This chapter has been edited due to content. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.
People seemed to think that makeup is merely a thing for women. But if you ever hoped to go in front of the camera, you had to at least put a little on. What the human eye picked up and what the camera picked up were usually two very different things.
At the moment both Emilia and myself were being prepped for the interview. Over the years I had learned how to just sit as the makeup artist went about their duties. As a man I luckily didn't have to have the amounts my love had on her. The majority of my preparation time was taken up by making sure my hair looked good. And the man I got this time would not shut up about my bald spot.
I looked over at Emilia who had a woman that seemed to be very sweet. They were chatting and joking while I had to endure my punishment. I did my best not to show that I wanted to run away. Or at least push the man off of me.
"I think we're good." The man said after looking me over for the fourth time. "Are you sure you want to wear that outfit?"
"I think he looks dashing." Emilia replied.
"I would not expect a girlfriend to say anything else."
"As a boyfriend, I can't disagree with the love of my life." I said and gave her a wink.
"Luckily for you I didn't come prepared with anything." The man replied with a sigh. "Hopefully your fans are too enamored of you to think twice about that outfit."
I stepped out of the chair and waited for Emilia to be finished. The man that had worked on me was fully focused on making sure his area was clean. I didn't expect to be friends with him, but he still seemed to react extremely coldly. Finally my love was done and I took her hand to help her down. The fact she barely had to hop down made us both laugh.
"You are horrible, Iain." Emilia said with a large smile.
"And would you have me any other way?" I asked.
"I wish I could."
We walked hand in hand to where the interview would take place. The room we were going to was just big enough for lights, cameras, and a few chairs. This interview would likely air on a website or two. Of course the intense fans would find it and distribute it around the internet. I focused on my breathing as I tried to calm down.
"You've done interviews before." Emilia said as she noted my nervousness.
"Yeah, I have." I replied. "But this is the first one I'm going to with a girlfriend. The first one that might start more rumors."
"We can deal with rumors. Nowadays they're not that bad because we've learned to deal with them."
"And because the rumor mill has died down from what it was before."
"What can people possibly say that they haven't said before? Any new rumor will just be a rehash of old ones no matter what comes out of this interview. You can do this."
"Why aren't you more nervous?"
"You know I am."
"But not like me."
"Because I have you."
A smile tugged at my lips as I did my best not to cry. Emilia meant more to me than I could ever say. Her coming to my trailer that first time and us ******* for the first time was the best part of my life. I had held back hope for so long as there was no chance she would end up with me. She was so youthful and I so old. Yet she loved me in a way I had never expected. It was amazing to see that she felt the same way about me.
"Doesn't me being next to you mean anything?" Emilia asked and put a hand on my chest.
"It makes me stand next to you right now." I replied. "It makes me try harder than I have ever done."
"Would you have ever done this for one of your other women?"
"Never. They meant nothing to me but a good ****. I wouldn't have bothered to rush to an interview. ****, I wouldn't have even driven them to the airport. I would have called them a cab since I'm not an asshole."
"What if they were afraid about the interview?"
"No, not even then. Why would I care so much for a person that I would inconvenience myself like that?"
"Will you ever not do things like this for me?"
"I always will. I always want to be this way with you."
I put both my hands over hers and closed my eyes. Everything would go okay. There was nothing to worry about. Even if awful rumors were started because of this interview, she would be by my side. We had struggled with rumors and would have to continue to do so. She had even thought of leaving me and yet she stayed. Emilia had decided that even though being with me was a hard task, I was worth it. There was nothing to fear as long as she stayed by my side.
"Ms. Emilia Clarke?" A female voice asked and we quickly changed our positions.
"Yes." Emilia said as she stood calmly next to me.
"And this is..."
"Iain Glen."
"And what is his relation to you?"
"My boyfriend."
The woman rolled her eyes and looked down at her clipboard. I could see the interview room a short distance down the hall. I could also see a lack of caring in her eyes as she made sure I was also to be interviewed.
"Is there a problem?" I asked before I could hold myself back.
"Yeah, you're a last minute addition." The woman replied. "All the questions were formatted for Ms. Clarke."
"I'm sorry. I thought you were...everyone else seems angry. It's good to have my relationship with Emilia hated for such mundane reasons."
"And that is why I'm not in your shoes."
