Welcome to Gaia! ::

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Vale simply shrugged. Thinking of a way to save the garden? He couldn't care less, really. The servants were the ones who took care of such things, not him. If fact, he didn't do much around the kingdom that was positive. The advisors or elites did all of the common people stuff. It just wasn't his problem. If anything, the garden was mainly for the resting queen of Toryn, Vale's mother. In her dying days, she spent all of her time in this garden playing with the petals of the many flowers and sitting dormant on a nearby bench, feeling the gentle wind. It was her favorite place within the castle. Vale remembered watching her while leaning on the castle's pillars or when he would pass by her on his horse heading to the stables. He recalled that peaceful look that rested on her face when she sat out here. Vale hadn't been in the garden since her death, he just simply told the servants to keep up with it like she did. But, of course, even that was too much of a task for them considering the rest of their busy days and our lack of resources. In a way, Eleanora was like her. Minus the bitterness and the superiority complex.

Hearing her voice shook him from his thoughts. Did he look like a mind reader? There she went, talking about humans like they were trashy heathens. "Well, princess. As you can see, we can't perk up the land by simply blowing on dirt and flinging it around." He scoffed, didn't she know they had other, more important, tasks to come about nowadays? We don't have the abilities to just use magic on everything. This ridiculous Fae had no idea of the hard work would have to struggle through trying to keep up with the kingdom grounds.

Her talk was actually becoming annoying. Bigger things, she says. What else could she possibly be working on? All she needed to be here for, was to be Vale's wife. Nothing more. Right? Vale furrowed his brows in curiosity but, simply dismissed it and kept it in the back of his head. She says repairing the garden is so easy, yet the flowers crumbled under her touch. Perhaps she was just going to keep wasting her time trying, then.

It seemed she had read his thoughts since she immediately turned and made her way back inside the Toryn structure. He followed her past the pillars, and glanced back at the garden with a solemn look on his face. He missed her. He turned back again and smirked, "Perhaps you can sleep with me tonight, princess? We are soon to be married so, why not start now?" He said playfully. He watched her from a small distance, talking to a maid. Why exactly did she need the maid? Whatever it was, she could have easily told her future husband. As he got closer, all he made out was ink and a quill. She was planning to write something, it seems. From the looks of it she was probably planning to contact her father about her trip. At first he thought maybe Fae could talk through their minds and whatnot but asking her that would probably be stupid. At this point, he was starting to disbelieve the stories he'd heard around Toryn since apparently, as stated by the princess, they aren't entirely true.

Before the maid could scurry off, he snapped his fingers, which was an instant alarm stating to pay attention. He gestured with his lips "My room." and waved his hand once, dismissing her. Afterwards, he sent his attention back to the Fae. The prince waltz over to her and began to play with her hair. "Well, probably because I have something better to do then give all of my energy trying to do the impossible." He paused, releasing the girl's locks and placing his hands in his pockets. "Try placing yourself in our shoes, and I'll try placing myself in yours. Humans do not have special abilities, nor are we able to shape up the land in a matter of hours, days, weeks even. We simply do not have the time to spend on the land. We have the people, the politics, and all sorts of other events that must be dealt with. I'm sorry if that is such an rude offense towards you and the Fae but that's just how it is. Perhaps when...or if our kingdom's truly reunite then maybe you can suggest your witty ideas to the world and maybe the people will listen. But as of now, there's only so much we could do. " He spoke this in a tone of sobriety. Hopefully she would clearly understand that humans weren't just a bunch of chimps flinging dung at one another and acting like beggars.

As for her other question, Vale could only shrug at the moment. Magic in the eyes of a human was just abnormal. Of course, the average child has heard stories, not of the Fae, but about mystical creatures that were able to do many things with magical abilities. And with the hearing of magic, we are completely absorbed by assumptions. And with this magic, all humans knew deep down that the Fae were always a threat, regardless of the peace we once had. A race with abilities that could be used against humans was simply terrifying. And with this thought, Vale couldn't simply leave the princess with just a shrug. She would be livid.

