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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1476809" data-attributes="member: 15043">Princesses, Leaving, and Mysterious StrangersSiabrey came to on the ground, with the breath of someone close to her face.  Her eyes fluttered open, and her vision was obscured by Quin.“Gah!” she jumped, expecting Luke to be there.  Quin’s face ducked away, and she heard him say, “Told you she’d wake up in only a couple seconds!”  Luke’s worried face came into view, and she felt herself being helped up.“You alright, hon?” he supported her, and she nodded weakly.Luke?  Crown Prince?  Me?  Princess? her mind still swirled.   “Luke... why?” she asked softly.  Why you?  Why me?  Why us?“Its... its only temporary,” Luke said quickly, trying to soften the blow.  “Alexander said he needs an heir until his wife becomes pregnant... so far she’s been barren, and he loves her too much to take a concubine.”  Siabrey nodded distantly, her head still aswim, as Luke continued, “At that point, we’d just go to being godparents or something.  Nothing to worry about!”Thank Hieroneous! Siabrey’s mind finally sighed.  I wouldn’t know how to be an Empress!  I don’t know enough of how to be a proper Countess...   Her indecision and lack of confidence must have shown, as Luke lifted her face to look at her again.“You’ll make an excellent princess,” he looked deep into her eyes, and she started getting lost in his green eyes again.  “Your strong, smart, beautiful and brave... I know as a temporary Prince, I couldn’t ask for better,” he grinned, and he quickly found himself in a deep Siabrey bearhug.“Than...” she started to say, before both of their ears caught the sound of a voice distant through the air.“Kiss my hand!  I’m Shaun Dice, bitch!”Siabrey stopped in mid-sentence, and gave a contented sigh.  “It appears that Lord Dice is getting into trouble again,” she smiled at Luke.“I think a Princess needs to correct him,” he smiled back, and the two of them, accompanied by Quin, set out to find Shaun and get him to stop torturing the poor soldiers.He was loud, and thus easy to find.“Shaun!  Stop it, now!” Siabrey called, as she saw him standing proudly with three soldiers lined up to kiss the ringed finger he had proffed out.“You men, return to your posts... orders of the Crown Prince,” Luke motioned to the soldiers, as Shaun looked at them, his mouth open in protest.“I was just having some fun!  Its not every day I become a noble and can order people aro...”“Shaun!” Siabrey snapped, her tone like that of a mother lecturing a small child, “Nobles do not go about, demanding that soldiers kiss their proffed hands, or their feet, or anything else!  Stop acting like a damn clown!”“Alright.  Fine.  I will.  I was just having a little fun,” the rogue said, adding an attempt at a disarming smile.  Luke and Siabrey’s scowls told him that his plan had failed, and he settled in for being in their doghouse for quite a while.“There’s Lord Lucius there,” Tess pointed, as she rode up.  She could hear raised voices, but she wasn’t sure what was being discussed... though a good guess was an argument between Shaun and Siabrey... nothing altogether unusual.“Thank you, m’lady,” the sergeant smiled, “though if you would... could you introduce me?  I would not want to offend his wife the swordswoman.”Tess laughed.  “Of course, good man!”  The three up ahead turned towards her, likely hearing her pealing laughter at the sergeants observation.  By Siabrey’s eyes, Tess could immediately tell it had been an argument she had overheard.“Alright alright children, who took whose cookies?” she said dryly as she rode up, a remark that elicited a wry grin from Lucius at least.  “Tess!  Would you believe what Shaun was making these poor sol...” Siabrey started to fuss, only to be cut off by Tess upraising her hand.“Siabrey, we have a guest.  Sergeant Stepanos, this is Lord Lucius Caladron,” Tess gestured.“Crown Prince Lucius, now,” Quin offered, and both Shaun and Tess’ eyes went wide.“Crown Prince?” Shaun asked quietly, to which Siabrey nodded vigorously.“So don’t cross him,” Siabrey added under her breath, “or me.”  Shaun gave a gulp, and nodded.  The sergeant looked at how vigorously the swordwoman nodded, and immediately fell to his knees.“Your Highness!” he said, bowing forward until his forehead touched the ground, before Lucius could grab him and pull him up to his feet, assuring the man that such prostrations were not necessary.“Y...Your Highness,” the sergeant began shakily, quivering at the man who was fully six inches shorter than him, “I need to see you.”“What is it, good man?” Lucius said quietly, and he watched as the sergeant pulled out a small wooden carving of a woman, clad in robes, clasping her chest with her head down.  Tess, Shaun, and Siabrey all recognized it as the symbol of Honoria, the goddess of healing.  The sergeant handed the small wooden symbol to Lucius, bowing his head.“I am from the village of Cherbais, which the mongrel army marched by, but did not touch.  The presence of your troops caused them to leave our homes intact... and more importantly, our lives untouched.  As a token of their thanks,” he held the item out.  Siabrey stared at it intently, but finding no magic, gave a nod to Luke, who took it gratefully.“Thank you, kind sir,” Luke nodded.  “I shall carry it on my person as much as I can,” Luke took out a small piece of rope, and threaded it through the proper loophole, attaching the symbol to his belt.  “May she bless me as much as Honoria blessed your village that day.”The man gave a bow of thanks, and then excused himself to return to his troops.“Hmm,” Siabrey looked at the statuette, “not bad.  I’d say it’d...” she looked up at Lucius, but stopped when she saw his face as he watched the tall sergeant disappear into the sea of activity about them.“That,” Luke leaned towards Shaun, and pointed towards the head above the other heads, “is what it means to be a noble.  Defending those that can’t defend themselves... just as I helped keep the mongrels from burning that man’s village.  Being a noble is not just about having people kiss your hand, or your feet, its about making sure they’re safe, their prosperous, and happy... and doing whatever you can to help them be those things.”The lecture was delivered quietly, conversationally, without a single raised word or shouted idea.  Yet it had far more of an effect than Siabrey’s shouts, as Shaun looked down at his feet.“I’m sorry.  I did not realize,” he began, before Luke patted him on the back.“Don’t worry, Lord Dice,” Lucius used his title on purpose, “You’ve been a noble for, what?  Three hours?  I’ve had a lifetime experience... you’ll get it down soon,” Luke grinned.“Speaking of making people’s lives better,” Tess said quietly, “I still have that rod, and that idol.  Both still need to go back to Irulas.”  Siabrey’s eyes went wide in remembrance.  With the reunion with Luke, she’d completely forgot about the items that had helped cause the separation.“Oh... yeah... we might want to do that.  Perhaps we should tell Alexander where we are off to?  After all we’ll be taking one of his army commanders with,” Siabrey gave Luke a look that dared him to say anything otherwise.  Knowing his wife well, the new Crown Prince merely nodded... and Shaun let loose a giggle.“Your Royal Highness,” Shaun said Luke’s title with a little exaggeration as the party marched through the camps towards the Emperor’s tent, “I do believe you are royally whipped!”When the party reached the tent, they were motioned inside by the same, tall guardsman that Siabrey had sparred with earlier.  The man even gave her a faint grin of superiority, which she merely gave a smirk at.  If I ever get back to these camps, I need to search this guy out... I think I could actually pick up a few moves from him... The Imperial tent was once again cleared out, as Alexander cleared his throat.  “So they tell me you want to go back to Irulas... with Luke, I’m guessing?” he asked towards Siabrey.  She nodded yes vigorously, and the Emperor smiled.“Well, you’re free to go.  While we got our tails kicked here, he inflicted quite a few losses on the Countess here... and we’re looking at quite a while for reorganization... something to the tune of a week or so maybe, before anything happens.  I have good commanders, I suppose I can let you take your husband back for a bit, Princess,” he winked at her.“One condition, though,” Alexander added, “you have to take this guardsman with you.”  As the party looked back, Siabrey realized he was the same very tall guardsman that she’d sparred with... and his face and eyes had anything but mirth in them.  She recognized the fierce, constant look a dedicated bodyguard would give.“Gladly,” Siabrey volunteered, and Alexander gave a nod. “Good riding then!  Should you desire additional backup, just ask... I can give you a regiment if you want...”“Um, no, Your Majesty,” the newly minted Baroness Keldare said, “Too many following us would attract undo attention, as well as possibly weakening you here...”“We will take three other guardsmen with,” the tall one announced, causing Tess’ face to flush slightly.  The nerve?“Very well,” the Emperor said, and pointed at three other Imperial guardsman, ordering them to go with and listen to the tall one, which he named as a sergeant.  The party looked on in some confusion, as Alexander bid them adieu, and the tall guardsman motioned for him to follow them outside.As the brightness of the midday sun burned overhead, the tall, lean guardsman motioned for the others to stay put, and walked about 30 feet ahead of the group, motioning for Luke to follow.  Now deeply suspicious and concerned, Siabrey started to edge up afterwards.As guardsman reached the desired location, he spun around, and grabbed Lucius sharply by the shoulder, looking down on him. “Listen, and listen carefully boy,” the guardsman shook him, “or you will be hurt.”  The words were meant to be silent, but Siabrey’s ears picked them up.  Even if she hadn’t she wouldn’t been able to tell something was wrong by the fact that Lucius’ hand suddenly reached for Ik Mataar.“Don’t draw that blade, boy,” the guardsman cautioned, his own hand on a gorgeously gilt sword hilt.  “And tell the woman to stay her distance, or I will kill her!”“You wouldn’t dare!” Lucius finally sputtered, his hand already pulling Ik Mataar out of its scabbard. With one hand, the massive guard clamped down on Lucius’ rising sword, keeping it only partially out of its scabbard.  With the other, he whipped out the mysterious sword, its blade midnight black, with sparkles of seeming stars on its night sky of steel.“Stop your approach, or I will kill you!  I am charged with protecting him,” the man motioned to Luke, “Not any of you.  Continue towards me at your own peril!”</blockquote>

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