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Fantasy What's worth fighting for

Leonard would have addressed the issue quiet more harshly than everyone else had. After all this boy did go after his daughter, the only heir to the throne that existed in this Kingdom. Not only had he gone after her with emotions, but with physical assaults too. It wasn’t like there wasn’t enough evidence to prove these marks hadn’t been here before the noble boy came over to Aliarna. If they needed anything to prove he did it Queen Andrea had watched the entire thing from her seat, going to intervene if her daughter couldn’t get herself out of the situation. When it had proven difficult that was when she had gone to her husband in order to get assistance removing their daughter from this noble boys grip.

Never in her life had she seen her daughter so startled, “mother.” Came the tiny voice of their daughter and Queen Andrea looked at her daughter for a moment. It was the same look Aliarna had been giving her for years, and it brought tears for her eyes because right now she didn’t see that 22 year old woman that she had grown into, but that 5 year old little girl who was afraid of the monsters under her bed. Oh how she wish she could tell her that it only got worst, the monsters under her bed. They were real and they were in this very hall with them. She didn’t think all the nobles were monsters, but she had been there at the meeting about their daughter marrying and she viewed a fair few of them as monsters.

“It is okay my daughter, everything will be alright.” Andrea whispered as she looked at her daughter and smiled softly. “Hush now my child, I think it’s time to get ready for bed.” She whispered as she rubbed her hair softly and smiled as she tried to keep her as calm as she could. She was probably going to lay with the 22 year old tonight to ensure that she got asleep and was okay after all of this.

Leonard looked at his wife as Aliarna went to her mother and took a deep breath. “I think the festivities have ended.” He announced as he now wanted everyone out, wanted to go and tend to his daughter and all her frights right now.

“I am sorry for the abrupt ending, but I think we could all use some rest.” He said as he looked around and made sure they all started leaving.

He soon turned his attention to Joel and Olette and smiled softly, “well I think we can discuss things later. I think Daquan and Aliarna should get to meet up and atleast develop their friendship. I still suggest a walk in the gardens for a start. It gives them time to chat.” He said quietly to his old friend before looking back to his wife and daughter. “Now, I have other things to tend to and we can continue our chat tomorrow over lunch.” He said as he knew it was time to depart, to comfort his daughter and make sure she could get to sleep tonight.

Morris Morris
 
By the time Joel and Olette Vuldarak arrived back to their quarters, Daquan Amsel not only finished transcribing the page from the book, but also got caught up in purposefully altering his rendition of a dragon, exaggerating its features to surreal proportions and adding comical features aplenty, resulting in a porcupine quill-covered, moustached, giraffe-necked, fluffy-tailed, bunny-eared, dog-snouted monstrosity with auspiciously downsized chicken wings, vomiting flowers beside the text ferociously. The squire was giggling to himself over the result, when the chamber doors opened, and he shook himself out of his jolly mood, to see who has entered. - "Master, mistress." - he stood up and bowed, but didn't say more. He had the feeling they would speak up by themselves, for they looked unusually sour.

"At ease, Daquan." - Joel told him, reading his worried expression. - "If I appear embittered, it is not your fault."

"...has something happened while I was away?" - Daquan asked.

Olette and Joel would sit down and elaborate on the events and talks which transpired whilst the squire was away. Daquan was shocked himself over the assault upon Aliarna, wishing he had gone with her, to protect her; at the very least, he wanted to slap the bastard in turn who hurt her, but had to accept that wouldn't be happening until Leonard would let the viscount's heir out of the jail. He couldn't help but feel responsible over how the events of today were all unfolding badly because of him, but Olette and Joel likewise dismissed that notion. They told him it's not his fault that there are so many selfish, power-hungry pricks out there. So they eventually shifted the topic, asking the squire about how his apology went. Daquan deliberately left out how mushy he acted at some points; not that it mattered much, because Joel's falcon-like eyes could discern how he was keeping the fine details out of his after-action report (but fortunately didn't call him out on it), and Olette did not need to hear them in order to start drawing up romantic ideas concerning the two young adults.

"So, she does in fact want to meet you again." - Joel smirked. His squire couldn't decide whether his undertone was cynical, considering his earlier warnings to avoid wooing the princess; or if he was, in a way, subtly proud that his trainee actually pulled this off despite the earlier social disaster he caused, all within the span of a few hours. - "I hope you are looking forward to it, boy, because we have been cordially invited to share a lunch with the royal family."

Daquan blinked in surprise. - "...seriously?!"

...

Daquan entered the comparetively small feast hall by his lord's right-hand side, and this time he went out of his way as much as possible to look presentable, as much as their limited travelling wardrobe section permitted him to. His garments were embroided in intristic patterns, as was the fashion in their region, and, on Lady Olette's insistance, he was sprayed with the same perfume as Joel after he was done washing and dressing himself. He made sure his hair was in absolute order, and shaved what little beard he had grown on his chin. He made sure to have his wolf pelt washed and dried properly as well.

This section they arrived to didn't seem all that pompous, as opposed to yesterday's ballroom, nor did it have to be. As a matter of fact, it felt oddly vacant, due to the fact that there was only one table for six people, and there were only a couple or so other servants about, ferrying drinks, handkerchiefs and whatnot; the royal guards simply stood by outside, as a display of his majesty's trust in the Vuldaraks. Across the silk-covered, and massively food-laden tabletop, opposite of the incoming Vuldaraks, sat the royal couple and their only daughter.

The squire felt his blood run ever so slightly cold. He was confused and uncertain as to how he was supposed to behave. Should he prostrate himself and stay quiet at any and all times he's not directly adressed? Or follow his lord's example, whatever it's going to be?

He had to ditch the latter, after Olette and Joel greeted them in a most casual manner. How do they even know each other? That was a question the squire hoped to receive an answer for at some point. He looked at Aliarna, relieved that her face had no lasting mark from the slap. Then he realised he had yet to greet the royals himself. Hastily, he bowed, introducing himself: - "Your royal majesties, I am Daquan Amsel, at your service..."

...and please don't send me to the gallows for yesterday's events! - he concluded the sentence in his head.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Leonard and Andrea took Aliarna back to her room and they let her change into her nighttime attire before they laid down with her in her bed. Andrea was the first to talk as she laid there with her husband and daughter. “It’s okay my darling.” She whispered to her daughter as she rubbed her head carefully. “Tomorrow will be a better day.” She continued as she smiled softly as the thought of having a better day tomorrow. After all, Aliarna needed some good days in her life.

“Yes, tomorrow there are no lessons and you can do what ever your heart desires.” Leonard followed up his wifes comment about having a better day tomorrow. He then thought about what he would say next because he also wanted to tell her about the good news.

“I want to be able to control my powers better.” Aliarna finally spoke as she looked at her parents as she was doing everything she could right now to make it so her powers wouldn’t start flooding the palace again or even wet her bed.

Leonard looked at Aliarna and smiled softly, “it’s okay we can work on that. Actually I think I’m going to let your mother teach you since she is just as qualified as that old wizard.” He said chuckling a little bit as he rubbed his daughters head carefully. “Your mother has wanted to teach you for some time so I think it’s a good idea.” He admitted as he looked to his wife.

Andrea looked at her husband for a moment, “are you serious? I’ve been asking you for years to let me do this.” She said and only grew happy when her husband confirmed that he was serious about her training their daughter. After all, she had a vast knowledge and she thought it might make it easier on Aliarna.

Of course they both looked to their daughter and chuckled seeing that she had long since fallen asleep. “I think it’s time to depart-“ Leonard said as he carefully untangled himself from his daughter and then helped his wife. “Come my love,” he said as he clew out the candles and they departed the room.

———

Morning quickly came and soon it was time for lunch. Had it not been for the rain they were going to hold lunch outside. However, unfortunately it was raining outside and lunch got changed to one of the smaller indoor feasthalls.

Aliarna had spent the morning with her parents tonight, since she had no lessons. So, when lunch time came they all arrived together as lunch was being prepared and took their own seats. It was better they be there before their guests than to be there after as they were all pretty punctual people. They liked to make sure they everything was all set and to welcome their guests, a custom that they hadn’t broken in the slightest.

As the Vuldaraks entered Leonard smiled up to them and got up carefully, “good afternoon.” He said as he looked at them and then to Daquan and smiled a bit as he watched him and let out a big hearty laugh as he could sense how nervous the young boy was. “Relax yourself please Daquan. If you feel there is any anger here then fear not.” He said as he smiled happily before taking his seat once more.

Aliarna’s hair was straighter today than it had been yesterday. There were still waves in her hair from the curls and such, but it was obvious that it was closer to it’s more natural style. The dress she wore today was also less fancy, being a reddish color with some odd colors included. It was clearly a more fun colored dress, as the reddish color also had yellow and blue in the dress. It made her stand out a bit.

As for her face, the swelling had gone down from the slap as well as the red hand mark on her face. The red handprint on her arm though was still pretty noticeable, but covered by the short sleeves of her dress, atleast for the most part. The end of it still could be seen, the last three singers and half the palm. The bruise near her lip was covered by make-up though. However, there was still a tiny cut on her mouth that obviously wasn’t covered.

