An Unlikely Pair [Private]

[KagomeHigurashi08]

It was a troubled time, clans and families being torn apart, and fighting each other. Two particularly powerful families, once best friends, suddenly began to fight, each of the fathers spitting hate and vile threats at each other. Both men had a children, and their entire lives, they told the children how bad the other family was, what they must do if they ever come across them, what they must do to avoid them. But the king, who knew that these two families needed to get along or the kingdom could crumbled, made a decision. Both families were too useful to give up, and so the king decided that he would make the two families join. One family had a daughter, and one had a a few sons. It was too perfect, the king thought, that both the children were of similiar age. They would be married, and their families would have no choice in the matter. With their marriage would eventually force the parents to talk, and a solution to the problem would be found. Well, that is what the king hoped ...  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna was bored. She wanted to be riding the horse rather than sitting in a carriage on the way to the King's castle. She knew her father would say its too dangerous for her to ride in unknown territorities. Though when they were home, Arianna would ride to her hearts content and could beat the best horseman in her father's providence. The king had requested her presense, and her father had been instructed to drop her off at the castle then leave. She wasn't exactly thrilled by the idea of being left at the King's castle by herself, but she had met the king many times and he had always been kind to her. But then again, her father had never let her stray to far from their home and so she didn't exactly get to meet many people and was uncomfortable around strangers. And those she did meet were terrified of her overprotective father, so she didn't make friends easily. Well, she couldn't blame him. He did love her and was a great person. And so long as there wasn't someone from the family she did not dare to name, then there shouldn't be too many issues.

"Father, are you sure you can't stay?" Arianna asked, having never been away from her family before. "Sorry, my dear, but the king has told me to leave you there by yourself for a while. Says I'm way too overprotective, if that's even possible." Arianna laughed. "Well, Daddy, you are. It will be an adventure, and maybe I'll meet someone, now that you won't be scaring everyone away." Her father laughed. "Now, no I'm not. I told your mother when she was on her deathbed, that I would protect her little girl. And I intend to do that." Arianna sighed, "Yes, Father." She rolled her eyes behind his back.

Arianna looked ahead and could see the mansion she would be staying at for a while upon the king's request. She wondered why he wanted her there, and really couldn't think of any reason, especially one where her father could not be present. Besides, it wasn't like the king needed help with horses, which were Arianna and her father's speciality, as he had a herd of experts helping him. With her mom dead, she didn't have the normal upbringing, and as her father's only child and heir, she had spent a lot of time learning the horse business and with various tutors. She was definately not a typical female.

Her thoughts travelled back to the beautiful mansion, more a castle then anything, in front of her. It was huge, much bigged than the home she grew up in. It would take some time to get used to and she would have to remember to act like a lady since she was in the presense of the king. It definately wasn't her strong point. Her father stopped the horses at the enterance. "Now, my dear. Please take care of yourself. I have to go back to our home. But make sure to write me often now. Be careful, and I love you."

Her father jumped out of the carriage, and helped Arianna out. He gave her a hug before ordering the servants to take her stuff to her room, and with one last hug, jumped back into the carriage and ordered the servants to return home. Arianna watched until she couldn't see him before taking her horse, which the servants untied from the back of the carriage before her father had left, to the stables to make sure the arrangements for Astri, her white arabian, were up to par. Everything looked fine, so Arianna left Astri in the capable hands of the King's stablemen and headed towards the entrance of the castle, a bit nervous as to why the king wanted her here.

((You don't have to write something this long, my first posts are always long as they tend to include background.))  

[kaissaj777]

A small bead of sweat dropped from his forehead as he parried the blow from his opponent. Sweeping blades clanging and screeching as they scratched against each others metal. Kais smirked though as he found the weakness in his opponents stance. Quickly lunging at his opponent, he hit the side of hit plate armor, and he heard a voice from behind him shout, "DEAD".

Kais looked up expecting to see his opponents face frustrated by his blow, but instead he saw the sword was held in front of his neck. Instead of himself winning the duel, his opponent won instead. <********> He cursed as he tossed his sword to the ground. His brother laughed, "You must keep you head up Kais." Byron said with a smile, dropping his sword and patting his brother on the back. "Come now, father said I must escort you to the Kings Palace. He will meet you there."

