Elphanor: Forced Fates

The arrival of a new commoner briefly stole Jonah's attention. His thoughts, however, didn't stray far from the topic he and Serafina were talking about currently. His eyes watched and followed the commoner for a few seconds more, watching as she made her way to another commoner, one he had seen Serafina talking to earlier. He turned his head away, not really caring much about their affairs anymore. His concerns can arise later, when and if they directly connect to his own.

"You're quite correct about that, Princess Serafina." he replied curtly, "Though, I'm glad that once our business is concluded in Elphanor and we meet the commoner we are to wed, there is no more balls and galas to worry about." Jonah added, briefly looking to the commoners once more. He wasn't lying about his relief of no more balls; however, it seemed like now more than ever he'd have to get close to someone and open up. He tried telling himself it sounds worse in his head and wouldn't be so bad in reality, but he still wasn't ready for that sort of emotional connection and so soon.

Serafina seemed to have taken some interest in the new commoner and the two of them drifted over to the pair. Serafina exchanged pleasantries and so did Jonah. The commoner Serafina was speaking to before was also there, looking noticiably tense.

Though as soon as they finished introductions, the conversation was over. The two then left briskly from the two nobles, leaving them both alone once more. Jonah didn't think much of it. Perhaps all commoners were like that? Attention spans like that of a gold fish and a fear of nobles. Jonah knows more than anyone that nobles don't bite, at least most of the time, but that can't be said of the commoners.

He turned to Serafina. "I hope nothing goes wrong with our affairs here in Elphanor. With how fleeting the commoners are, I feel a bit worried,"
 
Well, this certainly was interesting.

Genevieve was now leaning back against a stack of wooden crates, a piece of fabric (perhaps a sail?) draped haphazardly on top of the boxes. She was still observing everyone else, doing a bit of eavesdropping as well. Her positioning by the crates was close but not alarmingly so, just enough for her to pick up on some words tossed around in conversation. So far, two nobles, Serafina and Jonah were in a friendly conversation of sorts about some... noble crap she could give a less shit for.

And then there were the other commoners.

They were extremely obviously uncomfortable being around the prince and princess engaged in conversation. Perhaps they weren't accustom to nobility or something, because they both left as soon as the royals came. Genevieve wasn't any better, though, if she were to be honest. The only reason she found the fear ridiculous was because she had no fear of anyone. So far as she could tell right now, no one posed a threat.

Fey meowed and rubbed up against Genevieve's leg, large beady eyes looking up at her. Genevieve crouched down and picked up her cat, and in response Fey curled up and purred in her arms. The conversations on the docks were getting boring. Genevieve looked towards the grand castle of Elphanor, and in the direction of which a few of the other commoners high tailed it to. Perhaps she could ger more interesting information there. These royals weren't getting anywhere in conversation.

Easily slinking away, Genevieve strode to the castle of Elphanor, following some of the dock workers and smiling and saying hello. Wouldn't hurt to explore, right?
 
Things went by surprisingly quick after the Elphanor official finished his business. It seemed that both Kaiser Gregor and the guest had nearly everything set up before Quinn even arrived to Castle Warwick. Her belongings were already packed and on board of an airship, which was ported as the three of them were in the meeting. When everything was said and done, she was able to leave for Elphanor without delay. Gregor and the official sure made things efficient.

The airship ride in itself was nothing special, but it did remain her of her very first journey to Elphanor.

It was way back when she was just a small kid and her grandfather was East Kaiser. He was the ruling Kaiser at the time, which was why he was answering to the High King's summons. Apparently, the other rulers that were also summoned were bringing either their children or grandchildren. In order to help strength bonds between the young generation.

Little Quinn was so excited to finally riding an airship. Her grandfather picked her up so she could look over the ship's railing as the airship ascended and the ground slowly disappeared. It was not loner before an idea formed in her head, what if she tried to catch a cloud? When she reached out, the clouds were on the edge of her tiny fingertips. So being the impulsive child she was, she tried to wiggle out of her grandfather's grasp. Quinn nearly succeeded and would have fallen to her death if her grandfather didn't catch on what the young girl was doing.

The memory brought a smile on her face. She did remember meeting some kids around her age when they arrived so many years ago, but their faces and voices were blurred with time. If those same kids were the other royals, she wouldn't be able to tell. It was a few years after her first trip to Elphanor that she decided to go into the military. So it was either her sister or Kaiser Gregor's kids that went to the balls and other gatherings.

When she took on responsibilities of an heir, it was and still difficult for her to adjust not solving every problem with a slash from a sword. Guess she going to have to try to play nice with the others. The worse things that could happen was her losing her tempt which could lead to a war. Thus staining Ruthen's and her name in history for ruining the High King's chance for peace. So no pressure.

Once the airship was docked, there was a girl with a crate near some crates but then took off. As she was walking off, a man dressed like a butler approached her. "Greetings Princess Quinnevere, with you arrival nearly all of the High King's honored guest have arrived. Once everyone is here, you all will be escorted to the throne room and his highness will explain his plan in detail."
 
Loud winds pushed themselves upon the glass of an airship.
It wasn't a particularly huge airship, however, with the Iroldak heir running around with his fingers tightly clenching his scarf, it seemed as if it were a magnificent flying beast.
"Look! Look at that! We're so high up! The white sheets are gigantic! The wings! They're ginormous!"

A few crew members looked at him and chuckled, his excitement unfitting for someone his age. In truth, he'd never been on an airship before, he's never left his kingdom, there was never any need to.

Squealing as if he were a small child in a candy shop, he grabbed the edges of the airship and leaned back, allowing the cold air to hit his face. His blonde locks were thrown back, twisting and twirling in the harsh winter winds. He had only gotten used to the winds of Iroldak, but it seemed as if he had already adapted to the icy atmosphere. Climbing down from the railings, he instead opted to leaning on them, arms crossing over each other as he enjoyed the feeling of the breeze on his face. Thinking back to the news at the castle, he straightened his posture. The news had struck him like a train.