She looked to Daquan and smiled happily as she waved, but remained silent for a bit as she gathered her thoughts. She thought she looked awful right now because of all the marks, but that didn’t change that she wanted to speak. “Good afternoon,” was all she could seem to muster at that point in time.

Morris Morris
 
Daquan smiled back at Aliarna, and waved back in a subtle manner whilst everyone was taking their seats. He examined her a bit more closely as he sat down, noticing the bruise on her wrist and her mouth. He wondered if there had been incidents like this in the past before, and whether they were swept under the rug with mild sentences, like in this case, because otherwise the Trustvars would risk losing more favor with the nobles. Unlike the Callouxfords before them, they were elected sovereigns, not conquerors, nor rightful heirs who could tracing their lineage back to a past age's great heroes of legend.

Clearing mind of such concerns, he turned toward Leonard, still sheepish in tone. He really wanted to speak with Aliarna, but being in presence of her parents made him uncomfortable. After all, he had no way of knowing how much their daughter indulged them of his antics from yesterday, if at all - and, consequently, whether they would still approve of his presence had she neglected to inform them... - "Forgive me, your highness. It's just that... I wouldn't have fancied meeting you and your family in person, well, not before being knighted, at least." - he tried to put up a grateful facial expression, but he was slighty too pale for it to be believable.

"There's no need for such stern manners." - Joel exclaimed - "Not when we are all acquaintances here, and nary a spying ear or venomous tongue to spoil the mood. Aliarna can recognise me and Olette too, we've known her since she was a toddler. It's just that our meetings were always so brief."

"And there is no need for modesty, either." - Olette elbowed the squire. - "Come now, have you nothing to say to the princess? Don't gaze away, I know you do."

Oh for crying out loud,do we really have to start out on that note amongst all topics we could talk about?! - Daquan thought, feeling a droplet of sweat roll down on his neck. Olette and Joel were like parents to him, and as such they most certainly knew how to make him the most uncomfortable at the most inconvenient moments.

Nevertheless, he mustered his courage, and with slightly flushed, red-tinted cheeks, he softly spoke to Aliarna: - "I'm... glad to see you are alright, princess. And, might I add, you look wonderful in red, with straight hair."

Lady Olette Vuldarak covered her mouth to avoid laughing at the poor, embarrassed squire. Joel just smirked, exchanging knowing looks with Leonard and Andrea.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Leonard chuckled as he watched Daquan and shook his head happily as he knew it probably sounded silly to him that he was meeting the royal family by any means before being knighted. However, this was a common occurrence between the Trustvars and the Vuldaraks. The Trustvars and Vuldaraks were actually pretty close before they had been elected into the royal position. It was a bond that Leonard made sure to never forget about as his father had often boasted about when Leonard was a child.

“Believe it or not this is actually fairly common. Joel and I were friends when I was much younger. We’ve always maintained a close relationship, bough admittedly we haven’t been as close as we once were.” He said laughing a little bit as he thought about it. “He was there when Aliarna was born though... and thank the lords he was because I passed out when my wife started screaming. Talk about embarrassing that I couldn’t even see my own child come into the world.” He said laughing happily as there were many memories.

Andrea chuckled a little bit as she thought about it, “all I remember is screaming about how much I was worried about you.” She said giggling a little bit as she looked at her husband. “The Vuldaraks were always so kind to us and our family. Me being from a foreign nation, I was scared and in such a new environment.” She said as Queen Andrea was actually a foreign noble woman. However in that kingdom daughters were bought and sold like meat, even noble woman. That wasn’t to say Leonard bought his wife, no he freed her from that date because she was to be sold off to another noble family in her kingdom, but Leonard wanted to marry her and no one was going to turn down a future sovereign.

Aliarna giggled a little bit as she looked at everyone and then to her parents and smiled happily. She then looked to Daquan and smiled happily, “thank you.” She said as she looked him for a moment. “I’m glad to see your not wet anymore.” She said giggling as when he had left he had still been quiet wet from the waist down. Which probably sounded pretty bad, atleast if the company here hadn’t known that she had abilities.

She then pulled her hair forward and looked at it smiling happily, “I only ever curl my hair for events and special occasions. I actually much prefer my hair to be as it always is, straight.” She said before looking at her dress, “and if no one had already put together I’m a bit of an odd ball.” She said as she knew the dress itself probably looked odd compared to the other ball gowns and such she had.
 
Daquan was uncetain what was it that distressed him more. The open discussion of the royal couple's own less elegant moments in life, or the innocence with which their daughter could convey phrases that could be interpreted in multiple, potentially disturbing ways. Either way, he felt that weird yearning that one feels when he wants to disappear from a scene for good, because in no way was the current situation to his liking. Nevertheless, he tried his best to stand his ground. He chuckled at Aliarna's remarks over her choice of fashion: - "Well, it became quite evident you aren't like the other ladies at the party when you asked me to dance, not the other way around. But, if I might inquire..." - he attempted to steer the conversation in a different direction, turning away from the princess - "How come the Vuldaraks and Trustvars are so close?"

"Well, what can I say." - Joel shrugged as the Trustvars recounted their experiences with them. - "It's one of those things the annals of history don't cover in great detail. But essentially, before becoming nobles, our family was in the employ of the Trustvars as rangers to supervise their hunting grounds. We became distanced after becoming gentries, since the Callouxford dynasty granted us estate near the west frontier, but the families still met up at seasonal holidays and the like. Then Leonard's great-grandfather made mine the royal huntmaster shortly after he ascended to the throne. It was hereditary up until my turn, but I requested him to appoint someone else. It was too much of a chore to show up at every fopping event, considering how far our lands are from here. And I wanted to spend more time with my own family."

"Which, in turn, made us very happy." - Olette confessed, exchanging a loving glance with her husband. Despite his occasional moody, brooding moments, he was a devoted husband and father, and that's all she ever wanted from him. - "And, as for Andrea..." - she turned to the queen - "I remember how confused you were, when you first visited our estate. You have never seen so many different animals... and to think you were so surprised that our serfs' daughters worked and hunted along with their sons! Like you couldn't even think such a thing could be possible, ladies and men sharing the same responsibilities and freedoms. And when I insisted you join me on a hunt... good grief, your hold on the bow was awful, old Bernand's behind took a good month to heal... and how you jumped on a table when the dogs wanted to lick you!"

Bad move. Here we are, descending to the dominion of cringe again, the squire thought. But, for the moment, the adults seemed too caught up in reminiscing over the past, so he hoped to chat briefly with Aliarna without them listening over: - "Your parents aren't one bit like I expected... but they seem very kindly." - he smirked. - "Makes me wonder... what does an oddball daughter like you likes to do in her spare time?"

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
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Leonard laughed at the memories they all shared and looked to his wife as he grabbed her hand and held it. “I remember all that!” She said cheerfully as he looked st his wife and smiled happily. “You are the most beautiful woman though my love, and no matter how silly it seemed at the time I was always happy you tried to do things. Not to mention when I found out about your abilities... it was surprising.” He said as he smiled as he lifted his wife’s hand and kissed it carefully.

“Yes, my parents always told me to hide such things from the world. They said that no one would want to marry me and have children... if anything I apologized profusely when they were exposed.” Andrea said smiling a little bit as she was always thankful that everyone had accepted her. After all she had been afraid of her powers for her entire life. “I still can’t believe I accidentally hit that poor pup though I was so upset. Ask Leo I was crying for like two weeks after that.” She said as she had been so distraught when she didn’t know how to do the things they wanted her to be able to do.

Leonard smiled as he looked st everyone and chuckled, “then there’s always that time she tried cooking and we were all shocked that she could cook... well not so much Olette, but I remember Joel and I just looked st each other when you said you wanted to cook and we got this look of dread that you would unfortunately burn their estate down.” He said as they joked about it with her all the time.

Andrea giggled a little bit as she thought about it, “oh I was so mad when you guys got nervous I was going to cook... it was the only thing I knew how to do without an issue. It was about the only thing my parents taught me, how to cook and tend a house.” She said smiling as she sighed happily, “I showed you guys though! I sure did and you were all so happy when I cooked!” She said giggling happily.

Aliarna smiled as she looked at Daquan and chuckled a little bit as she played with her dress ever so slightly. “Well you were busy being a little wall flower. I had to come pluck you out of your place.” She said giggling a little as she was obviously teasing him about how he stayed attached to the wall until she came along and got him out in the dance floor.

“My parents have always been kind and caring.” She whispered as she looked to them as they spoke and smiled happily. “As for my spare time I take care of our cat in my spare time... I also go on walks throgh the garden if the weather permits and I quiet enjoy reading.” She said as that was something she was taught as future Queen. She had to know how to read and write since she was to rule one day. So, those were included in her lessons on how to be a Queen.

Morris Morris
 
"Yes, Andrea, indeed." - Olette smiled at her queen. - "Up and until we got to the cake. Not that you made any mistakes with the cooking, per se, but I remember you tripped over your own feet, and somehow... I think it had to be a sudden surge of your magic dearie, because nothing else would explain how the cake exploded and covered the entirety of my kitchen."

