xxx

[warm]

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power telekinesis!!  located ballroom tagged jackson &slightly micah&ophi?? mood optimistic!!(kinda)

dreary. the arising tension consisting throughout the entire shields family was dreary. it seemed as though it could throw a doe-eyed optimist, into a sink-hole of a funk. charlie, his days mostly consisting with noticing the whispered secrets, and rather awkward glances from across the dining hall table. the distance he felt to his brothers was something that charlie could puzzle piece together in his brain, being the problem-solver he is, it was simple logic. he probably wasn't even brothers to them. everyone knew the gossip, even a simple peasant could do the math. the secrets throughout the family arose, and crashed down onto everyone. this was probably the most tension thats been in the family in years. the lies grew and tore through, but charlies heart wasn't able to crash and burn through it all. the boy was still as sweet as honey. it made perfect sense that him and his brother jackson, were tightly knit buds. they were the two brothers, of which were conflicted about their actual families. ovbiously jackson had it worse, being not technically related to the family at all. but, it was close enough for the two to feel a strong as heck bond.

charlie had mixed feelings about the party. the shields were known to throw a typical run-of-the-mill awkward party, but all of the kingdoms, and not to mention all the girls tied up with the whole marriage situation, was a recipe for tension. some of the guests he hadn't seen for who knows how long, years maybe. the whole marriage situation in general, seemed entirely forced to charlie. leave it up to him to analyze everything, but he knew it would be many years before he'd get the crown. possibly he'd die before he even got close to it. besides, the crown was waaaaay to much to handle for the sensitive boy. watching micah become king would both be slightly entraining, to see his snarky personality in action of ruling over thousands, and also horrifying to see the outcome. he unintentioanlly loved all of his brothers. some much more than others, but he couldn't bring himself to absolutely despise any of them. to despise anyone, was a word out of charlies vocabulary.

time had easily escaped charlies grasp. what has seemed like fifteen minutes of getting ready, plus the usual diddy-dallying, looking up through his window at the darkening sky, and counting the stars, acting like a total child pretty much basically, turned out to be around fourty-five minutes in total. he was dressed in the normal ball attire, almost a split image of his brothers dashing suits and ties. untrue to his personality, the suit was caked in almost all black, with a subtle hint of dark green. the crowd consisted of many familiar faces, almost all knowable to him, it was easy for charlie to remember faces, and names. he made his way down the stairs, and closing in on the increasing crowd of people, which was always something to make the lightly shy boy a lil more nervous. crowds, what fun. just as he was about to go around and begin the hunt for jackson, in his luck, his brother bumped right into him.

"forgiven, my boy." he said jokingly back to his brothers remark. in a matter of seconds, jackson was giving off his good old dazed 'n confused look. he seemed to basically wander into a now empty space, and reached his arm out to basically, nothing. it was common for jackson to get totally emotional, at random times. he looked at his bewildered expression with growing sympathy on his face for his brother. ophi... jackson mumbled clear enough that charlie was able to make out the words.

"aw shoot thats her isn't it." he said recalling the thousands of stories, and rekindling, sad moments jackson would plead out to him. charlie knew in his heart that jackson wasn't going to stop moping until he actually got a chance to talk to her. it wouldn't have been too much of a obstacle for him either, if it wasn't for micah. he could sense his brother felt entirely hopeless now. which charlie would have also felt, the eldest brother always got his way, and besides, he was going to be king, but charlies go-lucky nature couldn't possibly let his brother loose hope.

"okay, i know what your thinking. sure he's going to be king, and he totally gets everything he wants, but you got chaaaaaarm jacks. and you got a heck of a lotta chemistry with her. okay? okay." he pestered jackson, grabbing him by the shoulders, and shooting him off with a wink. he casually made his way closer over to ophi and micah, just to try and help jackson out a little bit with the whole situation. it didn't hurt to try. maybe.

