(Yes I'm quoting myself. :XD)

Originally Posted by Arechi

When the swan princess was born the father of the princess and the mother of a prince from a neighboring country decide that their children should be betrothed and unite the kingdoms, however the mother of the princess and father of the prince are not exactly happy about that, but nevertheless carry on to please their spouses. From then on every winter the two children were to spend a few months together, and during that time the two become friends, though neither know that they're betrothed. Years pass and the two grow into their teens/twenties (doesn't matter which. XD) and come to see each other in a much closer light, though they know that they are betrothed to someone, though unaware it is to each other. Before either could be told the princess's father and the prince's mother die of mysterious causes, further more the princess's mother and the prince's father are now determined to cancel the marriage that their spouses wanted. To try and stop it the two delve into magic and find a spell to transform the others child into beasts. During the end of the last visit that their children they each attempt to carry out their plan, unknown to the other. When they return to either their respective carriage or castle they come to realize their precious child is now missing or there is an animal in place where their child should have been. Enraged, and thinking the other kingdom kidnapped their child, the start war on one another. Meanwhile the prince and princess awaken confused, fairly lost and unsure why they're currently animals. Somehow the two meet again by chance and come to realize what has happened, though now there's one problem. One of them has been turned into a prey animal and one a predatory animal. Can the two overcome their animal instincts, or avoid killing on another for what the others parent has done, or can they work together to lift their curses, convince their parents they were not kidnapped, stop a war and still manage to have a happily ever after with one another?

In a time of Kings, Queens and magic there were once two neighboring kingdoms. In one kingdom a little Prince had been born, and in the other a Princess. As a show of friendship the mother of the prince and the father of the princess came up with the idea that perhaps these two should become betrothed to one another and unite the kingdoms. All rejoiced at this idea except for two, the princess's mother and the prince's father. Nevertheless the two remained silent for the sake of their spouses. Every winter the two children were to come together, play and get to know one another so that the transition into eventual husband and wife would be much easier for the two.

It was winter time again, and thus time for Prince Damien to be sent to the neighboring kingdom to play with one of the few girls he would dare to call friend. For him it was an exciting time, as they only really got to see one another during this time, where snowball fights, sledding and other various wintery activities were to be expected. Of course first he had to endure the rather excruciatingly long carriage ride to the other kingdom. Usually he, his mother and his father would take a ship, which to him seemed much faster since it was usually more exciting and held more things to do, however the ice came early and prevented any water travel until it thawed. 'That'll be next spring...' he thought to himself as he gazed boredly out the small carriage window.

A long sigh escaped the young Prince's lips as the same scene outside seemed to play back to him. Snow covered tree, snow covered fence...another tree...another fence...and occasionally another person traveling in the snow. With another sigh he turned his attention away from outside and instead set his gaze upon his parents that sat across from him. "Are we there yeeeet?" he pleaded, expressing just how bored he felt with the trip.

The queen chuckled at her son's impatiences while his father scowled deeply. "No my dear, but we are almost there. Look you can see the castle towers from here" the queen replied with a smile, pointing out the window in the direction the carriage was heading.

Damien again turned his gaze towards the outside world, although this time tracing the direction that his mother's finger pointed in. He could indeed see the roofs of the tall towers of the castle ahead, many of which he and the Princess had explored in the winter's pass.

The sound of the King clearing his throat, and calling attention, drew the young Prince's gaze back. "Now remember Damien you are to behave like the young Prince you are. None of this 'snowballing' servants or childish pranks that you usually pull understand? You are the future of our kingdom and a representative, and are thus to behave like one understood?" his father sternly asked, giving his son the 'or else' look.

"Now, now Herald, there's no need to be like that. Damien's young and you're only young once. Let him have a bit of fun..." his mother replied with a shake of her head. This of course would be the start of a conversation the two had, had many of times when they went to the other kingdom. Damien of course had learned by now to simply tune his parent's bickering out, and turned his attention again towards the looming spires that were getting much closer.

