Jinayah slowly left her father and sisters' sides to approach the prince who seemed to have taken some kind of interest in her. Maybe he was just curious. Gracefully, she crossed the room, gliding from step to step with nary a sound. It was similar to the way she hunted. She could even sneak up on some of the best-trained knights.

As she approached, she smiled nervously. Hopefully her father would not see this as an interest in a romantic partner. It wasn't. She just wanted to talk to him.

"Greeting, Princess Sarah, Prince Alexander. It's a true pleasure to meet you both." She dipped into a flawless curtsy. She may dislike wearing dresses, but she could move in them as easy as breathing.

"How are you finding our kingdom so far?"

As Bella stood alongside her father and sisters, she couldn’t help but smile as she saw the smiles exchanged between her younger sister and one of the princes. She watched as she went over and talked with him and his sister. Knowing her sister, it was so she could get to know them. She scanned the room, taking in all the faces that she could see from where she stood. She sighed silently, knowing that she couldn’t stand there forever and she would eventually have to talk to those that had accepted her father's invitation.

As she tried to take control of her nerves, she pushed herself to walk around the room and greet those there. As she passed or addressed, she’d curtsy and give a warm greeting, saying it pleased her they were here and was pleased to meet them. As she went around, she had a warm smile on her lips.

@Mistress Dizzy
Princess Sarah raised an eyebrow when Princess Jinayah approached her brother like that. 'Could she be interested in him?'she wondered with a smirk. She hid it behind a fan she carried with her. She would carefully observe the two of them. She simply nodded when the princess greeted them and replied with a 'it is nice', in a formal tone of course.

Prince Alexander blinked. The princess he had smiled at was approaching him. What was he to do? What was he to say? He was unsure. When his sister responded the way she did, he could not help but sigh, which he knew she would frown at. However, he managed to shake that off long enough to reply to the princess. He bowed his head, although a bit nervously.

"It is...um...a pleasure. Your' land is, well.....quite nice."

He noticed his sister narrowing her eyes at him. She nudged him as if to say 'stop that at once!' referring to his current improper behavior.

@Wolvena
The king glanced towards Marabella. He grew a little concerned when he thought he sensed something amiss.
"Is something the matter daughter?"
He attempted to ask that before she walked off. He sighed a little himself.

He loved all his daughters dearly. He may be marrying them off, but he did it because he cared, not just because he wanted to unite the lands as one. He did not want them to be on their own when he passed away. He was married for a few years before he was his eldest daughters age. His eldest daughter had been born within the years that followed.

The young Viking warrior glanced around the camp, he was hired by the king, and for the last few days, the King himself hasn't showed himself among the men.
"Where is your king?" he asked one of the soldiers.
A young soldier whom is also tired of waiting, answers,"More than likely, hamming it up with the nobles, drinking good wine and eating a nice warm meal."
The young soldier spat on the ground, "I guess you didn't hear, he snuck inside in disguise to gain the upper hand, and then he'll signal for us to attack."

"Your king is not going to lead the charge?"
"Are you deaf and dumb? , I just told you he's already inside." growled the young soldier.
Ironwolf took two steps and grabbed the soldier by his throat, pushing him up against a tree.
"Speak to me like that again, and I will split your belly wide open!"
"Trea...son...we...*gurgle*...own..."
But before the soldier finished his sentence, Ironwolf headbutted him,knocking the soldier unconscious.

Ironwolf looked to make sure no one saw what happened, then slunk away into the darkness.
"Perhaps I would like some wine and food to."
Ironwolf knelt down, picking up a handful of mud, and rubbed it on his arms and face.
The young Viking warrior belly crawled his way to the castle wall.
Once there, he removed these iron claws that slipped over the hands, and began climbing up the castle wall.

Annalise noticed that her sisters had wandered off. Jinayah wandered off to talk to the prince who had smiled at her and Marabelle ended up going around talking to random guests. So Annalise decided to follow their lead. She was curious about the Princes from the other countries but seeing as one was occupied with one of her sisters and the other seemed focused on talking to other nobles who seemed interested. So her eyes fell on the larger blonde male who had apologized for not bringing a gift. She walked in his direction but ended up bumping into someone else on the way there and tripped a bit. She had misjudged the distance between her and another guest as they were on her bad side. As a result she ended up stumbling toward the Prince rather than her normal graceful walk. She turned to the noble that she bumped into and apologized. The guest told her she was fine and she continued on her path to the prince now a little pink from embarrassment. The Prince had surely seen the incident. Regardless she regained her grace and walked up to him with a curtsy.

