Annika Aguirre's Story

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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.

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

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

---

---

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