Kasari blushed slightly as Raya handed her the dark blue fruit, nodding her appreciation. The earth Gems were always so kind, even in the face of adversity here was Raya thinking about her sister bride first. "Thank you very much." She smiled politely before turning her attention to the exotic fruit. It was true that Gemminia received little in the ways of exotic foods, and even then the further one lived from the border the less likely they were to taste anything from Drakka. Kasari had been lucky enough to sample delicacies from Drakka a few years ago but none of which she saw sitting before her now, everything her eyes fell upon was new; and while that could be exciting, it made her more homesick than anything. The fire Gem bit into the fruit gratefully, her eyes going wide with wonder. "Wow... This is amazing. I wouldn't have expected anything like this to be native to your country... No offense." She chuckled apologetically. Apparently she had many misconceptions in her mind about the place she was being sent to, it might do her some good to forget anything she had thought and let first hand experience guide her opinions.

Reaching to a plate to her left, Kasari plucked a few unique looking appetizers for herself and Raya so she could try them as well. When Torin began talking again, Kasari made a point to listen carefully, not wanting to miss anything important. From what it sounded like, she and Raya would have it pretty easy in comparison to other Gem brides taken for The Reaping. In fact, she felt sort of guilty for being happy about the Drakken she was to be with. Comfortably spoiled, that's how she saw it anyway... Raya probably didn't feel quite as thrilled about the proposition. While having whatever she asked for might be nice, the earth Gems were known givers and hardly asked for a thing. To be so far from the forests they loved so much was probably the worst thing that could happen. Again Kasari felt bad about her previous moments of happiness. It was in that moment, however, that an idea struck Kasari... A way to help not only herself and her homesickness, but a way to help out her sister bride too if it were her sort of thing.

"M'lord Torin, I have a strange question. Drakken culture adopts things like art and architecture from the countries they conquer, do they not? Would Raya and I be able to find any temples or shrines dedicated to our patron gods?" Somehow waiting for the answer to this particular question frightened her... What if the idea angered him, she didn't know what she would do if Torin was the type to refuse his Gem brides access to the shrines as a way to show their power over their daily lives. Out of all the things she could possibly ask for, this was perhaps one of the more serious ones. The air around her seemed to jump alive, sparking unconsciously as Kasari prayed silently to whatever god might hear her.

Torin Hellsong

What Torin said about owning a few trading expeditions was interesting, but Raya had a feeling he was holding back. If there was one thing she was learning fast was that Drakken politics was a deadly game and you never reveal your cards until the last possible minute. She smiled politely, though he couldn't see, she wondered if he ever got frustrated not seeing. She didn't focused long on the question, as she was given permission to eat.

Raya chuckled slightly when Kasari expressed her shock of how good the fruit was. It was in a way hard to believe that the Drakkens didn't eat rare meat like animals, but in fact had a good taste for food. She was sure any of the Brides at the table were greatful for good food. Though she had a feeling that most would barely eat, if only out of spite. Silly girls, their husbands probably cared less if they starved themselves, it would only make them easier to handle/control.

In all she and Kasari had it easy, just so long as they didn't disrespect or cause strife for their husband. She didn't want to know what he would do to them if they upset him, as she watched him kill his own kind just moments before.

Raya smiled at her sister bride when she got her a few appetizers, she did the same thing. She reached for a few fruits that she had never seen before and grabbed two of each. She placed the extras on Kasari's plate and was about to eat, when she noticed a blood covered Gem. She froze and her eyes narrowed, it didn't look natural. Every fiber of her body wanted to hide the girl, but she didn't dare move. Raya had heard of some of her people that were either servants or brides of the Drakken's took on the traits and religion of Drakka. They turned their backs on who they were. She looked up at Torin and suddenly wondered if she would end up like those that lost sight of themselves.

She was suddenly pulled from her thinking when Kasari asked about being allowed to worship their gods. Her head snapped to look at the other girl, her eyes wide with slight fear. That was not a question to ask with others around. Drakkens totally rejected the Gem Gods and even hated them, it was something about the Great Mother rejecting her first godly sons. Even if Torin aloud it, he couldn't now, as anyone listening would question Torin's legitimacy in the Drakken political game. It could cost him greatly in his social standing, he could even have the girl beaten for simply asking tell question.

"No, my Lord it's okay. We.... we...." The words wouldn't come out, she couldn't say it. She couldn't deny her goddess, but to save face she had to. "We... we don't...." She placed a hand on her chest as she felt like her heart was going to be torn from her body. Never had she denied the Great Mother, never had been disconnected from her element. "We don't.... don't need to... to worship.... our... our gods.... Please don't concern yourself with that question." She said politely, though she felt her heart sink and her hands shook. She knew Kasari meant well, but that was a question to ask in private.

After swallowing hard she smiled wearily at Kasari, though her eyes expressed her thanks that she would even think of asking the question.

Kaelira Isrilen

Sister-wife of Kalani Solle, Bride of Krone the Scream Taker

Wait… she had another chance?

“Of course my lord, forgive my insolence, forgive my impertinence. I mean nothing by it.” she forced herself to swallow and take a breath. “I will do anything for you if you spare Ridian.”

She forced herself to stay by the man’s side as they made their way into the dining hall, forced herself to remain smiling demurely even as she sized up the people sitting next to them. Was that… a female Drakken? The Drakken glared at Kai, which didn’t faze the mule-headed Water gem.

Despite the warning look, Kai couldn’t help but stare. Female Drakkens were such a rarity; for the longest time she’d thought they were just a myth. Why else would the Drakkens take so many Gem girls?

It would have seemed to a bystander as though she had a death wish. She stood, on the pretense of reaching for the wine pitcher for Krone, but quickly dropped the pretense and straightened to her full (albeit small) height, intending to draw as much attention as she could.

She spoke quite loudly, enough that she could be heard by anyone who had a mind to listen, though her blue eyes focused intently on the Drakken female next to her.

“I’ve always wondered why it is that Drakken females tolerate their males taking wives from such a “lesser” race. Surely they know how impure the bloodlines of Drakka are becoming, thanks to the Gemminites. Maybe it’s just that the bitches are too ugly, and the males seek prettier stock? After all, a male’s only brain is in the head between his legs.”

She blushed at her own vulgarity but kept her head high, blue eyes snapping, daring anyone to challenge her. Most of the hall would have heard her little speech… all she had to do was wait and watch the fireworks.

---

Astaelin Cassiel

Sister-wife of Atallia Faeron, Bride of Edokaluriconus Nordiere

Asta did not cry out when the man cauterized the wounds on her back; as a Fire gem she was used to inadvertently burning herself. She faced him, utterly expressionless, as he put the tattoo on her arm.

She put the dress on, though she cringed at how floofy the skirt was and how long it was. Hardly practical to run in. Still, though, at least she wouldn’t have to go naked.

”My name is Astaelin Cassiel. Perhaps you have heard of me?” she cracked a sly smile, looking over at the other Gem to see what effect her name might have. If the girl was in any way associated with the rebels, she was bound to know who Asta was.

---

Aymiria Cassiel

Sister-wife of Amaryllis Stone; Bride of Zakroti Unalim

Miry flinched at the sheer number of people as they walked into the banquet hall, instinctively pressing closer to Zakroti. In the back of her mind she knew to be afraid of him, but it was hard to be scared of someone who’d been nothing but kind to her.

Nervously she sat beside him, trying to hide her trembling. When he got up to go talk to someone, perhaps a friend? she took the opportunity to refill his wine glass.
One of his guards reached out so fast that Miry didn’t even see, until he grabbed her by the wrist and slammed her hand to the table, causing her to drop the pitcher.

“Just what do you think you’re doing? You wouldn’t be trying to poison your husband, not when he’s been so nice to you, now would you be?” The guard held her wrist with such force that she could feel the bones creaking.

“N-n-no, s-s-sir! I j-j-just m-m-meant, I j-j-just-t m-meant to d-d-do s-something n-nice for h-him, I s-swear I m-meant n-n-no h-harm!” the girl babbled, tears streaming down her face as she tried to tug her hand away. Some of the people in the room looked sharply at the spectacle.

The guard held the cup up to the light and smelled it, then held the cup out to Miry. “Prove it, then.”

“I d-d-don’t… I d-d-don’t d-drink w-wine, t-though…”

“That’s too bad. Drink at least a sip.”

“O-o-ok-kay…” nervously she sipped from the cup, wrinkling her nose at the taste. When a full minute went by and she was totally alright, the guard shrugged, wiped the edge of the glass, and put it back on Zakroti’s place.

“If you played a trick, your whole family will regret it.” The guard said, finally letting go of Miry’s wrist. She snatched her hand back, rubbing at the bruise that was already forming, and sniffling quietly, blushing crimson at the embarrassment.

“I-it w-w-was just a m-m-misu-underst-tanding…” she mumbled.

Zakroti's attention was drawn away from his thoughts by the sound of a crash next to him, causing him to suddenly snap his head to face Miry and the Blackguard, frowning as he saw Miry blushing and retreating from the hulking 6'10 Drakken guard, hearing her mumble “I-it w-w-was just a m-m-misu-underst-tanding…” in a voice that was hardly audible over the racket caused by the banquet. He paused in confusion for a moment before he saw the guardsmen wipe the glass clean and place it down beside him, after which he glared at the blackguard. If Amaryllis had poured the drink then to some extent he would have understand the zeal, after all it was the duty he had these blackguards to do, but all could tell that Miry was too afraid to even think of poisoning him, let alone actually go through with the plot without collapsing out of fear. He felt a bell of conscience ring inside of him as he saw Miry's expression and clenched his right fist tightly in anger before casting a glance out of the corner of his vision and muttering something under his breath. It had drawn the attention of others in the room, his plans relied on him not being seen as an abuser of his brides for one. He silently cursed every divine entity he could think of in his head.

"Kzaar, Vivpre!" He barked in a guttural voice and the guardsmen instantly backed off several steps and raised his hands apologetically towards his lord. Zakroti glared at him for a moment before he rose from his chair and took a step in advance towards Miry, extending his right arm and gently taking her hand. He drew her two steps towards him, though was careful not to draw her too close for fear of making the poor girl go any redder (For indeed, she would look like a tomato if she did) and glanced down to the forming bruise on her wrist. "Forgive me for his zeal, they are concerned only with my safety. Does it hurt badly?" He whispered to her as his face broke into a kind smile that was in stark contrast to the glare he had on his face a mere moment before "And thank you for pouring the drink."

The smile faded from his face the moment he looked back up to the towering figure of Kzaar. The suit of armour seemed to shudder slightly as the helmet turned down to look Zakroti in the eyes. The little lord did not pause and gave an order in a calm but stern voice, laced with a subtle anger. It had a surprising amount of authority behind it for how short it was, and a presence that seemed to fill the space around Zakroti with an air of power "Kas."