@bloonewb
“Thank you so much for attending. I hope your journey here was an easy and pleasant one.” Her voice was soft and she chose to speak in his native tongue to make it easier for him. She maybe wasn’t the best with his country’s language but it was better than he was with hers. It would make conversation easier for the both of them. She hoped he would ignore her clumsiness she really didn’t want to talk about it.






It seemed the gathering was free to mingle at this point and most people were choosing to give the Orc and the Half-Orc Prince a wide berth. Gil understood, Orcs were more known for their brutality and violence than their politics so the two decided to move to the side of the room and allow those who would like to talk to them to approach them. A few nobles approached briefly but never talked for long. Gil was used to this type of stuff but it was with people who were used to Orcs being around so them being stared at from a distance was a new thing.

Vyarin simply smiled wanly and nodded as the king spoke. His speaking was decidedly ancient in its style. He spoke in flowery euphemisms, in almost lyrical metre, as if he were reciting a poem in Literary Prozdy. Vyarin himself had grown up without such appreciation for the humanities, and thus even speaking in his own tongue he was brutish and direct. "Soldier-speak", his father would say often to other princes of the League, especially when they were trying to avoid having to discuss their own mistakes in combat. He doubted even if he responded in Prozdy that the king and himself could truly communicate well. Eventually, the older man left him, seemingly satisfied with the impression he made, to speak to a lady of the court, or perhaps one of his daughters. Vyarin continued to nod a bit after he had left, although he couldn't clearly say why. Something of the old king's presence had a habit of lingering.

Then, soon as the king was gone, Vyarin noticed a lady of the court stumble before another courtier. He immediately felt an instinct of shock grip his heart, almost similar to his own shock were he in her own place. The scene appeared somehow so familiar. She composed herself and continued on. Was she approaching . . . him? Indeed, she was, as she stopped in front of Vyarin and dipped in that curious style so common among women in these foreign lands.

She spoke Prozdy as well. It was of the same pattern, and the same accent. Vyarin realized then that this was no mere lady, but one of the king's daughters. When she finished Vyarin responded with his own bow, in mimicry of the local style, and responded in his own language.

"I am honoured to be your guest," Vyarin said to the princess. She was so incredibly small, standing before him. "We traveled a great distance and long hours. I am of the clan Kremazov, Vyarin son of Zarrir. Who are you daughter of?"

The climb was much easier than he thought it would be, and he really didnt need the climbing claws, but they were handy as a weapon when your not able to swing an axe hanging on the side of a wall.
Slowly, Ironwolf scaled the wall and peaked over the edge.
Two guards were complaining to each other about the festivities taking place.
The young viking waited for the guards to turn their backs, and continue patrolling before he tumbled up and over the wall.
He quickly climbed part way down on the other side before dropping to the ground.
Ironwolf hid among the bushes and moved within the shadows, hunkering down as he stealthed across to an adjacent building.
He could hear the music and laughter lingering thru the air, from which building, he was not sure yet.
As he started to sneak away, he paused at the sound of a door being shut.
The viking peered around the corner and saw what looked to be a young clergyman coming out of, what Ironwolf imagined, was their local church or temple.
Waiting paitiently for the young man to lock up and leave, Ironwolf stayed within the shadows as he approached the building.
Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, Ironwolf put all his weight into shoving the door open with his brute strength.
The door gave way, but also there was a loud *Crack* from the lock being broke.
Ironwolf's head darted this way and that way, making sure no one heard the sound, before entering the room.
The viking found a sack of apples and dumped them on the floor, he then went around the room collecting what would fetch a good price.
The room wasnt lit, but there was some light shining in from the moon, but not enough for Ironwolf to see perfect as he stumbled into a table knocking over some cups and plates, *clang*.
"Shit!"
He stopped and froze for a few seconds, and when he heard no alarm or guards approaching, he went back to looting.