As Vale gathered his words he looked her in the eyes. "I shall tell you some things that humans fear most. We fear the loss of freedom, the unknown, and death. Fear is what protects us from these threats. And I believe fear is what created those misbeliefs about your kind. We don't know all that you can do or all that you will do. " Vale ended, giving a deep sigh and looking off no where in particular. "Perhaps this marriage is a good thing. I'm sick of this absurd dispute between kingdoms. It's like watching two children bicker. It's honestly a waste of energy. " He said this, a bit under his breath as if speaking to himself. After this he dragged his gaze back to the princess and smiled. "What bigger things have you had in mind, princess? I'm quite curious." He asked returning to his playful tone.

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This girl was truly something, wandering around as if she were the creator of the establishment. Vale simply leered at the princess and followed closely. She seemed to have remembered the bedrooms was upstairs, but Vale never said anything about the location of her room specifically, so she would be reaching her stopping point soon. Her reactions to his joke was hilarious. That is, until she yelled 'No' as if she had forgotten they were in a hollow castle. Her echo could probably be heard down the hall! When she did this, it completely startled him for a moment. Did she not know Vale was only joking? Did she reeeally have to yell? Regardless if she did or not, it still made Vale laugh a little. It didn't matter to Vale when she was going to allow it or not, she was going to have to do it someday! A Vale was certainly going to be happy with teasing her during that time. He almost couldn't wait!

He climbed the stairs after the young princess, noticing he desire to be at a distance from him. However, this only motivated Vale to get closer to the girl, seeing as she didn't like it. But, that thought was misplaced after hearing the words the girl spoke. Vale rolled his eyes in disbelief. Last time Vale checked, it was the Fae's doing which caused this war! He may not converse with his father on a daily basis, but the king actually spoke to Vale about the things the Fae have done. About why this war was to commence. Though Vale didn't agree with the war idea, he didn't like the information about the Fae. When talking to the King, Vale shurgged it off and allowed it to happen since it seemed the Fae had started it. Vale wish to retort but in a sense, arguing with her about who was right or wrong seemed like too much energy being wasted. He simply left it at, "Whatever you say, princess." and continued on along side her.

Soon, the princess had had enough of Vale's close proximity and pulled away from him. She then began to speak, answering another on of his questions. So she wished to be queen, huh? That was quite interesting. Vale didn't care for becoming king. Considering he is an only child, he had no choice to opt out either. Though, she was right. He didn't really get it at first. Her council chose the queen? He was pretty perplexed but he smiled at her, hands once again, in pockets. "If you explain it, I'll do my best, with the tiny human intellect I have, to understand your situation." He spoke, though sort of as a joke, he really was trying to understand. She heard her whisper, but couldn't quite make it out. Just as he was going to ask what she said, she began her explaination and Vale followed behind her and listened intently.

Vale's eyes widened a little. Females came first, that's quite a shocker. Vale was so used to living in a male-dominated society which surrounded the kingdom of Toryn. But, of course, Fae were quite different from us humans. This made Vale wonder what other differences did the Fae society have. They believed the females had wisdom. Wisdom! Then again, as a child he used to believe his mother was the wisest of them all so he couldn't completely disregard their beliefs. So she has siblings? A sister, no doubt. And the Zimid queen sounded like a pain. But from what he hears, this marriage is the fine line between who will become the next queen. As she turned around to look at Vale, he returned the gaze. But then she walked away again, as she always does before Vale could even utter a word. However, Vale's face twisted into a devious one. Though he was planning on telling her where she could sleep, she walked straight to his room at the end of the hall. Well, since she went there on her own, no need to steer her anywhere else..

