An Unlikely Pair [Private]

[kaissaj777]

He frowned at her, but knew in the end she was not going to let him argue with her. So he reluctantly left the room. When the door closed behind him though he stood outside for a moment, not exactly sue where he should go for the time being. She told him to do and talk to his family, and he assumed that is what he should do. He had not spoken to his brother Byron yet, and he wondered how that interaction would be. He could only hope it was better than his fathers.

It was almost as if Byron knew Kais wanted to speak to him, for as soon as he stepped over the threshold of his bedroom, his brother was sitting in the lounge area. Byron looked up and Kais, with a look of indifference. "Byron." Kais began, but his brother lifted a hand to silence him. "As the oldest brother, I will carry on the family name. I work hard to do so. I will marry a woman, and take over the Quarries when father retires." Kais was not sure why he was talking about this, so he let him continue. "Yet you begin to tarnish this name, but marrying that bi.." Kais did not let him finish that sentence. "Don't you dare speak about her that way!" He yelled at his brother stepping forward. Byron though jumped out of his chair. "And don't you speak to me that way! I will lead this family one day! You let her go or be banished from the family!" "You have no right to do this!" Kais yelled. "Try me!" With that Kais took a step closer.

That seemed to be the straw that broke the camels back. Bryon swung out at Kais, and his brothers big burly arms went full throttle on his face. He felt his brothers fist make contact just to the right of his left eye. He stumbled back and then struck his brother back. The two exchanged blows, and for the most part it was a stalemate, each exchanging blows. The fighting went on for only a few minutes before his father and mother came in to break things up.

"How dare you two be so childish!" His mother yelled at Byron first. Kais was being held back by his father, who looked angry but mostly seemed to be in a rather calm state. "Darling." His father said to his wife, and for the first time ever he saw his mom back down. "Byron, you will attend your brothers wedding, and be supportive. If not, I will take your inheritance away." Byron looked to object, but instead stormed out of the room. His father left the room after him soon following.

He told his mother he would see her at dinner, and then headed out to see Arianna. He had a black eye and a swollen bloody lip from his fight with his brother. He could only hope she didn't notice, but knew that it was an unrealistic expectation. He walked into her room and smiled to her, trying to act casual. "Ready for dinner?" He said walking up to her and giving her a kiss.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna looked up at Kais as he kissed her and noticed the black eye and swollen lip right away. She nodded, and stood, but grabbed his arm before he could go anywhere. She stood on her tip toes and kissed the side of his left eye, and lightly kissed his lips before looking at him a few moment. "I assume your brother didn't take the news very well. I am so sorry, Kais. Will you tell me what happened on the way to dinner? I hope that we can make things better like we did with my father." She grabbed onto his hand, holding it tight, wanting to give him whatever comfort she could to help things go better. She knew his brother was important to him, and she would do whatever she could to make the brother like her ... well she would try anyway.

Arianna allowed him to lead her out of the room and take her to dinner, as she wasn't sure which dining room the Avalons were using. She had decided to invite her father this time, as with the high emotions flying around, she could only imagine what adding a second Lovette would do. She took a deep breath, remembering that she was entering the Lion's den and would be severely out numbered. But she needed to do this for Kais, and so she went even though this dinner scared her a bit. She listened as he talked, wanting to know about his injuries and what to expect from his family, especially the ones she had not met.

They entered a small, but elegant dining room and she could see that the Avalons were already there. Kais' father was at the head of the table, and his wife was on his right, and a sulking man, who looked a bit older than Kais, sat on his left. She assumed that this was Kais' brother Byron, and she smiled a little to herself when she noticed that Byron hadn't left unscathed either from the tussle with Kais. She wondered who threw the first punch, though the fight had obviously been coming and mutual. The two seats next to Byron were filled with two lovely girls that must have been Kais' sisters. She didn't know much about them, but if they were anything like their mother, she didn't have to worry too much. The two seats besides Kais' mother were open, and Kais' mother motioned them forward, and insisted that Arianna sit next to her, leaving Kais on the end across from his youngest sister.  

[kaissaj777]

His brothers betrayal really was a lot harder than Kais thought he was making it out to be. Arianna though of course saw right through him. She seemed to at this point be able to understand every single expression or emotion that Kais was letting off. He smiled to her as she kissed him and felt himself take comfort in her presence.

