It was a cold, and rainy night. No one was out and about, save one small sickly figure that was wandering around the streets. He was a familiar face, one that the whole kingdom knew, and turned away, and because of it, he was out, and about in the street, trying to scrounge up some food for himself. He looked around the empty alleys, stopping every so often to go through someone's trash. He sighed as he finally slid down a wall and sat on the dirty ground.

His clothes were torn, tattered, only rags. He was dirty from head to toe. His hair was brown, or at least that's what everyone thought, but he was so dirty that even that wasn't for sure. His green eyes had long lost the spark of hope they once had. He scanned the area, making sure to stay hidden from everyone, not that anyone would find him, or care to help him. He sighed, and finally laid down as he started coughing, and passed out, there in the alley.

Name: Alruna Hope
Age: 15
Appearance: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Anime/29bq.jpg
Social Standing: Princess

Alruna yawned and looked out the window of the horse drawn carage. It had been a long day and she was looking forward to getting back to the castle. As she looked out the window she spotted someone collapse and gasped. "Stop the carage!" She screamed and once it stopped she jumped out into the rain, running to the figure. It was a filthy looking boy. She leaned over the boy and put her head to his chest. He had a heart beat. "Help me get him into the carage!" She ordered her knights and they did as they were told. Once they returned to the castle she put him in her bed and watched him sleep.

As Kale started to warm up, he started to wake up. He blinked a few times, and looked around the huge room nervously. He had never been anywhere that was anything like this. He couldn't even get into a barn for a night, let alone this. He looked around.

He finally noticed the princess. his eyes widened, and he started whimpering, and tried to move as far from her as he could. He didn't know who she was. All he knew was that he was scared. Scared of being beaten, of being hurt, and of being left for dead.

Alruna watched him move away and whimper and as if by instinct she crawled on the bed toward him. She basically backed him into a corner. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." she told him in a gentle, calm voice. He was like a frightened animal. She reached out and touched his cheek. He was absolutely filthy. "My name is Alruna, what is yours?" She asked sweetly. She was trying her hardest to be calm and gentle. She didn't want to scare him any more then he was. "Elena, go draw up some bath water for him." She ordered and the maid who had been standing by the door left them alone to do the task. "Are you hungry?" She questioned.
(Alruna doesn't know not to back people into corners. XD)

Once backed into the corner, Kale curled up into a ball, and started crying loudly, and when touched he started screaming in fear. He didn't want to be here. Even though the girl had done nothing to hurt him, he still cried, screamed, and yelled, and tried to make himself as small as possible. "Please don't hurt me," He started crying, not even listening to what the girl had just said. He was terrified, and with good reason.

Alruna frowned and now she was basically in his lap preventing his ball defense system from forming. "I promise I won't hurt you." She wanted to plug her ears because of his screaming but didn't dare. "Shh shh shh. It's okay. You're save here." She stroked her hand through his hair and pulled him close. Her mother had taught her that these things helped people to become calm.

(She has no idea what the word space means... XD)

Why was this girl touching him? Kale started to freak out. He wasn't used to contact, and he just wanted to hide himself somewhere right now. He cried only louder, and scream just as much more, until he started to lose his voice, and he had no more tears to cry. He started at the girl as he started trembling really badly. He just wanted to hide. He needed to hide.

((I notice XD))

(But that is the charm of Alruna.)
Alruna thought for a moment as she kept making the shh sounds and an idea formed. She took off the grabbed the blankets on the bed and put them over their heads. "Is this better?" She couldn't see him under the dark of the blankets but she kept stroking his hair. He really was like a frightened animal. "Can you tell me your name now?" She asked gently.

Kale whined softly, and tried to push her off of his lap, once again ignoring her question. He really didn't want to talk right now, and if anything the darkness might make it easier for him to run, and hide. He was too scared to answer her question now anyways. The only reason he even stopped crying and screaming was that his voice was shot from all of the screaming he had done before hand. He finally sighed, and gave up trying to push the girl off of him, and in a very soft trembling voice he gave in and said "Kale,"

((I Think I'd be scared too))

(Yeah she is a bit... I'm not sure if I want to say forward or pushy)
Alruna was delighted by the progress she had made even if it was just his name. "It's nice to meet you Kale. My name is Alruna. Are you hungry?" She had noticed he was abnormally thin and it was probably from hunger. "Lady Alruna, the bath is ready." Alruna slowly and carefully took off the covers. "Would you like to take a bath?" She asked.

Kale whined softly and hid his face as the covers were removed. He was hungry, and he did want a bath, but he didn't want to talk to the girl, and he didn't feel like moving either, unless it was to hide himself into a ball, which that clearly wasn't going to happen. So he just sat there, and stared off into space, deciding to not answer either question, and to just sit there trembling. He started glancing around the room, trying to take everything in all at once, but it was so hard for him. Everything in the room was so extravagant, and only added to his fear. Why would someone with all of this stuf take him in? It just made no sense.