[prince of heart]

❀ Elliana Rose ❀ 18 ❀ Female ❀ Blossom Kingdom ❀
Elliana was distracted from the moment her sister began to walk over to the group. She pinned
the smile on her face however, though she was screaming inside. What on earth was she thinking.
Elliana knew full well Heather thought all this royalty stuff was terrible, and was expecting her
sister to remain on the edges all night, like she had at almost every other party they had been
called to for years. Of course it was tonight, surrounded by snakes and enemies, that her sister
decided to become social.

And on the first night she became social, she came out with a question like that to one of
the guards for the crown prince himself, who was standing not five feet away from her. Elliana
s internal screaming grew louder, and she abruptly hoped that there was no one who could hear
thoughts in attendance. It would be hard to explain why they were getting nothing but
screaming from her. The guard however ( and Elliana would have to remember that his name
was Qahir) didn't seemed too concerned however, and so some of the tension leaked from her
spine, though she still kept an ear on that conversation. If this Qahir didn't seemed to concerned
about people insulting his charge and future king, he could be a valuable asset in the future. Of
course, he was now an honorary snake, and would surely want something in return for whatever
he gave Elli. That did tend to be the way secrets and lies worked after all.

It was a testament to how distracted she was by her sister that Elliana barely responded to Micahs
quasi taunts. While she would normaly have a much more diplomatic answer, her first thought
was never to be polite, and so instead of a platitude, she heard her self respond with "Am I
supposed to be amazed that you can make people feel things? Because honestly I'm not. Any one
can do that with the right words." She paused, realizing what had just come out of her mouth.
Why this. Why her. After eighteen years of sneaking around and learning how to walk the fine line
of not pissing people off, and not making real friends ( with the exception of Tayla), she had to go
and mock the crown prince of the kingdom that had just captured hers. Ten for ten, right there.

As Opheli walked away, Elli let out a careful breath as Micah went after her. She reached for a glass
of the tray of a passing servant, taking a sip. Champagne, not what she usually chose, but it would
do. Deciding she had done enough socializing with princes for the time being, she retreated,
walking past her sister and angling for a empty space on the wall. Once there, she looked around,
making not of who had shown up. Her lips curled into a smile as she say Diego blatantly staring at
Maris when in a conversation with Neve, and absently made a note to keep tabs on that. So much
of that had the potential to blow up in their faces. Call her petty, but Elli coul really enjoy someone
else being stupid and rude to a prince just then. Opheli seemed to have joined a few other princes
in conversation, though her older sister was no where to be seen, at least not from where Elliana
was standing. That was a shame, she could have used the chance to gossip with one of her few
friends. There was a stir as the King and Queen entered, and Elliana curtsied, though perhaps not
as low as she ought to, considering that she was now technically just one of their ladies. But she
had been raised as a princess, and she still had a kingdom where most would bow for her, and so
she would continue to act as such. Lost in thought, the silence that she had become accustomed
to surrounded her, blocking out the sound of speech and music. She would still notice if people
addressed her, but she had no interest in hearing more backhanded compliments towards others
just then.

[haadez_]

♔ ▌ ＰＲＩＮＣＥ ＤＩＥＧＯ
_________________________________________________________

the princes cheerful mood was gone at neve's next statement, all the boy could see was red. her tone wasn't one the
young prince was fond of, however he held his tounge as his parents arrived to the ball. straightening, diego bows to
the king and queen, plastering a fake smile on his face before turning back to the platinum blonde princess, who's g-
aze was on a drink she had picked up while he had been spaced out.

lifting his hand, he finds a loose strand of hair and twirls it between his fingers , "i can promise you won't sleep the
entire time you're here if you dare." he hisses, stepping closer, so he was inches away from her, before leaning tow-
ards her ear. "if i wanted maris, i would have her, but why would i want the less beautiful princess?" he whispers
his low tone holding all of his anger. putting his fingers under her chin, diego pushes her face up, meeting her eyes wi-
th his own angry gaze before he jerks his head over, in one swift movement, brushing his lips against hers lightly, befor-
e he stands up, turning sharply on his heel, walking toward the first princess he saw, julianna, with his false smile still
stuck on his face.

