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Post by Jisui on Jul 15, 2014 3:44:43 GMT -5
The princess allowed herself a tiny giggle at Julius' flourished arms, amusement alight in her features as she reigned in Argo. She hadn't known the armored man for very long, but she was inwardly glad that he was treating her like an actual person instead of merely royalty. Normally people would have been needling her with constant praise and fake smiles at her every word. Whoever Julius was, he wasn't afraid of royalty at least.
It was... refreshing. And something that she could appreciate.
But she wouldn't let him know that. A mischievous glint came over Minerva's turquoise orbs as she surveyed her province, eyes settling on a large white marble palace settled in the middle of the principality. It stood mostly apart from the majority of oasis towns, and its elegant, simple looking design, as well as the sturdy white walls that were surrounding it, seemed to suggest that it was a place of importance. On horse, or swords in this case, it wouldn't be a particularly long ride to reach it at full speed.
"That building first then." She cheerfully proclaimed, pointing to the palace with her off-hand while steadying her reigns. "Whoever reaches it last has to do something of the other's bidding. Starting..."
Without waiting for an answer or even acceptance from her temporary guest, the young noble took off with Argo in a moment of playful spontaneity. Unfortunately for Julius, Minerva had raised her horse since she was a child, and Argo had been trained to move in the sand like a fish swam in water. Even counting Julius' advantage because of his floating swords, the horse seemed to glide across sand dunes as if he had memorized every speck of sand that led to the castle.
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 16, 2014 1:03:18 GMT -5
Julius was waiting for Minerva to finish her sentence and say go, but it never came and he looked at her with wide eyes beneath his helmet as she raced ahead. The princess of a kingdom just cheated to get ahead in a race. The irony of the sentence wasn't lose on the armored man, but he wasn't upset in the least. Quite the opposite really.
He smiled and leaned forward on his swords, flying ahead in an attempt to catch up to the beautiful princess. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to match her speed due to him just recently trying this method of transportation. Julius had barely been able to keep himself steady while casually making his way to Lerwaria alongside the princess and her guards before. There was no way he would be able to keep himself upright if flying at a high speed and he knew it. He still tried to increase his speed, but slowed down every so often as he stumbled and had to regain his balance.
The citizens of the kingdom looked at the two people as they charged through the area, many of them confused as to who the large armored stranger on the floating blades was, while others were simply happy to see their princess home.
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Post by Jisui on Jul 16, 2014 1:56:31 GMT -5
It was an odd sight, a man in full armor riding flying swords while chasing down the Mist Princess of Lerwaria. If anything, they probably should have been more alarmed than they actually were. But it was the carefree grin on their young ruler's face, which they had long recognized as part of their daily lives, that assuaged their fears and had most of them resume their normal routines.
As for Minerva, she was clearly in her element here. It didn't seem possible for someone to ride a horse so gracefully, but she somehow pulled it off. Argo seemed to respond to every twitch of her body effortlessly. Combined with Julius' clear inexperience over his new transportation, it was obvious who was going to win the race.
That didn't mean she didn't get to have a bit of fun.
Slowing down slightly so that the armored man can see her face, the princess turned around and shot him a quick wink along with a few parting words tinged with clear laughter.
"I'll see you at the gates!"
And there she went, Argo kicking forward at the sand in brilliant burst of speed until only sand was left in her place.
Lerwarian Kingdom Vernsund Palace - Gates
As Julius eventually caught up to Minerva, the structure and design of the building became more clear as he approached the large white stone walls that surrounded it. It was a fairly large palace made of white marble, with a clean, elegant design focused on simplicity.
There were no fantastic decorative pillars or gardens that might have littered other palaces of similar size, but in a way, it was well designed for other reasons. In the desert, one had to learn not to waste any materials or do anything in excess, and so this palace was probably the epitome of that mindset. Still, it was a sight to take in, and the white marble gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
At either rate, the princess that he had been chasing around was already at the front gates dismounted off of Argo, speaking with two other men. They were dressed similarly to Ritz and Drecov, in light leather armor and equipped with curved swords and bows strapped neatly. Minerva seemed to converse a little longer, before giving a nod of thanks to one of the soldiers as she gave him the reigns to Argo to send back to the stables. The other guard seemed to mutter something into a mouthpiece, signaling the opening of the gates for them to go through.
