Arranged Allegiances - 1x1 (Don't delete!)

[Cloudsong]

Long ago, in a country by a name that was not recorded in our records, there were two cities; Mortifer and Anima. They were neighboring cities, and they had always been complete opposites; where Mortifer was situated between two mountains, and was always in the shadows, Anima was placed in the middle of a meadow, where the sun seemed to always shine. The people of Mortifer kept very much to themselves, and the opposite can be said about Anima. Naturally because of their differences, the two didn't get along very well, and there were many recorded wars for reasons that are unknown.

But all of the wars stopped when the king of Anima and the queen of Mortifer met up and decided to unite their children in marriage, in hopes that they would soothe the fighting. Their attempts were prosperous, though the children - the boy who was almost in his twenties, and the girl a few years younger - were against the idea.

Not many realized that the city Mortifer meant Death in latin, while Anima meant Life.

~

Form
Username:
Character Name:
City:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality/History:

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Username:
Sєt.Mє.Frєє.
Character Name:
Ean Esabell Truen [Ee-en;; ey-sa-bell ;;True-en]
City:
Mortifer
Gender:
Male
Appearance:
With an olive-colored skin tone and dark, slightly curling brown hair, Ean looks very similar to many of the people in the city of Mortifer. His hair has slight blonde highlights to it, if one looks at it directly in the sunlight, a trademark sign of the royalty in Mortifer, for no other citizens have quite the same color hair. Although, when inside or during cloudy days, one would not even be able to tell the different between Prince Truen and any other Mortifer citizen. His hair curls slightly at the bottom when it grows too long. He has a small scar just next to his right eye, and a few freckles dust the bridge of his nose, and are usually more noticeable during the summer months. His eyes are a green-brown mixture ( or, rather, mostly dark green with brown flecks ).
Personality/History:
As all the citizens of Mortifer, Ean is introverted and tries his hardest to keep to herself. Even more so, actually, than most. Seeing as he is royalty, the fair prince of their lovely city, he believes he shouldn't have to deal with some of the other citizens. He feels he is above the rest. After all, do they have royal blood? No. He does, however, and that royal blood is what makes him a cut above the rest. Or so he thinks. He is very touchy about his middle name, for which he was named after his grandmother Esabell.
He can be harsh when he wants to be, and often has no mercy for those who he feels don't deserve it. He has a few close friends who he can be rather mischevious with and can often get into quite a bit of trouble for the things he does with them. He has been known to be a flirt to the young girls of the city, when he actually goes out into it, that is. Usually he remains in the castle with his family and advisors.
As an nineteen-year-old royal prince, he has been trained all of his life basically to hate those who belonged to the city of Anima. They were too cheery, to open about everything. It all disgusts him, if he was honest. Once, when he was around the age of ten, he had met another young boy of about the same age from Anima. At first, things had gone quite well. However, when they thought they'd be a little adventerous, and try and find one of the rumored hidden caverns hidden somewhere in one of the mountains that surrounded Mortimer, and Ean almost died in the attempt, giving him his trademark scar, and the other boy a broken leg, he never spoke to the boy again. It had been his fault, Ean had said, for convincing him it would be fun to get out and explore. Well, obviously Ean never tried that again. He keeps to himself, and plans on being a great king for his city. Once he finds his queen, that is.

[Cloudsong]

(Awesome! I love your character <33)

Username:
Cloudsong

Character Name:
Giovanna Nightingale (Jhe-oh-vah-nuh)

City:
Sole heir to the throne of Anima.

Gender:
Female

Appearance:
Long, naturally curly blonde hair, and blue eyes. Her hair reaches down her back, and she has a very defined, angular face. She is stunningly beautiful, but with the death of her brother, she has taken to crying, and she has lost weight from not eating.

Personality/History:
Born into the royal family of Anima, Giovanna was never expected to take over the throne. She was the sister of Mateo, who was the eldest son and heir to the throne. The two of them were incredibly close, and Giovanna never really cared about the fact that he was the one that was the one that would inherit the throne. If anything, she was glad that such an important job wasn't going to her; after all, her brother Mateo was the ideal King for Anima. He was kind, caring, a natural leader, and a courageous knight. He was also handsome, with blonde hair and blue eyes. While he was the ideal leader, Giovanna wasn't. She lacked certain grace, and coordination that her brother had perfectly. Although she was very beautiful, just as Mateo was, she was never really important or the center of attention. The media just cast her aside, and sought out Mateo's words.

