Starring at her he did not know what to say. Her words were sensational. Her lips were lustful. Her entire figure was...breathtaking. Why now? Why must she spring something like that onto a man of such small self-control now? Looking at her, his blue eyes looking deep into her soul, he took a step towards her. "Then...who were you talking to Istara?" His words were just as sensational as her own had been, and soon enough he was standing in front of her, his eyes staring her down.

She placed the kitten on the bed next to her, standing too so that she was still looking up at him, but their bodies were a mere finger's-width apart. "Roland, who do you think I could be taking to," she said quietly, her voice deadly calm while her insides whirled with a tumult of emotions. "I am talking to the handsome and gentle prince who could have taken me by force at any second but instead shared a bed with me for warmth and then gave me two spectacular living, breathing animals as gifts. A prince who gives gifts to a slave. A slave who has fallen in love with her captor against all the odds that say it is impossible."

His eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, suddenly got stormy. Not that dark blue color that normal eyes were. Oh no, they were different. Stormy. Like the sky and ocean after a terrible storm and the seas were calming as if they were breathing in life again. "Me?" His voice was soft. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her. But he restrained himself. "You love me?" He really could not believe it as he took a step closer to her, their bodies pressing as one.

Her forest green eyes got lost in his gaze, this wonderful new blue color she had never seen before. "Yes, I do. I am sorry, I could not help but fall in love with such a one as you. You are graceful, handsome, tender, kind...noble in every true sense of the word. Can you blame me for falling for you?" she felt his body pressed against hers and wanted his lips to do the same. "Do you..." she couldn't finish, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.

Roland could feel her heart beat move against her ribs. Feeling the tidal wave of feelings rush towards him like a hurricane he felt as if he could no longer function, then, the words, the words that he had never uttered to anyone but her came out. "I do." He whispered. "I love you more then my words can describe. I wish I could write you a letter, but I would not be able to find the words that I direly need to say to express that same love...I love you Istara, the little moon in my sky."

She slithered her arms around his waist, drawing the two even closer as she continued to look up at him, her eyes beginning to betray her desire for him to kiss her. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest as she felt her breasts brush against him. She wanted a kiss from him, but she would not be the one to give it. "So...what do we do about that?"

He groaned, the sound coming from deep within his chest. "I’ll tell you what I'm going to do about it." The word 'it' barely got out as he pressed his lips to hers. He had no idea why he had waited so long to kiss her. He had no idea why he had tortured himself by making himself wait! So, his lips touching hers with a desire to burn the entire sky into lights, he groaned, pressing her small body against his large one, knowing that the will that had held strong thus far was crumpling.

She moaned softly into his kiss and returned it, her own lips pressing against his as she sought the solace in his arms that she desired. She kept kissing him, his body pressed against hers as her heartbeat skyrocketed and she moaned softly again.

His eyes, closing slowly, he knew that he was falling. He was falling into an endless black pit, and Istara was with him. His arms wrapped around her in an attempt to bring her closer. He sighed softly and then parted his lips, the tip of his tongue brushing against her lips, as if asking for entry.

She groaned and her lips parted to give him admittance, her tongue dancing with his as she gained access to his mouth. She sighed softly, almost moaning. They were one, together, and in that moment they were all that mattered. Her eyes were closed from the pleasure sweeping over her body as every part of him touched every part of her and her tongue dueled with his. It was a bliss she had never known before.

He groaned, and he knew that his body was growing too fond of hers. He slowly lifted his head and took in a deep breath. God, this was killing him. She was making roller coasters move throughout his thighs, stomach, and…other parts. "I..." He sucked in another breath. "Wow." Roland was really speechless, he truly was. He had never experienced something such as that.

Istara sighed softly and rested her head in his shoulder, still wrapped together against him. "I agree," she said softly. She sighed and closed her eyes, comfortable in the safety of his embrace. "Roland, do you mind if I sleep with you tonight?" And all nights to come? she added silently to herself.

God, I have to take a cold bath later, he said to himself and then nodded. "Of course," he said softly and then, kissed her forehead, his lips soft and gentle against her skin. "You can sleep with me whenever you please. Just say the word and we can suddenly sleep." He was rambling and he knew that. But damn it – she was killing him. His self-control was crumpling to dust under her will. "Are you hungry, love?" He whispered. "Do you want anything?"