"how are you princess?" he asks as he stands in front of the woman, his words sharp and proper. turning his head to
his brother, audric, he dips his head in greeting before diego takes in juliannas appearance before offering her a sma-
ll genuine smile. "you look beautiful julianna." the prince compliments before clearing his throat. "i hope you don't
mind my interrupting brother." he apologizes, though he didn't actually care if he did or didn't mind, before offering
the young woman his hand. "dance with me." it was more of a statement then a question, though his eyes dared her
to reject his request in front of his brothers and parents. taking a few steps towards her, diego lowers his voice to a w-
hisper, "dance with me and i'll be sure you have pleasant dreams during your stay." the statement came out softly,
but it was obviously a threat, though a fairly empty one. he wouldn't ruin her sanity over something as petty as a reje-
ction to a dance, he wasn't his brother, but a few nightmares never hurt.

"so, julianna, are the rumors about you true?" diego asks, changing the topic with a glance at audric, as he waits
for the princess to respond to his offer of a dance

tagged; neve, julianna, audric

[GrayStar51]

AUGUSTUS WOLFE
xxxxxxxxroyal guard of prince diego

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doing asking elli to dance
feeling hopeful, casual
tagged diego, micah, elli

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xxxAugustus watched as his prince and Lady Neve exchanged a few more rounds of banter before the icy minx slipped away. He could feel Diego's excitement and energy. Being with all of these beautiful women must be exhilarating for such a lucky prince. Augustus didn't have the luxury of feeling so entitled. None of these lovely ladies would have any interest in him, he was merely an accessory in this setting, no more important than the soft sound of the orchestra. He leaned into Diego briefly and whispered in his ear. "I'll be nearby. Try not to break too many hearts tonight, my prince." He said in a joking manner before slipping through the crowd.

xxx Augustus didn't really blend as much as he would have liked to. He towered over the girls, even in their heels, and his black coat stuck out from the colorful array of fluffy dresses. He finally made it to the edge of the ballroom, and leaned against one of the marble pillars. His hazel-green eyes scanned the scene before him, watching every movement carefully. He saw prince Micah again, this time he was asking a very lovely girl to dance. Truly, she was exquisite. Augustus could feel the heat of envy under his skin as Micah swooped in to steal her for a dance, taking her delicate hand. She looked so kind and gentle, a true pity she didn't know Micah. Augustus had little taste for the occasionally cruel prince. He was very crude, he had no respect for the ladies who were here. Maybe he thought everyone was as dirty as he was, but either way, he wasn't to Augustus's approval. Diego was much more conscientious to others feelings. He was proud of Diego, of who he had become. Not that he had anything to do with it.

xxx With his eyes still on Micah, Augustus noticed the prince was being especially rude to on of the blossom ladies. But what was unexpected was, she was giving it right back to him. Augustus couldn't help but grin as she spat Micah's venom back in his face. As the prince turned away, Augustus kept his eyes on the lady dressed in shades of pink. Her ebony hair was defiant against such soft shades, and her soft lips just added to the clashing look of edge and silk she wore. Then his eyes caught hers, and he could tell she was more powerful than any lady in the room. Her presence was inspiring, and demanded attention. Still, she looked bored, perhaps a little upset with the evening. Augustus looked around the room, seeing all the princes heavily occupied with multiple ladies. There were just too many for the men to contend with, leaving many of the princesses to wait their turn.

xxx Taking the opportunity, Augustus stepped forward in front of the blossom lady and took a deep bow of respect. "If you don't mind, m'lady, It would be my honor if you'd take a dance with me." He offered, prepared for a rejection or even a brief scoff. He always expected such from the noble ladies. He knew their objective this evening was to win a prince, but he also knew that they came out for a good time, not to stand in line and wait for an opening. He offered the lady his hand, which was gloved in a soft black leather. At least the guard could clean up well.

