Strange Occurrence in Celestial Kingdom

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"This way!" One of the men clamoring down the hallway, dressed in dark azule colored clothing, shouts. He, however, immediately stops in his tracks seeing the three guards standing right by their escape route. "You lied to us!" the man growls, trying to reach over and grab either Leo, who is still pretending to be knocked out, and or Helio. By that time, Leo hears the clanking of plate greaves on the stone ground and he knows what must have happened. Tarin... Is all he can think of. Shifting his weight very slightly, he whispers orders to Helio before becoming limp weight once more.

"Stand out of our way or no one gets hurt!" Helio shouts, his voice having the aspect of a wolf, long winded and fierce. Withdrawing his sword from his scabbard, Lily could recognize it as the same sword in the woods - The Shadoweaver's sword. Now that she takes a better look at him, she would realize what their play is. The Shadoweaver kidnapping Leo so that he can't be blamed for the deeds he has done.

Tarin stands his ground, coming between Lily's view and the men scattering the hallway. "You won't dare lay a finger on Lily without killing me first." His sword comes up to challenge them.

Helio swallows before knowing what he has to do, "So be it." comes his short breath, trying to sound as gruff as he can. Still, his voice sounds nothing like Leo's in comparison. It's not nearly as low or as demanding. The Shadoweaver can be very dark yet very loving. Is it possible to have those polar opposites in a man? Only Lily has seen his love and has felt him, embraced him, and lived while he dawned the black clothing of death. She ought to feel special yet, there is about to be blood spilt right outside her door.
 
From the way the man moved and spoke, Lily was aware that this wasn't the Shadoweaver at all especially since Leo was on this mans' back. Tarin blocked her view of what was going on, but she could hear it all from where she was. Hearing that there might be bloodshed, Lily couldn't stand to see such a thing happen in front of her. "Wait!" She screams out before grabbing onto Tarins' arm to stop him from attacking the intruders. Thinking about this, she knew that she couldn't stop the fighting that had probably already started somewhere else in the castle, yet she could stop this one.

"Please just left them pass.. I can't stand to see bloodshed especially at such an hour..." She said looking up at Tarin as if begging him not to fight them. She knew that asking him to not carrying out his duties would go against everything he stood for. Yet he did have to listen to whatever she requested of him. In her opinion, they had done nothing wrong, beside taking Leo.
 
Tarin feels the weight of Lily's hand come down upon him right in time. The knight would have been quite an angry storm if left free from his bottle. Grinding his teeth, his usual sign of decision making, Tarin glances over to Lily. Her eyes speak volumes even though she only has let out a few quiet ones. His slack-jawed expression shows that he is really considering not listening to her. When Helio takes a step closer, Tarin's sword snaps right back to attention, ready as ever to stab right through that bastard. For what he had done to Lily, and all the things Tarin thinks he -doesn't- know about The Shadoweaver, he must come to an end. And there is his answer to Lily.

"Give Leo to one of your other men, Shadoweaver. I want to face you and fight you. Kill you for what you've done to my Lily. You snatched her from the forest and I was unable to protect her then. But now I will fight back since you were such a coward to knock us both out first. You could have faced me like a man, yet you cowered away. Slinked back into the shadowy depths of your cowardice. So I'll as you again nicely to stay so that we can finally have our showdown. You got away from me not once but twice. When I first came, I had nearly forgotten and then in the woods. I won't make it a third time."

Leo shifts his weight ever so slightly again and Helio responds with adjusting the dead weight on his shoulder. "No. You'll have to find me in order to fight me, Tarin. I don't give away freebees on my life."

Oh this makes Tarin mad and he takes a step forward, "I have found you." He counters, lifting up his sword, "So this isn't a freebee."

"But it is..." Helio says, "For I knew you would come up this way," Helio lies yet sounds confident in his words. "And now you'll ask me why I still came this way. Knowing very well that both my men and I could be pigs at the slaughter. I'll tell you why Tarin. I like challenges and I thought we were going to clash swords here tonight. It would have given me great pleasure but it seems that's not what the princess wants. Won't you listen to her, Tarin?"

