"Father, are you certain that we have to go through with this?" His voice was stoic, and Nicodemus held his gaze at the landscape of the valley of which Kandra was located in. His light green eyes took in the rising mountains in the far landscape as the sun set behind them, marking the hour around Six P.M. Only after a few more moments of silence passed, did he turn those eyes to gaze upon his father, the king. "Father?" Same tone, no change in facial expression. His father, whose gaze seemed to be fixed where Nico's had been just moments ago, smiled kindly. His face was weathered, and the man appeared to be in his late fifties, with a light gray rugged beard. Upon his father's head sat a golden crown, decorated with twelve fleurs de lis. Six big, and six small. Each of the big ones had a jewel encrusted in the middle of it, one of six colors of the famed Guardians. Green was the color of the one in the middle, and then it went red, yellow, blue, pink, and orange in a clock-wise motion.

He held onto his scepter tightly in his left hand, another fleu de lis sitting atop a large black jewel. Nico didn't even need to think twice before clenching his stomach right before the scepter was held out and swung into it. The tip of it bounced off of clenched muscles, and the slight tinge of pain receded as he relaxed his stomach. "You must. I did it, my father before me did, and his father before him did. It is tradition, it is necessary." His voice was gruff, but laced with sincerity. His face softened as well and the scepter found it's base resting against the stone floor once more. "Besides, Nicodemus. It will be good for you to make a friend. You're always off with bird of yours, and have been since your mother-" He fell silent then, finally turning his gaze to Nico. "You will accept these Guardians to our castle with respect, and you will treat the one assigned to you as such as well. Who knows, maybe you will even find yourself attracted to one. That's how I met your mother, you know."

"I know, father. It's a story you've told us all thousands of times. About how she was the girl with the heart of green and such. Even she told us the story sometimes..." His eyes fell towards the ground, the queen, his mother had passed away not long ago. Nobody was really certain of how she had died, but word was that it had been completely natural. Nicodemus only suspected that his father knew more about it, and refused to say anything when questioned. It was a rather sensitive subject for both Nico and the king, and nobody really talked about her in front of either of them.

"They arrive tomorrow, father?" Nico asked, gaze jumping out to the landscape once more as the last of the sun's rays disappeared behind the far mountain range.

"Yes, Nicodemus. They arrive tomorrow."

---

The next day.

Nico awoke earlier than the others, and was the first of his brothers to arrive at the courtyard for the coming of the Guardians. Fortunately, this courtyard was facing the East, and Nico got to observe the sun rise just as he had the sun set the night before. His thoughts raced to the night that had just passed, it seeming like it had only passed just moments ago. The weather out side was nice and tolerable, with a slight chill to the light wind. It was his favorite type of weather. In his hand, he held a peach, which would soon raise to his lips and be bitten into, the juices pouring into his mouth. Another one of favorites. In fact, of the short list of things he enjoyed, three were in his presence at that very moment. The weather, the peach, and the early birds that occupied the courtyard, filling the air with their chirps and whistles.

As Nico stood there in the courtyard, his gaze held on the horizon to the East, from which the Guardians would appear. There was nothing more for him to do but wait for his brothers to awake, and wait for the Guardians to arrive. Along with the thoughts of how they'd be, and whom would protect him that began racing through his head. The latter remained unanswered to all of the Princes, only the Guardians knew who they'd protect. The matter of how, Nico wondered. Little did he know, that the answer lay within the necklaces the Guardians had. The closer to their Prince, the brighter they would shine.

She had laid in her bed that night emotionless and still after her parents told her about who she was and what she was supposed to do. She laid there looking out into the streets threw her window. She could hear the people in her house bussling with work and excitment. How was she supposed to just up and leave her life especially to somewhere with so many rules and regulations. The thought of rules made her head hurt. As she laid their and thought she fingers twiddled with her necklace a nervous twitch she had always had. As day break shone threw her window she sat up getting dressed in a simple but elegant white shirt and skirt. She sighed as she felt awkward as she had no idea what she was to do when she arrived. Would the prices be waiting would there be guards. The thoughts jsut made her more nervous. She got everything she needed ready ad walked down to the main room of her house her mother and father were busy serving people and yelling at the cooks. She laughed softly as she knew she would miss them even though she would not be far away she dought she would be able to come and visit offten. She got hugged from her little brother who was snuffling and crying hugging into her leg. She knelt down and picked him up and walked him back up to his room as it was truly early and it would be best for him to sleep longer so mabe she could get away without crying. She passed her older brothers room and sighed as it was empt from his recent moving out. She finished putting her brother back in bed and she grabbed her bag of clothing and a a few belengings She had no idea what she was supposed to take or not take. She also had no clue on if she was being escorted there or if she was to go alone so she just went.

She lived on the outskirts of the city. She walked slowly toward the place her parents had told her she needed to go. She was not sure if she even wanted to go. What would happen if she did not go if she stayed or even ran the other way would they really miss her. She sighed as she noticed stood in the shadows of a building at the edge of a courtyard. She sighed figuring she really had no choice in the matter and slowly walked out into the couart yard. She instantly noticed there were not many people there in fact she could only see one other person and from the looks it seemed he might have been one of the princes but she could not truly tell. She stayed near the edge and found a small bench to sit on and wait for someone or something to give her a clue of what she was supposed to do.

