Name: Josefina Ybarra
Age: 20
Personality: Josefina is a shy girl, but very sweet and loving. She runs her father's bakery, and is often seen about town running errands for her mother as well. A cheery gal, she has few enemies aside from those who dangle her father's debts over her head... especially while her younger brother is so ill.

Name: Nicolaus Goodrick
Age: 21
Personality: Like many before him, including his father, Nicolaus often lets the fact that he is of royal blood get to his head. Being so accustomed to receiving exactly what he wants, Nic is always prepared to do or say whatever it is necessary to have things his way, the skills of a great future king he believes. Despite seeming arrogant and rude, the prince is very caring and willing to do whatever it takes for his people, even if he refuses to admit it. Nicolaus recognizes all of his father's faults, and hopes to one day be a better king.

As always, Josefina rose with the sun. With so much responsibility rested on the young woman's shoulders, she never really had time to stay in bed for too long. A few times in the past, she'd driven her mother absolutely insane with her refusal to sit still, even when she'd been ill. She wasn't the ill one, now, however, which was part of why she thought it was so terribly important that she got to work as soon as possible. If she could help pay off her father's debts, they could finally start putting money towards her younger brother, who she missed dearly, even though he wasn't gone yet. Yet. It was a word that seemed to haunt her at times, but no one would really know it, as she always seemed to be smiling, always cheery, always ready for anything that could come her way.

After a bit of preparation, Josefina scooped up her basket, full of supplies she'd bought just the night before, and made her way out of the cottage, enjoying the sound of the dirt crunching under her foot. For some reason, that sound had always been a pleasant one to her, perhaps it's why she so often went for walks, instead of riding her horse about. The weather was nice today, she thought to herself as she passed by a few more cottages. Slipping her eyes shut, she allowed the early morning sun to warm her face for a moment or so, before she opened her eyes again- there wasn't any use in her tripping over something. She must have been walking for much longer than she'd originally thought she'd been doing, for as she opened those chocolate eyes, she discovered that she was just inches away from the bakery.

A few hours passed, and the streets surrounding the shop were filled with the warm smell they'd been filled with nearly every day for years now, and people were minding their business filing in and out, buying this and that. Business had been good, since she'd taken over the shop; a few people swore up and down that somehow the Ybarra family recipe had gotten even better when Josefina had become the head baker. Eventually, it was noon, and it was time for her to make her deliveries, a time of day that the peasant girl seemed to love the most. Gathering together the orders of the day, and covering them with a soft cloth to keep them warm, she made her way out- but not before making sure the bakery was locked shut. She couldn't afford to have anything stolen, so in the long run, the investment in new locks had been a good one- despite her father's disagreement.

She now made her way through the streets of the town, knocking on doors, delivering the various goods, ranging from breads to cakes to cookies and so on, all made by her own two admittedly feminine hands. She greeted anyone she came across along the way, and every now and then would stop to gossip with a friend. In her mind, it wasn't so bad that the work could be hard at times. It had given her a connection with her community, and it was something she was very grateful for. Her eyes traveled up to the castle for a moment as she said goodbye to yet another customer. She knew that the yearly festival was coming soon... she'd probably have to hire some help, which was worrying. The king usually made a tall order around that time of year. She knew she probably couldn't do all the baking herself, and yet... she also knew she couldn't pay for the help. It was very clear that in her deep thoughts, she'd stopped paying attention to where she was going, for despite all her grace and gentle mannerisms, Josefina now found herself colliding head-on with a lamp post, which sent her with a slight 'oof' right to her rump.

((Sorry if I got carried away with post length. ;w;))

The prince wasn't sure what time it had been, but he knew it was too early for him to be up. He'd been dreaming again for the first time in a while, a much needed breather from the stress of a pending war that had been lurking around for weeks now. None the less, the servants insisted that Nicolaus remove himself from his bed, today the day that he took a visit into town and "reconnected with the people." Rumors were being spread about the king, rumors the kingdom couldn't afford to have, and the entire council seemed convinced that the prince making a spontaneous appearance in public would somehow calm the people down. Nic had never been sold on the idea, but knew he wouldn't have a choice in the matter, especially after his father had a say in it. The king wasn't prepared to lose the trust he never had.

Getting ready in the mornings was always easy, especially when you had people desperate for money preparing everything for you. Nicolaus didn't mind all of the help of course, even if it meant that he wasn't entirely sure how to lace up his boots on his own. As far as he was concerned, these people should be honored they were given the chance to work in the castle, an opportunity many would die for. Although he cared for the peasants of the town, relating to their struggles was something the prince never had the misfortune of dealing with.

The outdoor air was nice, much nicer than the air that circulated behind the closed doors of the castle. The slight breeze reminded him of the times him and his father had gone horse-back riding together, a thing they hadn't done for years now. Nicolaus honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been outside merely to stroll, nowadays he only ever left to train alongside his knights or attend something important. He was never alone on any of these affairs, and today had not been the exception. The male rolled his eyes at the guards following closely behind him- how was he going to fool anyone into believing he was just like them with two men tearing them apart with every look? Of course, he wasn't just like them, and he held no shame in the fact either. Sure being prince had it's downsides, but the upsides were often able to rule them out. Nic lived for glory and fortune, both ideals he wouldn't give up even if he could.

As he walked, a flicker of amusement flashed through Nicolaus' eyes as he took notice of the peasant girl he'd been walking in the general direction of. He recognized her from last year's festival, or at least the scent of the goods she had been carrying. The Ybarra's bakery had always been the king's go-to place for baked delights whenever a major event was held, their foods seemingly well received amongst the people. He'd been made well aware by the council of the family's situation, but many people were ill these days, and they couldn't just freely pass out medicine to everyone that needed them. Keeping up with the town was costly, and that was just a fact everyone would have to except.

