Lilith woke up this morning, stretching in her large canopy bed. For the last week she had been rushing about helping her mother and father tell their court what to do in order to get ready for this day. The day that she would meet the supposed love of her life, the day in which she would meet part of her future family. The day in which, well, was going to come sooner or later rather she liked the fact or not. Climbing out of her bed, she would glance in her closet. Most royal children would have their clothing set out for them, but Lilith had made a major fuss at the age of ten, stating that she could dress herself just fine with no help. Turned out all people in the royal palace agreed with their Princesses wishes.

She needed something... elegant, classy, and yet simple. And, of course, in her Kingdoms colors. Choosing her favorite black, white and red dress, she would lay it on the bed before going to take a shower and brush her teeth. She took her time in the bathroom, trying to sooth her nerves that were currently going haywire with excitement, anticipation and nervousness. Being the Princess of the most well known kingdom in all of the land, you would think to yourself that the girl would have nothing to worry about at all, but, it was a lot of pressure. You had to look your best, act your best, be the best. She took a deep breath and looked at her complexion in the mirror. Brown, wavy hair, beautiful hazel eyes, yet still plain. Lilith shook her head at the thought before walking back into her room and slipping into the dress. Then, she would complete her outfit with red wedges. Perfect, she thought. Walking over to her dresser, she would then brush her hair, leaving it to do its own thing, add mascara to her face, as well as clear lipgloss. One last glance in the mirror and she would be set for the day.

Walking out of her bedroom and closing the door behind her with a soft click she would bump into something. No, somone. With a light gasp she would turn to see the royal butler, Mr. Benjamin Clarke. However, Lilith as well as her parents called him Ben, others referred to him as Mr. Clarke. "Ben," she said, slightly startled.

"Ah, no worries, your Majesty," the man would reply. "The King and Queen sent me to fetch and bring you to the dinning hall. Worried you had cold feet about the whole ordeal, I do believe," he added jokingly and holding out his arm for her to take.

Taking Ben's arm and beginning their way down the stairs, she would smile at the man. "Well, I do admit that there is a bit more pressure than on the day to day basis. Meeting the other royal families, my future husband... you get the idea."

"Why of course, I do, Miss Ginny," he would reply. Though Ginny was Lilith's least used nickname, Ben was very close to his Princess, always calling her by the name. Finishing their long walk through the corridors of the castle, the pair would come to a stop in the vast dinning room, her father at one end, her mother to the right and a chair empty for Lilith herself on the left.

"My darling," said her mother with an startled gasp, "You look so..."

"Stunning, and so grown up," said her father, finishing the woman's though. Lilith felt her face go red while walking over and taking her place at the table.

"What are you both doing here," she asked. She had been told that breakfast was not to be served until all the guests was to arrive in just under two hours.

"No worries, darling, just the morning coffee," said Lucian.

"Well," the girl said, clearing her throat, "Do you both mind if I chose a book and go to the balcony for the ceremony?"

"Of course not Lil." Alice this time. Getting up from the table she would give a slight smile to her parents before walking back up the stairs, waving to Ben, choosing Pride and Prejudice from the shelf of books in her room, and then out to the main balcony where she would stay until the guests arrived.

---

---

Previously awoken and dressed in a classic black and white suit, Alexander would give a thought to The Great Ball as his royal family's limo sped down the road in the Kingdom of Aciras. Sure, the dance was going to be nice, but the fact of an arranged marriage was something that the boy did not, had not, and most likely would never agree with. He had heard legends and stories of the other royal ceremonies where the royal children had met for the first time. How the Castle was so grand, the royal families as well as the best and most trusted subjects in all the lands were invited to dance and eat.

Alec did not like the thought of leaving his Kingdom for a full three months, but what needed to be done, needed to be done. His parents had already betrothed him once to the Princess of Aciras, Lilith, he thought her name was, but that had gone awry quite quickly. He was happy that the event had been demolished, but, there was a bit of a feud between the two Kingdoms. However, Alexandar thought that it would be interesting to meet the girl that his parents had previously promised him to marry.

The journey had been long and tiring to say the least, and the boy hated the fact that he had spent so much time in such close quarters with his parents. It was suffocating. Finally arriving at the Castle of Aciras, Alec would get out of the car, taking his place between his mother and father to begin their walk down the large stone pathway while straightening out his jacket to his suit. Glancing up at the balcony, he would see what could only be the Queen and King of the royal family standing behind a girl in a marvelous dress with flowing brown hair.

That must be Lilith, he thought.

Razzle jumped out of bed the moment her handmaiden had awoken her and almost skipped over to her closet with a large grin which was not unusual for her mornings. Today was the day and unlike her brother, whom had pulled the sheets over his head, she was excited. Finding her favorite dress a beautiful pink ball gown which made her look like a child somewhat, she stepped back out laying it on her bed beaming out, "It's time to get up Scotty boy~"

She got no response for a few moments before he finally got himself up his hair a mess sitting on the end off his bed, unlike Razzle he would wait until one of his servants picked out his clothing. He reached up and moved hair from his face with a slight groan, he had a small hangover from last night not being the smartest with his drinking. Soon a young woman came and took his arm shooing him into the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. He was not excited to meet his bride to be in the very least.

His sister however had already found her way into one of the other bathrooms and was taking a bath making sure to get every inch of her clean, after she got out she took up the task of brushing her teeth while Patrisha, one of her handmaidens worked on her hair combing through the blonde locks being especially careful. Soon she was dressed in her outfit adding comfortable pink flats due to the fact the dress covered her feet and a pair of gloves that stopped just before the elbows, also pink. This was her favorite color.

Scott found himself in a plain tux pulling at the collar slightly, this was uncomfortable and he was cursing under his breath about how stupid this all was. It truly was hell for him, hopefully Razzle would do something stupid causing them to leave early. She had always been good at being a clutz.

It took a few hours but soon they had arrived, Razzle was the first one out stumbling out of the car, Scott having to help push up the large fluffy dress. She soon walked down the pathway with her brother almost pulling him along as their parents just walked calmly next to each other. Razzle just giggled a bit speaking in a normal tone, "Oh stop frowning Scott, this will be nice."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Angel was awoken by the sunlight that morning a smile on his face as he got up emotionally ready for the day. He looked at the clothes than were laid out over one of his chairs and chuckled softly at the purple tie, his sister must've gotten up earlier and picked this out for him, purple had always been her favorite color right alongside pastel blue. He took care of grooming himself before dressing himself a bit goofily, he never understood how to put a tux on correctly, Dina would fix it for him anyways so it wouldn't matter.

Dina herself was already downstairs having a small english muffin with jam along with her morning coffee. She wasn't dressed yet eatting the thing a bit messily before getting up taking her coffee with her. Long sips calmed her nerves as the pitter patter of her footsteps was lost in the carpeting. One thing was certain, the woman was nervous.

She made her way to the guest bathroom just because it was a simple shower different from her luxurious bath which she rarely used due to a the simplistic nature she bore. Taking her time in there she washed her hair twice sure to make it free of the paint she had gotten in it last night making a lovely piece of artwork before shutting it off. Taking a towel she dried herself, after she was done she took one of the white bathrobes and put it on heading out and down the hallway to her room.

Finding her door she entered to see one of her servants laying a dress out for her. She shook her head a bit, "Madeline will you pull out my suit? I wish to wear that instead." The woman nodded and took it with her as she retreated into the closet coming back out with two hangers that held the pieces of a suit Dina had tailored for herself that summer. Taking it she gave a nod of thanks before the woman left Dina to dress herself.

