The Prince's Plight

Reina looked up as she heard the door open behind her only to see Lox walk back into his room. His hair looked wet and he had some sweat on his brow no doubt from some exercise with his guards. She didn't put up a fight when he all but picked her up and sat her on his lap while he held her around the waist. For some reason it seemed like he really enjoyed having her on his lap but it wasn't like she could really complain. Leaning back against his chest it was actually fairly relaxing even if he was wet and the smell coming off of him caused her to crinkled her nose. "Pft, for some reason I think that if I had stayed here with you I would have ended up with less sleep then what I got." Of course he had noticed how tired she looked and it was partially his fault anyway. Besides, if she'd been here last night she wouldn't have gotten a moment or rest with him constantly teasing her and pushing her buttons. Turning her cheek she let him kiss her as she shifted in his lap trying to get in a good position. Strange enough she actually seemed more comfortable in his lap then she had felt last night in her bed.

As he played that comforting song on the piano she could feel her eyes getting droopy as her breathing started getting a little slower as she could feel herself getting sleepy. No doubt he was planning this in that evil little mind of his and was enjoying seeing her in such a sleep like state. It didn't help that he kept kissing up her neck and playing with her hair which only served to make her lean against him even more as she rested her head against him and turned to the side. Her own arms wrapped around his pulling her closer in his embrace. If he kept this up any longer then she'd probably end up falling asleep right then and there in his arms. "A cat?" Reina asked sleepily as she peeked up at him. "Right now you look and smell more like a wet dog. Don't tell me you've been swimming in the lake." Hey, he wasn't the only one who knew how to tease people. Even in this state she could dish them out just as well as he could. "Huh, I haven't seen any old women around here. At least not someone who could be called an old coot." Searching her memory she tried to think of just who he was talking about. Sure a lot of the old noble ladies were eccentric but she doubted any of them would have ever said anything like that to Lox. "Lady Olander, Serena's mom, would tell us a story of a witch that lived in the woods near the castle. She said that she'd steal away little kids from their beds and turn them into dolls and pets. Though I always thought that was just a story she told us to keep us from running around the grounds in the night." If there really was a witch hanging around here then this was the first she really heard of it. Though she didn't spend much time on the grounds anyway.

"Oh? Did she now?" There was definitely a dangerous edge in her voice as she bolted up and turned to face him, all sights of sleepiness gone from her face. Alice was someone she had a great dislike for and knowing that she had invited Lox to the ball really got under her skin. Reina's temper was legendary but there was quite a bit of jealousy went into it as well. "Well, if I know Alice your costume might just be a spider or a praying mantis. God knows she'll probably dress up like a black widow." It wasn't hard to tell the annoyance in her voice as she spoke of the other woman. Besides her family name there were quite a few rumors about Alice that would have blackened the name of any other woman. Still, the idea that Lox was hanging out with her did not sit well with the woman and brought a frown to her face as she looked up at him. Getting up off of him she walked over to the window still incredibly ticked off about the Alice thing. "Well I do hope you two have fun together." Why was it any of her concern who he decided to hang out with? They could spend the whole ball together for all she cared. Ok, that wasn't true but this was the five year old speaking in her.

Lox actually smirked ever so slightly when he watched his cute puppy get off of him and go about in a huff when he told her about Alice. She had utterly no idea just how infatuated he was with her, and just how terribly hard it would be for anyone (his father included) to get between the woman who he loved and knowing that she would return such feelings made the idea impossible. When she went to the window Lox silently stood and sneaked over to here while her attention was occupied out side. With only one shutter open it was easy scooping her up into his left arm and closing the window all the way deftly with his right, and when he was sure the window was secured he turned his full attention to his puppy pinned in such a lovely manner against the wall back first. Oh he loved being chest to chest with his dear Reina, and using both hands he firmly gripped her bottom to scoot her up enough so that they were eye to eye. "Dearest puppy... You forget the whole reason our previous encounter occurred was because I was particularly thankful for your warning of that woman." Another thing he loved about Reina was she had the tendency to ware trousers instead of dresses, and it made it so very enticing to shift his hands and her legs until she was more or less straddling his hips. "While I may be many things Reina, I am not a whore. Therefore since you are my current lover you alone have rights to my very flesh should you chose to find pleasure with me. I only have eyes for an adorable pup that's fast making a home in my heart, and to be honest I'd rather not be stalked by a woman wanting something that in my opinion belongs to only one woman."

Taking her soft sweet lips in a gentle kiss Lox couldn't honestly think of anything he'd rather be doing, and while it disturbed him just how much he had missed his puppy he was getting very used to the idea of being with her like this more often. "I admit though, it's quite cute seeing my puppy all riled up and feisty over the idea someone's trying to move in on claimed territory... maybe you could do me a huge favor and scare that woman away before I embarrass her at the masquerade. Or maybe you'd like that better?" The entire time Lox spoke to her he kept her close and off the ground with his hands slowly caressing her ass and shifting to her nice round hips, enjoying every moment of teasing the knight both verbally and physically, and after another soft kiss he dipped his head to murmur into her ear. "I wonder if my dear Reina is terribly busy since I found you at my piano just moments ago... I dearly need a bath, and it's so lonely in such a big tub." Nibbling at her ear and gently trailing kisses down her neck he finally let the poor girl down from her position before smiling deviously and slipping away towards the dresser he had been provided. Once more he showed no ill effect from stripping out of his cloths and finding some nicer softer cloths for the end of his bath, and with just his boxers on he gave her a longing look as he picked up his things and made his way to the bathroom.

His bathroom was a smaller separate room that had a tiny lockable door for the servants, and finding his tub full of mildly steaming water Lox latched the door to ensure no one would walk in on him. He knew his guards wouldn't bother him considering what happened last time him and Reina were together, and he wondered if he could coax his pup into a nice bath and afterwords a nicer decent night's sleep. His poor puppy really was exhausted, even if she was a bit frisky at the mention of Alice stalking him.

Dammit, she really would have to learn to pay more attention when he was in the room instead of going off in her own world. Lox had a knack for surprising her so she was definitely surprised when she found herself pinned to the wall and all but straddling him with her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. "No, according to you I'm the whore, remember?" She couldn't help but quirk her eyebrow at his little comment. It was only about a week and a half ago that he was first brought here and placed in her care but if you had asked her then if she would be in this position now she probably would have killed you on the spot. There had been nothing less then absolute hatred between the two only a short time ago and yet she actually found herself enjoying being with him even as he continued to caress her ass. Still, he made it perfectly clear that he had no interests in anyone outside of this room and that made her feel a lot more relieved then she would have expected. Reina wouldn't have liked to admit it but she did feel jealousy at the thought of Lox and Alice together at the masquerade and the idea of that woman even being close enough to touch him made her blood boil. Maybe in a way she did see him as claimed territory and got extremely territorial when another woman, and Alice of all people, started sniffing around. Oh dear, just what was Lox turning her into exactly?

"Well, I can't say that I'd be very disappointed if you did choose to make your true feelings towards her known in the masquerade. Though if she tries anything before hand I might end up having to have a little talk with her." Reina actually smirked at the prospect of seeing Alice being turned down by Lox in such a public forum. Ever since they first met that woman had rubbed her the wrong way and it seemed that with the years the animosity between the two had only increased. She kissed him back as she felt his lips on her own not wanting to ruin the moment and to simply enjoy the feeling of him holding her as his hands moved over her body sending shivers up her spine. "Well, you really do need a bath and I have done everything I need to for the day." She said as she rationalized joining him in the tub. It wasn't as if anyone needed anything from her today and the thought of a warm bath actually sounded heavenly to her tired mind. Of course with Lox involved no doubt it wouldn't be very calm and peaceful but that didn't mean it couldn't be relaxing in its own way. When she was finally back on the floor she watched as he simply stripped his clothes save for his boxers before giving her a look and making his way to the bathroom. There was a faint blush on her cheeks as she watched him marveling at just how at ease he found himself to be without clothes. He'd already shown himself to having no qualms with walking around naked and letting people see him which only served to make her blush deeper as she thought back to what had happened yesterday.

Still, a warm bath sounded just right and it really would be a shame to leave Lox alone since one never knew when Alice could show up to get her claws into him. Following his lead she stripped herself of her trousers revealing the same red panties she had been taunting him with at their last meeting. She decided to still keep her shirt on for right now, still a little paranoid that someone would barge in even if she had seen him lock the door. Walking to the bathroom she walked over to the tub and dipped in a finger to test the temperature. "Good, it's not cold." Reina said as she looked up at Lox and began fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Great battles that lasted weeks on end she could easily deal with yet put her in the same room as the man next to her and she never really knew what was going to happen next.