"Prince Takeshi, it's time to get up. Your guardian shall be arriving shortly." Prince Takeshi's valet said as he opened the curtains, causing sunlight to shine upon the young prince.

Takeshi groaned and sat up, his green hair in disarray. He was never a morning person, although he tried to be. As he shook himself a bit to wake up a bit more. He turned his light green eyes to his valet, who was already picking out his attire he would wear for the day. All ready he recognized some of his more formal attire, but not too formal. Still, he was not looking forward to it.

His valet turned and must have read his expression and replied, "You must make a good first impression. Besides, it could be worse."

That last part sounded smug. Takeshi knew his valet was right too and that was irritating.

"Come young master, time to get ready than you can have your breakfast."

Takeshi merely nodded as he let himself get washed and dressed. His thoughts drift back to last night when his father told his brothers and himself about their guardians. It was a bit embarrassing in Takeshi opinion, having girls for protectors. His father also probably saw it as a way to play matchmaker too. Takeshi doubt he would win over any girl. He was pretty pathetic for a prince, in his opinion. He knew his twin would say otherwise. Takaru was probably his best supporter, besides his valet.

After getting ready, Takeshi ate breakfast and soon appeared in the courtyard. Looks like his brother Nicodemus was there. Out of all his brothers, Nico was the most intimidating. One would think he was the eldest. However Takeshi had alot of respect for Nicodemus.

"Good morning." he said simply as he walked up next to him.

Glancing around, he spotted a blonde hair girl in the courtyard. Was that one of the girls? Takeshi was too shy to find out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morning was always Gardenia's favorite time of day. In fact, she always woke up before sunrise just so she could watch the sun come up. This morning though, Gardenia woke up and immediately got ready. Today was no ordinary day. It was the day she was to become a guardian for one of the princes. Her parents had been to the royal palace and met the rulers once for they ordered flowers from her family's shop once. That was only a few years ago. She was proud of her family's accomplishments. She loved her family too and knew she would miss them. However, she was still a bit bitter about them keeping this secret from her all these years. Her head kept telling her that they couldn't tell her, but her heart still hurt. After all she done, it felt like they didn't trust her. Well, that was in the past now. She honestly didn't know how she was going to protect a prince. She was a nuturer, not a fighter. Her grandmother had always told her though that things happened for a reason. Hopefully one day Gardenia would find that reason.

After getting ready, she tended her own personal garden one last time and fixed breakfast for her family. While her family was wealthy enough to have servants, Gardenia still enjoyed doing domestic activities. Her family woke up in time for breakfast and they ate in silence for once, which had never happened before. It was long before a carriage arrived. All her family and close friends came to see her off. With her head held high, the young lady said good bye to them all and said she would make them proud.

The drive didn't take very long. Gardenia didn't want to admit it, but she was nervous. She look at herself in a handheld mirror one last time to make sure she looked proper. She wore her favorite green bonnet that covered her curly pink hair. Her green eyes looked clear and rested. She wore a pink and green dress and the pink heart necklace she wore was resting on her chest. She looked ready, but inside, there was butteflies in her stomach. Soon the carriage arrived in a huge coutyard and Gardenia's nerves left as she gazed at the surrounding area. It was amazing! A footman arrived to help her out of the carriage.

"Thank you." she smiled kindly as several other servants unpacked her things.

She packed quite a bit, but that was because she wanted to be prepared. Her gaze looked around and she first saw a blonde hair girl. Must be one of the other guardians. Soon she saw two young men standing near the entrance of the palace. Must be two of the princes. Suddenly, her necklace started to glow. Was one of them the prince she was to protect? Curious, she walked closer and the pink crystal became brighter. She step towards the green-haired prince first, but the crystal dulled a bit.

~I guess he's not the one.~ she thought before stepping before the other prince.

Her gem shined so bright that it was nearly blinding. Gardenia had found her prince.

Fiammetta Thorne

The moon hung low overhead, the dark canvas of the sky was littered with tiny, twinkling stars, and she could hear the constant, low chirping of crickets all around her as she knelt before a rather poorly crafted headstone. She held in her hands a bouquet of white and periwinkle bellflowers, the flowers, which communicated the message of ‘Thinking of you,’ had always been her sister’s favorite. . . . So young, the girl’s life had been lost to the world when she was so young. Fia’s grip on the stems of the flowers tightened until her hands were visibly shaking . . . a stray tear made its way down her cheek as she remembered the past, her faults and her regrets.

A breath escaped the woman’s lips as she shut her eyes, wiping away the tear from her flesh; no, she was not here to cry. This was to say goodbye. Without a sound, she opened her eyes up once more and gazed at the rather pathetic marker that told the world where the body of one Cosette Thorne lay. Fia moved one of her gloved hands, and set it upon the cool stone. “Hello, Cosette. It’s Fia, your elder sister.” She began, her voice soft and but a whisper as a sorrowful smile happened upon her lips. She blinked and a look of melancholy overcame her features, “I’ve come to tell you that I won’t be able to come and see you for a long time. . . . It turns out that your sister has some rather important obligations to attend to, you want to know where?”

