Dakota was still ignoring Ekon, which disappointed him greatly. He truly missed his friend, and the bear hardly ever spoke to him anymore. He even seemed a little more reserved to Dava, which was odd as Ekon had believed that the two had been getting along very well. Dakota's neglect of Ekon left him very lonely, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so alone.

Luckily, Anasuri was there to make him smile once in awhile. He had been painting often, and had been able to make a trip to the orphanage twice under the cover of the night sky. He continued his normal routine, even though something felt very out of place without Dakota there.

Ekon snapped out of his thoughts as a knock finally sounded from the door to Anasuri's room. He immediately stood, alipping his helmet on over his long white hair and opened the door, his eyes immediately widening at Anasuri's appearance.

She was very pretty, as per normal, yes, Ekon had admitted to himself a while back that Anasuri was pretty. Not that it really meant anything, he knew that many found her attractive, and she was. But he wouldn't ever say anything about it, as he doubted she enjoyed those comments. Right now though, the dress she was wearing showed off a lot more than her normal outfits. He could tell she wasn't very comfortable with what she was wearing, and despite the blush on his face, he knew that she was nervous. "Well Princess, I did what you asked, I do hope it's enough. I don't normally wear this particular set but desperate times call for desperate measures huh?" The sound of his smile was easily heard in his voice. Though now that he saw what Anasuri was wearing, he realized he might actually have to take his job rather seriously.

Anasuri didn't try to hide the relief in her eyes when Ekon slipped into friendly conversation. It let her breathe easier, and with deep breath, Anasuri gave the knight a teasing grin, "Why, my dear Knight, you look positively terrifying. If I didn't know your goofy purple smile was underneath that helm, I'd be quaking in my heels."

Anasuri gestured for him to follow her, and the pair left their quarters and made their way down the hall. They wouldn't be late for the start of the ball, but they would not be among the first people there. Hopefully, with a larger crowd, Anasuri could slip into it unnoticed. It was an impossible wish, but one Anasuri held on to.

"If possible," Anasuri said, and even though her voice was light, there was a darker shadow on her face, "Be extra scary around a tall Elf with silvery skin and short, dark red hair. That's King Lucian - he probably won't be scared off, but it's worth a shot." In the Elf kingdom, there were a three Kings, with her Uncle being the highest of them all. The Kings were the lawmakers and rulers of the farther areas of the kingdom, where it would take too long for news of Lord's squabbles to reach the King. The other Kings would solve any issues that arose, and send a message to the King for approval of their decisions. The three men were very different, with the highest King being... well, he was Anasuri's Uncle, and she was still terrified of him and disagreed with his judgement. Lucian was one of the most petty, bossy, and absolutely unbearable to be around. He seemed to think that power and looks automatically made him the best person in the room.

On the other hand... "If you see King Julan, though - pale green skin with darker green hair - he's more than welcome." A fond smile danced across Anasuri's face, "One of my cousin's - the King's daughter - married him. He's a great friend of mine."

Ekon grinned under his helmet as Princess Anasuri teased him. He knew she was uncomfortable with the situation, but hopeful he'd be able to keep her positive and scare off as many elves as he could. He actually didn't mind his assignment at all, one because it meant freaking out royals, which was always fun, and two because he wanted Princess Anasuri to be as happy as she possibly could be. Especially after what he'd did to her, she at least deserved happiness, and he'd be happy to help with that.

The smile slipped off Ekon's face when the Princess began to speak of this King Lucian guy. To be completely honest, he'd only heard rumors about the man, and he had not liked what he'd heard. Although he wasn't sure if he would seem threatening to a man like Lucian, he would try his best to be. After all, that was his assigned job and he didn't like the Lucian man anyways. Especially if he made Princess Anasuri uncomfortable.

As for the King Julian man, well he sounded respectable enough, though Ekon himself had never heard of him before. He would be keeping an eye out for both men, as he'd back off when King Julian approached and stand firm when Lucian did. Other men would probably be easy enough. As it was knights were intimidating enough.
Knight training was tougher than anything a king had to go through, as such, knights were treated with respect and, most of the time, silence. Knights tended to be intimidating whether they liked it or not. Ekon could use that to his advantage, and would do everything he could to make himself a tad bit more intimidating than he already was. Truthfully, Princess Anasuri had not yet seen that side of him, and he'd been hoping she wouldn't have to. Alas, for her happiness, he'd do it.