Seeing the approaching figure of her companion, Minerva's visage brightened as she waved him over to where she was. She had probably already told the guards of Julius, as the remaining guard merely bowed respectfully to the armored man upon seeing him approach.
"Hm. Anything of my bidding, was it?" Minerva asked coyly, an innocent expression on her face, a finger on her lips in apparent deep thought.
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 18, 2014 1:00:37 GMT -5
Julius simply couldn't win. There was too much stacked against him. His inexperience with riding his swords, plus Minerva's familiarity with the place and the experience her horse had traversing through the sands gave her everything she needed to win. He knew this and accepted it, but still had some enjoyment in such a childish little game.
The armored man's mouth was agape with amazement beneath his helmet, admiring the beauty of the castle. It was more simplistic than other buildings like it in other parts of the world, but its simplicity added something to it, showing it was built with actual intelligence and purpose and not just to show how royal and high above its inhabitants were compared to the rest of the kingdom's common rabble. On top of all that, the white marble was simply gorgeous, shining brilliantly in the bright lighting of the desert sun.
Julius had dismounted his blades and they slipped back into their sheaths of their own accord. He walked towards the princess, giving a respectful nod to the soldiers that greeted him, and stopped a mere few feet from her. His gaze was away from the building and was now on her, watching her as she thought of something to do with her prize from the race. He folded his arms and chuckled heartily.
"Alright, lay it on me. I'm sure you won't think of something too embarrassing right?" He was joking for the most part, but there was truly a small part of him that feared what Minerva would command of him. From his brief time with her, he saw that she was rather playful at times or, at least, with him. In a case like that, she would probably tell him to spend his entire time in Lerwaria wearing a giant sombrero or something just as ridiculous, and it wouldn't even be a shock.
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Post by Jisui on Jul 18, 2014 1:52:37 GMT -5
"Hmm... you did see me with only a towel on. Perhaps the opposite then..." Minerva continued to mull over as if she were serious, but couldn't fight the growing smile that came across her lips told Julius that she was most likely just joking.
Probably.
"Well, I'll have time to decide later." She said nonchalantly, turning around to hide the slight grin that had emerged on her face. Setting forth slowly towards the now open gates, she beckoned her guest with a nod of her head towards the palace.
"Shall we? There's someone I'd like you to meet before I show you the rest of my kingdom."
At this however, the guards shared a meaningful look at each other, and one of them grimaced as if steeling himself for something.
"Umm... milady." He started hesitantly, gaining the inquisitive look of his lord. "There is something we should inform you of before you head in. The manor is currently fielding... guests."
Minerva's eyes widened, catching on to the way the guard had rather disdainfully uttered out the term. Her guards were professionals, and there were only a handful of people that might have earned such treatment. Her mind ran through the list, before catching on to the whiny of horses behind the recently opened gate.
There were about a dozen desert horses that were being reigned in by her guards, presumably to the stables. They were similar to Lerwaria's own desert-bred horses... but with a large difference. With the exception of one horse, who had a mane and coat that was polished way too much for its own good, they were all slight and bony... as if they were malnourished. Not Lerwarian horses.
Suddenly, all the pieces connected, and Minerva could feel her once cheerful mood fade away into nothing. Sighing heavily, she glanced at Julius again and gave him a small nod, before resuming her march towards the Vernsund Palace.
She was starting to wish she hadn't left that oasis.
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 18, 2014 12:18:08 GMT -5
Julius raised an eyebrow at this behavior. From the way the guard's tone was, it seemed like there were people they weren't exactly friends with inside the castle. He looked towards the malnourished horses and grimaced, feeling pity for them as well as slowly getting a feeling that he wouldn't like these "guests" either. He briefly considered that the guests could just be people who were traveling through the desert and barely made it here, but the fact that the princess and her guards all seemed to have some familiarity with them threw that idea out the window.
