Arabella rubbed her eyes as she slowly awoke around 2 am, she couldn't stand being inside any longer...she had to get some air. With as much silence as she could manage, she pulled on her tattered riding boots and stepped towards the window. Before stepping out she pulled her brunette locks into quite a messy bun and threw on her dark cloak around her nightgown. Quite rogue looking indeed she slid out her window,pressing herself against the wall as she carefully placed each step along the thin ledge. The guards weren't even looking up to her window...either they were lazy or didn't want to be pressed with the responsibility of having to chase after her. The thought caused a playful smirk to form upon her rosey lips as the wind bagan to whip through her cloak.
She carefully stepped along the ledge,making it seem effort less as she made her way to the oak tree at the far corner. This was one of her favorite part of the escape...in one swift leap she was on a branch of the large tree trying her best to stifle a victorious giggle. With a couple carful glances around she slowly slid down the tree and crouched as she swiftly and quietly made her way over to the nearby barn.
Curiously enough nobody seemed to ever be guarding the barn...so it was relatively easy to slide in and make her way over to her buckskin stallion’s stall who quickly pressed his head out the opening above the stall door. Aries could always make Ara feel better it seemed and this time was no different as she opened the stall door. Aries quietly stepped out and lowered himself into a bow,wasting no time in letting his young rider on.
With a smirk Ara pulled herself up onto the large stallion and they cantered out, slowing to a brisk trot as she neared the outer gate. She was in luck…Paul was on his shift in the night and silently opened the gate for her. She had grown up with the young guard and he was always doing these favors for her. She gave him a soft smile beneath her cloak and blew him a kiss as she urged the stallion into a gallop along the dirt road.
Aries instinctively headed out into the woods as soon as they reached the path, seeming to read the girl’s mind with his pace and direction changes. They were truly a work of art together…moving together as one. She leaned back, cuing him to slow down a bit, knowing well that it was dangerous to be going so fast in the dark. But it was just as he was about to slow down that a bolt of lightning struck right in front of them sending Aries into a frenzy.
He leaned back on his haunches and jerked his front hooves into the ear as he rose into a full rear. Ara was so stunned she rolled off his back, tumbling back down a hill as the sky seemed to let loose and rain poured upon her. It was all a rush…the agonizing crack of her ankle….the mud at the bottom of the hill….the sudden stop at the base of a large tree. Everything just happened so quickly, she had no clue what to do as she stood to her feet, soon realizing her ankle was broken pretty badly, leaning onto the tree to support herself. She had definitely messed up this time and she knew it well…her horse was gone along the path somewhere she knew well he would never stray…but it was only 3 am or so by now…and there was no way anyone would be out at this time.

Baxter sighed, as his tired feet pressed upon the dirt path to the kingdom. He had been out visiting his family out in a town about a day's walk from the regal castle, and the surrounding town. His eyes were half open, almost shut due to fatigue. Almost as he fell asleep walking, the rain began pour down upon his head, soaking him. His eyes jolted fully awake as the cold droplets peppered him. He began to quicken his pace, moving faster along the path. He saw a wooded forest, which was darker than his current path, but was more inviting than becoming a mop in the downpour. Lightning lighted his way into the forest, instantly sighing as he escaped the torrental rain. He shook his head, slinging access water everywhere.

Baxter proceeded into the forest, and keep quiet as he moved. He didnt know the area, so he was being as cautious as possible, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. Though he was unarmored, he could still fight with his sword. His feet rolled on the wet ground, as he tried to be stealthy, but the wet slopping of the mud made all attempts futile. He decided to simply forget it, and loudly slop through the mud and wet plantlife. He trodded around, looking for a place that was dry, such as under a large tree or maybe if he got lucky, a cave...his eyes watched the trees and everything under them, warily monitoring their movement in the wind....he continued onward, his quest to find a dry place ever going on.

Arabella knew she was in for a rough time as she limped away from the tree, cursing herself and the storm even her darn spooked stallion as she made her way. All she could do was hold her cloak close as she sloshed through the water, each step causing a searing pain to shoot through her lower leg. There was no question that her ankle was broken at this point as she cringed each time her foot hit the soaked ground. The mud was even sucking her boots in every couple steps, causing even more of a struggle and pain as she tried to catch sight of any sort of shelter at all. She needed to get dry…the water was already causing her delicate form to go numb.

