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Fantasy What's worth fighting for

Morris

Morris

A Hunter Must Hunt
It was Merrymaker's Day in the splendorous kingdom of Krustivan - and all denizens of the realm, human and non-human alike, knew what this meant. From the stretches of north to south, from west to east, all would parttake in merryment, as white ribbons adorned the houses and flower petals were cast by hundreds of hands across the streets. Praises were given in churches to patron deities and saints of fertility and love, and marriages were held on this very specific day, in hope of blessings of luck and long-lasting happyness.

Coincidentally, it was also the day of the royal family's wedding anniversary. The gleaming white towers and spires of the Trustvar castle - once a mighty stronghold, now a place of artistic pomp and grandeur - were bristling with fanfares and horn-blowers, as the esteemed members of the court and nobility indulged in feasting, gossiping and dancing in the ancestral halls, in exquisite (and accordingly, hellishly expensive) dresses and gowns. The guards themselves found it hard to stay stoic, with the music alluring people's feet to dance, and drinks being passed around for all to enjoy.

Such were the hallmarks of an era of peace and prosperity.

For three generations now, Krustivan has been ruled by the Trustvar family. Originally dukes under the previous dynasty, they have been elected to lead by other nobles almost a century ago, when the old royal dynasty, the Callouxfords, have been decreed deceased, for the last sovereign of their bloodline had passed without an heir. Civil war could very well had been the future of Krustivan, had the nobles not listened to better judgement. It was the Trustvars' sense of dimplomacy which brought them together, and make a compromise.

Now, their descendants could enjoy the fruits of this wise choice, and revel in luxury to their heart's content. They all seemed so happy...

...it was almost stomach-turningly disgusting.

At the very least, this was the thought which crossed the mind of Daquan Amsel, squire of the house of Vurdalak. He and his compatriots (that is, the patriarch of the house, his wife, and the squire himself) stood out in the host of guests like sore thumbs; albeit officially nobles themselves, they were distinguished in an unusual manner. They bore no heraldry, nor wear jewelry save for small talismans, nor garb themselves in fancyfully painted silky or velvet wear, preferring plain cotton and wool clothing, as well as wolf-skin cloaks, like they were survivalist wildmen of a now forlorn age. They had their reasons for it, naturally, rooted in their history. But that did not make them any less subjected to snide commentary, every time they made an appearence in the court's celebrations.

The current head of the house, Joel, and his beloved, Olette, have not paid much heed to this. They have long learned to let it past their ears. They were proud of what they stood for, and they knew the royal family likewise approved of them - why else would they be consistently on the guest list?

Daquan Amsel, however, was less than thrilled by the ongoing festivities. Not that he was against Merrymaker's Day itself - rather, he would have preferred to spend it somewhere else. Somewhere where he wouldn't be treated to mocking glances, whispered slander and belittling chukles. As much as he was excited to witness the interior of Krustivan's crown jewel with his own eyes for the first time, his awe was quick to turn into a sense of insignificance, and frustration. When he became a page as a young boy, even the humble aesthetics of the comparetively tiny Vurdalak castle seemed fable-like to him; in stark contrast, such extravagant pomp felt downright oppressive. And, just to add insult to injury, as it were, it had to be on a nation-wide holiday, when every single member of the upper classes, from gentry to dukes, would be flaunting their finest attires.

Last, but not least, amidst all the couples, families, friends and acquaintances... he was alone. Which was arguably what irked him the most. His lord and master, whom he respected deeply, told him to just relax and have fun. Too bad he didn't explain how, under these dire circumstances. None would approach or greet him, beside some servants adhering to the customs of their servitude. The guests would by far and large ignore him, and any and all attempts at establishing contact were quick to meet with a polite, but ultimately inevitable dismissal and excuses.

Therefore, for lack of better options, he condemned himself to standing by the sidelines of the ballroom, as if he was part of the guard, praying mutely in his mind that the hours fly by quickly so he can get away from this sugar-coated social hellhole.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
At these festivities the entire royal family was required to attend. This meant the King Leonard and Queen Andrea were in attendance with their daughter, Princess Aliarna. This hadn’t been the first time they had invited people into the castle, as there were several times they did such a thing. They had a day set aside just so that the commoners can mingle with the nobility and they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

They even went out often and helped the commoners to try and encourage the prosperious land. The land had many bounties to offer and the King and Queen wanted to make sure that they were used and not abused. There had even been times when the Queen herself, coming from a noble family and having married into royalty, had spent a day out on the farms on the land simply helping with prepping it for the harvest. She had taken her daughter with her when she was younger, but as her daughter got older her life became a story of lesson after lesson.

Princess Aliarna had been born two days after Heartkeeper Eve, and that was another holiday, but that was a day that the royal family went as a family down to the commoners quarters and they gave back to their people, helped them recover from the amount of money they had to spend for Heartkeeper Eve. The Princess never asked for anything in return, never took anything from the commoners and only gave.

It was this quality that the nobles liked, but it did push away many suitors who wanted a girl who was dumb and obedient, not one who actually had an education like the Princess had. She also happened to have quiet the mouth on her to say the least, as she would speak her mind no matter how much trouble it would get her in, another quality many didn’t see fitting of a Princess.

Aliarna was here tonight, mingling among the many people, curtsying to the nobles and being over all respectful. She interacted with everyone, many teased her for being such a social butterfly, as it would be called, and others actually found it kind of refreshing to see the Princess actually reaching out to people and conversing with them.

She was like no other Princess before her, her aunt Queen Lydia hadn’t been as social as her before her passing in childbirth. Her father would tell her all the time how her aunt Lydia would shrink away from conversations and keep to herself. She only ever talked to the family and to her husband, so it was hard when she passed away for everyone. However, it wasn’t like there was anything they could do about her passing.
 
Daquen continued to maintain his mute vigil, resigning himself to his self-appointed duty of observing specks of dust settle on the half-picked dining tables. He seldom shifted his attention back to the shifting, chirping crowd. That is, until something caught his attention - or rather... someone.

He could have sworn he had spotted, however faintly and in sparse detail, the princess Aliarna herself in the midst of the ongoing dribble. Not that he has ever seen her before to recognize her by looks, but he has heard the stories concerning her, especially about her hair. Not everyone gets to have natural light purple coloration, to say the least. It was her key identification mark of sorts. Rumours in the countryside had it, she was born with a talent for magic. Daquen squinted his eyes and leaned to the right to get a better angle. Is that really her?

She seemed so very young, very frail. Yet her movement radiated confidence and a healthy dose of self-esteem. No wonder though; she was raised for this, the squire thought. Not to be aloof, but open in mind and heart, and eventually, refined to be tactful about it, like an ideal diplomat. Being on top of the social pyramid and having naught to want for likely helped as well, but that was not his place to guess.

He observed from afar, trying not to raise attention with his awkwardness. He actually felt himself blushing, and was quick to reassert his stance. Such childish behaviour does not suit a future knight. Still, the sentiment has already and irreversibly entered his mind: if only he could, just for a moment, talk to her, and be reassured he's not worth less in her eyes than anyone else present...

And, as if a little devil was sitting on his shoulder and whispering scandalous plans to him, another thought crossed his mind. Should he dare to ask her for a dance, if only to spite the haughty nobles of the court?

...no, that wouldn't work. He was quickly dismissing the notion - even she would have to be aware of the indications of such an act. She would refuse for certain, and these gossip-churning people would never let him live the disappointment down.

He shifted his weight uneasily from one leg to the other as he let out a sigh. Well, for what it is worth, he was going to savour the sight while he may.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna might have seemed to be weak in her appearance, but that didn’t mean she actually was. In actuality she was quiet the strong little thing, and older than many thought she was. Due to the magic abilities she held her appearance tended to look younger. Her hair was another indicator of her magical abilities, even though her magic pertained to a certain domain. See, most mages could use all magic, but Aliarna could only use one type of magic. She could manipulate water like it were an appendage of her own.

She had learned quiet a lot in her magic lessons. She learned ways to control her powers, but that didn’t mean she had complete control. She had to wear a special charm bracelet in order to keep her powers from going out of control in public. However, she was allowed to take it off when she was helping the commoners with their crops. She would simply flick her wrist and the crops in the row she was in would suddenly be watered. She obviously never did this in front of anyone, but commoners always kind of knew.

As she mingled among the nobility she was drinking something, a tea as she didn’t like alcohol. So, she had the maids make her tea and let it sit for the day to cool down so that people would think she had wine. As a result many seemed to think she enjoyed the stuff because she would always have a few glasses. Another rumor that got started about this young girl unfortunately. People were amazed she never got drunk, and that’s where the rumors stemmed from.

Soon as she pulled the purple tingled glass away from her lips she turned her head as she felt eyes on her. She saw a man looking at her and she smiled a little bit as she turned to her other conversation. “That is great Lord Thristin, and I hope to hear more about it later. Now if you don’t mind, I will be departing.” She said with a respectful curtsy.

The lord looked at the princess and bowed respectfully and smiled. “Thank you for listening, I am sorry to have talked your ear off.” He said before watching the young girl leave and looking to his wife and sighing. “Always has her head in the clouds,” he said as he didn’t like Princess Aliarna as much as the other nobles did.

Aliarna weaved her way expertly through the crowd and approached the man who seemed to have been watching her. She curtsied carefully and smiled as she looked at him, “good evening. You must be the squire everyone has been speaking about lately.” She said as she looked at him as she had heard them talking about the squire, but hadn’t collected a name or any information about him other than that he was the squire for Lord Vuldarak. “May I ask, have I caught your interest?” She asked proving to be the ever so perceptive one.

Morris Morris
 
This was a turn of events right out of a badly written fable book for children, with the precious gemstone of high society stepping out of her boundaries to interact with someone of so much lower standing.

Not that Daquan Amsel was unaware that the Trustvars actually went out of their way to help with works during harvest, but he - and unofficially almost everyone else in the majority of the populace who weren't around to witness it - assumed it was a publicity stunt in the guise of a kind gesture more than anything meaningful, to reinforce relations between sovereigns and subjects. His treatment by the rest of the nobles just reinforced this so far, up until now.

