Lost Princess

[Castello]

Ephraim tilted his head, oblivious to why she was covering her mouth. "No problem, I'm glad I could help out. Um, don't mean to force any of this on you, but you don't seem to be from here. On your travels here did you happen to see a woman who looked like this?" He said handing her a portrait of his fiancée.

Spoiler

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[IceQueen]

Nanami took the portrait and shook her head. "I did not. I haven't been looking at anyone really. To many risks of them finding out who I was." She said, handing the portrait back.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim took back the portrait, looking slightly disappointed. "Ah I see. Well that is fine, it's one woman in a sea of thousands of people." He said however another question came to mind. "Who are you exactly? I have at least warranted your trust, have I not? You can trust me." He said.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami sighed. "I suppose it is only fair." She said. "But promise you won't tell." She said. She slid her hands under the edges of her hood, gently pulling the piece of fabric off her head. She sighed and looked up, a smile appearing on her face. "Nice to meet you, my name is Nanami, the princess of Matre." She said.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim paused a moment. This woman... was the princess of the 'enemy'. He could've easily called over the guards or take hostage of her himself but he simply shrugged. "I see. That certainly explains why you are hiding. Now I must be honest, to carry on our trust. I am no ordinary citizen, as a matter of fact I am not a citizen at all." He said pulling off the bandanna and exposing his blue hair. "I am Prince Ephraim... the second if you so desire it. Pleasure to meet you princess." He said, reaching out his hand, a smile on his face.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami was pleasantly surprised. The prince of the enemy. She could turn him in, but it seemed rude to someone who had offered her help. She took his hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

 

[Castello]

Ephraim shook his hand gently. "Princess Nanami, what brings you here? Why come to our kingdom, is it spy work, or perhaps you see that siding with us is the best path?" He asked calmly.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami looked at him funny. "No. I ran away from home." She said, looking down. She frowned. "I was being forced to marry some person from another country." She said.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim nodded, getting where she was coming from. "I see... I guess it all makes sense now. I personally do not understand the marriages from your kingdom, nor do I plan to study it. But it seems to be slightly flawed, I assume you agree." He said thinking back to his own wife, a woman he had known since he was very young.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami nodded, looking down. She sighed. "I just hope no one notices me, because I really don't want to go back home." She said, looking up. "It sucks when all you know of the person you are going to marry is that he is a psychopath that likes to beat women." She said grimly.

 

[Castello]

"Don't worry, I am not going to make you go back." He said patting her back reassuringly. "Perhaps I can find a way for you to sneak into the castle. However I cannot be with you for very much longer, I leave for a journey in 3 days." He added.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami looked at him. "Sound fun. I assume your journey is to find your fiancé." She said, pointing at the portrait. She was glad her fiancé had no idea where se was.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim nodded. "Yea, she just disappeared one day. It was so weird." He said, stretching out his arms and then looking to the stars. "My father wants me to give up the search, that she is dead or doesn't love me anymore. But I know he's wrong, I'll find her for sure!" He said in an optimistic tone.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami nodded. "Seems a shame to give up. After all, she must have cared about you." She said, looking at him. He obviously did love her, or at the least enough to search for her.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim smiled and nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what I said to my very father. Me and her, we have been together for so long and I care for her so. She'd never leave me, she was always smiling, she was happy and it wasn't a charade. I fear the worst has happened, maybe she was kidnapped by your country. Not to offend you or anything, kidnapping the future queen just seems like something an enemy nation would do." He said to her.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami perked her ears at this. "That actually might have happened. I heard them talking about something to change the ways of the war." She said, looking at him. "If that is the case I can help you." She said. "I may be able to wage to release the princess. If that does not work, you have permission to take me as a hostage. Personally I hate this war." She said. "Plus kidnaping a girl should be beneath my parents, but I have a feeling they used it as a last resort."

 

[Castello]

Ephraim reached his hand for his chin, think on the situation. "Hmmm, perhaps we can do that, no wait. If you do that you'll probably have to face your fiancée. I would not want you to have a bad relationship just so I can have wife back. Though your offer is tempting, but if you could if you could check without being notice, I would appreciate it." He said to her. 
(Sorry I woke up early this morning so I had to take a nap .)

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami sighed, looking at the ground. "Then I am afraid I have no idea how to get your fiancé back. I have no idea what plans my parents have for her." She said. But she did know. She had seen this happen before with the green country of Grenga. They took the guy and tortured him to death. It was still a grim thought in her mind.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim held up his hand and his face grew anxious. "No wait. You must no where they would keep a villager of such esteem. Perhaps you can layout it for one of my acclaimed theives to retrieve he back." He said abruptly not wanting to loose grasper of his wife. If those mongrels did anything to her, they would have their war. He would tear them limb by limb until the message got across.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami sighed. "That could be arranged. You know my country is not so bad, it's my parents. They want power and it is starting to bite everyone in our city. A war would destroy our lands. I want to get out of this war more than anything." She said. She might have been in luck when she had run into the prince of this land.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim nodded. "I never believed they were bad, just stealing my wife may have been a bit on the villianous side. Anyways, you are sure she's there. I mean it's worth a check none the less, just any information you know would be perfect. I too, want to end this war in a peaceful manner, just I want to see my wife in one piece again." He said to her.

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami sighed and nodded. "We leave tomorrow then. We will reach there by mid day tomorrow and we can go at night." She said, dusting off her cloak. She pulled up her hood again. "For now I have to stay hidden. Revealing my identity will be a last resort. Might I also mention there reason behind this might be my disappearance?" She said.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim though a moment, things were sure escalating fast. "Tomorrow? Perhaps we can give my squadron some time to prepare. It is a long trek to Matre." He said to her and however her final worlds confused him. Could she be the cause of his wife's disappearance? Surely it was not a direct cause, so he had no reason to hold a grudge. But still, he was slightly bothered. "In that case you should put in an effort to help me retrieve and stop this war. Our future queen dying from your country's king is a good enough reason for my father to lay a siege on your nation."

 

[IceQueen]

Nanami nodded. "We just need to save her until I can find someone willing to be my husband so I don't have to marry that idiot, so I can take over my country." She said, looking at him.

 

[Castello]

Ephraim thought a moment. If he could find this woman a husband quick, the sooner he might be able to get ahold of his wife. "Will one of my soldiers be suffice? I have been in Matre many times with them, we go with the travelling bard and dancer get up. So you're father will think no different." He said to her.