Through the thick rain she caught sight of an opening to a cave and the hope seemed to help her push through a bit faster as she trudged through the mud. It seemed like hours…but she made her way within about 15 minutes into the opening of the cave. As soon as her boots hit the solid floor she fell to the ground, her chest heaving up and down from the struggle she had been through.

She had already begun to sob, when she felt a warm breath on the back of her neck then a few bristly whiskers. She lifted her head and threw her arms around the thick head of her stallion who slowly lifted her upright. He nickered softly and lay behind her, nickering softly as he nuzzled her shoulder gently. For such a large animal he was so much like a puppy, and so darn comfy. Ara pulled her cloak off and lay it over her using it as a blanket as she lay her head back on the soft fur of Aries. She closed her eyes and decided it best to rest…she couldn’t go anywhere with it being dark and stormy outside…oh yeah the broken ankle didn’t help a whole lot either.

Baxter persisted in his wading through mud and muck. His nice outfit was beyond ruined as he moved through the dark and stormy woods. He groaned, covering his head with his arm, taking wider steps. He had to find somewhere. He was tired and exausted, almost to the point where he needed to sit for a moment. But he pressed on, keeping his eyes held high. The leafy cannopy above made the weather alot more bearable, but still not pleasant. He treaded up the hill, panting before his luck finally seemed to turn. A cave. It wasnt big, nor was it small, but it looked mostly uninhabited. He placed a hand on his blade, and stifled his panting was he stepped inside. He was more than ready to fight off an attack, be it a bear, or wolf pack. He wasnt very afraid of what he couldnt see. He knew he'd only be afraid if he could see it.

He moved to the mouth of the cave, looking inside. It was almost too dark to see in, but if you had a few minutes to adjust, then it was just light enough to tell figures out. He stepped inside, still holding his breath and his sword. He rolled his feet on the gorund, this time successfully muffling his footsteps. Cautiously.....cautiouslyyyyy... he thought... He had made it fairly far in the cave, before he propped himself against the wall, letting out a loud, anxious sigh of relief....

The storm whirred on outside, and Baxter watched the trees blow in the wind, not realizing that he might not be alone in the caves...

The stranger’s steps evaded the ear of the resting princess but not the keen ears of the large equine. With a gentle grace he stood behind Ara and nuzzled her shoulder, letting her know something was indeed different in the cave. She couldn’t hear anything but she trusted the trusty equine senses that Aries seemed to always be ready so willing to use to protect his dear friend.

She began to struggle to her feet but received a stern look from the stallion, letting her know she needed to just stay seated. She was certainly in no place to argue at all…so she plopped back down nearly letting out a grunt, but without her dagger or other weapon it was best she remained undetected. As much as she hated it, she would have to sit and wait on the stallion’s surveillance.

The large rugged stallion, looking quite tattered from his bout in the woods sniffed careful along…he smelled that oh so familiar biped scent…another human. He pinned his ears back and began to paw heavily at the floor, grunting in a threatening manner…Ara couldn’t stand this anymore her precious stallion could be hurt.

She grabbed a hold of a fairly large sized rock and made her way behind the stallion calling out in a shaky tone…meant to be so much more threatening. “Show yourself…show yourself now…” The fear had seemingly paralyzed her ankle but as she got in a battle stance, ready to throw the rock the pain shot through her lower leg. This caused her to drop the rock the fall to her knees. Poor Aries was so confused…he wanted to help his friend but at the same time he feared the consequences of turning his back on whoever was hiding in the shadows.

Baxter heard a bold, but shakey voice. "Show yourself....show yourself now..." The voice was a little higher tone, and was most likely a female. He heard something else though. Heavy breaths that seemed to fill the cave. The soaked swordsman remained everso silent in his own, keeping his breath in again, untill his eyes adjusted. His pupils slowly widened around them taking in every bit of light there was, only making out rough outlines of the figure. It looked to be a horse, but he'd be daft to think a horse was talking to him. His eyes scanned the rest of the cave, searching for a possible source of the voice. The person must be beside the horse, he thought...

