The spring rain drizzled down softly within the Free Territory, creating a solemn silence that spread even to the bustling market. Amelia stood in her room as the maid pulled her corset tight around her midsection, tying it securely as she stared at her reflection silently. It would only be a matter of moments before a guard knocked on her door, signaling Amelia and the rest to the grand assembly hall were the kingdoms would meet for the first time. Apparently the meant that Amelia had to look her best and according to her father, she’d gained a bit too much weight in her stomach to be representing the Heart Kingdom within this mission. The thought of him saying such things made her scuff. Henry didn’t complain, in fact, he loved Amelia’s curvier figure- especially her stomach.

What agitated her most about the comment was the fact that he said she must look her best. The man she was meeting was not her husband nor was he going to be; they were on an espionage mission to find information about the Soul Kingdom and the third party as well as any connections the two may hold with each other, not to mention the deaths of the sons may become necessary if what her father told her is true. Needless to say, tormenting her about how much softer she had became within her midsection was the last thing her father should be worried about. Amelia looked over at the wedding ring through the mirror. No matter the protests she received for continuing to wear such a thing, Amelia refused to remove it. She wasn’t seriously marrying this man so why should she dismiss her own wedding ring that Henry gave her, especially if he is her true husband?

The woman pulled on the white, fluffy dress over Amelia’s body and zipped it up in the back. Amelia stared carefully at the girl as she began to tie up her hair in the traditional Heart Kingdom’s wedding bun. She knew this was not the time to be butt hurt over such matters but the fact that she couldn’t be with Henry only made her depressed. Amelia sucked in slightly once the maid stepped away, bowing her dead to dismiss herself. Amelia gave her a meek smile and the maid scurried out of her room, leaving Amelia alone in the rather large room she’d be staying in until the Soul Kingdom made their move. Her father said that it would be a month or so- perhaps two or three. He wasn’t certain and for all Amelia knew, the Soul Kingdom could have no ill intentions towards the two girls (though it was something Amelia highly doubted). She walked over towards her chair that sat in view of the large bay window that over looked the now less crowded streets of the Grand Castle’s markets.

Amelia stared absent mindedly at the now dark grey streets. She and Leanne along with their guardians had arrived merely a day before and they had yet to see the Soul Kingdom’s sons or their guardians even though she received word that they arrived only an hour or so before the two girls. Both kingdoms seemed pretty ignorant of each other, only knowing their names, ages and faces. Important things such as their physical abilities, mental state and type of power was left in the dark, however, it seemed that both sides had their speculations of either’s hidden motives. Not that it mattered. Amelia, while she knew she was more of a lover than fighter, would succeed in such an ignorant mission and then find a way to get rid of this Soul Kingdom’s son so she could re-marry (this time officially) Henry. For now, she’d just have to sit tight and try her best to complete the mission that was given to them.

Of course, this mission came with worries. Her worry in particular involved her younger sister, Leanne. She was still so very young being only a few months shies of twenty, if even that. The fact that her father would even consider sending her out on such a mission with knowledge that the Soul Kingdom may potentially kill them made Amelia furious. She understood that he was drunk off of sorrow and rage but to send Leanne on such a dangerous mission was not appropriate and in Amelia’s eyes, needed punishment. Out of all of the things her father had done so far, this was the most unforgivable. Even though she had her woes for Leanne, Amelia always felt more at ease with Morgana around. Out of all of the varieties of telepathy, Morgana was the most skilled and had the most unique manipulation of telepathy within the Heart Kingdom- even if her personality was quiet queer. Amelia felt slightly at ease when she sees Leanne with Morgana, knowing that she has some form of protection outside her own power.

Although Leanne had Morgana and Amelia was somewhat content with her being Leanne’s guardian, Amelia took the extra precaution, telling Tyden, her own guardian, to always rush towards Leanne’s side first before her own. Amelia could handle herself on her own as all she needed was to expel her own power and consume the energy of those around her. With practice, she’s even gotten a bit better at creating a small barrier around people she wanted to protect (although the barrier lasts a short time and takes the energy of the person she’s protecting). This was all thanks to Tyden who not only helped her enhance her fighting abilities but also helped strengthened her powers as well. The two would often train together in solitude for hours on end until Amelia collapsed out of exhaustion. Tyden was an intimidating man that seemed to always tower over anyone- even Amelia’s own father. Despite his daunting demeanor, Tyden was one of the best guardians she’s met yet. Originally, she wanted Tyden to guard over Leanne but for some odd reason, he ended up being the protector of Amelia instead. While it did bother her in the beginning, Amelia soon dropped the entire subject, realizing she was a bit glad that Tyden was her protector. While she never thought of things in such a way, Amelia knew deep down that if Henry hadn’t came to the castle eleven years ago and she never met him, she’d probably see Tyden more than just a guard or trustworthy friend.

A soft knock resonated within her room, followed by a voice that signaled that the meeting was now commencing and she’d need to report to the assembly hall for the official meeting of the kingdoms. Without any thoughts to it, Amelia’s slender hands squeezed themselves into her white dress while she bit down hard on her bottom lip. She slowly walked towards the door, grabbing the handle and opening the heavy, wooden door. There, she saw two guards from the Free Territory. Amelia stepped out and raised her arms once more, allowing the men to pat her down to check for weapons. Once more, this would be done to all of the children within this castle to guarantee that the meeting goes as peaceful as possible. Amelia couldn’t help but to sigh, wondering how Leanne would take the pat down knowing that she was a strong headed girl. Amelia also began to wonder how Tyden and Morgana would react to the pat down as the guardians would not be able to escort the children around until after the meeting. She’d meet up with the three once she entered the assembly room.

When they finished, the two guards guided Amelia through the large, pastel hallways and down the spiral steps, stopping right before two large, heavy doors that resembled two lions. Amelia couldn’t help but to scuff slightly at the fact that each child had their own door to enter the room from. One of the guards that guided her got in front of Amelia and began to pull it open. The room was extravagant with high, painted ceilings and pillars that seemed to be made out of the purest of gold. However, the moment she entered, Amelia could feel the barrier of the elders’ and instantly lost the feeling of her powers which only made her feel weak. She quietly walked across the shining floors towards a large, plush chair and sat down with her back straight and her hands in her lap, closing her eyes slightly as she heard the second pair of doors opening.

"Tunak bur char jicobo menik Koba." Tyden recited as he dipped his fingers in a bowl of red paint as he sat on the floor of his room. He took his wet fingers, and ran them on his face. This was a morning ritual that Tyden, and his people perform everyday. Once he was finished he hopped up. He went over to the small window of his room with a small orchid sitting by it. He grabbed a small cup of water, and poured it into the potted plant. As he tended to the flower he couldn't help but consider the irony of him fighting for so many years fighting for his freedom only to swear his life in service to the ruler of a strange foreign land.

He couldn't help but think that he has squandered his freedom in service to a country not his own, and that all he's done, all he's sacrificed was for nothing. Though it isn't all bad, as Amelia has made it quite bearable, but even that's a double edge sword, as he knows nothing will ever become of it. As she is royalty, in love with another, and also engaged to two men, he would never stand a chance. The words of his father rang in his ears of the time he asked about how he met his mother; 'One does not choose love' was what he always said. And never has he felt those words ring truer. But this doesn't matter, her happiness, and well being comes before his own.

As he watched the rain dripped down he remembered the night before they left for the free territory. Amelia's beloved Henry came to him, and asked that he make sure to keep Amelia safe. Of course Tyden swore to protect her with his dying breath, but he made sure to reassure him that no harm will come to her as he'll dig himself from the afterlife if need be.

No matter how long he has been in this land he fears that he'll never understand these countries ways. As a outsider to these lands he has a certain unbiased point of view. For as much as these kingdoms fight with each other they are more similar then they care to admit. Then of course not to mention this ridiculous marriages. Try as he might he'll never understand politics. He just doesn't understand that a couple marriages can reunite two warring kingdoms. If peace is meant to be then it is meant to be, and no marriage can change that.

He is beginning to wonder if there is any hope for these people. Though his own people are primitive compared to those of these lands they are definitely more closer to each other. These games of cloak and dagger are unheard of in his homeland, and unneeded. If there is a problem then they come out with it like people of honor.

He scuffed at the thought of honor. He stepped away from the window, and sat down on his bed. He took out his sword from the scabbard, and a small stone from one of the pouches on his hip. He ran the stone down the blade to sharpen it. This sword was the symbol of his freedom, earned when he killed his former master Tiberius, and the family sword of the house of Varook. The house of Varook, he still remembers his entire time as if it were yesterday.

The cracking sound of a whip was like thunder upon the ears of the young Tyden who was bound in chains as the clash of training gladiators echoed around him. "Doctore! This is the one that we've been telling you about." His former master Tiberius bellowed in the dusty training area of his gladiators. "Yes Dominus." A large man with skin ebony, and a whip almost as tall as Tyden. "You are to train this whelp. You have been told of the deal we struck with this one yes?" Tiberius ordered. "...Of course Dominus. Your will, my hand." Doctore was a little hesitant to answer, as to him being a gladiator is a great honor, and not something to be bargained for.