For a moment the hulking mass of Black armour merely stood there in seeming silence, though those closer to him might hear him breathing quickly and apparently trying to regain his composure. He nodded several times in quick succession and bowed his head towards Miry "I- I beg pardon, Lady Aymiria, I swear- On my blood- that it will not happen again." The power was gone from his voice as he spoke the words, as though the command from his lord had robbed this mountain of a man of all his strength. He paused several times to breath during the line, each time glancing towards Zakroti who would merely nod for him to continue. It was a pathetic grovel, almost comedic considering he was addressing a girl two foot smaller than him. Zakroti was apparently not satisfied and released his gentle hold on Miry's hand, taking a step to the side and staring up at the Drakken who took an involuntary step backwards at the approach of his lord.

"Postat, yui O sep wre." He ordered and the guardsmen raised his visor, going somewhat red with embarrassment as he inhaled slowly and he fell to his knee before the small girl, lowering his head to look at the floor below him. Anyone could tell that he was being publicly humiliated, a great warrior forced to kneel down before a Gem Bride and beg for her forgiveness was near unheard of and humiliation was one of the few tools that could shatter a Drakken. Zakroti's kept an icy stare fixed on Kzaar as he knelt before Aymiria. "Do you forgive him, Miry?" He asked, shooting a glance over to the guardsmen next to him and nodding. The 6'5 Blackguard placed his hand onto the sword as he looked down towards his kneeling peer, ready to submit this man should his loyalty falter.

Zakroti doubted it would. Kzaar wouldn't be in his personal guard if he was not loyalty unto death and back, but precautions should always be taken when dealing with someone so large and indeed so brutish. If Miry didn't forgive Kzaar then Zak already had a suitable punishment in mind for him and each one of the blackguard knew it. Their master never lacked for ways to discipline his servants. It was an art.

"Yes, I've heard of you." Edoric circled around Astaelin, twirling her hair, "You're the little Gem who tried to show a bite. Shame that it didn't go down to plan every well ehh? You wanted to end the Reapings but instead, you got looped into it. Oh the irony! ou could have been safe from ever having to worry about, but nooooooo, you just had to go out and do some theatrics and be the hero."

Edoric smiled as he mocked Astaelin, he knew that his words would ruffle her feathers even if it didn't show on her face. People with big, heroic egos intend usually hate mockery. "Were you trying to go out in a glorious blaze of courage and be remember in history as the first Gem to rebel against the system? Since if that's the case, I can always have you participate in a public burning and than be eaten by some savage animals who surely will find your flesh succulent. Wether you are dead or not when you are all charred and in front of the animals, that will be a different question of course."

The Drakken twirled his was back in front of the two Gems before drawing out a pair of chains. They weren't anything too special, just some strong iron chains used for restraining war dogs and the like, they should work well with feisty Gemmites according to Edoric's mind. Quickly but carefully locking both chains to the girl's collars before they could reacts, he gently tugged on the chains to signal the girls to move, "All right Astaelin and Sheepy, time to go to the banquets. I hear that there are some wonderful chefs the time around so please do enjoy yourselves.

As he pulled the girls along, he made careful measure to make sure that the chain would never be too stretched out and pause if he felt either of them was in danger of tripping. Whenever he saw some other Drakken who was lacking his own Gem wife "inspect" their eyes, all Edoric did was look at said Drakken before his own men dragged the man behind a corner or a pillar and inspect how durable his bones were to punches. Ignoring the pained groans from down the hall, Edoric had begun to tell them charming little tales of the food that was to be serve, saying how one of his younger siblings had assisted in the hunt of several of the meets and that the chef's assistant was actually a family friend. His descriptions of the food seemed less of an informational talk than it was a great advertising campaign for a pub.

"Oh, and you should also really try out the Pork Shoulder, its actually a family recipe that my brother gave to the chef during his own Reaping. It is honest one of the best meat you'll ever have with pork that is bursting with flavor and is delectably soft and- oh, we're here." Edoric turned his head back around to face the front as he pretend to push open great invisible doors and exclaimed, "Ladies and Gentlemen, and Rynek," Edoric hushed his voice for the last bit before regain his bravado, "I am here! Who wants to see a goat do a backflip?"

As if on cue, a very confused guard trotted out of a backroom awkwardly holding and equally confused goat who baa'd as he eyed the salad. You could almost feel everyone in the room smacking their hand against their foreheads even if they didn't do it physically as the guard struggled to keep the goat ahold.

Torin Hellsong

Raya T'mivus Kasari Liesma

"You're welcome." As the words rolled off his tongue, Torin chuckled at her comment about the food but the lighthearted moment quickly went south. At her inquiry about Gem gods and temples his expression darkened, the smile vanished and his mouth hardened into a thin line. He was about to chastise her when Raya, sitting between them, quickly interceded on her sister bride's behalf, begging him to overlook Kasari's blunder. He said nothing for a long moment, face unreadable aside from the initial reaction of obvious displeasure. He considered his options while the women waited in tense silence. Kasari's bold question could easily be attributed to her naivety, it was more than apparent she knew very little about the Drakken, and what little she had heard probably bore the Gemminian bias that his people were uncivilized brutes who drank the blood of their enemies. A narrow-minded though not-always-inaccurate picture. Not only that but her wagging tongue could prove to be problematic in the future if he indulged her habit of blurting out whatever it was she happened to be thinking.

Torin gently pushed Raya back in her seat a little and rested his elbow on the table as he turned to face Kasari. Even though his eyes were covered it seemed as though he were looking straight at her, or through her. At last he spoke and his tone did not mask his anger, the kind that can only be expressed by speaking in a low, clear voice. "Kasari," he said slowly, "I thought it would be made clear to you before now, but you and every other Gem in this room are expressly forbidden from practicing your native religion. To do so," he continued, "would bring shame not only upon you, but your husband, and his entire house as well. In this instance, your husband happens to be myself, and I would like to relieve you of your ignorance immediately lest you anger me in the future with such a blasphemous request." He sat back, once more facing forward. "I will forgive your naiveté this once. You are young and uneducated in such matters, but that will soon be remedied. In the coming months you shall learn the names and purposes of our gods and grow accustomed to worshipping them. I'm sure it will take time for you to adjust, but soon you will find it easy to embrace them of your own accord." Torin took another sip from the goblet before continuing. "I hope someday you are able to harbor the same passion for the gods as I. In the event that--"

He trailed off suddenly and raised his head as something unseen suddenly captured his attention. He licked his lips, then breathed deeply through his nose and exhaled with a sigh. The seriousness about him melted away. Others near him didn't seem to notice, but of course, they weren't carefully monitoring the air in the room as he was. A lot of varying scents had reached Torin's nose over the course of the evening, not all of them pleasant. But this one, this one was very pleasant indeed. It was Tirza, of course, though he couldn't have named her, and he hadn't the slightest idea why the woman would be so excited especially at a time like this. It confused him, and he could only conclude that it must be some sort of game or trick put on by whomever had claimed her. It had set his normally organized train of thought running in all sorts of wild directions and he had to resist the urge to act, to maintain the image of self-control. Still, he allowed himself to inhale once more, only this time the aroma was tainted by the metallic scent of blood. Less than a minute later a good portion of the room near the hall's entrance fell silent. The gore overwhelmed any trace of sexual vivification, but that smell was almost more interesting to Torin. Something had happened. Someone had come in, a girl was his impression, someone's Gem. Was she completely covered in blood? And Drakken blood no less. She must have killed someone. The question was "who" and "how" not so much "why" as there were probably a number of understandable reasons a Gem might assault a Drakken, though the fact she was the one standing in the doorway and not him was the most puzzling part of the equation.

Still in a rather venereal state, Torin leaned in closer to Raya, running a hand along her thigh and then slipping his arm around her waist in case she tried to move away as he pressed his lips to her ear and said, "You're looking over there right now, aren't you? There's a young Gem girl painted red with someone else's blood. Ah, she's walking now. I wonder what she's trying to accomplish. What do you think, Raya?"


In the silence that fell after the bloodied Gem entered the banquet hall and so boldly returned to a man who could only be her husband, the voice of another woman rang out, mockingly. Tyrai would have taken no notice of it at all had the speaker not risen from the seat right next to her and audaciously looked Tyrai in the eye as she spoke. At first she was indignant, but then realized the whole spectacle was quite ridiculous, considering the position this girl was in. After glancing at Torin who seemed too preoccupied to bother with the issue, she resigned herself not to say anything, but when the Gem did not sit down and kept throwing defiant glances at her, she felt that this woman with her petty grudge ought to be put in her place.

Tyrai met her gaze with an unwavering stare as she too slowly stood to her full height, which was more than a head taller than her challenger. The Drakken woman raised her chin slightly so that her eyes were cast downward haughtily in the girl's direction. It was a perfect picture, she thought, how her height so concisely embodied just how much more important she was than this little harlot. Torin had wanted her to act demure for the warlords, but when it came to other women there was no question of the extent of her authority.

"Such reckless words from so small a mouth. It's a shame you're so uneducated. The truth is, we Drakken women go to war as often as our husbands, and we have such high standards for them that we can't be bothered with any man who falls short of our expectations. That's why you're here of course. Cheap to acquire and keep, beaten without consequence, bedded on your husband's whim. Men don't like to wait around for me, so they settle instead for you, because they don't mind that you're cheap, or vulgar, so long as you spread your legs, and give birth. You said it yourself."

Tyrai cast her glance around the room as well, though she did it more as a show of pride than an effort to gain attention. She remained standing and would do so until the girl either backed down or was pulled down by her husband. She might be able to get away with such careless speech among women of her own race, but she ought to be whipped for such blatant disrespect toward Tyrai, or worse. And Tyrai hoped her punishment was worse. Someone as established as Krone couldn't be seen in public with this whore's outburst and refuse to act, it would make him look very bad, to say the least.

Kalani and Kaelira

There were many nobles drifting into the hall, some showcasing their brides while others took on a protective aura. Krone did not hold such a stance, as anyone was welcome to come and take his brides. Though there would be a price, not gold or silver nor their life, it would be a part of their estate. If they wanted his brides he wanted part of their power, he had gotten much of his power from making such deals. It was surprising how easy it was to get others to give up power if you had something they wanted.

Krone looked at Kalani with eyes that were neither kind nor harsh before he placed a few fruits on her plate, he then did the same for Kaelira. Though his eyes held more of a warning, even though she promised to behave he knew better. She liked to make a show of things, so he knew to expect it at some point. He then turned to take food for himself, he didn't take much though as he was listening to everyone. He had commanded the air to move so gently that even other air element Drakkens couldn't feel it moving to his whims.

If the air found something interesting, it would notify him. The first thing that was interesting was the two Hillsongs beside him. Torin Hellsong wished for his sister to make conversation with him and get him interested in her. But she sounded offended, she obviously didn't want to compete with another Drakken Wife. What was interesting though, was that the young one was looking for connections. He wished to get further in the political game. Krone made note and if he found the young one alone later he would see if he could get something out of such a connection. He wasn't above taking a risk on the young just so long as they gave him what he wanted.

The air then notified him that the young lord Zacroti had taken a seat. Turning his head slightly he watched the young lord have his guards check and test the food and drink. He was a very paranoid for being so young, but Krone had heard of his bloody ride to power. Anyone with that much blood on their hands to gain power was right to be paranoid. He watched as he made conversation with lord Jorug who was rather over weight. He obviously had been enjoying court too much and had not been in the south for some time.

