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The Prince(ss) and the Pauper

A

Athenian

I lack all restraint
Well, you might have just fallen in love with a person who is decidedly not the prince you were supposed to marry to prevent devastating war. And she -yes, apparently you like women as well- might just happen to be one of the lowest of the low, a coach driver who sometimes doubles as a scruffy little bodyguard.


Things can't get that bad, right?


- - - - -


Arc 1 - (Maybe)First Meetings


Arc 2 - Midnight Sessions


- - - - -


Roleplay for @9forgotten and me! Please do not post if you aren't us, although lurking and stalking is fine. >v<b
 
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It was yet another one of visits to her dear betrothed's kingdom, something that seemed to formulate a sort of chalky, sour taste in Tae's mouth and a slight queasiness in her stomach that could only e remedied by her departure from the area. She had only seen her betrothed a handful of times besides, enough to count on two hands, as she had only started visiting her prospective husband at age seventeen. A little old, perhaps, but she had been -and debatably, still was- a petulant little thing. Tae stared out the window of her carriage, gaze flickering slightly as she tried to hold her view of the deep blue sky and hints of mountains in the distance through the crack in the otherwise curtained window. Maintaining a guise of sophistication and grace in her expression of studied nonchalance and relaxed but regal posture, her stance was more for the sake of keeping a habit than for actually upholding the stereotype of stiff, haughty royalty. She herself much preferred tunics to corsets, an the amount of frills... Tae wrinkled her nose in distaste, a hand going to pick at a section of layered lace just under her small pendant necklace. Forcing herself to stop picking at the cloth with one hand and drilling her fingers into the varnished wood of the carriage walls with the other, Tae merely shifted, sighed, and continued looking out the window, her annoyance at having to marry this prince and the exhaustion in her tired body forgotten for a moment.


Mired in her thoughts to the point that she barely registered the slowing and stopping of the carriage until we view of the sky and mountains beyond were finally unobstructed, her attendant that also doubled as a carriage driver whisking the door open for her and holding out a hand to help her down, adhering to royal etiquette. Stepping out and blinking a few times to get accustomed tithe sun now assaulting her vision, she gazed upon the expansive front gates of her betrothed's home. A person immediately caught her eye; perhaps it was the way that the sun reflected off of pale blonde hair and directly into her eyes, but Tae found her interest whetted by the strange ambiguity of the person's gender and social standing. If someone had told her that the were a baron from a neighboring island, she would have believed them; if one had said that they were a maid and servant bound to the castle, she would have believe that as well. Pulled out finger mulling and probably blatant staring by a familiar voice, Tae turned to find the regular attendant that usually welcomed her to the Yinkane kingdom, a short, waifish man by the name of Samuel Port, who was currently telling Tae about her living arrangements and schedule.


"The price would like you to join him for dinner at five tonight, and asked me to relay his utmost apologies for not being available to welcome you to the kingdom. He has prepared a room for you on the eat wing, as the room will be cool during the day yet warm during the night, perfect for this time in the summer. Also..." Port's voice lowered into a conspirators whisper, something that caused a barely-there flicker of amusement to flit over Tae's normally placid face.


"Oh? Do tell." She spoke blandly, polite but carrying no hints of warmth or coldness.


"Your old attendant... Well, your regular attendant must attend to ed mother, who was recently met with a strange ailment that has left he crippled. You have caught wind of the prince's recent conquests of some of the outer islands, correct?" A nod. "Well, your new attendant" -his eyes flicked over to Nyx and Tae raised an eyebrow in interest and curiosity. "Well, it's... She is a rehabilitated prisoner of war, I guess is the most clear-cut way to put this. He name is Nyx Ivory Draegan. The nuances you will most likely need to ask the prince, but... I do hope you are not dissatisfied by this change." His eyes were begging her not to be, to not put his own job and reputation in jealousy. Tae merely nodded, and the man hurried off, leaving just her, Nyz, and the guards, but distant statues to her.


Approaching, Tae scrutinized Nyx with a blend of caution, curiosity, and interest. "Miss Nyx." She uttered mildly, turning towards the door as she waited for the young woman to open it. It was only after a long pause, after Nyx ha begun leading her to herquarters that she spoke again, giving Nyx a short stare. "You are a prisoner of war, yes? Why did the prince spare you?" Quite blunt and to the point, Tae realized a split second after the words left her mouth that asking such a question in a deserted hallway was not a good move, rehabilitation or not. Holding up a hand, she shook her head slightly. "Ah, Apologies for my bluntness; simply a construct of my desire go knowledge. What I mean, is; how does a woman like you fun yourself working in the prince's castle? It must be for something special." Tae gave Nyx her full attention, a habit from meetings that meant Nyx would have to receive the brunt of her strangely muted stare, her emotions hidden so far that is was unclear if she was really interested or simply decreasing the animosity and awkwardness between them in hopes of lessening it when it came to threats on her life or things like needing to tie up her corsets and help bathe her.
 
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The young lady from whatever lands was coming again today and Nyx was not at all ready to do anything. She had no real interest in attending to yet another person, the Prince was enough for her. But here she stood, waiting at the front along with Mr. Samuel Port, waiting for the carriage that had the soon to be wife of the Prince she served. Dressed in her best clothes, which was basically nice pants and a plain shirt, sword at her side, she stood there patiently waiting. Mr. Port seemed overly nervous or something of the sorts and it greatly amused the young guard. Nyx mentally complained to the Prince, wishing he could be here to show around the lady and not her. Attending to ladies was far different than men, or at least from what she'd observed and Nyx really didn't want to relearn how to attend to someone.


Her thoughts were interrupted as a carriage rolled up and Mr. Port moved forward to greet the Lady. Standing there, she just waited until she was called to do her job. Being called and named a guard would've been much easier. Looking at the Lady as she approached and spoke to her, Nyx just bowed slightly from the waist as she was addressed. "You can just call me Nyx." she uttered lowly, opening the doors. Heading down the long halls, Nyx lead the way silently to the young ladies room, her long hair swishing back and forth in a quiet rustle.


The Ladies question startled her, Nyx hadn't expected her to even speak to her much but here she was, bluntly asking something in the middle of the halls. Glancing back at the lady, she blinked and wondered what she'd been told about her. Looking forward, she rolled her eyes slightly. "You don't have to address me in such a formal way my Lady. I'm just a lowly servant." Nyx responded, her voice echoing a bit off the quiet walls. She waited a few long moments, thinking briefly about her question before glancing back. Amusement glinted her in dark eyes briefly before they went blank and unreadable.


"I do not know what you have been told about me, but I wouldn't believe everything you hear. I work here for the Prince because I was told so. Nothing more and nothing less." she responded in an even tone. Nyx studied the lady walking behind her for a moment, wondering what she was trying to get at. Right away, the tall guard could tell she was quite good at masking things. Mimicking the Ladies look pretty well, Nyx turned forward and turned down the halls. "I wouldn't put much thought into it. There's no reason or need." Moving at a fair brisk pace, Nyx navigated the halls with ease before abruptly stopping in front of more doors. Turning to the other woman behind her, Nyx bowed slightly again.


"Here are your rooms. If you need anything, I'll be out here. If I'm not, I'm with the young Prince so just call for someone else. I hope you enjoy your stay." Nyx said before the Lady who's name she'd forgotten, could reply. Pulling her long hair around one shoulder, Nyx tugged at it a bit to unknot a small part of it before just standing outside the room. Looking at the other guards, she was tempted to tell them they could leave now but said nothing since she'd get into trouble for doing that.


In another room up a floor, the crown Prince was busy getting ready for the evenings dinner. Walking around he got dressed while barking quick orders to the staff, telling them what to do and reminding them they needed to act their best. Alister smiled to himself as he was finally ready, existing his room and heading down to where his servant should be standing.


Dressed in some of his finest clothes, he stopped briefly to speak to his parents, the current King and Queen. Smiling, he greeted them kindly. "Mother, Father." he said as they walked over. "Has the Lady arrived?" his mother asked. The young Prince nodded, "Yes, I had Nyx show her to her room. I'm on my way there now. Will you be joining us for dunner at five?" The King nodded, "Yes, we'd love to get to know her some more."


Alister smiled, "Wonderful, I'll see you at five then. If you'll excuse me, I must go welcome my lady." he said, politely excusing himself. Walking down the halls, he sighed and stretched. He'd have to make up his absence somehow, shouldn't be hard he figured.
 