"Right. Poor servants had to scrape it for days, and the smell lingered for weeks. But at least we finally re-furbished the place, Olette was never satisfied with the furniture colors and the tapestry anyhow." - Joel Vuldarak recounted. - "Serves me right for being a scrooge I suppose."

Beside the adults, the squire and the princess carried on with their own conversation. Daquan couldn't help but reciprocate all her smiles with his own. - "Wallflower, huh? That's a new one. Not like I had much choice, with all the stuffy noble girls turning me away. But thankfully, you came along. I hated being a background piece. This pelt of mine had such a bad contrast with the guards' armor."

He listened closely as Aliarna told him of her pursuits in her available free time. As much as he could deduce, Aliarna was quite sheltered; her studies and constant attendence to royal duties by her parents' side didn't leave her with a wide range of choices, he wagered. Not that there was anything wrong with cats, walks, and reading - he liked each of those things himself; he just felt it would be nicer if she could move around more, or spend a larger span of time away from the castle's walls. - "Oh, you have a cat? That's nice. You could introduce me to him or her sometime." - he remarked. - "And I'm... well, I'm still not perfect in reading and writing, but I'm practicing a lot. It's just that the Vuldarak library is so small, barely a couple dozen books, I run out of material quickly."

Daquan paused for a moment. Considering that her parents weren't strangers to the Vuldaraks, maybe it wasn't prepostorous to... well, invite their daughter over. - "If you like nature, you should really come visit our estate someday. The Vuldaraks live right in the neighbourhood of the Mordenwalt Forest, it's teeming with wildlife and so many plants... you would love it, of that I'm sure. We have so many pets, too... dogs, mainly, but Lady Olette has a barn owl of all things, and we have a few hand-reared elks as well that the girls can ride." - he illustrated to her.

At some point, however, the conversations were brought to a halt when Joel cleared his throat and reminded everyone the food would be getting cold. So, everyone picked their share. He would also exchange some uncharacteristically cold glances with his squire, as if reminding him of his warnings. Daquan, unwittingly, recalled his words: Do not fall for her. Save yourself and her the pain.

The thoughts disheartened him. But even so... he couldn't help but take joy in Aliarna's presence. He caught himself realising that he wanted to keep seeing her smile.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Andrea laughed a little bit and face palmed herself ever so slightly. “Yes, I remember being petrified and I ran off without a word. You all tried to say it was okay, but because of how I was raised I felt awful.” She said smiling as she looked back on the memory. “We still wanted to pay for the cleanup and repairs. We did offer that because it was my fault.” She said smiling softly as she looked at Olette.

Leonard chuckled and nodded his head, “it certainly was quiet the event.” He said as he sighed happily, “and then of course not too long after we were expecting Aliarna. That’s kind of when we stopped coming to visit because the travels became too much for Andrea and doctors were worried because early on they said she was too small and it was unhealthy for the baby.” He said as they had their health concerns when Andrea was pregnant.

Andrea smiled softly, “then it became you guys would come visit us.” She said chuckling as it had still been equally as fun. Though she remembered them being concerned that the reason Andrea had appeared so small early on in her pregnancy was due to stress. After all, at the beginning of her pregnancy the nobles for the most part hated her, and it wasn’t like she was unaware of it. She had known full well that the nobles, aside from Joel and Olette really, had wanted her out because she was a foreigner and had to learn their policies. Then there were also the matter of her own abilities with magic. Like her daughter she could do general magic, but she also had a specialty which was actually fire.

Meanwhile Aliarna was listening to Daquan and smiled happily as she listened to him. She knew she was sheltered and she didn’t get to go outside the castle grounds much. As a result this meant that she hadn’t experienced much of the outside world outside of going to the farms around harvest time in order to help with the farmers getting their farms ready and planted. She would water the plants for them, that was another thing she really enjoyed.

She then thought about the car that she took so much care of and grinned, “well there’s more than one cat... there’s Marcus that I named and then there’s Atrisia which my mother named. I think they’re expecting kittens if I’m being honest because Atrisia has been acting odd lately.” She said as this wasn’t the first time she had seen a cat have kittens. She cares for all their cats over the years, “I’m sure they would love to meet you.” She said as she thought about it and nodded her head as she knew it would be fun. “We have a huge library here, I go there to read if I want. I never seem to run out of books.” She said chuckling a little bit as she thought about the books she had read

“I would love to visit the estate one day if I could... I’ve never been to the estate myself, but I know my parents have and I want to keep the relations between the Trustvars and Vuldaraks positive.” She said smiling happily as she liked the idea of getting out of the castle walls and seeing the world a little bit.

Soon the talking died down a little bit as everyone started eating their food. Aliarna was a slow eater to say the least, but that was part because her wrist hurt a bit from the events of the previous evening, making moving it a bit painful. However she didn’t make any indication that these things were bothering her as she just made herself eat a bit slower than usual in order to keep the pain to a minimum.

Morris Morris
 
And so, the lunchtime was well-spent between the two houses. By the end of it, Daquan felt in much better spirit, a fact which didn't elude his lord's notice, earning him a small lecture about how, in public, he was to abstain from such open friendlyness with the royals. The squire nodded in agreement - his recent experiences about the nobility's resentment of him weren't going to dissipate any time soon.

After they got back to their quarters and Lady Olette went to shift to a more casual dress, Joel Vuldarak pulled his squire aside to a seperate room and confronted him: - "Squire, I couldn't help but notice that yesterday, you seem to have left out a few details from your confessions. Among other things: where did the wine from Leonard disappear?"

"I, uh..." - Daquan weighted his options; then he realized there weren't any, because he couldn't lie to his lord. - "There was a servant girl, called Lucy, who helped me find Aliarna after she ran off, made tea for us, and then showed me how to get back to these quarters. I asked if she wanted something in turn and... that's what she wanted."

"That's the same Lucy who left this note?" - he asked, unfolding a small scrap of paper, with a short message on it:

Dear squire, meet me at the foyer with the wolfhound and canary statue today before nightfall to plan your romantic advances! Undersigned: Lucy <3

Daquan Amsel stared blankly at the frilly, girlish handwriting and the little heart symbol at the end of it. - "...where in the nine hells did this come from?"

"I found it slid under the door in the morning, before you woke up." - Joel told him. - "I decided not to show it to Olette. But I want to be in the clear with you, squire: what exactly is going on here?!"

The squire took a deep breath and sighed. That maid seemed to cause trouble and luck in equal measure. - "I swear upon any and all gods there are, I didn't even come across this maid by any intent. She's stalking me, saying she's one of Aliarna's personal servants and she wants to set me up with her." - seeing his lord's unrelenting, interrogative gaze, he continued: - "She claims to be a girl who was rescued by you, Lord Joel, after a raid from Maelkith, and brought here to the palace to be raised. She claimed this is her way of repaying both the Trustvars and Vuldaraks."

Joel seemed to deepen into his thoughts, as if fishing for old memories. - "Hmm... true, I did bring a score or two orphaned kids to the palace over the years. I don't remember most of them, but she could be honest." - he sighed in annoyance. - "Looks like my good deeds have caught up with me, considering she is now appearently your self-appointed love coach." - Daquan wanted to protest the notion, but Joel just raised his hand defensively: - "No, don't even apologise. Might as well let her have her way in organizing your schedule. But make no mistake, I won't keep this secret for long."

...

Later that day, Daquan surrendered to Lucy's request, and met up with her. The maid apologised for the inconveniences she may have caused, and confided in the squire: she claimed to know Aliarna's own plans for the coming days, how much time would be open between lectures, and also warned him that yes, Marcus and Atrisia, the cats, were expecting kittens, so he shouldn't pet Atrisia's tummy unless he wants to lose fingers.

More relevantly, she told the squire she knows the perfect spot for a private meeting and dance. It was in the castle's eastern wing, on the fourth floor. A relatively small gallery hall which was currently unused because the royal couple planned renovations after the celebrations, but was kept in pristine shape nonetheless by the cleaning staff, and featured chandoliers with enchanted gemstones which were dim during the day but bright blue after the Moon's rise. Moreover, it was adjecent to a saloon with well-cushioned furniture and a balcony opening towards the garden. Perfectly sizable for two people wanting to share a sweet moment (or a lot of moments, actually), quite private, and incredibly romantic.

Daquan was thankful for the maid's help, and after some debating, had a fairly good schedule for the days ahead. Lucy also took it upon herself to deliver any and all notes to princess Aliarna to inform her of the squire's requests, regardless whether he wanted such notes delivered or not.

At any rate, the plans were, for the most part, working out nicely. In the following couple of days, he got to meet the princess' prized cats; he got to visit the royal library, and ended up buried in a pile of tomes and codexes after he tried to force an interesting-looking beastiary book out of a way too tightly packed row on a shelf; and he enjoyed a walk in the garden by her majesty's side, where he asked her for a small demonstration of her powers, this time without any stress. He stood in amazement at the spells she weaved from the fountain waters.