Krone slowly lifted an eyebrow when lord Jorug began to cough, shortly after drinking his wine. It wasn't hard for him to put two and two together, but he wouldn't say anything, not yet anyway. Once the dying lord left, Krone motioned for one of his guards to come forward. "Yes my Lord?" He said in a hushed tone.
"Lord Jorug, is dead. Make sure that his guard is not blamed, send word to the family that I know who had done it. But if they wish to know they must agree to my terms.... if they don't comply, then make them." He said, though he spoke in an ancient and dead Drakken dialect that took a century and a half to master. This let his captain know that he was not to talk in the normal native tongue. When Lord Zacroti looked his way, he gave a barely noticeable nod before his attention was drawn to a man in a mask.

But it wasn't the mask that got his attention, it was his brides scent. What ever he had done to cause the girl to smell like that was rather impressive and dangerous. A room full of Drakken men, some of which probably haven't had their needs met, was a fight waiting to happen. Krone went rigid for a moment before taking note of the girls husband. The male smelled familiar, but he couldn't remember how he knew the smell. He didn't even know this nobles name, so he must of been young and new to the political game.

Before he could remember the males scent, a Gem covered in blood came into the hall. The smell of Drakken blood was strong and one that no Gem should have been able to get. His eyes narrowed on the girl as she walked over to her husband. It was surprising to see a Gem being so loyal, but this made a low growl escape the large Drakken. He knew who she went to and the damned young lord would play such a game. A stupid and foolish game, but the young seemed to like to play games. Though there was a way for him to use this to his advantage, he just had to wait for the opportune moment.

It wasn't long for the quiet to burst into chatter once Lord Edoric entered the hall, with his two brides with collars and leashes. Krone wanted the man dead, but he had some how gotten a piece of his trading business. So if the man was killed, he would lose some of his income and contacts. The damn Drakken was bat crazy and had once sent Krone a goat to torture, claiming that it had brought dishonor on his family's name. He had no idea what the noble had with goats, but he was sure he didn’t want to know. All he could hope for was that he didn't strip naked and straddle the roast pig. That was the last time he ever went to Lord Edoric's parties.

“I’ve always wondered why it is that Drakken females tolerate their males taking wives from such a “lesser” race. Surely they know how impure the bloodlines of Drakka are becoming, thanks to the Gemminites. Maybe it’s just that the bitches are too ugly, and the males seek prettier stock? After all, a male’s only brain is in the head between his legs.”

Krone was about to grab Kaelira when he heard Lady Hellsong speak up. He looked over at the female Drakken and smirked, she was obviously a smart one and didn't like to be insulted by her lessers. "You are quite right Lady Hellsong... but please sit, you need not stand for the likes of this mule headed Gem. You are far better than she and do not worry I will not ask you to forgive her." He said. He knew he was flattering her, but he rather flatter her than make her upset or cause her to start rumors of his inability to control his brides.

Once lady Hellsong was seated, he stood and turned towards Kaelira. As he did so he brought the back of his hand across the young Gems face in a hard slap. It wasn't his full strength as he could kill her if he did, but it did leave a nice red mark on her pretty face. He then grabbed her by her upper arms and brought his lips to hers in a cold and threatening kiss. "If you dare embarrass me like that again, you will have the pleasure of watching your little Gem male scream in pain while I carve him into pieces without him dying... Also since my brain is between my legs, you will be the first one to test its knowledge." He hissed the first part before changing to a purr for the last part in her ear. Though the last part was no threat, it was a promise. He then made Kaelira sit in her seat to think over what she had just gotten herself into.

Krone was about to sit down when his captain came up and whispered in his ear. "I see... send the scouts out to find the little male Gem, take him to me estate. I will not lose my hold on her." He said in the ancient dead Drakken dialect coldly and softly.

Turning so that he faced everyone at the table he held out his hands in a gesture to let everyone know that he had something important to say.
"My brothers and sister, I have received word from the King." He said in a loud but calm matter. His voice was like ice that demanded attention or risk being cut be the cold of it. Many stopped what they were doing and looked up at the large Drakken.
"But first let's thank the young Gems, because what I have to say concerns you... This will be the last peaceful Reaping that either of our people's will take part in. Because of you spirited and rebellious Gems, the hand that protected your homeland will be turned against you." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Because of your ignorance, those that wished to live in peace will no longer have it. So I congratulate you as you have brought the end of your people, we are at War."
As soon as Krone sat down again the room exploded into chatter. Excitement from the Drakken's and pure horror from some of the Gem brides.

Krone simply sipped his wine as he watched and listened to the commotion, and waited for one or both of his brides to react.

---

Torin Hellsong, sister bride to Kasari Liesma

The look of bridled rage that Torin held, was one that Raya thought would bring the end of either one or both of them. It felt like forever as she sat there waiting for him to blow up at them or in the very least promise to end them slowly. But the biggest thing she was feeling at that moment was heart ache. She had just denied her patron goddess and she was sure that she would be punished for it. And truth be told, she wished to be.

She bit her lip when Torin leaned over so that he could explain what was expected of them when it came to religious beliefs. Her heart melted, she didn't want to lose herself to the false religion of the Drakken's. She wanted to stay connected to the Great Mother, to her element but she was on the verge of losing them all.

As she listened to her husband speak she noticed how he suddenly trailed off. His whole demeanor changed, his seriousness that he had was gone and he seemed distracted. Raya looked around the hall for what made her husband suddenly change, but she couldn't find who or what it was. She sniffed the air, but could only smell the food. Whatever it was it seemed that only he picked it up. Must of been a Drakken thing.

While taking a sip of water she felt Torin's large hand on her thigh then his arm around her waist. Her breath caught in her lungs as she placed the glass back on the table.

"You're looking over there right now, aren't you? There's a young Gem girl painted red with someone else's blood. Ah, she's walking now. I wonder what she's trying to accomplish. What do you think, Raya?"

She looked over at the bloodied girl and wondered if that was what got Torin into an aroused state. If it was, she thought that was rather gross, surely it wasn't that. "I do not know my Lord." She said softly while not moving away from his touch. "But maybe there is.... something that you wish me to accomplish?" She asked in a near whisper as she turned her head slightly so that her nose was nearly touching his. She held the position for a moment before slowly leaning forward and placing a light kiss on his lips.

Her insides felt like jelly but she knew that this would happen sooner or later, might as well be now.

She noticed then that the banquet hall had gone silent. She looked to see a large Drakken standing and making a gesture. Then he spoke and as he did so she felt like someone had thrown her into an ice cold lake. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, War? Drakka against Gemminia? No! No, that couldn't be, she was here. She was here so that her countrymen could live in peace. How could that change? Why? Why must her people suffer for the few rebellious?

She placed a hand on Torin's lap in shock, though he might of taken it a different way. This was a way that the Great Mother was punishing her, it had to be. But then why punish the rest of her people?

Raya was confused.

Torin Hellsong

Raya T'mivus Kasari Liesma

Well that had gone completely over her head, Torin thought as she kissed him, soft lips brushing lightly against his. It was nice, but he'd been hoping she could tell him who it was the bloody Gem had returned to. It didn't really matter, it was generally accepted that choosings involved a certain amount of chaos, and none of Torin's men had been harmed. Still, it would have been interesting to know. He'd been listening half-attentively to Tyrai's dispute with the insolent Gem, another matter that didn't concern him. His sister was no fool, and she was in the right after all. At a word from Krone she seemed satisfied and again took her seat, holding her head up proudly and turning her attention to the table, pointedly ignoring Krone's discipline.

The main course was just being served when one of Krone's guards stepped up to the table and delivered a message. Torin directed his attention to the exchange, but the older Drakken spoke in a dialect he did not know, which meant whatever it was about must be important to him. Torin had just plated himself a generous portion of roasted venison when Krone delivered the news. They were going to war. Torin wasn't surprised, but he was a little disappointed. He'd been expecting another shipment of that Gemminian wine in the next week and now it likely wouldn't arrive. Something touched his leg and he reached down to find Raya's hand, gripping his tunic in a reflexive gesture of shock. He eased his fingers between hers and held her hand to keep her from panicking. He was mildly worried about Kasari on her other side but there was nothing he could do about her at the moment, and he had other concerns.

At a gesture of his free hand, one of Torin's men stepped forward. Torin said a few words and the man hurried out of the banquet hall, returning just a few minutes later. "Impossible, my lord." Was all he said, and Torin nodded. He resigned himself to eating dinner, having nothing more to accomplish at the moment. Before that though, he spoke to his brides in a whisper carried by a subtle breath of air which reached only their ears. "Don't do anything rash. We'll discuss this at a later time. I suggest at least trying to eat something." They could cry if they liked, or wring their hands, or fast. Any of those things were understandable and they wouldn't be the only brides to do so. He just didn't want them throwing a fit or causing a scene.

Torin took a bite of venison as he listened to the room, which had exploded with activity since the announcement. After a while he seemed to have a thought and again signaled his guard. Like many Drakken warlords, Torin had his own personal bodyguards. And like many personal guards, they served more than one purpose. The man who approached him this time was different from the last, and it was unclear if that difference was intentional. "Make it known that I have intimate connections with Shogren," Shogren Armory was a well-known arms and armor supplier that specialized in producing large numbers of custom units very quickly; a war business. He estimated a good portion of of the upper class would commission new equipment for their armies prior to any sort of invasion and if word got around that Torin could supply from Shogren--perhaps at a discount price--he might be able to gain much more than just a couple of brides on this visit. The guard left them and didn't return.

Praeth, sister bride to Nadia and Araxie

It wasn't hard to see that she had pissed off her husband, but if wanted to play games he better be ready for her to play just as hard as him. She sat on the other side Araxie far from Praeth. She knew that that the other two wished to be close to him, plus she had a feeling that her husband didn't want her close as she had pissed him off. But then she was good at doing such things, not that she always tried to. She swore that her parents must of been fire and water, as they made steam or air essentially. She was created by two elements that rarely mix, hence why she was troublesome.

Before Praeth even said they were allowed to eat Tirza was already filling her plate. She was weak after using her element for as long as she did. She didn't even notice the blood covered Gem, but then they were sitting on the same side as said Gem. Instead she was more interested in her food. She wasn't surprised by how good the food was, as she lived close to the border at orphanage. All the girls were taught the ways of the Drakken's and what they ate and drank. This was as the girls of age at the orphanage were usually taken first before the reapers went further into Gemminia. So in short she knew what she liked.

She placed a few fruits and pastries on Araxie's plate. "You will love these." She said as she smirked at the girl before returning to eat her food that was piled on her plate. As she ate she could feel the eyes of a few Drakkens on her. They either could still smell her or they were surprised by her ravenous appetite or both. She looked at the Drakken beside her, she winked and smiled before taking a sip of her water.