Kais and Byron mounted horses in their stables and rode off toward the kings castle. Leaving the estate was not something Kais was fond of, though he assumed he was going to the kings place for a award of some sort. "Do you think the King is going to hold a tournament for my arrival?" Kais joked. Byron tried to push him off his saddle, "Shut up dumbass, you need to be focused, we do not know why he called you there."

It was a true statement, it seemed to come completely out of the blue. Kais had only met the King a few times, all of them he had been with his father. His family ran all the quarries on the eastern side of the Kingdom, so they owned valuable resources that the King liked to tap into. He himself had worked many hours in the quarry, directing workers, and chipping rock himself.

He could not help but wonder why the king called him though. Byron was the heir to the empire. Kais knew he would still live well and work at the quarries, but his brother would be head of the family after him. He did not voice his concerns though for the entire ride.

Before they left his changed into a simple garb. Brown traveling pants, and black boots to ride easier with. A short sleeve white shirt that had three buttons toward the top near the thin collar. He wore a brown leather vest, unbuttoned to expose the shirt underneath. A sword he wore at his side, and shield on his back. The one thing though that went with Kais where ever he went, was his smirk.

He always had a smirk on his face, and it was hard for him to take it off. He also wore a necklace, silver hammer on the end of the chain, a insignia of his family. Every member wore a necklace like this to signify they were still unwed. When he would wed the necklace would go to his wife.

He and Byron soon arrived at the castle. "Father will meet you here sometimes soon I would guess." He said. He wondered why Byron rode so far with him, but then again he and his brother were very close. Byron rode off as Kais dismounted his horse, and went to give the horse to the stablemen.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna heard the horses coming up, just as she was about to enter the front entrance. Unable to help herself, she turned to inspect the horses, and could tell with a single look that they were fine specimen. Whatever stables they came from, they were definately well taken care of, having plenty to eat and the right amount of exercise. Arianna had to smile, as she loved horses and it was good to see someone taking care of them properly because so many nobles these days only cared about the animals that made them money.

Arianna's attention was caught by the two men on the horses, and she blushed, noticing that they both were good looking. She focused in on the on the one who dismounted, as the other one rode off quickly, and noticed that like her simple attire, and sleeveless shirt, and pants, which she wore much to the dismay of the maids of her household, but their was no sense in wearing a skirt when she was working with horses all the time, he too wore simple clothes for travel. Smart man, she thought, as she continued her observation. His hair was dirty blonde, and his height was good, much taller than her 5' 2" frame, and was clean shaven. His clothes were simple, but neat and obviously of fine quality. Like her, he was from a family with money. He had something around his neck, but from her location she couldn't tell.

Last her eyes travelled down to his sword, and her eyes narrowed. Arianna wasn't a fan of fighting, and this man was obviously trained. She forced herself to relax, reminding herself that many men fought to protect their families and kingdom. She shouldn't judge because he carried a sword. Though she would have liked to observe him more, a servant from inside the castle called out to her. 'Miss Arianna, the king would like to see you in the throne room in an hour, so please follow me to your room to get cleaned up." Arianna sighed and followed.

Arianna noticed that the castle was huge, as she passed through, making note of things she might like to explore later if she could get away with it. Arianna wasn't one to sit idle. The servant took her to the west wing, and her room was the first on the left. She entered the room, and smiled as it was washed in a light, calming blue. She could see outside the window where she had an excellent view of the grounds and Arianna knew she would enjoy staying here.

Not bothering to change since she had been made to ride in the carriage, Arianna washed her face and recombed her hair. The king knew who she was and she did not see any reason to dress too fancy. She would behave like a lady, but would be comfortable doing so. She would change into more appropriate clothes for dinner parties and such, but an informal meeting with the king should be fine in what she was wearing. The maid had brought her a drink of water, which she gladly drank before being led to the throne room to wait for the king.  

[kaissaj777]

Kais stood and pet the neck of his horse as they stablemen took him away. "Please take good care of him." Kais said to the man with a smile. His horse, named Ryo, had been with him for years. At this point he was an older horse, but Kais still loved to ride with him all the same. They had developed one of those odd relationships that when they rode, Ryo knew exactly what Kais intended when he rode. He use to saddle up and ride out on a daily basis with his horse.

