"Unfortunatley, we're not far enough away from the warzone to be safe. In fact, we're in walking distance of it now thanks to the wedding." He sighed heavily, looking down at the table for a few moments. It was getting harder and harder to put on a strong front for her sake or even his own.

"My country is beautiful as well. We have a lot of forests and rolling hills. There are farmlands in the South and mines in the North along the mountains. There's sea access on our Eastern coast... and your country to the West. My family's home is at the center of the kingdom, but we have a summer palace by the sea. That town is almost empty the rest of the year. When we go there, the entire court follows. Sometimes they're there before us. Each year we pick a different part of the country to visit... to give my father a chance to really meet his people and hear about troubles in their parts of the country when they can't necessarily send someone to petition for help." While he was talking their food came out and was set in front of them by the servants. Nikolai didn't even notice what he was eating as he started to chew his food. His attention was in other places.

((Or Solia where you can preview the item in the shop or add it to your inventory as a shadow. You can go in to edit your avi and use the shadows to really see what the item is like on its own or with an outfit you weren't wearing in the store... but you can't save an avi with a shadowed item on it.))

((Sorry I kind of left without saying anything. Laptop died and I fell asleep.))

Lina nodded slowly. "Sounds like our countries work just about the same." she told him, looking down at the food. She picked up a fork and started to eat slowly, taking small bites. "Do you take part in the war?" she then asked, looking into his eyes. She had taken her hand off of her dagger completely and now had it resting on the table next to her plate. She starting thinking of what she had seen in battle and how many of his kind she had killed. It wasn't much but she had still done it, in memory of her brother. She wondered who had killed him, still seeking revenge. Her hand tightened into a fist subconsciously, remembering how she had felt when he had been dragged to the castle by his horse half a year ago.

((I've never heard of that one.))

"Only when it is required of me," he answered. His mood soured a little with talk of the war. "I've visited most of our camps and worked with training the men but I've never been in battle... except for one surprise attack when I was younger. I... didn't even kill a man. I didn't know how to fight well enough." His hand fell to touch his side. Under his clothes a silvery scar stretched there from the blade that had brought him down and nearly killed him at the time. The expression on his face was distant. "That was the day my sister and her unborn baby were murdered..."

He sighed and put his fork down, losing his appetite entirely. Sitting there, he looked over at her. She was wearing his sister's old dress. He had no memory of it as his sister had been older than him by a more than just a couple years, but it only seemed to make things more uncomfortable right now.

((Solia (Soliaonline.com) is the main site I go on.))

Adalina had also put her fork down, listening to him talk about his sister. They were almost exact opposites. As soon as her brother would teach her, she had learned how to fight. She had killed at least ten demons in battle during the war. Though it was un-ladylike for a princess to do so, she tended to the wounded at the camps, even when they were under attack. She had seen so much war and death that seeing her sister being cut down infront of her, hurt, but she knew it was something that happened in this time. "I'm sorry to have brought such a thing up..." she then said softly, only hearing the part where his sister and unborn child were murdered.

Seeing his hand got to his side, Lina assumed he had been wounded. Thought, now that she knew that he had not actualy been in battle, Lina felt worse because she had probably killed most of his friends.
((Cool, I might check it out. ^^ Do you do Gaiaonline? That's another site that you can see the item with the outfit you have on.))

"Yes... well..." Nikolai searched for something else to say some other topic to bring up for tonight he'd had enough conversation with the princess. "Whenever you're finished just let the guard," he nodded toward the one in charge of her, "Know. He'll take you back upstairs and make sure my sister's room is secure and then you can get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

He pushed back from the table and stood, bowing ever so slightly to her. As he was walking past her, he pause and leaned down close. For a moment he considered kissing her again. Her lips looks so soft... "Try not to run away in the middle of the night? Security is trained to attack and then ask questions and I'd hate to see you hurt." Standing once more he left her alone for the night, returning to his own room.

