The Darkest Price (OT/Open/Accepting)

(Nah it's ok Nightmare. Actually if I'm not on and someone caughts someone going against the rules, then feel free to tell that person. But it's me who has the power to kick the person out. XD And now for the timeskip *starts humming Twilight Zone theme song*)

Kirei looked out the window at the castle gate. She was in an open area. Three hallways split off into different directions. One lead to the library and Knights' common room, another to the stairs, and the third to some of the bedrooms of the royals. There was window seating, but Kirei had decided to stand instead. A faint smile was on her face, but not because she was happy that the Terra people were almost here, but because she was going to have fun messing with someone new after all this time.

Toan came up behind her, but it didn't surprise the young witch. She just have her a brother a dirty look, then turn back to the window.

"They say if you stare at empty space for too long you'll go insane," he said, but whether it was a warning or him mocking her, was unsure. Kirei decided to ignore him. Toan sighed and turned. After his footsteps faded, Kirei let herself look away.
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Hanyer tried to keep a cool head. He could see the castle just ahead. The villagers who lived at the capital were either shutting themselves away, giving the royals nasty sneers, or looking very suspicious. This made Hanyer's uneasyness about this grow. He did not like this place.

Enma on the other hand was fasnciated by what she was seeing. Never before had Enma gone beyond the hills that were near Terra's capital city. The dark, dank city was exciting to the child. Even the high class families home seem to have a dark aura about them.

(Once again, I'm sorry. x.x)

Angelique could feel the darkness around her, and only sneered back at all of the villagers. She did not like to be tempered with, and she didn't like how the family she was meant to protect was receiving such dirty looks. She glanced to the children, particularly Enma, getting a small smile at the princess's excitement. She looked to Albus, a serious, stone look on her face.
"Stay on your toes- I don't like this place, nor it's people..."

(You don't have to apologies so much Beastie. It's ok. Like Nightmare said, it happens to all of us.)

(Okaaay...)

pre-timeskip

Liona nodded, considering what Bazith had said. "Yes, I suppose. You don't have to do that for me. I can just toughen up on him again. He's just... difficult to understand at times, you see," she replied. Perhaps another session tonight would do him well...

"I'll be back."

With that, she hurried back to the boy.
----
Timeskip

Elisia glanced out at the city, finding the aura of darkness not as 'terrifying' as it was rumored; perhaps it was simply that it met her expectations. Her youngest sister seemed absolutely fascinated. She smiled slightly at the sight; it was probably mostly that she hadn't been out of the kingdom of Terra before. To tell the truth, this was the first time in a while that she'd been out of the place as well. The trip had been alright, though somewhat exhausting. Though she was unsure of what awaited her within the palace of Ty'Scia, she was looking forward to it now.

The castle now loomed very near to them...
----
Zane worked his weapons a little harder; ever since the extra training session a few nights ago, he knew he wasn't going to be left off easy again. Perhaps he didn't believe in this kind of thing, but it had been something to do, and it was the beginning of his plans he'd made the other night as well; trainer harder, prove himself, make Liona more successful. Maybe if he failed, it might mean someone else did.

He still didn't like it, but he continued on. Yet such things seemed trivial now. He went to the front area of the castle, spotting his only sister there. The faint smile on her face, he noted, wondering why she did so. He hoped she was also looking forward to the arrival of the Terran royals. Yet, it probably had something to do with a future mischevious act of hers, considering what she used to do.

It didn't matter. Right now, all that mattered were those people in the caravan, arriving at the castle now. It was going to be wonderful.

Hanyer got off his horse as they finally arrived at the castle. The dark gray stone of the palace loomed high over their heads. There was a creepy feeling about the place, but Hanyer didn't have time to wonder why as it seemed they weren't alone. Two kids, one looking about fifteen, the other a little bit older than Enma. Hanyer assumed that they were two of the five royal children of Ty'Scia since they didn't seem like servant's children and weren't dressed like a knight either. Of course they were also inside, so Hanyer wasn't able to ask them just yet.

Kirei's smile disappear as people arrived. So they were here now. She looked at her youngest brother to see how he would react to their new fiances and their knights arrival.

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Pageclaim for Kingdom based rpgs!

[[ ^Aww I have to edit. You must've posted right before me. :\ Or I just accidentally skipped your post. ^^" ]]

"I can feel their stares." Hoshi muttered. He actually could too. With his advanced senses he could feel strong emotions. There was a faint feeling of happiness. He guessed it was coming from Enma. "Are we here?"