Around an hour later Dina and Angel where in the back of a private jet heading to their destination. Dina was helping Angel with his suit finding him to be quite the idiot when it came to formal clothing. They would be a bit late, due to their lollygagging.

Evie stared out the car's window in complete amazement. She had never been out of Shdowpine despite her father's previous attempts of bringing her with him during his diplomatic meetings. She had always chosen those times to visit the Shdowpinians and offer her company, but now she wished she had joined him. Aciras didn't seem anything like Shdowpine. For the young princess, it was like stepping into a whole new world free of the snow covering the roads and the rural ambiance that loomed over her country despite the technological advancements that they had integrated into their society. This place - the place where she would meet the one she'd wed - was completely foreign to her.

The car came to a halt in front of the castle and Evie's hand was immediately on the knob. The clearing of her father's throat did give her pause and she turned back to her family for what might be the first time since she entered the vehicle. He shot her a pointed look, albeit with a warm smile. A nod to him and a quick look in the rearview mirror of the car and she was good to go. Her contacts were on. Her make-up wasn't garish. And her clothes - she didn't miss the way her mother shot them a dirty look - were perfect.

"I'm all good," she announced. When her father gave her a satisfied nod, she ruffled Feliks' hair before exiting the vehicle herself. One of the suited men from the castle had taken a step back as she opened the door before his hand even reached it, and she looked around. There was another car, but it seemed that its occupants had already entered the castle. Evie waited for the rest of her family to exit the vehicle, with her mother guiding the three-year old with a loving smile and her father immediately taking a stand by her side.

"Are you ready?" he asked, a hint of worry seeping through his usual gruff tone.

Evie nodded, understanding the way the hand on her arm seemed to tighten a tad. She knew the reason behind her father's hesitation - but perhaps, not all of it - and she knew that he would stop it all if he could. "I'm sure whoever he is, he'll be nice." The way his father's eyes hardened in a way that said, 'he better be', elicited a bark of laughter from the princess. She grinned up at him and linked their arms together as they made their way inside the castle.

Micah Stubbe of Azaroth

He awoke slowly, his eyes opening slightly before closing them again slowly, only to open them once more. Turning his head to the side,he looked at the glowing red colors of the alarm clock next to his bed, resting on a wooden nightstand, it read 7:58. Sitting up slowly, he stretched his bare body in the warm sunlight that was beaming through his window, and pivoted, his feet now hanging off the bed. Standing up, he took several lazy steps into the bathroom adjacent to his bedroom, and turned on the shower. After Looking in the mirror for any blemishes, he opened his medicine cabinet from behind a side mirror, and opened and removed several pills from several bottles, tossing them all in his mouth at once, and using his hands as a cup for the tap water, he swallowed them quickly. Following his usual routine, he grabbed his contact case and opened the sides, one at a time, as he inserted his contacts. After slipping out of his nightwear, he stepped in his shower, and cleaned himself.

After his shower, he began drying his hair with a blow-drier, then straightened and styled the natural waves of his hair into something more befitting of a prince. After he was satisfied, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped back into his bedroom. Walking to his closet, he pulled a pair of boxer-briefs from the top shelf, and let the towel drop, then slide the boxers up his legs and positioned them at his waist. He then grabbed a pair of black socks from their place on the shelf, and slid into those as well. Finally, he opened the top drawer of his nightstand, and pulled out his Hades Mechanical Mod Clone, equipped with the PlumeVeil RDA, and a bottle of coffee flavored vegetable glycerin; wetted the cotton in his RDA, and took a deep long inhale on the vape, and blowing out a sizable cloud. After the completion of his morning routine, he dressed himself in the dark green tuxedo he had prepared the day before, and went down to the car that was waiting for him outside.

He watched the trees as the hills and forests of his folkish country rolled by, smiling and waving at the occasional group of children that stood in awe as the royal families car passed them by. Despite the wealth of his country, it's inhabitants were all incredibly humble and friendly. Given that it was a rather small country, word traveled quickly, and people had known for week sthat their generous prince was off for several months, and expected to return with a bride, much to the dismay of the local girls, who almost all had a crush on him from one degree to another. His nation had been at peace for a few decades, and the effects of it were clear in the lazy, happy attitudes of it's people. Several hours After the trees and humble hills had faded, he arrived in the extravagant land he had never fond himself found of, those his father was exuberant every time they entered it's borders. Shortly after, they found themselves in front of the castle that Micah had refereed to as a "powerful man's compensation." Stepping out of the car, he straightened his suit, and walked inside...

Note: Just putting this here so I don't have to put in all the code on my Ipad tomorrow xD Sorry ^_^

Mai sat in front of a mirror, staring at her reflection. "Niklas König," she said out loud, a bit unsteadily. The foreign name sat heavily on her tongue, while her native language flowed fluidly out of her mouth. "Niklas König of Königreich der Welten." It's an ugly language, she thought. Mai never lied to herself, and she wouldn't do so now. She sighed and began to comb her long, wavy hair. There was nothing she could do about that.

Mai wondered what this Niklas König was like. She knew that her uncle would never betroth her to anyone he didn't approve of. Granted, her uncle admitted that he hadn't met Niklas König before, but the impression he'd gotten from Niklas's parents seemed good enough. She supposed that this agreement would benefit both nations; Mei'An desperately needed a steady supplier of more advanced machinery, and any country would be happy to have access to the extensive natural resources of Mei'An. It was somewhat of a relief to know that Mei'An would still have leverage over Königreich der Welten if Mai and her uncle decided that the marriage just wasn't going to work out.

A knock sounded at the door. "Come in," Mai said absentmindedly, absorbed in the simple action of combing her hair. She was mildly surprised to see her uncle standing in the doorway through his reflection in her mirror. "Uncle? What is it?" she questioned, finishing up with the comb and setting it down on the table, turning around to face him.

"I have a gift for you," Ming Mei said, a slight twinkle of mischief in his eyes. He brought out a hand from behind his back and offered Mai a gold ring with a heavy ruby gemstone. Mai accepted it almost reverently.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, turning it over in her hands.

"Now, let me braid you hair," Ming said, an amused look on his face. Mystified, Mai complied and faced the mirror again. As soon as her uncle's rough hands touched her silky hair, Mai felt as if she was a child again, back in her uncle's treasured home in the mountains, where her uncle would do her hair for her while lecturing her on the best way to stun somebody. Mai relaxed and let her uncle braid. She was nineteen, a fully grown woman, yet her uncle would always be better than braiding hair than she would ever be. When Ming was done, Mai looked into the mirror, admiring the intricate designs that her uncle could make with braids. He'd given her inky black hair a side part, and French braided it down the left side of her head so that the long end of Mai's hair hung down the right side of her back. The right side of her head was fishtailed, and Ming had tucked the end of the fishtail into the French braid.

"Where's the ring?" Ming asked. Mai handed the heavy piece of jewelry to him, and sat still while her uncle affixed it to the end of the braid. Mai realized why the ring was so heavy-if she twirled around and let her braid fly, it was very possible that she could knock out an attacker with the gemstone. Now that Mai thought about it, the irony of the situation was inescapable. Who knew that beauty could kill?

Mai giggled at the thought. "Thank you," she said to her uncle, a small grin on her face. "You know me so well." Ming merely gave her a knowing wink before walking out of Mai's bedroom.