He said ever so calmly. "It's too dark in the cave to see me. And I havent attacked you yet. I seek shelter from the storm, and nothing more. But I have a proposition for you. If you will walk to the mouth of the cave, I will also. It would be the only way we could see eachother. Or, if you'd prefer, I'll go first. It doesnt matter to me." He shifted, making the rustle of clothing. He didnt want to seem intimidating, but he placed his hand on the hilt of his blade. "Or. We could sit here, and trust eachother enough that we wont do anything bad. I'll make the start....My name is Baxter Vane." He said nodding, even though he doubted the voice could see him. "Whom or what are you?"

The stallion lowered his large head and allowed Arabella to pull her self up on him as he lifted his head until she was on her feet. The man seemed friendly enough and she answered before she even though twice about him being an enemy of her family. "Arabella...Arabella Demonte...And let's walk so we can see eachother I hate talking into the dark..." Without another word she limped towards the mouth of the cave with the help of her horse.

The stallion carefully supported her and made sure he watched her small feet so that he would not hurt her. The whole time he kept an eager ear upon the man ready to place a nice kick if need be. As Ara walked to the mouth a bt of light was able to come in, not much due to the terrible storm right outside. She looked down and her ankle was in bad shape...cut and swollen and ever so painful. Her nightgown only rode up the top half of her thighs and even it was tattered, and her somewhat dry curly hair had twigs and leaves intertwined between the locks giving her a very rough appearance.

Vyra slept in a small room inside of the palace. In his comfortable cotton outfitt. Even so, he was having a terrible nightmare...His mind was bent on protecting the princess...So much effort and hardship gone into making sure she was safe. Just as a lightning bolt hit the ground, he woke up. Sweating like crazy, he yelled out in fear. "AHH!" He yelled into his dark room. Soon, he calmed down; He then got up out of his bed and put on his guard uniform. I have to go check the princess..He silently ordered himself. After a few moments of roaming the halls of the palace, he found the princesses quarters; Vyra opened the door slowly, only to see she wasn't there, and that the window was wide open. Tch! Damnit! Vyra rushed down to front gate of the palace and bursted out; Looking around quickly. He then scanned the palace grounds for foot-prints. Luckily he found a line of footprints, although they wher almost gone due to the storm.

Vyra followed them, leading him through a barn.. Then out the main gate; Vyra kept following the ever growing fainter tracks. Untill, they disappeared infront of a valley. Needless to say, Vyra was terrified for the princess. The guard carefully made his way down the hill, untill he saw a shred of black cloth near a giant tree; Vyra picked up the piece of clothing. Damn...I was too late...She must've fell down the hill and hurt herself... He diagnosed. Vyra felt extreme frustration, why did the princess throw herself into these situations? What must've been the point?... Vyra put his thoughts aside. He scanned the grass slope for any sort of print in the ground. After a few minutes of looking, he found a pair. He followed the prints, but they wher barely visible; The mud and rain hiding any sort of evidence as to where the princess escaped to. Soon, the prints wher gone, erased by the sands of time.

Vyra examined his surroundings. Soon finding a cave. "If I know anything about Arabella..She went into that cave..." Vyra said coldly. The guard then started running towards the cave, knowing that if a bear was in that cave..Arabella was finished...Vyra kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Baxter nodded as the woman accepted his proposition, confirming her gender. He heard rough and altered footsteps as if they were limped, along with the clopping of horse hooves. He watched the woman slowly come into his view. She was younger, maybe not even of age yet. He couldnt tell extreme details, but he could tell that she was skimpily dressed, in what looked like a extremely short dress. "Alright." he said. "Here I come." He pushed himself off the ground, and walked towards the mouth of the cave. He slowly came into veiw of the woman, lightning flashing right as he got to the opening. Everything seemed slow motion as the flash of lightning gave the girl a perfect look of him.

He was soaked head to toe, his blonde hair dripping constantly onto his informal blue vest, and white undershirt. His black trousers sank low onto iron plated boots. The lower part of his body, from the thigh down was tented brown from the mud he had had to cross. There was no left arm, or even a nub left on his left side, but there was a blade on his hip. It looked rather slim and light, but the forge was uncommon for humans. He had a gentle smirk on his face, and his eyes were soft and large. "Nice to meet you, Arabella." he said calmly, awaiting her response.