"Stop calling me--" He growls,

"Do you have another name I should call you by?" Helio asks, shrugging, "You have to listen to your princess. Now put down that sword before you -and- your princess die together in a bloody mess."

At that moment, one of Tarin's own knights steps away from his line. The Weavers don't even flinch. It seems they -already- knew who he was. "Sir, please, listen to them." He draws his own sword, making the steel sliver up against Tarin's own blade. "I don't want to, sir, but I will if you don't withdraw your weapon."
 
Seeing one of his own men stand up to Tarin, Lily couldn't let him do this by himself, so she stood next to him. "Tarin, just let them go.. It's not worth it." She said as she reached up at his arm, resting her hand on top of the one holding his sword. It was difficult enough with the fact that one of the Shadoweavers' men was pretending to be him, so Tarin didn't need to go this far to stop them if they weren't planning to hurt her.

(Sorry super short, but I'm trying to get a reply in as soon as I can.)
 
"You're better than this!" Tarin practically shouts, his nostrils flaring with anger, his eyes deadly. His blade is still held up high, his heart sinking in his chest. Now he would have to die trying to fight one of his own men. One who he thought he could trust with his life. In unison the leather clad individuals move up one by one to their traitor's side. They're guarding him from Tarin. One false move and he ought to just call himself dead. Defeated.

"I could say the same of you, Tarin. There are so many questions in this world--" the knight whispers but Tarin already speaks over him, a strong voice yet one that is full of hurt. "And you're going to tell me that this ruthless Shadoweaver," his sword lifting to point at the leader, "has all your precious answers? He is only one man. He can't possibly... can't you see that he is using you?" The man shakes his head, laughing from his gut. Tarin's sword lowers with the help of Lily's hand, her fingers light against his strained muscles. All this time, Tarin was training one of the king's guards, an enemy mole, everything the gallant soldier knows. He was going to be Tarin's equal. His follower for if anything should happen, this boy could take Tarin's place.

But all hopes of that faint memory are lost. "The Shadoweaver is hardly the man to have all the answers." his knight states, Tarin's eyes glancing over to Lily.

"Then why do you follow him so blindly?" Tarin demands, his voice rattling the hallway, shaking it to its foundation.

"Your time has yet to come, Tarin. Enlightenment comes from testing all of your fear. Have you stared death right in the face? Because I have. And his eyes were cold as the king's heart and interminable as your own daft pride. I lain there, bleeding out on the icy cobbles right outside this very castle. I thought my time was up, yes, I was seeing the light as many would say. My memories came and went as they pleased, a meaning to my life given to me. My sandglass was dropping its last grains of sand. It was then and there I was asked by the angel of death himself if I was worthy enough to serve him."

By this time, the knight has walked into Lily's room, his band of men making haste out the balcony and onto the castle walls where they know they can make a clean escape. Tarin's back is to the door, protecting Lily from any danger. Yet, Tarin is entranced by such a story to a certain unworldy degree, he hasn't even realized what is happening. They're fleeing into the night and Tarin can hardly even register it. No matter how agile he might be, jumping around on rooftops is not the answer.

"And I said yes. So here we are," comes that calm voice full of clarity, "You're a good man, Tarin and one hell of a fighter. Like a bat out of hell. Yet... you could learn so much from The Shadoweaver. Learn so much more and become a better man. Goodbye Tarin. Sweet dreams, Princess."

And with that, they're gone into the night, leaving Tarin speechless and his eyes wide.
 
Watching the men leave from her bedroom balcony, Lily could see that Tarin was not himself after one of his men left once he finished telling his story. Going over to the now shocked male, she took him into her room and made him sit down on her bed, knowing that all of this that happened was even something she could hardly believe. At that moment, the Shadoweaver was someone she had to keep her guard up against from then on. Though he was the first man that she thought she probably fell in love with, his most recent actions have started to make her rethinking what she was truly feeling for him.

