A Love Stories Crossroad IC

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SuperOtaku

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It was three eight years into the great war and both nations were finally beginning to see where it went wrong. King Dragonheart and Evergreen had conveened to make there great plan to save both nations. They had Decided to wed there eldest daughter and Son. So there they stould in the great hall, an ancient building where the greatest kingdoms leader's have always come to discuss matter's of peace. King Dragonheart arrived a little late thanks to a starved horse so when they finally arrived He was more then eager to Apologize. As He walked in through the large chamber door, he stepped up to King Evergreen and bowed respectfully saying "I'm oh so sorry for my late arrival, but our horses are weak and starving so they had trouble going we had to send them back." Just behind him however a Tall muscular man completely coated in armor walked in carying two swords strapped to his hips. As he walked up he slipped his helmet off letting his red hair cascade down over his face, He stared coldly at King Evergreen before glancing over to the girl standing right behind him. She was beautiful. He stared for a few moments before flashing her a small nervous smile. He could handle combat but women, they scared him, he had no clue what to do around them. He just smiled dumbly until his father introduced him to her father. In an Instance his stance changed and he stood up straight and that dumb smile dissapeared and was replaced with a respectful smile. He stepped forward before kneeling down saying "It is a pleasure to Meet you Sir."
 
King Halbert of the Evergreen Kingdom, a talk and bulky man of ebony color with dark hair and eyes that seemed to stare straight into the soul, looked down at the young man that would be taking his one and only child's hand in marriage. He was polite, this far, so he smiled respectfully in return and nodded his head to the lad.

"And a pleasure to meet you as well, Prince Dante," he replied, turning a little behind him to present his child, "May I present my daughter, Princess Nadia."

The girl stepped forward, the skirts of her cream colored dress brushing along the floor. Her ebony skin matched her father's, but her golden hair and topaz eyes reflected her dear mother. Looking down at the man kneeling before her and her father, Nadia releases a quiet breath before curtsying both the prince and the king of Dragonheart.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Your Highness and Prince Dante," she greeted, lifting her gaze to the handsome prince before her.
 
Dante slowly stood up smiling at Nadia saying "It is my Pleasure to meet you. I'd Like to express my gratitude to you and your father for accepting the terms of this marriage. I'm glad to see that we can finally put an end to this war and combine our resources into one great kingdom."

In all honesty he wasn't very excited about being forced into a marriage but it had to be done so he didnt complaine. Dante stood there for a moment taking in his bride to be. She was very beutiful, and her hair color accentuated her skin color perfectly. He was actually in aw of her beauty. His thought's however were quickly wiped away when His Father stepped up and Interupted saying "Well Now that You two have finally met I have one more thing to tell you. Dante you will be living In the Evergreen kingdom until the Marriage while You new castel Is Being Constructed Between our two Kngdoms."

Dante Looked up at his father shocked for a moment befoe smiling softly a fake smile he was able to do so well. He then Turned to Nadia saying "Well Looks Like we will have some time to get to know each other before the marriage"
 
"Yes...it would appear so," Nadia replied as her eyes slowly wandered away from his golden gaze, fidgeting uncomfortably.

The day she was told of the arranged marriage between the kingdoms of Dragonheart and Evergreen, the young princess had been mad enough to actually throw a chair and tear down several curtains, but after she had been calmed and her father was able to discuss this decision with her, she realized that it was indeed the best choice. Their lands had been at war over the varying resources each of them had; Evergreen for their rich soil, bountiful food, sweet waters and Dragonheart for their significant minerals. What better way to end a war than to bring two great kingdoms of powerful advantages by the marriage of the prince and princess? Nadia was still not happy with it, she had always dreamed of finding her true prince to love and marry on her own, but as it were, she had a duty to her people and she would not let them down. She looked back up at Dante, studied his fine features. He was tall, incredibly handsome, and from the looks and size of his armor, he was strong. Despite the cold look in his eyes when he first entered the room and removed his helmet, he did not seem as mean and angry as she thought he would. Her husband to be...actually looked somewhat kind...somewhat.

"He will be very welcomed in Evergreen," King Halbert stated in his booming voice, jolting Nadia out of her thoughts, "We will treat him with the same respect and honor as you would treat us. We will make him as comfortable as possible, perhaps give him and Nadia their own wing in the castle so they may get used to being around each other until the completion of their new home."

"Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea," Nadia agreed with her father, her voice light and kind as a small smile graced her face; all forced and nearly painful, "I think you'll enjoy our Kingdom, Prince Dante."
 
Dante Smiled warmly before Turning To His Father saying "Well father, I guess this is goodbye for now. I'll see you at the wedding."

He gave his father a warm loving Smile before pulling into a hug. After he finished his father took his leave and left Dante with his bride to be and Fatherinlaw. Dante took them in silently for a moment before saying "Well then Shall we be off. It's about a day's ride from here." He smiled softly his gaze moving to Nadia. As he watched her he noticed something. There was a sadness to her movements. he could just tell. He could read people, which was something he became accustomed to. She didn't want this. Why would she. But it needs to be done. After Taking a long hard look at Nadia he let a sigh and said "You two ready to go?"

He was eager to get to his soon o be home and take a shower. He had been pulled from the front lines and brought straight here. Thankfully his father packed some clothes as well as his wedding outfit. The same one He wore when he married Daston's Mother. But it was also an elegant outfit he could where on special occasions. For now he simply wanted to get out of his armor but He couldn't do that Till they got back. His armor had battle scars etched all over it and there was a small wound on his left forearm which he had makeshift bandaged which was starting to bleed through his fabric and drip from his armor. The smell of blood was something he quickly noticed which caused him to shift his hands behind his back to hide the wound as not to worry his caterers He also wanted a bath. Oh a bath would be lovely! Dante stopped thinking for a moment and turned to King Halbert and said

"Is there anyway we could send a falcon ahead of us to have someone have a bath ready for me when we arrive?"
 
King Halbert blinked at the request before his face softened and he nodded his head, "Of course. We will send one in the morning so everything will be prepared for you upon our arrival back to the castle."

With that, he turned with his servants and began to make his way to the carriage, expecting his dear daughter and soon to be son-in-law to follow him. Nadia did turn to follow her father, but small drops of blood on the floor made her slow to look up at Dante. She gasped quietly at the blood streaming down his armor from an apparent wound in his arm, though he tried to hide it by holding his arm behind his back...where she had been standing. Biting her lips, she looked at her father's receding back for a moment before gently tapping the man's shoulder to catch his attention. She then bent down and tore two pieces of fabric from the underside of her dress. Nadia moved quickly yet gently, removing the dirtied cloth from his wound and, after bunching up a piece of her torn dress, pressed it to the injury and then tied the other, longer piece of her dress around his arm. She did this quietly and without looking at him; even when she was finished, she kept her gaze from locking with his and nodded.

"Come, before they leave us behind," she said, turning to lead him in the direction of the carriage.
 
Dante was a little stunned when Nadia noticed his wound, and even more so when she actually bandaged it with part of her dress. He smiled warly at her and nodded as if to say thanks before saying "After You MeLady."

He followed behind her bringing his hand up to examine the wound it was already turnign red and he almost felt bad that she had wasted a piece of her dress just to have it ruined that fast. As they got to The Carriage he let the other two get in first before unlatching his sword belt so he could sit down inside. He carried the blades in and sot opposite of The King and His daughter. As The carrige began to move. Dante thought for a moment before saying "You know I went out to your kingdom when I was six with my mother. We really enjoyed the lakes. We watched the ducks until sunset every time we came here. I haven't been back sense . . . Well I haven't been back in quite some time. Are the lakes still as beautiful as I remember?"

He felt it only right to break the silence and ask something about there kingdom especially sense it was going to be his home for awhile. Besides if there was one thing he missed it was the beauty of there kingdom. His kingdom was dirt and rock, very harsh terrain. Very few rivers and even less lakes and ponds. There kingdom was a barren waste if not for the Mineral deposites. They had everything from iron gold and silver, to ebony and even Mythril. He even had mythril weaved into His wedding uniform. Which made it Ideal for formal situations. It could actually stop an arrow it was so strong. But it was also very light. Almost unnoticable if weaved correctly.
 
Nadia had the intention of letting her father answer his questions, but when said man nudged her, silently encouraging her to interact more with her soon to be husband, she refrained from sighing and smiled as kindly towards Dante as she could, "I am proud to say that the beauty of our lakes never change. You will find them to be just as peaceful and breathtaking as you did when you were a child, especially now when the seasons are transitioning from Summer to Autumn. The leaves are beginning to change to color; soon, it will look as if they are on fire with the colors of red, gold, and orange. You'll like them...I hope."