"I shall leave you too it." Tiberius said as he snapped his fingers, and a guard unlocked Tyden's chains. Doctore gave him a respectful nod, and with that Tiberius left him to his work. Tyden rubbed his wrists, the first time those chains have been off in some time. He looked up at Doctore who was giving him a disgusted glare. "What are yo-" Tyden started to say but was interrupted by the lash of Doctore's whip across his face. Tyden cringed from the sting. "You will speak when spoken to dog! I am your Doctore, and by my hand I will forge flesh to steel, and a worthless slave into a champion of the arena." Doctore stated. And thus his entire ordeal began.

He was snapped back to the present by a knock on his door. Tyden got up, and opened the door to find a couple guards on the other side of the door. "The meeting has started." One of the guards stated. Tyden gave him a nod, and started to exit the room before he was stopped by the guards who started to pat him down. Tyden took his arm and bent it backwards followed by a dagger to his neck. The other guard drew his weapon. "Weapons are not permitted in the meeting." The man he threatened said in a panic. Tyden grunted as he released him.

Tyden began placing all of his weapons on the table in his room. Once all of his weapons were placed on the table he exited his room once again. The guard tried again to pat him down but Tyden lifted him up from the ground by his collar. "Do not insult me little man." He growled, with his voice like that of a bears. The guard took a huge gulp before Tyden dropped him on the floor. Tyden was taken to the meeting room where Amelia, and apparently her husband to be were already there.

Tyden took his place behind the princess. He placed his hand on her shoulder to show his support, He glared at the prince, with a stare that said he was ready to rip his head off with his bare hands. Which became even more intense when he offered her a rose. He bent down close to Amelia. "I'm ready to rip his arm off. Say the word mistress." He softly whispered in her ear. Though he was a trusted friend of hers, he makes it a point to address her properly.

Time ticked ticked ticked tocked on. It rang in his ears, the pendulum beat of the grandfather clock. Behind those eyelids laid eyes that wondered and spazzed around with uncertainty and fear. All too soon, the chime of six, loud and clear indeed, gave the young man a shock throughout his whole body. A yelp flew into the air and burst like a firework, enveloping the room with this noise until suddenly, coming into rest. A little bead of sweat caressed his face as it traced its way downward from his forehead to his chin. Scratching his head around in an unknown frenzy as to try to throw out any remnants of those terrors in the night that were in his head, Amadeus exhaled the oxygen that held tension.

Gripping the covers, his lips were drawn into a thin line. He swallowed last night's silent cries and sat on the bed properly with wide eyes. Staring at the sheets that covered him, nothing comes into his mind, no memory about what horrifying dream he had dreamt that night. The last chime of six o'clock rang, leading the young prince to push aside his train of thought into a cliff. Poor little train. His tired eyes, dampened from nightmares he cannot recall, widened once more at the sight that it was truly six.

A knock rasped against the door, a chorus of giggling maids could be heard. Hearing this, he groaned a bit at how he had to wake up earlier but laughed it off afterwards as he reached for the door. "Ah, Mrs. Gaila! And uhm...ladies. What brings you here?" The big woman of the group, around the age of 46, giggled once more upon hearing his groggy reply. "Oh! But my darling Leo, of course, we are here for your preparation!" Amadeus gave an unconvincing smile as he rubbed his cheek. "Can I not oversleep for even a minute, my good woman?" Said woman placed her hands on her chest, giving a teasing shake to the head as she invited herself in with the other three middle-aged maids in her command. "I pity you, my child. But I'm afraid it's into the preparations you go!" With a final round of laughter, the doors to the prince's chambers were shut tight.

"Mrs. Gaila is such a nice caretaker, but she doesn't know when to give a growing man his required sleep!" Amadeus Leonhart, the youngest prince of the Noble Soul Kingdom, yawned in a rather normal manner. He would politely greet anyone that passes by him in the hallways as he made his way through the Grand Castle located in the Free Territory. Needless to say, the building was quite...grand. This silly thought made him lose composure with a little laugh, onlookers like maids and butlers raised an eye at him as he laughed like a child with a secret in the middle of nowhere. Even if this was the Free Territory, it wouldn't mean that Amadeus was free from the daily routine of getting pulled off his wanted sleep by his old nanny since he was ten years of age, Mrs. Gaila. Taking a sigh for these misfortunes, he took a sigh and wished he could go back to his beloved rest. But today was important! So suppose, there was a good reason to wake up any ways.

He stopped shortly in front of one of the many mirrors in his hallway that connects to his room and the meeting hall. He was dressed in a slick black tuxedo that showed off his slender, non-muscled self, with the dress shirt being of marigold and the neck-tie being white. His dress pants and shoes were of black as well. The prince combed his hair out of the gel, courtesy of Mrs. Gaila, to give a better look for him, rather than that awkward style of hair being pulled back. Feeling content, Amadeus gave a nod to his reflection, making sure to tuck in a little necklace behind his jacket for protection. That said, he continued his walk towards the end of the hall.

A distance away, he can see two ivory doors at the end. The middle of the two was decorated with a flower he did not recognize at all. Beside it, two hummingbirds swiftly flutter above it as they fed on its nutrients and nectar. They lie there on their respective sides of the doors, left and right. With each step closer, his view began to fade to a blur. He rubbed his eyes to get rid of this blurriness that wouldn’t leave him for how long. But soon enough, at least he can locate the handle, which looked like a thin bar of gold, fizzy from his bad sight. Turning it, he pushed aside the door and closed it silently.

Before getting in to his proper seat, a voice much older than his had spoken up: “Sir! We must check you first.” Amadeus raised a brow at this as he raised his hands past his head as they started patting him for any spots he could have hidden a weapon. Sad to say for Amadeus, he left his weapons back at his room. ’Darn…’ Oh well, at least there’s a good thing for not bringing them, right? Suspicious guards and everywhere….he’s sure he won’t hurt anybody out of anger here, right?

Taking his seat in the assembly hall, his eyes darted around for his ‘wife-to-be’ excitedly. First, he had found his father, and gave him a slow, respectful nod as to bid him good morning. Second, he had spot Gail, giving him a wave of a hand. Finally, he laid eyes on a beautiful maiden not too far from his brother. Surely, he thought, that this woman was indeed glamorous in her appearance. But something tells him this woman is not his, rather, the eldest prince’s. He looked above the princess shortly to find a man older than he, and probably experienced more than he could ever. This guardian’s appearance amused him, assuming he wasn’t around here. Amadeus doesn’t know anyone or any group within the three territories that wears paint upon their face.

With a sigh, he slumped back unnoticed against his chair, fiddling with a medium-sized bouquet in his hand, wrapped in laced paper and cream-coloured ribbons. Suppose he would have to wait longer for his own princess. But in this span of time, nervousness was building up as he wondered if he’d be able to make a good first impression.

---

---

By the time the sun had risen, Annika was already well into her second hour of her daily morning training routine. Currently, she was holding her body high above the ground in a handstand of sorts, but with only a single hand. Her second arm was held out far to the side, in order to help her maintain her balance and to avoid the temptation of relieving the stress placed on her right arm. A thin sheen of sweat covered her skin. Already she had held her position for ten minutes, and her brow was creasing, no longer able to ignore her muscles' protests. Slowly bringing her feet back to the ground, she gently placed them on the floor with nary a sound made. Fortitude until the end.

She could not help but feel frustrated at her time. Back at her post, her commander had been able to go for fifteen minutes like that without breaking a sweat. When she left, she had vowed to return able to best his time. But there she was, a mere ten minutes, and even with that pathetic time, she was still tired. Her left arm was even worse, capping out at around eight minutes. Soothing over her frustration at her shortcomings with meditative breaths, she dropped to the ground once more for the last fifteen minutes of her routine before she had to prepare for the meetings of the royals. Cutting her right arm a break, she began with her left arm for the first set of one-handed push ups.

As she went through the familiar dips and rises, on an auto-pilot of some kind, she considered exactly what she would be walking into. She had arrived only yesterday along with her ward and the younger prince along with his guardian. It was the first time she had met the man she would be protecting. While they had been offered to option to train together, she had respectfully declined. She was not a fan of the personalities she presumed nobles must have, and she didn't want to form any negative opinion of him that could have affected her desire to protect his life. They had barely exchanged a word on the ride. She had been in the carriage when he arrived, dipped her head and said, "Your Highness." He had nodded back, and it had ended there. He seemed collected, perfectly groomed, everything a crown prince should be. His every movement was respectable. But still there was something about him that unsettled her. Danger lurked in his eyes; she had learned to spot it well. But she was not employed to judge his character.

