Kayeni watched in slight confusion as her comment on kale sent him into a tizzy - really, what was wrong with a leafy green vegetable that would send him into such a flurry? Maybe it wasn't her comment on food, but something else?

She didn't know. She could only watch in slight bewilderment as he hurried away before even making sure she was inside the room. She stepped inside, and the doors closed behind her as... crap. iIn all of his excitement - or whatever it was - over her comment on kale, she had forgotten to check out the door and the amount of guards behind it.

So now she had no idea what was waiting for her outside her door, with no reasonable excuse to check, and hence no way out. At least, for now. At least, there was a window, and the ground didn't look too far away.

Briefly exploring the chambers she had been given - they were actually quite nice, considering what she had been expecting - she came to quite a dead end. She was - essentially - a prisoner in her room without much reason to go out, despite her desperate want to go out and release some of her energy somehow. The amount of scorn she had taken from the prince, the way that the entire council had stared at her - she had pushed it all down, but somehow, she always needed it to come back up at a later point. She couldn't exactly do much about it in here. Or, at least, not now.

There was always the window. Crossing quickly over to it, she was relieved that it was most definitely openable. But, by how much?

She unlatched it and gave the window frame a tenatative pull. It didn't budge.

She silently cursed. No way there really wasn't any way for her to get out. She gave it a really big pull, all the pent-up annoyance going with it, and instantly regretted it as it pulled free of the frame and went crashing right into her face.

Ouch.

The window juddered in silent protest, but thankfully stopped moving as she fell - hard - onto her bum on the floor. She could almost feel the red line that went down her face and stomach where the edge of the window hit her, and she looked angrily at the window, which had stopped juddering and was now peacefully open.

Rule number one - apparently, the windows are a bit stiff and only need a bit of force. Although, it would have been nice to know that before she tried pulling it.

Quickly checking to make sure she wasn't bleeding - she wasn't, but there'd be a mark of an angry red line down her for the rest of the day - she picked herself up, and furitively peeked outside, just to hear the door creak open behind her. Whipping around, she looked at the guards who had opened her door and peeked inside.

"Your highness, are you alright?" the guard who was looking inside tentatively asked her.

She waved her hand dismissingly, preferring not to spend much more time talking to them. The sooner she could be out, the better. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just a bit of trouble opening the window." She hoped they couldn't see the red line down her face.

"You can go now. I'm fine," she added on when the guard hesitated. Bowing silently, he shut the door, and the moment the door closed, Kayeni boosted herself off the windowsill, eyeing the room with a moreo practiced eye.

What could she use? Clearly, her privacy could be invaded at any time by the guards, and while she inwardly seethed at it, she couldn't exactly do anything about it. Potentially she could tell them? Or - aha. Now, that was a plan indeed.

Stalking over to the door, she rapped her knuckles on it. How ironic it was, she idly mused, that she had to knock on her own door to let herself out. It was like she was on the outside - and really, after a bit of consideration, she technically was after all. They wanted her confined in this room.

The door - yet again - creaked open, and this time from the limited view that she had, she could also see that there were... at least four guards along the corridor between her and her escort.

Jeez. Talk about overkill much? If Kayeni had been in Bjorn's shoes, she would have allocated three at a maximum. Maybe four. But from what she could see, there were far more than four.

Attempting to ignore them, and attempting to ignore how she really was supposed to be trapped in here, she spoke to the same guard that had opened her door earlier.

"Private?" Without waiting for a confirmation, she steamrolled on. "Private, I'd prefer if I was to be left alone for the next few hours. I would prefer it if you didn't disturb me until otherwise." That also includes opening the door if you hear any other sounds, she was tempted to say - but withheld it at the tip of her tongue. Her tone wasn't the most pleasant tone she had used - it had a more hard, grating edge that commanded that she be obeyed. One that she hadn't used against the prince.

"Understood?" The guard just looked at her and nodded, a bit fearfully this time, before retreating and closing the door behind him.

Sighing in relief, she turned away from the door, and zeroed in on her next task - blocking the door. She didn't want anybody - anybody, even her little dinner invitation - to disturb her.

The small drawer over here was probably more decorative than useful - it's drawers were empty, anyway - however Kayeni, after briefuly sizing it up, decided it would be light and small enough for her to carry, but not so heavy that it would be a struggle.

Setting her mind to it, she put her arms around it and heaved. It was slightly heavier than she expected, but she managed to pick it up, and carry it to the door.

