Medieval Lock and Key |( Remake )| RP Thread



>> OOC THREAD <<


Time Keeper : Day One || Afternoon of Arrival


. : What is a Lock and Key Event? : .

Simply put, a modern lock and key party is a type of singles party.

Every girl receives a necklace with a lock on it as they walk in; every guy receives a necklace with a key on it. Within the group, there is a key for every lock and vice versa. The object of the game is to find your match.

This roleplay is no modern-day lock and key event.

. : Notes : .

We will generally not be accepting new players, as we are a private group of those dedicated to this idea. Those exempt from this rule are MintyRey, April, blueblackrose, or others from the older renditions of the RP. Rules may be adjusted for a few who truly work for a spot here, but I am unsure that this may be done as of yet.

Listing of characters, maps, and other such frill is located in the OOC thread.

DO NOT post here unless you are a part of this group, or have somehow obtained permission in the OOC.

. : Summary : .

I'll be keeping track of characters to help keep everyone caught up. If I mess up, just throw a brick at-- erm, correct me, please.

What are they all doing? :

Samuel and Kiah are speaking together, on the first floor.

Nerine and Xanthe just met in the kitchen.
Kitty said hello, but left and is now brushing her horse down.

Maiara just lugged her luggage upstairs alone, and Jasper began to speak with her.

Nathanial and Shiriki were in the stables- they didn't speak to each other- and Shiriki is stepping out.

Brielle and Seth just arrived together, and their footmen are carrying their baggage upstairs.

Merylin was doing some battle training, but is now heading downstairs to the courtyard.

---------- Post added 11-26-2012 at 08:25 PM ----------

Ai stared absentmindedly out through the pane of glass which the dancing, golden sunlight reflected in from. Her chin held upright by the back of her hand, she observed the nearing castle thoroughly. It had only been a few hours' journey from her uncle's home that lay just beyond the mountain face a few miles away, but it had taken a week or so to reach his manor, and she had only stayed there for the night. Still, she arrived at the king's summer castle in a decent manner, well-bathed and dressed as she would be if she were at her own home. The thought of home sent a slight frown to her lips, but it disappeared as the carriage that held her rolled to a completely halt.

Suddenly smiling in a childish burst of delight, she opened the door for herself, too eager to wait for her carriage man to do so for her, and picked up her dress' hem to hop out. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Ai smiled brightly. Stopping where she stood, she looked up at the castle that towered before her. It was large in size, but its architecture was beautiful, the yellow tone of its bricks setting off a warm tone from its outer walls. As her servant unloaded, Ai acted to take up her luggage, insisting that she carry it in herself-- a simple excuse for going in to explore right away.

Jasper sat on his bed quietly, looking around at his room, where his luggage was strewn about haphazardly. He was not typically such a mess; he simply did not want to be here. He did not care about appearances. He did not want to form new alliances, nor meet new friends. As for marriage, well, the only things he cared about were good looks and obedience. Yes, if a woman could fulfill his every need- be it massaging his feet after a long day or just plain leaving him alone- and had the looks to bear decent children, then he would be content. If he did not receive a woman who could fit the role, he figured he would have to resort to force to find a key to one that did. To him, this was not a game, it was a hunt, and though he didn't consider himself picky, his tastes in everything were very particular. The sound of a carriage arriving just outside the entrance stirred him from thought, annoyance drawn onto his face as he briskly left his room.

( Thread is open for posting! Remember to be mindful of others whom may be starting late or cannot post quite so often. )

Brielle rolled her eyes as her dearest friend led her from her their shared carriage. She could do it all on her own, yet the taller male seemed to think her delicate. Her unseeing eyes blinked as a large shadowed blob seemed to loom ahead of them. "You know I can get out of the carriage myself you big oaf. I'm blind, not an invalid. And besides, you know it won't last for long." Brie didn't try to fight him as he put his hands on her waist and hoisted her down to the ground, ignoring the men who would have handed her down if Seth hadn't brushed them aside with a polite shake of his head. The male just grunted softly in his way and let her go to catch her balance. They had been friends for so long, since both of them had been young enough to crawl around on their own. Well, actually they had been friends of sorts from the womb, since both of their mother's had delivered their children within days of each other. Still, Seth thought of himself as her older brother as well as her keeper but if she wanted to do things on her own, that was fine with him. "Fine, if you think you can make it inside without my help, do so. I'll be inside awaiting your slow arrival. Don't get lost."

