Disclaimer: its all Sherwood Smiths

This is probably going to be the last chapter, but if you think I should keep going you can tell me. It might help if you add a fantastic idea I can use into your suggestion. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 8: Love

In the corridor Mel was slowly pulling herself back together. Vidanric's comment about not meaning that he loved her had hurt. She knew he was lying of course; he wouldn't have used his court drawl so heavily if he wasn't, but it still felt like her heart was being torn out. Mel just wanted all of this to end. She wanted to look him in the eye and say, 'I love you too.' Then she could run off to her rooms and hide there till Bran and Nee's wedding. After she had danced at the wedding she could head back to Tlanth and never set foot in court again. She knew of course that she was being completely unrealistic. After all the point of telling Vidanric she loved him was so they could be together.

She sat in the quiet dark corridor while she waited for her tears to stop. When they finally did she had reached a new resolve. She wasn't going to let Vidanric leave court today without telling him how she felt. It didn't matter if she had to tackle him and force him to listen to her by prying his ears open with a butter knife. She would do it. Slowly she crept toward the end of the hallway and looked out, no one was there. Emerging into the hallway she made her way over to the door leading into the discussion room and found that the courtiers had finished their discussion for the day and were now standing around in groups socializing.

"Perfect," she thought, "Now I can grab him and just get it over with." Walking calmly into the room she began to walk over to where Vidanric was conversing with his mother, father, and cousin, Russav. Thoroughly fed up Mel dispensed with niceties. She could always apologize later.

She barged up to the cluster grabbed Vidanric's arm in a hold so tight she could almost hear the fabric ripping and said in her rudest of manner, "Now you listen here mister, I'm sick and tired of you flying off in a fury every time I'm trying to give you a piece of my mind. So here's what we're going to do, you agree to keep your mouth shut and listen to me till I'm done talking or I'll gladly yell our affairs loud enough so you can hear me as you run away, of course then the rest of court might happen to hear what were chatting about too. Got it?"

Mel could tell she was going to regret this later, but there was something liberating about her new 'I could care less' attitude that made her feel like she could do anything, even be Vidanric's wife. She could tell that Vidanric was startled and the rest of his family taken back; normally this would have been cause for her to turn as red as a fire stick, but she wasn't even blushing. It felt good.

"Countess," Vidanric said at last, "I must apologize; I did not realize I had offended you in any way. I would be happy to hear what you have to say."

"Great," Mel said and dragged him off in her death grip to a spot a little ways from his family.

"So Countess, what is it you wish to say?"

"You said you love me," Mel stated flat out ready to get down to business. When she said it she watched as Vidanric's court mask twitched and she saw the raw anguish residing beneath it before he got it back in place. "Oh gods, I'm the cause of that pain," Mel thought her hands beginning to shake. All she wanted to do was reach up and touch his face make all that hurt go away. Pulling her thoughts back together she reminded herself that was exactly what she was going to do if she would just get a move on with it.

"We won't be talking about that," Vidanric said in a harsh tight voice.

"Oh, yes we will," Mel replied, "No matter what you said earlier in the hallway I know you meant it. Besides I heard you and Russav talking in the garden when I was up in the tree. There are so many things I want to ask you. So many things I don't understand, but I've pretty much boiled it down to one easy question."

"And what is that?"

"Do you think I would make a good queen, Vidanric? I want you to tell me the honest truth. No court hedging. I want to be able to look you in the eye and see that you mean your answer."

He only said two words, "You would," but his eyes they spoke thousands more. Mel lost herself in that moment seeing into the future that Vidanric wanted for them. She knew then that she wanted it just as much as he did. She felt like she was floating.

Then he turned saying, "Now this conversation is over."

Mel stood there for about 5 seconds before her brain processed that last comment. It wasn't her fault of course. Her brain was rather busy trying to keep her body from pinning Vidanric to the floor and kissing him senseless. After all that would hardly be proper behavior. But when her brain finally caught up and she realized Vidanric had just walked away she had only one thing to say, "Damn that man." Mel was truly over the edge now. She'd had enough. There was only so much a fire hearted women like herself could take. And she had reached that point and was now way beyond it walking on air.

"Marquis of Shevraeth," she cried loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, "I told you what I would do if you walked away from yet another of our conversations before I had had my say, but you didn't listen. So I'm just going to have to shout our business loud enough for you to hear as you scurry away from me like I'm some fire breathing monster." The sad thing was she really did look like a fire breathing monster at that point her hair flaming red and her eyes shining like burning pools filled with emotion. Mel paused for a second and saw that she had not only Vidanric's attention but the whole court's as well. Vidanric had turned around and was hurriedly making his way back to her waving his arms in a cutting motion trying to get her to stop. It was useless she wouldn't, couldn't, stop now. She was already bright red with embarrassment, what was a little more.

"I love you too," she shouted her eyes fixed right on his, her voice more of a wail than anything else. Then she stamped her foot on the ground and screamed, "Darn it!" With that she headed straight for the doors, the crowd parting before her with looks of surprise showing through their court masks. A few were even openly gaping at her. Suddenly someone grabbed her arm and she spun around coming face to face (well face to chest really considering the height difference) with Vidanric.

His eyes were boring into hers with such love she felt like she would melt right there. Their lips were only inches apart and she saw that he had dropped his court mask leaving his love for her out in the open for all of court to see. Leaning even closer to him she lessened the space between them to next to nothing, but she did have certain standards and she wasn't about to stand on her tip toes to kiss him. If he wanted to kiss her, he could darn well stoop down to do it. And that's exactly what he did.

I could say the end, but I don't know still, so think what you want.

Ok I've been meaning to do this forever, but this is a shout out to my wonderful beta who actually agreed to work with me. I wouldn't even agree to that. So Niffer you rock!

Now to thank all my reviewers:

Lizzy: Thanks so much for reading it; I'm glad you liked it.

Kristina: thanks also

Erkith: I do love fluff, but I guess some people don't. I have no clue what's wrong with them.

Legofiance: sorry about the short chap. I messed myself up some how. It's all a bit odd really.

Wake-Robin: Yeah it's not really realistic Danric behavior, but I figured he could suck it up. After all he gets to be the smart one in all the other fics.

Danric-Lover: Thanks for the restraint. Hehe. Yeah Danric is rather frustrating, but hey hasn't everyone wanted to go Danric hunting at some point or another?

LorwynDaystar: I owe you as usual. Remind me to talk to you at some point.