Who Cried Wolf

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Iliana

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WHO CRIED WOLF
CHAPTER ONE: BY FORCE

It was an order given to him by the rest of the Council of Advisers. Not a direct order, but an order to say the least. It was given to him in the morning meeting that he told himself not to go to. He had some leeway in that section, being the prince of the castle and all. The title gave him some authority, but not too much over the Council. They were something like your Congress in America: having the right to wage war and make decisions without the King or Queen's direct approval. That was not much of a problem seeing as though they all strongly feared the King and Queen. Jenis (Gin-is) was the next best thing as well as the next in line. He had might as well gotten used to the power by now.

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He tried to avoid the meeting but there wasn't anything bad that may have happened to him if he did go. Usually, the only reason he despised being there were the long speeches about nothings and somethings that would eventually end up being a nothing in a certain number of days. It was the same old pish-posh of Kalerin. Jenis wasn't too much concerned about the economic stature of the land, but he had little choice when his parents left on a voyage to another land. There reason of departure was to ask the neighboring land, Xore, to stop lighting their bundles of wheat on fire. Sure, the land was at war with Fenz, but that didn't mean they could teach their Pyre Archers to use their barrels as target practice. Bread was scarce because of their amateur accuracy. Their leaving left Jenis in charge...and obliged to go to the meeting.

The meeting went a little something in this manor.

"Prince Jenis. Your parents are of a...becoming age."

"Yes, that is true." he answered, looking down into the bubbly contents of his golden goblet. It was a weird tasting type of wine that was only found in Kalerin called...Kal Wine. Not a very creative choice of naming. The wine was a color of auburn, much like a silky red wine, except there was a secret carbonation to it. He peered down over the bridge of his nose at the bubbles. Looking past the rim of the large cup and into the bubbly red drink was a bit of a game for him. One bubble would burst, leaving another to spawn someways away from the first and burst as well. Jenis was counting the bursts as fast as he could. He was really good with his eyes.

"And I know we have already discussed the matter of the maidens..."

"Ah. This conversation again? It comes by so often, it gets extremely boring the minute it passes your lips. I've told you all, I do not need help in finding my bride to be. The only help I need is for you to back off and let a man breathe, for God's sake."he sighed, returning his attention back to the cup. The Council members murmured but the main speaker, Delorian, only coughed and shifted in his shoes as he stood in front of Prince Jenis, sitting in his father's chair and playing the Bubble Game.

"But you have had the honor of meeting all princess from all the lands on this side of the country and you have rejected them all, sire. It is only fair to give them another chance at having the honor of being your bride."

"What if I don't want a woman from this side of the country?" Jenis sighed while he remembered to note the 56th pop of a bubble. The Council all gasped and went on a spree of murmurs at his reply. The usual meeting procedure.

"But sire! The only other land is...we surely do not think you mean to travel to--"

"I shall, and by myself at that. This is my decision."he answered quickly, darting his hazel eyes up to Delorian. The man looked pale, like someone erased all of the colors away from his face.

"But she has had her fair share of suitors as well! What if she does not choose you?"

"Then I will take her. Simply put."her responded, leaving the last pop at 64 before stretching and standing to his full height. The green and golden embroidered robes slung around his shoulders while his crop of brown caressed his cheek. None of the Council uttered a word of approval or rejection.

And that is where Prince Jenis was now. On his beautiful black mare, Mace, trodding out of the Kalerin city gates.
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It was a strangely peaceful day in the castle. The halls were quiet, save for a wandering maid or butler going about their regular duties. The elegant marble filled halls glowed as the afternoon light filtered in through the floor to ceiling windows. A few were open to enjoy the warm and welcome weather, a light breeze rustling the curtains lightly here and there as the sound of birds tweeting drifted in...Yes it was such a peaceful...

Bang!

Crash!

Clang!


Okay...Maybe not so peaceful.

The loud sounds attracted the attention of a few maids and a butler or two, all wondering what happened but each also having a feeling they knew what was going on. Suddenly, a man in elegant clothing burst from the room, growling out loudly as he clutched his wrist in pain. His black suit jacket also seemed to have a few small bite marks, as if a gerbil had made it a snack, and his once combed back hair was now a terrible mess. His eyes were enraged as he stared back into the room, his deep voice cracking as he hunched over a bit. It seemed that his own personal..."jewels" had taken a hit during the commotion.

"YOU CRAZY WOMAN! HOW DARE YOU SICK THAT...THING UPON ME!" He declared from the doorway, he seemed to be bent on starting quite the commotion.