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Tae merely hummed her acknowledgement, a slight quirk of her lip showing her amusement at this solemn attendant. "Thank you, Nyx." She said, before pausing on the threshold, sighing at what she saw inside the room. Turning to Nyx again, her amusement and exasperation seemed to grow slightly. "Of course. Well, your dear prince has again decided for me to wear a dress with an absurd amount of frills and seams in all the wrong places, so I'm afraid I will need some assistance in dressing." A faint grimace passed her face as she thought of the hassle it took just to don one of the dresses; she honestly couldn't wait for the day that the fashion changed into something more manageable. "I don't expect you to assist me despite the fact that you are my attendant; it isn't something that you toss a new employee into and I would like my ribs to sit as comfortably as they can in a corset." Despite her jabs at the prince and consequentially Nyx, her voice remained a strange mix of bored and boring. "Please do call another attendant or two that are free, if you will."


The faint clack of shoes on marble alerted her to the arrival of another. Turning slightly, she caught the prince walking down the hall towards them. Muttering a few things inaudibly under her breath, Tae absentmindedly fixed her crown and started to toy with the lace of her current dress again. She adopted a subtly more regal posture, a smile on her face that was both mysterious and sly, with just a hint of encroaching seduction(and also very, very fake; there would be nothing she would enjoy more at the moment than to be home and in bed, reading a good book or watching the scenery). After all, it was her fate to marry Alister, she might as well play up her strengths, make him a bit... Easier to manage. She inwardly winced at her choice of words, the queasiness in her stomach growing. A faint sense of guilt washed over her, but she suppressed it; such was the nature of politics, with subtle manipulation taking the forefront of justice and morals.


"Prince Alister." She stated once he got within earshot, giving him a slight nod as everyone else around her dropped into a low bow, ever conscious of their standing. "I was simply admiring the room and the evening dress. However, I do believe I will require more than one attendant to help me with it, no matter how accommodating Nyx here is." Still perceptive, she reminded herself to not get Nyx fired on the first few days of her job.


"I also assume that your parents will be joining us for dinner?" She continued amiably, bracing herself for what was oftentimes more like an interrogation than anything. The King and Queen were nice and welcoming folks, but they had a tendency to gravitate towards babble and streams of conversation whereas Tae was content with warm silence, something that never seemed to occur during their cute little group dinners. Hopefully, she could get out of it soon afterwards and simply reside in her room until night, find something to entertain herself other than Alister, who more often than not bored her.
 
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Nyx just nodded as the Lady spoke to her, saying nothing in return. She did look over as the Lady requested some assistance for her dress and what not and Nyx nodded understandingly. A faint, amused smile made it's way across the servants face as she caught the slight grimace but it disappeared as quickly as it'd show up. "Oh of course my Lady. I am not fit for such things anyway. If you have an issue with me and how I go about my job, feel free to inform the Prince." she responded, not at all bothered by the little jabs. It amused her greatly like many things around here. It was also interesting how she was referred to as a new employee but Nyx said nothing about it, letting it go for now.


The blonde surpassed a laugh at the lady's seemingly very bored tone, finding it interesting as well. She must not like it here at all or something. Quite different from what I was told...oh well. I'll see how this goes...


Nyx stood upright as she heard the familiar sound of shoes clicking against the castle floors. Bowing towards the Prince, she said nothing to him and he said nothing to her as he greeted his guest. "Lady Tae." he greeted with a smile. Tilting his head slightly as the young woman spoke, he glanced over at his servant with a faint frown but nodded nonetheless. "Yes, if you require so..." he agreed thoughtfully. "Nyx, go find two other maids." he ordered with a sharp tone. "Yes my Lord." she uttered lowly before turning and swiftly walking off.


Once the servant was out of sight, Prince Alister turned towards his soon to be wife and nodded once again. "They will, I'll try to suppress their...endless questions." he said, knowing the woman in front of him didn't exactly enjoy that. "How was your tip here? I hope it wasn't to awful?" he questioned.


Down in the servants quarters, Nyx was summoning two other servants who were much more suited for helping a lady get dressed. "Oh come on Nyx, how hard can it be to learn how to dress someone? Dresses are easy anyway." one teased as they made their way back to where the Prince and Lady were, not at all in a rush. Nyx just laughed lowly, "Oh please Ann, you know I never grew up learning things like that nor do I plan to ever learn." the taller girl answered. The other servant just laughed and shook her head, "The Prince will have your hide for being this slow." the other girl, Esther, remarked picking the pace up slightly. Nyx only shrugged, "If things were fair, he wouldn't be able to touch me in a duel." she responded in a light, amused tone.


"Oh shut up Nyx," Ann said with a laugh. All three fell silent as they made it back to the same floor where the Prince was waiting. "I've brought two others, I'm sure they will be able to assist you well my Lady." Nyx announced as they all bowed to both the Prince and visiting Lady. Prince Alister looked over in his servants direction, masking a scowl at her sudden reappearance. "Yes thank you, you're dismissed. Actually, go wait for me over there." he said, gesturing to a balcony type thing just out of an ear shot of the pair. Nyx nodded and moved over to where she was told, folding her arms behind her loosely.
 
Tae acknowledged his perceptiveness with a slight smile, very glad that Alister had noticed her quiet tendencies. Really, he wouldn't have been the worst person to be betrothed to, except for his... Well, except for the circumstance. She had never been one for convention. Recognizing the slight pause in conversation as the prince waited for a response, Tae hurriedly supplemented some content to make it seem like she was actually listening.


"Ah, well, the trip is the same as always, I suppose." She said vaguely. "I have noticed a drop in my seasickness however, and the scenery is beautiful as always." She thought back to the calm blue sky and earthy mountains untouched by industry, unlike the commerce-filled, tightly packed cities of her home. "It is never awful, Prince Alister; no need to worry."


She turned at the sound of Nyx's voice, grateful for the interruption from their slightly awkward and very menial conversation. "It's alright, Alister. I do need to freshen up and get my affairs in order; my minister of finances is still waiting on a reply that I should draft as soon as possible. I shall see you at dinner though, yes?" She said soothingly, placing a placating hand on his shoulder. Turning to the two new maids, Tae calmly waved them over. "If you two would be so kind to come with me." She said, swiveling on her heel and making her way, finally, into her chambers. Turning once to give Alister a small smile and Nyx a nod of acknowledgement, she performed a half bow towards the former.


"I shall see you in two hours, my prince."


- - - - -


Tae let out a small sigh once the two maids closed the door behind them, although it could be taken as a sigh of fatigue, homesickness, or even as longing for the prince. "What are your names?" She suddenly said, making her way towards a small desk facing the window, her luggage stacked neatly next to it. Upon learning their names, Tae did nothing but give them a swift nod. "I do indeed have a few letters to write, so please start running a bath while I finish them. Make sure the water is a bit on the hot side; I have a rather poor disposition towards the cold. And some dried lavender would be nice." Turning away, she pulled out her writing supplies and got to work.


One bath later, Tae's former dress was now disposed of on the bed and the two maids were fitting her into her evening gown. It wasn't a necessarily bad gown; a steely silver illuminated by crisp gold stitching, it was obviously extremely expensive and tailored to fit Tae and Tae only. Of course, the height of fashion at the moment was hardly something that Tae found becoming; the corsets were just shy of cracking her ribcage, and,of course, the lace. Grunting slightly when her corset was pulled painfully tightly -something she never got used to despite having worn them her entire life- she took one look at herself in the mirror and sighed, the attendants had been very good with makeup nd the like, and the dress was admittedly... Decent, if not her style. Ah, well, only the prince needed to like it, that was the entire point of this dinner.


Looking at the time, Tae realized that she should be getting to dinner. Nyx was... Somewhere, most likely with the prince, or perhaps just outside the door that Tae was not inclined to open at the moment. She smoothed down a small portion of her dress. "If you two could direct me towards the dining hall, or find Nyx to take me there if she isn't with the prince." She suddenly said, slowly stepping off the stool that they were dressing her on. "A change of rooms has completely thrown off my sense of direction, I'm afraid."
 
Alister smiled and relaxed some, glad Tae had arrived with no issues. He seriously did want to make sure she was alright and everything. "Really? That's good to hear." he responded with a pleased smile before she excused herself. "I'll see you in couple hours." he said moving to the side slightly to let the two servants pass by and into her room. After she was gone, he turned to Nyx with a displeased look. Nyx only gave a mild smile, knowing she was probably going to get yelled at. It was no secret that she and the Prince didn't get along, the only ones rather obvious to it were his parents.


"Come with me" he said, leading the way back to his room. "I know you deliberately took your time getting up here. I wouldn't do such things if I were you." he growled, looking over his shoulder as they walked up the stone stairs. "My apologies Prince Alister." she responded in her usual rough, kind of bored way. Opening the doors to the Prince's chambers, Nyx followed him in, picking up things here and there that lay around the room. "You're not sorry and you know it. You're lucky I don't have the time to have you beat or something." he muttered pulling off his shirt and making his way into his washroom.