Fia’s words halted for a moment, as if she were really awaiting a response from the grave. “Heheh, your sister has to go to the castle in the morning; she gets to meet the King and Princes! That’s wonderful, isn’t it Cosette? You always told me you wanted to meet a prince when you got older, and marry one. . . .” She stopped talking then, and bit down on her lower lip as she felt the tears coming again. Fia sniffled a bit; the hand she had set on her sister’s headstone had tightened into a fist with the creaking of her leather gloves. Her knelt form hunched over, and she rested her forehead against her forearm, crying.

Nine years, nine years and the pain still lingered. Time was suppose to heal all wounds, but it did nothing to alleviate the guilt Fia bore for failing her family all those years ago. If only she had been a little braver, stronger, willing to use her powers, perhaps then Cosette would not have perished in the attack that should have consumed her as well. Fia’s sobs were hushed, and quiet as her shoulders moved with every one. With a sniffle, Fia tore herself up and away from the grave marker, and wiped at her eyes with her hand. “I’m so sorry Cosette.” she apologized. “I know you don’t like it when I cry for you, I promise, I’ll do my best to be stronger from now on, I won’t fail. . . .” Quietly, she set the bellflowers against the stone, bent over and placed a chaste kiss against the cold rock, then ascended to her feet.

Her aqua colored eyes looked upon the stone as she opened her mouth up once more to speak, “I promise Cosette, your sister will come home soon and visit you again. I know you’d be lonesome otherwise. . . .” Clasping her hands at her front, Fia turned on her heel and proceeded to walk out of the desolate graveyard, heading for the doctor’s hut, where she had lived ever since the demise of her family. This minuscule little stick and mud village known as Odessa had been her home since forever, it was rural, underdeveloped and most people would pass through with a look of disgust and disdain because it seemed so primitive, but Fia both loved, and hated it here.

While it may have been her home, it was also the tomb of her childhood, and bore her most awful recollections and experiences. The people were gracious, friendly and so hospitable, but with every step Fia took in the confines of the place; she was constantly reminded of the night her family had passed on, the night she had failed. Upon hearing what that stranger had to say to her the previous day had made her livid, yet, at the same time it provided a sense of bizarre delight to her. It saddened Fia to have no choice but to bid farewell to the only place in the world she knew, yet it also gave her a chance to escape the confines of her memories.

Fia arrived back at the doctor’s hut; through the thin and rather pathetic curtain the old man had hanging up over the window, she could make out the dim glow of a fire. He was still awake. Without hesitating, she placed her hand on the door handle and pulled it open, stepping inside. As she shut the door behind her, a rather hobbled, and shriveled up figure gazed up at her from a poorly made desk, and gave a wrinkled smile to the teenager. “Welcome back Fia.” he rasped out.

A tiny smiled happened upon her lips, and she bowed before him, “Thank you, Doctor Guiscard.”

“Out visiting your sister again, were you. . . ?”

She flinched at his question, stood herself upright, at her full height and stared at the man with a rather blank look, “Yes, I was . . . I was saying my goodbyes. I have to depart for the capital in the morn, and I thought it would not be best for me to leave in a state of emotional uncertainty.” Without saying another word, Fia moved herself toward the dining table and sat herself down, resting her arms upon the wooden surface and clasping her hands together, intertwining her fingers with one another. “Tomorrow begins a new chapter of my life, and I was not aware that the current one would end.”

Fia heard a grunt, along with the scraping of chair legs against the floor; the Doctor’s uneven footsteps heading toward her. Guiscard sat down across from her and placed one of his rough, callous hands over her own. It was warm, his hands were always warm. “I know you are confused about this Fia, and that you bear many questions about your future. But, I have known you since Cliff and Lyra brought you here after they found you in the woods all those years ago,” Guiscard trailed of a bit as Fia stared up at him with somewhat glassy eyes at the mentioning of her adopted parents’ names.

Yet, he looked at her with a stern and certain look, taking his other hand and enveloping both of hers in his. “They raised you well child, the love, values and beliefs they bore persist within you, strongly, your Destiny, no matter what it holds for you, it is something you can brave. And doing so, knowing that you are taking the proper course in your life. Cliff and Lyra . . . they loved you dearly, and are still watching over you from heaven Fia, what happened nine years ago, it was not something you could have changed.”

Fia was quiet, her mouth formed into a thin line as she bit down on both her upper and lower lips, fighting the tears again. “. . . .I know.” she whispered out.

The old man tightened his grip on Fia’s hands, reassuring her of what he’d said. “You’re so young Fia, yet you wear the expression of an old spinster.” She glared up at him when he said that, her reaction elicited a laugh from the Doctor’s lungs. “There’s fire in your heart, strength, and power unlike any other. Even if you are frightened of this new chapter in your life, never forget what’s in your heart, Fia.”