[prince of heart]

❀ Elliana Rose ❀ 18 ❀ Female ❀ Blossom Kingdom ❀

Sometimes, Elliana wondered what exactly went on behind closed doors in other kingdoms.
Diego had just kissed Neve in the middle of the ball room. And then, as if that wasn't
shocking enough, he had walked away and appeared to be asking another girl to dance.
Were all the princes lacking common social graces? Did they think they could just do what
they wanted because their father had a bigger military? Were they involved in some sort of
complicated plot? Elliana was so confused at the moment. No one kissed a princess and
then just walked away in the Blossom Kingdom. They had manners.

Mind whirling, she barely noticed as she made eye contact with a guard, gaze flicking over
the crowd as she took another sip from her glass. Of course said guard was tall enough to
stand out, and she watched him approach with her head titled slightly, wondering idly why
he was walking towards her. Perhaps Micah had decided to have her accused of treason.
That might add a bit of excitement to her night at least. At least the boy was cute, she
decided, watching him walk. Not that that would make much difference if he decided to
arrest her.

At his words, she couldn't quite help the reflexive raise of an eyebrow, a bit surprised he
was asking her. Clearly, he either hadn't realized who she was, or he didn't care. Elliana
couldn't quite tell which option she found more appealing. She smiled, setting her glass
down. She could just imagine what her parents would be saying right now, screaming
about how a Rose doesn't dance with those who aren't nobility. But then again, Elli had lived
by the rules her entire life. She had already mouthed off to a prince, how much more
damage could one dance do. "But of course, the honor would be mine" She replied, placing
her hand in his. "But you should know, I make it a personal policy not to dance with men
when I don't know their names" She teased with a grin.

[GrayStar51]

AUGUSTUS WOLFE
xxxxxxxxroyal guard of prince diego

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doing dancing
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tagged elli, diego

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xxxAugustus sometimes regretted things, not often, but now was definitely one of those unfortunate moments as he stood there, silenced like a total idiot at the hands of this irrepressible dame. She took his hand, to his surprise, and he naturally took his position as a man, resting one hand delicately on her waist and the other in her hand as the waltz began. Augustus knew the steps as well as any noble, just for this situation, but the conversation aspect was less graced. When she asked his name, He left her eyes for only a moment, glancing at his feet. "Yes, of course. Forgive me, I'm often not so bold as to introduce myself to such ladies. I'm Augustus, one of the royal guards in this house." He said proudly.

xxx He was indeed proud of his stature. As far as servants go, he was top notch. He wasn't a butler or a stableman, he never cleaned anything unless directly asked by the prince. He was always present with the royal family wherever they went, he was truly important compared to the others who stayed behind closed doors and underneath the floors, hidden from view and kept backstage in this extravagant operation. Meanwhile, Augustus was center-stage, out on display for all to see. And now, he was fancying a beautiful lady in his arms. Goodness, he was growing bold this evening.

xxx While she was so close, Augustus wasn't going to miss the ripe opportunity to admire her. He could tell she was skilled, she had obviously mastered all the ballroom dances probably at a young age. Her movements were poised and elegant, as if she were floating and he was trying to steer a cloud in the wind. "Might I ask your name, m'lady? I'm not familiar with all the ladies in this court, but I'd like to learn them as quick as I can, if you don't mind." He asked politely. It wouldn't take a doctor to see he was nervous as all get out, but he kept pace with her and tried to focus on the dance and not her, although she demanded attention. He couldn't imagine how the princes must feel, with nearly a dozen ladies trying to woo them. This house truly was a pit of snakes tonight.

xxx Out of the corner of his eye, Diego caught his attention again. That was always a thought for him, Diego. Where was he? What was he doing? Who was he with? Was he safe? Yes, but still, was he? No wonder the nobles all considered him a stressed man, he was entrusted with protecting another person, a person with will and desire and occasional stubbornness and a bit of recklessness. Speaking of recklessness, Augustus could hear murmurs spreading through the crowd. Diego had kissed Neve? And Augustus thought he was being bold. How unusual, for Diego to act so unpredictable. Typically, he was a reserved fellow, always kind and polite. Perhaps Neve had gotten his spirits up, she was quite the vixen.

xxx Augusts cleared his head, trying to let his concerned thoughts stand aside while he enjoyed a few minutes for himself. He did so enjoy the feeling of silk dresses and the sweet smell of cherryblossom.

