starter post:
the kingdom is at a rare period where the tension has lesson. However, messengers have brought about rumors about the enemy lands. The suitors have started to arrive one by one. The princess knows that it is time. She must pick a suitor. She must protect her people. Their story is about to begin.

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It snowed that morning.

Snowfall was considered to be a good omen in Tethe'alla, but Hawke Celurian could not disagree more. It was during cold weather when the birds vanished and so did his entertainment. Little distracted him quite like the small avians that fluttered about just outside his window. Hours spent mulling over military strategies with Polaris was truthfully filled with watching birds glide about. It was also filled with a desire to leave his own cage. This was an impossible possibility, however, and one that was frequently shoved out of sight. Out of sight and out of mind, but not quite. Hawke still yearned for anything other than the throne and perhaps that was why he was so fixated with taking the one that Princess Annabelle sat upon.

He had truthfully never met the princess, but he loathed her all the same. She was just another naive soul that would be crushed in his continuous rise to power. He needed some of the resources that her nation offered and he needed them now. He imagined that no fairy tale wedding would save her kingdom in the end. Although it was almost entirely filled with snow and ice, Tethe'alla was much larger than hers. Both in size and population. Waging war with her country would likely be an easy victory. Or so he had hoped.

Madeline Elizabeth Sarah Thorne was preparing for her daily duties. Not to mention, as a close friend of the princess herself, she wanted to be there for Annabelle. And so, she quickly got ready for the day ahead. She brushed her hair and did her makeup. She was wearing a clean dress and everything. She left her room and went to meet up with Annabelle. She glanced out a window as she passed it and looked towards the horizon. She sighed a bit. She thought about the threat of war and everything. Madeline worried for and about the princess. She could not imagine going through what she was going through. She could only hope things worked out for her.

Annabelle Marie Elizabeth Phillips was the princess of her lands. She would be queen once she married. However, she had hoped to marry for love and for a few more years to pass before she had to marry. Now, the circumstances have changed. There was a threat of an all out supernatural magical war. She feared for her people and her home. She felt that she had no other choice but to gain an alliance, and one way to gain one was through marriage. She had finished changing and doing her makeup. She brushed her hair and everything. Suitors were soon to start arriving to try and obtain her hand in marriage. They were certain to be competitive, she thought. She sighed. The princess continued the same prayer she had for a while now. She hoped that it would be granted. And so, she stood up and left her room. She went to the main hall and would wait there.

Eileen woke up to a cat looking at her and meowing. She smiled “hey mullberry” «you were about to sleep in!» eileen looked outside ‘oh wow i was!’ Good thing you saved me!’ She scratched the cat behind the ear and got out of her bed. She quickly got ready and hurried down to the kitchen. The head cook came up to her and handed her a basket “go pick blackberries. We’re all out and you seem to know where they are” she nodded and took the basket “ill be back as soon as i can” she hurried off and left the castle through one of the side doors. Mulberry met her outside «can i come?» eileen walked to the forest ‘i dont think theres much i can do to stop you’ she smiled. She reached the part where the blackberry bushes were. They were close to the road that went through the forest, one had to go through it to get to the castle. ‘I wonder if ill see any of the suitors here’ she started to pick blackberries «probably». ‘Well. At least today will be interesting’

Desmond spent his morning preparing. He had something important to do. There was a mission he needed to complete. As a leader among the thieves there wasn't much he could do about what was being asked of him. He left his home fully prepared to carry out the request that was asked of him. "Good bye all" he said as he left. They all waved as he walked out into the stormy desert. His whole body was covered to protect himself from all this. His special mission was to get a gift for when he must go to the princess. Perhaps he might steal from another kingdom. He did not know how he would obtain the diamond, or from where, but that is what he was going to bring her.

Annabelle waited in the main hall. She glanced around. She sighed a bit. She continued to think about everything while she waited. She wondered what kind of men the suitors were who would show up. Were any of them mean? Were any of them nice or kind? Were any of them strong? Many questions ran through her mind. She had no answers to any of them. She frowned when she came to that realization. Soon enough, she would become very nervous. She began to pace around a bit.

