#what he DOES have is unconquerable stupidity. god bless.

[jeyneofpoole]

i would say ned stark was kind

and would you agree that ned stark effectively utilized his kindness by lying to his extremely trustworthy and dependable wife for the length of their entire marriage which drove a wedge in between them and led to a category five resented stepchild situation that domino effected into the 2ides 2ofmarch. also that time he took a child hostage from a mother who had just lost her other two sons, kept him in constant fear of execution, and made the hostage carry the sword that might one day cut his head off to all of the other executions where it cuts people’s heads off. would you say that.

[twinkleallnight]

I am sorry for the long break and thank you if you are still there looking for the update.

Marshmallow

Story till now: Drake has build up his individual life as a veterinary and is working at the royal palace. His childhood friends Liam( having a social season), Max ( sponsoring Riley) and Olivia ( a mystery, may be they had a past) are moving on in their lives. Drake has met Hana and is attracted to her but is confused. At the Beaumont bash he is seated with Hana and Olivia for dinner. God help him.!

For previous chapters: Catch up here

The Debate

Book: The Royal Romance AU

Pairing: Drake x Hana.

Word count: 1,681

Disclaimer: All characters belong to pixelberry.

Rating: Mature

Thank you @yourmajesty09 for beta reading!

“Hell, this is going to be one crazy night!” I shuffle in my chair with discomfort.

“Why now, Mr Walker? You seem to have forgotten too soon all the fun we had. Together.” Livy raises her left brow, an indication of an impending doom she is about to cast.

Hana clears her throat, making Livy shift her gaze and she aims at Hana now. “A very good evening to you too, Lady Hana! Your presence has not gone unnoticed. I wonder what your parents have to say for your blooming relationship with a commoner.” I wince at that but I think its better to ignore.

“He has shown more integrity than any of the nobles here. I am sure they will be pleased to meet him, not that it is any of your business.” Hana retorts.

Hana 1, Olivia 0.

I make a mental note and quietly sip the hot and sour soup in front of me.

The next moment Hana’s eyes are warm as she smiles at me. Her hand rests on my thigh. “He is a thorough gentleman. I have known him for six months now.”

“And I know him since I was six years old.” Livy says in a cold voice.

Olivia 1

“I am not counting quantity. It’s the quality time that matters. And I am blessed to have it all.” Hana keeps looking into my eyes, totally ignoring the fiery duchess. I try giving her the pleading look, in an effort to tell her about the unconquerable Nevrakis. In vain!

Hana 2 Olivia 1. I quietly stick to counting.

Hana seems to be unstoppable today as she continues, “We can talk anything on earth with each other.”

Livy cuts through, “We never felt the need to talk, it was understood.”

I groan but the girls are not even noticing me anymore. Livy continues her attack, “You sound like that stupid girl Anna hardly knowing her fake Prince Hans.” My eyes go wide, it’s unlike Livy to be quoting a fairy-tale. But she is not giving me any heed, and rather fans her hand casually at me with her sharp words. “Just because he moves around with a prince doesn’t make him a prince material”.

Hana “Why does only a prince complete a fairy tale? I am proud to have the one you call a commoner, to sum up my tale. And it’s not just about knowing him. It’s the comfort he gives me.

This is really hot and sour; I don’t know if I am relishing the sour taste of the soup or the heated talk between the ladies. Wait, how is this happening? Since when did I become so much important between ladies? Wasn’t this Liam’s routine?

I lose the count of the score of the debate.

----------

As the dinner wraps up, we are still at the end of the hall, standing near our table. Bertrand is bidding farewell to the king and queen as the formal party comes to an end. Liam is standing next to him with Riley on his side. They share a joke and smile at each other, lost in their own world.

Hana winds her hands around my arm and is unable to contain herself. “Aww they are so sweet together!”

Livy standing on my other side, still in bad mood says, “What’s sweet about it? Giggling like fools all the time.”

“That’s what love does. Makes you happy.” I finally speak. Livy's eyes narrow down on me and she storms away to stand with Madeleine ahead.