Inside the room, sitting in a luxurious arm chair made of fine fabrics sat the devil...or at least that was what all the men in her country called her. Her proper name was Ariana Belhard, sole princess and hair to the kingdom of Saypol. Her cool blue eyes looked back at the man, possibly even into his soul before she let out a small hallow laugh. Sitting on her shoulder was a pure white ferret, a tuft of fabric in its mouth as it continued to stare down the apposing male.

"How dare I? I believe it should be me saying those words."
She replied coldly as she made a move to slowly stand. "What on this planet gave you the idea that you had the right to touch this at all?"

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The man seemed to be at a lost for words, she was rather intimidating when she was standing at full height...even if she was still technically shorter than most men to begin with. Her black lace heels clicked on the ground as she stepped slowly around a tipped over coffee table and a shattered tea set, a large puddle forming from the hot tea. The man seemed to lose his voice and even step back a bit as she stood right in front of him. He seemed to be lost in her eyes until a pair of large hands wrapped around his biceps. He looked back to see a giant of a man holding him up like a rag doll.

"Larz will be showing you out now, Perry Lourn...I have to say that I am not disappointed that you are leaving. Thankfully, I know your father is a good man and a good Duke...Otherwise I might have had father find someone else to do his job. Now...Take him away Larz, I have nothing else to say to this prat."

And with that, Perry was dragged away, his mouth gaping open in surprise as he looked back at the princess. The white ferret on her shoulder gave another growl in his direction before he cuddled into her cheek, making her reach up and scratch his head gently. The sound of quick footsteps sounded and soon there were three professional looking men standing in the hall, one glancing into the room to only let out a tired sigh, now there was another mess to clean up.

"Princess...Another one?" The oldest looking man asked, seeming to be heart broken.

"He got what was coming to him...him and his sticky fingers."

"But Princess! That was the last available man in all of the countries on out side! You can't inherit the throne unless you follow tradition and wed! We've already lost your mother a few years before and your father is getting on in his years. You can't force him to keep doing this job until he's dead!" The adviser said, desperately trying to convince the young woman to change her corrupting ways.

"To hell with tradition! I am my father's daughter, am I not!?" She yelled suddenly. "I am the Princess of Saypol, Daughter to Philip the great and Aurora the wise! I did not spend 15 years of my childhood going to an all girls boarding school for high arts and politics just to come home and in turn be handed off to whichever suitor you and your men could find! It's been four years since I've finished schooling and I am a grown woman! I have the right to chose who I marry or if I even marry at all!"

The group of advisers went silent each knowing that they would only invoke her temper again if they spoke. Ariana huffed to herself before motioning to the dirty room with a wave of her hand and strutting past the older men.

"Have the maids clean up this mess that horny pig made, I'll be in my room until dinner."

With that, the princess was gone. The three advisers looked at each other before one of them glanced back into the room. It really was a mess...He turned back to the group before holding out his hand.

"Alright, pay up." He said, the other two grumbling to themselves as they pulled out their wallets and started to place money into his hands
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"You know, this isn't humorous at all, Mace." Jenis grumbled before he tossed his face in his hands for the umpteenth time that afternoon. The road to Saypol was a desolate one. Tch, wonder why, he joked to himself. There were so many stories about that land. He had no time to wallow about the list, so he just pinpointed the main one: the violent princess. True, the advisers tried to warn him about her, but, then again, did he have much of a choice on the matter? As terribly dense as they all were, they were right. He had rejected every single one of the princess that came up to him in hopes of marriage. Jenis would take one look at them, silently nod, and wait for them to speak. The speaking was the thing that through him off. Yes, Jenis was a real stickler for a voice.

"Mace..."he grumbled in his own angered tone. The reason he was so upset was because his beautiful black horse was traveling dangerously slow. Too slow for comfort. The expansion of time only gave Jenis time to maul over his thoughts which was he was trying to avoid. It started off without how he was going to go about getting the princess. The easiest way was to map out his advantages and disadvantages. Starting with advantages, Jenis and Mace were both quick and silent. He could easily slip into the walls of her palace undetected, and Mace could ride them out like the wind. That speed and silence was always a plus in his book.

Disadvantages: the princess in mind was Princess Ariana. He had heard the stories. Oh yes, he had heard every single syllable of the stories about this woman and they were all utterly hilarious. The woman in question was known to be more than 'fiesty.' She was a down right demon. Suitors came from all of her lands to ask for her hand only to get her heel. It was intriguing to say the least, how such a popular woman can be so cruel. Jenis couldn't wait to meet her.

With a sly smile, he rapped his ankle across Mace's belly once, coaxing him to increase speed as the two of them slowly began to close in to the land of Saypol, where their journey would begin.​
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"Only you seem to understand how I feel at all Alfred...it's a shame you are a ferret." She whispered softly to her white furred pet as he seemed to purr under her gentle petting. The creature in question just purred and curled around her neck closely, nudging into her cheek a little more in hopes of getting more pets.