Julius took a deep breath before following Minerva towards the palace.
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Post by Jisui on Jul 18, 2014 23:20:02 GMT -5
Minerva paused with a hand on the cool wood of the palace doors, steeling herself for what she'd have to deal with inside. Even Julius, for the limited amount of time he had known her, could probably tell this wasn't exactly like her. The cheerful princess seemed to do everything with her own brand of unique decisiveness and enthusiasm. She hadn't even hesitated before plunging her blade into the assassin's chest.
So yes, there were very few things that would make her hesitate like this. Unfortunately, who was likely lying ahead, was on the top of the list. She would sooner fight an army of those assassins than deal with him for an extended period of time. Knowing this, she couldn't help but turn around and give Julius an apologetic look beforehand.
She hadn't exactly wanted him to get mixed up in all of this, after all. He had only come to the city to search for someone. Still, what was done was done.
Sighing again, she pushed forward on the doors, as a nice rush of cool wind surged forward and enveloped the two.
Vernsund Palace, as it had come to be called after Minerva had taken rule, was very much so like its owner. The lobby they were standing in was simple and elegant in design, with clean marble floors and walls that gleamed in the soft light pouring through the windows. It had a circular shape, featuring a small chandelier in the middle of the room and a large staircase that presumably led to the rest of the rooms upstairs. Without a doubt, it was a noble's palace. And yet, there was a feel to it all that was so distinctly... Minerva. Perhaps it was the numerous vases lying about with bright desert flowers assorted, or the kind expressions on the numerous maids and butlers that came to greet them, but there was a welcoming feel to the place that had to have been the influence of a certain princess.
Kindly dismissing her servants and assuring them of her health (and of the whereabouts of a certain pair of guards), Minerva seemed to regain some of her earlier cheer upon entering her home. She soon steeled however again however, upon hearing voices in the living room nearby. Forcing the most realistic smile she could muster in such a situation, she walked over, strangely assured that Julius was nearby for whatever reason.
If Julius had ever wondered how awkward it would be to interrupt a political meeting, he had just found out. Immediately, all eyes turned to Julius and Minerva, which allowed them to get only a split second to take in the situation before them. The living room itself was fairly comfortable, with two large plush sofas that looked rather comfortable to sit on (Minerva could attest to this). They were facing each other, with a large mahogany table separating them.
Situated on one couch was a young man that appeared to be around the age of 16 garbed in a pair of black pants and a black silk tunic. He had suspiciously familiar sandy-blonde hair that was swept backwards into a short ponytail, with a few rebellious bangs sticking in front of his eyes. With his sharp, yet elegant looking features, he could have passed as Minerva's male double if not for his eyes. Minerva had a pair of turquoise eyes that always seemed to be sparkling with a cheerful playfulness, whereas his eyes seemed to be a darker shade of turquoise that reminded others of a brooding storm. Nonetheless, said eyes lit up with an odd combination of relief and annoyance upon seeing Minerva. It was probably easy to see why. There was at least ten soldiers flanking both sides, and with the tension in the room, it almost seemed like a mini warzone. The Lerwarian soldiers near the blonde haired youth were staring suspiciously at their counterparts garbed in light scarlet armor, who only gave them contemptuous looks in return.
And on the other couch was the reason Minerva had contemplated just ditching her home and going with Julius on a tour.
A raven haired man that looked slightly older than Minerva stood from the couch gracefully, sweeping his gaze across the room and setting his eyes upon Minerva, and briefly, Julius. Almost instantly however, they flicked back to the young princess, discarding Julius' presence as a mere gnat not worthy of his gaze.
It was an odd discrepancy. Whereas Julius had met Minerva, who acted little like a monarch, this man looked like the stereotypical picture of an aristocrat. His dark hair was slicked back neatly, with not a single strand out of place, and his chiseled, regal features made Minerva admit that he would be rather handsome... if not for his unnerving golden eyes that always seemed narrowed and thin, like a hawk eyeing its prey.
