1x1 with ~naturesword~

[~Anubis~]

Adeline made her way towards a particularly large oak tree and took in a deep breath. Everything around her was quiet, it was just her, the forest, and her bow. The woman notched her arrow and brought the bow up into her archer stance, her eyes narrowing on the trunk of the tree. Even though the trunk was the target she was aiming for the repetition would help her nonetheless. She shot the bow over and over again, running to fetch the arrows until she was out of breath. It seemed silly to her that such a thing calmed the storming winds inside her but the endorphins were flowing wildly throughout her blood stream. Over time her confidence in her skills grew and she knew that soon she would become self sufficient. She would not need to be protected or saved by the knight anymore, she would be able to hold her own from now on. Perhaps that would help her kick the silly crush of hers.

[~NatureSword~]

Alok had sat down at a table in the cafeteria, waiting in silence. After it seemed like eternity of no one showing up, he started guessing where each of them were to keep himself occupied. The handmaiden was no doubt upstairs still resting and recovering in her room. His fellow comrade in arms was either still out gathering supplies, or he was already back and in his room or keeping the kitsune company. The princess he knew was in her room,'Maybe she doesn't know that the meal is almost ready. I should go let her know.' He thought to him.
As the elven knight stood up, he stopped himself for a brief second, thinking that maybe she didn't want to see him. No, surely she's had enough time to calm down and relax that she would be fine to see him. Nodding his head slightly, he went upstairs and knocked on her door,"Adeline? I thought I would come and let you know that dinner is almost done. No better time to eat some delicious food then when it's nice and hot, right?" Alok listened quietly for a reply, but he heard nothing. The sound of things being moved, feet walking across the floor, there was none of it. Just silence. 'Maybe she fell asleep?' He wondered.
The elf quietly opened the door to see if she was asleep on the bed, but instead he found as empty room,"Your highness?" He glanced around the room before checking her bathroom, once again noticing that it was empty. It was when he heard a creak that he realized that the window wasn't probably closed, and his eyes grew as speculations and theories began racing through his head. He noticed a set of footprints in the snow leading back into the forest, but disappearing into the night.
Alok threw the door open and quickly ran to his own, grabbing his sword and cloak before rushing down the stairs and out the front door. Did someone from the banished royal already discover where they were after they made their escape a few days ago? Did they capture the princess? Was she alive? What if she was hurt? All these questions were spiraling through his head as he ran into the forest,"Adeline!" He called out, his voice laced with worry, his heart pounding in his chest. If something happened to the princess, he would never forgive himself, especially after saving her the first time not long ago.

[~Anubis~]

Adeline set down her bow, tugging her clothing closer to her body as the brisk wind began to nip at her limbs. She would begin to head inside after collecting her arrows as whilst she was cold she was starving as well. The woman grunted as she pulled the arrows out of the trunk, they seemed to get themselves wedged in there good. Finally she got the last one out and gently placed it in the quiver, now ready to head back to the inn for some warm food. She had blown off enough steam and her anger was now pacified to dull confusion with some slight acceptance. Their statuses were simply different and even if they fell in love on their travels, their affair would have to end once they returned to the castle. Not only because her parents wouldn't approve but she didn't dare risk his position within the castle. She would never forgive herself if he got thrown out because of her love for him, it simply wouldn't work. Yet no matter how much she told herself that the less she believed it, she desired nothing more than to make it work.
Just as the princess was quite pleased with the fact that she had managed to sneak out unnoticed when she heard her name being called out through the forest. She couldn't help but sigh once she recognized it, Alok certainly was going to give her a talking to about sneaking out. "Alok I'm fine!" The woman called out, beginning to pick up the pace as she gathered her bow so that she could soothe his worries quickly. Her heart twinged with pain at the worry in his voice, beginning to feel guilty for leaving without informing the other. "I just went out for some fresh air, I should have told you but I didn't think I would be out for this long.." She admitted as she reached his side, gently placing her hand on his shoulder for reassurance.

