.:Assassino Amore Principessa:. (Locked, DON'T DELETE.)

[Cloudsong]

Elton fell silent as the door swung open to reveal the two men, and everyone turned around to stare directly at him. Even Kateliana, who he had thought would be disgusted to even at the sight of him. He met her gaze, seeing that she narrowed her eyes at the sight of him, and his suspicions were confirmed; she wasn't enthralled to see him, which was at least more than he had expected. In his mind, he had even considered her standing up angrily and shouting at him then and there. Perhaps it was good that she had not done something like that. The fewer people that knew what happened, the better. Silently he approached his chair, aware that everyone was watching his every move. He didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he drew out his chair, angling it as far away as Kateliana as he dared. After all, he didn't want any questions to arise. The man sitting on his other side didn't seem to notice, or mind, for that, and he was relieved as he leaned ever-so-slightly away from the gap between the two of them. If Kateliana noticed, so be it. She probably would be grateful for it, as he noticed that she was almost glued to her brother.

As the meeting began, he felt a slight bit relieved as the gazes of the people shifted to the king once again. The news Alexander spoke wasn't news to him, as Antonius had already informed him about everything that was going on. There was no question in his mind as to who the people coming against them were, and he didn't seem too interested in the meeting as they went on to state the obvious. In fact, he didn't look up from the table until Kateliana began to speak, and only then it was to watch her as she stood, admiring her from a distance. It was, most likely, one of the last chances he would get to look at her. He absorbed everything she said, over-analyzing every word of it, trying to find second meaning. He didn't want to be there, in the meeting; the thing he wanted - needed to talk to her. To tell her he was sorry... But that would be futile, for she wouldn't want to hear a word he had to say.

He faintly heard the king speak to him once Kateliana had finished speaking, and eventually he tore his gaze from Kateliana as she retook his seat. Everyone had turned to look at him again, and he swept his gaze along all of the men, all of whom looked surprised as he finally looked at someone other than Kateliana and the king. They all watched, waiting for him to tell them who this enemy was. When they had spoken, he had noted that they had all stood up to address anyone. He, however, didn't move at all as he sat there. He waited as long as he thought he could, then finally cleared his throat. Everyone leaned forward ever-so-slightly as they thought he was about to speak.

"No," he said finally, his voice firm, as if demanding that no one press him for details. "I do not." It was a lie, though no one would ever possibly detect it, for his voice sounded completely normal, despite the nonchalant tone. He wasn't going to tell them that it was Sergio. After all, why would he? It would just scare them to know what the man was capable of, and he wasn't about to do that. It was unnecessary, for they had no reason to know. They would only panic, and desperately attempt to prepare for the battle that they would never fight. If they did fight it, they would all die. He would be sure that the battle would not take place; it was the least he could do. Though he was still unsure of how he was going to manage it, there had to be a solution, and he wouldn't sleep until he found it.

They all seemed to tell that he wouldn't speak anymore than that, and some of them looked openly hostile, some muttering to each other that he obviously didn't 'care' about Fortuna. If only you knew, Elton thought bitterly, wishing for a brief second that he could storm out of the meeting room. His empty gaze returned to the table as he crossed his arms, obviously done speaking, or giving any information of the sort. He would help them, of course, to prepare the army. For another battle, since they obviously weren't ready to fight now.

--

Marcel blinked in surprise as she flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Then he smiled, hugging her back. She was his savior, and he owed her everything. The thought that she - neither one of them - judged him for stealing warmed his heart, and he wanted to repay them for being so kind-hearted. It was more than he deserved, after all.

As Daelen interrupted, his eyes twinkled with happiness, and he released Allegra, nodding to the boy. "Let us leave," he declared. He would make it up to Fortuna; this wouldn't stay like this, and he would never steal again. It was a vow he was determined to keep.

