.:After the Battle:. (1x1) (Locked, DON'T DELETE)

[Cloudsong]

Antonia looked at her with cold eyes at first, then they softened as she realized that the girl seemed genuinely hurt, and completely lost by what was going on around here. She knew by the moment she opened her mouth that she had come here looking for Marcel, and the fact that he was hiding away upstairs, too much of a coward to face her, made her feel a rush of unexplainable anger towards him. Obviously something had happened between the two of them, and she could see that there was something about how Allegra spoke that showed that she obviously cared deeply about him, if she had come all the way here in the pouring rain to look up in a book where he lived.

She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, eyes wide, as she saw Allegra spy the coat hanger, approaching it slowly as she took the hat off of the rack. Discomfort and pity struck her, as she saw her put two and two together. She obviously knew now that Marcel was here now.

The crashing of the bookcase made her eyes widen, and she instantly was next to the princess, picking up books as well. Her heartrate had sped up with surprise, and she quickly put them into neat piles onto the shelf again. "Why do you apologize?" she asked, smiling tentatively as she blinked, not understanding what she could possibly be sorry for. "It wasn't your fault that it fell over.. It must have been the wind." Her eyes no longer held the anger they had before. "And don't go. Perhaps I can help you... Who are you looking for?" Though she already knew, she wanted to do the best she could to comfort her, and just hope that Marcel would come down on his own, realizing what he was missing out on.

-

Stella furrowed her brows. Though she didn't see the logic behind what he was saying, she instantly believed him. After all, anything he said was good enough for her to believe. "Then who will you marry?" she asked, obviously still confused by the topic.

(Lol aww... I should make a girl for Daelen! He's such a cool character. Shall I make someone? =D

1 more post and I'll go to sleep XD Woah its 3:15... man. Post soon! )

[Captain Kaycee]

(xD I'll post real quick here. x3 And you could if you wanted to! 8D <3)

"But it was-" Allegra began, but suddenly stopped herself. She realised that this woman didn't know the power that she posessed. Maybe it's better if I don't tell her, she thought, mentally agreeing to it. It would be better to simply not say anything about the little mishap, and instead just blame it on the wind. Besides, she needed to control her emotions better to keep something like that from happening again.

As Allegra continued placing books back up on the shelf, she glanced over at the woman. "I'm looking for a Spaniard. He goes by the name Marcel. Marcel de la Torre," she muttered, picking up the last book and setting it on the shelf with the others. "He... owes me something. And I owe him something as well," she explained, nearly growling out the last part. The only thing she wanted to do was slap him senseless. He deserves it after all the stuff I went through!
--

Daelen's face reddened as he listened to her. Marriage? Who was he going to marry? The thought that never occured to him. Never in his life had he thought about having a wife and children. He would normally think about ruling a kingdom on his own, not even having a woman to share it with. "I... I don't know," he finally told her, turning away and biting his lip. He didn't know whether or not he was ever going to get a girl. It wasn't neccessarily his top priority either.

[Cloudsong]

(I'll make the character tomorrow while I'm waiting for you to get on ^^ I'm already imagining it 8D)

Antonia looked over at her as she said his name. Forcing a smile, she turned back to the bookshelf, acting as if she was busy tidying the bookshelf. There was a long drawn-out silence as she inwardly battled with herself. It would be the right thing to do to tell Allegra the truth. She deserved it, as she could see now. But she had promised Marcel... Silently taking a book out of the shelf, and leading Allegra over to the table, where she opened it up, as if searching for a page that could possibly contain an address. As soon as she got close enough to her, she drew in a deep breath, and leaned towards her, whispering; "He's upstairs."

-

Stella blinked, obviously not pleased by his answer. "Then I can help you find one!" she exclaimed, her eyes bright with anticipation as she imagined helping Daelen out. Then he would have to spend time with her.


(Lol this post is really short, so I'll make ONE more XD Because it's really getting good, and I don't want to sleep!)