Nevertheless, he was caught by surprise. At first he didn't even register the princess was approaching him specifically; he thought she was heading out of the mass of barons, dukes and marquis for getting tired of their babbling, and no other reason in particular. Then, when she talked to him, he couldn't manage more than to blink in uncertainty, but at the very least he avoided dropping his jaw and stance.

Oh Gods. He felt a chill run down his spine. She's actually adressing me? ...what's this bit about others talking about me? - he needed a moment to get his thoughts together, when Aliarna had already moved on to her next inquiry. - Oh. I see. She just wants a break from the monotony of the proceedings, and a little teasing.

A somewhat bold move on her account, considering how quickly scrying eyes could turn in their direction if they make this exchange anything more than a brief introduction...

...but hey, might as well go with the flow. Nothing wrong can stem from this in and of itself. As such, Daquan steeled himself, and put up his very best closed-mouthed smile which he generally reserved for the servient girls back at his lord's estate:

"It would seem my reputation preceeds me then. All good, I trust. And to answer your question, your highness" - he tilted his head ever so slighty to the left - "it would be insulting to deny that you are the kind of person who draws attention to herself - and I mean that in the best possible way."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna smiled as she looked at the young man and giggled a little bit, “it would be now that you bow to me.” She reminded as she knew the formalities and right now she was simply teasing because she didn’t care about formalities and the fact that technically he should have bowed to her. “I jest, I jest. Don’t concern yourself.” She said before he could grow concerned.

She watched him closely noticing he was quiet nervous about the fact that they were talking. She kind of assumed he knew that she was pretty active in everyone’s life, no matter their status in the kingdom She was quiet a generous young girl. So, she simply waited patiently for the man infront of her to respond.

During this time she took the purple wine glass in her hand and carefully drank from it and smiled happily as she felt the cold Tran touch her lips. It was the perfect amount of sweet, the perfect amount of sugar and tea mixed into the glass. Sometimes the sugar tended to stay behind in the big pitcher, but today it seemed to have mixed quiet well with the tea and came into the wine glass.

She noticed that her cup was empty and looked to a maid who hadn’t the pitcher of tea and waved her over for a moment. The woman came over and poured the beverage into the Princesses drink and curtsied as she arrived and the curtsied as she left as well.

Aliarna smiled when the squire finally spoke, “well unfortunately I only heard that you were here tonight, nothing else.” She said as she took another sip from her glass. “I won’t deny people usually are attracted to me for my hair... it seems to make people think.” She said smiling as she played with her hair a bit.

She had her hair curled tonight which actually hugged her face pretty nicely. There was no denying that her hair was the first thing anyone noticed about her.

Morris Morris
 
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Daquan attempted to keep a straight face when Aliarna mentioned proper court etiquette to him, but he was certain a sweat drop or two slid down the back of his neck. Regardless of Aliarna's friendly and carefree demenour, he's ought to mind his manners around her, even if in this context the motto of house Vurdalak would had been a fitting, if boisterous reply - that is, "If we don't bend, we do not break".

As her future majesty emptied her glass, the squire couldn't help but pick up traces of the smell. He grew up in a largely agricultural village, with a nose almost as sharp as a hunting hound's - a trait he was quite proud of. The princess had been drinking tea all along? Giving some thought to the matter, it made sense. Her parents would frown upon it greatly were their only heir descending to the stinking depths of alcoholism at such a tender age.

He decided to leave the topic unadressed for now. He sought to re-focus his attention to the polite small-talk at hand, brushing aside other concerns.

"Truly I must be quite an attraction if my mere presence merits so many a remark from the esteemed lips of the court. But I digress." - the squire rolled his eyes with sarcasm, dismissing the issue - "Admittedly, your highness, the colour is quite unusual. First impressions such as this make people intrigued - but the person behind the exterior often proves more noteworthy." - again, Daquan found himself speaking too openly. It had to do with Aliarna's personality, he wagered; she just had this effect on him. Discreetly coughing, he shifted the topic a bit: - "I heard, among other things, that your lineage is one endowed with the arcane. I would not presume to belief without confirmation, of course..."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna smiled as she watched the man infront of her and waited patiently. She was certainly enjoying the idle chit chat with him that she didn’t get to have with many others. After all, being a princess she dealt with those who simply enjoyed to talk about themselves and their accomplishments over their entire life. Some made promises to have their sons interact with her and see if they might be interested, a lie that she knew nothing would come to pass.

She took another idle sip of the tea in her cup and watched the man infront of her and smiled happily as she was happy to be in the company of someone new, a fresh face. She nodded her head when he mentioned that her hair did attract quiet the attention because of its color, a truth she knew all too well. When he asked about her magical abilities she pulled the cup away from her lips and kind of smiled ever so slightly as she held it close to her body. She knew she wasn’t supposed to discuss it much outside of her studies, outside of with her parents and her master, but it didn’t keep those around her from talking and talk they certainly did.

“I am sorry, but I’m not really allowed to talk about my abilities outside of court.” She admitted as she put a hand to her lips for a moment and took in a deep breath. “However, it is true that I have abilities.” She said in fairly quiet tone and looked around her. “If we could move on from such a topic though...” she said as she looked at him.

She lifted the glass to her lips again almost wishing it was alcohol right now as she knew she just broke the biggest rule and there would be consequences if anyone heard what she said she would definitely be in trouble with her parents and her master.

“Anyway, would you like to dance?” She asked as she finished her tea and had the maid come back and take the cup to her and smiled as she watched him. “Really it will be nice,” she said smiling happily as she looked at him and waited patiently. There were people already dancing as the music played quietly in the background.
 
"My apologies, princess, I was unaware." - the squire confessed, slightly bowing, avoiding eye contact to hide his continuously deepening embarrassment. He felt at this point he was well into the process of making a lasting impression as a complete buffoon, courtesy of his wanton ignorance of codes of conduct and insensitive choice of topics. - "By all means, let's move on to something else-"

Faintly, he noticed the sounds of music slowly swelling as the event's musicians were done with their slow-paced pieces, and resorted to something more catchy and dynamic, an audible invitation for the next dances to begin. Oh good, Daquan thought. It was a sign of relief. Doubtlessly the princess would soon be swarmed by attention-craving suitors and flatterers, and he will fade into the decorative background of the grand hall again, which will be a prime chance to slip away and avoid making a bigger fool out of himself than he already had. Gods willing, nobody will remember this, save for himself...

It was at this point that Aliarna's question hit him. It took a second to register.

"Erm... I mean, pardon me?" - he stared in disbelief. During the brief span of time the princess had her maid carry off her cup, he tried to recollect his thoughts.

Alright, calm your nerves, squire. - he reasoned with himself in silent contemplation - On the one hand, doubtlessly this will be a highlight of coming gossips. But I'm only here for a couple of days. I can deal with that. She seems like a nice and sincere girl, she wouldn't go out of her way to ridicule me on intent. Besides, nobody in their right mind refuses a princess!

Haphazardly, and with an ever so slightly shivering hand, he took a small cup of wine for himself, instilling himself with liquidated courage. This may not have been a battlefield, the only thing being at risk was his reputation and self-confidence, which he needed to salvage as best he could.

"This is an unexpected honor." - he confessed a bit sheepishly whilst putting away the cup. - "Nevertheless, however..." - he gently took Aliarna's hand and kissed it, as was customary for first-time dance partners in the kingdom. - "It would be my pleasure."

Walking to the dance floor holding Aliarna's left hand in his right, he found he was actually happy for this opportunity. All those stupid dancing lessons his tutor's wife enforced on his curriculum as a page were actually going to pay off now. And, more than that, not every squire in the kingdom can claim to have danced with the heir to the throne.

For a while, which could have been maybe a few minutes, perhaps twenty, he was content with the swaying motions, the spins and pirouettes, the heel turns and pulls. He focused entirely on his partner, closing out the outside world. She was exquisitely light on her feet; he could barely feel her weight.

In addition, he found it disturbingly easy to get lost in the way her long hair was flopping about, and the brightness of her eyes. They were just so shining compared to his dull, brown toned eyes. He shook the idea out of his head; he was finally getting the hang of the rythm, he shouldn't spoil the moment with glaring like an idiot. At the very least, he worked up enough courage to adress her again:

"You are a wonderful partner, your majesty." - he admired her skills. - "And... if I made things awkward at first, please forgive me. Truthfully, I've never have attended the splendor of such an event before. It's a bit overwhelming for me. Your kindness puts me at much more ease."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna smiled as she waited patiently for the young man to accept or deny her offer. It was something she simply wanted to do in order to keep the peering eyes off of her. Many thought it easy to take advantage of the Princess, and it didn't stop them when she proved that she wasn't someone to be toyed with. Many suitors had tried, and failed, to tame that side of her that denied them ever so fervently. "No need to apologize, I should have simply denied such things. However, it's not like people don't know that it is true. I used my abilities to help with the crops during harvest time, to provide nourishment for the coming harvest." She said as it was no secret she was allowed to use her powers on occasion.

She giggled a little at how flustered the boy god, and she couldn't deny that it was traditionally the man to ask for a dance from the woman, but who cared? she liked to jump out of the box for a few seconds to do things her way. After all, she was the heir to the throne and that meant that she had to stand up for herself and she had to learn to do things on her own. So, if she wanted to dance with someone, who was she to stop herself from asking?

The noblemen would look at it and frown upon it, but her father would probably be proud that his daughter was willing to learn to be bold and strong. He wasn't one to let his daughter fall into all the stereotypes of being a woman. He was one to encourage his daughter to be confrontational and to speak her mind.

It was actually from her father that she got most of the qualities that suitors seemed to not like in her. However, nothing could be done about it as she wasn't going to let herself be walked all over just because some man wanted her simply for her power and in order to use her power for their own personal gain.

Of course, these thoughts slipped away as she got taken to the dance floor and she smiled as she placed a hand on the taller mans shoulder and started dancing. She had taken many classes in dancing, and as a result she had become quiet adept at letting someone lead her. However, that didn't mean she would slip and start leading herself. However, this time she seemed to not make all her silly mistakes that she was ever so used to making.