Mai found a rather large hair ornament with silk roses and slipped it into her hair on the left side of her head. The "comb" part of the hair ornament was actually made up of a series of small, razor sharp hairpins. Mai made sure that the weapons were properly concealed by her hair and reached for a box filled with fans. She selected a black fan with red flowers on it and wickedly sharp blades on the ends of the fan, hidden by a wide border.

Finally, it was time for her clothing. Mai donned a deep red dress with black designs across the bodice and at the top of the skirt, then slipped into a pair of black stilettos with spiky heels, which added another few inches to her height. Mai slid small daggers into the bodice of her dress and under the long skirt as well.

Gold bangles went around her wrists and a delicate gold chain with a small rose pendant went around her neck. Mai opened a tube of deep red lipstick and applied it carefully, before adding a touch of eyeshadow to the area around her eyes. After applying her mascara, Mai was ready. She headed out to where her uncle was waiting with their luggage and a car and stepped inside. Although Mai probably wasn't supposed to be bringing weapons along with her, old habits die hard. Holding court in Mei'An was a dangerous affair, and you'd be a fool to not at least have a dagger on you. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to use them unless she absolutely had to.

So that was how Mai arrived in Aciras-armed to the teeth and beautiful enough to make any common boy drool.

[center]

Amberlyn Manera of Viracian

Amberlyn awoke to the ear-splitted buzz of her bright blue alarm clock. Giving it a hard whack on the snooze button the teenage princess turned in her sleep, placing a pillow over her head. She knew what today was and was going to do anything to avoid it.

"Amberlyn Rose!" came a firm yell from the corridors by Amber's mother. Amber groans, turning around and pressing the pillow on the side of her head. "Amberlyn Rose!" Her mother yells again now situated in the doorway of her daughter's grand bedroom walking over to Amber's four poster bed and pulling the covers that were keeping Amber warm.

"Mum," Amber groans, refusing to move her face from her pillow.

"You will be up and dressed within the hour and ready for departure," and with that she left the room, Amber's pillow still held firm in her hand. Upon her departure Amber groans turning over yet again to be greeted by the whirring of her alarm. She sighs sitting up and turning her alarm off. There was no getting out of this.

Brushing a loose strand of mattered auburn hair Amber grudgingly makes her way into the bathroom, proceeding to take a shower before getting changed into her blue jeans, a black top and her leather jacket. Putting her hair up in a ponytail she exits the room to be greeted by her mother holding out a royal blue dress with a golden sash just above the waist with an obviously pleased smile on her face.

"Mum, no," she groans. "I'm not wearing that,"

"Not only are you about to meet your future husband, you will be representing this family and this kingdom for so many royal families," Persistent to argue Amber looked into her mother's eyes and found it was hopeless. With a groan she marches back into the room with the dress in hand.



By the time Amber had changed into the dress her parents were already in the limo with their luggage. Her father greeted her with a smile.
"You look beautiful, sweetie," he tells her.
"You really do," the queen chimes in. Amber sighs.
"I don't feel it," she mutters.

Within a couple of hours the limo pulled up by the castle in Aciras. A couple of other limos were already pulled up on the stretch. A butler opened the door, greeting the family kindly with a bow, helping the women get out and making way for the king before leading the threesome into the castle.

Three sharp knocks on her door were meant to wake Blake up, but she had long been up and ready. She leaned back on the chair while her fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard of her laptop, stormy grey eyes never leaving the illuminated screen. Several windows were opened up, one of which contained a public dossier on her betrothed while another held the inter-kingdom rumor mill. Angel Langar. She had no idea why the King had even decided to marry her off to this loser? Blake eyed the offered picture again and scoffed. Unruly hair and pierced lips? He looked every bit like he was trying too hard to act rebellious, but she had a feeling he wouldn't be the type to actually take a stand against those above him.

"Pathetic," she muttered under her breath before she shut the laptop down, only after completely wiping the data of her search. It wouldn't do to tip people off that she had more knowledge on the prince than they thought she had. After all, for the King, she had been blind to the kingdom's politics long ago.

Another set of three sharp knocks sounded from her door. "I'm coming! I'm a cripple, not deaf!" She could almost hear whoever was out there pause, and a smirk made its way to her lips. It wasn't until she heard footsteps move away from the door that she allowed a breath to escape her lips. A cornered animal will take drastic measures to ensure its survival. She frowned at the thought.

"This is no time to get hung up on worthless thoughts," she said to herself as she walked over to the dress she had laid out on the bed. It was beautiful, something she'd chosen out not because of how it looked like in the light, but because of what it was meant to look in the dark. It offered a kind of hidden depth that she liked while also proclaiming a message in broad daylight. It was perfect. She shrugged out of her hoodie and baggie jeans, and put on the dress. It was a hard task to accomplish on her own, but after the many years when she'd been forced to fend for herself, she had learned. It only took her less than half an hour to put it on. Heels weren't part of her ensemble, but she didn't see that as much of a problem. If the information she had on Angel was correct - and there was a 0.001% percent chance that it was inaccurate in any way - then her wearing heels would put him at a height disadvantage. Not exactly a good first impression.

Dressed and primped, Blake exited the hotel room and allowed herself to be lead to the limo. The King was already sat inside, purposely ignoring her existence after offering a look of distaste at her clothing choice. She could leave with that. She has lived with that. The hotel in which she had been tasked to stay in hadn't been that far off from the castle, which was a blessing. That cut the time they'd have to share an enclosed space into simply an hour.

Soon enough, the car came to a stop in front of the castle grounds and the door on Blake's side was opened for her. She allowed herself to be helped out and offered a small smile of thanks to the man before allowing herself a moment to survey the area. "Time to meet prince charming," she mused.

When they finally arrived Dina realised they were in fact not late due to an error with their clocks which slightly ticked her off. She hated not knowing the actual time. They walked in front of their parents whom were leaning on each other whispering little things to one another, madly in love. Angel simply looking over at his half sister with a teasing grin on his face, "You going to help me be romantic?"

"I am going to find somewhere quiet and think about things while you go meet your bride to be" she smirked at him poking his nose, "Try not to embarrass yourself." Stepping ahead of her brother she quickly dispatched from her family group running a hand through her hair. She looked good and she knew it. Looking back at Angel she noticed how adorable he looked in that suit, you're not suppose to be adorable. She just looked forward again shaking her head slightly at the sight of him, her baby brother would always been needing her help and right now he was the only one Dina was open with.

Angel looked around picking her his hair trying to make it a bit less fluffy than it normally was, he wanted to look decent but he felt like a huge dip in this suit. Most likely the case he gave up on fixing his hair anymore and just walked along watching his sister walk faster, she looked happy enough which made Angel smile. His sister actually have a SMILE on her face.

---

---

---

Niklas opened his eyes, awaking from a dreamless sleep as suddenly as he would if he sensed danger. He kept his breathing even, in the dark, shadowy room, casting out his senses to detect the slightest anomaly. But no- nothing. And he was confused, because he did not easily wake up if there was nothing wrong, and he couldn't detect anything.

Then it came to him- there were sounds in the room below. Sounded like some richman brought in a companion, and they probably hadn't gotten on squick of sleep during the night. He mentally shrugged it away; life was life, and while most wouldn't dare to act out of turn around him, there were still some that were less than sensible.

He rolled out of bed, letting the movement to get out and get on his feet without faceplanting be his wake-up call, enough to clear out what's left of his drowsiness. He stretched luxuriously, happy that he wasn't sore as he had been for the majority of his life, and then brought his hand down on the alarm clock by his bed. Not even a second after its alarm started, his hand smacked against the top of it, silencing its wails.