The only problem was, midway, she tilted the drawers at an angle such that one rolled out and fell onto the floor with a rather loud thunk. Freezing, she waited for the door to open and to be questioned - but no-one opened it this time.

She counted to ten, and still, no-one opened the door.

Thank the gods. More gently now, leaving the fallen drawer behind, she moved towards the door, and infinitesimally slowly lowered it to the ground in front of the door.

Now the door was - more or less - blockaded. She wouldn't be disturbed for a bit.

At least, that was if she planned on staying in the room. The window was still invitingly open.

(Way too long ToT)

Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince

Björn's footsteps echoed from the corridors walls as he let out a rather loud sigh of relief. Although, now that he was on his own yet again, he was stuck pondering a few things. Like, first of all, why the hell did he care all of a sudden?! Just a couple hours prior his thoughts had been dead set on running his sword through the crown princesses chest, to rid himself of her and her little Galcolian entourage. Now he was actually worrying about what she ate??

"Ugh... Stupid, stupid, stupid-!" He grumbled to himself as he very lightly smacked his forehead with a limp fist. The temptation to walk back to the kitchen was rather strong. If he so wanted, he still could. Go back, tell them to forget everything he had just told them and to prepare everything as usual. 'No... No I bloody can't. They'd think I was going mad.' Björn quickly convinced himself.

For him to rush in there in such a state when the topic at hand was something he shouldn't have even cared much for in the first place let alone to change his mind mere minutes later. The confusion in the kitchen, along with the chefs judgemental looks. Björn knew he wouldn't be able to face that. Their doubt.

He was so incredible after all and they all knew it! If he barged back in there and started to take back his words, they might see it as a sign of his wavering confidence and that was the last thing he wanted. His mind wandered momentarily to Kayeni.

Geez, even if he hadn't left a less than desirable impression on the chefs- Not that he cared what they thought anyways!! They were simple common folk working under his father and therefore, also him! But... The way he had stumbled over his words before. Leaving Kayeni in such a rush. The whole situation was less than ideal.

Björn ran a hand carefully through his hair as he pushed some of the silvery white locks from his eyes, coming to a stop at one of the hallways open windows. A soft exhale left his lips as he leaned over slightly, resting his arms on the stony windowsill.

'...I really made a fool of myself didn't I...?' He thought as a slightly dejected look crossed his features. The whole day had been an absolute trainwreck. A shitshow. A whatever terrible word you could use to describe it would probably still fit. Yet, it still wasn't over. No. He still had to dine with these Galcolian's when the time came for dinner...

"...Tch." Björn gave a small click of the tongue as he realized he most likely should've informed the kitchen staff to not utter a word of his behaviour just before, nor his request. The last thing he needed were the enemy to think he was soft. Like he cared about them. But he didn't. And for the same reasons he had convinced himself of earlier, he wasn't going to try and change it now. His fingers tapped idly in a soft rythym as he contemplated what to do now. Falthyr would be busy along with the council members in the grand hall. The Galcolians were settling into their quarters. Guards were stationed...

'Huh. Guess I don't have much else to tend to now.' He realized as his eyes lit up the tiniest bit.

There was so much he could do now without having to watch out for that damned princess. He could practice more with his blade, or visit the library, take a stroll through the garden, perhaps even return to his own quarters. For a while now he had been meaning to sift through his wardrobe, to discard any outfits he no longer wore or cared for to free up space for newer outfits he might come to find sooner or later as he usually did.

Almost every trip out of the castle resulted in a few servants returning with armfuls of stuff he so mindlessly decided to buy. Clothes, snacks, trinkets and other strange affects. Björn could barely recall what well over half of the things were for, what they were named or what they did. But he DID know they were pretty to look at and that was enough for him to keep ahold of them, displaying them on shelves in his room or study for him to gaze at.

'Im getting too distracted. Right. Wardrobe, library, or garden.' He stood up away from the windowsill as a large silhouette swooped by, the scaled figure of a wyvern disappearing up towards Merlnyrh, the second volcano, drawing his attention. It wasn't an uncommon sight in Valvorhm. The dragons and the wyverns, even the occasional drakes. As far as he was concerned, Valvorhm had an unspoken agreement with the creatures. This was their home too after all.

He wouldn't go as far as to say they got along, as the dragons were still incredibly proud beings full of power like winged disasters. But the people of Valvorhm managed. Around the kingdom were even some drakes that chose to live among the people, acting as mounts and loyal companions to some. Björn always pondered what it would be like to fly, or to run so far and fast he could feel the wind ruffling his hair. Sure they had horses, but they stank and definitely weren't as cool as the Drakes were.

