Snippet #2768916

Navarre arched a brow slightly at his betrothed, for a moment unsure if she was being snide or not in her question of how he was to be addressed. He didn't get the impression she was being rude, so he simply gave a barely perceptible shrug. "Both are acceptable, I leave it to your best judgement my lady." he advised, vaguely wondering which the lady would opt for. Most would go with the proper and expected 'your highness', but the Lady Sera had so far proven herself to not be quite like the the other noble women he'd met thus far. Of course, she could be just as cookie-cutter as the next lady once he got to know her, but he sincerely hoped not. He didn't want a wife with a head full of fluff and doilies.

His thoughts were thankfully cut short at her request, his brow arching even more at her bold statement. A better challenge than the new earl? The man was an idiot for sure, but he at least seemed to know his way around a chess board. While both sexes of nobility played the game, it was more popular among the men as far as he could tell. The women seemed to prefer games like alquerques or backgammon. Games of luck as well as skill. But, more importantly, her boast came without her knowing of his cousin's skill. Navarre said as much.
"A bold statement my lady, considering you have only just met the earl and I have reason to doubt you've seen him play." Idly, he rearranged the pieces to their starting positions, glancing over at Sera as he tried to guess at her response. Leaning back, the prince nodded to the board between them before his visible eye landed on Sera again. "However, as you wish, I am not against a match." Arms folded over his chest, Navarre looked on in expectation. "'Ladies first', I believe."
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Myra nearly sighed, feeling bad for the obviously stressed out female beside her. Had she done something wrong? The servant tried again to reassure the newer member of the palace. "Don't worry, that's all really helpful for us." she said, offering a smile to Kira. "So, how do you like the place so far?"

A soft whistle grew steadily louder as Gavin made his way through the halls, stopping as he saw the two young women heading in the opposing direction. "Ah, morning! How go things on your end?" he greeted the two before turning to Myra. "Ye helping our new housemate?" he asked, proper speak dropped upon chatting with fellow servants. With a smile, he turned to face the newcomer in question. "Ye settling in alright miss? Anything troubling ye at all, let us know! Same with your other friends." Gavin jerked a thumb towards himself and Myra, grinning good-naturedly. The man didn't have a disingenuous bone in his body, and it showed. He wasn't merely being polite and nice out of any duty, but because he was a boisterous, good-natured fellow in general. Myra wondered if it was safe to be that damn jolly all the time. Well, at least he was happy.
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Kezia wandered the gardens for another ten minutes, growing steadily more lost as she went. While the garden was well manicured, some of the trees were considerably tall specimens, canopies shading certain pathways. Several archway trellises were canvases with flowering vines, and some plants sat solitary in large porcelain pots. Still other flower beds were arranged in varying heights, showing off layers of color. Perfectly trimmed hedges stood tall and proud, pristine green walls protecting the beautiful flowers arranged within. She had already passed two fountains, and a pond as well. It was an impressive garden to be sure. Somewhat more natural than ones she had seen, but well trimmed and organized into an almost fanciful landscape.

An area of roses caught her attention, the young woman approaching upon seeing some rarer color varieties. There were the reds and pinks, but also peach and lavender, and...were those blue roses too? Kezia smiled, leaning close to inspect them and catch a whiff of their pleasant aroma. Her eyes closed on impulse as her nose barely grazed against the soft petals of the creamy rose she had leaned down to sniff. The soft perfume earned a sigh of contentment, and she didn't notice anything amiss until she opened her eyes.

There, on the flower directly behind the one her nose had just brushed against, was a single vibrant butterfly. The delicate wings opened slowly, gracefully, then folded back to their closed position. Mere inches from her face, a colorful wingspan, tiny body, and six spindly legs.

An insect.

Kezia jerked back as if burned by a hot coal, eyes wide in horror as a shrill scream escaped her lips.
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"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Navarre looked up sharply, brows furrowed as a distant shriek reached his ears. It wasn't close per say, but it was definitely on the palace grounds. He lowered a hand to his left hip, ready to draw his blade should it be required. "Something's happened." he said simply, looking in the direction the sound had come from.