by gods, things had changed. their lives had been wild and unforgiving, raw and ragged and swarmed by chaos like some sort of pitiful tragedy. the exodus had simply been the icing on the cake -- the cherry on top of an already rocky road for the woman and the rest of her family. it had forced ambrosine and manes to come to a quicker conclusion on their quarrel that she had previously intended, agreeing to put the past behind them and move on, to new lands and a new start. unfortunately, in reality, it was hardly so simple to just forget what had happened -- and, yes, the parisian's thoughts occasionally wandered back to the dramatics of it all, mulling it over within her head like a fresh wound.

if anything, now that they were a little more settled into this new valley, ambrosine longed for the warmth of simpler times spent with her husband, blissful and sound and stable. and so today, she settles along the edge of the beaches, looking out towards the cay before tilting her head back and calling out for @Manes' company. hopefully he was nearby, and would indulge his lover with some personal time.

manes knew that a lot had happened since their last night together. ambrosine had found out information he had wished to keep secret for the time being about his relation with hecuba, and they had lost their home to the damn bastard rogues. not only that, but drakon had succumbed to the strength of sarthak and had lost his life on the battlefield, only to be revived by hanneth. their world had been turned upside down, and now they were in a new and unfamiliar land.

an air of uncertainty sat on the king's shoulders as he moved through the salty air which surrounded amani cay. the call from his wife was unexpected, but one he would not ignore. whilst they still had their differences, and had agreed to disagree, he was happy to be in her company. before arriving to heed his wife's call, manes cast his mind back to the night in which the duo first met. sparkes had flown, mysteries had been forged and their fate had been merged by the gods. but now, it was as though the sparkles had been quashed, the mysteries solved and the fate lost to the clouds. this small yet significant realisation troubled the gargoyle.

manes entered the beach clearing through the sparse foliage and soon found @Ambrosine, who was looking out into the horizon from the shore. releasing a sigh, manes shook his mane (hah) and took the opportunity to stalk up to his wife, and when the time was right -- placed a gentle, delicate and intimate kiss upon her neck. "you called?" he mused, aiming to wrap his body around hers where she'd allow.

""

ambrosine's mind is muddled mess of thoughts, memories, and reminiscing muses -- so much so that she does not hear @Manes approaching from across the sands, nor expect the tender embrace that is swaddled across her figure. she reacts instinctively at first, solely a product of her surprise, until her smaller frame settled in against his, fitting as perfectly as ever, as she arches her chin up towards her beau.

she still recognized him, but parts of it were muddied, clouded by newfound distrust and uncertainty. she couldn't help but wonder if he thought the same of her -- but dwelling was not ambrosine's intention, not if new horizons were nearly within their spread, ready grasps. she spared no love nor mercy for her husband, and believed that to be a virtue in-and-of itself. "i'm tired, manes." she admits finally, arching her neck so that the top of her skull pushed back against the plush of her chest. though it was not pity the dieudonne woman was after; it was understanding, it was fealty, it was solidarity. she could already feel herself cracking beneath the weight of it all, and she knew that it would not be a meek woman who emerged from behind battered and broken walls.

It is nice, Manes admits to himself, to feel the touch of his wife as she melts into his form. It had been some time since the pair had been able to simply enjoy the intricacies of their marriage without the interference of a troublesome matter. The night wrapped around them as though they were nothing more than insignificant beings, lost to the fate that the gods above them had set out for them.

Words passed her lips and Manes pulled her closer, hoping that the simple yet significant weight of shared contact would relieve some of the stress that seemed to weigh upon her bones. But it were the words that slipped from the Dieudonné's lips that caused Manes to lean into his wives frame and engulf her further into a hug. Me too would not cut it, but perhaps - "I'm sorry," - would. Manes knew that he was in the wrong, and there was very little he could do to make it up to his wife. "I need to do more," He murmurs, but then picked up on something: Ambrosine needed comfort, support, and understanding. Though what he needed to say - what he was supposed to say - escaped him. He'd never been good at this stuff.

After a moment, a sigh escaped his lips as he slumped down a little, allowing his form to shrink ever so slightly. The weight that the married duo seemed to have hanging upon their shoulders had been weighing them down, more than they had even realized. They had come so far, but yet it felt as though they had fallen. "Ambrosine, what I did to you is unforgivable. But I..." He trails away for a moment, looking off to the right-hand side, before bringing his crown back to the centre of the foreground in front of them. "...I haven't been completely truthful with you."