[Captain Kaycee]

(YES. STAY ON. x3 Well I don't have anything to do right now... but if I wish you were in the US so our timezones were the same Dx)

Allegra's eyes widened as she listened to the girl. "H-He's upstairs?" she repeated, her head shifting towards the stairs. She immediately shook the girl's hand, a little bit more forcefully than she should have. "Thank you," she whispered, walking over towards the stairs. She suddenly stopped at the bottom, looking up for a moment. Hm, just so he doesn't hear me... She took off her small heeled shoes and set them next to the stairs, then began to quietly walk up them.

As Allegra reached the top, her head tilted to the side. It looked like a small cottage up there, but she wasn't one to complain. Actually, it looked quite nice from her perspective. She enjoyed castles too, but this was nice when it came to a simple, small space. She began to peer through doorways, tapping her finger on the doorframe. Marcel... where are you...? She sang through her head. She wanted to at least see him and teach him some manners when it came to her. Allegra wouldn't go and cry to other noble girls if a guy ran away from her. No, she was quite the opposite. She wanted to see him again and hurt him the way that he hurt her. She wanted to smack some sense into that man.

--

Daelen shook his head once again, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't need to find somebody to marry," he snapped, his anger getting the best of him. He turned around to the girl, an irritated look on his face. "Listen, I don't need a girl, I don't want a girl, and I definitely don't want to love a girl," he yelled at her, turning back around and beginning to walk off towards the door from which he came in. He didn't want anymore of the conversation to continue. Even if she was young, his feelings towards those particular subjects were much more sensitive than hers.

[Cloudsong]

(Omg... I am so sorry. Seriously, I'm telling the truth when I say this: I literally fell asleep while waiting for your reply. XD I woke this morning with the lights still on in my room, and my laptop on the bed. Gah, I'm sorry x.x *guilty*

And OMG I wish I was in CA. I kick myself every day thinking that we could have seen each other >.> Seriously I am so sick of Spain right now...)

Antonia smiled slightly as she saw the look of joy and relief on the girl. She flinched slightly at the forceful handshake she was given, then watched as she approached the stairs, taking off her boots so that she could silently walk up. Boy, was Marcel in for a surprise... It would be amusing to see his reaction, though she knew that she could never go up to watch. As she silently sat down behind the desk, she realized that she had, at that moment, ruined every chance that she and Marcel would have had together. She had told her exactly where to find him, and she was on her way up there now. For all she knew, they could end up kissing. Perhaps it was better not to think about it.

-

Marcel sat on the bed in his bedroom, his elbows resting on his knees as he blankly stared at the ground in front of him. His hair and clothes were still very wet, and he felt his skin very cold. He didn't care that his bed was getting wet; didn't care that he may catch a sickness from being so cold. All that he could think about was his guilt. He hard hurt her, and that was the unbearable part.

-

The castle courtyard was completely deserted. Thunder and lightning sounded and flashed everywhere, and hail fell from time to time, making the open-skied area not desirable. In the doorway that led to the castle, a girl stood, her dark hair blowing behind her as she lifted her chin, watching it with an unreadable expression on her face. One eye was covered by a lock of hair, while the other surveyed the scene with interest. Her gloved black hands had had the tips cut off, so that her fingertips could peak out, and her gown was black and strapless, her shoulders bare. The dress reached the floor, and it had obviously picked up some rain water that was coming in from the flooded ground outside. It seemed that the rain didn't bother her in the slightest; on the contrary, whenever a flash of lightning struck, she seemed to lean forward further, as if restraining herself from leaving the covered area and running out into the rain.

Father would be unhappy if she did this. After all, she was due to go to the royal dinner for the birthday of the prince and princess; showing up soaking wet was not an option. Though she wished she didn't have to go, it had been an order from him, something he didn't do often. Usually he let her do anything she wanted, not setting restrictions or boundaries. Perhaps it was because he was guilty for bringing her into the world at all that he let her do anything. After all, I don't have much time to live life, she thought bitterly, her eyes closing as she swallowed, a feeling of pain and sorrow seeping through her as she reminded herself. Usually she would try not to think of it, for when she did it would make her very sad.