Betrothed.

Blood rushed to his cheeks as he imagined himself in the arms of someone else. The body warmth of another person embracing him, maybe even, loving him. He pulled his scarf up to his nose and burrowed his face into it. A force tugged the corner of his lips, a small smile crept its way to his face. Someone who loved him. It was something he had longed for for quite some time. No one had ever showed him physical affection, in fear that they would infect him.
The furthest he's ever gone with physical contact with another human is a handshake, to greet guests. Stretching his arms around himself, he sighed. Perhaps his wife will be the same.

He really hoped not.
~
Getting out of the airship had proven to be quite difficult. Although there were only a few people on board, everyone was rushing to leave and Ingram was too smaller and his voice too quiet to assert himself to leave.

Walking towards the entrance in what he presumed to be where they were supposed to be heading, he pushed the door lightly. Unfortunately for him, the rims of the door had betrayed him, a loud squeak echoed throughout the room. Quietly walking into the room, he hid his face behind his scarf and cried internally. Looking at the occupants in the room, he waved at the general direction in front of him.

"Am... Am I late..?"
 
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~Serafina~
"Mhm. The plethora of balls and superfluous events all seem a bit too indulgent, if you ask me. As nobles, you'd think it would be our job to lead and improve the lives of her others instead of plan such frivolous events," she said, voice soft but sharp, as she blinked and shook her head. She was speaking out of turn - a lady shouldn't say such things.

"I carry the same concerns, Prince Jonah. I do believe I scared them off," she said, biting her lip as her eyes drifted to the other commoners, gaze growing a bit strained.

Was I cold, or overly snobbish? she thought to herself. Truthfully, she felt as though the conversations with the commoners weren't as awkward as she was expecting. Perhaps such fleeting conversations were considered normal for commoners. Her eyebrows furrowed as she continued to contemplate their earlier behavior. The overall tenseness in the air was still palpable, of course, but that is understandable when you are meeting someone who could possibly be your future spouse.

"I do trust Elphanor, but one can't help but be rather nervous about such a proposition. I don't think I've ever heard of commoners being wed to nobles, and apart of the royal family nonetheless. We are all human, in the end, so I suppose this can't end too terribly. Perhaps the lines dividing our classes will fade in time," she said, only half-believing the words flowing from her lips. No matter how little control she had on her destiny from here on out, she couldn't help but be wracked with nerves about the future.

She would just have to trust Amalthea that everything would turn out well.
 
Quinn couldn't stop the annoyed expression forming on her face when the butler called her a princess. A small part was the stereotype with that title, with princesses being viewed as pretty dolls that relied on others to rescue them, to be sure. The majority of annoyance came from ignorance of the butler. It wasn't entirely the man's fault that it seemed no one outside of Ruthen knew that the kingdom does not have 'princesses' or 'princes' just children of the Kaisers.

Instead calling her a princess back at home, people say daughter or heir of the East Kaiser. Granted compared to 'Princess Quinnevere', 'Quinnevere, daughter of the East Kaiser' was a mouth full. She guessed she will just have to get used to it during her trip. The alternative of constantly correcting everyone that made the mistake would be even more frustrating.

Before she could give her reply to the butler, a timid voice spoke behind her. A young blonde haired man stood on the deck, looking unsure what was going on.

The butler peeked over the Kaiser heiress and his expression brighten up, probably glad to have a reason to excuse himself from Quinn. "Ah, Prince Ingram of Iroldak you arrived! I'm so glad you arrived safely, and now we have everyone. Please wait here with Princess Quinnevere for a brief moment, your highness. I'll inform the other escorts of your arrival and then we'll greet the High King in the throne room."

With a quick bow to the two royals, the butler left the two. Quinn eyebrow gave a quick twitch to being call the wrong title once again. It was something for her to get over, but it was not going to be easy. Turning her attention away from the retreating butler to the new arrival.

As far as first impressions of Prince Ingram go, it was hard to believe that this mouse was to be Iroldak's King. Quinn always thought that Iroldak's ice lands were just as harsh as Ruthen's deserts. Honestly, she was expecting something.... more. Well, it was certainly not her place to question Iroldak's politics. Who knows, maybe what the mouse lacks in physical presence is made up for in another strength?

"Greetings. I am Quinnevere, daughter of the East Kaiser of Ruthen," she introduced herself, still looking annoyed. Her tone didn't help her seem more approachable. It was direct and stern, as if she was instructing a general or officer. No one ever claimed that social tact was never one of her strong suit.

Mere moments later, the butler returned as promised and started to led the two royals to the castle. As they walked, it was easy to spot the other guests as uniformed personnel retrieved them over the green landscape. The scene seemed similar to a herder trying to round up their loose camels. Though the 'camels' here were other guests and were welcomed company compared to the unfriendly smelly mammals back at home. Once the personnel lead everyone to the castle entrance, they were moving as a single group.

Quinn was a little surprised to see.... seven other guests- eight including herself. She expected it would be just her and the other three royal heirs. Then the High King presenting them their fiances in the throne room. Not only the unexpected guest number, but half of them seemed.... off. For a lack of a better term. From what she could gather, they didn't seem to be nobility by their clothing or how they carried themselves. Perhaps there was a mistake that was made? Unlikely. If it was a mistake, it would have been corrected at the docks and not inside the castle. What exactly was the High King planning anyway?

She didn't have to wait to find out. Their journey through the marbled hallways came to an end when the group come up to two guards posted outside of a giant double door. After a brief exchange between one of the escorts and the guards, both men rose a hand to their half of the door. Their hands gave off a blue glow as two runes circle appeared on the double door, but they vanished as they appeared. A loud clank echoed as the double door slowly opened.

