Etiquette was a solid choice, not because the woman was a hellion, but because of what had happened last time with Seraphina. It had been her first introduction into high society and it had been a failure, even if Nilo had been proud of her for trying. The only reason he viewed it as a failure was that the woman had been distraught after it all and the prince had felt horrible. Granted, she had tossed wine on Seraphina and that wouldn’t fly again, nor would he allow Seraphina to corner her, but Nilo didn’t want another breakdown.

Then there was dancing. Now that one he liked. Well, more like loved. The man remembered hating lessons as a kid, but once he actually started attending balls the man had fallen in love with it all. Not to mention the nights he would masquerade as a peasant and go into town and the townspeople had their own type of dance that differed from what he had learned. Now, the first time he and Gennadius had danced it was fun, but the pair had gone rogue and created what was considered their very first scandal.

Finally, her last question came, which was what she was supposed to do. Honestly, as far as Nilo was concerned, queens and princesses were seen more as trophies than rulers. His mother had pretty much fit that bill, although he was aware she had been a big supporting figure for his father. The man wasn’t exactly sure what his mother had done, which he felt bad for. By the time Nilo had actually begun to pay attention again, the woman had been gone. That thought tugged briefly at his heart and he didn’t like remembering the fact he given her even a fraction of the time she deserved while she was bedridden in the infirmary.

Nilo’s face fell for a moment, but he didn’t want to continue to remind himself of the subject. “I’m afraid you are not allowed to cover her in alcohol, nor may you physically hurt Seraphina.” He told her, shaking his head. Her long-lasting vendetta against the noble was amusing, although the man didn’t blame her. “And didn’t you technically win that battle? I understand I’m certainly not a prize, but I thought she had flaunted the fact we… had an affair.” It wasn’t like Nilo tried to hide from her the fact he’d had numerous affairs before he met her, but he didn’t like mentioning them. It didn’t feel right. “Now we’re engaged, so I’d say that’s much better than whatever relationship I had with Seraphina.”

The prince sighed, eyes closing. “It’s not like I want you to hear about my former affairs because that’s obviously not the case. And it’s not like it’ll be the entire topic of conversation, considering the last time I was with anyone was before you were appointed my guard.” His light gaze met hers again, the man clearly uncomfortable with the idea of her finding out about it all, though he was sure at some point the woman would be educated on his former casanova tendencies. “I would rather them keep it to themselves, but I’m afraid they like to trade stories. Hopefully, they’ve gotten over it. I’m sure at some point they’ll be married and it will all have to cease, but for now, I’m sorry about anything you hear.” Nilo said, somewhat crestfallen at the thought of her being uncomfortable.
Nilo may not have regretted his numerous amorous affairs, because it wasn’t like there was anything horrible about what he did, but the man did regret the fact Gennadius had to deal with the aftermath of his infidelity. Why the women found satisfaction in trading stories was beyond him, given as it had been a private matter. “I had never assumed this would be much of a problem, but then again, I never thought Seraphina was a viper. I guess I never thought a whole lot about marriage and my future once Castor died. I was just… getting by I guess.” He shrugged, “It doesn’t mean you should have to deal with it now though.” He looked up at her rather apologetically, for it wasn’t fair she was paying for his actions.

“But dancing…” Nilo trailed, face brightening, “that one I quite like and fortunately, you shall have an excellent teacher in the form of your favorite prince.” He grinned, clearly pleased with the prospect of getting to teach her one of his favorite things. “It's not that hard, I promise you. We’ve already done it together once, after all, even if we managed to anger our keepers.” Nilo laughed, remembering how his father had been rather angry at his son, not wanting the prince to flaunt his latest affair before his noble court.

Nilo had been a little surprised the woman had wanted to know about some of the more boring aspects as well, even if they were essential. And her curiosity about being a royal was one he wasn’t sure he could completely satisfy. He wasn’t sure himself. “Historically, as we both know, queens have been there simply to produce heirs and be a novelty. It is clear I don’t want our relationship to be that.” He commented thoughtfully, “That is unless you would suddenly prefer that over working with me.” He chuckled, well aware that was not an option.

“You’ll probably continue to do the military-related side of it all, considering that’s your area of expertise, not mine and I’m positive there will be more to do, I just don’t know since I’m not at my post currently,” Nilo told her, gesturing to his torso, though the wounds were hidden by the rather baggy shirt, “For obvious reasons.” The man snorted. “But the other things we can certainly start on, okay? Even if it does include you waking me up in the middle of the night before the ball for last-minute pointers.” He chuckled, knowing the ball would no doubt bring her stress.