She knew, of course, of the mission, the ultimate goal. She could not say she agreed. In fact, if she could speak, she would speak against it. But it was not her place to speak. She would do her job, fulfill her orders like a perfect little soldier. And if her heinous deeds kept her up at night one day, they could get in line behind every other bad memory of her time in battle. She would never forget one of her old commander's face when she swung the blade that ended the life of the deserter. Eyes alight with glee. That was what would haunt her, not some foolish war between nobles, no waged cloaks and daggers. She would make no attempt to deter them, but she would not lift a hand to help either. She already had plenty of blood on them. She did not need any more.

Before she had realized it, the fifteen minutes were gone. Quickly, she rose, drawing a bath for herself in the bathing room so she would not show any disrespect to the royals by arriving covered in perspiration. By the time she was finishing washing the grime off her skin, she was only left with a few minutes to prepare. Knowing there would likely be no weapons allowed in the meeting room, she debated whether to bring the shirt with the thin, deadly needles sewn into the hem or the shirt with the sharp hoops of razor-thin wire sewn into the cuff. She settled on the needles. They were easier to remove. She didn't plan on needing to use them, but it was always better to be prepared than to be caught unawares.

When she emerged from her room, the guards commenced their pat-down for weapons. Pleased to find none, they sent her on her way towards her destination. She was surprised to find her ward, the young prince and one of the princesses with her guardian there already. Clearly, she had tarried too long on the shirt decision.

With long strides, she made her way towards the prince. Once she was close enough, she stopped abruptly, pausing to bow low at the waist. "My liege," she said, her voice neither respectful nor disrespectful, but rather pleasingly flat. She took her place behind him, observing with cold eyes the scene around her. The young prince looked nervous, though for what she could not fathom. She sincerely hoped he wasn't genuinely excited to meet his "bride-to-be", what a shame that would be. The princess, on the other hand, seemed rather unhappy to be where she was. Annika could not blame her. Her eyes slid to the large man behind her. Clearly, a formidable opponent, one she would have to keep her eye on. Seeing him bend down to whisper something in the princess' ear, she let her gaze fall to the hands. She snapped. No spark ignited from her fingertips. Clearly, there had been a shield erected. Magic would not be a factor in this meeting. She would have to take that into account should it come to blows.

The saying ruffled feathers seemed to be personified as an agitated Morgana examined and threw various dresses from her wardrobe, the clothes landing here and there. Her mouth set in a firm line that seemed to be getting sterner with every passing minute as each article of clothing was rejected with a sharp intake of breath. A cackle of laughter seemed to smooth out her stern expression as ruby eyes flicked over to her generously large bed as a pair of fledglings began a game of tug-a-war with a corset string. Turning sharply on her feet as she clicked her fingers together ceasing the antics of the birds as about twenty beady black eyes focused on her "Since you all have been so well behaved on the long journey here..and treated my clothes wonderfully. I couldn't ask for a better flock...". Her voice dripped sarcasm as pristine white stains lined many of the soft fabrics courtesy of her frustrating batch of fledglings who were apparently less than thrilled of being cooped up in cages during the journey. Apparently being let out at every rest wasn't enough for the impatient youngsters taking their moodiness out of her clothes the moment her back had been turned. The end result of the rebellion was nearly all her dresses being dirtied..with gifts.

A low whine came her throat as she finally came across one of dress that managed to survive the droppings. The dress that was given to her as gift from a brothel worker who also acted as an agent of the network just before she was assigned her guardianship. The noisy woman seemed to just relish her reaction as shades of red danced across her face as she stuttered out a thank you. Morgana's lips dropped down into a frown as she hesitantly pulled the dress on and blanched as she took in her reflection. The color of the dress and fabric were suitable given the ebony shade and soft velvet material smooth against her palms as she smoothed out any wrinkles from the skirt. What was causing her distress were two factors; the literal plumage around her collar as well as the plunging neckline. The plumage seemed to be crow feathers that had been washed and pressed to perfection elegantly plush against her collarbone area. ~What an unnecessary addition ~ Morgana muttered as she fingered the inky feathers, a few crows seemed to caw in agreement at the thought of their Lady wearing one of their own skins around her neck. The neckline seemed endless as the dress was designed to display her femaleness..a choked noise came her throat as despair loomed around her at the impression she would make at the first official meeting.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts of literally jumping out her bedroom window rather than face the embarrassment of the attire. Upon opening a door, a matronly looking maid eyed her up and down before rumbling out "Any clothes needing a wash..Miss?..". Her sentence was cut off as a pile of clothes was shoved hastily into her arms as the guardian's motions became hurried to fix herself up. It was like time had crept up on her as the meeting was commencing soon. Running her fingers through her unruly hair as it was hastily put up with a black ribbon as was a small bow around a sleepy Charon's throat along with a less welcomed sturdy thread serving as a leash of sorts. A few moments later her bedroom window was hastily opened as Morgana shooed her flock out the window and locked it behind her to prevent any more mischief. A flurry of feathers floated in the air as her dress swirled around her ankles at her rapid movement as she ushered/dragged the maid and grumpy Charon out the door.

Eventually her frantic pace slowed to a dignified walk as she approached the guards in front of meeting room. Exchanging glances with one another as the..suitability dressed guardian gave her name as well as her purpose. Surprise lingered in one guard's eyes at the purpose as her supposed charge had not arrived yet, but could not bring himself to tell her. The younger of the duo's eyes were nearly swiped at by the agitated claws of Charon feeling them linger too long as his exposed mistress. The twinkling of bells caught the bird's attention as the sturdy casing of her blade was passed over gently to the waiting elder guard with a quiet of warning from Morgana to "To not swing it around like an idiot..". As far as she knew only the surprise of her entire flock bursting through a window harassing some poor guard would make her day even worse..or better. After finally being cleared of all weapons and a pointed insult of intelligence at the men's insistence that her beloved bird remain outside the room with the cold statement "He is a bird..what exactly is the danger? Besides I don't intend to allow him to roam about freely..". Gesturing to the lengthly leash wrapped around her wrist, the brown leather standing out against the pristine white bandages on her forearms. Impatience crept in her voice as she questioned "Now if that is everything..I am sure my Lady will want to know the reason for my late arrival. Shall I ask your names for that matter?". Her tone was pointed as both guards mutely shook their heads no, stepping aside to let the woman inside.

"Think we should tell her that...-" Came the whisper from one guard as the door was hastily shut by Morgana who's patience was worn down before letting out a small squeak of embarrassment as she seemed to disrupt the tension in the vast room. The gentle prodding of Charon's beak against her ear broke her stunned expression as she quietly walked over to the waiting royals with as much dignity as her scandalous attire would allow. Her face became a blank mask as she took in the princes. One was clearly upset about something and the other had a serious vibe about him. Her lips curved into a small smirk as there seemed to be a sort of competition between the elder prince's guardian and that of the fearsome Tyden. Clearly the elder prince had done something to upset the giant of a man as warrior's glare would have impaled if it could.

Blood drained from her face as slowly she put together that there was something missing from the picture. Someone who was essential to this whole marriage affair. Her ruby eyes blinked slowly as she quietly leaned down to the seated Amelia before whispering "Forgive me, my Lady. Have you came across Lady Leanne today. She was adamant about being able to reach here on her own..You know how she can be. If anything has befallen her..I will accept any punishment given to me..". Clearing her throat as she gave the younger prince a low curtsey before speaking softly "Do forgive my Lady for her tardiness. I am sure she shall be arriving at any moment. My Lady is not one to be shepherded about if I may speak frankly. I assure you that will come to be a charming trait as your relationship blooms..". Charon cocked his head at her words before letting out a faint caw of amusement as memories of having to play a literal game of seek and find when the young human was in one of her moods.

Backing away to stand behind the empty chair that would be Leanne's place as her ruby eyes darted toward the closed window as if hoping her flock was nearby to go on a scouting mission. Not that many of them would understand her direction as it seemed there was a barrier of sorts blocking her powers.

---

"We're predators; we don't eat meat because it's handy, we eat meat because we have a taste for blood."

---

The rain was the thing that snatched the huntress's mind from the abyss that morning, pulling her from the dark recesses of her mind and from the dream that seemed to reply over and over again. It had always started out the same, she was still a young girl in this dream, possibly no more than the age of seven and there she sat along with a group of other children around a small gathering of stones and sticks. The dream continued on always in the same slow methodical passion with the child beginning to build a small little "castle" out of the stones and sticks. However their work would be stopped as each of the other children were quickly swept away by their parents to words of "Do not go near that girl again!" and "Please honey run along now and find some other friends to play with." and so she would be left alone. She would sit there for a moment in silence as slowly but surely a rage would begin to build up inside and suddenly she would always lash out at the half finished structure, destroying what progress had been made on it. Then she would sit their for a moment in silence, her breaths heavy and labored as if she was fighting back tears before slowly but surely beginning to construct the "castle" once more however this time alone.