The eldest Princess relaxed but only a little. She still had appearances to keep up so her formal speech and general posture remained. However her smile went from one that, now anyone paying attention could tell, was faked to one more genuine in appearance. “I am Annalise, eldest daughter of King Nicolin.” Of all her sisters Annalise was the smallest, despite being the eldest, so standing next to this man made her appear even smaller, which she actually kind of hated. She got why the half Orc Prince was so large in stature, but this, what she presumed, human male was likely equal in sheer mass if not larger. Though both men were still dwarfed by the full Orc guard the prince had with him.

She seemed to be sizing the prince in front of her up without even noticing she was doing it. Her eyes scanned over his body as if trying to piece together a puzzle, though still her right eye remained unfocused. After realizing she was staring she looked back up at Vyarin’s face. “I apologize, we were given some information on each of the suitors but not much, it was more on each suitor’s country and cultures. I didn’t mean to stare.” Her eyes landed on the covering on one of his eyes as she scanned his face. “What happened?” She asked without even thinking, her curiosity getting the better of her. “If you don’t mind my asking.” She added quickly as to not make him feel pressured to answer if he didn’t want to.

Bella continues to make her way around the room, greeting the guest and engaging in small conversations here and there. She knew she should suck it up and at least talk to one prince, but was still having trouble forcing herself to do so. One good thing to come out of her mingling was that she had finally calmed enough to have a genuine smile upon her face. Everyone she came across seemed pretty nice, even the strange ones. When she finally got the courage built to go find one and talk to them, her keen ears picked up a clang. Yes, her ears were pinned and out of sight, but that didn’t mean they didn’t pick up even the slightest sound.

She looked around to see if anyone else had heard the sound, even stealing a look at the guards. No one but her seemed to have heard it. Bella stood there, debating if she should see what caused the noise or leave it be. Curiosity got the better of her and she went to see what caused the noise. “Maybe an animal from the garden got in.” she whispered to herself as she left the room. If that was the case, it would be easy getting them and taking them back out to the garden. As she made her way through the castle, she focused on trying to locate where the sound came from. It wasn’t long before she heard more sounds and she followed them.

They led her to the temple. Her head tilted in confusion as she looked at the door. It would be hard for one of the larger animals to get in there. So, could it be a bird? She walked up to the door and gave a push, not noticing the broken lock. She peeked around the door to look inside. It was dark, but she could still make out things. She heard sounds coming from the darkness and stepped inside to find the source of the sound, thinking she’d find a bird desperate to get out. She slowly made her way through, looking around as she went. A strange scent filled her nose, but she thought little of it. The temple always had a strange scent to her.

Bella made it to a spot where the moonlight shone in. She stopped and looked around and that’s when she saw the Viking looting. She froze, her eyes going wide and she gasped, it echoed through the silence. Regaining herself momentarily she turned to run, taking in a deep breath so she could scream for the guards.

Ironwolf looked up as the door opened and saw the silhouette of a figure about to leave.
Quickly he moved, shoving one hand against the door,closing it.
He turned the figure around, and put his blade to their throat.
"Scream or alert the guards, and it'll be the last damn thing you do."

Ironwolf let his hand feel around the person, searching for any weapons, and that's when he noticed, it was a woman.
He removed his hand from her bosom," Well, well, well, what do we got here?"
"Shouldn't you be with the party?, what are you doing here girl?" whispered the viking.
He put his hand over her mouth, "Dont answer, it doesnt matter. "

Ironwolf tore part of her dress free, using it as a gag around her mouth.
Taking her by the hand, he pulled her to the middle of the chamber and lit a candle.
The dim light danced upon the silhouette of the young woman, and Ironwolf was pleased.
"Quite the looker, should fetch a pretty penny for you."
He blew the candle out, and stepped closer to her, just inches away.
"I'm going to remove the gag, only for one reason, for you to tell me the quickest route out of here without anyone seeing us."

Jinayah smiled warmly, inwardly having a little giggle at the shy Prince and his sister. It was interesting to see their interactions. She knew just what big sisters were like. "Well, I hope you both get to see more of my home. Please be welcome here, ask any questions you like." She curtsied again, then turned her head to scan the room.

"I must be off to make my introductions. Please, excuse me."

Jinayah drifted off toward the next Prince, the half orc. She had to crane her neck somewhat to look him in the eye, but look she did. "Good evening, Prince Gil Jalal." Another curtsy; her knees were going to ache tomorrow. "It's a pleasure to have you and your retinue here. Thank you for the generous gift."