They even came in different colours, from their typical browns and reds, to some slightly more exotic and unusual colours like blue, green or even pink. Björns favourites had always been the gold ones. They were incredibly rare, mainly due to them being hunted for their glistening scales... But he wasn't drawn to them for their value. Their strength and perseverance were admirable. Plus. They were way bigger than the other ones too.

The shadow of the wyvern finally disappeared from sight as it dove over the edge, towards the centre of the volcano. Björn felt his lips tug up in the faintest of smiles as he then stepped away from the window, beginning to make his way back to his quarters. After everything that had gone on today, Björn highly doubted he'd be ready for anymore socialization. Not until later at dinner at least. He navigated the castles many corridors, making his way up a flight of stairs before he finally reached the familiar doors to his own room.

Inside, was an absolutely beautiful mess. It wasn't the kind you would expect, of clothes to be strewn across the floors, perhaps even the occasional weapon carelessly tossed aside. Instead the room was littered in all sorts of works and artifacts.

Sunlight danced off a few crystals he had placed around on the windowsills and shelves, the light shimmering and casting the room in colourful glowing lights. Small rainbow spots rested on the ceiling too, where a few plants hung from strung up pots. The green vines had small white beads along them, small buds, flowers that were sure to bloom soon. A desk was situated by the far left wall, beneath a large window that had been opened just a smidge.

Björn stepped in as he softly shut the doors behind him, making his way towards the desk as he found a few of his papers along the ground. The breeze must have carried them off his desk. He stepped around a few small piles of papers with writing and sketches etched upon the parchment, accompanied by some fragments of artifacts he had collected over time. With a hum, he put the pile of papers back where they belonged, allowing his frost coloured eyes to rest on the sight of his works before moving along.

His bed was as you'd expect. A big tangle of sheets and blankets. He would never in a hundred years make it, and he would never have anyone, especially the servants enter his quarters to make it for him. Whether it was out of pride, embarrassment or fear of them stealing something of his, was up for debate. He only ever very reluctantly let them enter to change the bed sheets with new ones when it was absolutely needed.

The amount of convincing it took to get him to agree was always migraine inducing. Like trying to convince a kid to eat their vegetables or to put on shoes. With a soft "oof" he flopped down onto the bed, feeling as his sheathed sword hit the corner of the mattress, causing it to press a little uncomfortably against his side.

His gaze settled on the ceiling as he looked over the sight of his growing plants, the rainbow reflections from the crystals glass like surfaces, and the small patches of colour that came from them too. Blue, green, pink, yellow... So pretty...

If one was paying attention to that particular window from the outside of the castle, a careful observer might have seen a little brown ball of fur autodefenestrate themself out of the window. One might also notice that it definitely landed with a bit of a thump - damn, that might have hurt a bit - and most definitely looked as if it had thrown itself out of the second floor window on purpouse.

In fact, Kayeni really wasn't expecting the jump - which she had estimated to be five meters - to be that bad. She wasn't even in her human form, after all - she should have been able to be more unnoticed - but damn. Either she needed to work on how she threw herself out of that window, ir she should just get used to the fall.

Now she was standing out on the castle grounds - thankfully, there was no-one out here - she encountered another problem.

How, in all that was holy, was she meant to get out of the castle grounds?

Growling softly in frustration, she padded quietly towards what appeared to be the castle gates, ensuring she kept to the edges and to the shadows. Although... it was most definitely easier in Galcolia, she idly thought, where at least there was some sort of greenery to hide behind.

Here, apart from the castle gardens, there was nothing but black rock.

She felt like a prisoner. Wait, no, she was a prisoner. Yes, castles were built to keep some unwanted people out, but also to keep prisoners in. But then again, none of those prisoners had the ability to shift into a different form, until her.

Metaphorically, the main gates were honestly her only option. Unless there was some secret tunnel beneath the rocks - she reasoned that there probably was one, but she'd never know about it in a hundred years.

So she had to take the castle gates.

Or... the wall.

She was in wolf form. She could probably scrabble over the walls, right? That is, if she could get past the lava flows after that. But it was still better than somehow dashing through the gates, right? She'd be bound to be seen if she went through the front gates, even as a smaller animal.

The walls were probably a better bet, she reasoned to herself. The lava flows weren't impossible to cross. And she had experience climbing walls, from what she sometimes did at home.

