Brand New Eyes

[paperxairplanes]

No. No. No. God. All the princess could do was lay in bed, her fists clenched, wishing her hands were wrapped around this new suitor's neck. Priyanka had the image in her head, her long fingers around a strong, thick--obviously royal--neck, her squeezing, his face turning blue. She wouldn't be charged of murder in her own kingdom right? Or she could just take a sword to his neck. That might be easier, but it didn't seem to have the satisfaction that choking him would have.

Normally, she wasn't the homicidal type. But things can change a person, right? It had been that morning that her father had beckoned the twenty year old, who was now considered 'an old hag' as she'd heard a few noblewomen whisper. The king was tired of her chasing off every suitor, and didn't exactly like the image she was conveying about the kingdom.

So he'd found a prince, or rather...the prince had found them? She wasn't sure how that went. He'd be over the today. And this was her last chance apparently, or she would be shipped off to be a nun. Oh, Priyanka didn't want to be a nun. And this marriage wasn't just for her 'benefit,' her father had decided to turn her into a political pawn. This marriage, if it worked, would lead to an alliance between the two kingdoms.

Alliance. Shmiance.

He'd marry her and then leave her. Maybe even exile her somewhere. Other royalty did not take well to Priyanka. He thinking was too outlandish for them. She'd manage to scare him off.

Brushing her auburn curls out of her face, liquid brown optics wandered around her room. She decided she would still make this man's stay hell, afterall, very rarely did a husband and wife remain close, especially when they were of their barings. This might actually work out for her. A smile spread across her tinted lips as she pulled herself out of bed, skipping out of the room in search of her nurse.

She eventually found the old woman who was running through the corridor near the great hall at a neck break spead. "He's here!" She'd called to Priyanka before turning a corner.

The twenty-year old's eyebrows furrowed, and she took a deep breath and wandered into the Great Hall, knowing this was where she was supposed to meet him.

[detriment]

It had been a few days hard ride, made no easier by the dismal weather that had followed him on his journey. There wasn’t much rain, just enough to keep him from drying out completely. The problem was the dull, inescapable grey. It also didn’t help that he was left to stew in the resentment of being a glorified messenger. Of course his task was more complicated than simply delivering a message, the weather had just frustrated him.

He had been friends with prince Orren since birth, the only person that had been at the prince’s side all his life, and it was this that founded the trust which lead to his task. The prince had been expanding his borders aggressively over the past years, and now he found his empire in need of security. As it happened, one of the neighbouring empires had a princess that had not been promised into a marriage yet. It seemed to be a straightforward situation, all Orren had to do was propose to the young princess’s father. He would have to be a fool not to accept such an offer from a neighbour as powerful as Orren. But the prince, ever the romantic, decided he must know more about the woman he was to be married to. So this is was the complication to his task. He was to meet with the royals of this neighbouring kingdom to discuss details of the marriage but also to meet the young princess and report back to the prince about her. Hardly a task for a knight, but definitely one for a friend.

Finally the high stone walls of a castle appeared up ahead and soon enough he had reached them. It seemed the men at the gate had been given word that someone from Costania would be arriving. Upon seeing the gold and red embroidering on his coat the men hurried into action, rushing him down of the horse and sending a messenger up to the castle. His horse was led to the stables and he, in almost to much the same way, was led toward the main building.

“You travel all this way with no entourage lord?” One of the men asked as the walked up the final stone steps. They certainly did show him a great deal of courtesy, it seemed strange to be referred to in a way other than his knightly title of sir.

“The roads between our to nations are safe enough, and hadn’t thought my journey would be so anticipated.” The guard only nodded politely before stopping at the door. Two more men, these in more official attire stood there waiting for him.

One of them spoke, in the stiff tone he new often enough from his own mouth for the benefit of visiting diplomats or royals. “If you would just follow us sire, the royal family will meet you in the great hall.” Again with an officious title, but this time sire. Well it seemed hospitality was among their customs here. He hadn’t expected to be so lauded over on his arrival, it caught him off guard. The three of them walked down a large open hallway in silence, the two of them in front of him. When they reached a doorway, large enough that it seemed to fit with the high ceilings and open space of the hallway, one man walked in and closed the door behind him. Through the thick wood of the door he could vaguely hear him announce his entrance. Such and such of Costania, something or other to King Orren. The whole thing seemed almost ridiculous but diplomacy almost always did, one thing of Orren’s life that he definitely did not envy. The other man then held open the door and gestured that it was time to make an entrance.

In the center of the room sat the King and Queen. Not by any means ancient but with the few wisps of grey that marked an advanced maturity. The seat next to them sat empty. He took a bow in the centre of the room, as he did so the king stood from his chair and stepped down to meet him.