Being a seer, Quinn was not familiar with magic outside of her own abilities. If she had to guess, the guards were probably warlocks and the door was protected by an visible barrier? Or maybe the spell was the key to the door? Either way, it seemed to me a useful prevention measure. She'll have to bring it up to Kaiser Gregor when she returns home. To see if Ruthen could somehow duplicate the throne room door.

The High King's throne room was massive to say in the least. It was easily several times larger than the one in Castle Warwick. The floor was similar to what was in the halls with being decorated with black and white marble, but unlike the simple square tiles outside of the room. It seemed that the floor was separated into a basic black-white square title pattern with gold trim around them. Each section, be it made from black or white marble, had its own pattern with various diamonds and triangles. It seemed that the pattern within a pattern floor was everywhere except the very center of the room, where a circular old stone like flooring was. The stone had some writing on the edge of it, but it was nothing Quinnevere recognized. It also had an image of map view of the four kingdoms.

The sides of the room were supported with elegant pillars and between every set of three was a Elphanor banner. The opposite end from the door, there was a stair case that lead up to a small platform where a large throne sat. Behind the throne, the walls were windows' view was nothing other than the sky itself. Unlike when she left Ruthen, the sky was no longer bright blue. The setting sun filled the sky with reds and oranges while filling the throne room a warm glow.

On said throne sat an elderly man, nearing the end of his years. Despite his old age, the man still had an imposing presence. There seemed to be a powerful air of dominance surrounding him. It was almost years of experience of commanding was the very atmosphere of the room. It was just as bit as awe inspiring as it was terrifying. There was no doubt they were in the presence of the High King himself.

'Now this was a spirit of a ruler', Quinn admired as an escort gave a bow to the man before the escort turn his attention back to the group. "Introducing, his Majesty Nicodemus Dreyar, the High King." Quinn gave a respectful bow. It was apparently what was expected from her or anyone in audience of the High King, according to her grandfather's advise from years ago and from Gregor before she left. Honestly, it was easy to show respect for the man. It was obvious that he knows the power of his position and how to use it.

With his job announcing the High King done, the escort and his co workers left the throne room. Leaving only the High King, Quinn, and the other seven guests. Once the doors closed, Nicodemus cleared his throat. Catching anyone's attention that were watching the escorts leave.

"Greetings, Prince Jonah von Heliospect of Gai, Prince Ingram Hanson of Iroldak, Princess Serafina Renelle of Tibolt, and Quinnevere Pheros, daughter to Ruthen's East Kaiser."

About time someone on this floating rock got her title right.

"And I welcome you Anton Erland, Kavos Tyr, Genevive de LaCroix, and Seras Oxbaren."

It seemed that Quinn was right about the four other guests not being a mistake. Still it was more than a little odd that none have titles. Even lesser noble homes still announce their title at every opportunity. Which once again brings up the question, who exactly are these four? She didn't have much time to ponder the answer before the High King continued.

"Let me start on thanking all of you for coming on short notice. As many of you are aware, the reason I summoned the eight of you here is because I decided to arranged the marriages of the kingdom's heirs."

Yes, yes. She already knows this. Can we just skip to the part where she meets the poor soul that is betrothed to her? Then the two can return to Ruthen, where she can go back to work.

"I will admit that this is a bit of unconventional, and probably bordering on being unorthodox, that I not only arranged your marriages but having the future rulers of the kingdom being betrothed to commoners."

Huh? Was this some kind of joke? Sure, in Ruthen, it was not unheard of that the winner of Grand Tournament chose the marry the son or daughter of the Kaiser they represented. It was always one of the younger children, while the oldest or chosen heir choosing a partner with political ties. He was right that this was ordeal being unorthodox.

"I assure you that I have my reasons, and I do believe this is for the best for everyone. For the individual arranged pairs, that will be announced at the ball, in honor of the engagements, at the end of the week. After ball, you will not immediately go back to your kingdoms. Instead, you all will spend the upcoming year together and experiencing each kingdom's unique culture. So after your stay in Elphanor is finished, you all will begin your journey to Gai- Prince Jonah's and Kavos home."

So much of going home and doing something productive. Instead the High King is setting them off to a sight seeing vacation for a huge year. It isn't like the Grand Tournament is approaching, and she has to make sure to chose a champion for said tournament. Nope, she had nothing but free time and zero responsibilities. Why wouldn't she just adore sight seeing and becoming besties with everyone?

No matter what problems with the High King's plan, it was not like she can object. Even she knew that it was not her place to question his decisions. His tone and delivery of his words were clear that there was no room to negotiate. Like it or not, she'll have to go along with it.

"Now, I know you had a long day and are probably weary from your trip. Rooms have already been prepared for you. I do hope you enjoy your stay in Elphanor."

With the High King's permission to leave, Quinn didn't waste a heart beat hesitate to take him up on his offer. With another bow, she exited the throne room. She didn't look back or care to notice if anyone had the same idea as her or if everyone else was introducing themselves to each other.

She could already hear her father correcting her actions. Likely pointing out that she should social with the others. Make sure she was seen in a positive light and not someone that was difficult. Get information about the other kingdoms and perhaps even getting hints of their defenses and military strength from the other royals- if she was lucky. Maybe even finding out how her betrothed was and then plan accordingly.

She just had enough and wanted nothing else to go to bed. That wasn't the truth, truth was that she wanted to stab a training dummy repeatedly and she would have if not for the long travel. The next best thing was sleep.

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The first rays of the morning sun filled the empty room, the bed already made and nothing was out of place. The presence of the Ruthen royal long gone. Instead sounds of slashes and stabs echoed through the training grounds. Even though she wasn't home, it was no excuse to slack off or get off her routine. The routine starting an hour before dawn with a blade and a unfortunate dummy.
 