((Yeah... I joined Gaia in 2004 and was super active up until this last summer. There are so many things wrong with that site it stopped being fun so I moved onto other places. I still go back once in a while to check on stuff but mostly I don't bother with it.))

Lina looked up at him when he leaned down close to her, 'Will he kiss me?' she thought, her heart skipping a beat. "Okay..." she replied, smirking slightly to hide what she wanted. She almost looked dissapointed when he just stood and walked away again. She looked up at the guard. "Let me guess, you're going to be outside the room the entire night?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

When he answered her she nodded and sighed. "Alright, take me away then. I'm not hungry anymore." she then stated, standing up and waited for him to escort her to the room. Niko had brought her out of her thoughts about her brother and sister and she almost felt alive again in his presence. Her mind was cluttered with confusion as she followed the guard to Niko's sisters room. Her lips tingled again when she thought of his being on hers, shaking her head she told herself that she was the one who had done it first to distract him. 'What am I doing? He is the enemy.... isn't he?' she asked herself.

((Yeah same here. I had an account before the one I have now and it got hacked so the one I have now isn't as old as I've really been on there. If that makes since. >.<;; ))

"What can I say, Princess. I'm a lucky man," the guard joked, smiling at her. "I don't have to take you anywhere, you know. Think of me like a puppy. A heavily guarded and very well trained puppy. I'm just here to follow you around and make sure you don't stick that dagger into anyone, especially our future King, and to make sure no one tries to stick one in you. You're not exactly the most popular woman around here."

The guard followed her upstairs, giving instructions as to which room would be hers. He went inside with her and checked it over. The only person there was Elisa. The servant girl smiled when she saw the princess and shooed the guard out the door before closing it for the night.

"I was hoping I could take your measurements before you go to bed, Princess Lina. That way we can have some more things tailored to fit you..."

((Makes sense to me. I've never been hacked in all the years I've been on gaia. *knocks on wood*))

Adalina couldn't help but smile back at the guard. "Are you one that I'm not popular with as well?" she asked, looking up at the heavily armoured man. She had taken down plenty of men his size and twice as guarded as him, though she wouldn't brag about it. She walked upstairs and looked around the house.

When they got to the room, she sighed and allowed him to check everything and make sure nothing was going to try to kill her. Lina smiled in return at Elisa, finally seeing someone she was comfortable around. "You don't have to call me Princess." she told the girl. "It just sounds weird with Lina." she added with a small smile. "Oh sure, you can do that." she said, looking down at the dress. "Um, where do you want me?" she asked, looking at the girl again.

((Haha yea, it sucked. I was so rich then I had to start all over. It sucked!))

"I'm not so quick to make up my mind about a person, Princess. We'll just have to wait and see how I feel about you later. For now, let's just get you up to bed. I have a feeling it will be a long day tomorrow."

The guard set up shop just outside the princess' door, settling in to spend the first part of his night. Around midnight he had back up coming and then he'd get a few hours of sleep before going back onto guard duty.

Elisa smiled, but blushed. "Just calling you Lina sounds weird, too... I have to use your title in public or people will think I'm being disrespectful. But if you prefer just being called Lina while we're alone that is fine." She pulled a coiled measuring tape from her pocket. "Just where you are is fine." She was quick to take the measurements, moving Lina's body as needed to get what she needed. When she was finished she clucked her tongue. "The tailor and seamstress are going to love making clothes for you... your measurements are ideal."

((That would suck. It seems like the only way to be rich there anymore is to spend a ton of RL money. I couldn't afford to buy even one of every item they released into the cash shop each month. =/ ))

"Well thank you then." she said to the guard before he left. She smiled and nodded at Elisa's explanation.

"I'm sure you not using my full name would be disrespectful as well. So it's settled, Lina in private and Princess Adalina in public." she told the girl with a smile. Lina lifted her arms and did what she was supposed to do when getting measured. "Thank you Elisa." she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink at the girls comment. "Is there anything else you need from me?" she then asked, wondering what she was going to sleep in.