Then, nearing the end of the last day, the promise they made was about to be upheld.

Lucy distracted the only guard patrol in that section of the castle with an orchestrated accident involving a torch, some expensive rugs and Marcus the cat. Marcus got away unharmed; the rugs, not so much. After the fire was put out, the maid made up for her clumsyness to the guards with some wine. At any rate, the way was open for the youngsters to slip in unnoticed.

Daquan wore a similar attire like when he presented himself to the Trustvar family at the lunch, and his ever-present wolf pelt. It was a house tradition, after all. Lucy, per his request, had some tea snuck into the saloon before they arrived (brewed on the basis of the traditional Vuldarak recipe), along with biscuits, fruits, and some flowers. She also seemed to have put up candles with scented incense wicks. Was there any length to which this devilish maid would not go in her effort to set up a date?

Oh well. There was no backtracing now. After indulging in some tea, Daquan looked to Aliarna: - "Well then... haven't changed your mind, have you?"

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
After lunch was finished Aliarna went and spent some time on her own with the cats. She loved to take care of them because they were the only thing that gave her some semblance of a normal life. Though, she knew it wasn’t normal for cats to have their own rooms set up for them.

Meanwhile Leonard and Andrea went on a walk around the castle, something they did often when they didn’t have anything to do. “I think the kids are enjoying each other.” Andrea said as she looked at her husband and chuckled. “That’s going to be hard though,” she said as she knew since Daquan wasn’t a noble himself, or one with a title, that approving such a thing would be against the noble court.

Leonard sighed and nodded his head, “yes and Joel is probably already lecturing the poor boy about how they can’t be together in any capacity.” He said as he sighed a little bit, “given if I could give him a title worth more than knighthood I could do it, however it would be one hard thing to do without a way to prove his loyalty.” He said as it was honestly true that if Daquan held a title there would be a way to have him thrown into the ring to be a potential suitor for Aliarna.

“She likes him... maybe they will atleast be very good friends. That wouldn’t hurt her,” Andrea said as she stopped in her footsteps and pulled her husband to a sudden halt. “Aliarna never had friends growing up... she had people she played with, but with not siblings to speak of she didn’t get to meet many kind hearted people.” She said as it pained her to see their daughter so lonely. “Maybe if they can atleast be friends it will help.” She said as she looked at her husband.

Leonard nodded his head carefully as he thought about it, “well we all know where friendship leads.” He said chuckling a little bit, “don’t forget you and I started out as friends and when I found out how your kingdom did business I stole you away.” He said grinning happily as he looked at his wife. “Though I do much agree that if they could atleast be friends it would help socialize our young Queen.” He said as he walked.

———

Aliarna had been a bit busy with lessons the last few days as she had to return to lessons in order to learn how to be the future Queen of Krustivan. She wasn’t really allowed sick days or time off from such duties, atleast not for long. Her parents basically could tell the teachers that there were to be no lessons that day and the teachers would oblige, but it was very rare her parents cancelled her classes for her.

Of course the correspondence with Daquan was a secret, even from her parents. She was sure they wouldn’t disapprove, but they probably wouldn’t approve either. So, she decided to keep it a secret for the time being. It was better that way because then she didn’t have to worry about the potential lectures she would get from her parents.

So, of course that night couldn’t come any faster, as Aliarna dismissed her own maids and got herself dressed into the same dress she had worn when they first met and simply left her hair with what little waves it had in it. She then put her tiara on and smiled happily as she looked at herself in the mirror and giggled.

Then it was time to go to her meeting and she was anxious and excited all at the same time. She would get to finally spend some time with Daquan and to learn a bit more about him as she still had so little information.

After the tea she looked at Daquan and chuckled a little bit as she shook her head. “No, I haven’t changed my mind.” She said grinning happily as she looked at him.
 
Daquan couldn't help but grin back at Aliarna. He, too, was quite nervous initially, thinking some inexplicable circumstances would get in the way of this precious moment, but here they were, sitting side by side and sharing tea. The princess' joyful mood diminished whatever anxiety was eating at him. She came wearing her ball dress and tiara, details which haven't eluded the squire's eyes, and only reinforced his anticipation; for it meant Aliarna wanted this meeting as much as him. Despite both of them being in their adulthood by Krustivan standards, he felt an almost childlike glee, as if they were a couple of little ruffians who pranked everyone else by this secretive undertaking.

"I'm glad to hear it." - Daquan stood up, extending his hand to Aliarna, gently helping her up from her seat. - "Let's go then."

Holding Aliarna's hand, he escorted her out of the saloon to the gallery hall, which has proven exactly as splendid now in the nighttime as Lucy promised it would be: the chandoliers shed a silvery light, not unlike the Moon itself high up in the night sky, which was at its fullest phase. The shadows cast by the objects within were pale and unintrusive, as if the crystals bent and faded them somehow. Either way, they were nowhere as intimidating as they could or should have been. The illuminated paintings depicted a variety of things, ranging from historical moments and portraits of bygone personnel to depictions of everyday life in the rural lands of the kingdom, majestically fantastic beasts, to more abstract and incomprehensible works of art - and, quite ironically and prominently, of ladies and lords courting. They stopped before an image of a swan descending upon a lake's surface.

Daquan let go of Aliarna's hand at that point, approaching an antiquated drawer, for upon it there was something on display: a wind-up musical box, donated to the Trustvar family generations ago by dwarven artisans, although now long unused. It was unusual in that no matter how big or small a room was, it would always play with just the right amount of sound between the walls, and not a single note would traverse beyond the confines of the room the box was within. As spectacular as the contraption was, though, it had a number of failings, such as the limited range of tunes it had on record - and the fact that members of the royal orchestra were vehemently protesting against its use, fearing for loss of their jobs. Hence the Trustvars put it aside among an assortment of other trinkets - that is, up and until now that Lucy went out of her was to steal ahem, borrow it for the occasion. The maid has shown the squire the basic operation of the device; it was enough to suffice for this one night.

The squire fiddled around with the settings for a moment until he got the music box working. At first the sound was a bit rusty and mechanical, but nary a second or two later it was as clear as if the royal musicians themselves were playing. It was a slow, elegant, inviting rhytm, ideal for an opening. Daquan turned to the princess with a cheerful face: - "Now then... let's start with a clean slate."

He took Aliarna's hand and kissed it, much in the same vein as he did in the ballroom, and took lead in the dance. They started off with a slow pace, going along with the flow of the music. The squire held his partner with tender confidence; he seemed to have become comfortable with being this close to her. He enjoyed the shining of her tiara, and her eyes. Especially those gem-like blue eyes.

"Princess." - he spoke up after a while - "I must say, I never would have fancied I would get to learn so much about you in a lifetime, let alone throughout the span of a few days. But with every little detail, I just want to know even more. It's a silly thing, I know." - he chuckled as he helped her with a spin - "But I wonder, if you feel the same way about me. In hindsight, I have barely revealed much of myself, if at all." - he admitted. - "So... I think I just want to say, I wouldn't mind any questions you have. Can't promise epic tales of monster slaying, though, if that's your thing."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
This had been hard to plan as it all had to be secretive and if Aliarna was being honest she had been nervous more about the other adults finding out than about anything else. Meeting Daquan get natural to her, whether it was as friends or as something more remained be seen. However, Aliarna couldn’t deny that she felt something there that she wasn’t sure what it was. Being sheltered kind of sucked in a way because she knew almost nothing about love or feelings associated with it. Her parents made it look so natural!

She carefully got up as she held onto Daquan’s hand and nodded his head carefully. “Yes let’s go.” She said smiling happily.

She watched him closely and looked at the music box for a moment as she had heard tales about it. She had however never seen it herself. Her father said it was hidden away because it was a fragile little thing, but it was beautiful as well. She was mezmorized to actually see it upfront and in person. She watched Daquan handle it and waited patiently as she smiled a bit more.

Of course it came time for their dance and she held onto his hand and placed her other one in his shoulder and smiled happily as they started dancing once more. This time there were no nobles around to push Daquan away and they could just enjoy a night together before he returned home. She didn’t hunk this moment could get anymore perfect honestly. Then he started talking about how he never thought he would get to learn anything about her. Of course not many had learned about her at all if she was being honest. They only knew basic things about her.

She smiled as she looked at Daquan and thought about everything as she needed time to process. “I’ve honestly never felt something like this before so I don’t know how to react in a way... however, I know I want to learn more about you... I know I want to because of something in my gut... I don’t know.” She said laughing a little bit as she looked at him hoping he would understand that it was a yes that she felt the same way.

Morris Morris
 
Daquan smirked throughout princess Aliarna's explaination of her feelings. He wasn't as unfamiliar with such sensations as her, arguably; he had spent times with girls before, mostly from the vassal families of the Vuldarak house, holding hands, swaying in the village festivals, sharing a drink or two, sometimes exchanging kisses on the cheeks. But this was different - as a matter of fact, very different. He never felt drawn to anyone like this before in his life, like a piece of iron lured to a lodestone. He smiled at her sincerely, speaking in a hushed tone: - "Don't worry. I think I know what you mean."