"Ah I see, so act big and scary around a slimy silver eel and relaxed around King Julan. I'll keep that in mind m'lady. I'm assuming that most men that approach you you would like me to try and scare off, correct? As I would not like to intimidate, or be rude to, any of your friends." Ekon had to talk slightly louder than normal, otherwise the mask muffled his words to much. Which was the main reason why he hardly ever more masks.

Anasuri couldn't hold back her snort of laughter, "Trust me," She said with a fond smile, "A raging god from the depths would not deter my friends from approaching me. You do not have to worry about scaring those close to me off."
Friends were hard to come by for Anasuri. For one, she didn't get out a lot, and therefore had less of a chance to meet people. Then, there was also the fact that Anasuri was Princess, and most people only wanted her money, power, or to use her to get closer to the King.

Ha. As if. The King didn't give a rat's ass about her.

The few friends Anasuri did have, though, were wonderful people, and were the type that when they were around, the tension that was almost always present in Anasuri's shoulders drained, and her laugh was loud and unapologetic.

At the door, Anasuri couldn't help but pause, and took a deep, steadying breath, "No chance I could suddenly come down with the plague, right?" She joked weakly, fiddling with her dress and adjusting the crown that she knew was on straight. The tightness in her frame grew more taunt, and the bold woman that was Anasuri Patel suddenly seemed even smaller than her tiny frame was, and shrunk in on herself as she signaled to the guards the open the door.

The tall and magnificent doors swung open, and Anasuri didn't even hear it as the man announced her presence. Anasuri kept up her fake smile as she descended the stairs, and was met with a crowd of people she didn't know, didn't care to know, and didn't want anywhere close to her. Even after years of practice of dealing with the crowds and events like this, it still made Anasuri exceedingly nervous and anxious. Then, a tall and warm body slammed into Anasuri's side, and for a moment Anasuri was seized with panic before she saw the familiar dark blue skin that was currently grabbing Anasuri in a fierce hug, which she returned after a moment. Anasuri felt sheltered underneath the other Elf's arm as the woman boldly made her way through the crowd, and towards the back. Anasuri found herself turning slightly to give Ekon a small, albeit shaky, smile.

Once they were in the clear, the tall figured whipped around to face Anasuri, long, black hair as shiny as always. She wore a stunning pale silver dress, with gems embedded in the bodice, "Annie," The woman started, hands on her hips, "When is that ass head of a King gonna realize you are never going to find someone at a ball. I mean gods you hate this stuff! You are as pretty as a peach, don't get me wrong, but.. damn! Ugh, I could just rip out my hair it pisses me off so much!" Anasuri was laughing, and could hardly get a word in with her talkative friend, "Mel.. Mel..." She had tried to stop the tangent multiple times, "Melina VosYule will you please stop cursing out the most powerful man in the land in his own home?" Mel gave Anasuri a cheeky grin, "Well where is the fun in that?" Finally, Mel seemed to notice the knight that was following Anasuri, and whispered to Anasuri, although she wasn't trying to be quiet at all, "Who's tall, dark, and spooky, eh Annie? New guard? Need me to beat his ass for you so he knows that if he messes with you I'll skewer his eyeballs?" Anasuri covered her mouth with a mortified look on her face, although she was laughing after a moment, "Don't worry. Any assassination attempts were promptly thwarted with my winning personality and inability to die."

Mel looked like she wanted to put Anasuri in a headlock, "Well alrighty then," She said after a moment, and looked over at the knight, "Well, I'm Melina, but call me Mel - nice to meet you spooky man." Mel held out a hand to shake, laughter in her eyes, "It seems you, too, were met with the face of resigned sadness when attempting to kill that nut-head."

Ekon felt horrible for Princess Anasuri, her once bright and bold personality seemed to be folding into itself as they approached the doors to the ball. He too felt out of place amongst the people, but Anasuri definitely had it worse, especially with that dress that she no doubt did not like. At least Ekon could hide behind his helmet, any faces or awkwardness he did have could be hidden behind his fierce armor. Anasuri did not have that pleasure though, and for that Ekon was sorry.

