[IC] At your Service, M'lady (Rusalka & Sailor)

[Rusalka]

High was the sun gleaming over fair Alegasia on this most calm and tranquil of early spring afternoons in the land. The grasslands were bristling with life and very much alive with wondrous shades of emerald greens, dotted with flowers of such frailty and beauty cascading across the valleys and basking in the warm sunlight. A soft breeze of air carried forth upon it the stray seeds of the dandelions and the blissful scent of spring, that oh so pleasant aroma of tulips and lilacs, of the vapors put off by the wild fruit trees bearing their precious and delectable gifts of nature. What a day it was indeed for the young knight in training. Clad in a set of plate armor passed down from her dearly departed father, glowing almost heavenly amidst the afternoon rays of the sun, Irina stood poised, motionless for a moment, her eyes closed and her thoughts...empty of any and all distractions. Tightly, she clutched the hilt of her longsword in her gauntleted hands, her body already positioned in the right to perform a swift strike. Irina readied herself, physically and mentally for that moment, and then...."HA!" She swung the heavy blade forward in the fastest of motions, the shrill whistle of the weapon permeating the thin air about her sounding off. Vanquishing the enemy was she in her mind, but outside of her...nothing. Lifting her sword again, she gave another shout and another swing forward, this time pulling the blade back and giving it a hearty thrust. "HYA!"

A gruff snort soon followed from Irina's companion, her noble steed Argo, the Clydesdale standing tall with his muscular frame towards the woman in armor. Either the horse was expressing his utmost disapproval in the sloppiness of his rider's stance and her form, or...he was bothered by Irina making too much racket with her sword practice. Likewise, the knight chuckled resting her sword against the pauldrons on her shoulders. "Oh shut your gob, you!" She laughed jovially to the muscular, auburn furred horse, another snort following suit with a neigh in retort towards Irina's comment. "Well if you think you can do better, Argo, be my guest." Irina replied back with a smirk. Argo then shook his large head with yet another snort before trotting off towards the green apple tree a few paces away. Such a card the animal was, Irina thought, before she soon resumed her practice stance and continued slicing her longsword at only air. All the while she trained herself, something caught her from the corner of her eye, something..un-ordinary to her. Hmm? There were riders, clad were they in armor as hers, except...the color was indeed off-putting, black...black as the darkest pit in a viper's eye. These were not knights of the kingdom or any kingdom for that matter, as there be no display of heraldry nor sigil upon their shields or their cuirasses. I've a bad feeling of these few.

Irina watched vigilantly as the three armored men rode forth on their dark steeds past her, something about their haste, how they carried themselves...it felt....evil to the woman. Quickly, she called for Argo, the horse instantly at her side as she climbed into the saddle and donned her helm. "Ride, Argo! Forward with thee!" She shouted with a swift kick to the side of the majestic beast and off she and the horse went, galloping fast to catch up with these vile few...and possibly prevent what savagery they may incur.

[SailorMoon]

A large silver carriage lead by four white horses traveled through the forest along a short grass path. Satin lavender curtains covered the inside of the window, preventing anyone from peeking inside of the luxurious carriage. On top of the carriage, there was bench, fit only for the Royal drivers, handpicked by The King himself. Everything was perfect, inside and out. Crystal inhaled deeply, her happiness worn on her features as she gazed out of the carriage window, her purple eyes taking in all of the scenery. Her father, a middle aged man with silver hair just like his daughter's, sat in the front seat snoring away with a book over his face. She ignored the sound, though any other time it would make her really angry. Today, she was just too happy to let something like that bother her. A new boutique run by one of her dearest friends had just opened up, and she and her father had been invited, not that it was any surprise. They were considered to be the nobles of all nobles.

"I know, I'm excited too!" She chirped, turning away from the window to look down at Lily, a twenty-five pound snow white rabbit. Crystal patted the giant rodent on top of his head, smiling as it nibbled it's carrots. Lily went most places with her outside of the castle, he was like a dog to her, even though he didn't do much as far as socialization and tricks. Most times he just ate, or followed her around. At the castle, he had his own room and tended to do his own thing. He had a knack for getting into their garden and pissing off their gardeners. They knew better to complain though, Crystal didn't stand for anyone speaking poorly of her pet. To her, he was just a big baby, he had only been born last Spring. She had no idea he would get so big, really...

With a final pat of the giant's head, she turned to look back out of the window, once again pushing the curtains aside. She gasped as her eyes fell on a knight, clad in all black with a matching horse, peering inside of the carriage and locking eyes with her. He unsheathed his sword, twirling his wrist smoothly and jabbing it through the glass window in front of him. Crystal leaped back in her seat, shielding Lily as the glass shattered and spraying inside of the carriage. She covered her head, peeking over her shoulder at the metal blade hovering over her. Outside, she heard the horses neighing in panic and their driver yelling.

"Fa-father! You must wake, we're under attack!" She screamed, crawling forward to get closer to the other door. Their smooth ride turned into a shaky, unstable ride as the horses strayed from their path, running through part of the forest unfit for wheels. The Knight had left her side and traveled further up, threatening their driver and throwing him from the moving carriage without looking back. Her heart was beating through her chest now as she heard the screams of George. Everything came to a halt, she knew they'd cut their horses free, and her father was only just waking up. Crystal reached forward, shaking The King, urging him to get out. Her door was already being yanked open by a black hand. It reached in, half of the stranger's body reaching in to grab at her. The Princess kicked at him viciously, screaming as she was grabbed by her ankle and dragged from the carriage with ease.

[Rusalka]

Twas just as she suspected as she tailed hastily the black armored ne'er do wells atop her steed Argo. Their shadowed horses' galloping strides had steadily increased as the ill men neared the forest, already brandishing their tainted weapons and urging their dark steeds to hasten forth with a malicious jab of their pointed sabatons into the seemingly blistered ribs of the corrupted creatures. What right had they to be called knights when they treated their fair steeds like cattle? It just showed evidence enough to the armored woman that these bastards were up to no good at all, and in no way were they knights of honor. Right as Irina and Argo neared them, the men had seized a carriage, an eloquently decorated carriage too, only such an elegance as this could belong to nobility...or rather...royalty. "Those fiends!" She growled beneath her helm, urging Argo, her mighty Clydesdale, to gallop faster as she drew her longsword swiftly and readied her attack. They had already beaten her to the carriage, running it, along with its passengers and the horses who bear the burden of carrying it, off course from the slender pathway and into the thick of the shady forest. Twas then the mongrels wrenched open the carriage's door with such brutish strength and dragged from it....a girl.....and by the looks of her flouncy and lavish attire...matching so perfectly with her snow white hair...she was a noblewoman!

