Burden of a Princess (Somadia & Traveler)

The shopkeeper seemed satisfied with the gem as he nodded and looked up at her. "This will be enough for two or maybe even three Dralians." He didn't seem to notice her impatience, and he didn't seem to care that a commoner had such a valuable gem. It wasn't his job to judge or report. Just to value and pay for it. Later it was very likely he'd head up to the castle and report that a commoner had stolen it before trying to pawn it off to him. It wouldn't be the first time, and it definitely wouldn't be the last time either...after all, the king paid nicely for the return of stolen treasures.

"No, no it's fine. I just...I just need the one. Please." She didn't need any more attention then this in itself was already going to make. Selling one of the family jewels....it was something she would've preferred that she didn't have to do. But she had no choice. She needed money, and for once, she couldn't go to her parents for it. Zaiya Celeste Nyte was the first and only daughter of King Koramazi Nyte of the kingdom of Arsengia. And right this moment, she was running away. Not that she hated her life, but it was necessary. For the greater good of the kingdom.

"Alright then....just don't come back later expecting more miss....?"

"Samadia. Arya Samadia." She brushed a lock of her black hair behind her ear as he left the room for a moment, no doubt putting away the valuable gem and writing down the fake name to report her to the city watch later before he returned with a Dralian. It was the equivalent of fifty Xaisons, or silver coins. It would pay for her trip to the neighboring kingdom of Styx. She had maybe an hour or two before her parents noticed she was gone, and then all parties leaving or entering the city would be searched. She had time though. She'd made sure, by instructing her maid to tell her parents the two of them were in the gardens, and then to leave the city as soon as she possibly could. "Thank you sir."

"Oh no." The shopkeeper chuckled at that, as if quite amused. "I am many things, but sir is not one of them. I am not a knight, by any means." He seemed proud of that, even though knights were some of the most honorable and respected in the kingdom.

As she left the shop, she made sure to slip the Dralian into the secret pouch woven into her shirt, along with the dagger she was taught self defense with, and the letter that had arrived this morning. The letter...it was the entire reason she was out here now, leaving her kingdom and risking everything to ensure peace within the seven kingdoms. In total there were ten kingdoms on the continent of Sameca, yet ever since the great alliance, only seven were recognized. It was understandable why, because it lead to three of the minor kingdoms swearing fealty to Arsengia. Ever since then, only seven of the kingdoms were recognized.

Zaiya sighed as she continued to walk, pausing once she reached the city gates before she turned and looked back at the castle, one last time for who knew how long. "I'll be back...I will." With that, she turned and walked through the gate, blending in with the crowd of people coming and going. Luckily, one of the people were carrying trade goods to a nearby town, and offered her a ride to that town's stables. Once she got there, she could buy a horse and be well on her way before her father even realized she was gone.

The castle was in a frenzy, and servants, noblemen, and advisers were running around like beheaded chickens. Sir Marc Édouard Vincent stalked through the hallways, his imposing 6'3" and the armor he wore made people scatter in front of him as he walked. His armor was almost more famous than he was; stories of his feats in battle as the Hand of Death made him seem larger than life, but he knew how to bleed just as well as any other man.

How well he knew it... and how much he hated the name he had been given by the other soldiers and knights. He loathed death, but he was good at it. He was a paradox of desire and ability, but he was serving the kingdom, and that was all that mattered to the knight.

He had been called to the grand audience hall with others; knights, advisers, priests... everyone who might have any influence in the kingdom. It concerned Sir Vincent that he was among those summoned; usually men like him were not called in unless someone needed to die, and he had been hoping that the six-month long peace would continue to rein. Six months was not a long time to a man who was practically weaned on battle. It was a drink he didn't know that he had longed for so desperately, until he experienced the soft relief of waking up and having no one to go after, no soldier to try to kill or fight off... he found that peace was a sweet mistress, and he was willing to do whatever it took to keep her at his side.

The great hall was abuzz with murmurings when Sir Vincent walked in. He removed his helmet, reluctant to shed his shield from prying eyes, and tucked it under an arm as he went to take his place among the other high-ranking knights of the realm. Soon the king would arrive with his closest of advisers, and then the mystery of what had caused such a commotion in the castle might be explained.