Arabella offered a gentle nod as she held onto her stallion for support and spoke in a soft,less shaky tone this time. "You as well...so what brings you out in the forest at such an odd time?" Her rosey lips curved into a playful smirk as she kept her grip on the ever supportive Aries. She felt a bit better now...she wasn't alone and so far she was able to trust this stranger. For how long she didn't know, she was not naive as to what happened to young ladies like her around strange men...but she almost would dare him try. Between her and her stallion, she could cause some major damage.

She was about to speak again when her soft,glittery blue gaze flickered to the entrance of the cave...She had to squint to make out the figure through the rain but sure enough it was her ever faithful guard, Vyra. She rolled her eyes and pressed herself a bit farther into the cave wall,nudging her stallion farther in so that he too would be hidden by the shadows. In a soft tone she whispered "Don't let him see me here...I don't want to go home yet..."

He looked out to the figure, his eyes narrowing on the form. Why was she hiding from a knight? Was she a criminal? He didnt know, but he didnt just want to forsake the friend he had just made.. He nodded to her. "Go back inside, and lay back down. I'll make sure he wont find you, Miss Arabella." He walked in as well, but not far as the girl did. He was just visable to the outside eye. He could only wait for the guard-like figure to notice him sitting. He began to unbutton his vest, getting tired of being soaked and cold. He pulled the vest off, throwing it aside him as he waited for the man to reach him. As he did, Baxter nodded to him calmly and gently. "Hello, sir. Hello. Come in out of the pouring rain and cold. Rest yourself for a moment." He hoped by using reverse logic, he could make the man wander off...

Vyra was making more sound than he would've liked, but, he really couldn't do much about it. No matter where he stepped his boots sank into a sea of mud. The boy's eyes catched a glimpse of two figures at the mouth of the cave; The flash of lightning let the guard catch some detail in the two figure. One seemed like a man...And the other, looked like a woman, maybe a man? It was nearly impossible to tell. But he knew there was at least one person in the cave. Vyra sprinted at the sight of another human in the cave. Within moments he closed the distance between the cave and himself. He was a few feet away from a man that was in the mouth of the cave; By now Vyra was covered in mud and sweat. He breathed in deeply a few times, showing that he was out of breath.

Vyra was unphased by the other mans greeting. He didn't care for greetings. He was going to be straight to the point with him...

Vyra squinted his eyes to see if anyone or anything was in the dark. He could see something...But whether it was a rock formation or a actual creature. He couldn't really say. But, he could tell that a man was there. He rather looked terrifying; But he didn't care. Vyra stood up straight once more, his hand still grabbing at his sword. "Who are you." Vyra demanded to know. He didn't trust other men to be around Arabella. Excludeing the men in the palace. The guard knew what other men would do to Ara...He didn't dare to imagine it though... "Where is Arabella." Everyone in the city knew who Arabella was, and it was too dark to see whether this man was a merchant and what not. Vyra glared at the man with a dead-serious expression.

Arabella nearly burst into a fit of giggles at all the trouble she had apparently started from her outing. Now that she was safe she was free to enjoy the chaos she had grown to love causing. She had to slap a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle as she slid closer to the edge of the wall. The stallion heard the familiar voice of a guard and lowered his head...he wanted her rider to be safe but he did not want to betray her trust. He gently nuzzled her towards the entrance of the cave forcing her to stumble a bit.

She growled softly at the equine but simply shook her head as she slowly limped into the open...she knew very well her guard would kill for herself. As much fun as this could be someone could be killed in the process and she did not want that at all. As she made her way her worn out appearance was obvious as was the ever more swollen ankle...she wondered how big it could get. Without a word she leaned against Aries who stood faithfully beside her...he wouldn't let the guard take her if she didn't want to go, and he made this very clear by pawing his massive hooves in the direction of the men with his ears pinned flat against his head.

Vyra quickly turned his head to the sound of a muffled giggle. It was fairly clear that it was Arabella. Vyra took a few steps further towards the cave, leaning forward to try to tell if Aarabella was there; When Arabella limped into clear sight, Vyra felt incredible relief. He felt like hugging her. But he knew doing so would have probally freak her out; Vyra looked straight into Ara's eyes, almost like a stern parent. "Arabella..." He mummered. Arabella was torn up, she had a rather serious wound at her ankle, she was covered in mud, and her dress was nearly in shreds; "Arabella, you have to come home." Vyra said to the princess.