Brie knew he wouldn't leave her there alone, but soon his shadowy form moved out of her line of sight. Brie panicked for a moment. No, he wasn't really leaving her. His footsteps told another story. They were growing fainter the farther he got and soon she really was panicking. While she would eventually find her way inside, she didn't like being alone, not when she couldn't see a thing around her other than very dark shapes that blended in the the perpetual darkness she was always in. "S-Seth wait!" A deep chuckle sounded from just next to her, Making the raven haired girl with icy blue eyes turn and glare in his direction. "Seth van Garrett that was a cruel trick!" she said, slapping at the closest part of him, his shoulder. Brie huffed and started off, only to be caught by the shoulder and turned to face another direction with a small shove following. "If you're going to storm off for the castle, you should try going the right way. Testy little thing, aren't you." The two bantered back and forth as Seth guided Brielle to the castle where they followed footmen with their bags up to their rooms. It would definitely be interesting to say the least. Brie was excited to know who would be the one to open her lock, while Seth wasn't particularly fond of the idea, but had accepted sine Brielle would most likely be needing some help at the beginning of her stay.

Kiah felt the carriage roll down the road, she stayed quiet as she sat there, listening to the horses hooves hit the ground as the kept heading towards the castle that she was told that she was going to be at, she was even told that she had to stay on the first floor only so that she would not get lost and would still run into people. Soon she felt the carriage slow down considerable, she turned her head towards the door, waiting to hear it open and have someone force her to get out and guide her into the house. Moments had passed her by before she heard the carriage door open up, she then felt someone grab her hand and slowly guide her out of it, she knew that her luggage was already being taken to an empty room for her, that they are rearranging it to fit the layout of her own room as they put her things away. Soon she felt the steps as she went up it, unaware of the other guests that were there, she felt sadden when they had left her in the entryway, standing there as she stared blankly ahead of her. "Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out to them as she heard her servants leave the place, leaving her there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiriki gave a yawn, he was tired and dusty, he had been riding for days, already having sent his things a head of himself so that he may enjoy the ride to the castle alone. He loved the outdoors, he loved to be outside experiencing it, living in it. He loved the trees and grass land that showed around, he wasn't even bothered by the fact that there was a fox following him towards the castle that loomed a head of him. He could see carriages waiting out side of it, even seeing a few royals that he knew, like Kiah, who was being lead into the castle at the time. Though he couldn't help but frown and scowl at her servants quickly rushing out of the castle as soon as they could and speeding off, he knew they were just happy to be rid of the blind Duchess. That was something that pissed him off greatly, sure she was born blind but she was still a person and still had feelings, and yet they treated her like she was a burden.

Merilyn had been at the castle since the crack of dawn just that morning. She came by horse back, finding it easier to travel at night by horse back. Plus she would arrive ahead of schedule. Able to get a feel for her surroundings. Before everyone began to arrive. Another male had shone up not long after. They had been avoiding each other for quite some time. Briefly seeing each other before she continued to walk down the hallway. She recognized him as the prince of Mirarenn. Although being just a duchess, she was not meant to to be well known. Her kingdom was being sucked up by England. Very quickly too. In fact her entire life had been around war. She knew battle strategies like many girls know how to play the piano. Even surpassed many of the men who would sit in war meetings. If any man would wish to claim, they were invited into the game. But she wondered if she would play the hunter or prey in this game.

A sword in hand, she moved gracefully yet viciously towards the training dummy. Striking it several times before backing up. Starting her formation over. It was a beginners formation. Yet done so perfectly you would think she was twice her age in experience. The sounds of more voices filled the outside of the house. Followed by the sounds of more carriages. She lunged forward again. Continuing her free time. Striking the dummy again before backing off. Placing the sword again the wall in its holder. Finished for the time being. Merilyn wore a set of leathers. It accented her own figure, although she knew the other royals may find her choice in clothing rather informal. She stepped out of the fencing chambers. Already claiming her room by the library. She choose to instead head downstairs into the courtyard.

"Drat." the raven haired male muttered to himself as his hand swayed to the bump of the carriage, causing what otherwise would have been a neatly inked line to go astray. "I should probably save this for when I get to the castle."

Samuel straightened up in his seat as he closed up the ledger he had been writing in and tucked away an inked quill back into its wooden container. Although he was supposed to have a month off for the annual and intriguing matchmaking event held at King Lelair's summer castle, the Duke of Zima Kruzhevo could not help but dip back into his duties every now and again.

But he would have to learn to put his work aside and focus on being sociable. After all, doing paperwork wasn't going to help him find a wife.

He had been traveling for a few weeks now from his frosty Northern homeland to the summer castle which stood just outside the great kingdom of Mirarenn. Crossing three countries was a long journey during which the nobleman spent more time cooped up in his carriage than he cared for. It was no wonder that Samuel was very grateful for the sight of a large moat at the end of the road. Just beyond that stood King Lelair's castle. Eager to reach it, the silver-eyed man asked his driver to speed up.

