Fantasy The People's Princess and the Demon King (closed)

[Because]

Dark clouds peeked over the Stormcrest Mountains overlooking the large valley that was the Kingdom of Roahl. A longhorn was blown by one of the guards on top of the jade wall to welcome the clouds as well as warn the citizerns below to prepare its coming. Rain, you see, is most welcomed in Roahl, for it brings nourishment to life, green to the people. And so, when the horn is blown, citizens don their blue robes, the only time they would wear anything other than earthy colors, and dance in the streets. Cheers erupted as the first droplets tapped the ground, and all looked up to the beautiful emerald castle that rested alongside the far mountain wall. The royal family would appear in any moment along with the royal orchestra to lead the dance. A crowd formed at the main kingdom square, just as the expected royals stepped out onto the balcony overhead.

They appeared in order; King Fergyl and his husband Yurek, Princess Beryl and Princess Lauryl, their husbands each a step behind them, Captain Tarn in his celebratory blue knight armor, Royal Gael hiding under their blue umbrella, Prince Daxio waving lazily at his friends below, and Prince Joren with his wife on his arm, the newest addition to the family. Taking up the end was Madame Frea, who looked visibly in pain as she stepped slowly up, walker in hand and her apprentices watching anxiously behind her. Royals all took the time out of their duties to acknowledge their citizens. All except...

One royal was noticeably missing, and the crowd quieted and looked to one another. Another horn sounded over the valley, but the tone was different this time, lower and closer to the main square. Cheers began to fill the air again as the crowd turned around and found the final royal making her way into the square, sackbut in hand blowing out the traditional rainy day tune. Princess Maerla was a rainbow in a blue sea. Her dress bore every color (except for green) and seemed to reflect upon the blue robes. Her brown eyes were closed as she blue into her musical instrument and swayed into the swarm of her people, who began to dance around her. The People's Princess they called her, and for this reason. Her family watched upon the celebration and clapped along to the music, not a one displaying their feelings except for the grinning Prince Daxio. The rain created slippery stone and puddles, and when Mae finished her song she jumped and slid playfully with kingdom, not caring to think at all about the future storm that was her father's wrath when the rain stopped.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day, the rain clouds gave way to sun just as it sit highest in the sky. Adults went to work, children went to learn, and Princess Maerla climbed out the window of her quarters to sit on a ledge of the castle that definitely was not meant to be sit on. As expected, she received the scolding of a lifetime from her father, King Fergyl, but really that's all it was, a scolding. What punishment could he give to her the day before her wedding?

"Now that was a performance," a familiar voice said behind her, and Mae scooched over on the ledge so her brother can sit next to her. Prince Daxio took the invitation, dangling his legs over like his sister. Out of all the siblings, they looked most alike, as if even genetics knew they would be close. Same lean physique, dark brown eyes, round head, arrogant grin. The main difference was their style, Daxio still in the accepted greens, and height, for Daxio was a full foot taller than Mae, which he very easily annoyed her with by leaning his arm on her head, which he did at that moment.


"The Sackbut? Really?" He asked sarcastically.
"What? The pan flute wouldn't have made enough noise and it's hard to climb with a bow and fiddle in hand," Mae replied before shoving his arm away.
"Even the name of the thing is an insult," Daxio rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Mae glared at him and crossed her arms as well. "It's a rain dance! Not a rain sleep. They always make these things so boring, I just livened it up a bit. I don't understand what the problem is."
"Yes you do," Daxio argued.

Both siblings dropped their demeanor and laughed, falling onto their backs.
"Did you see father's face?" Mae asked.
"Priceless. One for the ages. I think it may have been your best work," Daxio said. "And just in time too."

Mae stopped laughing, "He's on his way?"

Daxio nodded slowly, but then noticed his sister wasn't looking at him and said, "Yes. Shouldn't be long now." He leaned up on one arm and watched his sister stare at the sky, not giving anything away with her expression. She always did have a solid poker face. No one ever knew what she would do or what she was thinking.