[~NatureSword~]

After running for a bit and hearing her call back, he stopped and looked around before pinpointing where it came from. It wasn't long until he saw her and he slowed down to a stop in front of her when she did. Alok listened to her as he caught his breath, his shoulder raising and falling with every breath as he looked at her,"Through the window?!?" He asked her a bit harshly. Without a second thought, he pulled her close to him as a strong arm wrapped around her upper back, his head over her shoulder and his voice suddenly calm with relief,"When I noticed that your window was open and that you were gone, I was worried that you were captured again, and that there would be no rescuing you this time." He told her.
He breathed in her fresh, sweet scent as he held her, his other hand finally loosening a little on the sheath of his sword by his side,"Please, let me know next time you do this. Even if you are safe, it is dark and there are still creatures in these woods that could harm you.... Please...." His hand slowly moved up and cradled the back of her head as he held her a little closer to him. It was at this moment that he noticed her hair a bit stiff and frosted over. 'Must have still been wet from a bath before she came outside.' He thought. After a minute, he finally released his hold on her before undoing the clip on his cloak. He swung it off his shoulders and onto hers in a single motion, pulling the hood over her head,"You should be careful about going into the cold while your hair is wet. We wouldn't want you to catch a cold." He told her softly, a small smile on his face as he looked at her, glad to know that she was safe and unharmed.

[~Anubis~]

"Through the window... you do forget I have been locked within a castle for years... When I was younger I used to be a bit of an escapee so this certainly wasn't my first time climbing down a trellis." Adeline admitted, seemingly bashful of her past escape attempts and her current one. As the taller male pulled her close she began to melt into his embrace, the exact opposite of what she had told herself to do moments prior. Yet how could she not? Warmth radiated off of him and feelings of true emotions burned within her chest as she wrapped her arms around him, gently clutching onto his back. "I'm sorry for frightening you Alok, I was just upset and wasn't thinking rationally at all." She admitted as her hands began to rub the other's back, attempting to calm the racing heart she felt beating against her chest. Although she didn't like to see the knight so upset, it was somewhat fulfilling to see how much he did care about her.
"Alok I won't I promise, it was a mistake and it will not happen again." She replied, her eyes tearing up ever so slightly at the gentle words of the other. After what she did she didn't deserve to be spoken to so softly, gods she didn't deserve him. The princess was rather grateful for the thicker cloak of the other as she was in fact getting rather cold. "Thank you Alok.." She replied, looking up at him with her doe eyes contemplating her next actions. She gently popped up on her toes and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek as her sharp ears turned a bright red. "Come on lets go eat." She hummed as she wrapped an arm in his, attempting to ignore how hot her face suddenly became.

[~NatureSword~]

Alok smiled a bit as she talked about her young endeavors. She was so daring, even back then as a young lady. That's what he loved about her. He quietly listened to her apology before fully relaxing, "Thank you. Just use the door next time instead of the window." He said light heartedly. His eyes caught sight of the slight glaze over her eyes in the low light of the night as he adjusted the cloak on her. The knight gave another smile and a nod,"You're welcome, Adeline." He said. It caught him off guard as she tenderly left a soft kiss on his cheek, his face growing rosy from the cold and the love. Before he knew it, he could feel her leading him by the arm before he realized what was going on. Alok smiled and soon fell into step with her,"Yeah. Lets go do that." He agreed, walking back towards the inn.

After what seemed like an hour, maybe even longer, Kisa shifted a little in her bed, her closed eyes flickering a little. The hunger her body was craving waking her up from her nap. She blinked open her eyes slowly, trying to rid of the rest of the sleepiness from her eyes. It took a moment to remember where she was, before remembering that she had asked the vampire knight to bring her to her bed. The kitsune slowly turned her head before noticing him once again at her bedside. She slightly gave a soft smile as she felt a bit of warmth return to her cheeks at the thought of him being with her as she slept, a little embarrassed about it as well.

[~Anubis~]

"I promise I will use the door." Adeline replied, her words were accompanied by a giggle as the two began to walk back to the inn. As they neared the glowing light of the inn her stomach began to rumble and she truly realized just how hungry she had become. Yet the smell of a fresh cooked dinner soon filled her senses. As they entered into the inn her hand slid down to interlace her fingers with his, not wanting to let go of him just yet. "What's for dinner?" The woman questioned, her eyes glittering as she looked up to meet his gaze.