Awhile later the sound of trumpets erupted around the carriage as it passed through the entrance gates of the palace. Damien glance about excitedly, after all for someone who was confined to their own castle most of the year, seeing another castle was exciting, not to mention it was home to one of his closest friends. He glanced about the crowd that was slowly forming, keeping an eye out for the familiar female form of his 'partner in crime.'

Princess Liana stood nearby awaiting the prince's arrival. She stared around the courtyard as she waited for him to show up. She carried her satchel full of the usual toys: slingshots, reed straws, beans, frogs in jars and various other objects used to torture and cause problems around the castle. She had sidetracked from her parents and stood on the outskirts of the crowd. Her outfit consisted of a kind of suit that she used to play in. Her hair was pink and wild. She had bright pinkish colored eyes and a huge smile as she saw the carriage. Soon would be the time to cause more problems. She grinned.

Suddenly a hand smacked on one side of her shoulder and another hand on the other side. She looked up to see her mom and dad had found her and a frown appeared on her face. She sighed and said nothing as she waited for the prince to get out of the carriage that appeared in front of them. She jumped up and down and clapped her hands letting out a cute little girl giggle.

Running up to the carriage she opened the door and jumped inside pulling the prince out by his coat. She dragged him out to her and gave him a hug still jumping up and down and giggling "come on your taking to long lets go play"

Damien had managed to spot the Princess out in the crowd, after much scowering of the crowds. Her pink hair made her stick out almost like a sore thumb. A small pouting frown played on his face as he noticed her parents were also standing on either side of her. 'Another set of fun police...' he thought almost gloomily, taking his gaze away from the trio for only a few moments. When his purple-reddish eyes glanced back the frown increased as Liana was soon missing from the picture. His frown and disappointment soon turned to surprise as the carriage door was forced open and a hand grabbed ahold of his coat, dragging him from the confines of the carriage.

His parents were a bit shocked and alarmed at first, at seeing their son suddenly being dragged off. The father, believing it a preemptive attack and his mother simply worrying for the safety of her son. It was the Queen first however that relaxed and attempted to ease her husband's own worry, least he lash out. "Relax dear, I don't think he's in any trouble" she said, placing a hand on his chest to prevent him from simply stepping over top of her to rush out after their son. Seeing the truth of his wife's words, the King relaxed though a scowl of slight disapproval appeared on his face.

Damien only had a few moments to wave at his parents before being dragged a little further. "Well they wouldn't let me out until the carriage was fully stopped" he offered as an explanation for his slowness. A grin played on his face however, both from relief from being stuck in the stuffy carriage and from the simple word of 'play' coming from the Princess's mouth. "So what sort of things were you able to sneak out this time? I've got a few marbles, some fake beetles and spiders, and a rubber snake stashed away" he said with mischievous glee.

Liana grinned and opened the sachel exposing the fun items she managed to sneak away. She closed it quickly as her parents came close and motioned for the two to join the group. She frowned and moved close to them with a sigh. They smiled at her and pulled her close. Her parents motioned for the other king and queen to emerge. "Come on out things will be fine. We have lots of discuss" said Maria Lianas mother.

Harold her father nodded his head in agreement and then waited patiently for the king and queen of the neighboring kingdom to emerge. "indeed." he turned to the servants "go fetch a nice hot tea and set it up in the main hall for I think they will be thirsty when they finally do emerge. Some crumpets to go with the tea also"

The servants nodded and trotted off.

Harold and Maria

(I love how both of the kings are named either Herald or Harold. :XD)

Damien couldn't help but grin as he peered into the bag of goodies. Oh the chaos they would unleash with those. Mischievous thoughts began to flood his mind, though soon came to an abrupt end as Princess Liana's parents soon came into the picture again. As was required of him he gave the ceremonial bow, as he had been unable to do so when he was dragged out of the carriage, and remained in such a position until his own parents emerged from the carriage.