Just as his appearance suggested, his clothing was likewise immaculate and probably of the highest quality. He was wearing a pair of black slacks along with a white silk button up shirt trimmed with gold. The shirt was long, reaching past his waist, and buttoned up to the collar neatly. A crimson sash wrapped around from his shoulder to his waist, and a white cape trimmed with gold was clasped to his shirt's collar by a ruby. To cap off his ensemble, there was a golden circlet resting comfortably on his forehead, gleaming in the light as if eager to show of its brilliance.
The difference was indeed quite striking. Whereas Minerva had tried to hide her nobility, this man seemed to flaunt it as if it were trivial. But it was the eyes, among all else, that Minerva hated. More than once, she had gotten the disturbing sense of being undressed down to her basest form with those golden eyes. It was the look that he was currently giving her now, and the look that she would forever hate until she went to the grave.
Indeed, there was only one person that could make her react this way, and it was Ricard Wolfstan, the self-proclaimed Ash King of Ale-Estum.
"...Lord Ricard. It's... an unexpected pleasure to see you here." Just smile and shake hands. The sooner she was done with this, the better. Forcing herself to commence with pleasantries, she extended a hand of greeting, forcing herself to remain impassive as the lord grasped her hand and elegantly bent down in a flourish instead.
"Lady Minerva..." Ricard began with a sly smile, his voice smooth and unnerving as always. "You've only gotten more beautiful since we last met, I see. It seems that not even a desert can wilt a rose like you."
And at that, as he looked upward and met her turquoise orbs with his golden eyes, Minerva forced herself to remain stoic and repress the shivers that ran through her spine at his hungry gaze.
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 19, 2014 1:09:30 GMT -5
Julius couldn't deny that he felt a comfortable warmth upon entering the palace and seeing all the joy upon the servants' faces at seeing their mistress home. It seemed like Minerva was a ruler loved by her people, a rare thing to see when looking back upon history. Hopefully her rule would remain that way and there wouldn't be anything to throw her down a darker path.
The awkwardness of interrupting the meeting was extreme. The discomfort in the room was nearly palpable and the armored man found himself having a nearly irresistible desire to step back out of the room and back into the palace's main lobby. He assumed the young man with the blonde hair was related to Minerva, probably her younger brother. But the other man...this "Ricard" rubbed him the wrong way. It didn't require a genius or a mind reader to see that within the man's hawk-like eyes he was undressing the princess. His lust for her was intense, as it dripped from his words and emanated from him like a neon sign. Julius was a Talon after all, and quickly, but accurately, grasping a person's character was something that all members of the group were expected to be able to do. Some better than others, while some chose not to trust these instincts so easily. The armored man was often of the latter, but this time was an exception. He only knew the princess for a short time, but he had a liking for her simply because she acted like a normal person and didn't believe she was some kind of god because of her royalty.
As a result, Julius felt a great deal of annoyance at seeing the foreign lord look at her in such a way. On top of that, the glance he spared him was practically an insult. It was obvious this royal man thought the armored swordsman was beneath his notice. He probably thought it was an insult to his eyes to look at a "peasant" like him for more than a few seconds.
So, he decided to kill two birds with one stone.
Minvera's vision was then suddenly filled with the backside of Julius's armor, his five sheathed blades arranged in a circular pattern in full view, while Ricard's was filled with a close view of the man's stone helmet.
Julius had stepped between the two royal people in an attempt at a two-pronged attack. To save Minerva the discomfort of looking at the man for a bit and to annoy the foreign king for ignoring him.
"A pleasure to meet such a high-class member of royalty such as yourself." The armored man said with a genuine tone. He was lying though his teeth of course, but even he had tact. He knew it was best to not insult a ruler of another land unless he wanted a dagger in his back in the middle of the night. "I'm Julius Sabin, a member of the White Talons." He finished by giving Ricard a respectful nod. He would've tried a handshake, but the man probably would've been insulted by it.
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Post by Jisui on Jul 19, 2014 2:06:22 GMT -5
Minerva's eyes widened as Julius stepped in front of her, blocking her view from Ricard's unnerving gaze. Immediately, several questions rose up in her mind, before she realized what the armored man was doing. Although she tried hard to hide it, the princess couldn't hide the very faint blush that dusted her cheeks, nor the slight upwards tilt of her lips.