“So much for a peaceful dinner!” I sigh. “What’s gotten into you?” I chuckle at Hana.

She sniggers, “I wish she accepts herself. I don’t know what she is trying to hide behind her fierce look. She is sweet inside, isn’t she?”

My gaze settles at Livy's tall figure standing at a distance. Many fond memories of the soft- and warm-hearted girl I knew once, flood my mind. “ Yes, she has been the most caring and loving girl I have known as I grew up.” I place my free hand on Hana’s hands that are still clinging on to my arm.

We all move to the Grand hall for the after dinner festivities. It is more of chaos with everyone engaging in the revelry.

As Hana is pulled into a zig with Max and Riley, I excuse myself to the bar. Liam joins me in some time. “Enjoyed your dinner?” he smirks.

“Seems the king takes pleasure in pain of his subjects.”

He gives out a hearty laugh. “Your expressions were quite comprehensive. You should be glad you were left in one piece after that interaction with the Nevrakis Duchess.”

“I don’t know what I have done, to be her target all the time!”

“She is going through something, I guess. She should be back soon. Don’t worry.” Liam reassures.

“I wish I could help her.” I sigh. “But right now, I need to concentrate on something else.”

“Something or someone?” Liam asks.

“Yes, someone I mean.”

“And does this someone happens to be Lady Hana?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes boss! Hana it is. Since her last conversation with her parents, she seems to be more bold, more rebellious and aggressive.”

“And what are you scared of? Commitment?”

“I don’t know exactly. She is here on her parent’s behest who are looking for some prince or Duke or a lord as a match for her.”

“Well even my parents expected that. Marrying into a noble house. Yet, here I am…” he says fondly looking at Riley.

“Hana belongs to a very different part of the world, Liam, where it’s union of families and not just two people. The equations, the restrictions, the complications are all whirling up and my own feelings feel like being curbed under all those expectations.”

“Why don’t you take one step at a time? Start by speaking out your feelings first to the lady. You can deal with other matters later.”

“Hmm.”

“I think time to stop pondering and take some action.” He looks across my shoulder. I turn around to find Hana walking towards me. “All the best.” Liam whispers in my ear and walks away.

Hana sways smiling at me. “Hana, how much did u drink?”

“ Enough to forget the worries and enjoy the moments.”

I look around and find that most of the guests are falling off one by one. I sit with Hana at the bar as she continues saying silly things in her tipsy mood. After few more shots, she manages a sprig of mint from the bartender and starts plucking out the leaves. “He loves me, he loves me nottt, he loves me, he loves me….”

“Hana, what are you trying?” I interrupt by holding her fingers plucking at the leaves.”

“Shhh! I am trying to find out if Drake loves me.” She whispers a note higher.

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“He won’ttt tell me.” She says with extra emphasis on the T.

“How do you know that if you never asked him?”

“His horse told me. You know his favourittte one. Amber. She told me aaaall.” Hana dragged her last word.

“And just how did this Amber tell u all?”

“As a matter of facttt, she neighed.” Hana explained in worldly wise manner. How can she be so cute and stupid at the same time, I thought? Drunk Hana is cute!

“She said that he won’t tell?” I am finding this charming.

“Yessss.”

“Well, I think you should try asking him once. I am sure he won’t hide.”

“He won’tttt.”

“Nope.”

She suddenly straightens up, “Drake Walker, do you…”

“Not here, Hana. Not now.” I literally snub her. I am rather taken aback by her action. I am scared. I need to accept.

She pouts her lips and slumps back on her stool. I cover her tiny hands with mine and look into her honey orbs.

“Talk to him when you are sober and I promise he will open up to you.”

“Promisss?” Her eyes sparkle.

“Promise!”

Soon it’s just the hosts, Liam and Hana left around me.

Hana takes another shot that Max offers. “Hana, I think you have had enough.” I try to warn her but she is distracted by Max as he starts bragging about his peacocks that he has as pets.

