Kayeni's first thought was a small streak of suprise. The Nolian she had known definitely wasn't like this. This new Nolian knew what he was saying, said it deliberately, and somehow managing to sound like her father.
In a good way, of course.

And while a small part of her was turning his words over in her head - maybe this'd mean he'd fit better in than he did before? - a larger part of her felt rather relieved.

Through Nolian's words - if he was speaking true, and Kayeni had no reason to doubt that - maybe it wasn't permanent. While it may have looked like it to her, that was it - it was her perception of it, nothing more. But it meant trusting Nolian.

Ack. Trust wasn't something that they really mutually had, but she'd have to do something about that if they wanted to get anywhere with this.

"I... understand why you left. Really, I can't fault you for doing that." She looked away from Nolian yet again - she had to privately acknowledge that wad partly her fault, like far too many things recently. "And I'm going to have to trust you on this." Her breath left her in a rush, and she looked back at Nolian. "If you say that it's not as permanent as I thought it was... then I suppose we can both figure it out somehow." What happens, and how permanent it's going to be.

While she definitely wasn't feeling nearly as wound up as she was earlier - her tension having disappitated a bit - she still wasn't at her greatest. There was still the thing of Nolian's new guardians, and how this might turn out.

What-ifs weren't her greatest strength. Then again, forseeing the future also wasn't.

But she'd deal with it, somehow. No matter how this turned out to be, she'd learn to live with it.

Nolian spotted the way she looked--a tiny bit of surprise. He was sure that he should've been smug or something of the sort but he just couldn't muster the feelings. No, the surprise left him feeling just a touch sour. Of course she would be surprised that he was speaking his mind, that he was confident and--this time--he knew exactly what he was doing.

His chest lifted and fell as she spoke and then looked away--as she did, he rolled his eyes before settling his faded blue eyes on the princess again. "Well, I do have a choice now," he confirmed. "Which means if I don't want to go through with the suitorship... it doesn't happen. Hah, that's kind of what this whole thing means. It's not just about the king and queen. It's about us too. At least someone has empathy for the heirs."

His head turned as the door opened once again, Narishian and Myrissa stepping out of the side room that they had walked into.

Narishian wore no expression, no emotion on his face as he stood beside the throne that Myrissa sat down in. Nolian sat down as well, taking the cue.

Nolian leaned over, tapping her hand and whispered into the Queen's ear for a bit, his words not quite audible. Myrissa's silver eyes traveled to land on Kayeni, watching her for a long silent moment.

''... very well," she tipped her head lightly, taking his hand in her own for a brief moment, and let go again. "I hear that you two have come to a compromise considering the agreement, treaty and the terms of suitorship."

Nolian bobbed his head once.

The queen tipped her head. "Very well, tomorrow we will send Nolian to Galcolia again as a proper suitor. He will have a .... guardian from Faesia with him, Captain Flynn Cyrus. Just to keep an eye on things," she mused aloud. "As of now, consider this the beginning of the treaty, Princess Kayeni. You are dismissed."

Myrissa tipped her head as the young woman turned to leave. There was curiosity in her eyes as the door closed behind her. Finally, the woman turned back to look at Nolian. "You changed the deal...?"

Nolian took in a breath and let it out again. His faded blue eyes slowly slid closed, leaning into the throne. "Yeah," he finally said, quietly, his jaw trembling just slightly. "When you left to talk to each other, I talked to her too. I wanted to know--for a fact--that she had changed. That she wasn't the same person she was before. It's slow and subtle but she's slowly changing," he mumbled quietly.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Narishian said quickly, worried. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I told her that I heard what she said about me--and that she had doubled down on it too. I wanted to know if she really wanted the suitorship and I told her that I had a choice now."

His nose crinkled briefly. "She seemed surprised. Princess Kayeni looked surprised that I ... had a choice that I was confident and everything. I was a royal--not just a noble, but a royal."

Myrissa tilted her head slightly, her pale hand resting on his. "So you adjusted it?"

"I did. I told her that it wasn't permanent. This whole thing was temporary and that I'd go to figure out what King Josef wanted, do that, and then we could revisit the suitor ship situation," Nolian's eyes closed as his chest tightened. "... It will be alright."

"It should be," Myrissa confirmed, brushing his hair back. "Captain Cyrus will be there, if anything goes wrong, we'll know."

Nolian's lips pulled into a weak smile. "Thank you," he whispered.

Blue and white. It had been so long since he had seen the colors of the Galcolian castle. Yet, fluttering in the breeze, silhouetted against the grey clouds of the afternoon, the flag flew onward without a care of who was below it.

Nolian was at least dressed well, far better than before. He looked noble and better than he had in years. It was perhaps the confidence that seeped behind his shoulders that helped aid his newfound appearance. His hair was the same, his eyes hadn't changed, but he seemed refreshed. The horse beneath him was sturdy and perhaps a bit dark. A dark mahogany bay with a white Appaloosa blanket.

