Rodiak

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N ♖ o u t f i t ♖ S O R I A N P A R K , 1 2 : 0 0 A M I N T E R A C T I O N S : M E N T I O N S :

Zarai found herself staring at her reflection. Too tall and far too thin. Her chin elongated; it looked sharp enough to cut wood in half and leaned slightly to the right. Her arms were long like tree branches, skinny as if they could snap at any second. Her eyes, she could barely see them in her reflection they looked wrong. Zarai frowned at the unfamiliar reflection, raising her left arm and then her right to see if her reflection would do the same. They bent in her elbows inwardly as if she had broken them.

”Who finds this entertaining?" Zarai eyed her reflection one more time before she continued walking, leaving the house of mirrors behind them.

After the prince’s court, Zarai had Sir Barrios take her back to the guest house, knowing her mother wouldn’t be there, and switch back to her old dress but left Fritz’s work on her hair untouched. Duchess Lesdeman had a meeting with some uber-fancy schmancy businessman to buy property in Sorian. An estate that Zarai only knew about because she had been snooping in her mother’s office. A summer house? Winter home? Zarai could buy her own apartment in Sorian. Leave Puerto Vira and to whoever her parents decide to pass it to and live here. Change her name. She could be Liege Ariel Alvarado, a mysterious noble from faraway lands of Catalonia who sings in the taverns during their free time and is a bit of a lady killer. Or she could be Lord Loid of Lordshire or Lady Cassandra Castleton! Zarai needed to come up with better names for her alter egos.

"My Lady, where are we exactly going?" Sir Barrios spoke up from behind her. Since leaving the palace walls, he’d been glued to her like a parasite. Seemed like he did not want a repeat of today’s encounter with Fritz and Udo.

The thought of them was quickly forgotten.

"I promised my little princesita that I would come to find her once the court was over." Zarai glanced back at the knight, glaring at the empty chair he was still pushing around. "Sir Barrios, I thought I had said to leave that."

"Your mother ordered that I take it everywhere you go, " Sir Barrios gave the same reply he had given her fifteen minutes ago.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes, giving a breath of irritation as she picked up her skirts and sat on the chair. She sucked in air through her teeth and quickly motioned the knight to continue their search. If he was persistent in bringing the dammed chair, she might as well use it, not because it was getting painful to walk.

The steel wheels made it difficult to traverse through the grass, making the chair rattle with every step Sir Barrios took, and while it was far better than walking, it would take them long to find Anastasia. She couldn’t see anything aside from other people’s crotch areas and little kids running past her, some pointing to her and laughing.

Little shits, do it again, and I’ll trip you.

They walked around for a few more minutes, the sea of crotches walking past her as she craned her neck, trying to search for her friend. After a while, she gave up when the aching on her side became too much and sat back in the chair, looking for the dress Anastasia had worn instead. Twenty minutes had passed before Sir Barrios cleared his throat and stopped the chair on the side of a pastel yellow stand.

"My Lady, are you sure she is still here? She may have left already." Sir Barrios walked to the front of the chair. "The Princess may have gone on ahead to the Summer Horse Race; I am sure she will be there."

"Princesita wouldn’t do that." Zarai looked at him with a frown, "Besides, I promised her that I would find her here, and I do not intend to break my promises." She stood up slowly and ignored the knight's protests as she began walking again in search of Anastasia.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ S H E H Z A D I N A H I R K A D I R S H E H Z A D I N A H I R K A D I R ♖ o u t f i t ♖ P A R K O F S O R I A N , 1 2 : 0 0 I N T E R A C T I O N S : @Lava Alckon@princess@Potter M E N T I O N S :

Nahir watched the cup closely as the woman moved them around effortlessly, the sound of the coins inside rattling with every move. It was clear she had been doing this for many years. She tried to keep an eye on the one with the most coins trying to partake in the game on her own.

Left one? She answered in her head, eyes trained on the cup until the woman lifted the middle cup revealing the bigger pile of coins. She gasped softly, eyebrows raised in a mixture of amusement and surprise as she clapped.

"Nicely done, dear cousin." Nahir shot him an encouraging smile, "Looks like that Alidasht intuition is hard at work." The game of luck had piqued her interest, and was now willing to try. Albeit, Nahir did not have the best of luck, and she doubted today would be her day. The shooting range is enough of an example. Still, there was no pride to lose or no need to show any sportsmanship to some lowly woodsman.