The Princess' fiery demeanor seemed to go cold as she slowly made her way down the large halls, her heels clicking slowly as she took another turn. She didn't like this...How her life was going. After school, things just seemed to keep going wrong. First, her mother grew ill and eventually passed, sending her father into a bit of solitude. Though it has gotten better over the years, he still only ever spoke to her during dinner...Part of her knew the reason why. She just looked too much like her, like the woman he grew to love. She did not resent him for it though, she loved her mother just as much as he did...anything that reminded her of her mother was usually avoided, even after all these years.

Ariana eventually arrived to her room, opening the large doors to reveal a suite of sorts. It was elegantly decorated in fine silks and satins, the bed being so large that it took up most of the room, and yet there was still so much space left to wander as she pleased. She removed her little ferret from her shoulders and onto her bed, petting his head one last time before she wandered away and headed over to her vanity. She took a seat on a plush stool before she kicked off her shoes, letting them lay on the floor messily before she leaned forward on her vanity. She hated not having anything to do during these long days...part of her now understood my many of the young heiress also planned to attend the all girls college as well, they'd at least be doing something with their lives.

A long sigh left her lips before she turned on the stool and stood once more, walking over to her large window and opening it wide. She needed some air in her stuffy room, something just to clear her mind. With that done she wandered back into her room and started to change into something a little more proper for dinner with her father. As she did so she found herself singing a small tune that she learned back in school, it wasn't much but she always found comfort in it.

 
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It was terribly easy to get to the castle. There were guards out front and that sort of thing, but when Jenis strode up on his chic, black mare, they looked at him the same way everyone else looked to him as: a prince. A guard bowed to him as he strode up in the main entrance gate that held a beige, brick road that let out to the palace it's self. Mace stopped in front of the two guards and neighed once. Jenis, turned his head slightly to the left to get a better look at the men who stood before his path. They looked well enough and not easy to be violent...that was strange.

"Afternoon men. I am Prince Jenis Horath from Kalerin. I am here on behalf of speaking with Princess Ariana."

The two guards exchanged glances and wore an expression of forced suppression. They were both holding back fits of laughter. Jenis whistled outwardly. So, the stories are true. This shall be quite the journey. He didn't the guards knew that he still sat patiently upon Mace's back. In fact, the two were actually laughing behind their gloved hands. Mace was the first to react by trodding once on the hard road with its opaque, hooved foot. Any closer and he would've trodden over the toe of the fat one that stood to the left. The man in question cleared its throat, signifying that the spell was over and he was back in his authoritative mode.

"Quite. You may proceed, Prince Jenis of Kalerin."

"Much obliged." Jenis responded as he tipped his head and nudged Mace along the road. Once the gate had closed behind him, he bent down close to Mace's ear, leaving his lips a few inches from hit's pointed ears.

"Be silent, my friend. We need to get to the right side of the castle. That is usually where a princess's quarters is located, right?" The response was a rough exhale from the horse's nose. Jenis sighed heavily and leaned back into his rightful position. He and Mace were on the same terms, alright: they both understood that they didn't think the plan through enough. Nonetheless, he pushed Mace off towards the right side of the castle in hopes of finding a window, and what luck he was in. Through the sunlight he could see a window that was not too far up with a sweet melody coming from it. I hope this is it or I am going to get slapped in the face for intruding. The price I must pay.

Patting Mace's side, Jenis stood upon the saddled horse and retreiving his dagger from his satchel. lucky for him, Jenis had scaled many a wall before this time. A smirk was planted on his face as he heaved himself up the castle all, creeping close to the window. The next motives of the plan were not formed. Besides, winging it could prove just as effective. Jenis's hand clawed at the edge of the window and with one final tug and push of his upper body strength, he vaulted through the window, brown hair swinging in front of his eyes and obscuring his vision.​
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The sweet sound of Ariana singing was slowly drifting from the bathroom, the princess having made her way in their to touch up her makeup. She had yet to put on a proper dinner dress but it was laying upon the bed, waiting for her to slip out of her tight lace number and to become the innocent maiden her father believed her to be. She continued to hum and sing to herself for awhile as she went though her bathroom cosmetics. She had washed her face and was putting on a simpler look for her father instead of the intimidating black look that she wore more often. Of course, considering how long it usually takes for a regular woman to get ready it would be while before the princess was finished with her own look...

Of course, the intruder currently hovering in her window wouldn't be too board as they waited for her to come out as her little pet was eying him up like he was going to eat him alive...and with past examples that might actually be possible.