((Maybe a little of both))

(I agree.)
Alruna took the blankets away from him and gave him a kind smile. "Please Kale. I'm sure you're hungry and you really need a bath. I'll leave you alone if you do those things." She told him with the sweetest smile. Elena who had been standing in the door approuched the door. "Come on, you need a bath. You shouldn't be in the presense of a Princess with all that dirt." Elena told him and she too had a soft and gentle smile. If Alruna couldn't get Kale to trust her Elena could. She was just that kind of person. Elena held out her hand for him to take.

Kale looked up at the new woman, and cowered at first when she reached out towards him. But he finally consented, and took her hand, walking shakily to the bathroom, still looking around as he used his other hand to keep the rags on his body.

Once he was alone in the bathroom, he got undressed, and started to get cleaned up. He washed away the dirt only to reveal bruises, scars, scrapes, and scratches that were hidden under the dirt for the longest time. Some of the scrapes and scratches were starting to get infected, but at this point, Kale didn't care, he just sat in the tub trying to get all of the dirt off of him, and out of his hair.

Alruna stood outside the bathroom and wanted to check on him but Elena kept her from doing so. "Young unmarried girls shouldn't be in the same room as a bathing boy." She told her and went in. Elena saw dirty water and sighed. "Should I change the water?" She questioned him. It was perfectly okay for Elena to be in the room since she was only doing her job. Outside Alruna tapped her foot. She wanted the two to hurry up.

Kale shrugged, and just sat there, the water was just as filthy as he had been, and he needed to rinse off, but he didn't want to be seen naked. He pulled his knees up to himself finally, and made it to where she wouldn't see everything, and finally nodded so that he could rinse himself off.

Elena got the dirty water out of the tub and filled it with clean water. "That's better. I'll get you some clothes." she left the room and went to find him some fresh clothes. Alruna took this opertunity to peek into the bathroom. "Are you okay in here? Do you need anything at all?" She asked and hid her face behind the door. She was blushing because he was of course naked even if she didn't see anything.

He quickly shook his head, and finished rinsing, and found a towel near the tub, and stepped out. He quickly dried himself off, and wrapped the towel around his lower half to hide everything. He then peeked out at her, and looked around nervously, waiting for the other woman to come back. He closed the door again, and decided to just sit on the floor, and wait.

Elena returned and entered the room handing him a fresh set of clothes. They would diffinatly fit him. she left so he could get changed and left Alruna standing by the door. Alruna tapped her foot impatiantly and sighed. "Your highness, why are you outside the door?" It was a guard doing his rounds. "That is none of your business."

Kale got dressed quickly, and then looked in the mirror. He already was lookig better, more like he had been living like a normal human instead of like an animal. He even looked like he might be civilized, and have table manners. He sighed, and walked out of the bathroom, only to find the girl standing there waiting for him. He looked up at her nervously, and whimpered a little bit. Almost afraid to come out any further.

Alruna looked at him and smiled brightly. Now that he wasn't so dirty he actually looked cute. "You look wonderful Kale." She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the halls. Once they reached the dining room they saw plates of delicious food. She sat him down in a chair and sat at her own next to him. "Eat what ever you want."

Kale stared at the food nervously, and just sat there for a little bit. He was so used to being yelled at when trying to get food, he was almost afraid to try. Plus, he didn't know what the flat thing was in front of him, or what the thin thing were either. He reached out, and grabbed a roll, and a peice of steak. He ate the roll quickly, and then held the steak as he started to take a bite into it.

"You're not going to use your fork or knife?" Alruna asked simply as she munched on a piece of crunchy bread. She decided to follow in Kale's footsteps by taking a steak and biting into it. Elena shook her head in sorrow. All the attempts to teach the princess manners had gone to waste. "This sure is a more fun way to eat steak then your suppose to."

Kale stared at her for a little bit and shrugged. He didn't even know how you were supposed to eat a steak. Or anything else that was on the table besides bread. He stared at the mashed potatoes, and the greem beans, and there was so much other stuff too, he just knew that the rest of the stuff wouldn't be easy to get off of his hands. He just kept eating his steak until he came to the bone, and then he started to try to chew the rest of the meat off much like an animal would.

Alruna continued to copy him with a smile. His way was much more fun then the way she was made to do. "Why do you use your hands?" She questioned as she continued to eat. she spooned some mashed potatoes onto her plate and picked up her spoon to eat it. She enjoyed his way of eating but she didn't want mashed potato all over her.

Kale stared at her, and shrugged. "Only way I know," He said after a while of eating and trying to build up his courage. He watched her as she ate her potatoes, and then grabbed a handfull of greenbeans since he still wasn't so sure about the spoon, or the fork. He sighed, and ate the green beans as he nervously looked away.