With that the dream would come to a close and Leona would be yanked into reality as she found herself staring up at the ceiling of her room as if lost in thought. It was early that morning though the first bits of light had been able to crawl in through the window as the sound of rain could be heard with its gentle patter outside. She could feel herself blink if only for a moment as if trying to capture what she had witnessed in the dream before sitting up slight, the silken sheets of the warm bed rolling down from her as she did. It was strange to have such comforts, as they where after living a life were roughing it was simply a natural way alien to her. She gave a slight glance around the room as if to check for something before sliding out of the warm bed and onto the not so welcoming cold floor. She began to mumble curse before making her way over towards the old wardrobe which held the few belongings she had. Her fingers slid across the old oak wood before pulling the thing open with a loud creaking noise to reveal its contents. On the inside the wardrobe hosted a steel of metal armor along with a disturbing assortment of weaponry and tools of her trade, to which she assumed if the maids ever got nosy for their own good this would deter any further searches.

The woman bent down, her hands moving delicately to the armor and picking it up if it were some priceless treasure of hers and piece by piece she began to move the set over to her bed. However there was a purpose to all this ceremony and it came from the treasured memories these simple pieces of plate steel held. She could remember when her father used to stay up after each hunt to polish and maintain the pieces as he would each time show her how to do so. She also remembered when she was a little girl all the times he had told her this would be her's some day and when the time came to pass it on to take good care of it...however she would never had expected to receive in the way that she did. Leona was silent as she began to slowly by surely focus on putting on each piece one at a time as she began the mental preparations needed for the coming day, her mind running along its course before resting on the thoughts of her charge.

The youngest Prince had seemed to be engaged in some sort of chatty behavior before the ride even began and had nearly chewed off her ears by the time they would reach the Free City capitol. However Leona would take that sort of boy over the one she had met in the beginning, the one with the expression that she knew all too well. The huntress began to tie the laces of her gauntlet as she shook her head remembering the six months that they had been given to prepare for this hunt, half of which surmounted to the boy complaining the entire time, a feature of his that infuriated her to no end.

"And yet he is still the same idiot to this day." She could feel herself mutter as she gave along tug on the straps lacing the gauntlet up. Still even with him making her want to snuff his life out half the time she could not say he failed to deliver in the end. No, the boy always seemed to put his shoulder to the plow when she needed him to do so though that was after a good few moments of prodding him with a stick so to speak. Still she had a silent sense of pride in the Prince as he slowly but surely began towards the end of training period to pick up what she was teaching him though she would never openly say such in front of the Princes face. The huntress began to shove on both of the boots of the armor as a smirk began to cross her face as she remember when she first took him for celebratory drinks at the local alehouse after his success, it was a sight she would never quite forget.

Leona stood as she begin to stretch slight as to allow her body to adjust to the new load it was now forced to bare before moving over to collect the needed tools for the day. She paused for a moment as if considering to bring her weaponry along with her, but brushed aside such idea quite quickly as the guards were already quite spooked of her and giving them a reason to attempt to throw her in the holding cells to "cool her heels" as they said wasn't not in her charges best interests. Still the huntress refused to come without something to fall back on in case of a scuffle and so she began to gently rummage through her items before pulling free what seemed to be a sort of ceremonial dagger before sliding it into the sheath within her left gauntlet. With that she gave everything one last quick check before heading quickly over to her nightstand. She opened up the wooden nightstand to slowly remove a necklace filled with the teeth of trophies past before slipping it on around her neck. The woman paused for a moment as if lost in thought before quickly turning and making her way out of the room.

The walk down the corridors of the castle was done in mostly silence other than the few conversations had by pairs of passing sentries who at least for the moment seemed to be out in force for today's meeting. Finally she reached her destination were a pair of golden doors and likewise a pair of guards awaited her. Then the regularly scheduled pat down would begin as the guards efficiently began to check her over for weapons though they remained blind to the dagger hidden in the gauntlet. Finally after what seemed to be ages the guards seemed satisfied with their work and let her pass. However as soon as she entered the room it was easy to see she had arrived late for this little "party" as most of the grouping was already there.

She began to take long strides closing the gap between herself and were the Prince was seated stopping in front of him as if looking the Prince over. Finally as if satisfied that he was alright and in good condition she gave a slight dip of her head in silent greeting before maneuvering herself behind his chair, her eyes dancing around the room to each of those in it.

They first settled on the form of the Crown Prince of the Soul Kingdom, he had not changed much from when she had first meet him in their accidental encounter as he still looked like simply an older version of the boy she had seen in the halls of that castle that day. Her eyes then shifted to his Guardian who had a sort of castle knight appearance to her though at the moment she seemed to be tensed and at the ready, and with a quick sweep Leona would find out why. Across from them sat the Crown Princess of the Heart Kingdom, a fair looking woman who seemed to be displeased at the very fact that she was in this room. However what caught Leona's eye was not her, but the man standing behind her. He was quite large as he stood a few feet over Leona herself and seemed to command the presence of a veteran combatant, though he seemed much like his own charge not to pleased with the current situation. Leona couldn't help but give what she supposed was slight bit of a smile, as in truth she had just found her worthy prey. He eyes then finally trailed down to the last person in the room who she guess was possibly the Guardian of the youngest due to her strange dress, a assumption proven correct when the woman moved over to address her master. She watched as slowly the youngest daughters Guardian backed away leaving the room in a tense silence as if waiting for a single match to set the fuse of the powder keg alight. The huntress gave a dry smirk as she stood behind her charge, her eyes sizing up those in front of her and seemingly throwing out a sort of challenge for anyone to dare make a move, as to her if they wanted a bloodbath this early on she would gladly oblige them.

Leanne had been awake for quite a few hours. She couldn't get the wedding off of her mind at all. It just seemed like too much in her opinion. Marriage and getting married at such a young age, even if it was basically all fake seemed scary. She hadn't no idea who the guy was besides his name, it seemed just so crazy to her. The whole thing was crazy in general, but then you never actually know at al. They may have something up their sleeve also and they can never be too sure of anything. So you just always have to stay on your toes and watch out for your own back. the people you trust may betray you, so never get too close to them at all. Leanne never, in her whole life actually thought that it would come down to this. But she couldn't say that she was too surprised about it at all. Things happened between the two kingdoms so it was natural that the would try and come back to neutral territory as she would happen to call it, and have a bit of trust in each other. Even then there was always going to be that bot of distrust. That itself was a natural thing of the world in her eyes.

She had been sitting on the roof the whole time that she was sitting there and thinking. The sky was just barely beginning to splash colors onto it as she stared into the sky. It was honestly beautiful in her own eyes. The stars were still visible as you began to see a bit of pink mix into the darker shades of color clouding the sky. She knew that she would be killed by her parents if she was fond sitting on the roof. But she always did it, even back home. She was just like a curious little cat when it came to looking around. Leanne couldn't help it at all, but normally she wasn't able to get such a clear view of the stars in the morning like she was looking at it now. It seemed just so beautiful. She was glad she had brought her sketch pad with her. Grabbing the pencil from behind her ear she looked at the sky and then the paper. She created her own different image of the sky and the stars as the pencil moved against the sketch pad. She loved the thing to death and she stored so many of her thoughts, that turned into images in the little pad. She treasured it and loved it with all of her heart. It was a gift she had gotten from a long lost friend. So she would treasure it til she wouldn't be able to anymore. It was something she would always hold close to her heart, for her own personal reason.

It wasn't until the sun stood broad into the daylight when she realized how long she had been out. She knew that it had to have been an hour or even three since she was suppose to begin to get ready. She grumbled to herself quickly getting off the roof and making her way back down to he own room. She sighed in relief as it was empty as if no one had bothered to even come inside and fetch her that morning. She figured maybe it wasn't her time yet to begin to get ready. She climbed into her bed closing her eyes again, she wasn't really thinking at that moment and soon it would bit it very hard in the ass. She tended to blow things off a tad bit easiy without thinking about it too hard, when I came to certain things. Being woken up wasn't one of the thing she had worried too much about. After all it was just getting up and getting dressed for the day. What could be the harm in it all in the slightest? It seemed like something that wasn't all that important at all. Just something minor.

A loud bang interrupted her thoughts as she heard it. She looked up to see quite a few guards walking into her room and maids and servants trailing behind then. They turned around and began to scold them for causing problems when Leanne was still in her room. She couldn't help but to feel bad about it, so she wouldn't let them take the blame. Getting up out of her bed she stood up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before speaking. "You dare to come into my room whilst I am sleeping, and yell at the maids and servants who are here to serve me. I would suggest you to apologize as you jobs will be taken away from you in mere moments" She told them swiftly. It wasn't until seconds later they apologized to the servants an Leanne. Soon after she dismissed them and they servants began their work. Not a comment she missed about her disappearance. "My lady we will be lucky to have our jobs by the time we're finished! You're already late, everyone is waiting!" The elder lady spoke to Leanne causing her to groan. "You all will indeed have your jobs, it was not due to your work that I disappeared. I will make sure to explain that" She told them gently.