That was when he came up with another idea, though it would be up to her to decide. “And y’know, this time you can always stay by me if it brings you any comfort,” Nilo offered, though it wasn’t made out of pity, simply to put it out there, “Not because I don’t trust you to mingle because I do, but there’s no harm in standing with me if you’d rather that. You are my betrothed, after all. They will judge you for many reasons, but not for that.” He explained with a touch of humor, trying to keep their mood light, “But I know you,” Nilo added, “and your love to blaze your own path.” The words were spoken affectionately, with a hint of teasing, though it wasn’t meant to offend by any means.

“And…” The man trailed, brain traveling back towards her fingers, which were moving through his hair in a rather meticulous manner. Movements he sometimes replicated when trying to do it in the mornings... “Are you attempting to put my hair in its usual style, Gennadius?” Nilo asked, cocking an inquisitive brow, a low laugh escaping him. “You do know I usually put some product in it when I do it, correct?” He questioned, having a feeling his hair may fall again once he sat up, though he wasn’t sure.

The man laughed as she admitted to her hair endeavor, grin widening as her hands came to cover his face. It warmed the man that she cared enough to do that, even if he didn’t particularly care or see the purpose of doing it at the moment. “Well, I’m sure you are doing a wonderful job without,” The man added jokingly, laughing again as the woman figure loomed over him, eyes flickering with a devilish look he knew well. “Soon enough I’ll be returning to high society and with it, the hair you clearly have such strong feelings about.”

His eyes closed as she placed a few featherlight kisses on his nose, smile softening at the chaste affection, though he looked up at her as she sighed, a brow raising as if to ask what was on her mind. The answer was a sweet one, the woman professing her love for him in soft tones. “Even more than your stabby things?” Nilo asked in somewhat disbelieving tones, “Then surely I must be doing something right to deserve such a high honor,” His hands moved to rest gently over hers, “I love you too,” Nilo purred, hands delicately fidgeting with hers absentmindedly.

Nilo blinked, somewhat stunned by her sudden question. He didn't understand where it came from, but it did strike a chord. The man did know the fact he couldn’t sleep the nights he was alone was an issue, but he didn’t say anything, despite the fact the woman had just implored him to share any issues he may be having. She should be free to sleep in her own bed and have her own space, not be with him all day and night. It wasn’t right and he wouldn’t ask that of her. Surely it would go away when he returned to his room, right? He would have Flower too…

He turned his attention to her last sentence instead, of how he had defended her that morning, and the smile that had faded returned to his face. “You don’t owe me anything for that,” Nilo responded softly, “I adore you and I knew there was something wrong. I know you well enough to know that it may have been your dagger, but your hand was not the one that held it.” Nilo told her, fingers still gently playing with her offhandedly, “And you said you didn’t do it, so why should I believe otherwise? It would be silly for me to trust you with my life yet not believe you as you denied their accusation. Like I told them, I have my complete trust and faith in you.” His words held a tremendous amount of truth, for if they didn’t, the man wouldn’t have proposed to her in the first place.

“And we are going to prove you innocent and we are going to celebrate,” Nilo promised her, eyes closing for a moment, “I say that as if it will be anything grand,” The man chuckled, giving a content sigh, “I feel like our celebrations include bugging the chef for food and that’s about it.” He did love the times they raided the kitchen though, simply because it resulted in the pair sharing a meal together and having more quality time. Truth be told, the two could be anywhere doing anything together and the man would be happy just because he was with her.

The prince didn’t stick to the subject of the assassin long, not fond of the subject himself nor was he looking to pierce the mood the pair had created, for the man was happy, relaxed, and perfectly content having a conversation with his betrothed. “And yes, to soothe your worries, I promise to ask you for help when I need it.” Nilo reassured her, reflecting back to her earlier statement, “I also hope you know I am here for you, whenever you need it. Although, I hope I’ve already made that clear.” He laughed softly, affectionate eyes meeting hers as the man fell into another thoughtful silence.

“When are we going to want to make the official announcement?” Nilo questioned, though there was no pressure behind it, “I don’t think we got away with it for more than a few days before the entire staff found out, then again, Theodore did feel the need to squeal with delight.” He gave a low laugh at the memory, for it was a fond one. “I don’t mind doing the announcement with the splint on, but I’d rather it off for the ball so there’s no chance of an accident. I want to hear your thoughts.” The man implored softly, “I know it’s a royal affair but it’s your engagement too.”