One of the things Lox's utterly adored about his cute puppy was just how shy she got whenever they started fooling around, especially in the initial undressing part. It was a huge advantage that he had no modesty when it came to his own nudity, but gods was it a pleasure teasing his poor Reina and coaxing her out of those unflattering trousers and tunic. Seeing her there fiddling with the hem of her shirt in nothing but that and panties was erotic enough to get him going but at the same time it was so sweet and cute he couldn't help but smile and hug her nice and close against his frame. He was honestly torn between wanting to have another session of hot sex and simply taking a nice relaxing bath with her only to admire just how lovely her face looked when she blushed that deeply. "Naughty puppy...." He teased her before kissing her deeply and gently using his left hand tugging the side of her panties up before caressing her hip. "If you wanted to rest you shouldn't have come to visit me with such enticing under garments, especially the very sames ones you so cruelly teased me about." With a delicate touch he slipped her underwear slowly down her round hips and beautiful legs, smiling gently as he tugged up on the hem of her shirt while watching her for those wonderfully shy expressions.

Such a simple matter as undressing made infinitely more pleasurable when doing it to someone you love, and Lox as enjoying it immensely even it if poor puppy probably wasn't processing all of this too well. As he deprived her of all modesty in front of him he made sure that his touch was always gentle, kissing her affectionately until he helped her out of her shirt and finally dropping her underwear to her feet. He slipped his own boxer's off without a second thought and easily picked Reina up and into his arms before stepping into the tub. Luckily the thing was huge and not filled too close to the top, otherwise both of their bodies would flood the bathing room but he smiled deviously at his pup as he sank down far enough to leave only their heads exposed. With her so nicely pressed against his body, Lox slipped his hands down to her hips and shifted her just a bit farther up along his body so she wouldn't have to lay on top of him with his... interest poking her in the thigh or worse... That thought alone made him blush furiously, and he was lucky the water was hot so it could be interpreted as just because of that. Sharing a deep kiss with his dear Knight he held her lovingly against him and gently stroked his right hand down her back and hip, reveling in the simple pleasure of being with her. "Feeling better Reina?" He asked with a soft little pant after breaking their kiss, giving her smaller kisses along her cheek, temple, and head while thanking all the gods for blessing him in such a manner.

Reina let out a small groan knowing that she wasn't going to be getting out of there with her clothes on. Leave it to Lox to get her out of her clothes faster then she could think and before she knew it she looked down and saw the rest of her clothing on the floor with Lox naked next to her. The man really did seem to have no sense of modesty and looked just as comfortable out in the open as he did under his clothing. "I really need to learn to wear more when I'm around you." Reina said as she looked away and crossed her arms over her chest. Having him right in front of her able to look at whatever he wanted only made her blush more as she coughed nervously. Yet Reina was more then happy to sink into the tub and let the water cover them as she leaned back against Lox and enjoyed the feel of the hot water on her skin cleaning away the weariness. Turning her head towards him she leaned up to kiss him feeling the warmth from his lips as his hands traveled over her body. "Actually, yes." Reina said before pulling away only to turn around so she was facing him. "I can honestly say I never thought I'd end up taking a bath with you." The girl gave a small chuckle as she looked up at him getting over most of the shyness now that she was covered by the water.

Her wet hair clung around her face as she leaned her head against him and pressed a hand over his chest as if deep in thought. Looking up at Lox she looked down at her own reflection and just came to realize that they were almost the reverse image of each other. His white hair, crimson eyes and tan skin were stark contrast to her own black locks, blue eyes and pale skin. With all the time they had spent together she never really noticed just how different they were up until this point. Strange, maybe one really was attracted to their opposites. Grinning she stretched a bit and started kissing up his neck licking at the water droplets that hand landed on his skin. "Cute, but you still smell like a wet dog. We really need to fix that." Reina grinned wickedly having gotten over her initial shyness and now she was back to her mischievous self. Leaning over the side of the tub she grabbed the bottle of shampoo that was on the floor before pouring some of it on her hands. A clean smell filled the air almost smelling a bit like roses and she couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Lox going around smelling like roses. Rubbing her hands together they started to sud up before leaning over and running her hands through his hair making sure to cover every square inch of white. Seeing him with suds in his hair she couldn't help but giggle and press her lips to his nose giving him a little kiss.

It never ceased to amaze Lox how his puppy could be so shy one moment and turn mischievous in the next as she started to clean him. That too wasn't according to his plans because he had been quite looking forward to doing the bathing to her, but it didn't look like he would be doing much of anything until Reina stopped tormenting him in such an oblivious way. The feel of her wriggling around naked on top of him was bad enough, but what she didn't realize as she washed his hair was just how terribly enticing the full view of her bare chest was directly in front of his face. Because of his height thankfully she had to move a bit farther up his body to get at his hair, otherwise she would be fully aware of his throbbing interest... something he was very happy with her not seeing for some reason. Damn her she wasn't going to get the best of him so easily, gently caressing her hips Lox leaned forward and lifted her further up until she was a head over his own and began kissing and sucking affectionately at her neck. She still had plenty of space to wash his hair, but he wouldn't bake it easy for her as he ran his eye teeth very delicately over her smooth neck and messaged her round hips suggestively. Playing with her like this was making his head fuzzy, and the feel of her fingers working through his hair wasn't helping one bit but he waited patiently until he felt her stop for just a moment before sliding her down his body and firmly into his lap.

If she hadn't known just how sensual she was being at the time then there was no doubt now with how his member pressed firmly between her legs and along her ass, but before she had a chance to react properly he kissed her deeply and caressed her tongue with his own as he shifted her hips in a small circle to really enjoy the feel of her down there. Breaking the kiss with a little pant he smiled at her deviously as he lifted his pup easily and shifted them around to the other side of the tub. There was a small seat built into this particular tub that allowed the user to sit with their legs submerged to wash their upper body, but since it was very warm in the small bathing room already he didn't have to worry too much about her getting cold. Sitting on the little seat he turned poor Reina around so she could lean back into him and smiled all the more as he retrieved the body soap. "Such a bad puppy... I hope you didn't think you'd be able to torment me while we bathed and get away with it hmmm?" Once he had a good bit of soap lathered on his hands he started at his lover's neck and gently messaged her tense muscles before working his way down, showing her every bit of affection he felt as he washed her but also just how much he admired her body as he gently grasped her breasts and even fondled them a moment before tweaking her nipples. Yes she would be able to see his erection but sacrifices needed to be made, and he was dearly enjoying the chance to really feel every inch of his lover's wonderful body.

He didn't slow in the least as he made his way down to her hips and slipped his right hand easily between her legs to wash her there as well, kissing her cheek before nipping the lobe of her left ear as his hands worked over her lovely body. When her front was well washed, he lifted her once more to turn her around, and kissing her deeply he washed her back and took more time than necessary on her bottom and hips, gently sliding her back and forth over his lenght so she'd feel every inch against her sex. He really wasn't playing fair anymore but gods it was hard to play easy and lightly with a woman as enticing and beautiful as Reina. Hell it made him smile thinking back to the time they wanted to kill each other, and here he was on the verge of having another unorthodox sexual encounter with the same woman.

The woman seemed so intent on washing his hair that she didn't even notice just what Lox was doing under her. It didn't strike Reina that by having to reach up in order to even reach his head she'd have to give him an eyeful of her chest until he actually lifted her up and she was forced to look down. Once again the blush spread over her cheeks as she berated herself internally for not paying closer attention to him. Lox seemed to have a knack for knowing just what buttons to push and when which would only end up getting her in trouble. That moment of distraction was all it took as he slid her back down her body enough so she could feel something press between her legs only making her blush more. Before Reina could utter a protest she was silenced by his kiss and became far too lost in it to remember just what she was going to say. Her hands went around his neck as she pulled herself closer to him with their wet bodies pressed against each other. The girl gave a slight sigh of annoyance when he pulled away and again found herself being lifted almost like a doll by the man who easily towered over her smaller frame. "Hey, no fair! It's not like I can pick you up in retaliation." Reina said with a bit of a pout as she looked up at that naughty grin on his face and knew that she was in for something else entirely. It wouldn't do much good for her to fight back and instead she kept an eye on him watching as he reached for the soap and wondering just what he was going to do next.