He stood still for a moment, just breathing. He glanced at the clock- 6 a.m.- and mentally groaned at the coming day. Diplomatic missions he could do, but now he was supposed to mix with the royalty of everyone else. As far as they knew, he bet, he was their lesser, the one that didn’t grow up in a castle, but in a military academy. No matter; if they didn’t like him, then it didn’t matter- Niklas König of Königreich der Welten was their better, and if they didn’t see that, they soon would. Maybe not so soon; his father hadn’t arrived yet, so everything wasn’t in place, yet.

Donning the white shirt, gray slacks, and gray suit vest he had set out the day before, ensuring the presence of the small black, red, and yellow flag pinned to the pocket on the left side of his chest. He pinned his Weltarmee SS-geschützt emblem- shown as an eagle holding an olive branch, and an older bolt-action rifle, wings spread, in an angular fashion, with a gold border and the coloring of the eagle being the colors of the flag- right next to his country’s flag pin.

He went to his bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror for a few moments. Muttering to himself, he went back into his room and took off both layers of his upper torso; this time, he added the thin, special-forces grade combat protection vest. Strapping it around himself, he tightened the straps almost as tight as he could make them. He took a deep breath, and then loosened the two straps around his torso, so he could actually breath. Then he threw on his white shirt and gray vest, and returned to the mirror- all good, barely noticeable that he had extra bulk. Anyone who wasn’t familiar with him wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Nodding to himself, he relieved himself in the bathroom. Finishing up, he searched around for his belt, and slipped it around his waist, cinching it tight. He went ahead and attached the holster for his handgun on his right hip, but left it empty, forgoing it for the sake of diplomacy- no Royal would take kindly to another walking in openly armed. Instead, he left the handgun in its case on the nightstand by his bed.

Continuing on, he pulled out a pair of thicker, more substantial dress shoes. He checked the bottoms of both carefully, including the slight heel they bore, before pulling on his socks, and then the shoes themselves. Satisfied, he clipped a decorative chain to one of his belt loops next to his empty holster, and attached the other side to his wallet- which held his money, ID, and other items.

Now satisfied with his outfit, he considered calling his father- but no, his father would not appreciate being questioned. So instead, he walked halfway to the door, surveyed his temporary living space, and wondered why, exactly, he needed to be here. He felt as if he were forgetting something; but that could wait for later. Instead, he turned again, and walked out the door, keycard in pocket.

He glanced both ways in the hallway; one way, a maid stood, staring wide-eyed at one of the most important young’uns in the world. The other way- the elevator. He chose the elevator.

---

---

---

The specially imported SUV was practically a tank, compared to other cars. It was standard when transporting the Royalty of Königreich der Welten, because of their status and some of the peoples’ grudges held against them. His chauffeur was also from Königreich, being his personal servant and all. He was a fine driver; he navigated through the city with apparent ease, even though the people driving here were way dumber than the ones back at home.

Eventually they pulled up to the castle’s main entrance, other people emerging from their own vehicles, most of them big fancy limos or the like. No matter; Niklas knew that they were inferior to the König-made SUV slash tank, black and sleek. All the other royal families had their parents, and brothers and sisters, and he was here, an only child, with a nonexistent mother, and a father busy elsewhere.

It was nothing more than the usual, and he strode right past the other, much slower groups, exuding confidence like a cologne, despite his loneliness. He would be acting as both the Prince and the König, today, speaking with both Kings and Queens, as wells as Princes and Princesses. Speaking of which, the Mei’An girl that he had been engaged to was supposed be here- but to turning around to face them might seem arrogant, pretentious maybe. So he walked right ahead, unable to catch up with the earliest two or three families that had come.

He felt nervous, sure. He was meeting the royalty of a dozen different kingdoms, maybe, all prominent and powerful, all of them targeted by one organization or the other, including him. It was a dangerous gamble, gathering them all here- if there was ever a terrorist attack, now would be time for it to happen, with the leadership of so many prominent governments here.

He glanced up at the balcony hanging over the main entrance, noting the Aciras royalty standing there, locking eyes with the Princess. He stared only for a moment, before returning to his straight-forward stoic stare, keeping his face impassive. It would do no good to show emotion; it could get him friends, or enemies, depending on the other person’s personality and feelings towards him.

So he followed the other people right in, feeling nervous butterflies rising, and hoping he could keep up with his father’s expectations. He did not pause, he did not slow, but walked straight up even with the rest of the royalty ascending the short steps into the castle, confident that they are equals, or he above them.

Lilith stood on the balcony, her father having a bright smile on his face, her mother simply standing. Her hands would be placed lightly on the handrail, the light breeze blowing her hair around ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, her stomach in knots, she would then see the rest of the royal families get out of their cars and proceed to walk on the pathway towards her family's home. The first to arrive was a girl with bright blue hair. Lilith couldn't help but smile. The girl had wanted to dye her hair some flamboyant color for as long as she could remember, but everyone, especially her mother, in the royal court refused, not wanting there Princess to lose her classic beauty. Lil continued to watch, seeing a boy with a cold, hard look get out of his families car, a girl in red and black much like herself, though with no white, a girl in blue, a girl in a suit, two more boys and a girl in a dress so pink it made Lilith want to smile even more. She had lost her love for pink at the age of five. Black was more her style these days, though any well educated person would know that black really was not a color, resulting in her actual favorite color being red. Blood red.

"We welcome to Aciras," she would say in her strongest voice possible. "Please proceed to the dinning hall of the castle. Mr. Clarke will show you the way." Why had her parents made her welcome the guests? Her father was the one who had the way with words in the family. Dismissing the thought and turning around to head back into the castle, she would lock eyes momentarily with the last boy to arrive. Lilith quickly looked away, feeling her face beginning to turn red.

"Someone of interest already, my dear," asked her father in a teasing voice.

Her face getting warmer Lilith would quickly shake her head. "Why of course not father."

"Oh, I do believe so," the man responded.

"Stop teasing your daughter, Lucian," the Queen said.

"Oh but Alice... what other job but of a father?"

"No more nonsense, darling. We have to set a good example." Alice again.

Taking a deep breath she would proceed her own way to the dinning hall. Why hadn't her parents told her which one of these boys' was to be her future husband yet? In all reality, it slightly infuriated her. Walking into the room, she would find that everyone had begun to take there seats. Her family would be at the so called top of the table, towards the left, where they sat every morning, her father at the end, her mother in her usual spot on the right, and Lilith at her spot on the left. This would be the way that every royal family would sit. The children on the left in alphabetical order by their first names after Lilith and then the Kings and Queens in order by their Kingdom or Empire. Organized enough, she supposed. After all, name cards had been placed. Perhaps that would help with some of the confusion.

Walking in, one of the servants pulling out her seat just as they were doing for everyone else, she would throw a few friendly smiles around the room. After everyone had been seated, her father stood up.

"Good people of my brother and sister Kingdoms, I welcome you all here today just as my daughter did just moments ago. Here you will be served a meal, then you will be shown to your rooms, where your belongings have already been placed. Last but not least, after these proceedings, you shall feel free to roam about the Castle lands. May our home be yours for the next few months. One a side note, The Great Ball will be held tomorrow at exactly seven pm. That is all."