Immediately the King Herald and the Queen Silvania were soon forced to finish quickly their slight squabble, pertaining mainly to their son and his inappropriate departure, and emerged themselves together in the dignified way that their son should have probably done. Of course Silvania didn't mind as much, after all children will be children and it was important for the two to have some fun with each other, though Herald on the other hand was the one that still held issue. Either way though the thoughts were soon banished, after all the did indeed have important discussions to commence with Queen Maria and King Harold. The two approached the waiting King and Queen, with Silvania greeting with the usual hug and cheek kiss, while Herald was content with a handshake. "Glad to see you're doing well Maria, it's been far too long since we've last spoken" the Queen greeted the other with a smile. She always felt she got along well with Maria, after all they both shared the same positions, though of different countries, and had some ideas of what the other was at least going through. "You're also looking rather well Harold. I hope things have been fairing well for you?" the Queen inquired, while the King allowed his wife to continue her 'idle chat' before the talk of business.

Seeing his parents engaging with Liana's, Damien knew that, that would be their cue to slip away. Grabbing a hold of the Princess's hand quickly he gave a light tug to indicate for them to leave quickly before they were again noticed by the two sets of parents. Perhaps they would be able to even cause a bit of mischief before their parents noticed them gone, and with that opportunity who was he to miss it? Besides their usual 'hide out', a large hallowed out tree near the river side, wasn't too far away and he was certain that they could at least make it there before they were caught.

Taking the hand offered to her she took off as fast as possible. She drug the prince along with her to the safety of there tree fort. She knew that her parents would never find her here. She quickly dumped her bag on the small table they had fashioned last summer and seperated her items.

Meanwhile by the castle..............

The queen smiled and nodded her head. "All has been well here." she looked at teh other king with a sense of urgency in her eyes and motioned him to the side. "I need to speak to you in private if you do not mind." She smiled and nodded at her husband who took the other queens hand and led her towards the garden. "I wish to show you our new flowers."

The prince allowed himself to once again be dragged away, though this time he knew where he was going, what was happening, and thus able to fully assist with his own legs. It didn't really take them long to reach their hide away and out of the view of their parents. His mischievous grin returned as Liana dumped the contents of her bag onto their makeshift table. Following suit he began emptying his own pockets that contained the items he had mentioned before, as well as a few he hadn't. Between the two of them they had a rather nice collection of prank toys and traps that could be set quite easily and quickly.

"So who do we want to hit first? That person Dugely from last time is still on my hit list for shoving us into the lake that one day. Whether or not the ice had melted didn't matter that water was still cold, plus I got in quite a bit of trouble for getting my clothes wet with my dad..." he said, shivering slightly at the memory that was dredged up from his father's discipline. Sometimes the Prince believed his father went a little too far. He was sure if it wasn't for his kind and nurturing mother he would either have been 'killed' by now from all the mischief he made, or had gone insane.

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Silvania was genuinely glad to hear that things had been going well for the other King and Queen, after all they were neighboring kingdoms and rather strong allies. Herald nodded his head at the news, it being the way to reciprocate that he too was glad to hear the news. However his attention was soon ushered by Queen Maria with a look of urgency in her eyes. He wonder what could possibly be troubling the woman. A frown slightly appeared on his face as she mentioned she wished to speak with him in private, if it was that bad that he couldn't be told in front of his wife...

Silvania was a bit surprised as Harold took her hand and stated he wished to show her some of their new flowers. With a smile she nodded her head, her gaze drifting towards her husband, who in turn nodded his head to give permission that it would be alright. Her gaze then returned to the other King. "I would love to see them Harold" she stated willing to be led towards the direction of the plants.

Once the two were out of sight and earshot Herald then turned his attention towards Maria. "Very well, what is it that you are not able to speak in the presence of my Queen? Has something happened?" he asked, simply getting straight to the point. A sense of unease passed over his mind. Was there an enemy now threatening their kingdom and they needed assistance? Or was it something far worse?

Maria shook her head "o no nothing serious. I think our kingdoms should be untied is all and I have the perfect plan on how to accomplish that. Why not pair up the children. They are both old enough to be arranged in marriage. I think it is a match made in heaven." She stood there breathing heavily. Her brow was a little sweaty and she wiped it carefully on one sleeve. She had said this all in one breath so she was trying to catch her breath up.

Liana giggled and pulled out her slingshot and some rocks "What about a nasty bruise on the forehead?" She was truly a bad little child and loved causing problems. No denying she was a tomboy.