Alfred growled at the man, currently ready to pounce on the unsuspecting male the moment he took another step into the room. If the prince was smart he would have entered diplomatically, at least then the little ferret in front of him would have been holding back by instruction of his owner. However, as far as the little white fur ball was concerned the prince was a threat...a very tall threat. He gave his small jaw and intimidating snap as his back arched, hairs standing up as it looked like it would pounce any minute...This wasn't going to end well.

 
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It looked like the room of a princess. There were silken clothing, a dressed laid out on the bed, and drapes covering her window that he had gotten through. There was a great many of things that popped out at him that he may have been in the right place, and only one thing was wrong: There was a fuzzy, white rat in the room. Jenis was careful not to make another move but not because he was fearful. It was because he didn't know how to take the situation. There was obviously a horrible rodent infestation in the castle and this little guy had gotten in scott free. It looked rabid the way it arched its back up in an attack like position. Jenis looked down at the animal but didn't move.

"Rat."he said. The thing soon pounced but Jenis was all to prepared...sort of. To start things off, he made a bee line towards an open door, throwing his dagger down at the path the animal was on. It was a smart rat because it skidded to a stop right in front of the dagger that was lodged in the ground. Jenis wasn't looking to kill the thing just yet. He just needed an small amount of time to high tail it into the room that looked to be a bathroom.

The plan worked beautifully as the door slammed behind Jenis and he panted, holding both hands on his green fleeced knees while his hair dropped around his face. Any sooner and he would've been bitten. Not a fatal wound, but not something he would want he was trying to kidnap a....

...Princess?

Jenis had finally opened his eyes and lifted his head up, only to have his face ransacked with a shocking discovery of what he had just walked into. There, in front of him, stood the Princess Ariana...in less than formal clothing. Jenis, despite his gaudy nature, took the view the wrong way and purposely shut his eyes, scratching the back of his head.

"You have a rat out there."
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Ariana had just finished up her make up when she heard the sound of Alfred growling get louder and louder. At first, she thought it might be him having another dream where he was chasing something and left it at that. However, as the growling continued and the sound of his jaws snapping was heard she knew something was wrong. Had a stray wild animal gotten into her room through the window? It wouldn't be the first time this has happened. Of course, she new Alfred could handle it, he was her greatest protection. With that thought done she started to tease her hair, fixing it and giving it a bit more volume.

Outside in the bedroom, Alfred had pounced at the large male man, ready to bite through his ankles and any other join within reach. He had the man on eh run until a dagger was thrown in his path, forcing the little guard ferret to put on the breaks and stop just before he toppled into the dagger. By the time he got moving again the man was now in the bathroom where his mistress was, making the rat growl more and run to the door, scratching at it wildly before sticking his paw under the door him hopes of defending his owner.

The princess on the other hand was in shock. One moment she was fixing her hair, the next a strange man was leaning against her bathroom door panting loudly. She let out a gasp and turned, glaring at the man angrily. Who dared to enter her private room without her permission!? She stood proud, barely noticing the mans fine attire as she started to yell at him.

"Who the hell are you? More importantly, what are you doing in my room!? Get out this instant you idiot before I call the guards and have them haul you away!" She was as feisty as ever it seemed, ready to rip his face of with her manicured fingernails.

 
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"Jenis Hortah. I'm not sure if you mean how I got in your room or bathroom. I can explain both, really. I climbed through the window, the simple part, I may add. I came in here by running from a rabid rat in your bedroom. Almost killed the thing. You should be thanking me, not threatening me. Where's that princess-like former?"he responded, standing up to his full height. He didn't tower over her but the height difference was clearly defined. She had a bite behind her voice, but he doubted that she had any brawl to back it up with. What a strange turn of events.

Jenis looked over at all of the cosmetics that littered the counter and assumed she was preparing for something important. A pity she wouldn't be able to attend whatever it was she was getting ready for it. Besides, one they made it back to Kalerin, there would be a great feast for the two of them. He could see his parents now: waving at him from their thrones and raising their glasses of Kal Wine in approval of his new found fiance. And what a fiance she was. A horrible, filthy attitude, but beauty was a difficult thing to mask. Jenis smiled from the corner of his mouth at her surprised and enraged face.

"To skip through, I'm here to make you my bride. Now, my horse Mace is right under your window. I don't think we should go out the front door so we just have to depart the way I entered. Don't fear. I'm not going to drop you. I'd prefer to marry you alive." he said, holding out his arm in a gentleman manor.​
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"W-what?!" She started as she looked at him in disbelief. "I don't know who you think you are, barging into my room but I will not allow this to continued!...And what rat? The only thing out there is..."