They were quiet in the carriage for some time before Nadia figured she would be polite and inquire about his own homeland, "It is regrettable that I have never visited Dragonheart myself. What is it like there?"
 
Dante smiled at her for her curiosity, but there was realy no reason to be sorry for never showing up there. The place was a rat's nest. "Well, We are one of the leading industrial nations. We've got the sturdiest machines, equipment and weapons, But our land is harsh sand dirt and rock. Which means we often deal with famine. Many People go hungry in My Nation and I aim to fix that. But It's not suited for someone such as yourself. No offense It's just my opinion that someone as beautiful as yourself should not force herself to be around such lifeless depressing suroundings."

He smiled warmly for a moment before his mind drifted to his homeland. They were in one of the worst famines in years. A good majority of any food we can grow isgoing to the front lines and that leaves little for his people at home. He looked Up at Nadia for a moment before He got an Idea. He turned to Her father and bowed his head respectfully placing his hands together as he said "Sir, I understand that Now May Not be the best time to ask for a favor, But I beg you to here Me out. My People are starving at home. We are in one of the worste famines we've ever had in years. I beg you to send aid, Just some simple things fruits and vegetables or anything you can spare. And In return for your hospitality I will pledge to you, To never hurt your daughter or bring her to harm as Long as I live."

He stayed like that Hands up and head down as he waited for a response. He didn't even care if the injury on his arm was visible. He just wanted to help his people as soon as possible. He never cared for himself, The only people he ever cared about were his family and his people. They counted on him and his family to keep them safe and help them through harsh times. and If Dante could get fresh fruits and vegetables to them he could save some lives.
 
King Halbert stared down that young prince that so humbly made his request, his eyes narrowed in quiet thought. His promise was one he was going to have to make on the day of their wedding, regardless of whether or not he did him this favor. However, it did good to ease his mind and soul to hear it from Dante's lips before the wedding even if it was more for his own country than the actual love for his daughter. He looked down at his only child, placing a large hand on her head which caused her to look up at him curiously. A lump formed in his throat for a second, the vision of her mother striking him in his heart when those big, topaz colored eyes of hers stared up at him. Despite the circumstances he was forcing her in to, a life changing action, he was still her father and she his daughter and he would still do anything he could to ensure her happiness in the situation.

He turned to Dante again and placed his hand on the lad's shoulder with a comforting smile, "Prince Dante, I want you to trust me that everything will be taken care of. As part of the arrangement between our two kingdoms to help one another in exchange for the betrothal of you and my daughter, we will do everything we can to assist the other in a time of need. Your people will be well taken care of now that they are under our protection as well."
 
(Gonna do a slight time skip till they get there.)

Dante let out a sigh of relief as he listened to The kings words. He smiled Up at Him saying "Thank you." He didn't know what else he could say but thank you. He was thankful to Know that his people were in good hands. He let his his hands fall to his sides before he leaned back and closed his eyes thankfull. The rest of the ride was smooth sailing and they stayed pretty silent aside from the occasional comment about the scenery. When They finally arive Dante Looked out the window of the carriage to see the castel. He smiled softly before opening the carriege door and Letting Nadia and King Halbert leave first. As Dante climbed out of the carriage last a soldier walked up to him with a large bag full of his stuff. He thanked the an before turning to Halbert saying "I have to say, Thing's haven't changed that much at all. It's still as beautiful as I remember. Would Someone mind showing me to the bath?" He really needed to wash off and he was actually starting to get light headed as his arm hadn't stopped bleeding yet.
 
"I will be happy to escort you to your room where your bath awaits you," Nadia replied, eyeing his injury warily, "Also, I will call for a doctor to have him look at your wound properly and stitch it up if need be. I'm afraid the job I did was rather crude, but it was the best I could do considering how I just pani-"

Before she finished her sentence, she stopped and shut her mouth almost firmly. She had almost told him that she panicked when she saw the blood streaming from his injury, but feared that admitting such a thing to the man would only make her look weak and submissive which in turn might make him feel cocky about it. She knew next to nothing about the prince, so she was not going to give away such personal feelings just yet. She cleared her throat and nodded; she bid goodnight to her father and lead Dante down a few hallways to his room, turning to him once they reached their destination.