"You know, Mae, there's still time to change your mind. You and I, we can sneak on out of here one last time, grab a horse from the stables, and just ride as far west as we can. Go away. Anywhere."

Mae's eyes snapped harshly to her brother. "Don't you dare say that. Don't you ever say that." Daxio looked away from his sister. Mae sighed and brought herself into him for a hug. "When we were kids, we wanted to travel the world. But don't forget, brother, that never did. Do you remember why?"

"Because you can't travel the world without leaving your kingdom behind. Sentimental little boogers, weren't we?" Daxio chuckled.

"Yeah, even in our dreams we care too much," Mae grinned. "Dax, you know I'm doing this because I want to, right? Father asked me and I said yes."

Daxio looked back over at his sister. "I didn't, actually. Didn't know Father was capable of asking."
"Well, he did. I had a choice, and so do you, Dax. So promise me something ok?"

Mae sat up and stared at Jade Wall, waiting for her choice to appear. "Promise me you'll have a choice too, and you'll choose what you want."

Daxio stared at his sister for a moment before replying. "I hope that doesn't mean you expect me to parade in the streets looking like a peacock."
Mae laughed her boisterous laugh just as, for the final time that day, a horn sounded from the Jade Wall. Something was coming, but this time it wasn't rain.

 

[misschibidoodles]

They were due to arrive to Roahl in early morning, but the rain forced the Nanguese delegation to find cover and wait out the storm. It was a decision made mostly by uptight courtiers, those who could not afford carriages but also did not want to get soaked.

King Emile de Bellegarde would have continued on the journey and kept the planned itinerary. For one, this would not be the first storm they encounter on the long trip from Nangues to Roahl. But also, Emile is a soldier before he is a king, and has known far worst weather conditions than a little rain. He has fought in the Freades mountains, to the North, where snow and ice and hail prevails all year long. The cold is a much scarier enemy than the rain, since it bites and maim while rain will, at worst, leave you with uncomfortable soggy socks.

If anything, a part of him wishes he had forced the delegation to continue. He almost wants to smile at the idea of snotty nobles complaining about their wet shoes. The truth is that he has this whole delegation of the richest families of Nangues to celebrate his wedding with him, and he has not spoken more than a sentence to any of them in his life. Or rather, to any of them except the family of Sir Baptiste Menard, his closest friend, advisor, and the traitor who arranged this marriage behind Emile’s back.

When the king sent Sir Baptiste to Roahl, after they reached out in hopes of an alliances, he would have never guessed that his friend would come back with the news he had. To secure and alliance, Baptiste had argued, the safest route was for Emile to marry into the royal family. Not only would it secure Roahl’s loyalties, it would also reassure the kingdom of Nangues. After all, Emile had been king for over three years without taking a wife, and people were starting to talk.

It was all logical and well presented, but Emile was still furious when his friend announced him he bargained his hand without so much as a letter. And now he is on his way to a kingdom he has never been to, to marry a woman he has never met and bring her back to Nangues. It’s a good thing he has had two weeks worth of travel to digest the news, because otherwise he would have undoubtedly made a terrible impression on his future wife.

To be fair, he is not expecting to make that good of an impression. He is sure Baptiste sold him well enough, being a loyal and good friend, but Emile is under no impression he is anything other than an acquired taste. He knows many people consider him cold and intimidating at first glance, and profoundly boring once they talk to him. His king’s guard like him well enough since they fought together and such situations grow bonds, and his servants at the palace are fond of him because he is a king and caring man. However, nobles? They all tolerate him at best, fear him generally, and hate him because he somehow insulted them at worst.

He has a talent for making enemies, and it is almost a good thing he has the dreadful reputation of demon king because of his ruthlessness in battle. That means most people, nobles included, fear him, and so they weather their disdain enough to kiss ass and pay to see him get married to a stranger. Just thinking about it makes him nervous. He is not good at meeting new people, so surely he will find a way to mess it up with his fiance. He is not good with women either.