After Sir Vincent entered the room, a couple more moments passed as various other knights and a mixture of lowborn and highborn councilors entered the room. The highborns took their place in the hall, taking their place where they belonged as the lowborns tried to fight into a room they didn't belong in. The fact that they were even there was a sign that the King was truly desperate. The last to enter were what looked like members of the King's Elite Seven, soldiers that had once been knights and had now sworn their lives to defend the King. Every knight respected them as much as they did the King himself.

As they entered, they took up spots along the door even as the King himself stepped into the room. He paused long enough for his council to step through the room behind him, before he continued. The murmurings fell silent as King Korazami made his way to the front of the Grand Hall, taking his place on the throne as his counselors took their places; with two standing beside him and two standing beside the Queen's throne as well. As he took his place, his guard took their place behind him and as if on cue the silence broke.

The castle's own priestess took a step forward as she spoke. "Your Majesty I understand that there is a crisis, but this is a bad time. The other priests and myself were in the middle of a holy ceremony that is forbidden from all that do not intend to take the path of the gods by the highest decree and the captain of the City Watch just barged in!" She seemed quite upset by this, and understandably so. At this time after all, no one knew what the crisis was.

"Your concern is understandable, but at this time we need all those that have any chance of helping, no matter how small." The priestess started to say something else even as many within the room began murmuring to one another again, before the king cut her off and spoke again, much louder. "My daughter has gone missing." And just like that, the room went silent again. For a couple seconds anyway, and then it exploded into the equivalent of chaos.

Highborns and lowborns alike, all suddenly asking questions and shouting theories all at once. "SILENCE!" The King stood up, shouting the one word at the top of his lungs as the room fell silent once more. "...thank you. As for where she went, or how she was taken there....I do not know. Lord Xexo is similarly blind of all leads, yet he swears to have news within the next fortnight." Lord Xexo was his spymaster, and he rarely had no leads. It was a shock in itself that he knew nothing. "As for how we know....a peasant shopkeeper reported one of the family gems stolen and pawned off. The name he gave me is that off my daughter's hand maiden."

This brought up a few more murmurings, different theories and stories before the room quieted down again as the King continued. "Now, if you have any knowledge of importance, stay within this room and let your voice be heard. If you are a knight who wishes to be sent out to recover my daughter...step forward and a decision will be made. If you have nothing of importance, then leave this room and return to your lives." People started to step forward before King Koramazi spoke once more. "If anyone steps forward to tell a story that they have made up....they shall be punished for wasting the council's time." This caused some people to pause, and the room slowly drained, leaving behind only a few knights and priests.

The king was not a man to be trifled with, and Marc could not recall a time when he'd ever heard of the man losing his temper, but obviously this was not a typical moment. He watched the nobility and others first swarm forward, then ease out of the grand audience hall, their desire to bring praise upon themselves by coming up with a helpful theory or bit of 'insight' tempered by the threat of punishment for lying. Sir Vincent didn't know much about the princess aside from the fact that she was the king's only daughter and much beloved, but he had never trifled with courtly concerns, and he certainly had no interest in the latest fashions or matters of the nobility.

He had remained silent throughout the announcements, but now he stepped forward to where the king had indicated that that the knights should go if they wanted to search for her. In Marc's overly-critical mind, the princess was perhaps rotting in the bottom of some abandoned well at the moment; a victim of her handmaiden's greed or carelessness. He had little trust for people and often suspected those closest of the worst deeds. Usually he was right.

He watched as Lord Xexo, his cloak dark and mysterious, spoke quietly to a few others before seeming to fade into the shadows. The knight had long distrusted the spymaster, but... the kind trusted him. The priests as well seemed a bit put out, but they lingered for a time as well. Marc drew a hand through his sandy brown hair, his aqua eyes taking in the others who still lingered, and he waited to hear what the king would tell him. It was enough for him to know that he would not be sleeping in a bed tonight, but on the cold hard ground if he slept at all. It felt like the past six months of peace were ending for him, and all because of a princess.

Missing, certainly. Kidnapped? Perhaps. Dead? Most likely. He looked at the king and wondered what kind of inner turmoil his liege was feeling. It could not be easy to lose your only daughter, and to know that it was very unlikely you'd ever see her again.