Kavos Tyr

He had fallen asleep at a small table in his room, thinking over the days events. It was all so remarkable, and overwhelming. He had fallen asleep in the middle of processing it all. The time difference from the travel had him asleep well before dark, although he woke well before it ended. He felt cold in his loose, thin, clothing, but shrugged it off. Today was a new day, though, and he would see what it would bring.

He rose stiffly from his chair and stretched. He bounced lightly on his toes to get his blood flowing, and then strode to the door. He found a deathly quiet castle, puncuated by the rare set of distant footsteps, and the occassional sleeping noise. The birds were still quiet, and the servants were starting to rise to begin the day's preparations. Kavos decided to wander around the castle grounds for a while. There was quite a bit to see.

It took a while, but Kavos eventually found the training grounds in a courtyard aside the castle. He descended the long steps down to the grounds silently as Quinnevere hacked at a dummy with a single minded dedication. She was... different, than the others, to be sure. He decided to stay a while, at least until he was called upon, or asked to leave. He needed to stay in shape, at the very least.

Kavos stood perplexed over an array of weapons. He bit his thumb as he poured over the tables and stands. Rapiers, cutlasses, greatswords, flails, maces... and considerably more he couldn't name. They were all excellent swords. They made the ones his guards wore in his hometown look like children's imitations in comparison.

He had never held a sword before. He had fought against fellows with knives, even the occasional man with a shortsword, but never a good, castle forged sword. Kavos grabbed for a longsword in the center of a table. There were about half a dozen others of slightly different sizes and shapes, but there couldn't be that much of a difference, could there? Nevertheless, he held the blade firmly in his hand.

It was, lighter than he expected, to say the least. He spent a moment admiring the straightness and sheen of the blade. Turning it over once and twice, he ran his hand along the edge of the blade, testing its sharpness. He inhaled sharply when his finger touched the edge, cutting him nearly immediately. He never expected it to be that sharp. He wiped his finger on his shirt, and frowned.
 
While conversing with the others once more after the High King was perhaps the best option for Jonah, seeing as he was a royal and forging strong or at least tolerable relationships with anyone he met was best, Jonah was exhausted from everything, and it seemed the same for everyone else. Most left the great room, branching out into different hallways of the castle. Perhaps some were exploring, others just looking for their rooms. Jonah had distant recollections of the formatting of the great castle, and set down a path he assumed was correct and would lead him to the guest rooms.

He ended up being correct, after a few wrong turns and wracking his brain for anything he could remember from the last time he was here. His bedroom was connected to a wide hall, one side lined with great windows that expanded upwards into the high peak of the roof of the castle. He could have to crane his neck back to get a good look. The windows displayed a scenic view of the skies, filled with clouds of artistic beauty and shaped irregularly. If Jonah moved closer to the windows and looked down, he could see the distant lands of one of the four kingdoms. At this height, people were too small to be made out, but large buildings could be seen in large clusters.

His room was just as he expected it to be. Lavish, elegant and beautiful. By the door was a gold plate engraved with his name, and the inside of the room was furnished with furniture mostly stark white in color, but accented beautifully with sparkling gold. If the room was designed specifically for Jonah, it was quite clear; Jonah and his parents often wore white and gold to formal occasions and events.

Jonah collapsed upon the crisp white lace sheets of the bed, immediately closing his eyes to let his thoughts catch up with the world. Ever since getting here, things have been a whirlwind of information and feelings and experiences. It was culture shock to see the peasants of the kingdoms. He hoped that the time till the ball would be sufficient for him to catch his breath and ground himself back into reality. His head was literally and metaphorically in the clouds.

His night was spent thinking and then sleeping, and in the early morning hours he arose. He wasn't quite sure the time, but when he left his room the great windows in the hall showed the bright colors of a vivid sunrise. As he began slowly walking through the castle, he thought over what he could spend his morning doing. The training grounds were always open, he could go see the sights of the sunrise better outside by the docks.... or he could find that garden he heard the castle of Elphanor having.

Now set on what to do, Jonah set out at a quicker pace to finding the garden. He knew it wouldn't be as lavish and floral as the one back home, but it did emulate the feelings, smells and sights of the land back home. Now was just a matter of finding where the damn place was....
 
A small spattering of people right around his own age had begun to gather on the pier. Anton could see their tense, awkward movements and knew almost immediately that he had found others like himself. It perked him up, making his tired back straighten and his eyes lock on the others where before they had been wandering all around the glistening city. Anton was nervous, too, having rarely interacted with others outside of his village, and his heart raced.

He clenched a fist, finding his palms slick with sweat. “It must be the heat,” he reminded himself, though he only half believed his own explanation. A deep breath filled his chest, and then he sighed. There was no fog on his breath as it should be, only increasing his tension.

One foot moved forward, his mind playing the interaction out like a hunt. He would want to get close before being noticed: after all, he was a bit out of place in his crumpled, woolen clothes that smelled like soot and winter. However, he never considered changing clothes, he was better off comfortable than he would be stiff under the layers of formal dress. There would be plenty of chances to blend in later.

One foot moved, then the other, and Anton found himself following a couple deckhands as they carried heavy sacks. He kept out of sight, doing his best to be unassuming as he prepares himself to speak. He cleared a knot in his throat, and prepared to finally close the gap, when a hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him back.

"There you are! You had me worried sick... Not enough time to prepare, now. At least we might be able to get you dressed," a familiar voice squeaked. Anton bit back a retort as the man turned him away from his targets and started to speak about his outfit, slowed by a large case he had carried and half drug behind him.

