In the nearly six weeks that Truebell took to come home, Esme filled back out and more. No longer being underfed allowed for her to look more like a grown woman-a secret relief to both of them which neither wanted to address. She wore her first fitted gown, got more compliments and attention than she had ever had before. She even had a few men start flirting with her until Althalos ran them off with a mock growl-something that let her know that the whole behavior (his and others) was only in play. It wasn't something she was used to seeing people toy with. The world she grew up in would kill over the behaviors she had foisted on her from these exuberant Aelfine.

Althalos spent much of his spare moments noting questions he wished he knew about Esme's history-after all she had eventually managed to remember to tell him her mother's name: Tal-Anan, a name he could look into. He sent off various missives-and received in kind-that he rarely brought to the former thief's attention. Not that she wanted to be a part of his investigations, but life can get damned lonely when her...partner was busy and she was not.

Esme had settled on 'partner' because it suited their emotional attachment to each other. Oh, he felt whatever the bond gave him but he offered very little in return. At first it was endearing, watching him smooth over the smallest things to prevent her reactions to them before she spoke. But he offered so little of his own hopes and fears that it put her right back in the guild-where whomever she was paired with would take as much of a job away from her as possible, repeatedly reminding her of her failures. Although this Prince was far more polite about it... From the way he acted, she wondered if there was a damn thing she could give him, at all.

In this void, waiting for his uncle to summon them-of course, at their request-Althalos was adjusting the pillows surrounding her on the stupid couch when she had finally had it. "Enough, All!"

"I only meant to help..."

"You're not." She snapped this harder than the first command. Esme had grown well past fearing discipline at this point, and she didn't like who she was becoming because of it, which just added to her frustration with life.

Althalos shook his head and gently reprimanded her. "But you're obviously uncomfortable."

"It's not physical Althalos. I'm uncomfortable with us."

The Aelif sighed, sitting down rather heavily next to his Princess. "What now?"

"That." She scowled as she roughly gestured at the whole of him next to her. "And whatever the hell else is going to come out your mouth next. I'm not a damn...thing to be fixed! I've been without a nurse the whole of my life. I don't need one now."

"I'm only trying to help, Esme."

"No, you're trying to calm the bond, not me. That really has nothing to do with me, at all because you stop doing things as soon as it quits nagging at you."

That longsuffering look that usually made her want to cause him harm crossed his face, and for a brief moment they were in one accord-that neither of them would stay if they were free. But Esme so rarely fought against Althalos that these moments were fleeting-that didn't make them any less painful to endure, though.

The Aelif gave in first. "I do think about more than the bond. I know I think about sex more than you do. Honestly, I'm not even sure that you would want it without that. Most anything I've read up on the bondmaids points to most losing interest as soon as the bond releases them."

That caused the former thief to blink blankly for a moment, thrown off her tantrum. "Ah...I was a virgin, in a job that left me too intimidated to even worry about things beyond how I would survive the next heist. I went from that to the other end where life loses meaning if I deny myself. I've never had time to explore who I am in this area, and the examples in my life aren't really enticing. I don't know how to answer that myself. Besides, that's still bond obsession. Give me something outside of that."

Esme barely had this demand out before Althalos blurted a question at her. "Why are you so clumsy?"

"What?"

"Your hands. Sometimes they work. Other times you can't seem to figure out how to move them. It appears random."

The former thief was surprised he noticed-not like she did much with her hands these days, save sit idly around with nothing to do but learn history, or some other scholastic skills under his mother's tutelage. "It's not random. Stress and exhaustion cause it. Why?"

"You've seen several bondmaids beside the Elder, at this point. Have you ever watched them?"

"Watched them what?"

Althalos began ticking points off on his fingers-something Esme hand't seen done before, so she followed it more intently than the motion merited. "They don't drop things. The Aelfine don't accidentally run into them. They catch anything that's even remotely thrown near them. Frankly, they're frightening when playing war games. It's well known that the Aelif have poise and grace to spare, but they make us look awkward and clumsy. And then there's you. You're human, in this-clumsy at your best. I honestly fear you will break your neck one day just from walking."

"And at my worst? The lame have more dexterity, right?" She retorted this through gritted teeth, stilling her hands lest they betray her in this moment. Not that they were doing anything at this time.

Althalos shook his head. "I knew this would upset you. You think I like sitting here saying nothing while you struggle with everyday things?"

"Then why bring it up now?!"

"Because I want to help you in more than just babysitting this thrice-cursed bond. Because I like to puzzle things out. Because research is fun. Hell, because you deserve more than a body that fails you."

That startled her. The idea of deserving more or less than she had in life was the undoing of many a young thief. Resentments often couldn't be afforded but this was a wholly different world. "Deserve is such an odd thing. And honestly, I don't know if it will improve, but I certainly won't be able to challenge those failures without actual challenges. Especially if you are coddling me."

They didn't share a bed that night-not with how much further their argument ran before they both stormed off into different rooms to calm down before dinner.

In the king's presence they managed to sit a bit more apart than usual, and Esme experienced the true use of false flirting-finding ways to skewer her lover, leaving her feeling both justified and dirty. One night of this behavior was enough for her, though, as Althalos refused to do the same-and refused to rescue her from the games she played, either, leaving her to bow out of when it ran a tad too serious for her taste. Her sense of fairness couldn't stand what she became that night-and that without a single kiss or any other misplaced touch.

It took three days before he joined her. Esme kept her word, an didn't ask a thing of him at that moment, as they fulfilled the bond.

It was under this tension that Truebell finally called them to meet with him.