Lyle Hilltopple's Story

Lyle had made it to the front of the line to sign up for a time with Princess Aurica. The vizier looked a bit bored at this point and asked, "Name? And the nearest time is four days from now." A look at the vizier's scroll in front of him indicated that many people had already signed up to try to woo the Princess.

"Woo the princess?"

Lyle thought about this for a second. Surely he couldn't mean THE princess. Perhaps today was his lucky day, after all! He leaned in with a widening grin.

"My names Lyle. Lyle Hilltopple Sir."
He smiled, showing a bit of teeth shining through the dark outline of his beard.
"So I have to wait four days until the Princess knows shes in love with me?"

He looked towards the Vizier, a look of true inquisitiveness and concern in his eyes.

Lyle had been loitering around the city most of the time that he had been waiting for his turn to meet the princess. Even though he was broke, he tried his best to clean himself and his outfit up for the meeting. The day came, and Lyle reported outside the venue.

The courtyard was absolutely amazing to Lyle. He looked up towards the roofs of the surrounding buildings and to the well decorated lawn and perfectly painted walls. It was easily the nicest place that Lyle had ever been. He smiled as he thought how it was purely by accident he was here. Fate was very funny sometimes. He wasn't sure how long he'd been rubbernecking around the room before he had noticed the table and indeed the princess. His face flushed red with embarassment as he waved over at her.

"Excuse me princess, I'm so sorry, its just, this courtyard took my breath away.."

He seems almost paralyzed realizing that not only is she here, but that he had also probably been seemingly ignoring her for who knows how long. He started to walk towards he table and the princess.

Aurica smiled at Lyle and shook her head as she replied with a giggle, "It's no big deal, I'm glad you like it." She motioned to the seat next to her and told him, "Also, you may just call me Aurica, no need to refer to me by title okay? Title shouldn't be a factor in a lovely occasion like this."

Lyle took the hint and sat down next to her.
"Well, uh, my names Lyle!" he exclaimed, probably just a bit too loud. "My title is 'Begone!', I think. At least that's what they call me in towns. On the roads no one calls me anything." A smile beamed across his face and he extended his hand out towards her. Everything about the gesture seems more like he is shaking the hand of a blacksmith rather than a Princess, but it doesn't seem to be out of disrespect, just sheer innocent ignorance of culture.

Aurica smiled at what she perceived as a gentlemanly gesture and shook Lyle's hand as she declared, "It's a pleasure to meet you Lyle." She released him and tilted her head to the side ever so slightly as she reassured him, "So long as you treat me with respect you'll always be welcome here. Not even the respect a princess deserves, just what a normal human being deserves, okay?"

Aurica considered her answer before replying, "Well, I'm sure anyone else would love to live my life, but I hate being royalty. Everyone seems almost scared of retaliation by going anywhere near me, I can never go out anywhere without a caravan in tow, I even have escorts to my lavatory for a bath. The guards are nice enough but I don't like ordering people around, I should have no right to even if I'm the Princess. They do technically have to obey whatever I say but I would never demand anything of them, I always ask and give them the option to say no." She sighed as she admitted, "I know it sounds like I'm ungrateful, I am grateful for what I have. It's just... I never asked to be a Princess."