Fantasy Tangled Strings of Fate

GojiBean · Apr 18, 2022

Tangled Strings of Fate

Sihlruan.

One of the world's most powerful nations. Yet also one of its most envied and quietly shunned.

The King and Queen, though beloved by their people, are subjected to political spite and disrespect from surrounding nations. And the reason is just as petty as one could imagine. Money.

Sihlruan, boasting a near perfect balance of grasslands, mountains, forests, and ocean access, has found ways to bolster its economy with any and every necessary commodity of life. Lumber. Glass. Stone and metalworks. Precious gems. The bounty of the sea. Everything is within their grasp. And their nation is self-sustaining with trade serving purely as a luxury rather than a necessity of life.

But as they say, success brings jealousy from those less fortunate. And all of their neighbors, both large and small, have more than once threatened the country with sanctions and trade tariffs should the King and Queen not find more ways of "sharing their country's luck" with everyone else. Of course, to those who read between the lines, this is nonsense of the highest order. Nothing more than petty spite and childish mockery of success with empty threats of retaliation for no actual aggression. Yet every day it happens. Even within Sihlruan's own cities and towns across the kingdom there come travelers who almost seem as if they're itching to start a fight so that a war breaks out to give their homeland an excuse to take what it needs from this land of plenty.

As a result, the people have grown restless. More and more pressure is being placed on the King and Queen to find a way to ease the tensions surrounding their country's situation to give the people some peace of mind and security in the knowledge that they're being taken care of. Every day that goes by where no progress is made, the tension mounts. Discord and unrest become more frequent. And violence has erupted in the streets more than once as the people demand action.

To alleviate the situation, the King and Queen have come up with a plan. And a daring one at that.

To ease the tensions and prove their determination to both ease the minds of their people, prove they are thinking always of them first, and to prove to their neighbors their willingness to cooperate and find ways to establish peace, they have announced that their only daughter, Erena Sihlruan, shall be wed to a commoner from one of their neighboring nations at a Royal Ball that is to be held on the eve of their daughter's 20th birthday. All guests will be personally selected by the Royal Family's envoys who will journey near and far to find the ideal candidates, and witnesses, for the Princess's soon-to-be wedding.

How well will this bold attempt at bridging all gaps work? None yet know for sure.

But the night has arrived.

The Royal Ball is nigh as the moon rises above the mountains and the skies turn a supple shade of violet. Starts twinkle overhead as the guests gather outside the palace, waiting to be allowed inside. And for one among them, this night is a chance to take a step towards a long held, heartfelt goal. A goal to be part of something special, yet something which proves he's ordinary. One like any other.

... But he's not like any other here tonight. He is a Tuarva. A race which physically appear on the surface to be identical to humans, but with over 4x the muscular density and dozens of times the strength of any humanoids of equivalent size or build. For even an average height Tuarva standing only 6' on the mark, ripping a relatively small, single story house off its foundation is but a menial chore. Their strength, coupled with their race's widely known barbaric tendencies, has forever marked their kind as a threat to all who stand opposite them whether for combative or noncombative purposes. If you see a Taurva, run. Run and pray it does not catch you. Emphasis on "it."

Having been raised by elves from infancy, this young man seeks a normal life like any other. Mediocrity would suffice and bring him happiness. His strength? Meaningless. His race's known savagery? A distant thought, not even a memory. To serve as witness, a simple observer, to this joyous event is the beginning of his journey to find happiness of his own within a normal and leisurely life... Or so he thinks.

The Princess, as a Nymph/Uranus hybrid, has two special traits to help her choose her ideal husband-to-be. With the blood of Nymphs, she can hear the voice of the Earth as its memories take the shape of visual flashes in her mind, almost like memories, but of an outside perspective on whomever it is she focuses on. It's almost as if she were there to witness moments of the person's life, despite never having been there. This power is unrefined, and often blurry. But usually it's clear enough to get the idea 9 out of 10 times.

With the blood of the Uranus, she can sense the color of someone's heart. And within the color, the shade determines positivity or negativity. A lighter shade of red indicates someone with a strong sense for romantic passion, whereas a darker shade means extreme hostility and volatility. A light shade of sky blue means they are whimsical and lively, whereas a deep ocean blue indicates deep tragedy and depression. A light shade of green means they share a strong connection to nature and often are great with animals, whereas a darker shade of deep forest green means their heart has completely lost its way. One color, however, stands out from the rest. One color, which is exceedingly rare in non-Uranus humanoid races, is the color the Uranus people culturally seek above all others... Gold.

A golden heart indicates a sound mind, a pure spirit, and a compassionate heart. These three traits, while easy to place on paper, are extraordinarily hard to find in reality outside of the Uranus race. For humans, less than 0.002% of their population would be blessed with this heart. And the Tuarva? Not a single Tuarva has ever been witnessed with a gold heart.

Tonight, the Princess will meet her prospective husband-to-be from a group of 50 hand-selected young men from throughout the land and across the seas, gathered just for her. The chances of her finding that coveted golden heart? Even her mother, the Queen, says to expect nothing and accept the best option available. This union is for their people. And though political, there is still a chance for love to bloom so as to ensure her life is not miserable despite being married to one not of her choosing.

... And so, the hour has struck. The bell has rung. And the Palace doors have opened to allow the 50 candidates and the invited witnesses to enter. The Ballroom floor is vast at over 100 meters from one end to the other, and over 40 meters wide. All around the outskirts of the room are rectangular tables serving food and drink, and circular tables and chairs to allow all guests to sit and mingle while they await the arrival of the Princess. A large square red carpet sits at the room's center to serve as a dance floor when the Princess chooses her groom-to-be, and the two shall share a dance before ascending the stairs leading to the upper level balcony where they will receive the official announcement of their engagement by having a red thread tied between their left hand ring fingers by the Arch Priest. This thread shall remain for the duration of the night, and be removed the following morning only by the hand of the Arch Priest who will then certify that the thread has bound their souls beyond the physical realm, making the thread unnecessary.

And so, the young Tuarva with azul hair, known as Kyo'da, sits at a table with a glass of water and listens in on a few of the conversations happening around him as he waits for the arrival of the Princess so he can fulfill his duty of observing the event before returning home to tell everyone about it.

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · Apr 18, 2022

Sihlruan

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Tonight, the ball, the people of many races would come to across the land and sea to be gather for her, the princess, and for what exact reason? Arranged marriage another word for it, yet not quite, the princess, Erena Sihlruan, was appointed to meet her future husband-to-be. The 50 candidates were brought across land, all perhaps very stunning. But appearances couldn't deceive this one princess, her mixed blood had proved to be very useful at times like this. Being able to see the color of a person's heart is indeed useful, but could also be manipulating.

The bell rung, and the young woman prepared herself, she was hidden, or at least she hadn't shown her face yet for the evening, she felt her pulse race slightly, the moment where there would be an alliance is crucial, the kingdom, Sihlruan tended to be a kingdom where it was prosperous but that brought jealousy and envy across other lands to calm down the tremulous relationship her parents, the queen and king, had decided to give their daughter for a marriage.

The young woman once again closed her eyes, she would know once she saw the men, their hearts would tell who she should and should not trust, carefully yet gracefully she slid out of her place and was presented, the introduction of her name once again split the silence across the room, the princess, Erena took careful steps she analyzed the room. Many men, all very handsome looking at the moment, her soft cool white hair matched with her beautiful gold and blue dress, anyone could tell by a beat that she was a princess, her looks said it all. The small moment of silence passed and the room was filled with music once more, the food which was carefully served on rectangle tables stood out to her the most.

Once she had finished and stepped into the ballroom floor a tremendous amount of men almost swarmed her, yet she kept a simple smile. The room was scattered with colors, almost blinding her. Blue, red, green, the colors of the heart were all apparent, she sought for one color though, gold. A heart blessed by the gods, that was one color she had never witnessed in her life, and despite the efforts she had made to find someone with a gold heart, she thought it would be futile. A person with a gold heart tended to be warm, gentle, and compassionate.

But first, she would have to find a husband for herself, a suited one, an arranged marriage was common to be a one without love but in rare cases or chances there was love, but for Erena she knew deep within her heart and arranged marriage was never to her liking. The only thing she could stay hopeful for was a marriage without misery, that was the best she could do.

The talking and conversation around her seemed to be endless, most of the candidates were introducing themselves, and each time Erena tended to smile, say hello, thank you for coming, and move on to the next, this seemed repetitive, but, she was used to this behavior of some sort, each time she looked a way she looked for the most color which would suit her personality, even when she was a child she had never known what her heart's color was. Definitely not a gold, she was far to prideful for that matter and perhaps slightly cold. Colors such as deep green would never be able to compute with her or deep blue, perhaps a nice light green would be a nice heart color.

Most of the time Erena would've like to head to the food table to have a small snack to give her some energy for perhaps the long night, but with all these men announcing where they are from and starting small conversation she doubted she could get to a food table. The young lady looked around the room, she almost nearly forgot with all the people. Today was her 20th birthday, because of the thoughts of the arranged marriage she had almost forgotten. She smiled to the people around, trying to seem innocent and excused herself to get a sip of water.

She headed toward the rectangle table, all foods were served her parents had prepared in advance, such as the people from other locations such as far north may have a different taste than her or her kingdom. She sighed, was it improper to sigh at her birthday or in front of many people? She didn't know and at the time she didn't seem to mind too much. She grabbed a glass of something that a servant handed her, she thanked him and drank it, but she almost spat it back right out. Wine. She had made a mistake, so she placed her glass on the table. She shook her head deciding to find another chance of finding a suitable husband.

Would her parents approve of her decision if she did choose? They had to. After all they couldn't be picky, especially if they was just an arranged marriage, she looked for colors, and for an instant she swore that she saw gold the slightest glow of gold, but then then some man began talking, the sight of the gold was lost, did she imagine it? She must've been influenced by alcohol. She felt disappointment filled her chest, if only there was a suitor with a pure heart, perhaps... Maybe, then she could have a less miserable life than what is already chosen.