As he entered right after her, the prince grinned. He waltzed over to the other side of the bed, at a bit of a distance and laid down, resting his hands behind his head and sighed with relief. He felt this was a good time to lazy down a bit. He's been walking all over the place with this female, he needed a bit of a rest. He closed one eye and kept the other on the princess. He sneered at her, " Why not? Were just two people, laying down next to one another. What's so wrong with that?" He said jokingly as he rolled over on to his stomach, resting on his elbows and looking at her with flirty eyes. Eyes that he hoped would make her gag at the sight. "I won't do anything, promise!" He paused, trying to choke down his laughter, "I may not look it, but even I have self control, princess." He said, continuing to jest with her. Though he was laughing, he knew his father would have him beheaded if the princess complained about his son harassing the princess on day one. Not that he would anyway.

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Vale flashed his deep red eyes in her direction and smiled, "Enough, you say? So you like me a little bit Princess? Just not enough to share a bed? We don't have to cuddle or anything. I have my side of the bed, and you have yours!" Vale chuckled and nuzzled his chin in his hand, arm propped up on the bed. "Yet to see self control? I could have easily had my way with you by now, if I truly wanted. I could have led you to one of the castle's abandoned rooms on the tour. " He explained to the princess who has zero trust in him. He couldn't blame her, really, Vale was pretty shady especially when it came to women. He used to be quite the womanizer until he got bored with all of the commoner girls. And the younger elites were too snobby for his taste, as was the princess. But she was a different snobby. She was snobby where it counts.

Shortly, the apprehensive maid arrived with the request the princess called in for earlier. Of all the maids she chose to bother, it was Alice. She was such a scared little one. Of all the time she could have brought the items, why did it take her so long? It was a such a simple task. Vale merely glanced at the maid and then back to the princess who then walked over to the nearest thing she could write on. For the moment, he watched her write her letter. Although it obviously didn't concern him, he wondered what it was she was writing. Perhaps about her long journey here, about meeting the king and his most handsome only son, the prince of Toryn. Vale grinned at the idea, but of course it wasn't true. She probably wrote his death wish as a side note.

Rather quickly, she finished scripting her long day on the paper, as he assumed, and returned to her place on Vale's bed. He noticed she left the letter to dry, but disregarded it anyway. It probably wasn't anything worth wasting energy over. Vale brought his gaze back over the female, "Maybe I'll tell you later.." He mumbled out eyeing the window of his room. It was beginning to darken outside and the loud commotions of the commoners weren't getting any quieter. Although women and children had retreated back inside their abodes, the men come out at night to drink and frolic to their hearts content. Their drunken shouts and bar fights could be heard in a far off distance and lights from outdoor lanterns create a sense of fireflies all across the kingdom. While gazing out of the window, taking in the dawned visage, the princess's muffled voice became clear when she uttered wedding.

Huh? Wedding? Ah, she was asking about the wedding. Vale thought about it for a moment, trying to remember the schedule his Father described to him when giving him the marriage news. He tried hard, but he just couldn't recall considering his mouth was agape the moment his fathered mentioned he was to be married. After that was a blur since he stormed out in the middle of his fathers explanations. Vale shrugged. "They've decided. I just don't remember when it is suppose to occur. I was a bit heated when I got the news, so I didn't stick around long for the details." He paused and sighed. "He's probably giving us time to get well acquainted with one another...I hope." He added and then yawned himself. Didn't she know those things were contagious? Even though he expressed exhaustion, he wasn't particularly tired, not as much as the princess would probably anyway. Shes been travelling all over the place. "Just lay down already, you're obviously fatigued. I won't do anything to you, honest. You should rest, princess. " He said, more earnest than before. At this point, he really wasn't about to tell her where her room was located but he wasn't about to let her wear herself out over a stupid room. He's gonna need to gain her trust one way or another, and Vale felt this was a good start. "I get it, it's strange to rest with a total stranger. But it's going to be even more awkward after marrying me because you can't seem to bring yourself to trust me a little bit." He stated, speaking sternly and resting his head back on to the sea of seams which were his sheets and closing his eyes gently, resting them for a short moment and listening to the men outside as he does every night.

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The prince laughed a little to her comment and replied with a subtle "True." He completely forgot to add in the fact that she has abilities. If it were to come down to it, she was probably stronger then him, even if he had more physical ability, it would probably make it useless. That made him wonder what kind of weaknessess the Fae would have. That would be an interesting topic to reserach, perhaps. Another time, of course.