He craned over the table a bit, getting a little closer to the teenager, “And do the world a favor, start living like a girl your age should, smile, be happy, get a little crazy now and then . . . and stop carrying the weight of your sister around on your shoulders.” When Fia remained silent to what Guiscard had told her, he stood to his feet and patted one of her hands, “I believe getting out of these boondocks will do your head and soul some good. Now, we both should get some rest. Me, because I’m old and you, you because you have a big day tomorrow.” With that, he withdrew his hands from around hers and made his way off to bed, leaving Fia to herself.

She remained seated for some time, in the same position as she had been when Guiscard had departed for bed, just sitting there, ruminating, and thinking over everything the old doctor had said to her. As the flames in the fireplace began to wither and smother themselves out, Fia decided it was indeed time for her to sleep as well . . . as Guiscard had said, tomorrow was a big day for her. With that, the girl headed for her room for the last time, the room only lit by the very dim glow from a dying fire. . . .

♠♠♠♠♠♠

She was up bright and early, sleep had not been her ally. It would not come to her and as such, Fia had spent the majority of her night tossing and turning about in her bed, doing her best to fight off the fit of insomnia and at least slumber for a few moments. But, when the first rays of daylight broke through the thin cloth that served as a curtain for her room’s window, the teenager relinquished any hope of sleep, and rose to greet the day she was partly dreading. Guiscard was not yet awake, no, though the man was an early riser himself, being a doctor and all, he would not rouse from his own slumber until at least eight AM.

So, Fia prepared herself for what lay ahead in silence, dressing herself in her usual attire of light armor and a dress, putting her hair back with a bow, and then added on the new addition to her attire. The strange choker necklace she had received nights earlier from the woman Fia only knew as her ‘birth mother.’ After doing the clasp, Fia stared at herself in the mirror, looking at the bauble with little thought. The green gem set in the black silver at the center of the jewelry was the same shade of green as her hair. . . . It matters not, I don’t even know what this necklace is meant to do, only that it holds some purpose in my responsibilities.

Stepping away from the mirror, Fia strapped her longsword onto her waist, and then placed the pouch that held her throwing needles around the upper thigh of her right leg. Truly, she looked like a guardian, someone who was ready to throw their life away for the sake of their duty to defend. That’s what Fia was, after all. She was someone who was ready to give her life for another’s; she refused to ever let the tragedy of nine years ago be repeated before her.
In her presence, she refused to let someone die. . . .

The woman stood still for a moment, staring at the ground before reaching a decision. ’Tis time for me to make my leave. Though Guiscard was not yet awake, Fia was deciding to depart as to not have to bid the old doctor a farewell, he had raised her for the last nine years of her life, been so kind to her. Fia imagined that he acted as what a grandfather would, concerning her.

She was grateful for all he had done for her. Quietly, she stepped out into the main room of the doctor’s hut, and over to his desk, pulling out a piece of blank paper and a pen from one of the drawers, she wrote down a short message for the man.

Guiscard,

Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I’ll always be grateful.

Sincerely,
Fiammetta Thorne

With that, Fia left the man’s hut with a small smiled placed upon her face . . . she lived not far from the capital, it was an hour walk of course, but that was fine. It gave her time to herself, to think, and to take in just what was becoming of her life. As she walked out of Odessa, one could not help but notice the way she moved in her armor, taking rather cautious steps in regards to the left side of her body it seemed. . .
.
Fia made her way across the dirt roads that bore puddles, heavily indented tracks from carriages, and toward the paths that began to slowly smooth out, eventually transforming into paved and fully stone roadways. The scenery changed by her in what felt like a blur, sure, she had been walking for an hour with no stopping, but it felt like the journey had only taken minutes in her mind. It was not hard to find her way to the Kingdom city, after all, all roads in Kandra led there in some way.

The closer she got, the more activity began to pick up around her, people walking as well, or carriages passing along her side, until, finally Fia had found herself standing before the entranceway of the city. She swallowed, hard. Though she had been mentally steeling herself for this moment the entirety of her trek here, Fia found herself rather anxious. Then again, how could she not have been? Her whole life had been spent in a tiny little village so far away from the world that now stood before her; such a place like this was intimidating even to the most hardened of hearts.

Placing a hand over her chest, Fia released a steady breath as she attempted to quell the nervous beatings of her heart. All will be well, have faith in yourself Fia, uncertainty leads to failure. With those words echoing in her head, the armored woman stepped into the bounds of the city with a rather stern look upon her youthful face, one could say she even looked frightening. A woman walking through a rather peaceful city dressed in armor, a sword at her side and a look on her face that almost made it seem like she could kill without a second thought. . . . Fia was aware of the looks she was getting as she made her way into the courtyard, but she brushed them off.

What others thought of her and her appearance was of no concern to her, she was dressed to protect, as it was her duty. Those who defended dressed as she did, did they not? She halted in place, craning her head to take in her surroundings, truly, it was marvelous, the capital city was a gloriously beautiful place compared to Odessa. Fia was where she was suppose to be, before the palace in the courtyard as instructed by her ‘birth mother.’ Yet she did not know how she was suppose to locate the Prince she was meant to protect. . . .

Time will make the method certain, she thought, heading for the center of the square, sitting herself underneath one of the large Ash trees which were growing there as she awaited the arrival of her Prince.