“Aww, that must be so cute.” Hana squeals like a child. “Wǒ ài xióngmāo. Tāmen zuì kě'ài”

“Hana, English please. None of us understands Chinese.”

“Panda, I would love to have pandas as pets. They are cute."

Riley hugs or I may say literally hangs with her arms around Liam’s neck as she purrs, “No one is as cute as my blue -eyed beauty.” She pinches Liam’s cheeks.

Amused, Liam looks at me, “Guess we are the only two sober here.”

“I am awake and in senses too.” Max

Hana swings on my arm. “Would you like to have pandas?” She bats her eyes innocently at me.

“Sure, we can talk about it later. We need to get you back to the palace now. It’s late.” I push towards the exit.

Riley is ecstatic as she stands with Max to see us off while we get into the limo.

Hana cuddles up to me and Liam sits across grinning at me.

Hana’s eyes are almost drooping as she lifts her head and nails it, “Drake, I wanna be your duck!”

I slap my forehead and instantly plead, "Hana, you are better talking Chinese please.”

Liam has covered his mouth and is unsuccessfully trying to control his laughter. Max is doubled over, laughing out while Riley tries to decipher what just happened. I wish everyone was as drunk as Hana at that moment. She tilts her head on my shoulder and shuts her eyes blissfully. Thankfully the vehicle moves and I am relieved.

By the time we reach the palace Hana has passed out. Liam helps me by directing us through the backdoor entry so that no one notices as I carry Hana in my arms to her room.

I tuck her in her bed and quickly retrieve to my room.

My phone buzzes with a message alert.

I keep my phone aside and crash down in the bed. I groan and speak to the walls, 'Good night Livy. Dont have the energy right now for the debate.'

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[lunelantern]

~Sasusaku analysis ~

~Sasusaku analysis ~                                ~~ Sasuke and Sakura - - pair analysis ~~                                            ~THE BRIDGE SCENE~                            (Team 7 Reunion - - after the Five Kage Summit)

                                ---PART 2---

The bridge is broken it can't connect she can't reach to him.

"Why would you want to join me?", again, shockingly and amusingly, it's Sasuke who initiates the dialogue in such a personal and intimate note. He knows about her underlying intentions, he's inwardly insulted by her rather cowardly act (to moor to such a precious past memory of sincerity from him as a deceiving tool to kill him) and yet he still doesn't snap.

He's severely injured, his weakened, he's tired, he's bleeding, he is almost blind, he is running out of time, he's chased by strong shinobi, enemies are on his tail, the Kage are probably rushing to get their hands on him, he has all the reasons in the universe to cut any trifling conversation short and vanish from there.

But no!

No, he takes his time to chatter with Sakura who, hypothetically speaking, means nothing but a severed and unimportant past bond to him.

This only proves that Sasuke cares SO MUCH about Sakura that he's actually rendering his running-out time to silence and takes his time to explain their differences to her, as she seeks to still reel in confusion.

Using personal, intimate phrases with such a tone in his voice like he's her lover. The tragi-comedy derived from this act is bittersweet humorous and very theatrical. And so unlike the conniption that Sasuke normally displays.

This time, the reader is directly introduced into the manga to increase the tension and the feelings of the moment. Unlike the first time when no one was present, not even the reader when the departed from the village, ar have Karin as a witness hut she's the voice of the reader. And so we as the audience can have full access to feel the built up drama of the moment. We feel the pain and angst and haunting anticipation churning in our own hearts as viewed through Karina's lenses (a metaphor for letting us know that we could also be seeing a distorted, false representation of what transpires between them _the manga wants to confuse us even more).

"What are you trying to pull?" he flat out warns her to proceed with cautious when touching memories that he treasures deeply as thru are iconic and holy to Sasuke (he tells Danzo "do not talk to me about Itachi, as per reference to how Sasuke doesn't react well when someone touches something that's untouchable and sacred to him). Also letting her know first-hand that she can drop her act of deception because it will never work with him.

It's a double insult. Not only she's ridiculing a precious memory but she is also mocking his shinobi skills.

