The Royal Arrangements

Falon laughed at the tickling feeling recived by the wet tounge of Marble. She nodded to Ambers statement "I see that we both have a more realistic idea of the marriage. I hope for friendship, I think both fun and friendship would make the situation much less odd personally." She pouted for only a second when Marle had run away, With a small chuckle a smile had returned to her face quickly. "So how did you ever come to have Marble as a pet? I surely never heard of rats being in fashion but it that different in your kingdom?" She asked. It was now that she realized she had not come into contact with many of the other kingdoms and had not learned much about their customs. She shouldn't have ran from her tutors all those years and should had listoned. After the marriage she was to become queen. Falon knew that if she was not careful with er words she could offend another.
 
Amber stifled a giggle as Marbles nails brushed against her bare arms. He was deep inside her sleeve again. "It's not too big a fashion, but it's not unheard of in my kingdom. A maid in my castle breeds them, she's the one who gave me Marble, so the one I have is very domesticated... and best of all, kept disease free." She wasn't easily offended, and even if Falon had said something kind of offensive, Amber would of let her off easy. She was already beginning to like the girl. "I don't expect to fall in love with this man... I'll give him a good try though. You're right, I hope no one is coming here expecting too much." Her thoughts drifted back to her mother and father. They had met each other the same way, and they seemed happy enough. A strong friendship would be good enough fo her.
 
Faroh had been exploring the castle before he went to his room, he was on a balcony outside when he a squawk, and looked up to see his crow Ravok flying down, out of the sky. It landed on his shoulder, the Black feather bird, with red eyes. He stroked it gently, the only thing he ever showed attention too. He was feeling hungry now, he found his way to his room, and took one of the blood bags out of his sack, sinking his teeth into it, sucking it dry.
 
Slowly stirring from her nap. Eliza opened her eyes, closed them, and reopened them. "Hnnn...? It's...still the afternoon?" she blinked a bit and slowly rose up, still a bit weary from just waking up. She looked around and thought that she might go back out to explore the castle. She got up and straightened out her clothes and proceeded to walk out.

Eliza looked around. She loved how the castle was built. It was very lovely with its structures. Eventually she had found the dining room, what would now be called a living room, tons of bathrooms, and a gateway to outside in the garden. She smiled as she knew she was going to like it here.
 
Falon smiled widely seeing as though Amber had taken the commet how she wanted it to go. "Well from my observations, friendship seems to be a common thing amoung couples." She was feeling a bit uneasy about the conversation, she didn't want to discuss marriage when her fiance could very well be around the conner. Falon had a difficult tounge and she knew it, it was easy for her to hurt a situation so she said tackfully. "Diesease free huh? That sounds wonderful" She smiled "Maybe rats as pets will catch on and replace the common household cats and dogs?" She smiled widely, "I'm sure a rat would please Annamaria quite a bit. When your maid has another litter please tell me, I will gladly buy on for my youngest sister."
 
[... I probably should get up, I haven't unpacked]
Aurin gets up "oh... have not introduced myself to the others"[It can wait ! though it's late at night...] Aurin starts unpacking and placing his clothes in his drawer and slams it shut rushing, not realizing his right hand was still there .He almost yells but then realizes he may wake up an early sleeper... or get unecessary commotion [But... IT HURTS SO BAD!!!] Aurin muffles himself and makes a cry in pain "good it wasnt that it doesnt echo, in here atleast" Aurin feels stinging and looks at his hand "ah.. Its bleeding" he goes to the restroom to clean out the wound and wraps a couple of cloths around it.

His stomach growls sometime after. [what the... am I actually hungry now?] He grabs the door with his right hand by mistake "agh!" He starts to chuckle then stops. [sheesh this is only the first day, I'm going to die before one week is over at this rate] He walks out of the restroom to end up looking at the lights as he's walking to the dinner hall, hoping he's neither too late nor too early.
 