The woman nodded to herself and then lead us into the room. The walls were mostly black with a Game of Thrones poster that would be visible for the cameras. The seats were also black and looked highly uncomfortable. Lisa Forbes' expression confirmed my suspicion. Unless her look of utter distaste was common on her face. Her clothing was flashy and I doubted her professionalism. Good interviewers did their best to make you feel comfortable, she had no such plans. Emilia looked at me and I did my best to calm down.
"Do you need water?" Lisa asked.
From most this would seem a kind question, but from her it sounded like a reprimand. It was as though she blamed us for any mistakes we made today. She leaned back in her seat and went over some papers. I assumed they were the questions she was supposed to ask us.
"We're good." Emilia replied.
"Thanks for coming on such short notice." Lisa said dryly.
My girlfriend looked at me and I could see the strain it took for her to resist rolling her eyes. Lisa was extremely unpleasant and the interview hadn't even started yet. Finally the cameraman came in and gave us the countdown to filming. The instant the countdown finished Lisa became a totally different woman. Her posture indicated there was nothing more she wanted to do than interview myself and Emilia. Her smile took over her entire face and yet it was not creepy.
"Hello, I am Lisa Forbes and I am here with Emilia Clarke and Iain Glen." Lisa said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Both star in the hit show Game of Thrones which airs Sundays on HBO."
Her change in personality shouldn't have surprised me. I was an actor and so was she. Lisa just had to act good in front of the cameras and please enough fans. Neither of us had to be honest about ourselves. Unlike me she had taken that to the extreme. At least now I wouldn't have to deal with her dry voice. Until the cameras stopped rolling, that was.
"Emilia, Daenerys is your first big role." Lisa said in feigned interest that sounded more than genuine. "What has that been like?"
"It's been strange." Emilia replied with one of her signature smiles. "I never expected to have something so amazing happen to me. It's really strange people naming their daughters Khaleesi."
"Because it's not actually the name of your character?"
"Khaleesi and Daenerys are like the same name to me. So, no, it's not because they got my character's name wrong. It's the fact they feel so enamored by the story of my character that they essentially dedicate their child's name to me."
There was pride in Emilia's eyes and I couldn't help but smile. While I had some roles that most remembered better than others, none of my roles had ever put me in the public eyes like Emilia's role of Daenerys had. I was more than proud of her and maybe one day I could express all my feelings to her without sounding crazy.
"After Game of Thrones what would you like to do?" Lisa asked with another unending smile. "You have a lot of fans that will follow you to anything you do."
"I am really not used to having all those options." Emilia replied with a chuckle. "It is amazing how many people are inspired by Dany. I honestly don't know what I would like to do next. I might have to think on that for awhile."
"Do you think any role you get after Game of Thrones will be as successful?"
"I don't think so and I hope not. While I love the support, I would like to have a quieter life after the show. Don't get me wrong, I still plan to act but I want to focus on other things at the same time."
Emilia didn't bother turning her head slightly towards me, she looked at me in the eyes. She didn't care that anyone was watching. The intensity of her gaze told me that she wanted everyone to watch. She wanted everyone to know that she was mine and I was hers. That we owned each other's heart. Out of the corner of my eye I see Lisa looking uncomfortable at us. The short look was quickly replaced with an expression of being moved.
"I can see why you'd be moved by Iain Glen." Lisa said once we looked at her. "Iain, what do you think about playing a character who is constantly seeking Dany's affections and in real life you are dating the actress?"
Here was a question prying into my private life. How dare Lisa think she had any right to my relationship with Emilia. I did my best to keep a happy expression on my face so as not to give Lisa any rumors to spread after this interview. I couldn't be outwardly defensive or else I'd make the woman much too happy.
"I think Ser Jorah Mormont's motives extend beyond simply wanting Dany's affections." I replied with a false smile on my face. "He does want to make love to her, there is no doubt about that, but he also believes in her. There is a lot more going on below the surface than a simple love story."
"And is that reflected in your relationship with Emilia?"
"We aren't our characters so there are some differences. I do find it amusing, though, that we do bear some similarities to our character. Luckily Dany's innocence isn't something she shares with Emilia."
Emilia slapped me and we laughed. From her eyes I could tell that she was the only one that could notice my nervousness. For a few moments my love called me nasty and I kissed the top of her head. With a shared smile we turned back to Lisa.