(Perhaps in the next post I'll introduce the new character 8 D)

[Captain Kaycee]

(Rofl for some reason I woke up really early in the morning and can't go back to sleep, so I'm just going to reply now xD)

Alexander nodded once to Elton, then stood back up again. In his mind he inwardly hoped that he would know so that they could actually understand what they were up against, but it was apparently still a mystery. He sucked in a quick breath before speaking once more. "Then we must prepare for anything. Back in Fortuna's history we have had to fight countless armies, and the ones that were far greater than our own we had to do but one thing: prepare for a siege. This may be a horrible thought, as the outlying villages would have to come inside Fortuna's walls. We are lucky to have a month before the army comes, however. Commander Lombardi, I trust that you can gather a small group of knights to go to the villages and order them to come inside the castle walls?"

Antonius, who was already watching the king, nodded once to him. "I will be able to," he informed Alexander, then sat back down on his chair.

Before Alexander could continue talking, however, one of the lesser commanders stood up. "My lord, what about their homes? Surely they will be destroyed and those people could lose everything..."

"They will have their lives, and that is what matters in time of war. We can rebuild them over time. While it may be a long shot, there still is the chance that the army will not even take notice of the villages and instead come here. This would be both good and bad for us. It means that the army would not stop for anything, and that could cause problems. Now, we must ready Fortuna's defenses both on the walls and off them. All people need to stay inside the walls, and nobody will be able to leave unless they have specific duties outside of Fortuna. General Starr, I will need you to help me with Fortuna's defense system, as well as training with the soldiers. With that, this meeting is over. Everyone knows what to do, and we must hurry. There is only a certain amount of time for us to prepare."

With the last word said, everyone began to stand up from their chairs and take their leave from the room to get ready for the battle they believed were going to come. Alexander let out a small sigh of relief as he finished the meeting, and took Noel's hand as he helped her stand up. "Andiamo. I believe that we should head back upstairs to my chambers," he whispered to Noel, then nodded once over to his sister as he guided Noel and himself out of the room.

Kateliana smiled sadly to her brother as he left the room, and she noticed that only her and Elton were left in the room. For a moment, she couldn't say anything to him. She didn't move an inch from her chair, still sitting in it like the meeting had continued. Her head was towards the table with her hands placed neatly in her lap. Finally after a long silence, her gaze shifted to Elton and she let out a heavy sigh. "If you wish to say something then you should speak up now," she muttered. A look of depression had now engulfed her like a cloud, and she let out a small sigh as she sat looking at him.

--

Allegra took Marcel's hand and followed after her brother. Daelen looked around the dungeon, and when he went to grab one of the torches from off the wall for the darkness a stone wall had opened to reveal a hidden stairway. The boy smiled brightly as he realized that it probably led somewhere up in the castle, and began to head up it. "Come on! Nobody will be able to see us if we go up here," he told the two, grabbing an actual torch and closing the secret passage behind them.

Allegra couldn't believe that there was something hidden in the dungeon. She held her jaw open for a few seconds as she watched her brother begin to climb the stairs, then proceeded to following behind him. She didn't let go of Marcel's hand, and occassionally glanced over at him. "Are you going to stay in Fortuna? Whatever you did must have been horrible to be in chains like that..." Allegra asked Marcel, a look of both confusion and hope lit up in her eyes.

(Awesome! I can't wait! :3)

[Cloudsong]

( That works for me 8D Lol you'd better come on again soon ^^ )

Elton was unsure whether or not to feel comforted by how Alexander trusted him to be telling the truth, or guilty that he had believed the lie instantly. As the meeting continued, he listened in silence, not uttering a single word. No one asked for his opinion again, and he felt grateful for it. Unwanted questions would only make him feel more uncomfortable. To relieve himself of the guilt, he reminded himself that it was because of him that the city wouldn't go to war. He was going to go on as if he were preparing them for the war, and he would work as hard as he ever had doing so. No one would suspect a thing, and wouldn't so much as breath a word to anyone about his secret plans. Silently he nodded as Alexander ordered him to train the knights, a task he had planned on anyway.

As everyone filed out of the room, it took him a moment to realize that the only one remaining was Kateliana. For a brief second he just stared at her, shocked that she hadn't run out at the first chance she got. He had imagined all of the things he wanted to tell her to make her see what had really happened... But as he silently sat there, he found no words to apologize. All he could do was watch her every move, waiting for her to say anything at all.