At Princess Anasuri's shaky joking, Ekon tried to give her a reassuring smile, before realizing that his helmet hid it. Hopefully she saw the way his eyes squinted slightly, and held onto that as a message that she would be fine, and that he'd help her as much as he possibly could.
The bright lights of the ball were startling, and it took Ekon a moment to adjust his gaze to truly see what was happening. Although he truly wanted to look around and see the wonders of the ballroom, he knew his place, and instead kept his eyes straight ahead. Catching glimpses of women in beautiful, intricate ball gowns and men in well-made, most likely brand new, colorful suits. It was breathtaking, though Ekon did not get time to truly appreciate the elegance of it all because somebody slammed into Princess Anasuri.

Ekon was startled, though nothing in his body showed it. His gold eyes watched the newcomer warily, trying to figure if this woman was a threat or not. Though, it seemed she wasn't, as Princess Anasuri seemed to happily hug the other woman back. The tension that had flooded Ekon's body for a moment quickly dissipated as he followed his ward and her assumed friend to the back of the large room. Out of the corners of his eyes, he noticed many staring at his towering form. He supposed that the armor caught the attention of most, as well as his place beside Princess Anasuri. People were eyeing him up, figuring out if he would be another failed knight.

Ekon did his best to ignore the stares, and anytime he did happen to lock eyes with someone, they quickly turned away. As staring at a knight was rude altogether, and Ekon was stunned by the amount of people that seemed to be forgetting this unspoken rule about knights.

When Princess Anasuri turned slightly and smiled at him, Ekon nodded reassuringly, and followed behind her without a second thought, sure to give her a good amount of space though. He did not want to seem like an intrusion or some sort of spy.

Once they finally reached their destination, Ekon allowed himself to timidly look around, finally taking in the hall's full grandeur. Although the people were to stiff for his liking, the hall was still beautiful, though the people were quite the opposite, with their greedy eyes and lustful stares, it was a wonder that anything ever got done in the kingdom considering the fact that these people looked to obsessed with themselves to actually pay attention to other royals let alone their own people.

Ekon finally snapped back into his head at the mention of, "tall, dark, and spooky," in which Ekon realized that Princess Anasuri's friend was talking about him. To be entirely honest, he hadn't thought this woman would even acknowledge his presence, hearing her actually talk about him was rather shocking. Granted, with the way he was dressed it was probably hard to just ignore him. When she threatened to skewer his eyeballs, he had to pin down the urge to laugh. Although he didn't doubt her ability to fight, he did doubt that she could skewer his eyeballs. Not before he got her own eyeballs first.

The woman, Melina apparently, took Ekon by surprise when she introduced herself. Talking about him to his face had already been much more attention than he'd thought he'd receive, an actual introduction was practically unheard of. Ekon eyes the woman, perhaps she was more like Princess Anasuri than most of the other fools here. "It is a pleasure to meet you m'lady, I'm Ekon. As for Princess Anasuri, she is well protected with me as her knight, I assure you that no harm will come to her while I'm alive. Though, I am sure that the Princess would figure out some way to live through any attempt made on her life even if I am not present." Ekon gently shook Melina's hand after much confusion at the gesture, he didn't often touch anyone, let alone a woman he hardly knew that could most likely have his head on a platter with a snap of her blue fingers.

Mel threw back her head and laughed, mirth twinkling in her dark eyes, "I don't doubt that she'd find a way." Mel's grip on Ekon's armored hand was firm and strong, and callouses were visible on her hands. There was also a hard muscle that strung through her shoulders and arms, but the cheeky grin she gave Anasuri mellowed out her bold features. Mel took a step back and slung her arm over Anasuri's shoulders. Anasuri spoke up, "We've known each other for... ten years now? Mel's great. I'd trust her with my life-" "And I trust Annie with mine," Mel interrupted, and the two shared a grin.

"How is Yusstin?" Anasuri asked, a serious edge to her voice. Mel also looked serious, but her grin didn't falter, "Your clean-water plans are working great, and the orphanage's funding has finally gone through. I am personally overseeing the construction and hiring of the people there, and will be sure to check up often." Anasuri was visibly relieved.