He's still calm yet which speaks volumes for how easily his conniption flames when provoked. It proves that Sakura is definitely someone of utter importance to him, someone very special if he's that patient with her.

What is she trying to achieve by appearing before him in this morn of the biggest manga conflict? Why does she stand before him with so much inner turmoil?

Sakura's confusion shows the difference between them. "I have no ulterior motive!" she knows that it's pointless to deny it and she'll only make herself look ridiculous in his eyes using such cliché and feeble deceiving methods to corner a top-tier shinobi like Sasuke. Also, her words could be interpreted as the respond to what Sasuke inwardly tried to ask as she lets him know that, in spite of any linger animosity that separate them, she's honest when she says she wants to be with him.

She suggests that her love is still honest despite their differences which seem to be unconquerable as per now.

She changes everything with her very next answer. "ever since you've left the village I've regretted not going with you!" this is exactly where the genius of the author unravels. How makes the transitions between conflicting emotions flow in  effortlessly sublime cursively description.

In the blink of an eye, Sakura as provoked by Sasuke's conflicting reactions and his TOO personal approach - he's even more direct and overtly more mature and less censored with her than his 12 years old boy self in the evening of his puberty, let her emotions fly free form her heart, like setting a caged nightingale free from its golden cage.

And so, the atmosphere shifts along with her.

She is one hundred percent SINCERE.

This is her speaking form the bottom of her heart like an apology and a confirmation to Sasuke that she isn't trying to invalidate or make fun of his "thank you" and tarnish their precious moment.

She regretted not being able to leave with him, she was broken by his departure, she was desperate not to lose him and she had lived with that haunting pain of losing someone she loves up to today.

Not being with him is something that she still desires. She loves him even now and Sasuke sees it.

He feels her honesty, she unclad from her veneer of shinobi deception and shouts to him words that come straight from the bottom of the heart of a woman who loves him. Her melodious voice is laces with the familiar despair as a torment and pain renders Sasuke speechless.

If Sasuke doesn't know what's like to lose someone you love, then no one does.

Nagato teaches Naruto that pain (negative emotions) have a stronger impact than love (positive emotions), for they have the transcendental power to bring two people together as brothers.

And it's exactly this pain which now e wreaths Sasuke and Sakura with invisible threads, creating a bond.

Sasuke knows the pain of losing someone and Sakura wholeheartedly confesses that she still harbors the pain of losing him - - the pain of distance between lovers - - in her heart.

The two following panels are illustrative and speak for themselves to support Sakura's words. Karin portrays the shock that her words produce in the eyes of the audience and cementing Sakura's perspective as Sasuke's lover - she appears before him as a lover and not Sakura the Leaf shinobi - and Sasuke's atmosphere soothes and softness.

Quietly, he let her words sink in for she touches deep parts of his bleeding hearts that were deeply buried under piles of broken mirrors and ashes, pain and remorse.

His facial expression is sweeter, softer, introspective and touched by the blurt of sincerity for her.

The drama unfolding between them is purely genius work of art in the finesse of its masterpiece execution. Sasuke is presented in such a moment, a furtive moment of sweetness and softness, right after he clashed with Danzo and had his fulminant near dead experience eight the Five Kage - - all moments when his spirit grew so fill of demons and darkness that stunned even Gaara and Danzo!

This is the real power that lies in Sakura's character. This is why she's one of the manga's pillar. Her symbolism, the heart-touching metaphor of her iconic character shines brighter than thousand suns: Sakura is the prosopopeia of the LOVE THAT HEALS.

Her love is sacred, holy. She represents the God's supreme sacrifice in the name of love, the supreme sacrifice done out of love to purge the entire sin from the world. Such love elevates, it's a blessing from Heaven, the Hand of God anointing the pitiful spirit of the mortals and imparting Forgiveness and Mercy.

Hers is the love that has been blessed with holiness. The power TO save the fallen angel from Purgatory and to RAISE THE FALLEN SOUL TO HEAVENS.

Such an irresistible force is capable to placate Sasuke as he stares back at her in silence. Speechless.