The delegation had been sticking to the cover of trees for the last few hours, when the rain starts to dwindle down. Emile has spent most of the time tending to the horses, and grooming the silvery feathers of his griffin and loyal friend, Moonquill. The rare creature had been gifted to him three years ago by Baptiste, back then being a hurt chick in need of constant care that Emile was only too happy to provide. He still treats him like a baby sometimes.

“Sir Gaudin is saying we can get going as soon as the courtiers are ready”

That is Baptiste, who has just arrived at Emile’s side. He keeps a thoughtful distance from the griffin.

“So in two hours” says Emile dryly

His friend laughs in good humour.

“Ah! You give them so little credit! I can guarantee you they’ll make it three!”

Emile allows himself to rise the left corner of his mouth very slightly, which is, for him, the equivalent of a full bellied laugh. Baptiste seems to think so too, and is very proud of his joke, as he claps his friend on the shoulder.

“We should be at Roahl’s Jade wall in two more hours after that”

---

True to Baptiste promise, the courtiers took over two hours to get ready to depart. There was whining because lunch had not be served yet, and how can we expect them to walk on empty stomach. Under complained that the road would still be muddy from the rain, and they would therefore undoubtedly ruin the shoes they had made for the occasion (which, them wearing said shoes on the journey to the marriage spoke of their actual financial situation as much as it did their vanity).

Emile tired very, very fast of the tantrums and eventually warned Sir Gaudin, his guard’s captain, that he would be going flying with Moonquill, and would follow the delegation in the air. It had not pleased the man, and he tried to argue, but it is not like he had any authority over the king.

Except now, the delegation is reaching the Jade wall, and Emile is nowhere to be seen, and Baptiste is starting to slightly freak out. He has one job, and it is to bring the king to his wedding. But if Emile had decided to fly back to Nangues in a fit of nerves, there is nothing he can do. Oh sure, he is fairly convinced Emile’s dedication to his kingdom is greater than the substantial amount of anxiety he is currently feeling, but he would be very much reassured if the man would show himself.

Or at least, that is what king Emile is thinking, up in the air, as he watches the small form of his friend search the skies with a rising intensity. Part of him wants to make Baptiste sweat a little, in revenge for the surprise engagement, but he is also cautious to not anger the Roahl’s royal family. Therefore, he wait for the doors to the city to be opened, and the delegation to start entering, to direct Moonquill to the head of the Nangues delegation, right next to Baptiste.

The bird follows the command with energy, and the recklessness and pride only known to the young. He likes to make a spectacle, after all, and so instead of landing with grace and poise, he rushes down powerfully and lands in a cloud of dust, head held high as he lets out a happy screech. Under the cover of his helmet, Emile rolls his eyes at the display.

The king then takes a steadying breath and wills his face into an unreadable mask, his default, slightly bitchy looking expression, and removes his golden helmet. The horns had already started to sound, and an impressive mass of people was gathering to see the incoming visitors. Surely they would soon be greeted.

 

[Because]

Daxio stood up and offered his hand to his sister. “We better get down there. Father will want us all to welcome them when the gates are open.”

Mae accepted her brother’s hand to stand up, but said, “You go. Tell him I’m on my way. Just have to get my engagement gift.”

“Hurry up, he won’t be happy if you of all people are late.” Daxio rolled his eyes, but took his leave, his sister left alone to her wills.

It wasn’t a lie, Mae did plan on getting her engagement gift from her chambers before making her way down to greet her guests and future family in a timely manner. She was distracted, though, by something that caught her eye just as she was about to leave the roof. A creature in the sky, she’d never seen anything like it before. From this distance, she could tell it had long and wide wings that held it up. The shape of the rest of it was indiscernible, but odd enough to determine that it was more than just a giant bird.