The Drakken simply looked at her then at Praeth then back to her and shook his head. He then turned back to his own meal. Tirza contemplated flirting with the Drakken Lord, but then she remembered her husband's warning. She bit her lip, this was the first time in a long time that the little voice in her head actually spoke. And it confused her for a moment, as she never had it tell her not to do something. Maybe this was the little voice everyone said she didn't have. If so, she didn't like it. It ruined her fun and made her think of what would happen if she did something. She hoped that it would go away as she didn't want to care about such things.

Tirza was about to ignore the little voice when another Drakken stood and spoke with a chilling voice. She felt slightly sorry for the girls that he claimed, but then she was sure that if they didn't piss him off nothing horrible would happen. That's what she thought about most in the room, yet she didn't heed her own advice, but she never did.

When the Drakken finally said that they were now at war, the room went into a chaos of words. But she felt nothing, she wasn't shocked nor did she care. Her people treated her like dirt, she wasn't accepted by anyone as she was the product of an affair, and such children were a blight on Gemminite society. She did feel bad that more children would end up as orphans and that they wouldn't have a normal life. But then a part of her didn't care too much.

After waiting a few minutes she went back to eating. She wasn't going to let the news of War ruin her appetite.

Torin Hellsong; Sister-Bride to Raya T'mivus

Kasari wasn't sure what she was expecting from Torin; harsh words, a dismissive attitude, or perhaps even a physical response as it was clear many other Drakken used... But whatever it was that ran through the Gem's mind, it wasn't what she received. Torin's response was cold and distant, insulting but impersonally, powerful and yet lenient. It was a mild response to such a bold question, but the delivery had her fuming by the end. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about the way he scolded her that irritated her, like he viewed her as nothing but a child. The air around her began to heat up noticeably in her silent rage, her eyes narrowed at the blind man as she sat back in her chair. She caught Raya's gaze, a smile in her eyes that made Kasari feel better despite having been so reckless... Taking a deep breath, Kasari turned her attention to the various foods that were pouring into the room. She helped herself to more exotic fruits as well as the meats and wine made available to the group. Out of the corner of her eye Kasari watched as Torin spoke quietly to Raya, the pair discussing the arrival of a Gem as she gathered from following Raya's gaze. There was something off about her, being covered in blood. It didn't matter whose blood it was, the sight would have been unnatural in everyway. Even fire Gems like herself weren't known to harm others unless it was absolutely necessary, which unbeknownst to her would become the case very, very soon.

Just beyond Torin and Raya was Kasari's new sister-in-law, standing from her seat in an imposing way, her attention on a bride belonging to a very important Drakken lord. Their voices weren't raised much, so hearing them over the drunken chatter wasn't an option for the girl seated so far from the action... But whatever had transpired, it was long forgotten by Kasari as a guard approached the Drakken. Something about his sudden appearance put Kasari off, her heart skipping a beat nervously as she began running possible scenarios through her head. Nothing she had imagined could have prepared her for the news the Drakken shared, a war between the most barbaric and peaceful races in all of creation. Even worse, he essentially blamed it on them. Kasari's heart dropped to her stomach, the air seeming to slip away from her reach as she stared at the table before her. She could hear Torin's instructions in her ear, Kasari fighting to do as she was told so as not to push her luck any farther... But it was an incredibly difficult battle. The air around her increased in temperature, beads of sweat forming on the skins of those sitting directly next to her. She didn't even notice her fork turning to putty in her hand as her mind raced. Images of her friends and family back home flashed through her mind, the lush fields she had played in turning to deserts as she imagined what toll a war would take on them. Despite her mind being in shock, her facial expression turned to that of hatred as each of her thoughts turned darker and darker. It was probably the closest any Gem had looked to murderous, her heart racing as she failed to find oxygen in her breaths. Surprisingly enough Kasari managed to keep herself from storming from the room (or at least attempting to), and even resorted to biting the inside of her cheek to keep from speaking out, as she knew her husband would disapprove of. As the taste of her own blood mixed with the bile in her throat, Kasari found words to express herself without causing a scene. "I think I'm going to be sick." She hissed as she snatched up her goblet of wine and drained it, filling it up before draining it completely once more.

After a few moments Kasari's head began to buzz pleasantly, the alcohol doing its job in numbing her slightly. "I'm sorry, M'lord..." She sighed unconsciously, finally noticing the ruined fork in her closed fist. Opening her hand slowly, she winced at the imprint left behind by the object. It wasn't permanent and would fade with some time, but in her moment of pain her own fire had turned on her. Ashamed of herself Kasari placed the broken utensil down on the table and clasped her hands in her lap, comforted to feel the small lizard still curled up unaffected by the ensuing chaos around him.

Kalani Solle

Krone, sister-bride to Kaelira

Kalani, always the spectator, continued to watch the trouble Kaelira was stirring once more. "At least this way, Krone will not pay so much attention to me," she thought to herself. She still could not understand how Kaelira could be so foolish and stubborn. Why did she have to pick a fight with a female Drakken? Why could she not keep her mouth shut for once?

She almost wanted to laugh at the female Drakken's retort, but she didn't and only felt relief as she didn't, though Kalani would have understood completely if she did, make a scene out of it. Krone also did his best to flatter the female Drakken, probably to ensure there would be no rumors about him not being able to control his Gem bride. Afterwards, he again tried to warn Kaelira about misbehaving, though Kalani was sure the lesson would still not stick.

She stared down at her plate, not feeling very hungry after all the drama, when Krone made his little "announcement". The first thing Kalani felt was sorrow. Her family and her people did not have a chance against the Drakkens, they were all going to be destroyed. But then she felt angry. Angry at the Drakkens for doing this Reaping anyways and then making it pointless because they were going to war regardless. Angry at the fact that she had gotten chosen for nothing because she had tried her best to be a good, obedient bride only to save her family that are now going to die despite her efforts. Angry at those rebels who did not realize that sometimes the few needed to be sacrificed for the greater good and have started an unwanted war. She wanted to stand up, scream, and burst into flames. But it was useless. She remained seated, her head pounding with anger while her heart ached with sorrow. She tried to hold back her tears, but a few manage to escape from her eyes. She silently dabbed them with a napkin.

She had nothing now. No people to protect, no life to live, and there was definitely no one here that she cared about. She might as well be dead. She picked up the fruit Krone had put on her plate and had planned to throw it at someone, it didn't matter who. But her hands were trembling, and she simply dropped it back down.

She realized that she still wanted to live. How cowardly of her.

Nadia was startled when Praeth forced her to look at him, and then was slightly confused by his words. Respect and, equals? We're.. equal? At least he had spoken softly, which helped her to calm down slightly. His voice was interesting, and Nadia was beginning to like hearing him speak. "Y-yes. Thank you." She managed to stutter before he turned to address Araxie. She smiled a little at the way he said 'madame'. It was a strange title she thought, although it might have suited Araxie well. She smiled a little more at the thought before following Praeth into the hall.

As she followed she focused on small things around the room, statuettes and paintings mostly, so she wouldn't notice much about the people around them. The room's decorations were beautiful, most depicting some Drakken god or another, but she smiled when in one corner she found a small statuette of her patron god, Pyrus. Even if she did not have the same traits as most fire Gems, she still felt a connection to Pyrus. She was pulled from her thoughts however, when Praeth suddenly turned about and threatened another Drakken who had apparently been following them.

As she had thought before, there were many more people in the room now. It made her nervous to be around so many people, she felt out of place here. She longed for a moment to be back at home, sitting outside, alone in the woods, just listening to the calm forest. As she imagined herself back at home, the confrontation passed and Praeth pulled out a few chairs from the table for them.

Nadia sat next to Praeth, amazed the variety of food on the table. There didn't seem to be many things from Gemminia, and what was there was completely out of her reach. Looking at the many other dishes, they all seemed strange and she was unsure if they were even edible by the way some of them smelled. She glanced over at her sister brides a moment, and noticed that Tirza had put a few things on Araxie's plate for her, saying that she'd like them. She couldn't reach any of those dishes either, so she decided to just try some of what was near her.

She took a small portion of each of the different dishes she could reach, hoping that she'd like at least one of them. As luck would have it though, the first thing she tried, a small piece of meat, caused her to start gagging. It was very spicy, although it had looked innocent, and now as the spice brought tears to her eyes she struggled to stop coughing, covering most of her face with her napkin. She managed to recover quickly however and blushed slightly from the embarrassment.

The spice had left a bad taste in her mouth, and the only drinks around her seemed to be alcoholic. Nadia had never drank any type of alcohol before, she had never really had a chance to or had any interest in it. She thought about looking around for some water, but before she could her attention was taken by a Drakken who was making some kind of announcement. 

As he spoke, Nadia had a growing feeling of dread, until he announced that their countries were going to war. At that she felt her face pale, and her heartbeat seemed to falter. She was aware of what was going on around her as if everything except herself were in slow motion, although she could comprehend none of it. The chaos that had started in the room faded in her mind to background noise. She slowly started to realize that she felt dizzy, along with a surprisingly comforting fuzziness overtaking her mind.

She turned to Praeth and tapped his arm for his attention, as she had done before, and spoke softly, the fuzziness causing her mind and speech to be slow. "May I be.. excused? I don't.. feel well.. of a sudden..." She had managed to stand as she spoke, but before she could take a single step her vision faded and she felt herself falling to the floor.

---

Tirza
Nadia
Araxie

---

Praeth glanced about the room one last time before he sat himself down to eat. He analyzed the room starting with the most prominent. The bride covered in Drakken blood, Praeth watched her approach the hooded figure once more. Ah, that one again, I wonder if that's the prince, his aura is definitely overwhelmingly powerful. A vicious bride would be fitting for one such as him.. The Hellsong lord, Torin, was a blind, Praeth watched his actions and attempted to identify his method of sight. His eyes wandered to Torin's sister, Tyrai, his piercing stare could be felt by Tyrai and it remained only long enough for her to notice before Praeth's attention wandered elsewhere. Edoric had burst in, but Praeth paid him no mind, the girls behind him had obvious signs of recent hardship, Praeth could not help but look down on Edoric as a wretch who preyed on the weak. Zakroti was somewhat hard to spot, but Praeth had taken special note of him since the small being had exactly what he did not, the prowess of deceit.

As expected, Araxie and Nadia sat beside him while Tirza sat across from him. The many delicacies and variety of carefully crafted dishes assaulted Praeth's senses and his mouth began to salivate. The assortment of foods before him all had a nostalgic feel to them. So he ate, although his mask remained on, his mouth was still exposed. He could still remember his favorite dishes, although they were the simple ones that appealed to a child, he could also remember the dishes he hated, the fruits he despised, he tried it all and was lost in euphoric sense of memory. That was, until a Drakken stood up and made an announcement. Praeth looked back in his memories and remembered reading up on Krone. Praeth suspected him to be the eldest of the nobles currently here, though perhaps not the most powerful. He had heard that the second prince had come for a bride as well, and Praeth saw him as likely to be the strongest being here as he was considered second to only one other Drakken. Praeth had intended to observe the prince, but he had yet to identify the Drakken entirely.