Raiko had slowly arrisen from his short slumber in his room only to find it was still noon-ish. He wasn't tired nor was he energetic, he was basically bland as always. He let out a gentle sigh into his viel, then hopped out of bed and grabbed his blades. To him, doing nothing was a weakling's job. That was something his kingdom did not approve of. You either worked hard or die with the weak. A harsh, cruel rule; but it was efficient and shaped Raiko into the warrior he was today. He wasn't going to have a bunch of servants following him around and kiss the floor he walked on, it was stupid to him. Raiko was use to fending for himelf, and that was how he was going to keep it.

Wondering around the halls of the castle, Raiko found himself in the back areas, leading to the courtyard. Walking closer he saw dummies stuffed with hay, archery targets, and knights training to their fullest extent. He was more accustom to things like this, so he took his place among them and started training his sword arm.
 
Amber smiled widely. "Of course, I'll make sure I ask her."

The elf's head turned as she heard commotion downstairs. "Sounds like people are getting hungry." Her own stomach was beginning to feel empty as well. She would have to meet the others sooner or later anyway. "You wanna come down with me? It'll probably make meeting our fiances easier. We can at least try and see who got the cuter one," she said with a playful wink. If Falon accepted, Amber would hold out her rat free hand for her and walk down to the kitchen area. Eyes would be peeled for a handsome elf man... She was hoping anyway.
 
"Late, late, late," the guard muttered, fingers tapping the pommel of his saddle.
Dmitri could feel his glare burning into his back. He chose to ignore him. After all, it wasn't his fault his younger brother, Marcus, had decided to order the servants to unpack the wagon and set the horses out to graze.
"Nearly there, Sire," the guard to his left said, chuckling at the other guard's anger and grinning, "then you'll meet your new wife-to-be."
"I don't want a wife."
Dmitri and his two guards spent the rest of the journey in silence apart from occasional mutterings and an amused smile until they reached the castle- the wagon containing his belongings had lagged behind but Dmitri didn't mind; he had the things with him he valued in a bag slung across his back.
He decided to go straight to his room, taking his bag with him, and when he opened the door he let out a delighted laugh:
The room was so different to his own at home. His own was orderly and showed what was expected to be the room of the heir. This room, however, almost seemed to mimic a blacksmith's workshop.
Cream walls, yes, not like the soot covered walls of the workshop but hanging on them were a selection of tools used to work metal, and best of all they were sparkling brand new. The bedsheets were a emerald green, the colour of the family but hanging down were curtains made of a light material that almost mimicked the soot that dusted the air of the smithy. And the funiture- a mahogany desk and a trunk to store his clothes in, reflecting the mahogany of the polished floorboards.
After wandering around his room for a little while and growing familiar with it, he decided he might as well explore and find out what his future wife was like.
The floorboards creaked slightly as he crept down the hall, listening for the sound of voices.
 
Aggithon had woken up to the smell of food, He stood up walking around the dinning room touching rock wall. "To think this great castle was made from the largest mountains of the land." He rubbed his hand slowly on the smooth surface of the walls. It amazed him how smooth the walls are. He quickly moved to the seats looked at the great detail of the carved wood into the seats. It interested him until his servant walked into the dinning room bringing various foods and enough of it to fill the tables. Once the table was filled with food the servant turned to Aggithon and said. "Sir, i'm sorry I've taken long but i thought it would be thoughtful of us to serve our delectable's to the others." Aggithon gave a pleased smile and said "Fantastic my good man, its nearly time to it, well played out." Aggithon sat in a seat waiting to welcome each person and to eat as much as they want.
 
Faroh was still in his room when he caught the smell of freshly cooked food, though he didn't find human food delectable, he didn't wish to seem rude. Sometimes his acute senses annoyed him, as he was always in high alert due to the fact he could hear, smell things up to a few miles away. Like now for instance, he could tell there was two males in the dining hall, one he assumed to be a prince, the other he assumed to be his servant, as he could hear their conversation, something to do with cooking food for the rest of the guests as well as his master. Faroh thought he would join them, soon. He walked over to his luggage and and pulled out a rather extravagantly detailed letter, the seal to the envelope had been broken many days ago, he read over it, coolly, Isabelle, he said to himself, as this was the name of the woman he had been matched with, according to the letter.