Her face seemed to suddenly lose it's flame and even turned pale as she realized what she was talking about. Not even caring for him she trotted to the door and shoved him out of the way, her momentum allowing her to slip past him and enter her bedroom. She gasped at the sight before her. Poor Alfred was there at the of the door, a knife stuck into the carpet behind him
. She quickly scooped him up and made her way away from the bathroom as much as possible. Ariana was glaring once more as she cuddled and pet the now whining ferret, obviously enraged by this mans attempted at killing her pet.

"How dare you..." She said in a low voice as she started at him through the door way. "You climb through my window and invade my privacy, almost kill my little Alfred and then barge in on me while I am in the bathroom for an absurd reason such as making me your bride! Well I will tell you one thing, Jenis...You can that your strange and horrible version of a marriage proposal and shove it up your ass! I will not marry you or any other man for that matter so just get out!"

With that said, she trotted to her bedroom door, grabbing the handle and ready to throw it open and scream with all her might.
 
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Ariana's face fell from pissed to downright fear. The result: her quick departure from the bathroom and back into her bedroom. Jenis sighed heavily. He must not have made it clear enough that there was a giant, white, furry rat in the premises. Either that, or she just didn't care in the least. Jenis was anxious to see how she proposed to get rid of the four-legged demon. What he was not anxious to see was the woman cradling the thing in her arms.

"Put that down. It may have rabies or some other type of disease that can't be good for you."he said, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. The thing that slightly threw him off was that the rat-thing neither snapped nor struggled when she cradled it in her arms. as a matter of fact, he could swear it was purring. Purring. Jenis waited a moment or two while she went out on her wild spree of threats and facts. The entire time, he played close attention to the rise and fall of her voice. It was coated in layers upon layers of anger and malice, but it also held that kind of femininity that was being forced away inside. Jenis didn't like having to go get things like that to appear to him and he sure as hell wasn't going to work for it. It seemed like forever until she finally stormed off towards the main door.

Not good.

"If I had known that Aardvark was a pet, I wouldn't have tried to skewer it. Excuse me for spotting a wild creature in the room of a princess, no doubt. And look at you! A rat? What about a nice dog, cat, or bird? And you wonder why all the men fly off in fear when their around you. That's not good, Princess, harboring around wild animals."he said, taking smooth silky strides up to her. "Also, I would like to keep things as far away from my ass as possible. I am out for a woman's touch, obviously yours. I am also not going to apology for this, my lady. Fair warning though: the more you kicker, the higher percentage you may fall."he said before whipping one hand over her mouth and grabbing her waist with the other, slinging her over his shoulder and carrying her and the rat to the window. Looking down, he could see that Mace was becoming impatient.

"Well...I had thought it'd be a bit easier. Ah well. Mace! Catch!"he said before shoving the princess out of the window.​
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Ariana had been given little time to think about what he said, let alone what he was doing as he covered her mouth and picked her right off the ground. She was forced to hold onto her pet ferret, even though it was making a mad attempt to bite the man carrying them off. However, if she loosened her grip he would fall and she would lose him. If she was going to be taken against her will she'd at least want to keep her own precious baby ferret with her. She couldn't see where he was taken her though but his last words and the feel of her body suddenly going weightless was frightening.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

She was not the most subtle person on the planet it seemed.

With landed on something, it was obviously living as she could feel it moving under her and almost kicking her off as well. The whiny of a horse informed her of the animal it was, her arms tight around her ferret as it hissed at the larger mammal. Alfred did not like this situation at all, then again neither did Ariana. However, it seemed she did not have much of a choice. She could try to slip off the horse but there was no way she could out run it, she wasn't a complete fool. Though...It was worth a try. She tried to gauge how she should get down from the creature, trying to move quickly so that she could escape without hurting herself or her chances along the way. Nothing ruined an escape plan like a twisted ankle.

 
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Jenis obviously did not think the plan through enough like he thought he had. It was actually running smoothly until the point of their departure. He was a strong man, that was for certain, but he couldn't hold a princess while scaling down a tower while she was holding a rat while trying to remain as silent as possible. So, he took the easy way: push her off and climb down after. The pushing and landing went okay, but he almost forgot that she was a woman and women loved to scream their lungs out at the simplest of things. Jenis was sure all sorts of guards, maids, and butlers heard that bird call that came from Ariana's mouth as she plummeted towards Mace's back. He kicked up the pace and yanked his dagger out of the smooth floorboard of the princess's floor before crawling down the tower as quickly as he could.

Mace whinnied, disturbed that something had landed on him with such force. He whipped his head back and forth, black mane flying from this way to that. His ears pricked as it heard the growl of something much smaller than himself, and yet, so dangerously close. However, due to his current position, he couldn't see a thing. Instead, he decided to threaten the thing by trampling wildly on the ground beneath him. It was his usual method to get small animals to sprint off in fear at Mace's might; it wasn't doing so well with Ariana on top of him, however.