Naturally Mateo's death came as something of a shock to the kingdom. It was very sudden, and the doctors believe he was poisoned. The kingdom was suddenly left very weak without their soon - to - be leader. The king, who's wife died while she was giving birth to Giovanna, decided the day after Mateo was buried that Giovanna would take his place as heir. Not everyone agreed with this, and even she didn't at first. As if sensing her uncertainty for leading, the king made a pact with the queen of Mortifer; her son would marry his daughter, and their kingdoms would unite.

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

( Thanks! I'm loving yours too! I edited mine a tad, but not by much. You can begin, if you'd like. ^^ )

[Cloudsong]

It was quite odd that the sun was not shining today. But then again, so many things had been odd since her brother's death. Giovanna sat alone on a stone bench in the castle's graveyard, staring at the ornate stone that her brother's body was encased in. He had died - been poisoned by the likes of which the castle guards had not yet discovered. It had all taken place on her birthday, at a dinner celebrating her becoming of age, which was 17. Mateo had stood up and had made out a toast to her, and Giovanna remembered blushing and trying to hide her pink-tinged cheeks as everyone watched her. The gazes of all had been on her; a sensation that was slightly foreign to her. Mostly Mateo stole the spotlight, and she had been fine with that her whole life. The long tables of important people that had been invited to the dinner all raised their goblets, and had drunk. Shortly after the goblet had touched his lips, Mateo had fallen to the ground, dead. She remembered someone next to her shoving her own goblet out of her hands before she could have taken a sip of it. The rest was a blurr to her; chaos as the guards escorted everyone out, and removed the body of the Prince. She remembered fighting hard to get to her dear brother, but someone had held her back - had dragged her out of the hall, and had injected her with some sleeping serum. It was a full day before she came too again, and her brother had been pronounced dead.

"Oh Mateo, why did you have to leave me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible as she stood up very silently, and approached the grave. She knelt down onto her knee, and closed her eyes tightly, imagining for a moment that her brother were here with her; the brother who had promised to always be there for her. The same brother who had comforted her when she had been told that her birth was to blame for her mothers' death.

"Dear Giovanna." A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, and she quickly got up, turning around to see her father. He seemed to have aged ten years in the past few days, and his eyes were red as if he had cried earlier. She had never seen her father cry; it was just something that he had never done publicly. But whenever his anniversary with his dead wife came around, he would lock himself up in his rooms, and refused to let anyone see him. She knew that he mourned on those days. Still he had never remarried.

Giovanna bowed respectfully to him, quickly wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "Yes, father?" Her voice seemed thick, as if she were fighting back tears.

"My child... You must brace yourself. We must leave soon; the Mortifer royal family awaits."

Giovanna's eyes widened. That's today? She had been informed that she would be wed to the Mortifer's heir - a boy close to her age, and that they were going to meet them soon, but she hadn't actually registered that it would occur so soon after Mateo's death. The idea of going to meet the person she was going to marry was quite unpleasing; the fact that she was forced to marry at all, or take the crown, was unpleasing itself. But she knew better than to protest; her father was the king, and his word was law. So she just nodded, and dropped into a curtsy before turning away from Mateo's grave. "I will go and get ready for the journey."

Without another word, with swift silent steps she ascending the steps that led up to the castle, and disappeared from sight.

(I made the legal adult age 17 xD)

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

"My son, you haven't even begun to get ready for the journey?" said the Queen of Mortifer as she stood in the doorway of her sons room. She wore the expression of shock and slight irritation. "You know that it has been arranged that we meet the royal family of Anima...and your future bride."

"My future bride, you say? Oh, I just cannot wait, mother! I wonder if she is to be pretty; or, better yet, I hope she has a bright personality, at the very least. I could care not for her appearance, as long as she is a lovely young soul!" With a scoff and an exaggerated roll of his eyes, Prince Ean turned away from his mother, his face turned towards the window of his room. He pulled back the curtains, staring out with an disgusted and angry expression. "Is that how I should act, mother, when I meet them? For I'm sure that is how those complete fools with be acting like; all optimistic at the chance of peace. I'm sure my 'future bride'", he said those particular words with scorn, "was just absolutely thrilled to hear of this marriage. Although, I'm sure any young lady would be thrilled to hear they are to be married to me." He said the last as an after-thought, smiling slightly to himself. The smile diappeared however very quickly, to be replaced with a sneer. "She's probably a cow, too big to fill her dress. That will be my luck. This idea is just ridiculous!" He spat the words out, his upper lip curled in a snarl.