Her purple hair swayed carefully with each movement the pair made and it seemed to be catching the peoples attention that the Princess was actually dancing. After all, not many had seen the Princess dance at these events. Usually her time was spent mingling among the people and talking. Maybe a dance or two here or there, but nothing really like this.

"Thank you, though my teacher and many men would say that I can be clumsy at times." She said giggling a little bit as she smiled happily, "it is quiet alright. This is after all the first ball since you joined Lord Vuldarak. Though, he too doesn't usually attend many of these balls. So, I don't truly know when he acquired you." She admitted as it was pretty true, some of the Lords made very few appearances at these balls for personal reasons.

"My kindness stems from the fact that I am much like my father, but far kinder than him. I call it a trait I got from my mother since she always boasts about how I got nothing from her, but everything from my father. I sometimes can't tell if she is upset about all my traits similar to my fathers, or if she just simply is happy with me being me." She said as she smiled happily as she kept swaying.

Morris Morris
 
It felt strange to the squire that princess Aliarna would so readily confide in him. Honesty and forthrightness were deeply held values of the Vuldarak house, but not necessarily most desired qualities when it comes to intrigues and negotiations, especially for a woman of her standing. It must have been because of her youth, or indeed, his father's mannerism rubbing off of her. Now that he thought about it, Aliarna did display a quality or two which could be considered traditionally boy-ish, but the grace with which she carried and presented this part of herself just made her all the more endearing in his eyes.

"Clumsy?" - he chukled silently. - "Nonsense, you are great at this, if I do say so myself." - Daquan told her, not even paying heed that his hold on her hip and palm have gotten firm and reassured. The initial anxiety just slipped away at some point, without him even noticing.

When she brought up his mentor and his tutalage, Daquan explained himself point by point in between the turns and sways. - "True, my master is often away either on tours of duty when the celebrations are held, or just plainly prefers to spend them at home. He doesn't like pompousness, I think, but I know for a fact he adores your parents. Speaks of them like old friends of sorts. Makes sense he'd attend every once in a while. As for me..." - he kept a little pause whilst he helped Aliarna with a pirouette, waiting for her to resume the motions - "I've actually been with the house since I was little. I often fancied a visit here, but my lord insisted that I grow up first to learn to act presentable." - he smirked at the memory. - "Whether I succeeded, well... that's up for your royal judgement." - he teased her in a hushed tone.

He listened to her talk a bit about her parents. Frankly, he didn't know anything about the Trustvar dynasty's currently reigning monarch and queen other than what he heard from second-hand sources, and Lord Joel Vuldarak did not bother presenting him to their majesties; perhaps for the better, seeing how silly he acted (and was still acting) around their daughter. It was difficult to get a clear picture about their personalities like that; anyone could be declared venerable or virtuous, but it does not substitute for knowing the small details. If Aliarna was any indication to go by, though, they were indeed caring and down-to-earth people.

"I wouldn't presume to know your parents, princess Aliarna." - Daquan said to her, smiling sincerely throughout their dance. - "But... as far as I can tell, both of them have every right to be proud."

And so they kept going merrily... eventually though, the squire couldn't help but start feeling an underlying sense of disdain. Not from the princess, mind, but from his surroundings. At first, it was more of a subconscious signal, which he ignored initially until the realization struck him like a thunderbolt:

Wait. I'm not only dancing with the princess. I'm getting acquainted, and... flirting. In the open.

A storm cloud began gathering at the edge of his awareness, and it steadily, but even so viciously, started to bear down upon him, as eyes started picking up the gazes around them, and he began listening to the chatter from nearby couples and bystanders:

"Look at that wolf-pelted street urchin! Not even a knight, and he has the audacity for this?" - a marquis muttered with a disapproving glare. - "Outrageous." - his drinking buddy nodded.

"Like the Vuldaraks setting their filthy foot inside weren't enough, now this..." - a baron grunted. His wife, hiding her contemptuous frown behind a fan, added her own opinion: - "Oh, they were always a scandalous lot. But to think the princess would sink so low so quick, for all the world to see. How horrid."

"She picked that mongrel over us? A spawn of serfs? What in hell?" - two sons of a duke, brothers by blood, were grinding their teeth in frustration. - "This has to be a jest. Or he's playing on her romanticism, the disgusting swineherd. The likes of him belong on the pillory."

He could have sworn he also spotted his own lord making worried glances, as if signalling him for a tactical withdrawal. Not so much Lady Olette Vuldarak, though, who seemed to smile approvingly, and, had the squire been able to read her lips, would have deduced that she was whispering to her husband something along the lines of "I told you that boy would be going to high places."

Needless to say, his discomfort was escalating by the second. Even if he could try and block out the noise, he could no longer find it within himself to endure being the center of attention beside Aliarna. Were the scornful gazes of arrogant nobles endowed with magic to project ill intent, basilisks and their ilk would have long gone extinct due to the supremacy of such rivals. The squire's heartbeat was rising, his instincts were telling him ever more urgingly to take his leave, and fast.

He turned back to the princess with an indisguisably pale face. He wanted to tell her so many things, but all he could blurt out was an ill-suited excuse.

"Your highness, I... I'm sorry. I cannot afford to stay longer. Thanks for everything, and... bye." - he awkwardly let go of her, slightly bowed, then turned about and started heading out of the ballroom, trying to maintain a steady, but constant pace of long, marching steps.

He didn't stray far, just to a nearby, currently unused and unsupervised foyer. He occupied one of the empty, unused seats beside a small marble fountain, featuring a statue of a joyous-looking wolf-hound with a canary perching atop its nose, which seemingly locked eyes with the canine. Daquan buried his face into his still trembling hands. - "Why do I have to be such a fool..."

Some first visit this turned out to be.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna smiled up at the taller man and giggled a little bit as she pirouette for a moment and then immediately met his face again. She was enjoying herself if she was being honest, and the best part was she didn't have to be drunk like some of these people had to be in order to enjoy herself. "Well, thank you. I always thought I was pretty good at dancing, but I have to follow such strict rules." She said figuring she would start there with the conversation, and then move on to when Lord Vuldarak acquired him.

"Really, that is fairly interesting. I feel like this is the very first time I've even heard about you... though it is quiet possible that I have heard many things about you in passing, but not much else. It's hard to remember someone you hear about, but have never seen. So, I would like to say it is nice to meet you and finally have a face to whom I can connect the whispering of you to." She said as she was only being honest. She had trouble remembering people she hadn't met before. For someone to share a name with her or to share information about another with her it was just that, information, and she didn't necessarily commit it to memory without a face.

She wasn't really paying much attention to the crowd, atleast until her dance partner happened to be looking around them. They certainly had gathered the attention, and soon she looked for her parents in the crowd, wondering if they could see her dancing. After all, they had encouraged her to break out of her shell a bit tonight and atleast dance with someone instead of mingling like she always did.

Sure enough she caught eye of her mother in the crowd, Queen Amelia. She seemed to have a big smile on her face as she looked to her husband. "Dear, look at our baby girl dancing." She seemed to be saying to her father, not that Aliarna could read lips all that well, but she could only assume that was what she was saying.

Her father kind of had a stern look on his face, but didn't look displeased. "Yes, this is the first time I've seen her this social." He said as his face started to soften up a bit as he watched his daughter, soon a smile forming on his face as he watched his daughter, the beautiful gem he had produced 22 years ago with his loving wife.

Aliarna smiled back to them for a moment before looking to her dance partner and pausing a bit as she noticed he seemed to still be distracted. Had she said something wrong? Did she do something to upset him and make him look away with her?

Her heart too started racing as she watched him, worried that she was messing all of this up, that she was failing in the task she had set herself up for. She didn't choose her dance partner out of any duty to accomplish this task, but because she genuinely wanted to get to know this person better.

Soon of course he abruptly stopped them which made her stumble a bit, and she couldn't even process what happened before her dance partner had departed and suddenly there were tears in her eyes.

The King was quick into action as he went to his daughter and wrapped an arm around her. "It's okay darling," he whispered trying to keep her from crying as sometimes when she cried she lost control of her powers.

Queen Andrea looked to her husband for a moment, "my love we are drawing some attention." She whispered as she looked at her husband who straightened himself up a bit and put this big fake smile on his face.

"I am sorry everyone, my daughter seems to be a bit tired." He said as he carefully guided his daughter out of the middle of the crowd and to a corner of the room where her master was. He looked to the man who was clearly very old and sighed, "bring her to the room where she can let this out." He said as they didn't want anyone knowing about their daughters magical abilities.

The fairly old man nodded his head and simply took Princess Aliarna's hand and smiled softly, "come my dear." He said before guiding her from the room, away from the festivities.

Aliarna looked at her master though and shook her head crying full force now, which was messing up what little amount of make-up she had on. "No!" She yelled as she pulled away from him and ran in the opposite direction.
 
Daquan Amsel hasn't kept measure of the time he had been sitting about. He just wanted to wait until the trepidation would leave his nerves in peace, but it simply wasn't happening. He felt a great guilt for leaving Aliarna behind so abruptly; he could only hope she would understand - or her parents would explain to her - that it's no fault of hers. Damn those prickly bluebloods and their vulture eyes and incessent slanderous braying. He likewise felt he failed on a personal level. Was he supposed to withstand this, hold his ground amidst these pretentious bigots? Or he made the blunder of a lifetime, simply by accepting the princess' kindhearted gestures?

What was his lord going to say? However involuntarily, he felt like he wronged him, too. He made a scene, and the other nobles will certainly not leave this event unadressed. They might try to pressure him into getting rid of his unrefined, overly ambitious squire. Well, either that, or he's going to chop his head off (hopefully figuratively more than physically) for disappointing the princess and fleeing like a coward without at least a proper farewell.

It was in the midst of these frantic links of thoughts that his worries manifested themselves in the flesh. He didn't even notice the pair of cow leather boots strolling up to him until they stomped on the floor tile in front of him, making him jump a little and lift his eyes upwards, only to meet a skeweringly rigid gaze and frowning mouth, coupled with an infamously menacing moustache, all of which were exclusive property of Lord Joel Vuldarak, along with the boots. - "M- my lord," - the squire squirmed uneasily as he sat - "I-"

"I have a number of things to scold you for, squire." - he declared, laying his heavy hand on Daquan's shoulder; firmly, but not quite as forcefully as the young man anticipated. - "But it would be insincere and hypocritical, were I not to adress my own faults first in this scenario."