Maija was quite nervous. First of all her horse had been acting up the whole trip and second because of all the glances. She kept up her usual bored expression though. She felt bad for Hoshi. He really did want to impress the Ty'Scians, but now he was in the caravan. She didn't dare look back though, she'd just see more staring faces... and to her luck her horse would do something funny.

They arrived at the castle. Finally. She waited for Albus to motion for her to get off her horse. She desperately wished to stretch her legs!

Kirei walked outside. Since she was already close to the front gate and one of the first to see their arrival, she decided that she would greet them. She stood near the front door and looked at them with a bored expression on her face.

Hanyer felt uneasy again. There was something about this young girl that seemed off. But Hanyer decided he wasn't going to judge them so quickly. Maybe it was because he was tired and in a new place and that from what he had always heard, that he was assuming the worst.

Enma got out of the caravan and ran up to where Hanyer was and waved at the girl. Kirei raised an eyebrow, sighed, then bowed.

"Welcome. I am Princess Kirei of the Ty'Scia Kingdom."

((sorry about that; I had to keep modifying and it didn't post right. xP))

Liona stood nearby, as the Terran royals began to arrive. The knights rode up on horseback, the rest inside the caravans. This would be quite an interesting day. She was glad to have these newcomers arriving, at last. For some reason, she had begun to see their coming as a positive thing, though she felt much sympathy for them. Having Zane improving so much in the past couple days had lightened some of her usually serious and somewhat dreary mood, though she didn't show it much on her hardened outside.

Though her job was to protect the Ty'Scian royals, teach them, and all, they took care of themselves well, and she would show the same loyalty to these. After all, they were becoming a part of the Ty'Scia kingdom now, were they not?
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Zane watched as his sister\'s smile faded. His eyes only widened as the Terrans arrived. They were here... those they were destined to be with, they had finally come. He was overwhelmed with excitement, but managed to keep himself composed.
----
Elisia bit her lip, feeling slightly bad for her brother, whom had not been able to impress the Ty\'Scians as he\'d wished. But she knew it would be alright... he had many wonderful qualities, and he would make a great king and ruler. He would impress them in little time.

She spotted two Ty\'Scians, standing out near them. A boy, not much older than her youngest sister, and another girl, around 15. She assumed the younger one, the boy, was Enma\'s fiance, and that the girl had to be Hoshi\'s, assuming by her age-appearance. She couldn\'t believe it; they were actually here. And these were the people that two of her loved ones, her siblings, were going to marry. Two out of the five. The others would come soon, she thought. But the sight was almost shocking.

Elisia drew in a deep breath, as the caravans stopped. She bit her lip, as her sister ran out, and greeted the dark-looking girl, who had the aura of the entire kingdom. Princess Kirei, of the Ty'Scia kingdom. Slowly, she stepped out as well.

"Princess Elisia, of the Terran Kingdom. A pleasure to meet the two of you."

She outstretched her hand, straightening up a little bit.
----
Zane walked up, trying to seem as composed as his sister. "And I am Prince Zane, of the Ty'Scia kingdom," he introduced himself. The title of "prince" sounded weird attached to his name, yet he'd heard it all his life.

The littlest girl greeting Kirei seemed to be the closest to his age. He smiled at her, laughing slightly to himself at her enthusiasm in greeting his sister.

Enma looked at Zane and then at Hanyer. Hanyer was guessing that she wanted to know if this was her husband-to-be and slowly he nodded. Enma let out a very girlish and childish squeal, then proceeded to run over to Zane and give him a hug.

"I'm Princess Enma," she cried happily.

Kirei looked at Elisia's hand and took it. A dark look appeared in her eyes, but she didn't do anything just yet. When she saw the little girl run over to Zane, she felt annoyed. It would guess that she was going to be annoying and childish. Kirei was glad that she was leaving so she wouldn't have to endure the headache.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too."

Zane watched the youngest girl interact with a knight, and then smiled a little bit more as she greeted him very happily, and he knew--this was it, this was her. The young prince was a little surprised as she ran and hugged him, but he found himself hugging her back. "Nice to meet you, Princess Enma!" he exclaimed in response. He found that whatever slight age difference there was, he didn't mind it. He was happy to see her. It was wonderful to finally meet this person, to meet her, Princess Enma, he now knew her name.
---
Elisia shook it, observing closely the look in the other princess's eyes and expression... something dark appeared within them, but only for a moment. Yet it was enough to make her a little uneasy. Regardless, she didn't mention it. She nodded. It seemed the girl was annoyed by little Enma. She always found her antics cute and enjoyed her happiness and brightness.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too."