GojiBean · Apr 20, 2022

"I heard she's among the fairest in this entire Kingdom!" Said one candidate before taking a sip of fine white wine.

"I heard the same. And honestly I'm happy with that. Princess or not, if she wasn't a looker there's no way I'd actually go through with this even if I was chosen." Said another as they clanked their glasses together in a toast of agreement.

Kyo'da's right eyebrow rose ever so slightly and was accompanied by a subtle shake of his head as he sipped his water and continued to analyze the room.

He was sitting at one of the circular tables near the West wall, where he could easily see the entire Ballroom and check the faces of everyone near him. He wasn't exactly a body language expert. But he'd seen enough to know that many of the candidates, while excited to be here, were slightly uncomfortable around each other. And many of the conversations he was overhearing from those who sat nearby or walked near his table told a story of a silent competition. Almost as if this was all just a game to see who was the best looking and would draw the Princess's attention first.

Kyo'da couldn't align with that manner of thinking. This wasn't a game to play with the Princess's heart or life. It was an honor and the chance for helping establish peace in an otherwise volatile region of the world where war was always a concern. Unconsciously, Kyo'da's right foot rose up on the ball before rapidly tapping his heel against the ground as he took another sip of water.

When the Princess arrived Kyo'da had to admit she was indeed beautiful. With clear porcelain skin, flowing white hair, striking blue eyes, and a slender frame, she was a beauty in every standard of the word regardless of what race you were. And as she began to mix and mingle with the candidates, who more or less purposefully swarmed around her every chance they got, Kyo'da almost couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Being a Princess, she would naturally draw attention anyway. But on an occasion like this where a room full of hormonally driven young men who were all competing for the chance to be her husband, Kyo'da could only imagine what she was feeling and how hard this was hitting her. If he were suddenly in a position where his future freedoms were potentially being taken away and handed to someone he didn't know... Well, he didn't even want to think about how that would feel.

As much as Kyo'da wanted to go over to her and try to help give her some room from the swarm of men following her, he was here as a witness. Nothing more. He went to take another sip of water only to find his glass empty, and he was half out of his seat with his body facing where the Princess was. Sitting back down and setting his empty glass on the table he took a deep breath and reminded himself mentally that he's just a witness. It's not his place to get involved with the Princess's time with the candidates of her future.

... Still...

Some of the men were most definitely questionable. More than once Kyo'da spotted some of them staring at the Princess's assets while she wasn't looking and trying to "accidentally" get close enough to brush against her. Kyo'da had seen this all before, and he was having none of it.

He stood up immediately and grabbed his empty glass and headed over in the general direction of the Princess and her pack of hungry followers, and took up a spot a couple tables down to pour himself a new glass of water while keeping a careful eye on the Princess and those who seemed to have the least interest in her so much as they were in her assets and trying to get a reason to bump against and feel her. If they tried, Kyo'da would get between them in an instant under the guise of needing to rush to the restroom to relieve himself, and maybe, just maybe, "accidentally" spill his water on the man who tried to cop a feel.

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · Apr 20, 2022

Erena heard the words of some of the candidates, and she felt like a tool for once. If she weren't what she looked like right now the people in this room would've never come to this Royal ball. But she brushed those words aside easily, she couldn't have any petty emotions getting in the way, this was for her Kingdom. It was her duty as the princess to make sure her people felt safe and wouldn't have problems with the neighboring kingdoms and establish peace among the kingdoms.

Talking to people wasn't the best but Erena never had a problem with it, she would have to meet people, and depending on their personality and their heart color and with her nymph bloodline power she would be able to determine the most fittest candidate and that was all she would do right now. She searched for colors, all of them different some of them had a similar color to others yet they were all distinct, no one quite stood out, they were all in some color and in a different shade or darker or lighter. If this was a game what was she? Was she the goal or was she another little thing to help the person get to their goal. She didn't know if this was a game to a few but she only wished for the best.

A few of the suitors asked her a questions she answered all of them trying to be as rational as possible, she did have to pick a husband tonight and there was a time limit, she didn't want the men to feel tired and annoyed that one single woman couldn't pick a single person within 50 candidates, but she knew as easy as it seemed on the outside it was much more complicated inside, she wouldn't want a husband who would do things unmannerly, but many of the men here she didn't know their personality but thankfully because of her vision it helped.

Erena didn't pay attention to all the men, but she caught the glances of men on her assets. Of course if she were alone she might have blushed but she only gave a smile to the people who were watching her, she only had to endure this a bit more, a bit more, just till she could find the right candidate. Were her parents also beginning to talk with the crowd? Would they choose for her? Did they already have someone in mind? She walked around the ball room slowly to find people or those who she hand't talked to yet.

Suddenly a color stood out to her again, it moved, it was heading her way, it was... Gold? No, was it? She moved toward the bright color but it only moved for an instant, she peeked through the shoulders of the men who were around and she caught the face of the person, he was a man... Blue hair, tall- she wanted to catch his eye but her vision was cut off by a man's head blocking her view.

"Princess. Was there something there?" He asked. She must have still had a dumbfounded look as the man brow's furrowed. "Is something wrong, princess?" he asked again.

She wanted to immediately tell the man that she witnessed a golden heart, perhaps it was someone among the candidates... Was he? Erena only cast a quick glance the only thing which she could see other than his gold heart was his azul hair and his height, she shook her head. It would be no use trying to tell the candidate what just happened, but she would try to look for someone with azul hair... She reminded herself to remember that, she cast glances around the room while walking around once more.

She felt a sudden rush of hope, but it all faded very quickly, what if the man wasn't a candidate? Worse, what if the man she saw was a woman? If she saw things wrong. She headed toward the food table, and looked at the food, she knew she was hungry but somehow she didn't feel like it. What time was it? How much time has passed? She only prayed the ball would go smoothly, no conflict. She closed her eyes momentarily enjoying the silence which she was having without the suitors trying to be near her.

GojiBean

GojiBean · Apr 24, 2022

One of the men near the Princess who was trying to go in for feels happened to glance Kyo'da's way, and was met with a stone-cold glare which immediately made him freeze. Despite priding himself on doing his best to be a good person, Kyo'da's glare could freeze the sun. And it most certainly had no trouble getting this man to take a few steps back and clear his throat before saying he was going to the restroom and dashing away.

This careful observation of the men around the Princess continued for several more minutes before the musicians slowly quieted and stopped their performance, and the crowd was hushed by a new fanfare from a group of trumpet players. Once their fanfare was over, they turned and looked up the stairs to the King and Queen as they stood at the top and looked down upon their audience. And once all eyes were on them, and all mouths had closed, the King stepped forward with his arms spread wide.

"My honored guests. I bid you welcome to this most joyous occasion."

The crowd gave a soft applause, and Kyo'da kept his eyes on the Princess as the King continued speaking.

"Tonight, my daughter shall choose a fiancé from among the fine young men gathered here tonight from around the world. As per our previous announcements, this union is intended to help mend the bridges which have been slowly cracking and faltering with our neighboring nations through the years. Sihlruan wishes nothing but peace with those who share this world with us. And tonight, we take the first step to realizing that peace."

Once again, the crowd applauded. And the Queen was the next to step forward.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I too bid you welcome to this most important of occasions." She said with a light bow of her head.

However, before the Queen could continue Kyo'da happened to notice a shadow moving by the window. It was gone as quickly as it had arrived. And he now saw nothing. However, with the full moon visible in the skies outside, that shadow cast through the window to the table nearby was no mirage. With any luck it was just the shadow of a bird flying past. But Kyo'da's imagination had never been an issue in the past...

"The proceedings shall begin momentarily. If I may ask the fifty candidates to please step forward and line up in five rows of ten on the red carpet of the dance floor, we may begin."

The candidates all started moving while everyone else found seats at the tables around the room. Kyo'da, still staring at the window for signs of whatever made that shadow, was one of the last to take a seat. There was very little hustle or bustle about the matter. It was all quite tame and over quickly with the candidates lined up as requested.

"My thanks, gentlemen."

The Queen took a step back and remained atop the stairs while the King descended them to stand on level ground with the candidates near the edge of the carpet, and beckoned the Princess to come stand by his side. Once she had moved to him, he looked to the men to begin speaking again.

"Gentlemen. Only one of you can be chosen to wed my daughter. We ask that you all please remain patient and understanding in this regard. And that if you are not chosen that it is not a personal matter."

As the King continued giving his speech about the fact that the Princess was here to freely choose her groom-to-be, Kyo'da noticed another shadow flash across the window further down. And a faint orange hue began to shine outside the first window he'd been watching. And it was then that Kyo'da noticed something important. At the dead center of the wall between the windows was a large pillar. And it was right in line with the King and Princess's current position.

Kyo'da bolted to his feet which knocked his chair to the ground and caught everyone's attention, including the King who's speech was suddenly cut short, and sprinted towards him and the Princess as an explosion shook the room and threw debris from the now decimated wall throughout the room and sent the pillar tumbling down at them. With but a half second to spare Kyo'da managed to carefully and gently tackle both the Princess and the King to the ground out of the way of the pillar which slammed down behind him and cratered the floor beneath it. Turning his head, he saw from the corner of his eye that chunks of the ceiling were starting to fall as well. Hopping into a half-standing position he leaned over the Princess and shielded her from a few of the chunks which fell onto his back and then harmlessly to the ground beside them.

With the wall of the palace blown wide open, a small horde of intruders began racing inside with weapons drawn and magic spells at the ready. They were immediately intercepted by the Palace Guards and Mages who were working security, and a chaotic battle began with a few of the lower ranked guards trying to help the candidates and guests flee the Ballroom to safety while the veterans took care of combating the intruders. The clashing of steel and the flashes of magical energies mixing and exploding against each other lit the Ballroom in a myriad of colors and sent tiny streams of magical energy soaring throughout the space. For most these would be harmless unless they were too close to the source. And a few unlucky guests, along with two of the invited Witnesses, had been caught up in such an attack and were either dead or very close to it by the time the guards trying to help them were able to reach their positions.