Vale wondered whether or not her father informed her of the details. Surely they would have both been informed about it. Whatever, Vale could simply find out tomorrow. Hearing the bitter truth from the princess made, Vale smiled. This Fae was quite the realist. Even so, she was far from lying. That's all this wedding was for, the have a quick way to make amends between two childish kingdoms. Vale always saw these type of weddings to be ridiculous since two nations couldn't kiss and make up without forcing two people to do it for them. It was just so inane. Vale caught wind of many other nations doing this type of thing, and the pair is never happy. But of course, everyone else in both combined nations are celebrating their forced misery. Vale would have simply shook his head and go about his day without a care but soon, that was going to be him.

Eyes still closed while he was thinking of his fate, he heard the girl speak but wasn't really listening. Why was she trying so hard? Just pass out already.. he thought to himself, covered by a sudden darkness which startled him. What was this? Did she just pull back his sheets? Is she about to do what Vale thought? Vale jumped up immediately and quickly looked over to the princess. He chuckled as he observed her precautionary measures take place. She placed a pillow in between them? What exactly would that do to protect her? This was too much, he wanted to laugh but if he did he knew she would get annoyed and leave. He kept it in, covering his mouth. It amazed Vale how much of a child the princess acted. His stomach was beginning to hurt from how much laughter he was holding in. She even spaced herself from the barrier pillow!

When his desire to laugh calmed he answered the princess as politely as possible. "Y-Yes princess." Not necessarily to everything she said but to the 'don't touch or die' part. And in just a couple of seconds of her temporary trust agreement, she was out. Like a light. Vale smiled, perhaps his fate won't be so boring after all. Soon, he decided to follow suit and remove his footwear. Vale stood up for a moment to blot out the candle light illuminating the room and on his way there, he passed the note which was set out to dry. He hesitated for a moment and glanced over to the princess, who was fast asleep. He took a quick glace at it. Unexpect qualities? Catalyst? What was this girl on about? Vale rolled his eyes, besides that the note was pretty simple as he assumed. It surprised him more that there wasn't a death note more than whatever a catalyst was. He returned back to his terriory on the bed and climbed under the covers. He kept his distance from the pillow as well considering he was quite the dancer when it came to sleeping. Hopefully he didn't end up too close by morning.

-TS-

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Unlike the Fae princess, Vale wasn't an early bird. He continued his sleep for an hour or two before one of the Toryn maids came in to wake him up, like she did every morning. Otherwise, Vale would stay in bed all day. This maid was a bit more friendly with Vale than the others, less formal. "C'mon Mr. Vale! You can't stay in bed all day!" Myurial exclaimed rushing in a opening the curtains wider, allowing more sunlight to enter through. The sunlight practically blinded Vale, and made him turn over with a loud groan. It was the same routine every morning. But as always, in the end, she gets him up with her loud racket. He sighed and sat up in his bed, yawning and scratching the back of his head. The chubby maid pulled Vale out of his territory and began making the bed after him. While she did this he looked around, wondering where the princess went. Was she that ready to be rid of him? Vale laughed and began to walk out of his bedroom door.

Sluggishly moving down the hallway, a nervous maid almost rushed by him and he stopped her suddenly. "Alice, go find me some new clothes and place them in my room." He stated and turned without another word. He assumed she could handle this task and continued down the stairs. He needed to find the princess, but before that he needed to eat, and perhaps talk to the king. Or better, ask his adviser. If he asked his father directly, he'd be in trouble for not listening for the wedding date.

Usually he would sit down at the long table with his father for breakfast, but he didn't feel like entering a staring contest with him this morning. Instead, he found his way to the kitchen where a couple maids and servants worked diligently. He just walked in the middle of the hustle and bustle and grabbed an apple. He wasn't really hungry for an entire breakfast this morning, no matter how many times a maid offer to feed him something more fulfilling. He would shoo them away and walk out of the busy kitchen. From the corner of his eye he could see the king entering the dining hall with his adviser close by and an elite or two. Though, it was a bit strange since they didn't do this unless an important meeting was to take place. But, it wasn't Vale's business.

