Realistic or Modern Princess and Knight (A tale of forbidden love)

[Monokuma.is.best]

Evergale, the beacon of prosperity among all kingdoms far and wide, stood perched between two large mountains to the east and west, a vast Ocean to its north and a countryside to the south of its borders. On the opposite sides of the mountains were the Kingdoms of Grail (East) and Harbor (West). Far to the south, the kingdoms of Veilheart and Shielha. To the northernmost part of the next continent lay a Kingdom dominated by Elves. They kept to themselves, but they still would attend matters of royalty in Evergale. Unlike the other Kingdoms, Evergale was known for its large marble and granite structured buildings which all shared the common beauty of symmetry and precious blue stones. The roads were always clean, the people nice, the horses well trained and the rules fair.

There was a certain air about this Kingdom that made it fit as the ‘Capital’ of the continent of Shalonsha. There were many people envious of such a place to live, but others would rather travel to this city to enjoy a lavish life then go back to their day to day lives. In fact, there were quite a few moments where residents from other kingdoms would simply move in and stay, becoming permanent members of Evergale. At the center of the beautiful buildings, the Manor of the city stood as a testament of the power of the kingdoms royal blood. It was the previous ruler’s belief that the people should all be treated as royalty along with visitor if they followed the laws. To prove this, the numerous generations have maintained the lustrous white of the manor to act a beacon of hope to its people. Standing with three floors and taking up two and half city blocks, the Manor was indeed a marvel to look at.

The following day various royalty arrived at the kingdom from different parts of the world to see and give counsel to the Princess in the matters of politics. In truth, some of them came to bathe in the beautiful sights and sounds of Evergale, the Kingdom that rules all Kingdoms, but others were there for other purposes. Tonight would be the night for a great party in the honor of the Princess coming of age, and to attend to her would be her knights. Among them would be a loyal friend she had made before he had joined the order of knights. Reaching the rank of Knight Captain, it would be completely up to Sir Gwain to ensure the Princesses knight was not ruined by intruders.

 

[_Jinx_]

Princess Sylyra of Evergale could be found holed up in her room getting ready for the night to come. She was accompanied only by her handmaiden, Vivian, who had just helped Sylyra into her gown for the evening. Vivian was now brushing through Sylyra's long russet-colored hair and humming a soft tune while Sylyra stared at herself in the mirror. She hoped she looked good enough, even though there was only one person she was hoping to impress at this ball.
Once Vivian started putting braids in her hair and pinning them up into an elegant half up half down style, Sylyra frowned a little and looked at her handmaiden through the mirror. "Vivi, do you think I'll get marriage proposals tonight?" She asked quietly.
Vivian smiled a little and took a pin out of her mouth where she was holding it for safe keeping. "Well, dear... Most likely. You're a very pretty young woman, men will probably be all over you now that you're of age."
"Yes... Of course." She said simply, but something about that unsettled her. Sylyra didn't want just any man to want her, which was odd since this was a revelation she had come to only recently. About a month now, actually. "Will you be at the ball, Vivi?"
"Yes dear, I'm helping serve the guests tonight. We can't have you seen with your handmaiden, now can we? People might still think you a child." Vivian examined her work on Sylyra's hair and added a few pins with diamonds set into them. She also reached over to the small counter in front of the mirror and picked up a jeweled comb which she stuck in the top of the intricate lacing of braids. It sparked with the same deep blues and sparkling golds as Sylyra's gown, which fit her torso snugly. The fabric at the top came to a point at the front of her hips where the skirt started. The skirt itself flowed out from her hips in an abstract flowery pattern of blue and gold fabric, which went well with Sylyra's light olive skin tone. She stood and looked at herself in the mirror once more before turning towards Vivian who spritzed her with a sweet smelling perfume.
"Don't forget to save some cake for tonight so we can have our chat after the party." Sylyra said with a small smile and looked down at her dress.
"Of course, your highness." Vivian put her hands on Sylyra's shoulders with a proud smile. "My precious girl... All grown up. Your knights will be coming soon to escort you to the party."