The dressed passed her eyes and she shook her head. None of them appealed to her eye, or maybe it was the fact that she didn't want to impress the youngest prince at all. She could barely even remember his name, let alone wanting to impress him. that would be one of the last things running through her own mind at that moment. She could care less about the guy. But didn't express that to anyone but herself. Words travel to quickly and you never know as to who is actually listening to you. shaking off her thoughts for another moment, she looked through the dresses. they all didn't seem right for the moment. But she needed to quickly decide. the maids bringing dresses out for her quickly as she wasn't nearly done in the slightest. Dress by dress they tied the corset to her body and she took a look at herself in the mirror shaking her head each time. By then it seemed to just seemed pointless and the maids had been getting annoyed with her. She could understand why and decided to be a little more cooperative.

Finally the last dressed tied perfectly to her waist and chest. I clung perfectly to her skin. It make her skin glow and she even did a small twirl in the dress. It just seemed too beautiful in her eyes, She couldn't help but to let her hands roam over the fabric of the dress. Finally she turned to the servants and she gave them the nod to proceed, soon after they began to work on her hair. After the longest period of time for her they had finally finished it up. It was twisted and pulled all over the place as several different people worked with it. Once It was finished it was curled while the her bangs where pinned back. It honestly seemed amazing to her. She looked in the mirror and over herself once again. there was one last touch that needed to be made. Picking up a few flowers she looped it into her hair. She loved to have flowers in her hair, it was a signature of her own. She wouldn't be able live without having them.

Eventually everything was handled and she walked down the halls fast. Leanne had already been so late already she couldn't afford to waste anymore time as it was already. She was lead to the two big doors and looked at them getting more than a little nervous. But eventually sucking it up and giving the guards a nod to open them for her. She made sure to thank them with a light kiss on the cheek before proceeding inside. The curious eyes looking at her before she went to sit down. The guardians in her eyes seemed a bit edgy and she couldn't quite grasp a certain feeling about them just yet. It seemed as if some of them were ready to kill at the given moment. Too bad Leanne wouldn't go out without a fight. Often times she ended up bringing a weapon with her and there was no exception to this occasion at all. Placed right along her calf she managed to strap a knife to it, without some one catching her. Mentally she was very glad about it. She had something to protect her even if it was just a bit of protection. It helped with something.

Leanne was finally able to sit down. She leaned back slightly waving her hand for her guardian Morgana to step forward so she would be able to whisper in her ear. She gave her a small smile. "Thank you, you will be rewarded for giving an excuse as for my absence." She told her softly only to that her guardian could hear her voice at that moment. Afterwards she cleared her voice looking at the others surrounding her. "I hope that you all will forgive my tardiness. It seems that a few things have prevented me from arriving on time as of expected of me. Due to that I would hope that you will grant my wish of forgiveness towards you all." She spoke to them politely. taking her seat once again she awaited to see what was to happen now. Leanne hadn't wasted any time and had just taken her seat getting a mere glance at the others seated around her. Her sister was as beautiful as always and the two men who she assumed to be the princes seemed to be well kept. But she had yet to find out which was which. Despite wanting to know she waited. Hopefully she wouldn't scolded to hard for her lateness.

Slender fingers wrapped themselves around the rose that was offered to her, a cautious look gleamed in her navy eyes. The man before had not even stood to his feet yet when Tyden, her trusted guardian came through large doors that were on Amelia’s left. Her blue eyes flicked over towards him as he walked with such pride and intimidation, the ground practically shook. He took his rightful place behind Amelia, bending down to whisper into her ear.
"I'm ready to rip his arm off. Say the word mistress."

Amelia’s ringed hand came up; ceasing whatever words that may have yet to come from his mouth and hoping it would calm the aggression that stirred in his belly. Her head lowered in a cynical smile before rising up high, her eyes looking down on the man before her. “Please know your place, Tyden. I understand your concerns but now is not the time for such emotions. We are here for a peaceful alliance, not more bloodshed. I order you to silence yourself and stay back,” She watched Gail as he made his way back to his seat to take position as she had done. “For now, my trusted friend.”

With that, she too, grew silent as she watched the doors open once more as a lanky blond man entered the room. He, unlike his assumed brother, was much more lively and had less of a sickening presence to him (perhaps it was due to the simple fact that she was not forced to wed him) however Amelia knew that he would not be compatible with her dear sister. He too, had flowers in his hand and the young man seemed much more nervous than his brother which made it seem more sincere almost. This mere thought caused Amelia to silently scuff to herself. This was not a wedding between kingdoms but a wedding between fools and she was one of them.

Her eyes glared up towards her father who avoided any type of eye contact with her, his strong and concentrating gaze fixated on Gail, a worrying line creasing upon his forehead. Amelia shot a look to her new husband as she watched him even more carefully than her father. It wasn’t common when her father showed a worrying face such as the one he displayed. It concerned Amelia greatly that her father was engrossed with Gail who sat calmly in his chair. However, both of their concentration broke when a graceful blond woman entered into the woman. So much so, that one could easily mistaken her for a noble if not possessing the knowledge of who the selected nobles were that were able to enter the Grand Castle’s halls.

She silently took her position behind Gail. Amelia’s head leaned backwards towards Tyden as if she was about to whisper something until her younger sister’s guardian entered the hall. The young woman’s outfit quite the scene and if it weren’t for the bird perched upon her shoulder, the dress would have seemed quite unsuitable for Morgana. She walked over towards Amelia, obviously concerned as to why Leanne has yet to enter. The small woman stopped at Amelia’s seat, leaning down towards her ear to voice out her apprehensions about the belated Leanne. Suddenly, Amelia became even more grateful that the young woman was her dear sister’s guardian.

"Forgive me, my Lady. Have you came across Lady Leanne today. She was adamant about being able to reach here on her own..You know how she can be. If anything has befallen her..I will accept any punishment given to me.."
Amelia’s eyes closed in slight appeasement, another gentle smile toying with the corners of her full lips. “I have no knowledge of where my younger sister may be but please do not take her troubles upon your shoulders. It is not your head that will be served if she is not timely. However, I would like you to acknowledge that even if you have are not by her side, if something did befall her you would have failed your mission.” While Amelia’s words were quite harsh, she continued to keep a gentle calmness to her voice as she had done so when she spoke to Tyden. Amelia knew very well that the chances of anything happening to her or her sister this early within the marriage would be an ignorant move. It would only cause suspicion and raise chaos. Only a petty cretin would be so moronic as to attack the moment they arrived.

Morgana backed up to apologize to Leanne’s future husband, Amadeus, which made Amelia narrow her eyes. An honorable woman such as Morgana should not be subjected to bow to a man of the Soul Kingdom. However it was these thoughts that caused hostility amongst others so instead of allowing the detest show on her face, Amelia swallowed it and kept her face calm and stoned. She sat like this for several moments before the doors opened once more, this time an intimidating and daunting woman entered the room. One could say she matched Tyden’s stature for she was tall and broad as he was, obviously a guardian suited for war than such a petty affair.

Amelia’s eyes captured the woman as she carefully watched her make her way towards Amadeus standing behind her. This woman worried Amelia as she could see the bloodlust within her eyes as the white haired maiden sized up Tyden. Amelia leaned her head back, her slender hands gently touching Tyden’s arm as she coaxed him near her. “For my comfort only, please be aware of the youngest son’s guard. Do not allow her to cajole you into battle.” It was not as if Amelia was worried that Tyden would lose in such a fight but she’d rather not have some violent wench rattle up her trusted guardian as fighting amongst them were prohibited, especially within the Grand Castle. Guardians or citizens who were caught within a duel either disappeared or met with the higher ups who governed the Free Territory before them for their punishment depending on the amount of damage. While this was their new kingdom, the children were expected to still befall the original laws of this land.

The hall grew silent for a moment as they all waited for their last royal child, Amelia’s father now growing restless. She could not help but to smirk, lowering her head as she mulled over the idea of how impatient her father was due to the tardiness of her youngest sister. Finally, after some time, Leanne walked through the large doors that opened up to Amadeus’ right. She seemed very vexed about her own delay as she took her seat before formally apologizing to those within the hall. "I hope that you all will forgive my tardiness. It seems that a few things have prevented me from arriving on time as of expected of me. Due to that I would hope that you will grant my wish of forgiveness towards you all."

Due to her polite apology, the Elders merely bowed their head and stood, signaling the children to stand as well. Amelia stood up, her hands still placed adamantly on her lap as she held Gail’s rose, her hands crossing over themselves to proudly show Henry’s wedding band. Sudden silence fell within the hall as the Elders began to cite a silent prayer for the prosperous future kingdom, their hands casted down upon the children with their palms pressing against the barrier. The two former kings began to sign the treaty with their blood by pricking their fingers, finalizing the document.

“For decades, the two present kingdoms have been at a conflicted war with each other. The two kingdoms of which our founding fathers had created, the Soul Kingdom which stands for the wisdom and strength our mere bodies and will possesses and the Heart Kingdom which stands for the prosperity and courage our mere heart and minds possesses, have now seen their destructive ways and wish to repent for their sins of war. Together in harmony, they have realized the true meaning of their kingdoms’ names as the Heart cannot function without its Soul just as the Soul cannot function without its Heart.

