Alfbie

A Journey for Peace

Lamont hadn't expected Kiara to react so fondly to the garden; it was merely the next place on his "tour." Seeing her so at home out here reminded him that she was from Astora and probably grew up surrounded by nature. What would it be like to not have the mountains as protection?

One thing he knew for sure -- he would be bringing Kiara back to the gardens when she needed a place to relax.

He inwardly cringed when Kiara commented about the mob. He was such an idiot; That wasn't what he meant! But her disguise idea intrigued him. He had never once considered disguising himself to go out. If he wished to leave the castle, he simply left, and he never went far on his -- he had no reason to. Kiara, however, made the ordeal sound exciting, daring, like a mystery novel.

Lamont regarded her with a half-smile and a certain excitement in his gaze that was never present before. "I don't know what you can show me in combat with your arm as it is," Lamont said, "but if you allow me to accompany you to the city tomorrow also in disguise, I'll be more than happy to send someone for your horse." It sounded like an easy request.

A Journey for Peace

Lamont didn't push further on the subject of her bodyguard, knowing it would be poison to his mind. Already he wondered in what circumstance she would like to see him and why he wouldn't feel the same -- like two characters in a soap opera -- and had to remind himself that perhaps she just wanted to make sure he was safe. He wasn't close to any of his guards, but his brothers had been.

Instead, he showed her around the castle. It was massive -- half of it was buried in the mountain while the exposed wings sported windows everywhere. Though the entire structure was made of stone, the tapestries, rugs, pictures, furniture, and well-placed lighting made the castle feel more like a home. Lamont spoke briefly about many of the rooms, revealing their official history as well as some of his own personal history. It was evident from the softness in his eyes that he was quite fond of where he lived, even if he didn't like who he lived with.

The servants would try to sneer at Kiara at first, until the noticed the prince with her. Those sneers would turn into polite smiles, obligatory bows, or appropriate nods. Lamont noticed the shift in reaction to Kiara and how isolated it felt, even when they pretended to be nice to her. As the tour progressed, he found himself standing closer to her, gently touching her elbow, or offering her his arm whenever someone drew near, and he would pin these servants with an expectant stare. It was his passive-aggressive way to let these servants know that Kiara was welcome here, that this was her home, and that she should be treated with respect.

At one point, he had bashfully shown her the location to his living quarters but did not offer to let her inside. Already, his cleaning servants had been gossiping on how they would rearrange his space for the wedding night and it was something he'd rather not think about while in the company of others.

Eventually, he led Kiara outside to the stables and the private gardens -- a delicate mixture of hearty mountain foliage and delicate tropical plants. Lamont's gaze, however, kept turning to the gates that would guide them out to the public streets. He longed to show Kiara the markets, the houses, and the common citizenry immediately surrounding the castle, to allow Kiara a small glimpse of what Berinike was really like, but was not sure if it would be safe. If the servants -- those vowed to serve and protect the princess -- treated her with such disdain, how would the people react to seeing her?

"I had hoped to show you the city streets," he murmured softly, "but I don't think we're quite prepared for such a venture."

A Journey for Peace

Lamont wasn't used to seeing such fierce blushing from someone with such light skin. He found it endearing, fascinating in a way, and he found his gaze on Kiara lingering longer than needed to be. "I would like that," he agreed, "to be friends. There is no law saying we need to be in love with each other in order to be married, right?" He managed his best encouraging smile, though it sounded odd talking about something as long-lasting and life-changing as his marriage to her in such a platonic way. "Frankly, I don't want to worry about that right now anyway. As long as we can get through each day."

He rose to his feet, gently dusting off his jacket, then offered a hand to Kiara to help her on her feet. "Do you need to see a healer about your arm? We can do that, if you wish, then show you around your new home. Perhaps we may run across your bodyguard on the way." Though he had no interest in actually meeting Ostus, especially after Kiara's description of him, he hoped suggesting it would at least make Kiara feel better.

A Journey for Peace

Lamont could do nothing but stare as Kiara talked. Where did this compassion come from? He understood now -- they both needed to stay alive and get along to break this hard war with peace -- but still. If she was like this after barely knowing him, what would she be like later? Would she grow annoyed by him, resent him, hate him? Or would she...

Lamont shifted his gaze to the floor. "In the past, my brothers have always protected me. I never got along with any of them, but we were never closer than during the face of danger. I know nothing about your guard Ostus. Mother has not told me about him yet. I don't know if I am willing to train with him because I don't know him." He lifted his eyes, his gaze searching Kiara's face. "But I'm willing to give it a try."

He smiled then, a flicker of a genuine smile, and threw back his shoulders. "I expect to not be laughed at, scoffed, poked fun at, or in any way disrespected," he commented, a little of his mother's haughty tone glimmering through. "And just because I'm not a skilled fighter does not mean I don't know how to fight at all, nor that I've never been trained. It so happens I am very good at avoiding direct attacks at least."