He did not want to go into too much detail but he assumed he would have to in some regard. Kais closed his eyes as they walked and explained to Arianna what happened. He told her about the confrontation with Byron, he left out though the insult Byron said about her, not wishing to trouble her. He then went on to talk about the fight, and how his father and mother intervened. "I feel like as much as we want to, and will make this work." He said, making sure to emphasize his desire to continue on. "This is going to be a much harder road than I think we are prepared for." He smiled to her though. "We can do this together though." he leaned in and kissed her cheek as they turned the corner into the dining room.

He sat across from Leigh, the elder of the two sisters, but still younger than Kais. And then there was Kaylee next to her. The two of them were much like their mother, though had the rational sometimes of an Avalon. However they seemed to be completely in favor of Arianna, and even smiled to her as she sat down. "Arianna my dear." Marina Avalon spoke to her soon to be daughter-in-law. "May I introduce to you, by age, my son Byron, Kais' elder brother, and his two younger sisters, Leigh and Kaylee." Kais smiled to his sisters, and they returned the smile. He did not look to his brother though and instead waited as the food was brought.

His sisters though took no time in beginning to pull Arianna into discussion. "Do you have a dress yet?" Leigh asked in a high pitched but smooth voice. "Whats it like? Oooo I love weddings!" His sisters giggled to each other in excitement. Byron had his arms crossed and made a objective grunt and turned to his father. Auroc Avalon though gave his eldest son a glare and the young heir quieted down. "I still don't see why the King arranged this." Byron said, making his objections known.

Kais and his mother both gave Byron a look of protest. His father just shook his head. Kais quietly reached his hand down to Ariannas and held it in his own, just reminding her he was there on her side. In all honesty Kais still was not sure of the King's intentions himself. He continued to wonder if there was some outward meaning behind this arranged marriage, one that was why he would risk angering too powerful families. He concluded though in his mind it must have been the feud.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna listened to Marina Avalon as she introduced her children to her. Arianna smiled at all of them, but she could tell that Byron wanted nothing to do with her. She was again glad that she had decided to not invite her father. It was best that they accepted her first before she tried to have them deal with another Lovette, especially one who has antagonisms towards them as well. On the other hand though, Kais' sisters seemed to take to her right away, in fact they would stop talking. Arianna did more listening than talking, having not really been around girls, especially ones around her own age, before. She wasn't really sure how to act around them, but they didn't seem to mind her quiet behavior.

Byron was obviously not happy and seemed to be taking this harder than anyone else. Arianna watched him and when he mumbled about not understanding the king's reasoning, she sighed. Everyone gave him looks, but Arianna rose her hand, getting their attention. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but like I said before, please do not judge on things you do not know or understand. Byron is allowed to dislike me, but I just hope he dislikes me for the right reasons, and not something that I am too young to have been involved with." She looked at Byron, forcing him to meet her gaze. "I really care about your brother, I'm not sure why, but I do. And he seems to want to keep me around as well. This arranged marriage may not have been our choice, but I cannot deny that I am looking forward to marrying your brother. He is a good man, and you know that as well as I. I hope you can someday trust his judgement."

Arianna turned to the girls who had started to talk about the wedding, so Arianna had to respond and pay attention more. "I do not know. I think I was suppose to see it yesterday, but with everything that happened, it just didn't work out." She thought of the bruises covering her body, and knew that they would have been way too obvious if she had put on the white wedding dress. Thankfully, her outfit covered the majority of the bruises, but she didn't want to see them yet. "I don't really know much about the wedding. The king has been arranging everything. I know it was suppose to happen today, but he decided to reschedule it due to ..." she trailed off, blushing a bit. She didn't really want to talk about it again so she changed the topic too a more pleasing one. "It was nice of your mother to offer to help me dress that day. If you two would like to help as well, I'm sure I am going to need all the help I can get." Arianna ran a hand through her hair, laughing a bit at herself.

The girls seemed really interested in the wedding which gave Arianna an idea. She didn't have any female friends, and so had no bridesmaids. These girls obviously wanted to be involved more in the wedding, and Arianna had a way to do that. She wondered how they were going to react to her suggestion. "If your family is alright with it," she started, trying to avoid pissing more people off, "I would be glad to have Leigh and Kaylee as my bridesmaids. I don't really have any female friends and since this seems mostly a family affair anyway..." she trailed off, looking at their faces, trying to gauge their reactions.  