The music swelled and hastened in rythm, and the two youngsters adjusted to it seamlessly. Daquen felt almost hypnotised by the way Aliarna's long-skirted dress swished with her motion, and how her purple hair followed suit and swung in the air, the crystals' light painting it into different shades in between as her locks rose up to the air and settled down to her neck and shoulders. He was pretty much speechless until the music box's mystically woven tunes shifted anew to a more relaxed pace.

"To be frank, now that I look back, my entire life seems like a fairy tale... now more so than ever before." - the squire told the princess. - "You know the Vuldarak tradition, I'm sure; that they take commoners as squires and retainers. I was born in an agricultural village, growing up alone with my mother. My father... I never knew him. Mother wouldn't speak of him, and the other villagers only spoke hearsays; like he was someone to be hated, or did something reprehensible, I don't know. Then... mother passed away in a winter. The Lausk took her, as the saying goes. Some families agreed to shelter me, but they didn't really like me. They forced me to work on the fields while other kids played. And whenever I tried to join the games... let's just say I wasn't welcome."

Even to Aliarna, he didn't want to lay all his haunting memories bare. How the other kids spit at him, threw rocks at him, ganged up to beat him with sticks, stole his measly brunch, called him a bastard and a whore's offspring. He didn't want to tell her of the times he actually prayed to the Lausk to sweep him up in his long-fingered snatching hands and carry him away, to wherever his mother was taken.

"But life has taken a turn, when Lord Joel came to visit." - he told her with a more delighted face. - "A competition was held among the children of the village, to choose his next squire. The adults didn't want to let me there, but I wanted to go, if only to watch. Then some boys tried to push me away from the training course, but one of Joel's sons, Uldred, spotted us. He told everyone has the right to participate, no ifs and buts. He actually encouraged me to stay and try my best. Well... what to say? Getting physically fit from the hard labour actually paid off. And now, I'm here, enjoying your good graces, despite my low birth."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna listened to Daquan as he said he understood what she meant and she smiled happily. She was glad he understood what she was trying to explain in ever so many words because sometimes she didn’t even know what she was trying to say and it could prove difficult at times. The thought of being cast out though soon rose in her memory as she listened to hear that his mother had passed away and then the village kids picked on him. She seemed to be deep in thought as he explained this and then she thought about her own life.

While it wasn’t the same, she could say she knew what loneliness felt like. Being a Princess was hard compared to many things. “The earliest memory I have playing with children around my own age was when I was six or seven... I think.” She started as she tried to think about every detail. “It was just some noble girls and I remember I had this little stuffed dog that Lord Joel gave me for my birthday. He knew I loved animals.” She said as she smiled a little bit.

He smile soon faded though as she remembered exactly what happened to that stuffed dog. It was actually what triggered her powers. “The girls teased me because I was still carrying around baby toys. They told me that any girl worth her salt would throw the dumb thing out. I told them that it wasn’t their decision to make that it was my toy and they could deal with it. One of the girls grabbed me from behind and I dropped the stuffed dog and tried to fight the girl behind me off. Then all the girls stomped on my stuffed dog and tore it apart. They told me not to be a baby about it, that I was a big girl and big girls don’t pay with dumb stuffed animals.” She said as she tried to remember what happened next.

It took her some time to even remember that part, “I remember just thinking how I wanted to hurt them. How I wanted them to suffer for what they did to my doggy and... well... the water obeyed me. Within minutes the girls were running away screaming as water flung all around them soaking their dresses and their hair, ruining their make-up. When my parents found me I was trying to put the stuffed dog back together, all the while crying.” She said as she was aware of the cruelty of this world. “My mother had to pull me away from it and I remember hurting her. She told me not to worry about it, but I got upset again. I think she whispered something in my ear and all the water stopped. I laid in her arms and then I remember a man erasing the girls memories of what happened so that they couldn’t tell their families about the beast of a princess who dared to attack them.”

All the while she was thinking about it she had tears in her eyes as I was still a pretty big memory for her. She took her free hand and wiped the tears away. “I’m sorry... I don’t know why I shared that story.” She said laughing a little bit as she looked at Daquan. “Lord Joel got me a new stuffed doggy when he heard the news though. It was the same exact stuffed doggy he had given me.” She said chuckling a little bit as she shook her head.

Morris Morris
 
Daquan listened with attentive patience to Aliarna's story. It was heartwrenching to listen to, hearing how even a princess could fall victim to such petty, unashamed bullying. Daquan knew girls could be cruel and vicious of their own merit, just as much as boys, if not more so in some ways. He related to her anger as well; he remembered to this very day how, during the squire selection, he actually felt gleeful vindication, pushing other boys into the dirt and stomping on them, a repayment for all the misery he endured at their hands... until he remembered his mother, how she always taught him to avoid violence, to choose peace, not conflict. He remembered the subsequent guilt, too, how he recoiled when he saw he actually broke someone's nose and blood spilled forth.

Unknown to him at the time, it was that event which endeared him to the Vuldaraks. That he could not only endure and triumph, he could also regret, reflect and hold back. Qualities which everyone, be they squires or magical princesses, were in sore need of. Unrestrained anger was an ill quality when coupled with great power, after all. No pain is greater than the jab of conscience should one unwittingly hurt those they love.

The squire halted the dance for the moment, gently pulling Aliarna closer to himself, cradling her face with one hand, helping to wipe her tears away. - "Shh. No need to be ashamed. It's memories like these which define who we are, what we can become." - he looked the princess straight in the eye. - "I know, even now, you fear your power. But I have faith that in time, you will master it, in loving memory of a stuffed dog's noble sacrifice - and bring beauty into the world with it." - he smiled back at her.

He felt his heart beating against hers. It was a great boon to be so trusted; as much as he cracked up within because of witnessing the princess in tears, they also fostered a different, more benign emotion in him - deep, unquestioning empathy. Honest tears of both sadness and joy were scarce, precious baubles in the conniving upper reaches of society, and he was appointed the princess' personal treasurer. It was a duty he would gladly accept, to be a safeguard of her most hidden woes and joys.

Daquan lifted Aliarna's face by the chin: - "I'm happy that you shared that story, just as much as for our dance. Speaking of which... if you are well, shall we continue?" - slowly picked up the pace with his dance partner again, leading her back into the nightly realm of sways, holds, pulls and pirouettes. The Moon crept along on its celestial pattern, visible through the windows, as if it was taking peaks at the princess and the squire with innocous curiosity.

Eventually, the music box entered the last phase of its content, gradually reaching a wondorous, harmonic climax of wind and string instruments, as if to illustrate the flustering of hearts. It was enchanting to listen to, enthralling even; the squire at one point even lifted Aliarna from the floor, held by her waist, spinning with her before gently setting her back down, giggling all the way through.

It was more instinct than anything else, that he felt the closing notes were approaching as the pace winded down for the final time. The swirling dance was brought to a soft halt, by Daquan embracing Aliarna. Unthinking, he let himself be lost to the sweet serenity of the moment, closing his eyes, reaching for the princess' cheek...

...only to kiss her lips instead.

Was it accidental? A subconscious pull? Or the princess herself reciprocating? He didn't know. Nor did he care. Neither of them pulled away from the other for a long time. Daquan felt - he knew - he would remember and cherish this moment for as long as he lived and breathed.

When their lips finally parted, the squire rested his forehead against Aliarna's, gazing into her sapphire eyes, an awkward, slightly guilt-stricken smile playing on his face. He didn't speak up. He knew what was happening - and accepted his fate.

I love her.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
The memory reminded Aliarna of why she had to maintain control of her powers, why she had to work hard to control it no matter how much she got upset. It was why she still got upset with herself to this day when he would lose control of her powers. She never really forgot about the memory and she couldn't exactly go and apologize to those noble girls now because they didn't remember a thing of what happened. She had apologized to her mother though, thinking she would be punished for hurting her mother with her abilities. That was the day that she learned where her abilities came from, where she got such abilities from and that there was a way to control it no matter what, that she just had to try not to be afraid of the abilities.

This however didn't stop her from fearing her abilities when they did lose control, and it was usually what worsened the strength of her powers and caused those around her to get hurt if she didn't find a way to calm down or no one came to calm her down. She worked hard in order to control her powers though and it was why she maintained a calm personality and did things in order to prevent herself from losing control, that didn't mean she didn't lose control every so often.

"I am determined to master my powers as quick as possible. It's been slow, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to work on it more in the coming years." She admitted as she smiled softly as she felt him remove the tears from her face. It also took part of the make-up that was covering the little bruise on her cheek from when the noble boy backhanded her.

She soon returned to the dance and smiled happily as she was just happy to be able to get away from the struggles of being a royal. She needed times like this where she could just be another girl without the worries of a kingdom weighing on her shoulders. She could relax for a change and be able to just be herself as they twirled and swayed around. She squealed happily as he lifted her off her feet and twirled her in the air and then set her down again.

