Marik stood in the doorway, still dressed in his plain shirt from earlier, a grin tugging at his mouth.
"Before you scold me," he began, holding up his hands, "I come in peace. I just wanted to return this."
He held out her small dagger.
"You forgot it in the garden," he said. "I thought you might want it back."
Jasmine blinked, sitting a little straighter. "That's hardly a reason to come to my chambers, at night."
"Maybe not. But then, I've never been good at following rules."
"Clearly. You were supposed to return to your quarters."
"I was going to," he admitted, moving closer, "but I remembered you'd left this behind, and it didn't feel right leaving it there."
He placed the dagger down again, deliberately close to her hand.
"Goodnight, Princess."
He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him at the door. "Marik."
He looked back.
"Why did you really come here?"
He hesitated. "Because I wanted to see if today meant anything to you… or if it was just another game."