Mel turned to Ekon to explain, "For the past ten years Anasuri has helped me gain funds for the city my father is the Lord of. Because of her, we went from dirt-poor to having one of the most prosperous and booming economies, with systems put in place to help every person, and not just the rich." Anasuri's smile was shy, but proud, "Mel did the actual work-" "But it was Annie who set up the plans and gave us the starting funds." At Anasuri's face Mel stuck her tongue out, "You think I'm going to let you downplay what you did? It sucks ass that the dipshit King won't see what you are doing, and Lord's won't let a woman help," Mel's face screwed up in anger, "I'm lucky my sexist father is too sick to get out of bed, and thinks that my brother is actually running the city. Ha! As if. He can't even put on his pants the right way."

Anasuri patted Mel's shoulder soothingly, "Thanks for rescuing me, Mel, but I know you want to schmooze with the other Lord's and negotiate, and you hate having your brother be out of sight as these events, because he will mess it up." Mel nodded, although she looked regretful, "Yes... Hopefully Philly will arrive soon, though, that way every person you dance with won't be a complete fuck-head."

With a friendly smooch on Anasuri's cheek, Mel gave Ekon a cheeky two fingered salute, and excused herself. Once again she apologized, but Anasuri waved her off. This was an important moment for Mel, and although her brother tried his best... it simply wasn't up to par with what Mel could do.

Now that it was only her and Ekon, Anasuri let out a shallow breath, but her voice was light as she spoke, "Mel is one of the best people you'll meet. If you need something done, and done right, she's your gal." As Anasuri scanned the crowd, her loose shoulders stiffened, as if remembering where she was, "Alright then," She said lowly, mostly to herself, "You can do this Annie. You can... talk to a bunch of assholes. And dance. You can do this." She continued to quietly reassure herself until someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was a plain looking Elf, with a kind smile, and as Anasuri spun around she plastered on a fake smile. It was eerie how real it looked, even though it didn't reach her eyes, "If you are not busy, may I have a dance?" There was a slow song playing, but that hardly was recognized in Anasuri's brain, "Of course," she agreed smoothly, and took his hand.

Ekon nodded his head at Lady Melina, saying goodbye without really saying anything. She seemed nice enough, though he couldn't seem too friendly with anyone at the party. It was his whole job to act as intimidating as possible, and he couldn't really

do that if he was befriending just anyone that came along. Though, he did find Lady Melina pleasurable company, and she was nice in her own, loud way. Later, when his helmet was not on, he hoped they could talk.

Once she left, Princess Anasuri seemed a lot less comfortable. Granted, before Lady Melina arrived she had practically shriveled in on herself, now, Princess Anasuri was doing it again. Ekon couldnt help but feel bad, though it was technically against the code to feel anything for his ward, he had already broken that rule multiple times so he didn't feel as though it would be a problem now. Regardless, Princess Anasuri was uncomfortable, and even though he wasn't sure if he'd succeed, he had to at least try and make her smile.

After a moment of thought, he leaned down slightly, not in any teasing way, just so Anasuri could see through the holes of his helmet and into his eyes. "M'lady, you can do this. You are one of the most talented individuals I've ever met in my life. If you wished, the people in this room could all be dead instantaneously. You doubt yourself despite the fact that you are very, very powerful, and I truly wish that you could see that you are just as poised and powerful as any knight in this room, more so than even the King himself. Please, trust yourself more Princess Anasuri, for you are even more confident than you give yourself credit for. Please remember, that tonight is only as long as you make it, and that this will soon be over and you can return to your chambers and act as if nothing ever happened." Ekon smiled softly under his helmet, his brilliant gold eyes piercing Anasuri's own, hoping that she sensed the truth in his words.

The gentle look on his face faded soon enough, and he looked up with humor in his eyes. "Look out, rat alert." Ekon grinned yet again under his helmet, and gave Princess Anasuri a humorous wink before standing upright and letting the humor drain from his face. The gold in his eyes returning to a dark brown, so dark they looked almost black, and he glared at the newcomer with suspicion as he stole the Princess away.

Anasuri was grateful to Ekon for trying to lighten the mood, and bolster her spirits and confidence. She sent him a ghost of her normal, brilliant smile, and was whisked off to dance.

Away from Ekon's protective glare, which had been keeping a few potential suitors away, more people asked Anasuri for a dance once she had finished one with her current partner. Of course, Anasuri had to except each time, and carried the same grace and poise throughout it all. Her feet were screaming by the time she managed to slip out of the dance floor, ten or so dances later. Anasuri found refuge in Ekon's intimidating shadow.