Jenis had finally made it at the edge of the tower, boots planting into the grass before he heard shouts somewhere behind him. Ariana's scream must have been some type of alarm, for it seemed the whole castle had came to life and was most likely flying towards their very direction. Jenis shot the woman a glare and grabbed her right leg, holding her into place as he whipped his body in front of her and grabbed Mace's reigns.

"You have obviously never been kidnapped before. First rule, is quiet, Princess. First rule is always quiet!"he said before snapping the reigns and whipping Mace off into the direction of the entrance gates, hoping Mace was fast enough to tear through both guards that were probably now on standby.​
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The castle was quickly coming to life after Ariana let out her loud scream. It only made sense really for people to react to such a loud sound. She figured that right at that moment, hundreds of guards and maid were rushing to her room, ready to burst in and check on her. Some of the outside guards must have heard her as well so certainly they were also coming. Of course, Ariana had no intention of waiting, at the very moment she was attempting to get off of the shaking horse, finding it difficult as he kept stomping around and shaking him off. She almost just aimed for some large fern bushes but before she could actually make the leap of faith, Jenis down the wall and holding to her leg as he hopped on.

"Do not touch me you terrible brute! I will not be silenced! I am Princess Ariana Belhard of Saypol, I will listen to no man! Now get me of this damned-" Just as she spoke the horse shot off suddenly, causing her to scream once more, still clinging to Alfred who was also holding on tightly to her as well.

"HOOOORSE!"

Nope, she was certainly not quiet at all.

As the horse made its way across the court yard and down the long driveway that connected the gate to the castle, the sign of an alarm being sounded was everywhere. Men were pouring from the main castles door just in time for them to see the prince carry off their princess into the distance. The gate guards were as clueless as ever though, the lack of communication between the gate and causing there to be a lack of preparation. They didn't even look up until the sound of the horse thundering closer could be heard.

In the castles main entry way, a tall brutish man who was growing old with age was being informed of the situation. A look of pure rage and anger filled his face before he started to yell.

"I WANT THAT MANS HEAD ON A SILVER PLATTER. I WANT EVERY GUARD POSSIBLE ON HORSES WITHIN THE NEXT MINUTE. IF HE ESCAPES WITH MY DAUGHTER IT WILL BE ALL OF YOUR HEADS!!!"

The king was not happy about this...

 
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"Alright, Mace, jokes over. I kinda need you to go a little bit faster now, buddy."he said to the horse. Mace was, once agian, taking his precious time in his run towards the gate. The horse must not have known that they were in peril danger if they were caught and he didn't take well to being shout at. Actually, Ariana's screaming is what made him slow down. Save me for a sentimental fool... The horse was fearful that he was scaring the woman! Now was not the time for Mace to become a softy plush toy! Jenis decided not to speak more on it and to whip the reigns instead. Mace felt the contact on the base of his neck and high tailed it through the gates.

"STOP!"

"PRINCESS!"

"Sorry! No bouquets!"
Jenis shouted back, saluting the guards as he waved behind him...until he came face to face with the enraged princess. From his point of view, he was able to get a perfect look of her facial features and assess the image before him. Save for the look of boiling anger, she was actual quite...well the messed up make-up was throwing him off. That, and the constant bobbing up and down as Mace pushed forward down the road.

"See? That wasn't so bad. It would've helped if you were a little bit more quiet, but I can't really complain, can I? I got what I came here for and--" Jenis's sentence was cut short when he felt a squirming somewhere on the base of his right arm. He travled his brown eyes from Ariana's face...to the squirming white rat. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

"Did you really have to bring Alfalfa with you?"
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Ariana was doing all she could to stay on the horse. Though she had originally been trying to get off she knew better than to try and jump off a horse going at these speeds, she'd break her leg doing that. Also, since she was holding Alfred she didn't want to risk killing him under the horses trampling hooves. So, currently shoeless and looking a mess, the princess rode out of the castle on the back of a black horse, her captor holding the reigns and making sure she could not escape. The voices of the guards barely caught her attention, they were getting further and further away before anyone could come and save her...It truly looked hopeless.

Her captor, Jenis as he was supposedly called, was looking back at her and she returned his stare with a glare of absolute hatered. If he thought she was just going to give in and be is bride he was terribly terribly wrong. In fact, she would have had Alfred attack him at that very moment if the action didn't also put her at risk of being thrown off...Maybe when they arrived at where ever they were going she could, she needed some form of revenge after all. When he mentioned her precious little ferret she only glared harder at the man before speaking.