His ears then caught the distant sound of swords clashing, knights training he assumed. Though one was there who didn't belong, his smell was different to the rest of them. He wiped a strand of silky black hair off of his face as he made his way over to the oak door, Come Ravok, he said without opening his mouth, touching the bird's mind. As he opened the door the bird flew over, perching on his left shoulder, he locked the door behind him. He made his way down the great, marble staircase which led to the reception area which they had entered, it was rather spacious, grandly decorated, he suppose other people might find this stuff "Homely" not him however.

He made his way over to the dining room, waiting outside for a moment before entering, when he did so, it cause a chill in the air, he wasn't sure if the other's had noticed him or not, one of them had, the one named Aggithon, he made his way over to the dining table where servants were already laying out food, "Sorry if this meal is not for us all." he stated, though showing no attempt to exit if this was true, his bird squawked with amusement. As he took his place at the table his mind drifted elsewhere, to the princess he was supposedly going to marry, Isabelle, he repeated to himself, wondering where she could be.
 
After exploring the castle, Eliza found herself at the bottom stairwell near Dmitri's room. She saw Dmitri come out of the door and looked up at him. "Eh?" she tilted her head to the side. Is he... she began to think, My fiancee...?
 
Falon smirked at Amber "What is your opinion of cute by the way? Smooth build or muscle on muscle? Personally I like a tall inbetween." She was wonderin what her fiance would look like, sure she had many rough images in her head from her maids desciptions but she knew that they were all lying. Most of the maids were born at the palace by past maids. None have ever left the palace unless with the king, queen or princesses. She knew her family had not yet seen him so there was no chance of the maids seeing him. She let out a sigh, if only he could be dreamy like described. "Of course dinner would sound marvelous, hopfully our fiances are there because I will die if I am to wait anyloner. My imagination has been pushed into overdrive." When ambers hand extended for her to take it she gladly accepted as they deceneded down the stairs. Her mind then left the appearance, she could stand havin an overweight pig as a husband as long as his personality was good. If things didn't work out between the two of them she could become a cat lady, Surrounding herself with cats who give endless affection. She knew of a few in her kingdom and really they seemed to be the sweetest, happiest people she knew.
 
Amber's imagination was coming up with it's own images of her possible fiance too. "Someone with muscles I can grab on to," she said with a flirty smile. She liked her men to look like... Men. Strong, dependable, and rugged. Of course, she too would be happy with someone who was nice. Maybe a bit competitive like her. It would be fun to spend hours testing her skill against that of her husband. Amber would have mentioned that she would prefer him to be an elf like her. She wanted her children to be full elf. Fear stopped her though. She was afraid though that Falon would think her a racist. She sure didn't want to come off that way.

They would meander through the halls and down the long stairway together. The place was very well decorated, and with her new friend in tow, Amber was able to appreciate it more. The nervousness of being alone wasn't eating at her anymore. The walls were covered in tapestries, made of silk, no doubt. This was, after all, a royal castle. The iron work that held the lit flames were artfully placed, and not to mention the ceiling with it's own masterpiece, in all it's ridiculous splendor. She supposed she could grow to like staying here. When they reached the dining room, with the smell of herbs and seasoning wafting through the air, she could nearly feel herself salivate with hunger. The ornate dining chairs and table looked inviting enough, so she took a seat. She turned to look at each of the other guests, wondering if her fiance' was among them.

There was another elf! He wasn't quiet the same as her, but she could feel her hopes soar! He had a bird too... of course, by it's size Amber could tell it was a crow. She was glad it was not a raven. She knew they could eat a rat like hers whole. Crows were not as predatory, and were far more used to scavenging. Still though, she remained wary. "The fare here smells wonderful. My name is Amber Jule." She said, addressing all. She watched the men in the room, trying to gauge their reaction to her name. If one of them was her fiance', this is how they would know.
 
