((Aww, she didn't get all huffy about it...))

"Are you sure? I still have a brother alive. Granted he's only eight right now... but he's a real charmer. I'm sure he'd love you. Especially in that dress." His eyes dipped down to her cleavage for a moment and he grinned a manly grin at her. Rolling onto his side, entirely facing her, he sighed.

"I don't know if merging the families is enough to stop the war now. It was before... but what happened hit a cord with many people. I have no doubt your sister was as beloved as my brother was... you can't just erase that love and devotion and the outrage brought from it at their murders by having a different wedding. Anyway, you wouldn't want to marry me. It would mean never going home again. I'm going to be King here someday and who ever I marry will be Queen."

((Hehe she will))

Adalina opened her eyes wide and slapped him. "You are such a pig!" she said, outraged. She rolled over and covered up with the blanket. "I can not believe you just said that and did that." she muttered, pulling her dress up slightly in the front and making sure her rear was covered well by the blanket. Though no matter how much she tried, she could not hide her curves from his roaming eyes.

"Well I'm supposed to be Queen someday so who ever I marry will become King of my country. So you don't want to be married to me." she replied, rolling her eyes. She shut her eyes, trying not to think about his lips on hers because of how he had looked at her. She was also trying not to imagine how she felt when he felt along her skin.

Nikolai couldn't help but laugh as he rubbed the spot she'd hit on his face. "I really did mean that being married to you would be a pain literally. You're very abusive. If I'm not careful you're going to cause serious harm to my beautiful body and then I'd just have to rely on my winning personality... and apparently it's not so winning or charming since you just called me a pig."

"Honestly, though, I think you're overreacting. You should be flattered I look at you like that... what with you being an angel and so very unladylike." Now he was just trying to pick a fight with her. It was too much fun to see her getting all worked up. He rolled toward her and pulled the blanket taught over her body, trapping her arms beneath as he looked down at her curves again.

"Hmm. So if we get married our kingdoms will become one. That wasn't the case before, when your country fell from your sister to you to take over." He was still looking at her body, but finally lifted his gaze to hers. "You know, I think it'd almost be worth marrying you... just to see what you're trying to hide under this blanket."

Adalina growled slightly. "You are unbelievable! I slapped you because you are staring at me like a dirty pig, and no I don't find it flattering to see you look at me like that because that's all you seem to care about is looks!" she replied, still angry with him. "I think that you could honestly be the abusive one because I'm so gorgeous and charming, you can't stand for someone to be better than you." she added, smirking at him.

It was obviously a bad idea when she covered up with the blanket because now she was pinned to the carriage with the blanket and his strength. She squirmed back and forth under his weight and tried to bit his arm to get him to let her go. "Quit staring at me like that...." she stated calmly, still trying to bite him. "And yes that would be the case because I will not be forced to live on your side of thr merged country." she replied, squirming under his gaze. Her face went from anger to shock. "You're not going to see anything under these blankets or this dress." she snapped, glaring at him even more. Why did he have to frustrate her so much, it was kind of sexy.

"At least I don't really have the ego to match yours. I think we're just about perfect for each other with charm and good looks, though. I bet our children would be gorgeous if we end up married." He grinned down at her, smug to be the one on top. That grin hadn't been there the day before when she had him pinned, as sexy as it had been in a warped kind of way.

When she started trying to bite him he couldn't help but laugh again. "Alright. I'll stop looking at you like that... at least for now. I can't make any promises for when this blanket comes off. Elisa really does have good tastes in woman's clothing. If you end up staying I think it'd be wise to take her on as your ladies maid. I'm dying to see what she has you wear to bed on the night of your wedding."

He shifted until he was straddling her hips the blanket held in place by his knees. Gently he caught a hold of her chin. "Come on now, biting isn't very nice." He leaned down as if to kiss her but tilted her face away from his at the last moment and bit her neck playfully. "That's not to say it can't be fun, of course... Do you still have no objections?"

Adalina growled and her face turned an even darker shade of red. "I like Elisa. But it's not like you're going to see what I wear to bed anyway.." she huffed, trying to push him off of her. She sighed and gave up for a split second before she tried to push at him again. "I think you have a bigger ego than I do." she then stated bluntly.

She continued to try to bite at him until her chin was caught in his hand. She froze when he started to lean in towards her, almost as if he was going to kiss her. Lina's body froze, as if his bite triggered something and she couldn't move. She closed her eyes and shivered, getting goosebumps along her arms and chest. "N-no..." she whispered, unable to move or speak for that matter. Her own reaction to his bite confused her, it was a sensitive spot for her and she liked it for some strange reason.