Oly awoke from the late night she had had the misfortune of acquiring. Being a military tactician was a hard job, especially when there are so many small tribes that are trying to take over parts of your damn kingdom. Propping herself up on her elbow, she gave a large yawn clearly showing her failure to sleep properly. Ushering the maids away, she moved to the bathroom, where she climbed into the shower and washed for a good hour and a half; completely ignoring the calls of the maids. After finally stepping out, she began to don the dress her parents specifically asked for her to wear. Her parents never really asked for anything other than help with the kingdom, so it was nice for her to do something they asked once in a while. Other than that Oly was almost left to her own devices. The maid brushed her hair into a beautiful braid for the special day she would meet her future husband. Not that she was excited in the least, since she had heard rumours he was a loud character that liked activities such as sport and enjoyed cars and bikes. Definitely not the kind of person Oly would choose to marry, but it was her parents request. Maybe if she found someone else she could change their minds. But until then it would have to wait.

"Oly come quickly. We must get to Aciras soon or we may miss something important." Marianne called, standing by the entrance of the tertiary home the family had been staying in for a few days.
"That and we would like for you to meet your future husband straight away." Claus added, looking up at his now grown up daughter who was now at the age to become a true ruler. If anything today might just turn out well, since it was said Aciras would have a great banquet. That was exciting, but Oly hoped there were no more exotic bugs she would have to deal with. One life threatening illness from that country was enough, let alone a fear of insects from it.
"Yes I'm coming. How long is the flight going to take?" OLy asked, stepping up to her father and hugging him, "We are fairly close to Aciras right? I can't take that long." Apparently it was going to be about an hour flight. If there were no delays maybe it would take less time, but there was no point dwelling on that point. Oly checked her bag to make sure she had her chess piece and her handkerchief.
"I wish you wouldn't carry that piece around. It makes you seem arrogant. That and there will be no time for playing chess when we arrive. her mother stated. Of course she was right, but it was always nice to have it with her in case she did get to play.

The family eventually made their way to the castle, climbing out of the car only a couple minutes late. Hearing the welcoming made Oly feel... Lost, to a point. She had been to other kingdoms, yes, but none were such big events. She really felt like she didn't belong, even if she did. She began to worry slightly. Yes she and her parents could essentially run the country from their tablet, but that really defeated the purpose. What if another nation that wasn't invited attacked? That was her greatest fear of all; her nation being destroyed. It was highly unlikely to happen, given Brittania's advanced military, but still... She really wasn't comfortable staying away from home for such an extended period of time. She would likely warm up to it eventually, but for now... For now she would just have to deal with it and hope that things don't go pear shaped.

Akoni sighed softly as one of his servants fixed his outfit, messing a bit with his beanie trying to make him look exceptable. Refusing to leave without being able to wear it his mother had given in, no one would care if he looked a bit dorkish, after all he was the prince of a extremely wealthy kingdom with many natural resources others would be interested in obtaining. After a moment he took his seat looking out the window of his family's jet. The view was amazing or so he thought, he hadn't flown in a plane since before he could walk.
-------------------------------
When they arrived he looked around a bit dumfounded on how different this place was. Normally he would be out on a beach or walking through tropical scenery, but this was so different it almost amazed him. He took his seat by his mother fixing his beanie once more looking around at everyone, he wasn't used to seeing people so, white. He just messed with his suit a bit in annoyance, why the hell did he even have to wear this? It wasn't like he even wanted to be here in the first place. He honestly wasn't ready to meet his future wife, the thought of starting a family hadn't even occurred to him.

Karma woke up at his usual time - namely 4 in the morning. Stretching slowly, he began with his head and worked all the way down to his toes, warming his body up and getting ready for his morning rounds; a few kilometers of jogging, calisthenics, then to the gym where he would remain until breakfast at eight. At the beginning, many staying at the castle questioned his habit, particularly some of the younger nobility that were unused to even the slightest acts of manual labor. They stopped questioning after pictures of him naked began circulating - it was obviously meant to be blackmail material, but a six-foot walking mass of muscle covered in scars was not exactly the kind of thing you would feel comfortable blackmailing, for health reasons.

Well, that was moot point as he wasn't staying in the castle currently. Right now, he and the royal family were staying in the embassy building provided by the Aciras Kingdom, anticipating the day of the Ball - a day, he knew, would eventually involve hundreds of political backdoor dealings, scandals, and general chaos. If it didn't happen immediately, it was bound to happen sometime later.

Putting on a jacket and jogging pants, Karma forwent grooming himself, and exited his room - a moderately sized one directly under Princess Delia's own.

"Speaking of which . . ."

The young man closed his eyes. After a few moments, he nodded his head, and exited his room. Instead of proceeding directly outside, as he usually did, he went upstairs, to the room directly above his. Knocking thrice, he called out, "Oi, princess, aren't you up a bit early?"

Immediately, a voice rebutted: "Much the same could be said for you, can't it, Karma?"

A soft, yet audible voice, with each letter enunciated for maximum clarity; a voice that carried confidence, strength, and the feeling of ingrained superiority, yet benevolent in nature, a voice that commanded respect and exuded authority. A voice that Karma had heard for years, and that had practiced in front of the mirror four countless hours in order to reach this near enchanting manner of speech. The voice of his charge.

"True, Delly, true, but I'm already known to be up this early - you are not."

"Hmph, well, I'm not forbidden a change of pace now, am I Karma?" retorted Delia through closed doors. "In any case, I will be returning to bed soon; I just needed to make sure all the preparations for my arrival at the castle of Aciras was perfect. It's an important occasion after all, and far be it from me to leave preparations solely in the hands of our maids."

Karma rolled his eyes. There it was again, his princess exasperating need to oversee everything for herself. An admirable trait, where it not for the fact that she was an insatiable perfectionist.

"Come on Delia, give it a break; trust in our help a little more, why don't ya? They aren't as good as you are, but they're competent - if they weren't, your momma wouldn'tve hired them in the first place."

When no response came from the other side of the door, Karma sighed. Without waiting for her permission, Karma flung open the double-doors to her room. His brows raised a little in surprise as he caught sight of what was behind them.

"Oh, sorry about that."

His sister was completely undressed, with not a single stitch of clothing on, exposing the voluptuous body underneath. Around her were neatly stacked piles of paper, several expensive looking gowns hanging from a pull-open dresser, and boxes of jewelry arranged on her bed. Delia herself was holding a report on who else was arriving at the Ball, along with information on their respective kingdoms and several key points of interest.

If Delia was embarrassed at being seen naked, she didn't show it. Instead she glared at Karma frostily, before giving a dismissive turn of her head. "As rude as ever Karma. You know, there is a reason we wait for people's permission before entering their rooms," she said, once again turning her attention to the paper she held in her hand, not bothering to put on clothes - the two of them were familiar with how each one's body looked like, after growing up together for most of their lives. Having one in sight of the other was hardly something to be flustered over, which is why Delia was more annoyed with the manner in which Karma entered.

"Well forgive me, princess, but you were rather keen on ignoring me."

"Was that not obvious?"

"Oh wow, your cold shoulder game is on point today."

"Really? Better than last week even?"

"Marginally. By about one to three percent."

The two of them bantered on like this for a period of time, with Delia still rifling through her notes and Karma standing by the door. An easy silence descended upon them as they dried up their well of small-talk topics, and so it remained until Delia folded gathered the papers in her hands and placed it on top of a nearby stack. With a yawn and a stretch, the First Princess stood up and grabbed the closest dress among those hung around her.