Takaru had woke up alittle bit after Nicodemus, but never moved an inch for a quite a while. He thought long and hard about what his father had said the night before, "What a joke," were the first words out of his mouth and he got ready, to everyone else it looked like he was having a rough morning. He walked out into the courtyard. "He said the... crap I forgot what he said last night about our guardians... except for when Nico questioned..." His mind wondered and he saw his twin. "Perfect pranking position but..." Takaru looked up only to see his father glaring at him, or that's what is seemed like to him. so he sighed, and sat down next to some tullips, And waited.

By Coincidence Tallen had found the bench that Takaru used to always sleep on after exhausting himself with fencing, even at a young age he knew what was expected of him, and tried his best to not fit the picture.

When he saw Tallen who wasn't more than a mere 8 feet away, he thought it would be in the best intrest to introduce himeself to 1 of the people he would now live with so stood up and walked over.

The castle was quiet at night, save for the quiet footsteps of the guardsman on patrol. Prince Samuel Goshawk was already wide awake. Leaping out of bed, he skipped towards the marble-and-gold water basin in his sleeping chamber and splashed some of the cold water onto his face, tasting the faint hint of lavender in the water.

Wait... Lavender? I remember specifically reminding Augustine yesterday that I wanted rose, not lavender in my water. This is unacceptable.

Prince Samuel shrugged and combed through his hair before stripping off his nightclothes and changing into some plain work-clothes and... an apron? He started off at a brisk walk towards the maidservants quarters, careful to avoid attracting the attention of the guardsman who patrolled this part of the castle. Samuel knew very well that Gaspar would not hesitate to march him to the King for 'attempting to plunder the virtue of the maidservants' or some equally humiliating nonsense.
Well, Gaspar would never know that Prince Samuel had been sneaking about tonight. He tiptoed his way towards Paula's door and knocked lightly on the door.

Moments later, the door opened and a red haired girl pulled the Prince inside the room. The little maid stifled a yawn and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"Is everything all right milord? Can I help you with anything? The guardians ein't due to arrive till after sunrise you know."

Prince Samuel smiled.
"I know, that is why I am here now. We are going to bake cupcakes for my guardian today! Isn't that fun?"

Paula groaned and rubbed her eyes tiredly. The prince had very weird ideas sometimes.
"Begging your pardon milord, but I think it's Augustine you'll want for this. She's the best baker among us all. 'Sides, today is my day off. Augustine said so."

"That, I know too, but Augustine put lavender instead of rose into my water today. She is incapable of doing anything correctly. You will do just fine. Fetch some fresh eggs and meet me in the kitchens." said Prince Samuel, turning to leave for the kitchens. "If things go well, you can have your day off tomorrow. Go."

The castle's huge kitchen was one of Prince Samuel's favourite places in the world. He loved every part of it, from the sight of the head cook barking orders to the scullery maids, to the cacophony of the pots and pans, or the delicious aroma of the day's feast wafting in the air. Most of all, he loved the warmth that emanated from the ovens and stoves. Samuel went to the pantry first, grabbing ingredients as he went. He set the ingredients down on the counter and mentally ran through the ingredients on his cupcake recipe.
Flour, sugar, salt, milk, yeast, butter... and of course the eggs. But where is Paula now?
He weighed out the flour and other ingredients into smaller bowls, humming a little tune as he worked.
Where has that girl got to now? It's been more than ten minutes. She'd better not have--

Just then, Paula burst into the room, a basket of eggs in her hands.
"Milord, the eggs you wanted. Still warm from the nest they are!" The little maid panted and wiped the sweat off her brow. "Gaspar nearly caught me, but I managed to hide from him."

"Great, let's get started now." Prince Samuel rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He would make for his guardian the best cupcakes that she'd ever tasted in her life! Girls liked cupcakes, right? Samuel wasn't sure. To him, girls were giggly and loved gossiping. They curtsied and laughed and sewed and generally acted all girly. But that was from his observations of the females in the castle. He wondered what sort of girl his guardian would be. Funny? Shy? Was she afraid of spiders? He imagined a beautiful brunette laughing with him while they chased each other around the castle grounds.
A guardian for me. My guardian. How exciting!

The prince and his maidservant worked steadily, and when the day's first cock crowed they were done. While the cupcakes cooled, Samuel began to work on the frosting.
Icing sugar, pink food dye... Wait. What IS his guardian's color?
"Paulaaaaaaaaaaaa~ What is my guardian's color? I can't make the frosting if I don't know her color." said Prince Samuel.

"I don't know, milord. No one knows for sure yet. Why don't you go get dressed first, milord and I'll put the frosting on as soon as we know her colour."

"Very well, I expect them to be ready by the time the ceremony is over." said Prince Samuel as he took off his apron.

Back in his chambers, he changed into more princely attire and fussed over his hair. First impressions were important. He hoped that his guardian would like him enough to become friends. Fully dressed, he paused to admire his reflection in the looking glass and preened his perfectly coiffed hair a little more before heading for the castle courtyard. To his surprise, some of his brothers were already there along with some girls with unusually coloured hair. He guessed that they were the Guardians. He was not sure of the proper thing to do or say, so he went and sat beside his brother.