"Yes! I did! Considering you've just invaded my privacy, ripped me out of my comfort zone and tossed me out the window, the least you owe me is letting me keep Alfred. And he is a ferret, not a rat!" She growled at him as they continued to gallop down the road and off in some direction she was not familiar with. "You're lucky my father was not able to get his hands on you...He would have had you beheaded for doing this to me! Just you wait, my father will find out a way to save me and he'll come marching to your door with his whole army!"

Though the threat was rather intimidating to some, in truth it was very hallow. Her father probably barely new where to begin at this point, after all no one had really seen her captors face...as far as she knew anyway. For all she knew he could have snuck in without a single word. But this was only what she was assuming as she had no real clue how this strange man entered the castle ground.

 
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From his guess, at the speed Mace was going, they would be in Kalerin in the next hour or so, and it was a good thing too, because he was starving. Apparently, Kal Wine made people have quite the appetite. Jenis hadn't remembered if he had eaten that day or not. When he woke up, the first thing he did was go to the meeting, so that was a no. To also answer his question, his stomach could be heard over the pounding of Mace's hooves on the paved road. That, and Ariana's incessant screaming in his ear. She was directly behind him and her voice was in no way, shape, or form a sweet thing to hear. Especially with all of the threats she was throwing at him left and right. If he could recall, she had been threatening him the minute they met! It was adorable and he was forced to chuckle through the black strands of Mace's mane that whipped in the wind.

"Your father is a king, right? Well darling, that means we already have something in common, don't we? Being a prince and all, I also have family that rules a land. I don't think your threat is doing very much for you, now is it?"he chuckled. Ariana was definitely a bundle of different than the other princesses he had encountered during his 'journey of matrimony.' For one, the two of them were actually holding up some sort of conversation. A dark, threatening conversations, but it was dialogue nonetheless. Shocking, in fact, was that Jenis actually found her presence and words amusing. He had done a great job in choosing his mandatory bride.

"Oh, it actually has a species? Ferret? I've heard of those, but they weren't white. I think poor Al is going to die."he said with a shrug. "Ah well. I'm not a pet person and since you'll be in my room every night, my decision is the one that truly counts."he said with an air of authority, but still holding a teasing chuckle behind it.​
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The mention of him also being of royal blood was laughable in Ariana's opinion. He certainly didn't act like any noble male she knew of. He was rude, blunt and grabby...wait, he actually fit the role of a noble male quite well with those qualities. That only made her hate him even more. It seemed that her threat had been hallowed out before it could take any effect. Still, she doubted that his supposed army could take on the one of her father. The stories that surrounded her kingdom were of violent battles that ended with them coming out on top, the former royal family being banished and those who supported them being given the choice to join the Saypol empire or be banished like the royal family they once supported. Most of them were true, save for the banishing part...they just put that in to instill fear into the civilians of out countries, they might rebel otherwise.

Of course, in the end they ended up liking her father as a rule. Though he was a violent man on the battle field he was a gentleman in the court. He thought about all his people, whether they were just conquired or have been with him for years. What was a kingdome without people anyway? However, with that thought aside, she left the coversation to end there, no need for her to possibly give anyway anything that could give her father the upper hand in saving her from this brute. The mention of getting rid of Alfred and sharing a room with him sparked a whole new argument though...

"Excuse me? You think I'm going to share your room? HA! I'd rather sleep in a pit of snakes! Also, you have no power of me, you are no king! I doubt you are even a prince at this moment. If I wish to keep Alfred I shall and there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

With that said, she cuddled onto her precious ferret, the creature having moved from her arms to her shoulders and curled around them protectively. Alfred just purred in return and nuzzled into his mistress happily, showering her with love and affection just like any other pet did.

 
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Mace's strides were starting to die down. He apparently didn't feel the threat of the Saypolians, so he had might as well exert less speed than he needed to. There was no point in them speeding down the trail when they weren't being chased. Besides that fact, the horse was just as hungry as Jenis was. The stable holder had not fed him when he awakened. The horses in his stable usually ate at early afternoon. Add that with the fact that he had to carry Jenis all the way to Saypol and carry him and his new bride to be back. Mace was not a very happy horse, but he was a healthy one so that helped him. Jenis could feel the horses legs buckle every so often. I should have made sure he had something to eat before I brought him out on this trip. I...am a horrible companion.

Jenis could barely concentrate inside his own mind when Ariana was constantly screaming in his ear. It was partially his fault for bringing up certain things, but then again, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut when she said something. Her attitude was so horrible and snarky, he felt like if he did not retort to anything she said, she would have the last laugh. To him, that was not acceptable. She may have laughed last with all of her other suitors, but this was Jenis Horath of Kalerin. There would be no listening of last laughs today.