“To take knowledge of such an alignment, the two kings have come to peaceful means and now have joined the two as one body. Now, for the entirety of life, the Soul Kingdom will never be subjected to function without its Heart as the Heart Kingdom will never be subjected to function without its Soul. We hereby declare the war officially over with marriage of the peace bringing children. Amelia Marie and Gail Renont, please step forward in hands. Leanne Arietta Leonai and Amadeus Leonhart, please step forward in hands. You four peace children are now wedded and governed the kingdom not individually but as a whole. Please bring forth your matrimony with a kiss to seal the treaty officially. Once done so, you will be free to do whatever you may please amongst the Grand Castle so long as you do not leave the Castle until after wedding ceremony tomorrow is completed.”

Amelia walked forward hesitantly, not wishing to seal the treaty or her matrimony. However, with much reluctant, Amelia’s feet move forward to her now partner with her hands in his and obliged with the kiss. She leaned in ever so softly to press her lips against his as if it were a tedious chore that must be done (to her defense, it was). Amelia stepped back and bowed her head to the elders, not wishing to see a kiss exchanged with her younger sister and the man she who could potentially kill her within the next few weeks. Her blue eyes stared at the ground as she turned her back on Leanne, only turning to look over when the Elders dismissed the group.

She did not look back at Gail nor did she even stop to watch him. Amelia was quick and clean about dismissing herself and only waited for Tyden to come to her side. Amelia knew very well that the meeting after the wedding ceremony tomorrow would tensing as it would only be the four of them in a room together to discuss the future of their new kingdom. She doubted that the Soul Kingdom’s sons would have similar ideas of the new kingdom all while maintaining the old laws of the Free Territory. Not to mention that tomorrow at the wedding ceremony they’d be walking down the aisle as an official item in front of the majority population of their new kingdom. Tomorrow would be vexing indeed.

---

Crowds cheered amongst the Free Territory as the four children held themselves in their arms. Amelia smiled and gave a gentle wave to those who cheered for the new peace that lied ahead of them, her white decorated arm hooked around Gail’s as she sat close to him. The people around them threw bouquets and flowers around them as the doves were continuously released. They rode back to the Grand Castle on a chariot that opened itself at the top, the children required to act friendly with each other so that they do not concern the people. Their personal conflicts would have to be solved on their own behind closed doors as ‘husband and wife’.

In all honesty, being that close to Gail gave Amelia an uneasy feeling that made her stomach queasy. Although he seemed a decent man who had no ill intentions, she could not help but to feel cautious around him. The moment the children got behind the closed gates of the castle, Amelia once again evaded him perfectly. She stayed silent as she was helped off of the chariot and escorted by Tyden to her room where she changed out of the beautiful white dress that exposed her entire back and shoulders, having white translucent sleeves that decorated her arms. Although the dress was a bit tight around her chest which aided to her uneasiness, the wedding dress overall complimented her figure.

However, she favored Leanne’s dress much more as the snow white dress captured Leanne’s innocence and purity. Her dress’s collar came to the tip of her neck yet had a translucent material that covered her chest until the heart shaped white silky fabric hearted over her chest, the dress being a bit tight until her thighs when it flushed outwards creating a mermaid tail. Unlike Amelia’s dress, Leanne had no decorative sleeves but instead had velvet white veil that covered Leanne’s slender and feminine shoulders- truly enviable indeed. Perhaps Amelia would have that type of design for her true wedding when she returned to Henry’s side.

She walked with Tyden until they reached her room where the maids took over to undress Amelia within her room alone. They took her out from her wedding dress and gave her a rose pink one- this time, no corset to violently squeeze her insides. The pink dress exposed only the tips of her shoulders but the collar, similar to Leanne’s beautiful wedding dress, ended right below her jaw line with the lower back opened. Once Amelia was finished dressing herself, growing quite agitated at the numerous outfit changes she had today, headed down towards Council’s Room to discuss the further plans. The guardians, this time, would be required to stay outside of the room as the discussion was classified and did not need the loom of open ears.

Amelia dismissed herself from Tyden and entered the room, sitting at the far end of the oval table, waiting for an arrival.

At this point Tyden was used to the strange looks he gets from the citizens of these lands. And admittedly on some level he did enjoy it, but it mostly serves as a reminder that he is far from his home. Though he is considered rather large in these lands, in his tribe he was actually fairly average in size. Though he has to say he has never had a stare quite like the one he's getting from who he assumes is the youngest prince's guardian. Tyden raised a eyebrow at the woman who had the faintest of smiles.

When Amelia touched his arm to ask him not to cause trouble with guardian, he had a small smirk cross the corner of his face as he kneeled down to reply. "I make no such promises. I will not seek battle, but I will not deny it. This is the best you'll get from me." He replied. It would be a matter of honor if it came to blows between them, and no one, not even Amelia can stop him if it's a matter of honor.

Then it was time for the treaty to be signed. As the elders spoke about peace it took all he had not to chuckle. When the royals were ordered to step forth, and seal these treaties with a kiss he looked over at Amelia who was understandably nervous. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and gave her a reassuring look to tell her that everything's going to be fine. When the deed was about to be done Tyden's muscles began to tense up as he looked away, unable to watch.

His reaction was fairly unusual for him, as he's seen Amelia, and Henry act all lovey-dovey before, but this bothered him deeply. Perhaps it was because he knew that she'd be happy with Henry, while he's positive that she wouldn't be with this prince. When it was all said, and done Tyden followed closely behind Amelia as she left the room.

Later that night Tyden sat in his room on his bed with his legs folded, and in deep meditation. To anyone watching him it would appear that he was sleeping upright. Thoughts raced in his mind about these Soul kingdom royals. He didn't trust this for one second, he could that he's hiding something. He'll have to watch that one closely. Though he wondered if such thoughts were of jealously. Amelia's first words to him today repeated in his mind. He has had such scolding's in the past, though it wasn't nearly as bad as the tongue lashings(and literal lashings) he would get during his time as a gladiator.

---

Tyden roared as he charged with two wooden practice swords at a man with a wooden shield, and a practice sword. Tyden rapidly, and ferociously struck against the man's shield, sending wood chips flying. The man stood his ground, and endured the relentless attacks. The man pushed his shield forward, knocking Tyden off balanced. The man took this opportunity to strike Tyden with the sword in his face. "Ha! This one thinks he's a warrior!" The man said in victory as Tyden fell down.

Tyden growled at the man as he got up, and started to charge the man. But before he could reach the man a whip came from seemingly nowhere, and yanked Tyden's leg from under him causing him to fall face first. "That is enough! Tyden, take position!" Doctore commanded. Tyden got up, and spat out a mixture of sand, and blood. He took up the wooden sword, and got ready to attack. "Ha! The boy wishes to eat more sand huh?" The man chuckled. "I thought the 'Pale Demon' was supposed to be a fierce beast, not a neutered mutt!" Tyden only glared at him in response.

"Or is it perhaps that you can't beat a real warrior. Maybe you shoulder have stuck to killing your friends in family in that arena." And with that it was on. Tyden tossed aside his practice swords, and charged at the man. The gladiator quickly raised his shield, but wasn't fast enough for Tyden. Tyden lunged at the man, and gave him a powerful, bone-shattering punch to the man's ribs. The gladiator slashed at Tyden with the wooden sword, but Tyden dodged it in Matrix-like fashion. Tyden grabbed his arm, and snapped it like a twig.

The man tried to use his shield to knock him back, but Tyden just shrugged it off like it was nothing. Tyden gave the man a powerful roundhouse kick straight to his chin. Then not a second later Tyden leaped in the air, and kneed him in the face. The man fell back on the ground. Tyden leaped on his chest, and began savagely beating the man's face. Tyden stopped for a moment to see the brutalized man's face. "You want a beast?!" He growled as he lifted the man's head up. Then Tyden, like some sort of animal, lunged for his ear, and began biting down. The man of course began screaming in pain.

"That's enough!" Doctore yelled as he cracked his whip on Tyden's back. Tyden shrugged it off, and completely ripped off the man's ear. Doctore rushed over, and gave Tyden a swift kick to the head. Tyden rolled off the man's chest, and on the ground. He spat out the ear, and had a sinister smile plastered across his face. "Get this man to the doctor! I'll deal with this one." Doctore commanded, and several other men came, and took the man to a doctor. Doctore grabbed Tyden by his arm, and started to jerk him off the ground.

Tyden, still full of adrenaline(and ear blood), on instinct snapped at Doctore by punching him. Doctore grabbed his fist in midair, and returned a punch to him. "You let your emotions cloud your judgment, and you forget your place! But I will teach you it, and I'll make sure it's a lesson well learned." Doctore snarled as he cracked his whip to add emphasis.