Delia flipped it back and forth several times, inspecting it closely, before tossing it on top of her bed. She repeated this process until she stopped at an elegant purple ballgown; it was a purple, shoulder-less, long-sleeved gown, with the area of the waist made to hug her figure, and the simple long skirt covered by several layers of laced silk and designed to emphasize the twirling of the fabric. The elbow length fingerless gloves were rach studded with tiny blue sapphire that formed into a tree. The top was completely covered up her chest, while exposing her back and collarbones, connected to a studded choker.

"Hm, I don't think I've ever seen you choose such an elaborate dress before. You're usually more minimalistic with your choices," pointed out Karma, who raised a brow at her choice of attire.

Delia nodded, acknowledging the truth in his words. "Personally, I believe that clothes that are to heavily decorated take away from the truly attractive thing - the one wearing it, which is why I opt to wear less gaudy clothing usually, but for the ball, it is not me that people will be looking at: It will be our empire. So I will dress as need be to express its greatness."

No mention was given to the one she was betrothed to; Delia would scarcely care for how one man would look at her, when she had a whole audience of others to deal with. If it so happened that he liked what he saw, then all the better - being attractive was a natural advantage in securing dominance, a fact that many were loathe to acknowledge yet unable to deny. It was prevalent even in nature - the strong and attractive animals got the best picks of food, mates and territory. It was much the same even among humans.

"Well spoken as always. Putting it that way, I suppose it makes sense that you insisted I wear the outfit your mother chose for me, even if it is too form-fitting."

"If it wasn't form-fitting, you'd have hidden a weapon on yourself again," said Delia matter-of-factually, "and we really can't have you doing that in the presence of other rulers."

"Heheh, got me there . . ."

---

---

The next day, Delia and Karma were inside a large, sleek black car, and were, much like many others, making their way towards the castle. With Karma at the wheel, they smoothly navigated through the streets, flanked at all sides by similar looking vehicles. In actuality, each of these cars were as durable as a tank, with the glass being certified missile-proof, and each were capable of out-running a twister. These cars were the typical vehicle for the royal family on trips.

Speaking of the royal family . . .

"Are you nervous, Delia?"

A deep, smooth baritone resounded throughout the car. It's owner, a fairly young man with short cropped black hair and an eye-patch stared at Delia with curiosity. This man was Emperor Max 'Magnus' Veren, the ruler of the lands of Verenoblitus. Currently, he was dressed in what looked like the bastard child of a tuxedo and military uniform, clad in purple and black.

Next to him was an even younger looking woman, with blonde hair tied into a single bun, and dressed in an elegant, red ball gown. She was expressionless as always - being a woman who talked only when necessary, her silence was the norm, and when she did speak, it was guaranteed that all would listen. She was Aliena Oblitus-Veren, the one and only Empress.

"Not really," responded Aliena, sounding confident. "It's a big event, but nothing critical has occurred. In fact, I'm rather hopeful about it."

Her mother nodded in acknowledgment of her words - it much like she would have answered.

"That's not what I meant, Delia," said the Emperor, waving a hand, "what I mean is, you are getting married. For people your age, it's normal to be nervous, right?"

Delia froze at the mention of her incoming marriage. An awkward silence blanketed the car, so thick you could cut it open with a spoon, before Delia broke the silence. "It is normal I suppose, but I am not normal. In any case, mother married you when she was only eighteen - not so far off from my age. My feelings on the matter are worth very little on the grand scheme of things. At the very least, you can rest assured that no matter what happens, I will be on the winning side of things."

Emperor and Empress both raised a brow at her words. Quite unsure what to make of them, the Emperor nodded, and leaned back, observing his daughter carefully. He worried about her, he really did, but he was bad at being a father - in the first place, he had never imagined becoming one. His marriage to Aliena was for political reasons, in essence, and having her conceive Delia was also so he could have a successor. That he had well and truly grown to love her to the extent he now did was surprising, even to himself.

Soon enough, they stopped in front of a grand looking castle, their destination: the main castle of Aciras. It appeared that they were the last to arrive, although they were not yet late. Well, as the saying goes . . .

Delia observed the girl who went to greet them: Lillith Hathor, the crown princess of Aciras. From her reports, a rather headstrong and reckless girl. She wondered who the Royal Family of Aciras had engaged her to.

Walking alongside her fellow royals, Delia silently observed each of them, comparing their in-person appearance to the ones in her notes, watching for any inconsistencies in the way they were reported to have acted. Even the slightest deviance from what she knew about them could change the way she needed to act; it was critical that she made as good a first impression as possible. She looked up, and unsurprisingly, her mother was doing the same - though it was extremely subtle, so subtle that even though Delia knew she was doing it, she was still doubting herself.

Once everyone was seated, the King of Aciras gave a rather mandatory - and, in Karma's opinion, bland - opening speech, welcoming all those present in the hall.

Razzle smiled softly as she looked over the table just admiring how pretty it was, she only ever ate at home so this was interesting and fun for her to get such a new experience. Swinging legs under the table she started softly kicking her brother with a small grin across her pretty face. It seemed she would not put aside her childish nature for even a day and in all honesty she felt more riled up that usual just wanting to get the opportunity to say hello to everyone before finding something to entertain herself. The fact that she would meet the man who was to be her future husband had completely slipped her mind leaving her without a care in the world.

Scott on the other hand just moved his legs in annoyance from the soft kicks coming for his sister. Having been wishing she'd grow up for a long time now he had given up leaving her to do whatever she wished, even their mother had given up telling Scott that she was a lost cause. He grumbled out over at her softly which finally brought the little kicks to cease, "Razzle act like a proper lady, even I can pull these kinds of things off when I need to." He closed his eyes slowly leaning back against the chair with a blank look on his face. Unlike his sister all he had been thing about his bride to be. This was a cruel way to make alliances and business, marrying off your own children for them. His eyes opened glancing over at his sister her husband better treat her well, despite normally being an annoyance to Scott he cared for her deeply admiring her guts to never act like a proper princess around their parents.

Micah Stubbe of Azaroth

His hands moved gracefully, pulling out the seat of the dining room table, and quickly finding himself seated. Looking about at the ornate decorations, he returned to his thoughts of over-compensation, and smiled gently at it, looking down at his lap to avoid anyone asking why he was smiling, after all, it wasn't everyday that you met the man who had taken the brunt of your family's teasings for years. And even rarer, was sitting across from them directly at their own home, which extravagant as it was, seemed to be lacking a certain spirit, a certain energy that he found in his own home. Very few whispers of ghosts and witches remedies floated in these halls, and was unlikely for it to even have legends of such things, given how young of a castle it was. Returning to his surveillance, his eyes fell upon the other guests, all very young and unsurprisingly attractive, almost each one of them looked at least vaguely uncomfortable. Perhaps they were unaware of the great services they would be preforming to their nations in the days to come.

Snapping from his thoughts, he listened attentively to the great king's voice, paying close attention too the times and dates he mentioned. Perhaps he would be lucky enough to meet his soon to be bride, he knew she went by the name Lilith, but his parents had refused him access to anything else about her, even how she looked. "It'd be unfair, you'll study everything about her and decide upon whether or not you like her before you even meet!" His mother had protested, prior to discovering that he planned to do some semi-extensive searching and researching on her. He often liked to know what he was going into

Amberlyn watch another young man approximately her age walk past her confidently with a sigh. What she'd give to have confidence like that, which she'd have if she weren't wearing a dress. From the overhead balcony Lilith, the princess of Aciras, greeted the royalty of its brother and sister kingdoms. Silently the Amberlyn and her parents enter the grand castle following a man that she suspected, from his obvious knowledge of the way around the palace, was Mr. Clarke.