Oh, how his temper could be compared to his father's, who'd been wounded two years ago during a battle Foolish man he had been, thought Ean. Fighting a young soldier's battle at his age? No wonder he'd been killed! Despite these thoughts, Ean did miss his father striding around the house. He was now kept under careful watch of many nurses, but would most likely die any day now, if the rumors were true. Ean hadn't really had a true conversation with him since it has happened. It was hard, living in such a large house with only his friends for male company. His sisters and mother were close, but he kept his distance from them, so as to not to let their femininity rub off onto him.

Casting aside the curtain, Ean whipped around to face his mother, who wore an expression of shock and distate at his attitude. He had made it quite clear he hated the entire idea of this arranged marriage. Despised it with a fiery passion probably summed it up better, however. He hated those from Anima, and to have to marry one? The very idea disgusted him.

"You will get prepared for the journey this instant, Ean Esabell!" Ean flinched at the sound of his middle name but made no comment; he'd done it now. She was in a temper, and there was no turning back now. "You will look decent and be charming and you will in no way offend the royal family of Anima! I expect you downstairs and prepared in ten minutes time, no excuses whatsoever!" She turned and strode away, slamming the door to his room behind her.

Ean stared at the dark door, his eyes smoldering. Shaking his head, he turned to the mirror that hung beside his bed. He took a deep breath, leaned his hands against his large dressed, then silently pulled it open and began to prepare. Despite what his mother had said, he was not going to go about this marriage easily. He was going to get out of this, one way or another, no matter what he had to do. There was no way he was marrying some cow from Anima.

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna didn't have to help very much with packing; her maids had prepared all of her clothing, and awaited her in the bedroom with a warm bath drawn. She didn't feel much like talking to them, which was unlike her; usually she would never stop talking. However, with the thoughts of going to meet the young Prince of Mortifer - the man who she would wed soon - her nerves would not bay. What would he be like? She had only met a few people from the strange city, and every one of them had seemed dead in personality - either that, or they just refused to talk to someone from Anima. There was, after all, much prejudice on their part when it came down to it.

Quietly she asked the women waiting for her orders to leave her to herself, and once she was sure that she was alone, Giovanna approached the mirror of her bathroom, looking into it for the first time in days. It shocked her to see that she had lost almost ten pounds, and her usually lit up blue eyes seemed almost burned out. Perhaps it was from the red from the tears, but they seemed almost lifeless. Her usually perfectly plaited hair was left unkept and knotted. She had not taken care of her appearance since the day her brother had died, and anyone that had tried to had been sent away. This will not do, she thought, imagining what her mother would say if she saw her unkept appearance. It was something Giovanna did often, pretend to have known her mother. It brought some comfort to her, and sometimes helped when she was feeling lonely.

"If I am to meet the man I will someday wed, I cannot look like this." He would think her to be ugly, and perhaps would even call off the marriage. The idea was tempting, for she did not really agree with it herself. For him to call of the wedding would be a relief, and a good thing. She did not think that he could, though, even if he were to try; nothing they could do would change the rulers' minds. They were going to get married, and that was no option. Giovanna took a moment to compose herself, then silently climbed into the still-hot water, and scrubbed herself clean.

Her father had told her that they would be departing in roughly two hours. The castle the families would be staying in was by the ocean, in an isolated location that was forbidden to anyone to go to if they were not from royalty. It was owned by the Royal Mortifer family, even if the two different royal families were going to stay there. The plan was simple; put the two of them together and see if they fell in love. If they did not, they would simply try again. And again; as many times as it took for them to fall for each other. Having grown up not being in direct line of the throne, Giovanna had always assumed that she would marry for love; she would leave marrying for status to her brother. But this would not be love; if anything it could cultivate in the opposite of it. And with how I am feeling, I doubt I will be able to love him at all. All she wanted to do was hide in her closet and cry; not to go and meet some stuck-up prince. But she had no choice.

By the time she rose from the bathwater, clean and smelling of soft flower petals, her maids were knocking on the door telling her that they had an hour to prepare her. She silently unlocked the door, and they instantly went to work on dressing her, and putting just the right amount of makeup on her to make her shine. Not too much, not too little. We want the prince to see you how you really are. Giovanna listened to her maids in silence, as they declared that her prettiness barely needed any touching up; that he would fall in love with her in an instant, and that she needn't worry. But she didn't reply, and they didn't stop to ask her to. She just stared at her own reflection in the mirror where she sat at her vanity, as they brushed her hair, and made it shine.

