Imperial Palace

Along the expected path that the sutiors are to arrive is a honnor guard of the elite of the Imperial Army. The sky is overcast and it looks as if it will begin to rain.

Rictor was gathering his things from the workshop when one of the guardsmen arrived to inform him that the preperations for the reception have been completed. After a brief converstion he heads to the Great Hall where his guests will be introduced to him. While he waits he begins to ponder how he ended up in this situation, and he resolves to make the best of it, knowing the peace is in everyones best intrest. Lost in thought he begins to rearange the rooms furniture.

Ava awoke to a cold tendril of wind whistling in through the window. Her violet eyes fluttered as they adjusted to the darkness of the overcast sky.  Soon, she was up, and pulling on her favorite dress, a soft, violet thing that "complimented her eyes" or whatever the seamstress had said. After brushing through her glowing golden hair, Ava grabbed the Sword of Slyvan off her tree stump bedside table and ran out of the door, yelling behind her "Father, I'm off to the palace!" Soon, the king's firm hand was on her shoulder, stopping her. "Not with the sword, you're not," was his stern reply. Ava controlled all her emotions and sang sweetly "Yes, I am. Now leave me be," Then she was on her way, walking through the forest, which had been turned gloomy by the dark sky. Occasionally, there was the rare sparrow or squirrel that would stop to perch on her fingertip, or scurry along her feet, but the smarter animals had already taken cover for the inevitable storm soon to come. Sure enough, a few drops began to fall, splattering against Ava's cheek. She pulled her cloak closer to her body, and hurried along her way, being certain as to not step in the forming puddles of muck. 

Sam tried to forget where she was going, focusing on the sound of the horses galloping and the feel of Shadow's muscles moving beneath her. She could hear the air rushing past his nostrils and the sound of his heartbeat thudding beneath his skin, the labored breathing of the other horses beside her. Her father couldn't accompany her, but he sent two of his guards on the journey, all of them riding bareback through the forest on their way to the palace. There was a knot of nerves in her stomach that she was doing her best to ignore. She already missed her home, the safety of the trees and familiar smells and sounds. She hadn't even seen the emperor's face and she was expected to be his willing, potential wife.

When she listened past the horses' hooves and the noisy forest, she could hear the Empire approaching, perhaps only a few miles away now. She could hear the sound of hundreds of people, all their voices and sounds buzzing together. A drop of rain caught in Sam's eyelash and she sighed, tilting her chin up to the sky to enjoy the coolness of the rain. Her father would disapprove: arriving at the palace soaked through, but she didn't care. It would be an entrance... of kinds. Besides, she loved the rain; it sharpened the smells, thus sharpening her awareness. More over, it made her feel alive.

"Princess, your father instructed you pull your hood up if it rained," James instructed beside her, his voice breathless from riding. James was one of her father's most trusted guards. Only a few years older than her, she had practically grown up with him. Sam sighed and pulled up her hood, wishing just once her father would let her do it her own way. But her way probably wouldn't result in marrying the emperor. She hadn't decided whether she wanted to or not yet; she'd always assumed she'd get to marry for love, but that was one of the few luxuries princesses didn't necessarily get.

It didn't take long to reach the Empire and Sam's senses were overloaded: smoke, horses, food and so many smells that were foreign to her. The trouble with heightened senses was that it didn't take much to be overwhelmed. She was sure she could sit here all day and never get to smell and hear everything. They rode through the main street, heading to the palace - to her temporary prison. She wasn't used to so much noise and chaos; the animal people were quiet like the world they lived in, never rushing, but taking the world at the pace it required. James and Warren - the other guard - seemed just as overwhelmed. The palace appeared before them, heavy metal gates guarding the doors. "Hush, Shadow," Sam whispered, leaning down to her horses ear. "Steady." The animals slowed.

"We're here," James muttered, staring at the building. It was majestic. James dismounted and took Sam's hand, pressing his lips to her knuckles. Shadow fidgeted beneath her. "Good luck, my princess," he said and Sam swallowed. Earning the emperor's hand in marriage was what she came here to do: earning her kingdom's safety. She nodded at James and Warren and rode forward.

Rictor was still lost in thought when the first princess arrived. In fact it was not untill one of the black uniformed preatorians (commonly called the Black Guard) of the palace mentioned such that he even became aware of that fact. "Don't just leave her standing out there you fool," he snapped, "and bring her something to dry herself with, it is raining after all." He then began to wonder who had arrived and what implications it might have. He was in this moment when he was informed that another of the princesses was fast approching, and what should the preatorians should do about the first princess's guards. "Bring them in," he said quickly, "If they try anything then deal with them. Till then we should be hospitiable to our guests, anything less would be dishonorable."

Two guards in black came from in the palace. Sam rarely saw people wearing such dark clothes; most people in her kingdom wore clothes to match the forest: dark greens or brown, other than royalty; they usually wore white. Sam clenched her jaw, remembering the pack of bow and arrows on her back and the dagger underneath her dress. She couldn't help being wary of the guards with their tight lips and cold eyes. She could hear their heartbeats, steady and clear, as they greeted her. They moved loudly, boots banging against the ground and their clothes rustling. She dismounted Shadow and a man led him away, the horse glancing back at Sam. The ground was damp and cold beneath her bare feet, but she relished in it, being so close to the natural world.

The guards led her forward, both of them almost a foot taller than her, through the metal gates and into the palace. She moved silently across the marble floor so even her sensitive ears couldn't hear her footsteps, especially beside the guards' stomping feet. She wondered what she looked like to them; beautiful, graceful, vulnerable? She wondered if she looked as animal-like as she felt. She pulled of her cloak and found her blazing hair had been successfully kept from the rain. Someone offered her a towel but she declined, enjoying the feel of the damp silk against her pale skin.

The guards led her into a wide room with stone columns supporting the ceiling, miles above her. The guards motioned for her to take a seat on the cushioned recliner along the wall. She complied, but found the bench less comfortable than Shadow's back and definitely colder. She knotted her hands in her lap, trying not to fidget. She wanted to like this place, especially if she was to stay here for a long time, but it was hard to keep her thoughts from thinking about the freedom of her home, about gliding silently through the forest after a deer, bow and arrow at the ready. "What am I doing here?" She asked the guard, meaning in this room, but if he could answer why she was here that would be nice too.