A slight frown again crossed King Herald's face. He could see the value of uniting the kingdoms, after all it would be beneficial for them both since a single stronger kingdom was better then two separate ones, but he still wasn't sure why Queen Maria wouldn't pose this idea in front of his own Queen. Damien was as much her son as his, although the decision would ultimately fall on his shoulders since he was King. That of course didn't mean he wouldn't want his wife's insight on this matter, as attached as she was to their boy. "Interesting proposal, though one that should be passed by Silvania as well. I assume you've already passed this thought by Harold?" the King asked, knowing well that a decision like this would very well change and affect both kingdoms no matter the outcome.

It was true enough that that they would soon be needing to look for suitors for their son anyways, and this was a convenient solution, however it wasn't one he could take lightly. There were many things that needed to be taken into account after all. Sure the children got along well now, but what about when they were the age to wed? There was also the uncertainty of the relationship between the two kingdoms at the time. What if something soured the relation and ended with both kingdoms in a jam? This was a discussion that he indeed felt would be best posed before all four of them, rather then just the two.

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Damien's eyes lit with glee. "Yeah a big bruise and maybe a scrapped up leg. Or we could even set up a trap too that would send him into the water and get him drenched" the Prince laughed as the picture passed through his mind. They wouldn't do anything to Dugely that would cause him permanent harm, or at least he wouldn't and would do his best to make sure the same held for Liana, however it was still a plot of revenge and a bit of torture was indeed called for especially after the lashing the Prince had received. He hadn't been sure what the Princess's parents did, but he assumed since she held no objection to Dugely being targeted, that she probably got into some form of trouble herself.

Immediately he reached for a few small roped lines that had been hung on one of the walls closest to the table, though given the smaller size of the hideout Damien didn't even really have to get up to reach them. They were one of the many things they had managed to leech from nearby houses, finding them abandoned or too broken and torn to use. Saying that they stole them would be a drastic overstatement he felt, rather they simply borrowed a few things here and there that seemed unwanted.

"There's a place by the river that has those two small trees that are close together, you know where I'm talking about? We could probably set something up there. There's also a fair amount of cover there so we could pelt him with rocks or bugs or something of the sorts, we just have to find a way to lure him there. I know he likes pie, but what else?" he questioned, thinking hard of how to set everything up and in motion. Since Dugely wasn't really someone from his kingdom, his intel on him wasn't exactly full and up to date. He had actually only discovered the other boy liked pie by accident.

Maria laughed a bit and stared at him. "Of course I talked to him about it first. He agrees its for the best and the main reason we talked to you about it first is because we know you would probably be better if you broke the news to her than if two people who are not married to her broke it." She smiled sweetly. "I just thought it would be better this way." She moved down the walkway looking at the trees surrounding her kingdom where unknown terrors lay in wait. "Does this seem resonable to you?"


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Staring at him she laughed a little bit. Liana was not a bad child she was just mischevious. She loved to cause problems and have fun. To her causing problems was fun. She giggled at his ideas because to her they sounded fun and humorous. "Aye lets go set up the trap for him." She gathered a few items and loaded her pockets with rocks. "I say we tie the rope to be pulled when he walks by and toss rocks at him as he falls so that we can get the best of both worlds" She laughed again and shook her head her pigtails falling around her face.

Herald quietly listened to Queen Maria's words. At the question he calmly shook his head. "There's no news to break however, this is only a proposed idea. My stance is the same, that before I can make a decision my wife will need to hear the proposal first. Silvania is Damien's mother, and as such is mainly the one responsible for the child. Therefore I can give you no straight answer, however I shall say if Silvania seems no qualm with it then I'd accept the proposal" the king stated in a slightly sterner voice. He didn't exactly approve of the other Queen trying to ask for such a decision without wishing to inform his own Queen, and he didn't hide it from either his look or tone. He wasn't entirely convinced that having his only son and heir marry their daughter was such a good idea. There were a number of variables to consider. What if one day they have their daughter attempt to pull the same stunt without informing Damien? What if Damien was encouraged to do the same with them?