Finally he spoke. "I'm not sure if there is anything to say," he said finally, his tone containing the equally dead quality that he had in his dark brown eyes. Hesitating, he continued; "What you saw today wasn't what it seemed, and I thought you would understand... You know that the only woman I'll ever love is you." The words came out in a rush, and he considered standing up and leaving before she could reply. After all, he didn't expect her to forgive him. I didn't apologize, he thought grimly. Was that what she wanted? "No matter how many fights you and I will ever have, they would never be enough for me to leave you for adultery." His tone was now bitter, as if he were angry that she had expected him to. She had indeed seen him kissing someone else, but she knew that the woman had been one that was obsessed with him; she would throw herself at him even if he looked over at her.

--

Noel listened to the meeting in silence, admiring Alexander's way of communicating such authority to the soldiers sitting in front of him. It was quite interesting to her to watch everyone argue, and also quite terrifying as she imagined all of the things that they would say. People would die.... families would be left on the streets. Her heart ached as she wished that she could make a difference in all of this. If only she could help them out... The only thing she could do now was help Alexander as much as she could; after all, that was basically the only thing she was capable of now. The truth hurt her as she realized how useless she actually was. There was going to be a war, and she would probably have to stay in the castle while it happened, unable to help anyone.

She stood up after Alexander did, looking at all of the soldiers as they left the room. I hope that they all survive this, she thought sadly as she pushed her chair in again, taking Alexander's hand. For a moment she looked between Kateliana and Elton, sensing that there was great tension flooding between them. They would need to work it out, and she hoped that all would go well. As Alexander guided her out, she quietly sighed, feeling slightly more confident to be in contact with him once again.

--

Marcel didn't try to let go of her hand, and he didn't seem to bother, or for that matter - mind in the slightest. He followed Daelen, looking over his shoulder from time to time nervously. At any moments the guards could appear and chain him up again if they found out. Worse yet, the twins would be in trouble as well, for freeing a prisoner that was left to die in the cell.

The question didn't surprise him, though caught him off-guard. "I tried to steal the king's sword," he said in a blank voice. "A man out in the kingdom asked me to do it, in exchange for gold." He felt ashamed, and terrified that the twins would leave him then and there. What he had done was a crime, and it wouldn't be forgiven lightly. But they had to understand him... he was dirt-poor, and had no future. The man had come to him in a time when he needed it most. Otherwise he would never have done anything like that.

[Captain Kaycee]

Kateliana lifted her head once she heard Elton's voice, and silently bit her lip. "But the fight in the morning... I thought that you were angry because you wanted me away to see that woman. Why had you kissed her? It seemed pretty real to me when I saw you with her," she whispered to him, her gaze shifting from anger and depression to curiousity. She stood up from her chair and looked at him, no longer seeming angry.

After listening to him briefly, she could hear truth in his words. She knew that the woman liked him back when they were at Elton's small village, and she could understand if the obsessed woman had tried to take Elton from her. However, it still irritated Kateliana that he had fought with her earlier, then she witnessed him kissing her. "I want to forgive you, Elton. I want to know that it was all just a complete misunderstanding, but I don't know how to believe you," she explained to him, feeling as if her heart was about to crumble.

Kateliana took a step towards his chair, then stopped and let out a sigh. Somewhere inside of her she wanted to hug him and wish all of her anger towards him away. She hated to know that her views towards him were foul. Inwardly she knew that they were not the truth as she once believed. She wanted him to kiss or hug her... or at least do something. Instead, she continued standing, looking at him with her ocean-blue eyes and seeming as if she was rarely blinking.

--

Alexander headed up the stairs and into the hallway, a look of concern upon his face. When he finally reached his chambers, he opened up the door and led Noel in. Once inside, he closed the large wooden door and turned Noel around to face him. He placed his hands on her shoulders, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"Noel, I'm going to need you to stay inside of the castle to prepare for casualties. Gizur is going to set up a small informary and I will need you to help patch up any wounds the soldiers get. I'll be outside with the rest of the troops," he explained to her, then kissed her gently on the forehead. He wanted her to be safe, but also help in aiding the people. He knew how she acted; how she wanted to help others.