Madeline walked down the hall. She soon ended up in the main hall. She saw the princess. She frowned with worry when she did. Was the princess scared? Was she just sad? Was she just worried? Madeline wanted to ask. But, she hesitated. She did not want to get into Annabelles' business if she did not want to talk about it. Madeline was her friend, though. She would be there for her when she was needed. Madeline hoped that she would be ok.

Elaine spent her morning in her private quarters practicing new spells. The dangers of being seen kept her at bay. Keeping her door locked and protected with a transportation spell, which kept the true nature of the room held in an alternate reality. She was now able to freely practice her spells without intrusion. She knew it was wrong but she was already practicing before becoming a royal guard.

After completion of her most recent product he grabbed her staff and stepped through the hidden portal and out of the room. "Now, I think it's time to find the princess" she said with a shrug. She knew it was either do her duty or someone else will. She looked around and put a spell on her door causing it to blend to the wall and headed out to find either lady Annabelle or her own superior sir Duncan

Duncan dismounted his horse and gave the reigns to a stableboy. He had been on a round to check on the guards at the gate and have a meeting with the Captain of the Castle Guards. He wanted to make sure the defences were good and that they would watch out for anything out the ordinary. The Princess needed to be protected at all cost and everyone head to be at their best.

Duncan quickly made his way to the main hall and strode through the doors. When he noticed the princess he stopped and bowed. "Greetings your Highness, I just returned from a quick round and meeting with the Captain of the castle gaurds. Nothing out of the ordinary to report. Is there is anything I can do for you, your Highness?" he asked courtly.
His eyes glanced towards Madeline but he refrained from greeting her just as he was adressing the Princess.

Princess Annabelle blinked. She looked in the direction of the male voice that had addressed her. It was sir Duncan. She listened as he gave her a quick report. She nodded.
"Thank you. That will be all, Sir Duncan."
She sighed and looked towards the entry way again. She looked worried about something.

Madeline stepped forward. She walked up to sir Duncan.
"Suitors will soon begin to arrive. I am sure the princess is more focused on finding the alliance we need through her decision to wed herself off to a powerful prince or successor."
She frowned a bit. She looked at Princess Annabelle, concerned.

Desmond crept through the desert and found a seller of tainted goods. He had plenty of gold on him to buy the gem, but he would manage to aquire it through, other, means. It was a gorgeous black diamond. After acquisition of the diamond he headed out into a blistering sand storm headed towards the castle of the princess. He endured the dangers of the sand and crossed the ocean and finally there it was. Standing before him was her kingdom. He had finally arrived, but, he needed to take it all in. He stood there a moment looking up at the tremendous hight. Astonished by it's beauty as he walked up to the castle enterence

Annabelle sighed a bit. She wondered what the suitors would be like. She watched as a maid suddenly ran to the doors. The maid was apparently letting someone into the castle. Sue blinked. She looked between sir Duncan and where the maid had run off to.
Madeline had seen that too. She blinked, curious. She glanced towards sir Duncan for the most part though.

Today is a good day, a great one, even. All three days of the trip to Miss Phillips' castle had been wonderful indeed. In fairness a large portion of this was because of the absence of father breathing down my neck, but meeting people I can speak with who won't grovel at my feet and agree with everything I say will be a treasure indeed! I do hope the princess isn't some timid wallflower, it really would be a joy to have someone I could speak with as an equal... Bah! I still have time to think of how to introduce myself! For now all I have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the journ-

"My lord, the castle is in sight!"

The voice of my retainer shook me out of my reverie, nearly causing me to fall off my horse in the process. The two of us had been riding with only the pack mules as company, the presence of guards would have implied I needed to be protected and that could not be tolerated. I shook my head to clear my thoughts before responding in a dry tone.

"I wasn't aware that it was customary to cause an accident when arriving at a foreign dignitary's establishment! While you have my thanks for informing me, in future do so in a way that does not send me head over heels!"

While he stuttered out a stream of apologies, I properly looked around and lo and behold, the castle could be seen down the road about a half-day's trip away.

Has the time truly gone by that quickly? I hadn't really properly thought of how I would introduce myself. How the devil do you approach someone romantically? What if she dismisses me? A single look before deciding I'm not worth her time? No, surely I'll have more chances then that. True love at first sight isn't really a thing, right? Blast it all! I really need to think about this...