He began to feel a little better talking with Kiara and hoped that she was feeling the same way.

A Journey for Peace

Princess Kiara made a lot of good points. As outspoken as she could be, Lamont also found her to be quite level-headed. It almost made him envious, in a way, that he couldn't be more outspoken and intuitive like her.

"I'm sorry that I initially didn't want to get to know you," he admitted quietly, at once feeling awful. "I felt as though if I accepted you, I would be giving in to another one of my parents' schemes. But your reasoning is sound. We will someday rule the two nations together, so we set an example for everyone else. If Astora and Berinike are to get along, it must start with us. It's just... still surreal that you don't find me less of a man because I'm not covered in muscles and scars."

This lead up to his next question, one he felt nervous about asking. He wasn't sure why, it wasn't as though he was going to ask something personal. Still, he had never talked to anyone so directly about his capabilities and interests before. For the first time in his life, he had the desire to take combat more seriously, but he needed someone he could trust to teach him. Someone that wouldn't put him down. He just hoped Kiara wouldn't say no if he asked her to train him.

But before Lamont could say the words, Kiara confessed the very thing that shattered what little confidence in the matter he had. She couldn't fight.

"Wait, what did you say?" he nearly whispered, hardly believing the timing of this confession. He studied her carefully; she looked fine. Was this a joke? "I don't understand... you move normally. You don't look injured. Who is Ostus?" His throat tightened a little. She was worried about not being able to protect herself, which meant she needed someone strong and courageous to protect her. Already he felt like a failure of a husband. How was he going to protect his wife when he couldn't even protect himself?

A Journey for Peace

Lamont sighed when he spotted Princess Kiara slumped on the floor with her head in her hands. Dread slowed down his trot to a slow walk; he didn't know the first thing about handling women.

Politics was one thing. He was born into it and seemed to have a better affinity towards negotiations and discussions than any of his brothers had. This, however, was quite another because women always had a way of making any conversation personal.

He sat on the floor beside her, forearms propped on his knees, and eyed Kiara apprehensively. Should he... rub her back and tell her everything would be okay? Or was a shoulder pat more appropriate? Gods, he didn't want to hug her -- he barely knew her, after all. Should he offer her his handkerchief, or would Kiara be insulted to be handed something he had used in the past? Should he get her some water?

If he thought about this too long, he would get a headache, so instead he sighed and softly exclaimed, "You didn't have to do that." It was certainly not a comforting statement, but it was on his mind. "You're the least likely person to defend me like you did, so it surprises me. Father isn't too pleased with you right now, but he's never pleased with anyone but himself. Mother thinks this is all a game. I've gotten rather used to it, so... you don't need to waste your breath on the likes of me."

Lamont sighed. That was probably the worst reassuring speech he had ever made. Somehow he had made it about him. He scowled to himself. "Well, what I meant to say is, ah... well... don't worry, I suppose..."

A Journey for Peace

The entire hall was speechless for a very long moment.

King Hugo was the first to find his voice. "Does she mean to walk in here and undermine thousand of years of tradition?!" he snarled. "Just as expected from someone from Astora -- she thinks she can simply walk in here and change things to fit her personal beliefs alone! Who said anything about Lamont being a disgrace?" He turned his attention to his surviving son. "You've been telling her things, haven't you."

Lamont gaped in shock before he recovered, glaring back at his father with anger. "I've told her nothing!" he barked. "We barely met! She came barging into the library thinking she could command me; she came to her own conclusions! Why would I admit to my future wife of my follies!"

It scared Lamont to realize how intuitive Kiara was. It was true -- he had a falling out with his father for several years over disagreements with lifestyle. To Lamont, Hugo truly did think him a disgrace. Was their animosity towards each other so transparent?

"I think this is good," Queen Alexis stated, looking bemused. "If the princess is this passionate about someone she barely knows, imagine how fit she would be by Lamont's side once she gets to know our country."

"Get to know?" King Hugo said in furious disbelief. "She'll use Lamont to destroy Berinike as we know it! Give her a decade and she'll have this place covered in trees and frills and shiny things. The arts don't protect people from dying. There'll be no stopping Callum from preying on us."

"Astora hasn't fallen to Callum thus far, has it?"

"No, but..."

Lamont ignored his parents as they launched into argument. Instead, he rose to his feet and moved briskly towards the door. It was true, Kiara had so far demonstrated herself to be rude and commanding, qualities he didn't care for. However, no one else had ever stood up for him the way she had, not even his mother. He couldn't understand why. He was the enemy, the weakling, and they had just met. There was absolutely no reason for Kiara to get so upset. He had to find out what was going on.

