He managed not to jerk at the unexpected words, but the bard still tensed, the notes of the harp lingering in the silence that followed the statement. He knew that voice, though he'd only heard it once, and he forced himself to relax as he tilted his head back to smile graciously at the woodland monarch, at ease upon her living throne. "You are looking positively enchanting again today, great Lady," he murmured, knowing that while flattery didn't get one everywhere, it rarely hurt to compliment those to whom favors were owed.
"Your words are kind, indeed. I will not pretend my skills are humble, but I am glad that they bring you pleasure. You have been much on my mind since last we met... both your beauty and the assistance that you granted to myself and those with me. In fact, I was hoping I might find you amidst your leaf-crowned court." He cocked his head to the side while looking up at her, squinting against a sudden spangle of sunlight across his eyes. His smile was demure but holding an edge of mischief as he coaxed a liquid trickle of notes from his harp, echoing the song of a nearby bird. "One good turn deserves another, as the saying goes among my people. In exchange for the help you provided, I have composed a song in your singular honor, lovely Arduinna. Would you care to hear it?"
Although outwardly confident, there was still a core of anxiety twisted around the warnings he had received from Sam and Ianto, and he waited with bated breath to hear whether she would accept his offering.
"Your words are kind, indeed. I will not pretend my skills are humble, but I am glad that they bring you pleasure. You have been much on my mind since last we met... both your beauty and the assistance that you granted to myself and those with me. In fact, I was hoping I might find you amidst your leaf-crowned court." He cocked his head to the side while looking up at her, squinting against a sudden spangle of sunlight across his eyes. His smile was demure but holding an edge of mischief as he coaxed a liquid trickle of notes from his harp, echoing the song of a nearby bird. "One good turn deserves another, as the saying goes among my people. In exchange for the help you provided, I have composed a song in your singular honor, lovely Arduinna. Would you care to hear it?"
Although outwardly confident, there was still a core of anxiety twisted around the warnings he had received from Sam and Ianto, and he waited with bated breath to hear whether she would accept his offering.