Eyeing at the nearest wall, she looked around. Who would notice a brown ball of fluff climbing a wall and jumping down the other side? Then again, even if they did, what could they do about it?

Absolutely nothing. But these walls were rather tall, and in her wolf form, climbing walls was made... difficult. A snap decision made her absolutely run for the stairs embedded into the walls.

Maybe one or two people might have seen the brown ball of fur dash towards the steps. But the dark stone hid her better than she thought that it wuold, and she was up on the walls before they would have properly processed what it was.

Without checking what was below, how far down it might have been (very far), or how she'd manage climbing back up the wall later - she'd probably have to shift into human form back for the climb, if she was being honest with herself here - she launched herself out, over the edge of the walls, and fell a very long way to the floor of black rock, almost ten meters down, hitting it with an even louder oomph than before - but, thankfully, she wasn't in earshot of anyone.

Damn. She definitely needed to work on her skills of jumping off high places if she was going to do anything.

Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince of Valvorhm

He wasn't sure how much time had passed as his eyes fluttered open. Letting out a soft groan, Björn sat up on the bed as he felt the sheets shift beneath him. 'Damn... I actually dozed off for a bit there.' His frost coloured eyes drifted to the window, where he saw the sun was still up. At least he hadn't slept too long. Maybe just a few minutes at least.

He took a moment to gaze around his room. Seeing it and living in it day after day seemed to do very little in making the sight any less spectacular to him. He found himself familiar with the sight and the belongings his room held, yet at the same time there was so little he understood about some of the items he stored in it. With a small grunt, he hauled himself up to his feet, pushing himself away from the bed for an extra boost with his hands as he strode over towards his desk.

The softest breeze winded it's way through the small gap of the open window, ruffling his hair with that hot humid air he had grown up breathing. It had always felt so stifling, so heavy, but it was what made this place feel like home to him. Björn's fingers gently glided over the pieces of parchment on the desk as the pile spread out evenly, portraying the information and sketches visible in the corners. While he didn't often care for his lessons he was obligated to take as Crown Prince, he still found himself fascinated in studying other things. From plants to beasts and other creatures. Myths and legends. He read them all. He picked up a page as he looked over it, remembering the countless books he had studied over to get even the slightest idea for the map he had created.

He knew it might've been some childish dream. But finding a golden drake was always at the top of his list.

The page contained a fairly well sketched out map of Valvorhm, the volcanoes Alteryh and Merlnyrh, the castle nestled in between and some extra spots of land that stretched around the kingdom. He had been out searching many times, a few times he had even come back with a hunted drake or two. But more often than not, he turned up empty handed, with no drakes, and no further hope of seeing the golden drake he so desired to study and see up close. As such, the map had a few black charcoal crosses etched into the paper where he had gone and turned up with nothing, slowly making his way around. There was so much land to cover, and he was only one man, but he was determined and that was enough for him.

He put the page down as he sunk into the chair, sifting through more of the pages strewn across the stony desk as he started to organize them into a few piles. He mostly sorted the pages based of the topics, from the myths and legends in one pile, to one full of beasts and his notes on them. Idly, Björn started to hum a tune to himself, scanning over pages and placing them into their respective piles, even hanging a few up upon the wall next to the window like his drake hunting map.

It was strange how even in a place like Valvorhm, he still managed to feel a chill as the sun worked it's way across the sky for the late evening. He could hear the distant sounds of the reptilian residents in the volcanoes, their screeches, grunts and roars a horrible symphony but nothing new to Björn and his ears that were being blessed by the ruckus.

A few times he had attempted to speak to the dragons, trying to learn their tongue. But the language was difficult for humans to learn, and harder yet was finding a willing teacher who spoke it fluently. He knew only a few phrases of greeting or wishing safe passage upon another, but that was as far as his knowledge went. Some of the pronunciations were especially tough on human vocal cords, the deep gruff rolling of the tongue often creating a sensation as if your tongue was attempting to tug itself free of your throat and mouth.

The chair groaned as Björn leaned back in the seat, his gaze returning to his ceiling once again as he took in the bright colours the crystals projected onto the surface and the sight of his hanging plants that he somehow miraculously kept alive despite the harsh environment. It wasn't very often they saw many colours aside from the blacks, oranges and reds, so the green of plantation was a welcome sight to his eyes.