He ascended the stairs once more and headed towards his chamber, biting into his apple and passing by Alice once more. By this, he was sure she completed her task and went through his doors, closing them behind him. Placed on the bed was a long tunic, extending to his knees and sleeves to his elbows. and dark red baggy trousers. He began slipping out of his current wear and putting on his new ones. A bit too casual for his taste but he didn't care very much. He put on the tunic and trousers, tying the calf portion down with a gilded string in a cross formation. He put on his black slippers and put way his old clothing. Now to find the princess.

As he waltzed out of his room he began futzing with his hair, which was getting a bit too long. He was probably going to need to cut it before the ceremony. He may not have heard it from the king, but he was almost positive his father would have suggested it. He began braiding it and when he finished he pushed it over his shoulder and allowed it to hang behind him. By this time he had already descended the stairs and automatically headed towards the garden. He didn't really think about how he just went towards the garden like it was normal, but then again where else could she be? However, by the time he exited the double steel doors and peered outside, he didn't spot her immediately. Where was she? Looking at the flower beds, the flowers were still wilting but they still seemed a bit different. Perhaps she was here already?

He honestly couldn't think of any other place she would be. He began looking around to anywhere she might have gone and saw the stables a bit of ways away. Could she? Regardless if she was, it would be a good time to check on his horses. He hasn't in awhile. Plus he still had a bit of apple left. He could give it to one of them. He walked over the the stables and looked inside. Spotting the princess with Ahlerich made him smile. Ahlerich wasn't his jousting horse but he was his mothers horse. He walked in and called out to her, "You have to say handsome, princess. Ahlerich will feel disrespected." He chortled and went up to pet him. Vale gently made a clicking noise with his mouth and began stroking Ahlerich's neck. "If you're gonna touch him, touch his neck. He'll get mad if you touch his face since he can't see your hand very well." He said looking to her and handing out his apple to her. "Want to feed him? He loves apples more than any of the others in the stable."

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Listening to the princess's demand made him a bit shaky. Since his mother's passing, he hasn't let anyone even touch Ahlerich, much less ride him. At one point, he ended up harshly scolding one of the maids for grooming him without his consent. Which made Vale wonder why he didn't immediately scold the princess. Maybe because she didn't know who's horse it belonged to. Which made her next question a bit nerve-racking. He took a moment to pause and consider whether or not he should just refuse her proposal. He honestly didn't want anyone to ride Ahlerich but with the princess seeming so determined made him question himself.

After a moment of silence, he looked down at her with his deep red gaze and sighed. "Fine." He started with a subtle response, "It seems Ahlerich likes you. So you can ride him...You better know how to ride properly..." He said, not meaning to sound threatening, but it was a very special horse. "This horse...Ahlerich." He paused looking at the grey spotted horse and grabbing a stiff brush that hung at every stable and began brushing Ahlerich's neck and shoulder. "This horse belonged to my mother, the late Queen of Toryn.." He began, staring at the horse longingly and smiling. "Why are you so much like her...The garden..Ahlerich.." He said looking back over to the princess, as if he were studying her trying to answer his own question. He placed the brush back to it's rightful place and making the clicking sounds again. His mother used to make those sounds when it came down to catching Ahlerich's attention. He reach across the gate and unlatched it, leading the horse slowing from it's stable. He grabbed some nearby leather horse reins and began attatching them on to Ahlerich along with his saddle. Once he had properly fastened the items onto the grey steed and handed the reins to the princess who had requested to ride him. Before she could notice, she went off to her personal servant who had something of a box for her. He look confusingly at her. A letter to the Fae kingdom would have taken a lot long than that so that couldn't have been what she asked for in her letter. His curiosity was soon answered when she said to serve it with her tea later on.