When she was declared ready, she was left alone as the maids went off to inform the king. She took only one moment to herself as she looked into the mirror; she made a solemn promise; "I will not cry anymore." Her words were barely audible, and she swallowed, raising her chin in the way her tutor had told her to; to act a lady. She would not let the prince - no matter how nice he would be, or how foul - think her a weakling. I have suffered greatly, but he needn't know it.

She was dressed in a white gown, with long sleeves, and gold fringes. It was beautiful, and deeply accented her hair. Giovanna turned away from the mirror, and went to her bedside table to retrieve her more precious belongings. Reaching up, she took the key she kept on a string around her neck, and removed it, unlocking the table. Inside were her more precious belongings; a picture of her mother, a letter from her brother when he was out on a mission, and her journal. She packed them all in a small white leather pouch, and put it around her neck.

It was time to go.

(We could time-skip to when they get there~)

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

( Sure, that works. C: )

Ean had been in the bath for only a few moments it seemed, only having the minimum amount of time to prepare, before being whisked right back out by his servants. Despite being an adult for two years, they still helped him with daily things. His mother had picked out what he was to wear, one told him in a rushed voice, as they swarmed around him. Sometimes, on days like these, his man-servants reminded him of buzzing insects. He almost wished he could swat them away with his hand, on some days when he was at his most irritable. However, he wanted to look impressive on a day such as this. Even if he was not going to go through with this marriage, or so was his plan, he wanted all who would accompany this girl to see the type of man he was; one of wealth.

"I can dress myself, thank-you very much," he muttered quietly as one of the servants crossed the room to retreive the clothes. The servants exchanged looks before backing off a bit, standing to the side as he dressed. He was a child no longer, after all. He would have prefered to choose his own clothes, as well, but for such an occassion as this, perhaps it was better to have the Queen pick them out; a woman's touch was always needed in such trivial things.

A dark, almost intimidating suit lay on his bed. A suit? Well, that would not do. Only old men wore suits. Despite knowing this would upset his mother, he was going to improve it just a little. Who needed the jacket anyway?
Slowly, he dressed in the crisp white shirt and dark pants and shoes that accompanied it. He buttoned the shirt slowly, deliberately, knowing fully well that the servants were watching him carefully to make sure he dressed in the full outfit. He looked up at them, one dark and neat eyebrow raised. "Would you pack the rest of my things and take them downstairs, please?"

Once again, they exchanged glances. Ean knew they were on direct orders from his mother to keep a careful eye on him; she knew what a tricky young man he could be when he wasn't happy with something. And it had been made quite clear to the entire household that he was not happy in the slightest with this marriage arrangement. However, surprisingly they did as he said, for he was their master as well, after all, and they began to pack his belongings quickly. As soon as they left the room with his bags, he tossed the jacket to the floor with a scoff.

He looked at himself in the mirror. Yes, it was only a minor adjustment, but even so, this seemed more appropriate for someone his age and status. He combed his hair carefully, making sure to keep every strand in place. He looked clean and well, and deemed himself good enough for whatever disgusting girl he was going to meet later on.

He crouched by his bed, reaching under it for a small bag that was always kept there. The contents were known only to him and his youngest sister Marrietta, who he had a certain soft spot for, with her long blonde hair that was always in a single-braid. He opened the bag for only a moment, scanning it's contents quickly; a picture of their family just after Marietta was born, before his father had been wounded. They were all smiling then, sure. But now? Not so much. The ring his father had given his mother when he'd asked her to marry him; they'd told him to give it to the girl he loved the most when the time came. Well, that was out of the window now, wasn't it? Shaking his head, he took the ring and put it into his pants pocket quickly. A small, tiny bracelet with the name of his brother on it; he'd died only a month after his birth. Brentley Joshua had been his name. Ean stared at the small bracelet before dropping it back down. Other than that, the bag held nothing. Tucking it under his arm, he stood and stared around his room.

He would not see this room for a long time, he knew. He would be put into that miserable castle that he hadn't visited since he was eleven, with that girl. Even the thought of it sent shudders down his spine. This was going to be spectacular...

--

Ean had been rushed out of the house, seeing as they'd been running late, and it wasn't until they'd reached the castle that the Queen had noticed her son's appearance. Unable to do anything about it now, she'd said she'd speak to him about it later. Well, he was going to get an ear-full from her; especially if he messed up during the meeting of the royal families.