She arched her back as she felt his hands on her neck before he slid down her front making her give a yelp of surprise as she felt him tweak her nipples before proceeding even lower on her body. Reina shifted on his lap and tried to keep her legs closed but it was to no avail as she could feel the blush spread even further and could feel her breathing becoming heavier. The steam of the bath and the feel of Lox's hands all over her body were becoming too much for the knight as she felt her mind start to go cloudy and her senses dull with the pleasure. No doubt he was having the time of his life playing with her which she could clearly see as she felt his member slide along her body as he rocked her back and forth. "Do you really think I'm going to let you play dirty?" Reina asked as she looked up at him with a smirk on her face. Lox had had his fun and while she might not be able to physically move him like he could do to her that didn't mean she didn't have one or two tricks up her own sleeve. "Bad prince." Reina said as she reached out a finger and tapped him on the nose before leaning in to kiss him pressing her mouth against his and doing her damnedest to invade his personal space. The soap had made things quite a bit slippery with his hands and her body so as she was kissing him she reached back and pried his hands apart enough so that she could slip through and off his lap. There little game was far from over and there was no reason he should have all the fun.

Taking the soap she lathered up her own hands before approaching him once more with a grin on her face like she was planning something bad. Her hands trailed over his chest leaving little traces of soap where they went as she made sure to go over every muscle and scar she could find before stopping to rub her thumbs over his nipples in hopes of giving him a taste of his own medicine. "If you're going to go swimming in the lake then you should be prepared to take a bath after. Even if a puppy has to give you one." The grin was even wider now as her hands sunk down to his waist where she ran them over his hips before dipping even lower until they were on his member. Reina let out a small chuckle as she gripped him between her hands and started moving them up and down stroking him in the pretext of getting him clean. It seemed like Lox wasn't the only one who didn't play fair.

This was turning out far more... erotic than Lox had originally envisioned. Yes he loved playing with his cute puppy and teasing the hell out of her but now it seemed both of them were thinking of things neither had intentions of doing before hand. Maybe it was the effect they had on each other when they were together, or maybe it was just the attraction to each other that made it so easy to lead things in this particular direction. Regardless of what exactly lead them here, Lox was literally wriggling backwards with the feel of her soft hands stroking his member and hated himself for every little twitch. He wasn't expecting such a thing from his pup... but she was becoming more frisky and devious with each passing day and it might very well be his own damn fault for teasing her so much. Then again he couldn't think of a woman in his entire life that he'd rather be tormented by than Reina, even if she knew he hated being made to wriggle like a little kid in a bath. His pup was probably having the time of her life doing such blatant things to him, but he wasn't one to sit by and squirm no matter how good it felt. Leaning forward to give her a sweet little kiss, and to his annoyance letting out a small pant of pleasure, it wasn't difficult looping his right arm around the small of her back and pulling her closer to deepen the kiss.

To think she'd get away with making him squirm there was unthinkable, and slipping his left hand down her slick body he easily cupped her sex and slipped his middle finger gently but firmly into her. It amazed him how tight she seemed to be squeezing his finger, and using his right arm to carefully support her he started swiveling and pushing his finger in and out as he smiled up at her with his own devious smile. It was a serious advantage being so much taller than his lover but though he knew it that didn't mean he'd ever admit to it. Leaning just a bit forward and up he took a sweet little kiss from her lips before slipping finger out of her sex. Scooting off of the little seat, he picked her up by her hips and dipped her just enough into the water to get the soap off of her lower half before standing her up again, looking up at her with the sweetest most innocent look he could muster before murmuring gently. "I hope you don't mind dear puppy, but there's something I've been meaning to try and I'll need you to... bear with me for a few moments. Though I'm not certain how long you'll be willing to do so." Very softly he kissed her stomach and trailed smaller kisses just above her sex before giving her hips a slow loving caress and smiling back up at her with no trace of innocence and all the deviousness he was currently feeling.

He kissed her lower and with slow deliberation licked the entire length of her slit, his mind going fuzzy from the idea that he was actually tasting a different part of his puppy before he suckled gently around her clit and slipped his tongue slowly into her. Sex wasn't taboo in his country as it was in most, and there were numerous literature's that alluded to other kinds of pleasures a man could lavish on a lover if he chose. Lox hadn't ever tried such a thing before, and though he was slow and careful he experimented on his poor lover by swirling his tongue around her clit and even using the points of his eye teeth to tease her while gripping her hips to keep her up and in place. She was being unfair before but this made it so she couldn't do much more than hold onto his shoulders or mess with his hair in the position she was in. It served her right regardless for doing such a thing and thinking she could escape his backlash, but oh it was a delicious kind of torture he was putting Reina through.

(God damn this reply took a long time >_< I kept getting booted from my internet and getting writer's block! Hope you like it hon ~_^)

Reina laughed to herself thinking she would have a bit of fun teasing him but she really should have known better then that. Experience should have pointed to her just how often they had tried to one-up each other on the battlefield and off. Yet she was having far too much fun making him blush to see that he was up to something. It was his own fault after all, if he hadn't teased her to begin with then she wouldn't have had the need to retaliate. Of course that all went out the window as he pulled her closer to kiss her and she felt his hand slide down her body before he slipped his finger inside of her. Blue eyes widened in surprise as a blush crept over her cheeks causing her to cough nervously. For what seemed like the hundredth time she cursed herself for not paying more attention to what he was doing and not keeping a closer eye on the prince. Lox had already shown that he had almost no sense of modesty so she really shouldn't have been surprised that he'd pull something like this. Still, that didn't stop her from squirming and biting the inside of her cheek as she felt him move his finger in and out causing her to close her eyes as she tried to stop a moan from leaving her throat. He knew just what buttons to push to get her flustered and seemed to take no issue in working her up as much as possible.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief as she felt him pull out of her but that was soon replaced with a feeling of dread once she caught sight of his face. He was obviously trying his hardest to pass off as being innocent and she knew that could only mean imminent danger to her. Lox was many things but innocent was not one of them and considering the situation they had found themselves in she had every reason to hesitate. "Lox...what are you doing?" Her voice was wary as she felt him pick her up and dip her in the water so the soap was cleaned off her lower half. Just what in the hell could he possibly be planning? Looking back down on him again all traces of that fake innocence were gone and instead he had a look that sent a shiver down her spine. She could almost feel her flesh burning where he kissed it and the blood seemed to be flowing to her face as she felt the heat radiating off the blush on her cheeks. "Lo--Lox..." Before she could even get her thought out she was interrupted as she felt his tongue lick her causing her to take a sharp breath and stop what she was doing. Reina wasn't a stranger to sex but it was also something that one didn't talk about outside of closed doors and while her past lovers had been apt, none of them had been particularly creative.

Her face must have turned a hundred shades of red as she tried to squirm away from him only to be held in place by his hands on her hips. "Lox, do-don't. You're gonna make me..." Shit, she could already feel a warmth building up in her body as he kept licking the sensitive area. Fuck it all, she wouldn't be able to last very long if he kept this up and she could already feel herself getting wet which only made her blush more furiously if that was even possible. Her hands dug into his hair pulling gently at the soft locks in some half-hearted attempt to get him to stop. Even though she was protesting she couldn't deny the pleasure that was coursing through her making her curl her toes. Dammit, she'd get him back for this one way or another but her now her mind was too fuzzy to even think clearly and focus on anything other then the pleasure she was feeling. Sad that the knight should seal her fate with the low moan that she had struggled so hard to keep in escape her. Fuck it, he'd never let her live this down.

( Don't worry about it. And the reply was great. :3 They're going to end up driving each other insane with all of this. )

Oh gods if he could only see his puppies face from the activities he was indulging in down below. If her wriggling and shudders were any indication at all his lover was enjoying this type of attention quite a bit, even if she was still protesting for him to stop and gently pulling at his hair. The way she moaned though made him throb terribly, but the real surprise came in just how wet she was getting just from a little attention from his tongue. It wasn't hard to realize it when he was literally slipping his tongue in and out of her sex, but it seemed that the more she squirmed and gave every little sign of pleasure there was the more terribly frisky he became as a result. At that point it was difficult to determine which one of them was more aroused, even if he wasn't getting the attention it was still extremely hard to continue from him with his mind blurring out from her taste and the feel of her liquid pleasure steadily flowing more freely. Hell the feel of her hands in his hair was driving him insane, but his pride demanded he torment the poor dear for as long as possible even if it meant making sacrifices on his end. Stopping for just the briefest moment he pulled away from her after a particularly long tongue lashing and wondered how she felt as he panted hotly against her sex before looking up at her.