Her attention was ripped from the game and her cousin when she heard it— the distinct sound of a gunshot. More shots followed seconds after as Nahir tried to concentrate on the sound far enough to be passed off as nothing. It came from the direction of the Baazar or further away.

The beach? Vikena’s Estate or Damien’s? Whatever it was, she hoped it wasn’t the beach; Nahir had instructed Lady Bhatt to attend the fashion show in her steed later in the day if she could not make it. It would be a great disappointment and inconvenience if it were canceled due to the city’s poor crime management.

Sad to see such a beautiful city go to waste in the hands of the Danroses. Nahir turned back to the group, waiting to see if anyone else had noticed the noise.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ S H E H Z A D I N A H I R K A D I R S H E H Z A D I N A H I R K A D I R ♖ o u t f i t ♖ P A R K O F S O R I A N , 1 2 : 0 0 I N T E R A C T I O N S : @Lava Alckon@princess@Potter M E N T I O N S :

The disdain on Farim’s face did not go unnoticed by Nahir, prompting her to slightly incline her head in his direction as a small apology. She wouldn’t bring up his father in his presence for the rest of the day, but she had to apologize to Princess Anastasia for his bloodthirstiness and lack of civility. It had been embarrassing to see him act in such a way with so many other royals and nobles around them.

Bratty man child. Was the last thought of her uncle as Farim greeted them with a smile.

Nahir stayed quiet while the others talked, an idle smile in place. She briefly glanced at Layla, wondering if her health had been poor throughout the night and morning. It would explain her absence during yesterday’s wagon ride and this morning’s little get-together with the king and queen.

"This cup game sounds fun, let us make our way there and enjoy the day! Sorian Park, look out, the Shehzadi have arrived~!"

It seemed like Farim and Anastasia's enthusiasm was contagious. "I saw a stuffed white bunny when I passed that game." There was a hint of excitement in her voice as she gently pulled at her sister’s arm and began to guide them to the stall. She let a smile slip through. Nahir would win that white bunny and place it in her atop the mount of pillows.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ S H E H Z A D I N A H I R K A D I R S H E H Z A D I N A H I R K A D I R ♖ o u t f i t ♖ P A R K O F S O R I A N , 1 1 : 0 0 I N T E R A C T I O N S : @Lava Alckon@princess@Potter M E N T I O N S :

Nahir had stopped to look at a tall man, dark and muscled, pick up a large sledgehammer and swinging it above his head before hitting with the force of a bull straight down to a metallic contraption under him. A loud DING! ran throughout the crowd and soon after they began to cheer for him.

"That game seems like fun." Ece hummed, watching as a giant stuffed bear was handed to him.

"I don’t doubt that," Nahir replied, unsure which was more interesting. The game itself or the hunk of a man. Her amber eyes traced over the curves of his back, tracking every muscle as he turned around and their eyes met. Surprised, the man smiled at her and waved with a toothy grin. Nahir lifted her chin, giving him one last look over before turning on her heels and continuing down the row of stands. Behind her, Nahir heard Ece snicker.

”Sister Nahir. What a delightful surprise.” Nahir turned to look at the voice's source, her shoulders tensing under the emerald shawl that covered them. ”This is quite different from home, isn’t it?” A smile found its way to her lips, slipping her arm through Layla’s and hooking them with ease. She had not expected to see Layla at the festival, but it was a pleasant surprise. Not to mention, Nahir required some sister bonding time to gossip and ask for advice.

"It’s a welcomed change; I quite like it actually. It’s just missing fire-spitting and sword-swallowing acrobats.” Nahir always loved those. The thrill and danger that hung around the performers always excited her, filling her with anticipation that something might go wrong.

"Let's. Should we try a few of the games around? Some look interesting." She said before she caught sight of two familiar faces approaching them.

Their cousin Farim and Princess Anastasia joined them. Nahir tried not to laugh at their cousin’s hasty greeting. He looked panicked, nervous, and a bit out of breath. It reminded her of all the times they played as children, chasing each other through the main palace halls, servants at their heels, trying to stop them from accidentally falling. "Asalamu alaykum, dear cousin." She greeted him before turning to greet the princess.