"Argo, faster!" Irina called to her steed, now galloping full force in a rush towards the evil men. Suddenly, Irina leapt from her horse and dove onto one of them, her sword instantly piercing through the bastard's neck, just underneath the rim of his dark helm, and the force sending the two armored knights crashing to the soft grass below with such a jarring force, disorienting the female knight for a while as she stood shakily and regained her footing, pulling her sword red with blood from the dead man. The others soon glared upon her from behind the visor of their helms, one staying behind to guard the girl, their captive, while his partner in this auspicious and vile of crimes charged forth with his weapon drawn in rage, a battle-axe. Mindlessly, the fiend swung his heavy blade in a fit of rancor towards the knight, Irina easily dodging the predictable blows of such a cumbersome weapon. She blocked his next strike with the blunt of her sword, the weight of the axe pushing her back a little into a stumble, but she quickly parried the bastard's attempt at a death blow and sent her sword deep through his leather and chainmail coat. Now there was only one left to vanquish, and by the looks of him gripping his blade with such paroxysm and malice to the knight, Irina was certain he was rather pissed that she had slain his malevolent comrades.

"GRRR! Die you nave!" He bellowed. Foaming at the mouth was this one, and just as foolish as his friends, madly hacking away with his sword but landing not a single hit upon the armor of Irina. His form was indeed sloppy. He was letting his anger guide the blade rather than himself. And as such...he would be finished in a matter of seconds. All it took was one final thrust forward from the dark warrior and Irina sidestepped him with ease, her blade meeting the meat of his unprotected, bare neck and sliding across for one fatal slice to the jugular. Down went the fool gargling painfully on his own blood, grasping at the gaping wound of his throat before succumbing slowly to his final demise. Irina took a few short, but heavy breaths, sheathing her crimsoned sword before she approached the damsel in distress. Now that she was closer to the woman in need, Irina could grasp a better view of her subtle features. My....this one was quite the noblewoman indeed....she was beautiful as such. "Are you alright, m'lady?" Irina offered her hand to the girl, a soft smile crossing her lips from behind the visor of her helm. "I know not why these fiends would harm a beautiful lass such as thee, but they had intention to. I was fortunate enough to stop them before they brought you harm."

[SailorMoon]

Crystal had the wind knocked out of her as she was roughly dragged from the carriage, and onto the ground to meet whatever fate her captor had in store for her. She often heard stories of village girls being assaulted in the villages by men, but she never expected to be a victim to any of it. She scooted back onto the grass, trembling and glaring at the Black Knight with hate filled eyes, wondering what to do and fearing for her father's safety more than ever. Two more knights revealed themselves, clad in the same armor as the one in front of her. Crystal's heart sank as she eyed the weapons in their hands. It was clear to her that this would be her last day alive...

Just when she thought all hope was lost, a noble steed and a Knight of another sort entered the scene. Crystal looked over quickly, watching the confrontation unravel right before her eyes. She appeared to be frozen in place, unable to respond to what was happening around her. All of the blood, and sounds of metal clashing against together. How did this happen?

"Are you alright, m'lady?"

Crystal blinked, a single hot tear rolling down her cheek as she looked up at the honorable Knight. Her vision had been restored, free of tears now. She extended a gloved hand to accept the hand, but then dropped her hand back onto the grass to help herself up. Looking up at the man suspiciously, "I...I can get up just fine, thank you." she folded her arms across her chest. A rustling from within the carriage could be heard, and her father, dressed in the finest robes - fit only for a King - emerged with Lily by his side. The King rubbed his head, the puzzled expression quickly replaced by one of horror and shock.

"Cry...Crystal!" He rushed over to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly, the giant rabbit following closely behind. Crystal pried her way free, and looked up to her handsome father. "I'm fine, father. Calm yourself." She said softly, brushing herself off and turning to face the Knight. "This honorable Knight rode in on his valiant steed and saved my life." She waved at the Knight as if she were presenting him.

"Is this true? Remove your helmet so that The King may look upon you." The silver haired man said sternly, though his voice was carefree, like his life hadn't just been threatened.

[Rusalka]

A little bit surprised was the knight when the girl had drawn back her hand and rather helped herself to her feet, claiming she needed no assistance whatsoever from Irina. My what spirit this one had. Rather than insult the knight, it made the woman chuckle, setting her armored hand to her side and resting it casually upon the pommel of her sword. "Very well then, m'lady." Irina smiled from within the dark of her helm, lifting her visor a bit so that her lips were to be shown, but the rest of her face left a mystery to the ravishing damsel. "Forgive me if I have startled thee, for I was only acting upon the accord of any knight of honor, to protect those who art in danger." She bowed graciously to the young girl, humorously her visor collapsing over her lips and forever concealing her face. "I realize I may have seemed frightful in dealing with thine enemies, but I mean no harm towards thee, m'lady, only good fortune." Startled a bit was she though by a rustling and a ruckus that followed from within the horseless carriage, Irina's gaze instantly moving from the girl to it instead, and her eyes, she could not believe who they had fallen upon rising from the carriage. The....the King of Alegasia?! Then...this girl....she must be.... Nobility was an understatement when it came to those she had rescued from certain peril. They were no lords or ladies, they were His Majesty and his lovely daughter...the Princess!

Wide eyed beneath her helm, Irina quickly took a knee upon the ground before the elderly man of the highest royalty and his daughter, listening closely to the Princess speak of her father about how this very knight had come to rescue her and possibly him, before those terrible men in black armor were able to enact their dastardly plans.

"Is this true? Remove your helmet so that The King may look upon you."

Giving a curt and respectful nod, Irina obliged the King's command of her. her gauntlets moved to her helm, clutching the sides as she carefully rose the ornately decorated piece of armor from atop her head, her long, flowing hair, as blue as the sky, cascading over her pauldrons, the pale, creamy complexion of her face now basking in the afternoon sun, rather than being obscured by the shadows of her helm. Her eyes, they were almost crystaline, like ice in the bitterest of winters in the northern Fangorn Mountains. And with those eyes of polar blue, she looked to the king with the most confident of smiles she could muster. As it turned out, the brave and chivalrous knight....was a woman. "Your Majesty," she spoke honorably of the man. "I am Sir Irina of the house Belmonte. My late father, Etharios, was a knight before me, and despite having a daughter, he too trained me in the ways of chivalry and knighthood." She rested her helm to her side, noticing the King had a look of bewilderment to his face. It was odd indeed, a woman referring to herself as "Sir" and carrying about the armor and sword of her father, claiming herself to be a knight. The look was starting too add a bit of apprehension to Irina, but soon it faded when the King bellowed a hearty laugh, resting his hands jovially on his elegant and majestic robes.

"My what a surprise!" His Majesty chuckled deeply, a wide and welcoming grin crossing his face. "Never would I had suspected you to be a woman, but you have my most generous of gratitude, Sir Irina. I can't thank you enough for saving my dearest daughter Crystal, brave knight. You may rise now." Irina again nodded gratefully and stood to her feet. "The pleasure was all mine, Your Majesty." She replied. "In fact I am just as surprised as thee. I did not expect today I would rescue His Majesty the King...or...his beautiful daughter the Princess from certain harm, but as I saw those foul men ride forth with bloodlust in their eyes, I knew they had to be stopped, so I took it upon myself to tail them and put an end to their evil deeds."