Kyo'da helped the Princess and the King to their feet just as the Queen rushed down asking after their well being. But the Queen's attention was then caught by a rapidly onrushing intruder with a sword drawn and aimed at her husband's chest, earning a shriek of concern from the Queen. Kyo'da turned his head just in time to see this coming attack reached out to catch the blade with his bare hand, slicing the flesh of his palm in the process, but stopping the attack cold about a foot away from the King.

The halt of the assailant's momentum was instantaneous, as if his blade had just been stuck into a brick wall which caused him to recoil and almost fall forward into Kyo'da's arm. To say the assailant was shocked was an understatement, as evidenced by him blinking several times behind the partial face covering he wore, and Kyo'da used this to his advantage and squeezed down to shatter the blade outright sending tiny shards of metal, and the end of the blade, to the floor. With the assailant halted and disarmed, Kyo'da twisting towards him and punched him in the chest sending him off his feet and sliding across the ground until he hit the far wall.

"Stay behind me!" He shouted to the Royal Family over his shoulder as another pair of assailants came their way.

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · Apr 25, 2022

As one of them men who tried to near Erena, they abruptly stopped and made him fall a few steps back before he cleared his throat and told her saying he was going to the restroom and dashed away. Did he see something to make him stop? She looked around nothing looked menacing at the moment. She took in a breath, perhaps he just really needed to go the restroom, or perhaps something else?

After about several minutes, the musicians slowly started to quieter and bit by bit they stopped their performance, Erena looked at her father to listen to his speech she glanced at her mother and father they were stunning. She had always admired her mother and father even when she was a child. When the fanfare was over everyone seemed to turn their attention to the King and Queen. Once all of them were looking at her parents her father spread his arms wide.

Her father began the speech by welcoming all the guests, it was a nice way to produce a nice and warm welcome. The crowd gave an applause and Erena also smiled, and clapped as well but she felt as if someone were watching her. Of course some people were her father was talking so it was natural for some people to look at her way but somehow the gaze that she felt was more long, she ignored it.

The King continued on with the process of what was going to happen tonight, if things went smoothly she should have a fiancé tonight. Erena felt a surge of pride that the King who was talking was her father, this was for peace across the land and this was the best thing to do at the moment but this would steal her own freedom... But, now wasn't the time to think about her own freedom. The freedom of her citizens came first a kingdom with no people was no kingdom, and a King and Queen with no people isn't a kingdom either. As her father finished the speech she watched as her mother took a step and began talking, she said a few polite words before giving a light bow of her head.

After her mother gave the bow of her head, she saw something, no not something, it looked absolutely like a shadow. Not the face of a person or anything, but she only caught something moving quickly, perhaps it was a bird flying? Maybe... The moon was full outside, the light on the moon... Could it cast an illusion or an shadow...? She shook her head gently trying to ignore it but she kept a small attention to the window.

The candidates moved quietly as they were told and headed toward the red carpet to make the rows of people, she watched them, but her glance kept moving toward the window where there was a shadow... Was it truly a bird? Or something else, if it was something else then... What was it? Despite the whole room being quite peaceful Erena couldn't get over the fact of something moving outside the window, was it inside?

Her mother took a step back as her father began descending down the stairs, as he beckoned his daughter to come him, she gracefully walked to her father. After she was near her father he began announcing again, out of all 50 candidates would Erena truly find someone she found slight happiness with? Someone that had some interest which were similar like hers?

She stared around the room, her mind was slightly blanking... Was she simply tired or bored? Her gaze slid to the window earlier, an orange hue outside... Orange... She looked around her father and herself... Pillar... She tried to connect the dots.

When a chair fell down she glanced at where the sound came from. Orange hue... Somebody moving, pillars aligned with her father and herself, this wasn't a bird or just the moon's reflection this was an attack! She turned to her father trying to tell him but then an explosion shook the room, but there was another person who noticed this, a man who sprinted toward them, when the explosion hit she pulled her hands in front of her face and her father. Debris flew everywhere, and Erena felt her pulse skip a beat. She looked as the pillar was about to fall, but then a man with blue hair quickly but gently tackled them both. She fell to the ground and watched as the pillar fell into the positions where her father and herself were earlier, she felt chills run across her skin. But maintained a firm expression. The ceiling was crumbling and a few pieces almost fell on the princess but the man shielded her as the chunks fell harmlessly around the King and princess.

She was about to ask the man if he was alright but once again she was interrupted but this time with a small horde of intruders came in with the palace wall blown open wide, Erena took in a sharp breath. The palace guards quickly came in alongside the mages. The battle began as the mages and guards tried to keep the candidates and all guests safe to leave the ball room. The room became a flash of colors, she felt her stomach drop but now wasn't the time for cowardliness.

After the stranger helped the King and princess, she gave a small and light bow of her head, she looked up at the man, he has azul hair... Did he...? She shook her head now survival was important she could check his heart later. She watched as her mother rushed down the stairs in a hurry, but her mother's attention was brought by an intruding coming with sword drawn at her father's chest, Erena didn't know what to say or what to do, except gasp softly. The stranger's attention was caught rapidly and he quickly caught the blade of the sword with his own bare hand. Was there blood dripping? He had to be injured, the princess's eyes were wide with worry and fear but she made her fear disappear this wasn't the time to be fearful she had things to protect.

The blade didn't seem to be let go of the stranger's grasp as if it were tuck into something hard and sturdy, did this man feel no pain? No, all people did. The attacker seemed surprised despite the mask covering his face since he blinked several times as if he couldn't understand what was happening at the moment. The man with azul hair squeezed the sword which would be quite foolish for an ordinary person to do but instead the sword shattered into small pieces of metal onto the floor. The attacker which was unarmed and confused the man punched him in the chest and sent him flying across the room until he hit the far side of the wall.

"Stay behind me!" the man shouted to the royal family as another pair of attackers came there way. Erena watched and unconsciously used her vision to see this man's heart, he had the color which she was looking for. Gold.

"Who are you?" she asked in a shrill voice as the pair of attackers came closer, she stood in front of her parents as if to shield them.

GojiBean

GojiBean · Apr 27, 2022

Kyo'da heard the Princess asking who he was, but there was no time to answer.

Two men were rushing with weapons drawn. One a sword and the other a spear. Given the chaos of the battle raging just a short distance away it was no surprise that a few would sneak through. But if they were this intent on going for the Royal Family instead of just causing mayhem then that could only mean they were here to ruin the Princess's engagement for the sake of keeping the tensions high throughout the region.

There'd be time for that later, though. Kyo'da had to act as the only defense between these men and the Royal Family. The spear was the first to reach, and Kyo'da feinted left to draw its edge one way before jolting the other and rushing forward to slam the attacker with his shoulder. The impact immediately broke the man's off-arm, and cracked several ribs, and sent him flying back nearly clipping his ally's bicep with the spear tip as he flew by. The sword use rushed in next and raised his sword high for a downward strike. And to his credit, he was faster than Kyo'da was prepared for. While attempting to side-step the blade caught Kyo'da's collarbone area. And because the muscles were thinner here, the blade dug into flesh and bone but stopped short of cleaving through the thinner collarbone itself.

Kyo'da winced as a small spurt of blood erupted from the wound, and grabbed the man's wrists and gave them a tight squeeze. Both wrists shattered in his grip with a sickening "CRACK" before he let go and they dangled lifelessly and loosely as he screamed in agony. Kyo'da silenced the man with a push kick to the stomach which knocked the wind from him and sent him onto his back several feet away.

The whole time he'd been kicking himself internally for not holding back enough to start with on the first attacker. Catching and crushing the blade bare handed in front of the Royal Family, followed by a blow that sent him across the room... What was he thinking?! And even the one he just took down. Crushing his wrists?!

There'd be no way out of this when confronted by it, as he was certain he would be. Nobody aside from a Tuarva could do these things. Once the battle died down he'd have to get out of here and hope he was fast enough to avoid any would-be followers. Otherwise there'd be no end to the trouble that could come his way.

Thankfully, the guards and mages of the Royal Palace were holding the enemy and, better yet, driving them back.

I guess the rumors of the Palace guard being slackers compared to the actual military were false after all. He thought.

He was glad for it. However...

One stray flare of fiery magic was sent his direction. And had Kyo'da not caught it out of the corner of his eye he most certainly would have been struck by it. And his life would have more than likely ended right then and there. To avoid it he had to literally let himself fall backwards to the ground and watch it sail over and across his stomach. The fiery magic came dangerously close, singing his clothing to the point of burning away and revealing his abdominal muscles which, though divinely sculpted, were now a soft red/pink from being so close to a powerful source of magic.

Why did the Tuarva have to evolve with no magical resistance whatsoever?! He thought.

He rose to his feet quickly and stayed near the Royal Family while watching the tide of battle shift in favor of the Palace Guards and Mages. And eventually the enemy was defeated, and the remnants scattered and fled out the hole in the wall they'd created.

Okay. It has to be now. I need to-

Too late.

Kyo'da had only just turned towards the exit of the room when he was already half-surrounded by mages who were simply holding balls of magic as a way to passive-aggressively warn him to hold still.

"... Fuck." He muttered under his breath.

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · May 1, 2022

Erena asked the man who he was but he either ignored it or was too busy focusing on the battle. Probably both. The pair of men who were attacking the royal family closed in, one had a sword and the other a spear. It seemed as if this attack was planned carefully to either create an uproar, or either crash her own engagement ceremony. She chose the latter the group of attackers must have been one of the kingdoms or lands which wanted to keep the high tension among the other kingdoms, to prevent Sihlruan from forming peace. At the moment the princess couldn't tell which land or kingdom was attacking them the main thought she should have at the moment was the will to survive and protect her parents.