He probably shouldn't have done it. Ricard was a rather testy person. That didn't mean she wasn't grateful though... or amused at the sight of the king annoyed.
And annoyed he was. When Julius locked eyes with the king, his entire demeanor seemed to change from shrewd and charming to disdainful in a flash. A look of apathy flashed over his golden eyes as he looked at the armored man, and no one was quite certain what the foreign king was more irked about. Was it that someone had blocked his view of the Mist Princess, or that someone had addressed him with such impunity?
Or was it something even deeper still? Regardless, Julius seemed to have upgraded from a mere gnat to an annoying fly, if the gaze he was receiving from the king was any indication.
"...A White Talon?" As the noble chuckled to himself as something were humorous, Minerva's eyes widened from her position behind the armored man. A White Talon? Even she had heard of them in these parts... that was something she hadn't known before. Then again, she had never asked.
"They must let anyone in these days, do they not?" Not waiting for an answer, Ricard stepped back a step, shaking his head lightly as he let out another chuckle.
"Fear not, curr. I am a forgiving man. Just now, you spoke to me as if I were your equal. I will forgive such a vice in Lady Minerva's presence. Just grovel at my feet, and that will be it."
For a long moment, there was a silence in the room that seemed to escalate in tension by the second. Only the sound of steady breathing behind Julius told him that a certain princess was getting angrier by the second.
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 19, 2014 2:24:58 GMT -5
It seemed this man had a short fuse. Or very little patience for "peasants". Julius's first instinct was to explain how he didn't speak to the man as an equal, having referred to him as royalty and given him a respectful nod, but he quickly realized such a thing would be wasted on him. After all, it was obvious the foreign king was too high on his mighty royal chair in the heavens to hear the words of those below him. The armored man also didn't appreciate the crack at the White Talons, but that could be ignored.
Julius folded his arms and looked straight at the man's beady eyes.
"I'm not in your kingdom right now. I'm in Lady Minerva's. You don't have any power or authority over me here. If she asked me to grovel at her feet, then I would since this place is under her rule."
He wagged a finger as if scolding a spoiled child.
"But it isn't under your rule. The answer's no. Your feet are just gonna have to sit there and remained ungroveled to."
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Post by Jisui on Jul 19, 2014 18:08:44 GMT -5
Another silence seemed to sink in the room after Julius spoke, this one considerably more heavy than the last. But it wasn't anger that was permeating the air, but mostly disbelief. It appeared that not many had ever spoken back to the king before, given all the open mouths and wide eyes directed at the armored man at the moment. The blonde haired young man on the couch however, looked as if he were torn between being impressed, annoyed and satisfied with the way Julius had handled the situation.
As for Minerva... well, despite how angry she was over the treatment her guest had gotten, she was fighting very hard not to openly burst out in laughter at the moment.
The raven-haired king however seemed to share none of the amusement. His golden eyes seemed to narrow into deadly dagger points, and his once apathetic features seemed to darken like a forming storm.
"Your mutt seems to have quite the wagging tongue, milady..."
Sweeping his cape to the side, Ricard revealed a metal sheath that was attached to his belt, with a golden sword hilt sticking out of it. The sheath was painted white halfway, shifting into a crimson red gradient at the bottom, and was small enough in width so that one could assume it was a similar type of blade to Minerva's rapier.
As soon as he placed a hand on the handle of the blade, a half dozen Lerwarian blades threatened to come out of their sheathe, if not for the suffocating smell of burning ozone that suddenly permeated the air. The air was burning. For some reason, it gave a similar feel to the playful brush of wind that had licked at Julius' cheek earlier in the day, but several times more malicious.
"Shall I sever it for you?"
Meanwhile, Minerva had weighed out the different options she could do in this situation, and while she thought Julius had a pretty good chance of slicing the king to shreds, Ricard was a fairly talented duelist in his own right. And there was the whole nasty matter of war to consider if that happened, so she decided that her own personal vendettas would probably have to be put aside before this escalated.