[kaissaj777]

He looked at Arianna as she spoke up to Bryon. His brothers face was not one like his fathers had been when Arianna spoke back to him. He was still angry, and the only thing that seemed to be keeping him from snapping back at Arianna, was the look from his mother, and the every-looming presence of Auroc Avalon. He soon then turned his attention back to his sisters though.

Kais was glad to see that his sisters wasted no time in trying to befriend Arianna. This would help Arianna feel more relaxed in the presence of his family. His mother liked her, his sisters were seemingly just as tolerant, and his father had decided to just try to avoid talking about it at all times. Yet at the same time when his father did talk about it, he seemed to be able to keep his anger in check. Kais was actually beginning to wonder whether or not he like Arianna as a match for his youngest son. Either that or the King told him something, maybe a threat, that bought his silence.

His sisters giggled to each other at the prospect of being bridesmaids and Marina Avalon beamed at her future daughter in law, delighted to see her getting along with her future sisters. "We would love too!" they said to Arinna enthusiastically. "With Byron being Kais' best man...."

"No..." Kais said in a cold voice, head turning to his brother. His brother still crossed his arms but gave Kais a look of both shock and anger. "He is not by best man. No best man, or brother of mine would act in such a manner." Byron looked to say something, but his brother kept quiet. His mother looked hurt though. "Kais...darling how can you say something like that." She seemed to understand why though, but still was under the idea of trying to convince him against it. "Mother I can say what I wish about this topic. Even now, when Arianna try's to be civil, he shakes her off as nothing. No, I don't even want him AT the wedding. That is what you want is it not?!" Kais sounded upset, despite the anger that also was hidden in his voice.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna sighed as Byron just ignored her, but she hadn't expected anything else. Marina, Leigh, and Kaylee though filled the void. It seemed she made the right decision in asking them to be her bridesmaids. She gave them a small smile, still a bit shy, not used to so much female chatter. But Marina said the wrong thing, about Byron being Kais' best man and Kais flipped. She wondered just how bad the fight had been and had a sneaky suspicion that he was keeping something from her. But right now she needed to deal with a very upset, and bit angry Kais. He did not want his brother to be at the wedding, and even went as far as telling him not to come. Arianna knew if she let him continue, he would never forgive himself. She knew he had already said too much that he was going to regret.

Arianna pushed her chair back from the table and stood. Marina was trying to talk to Kais but he wasn't listening. Arianna sighed, "Kais, I apologize in advance," she said right before she slapped him hard upside the head, glaring at him. Every single person in the room became silent in an instant, and she could see Leigh and Kaylee looking at her with wide eyes. Auroc, Marina, and Byron were behind her, so she couldn't see their reactions. She hoped she didn't piss them off with her act of violence against their son/brother, but she wanted to knock some sense into this foolish fiancee of hers, literally. She looked straight into Kais' eyes for a few moments wondering how he was going to react, but decided to move on, and talk to him while everyone was still silent.

"You are being a fool. I know you love your brother a lot. The main reason you were against marrying me in the first place, even after getting to know me was because you were afraid of losing your family. Family is important, and should be at an important event such as a wedding. Both of you," she turned around to quickly glare at Byron as well, "have said things that you will regret. Kais, Byron will be at our wedding, and he will be your best man, or I will not forgive you." She turned back to Byron, "I don't know what you did to piss Kais off so much, and I don't care. You can say whatever the hell you want to me, I'll survive. But you will be there for your brother at his wedding, because if it wasn't for who I am, this wouldn't even be an issue." She looked around at everyone, her hands on her hips. "Any problems?" she asked before sitting down, and asked a nearby servant if the food could be brought in now, completely changing the topic.  

[kaissaj777]

Kais was shocked by Arianna's reaction, though it was not a pleasing reaction that she gave him. His expression was now clearly that of anger. She was threatening him this time, and embarrassing him in front of his family. He had not been mad at Arianna in a very long time, and this was mostly because she had been on his side for most things, or he was not the one being affected by any sort of a decision.