He sat back further as he rocked the chair a little bit upon it's back legs, bouncing it slowly as he pushed up from his toes and the balls of his feet. 'The pages are sorted. The plants were watered this morning. Dinner isn't for a while longer now. What the hell do I do with myself...? This is so boring...!' His train of thought was cut off as he felt the chair slip, letting out a loud grunt as the back of the chair hit the floor, taking him down with it. But he made no move to get back up, instead silently accepting he was now laying on the floor on a fallen chair as he bit the inside of his cheek, causing his expression to look a little pouty.

He considered going for that walk he had thought about earlier, but as he heard the continued evening calls of the dragons he decided not to push his ear drums further and risk going outside. His chest rose up, stilling for a moment before he let out a long, long sigh, letting his body relax.

'Maybe I should just have another nap. The wardrobe can wait for another day.' He concluded. But then came the fun bit. Actually getting back up. And that thought alone was enough to make him groan in annoyance as he stayed right there on the floor.

"Screw that."

A brownish wolf might have been seen clambering up the wall to the third-storey window that Kayeni's room was. While it may have looked effortless, Kayeni was panting, sweating and cursing the fact that she couldn't just climb the wall as a normal person.

Then again, what kind person climbed walls into their own room? Much less the Crown Princess of Galcolia.

No, of course, she'd definitely not done it before. At least, that was what her father and mother might have thought.

She tumbled through the window that was mercifully still open, and landed with a bit of a thump on the rug in front of the window, lying there in her other form, just catching her breath. Although, in this disgusting air that she still had to get used to, it was remarkably hard to as every third breath caught as the stench filled her lungs.

Groaning slightly, she shifted back into her human form and took stock of the room again. The drawers were still against the door, and that one drawer that had fallen out was lying in the exact same place that she had left it. Nothing had been changed at all - which meant, pretty much, that her room hadn't been invaded while she was gone, or something.

Pulling herself up from the floor, she started standing up, and instantly crashed back down onto the floor as of course the open window had to be right on top of her, and hit her head quite painfully as she tried to stand up.

Window, two, Kayeni, zero.

She stood up again, the top of her head throbbing slightly, and slightly angrily slammed the damned window - why in all that was holy did that damned window have to be so annoying - with a bit of a bang. It probably could be heard from outside - she didn't entirely care. The fact that the damned window had to be exactly there when she tried to stand up - she didn't like the window at all. Although the moment it was shut, the scent of sulfur and disgustingness faded slightly.

Hmm. Maybe she could request an incense stick in the following days. At least, it would make the room smell better. And it would be much more tolerable than this ashy smell she would always have to come back to after wandering for a few hours far away from the volcanoes - far enough that the air smelt fresh and her lungs didn't feel like they were permanently accumulating up soot and ash.

Back here, though, she wanted some reprieve.

~

By the time there was a knock on the door, Kayeni had quietly moved the drawer back to where it was earlier - almost, she couldn't entirely tell where it used to be - tidied herself up, and was about to look in the closet that she'd been given.

Did the prince think that she travelled without baggage? Although, come to think about it, she had dropped it off with the servants at the entrance and hadn't seen it since.

"Enter," she called from the desk where she was idly sitting in. Spinning around on the seat, the door opened and a servant peeked in, much like the guard had earlier - slightly intimidated.

"Yes? What is it?" Kayeni had a good idea what it was all about, but it was her job to ask, after all.

"My lady, His Majesty himself personally requests your attendance at tonight's dinner." The servant - no, she looked around her room slightly nervously. Why, Kayeni had no idea.

"That's fine. You can tell him I can be there when he requests me to come down." Kayeni paused, then continued on. "Speaking of which, do you know where the baggage I brought with me has ended up? I know it definitely arrived here with me, and I rather do want to know where they've gone."

The servant - Kayeni needed to ask her name, didn't she? - looked at her with a bit of confusion. "My lady, are you referring to these outside your room?" She indicated with her hand something out of sight, and Kayeni stood up and walked over to the door to see what she was referring too.

Sure enough, there were her bags. Kayeni inwardly cursed herself for not checking beforehand.

Then again... it had probably arrived while she was out exploring. Which meant they must have knocked on the door, not heard a response, and left her alone.

Shit.

"Oh, right! My apologies, I was meaning to do something but I might have fallen asleep at the table back there for a brief moment." Kayeni gave a bit of a laugh in her effort to hide it. No good them knowing she managed to sneak out of the castle for a few hours, would it?

The servant smiled slightly. "It is fine. Would you like me to bring it into your room now?" Kayeni knew the servant was only asking out of responsibility, and while she probably needed to go do other things... Kayeni did want her things inside the room she had been given.

