It had been almost two weeks now, since she had returned.

After the conversation with Tendral, she seemed to have recovered a fraction of her prior boldness, beginning to venture out among the company during meals if no other time. The others did not greet her with judgement and too many questions as she had feared. Instead, she found that most of them had been genuinely concerned for her, and the group of soldiers that she had been most at-home around, had accepted her again without hesitation though she'd vanished for nearly a month.

It brought some form of normalcy to her life that had been turned upside down, and she embraced it, spending less time alone in her tent. It was much easier to forget about one's nightmares when one drowns them out with friendly conversation.

Still, though, she avoided Aladar. Even though she wanted to go talk to him, even started to walk in the direction of his tent once or twice before rethinking it, she never could bring herself to talk to him. It was too soon... And she didn't know how. She really didn't know how to talk to him, any attempt always ended in awkward silence on her part, and it was almost even more heartbreaking because she wanted his companionship again... She wanted to be able to talk to him for hours and hear about every detail of his day and find comfort in his voice... And she couldn't. She couldn't even look at him without seeing Darren's face, and it killed her... Because Aladar was nothing like Darren, but there were wounds that just hadn't healed yet.

After two weeks, though, her physical wounds were healed. A final check by Lebuin revealed that the bruised rib had healed, and she had recovered from the minor concussion she'd suffered. Which meant that, other than a few faint, healing bruises that still showed here and there, it was like nothing had changed. Physically, at least. There was still that look in her eye, the lingering distrust even as she gave a little smile and nod when Lebuin officially cleared her to return to training. Once she was at their level again, she'd have to rejoin her squad...

She didn't want to rejoin her squad. Her sergeant was one of the few men in the company who did not approve of her being accepted into the camp again. And his disapproval had been well-earned, she knew that. Her memory of the first, and last day she'd trained with her squad after the battle was painfully crystal clear in her mind, and she knew exactly what she'd done to earn Kastill's dislike. To be honest, she had considered asking if she could transfer to another squad, but that would involve going to Aladar. And she couldn't do that... Not yet.

But, according to Lebuin, she was good to return to training, which meant she was out of time to sort everything out. She had already decided to try to train on her own or with Tendral until she was confident in her ability and strength again... It would take more than two weeks of rest and proper nutrition to undo the damage of nearly three weeks of starvation and abuse. The woman was still visibly thin, clothes that had once fit nearly perfectly were now too large for her, hanging loosely on her frame. But she would get back to the way she was. She promised herself that.

A borrowed sword at her side, wearing thick clothes but no armor, she left her tent to make her way to the training field, already scanning the area for Tendral's tall, lean figure. It didn't take long for her to find him, striding across the field to meet him as a few other soldiers paused in their sparring to call out greetings to her before continuing.

"Do you have time for a match or two?" Ali asked Tendral with a hopeful smile. "I'll try to take it easy on you." The statement was clearly a joke; even in prime physical condition, she probably couldn't beat Tendral sparring. Much less now, when she'd been more or less out of commission for more than three months. She was determined to change that, though. Nothing would stop her now, from training until she was at her best again. She was sure of it.

Tendral would visit Ali now and again during the next two weeks, slowly feeling more confident. It helped that she had started coming out, the soldiers happy to have their friend and little sister back, doing what they could to support her. As for Aladar, he still kept a general distance, but he often poked his head into the meal tent to see if she was there. It pleased him to see her out and about, slowly beginning to thrive again. But he still didn’t get too close, wanting her to have at least some time to get onto her feet by herself.

He visited her only a couple times, but there was still too much hurt and healing they had to do before they could even connect in a friendly way without being awkward. So Aladar spent those two weeks on his knees when he would normally be with her. And he prayed hard. He prayed for guidance and wisdom, for healing in both their hearts, and for courage. He prayed for patience and to know the right thing to do when the time came. He had many prayers in those two weeks as camp morale steadied out. Another letter was sent to his sister, and for once, things seemed to be coming together.