"Lots of people have wondered why you got with Iain, Emilia." Lisa asked. "What made him more lucky than his constantly friendzoned character?"
I felt my pulse increase as the intrusive question was asked. She had worded her question as cruelly as possible without being overt about her opinions. The only thing that kept me half-way calm was the fact it could've been a question she had to ask. She and I were both actors though in different capacities, after all.
"Jorah is not being friendzoned because he's an adult and actually cares about Dany's feelings." Emilia said and I could hear how hard she was restraining herself. "He's not like some jerk who's only friends with you because he wants to have sex with you. As for Iain...it was a relationship that had been brewing for quite some time. Finally we decided to actually go forward with our feelings."
"Who made the first move?" Lisa asked and I couldn't tell if she had been insulted or not.
"Iain kissed me after we had filmed the scene where Dany banished Jorah. The scene had been hard for me as it was one time I totally disagreed with my character. As she was telling him to go away, I wanted to pull him back so he wouldn't leave my side."
"Would you say you were vulnerable during that time?"
"You're asking if he sexually assaulted me? No, he didn't. He was a gentlemen and I didn't know if he would even take the plunge to kiss me. He was taking that long."
I wanted to kiss Emilia for her reply. It had been quick without a moment wasted. She had defended both myself and my character. She had kept me from lashing out. The implication I had sexually assaulted Emilia had been way out of line. The assumption that the only reason I could get with Emilia is if I raped her was disgusting. It took all my strength not to give Lisa a piece of my mind. A very loud and angry piece of my mind.
"I was shy, I admit." I replied with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Emilia is so...out of my league I think the term is. She could have any man she wanted and she chose me. It seemed much too good to be true."
"And I have to keep telling him why he is the perfect man for me." Emilia said. "Dany is seriously an idiot for not seeing what is right in front of her. I mean, for god's sake woman, just give that body a test run."
Lisa, myself, and Emilia all burst out in a giggle. It seemed that my girlfriend had made our interviewer give her first genuine reaction the entire time we had been together. I guess everyone's cold exterior had its limits. Though shortly after we stopped laughing Lisa's false happy exterior was back up.
"So you would make a few changes in the show?" Lisa asked.
"That would depend whether or not Dave and Dan have anything planned for our characters." Emilia replied. "I don't know if we would make any changes if they're already going to have Jorah and Dany get together."
"A relationship or a one night stand?"
"I'd be okay with either one."
"You know there are rumors that you two are faking a relationship to hint at Jorah and Dany getting together."
"I am not that dedicated of an actor." I replied to take some of the burden from Emilia. "I am glad that my performances can move people into making these assumptions. But the truth is acting is a job and after filming stops I go home. Unless there are insanely dedicated actors out there, you shouldn't assume anything they do is to promote or hint at something."
"What about the rumors that Jorah and Dany will get together just because you two are together?" Lisa asked.
"I haven't yet got the script for next season. Even if I did read they got together, Dave and Dan do like their pranks."
"Would they really do something like that for a prank?"
"They would."
"That is sadly all the time we have for today. This has been Lisa Forbes with Emilia Clarke and Iain Glen."
Lisa continued smiling until the cameras stopped rolling. She let out a long sigh and stood up. I wanted to leave the room quickly but she deserved to be respected. She was doing her job and I was doing mine. She was getting an interview to get more publicity and Emilia was being interviewed to garner interest in the next season of Game of Thrones.
"Thanks for coming on such short notice, Emilia." Lisa said in a more human tone than before. "You're lucky to have Iain as your boyfriend. Not everyone would travel just because their girlfriend asked."
"Thanks for allowing him into the interview." Emilia said. "Though I think he wouldn't have minded being left out."
"I wouldn't have either. Do you know how many angry Tweets I'll get because you didn't admit Jon and Dany are perfect for each other? Fans are the one reason I will never go into acting. My current gig is bad enough."
"Then why do you do it?" I asked.
"Because it pays the bills." Lisa replied. "Now you need to get back home and I get to deal with post-production. Not as big as Game of Thrones, but it is tiring and just as many people watch. At least I'm hoping."
We shook hands and then we left. All I wanted to do was lie in bed and fall asleep. I smiled at Emilia as I realized our relationship was deepening. I wasn't craving sex like before. I still wanted to **** her so hard she couldn't walk, but the urgency was gone. Once both of us were rested, the ******* would commence.
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