She opened her eyes after a moment, looking up at the sky with a searching look in her eyes as she watched the storming skies. Was her mother up there? Perhaps she could see her now. Would she be disappointed in what she saw? The way she had turned out? The thought bothered her, as she had always thought of her mother as the ultimate thing in the world. And I don't even remember what you look like, she thought brokenly, looking down at the floor, her eyes blank as she didn't truly care about what she was even seeing.

(New character alert! Go to page 1 to read about her. Woo, excited 8D She's rlly cool Perhaps Daelen could meet her now? =3)

[Captain Kaycee]

(Rofl!! XDD Don't worry, I've done the same exact thing sometimes xD
*sniff* I don't know when I would be able to go back here either... It's a long drive...)

Allegra suddenly stopped as she noticed one room occupied by a person on the bed. She immediately recognised it to be him, and for a moment she debated what to do. She could either simply walk inside or wait until he walked out. She was thinking about which one would scare him more, and after a little while of deciding she finally walked into the doorframe with her hands folded across her chest.

She looked around the room briefly, wondering if this was his room. It was nice, she had to admit. it wasn't even a third of the size of her bedroom, but that didn't seem to phase her at all. She simply lived in a castle, while he lived in a house above a bookstore.

"You know, it's very rude to walk out on a princess. If I had guards I would have ordered them to restrain you and tell me what the hell that was for," Allegra muttered, finally revealing herself in the room. She was leaning against the doorframe, her face not looking pleased. It was more stoic and serious rather than her usual pleasing and cheerful self.

--

Daelen walked out of the study and walked out to the open hallway that overlooked the courtyard. He was still slightly angry over the talk he had with Stella. Deep down, he truly wanted to marry somebody. But that wasn't his priority at all, and instead it was simply getting Alexander to recognise him as an heir to the throne. As much as he wanted to say it, Stella was too young and a girl. Even when his mother was supposed to inherit the throne, his uncle was to be king because he was a man.

He was given a crown today, which at least was a start. He had also became a full knight-captain, allowing him to order knights and train them at his pleasing. Still, if the king could at least see how much potential Daelen possessed, then maybe he would think about it.

Suddenly the boy stopped, looking out the hallway and noticing a young girl standing down in he courtyard. Even with the rain the guards had gone inside, so why not her? He was about to call out to her, to tell her to go inside, but then kept himself from doing so. He simply leaned against the stone carving that created the open hallway, looking down at her.

Daelen did agree that she was beautiful, but it seemed like she was more of a witch than a person in her attire. She was practically in all black, but he had to remind himself that he had almost black hair as well. It was dark brown, but without sunlight hitting on it then it looked black. He continued to look at her, leaning against the stone wall now and folding his arms across his chest. He was like a hawk looking down a its prey, although she was far from prey.

[Cloudsong]

Marcel stopped dead as he heard her voice, and he looked up, eyes incredulous as he saw her leaning against the doorframe, glaring at him. He hesitated, feeling for a moment frightened; not to what she would do, but what she would say. Because he knew that he had hurt her, and that was why she was here; to tell him that. His gaze was as unreadable as hers, and he slowly stood up, his eyes locked with hers.

There was a long silence, where he just stared at her, unsure of what to say; nothing he could say at this point could help in the situation. "I had my reasons," he said finally, voice blank. He crossed his arms, and merely waited for her to become more infuriated by him.

--

Almost the second he leaned up against the wall, Enigma looked up, hearing the sound from far above her. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she saw the man, who was about her age. He was watching her. Why? She inwardly cursed, the moment she had been having with the rain being ruined. As much as she wished she could yell up at him to go away, she knew that he wouldn't hear her. He was human; his hearing wasn't like hers. He was human. A surge of jealousy went through her, and she swiftly turned away from him, her back turned to the rain. He would grow old, be normal. She wasn't exactly sure why she felt this strong envy; she saw humans all the time. What was it about him that irritated him? Perhaps it was how smug he looked, staring down at her as if he owned the place. Prince Daelen, she thought, remembering that her father had told her of them.