The moment the news came in that Ali was cleared, Aladar couldn’t have been more pleased. He had already changed out a few of the squads to place her with Tendral. He wanted her close to someone they both trusted, and he had more than been made aware of Kastill's grudge he still held from her acting out. There was little the Captain could do about the man’s feelings, but he could at least ensure she was in a place she felt safe.

Tendral was informed of the change and the day Ali was meant to join them, he kept himself without a sparring partner, waiting for the woman to appear. The moment she did, he met her with a grin, his hair somewhat wind whipped from the breeze. He stood straight, towering over her, but he couldn’t b less threatening if he tried. “I would greatly appreciate it if you did. I wouldn’t want the rest of the soldiers laughing at me for being beaten by a girl.” It was clear the two weeks had also done good things for his confidence with her.

Pulling out his sword, he took a few steps back and waited in a defense posture. The moment the spar began, it was clear he was holding himself back. Not that he wasn’t pushing her. Tendral was making her work to stay upright and to keep her ground without just putting his full skills to use. While most sparring was mock fighting, fill skill against full skill, Tendral was training her, much in the way Aladar had trained him. It took a skilled swordsman to do it, to know the right buttons to push, when to pull back and drive forward to work all the muscles without taking their opponent down or making it too easy.

At least until she was slowing down and left too large an opening to miss the opportunity. Tendral met her sword before bringing a leg behind her to sweep her legs out. He tilted his sword down to tap the tip to her chest with a grin, the man not even breaking a sweat. “Not bad. Considering.” It was amazing how much of Aladar would shine through Tendral, from gestures to humor, to the very way he did things.

It was as he was about to reach down to offer her a hand up that Aladar stepped over, having been watching from the sidelines. The captain felt that it was the right time, standing over the woman with a grin as Tendral stepped back. Holding a hand out for her, his expression was warm and inviting, slightly humored. “I believe you fought better as Allen.” But there was no doubt he was teasing as he waited for her to take his hand.

She knew he was holding back, of course. She'd expected him to. There wasn't anyone in the camp with whom she could properly spar, not in her condition, but training with Tendral to begin with would be a good first step. She trusted that he wouldn't push her too hard, but that he wouldn't take it too easy on her either. It was a delicate balance.

Nonetheless, she was immediately aware of how much her endurance and even the strength behind her blows had suffered over her long hiatus. She struggled. She was holding her own against him for now, as he was holding back. But it wasn't long before she began to tire, her defense slipping and allowing the perfect opportunity for Tendral to trip her, finishing the match with the tip of his blade tapped to her chest.

For a moment, she lay there, catching her breath and glaring up at him, though it was clear she hadn't expected to win the match and she was in a rather good mood at the moment. This was in spite of the fact that she was out of breath and already sweating from even that short spar. "Considering what?" she asked as she grinned up at him, propping herself up on one elbow and reaching over to grab her borrowed sword from where it had landed.

Just as she started to sit up, already moving to stand on her own, she saw Aladar out of the corner of her eye, realizing he'd been watching her spar. Blushing ever so slightly in embarrassment, she nonetheless looked up at him, her grin hardly fading as he offered a hand to help her up. "Oh, did I?" she asked, reaching up to take his rough hand in her thin one after a brief hesitation. Even in her slightly mischievous tone, responding to his light teasing in kind, there was still hesitation.

But this time, when she met his gaze, those soft brown eyes warm and inviting, she didn't see Darren for once. For once, in this moment, it was as if nothing had happened... As if nothing had changed. And as her grip on his hand tightened, starting to pull herself up, she got that familiar mischievous glint in her pale blue eyes, a look that had stayed dormant for far too long. There was no telling what she was planning, but it was clearly something, and it wasn't long before her mischievous little plan was put into action, as she started to stand.