Praeth listened to the words of Krone, and the expression behind his mask sharpened into a straining appearance of grit teeth. So the Drakken had declared war on the Gem populace. With the brides present no less, and only shortly after a reaping. What an advantageous time to declare war, Praeth had no doubts that this was nothing but a treacherous power grab on the Drakken king's part. What petty motives could drive such a war, Praeth couldn't grasp, but it was of greed, not wrath that this war was waged. Praeth quickly looked towards his brides with a discerning glance, processing the state of each of them. Of course, Tirza had a look of indifference about her, Praeth could only confirm helplessly that she had nothing to lose but herself. Nadia had already begun to stand, and Praeth looked at her in a somewhat worried fashion, beginning to stand himself as to move to comfort her. This is getting bad, things may become hard to handle.

"May I be.. excused? I don't.. feel well.. of a sudden..."

Praeth was already standing by the time Nadia had stood, but before he could say a word to calm her, she had collapsed towards the floor. Out of reflex, Praeth made a sweeping motion, gently catching Nadia before she touched the ground and slowly placed her back in her chair for the time being. Praeth looked to Araxie next, laying his palm on the small of her neck, a slender but callused finger gently traced her jawline, his intention for her to stay calm was somehow made clear through contact. Araxie could see a faint smile behind the shadows of his cloak, but Praeth soon turned away from her and towards the chaotic mash of despondent, infuriated Gems, and ecstatic Drakken nobles.

How should I make things more orderly...this will not do for maintaining control. Let's see, perhaps gaining a center of attention would bode well. It seems everyone is already focused on their own plotting, so I will catalyze this.
Praeth lacking in strategic expertise, and he understood that, thus he tried not to allow everyone to go without voicing their stance at-least, He also hoped to be able to probe for the prince since he had yet to identify the Drakken. A small orb of pitch black earth formed, extremely dense and no greater in size than a marble, it slowly began to burgeon and expand until it exploded under the immense inward pressure of water being added to the inside of the orb. The earth dissipated as it exploded outwards, but every disappearing shard broke the sound barrier, thus creating a fairly difficult sound to ignore. The sound originating from just above Praeth. Drawing as much attention as could be considerd feasible, long, slender of tubes about the length and width of spears surrounded Praeth, not unlike prison bars. The water undulated with his words and resonated his voice clearly.

"We all knew this day would come, when the Drakken greed would exceed that of the benefits of this Reaping. I, myself, have no interest in such useless things as territory and wealth, but understand, in accord to the infighting of nobility and ruthless stupidity of a foolish King, the tribes of the South will enter and exit with all your treasures before your childish plotting and squabbling will reach a conclusion. I'd advise eliminating the southern countries before invading such a stagnant and defenseless country such as the Gemminite lands." Praeth's voice was not loud, but everyone in the room felt as if he was talking to them individually, the water dissipated with his last sentence and at the corner of his eye, he spotted a phantom, daintily shrouding her smiling giggle with the fingertips of her hand, but before Praeth could turn his eyes, the figment of his imagination had already dissipated.
Perhaps it was too flashy... even she is laughing at me.
Praeth had no interest in invading Gem lands, it lacked the resistance to hone his own abilities and did nothing to further his goals. It was needless and he felt he would learn more by opposing the Drakken than the Gemminites. Unfortunately, he was still not confident he could gain the straightforward wrath of the entire war-like country, thus his stance remained neutral.

Rynek did have to admit, as he wandered off, leaving the Commander of the Guards with his invaluable prize, there were more than a few feelings of fear that she may not return to him. He had such wonderful things planned for her --or for him but she would be involved, nonetheless-- and to have all them ruined was definitely enough to at least mildly piss him off. Of course, Rynek never counted his chickens until they hatched and he had high hopes for the little gem that his Vax had picked for him.

While Lienna was away showing the Commander that size wasn't everything when it came to blades (even if his sword was probably magnificent), Rynek and his crew of merry men entertained themselves with a good ol' game of Who's Gonna Stab Who. Of course, Yax and Vax had the logistical strength of a sodomized goat so they weren't overly good at the game so Rynek took victory pretty easily after after awarding himself bonus points for judging that some fat lord had been poisoned. He didn't immediately recognise who had done it but he had a heavy feeling it had something to do with the little, weasel-like fellow with the guards swamping him. A name rung in his head and something about usurping but Rynek gave a grand total of zero shits about any nobility, Drakken or otherwise.

By the time Lienna had returned, Rynek & Co were debating about a particular matchup. "Man too big. He crush little man like Vax crushes skulls." Yax announced which was met with a round of intense nodding from his identical twin. Rynek had his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowed in silent challenge to the two men who didn't seem bothered by a gaze which would unsettle anyone else.

[color=gold]"Pfft! The only thing Vax will be crushing is his chances of finding a female who can actually survive being bedded by that big bastard! You know how much I had to pay after he literally split open five whores? It's enough for me to tell you to shut the fuck up and accept the fact that that little bastard over there would tear a new one for the Scream-Taker... I think."[/gold] Rethinking it, Rynek absently tapped his chin as Yax nodded in encouragement and Vax scratched his crotch. Their insightful debate was just about to continue before the whole room quieted and even Vax's attention drifted towards a new figure. Rynek didn't even have to look to the side to know who it was.

Watching her dip her head in a bow, he felt a sadistic smirk light up his lips. Her dress was painted in red, the blood his enemy soaked deep into the beautiful material. If he just wanted to fuck her earlier then now he would have gladly given everything to his bride. Turning, he looked down on her curiously, his hand sliding along the hilt of the dagger and lifting it from her grasp. With an eye for these sorts of things, he inspected the blade, flipping it over in his fingers as he lifted it to his eyes. The blade hadn't been used to kill the Commander which meant that she had used other means. Strangling was out of the question with the blood all over her so he guessed that she must have found another weapon or... She bit him? Sheathing the unused blade, his fingers found her chin and raised it so her eyes met his hooded ones. He took note of the stains of blood around her lips, the look of pure adrenalin shining in her eyes and to him, there was nothing more beautiful in the world. Death was an art form in itself and Rynek found himself moved by this masterpiece that was laid bare before his eyes.

In one quick moment, he captured her lips, pinning them against his. The taste of iron in her mouth was beyond divine and Rynek subconsciously found himself parting her legs with a single movement of his knees. His magic flared and the air pent-up in her lungs was dragged out, effectively leaving her breathless as he deepened their kiss. Finally, he released her from the confinement of his lips and she was able to breathe once more; he found a strange humour in the fact that he had quite literally taken her breath away.

"Fate has shined brightly on you, my dearest love. You have embraced death; made it your lover. You understand now, yes? You understand why it is the duty of the lion to slaughter the lamb?" Smiling deftly at her, his eyes held an excitement that wasn't present before - it was barely even the first day and she was already responding so beautifully.

His moment was ruined, however, by the addition of another figure. Fucking. Edoric. Just as the bastard came in, he basically gave away who the cloaked individual happened to be. In that moment, said cloaked individual very nearly wrestled a crossbow from a nearby guard which undoubtedly would have had lethal repercussions. Despite the apparent anger in his actions, he very suddenly turned and pulled his hood away, exposing a mess of fine, snow-white hair. "It is true, I've been deceiving so let me introduce myself. Prince Rynek Darion the first. Noble protector of the Royal Bloodline, Slayer of kings and rapist of queens, princesses and generally anything that looks pretty and has a cunt." Sweeping down into a low bow, it had seemed that his introduction was aimed at the whole room but he personally looked towards Lienna, the ghost of a smirk gliding across his features.

Even though he seemed pleasant, Rynek was still extremely pissed off. When they had sat at the table, he threw what could best be described as a silent tantrum. "Boss want chicken?" Yax graciously offered, holding out a massive leg of chicken to the sulking Prince. Rynek simply shook his head which remained low.

"It took me like three hours to come up with that plan and then he just goes and ruins it! It's not fair, Yax! I wanted to surprise everyone and then they'd all be like, 'wow, we have such a surprisingly cool Prince; I really wish I could be like him'. It was a flawless plan!" Crossing his arms, he frowned in the general direction of the Scream-Taker as he announced that they were going to war. "And now my father decides to go to fucking war? For fuck's sake! I had planned to retreat to some nice little villa and fuck this little minx here into oblivion and now I have to go to war... again? Can this day get any worse!?" Throwing himself back in his chair, he let out a sound of exasperation much akin to a dying seal but not unlike the cries of a blind seagull.

Poor Rynek didn't know what to do with himself so in the meantime, he very blatantly eyed up the Hellsong girl across from him. Tyrai, was it? Bringing a Gem bride to war would be tedious but a Drakken bride was another story. He had heard that Torin Hellsong was mighty thirsty so if he could get a royal matchup for his sister, he would. Excellent!



Her head hurt. The first sound she emitted when she was forcefully woken up by her Lord Husband was a low groan of pain at the feeling of her head being cracked open. Atallia hadn't exactly thought rationally when she was going through her arsenal of spells and had stupidly chosen one that she was physically incapable of handling in her current state. That probably explained the feeling of a hammer striking her skull repeatedly and the fact that her body felt like it was running on nothing. The young fire Gem fully intended to go back to sleep and would have if it wasn't for his guards dragging her to her feet and leaving her unable to find a comfortable position. The look she flashed them after that was beyond unholy - no one got in the way of Atallia and sleep. No one.

Thankfully, her drowsiness allowed her to mostly block out the cries of her companion when that bastard applied a hot iron to her back to seal her wounds. Although she was uncertain why he didn't repeat the process on her, she didn't exactly complain. After he had dealt with the wounds of her companion, he proceeded to emblazon them with some sort of tattoo which wouldn't have bothered her if it wasn't for the fact that he took his time doing it just so he could eye up their bodies. Thankfully, it was placed on her other arm and her Dragon was left unscathed.

Atallia absently drifted through most of the proceedings that followed that. The dress was nice but blue wasn't her colour - it matched her hair well enough but it was just a natural trait of fire gems that red suited them best. The chain and the name he had chosen for her was demeaning but in her weak state, she wasn't able to complain. Although she didn't want him knowing her name, it was a lot better than being referred to as a fluffy animal with low intelligence for the rest of her undoubtedly short life. "Talli." She answered plainly, her jaw extending into a yawn as her eyes flicked closed, attempting to sleep before being rudely interrupted by a tug on the chain.

In the walk to the dining room, it was mainly Atallia who slowed down their progress. She was groggy in her tiredness and didn't like paying attention to mundane things like steps or walking when she could stare daggers at those guards who refused to carry her like before - she could at least have slept then. Edoric himself proved to be a complete and utter idiot. His antics with the goat was plain weird and Atallia couldn't tell if it was an act or if he was genuinely insane. She hoped it was the former; insanity was not something to trifle with.

Strangely, her tiredness seemed to fade as she watched an imposing Drakken rise and silent the room before speaking. His words very nearly didn't register with her as she blinked back the information, not understanding. When it finally hit her, her eyes went wide and Atallia wanted nothing more than to collapse and die there and then. The only reason they suffered through this was to protect their homeland but now that was meaningless so did that make their purpose void? She felt her cheeks heating. Before, their acts were noble, brave even but now they were nothing more than petty bed-slaves. Looking around, she questioned whether her counterparts had realised that or if their thoughts just drifted homeward-bound. Talli wasn't prepared to just give up, however - they could change things. Or at least, they could try and go down fighting instead of just giving up. Turning, she regarded Edoric before swallowing her pride and softly grasping his arm.