As the priests and the lasts of the lords and ladies left the room, there were only seventeen knights left behind. The king looked among them with much displeasure. He recognized each and every one that had remained, and while many of them had skill....quite a bit of them didn't have the level of skill he would have proffered they have. Sir Vincent however, was a different matter entirely. He was one of the most skilled non-Elite Seven knights in the kingdom. "Sir Jace and Sir Marse I want the two of you to had to Sylvia and search for the princess there. Sir May and Sir Florence...." He similarly paired the knights in two, sending each of them to eight of the other kingdoms, and soon enough Sir Vincent was the only one remaining in the room.

"Sir Vincent...as for you, I want you to go to our neighboring kingdom of Styx and look for any sign of my daughter's handmaiden. The other knight's may each go search for my daughter with no leads whatsoever, but that peasant who returned her gem mentioned something about Lady Samadia heading out of the city through the Eastern gate that leads along to the town of Kaisan before joining along to Styx's main trade route." King Koramazi paused for a moment before he continued. "An area which I believe you are familiar with." He was referring to the last battle before the Great Alliance, in which Sir Vincent helped to pull out a victory.

"Find my daughter's handmaiden and find out whatever she does know. Bring her back here, and then we'll decide what to do next. And one more thing....try not to start another war. If someone needs to die, then so be it. Just don't do anything that isn't completely necessary. There's been more than enough bloodshed in the past decade. The Great Alliance was meant to bring a Great Peace with it....one can hope it does last." The King seemed exhausted as he finished speaking, taking his seat. It was clear Sir Vincent was dismissed. He had a long task ahead of him, and worst came to worst, it would end with another war. Another war that many of the kingdoms didn't have the supplies, money, or people to fight. If it came to that....it might be the end of The Seven Kingdoms.

He had half-expected the king to dismiss him with no assignment, perhaps wanting the man as far away from his daughter as possible. Not that it was a reasonable thing to think; it was hard to keep people away from each other when you didn't know where one was. But the assignment to Styx was something that he could do. He knew the area, he knew the people, and he could get in and out fast, if need be.

Once the king had dismissed him, Sir Vincent went to find out everything he could about the handmaiden. Arya Samadia, dark hair, petite, young... it wasn't much to go on. He questioned a few of the other servants, then went into the princess' room for clues. He was looking for a journal or some such; something that would give him insight into her way of thinking. The maids nearby looked at him as if he was physically ripping someone apart, instead of simply searching the room. By the time he left he knew a little bit more about the princess and her maid, and what he knew made him worried that they were either both in trouble or that the maid had tricked the princess for diabolical reasons.

Less than an hour after the king had given him his assignment the Hand of Death was riding through the Eastern Gate towards Kaisan. He'd stop there, perhaps let his horse rest as he questioned the guards and the locals. He had hoped that Lady Samadia might have had family or a lover nearby, but she had seemed completely dedicated to the princess. Which, in Marc's eyes, was a sign that she must have been up to no good.

He rode his horse hard; the beast was used to it, though, and his nostrils flared in excitement and the prospect of another battle. Ember loved the scent of war and blood; he was a warhorse through and through. The only thing that would have made him better would have been if there had been more just like him. It was nearly dark and it would be at least an hour after sunset when he reached the next small town. The knight changed his mind and decided to stop; if the handmaiden was traveling, she was more than likely going to stay near people and the security that a town would offer. Perhaps he'd get some clues about her in that town. At the very least, he could fetch a meal, rub down the horse, and then sleep briefly before setting off before sunrise the next day.

Zaiya slid off the horse she'd bought back in Kaisan, gently tying it up along the tree as she sighed softly. "What am I doing?" She said it softly, and yet all the same her company heard her, more or less.

"Did you say something Arya?" The woman who spoke was someone who was heading towards Styx as well, though she was returning. She had been visiting family in The Capital after the death of her uncle, and when she heard Zaiya inquiring about the quickest way up to Saike she offered her some company and agreed to lead her there. Zaiya had been more than happy to accept. She was no fool after all, and she knew that the roads could be dangerous. She figured she'd be better off with Nia and the mercenary, Kas, that she'd hired to escort her home.