She focused her attention back to the stranger and the color of his heart, she still blinked several times... It was gold, right? Could her mother see it as well? At the moment the man seemed to protect the royal family from the intruders. Was he on her side? Or was he just a bystander who got involved? Perhaps both or maybe the latter once again. The azul-haired man feinted left before giving the assassin an impact of his left shoulder but it immediately broke the man's arm off and Erena gave a small squeak and a gasp, as her eyes widened slightly. She turned her eyes away from the man who went flying. But the next man made his move this time it was a man with a sword. The stranger seemed like he wasn't prepared for this attack. It was fast. The sword dug into the azul-haired man's collarbone area and blood trickled, she winced herself.

The next thing that happened was the man grabbing the wrists of the assassin and giving them a squeeze the attacker screamed in agony, Erena couldn't image what it felt like at that moment. And then the moment passed, she remembered. This man was perhaps Tuarva? The race had incredible strength much more than regular races which would make sense with his build and strength but his mannerism and personality as far as the princess could tell was completely different than those from Tuarva... Was he not Tuarva? She focused her attention back on the scream, before the Tuarva man kicked his abdomen and sent him flying before he landed on his back. She closed her eyes that moment but Erena was determined to see through it all.

Erena watched as the palace guards and mages began driving out the intruders bit by bit, she felt the knot in her chest began to loosen but she checked the area. She would never let anyone harm her parents.

She watched as a stray fireball almost hit their savior. Be careful! she thought but it didn't come out in words, the man fell on his back the fireball passing through his stomach revealing his muscles which were pink and red from the heat, for a moment Erena didn't know how to react except look at her mother for a moment, could her mother as well see as well? The color of this man's heart? She gave a look at her mother, a one which tried to convey words.

Notice. Notice the color of the heart. she thought, as her eyes went back to the man, he quickly rose to his feet and she watched as the battle was now in favor of the guards and mages of Sihlruan, eventually the enemy was defeated and the few who remained quickly scurried through the hole they made and left. When the Tuarva man tried to turn for the exit, she watched as he was nearly surrounded with mages holding fireballs, she opened her mouth to refuse. But she couldn't act like a child.

Erena heard the man mutter something in his breath but she couldn't catch it, she took a step forward. She trusted this man. She stepped forward until she was in front of the tall man which was nearly a foot taller than her. She shook her heads at the mages.

"This man... This man saved me and my family, please do not harm him. Lower your magic, please." she told the mages, she didn't look at the man she only told the truth, she trusted him. She felt like she could at the moment. Especially when he saved them from quite a few assassins. But would they need convincing? She prepared herself to be told something. As she waited for her mother to realize the color of his heart. This man was the one she was looking for her.

GojiBean · May 4, 2022

The Princess had rushed to his side urging that the mages and the guards, who were also starting to gather en masse in a wide circle around his area on the ballroom floor, back off and leave him alone. But they weren't budging. And at some level he couldn't blame them. They knew what he was. And that's what they cared about. In their heads a Tuarva must've been as good as an enemy regardless of whose side it was on.

Despite the Princess's objections, the mages kept their spells ready and the guards brandished their weapons. They did not advance. But they stayed put.

The King, watching this all unfold, was perplexed to say the least. But before he could speak, one of the guards approached him from the side.

"My King. This man is a Tuarva. There's no other explanation for his strength. He must be here to cause trouble, sire."

The King looked to Kyo'da, remembering what he did for him and his wife and daughter. If the young man wanted them dead, he could have let the pillar fall on all of them. Instead he tackled them out of harm's way. And if he was a Tuarva, he had incredible control over his strength to have brought none of them to any harm while doing such a high impact maneuver.

The King looked to his wife whose eyes were transfixed on the young man, unmoving.

"Dear?" He asked.

The Queen's eyes remained open, and her jaw slightly agape, until the King gave her a gentle nudge.

"Dear? What is it?"

"Oh, darling. Apologies."

"Never you mind, my dear. What is it? What do you see?"

Her eyes returned to Kyo'da, and a subtle smile appeared on her lips.

"His heart, my love... It's gold."

Of those in attendance, even the guards and mages, an audible gasp filled the room.

"Are you certain, dear? No mistake? After all the adrenaline is still flowing."

She shook her head.

"There's no mistake, my love. This young man's heart glows with golden light. It's plain as day not only to me, but obviously..." She looked towards Erena, "To our daughter as well."

The King looked around to the guards and mages who all returned his gaze.

"Stay your hands, everyone. And do not make me repeat myself!" He barked loudly, his voice echoing through the room.

The guards and mages begrudgingly lowered their weapons and dismissed their spells and backed off which gave Kyo'da a little room to breathe. But even so he was then approached by the King and Queen, standing side by side, as they took up a spot near their daughter with their eyes fixed on him.

"Young man. Are you truly a Tuarva?"

Kyo'da took a breath.

"Yes, I am."

The room again gasped, though not as much as when the announcement of the color of Kyo'da's heart was given.

"Silence!"

... The room fell quiet.

"Young man. What is your name, and where do you hail from?"

Kyo'da suddenly realized where he was and who was speaking to him, so he dropped to one knee and averted his gaze downward.

"Apologies for my rudeness, Your Majesty." This earned a warm smile from the Queen as she continued to observe the color of his heart. "My name is Kyo'da, and I hail from the Elven city of Kiitemhura here in Sihlruan."

"And you are a candidate?"

"No, Your Majesty. I was invited as a Witness."

"I see."

The Queen turned to Erena.

"Sweetheart, what do you think?"

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · May 6, 2022

Erena felt a flick of anger cross her chest even despite she told them to lower their magic but it couldn't be helped. Everyone could tell this man was Tuarva. A race with much strength but zero resistance to magic. If this man wanted to he could crush her skull with his bare hands, and kill even her parents. But she trusted him. He saved her life and her father's he couldn't have left them dead if he wanted to have but he tackled them both to rescue them.

But all the mages and guards stayed put but they were still had their magic ready, she did understand. But if only other people could see through other people's hearts. No, no, that would change everything... If everyone was able to see the heart of people perhaps they could've have avoided all the wars the kingdoms have gone through and the attacks.

A guard approached her father and announced to him that the man was a Tuarva and he is here to cause trouble, Erena looked shocked for a moment before putting her composed face. How could they say such things? This man clearly saved both the king, the queen and the princess. The royal family yet how could he be seen as the villain? The azul-haired man was strong, very strong and it was more than clear, if he wanted to at the moment he could probably grab any of the people here and threaten any one of them. But seeing his heart. His heart's color, she trusted him even though she knew nothing about him.

"Dear?"

Her father called her mother, her mother's eyes were fixed on the man, did she notice? Does she know? Her mother's mouth was slightly agape until her father gave her a gentle nudge.

"Dear? What is it?"

Her mother quickly apologized. The king didn't mind that he asked his wife what was wrong, and a smile flitted across her lips, and she said it, she told everyone that his heart was gold. The one color no one could ever find or most of the time was rarely there. Erena's father asked if her mother's adrenaline was still flowing, but she shook her head and told it was visible and when her mother's gaze turned toward her she smiled faintly.

Her father looked around the guards and mages, and then barked an order at the mages and guards. They all immediately obeyed lowering their weapons, dismissing their spells and gave room for the man to breath.

Her father asked if the man was a Tuarva and she looked at him for a split second, was he? Or was everyone's assumptions wrong? Were they right? What other race had this much strength though if he was not Tuarva?

"Yes, I am." the man responded to the question, a gasp rippled across the mages and gasped but not as much sound came as before when they were told the man's heart was gold. So the man was indeed Tuarva and all of them were accurate but this man did not seem to be the average barbaric Tuarva he liked destruction, though.

Her father ordered for silence and the room once again was brought to silence. The king asked where he came from, that was indeed a question if his heart was of gold was he truly raised by the Tuarvas? His mannerism was very different, he wasn't like his race but once again one could never know perhaps he either had good parents or lived elsewhere. Suddenly the man dropped down on one knee and his eyes were on the floor.

"Apologies for my rudeness, Your Majesty." her mother smiled warmly at the man's gestures and she too had faintly smiled this man could be trusted he did not seem shady or suspicious in a single way.

"My name is Kyo'da, and I hail from the Elven city of Kiitemhura here in Sihlruan." Erena listened to the man whose name was Kyo'da and indeed her suspicions were correct of how he was not raised in Tuarva but with the elves this would explain his mannerism and how he so different, she watched him. He did truly seem like a good person but despite having a gold heart there were some cases in which sometimes people could not get along with the golden hearts.

"No, Your Majesty. I was invited as a Witness."

A question that Erena had not thought was answered, the question was "Are you a candidate?" apparently he was not, he was just a witness but he did a great deed by saving the royal family. Her family.

Her mother turned to her. "Sweetheart, what do you think?" what did she think? She didn't know all she could feel was an emotion she couldn't comprehend and a word she hesitated, she didn't know what to say. If she had to do it for political reason it would not good. He was not from a neighboring nation, simply a witness. But if she thought personally, perhaps he would be better than others... But she could not demand for him to stay. That was unfair. He had a life and she was not his commander. Perhaps he already had a lover.

"I--" she hesitated. What should she say?

GojiBean

GojiBean · May 20, 2022

One of the guards took a step forward and gave a salute before kneeling before the King.

"Sire. With all due respect to Her Majesty, the color of one's heart cannot possibly be allowed to overrule the dangers wrought by the individual's origin. This young man is a Tuarva. And their kind is known only for its brutality and savage nature. I beseech you, my King, allow the Mages to evict this one from the premises that we may begin trying to restore some order to this event."

The King grumbled and considered the guard's words. But one look at his wife, who continued smiling at Kyo'da, seemed to make up his mind for him.

"Gentlemen. Let us all remember the purpose behind this event... To bring our people closer to our neighbors, and to bridge the social and political gaps which exist between us. One's race does not dictate the path of their heart as they grow. That path is influenced by those who raise them, the people they grow up with, and the hardships and experiences they endure along the way."

The Queen nodded.

"Indeed, my fine, loyal Knights and Mages. My husband, daughter, and myself all thank you endlessly for your unyielding desire to protect and serve this family. But I pray you will not allow your reason to be blinded by racial prejudice on this, of all nights. Also, please think of it this way. If it's possible for a Tuarva to have a Golden heart, is it not also possible for that same Tuarva to be a force for positivity?"