Duncan bowed again to Princess Annabelle but she was looking away already. He turned his attention to Madeline. "Greetings my lady." he said with a smile. "Yes, these are important but stressful times. One can only hope the right one is amongst them." Duncan hoped that princess Annabelle would find love ultimately and not only a political marriage.

Duncan paused as the maid went to open the doors. "I'll go see who is at the door." He looked at Princess Annabelle. "If your Royal Highness feels threathend in any way or if any of the suitors does as little as look inappropriately and you feel offended by it do not hesitate to call on me, Eliane or any other of the Royal Guard. I promise we can also deal with things delicatley and correct." Duncan put a stern look on his face, made himself as broad as he could and walked towards the door to see the possible suitor or suitors and make sure none of them were a direct threat.

Princess Annabelle nodded.
"Thank you, sir Duncan. I knew I could count on you."
She turned to look at him. She managed a faint smile. It was nice to know she had those who cared about her among the castle residents and such, she thought. She glanced towards Madeline, her lady in waiting and closest friend, with the same faint smile. The princess wondered what the approaching suitors would be like. She hoped there were some really nice ones amongst them. She held that hope close to her heart, figuratively speaking.

Madeline nodded at Annabelle. She faintly smiled at her in return. She resumed looking at Sir Duncan. She nodded.
"Yes. I certainly hope so as well."
She started to walk up towards him when the maid rushed by. She sighed a bit.
"I know that maid. She must have seen someone approaching through the castle windows. She always had good eyesight."
She, then, watched as Sir Duncan made to follow after the maid.

Through the door stepped a man wrapped head to toe in dark clothing, wrapped in outer garments of a face mask and tattered cloak. The man knelt to the princess out of resl ect and stayed silent. He was a siuter, though his appearance would not support the claims until later established. He stood and removes his hood leaving the face mask in place for now the bespectacled blonde finally spoke "hello there" he said casually not being one for high formalities though that was something that would be looked down upon

Duncan fronwed as the man walked passed him and he looked at the atire. The dark clothing and the face mask were not very promising, who knows who could be hiding underneath. The tattered cloak didn't promise a wealthy suitor with lots of connections and the resources needed for the alliance sealed with the marriage. In the back of his mind Duncan acknowledged that it was a disguise the man was travelling in to make sure no enemies or thugs would target him so he could give the benefit of the doubt. In Duncans opinion someone should always approach with open visor and not hiding away it appeared deceitful to him.

"Excuse me." He said, positioning himself close to the man, with his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Please remove your mask and introduce yourself porperly so we may know who adresses Her Royal Highness." he said in a stern voice. It was good that the man had knelt but the way he adressed her seriously lacked courtesy. Unless princess Annabelle would deem it allright to be spoken to in such a manner he would be adamant that she would receive the respect that came with her position and because she had earned it by her selflessness and for doing more then her best for the kingdom. "And please refer to our Princess as Your Highness when you speak to her unless you have permission to do otherwise."

Due to his nature the bespectacled man was abrasive when approached by the armed guard. He stood at the ready himself as the man ashes his questions. It seemed he wasn't formal enough when giving his introduction. He sighed. He knew once revealed this guard may try to turn him in as he would surely be recognized, but with a sigh he conceded. He knew it was for the betterment of the guild and his life, as well as that of the magical kingdom, as he had grown accustom to calling it.

With a thud his cloak hit the ground and the bespectacled man removed the face mask. "My name, sir, your highness" he said addressing the the knight and the princess respectively. "My name is Desmond Arkenstal" he added bowing to the two "I am here to be a siuter for the princess" he said pulling his gift from his satchel bag. It was a fine rock. A midnight Diamond. Black as night and one of the rarest gems in the land. It's beauty radiated so profoundly it was hard for him to give up though he knew he must "a gifh.....for you.....your highness" the words choked in his throat as he tries to get them out. Here he was giving away a fortune and spitting formalities. Simply to appease these people. It was almost too much but he knew it was the right thing to do

Annabelle blinked. She looked at the diamond. She nodded.
"um, oh, yes, thank you."
She nodded at Madeline.