Because the moment he was off balance, leaning his weight backwards to help her up, one of her feet quickly moved to sweep his out from under him, falling back herself and trying to move partially out of the way so at least he wouldn't fall on her. Her grin broadened as she sat up again, laughing as she watched him. It was a real, genuine laugh, a glimpse of the old Ali; the first time she'd really laughed since before she'd left, though that fact didn't register at the moment.

Reaching up with one hand to push her hair out of her face when she could catch her breath from laughing, she met his gaze again, clearly still quite pleased with herself as she grinned, freckled face beaming over at him. "You know, a wise man once told me to never let my guard down," she teased lightly. "He should learn to take his own advice."

His eyes were warm as she took his hand, glowing a little more as he could see the acceptance in her face. Perhaps it was alright after all. And perhaps, his prayers were being answered and they were taking the right steps to at least make amends. There was suddenly no doubt in his mind either when he saw the mischief spark into her pale eyes, something he hadn’t seen in what felt like forever. What did it mean? He did not know beyond it showing that she would alright.

He leaned back as he helped pull her up, prepared to ask her if she cared to spar with him once she was on her feet. Though he never got the chance, his feet suddenly swept out from beneath him and the man came down like a trunk, hitting the ground with a grunt. A brow was raised as he sent a glare in her direction, though it held nothing but playfulness in it, “Now what was that?" His voice was demanding, though they both knew better, his lips turned up at the genuine laughter that wracked her body.

Snorts came from around, some soldiers still sparring, others pausing to watch the antics of their captain and Ali. There was a catcall from somewhere among the group, though a muffled “oof” gave away that he had gotten clocked. But it was clear that the whole camp that was witness to the event was enjoying the little show, despite the barked orders from lieutenants and sergeants to keep practicing. It was amazing how there suddenly seemed to be a tangible rise in morale, as if this one act shattered an unseen tension that had been there.

“Perhaps he should,” Aladar grinned as he sat up, brushing some of the dirt off his shirt, though it was now smeared and some of the grass stains wouldn’t ever be coming out. “He should also leave conniving little women sitting in the dirt to get up by themselves. It seems manners do not pay off.” There wasn’t an ounce of irritation or anger in his voice as he picked himself up once more, moving to now brush off his pants and run a hand through his hair to push it back out of his face some.

“Now Ali, I am going to try this again. If I find myself on the ground one more time, I’m going to send you on a two-mile run.” He reached his hand out again for her to take, every visible part of him beaming as evidence that the chances of him doing that were slim. “Though you can be certain, I will also keep my guard up and I will drop you.” Now that part, that part was the honest truth, though it would all be in good fun. It was nice to have fun again, to laugh and smile, something he hadn’t been able to do since... since this all happened.

His hand clasped around hers once again, though he lowered his voice as he started to pull her back up, his words meant for only her this time around. “It’s good to have you back. I’ve missed my girl.”

"That was a dirty trick, Captain," she proudly stated, still grinning from ear to ear as she watched him, clearly very pleased with herself and all of her mischief. Even though she knew his question had been rhetorical, she took the opportunity to continue with the easygoing banter that now felt much more natural to her. Even her referring to him by his proper title was part of her attempts to joke, considering she hadn't really called him anything other than just Aladar in months. She was probably the only one in the camp that could get away with it, other than Tendral. Though that fact had escaped her for the moment as she watched him get up, sitting up herself and resting her elbows on her knees, appearing quite content to stay on the ground where he threatened to leave her.

"No promises," she said, her grin finally fading to a light smirk as she took his hand again, this time without the hesitation from before, the look in her eyes fading to a normal and acceptable level of typical Ali mischief. She stood with no further shenanigans, free hand moving to brush the dirt off of her pants, though she paused when he spoke again, pale eyes darting to meet his. For a moment, it was just the two of them again, her smirk shifting to a more shy smile as she glanced away for a moment, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

"My girl."

She'd forgotten how much she loved it when he called her that. And though she wasn't sure she deserved such a term of endearment now, after all that had happened and all she'd done... To hear it from him, after all this time... Knowing how much she'd missed him, missed the way things were between them... To hear him say those two words meant more to her than she could express, because it meant, to her, that he was truly willing to try again...