 

[Monokuma.is.best]

"Sir, if I may." Gwain, bowed his head a little to allow the squire to put on his helmet, "There, now you are ready sir." Gwain nodded with approval of this before dusting off any lint that appeared on his cloak. He motioned for his men to stand at attention, and with another wave they opened the door for their commander. Following him out, his men marched in tandem with their leader without falter. With another flick of his wrist they dispersed to their given stations for that day, meanwhile two stood at the ready by the Princesses door. Lifting his hand up, he heard voices on the other side and his hand wavered over the beautiful wood. Shaking his head a bit he knocked on the door with the back of his fist.

"Princess, it is the Knight Captain, Gwain. Are you ready?" He stood there with bated breath. He knew her since childhood, when he was nothing more than the barn hand. How long had it been since their times together? He knew he couldn't really be with her but heart still fluttered at her ever time he had seen her. Worse than that, he was unsure if she even felt the same or not. He closed his eyes slowly. He knew not what this feeling was, but he knew he could never pursue whatever it was. It was forbidden by the Kingdom after all and with the denizens of other Kingdoms here it would be frowned upon even more. What was he to do? This throbbing and tightening of his throat at the sight of the Princess? Maybe it was admiration? Fear? No he wouldn't be afraid of his old friend. He had no more time to contemplate the feeling as he heard the large door beginning to open slowly.

 

[_Jinx_]

Vivian poked her head out with a smile. "Watch yourself, Captain. She just might steal yours and the hearts of everyone at the ball tonight." She giggled a little and opened the door all the way.
Princess Sylyra looked up from the ring she was fiddling with and turned to face the now open door. "Hello, Gwain." She said softly and with a small, shy smile as she walked over to be escorted down to the ball. "I am ready." she slipped the royal ring onto her pointer finger and folded her hands neatly in front of her. She rested them on her gown and walked to stand near the Knight Captain. Sylyra seemed a bit shy, reserved even. The Knight Captain should know better than that though, he's sat with her in the garden when she would talk and talk and talk about the court or whatever was going on.
Though, the light blush on her cheeks was new. Could that be makeup or just the flushing of her skin? Who would ever know?

 

[Monokuma.is.best]

Clearing his throat he nodded a bit to himself, "Right, let's get moving." He said, but secretly he was admiring the Princesses dress. To keep himself occupied he described the nature of the events for tonight. "First you will be meeting with various world leaders in the conference Hall, then there will be a masquerade ball in the Manor. This will be followed by dinner and a today from whoever wishes to." He recorded the lines well and with confidence. His two men followed behind them, Spears in hand and Shields on their arms. He had trained these men well. They were looking like real soldiers.

 

[_Jinx_]

The princess sighed deeply and frowned a little. "That all sounds so... boring." She said quietly and twisted the ring on her finger. "I wish I could spend my birthdays in the garden like we used to do." As they got closer to the conference room, Sylyra seemed to stand a little taller and take on a more quiet, reserved stance. She seemed more royal and untouchable like this than she did before, with her face schooled into a mask of indifference.
The stopped in front of the doors and Vivian fixed a few last minute things on Sylyra's hair before opening the doors to allow her and Gwain through.

 

[Monokuma.is.best]

Within the conference room sat a number of very important figures from other kingdoms. One of which was the Princess Uncle, a devious man who only wanted the kingdom for himself. Beside him we're two unfamiliar faces. One seemed to be a man of a foreign origin and the other a lady dressed in a rather revealing dress. Gwain didn't not trust either of these three though he had no hard evidence to back up his thoughts. The woman was first to speak.

"The young princess is here, oh what a dear you are." Her lips formed a smile but to Gwain she looked more like a viper. That did always say poisonous creatures were always colorful and sure enough sure was far to extravagantly dressed. "I am Queen Miranda from the West." This immediately seemed a bit off to him. Usually the totals from across the nation would say their kingdoms names.

In the presence of Royalty he had to bite his tongue. Because of this he didn't speak to call her out. He hated this, but there were rules. He only hoped the Princess could see how dangerous this woman was.