"Asalamu alaykum princess. It is nice to meet you face to face, finally. I hope you feel better after this morning’s little scene." Nahir looked at Anastasia, offering a small sympathetic smile. "I would like to apologize for my uncle’s words. The man can get… emotional and a tad irrational when his family is threatened. Still, there was no need for such a show from him." She waved her hand, quickly dismissing that subject away. No need to sour their mood with the subject of impulsive and senseless men whose only solution to everything was violence.

"Shall we enjoy today’s festivities?" Her free hand motioned to their surroundings. "Princess Anastasia has prizes to win for us."

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N ♖ o u t f i t ♖ S O R I A N P A L A C E , 9 : 3 0 A M I N T E R A C T I O N S : @Inertia M E N T I O N S :

Thought it through? I doubt he is capable of any thought at all. Zarai thought for a second, her mind ready to tear down King Edin and spew out any and all insults she knew to him. Him as his slimy greasy forehead. That was until she saw his face, Zarai recognized the hesitation, the defeated look, the hopelessness in his voice. Auguste, much like her, was stuck in this situation with little to no say.

She tried not to, but Zarai shook her head when he mentioned he’d be fine with whatever pick his parents presented him with. "Don’t say that, or you might regret it, Your Highness." She cracked a smile, "What if they pick some ugly girl who is cruel and talks in nonsensical riddles? And worse of all," she leaned in, looking right and left before whispering, "what if she has two left feet and can’t dance?"

Zarai couldn’t blame him for his lack of response to her question; his tired eyes didn’t go unnoticed either. However, he better think of something seeing as she wouldn’t be the only one asking that.

"Stifling is one way of putting it," She agreed, smiling to let him know he wasn’t the cause of such a feeling. It seemed like they were both in the same boat and were just trying their best to stay afloat.

"If Your Highness has heard of my fencing, I must not be keeping it as secretive as I should have." Zarai’s mother had not said anything of the subject yet, and she wished to keep it that way. Of perhaps she had already found out and was fine with the sport. There were other women in fencing competitions, many from high noble houses like her own.

"I must apologize," Zarai’s smile wavered as she took a deep breath. "but I must be curt with you. My family has decided that I am now too old to be an unwed lady and wish me to marry. That is every parent’s wish for their children of course, but unfortunately, mine are evil, as you would understand—" oops "—because you’ve met them. So evil, right?" Nice save, Zarai. "Anyway, if I do not find a husband of my own by the end of this season, I will be forced to marry old stinky Lord Monet. I am serious about the stinky part. How, in the seven hells, does a man stink of wet dog and expired sausages simultaneously? On top of that, that man is weird. Apologies for the tangent, but you’re right, to the point. If you ever, for some reason, find yourself needing a woman to marry and don’t have a clue who, I do hope I cross your mind. I’ll be in the guest house. You know that didn’t have to tell you. " She picked at her nails, trying to keep her hands busy. "Could be an easy marriage, open if you would like. I don’t stink; I hope I don’t. My family has the money, the status, and the pedigree, if you guys are into that. Really, we’d be a good match. You like swords, I like swords. We both like swords. It could work out! " She stopped to take another breath, giving her just enough time to process the soup of words she had spewed out of her mouth. "Ah fuck." This was a mistake.

"I am so sorry, Your Highness. Please forget everything I just said." Zarai stood up from her chair, gave the prince a curtsy, and quickly made her way to the door. There, Sir Barrios stopped her and pointed to the wheelchair left behind. Zarai didn’t turn to look at it, instead ordered the knight to fetch it and left the room to wait for him outside and out of the sight of Prince Auguste.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ S I R M A T H I A S L A R S E N S I R M A T H I A S L A R S E N ♖ o u t f i t ♖(#1) S H O O T I N G R A N G E , 1 1 : 0 0 A M I N T E R A C T I O N S : M E N T I O N S : @Heartfillia

"I bet two gold that he’s a bastard from a mistress." Mary whispered, leaning in closer to Mathias. "He is handsome, that little show he put on during the competition? Ugh, amazing. It’s a shame, really." She clicked her tongue, and Mathias shot her a glare. Taken back by such a harsh look, Mary pulled back and bowed her head.