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Damien had still been trying to decide the best method to lure Dugely to the spot when Liana made her suggestion. It sounded like a sound idea, though they still had to find a way to lure the other boy there. He allowed a laugh to pass through his lips, mainly to avoid having his thought portrayed on his face. For him this wasn't just about mischief but revenge as well, though he didn't wish to darken their fun by revealing such a thing. "That could work, though we'll still have to get a pie and make sure he can smell it. I think the old baker not far from here might have some old ones that he doesn't need, or has made enough to where he wouldn't notice right away a missing one. Then we can blame Dugely for it" he suggested, grabbing up the rope, that he hoped would be long enough for their plan, and slung it around his shoulder. He avoided pocketing any rocks, after all he figured there would be plenty big wet ones near the water's edge that he could gather before they set their plan into action, and would avoid his clothing getting too overly dirty. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his father about that again.

Maria nodded and motioned for him to follow her. She marched into the garden after the other king and queen. She found them staring at the roses and speaking about them. She nods and walked over taking her husbands arm. She smiled at the queen. "We have a proposal for you." She was always quite frank. She waited patiently for her husband to open his big mouth and make the announcement.

King Harold nodded and smiled "we thought our girl and your boy would do well if we arranged them in marriage as of now. We can sign up the contract."

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Liana nodded and made her way to the spot they had picked out. She nodded at him and sneaking her way to the bakery motioning for him to stay put and prepare the area she grabbed a big meat pie from the window seal. She nodded as she placed it in the designated spot. "Hows that?" She asked him.

Herald followed shortly after, shaking his head slightly. He had a feeling that there would be no objection to the idea from his Queen, but he still had a slight concerns of his own. However as he stated is Silvania had no objection, then he would keep silent about them for the time being. It didn't take long for them to come upon the other King and Silvania, and a smile crept onto his face as he noticed they were currently speaking of roses. They were his wife's favorite flowers and seeing them always made her happy.

As they approached, and Maria went to her King's side, Herald went to Silvania's side, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. She nodded her head, a sign she was more then willing to listen to a proposal. She waited patiently and finally it was the other King that spoke up. She thought about the idea of her son marrying their daughter. They did get along rather well and it would unite the kingdoms. "I think that would be a wonderful idea don't you Herald? Our children get along so well as it is" the Queen replied with a smile on her face. Her gaze drifted towards her husband, who now nodded his own approval. If she approved then he would as well. "Shall we discuss the terms and such then inside?" the King asked motioning toward the direction of the other couple's palace, after all you never know who might be trying to overhear...

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Damien followed shortly after, after gathering a few other supplies from the walls. He waited when Liana motioned for him to stay put and waited as she went to go grab the bait that they would use to lure Dugely. Only a few minutes later she returned with the bakery prize. "That'll be perfect" he said with a nod as the Princess placed it in their designated spot. He had been working on setting up the ropes and the actual trap while she had been away and was nearly finished. He finished tying the ropes and handed one to Liana. "If I remember from last year he usually comes towards the bakery around this time. He should be lured by the smell of a lone pie. He's cheap enough to fall for it I think. Now we just have to go hide in those bushes" he said grabbing a hold of the girl's hand and lead her towards the designated bushes. It would just be a matter of waiting now.

Nodding both Maria and Harold made there ways inside to finish up the contract they had been working on. They had part of it written up and ready for signing. They knew that the other two would probably agree to it so they had set it up and were ready for the contract signing. They led them to harolds office located past the foyer. Maria glanced around at the office. It was set up with wall to wall bookshelves. It had everything neatly organized and situated just right to perfection. Everything was neat and orderly. On the desk in the middle of the room was a scroll with a pen and inkpot laid out and ready for signing. Harold took a seat in his office chair and waited for the others to situate themselves. Maria sat down in one of the three chairs in front of the desk.

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Giggling liana followed him hiding behind the bushes. She smiled as they sat huddled together in the corner watching what was going on outside. Soon enough there prize would make his way towards them and they would be ready to show him who was boss.

(Yay time skips. XD)

The King and Queen followed the other two, and after a bit of reading and further negotiations a compromise had been written up that both parties could agree on. The Prince and Princess were now betrothed to one another by the end of the full visit, though neither were told of such things. It was believed it would be best for them to find out when their older to avoid risking their friendship.