And she knew it wouldn't be easy. She knew rebuilding a relationship from rubble would be hard. She knew there was a chance things would never fully be the same between them, with trust shattered and wounds now carried by both... But she was willing to try, and so was he.

A strange moment of revelation to have in the middle of a sparring field, indeed. But it wasn't the first time; it seemed that sparring fields, no matter the exact location, had a unique attraction for such moments of revelation.

"I missed you, too," she said softly, matching his tone and meeting his gaze again with a hesitant smile. "It's good to be home."

As she moved, she winced slightly, shifting her weight back to her right side as her left leg twinged slightly with pain. It seemed she'd landed on her knee when Tendral tripped her, causing a slight limp. "Mind if I sit this next one out?" she asked Aladar tentatively, offering an apologetic smile that still held a hint of humor. "Seems like the ground is much harder than I remember." That, and she could use a bit longer to catch her breath after her one pitiful sparring match; it would take time to work up to the stamina she once held, and she knew that.

She limped to the edge of the field, sitting down and massaging her knee as she watched the others spar, with longing in her eyes. She wanted to go back... She wanted to be able to do that again. Soon... Soon, it would be just like before. Her gaze moved to Aladar briefly, her shy smile returning as she glanced away, hopefully before he saw her.

It would take time, but they could go back to the way things were.

He caught the blush. The faintest of pink that crept around her cheeks when she looked away and it warmed him to the very core. My girl... It was such a simple phrase, yet packed so much emotion and love in it. And it still affected her. His hand had held hers a moment longer than necessary as he had said that and she turned her face, the man almost regretting to have to let it go, which he did. But he had missed her... missed this side of her that blushed and smiled and laughed. Now, it was back.

Though even with those thoughts, nothing could have prepared him for the relief and joy that washed over him when she spoke. Brown eyes gentled even more, every feature on his face softening as his smile became small and inviting. If they weren’t in the middle of the sparring field, there would have been no way for him to resist reaching out and pulling her into his embrace, telling her that he loved her with every inch of his very soul.

Something shifted in his expression the moment she moved however, immediately catching the slight limp. There was some concern, perhaps more than there should have been considering small twists or bruised muscles were common on the field. “By all means. You’ll need to take your time to get back into shape. Take the day if you need it.” His gaze followed her, longer than it should have if the man had no feelings. Brown eyes searched her figure as she sat, flicking away for a moment before flicking back, in time for their gazes to briefly cross before both looked away.

It was like he had a crush now, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it, or if he liked it. Aladar wanted to go talk to her again, sit down next to her, but duty demanded he spar and work with the men. But he also hoped to catch more of those glances.

Not that Aladar had long to contemplate as Tendral cleared his throat, arms crossed over his chest. “I expect you came out to spar, no?” There was a challenge in the taller man’s voice as he pulled out his sword and stepped back. It was something neither of them had done in a while with all the chaos that had ensued.

“Indeed I did Tendral.”

Aladar faced his friend, pulling out his own sword, a sparring match ensuing immediately as the two men went at each other with ferocity. The old competitiveness was back again, both men feeling relieved and pleased to see Ali doing well, and the rise in their mood showed in their fight.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Tendral asked while blocking a blow.

“What?”

“Her. No one is blind damn it. It’s clear you two are still a thing.”

“You have no boundaries, do you?”

Sparks flew as they circled each other, a few moments of concentrated silence passing.

“That’s not an answer.”

“You don’t need an answer.”

“No, I think I need an answer.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“That’s a shitty answer.”

Their hilts met, locking the two close to each other as it shifted into a strength contest, which was well matched in its own way. Tendral had more height, but Aladar had the bulk. Though the last response the tall soldier had given earned a raise of an eyebrow. The captain quickly stepped back, breaking the lock as one hand left his sword, making a flicking motion off to the side while he let out a hum that seemed more like a sound of reply.