In his life time Lox had seen quite a few beautiful things with his family background, but seeing Reina with her face so deeply flushed with blushing was a sight that he burned into his memory to remember it the rest of his days. Taking one last and agonizingly slow lick up her slit Lox kissed just above her sex very sweetly before he stood before here and kissed her temple as he held her body close against his own. "Reina... I can't..." He panted softly into her ear as his body shuddered gently with the strain of holding back for so long, and lifting her up and did what came naturally yet so very deliciously to lovers in such situations. Pressing his member against her sex for just a moment he shuddered once more before pushing into her and groaned uncontrollably as he slid every inch of himself into her. Kissing her neck and firmly gripping her hips it amazed him how he was able to stand and still pull her up before sliding her back down with just how good it felt taking her. Barely a day and a half had passed since their last encounter and yet here they were again indulging in an affair that could very well be the end of them. But that might of just made it all the more pleasurable as Lox kissed her softly and suddenly bucked more firmly into her to pick up the pace a bit, enjoying the slid of her body and the feel of her sex as everything else in the world took a sideline perspective to their sex.

The poor knight was tired when she came to visit him today and would most likely pass out in his room after they were through with their playtime, but that was all according to plan as he let go of his own inhibitions and panted softly against her ear. He normally hated showing such signs of extreme pleasure, but for her he wanted his pup to know just how much he liked playtime with her.

Her eyes fluttered open as she let out a low sigh after finally feeling him pull away. Her mind was lost in a clouded haze unable to think logically or with reason. If she had been herself then maybe she would have rethought just what they were doing in the first place and why she had even come into his room to begin with. Being here with Lox threw her completely for a loop and the knight had absolutely no idea what to do about it. Her mind was clouded with lust and having him so near her and teasing her was only pushing her further into oblivion. All she could think about was the feel of his hands on her body as he held her close and she rested her head against his chest. For a moment she wished the whole world would just disappear and they could stay like this. The warm steam in the bathroom covered them and she wrapped her own hands around his waist as she looked up at him as if searching for something. This was all far too perfect to last and no matter how good she felt with his arms around her this couldn't go on forever. Rumors would spread, people would start talking and they each had their own individual responsibilities to think of. Lox would go back to his own kingdom once an agreement was reached and the king had been hinting about Reina taking over the troops up north after a bit of turmoil had been going up there on the borderlands. It was sweet, perfect but oh so very temporary and that made her heart drop more then she ever thought it would.

Shaking her head she cleared her thoughts and instead focused on the moment at hand and what it meant. She was lucky he had stopped teasing her before her legs gave out and was more then happy to wrap her hands around the back of his neck as he lifted her up and felt his member press up against her before entering her. She moaned softly as she buried her head in the crook of his neck overwhelmed by the sensation of pleasure that hit her as he thrust himself inside of her. Her hands tightened around his shoulder as she began to move her hips in time with his matching him thrust for thrust feeling all the pressure build up inside of her wanting to explode. She never thought she'd feel so good and with Lox of all people. If she could, Reina would have gone back when he had first come to the castle and jumped him the very first day. Ah, so much time had been wasted with them hating each other but she was all too willing to make up for that lost time now. Her hips pushed up against his as her hand buried itself in his hair stroking his head while she kissed his neck. The girl was biting her bottom lip now as another moan escaped her causing her to move faster still to match his pace. Between the teasing earlier and all of this she knew she wasn't going to be able to last long. She had been tired to begin with but after this she doubted she'd have enough energy to even stand up.

As he kept thrusting she knew her end was near as she bit down harder on her lip and used her arms to pull him closer while her legs wrapped around him helping push him deeper still. A last powerful moan signaled her release as she felt euphoria wash over her clouding her mind and sending her into this wonderful haze as wave after wave of pleasure traveled through her body. Reina was spent now but she still had every intention of getting her revenge on Lox later.

Lox loved his dear Reina with a passion he had never before felt for anything, even the depraved intensity of his training and learning all aspects of what had been thrown at him throughout the years. And for a single moment the nagging thought of their love ending touched him before vanishing in the heat of pleasure and affection at taking her here and now without regard for anything else. He'd fight to keep her, and the world would know every ounce of his fury and determination should any stand in the way of his love for her. Every little thing she did drove him further and further into insane pleasure from the feel of her hands in his hair to the way she moaned and clutched at him with her arms and legs, and hell even one certain aspect he could have done very well without. Of all his past lovers, not one of them could make him reach his peak the way his puppy could with her own release and all the intensity of pleasure. It was maddening that he could not last any longer than she could because in all honesty after feeling the ecstasy of building her up to that point he couldn't resist going over the edge into blissful release. With every inch of his member deep inside of her and feeling her clench down and finally the flow of her peak Lox felt his own seed erupting into her and still he continued to thrust as he worked through both of their climax.

For a few breathtaking moments Lox simply held his lover against him and panted gently, his member throbbing so very wonderfully deep within her even after they both had finished and savored the moment to keep forever. He felt his own fatigue creeping up on him and could only imagine just how tired his poor Reina was as he slid gently of of her and sank the two of them back into the still very warm water. Regardless of his own wariness Lox bathed his lover and cleaned her of completely, ever gently and softly spending mere seconds finish his own bath and lifted her once more into his arms. Sitting down on a chair he dried the both of them and smiled as he carried his pup back into the main room and laid her gently on his bed. He had been planning on sleeping through the night with his lover, and planned on giving her little choice in the matter. Slipping under the blankets with her and holding her close Lox kissed her soft hair and murmured to her one final time before drifting off into a fitful slumber. "Good night little puppy, sweet dreams."

(Ugh.... shortest post ever >_< I'll make up for it when they wake up ~_^)

She could feel the energy being drained out of her as she clung to him when he reached his peak. Reina was tired but in a good way, a way that would make sure she'd get sleep tonight. The haze was still around her and she felt as if she existed in a dream world even as Lox rinsed off the rest of the soap and dried her off with the towel. It was almost like she was a child again back when either Lord Darron or one of the maids had to make sure the rambunctious girl actually took a bath after spending the day playing in the mud or climbing trees. If anyone else had dared to treat her so gently or with such care she would have thrown a complete fit and threatened to tear their limbs off and put them through a pike. It was a defense mechanism after all, a woman leader in the army couldn't show the least bit of fragility of femininity lest her soldiers lose respect and faith in her. Yet even as Lox practically babied her she didn't put up a fight and showed little resistance as he dried her off. A part of her said that she was too tired to pose much resistance anyway while the other part whispered that she actually liked it. It got tiresome always having to put up a strong front and making sure that everyone else was ok while never actually getting to show off a softer side of yourself. That iron wall took a lot of energy to maintain and letting it down once in a while felt like heaven.

"Wait...I really should go back to my room." Reina offered in a half-hearted protest as she felt him carry her to his bed. A thousand different possibilities went through her mind of what could happen if someone went into her room early in the morning and didn't find her there, or worse yet if they found her in bed with Lox. Yet she was too tired to even stand on her own feet between not getting any sleep the night before and her bath with Lox. She wouldn't have made it to her room anyone and the bed did look awfully inviting. Feeling him slide into bed next to her and the blankets being thrown over them she snuggled up closer with her head resting on his shoulder and her right arm draped over his waist. "Good night cheater. I'll get you back for this later." Reina murmured softly as she felt her eyes getting heavy while she tried to stay awake. Her vision blurred and sleep finally took her as she listened to the sounds of their breathing lulling her asleep.

( Stop apologizing. Your posts are always amazing. ^^ )

That night as Lox slept soundly and deeply he was visited by dreams he could never recall having before and honestly questioned his sanity as it played out before him. He was chasing rats! But what he thought and felt were rats had the faces of people whom he couldn't identify... Where ever he went he would chase them, catching and eating a few but he was never able to quite get them all. Yet where he went all the other rats scurried away, leaving what had to have been a "house" in peace though what truly disturbed him was one particularly plump rat he had been chasing for quite some time evaded him through a hole in the wall he peaked down into the hole and mrowled forlornly at the face of Alice staring back at him. He pawed furiously at the hole and wasn't able to get to the Alice rat, but looking about the house he noticed that before with the vermin running amok the place was trashed. Now with them gone he watched people milling about happily and flourishing in the once tarnished home and leaving him even more confused than he had been before. The most disturbing thing of all though, the thing that awoke him just a half hour before dawn was looking up at the old coot leaning over and smiling down at him before petting his head. Hugging and nuzzling his dear lover close against his frame he couldn't shake the dreams he just had even with her presence, and it felt like there was quite a bit of weight being placed on his shoulders without his knowledge as to why.