"Aye and such bravery thou hast shown, brave Sir Irina. I know not who these men belong to, but I am certain someone has it out for me and my daughter now." As to whom, well...even that was a mystery to Irina. The men, they carried no sigil or sign of affiliation with any of the neighboring kingdoms to Alegasia, and Irina was certain indeed these were not times of war and bloodshed but times of peace and prosperity. Likewise, someone indeed had a hatred for the royal family, and this was just the first of strikes towards them. Others may have been soon to come forth. "We were just on our way to a lavish botique in the market town, an establishment owned by a dear friend of my daughter, but...after this harrowing debacle....I know not if it is safe to continue further." The King, he seemed dead set upon returning to the castle, but...a part of his face was showing disappointment that he could not fulfill his daughter's humble request, that is until Irina spoke again. "Nonsense, Your Majesty." Irina chimed donning her helm again, but rising the visor so her face could be shown. "If you would like, I shall escort thee to the market. My steed, Argo, he has the strength of nearly ten of the kingdom's horses. He shall carry your carriage while I provide a vigilant eye to watch over the roads ahead. It would be my deepest pleasure to serve thee, Your Majesty." She gave yet another bow of respect to the King, and....speaking of her horse. Where was he?

"Argo, come forth." Irina called to the Clydesdale, but...the beast just wouldn't follow her stern command. "Argo?" There was a neigh that sounded from near the carriage door as the horse Argo glanced downward at something within it. That was when Irina noticed the rather large white rabbit, nibbling on a carrot, the carrot that was probably garnering the horse's attention rather than who partook of it. The very sight of such made Irina chuckle lightly and turn to the Princess, "Well it seems our companions have grown well acquainted, m'lady." She smiled before turning back to the horse. "Argo, come here, lad! You've already eaten for today, and I don't think the Princess' pet would like to share with you."

[SailorMoon]

The Princess' face remained blank as The Knight apologized, and after seeing her father, knelt on the ground to show her respect to the royal family. It wasn't until her father asked that The Knight show his face, that she showed any interest at all. All she'd gotten was a glimpse of her lips through her helm, and...they looked to be very soft lips, the most beautiful lips any man ever had. So, of course she was eager to see the rest of the honorable Knights face, and possibly whatever else was under the armor. Her faint eyebrows rose in sync with the helmet being lifted, and she...she couldn't believe her eyes. Crystal was at a loss for words. How beautiful this man was, lips that perfect could only belong to such a man. All along she thought there was no male in The Kingdom who could catch her eye, but here he was...right in front of her - an honorable Knight.

It wasn't until the Knight introduced himself as Sir Irina that the Princess realized that her Knight in Shining Armor was a woman. Her father figured it out even before she did, but Crystal just couldn't wrap her mind around a female Knight. The more Irina spoke of herself though, the more Crystal was convinced. Not to mention, she actually decided to take a serious look at the woman's features, and the shape of her body. I knew his voice was too feminine... She thought, tapping her fingertips against her arm deep in thought. When Irina spoke of Crystal being beautiful, her purple eyes wandered away from The Knights face... She wasn't sure how to take the compliment, or if it was a compliment at all. It wasn't odd for the people to compliment her, there would be no one in The Kingdom who received more praise for her beauty; though she was usually hidden away in the castle somewhere away from the Public eye.

"No...It's fine," She started. "I'll send word by way of air to my dearest Olivia that we weren't able to make it, she'll understand." She said to them both, turning away and walking to where Lily was. "I'm feeling quite faint now, anyway. I'm sure my father would love to reward you for your contribution this afternoon." Crystal knelt down beside the giant rabbit, and picked up a piece of carrot to give to Argo. She smiled only a little bit at Irina's comment about their pet's being acquainted. "I suppose it would be a crime to separate them now that they're friends." She stood up and briefly patted the steed between the eyes before picking up Lily and going back into the carriage.

Crystal shut the door, and did not look at the female Knight again for she was definitely blushing at her physical attraction to the woman. Now Father, don't do anything stupid...

[Rusalka]

Strange how rather hesitant and slightly brash the Princess had reacted to this astonishing of discoveries about her recent savior's identity, but Irina gave it no further thought. It was clear the young girl would much rather return to the royal palace and rest after such an eventful afternoon, an afternoon that may have left her a bit off-guard and weary of her own well-being. The King, he was rather perplexed as well by his daughter's bizarre shift in behavior once Sir Irina had arrived on scene and revealed herself not to be a man but a woman...a woman of all things clad in armor and wielding a sword, not to mention displaying a most chivalrous of attitudes that was thought to only come of male knights....then again the woman was trained by her father in such ways, so there wasn't much surprise to that. Still, what was it about Irina that seemed so off-putting to Princess Crystal? "You must excuse my daughter, Sir Irina. She is only recovering from the recent shock of this afternoon." The King spoke humbly with a sincere expression. "Ah, but I would be delighted if you were to accompany my daughter and I to the Royal Palace. Once we arrive there, I shall have my chefs prepare the most exquisite of meals for us three, and I shall reward you greatly for your valor." His slightly plump hand rested firm on the back of Irina's armor in the heartiest and most jovial of gestures as he chortled greatly, his belly undulating with laughter. "How does that sound, Sir Irina?"

Irina smiled at the King's honorable request and nodded generously, "Your Majesty, I'm indeed flattered, but no further reward is necessary for the due services of a knight such as me, but....I am feeling a tad malnourished, so a feast sounds wonderful to me." A feast was indeed a more desired reward than just gold or silver, or even her own castle. How long has it been since Irina had sat down to a graciously cooked meal and eaten her fill until she could stomach no more? Quite long, as she had traveled the vast lands of Alegasia, the life of a hired sword, not the most glamorous as compared to a true knight, but it did the woman's heart good to serve those in need, even if she had to make due without her own needs for the time. Sure every once in a while there was enough gold for a stay at a ratty and uncomfortable bed at an inn, a piece of discarded bread and some aged cheddar only to sustain her as she carried herself to the next village over, but a feast...it was certainly an opportunity she couldn't pass up, that and...maybe getting to know the Princess a little bit better than before.

"Then it's settled!" The King chimed happily, again his hand patting hard the back of Irina. "Ready your steed to my carriage, Sir Irina, and we shall be off." And with that, His Majesty returned to the carriage. Irina soon put her fingers to her mouth and gave a shrill whistle, to where her mighty steed Argo soon followed finally. "That got your attention, didn't it?" She jested petting the large horse on his nose, the horse butting against her with a snort. "Oh not now, you big lug." Irina laughed grabbing the horse's reins and pulling him over to the yoke of the carriage, noticing Argo still munching the carrot Crystal had given him. "Aye, so I see you too have grown acquainted with the Princess. She's a pretty lass, indeed, isn't she?" Another snort issued from Argo, as if to agree with Irina, that or show again his displeasure at being hitched to the carriage. Making sure everything was fastened tight and there was no way whatsoever Argo could break free from the yoke, Irina gave the horse a firm but loving pat on his shoulder before climbing onto the carriage and beginning the journey back to the Royal Palace.