Rolling her eyes, the blonde picked up his things and tossed them into a dirty pile. Opening his wardrobes, she pulled out some more fine clothing that actually suited him pretty well. Finding the rest of the Prince's clothes, she set them out on his bed, not responding to his last remark. She had a better way of jabbing back at him. Nyx knew she was playing with fire, but working for the man who had destroyed probably more than half of her country was not fun.


"I've left your clothes on your bed Prince. If you'll excuse me, I need to go get ready as well." she said excusing herself. "Like hell you do! You're just a servant!" he yelled after her. chuckling, Nyx left quietly. He had other people dress him since that was just weird if she did. Making her way down to her room, Nyx just flopped on her bed, playing with her long hair as she lay there, eyes closed while she dozed for a bit. Neither the Prince nor the Lady should be needing her for some time.


Inside the Lady's room, Ann and Esther introduced themselves before running about, doing as the Lady requested, going about their work silently. They hoped their friend wasn't getting herself into trouble as she often did. They knew Nyx tended to fight back despite whatever consequences came afterwards. As the Lady requested for someone to show her to the dining hall, the two young girls bowed. "Of course, right away my Lady. We'll get Nyx, she should be free by now." they said before hurrying off. They found their friend sitting on the edge of her bed, polishing her sword and yawning with a bored look. "Ah, well I'm glad you got away unscathed this time." Ann said poking her head in with a grin. Esther smiled, "Lady Tae requests that you lead her down to the hall. We figured that'd be better than dealing with the Prince. Better hurry." she said before disappearing to go help with the dinner stuff.


Getting up with a sigh, Nyx pulled her shoes back on and sheathed her sword. Standing up, she dusted her shirt off lightly and headed out. Taking long brisk strides down the hall, she arrived at the Lady's room in no time. Knocking lightly to signal her presence, Nyx opened the door and stepped in, keeping her eyes on the ground. Bowing slightly, she spoke. "I have been told you request and guide down to the dining hall?"
 
Tae was still fiddling with her earrings -a small rain of pale blue crystals, the thin strings they were attached to constantly tangling- and thus didn't answer immediately when Nyx stepped in. Teasing a tangle out, she hummed in satisfaction before turning to the blonde."Yes, thank you. It is standard for the attendant to escort the attendee, no?" Smiling slightly to show she meant no harm, Tae exited the room with a flourish, feeling quite fancy in the evening gown despite how ungainly and inconvenient it was, although she would never admit it.


For a while, the sound of her heels and Nyx's shoes were the only things that echoed down the halls as Nyx led her through vaguely familiar corridors. Suddenly, Tae spoke. "The prince does not like you." It was a statement, blunt but certain, her perceptiveness having caught on to the Prince's immediately souring mood when Nyx was around. "What did you do to irk him so?" She continued, plain curiosity dominating her question. She was genuinely curious; Nyx already didn't fit in to the standard, cookie-cutter attendant role, not to mention her apparent standing as a prisoner would definitely lead to more conflict.


She lapsed into silence again, the faint sound of feet and utensils along with the aromatic smell of meat and spices quickly thickening. Arriving at a large, ornate double-door that was all too familiar -honestly, the prince seemed to do nothing but invite her to eat with him, not even any other simple date option like a small boating excursion or anything of the like. You would think that would be easy enough, the entire kingdom of Yinkane simply small island after small island, all strung together. Giving Nyx a small smile and a quick nod of thanks, Tae braced herself before stepping into the expansive dining room, gathering herself up to seem more "queenly", murmuring hellos to Alister's aren't s when they called out in delight at her appearance.


- - - - -


Despite Alister's best efforts, questions still managed to slip through. Tae answered with simple "no"s and "yes"s like usual, dutifully eating the quite fancy fare given to her, taking small bites and pushing the food around her plate to keep herself occupied and give her something to look at instead of at her hosts. Tae knew full well it was a bit rude, but she hated the awkwardness that Alister's family had; it practically oozed out of them, Their pushed eagerness also made her uncomfortable, and she hated looking at their too-wide grins. She had done well in diverting most questions until the one she dreaded was brought up.


"So, Tae... Have you began planning the wedding?" The king said.


"What do you plan to do after the marriage, my dear? Children, hobbies, anything?" The queen asked simultaneously.


There was a minute pause as Tae nearly gagged on her sip of wine, although the glass masked the action somewhat. Slowly putting it down to gather herself, she merely hummed, tapping her fingers on her lap. "I'm not quite sure, to be honest. There is still one and a half years, yes? Certainly enough time to get my affairs in order. But I do already have a dress and ensemble for the wedding." She added quickly, having seen the king about to protest. Placating the man somewhat, Tae barreled on; she just wanted this train of thought and conversation to end. "And I have not thought about children yet, mother. Although I'm sure I will have much more time for my instruments and... Other such hobbies, after this is all over." The moniker given to the queen nearly made her wince, but the queen had insisted on it and it really was not Tae's place to refuse. She would also be much more inclined to trying out all sorts of difference martial arts styles; she had recently heard of one called Silat that originated in the east and was looking forward to investigating it. Of course, she could utter none of that; it was hardly becoming of a lady, a stereotype that Tae found ridiculous. Nevertheless, she kept silent, going back to nursing her drink and picking at her food to avoid further conversation.
 
Standing there, Nyx waited for the Lady to speak before doing anything. A slight smile carved it's way across the servants expression as the Lady remarked how an attendant should escort the attendee. "Of course my Lady. Let us go." Nyx responded leading the way out. The tall guard swore they purposely set everything in the castle far apart because the long walks between everything was not exactly fun for someone constantly running around to serve people. It certainly made sense why servants hardly ran into each other on certain days.


Glancing back as the other woman spoke, Nyx blinked and gave a coy smile as she was asked why she and the Prince didn't get along. How interesting, I've interacted with him once and she's already picked that up. Unfortunately I can't say she's jumping the gun and assuming since she's right....but nevertheless...quite interesting.


"He does not." Nyx agreed. "Why he doesn't...well, perhaps you should just ask him." Nyx decided, hoping the Prince's reaction would serve as something entertaining. "Clearly, I'm not like the other servants around here. I guess he just doesn't like that. Anyway, we're here. I hope you enjoy your dinner." Nyx said a few minutes later as she opened the doors to the dining hall. Bowing slightly and giving a smile in return, Nyx let her enter before letting the door swing shut slowly.


- - - - -


Dinner, in Alister's opinion, was going perfectly fine. Minus his parents questions. He'd spoken to them earlier, telling them to tone down their question asking but it hadn't worked to well. After sometime, he'd pretty much given up trying to stop his parents, giving an apologetic look towards Tae. As the meal progressed, the King and Queen suddenly asked about the wedding. Now this, he was actually interested in. He could tell his wife-to-be wasn't exactly keen on the whole arrangement but it wasn't like he was going to stop it. He couldn't in some aspects and he could in others. Complex stuff the Prince really didn't feel like dealing with. Alister found Tae pretty and enjoyed her company more often than not. Love and all that could come later.


"There's plenty of time, no need to rush things now Mother, Father." Alister cut in with graceful sharpness. His parents looked at him with a slight frown but just let it go, returning to idle chat among themselves as servants continuously flowed in and out. Dishes and drinks were set down, removed, adjusted, refilled, whatever was needed. They worked quickly and quietly, making sure not to make a fool of themselves before the royal family and their guest. By now, Nyx was apart of the group. Just wearing a plain white shirt, rolled up to the elbows, and pants, she moved about clearing the table while others replaced things or grabbed other things. Throughout the dinner, she'd overheard pretty much the whole conversation, watching the dinner play out with interest. The King and Queen, while nice, were a pain sometimes. Personally, she liked them and thankfully they liked her which gave her some more protection from the sometimes temperamental Prince.


As dinner winded down and servants cleared the table, Nyx brought out desserts, placing them on the table lightly. "I hope you've enjoyed dinner and I hope you'll enjoy some of our best desserts." Nyx said with a plain smile, looking over at their guest as she spoke. "Yes, thank you Nyx." Alister cut in shortly. Nyx only smiled, a faint smirk crossing her features. "Shall I set up some later entertainment for after the meal? What would the lovely Lady Tae like?" she went on, ignoring the Prince. The King and Queen looked over excitedly, "Oh yes! That might be fun! What would you like dear?" the Queen asked looking at Tae with a smile. Alister snuck a death glare over at Nyx who pretended she didn't see.
 
Tae nodded and smiled her thanks yet again, dipping her head in a nod of acknowledgement when her gaze met Nyx's. She had actually been looking forward to dessert; it was one of the few instances throughout the year in which she could indulge in sugary treats, as the royal heads of Yinkane seemed quite vehement about Tae enjoying herself to the fullest -something that was never really possible, but she would take advantage of it when she could. Slowly scooping a dollop of the dessert and smiling happily for the first time she had gotten to the forsaken string of islands, she was quite caught off guard by Nyx's offer, later adopted by the two monarchs. While excitable, the two had never really been ones for after dinner entertainment. Either that, or she had been trying so hard to avoid the family that she just hadn't seen them exhibit such a willingness for... Festivities.