He however though would not back down to her demands so easily. He did not care for the fact she apologized, and he stood to look down upon her but directly into her eyes. He was angry, not so angry as he would hit her, but he was being very pointed in how he spoke. "I am not being a fool. I know my family is important, and that is why those who actually care will be rewarded for that. He deserves no such reward for his actions. He can come, but he will NOT be my best man. I will not have a best man, I can do this myself. " The food had not even come yet, and Kais was preparing to leave. "He can never speak to you in such a manner so don't you dare give him that right! You have done no wrong so you should demand respect!" He got up and prepared to walk out of the room.

"There are plenty of problems, stop undermining me about things that are my choice! I chose who I want my my side woman!" He was being very rude and he stormed out of the room to cool off a bit. Marina looked to get up but she was gently pushed down into her seat again by Auroc, who went to follow his son. Kais father did not seem angry, on the contrary he seemed like he was very calm about the whole situation. Though his walk was swift, and there were clearly repercussions to the way Kais reacted to his fiancee.

Kais was headed for the gardens when he heard his fathers voice call to him. He was surprised that he was the one who came following, and that was the main reason why he stopped. His father walked right up to his and grabbed him by the shoulders. His must have held in his anger until this moment. "You are my son. And so is you Brother and know that I do care for you both, no matter how little i may show it openly. And we both know I hate this, yet I have come to accept her, for maybe she is not as bad as I thought." It was odd to hear his father say he was wrong about anything. "But you will never speak to a woman like that again! Your mother is likely ashamed of your attitude and so am I. Your fiancee is only trying to help. I don't care if Byron is your best man, nor do I think he should be, but you must respect her as your respect everyone else. You understand me!?" his father growled at him.

The mans grip on Kais shoulder reminded him how strong his father really was.He was not happy and he still did not know how to react, but he knew his father was right. "Yes father..." He said in a quiet voice. "Now go calm down and come back in when your ready to be a man." With that hsi father left him. Kais himself elected to go and walk around the gardens for a little bit, trying to calm himself in the time being.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna wondered if she had gone too far this time. Kais was really mad at her, and she should have waited until they were alone to confront him about this issue. But she had let her anger get the best of her. The Avalon's weren't the only ones who could be hotheaded. Arianna looked up at him as he yelled at her, which kind of hurt her neck as he was standing and she was sitting. She looked at her plate for a few moments as he stormed out. He was mad at her because she embarassed him in front of his family and he thought she was undermining him. She just wanted to stop him from doing what she knew he'd regret. He was mad because he wanted to protect her from his brother's hate and anger. But what he didn't understand was that she didn't need his protection from that. She could take care of it herself. She looked at Byron for a few moments, but his expression was unreadable as he stared at Kais' retreating form. She went to stand and follow Kais, but Marina grabbed her arm and held her down. Arianna would have protested, but then watched as Kais' father followed him. Looked like she wasn't the only one who wanted to talk to her fiancee.

"I'm sorry," Arianna sighed, "Perhaps I went to far this time. I'm not really sure how to interact with people on a social level. Usually it is just dealing with stubborn men in business dealings with the horses. Sadly, I think I am far more cut out for that line of work than I am to act like a woman and know my place." Arianna gave them a sheepish grin, running a hand through her hair. She kept looking back where Kais had left from, wanting to go talk to him. She didn't want him to stay angry at her. It was ten or fifteen minutes when Auroc returned, and he looked at Arianna for a few moments before saying, "He is in the garden." Arianna's eyes widened, realizing that Auroc was trying to help her out. She beamed a brilliant smile at him, the one that won Kais over, and quickly stood and rushed out of the room, half calling back saying they would return soon.

It didn't take her long to find Kais, as he was sitting at the fountain where they last had stood. He hadn't seen her, and she was hesitant to approach him, but knew she had to take the consequences of her actions. She approached him, slowly, and lightly touched his back before sitting next too him. It looked like he was ready to bolt or yell at her again so she held up a hand, wanting to say a few things before he yelled at her and made her angry too. "I was out of line, and I apologize. I should have waited until we were alone. I embarassed you, and again I apologize. I just do not want to see you make a decision that you are going to regret for the rest of your life and I think this might be one of those decisions." She looked at her hands, tightening then into fists. "I hope you can forgive me."  