It was strange, Nolian found, to have a newfound power. But discovering his own abilities was news. An Enhancer--and Narishian was determined to help him understand that he had a lot of worth. He didn't have to take nothing from anyone.

Nolian looked up at the gates and took in a breath before a loose smile grew into a warmer chuckle. He made some thought of coming back from the dead but it likely wouldn't land well.

He dismounted, thanking the stable hand and followed Captain Cyrus into the castle and to the throne room. The man was the one to clear his throat, gesture to the prince and bow. "King Josef Maddox of Galcolia, I present to you the Crowned Heir of Faesia, Prince Nolian Terrence-Maldora, who has petitioned for suitorship for the hand of Princess Kayeni Maddox."

Nolian dipped lightly in a brief bow, looking up to the thrones.

(Works well enough!)

Nolian tipped his head lightly and managed a lopsided smile in return to the King's words. He would think it over accordingly which was basically royal jargon for 'I'll come up with a legal sounding acceptance letter' or something of the sort. His faded blue eyes turned to Kayeni as she was addressed.

She looked... uncomfortable at best. Which Nolian wasn't too surprised about. Heaven forbid she look somewhat okay with everything--or at least pretend. He wasn't entirely excited to be there either but at least he hid it better than she did.

But he listened to the king. At least someone had some sort of good intention--maybe. He still wasn't sure what the King needed. After all, it was Galcolia. Galcolia wasn't exactly the most fond of magic and that whole thing. But it nudged the back of his brain. Like that feeling. The nagging feeling that picked at his chest again. It wasn't like when he was around magic folk, that was a warmer feeling. This was... like a relic. Yes. A relic. But where...

Nolian brush the thoughts aside and pulled a response to the king together as Kayeni stood up.

In response, Nolian tipped his head. "Thank you, your Highness," he said and turned to Kayeni again, extending his arm for her to take as he walked alongside her to the throne room doors.

"I can't say I really know my way around," he added with a loose chuckle. "Help would be fantastic."

After he had spoken, he let himself feel. Feel the ticking at his chest, it was far stronger now that she was nearby. What... the necklace. That moon pendant that he had asked about earlier and she had gotten all sorts of weird about it.

It was just... a necklace.

Or, was it?

"I suppose I ought to ask about why I am actually here," Nolian prompted loosely, looking around the castle grounds.

Kayeni grimaced slightly once they left the throne room. "I'm not too sure what you might have picked up, but my father wants you here for... something." Making a split-second decision to avoid saying what that something actually was, she continued on. "But I'll say you probably know your way around well enough, from when you were here for last time. I've put you in the same quarters you were in last time... if that's alright with you." She paused, then cast a look at his guard, Captain... Cyrus, was it? Kayeni's knack of names, for once, couldn't remember what it was - or that may have just been a passing mention that she had missed. Addressing him, she asked, "Would you prefer to take quarters next to Prince Nolian's or standard barrack accommodation? I'm sorry, I... wasn't given that much to work off from my father. Both are organizable," she quickly tacked on to the end of her statement.

Really, she didn't know what Nolian wanted anymore. Or how his abilities as an Enhancer did anything at the moment. She wasn't particularly feeling anything special at the moment - despite she was wearing the pendant that apparently did something.

Hmph. She guessed she had no option but to wait and see. Nolian was here, and right now her task was to make sure they were "comfortable" as per her father's missives. So she'd do that first. Then she'd worry about the pendant.

Nolian's faded blue eyes noted the way she winced--grimaced even--before she avoided one question, completely ignored his statement about not knowing his way around the castle--which he had been in for approximately two days and then addressed Captain Cyrus.

Nolian's eyebrow raised just slightly as he stopped walking and set his hands on his hips, his chin tipping downward. "Captain Cyrus is staying with me," he answered for the guard. The man tipped his head in agreement, a rather amused smile on his face. "He is a mentor--a companion, not a Captain at the moment. That is merely his title," Nolian added.

He took in a deep breath and let it out. "I know you know what King Josef wants me here for. Rather than play that stupid game you always decide to play where you go dancing around the truth and make a downright fool of yourself, let's just cut to the chase," Nolian stated firmly and stepped forward. "That way you can... what would you say... get rid of me, hmm, faster."

His eyes scanned over her, surprisingly cold. "And then maybe I can spend my time finding an actual suitor worth my time, eh?"

He sniffed, almost a short laugh and continued forward, walking down the hallway. He knew the pendant had something to do with why he was there. She couldn't be that stupid to not know. She was wearing the blasted thing, of course she had to have a clue. There was no way. No way at all.

Unfortunately for her, Nolian had a bit more of a "backbone" from Cyrus, who had... "taught" him some things.