The Jade walls split in two, an old spell from ancestors of old, and slid aside to allow in the delegation of Nangues. The Royals of Roahl were exiting the castle to meet them, but Mae paid them no mind. Suddenly and swiftly, the creature nosedived towards the visitors. Mae fell against the roof in shock. As the creature landed upon the ground, a huge plume of dust rose from the ground and covered the display. As the dust faded, Mae collected herself and forced her feet to hold her once again. Peeking from over the roof, she saw not only the creature up closer, but the one who sat upon it as well. She still was a bit of a distance away from the party, but even from up high she could tell who precisely it was and what he was doing here.

A knock on her door jolted Mae from her staring.

“C-come in,” Mae called out, quickly crawling through the window and racing to grab her gift. The door opened just as she reached for the leaf-wrapped box, and she held it up to show him that she had it.

The crown prince Yurek was lovingly called King by his children and people, even though technicality disallows two kings. This is due to his larger than life majestic nature that befits one of such a title, even more so than it did his husband. It could be intimidating being in the presence of such a man, even Mae was still a little starstruck by him, and she was his daughter. He was where she got most of her features, the tanned skin, the black hair which he currently wore much longer than her, his resting gently against his shoulders, and the brown eyes which now regarded her curiously.

“I thought you might need a hand,” King Yurek said in his calmingly smooth voice.

“That’s kind of you, but not necessary. Got my gift and now ready to roll,”

He watched her for a moment, as if trying to read her mind, but then smiled and held out his arm. “Well, if you don’t need my hand, I shall give you my arm. Not too many more times I’ll be needed to escort my little girl.”

Mae grinned and wrapped her right arm around his left, holding the gift in the other hand. “I could never say no to your escort, father.”

They walked in comfortable silence as they made their way to the castle doors. Out of all her family to come collect her, Mae was glad it was her Father Yurek. The others, even Daxio, would have told her to change into her greeneries, but Father Yurek never spoke against her choice of clothing. He never spoke against any of her choices, although that would make disappointing him feel worse. She was glad now that he didn’t seem at all disappointed, maybe because he knew as well as she that this would be the only chance to show the King of Nangues who she was before they were wed. A lump caught in Mae’s throat as she realized she wouldn’t have his calm stoic presence for much longer.

—--------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the royals outside, all in green, cautiously approached the Nanguese delegation. King Fergyl lead the Roahlchilds, showing good faith and trust, followed by his son Captain Tarn, who was not as trusting. The rest of the guards kept the citizens at a generous length away, allowing them to view the spector, but not partake in it.

“My Lords, I heartily welcome you to Roahl!” King Fergyl welcomed the party before turning to the other King and his future son-in-law. “Your majesty. I welcome you most of all. I trust the journey wasn’t so arduous as to be unpleasant?”

Daxio, a few steps behind his father turned his head as much as he dared to glance at the castle doors. There was still no sign of Mae. Did she listen to his offer and flee without him? No, that wouldn’t be like her.

Gael caught his eye and tapped lightly at their wrist. They were right, if she didn’t hurry up, the Nangues folk would take notice.

The King was just about to welcome the guests inside when the castle doors opened. “Ah, here she is now. She has been anxiously waiting your arrival I assure yo-” he choked a bit on the remainder of his sentence upon seeing her.

King Yurek’s green suit paled against the vibrant and colorful dress that clothed Maerla. Orange, Pink, and Yellow all danced around each other on the skirt, while the top of the dress was a corseted bright purple. As Daxio had put it, she very much looked like a peacock commanding attention. Mae smiled brightly at her father the king, who’s face expression was not an unfamiliar one of shock and held back anger. She was going to miss making him squirm like this, flipping his expectations upside down. She wouldn’t hear it from him this time, did he not see the entrance of her betrothed?

Stepping up to meet her guests, Mae let go of her father’s arm and curtsied as she had been taught. “I ask for your pardon for my delay, my lords. It is customary in Roahl tradition for the bride or groom to give their engagement gift to their betrothed immediately upon arrival. I dared not break our longstanding traditions.” Finally, Maerla lifted from her curtsy and turned to look upon her fiance for the first time.