Mathias flinched at Mary’s first statement, his eyes darting to the man. "We shouldn’t assume. Or stare." He turned his back to the group, walking to Lukas. The boy sat in one of the chairs with Verrick’s bow in his lap and eyes looking up at his father. His gaze soften seeing his son, a smile spreading over his lips as he knelt in front of the boy.

"Where do you want to go next? I heard there’s a festival in the park, or we could head for a play in the theater. Or maybe a " Mathias brushed some of the golden curls from Lukas’s forehead, ignoring the rush of cold over his back. It felt like someone had dumped a bucketful of ice water on him.

Lukas grinned, and Mathias couldn’t help but return it."The pa…park!" he exclaimed excitedly, his feet kicking in the air a bit.

"Very well," Mathias stood up, taking the bow and handing it to Mary, not bothering to look at her for now. He offered his hand to Lukas, and the boy took it without protest and hopped off the chair.

"Your lordship, a woman is approaching. One of Lady Damien’s guards, it seems."

Mathias turned around, glancing behind the woman to see Crystal walking away from Cassius and her father. He couldn’t catch the expression on her face but judging from the pace of her walk and the stiffness of her shoulders; he could tell she was upset. Understandably so.

”Lady Crystal regretfully has an appointment to keep. However, she wished to give this to you in person, but could not given the unforeseen interruption.”

Mathias looked back at the woman and hthen down at the book offered to him. He took it carefully, examining the worn-out edges and barely readable title on the spine. He remembered he had asked for a recommendation and this was it, ‘Sir Ivan Whittlock’s collection of Fantastical true Stories.’

” Her personal copy…”

He smiled, his thumb tracing over the cover and following the part of the simple pattern. "Will you tell her I said thank you?" He finally looked at the woman, furrowing his brows at the look she gave him. She turned around without another word and left, unsure if she had heard him.

"Scary." Mary muttered, looking at Mathias with wide eyes when he turned to face her. She bowed her head again, unsure if she had said something out of line again, but when he said nothing and began to walk, she followed quickly after.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ S H E H Z A D I N A H I R K A D I R S H E H Z A D I N A H I R K A D I R ♖ o u t f i t ♖ P A R K O F S O R I A N , 1 1 : 0 0 I N T E R A C T I O N S : M E N T I O N S :

After the brief farewell with Lord Smithwood, Nahir stayed behind in the shooting range for a while longer to partake in one of her favorite hobbies; people watching. Caesonians had a way about them that set them apart from the Alidasht people that ever since Nahir first set foot abroad, she couldn’t quite place what it was. It could be the cooler weather.

A woman in bright-colored slippers and golden buckles laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the Shehzadi. She wore a dress with last season’s aqua blue, bright purple floral patterns, and pink lace. An eyesore amongst the nobility. The pearls and gems she wore around her neck and ears were indications enough to tell her that the woman had enough money to buy something that would not offend those around her. Nahir continued to watch her for a while longer, seeing how she laughed loudly, her head tilted back without fear of judgment. Of course, who would even judge her attitude when they were too busy looking at the mess that was her outfit.

“Is something the matter, Shehzadi?” Ece leaned in closer to Nahir.

“Those slippers.” Nahir gave a pointed look to the woman.

“Ah, they are quite-”

“Offensive to look at.”

“Shall I remove them from her feet, my lady?” There was a hint of amusement in the woman’s voice.

“I’d be best to remove the source altogether.” Nahir retorted sarcastically, rising to her feet. “Should we get going? I have to cleanse my mind of those sinful slippers.”

“Fashion district, Shehzadi?”

“Are you reading my mind, Ece?” Nahir smiled playfully at her lady-in-waiting as they approached the palanquin. The carriers bowed deeply when they saw the two ladies approaching them. Two of them pulled back the silk curtains and allowed Nahir to climb in.

Inside, Nahir sat gracefully on the pillows and leaned back, letting her shoulders slouch now that she was out of the public’s eye. She still couldn’t shake the woman’s face from her mind and those damned ugly slippers. Had they really been so ugly and offensive for her to act in such a way? Nahir shook her head, took one of her locs, and fiddled with the golden ring wrapped around it.

"Ece?"