Ara may have not known it, but her broken ankle could get infected, and potentially kill her...Vyra look at Aries, one of Vyra's trusted friends; It might be weird to have a horse for a friend, but it was more of a formal realationship. Aries was loyal to Arabella, and thats what made Vyra respect him. The guard was becoming impacient. "Arabella, it's not safe out here!" He yelled out. Showing his concern in his voice. Vyra knew Aries was going to be a probelm...A kick from a horse is lethal. Especially if the horse has the intent to kill...

Ara rolled her eyes and spat out a "No!" in a most harsh way towards Vyra. She wanted to let him know she sure as Hell was not going home...not yet. She knew she would have to eventually but this is the sort of adventure she had been waiting so long for. A stranger...a cave...a storm...the kind of stuff you read in all those storybooks. As painful and confusing as her situation was she was firm in her decision to stay for a bit longer. Now it wasn't because she held any negative feelings for the young guard she simply didn't want someone to tell her when to leave. She had no desire to listen to any source of authority and her rebellios spirit kept her going against any voice of reason...even though she very often knew they were right.

Her pleading gaze flickered over to Baxter, her soft blue eyes plainly asking him for a bit of help. She didn't want to go back home she really didn't but she knew she had to do something for her worsening ankle. "Look...I don't wanna go home right now...not yet...I'm fine I will get some help for my ankle when I get back..." She was firm in her statement, anyone who knew her well would understand once she spoke it was fine,she didn't back out.

Baxter sighed, as his deterrant had failed. He knew that Arabella didnt want to go back to the Castle, but the knight was right....Her ankle was fairly bad and she was limping. He didnt want to be responsiable for anything that happened to the Princess. She stood firmly by her horse, refusing to go with Vyra, whom he recognized. A lot of the town and kingdom knew Baxter as "One Blade" and this knight was probably no exception. He walked over to their sillhouettes and stood away from their party. Baxter didnt want to get involved, but he didnt want the Princess to be displeased.

He analyized his options, finding no good solutions. There really wasnt much he could say or do between the two. If he said nay to the guard, he'd probably draw on him, and Bax wanted to fight a royal guard member the least. Noone won that fight. Saying no to the Princess wouldnt do much except for make her dislike him...which he'd rather avoid. She seemed like a spunky little girl, one that he might beable to get along with more than nicely. He didnt know what to do, and simply waited for more to happen.

Vyra might have recongized Baxter if it was a more clear day. Even then, he was more concerned about the princess. Finding people with one leg or one arm was fairly easy in the world, as wars and infections proved to claim the limbs and body parts of most villagers...Vyra couldn't believe what he was hearing, well, thats a lie; If it was coming from the princess, then it was no surprise. And literally grabbing Arabellas hand and dragging her back to the castle would not only make her hate Vyra, but it would also get him fired. Plus, the horse didn't look very happy at the time; Vyra grinded his teeth, the princess was a fool. Vyra did the only thing he could think of. The guard fell to his knees and pressed his hands onto the ground. Lowering himself to show his intent. His hands and knees sinking into the mud. "Princess...Please. You can barely walk, if you keep going like this it will get infected. I'm willing to compromise. If you come back to the castle with me and let me fix your wound. I will let you come back here tonight if you let me come along; Please Princess...I want to ease your pain..."

Despite his rather pathetic speech, there was some meaning behind his words. Vyra understood Arabellas rebellious attitude. But she was more immature than anything; And begging, although maybe not the best choice to sway her. Was the least dangerous. Considering she had a angry horse on her side. Vyra kept his head close to the mud. Hoping that the princess would come back with him. Even though he was breaking the law by letting the princess come back out.

Arabella rolled her eyes and pulled herself onto her stallion, sending his massive hoofs into an anticipative dancing motion. She turned ever so slightly “See you boys there…” ,winking playfully before urging her stallion into an all out gallop. She savored each leap as she headed back, giggling as Aries slid through small patches of mud. The two of them…were thrill seekers…enjoying each bit of adventure they came across.