She looked up at him, wondering if she should take the chance. Her emerald gaze studied him and she knew his self-control was weakening. If she said what she wanted to it would be gone completely. Was she really sure that she knew what she was getting herself into? No, she wasn't sure, but she couldn't wait any longer to find out. "You," was all she said, her voice tender, soft…and filled with longing. There, she had said it. He had asked her what she wanted and she had told him.

For a moment he did not move, then slowly he dipped his head and kissed her. Then, moving away once again he took in a deep breath. "Istara...you do not want me..." She couldn't handle him. She knew that. He knew that. She was not ready. That was what Roland repeated in his head to keep himself sane. "You do not want what I can give you. You are not ready to take it."

She stepped towards him and every step away he took she took another forward. Finally his back was against the wall and she placed both her hands on either side of him, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him, passionately. She then pulls away slightly and looks him straight in the eyes, remaining on her tiptoes. "My prince, I want you, and what you have to give me. Whether I am ready or not is something neither you nor I can judge. Just be gentle and tender, as you always are."

He knew then. He definitely knew that there was no taking her with gentleness. The next thing he knew he was kissing her. Kissing her with as much passion, gentleness, and love as he could muster. Roland, the Gentle Prince, knew that he was not going to be able to resist her. As he pulled her towards the bed he gently lowered her to it, taking off her shoes as he did so. "Istara..." He whispered against his lips, trying to hold his sanity for one last second. "Are you sure you want this?"

Istara nodded. "I thought about it, I love you, I am sure," she said softly, jade eyes looking up at him. She was a little scared, but that was only natural, as it was her first time. "Just be careful with me."

Dipping his head again, he kissed her. "I swear." He promised. "I will be as gentle as the sky is with the moon." He promised and then, gently, slipped his hand into her dress and moved it from her. His eyes, a deep blue color, stared at her in only her slip. She was breathtaking. More so even than the time he had accidentally seen her naked. Then, taking her hands, he brought them to go under his shirt, his cloak already on the floor in a pool.

She moved her hands up his chest then slipped his shirt off over his head and tossed it away to pile somewhere on the floor. The cat and dog were locked in the other room, so she knew they wouldn't be disturbed. She slowly reached out as if to undo his pants, hesitating for a few seconds before she did.

Pulling off his pants he smiled slightly. He was naked, and there was only a thin material separating the two bodies. "The moment of truth love.," He whispered as he picked her up and pulled her higher onto the bed. "Yes or no?" He really knew that if she said no then he would explode and would have to take out his...'frustration' on someone else.

"Yes," she said after a moment's thought, peeling off her slip and underwear, the last layers between them to let him see her naked, for what she thought was the first time. "Please Roland." She needed him; her body ached for him. This was all she knew.

"Hold onto me, Istara. It only gets better from here," he whispered softly. There was no room in their desire for foreplay, not this first night. That would have to come later. For now they had a burning need that must be satisfied. He held himself back for a fraction of a second longer, then plunged into her. He felt some resistance at first, and a moment of blind self-hatred, but then stilled. The only thing that stopped him from moving madly and happily through her warm depths was that he knew, he really knew, that she was feeling gut-retching pain.

Istara's fists clenched onto his arms and tears came unbidden to flow down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth, managing not to cry out for the pain, but only to spare him from hearing it. Once the feeling to cry out past she turned her head away from him to try and hide her tears and panted heavily.

"Are you…are you okay?" he whispered softly. He knew what he had just done. He knew that he had hurt her, and he hated himself for it, but he could not make himself withdraw. "Shh, it's okay, love. It's alright." He kissed her brow, her cheeks, trying to calm the invasion. "Just breathe, and the pain shall ease…" He then stopped, closing his eyes. "Do you want me to...stop?"

She tried to breathe and looked up at him, smiling encouragingly. "N...No, you can keep going, it will never get better until you do it more." She knew it would hurt but she hadn't expected it to hurt this much. She reached up and touched his cheek gently.

At that smile everything seemed to fade and disappear from around them. He knew that she was in pain, so, moving very slowly he stroked her in and out. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't. He moved slowly, so that her small frail body could get use to him.

She continued to breathe and as he stroked her, slowly and more gently now, the pain began to fade, though it did not fade completely this first time, nor did she expect it to. But finally she began to feel the pleasure he was causing to, and that began to wash out the feelings of pain for her. Softly, she moaned, then, "Roland..." The name was spoken with a kind of awe and it was sweet and tempting like honey.

His name was enough. "I know...I..." He closed his eyes tightly. Her body was clinging to his tightly and he didn't know if he could take it. "I know...I...I love you..." He continued to his slow pace, then, slightly faster, but still, as gentle as a dove. He knew that it would hurt her on her first act of love making, so he would allow it to be slow and simple. Even though his body was screaming to go fast and hard, his need was that great, he kept himself restrained to a pace she could handle.