((Yea I know! I have almost 150,000 gold but you're right, that's not going to help with getting anything that's worth while. =( I don't think it's fair. There should be something that they give to people who have been there for so many years. The only way we can get the cash shop items is if the people who buy them put them up for sale in the marketplace.))

Elisa shook her head a little. "No. That should be all. I left you a nightgown on the bed." The servant girl paused, blushing slightly. "If you don't mind me asking... is it true you kissed Prince Nikolai?" Her blush darkened. "How was it?" Nervous that she'd be scolded for asking, she twisted the measuring tape around her hand, knotting it and untying it only to knot it again.

~

In his room, Niko had fallen into his bed with a heavy sigh. Today had been so long he wanted nothing more than to sleep but his mind wouldn't stop thinking. He thought of his family and how none of them had returned here. Were they alive? Was he the only one left? Did that mean he would be King upon his return home? And then there was Lina. He couldn't get her off his mind. Her hostility contrasting with her calmness... and that kiss. Gods, that kiss would be his undoing if he didn't find a way to push it from his mind. It had meant nothing, he kept telling himself. She had used her sexuality against him in the most unfair way... and it was his own damn fault for liking it so much!

((And then they're so expensive you can only afford one. Even the donation items are super expensive to buy with gold. I remember when I could get them for 5k each. Now they're starting off closer to 40k each. It's just not worth it.))

Adalina couldn't help but blush. "I uh... was trying to get him off of me.." she told her, blushing even deeper. "She reached under the dress and pulled her dagger holder off of her leg and placed it on the table next to the bed. "It caught him off guard so that I could run again." she added, shrugging slightly. She smiled to herself thinking about the kiss. She shook her head slightly. "A girls got to do what a girls got to do right?" she asked, smiling over her shoulder at Elisa.

((I know, it's ridiculous.))

"I suppose that might distract a man." Elisa felt her cheeks burning at the very suggestion of it. "It might also encourage him to stay on you, if you catch my meaning... Seems like a dangerous game to play, especially with Prince Nikolai." Elisa knew that if she ever started kissing the prince she wouldn't be able to stop. He had always been just a little older than her and he was growing into a fine man. Even though it could never be between them a girl could dream.

"Yes. A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do." She smiled in reply to Lina. "Good night, Lina. I'll be up tomorrow with your breakfast. Sleep well."

In the morning there was a message left for Nikolai. It was from his parents, saying they had fled the city to safety and if he was alive, and they prayed he was, he should join them at home. From that point on Niko knew what had to be done. Arrangements were made and by the time he sent Elisa to wake Lina up everything was ready to go. He just had to get her into the carriage. If she didn't come willingly he wasn't above slipping something in her drink. He was in no mood to have a dagger to his throat today. He wanted to get home and see what was left of his family.

Elisa knocked before entering into Lina's room. "Good morning," she called hesitantly. Going to the closet she picked out a dress and cloak for the princess before running a bath in the bathroom. Returning to the main room she walked over to the bed. "It's time to wake up, Lina. I was right. We have a big day ahead of us."

"A messenger came during the night. The city isn't safe. It's turning back into a war zone quickly. We're all leaving as soon as you're ready. I ran you a bath and I've picked you out something to wear. Breakfast will be waiting in the carriage."

It didn't occur to Elisa that the princess might not want to go with the rest of them on their trip to safety. They would be going in the opposite direction than what Lina would want to be headed in... but it was for her own good as well as their own.

((Short post >.< ))

Adalina looked at the girl. "Safety where?" she asked, getting undressed to get in the bath. "Am I going home?" she then asked, excited. She submerged herself in the water was waited for the answer. She had taken her hair down the night before and was now washing her hair. When she was finished washing she stood and dried off again.

She put on the dress Elisa had laid out for her and smiled. "This fits perfectly." she said, looking down at the dress. She put the cloak around her shoulders and stayed with a more natural look with her hair.