For the most part he was rather unobservant. He noticed a young woman with long black hair that flowed down as low as her waist it seemed. She seemed simple, but Kais saw the aura of someone confident in her walk. He pushed her to the side though in his mind as someone soon came up to him. "Kais Avalon?" A young woman asked him quietly. He smiled to her. ''That would be me." He said kindly. His voice was deep, but gentle. "The King wishes me to show you to your room. He then requests your presence within the hour." Kais nodded to her, realizing she saw the kindness in his blue eyes and mellow tone.

He followed her to his room, a large suite on the east wing of the castle. It was a large two room, one bathroom suite. A sitting area greeted you as your walked in, emerald wallpaper and curtains provided an odd glow to the room as the sun shined through the windows. There were two arm chairs, and a love-seat it seemed, with a coffee table in the middle.

The bedroom had much the same color design, with a queen size bed and beautiful oak furnishings unlike anything Kais had seen before. This room was on par or better with every bedroom in his house other than his parents master suite. This guest room put theirs to shame. There was also some mahogany dressers and a desk on the opposite side, under an large arching window that overlooked the gardens near the courtyard.

His bathroom was of a beautiful white marble, that would even but his parents one to shame. A large tub that looked like it could fit nearly twenty people in it dominated the room, with a few bowls to wash with face in under some floor to ceiling mirrors that viewed the walls in the room.

Washing his face up he elected to keep his outfit on. His family were known for their work ethic, and he wanted to look like he was a quarry worker. His father told him the king would only expect formal wear when there was something like a big dinner or a ball. Kais thought this showed off the muscles he developed in the quarry well. He hoped the king would see him as a valuable worker of his fathers, and someone to be respected. Kais did not sit around and watch people work, he did it himself if he needed too.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

The throne room was empty when Arianna had entered, so she took a few moments to explore the room, noticing its expensive decorations. Though Arianna was used to luxury, this castle-like mansion was beyond her expectations. The king obviously liked to live in style, and it was definately a rich taste. Arianna herself prefered simple, but this wasn't her home, so she wouldn't complain. She heard a side door and smiled when she noticed the king entering by himself. He really was an old friend of the family. The king spotted her right away, and a warm smile reached his lips.

"Arianna, my dear, it is good to see you again. I hope your trip wasn't too long." he said and Arianna returned his smile. "It is good to see you too, and the trip was pleasant, though I would have much prefered to ride on Astri, rather than sit in the carriage. Though I must say, I am quite curious what business you have with me, especially considering you insisted that my father leave." The king laughed at her not-so-subtle impatience and had to admire the fact that Arianna was very honest, direct, and to-the-point.

"Do not worry, we are just waiting for one more person to arrive, and then we will begin. Until then, why don't you tell me what is new in the horse-raising business?" Arianna smiled at his diversion and the two of them launched into a discussion on new breeding techniques, races, etc. while they waited for the third mystery person to show up. Though the fact that the king would not tell her anything, and didn't mention who the third person was, made Arianna even more curious about why she had been summoned.  

[kaissaj777]

Kais walked out of his door reluctantly. The bed looked so comfortable he just wanted to lie down and take a nap on it. After training all morning, and then riding hear into the late afternoon, Kais felt that he was exhausted, though it would be foolish were he too stand up the king in his own castle.

Walking down the hall he took his time, gazing at the paintings a tapestries on the wall, amazed by some of the sheer brilliance that existed within this building. He looked at the stone as well, running his hand along the wall, his family had placed these stones many years ago when the castle was originally build. He knew the exact quarry where they had come from as well, due to the texture of the rock.

He eventually arrived at the throne room and smiled to the two men at the door who held it open for him. Walking in his made his presence known. "I am sorry for my tardiness, I was preoccupied with the architecture and sheer brilliance that is this castle." He said with a smile. He noticed the King was already talking to the young woman he had seen earlier, he recognized the long hair.

"That is quite alright Mr. Avalon."The King said walking over to him. "I am glad you appreciate the work of your own family, it may be a problem if you didn't." He smiled at the Kings kindness to him. He had only seen the king once before, and was surprised the man recognized him.

"Not to be forward your Grace but may I ask why you have summoned me here?" He did not know who the woman was, but he assumed if she needed to leave the King would say something to her.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna's eyes widened at the name Avalon. The Avalons were the enemies of her Lovette family. She assumed this was the man that the King had been waiting for. It was the same guy she saw arrive right after her an hour ago. The handsome guy was from the Avalon family? What in the world could the King be thinking to bring their families together? What could he possibly need from the Avalon and Lovette family. Arianna stood. "Sir, I do not mean to be rude, but I too would like to know why you have summoned me here with an Avalon son. Especially without my father present. You know how he feels, and he would be furious to find me here in this situation."