Daquan Amsel's eyes widened, as his tutor sat down beside him and let out a deep sigh. He could tell the middle-aged man was agitated, but not in the same manner as if he screwed up during practice or had caught him slacking off his duties (which, however seldom an occasion, did happen every now and then). He kept a short pause before adressing his ward: - "My reasons for bringing you to the Trustvar castle, and on this day of all days, was meant to teach you a lesson. A cruel one, at that. One that my own sons, and two squires before you, had also had to learn. Care to guess what it was?"

The squire needed a moment to think this through. His mind wandered back to the time span before Aliarna stepped into his sight. - "I think... you wanted to drive home that we are a knightly house of outsiders. That we are not like the rest of the nobles, and they despise us for it. Even if the royal family favours us, we are at best tolerated, but not accepted."

"Yes, squire. Indeed." - Joel nodded - "This is the burden all Vuldaraks bear. One that we all must learn to cope with. And I'm sorry you had to find this out the way you did. I didn't count on the princess singling you out... nobody did, I think."

"So... you are not angry at what I did?" - the squire asked with uncertainty in his voice.

"At what you did? ...nay." - his master shook his head. - "At worst, I'm annoyed over how you did it. A proper knight doesn't just storm out of a lady's graces like that, I thought I taught you this!"

"Speaking of which... how is princess Aliarna?" - Daquan interrupted. - "I hope she didn't take it personally that I just up and left..."

"She was escorted out of the hall teary-eyed. Nicely done, boy. You haven't even been knighted yet and you already broke a girl's tender little heart." - Lord Vuldarak grinned in a mocking manner.

"W- what?!" - this hit Daquan deeply. - "Oh, gods... but we have barely spent an hour together at most! Why would she feel so deeply wounded?"

Joel gently grabbed his protegee by his hair and pulled him closer, lowering his tone to a whisper, looking him straight in the face. - "The female gender is a fascinating species, my boy. And noble-blooded girls are a breed unto themselves. They all crave the same things, but find it in different forms."

"I... I'm not sure I follow." - the squire told sheepishly.

Joel tilted his head a bit. - "Remember how you felt before she approached you. I could tell from a glance. Ostracised, mistreated, and lonely because of it. Expected to meet unspoken standards which others arbitrarily imposed, or else be criticised and shunned. And to try to conform to them would be living a life full of lie and deceit. It's a sickening feeling. Have you considered that perhaps, she feels the same way?"

"My lord... you can't be serious." - he blinked in disbelief - "I- I mean, she's the future head of state! Who would dare dictate what she should and shouldn't do?"

"Society doesn't work like that." - Joel let go of the young man's hair. - "The Trustvars are ahead of their time. But they have the same fallacy as every other revolutionary: they live in a present that is rooted in the past. They want their girl to be independent in spirit, and to live making her own choices. But a princess needs a husband, and nobles have cravings and expectations. She is well within marrying age, yet she has not accepted any suitor. She is a daughter of smart people, who raised her to be aware of men who would take advantage of her and use her for their own gain. But herein lies the issue."

They just stared at one another briefly, as if lord Vuldarak expected his squire to finish his own train of thought. Daquan succeeded: - "She can't have deep relations with commoners because of her rank, and she can't relate to other nobles because she has meet too many dishonest ones. It... must be very tiresome. And lonely."

"Precisely. But today, today was a very different day, if only ever so briefly. A new face, and behind it, an honest heart, which opened with sincerity and accepted her readily, expecting nothing in turn, just a pleasant time together. And then it ran away from her like a startled chicken."

"...thanks for rubbing it in, my lord." - Daquan sighed, unamused and wishing the ground would open up to swallow him. - "This cannot stand. But even so, how to make amends? Respectfully, my lord, I think I already caused enough damage as is. The court will not stand idly if they see me keeping contact with Aliarna."

"Indeed, Daquan. Indeed." - Joel Vuldarak patted him on the back - "And that is why I'm telling you this, straight up: I know she is attractive. And at your age, it is easy to be infatuated. But don't fall for her. King Leonard and queen Andrea... I know all too well they wouldn't be against it. But the court would be, with any and all means. And that's a danger neither of you should expose yourselves to. So save yourself and her the pain. But..." - he leaned back, with a more relaxed expression - "That doesn't mean you couldn't be friends, per se. So long as it's just rude gossips floating about, no need to give a damn. And I think she would be grateful for it either way."

"So what am I to do then?" - Daquan asked with a hint of impatience.

Joel stood up, straightening his back whilst lecturing his novice: - "You are going to find her. Apologise to her, preferably with flowers in hand. Explain yourself, and find a way to make up for it next time you meet. Strictly in that order. And if you mess this up, heavens have mercy, because I will not."

Daquan stood up himself with a renewed sense of purpose. He was thankful for Lord Vuldarak's wise guidance, and smiled with gratitude at him. - "Well, that's something I definitely want to avoid. Might as well get started..." - and with that said, he walked off to find the princess.

Lord Vuldarak looked after him with a smirk. He then cast a look at the fountain, musing over the all too fitting symbolism of the hound and the bird... when he took notice of the quivering water surface, and the erratic spasms which distorted the flow of the fountain's waters, sometimes too slow, sometimes too fast, and squirting upwards and sideways and patterns which seemingly defied the rules of liquid physics, and gradually caused the water levels to rise and start overflowing, and upon spilling on the ground, droplets began forming and levitating up to the top of the foyer, like a reverse rain.

"Oh sh*t." - Joel put it plainly. - "This is worse than I thought."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
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The old man grew concerned as he tried to locate the princess, but he simply couldn’t. Wherever she was she was hiding herself pretty well. So, he quickly made his way back to the ball room hoping that everything was okay there, that her powers were so out of control that she was causing things to happen. Who knew, maybe the girl had more control than they all gave her credit for. Who could blame then for their concern though?

However he passed the foyer shortly after the squire departed it and saw Lord Vuldarak there and saw exactly what he saw and went wide eyed. “Oh no,” he said before quickly rushing back to the room hoping there was some kind of distance on her powers that would prevent her from reaching the ball. However, without knowing where she went he had no idea how close she was and since the foyer was pretty close to the ballroom, he could only assume the worst.

So, when he walked in and found it remarkably untouched he breathed a silent sigh of relief. He then quickly went over to the King and Queen and cleared his throat. “Your majesties.” He said as he bowed respectfully to them. “It would appear that Aliarna ran away from me during our walk and on my way here I found one of the fountains... misbehaving.” He said as quietly as he could, all the while looking around to make sure that no one was paying them any mind.

King Leonard looked at the older man and turned beat red, “you lost my daughter?” He said trying to keep his voice low. He felt the gentle touch of his wife though who was trying to tell him to not over react.

“Leo, she took quiet the rejection tonight it isn’t beyond belief that she is beyond upset. We need to find her though, because if we don’t there’s a chance someone will notice.” Queen Andrea said before motioning a maid over and sighing. “If you could get someone to clean up the foyer down the hall. It seems Princess Aliarna is... unwell.” She said as the servants were the only ones who knew the secret, other than a select few nobles.

The maid bowed respectfully and walked off to inform the clean up crew to work on damage control before it got too far out of hand.

Meanwhile, Queen Andrea pulled a guard over. “If you could go look for Princess Aliarna please. She needs to be found before the end of the party.” She said and the Guard nodded his head before bowing respectfully like the maid and going to find the Princess.

Aliarna had ran all the way to the garden before she could stop herself. She had fallen onto the ground, something that made her dress a bit dirty. As she breathed though she could be heard crying quiet loudly. This of course made her powers react, and fountains in her vicinity started reacting to her emotions.

While she didn’t reach the ballroom, she had reached the foyer that the squire had been in after their dance. She tried everything to try and calm herself down, but couldn’t.

She even tried splashing herself with water, effectively soaking her dress and her hair. She was a wet mess, but she couldn’t stop the tears nor her emotions. “No, no, no!” She yelled hitting her hand on the concrete below her as she grew frustrated, only causing even more damage than she already had.

She wanted to have control over her powers already, which only added to her frustration and anger. She laid her head on the floor and kept sobbing as she looked at the ground. It was becoming harder to breath and she kept trying to splash herself with water to try and calm herself down.

She remembered one trick though and took a deep breath before she made water appear around her in a ball and envelop her and she sat in the ball of water. There was an air pocket around her body though so she could breath. The water rushed past her ears, and normally this would have worked, but it was rushing more like a raging river than like a calm lake.

She was trying everything she could, but she couldn’t stay here for very long if she kept up like this, she would have to hide from everyone or else she risked exposing her secret to everyone, and that would be a nightmare for her parents.

Morris Morris
 
Daquan started going on and about the seemingly labyrinthian corridors of the palace, trying to figure out where would someone emotionally upset be headed if they wanted some peace and quiet at a time like this. The princess might have had withdrawn to her own chambers, but that would be too obvious if she wanted to be alone. There were also a lot of currently unused rooms because of the festival, but her parents would likely have the guards search them as first order of business, and servants would be moving about as well, because cleaning and maintainance are an eternal struggle.

His thought process would be interrupted when all of sudden, he was confronted by someone: judging by the frilly attire, incorporating excessive amounts of gold in the textile, he must have been pretty important, and he brandished a fencing rapier, fully drawn: - "Halt, you mongrel of Vuldarak! I would have a duel of bloodletting with thee!"

"Oh gods." - the squire rolled his eyes in frustration. - "Look sir, I don't know how I offended you because I don't even know you, but-"

"Be silent!" - the fierce-eyed man proclaimed - "I am earl-in-waiting Hugo Le Deuche! And I verily take offense to how you attempted to seduce her majesty Aliarna!"

"Let me guess, you are one of many suitors she turned down." - Daquan remarked dryly.