He was still upon his bird creature thing, and she was very concerned about getting anywhere near its beak, but so too did she not want to show any fear. Cautiously she took a step forward, trying very hard not to focus at all on the creature who at the moment felt way more of a threat than the man on it, and made a curtsy once again.

“Your majesty,” Maerla greeted, bowing her head down, she lifted her package up. “I would be honored if you would accept this gift as a token of my appreciation for your travel here and for all your sacrifices for the sake of our bonded souls to endure.”

If it were up to her, she would have come up with a more interesting gift than a tree. There are trees everywhere, but so are the customs of Roahl. A tree as an engagement gift represents the solidness of their love, the growth of its trees and branches will represent the family they will grow together. Unbeknownst to her family, however, she added a little bit of herself to this tree, which will only show once it grows and once she is far from the customs of Roahl.

If he accepted her gift, then the wedding will continue as planned. She really hoped he did, not because of love at first site or for power and riches or anything like that, but because she had reasons of her own besides the need of an alliance for wanting everything to go as planned.

 

[misschibidoodles]

[OOC: sorry for the late reply, I was super sick last week!]

Emile bright blue eyes stare politely at the King who is welcoming him, and bows his head slightly in a polite greeting. With his rank as King, there is no one who requires a full bow from him, even another King. The man inquires about the Nanguese’s delegation’s trip, and Emile looks at him coolly from atop Moonquill.

“It went well enough”, he says truthfully, “the countryside of Roahl is beautiful.”

He did appreciate flying through it and enjoying the land, even if most of the trip was made unbearable by the delegation. Sure, Emile could tell the other king that he would have much preferred a smaller retinue, but that is probably too much details to answer a question that was meant to be only polite. He also doesn’t think a king should complain about his subjects in the open like this.

Emile allows himself a quick glance over the royal family, trying to pinpoint his bride from the group. He doesn’t find anyone matching her age or description, and frowns slightly, wondering where she is hiding. King Fergyl answers the question for him, announcing Princess Maerla’s presence almost successfully, before being apparently derailed by the appearance of said lady.

She seems absolutely gleeful at having shocked her father, and is dressed up in striking colours compared to the greens of her family. Emile stops himself from smiling, but he is a little amused at the mischief he sees in his bride’s eyes, and cannot stop himself from thinking she looks quite beautiful in her bright colours.

He is quite traditional and prefers to wear the traditional Nanguese blues that have always been favoured by the royal family, but then again, his armour is solid gold, so he probably paints quite the picture. He’s momentarily self conscious: was it appropriate to meet with the Roahl’s royal family in armour? Should he have worn a fine suit of Nanguese highest fashion? He finds himself most comfortable in a suit of armour or in riding leathers, but such attire might be unbecoming of a king. Then again, he is a king after all, so he should be able to do as he pleases.

Princess Maerla walks proudly to him, seemingly unconcerned with the bird (though she does keep a cautious distance with it, so who knows, really?) before presenting him with a sapling. It’s a beautiful symbol, he supposes, and he will get one of his gardeners to plant the tree in an ideal location once they return to the Nanguese castle. He almost reaches out to take the gift, before deciding to first get down from Moonquill.

He is uncomfortable with towering over the princess atop his mount, so he gracefully dismounts only to find that he still somewhat towers over her. He is very tall, and stands almost a foot taller than her, but at least now it is merely because of his stature, and not because of something that could be misconstrued as disrespect.

He bows to her, probably lower than he should have, and accepts her gift with a polite nod and a blank face. He then motions to a servant, who takes the tree, and then to another who bring him his own engagement gift to the princess.