Fruitlessly she wondered if a half orc would accept a huntress queen with pants. Perhaps. It wasn't worth thinking too hard on.

@Mistress Dizzy and everyone else:
Prince Alexander blinked.
"...Very well."
He managed a nod. She seemed nice. He wished he could be a better conversationalist at that moment. He watched her leave and sighed afterwards.

That was when Sarah hit him in the back of his head with her fan. She scolded him...again.
"Stop this foolish shyness! Do you truly wish to fail father?!"

Alexander sighed and looked away from her.

"I-" The eye, of course. Vyarin looked down at her with the one remaining, his hand reaching up until it touched the rag. He daren't press in, for fear of what lay beneath. Not even he knew anymore. It could still be there, slashed through the iris until it looked like the slit from a lizard's eye. It could be a rotted and gnarled lump, black and squishy. It could just be gone, faded away by time leaving behind a cavernous lump. The thought made him sick. He didn't want to think about it.

"It . . . should not have been. A sensitive matter, an accident from when I had to act on behalf of my father," he finally said, quietly, glancing down at the shashka sitting at his hip. It was the same one from that fateful day. The lands beyond the League tended to look down upon the duel as a barbaric practice, he had learned. They were sunny people, accustomed to leisure and finery and peace. Fine castles and palaces, rather than grim motte and bailey keeps. Marble rather than granite. Life is far more precious this far south, it seems. Far more to enjoy. Vyarin finally looked up, to meet Annalise's eye, almost afraid that he might see dissatisfaction there. He felt guilty, dancing around the issue. "You have heard of a . . . Country Haircut?" he chanced, a common euphemism known around the Zpina for a dueling-related injury. If her tutor in Prozdy was a native speaker, she must have heard the phrase at some point.

The Princess almost felt a little bad for asking about it, she hadn’t intended on making him uncomfortable, but her curiosity got the better of her in the end and the words left her mouth before she had the chance to stop them. Very few royals or nobles she had met had any serious injuries let alone ones on they were usually careful to keep up a clean appearance so to see one, and a Prince no less, with such an injury was fascinating to her. When he started to explain and asked if he knew the term she had to think for a moment. Unlike her sisters Annalise had been more receptive to the idea of the marriages and had decided to busy herself in learning as much about the neighboring countries as possible. So when asked the question she had to dig through weeks of crammed information but eventually the answer came to her. It was a term she had only heard once so it took her a moment to find it.

“Yes, I think so. It means it was a dueling injury?” It was a question more than a solid answer, but she was sure she was at least along the lines of a correct answer. “I have not suffered any injuries so I cannot understand what you went through. However I lack vision in my right eye so that I can relate to. I was born without sight in my eye.” She was attempting to find some common ground, she supposed. Perhaps make him a little less uncomfortable. She wasn’t really sure which. If one were to look closely they would notice that though both of her eyes were a pale blue color her blind one was slightly more so.






Gil and Aldar had just finished with another noble when Jinayah approached them. She curtsies and both Orc men bowed in response however Aldar ended up moving away from the two opting to give the Prince some privacy and also making the whole situation a little less intimidating for the human woman.

“Princess Jinayah, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He answered in response. “The gift was my father’s idea. In retrospect perhaps it was a bit much. It seemed none of the other suitors went to such lengths.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “As a newer Kingdom my father wishes to guarantee relations with other Kingdoms, as if a marriage is not enough?” He couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly as if he had just made a bad joke. He liked the way his life was before, the carefree third son who, if he was honest, had little to no responsibility. Being thrown into this whole situation made him nervous and it showed. “We appreciate this opportunity and hope that, no matter what happens here, the Kingdom of Afdan will be considered allies in the future.” Gil’s mix of formal and casual probably only made things even more awkward.

Bella stopped when the Viking darted to the door and shut it. She skidded to a stop, then gasped, her scream catching in her throat as he placed a blade against it. She gave sounds of protest as his hands roamed her body and stopped on her chest, looking for a weapon. She glared at him as he spoke to her and covered her mouth so she couldn’t answer the question he had asked. She gave a small sound as he ripped her dress to use as a gag and tied it around her mouth. She would have fought against him, but she didn’t see the point.

He would have caught her before she got two steps in, but that didn’t mean she went easily as he dragged her to the cinder of the chamber. As he looked her over in the candlelight, she glared at him. Yes, she was scared, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in such a state. She watched him blow out the candle and step up to her, which was too close for comfort, and she continued to glare at him. With him this close, he was risking her acting out and taking a swing at him.