Delicately finishing her bite, Tae contemplated the offer for a moment. A jousting competition. A duel. But no... A silent sigh. Not only was it too late for a true brawl-esque competition, it was also entirely unbecoming of a lady, a noble no less, to request such a crass and vicious sport, as everyone else thought.


"Hmmm... How about some music? I remember a lovely grand piano in the ballroom not far from here." She mused, thinking back to the instrument. Rosewood with ivory keys... I want to play it. Too bad that's not a suitable thing for a guest to do either. "Yes, I do believe some music would be wonderful."


- - - - -


Music meant moving towards the ballroom, something that they all did once they polished off their dessert and idle, awkward chatter. Tae dutifully fell into with Alister although she was content to stay in the zone of minimal conversation, her gaze moving about as she tried to absorb everything about the castle again, the lavishness still always catching her off off-guard.


Reclining onto a sofa near the left wall of the ballroom, Tae felt the food she just ate start to stir when she realized that she had to recline next to or with Alister. Quickly pulling her feet up slightly, she knew that she would most definitely prefer sitting next to instead of with. She got as comfortable as she could; of the ballads that she played were any indication, she was going to be there, sitting with the boring family, for a while.


Her heart sank when she saw the pianist strode not the room a couple minutes later. The Yinkane family then just have had some appreciation for the arts, if they were able to conjure up a pianist s fast. However, they clearly had no knowledge concerning jus how they should choose practices of a certain craft, as she had heard this man okay before and in her opinion, he was horrendous. Tae visible deflated when the man started to harness his inner Mozart, which was absolutely flat and listless in the man's playing style, not to mention quite long. Her attention already drifting towards the window again, she absentmindedly accepted a glass of champagne from a server, the late afternoon sky still more fascinating than the music at the moment, no matter how much she liked music.
 
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Once the rulers seemed to be onboard with Nyx's suggestion, she just went about to her duties once again. She noted that Alister was doing his best to kill her with a glare while the Lady seemed to want to suggest something other than music. Smiling to herself, the servant just continued about her work silently, pretending to not notice anything going on around her.


Back in the kitchens, Ann and Esther quickly confronted her about what she'd just done. "Do you not see the looks the Prince is giving you!? How do you not falter under his glare!" Ann hissed as they stood there cleaning the dishes. Nyx just shrugged and smiled, "It's easy enough, I don't particularly care what he thinks of me. He also can't do to much with me other than yell and shout." she responded plainly. "Don't forget physically harming you and killing is in that list somewhere too." Esther pipped up as she dried some pans. Nyx chuckled and nodded, "That too." Ann just frowned, pausing in her work, "Then, why do you insist on annoying him if you're life is at stake? And you always take blame for our mistakes." she asked, looking a bit confused.


Nyx just smiled and looked at the younger girl. "Don't worry about it Ann, I know what I'm doing. Run along now, go see if anything else needs to be done otherwise you can head off for the night." Nyx said patting her head lightly. Ann pointed and swatted Nyx's hand, "Stop treating me like I'm a kid Nyx!" she whined. Nyx grinned, "But to me you are. A cute little 16 year old who should head off ti bed now." she said shooing her out of the room. Ann glared but headed out anyway, giving a quick hug to Nyx and Esther who smiled and watched her go before turning towards Nyx with a saddish look. "You can't always protect and keep her in the dark you know." Nyx only shrugged, glancing over with a similar look before returning to work. "I can certainly try and certainly will for as long as I can."


Meanwhile, Alister was walking down the halls with his family and wife-to-be as they headed to the ballroom. He was now extremely pissed off at his servant. Hare dare she just speak when she wanted! He decided to punish her later for her actions, just putting on a smile and sat down next to Tae. Not much was spoken as they waited for the pianist to walk in, one of the best around. Sitting up some and leaning back, Alister smiled and watched as the pianist started to play.


To the young Prince and his family, there wasn't anything wrong with the piano playing and found it quite entertaining. They were all rather oblivious to their guests sudden disinterest, watching and listening to their fullest. When it was (finally), over, the royal family smiled and clapped happily. "Wonderful! Just wonderful! Don't you think dear?" the Queen asked turning to her husband who seemed less enthusiastic He just nodded a bit absentmindedly, "Yes dear, quite wonderful." he agreed with less enthusiasm. "Lady Tae, it was a pleasure to see you again. I hope you do not mind, but I must take my leave now, I've not things to attend to before I retire for the night." he said a few moments later, standing up with a smile. "Already?" Alister asked in surprise. "I hope you don't work yourself to hard Father. Rest well, I'll stay up a bit longer with Lady Tae unless she wishes to head off for the night as well?"
 
Tae still managed to get lost in the (pretty bad) playing, nitpicking it and grousing internally about how she could have played that measure better, or perhaps about how he fumbled, or maybe even how she didn't find his arpeggio satisfactory enough. There was always room for criticism when you were listening in disfavour to start with. Humming along slightly with her gaze directed to the darkening sky and mountains beyond, Tae gathered herself quick enough to clap politely for the pianist, expression unreadable and still far away despite the demure smile on her lips. "The pleasure is all mine." She murmured to the king, giving the retiring couple a half bow from her seat


While she had missed the bristling and silent exchange between the prince and Nyx at dinner -she had been far too busy rearranging the fascinating buttered seafood on her plate- her mind had drifted back to the conversation from earlier, the one that she had with Nyx when they were walking to the dining hall. It would make for an interesting conversation topic, at least, and it would always do good to know more about your personal attendant, even if you weren't staying for very long.


"Nyx, the attendant that you assigned me... You two do not really like each other, yes? I sensed some heavy animosity between you two a couple of hours ago. Is it because she is a prisoner of war, of sorts? And how long has she been here? I remember your most recent conquests lasted for quite a while." Tae tried to make it seem like she paid attention to the affairs of the prince, although she left most of that to her own attendants and her father. Besides, she might as well get into the habit of relating and socializing with the prince; it was something that she would have to do all her life.


"It is not my intention to aggravate you at this time of night, however." She added quickly, although her curiously was yelling otherwise, a small voice of protest that made Tae pause slightly. "You do not need to share anything with me if you do not wish." However, she still gave him a smile, one of her more persuasive ones, just to loosen the atmosphere just a little bit; she was known for having an insatiable curiosity, and she wasn't going to let such a nice and mysterious enigma dry up and go cold.
 
Alister looked at the Lady in front of him for a moment before sitting down, leaning back and crossing his legs with a thoughtful look. His arm moved to the arch on the couch just above the young woman sitting net to him as his other just sat in his lap as he smiled slightly. "Nyx? That servant is a pain in the arse. She's to be punished later." he stated bluntly now that his parents weren't in the room. "That kingdom held strong but in the end we took over their lands. Well, they're still their own country but they answer to us." Alister said with a boasting undertone.


Whether he realized it or not, Alister liked to boast about his accomplishments and he was prideful. He said no word of the heavy losses, just that it was a hard battle that they eventually won and those who'd passed would be honored. Alister just went on about how it took and briefly about their losses and what not. Shrugging as if it were nothing, the Prince just smiled over at Tae. "But never mind that, is there anything you'd like to do before bed? I can personally walk you to your room, no need to call Nyx right now." he said stretching.


He said no word of how long the servant had been working here, preferring not speak much about her anyway. Somehow the tall blonde always got under his skin and it annoyed the hell out of him. Just thinking about her could get him annoyed and he didn't want to be in a bad mood when he was with Tae. The pressures to make a good impression were a bit much and it was getting to the point where he didn't care. It wasn't totally like she could turn down the wedding, it was pretty much set in stone by now.


---


Once the kitchens were cleaned and the tables had been neatened, the servants started to head up for the night. A handful remained out and about as the King and Queen went about their work, attending to them until they headed up for the night. Nyx didn't have anything to do but since she'd been personally assigned to help the visiting Lady plus being the personal attendant for the Prince, she couldn't head up just yet. But then again, he was pretty mad at her so she doubted he'd call for her to do anything other then punish her for whatever.


She did hangout in the servants quarters though, silently listening to the quiet chatter as the young maids chattered before bed. The boys slept on the opposite end of the area, their chatter a bit more boisterous as several playfully bantered. Resting her chin in the palm of her hand, a slight gentle smile formed on her lips as her gaze fell on Ann who was fast asleep near by.


 
Tae ignored the hand that was painfully close to pulling her into me of those awkward, first-drink-cuddles; it was too much for the first day, even for her. Letting out a chuckle at Alister's forwardness, she turned slightly to stair at the prince. "So you assigned me a pain in the arse, is it? Nice to see where your priorities and favorites come int play. She smiled impishly to show that she meant no harm, the grin faltering slightly when Alister went on to best about conquered kingdoms.