The guards and Mages, though respectful of the King and Queen, seemed silently unmoved as they alternated between nodding at their words, and giving small side glares to Kyo'da who paid them no mind. He was listening to the Royal Family with his heart still pounding in his chest.

The Queen walked over to her daughter, and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"My love, I ask once more. What do you think of this young man and the color of his heart?"

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · May 21, 2022

One of the guards stepped up, knelt before the king and explained once more of how the man was from the race Tuarva, and that a hearts color did matter but the race mattered more? The reason was truly understandable, there could be a possibility. But her mother and her vision has never lied, not once. With her father's vision she felt as if she could see through the past she looked over to her father, she wondered what he thought. Would he easily be swayed by the idea?

Her father grumbled, and it seemed like he took the idea into consideration. But, he was still deep in thought. As soon as he turned to the queen it seemed he made up his mind.

"Gentlemen. Let us all remember the purpose behind this event... To bring our people closer to our neighbors, and to bridge the social and political gaps which exist between us. One's race does not dictate the path of their heart as they grow. That path is influenced by those who raise them, the people they grow up with, and the hardships and experiences they endure along the way."

Erena felt a rush of pride and joy swell through her chest, this was exactly why everyone had gathered. Race did not matter, everyone was truly the same, everyone lived. Everybody had families big or small, and everyone truly had to be equal. That is what Erena loved about her father and how he treated everyone.

The princess watched her mother nod in agreement and Erena herself smiled. Nest her mother told a small speech just like her father.

"Indeed, my fine, loyal Knights and Mages. My husband, daughter, and myself all thank you endlessly for your unyielding desire to protect and serve this family. But I pray you will not allow your reason to be blinded by racial prejudice on this, of all nights. Also, please think of it this way. If it's possible for a Tuarva to have a Golden heart, is it not also possible for that same Tuarva to be a force for positivity?"

That was indeed true. Everyone should get a chance, even in the moments when no one could trust them. But the knights and mages didn't seem to convinced with the speeches of both the king or the queen. Her mother walked over to Erena, she felt a knot in her stomach for a moment but she loosened it up. Her mother put her hands on her daughter's shoulder.

"My love, I ask once more. What do you think of this young man and the color of his heart?" her mother asked her, and now Erena knew the answer. She knew the reason why she hesitated as well. She only smiled serenely at her mother.

Before she told her, "I believe that we can trust this man, and I think he is worthy of being a candidate. That is what I think of this man." she cast a small glance at the man wondering if he would accept the thought or if he would refuse.

GojiBean

GojiBean · May 27, 2022

"C-Candidate?!" The Captain of the guards screamed.

"Your Majesty! You can't possibly give such a thought consideration!!"

The Queen's smile upon the face of her daughter was warm and soft. But even as her lips remained curved upwards, the drop in her eyes as she turned her head towards the Captain of the Guards gave him an icy chill down his spine. For all her beauty and benevolence, the Queen's smile when presented like this was enough to silence even the King without any chance to speak until spoken to.

"F-forgive my outburst, Your Majesty!" He said with a bow and dropped to one knee.

The Queen's icy gaze remained on him for a moment, and then she looked to the others who all remained frozen in place as well. Her smile slowly disappeared, replaced by total neutrality.

"... Gentlemen..." She began.

The King shuddered and silently stroked his beard in a subconscious self-assuring gesture.

She hasn't been this angry in... Gods above, I can't even remember the last time. He thought.

"I would like to remind you once again of the purpose of this occasion. That we might bridge gaps and mend the rifts which permeate our lands, and those of our neighbors. The race, age, birthplace, or social status of a Candidate were not part of our scout's criteria. They searched for those whom they believed would best suit the Princess as a husband-to-be, and future ruler of our fair nation with a mind for the lives, culture, and social needs of our neighbors in service of the primary goal of unity through diversity."

She paused and gave a slow, methodical turn of her head to meet the eyes of every member of the guards in turn. Doing so brought her to Kyo'da, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange despite his shock at the prospect of himself becoming a Candidate. When her eyes met Kyo'da's, there was an almost instantaneous switch from the calm, icy neutrality to warmth and joy. And as soon as her eyes moved on from him, they returned to that icy neutrality before her scan of the room was complete, and she turned to her husband.

"My love. What say you of your daughter's decision?"

The King swallowed a lump in his throat as he contemplated the consequences. Yes, giving the young man a chance as a Candidate was a viable option in service to the purpose of the event. And his Candidacy didn't guarantee his place as the Princess's husband-to-be. If she found someone better amongst the suitors, she could and would choose someone different. But if she chose him... His Taurva heritage couldn't simply be ignored. The number of people in this Royal Palace alone who hated the Taurva race were incalculable. And he had to admit deep down that he too was highly distrusting of their race, despite having the mental fortitude to not let his distrust overrule his proper judgement.

But what of the people? When they find out-... If find out, presuming he was chosen... What would the consequences be? At best, they'd understand the Royal Family's decision and trust their judgement. They'd gained outstanding report with their people through the years. But a Tuarva... At best, begrudging understanding. At worst, riots, uprising, and potentially worse. He'd heard and read the stories of their nation's own bloody history with uprisings. They had no fewer than seven in the last three centuries alone. Each one more aggressive and violent than the last. The most recent instance was before his time. But he remembered reading of the public decapitation of the Royal Family over something so simple as letting the taxes remain too high for too long. If their people had been willing to do that over taxes, what would they do knowing that a Tuarva was to be their future King?

His mind was a blur of thoughts, racing from positive to negative and back again trying to find a way to rationalize allowing his daughter's decision to stand. He kept coming back to the argument that "candidacy" wasn't a hard decision which guaranteed that this young man, Kyo'da, was to become the next King in waiting. But still-...

He felt a pair of hands touch his face, and a warmth spread through his body. When his eyes opened, he saw his wife gazing lovingly into his eyes.

The Uranus could sense the color of one's heart and subtly alter the emotions of those in close proximity. That's what the Queen was doing now. She was altering his emotions and bringing a sense of peace to his racing and anxious mind. And it was working. His heart felt like it was released from under the weight of an anvil, and his body too felt as if it had cast aside the atlas stone that he might stretch and relax his weary body.

"... Thank you, dear." He whispered, stroking her cheek as he smiled back at her.

She closed her eyes in delight and leaned up to kiss his cheek before holding his hand and taking her place beside him as he looked to the room.

"My daughter's decision is that this young man, Kyo'da, is to join the ranks of the Candidates. My decision... Is that her wish be granted."

Several mouths opened prepared to speak, but the King quickly raised a hand to silence them before they could voice their objections.

"I will not allow racial prejudice to besmirch the good name of our nation, or my family. Remember, all of you, that I myself was an outsider chosen by your Queen, the former Princess, in a similar such arrangement. There were objections aplenty to our union. But look where we are. Look what our nation has accomplished since then. Our lands are more fertile and producing more crops and cattle. Our waters are cleaner and have spread further with the help of aqueducts and infrastructure improvements. Our laws are more fair, and have allowed for the growth of small, private business enterprises to emerge and establish themselves widening the market and opening more opportunities for trade and commerce. And most importantly... Our people are happy. Not just content. Happy."

He looked to Kyo'da, and beckoned him forward.

Kyo'da approached and knelt before the King, as was proper.

"Rise, young man. And look me in the eye."

Kyo'da did as ordered, and when his eyes met the King's they stood near equal height with the only real difference being the King's crown making him appear slightly taller, and his royal clothing looking slightly more imposing than Kyo'da's more casual wear.

"Speak your heart, young man. I wish for all to hear what it is that gave you reason to accept being a Witness to this event."

What made him want to be a witness... That was a good question. But, thankfully, it had a simple answer.

"I came here as a Witness because I wanted to see the beginnings of a union that made an attempt to bridge gaps and overcome boundaries, Your Majesty."

The Queen had held a neutral expression during her husband's speech, but could not stop herself from smiling at Kyo'da's response.

"And why did you wish to see that, young man?" The King asked.

Now this was a bit more of a difficult question. And he knew he'd have to word this carefully. He took a long time to think, and stared through the King's chest almost as if looking at the ground behind him before finally meeting the King's gaze again.

"I've always known my strength made me different, and it gave my family no end of trouble growing up."

The Queen's eyes flickered, and her smile widened.

"Still, I've always wondered what it would be like if I didn't have this strength. If it didn't make others see me differently, or make them scared of me." He said, looking down at his right hand which he held up about waist height, palm up and relaxed. "I don't want people to be scared of me. It-..." His hand twitched.

The Queen's smile suddenly dropped, and her eyes widened.

Kyo'da's aura was changing.

His golden heart remained consistent. But her senses alerted her to the depths of sorrow welling up from within Kyo'da.

Or, rather, not sorrow. It was trauma. Whatever he was thinking about was something which had deeply scarred him. A single thought or memory which, in an instant, was enough to completely destroy his emotional stability and that quiet air of confidence he'd been presenting up until this moment.

His eyes had changed too. His eyes had matched that air of confidence. But as he stared at his hand, his eyes looked like those of a lost child near the edge of an emotional breakdown.

The Queen gave a gentle squeeze of her husband's hand, and he looked at her out of the corner of his eye before looking quickly back to Kyo'da.

"... I don't want to scare anyone." Kyo'da said again, slightly quieter than before.

He let his hand drop, and when he looked up his eyes returned to their previous silent confidence. And though the Queen's eyes had softened as well as she saw his quiet confidence returning, her subtle frown, born of sorrow and sympathy, remained.

"I thought this event would be a chance for me to witness first hand that the possibility of people being different could still make them happy and hopeful is real, no matter where they're from or who their family is."

Silence.

The King looked deep into Kyo'da's eyes. And though he couldn't see what his wife saw, he also felt a twinge of sympathy in Kyo'da's choice of words. The King closed his eyes, and he felt his wife take a subtle step closer to him.