She contemplated it for a moment before deciding to take action. She quickly brought her arm up and swung her hand at his face. If she could hit in the right spot, she could not only slap him but scratch his face with her nails. It might even give her a way to escape as well.

@Wolvena



The slap momentarily stung against his cold face, leaving a nice red handprint.
Immediately, he slapped her back, but with enough force to knock her back a little ways.
"Doesn't feel good does it?"
He took her hands and binded them with the ripped dress he had tied around her mouth.
Ironwolf tightened the knot as tight and painful just for her.
"One more stupid move like that, and i will gut you where you stand."
Grabbing her chin in a tight forceable grip, he questioned her once more.
"What is th e quickest route out of here without being seen by the guards?"
The viking gently caressed her cheek, where he slapped her, "Maybe you rather spend more time with me, alone."

Bella gave a yelp as he returned her slap, taking a few steps back from the force of it. She hadn’t expected him to slap her back. She also wondered if he even knew who she was. She went to hold her cheek, but he took her hands and bound them before she could. As he tied the knot, she whimpered at the pain that shot through her wrists. A glare came back to features as he spoke to her once again, even when he grabbed her chin in a tight grip. She tried to pull her face away, but it was no use.

She couldn’t stop the flinch that came from his touch on her cheek, and his words made her sick. “What makes you think you can get out of here without being seen? There're guards everywhere.” she shot back. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, but she hoped it would buy her some time. She was also sure that at least one guard saw her walk this way. If she didn’t return, they would come and look for her.

@Wolvena

IRONWOLF

"Fine, have it your way!"
He took an apple from the floor, not even rubbing it off, he took a bite.
"Igueshillhavetadoitmyway" he said with a mouth full of apple chunks, that spewed when he spoke.
Once again he rips parts of your dress free, tying one around your mouth and head.
The last one, he ties around your ankles, before tossing you over his shoulder.
"Remember, i gave you a chance, more than you deserved."
He pressed up and down on his boots, juggling her on his shoulder.
"If the guards are stupid enough to shoot at me, well...i have some protection now." he said, slapping a hand on your rump.
Ironwolf grabbed his sack of goodies, before heading to the door.
"Fight me princess, and I'll make sure to make this as painful as possible."
He swung open the door, darting thru the shadows, following his footsteps back the way he came in.
Things might get dicy for him, especially kidnapping a princess, but what a price he could get for her.
The risk was worth it he decided, as he crept along as best as one can do carrying a tied princess over their shoulder.
Ironwolf removed some rope from his backpack, and tied the Princess to himself.
He slipped the climbing claws over his hand, and began slowly etching his way to the top.

@HEAVY METAL


Bella winced and pulled back a bit when he spewed apple as he talked, then jumped a bit as he ripped pieces from her dress again. She protested to being gagged again and having her ankles bound. A squeak escaped her as he threw her over his shoulder and slapped her backside. She had to hold back her shiver at his comment of using her as a shield. The guards wouldn’t attack him with her in his grip, would they? She shook the thought from her mind when he threatened her. How could she possibly fight with the way he had her bound?

Even if she were to wiggle around like crazy and drop to the floor, she wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. As he crept through the shadows with her, she prayed someone would spot them, but no one did. He was making a clean escape with her and whatever he looted from the chapel. When he stopped and tied her to him, more fear took over her. Why did I have to check on the noise? she thought to herself. Bella closed her eyes and her body tensed as he climbed up the wall.

She wasn’t a fan of heights. When they reached the top, she didn’t open her eyes right away. She had waited until there was solid ground beneath them, and she regretted doing so soon after. She tried to focus on something at eye level other than him. She looked at the top of the trees she saw and a few birds in the distance. As her eyes scanned the area, she saw a flock of birds that seemed to be headed towards them.

@HEAVY METAL@Wolvena and everyone else:

The king glanced around. He blinked when he thought he noticed one of his daughters missing from the close group. He called out.
"Has anyone here seen my daughter, Princess Marabella? I could have sworn she was here a moment ago. Has anyone seen her? Please say she is still near."
He sounded quite worried.

Guards headed out quickly the moment they heard the king. They sensed something amiss. They followed their instincts as they went to look for her.