It was morning though, and the two of them had been sleeping for quite some time so Lox took the opportunity to wake Reina up in the most pleasurable way possible. Starting with a gentle kiss against her temple he slowly moved his way down her cheek and neck using his teeth to nibble delicately at her soft flesh. She'd have to wake up eventually, and when she figured out just where she was and who was nibbling at her then it would speed the process along ten fold as he moved to nip the lobe of her ear. "Wake up sleepy puppy." He murmured to her before pressing a soft kiss to her lips and sliding his hand down her side to rest against her hip. "I wonder when someone will be by to see if you've been hiding in my room..." He murmured into her ear before nipping it a bit sharply. "I'm not even sure I feel like dressing today. Maybe I'll go to the masquerade naked and say I'm wearing an invisible dress or something." Voicing these travesties he continued to kiss and gently stroke his hands down her soft silky skin and kissed her forehead before moving down over her closed eyes. "Tonight should be entertaining... but I wonder when your friend will be by to pick you up for your costumes... I think she'll probably talk through the door this time instead of waiting for me to answer it. Or maybe she's learned her lesson and knows better than to knock on my door at all. I love making visits to me difficult."

The blankets rustled as she shifted slightly from the feel of something on her temple before it went down to her cheek and then her neck. Still mostly asleep she brought up her hand and swatted away gently at whatever it was that was disturbing her slumber. Reina had slept through the night without even a peep, far too tired for even dreams to reach her. With the warmth of the blanket and Lox's body pressed up against her she would have been more then happy to never wake up and simply stay this way forever. Her lips parted ever so slightly to let out a groan of protest at being woken from her state. It wasn't often that Reina actually got a good nights rest considering most of the time she was out on the battlefields forced to sleep in confined tents on the hard ground and always having to be alert in case an enemy attacked. Yet strange enough she actually found this bed more comfortable then her own and wanted nothing more then to never wake up. "Mm, turn off the sun." She muttered faintly as she turned to her side and buried her face in his chest in hopes of blocking out the rays of light. Reina was not a morning person in the best of cases but after waking up from a dead sleep she was practically useless for the first couple of minutes. Slowly everything started to sink in and she could feel the drowsiness seep away from her as her tired mind tried to make sense of what Lox was saying. Lox? What the hell was he doing in her room?

Bolting up she peered around the room with an obviously confused expression on her face. This wasn't her bed and this sure as hell wasn't her room. The piano a couple of feet away from her and the man next to her quickly clued her in to where she was. Her now alert mind was flooded with memories of what had happened last night and how she had been too tired to go to protest much when he took her to his own bed. No doubt he'd been planning the entire thing ever since he suggested taking a bath. Narrowing her eyes she turned to look at the man who had been the source of her wake up call. "Oh don't you even dare. I really don't need to deal with some of the more delicate ladies fainting because you decide to prance around in the nude." Reina said pointedly suddenly aware of her own nakedness as she clutched the blanket to her chest. Knowing Lox and his complete lack of modesty she really didn't doubt that he might decide to walk around naked just for the heck of it. The last thing she needed would be for the King to have a fit or for the masquerade to go completely chaotic because the mad prince decided to give an ode to the fable of the Emperor's new clothes. Although she really wouldn't mind if he decided to walk around in that invisible dress if they were behind closed doors. Yet that wasn't an option for the masquerade.

The masquerade! Blue eyes widened in realization that it was today and that she had no doubt overslept. "Crap, Serena! We were supposed to meet with the tailor." Reina groaned as she threw off the blankets and raced around the room grabbing her own clothes and hurriedly putting them on. No doubt Serena would be wondering where she was and there was no way Reina wanted her friend walking in on them in this kind of position. Though with what had happened last time she doubted the other girl would get anywhere near this room in fear of seeing Lox in all his glory. Finally dressed Reina ran a hand through her hair hoping to get it under control and not arouse suspicion. "You. Behave." Reina said as she walked over to the bed and kissed Lox on the forehead. "Try not to scar anyone before the masquerade, ok? And don't think I forgot about getting my revenge." The last part was whispered in his ear before she gave him another quick kiss and ran out the door. There was still so much to do before the masquerade and she was hoping no one had been looking for her earlier.

Lox smiled affectionately at his puppy as she rushed about in a huff, obviously late again it seemed he quite enjoyed being the cause for her recent tardiness. Though he really didn't want her to leave just yet he knew she would most likely be looking for him pointedly this evening at the ball, and smiled deviously to himself as he dressed and took his breakfast in his room. Throughout the day he went about his normal routine of exercising, sparring (still grudgingly light due to his shoulder and other odds and ends being injured) and spent a good deal of time playing his piano for anyone walking by the corridor or visiting outside in the gardens. It wasn't until late after noon when he began preparing for the ball by bathing and requesting a certain bit of lemon oil to add to his, the smell invigorating him for the evening which he had a feeling he'd need. Just after stepping out of the bath Lox heard some very curt and agitated arguing at his door, more specifically sharp sound of spears being crossed and harsh berating by a familiar voice before orders were given and angry clacking could be heard down the corridor. Opening the door he couldn't help but smile at the drawn faces of his guards and the ordeal they had to go through to keep dear Alice from barging into his room.

It didn't seem like the ordeal was what had his guards drawn and nervous looking, instead it was the small bundle that had been given to them that Lox opened at the door to look at. The costume was.... questionable to say the least, and not a little bit embarrassing for someone like him to wear but it was tolerable to say the least. Closing his door behind him Lox slipped into the jet black silk pants and long sleeve shirt that he had been provided, both somewhat close fitting but very comfortable with soft black and thinly soled shoes but looked at his costume one more time hard before putting it on. His puppy would probably be down at the party already or quite soon since he could hear the gaggle of people meandering in the gardens at the moment, and with a sigh he finally finished putting on his costume before leaving his room to the snickering of his guards behind him. It was pointless for Lox to wear a mask, given his appearance anyone not completely blind could tell who he was from a mile away but it was what he had been given to dress up as that wasn't quite... imposing as his stature was. When he did find his way to the ball room being followed by girlish giggles the whole way he looked desperately for his puppy for comfort, even though he knew she was going to laugh her ass off at him.

Lox had been given two very simple items as a costume and though he appreciated the animal he was dressed up as it didn't make him look any less ridiculous. The first part of the thing was a hair band used commonly by woman that was extremely thin decorated with large pointed white ears that matched the color of his hair and had horizontal black stripes going up to the tip. The second was a genuine feline tail with the same pure white color and black stripes going down the length, this was fastened just under his shirt to allow it to dangle and wriggle with his every movement. Personally he liked tigers before this event, and while the ears were so well made it was impossible to tell they weren't really attached he didn't like the giant things signaling his arrival anymore than he could by himself. There was a lot of girlish laughing in that giant room, and it didn't help one bit when the same little girl he had played with earlier came running at him yelling "KITTY!" and throwing her arms around his waist in a hug that nearly knocked him over. Now there was a lot of giggling, but with the little one up in his arms at least he could play with the child for a while and whole halfheartedly ignore the rest of the spastic nobles. Gods if it weren't mandatory for him to be here he could think of a thousand different places to be at that moment.

The entire castle was buzzing as the servants rushed around getting the great hall decorated while the nobles were busy primping and getting their costumes together. Reina had managed to make it to her fitting with Serena only ten minutes late and even though the other girl didn't ask why she was late she had a knowing smile on her face after catching sight of Reina's messy hair and the fact that her clothes were the same from yesterday. The tailor prattled back and forth as he put the finishing touches on the costumes and warned both girls that if either of them got the dresses dirty there would be hell to pay from the fabric gods. "So I can't wait until tonight. Apparently there are even going to be fireworks imported from the far lands." Serena said with glee as she lifted her hands to allow the small man to stitch up some loose fabric. The masquerade was one of the biggest parties of the year and the castle never spared an expense when it came time for it. The best food and drink was imported from all over the world and the highest nobles were always in attendance showing off to each other as to whose costume was the best. The day after the masquerade was always filled with all sorts of stories and rumors and this year they were wondering if anything would beat what happened last year when they found a stable boy hiding under the table with a countess with their costumes on the floor. This was a time of year of scandal and magic as they always said.

With their final fitting done they hurried off to get their hair and make up done as well as don on their masks. The two usually dressed in a theme with last year being mythical creatures as Reina had gone as a dragon and Serena a mermaid. The year before that they had gone (much to Reina's chagrin ) as flowers and this year they had chosen fairy tales. Donning on the mask the girl took a look at herself in the mirror and for a second didn't recognize the figure staring back at her. Gone was the knight with loose hair wearing men's clothing and instead was the reflection of the Snow Queen. It had been an old story Lord Darron had told her when she was young about the Snow Queen who stole away the love of a young girl when his heart was pierced by a mirror. She was dressed in a pure white dress decorated with tiny blue snowflakes and a corset that was tied tight. Half her face was covered by a beautiful white mask and her hair was piled on top of her head in loose curls with crystals running through it. Looking at herself she couldn't help but wonder just what Lox would think when he saw her and that thought only made her blush. The made prince was starting to mean more and more to her with each passing day and if it wasn't for the masquerade she wouldn't have minded spending another night in his bed.