The King repeated Kyo'da's words in his head, and smiled as he thought more on the matter.

He didn't say 'it caused me no end of trouble.' He said 'it caused my family no end of trouble.'

He didn't say 'I've always wondered what it would be like if my strength didn't make me different, or make me scare people.' He said 'I've always wondered what it would be like if my strength didn't make others see me differently, or make them scared of me.'

But that final sentence... My darling, I think now I understand why you made that face earlier. He thought as he gave his wife's hand a gentle squeeze, which she returned.

He wants to know that happiness and hope are real for those who are different.

The King opened his eyes, and despite having a calm and neutral external expression his heart weighed heavy at the implication of Kyo'da's words.

Young man... You said your strength caused your family no end of trouble. But you indeed have been affected by it as well. Far more so than you're willing to acknowledge. And yet, here you are. Holding on to hope.

The King smiled.

"Thank you, Kyo'da."

The Queen's smile returned as she sighed in relief, already knowing what her husband was about to say.

"This event will be continued tomorrow in the Gardens whilst repairs are made to the Palace. Please see to it that all the candidates are given Guest Quarters for the night."

He looked to the guards with a calm, yet stern stare.

"And I do mean all of them."

The Guards all kneeled with a loud, unified "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Thank you." He said as he turned to Kyo'da. "Young man, you are officially a Candidate for this event. Please, make yourself at home and don't hesitate to ask any of the Palace attendants to assist you with anything you need."

It still hadn't sunk in yet that he was a Candidate. But...

"Thank you, Your Highness." He replied with a bow.

The King chuckled.

"No need for further formalities, Kyo'da. We're all exhausted by this point. And I think it's time we all relaxed a little." He turned to the Queen. "I'm going to go to bed early, darling. I'll see you in the morning."

The Queen smiled and gave her husband a kiss as he exited the room, and then looked at Kyo'da with a smile.

"My husband is usually very bad with names, Kyo'da." She said as she looked to her daughter and gave a wink before departing the room herself.

Kyo'da let out a sigh and sat down on the floor, elbows on his knees, as he finally felt the weight of Candidacy sinking in.

"I'm a Candidate." He mumbled.

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · May 31, 2022

The princess visibly stood taller when the captain guard screamed. The scream caught her off guard and she seemed to straighten her posture instead of flinching, she wanted to look angry. She did. But, she didn't. It was true, anyone would be surprised and maybe even distrustful. Although, that didn't stop her mother.

Her mother seemed peachy, she was still smiling at her anyway. But behind that kind smile as soon as she laid her eyes of the captain guard the princess could notice the ice in her mother's eyes. Even though her mother was both beautiful, kind and graceful it wouldn't stop her from being cold, Erena felt her hair on her neck stand on its end, but she knew why her mother was acting like this.

The captain guards immediately apologized and fell down to one knee. If Erena were in that man's shoes she would definitely act the same. The Queen's cold gaze remained on one guard before her face turned to total neutrality. Her mother began with the first word, gentleman. The princess could already feel daggers being shot at the guards in that single word. She was sure even her father knew. Taking a small glance she saw that her father shuddered slightly and that he began stroking his beard.

Her mother began talking about how important this was, and the princess couldn't help but admire her mother again, this was someone she wanted to be like, like her mother. Her mother's reasoning was true to, all the reasons. To be able to bridge the gaps and mend the rifts of the lands, and that race, age and birthplace didn't matter, or social area, which included this Tuarva right here. This was because their goal was to create diversity, and unity without fear for other races and distrust.

The Queen paused and right after she slowly turned her head to meet the eyes of every guard. Eventually she reached Kyo'da's eyes, immediately as if there was a switch her icy neutrality changed to joy and warmth for the man, despite the news of him becoming a candidate which must be quite a shock he was silent all the way through the Queen's speech. As soon as her mother's eyes moved away from Kyo'da, they possessed the icy neutrality again, once she checked that her scan was done her eyes turned toward Erena's father, the King.

"My love. What say you of your daughter's decision?"

Now, that was a question. What did her father truly think about this moment? If they thought about it politically, if by chance he would be accepted into the candidates if her father agreed, it would choose and put him in a spot for husband-to-be but it didn't assure the spot, if he truly was chosen to be Erena's groom then his race would and could not be ignored as he would be their future King and the number alone of how many people hated Tuarva from inside the palace was countless. If the outside hated the King and even the inside it would change everything. No one would support a Tuarva to be their King. Everything would start an uproar. The news, reports... Erena felt her muscles tensing from the thought. But, she believed in him. But... If Kyo'da turned out to be a man she did not think she would immediately try to find someone else. She could not throw away everything for one person... Could she?

She sucked in a breath, calming her thoughts down, even her father must have thought about this by now. The King would surely have a hard time deciding. Especially if this was supposed to be the unity between races but if a race was truly afraid of another race it would impossible for the unity to happen at all. Erena watched her mother put her hand on her father's face, her mother was gazing at her father lovingly, the princess could tell in that moment that her mother was altering the emotions the King felt, bringing in peace and tranquility to his mind. A power only the Uranus could do.

Her father whispered words perhaps loving words to her mother as he stroked the Queen's face and smiled back at her.

The moment the King told how he wanted to grant the princess's wish, Erena felt her own face shocked as well, but she smiled at her father. Several mouths of the guards came open to try and tell their opinion, to argue or to why NOT to choose him as candidate but the King merely raised his hand and that silenced them all.

"I will not allow racial prejudice to besmirch the good name of our nation, or my family. Remember, all of you, that I myself was an outsider chosen by your Queen, the former Princess, in a similar such arrangement. There were objections aplenty to our union. But look where we are. Look what our nation has accomplished since then. Our lands are more fertile and producing more crops and cattle. Our waters are cleaner and have spread further with the help of aqueducts and infrastructure improvements. Our laws are more fair, and have allowed for the growth of small, private business enterprises to emerge and establish themselves widening the market and opening more opportunities for trade and commerce. And most importantly... Our people are happy. Not just content. Happy."

A wonderful speech, Erena couldn't help but feel blessed, she truly did have wonderful parents which she didn't deserve. She smiled at the speech as it was told and once it was finished her father's eyes were on Kyo'da and her turned to him and Kyo'da as was proper knelt on the ground. Her father ordered him to rise and they were strikingly close in height with the exception that her father was wearing a crown making him appear slightly taller and that her father was wearing a much more royal clothing on the other hand Kyo'da wore casual clothes.

What made you a witness? The question echoed in the mind of the princess for a moment, did he just want to see the unity of the land or was he simply bored? But, apparently Kyo'da answered the way his heart would answer, and Erena's eyes slowly softened. Her father asked him another question of why he would like to see that happen.

"I've always known my strength made me different, and it gave my family no end of trouble growing up."

Erena watched as her mother's eyes flickered and her smile widened,

"Still, I've always wondered what it would be like if I didn't have this strength. If it didn't make others see me differently, or make them scared of me." He said, looking down at his right hand which he held up about waist height, palm up and relaxed. "I don't want people to be scared of me. It-..." His hand twitched.

Erena could see her mother's face changing and Kyo'da aura, changing. His golden heart was still there but something else was there, sorrow or trauma. It was as if Kyo'da was looking back at a memory. A memory which scarred him.

His eyes were different now, the eyes which seemed to be calm and stable faded and was replaced with the eyes of a child near the edge of crying or an emotional breakdown.

"... I don't want to scare anyone." Kyo'da said but this time it was quieter than before. His hand dropped and his eyes once again returned the silent confidence they had before, unlike the eyes of a child from earlier. She watched her mother's eyes soften but a frown was on her face this time perhaps out of sympathy and sorrow for the man.

"I thought this event would be a chance for me to witness first hand that the possibility of people being different could still make them happy and hopeful is real, no matter where they're from or who their family is."

Once his talk was finished everything fell into silence, her father once again was looking into Kyo'da's eyes and despite him not being able to see Erena believed that her father had held sympathy for Kyo'da and his choice of words and how what it seemed that he was lost for a moment. The King closed his eyes and the Queen took a subtle step closer to her husband. Erena could not read thoughts but she could see his emotions changing, the way he smiled more the way cogs turned in his mind as he was thinking of something important. But, the princess smiled at her father and Kyo'da.

Her father opened his eyes, and his face was completely neutral she could tell how the words made the King's heart heavy. But, her father smiled after a moment.

The King thanked Kyo'da, and the Queen also sighed in relief, and a smile returned to her face.

"This event will be continued tomorrow in the Gardens whilst repairs are made to the Palace. Please see to it that all the candidates are given Guest Quarters for the night."

Her father said to the guards and then in a moment he added ALL. Indeed that was truly like her father. The guards shouted in a unified voice at the command of the King.

"Thank you, Your Highness." He replied with a bow.

Her father chuckled before he told him how he would go to bed early as he turned toward her mother. Erena chuckled softly as well at the remark of her father. Her mother smiled as she gave her husband a kiss and exited the room and looked over to Kyo'da with a smile as well.

"My husband is usually very bad with names, Kyo'da." She said as she looked to her daughter and gave a wink before departing the room herself.

Erena chuckled again at her mother's comment.

Kyo'da sat on the ground with his elbows on his knees and Erena quickly looked over to see if he was alright.

"I'm a Candidate." He mumbled.

Erena chuckled lightly at his quiet words, "That is indeed true, good sir. Well, I'll formally introduce myself again, I am Erena Sihlruan, it is a pleasure to meet you." she told him kindly, as she gave a small curtsy, at Kyo'da and stood there, "Well, I'm sure the guards will come here to escort to your room. If you have any questions please tell me." she smiled.

GojiBean

GojiBean · May 31, 2022

Kyo'da looked up, and his eyes met those of the Princess as she gave a curtsey and offered to answer any questions he might have.

Honestly, he could think of a lot. But for the moment... His mother's words echoed through his mind.

"Kyo'da, remember. It's always okay to ask questions. But be careful. If you ask too many at once you might overwhelm yourself with the information you receive."

