Posts by ChildsLoveSong

Erica was relieved at his smile. She regained her composure and said, "It is important to know how to be alone." Sometimes, to be honest, she wished she were. As a princess, she was constantly attended by maids and ladies-in-waiting and goodness knows who else. "Your armor is very interesting," she changed the subject. "Who made it?"

Erica took the dagger gingerly and examined it. She didn't usually get to handle weapons. As a child, she had once tried to pick up her father's sword and was rebuked with a sharp smack and a scolding. She glanced at the door, wondering if she would get the same reaction now. "How long did this take you?"

How are you? And we seem to have a few new characters. Are we still getting ambushed?

Erica turned the knife in her hands, amazed. "And you did this yourself? Well, with your father?" She didn't think she'd ever made anything like this on her own.

OOC: Good morning :)
IC: "And where did you get the idea to give it those wings? They're beautiful. But do they make it harder to move?" Once again, Erica was impressed. The armor was obviously intricate and well-crafted.

Erica's jaw dropped. She quickly came to her senses and straightened. "That's brilliant. I can see why your military is so good. Do all your soldiers have armor like this?"

"Do you have different colors to differentiate between ranks?" Erica asked. "We do that here. It's easier to spot a leader versus a regular soldier. I think I am supposed to have armor of my own somewhere, but I've never used it."

Erica smiled. "I think I'd like that. I'm afraid I may not have much use for them, though. Princesses in combat is generally not allowed, at least not here. I have a knife in a chest as a last resort in case of an intruder. But other than that, I would have no idea how to use any weapons."

"You're very kind, Prince Alex. I would like to try that, if my parents agree. I'm sure they'll want to meet you as well. How long are you staying here?" Erica asked.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like," Erica assured him. "We have no shortage of rooms." She was a little apprehensive about what her parents would think of her wearing armor and learning combat skills. They tended to have rather rigid ideas of gender roles--
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a servant in the room. "Your Highness, I'm here to ask if you and the prince would prefer lunch in here or in the dining room," he said.

Erica nodded. "Yes," she said, "And it will give us a chance to run our ideas by the king and queen." As they walked to the dining room, she asked, "I'm curious. What were you expecting when you first came here?"

"I wasn't supposed to know," Erica explained, "but I overheard my parents talking about it and asked what was going on. They decided, since I've just come of age, that I should be the one to work with you on this. If you'd prefer to discuss these matters with them, I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige."

"I know the feeling," Erica said with a smile. She wished she had the ability to slouch, but her corset prevented it. "Sometimes etiquette is ridiculous. Once, I used the wrong knife during a meal and we had guests at the table. I certainly learned which utensils to use after that."

"Most of the time, I don't even finish one!" Erica agreed. "Let alone even two. When was that?"

"When did you eat two?" she clarified. "I knew a guard that claimed to have eaten an entire chicken on his own."

"And what drove you to do that?" Erica asked, returning the smile. "Just wanted to see if you could do it?"

"And now you have," Erica said as they arrived at the dining room. "Well, if you want to do it again, we certainly have enough food."

"Then I'm sure my father will like to hear your stories," Erica said, pushing the door open to reveal a long dining table where the king and queen were deep in conversation.

Erica noticed that he seemed a little unsure of what to do. "Just come sit down; it's all right," she said, walking to the table herself.

Erica waited patiently for the king and queen to finish talking, then spoke in a clear voice. "Father, Mother, this is Prince Alex. He's the one from Tiekon I've been discussing the alliance with."
"It's good to meet you, Prince Alex," the king said in a deep, warm voice.