His words were touching, but then again, they were always laced with such adoration and trust it could have melted anyone’s heart. Gennadius smiled softly as he reaffirmed his belief in her innocence, enjoying it as he played with her fingers. No one could ask for a more faithful or loyal partner and she felt immensely special to have him as her own and to be able to offer every ounce of her energy and time to him. It just seemed right.

“And I believe a celebration in the kitchen sounds beyond amazing,” she agreed with a gentle laugh of her own, tightening a hand around his. No, they did not need anything extravagant for them to be happy or feel like they were doing some event justice. That was one of the special things about their relationship, finding their greatest joys in doing simple things together, the excitement over the kitchen the perfect example. It was their small talks and moments of tenderness like this that made them happy, and, of course, coming up with some mischievous plot on occasion.

When Nilo promised, Gennadius felt as though a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Not that she saw him as a burden, but that worrying that he wouldn’t ask for help when he needed it did wear on her. But she believed his promise, because he would never lie to her, and trusted him enough to think that if he actually was struggling, that he would come to her. “I know you are. You have proved it to me time after time and I couldn’t be more grateful for all you’ve done for me.”

Her fingers had started smoothing through his hair again when he asked the question, and the woman tilted her head thoughtfully. “Chances are Theodore has already alerted the entire kingdom and the neighboring ones too in his excitement,” she chuckled, “you’d think he was the one getting married.” She continued to work with his hair again as if just repeating the motion over and over would force his hair into place, “But I suppose I am ready to make the announcement whenever you are. I see no reason to wait on that front, unless you need more time.”

It wasn’t that Gennadius was particularly excited about having to go into the middle of the city for everyone stare at their future princess and queen and judge her. Far from it. But she was in love with Nilo and was more than willing to get things kickstarted for their future. So why wait? Though she did agree with his statement on the ball. It would defeat it all if the man messed up his arm further. That and it would be nice for them to both be in full health when that time came so they could be at the top of their game.

“But I agree the ball should wait until you are better. Besides, it will give Claude and I more time to argue about what I want to wear. I swear that man will insist I wear a dress and then we will get in another squabble about how to make pants look feminine. You should have seen us last time.” Gennadius shook her head with a grin. “I think he did quite well in the end. Perhaps I should just wear what I wore last time again.” She shrugged, not really caring what she wore, personally preferring her uniform over even tailored clothes.

The woman shifted him out of her lap as she started to feel her leg want to cramp, and instead moved so she was leaning gingerly over him in one of her favorite spots, gazing down at his face with a smile. “So how long do we have to wait until a wedding?” she inquired casually, gazing at him with curiosity. “Just curious...” though the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her actual excitement for it all. Yes, Gennadius Des Arluin was all woman when it came to being a bride, as thrilled and looking forward to it as any female should.

She had to resist the urge to plop down on him, because she really had no interest in causing him harm and he was rather... fragile... at the moment. “But! Perhaps this is a conversation to have over food. So while I munch on crumbs, you can devour half the kitchen,” she teased, giving his hair one final shove back before rolling off him and onto the edge of the bed, stretching her arms out with a loud yawn.

Two Weeks Later…

Staying awake during the day was getting harder. That was the main thing Nilo noticed as he was released from the infirmary. Gennadius wasn’t with him anymore since he was returned to his own room. The man was glad for his bed and his own space, without nurses knocking at his door every few hours.Although, just because he had his own bed didn’t mean he was sleeping. It was quite the opposite, as the man found himself fighting rest just like he used to, but not for fear of nightmares, but for fear of being murdered in his sleep.

To many, that would seem like a hilarious conclusion, but it was too true. The assassins killer hadn’t been found and the prince had the foreboding sense he was next. That may have not been the case, but Nilo was still driven near mad, even if Flower was there with him. Not to mention the lack of sleep wasn’t helping with his newfound paranoia. He hid it well, usually because during the day he was surrounded by people and that soothed his persistent mind, but once night came, Nilo struggled to cope. Apparently, not everything was going to magically go away once he left the infirmary.