Before Ricard could draw his blade, Minerva stepped out from her place behind her armored companion with a cold smile aimed at the foreign king.
"Considering he saved my life, I don't think I'd appreciate that Ricard." At the raised eyebrow she received from her words, Minerva's smile widened slightly before giving Julius a friendly pat on the back (making sure not to slice her hand apart on his swords).
"Ah, I forgot to tell you? Julius here took out an assassin aiming for my life, all by himself." Meaningfully, her gaze locked back onto Ricard's amused eyes, words dripping out of mouth like deliberate bullets.
"It would have been a shame if he hadn't been there, wouldn't it? I might have been killed... kidnapped even."
"Heh... a shame indeed."
For a long moment, the two merely stared at each other silently, silent barbs thrown about until Ricard decided to break the silence with an amused chuckle. Enough prancing about the subject like mere politicians. It was time to get to the heart of the matter.
"Ah, forgive me. A beautiful flower such as yourself shouldn't be kept waiting, after all. I did not come here for mere pleasure, as young Renvelse can attest to." At this, the blonde haired man on the couch scowled, muttering something about convoluted names and assorted curses to his parents.
"You know of Ale-Estum's history, correct? My council is rather obsessed with it... hundreds of years ago, the land you rule, Lerweria used to be a part of Ale-Estum. A kingdom that spanned the whole of Sessran... do you not find the idea fascinating?"
"..."
When he got no response, the king merely chuckled, staring at the princess with the same golden eyes that seemed to pierce her flesh like needles. "I do not. Land...? People? Women? Gold? They all grow back, like mushrooms after rain."
Ricard took a step towards the princess, who repressed the urge to step backwards when faced with those shrewd golden eyes, and merely stared coldly back at him.
"You do not. I will give you all those things, so that's why you should just become mine."
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 19, 2014 18:28:37 GMT -5
Upon hearing Ricard's threat to cut off his tongue, Julius's body tensed up, yet he managed to retain his current pose. If he wasn't hidden by his armor, everyone would've seen him prepare himself for a fight. Of course, there was still a hint of that since the runes on his armor lit up for the briefest of seconds, likely completely missed by everyone in the room save the most attentive.
There was a part of the armored Talon that was disappointed by Minerva's interference. He would've jumped at the chance to fight this self-righteous lord, but knew this was probably for the best. Sparking a war after being in this kingdom for less than a day probably wouldn't have gone well with his fellow Talons. Hell, he would've expected them to send more Talons, except after him.
Julius silently listened to Ricard's and Minerva's conversation, rolling his eyes at the foreign king's attempts to court her. It was obvious he didn't really care for the princess' well-being, but simply desired her for himself. There wasn't any love there. Just lust.
"You do not. I will give you all those things, so that's why you should just become mine."
He looked at Minerva, then at Ricard, repeating the process a few times before stopping in the ash king.
"...Is this some kind of marriage proposal?"
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Post by Jisui on Jul 19, 2014 19:00:28 GMT -5
"...Is this some kind of marriage proposal?"
No, it wasn't just "some kind of marriage proposal", it was the worst marriage proposal Minerva had ever heard in her life. And that was saying something. She had gotten quite a few by now, some flattering, some creepy, but this one had to take the cake. Already, Minerva felt the beginnings of a migraine hit her in what was becoming the worst visit home ever, but she persevered so that she could just get this over with.
"I'm... flattered, but-"
"I'm afraid you're mistaken by the... Talon's words, milady. It seems it was my mistake once again by allowing him the chance to open his mouth once again." At this Minerva was so confused that she almost didn't notice the slight on Julius once again. If he didn't mean it like that, what did he-
"A proposal insinuates that you have a choice in the matter, does it not?"
"..."
The tension in the room finally exploded in a blur of movement, as a flurry of swords were unsheathed from the Lerwarian side of the room, the blonde haired youth, Renvelse, included. In response, the Ale-Estum soldiers raised their blades as well, although it didn't look like it mattered much given how pissed Renvelse looked at the moment. They were forced to slowly lower their blades when Minerva and Ricard raised a hand to tell them to stand down, although they looked as though they wanted to lunge at each other at any moment.