"Shehzadi?" Ece approached the palanquin when she saw the look on her face. After years of being her lady-in-waiting, Ece had been slowly mastering the art of reading Nahir. It wasn’t as hard as she had first thought when they first met; it could also be that Nahir had grown to trust Ece.

"I’ve reconsidered; take me to the park. There’s a festival there." She had gotten the sudden urge to do something fun. Games and food sounded like the perfect kind.

Surprised, Ece nodded and forwarded the information to the four men. They bowed before picking up the palanquin carefully and began their way.

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The air around the park seemed lighter, more carefree, and a tad too unfamiliar to Nahir. She had never attended a festival like this during her stay here, and most festivals back home were out of the question for her. Unless it were necessary for her to attend, she’d opt out for a trip to the high end dress shops or jewelers.

Nahir watched as women, men, and children gathered around the various stands of food or games, huddled together, trying to catch glips inside. To her right, there was a stand of food selling fried foods, the air carried the smell over to her nostrils, and Nahir almost let her feet carry her to the stand. On the other side, she heard a woman announcing the sale of cucumber and mint sorbet.

"Shehzadi, should we keep going and find something better to eat?" Ece stood behind Nahir, watching anyone that got too close to her.

"Yes," Nahir approached the stand where the sorbet was being served into paper cones topped with two mint leaves on top as a garnish. "Actually, I would like one of these." She’d only ever cucumber in salads back home, so she wondered how it would taste in a sorbet.

The answer was good. Nahir happily scooped up a tiny amount of the green sorbet, trying to make it last longer as she slowly passed a few games. There was one stand with a decent crowd around it, where one had to shoot pallets from a musket and knock down wooden cups. Another where people would have to shoot a ball into a high-standing ring that Nahir thought might be fun. Still, she continued walking down the festival, searching for new foods to try.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N ♖ o u t f i t ♖ S O R I A N P A L A C E , 9 : 3 0 A M I N T E R A C T I O N S : @Inertia M E N T I O N S :

She tucked away her contradicting thoughts and emotions clouding her mind into a tiny, pretty wooden box; Zarai was ready to take on the court. Newfound motivation

"So, who should I pick first?" She tapped the side of Sir Barrios’s arm with the back of her hand, eyes darting from Callum to Auguste and Wulfric. She had thought she would want to start with Wulfric, but now seeing two of the women from Alidasht in the audience, she was willing to skip everyone and head straight to them. Forget the princes, forget her happiness and freedom; she’d exchange it all to be with one of them. Was marriage between two women legal in Alidasht? Oh, that would be a good conversation starter. Or would it be strange if it’s a genuine question? She should have asked Fritz; he probably knew the answer.

"My Lady, that is a bit of an inappropriate question. To pick between them would be—"

"Oh, spare me the whole good knight stuff and tell me."

"Lady Zarai—"

"Ay andale, no le voy a decir a nadie." She tapped the side of his arm again, encouraging him.

"Prince Auguste," he coughed into his hand, looking around to see if anyone had heard. No one had.

Zarai looked his way, catching his eyes and welcoming smile. Nice choice, not bad, Zarai thought with a nod. "Sir Barrios, take me to the prince." She folded her hands neatly on her lap, smiling as the knight behind her pushed her chair to Auguste.

She bowed and lifted the sides of her yellow dress in a modified curtsy, and the knight bowed low when they finally approached the prince. "Prince Auguste," She greeted with a smile. "It looks like we are both here against our will." She glanced over her shoulder to her knight, who still stood behind her. "Sir Barrios, you can wait by the door; I’ll call for you when we are finished." She couldn’t have him eavesdropping on their conversation and

Sir Barrios looked at her then the prince before nodding, bowing, and walking back to wait for Zarai’s signal.