Well, Tendral learned very quickly what it was, a blue forceshield slamming into him and throwing him back. The man hit the ground with an audible thump and groan, one knee pulled up while the other sprawled out. “Gods I hate you sometimes.”

Aladar let out a warm chuckle as he sheathed his sword, “I think it was a suitable enough answer.”

“Go to hell.”

“I’d rather not.” Another chuckle escaped him as his head instinctively turned towards Ali, the man beginning to make his way over to her.

It was with some amusement that Ali watched the exchange between the captain and his assistant, or perhaps more accurately in this moment, his best friend. While she couldn't tell exactly what was being said, it was safe to assume Tendral was teasing the poor man, judging by Aladar's expression.

A faint smile showed on the woman's freckled face as she watched, one hand reaching up unconsciously to tuck her hair behind her ear. She still felt light bruises along her jawline, the small, still tender spots evidence of just how little time had passed since her life was turned upside down... She'd only been back for two weeks, yet it felt like a lifetime, probably aided by the fact that most of the painful memories had been somewhat supressed until she was in a better mental state to deal with them. She didn't want to think about that now, though. How terribly ironic.

Right now, she was happy, and she was in a good mood, and she was not going to let a minor thing like suppressed trauma stop her now.

A flash of blue caught her eye as she looked over at Tendral and Aladar again, watching as the captain knocked Tendral back with a well-aimed force shield, before looking over at Ali with a boyish grin as if to make sure she'd seen. And, of course, she had, as evidenced by the loud laughter ensuing from her direction as she leaned forward, resting elbows on her knees as she tried to catch her breath again. She wasn't sure what Tendral had said to deserve such a dirty trick, but the captain was well-known for manipulating the odds to be in his favor during sparring matches, and taught his soldiers to do the same, which was why Aladar's company was known as having some of the best soldiers in the Haverndin army. So such a trick from him was not unexpected in the least.

"Damn, I wish I could do that," she said with a vibrant grin as he approached her, looking up at him and leaning back slightly on her hands to make eye contact.

"If you give me a few minutes and promise not to do that, I'd be up for a spar later," she offered. "Just need to catch my breath first."

___

It was a few days after her first sparring match when she finally worked up the courage to go see Aladar. In his tent, like she would have before. It seemed he was still trying to give her space, to let her settle into the camp as her own person again, but sometimes that left her lonely when the people she knew were busy doing other things, or if she felt too overwhelmed in general to be around a big crowd at mealtimes... When she wanted to be alone, but not alone.

Tendral was busy today, and the crowd at the meal tent for the noon meal had been too boisterous for her liking at the moment. Which brought her to Aladar's tent. For the first time in well over a month, she stood awkwardly outside of his tent flaps, uncertain if she wanted to go in, uncertain of what she would even say if she went in...

But after a lengthy hesitation, she reached out, parting the flaps and stepping hesitantly inside, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the relative dimness in the tent. Then, standing awkwardly by the door as she realized she had no further plans, she looked at him with a faint smile.

"Um... Hey, Aladar," she said uncertainly, hands clasped nervously in front of her. "Just... Wanted to say hi, I guess. See what you were up to. I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

He had become more and more active in the sparring matches once more, returning to a more solid routine. Aladar put extra effort back into training his men, working on new techniques with his forceshields, shifting into not only defensive but offensive maneuvers. Granted, he still kept the shield use to a minimum as to not overwork himself but, in general, he was far more invested once more. Things had changed and his spirits had lifted quite a bit, the camp following suit as morale lifted with Ali once more thriving among them. She may not have realized it, but the woman had become a large part of the group.

However, the man still kept some distance from the young woman he now relished catching glimpses of and smiling at. It wasn’t something new considering a few months earlier it had been normal but now, there was something special about the stolen conversations and caught glances. Aladar had enough sense though to keep it at that minimum until she was ready, not looking to push something he valued so much. He was waiting for the right time to set it all in motion again, hoping that it could be done right this time.