Pressing herself against him, she raised her eyes of molten gold to his and silently pleaded for a moment. "You can change it, can't you? You have the power to stop it, right?" Resisting the urge to crumble in self-hatred, Talli stood on her tippy-toes to whisper directly to him. "Please... my Lord." Staring at him, her snowy teeth found their place in her bottom lip and for the first time since she had arrived, Talli looked oddly inviting.

Kaelira Isrilen

Sister-wife of Kalani Solle, Bride of Krone the Scream Taker. Former betrothed of Ridian Anarin.

As Krone spoke to her, Kaelira all but forgot about the Drakken bitch seated beside her. She did not flinch even as Krone slapped her, but rather glared right into his eyes the whole time. Her rage rose up in her, not hot like most people's, but rather cold and clear, but endlessly deep. Like a mountain spring, like the river that ran beside Ridian's house. The river that held so many promises, so many memories, and so many feelings.

Her rage and anguish threatened to overwhelm her, but she did not let it. For if she let it the water would leak out of her eyes and shame her and make her a liar.

It took all of her self-control to not bite Krone's lips as he kissed her so viciously. It took even more self-control to not jump on him at his threats. But somehow she found the discipline to purr a response. "I look forward to it." Inside, she was repulsed and afraid. But she wouldn't--no, couldn't let it show.

As Krone's attention was taken away by the captain of his guard, Kai contrived to inadvertently knock her plate, and consequently her silverware, to the floor. Blushing at her own "clumsiness", she scrambled to the floor. Her actions hidden by the tablecloth, she took her shellfish fork and tucked it into the sleeve of her dress. There were so many forks and spoons on her plate (though no knives, she noticed) that she highly doubted anyone would be counting. Besides, it was the smallest one that would be missing; it could have easily been lost under the folds of skirts and tablecloths, or it could have even fallen between the floorboards. But she had chosen wisely; it had the longest, sharpest tines of any of the forks. Perfect for her intention.

As she straightened up her place-setting, she didn't even hear what Krone was saying, so focused on her plan was she. Perhaps she might have changed her plan, if she had heard, but the effect was lost on her. While the crowd was going crazy (surely whatever he'd said had been important?) she made her escape, mumbling something about looking for the lavatory.

Krone had threatened to take her first, had he? Well, she'd let him do exactly that. But first she'd awaken his desire, so much that he would have her dress half-off of her the moment they got back into their bedchambers. He certainly wouldn't be thinking well enough to check for sharp metal spikes before he "tested his knowledge" on her.

She walked quickly back into the banquet hall, every step causing the handle of the fork to rub in a most painfully pleasurable way. She resumed her seat, although she had to bite back a cry of pain as she poked herself with the two-tined fork. It was very, very sharp. But then, that was perfect for what she intended.

As she slid back into her seat, she looked almost-seductively at Krone, sliding her hand over his leg. "My lord, I was considering what you told me... I've decided I'd quite enjoy something of the sort. Ridian never was one who was terribly... intelligent, and I'm sure a man of your... skills would be most... satisfying."

Naia save her, what was happening?! Maybe it was just the touch of the fork there, but something had awakened a long-dormant desire in her. Ridian had never been one to enjoy carnal pleasures. He'd only kissed her after they'd been seriously dating for four years, for crying out loud! Despite her pressures on him, he kept turning down her overtures, asking her to "wait until marriage".

Well, she had, hadn't she?

---

When Zakroti touched Miry’s hands, she didn’t flush. Instead all of the blood drained from her face and she very nearly fainted. “I-I’m s-s-sorry, m-y l-lord… I sw-wear I d-did-dn’t m-mea-an a-any h-harm…” She was filled with fear, convinced he might snap her neck or do something worse, thinking he thought she was guilty.

As soon as she registered what he was saying, her terror fled, replaced by confusion, and then relief and… was that love? For she realized that she did, love him, that is. He was kind and gentle, and just. And he was small, for a Drakken at least. And small people have to band together, don’t they?

“I-it’s a-an h-honor t-to s-serve you, m-my lord…” she said quietly. She lightly tucked the bruised wrist behind her back so that no one could see.

The burly Drakken got down on his knees in front of her and apologized. Wait. What? A drakken warlord… apologizing to… her. She knew there would probably be hell to pay, based on the humiliated shade of the Drakken’s face and the reluctance in his voice.

It was far easier to look at Zakroti’s kind face than his guard’s hard one. ”Y-yes… M-my lord, I f-forg-give him. B-but… I-if I may make a r-request? P-please don’t make a-anyone kn-kneel bef-fore me, e-ever ag-gain. I-I’m not w-worthy o-of it.” The tiny girl took a few steps forward until she was inches from the enormous, kneeling Drakken. “P-please stand.” She reached out and took the Drakken’s hand, though it dwarfed both of hers, and helped him to his feet. Then she flushed and retreated to stand close to Zakroti, embarrassed by her own childish actions.

At about that time, she noticed someone with a booming voice… mentioning something about a goat? She glanced over nervously, and then froze. A powerful, tall Drakken, with two brides on chain leashes. One short, with brown hair and gold eyes that Miry could see, even from here, and… Astaelin, her face drawn with pain and flushed from humiliation. For she was humiliated, being dragged around on a leash like some cur dog.

She didn’t even realize she was moving until she pulled away from Zakroti, half-stumbling, half-running across the hall to tackle her sister. Weeping as she fastened her arms around Asta, she realized half of the hall would probably be staring but didn’t much care.

Asta yelped, flinching from Miry’s touch, and put her arms around her sister somewhat more gingerly. ”Careful, Miry… My back’s a little sore.”

”W-what…?” Miry was terribly confused.

”It doesn’t matter. Are you alright, Miry?” Asta searched her for any injury, her violet eyes snapping as she found the bruised wrist. She looked up towards Zakroti and glared.

Miry saw the direction the glare was in and shook her head. “N-no, A-Asta. He’s n-nice. H-his g-guard-d and I j-just h-had a m-misu-underst-tanding. I-it’s all b-better n-now… I-it doesn’t h-hurt. Y-you k-know how e-easil-ly I b-bruise!” She couldn’t bear the thought of Asta getting hurt by Zakroti.

“Well… Alright… but you shouldn’t be over here, Miry. Go stand by your husband. I love you. Stay safe, alright?” Asta kept looking over her shoulder at her husband, who was apparently still prattling about goats.

“A-alright… I l-love you, A-Asta…” But before Miry could move, another imposing voice boomed out, telling of how this was the last peaceful Reaping. She looked in horror at Asta, who’s eyes were dead with the realization.

“We have to warn them. Somehow. If we can get warning back to the Stars they’ll be able to do something, anything. Ridel and Idasu can mobilize them… and Ridian can get word to the ones in the palace. Our rebels aren’t many, but they’re all fighters.” Asta hugged Miry so tightly that Miry thought she might be squished into oblivion.

“I c-can…. I c-c-can a-ask Z-zakrot-ti…” Miry kept her voice barely above a whisper. “He s-seems, symp-pathet-tic, a-at l-least. He m-might h-help-p u-us.”

“In any case. You should go back, before the chaos dies down. I love you, Miry. Forever.” Asta pushed her away, and she stumbled, but went obediently back to Zakroti, sitting down close to his side and trying to act as though nothing was amiss, though the tears streaking down her cheeks told a very different tale.

”M-my l-l-lord? I h-hav-ve a q-question, t-that might b-be bet-ter a-asked in p-privat-te…” she spoke quietly, though she was sure he’d hear her sad, soft voice.

Asta, meanwhile, stood stoically beside Edoric, not paying him any mind, her thoughts far away, at a long-ago meeting in a far-away land.

The clubhouse was packed for the Nebula session of Kaelira Isrilen and Ridian Anarin, from the personal service of Princess Annaveya. Many long-time members had returned to see their initiation.

“What do you offer to our union?”

“We offer connections to a hundred serving-folk in the palace, and with it the hidden ears and sneaky hands that come with such folk. We offer supplies and accommodations, for our Princess is a just young woman who would not turn away even a few dozen hungry travelers.” The boy spoke softly from his place kneeling by Astaelin’s feet.

“We offer the wisdom that comes with the blessing of Naia.” The girl said quietly.

“Do you promise to uphold loyalty to our kingdom, until your final breath?”

“I do.”
“I do.”

“Then rise and join our ranks as Seekers.”

Zakroti followed Miry carefully with his eyes as she stepped forward to help Kzaar rise to his and listened to her as she made her request.

”Y-yes… M-my lord, I f-forg-give him. B-but… I-if I may make a r-request? P-please don’t make a-anyone kn-kneel bef-fore me, e-ever ag-gain. I-I’m not w-worthy o-of it.”

Zakroti gave her a smile and a friendly nod. He no real wish to harm Kzaar for doing his duty faithfully and was pleased that Miry had not held a grudge against him. Indeed, Kzaar must have seemed more like a monster to the Gems than a person given that he stood so tall and was fully capable of cleaving men in half with a single swipe. Many Gems harboured an innate hatred of the Drakken after so many years and he could only assume they would be quick to jump on the opportunity to have one harmed and yet here Miry was, helping a Drakken warrior to his feet.

"As you desire, Miry, I will ne-" He began in a polite tone, but suddenly cut off as he saw her scamper away from his side and launch into a sudden dash across the room. He reached out in an attempt to seize her arm before she could get to far in fear for her safety but failed to grab her before she made it out of reach. He traced where she was racing too and saw Astaelin in thick iron chains, Miry wrapping her arms around her sister.

With the clank of plate metal boots another of the blackguard, a 6'7 Drakken by the name of Gaikus, stepped forwards and placed his hand against his sword, glancing over to Zakroti and waiting for him to give the order, more than willing to throw himself hopelessly at Edoric and his men if his master gave the command.

Zakroti paused for a few moments in consideration of his next command, glancing towards Edoric and noting that his attention was far too preoccupied with his Goats... Still, it would cause a scene if Zakroti decided to have his men storm Edoric and seize his girls... And then all the Drakken would probably start trying it and the place would become a bloodbath. Too chaotic. It was better to observe and act only if Edoric made a move to harm Miry.

But perhaps...

Zakroti's line of thought was interrupted when he noticed Astaelin was shooting a harsh glare towards him. He merely looked straight at her eyes with his usual blank, emotionless look. No. The girl would be more useful to him in Edorics position anyway; He had to be pragmatic for this to work, he could not risk his life rescuing a bride simply because he felt sorry for her and her sister.

Then, Zakroti heard Krones voice make an announcement, declaring that this would be the last peaceful reaping. As Zakroti has expected, peace between the two nations had finally broke down and he had no reason to believe the Gems were well prepared for this. He glanced over his room and gouged the reactions of the gems. Many were solemn, many were terrified but others seemed to be completely unfazed... He couldn't understand why.