She nodded and wondered how long it would take for that to be dishonest. Regardless, this was the soon-to-be Terran Queen, she realized. The one marrying her twin brother. She hoped that everything would work out well for them...

Toan heard the noise and knew what was going on. He wasn't looking forward to this day at all. But he knew that he couldn't avoid it either. So slowly, the oldest of the Ty'Scia children and the heir to the throne made his way outside. Kirei pulled back from Elisia as soon as Toan came out.

The half breed looked boredly at her and Kirei sneered back.

"Decided to meet your future wife brother," she asked, her voice rude and mocking. "I thought you would have to be dragged to her. After all it's not like you wanted to get married."

"And you do?"

Kirei didn't respond and turned away from him. Yes, Kirei couldn't wait to be far away from him either.

Enma pulled away, but she remained close to her fiance. But once Toan came out, she felt unsure of it. The boy scared her. Hanyer noted this and was tempted to grab Enma away. But he was suppose to protect Maija. Hanyer then realized that this was Maija's suitor.

Maija sighed and got off her horse. She had watched all the happenings and decided to come down and introduce herself, considering her fiance had just come out... She kept a grip on the reins as she walked up beside Enma. "I am Princess Maija." She bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. She stood in front of her fiance. She put out her hand to greet him.

Hoshi was the next one out of the caravan. She heard Princess Kirei's voice and gulped, she was his fiance. He walked up next to his twin. He bowed. "I'm Prince Hoshiakarui. It's also my pleasure to meet you." He looked from Kirei to Zane and then to Toan. "All of you." He wasn't exactly sure if he trusted them. Zane didn't seem too bad, but he'd have to get to know Kirei and Toan more.

Koori made his way out of the castle. He chuckled as he saw a little girl hug Zane around the waist. He stood beside his brother. "I am Prince Koori." He gave a courteous bow. "Pleasure to meet you all."

Elisia politely pulled away from Kirei, as another Ty'Scian royal approached. He looked older than all of them... perhaps the oldest of all of them. She hadn't seen the other royals yet, however. The way he didn't acknowledge her gave her the feeling that he was not her currently betrothed; he was probably Maija's. She felt a little bad for her... he seemed a little bit... not-well-intended.

And his slight conversation between him and his sister seemed to show that he wasn't very willing... she wasn't sure if any one of them was entirely, but this one... didn't cover it up at all, at least from what she saw. Instead, she decided to watch Enma with her fiance. She nodded at her brother, smiling slightly. He seemed to have good confidence at this moment. She watched as he greeted all of them now. Things would be just fine... hopefully. Kirei and him seemed a tad bit... clashing. Maybe. But things would work out, she was sure of it.
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Zane stayed near to Enma. "Don't worry about him. Everything will be okay," he reassured her, seeing the bit of fear in her eyes at his approaching brother. He had a strange aura like that... but he was nothing like his second oldest brother. He shuddered a little to himself at the thought of him, and watched as the other Terrans began to exit the caravan.

"Nice to meet all of you as well," he replied, to the others who greeted them.
-----
Liona observed the interactions between the Terrans and the Ty'Scians, making sure that nothing was going wrong. She almost enjoyed watching as each of them introduced themselves, each reaction: nervous, scared, sometimes very excited. It was all just as fascinating as she thought it would be. But it was only the beginning. She would do her best to make sure nothing went out of hand, however.

Toan looked at the girl in front of him. So this was his bride. She wasn't that bad looking and she didn't seem as annoying as her youngest sister. But still Toan did not want to marry her. He didn't want to get married at all, but he wasn't going to go against his father's wishes. Besides he was sure his life as King would keep him busy. Or maybe that something would happen that would allow him to finally lead the life he wanted.

So Toan took her hand. "I am Prince Toan, heir to the Ty'Scia's throne. It's.....nice to meet you all."

Kirei saw that everyone was beginning to come out and greet one another. She spotted a boy near Elisia and going by how he was the only guy here besides the knight and he appeared to be Elisia's twin, he was her husband.

"It's nice to meet my future husband. But I didn't know that he would be blind. I hope that doesn't cause any problems."