[peachy,]

( M A R I S. )
xx // title; eldest princess of frozen ' ( tags]; ophi, talya//neve ) ( wearing; x ) ' '

icy eyes watched as talya's sister, opheli approached the two. maris smiled brightly at her greeting. "you look lovely as well, princess opheli." she complemented. like a wolf (or snake) stalking its prey, it wasn't long until princes followed behind ophi. as they tried to persuade her to dance, maris' eyes wandered over to her dear sister and prince diego. she watched the scene unfold, briefly making eye contact with the prince and then watching as he stomped off to go bother another woman, followed by his puppy dog augustus taking off as well. she knew of neve's emotions toward this young man- which she really didn't understand- and couldn't help but smirk and feel a spark of guilt afterwards.

her attention was then grabbed by the main doors opening, and the king and queen entering through them. maris curtsied along with the others in the room. it was a weird thought to imagine that one day, the man walking through those doors and being treated like the king, would be her friend micah.

since she had just watched diego kiss her sister, and then go off and ask someone else to dance, maris decided now would be a good time to go hang around neve again. besides, her younger sister needed someone to either cheer her up or hold her back. nodding to talya and ophi as a goodbye, the blonde princess left her small group and crossed the room. smiling at neve, she let a smile play at her lips. "do tell me what you see in that prince again? i could use a laugh." maris attempted to get neve to laugh. in all honesty, she didn't know how neve felt about that whole situation. was she angry? upset? or did she not care at all? maris didn't hear the conversation, after all. but a normal reaction to being kissed and then ditched surely isn't not caring.

while awaiting some sort of response, maris' eyes danced around the room. she recognized a majority of the princesses, but that's only because news travels fast in the frozen kingdom. aside from names and rumors, the ones she had not already befriended were strangers. and the princes were doing things that they normally did. audric wasn't socializing with anyone, micah was talking to nearly every princess, diego just kissed someone and ran off. she seen prince charlie and his brother jackson enter earlier, but as of right now she couldn't find them. maris made a mental note to go speak to the brothers and catch up with the two.

[falling,]

✧. ＨＥＡＴＨＥＲ ＲＯＳＥ
xlxkingdom blossom wearing xx tags qahir, others

xxxxheather couldn't help her cerulean eyes from wandering around the ballroom as qahir took his time to answer. prince micah had whisked past her, and heather's eyes followed him, until he came to a stop in front of a familiar face. opheli! her pulse jumped in delight. she really needed to talk to her friend soon, or she was going to... well, she didn't know what would happen. possibly, she might go insane.

xxxxqahir's voice brought her back to the present. she glanced up at his face and nodded at his reply. she agreed full-heartedly with his words. "precisely! i've never understood their need to throw a party whenever they wish. to be completely honest, most of the time when the blossom kingdom was invited, i refused to go." heather paused, a small smirk forming on her face, as she remembered the nights her parents had tried to force her into attending. no way was she going to come and attempt to stay on her feet for over two hours. also, crowds made her feel overly ill. her parents had been worn down at that fact. guess they didn't want me heaving at a ball.
heather grinned at qahir. "if you haven't picked it up yet, gatherings tend to bore me quite a lot."

xxxxqahir's next question threw her off slightly, though she should have been expecting it. did people these days only exchange pleasantries? heather thought not, because in the corner of her eye, something had stirred the group. she turned to see diego kiss neve, before walking away to talk to julianna. heather rolled her eyes. indeed, that was not a pleasant conversation between two close friends.
she turned back to qahir to reply. "aah, well... i guess it's pleasant. it's certainly more comfortable than back home, but really, to be completely honest, i would rather be sleeping in my own bed, picking out my own clothes, riding my own horse." it was truth. the viper kingdom was luxury, but unfamiliar, and heather didn't like that feeling. in the blossom kingdom, she was on top with elliana. here, well, there were about six other girls, and five princes wanting to be married. heather was a bit overwhelmed.