Romanos rested his eyes for a brief moment, keeping his head propped up by his hands as he sat besides Kisa. Yet once he heard the woman shifting around his eyes fluttered open and he looked over to meet her with a charming smile. "Good morning sleeping beauty," the vampire teased as he looked down at her. "Dinner's ready I can smell it from here! Do you want me to accompany you down to the bar or would you like me to bring you dinner in bed?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side as he waited for the answer. He was happy to do either and everything simply depended on her response as he was truly only looking to please her. It was the least he could do for her during this rocky time after all.

[~NatureSword~]

Alok smiled as they walked back to the inn, opening the door for her after they walked up onto the deck. His eyes glanced down when he felt her fingers weave with his, naturally moving his fingers with hers in return. He looked into her beautiful eyes before he smiled at her,"I believe I was told that it was some kind of soup and freshly baked bread, so I hope you're hungry." He told her before leading the way into the eatery. He looked around and decided that they should sit at one of the tables this time instead of at the bar. As much as he didn't want to let go of her hand, he thought it might be kind of awkward to keep holding in the process of sitting down, so he reluctantly let go and pulled out the princess's chair for her,"Here you go, my lady." The elf said with a charming smile to her.

Kisa looked into his eyes for a brief moment before her cheeks felt a little warmer again as he teased her. Her ears twitched a little as she listened to his question before she moved to slowly sit up in the bed, wincing and gritting her teeth a bit as she did so, being reminded at her bandages hadn't been changed since the morning. When she finally relaxed and the brain fog felt like it was drifting off, she looked towards the knight,"I-I'd like to eat downstairs..... W-With everyone else...." She responded softly to him. She didn't want to be cooped up in her room, eating alone in solidarity.

[~Anubis~]

“Oh that sounds absolutely ravishing doesn’t it? Trust me I can eat.” Adeline replied as she gazed up into that charming smile of his. Despite the previous events and her previous speeches to herself she was once more enamored with the knight. How could she not? “Thank you Alok, I do hope the others will be able to join us this evening.” The elf hummed as she took her seat, beginning to realize just how much she missed her dear friend. Whilst she knew the other was still healing she absolutely couldn’t wait to tell her about the days events, leaving out a few key details of course. She also was eager to see how her friend had healed and felt rather regretful she hadn’t checked on the woman sooner.


Romanos noticed the bandages and frowned softly, someone should have been in to change them. “Wonderful, let’s go get some dinner and then if you’re alright with it I will change your bandages and apply some ointment on those wounds.” The knight offered as he held out a hand to help the kitsune up, smiling as he did so. He too was rather hungry as the smell of soup wafted across the room but he didn’t mind taking it slow so that she could get down safely. Plus he had plenty of training on dressing and cleansing wounds so he was more than happy to do so.

[~NatureSword~]

Alok nodded his head in agreement,”Absolutely. If it tastes as good as it smells and as good as our previous meals, I’ll be one happy man.” He said with a light chuckle. He gently pushed in her seat as she sat down before moving to sit down in the seat to the left of her. The elf listened to her words before nodding a little, realizing that he was the only one who hadn’t seen the handmaiden after the wolf attack,”How was she? When you saw her last night?” He asked her curiously, thinking it might be good for him to know the extent of her injuries while also making small talk as they waited.

Kisa looked at his hand before hesitantly putting hers into his, wincing slightly as she turned to dangle her feet off the edge of the bed. As she thought about him taking care of her further by changing and redressing her wounds, she could feel her ears going hot and a blush spreading across her face,”I-I suppose that would be okay…..” She said softly. Just like she did earlier in the day, she tested her feet on the floor beneath her, making sure her leg wounds would still be okay. Once she was ready, the Kitsune carefully stood up before grabbing the throw blanket off the chair, wrapping it around her before giving a little nod to him,”L-Let’s go.” She quietly stated before moving to exit her room.