Faroh watched as a women entered the dining hall, slowly, elegantly. He studied her as she entered, and saw her studying him in return, she had graceful features, like himself, at last he came to the conclusion that she was an Elf, which she had probably done for him to, not knowing the true reality. He wondered if that was the woman he was to marry, an Elf, he hoped not, she looked many of the other Elves he had seen, she probably thought she was better than everyone else here, they always had an unhealthy mixture of racism and fascism.

As he had these thoughts she came to introduce herself, telling everyone in the room she Amber Jule, expressing how well she thought the food smelt. Faroh stood up, graciously, as he did so Ravok launched himself into the air, making some of the other guests jump as he did so. Faroh walked over to Amber, and gently took her hand, bowing her said, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Faroh Eache." His voice sounding like silk touching against the soul, another vampiric trait he had. He gently kissed her hand a returned to his seat, Ravok returning to his place on his shoulder.
 
Falon followed Amber's lead though her mind did not notice the beautiful decor of the room. It was much like her own castle in many ways and she took it as a normal enough looking room. She looked among the men wondering which would step up and claim amber as their fiance. She smiled, her courtly smile and gave a small gesture of the head "My name is Falon Hitchlynn" Falon look between the men, all handsome, as she expected from good breeding. They all had some of the qualities spit up by her maids though none had a dead on description (That was besides the point considering long ago she concluded her maids knew nothing.)

Falon smiled and added "It is a pleasure to get to meet you all durring our stay" She waited for someone to claim her as their fiance so that the wait could be over and done with but no one seemed to shoot up. Ah well, she thought, the dinning room isn't full yet, maybe he just havn't arrived. Having thought this it saddened her a bit, she was going to be getting married to a complete stranger and she wanted to use every moment she had to get to know her fiance. Sure they would have plenty of time, forever to be exact, after the wedding to get to know eachother.

Falon didn't let her thoughts show on her face and smiled widely "Now I hope you don't mind a bit of company while you eat, My friend and I have grown hungery over our long trip." She took a seat at the table with a small smile. She looked around, no one had claimed her yet but that didn't mean no one was about to claim her new friend Amber. Now who is it all be comparing my fiance to? She questioned herself. of course subconsiously she would be comparing it to every man. Which princesses should she envy and which she should be sorry for.
 
Eliza tried to get a better view of the person at the top of the stairs but failed. She then felt her stomach growl and decided it was time to get something to eat. She traveled down to the dining room, and peaked in, finding many others there.

"O-Oh!" Eliza was a bit surprised seeing a lot of people here. "Am I ...Interrupting anything?" she asked a bit timidly.
 
Falon glanced up at the new girl who had entered the room, "Eliza?" She questioned with a smile on her face. She remembered Eliza, she was a sweet girl whom she had meet only three years back durring a trade between the nations. Falon had liked this girl vaery much so from the beguinning since she reminded her of her younger sister Saye. "It's been a while hasn't it?" She tapped the seat next to her "I would have reconized that stiching from aywhere. Do tell me how your parents have faired these last three years? Are they well? I take it that you are considering your here lively as every." She said lively teasingly, the girl she remembered was very quite and shy.
 
Eliza glanced over to the person whom spoke her name and recognized her to be Falon. Her face lit up with a smile. "Heh, hello Falon! My parents are doing just fine," she nodded and walked up near to her. She made a little nervous chuckle at her calling Eliza lively, as that certainly was an understatement. Not that she wasn't enjoying herself here, it was just she was, as stated, a shy little girl. And she still was, even as princess. She always had one time she would stutter if she had to give a speech at her home kingdom.
 
Falon smiled and picked up the hem of Eliza's dress "Did you do this one too" She asked her wondering if she still sew. Three years ago her talant was extrodinary but looking at this it seemed as it was done by someone far beyond professional. She Smiled and dropped the hem of the dress. "I take it you have? Eliza you must make one for me someday! it's so beautifully done!" Falon said enthusiastically. She would love to have Eliza as her personal dress maker. She then fingered her own dress, yes it was comfy, yes the material was the best (back from the trade between their two kingdoms) But the dress maker, though skilled, could not compare to Eliza's skills. "Years of practice dose good hmm? If only we all had your patience with a needle."