"You are going to love silk. I bet you are boiling in that wool shirt... Not to mention that you do not at all look like you are due to meet the high king," he said. Then man then heaved the large case into Anton's hands, letting the young man barely get a good trip on the smooth leather before he drug Anton along.

Then next thing he knew, the man had pulled him away properly and had turned him towards the palace, whose tall spires towered over the rest of the city, catching the morning light in a display of golden light. Anton stated at it while they walked, partly in wonder and partly out of curiocity. I'm this whirlwind of activity the last couple days, he was only able to take things at face value, but in that moment, he let himself ask, "Is all this really that wonderful?"

To Anton, the next few minutes were anything but wonderful. They all but ran into the palace and into a bedchamber, making Anton's lungs burn with trying to run in the not air. He hardly got a chance to talk to take in the sights like he wanted, to see imports from all four of the kingdoms and the unique architecture and clothing or the city. He only noted a blur of bright colors and new smells.

His dignity was robbed further by being forced to strip in front of the man while the case in his hand was ripped from him and thrown into the bed. Thus man muttered, pointing at Anton and barking orders. He was seemed in nearly as much sweat as Anton was, and his nerves were even more frazzled... Enough that Anton found it best not to resist when he was asked to dry off and then was immediately sprayed with a thick, sweet scent from a bottle...

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What felt like a day later, Anton stood in the room with seven others, standing next to commoners who were just as uncomfortable as he was. He wore little compared to most of those nobles across from him, a blue silk shirt tucked into his trousers, which were held up by a belt made of thick hide. Only his boots reminded him of Irodak: they were made of thick and soft hides, with gifts of gray fur sticking out above it.

He simply listened through the Kong's speech with rapt attention, only ripping his eyes from the king when the bombshell dropped. He looked at the two women across from him, shocked. He never thought much about romance, so the revelation that one of them was his betrothed shook him to the core. His stomach tightened, and he looked for any similar signs from them... Or even distain. He did not think this would be a good first impression.

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The next morning, Anton lay on his bed, trying hard to close his eyes. Instead, He looked at the painted ceiling and saw the two women he was forced to think about. His father had spent so much time teaching him to hunt, to provide, that he could not possibly wow a woman. They did not want for a provider like the girls back home, and a hunter would probably have nothing valuable to say in their eyes. Not to mention his family: he was told they would be taken care of, but how would be know?

Eventally, he rose to a sitting position, looking around the room. Everything was alien to him, from the high level of the polish on the brackets to the large wardrobe that stood guard over his room like a sentinel. He knew clothes were in there, much like the chests that were kept at the foot of the bed at home. And then, his eyes moved to the splash of color on the table in the corner of the room.

Too most people, a vase of flowers would be a simple thing. To Anton, though, they were wonderful. He reached the green vase with his eye, watching the curve until it splashed into an explosion of life. He was drawn to the tiny yellow flowers that spread across the lip of the vase, so small and delicate he was sure they would never survive a moment back home.

That sight gave him energy, making him stand. Slowly, he dressed in another silk shirt, actually enjoying the cool on his skin, then he took a good shot of the flowers from where he stood... Then, he walked out the door and into the hall, hoping to use his nose to find some more, fresher flowers... He had heard of a garden before, and now wanted to see one.
 
It was no surprise to Jonah that the garden was not impressive (at least by Gai standards) and was devoid of people, much a stark contrast to the one back home. Still, though, the plants flourished and were breathing with life, vibrantly colored and large in size, taking up almost all the space in the garden with an array of colors and sizes of leaves and branches. Jonah walked along the stone path that winded around and through the patches of flowers, bushes, and trees. While it wasn't much in comparasion to Gai's garden, it had a variety of plants unseen to him before. Perhaps they came from lands he had never visited before, or the other kingdoms.

A particular one, bright fiery red and orange caught his attention. The formation of its petals and the spindly nature of its vines reminded him of roses, a simple flower, but the ombre coloration of it, plus the vibrant, almost neon color said otherwise. He paused his treck on the stone path to turn and slowly move toward the flower, his eyes drifting over the petals and taking in its bright colors.

His hand was outstretched, ready to lightly glide along the soft looking petals of bright vivid color, before he heard the door of the garden creak open timidly, before being shut with a soft click. His eyes tore away from the flower and to the source of the noise. The view of the door, just to his left, was obstructed by the foliage of the various plants in the garden, but he could hear footsteps. Perhaps it was a servant here to water the plants? Jonah paid it no more mind, his head turning back to the flower before him.

It was then he noticed a small stick, attached to it a paper, stuck right in front of the bush the plant grew from. On it, neat calligraphic letters said the name of the plant, something Jonah couldn't read. It was a large cluster of consonants, completely different to the common language of the four kingdoms and his own home. Perhaps it was a dialect or language from a distant town in one of the more foreign kingdoms, though which one he had no idea.

Jonah hummed softly. This trip wasn't going to be so bad, he thought. The ball and the announcing of his future finace wasn't so exciting, but maybe along the way, during the travels they'd have to partake following the ball will have him learning of new plants, new languages and dialects and new cultures he only had small glimpses of from books and from balls. Jonah had to stay on the bright side.
 
So much hoping that the High King's errand boy fetched the wrong tavern waitress. Still it was a bit odd that not everyone was aware of the whole 'royal and commoner' engagement deal. One would think the royals would be most informed, given their status. Then again, would they come willingly if they did know? Probably not. Even she wouldn't be here if she wasn't forced to come on the old man's orders.

Naturally, it seemed that most of the reactions were either surprised or respectfully waiting for the High King to get through his speech. Seras fell in the later, the only new information was them visiting other kingdoms. That was going to be an experience for sure. Who wouldn't want to freeze to death, transform into a human raisin in a desert, or being eaten by jungle plants? Things are sure looking great for old Seras Oxbaren.