The duke had never seen the place himself but he recalled the descriptions of the structure his older brother often told him. His older brother, Ptolemy, had also attended the Renowned Lock and Key Event a few years back. That was where he met his wife, Ellian. Now it was Samuel's turn to be at the gathering. His invitation had reached him a month ago and with it came his designated key. It was a simple silver trinket, save for the elaborate bow, that was attached to a black and silver chain.

In a few minutes his carriage would reach the moat's bridge. As he continued to observe what lay beyond his carriage window, Samuel noticed that there was another traveler on the road just ahead of him. The man was on horseback and seemed rather familiar. Oddly, a fox appeared to be following the equestrian. But the coach rushed past the lone rider before Samuel could get a good look at his face.

Eventually the horse-drawn vehicle came to a stop at the front steps of the castle. Some other carriages in front of his were already about to leave, having just dropped off their passengers. After hurriedly stuffing what he had been working on into a small luggage bag he had by his feet, the duke stepped out and stretched his cramped limbs. Then he turned to his coachman to accept a larger luggage bag that was being handed to him. As soon as he was done thanking the driver, Samuel lugged his belongings up into the building.

He had only taken a few steps through the front door when he stopped. Before him stood a woman with long, ebony hair and who wore a silken purple dress. She was not looking at him, however, and was instead facing towards the hallway at nothing in particular.

Though he had not heard her question, Samuel decided to greet her. "Good afternoon, M'Lady." he bid her cordially, unaware of her inability to see and unaware that she might not even know the time of day because of it.

The carriage bounced along the road as it headed towards the castle. Maiara grumbled a bit to herself. Jake had refused to let her ride beside him because he feared it would cause problems for her if the other seen. Normally Jake wouldn’t deny her request, after all the two of them had been friends since childhood, though her parents hated it. She glanced out the window at the castle that grew ever nearer. I wonder if this will be another prison. She sighed lightly and closed the curtain, not wanting to see anymore. Her parents had forced her into taking part in this little ‘game’ to force her into finding a suitor. They had stubbornly put their foot down when she requested that they allow her to send her things again and she make the journey herself on horseback. A small smirk formed on her lips as she thought of how she managed to bring along a few of the items they told her to leave at home. Even she was going to be here to find a suitor and strengthen relations with other kingdoms she wouldn’t be denied her right to practice her fighting skills among other things.

The carriage came to a halt, forcing Maiara to return back to the moment at hand. Her servant Jake opened the door and held out his hand for her to take. A soft smile was on her face as she took his hand and emerged from the carriage. “Thank you Jake. Please take Asha to the stables for me after you get my trunk for me. I can take care of the trunk myself.” He replied quietly, a sad look in his eyes. He had hoped she wouldn’t send him away so quickly, but knew that it couldn’t be helped. It was probably best if they parted with few words being said. Once he had the trunk he placed it beside his mistress than proceeded to finish the other tasks she had asked of him.

After she seen that Jake had taken her mare, Asha, to the stables she picked up the trunk. It was heavier than she thought it would be and getting it up the stairs was going to be a pain. She sighed as she slowly ascended the stairs, carrying the bulky trunk. The task was one she had started to rethink when she was half way up the stairs. Once at the top of the stairs she dropped the trunk and took a seat on it, chuckling at herself.

--------------


Nathanial’s stomach growled at him as he continued on the quicken pace that he had set earlier in the morning. Unfortunately for the prince he had awoken late and had no time for breakfast if he was going to reach the castle by the afternoon. “We’re almost there boy, just a bit further,” he spoke to his horse. At least the castle was in sight now and they were no longer in the forest. First thing he planned on doing after getting his horses settled in the stable was to take a bath then nap. He was tired from the long journey and the thought of being able to take a real bath were welcoming.

Arriving at the castle he noticed a woman carrying her own luggage up the stairs. How strange, he thought. Did she not bring any servants with her? She was about at the top by the time he reached the stairs on horseback. The way it looked she would probably still be sitting there on her trunk by the time he returned to finally enter the castle. The woman looked a little familiar to him, but he could not place the woman. Before he could offer to help he needed to get his horses taken care of so he headed off towards the stable. Once there he got his two horses into stalls, feed, watered and brushed down before letting himself fall back into a pile of straw by the stalls he had placed his horses into.

Kiah gave a surprised cry at the sound of someone suddenly speaking up behind her, she had jumped a little bit as she turned around, her ebony hair swishing at the speed she had turned at. Blank, unseeing light silver eyes seemed to stare straight through the male that spoke to her, she shifted slightly, feeling awkward. She bit her lip as she fidgeted, turning her delicate face to the floor so as not to let him get a good look at her. "Is it afternoon? Then Good Afternoon, Sir. I am Baroness Kiah Silver and you are?" she asked him in a soft voice as she smiled just as softly before sighing, lifting her head up as she tried not to feel as if everyone was going to judge her and pity her for her birth defect. She then moved her hair back over her shoulder, smoothing her dress so that it was less wrinkled, though she could never tell if it was or not, she then tilted her head to the side slightly so that she maybe able to hear better when and if he spoke to her once more.