[SailorMoon]

The carriage arrived to the castle with no trouble at all and Crystal was beyond grateful to be back home where it was safe. She patted her mouth gently to stifle a yawn, figuring it would be best to take a nap before the feast later in the evening. The female knight would probably want to wash up and get dressed into something comfortable for dinner, and possibly roam around the castle. She'd have offered to be a tour guide, but The Princess was really just too tired for it - or too shy. Either way, there were more than enough servants on the castle grounds to assist their guest with whatever she needed. Crystal picked up her giant rabbit, and set him down on the ground with a deep sigh. Lifting Lily was definitely a work out. Without saying anything else, she wandered through the giant double doors leading into the castle, and traveled the familiar halls to reach her white and gold room.

When she took in her large canopy bed and their white satin sheets, her eyes lit up. It seemed like ages since she had been in her room, and how grateful she was to spend another well deserved rest on her favorite piece of furniture. Sighing, she fell forward onto her bed, smiling sleepily as she drifted off into a deep slumber.

---

Crystal sat at her vanity table, brushing her long silver locks into place and adorning them with rose shaped, glass hair pins. She had already gotten dressed into the corset dress her maid's picked out for her - a frilly lilac and white victorian-style dress supported only by her bust. Feeling satisfied with her appearance, she left her room and slowly made her to way to the dining hall.

"Father..." She said affectionately as she passed him. She took a seat beside Irina, offering her a somewhat amused look. "Good Evening, Irina." She said shortly, less affectionately to the female knight. Eyeing the glass in front of her, she sipped the white wine and set it down, impressed. "I see you and Father are becoming fast friends?" She said, turning to look at Irina once more, this time with the hint of smile on her lips.

[Rusalka]

The palace was definitely the most lavish and marvelous of places Irina had ever seen, from its gilded and majestic towering halls and vaulted ceilings, crafted of the finest white marble stone, smooth to the touch and without a single blemish or crack, to the ornate and decorate tapestries and banners displaying the wonderful colors of the Kingdom's heraldry that hung from the walls and fluttered downward from the ceiling. Irina was indeed astounded, wide eyed with such amazement as she tarried across the polished golden tiled floors of the palace, still lugging about in her heavy armor, which now that the adrenaline of battles past had dissipated from her all too soon as the carriage had reached the grand castle, the steel plates had become a cumbersome burden for her to carry, not to mention adding to her bothersome hunger and the fatigue one had after fighting as bold and as courageous as she. Luckily as she entered the palace though, a wench was already to her side on behalf of the King's generous hospitality and leading Irina to a room where she could remove her armor and stow her weapon as well, or rather the royal blacksmith could sharpen her longsword, but either option was okay with the knight.

The bedchamber Irina sauntered into was just as luxurious as the rest of the palace appeared. There was a large bed within the center of the room, with such a fluffy mattress atop four posts of polished and mahogany stained oak-wood, not to mention the fine blankets of wool and satin that adorned the comfy bed and its many pillows. A bed such as this was certainly a joy and a relief to behold to the knight, even after Irina had become so accustomed to sleeping on mats of dingy and rat-infested straw in those filthy inns or even in the bog and the muck of the earth after a torrential downpour overnight soaked her and Argo to the marrow with unexpected rain. But again, the life of a wandering sword was not meant to be luxurious, but...it still had its perks. With a deep and relaxing sigh, Irina fell into the bed, still clad in her armor. She could've fallen asleep right then and there, her entire steel body sinking into the mattress, but shortly she rose, her hands already going to work on the fastenings and the leather straps. First, she removed her helm, by far the heaviest part of her armor, next to her cuirass, which she peeled off with a bit of a grunt, setting it aside. Next came off her gauntlets and then her greaves and sabatons. Finally, she relieved her shoulders of the overbearing weight of her pauldrons, now left only in her chainmail which lied underneath all her armor, still a tad heavy on Irina, but at least it was more flexible and easier to move around in.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

After a relaxing hot bath in the large tub that was supplied to her room, Irina dried herself with a woolen towel, tied back her silver blue hair in a ponytail and brushed a few stray locks from her polar eyes of ice, setting them behind her earlobe. A dress was offered by the wenches, and as elegant as it was, Irina kindly refused the offer, rather donning her chainmail again but wearing over it a surcoat of the heraldry of Alegasia and her tan leather belt with a gilded buckle. Glancing into the mirror of the vanity, she made sure her appearance wasn't too shabby or inelegant before leaving her sword upon the chest at the foot of the bed and slowly striding to the dining hall, taking time to marvel more at the splendor of the King's palace. As she neared the hall, the knight had crossed quite a few of the King's valued treasures, several suits of finely crafted silver armor with gold adorning, and priceless oil paintings of noblemen past...one that seemed to be of the Princess as well, and what justice the artist had done to Her Majesty's lovely features. Irina smiled at the painting before finally entering the dining hall, kneeling to the King before taking her seat. "Good evening, Your Majesty."

Soon followed the Princess in after her, giving a curt greeting to her father before sitting next to the knightly woman and sipping of her wine, and how beautiful she looked to Irina in her elegant evening gown. You could say the knight was a bit awestruck by Crystal's enlightening appearance, her eyes somehow affixed to the girl for a little before breaking contact as she partook of her wine and replied with a small smile of her own, "Ah, good evening, m'lady. I can see you are well rested after our long journey, and yes you might say His Majesty and I have become quite the companions over this short time." The King laughed heartily at his chair in response as well, "Yes my dearest daughter, Sir Irina and I are certainly friends now, but I owe much to any who so boldly risk their own lives to protect my Crystal. Sir Irina, on behalf of your valiance, a toast to you." After the glasses were raised and clinked together, Irina smiled even more, setting her wine aside as the first course was brought to the table by the chefs, the smell of smoked meats and roasted vegetables already wafting about the grand dining hall. "Ahh dinner time." The King mused jovially, and it smelled so delectable as well.

[SailorMoon]

The Princess only nodded in response to Irina, but when her Father let out his famous hearty laugh she smiled and rolled her eyes. So silly... She thought, lifting her glass to toast and then finishing the last of her wine in one breath. Once she saw the servants exit the kitchen doors, she moved her empty glass aside to make room for her dinner. She was used to eating such grand meals so she remained her usual self, but The King always seemed to get excited when it was time to eat...every single time, like he hadn't eaten such fine foods all of his life. Crystal liked that about her father though, he was just really happy and humble, probably why everyone in the Kingdom loved him. She considered herself extremely lucky that he wasn't like some of the other King's with daughters, who marry their daughters off to prevent war and trade for riches.

"So, Irina..." She started after eating a spoonful of clear vegetable soup. "What do you normally do when you aren't out rescuing poor damsels in distress?" Her voice was a bit taunting when she asked, but held no malice. That was just the way she sounded, few would know that though as it is difficult to get the Princess to acknowledge anyone other than Lily or her father. Still, she was curious about the woman who saved her life.