"If it's not too much of a trouble for you, then I'd be happy to accept that offer." The servant nodded her mane of blond hair and began to lift one of the bags as Kayeni shot out another question.

"What's your name?"

TThe servant froze. Kayeni wasn't sure what reaction she might have done, but generally the servants in the Galcolian castle didn't exactly care if she asked. Considering she knew most of them personally, it wasn't much different.

But then, that didn't seem to be the case in this place.

"Bianca, my lady." Her tone was now uncertain, as if she didn't know exactly if she would be getting into trouble. Kayeni could almost see her brain whizzing through her actions, as if she was trying to figure out what she had done wrong.

"No, no, it's fine, I'm not going to get you into any trouble." She smiled a bit at Bianca. "I just wanted to know your name." She strode forward and lifted one of her other baggages off the floor, and slowly moved with it back into her room. "Let's get these in, then I can get changed and we can go."

Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince of Valvorhm

After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes in reality, Björn decided to pick his ass back up off the floor. He was grateful that servants never aimlessly entered his room because if they had they definitely would've gotten quite the shock from finding him laying on the floor in defeat. His fingers dug under the chair as he lifted it up, letting it fall back onto it's legs before he hip bumped it back under the desk. He winced a little at the stiffness that had formed along his back. Geez. He shouldn't have been surprised since stone floors usually didn't equal comfort or relaxation, but still. It hadn't been that long right?

He grumbled to himself under his breath as he stretched his arms up over his head, attempting to loosen the muscles before flinching as his spine gave a satisfying yet horrifying crack.

"Shit--!" He swore almost in fright from the sound, but quickly relaxed as he found some of the tension had been released. 'Only twenty five and I feel like I'm going on fourty or something.' He smirked a little at his own thought. It really wasn't that funny, between the way he walked around and the posture he had when he sat down anywhere, he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up needing a cane by his thirties. Björn's gaze settled on the wardrobe doors as he realized it would soon be time for dinner. "I could just wear this stuff... I doubt they'd care. Not like I do. But Father might get annoyed with me again if I try to pull anything to get under anyone's skin." He mumbled idly, speaking his thoughts aloud as he browsed through his many outfits that lined the space of the wardrobe. A lot of black. A lot of red. It was almost a bit depressing.

"Why the hell do I have this...? It's giving 1700's vampire..." He grumbled in disgust as he threw some incredibly frilly looking blouses across the room and onto the floor.

"Vest... Corset??? Absolutely not... Blouse... Another blouse... Tail coat... Ew is this velvet!?!?" He immediately recoiled as he physically shuddered. Just how much had his tastes changed over the years!? All of this was atrocious!

He whined a bit as he put a hand to his temple, massaging it softly. "Really starting to regret having not sorted this out sooner." He growled. Fine, if he didn't have anything super fancy, he'd just go with what he was already used to wearing. With that in mind, he shed his clothes as he got changed into some heavy black trousers, looping a black drake skin belt around to fasten it in place against his waist. He then slipped on a long sleeve dark crimson button up shirt that he only partially did up, leaving the last two or three buttons free so it didn't restrict him too much, before finishing off with a black vest that covered most of the lower half of his torso. It held a dark crimson image of the Valvorhm crest on the left side just above his heart.

He glanced at himself in the mirror, instantly hating how the colours really didn't match his hair or anything of the sort. As much as he loved the wavy silvery white locks, it wasn't exactly the most common hair colour, especially in a place like this. His mother had deep chocolate brown hair, and his father had the deepest shade of jet black. So how the hell did Björn manage to get lucky with something as bright as snow itself? He looked himself over, frowning deeply. Maybe if he swapped to a white blouse...? But then the whole outfit would just be black and white, minus the crimson crest. Ah screw it.

After a few minutes, he looked himself over again, still frowning in annoyance. None of it looked right. He didn't want to look like he had just simple grabbed the first clothes he found, but he also didn't want to seem like he was trying too hard to impress anyone. They were only Galcolians anyways. He sat down heavily in his chair beside the vanity as he began the meticulous task of sorting out his hair, adjusting the strands as he tried to find a style he didn't mind. In the end, he gave up, simply running it back as he combed some special product he had purchased from a merchant through it, letting the smell of honey and rose linger a bit as he took in the new look. It actually... Didn't look half bad.