"We are here, Your Highness. Perhaps after your bath...you and I could dine together? You must be starved," she suggested kindly, "If you are more tired than hungry, then I will not bother you with my request and get the necessary sleep that you need."
 
Dante smiled at Nadia seeing as how she was still worried about his injury. He followed her Silently eyeing the surroundings as he followed along the heavy footsteps of his armor echoing through the halls. When they Reached there destination Dante couldn't help but chuckle at the princesses words. He quickly held up his hand and said

"Two things. One, Call me Dante, I don't like being called your highness by people I know. And two, I would be delighted to dine with you. But If you don't mind. Taking off this armor requires a second set of hands. If you would be so kind as to help me out of this armor I would be very grate full."

He gave her a warm smile as He lifted his arms too show that he was in fact still wearing his rather damaged armor. Over all it weighed 80 pounds in and of itself so It would be a nice relief to get out of it. Of course If She didn't want to He could just ask a servant to help him. He opened up the door to his chambers and stepped and waited to see if She'd go in and help him or not.
 
She hesitated after his request, but figured that at some point she may or may have to see him with less than the clothes he wore under his armor, so she might as well start getting used to is now; "Alright, I can help you...Dante," she answered him, stepping into the room.

The quarters they gave him was just as extravegant as her own with floor to ceilings windows that opened out onto a balcony, plush blue carpet that covered the floor, a large fireplace against the wall adjacent the windows and a large and comfortable bed set upon a mahogany frame and dressed with red and white sheets. There was a maid inside the room, just coming out of the bathroom after preparing their visitor's bath to perfection. She bowed to both Dante and Nadia, the princess smiling warmly at the young maid and praising her for her hard work before sending her on her way; Nadia always made sure to thank the maids and servants for all the work that they did for if it wasn't for them, she would not live as comfortable a life as she was. She turned to Dante and waited for him to instruct her on how to help him out of his armor.
 
Dante Stepped in and leaned against the wall watching as she thanked the Maid for her service. He thought that was more then a little cute but quickly wiped that away. After the maid was gone he stepped forward and unlatched the pieces of armor on his fore arms letting them drop to the carpet with a heavy thud. He then unlatched the armor at his shoulder and upper arm saying "OK I need you to pull the shoulder piece back away from my shoulder and it should take it off."

Nadia did as he asked her and she started with his right shoulder peeling the armor off of him revealing his muscularly toned arm revealing a large burn scar going from his fore arm all the way up to his shoulder. Dante made sure not to bring any attention to his scar as he unlatched his chest plate and unwrapped the burnt and cut up cloth that covered it letting it drop to the ground. He turned around so his back faced her and said "OK pull back on the chest plate to unlatch the screws and then lift it up over my head. But be careful the shoulder straps are actually attached."

As She did so he stepped back closer to her kneeling down slightly so her arms could lift the plate over his head. He then took the piece out of her hands and carried it to the bed setting it down at the foot of the bed with a loud heavy thump. He then hesitated about turning all the way around as he looked back saying "Uhm I just thought I'd Warn You that if you don't like scars or wounds then You might want to leave now."

He wasn't about to outright turn around and show her the scars on his chest unless she was sure she could handle it. His back only had a few burns and a couple scars from where he was hit by arrows while not wearing armor. On his chest however he had a scar going diagonally down his chest from left to right, as well as a cluster of burn scars and smaller cuts. And then right over his heart he had the Evergreen emblem branded into his chest. He had been through plenty of battles. But She didn't need to see the multitude of injuries. But he mostly didn't want her to see the brand. He didn't want her to know what some of her people were capable of.
 
The princess tilted her head to the side slightly, looking him up and down curiously as she studied the scars that she could see from where she stood. She had to admit to herself, it was rather sweet of him to consider her feelings on the sight of scars and injuries, but she felt she could handle them. She did, after all, have a multitude of male cousins that all obtained injuries on a daily, it seemed, and would often be witness to their scars without so much as batting an eyelash. However, perhaps he was also telling her that to protect her and himself from revealing too much.

"I thank you for your consideration, Dante, but I am not squeamish to scars," she told him with a hint of amusement in her voice, remembering all those times with her cousins and listening to them relay their stories about great adventures or fights as they showed her their markings, "but, I do not wish to make you uncomfortable, so I will leave you to your bath for the night. When you are finished, a maid will be here to escort you to the dining hall for dinner. I'll be waiting there for you, okay?"
 