[Rusalka]

Ahh and what a delectable feast it was, set out before the three were dishes upon dishes of culinary excellence only the royal chefs, the finest of kitchen masters, were capable of, the aromatic bliss of smoked beef and pork with such savory herbs and spices to suit even the stuffiest of pallets along with the decadent scent of crisp fire-roasted vegetables such as potatoes and carrots and leeks to accompany the delicious meats in a hearty and warm soup of savory amber colored broth. Twas more of a stew than a soup, but either way, it looked and smelled so enticingly delicious to the knight, not once having a meal as bountiful as this in a day or perhaps in her entire life. Taking a spoonful of wonderful stew to her mouth, Irina savored the culminating tastes, the robustness of the meats, the freshness of the vegetables, and the salty and plentiful warmth of the broth sliding down her throat and past her heart to her stomach. Definitely this was better than just staving hunger off weeks old bread hard as a whetstone and cheese so bitter to the tongue....it was better off being thrown in the forest and forgotten than rather eaten.

While the woman ate however, a question caught her ear from the Princess. Her eyebrow perked however and so did the King's to Crystal, bewildered by the subtle but indubitably present sarcasm in the girl's tone of voice. "Crystal. The King spoke up, a bit of a stern edge to his voice,but still jovial as ever as he finished a bite of stew before continuing. "Please treat our honored guest with respect. Ahm...Sir Irina, forgive my daughter's brash behavior. She must still be perplexed as I am about this recent attack and is on her guard." Irina nodded with a bit of a chuckle, finding it quite humorous the girl was still suspicious of her, "No need for apologies, Your Majesty. M'lady clearly is just inquiring of my past endeavors." A brief sigh as she sat down her silverware, Irina pondered a moment on her recollections, remembering each and every meticulous, and some harrowing, events that soon led her to here. "Ah yes, let me begin." Soon she elaborated, turning to face the Princess with a sincere grin, "Before I came to rescue the noble and beautiful Princess and her father, His Majesty, the King of Alegasia.....I was a traveler. I would roam to kingdoms far and wide, in hopes that they would accept me as a knight. Most didn't unfortunately."

She paused briefly to sigh. "Even as I displayed my skill...or rather my father's skill he handed down to me, neither of the lords nor their kings were impressed. More or less, they were amused that a woman decided to don armor and call herself a knight. Even the other knights of the four kingdoms I've visited, they would scoff at me and belittle me, always throwing in my face, "A MAN'S place is upon a horse and on the battlefield, while a woman's place is in the kitchen or the bedroom." Likewise, I was offended, so...instead of offering my sword to any of the kingdoms, I lent my blade to those who were in dire need of it, mostly villagers wanting someone to stave off the wolves or the bandits. Still...even if I could use my sword to help others, I still felt downtrodden it was only for meager purposes."

"Ah...true your skill with a longsword is indeed remarkable, Sir Irina." The King chimed in after Irina had finished her short but interesting recount of her copious pitfalls and her humble beginnings to knighthood. "And to hear a woman is scoffed because she is deemed not worthy of being a knight, why...it chides my backside to hear such! It takes not a man to wield a sword, but a human, in other words, any hand can carry a blade but it takes knowledge and years of hard practice to master the art, and that my brave knight, I do believe you possess." Rather moved was Irina and humbled by the heartfelt words of the King. He was definitely Kingly material in her books, anyone who could sympathize with an issue such as hers rather than mock her as the others had done. The King paused briefly though as his old grey eyes glanced over to his daughter...and the back to Irina. "Mhmm..." Quizzically, he scratched his plump, bearded chin as he pondered. "We shall speak more of this in private, Sir Irina. But for now, let us eat. I'd rather my stew not grow cold as we tarry through the hours." Another hearty chuckle he gave as the King resumed enjoying his meal, but what he spoke of before left the knight puzzled all the more. In private? But what about? Shirking the issue for the moment, she too catered to her stew, a small smile towards the Princess, yet her ice blue eyes were dimming over with confusion.

[SailorMoon]

Crystal found it rather amusing how her father tried to be stern with her in front of their guest. They both knew that this was her usual way of speaking to strangers, didn't matter if you were a peasant or royalty, you get the same treatment from the Princess. Her only exceptions were people much younger than her and animals. Hmph. She ate another spoonful of her soup, almost spitting it out when Irina said something about her being beautiful. She looked at the girl, who was now facing her with a grin, out of the corner of her eye. Though Crystal was listening intently to the tale told by the knight, she continued to eating, her facial expression remaining unchanged during most of the story. Of course it came to her as no surprise at how the honorable Irina had been treated by her male counterparts, every Kingdom but Alegasia was extremely sexist, and that is how most societies preferred it. Her father did not enforce such rules on women that kept that locked to beds and kitchens, but despite this, a lot of the noble and middle-classed people of Alegasia liked to keep things more traditional.

A maid poured the Princess her second glass of wine, and Crystal thanked her with an appreciative smile. Bringing the glass to her lips, she paused as her father chimed in after Irina. Her eyebrows rose suspiciously at his words, she knew he had something up his sleeve and that she would not like it one bit. Every time they had a guest over he always needed to "speak more of this in private." Crystal inhaled deeply, holding her breath and counting to five to give herself some time to calm down before she went into full interrogation mode. The King knew she hated being left out of the loop, and more than that she absolutely hated surprises.

Crystal held the wine glass to her lips and intending to only take a sip, she winded up downing the whole thing like it was nothing. She bit her bottom lip, slightly embarrassed by the raised eyebrow her father gave her, telling her with his eyes no more. She obeyed her fathers wishes, as she was already feeling quite drunk already and didn't want to make a spectacle of herself...again. She went to place the wine glass down and reached for her water, but when she went to do that her elbow knocked into Irina's glass and sent all of the liquid onto the knight's lap. "Ah!" She hiccuped, placing a hand over her mouth and blushing deeply at what she'd just done. Crystal reached for a quilted napkin, and frantically patted away at the mess she'd made all over her guest. "I'm s-sorry! Why was your glass right there?!" She exclaimed nervously, her whole face red with embarrassment.

[Rusalka]

She certainly did not expect to have wine splash down upon her lap and sully her surcoat this very evening, but that is just what happened exactly when the Princess fumbled the glass by accident and out came the rather chilled liquids onto Irina, seeping through the minute gaps in her chainmail and coercing her to shiver with an abrupt jolt. "Ah!" She yelped almost darting upwards from her seat. Damn was that wine cold and the random altercation had caught the knight off her guard as she was distracted and bewildered by the ponderings of what the King meant by speak more of this in private. "Oh my!" The King perked with astonishment to his tone of voice, his eyes widening as he beheld the rambunctious spectacle, that of Irina's brief panic and of his daughter Crystal soon rushing to the knight's aid and drying off her lap in several frantic pats of the napkin. How amusing it was indeed to Irina how flustered the young girl was making herself, shakily and frantically apologizing to the woman and inquiring why her glass was in that particular position for oncoming disaster. "Dear heavens, Crystal! Sir Irina, I do hope you are not offended in the least by this. My daughter had no meaning to stain your evening attire." His Majesty hastily apologized as well for his daughter's figurative hiccup, but really what was so offending by it? An accident was an accident.

