After talking to her parents and making sure that the humans are settled into their camping spot, Jessa returns to the spring. Soon after she gets in she hears noise along the path. She watches curiously to see who is coming. They are making plenty of noise so she knows it isn't an animal and they want to be heard.

When the female steps out of the path and into sight of Jessa, "Mom, what are you doing here?" Jessa had decided that she's going to call Kallen and Sorid her parents and to hell with what the elflings or others have to say. They deserve it after raising her and being punished for it by the other elves.

"You said that you are the prince's partner tonight. I just wanted to make sure that you look your best." Sorid says going over to the pool. "Besides, I need to get myself ready and I would prefer doing so while spending time with you and hearing more about the human world you now live in."

Sorid slips into the spring after taking out some cleansing items. She motions for Jessa to turn around and start talking while she washes Jessa with the same things she uses to be purified before Lady Zira.

She listens enthralled even as they both get ready for that night.

Once Jessa runs out of things to tell Sorid, Sorid catches her up on things there in Silva. By that time they are out of the spring and Sorid is plaiting Jessa's hair into a complicated braid that her partner will release should she decide to finish the rites.

It is while Sorid is doing the braid that Dhiren shows up.

"Prince? It's still a bit early for you to join Jessa. She said that you are meeting an hour before moon rise. That's still some time away." Although, Sorid does look nervous at the darkening sky. She still needs to fix dinner for her and Kallen before she needs to attend to her duties as high priestess.

"Relax Sorid. When Kallen told me that you are here helping prepare Jessa for the ceremony I sent help to cook for you and Kallen. Take your time, the food will be ready for when it's time for you to eat." Dhiren says relaxing in the spring as he prepares his body for the celebration as well.

"Dhiren, why are you here? Don't you have a bathing room in the palace?" Jessa asks him more than a little tartly.

Dhiren chuckles before ducking himself below the water to rinse off. Once he gets off all the soaps and water from his face he replies. "Yes, I do actually, quite a nice one too. Yet, it lacks something this spring has." Dhiren is careful to keep his back to Jessa so that she can't see the smirk on his face at his reply, but he can't keep his amusement out of his voice.

Jessa feels that he is mocking her somehow, although, she's not sure why or exactly how even, but her tone shows her irritation. "Oh, and just what does this spring have that your fancy bathing chamber doesn't?" Jessa was going to say prince but remembering how angry he got last time she used his title she manages to bite that part back. Her words however, are more than a little tart showing her irritation at his interruption.

Dhiren turns around to face her before answering, "It doesn't have you."

Sorid gasps. Before the words were just flirtation. The prince is a master of it, the females keep vying for his attention and have done so for more than a century since Illiana was killed. He has kept the flirting, has had many partners in the celebration and rites, but never has he said anything like that and he never repeats partners, ever. Much to the disappointment of many elf females.

The prince also only chooses the prettiest of the females to partner with. For the last few celebrations he hasn't partnered with any one. So when Jessa mentioned that he asked her to be his partner, Sorid knew that she had to help her beloved daughter get ready.

They had talked about the prince bringing her dinner as well. That is something that Dhiren has never done before, too. There are different meals for the celebration and the one that is brought shows the intentions of the bringer of the meal.

From his words, Sorid believes that Dhiren fully intends on courting Jessa.

Sorid finishes up her daughter and herself. She cleans up her supplies and excuses herself, citing that she has things she still needs to do before the celebration. Jessa gives her a hug before they separate. As they hug, Sorid whispers, "Tell me which meal he brings before you leave tomorrow."

Jessa had already informed her that she will be staying the night at their house.

"I will, mother. Now you better go before father gets upset at not having his partner for dinner." Jessa steps back smiling as she sends Sorid off.

Once Sorid is out of earshot she turns to Dhiren, "What the hell do you mean your bathing chamber doesn't have me? You made it sound like you want a relationship with me, Dhiren, not just a one time partnership."

"You intrigue me, Jessa. More than any one has ever intrigued me. Not even Illiana, my fiancée intrigued me as much as you do." Dhiren laughs a bit bitterly at that.

"Illiana, I did love her, but it wasn't my choice to marry her." Dhiren says out of the blue and for no reason that Jessa can tell. Jessa had known that the prince was engaged and that he had loved her. That it was her death caused by humans that was the reason for him hating humans so much. There was no way she wouldn't learn of that with how she was treated growing up.

"Illiana was an arranged marriage. She was my father's second cousin's child and her parents wanted the prestige and since she was of the royal line, my parents endorsed it. It was all arranged with out my say in any of it. At first I was resentful, but as I grew used to the idea I accepted her. She was nothing like you, Jessa.