"No. I'm just a better actor than you are, Princess." He smiled at her, calm as could be. It was fun to watch her squirm, but he wanted to give her a different reason to be so uneasy. This trip suddenly seemed like it would be very, very fun for him. If she didn't hate him by the end of it he wasn't teasing her enough.

Her reaction to the bite wasn't exactly what he expected. It was better. He licked her neck and kissed the spot. Leaving a trail of kisses he moved until he was close enough to kiss her on the lips again and paused there. "That's good," he whispered. "Because I never wanted to stop kissing you in the first place." And his lips met hers once more in a fiery embrace.

Adalina whimpered and shut her eyes even more, tilting her head back and shivering as he left a trail of kisses along her neck and up to her lips. She blushed at his comment, unable to reply because his lips collided with hers in a passionate and firey kiss. She couldn't help but kiss him back, though she was unable to move anyway. She could feel a slight breeze on her neck where he licked and she got chills again, pushing her lips harder into his.

Nikolai kept her pinned that way for a long while, taking full advantage of the position as they made out. Even the biggest bumps the carriage went over didn't cause further injury to them or even really interrupt them. Niko's lips were bright red from all the kissing they had done when the carriage pulled to a stop. He sat up, breathing heavily and held a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be silent.

Judging by the sounds they were safe, just taking a rest stop. Regretfully he rolled off her, letting her up at last. "Come on. I think they'll let us out to stretch our legs and get something to eat." He grinned broadly. "I certainly have worked up an appetite, how about you?"

Adalina had squirmed under him, wanting her arms free so she could hold onto him as they made out during the carriage ride. Her lips were also bright red and slightly swollen from his lips being against hers for so long without a rest. She panted quietly and slowly sat up when he got off of her. She blushed slightly and made an attempt to fix her hair as she sat up.

"Yes, me too." she replied. "Don't act all proud of yourself." she then added. "You and I both know that we both wanted to do that." she told him, pushing the blanket off of her and adjusting her dress once more. "I think I need a little fresh air as well..." she said playfully, smiling at him. She retied her cloak around her shoulders and pulled the hood up over her hair as the guards opened the door for them to get out.

Lina got out of the carriage and stretched her arms high above her head, yawning slightly. "How much further?" she asked the guard that had watched over her at Niko's house.

Niko shook his head. "I will always be proud when I get to pin a beautiful woman and kiss her like that. I wouldn't be proud if you didn't consent first." He moved up to his seat as the door was opened, running a hand through his hair and hoping that their lips didn't give them away. Following her out, he stretched as well, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. The carriage wasn't exactly stuffy but he still felt like he hadn't really breathed in at least an hour.

"If the horses keep up this same pace for the rest of today and we take into account the slower pace at night we should reach the capital by this time the day after tomorrow. I do hope you're comfortable enough inside the carriage, Princess Adalina. Is Prince Nikolai wearing thin on your nerves already?"

Niko came up beside them and smirked. "I was wearing thin on her nerves the moment we met each other. I think we're doing okay. She hasn't tried to kill me yet today."

Lina smiled at the guard. "You're kind but of course he's already on my nerves." she said, rolling her eyes. She looked up towards the horses. "No I haven't tried to kill you... yet." she added, looking at Niko with a glare. "Though, I wouldn't go to sleep around me if I were you." she then told him, giving him an overly sweet smile. "So you mean I'm stuck inside there with him for the next two days?" she groaned, faking a mutter of distaste and misery. Lina pouted her lip slightly and reached down to the spot on her leg, her dagger was still in the carriage and she felt helpless without it.

They were soon served something to eat and Adalina sat as far away from Niko as possible, not wanting to arouse any suspiscion to their actions in the carriage. She actually just sat next to Elisa and the guard, learning about their country compared to hers.

Niko rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Princess. At least do everyone the favor of smothering me with a pillow. There's less blood that way than if you use your pretty little dagger to slit my throat."

The guard looked between them, uncertain if he should laugh or not. "Do one of us need to sit in there with you to make sure you both survive the trip?"

"That won't be necessary," Niko said with a grin. "Her bark is worse than her bite."

Lina's plan to distance herself from Niko was a good one, except that she'd already admitted to Elisa that she and Niko had kissed each other... and the guard had seen it in the garden.

"Sooo," Elisa said with a coy little smile. "Are you enjoying the alone time with our dear Prince?"

Adalina couldn't help but roll her eyes and glare at Niko's comment. "We'll see, Prince." she said, allowing her words to drip with acid.