(MintyRey: there ya go lol sorry for taking so long to reply)

As Seth led her along, Brie let her hand feel the walls as they were directed to which floor they would be staying on. "Tell me Seth, what do you see?" Ever since the accident, she had started to ask what other people saw around them. It almost felt like she only had her eyes closed and was listening to someone tell a story. The male next to her answered without really thinking. "Stone walls."

Brie made a face and frowned. She hated it when Seth answered her like that. He understood why she asked, because she couldn't see it all for herself, but still, he could at least humor her a little more. Sensing her mood change, Seth sighed and muttered something under his break about women. "Don't be like that, Brie. It's a castle. What I see are stone walls. It's pretty much like your own castle, only it belongs to someone else. Not much difference. Now stop pouting and move along." He touched her shoulder, and in that move, Brie knew he was sorry. She smiled and nodded, her hand still trailing along the wall as they climbed the steps. She counted them under her breath, making sure she remembered the exact number once they reached the top. Seth confirmed her number before they continued.

Nerine was in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to make some food. So far, she had found eggs. She had arrived the day before, busy with arranging things in her room and recovering from the long ride there. Her hair was held back by a clip, but otherwise it was a little too short to hold back in a braid. She had no clue on how to cook, but she was starting to get hungry. Worst idea ever. Not giving us at least a cook. Hopefully some of the other nobles would know about making savory dishes. Hearing voices coming from the hallways leading to the main entrance, the red head tilted her head. More arrivals so soon. Does this mean I'll have to make more food? She hadn't planned on making a lot of food.

Although her mannerisms, her comment about the time, and strangely, even her appearance seemed a little odd to him, the duke believed that perhaps it was just because she was from a different country and culture. "My name is Samuel Winters, Baroness." he replied, putting down one bag so that he might give a proper bow with his left hand across his waist. "I am the Duke of Zima Kruzhevo. Pleased to make your acquaintance...err..."

The reason for the feeling he had that something was amiss when she had turned to face him only now became clear to him. Even though he had clearly been looking at her when they spoke, he had failed to notice her eyes. He hesitated for a moment more before continuing. "I beg your pardon, Baroness, but are you perhaps...blind? If so, I sincerely apologize for my thoughtlessness."

He hoped that she might not be too upset with him. Just his luck to have potentially offended someone on the first day of his stay.

Shiriki watched as people passed him by, not worried about it at all at the moment, after all they were all heading to the same place. He yawned slightly before looking down at the fox that followed after him, he had a feeling that she wouldn't be allowed in the castle. He did felt bad about it but he understood that most of the people he was going to met would not even bother trying to get their hands dirty in the very lease. He sighed heavily before he finally arrived at the stables, having found a stall for the stallion to be in. A serious look was upon the Prince's face as he opened the opposite wall of the stall so the horse could go and come as it pleased. He brushed it down one last time before moving outside to take everything in, trying to put off going in doors as long as he could, though he knew that Kiah would need his help sooner rather than later.

---

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Samuel." Kiah said to him, she gave no reaction to his bow, only a slight shift at the sound of his bag being sat down on the floor. This was always the hard part on her, she could never tell what someone was doing around her, but could only imagine and him bowing was not what she was picturing in her head, well what she was trying to picture in her head. Then there it was, that awkward feel to the air, that sentence trialling off, it was something that often came when around her. The soft smile on her face slipped a bit into a slightly sadder expression as she turned her face away from him, letting her hair slip into her eyes. The hesitation to continue on, she squeezed her hand, letting the once slightly tan fingers turn red and slowly towards purple from the lack of blood flow. "All is forgiven. Though I ask for your forgiveness for deceiving you otherwise even if it was just ever so slight of a deception." she said to him as she too up one side of her dress just a bit to show her feet, as she tucked one foot behind the other, bending at the knees as she bowed her head, curtsying to the male. "My regret is that I may be a burden upon everyone because of my blindness." she said to him in just a whisper, she was trying hard to keep the sadness from her voice.

"Oh, my!" Xanthe exclaimed, almost dropping everything she was holding. It surprised her to suddenly see someone standing in the kitchen, especially when she had only been in the storeroom for what seemed like just a short while.

The Monarch had only arrived about two hours ago herself-- More than enough time to find herself a vacant bedroom, unpack and freshen up. Discovering the kitchen was literally a step out from there. Omitting the fact that she passed the Dinning Hall and a Courtyard first, that is. But she realized early on to look out for the highly informative, yet disappointingly small, placards that told you which way to go for what.