"I am going to take that as an extreme over exaggeration. A pit of snakes to the silks of my bed? No. Stop being modest."he said, whipping the reigns again. "And denying my royalty is a faulty excuse to what you truly know. I am Prince Jenis and you will do well to remember it, Princess. It's a trial to even call you by that title. What with the rat and the lack of formal dresses and all. Kalerin would not be pleased to see their future queen dressed in such a manor. Have you no dignity?"he said. Mace bounded over a fallen log and if Jenis had not grabbed tight to the woman's thigh, she and the little fur ball would have both been thrown off the speeding horse. Jenis was used to the rough riding by now but really wished Mace would have at least warned them with a whinny or such.

Suddenly, however, Jenis recieved his wish.

A painful whinny was thrown out of Mace's long mouth along with a violent buckle in the rear of the ride. There was little to nothing Jenis could do to console the horse, for it was clearly hurt by something. Jenis violently throw his head behind him to see a group of archers aiming arrows right in their general direction. Mace already took the blunt of the attack with an arrow right in his rear end. The horse skidded to a stop and buckled wildly, disturbed at the sudden sting of pain it was feeling.

"Mace! Buddy! Relax!"he shouted, trying his best to do something to sooth the horses rowdy nature. The result: Jenis was toppled to the ground and was forced to pull Ariana by the arm along with him. There was no way that he was going to leave her on that horse while Mace was having a moment. Jenis's back was the first to hit the ground, followed by Ariana's weight plopping down on top of him with the wriggling rat squirming violent. Adrenline was his friend at the moment, for if he did not roll out of the way in time, he would have several hooves implanted in his body.

"We've got him! We've got the Prince of Kalerin!" Jenis held tightly onto the withering princess to glare at the men in front of them. he knew that the light tan armor looked familiar. They were archers for the land of Xore...and they spotted Mace from a mile away. It wasn't discreet in the least to have a jet black horse as a steed, for Mace was known wildly around these parts. You've got to be kidding me. Jenis grasped the princess and did his best to stand the two of them up straight.

"What of it? Is there some sort of message you wish to send through me?"he said in the most noble voice he could muster. The group of Xorians, 4 in counting, strode up to them with their bows raised. The man in the middle, with a golden crest of an eagle, held a cruel smile on his lips.

"I've heard of your humor, Prince Jenis of Kalerin. It'll become quite helpful in the journey back to Xore."he snickered, allowing for the other three to follow along in the deep laughter. Mace was still somewhere thrashing back and forth and Jenis could not make a move to do anything for he had the enraged woman clasped in his arms. This couldn't end well.​
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As the horse slowed and a silence starting to hang in the air, Ariana assumed that she had gotten the last say. She calmed a bit herself as well as the pace slowed. She would have tried to escape but she still didn't want to risk a hurt ankle, then she really would be stuck with him. A small part of her noticed that the poor horse was rather tired, his legs seeming to give slightly here and there. Poor thing must have been exhausted from making the trip to Saypol just to turn right back around and with her in tow. This prince was terrible about taking care of his animals! She certainly wouldn't do that if she owned a horse.

Sadly, the small silence that had formed was filled one again as the prince spoke, his words deeply insulting the princess. What was wrong with the way she dressed!? This was perfectly normal for any women, whether royal or commoner! It was one thing to risk her life and kidnap her but to insult her style?

No fucking way.

"Dignity? DIGNITY!? A man who has to kidnap an innocent woman just to find a bride is questioning me about my dignity?! I should smack you right this instant, even if it makes you lose control of the horse. My "rat" is the highest pedigree of ferret in all of Saypol, especially bread for hunting small creatures and defending against attackers! As for my dress, it is the highest quality of lace and this is perfectly approved of fashion amongst my people! Just because it is short does not make it any less formal! So you can take your version of dignity and shove it up your-"

Just then, the horse let out a loud whinny before suddenly starting to buck around wildly, sending Ariana for quite the ride. It was nearly impossible to hang on and soon she was forced to fall of with Jenis, Alfred getting stuck in between them as she fell upon hin chest. The ferret squirmed wildly before slipping out between them and running off a good distance, just in time to avoid the thundering hooves that nearly stomped on them all. In this moment of chaos, Ariana tried to get away from him. However, it was to no avail as he had a firm grip on her as he pulled her up from the ground.

Ariana paused in her squirming as the group of for archers approached them, seeming to be less than friendly with the Prince. Maybe this was her chance to get away from him for good!

"Excuse me, sirs! You seem to be interested in capturing them man. Do you think you could be so kind as to set an innocent lady free from his horrible grip?" She asked them sweetly, sounding rather feminine for the first time.