Taking a seat next to the knight, she took one of his hands into her own and looked up at him. "Tarin.. If you want to leave that is fine.. It's all my fault that this is happening to you and I cannot blame you if you hate me. You've done a lot for me, but so much keeps happening to you.." Taking in a deep breath, she then caressed his hand with her delicate fingers before finishing what she wanted to say. "Go back to your kingdom. You shouldn't have to worry about or protect a person, who only brings you torment." Leaning up, she gave him a soft kiss upon his lips and pulled away to leave her room, wanting to check on those who may have been injured.
 
"Leaving would only show cowardice, Lily." Taking in a deep breath, he bows his head, "I won't leave you. I promised your father that I would keep you safe. And just so you know, I'll be here until The Shadoweaver is dead. For you, Lily, I'll destroy the threat that terrorizes your family so deeply. That, my dear Lily, I swear for you. Why do you think I would just flee? That maniac is killing and..." his hand runs through his hair, looking out the window to the veranda and rooftops, "my men.. MY men... they're loyal and fearless but he is picking them off one by one. Can you believe it, Lily? A man so bloodthirsty can be so devious. What does he say to them? Why do they understand and why, for gods sake, do they blindly follow him?" Moving through the door with her, Tarin keeps his hand in hers. Cold plate against her warm flesh. He doesn't let go until there are eyes on them. Important eyes anyway.

For the next week, Tarin is surprisingly rarely at Lily's side. Once again, he asks one of his men to guard her and the man is always around. The knight is a kind enough fellow but quiet, very quiet. Tarin, on the other hand, is in full swing of making sure the rest of his men don't fall for such lies of The Shadoweaver. After every training, there would be a speech and in that speech would be his defense for the crown. Death would be a greater victory than joining the enemy. He does, however, find time in the evening to say goodnight to Lily or at least spend a few hours together by the company of the setting sun in the gardens.

Little does he know, Leo, the man of spices, is also rallying his troops. The war between their divided people that is brewing. The Shadoweaver has even been plucking the minds of the common people for he knows that Tarin will be securing his soldiers from his grasp. Now commoners, just like the men and women his mother and father were, are now frowning upon the crown. Lies are spread and scandal is revealed bit by bit in the upper classes towards the center of the village. The Shadoweaver, with the marriage of Lily coming closer and closer, can't get her out of his mind. Perhaps one last visit won't hurt. So when the sun sets, he makes his way towards the castle. Hiding from the maids in her room, he waits silently for Lily to come back to her room.
 
There was only a week left before her father would return as well as the day that she would have to pick a suitor to become her future husband. Although she and Tarin only see each other for a little bit each day, she enjoys the time with him, refraining from bringing up anything that would possibly make the situation awkward. With a different guard with her during the day, it does bother her a bit that Tarin isn't there to keep her company like he used to. In the books of the library, she has found very little to go on even with information from her fathers' council, who she had thought would know much more. As frustrating as it was, Lily decided that she would come up with her own plan after her marriage.

What was the biggest problem for her lately was that going into town didn't seem like an option anymore. Eyes of the townspeople glaring at her with hatred or people keeping away from her as if she had done something to them. Not leaving the castle, she sends out one of the maids to the orphanage with food or money for the children. As long as she knew they were getting her gifts, that was all that she cared about.

It was very late at night by the time, Lily had made it up to her bedroom after being out in the garden and wishing Tarin a goodnight. Closing the doors behind her, she sat upon her bed, thinking about what whether she should bathe before sleeping. Unaware of the fact that someone was inside her room at that very moment.
 
Lily should have felt the presence in the room for The Shadoweaver isn't too far away from her. Seeing her coming in the door, he keeps his position. As a quiet black cat, he stays leaning up against the far wall, watching the sheets wrinkle as she sits upon the feathered sheets. Immediately after hearing a soft hum, she is in a living daydream. Her night must have been quite a good one for normally she is more alert. Raising a brow, he smells Tarin's scent on her. Ever since Lily has come home, Tarin has started to smell of honeysuckle or lavender. The Shadoweaver would be a fool not to notice the knight's advances. His hair is combed neatly with his fingers before he stats to walk over to Lily. It angers him yet he isn't quite sure why.