"Good morning, Miss!" she cheerily greeted the other woman after setting her Storeroom spoils down on the nearest tabletop. "Are you hungry? Oh, who am I kidding, of course you must be! I didn't realize how time flew.. Well, I should at least have a hearty breakfast ready in a bit. Seems like you were about to do it all yourself. Would you like to wait instead?"

"N-no! No, no!" Samuel stammered with slight panic, "There was no deception at all! I merely did not realize that you were blind until a moment ago."

Even if he did not immediately notice the subtle sorrow in what she had last said, he could tell from her faded smile and the shift of her unseeing gaze that she was hurt by the question he had asked. In his hometown, blindness is considered uncommon. And despite his travels, the duke has only ever met two blind persons. His social life, busy as it was, has been very sheltered to say the least. Even if he only asked out of the need for clarification, all that mattered was what his question meant to her.

"And you are no burden, Baroness. I assure you." he quickly added as he grabbed her hand as a sign of reassurance, "Not to me."

After a brief and ungraceful pause during which he had been desperately trying to think of what else to say, Samuel came up with a proposition. "How about this? Why don't you take a look around the castle with me? And by "look", I mean it as a figure of speech, of course. We both don't know our way around and I would be honored if you could join me."

He let go of Kiah's hand to pick up the luggage bag he had placed on the floor. "Familiarizing ourselves with our home for the month would be a good idea. I would hate to starve just because I couldn't find the pantry!" he said with a laugh. "But I think putting away luggage should be a priority. If you'd like, I can assist you with yours." He then tucked his smaller bag under his other arm so that he had one free hand again to use. However, he soon found that there was no other luggage nearby to help with. "Oh....You already had yours brought to your room...."

Embarrassment turned most of his face a bright red.

Kiah blinked in surprise at how he was reacting, she could hear the panic in his voice as he tried to tell her that she didn't deceive him, he was just distracted by the fact he had to find a room. She smiled at him as much as she could to him, trying to be happy that someone was at least talking to her, she wasn't even aware of the other people that were in the room because she had not even heard them speak yet. "You say that i am not a burden....for now. Eventually everyone gets tired of the blind person." she said to him in a light tone of voice, as she squeezed his hand when he grabbed her hand, which made her blush lightly. She listened to the silence, the only thing that let her know that she was not alone was the hand holding onto hers which she clung to as if it was the only thing keeping her anchored down. "Oh thank you. I would like that very much...maybe then i can get the layout down pat so as not to run into things." she said to him, smiling a bit more true now as she shifted where she was standing at, smoothing out her dress with her free hand. She felt her hand be let go, this caused her to turn her head so that she could hear what he was doing, chuckling at his small little joke about finding the pantry. "My father's servants took care of it when they brought me.....though i do not know exactly where my room is at." she said to him softly, turning her head in the direction that she remembered hearing the servants going towards with her things. "Thank you for the offer though. I shall wait here for your return here sir." she said as she collapsed her hands in front of her once more, after she tucked some loose raven black hair behind her ear.

Nathanial fell asleep quickly on the pile of straw. The long journey had drained the man and his body demanded rest more than food it seemed. Aisland nudged the male with his nose when a new man entered the stables with his horse. The horse’s actions only caused the prince to move his hand to shoo the horse away. He also mumbled something, but nothing could be made out of it. The stallion continued to pester the prince in an attempt to wake him. It’s attempts were in vain it seemed until the man finally halfway opened his eyes to look at his stallion. “What is it Aisland? Can’t you just let me get a few minutes of rest before I go to the castle?” Little did he know that there was someone else in the stable and he was no longer alone.

Samuel was glad to know that Kiah's spirits were lifted, even by a little bit. He was happy to hear when she accepted his offer to explore the castle with him. Even more so when the baroness said knowledge of where everything was would help keep her from running into things.

He had expected that they would start their exploration immediately, starting with looking for his room since he assumed she had already been to hers. But to Samuel's surprise, Kiah told him that her bags had been brought to her room without her and that she was not aware of its location. She thanked him nonetheless for his offer and said she would wait until the duke had brought his own bags to his room.

"What? Shouldn't they have told you where it was at least? I mean, I get that we're supposed to be here for a month without servants to help us but surely that can't mean that they shouldn't assist you when you first arrive." he said with a small frown at the thought that her servants would jut leave her alone without a word of where her things were. "Are you not the daughter of their employer? I apologize for being out of line but I must say, they ought to have been more respectful to you!"

"M'lady, if you would allow me, I would be very happy to help you find your room." he said, feeling it wouldn't be right to just leave her by herself without at least doing so. "Do you have any idea in which direction they might have brought your luggage? Surely it can't be far." As he spoke, Samuel was already eyeing the doors of the nearby rooms of the first floor.