"I ...love you...too," she said, barely able to form a coherence to even say something that simple. Slowly, her body started to ache for him, and she rocked gently against him, keeping pace with him, but getting double the pleasure from it. She couldn't even imagine how hard this was for him, she knew he needed it or he wouldn't have even entered her so roughly the first time. She moaned. "Oh Roland," she purred. The pain that remained was being canceled out by the tender waves of pleasure he was sending through her system.

He moved his hips and he knew that he was falling again. Falling into a black pit of love and need that he would not be coming out of any time soon. Taking in a deep breath he let it out raggedly and kissed her neck, needing to kiss her, needing to hold her. Needing to love her! Groaning against her feathery skin he felt his movements quicken and he knew that it wasn't his doing. It was his hormones.

She kissed his neck and then up to his lips before a gasp escaped her lips, her feather-light breath hitting his lips. She had felt his quickening and for a few seconds it sent yet another ripple of pain through her but then it washed away and she was rocking to him yet again, her body going slightly faster, ignoring the pain as she wound up, almost needing him to go faster to give her release.

His hips ground against hers, and every breath in came out in hot puffs. He knew that his release was coming, and it would be phenomenal. Groaning softly he continued to move, his eyes closed, a trickle of sweat moving down his brow. "Istara," he whispered, over and over again, he couldn't stop. He could never stop. But then, he could feel his body getting heavier.

Istara moaned as the waves of pleasure rocked through her body, her noises soft. Until finally, he caused her to release and she threw her head back, her body arching with the pleasure and relief of that final release. "Oh Roland!" she cried before relaxing and opening her eyes to look at him with a semi-awed smiled as she moaned as he continued, her gaze full of a deep love.

Feeling her body tighten caused it to happen; he released. His release was powerful and wild, but still utterly controlled. His head thrown back, he continued until he was finished. Then, his body collapsed onto hers. He was panting, his breath hot on her skin. He did not say anything though as he got off of her and laid next to her, looking at the ceiling as his breathing slowly stilled.

Her panting breath was rather audible as she managed to shift to rest her head on his shoulder. "Roland," she said after her breathing had calmed down a little bit. "I love you." She could feel the wetness in between her legs, most of it hers, a little bit his as a small amount had leaked out. She wondered how this could have happened, just as she wondered how it might be possible for a slave to love her master and vice versa. And then she gasped, feeling close to tears. That was the problem, a master couldn't love his slave...not when the master was the next king to be.

Hearing her gasp Roland slowly looked over. Seeing those tears, those wet, crystalized tears made him jump into action. His blue eyes widened. "Istara, what is it?" He asked. "Did I hurt you?" Sitting up he partially leaned over her, his eyes scrutinizing her beautiful face. "I'm so sorry love. I really am. I should not have done anything until you were ready." He felt so ashamed of himself, like the damned bastard that he was. Could anything make it worse?

Istara propped herself up just enough to wrap her arms around him, hugging him to her. "Oh no my prince," she said softly. "That is okay, the pain is part of that the first time or two until I get used to it. Hush, you did not cause me pain, no. My love for you it what causes me pain, for the next king…" she said and here she had to stop to collect herself to keep from letting the tears spill onto her cheeks. "The next king cannot love a gypsy slave." she finished softly.

Starring at her he gentle took her face in his large hands and kissed her forehead. "Listen." He whispered, his voice gentle. "I love you. That is all that is important." He skimmed his lips over her temple. "And the king can fall in love with whomever he wants to. It does not matter. I am the king and what I say is law." He promised, a loving smile on his lips. "So, stop those tears, and smile. I'm not going to let you go."

She leaned up and kissed him gently with a careful smile. "Okay Roland, I will trust you." She nuzzled her head into his shoulder and sighed. "I'm tired," she said, and yawned. She kissed him again before laying back down. "Can we sleep now?" She was sure some people walking past the door during that might have heard them but she didn't care.

He nodded. "Of course, my love," he whispered softly and took in a deep breath and laid back onto his back, pulling her closer to him, needing her – needing to know that she was there with him. "Hmmm. Pleasant dreams, my love," he whispered softly and then closed his eyes.

She mumbled, "I love you," before she snuggled up against him, body tight against his to drift off to sleep. The scent and feel of him lulled her, causing all bad dreams to fade away before they could even try to touch her.