She closed her eyes, concentrating hard. Though she wasn't exactly sure why, for once she did not heed her father's request of keeping her secret. Perhaps it was rebellion, or just the desire for one other to know of it, even if she would never see him again. But either way, she found herself as she opened her eyes to have her vision restored, and have four legs again. She had transformed into a cat.

Quickly she padded off into the castle, not looking back at the man.

(Well I'll just go there one day x] When I get my license XD)

[Captain Kaycee]

Allegra rolled her eyes, letting out a choking laugh. "And what reasons are those? That after you decide to kiss me, you suddenly realise that all those feelings were simply a joke? Or that those feelings didn't even exist, and all you wanted to do was watch me squirm?" she growled, her nails digging into her skin on her arm. Her eyes glared at him, wanting nothing more than to hurt him as much as he hurt her.

Her feelings for him felt like they were crashing into two pieces. One side wanted to simply ask him why he did that and then kiss him again; but the other, more dominant side, wanted to beat him down into finally apologising and then telling him that it's not good enough and walking away. She wanted nothing more than to yell and scream at him, then either throw a punch or a fireball at him, whichever came first.

--

Daelen's eyes widened and he nearly fell over from where he stood, seeing the woman disappear into the castle, as a cat. "What the hell....?!" he gasped, blinking his eyes as if to do a double take. For a moment he wondered if it was just his imagination, or if it was really something that he had seen. He could tell that it was some kind of magic, but it didn't look anything like his sister possessed.

After a few minutes of just trying to regain his thoughts, he got up and walked away towards the dining hall. Dinner was to be served at six o'clock sharp, and he had only a few hours to get ready for it. There would be almost the entire kingdom there, at least the noble part save a few foreigners. He had only witnessed a few peasants at the banquets, which was strange in his mind. His uncle had married a servant girl, shouldn't a few peasants be allowed to come?

(Yes. Yes you should xD)

[Cloudsong]

Marcel listened in silence, not reacting until the last part. He opened his mouth to snap a retort to her, then stopped, knowing that he didn't want to start a shouting match. Not only would she win, but he didn't want to yell at her at all. "I realized after I kissed you that I shouldn't have, Allegra! It has nothing to do with what I really feel for you, because I can assure you now that I would never use you." His voice was incredulous and almost angry that she would think that of him.

He sighed before running a hand through his blonde hair, which was still quite wet. "It shouldn't have happened," he repeated. "Because you and I, Allegra... We can't ever be together."

Though he wished more than anything that he could tell her the truth, he knew that it would just make it more difficult for them to stay away from each other. He wanted more than anything to tell her what he felt for her; that it was something he had never felt for anyone before. And as he watched her looking completely angry at him, he realized that she had to feel the same way. If she had come out here at all to see him, it was because of what she felt. And though he felt a rush of unexplainable happiness at this realization, he knew that he could never show it. Instead he kept the expression he had, and waited for her to say something more.

--

The jet black cat trotted swiftly through the corridor towards the stairs, sticking close to the wall, camouflaging perfectly with the dark wood and dark floors. Servants walked by, some carrying trays, others buckets. None of them looked down and saw her, and even if they did, she knew that she could outrun them easily to hide and change back into a human. After so many years of mastering the stealth of a cat, she felt quite confident in herself, and thought of herself as a very accomplished cat.

Upstairs the rain sounded louder, and her tail lashed as she leapt up onto the banister that overlooked the floor below. She could see a man down there, walking slowly across the main floor. One carried a briefcase, and Enigma knew the moment she spied him who it was. Silently she settled herself down on the narrow ledge, her paws tucked in, tail flicking idly as she waited for them to finish. It wasn't long before they bowed to each other, one going to the entrance of the castle, while the other approached the stairs, climbing them slowly, as if he were hesitating with each step.