Nerine glanced over to the other woman. Giving her a smile, she nodded. "You can cook?" asked, looking hopeful. Oh, finally. Someone who would be able to make a decent, not burnt breakfast. The princess had almost dreaded the task. The lady was a savior in disguise. Coming in with all those ingredients and the like. "Of course you can, otherwise, you wouldn't offer, would you?" Now she felt a little silly. "Do, you want any help? Like, handing you things?" She didn't want to feel useless, after all.

Brushing back a lock of hair, she smirked and inclined her head as she introduced herself. "My name is Nerine Pierce. Princess of Jemtia. And you are..?"

Jasper walked briskly down the corridor outside of his chosen room, his brooding gaze held straight-on as his delicate features fell into an expression of annoyance. It wasn't a becoming look for him; he appeared rather childish. Jasper did not examine the decor, nor look to see if anyone were in the nearby bedrooms. He could sincerely care less. In his annoyance, he just wanted to see whom would be gathered in his family's secondary home, then return to his chambers. Jasper was familiar with some listed on the guest list, naturally, but didn't recognize several names. "I also have yet to pick from the peaches," he mused aloud, his upper lip curling as he thought of the beauty he would choose. While he was not one for socializing any longer, he did enjoy the company of a pretty face.

Something approaching pricked his thoughts and further unfurled his appearance of distaste. Pausing at the end of the hall, he watched quietly and from a distance as he saw a young lady lugging her trunk up the last of the stairs. Once there, she dropped it and proceeded to sit and laugh upon it. How strange. Wrinkling his nose a little, Jasper would look upon her for a moment before sighing. If he had to act as a host, he may as well introduce himself. Walking up behind her, he would clear his throat slightly. A slight grin slid among his lips, but no warmth accompanied it-- it was an empty gesture. "Lady Maiara, might I assume? Odd to run into you... At the top of the staircase," he spoke smoothly, but in his expression again appeared annoyance as he realized she was blocking his access to the stairs. He had no diplomatic passage of escape.

Kitty trotted along side the carriage that she was supposed to be in and watched as all the scenery went by. Primidion was not that far off but it was far enough to be at least four days travel on good days. Thankfully, they had been good days of travel, yet Kitty was able to extend it into a whole weeks worth of traveling. She had managed to stop at every village along the way to stop and see what was going on in it and meet new people. She even stopped long the way if she saw a bird’s nest that looked interesting, or a flower that she thought was beautiful, and even to tie one of her ribbons around a tree branch to mark the areas she would like to visit again and to make a trail to lead them to it. Kitty had always loved the outdoors and she never cared about what other people thought about her for the odd quirks she had when it came to being outside.

Upon the sight of the summer castle that she would be staying in for the next few weeks Kitty stopped and looked at it in awe, it truly was an sight to be seen, especially in the lighting that it stood in. She brushed her black bangs out of her amber eyes so that she could see it better then started to move forward again. Though with all the traveling that had been done and all the stops that had been made, Kitty was finally glad to see the place that she was to stay even if it was for the game of match making.

By now the carriage was far ahead of Kitty and was already pulling up to the steps of the castle and Kitty started to rush to catch up so she could get her own things from it and send the driver back home so that he would hopefully not get into too much trouble for arriving back late in her home kingdom. She stopped just behind the carriage and quickly dismounted her horse and held onto the reins and walked up beside it. She smiled kindly at the driver and said “You can leave my things I can deal with them on my own thank you, and I don’t want you to get into too much trouble on your arrival back home, just say there was sight seeing on the way and my parents should understand if they give you any trouble.” The driver had just been finishing taking the second bag out off the carriage and had nodded at Kitty and climbed back onto the carriage and drove away.

Kitty smiled to her self then looked back at her horse saying “Now just to deal with you until I get my bags inside then we will find you a place to stay while were here.” She lead her horse over to a shady part under some tree and left her horse there trusting that she wouldn’t run away while she went inside to drop her things off. She walked back over to her bags and looked up at the castle again and thought about how lovely it was even up close. She then looked down at her dress straightened it and reached into one of her bags and pulled out her black overcoat and put it on tie the ribbon at the front to keep it on. She then took her black hair out of the braid it had been in and let her wavy black hair fall down her back and tie the ribbon that had been holding it in the top of her head. Kitty also grabbed her gloves and slipped them on hoping that she was now presentable as her parents would call it and picked up her bags and climbed the stairs, then looking down at the blue lock that she had been given one last time, and opened the door and stepped in.

Kitty looked around in amazement and kept walking down what appeared to be the grand hall. She turned and looked for a stairwell that she could take up to at least the second floor where she could find a room that she could sleep in. She really like being above the ground level so that she could see the view. She turned into the second left hallway that appeared to be heading towards a set of stairs and smiled to her self. When she came to and intersection with another hallway she heard a few voice floating down and knew that there were others down there somewhere if she looked hard enough. Although that was not her main concern at the moment she had a brief thought about whether or not she was the last person to arrive. The thought quickly left her and she continued onto the stairwell and climbed them up to the second floor and out into another hallway.