"I know this next month is going to be rough, but I assure you that everything will be alright in the end," Alexander whispered to Noel, then finally wrapped his arms around her. He vowed never to leave her, and keep both himself and her from getting killed in the battle ahead. They had magic as well as time on their side, which may help them greatly.

--

It was Daelen who first stopped and turned around towards Marcel. A look of confusion was on his face, and he wondered why anyone would want his uncle's sword. It was simply another sword in the kingdom, and was supposedly forged by the same as any other sword. Unless by magic, he thought, then quickly shook his head. It wasn't possible.

Allegra tilted her head to one side, but then lightly punched her brother in the back to command his to continue to walking. "We could always give you money if you wanted. If you even need a small house in the city, we'll give you one," Allegra informed him. She knew that he was in crisis, and the last thing she wanted was for him to not be able to fend for himself.

[Cloudsong]

Elton understood her anger, and he wished that she had seen them only a few moments before. She would see that he had been pushing him away, and the kiss hadn't been anything that he had expected. Being lost and despairing, he hadn't noticed Glenna's true intentions as she attempted to comfort him. True, she had perhaps made obvious hints about their relationship, but he had been so distraught from his fight with Kateliana that he hadn't even processed them fully. When the girl had launched herself at him, he hadn't been able to stop her. In case she hadn't noticed, he hadn't kissed her back; on the contrary, he pushed her off as soon as he could.

Her words hurt him. He had always found it within himself to change for her. If anything happened between them that wasn't his fault, he would forgive her in a heartbeat. Silently he looked up from the table, momentarily lost in her ocean-blue eyes as he wondered what to say. Though he wished that he could approach her, and engulf her in a hug, he wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do at that moment. "You don't know how to believe me," he repeated, his voice almost silent, and it appeared he was saying it to himself rather than to her.

There was a moment while he was completely silent and still, then he rose from his chair, and turned to face her again. "I said what I had to say," he said evenly, his voice sounding almost choked. His eyes flashed with pain, and he grasped the back of the chair, his knuckles white as he became frustrated with himself for his lack of expression. "Godamnit... I'm sorry, Kateliana. I didn't ask for her to be there. Do you honestly not believe me?" His tone was almost pleading, and he met her gaze for a moment, not flinching at all by the sorrow that was reflecting in the blue iris.

Then the fire in his eyes seemed to die out, and he swallowed. "Forgive me.. for taking up so much of your time," he whispered finally. "Take comfort in the fact that I won't be here to bother you much longer."

He turned to go.

--

At his words, Noel felt her heart warm. For a moment, she felt as if she would be able to help. She could help the wounded during the battle; then she would have a real purpose, and could even help people, something she had always wished to do. As he leaned in to kiss her forehead, she closed her eyes, breathing in his familiar scent. She wasn't sure how she would bear it being inside while he was out fighting.... What if something happened to him? What on earth would she do without him?

"Promise me?" she whispered as she hugged him back, leaning her head against his chest. "I would die without you here with me, Alexander.."

--

"I can't accept money from you," Marcel said sharply, shaking his head. "It was only for this one time... I would never stoop to becoming a thief for good." It was just to give himself a boost to get into the real world, and find a job. Silently he sighed. They wouldn't understand; the two of them had always had everything they had ever wanted, having such rich parents. He on the other hand, had always had to work for his living, and it would be like that forever. The ranks that they were born into would always be higher up than his, and it made him slightly self-conscious to be speaking about it to them.

[Captain Kaycee]

At that moment Kateliana finally realized that he was telling the truth. The entire ordeal with Glenna and Elton was a complete misunderstanding, and it was because of that woman that Elton and her were like this. She also couldn't let the children believe that their parents were leaving. She loved him. She couldn't even begin to think of a life without him. One day was hard enough, and it would be even worse for the kids if they never saw him again.