The King laughed, "Arianna, you have always been very forward. And Mr. Avalon, I'm sure you too are wondering why I have sent for you and not your brother. Since you were closer to Arianna's age, and a little milder in temper than your brother, I figured you were a better fit in this situation." The King motioned them both to stand before him and Arianna gave Kais a cautious look as she moved towards the King and Kais. The King grabbed her hand, and then grabbed the Avalon boy's and stuck them together. Arianna's face paled as she began to realize what was going on but before she could even utter no, the King continued.

"I want this feud ended between the Avalon and Lovette family. Kais Avalon, I want you to meet Arianna Lovette. Arianna meet Kais. You two will be wed by the end of the week, and if you argue, I will make you wed tonight. I have already talked to my priest, and he has agreed to waive the bans to keep this a secret from your fathers." Arianna tried to protest but the King gave her a look and continued. "I did not invite your fathers here as I know they would object and get in the way. I figure if this succeeds before they find out, they will have no choice but to figure out a way to get along. You both are of age and do not need your parents' permission to marry. I cannot afford to have my top two families continue to fight. Understood?"

Arianna wasn't sure how to react, and glanced out at the corner of her eye, to look at Kais Avalon. Her hand was still stuck between his and the King's, the King not yet releasing them to move.  

[kaissaj777]

Kais was a little bit taken aback by the tone she held when she had heard his name. He wondered what could possibly have set her off like that. All he knew is that the Lovette family hated them, but other than that who else would ever have reason to despise his families name. His face showed confusion at first, and he feared the king had betrayed his family by putting him in the same room as a Lovette.

He was normally not one who would care about the feuds, but in this case he felt he was being stabbed in the back. When his hand was placed in hers, he felt his face turn to a bitter scowl, and the one of pure hatred. He heard the words Lovette, and he immediately wanted to refuse anything the king said. "What is the meaning of this!?" He yelled, stripping his hand away and backing from the king.

He pointed at the King, and despite the fact he was about to question the leader of his country, he felt he needed to for his families honor. "It is not my fault their family began this feud. And It is sure as hell not fair to me to wed me with a swine!" Normally Kais was a kind man, one who would treat women with respect, but not a Lovette, never would they deserve such a thing.

"My family will never accept me back should I agree to this. This is forced, this is against my will. Slavery! Cruel and unusual punishment!" He was making quite the scene but he did not know what he could do. "What did my family do to deserve this. What did I do? My family will hate me if this happens" He was sincere now. He knew his family would hate him for even talking of a Lovette, none the less marry one. "Why would you do this?"  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna winced as Kais called her a swine and ripped his hand from hers. She didn't deserve the term, but knew that what had caused this horrible reaction was the same as was had caused her rude and mean tone before. Having it backlashed at her made her feel bad for her earlier tone, but at least she hadn't resorted to calling him nasty names. Another part of his tirade that she caught onto was the fact that he said her family started the feud, but her father had always told her that it was the Avalon family that had started the feud. Arianna knew that there was always two sides to every story and wondered which side was true in this case. Probably something in the middle, but right now she didn't have time to think about it. She needed to deal with the King and a very angry Kais.

Kais started talking slavery and how marrying her would be a punishment. Arianna bit her lip and clenched her hand from reacting. Her fighting with him wasn't going to help either of them out of this mess. Arianna looked at the King as he started to address Kais. "Enough! Listen to yourself. Do you hear what you are saying about this nice young lady, in front of her no less? And I am not punishing you. I will be granting you and Arianna land of your own, the plot of land between the two family estates and will be paying you well to do this service for me. Marry Arianna and you will no longer be seen as lesser than your brother, but have your own land to call your own. And it is not like Arianna isn't attractive. You could do far worse in a woman. Yes, she is a bit independent, but she is a good natured girl. Besides, this feud is going to cause a lot of issues if it is not resolved. I fear bloodshed may be inevitable if it continues."