Hoping that her assumptions were right in the way that the castle was organized Kitty, headed straight down the hallway coming to a square like room and headed back towards the front of the castle and stopped coming to a dead end. Looking into the room she saw what looked like a library and sitting room she smiled and stepped back out into the hall and walked down the hallway to her left and to the farthest door at the front of the castle. She looked into the room and saw that it was an unoccupied bed room and smiled walking in. She put her bags down by the bed and walked over to the windows to see the view she had. Kitty nodded at the view and turned around to admire the room once more then walked out and back the way she came until reaching the hallway that she had heard the voices traveling down from.

Kitty had decide on a quick bit to eat would be a great idea before she went out to explore a bit more, walking down the stairs she poked her head into every room trying to find the kitchen once found she notice that there were two others in there and smiled at them both saying “Afternoon.” She saw a bowl of apples and grabbed one for herself and one for her horse. She paused for a moment then said “I’ll see you all later”, then headed out to where she left her horse and handed her the apple. She then picked up the lead and walked around back to the stables.

Walking in she saw another two people and walked into the closest stall and started to take of her horse’s saddle. She hadn't realized how many people were already there, and figured that she was probably one of the last to arrive. She knew that it was probably because of all of her sightseeing, but she wouldn't change that at all. She finished removing the saddle she then started brushing down her horse.

Maiara mused how almost a week of missed training had done. At least lugging the stupid trunk to her room would give her a good warm up. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by Jasper. It seemed that she was in his way and he was attempting to be polite, how amusing. The woman could only recall meeting this prince once before and she didn’t like his attitude then and she rather doubted he had changed much. “I suppose that it is a little odd, Sir Jasper,” she replied, leaning back a little on the trunk and looking up at the man.

A smile played on her lips. Her eyes were emotionless, but they soon lightened as she had an idea. “My dear would you be so kind as to help me with this trunk? It’s a little heavy you see and I have gotten rather tired from carrying this far.” Mai knew full well that she was only doing this to annoy the man more, but who couldn’t resist doing such a thing when he had that look on his face? As she awaited his reply she gave him a slightly pitiful look just to irk him.

"Why, yes I can! I'm right good at it, even if I do say so myself," Xanthe replied with a graceful tilt of her head. "And, if it pleases you, Miss, I wouldn't mind the help at all!"

She quickly gathered her goods and moved closer to where the woman who'd just introduced herself was standing. Setting them down again, she dusted her hands off her dress and grabbed hold of Nerine's own in an awkward handshake.

"I am Xa--" she started, only to be briefly interrupted by another guest at the castle. Xanthe returned the newcomer's greeting with a polite nod and a smile, watching curiously as the dark-haired girl grabbed two of the apples she had brought in from the Storeroom before leaving.

"I am Xanthe," the blonde continued immediately after turning to Nerine with another smile. "Xanthe Ullioraq Fay of Ourania. I'm very honored to meet your acquaintance!"

She went on to explain how Ourania was a snowy continent far south of Mirarenn and a few hundred miles off the coast of the expansive Linaeve. She had traveled by ship and stopped by that harbor Kingdom to see her dear cousin Zamir, who was also supposed to be here at King Lelair's Summer Castle and participate in the Lock and Key event. Unfortunately he caught a bad case of the flu right before they were to leave and ended up having to stay behind.

Time was flying by fairly quickly. If the apple-girl hadn't come in when she did, Xanthe would never have realized it was already noon. Luckily the Ouranian was also good at multi-tasking. As she talked some more her body moved as if it had always been in this kitchen. Her hands and arms flew everywhere but never did unnecessary things. Her feet stepped over every unbalanced stone or small crack, legs and hips seamlessly avoiding obstacles that would no doubt trip or hurt you if you weren't careful.

Having Lady Nerine with her was an enormous relief as well, and pretty soon the smell of Pot Roast, Shepherd's Pie and Stir-Fried Vegetables wafted throughout the main halls of the castle. Accompanying those mouth-watering dishes were two big plates of Devilled Eggs and a large bowl of Salad.

"Whew," the younger girl exclaimed, setting the last of the dishes onto the serving trolley that would be making its way to the Dining Hall soon. She laughed happily at their hard work, once again facing her cooking companion with her trademark smile.

"You must know I am so very grateful to you for everything! I just hope everyone gets the hint. And I apologize for talking so much.. Won't you tell me more about yourself?"