Currently, he sat working in his tent, filing through the papers he had and the news just brought in from the most recent messenger. For a company on rest, the work Aladar still had to do was surprising, consisting of the usual reports, input on plans sent his way, updates on strategy, etc. Not to mention he was in charge of making sure the company had the proper supplies at all times and keeping track of the general inventory.

His meal sat untouched as he went through what he had for the moment, flipping through papers and continuing his usual organization to keep track of where and what everything was. It was the sound of the tent flaps opening and the light that streamed through for a moment that caused him to pause, head lifting as her turned, expecting to find Tendral. To say it was a pleasant surprise to find Ali there would be an understatement, his eyes glowing as his face lit up with a warm and inviting smile.

“No, no, you aren’t interrupting anything necessary to the moment. Just general paperwork at that can wait.” He stood, motioning her inside as he moved from his seat closer to her. There was no way anyone could doubt just how pleased he was to see her though even he stood awkward for a moment. The last time they had both stood in this tent... things had not gone so well and even now, there was an air of uncertainty now that things were mending.

“You know what? Come with me.” Without hesitating, Aladar captured her hand and ducked out of the tent, leading her towards where Tendral would be. It was an on the fly decision that he suddenly had, the man not hesitating in the slightest. “Tendral!” He called out the man’s name as he came up to the community tent, looking in to find the lanky soldier working on some writing, no doubt a letter to his girl. “Tendral, if anyone asks for me, I am busy, is that understood? Ali and I are heading into town for the day. Rules go as usual, you take lead.”

Tendral barely had time to register and digest as Aladar was already leading Ali away and out of the camp, glancing at her. “I assume you haven’t eaten?” There was something almost boyish in the man’s smile and the way the brown orbs showed excitement. Spontaneous was not a usual trait with Aladar, but this time around, he was more than happy to go with it, hoping that she cared for the idea as much as he did.

“I have heard there is a place to eat if you care to try it out with me.”

She could see that he'd been working intently, papers spread across his workspace and covered in his distinctive neat handwriting. A tray of food sat forgotten nearby, clearly ignored so he could continue to work. It was obvious to her that she had, in fact, interrupted something that was likely important. Most paperwork seemed to be important, in her limited experience.

"You're sure?" she asked uncertainly, meeting his warm grin with a slightly hesitant smile of her own, stepping inside and letting the tent flaps fall closed behind her. "I can come back later..."

He cut off her general awkward hesitation with a sudden announcement that they were leaving, which was met with an "Oh, okay-" and a laugh as she was pulled along by the rather enthusiastic captain.

"Where are we going?" she asked, once they were a few steps away from his tent and she realized they weren't going to the meal tent or the sparring grounds, which were her initial two assumptions but also wouldn't explain the bright, mischievous grin on Aladar's face. Had she ever seen him that happy before? What did he have planned?

His excitement was contagious, though, and as the two made their way to the community tent for Aladar to talk to Tendral first, his announcement made her grin even brighter. "We're going to the town?!" she asked, her tone betraying her excitement as her eyes gleamed and she squeezed his hand tighter.

"No, I haven't... Just realized I accidentally skipped breakfast too," she admitted with a laugh. "I'm starving." When she met his gaze again, there was a look in his eyes she'd never seen before, an innocent sort of mischief, excitement and pure joy, all at once. And she loved it. She could feel her own stress and anxiety banished by his smile, at least temporarily. For the moment, as they left the camp together, heading towards the small, quaint town that Ali had not yet gotten a chance to explore.

There would be time for that today, if Aladar would come with her, and the closer they got, the brighter her smile seemed to get.

"Afterwards, can we go to the shops?" she asked, with a hopeful look in her eyes as she glanced over at him. "I've got a bit of money, I've been saving it..." Her hand moved to the coin pouch at her belt, about half-full of tokens of various sizes and shapes, most of it attained by betting with Tendral. "I want to see if I can find something for my tent. It's too empty," she admitted with a little laugh.