Of course the song came to an end and Aliarna looked at Daquan and smiled softly as she watched him. She didn't know what they were going to do now because their dance had ended and the evening seemed to be coming to a slow close. She smiled as she watched him closely and carefully took her free hand back and watched him closely.

Soon though she felt hand on her cheeks and looked at Daquan for a moment and a blush formed on her lips. Of course she was going to say something until she felt lips on hers. She had seen her parents kiss before so she knew what this was, but she had obviously never kissed anyone. It was better that no one found out about this though, that she knew because it could cause quiet the uproar.

She felt the warm lips leave hers and she looked at Daquan and smiled happily as the blush remained. "I-I've never been kissed before." She whispered as that was all she could think to say. She too could tell what this feeling was, she was actually falling for someone.

So, this is what love feels like?

Morris Morris
 
"M- me neither." - Daquan stuttered a bit as he replied to Aliarna. - "I mean... this was my first, too." - he confessed. He didn't quite know what could be predicted of this evening, but this was certainly not amongst his expectations. He was holding the princess in his hug still, caressing her hairtips with the palm of one of his hands. The squire was still in the process of comprehending his deed.

Gods. Lord Joel is going to kill me. Figuratively, but still. Heavens, I've fallen for her. And I'm not even sorry.

He has not merely had his first kiss - of all people, he had it with princess Aliarna, rightful heir to the throne of Krustivan. By all rights, he should have been very, very afraid of the consequences should this matter come to light before the wider public. They would have to keep it hidden from anyone's eyes and ears. And yet... he didn't worry. He was happy, because he could make Aliarna happy - and in this moment, he felt he would do anything he could to keep unfolding this joyous story between the two of them, wherever it may lead.

But alas, the hour was growing late; he would soon have to say farewell. They probably wouldn't meet again for months, even in the best turn of events; they would be limited to exchanging messages via letters. Still, he had gained so much more from this visit than he had ever hoped to, and nothing can undo the memories of these few days, especially not this night.

"Everything from tonight... let it be our little secret." - he told her, smiling softly. Gently, he loosened his hold on the princess, beckoning her with his eyes. - "Well... let's rest a bit in the saloon, share a last sip of tea, before we part ways. I don't know if we'll get the chance to see each other in the morning. I will be leaving with my lord early, and I know you will have lectures, and your parents will have their duties to tend to. So... let's savour a few more minutes, if we may." - he suggested, leading the princess to the saloon's comfort, still clasping hands.

They would sit on the sofa side by side again, amidst the sweetly smelling candles, enjoying one anothers' presence for just a bit longer. At some point, Daquan would turn to Aliarna, knowing it was about time to bid goodbye. - "Princess... no, Aliarna. I just want to say thank you. For everything, from beginning to end. I truly enjoyed it, and am happy beyond words to have gotten to know you. No matter how long it will be until we see each other again, I will be waiting eagerly for it." - he told her with sincerity.

He was about to get to saying a heartfelt farewell, and offer to escort her back to her chambers, when suddenly, he remembered something. But of course! He shouldn't be an ungrateful peon, claiming all the good feelings when he was responsible for a mere fraction of the effort to make this magical night happen.

"Oh, before I forget!" - his face lighted up, looking at Aliarna. - "There's something else I want you to know, Aliarna. I... actually had someone help me, to make this meeting possible, and establish the wonderful mood. She asked me to keep it secret, but I know I can trust you with this. It's one of your personal maids, a girl named Lucy. Next time you meet her, be sure to thank her for both of us."

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna was happy to spend some time along with Daquan and if anything it had been the most wonderful night of her life. She had gotten to experience so many things she never dreamed she would get to experience. She was nervous though because she knew what kind of trouble the kiss could get them into. It was a better kept secret, even when Daquan said it must be their little secret. She was sure she could mention the night to her mother and father and they wouldn’t mind, but the kiss would have to be information the omitted.

She was kind of thinking when she smiled a bit, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way before if I’m being honest.” She said as she walked with Daquan back to the saloon where they would be having the last bits of their night together. It was going to be a quiet close to their night.

“Honestly this has been the most amazing night of my life and I’m glad that we could get to spend your last night here together.” She said as she pushed her hair behind her ear as to be able to not drink her hair in the tea.

I don’t even know what love is and I think this is what it feels like. Everything here tonight has been amazing and I hope that maybe we can find a way to do this again.

She soon started to listen as she heard him mention someone and she blinked as she thought about her personal maids and she got this look on her face as she thought. A girl named Lucy? Is there someone on my staff called Lucy? There’s Belinda, Lauren, Syvania, and Trinia... those are my personal maids.

She still tried to think and then she looked at Daquan. “Daquan... I don’t have a personal maid named Lucy. My personal maids of Belinda, Lauren, Syvania, and Trinia.” She said as she looked at him for a moment and blinked. “I-I don’t know who you’ve been communicating with, but there is no maid named Lucy... atleast to my knowledge.” She said as she kept thinking, trying to find out if she knew any of her parents personal staff. She started to think about her mothers personal maids.

Mom’s personal maids are Lucile, but she hates the name Lucy, Gloria, and Stephanie.

“It isn’t even one of my moms personal maids... She has someone named Lucile as her personal maid, but she hates the name Lucy.” She admitted as she tried to think more and more. This wasn’t making any sense, and it honestly caused a bit of a panic in her as she stood up.

“Daq... I don’t think this Lucy girl is a maid.” She said as she grew concerned that this Lucy girl was trying to set them up to spread what happened here around the kingdom. It would dishonor both Daquan and Aliarna if anyone found out about what happened here tonight.

Morris Morris
 
Daquan Amsel's eyes widened as princess Aliarna enlightened him regarding the questionable status of his helper. - "But then... who is she then?" - he blinked in surprise. - "She could have been part of the emergency crew, no? I mean, she seemed to know just about everything, the layout of the castle, your study schedule... she had to be someone knowledgable, who has been working here for a while, how else..." - he bit his lips as some lurking suspicion began to crawl into the forefront of his thoughts. What if he had been caught up in some twisted, sinister scheme, and he had not even realised it? This is what his gut had been trying to tell him about the maid when he felt something wasn't quite alright about her? Or worse: "...she could be a spy."

It was at this very second that Daquan heard a key turn in the door's lock behind them. The sofa they were sitting on was facing towards the balcony, not the entrance; now that the squire hopped to his feet and turned, he found himself facing down the subject of his worries.

"Check. And. Mate." - Lucy announced, as she casually pocketed the key into the long socks of her uniform. She had this grimace-like smile which in the candlelight seemed like an expression befitting a deranged gargoyle statue more than an actual human being.

"Ah. How convenient." - Daqun grunted under his breath. - "Whoever you are, miss, it's time you came clean about your intents." - while he was unarmed and unarmored, Daquan was fairly confident about his wrestling skills, and would not be intimidated by someone in a maid dress. - "You want to slander house Vuldarak, or stir up trouble for the Trusvars on behalf of some noble, is that it?"

"Oh, please." - Lucy rolled her eyes. - "If those were my aims, the two of you pretty much accomplished it without my participation. Nay, good squire, this runs deeper than that. Consider what I've been setting you up for: a private night, away from any and all prying eyes and gossip-craving ears. Not a single witness about, not a single guard to interfere. And I didn't stop there. The crystals in the gallery, you see, have an interesting side-effect if they are exposed to prolonged sound vibrations; they dampen the flow of magic for hours in a fairly great area, hence stripping the princess of her powers. And, more than that... I spiked your teas with a slow-acting tranquilizer that would plunge you to deep sleep. Everything was going wonderfully. But then I realised... there's one detail which had gone amiss."

Daquan listened with keen interest as the maid-clothed intruder explained her diabolical plan, until she arrived at the last point. He actually made the attempt to try figuring it out. He succeeded: - "We aren't all that sleepy... wait, of course! The recipe I gave you included Gyrn-root extract and Nolf-tree leaves, both of which counteract most tranquilizers. Hah!" - he chuckled a bit.

"Correct." - Lucy admitted. - "Which means that now, I'll sadly have to carry out this job whilst you are both awake."

"And what would that be?" - the squire didn't like one bit where this conversation was headed.

"To kidnap the princess, of course." - she declared with such playful casualty in her voice like it was the most natural thing in the world. - "But certainly, you must also be pondering, why I'm telling you all of this. Amongst all the lies I've fed you, squire, I have told one truth: I am indebted to Joel Vuldarak, and would take no joy in dispatching you needlessly. But if you hinder me, I can't let you stop me. Come to think of it, you'd be damned in any case after I've made off with Aliarna, having to claim responsibility for playing into my hands."

Daquan cracked his knuckles with fierce anticipation. Just who does this woman think she is? Although he couldn't have been certain of her abilities, he definitely had a weight and reach advantage. - "Oh, is that so?" - he grinned. - "And how is it exactly that you plan to pull this off?"