"No offense taken at all, Your Majesty." Irina humbly replied to the King's and Crystals exchange of sorrys, her hand resting gently upon the frazzled and quick moving hand of the Princess, carefully clasping it in hers and setting the soft touching hand of Crystal upon the girl's lap instead as Irina looked to her with a small nod of gratitude, however...her hand was still resting upon Crystal's. "Thank you, M'lady, but I believe that's quite enough to dry my lap." Her smile though was a bit sly at that mention of her lap, and her hand slowly moved away from Crystal's and back to her with a bit of a snicker. The King however paid no mind to it. More or less he was still worried so over his guest's wellbeing. "I do apologize again for what has happened, Sir Irina. Here, I shall tell my servants to fetch you another cup of wine." Irina responded graciously though with a curt shake of her head, "There is no need, Your Majesty. I believe I've had my fill of wine for this evening." She said in quite a joking manner, her eyes moving towards the Princess and her reddened cheeks. "I do thank you however for the generous offer, and again I thank you graciously, Your Majesty, for this wonderful meal, but it is late. I must retire soon to the chamber you offered to rest, and so I bid you and your beautiful daughter goodnight." And with that, Irina stood from her chair, a bow of respect to the royal family, and she was off to her bedchamber.

"Ah, goodnight then, good Sir Irina. We shall speak early tomorrow morning." The King returned with his own farewell, of course not forgetting to mention he still had matters to discuss with the brave knight, matters that....may or may not include his daughter as well.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later that night, Irina could not sleep for the life of her. Try as the knight may, she tossed and turned ever so restlessly, despite how comforting the bed had felt to her. Puzzled was she by what words the King wished to speak of her come early rise of the sun, and a bit apprehensive as well was Irina as to what those words might be. For one, despite the King's core values differing from those of other kings, the ones who so spurned the lady knight, Irina had high doubts Crystal's father would accept her into his Kingdom and call her a knight of his own royal guard, but she never knew. Tomorrow could either be what she so fearfully assumed or perhaps the opposite. Either way, her mind was wrought with too many nagging assumptions and ponderings to keep her from having a good night's rest. "Damn...." She muttered under her breath, rising from the bed and ambling sleepily over to the window, carefully peeling back the wood shutters and letting forth the cool night breeze to grace her pale skin, along with the creamy pale glow of a full moon and all the stars of the midnight blue sky. Such a beautiful night it was as the skies were alight with thousands of dazzling bright stars, and from this view in the tower of the grand castle, Irina could see everything, far across her eye could reach to the eastern valleys of cool green grass.

It brought a calming sense to the knight to gaze upon the natural splendor of Alegasia, to take in the untouched, unmarred beauty of the lands vast she traveled.

[SailorMoon]

The Princess ducked her head a bit when The King yelled at her, further embarrassing her in front of the staff and more importantly, their guest. She peeked over her shoulder, shooting her father an unpleasant look but just as quickly turning back to face Irina who grabbed her delicate hand to stop her poorly aimed, and frantic pats in the knight's lap. Crystal was a bit surprised by this, yet, the soft features of the Princess looked to be mostly amused by the hand resting on top of her own and the remarks that followed. After the blue haired woman moved her hand, Crystal folded her arms under her chest and looked away from the Irina, her nose in the air. Hmph. Of course the stubborn Princess didn't stop her eyes from wandering to watch The Knight disappear from the dining hall when she dismissed herself though. Crystal couldn't deny that she was starting to enjoy her company...just a little bit - not that much.

"Good night, Father..." She placed a small kiss on her father's cheek before also dismissing herself from the dinner table and dizzily making her way to her bed room. In passing, she stopped in front of a giant portrait of a woman who she closely resembled. "Good night, Mother..." She whispered, staring into the purple eyes that matched her own, a small smile on both of their lips. Twirling around on her heels to leave, she continued through the halls until she made it to her room where she would pass out as soon her head hit the pillow.

---

"No, Lily. That's my carrot..." She grumbled slowly whilst rolling around in her bed, getting tangled up in her satin sheets. "G-get your own." She said finally.

"Um, Pr-princess." A servant said from the bed side, reaching out and poking the Princess. "Your breakfast is getting cold.." The servant sighed.

Crystal rubbed the sleep from her eyes and blinked at her servant, noticing the grin on their face. Shooting them a suspicious look, she got up from her bed, her eyes never leaving the servant until she walked out on the balcony where a small table was set up with dishes of fruit, sausage, and pastries. She took her usual place at the table, and grabbed a lemonpoppy seed muffin from a bowl. Enjoying the natural scenery right before her, she bit into her muffin, wondering if Irina had already left.

[Rusalka]

"Certain am I that I have made the right choice in this most dubious of matters. The Princess, my lovely daughter, I believe she has a trust in you,as do I, Sir Irina."

Quiet was the knight as she knelt in full armor before the King, the steel now polished and reinforced by the crafty and magnificent hands of the royal blacksmiths, glimmering in the early morning sunlight pouring in from the grand and majestic windows of the royal throne room. Her longsword, now freshly sharpened, hung to her side in its ornate black and gold scabbard of polished cherry wood, speckles of light gleaming and sparkling off the shined brass hilt, and her helm rested at the side of her thigh and knee set upon the lavishly colorful rug that trailed almost endlessly down the length of the room until it reached the gargantuan gilded doors, decorated with ornate carvings, small cutouts that told in image the ancient history of this beautiful and prosperous Kingdom and the royal family who presided over it for almost thousands of years. Twas upon this glorious morning hour that Irina rose, gathered her armor and sword after they had been tended to carefully by the blacksmiths on the King's behalf, and made her way to the throne room so she and the King could have their appointed exchange of words, and the words exchanged definitely brought the brightest of smiles to the knight's face, almost beaming as bright as the sun upon her armor. And her heart, it was pulsing with such excitement, such joy. And so...if I may borrow your blade for a moment, Sir Irina."

Irina nodded to the King and unsheathed her sword, offering the hilt to the elderly man who grasped it in his plump hand and gently tapped the blade upon Irina's pauldrons as he proclaimed, his voice deep with the utmost Kingly authority, "By the power invested in me by the Love and Courage of the Goddess and of the Kingdom of Alegasia, I dub thee, Sir Irina, Royal Attendant and Protector to The Princess Crystal Belle. You may rise now, Sir Irina." Quite difficult though the knight found it to rise, for her legs were practically buckling at the overwhelming glee she felt this very moment, finally a King who accepted her, though not exactly as a knight mind you, as the King spoke earlier that would come whenever Irina had proven herself more to him, but this would do just nicely to the woman, as she was finally serving the Kingdom properly. Soon finding the strength to be on her feet, she kindly re-accepted her sword from the King and bowed graciously yet again, sheathing her weapon and smiling proudly, "You have my word, Your Majesty, I shall not fail you. It will be the greatest of honors to serve the Princess Crystal, and soon to serve the Kingdom of Alegasia as well."