Their adventure soon ended as she neared the gates to the castle ground, which were casually opened for her. Nobody said a word or asked questions…just thanked the Lord that she had returned before the King or Queen woke from their sleep. Aries decided it appropriate to break into a light prance to the barn, swishing his tail in a teasing manner. Arabella held her head high through this parade…contradicting her rather unappealing appearance.

She was so exhilarated by the time she entered the barn she leaped off the horse…yeah broken ankles don’t handle impacts well…She fell to her knees, laughing at her stupidity as she leaned against the wall…Sliding her boot off she glanced at her ankle, getting worse by the minute it seemed. But she was too tired…too cold…too pained to care, she just wanted to sleep so that’s what she did.

((Heading to bed, see y’all tomorrow))

Vyra sighed a bit and stood up when Arabella took off. He wiped the mud on his hands onto his pants. He glanced at Baxter, fianlly recongizeing him. Vyra smirked. Then started walking back to the castle. After he traveled a few feet away. He stopped. Look back at Baxter; "Next time we meet...I want to fight you. One Blade." He then started running back to the castle, presumeably to see to it that Arabella get proper medical attention, as well as some sleep; It wasn't long before Vyra was back at the castle. He entered the main gate and walked into the barn.

He sighed as he picked Arabella up. Then walking back into the castle, luckily 90% of the guards wher asleep; Vyra carried Arabella to the medical center, dropping her down on a bed that was elevated for procedures. Vyra then took out a liquid concoction the local herboligist made. It felt like gel, Vyra squeezed some of the liquid onto Arabellas ankle, and started rubbing it in. Good thing she's asleep...She'd be struggling like crazy... Vyra sighed a bit, it was 6:00AM, and the sun was starting to rise. I better work fast... Vyra starting tending to the princesses wound, after a few minutes, he bandaged it up. "There, good as new." Vyra picked up princess up once more and walked to her room. The guard opened the door and entered, he then layed her down on her bed; The boy sighed a bit and wiped his forhead. Then. Even though it migh have been against code. He kissed Arabella on the forehead. Then slowly walking out of the room. "Goodnight, Princess..." He said as he shut the door. Vyra then noticed he was covered in mud...

The guard went back to his room and stripped naked, changing into some cotton nightwear. "I'll wash my clothes thomorrow.." He said to himself, tossing the putrid guard uniform in the corner of his room. Then laying on his rather uncomfortable bed; Vyra shut his eyes, and began to sleep...

((Sorry I violated the post order. Be back thomorrow. Please don't go on without me >.<....G'night!!!))

(There is no set post order, little Chronos, you wait on noone for your creativity!)

Baxter watched the Princess ride off and the guard follow shortly. He smirked to Vyra, nodding generously. "Of course, friend. You may do so to your heart's content. I shall be visiting the castle tommorow anyway, and we shall see then what we can arrange." He turned back and began to walk back inside the cave, his voice echoing from inside. "But do me a favor, and make sure the girl is alright. She's not one for accepting help. And you take care as well, Vyra. You've seemed to grow much since I've last seen you." He smirked, as the young man rode off, and chased the girl. Baxter had settled down in the cave. It was still storming outside, so all he could do was simply wait out the downpour. His eyes were finally able to close as sleep embraced him.

The next morning came quickly, but that it was reasonable. There was only about four hours of sleep before it was daylight, and the sunlight shone in the cave, washing Baxter's face in luminus. He smirked, stretching again. He pushed himself off the ground with a yawn, walking to the mouth of the cave. The weather had changed seemingly drastically, as it looked like there couldnt be a more beautiful day. He smiled, and proceeded to the dirt path again, continuing his travel to the Kingdom where he resode(/resided). He wasnt fully recovered yet, but a nice drink would quickly make him forget his weariness. He finally reached the town...and walked inside.

As we walked through the streets, people waved to him, Baxter of course, waving back. Everyone from guards, to villagers, to even children, whom would walk up to him, run in circles around him as they played their little game of tag. He smirked, as the friendly town never ceased to amaze him. He eventually got to his house. It was a small one, but for a single man, it wasnt too bad off. He unlocked the door, and stepped inside. The place was neatly kept, and near spotless. He walked over to a trough of water he had set out the day before, and he kept filled constantly. He cupped a handful of water in his hand, and splashed it across his face, doing this repeatedly. He then removed his still damp clothing, and hung it on a clothesline behind his housing, each of his fingers working dexteriously to do each task. He walked back inside, and redressed himself in what could hardly be called formals. It was a dark green, long sleeve shirt, and pulled a white button-up vest over it. He then put on a pair of dark cloth pants, finishing his attire with dark brown leather boots, that were his pair that werent armored. He ruffled his hair with his hand, and walked out of his house, into town.