The cats eyes narrowed, and she slowly jumped down to the ground, and sat there waiting, until he came into view at the top of the stairs, his steps a bit wobbly as he approached the room that the king had left them. As he rummaged around for the key, the she-cat padded up, giving him a cold stare. He glanced over at her, and looked around before opening the door. She entered quickly, and he closed the door behind him.

As soon as he clicked the door behind him, and turned around slowly, he met the angry gaze of his daughter, who was again in her human form. "Enigma, dear... What did I tell you about being careful?" His voice was shaky, and obviously there was something not right about him.

"Drunk again?" she hissed, her voice laced with disbelief as she crossed her arms, glare never leaving him. "You are despicable! Did you not hear what the doctor said to you back at home? About you being at risk?" Her nostrils flared, and she breathed out slowly. "Women's perfume. Really, dad?"

He stumbled over to the bed, sitting down hard. A silly grin was on his face as he raised a finger, seeing her in double. "Don't you take that tone with me..." He trailed off.

"What, been busy all day?" Her voice was full of fury as she took a step towards him, eyes full of almost hurt. "You have no respect for my mother. Or yourself. How can you possibly look at yourself in the mirror every morning is beyond me..." Her voice trailed off, and she approached the window, looking out at the storm. Though she was disappointed by his actions, it was nothing new to her. That was just what her dad did.

[Captain Kaycee]

(Ack sorry .___.; I was dressing up pets and watching Hetalia... *shot*)

Allegra's face softened for just a brief moment, looking as if it would become somewhat of a sorrowful state. However, that never happened. Instead she simply turned her face back into anger, letting out an irritated sigh. "Then what does it have to do with, huh? Because if you even begin to say that this has to do with social status, by god I will punch you. Just look at the king and queen of this kingdom. He was a prince, and she was a servant. Miracles happen, Marcel," she explained, trying her best to keep from letting any anger intertwining with her magic. If it came to that, she was afraid that the entire house could tumble over.

After a second or two from not speaking, Allegra sucked in a breath. Now or never, she thought quickly as she took a step towards him. She didn't move any closer, however, and instead kept her arms folded and glaring at him. "Marcel, I can't tell you how much I can't bear this. I... I wanted so badly to simply tell you that Iloved you. Never in my life have I ever felt this way... and now you're just telling me to give up. To let that feeling die, like the rest of my feelings that I've had to cope with over the years. You never saw me crying at night with my mother over my father's death... you never had to watch somebody die in front of you if you didn't heal their illness in time. You've never had to fight back against noble women telling you that you're not good enough for the kingdom as a princess. That you should simply go away and never come back..."

Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, and she tried desperately to fight them back. She didn't want him to see her cry. She had never shown anyone her tears except her mother and Daelen. She almost felt alone, if it weren't for her family. She was always staying in the dark to serve the light. To be good to the ill and save them, but stay away unless it was needed.

--

Daelen wandered through the hallways, stopping as he reached the dining hall. Plates were being set up along the main table that faced the room, while the seperate tables were laying vertical to main horizontal table. He noticed that his seat was near the king's, and he felt himself begin to smile. At least he would have one day where he could act like the king's son.

Suddenly he heard somebody talking in the room next to the hall, and he turned to see a door that probably led into a guest's quarters. Curiousity was getting the best of him as he walked up to the door, noticing that there was a small opening near the door where he could look through. He stepped up on a table that was against the wall, looking into the room. It was the same girl that he had seen in the courtyard, as well as another man.

Were they here for the banquet...? Daelen thought as he struggled to keep his balance. They just seemed to be yelling at each other, but it wasn't something that he imagined to be yelling over. When he heard the father say something about being careful, Daelen couldn't help but lift an eyebrow. Be careful about what?

Suddenly he felt the desk fall from under him, causing Daelen to fall onto the ground. It sounded a large crash in the hallway, making the prince curse loudly and stand up. "Damn it! That's the last thing I wanted!" he cursed to himself as he ran down the hallway and hid behind a corner, hoping desperately that the two people in that room wouldn't be able to see him. He had left the table turned on its side with a flowerpot broken, but he didn't even think twice about picking it up. He had to make sure that he wasn't seen.