Arianna couldn't take anymore of this talking around her as if she wasn't there treatment. "Look! I'm a human being two, and I refuse to stand here while two men, one who I thought was a friend of the family, and one who doesn't even know me, decide my future. I'm not pleased with this either, and my father would object as well. If he knew what you were doing, he would never have allowed me to come here." The king looked at Arianna briefly. "Arianna, this must happen. I cannot lose my two best families to this feud. You will marry Kais by the end of the week."

Arianna paled more, hating that she was not being given any choice. In this world, it was rare for women to gain any power. She lucked out with the horse farm, but in what the king was proposing, she would end up exactly what Kais said would befall him. She'd end up a slave, with no where to go, because her husband control everything, and the guy the king chose for her obviously hated her because of her family, and so it wasn't like he would choose to be lenient.

Panicking, Arianna turned and fled out of the room, through the front gate, and heading towards the stables where Astri was. She was glad she hadn't bothered changing clothes earlier as she needed to get out of there for a while. Startling the gaurds, she swung herself on Astri's back easily, not bothering to resaddle him, and allowed the horse to carry her away, so upset, that she did not even notice the wind picking up or the nasty storm that was on its way. If she had, she would have never taken Astri out, especially since Astri was completely terrified of storms due to his past. But Arianna didn't notice any of this as her need to drive the horse to more speed took rivalled her need for escape. A worried stablehand hurried to the castle to warn the King that Arianna might be endangering herself.  

[kaissaj777]

Kais felt his fury begin to rise. How did the King possibly think this would help him in any way. He was completely satisfied with his status in his family, and loved working in the quarries. This would only anger his family and cause them to hate him. He would go from second son, to hated and disowned. Everything he knew would be taken away, he would not be able to work, and worse of all he would be stuck with a Lovette.

"You claim your not punishing me but you have no idea what this will do!" Kais could barley hold his new contempt for the king. "I don't want my own land. I am happy where I am in my family! I am happy working in the quarries!" Not the girl was not unattractive, but Kais would refuse to think of her as anything other than what she was...scum from that pathetic family. "Your creating bloodshed with this!" he said pointing at King, not caring for his accusing tone.

When the girl Arrinna stormed out he scoffed. "I agree, your doing nothing but ruining our futures." He said furiously as he looked to storm out after the girl. He had no intention of going out and following her immediately, he was going to his room to pack his things.

"I would rather marry a whore than marry someone from that family." He said as the began to walk. "You take away all my rights and condemn me to a fate worse than death."

"SILENCE!" The king shouted. Kais was forced to halt as a knight stuck a spear toward him. "You shall listen to my orders or die." Kais knew it was likely a hollow threat, though he dared not test the most powerful man in the kingdom.

"Send someone to fetch the Lovette girl, she is not to leave." The King said as Kais stood there, ready to draw his sword at any moment the knights looked to attack him. "No King would wish this upon his subjects." Kais stated, not sure how the king would react.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

The stableman, entered just as the King ordered the men to not allow Arianna to leave. "Um, your majesty.... Arianna already took Astri out. The head of the stables told me to tell you, because she looked really upset about something. There is a storm coming, and Astri becomes uncontrolable during a storm. The head is afraid that Astri will throw Arianna before she comes to her senses. The only horse here fast enough to catch Astri is your horse and Mr. Avalon's sir." The stablehand looked around uncomfortable, able to see the tension in the air. If this is what Arianna was dealing with, no wonder she needed air. He just hoped that she didn't get hurt out there, she was such a nice lady, and treated her horses with the best care. The stableman really respected her.

The King cursed, knowing he should have stopped her before she had fled to the stable. He turned to Kais, not sure what to expect. He hadn't expected both of them to object so harshly. "Will you help me? Even you can't be angry enough to let a young lady endanger herself and her horse?" Without waiting for an answer, the King stormed out, heading into the rain and towards the stables as quickly as possible, yelling at the men to hurry and saddle the two horses to go after Arianna, praying that she didn't travel to far. But he remembered how fast Astri could run and only hoped that they got there before either Astri or Arianna got hurt.

Meanwhile, outside, it began to pour, and within seconds, thunder began to roll, and lightning began to strike. Cursing, Arianna began to fight with her beloved horse as Astri started to freak out. Only a few people could control Astri on a good day, but during storms, only Arianna had been able to calm him, and that was not when she was riding him. Struggling not to be thrown, gripping Astri's main with a death grip. She forced the horse to turn, wishing she had taken the time to put a saddle on the horse, which would have helped her stay in her seat. How could she have been so stupid!