To her relief, it seemed that one of the princesses hurried to leave with everyone else following suite. A small army of maids and butlers were already waiting for them on the other side of the door. With a blink of an eye, a elderly maid came to her side. "Come this way, deary. I'll show you to your room."

Her 'room' was nearly as large as the Happy Mug's floor filled to the brim with everything one would consider extravagant and luxurious. The maid, who's name Seras found out was Flora when they came to the room, wished for her a good night before closing the door behind her. Glancing from the closed door back to the room, she quickly glanced around the room for something to distract herself with.

Luckily, it seemed that the bag of belongings was already in the room. Knowing actually what she was looking for, she opened the bag and started to dig towards the bottom. A palm sized metallic cube was pulled out before she quickly placed it under her pillow.

After getting ready for bed and making sure Flora or another maid wasn't to check up on her, Seras took the cube from its hiding spot. Withing moments, the metal cube was transforming effortlessly into various of shapes with her will and hand movements. The metal had an ore shaped when her father gave it to her when she was a little girl, something to pass through the family.

It was called a meteorite, that's what some scholar told her father. When he first found the meteor during his youthful travels. Apparently, moments after her father found the things, a couple of scholars showed up. According the them and her father's retelling, the meteor was some wired sky rock that wasn't a piece of Elphanor? That story to this day doesn't make sense to her. Whatever it was though, this metal came from it. Unlike normal metal that you'll find in tools and weapons, this thing had a unique property which made it easier for her to bend. It was almost like a shiny grey liquid as she changed the shape of it from a star to a sphere.

As she was finally able to relax with her meteorite, everything was finally sinking in. Until now, Seras was able to give some levity to her situation with complaining and sarcastic comments. No cheeky remarks or sky metal would give her peace of mind now.

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"Rise and shine, Miss Seras! It's a beautiful day!" Flora exclaimed while pulling back the window curtains. Causing said woman to retreat her head under the blanket with a muffled groan.

"Oh, don't be like that. Come on get up." Flora yanked the warm shield from the day light off from Seras. The sudden chill caused Seras curled in a ball for a few moments before slowly sitting up on the bed and gaze at the maid with half asleep eyes. Before they turned to the window to see even the sun wasn't fully off the horizon yet.

"I mean no offense, Flora, but I'm no noble and my days don't begin until an hour past noon." Seras tried reasoning with the maid as kindly and competently. Though she was failing at both fronts. It didn't help that her mind was still haze, and she has never been a good morning person.

Was the old woman not informed of her previous life until a few days ago or did she not care? Saying up late and awaking up in the afternoon was the only sane way to life around the Happy Mug's schedule. Honestly, it would be considered an early 'morning' if she dragged herself out of bed at noon. The mornings are indeed evil, and this woman does not get up before the sun is high in the sky.

'Surely Flora had other tasks to do rather than getting me up from bed,' she concluded as she flopped back onto her bed and buried her face into one of the pillows.

"Now, Seras. Would you please get out of your bed so I can clean the sheets? Besides, the other guests are likely to be up by now and you can socialize with them." Flora asked politely from the edge of the bed only getting silence from the girl with her face on a pillow.

The maid signed as she moved a few steps from the bed. "Then you leave us with no choice, deary." Seras had no clue what was going on, but she felt the sensation of the bed sheets and the pillow fabric disappearing. Just like if she was- AMALTHEA'S UNMENTIONABLES! That dastardly old witch was making her float in the air! The blasted airship ride and being an a freaking floating island were horrid enough!

"Lovely! Now that you are out of bed, you and go see the beauty of Elphanor and meet the other guests!"

As if Seras needed another reason for her to hate being here.

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It took her getting lost three times to get outside of the castle. Sure, it would have been a lot easier to go through the front entrance with the very noticeable wide hallways connecting it through the main halls. She wanted to see if this island had some kind of forge. It had to have one for tool repairs at least.

Though her luck finally lead her outside, it lead her out one of the garden entrances. Of course it does, because pretty and fragile flowers are basically the same as cold and hard steel! Well maybe it would be easier to locate it out here. Instead of hoping to find a door leading to a barren ground that could be home to a forge.

It wasn't like she can do anything with the forge in the broad daylight anyway. Not with her a honored guest and being a woman, it would just bring too much unwanted attention to herself. Still couldn't help to see it and perhaps, in the dead of night, get some stress out with beating a stubborn piece of heated steel into a desired shape.

Here happy forge hunt came to a stop after taking a few steps. One of the princes from yesterday was engrossed with a flower. She could go ahead and bit the nail to talk to him... Or she could pretend she never saw him. He attention was all on that flower anyway? Only one way to decide this.

Seras pulled out a worn out wooden coin from her dress's pocket. Whenever she was stuck with a choice between what she should do and what she wanted to do, she would use this coin. One side had a check mark while the other had an 'X'. It's wooden material help with it's weightlessness and prevented her from cheating. Alright, check for continuing the forge hunt and 'X' to talk with the prince. With a short lived toss in the air, the 'X' side was facing up on her palm.

With the coin's bad decision, she walked over to the royal. As she got closer, she noticed that this row of flora were familiar Tiboltan ones. Most she had no idea to the names of other than they looked identical to ones sold in flower shops. There were a few that were either so common or popular that even she knew them. Much like the red and orange one that was being admired. It was ironic that it was that particular flower that caught her possible fiance's attention.

"That one is Amalthea's Désir*, the flower of longing. It's often given to a woman that a man wants to date. Not only that but once it is picked, the flower goes through one of two small transformations. The flower's vine will turn a gold color and surround the bloom. If the vines only encase the bloom, like a protective cage, the couple is has the Goddes's blessing and it gains the name Amalthea's Amour*. If the vines chokes the bloom, it's called Amalthea's Haine*."