At the heart of this entire declaration, after all, lay the question of exactly what the Drakken would do to the Gems. In fact, with the beginning of a war with the Gems the brides would likely find their value greatly diminished. After all, they were provided by the Gems as part of a peace agreement and with this agreement gone the Warlords would take it upon themselves to take any girl from the towns they invaded at will. Concordantly, the brides were treated like goods and when there is a sudden increase in supply without an increase in demand... Well, every no name warrior in every no name warband was about to have a sheath for his dagger, so to speak.

This was not to say Zakroti actually found this abhorrent. Zakroti had been a slaver for many years and had dealt with the trafficking of females for the sexual pleasure of certain... individuals. This was nothing new to him by any stretch of the imagination, with everyone campaign he had been on he had returned with a wealth of slaves. He usually split them up into several groups; There were the Prizes who were usually young and pretty girls who would be auctioned off to various Drakken lords for sexual gratification or to act as servants, there were the Labourers who he would set to work in mines and construction or sell them off to serve and then there were the Warriors who he either press ganged into military service or sold off to certain more blood thirsty nobles to fight in their fighting pits or arena's.

It was a very profitable business and he had found, in his experience, that slave warriors were ironically extremely loyal once they had been broken through a strict training regime. Indeed, those who were survived and freed usually offered their services as paid officers for the slave legions instead. This slave army supplemented his more standard forces of Drakken warriors and the results had been very pleasing thus far.

He heard someone approach him and, given that his blackguard had not demanded they halt, it must have been one of his. He turned his head ever so slightly so he could catch a glimpse of the man out of the corner of his eye. The Drakken held a letter in his raised hand and approached Zakroti as he raised his own corresponding hand to take the letter. The servant quickly backed away and Zakroti broke the seal on the letter reading over it. After a few moments of reading he quickly whipped out a parchment and quill, Kzaar placing an inkwell down beside him. Quickly, he dipped the quill into the ink and began to scrawl a letter out in cursive, before folding it over and handing it to the messenger. He repeated this action many times, writing more and more letters which were slowly accumulating in a pile in the poor servants hands.

Orders had to be given! Now was an opportunity like no other.

Despite his joy at the prospect of the riches that might soon flow and be his, he managed to keep his face like stone with little emotion conveyed on it what so ever. He wanted to appear composed in order to appear more dangerous, even if it meant he would have to wait to crack a smile.

His timing was nearly perfect; As he finished and folding the last letter, handing it off to the servant to be taken away, Miry came down beside him and spoke in a quiet voice that would almost certainly not be audible to anyone further than five feet or so away in this racket... Given that she had just been talking to Astaelin and there had just been an announcement for war, he guessed that she probably wanted his assistance in some way or at least his assurance that he would not invade. A word in private? Fine. He needed an excuse to leave anyway, he wanted to be away from here before any more 'excitement' broke out. He turned his head towards the now standing Kzaar.

"Kzaar; Find Amaryllis. I think we've had enough time among the 'folk of quality ' to last a lifetime, nevermind this night. I have no doubt she too will be pleased to get away from this rabble." Zakroti ordered, to which the hulking Drakken warrior simply nodded and headed back towards the banquet to find the Bride, a black head towering above the crowds. Zakroti turned his attention back towards Miry and motioned for her to follow him, the blackguard filing in around the pair in a triangle formation with Gaikus at the front.

He led her through the winding stone corridors, noticing the corpse of a Drakken down one of them and sighing weakly as they pressed on until they were back in the Chamber where he had met with Nastaki earlier (His grandfather was thankfully absent from the room) and pushed open the doors to the balcony, stepping past the massive ballista and quickly peering around. There were now two weary looking Drakken leaning against the war machine, entertaining themselves by having a rather vulgar conversation about which brides they would have a 'night of pleasure' with if they happened to find them alone, though given the contents of their conversation that the group could overhear before the two Drakken realised they has company and wisely quietened down, it was entirely clear that the pleasure would be very one sided and certainly not consensual. Zakroti motioned for the pair of them to leave while giving them a glare that would of been fitting on the face of Krenta himself and although the pair needed no convincing to accept a dismissal from their ice cold post, he motioned for Gaikus to draw his sword to throw a scare into them anyway, causing them to half walk half run back into the wroth.

The blackguard set about checking over the edges of the balcony and in the alcoves by the door. Once Zakroti was satisfied that there was nobody eavesdropping, he motioned for the blackguard to close the door to the balcony and in response Kilio took up position in the far side, blocking it off. As they did, he felt the icy grip of the mountains but did he best to ignore it. Now was no time for complacency based on a desire for personal comfort, he would rather that none outside of himself, Miry and his blackguard would know the details of the conversation that would follow...

"Your sister is in chains, Krone announces war and you want to speak with me in private. I am going to assume you want my assistance in some way, correct?" He asked in a serious and somewhat solemn tone as he turned to face her, his face grim and more serious, the glow from the moon light caught his face in such a way as to make him appear more solemn than he had intended as he spoke.

There was a certain amount of giddiness within the Nordiere, a declaration of war, that's always fun. Even more so that it would be against the Gem, although the war would probably be over within a weak. Such pitiful fools, too weak to even properly defend themselves without the use tributes. The occupation should keep him entertained hopefully, executing and torturing the rebellious little ones in front of their family and friends was always fun but he always got complaint that he took too long before actually killing them so that in some cases he ended up killing a dead body.

Feeling a tug at his side, Edoric looked down at the little Gem who was pouting at his side. She looked adorable, like a little puppy who was forced to watched her mother get killed. Well, this case it would be more like watching her entire puppy litter get stomped on, but that's beyond the point. I need to get those eyes out more often. Edoric thought to himself as he debated inside his head with the other voices, They are so cute and innocent that I almost want to mount them on a wall. Almost. I guess a pair of eyes on my wall wouldn't be that great though. Not feng shui. Yet, the more he looked into her eyes, the more he seem to falter in his thoughts.

"Do it. You know you want to."
"Stop, look at her laddie, she's just a lost sheep!"
"Go to war little one, don't you forget what its like?"
"Patience young padawan, good war and loot will come when one wait long enough, yes?"
"Your investments and your business come first sire, great profits can come from war even if you don't fight."
"Just fuck her already and have a kid. Who actually gives a shit about Gems anyways?"
"Yeah, and if you go to war, you can get yourself some more pretty little jewels, how does that sound eh?"
"...and then you pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees and put the potato in as you prepare the cheese and chives..."
"Think about the children! Not that you actually cared about them, but still, think of the children!"
"GO OVER THERE AND BLOW SOMETHING UP. THAN GO RAPE SOME GEM AND BLOW HER UP TOO! BURN EVERYHTING MOTHERFUKCERSS!!!!!!!!"
"Would thou's mother approve of thy actions? I belivith not."
"Money mate... its all about the money... make enough off this war and buy yourself a nice piece of land and build yourself a castle on it. A new one with tapestry and curtains and fine art... just imagine it mate..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa there brutha, ye forgtten something REALLLLY important here. Ya gotta break in yo wives man, what if they try to kill you or something like dat? What if they burn ya whole house down while ya gone? If you don't break in yo wives, that shit's just crazya ya know?!"

After seeing the logic in all of the voices in his head (they were always the most logical, they were the voice from his head after all), the decided that the last one had the greatest logic. He still hadn't insured his house from criminally insane arsonist Gems. If he could have them stay obedient, that's one less thing he could worry about. But than again, now that he was thinking about it... maybe he should try and become the best grillmaster to ever live. For that he would need to add more charcoal and preferably napalm. Not that he knew what the hell napalm was actually, he just heard it in a dream where a talking fish attempting to sodomize an especially heavy pot of soup gave him a lecture on the fine pottery and minty fresh mint.

"Unfortunately for you Sheepie," Edoric looked down at Tali, putting on his best (sane) smile, "I am in no power to do such a thing. However, I can get some people out of this war, but I am going to have to have you do something for me later tonight as a small exchange. That's a fair deal right? A tiny favor in exchange for a weaker Drakken army?"

Edoric already knew that much of those words where either twisted or hollow in his head, but of course the Gem wouldn't know. Lying was his natural born gift after all. He put a hand on Tali's head and rubbed it reassuringly before turning to Statue!Asta, still stoically staring off into space (or at the ass if the confused goat judging by what her eyes at settled on), and rubbed her head too. Walking forward and turning to face the two of them, he acted like a (somewhat) concerned parent, "Now you two be safe out there alright? Remember to not talk to strangers or fish. Fish do not talk and if they do I highly suggest to come find me so I can tell it to shut up. Don't forget to eat a little bit of everything and to eat some veggies too. Feel free to do whatever you like but meet me outside once the party is over. Look the carriage that has my family crest on a banner. Should you forget what it looks like, just look at each other's back, that's why I carved it there. Got it?"

Appearing behind them once more, he gave both of them a push into the hall, "Now than, go! Have fun! Meet new people and frineds! And don't drink too much!"

Watching his little girls go off into the crowd, Edoric almost wanted to shed a tear. Wiping away his sole tear of dramatic, gut-wrenching emotion, he himself dived into the party after shooing away the goat-carrying guard. Time to be the life of the party.

Tyrai Hellsong

As she reclaimed her seat, Tyrai felt a pair of eyes boring into her. She let her gaze sweep over the room without turning her head, and while she couldn't be certain she was fairly confident in guessing the one so interested was a mysterious masked man. Praeth. The name swirled around in her head, but that's all it was: a name, there was nothing else she knew about the man. Her gaze lingered on him but her face remained expressionless. It was barely a minute before everything happened at once.

Edoric burst in, fool that he was, and made a good show of insanity. Krone relayed the declaration of war. Prince Rynek decided to reveal himself to the rest of them. The wench next to her even decided now would be a good time to throw a fit and knock her place setting on the floor. The entire room erupted in an excited chatter. Many guards and servants were suddenly sent on errands, Torin's being no exception, and some patrons even got up and left altogether. Through the storm of excitement, Lady Hellsong calmly sipped mead and daintily placed savory bites of whatever happened to be on her plate into her mouth. She probably had the best table manners among everyone in this room, Drakken men didn't care for proper dining techniques and their brides, well, most of them were too shaken up to worry about that kind of thing. Tyrai was the very image of perfection in the midst of chaos, and while she was only a woman it gave her a certain aura of control.

After Rynek announced himself, she couldn't help but steal glances at him every now and again. He seemed to be throwing a temper tantrum, and sat sulking in his chair like a scolded child. It was rather amusing to see someone of his standing acting so immaturely. She let a condescending smile play briefly across her lips before plucking up a juicy red grape and popping it in her mouth. Now he was looking at her. She pretended not to notice while contemplating her next move, then it occurred to her, so simple: The room was quite warm with all the people and excitement. She reached up and undid the clasp around her neck that was holding the fur stole in place. It slid down to drape over the back of her chair, revealing her pale throat, shoulders, and a plunging neckline that Torin would scold her for. If he could see it, she thought to herself with some measure of amusement as she swept a hand beneath her golden curls, lifting them from the back of her neck momentarily to cool off.