Finally getting Astri headed back to the castle, she took a slow breath. They were nearing the castle when suddenly a loud crack tore the sky as a bolt of lightning struck right in front of Astri, scarring the ground. Astri reared as the answering thunder warned that the storm was not yet over, and Arianna lost her grip on Astri's mane, and went flying into the air.  

[kaissaj777]

Kais knew he would have no choice but to help the King. Were he to die, he would bring shame on his family because they King would display him as a traitor, if he were to marry this girl he would be seen as a traitor to his family. He had no choice in the manner, he would have to become a slave. Cursing he pushed one of the guard out of the way and went to his horse, which apparently the stables had saddled up for him in anticipation.

The rain hit every part of his body as he sprinted after the King. Maybe he would be lucky and she would disappear. If she was no longer able to be found he would not have to marry her, and this would all be resolved just like that. At the same time Kais assumed the King would just find someone else to torture him with. Kais hated this, he hated the King, and he hated this girl.

He rode out into the rain, spreading away from the King and his company. He could hear the thunder and see the lightning striking in the sky. His face flashed with the bright light as it stormed overhead. "Why punish me like this, forcing me to save a girl whom I hate!" He shouted as the thunder roared, knowing nobody would hear his cry.

He rode forward and saw the woman, riding back off into the distance. He kicked the back of his horse and sprinted forward toward her. As she flew in the air he rode up behind he and was just able to catch her in one arm. Pulling her onto the horse he rode back to the castle. He was silent, in no desire to speak, and no desire to retrieve her horse.

Arriving back he saw a rider go out to notify the King. He dismounted his horse silently. "Have him ready in the morning!" Kais shouted at the man. "I plan on leaving at first light!" He moved back inside the castle, and was heading back toward the staircase, in hopes of heading toward his room. He was still furious, and had no desire to speak to anyone.  

[KagomeHigurashi08]

Arianna was expecting to hit the ground hard when she felt an arm encircle her and catch her in time. Barely concious, it took her a minute to realize just who had caught her, and she was surprised to find herself in Kais's arms. He shifted her to sit in front of him, before turning back to the castle. He didn't go after Astri, but she wasn't worried, as after having thrown Arianna, Astri was worried and started following Kais's horse. Astri's concern for Arianna was greater than his fear of the storm, and he figured where Arianna was going, shelter would be on the way.

They arrived at the stables, and Kais dismounted, leaving her to fend for herself. Before she could react, as she was freezing to the bones, strong arms encircled her and lifted her down. It was one of the stablemen who took care of her horse. She gave him an awkward smile as he escorted Astri and Kais's horse to be dried off and taken care of. She would have to make sure to tip them all in the morning for the grief she put them through, and for the excellent care of the horses. She waited for the King to return, knowing that she was going to get lectured.

The King returned and dismounted, the stablehands quickly taking his horse. He slapped Arianna across the face, and she winced, but did not complain. "I'm sorry." she whispered, but the King was not having any of it. He stared at her silently for a few moments before saying, "I have put up with a lot of your independent notions, Arianna, but if you endanger someone else again, and I will have you flogged." Arianna paled at the threat. The King was normally fair and just, but he became quite the tyrant when people's lives were at stake.

"If Kais hadn't gotten off his high horse long enough to rescue you, what do you think would have happened? Now, return to the castle, have the maids take care of you, and tomorrow we will have an Engagement Dinner. If you give me any more issues, you will marry Kais tomorrow. And from now on, you will not ride without permission and a companion with you." With that the King stormed off toward the castle and then to his own quarters, leaving Arianna to follow quickly.

The maid drew a bath, and helped Arianna strip out of her clothes, warm up in the bath, then dress. Promising to behave, Arianna dismissed the maid, after quickly asking where Kais's room was located. She needed to thank him for saving her, but she was afraid to face him as well. She could already see a bruise forming where the king had slapped her. Slipping into the east wing, she quickly located Kais's room and knocked quietly, not wanting to wake him up if he had already fallen asleep. She wondered if she should have grabbed a robe, as she wore only a simple sleeping gown. Oh well, it was too late to back out now.

((You don't need to quote me ... I have all notifications turned off so it doesn't do anything.))