Until about five to ten years ago, slaves of war or prisoners of war were not allowed be kept in any of the near provinces and kingdoms, with the progressive kingdom of Aurumis very adamant about the law. So of course, that sort of ideal became incorporated into Tae's personality; she would never get used to the concept of good men choosing other men as slaves simply because they didn't win The upper hand. "That's interesting! Congratulations." Tae saids with (very well) faked enthusiasm and interest.


Tae shook her head at Alister's question. "No, I do believe I am good to retire; I am a bit exhausted, with traveling here and everything." Right on cue, she stifled a yawn. "If you would be so kind as to walk me back -which you don't, princeF today has been a long day- I would be quite grateful; I'm still quite lost with the new room hangs. She then chuckled again. "Your aversion to Nyx is amendable, but if I wanted to screw with my...servants, I would make the, wake up right after they had been ready to fall asleep or were asleep.


- - - - -


The walk back was mostly uneventful, the torches and laps lining the walls providing enough light as the dark sky glinted in the background. Tae gave Alister a small smile at her door, thanking him(formally) and giving him a small hug. Once she made it inside and the footsteps of Alister had vanished, Tae leaned against the door with a sigh. Really, the travel was exhausting. Making her way to the bathroom and shedding her formal gown and accessories as she did, she headed for the bath, to make her feel more sluggish and tired Han she already was.


And... Tae just couldn't seem to fall asleep, perhaps it was because of the change of scenery, but her mind couldn't stop pi balling between subjects and people, thoughts flashing from the peculiarity of Nyx to the strange casserole that she nibbled on before leaving it. Throwing back her covers with a huff, Tae sat, paused, and wondered where to go to clear her mind. Gaze straying to the window, she decided in the spur of the moment that a walk might help, with the old, clean air and soft sounds and sights. Tossing on a coat over her nightgown and adding shoes, Tae slowly wandered about the establishment for a while before finally finding a way outside of the castle, instead wandering the roads and paths surrounding it.
 
Alister chuckled aas Tae teasingly accused him of giving her a pain in the arse for an attendant, only shrugging slightly. "Thank you." he remarked to her later remark about the conquests. Standing, he offered a hand with a smile. "It's no problem. And yes, I must apologize for that. We had to move your room due to some


As for toying with the servants...that's quite the idea. I'll have to remember that." he said with an easy laugh.


Making it to Tae's room in a fair amount of time, Alister bid the Lady goodnight, returning her hug gently before heading off to find Nyx. He found her in her room, watching over everyone as they slept as she usually did when he was up late. Marching over, he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her well out of an ear shot of the sleeping servants. Letting go, Alister rounded on the tall servant. "How dare you act this way in front of my guest. Are you trying to make me look like a fool?!" he hissed, voice rising slightly. "Don't you dare answer that." he snapped as Nyx opened her mouth to reply with something witty.


Giving a lofty grin, Nyx just stood there against the wall, "Aw, well I'm so sorry your Highness, it wasn't my intention at all." she replied, bowing mockingly, not really sorry at all. Alister glared and backhanded Nyx, leaving a mark on her cheek. Nyx just raised her head and met the Prince's look straight on. "Is that all you can do? Is hit people around?" Nyx challenged with a scoff. "Some Prince you are." she muttered. Alister, not in the mood to deal with a witty tongued servant just kicked her over. Lashing out with his sword, he landed a few harsh blows down on the servant with the flat side of his blade, not caring is he left a few cuts on the girl below him. A few moments later her stopped and kicked Nyx onto her back, pressing his boot down on her throat. "Do it again, I'll whip you next time." he growled. Nyx scoffed "Like you could. All you've ever done is beat me up."


Alister gritted his teeth angrily, pressing his foot harder against Nyx's throat. Letting out a rasping laugh, she held her hands up in defeat. "My...humble apologies your Highness." Alister scoffed. "Sure you are, get out before I really do whip you." he said moving his foot and walking off.


Waiting until he was gone, Nyx sat up and wiped some of the blood away, stretching her sore body. Not bothering to deal with the minor wounds and bruises, Nyx sighed as she stood up and trotted back to her room. Picking up her sword, she turned and headed outside to one of the training grounds that wasn't used as often. Crouching slightly, she shot forward and attacked a dummy, going through her typical practice routine on dummies or just to invisible opponents. Swinging her sword with ease, she fainted and attacked the air. Nyx went on through all sorts of drills, both basic and complex, ignoring her aching body.


Stopping for a moment, Nyx leaned of, panting slightly as sweat shined across her forehead. Standing up, she looked at her arms with a slight frown. Checking her right leg after, Nyx stretched a bit, grumbling to herself as she worked through the pain. "Jeez Alister, you're rather brutal. Don't blame me if I can't do my work tomorrow." she muttered to herself as she complained. Rolling her shoulder, she swung her sword around lazily as she cast her gaze up at the night sky thoughtfully.
 
Tae clutched the coat tighter around her shoulders, the cold biting its way through the cloth and prickling along her skin. It wasn't as cold as Aurumis usually was, but then again she had never gone outside so Ill-prepared before. It was simply a strange rush of wild energy and recklessness, driving her from her room. Her eyes found the mountains in the distance once more, the sea a constant backdrop as it continued to flicker in the light of a waning moon. Deciding to make that her destination, she started to amble around looking for an unobstructed view of the craggy cliffs and unbroken waters.


A while later, after she made her way out of a maze of a garden, she found that her little mission had led her behind the castle, where expanses of flat, man-made plots were created, each with various recreational and militant uses ranging from a stable and accompanying range to an archery field, the targets standing lonely in the scuffed dirt. It was flat and largely unobstructing her view of the scenery that she coveted, so Tae made a seat on the hill leading down to the ranges, content to just watching the stars and sea as she staved off the encroaching cold as best as she could.


She was about to head back in, fingers already tingling with numbness, when a strange disturbance occurred on one of the farther fields. Perhaps she hadn't noticed beforehand, or perhaps she had simply missed an encounter, but there seemed to be a person at what seemed to be a field filled with dummies, one of them spitting straw and rocking slightly as the mysterious silhouette sliced and diced at it. Cautiously edging closer, Tae tried to be as silent as possible as she neared this person, eyebrows rising when she saw a vaguely familiar shock of light blonde hair, a sudden flash of a side profile confirming that it was indeed Nyx. Leaning against the gateway and content to just watch for a while, she scrutinized the girl's forms, which were both alien and familiar to her at the same time, something she did not recognize as a Yinkane drill due to her voracious reading on the subject (if you couldn't practice the art, then reading was the next best thing, no?). It must have been a military drill from before Nyx had gotten enslaved. Tae frowned slightly a the word, a faint sense of revulsion rising at the thought of bona fide slaves amassed in the Yinkane castle. Her frown turned into a stony scowl when she heard Nyx's next utterance, quiet but still louder than the heavy tranquility of the night. Striding forward with indignity in her step, Tae barely announced her presence, merely drawing closer to the woman so she would be within speaking vicinity.


"You are clearly in the best of conditions to be running through fighting drills." Se suddenly spoke, the dry humour losing its comedic effect due to the quiet anger simmering just below the soft sentence. Walking closer, she stared at Nyx with narrowed, inspecting eyes, gaze slowing as they caught onto minute, clean slices in cloth, bruises peeking just above the stitching of cloth, and cuts, shallow but welling with semi-dried blood. Her glare flared with intensity as it simultaneously hardened, her rigid sense of justice making a strange swell of anger surge through her, and her eyes chips of unforgiving ice although she was careful to try and keep it dampened despite a deepening scowl on her face..


Suddenly reaching out, Tae tilted Nyx's face up with a touch both gentle and firm so she could better look at a large, ugly bruise that was forming on the girl's neck, a bruise with the bizarrest of patterns. "Alister. You... Alister did this to you." She dropped her hand with a sigh, looking away for a second and spitting out out something under her breath about "outdated policies".


"Servants, fine. Spoils of war? Perhaps we'll let this slide. But intentional manhandling of the latter... My people would be in outcry at me marrying such a man. Of course, they do not know he is such a man." She continued muttering to herself, her impression of Alister deteriorating the more she spoke. Despite the new law, it had really only been a handful of years in the grand scheme of things and not all of her nation was on board with it either. Gaze returning to Nyx, she shook her head briskly to clear away her thoughts, the faint aura fromof anger diminishing until she was placid once more. "My apologies, I am rambling. Do you need some balm, or anything? Or at least a shower? I know you attendants and the like often don't have a luxury of one. Not to mention it really is detrimental to be running through drills when you were recently abused, no matter how interesting they are." Her voice took on a touch of petulance and exasperation, almost comically puffing up with indignation.
 