Now that Serena had finally finished getting her Snow White costume together the two girls made their way to where the ball was already in full swing. Craning her head, Reina tried to get a glimpse of Lox but he was nowhere to be seen. Probably hadn't even come down to the ball yet. The two girls spent the next half hour talking excitedly with some friends until some giggles behind her caught Reina's attention. Turning around she couldn't help but laugh as she caught sight of the beast prince in his costume. Her hate for Alice might run deep but for this little moment she was eternally grateful that the woman had taken it upon herself to give Lox such a fitting costume. If he insisted on calling her a puppy then this just made it all that much sweet. Pulling apart from the group she made her way through the crowd to where Lox was playing with the same little girl he had played with last time. "Yes, and he is such a naughty kitty." Reina said as she bit her lip to stop from laughing some more. The sight of him with those ears and that tail was just too much for the poor girl as she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the chuckle. "It's so nice you could join us this evening Prince Puss in Boots." She said as she gave him a small curtsy. My, the knight was never going to let him live this down.

To say Lox was displeased with the situation he was in would have undermined the very fabric that made up the world. While he was able to somewhat put off the insistent giggles from the younger ladies milling about the ball room he wasn't able to shake off seeing his puppy and having her grind what little ego was left in his being on the spot. Oh he would have voiced some obscure and lewd reprisals but with the little one still in his arms and currently fiddling with his fake ears there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. "And the same to you dear Ice queen." Lox replied, making a face somewhere between a smile and a growl that was only half contained which prompted the little girl to giggle hysterically and yell "Kitties angry!" Though his tanned skin saved him from a majority of his blushing, he was flushed so darkly that it was easy to notice he was colored a deep shade of red along his cheeks. Thankfully the little girl only giggled and kissed his cheek before he put her down and let her scamper off to play with some of the other nobleman children all pointing and exploring the area to see which costume was the best. "Go ahead an laugh puppy, I'll have mine sooner or later but the difference is you won't know when it's coming." It was terribly difficult to look at Reina straight without him continuing to blush given her costume for the evening, she was utterly stunning... and not just a bit provocative in such a form fitting dress.

When Lox heard the music start to play and see people start drifting off of the main floor to clear the way for dancers, he gave his pup a devious smile before taking her hand and kissing the top in a princely manner. They were already close to the center when people started clearing the area, and with his left hand resting gently on her hip and his right taking her left hand softly he guided her into a dance that was some what close and yet still just barely appropriate. "If I didn't know you disliked Alice with a burning passion I would have thought you in on this little display for the masses. I was expecting a lot of things but a kitty cat was quite possibly the last thing on my mind." Murmuring began shifting through the crowd at the sight of the two of them dancing, most likely many of them thinking he didn't know who he was dancing with but Lox only smiled with genuine pleasure as he spun and twirled his pup and moved to a more intricate dance. "For this night alone though dear, I'll agree to being your kitten if only you'll be my snow princess." Smiling with soft affection Lox gently kissed her temple when they moved very close before continuing their dance with a slew of murmuring erupting from around the hall. At that moment though Lox wasn't concerned with anyone else in the entire room accept his puppy, weather she tormented him or not he still couldn't believe the stunning beauty of the woman who was his lover.

The polite thing to do would be to ignore the ears and tail so Lox wouldn't die blushing. Yet Reina had never really been the polite type and there was no way in hell she was going to pass up this opportunity after all the times he'd had fun calling her a puppy. Seeing Lox look about as threatening as a small kitty and blushing like a little boy was just too much for her as she stifled another chuckle before shaking her head to get rid of all the not so innocent thoughts that came to mind with the costume. "Oh, I'm nowhere near finished with this kitten. I might hate Alice but after this I might just have to thank her for her taste in costumes." Reina said with a wicked grin as she let him pull her towards the dance floor. Speaking of the devil, she did have to wonder just what Alice would be thinking when she saw Lox out on the dance floor with someone other then herself. The woman was not known to handle rejection well and Reina doubted she'd be happy to see Lox dancing with her of all people. They hadn't had a good relationship ever since the woman tried to get her claws into Lord Darron a couple of years back and the man had outright, albeit politely, refused her. She seemed to think Reina had something to do with it while refusing the idea the man could make such a decision all on his own.

With her hand on his shoulder she let him lead her through the dance for once actually grateful that Lord Darron had made her take dance classes all those years back. True the teachers had left in near tears after some particularly annoying lessons but she'd still learned eventually. Even as they danced she could hear the whispering going around them as people craned their necks to see just what was going on. Two people who had literally been trying to kill each other just a week ago were now dancing and laughing as if they were friends or something more altogether. No doubt after this he rumors would be flying around like crazy and while she wasn't looking forward to the questions and the stares she wouldn't give up a chance to dance with Lox. Out of the corner of her eye she caught two men standing off near a wall looking at them and laughing. The King had decided to dress as a jester for the masquerade and Lord Darron was in a black and white suit though he claimed he was dressed as a penguin. They actually had the audacity to chuckle and wave as they caught her watching and for some reason she got the uneasy feeling that they knew something like this was going to happen. Bastards probably had a bet on how long it would take for the prince and knight to finally stop trying to murder each other. Turning her head she stuck her tongue out at them before bringing her attention back to Lox.

"It seems as if a lot of people think you'd make a good kitten and with those ears I must say I agree." Reina teased as she twirled around him and followed the rhythm of the music. "I hope you know that after this little show our every movement is going to be watched. It seems I'll have to start hiding out in your room more often."

Lox smiled fondly at his puppies disapproval of Lord Darron's and the king's mirth, but in all honesty he couldn't have been happier even with Reina jabbing his pride in a terrible way with the kitten jokes. Continuing the dance, Lox caught the eyes of a particularly longing and disturbing set of eyes behind a mask and knew it instantly to be Alice. Every instinct in his being rallied against the idea of ever even considering to have a thing with her, something about that look just made his skin crawl as he leaned down and whispered gently into Reina's ear. "I'd rather have the king and Lord Darron laughing at be instead of having a stalker staring me down like I'm a bone that needs a good chewing." Leading her in a way so she would notice how Alice was staring at him Lox leaned down to kiss her temple once more just to offset the surge of anger he felt might rise up from his puppy. She was his lover and a dearly affectionate one but his knight had a mean streak and a protective side that would turn any normal opponent away in a heart beat. For the time being though Lox simply enjoyed the dance with her and wished it wouldn't end and force him to suffer the company of some very unsavory people and even worse questions. But as nice and peaceful as it was dancing with her, the song did finally come to an end as people began clearing the floor and more moving forward to mingle.

Lord Darron and the king were heading their way, as well as Alice who Lox did not want to talk to and felt terribly alone when he had to remove his hands from Reina's soft hip body. But what really threw him and basically everyone else who were looking at the group gathering was the strange old woman Lox had met before while he had been swimming in the lake. The king and the lord had arrived first and noticed the woman clunking her way up with a knurled cain in her hand not to far behind Alice, and unfortunately for her she had moved in front of her. For an old woman wearing something in between cloths and furs she moved a lot faster than he had imagined, raising the end of her cain and jabbing her expertly in the kidney with it. "Out of my way you over priced harlot! I've got business with that cat and he's got a lady friend already, or are you as blind as you are stupid for walking into peoples way?" It took everything in Lox's being not to laugh, but even the king snorted and smiled at the older woman as Lord Darron produced something like a sneeze with his face turning beet red as he fought back the need to laugh. The old woman walked up to Lox and grinned as she pointed at his ears before tapping the end of her staff on the ground. "See? Even other people albeit somewhat ignorant ones can see you make a decent cat! And at the moment I'm in need of one or I won't be able to move to your lands as I wish. I told you I'd fix you up if you'd agree to being MY cat, and I won't even bother you and your pretty lady friend either. Lord knows you young people can't shouldn't be bothered when your alone, the young is synonymous with frisky after all."

Now the king laughed, and so did Lord Darron after failing miserably to keep his mirth in at the old woman's blatant disregard for decency or edict making Lox blush furiously once more as he rubbed tiredly at his eyes. He didn't have much time to think about it through as the old coot jabbed him in his hurt shoulder, causing him to flinch before rolling it tenderly. "See? You won't be able to do much of anything broken the way you are, and I doubt you even know just how badly messed up that shoulder of yours is. Be my cat mad prince, and I'll fix you up righter than rain and make you into a proper familiar. All witch's need cat's Lox, and I'm going to need one very soon with the way trouble's been stirring up in the world." Lox thought about the witch's offer and couldn't help but feel there was something a lot more ominous attached to the old woman's offer, but he couldn't well help his own country or Reina's out being as ineffective as he was now. Looking at Reina he arched his eyebrow before asking her honestly. "What do you think? I'm already dressed up as a cat and if it fixes my shoulder should I be her cat and be a real cat and be done with it?" This got the king and the lord really rolling as they both clutched their sides and could barely stand up straight from laughing so hard. Lox was glad they were enjoying the flailing of this worlds youth under the cruel words of an old coot.