The white strands were now completely combed back and held in place, glistening softly in the evening sunlight. Except for that one damned piece. He grit his teeth as he began to force the strand back into place, trying to plaster it down with a bit more product. But it was as if it was a direct show of his own stubbornness, as it refused to stay in place to instead stay lingering over his forehead. "Whatever. If you won't stay back then I'll just have to cut you off-!" He snapped as he grabbed some scissors, preparing to cut the strand when there was a knock at his door.

"Your highness--"

"WHAT!?!?" Björn's voice instantly boomed out, driving the servant who had knocked and spoken into silence.

"His Majesty requests you to join him for dinner." The servant spoke feebly, now clearly very on edge around the grumpy sounding prince.

"...Very well. I'll be there soon." He called back in a much quieter tone as he put the scissors down, pointing an accusatory finger at his reflection, or... more so the strand of stubborn hair that refused to stay put.

"You win this time..." He growled before turning, grabbing his cloak and making his way out of his room, heading for the dining hall. He could already hear the bustling of servants as they prepared wines and other delicacies for the meals tonight. Every other night, he'd love it. The attention, the booze, the food... But tonight, he doubted he'd be able to enjoy any of it very much.

Kayeni straightened up in the full-body mirror that was helpfully in her room, silently cursing that she had sent of Bianca before she had changed. Now she had to do up the rest at her back by herself, and while she had been trained how she could do it... it was still a bit of a pain.

Okay, slightly more than a pain.

But as she finished the last knot and critically looked at herself in the mirror, she had to admit that unless one had a very trained eye, they wouldn't tell that it hadn't been done completely properly from the back, and was just her attempt to do it from the front. After all, what would they expect of the Galcolian princess? Nothing much, after all. Unlike whatever the hell those dresses in the cupboard were - no, Kayeni most definitely did not want to wear those - Galcolian clothing was still, at the bare minimum, designed to keep body heat in what the Valhorks would call a "frozen wasteland".

Although, some court clothing that she had was quite removed from it's original base purpouse of keeping one warm. This one was somewhere in the middle, and although Kayeni knew that it'd probably be dangerously hot later, she couldn't bring herself to not wear this.

Good to wear, sufficient skin convered to serve as a piece of Galcolian clothing, minus the goatskin layer. Not too practical, but not too impractical either. The light blue - most of her dresses were light blue, as she had specifically requested, as the Galcolian's national colour (and to slightly stick it in their face) - that in the uncertain and orange light from outside, made the colour look better on her than she would have thought. It even changed the colour slightly, and - well, while she had picked it in Galcolia, she didn't think that the orange light would do so good on it.

Sighing briefly - she had to make a good impression on the entire chamber, after all - her internal mask came back on. Her breathing steadied. On the outside, everyone would see her as a princess from foreign lands that was to wed their Crown Prince, and kept her head high and chin straight while she was doing it.

It was with that internal mask that she had to still knock on her own door to be let out, as one of the guards silently led her to the dining hall, where her mask couldn't crack.

On the inside, behind the carefully sculpted mask she had spent years honing... she had no goddamned clue anymore.

Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince of Valvorhm

Björn had made his way into the dining hall, his gaze greeted by the sight of his Father sitting at the head of the table as usual, along with some of the Galcolian princesses entourage who had already gathered. He took up his seat beside Falthyr near the head, yet still off to the side, where directly across from him was the empty seat he presumed had been reserved for Kayeni. He could feel the gazes of the Valvorhkian council members too who all sat on the same side of the table beside each other. The divide between the two kingdoms couldn't be anymore obvious.

Björn's fingers mindlessly wrapped around one of his forks as he fidgeted with the prongs, much to the disapproving look his father was giving him as Kayeni was escorted into the hall by the guards which had been stationed outside her room.

He didn't want to pay too much attention to her arrival. She was just some princess anyways. But he couldn't help himself when he noticed the slight redness on her face. At first he though it might perhaps just be a result of her not yet being used to the heat of Valvorhm, but his eyes narrowed as he found the redness wasn't exactly evenly spread. It was more dead set in a sort of mark.

He fought a smirk as he cast his gaze back down to the table before putting his fork back down. His frosty gaze fixed back on Kayeni after a few moments as his father's words began to fall on deaf ears as he went on about being in great company, how it was an honour to be joined by the others and blah blah blah. He didn't really care much for his father's words. Not just because they weren't directed at him, but because he knew the man didn't mean a word of it. It was all out of obligation and formality.