The tall servant didn't hear the Lady walking up behind her, very caught off when she spoke. Whirling around, Nyx pulled her sword in as to not accidentally slice up the visiting Lady. Sheathing her sword briskly, Nyx just looked at Tae, saying nothing as she was inspected. "I am always in the best of conditions. A few scratches can't stop me." Nyx answered with a small smirking smile. Under any other stare, Nyx would just stare back defiantly, not caring what people thought of her but under this Lady's look, Nyx felt herself wanting to look away and hide the wounds. Again, she was caught off guard as the Lady suddenly reached out and gripped the blondes face gently but firmly. "Hey, what? No need to look." she grumbled, tempted to swat the Lady's hand away but didn't.


Turning away slightly as if to hide even more hidden from plain view, Nyx just smiled and shrugged faintly. "He did. This isn't anything major though, there's been worse." Nyx responded as she watched the Lady's expression turn even more sour. Raising an eyebrow, she wondered what was so bad about punishing servants. Sounded pretty terrible but it was just something that was these days. Nyx vaguely knew that the whole servants thing was fairly new, she'd been a young girl when it'd gone into affect and now here she was. "Besides, good old Prince-y boy can beat and break my all he wants but he'll never break my oh-so wonderful spirit." she said with a lofty smile and a slight chuckle.


By now, her voice was a lot clearer as she found no reason to be majorly formal with the Lady in front of her. Normally, and in general, Nyx disliked anyone of high status. They all were the same to her, or at least the ones she'd met. Land, money, wealth- that was like the only thing that seemed to be on their minds. Not a single care for those working their bodies to death to provide their goals. However...this person in front of Nyx didn't seem to be that way. Obviously she care or she wouldn't have bothered to say anything. Or offer something to help the healing.


A little smirk crossed Nyx's lips as she thought to herself, laughing silently at her own inside jokes with herself. "No need to apologize at all my Lady, nor do you need to speak so formally to someone like me. Haven't I mentioned this before?" Nyx teased slightly, bowing finally in politeness. Standing up straight, Nyx ran a hand lightly over her throat before letting it fall behind her back. "There is also no need to be angry over something like this or for someone like me. It is what it is."


Leaning forward and peering up at the Lady thoughtfully, Nyx circled the slightly shorter woman before her. Ignoring the offer about balms or showers, Nyx was more curious about her remark about the drills. She wondered how she'd known the difference between the drills from this Kingdom and the drills she'd learned years ago. It wasn't like she kept the foreign drills a secret, no one seemed to notice the slight differences when she practiced out in the open in front of people. "Interesting drills eh? Normally people can't differ the ones from here from the ones I do myself. Very interesting my Lady. You must be quite knowledgeale to have caught on so quick, far smarter than our... lovey Prince." Nyx remarked very amused as she mocked the Prince.


Stepping back with a hop, Nyx smiled per usual, finding the Lady's tone to be also amusing for her. If only all nobles were as smart and interesting as this one...she thought to herself. Most that visited the Prince were either really boring and rude, only wanting to make themselves look good and advance their profits. Drawing her sword, Nyx turned to a nearby dummy and preformed a fairly simple maneuver, one that wan't taught in this Kingdom. Still wearing her goofy little smile, Nyx did a couple more slightly harder ones with ease, always keeping the Lady somewhere in her peripheral vision. "Does swordplay interest you?"
 
Tae emitted a small growl of frustration as Nyx continued to banter about what was clearly domestic abuse, or at least something similar. "You..." She started with a huff, pinching the bridge of her nose as she adopted a faint, sister-esque air. "Your 'unbreakable spirit', as you so call it, is probably yelling at you to stop being so careless." Se concluded with a hint of amusement, Tae most likely not wanting to show any emotion that might spur the girl to continue despite the witty remark. She eyeballed Nyx, giving her a once-over just in case she missed anything, ignoring the slight, shit-eating grin on the woman's face. She then rolled her eyes at Nyx's 'why so formal?' Question. "This is simply the way I talk. I don't think being friendly with a person can change decades of etiquette lessons. Ad that isn't- you can't- I-" She abruptly cut herself off with another huff, knowing tha Nyx probably wasn't going to concede and they would ave then been here, Nyx smirking and she herself worrying and puttering about, for the entire night.


Tae stood stiffly while Nyx suddenly turned and started circling her. Feeling very much like an animal that was being hunted, she resisted turning towards Nyx and instead just stiffened, hands unconsciously drawing the cloak tighter around herself. "What are you doing?" She asked haltingly, finally giving in and turning slightly so she could ate at Nyx in puzzlement. A slight blush dusted her cheeks when the ever-perceptive attendant commented on Tae's accidental slip up. She hadn't actually meant to mention anything about the combat maneuvers, content to just keeping them to herself, but in her ire it had sort of just... Slipped out. Even still, there was something in her that told her she could trust Nyx with this side of her, the eccentric and voraciously curios side that just so happened to have a penchant for fine music and bashing people's brains in twenty different ways. Elegantly, of course.


"It's... It's nothing. I just pick up books sometimes, and Aurumis has quite a large collection of military handbooks. That is all there is to it." She said, pausing a beat too long beforehand. "Besides, Yinkane is known for their government, their commerce; it wouldn't be unexpected for Alister to know more about business than war. " Raising an eyebrow when Nyx bounced away and back towards the mangled dummy, a small grin started to grow on her face when she realized what Nyx was doing. It was even better up close and perhaps the moonlight and darkness threw in some contrast as well, but the swordplay was an intricate dance and she couldn't tear her eyes away.


"It's... Interesting, yes." The giddy grin, a bona fide unrestrained smile, told of more fervor than her intentionally curbed voice. "You are very good; I am sure you would be able to defeat Alister in a duel, as he is... Not very good." She winced slightly, thinking back to a time when the man had tried to impress her with some fancy rapier skills, to no such luck; apparently, the gas needed six stitches to mend. "Did you happen to be a part of the military or something before you were captured? It would make sense, as Alister's recent conquest saw many captured soldiers."
 
Nyx just laughed as the young Lady scolded her in slight amusement before going off on a short rant about being polite. Doing a few more for fun, Nyx stopped several minutes later. The pain and soreness really starting to affect her. However, she didn't let it show as she just lowered her once again.Wandering back over in front of the lady ,Nyx eyed her thoughtfully as she spoke about where she'd learned the difference between the drills. Her eyebrows knitted together slightly at the mention of books and military things. "Books huh?" she wondered to herself aloud thoughtfully.


Looking back at Tae as she asked where her skills came from, Nyx's expression changed from one of easy going and relaxed to something a bit more serious and guarded. "He did capture many," she agreed. "what he's done with them I'm not totally sure." she responded re-sheathing her sword. A coy smirking look slide across her lips as Nyx crossed her arms. "I, however, was not from his recent conquest. I'm from one that failed years ago. I'm here for one reason and one reason only an it is not to protect the Prince. And because the reason is so important, I'm able to endure such beatings from the Prince." she responded carefully.


A mix of disgust, sharp dangerous anger and something undefinable shone in Nyx's eyes as she looked up at the bright moon. "One day, I'll challenge Alister and he'll lose everything." she announced calmly as a strong breeze flew by. Smiling, all looks of any hostility gone, Nyx looked at the Lady. "Anyhow, it's late. Shouldn't you be asleep? What're you doing out here? It's dangerous to be out here alone in the night you know my Lady." she said, amusement shinning in her eye now.


"But considering you've read about military things, I'd assume you know how to preform a few? The basics at the least. Unless they keep the poor Lady locked away doing who knows what." the blonde went on, half teasing the Lady as she moved and hopped up onto the fence.
 
Tae's expression shifted as well. She had just relaxed into a more cordial manner but Nyx's utterance had her stiffening up again, eyes flashing with reignited ire. "What!?" She said, in a harsh whisper-shout. "But... That's... That's before enslavement was allowed. You ingrates!" She spat venomously, one foot aggressively scuffing the ground as she barely managed to restrain the urge to pace. "Absolutely terrible, and most definitely not part of our original agreement. Perhaps this could change the arranged marriage... I'm sure the royal family will be very eager to explain why they kept this from us." She trailed off for a moment, muttering to herself before suddenly snapping back to the situation at hand, gripping Nyx around the shoulders. "I will all to Alister and his family about this at my earliest convenience; perhaps it could even set you free. This entire concept of slavery makes me want to vomit, and the less presence it has the better." Tae matched Nux's aggressive change of attitude with a smirk. "And when you're free, you can challenge him whenever you would like."


Tae seemed to notice the cold again, when Nyx asked her why she was out, and simply shrugged, rubbing her arms to keep in some heat. "I just couldn't sleep, and I was trying to find a good place to watch the scenery. Coincidentally, the flattest area happened to be the same group of training fields that you are practicing on." A barely noticeable pout graced her lips. "Besides, I will have you know that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She sniffed, tipping her head in a vaguely regal and snobbish manner.