Furthermore, something his father had said earlier had struck a chord. Was king Hugo truly worried about his safety? All this time, Lamont had assumed the king's love was all for his brothers. Perhaps he had been wrong. In that case, maybe it wouldn't hurt to make the attempt to see things a little more his way. Perhaps Kiara would be the best one to talk to regarding such matters.

So he burst through the doors, hoping to catch up to the princess. "Kiara, wait!"

A Journey for Peace

bedtime for me! *bows* Until tomorrow :)

A Journey for Peace

Upon Kiara's mention of her "incident," King Hugo was the only one that looked away. If he knew what Kiara was truly referring to and felt guilt over it, he did not show it, looking nonchalant as he cut at his meat.

Queen Alexis, on the other hand, seemed to not react at all to the reference, at least not in a way out of the ordinary from any other person. "I used to be quite an efficient dual-wielder," she said conversationally. It seemed odd coming from her; she looked too frail and thin to be able to lift one sword, let alone two. "I do believe it was my abilities with twin blades that first attracted Hugo to me." She cast him a smirk. "Though, I had an unfortunate incident myself. Now I can only look at my blades..."

Lamont couldn't help but stare at Kiara as he idly chewed his food. She had started to say something that sounded to him like she and her mother were not on common ground. Did her situation both opposed and mirrored his own? He prepared to ask her to elaborate on that statement, but Kiara spoke first.

Lamont dropped his fork. It clattered noisily against his plate, but he hardly noticed, his face flushed with embarrassment. "Princess, I would prefer you not speak of such--"

"It is Berinike tradition," King Hugo cut in, shooting his son a glare before turning his attention to Kiara. "It is part of our custom, it is ingrained in our history. Long ago, before this region was a kingdom, we were a series of warring tribes. When not at war, the people were at a loss of how to occupy their time, so they took up weapon crafting, sparring, jousting... and, surely enough, war would start again. Combat defines this country. It built this country and it sustains it. The finest armor and weapons are from Berinike, the best fighters. To be skillful in combat is to claim yourself a true Berinikan. Picture life on Astora without a single one of your trees. If you cannot, then you understand Berinike's relationship to the sword." He glared at Lamont, though his words were still addressed to Kiara. "It is disgraceful for a member of the royal family, a person who represents the whole of this nation, to not participate in the most widely and firmly held of our customs."

"There is more to life than fighting, Father," Lamont shot back. "What of economics, infrastructure, agriculture, and community? A country cannot run without any of those things."

"Have you learned nothing, boy? Combat fuels the economy through the sale of battle goods. Every house is built as sturdily as our garrisons. Our soldiers rely on efficient agriculture to be fed. War is community, or have you forgotten?"

"And as Princess Kiara states, what good are extra weapons, soldiers on the sidelines, and empty garrisons once there is peace between Berinike and Astora? Father, this country has so many internal problems. All of our money is being funneled to the war and not to the people within our walls. The farmers--"

"Do you think I don't know that?" King Hugo snapped. "Do you think I don't know how to run my own damn country? We do not have the resources or the manpower to handle every problem at once--"

"Perhaps we will after the union with Astora--"

"There is still Callum to deal with! The war still rages, just with a different focus. If you bothered to pay attention to your studies and if you'd bother to read our scouts' daily reports, you'd know that Callum spies have been infiltrating our borders. There have been assassination attempts on some of our nobles by Callum men dressed as scouts from Astora. I will not always be around to protect you. You need to learn to protect yourself! You're all I've got; I will not lose you to utter foolishness."

Both men, flustered and angry, glared down at their plates, both shoveling food into their mouths.

A Journey for Peace

All three of them looked up from their meals in surprise.

"I didn't think Astora royalty knew how to fight or desired to," Alexis stated. "Is all royalty over there trained in combat as they are here? Are all the citizens?"

"If the Princess is telling the truth, perhaps she could teach Lamont how to properly defend himself in battle. Gods know he has cycled through I don't know how many trainers already." He gave Alexis a meaningful look. "There will be no need for the elf; you could urge the Princess to release him."

"Nonsense," Queen Alexis muttered. "We don't know how well the Princess can fight."

"The said could be the same for the elf."

"He'll prove his merit shortly."

Lamont sighed, picking at his food now. Of course he knew how to fight...there wasn't a person alive in this kingdom that had never picked up a sword. He was just atrocious at it. Now that he was the last living heir to the throne, he'd probably make an easy target to any would-be assassins. It surprised him that Kiara not only knew how to fight but had a desire to practice; she seemed more Berinike than he was. Yet another thing they did not have in common. This saddened him somehow, and he had to remind himself that it shouldn't matter because he didn't want to get to know her anyway.