"That, I could get over." - the man shrugged. - "For I respect her freedom of choice. But the idea that a lowly farm rat of all people would deign himself worthy of her good graces? NAY! Have at thee-"

It was at that point that a maid stepped out right behind a corner, and called out to the angry noble by name. Fuming in fury, he gave her a grimacing expression, only for her to nonchalantly walk up to him and whisper something to his ear. Hugo's eyes widened in horror. - "My horse? STOLEN?! Seriously? That will not stand!" - he turned towards Daquan, quipping a sentence before storming away in a hurry: - "Consider yourself lucky whelp, for you haven't seen the last of me!"

Daquan was left alone with the maid. He gave a sigh of relief and thanked her for the timely interruption. She chukled and stepped closer, whispering to him: "Looking for the princess, are you, squire?"

Now it was the squire's turn to express disbelief. - "How do you... who even are you?"

"Oh, just merely one of the princess' personal attendants. As for how I know things, I'm observant, that's all. Go to the garden, take the second entry from the left wing, and follow the stream descending from the slopes." - she explained to him.

"I owe you my gratitude." - Daquan bowed slightly to her, before he remembered something. - "...wait. There's no stream of any sorts in the garden, last time I checked."

"Well, there is now." - the maiden frowned. - "One more reason to hurry, lest house Vuldarak might be charged with the renovation fees."

It took the squire a drawn-out moment to get what the maid meant. He remembered Aliarna's comment about her powers, how she holds dominion over water. Now, he was not any sort of expert on magic and its relation to emotional turmoil, but he arrived at a nonetheless logical deduction. - "...oh. OH. I better hurry then! Thanks again!"

"You are welcome." - the maiden nodded. Daquan wasn't around anymore to witness her eyes shifting tone ever so subtly, and her smile revealing predator-like pointy teeth: - "You are most welcome..."

Daquan was thankfully not interrupted afterwards. He did just like the maid instructed, and surely enough, he found an erratically floating stream, courtesy of the gradually overflowing garden fountains, which seemed to be mightily out of touch with how they were supposed to work. This was bad. Daquan thus redoubled his efforts.

"Princess Aliarna!" - he called out to her. - "Princess Aliarna! Where are you? Princess-"

It was then he witnessed an unusual phenomenon: a sizable water bubble floating in the air, transparent in nature, with Aliarna sitting inside, slightly curled up. He stood in wonder and awe for a minute. He needed a little time to process the sight. Poor Aliarna... she seemed to have made a bit of a mess of herself. This didn't help the squire's conscience one bit.

Slowly he approached her from behind, uncertainly reaching out. He wanted to see if he could push his hand through. He could, but he took note of how the bubble was deceivingly stagnant from the outside, but inside had quite a pressure. He had to invest force to reach through, and he had to reach inside shoulder deep. Eventually, he succeeded, gently laying a hand on the princess' own petite shoulder. He wasn't sure if she would hear him, but nonetheless he spoke up:

"Princess Aliarna? Please, hear me out. Please, calm yourself. I only wish to tell you how sorry I am..."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna kept crying in her bubble, becoming increasingly frustrated with how she couldn’t calm herself down no matter how hard she tried to calm herself down it didn’t seem to work. She had been trying for quiet some time at this point and it felt like hours had passed.

Meanwhile the guards and maids were running around trying to do damage control. One of the maids came into the foyer where Lord Vuldarak and the squire had been. “Crew, over here!” She called and soon some members of staff came in, working on cleaning up what they could, trying to tame the mess before it became too much of an issue.

The guards too were looking for the Princess, but right now they couldn’t find the young girl. How hard could it be to find a girl with water like abilities? They had dealt with her temper tantrums before, when she was very little.

Meanwhile, in the garden Princess Aliarna had curled into almost a ball as she covered her ears ever so fervently to cover her ears from the raging waters around her.

However, she was soon shocked out of it as something happened that had never happened before. Someone had actually managed to reach into her bubble and touch her and whoever it was broke her concentration on the bubble and she dropped to the ground with a lot of water falling all over her.

Most people would drown from how much water had just fallen, but the Princess was okay. She was breathing and she was completely awake. However, she was also completely drenched now and she was starting to shiver.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she kept shivering, which seemed to make things calm down more than before because now she was more concerned with her own self preservation.

“W-what?” She asked as she looked up to find her former dance partner.

At the foyer the crew was pleased when the water suddenly stopped misbehaving. It made their task of cleaning up a bit easier than it had been when the Princess was having her fit.

“Has anyone located the Princess?” One of the maids talked into something on her wrist. Due to magic being a thing in their kingdom they had developed these little communication stones that the staff had.

A guard soon spoke, “not yet... has anything changed?” He asked and the Maid responded, “yes I think she’s calmed down. The fountain in the foyer stopped what it was doing.” She then pulled her wrist away from her mouth and continued what she was doing.

Aliarna got up from her seat and kept shivering, “what do you want?” She asked as she looked at him, still crying, but her powers seemed to be under control for now, but with her fragile state that could change at any moment.

She was doing her best to warm herself up, but with how wet her clothing was she really couldn’t. “I-I’m cold.” She stated as she was very cold, and it wasn’t like it was a particularly cold night right now. However, it was only because of the water that she had become cold.

Morris Morris
 
As the princess' bubble was about to burst, Daquen himself took a hasty step back, but still nearly got flushed aside by the sheer amount of water involved, had it not been for his trained physique. Thusly, he kept himself on his feet, but was drenched utterly below waist level. He gritted his teeth as icy, numb pain was swelling in his arm; for when he withdrew it, he felt like the shifting pressure was going to grind it into paste. Thankfully that did not come to pass, but he required a moment to steady himself. Ye gods, no wonder Aliarna was supposed to be secretive about this. As intriguing - and, in its own way beautiful - it was to witness the workings of her magic, now he got a taste about how dangerous it truly could be.

Soon enough, he managed to re-focus his attention upon her. The princess was absolutely soaked, and shaking. Thinking fast, he figured that getting her warmed up and getting her back inside the castle were of the highest priority at the moment. But where to find something sufficiently cozy, now that they were both wet...?

His wolf pelt. But of course! he wore it like a cloak, and since he managed to stay standing, only a small part of it got splattered. That will do. While undoing the knots and staps which helped to keep the pelt attached to his back, he hastily tried to explain himself: - "I was looking for you, your highness. I've behaved horribly, and made you cry. I'm so terribly sorry... but first, let me tend to you. Please, be calm and hold still."

He managed to unbind the pelt, and with a few well-trained moves, wrapped it around Aliarna, then gently embraced her, holding her tightly, his left cheek rubbing against her right. He moved one arm up and down her back, while cradling her head with the other, stroking her hair. This would not be enough, of course, but it would get her get past the initial shock of the cold. The squire would mutely wait a minute or two, feeling warmth slowly creeping back in Aliarna's skin.

"That's alright... be at ease." - he tried to calm her down, speaking in a hushed tone beside her ear. - "If... if you are angry at me, your highness, just let it out. I'm aware that I deserve it. I was indiscreet, and inconsiderate. It... it wasn't you I ran from. I wish I could explain myself better, but first and foremost, let me bring you inside. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold. Now, hold onto me, if for a moment..."

Shifting his hold on her, he slowly and carefully picked her up from the ground, keeping her between his arms like a husband would a bride. This time he got a more first-hand experience regarding her majesty's weight, but even with the pelt and the heavily soaked ballgown, it felt like carrying a bag of feathers - at least in comparison to the armor-clad weightlifting sessions back at the Vuldarak estate. She was both shorter and quite a bit thinner than him. He couldn't help but wonder: was she even feeding herself alright?

No time to wonder about that. He made his way out of the garden with the princess, measuring his steps with the utmost degree of safety. Chances are, the royal parents won't let him anywhere near Aliarna after all of this, but if he causes her injury, even by accident, it will be off to the gallows for sure, the squire thought.

Much to his surprise, someone was already waiting for them when he got out from the wall-like rows of bushes and trees: it was that unknown, but undoubtedly helpful servient girl who saved him from Hugo le Deuche's challenge. She was waving at them at first, then gesturing them to follow, leading them to a small side entrance to the palace, where she waited for the squire and Aliarna to catch up. She quickly inspected Aliarna, before telling Daquan that she should be fine walking from here on, and bowing her head to her would-be future sovereign:

"Princess Aliarna, it's pleasing to see you've been found. Come along now, and you too, squire. I thought something like this might happen, so I lit the fireplace in one of the small guest rooms. Just take the next turn left, and enter the third room on the right. I'll fetch tea and clothes right away."

"Shouldn't you notify the guards and other staff members first?" - Daquan inquired, puzzled by the maid's order of business.

She raised an index finger as a lecturing gesture. - "Princess Aliarna's health is more important! But rest assured, if I come across the other servants, I'll tell them the situation. But now, go inside, warm up. Both of you."

The squire had no reason to protest. Whilst the maid's slightly bossy demenour struck him as odd, considering every other servant he encountered in the castle thus far were shining examples of submissive obedience, he couldn't argue that they both needed that fireplace badly, Aliarna much more so than him.

After they settled in the guest room, Daquan pulled an armchair close to the fireplace, and he adjusted the firewood with the fire iron a bit. He himself knelt down beside the armchair only after he was certain Aliarna was comfortable. He just sat by idly, not saying a word, only looking at her for brief seconds at times. He wanted to talk to her, he really did... but he wasn't sure if she would want to hear him out.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna stood there shivering, closing her eyes as she tried to keep herself as calm as she could. Her powers depended on her staying in the right frame of mind in order to keep her powers from once again going out of control. She felt the warm embrace of a pelt wrapped around her. She looked at it for a moment and reached her hand out to touch the fur. It reminded her of her winter coat, which was a pelt of sorts, but she didn’t know what kind of animal the jacket was. This She could tell was a wolf pelt.

Of course she was listening to what he was saying, but she didn’t even have a name for this guy and as a result she stumbled anlittle on her words. “You sure made it seem like it was me.” She managed to get out before she felt her feet lift off the ground.

She was familiar with the way he was carrying her, as she had seen her father carry her mother this way, and as a result she knew that it was something that someone who actually cared about someone did. However, she didn’t have as deep the understanding as many would think.