The man still couldn’t look at his body and continued to struggle with finding the motivation to bathe. Gennadius did get him to cut his hair, but the man only did it on days he was meant to see others besides his court, instead allowing it to fall flat on his head and brush it aside. After managing to change in the morning and seeing the grotesque marring of his body, he lost his want to put effort into his appearance. His excuse tended to be he was running late, even though he used to be late just because he was getting ready. For a while, Augustus continued to deny him his slacks, but once his hip wound seemed stable enough the prince resumed his usual form of dress.

But the prince kept his happy aura about him, greeting the day with a smile. For even though changing his clothes was a struggle and so was sleep, he was optimistic with his friends and ever-adoring to his bride-to-be. Any problems were pushed aside and forgotten as he mingled and resumed his work, for they were things that would haunt them later. Oh yes, the way the man locked every door in his room was certainly a testament to how things affected him later.

But! Today the man wasn’t thinking about any of that. No, today was not only his first public appearance since the assassination attempt, but the day he was meant to announce his engagement to Gennadius. He was nervous, yet excited. It seemed like things would be so much more real. Not that they weren’t already of course, the man had been eternally devoted to her engaged or not, but the fact the kingdom would formally know seemed to make it even more official. Rumors were already flying that they were engaged, but the people were yet to have any word from the couple themselves.

So that left Nilo where he was now, adjusting the lapels of his tailcoat before buttoning it, the man dressed warmly for what was sure to be an announcement in the snow, judging by the nice pile that had collected on his balcony. The man knelt down, scratching behind Flower’s ears as he tongue lolled. “I need you to be a good darling while I’m gone,” He told her, “A maid will be by in an hour or so to take you out if I’m not back. Do not munch on your father’s thing,s you hear?” Nilo instructed sternly, as if he were talking to a human child and not his dog. Then again, he did periodically refer to her as his child.

“Prince Aslan,” It was Theodore, “If you don’t find the colonel, you’ll be late and your father will not be happy. Damien was about to come drag you out, but I came instead.”

Nilo huffed, sharing a look with Flower. “I’m coming Theodore I’m coming. Gods, with all the fuss, you would think this is the kingdom's engagement and not mine. I’m still not convinced we shouldn’t run off like heathens and elope on a pirate ship.” Nilo commented, opening the door to face his chestnut haired scribe.

Theodore cocked a brow, eyeing his appearance. “Satisfactory. Decided to do your hair today, highness? Are you finally getting back into your fashion-savvy self or must I send the colonel into your room every morning to do it? The flat look doesn’t suit you. Not to mention these circles...” The scribe cocked his head, eyeing the pitch crescents, “They’ve gotten dark again. You need more sleep Prince Aslan or to not push yourself so hard.” He scolded, furrowing his brow.

The prince rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m fine and some mornings I just don’t feel like doing my hair. Now Theo, I thought I was going to be late if I continued to dawdle. Doesn’t this count?” Nilo cocked a mischievous brow, to which the younger man scoffed, flicking bangs out of his eyes with long fingers.

“Perhaps I should begin to favor the colonel over yourself. Her sense of humor is clearly superior.” Theodore snarked and began to walk away, though the prince knew it was jokingly, “Not to mention she has better hair.”

Nilo gave a cry of protest, offended by his parting comment. “You have injured me Theodore! I may never recover!” He called, but began to walk off in search of Gennadius. They were due in the town square soon for the event, although it would only last a few minutes, given as he would only be saying a few sentences. It was silly, but it was a customary event all royals were required to experience in their lifetime.

The trip to her room was a brief one, the man greeting the staff as he walked. Nilo was definitely nervous, not so much about speaking before a crowd, but going into the city. Head avoided it ever since his incident and the man still had the splint on his arm to prove it, though it was hidden beneath a coat that day. He hoped there wouldn’t be any inquires about what had happened, since several had seen him stumble into the blacksmiths covered in his own blood. But Nilo shook off these worries as he approached the door to Gennadius’s room, knocking in his telltale fashion. “Darling,” The prince drawled, “I’m afraid we need to leave for the square soon. The people are waiting to hear what they already know.” He chuckled softly

When Nilo got a chance to move to his own room, Gennadius was given the impression that he wanted her to go back to her room. Well, she wasn’t convinced enough to move back to the barracks, worried about having the man stumble through the dark to find her if something happened and moved into one of the rooms in the castle. This being said, she never actually told him she was doing it for him, instead going under the guise that she wanted to start getting used to living inside and not just on the grounds.