In response, Lucy grabbed into the maid uniform with both hands, and with a singular motion plainly tore it in half across her entire body, revealing quite a well-trained and developed muscle structure that, while worthy of admiration even from the squire's perspective, did not downgrade her feminity one bit. She didn't wear all that much underneath, just light, sleeveless clothes, exposing a lot of bare skin, which was covered in tattoos, gang sigs, occult symbols, rather pejorative verbal expressions and depictions of varied forms of obscenity. Moreover, she had a belt and bandoliers, choke full of small daggers and knives of all purposes and functions. She then took her white maid cap off, revealing two small horns near the top of her forehead; her eyes shifted to a shade of bright amber, turning fluorescent against the shadowy backdrop of the room section she was in, and she grinned, revealing her pointy, snow-white colored, shark-like teeth.

The squire turned slightly pale as he witnessed this. He has heard of her kind, but never actually met them before: a changeling, an orphaned soul claimed by the denizens of hell, sent to the world of mortals to wreak havoc and mayhem!

"...I stand corrected." - he gulped. He was no longer all that confident.

Lucy, or whoever she was supposed to be, turned to Aliarna, adressing her: - "Well then, princess, what shall it be? Will you come along nice and easy? Or do I have to bleed him dry first?"

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna shook her head as she knew all of the emergency crew and they were all men. “The entire emergency crew is men. No offense, but I could knock a woman out with one hit unless it was my mother. So, father employed only men to be the emergency crew.” She said as she thought long and hard, panic setting in as this could ruin both of them, what happened here tonight. This person was after something and they had no way of knowing what it was without knowledge of where this woman even came from. “Even the maids who assist them in finding the damages, they aren’t to interact with me.” She said as there were maids who were on the force, but not involved with finding her.

Of course their fears came out as they got trapped in the room with the supposed maid. She looked at the girl, and obviously she knew that she didn’t know her now seeing her. This meant that there was an intruder in the castle that have knowledge of the layout and could have attacked them at any point, but why did they wait? After all, it wasn’t like they shouldn’t know about all the secret passages then. It was only used by the servants to get around the castle quickly. Say, if they had to get from one end of the castle to the other for instances like lunch. They weren’t used as frequently as people thought though.

However, her questions soon got answered as to what this person wanted and why she isolated them, but it still didn’t make sense. “What you say doesn’t make sense... we were alone three nights ago and you could have done it then.” She said as she looked at her, “the part of the castle I went to specifically because there was no risk of thru traffic as well as guards. It meant I could be alone.” She said as she looked at her as the plan seemed a little ass backwards to her.

Of course she wasn’t willing to go with this person, her wound be captor, but she also didn’t want anything to happen to Daquan. She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. Without her powers she was of no use protecting them, but how could she cause issues later?

She paused as this person clearly didn’t know a thing about her charm bracelet, or that she even had it. She had been holding her hands behind her back that it made it relatively easy to slip it off. She looked to Daquan for a moment and sighed a bit.

She knew she had no choice if she didn’t want him to get hurt and so she turned to him and grabbed his hand tightly with the hand holding her charm bracelet. She faced his hand closed as to hide it and then looked at him for a moment.

“Tell my parents,” she whispered as she looked at him. “Tell them everything... Lord Joel too. If they don’t believe you show them it.” She whispered before she took in a deep breath and looked at the girl. She knew she had no choice here no matter how much she wanted to think she did, she could feel her powers drained away.

“Fine,” she said as she looked at her and then to Daquan and carefully started walking away from him. She was certain that this woman would knock him out, but she didn’t know about the charm bracelet, so she wouldn’t think to search him for anything to identify her by.

Morris Morris
 
As Aliarna questioned the intruding changeling's methodology, Daquan, in spite of his creeping fear and worry, likewise couldn't resist hopping on board with the analysis of the scheme. He did it in part to gain time with distraction, and to get his mind to focus. - "You know, Aliarna does have a point. I mean, if your sole priority was to kidnap her, you had plenty of opportunities beforehand, and even if you had reasons to wait until today, you could have just lured her here early by a fake note or such and I wouldn't have been the wiser. Unless there is something you aren't telling, fact is, you overcomplicated your plans unnecessarily."

Lucy (if that was her name, in any event) puffed up her cheeks, stomped on the floor forcefully, and raised her voice in anger: - "Oh would you two just stop nitpicking?! Fifty times out of fifty-one I get hired to kill, not to kidnap, it's not like I can hire an instructor for this sh*t! I'm getting what I want either way. Now, do not test my patience further if you know what's good for you."

"I suppose such facts are hard to argue with." - the squire admitted with a blank stare. Inside his head, however, his mind was working feverishly for an escape plan, preferably one which would involve Aliarna and him getting out alive and uninjured - for Aliarna, both conditions were must-haves, but for himself, they were optional. There had to be a way...

He felt the princess grab him by the hand, putting some small object into his palm; he was slackjawed as she pleaded him. It would be her duty to protect her, and yet, she was ready and willing to give herself up to save his sorry skin. He took a brief glimpse at what he was handed; a small bracelet, which she seemingly always carried with herself. He didn't know why she wore it, what significance it had, but he knew it must have been important.

The would-be kidnapper grinned with satisfaction as the princess took a few uncertain steps towards her. She pulled out a small glass vial from somewhere, perhaps a pocket on the back of her short trousers, with a sickly green liquid bubbling within. - "That's right, princess. Do the smart thing. Here, you'll have to drink this. It's potent enough to put your magic to rest for a day or two. And as for you, squire, be on your best behaviour for the next couple of hours. If I spot anyone following me, I'll carve up your princess' pretty little face, ruin her beauty for life, have no doubt of that."

Daquan's heart was hammering within his chest. Is that it? He was to give up? Surrender to this cruel twist of fate that he himself inadvertedly orchestrated? No. He would not accept this. Not now, not ever. But what was he to do? What would Lord Joel advise?

Then he remembered a particularly rough fencing lesson, and his lord's unorthodox advice.

"If your enemy is a master of the techniques you would wield against them, don't strive to be better. Try to surprise them. Do something unexpected, something confounding, something so utterly audacious they will never see it coming!"

The gears of his mind shifted anew. The pieces of the situation's puzzle suddenly all fell neatly into their places. Magic was no use here and the adjecent rooms. But the crystals' range of surpression can't be infinite; moreover, the door wasn't necessarily the only way into and out of the saloon, if one gets creative. He has witnessed the sort of things Aliarna could do, should she be given the chance. In particular, he remembered her levitating in that watery bubble in the garden. All he needed was a distraction...

"Hey. Lucy. Don't forget this!" - he said, and threw the bracelet towards the changeling, who instinctively grabbed into it. For a fraction of a second, she checked it with her glowing eyes... and that was sufficient for Daquan to grab into a pine wood framed armchair and launch forcefully it towards the fake maid. The piece of furniture missed princess Aliarna by mere inches; it was too late for Lucy to dodge, and she was knocked off her feet, into the wall of the saloon, breaking off pieces of wall plaster by the impact.

This wouldn't keep her down for long, of course, but it has given the squire just enough time to grab Aliarna by the arm, turn her around towards himself, then lift her over his shoulder and make a break for it... towards the balcony, that is.

The changeling angrily hurled the armchair aside like it was a mere porcelain vase, grinding her teeth, only to witness the squire's outrageously stupid exit attempt. Her eyes widened as she jumped to her feet, drawing half a dozen throwing daggers between her fingers from their sheating in frustration, blindly casting them towards Daquan's back while yelling after the fleeting couple: - "You little turds! NO!"

Four blades missed their mark; one landed in Daquan's shoulder, but the floating wolf pelt took the worse of the entry impact. And the last his thigh from behind, as he threw himself, along with Aliarna, over the balcony's white marble railing. He let out a cry of pain, but forced himself to stay in control.

There was no going back now; the balcony was leering over the palace gardens, and not far off below, there was one of the biggest fountains the gardens hosted. It wasn't particularly deep, so the landing would be fatal, but now, an opportunity presented itself, one that the kidnapper could not deny them, no matter how strong and fast she was.

Daquan held Aliarna for dear life, and revealed the most crucial step in his suicidally fucking dumb plan: - "Bubble! NOW!!!"

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Aliarna didn’t want to do this, but she also didn’t want Daquan to get hurt. She rather have herself lose control of her powers rather than risk him getting hurt. It was a quiet big risk, but a very calculated one because she did have so little control over her powers. Anything she did when she had her powers back could make what she did the other day seem like just a rain storm. No, without that charm bracelet it would be similar to those of a category 5 hurricane had hit the palace. It was why her parents told her to never take the bracelet off without their permission.

However, as she neared her would be captor she felt something whip right by her and nearly hit her, but not hurt her and she would have ducked, but she wasn’t even given a chance. Her arm was grabbed and suddenly she was over Daquan’s chest. She also noticed that something was missing from Daquan, the bracelet and that made her panic a bit because making a new one would take time and that meant she would be on lockdown.

She kind of sat slung over his shoulder only looking to see where they were going.

Oh no... oh shit... oh no... oh shit!

Was all that could go through her mind as they made their way towards the balcony. She knew quiet well where they were and that the fall would be fatal if she couldn’t gain temporary control of her powers.