 

[_Jinx_]

Princess Sylya smiled politely at the woman and waited for a servant to pull out her seat before sitting down. "I'm Princess Sylya, Heir to the throne. Your kingdom would be Harbor?" She thought the wording of Queen Miranda's greeting a little strange but said nothing about it and left her hands on her lap. She forced herself to stop fiddling with her ring, any sign of weakness was something that people in the court would use to tear her apart. She doubted it was anything different from these three. Sylya also forced herself to not glance over at Gwain for any sense of comfort or stability, she was supposed to be grown up after all.

A good thing about being royal is that one learned how to be cautious with words and actions around unknown or untrustworthy people. One also learned to grow up quickly, there was no room for child-like mistakes or weakness. It was all about imagery, how one looked from the outside. Even actions that seemed to be done in private could be found out by someone in the court, and gossip spread like wildfire once it was started.

 

[Monokuma.is.best]

Taking a step into the room afterwards was Serenity, an Elven Highest Priestess from the North. She had requested an audience with the King and Queen some time earlier, but with their deaths this had been delayed. Her bright blonde hair swirled down her green dress, a staff carefully held in her right hand and a small necklace made of stones from her homeland. The air seemed to grow light as she entered, to those with ill intentions, the room felt stifling. This was apparent as the previous three were having trouble breathing.

“Your highness please pardon the intrusion,” Serenity spoke, her voice as gentle as it was, still echoed through the room, “I have been sent on behalf of my kingdom to request an audience after your meeting. It is very urgent that we discuss our current alliances and extend a helping hand in your time of need.”

As if marking the start of the meeting, the King and Queen of Veilheart entered the room, led by their royal scribe. Taking a seat at the other end, they sat down together to look upon the Princess with smiles of sincerity. “It is a pleasure to meet with you Princess.” The queen spoke, “I was a good friend of your mother's. If I might be so bold, I would even say that we were much like sisters. I would gladly give you advice on the matters of ruling a kingdom along with my husband.” Princess Evelyne gave a nod of thanks, “Forgive him if he doesn’t speak right away, we had a long journey and he is feeling quite sleepy.” Her husband grunted a bit as if to agree with her, his hands going up to rub his eyes.

The Queen, Roselia, a noble by birth, was customarily seen wearing long skirts and blouses to accommodate her husband’s love for beautiful clothing. Being that the colors were burgundies and silvers, they always looked beautiful on her slender frame. Her dark brown hair was always brushed into perfection each morning, her skin, unblemished by makeup. Her eyes, the sparkling blue of the ocean, would glisten to the same color as the sky itself in any light. There was a hint of dominance in the way she spoke denoting her heritage as a ruler.

King Marcus, who finally was stirring himself from his tired demeanor, addressed the Princess kindly. “Forgive my tiredness, as my wife has said, I have traveled a long way.” He, unlike any of the other rulers, was exceedingly tall. His body was athletic, his mind sharp and his perception equal to his wife’s. He preferred the use of robes for his attire, giving him a feeling of free movement. He would hate to admit it, but it was his wife who proved to him that robes were more fitting for him instead of tight fitting cotton garments.

 

[_Jinx_]

Princess Sylya nodded politely at the Elven High Priestess and smiled softly. "Very well, we can stay behind for a few minutes before the ball." Sylya wasn't nervous because of the nobles in the room, but her coronation was in a few weeks and she wasn't sure she was ready to be queen.
"It's quite alright, King Marcus," Sylya smiled kindly at both the king and queen. "I hope you can advise me in my mother's place, Queen Roselia. It would be an honor to have one of my mother's closest friends here, her ladies have spoken of you before and the mischief you both would get into at court." Princess Sylya placed her hands on the table. "I do believe that is everybody."
She glanced around at everyone with her back straight and proper. "I hope that I can trust all of you in the coming years," her gaze lingered, somewhat knowingly, on Queen Miranda and her uncle. "This is quite an... An interesting time in my kingdom. The simultaneous death of a king and queen hasn't happened in a long time. It's being investigated now. They had a lot of unfinished business here, and I hope to be able to fill their shoes and take up what they left behind. Including alliances."