Manes was well aware that this statement would cause Ambrosine to become hostile, but the man remained calm and spoke in the hope that she would allow him to explain. His thoughts moved back to the discussion he had had with Ademt just before the rogues had attacked and things had gone severely wrong. "When I arrived into the valley, I was a broken man. I had lived a life of hatred, betrayal, pain and hurt. I created an alias - Manes - to start afresh. Truth is, I was born to horrible parents who forced me into slavery. My sister - Imajane - was taken away from me and since then I've struggled to trust. I managed to escape my home, but was attacked by a band of rogues. A lion called Knave helped me heal, but he betrayed me when he ran away with another woman." The Talgrim paused for a moment, watching Ambrosine carefully to gage her reaction. "I went by Manes to forget my past. But my real name is Hanoren... I-- I don't want this to change our marriage," He states, well aware that this could break them. "If I am unable to show the love I have for you by revealing my true name and my past to you, then perhaps I never will. No one else knows this about me, but I wanted you to know." Where would they go now? Manes was incredibly unsure: he'd put his heart on his sleeve and he had never felt so vulnerable as he did in this current moment.

""

her words had been so simple -- so simple, in fact, that she had not expected much in return in the way of reassurance or remarks from @Manes. but oh, he blows all of her expectations out of the water, first in small, apologetic waves, before a tsunami comes crashing down upon them. it brings a small shudder to the parisian's body, as her gaze twists up to meet his, heart thrumming lowly in her chest all the while. "i need you to be here, for me. i have never faltered with you, not even once." she says, less of a demand and more of a plea, vulnerability coating the breadth of her words. her intent was not to reprimand or guilt him further about what had happened -- but she had expectations, as a woman and as a dieudonne, for her husband. but then, his words continued, and they spiralled into a place that she had not even known existed.

"i haven't been completely truthful with you -- alias -- slavery -- imajane -- betrayed me -- my real name is hanoren -- i don't want this to change our marriage."
the words hit her like a freight train, each of them feeling like a blow to her chest as she physically, visibly, deflates at @Manes' dire confession. it was a tale of sorrow and of cruel fate, and ambrosine finds herself battling against feelings of betrayal and of sympathy, both flaring up across her chest. for a moment, she can do nothing but stare up at him, searching those familiar, cerulean pools, as if the answers to all her questions sat within them. "i wish you would have told me sooner. but, i --" she confessed, though her voice has a slight tremble to it that it foreign upon her tongue. "-- i understand. and i'm sorry that that happened to you." she understood. she understood and loved him still, partially because she had her own secrets burrowed beneath the cool exterior of her poise that she had failed to share before now.

"manes, i can not be angry with you about your past, because i also have hidden things about mine that i have not told you." it was ambrosine's time to confess to her sins, to be as transparent as she could with her husband. and then afterwards, the chips could fall where they may. "the dieudonne take our values very seriously. i was groomed to be matriarch every since i was born, but with our family name comes.. certain traditions that most are not accustomed to." she started, pausing, watching his expression intently, before continuing. "one of which is that my family has been, since the beginning of our time... cannibalistic." surprise! talk about dropping a bomb, hm? "it is an urge, an instinct, that some of us have. vermier feels it far more than i do, and i -- i have only done it once, to earn my name." tongue presses to the backs of ivory teeth then, not ashamed, but rather bracing for the impact of his reaction. "i am not a monster, or a savage. i hope you know me well enough to know that. but the dieudonne name carries a weight you should be aware of."

Manes watched @Ambrosine carefully, azure eyes studying the lilac tones of his wife's. She was disappointed in him, and for the first time the man simply couldn't blame her. He watches as she melts, exhausted and seemingly too fragile to deal with the tsunami of information that he had given her.

Silence falls between them, and the overwhelming feeling of guilt, despair, desperation, vulnerability and dread begin to build within his stomach. All of a sudden his mind is hyperfocused, and his mouth is incredibly dry. Did he know what to do in this situation? No. Did he want to be in this situation? No. But what he did know is that Ambrosine was the first lioness that he genuinely loved, and he would fight tooth, claw and limb to keep her in his life.

It seemed as though this conversation had turned into one of truths: Ambrosine revealed that she too had not been completely truthful, and it was time for the Talgrim to learn about the Dieudonné. Manes could only listen, pulling his paw around Ambrosine and hutching her closer to his clay frame.

Learning about the Dieudonné's cannibalistic traits made something click in his mind - Vermier's name-drop only further confirmed the switch that occurred in his mind. Maybe now it was possible for the Talgrim to understand Vermier more.

"My dear," He begins, nuzzling into her neck momentarily before pulling away to speak once more. "I love you. You are the first lioness I have ever loved, and the last I want to love. I want you - all of you -- regardless of what your family name carries." He explains. "I want to make a promise to you - right here, right now." Manes takes a moment to shift his weight, so that he could look at Ambrosine more directly.

"From this day on, I promise to be your husband, protector, lover, friend - everything you ever need. I also promise not to go behind your back with anything, and to tell you the truth always." He pauses for a brief moment, carefully watching for Ambrosine's reaction. "I also want to truly be a part of the Dieudonné family. My surname - Talgrim - means nothing to me anymore. My family is dead and my sister is missing. I haven't seen them in years. With your permission, I'd like to become a Dieudonné. Untraditional, I know, but--" At this point, Manes pauses and falls quiet in the hope that Ambrosine can process the information that he has offered her. The man wanted to prove his love, and he hoped this would be enough.

""