She sat there in his arms and kind of adjusted herself, not moving her arms from under the pelt as she was still quiet cold. The pelt was doing what it could to warm her up and for the most part it was succeeding. However the bottom of her dress was dripping water all over the ground.

Soon however she heard the sound of a voice calling her name and she looked around for a moment and looked to the woman. She didn’t recognize the woman, but she was a little pre-occupied to even care, or respond for that matter.

However it was fairly odd that the maid wouldn’t use her wrist charm to communicate to the other servants that she had found them and they could call the search off. After all, Aliarna knew that she had stormed off in quiet the huff and with her powers they would want to make sure they found her.

She didn’t say anything bough as she let the man holding her lead them to a room where there was a fire. She curled up on the ground by the fire and looked into the flames, watching them dance around ever so softly. It almost made her own powers seem like the more destructive of the two. However, fire tended to be more violent than water, which was something she had been taught in lessons.

Soon Aliarna reached down and slipped the belt of her shoes off her ankle and then kicked the shoes off into some unknown corner. Still watching the flames dance around. At certain points it almost seemed like someone was dancing in the flames, but she knew for a fact there was nothing in the flames.

She had finally stopped shivering though and slowly removed the pelt from around her to allow her body to dry off. After all, it wasn’t like she could keep one part of her body from drying.

After a bit she got up from her laying position and rubbed her eyes carefully. Her make-up, what little there was anyway, was for the most part gone. There were a few rivers of mascara going down her cheeks, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with removing the make-up all together.

Morris Morris
 
After Aliarna had taken off the wolf pelt, Daquan silently reclaimed it and walked to the door, looking around whether the maid would be returning any time soon, feeling quite a bit of time had actually passed. Conveniently enough, there she came, bringing a tray with two mugs of warm herbal tea in one hand and a fresh, less formal set of clothes for Aliarna, plus a silken handkerchief for wiping her face. The squire weighted his options. Maybe it will be for the better if he just says his apology and then leaves the princess to the maid's care... but then the maid handed over all of her stuff to him, and he could barely balance it. - "H- hey!" - he protested silently. - "What gives? Aren't you going to-"

"You made this mess, wonderboy. You deal with it." - the maid declared in a tone which was equal measures playfully teasing and spine-tingingly unnerving. - "You have approximately fifteen minutes before the guards throw you out. Make the best use of it." - And with that, she simply turned around and left a most confused squire behind. Daquan couldn't afford to linger about, if the maid's snide remarks were any indication. So he got to work.

He wagered the princess could change her clothes later, and she most certainly wouldn't be comfortable changing in the same room with him inside. So he presented her with the handkerchief first, and the tea second, patiently waiting until she was content with both. He took a few sips from his own mug to warm himself. It felt quite refreshing, and the aroma was something exotically relaxing; if nothing else, the maid knew how to make a wondorous tea.

He still felt anxious about approaching Aliarna after the recent upheaval between them, but... he remembered his mentor's words, as well as the maid's explicit warning. Now or never.

Daquan walked beside the armchair, and adressed the princess while descending to one knee, but looking straight into her deep blue eyes. - "Princess Aliarna, I believe I ought to introduce myself properly this time. I am Daquan Amsel, squire of house Vuldarak. And I claim full responsibility for the hurt I caused. I... heard a lot about you before coming here. I always wanted to meet you. But no daydreams, no fancy could measure up to how wondorous you truly are in person. I... enjoyed our chat and dance. I really did."

He kept a little pause, biting his lips, before elaborating on the truly critical part: - "What made me turn away had nothing to do with you. I think you'll find the true cause ridiculous, even. You see, this was my first meeting with the royal court and the upper echelons of Krustivan's nobility. I never knew they reviled our house so much. While we danced, I felt their gazes skewering me. I heard them whispering malicious lies, conspiracies, over how I even dare approach someone of your majesty's standing. And I kept listening until I myself believed my innocent intents were, in fact, grave transgressions. And so I left you behind... heedless of how that would come across to you. And ignorant of how, in a way, you yourself must have been feeling as lonely in that ballroom as I was before our gazes met."

Daquan gently clasped one of Aliarna's hands, as if pledging loyalty during a knighting ceremony. - "I just... I wish you to know that I deeply regret it all. And I want to make up for it, if you were to forgive me. I wish we could... share another dance together, just the two of us."

At the end of it, the squire was slackjawed, as if recognizing only too late that maybe he just let his tongue slip a bit too much. But there was no taking it back anymore. The dice had been cast, and his honor, reputation, conscience - and potentially his very life - were now in Aliarna's hands.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna sat there in silence while the maid brought back everything they would need in order to make the princess look acceptable again. She carefully took the mug of hot tea and sniffed it for a moment wondering if it was the same that they made for her when these balls occurred. It in fact was and she carefully took hold of the mug and sipped on it carefully. She made sure not to let the scalding hot temperature burn her tongue.

She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed a little, finally breaking her silence that had permeated the entire conversation, atleast on her part. She was glad to finally learn the name of this name. Daquan, a unique name quiet like hers to say the least. So, she looked at him for a moment and took another sip of her tea. "It is nice to meet you Daquan, and it was nice dancing with you too." She said as she had enjoyed dancing with him very much. It had been the first time in quiet some time that she had genuinely enjoyed doing something with someone who wasn't her mother or father.

"I have learned to pay no heed to the nobility. They are all quiet vicious in their own ways... I can't say I know anything about Lord Vudarak and his family. However, many of the nobility have seen me as their property, something they can claim to know the best interest for." She whispered as she took another sip of her tea and sighed a little bit. "They think because I'm so old and unwed that they have to force a marriage on me with one of their children. Their children don't want to marry me for me, but for the power I hold." She whispered as she looked back to the fire and watched the flames for a bit.

It wasn't like that wasn't uncommon knowledge though, as many people knew that was what nobility had spent the better half of the last four years trying to do. They had been sending suitor after suitor to the palace for the princess and it had led to quiet the struggle for her. She wasn't losing their favor over this, but they had become increasingly insistent that the princess had to marry before her 25th birthday and produce atleast one heir. While her father had gotten the, to relent on the part about producing an heir before her 25th birthday, which was three years away, he had not been as lucky about marrying his daughter to someone before her 25th birthday.

She heard him mentioned them having a little make-up dance, in private and she smiled a little bit. "I would quite like that." She admitted as she looked at him and took a sip from her tea slowly. "You know the secret to my 'wine' at the ball... the maids make this tea in the morning and let it cool over the course of the entire day so that I can put it in a glass. That way it looks like I'm drinking, but I'm not." She said chuckling a little bit, "as I'm sure you can see by my abilities, me getting drunk could be a big disaster." She admitted as she knew full well that was another reason she didn't drink.

Meanwhile, back in the ballroom a guard came up to the King and Queen. "King Leonard, Queen Andrea, we have located the princess. She was soaking wet and in a room right now warming up." He said as he looked at them, "and the clean up crew is almost done with their job. Luckily the damage wasn't too bad this time. The foyer needed to be dried out and at the worst the plants in the garden got watered." He said as he looked at them.

King Leonard breathed a sigh of relief, "see to it that my daughter is made to look presentable and have her come meet me after the party." He said as he looked at the guard for a moment and then to his wife.

Queen Andrea smiled softly to her husband, "I told you our daughter would be fine." She whispered as the party was slowing down a little bit. "Leo, you should talk to Lord Vuldarak and Lady Vuldarak. Maybe discuss what happened tonight before the festivities end. However, do it privately please." She said as she smiled softly.

King Leonard nodded his head carefully and got up from his seat, "you are right as always my love." He said kissing his wife and then departing. He approached the House of Vuldarak and smiled happily, "Joel, my old friend!" He said as he went up to the man. He was friendly with everyone and considered everyone his friend. "And Lady Vuldarak," he said smiling as he looked at her and watched them closely. He wanted them to know they he wasn't there to yell at them. After all, it wasn't their fault nobility was such a tough bunch to deal with, and judgy at best.

Morris Morris
 
Daquan wouldn't have imagined the princess would be this understanding and forgiving towards him, nevertheless he was glad for it. It felt like a very heavy burden has been taken off of his spirit. He listened closely to Aliarna sharing her woes with her status. The remark about her age left him wrinkling his forehead quite a bit, though; in all honesty, she looked like she was on the threshold of adulthood, about eightteen, he wagered. Her womanly curves weren't particularly developed; perhaps she was fated to be a late bloomer in that regard. Still, the squire concluded that she couldn't have been much older than he himself. It's not like he was going to be impolite and inquire about a lady's age anyhow...

He could really feel the suppressed anxiety resonating in her voice as she explained her situation. Daquan kept up eye contact, sometimes nodding, as a signal that he was sympathetic to her plight, and - a bit absentmindedly - he forgot to let go of her hand, instead gently caressing the top of it with his thumb, as he attempted to comprehend the difficulties she was facing. When people talk about princesses, it's always the glamour, the beauty, the influence, the wealth; the good side of life that comes with being of regal bearing. Few bring up any counterpoints, let alone the most intimidating one: the absence of actual freedom. Aliarna might have liberal parents, but the trappings of customs entangled her still. The royal bloodline must be upheld, or else the nation could be on the verge of a succession crisis anew; and upon ascension to the throne, were she wed by that point, she would be more or less just a figurehead as far as political roles are concerned. In a way, she was destined for confinement to a gilded cage.

The very idea was unsettling, and this would only deepen Daquan's feelings for her. She was really in need of someone who she could trust. - "I can see how so much responsibility and expectations could wear one down. Frankly, I think I would be terrified to wield too much power. Fame and recognition? Sure, that's every squire's dream, but I'd be content with just a small estate when I become a knight. In house Vuldarak, I learned that true happyness needs no glitter." - And, on that note, when Aliarna told him she'd dance with him anew, his face lighted up with a soft, closed-mouthed smile, which escalated into a grinning chuckle when she brought up how her getting tipsy could potentially spell doom for the castle.

"Oh, I can imagine. Rainstorms at random angles, bubble explosions, whirlpools swaying all off-feet, and latrines erupting." - he laughed at the mental images. - "Yes, you are better off with tea, your highness. If you enjoy trying new tastes, I could show you our own special mixture from house Vuldarak. It's boiled with a mixture of pine cones and some forestial herbs, my lord and his lady always bring a few packages of it on travels." - he explained. - "We could share a mug before our next dance."