Looking up at Lox she turned over to where he was leading her she turned her eyes to meet with a pair that were practically seething. Reina could already feel the anger building up inside of her as she gripped on tighter to Lox and pulled him closer to her as if that was some kind of way to keep him away from Alice. Right now Reina would be more then happy to walk right over there and give Alice a piece of her mind but no doubt a scene like that would cause all sorts of problems later. Still, she wanted to make it absolutely clear to the other woman that Lox was her's and her's alone and that if Alice thought for a moment she was going to get her claws into Lox then she had another thing coming. The music finally did end and the kiss distracted her for a moment but she still made sure to keep her hand on Lox's arm as if it was a way to stake her claim over him. Right now she didn't care if people were talking or gossiping around them, she was more worried in making sure that they knew she wasn't sharing. "I really don't like that woman one bit. If she thinks she's pulling you away from my side for even a moment then I might just have to get my dress stained." There was an obvious anger in her voice as she pulled him closer but she wasn't going to let that woman ruin her night.

Of course that rage soon turned into amusement as she watched the old woman shove Alice out of the way as she made her way towards their little group. So this must be the old woman that Lox had been telling her about earlier who said he would make a good cat. Truthfully, she'd never seen the woman before but if she could shove Alice out of the way like that and call her a harlot then she couldn't possibly be all bad. Though the comment about them being frisky did make Reina blush and she was incredibly happy she was wearing her mask so at least part of the blush was hidden. Lord Darron and the king seemed to be having a grand time listening to her as she talked about turning Lox into a cat and her familiar. Looking up at Lox she could tell that he was having problems with his shoulder which wasn't a surprise considering just what had happened to it and him in general. Being captured must have hurt like hell and she'd already stuck him with her blade after their first meeting. Of course his so called penance couldn't have helped and his body was in pain as it tried to mend itself. "I don't know, he already promised to be my kitten." Reina said with a smile as she wrapped one hand around his waist and pulled him closer. He was flustered with all the attention and she did have to admit she enjoyed seeing him like this. "I do like having him around and I really wouldn't like you taking him away from me." Reina said to the old woman. This had to be some kind of joke or something, it wasn't like witches really existed.

The old woman eyed Reina even as Lox blushed furiously at being taken around the waist like a trophy lover, something he would have easily done to his puppy if he had the chance but the woman didn't look like she was just staring at her. Of all the people Lox knew in his lifetime, few were able to produce the sort of deep piercing gaze this old lady was giving his lover as if she were searching for something more beyond her looks and taking into account the very nature of her soul. The drilling gaze held even as she finally spoke after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. "I'm very old you know youngling... older than you can imagine by any means, and set in ways I've always know work. I keep my cats close at hand because when they do get lovesick and bond with someone they tend to die when separated. I have neither the time nor wiggle room to go hunting for a more suitable cat, and I'm hesitant to leave him with you because love has a way of changing quickly. But your father is a decent sort of man, as far in between as you can find them nowadays and you look like a fine little lady with a good sized mean streak to get you by so I'll make you a deal. You take care of my cat while I'm away Reina, and I'll send you the things to keep him hunting until I find out where exactly the nest of vermin is myself." Turning towards Lox she smiled a very toothy white smile that he hadn't thought possible with someone of her advanced years before cackling gently. "Your a lucky cat finding to find a lover so soon in life, and maybe you'll produce some grand babies I can play with later on but you have your lover and you won't be separated from her so what will it be cat?"

Lox wasn't honestly sure what he should do considering the circumstances of such a strange woman coming out of the blue, but the offer to keep him together with Reina and fix him up properly only added to his own curiosity as to what exactly she wanted from him. Gently finding Reina's hand and squeezing it softly he nodded in agreement only to receive a disturbingly pleased smile from the old croon as she scooted his puppy off to the side gently to give her some room in front of him. "You were given those foolish ears and tail as a costume but let's see what kind of cat you really are." Her words disturbed him to no end but what had many backing up in shock and Lord Darron going for his dagger was the purple flames that shot through her cain just before she jabbed him in the stomach with it. This was were things got hazy for Lox, because it felt like his entire body was set afire and he was literally tumbling through the air and falling quickly to the ground as his those same purple flames swirled around his frame. The thing that got through his mind was the simple question as to why he thrashed suddenly in the air, throwing his hips to the left hard and twisting around until he realized that he needed to land on his feet as well as the simple fact that he COULD NOT land any other way. Though he skidded back a few paces and his head still swirled crazily he noticed that he was on all four and there was no pain in his shoulder at all.

There wasn't any pain at all for that matter, and as he systematically tensed his muscles he found there was no lingering injury anywhere on his body. "Heads up Mr. Cat" Suddenly drilled into his mind and looking up irately he saw the old coot snatch something away from Lord Darron only to send it hurling straight at his face. He was dazed, extremely confused as to what the hell just happened, and now the woman was hurling thing at him out of spite. In is agitation he didn't even give the object a second thought as he balled his right fist and knocked it aside out of instinct, but turning quickly at the sound of steel striking the floor he watched a dagger skittering away from him.... "What the hell granny... Whatever you just did has me screwed up enough and now you want to throw pointy things at me too? I was just recently stabbed with one of those in my bad shoulder!" Waggling her cain at him as she cackled she smiled deviously as she pointed at his face as he slowly approached their little group. "You don't know your own self anymore Mr. Cat, and I advise you take it easy for the next few days until your oriented to your new form. Your a hell of a lot faster than before, and I doubt you've ever had the degree of coordination and balance you've got now so try not to hurt yourself. After all, I've got rats all over the place for you to hunt down and settle this age old business that's been going on for far too long."

A few things started coming together for Lox as he was relaxing by the little group, that in itself being off because he was squatting down on the back of his heels as if it were something he always did when somewhat dizzy. The second thing he noticed was his sense of smell basically slapped him in the face with all manner of pleasant and horrendous scents floating around the ball room. But what finally got to him was when he touched his cheek and slid his hands up towards his ears. His ears weren't in the place they were supposed to be for humans, that spot was almost smooth skin... instead his ears were among his white messy hair and were long and pointed with fine fur coating them.... Looking up at the old coot she was closer than she had been before, directly in front of him and looking at his hair before she scratched him behind the ears. "Normally you'd be just a regular old cat, but then your lover probably wouldn't like you much so I just made you cat like. Still mostly human, but you have the benefit or curse of better senses and their speed and balance. Can't change your ears and tail though, you need your tail until you've mastered your new sense of balance and human ears won't ever account for kitty ones."

(I think he's going to be very depressed for a bit after this fiasco @_@)

As the old woman looked at her, Reina couldn't help but tighten her grip around Lox. There was something in her gaze and the way that she spoke that was incredibly unsettling for the young woman. Her eyes looked so much older then Reina could have ever thought possible and there was a power there that shook her to her core. On the battlefield she'd often gone up against opponents that easily dwarfed her and stood out as amongst the meanest, most cruel men on the continent but she had never been shaken as much as when this women stared at her. Unconsciously she moved closer to Lox until she was pressed up against his side feeling as if the old woman was staring deep into her very being and could see every single shadow and secret lurking in her soul. She did have to breath a sigh of relief though as the woman said she'd be leaving Lox with them though for the life of her she still couldn't possibly figure out just what she was talking about. The man next to her was decidedly human and even with the costume he didn't look like a very good cat to her. Maybe she was sick and couldn't tell the difference between reality and her imagination, plenty of old people went mad as they started to lose control of their mind. Though when she mentioned the subject of babies Reina couldn't help but blush a little as she looked away. That was still quite a ways off and it was only days ago that they'd stopped trying to murder one another. This old bat had to be out of her damn mind.

Looking up at Lox she squeezed his hand back as she watched him make his decision. The idea of being healed no doubt sounded like a blessing to him and if the witch really could do it then why not humor her for a little while? "Hey." Reina said in protest as the woman pushed her off to the side so she could look at Lox all by himself. As soon as he jabbed him in the stomach though it seemed like everything turned to chaos as she watched Lord Darron grab for his dagger while the king motioned for the guards to come in and end this before it got out of control. She already knew that Lox was hurt yet her blue eyes widened in amazement as Lox flew through the air and seemed to be surrounded by purple flames unlike anything else she'd ever seen. Looking back at the old crone a sudden chill seized the young woman as it began to dawn on her that maybe this wasn't just some mad grandmother who had lost her mind. Maybe this really was a witch and she had meant every world she said. Fuck! What the hell had they just done? She could only stand by and watch in amazement as the old woman flung the dagger towards Lox with an astounding amount of speed that shouldn't belong to someone with such old bones. Yet the sickening sound of metal piercing flesh didn't echo through the hall as Lox swatted it away just like a cat would.