Kaih blushed slightly as she shifted in her spot, she looked at the floor once more when he spoke his mind about what her servants had done to her. "They were kind enough to put my things away for me. Though i do not blame them for leaving me to fend for myself....after all i know that i am burden upon them. Thank you for your concern but it is not a very big deal, Sir Samuel. You see my father can not have anymore kids so i am rather lucky to be here, but because of my birth defect i tend to be pushed off onto the servants and they have been very kind to me over the years so for them to do something like this....is not something i am offended by it." she said to him softly after his little rant had finished, she tilted her head up towards him as she smiled even more, holding her hand out so that he could take it, after all she had no clue where she was going. "I did not hear them go upstairs.....or is there an upstairs?" she mumbled to her self before she chuckled. "They would have put me on this floor so that there would be no chance of injury coming to me." she said to him as if it was the most common sense that would apply to someone in her shoes.

---------- Post added 03-08-2013 at 06:21 PM ----------

Shiriki on the other hand had not known that there was someone in the stables as he took care of his stallion, the only thing that had given it away was the way Aisland, Nathanial's horse was reacting to his presence. This cause the Indian male to frown as he looked over towards him, that was when he heard the male's voice talking to the horse. "I believe that he is trying to tell you that you are not alone." he said to him simply before he looked over towards a female that had enter to take care of her horse, it caused him to smile as he looked her over for a few minutes before he spoke up once more. "Hello, I am Prince Shiriki. Though you can just call me Shiriki." he said to them both as he cleaned the tack that had been upon the horse that he rode in on, sure he had servants to take care of his horse and tack back home, but he always liked taking care of his animals, himself.

Brie huffed in annoyance as she sat on her bed, waiting for Seth to come back for her. She had managed to figure out for herself where everything in her room was and had already unpacked everything she really didn't want Seth to help her with, all on her own. She would just need him to store a few things for her as well as her luggage, but that could be done later.

Still, the man hadn't come for her yet and she was growing impatient. She was hungry, and she had spent the better part of two hours in the carriage with him, doing nothing but listen to him mock her questions of just listen to him snore a little as he slept. Sometimes he just wasn't good company at all, despite how much she cared for her dear friend.

After waiting a few more minutes, the raven haired princess stood and left her room, felling her way over to the stairs and silently counting down the number of steps. It was a long process, but she eventually made it to the main floor. Though her intended destination was the kitchen, the young lady managed to turn the wrong way and soon found herself opening the front door and stepping outside instead. "Oh...well this is definitely not the way to the kitchen....but, since I'm already out here, some fresh air would be nice." Seth would have a fit and go wild on her once he caught up.

Before leaving home, the doctor had told her she shouldn't go out without a parasol to shade her eyes. Bright lights wouldn't be good for her vision, but it was too late now to change that. Setting off at a leisurely pace, Brielle lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight and headed off to 'explore' the grounds, letting the different shapes meld before her.

Grateful that she would accept his offer, Samuel took Kiah's hand without delay and guided her closer towards the center of the grand hall's crossway. There was a better view of all the bedrooms of the first floor from there and Samuel could already see one of the bedroom doors had been left ajar.

"There is indeed an upstairs, Baroness. But it seems it is as you say; They most likely chose a room on this floor for your safety. I can see that one of the rooms has been left open so I guess it would be a safe bet to check that one first." said the duke. With the noblewoman in tow, the young man led the way towards the bedroom of which he spoke. Sure enough, there were a few bags of luggage standing in one part of the chamber. But it appeared to Samuel that the things had already been unpacked as clothes were already hanging in the closet. Similar to the room's door, the closet door had been left open as if to make access to it easier. He was also surprised to notice that some of the furniture had been moved from their original positions. While no speck of dust could be found where each piece of furniture once stood, as is normal when such items are left in one place for a while, the paths they traveled remained recorded wherever they had been dragged over the carpeted areas.

Everything had been done with attentive care. Such a stark contrast to how Samuel believed Kiah had been treated when she was left by herself. Perhaps he had misjudged the Silver family servants after all. "I'm not quite sure myself but would this be your room?" he said to the baroness. "There are dresses in the closet similar to the style of your current clothes."

Kiah blushed slightly at the male taking her hand as he lead her towards her room, though the had stopped for a moment she guessed so that he could see what he was going to decided to go. All she could do was be patient and listen to what was going on around her, she softly squeezed his hand when he had finally made it to her room. "Thank you.....your very kind to me." she said to him as she followed him to the open room, moving about it slowly with her hands out so that she may keep her self from running into any furniture. She soon realized that everything seemed as if she was at home, a smile on her face as she let her hands run over her clothes that were hanging in the closet. Clearly touching a small pattern made of gems on the sleeves, it told her exactly what she outfit she was trying to pick. "They can be so sweet in their own right." she said to him as she chuckled, turning towards the male when he asked her if this was her room, she nodded her head as she collapsed her hands in front of her, moving about the room easily as she would around her own room at home. "Thank you very miuch for helping me around."