Kyo'da sighed and stood up, rolling his head and neck, as well as his shoulder, before checking his wounded hand. It had stopped bleeding, but it still didn't exactly look great. A large gash across the palm from grabbing a blade by hand was never a pretty sight.

He looked up to meet the Princess's gaze.

"Are there any first aid supplies I could use? My body doesn't react to Healing Magic very well."

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · May 31, 2022

Erena immediately flushed bright pink. Why hadn't she thought of that? She immediately nodded.

"I'm very sorry." she quickly said, "I'll go find it right away." she quickly scurried to find the nearest first aid supplies. Quickly striding through the palace she asked for a maid for a supply of first aid supplies, once given to her she returned back to where Kyo'da was, she quickly opened it up, the whole supply was filled with simple things. As a princess her duty was to learn. She tried to recall the most she knew about tending wounds.

You must first tend to it so that it does not have an infection. Disinfecting it.

She grabbed a bin of which probably held alcohol. "Is it alright if I treat you myself? It would be the quickest... But, of course we can easily bring a doctor." she told him looking into his eyes. He was a candidate now, he was a Tuarva but the princess could not be afraid. She was trying to help him after all.

GojiBean

GojiBean · May 31, 2022

As the Princess raced off to find medical supplies Kyo'da found and pulled up a chair, which was remarkably still in tact, and took a seat to wait. Glancing around, he saw the eyes of many a suspicious guards still staring calmly and with neutrality at him. But he'd seen these looks before. They were neutral outside. But inside... He knew they were seething. But out of fear of reproach from the Royal Family, they hid their displeasure as they resumed their duties of summoning all who could help with cleaning up and repairing the Castle.

Meanwhile, the Princess returned with some supplies and asked if she could treat him herself.

"I'd be honored, Princess." He said with a light bow of his head.

Kyo'da didn't have super hearing, but his hearing was above average. And he could hear a grumble from one of the Mages nearby saying "filthy beast is getting too comfortable with the Princess already."

He ignored the remark and focused on his hand as the Princess began applying alcohol to it, which stung like nobody's business. Kyo'da's jaw tightened, and his brow furrowed a bit as his whole arm flexed against the pain. Though it was an unconscious reaction to the pain going through his hand, Kyo'da had just given the Princess her first real good look at his musculature, with nearly every grouping of muscles being easily distinguishable from the next. It was almost as if his arm had become an anatomical model of the muscles beneath the skin, showcasing exactly how they interlocked, overlapped, and interlaced within.

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · May 31, 2022

While treating Kyo'da wound the princess's ears kept ringing bright red. Of course, she was not used to seeing such muscle. But she tried to ignore the fact and tried to focus much more on the cut. But, each time perhaps the pain stung the reaction Kyo'da would give was unconscious as his muscles flexed, Princess Erena quickly wrapped it up but she made sure it was neat, wrapping the bandage around his wound light but strong enough to make sure enough pressure was on it. Once finished she rose up and gave a polite bow to her savior. "I want to thank you again for saving my family, Sir Kyo'da. I deeply thank you from the bottom of my heart." she murmered, this was truly not a lie. It wasn't. If it weren't for him perhaps by now she would be on her way to the afterlife.

She looked around, the guards and mages still had a neatural face but inside she could tell the fear and hatred of the Tuarva was still there. She only gazed coolly though. She turned back to the candidate, "I think it must be time to rest, or well at least for me." she chuckled, looking around and the debris, she was thankful to be alive. Truly. "If you have any questions just like my father had said please don't hesitate to ask the palace maids or anything." she murmured, as she looked over to head to her chambers, it had already been a long night and Erena herself needed some rest to process all the thing which had happened this day, for a moment she even forgot it was her birthday. She was twenty tonight, how strange, she didn't feel any different though. "Goodnight Sir Kyo'da," she told him.

GojiBean

GojiBean · Jun 1, 2022

Kyo'da sat as still as possible despite his reflexive flexing against the pain of the alcohol. And once his hand was wrapped and the Princess went on her way with a goodnight, he said "Goodnight, Princess" and looked around.

If it wasn't stares/glares, it was pretending not to see him. Fairly typical. But just how far did this go already? Did all the servants and attendants in the Palace know already? Probably. But he'd have to move to find out. So, even if they were obviously distrusting of him he had no choice since guards and mages were the only ones around.

"Excuse me. Where are the guest quarters located?"

The guards he asked gave him a huff through their noses and turned away to start clearing rubble. Fine.

"Excuse me, sir. Where are the guest quarters?" He asked of a mage who was just standing around.

"I'm busy, sir. Please ask someone else." He said, turning away and watching others clear rubble.

Kyo'da sighed inwardly and finally saw an attendant, a young Elven woman, walking through with her arms full of freshly folded clothing. Presumably this was to be delivered to their guests, as they weren't expected previously to stay longer than the night's event would allow.

"Excuse me, miss. May I ask where the guest quarters are located?"

"Oh, of course. They're-AH!" She gasped as she turned to look at him, and froze.

"I-uh-um-u-uh..." She started trembling as her eyes trailed up to his blue hair, and Kyo'da again sighed inwardly.

"It's all right, miss, I'll ask someone else."

"I-I'm sorry sir!" She chirped as she strode away with a longer and more purposeful stride.

If she was delivering the clothing to them, maybe he could just follow her. But if he did, it'd probably scare her even more. Kyo'da waited patiently for her to disappear, and then counted to 100 in his head before following the direction she had gone. Along the way he found himself in the halls of the Palace admiring the artwork, sculptures, painted glass windows, the fine carpet beneath his feet, etc. Royalty really knew how to live, didn't they?

Eventually he found a maid approaching from the opposite direction, and she offered him a smile which lit his heart with hope.

"Pardon me, miss. I'm having trouble locating the guest quarters." He said as they got within six paces.

"Oh, you must be a candidate. Yes?"

"Yes, miss."

She gave him a bow.

"My name is Lia. I'm one of three Head Maids here at the Palace. And it will be my pleasure to escort you, dear Candidate. Please, follow me."

Kyo'da smiled.

"Thank you very much."

As they walked in silence, Kyo'da couldn't help but wonder...

"So, um... Did you hear about the Tuarva?"

"Yes. I heard about you."

"Is it well known already?"

"I'm afraid so. The blue-haired Tuarva is abuzz throughout the entire Palace."

Kyo'da ran a hand through his hair. Figures. He thought.

Lia paused and turned around to give another light bow.

"Please, don't let it get to you." She said with a pleasant smile. "The fear of you will fade with time. Given what I've heard, you protected the life of the Royal Family with great honor and tenacity. Tuarva or not, you have our eternal gratitude." She said with a full bow at the waist.

Kyo'da felt something new just then, and rubbed his neck.

"Um... Thanks. You don't need to bow though, do you?"

"Of course I must. It's our custom. When in gratitude, one bows fully at the waist to show proper respect and admiration for the recipient of the bow."

"Ah."

Kyo'da bowed at the waist for her, which caught her off guard for a moment before making her smile again.

"Thank you for not being afraid of me." He said as he rose from the bow.

"Of course, dear Candidate. Please, come."

She led him to his quarters where he couldn't help but stare.

"This is a guest quarters?"

It looked more like an upper class nobility master bedroom in a mansion.

"Yes. We apologize for the somewhat cramped accommodations."

"Thiiiiiiiiiiis isn't what I'd call 'cramped'." He said, admiring the size of the room which was easily twenty feet wide and almost thirty feet long. "This feels like, I don't know. But it's definitely not cramped." He said as he recalled the memory of his first room as a child.

"I'm pleased you find it adequate. Is there anything you need?"

"I don't suppose your beds have metal frames, do they?"

"Pardon? Metal?"

"Well, I'm a Tuarva. I weigh a lot more than I look thanks to the way our muscles work." He said as he sat on the edge of the bed producing a loud creak and groan from the wooden frame beneath him.

"Oh my." Lia said with a slight flush in her cheeks. "I will ask around, dear Candidate. If I discover a positive solution I'll return to alert you."

"Thank you, Lia. Goodnight."

She gave a light bow and exited the room. He laid down slowly on the bed, cringing at the continued creaking and hoping it would hold his weight. At 6' 2", he was close to 500 pounds thanks to the sheer density of his musculature. And scarily enough, he was considered "undersized" and "underweight" for a Tuarva of his stature. Most others his size weighed closer to 700-800 pounds, and here much bulkier. Kyo'da had a more lean and athletic frame than the muscle-bound Tuarva most people thought of when they heard the name. So, hopefully, this bed would-

SNAP!!

Kyo'da felt the frame give and the mattress ended up on the ground beneath him as he shut his eyes tight and then groaned as his hand came up over his face.

"Do I have to pay for this?"

The next morning came sooner than expected, and Kyo'da barely got any sleep. When an attendant knocked lightly on his door, he called for her to enter.

"Pardon the intrusion, sir Candidate. It's time to-" She paused when she saw who was here, and what happened to the bed.

"Um, sir? What happened? Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm heavier than I look, and the frame gave out under me."

"Oh, I... See. Well, it's time for breakfast. All the Candidates are gathering in the gardens. If you're ready, please follow me."

"Sure. Thank you." He said while making it to his feet.

His hair was a bit messy, and his outfit hadn't changed. Still a bit dirty with a few blood stains. He'd need to remember to ask for a change of clothing later. But once he made it out to the gardens, the Candidates all fell silent upon his approach. He made his way over to the tables to get a drink of water, and those who were either next to him or in his way cleared his path, staying at least three paces away. After enjoying a glass of water, he glanced around at the other Candidates who all were staring at him.

"Do I smell funny?" He asked calmly.

A moment of silence, and then the Candidates erupted in laughter. The merriment of the morning resumed with many of the Candidates approaching him and giving him claps on the back for yesterday's heroics, as well as the joke he just told. It hadn't exactly been a joke. His outfit wasn't likely to smell that great. But if they weren't going to complain, he wouldn't either.

"Hey, didja hear? The Princess is supposed to come out to spend time with all of us again this morning. Should be any time now."