"Illiana was a pampered and spoiled elf maiden. She refused to even take the basics in fighting and said that the guards were sufficient for her. Her parents allowed it, she was their only child and they did their best to spoil her rotten. They didn't quite succeed, but they came close.

"I knew that our marriage was more of convenience, the convenience being hers. I loved her, but I can't say that she felt the same for me.

"Once the betrothal banns were said during the celebration to Lady Zira, we were to no longer have other partners. The wedding was set and the children must be of pure lineage to be eligible for the throne.

"I know for a fact that Illiana wasn't faithful. She had a lover that she would sneak off to. She was with him when the attack came. He wasn't sufficiently trained to protect her and she was killed. She was carrying his child at the time.

"I shouldn't have hated the humans for so long for that attack. I think, looking back at it I should probably thank them for getting me out of a marriage that would have been hell for me. She had already informed her parents that she had no intentions of giving up her lovers and they only cautioned her on not getting caught." Dhiren sinks to the ground after letting out the secret he'd been holding in for so long.

"I haven't had a female as my partner for more than one time, because I can't trust any of them to be any better than Illiana was. They are all beautiful, shallow and let's be honest, power hungry bitches. I told my father that I will be the one to choose my next wife and any interference by him would result in me abdicating."

"You can't abdicate, you are the only child they have and there are no members of the royal family that can take over." Jessa says stunned at his words. In all the time she's lived in Silva, she's never heard that about the prince's fiancée.

"I know that, and so does my father. I won't be locked into a marriage not of my own choosing, not this time." Dhiren says before before pulling himself together and standing up once more. He holds his hand out to Jessa.

Still reeling from all that she's been told she absently takes his hand and follows him blindly to the clearing where they will be doing the celebration later.

"Please, put behind us the unpleasantness that I brought up. Dinner is waiting and I'd rather get to know you, than think about the past."

Jessa sits down near the food and sighs as she sees what is prepared. She looks at the prince with censure in her eyes. "The elves won't tolerate me as their crown princess."

Dhiren shrugs and starts filling up her plate, only holding off on a food when she motions to not place it. Once it is full he hands it to her before speaking. "There is no need to worry about that just yet. This is a courting meal only. You as well as I have the right to decide we don't suit. Since we won't be seeing each other much, I figure that the courting will take place over several years. All I'm asking is for the chance to get to know you, with the end being marriage.

"I know that the first time we met, I was an ass. I damn near lost control and I kicked you out of the only home you ever knew. I stand by that decision because it was becoming dangerous for you here."

"Yet, you are going to publicly court me. Tell me, Dhiren, how is that making things safer for me?" Jessa can't help the bitterness in her words.

Dhiren gives her a slight smile in response. "I know that it will be difficult, but I believe you and I are both up to the challenge. You will need to prove yourself to not just the humans out there, but at the same time prove yourself to the elves here. I will be working on getting them more accepting of you, of humans in general."

Jessa is silent, thoughtfully thinking over his words. "It will be difficult enough for them to accept a human, but should they also learn of my parentage, there is no way they will accept me."

"Don't worry over what can't be helped, princess. Let us see just where things go before we worry about the future. No one has ever fascinated me as you do. You are a simple female, yet incredibly complex. I just wish to have the opportunity to get to know you better.

"As for tomorrow, not only will I be sparring with you, but I'll be traveling to Castlerock. I have business matters to discuss with Alaric and Frosnak." Dhiren freezes and looks over to Jessa with apprehension. "You don't mind me traveling with you do you?"

Jessa shrugs hiding her sudden tension at the thought of traveling with Dhiren and wondering what the hell business he might have with her grandfather. "No, but you might recall that I work for a human and he might have a problem with you and your entourage coming with him."

Dhiren snorts, "Highly unlikely. You know that I have to have at least ten fighters with me as a body guard to be allowed out of Silva. Can you honestly see that human turning down ten more fighters that he won't have to pay for?"

Jessa shakes her head and turns away from Dhiren, "No, when you put it that way, I highly doubt he'll have a problem. But I won't be staying with the main body of the caravan, I'll be out ranging ahead."

Dhiren smiles delightedly. "Then so will I. I'll keep you company, although I'm not quite as good as Kallen at ranging, I'm not half bad at it and I should be able to keep up with you."

"Yeah, and what about your guard?" Jessa asks rolling her eyes.

Dhiren smirks, "We'll just have to sneak away from them, won't we?" Then he winks at her.