((According to Google: Désir- French for Longing, Amour- French for Love, Haine= French for Hate))
 
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The woman joining Jonah's side and suddenly speaking made him jump a little, not fully expecting her presense to be right beside him when she entered the garden. The information he told her, though, was interesting and answered a lot of the questions he had. The little slip of paper did nothing to help him out with information like what he was just told. He assumed that she knew all this as she was perhaps from where the flower came from.

Jonah looked her over from the corner of his eye, curious, waiting for her to finish speaking before turning a little to face her more. She looked familiar. She was no doubt one of the commoners of the group of them, guessing from her attire. He couldn't place a kingdom to how she dressed or looked, but he could definetly cross out Iroldak.

"I'm assuming you come from where this beautiful plant grows from," Jonah said, after she finished speaking. His eyes widened when he realized something.

"Oh, pardon me. I am Prince Jonah von Heliospect, of Gai." He added quickly with a short bow. Perhaps her casual presense lead him to slip up on his manners for a moment.

Jonah realized for a moment that given the nature of the flower and how they met, it'd be quite the story to tell if they became fiances. They met because of a flower that tells someone if their love is true. Surely would be interesting for his parents to hear later on.
 
The clanking of steel and wood filled the area along with small wood splinters flying. The early morning rays gleamed off the short sword that was positioned in front of Quinn. In her other hand, a round iron shield was held in a defensive stance. The shield was heavier than she was used to. She has been meaning to change up her main equipment for a while. Before she gets any new equipment made, using common training tools would give her an idea what she wanted made.

With the heavier sword, Quinn also decided to go with a shorter and lighter sword than her personal one. The sword choice was to avoid overexertion. Last thing she needed was getting injured over a dumb decision. Besides it also helps with her not exhausting herself. It would be hard to present herself with Ruthen dignity in front of the others if she was fighting for breath and moments from passing out.

Quinn thrust the sword at the dummy. Then quickly stepping back and returning the sword to its original position before repeating the action. All the while, shifting the shield into several positions during her movements to help her balance and prepare for a counter strike. Granted the dummy was unable to strike back, but those actions served their own purpose. If she was unable to comfortable lift and move the shield where she needed it, then she'll try out some other shields.

As her blade was about to stab the dummy once again, a sudden additional clank caused her to abruptly stop. Quinn gave the newcomer a side glance. As it turns out, it turned out to be one of the special commoners from the night before..... And this one has a horrible sword technique.

'Easy, Quinnevere. You're not back in the Seekers and training brand new recruits. Just focus on your own dummy.'

Just because a pickax would be more at home in his hands rather than a sword, it doesn't mean he has no clue how to properly use a sword. After all, for all she knew it could a legit fighting style from another kingdom- CLANK!

There he goes again with his... odd choice of a swing. 'Enough! Just finish what you came here for! Did I grabbed this gear to judge what I can improve in stances and gear? Yes. That is my goal and purpose for the time being.'

CLINK!

Quinn was honestly surprised that he did not lose his balance with that swing. 'Stop it. I did not come here to criticize someone else's technique. Now focus on your target. Forgot he is even there.'

CLUNK!

Quinn took in a deep breath and slowly released it and stared back at the training dummy. 'It's just me and the dummy. No one else is-'

C-CLINK!

Her glare intensified as if she was attempting to engulf the dummy in flames with the heated stare. 'Ignore him and his horrid tech-'

CLANK!

The right eye of the princess's face started to twitch. 'Focus-'

C-CLUNK!

The vice grip on her sword and shield were slowly making her knuckles pale from the pressure. 'Ignore-'

CLANK!

She let out a low annoyed growl as her teeth grid together. 'Just-'

CLINK!

"ENOUGH!" Quinn finally snapped at the man. "You're form, grip, and over all stance is an eye sore."

She walked back to the weapon racks that outlined the training grounds. Placing the shield and sword she borrowed exactly where she found them, she grabbed a similar sword to what he was holding. "For starters, THIS is how you grip this kind of sword."
 
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Kavos was having a merry time hacking at the dummy with inept swings. The blade was fun to swing, even with his lack of skill. He quickly found out that he was absolutely worthless with the blade after trying to imitate some of the techniques he had seen in his hometown, but persisted anyway. His experiments were cut short, however, with a harsh yell from behind him. He winced, and turned to face the person behind him.

Face flushed from annoyance, the woman proceeded to grab an identical blade and demonstrate the proper technique used for the sword. He imitated the grip and form, and tested with a stroke through the air. It felt far less instinctive, certainly, but he could clearly feel the extra force behind the blade.

"You're Quinnevere Pheros of Ruthen, right? You were the only one of the nobles that looked capable of withstanding a strong breeze. But you Ruthen, I've heard you folks take your fighting religiously. The way I was toying with the sword for the first time was probably a pretty bothersome sight then. I did a lot of fighting back home, you know." Kavos said, eyes distant as he focused on staying within form as he swung the sword.

"It was all hand to hand, of course. Most of us couldn't afford a solid piece of steel, anyways. But I'd like to think we got pretty good at it. At least, I think we got past swinging at each other ham fisted. Certainly, we were better than folks with no experience." He said, pausing for a moment between swings to think upon it. He shrugged, and resumed as he was instructed. "I don't know how good we really were, though. None of us really got to test ourselves against someone with formal training."

"Thanks for the tip, by the way. I'll try my best not to completely disgrace the art in the future." He remarked, with a slim smile.
 
It seemed, these days, that her words were constantly falling from her mouth without a deep thought spared to reality. Instead, Serafina found herself existing primarily in the realm of imagination and quiet recollection. She came to this realization as the light from her windows The constant presence of her waitstaff was growing exceptionally tiring, thus causing her to retreat within herself as a sort of refuge.

