Part 2:

This is more familiar territory to the three of them. Tenir nods, confidence filling his stance as he waves a hand for his guards to stand back and readies his poleaxe.

As soon as he's steady, Korana strikes, snaking forward to snap at Tenir. He spins to the side, stabbing at her shoulder, but she's already shifted and his blade skates along her scales. "Barely a tickle," she says, sweeping her tail around to knock his feet from under him. He jumps it and goes for another slash. "Surely you can do better than that?"

"Excuse me for--" he dodges a gust of flame and goes for her wing, scoring a line along its softer surface "--being a little tired after the journey."

"You're right, very uncourteous of me." As she watches the duel continue, neither side achieving more than glancing blows on the other, Melisana is suddenly struck by the realisation that Korana is playing. Even by the standards of their last fight, in which Korana had held back her strength, there's an air of performance to her movements, the motion of her wings and horns and tail more demonstrative than genuinely intending to hurt.

And like the first few pebbles that provoke a landslide with their fall, that thought links up with the thoughts of Korana cleaning her lair, of her making her hoard more prominently visible, of her polishing her claws, even of how frequent her kidnappings have become until the realisation thunders into place. Korana is flirting. By very obviously draconic standards, and Melisana has to wonder if Tenir has also picked up on it - although he's admittedly rather distracted at the moment - but there's no doubt in her mind what's going on here.

And Tenir... if he has picked up on it, he doesn't seem too opposed to the situation. His eyes are steely, but there's that smile he wears when he's training against the other guards back at the palace and he's enjoying the fight, and she's seen him when he's fighting for real. He's grim and silent, with none of this back-and-forth banter.

He's started to lag though, his strength sapped by travel, so Melisana steps forward and calls out, "Korana! A moment, if I may?"

They both draw to a halt and Tenir takes the chance to surreptitiously catch his breath. Korana doesn't look pleased. "What? This is part of your negotiations, princess. Is this a wise move on your part?"

Melisana holds her head high. Korana might prefer negotiating with Tenir for her own reasons, but Melisana is a diplomat in her own right. "I have a counter-proposal that I believe you may be interested in," she says, slipping into the formal language forms she uses when meeting with foreign heads of state.

That catches Korana's attention and she settles back a little. "Go on."

"It is clear that this arrangement, by which I mean you kidnapping me and Sir Tenir negotiating for my return, is a pleasing one to you. But I believe the initial situation has changed slightly and the part you value most now is not the prospect of more riches but instead the thought of facing Sir Tenir in battle. Is this an accurate observation?"

Tenir draws in a sharp breath but says nothing. Korana bares her teeth in what's definitely both a grin and a threat. "It is. And what of it?"

Melisana spreads her hands wide. "This is the goal of your ambitions, and yet you have never faced Sir Tenir at his finest due to the arduous journey he must take to reach us. Would it not be more enjoyable if instead of the three of us participating in this charade indefinitely, you could instead meet and duel on neutral ground after he has regained his strength?"

"Perhaps." Korana looks at her evaluatively. "What benefit do you gain from this though?"

"Aside from being able to return to peaceful rest in my own bed?" Melisana replies dryly, and Korana laughs. "My continual kidnappings are disruptive and squander resources that can be put to better use elsewhere. I propose that our queendom would gift you an amount of coin and goods each season as well as granting Sir Tenir time each fortnight to duel you at Varkan Fields, and in exchange you would no longer kidnap me and would have unhindered passage throughout our land. Would that be acceptable to both you and Sir Tenir?"

"That would be acceptable to me," Tenir says with a little smile, his shoulders relaxing and the end of his poleaxe coming to rest on the ground.

"And to me," says Korana. "There's more to this though, isn't there?" The cunning gleam in her eyes challenges Melisana to say out loud what they both know.

"You find him attractive, don't you?" she says bluntly and Tenir chokes in surprise.

Korana throws back her head as she laughs, flame spilling from her jaws. "I do. I would not take him as my mate, but for dragons, there's a connection of the heart in fighting someone without intending to hurt them. Dueling as we do brings me joy."

"I... I must admit I also enjoy our sparring, lady dragon," Tenir says, sounding a little embarrassed. "I hadn't realised it was how your people show affection, but I'm not opposed to it."

"We are decided then," Melisana says firmly. She borrows Tenir's dagger to nick her palm, holding it out to Korana as the dragon mimics her action with her claw and mingles their blood as vow. "I'll speak to my mother about all this and make the necessary arrangements."

A final grin and a leer spreads across Korana's face, Tenir blushing at the sight of it. "Then I'll see you soon, my knight. You'd best be ready."