The Prince knew that now would be the most perfect time to ruin the proposed-marriage, during the meeting. All he would have to do is say one small thing, let one thing slip out, and most likely it would be over with.
But who was he fooling? It had already been arranged; the families knew of the resentment between the two cities, and they hoped that by uniting these two, that it would somehow resolve years and years of conflicts. No matter what he did, he was never going to get out of this...
No, no. Ean told himself. Don't think that way! Remain optimistic; you might just get out of this yet.

Ean decided then, in an instant, that he would let the meeting take place without interference on his part; get a good measurment of his surroundings and of the other family before he made his first move at ruining it all. Soon, very soon, however, it would all be over. He would make sure of it.

They'd quickly deposited the bags in the appropriate rooms and had freshened up if necessary. Despite having been running late, the royal family from Anima had not yet arrived. Goodness, these people were rude, too? How long does it take one to get here? thought Ean scornfully. No matter if they had been completely punctual, and had arrived exactly at the correct time, Ean knew he would still have found something distasteful about them, something to mock or scorn or be disgusted by. It was in his blood to hate those from the city of Anima, and no matter what events occured in the castle that awaited behind him, that was not going to be changing any time soon.

( Sorry for taking so darn long; I was dealing with stuff .-.
I edited to make it a bit better. Sorry again!)

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna left her room with one last look at the familiar place. The bed, where she had many times lay down with her brother when she couldn't sleep - the balcony, with its exquisite views of the kingdom below... They were all things she knew so well, and she felt a slight feeling of foreboding as she realized that the next time she returned would be in a long time, most likely. Her father had warned her that the royalty of Mortifer were strong, and at times even rude. It could be a long time before they come to an agreement, whether it would be to marry or - she desperately hoped - to call off the wedding.

She met her father down by the steps of the castle, and he nodded, murmuring a complement on her outfit. He obviously noticed the change in her appearance; it was for the better, after all. The feeling of being well groomed actually made her feel more optimistic about the whole situation, though she still felt the sinking, tugging feeling as she thought of her brother, and how he was gone. I don't want to do this, she wanted to wail. She didn't want to marry this prince; didn't want to take over the thrown. There was so much that everyone expected out of her now. How on earth could she possibly live up to all of their expectations? Suddenly she realized how much her brother had gone through before he had been killed. But he had done such a good job at it, that she felt doubtful that she would ever even compare to him. What will my people think of me? What did they think about this? This marriage. Mortifer people had always hated Anima citizens with a burning passion, and although the feeling was mutual, it was less strong.

Dear God, give me strength to get through this. With one last look at the castle - her home - she heaved a sigh before climbing into the carriage beside her father. Only time would tell how this would end.

--

The carriage ride was much too short for Giovanna's liking. She had been hoping for a long time to run through her head everything that had happened; to consider all of her plans of action. If it turned out that she and the prince despised each other, then she would need to find a way to get out of it. Perhaps they could even work together.

But before she knew it, the carriage had come to a halt in front of the majestic castle, and the guard had rushed over to open the door for her, and offered her his arm. Giovanna daintily put her hand on it, and climbed down as gracefully as she could. She was aware that her father was saying that they were late, but she didn't seem to mind. They were told by the guards inside that the Mortifer family was to meet them inside of the Grand Dining Hall for dinner, and that they were to be there in half an hour. The news came somewhat of a shock to Giovanna. Half an hour?! That's all I get before I... She couldn't finish the sentence, and closed her eyes for a few seconds, biting her tongue hard. Tears of frustration were threatening to spill, but she refused to let them. I will not cry. She breathed in deeply. I will not cry. I will not -

"Right this way, madam," a guard said in a cheerful voice. He tried to reach for her white leather pouch, but she snatched it away from his grasp.

"This stays with me," she said quietly, holding it close to her, an almost defiant look about her.

The guard blinked, slightly confused. Then he seemed to overcome it in an instant, and had recomposed his formal self. "Of course, my child... Come, I will show you to your quarters." He took the lead, expecting Giovanna to follow.

But Giovanna didn't. At least, not at first. She glanced over at her father, who was disappearing into the opposite direction, escorted by another guard. Their rooms were on different sides of the castle. Why? The question burned in her mind. Silently she crept over to the side of the building, where there was an arch that led to the large field. The field abruptly ended in a jutted edge, and dove down into the sea. She would have to investigate that later, when -

"Your highness! Right this way please," the guard said sternly. He had returned after he had seen she was not following.