"No, Nia. Just talking to my horse." Nia chuckled softly, nodding in understanding. It wasn't uncommon for people to speak to their horses. Especially not if they had been horseback riding really early on in their life. "Hey, uh Nia? When exactly are we going to head out tomorrow?" Nia was busy setting up what would undoubtedly be their camp, something Zaiya had no skill in. She had been taught in many things. Making a camp in the middle of nowhere? That wasn't one of the things her father saw fit to teach her. Neither was it one of the things her hand maiden taught her in secret.

"Sunset. After that we should be able to make it to Saike within a day's worth of travel. Don't worry Arya, we'll make it there in time to see your grandmother before she dies." That was the story she was using, and although it would hold out for a little while....if someone was looking for her in Kaisan it wouldn't take them very long at all to figure it out. After all, few people carried a Dralian on their person. Even fewer commoners did. Zaiya patted the horse on it's mane once more, before she walked over to one of the many trees in the area, taking a seat at the bottom of it as Kas caught up with them.

He had very little to say, just tieing his horse up as he got down and glanced along the path they were on, the great sword on his back seeming too big to the princess. She didn't see how he could even lift the blade, let alone use it....yet what did she know about swords? She'd only received minimal sword training, and it was all with a rapier. Compared to a great sword, it might as well have been a tooth pick. "The path's clear. No highlanders here. If we hurry and rest the horses and ourselves, we can get there early as the day after tomorrow." That was all he had to say, stalking off into the woods, probably to stand lookout or something.

Kaisan was a small town, but prosperous, and after a few well-placed questions Sir Vincent found out that a young lady traveling alone had bought a horse from the local stables, using a Dralian as payment. She had gotten plenty of change after her purchase, and then she had hooked up with an older lady and her body guard to travel eastward, towards Styx.

The knight had gauged how long of a start they had; it wasn't much, but the road between here and the river was rough. It wasn't worth the risk to his horse to travel it at night, though he would never tell the king that. In the knight's mind, the princess was dead or wishing she was dead, and the traitorous handmaiden had sold out the kingdom for a few gold coins. It was enough to boil his blood, thinking of the deceit and the betrayal that a royal woman had been through at the hands of her most trusted servant!

He laid down and closed his eyes, the windows to the east open to let in the first hint of the morning sun. He'd be up before most of the town and hopefully he'd catch up with the lass. And woe any who stood between them!

The knight had more than enough time to catch her now. Unless he lagged behind purposely anyway. After all, at that moment she was just starting to get to sleep herself and had no intention of waking up any time early the next morning. After all, Nia had decided they needed the rest before continuing any further down the path. It was one of the more worn-down trails and was well known for injuring horses and causing valuable goods to be lost in some of the worse areas.

Besides that fact, it wasn't very uncommon to run into highlanders and bandits along the path. They would be at this point in the road for long enough for the knight to catch up with her, unless he actually did just sit around twiddling his thumbs. This first part of his duty would be quite easy to complete. Almost too easy when it came down to it. Not including Kas into the mix, anyway. He was a sellsword after all, and what did he care if the king had sent some knight to retrieve her?

He was paid to defend Nia and those who traveled with her. And if he did manage to stop someone from messing with Zaiya...well that just brought the possibility of a little extra tip. He wasn't stupid after all. And a girl with a lot of money would pay finely, especially when she was willing to throw so much of it away on a horse. Horses were easy to buy cheap, but she had paid for an expensive snow white horse, saying something about how it seemed right. It was a load of bull if you asked him.

Sleep would not come to him. Try as he might, meditation and breathing aside, Sir Victor found that his ire at the deceitful hand maiden kept him awake. After two hours of staring at the ceiling he had to concede that sleep wasn't written in the stars for him, and so he dressed and saddled his horse, once again on the trail for the woman who could lead them to the princess.