Bringing his attention back to the steed and handed her the reins. "Please take care of him..." He added, walking deeper into the horse stables and opening another gate. Inside, the horse was in a resting position, but at the sight of Vale, it immediately stood up and began to nicker, creating a loud vibrating sound using it's vocal chords. Apparently, in horse language, he said hello. Just as he did to Ahlerich, he saddled and reined his horse and brought him into the princess's view. The horse was fully black just like it's mane and tail. The horse's deep black coat practically shone with the small amount of light pouring in. The princess was correct, the horse was typically larger and sturdier so that it could withstand armor weights. He guided his horse over to Eleanora and smiled while petting him, "This is Windago...He's my personal jousting horse." As he said this the two horses whined and blew in each other's noses as a greeting. Vale scratched Windago behind the ear, something that Windago more-so that other horses. Vale looked to the princess and gestured her to the exit of the stables. "Go on. You wished to ride, so we shall do so." He stated and allowed her to exit first.

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The prince nodded only to her condolences. He hoped she would leave it at that, since it was quite the touchy subject, but she continued by asking what his mother was like. At first, he decided to stay silent about the matter to gain some composure and to also think about what his answer would be. In a way, it was almost difficult to describe with words. Vale thought simple words weren't powerful enough to describe her. During his time of thought, he watched the princess greet Windago and lead Ahlerich to the outside of the stables, and so did Vale, leading Windago. Once out in the open, Vale climbed on top of Windago, carefully steering towards a small dirt pathway just on the side of the stables. Without a word, he gestured with his hand to follow close and begun riding in a canter, which was a three beat gait, faster than a trot but slower than a gallop.

He continued down the dirt path which ultimately lead to an open field on the left side of the castle. The open field was partially lined by fences, which, on the other side of the fence were some buildings and taverns from the kingdom. Originally, these grounds were to be apart of it, but the queen made it rather clear to section off some of the town to make a large riding area for the entire kingdom. Some horses and their riders could be seen galloping around the field, some with small children learning to ride. To the far right of this green covered field, many jousting tracks could be seen, along with men competing for fun or simply ring jousting, where they use their lance to pierce a small ring. The circumference of the field was line in fibresand, used specifically for racing and exercising the horses.

Vale cantered into and empty part of the green inside and slowed to a trot. Vale thought about his mother and remembered every aspect of her on the way to this track. He realized how much she influenced the kingdom and it's people. He still remembered how much he hated when she scolded him for things but now, he truly feels grateful for it. And what concerned him was how much this Fae was like her. Always bold and a bit mouthy but she was someone everyone looked up to and respected. "She was...well respected in the kingdom." He started, trying to get his words together, "The queen did a lot of things for Toryn. When she was alive, my father always took on the political issues while she took responsibility of the people." He grinned, "You could say she was more of the social butterfly. More so than my father. She was great at what she did, too. She would stroll through the kingdom without any servants attending to her, and would meet and greet with the commoners. She would create petitions for changes in the kingdom and attend most of the social events that went on. The commoners loved her a lot." He kept at his current pace and continued, " I remember when she would go to the taverns and have a couple drinks with the rowdy men, having a good time. I used to hear rumors that she would play card games with them and win every time, which didn't surprise me at all. She was quite the cunning woman. Luckily, since she was the Queen, she couldn't gamble. Otherwise, she would have been swimming in loot. " He laughed heartily, nearing the bend of the field. "I personally believe she was the only woman in this damned kingdom to be fit for a queen." He began brushing the mane of Windago while the dark horse whined. "She was a great queen and mother...I'm sure you could ask any commoner about her and they could tell you a great story. " He added, looking to her and smiling. "Would be great if you could meet her..She would annoy you more than I have already." He laughed and began to speed up again, trotting at a faster pace around the bright green field, passing by some other riders, who began to stare at the princess. The stares were quite apparent as well and Vale noticed it. Even the young children couldn't help but cease their playful noises to look curiously at the Fae and proceed with their practiced riding. For now, Vale decided to ignore the matter, as long as it didn't create any actual conflict, it didn't concern him, nor did it concern the princess.