"Oh yes, that one is going to be quite the champion." A young man, slightly older then Tyden, sarcastically stated to Tiberius as they watched the scene from a balcony above the training area. "Of course he is! Did you see that fire in his eyes Aurelius? He was ready to rip that man's throat out with his teeth! He's a born killer!" Tiberius argued with his younger brother Aurelius. "But he's too wild. The Doctore will kill him before he can even make it to the arena." Aurelius stated. "All we need is something to keep him calm until a match." Tiberius said as he pondered different ideas. "Hmm, how about a beauty to quill the beast? Didn't you say the women of his tribe were sold to be house slaves?" Aurelius asked with a devious grin.

---

The wedding was not a fun time for the guardian. Not only was he watching the love of his life get married against her will also had to wear dreaded formal attire. Oh the humanity. He was forced to wear a white formal attire. It was quite a sight to behold him being dressed. There were chairs, and servants flying everywhere as they were simply putting on his shirt. He probably would have snapped their necks like chickens if not for the timely intervention of Amelia, who made sure to remind him to play nice.

So during the whole ceremony he was forced to scratch when people weren't looking as he tried to get comfortable, but to no avail. When it was all over, and they returned to the castle Tyden rode on a single horse next to Amelia, and Gail's chariot. The cheer of the crowds as they rode made this experience even more uncomfortable, the roar of the crowd reminded him too much of the arena.

When they arrived he got off his horse, and helped Amelia out of her chariot, and escorted her inside. As they walked inside he would give her the occasion glance when she wasn't looking. He had to admit that she looked beautiful in her dress, well of course not to her face. He escorted her to her room to change outfits. "Excuse me mistress, but I must cut myself out of this constricting creature that I was forced to wear." He stated as he continued to scratch all over his body. "Then I'm going to kill it with fire. If I ever have to wear one of these....things again then I'm turning this entire country into rubble." He half jokingly groaned.

He rushed to his room, and used one of his daggers to cut the clothes off his body. This thing needed to die. Once he got it all off he returned to his usual attire(if a loincloth, armored boots, and gloves, and facepaint count as a attire). He grabbed his weapons, and returned to Amelia. "Much better. How does anyone do anything in those things?" He grunted. He escorted her to the Council's room. Though this time he was forced to wait outside. Before she went inside he grabbed her arm. "Keep a dagger close. You're 'husband' is hiding something. I'm sure of it." He suggested, and then let go of her.

He leaned against the wall next to the door, and took out his axe, and started sharping it. Speaking of the devil Gail, and his guardian showed up first. He watched every movement the man intently, not missing a single heartbeat he had. Once he entered the room he looked over at his guardian.

Visible relief showed on Morgana's face as her tardy charge walked through the main doors and began apologizing. The elder princess's threat was quickly chased away by praise from her actual charge who had promised reward. Stroking the soft feathers of Charon as the bird noted his mistress' relaxed posture now that everything was right with the world. Even the wedding ceremony seemed to go off without a hitch as her charge played the role of dutiful daughter ready to do right by her family's name. The younger prince seemed more naïve and less uptight given the fact that he looked like a kicked puppy when had arrived before his tardy now-wife. It would seem that Leanne would have little trouble in getting her way with her new husband all to the benefit of the secondary objective of the mission.


The ride back to the actual castle was less than pleasant as her clothes were still quite damp from their rigorous washing by the maid leaving her the options of remaining in the shameful dress or dealing with wet clothing. In the end, the dress won out as her cheeks flushed bright red at the catcalling by a few lewd men in the crowd. Turning her head upward in a silent prayer as she longed for the quiet of some garden or her own room as her flock flew noisily overhead chasing after a few ceremonial doves for fun. Glancing back at her charge and her new husband, both looked to be picturesque newlyweds on the surface. Who knew what sorts of rebellion brewed under the gentle smile of Leanne. Finally after what seemed to be an eternity the courtyard came into view as Morgana assisted Leanne down from her chariot before curtseying rapidly muttering under her breath of the dire need to change from the scraps of cloth that dare call itself a dress.

Upon arriving to her room, exhaling loudly as she found herself swarmed by her flock welcoming her back officially. It took several minutes to pluck the feathers of dove and crow from her person as well as find the least mortifying outfit within her collection. Her choice was final as she buttoned up the high collar of her robe. It was a shapeless cloth almost priest-like in its design as brass buttons kept the fabric together and sealed off the elegant curve of her throat. Were it not for the faintest shape of her chest and long hair it could be easy to mistake the young woman as male from behind..it was perfect. Her purpose was to focus her attentions on the security of her charge, not draw attention to herself. Fixing her hair in a bun tied together with a black ribbon as she readied herself to face the music.

A loud peep in her ear caught her attention as a weight settled on her shoulder. It was evident through the mass of down and feather it was one of the fledglings apologizing for the earlier mess, it looked like any other bird aside from one milky eye looked at her. So this one was blind in one eye as her finger gently stroked its soft head before whistling softly. Her right shoulder sagged briefly as the hefty Charon took his usual place, his beady black eyes blinking at the young bird. "It is better to have five eyes than just two. Wouldn't you say Charon" Morgana chided as the bird opened his beak to protest.

Escorting her charge to the meeting with room with as much grace as possible with a soft "Do behave yourself my Lady won't you? As well as keep an eye on your sister, she didn't seem pleased about this whole affair. Try to be nice to your new puppy won't you?". A wink came from her as the word puppy as the princess walked through the doors leaving only the three guardians behind as the fourth had yet to arrive. The rhythmic shrill of metal sharpening against stone broke the silence as a sigh escaped her lips at the clearly frustrated Tyden. One could almost see the waves of anger coming off the furious warrior after the brief appearance of Gail as well as the clearly unwelcomed presence of his guardian.

The naïve little fledging that she had decided to name Teiresias sensing the tension in the air as any wild creature could puffed out his chest before flapping his way over to the disgruntled man and landed clumsily on the head of the axe. Letting out a soft caw which caused small laughs to come from Morgana as the proud little bird returned to her, settling smugly on her open palms as if his duty was that of a successful diplomat. As her fit subsided as Morgana felt blood rush to her face as her antics must have made her look a bit off before explaining "Teiresias just said..in his own..language..flock members shouldn't have so much anger towards one another. It would not be good for future...fledgings...Oh my". Her face became redder as the suggestion by the young bird as it would be expected for heirs to be born..and quite soon if possible. Both birds noting the change her voice let out small trills of laughter gingerly poking their mistress's flaming cheeks with their beaks before being waved away her hands. To be a telepath was a burden sometimes...

---

---

Ceremonies despite the hostile air that still hung in the room were unfortunately rather quiet and dull. Neither side seem to wish to make any wrong moves this early on in things as it seemed the powder keg was spared the fuse....if only for now. Leona tossed a glance at the soul king before giving a slight look of disgust at "her majesty". It seems even he had manged to slither from that throne room of his to attend these affairs along with his counterpart who Leona assured herself was probably none the better. They both seemed to be at unease with the room as if they themselves where shying away from an all out brawl in the house of their ancestors. The huntress turned her attention from these men to her charge who seemed to be sitting in the most nervous of fashions as he fidgeted in his chair like some nervous pup in his wait for his bride.

She shook her head slightly at the sight of the Prince's anxiousness at the thought of meeting his bride. Amadeus was ever so naive it made her worry about him to be honest, after all this boy was expected to kill his wife only a month after the wedding ceremonies and if he was not prepared for such a thing... Leona shook her head reaffirming herself on the matter. If he was to fail at his task she would take the burden and kill the girl herself no matter how she loathed to do so, after all a Princess who had been raised as what this society called "a proper lady" was far from the worthiest of prey.

However she was to be pulled from such thoughts by the sound of the doors being pushed opened and slowly but surely her charge's bride emerged from the doorway before quickly making her way to her seat. The youngest Princess unlike her older sibling seemed to be actually anxious much like Leona's own charge at the thoughts of meeting her husband something that made the guardian give a mental chuckle to herself on the thoughts of how the first of the interactions between the Youngest Heirs would proceed. With that however the Youngest Princess stood before politely addressing those around her and delivering what the Huntress guessed was a well practiced apology. Finally things seemed to settle down as whispers were passed from Guardians to Charges as it already seemed whatever wheels that set them onto this course of action had already begun to turn.

Leona bent low so that she could whisper in her own Charge's ear, "Amadeus, while I understand your excitement in this matter I would advise that you not grow too attached to your new bride to be, as I'm sure you know what must be done in the end." She whispered roughly before paused a moment giving him a slight glance to see if her words had sunk in as she attempted to check the Princes naivety at it source before it took root in this instance. She knew while these words were of a blunt manner and while surely the Prince would as the per usual cycle lodge his complaints about them they were also necessary.

She then stood once more giving a lazy glance over to were Gail and Annika sat before out of the corner of her eye she could see the gaze of the Eldest Princess slowly sweep over her. She watched for a moment as The Eldest Princess's eyes darted over her form before the Princess beckoned her guardian closer and exchanged whispers with him. The man seemed to paused before replying back as to end their conversation. Leona eyes narrowed slightly at this, but she let such pondering of what been said slide as the the ceremonies began in full starting with the Kings reading their address on the matter and ending with the kiss of these "couples" to seal and bind the contract. Then slowly but surely they began to disperse from the room, with each one fleeing to their respective rooms.