She bristled but a moment later, a strange contradiction to the hesitation in her expression and the more noticeable blush flushing her cheeks. "They can definitely try to lock me away; as if I would fall to something as mediocre as that. I..." She licked her lips, eyeing the sword in Nyx's hands with a faint mix of eagerness and hunger. "I can. Yes. A few; usually when I escape my tutors. I spin no illusions about how good I am, bit at least it's only a military drill and thus one only needs following instructions. May I?" She held out her hand for the blade clenched in Nyx's, eyeing a slash on her sleeve with slight disapproval.


Grasping the pommel with both hands and testing the weight, Tae shed the thin coat she had kept around her shoulders, ignoring the immediate rise of goose flesh along her arms. Striding over to a new dummy, she took a few calming breaths and slowly eased herself into an Aurumis fighting stance meant for those that lacked in strength but excelled in terms of speed or agility. It was a deviation of a classic rapier stance, with the blade a little lower and at an angle to accommodate the Yinkane smithing of a leaf-blade. Charging forward, Tae started out simple but increased the difficulty when her confidence boosted, straw flying away as she performed the attacks to the best of her ability. She ended sweating slightly, both cold and hot as she shivered against the wind whisking her sweat away but still feeling feverish from the excercises(because she rarely got any in her usual schedule anyways) and not to mention a dull throbbing and numbness in both hands, the soft skin unused to the harsh swings and leather grip, turned stiff and red from the cold. This all seemed to go unnoticed by Tae, who spun around to look at Nyx with a (quickly suppressed) grin of giddiness. "Ahem. Yes, that was... That is all I can do." Subdued, Tae handed Nyx back her sword, clearing her throat again and giving the woman a small, appreciative smile as her gaze jumped about restlessly but never seemed to land on Nyx herself.


 
Nya's head snapped over to the Lady as she spoke of mentioning this to Alister, her semi relaxed stance once again ridged. She shook her head violently in a silent protest against that decision but she said nothing verbally for the time being. Her dark eyes half glared at Tae from the corners of her eye as she listened to the rest of what was to be said.


A slightly forced smile touched lightly across the servants features at the mention of beating Alister's butt at a duel, when and if she was ever freed. Just because she was free here didn't mean she'd be free back where she came from. Freedom took many different forms and not all were solely on being a slave or not. The blonde wondered if telling the Lady her situation was bad. Initially, she'd mentioned it simply because it'd piss the Prince off but she hadn't realized the lady might use this to her advantage. Knowing things was one thing while taking action was another. Nyx wasn't totally eager to free herself right now and then, it wasn't the right time.


Letting that go for a moment, Nyx looked at the Lady with kinder eyes, smiling slightly at the tone change, allowing a laugh to spill from her lips. "Well I don't doubt that, my Lady." she half mocked again. An eyebrow rose as a faint blush was sighted spreading across the Lady's cheeks. Handing over her sword with a bright and amused grin while her eye gleamed with interest, Nyx handed over her sword and leaned back slightly. As the thin coat fell to the ground, Nyx stuck out a foot and managed to catch it. Pulling it back towards her, she dusted it off and folded it in her lap. Force of habit.


Leaning forward in interest, Nyx watched at Tae charged forward, performing many different drills and maneuvers. The tall servant didn't miss the look of excitement that settled across the other woman face as she finished. Clapping her hands lightly, Nyx smiled and took her sword back. "Quite impressive for someone who's had little to no training." she remarked as she watched the golden eyes dart around. Draping the coat across the fence, Nyx jumped down, landing right in front of the Lady. "Something interesting out there?" Nyx teased, shifting into Tae's line of vision the best she could since it was all over the place. "To bad you can train more, I'd say you'd make a brilliant swordsman, well woman in your case but either way." the servant remarked moving away slightly.


Looking at the sky, Nyx sighed and stretched, the cold biting at her sore body which now felt ready to buckle beneath her. "We'd better head in my lady." she said turning back to Tae with a serious expression. "I have one request though..." she paused and managed to catch Tae's eye, holding it for a moment before bowing deeply. "Do not, I repeat, do not, confront Prince Alister about my situation. It doesn't just affect me, it affects the person I'm protecting. She has no recollection of that day and I know the Prince will probably use that to his advantage. Who's to trust a lowly servant and a girl who can't remember who she is? You may ask about it but please don't take action on it, not yet anyway." Her hair wrapped around the sides of her face, something she was grateful for as she gritted her teeth and said one last thing. "I'll do anything for you, anything at all, if you please just don't take action just yet. The time will come and I will help, but not right now. Please my Lady..."


Nyx was almost to the point of begging this woman to do nothing but she managed to keep her voice steady. Desperation was there though, laced around her words cleverly so it wasn't totally apparent. The servant wasn't pleased about the whole 'I'll do anything' part either. Who knows what the hell she'd be asked of but if it was for the sake of her safety, Nyx would do anything. Besides, for all Nyx knew, Tae could just advice her own desires and wants such as getting out of this marriage, leaving Nyx to fend for herself. The servant doubted that but she was always cautious of the Lords and Ladies.
 
Tae gave Nyx a slight, appreciative grin, relief washing over her. It was completely irrational -she was a soon to be queen and Nyx was an attendant- but she couldn't help but want to seek the respect of the woman, most likely because she didn't want her first impression as someone who claimed to read up on swordsmanship quite often to be shoddy. Blinking owlishly when Nyx stepped into her field of view just as her gaze was sliding away, Tae shook her head slightly, sheepishness flitting across her face. "Ah, no. My apologies, I seem ago be rather out of character right now. And thank you, very much; you don't know how much it means to hear that." She said gratefully, mentally mocking every single tutor or person who had judged her for her reading choices or her 'strange' interests. "Still, I don't believe that could... I am to be queen." Her smile turned wistful, her gaze both on Nyx -less jumpy this time- but simultaneously very far away.


"Yes? What is it?" Tae inquired, quite curious. At this point, she was quite open to anything, feeling almost indebted to Nyx in a way for allowing her to showcase a side of her that was almost always kept caged. Her eyebrows nearly vanished into her hairline when Nyx dropped into a dee bow, before scrunching down into a frown. "Fine." She snapped, after a beat; despite her clarity and generally amiability, she was still the Aurumis Heiress and unused to being opposed or refused in such a way. Consciously "dethorning" herself, she frowned when Nyx basically offered herself up. "Oh, no no no, that cannot do. It makes it sound like I hold something over you, like I'm blackmailing you." She shuddered; the idea of controlling a human being in such a way made her cringe. "Do not fret; I won't mention it unless you give me explicit permission." Gently placing a hand on Nyx's elbow to help her up (the poor girl didn't seem like she was rising anytime soon) a soft curiosity shone in her eyes, along with sympathy and pity, but Tae said nothing; it was not in her place to ask about it, no matter how much the stirring dregs of her curiosity started to beat around inside her brain.


Taking the coat from Nyx's arms with a slightly amused smile. She draped it around her shoulders again, stretching as well. "However!" She piped, continuing quickly so Nyx wouldn't think that she did indeed want some favour. "You are letting me walk you back to your quarters. You've been out her for as long as I have, perhaps a bit more or less, and you're also injured. To collapse out here, or even in the halls... No. I will hear no objections." She said, frowning at Nyx if she refused.


At the turn of the hall leading to the servants quarters, Tae stopped Nyx and lowered herself into a half bow, half nod. "Thank you for tonight. It was... I needed that." She murmured, again lost somewhere far away. "Anyways; I shall see you in the morning."


- - - - -


Tae woke in the morning tired, slightly grumpy, and sore. She also felt what seemed to be an encroaching cold that she wisely ignored, simply, stretching and wincing as she squinted around the room, blanketed in thin light as the curtains kept out the most of it. Sniffling slightly, she smothered a cough before shuffling to the door, opening it just enough to stick her head out.


"Nyx?" She said, calling for her attendant, issuing a few orders when she arrived. "Would you please inform the Yinkane family that. Will not be joining them for breakfast? I seem to be feeling a bit under the weather and I would like to sleep in for once. And als have some breakfast delivered to my room, something light. And a mug of tea." She punctuated this with a smile, less professional and formal than the previous day, almost like one shared between acquaintances if not friends. "I will be taking a shower for the next ten minutes or so, so jus leave the food and drink on the nightstand if I am still occupied."
 
Nyx relaxed and smiled gratefully, feeling a little guilty for asking of such a high request. She wasn't sure if the Lady was even okay with her request but did not question it since the Lady had promised to not to take action. Standing up straight, the servant winced slightly at the soreness but brushed it aside, shaking her limbs out slightly and standing tall once again. A moment later, Nyx was caught off guard as Tae demanded she let her walk Nyx back to her quarters. Opening her mouth slightly to object, she shut up pretty quick and smiled slightly instead. "You have no objections."