[kaissaj777]

Kais was still fuming by the time he sat down at the fountain. He ran his hand through his hair and remembered how he and Arianna would spend a lot of time here over the past week. It was the spot where he came to calm down, and the spot where they really seemed to have grow more and more into each others liking. In fact Kais was even beginning to wonder whether or not the King would approve of this spot for the ceremony. There was really enough room for the small party that would be attending it.

Kais though found himself shaking his head. He was worried Arianna was now more angry at him. While he was angry himself, he hoped he did not screw everything up, he tended to have a bad habit of doing things like that. Though he felt himself relax a bit when she came and tried to defend herself, but also came apologizing. He listened and was silent for a moment, trying to calm himself enough to talk.

"I forgive you." He said at first, though not making eye contact. "Though I acted out of hand myself. I am sorry, and I hope you can forgive me.." He shook his head and looked out at the stting sun. " Byron's actions today have kind of set me on edge you know? Seeing Jonathan as well, meeting your father. It has not exactly been an easy emotional day for me." he chuckled though at himself for a moment. "Though the lack of sleep may be a cause of this. And I can't doubt you have had it just a hard as I. Though I have spent so much time trying to please you.." He sighed for a moment. "I guess i just felt angry over the whole situation when you snapped at me." He reached over and took his hand in hers. "Should we go back?"  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna smiled shyly at him when he forgave her and then apologized himself. He was human too and they were both bound to make a lot of mistakes, especially in a high stress situation that they found themselves in. "No worries, I forgive you as well. And I'm sorry you didn't get much sleep. I'm pretty sure that is my fault as well." She stood, and dragged him up with her, kissing him lightly before saying, "Yes, we should. Your dad was kind enough to tell me where to find you and I'm sure your mom is worried about you. And as everyone is probably hungry, I doubt it is a good idea to keep them waiting. I hope you and your brother can forgive each other." She started walking with him back to the dining room.

They were still holding hands when they entered the dining room, and she noticed that a few people noticed. She did her best not to blush, but she wasn't sure she succeeded as she sat down, allowing Kais to push in her chair before rejoining the group. She smiled at them kindly, and noticed that the servants quickly brought out the first course, a salad dish. She could tell the servants were nervous, and wanted to get dinner on its way before anything else happened to make matters worse. She seemed to be on good terms with the women of Kais' family, and his father seemed to accept her. So now she needed to worry about Byron, who didn't seem as forgiving to the fact she was a Lovette. All she could do was do her best to be patient and hope things worked out for the best.

Thankfully, Leigh and Kaylee couldn't keep quiet and they were soon asking her lots of questions. They were especially interested in the fact that she was in charge or running her horse farm, and how she was the heir. Being an only child meant there was no male heir to succeed and so her father had taught her the ropes. So Arianna explained her job, and talking about her horses, which she was especially fond of. She offer to let them meet Astri some time, as he was he at the palace with her, and from what she had understood, had been moved back to the main stables after she had been attacked as the king hadn't wanted her to try to go past the forest again for her horse.  

[kaissaj777]

When she went to walk back with him he was hesitant at first but realized he did need to go back, as much as he was not looking forward to this dinner. All he wanted at this point was to go get some rest, and then deal with everything when he was much more awake and able to do so. His back was at the point where it was not bothering him as much, but at the moment he was feeling the sting as he must have moved too awkwardly recently in his anger.

He did not care though the looks that were given to them as they walked in holding hands. His sisters and mother thought it was cute apparently, and his brother was likely appalled, but the two of them were engaged so he thought it was nothing out of the ordinary for himself.

When the food came Kais could feel some slight awkwardness, specifically between the men at the table. Kais though was relieved when his sisters struck up conversation again with Arianna. He stayed silent throughout dinner though, electing to keep his mouth shut so they he would not say anything stupid. He saw the looks from Byron, and have him a few of his own. His mother gave him a concerned expression most of the night, but kept silent, and his was just an observer it seemed. In all honesty it was probably the calmest Kais had seen his father in his entire life.