"It's nice to meet you as well," replied Elisia, giving her response, and watching as Kirei approached her brother. She must have picked up on the lack of other Terran princes; she noticed how both of them were the only ones of their gender in their kingdoms. Hm. That was interesting. She winced at her comment, hoping that she hadn't just intended to insult him with that one... the princess might have to do something about that if she had. She glanced over at Hoshi, with a subtle concern, though she had distanced herself a little to search for her own fiance.
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Zane smiled down at Enma again. "So, what do you think of Ty'Scia so far?" he asked, hoping the question wouldn't merit a negative answer. He had gotten used to its darkness and often cold attitudes. He wondered what his... fiance, thought of it.

"It's very exciting," Enma said. "I never been away from home before. I mean like out of Terra, so it's exciting to be here." Enma hugged Bunne, which she was carrying with her all this time. "But at the same time I feel as if something is wrong here."

Hanyer moved up beside Maija. He didn't like this guy at all. No way was he going to marry his-the princess. Not that Hanyer could do much to stop the union. But it didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

Toan raised an eyebrow at the young knight. He must be either stupid or in love with Maija, which would also mean he was stupid. Why let things like love slow you down. It'll only help in ruining your life. But he did not try to stop the boy. After all there was nothing either of them could do.

Zane nodded, paying close attention to what she was saying. He watched as she hugged her stuffed bunny close to her. He noticed how she tugged it along with her, like a security blanket. It was a cute little thing. She'd probably had it for a while. He smiled at her answer of excitement. He hadn't really been out of Ty'Scia much either, so he didn't know how things were outside of it. But he'd heard it was very different from here.

"But at the same time I feel as if something is wrong here."

He pondered this for a moment, and nodded again, a nervous and thoughtful expression on his face. He sensed this as well... but it was almost always there for him. "Y-Yeah, I guess I feel that too. But I think we'll be okay," he replied, partly trying to reassure himself as he answered. He could never predict the actions of the Ty'Scians, and especially not his siblings all the time.

"So these are the royals from Terra!" called a loud excited voice from the top of the castle gates. Rayd stood in front of the castle, with the sun behind it, on top of the gates. A large excited smile playing across his face. No, he was not excited about the arrival of the royals, it was something else. "Welcome future members of the Ty'scian family!" he cried. And then with the wind blowing through his long hair, he hopped off of the ramparts. He laughed with a little bit of childish excitement as he sailed towards the earth He landed kneeling on a platform of iron, unharmed. He landed in front of who appeared to be the second oldest female in the family. His fiance. Still kneeling he grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I had no idea that my fiance would be quite as gorgeous as you." he told her with a smile. Then stood in front of her. The gorgeous part was a regular pick up line for him, but he had to admit that she was a deal more pretty than he had expected, and obviously, fairer than any of the maids he had wooed. "I am prince Rayd, of Ty'scia, and it is my pleasure to meet you all." he said to the Terran royals. This was mainly an act, but he did enjoy it all the same, plus it would be helpful to have favor with the Terrans. "And it is good fortune to meet you Princess." he said to Elisa.
___

Albus stood back an watched the royalty meeting. It was not the knight's affair to meet the other royals, only to observe for now. That was what was wise. The Terran knights should remain as unnoticed as possible for now. If they meddled and drew too much attention then the king could have them hunted down and killed in the city, and that would be that. He took note of Hayner walking with Maija, he wished to stop him, but it was too late. Toan, the heir, had noticed him. He saw Rayd's display, and while he had to admit that Rayd had skill by pulling off such a stunt, he was still quite obnoxious. Kirei seemed cold, and calculating. She not only disliked her fiance and his family, but also disliked her own. She might be problematic. Koori, seemed slightly reserved, he didn't seem to speak much, nor present himself much, and then there was Zane, and Enma. Albus smiled at them. Zane seemed like a sweet kid, much like Enma, and they looked truly happy with each other. Watching them was the only part of the entire operation that gave him hope. If any of the marriages were to succeed he would be putting his money on them, surprisingly. Albus looked around for a Ty'scian knight. Surely the guardian of the royal children was around. Then he spotted a woman in the background. She seemed to be about his age, and looked rather elegant. Her expression suggested she was thinking about the pairs, just like him. He thought this his opportunity to retrieve Hayner. He walked up behind the young knight and tapped his shoulder. "We should meet the other guardian of the royals. See how she raised them" he suggested. He didn't want Hayner picking a fight with Toan.