The seating was set out with precision, places labelled with name cards. Walking along the left side of the table and reading name cards Amberlyn soon figured out that they were in alphabetical order. Assuming her name would be first, of at least in that direction, she heads toward that direction finding her name a few seats down where a butler was waiting to pull out her chair.
'I can look after myself,' Amber mutters grudgingly, seating herself and being sure to push her chair in herself. She glanced upon the other side of the table to see her parents toward the middle on the side of the further end from Aciras' queen. Viracian was an important to the dairy and red meat trade however they had to import a majority of other organic product bringing down the kingdom's worth. The king of Aciras' gave a short speech before taking his seat and Amberlyn resorted herself to peering at the many faces in the room, she was unsure of whom her future husband was, her parents wouldn't tell her.

Mai stood with her uncle at the entrance of the castle, largely unimpressed by the obviously Western-style building, what with its milky white walls and multiple towers. Sure, it was elegant, but Mai found it...boring. She much preferred the palaces back at home, with their bright colors and the way they just seemed to flow with the nature around it. The perfectly manicured lawns made Mai feel like she was standing in a public park, not at the front of a palace. Mai fondly remembered the moon doors and pagodas surrounded by water lilies that she was used to. Mai had always taken a special liking to moon doors; she loved the way that they seemed to "frame" the outside scenery. Perhaps that was the fundamental difference between the peoples from the two hemispheres of the world, if only in the arts-one strived for control, while the other was content to leave things as they were and add to the beauty of what already was.

Lilith Hathor, the princess of Aciras, began to speak, welcoming the royalty of the world from a balcony. Mai appraised her coolly, her eyes flitting upwards toward the slender brunette. From what she read in the reports she'd received about the royalty that would be in Aciras and from what Ming told her, Mai knew that Lilith was independent and energetic. There was nothing particularly unique about the princess's upbringing, at least in Mai's opinion. Granted, most of the nations represented in Aciras were relatively secure and had consolidated power long ago, save for the Verenonblith Empire (which coincidentally was in a situation not unlike that of Mei'An), so there would be almost nobody who'd gone through anything like what Mai had seen and done.

As she strode up the steps and into the castle, Mai took a moment to assess the other people gathered in Aciras. She only let her eyes linger on each one for a moment, as if she was simply casually observing what was going on around her. Alexander Belmont of Mirenia caught her attention. The dark-haired boy was dressed in a suit, and like Lilith, Mai didn't think there was much to say about his childhood. She remembered that the report said he was stubborn and lied very often.

Razzle and Scott Wester of Selnia were just slightly ahead of Mai and Ming. Razzle had on a frilly pink dress that Mai found all too girly for her tastes (as hypocritical as that was), although it fit the girl's personality well. The cheerful princess almost resembled a doll with her dainty appearance. Just then, Ming glanced at Razzle as well. "She smiles too damn often for her own good," he muttered under his breath in the Black Mountain dialect of Meridian, though the chances of anyone being fluent in the official version of Meridian were slim. Mai thought that the description her uncle provided was very accurate. Next to Razzle, Scott Wester wore a standard tuxedo. The shaggy-haired blonde seemed much more reserved than his bubbly sister. Again, Mai found that she didn't think there was anything, well, interesting about their lives up to now. Mai knew that it wasn't their fault, and that it frankly wasn't any of her business, but she was going to say whatever the hell she wanted to herself.

Dina and Angel Langar of Iorenda were just a few feet from Mai and her uncle. Both the princess and the prince wore suits. Dina was tall and thin, with white-blonde hair cut in a rather boyish style, while Angel was shorter than his half-sister and had dark brown hair. Quiet, standoffish Dina seemed to be the complete opposite of flirtatious Angel. Mai remembered that there was a minor passage about Dina refusing any suitors that the King of Iorenda suggested. She made note of that before directing her attention toward somebody else.

A blue-haired girl walking with her parents caught Mai's attention next, presumably Annika Everine Fiske of Shadowpine. Another princess that likes to smile, Mai thought to herself. The report had hinted at some sort of controversy surrounding her birthright, but there was no hard evidence of whatever the report was saying. Controversy or no, I'd venture to guess that the girl would be a much better ruler than her brother, whom Uncle tells me is absolutely loathsome.

A redhead in an ocean-blue dress with a metallic yellow sash was climbing out of a limousine behind Mai. Amberlyn Rose Manera was, in Mai's opinion, your stereotypical rebellious tomboy princess that complained about fancy balls and being forced into an arranged marriage. Mai particularly disliked those kinds of princesses and princes. She felt that they truly did not understand the sacrifices other people went through just to be in the same position as them-after all, it wasn't like Mai had her position presented to her on a silver platter; she'd fought tooth and nail for it. However, Mai decided that prematurely judging this Amberlyn would not be the wisest thing to do, and told herself to put aside her personal prejudices and bias for the sake of politics.

Mai noticed Micah Stubbe of Azaroth walking inside the castle, and took a moment to study him. He had blue hair like the princess of Shadowpine, and from what she could infer from the report, Mai guessed that he would be a fairly good ruler, despite the fact that he'd experienced terrible nightmares as a child. He certainly stood out in the crowd, even amongst the royalty of the most prominent nations on Earth, with his shock of bright blue hair and muscular build.

Finally, Mai and her uncle reached the castle doors. Inside the large, opulent dining room, the pair found their seats. Mai sat down and glanced to the head of the table, where the royal family of Aciras was seated. Her uncle sat directly across from her, although Mai would have preferred to have him sitting right next to her more so because it would have been possible to discreetly speak to him in Meridian about the others in the room than because of some sort of childish attachment. Her uncle was only staying a week in the kingdom anyway, and Mai had gone months without seeing him before while he was trying to win the support of the wealthy of Mei'An. Besides, Mei'An was far too unstable to withstand the lengthy absence of her ruler, so if Mai carried any childish attachments in the first place, they would have to end right here and now.

As luck would have it, to Mai's right was Niklas König of Königreich der Welten-the prince she was to marry. She wouldn't have recognized him at all if not for the brief visual description and small photograph included in the report, the placard at his place, and the flag pinned to his suit vest. Mai felt her heart harden when she saw the empty holster at his hip and the army pin next to his nation's flag on his chest. He was a soldier-that much Mai knew from the reports-but seeing this soldier-prince in real life changed everything. Although Mai forced her expression to remain neutral, images of soldiers dead and gone belonging to the realm of the past flashed before her eyes; nationalist soldiers beating and raping women after burning entire villages to the ground, socialist soldiers ransacking and destroying the lavish homes of the wealthy and slaughtering anyone who was suspected to support the return of the Mei Dynasty, enemy soldiers from the island nation of Jaripa chaining hundreds of people together and pouring gasoline onto them before setting them on fire. It took every ounce of willpower for Mai to keep from bolting right then and there. She instinctively clutched her bladed fan tighter and gently patted the heavy ruby ring attached to the end of her braid.

Not all soldiers are like that, she told herself in a futile attempt to melt the iciness that had seized her heart. Mai gave her uncle a surreptitious look, which he returned evenly. His sharp gaze gave Mai the courage to swallow her fears, push away the memories, and take a few deep breaths before the king of Aciras began to speak, though she kept a vise-like grip on the fan. She mentally chided herself for letting her emotions get the best of her before directing her attention to King Lucian Hathor.