She noticed that Elton had turned to leave, and almost immediately walked up and grabbed him gently by the wrist. "Elton... I do believe you," she whispered to him, tears almost shedding from her eyes. "And I cannot even begin to think of a world without you. Your kids need you. I need you. I don't want to imagine how I would be able to live without you being here. You're my life, Elton. My family matters more to me than anything," she explained to him, then finally wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his shoulder. She began to cry, feeling as if the world around her had stopped.

--

"I promise," Alexander whispered to her, not wanting her to fret about anything. He couldn't live without her either, since she had nearly left the world from him. He knew that she would feel the same as he almost died, and gave a mental note to himself that he wouldn't allow that frightened state to occur once more.

After a few moments, he let go of her and silently caressed her face. "We still have a month, and that gives us enough time to announce your coronation," he muttered, knowing that they should very much do that soon. He didn't want to delay it like he had done with his own, and even then he rarely wore the golden crown.

--

"Then you can 'steal' from us," Daelen joked, but Allegra shot him a foul look and he looked forward again. Allegra let out a sigh, and put a hand on Marcel's shoulder. "We can help you, but if you don't want it then that is fine as well. We just don't want you to feel suffering," she whispered to him, but before she could continue the trap door that led somewhere was in sight. Daelen grabbed the handle and pushed it forward, opening up to a closet with dresses lined up on hangers. "Is this... Mom and Dad's room?" he mumbled, looking around as he jumped up from the door on the ground and helped both Marcel and Allegra up.

[Cloudsong]

Elton stopped as he heard her address him again, and slowly he turned to face her. He could see the desperation and sorrow pooling in her eyes, and knew that she was at the brink of tears. It surprised him that she had called him back, but even more that she was crying. He had made her cry. The thought stung him like a thorn, and he wished he could help what was happening; wished that he would have never spoken sharply to her. All that he wanted now were for things to go back to what they had always been like, where there had been a mutual feeling of trust between them that wouldn't be betrayed for anything. Would things ever be like that again? Somehow, he knew that they would, despite the circumstances of his life finishing in one month.

One month. That was all he had. As he watched her sob, eyes softening, he wondered if it would be a good idea to get onto friendly terms with her again. The blow of him dying would hurt much more if they were connected again, but then he realized that spending the last moments of his life alone would be like being dead entirely. He wanted to spend every possible moment at her side, and only would leave when it was completely necessary. "You matter more to me than anything," he murmured as he gently stroked her hair, his voice gentle and close to her ear. Silently he drew away from her, and put his hands on her shoulder. "I just want you to know that I would never ever do something like that do you, Kateliana... And all I want is for you to trust me again. I promise I'll do everything I can to make you happy," for as long as I can. He left the part of his chosen fait out of the conversation purposefully. After all, her knowing wouldn't change anything.

--

Noel felt as if all the hope and happiness she felt with Alexander dissolve as he mentioned her coronation. Silently her gaze dropped to the ground, as she was unable to meet his gaze. Though they had talked about it many times, it still seemed unreal that she was actually going to become queen. The thought made her shiver with uncertainty, and she felt glad that at least she would have Alexander by her side to help her through it. He had gone through the same when becoming king, and she hoped that he would help her through it.

Not wanting him to see her sudden change in hope, she smiled slightly, tentatively reaching up to kiss him quickly on the lips. It still felt odd to her that she was able to kiss him whenever she wanted. After all, their relationship had been a secret until now. "Does that mean that you and I will marry soon?" she asked quietly. Marrying him would be something she would do gladly, but accepting the crown was more of a push that she was unsure of how she would take.

--

Marcel didn't smile at Daelen's joke, and he silently followed them up to the trap door, watching them carefully as they pushed it open, revealing them in a closet with clothes-hangers. The room was strange to him, and he looked around in surprise and curiosity. He took Daelen's hand as he helped him off of the ground, then brushed his clothes off. In his mind he was wondering to himself what he would be doing now. Would he leave? The castle might not be safe for him anymore, and sadly he blinked, not liking the idea.