For a moment, she walked in relative silence, thinking. "So what's the name of this place?" she asked with a little shy smile, glancing over at him again as she squeezed his hand. It was a bit awkward, at least to her, but it wasn't terrible. She was just getting used to being alone with him again, which was something the two of them had somewhat avoided since everything that had happened. But it wasn't exactly true, uncomfortable awkwardness as much as it was just shyness... Almost like how one might expect a first date to feel.

As they neared the town, she could hear the general activity, the sound of people, of children playing, cart wheels creaking, the town teeming with life. Ali grinned and laughed as a young girl, maybe five or six years old, ran past them near the edge of the town, laughing and chasing a loose duck who seemed less than pleased by the idea of being caught.

As they went further into the town, Ali seemed to come alive, all smiles as she tried to take in everything at once, still holding Aladar's hand as she pointed out every mildly interesting thing that caught her eye in the bustling town as Aladar led the way.

There was a thrill in seeing the woman he loved so excited over his idea for her. It had been so spur of the moment, a last-second decision on his part, and seeing that it was pleasing to her truly made it more than worth it, though they had yet to truly even start enjoying the day.

“I think stopping by the shops afterward would be a wonderful idea. I have to explore the market myself since I’ve been rather holed up in the camp,” he admitted, gladly walking side by side with her. “It is called Lambargo.” His hand squeezed hers in response to her own gesture, his expression warm and inviting as he glanced at her, able to pick up on the slight shyness she seemed to have. And there was something so pure and perfect about it that he wouldn’t have it any other way.

No, as even he himself found himself staring at her for a moment longer than necessary, feeling the purest of flutters in her presence. When they had first taken a step towards a relationship, they had gone right into it, neither taking the time to explore those feelings and work them out, instead flying into the heat of the moment and taking in stride their affection for each other. But this time they were doing it right, both mellowed out by the recent experiences and willing to take things the way they should have been from the start.

Upon entering the bustle of the town, even Aladar was taken with the busy and bright nature of the town, going on with life despite having an army parked right outside their front doorstep and war looming over their kingdom. The noises were intoxicating, the laughter and voices, every sound, sounds he was familiar with from his home. Truth of it was, it had been a long time since the captain had set foot in a town himself, usually using all his time in the camp and sending messengers or other soldiers into the different places for supplies. The times he had been in towns for more recreation was at night and they would spend time in the taverns, but it had been at least a year since his company had gotten such a pleasure.

However, more amazing and magical than even that was watching Alyana come alive before his very eyes, the woman he had come to know and love blooming with the atmosphere of war and abuse that had dampened her spirits. Laughing, paused and commented on every little thing she pointed out with an energy to match hers as he slowly led her through the area, keeping his eye out for a restaurant to take her to. Not that there was really more than one in a simple town like this, but it was a busy town painted in colors and life.

Seeing the sign he was looking for, Aladar gave the woman a playful tug as he moved into a jog, dodging around a few people before pulling Ali into a doorway. Stopping inside, he glanced around the inside, tables spread out and various people enjoying meals here and there as someone gestured for them to find a seat. Colored banners covered the walls as people dressing in varying designs sat around, a small clamor of voices buzzing through the restaurant.

“I do believe this is the place,” he chuckled, brown eyes glancing towards her for her approval. He gestured around the room, “Where would you care to sit? The table over there has two seats and a wonderful view out the window towards the street. You can catch glimpses of the market from there I believe.” He looked to her to make the decision, following where she decided to lead to sit at the table of her choice.

Once seated, Aladar picked up the menu left for them and scanned the sheet thoughtfully. “I haven’t had a homemade potpie in ages, I believe I will be ordering one of those. What about you? What are you interested in?” It was a bit of an eye-opener as he realized he actually did not even know her favorite foods. Or her favorite color. He didn’t know her favorite anything, and that was something he decided to remedy. “There is also a bakery down the street that we can stop at on our way to the market later. I would be curious to know your favorite meal and your favorite baked good.”