When he was done with dinner, and it seemed to be getting late, Kais leaned over the Arianna. "You should go to bed, I think it is about time you got your rest." He said quietly. "I will walk you back." He excused the two of them from the table, kissed his mother and sisters good night, and helped Arianna out of her chair. Taking her hand in his again he began to lead her out and back up to her bedroom. He was still quiet, trying to avoid himself from saying anything stupid. His anger was gone now but he still was embarrassed for earlier.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna was worried that Kais remained silent throughout the diner, but she could also tell that he was in pain so she did not argue when he excused them and insisted that she get some rest. She leaned slightly against him on the way back, not wanting to put too much pressure on him as they walked back to her room. She didn't realize just how tired she was until she saw her door and she yawned. She had enjoyed talking with Kais' sisters, though they were a lot more feminine than her. She wansn't always sure how to deal with them, but they didn't seem to mind her awkwardness. She leaned up and kissed Kais' chin lightly, telling him to return to his room where he would sleep better. She reassured him that she would be alright and that she would not leave her room until he was with her the next day, knowing she wouldn't get rid of him otherwise.

Once Kais was gone, she called a servant to help her undress and bath before crawling into bed. She felt like she had spent most of the day sleeping, and didn't quite understand why she was exhausted, though she knew it was because of everything she had gone through emotionally. Seemed that they still had a few more obstacles in their way before they could move on peacefully. Kais' brother hated her, and was not willing to accept her as his brother's wife which was causing Kais a lot of pain and anger. His father seemed to accept her, and she thought that he just might end up liking her if he could forget her original name. She smiled, hoping that things would end smoothly in the long run.

But Arianna also needed to get away from Kais a bit and talk to the King privately. There were some things that she needed to get clarified before the wedding. Things that Jonathan said, and the real reason why the King had been so insistant on this marriage. She knew that though he claimed it was to end the feud, she also knew now that it couldn't be the only reason and that his plans would probably shift the power of the three main families under the King's rule. She also needed to confirm or find out if Jonathan had been right about the King's health. Was the King dying? And if so, why was he doing everything that he has been doing?  

[kaissaj777]

He was reluctant to leaver her once they had arrived at her room, though he realized that she was right and he should go back to his room. There was no need to cause a scandal about his constant presence in her room for one before they were wed. He also believed it was was probably best for him, with the interesting night that he had just received, should be alone with himself for a short while.

Soon after arriving back at his bedroom, he called for the servants to get a bath together. He felt he could soak out his concerns with a nice bath, and he believed maybe it would help the soreness in his back. Stepping into the large marble bowl he felt a shot of relief rush through his sore back. The doctor had come up with a herbal medicine that he was now using when he bathed, and it was healing his scars while also not causing him any pain or itch. With the medicine in the water it tickled and itched his scars for him in the warm bath, giving his back the best and most relaxing treatment he could experience.

Reluctantly leaving his bath, he dressed into his pajamas and lied down in his bed, resting his face in his pillow. Sleep came easy to him that night for some reason, it seemed that the moment his face graced the silk sheets, the exhaustion hit him, and soon he found that it was the next morning, the sun shining through the curtains and some servants rushing to prepare him his morning bath.

Kais then walked to a servant as he had finished getting ready and told him to go to Arianna and let her know she could do what she wished, and that he was going to spend some private time with his family. "Tell her I will meet her as soon as I can." He said in a calm voice, heading down to the breakfast hall his family would be eating in.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna heard a knock and called enter. It was just a servant telling her that Kais wanted to spend some alone time with her family. This was perfect as it gave her the opportunity to talk to the king alone without Kais knowing. If she had time afterwards, perhaps she would visit her father. But for now she really needed to see the king and get some questions answered. Jonathan had told her too much that made her head spin and most of it seemed like it may directly involve Arianna and Kais. Arianna didn't want anymore surprises and figured the King owed her some answers for all the trouble he had put her through. Arianna quickly left her room, feeling better today, and went to the King's private study. She knocked and waited for him to bid her enter. When he looked up and saw her, the King dismissed everyone in the room, telling them that he wanted completely privacy. Arianna sat on a nearby couch, and waited patiently.

When everyone was gone, the King stood and approached Arianna, sitting in a chair across from her. "I assume you have some questions after your capture by Jonathan. He said some things that I didn't even know his family knew." Arianna nodded and said, "Why don't you start with the fact that you are dying and then go from the beginning?" The King sighed, he hadn't planned on revealing his plans to anyone yet, but Arianna knew too much as it was and deserved answers. He looked at her for a minute, then said, "You must promise not to tell Kais anything you find out today. It is not time for him to know, and the more people who know about this, the more likely you and Kais will be in additional danger. Do you understand?" Arianna didn't like the idea of keeping secrets from Kais, but she needed to know and if telling him could put him in more danger, she was willing to keep the secret. Arianna nodded her agreement.