"Good people of my brother and sister Kingdoms, I welcome you all here today just as my daughter did just moments ago. Here you will be served a meal, then you will be shown to your rooms, where your belongings have already been placed. Last but not least, after these proceedings, you shall feel free to roam about the Castle lands. May our home be yours for the next few months. One a side note, The Great Ball will be held tomorrow at exactly seven pm. That is all," King Lucian Hathor of Acrias said, his booming voice echoing off the walls of the large dining room. Next to him was Queen Alice Hathor, who exuded an aura of authority and refinement.

Mai quickly cast her eyes around the room, searching for people that she hadn't seen outside the castle. Again, she only let her eyes linger on each individual for a second, giving her the appearance of just absentmindedly looking at her surroundings. Based on photographs included in the reports as well as the placards placed on the table, Mai was able to piece together who was who. Larissa Blake de Boer of Xaecia (dark-haired, glasses, reported to use crutches, ruthlessly vengeful, and the creator of a group called the Phantoms in Xaecia) was seated next to Karma Kennen of the Verenonblith Empire (tall and muscular, appearing to be fairly outgoing, reported to be very meticulous, the son of the emperor of the Verenonblith Empire and the commander-in-chief). Delia Oblitus-Veren (pale complexion, blonde hair, reported to be very calm and level-headed with a regal air to her) was sitting farther up the row of princes and princess than Mai. Larissa was rumored to have been the one behind her mother's death, and Xaecia was a nation that Ming Mei was keen on negotiating a trade agreement with. The Verenonblith Empire was a subject of considerable interest to Mai, simply because civil war had torn up the empire just like what had happened her own beloved Mei'An. She knew that although it was the older generation that consolidated power, Karma and Delia probably were raised in a much more tense political atmosphere than most of the other princes and princesses present. This made them valuable friends but also powerful enemies. Mai held no irrational fear of the Verenonblith Empire-Mei'An was isolated from most all of the nations represented by miles and miles of desert and a formidable mountain range-but the Verenonblith Empire was known to be ruthlessly expansionist. Mai predicted that they would not make a move anytime soon due to internal strife, but one could never be certain. In any case, the background of Karma and Delia made Mai especially wary of the two. The fact that Karma was trained to be a soldier that added to Mai's slight sense of uneasiness.

Olympia Whitehall of the Royal Brittanian Empire was seated near Mai. She was of an average height and had long chocolate-brown hair. Mai knew that Olympia was a precocious strategist, and rumor had it that if not for Olympia, the Royal Brittanian Empire might not have withheld all of the land that many nations were constantly fighting over in that region of the world. Mai recognized that Olympia would be another powerful friend and formidable enemy, but again, the Royal Brittanian Empire's focus on the territory surrounding its established land posed no threat at all to Mei'An. If anything, Mei'An would benefit from friendly relations with the Royal Brittanian Empire and access to its impressive arsenal of military technology.

At the very front of the room sat Akoni Kelekolio of Hawilunia. Short, dark-haired, and outgoing, the report mentioned that Akoni had a reputation of being quite the jokester and loved to swim. Mai supposed that was understandable, as Hawilunia was an island nation with a rather tropical climate.

Once Mai finished assessing the other princes and princesses in the room, she looked back at her uncle, whom Mai noticed had done the same thing. Ming Mei was not so subtle about it, but he had never been a particularly subtle person. Mai's uncle rarely sugarcoated anything and would rather just get straight to the point than play the word games Mai found herself so adept at. His piercing eyes would have definitely been more intimidating than Mai's demure, docile expression that she donned at political functions. But to underestimate Ming Mei for his tendency to be blunt would be a grave mistake-there was something about him that inspired loyalty, and this loyalty would have the entire population of Mei'An holding a sword up to your throat if you decided to threaten him.

Satisfied that the reports had been accurate, Mai let her attention return to the head of the table. She wondered if she should strike up a conversation with Niklas, but a trace of her earlier feelings of coldness and revulsion stayed her tongue. This marriage will never work out if you don't stop being unreasonable, Mai berated herself. Give him a chance.

So, Mai mustered up a coy smile, lightly touched the hand of the man she was betrothed to, and murmured a polite hello. Mai looked up at him through lowered lashes, deliberately giving herself the appearance of a pliant young girl, but she laced this shy glance with just the tiniest hint of steel, alluding to the thorns concealed by her delicate appearance. Even the most beautiful roses have thorns, she said silently to herself-a mantra that had gotten Mai through everything she'd encountered thus far. Hopefully, her personal motto would not fail her this time.

Lilith Hathor of Aciras

Good. Everyone was seated. Things seemed to be shaping up well as their food was served. Catching a slight smile from her mother, Lilith would return it with one of her own. She also noticed that a few looks were thrown her way. People analyzing her? Perhaps. Then again, Lilith had been getting used to that sense the day of her birth. Beginning to eat, she would start a conversation with her mother. "So... still no information that you are willing to give of my future husband," she asked in a quiet tone.

"Oh, Lilith, not this again," the queen responded.

"Please, mother, just his name? It's killing me not to know."

Alice glanced at her husband. "This is between the two of you," the King responded.

The Queen just shook her head. "His name is Micah," the woman said.

Lilith smiled brightly. "Thank you mother." The girl then proceeded to finish her food before sitting quietly at the table. Looking around once more, she would see the differences in all of the royal families. From warriors, to brightly died hair, to rebellious teens like herself, Lil thought that the Ball was bound to be great. She repeated the name over and over in her head. Micah. If the boy was as interesting as his name, Lilith has a feeling she would have no problem with meeting him. People starting to get up from the table and walk towards their rooms, Lilith supposed she would do the same. Getting up and pushing in her own chair, she would see no reason to go upstairs to her room, but proceeded to the Palace Garden instead.

After the meal Dina started off not wanting to go to her room yet and her brother followed interested on what she was thinking about, just wanting to talk about people with his sister, maybe she knew something about his future wife he didn't? Dina always seemed to know little things she shouldn't leaving him to wonder where she even got it. The walked down a hall together the woman turning to look at him raising an eyebrow, "Angel must you follow me around like a puppy?"

"Hey I don't want to be here either." he chuckled softly closing his eyes as he walked his shoes quiet on the floor, "People have been staring at you because of the suit you know, this is the most rebellious thing you've ever done, but why today?" Dina just put hands in the pockets of her pants her lip curling into one of her rare warm smiles, she now seemed happy, there was no doubt that she had been planning this for awhile.

"Well," she paused looking down at her feet, "I'm not letting dad embarrass me here but trying to hook me up with another man. I'm not interested in playing house and I'm certainly not going to pretend I'm straight." Angel gave a not understand where she was coming from, he was the only one she ever talked about women with and he knew how she felt about the thought of marrying a man. They just walked along in silence after that until Dina paused at the window looking at the view outside. Angel stopped with her and just looked out the window reaching up and brushing her hair with a hand

"I promise I won't ever expect what dad does." he gave a warm smile and Dina turned giving him a hug, this was a special moment considering Dina wasn't a person for physical contact.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Scott sighed as Razzle pulled him from the table once she was done with her food. His baby twin sister was far to excited for this and their parents shouldn't have brought her, she wasn't emotionally ready to be married and Scott however he tried to hide it was worried about how she would react, hopefully they would get along alright.

Razzle headed to their room wanting to unpack things herself, one of the few things she did was was organize her things, although it was mostly do to having slight OCD. Scott just followed behind her looking visually miserable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(I'll do this in a few hours)