She looked at Elisa and shook her head. "No, he's so irritating." she replied. "Ugh, I can't even sleep without him saying something to argue with me about. I'm thinking about knocking myself out to get some rest." she replied to the girl, wanting to tell her what had happened during the ride in the carriage but unable to because of who was around them. She smiled at Elisa, giving the hint that she would give details when they were alone.

They soon finished eating and it was time to get moving again. Lina sighed and said goodbye to Elisa as she got into the carriage, making sure it looked like she was dreading it. She took of her cloak and sat in her seat until Niko was in and the door was closed behind them.

Elisa caught the look and winked her understanding to the princess. There were details she most definitely wanted to hear later on. They enjoyed their lunch together before watching Lina's death march back to the carriage. It was almost comical to watch, at least to Niko.

He rolled his eyes and simply climbed into the carriage, not grinning and giving himself away, even when he got a nice view of her in front of him. "Smother away, Princess." He close the carriage door and stretched out on the floor, yawning. "Because I plan on napping my afternoon away. If you're lucky tonight we can sweet talk the guards into letting us ride in the open for a while... get some fresh air and enjoy the shadows as they fly by."

His eyes were closed but he opened one to look up at her. "If you decide you want to snuggle, I'm fine with that."

Adalina smirked slightly. "As long as you don't take my spot." she replied, putting up her cloak before she laid back down on the floor of the carriage next to him. She fixed her makeshift cushion and covered up. "That's up to you if you want to keep me warm or not, Prince." she replied, laying on her side to face him.

The carriage rocked slightly when the guards climbed aboard and they were off once more. Lina yawned slightly and curled up closer to Niko, waiting to see if he would hold her or not.

Nikolai fell right into her trap and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "I'll keep you plenty warm... anytime you want me to." He closed his eyes again and smiled a little. The sensation of having her body beside him was nicer than he expected it to be. And for the time being they stopped arguing. If she would just keep her mouth closed or occupied with kissing him they would have such an easy relationship...

((Sorry for the short post, my brain is shutting down for the night. It's about time I get going to bed.))

Adalina smirked when he fell for her trap."Good." she whispered, nuzzling into his neck. She looked up at him for a moment then kissed him gently before she went back to nuzzling into his neck. She smiled to herself and started to fall asleep in his arms, the rocking of the carriage causing her to fall asleep faster than she would normally.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, they would make out in between rest stops. Sometimes it would last from the time they left to the time stopped to rest and eat again. Her lips were starting to get sore. They were getting closer and closer to their destination as Niko and Lina became closer and more infatuated with each other. The next day past as did the next night. Lina glanced out the window from her chair when they were told they were almost at their destination. This time she was sitting on Niko's lap, listening to him tell her about his country some more.

Niko wasn't sure how he felt about them approaching their destination. He had fallen quite hard for Lina in the time they'd spent together and yet whenever they stopped she wouldn't go near him, wouldn't even look at him. If that was how she was going to be in public he wasn't sure he ever wanted to get out of the carriage again. He liked her so much better when she was being open and honest with him, talking and kissing and... well just about everything.

"We'll be at the castle soon," he told her, holding her on his lap still. "When we get there you'll be given a room in the same area as my family... and probably assigned a few more guards for your safety. From there, I'm not sure what will happen. My father will probably want to speak to you. You're the only person from your country able to talk about peace... so I hope you listen to whatever my father has to say."

When the carriage pulled to a stop it was in front of a large, stately castle. It was less a fortress and more for show. If the war ever reached this far they had a true fortress where they would fall back to. The city was made of dark red bricks and clay with tiled roofs and cobblestone streets. Every street ran in one of two directions. It either led to the castle, at the center of town, or it ran parallel to the castle. From the air the city was like a pentagon, with four main roads stretching in the four directions and four more slightly smaller ones leading to the other directions. Everything was built around these roads and the ends of them that didn't touch the castle were the city gates.

Stepping out of the carriage, Niko took in a deep breath and looked around. Home. At last. He had been scared he might never see it again. Turning to help Lina out of the carriage, he saw the bump of her dagger on her leg and sighed. "Welcome to Palesca, Princess."

Adalina looked at him and nuzzled into his neck. "You know we can't do this outside of the carriage right?" she asked, hoping he understand what she meant. "I want to, but I just don't think it's right for us to be like this in public." she said with a soft sigh. She kissed him gently on the lips, not wanting the carriage to stop.

"I will talk to him and listen to what he has to say." she replied in a very princess like tone. When the carriage stopped, she moved to the opposite side of him, kissing him one last time before he got out. She placed her hand in his and stepped out of the carriage, squeezing his hand lovingly and looked up at the castle. "It's beautiful.." she said quietly, not letting go of his hand yet.