"You look well, Lily, my," he sneers greatly, his next words coming off as sarcastic, "princess." For if anything, Lily lives her position but she is no princess in his eyes. She fights back and has changed something inside of him. He would never allow a mere royal to do that. Being half commoner, that jabber about her mother told to him before, perhaps they're more alike than he thought.

"It has been too long since I have snaked to your room under the caressing touch of the moon." The clicking of his boots sounds across the wooden floors. "Did you miss me, Lily? You seem to be doing just fantastic and you look just scrumptious. Delightful. Beautiful." Reaching her finally, his long shadow cast across the floor and wall. Leaning down, he doesn't push back his hood or equally black mask. Amber eyes burrowing deeply into her, all emotions wiped cleanly from them. Lots and lots of preparation for this moment taken for The Shadoweaver is no fool and will not be played by her. For a killer can't feel the same emotions a princess does. They are completely different.
 
Her thoughts were soon disturbed as she heard footsteps in her room, heading in her direction. She knew who it was since there was only one person would come to her room so late at night aside from Tarin. His tone was the same as any other time he spoke to her as the Shadoweaver. "Miss you? I don't see why I should miss you." She replied before their eyes met. It was easy to see that there was no emotion in his eyes, telling her that he was trying to erase unwanted feelings that would interfere with whatever he was trying to do.

Averting her eyes from his, she got up from her bed, walking around him to the door of her bathroom. "Did you come here to say goodbye or something along those lines?" She asked him, turning the water on to fill up the tub, while she was busy picking out her clothes for the night and waiting for him to leave her. "Or maybe you're here to wish me a good marriage with whoever I am to be with. Whatever the reason, I feel that we won't be seeing each other very much after tonight."
 
"A kiss, touch, feeling. Indescribable feelings that you have felt towards me. I assume that you have been pining over my departure and thus thought it would only be proper to slither in to your den to ease your suffering." In a way, what The Shadowaver is doing is almost kind. But, of course, he would never admit such frivolous thoughts. "It's no secret that your husband will be that high and mighty Tarin wonderknight from god-knows-where. So perhaps this is just business. Another call strictly from me to you or, if you like, it can be more..." he follows her to the door of her bathroom, "personal. Your hearts desire."

Moving to lay down on the bed, he supports his neck with her pillows, the scent as sweet as if she were right there next to him. Crossing his arms behind his head and feet in front of him, he merely waits for her to speak. To be honest with himself, he isn't quite sure why he has come and her asking him would only make him angry. He always raises a mad temper when he isn't sure. He is The Shadoweaver - the man with all the answers and always, always, a plan. But here, in this very room, he is dumbstruck by his own foolishness. He has no plan, no great scheme or trick up his sleeve. The man simply wanted to see her with his amber eyes again - is that such a crime?
 
"Yes Tarin will without a doubt become my husband, which I think is a pretty good choice. Seeing that there is no other person as great as him." Laying her clothes on the end of the bed, Lily was a little surprised to see the male relaxing on her bed like it was his own. Shaking her head at him, she went back into the bathroom to turn the water off that had filled the tub up along with bubbles floating on top. Knowing that the water was hot, she waited for it to cool down a bit, so she went back out to talk with the Shadoweaver.

"Then what business do you have with me? It obviously can't be personal, since we do not have any special bond linking us together." She said standing at the end of the bed, avoiding him in case he decided to do anything to her, if she was any closer to him. Lily knew that if she was to marry Tarin, any feeling that she may have fabricated towards the Shadoweaver had to disappear. There was no reason to love someone, who was not going to love her back in the same way.
 
"I think you could do better," The Shadoweaver says with a shrug, adjusting his belt buckle before running his hands over her blankets. They're of the finest fabric her father could buy, he is sure. Now they'll be soiled with his touches and covered in his smell. The scent of spices still lingiring in the air for a while after he has gone. Normally he would take a run to the lake, wash off, and return before becoming The Shadoweaver for any scent of spice would surely give him away. But on this night he lets the saffron sink in, a hint of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg added to the aroma. He wants her to miss him and perhaps the smell will do just that. The male has shown no signs of getting off of her bed.