No visual prowess, no magical power, there's no human power that's capable to stay strong in front of such omnipotent and divine love. None!

Love is supreme, is holy, it's the liaison that God has imparted to mortals. The only anchor to reunite with God is love.

What follows is another stupendous craftsmanship of the authors genius and intelligence because we have the duality of Sakura's character conjoined in one single panel, but in reverse. She says: "I'll do whatever you want. I don't want to have anymore regrets."

Sakura realizes her moment of weakness in her previous moment of sincerity and hastily tries to ward those feelings off as they distract her from her purpose (she came with a strong resolve as a dutiful shinobi of the Leaf - - to kill an S ranked International criminal), and tries to correct her mistake, but in her haste, her next sentence is what cements her downfall.

She fails terribly and irrecoverably when she says: "I'll do whatever you want." This like led to her doom. She almost invalidated everything that's she achieved so far with this mistake.

And Sasuke instantly responds accordingly. He reverts back to his dark, furious self, he glares at her in sheer angst, furrows his eyebrows as a reference that he didn't like what he heard and mocks her darkly, punishing her for her stupid slip: "Do you know what I want to do?" implying that only a helpless fool would toss such a mindless offer to the enemy.

But... She was honest when she immediately added that "I don't want to have any more regrets."

Which means that no matter what an international criminal like him asks, she'll do anything obediently and willingly with NO regrets?! Sasuke seems like he won't let anyone ridicule the concept of pure love, not even Sakura herself. He can't stay passive and let her make fun of her own self. He won't forgive even her for making fun or taking what's precious to him lightly. "I won't forgive even you"

He punishes her for both her mindless assertion of staining the sacrosanct image of love AND for attempting to fight a shinobi of his caliber using such sheer stupid machinations.

Even the fact that she manages to infuriate Sasuke so much proves that Sakura means more to him than the eyes can see. Otherwise she won't be capable to elicit such strong emotions from him. If she was someone unimportant Sasuke would have disposed if her like nothing. One doesn't get angry at someone or something if it doesn't evoke strong PERSONAL feelings.

Ironically enough, the fact that Sasuke reacts so vehemently is a solid proof of how much he loves Sakura.

The fact that their feelings are mutual and their perfect communion and connection is revealed by the parallelism of their expressions: when Sakura is sincere, Sasuke's expression softens. When she is deceiving and rough with him, he scowls and his tone turns dark, dangerous and calloused.

"Do you know what I want to do?" Sasuke's forewarning words - - akin to saying "be careful what you wish for" - - delineate the end of their encounter as lovers. From here on out, the heart-jerking romance takes a dramatic turn.

From here on out, is a battle between two shinobi with Sakura doing everything wrong because she can't find balance between the shinobi and the woman in love. True to Zabuza`s words, she can't mask her inner feelings and act as a heartless shinobi. She can't forgo being human.

And Sasuke is taxing her for every single mistake. If she wants to face him as a shinobi, then he'll act exactly like that, both psychologically and physically and he's million miles away ahead from her, excelling in both.

He responds to her attempt to  psychologically corner and weaken him with words so crushingly sincere that pierce the knife of terror and fear so violently straight to her heart, revealing exactly what his intentions are: he wants to crush the world she lives in ("I want to destroy the village and everyone inside").

Sakura isn't stupid or naive as she knows that Sasuke isn't either. She knows that if she plunges at him directly at him wearing her heart on her sleeve, she stands no chance.

So her only hypothetical chance is to use deception and intelligence to try and lure him into a clever trap which is hard because there are so many elements that she doesn't know about this new Sasuke. She doesn't know the real level of his current powers, she doesn't know how smart he's become, he doesn't know what's capable of, he doesn't know his heart, he doesn't know anything about THIS Sasuke anymore - - he left as a child and now he's an adolescent.

Her only chance would be a prolonged tactical battle in which she keeps at distance and tries to gain Intel on him.

Practically, no matter how insanely intelligent, resourceful and strong Sakura is... She stands no chance against him. None.

And she knows it.