The King began, "I found out a year ago by my doctors that I am dying from a type of cancer. We are not sure how I got it, whether I was exposed to it, or perhaps it is genetic. All we know is it is not contagious, and it seems to have something to do with the fact that I never had children. Either way, yes, I am dying and I have no heirs. There are three strong families in this country, yours, Kais', and Jonathan's. I have noticed some sneaking around among Jonathan's family, and somehow it does not surprise me that they had found out about my condition and have suspicions about my plans. Needless to say, I can no longer trust that family, and thus I looked to the other two families. Both were equally loyal and trust worthy, and needing an heir, I didn't know who to choose from. With the feud between your two familes, by rewarding one family, I would be punishing the other. I could not do that. And so I came up with my plan."

"The one way to reward both loyal families but not punish either one was to combine them. You are an only child, and so I had to pick a boy from the Avalon family. Byron is more hot headed than Kais, and was already going to inherit a lot of land. Though you have your own inheritance, Kais did not, and with him being the calmer of the two brothers, I chose him as your fiancee. You two seem to be getting along now, and I knew your kind personality would win him over. I hadn't expected quite so much resistance from the two families, but I cannot let them know the true reasons for my plan and you cannot either. I plan on making you and Kais my heirs, as I believe you both have the qualities this country needs. Hardworking, Kind, Fair, those are just a few words I can use to describe you two and that is why you were the perfect choice."

"Somehow, Jonathan's family found out my plans and sent Jonathan to ruin them. Jonathan, hating Kais already, was more than willing to abide by his family's wishes. I need you to keep this quiet. I don't want people panicking over the idea that their king is dying and I don't want more people after the throne to come after me or you and Kais. Do you understand?" Arianna nodded and was dismissed. She had meant to go see her father after talking with the king, but she had a lot to consider. The king meant to make Kais a king and Arianna a queen. That was a lot of responsibility and she wondered if either of them were up for the task. And worse, she couldn't even talk to Kais about it as she had been made to swear to keep everything she had learned secret. Needing some fresh air, she went for a walk in the garden, taking a break by the fountain that had become one of her favorite spots. It seemed that someday, she might own this garden after all.  

[kaissaj777]

Kais noticed that Byron was not present at breakfast when he arrived there. His sisters came to greet him and he kissed their cheeks in greeting with a warm smile. "She is beautiful Kais, we like her." Leigh said with a wide smile. He was glad to see his sisters were approving of her, though it really did not come as as surprise to him though, they were the most level headed of his entire family, including even his mother.

Marina Avalon came over to greet her son, kissing his cheek and holding his shoulders tightly. "Please learn to forgive your brother." She pleaded, not looking angry, just upset. "You know he loves you....this is just...." He knew what she was trying to say. It appeared it was still going to be a difficult transition for the family to adapt to this Avalon-Lovette connection.

His father walked in the room behind him, and placed a hand on his sons shoulder. "Sit down everyone." He said motioning the family to get ready for breakfast, when his father spoke they listened. He sat down and still saw his brother was not present. "Byron rode back home until the wedding, he is going to oversee the quarry operations while we prepare for this....." He noticed now that his father had really just been containing his anger, hearing the minor growl in his voice. "....wedding." He felt a sigh of relief rush through him as his father ended up saying it.

Breakfast for the most part of the time was a rather civil conversation, yet Kais wondered how Arianna was doing, and hoped she was not mad that he was ditching her for breakfast. He doubted it though, and when they were done he decided the would go and search for her, and he knew just where he thought she would be. As he was preparing the leave though Leigh rushed up to him. "Kais! We need to meet with Arianna to pick out our dresses. You can't be there! It has to be a secret!" Kais shook his head but said he would deliver the message.

Heading out into the gardens he found her by the fountain they always sat at, and smiled at the sight of her. "Did you know my Great-Great Grandfather laid the stone for this fountain?" He said with a smile heading over and giving her a kiss in greeting. "Maybe one day I will build us one at our house." He said turning a bit red. It was odd to think about how they would be married soon. "Too bad we can't just get this garden right?" he chuckled a bit, looking out over the scenery.