Hanyer nodded and looked at Toan and Maija one last time. He didn't trust the guy, but it seemed his brother Rayd was...worse in some ways. Hanyer was just glad that Maija wasn't marrying him.

"What do you think of them," Hanyer asked out of earshot. "They all seem suspicious except for Zane. But it could be that he's still too young to really get involved in anything dark here."

Angelique watched the pairs carefully, still not trusting of this town based on it's first impression. Though, a private smile passed her lips to Zane, the one that was young and still pure. She looked to Hanyer, nodding slowly, that serious expression refusing to dissipear.
"I agree. There is something definitely odd about this family," she gained a smile, which wasn't sweet- it was more of a 'I'm really, really trying to be nice' smile, "but you must not worry. They have us, and we shall keep them safe."

"So these are the royals from Terra!"

Elisia stared up at wherever the voice called from; it was loud, and excited. It came from a long-haired prince, she assumed, who appeared about a year or two older than herself. The light of the sun from the castle upon him, gave him such a unique appearance.

"Welcome, future members of the Ty'Scian family!"

She nearly gasped a little, as he jumped from the ramparts, and yet landed perfectly, kneeling on a platform of iron. Right in front of her. She was surprised, very much so that he managed to do this so flawlessly, impressed by his skill, and yet a little wary, from the previous members of the Ty'Scian royal family, excluding the youngest.

To add to her shock, he took her hand, and kissed it.

"I had no idea that my fiance would be quite as gorgeous as you."

Elisia hadn't much experience with boys or anything really, and her nervousness, cautiousness, was melting away, even if it shouldn't have been. And there was something so sincere in those words. She tried to hid the blush on her face. "T-Thank you," she mumbled, as he stood. Prince Rayd, she thought. It suited him well enough, somehow. And once again, he addressed her personally.

"And it is good fortune to meet you, Princess."

She tried to compose herself this time, though it was difficult.

"It is wonderful fortune to meet you as well, Prince Rayd. I am Princess Elisia."

All her negative expectations had gone quickly down the drain, perhaps too quickly.
----
Zane continued paying attention to his fiance, smiling and speaking with her quietly. He was so glad to be with her finally.
----
Liona noticed another knight, one of the guardians of the Terran children, a blonde male in white armor. He appeared to be watching the royals coming together, just as she was, as well as observing her now. She stood up a little more, trying to keep herself professional and ready to go into defense, yet there was no reason to fight now; perhaps this whole situaiton could help the kingdom. Though the chance was slim, with the past as it was.

She watched as the knight tapped on his partner's shoulder; she thought that a wise choice, considering how the young man eyed the Terran princess, who was betrothed now to Prince Toan. And now she observed as one of the Terran female knights spoke to him... the two of them seemed rather close. Maybe they had been childhood friends or something of the sort. She had never given herself much time for that... and when she could have had it, she focused on helping her mother. Parents weren't the worst of friends...

Well, until they deserted you, but this was not their choice. Liona stiffened a little at her thoughts, then tried focusing on the royals and knights again. It appeared they might have been planning on approaching her for some reason.

While Angelique talked with her fellow knights, she felt that stare hit her. She looked to the culprit with narrowed eyes. They softened as she saw Liona. 'Another knight,' she thought. She figured it'd be best to wait till the knight decided to come to her. After all, it was the Ty'Scian's town, so if anyone were to start something, it'd be better if the other knight did so.
She turned her attention back to her Terran fellows, but her ears perked to make sure nothing was wrong, and half of her attention was directed to flying off her horse and attacking if need be.
'Defend the children,' she thought. 'Defend them, even if you hate and do not trust this town. Stay, defend them, even if you die. Father would love that.'

Liona drew in a deep breath, slightly impatient, as she appoached the knights. She might as well now. They would all have to speak at some point. She took one glance back at the other Ty'Scian knight, and continued stepping forward.

"Welcome to the kingdom of Ty'Scia," she said to the group of Terran knights. "I am Liona, one of the children's guardian knights."

She outstretched her hand, to any one of them.

Albus took her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, and to know that the virtues of courtasey still live in Ty'scian knights." he said to the now in front of his face knight. Seeing her from far away and saying she was elegant did not do this woman justice. Liona was indeed a very fair woman, even when she was dressed in her knight's garb, and Albus found himself rather struck by her beauty. He did not let this show however, he was to show respect to all knights, even in battle. "I am Lieutenant Albus Aleron, son of General Ignatius Aleron." he said and gave a bit of a weak smile.