xxxxthe music died down as the king and queen stepped through the doors, and heather gave a lazy curtsy, a typical bored expression on her face. honestly, she couldn't care less about the king and queen. they would be gone soon, and it would be micah standing there with his lover. however, so far at this ball, she hadn't seen much respect from him towards the ladies. she wondered how that was going to go.
her attention was caught as elliana brushed past her, holding another guard's hand. the two started to waltz, and heather had to stop herself from laughing. how her parents would scold her about dancing with a guard, if they were in charge. but elliana didn't care. that was what heather loved about her. they shared something in common, and heather hoped she wouldn't change. that she wouldn't let the royals get inside her head. that they never took elli away from her.

xxxxheather took a sip of champagne, looking back and locking eyes with qahir. she knew she hadn't answered his question fully. she was sure he was talking about the people, not the setting, but she really had nothing more to say about it. heather wasn't that fond of most of the princes, but one in particular, well... he was in love with someone else. heather broke eye contact with the guard just in time to look away, her eyes glassy and shining. she took a deep breath and smoothly asked, "what about you?" heather knew it wasn't the smartest question to ask, but she was curious as to whether or not qahir was happy with his life as a guard. she knew most servants, maids, and people of that sort didn't choose to serve the kingdoms. but she knew almost nothing about guards. hopefully, qahir wouldn't close the door on her just before she got some type of insight of his kind. "do you really enjoy life in this kingdom?"

[prince of heart]

❀ Elliana Rose ❀ 18 ❀ Female ❀ Blossom Kingdom ❀

It was clear that the guard she was dancing with wasn't quite used to dancing with a princess,
and so Elli smiled as he spoke, meeting his gaze. "Augustus, thats a beautiful name" She
replied, lips quirking slightly at his obvious pride in being a guard. " Thats a very prestigious
position, from what I understand of it. And of course, to be assigned to one of the princes as
well." She continued, giving him the brightest smile she could manage, the one she had always
used to charm visiting nobles before. " You don't look much older than me, how long have
you been working for this house?" Her tone was light and charming, and her smile seemed
innocent, but Elliana was searching for information. It was an impressive position to have
at such a young age, and Elli had to admit to herself that she was only half searching for
information. It was a party after all, she was allowed to enjoy herself, even if it was meant
to give a bunch of princes their pick out of any girl they wanted.

She couldn't help the slight laugh at his question, smiling up at him. He really was tall, she
noticed idly. Much taller than most of her other dance partners usually were. "But of course,
my mistake. I'm far to used to men who try to dance with me in order to win someone elses
favor. I'm Elliana Rose, though I'm not of this court." She responded, though the last part
was a lie. Technically, she was now considered a minor noble of the Viper Kingdom. But she
had been born and raised in the Blossom Kingdom, and she would claim it as hers until it
was gone. " I do know many of the ladies here however, if you would like some help
learning their names" She mentioned. She half hoped he would take the offer. So far, he
was the best conversationist that she had fond for the night, and he was quite good at
dancing, for someone that probably hadn't had the same amount of constant lessons as
most of the noblity surrounding them likely had.

She could feel when his attention shifted away, and she followed his gaze to Diego. She
considered asking about him, but decided that would be a step to far. There was no need
to disturb a perfectly nice dance with too many questions, or talk that others might not
be interested in after all. So Elliana stayed quiet, smiling at Augustus as they continued
to move through the patterns of the dance. She was glad it was a waltz that he had
chosen to ask her for, as there were a few that she absolutely hated. So instead she chose
to remain quiet, enjoying the dance.