[Captain Kaycee]

For possibly one of the first times in her life she was at a loss for words. Kateliana couldn't think of anything to tell him, only that she completely trusted him once more. As she stood there staring at him, she quickly wiped her eyes as she began to speak. "I do trust you. Something in my heart just tells me that whatever happened between you and Glenna disappeared years ago. You didn't seem to enjoy her presence when we were at your house, and I was a fool to doubt that now," she told him, feeling slightly better now that their coldness towards each other had subsided.

There was, however, something that continued to bother her. Antonius had described to her what the man looked like, and based on his descriptions it matched Sergio. The man in the mirror. He had been able to escape before Elton could kill him, and to make it worse he was gone from the mirror that once imprisoned him.

She remembered vaguely as she had lied on the ground in the tower that both Persephone and Sergio had disappeared together. The witch looked distraught over the loss of her sister, while Sergio lost his what-seemed-to-be apprentice that had taken over Noel's body. Now she was gone, and Sergio had originally promised Hetake that he would work for her. Now... Hetake was gone and Persephone was now in her place. What if... what if they were the true leaders of the army? If that was the case, then the upcoming war was going to be much more brutal.

Finally after Kateliana's long silence, she glanced up at Elton with fearful eyes. "Elton... you knew who the other commander was didn't you? It was Sergio... the man that you failed to kill inside of the mirror... that we failed to kill..." she muttered to him, remembering that her spell to backfire Hetake's had almost worked if the witch hadn't pinned her against the wall. And Elton chose to protect me rather than kill him, she thought, feeling slightly joyful but also worried to know that the killer was still on the loose.

--

Alexander noticed the small amount of displeasure when he mentioned the coronation, and knew that Noel must be nervous. He remembered when he had recieved the crown, and it was one of the scariest moments of his life. The entire kingdom of Fortuna had their eyes on him, on this... street rat from Rome.

When he heard her question about marriage, he almost felt as if a thorn had pierced through him. He knew that a marriage and coronation would have to happen in the same day, since she was marrying the king. She would first marry him, then recieve the crown strictly afterwards.

"A marriage in the royal household is slightly different from a regular marriage. After becoming married, you are going to recieve the title of queen and the crown. But do not fret about it. You may have been a servant, but I was the boy who didn't even know that he was a prince. All I did was steal off the streets of Rome to fend for my survival. I have to say that since you have been a servant in the castle, you probably have seen your fair share of royalty much more than me," he laughed, grinning slightly as he stroked her cheek.

"And to make it easier, I am going to be the one placing the crown on your head as well as announcing you queen. All you must do is bow before the throne while I stand holding the crown, then I mutter a few words to the rest of the people watching, and after a few minutes of anticipation as I place the crown on her head, we sit in our thrones. Then the ceremony is over," he explained to her, hoping that what he had said would be a little more comforting.

--

Allegra looked around the room curiously, seeing as it was clean from the servants and the candles were blown out. She wondered where everyone was at night, but didn't press the subject. Instead she turned to Marcel and pointed to the balcony. "If you wish to go back to the city, you can climb down from the vines leading up on the tower. It would be hard to get you passed the guards on the main floor of the castle," Allegra explained to him as she glanced over at her brother.

Daelen had closed the trap door and was looking through the closet as if trying to find clothes. "My goodness Mother has her arrangement of dresses..." he mumbled to himself, then glanced over at them. Allegra had a confused look on her face, but then rolled her eyes and flicked her brother on the forehead.

"Hey I... well I guess I did deserve it. Well Marcel, are you going to head out from here or sneak around for a little while?" he asked, inwardly hoping that the pirate would stay to teach him some swordfighting moves. He did have much more experience, and the young boy wanted as much training as he could get.

[Cloudsong]

Elton hesitated as she brought up the commander of the other army. The shadowy figure that he knew exactly who it was. Silently he broke their locked gaze, and looked over at the wall on the side, refusing to let her see the uncertainty in his eyes. "It doesn't matter who it is," he said finally, his voice determined. "Because whoever it is, they won't harm any of us." He blinked, glancing over at her finally. "I'll make sure of that," he promised. It was the least he could do, after all. To try and reassure her, he smiled slightly, desperate to see her tears go away. Though she had attempted to wipe them away, their presence still was there, and he could tell that they could spill again at any moment. He hated seeing her cry; it was so wrong, and it hurt to think that he was the cause of them.