"Aye, splendid, brave knight!" The King replied happily clasping his hands together with an equally joyous smile. "I have full faith in the Goddess you shall not disappoint either me or my daughter. Now then, get thee to The Princess and tell her the wonderful news. I have important matters I must discuss in private as well with my subjects soon. Best of luck to you, Sir Irina." Firmly his hand landed on her back as he chuckled heartily, "And godspeed. Now, hie you make haste!" And with that joyous send-off, out the doors of the throne room went Irina and into the hallways of the castle, a bounce in her step sort of as she made her way to the Princess' chamber, expecting she was awake by now, but as she tarried down the halls, the weight of her armor not bothering her once, she apparently had caught the attention of two guardsmen. "Oi now, what 'ave we 'ere, Pindel?" Irina heard one of the men croon as they approached her, just as she was turning heel on her sabatons to meet the two rather unscrupulous sounding characters with a bit of a confused expression, but a slight chuckle as she noticed their...appearance. One of the guards was rather fat and short statured with a scraggly grayish brown beard while the lad next to him was tall and indeed lanky, no beard but stubble about his narrow chin. "I dunno, guvnor." The fat one, Irina believed to be named Pindel, chimed in, a bit of a mocking sneer to the woman. "Looks like a woman in armor. Tell me, lass, did you make this outta yer kitchen pots?"

Soon from that biting comment followed laughter, jovial, jesting laughter that only made Irina sigh irritably and cross her arms over her chest with a deep scowl to the men. The thin bloke soon joined in on the fun in making sport of the knight, "Aye Pindel, thems must certainly be some fancy kitchen pots to make this hunk of tin out of." Just to slight the woman, hiss tiny fist rapped on her cuirass with a few clanks. It was clear as day to the nefarious duo of imbeciles they were getting under Irina's skin as she huffed and curtly pushed aside the lanky guard's hand from her armor. "And just who do you think you are to judge a woman for wearing armor, hmm?" She retorted, her scowl slitting her ice cold eyes into frozen daggers of dismay. "Funny to me, you're not wearing any, but...." Then her scowl became a smirk, a sly and devious one to equal the malice of the two, "It must be quite the challenge for the Royal Blacksmiths to fit for armor a yammering potato and his sidekick the bumbling leek."

"What?! Why you li'l wench you?!" That certainly riled them up, at least the skinny one, as he was ready to pounce on Irina and possibly teach her a lesson she'd never forget in insulting others, had it not been of course for his buddy the potato holding him back. "Damn!" The fat one chortled, effortlessly pushing his lanky sidekick aside. "This one's sure got the tongue on her, eh lad? Sorry for the rudeness, lass. We forgot to introduce ourselves. I am Pindel, Royal Guardsmen of His Majesty The King, and uh...this is..."

"Spaghetti!" the thin one chimed happily, but soon his head was met with a most heinous of thwacks from Pindel's leather gloved hand. "Ouch!!"

"Versetti! Not spaghetti you twit! What, you're such an idiot that you forgot your name already?! Growled the fat Pindel to lanky Versetti, who replied squeakily, painfully rubbing his burning hot cheek, the impact point of his plump comrade's hardened attack. "I can't help it, Pindel! I was dropped on me head as a wee lad by me mum!"

"Aye and probably out a window too." Pindel gruffly remarked with all cynicism due, leading to Versetti's retort of, "You take that back!"

And all while the two argued amongst themselves rather humorously, a war of insults being hurled back and forth between the guardsmen, Irina carefully slipped away unnoticed and continued on her way to the Princess' chamber. My....weren't those two quite the eclectic cards....

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Stepping into Crystal's abode, the knight soon took a knee, just as she would before the King, and smiled with a welcoming expression to the Princess, indeed looking just as wonderful as before. "Good Morning, M'lady." Irina said to her. "I see that you are well rested." Perhaps Irina would wait till later to to elaborate upon Crystal the news, that of Irina...being her newly appointed attendant.

[SailorMoon]

Everyone in the castle, including the guards and staff knew not to enter the Princess' chambers under any circumstances unless you were apart of her small crew of handpicked servants. So, it came as no surprise that she didn't bother acknowledging whoever had just entered. She figured it was someone coming to make her bed, or run her bath water. She didn't really care at all...That was until a familiar voice spoke up to greet her. Crystal nearly jumped out of her skin, and dropped her half eaten muffin on the ground when Irina interrupted her peaceful dining experience. She was actually surprised that the knight was still in the palace, but honestly she had no problems with it. Though she would never say so herself, the woman who saved her life would always be welcome in her home.

"I see that you enjoy breaking into my room..." She teased, peeking over her shoulder at the knight kneeling before her and then setting her sight's forward. "I'm sure you haven't eaten yet. Won't you join me, Sir Irina?" Crystal said softly as she waved towards an empty chair at the small table fit for three. She almost forgot that she was in her night clothes, and...since she hadn't been expecting anyone that hadn't already seen her nude, she never used her robe. Turning slightly red, she convinced herself it was perfectly appropriate for Irina to see her like this...They were both girls so was okay.

[Rusalka]

The sheer, silky fabric of the nightgown was almost able to be seen through, giving not one but quite a few generous peeks at the Princess' subtle but wonderful physique, a sight Irina dared not partake of yet again as she knelt before Crystal, the knight's cheeks already a slight shade of pinks and reds and a bit warm come to think of it. My did the Princess ever look so beautiful to her, even in just a simple negligee as this, the royal daughter could certainly turn a few heads, and strangely enough, the girl had no qualms of the woman seeing her almost half nude. Irina figured if it were a male instead of she who laid eyes upon this most dazzling of sights, then there would certainly be brash words exchanged from the young Crystal, maybe even a good hard smack to the face. Thank the Goddess that wasn't the case for Irina, but still...she felt as it could've been that. Clearing her throat abruptly, the woman stood, clutching her helm to her hip opposite of her sword as she replied to the Princess' offer to dine with her. "Gratitude, M'lady, but I do not hunger at the moment, as I am to soon begin my appointed task by His Majesty your father. Perchance another time." Oops! Perchance that may have slipped her open lips, but at least Irina was wise enough to not include what the task at hand was, that being of her newly appointed position to the Royal Court.

Still, even if she wasn't hungry, Irina joined the beautiful Crystal at her balcony, standing in the doorway and marveling greatly the wonderful view from atop the Princess' elegant perch. She thought her picturesque view of the Alegasian night from her chamber was a sight to behold, but to see the sun first rise over those tall and misty mountains to the east, a bright glimmer of light through the thick rocks and basking unto the valleys and grasslands below, it was as if the knight was peering through the gates of Paradise itself. "Tis a wonderful view from here, M'lady." She smiled to Crystal, but upon sight of the Princess in her barely robed state, the knight immediately turned her attention elsewhere, so as to not display her already flustering cheeks to the girl. As much as I've traveled these vast lands, never have I expected to behold an image as lovely as this....but what exactly am I speaking of...or rather whom? True, Irina thought all women to be beautiful, but the Princess...her beauty was rather special. Still standing guard amidst the Princess, something peculiar had caught the knight's eye, a brief glint on the horizon. "Hmm?" She perked as it passed her again, that same small flash of blinding white against the thick greens of the faraway grass. To her, it looked as if the sun's rays were striking a piece of glass ever so intensely to produce such a glare, but what had glass? A mirror? No...a lens perhaps, a concave lens to reflect the sun with that much intensity. A telescope? A spyglass? If so then...oh no!! "M'lady, duck!"