Keeping a close eye on the girl as they neared, Nicolaus didn't bother hiding his fit of laughter as the collision played out before him. He had almost felt bad, but the humor of the situation was enough to make coming out today almost worth it.

"Make sure she's alright." He ordered one of the guards between chuckles, attempting to recompose himself before anyone took notice.

For several moments, the young woman sat there, clearly dazed, a hand rubbing at her forehead while the other clutched the basket of goods, which luckily hadn't toppled when she'd toppled. She was lucky- it would have been an expensive mistake, one she couldn't afford to make, especially with the situation the way it was. The sound of footsteps caused her to look up, and she smiled awkwardly, allowing one of the guards to help her up as she dusted herself off. "I... I'm very sorry to trouble you, I didn't mean to be a bother... no, no, I'm alright, I'm just clumsy... I should be watching where I'm going, no?" She laughed softly, but winced slightly as one of the guards prodded at the little red spot on her forehead that had formed right where her skull had made contact with the iron of the lamppost.

Her voice was accented, just like her mother's and father's voices were. They weren't native to the kingdom, in fact, though it had been when she was just a child, Josefina could almost remember what the other place had been like, how the streets had been colorful, the festivals exciting, the economy rich. It was different here, and for a moment, she wondered what had brought her father in the first place. A good look at one of the guards made her wonder if her father's financial troubles had something to do with it. She forgot about her thoughts quickly, however, as she answered the guards questions until they seemed completely satisfied that she wasn't too badly injured.

After a bit, they let her be, and she looked over their shoulders as they returned to the sides of whomever it was they'd been escorting. A look of shock slowly formed on the girl's face, along with a flush of embarrassment. The prince, of all people, was standing there laughing, which meant he had most definitely seen her collision. It seemed her clumsiness had garnered some attention, since from a distance, she could also see the other villagers peering out of their windows or over their carts with curiosity, mumbling to one another about what was going on.

Luckily for her, however their interest seemed to be more set on the prince than on her, and she realized very quickly that she should probably be doing the same thing- paying attention to the prince, that is. Paying attention seemed to be a problem for her today, that's how the whole collision with the lamp post had happened in the first place, after all. With a small noise of frustration directed solely at herself, she made sure to show her respect by offering him a curtsy, but also somehow gave a bow at the same time, which only embarrassed her further. "Clumsy... clumsy girl..." she immediately began to berate herself under her breath. What had started as such a lovely morning was now turning into quite a frustrating one.

Nicolaus watched as the guards prodded the poor girl, his eyes filled with the same amusement from before. She was clumsy no doubt, but there was something he liked about her- something he couldn't put his finger on. Perhaps it was the accent, the prince hadn't heard many like it before, even with all the foreigners the kingdom seemed to attract through out the years. Or maybe he liked her clumsiness itself, there was something almost endearing about it, if not entertaining. It wasn't every day you had the opportunity to watch someone run into a lamp post.

Nic dropped his gaze as the guards returned, not wanting to show too much interest in the woman. He had an image to live up to after all, and wondering about the uncoordinated peasant girl was not a part of it. "So she is well then? Good. The court physician has barely any time to attend people as it is, especially not for careless mistakes such as this one." He spoke casually, glancing up too see if the baker had heard. Instead he noticed the few remaining spectators still watching the confrontation, each offering a rushed bow or curtsy as he looked their way. The male couldn't help but to smile to himself, wondering if this is how his father imagined his son's trip into town would play out.

Luckily enough for him, the prince turned back just in time to see the girl's display, her obvious embarrassment and frustration spreading with each action. Properly holding back his laughter this time, Nicolaus slowly neared, folding his arms across his chest as he came to a halt in front of her.

"You should stop now, before you provide yourself with worse injuries," Nic jested, a playful smirk forming across his face, "Besides, we would not want anything to happen to those precious baked goods of yours. They are worth quite a bit of money."

Without any warning, Nicolaus reached into the basket clutched beneath her hands, pulling out the first thing he could wrap his fingers around. After taking a bite of the roll he had managed to grab, the male dropped the now half-eaten bread back with the others, "I honestly do not know what my father sees in these. You should be sure to improve them by the time the festival comes around."

Her face was the image of embarrassment- it was bright red, which stood out quite nicely against her slightly tanned skin. She slowly stopped whatever it was she was doing just now, trying to apologize the way she'd been, as it became very clear very suddenly that he was not at all interested in hearing it. His smirk made her furrow her brow. She wasn't positive, but something told her that he was poking fun at her. She pursed her lips, not wanting to snap at him- it wouldn't do for her to make enemies with anyone, especially not with the prince. After all, it was common knowledge that he was kind of a bit of a git at times.

Those pretty chocolate doe-eyes of heres widened as he reached in and took a bite. That had been part of an order, how would she go about explaining to her customer. Sure, anyone would believe that. "Oh yeah, the prince just stopped by, took a bite of your order, sorry about that, here's the rest." A grimace was given, and she slowly nodded, not wanting to argue at all. Especially not with the prince here.

She couldn't help herself, however. Try as she might, as he just stood there snacking away, she found her hands making their way to her hips as an annoyed little expression grew on her face. "It would certainly be a lot easier to make better food if the ingredients weren't so expensive." Her cheeks puffed slightly, as if she was trying to make herself be more intimidating. Instead, however, she probably only made herself seem... cuter.