[Keriae]

‘xＱＡＨＩＲxxxＰＲＩＮＣＥ ＭＩＣＡＨ＇Ｓ ＧＵＡＲＤ！
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xxxxxxxx[ head guard for micah ] - [ location: ball ] - [ tags: heather ]
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xxxxxxxxxxxxMuch to his credit, Micah didn't seem to mind Qahir talking to a former Blossom princess. In fact, he didn't seem to care at all. He's probably too focused on deciding which of these girls he would rather marry and continue his royal line with. Only the very best for Micah. He'd already overheard the comments on some of the princesses' powers. Whatever the crown prince was searching for, Qahir wasn't sure he would find it. These girls might have blue blood in their veins, but being of royal descent did not guarantee impressive powers. For example; Qahir had once met a girl - how normal, right? She'd been a pretty little thing, too pretty to be a tavern wench, but that was where most girls ended up if they didn't marry, or take on something respectable like being a seamstress. Her hair had been tawny, like liquid gold, and her temper had made even he falter. Her power had been enhanced speed and strength. Seems pretty common, right? But she'd pinned him to a bed the morning after the night before, and if he hadn't managed to grab his main-gauche, he'd have died in that flea-ridden place. That girl might not have been any relation to royals, but no doubt Micah would see her power superior to some of these girls.

xxxxxxxxxxxxBut Micah wasn't what mattered. Well, he was, but not when Qahir had a pretty girl standing in front of him, sipping champagne from a flute that looked like it would shatter if gripped too hard. Besides, he'd slipped away, and it would serve him right if he got kicked in the crotch. It might even knock some sense into him. The guard was only there to stop him from being killed, nothing more - and even if he was, he had four younger brothers. It wasn't like the realm would be in turmoil, only his parents. Well, maybe his mother. Qahir had seen the bruises from the king; he'd tended them himself, with the salve his mother had taught him to make. He might not be the best person on the planet, and he was only here because it was worthwhile for him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't share.

xxxxxxxxxxxxIn front of him, Heather seemed to agree. Apparently she had always refused to attend these God-forsaken gatherings. The man couldn't blame her. Given half the chance, he wouldn't be here either. How unfortunate that he didn't trust the king, even in public. He might have given him a job, but Qahir wouldn't hesitate to shoot a crossbow bolt right through his heart. It would be beneficial to everyone.

xxxxxxxxxxxx"I had noticed your boredom," he replied, refusing to smile back; it wasn't his style, "why else would you be talking to a guard, when you could be wrapping a prince around your little finger?" She was like all the others, and Qahir didn't trust her. He didn't trust anyone apart from himself. When the girl answered his question, he nodded in all the right places, made little noises of agreement, but before he could even part his lips to say a word, the music died down completely and at the stairs were the king and queen.

xxxxxxxxxxxxEveryone turned to face them and bowed or curtsied. Qahir, not so much. He bowed, but it was more of an incline of his head than anything, his upper body moving only a few degrees. He had no respect for this royal couple, though they had certainly given him something to wet his bloodlust only a few days ago. As soon as they were down the stairs, the music started again and everyone began to partner off. If there was one thing he was not going to do, it was dance. He could keep an eye on Micah just fine from the sidelines, and he had a feeling that Heather wasn't exactly eager either. Yet before he could beckon her to the side, she was speaking again, asking how he was. Now, isn't that a surprise? A noble, asking after a servant? Not something you see every day.

xxxxxxxxxxxx"Come, over here." He said to begin with, leading her out of the throng and to a spot at the wall, where he could speak and still hear his own voice without being crushed by the pressing mass of dancing bodies.

xxxxxxxxxxxxTime to answer her question.

xxxxxxxxxxxx"I work," he started, suddenly aware of his accent, of the twang familiar to those of the Hollows. Ah, what did it matter? "I wear the finest clothes, I eat the finest food, and I serve a crown prince. What more could you ask for?" It didn't answer her question, not exactly, but he wasn't going to give anything away to her, not on their first conversation. She was not to be trusted. "It is not a life for everyone, and it grows dull at times, but Micah is stupid enough that he keeps surprising me. Any day now he'll insult someone and they'll attack." It was treason, to speak like this, but he was too valuable. Besides, Micah liked him - he wasn't going to die any time soon.