"Because this time... I promise you that I won't fail. Fortuna is in no danger."

--

Noel inwardly sighed at his words. He was attempting to make it seem less important than it really was, when in reality it was completely terrifying for her. Becoming queen was something she could live without quite easily, and the pressure and criticism wasn't something she was looking forward to in the slightest. But as she looked up, and saw the hope in his eyes, she couldn't help but smile. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she said finally, in an attempt to assure him that she wasn't as scared as her eyes said that she was.

(I'm still trying to decide what to with Marcel, so maybe next post~)

[Captain Kaycee]

Based on the sound of Elton's voice, Kateliana knew that he was thinking the same thing she was. So it is Sergio. The thought struck her like a blade, as she realized just how powerful he was. He had talked to Hetake about being a master to a man long ago while Kateliana was in the room, and it was only then that she finally realized who this man was. He was not just the man trapped in a mirror, but Elton's original master. The one who had taken Elton from his family to hunt down countless people to kill. Including me. That was the reason he tried to kidnap me all those years ago...

Kateliana's eyes widened as all the pieces fell into place, and she stumbled backwards with her hand covering her mouth. "Oh my god..." she whispered to herself, thinking of all the times there had been a hooded man who had seen both of them. Even when Elton was not himself and was being controlled a few months ago, it was because of him. Like a master with his apprentice.

Kateliana held onto one of the chairs to keep herself from falling over, her legs quivering from the sudden shock. All those years, and it was only right at this moment that she finally figured it out. "Elton, he's the reason that we can never truly settle down in our lives. He took you away from your family, ordered you to kidnap me all those years ago, nearly killed you the night my father died, tried to turn Daelen away from us, took Noel away from my brother, and is now coming back here," she muttered to him, her mind whirling. The idea that this man had caused all of the chaos in their lives was nearly impossible for the princess to comprehend.

By the way she had heard Elton speak, she finally realized that it was Elton he was after. Both of the commanders were. Elton had slipped away from Sergio's fingers when he chose to live a life with Kateliana, while Persephone wanted revenge on him for killing her sister. An entire army to spread chaos... and all for one man. But it wasn't just one man. It was her husband. The general of Fortuna, the father to her two children, and more importantly the man that mattered the most in her life.

"Elton... you can't kill an entire army by yourself, let alone both Persephone and Sergio at the same time. What are you planning on doing, getting yourself killed? I realize now it's not really Fortuna they're after. It's you. Elton, know that I will stay by your side. I may not know how powerful Sergio is, but I do know how much Persephone is. I freaking lived with her for almost a month in that dark tower. I know what she is capable of, and I'm telling you to let me deal with her," she tried to persuade Elton, feeling her mind settle a little bit from the realization that was now pulsing through her veins.

--

Alexander could still see the fear in her eyes from it despite her smile, and rolled his eyes as he turned to the bed to take off his chainmail that he still was currently wearing. "It will only take a few minutes for the entire ceremony. Well, not the wedding of course, but the coronation definitely," he mumbled as he slid off the heavy metal from over his head. Truthfully he didn't care about the weight of chainmail, but more of the large metal armour that he wore while either jousting or going into battle.

After Alexander had gotten into his much more comfortable red shirt with brown pants, he sat down on the bed to take off his boots. He felt drowsiness begin to come over him, and he let out a loud yawn as he got up to put his boots and chainmail by his desk on the other side of the room. Finally he turned back to Noel, smirking only slightly. "Are you tired? I feel like I'm going to crash into sleep at any moment, so I think I'm going to turn in for the night," he asked her, then sat down on one side of the bed.

"And don't even think about going back to the servant's quarters to sleep. You're with me, so you get that side of the bed," he laughed as he pointed with a single finger towards the other side of his large, king-size bed.

(Lol no worries xD)