"I think the King said something like that last night, yeah."

"Nice! I'm eager to see her again. She was gorgeous! Don'tcha think?" A more youthful candidate said.

"Oh yeah. She was a looker all right." Said another, slightly more mature and older candidate.

Kyo'da kept silent, but agreed with the notion that she was quite beautiful. If he recalled correctly, this breakfast would serve as a continuation of last night's event with the Princess spending time amongst the Candidates in order to make an appropriate determination of her top choices. He didn't recall if the King said how many would be in her top choices. Maybe top 3? Top 5? Probably a small number like that, since they likely wouldn't want her final decision taking too long.

Either way, the Candidates all ate, drank, and made small talk while they awaited her arrival.

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · Jun 6, 2022

The night was endless, the princess couldn't seem to fall asleep even when she arrived to her chambers. She changed into her night gown, brushing her hair she looked herself in the mirror, deep ocean blue eyes looked back at her. She knew very well that sooner than later she would have to choose top choices... She had to be soon, but if she included the Tuarva in, everybody would think she had gone insane. If only they could see the true color of one's heart, she sighed. The moon was still up, the candidates were resting, but she on the other hand was restless. She looked outside, this kingdom was beautiful, this is why she had to be strong.

The candidates who all came didn't seem all too bad, though, Erena still couldn't decide, she would have to choose from a handful of colors, she already had a mental list of which colors would be the best... But, the best color truthfully said was gold, that Kyo'da seemed to have. Though, she couldn't immediately shout out and say, "This is the color I am looking for! You will be my husband-to-be!" that plain out sounded wrong. She needed time... If only she had that.

In the morning Erena immediately remembered what her father had told her and she opened her eyes and a knock in the door awoke her even more, "Come in."she suppressed a yawn, and a few maids around her same age, younger, or older came in.

"We have come to dress you," the main one in charge told her in a polite tone, Erena smiled and nodded.

"Please." she answered.

The maids quickly shuffled around the room, each having a different role. The younger looking maids quickly looked for the princess's dress or which would look the best for today. The younger maids seemed to be talking while selecting the dress, the older looking maids applied make-up, and brushed her milky hair.

"Do you have any preferences, your highness?" the older maid asked, Erena thought for a moment, to be honest she truly didn't. As long as she seemed presentable she didn't mind any hairstyles, in any case she shook her head but she looked behind her shoulder.

"What is your name?" Erena asked the maid, she quickly gave a bow with her head.

"Yvonna." she quickly responded, with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Yvonna. For asking." the princess gave a smile, and for a second she could definitely see Yvonna's eyes shine with joy, and her cheeks giving off a rosy color.

Yvonna bowed and continued on with Erena's hair while the younger maid brought what it looked to be a turquoise like dress which on the edges of the dress faded into a more transparent color of turquoise. But the other younger maid which seemed identical to the one who was holding the turquoise dress held a more bright yellow dress. As they waited for Yvonna to finish, Erena examined the two dresses which would be best for the occasion.

The yellow dress had a more eye-popping color, on the other hand turquoise was a more subtle color but the yellow dress' design was much more suitable for the princess, while the turquoise dress looked a bit gaudy.

Once Yvonna finished her lightning quick hair styling Erena checked it in the mirror, it was a nice loose braid which looked nice and detailed, Erena quickly said her thanks and dismissed her to leave to her other duties, whilst the younger maids walked up to her.

"Which dress is more appeasing to you, your highness?" the one holding the turquoise asked her. Taking a glance at the two dresses again.

"Yellow." she murmured.

"I told you...!" the one with the yellow dress hissed, but in a more playful way to the other girl.

"Your names?" Erena asked again. Yvonna probably has been to the castle before, while these two young girls seemed quite new.

"I am Leilia and this is my sister, Lilai, your highness." they both bowed, and Erena nodded.

"I am in your care, then, Leilia, Lilai." she said, and the two younger maids quickly smiled and got to work with dressing the princess.

The princess was done quickly enough, and was escorted out of the room by the head maid, which showed her the way to where the candidates were held.

The crowd already seemed merry by the time she arrived which brought a subtle yet peaceful smile on her face.

"Hello, gentlemen. Thank you for waiting." she gave a curtsy with her bright yellow dress, and she watched through the crowd and found Kyo'da his shirt was still the same from yesterday and his hair was ruffled but meanwhile he looked quite fine, it was just for a split millisecond she glanced at Kyo'da before she put her attention to all the candidates, "As some of you heard, I am electing my top candidates by seeing who you truly are, but please enjoy your drinks and the food, thank you."

GojiBean

GojiBean · Jun 20, 2022

The men all paused as the Princess arrived. Several of them never got a good look at her the other night, what with all that happened and the whole "line up" happening. But today, she was out in the sun while they were all scattered around and clearly able to see her.

Kyo'da, standing relatively near the middle of the gaggle, was rather taken with the yellow dress she wore. Reflecting the light of the sun, it looked more golden than yellow.

The Princess made her announcement about making her choices for Candidates, and asked them all to continue their merriment while she went about her business.

And it didn't take long for several of them to ignore her request and crowd her, asking a myriad of questions in an attempt to get a one on one conversation going. Some of them even glared at one another while trying to talk over each other. And another pair nearly came to blows over how "rude" the other was being and had to be separated by some of the Princess's security detail whom had been observing from nearby.

Kyo'da shook his head.

Did they not understand anything about the reason for this whole event? He thought.

supermartinbros

supermartinbros · Jun 20, 2022

Erena looked around, she only looked at everyone, smiling, trying to be polite. She looked everywhere but the only color which particularly stood out was right in front of her, gold, Kyo'da's color, but no one would accept the fact a Tuarva was elected as one of the top candidates. She raised her hand over the number of candidates, "Gentlemen, please, I will answer any questions you have. But, for the moment let us feast, it will not do any good even if you try to appeal to me with words." she said, it wasn't meant to sound like a threat, but she said in a manner which showed she was trying handle the men.

Erena grabbed a seat, sitting somewhere in the far end where there weren't too many people sitting down yet, as she waited for the men to settle down she made sure to sit with nice posture.

"First of all, I would like to apologize to everyone of you for the event which happened, last night. We had no clue this would have happened, I am sorry gentlemen, were any of you injured, hurt?" she asked, it was a duty of her's to make sure everyone was safe, the thought made her insides churn, what if someone did get injured? How would she react, she would only hope for the best. Perhaps everyone was safe. After everything went smoothly she would go over what was supposed to happen today.

GojiBean

GojiBean · Jun 24, 2022

"Oh, don't worry about a thing Princess!" One Elven man said as he moved to stand closer to her chair.

"I concur, fair Princess." A human said, also inching closer to stand near her. "You're not responsible for what happened last night. Only those nefarious beasts who attached the castle are to blame."

"Agreed," added yet another half human, half dwarven man. "Everything worked out in the end, aye? Nobody was seriously hurt, far as we were told. So that's somethin' ta celebrate, yeah?"

Kyo'da took a sip of water and remained where he was, watching the conversation out of the corner of his eye. The security detail nearby were watching the entire thing unfold like hawks ready to swoop in at a moment's notice to keep the Princess safe if they had to.

Thankfully, the men seemed to be on their best behavior now after what happened earlier.

"Princess, may I ask what you enjoy doing on full moon nights?" Asked the fist Elven man who spoke to her. "I believe the Full Moon night is an important part of the Uranus culture, correct? From what I've heard it's usually a night of reflection, prayer, and silence to pay respects to the Gods. Is that true?"

supermartinbros (Yes, the culture thing is true. But since the Princess is only half Uranus she doesn't have to strictly abide by that custom if you don't want her to. Up to you.)

supermartinbros · Jul 5, 2022

The princess let a small, faint smile across her face when the candidates reassured her, though she would have preferred if they didn’t try to stand closer to her seat When talking to her.

Everything at the moment was going smoothly, each of the candidates did seem nice. But, nice wasn’t what she was looking for, someone with the heart who can tell the truth.

The moment the first elven man asked her what she did on the full moon nights, she closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them, ”Indeed that is true, on the nights of the full moon in the Uranus culture we do night of prayer, reflection and pay our respects to the Gods, I do not strictly abide this custom though I still do pay my respects to this culture and lightly do my prayers and my reflections, but many full Uranus’ take this very seriously.“ she responded with a light serene smile.

Once she paused for a moment before grabbing a small drink, a simple beverage to cool her down. ”Is there anything else you wish to know?”

GojiBean

GojiBean · Aug 8, 2022

"There are many things I'd love to know about you, Princess. However-"

"Oi, you 'ad yer chance mate. Let someone else ask a question." The half human, half dwarf demanded.

"Silence!" One of the security detail barked while stomping the ground with the butt of his spear shaft. "We will not have voices or tensions raised in the presence of the Princess. You are all to remain calm and respectful. Is that understood?"

They were quick.

Kyo'da gave a subtle nod of his head in approval for their quick response. That was probably why they were chosen for the detail. The moment something happened that looked like it might be a problem, they pounced on it.

The others backed off a bit. Some cleared their throats. Others shifted their weight and looked away as if disinterested and disconnected from the subtle moment of tension and rudeness. And others still remained silent, waiting for their turn to speak with the Princess.

The half dwarf was among those to take a big breath and clear his throat as he approached again.

"My question, Princess, is if ya know a bit more 'bout this whole choosing a groom thing? Like, is all this talking ta the lot of us a formality fer ya? Or do ya actually need more time to make a choice after what happened the other night?"

Kyo'da's ears perked up a bit. And he had to admit, he was curious as well. He had the impression from the other night that it was supposed to be a quick decision that would only last the duration of the evening's events. Drawing it out into the following day like this, and giving her more time with the candidates didn't seem to be in line with the King's original way of thinking. But, then again, he and his family almost died last night. So maybe something had changed?

supermartinbros

Fantasy Tangled Strings of Fate

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

❝My wings have broken off and I keep falling...❞

Your resident irradiated Kaiju King

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