her saddle, taking down one of the baskets of food. Stepping away from the King, she met eyes with a woman and lifted the basket towards her.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the woman said humbly to Arianne, taking the basket from her hands.

"I'm not the Queen," Arianne reminded her, flushing with embarrassment. She glanced at Renaux.

"You will be," assured the peasant woman.

Renaux is caught off guard by the kiss but he knows it is little more than a show. Arianne was trying to do the right thing for the people and for that he was grateful. Unfortunately this did little to help with the riot of emotions swirling in his head, anger, guilt, regret, and helplessness.

Renaux finds it ironic that even a king is not free to do as he wishes, well prehaps a more callouse one could he amends. He wants to do as Arianne wishes postpone, even call off the wedding. He likes the woman. He had only known her for two days but he could tell she was fierce and bright, if a bit childish at time ultimately though she had a good heart. and she deserved to be married to a person of her choosing, not to him, not to someone who didn't love her.

It didn't help at all that he was attracted to the woman. It wasn't that physical attraction was new to him, the issue was it had always been easier to ignore in the past. All he had to do was remind himself that he had more important things to do than get married. Now it was an inevitability that he would get married and he couldn't just ignore Arianne. Renaux nearly snarls in frustration he felt like screaming about the unfairness of it all. He doesn't though because it was very fair he was the king. If the reluctant marriage of two people could help his subjects it would be unfair to those subjects not to do it. Shaking his head he finally remember he had been addressed and he turns to regard Requin neutrally, his voice matching his expression he says.

"Hello lord Requin it is good to see you helping out with the relief effort. Don't let me keep you I have business elsewhere."

With that Renaux walks off the city was safe for the moment, he would visit the injuried then he had to talk to the Duke. Hopefully he could mitigate some of the damage he had done earlier, by discussing his plan with the man before moving ahead.

"Hmm?"

Requin is rather taken aback, unsure as to what it is exactly that he's done this time.

"You'll never understand men? But we're easy to understand. Straightforward. Not like women or elves. What don't you understand?"

He hands the basket off to a member of his staff, who runs off to deliver it to some urchins or something.

"You're an intelligent woman, Lady Valois. Surely something as simple as men couldn't elude your understanding?"

Requin follows he, his long strides allowing him to easily keep pace with the hurried girl.

"A kin's duty is to his people, Lady Valois. They say he should get married, and so he must. In some ways, he has the least freedom of anyone in Gauldin. All the eyes are on him at all times. So he must do as they say, whether he likes it or not."

Giving a quick glance over his shoulder, he adds:

"Although to tell the truth, he doesn't do very much at all. He's just been sitting on his butt and letting the country run itself."

Requin thinks for a moment. Should he confide in her? She seems like the trustworthy sort. Not the kind to go and tell the king for no reason at all. And anyway, the king already knows. He decides to tell her, seeing no harm in her knowing. Who knows, it might lead to opportunities later. He leans in closer, whispering so that the bystanders don't hear.

"No, I don't. Not at all. He's useless, hasn't done a thing all the time he's been on the throne. And besides his military service, he hasn't worked a day in his life. His advisors handle everything, all the decisions that come with running a country. All he does is stamp a proclamation that someone wrote for him every now and then."

He sighs.

"Running a country takes work, and he isn't working. He's just riding his Pegasus all day."

"Me?"

Requin takes a deep breath, having anticipated this question. He's thought about this for a good long while.

"I'd eliminate the fairy dust cartels. The drug ruins lives and wrecks families. Entire sections of towns have fallen into ruin because of the fairy dust trade. Awful stuff. And the cartels are ruthless, they'll kill a man's children right in front of him if he doesn't pay up. I'd run the army right through their bases, burn their manufacturing and refinement plants. Also, I'd clean up the poorer areas. We have so much money going to waste, due to bureaucracy and inefficiency. That money is enough to build a hundred schools and churches in even the filthiest of slums."

He sees a passing urchin, and gives the grubby child a piece of toffee.

"I wouldn't sit and do nothing all day, that's for sure."