“I thank you for the gift” he says, a little rehearsed, “I would also like to gift you something to represent and bless the bonding of our souls”

It had been a pain to select an appropriate gift. Initially, Emile had suggested an exquisitely crafted dagger in a beautiful sheathe, but he had been warned that gifting weapons was inappropriate. Then, he considered gifting her one of his best trained horses, but this could apparently be seen as an insult to the horsemasters of Roahl, so it was also declined. He did not find it particularly interesting to gift fine clothing or riches to his bride: as a princess, surely she had enough of it. He eventually had a spellstone crafted for her.

He had the spellstone made by specialists, and there are two of them. It is flat, round and about the size of a palm, in a very pale blue colour. He presents it to princess Maerla.

“These are calling spellstones, from Nanguese magic, and allow the owners of each stone to communicate with one another. I- if you so wish, I would think you could leave one here so you can still have your family close by when you are in your new home in Nangues.”

He is very nervous at her reaction, because the choice of gift was not unanimous with the advisors. Ultimately, Baptiste had said he thought it was a sweet idea, which was more than enough for Emile, but as he is standing in front of the princess, he cannot help but panic. What if it was insulting to the royal family somehow? The king is not good at sniffing out potential diplomatic missteps, and he wonders if she will refuse him. He is not particularly thrilled at being married to a stranger, but he does need the alliance.

 

[Because]

Mae released her curtsy and took a step back as her betrothed stepped off the giant bird, allowing her to get a closer look at him. The rumors were unkind to him, although perhaps maybe not altogether untrue. He had a towering presence, true, and he did seem to give off a sort of loner vibe, but the rest? His eyes were bright blue, the opposite of hellish red. He did not wear a snarl, his face was not unkind. His hands were not claws, and the teeth she could see as he spoke were not fangs. Mae couldn’t find a demonic thing about him. In fact, the only thing that set him apart from any kind she had seen in person or in books, besides his bird friend, was his golden armor, a stark contrast to the favored blues of the Nanguese. He went against his colors, just as she did, showing that they had at least one thing in common. In other words, Mae was confused.

So confused that she almost missed the presentation of his gift to her. Mae blinked before looking down at the spellstones, his explanation sinking in until finally she realized what these stones meant for her. She wouldn’t be alone.

Against etiquette, Mae looked behind her at her family, scanning them until she saw Daxio. His face was inscrutable, but maybe he was just trying to hide how happy he was? This wouldn’t be the end, they’d be able to talk to each other. Sure there were letters, but a voice is much more comforting.

Mae quickly turned back to Emile and yanked the spellstones from the servant before her own could take it for her. “I don’t know what to say, your majesty. Thank you. This- this means a lot.” She smiled at him. Just for a moment, she forgot the rumors and why she jumped so quickly into this arrangement, instead appreciating that maybe someone understood her just a little bit. Funny that it came from someone who didn’t know her at all.

Someone behind Mae cleared their throat. Mae snapped out of it and handed the gift off to a servant. “My apologies, please come inside,” She said. Mae stepped back to extend her invitation to the Nangues delegation. “You’ve had a long journey. I’m sure the first thing on your mind is to rest. And you shall have it. We’ve had our finest rooms prepared for your arrival.”

“Our staff will show you to your rooms,” King Fergyl added, stepping up to his daughter’s side and offering his arm, which she quickly took. “If there is anything you should need, they have been instructed to get it for you post haste. There will also be supper in the banquet hall, but please feel free to explore our kingdom. Our people are happy to be of service.”

In response, a cheer roared from the crowd that up until that point had been quietly watching. Mae grinned at her people and gave a little wave. It was good fortune that the rain festival occurred just this morning, it put everyone in good spirits for the visitors. The people of Roahl loved their royals, but like every kingdom there were different points of view. Mae heard some of these points of view first hand, those who are excited to finally open up the gates for the world and see what lies beyond, those who would rather the gates stay closed for good, and those that would have the gates open so the Roahl army can fall out and attack those who would do Roahl ill. Today, however, Mae only saw jubilant faces, but that of course is what her father wants everyone to see. What she did now was for the sake of all points of view.
“As a final word of welcome, I would like to reaffirm that you are welcome, and there is no danger to you here in our walls,” King Fergyl said, and Mae noticed that he too had noticed King Emile’s armor, but wouldn’t say more than that about it.

