| Marc Pelzer | Meletios Ioannidis
He had never seen her like this before. Gaemon had, out of habit, checked the Duke's table. When he was finished, his gaze wandered across the hall. That was when he noticed Yaena, the court magician, staring at him. His gaze lingered on her as well. She was beautiful, and the wonderful dress she wore enhanced her radiance even more. It took him several seconds to realize that the eye contact was quite intense, and both of them awkwardly turned away. He felt caught, almost embarrassed, for he had never behaved this way towards her before. Until now, he had never noticed her beauty, always guided by his duties and concerned with security. But now, he felt as though a boundary had been crossed. However, the feeling was not negative; rather, it caused a tingling sensation in his stomach, both uneasy and exciting but pleasant. Lost in thought, he hadn't even noticed that the said lady had already moved on to the buffet.
He glanced again at the table where the Duke and his chosen conversation partners had now taken their seats. Everything seemed in order. Then he remembered that, exceptionally, he was not on duty today. He could enjoy himself. Without wasting another thought, guided by his feelings, he walked towards the buffet where Yaena was standing. She noticed him and turned her gaze. Another intense eye contact left him speechless. Up close, she looked even more beautiful. His eyes absorbed everything: her perfectly shaped lips, the light tan, and the blue-green eyes, deep like one of the beautiful lagoons in front of Hazad.
"I am Gaemon," he stammered. Idiot, he thought, of course she knows who I am... We've lived in the same castle for years. "Yaena, pleased to meet you," she replied surprisingly confidently and broke the eye contact.
Crazy, the air had escaped her lungs, yet she managed to respond quickly and confidently. She had to use this. She was excited. "I noticed you at the Duke's table. You belong to the guard, right?" "That's right, I'm the captain," he stammered, "but I'm off duty, so we can..." Yaena noticed his embarrassment and finished his thought: "Shall we continue talking on the balcony? It's a bit more private there." He agreed, she grabbed a plate, and both walked towards the balcony. It was quite large and ran along the entire hall on the right side, with doors leading outside every thirty feet. The torches mounted on the outer walls had not yet been lit. Instead, the warm rays of the morning sun illuminated the balcony. They stepped up to the railing, from which they could overlook the eastern courtyard. Below, many servants were bustling about, and newly arrived guests were looking around excitedly. However, all of this completely escaped the two standing above. They looked deeply into each other's eyes again and enjoyed the moment.
Then bitterness shot through Gaemon's mind. He knew that the Duke wanted to marry him off to the daughter of one of his counts in the coming years to strengthen the bond between the two houses. Even though it would be a social rise, he realized it meant being with a woman he could never look at the way he looked at Yaena. He remembered her as cold and annoying. Yaena immediately sensed that something was wrong: "What's the matter?" But he decided not to spoil the moment and instead reached for her hand. Her soft skin made his entire arm tingle. Slowly, their fingers slid together, and their hands merged. They stood there close to each other without speaking, looking into the distance. After what felt like an eternity, with both of them waiting for what would happen, they kissed. Not intensely or stormily, but slowly, expectantly, and full of the passion of two young lovers.
They spent a while longer outside, simply standing there and enjoying the special moment. But over time, Yaena grew cold. She suggested they return to the hall, and Gaemon had already felt the wind gradually bringing the chill into his clothes. As they reentered the celebration, the familiar noise echoed through the walls. They surveyed the crowd, but their gaze quickly stopped because less than ten meters away stood the Duke, watching them with narrowed eyes. His face turned angry.
He glanced again at the table where the Duke and his chosen conversation partners had now taken their seats. Everything seemed in order. Then he remembered that, exceptionally, he was not on duty today. He could enjoy himself. Without wasting another thought, guided by his feelings, he walked towards the buffet where Yaena was standing. She noticed him and turned her gaze. Another intense eye contact left him speechless. Up close, she looked even more beautiful. His eyes absorbed everything: her perfectly shaped lips, the light tan, and the blue-green eyes, deep like one of the beautiful lagoons in front of Hazad.
"I am Gaemon," he stammered. Idiot, he thought, of course she knows who I am... We've lived in the same castle for years. "Yaena, pleased to meet you," she replied surprisingly confidently and broke the eye contact.
Crazy, the air had escaped her lungs, yet she managed to respond quickly and confidently. She had to use this. She was excited. "I noticed you at the Duke's table. You belong to the guard, right?" "That's right, I'm the captain," he stammered, "but I'm off duty, so we can..." Yaena noticed his embarrassment and finished his thought: "Shall we continue talking on the balcony? It's a bit more private there." He agreed, she grabbed a plate, and both walked towards the balcony. It was quite large and ran along the entire hall on the right side, with doors leading outside every thirty feet. The torches mounted on the outer walls had not yet been lit. Instead, the warm rays of the morning sun illuminated the balcony. They stepped up to the railing, from which they could overlook the eastern courtyard. Below, many servants were bustling about, and newly arrived guests were looking around excitedly. However, all of this completely escaped the two standing above. They looked deeply into each other's eyes again and enjoyed the moment.
Then bitterness shot through Gaemon's mind. He knew that the Duke wanted to marry him off to the daughter of one of his counts in the coming years to strengthen the bond between the two houses. Even though it would be a social rise, he realized it meant being with a woman he could never look at the way he looked at Yaena. He remembered her as cold and annoying. Yaena immediately sensed that something was wrong: "What's the matter?" But he decided not to spoil the moment and instead reached for her hand. Her soft skin made his entire arm tingle. Slowly, their fingers slid together, and their hands merged. They stood there close to each other without speaking, looking into the distance. After what felt like an eternity, with both of them waiting for what would happen, they kissed. Not intensely or stormily, but slowly, expectantly, and full of the passion of two young lovers.
They spent a while longer outside, simply standing there and enjoying the special moment. But over time, Yaena grew cold. She suggested they return to the hall, and Gaemon had already felt the wind gradually bringing the chill into his clothes. As they reentered the celebration, the familiar noise echoed through the walls. They surveyed the crowd, but their gaze quickly stopped because less than ten meters away stood the Duke, watching them with narrowed eyes. His face turned angry.