((It happens to all of us.. >.<))

Elisa frowned a little. "That's really not for me to say, Lina... but I don't think so. Not yet, at least. For now it's just important to keep us all alive and safe. By nightfall the city will be blocked off into quadrants and held under siege by two armies at the same time... this is a dangerous place and no where for a princess to be hiding. You have a better chance to stay alive if you come with the rest of us. The food supply will be cut off soon and people will start to starve. This house isn't stocked for that sort of thing. We would be the first to go."

There was a darker tone to what she was saying, as if she knew from experience what life was like inside of a town held at siege by an army. She was quick to replace her smile. "You look lovely. Let's get you downstairs, alright?" Elisa opened the bedroom door and the same guard from last night was waiting there. He gave a slight bow in greeting but said nothing. He wasn't exactly a morning person.

Nikolai was waiting already in the carriage, not wanting to give Lina a chance to argue with him until after they were on their way.

Nikolai leaned forward to look out the carriage window at her, but he didn't do her the honor of getting out to have this conversation. "Yes, Lina. I know. You want to go home. You've made that abundantly clear. This isn't open for negotiation. We have to leave to city for safety reasons. We can still return you home later... but there is no way we can get you to your side of the city. It's already on lock down and soon this part of town will be too."

He sighed, already sick of this conversation that they kept having over and over again. "Get in or stay here and starve. I don't care. Just stop whining at me about things I can't change. I've explained this to you before and I told you I'd set you free as soon as the chance came up. This isn't that chance."

Adalina glared at him and sighed as she got into the carriage. She sat across from him and stared out of the window. She truly looked and felt like a caged bird. "Niko, when do you think I can go back?" she asked, still not looking at him. "When do you think this will be over?"

The outline of her dagger could be seen through her dress. The dress was beautiful, it was low cut (showing off her cleavage), a silvery blue color. The cloak was navy blue and hung just on her shoulders. Her hair had a natural curl to it and framed her face.
((Eh, lots of detail but it would have been a short post other wise))

((You know you don't have to be scared to move the story along... like have the carriage leave once she's inside it and what not instead of waiting for me to do it.))

Relieved when she got in without a fight, Niko leaned back and sighed again. "Honestly? I'm not sure. I know you want the answer to be today or tomorrow or even yesterday... but I can't answer your question. You know as much as I do right now and what's important is our safety... so that is my focus, not in finding a way to get you home while troops might be readying to storm this place and kill us both before either of us ever sees our homes again."

He leaned back as the carriage jerked to a start and pulled the curtain closed on the window, hiding them from prying eyes. Looking at Lina, he had to admire how she looked. It was a waste that she just had to spend all day sitting in a carriage when she could have easily put those looks to better uses. He flushed slightly as he imagined his bedroom and looked away from her, glad she couldn't read his mind.

((Ah, sorry. >.< I just realized I could have done that. My bad.))

Lina sighed softly as the carriage started moving. She reached up and stopped his hand from pulling the curtain closed. "So where are we going?" she asked, reminding he had told her nothing of where they were going, how long it would be before they got there, and what he had heard about the war. It hadn't occurred their hands were still together when she spoke to him.

They were in the carriage alone. The guards riding up front with the driver. Lina found it strange that they had the carriage to themselves and yet she wanted to be right next to him. Withdrawing her hand, the carriage passed through the outer parts of his country, far away from the war.

Niko shot her a look and closed the curtain anyway, with her hand over his before lowering their hands. He listened to what she said and pulled his hand back and tried to get settled. He crossed his arms in front of him and realized that this was going to be a very uncomfortable ride. She had him alone to grill for all the information she wanted and he found himself more and more willing to tell her anything she wanted to know if only she'd bat her eyelashes for him.

"We're heading to my family's home, the Capital of my country. The further from the border we get the better. It shouldn't take us more than a few days to travel there... but I think you should get comfortable because I don't think we'll be risking a stop at an inn. We'll be sleeping in here." When it came to the war he simply shook his head and refused to talk about it.