The two kingdoms continued to have their children meet and spend the winter months together, returning to their separate homes only in the late spring. This 'ritual' continued on until a tragedy struck both kingdoms. Before the visit of their sixteenth year of life, each ended up losing one of their parent's mysteriously. Damien had lost his mother and Liana her father. The Prince hadn't been told the details of either death, but he knew that his friend would probably need some friendly company, he knew he did.

During the years his hair had gotten much lighter, so much so that it no longer held the purplish hues it once had and instead took on a look of white. His eyes however remained the same unusual color that they had been since birth, and was one of the only things left to tell he was his mother's child. His father had taken the loss rather hard and the Prince usually found him confined to a room or off the palace grounds more, making him feel like his father couldn't stand to even look at him anymore. He knew of course that probably wasn't the case, since although he was hard on Damien he still loved and cared for him. Damien was still felt rather lucky though that this tragedy had occurred during the time he was with his friend Liana as he at least had someone who would see him, or at least he hoped. He had also been told during this time that he was betrothed to someone and the Princess was as well, though he wasn't told who. He knew that the news was intended to try and cheer him up from losing his mother, however it seemed to do only the opposite. He wasn't sure if the Princess had been told she was to marry, after all it wasn't a conversation that had yet been breached or talked of in their letters to each other.

He wasn't entirely sure of the mental, emotional or physical state of his friend as he climbed the stairs that led towards her room. At first it was believed that this year their trip to the other kingdom would be cancelled, but with a little pushing from Damien he had managed to convince his father to allow it, and for it to be sooner then usual. Also at his request Liana hadn't been told he was coming to visit to try and avoid her stressing out over having to get ready. His request appeared to have been listened to as this time when he arrived there had been no over the top welcome party, rather just a single servant had greeted him and told him where he could find the Princess, at his request again.

After a few moments he had reached the final stair and approached the Princess's door. He hesitated for a moment, hoping that this wouldn't blow up in his face, before giving the door a light knock. He wondered for a moment if he should say it was him to avoid being cast away, and thought of as just another servant, but the words stuck in his throat as he opened his mouth.

Liana was seated on her bed. She was staring out the window as if in a trance. Hearing the knock on her door she stared behind her and said in a silent tone "come in"

She had been so depressed since her father had died. She had not wanted to deal with it and had sunk into a depression. Right after this she found out she was to be forced to marry someone she did not know or want. She loved another adn she only figured this out when she was to be forced to marry this new person. She realized someone else had the key to her heart. She could not imagine life without him and it caused her to be sick. She sat quietly on her bed waiting to see who was at the door.

Damien frowned a little at hearing the silent tone that Liana gave as she gave permission to enter her room. It was easy just from that, that she was rather depressed and though she had a right, it still worried the Prince. Slowly and carefully, in case the Princess changed her mind about letting him in before she knew who he was, he opened the door to her room. "It's been awhile...Liana" he said his tone a bit deeper, though not overly so, compared to his childhood. He painted a small smile on his face, trying to hide his own depression in an attempt to cheer up his friend.

Carefully he slid his way into the room fully, closing the door with a light click behind him. "I apologize for not letting you know I was coming, I thought that surprising you would be a bit better. I heard...what happened...How are you holding up?" he quietly asked as he crossed the room slowly. He came to sit beside his childhood friend on the bed. His right gloved hand came to lightly brush aside a bit of long blond hair from her face, the cool metal of the rings on his fingers conflicting with the warmth of the skin of his fingers as they brushed lightly against her cheek. In reality he wanted to reach out and hug his friend tightly to comfort not only her, but himself as well, but decided against it. He wasn't sure how she'd react anymore as depression had a tendency of slightly altering ones mood overall and reactions to once friendly and welcomed gestures. Plus he wasn't sure he could keep his own composure, and having two people lose it would defeat his purpose. Sympathy rang out in his eyes despite the smile on his face. He knew well what she was going through, after all he too held the scar of losing a parent.