Of course hearing Daquan yell that she needed to do a bubble now. She closed her eyes and prayed for the best, though she couldn’t guarantee anything due to how much of a double edged sword her powers tended to be. However, she closed her eyes a bit tighter and held onto Daquan.

She was trying to think of what she said to the water to get it to listen to her the very first time she used her powers. What had she said? Had she commanded it to work for her, had she simply just been in such a blind rage that it reacted to her emotions? What was it that triggered them the first time?!

She grew frustrated, “Daquan, I can’t!” She yelled crying, “the water it won’t listen to me!” She said as she grew frustrated. She knew in order to control her powers she had to be calm and collected, but in order to use them she usually had to be just as calm in order to not make them a projectile.

When the fear rose in her enough though the water appeared out of nowhere and enveloped them completely. This certainly was enough to draw attention though as Aliarna didn’t even think about her parents being on their nightly walk that they loved to take.

Of course since there was little to no control over the water the bubble did form, but much like three nights ago it was more like a raging river than a calm lake. This meant that this would protect them, and it would give them a safe landing, but she had no guarantee she could get them out of it once they hit the ground. Unlike normal bubbles this one wouldn’t pop upon hitting the ground unless it’s controller allowed it to.

Morris Morris
 
Daquan felt like his life was going to flash before his eyes, had his brain not been busy metaphorically bashing itself over how he thought in the first place his retarded escape idea could possibly work, as Aliarna was on the verge of deathly panic. Oh Gods, we're going to die, he thought, and he had nobody to blame but himself.

As far as recordings of last moments are concerned in the annals of history, jumping to death with one's beloved to save them from a demonically empowered would-be kidnapper and whatever torturous fate would had been otherwise awaiting them was far from the worst possible ending one could have hoped for. But, naturally, survival instincts find little comfort in such posthumous honorifics.

With no other choice left, he held Aliarna to himself tightly, and positioned himself as much as he could afford so he'd hit the ground level first. Perhaps the princess would survive if he cushions her - if that was to be the last deed of his life, so be it! He closed his eyes, wondering if he'd hear the sound of his own bones breaking to pulp and splinters before he expires... but that didn't come to pass. He just waited, but the horrific physical pain and rapid fading of the senses just didn't come like he expected. All he sensed was that he was in a small, confined space, and oddly weightless.

When he gathered the courage to open his eyes again, he opened them gaping wide in a mixture of awe and surprise. They were inside a big watery bubble with Aliarna, the waters coursing with a rushing pace around them. He couldn't see beyond the bubble's borders because the water's movement distorted and blurred both light and images, but that didn't concern him much. He was breathing heavily from the near-death experience, but hey, they were alive! And that was all that mattered.

"I... it worked!" - he exclaimed with childish excitement. - "By all that is holy, it worked!" - he laughed, hugging Aliarna, and smooching her on the cheeks to help her overcome her own shock. - "You did it, Aliarna, you did it! We are safe and alive! Make sure to slap me later, because this was horribly stupid, but you... you are fantastic, don't let anyone tell otherwise!"

Had it not been for their tenuous situation, it would had been actually quite comfortable, to just lie in the bubble together until everything calmed down. Sadly, unknown to the squire at this point, things outside the bubble were far from calm.

The changeling looked down from the balcony, muttering curses and swear words under her breath. - "They... they actually did it? What the fop?! This is a load of ox dung!" - she raged. What was she going to tell her employer? Now the guards would soon be on the scene to investigate the commotion, and she would have to flee. She held the princess' charm bracelet with tight-gripping fingers; this trinket was all she could show for her troubles. If she quickly scaled the walls downwards and could make the bubble cease somehow, she could try to kill the youngsters with her knives, but the princess was wanted strictly alive, and she had no warranty for her plan. - "Well, there goes my chance to join the big leagues." - she gritted her teeth and spat towards the fountain below. - "Fine. Enjoy life a little more while you may, lovebirds. Your happyness won't last long."

This was as far as she got in her rambling, when the fountain erupted like a pillar, formed into multiple appendages resembling semi-solid squid tentacles, a number of which came crashing down towards her position. She jumped away in fright, narrowly avoiding being pulverized by the unnaturally dense water's pressure. She watched with incredulous gaze as marble pieces broke off from the balcony. - "Bollocks to this!" - she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. - "I'm not paid enough for this crap!" - and with that, beat a quick-paced escape from the scene, using a pre-planned route she mapped out before her attempt on the couple.

...

Lord Joel Vuldarak turned uneasily in his bed. He was having trouble sleeping, although he couldn't really point to any rational reason. It was more of a lurking, sublime worry, that something was about to happen. Such feelings ran deep in his family's veins, having descended from a long line of hunters; they had keen gut instincts, and more often than not they were quite correct.

All of sudden, his wife, Olette, who usually stayed up a little longer to admire the night sky before retireing, came up to him and gently shook him. - "Joel... Joel, beloved, wake! Something's going on in the garden! Come to the window, look!

He obliged her without any second thoughts, jumping to his bare feet and rushing to look out through the finely smooth glass panels, observing a gently floating, big water bubble at the opposite end of the estate... and every conceivable water source violently defying the physical laws in a multitude of ways. At some points, the fountains were squirtid icy sludge, others steamed near a boiling point, only for their vapour to turn into snowflakes mere meters away, and a variety of limb-like solidified growths trashing about, rain falling upwards, conjoining into small clouds spinning like tornados, showering the castle's rooftop with a hailstorm of tiny frozen orbs.

"...this will be harder to fix than our kitchen was." - he concluded with a resigned sigh, and went to fetch his slippers.

Lilbutterfli94 Lilbutterfli94
 
Andrea and Leonard would have been enjoying their walk, had they not been interrupted with the sound of raging water and it smashing all over the place.

Andrea looked to her husband and they gave a look of understanding and knowing. Their daughter had lost control of her powers again and this time it seemed more violent. Which only lead to a shocked expression in their faces. “The bracelet!” They yelled in unison as they knew that if she was reacting this violently that meant that either the bracelet wasn’t working or she managed to break it.

Andrea immediately went running towards the noise and she used her own powers to make her way through the water and dodging the tendrils that sought to get her away.

Meanwhile Leonard was seeking the aid of the wizard that taught their daughter. He ran to the door and knocked on it furiously until the old man came to the door. “Where is the back-up charm bracelet?!” He yelled as they had always feared this would happen and as a result they had made a back-up... several to be honest.

The wizard went to his box and pulled out a new one and handed it over. “Did she finally break it?” He asked as he watched him.

Leonard shrugged, “I don’t know.” He said and the wizard blinked, “I told you this would happen if we didn’t instill control!” The wizard yelled and the king growled. “Don’t you dare lecture me about something like this!” He yelled before he went running back to his wife.

Aliarna looked at Daquan, “I have no control! I can’t stop this!” She yelled as she cried as she didn’t know what to do. “That charm bracelet was the only thing I had.” She said as it was a danger now that she didn’t have it and everything.

Meanwhile Andrea used her own magic to get through each and every obstacle with ease. She grabbed at the water ball finally and looked st it for a moment. She placed her hands on the water bubble. “Ali, Ali listen to your mother sweetie!” She yelled as she closed her eyes. “Sweetie you are stronger than you think come on baby!” She yelled over the raging water as she closed her eyes.

Aliarna looked around for a moment as she could hear her mother. “Mommy I have no control!” She said sobbing as she placed her hand on the bubble as well.

Andrea took a deep breath and placed her head against the water, but hmjust her forehead. “Ali, you do have control. You have to stop being afraid. It’s okay not to understand General magic because you will always be learning that, but darling you have had this gift from birth. The water is your friend.” She said as she started crying. “I am so sorry that you are as afraid as I once was. I never wanted that for you.” She said as she closed her eyes.

Aliarna kept crying, “mom, I don’t know what to do.” She said crying as she really didn’t know what to do, what could stop this all.

Andrea looked into the bubble, “Alright listen to be very carefully baby girl.” She said as she closed her eyes. “Mommy is here,” She said as she took a moment. “Think about something you care about. Think about something that calms you.” She said as she stood there.

Leonard soon came running and looked at his wife and daughter. He was concerned, but they needed to calm their daughter down before she could have the bracelet put back on.

Aliarna took some time, but she thought about everything that she possibly could. The water slowly started to stop raging.

Andrea nodded her head carefully, “Alright sweetie your doing great!” She said as she looked in the bubble. “You wouldn’t want to hurt Daquan, right?” She asked as she looked at them. “Right, he’s your friend and you would do anything to protect him.” She said as she looked st her and smiled softly.

Aliarna slowly released the water bubble, and soon her and Daquan dropped to the ground. It was more gentle this time rather than last time where she had come crashing to the ground.

Andrea smiled softly, “that a girl darling. You did such a good job. Now the water listens to you. You are it’s master.” She said as she looked at her and rubbed her cheek. “You are it’s master, not the other way around. You can make these tendrils go away whenever you feel like it.” She said as she looked at her daughter.

Morris Morris
 
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