"So," Zarai turned back to Auguste, placing her elbows on the table and resting her cheeks on her hands. "Ignore the bruises and let’s get straight to the point and not waste our limited time. Hmm, on that note why do these things last so little? I doubt you can make a meaningful connection this way." She shrugged, already done with that train of thought. "What are you looking for in a… wife. Are you even looking?" She said the last word as if she had bitten into something sour and did little to hide the fact.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ S I R M A T H I A S L A R S E N S I R M A T H I A S L A R S E N ♖ o u t f i t ♖(#1) S H O O T I N G R A N G E , 1 1 : 0 0 A M I N T E R A C T I O N S : @Heartfillia , @PapaOso M E N T I O N S :

The hug was unexpected but he returned the hug. Mathias took Lukas from the shoulders of Roman into his own. "Thank you for inviting my son and Mary over during the competition; I appreciate it, Lord Ravenwood." He smiled at the tease from the lord, "Of course, wouldn't want to hurt some egos during my stay here. Had to give Verrick a chance too, didn't want to steal his thunder." Mathias had not been able to win a single archery competition in years now.

"If you ever need a break I would be happy to take Lucas off your hands for a while. The ever so beautiful Mary can join me at any time as well"

"I'd be happy to keep your lordship company, and I am sure this little one would too." Mary reached up to hand over the toy bow to Lukas, batting her lashes at Roman.

"... I’ll make a craftsman out of him yet.”

"You may have to compete with Verrick; he has been training Lukas here since the boy learned to hold a bow. Although, I do think it would do him some good and learn to craft things with his own hands." He was about to say something more but was quickly cut off when Lukas spotted Varrick and began to call him over.

Mathias watched the victor of the tourney, clapping as he finally greeted them. "Good shots there," He couldn't get another sentence in before the bow was shoved into his hands. Lukas squealed happily, reaching down and taking the bow with his free hand. He held it up for Lukas but didn't let go of it knowing the boy would not be able to hold it. "Always the hard worker," he half-heartedly rolled his eyes and nodded once. He was planning on saying hello to Lady Damien, of course, and apologize for losing the competition so soon. At least Varrick had given her an exciting show to watch.

"Indeed, Sir Mathias, you must go and greet that beautiful lady." Mary wiggled her brows, taking the bow from him and motioning the absolute tower that was the knight to lean down for her to take Lukas in her arms. "Go on. We'll be here." She leaned in to whisper, "Also, do try to find out about the new Damien guy; she looked shocked. I want the details!"

"Why? Are you going to start your own gossip paper now?"

"Perhaps, I could start my own and add a small section for single young knights and lords. You can be on the front page! Then maybe you'll finally be able to find a wife, or you can stop stalling and talk to Lady Damien."

"I am not stalling, Mary." Mathias smoothed out his shirt and vest, glancing briefly at the stands. "I won't be long," He turned to look at the remaining party of Lord Ravenwood's and gave them a bow before he left and headed to the tree where Lady Crystal stood. Not too far from him, he heard a commotion coming from the runner-up and a large man who did not seem to have the friendliest of faces. He thought about interjecting but did not wish to see the Lady leave without him saying hello first but soon realized that the two of them were headed to the tree.

Mathias blinked and almost considered walking back to the group, but a glance back and Mary's pointed look made him continue. He could see Lady Damien upset, and rightfully so. A stranger appearing from seemingly nowhere and claiming to be part of your house would upset anyone.

Fingertips red, lips cracked from the freezing winds. A boy stands in front of the gate, demanding to see the lord of the house. Looks of confusion and disgust thrown his way as the boy in rags enters the estate.

As Mathias was approaching closer, he realized that perhaps this would not be the most opportune time. He could deal with Mary's glare for a few hours until she got distracted by some handsome nobleman or just deal with it altogether. Lady Damien looked proper cross with the man; he felt his presence would only cause her trouble. Unfortunately for him, his feet had already carried him over to the tree. Mathias stood there, awkwardly looking between Lady Damien and maybe-to-be Lord Damien, until he quickly bowed to Crystal.

"I-" He cleared his throat, "I apologize; I can see this is not the best of times." He briefly glanced at Cassius, nodding his head slightly in greeting. If the ground could swallow me right now, I would greatly appreciate it. He folded his hands behind him, opening his mouth and closing it again when he didn't know what to say. He should have turned around when he had the chance. "It was lovely to see you. I will be by the stands if you need me, Lady Damien. And if you need any help, do not hesitate to call for me." He bowed again, giving her a small smile before turning to take his leave and escape this awkward situation of his own doing.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

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______________________________________	__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N ♖ o u t f i t ♖ S O R I A N P A L A C E , 1 1 : 0 0 A M I N T E R A C T I O N S : @princess M E N T I O N S :

Zarai cheered for Verrick when his victory was announced. Had she wished for the hottie to win? Sure, but this was a Varian win, and a Varian win was like a win for her too. It filled her chest with a sense of pride that quickly dissipated. The argument from the morning was creeping back into her mind now that the tournament was over. What was she doing? She couldn't waste this season, her last season, on ruining her reputation further. No matter how she felt and thought of this whole fiasco that was courting season, she had no choice. Despite the amount of money and privilege she had, she could not run away from the inevitable.

