She entered the room silently, head down and hands clasped in front of her.
"Look at me."
She looks up and see him sitting back non-chalantly in his chair.
"Your name?"
"Cieseli Sutcre."
"That's funny," his modulated voice angrily sneers at her, "Because your 'father' just sent me a message, informing me of your untimely elopement with a simple merchant. But then again this sure doesn't look like you either, does it?"
A tablet slides across the table and there's a picture on it showing the real Princess Cieseli. She's been caught...and by the Manda'lor himself. Dread fills her.
"What's your name? Your real name this time."
"Yuli Velera."
"Tell me, Yuli Velera, just what did you have planned? Did anyone send you here?"
Yuli shakes her head, "No plans. Nothing! I swear it!"
"Then why are you here? Really here? Or should I just call the guards right now?"
Her shoulders drop in defeat, and she sighs heavily. "I-I took my friend's place."
He snorts, stalking closer to her and she panics, speaking in a rush.
"She asked me to! So she could run away with her lover. She didn't want to be forced into an arranged marriage."
"Being royalty herself, she knew that sometimes sacrifices are to be made and yet she still chose to be selfish. To run off with the first man to bow to her will. And you, what would have happened if I had chosen you? How would you have been able to lie through that one?"
She's crying now, she can feel the tears inching down her cheeks.
"I had thought with so many other women here more beautiful than I that I wouldn't make it very far in the choosing. I-I did lie, yes. To you..to everyone so if you need to punish someone...let it be me, my Manda'lor. Don't rip from my friend her happiness after she's just found it."
He tilts his head at her, eyes studying her closely behind his helmet.
"You are silver-tongued, aruetii. You lie to government officials! To the very ruler of Mandalore! To his face none the less! An offense that is punishable by death. All because your friend asked you to? And you would still take the punishment in her place? Because of your un-yielding loyalty? Perhaps I should just punish both of you and her lover too."
There is a tone to his voice that causes something to snap inside her and she's suddenly angry. Squaring her shoulders she shoves him...hard, and he stumbles back a step. He looks at her in shock and he smiles under his helmet.
'About damn time.'
"Just because you can't find happiness doesn't mean you have to be an ass and ruin it for others. Some ruler you are. The Manda'lor I heard of was supposed to be kind, merciful, just. Not this...this...heartless..."
And he's silent, just staring at her, grinning wide behind his helmet
"Bug-headed?" He offered.
"Yes, thank you."
"Your welcome."
"This heartless, bug-headed nerfherder who's only...pre-tending...to be..." She looks at him in growing horror, taking a step back from him.
but he just chuckles at her, leaning back against the table with his ankles crossed. He motions her with a hand to continue. "Oh please go on. I want to hear this."
At her confused look, he laughs and she blushes, finally realizing what she had just done and she giggled softly.
"Finally! Someone speaks their mind to me. It seems like everyone's always stepping on shells around me. Like they are afraid of upsetting me. It's-"
"Frustrating?"
"Yes. Not you, though. You almost knocked me over. You've got some strength to you, mesh'la."
"W-what?"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to punish you...or your friend."
Her cheeks grew dark and she curtsied, "Thank you, my Manda'lor."
He's leans over her and just bops her on the nose gently and it leaves her stunned silent. "Enough with all that. That's fine for out there. In here you can just call me Din. Now go get some sleep. Its getting late."
He opens the door and Talur is standing just outside, waiting.
"Talur, see that the 'princess' here is escorted safely back to her rooms. And you, princess..."
He sweeps into a low bow before reaching over and bopping her nose again.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
/ - / - / - /
That night when she laid down in bed, she sighed, draping an arm over her face and she smiles widely, rubbing at her nose.
'Mesh'la.'
"Din called me beautiful..."
She sighs again before turning her lights out, pulling her sheet up over her shoulders. Sleep comes easily to her that night as she dreams of a smooth, low voice encased in shiny pure Beskar. Of a laugh that sent a delicious shiver down her spine.
Not knowing that in the shadows, a figure was watching her slumber peacefully. He had wanted to make sure himself that she had gotten back safely.
He of course trusted Talur with the princesses' lives but this one? Yuli Velera?
He had needed to see her again.
She had been honest and forthright with him then she had outright shoved him, insulting him as well...with his help, of course. He shook his head chuckling, going silent when she turned onto her side away from him and the sheet slide down off her shoulders, pooling in the curve of her waist, exposing the tanned, unmarred flesh of her back and he can barely see the curve of a breast at this angle and he swallowed thickly, turning away. He had never seen such skin in his life.
Mesh'la.
"Oh, I hope you stick around, pretty thing."
/ - / - / - /
In the week that followed, he found his eye landing on her more than once and Talur noticed.
"Princess Cieseli or should I say Yuli? has caught your eye, has she?"
Din snorts, "Of course you would know. Before me?"
"What do I look like? You?"
"Careful, Talur."
"Have you approached her with it yet?"
"Not one to beat around the bush, are you?"
"It's one of the many reasons I've lasted the longest in the position of your consul. You like when people are direct, to the point, honest able to call you on your bullshit. Which is why I'm going to ask again if you've approached her yet."
"Two have withdrawn because I broached the subject too soon and it frightened them. I will not approach her...not yet at least."
"I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't remind you of your 'condition' at this time. You don't have much long left. You going to have to choose soon if you want the council to back off."
"I know."
"Maybe you should trust your instincts and not focus on your fear. Fear is-"
"The mind-killer, yes. I know."
"Why not choose her though? She's not afraid to speak her mind. She's selfless, going out of her way to help her friend, even going so far as to lie to you..to your face. And she had been willing to face her punishment for it."
"I've already chosen her, Talur."
"Then why?"
"I want this to go right. Too many times have I rushed into something and ruined it before it even started. This...this feels different. She feels different. You know?"
The man's hand is warm and comforting on his shoulder and Din looks up at him. Talur grins.
"Trust me, Din. Let me bring her to you tonight. She might just surprise you."
He sighs, then nods. Talur grin widens.
"I will make the necessary preparations. Do you need the 'nest' prepared?"
"Not tonight. I will only be speaking with her."
"But-"
"Tomorrow will only be the second day."
"Which leaves you only four more days. And it always gets the worst on the second day."
"Talur...will you stop? This isn't a condition that will kill me."
"But it sure will take you out for the rest of the week if you don't take care of it."
"..." His silence was Talur's signal not to push any further so he bowed respectfully.
"Very well, sire. I just hope you know what you're doing."
And he leaves, mentally planning to prepare the rooms. He had a feeling that Din wasn't going to last another day.
Din slumps back into his chair when Talur leaves the room. The pressure that was already built up was starting to make his head dizzy. It was near to the point of being unbearable but he needed to play this carefully...slowly. He wanted Yuli so much but he would not force her into this situation blindly. And the way they twitched, he was quite sure they did too.
He rubbed against the mass writhing just below his belt, a primal growl rumbling in his chest as it twitched violently and he's undoing his belt quickly, yanking his pants open to reveal his slit, tendrils lazily trying to escape and he presses his thighs together tightly as he tugs his gloves free, hand scrambling between his thighs, plying his slit open and just letting the mass of tentacles tumble free with the lewdest sound before gathering them together with both hands and he squeezes around their base almost painfully hard, sliding down to the tips and they ooze with their own slick.