In truth though it wasn't the loss itself that dampened his spirits, but rather the circumstances. He wasn't sure if Liana knew what had caused her father's death, but he knew that he had been told nothing of his mother's and that's what was eating him alive. Nevertheless his main purpose here was to comfort Liana rather than himself, although just seeing her and being able to touch her was enough for him for now.

He also wasn't entirely sure of her reaction to her betrothal to someone, he knew his hadn't...quite been expected. His father had expected the news to lighten his mood, but it only pushed him into a further depression, that he tried to deny himself. For the past couple of days he had thrown himself into whatever projects he could, driving himself until collapsing in exhaustion. This was probably the first time that he hadn't been off training, studying or doing some other mechanical and menial task in an effort to exhaust himself and distract his mind. He had looked at the trip to the other kingdom as a chance to just gain more sleep and revitalize himself enough in front of Liana, and so slept most of the way.

He didn't wish to think about who his possible future bride could be, as he had already wished for one person to remain at his side. He had discovered his feelings had evolved beyond friendship a year ago, though in fear of ruining a friendship that he had held for so long, and so kept silent about his feelings. Now though he somewhat regretted the decision. Maybe if he had made his feelings clear towards her and both her and his parents he wouldn't be forced into a marriage with someone he didn't even know the name of. But then he didn't know how deep the girl who had captured his own heart felt about him, or if she only thought as the two of them as nothing more then friends. It also torn him apart, but at the moment there wasn't any time nor opportunity to find out, not that it would matter now anyways.

Liana expected a servant to show up at the door. She frowned staring out the window not bothering to look up. She frowned a bit more as someone sat on the bed next to her. She assumed it was her nanny since she was the only one who would sit down next to her. She looked up and her eyes met her friends. A smile broke out on her face and she sighed in relief jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I have missed you so much." She said after he finished talking. She actually smiled which she had not done since her fathers death. She stared at him for a while longer and then frowned again "I am betrothed." She said softly. She waited for his reaction knowing it would be similar to her own when she found out. She sobbed silently on the bed in her room for days it seemed. She wanted to be with Damien so badly that nothing else mattered to her.

"I do not wish for this and I hear you are betrothed also." She said this in a bland tone her dislike of the news quite obvious.

Damien's own smile lightened at the reaction of his friend. He was glad that Liana's reaction towards him hadn't changed much. His arms automatically wrapped themselves around her, as he hugged her tightly in return. He could now feel the full heat of her body, and for a moment could feel the skin of her cheek on his as they hugged. Her familiar scent surrounded him, reminding him well of their childhood days. "And I have missed you as well Liana" he said in a slight whisper in her ear, mainly so as not to be too loud for her hearing when so close, and released her from the hug though still held one arm up around her shoulders in a friendly manner as he typically would.

His own smile faltered as she delivered the news he already knew, and reminded him of his own. A sigh escaped his lips as his free hand ran through his white locks. "Yes...I heard...and aye I am as well. I can't say...I'm entirely pleased with the news either. Besides it seems my heart belongs to another, of course trying to tell my father that isn't quite so simple" he said with a tired sounding sigh. He attempted to avoid looking at Liana as he mentioned he had fallen in love with another, though it was a hard thing to do. In the end he could help but look at the face he had come to cherish so much. He let a small smile spread on his face once more as he noticed how cute she truly looked, even when frowning, though he personally preferred it when she was smiling.

The hand that had been draped around her shoulder lightly brushed against her cheek almost absently. "Come on now no need to frown about that. I'm sure whomever we're betrothed to can't be all bad right? From what I heard from my father they picked out somewhat that we could get along with at the very least" he said, trying his best to stay positive about the situation, although each word seemed to be a stab to his own heart, while his other hand came up to her chin to try and coax another smile out of the Princess. The change of position however ended up making his face a bit closer to the Princess's then he had intended as he could almost feel the light wisps of air from her breathing. His eyes locked with hers and before he knew what he was doing his lips had suddenly found hers in a very light touch.

He hadn't realized what he was doing until he slightly increased the pressure into a true kiss. Quickly he pulled away, a clear streak of red appearing over his face. "S-sorry...I...don't know what came over me..." he said tensing up a bit at what her reaction might be. He had been doing so well and now in a critical time he may have messed up a friendship.