"Good day, brother."

She sat watching as more people started to show up. She did not feel all that comfortable in the courtyard and because she hadnt listened to her mother when she was explain what tallen was to do when she got their other then something about the necklace glowing and princes. She felt like running but figured that that would get her into trouble.

She looked up and noticed a prince as he sat in the tulip patch near the bench. She looked away not wanting to be rude and to stair at people. She fiddled with her necklace and noticed it start to glow softly. She heard footsteps and looked up seeing the prince that had just before been sitting the the tulip patch walking over to her. She stood up when he got close her necklace glowing brighter the closer he got. She was a bit confused as to why it was glowing. She thought to her self ~Maybe i should have paid more attention to everything my mother had been trying to tell me~.

She smiled softly not truly sure what to do she was not good with formalities in fact she pretty much hated them she was not even sure why she stood up. The way her body was angled with the sun made her eyes seem deeper from the reflecting light. She had her hair down and loose falling softly over her shoulders. She waited for him to speak she was not sure what to say so she figured best not to speak until spoken to. More thoughts passed threw her mind ~Is he the one i am supposed to protect. Maybe he could explain to me what is going on.~

"Good Morning, I am Takaru Minose, and who might you be," He smiled and noticed a glow about her. Father mentioned something about a glow... grrr WHY DO I ALWAYS FORGET THESE THINGS! He thought.

Fia remained seated underneath the Ash tree in the courtyard, waiting for some sigh that the Prince she was meant to protect had arrived. . . . A breeze stirred, causing her green hair to brush against the flesh of her face, she could only move her hands up and rub her face some, as it tickled. As she waited, she couldn’t help but take in the scenery around her in full, more so than just the subtle glimpse she had taken as she had walked into the square. Such as the elegant thought put in the stone that covered the ground; the fact that every single planted tree in the area seemed to be placed apart from the others in a very even, and meticulous fashion. . . .

Her mind wandered on back to Odessa, and how very different her home had been from this place, how small it was. Fia wasn’t completely sure on this matter, but she felt that the diameter of the courtyard she was waiting it was . . . probably just the same size as Odessa. Thinking about the size of her home compared to the capital city, it made Fia feel a little ill, and strange. She felt parts of her heart falling into uncertainty again; wondering if she were really capable of guarding one of Kandra’s six Princes. No, no, I cannot let myself think like that. If I doubt myself, it will lead to failure. I promised Cosette I would never distrust myself again. Fia reminded herself, a stern look overtaking her face that made her seem years older that she really were.

Guiscard had faith in her, he had total faith in her despite knowing her history and the fact she had failed to protect her family with her powers nine years ago. He had treated her like family; confident in her abilities. . . . That had to have some merit, didn’t it?

As Fia continued waiting, she found herself having to move once and again to adjust the armor on her torso. From time to time, the light metal plates were rubbing up against her left side, and sending shooting pains through her small frame. “Damn it,” she cursed under her breath as she moved, wincing as she moved. Even after nine years of living with her scars, Fia was far from used to them. No matter what she did, she doubted that she would ever fully be used to the pain they provided her with; they were her reminder after all.

It was when she shifted once more that something finally happened; the gem stone located on her necklace suddenly began to show light. As this happened, Fia felt her heart skip but a beat as her eyes trailed down to look at it. Though, she could not quite see the stone, she knew this was a sign. Time would reveal the method of locating the one I am destined to protect. . . . Fia thought, taking in a rather shaky breath, finding herself growing anxious. Clasping at the glowing bauble with one of her gloved and armoured hands, she turned her head up, a look of wonderment upon her face, and she looked about, trying to figure out whom the necklace was reacting too.

In Fia’s entire life, she had only been to Kandra’s kingdom city once, and she had certainly never set eyes upon a prince in that solitary visit. Surely, the jewel’s reaction was in response to the presence of the one she was meant to defend. . . .
Using the tree behind her for some level of support, Fia ascended to her feet and turned, looking about. “Who’s. . . ?” she murmured, as she turned. When Fia had turned to face a group of three, a girl approaching them, did her necklace suddenly shine bright enough to elicit a vocal reaction from her. “Oh, goodness!” she shouted, shocked by the sudden gleam. After she settled down a touch, Fia had both of her hands placed over her glowing stone, knowing her particular prince was among the three.

With careful steps, she moved forward, that sense of trepidation hit her hard again, as the pain in her side sent a few twinges through her body. Fia did her best to swallow back both as she moved onward, though one could not disregard the notable way she walked in regard to her left side. She halted before the group she took her hands away from the necklace, and looked between them all; and it shone bright in regard to one particular prince. . . .

Fia took in his appearance, silent as she looked upon the one she had to protect, her face took upon that sternness again, there was an awful lot she could have thought about him, yet she simply put anything she might have been thinking into the back of her mind as her sense of obligation overtook her. Placing her right hand over her heart, Fia bowed before the effeminate prince in a rather rigid manner, “M’Lord, it would seem that Fate’s dictations have left me your humble Guardian.” She began, “My name is Fiammetta Thorne, but if you wish, you may address me as Fia.”