Madeline nodded. She took the diamond from Annabelle and made sure it was taken to the treasury.

Annabelle looked at Desmond once more.
"so, you are one of the suitors i was expecting to arrive here?"
She looked him up and down while managing to remain calm and polite and such.

Madeline was looking at Desmond as well. She raised an eyebrow. She glanced over at Duncan with a slight frown.

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"Michael, the other suitors are arriving. You do not wish to be late." An Angel said to the First of The Fallen. Michael stood atop a cliff as he watched over the sanctuary he had built in the mountains. He wasn't trying to marry the Princess for power or love. Instead, it was to prevent another faction from gaining the alliance. [color=EEFF25]"Then ready my Legion."[color]. The Angel who had addressed Michael was Uriel. One of Michaels closest siblings. An Angel also from one of the highest spheres of heaven. "They await your order, Brother," Uriel responded. "Good. Look after Ashaehina, Uriel. I fear a war is coming."

Michael clenched his hand around a metal circle that appeared in his hand. It was intricate. Ornate. The weapon was a gate key. Created in the forges of Ashaehina, to allow the Legions to travel vast distances in an exceedingly short time. "Legion of Fallen. Warriors of Ashaehina. Fly with me. We go now to secure the Alliance." With that, the celestial threw the disk like a frisbee. It flew about twenty-five metres before it tilted up and started hovering. The flat side of the disk facing Michael. It started to glow as nearly three hundred lower angels walked up behind Michael. There were a few higher angels amongst them to work as field commanders, but the vast majority were lower angels. "Twelve Angels will join me. The rest, wait half an hour, then create your own gate. Wait outside the city limits. Set up camp. Stay close, but do not interfere. Set up a pylon so we may send messages back to Ashaehina." With his orders spoken, he extended his wings. Large white feathered wings. The twelve lower angels that were at the front of the crowd also extended their wings. All white feathered. Michael lept of the cliff and spread his wings. Catching a gust of wind that carried him, and the Angels that followed him through the gate.

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At the Princess's castle, a circle of energy appeared above the castle entrance and thirteen winged figures emerged. The leading figure, clad in golden armour, while the other twelve were clad in silver armour. The figures circled the courtyard a bit, before figure clad in gold, and two of the ones in silver glided down to land at the door. With the ten remaining figures still circling the courtyard from above. The three on the ground folded away their wings. The figure in golden armour was Michael. He strode forward to politely interject in the conversation between who appeared to be the Princess, a Guard, and a suitor. The two lower angels hung back so as not to interrupt.
Michael knelt down, next to where Desmond was standing. "Your Majesty." He said as he bowed his head. "Sorry to intrude, on your introductions to this..." He looked sideways to the human who could barely talk. He made a mental note to send a lower angel to gather information on this man. He assumed he must be a suitor because he was so nervous, but not one he should worry about just yet. He didn't appear to be from one of the other major factions. "Fellow guest." He said before turning back to the princess. "I am Michael of Ashaehina." He gestured to the two angels standing a little distance back, then up at the ten circling the courtyard. "And they are my personal guard." Michael stood up. "The Angels of Ashaehina request an Alliance, and I was sent o secure it." He raised his arms out to either side. "I have nothing to hide. Your people may search my people for weapons, as a sign of trust. I come unarmed."

Annabelle blinked. She had been awaiting a response from Desmond when the new suitor interrupted them. She frowned for a moment or so. She hated rudeness. She took a breath before she spoke.

"i see."
She glanced between Madeline and Duncan as she spoke. She took another breath and looked at the new suitor once more.

"I am Annabelle Marie Elizabeth Phillips, crown princess and soon to be queen of these lands."
She got the formalities out of the way. She nodded once at the mention of his guard.

Madeline was watching from close by. She cleared her throat.
Annabelle blinked.
"oh, and she is my lady in waiting, and closest friend, Madeline Elizabeth Sarah Thorne."

Madeline nodded at the introduction. She glanced between Annabelle and Duncan before she spoke.
"Greetings."

Annabelle took a breath. She moved some hair out of her face. She could only hope this suitor was a gentlemen. She was a bit intimidated by this one.