“Greetings , greetings. I hope your journey was not to long?” The king had a voice of a leader, slow and purposeful. Accustomed to speaking to the masses.


“No not at all. I hope you were not expecting me earlier, I was not expecting any reception.”

“We’ll this is an auspicious occasion! Come let me shake your hand sir. You’ll forgive my daughter she has yet to arri-... Oh here she is now, excellent.” For a moment he had to stop and make sure he wasn’t misinterpreting the kings actions. Extending his hand to a knight? At first he thought he was to kneel and kiss it but it was held vertically, and his words followed to illustrate his intention. Not wanting to offend a host this early into his stay he met the kings hand and shook it. The confusion this caused took up most of his attention so he did not pay as he perhaps should have to the king’s other words. It was only once the man gestured with his other hand that he looked around the room to re-assess the situation. His eyes followed the kings other outstretched arm across the room to a slowly closing door, and the young woman that had just stepped through it.

Perhaps it was the loneliness of a few days journey but the woman who had just entered the room, commanding the gaze of everyone within it, seemed to him the most beautiful he had ever seen. These people must have thought him to be touched in the head as at first the confusion for the hand shake and now he stood again dumbfounded. His hand was still within the kings as he managed to force out a “Hello my lady.”

[paperxairplanes]

Priyanka pushed open the door with some difficulty, finding it rude that someone had shut it before she had even arrived. Wasn't she the reason for this entire thing? After all, Prince Orren was marrying her mother, he was here for her.

Finally having been able to slip into the room, hazel eyes studied the audience before her. All eyes were on the princess, as was expected, and she gazed casually back before her orbs looked towards the center of the room.

He looked rather dumbstruck. Standing there awkwardly with her father's hand. He looked unsure what to make of her or the handshake. So this was the great and powerful prince she was expected to wed?

Priyanka made her way down the center of the hall to the trio, bowing deeply as she had been instructed by her mother. And what had her nurse told her to do? Make flirtacious gestures--blink a lot and giggle like an idiot. Priyanka fluttered eyelashes far more than needed, and squeeked a giggle. "M'lord." She smiled, a dimple showing as she continued blinking uneedingly.

She could see her mother smack her own head once from the corner of her eye.

[detriment]

Remembering his hand he took it back from the king, a vague attempt to collect himself. The woman that had so captured his attention had now walked over to him and was bowing. He returned it with his own. When they had both risen back up he was able to gauge her expression. He couldn’t help but notice how it didn’t fit the impression he had first gotten of her. Incessant blinking, and the high pitched giggle that bubbled out of her. Oh god, she wasn’t one of those. She couldn’t be, that would be far to cruel a waste. She hadn’t seemed to be from across the room, but that could have just been wishful thinking and imagination on his part. Making sure to keep the disappointment off of his face he offered a “It is so nice to finely meet you.” It seemed a safe enough statement, though what he would have rather asked was if she had something in her eye. Hoping desperately that was the explanation for the repeated movement of her eyelashes.

“Come let us all sit, introductions aside we need not stand to talk. I am sure you would welcome a sitting meal after your journey.” The king interjected.

It wasn’t until then that he remembered the reason he was there at all, he was supposed to be learning about her for Orren. That proved a much harder disappointment to hide from his features, as it peaked through for a fraction of a second before he could bury it. Hopefully it would be interpreted as a reaction to her fathers interruption, or not even noticed all. It hadn’t been huge expression on his part.

“Yes I would appreciate that your highness.” He said, facing back to the king as he spoke to him.

“Oh come now, let us do away with titles now that we’ve been introduced. Someone set up a seat for our guest next to Priyanka.”

[paperxairplanes]

Blinking so much actually made her head hurt, and Priyanka had a difficult time keeping up the charade. He spoke to her again, and she giggled, though this time, she wasn't sure if her laugh had seemed realistic. She had a feeling this man wasn't too impressed with her, but something about his expression baffled her. Like he could almost see through what she was doing. Almost--but not quite.

Priyanka watched the exhange of conversation between her father and Orren, pretending to be giddy with excitement when mentioned he would sit next to her. She covered her mouth and giggled again, wishing she knew how to fake a blush. She looked over at Orren again, batting her eyelashes.

Her father began leading the man towards towards a table. Priyanka's mother appeared beside her, placing a guiding hand on her back, and glaring at her daughter; fully aware of her tactics. Priyanka simply raised her eyebrows, a bemused smirk at her face. She was sure she could see the assembled nobility placing bets on how long this one would last.

Once everyone had been seated, Priyanka snuck exaggerated looks at Orren. Eventually settling to just stare at him. This was painful, and it irked her to notice he wasn't too bad on the eyes.