The woman still believed that Nilo would keep his promise and if something was bothering him, he would tell her, but deep down... deep down she knew that wasn’t the case. She was still trying to get him to care about his appearance, because it didn’t seem to be overly working, the man only doing his hair when it seemed absolutely necessary. How many times had she walked up to him to try and push it up into its usual form? It never worked, his hair needed his care and every time it fell, she knew that she’d have to confront him. But he promised.

It was a struggle that the prince may never know he put the woman through. During the day, he was... Nilo, minus the usual look of meticulous care. He still laughed and joked, but she could see he was tired and struggled staying awake sometimes. One night, she had decided to go and see how he was, if he was sleeping or awake for a small midnight conversation. But to her surprise, his door was locked and she was too afraid that he might be sleeping to knock. Nor did she bring it up, trying to tell herself that maybe he had just locked it without realizing. He promised.

However, such things were put aside this morning because today... today was the day they made the official announcement. It had been a month and a half since the man had actually proposed, and she did not doubt that the entire kingdom was already more than aware that an engagement had taken place, but nothing had been said by the couple. So, she had no doubt that the streets would be even more crowded than they would have been, everyone wanting to know if the gossip was true and to see if there was a reason that the announcement had been delayed.

So currently she had Claude, who had invited himself might I add, fussing over her uniform. Which had taken up nearly a half hour just so they could argue about what she would wear. Her inclination had been to wear her usual clothes of a long sleeve with a pair of her pants and Nilo’s coat. That clearly had been a horrendous idea as the man had practically popped a cap, tsking about her lack of fashion sense and did she want the entire kingdom to think their next queen was a vagabond?

“My hair is going up Claude! Deal with it!” came her response to Nilo’s knock, though it wasn’t aimed at the prince. After a moment, the door flew open and she practically dashed behind Nilo, pointing at the tailor who was standing rather smugly. “I want this man banned! You hear me Nilo?! Get him out of this kingdom or I swear the next thing he is going to do is put me in a dress.” Her gaze narrowed as made eye-contact with the tailor who was still looking rather unaffected by her outburst, “I would rather die....”

Claude merely shrugged but his eyes still held their usual sparkle and he gave a bow to the prince, “Good morning your highness. And a good day to you Colonel.” As he seemed to start walking away, Gennadius dared to step away from Nilo, which was her fatal mistake as the tailor rather nimbly changed course, stepped by her, and plucked a strand of hair from her ponytail and walked off. If he could not have her hair down, he was at least proud to know she had a stray strand that framed the side of her face nicely.

“Nilo! You see how this man abuses me?” Gennadius exclaimed, reaching for the strand but knowing to get it back in place she’d have to let her hair down and put it back up, which would take more time and this wasn’t exactly something they should be late to. “He even made me put this thing on!” She moved so he could inspect her, though it really was nothing new.

Rather, was Gennadius was wearing was the embroidered colonel’s uniform she had worn for the ball the year before. The light grey coat had the two rows of buttons, golden embroidery etching up the sleeves and around the red collar. Claude had even forced her to wear the red sash with golden tassels around her waist that hung down and would bump into her ebony pants. The only difference was from the ball, that instead of tying the sash as simply as a man would, the tailor had let the fabric open up and scoop, almost creating a skirt like appearance that dipped from her hip, across her front and back up again at the other hip.

“He had the audacity to say that if he didn’t do the sash like this, no one would be able to tell which of us was the woman!” she huffed, pointing dramatically to the swooping red fabric. The woman released another irritated grumble before finally taking the time to look over the man as they started heading out.

It was then that she noticed the circles beneath his eyes were getting darker. Oh, she took in how dapper and perfect he looked for once, but it was the eyes... Her hand slipped up to trace beneath them, though she said nothing about them instead focusing on the rest of him. “You look handsome as ever, I must say. I almost forgot what you looked like when you put work into your appearance, she teased, bumping his shoulder. “Do you have to wear your crown since this is a public announcement?” she inquired, though she really was only asking because she had yet to see him where it and she wanted to.

The moment she heard he would not be wearing the crown, she gave a slight fake pout and a huff. And why shouldn’t he? If she had to wear this ridiculous get-up for a royal event, he should wear his crown so she could see it. Gennadius was going to make that point and turn around to walk to his room when his hand captured hers and he tugged her in the opposite direction, not giving her the chance. Which earned another huff, though it didn’t last long in wake of how exciting this event really was.