"You...you actually turned him into a cat?" Her voice was shaking now as she looked at Lox closely, examining anything different about him. His ears were gone and the ones that were attached to his head didn't look like a costume anymore. The tail behind him was moving as if it had a mind of its own not like it was just part of the costume. People were murmuring excitedly as the guards were drawing ever nearer ready to protect the king if the witch should try and attack him next. She had mentioned vermin and rats before and Reina couldn't help but wonder just what she was talking about. She'd also mentioned settling this age old business and the girl began turning the phrase in her head wondering if the woman meant the war or something else altogether. This was all to much for her but no doubt as much as she was confused Lox had it a thousand times worse. All in the matter of minutes he had gone from being a human prince to a witches' cat. At least Reina was glad the witch had decided to leave him in her care though if she had even tried to take him away the knight would have fought her tooth and nail, witch or not. "Lox, are you ok?" She moved closer to him and gently brushed over his arm wondering if anything else had changed besides the added appendages. It seemed like the masquerade was all but forgotten as everyone's attention turned to the little spectacle in front of them as they waited with baited breath on what would happen next.

( I was wondering where you were going to go with the cat thing. D'aww, you know Reina's not going to leave the ears and tail alone now. xD )

Lox found his lover's hand as he squeezed it reassuringly, letting her know that he'd live but the way he turned around and glared at his tail with no small amount of agitation was enough to let everyone know he was not pleased in the least. Standing up he was happy to a point at being fixed, but his new long white tail straightened out a full four feet behind him and promptly started fluffing out and jerking viciously at it's tip. "Not to sound ungrateful gran, I appreciate being fixed up as any man would after being nearly crippled more times than I can remember... Hells I feel better than I have in years since I began training for war. But can you honestly leave me as is? I'll happily carry out whatever tasks you need done as your cat... but can't I be less... cat like?" The old woman just smiled at him benevolently and walked around him snatching the base of his tail in a grip that shouldn't have belonged to a frail looking croon. "I make my cats the way I want to have them mad prince. And your lucky you were not left to die on the battle field by your lady friend there because I usually find my familiars when there half dead and not inclined to dying yet. Yes I was there when I saw you fall, and in the halls when you threw a fit hurling yourself at armed guards without a fear in the world. I was there for your trial by combat and I've listened to you play in the gardens almost every time you choose to use those lovely skills. Your only somewhat human still because otherwise you'd grieve yourself to death without your mate, and I already said you can't do what I need being full human. As capable as you were before, I doubt you'll likely find anything that can kill you outright now and I'm starting to favor your form from just regular old grumpy cats."

Lox hadn't moved an inched after she grabbed his tail like that because he had a nasty feeling she might just yank it cleanly off if she felt like it, even if he had been contemplating cutting the damn thing off not just a few moments earlier. Taking her other hand she straightened out the fur but to little avail as it puffed up again just a few moments afterwords. Sighing defeated she walked back around to his front raising her left hand casually a skittering sound could be heard from across the ballroom signaling the return of the dagger she had hurled earlier as if it had a mind of it's own. Just as casually she walked up to Lord Darron and slipped it back into his scabbard before looking up into his eyes and smiling deviously. "Your lucky you had a fine daughter to take care of in your younger days old man, I would have a cat now if she hadn't swerved you from that road. Odd that the same little girl would change the fates of both candidates in such a short span of years. Oh well... I must be off to set up my new home, and you Mr. Cat have a few days to rest up and get used to your new self. Gods know you won't be going back to your old self... and you King. Whatever your name... Make sure you let my cat out and about when you get a talk from a wised headed old lord. That ones a tom cat if I've ever seen one and if he wasn't going more mad than he is cooped up in this castle you'll really see a pissed kitty now that he's the way he is now. I'll be talking to that other king about my new home within a few days time to settle things there, and a word of advise for you and a hint for my cat... The first rat's been lining their pockets for generations off of this squabble you call a war, and their paying off an old god that doesn't need rousing with all that blood being shed. Make sure my cat isn't bothered or you'll find your peace of mind muddled by an old lady."

The old woman stood there glaring at the king for only a few moments before she started walking away, and passing close by a guard gazing at her with disbelief before she stepped into his shadow and sank away into nothingness to the unfortunate guards horror. Backing away afraid, he jabbed at his own shadow to find nothing but solid stone which left everyone more confused and nervous than before. Lox though was still miffed by the idea he was now something like a cat, regardless of how many benefits came with it he didn't honestly want to go about the rest of his life being called kitty cat behind his back. Gods know he had trouble enough keeping on a level playing field with Reina but how the fuck was he honestly supposed to call her his cute puppy or poke fun at her with giant kitty ears poking out through his hair? And the tail! It was three times it's normal thickness with his agitation, and the little girl he had been playing with earlier had brought all her friends with her to pet and touch it just moments after the witch left. Burying his face in his hand's he couldn't possibly think of how he was supposed to gain any respect looking as ridiculous as he did now. "By the gods do I have any luck asides from BAD?!" He asked no one in particular as he clenched his fists in front of him, his nerves grinding ever more painfully as the children behind him giggled and patted his tail trying to defluff it.

This really was all too much for their little party to bear. As soon as the witch disappeared into thin air the whole hall burst out in chatter as people started talking excitedly about what had just happened and what this could mean for the war. The king had sent the guards out to try and track down the old woman but Reina doubted that they would be able to find her. The whole mood of the masquerade had shifted and people were no longer worried about who had the best costume or what the food was like but now they were sneaking peeks at the transformed mad prince. For his part, Lord Darron seemed to have a strangely calm expression on his face considering all that had happened. The witch had mentioned that he himself had been a candidate for being a cat and Reina wondered that if they hadn't met maybe he'd been off catching mice or mewling for milk somewhere. Yet the man hardly seemed fazed by this news and was instead regarding their little group with the same calculated coldness that he did when surveying a battle plan. Count your assets, isolate your enemies, choose your plan with the highest percentage of success. She doubted that this was the end of it concerning Lord Darron and that he would be pulling up on some of his more notorious contacts to get some pieces to this puzzle.

As for himself, Lox didn't seem like he was faring very well. His shoulder might be healed but he looked more then a little peeved and all these people crowding him probably wasn't helping much. The kids might be having fun but she'd already seen how explosive and violent his temper could get if pushed too far and she'd really rather he not lose it in such a crowded place. "Your highness, I think it would be best if I took Prince Lox outside before anything happened." Reina said warily as she nodded her head towards the agitated man. The king looked like he was going to protest but a quick gaze from Lord Darron and he nodded in consent. "Sorry kids, the kitty needs fresh air." Reina said, flashing a smile to the kids, before grabbing Lox by the hand and all but dragging him out through the crowd that had gathered around them. The nobles were sad to see them leave and quite a few of them looked like they would have like to pull on Lox's tail to make sure it was real but one look from the knight and they found it would be in their best interest if they didn't protest the early exit. Leading him by one hand she all but pulled him out to the balcony and down the stairs which led to the gardens. Most people tended to stay near the roses but there was a small maze in the center and at the end there was a gazebo where Reina usually ran off to when she was younger and wanted to skip her lessons. She knew the maze like the back of her hand and even in the dark she didn't have too much trouble leading him over to the gazebo.

Once they were inside Reina took off her mask and struggled to pull out the pins that were holding her hair up. "Crap I hate these things." The girl muttered angrily as she pulled out some more until it felt like she'd finally gotten all of them out. "So...cat got your tongue?" She knew that right now probably wasn't the best moment to tease Lox and that his mind was no doubt confused and annoyed and gods knows what else at the same time. Yet a lifetime in the battlefield had destroyed what little sense of self preservation she had and she really couldn't pass up the chance to get him back for all those puppy comments. Walking over to him Reina had to stand on her toes as her hand reached out and gently brushed over his ears before she started scratching him like she'd seen the witch do. "How are you feeling?" There was concern in her voice but even in the moonlight she couldn't hide the mischief in her eyes. It wasn't as if she was taking pleasure in Lox's suffering but this was a situation that they couldn't change right now so why not enjoy it for a moment or two? He'd teased her to his hearts content last night when she'd been too tired and hazy to do anything so as far as the knight was concerned this was just a little revenge on her part.