He seemed rather fixated on Kayeni, trying to figure out what could've caused the mark on her face. It wasn't so bright and obvious that everyone would immediately assume something had happened, but to his rather trained eye, he could tell she had been up to something, but as to what it was eluded him. He decided it was best not to ponder too hard since he was sure the answer would come to him eventually, in time perhaps. His fingers idly drummed on the table as he let his lips quirk up in a slight smile as the servants brought out the food, laying it upon the table while his gaze never faltered from Kayeni's, like a predator staring down its prey. He almost looked amused at the whole thing.

'Of course she didn't wear any of the clothes I told her too. Defiant little rose..' He thought to himself as he shifted his attention to Falthyr, who seemed to have a slight questioning in his eyes. Björn figured he might try warn her that the clothing suggestion was more to appease Falthyr, but, he had to admit watching her still dress as she wished to despite the "request" to try and get back at him was significantly more entertaining. There was a reason he loved his hunting. The thrill of the chase was always the rush he wanted.

So when a girl tried to play hard to get against his charms? Even if she was Galcolian, she was certainly beginning to pique his interest.

Kayeni was definitely well-versed enough to understand that everything that the King was saying was nothing but what he had to say. What protocol had dictated, she ruefully recalled a bit from what she had said to Bjorn earlier in the day.

And now here they were, at something that was exactly what she had said. And here he seemed to be, forced to sit directly opposite her, and honestly looking far too intrigued in what she was wearing - looks like he had picked up she didn't want to wear the ridiculous Valhorkian clothing quite quickly, and for a good reason to - she liked her own clothing better. It'd make an impression on them - although, honestly, with the way that a few of the councillors looked at her, she wasn't entirely sure what.

But it'd be an impression, alright. And one that, no matter what exactly it was, she wanted to make. Although she was mostly powerless here, that didn't mean she couldn't make these kinds of things.

Maybe it was slightly petty too, going against his word for what she was supposed to wear. But since when did she ever have to be super cooperative to what Bjorn said? That wasn't in the contract. A brief smile touched her lips at the thought.

But as the king's speech finished, everyone - herself included - absently applauding while attempting to zone back into what was happening, and the invisible waiters dressed in a different colour than she was used to at home bringing out the first course, Kayeni couldn't avoid it much longer, and was forced to look directly at Bjorn. On the surface, they were just two betrothed members of royal families that were forced to be here, and she was just idly picking at the meal they had served - pretend to eat without really eating too much, even though the food was suprizingly good from the few bites she took - but really, she tried to analyze Bjorn from her perspective of mainly looking down at her food and trying not to look too interested in the conversation going on at the other end of the table.

Honestly, she found it difficult to connect the almost man-child from the morning to what he was now. Yes, a hint of that remained, but it was also... almost suppressed. There was less of it at the dining table as he ate, and as she pretended not to notice all of the other glances he and the others on that side of the table kept giving her.

An interesting court indeed. She'd have to learn where the landmines were, and who to avoid, later.

Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince of Valvorhm

"So then. I take it your evening was well spent?" Falthyr inquired, lowering a glass with the swirling contents of rich red wine from his lips, his gaze flickering between Kayeni and Björn. Of course he was still under the assumption that perhaps they'd have spent their free time in one another's company as means to get to know each other.

Björn softly rolled his eyes as he idly nudged some of his food with his fork, knowing for certain that there was no simple way that Falthyr truly believed they were on such terms with each other. He lifted his ice coloured gaze to Kayeni for a moment before he went back to his food, clearing his throat a little before speaking.

"It was certainly interesting, wouldn't you agree princess?" He smirked softly. His gaze flickering back up to her as it lingered upon her features, taking in the sight of her. He couldn't help how he was beginning to grow rather excited for their future interactions. Despite her origins, he was already growing rather fond of her attitude, her disrespect, her mannerisms. It was interesting to say in the least. To see how she cared little for respect or even formalities...

Even for someone who seemed so oblivious, arrogant and dense, he could acknowledge on the outside she seemed civil enough, knowing that deep down she was probably as bitter about the whole arrangement. Having to be brought here all thanks to his father's ambitions. His ridiculous idea of mercy, when really he was practically toying with his enemies. Creating his own new form of entertainment. A game for the long term.

Björn huffed a little in amusement, his eyes flickering along the faces of the others who sat at the table with them, from the familiar ones of the Valvorhkian council, to the entourage of Galcolians who joined Princess Kayeni's side. Never once, did he ever think he'd see the day where the two kingdoms came together like this, however reluctantly. It made him curious. Eager to see how things played out..