Seeing how thrilled he was only added to her own feeling and she couldn’t help tucking herself under his arm with a laugh of her own. “Yes, I get to have my very own royal pain,” she chuckled, glancing up at him with eyes that seemed brighter than usual, “and the royal pain gets his own homicidal soldier. What a real story of romance for sure.” But again, she couldn’t help a soft laugh.

“And really, if I have to wear my uniform, you should be forced to wear your crown,” she brought up again as they neared the courtyard, the woman already able to hear the sound of horses and talking. “Because I was simply happy to appear as I am... a shirt and some pants. But since I have been forced to look presentable, you should have to put a band of metal on your head. Oh the agony...” The last part was said sarcastically, though she was still grinning as she uttered the words.

Seeing the small procession as she came up to it, she hesitated for a moment. It was nothing big, but it was still going to flaunt them across the city to the square. “You and I will be talking about you meandering the castle later...” she mumbled before squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin. “So! Shall we see what trouble we can get in?” Gennadius slipped from under his arm, snatching up his hand and this time dragging him towards the horses, grin wide. “Perhaps we can burn a city with your charming glances and my deadly glares.”

It was then that she noticed one of the horses was black... in fact, the black horse was none other than Magistrate. The woman released the man’s hand as she made a few jogging strides over, wrapping her arms around the stallion’s neck before pulling back, reaching up to run her hand over his nose and earning a snort in return before her whole body got shoved back by him head butting her. The stable hand holding the reins smiled at the woman’s pure excitement, “He’s no good for heavy riding, but this should be fine for him, just as long as we don’t do it again for a while.”

It was all the reassurance she needed that she wouldn’t harm him further, slipping her foot in the stirrup of the white saddle and easily swinging up onto the familiar animal. Reaching down, she adjusted the length of the stirrups before reaching for the reins which were handed her, already feeling that the stallion was preparing to take her cues that he knew so well. He had mellowed out quite a bit after the injury so she wasn’t worried about him spooking.

Overall, horse and rider were quite a sight, the confidence more than clear once she was on her own horse. The white saddle on his black coat was a stunning contrast, along with the gold decorative cords that were crossing along his back, neck, and bridle. Yes, she was looking like, at the very least, someone of importance and status, which was important for what they were about to do.

Glancing at Nilo, she sucked in a small breath though she was glowing. “Well, are we ready highness,” she let out a soft chuckle, sitting back in the saddle and ready to take the man’s lead.

Nilo chuckled as the woman seemed unhappy he wasn’t wearing his crown, shaking his head. “Just because you're mad you were forced to dress like an upstanding colonel,” The prince’s eyes glittered with humor, “does not mean you can force me to wear a crown. I have already dressed for the occasion,” Nilo gestured to himself, eyeing the entourage. It was much bigger than necessary, but as always, royals were known for their larger than life events and flamboyance. They would have been fine with a few guards, but it was clear his father has organized something much larger.

“My meandering is none of your business,” Nilo commented in a joking manner, a grin splitting across his face as she slipped out from under his arm to drag him forward, the man nearly tripping over his own feet. “And please don’t glare at the people, we need a good first impression Gennadius.” He snorted, but it was true. She may have mingled with the nobles before, but today was her debut to her people, even though he would be talking. As they split to approach their horses, the prince was saddened by what he found, though it was for the best, that he was presented with a sleek bay stallion instead of Wicke. He missed his speckled mare, though the horse he was given was a fine one.

But when he peered over at Gennadius, the man found she was given Magistrate, the familiar black stallion cleared for the ride to the square. Nilo was happy for her, well aware it would be one of the few times the woman would be able to ride him. That was one of the reasons he wasn’t that down over Wicke. The man was only giving up his mare for a year, whilst she had given up her stallion for a lifetime. Not to mention the entire affair had been his fault, something he still hadn’t forgiven himself for, though he was much happier knowing he could offer Gennadius a new horse she was excited for, even though it wasn’t her dear stallion.

Nilo swung up onto the steed with ease, though he still preferred to ride bareback. The man wiggled in his saddle for a moment, adjusting himself. The pair matched in terms of the luxurious saddles and it was made abundantly clear who the focus was supposed to be on. It had been quite a while since Nilo had ridden in such a luxurious setting, the parade a few years ago to be exact. Although, to him, this was still nothing out of the ordinary, for the man had been a part of the royal entourage many times in his life.