Looking at the clock on her nightstand, she realized that she had a fair amount of time before her maids would be in to attend to her. Perhaps possessed by the white light of morning, she tugged herself out of bed, bare feet padding over the cool material of the flooring as she reached her wardrobe.

It's been an awful long time since my bare feet have even touched the ground,she thought to herself, lips curling into a wry smile. The coldness of the floor on her feet felt oddly refreshing in comparison to the warmth of her usual slippers.

Quickly, she selected a simple, sky-blue dress and dressed herself quickly. She left her hair undone, falling in its natural loose waves around her shoulders before slipping out of the room and entering the corridor. She found herself wandering the winding paths of the castle before she heard the clanging of steel. Raising an eyebrow, she stood behind a column and peeked into what she assumed was the training grounds.

Her brows furrowed and eyes shifted to the ground as she saw one of the other nobles seemingly teaching one of the commoners to fight properly; she let out a sigh. Truthfully, Serafina felt inexplicably useless by her lack of fighting ability. However, in her lands, it would be inappropriate for a woman to even consider the notion. She sighed again and clenched her fist before wandering off in the other direction; she didn’t want to invade their privacy. Eavesdropping was in extraordinarily poor taste.
 
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Seeing the prince's was a startled jump eased Seras a bit as she continued her explanation. Honestly, she was expecting quite different reaction from him from her intrusion. From all the stories she heard about her own kingdom's nobles, she was prepared for a lecture on how to 'properly engage in a conversation with royalty' or anything just as conceited. Instead she was pleasantly surprised that the prince let her finish explaining the flower but looked very interested in the information.

Maybe members from high society are just regular people but in fancier clothes and better manners? High doubtful. But if the other three royals were as easy to read as the prince, adjusting her friendly tavern waitress portrayal to her new situation wasn't going to be nearly as hard as Seras first feared.

"Oh, pardon me. I am Prince Jonah von Heliospect, of Gai."

Ah, so Prince Jonah was from Gai. That would explain the fixation on flowers. It was honestly a first for her to see a guy so interested in feeble thing such as flowers. She certainly couldn't name any Tiboltan men having flowers as a hobby or interest. Maybe men from Gai generally took interest in flowers since they were surrounded by them?

"Nice to meet you, Prince Jonah. I'm Seras..... of Tibolt." It was a little weird saying her home kingdom after her name. As she finished her introduction, she slipped her wooden coin back into her pocket and threw a hasted curtsy. Hopefully the sloppy curtsy would add a slight 'clumsy' effect to her introduction.

She never understood why men, at least back in Tibolt, thought clumsiness was charming. They thought it was adorable when a woman fumbled her words out of embarrassment or trip over her own feet. Seras never had such a trait in her hometown act, but thought it would be useful in this current situation. After all, what small town woman like herself wouldn't be a little nervous addressing royalty? Slight nervous introduction leads to proceeded sincerity if it all goes well.

"Yes, that flower is from Tibolt and its a very popular one. Though other than Amalthea's Désir, I doubt I could tell you much about other Tiboltan flowers other than their names. Which I can if you would like. Judging from the writing on the name stands, looks like this is the Tiboltan part of the garden."

She went to name the two smaller flowers next to the Amalthea's Désir. One of them she was some what familiar with. It was small and common enough that little girls in Thronecrest would make flower chains and crowns. So Seras added a little story after naming the flower. That she vaguely remembers that when she was a small child that she and a friend would go to a field and make little flower crowns for each other. An adorable and innocent little memory if it was one that she actually had.

"So does Gai have countless flowers and other plant life as people say? I reckon you probably have some flowers similar to ones in Tibolt."
 
Quinn didn't expect for the man to take her abrasive demonstration. Most folks would at least have an annoyed scowl before wiping it off after realizing it was her. He just simply took her words and actions then adjusted himself. It showed willingness to learn at least. Still doesn't change the fact that he had horrendous form moments earlier.

She couldn't help to have an amused smile at his comment about the other royals. He was currently right on that account. The other three nobles sure seemed to lived a soft life style. Quinn doubted that even Helios or Selene would bother wagering how long the other nobles would last in a battle if the kingdoms did have a war.

"I wouldn't say we religiously fight, it's more accurate that combat is our politics. If we did anything 'religiously', other than the usual worshiping in temples, I would say probably gambling or at least friendly wagers- Your feet are too close to each other! Try widening your stance, it should help distribute your weight better."

Even when trying to have a conversation, Quinn will still play the part of drill instructor. Old habits do die hard. Though it wasn't that she planned on changing how she did things just because she was in Elphanor now.

It was surprising that one of the commoners would have a combat background. At first Quinn thought it was some bad joke, given his complete lack of skill. Him being a brawler certainly made sense, though she would be hard press to call thrown punches by drunks and alley fighters as combat experience.

"Brawling and using weapons require different skills. For example, you need to build stamina and endurance with held weapons. It's easy enough to swing a dozen or so times, but carrying around and having a extended battle wears down the body. When you're fighting with your fist, there's no extra weigh to lug around. That's only one big difference between the two." She explained.

When he mentioned that he would try to not be disgraceful to swordsmanship. At this Quinn quickly gave a shake of her head. "You only 'disgrace the art' if you think you have nothing to learn. You quickly demonstrated that realize you have a lot to learn. Thus you are not disgracing anything," she replied sincerely. "Honestly, if more recruits had your attitude towards instruction, it would made my job easier back when I was a Seeker."

After he placed several more blows to the dummy, Quinn awkwardly cleared her throat. It was easy to be a drill instructor. She would love nothing more to continue teaching but seeing he was a marriage candidate, it would probably be for the best if she tried socializing instead and get to know him better. Especially after storming off after the High King's speech the night before.

"So..... Obviously you're not from Ruthen. Where are you from then?"
 
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