Takeshi had watched as a pink hair lady approach Nico. His first thought was whoa! It was strange that this one girl managed to look more regal than him. It was her attire, but she had that air about her that just screamed elegance, which was something he did not have. As the prince looked around, he noticed more girls showing up as well as a few more of his brothers, including his twin. Looked like they had found their guardians. Samuel's appeared to be exactly what he envisioned a guardian should be, a warrior. She was certainly intimidating. Takeshi had to giggle for she looked like she was not going to be the type to fall of Samuel's charms as many females did. Next he looked at his twin as he approached the blonde. Even from here, he could see the girl's necklace shine. He sure hoped the girl had a sense of humor for he just had this gut feeling that his twin was going to sprang a few jokes on her. He wished his guardian would show up soon. He was getting nervous standing here looking like an idiot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gardenia sized up the prince she stood in front of. Definitely not a few of the other princes she saw come out. If there was a label she would use for this prince, it would be stoic for no emotion appeared to show in his eyes. Gardenia figured she out to introduce herself. Standing and doing nothing was making her uneasy. So she backed up and curtseyed.

"Good day my lord. My name is Gardenia Primrose Larkson. It appears I am to be your guardian. I do hope to serve you well." she said politely and honestly.

Misery could not sleep well. She finally turned to look out the window and at the moon. It was beautiful at this time. She sighed and then mumbled "I guess this is the last time I'm going to see this view" She sighed again. She kept thinking about what her mother told her. Misery looked down and sighed for a third time. She slowly feel asleep.

Misery woke up early the next morning because to day was the day she was going to meet her Prince, she would not tell anyone but she was rather excited about it as she did not know what to expect. She remembered what she was told last night, that she was to be the guardian to one of the six princes and as she was getting dressed she was thinking about the prince she had to protect looked like. She thought Maybe he's tall, dark and handsome or maybe he's just a little taller than me and....and.... She was brought out her little day dream when her mother knocked on her door, that's was when she realized that she was actually smiling, it has been a long time she saw that. Her Mother said

"Misery, My dear are you ready yet because the carriage is here to take the castle."

Misery walked out, still smiling and also wearing her best dress, it was black so it was a contrast against her red hair and it was quite a gorgeous contrast at that. Misery saw the smile grow on her mothers face and Her mother said

" Misery, my dear you look lovely and I'm going to miss you, so much"

She came over and hugged Misery and Misery hugged her back and said

"I will miss you to, mother"

Misery picked up her suitcase and walked out of her room, walked down the stairs and out the door. She turned, just once,to give her mother one last hug and then ran over to the carriage. When she got in there was other girls there and she just sat down and did not say anything to any of them as she suddenly felt uncomfortable, her smile faded. The journey was short before she knew it she was the castle, she looked at it as the carriage draw up and the only thought that was going though her head was wow this place is beautiful She got out and there was a couple of boys there and she guessed they were the princes. As one of the girls walked over to them she stayed where she was, but with that she noticed that her necklace was glowing, she looked up and looked at the other girls and only a few of them had their necklaces glowing and she then noticed that all of the other girls necklaces were heart just like hers. She looked towards the boys and then the castle. She mumbled are you here

Kate Vixion

Staring at the sky, Kate sighed. The grass seemed to be moving quickly in the wind. Sitting up and looking at the graves of villagers from her village. It had been a long time since she had been there, and she was traveling to the place she hated most. She would show no hate, no emotions what so ever.

It would be locked away, locked away in the hopes of being sent back. Without regret, Kate stood up, brushing off her blue dress. "I must finish my travels. I need to get to the kingdom before nightfall..." Kate whispered to a grave, tears hitting the grave as she quickly whipped them away. "I shall come back to visit you father. Stay safe, I shall lock the village so you shall not worry." Kate spook once more in a proper manor as she exited the village, bowing to the graves as soon as she was at the exit.

Shutting the large gate to the village, she locked it and hid the key in her shoe. It would take a while before reaching the kingdom, so she'd need to hurry. Quickly, Kate hurried on foot, careful so she would not set foot in a animal's nest or in their terriory. It would not end will if she did, for the animals would surely try to find her.

She had been traveling alone for three days, for her new village was far off. Yet, she remembered how she left as clear as day.

Three Days Ago

A red haired male stares in disbelief as the orange necklance. The sign that his little sister, the girl who he had taken in not to long ago, was destined for marriage of a prince, to be a guardian. The only thing he could think, was not yet. He didn't want his sister to go, he still had so much to show her, that men weren't as cruel as she had thought.

It was almost yesterday for the man, when he rememebered the little girl, crying and begging to stay. It would be the moment he would never forget, yet the years after with her, were wonderful. He treated Kate as if she was important, and now, the kingdom would know she was truely important. "Do... do you truely need to go Kate?" The man asked, truely hopeing it was a choice.

"Yes... I'll be fine Nick. Just remember, I'll try to visit with my soon-to-be-husband soon, just so you can scare him half to death!" Kate joked, a smile on her face with nothing but love and saddness about leaving. Her thoughts for her brother, the man named Nick, was that he was not like the other men she had met. Not like her father at all, she knew, the family she had before, would want her to be happy where ever she'd go.