Nilo’s nose scrunched as she addressed him with formality, humorously displeased by it. The man huffed, eyes narrowing momentarily. “I hate that,” The man’s face lightened as he laughed, pausing as he called out to the guards, signaling the pair was ready to go and beginning a rather slow journey from the courtyard, “I much prefer hearing you say my name, I must admit. I never liked it when you called me that.” He cast her smile, “Theodore still calls me that and I don’t even care, but I guess there was always something to do with you, huh?” Another chuckle escaped him, the man shaking his head as he briefly recalled his distaste for whenever she would use formalities.

But as they entered the city, the man shifted into the person of a well-trained actor, waving and grinning at the civilians they passed. His charisma was natural and well-practiced, as Nilo was ever a people person. The ride through the city was a slow one that probably took them half an hour. They would have been faster on foot, but the point was to flaunt and Nilo was aware of that. What royals meant by an “engagement announcement” was parading the young couple around for everyone to see before any announcement happened. In fact, the announcement would be rather short compared to the journey they were currently on.

Their arrival was announced by someone at the front of the procession, their guards parting for the pair to pull their horses to the front. As they did, Nilo dismounted, offering Gennadius a hand to get off her own horse, more for courtesy and appearance than anything else. It wasn’t like the man wouldn’t offer her a hand regularly, but Nilo didn’t think she cared as long as she could get off the horse. Though the man didn’t release her hand once she was off, leading her towards the small stage that had been conveniently built for them.

It was only once they had climbed the few stairs that the man released her, though it was much to his discomfort, as he suddenly found himself nervous, surrounded by subjects and completely exposed. His subjects kneeled before him, falling quickly in their show of respect, which only served to further intimidate him. Did anyone else want to kill him? How many of these people hated him, still saw him as a disgrace? Fingers twitched at his side, aching for something to do, but he couldn’t show weakness, not after what had happened to him. The people knew there had been an attempt on his life and he had to act like it was nothing, even if it wasn’t. Dammit, he had been excited too!

Nilo took a step forward, clasping his hands behind his back in efforts to still his fidgeting fingers. “You may rise, for I have a joyous announcement to make.” He finally spoke, projecting as much strength as he could, despite never feeling smaller. He paused for several moments, “I, Prince Nilo Van Aslan, the first son to King Leonel and Minerva Van Aslan and crown prince of Lavarre, have come to you today to formally announce my betrothal.” Again the man was all charm, his hands finally moving to make his usual sweeping gestures as he spoke. He could only thank his “training” for allowing him to move past his nervousness.

“As of a month ago, I have become officially engaged to Colonel Gennadius Des Arluin, who was knighted at our victory ball last winter. She’s been accredited as the leading mind behind the strategy that won us our war campaign and Lavarre has definitely reaped the benefits of her battlefield brilliance. I could not have made a better decision when choosing my future wife and queen.” The man spoke, though his eyes strayed briefly from the crowd to find Gennadius’s because although it was all for show, the man did mean what he said. He was confident in the fact he chose her and there would never be anyone else he could ever want.

“Currently, there have been no arrangements made for our nuptial ceremony, but we will be holding a ball within the next couple of weeks at the Castle of Lions to commemorate our engagement and we will be sure to be public about our decision on our wedding proceedings.” Publicity. For once the man didn’t want it. Why should he be obligated to share his wedding with the world? He would have rather a quiet ceremony with his father and friends, but that was certainly out of the picture.

The more he spoke, the easier it was to push his worries aside and give the announcement with his usual elegance. Luckily though, the prince had reached the end of it. “This brings me to the end of my announcement and that being said, I wish a good afternoon to you all and look forward to sharing my kingdom's future with you,” Nilo concluded and that was what their half an hour trip had led to. Only but five minutes at their destination before they were to be escorted home to the castle.

“Oh, by your name?” she raised a playfully brow as they started forward towards the gates. “Prince Van Aslan is technically your name,” the woman teased with a smug grin, “or were you referring to when I call you Nilo while running my hands through your hair?” Though everything shifted as they actually entered the city and suddenly, they were the center of attention, the streets lined with people who at least wanted to get a glimpse of the prince and see who he was supposed to marry.

For the first few minutes, Gennadius sat a little awkwardly, clutching the reins at the shouting and cheering. Was she supposed to wave? Or just smile? Or do anything? No, the woman did not feel prepared for this in the slightest, though did attempt a few small waves here and there, doing her best to rally up even a fraction of the charisma that was pouring off Nilo in the bucket loads. By the time they came to the last leg of the journey, she had gotten a little better with it but was still extremely uncomfortable.