It wouldn't be far after this point that the guards and the princess' personal caretaker crew would storm the room. Immediately, the squire was ordered to back off, for Aliarna's re-dressing is a very private procedure. Daquan could tell the guards, especially their captain, weren't the least bit amused by his presence. Doubtlessly some saw him in the ballroom ordeal, and figured he was the reason behind the very recent ruination of the foyer's wallpaint and tapestry, as well as Aliarna's ruined dress and mood shifts. Before he would be (in)elegantly forced out, Daquan would adress Aliarna one last time:

"Let's meet later then. It's a promise." - he gave a little wink, and left of his own volition. He figured he should head back to his lord's temporary quarters to report on the success of his undertaking.

...

Meanwhile elsewhere, Joel Vuldarak was getting ready to give his own status update report to his liege, Leonard Trustvar. Bowing his head, he was ready for a formal apology, when his wife elbowed him in the side. - "Come on Joel, how many times have we all told you before to put that stupid act off? "

"Protocol must be adhered to." - he quipped, moreso to himself than to Olette or Leonard, before taking a look around. Fortunately, most of the guests have dispersed by that point, each going about their own business. They had a quiet spot for themselves at the moment, but nonetheless he kept his voice low. - "Well then, Leonard... let's just say I'm sorry over the mess my squire caused. I knew Aliarna is a sensitive girl, but I couldn't have known this would happen were they to meet."

"I think they looked sweet together." - Olette remarked. - "Like a husky puppy and a baby swan playing around."

"If only the puppy turned out braver." - Joel sighed. - "I had a talk with him to go and own up to his mistakes. Considering the palace hasn't been relocated under the sea, I'm going to think positively for once and assume he got his act together."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna smiled as she looked at Daquan and then looked back to the flames for a moment as her body started to warm up a bit, mostly because her dress was starting to dry. However, she knew she would eventually be required to change into the clothes that had been brought to her because she would have to be made to look presentable once more. It would be hard to get herself undressed though. However, she pushed the thought from her head as she knew she could work on it later.

“Believe me, my family has been dealing with these things for 22 years now and have a clean up crew and everything for these occasions. It’s not the easiest thing.” She said smiling as she looked at him and then looked away for a moment before she could hear the footsteps of guards outside the door and she grew concerned.

She knew they wouldn’t be nice and of course she got proven correct as the guards came and basically ordered the Daquan leave. It wasn’t like he could stay anyway because she did have to undress and redress, but she hadn’t wanted him to leave so quickly again. However, this time she knew she had no choice and smiled softly as she nodded her head. “Yes sir,” she said giggling a little bit.

She soon looked to everyone, “well if the men wouldn’t mind leaving.” She said as she looked at the guards as she knew that it would be inappropriate for them to be in here while she changed as well, and once they were gone the maids aided her in removing her dress which was still pretty wet.

At the end of it all she was in a new dress, and her hair was curled once it was dried and her tiara placed back on her head. The dress was a little less fancy than the first one, but none the less it was still fancy enough for her to return to the party if she so wished. She had wished she had been brought her nighttime attire though.

“Your majesty, your father would like to see you in his office once the party is over.” One of the maids said and Aliarna nodded her head, “of course.” She whispered before she took in a deep breath and started heading out of the room.

———

Leonard chuckled as he looked at Joel and then to Olette, “he’s just a man of protocol. After all, we don’t need anymore trouble tonight than there already was.” He said referring to the fact that the nobles had basically torn Daquan and Aliarna apart with their comments and while it wasn’t like he could control it, it didn’t stop his annoyance at what they had done.

“There’s no need for apologies Joel. The boy hasn’t quiet been as exposed to the nobility like Aliarna has and as a result can’t toon them out as easily. Though I do agree that it was quiet cute... I only wish we could have seen the entire dance.” He admitted as he smiled softly as it was obvious there was no malicious intent on the Kings side.

“I honestly feel bad for the children, they were just having a nice time and the other nobles had to go ahead and pull it all apart.” He said as he shook his head, “Aliarna doesn’t usually dance at these events unfortunately. This was the first time I’ve seen her dance on the ballroom floors with someone other than myself and her mother.” He said as it was fairly common knowledge that Aliarna always loved to dance with her parents, but kind of closed off to dancing with others.


“Well, I am much pleased that someone could stop my daughter before she drowned the palace. I can only hope that more lessons will give her more control so that this doesn’t keep becoming an issue.” He admitted as he took a sip from his own glass, which did contain wine. “I only hope the children will be able to talk once more.” He said as he knew that right now, wanting to see how they interacted with one another. After all, he had never seen his daughter even talk to many of the boys at these parties, or even suitors for that matter. It was why she remained unmarried, because she always found something wrong with one guy or another. However, she seemed to not do that same thing with this young man.

“How old did you say your squire was again?” He asked as he obviously didn’t have much knowledge of the squire. Most of the nobles did, but the royal family stayed out of the private affairs of the nobles. They obviously congratulated them when they had children, but other than that they didn’t learn too much about their private lives. They kept things strictly professional for diplomatic reasons as sometimes growing too close to one noble house could cause the others to believe one was favored over the other.

Morris Morris
 
Daquan, albeit physically and mentally drained in equal measure, was high in spirit. He probably wasn't going to see Aliarna again today, but his lord told him they would be staying a few days, so there was ought to be an opportunity somewhere between now and before they have to start packing. Eventually though he had to stop analyzing his options, for he yet again found himself lost in the maze of chambers and long, winding passages. Why couldn't rich people be content with smaller houses?! But then, more or less expectedly at this point, he was approached by a very specific maid. He couldn't help but let out a mildly frustrated sigh: - "Ah. It's you again. Care to indulge me miss, as to why you keep stalking me?"

"Stalking? How rude of you to accuse me!" - she smirked mischievously, waving his hand dismissively. - "I'm just conveniently headed in the same directions at the same time." -

The two locked gazes at this point. Daquan hadn't studied the maid's features all that much, her most memorable facial traits being a petite little nose and her brightly brown eyes. She wore her long, black hair in a singular braid. She was just slightly below Daquan's own height, and a quick glance towards her hands revealed that, in spite of her seemingly slim build, she was used to physical labour. She could very well be sporting some trained muscles underneath the servant unifrom. Otherwise, she didn't seem all that remarkable, but there was just something about her that seemed... off.

"Look." - she broke the awkward silence first - "You want me to guide you to wherever you are headed, or not? Or draw you a map maybe? It appears to me like you could use one."

"There's no denying that." - Daquan admitted - "I'll take your offer, miss. I'm looking for my own quarters. But I would also very much like to know who you truly are and what are you trying to pull."

"Fair enough." - she shrugged. - "We'll talk once we get there."

And so they eventually winded up in the chambers reserved for the esteemed visitors from house Vuldarak. It was fairly remote from most of the other noble residences within the castle halls, notably closer to the servants' own quarters, but that was a compromise which satiated everyone. Having found the place empty, Daquan invited the maid inside and told her to settle somewhere comfortable while he went off to change clothes.

Much to his dismay, the maid decided that 'somewhere comfortable' meant the armchair behind Daquan, from whence she nonchalantly eyed the squire's blessedly healthy, finely honed looks. Daquan only noticed that when she compounded the act by plucking a wine bottle open - which was delivered earlier that day as a gift from king Leonard himself - and took a few sips straight from the bottle, whilst still looking towards him. The squire's face contorted with barely repressed anger: - "Do you mind?!"

"Not. One. Bit." - she had a shameless smile stretching across her face. - "My, the princess is one lucky woman."

"And you, miss, are one creepy and weird wench. Maybe I'm ought to tackle and tie you up like an elk." - the squire retorted.

"Oooh, kinky." - she remarked cheekily, but ultimately put the bottle aside and took up a more serious expression. - "No need to worry, though, squire. In case you haven't been noticing, I'm trying to help you."

"Then cut to the chase and elaborate. And better make it good, if you don't want me to out you to the princess herself over this behaviour." - Daquan demanded as he finally finished putting his shirt on.

"You may call me Lucy." - she elbowed on the armchair's right side. - "And I'm a long-standing supporter of house Vuldarak. I owe my very life to Lord Joel Vuldarak. My home village was burned when I was small, by raiders from the kingdom of Maelkith. It was Joel and his retainers who rounded up the survivors, and brought me to the castle to be raised by the servants."

Daquan was struck with awe upon hearing this. The kingdom of Maelkith had often been at conflict with Krustivan, and although officially there has been peace for decades by now, raids on the fringes still occured infrequently, something which the Vuldaraks themselves had to contend with, their own lands lying relatively close to the borderlands. - "Oh... I see. Please, forgive my earlier tone, Lucy. But I still don't get it what are you trying to do."

"Don't fret, squire, I know I can be hard to put up with." - she tilted her head and gently smiled. - "I've had enough time to observe Aliarna. I know how alone she is, how many bad feelings and worries she tries to repress. Now, I happened to have witnessed your dance with her, as well as the aftermath. Long story short, I can tell you are the one who can bring some long-needed happyness into her life. Consider it a repayment of my debt to your house... and a thanksgiving for her family as well, for tolerating me despite my numerous fallouts."

The squire was silent for a long moment. - "I understand. I wouldn't ask for help normally, but if that's the way you feel, I won't reject it. But... is there anything I could do in turn, Lucy? I don't want you to think me unappreciative of your kindness."

The maid, Lucy, looked expectantly at the wine bottle, then back at the squire. He got the implication, and didn't protest.

...

Joel listened patiently as Leonard went on with his long-winded commentary of the events. - "Aliarna could certainly use more tutoring with her talents. This old bird in your employ" - he referred to the aging wizard who was the princess' instructor - "I won't question his certifications, but she would need someone more specialized, considering her exclusive focus on a single aspect of magic."

"I think she would need to be more mature than trained." - Olette intercepted. - "She's keeping too much to herself, doesn't socialise enough, just like you said, Leonard. Were she more in touch with her feelings, I'm certain the plumbing issues would cease. All the more reason to hook up our youngsters..." - she nudged Joel gently.