The moon was over halfway lit, illuminating the road for someone willing to travel at a brisk walk and not a frantic gallop. He and his horse worked well together, weaving through the ruts and puddles as he followed the road towards Saike. He knew Styx well, too well... and he did not relish the idea of stepping foot in that kingdom again. Soon he saw the dim light of a small camp off the road. He glanced through the trees as his mount plodded along, looking for all the world like a tired, overworked plow horse obediently putting miles underneath its hooves. Sir Victor eyed the camp through the trees, and he saw a glimmer of white horse flesh that made his heart freeze.

That bitch was here.

He also saw two other horses but only two bodies by the fire, which made him think that they must have someone on watch. The city stable master had told him that the lass who bought the white mare was traveling with an older lady and a younger man who looked like he knew his way around a sword.

So be it. Marc would continue past the group and then circle back, approaching the camp on foot until he could gauge where the guard was. With any luck he'd catch the maid when she wandered into the forest to relieve herself, and thus spare the others their lives. But if he had to, he was not opposed to dispatching the guard and taking what he wanted. Sir Victor kept his horse's pace steady and put distance between himself and the camp. And then the stalking began...

For a while, his stalking was quite boring. Both women just slept, for the majority of the night. The old woman got up a couple of times, moving to shift through some of the stuff she had with her each time she did as well as rekindling the fire. Kas never revealed himself, yet the entire time Sir Victor did feel as if he was being watched. After all, you could only get lost on that path so many times before it started to become suspicious as to why you were still there. Zaiya didn't get up until late into the night, or early in the morning depending on how you looked at it.

When she got up, she stretched beside the fire for a moment before she walked over to where her horse was, murmuring something he couldn't hear to it as she gently patted the horse's mane. Then she gently took a hold of it's reigns, leading it a little ways away from the camp. Not far, yet far enough to be out of sight of Kas and Nia. Yet Kas made no move to stop her. He knew where she was going after all. There was a small stream towards where she'd taken her horse, no doubt intending to wash her a bit. It was none of his business anyway.

"Here Snow, drink up. We have a long journey ahead of us and you need to be well refreshed." Zaiya spoke in a soft voice as she gently patted the horse, Snow she called it, and leaned down to dip a hand in the stream. It had been a long while since she'd had a chance to wash for herself, or at least long by her standards. She figured now it didn't matter, but she would like to at least clean some of the dirt off of her face. She collected a handful of the water in her hands, cleaning the majority of the dirt away and making herself look decent by her own standards.

When she was satisfied, she turned her attention to her horse as she opened her saddlebag and took out what looked like a tiara. A slight smile touched her lips as she traced the edges of it with her finger, before she sighed and returned it to the saddlebags where she'd had it stored ever since she had bought Snow and the saddlebag from the nice man. It had been much more of a hassle to carry t with her before that....but she just couldn't leave it behind.

The longer Sir Vincent watched the servant, the more he disliked her. He watched her leading her horse away from the others and he saw the way the mercenary looked at her as she left, as if he only saw her as a commodity. Were they all in it together? Had she had accomplices? Certainly, the burly man with the impossible sword looked like the kind of guy who would have no qualms about killing a princess or anyone else for that matter.

Patience usually paid off, though. He had patience born of knowing and believing that good would always triumph, and in his mind his mission was completely in the good. The woman had a hand in the princess' disappearance and he was going to get her back to the king so that they could find the truth of what happened to Princess Zaiya.

Then she pulled out the tiara and admired it in the sun, fingering it like some treasure-hungry troll. That was it. He walked up behind her, his feet finding the quietest spots of ground and moving silently. He slipped his arm around the woman's waist and his other hand clasped her mouth, lifting her off the ground and tight against his body.

"Scream or fight, and I won't hesitate to knock you out," he growled softly in her ear. "Scream and bring the others, and I'll kill them if I have to."

Zaiya could tell this wasn't something he was good at. He might have been one of the best killers in the entire kingdom....yet bringing someone back alive? Not quite his best skill. His grip was plenty tight enough to restrain her...but he gave her room enough to speak. "Knock me out will you? And risk me falling on my own dagger and ending my life?" It caused some hesitation. After all, if she died then the princess was dead and doomed. Of course that wasn't what she thought. She thought he knew who she was, and couldn't risk her death.