Dante smiled At her turning around a little more still trying to Hide the branding her fathers soldiers had given him when he was only 16. She definately didn't need to know about that. He brought his hand to his chest just above his heart and pretended to fix the bandage so he could turn around and look at her without her seeing the branding saying "Oh No princess It doesn't make me uncomfortable, I just wanted to protect you from . . ."

Dante stopped for a moment hesitating to finish his sentence. He didn't want to tell her he wanted to protect her from the truth about her kingdom, about her father's soldiers. They are mostly good men. But at the same time there are those few that are terrible. Such as the group of captured him and tortured him for two straight weeks before finally branding him and sending him back as a message to his father. " . . . I mean uh, I'll see you in about 20 minutes. Give or take. Also please don't forget to send a doctor, I'd hate to bleed to death before I get to know You better!" He smiled from ear to ear a cheesy grin that only he could muster and actually still be genuin.
 
For a moment, Nadia was stunned by that bright smile of his, taken aback by the sincerity of it since he technically was an enemy in her home. Well, enemy wasn't the word to use anymore. He was her fiancée.

She gave him a small smile in return and nodded, "Of course, I will send for one immediately and he will be ready to check your wound after your bath. I will see you soon."

Nadia then curtsied and left the room to leave Dante to clean up. She gave instructions to a maid to send for a doctor and to a servant to be ready to escort the prince to the dining hall when he was ready. Afterwards, she made her own way to the dining hall, deep in thought about the man she would be marrying...and finding herself intrigued by him. He was...very polite, so far. He didn't seem too upset to be in her kingdom or to be forced into a marriage with the princess of the enemy kingdom. Then again, she was doing a pretty good job at hiding her own reluctance to the arrangemen so it was no surprise that he could do the same.
 
Dante smiled softly at her as she left. She was kid, but even if she had seen scars before they were scars inflicted by animals or his people. She had never seen the horrors that her people could cause on others. He didn't want her to see that. He didn't want her to second guess her own people for something they did. He slowly watched her leave before finally slipping out of what was left of his clothes and armor. He slowly walked into the bathroom, which compared to his old home was still ornate and beautiful. Everything in his home land was either grey or brown. But here everything was green blue red yellow, everything was so beautiful here. He took his bath enjoying the feel of ht water against his skin. He slowly lowered his injured arm under the water and let the water sting as it washed away the dried blood. He sat there letting the dried blood and dried mud wash away from his body before finally scrubbing himself down and getting out. He wrapped a towel around his waist before stepping out of the bathroom only to find a doctor waiting for him. He sat down next to the doctor and let him patch up his wound stitching it up and bandaging it. Dante thanked him as the man stared at the branding on his chest but after a few moment's he left leaving Dante to get dressed. He quickly dressed up in the outfit that his father gave him a beautiful white and red outfit that thankfully covered up his scars. After getting dressed he left his room to find a young servant waiting for him. The young girl lead him to the dining room before taking her leave. Dante thanked her as she left before taking a seat across from Nadia saying "Sorry to keep you waiting."

(The outfit is the outfit from the image of my character I sent you ^__^)
 
Nadia took a moment to admire the man freshly dressed in the intricate outfit that seemed to fit his appearance and the tales of his homeland perfectly. She herself had taken a detour before going to the dining hall to return to her own room and change into an emerald green dress with a bodice that hugged her torso snuggly yet comfortably and a skirt that stopped a little below her knees, pairing the dress with black tights and green ankle boots. He looked just as handsome in the outfit as he did in his armor; one thing that she knew right from the start that she would be able to boast about is the fact that her husband to be was unbelievably attractive. She could only imagine the gasps and looks of shocks some of her friends would have once they saw him, not that she cared about looks only. She just thought it would be funny to see her friends, a rather dramatic crew in comparison to herself, practically faint at the sight of him, even if he was from Dragonheart, a brute kingdom that tried to tear hers apart. She smiled at the man as he took a seat across from her, shaking her head at his words.

"Please don't be sorry. I realized that you must have been tired and dying for a bath. Did you get to enjoy it?" she asked him as the servants began bringing out platters of pot roast, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dinner rolls, and canisters of wine, "And the doctor, did he stitch your wound? He's one of the best doctors in the land, we've trusted him for years."

(That's what I thought, ^.^ I do like the outfit in the picture, hehe.)
 
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