"But, of course, good ol' daddy has given you a time schedule." The Shadoweaver clicks his tongue, shaking his head from left to right, "Shouldn't love be searched for instead of forced upon you? There is no possible way you could have loved Tarin this whole time. You just met him, didn't you? Strong, faithful Tarin to be your master instead of your pet. Don't you think he just wants power? He will, after all, become King once your father is through. Then, perhaps you'll see what power does to a man. It corrupted your father and it'll destroy your Tarin's good will. As strong as it might be, more... money? Gold? Land? Oh yes, it will all be laid out in front of him like a delicious pork roast on a platter and he, you have my word, will much down on it as if it were his last meal on this earth." His voice stays steady throughout his speech, his mind solidified on what is to become of their 'loving' marriage, "He'll forget about you - riches becoming his wife instead."
 
Listening to him rant on and on about what will happen once she and Tarin were married, yet all she could do is laugh when he finished. "Have you forgotten? I am the one to take my fathers' place, not anyone else except my brother if I were to die before I give birth heir. And you speak of Tarin as if you know everything about him and yet you don't. Unless you know him personally, I don't think you can speak ill of a person, when you are no better yourself. Is that how you get people to join your side? Sure my father is a terrible king for what he has done, but you've also put the blame on those who had nothing to do with his actions." She said to him, somewhat annoyed by the fact that he was still on her bed.

Did he want something from her? Why was he just laying there on her bed? "Now that our business is over with, I'll be taking my bath and heading off to bed." Not even waiting for him to leave, Lily grabbed her towel as she stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her before getting undressed and slipping into the tub filled with warm water.
 
Hearing her close the door, The Shadoweaver can't help but smile. Whatever that brain behind those blue eyes was thinking, she didn't like the fact that he was on her bed. So, while she bathes, he stays there. Being generous, as he thinks he is, he lowers his hood and rubs his head onto her pillows, inhaling her sweet scent. She always smells of the rarest flowers when she leaves the scented bathwater. He won't miss this for the world. While sitting and waiting, he wonders if she should enter her bathroom just to calmly catch a glimpse. He'll ask some sort of question for sure, pretending not to notice before just stepping out again. That'll leave her mind buzzing... The Shadoweaver likes the idea the more he thinks of it. Oh but what to ask!

Eventually he stands up, the bed not even uttering the smallest of creaks. It has been crafted from fine artists, flowers or something very lady-like carved into the wood to give depth and contours to the strong maple. Stepping as quietly as he can, the man avoids making a racket as he reaches the candlelight flickering underneath the door. Gulping, The Shadoweaver is still unsure of what he will say if he enters. Figuring he will just wing it, he places his hand on the latch but some force inside of his heart causes him to pause and take a moment to think for he knows Lily will most likely be expecting him to do such an act. What man would sit on a bed while a lady, a fine looking one at that, is completely naked in a bathtub. It's not like he hasn't seen her bare before but she is conscious this time. Washing herself. He closes his eyes just thinking about it, his hand still stealthily on the metal tongue.
 
As her body relaxed inside the tub, Lily wondered how she would speak to Tarin tomorrow about what was on her mind these past few weeks. Her father would be home in four days, which left little time for her and Tarin to be back on speaking terms with each other. Not noticing anything suspicious at the door of the bathroom, she speaks out loud to herself, unaware that he was still there and able to hear her every word. "Tarin may not be like that of the Shadoweaver, but he shows me what he truly feels. Lately, he's been on my mind just like how 'he' used to be. I think marrying Tarin would not only make me happier and at least I wouldn't feel as if someone is only playing with me like I was some kind of game."
 