Marriage.

Zarai cringed. Why couldn't she just marry herself? Yes, that would be nice. She was pretty, after all, and if she could, she would kiss herself! Well, not right now. It'd probably hurt. Gods, did her face hurt. Maybe she could ask her knight to fetch her some ice. Oh, and some ice cream to numb her lips. Seriously, that slap did not help at all.

"So, where next, hon? I want to do something you like."

"Hm?" Zarai turned to look at Anastasia. It took her a second, or maybe three, to finally see Princess Saide and Prince Felix had joined them. Sweet, Saide's here! And her brother. She gave them a quick bow and a cheerful wave.

"Don't know, what else is happening around?" She tapped her chin. "We can check out the fashion district. I need some fabric for a new dress I'm working on. Or we can go somewhere and relax, maybe? We are not too far from the lake. What do you think, princesita?"

"If... If I may, princess, Lady Zarai, your mother is expecting you back in the palace at eleven o'clock."

"What for?" So she could scold her some more? Throw in another slap or two while at it!

"You are to meet with the princes. I understand Duchess Ledesman informed you of this."

"Oh. I forgot." Zarai pressed her lips together. "Well, I'm not going." She turned back to look at the princess with a smile, ready to plan out the rest of their day.

"I apologize, Lady Zarai." Sir Barrios said before the princess or Zarai could say anything further. "Duchess Lesdeman made it clear you were to attend this event, and as a knight under the Lesdeman's employment, I must obey." He moved to retrieve Zarai's wheelchair from the side.

"But..." Zarai's brows furrowed, looking back to Anastasia. She didn't want to leave her alone, nor did she want to be alone. Besides, she already knew the princes, and they knew her; why the hell would her mother want her to attend the court? It's not like she would marry one of them– or she could. Maybe. If Zarai managed to bag one of them, one of them being Auguste or Callum (Wulfric is not even an option), then she'd have more freedom and distance from her family. She'd be royalty! She's also see Anastasia everyday! What if she married her instead?

"My Lady." Sir Barria was waiting now, the wheelchair in front of him.

She glanced at it. She didn't want to go, but it was clear that Sir Barrios was giving her no option. She couldn't run; she couldn't even walk by herself without the help of someone. Zarai gave Anastasia a defeated smile, reaching out to take her hand.

"As soon as I am done, I will go find you, I promise. Sir Barrios will take me straight to you once the court is done, and then we can stuff our face with all of the cake we can find." A small squeeze before she pulled back.

The knight helped Zarai into her chair, and the lady did her best to hold back a groan when the boning of her corset dug at her side. Sir Barrios began to spin the chair around, ready for departure, when Zarai tapped his arm and pointed at the Watchdog. "You. Take care of her and make sure my princesita is not bored. Yes? Thank you!"

"Lady Zarai..."

"Don't have too much fun without me." Zarai flashed Anastasia a smile before saying her quick goodbyes to the rest of the table, thanking Roman for inviting them over.

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A sea of beautiful ladies greeted Zarai when Sir Barrios pushed her chair into the hall. A smile immediately spread over her lips, and she ushered her knight to the closest group of ladies dressed to the nines in colorful and expensive-looking fabrics. She greeted the group of ladies, who smiled down at her with excited smiles and giggles.

Their conversation mostly consisted of excitement about meeting the princes; she would rather talk about anything else other than Wulfric's "perfect" hair. Zarai tried to switch topics, and while two of the ladies were initially interested, their attention was quickly robbed by the presence of the princes before entering the ballroom.

So Zarai sat there, face heavy with enough makeup to semi-cover up the discoloration in her face, and a dress that washed her out.

"I hope this ends quickly; I already miss my princesa."