However it was when she got up the next morning that she was ambushed by a grouping of castle maids in their attempt to "pretty her up" before the wedding ceremony which was an interesting process to say the least. To make long things short after an hour of arguing, a brief struggle (Which the maids very quickly lost), a good deal of cursing, death threats and the brandishing of a weapon (All from her end) and Leona bringing up the threat of attending the wedding celebrations in the nude finally sunk the Castle Maids' cause. One by one each maid slowly left the room as Leona sat on her bed with a sort of flustered look glued onto her face. She clearly did not understand why in the name of the Gods was one willing to go through with such things to make one look "presentable".

The room by this point had once again by this point returned to a brisk silence that seemed to hover about the castle as she laid back on the bed staring up at the ceiling. "And what would you think of this nonsense father? Would you have approved of such things?" She found herself thinking aloud as she lay there, her hands crossed across her stomach as she let out a small breath. She could hear the sounds of the celebration building outside her window as they streets were being to crowd with the numerous citizens all vying for a glimpse of their new rulers as the time of reckoning drew near. She sat up before she began to apply all the weapons that had been denied to her earlier to her armor hiding away this time on a small number of them. There was no need for subtly at this point after all... no, all the people in that crowd wanted was one big show and she would give them quite the showing to gawk at.

---

The chariot rides around the city turned out at least in her opinion to be an actually somewhat enjoyable venture much to her surprise. The air was cool and the roar of the crowd was pleasing to her ego if nothing else though she could tell quite a few of those faces in the crowd looked as if they were discomforted by her very presence within the walls of their fair city...still nothing new to her. The ride however would finally come to an end as the cart would roll to a stop and she would be forced to vacate the chariot and continue to the dinning hall on foot. She dismounted the chariot before awaiting the arrival of her charge. Soon enough his chariot came rolling into view only for Amadeus to be intercepted by his brother making Leona swear slightly as she began to move towards the room in which Gail and Amadeus had entered into coming in just as the two Princes had begun to exit.

She quickly flashed a slight glance towards Gail before shooting Amadeus a look as if she expected him to tell her everything that had happened in that room after this little dinner party of his. The huntress walked along with the Prince in silence before soon she cam along to the meeting hall and finally with a deep breath gave him her parting words in deadly serious tone "Amadeus... if anything happens in the room even remotely hostile from any one person you are to summon me and I will handle the situation. I expect you to use your judgement to deem if that is necessary, however realize if I hear so much as the slightest bit of conflict from that room I am coming in wither I have been invited or not. Understand and come to terms with that fact" She commanded gruffly before giving him a once over with her eyes as if she were studying him in his wedding grab for a moment before giving a curt nod her gaze softening ever so slight. "However afterwards if you wish I could take you for a few rounds of celebratory feasting and drinking later on if you wish, after all this is quite the big day for you....cherish it well."

With that Leona give a low dip of her head to signal her goodbye before turning and making her way into the little room that the castle servants had hastily set up for the Guardians meal which she had already assumed was going to be as wonderfully pleasant as a meal between four rabid wolves could get. The woman pushed opened the door making her way into the space only to find it occupied already with two familiar faces from the ceremonies, neither of which was Annika's though the numbers were far from making Leona want to play nicely with them. She made her way to the table before slowly pulling out a chair for herself at the table before sitting down in it her eyes moving slowly up to those across from her before giving a small smile. This was going to be a very interesting dinner party

"Do forgive my Lady for her tardiness. I am sure she shall be arriving at any moment. My Lady is not one to be shepherded about if I may speak frankly. I assure you that will come to be a charming trait as your relationship blooms..".

Well everything is quite fine with that, suppose. Actually, that’s a maybe. Perhaps this time lapse of waiting could give him enough time to recollect himself as to not look like such a fool in front of the other high beings within the premises of this room. Taking a big breath, a smile forms upon his lips as he dipped his head down as if to signal his bride-to-be’s guardian that he takes that statement into account. Clenching and unclenching his fists, he exhaled quietly and simmered down in his seat.

Sooner or later, his guardian had stepped inside the room. Bowing his head in return to greet her, she took her place behind him like a statue, watching over him like a fine soldier she was. That’s what is inside his mind at least. Thinking back to Leona, his impression of her was nothing less but deep respect with her skills as a huntswoman. Even her own outfit bedazzled him with curiosity about her history. All his time training with the miss was indeed hard and vigorous, however—he would be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy the whole training package.

Though his body ached by the end of each day that passed with her as his trainer, having his guardian as company amused him. He learned more and started picking up a sword and other melee weapons for that matter. Aside from that, Amadeus had the hand to try daggers since the latter is commonly used in the sport of hunting. But when they weren’t training, he would indulge himself from time to time by conversing with her. Banter and insults about him were thrown around haphazardly, but it was still interesting to the prince.

"I hope that you all will forgive my tardiness. It seems that a few things have prevented me from arriving on time as of expected of me. Due to that I would hope that you will grant my wish of forgiveness towards you all."

His head turned quickly to the owner of the voice.

‘…..OH.'

Due to staying in his mind for too long, Amadeus failed to notice the arrival of the person he had been so anxious to meet. Yes, it was none other than Princess Leanne Arietta Leonai! He swallowed some air as he observed her gracefully sitting down on her respective seat. Just to point out, Amadeus patted his cheek with his free hand not too hard as he tried to remove the remnants of pink in his face. To him, she was a paragon of beauty and charm. Well, what would you expect from a person that had no experience with pretty princesses and romance? "Amadeus, while I understand your excitement in this matter I would advise that you not grow too attached to your new bride to be, as I'm sure you know what must be done in the end." Leona whispered to him as she bent down, a rough tone of voice accompanied her words. “Haha…excitement? Leona, I understand your growing suspicions, but it won’t…happen, yes. Take a breather, woman!” He whispered back playfully, albeit that pause awhile back was lingering with uncertainty.

Standing up to receive the prayers of the Elders, his grip on the bouquet slowly started to ease. He gently laid it down on the table as the latter finished along with his father signing the document. Stepping forward, he took her hands in his like it was a delicate petal of a rose and held them up a little higher. ‘This is it…a kiss to seal a bond. Don’t try to disrupt this moment…!’ An uneasy grin of embarrassment passed by for a few seconds as he leaned in closer to speak his first words to his bride. “I’m your husband now. So if you have any troubles…you can Leanne me.*”

‘Amadeus, you fool.’

Today wasn’t a good day to be a jester of words, boy.

He gave a quick chuckle as to throw off that embarrassing notion and proceeded to lean down a bit more slowly, gently holding her left cheek with his right hand. Silently sucking in some air, he planted his lips onto hers and closed his eyelids shut. The feeling of a jolt of electricity ran through his body as he held himself there. Surely, he doesn't know how to do this professionally as this was his first kiss after all. Nevertheless, he was doing a decent job as Amadeus didn't mess anything up...yet.

During the chariot march that proceeded after the wedding, he hadn’t spoke to the lady in his arms since that sentence. Poor lad, the confusion and the loss for words lead him to the road of failure. Otherwise, hipper people rather call this ‘not smooth, dude’. He leaned in to her side and started to converse again—actually, more like apologize. “Excuse me for my inappropriate behavior…I only wanted to strike a good impression by making you smile…. if it ever did, my princess. The court jesters told be about…well, what do you call it? Puns, yes. That’s what it is.” He ran a hand through his hair and laughed a little, flustered as he looked away.

As they got out, he parted ways with Leanne, giving her the bouquet he had in his possession awhile back and kissed her hand gracefully before the man was quickly called over by his brother. He raised a brow as to question, but followed. "Good work today brother, you seemed almost convincing. As you know we have a meeting with them again very soon. So do me a favor at this meeting, and for the rest of the next month as well. Do not get comfortable with your new wife. Remember the mission." He fumbled with his gloves, nodding slowly before looking back at his sibling. “Thank you, I’ve been practicing, suppose. But—can’t we all enjoy our lives every once in a while? Is that too much to ask? Even to simply take a chance at this romance before…disposing them like little unwanted dolls in a toy box...?” He didn’t bother waiting for an answer as his brother warned him with a last sentence. "And keep an eye on her guardian. Something is not right about that girl." Not a word has been spoken as he left the scene with a nod. He shouldn't have to worry about this yet... not now.

Arriving at his room, he decided to freshen up and don his normal attire with his gauntlet bracelets and his visor-helmet as well. Might as well go in casually to express his character. As they say, people can learn something about you through your wardrobe. Lacing up his long brown boots, he walked over to his dresser and suited up his holster, sliding in Cel and Sol. The guards wouldn't take his precious darlings away from him, would they?! His twin weapons were probably with him for show, and protection, just in case. Tucking in his necklace behind his yellow pea coat, he slid on his special helmet and flipped his visor up. Standing in front of the mirror, he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded; his appearance was alright for now.

*("You can lean on me.")