“If we’re all done with formalities,” another voice from behind her, Daxio walked up and took his sister’s other arm. “I’ll escort the princess inside.” King Fergyl stared daggers into Daxio, but let her arm go. Mae was being pulled away, but she felt she should say one thing more to her fiance. After all, the next time she sees him may well be at the altar.

“Rest well, and thank you, once again,” She gave a small wave and then let her brother take her back inside as the Roahl delegation moved forward to meet the Nangues and a very frightened horsemaster hesitantly inched toward the bird creature.

“Now whose making a performance,” Maerla hissed at Daxio as soon as they made it inside. “What on earth was that about? I thought I was doing well.”

“You’re not going through with this?” Daxio replied stiffly.

“Of course I am, I said my lines perfectly. I think the King actually tolerated me,” Mae laughed, but Daxio did not join in. He pulled her down an empty corridor, most were still outside with the guests.

“I don’t care if he tolerates you,” he responded. “I’m not going to let you marry that monster.”

 

[misschibidoodles]

The princess seems very excited at his gift, and Emile smiles internally. Seeing her look back at her family, seemingly already imagining calling them from the Nanguese palace, he knows he has made the right decision. It was a dreadful process, but for once, he did not make a misstep. She’s excited, and beams a gorgeous smile at him. It surprises him, how open she seems to be with her emotions, not at all the cool and collected mask most royals he knows wear.

It almost makes him want to smile, but Emile won’t drop his aloof mask easily, so he settles for an internal smirk at the princess. She’s distracted by the gift, seemingly forgetting all protocol of welcoming the Nanguese delegation (and it shouldn’t be a surprise, considering her disregard for clothing etiquette). Her attention span seems somewhat short to him, which he find funny as well.

One of the kings take over from her, and invite him to follow them to show them their suites. He also welcomes him, and reassure him that no harm will come to him during their stay. Emile is pretty sure he could defend himself should something happen (though the nobles he came with? They’d be left on their own and he does not feel saddened at the thought). In any case, he’s about to follow the man when one of the princes sweeps his bride away. Emile is confused and about to say something, when he notices the horsemaster walking towards Moonquill with obvious fear in his eyes, and gestures at him to stop.

“Don’t touch him, for your own safety. You can prepare a stall for him, and he’ll follow you to it,” Emile says, as Moonquill huff out a breath, like he understood what the king said and wants to roll his eyes at it, “and you can leave the rest to me. Surely someone will be able to bring me to him once we’ve settled into our rooms”

He sees the scared stares from people around him, and even with his limited social skills, understands that he needs to reassure them.

“I swear to you he is very tame and will cause harm to no one in Roahl, but he has a temper and tends to bite when strangers approach him.”

Again, Moonquill screeches at Emile like he understood what he said, and almost reaches over to nip at the King’s hair, but the stern stare he receives must convince him otherwise, because he wines and heads towards the horsemaster, keeping a respectful distance between them.

“Follow him,” Emile commands, “and behave.”

Once this is all said and done, he returns his attention to the royals, confused about the sudden “kidnapping” of his future wife.

“My apologies about this,” he says, feeling that this should be excuses made to the princess and not her fathers, but resigning himself to the second best option,”I suppose I will get the chance to speak with princess Maerla at the banquet?”

It’s not that he thinks he will easily get a glimpse into her psyche, being socially clumsy as he is, but he would at least like a chance to know the woman a bit before he marry her. So far she seems bright, inviting and strong willed, but Emile knows he cannot decipher someone from first impressions only, and he’d like Baptiste to have time to observe her properly so he can report on anything the king will surely miss. He’s truly confused at her disappearance. It does not make a lot of sense to him that the kings are the one handling the delegation, even if Emile is king himself. It just seems very... informal, compared to the Nanguese traditions, where an advisor or guard captain would be in charge.