"Alright... I'm trusting you on this one little sister." Nick said with a smile, putting his trust in her. There was no way she'd die on the way there, not with her abilitys. "You know... I won't be able to go with you..." Nick started with a frown, yet Kate kept smiling.

"Yes, I know. You have people to take care of. They all depend on you, your the leader of this little town." Kate said, not showing any hate for him not going with her. She felt, it would be safer this way. Kate couldn't bare the thought of someone else dieing... not again.

"I'm sure they'll be glad to hear little Kate was truely ment for great things." Nick said, smiling not as well as he wrapped his little sister in a hug. "Stay safe my dear." Nick said, only worrying more then he should.

"Thanks... I will." Kate promised, going to her room and packing her bag. Only a few moments later she began got out of her room and hugged her brother. And with that, Kate left the house.

Present time

Kate quickly began to run, the breeze blowing across her face as her dress trailed behide her as she stopped at a bunch of girls with neckalces shining and the princes. "I made it..." Kate said in disbelief. Maybe, thinking about the past events was what she needed to move faster.

Whatever the case, she was there now.

She wondered around each one of the princes, stopping at a shy looking prince as her necklance began to glow extremely bright. Stopping and smileing to him quickly. "I'm Kate Isabella Vixion, I shall be you guardian my prince." She stopped for a moment, letting her ocean blue eyes look into his own eyes. Kate had no idea what to do next, and she hoped he would.

Takaru saw out of th corner of his eye, an girl with a orange hair approch his twin, Wow... and I think she came here by foot ... and just got here... DANG IT! he watched the girl infront of him and waited for a response.

She looked at him and smiled politely not really knowing what to do but since he said hello she might as well talk with him. "My name is Tallen its nice to meet you" Her voice was soft and almost had a melody sound to it but that is how it always was. She looked as more people showed up she heard as one girl said something about how she was the princes guardian when her necklace glowed because she was near him.

She was thinking. "this is horrible i have no idea what i am supposed to be doing here" Her eyes widened as she realized she had said that out loud. "s sorry that was not meant to be out loud" She looked away blushing slightly from how embarrassed she was that not only did she not no what to do but that she had said it out loud.

she sat back down looking away scared and worried about what the prince would say next.

"To be honest, niether do us," he motioned to the rest of the princes. He sighed, and sat down beside her. "At any rate, I think you guardians will have rooms here in the castle, so it's probably best that we learn to get along with each other..." he laughed alittle, "and this is coming out of the mouth of a prankster" he chuckled.

She laughed softly and looked back at him "well it will take a while to get used to a place this big" She heard him say prankster and she smiled slightly "Oh so you are a prankster are you i think we might make great friends" She smirked slightly "so how many brothers do you have just curious?"

"5... if you count Sam." He replied and looked at her. Another...? I feel bad for the civilian population now... He leaned back and looked at the flowers behind him. "The scent of these things would often lul' me to sleep when I was younger." It was more tullips. "Now..." he grabbed one, and carefully took the head off, "they're gifts," he said as he put it in Tallen's hair carefully. "Looks good." he smiled. Even though he just met her, he still feels comfortable enough to be doing these things.

She smiled softly and looked at the tulips smiled. "They are a pretty flower arent they" She did not see flowers often as she had been born and raised in the city outskirts or what was normally called the lower end. She laughed slightly when he put one in her hair. "Thank you" She looked around at some of the other girls. They all seemed to know what they were supposed to be doing. "so whats its like in the castle?"

"Depends on what events are scheduled... if any," he said after heavy sigh. "Since father's giving us more paperwork to do on a daily basis... well atleast for me, things have gotten alittle dull lately." He looked at Tallen, "Hopefully now that you girls are here things'll get more lively! God knows we need it to be."

She shrugged slightly. "It all depends but the girl in the armor over there does not look like all that much fun unless you wanted a sparing partner" She laughed slightly. "so many different personalities it seems and i can just tell that from the way people stand and the way they dress" she leaned back against the bench not sure if she was talking to much or not.

"I dunno, looks like she might be Sam's guardian... I feel bad for her pour soul," he stood up, "Well, wanna take a walk?" He inquired.

She looked up at him and stood up. "are we aloud to leave or are we supposed to stay here and wait for something" She was slightly confused by the whole thing but he seemed nice she guessed. "but yeah i would like to go for a walk" She was getting restless she did not want to stay in one spot. The flower fell from her hair and she instantly knelt to pick it up. She laughed slightly. "well guess it does not want to stay"

Takaru just smiled, "Guess it doesn't, here" he held out a hand. "I would much rather have you stay here with me than some random flower stay in your hair." He was trying his best to be polite, without flirting... too much.

She bit her lip slightly "well" she took his hand letting the flower drop. "I would like to ask one think i home you dont take offence to it but" She bit her lip "Can we stop with the formalities i dont think either of us like them i could be very wrong but please" she hoped he did not take offence she would hate to already be on his bad side and it be less then a few minutes of knowing him.

"Well... yes... but father's watching," he sighed. "Once we get out of the courtyard, we can drop this formal crap." He took a step then looked back, "sound good?"