"Let me go, or risk my life." He could search her five times over, and he'd still never find her dagger. But he was a knight, and just because he couldn't find the weapon didn't mean she didn't have it on her person. He knew that, but the decision was his to make. Risk her life, and with it the one lead he had to where the princess was or let her go. When it came down to it, he truly had no choice. Well he did have a choice in all fairness...the question was how far he was willing to push his luck. It didn't matter if the princess was dead either.

Because even if the princess was dead, the king would want to know what had become of her. He would want to know who killed her, and at least talk to the one person guilty. He had to let her go...or return to his king empty-handed explaining why he didn't have the princess or her handmaiden. And while he could try his luck with a lie, hoping it paid off, quite a few people had seen him. Quite a few people had seen her, and heard him asking about her. People who would gladly speak to Lord Xexo, knowing the rumors that he paid well for information. He could always chance it, but if his luck failed, and his lie was proved to be false....it would result in his exile at best and his execution at worst.

"Well? What shall it be? Knock me out and risk my death, returning empty-handed to the capitol or let me go and think twice before you put your hands on me again." It was funny, the way she spoke. Her tone made it sound as if being the princess's handmaiden gave her authority over him, and she had been born a commoner too. Something he might have considered for a moment if not having more important things to decide upon.

"You talk too much, wench." He smiled at her, though he was behind her and she probably could not see it. "For someone facing possible death, you have a lot of courage. Or stupidity... I haven't decided yet."

He clamped his hand tightly around her mouth and began to carry her away from the stream. For all he cared, the others could have her little horse. Snowflake? Snow? Steak, was more like it. It seemed a fair enough trade to him; once worthless wench for a beast who could carry a person or extra gear... he was certain that her companions would think that they were coming out on top.

If she kicked or tried to fight him off he'd grip her more harshly and warn her again, and if she continued, he land a sharp blow to the back of the head where he had caused others to be dropped countless times before when he needed to capture and not necessarily kill his opponent. To him, his quest was almost over. He'd turn the selfish bitch over to the king's men and they could torture her for the information they needed. It was only a hard day's ride... and probably too late for the princess anyway.

He might even have managed to make it away right then and there, get back to the king and be down with it quickly....if he hadn't ignored the horse. Something spooked it, what exactly it was he didn't know and he never would know. Something scared it, and it reigned up and whinnied as it charged back in the direction of the camp. He didn't care, and intended to keep going before there was the unmistakable sound of a sword being pulled from it's sheath. "Make this easy for yourself and just put her down." He didn't seem the least bit impressed by the knight, seeing his heavy armor only as something that would slow him down.

Besides that point, he couldn't really fight if he was holding a girl in his arms now could he? It was his choice to make, ignore him and continue, leaving his back open to attack or turn around to face the mercenary. The mercenary in himself didn't seem to care about common courtesy, and didn't give the knight much time to decide at all. Barely even a moment after he told him to put her down, he lunged forward and swiped his sword in such a way that the knight really only had two choices. At this point, Zaiya was silent and still. She knew if she moved it would not end well.

Either drop the girl and turn to face him, blocking the strike with his own sword or just take the blow. And the mercenary knew how to fight, and should Sir Vincent have chosen to take the blow the fight would be very short, and it would end with the knight one head shorter. As for Zaiya...she knew if she struggled it would result in the possibility of Kas's blade hitting her if the knight didn't face him, or the fall to the ground being exceptionally more painful then it needed to be.

Damn it.

Vincent flung the servant wench to the ground as he turned and drew his sword. The knight did not have time for this, but he supposed that he could not assume that the man challenging him was untested. For all he knew, the man was a war hero, adept with his sword and madly in love with the hand maiden... in which case, his love for her would increase his deadliness against anyone who tried to take her away.

Or... he was simply a paid guard, in which case, he would be easier to fight. For the other man's sake, Sir Vincent hoped that he was just a paid blade, and not a vested lover. Marc would probably have to kill the man if he was the servant's lover; he'd never be trusted to allow the knight to take her to her certain death.

He brought his sword around and blocked the first blow, then prepared for a quick and decisive battle. "She's wanted by the king!" He declared as the sound of metal on metal rang across the stream. "Cease immediately; the wench is wanted in the disappearance of Princess Zaiya and you will not stand in the way of justice!"