"Ricard. Just now, was that a threat?" Minerva's words were tinged with a deadly edge to them that she had never used with Julius, all false pretenses of non-hostility thrown out the window. So sharp were her words that it felt as if they were slicing apart the tension in the room like a knife through butter.
"Heh... there's no need for such hostility, Mist Princess." Ricard replied with an amused smirk, unfazed by the glare being sent his way. "You see... the council of Ale-Estum has decided to reunite the great kingdom of Ale-Estum, after all these years. By force if needed."
"I am merely offering a method of solving this without such brutish violence. Just be mine, and the waters of the Oasis Kingdom will not be stained red."
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 19, 2014 19:19:30 GMT -5
Julius ignored Ricard's insult, quickly grasping the seriousness of this situation. He placed a hand to his helmet's chin for a few seconds, thinking of how to properly word his thoughts.
"Let me get this straight. You want Lady Minerva here to marry you and unite your two kingdoms into one by her choice and...if she refuses, you're going to attack Lerwaria and its people in an attempt to force her to reconsider?"
All five of the armored Talon's swords then sprung from their sheaths, three of them moving in front of the princess in a show of protection and the other two floating near their master's head. He was intending this to be both a simple show of force as well as a way to drive forth how serious he was now.
"That's a backhanded threat, actually. Might as well have told her to marry you or watch her kingdom die."
He sighed before continuing, not exactly happy with the direction this was going. He wanted to avoid a violent conflict between these two kingdoms, but Ricard didn't sound like he was going to back down at all. Yeah, he wanted to punch the guy in the mouth, but Julius wasn't going to be happy about a war brewing, even if it would let him to just that.
"I haven't know milady for long, I'll admit that. But she's shown me great kindness in our brief time together and I'm not gonna stand by and let someone force her into something she doesn't want to do. Not even the king of another kingdom like yourself."
The three swords in front of Minerva moved to the side then, no longer blocking her from Ricard but remaining on standby just in case.
"But you're the one in charge here, Lady Minerva. It's obviously your choice."
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Post by Jisui on Jul 19, 2014 19:56:24 GMT -5
In any other situation, Minerva would have given Julius a joking rap to the head for continuing to call her "Lady Minerva," but she was so fuming right now that the words flew over her head. It was one thing to pester her with marriage proposals, it was another to bring her kingdom into this.
Ricard's eyes widened in response to the flying swords lingering near his head, clearly not expecting it from the armored man. The Ale-Estum soldiers made a move to protect their lord, but were deterred by the gleaming steel of the Lerwarian blades pointed at them, leaving them at a stalemate. To Ricard's credit, he recovered quickly from his surprise, sneering at the armored Talon as if daring him to do it.
"And again you bring your nose into matters that don't concern you, mutt... I did not come delivering ultimatums. Do you think if you kill me here, it will all be resolved?" The Ash King only laughed wildly as if the thought amused him, a hint of madness creeping into his tone as he gazed at Julius with a knowing smirk.
"Do you think it has been only recently that Ale-Estum has looked enviously at this rich land they once called their own? That they only recently began to resent that this land is rich in water and life, and they are left with barren ash? Do it then. Pull the noose, if it should so please you."
"The decision was supported unanimously by the Ale-Estum council. Lop off my head, and the bloody march will only move faster. I only came to offer an alternative."
"Julius." Minerva suddenly spoke up, turquoise orbs staring at the mad king in disgust. She knew she was going to regret this in the future. But how much, she had no idea of knowing until fate reared its ugly head.
"...Let him go." Seeing the smirk on Ricard's face, Minerva narrowed her eyes, elaborating further.
"Don't get me wrong. I have no plans to accept your terrible proposal attempt, Ricard. But we have some principles to adhere to at least. Scurry back to your ashes and leave us."
"..." The king's smirk turned into something deeper as he looked at Minerva, although a hint of amusement was still in his voice as he spoke. "Such a difficult woman..."
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