She had only put the dagger holder back on her leg, her dagger was still in the carriage under her seat. She took a deep breath as they walked in together, her hand still linked with his.

"Yeah," he said darkly, "I know. You can't be seen being romantically involved with me in public. You can't even seem bothered to let people see you've moved past trying to kill me. If we could just... spend some time together in public, form a friendship maybe someday we could... you know... be like this in public?" He knew that it wouldn't work that way. He couldn't keep his hands off of her and he didn't think they had enough time to court each other properly.

Outside the carriage, he smiled a little. "Yes, it is." He took her hand and moved it from his to rest on his arm as was proper. His mood was still sour about her refusal to let anyone know their feelings for each other and their chance to talk about it was over for now. "Come on. I'll take you inside..."

They were hardly inside the doors before Niko took off at a run, leaving Lina alone. An older woman and man opened their arms and encompassed him in a hug. The man looked a little like Niko, but with specks of grey in his hair and a few wrinkles from age and stress. Niko was still hugging his mother and talking quietly to her when his father, the King, broke away from them.

"Forgive us. We have not seen each other since the church, we don't mean to be rude. You must be Princess Adalina. It is... fortunate... to have you with us, alive and well. I'm sure your family will be relieved to hear that you survived the attack. How was your trip?"

Adalina's shoulder's slumped at the additude he now had towards her. "Niko please don't do this.." she whispered, her eyes reflected hurt. "You know I want to, but don't you think that people will think it's strange if one day I'm trying to kill you and the next we can't keep our hands off each other?" she asked. "Please don't do this to me.... I want to, I really do." she pleaded, looking into his eyes.

Lina sighed sadly when he moved her hand to his arm instead of still holding onto hers. Once inside, Lina felt abandoned when he ran to his parents. She felt so out of place, like a white spot in a dark world.

She shook her head at his father's apology. "It's quite alright, I understand." she replied kindly. "Is my family okay? Did they make it out?" she asked hopefully. "Our trip was peaceful." she replied, glancing at Nikolai every once in a while.

"As far as the reports I've heard, all your family is safe and well... with the exception of your sister. I am sorry for your loss. I can hardly imagine what your parents are going through at the moment. We hope you will be comfortable here with us." Nikolai's father smiled in a kindly way, hardly befitting of a warring King.

Behind him Nikolai had pulled back from his mother's arms. "What?" He spoke too loudly, shock on his face. "Where? I want to..."

"Hush. Not yet. Later, when the time is right." His mother was trying to calm him and glanced at her husband and Princess Lina, not sure what to do. Whatever she'd just told Niko it had him riled up.

"No. Not later. Now. Bring her along if you want to. I don't care but I'm not waiting."

The King looked to Princess Lina. "I suppose I should explain as it hardly seems my son is in a rational mood. We were able to retrieve the body of my son... and he was not dead. Thanks to our healers he is on the path to recovery."

((Yay plot twist))

((So not expecting that! Love it!!))

Adalina looked relieved at the news of her family being safe. "Oh thank heavens.." she whispered. "Thank you so much for your hospitality, and thank you again for your sympathy." she replied, bowing her head gently.

She was startled by Niko's sudden outburst. Her hand went to the side of her leg and she realized that her dagger wasn't there. "No, Nikolai hasn't been very... rational at all since the carriage..." she replied, still slightly angry about how he had acted in the carriage. "I'm so glad your son made it though." she told him. Her mind turned over, 'What will this mean for the peace talks?' she thought to herself.

(( ^^ ))

"Yes, we're all relieved that he made it. We feared the worst..." He looked to the guards. "I'll have you shown to your rooms, Princess Adalina. We'll have brunch in the morning. Get some rest and please don't hesitate to let the servants know if you need something."

The same guard as before walked up and smiled down at her. "Come on, Princess. They have family matters to attend to." Nikolai didn't look at Lina before she was led away. The guard led her upstairs to a tower. "Your room will be the third from the top. That entire floor is yours. Above you are the two floors where Prince Nikolai lives." He smirked a little. "Odd how that worked out, isn't it?" He opened the door for her and Elisa looked up from where she was unpacking newly made clothes. "Oh, and one more thing, Princess." The guard held out her dagger. "I think you dropped this."

As soon as the guard was out in the hallway, Elisa moved forward to Lina's side. "Did they tell you the news?" She asked quietly, uncertain if she should bring it up or not, but knowing better than to cling to what was proper with Lina.