If only this man would stop interrupting her. She bit her teeth, resisting the urge to punch him in the face. Then he remembered that it wasn't lady-like to fight. Instead, she dropped into a curtsy, and allowed the man to take the lead as she followed, her steps quick and silent against the polished travertean marble floors.

Her rooms were smaller than the ones back at home, but she didn't mind. The size was compensated by the incredible views of the ocean horizon. She instantly took a liking to it, and approached the window cautiously after the guard had bowed and left. She could see gulls flying over head, and the sun was still bright in the sky. Soon it would set.

As soon as she was sure that she was not being watched, Giovanna approached the bed carefully, and put her leather bag behind the pillows, and took a step back to make sure it didn't seem disturbed; the servants may begin to snoop if they saw something unnatural. When she felt satisfied, Giovanna left, going into her bathroom to freshen up before dinner. For the first time in days, she was feeling her appetite return to her. Maybe dinner wasn't going to be so bad after all.

She was escorted down to the dinner hall by her father, who came up to see her room. "They're next to the Prince's rooms," he informed Giovanna as they closed the door. Giovanna bit her lip, unsure if this was a good thing or not. As he offered her his arm, she took it, feeling slightly more comforted in the presence of her strong father. Surely he would protect her if this man was horrid. But then again, he hadn't put that into account when he had made the decision to wed them.

(It's okay <3)

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Before being escorted down to the dinner hall by his mother, Ean had quickly taken a small tour of his room. Furnished lavishly of course, with a large comfortable bed, under which he'd hidden the small box that contained his most precious belongings, and dark-wood furniture that included a large dresser and wardrobe. Of course it was nothing compared to his former room, but it would have to do, for the time being. Ean dearly missed his home, already feeling a pang of dislike for the change.

However, he kept telling himself that if all went well, he would soon be out of the castle and back in his familiar surroundings. It was this thought, and this thought only, that made the Prince sigh deeply and continue to freshen up. He had to look his best, after all, for dinner. This would be the time in which he would make his first impression on the other family, and their daughter on him. No matter what they each looked like however, Ean knew it would not change a thing. They would hate one another, and there was not one doubt in his mind about that.

Taking a final look into the mirror that hung above the sink in his bathroom, Ean took in his appearance. The light shining in through the curtained window hit his face, making the small scar next to his eye stand out against his dark skin; or, at least, more so than it usually did. He frowned slightly at his reflection, studying it to the fullest extent. His dark green and brown-flecked eyes darted back and forth as they took in his appearance. His hair had grown a little longer than he would prefer, and had started to curl ever-so slightly at the end. He knew he'd have to get it cut soon; he just hadn't had the time as of late. Ean knew that his mother would start to notice soon, too, and once she did she would reprimand him for not having cut it sooner.

Rubbing the back of his neck and rolling his shoulders, Ean turned away from the mirror. He walked back into his bedroom and just as he was crossing the room to his door, it opened. His mother stood there in one of her best dresses, looking impatient. "Are you ready, yet?" she snapped. Ean wasn't surprised at her mood; when the Queen got nervous, she got irritable. The two feelings were intertwined, with her.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming, mother." Judging by her expression, Ean could tell that his mother was surprised that he wasn't being more reluctant, and that he was coming down without a fight. Or, even, that he'd chosen to even get ready without having to be forced to do so. Without another word, he began to walk down to the dinner hall alongside her. He felt his heartbeat begin to go faster, but told himself that it was nothing. After all, why should he be nervous?

Swallowing, they waited at the end of the main hallway, which just past was the dining hall. It was this hallway that connected the Princess' room and their family's side of the castle with the Prince's and his family's. At the end, you could enter into the dinner hall, as well as get to most of the rest of the castle.

Ean found himself looking up every few moments, tapping his shoe against the hard floors quietly, and fidgeting with his clothing. More than once the Queen had to tell him to stop his actions, but Ean couldn't help it.
Oh, why on earth was he acting nervous? He still had no reason to be...

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. They echoed throughout the hallway, and Ean looked up in surprise. Was that them, the royal family? His eyes met his mothers and simultaneously they turned back towards the location the footsteps were coming from.

Swallowing once more, Ean straightened up as much as he could without looking foolish, and kept his eyes trained on the corner. Please, he thought, let her be at least a little attractive.