He walked towards the castle, and the guards opened the gates for him. He rather liked how friendly the new ones were, the Vyra character in particular. He would simply walk to the courtyard, and take a seat. He admired the castle's courtyard, as it was decorated with flowers of every color and aroma. He rather enjoyed flora, that each flower was a race, that each had something in common, but then had something unique about them...His mind wandered in the courtyard, allowing himself to think of whatever he wished to...

Ara shot up the next morning,looking down to her ankle with an exasperated sigh. She knew exactly who had taken the liberty to take her to her room and tend to her ankle. She was thankful…but she hated having help. It was a new day though and time to get up. She slowly rolled out of her bed, then pulled on her boots. Without a word she slid from her room then by her parents’ chamber and smiled softly. “Morning Mommy….Morning Daddy, I’m heading out to the pond!” She blew a kiss and turned on her heels bolting out the castle.

Each step was agonizing on her ankle but she had to make sure her stallion was alright and he indeed was. Someone had tended to his cuts and he was also thrilled to see her. He nickered and pawed at the stall door not wanting to be left behind…and Ara had no intention of that. With one swift motion the door was open and Ara pulled herself onto the large stallion and the galloped out of the barn,down to the pond just a short distance away.

Aries leaped into the water knowing Ara had the skills to hang on without much effort. She let out a squeal of delight as she rolled off her stallion once far enough in the water. Aries swam in small circles around Ara, in a protective manner. The water felt so wonderful on her pained ankle…she could move around without the weight of herself on her delicate, injured ankle.

Vyra woke up at 5:00AM (This was the usual time Royal Guards wher required to wake up.) The tired guard rubbed his eyes, yawning a few times before actually getting out of bed; He walked up to his calendar and ripped off the front page. "Ah, it's saturday...Finally..." Vyra said with relief. Even though Royal Guards didn't get regular days-off, they wher rewarded with days off every so often for various reasons. The guard peeked at the clump of guard clothes that wher soaked in mud. He shrugged out of despair. He picked up the dirty clothes and walked to the laundry room, (Which was just a few tubs of water, and a few clothes lines with a few open-windows.) Vyra washed his guard clothes, turning the once crystal-clear tub of water into a darkish depressing brown color; Ugh...Screw it, i'll wear my clothes wet... Vyra went back to his room and changed into the now wet guard clothes; Not that it mattered. The guard walked out of the palace door and entered the barracks (The quarters and dining facility for guards.) Vyra sat down at a empty wooden stool and started eating random food groups. Thirty minutes later he was finished. And by then the princess was probally awake. But Vyra had a routine to finish. "Right, all I need to do now is go train for an hour..." (It was required that all royal guards trained for a hour every morning at least.) Vyra entered the sparring grounds, (Which was just behind the palace, beside the courtyard.) Vyra picked up Dragoon (His sword.) "Alright you weaklings! This time I want ALL of you to attack!" Vyra called out to the various guards sparring.

Usually Vyra would just take on one or two for the sake of laziness. But he knew he could take on ten, at least. All ten of the guards started to surround Vyra. The royal guard walked to the center of a large dirt square, meant for sparring matches; Vyra unshieved Dragoon, exposeing it's elegant, yet deadly form. Vyra smirked, the regular guards around the palace wher infants compared to Vyra.

The first guard made his move, he attacked from behind; The guard swung his standard claymore down towards Vyra's right shoulder. "Hmph!" Vyra spat out. Within seconds the royal guard had turned around AND blocked the claymore with Dragoon. Vyra then sidestepped out of the way of the claymore, then removing Dragoon. The lethal claymore clashing down onto the dirt. "Master the the weight of your weapon...If you cannot lift your weapon on a moments notice, your done for." Vyra slashed the guards chest with extreme power, a small spurt of blood flying onto the ground. Vyra then went on the assault; He immediatly darted towards the nearest guard, he was wielding a short sword. Vyra rushed straight into him, grabbing the mans blade without injuring his hand. The guard started to fall back due to shock, but before he could fall to the ground, Vyra pierced him with Dragoon; Although making sure he didn't hit any vital organs. Vyra grabbed the defeated guards sword, then turning around and launching it towards yet another guard; The short sword pierced the horrified guards right shoulder. "Three down, seven to go." Vyra grinned.