When they stopped and the prince came over to offer her a hand down, she gratefully took it, no longer wishing to be on top of a horse like some special rarity being paraded around, which really was what it was. But if she thought that had been bad, now he was guiding her up onto a stage where every eye was staring straight at her. At least it felt like it. Normally, the city excited her, but that was when she was in the midst and could blend, and right now, she was NOT blending.

It was the sudden kneeling for Nilo that really threw her off, though she knew it was for the prince and not her. But still, to be left standing in front of them all really did carry with it a weight, her gaze darting between people as she moved to hold her hands behind her back. But it was then that she noticed Nilo’s hands twitch before he too shifted to claps them behind himself. Right as he instructed the people to rise, she made the quickest of motions to gently brush her fingers against his hand in reassurance before going still again to let him say what he had to.

Clearly, he had regained himself as he was once again gesturing, all the life in the world dancing through his voice. Gennadius did her best to keep a smile, shifting a few times in her position as he started to list her accomplishments. Gods... this was worse than she thought it would be. But she was trying to use the excitement for actually marrying the man to cancel out her uncomfortableness. When he did offer her a glance, she smiled widely and reassuringly, though the truth was, half of what he said had been lost in her own train of thought and trying to calm herself.

She struggled to place her attention back on what he was saying and sorely wished she hadn’t. Their wedding was going to be public? As in anyone could pretty much be there? Her face paled and she was fighting to keep the smile, wishing she had her sword to place her hand on or could take the ring from around her neck and fidget with it. It made sense, but the woman had expected something more private with the exception of a few nobles... not pretty much an entire kingdom.

But just like that, he was done and it seemed now they would have to parade their whole way back, which she wasn’t looking forward to either. If anything, she felt drained and wanted nothing more than to simply disappear into the crowd and walk back to the castle. Nilo was feeding off the energy, she was withering beneath it. A life of living in shadows did not welcome the sudden spotlight by any means, but she was truly trying for his sake.

About as they were starting to head off the stage, a commotion came from the crowd and Gennadius stopped, turning to look towards it in time to see a small peasant girl dart between two guards towards them. Seeing as the guards planned on grabbing her Gennadius stepped over, raising her hand to them to stop for the child to come up to her. Wide brown eyes stared up and she gave a small curtsy, giving a slightly frightened glance at Nilo before looking back at Gennadius. The woman briefly noticed two anxious parents trying to some forward and motioned the guards to let the through too.

“I... I wanted... I wanted to give you this...” the girl shyly stuttered before holding out a rough wooden horse-like figurine, clearly having had its days of being played with. “It’s... It’s my favorite and I want you to have it now. Because... Because it’s so special and I think... I think you deserve it.”

Gennadius crouched down to her height, gingerly taking the toy in her hands, smiling warmly at the girl who brightened the moment the woman took it. “Are you sure?”

The girl nodded quickly.

“What’s your name?”

“Tara, but my friends call me RaRa.” Brown eyes were sparkling with such excitement that it was hard for Gennadius not to be touched, though she already had a soft spot for children. But she didn’t miss the anxious glances thrown towards Nilo now and again, and she realized that the girl was afraid of the man’s power.

“Well RaRa, I can’t very well accept such a precious gift without giving you something back.” Gennadius handed the toy back for her to simply hold while she reached for her own waist. It was the first time she was grateful for the golden cord with the tassels that came with the uniform, untying it and reaching for the girl. Because Tara was so small, Gennadius draped the cord over her one shoulder and brought it down diagonally, crossing it and tying it at her other hip. “There,” she carefully took the offered figure again, “now we are even.”

It never dawned on the woman that every eye was watching her, too absorbed in the child as she straightened up. “Before you go, I have someone for you to meet.” She offered her hand which was gingerly taken and walked her to where Nilo was. Tara gazed up with uncertainty before dropping into another curtsy, now clearly nervous. It was Gennadius who yet again crouched down with a grin at the prince before whispering in the girl’s ear. “Oh, he’s not that scary. He’s no more than a big puppy dog.”

And that earned a plethora of giggles as Tara straightened up, still holding Gennadius’s hands as her parents waited to the side, the mother tearing up at the kindness shown to her daughter. “Nilo, I would introduce you to a good friend of mine, Lady RaRa,” Gennadius spoke smoothly, grinning a genuine grin of her own for once, still carefully holding the figurine in her other hand.