"I'm sure they will find the opportunity to spend a bit of time together." - he said - "We are staying for three more days, after all. Most of the other visitors will be going home soon after the celebration ends, thank heavens..." - he needed a second or two to remember Daquan's age when Leonard inquired. - "Oh, Daquen just recently turned twenty-one. And, might I say, he has been dallying around with girls before, but nothing serious. He's been more focused on finally achieving his knighthood than anything else."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna sighed as she slowly followed one of the maids back to the festivities, which she knew by now were dying down. Mostly drunk nobles talking about the good old days, potentially other men there and woman of course. Ladies of the house probably growing bored and wanting to leave.

When she re-entered the ballroom she looked around for a moment looking for her mother and her father. She found her mother with ease, but it took her awhile to notice that her very own father was talking to Lord Vuldarak. She looked back to her mom who was looking at her and she curtsied ever so slightly before she went to the wall and leaned again it in order to get some peace.

The peace was short lived though as one of the noble boys clearly very drunk approached her. “So you’ll dance with some scum, but not me?” He asked her and she looked to him for a moment and raised an eyebrow before she tried to step away, but her attempts to flee were met with a harsh grab of her arm which made her wince as her arm turned red.

“Let go you are touching a royal, not a piece of meat to do with what you please.” She almost hissed as she looked at him and frowned.

The boy clearly wasn’t thinking because he only tightened his grip on her arm, which caused such discomfort and elicited a small scream. The noble boy seemed pleased with what he was doing.

“Don’t you dare threaten me. I can make a girl like you disappear.” He said as he looked at her with an ugly grin on his face.

Self-preservation kicked in though as She soon stomped her foot into the noble boys foot and he released her only to backhand her, which definitely drew the attention of her mother and most likely her father.

———

King Leonard looked to the aging wizard for a moment and then back to Joel and nodded his head. “In all honesty I’ve been searching for his replacement for quite some time. Aliarna needs someone younger who can keep up with her as well and this mage, while a good one, needs to go. He was good when she was younger, but it seems as though now he’s just becoming more and more of a hinderance. I don’t want Aliarna to fear her powers by any stretch of the mind. After all it’s one of the few things the girl gets from her mother.” He said as he looked to his wife and smiled happily.

“Maybe I should ask my wife... she has wanted to teach Aliarna for quiet some time. Maybe bows her chance to teach our daughter some things.” He said as Queen Andrea had openly asked her husband several times to let her teach their daughter about her powers. After all they wanted the same thing for her, for Aliarna to enjoy her powers and not be made to fear them like Queen Andrea’s parents had made her fear hers.

He soon looked back as the squire was brought back up and chuckled happily as he sipped from his wine and kind of got this innoncent look as if he weren’t thinking the same thing Lady Olette was thinking. “Your squire is the first one I’ve seen her open up to in such a fashion as she did tonight. I’ve been worried for quiet some time in my old age that my daughter would never marry. Then when those dumb nobles -not you Joel- said she has to be married and with an heir by her 25th birthday.” He ha to stop himself as he crushed his wine glass. He cleared his throat as someone came to clean up the glass and sighed, “Sorry... I am still quiet upset that the others would not relent. They’re getting too pushy with trying to marry my daughter off. I am her father, I am not going to marry her to someone who is just going to hurt her and make her a baby making factory. That is not my daughters purpose. She has so much more potential than just simply producing heirs.”

He smiled when Joel said the young mans age and nodded his head, “perfect marrying age.” He said laughing a little bit as he sipped his wine and smiled happily. “I think they should meet again... maybe a walk in the garden.” He said as he thought about it, “or maybe they could dance together again. There was something there that I could see. If I’m being honest for a bit there I grew protective of my little girl.” He said smiling happily as he found it so silly he was so protective of a girl who was 22 years old and could do a lot for herself.

Queen Andrea came running over to her husband. “Leo, there’s a problem.” She said before she heard the loud slap and Aliarna’s scream. She picked up her dress as not to trip and took off towards her daughter.

Leonard looked at Joel, “I hope to continue this discussion later.” He said before running after his wife. “Guards, throw him in the dungeon!” He yelled as he went and grabbed his daughter. “He has harassed and assualted the Princess. Your lucky boy, I could have your head for this. He said as he held his daughter close protecting her as she cried into his chest.

The entire experience clearly startled the young girl as King Leonard pulled his daughter away and looked at her injuries. A bruised lip from the slap, a red handprint from the grip, and a red mark on her cheek which was swelling. “It is okay my child, you are okay.” He said rubbing her cheek carefully.

Queen Andrea cried as she looked at her daughter, “oh my baby girl.” She said as she looked at her and rubbed her cheek.

Morris Morris
 
As Lucy took her leave with the exquisite (and outrageously expensive) wine, Daquan decided to relax for the time being. He didn't feel up to rejoining the festivities. Doubtlessly the haughty nobles would just start picking on him again, and while he was more than willing to duel others to defend his house's honor, even he wouldn't fancy taking on several dozen potential challengers one after another, and his lord would likely disapprove of stirring up further trouble and earning lasting grudges unnecessarily.

He pondered what he should do; it was too early for bed, but nighttime would be approaching within a few hours. He was somewhat hungry, but there was some food in the chamber, courtesy of Lady Olette, who has never faltered in her duty as a housewife to produce and package excessive amounts of travel rations, regardless whether it was needed, and only doubled on that effort whenever her sons or her husband's squires came along. In the end, he settled for a little practice of reading and writing. While some noble houses have found such activity trite and unnecessary - since they could afford scribes - Joel Vuldarak was adamant in having his children and wards educated. Books were the whetstones of the mind, as he claimed, and Daquan had no reason to doubt that.

His lord often carried a simplified, less embellished copy of a tome called the Atlas Venatoris, essentially a hunter's guidebook to the more fantastic creatures of the world. Daquan was skeptical whether the entire content was true and verifyable, but it was an interesting read nonetheless. So, while chewing on some bread and fruits, he also took a pen, ink and paper, and started transscribing one of the pages, along with the illustration. He wondered when would his lord and his wife arrive back.

...

Joel Vuldarak remained silent but attentive whilst listening to Leonard. He wouldn't want to interrupt him, and he could relate to his grievances. When he was a much younger man himself, his own father and grandfather often clashed over how little Joel's future should be determined, with his granddad fervently citing both traditions and succession, especially since Joel was the only son of the family. He was quite a skirtchaser, but marriage and heirs were not something very high on his priority list - not until his first brush with death, on a bear hunting trip where he lost his favourite dog and was himself badly wounded. It was then he came to terms with how frail and fleeting life is, and learned to value it accordingly. By next year, he was sharing it with Olette, a simple peasant girl whom he knew since childhood. But for the Trustvars, it was a much more socially pressing issue. Royal inheritence was serious business, and one they could not hope to spare Aliarna from, no matter how hard they were trying.

He rolled his eyes sarcastically at the notion of Daquan and the princess getting pairing up and marrying. He hated when his worries turned out to be justified. Was Leonard really that blind as to how that could upset the land-owning nobility and undermine his support should some crisis hit the nation? - "Respectfully, my liege, I think it's too early to jump to such conclusions. Yes, Aliarna could definitely use a... confidant, a friend, and Daquan might just be it. However-"

But then the princess' scream punctured the background noise of the ballroom, and brought the conversation to an abrupt halt. Olette and Joel alike were quick to rush to the scene. Olette covered her mouth up as to not let her own voice out, when she saw the slap mark on Aliarna's cheek. How barbarous! Joel himself found himself trembling, although less with fright than with disgust.

The impudent young noble's father, a viscount, would emerge from the crowd himself to protest on behalf of his drunken son, who, now welping in fear, was beset upon by the royal guard and dragged off-scene. - "My liege, I beg of you to forgive my son's manners, the drinks got to his head and he just didn't think straight-"

"Would you really shift the blame upon his majesty's liquor as opposed to your own inattentiveness!?" - Joel Vuldarak snapped at the noble. - "Sober or drunk, raising a hand against the ruling family is treason. Be thankful for his majesty's forgiveness, and let your idiot son cool his head whilst enjoying the gaoler's hospitality for the evening."

A small uproar travelled across the ranks of nobles. None would dispute Leonard's decision, and most were in agreement it was a lighthearted sentence - the Callouxford dynasty would have called for execution on spot for a similar transgression. But Joel Vuldarak's remark incited quite a dissent, considering the audacity of his own underling's behaviour - nevermind the facts that it was both peaceful and consensual in stark contrast to this.

It was about this point that another representative stepped forth... and actually took his side by Joel Vuldarak. He was Balthazar de Ostrik, one of the most influential dukes in Krustivan, and staunch supporter of the Trustvars. He, too, was known for pressuring them for marrying the princess, and likewise had his own sons contenst her hand, but unlike most, he could take no for an answer. - "House Ostrik stands by this judgement. You should be ashamed, harrying her majesty, Queen Andrea's own blood, like rats fighting for scraps. In the days of Callouxford, we all abided by the monarchy's decisions. Have we really grown so impetuous since, that we would rather let such an affront slip by, than stand by in protection of our future sovereign?!"

This quickly plunged the hall into silence. Some, due to still having a measure of conscience and self-awareness; others moreso because Balthazar was the dueling champion of the kingdom four consecutive times, on top of being wealthy and maintaining a large personal army. Joel exchanged a glance with the stalwart man from the corner of his eye. While it would be a stretch to claim they were on friendly terms, the Ostriks were one of the families which tolerated the Vuldaraks, mainly because they frequently bought their hunting dogs from them since generations.

It was clear the celebrations were pretty much dying at this point. The guests started taking their leave, and Balthazar himself left after a bow to the royals. Joel let out a sigh and turned to Leonard: - "I think Olette and I will be retireing to our quarters, my liege. Perhaps it would be for the best that we all take a rest. Of course, if you are not squeamish of lack of decor, our chamber is always open to your visits, away from prying eyes." - he said, hinting to Leonard that they could continue later. Were the visit the other way around, it would only invite more bad hearsay.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
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