Raising the goblet for another drink, she caught Rynek's eye and unabashedly held his gaze as she drained the cup. She set it down and hid a smile, looking away as if the Prince were only a temporary amusement that she'd quickly grown bored of. At that moment, a shockwave reverberated throughout the room, drawing all eyes to Praeth as he gave his little speech. Tyrai pondered his words for a moment, keeping her attention on him. He'd seemed more than casually interested in her a moment ago, and she made a show of being intrigued by his presence, wondering if he would look her way again.

Miry was trying (and failing) to keep her composure. She hadn’t expected Zakroti to just leave the banquet, and certainly hadn’t expected him to listen to her immediately.

"Your sister is in chains, Krone announces war and you want to speak with me in private. I am going to assume you want my assistance in some way, correct?"

Alright. One step at a time. First she used a simple magic trick, diverting the wind so that it would carry her words directly to Zakroti’s ears, so that not even his guards could hear her. It was a trick that all Air gems learned before they turned 10.

“S-sir.. M-my l-lord… M-most G-Gemmnites a-are… a-are cow-wards. I know I a-am… I c-could n-never fight f-for w-what I b-believe i-in.” She had absolutely no idea where she was going with the thought. After all, why should Zakroti care about her people? Why would he care?

She felt her will crumbling and fell silent for a moment, not daring to look at the warlord. Tears sprang to her eyes and angrily she wiped them away. Here was a perfect opportunity, perhaps their only opportunity. She’d have to find the words to say it, or else the Gemminites would entirely be slaughtered.

“B-but s-some of my people… th-they’re d-different. A-Asta is d-different. She… W-when we were l-little, a-all of our c-cousins got t-taken as p-prizes. E-every s-s-sing-gle o-one of them, a-as soon as they were o-old enough. A-and we s-saw how i-it b-broke th-their f-f-family. A-and A-Asta got m-mad, y-you know? A-and she m-made a p-pact with s-s-some o-of the boys i-in the town—She’d a-always b-been f-fri-iends with t-them, m-more than a-any other g-girl—T-that they w-would f-f-fight back a-against the L-Lords who c-came to take t-their s-sisters a-and c-cousins and f-friends.” Nervously Miry wiped at her eyes, though for once they were dry.

”S-she was-sn’t the o-only one w-who, w-wanted to do s-s-somet-thing ab-bout it. B-but she was the m-most o-organized, a-and the m-most w-well-prep-pared. B-by the time she was f-fift-teen, she h-had a n-network of sp-pies and f-f-fight-ters, a-all through o-our kingd-dom. Y-you k-know the G-Gemminites d-don’t really h-have a milit-tary, a-at least, not more t-than our R-Royal G-Guard. B-but A-Asta made an u-undergound one, for j-just something like t-this.” Miry dared to look up at Zakroti, trying to gauge the Drakken’s reaction.

“The o-only thing I a-ask is t-that you l-let me w-write l-letters. L-let me w-write t-three l-letters a-and e-ensure they a-are del-livered. Y-you d-don’t have t-to do a-anything, y-you can d-deny a-all a-attachment. J-just l-let me w-write t-three let-ters. O-one to R-Ridian Anar-rin, b-because h-he c-can get word to e-everyon-ne i-in the p-palace. One t-to Iral a-and Id-dasu Tyridur, b-because they w-were A-Asta’s c-closest f-friends. A-and one to P-Princess Annaveya, bec-cause she is m-more likely t-to bel-lieve me t-than her p-parents.” She fell silent and unwound the air from around the two of them, no longer daring to look at Zakroti for fear of what action her words might bring.

“I k-know I s-shouldn’t be a-asking this, but… y-you s-seem t-to know… Y-you s-seem like y-you c-c-care.” a faint blush coloring her cheeks, the tiny girl hastily tried to undo the damage that the question might have done. “P-please don’t b-be mad at m-me… I j-just want m-my p-peop-ple to have a f-fighting ch-chance…”

Brides Kalani and Kaelira

The room was a furry of words and Lords sending men to deliver messages. In all rights they should be sending men to get their affairs in order before the invasion. Most he knew had business in slave trade or trade in other goods. Krone knew what would happen to the people of Gemminia, most of these lords men would take hold of any female they came across. He would have to make sure that didn't happen with his, as no lowly Drakken grunt should pass on their genes. If any of his men got a female pregnant, the child would be recognized as his and not the grunts. And said grunt would be punished for doing so. As being head of his house, he decided who was aloud to take mates. But those children would still be recognized as his. So in short he had five children, two of his blood and three claimed as his.

Though most would of thought that he was lost in thought, they would be wrong. He was ever vigilant, taking note of very move very word spoken. This was what he was trained for, to gather information about anything and everything. He was the torturer, one that even the King sent enemies to, to get information or just to torture. He had to carefully watch and gage his subjects to make sure that he didn't over do it.

So when Praeth suddenly tried to get people's attention, Krone was unsurprised by his words. Though he did raise an eyebrow, if the young lord wasn't for Drakken greed then why did he have three wives? Why not take one? The young one spoke before thinking that was clear.

"Odd you would speak of Drakken greed when you yourself took three brides, when all the rest took no more than two." He said in a near icy voice that held a rather bored tone as well. "You take this invasion in a wrong frame of mind young one. Your bride there," He said gesturing towards Tirza. "Did you not warn her of punishment if she continued with certain behaviors? And if she continued to mock you and then tried to hurt you, would you not make good on said punishment?..... I advise that you brush up on your history young one, as there had been many times that war between the two countries has been averted. But not now, not when they bite our hand." He explained as he had the air bring Praeth's scent to him. That was when he remembered the young lords scent, but it was not one he had smelled in a long time. He looked at the young lord for a moment longer, his face like stone though he allowed a small glint in his eyes show. It would let the Lord know that he knew something, what exactly he would not know.

Krone took note of Kaelira clumsiness then her needing to use the lavatory. He looked at her plate and noticed something was off, but he wasn't sure what. Looking over his shoulder he gave a silent command to one of his men, what it was for no one would know. But it wasn't for anyone else to know anyway.

Krone then looked at Kalani noticing that she was trying hard to control her anger and her sadness. But a few tears did run down her cheeks. He realized that he had neglected her, though he was sure she welcomed the neglect. He gently took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips in a gentle kiss. "I am sorry for neglecting you, your sister bride is most..... difficult." He said. As he looked Kalani in the eyes he dropped his mask of ice and indifference, instead his eyes and his features showed a softness that would be shocking to everyone. He wanted at least one of his brides to trust and be loyal to him.

"My dear, let me give you something. It's the only thing that you will care about, I will try to make sure that nothing happens to your family. I can't promise that none will be hurt once my men go in, but I do promise I will try. You have my word." He said in a soft tone. He kissed her hand again gently, his features were still soft and warm.

But as soon as he sat up straight his cold and indifferent exterior was back. The side the Kalani saw was one that he reserved for only a few, she was lucky to have seen it so soon.

Krone saw Kaelira slide back into her seat from the corner of his eye. But what he really took notice of was her sudden change in scent. She smelled aroused, but why? Why the sudden change? If he knew anything about his new bride was that she did things before thinking, but this.... this was different. She was planning something, but what?

He felt her hand on his lap and he looked slowly in her direction. His eyes were cold and unnerving. He took Kaelira's hand and moved it off his lap, which was rather hard to do as her scent was strong. But he then commanded the air to move so that it capture the scent and keep it close to his bride. Though part of the damage was done, he knew that she had a desire.

"Of course my dear, I have over three hundred years to perfect them. You will be satisfied, broken, but satisfied...." He said in a slight cold purr as he stroked her side, though he was sure she was acting. Why he still wasn't sure.

---

Torin Hellsong, sister bride to Kasari

Raya barely noticed that Torin was holding her hand, she barely heard what he said. She was lost in her own head, as she thought of her family. They would be slaughtered, her family were simple farmers. If anything, she was the fighter in the family. She was the one spent time in the forest and did things that no normal Gem would do. She knew how to fight, how to shoot a bow, but her family? No, they didn't know much about such things.

Taking a deep slow breath, she slowly pulled her hand away from his. She didn't mean to touch him, just the shock of it all was nearly too much. She watched Torin begin to eat again she knew that he probably didn't care much about their distress. He could after all gain much from this war as a great deal of the men in the room.

Raya looked over at Kasari and noticed the melted fork and wondered if the girl used a lot of her power? And if she was feeling weak or dizzy, but then she noticed that the girls cup was completely empty of wine. "Is your family close to the Drakken border?" She asked lowly.

Her own family was in the northern part of Gemminia, so she knew that they would have some time to get away. But those close to the border wouldn't be so lucky. The thought was saddening, but she had to be strong like her element. She sent a silent prayer to the Great Mother, she hoped that her patron goddess would hear her and help.

Looking at some of the other Gems, she noticed that some were begging, while others trying to seduce their new husbands. But most were still in too much shock to do anything much less try to flatter their husbands. She fell in that last group, plus she was no good with flattery. She was not interested in girly things or behavior. She was "too wild" but now she felt like a wounded or caged animal with no chance of escape. Those feelings were made worse as she would be forced to watch her home burn.

Powerless, it is hopeless. Just lay on your back and try to please your husband She thought as she looked down at her hands. But as despair nearly consumed her, she felt a part if her suddenly buck up. It was like an Earth tremor, one that shook for a second before disappearing. A small smirk played on her lips as she knew that it was a sign from her goddess to keep fighting and to not despair.

"I am not hungry,my Lord." She said softly before giving a warm smile to Kasari, hoping that she could give a little hope to her sister wife.

---

Praeth, sister bride to Nadia and Araxie

Tirza found the buzzing of the room which had been going on rather exciting. She liked watching the drama, it was better than watching the kids at the orphanage fight over who took whose hair brush. Of course it was she that took their hair brush and planted it in someone else's things. Hey, it got boring in that place and she needed to do something from going insane.

All this drama though didn't keep her from eating. She wasn't going to miss a meal for a simple announcement. Though she took note of Nadia stand and then faint, luckily though Praeth caught her. He had fast reflexes, that was a good thing to know. She watched as he gently placed the little Gem back in her seat then looking and gently stroking Araxie's cheek. She found herself almost gagging, she didn't like affection. But then she was never given any.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Praeth suddenly spoke up about not wanting to take part of the war. And she couldn't help but think him as stupid for not wanting to. Gemminia had resources that he could probably use, not from her lands either. He could form contacts that could further him in the political game. But he lacked fore sight. It was probably a bad thing that she thought like this, but her people weren't really her people.

That was when the large Drakken the gave the announcement of war, corrected her husband. Though she didn't feel all that comfortable with him looking at her, his eyes were cold and she felt the need to scream. She swallowed hard before looking away from the Drakken and looking at Praeth. She was suddenly happy she had him as a husband and she felt a little sorry for the girls of that older Drakken Lord.

"Are we going back to your chamber my Lord?" She purred. Though it was probably not a good idea to have a fainted bride in a room full of Drakken men. But then what would she know? She was just moments before flirting with the Drakken Lord next to her. Which she suddenly wanted to do again.

Goddess she was troublesome.