Once at the hall, Nyx was once against caught by surprise as the Lady bowed slightly to her. She raised an eyebrow slightly as she noted the look that seems to be far from where they were, wondering what the Lady was seeing and thinking about. "It was my pleasure. Rest well my Lady." she said bowing slightly as she walked away. Turning, Nyx made her way into her room quietly, lying down instantly. A shower of sorts could wait until the morning, she was feeling far to tired and sore to do much for the night.


- - - - -


By morning, Nyx was feeling stiff as stone, not particularly pleased to do anything today. Getting up, she quickly cleaned the sweat away the best she could, ignoring the stinging pains from the cuts and soreness from the busies. As she got dressed, the blonde added a jacket with a collar to her wear for the day. She adjusted the collar a bit to hide the print that still stood out clearly on her throat. Everything else was easy to hide. She still hands properly looked at everything and had no plans to do so, it was work as always.


Making her way over to where the Lady was, she just waited outside her room for whenever she got up. It wasn't long before the Lady's head stuck out and was requesting things. Bowing slightly in a silent, formal greeting, Nyx nodded and returned the smile with a warm one of her own. "I certainly will. I'll have someone be up with your food as soon as possible. I hope you feel better." she said with a faintly worried look. But she was off in the next second, striding down the halls briskly on her way to the kitchens and then up to the Prince.


Entering she glanced around, "Lady Tae will be eating in her room this morning. Bring up her food and leave it on the nightstand if she isn't out of her shower yet." she said to no on in particular. Someone would take care of it though. Technically, Nyx was sort of supposed to do that but she had to attend to the royal family next. Making her way up the stairs, she knocked briefly on the Prince's door before entering. "Good Morning Prince Alister." she greeted with a bow.


The young Prince hardly glanced at her as he got ready for the day. "Nyx." he greeted blandly. "Lady Tae will not be joining you for breakfast. She feels a bit unwell and would like to rest for a bit undisturbed." the blonde reported. Alister scowled but nodded, "Alright. I'll let my parents know." he said glancing in the mirror. "Hand me the jacket there." he demanded, gesturing to the light coat on his bed. Walking over, Nyx picked it up and helped put it on the taller person. Once completed, she moved to step back and go do whatever else she needed to, but not before Alister's arm shot out, gripping her arm tightly. A slightly wince passed over her face but it disappeared faster than it'd briefly appeared. "Yes...?" she inquired, a bit confused why he was gripping her arm.


Alister just looked down at her, golden eyes boring into dark brown. For a long moment, perhaps close to a minutes, Alister looked down at his servant. "Nothing, just don't forget our chat." he remarked letting her go. Nyx blinked, "Chat? What chat?" she asked, feigning ignorance. Alister glared at her darkly, most definitely not in the mood today. Chuckling, Nyx backed out of the room with a bow, "You did kick me quite hard, don't be surprised if I can't remember things." she remarked with a slightly smirk as she quickly excited and headed back to the Lady's room to check on her. Why the servant pushed the Prince's buttons so far, no one really knew, not even the servant herself sometimes but it'd all pay off one of these days.
 
Tae slowly got up, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes. Now that she was a bit more awake she could more clearly feel the symptoms of a cold; a strange itch and pain in her throat, a fogginess in her mind, a tiredness in her bones. Stifling another cough, she took a long drink of water from the glass by her bedside before going into the adjoining bathroom, turning on the shower. While some might prefer baths, she hated the time it consumed to get it ready, and she always fell asleep whenever she took one. Although, the very assorted flowers and extracts and soaps were certainly something that she occasionally missed.


Tae stepped out of the shower and stumbled, the cold plus the heat slowing and tiring her down, her sluggishness making her shuffle towards the bed and yawning all the way, a bit too tired to really dry her hair a it hung damp around her neck. Settling into the sheets, she almost dozed off before a knock on the door jolted her awake. She had forgotten for a second that she had ordered food, and called for the attendant to enter from her bed. A small girl -quite timid- entered, carrying a tray with cinnamon porridge along with a sliced and peeled apple, the mug of tea to one side and languidly trailing steam. "Thank you." She murmured, yawning again. The attendant merely nodded rapidly and placed the tray on her nightstand, bowing and hastily retreating as fast as she could. Picking up the porridge, she are a few mouthfuls and grimaced, the taste a bit bland; but that was how she ordered it, so she was in no room to complain. She sniffles again; of course, it could also mean that her sinuses were blocking her sense of taste, so she settled for nibbling on spoonfuls of oatmeal, finishing a quarter before she grew full or queasy or tired, or a mix of all three. She didn't want to spend any brainpower figuring it out. Setting everything back on the tray, she yawned and settled back into her covers, sniffling and trying to clear the growing stuffiness in her throat.


"Nmn?" she said sleepily when she heard a knock. It was either Nyx or the nervous attendant from earlier, back to collect the tray. "Come in." She said, coughing slightly, groping blindly for her cup of tea and nearly knocking it over, only spilling a few drops and burning her hands instead. Gazing blankly at her wet and agitated fingers for a second, she simply grabbed the mug with her other hand, shaking the droplets off of her wet one and leaving it at that.


"Nyx." She greeted warmly. "Accompany me? Would you perhaps like some food? There is an apple; not much, but perhaps something to stave you over until your actual meal."


She gazed at Ny for a moment, thoughts and speculation clouding her eyes. "I won't tell him, or them, anything." She said quietly, almost like a vow. "But... If, if I can..." She stifled a yawn, yet curiosity pushing her forward. "Who are you protecting? Perhaps I can take her into my patronage, my protection, when the time comes. And then you could usurp the prince. I have no intention of stopping you; honestly, me and my kingdom would most likely benefit from a trounced Yinkane prince. Of course, I will completely respect your decision if you are unwilling to tell me, I know it would not be anything easy to talk ab- abou-" A few coughs, and another sip of tea. "Excuse me. Ah, really, it's just a welcome change to have someone to talk to, to confide in. A person like that is nonexistent -or was, on my past trips to Yinkane, and hard to come by elsewhere. If you wouldn't mind..." She looked down, biting her lip. "If you aren't needed elsewhere, would you mind just... Talking? It's been a long time since I've been able to have a simple conversation with anyone outside of small talk about weather or marriages."
 
Entering the room, Nyx bowed slightly as she shut the door behind her. "Good Morning." she greeted again as she made her way over to Tae's bed. The servant blinked as she was offered, chuckling slightly as she took a seat on a stool near the bed. "You know, we aren't treated that badly." she mused slightly. "Servants get showers and meals and breaks and such. Not as grand as we'd like it to be but it's enough to survive." Nyx briefly explained. Adjusting her jacket some, Nyx glanced around the room, studying it. She wasn't really used to hanging out in bedrooms other than Alister's since he required so much attention.


Glancing back at Tae as she spoke again, Nyx raised an eyebrow slightly at her request which was interrupted by coughing. She let the Lady continue, wondering why she wanted to know. She didn't appear to want to know for any other reason other than being curious. In that regard, Nyx was fine telling her but telling to much could be a problem. Nyx still didn't trust anyone no matter how much she told people, always prepared for the back stabbing. By now, she'd grown accustom on how much to say and how much not to say. Give away to much and you're far to exposed. Give to little and you won't gain some sense of trust. Feed them key things, they'll come back for more. Regardless, this Lady didn't really give the blonde any sense of self investment, just curiosity and the longing of someone to just chat with.


Shrugging, Nyx just smiled some and leaned back on the stool. "Sure, if you request it, I'll comply." she said shifting slightly onto her less sore arm. "I don't mind sitting and talking, gives me a break for our annoying Prince." she said with a chuckle as she subconsciously rubbed her arm lightly. Letting go, she moved to play with the ends of her hair a bit, still looking around the room curiously. It looked like any other room she'd been into. Nyx wondered why the Lady was in here anyway, there were much more extravagant rooms around the castle so why this one? Shrugging that aside, Nyx looked over at Lady Tae.


"You've met the girl, her name is Ann. Like I, she was captured from the failed conquest years ago." Nyx said, finally getting to the question. "However, she is no typical servant. Her bloodline is quite...higher than a servant like me. Oh, and then there's Esther. Esther is super observant like way more than I, and a lot smarter, so she knows her situation as well." Nyx said with a chuckle. "If we were to do something about all this, we'd have to bring her too. Ann loves her like a mother. And me like a sister although I don't get that part. I'm her guard not her sister" Nyx went on, making a dry sort of pace at the later part.


Nyx paused, letting the info sink in for a moment. "Ann knows nothing, Esther constantly scolds me for saying nothing, and I protect them both." Nyx finished with a slight shrug before smiling.
 
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