Oh her words make him angry. His whole persona is uprooted and all he can feel is his arms tighten, his chest expanding with such hate for that knight. Tarin. He will pay. He will die by The Shadoweaver's hand. It won't be any different for the man -is- a knight. Commoner, knight, noble, oh it doesn't matter. The Shadoweaver will destroy all of them if that means keeping Lily open for him. What? For him? Why does he even want an attachment - and to the Princess of Celestial Kingdom? He steps back from the door, his hand moving to his head. His amber eyes flare up in protest, head shaking from left to right. I'll make you love me. Is all he can think about, all he feels right now. Jealousy. It's new and frightening to him, just like this newfound desire to catch a glimpse of Lily or realize he had been thinking about her all day.

"You're a puzzle piece. My puzzle piece..." The Shadoweaver breathes at the door, not loud enough for even the hairs on the back of his head to hear. With his mask lowered, he grips the handle of the door again, wanting to barge in there and tell her how wrong she is for wanting that egotistic knight to be her husband. But then again, wouldn't that show that he -cares- for her? Oh he feels the stabbing at his chest, the pumping of blood through his veins. The sooner he waits around, the less time he has to either return to the bed, barge into her bathroom, or simply leave and never be seen by her eyes again if he can help it. Releasing the door handle, he moves back to the bed and flops himself down, rolling around to make sure its covered, COVERED, with his spicy scent that should last at least for tonight and maybe a few more nights if she doesn't have the maids change them.
 
As she finished up washing off her body, Lily got out of the tub and wrapped the towel around her after she dried herself off as best as she could. Not knowing that the Shadoweaver was still in her bedroom, she walked out of the bathroom with the towel still on to change into the clothes that she'd be wearing that night to sleep. Looking up to see him on her bed, she sighed out loud, stepping over to the side of the bed to look down at him. "I was expecting you to be gone by now. Why are you still here?" She asked, picking up the clothes from the bed and moving behind a divider that hid her exposed body from him. Changing, Lily thought as to why the male was visiting her when he had mentioned that she wouldn't be seeing him for a long time once he left the castle. "You should leave before Tarin or someone comes in here to check on me." She says to him.
 
"So eager to get away from me, are we?" The Shadoweaver re-crosses his legs once she moves away with nothing but the towel on. Tilting his head to the side, he finds the perfect view in the reflection of one of her vases just enough to see at least the top of her. It is a joy to see, he even smiles underneath the safety of his mask. She might marry Tarin but he can still feel through the electrical connection in the air around her, that her thoughts still come back to him. Ever since the forest, she hasn't been the same. Why did she come and visit him every single day while in the hospital? Lily never missed a click, not that he can remember anyway.

Springing up from the bed, he looks back at the battleground of sheets he purposely left behind. Not caring how dressed she is, he rounds the divider and lays his arm across the drawer that rests there, "I think I can handle your fiancé Tarin. You see, he is an easy target and I have surprises in store for him of a caliber you cannot even imagine," he knows this is a lie but his eyes fail to give away anything to Lily or else the whole groundwork he has poured will crack and crumble into the sea. It will be lost to never be forged again. "And this is the part where you beg me not to, understand? If you truly love Tarin, and I mean truly do, then you best be marrying him soon. What was the timeframe your father bestowed upon you? Weeks? Months? Days? It won't matter. Would you rather him die a knight or a husband?"
 
Almost dressed by the time he gets around the corner of the divider, she listens to his threats against Tarin, but they do not scare her. "Say as much as you want, but I can see envy written all over you." Her blue hues staring straight back into his own, as she moved closer to him, not backing down from him even a little. "If he were to die, he'll die as my husband. I want to see what you'll do, but if anything happens to him, don't you think something could happen to me at the same time." If Lily had to, she would stay by Tarin's side at all times, whether he wanted them to or not. She didn't know if the Shadoweaver was becoming infatuated with her or if he was ready to do anything possible to make her suffer.

Slipping on the last piece of clothing, Lily walked over to the doors of her balcony and opened them up for him. "Now if you're done with your threats, leave." Crossing her arms across her chest, he stood at the doors, waiting for him to exit with his final words.
 
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