The royal guard then threw Dragoon at the nearest guard; It seemed that this guard learned from his allies, as he blocked Dragoon, hitting Dragoon as if it wher a baseball. "Tch!" Vyra said in frustration. Vyra darted towards this guard, looking up at Dragoon, the sword was falling back down; Vyra smirked, jumping up into the air and grabbing Dragoon by the handle. Then landing back onto the ground, only now, he was behind the guard; Vyra noticed two other guardsmen rushing towards him; The royal guard turned around and sliced the guard upwards.

Vyra then payed attention to the two guards that wher charging him. One with a claymore, that was in the middle of trying to hit Vyra. And another with a short sword just darting towards Vyra. The boy ran towards the guard wielding a short sword, he waited at the last possible moment. Then bending forward, stabbing the ground with dragoon; And then doing a front flip towards the guard, making sure he kept both hands on Dragoon for support. The man wielding the claymore missing his attack completely, instead tripping up on himself and stumbling; He then rolled and regained his stance. Vyra grabbed the head of the guard infront of him with his legs. Twisting a bit before reversing his frontflip; Leting go of the mans head when at the peek of his back flip. Sending the man flying it a wall; Of course this takes extreme leg muscles...

Vyra then stood up, pulling out Dragoon. Vyra then turned to the claymore wielding guard, he was still presisting in his assault. "Your too slow for me." Vyra said, taking a few steps forward towards the guard and jumping up into the air; Then kicking the guard straight in the head. Sending the guard tumbling. "Hmm...So...How many left?" Vyra said as he landed back on his feet; "Hm? Four more?" Vyra asked himself; The royal guard looked up at the son, realizeing it was at it's peek. "Damn, it's that time already? Hmph...Well, the rest of you are free to go." Vyra spat out. He had some plans today, he was going to go stock up on certain supplies. He was leaving the town thomorrow...

Baxter sighed as his thought finally collected enough for him to stand awake. He walked past the courtyard, and began to approach the barracks. He streched as he stood, and walked towards the castle ground. He walked among the guards, asking each one he passed the same question. "Have you seen Vyra?" he would inquire, all whom pointed him in another direction. It was rather hard locating the one man among the hundreds of guards that the king had in his employ. He looked around the castle, even the barracks for the man, unsure where he could possibly be! The search was starting to frustrate him, and he was growing short on time. He had promsed the man a sparing match, and Baxter was a man of his word.

He stumbled upon a few guards that were nursing battle wounds. It was a tad odd to see men having such wounds, without them rushing around trying to do something. He walked to them, and questioned them. Appearently, they had been in a sparring match with Vyra. All of them? Baxter thought. Vyra must be alot more skilled since I've last witnessed his clashes...He questioned the guards to his location and was unable to get an exact answer. He decided that he could spend all day tracking the man, or he could wait for him. Deciding the latter, Baxter sat down, and began to help the guards tend to their wounds. He realized that none of them were injured too badly by the sword, but the wounds were no joke either. He'd have to talk about that with Vyra if nothing else.

He would await for Vyra to return, or for something more to happen around him. It was rather uneventful currently...

Once done with her swim she swam over to Aries and held tightly to his back as they made their way out of the water. She giggled as Aries shook the remaining bits of water from his soft mane and fur as they pranced up the path. She giggled wildly as they neared the guard’s barracks and she called out in that soft tone of hers. “Vyra! Vyra I’m up!”

As she yelled Aries pawed the ground nervously…he was never keen on being around so many people and was sure the guards would be out there soon. As kind of an equine as he was, Ara was one of the few people he trusted and enjoyed being around. Everyone else he tolerated simply for her sake, and he made sure everyone around him knew that all too well. Many of the guards currently there had battle wounds from when they had gone after the princess or even tried to pet the large stallion.