All too soon did she realize the answer, quickly throwing herself armor and all onto Crystal and pulling the girl to the floor. Suddenly there it came, the shrill whistle as it screamed past over the heads of Irina and the Princess, followed shortly by the heavy thunk of the impact into Crystal's bedpost. First day as the girl's attendant, and already the knight's mettle was being put to the test, and quite possibly by those same who sent the ruffians after her yesterday. "Princess, are you alright?" Hastily the woman asked, but too soon did she also realize....she was in a bit of a compromising position atop the young girl...eye to eye with her and her nose almost touching the girl's soft and beautiful face. "Ah um....f-forgive me for such brash actions, M'lady!" Swiftly to her feet was Irina, now her cheeks evidently blushing brighter than before. "But it was taken to save your life...yet again I see." Taking her nervous eyes off the girl for a second, she moved towards the arrow, plucking it from the bedpost and already examining thoroughly the tip. There was an odor to the steel point, familiar, rank, and certainly reeked of imminent death. "Hmph. Poison...just as I suspected." Now Irina had to wonder....who was behind such vile acts towards the Royal Family?

[SailorMoon]

The Princess was at least satisfied that Irina accepted her invitation to join her on the balcony. She was glad to see that the Knight was enjoying her company and the best view of Alegasia from anywhere else in The Kingdom, but something the Knight said seemed to bug her even through the serene morning. Appointed task...? She tried not to look too suspiciously at the woman, it was to be suspected after all with how her father did things. Irina could have been the worst knight in the world, but the King still would have been able to find a place for her in his courts - just like that Pinhead and his side-kick Spaghetti. Those two had to be the absolute worse knights ever, but some how her father had entrusted them with his life. Maybe father had finally come to his senses. Crystal appraised the female knight, a subtle nod of approval followed by a smirk. It was nice to know she no longer had to worry about The King's safety.

It seemed she had began to daydream, her mind had gotten lost in the beautiful blue hair which rivaled the sky it self. Her cheeks had grown hot, but her dreamy eyes never strayed from Irina. Nothing could ruin their peaceful moment it seemed until Irina threw her on the ground and leaped on top of her. The events that followed just moved way too fast for her mind, Crystal could only lay there staring into her savior's pale blue eyes with a puzzled expression. She was sure she could feel her breath on her face, and while it was quite embarrassing it also excited the young woman. "I'm fine..." She said softly, a hint of uncertainty behind her voice as Irina rushed off of her. Crystal picked herself up slowly, rubbing her head gingerly... it was pretty tender from where the back of her head hit the floor.

Once she was up, she walked over to where Irina had plucked the arrow from her bed post. She looked at the arrow and then back to the knight...several times. "S-someone's trying to kill me?" Her face lost all color and she definitely needed to take a seat, so she used the bed post to balance herself. "If you hadn't come..." Her voice was faint as she had come to a terrifying realization. "I would be dead if it weren't for you." She swallowed to clear her throat, and refocused on Irina, her heart beating a thousand times per second.

[Rusalka]

Bitterly, the knight snapped the arrow in two in the hardened palm of her gauntlet with a thick glower but also a rather perplexed expression as well, her eyes trailing from the tainted steel tip of the deadly projectile towards its intended victim, the ever flustered and hesitant Crystal who stood before Irina, timidly showing her gratitude for the woman saving her life for the second time in a row. With a flick of her wrist, Irina tossed aside the broken posion arrow, her scowl slowly returning to a more sincere face as she replied to the Princess' shaky but grateful utterance of words, "Tis true, M'lady." Although that sounded a bit too matter of factly, but Irina was never one to sugar coat anything, even when it came to rescuing a beautiful young girl such as Crystal. "I was fortunate enough to catch the glint off your assailant's spyglass before they were able to volley this most foul of killing blows to you." A little trick the knight had learned when she too had come under fire by archers in the battlefield. There would be two of them, a spotter, he was the one who chose targets, far or narrow for his archer to engage, a spyglass or telescope he would have on hand, just so he could marvel at the grim twisting of the face one experienced from a well placed arrow coated in basilisk venom, piercing into their flesh with such an agonizing, fiery pain until the poison coursed its way to your heart and you dropped instantly to the mud and the blood below you...dead....

However those spyglasses were quite the give-away, especially on a clear, sunny day as this, the convex lens reflecting the light back and instantly compromising the enemy archer's whereabouts with what most hardened warriors coined The Star of Demise. Well thank the Goddess no further demise had come to the Princess in due thanks as well to Irina's keen sense. Still, rather terrified was the young girl, a second attempt on her life, and for why? Who in their right of mind would even think of harming such a delicate flower as the Princess? And also for what damned reason was there to snuff the flame of the brightest candle glowing throughout the fair lands of Alegasia? It puzzled Irina so, but...the attempt was done...for now. "Worry you not, M'lady." Her voice was calm and reassuring to the frightened girl, as was her face. She guessed now would be the best time to tell her...seems she's already shown Crystal why she was here. "For as appointed by His Majesty your father....I shall protect you with everything I have...even if that means giving my own life for yours."

[SailorMoon]

Crystal leaned on her bed post before eventually sliding down and being seated on the edge of her bed. A hand went to rest over her heart which might as well have burst through her chest. It hurt to know that their was an attack on her life not once, but twice... Who would want her dead? She couldn't recall ever hurting anyone in Alegasia or any of the other Kingdoms. Sure, there was that one drunken incident at the last feast, but it wasn't worth her life. Of course she always knew that being royalty had it's challenges but the kingdom... it was just so peaceful. She rarely ever stepped foot out of the Palace as herself, The Princess of Alegasia, yet someone had found a good enough reason to want her dead. It was obvious that this would not be the last of the attacks on her life, the worst was yet to come.

Despite The Princess' feelings about the whole situation, the annoyance she felt at Irina's bomb took priority over anything she had been thinking before. Crystal knew she needed protection, but she had strictly told her father that there were to be no personal guards or royal attendants for her. They were daunting, overbearing, and just overprotective. It meant no alone time, and how she valued her alone time. Not only that, it made her feel uncomfortable knowing there was a stranger willing to risk their lives for her just because she was the Princess. It was one thing to save her without her permission, but to know this person was put in place as some shield for her just didn't sit well with her. However, there was no way Irina would step down after accepting such an offer from The King. Now that Sir Irina was apart of the Royal Guard, legally she could not step down without a very, very good reason.

"Leave!" She shot up from her bed and placing both hands on her protector's shoulders, began pushing Irina towards her closed door. "I won't...I won't stand for this!" Crystal said sternly, continuing to push against the suit of armor standing in her room. The Princess saw her effort yielded little results, but kept on anyway, huffing and puffing while shouting about Irina signing her own death warrant.