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For Your Protection (Sliverknight X N7Biotic)

He knew that this was the ideal place to start as he figured she would be in her element the most with the clothes, and that she would like the clothes that was hidden away here. He knew that they were made locally and that the clothes were very unique. He bowed and took her hand into his own hand and gave her a smile. "I am sure that you would of picked something out and it would looked wonderful," he said as he walked with her out of the store, as he took the bag and held it in his arms for her as he figured that it was good to show her around. The town wasn't that large a few thousand people, maybe ten thousand at most which was far smaller than the capital at like a million or so.

He walked down the street, it was wide enough, more than wide enough to give people plenty of space and any things that needed to be brought though town room to move. He led her down the street calmly as he smiled waving to people as he saw them. He was happy to be back and he was happy to be in his home town once again. He looked and stopped at the next place on the list of places to take her. He took her inside, "Now, this is where I need to get something as your missing something," he said as he walked in. The local jewelry store, he looked around and paused as he saw the old man who was standing looking at cuts of gems in the back.

"good sir, I know you remember kicking me out of here when I was a kid, but I need to get a ring for my wife and well, um, I didn't want to get one till I got one from you," he said politely as the man turned and looked at him with a warm friendly smile walking over. The man was tall and thin like willow reed. The old man bold but still prideful and confident in his walk. "Now, if itsn't the young lord, and his new wife, yes, but of course, take your pick lass, a proper wife should always have a proper ring, and if this lazy young man forgot to get the ring before it was official get one now. I will make sure to bill your husband."

The rings were laid out in long cases, he was a master of this, and it was obvious, he did some work for her father, and mother back in the day, and from time to time, the craftsmanship was a style that he used as an art of his own. The people of the town took their jobs very seriously, they focused on them as if they were the most important thing and devoted themselves to their crafts. Something that would explain a lot about Sergio and his devotion to his work as a warrior, bodyguard and soldier. It was jut a way of life in this remote town that made it rather culturally different than the capital in many ways.
 
Sergio's words made her smile and she took his held his hand tightly as he lead her out of the shop to continue on their way. Amelia found herself quickly falling in love with the village. The place was small compared to the capital and therefore, less stressful to go through. There were throngs of people to go through every time they needed to visit just a single store. It was made even worse when she would go herself. Her face was well known to the public and every time she went out to have a change of scenery, she would be greeted by numerous people either wanting to sell her things or earn her favor and it became very overwhelming to deal with so, she simply had to have someone go for her and trust their opinions on things when it came to clothing and jewelry. Which was why she often didn't pick out her own things. She thought it wasn't so bad though since a lot of times, she rarely complained about what was picked for her, but still it would be nice to get out to do it herself without much trouble. Luckily, she was able to do that here. Here, there wasn't too many people, the streets were wide, and no one knew her face. So, she could simply enjoy her outing with Sergio, holding his hand and letting herself get close to him as she occasionally waved and smiled at the happy villagers who spotted them and gave them a wave.

When Sergio mentioned she was missing something, she curiously looked at him and tried to think for a moment. As far as she knew, Amelia had everything she would need, but he seemed to notice something was missing that she didn't see. "Something missing?" She smiled with a curious look, but she still followed him into the store to see what Sergio had in mind. The inside of the store had such beautiful cuts of jewelry that Amelia's eyes widened a bit at the sight of it all. First, the general store that had such beautiful clothing and now a store with beautifully made pieces of jewelry. It was clear to Amelia now that the people in this village were very skilled at what they did. They must of dedicated all their efforts to their stores to be able to make so many nice things. Though, now that she thought about it, it would make sense to her if everyone really did dedicate their lives around their livelihood. After all, Sergio was one of the most dedicated people she's ever met. Everything he did, he worked hard at until he mastered the skill he needed or nearly mastered it. He managed to become a knight quicker then most people got to as well, which was one of the factors that made her father impressed with him enough to make him her personal guard alongside his skill and his friendship with her. The idea of Sergio being so dedicated to her as well made her blush, so she tried not to think about that.

Sergio's words made it clear what his intentions were and despite trying to keep herself from blushing already, she still ended up blushing anyway. She was suppose to play as his wife, but it never occurred to her she didn't have a ring to show she was a married woman, even if it wasn't a real marriage. They still needed one if they wanted to make their facade seem completely genuine. Though, the idea of Sergio slipping a ring on her finger did make her smile and blush softly. She giggled a little at the clerk slightly picking on Sergio, but squeezed his hand sweetly and replied, "I can't be too mad at him. He works so hard for the princess that I'm surprised he can handle all that he's already having to handle, but...it does seem like best time to finally get one." She smiled, trying to play her part well before letting her eyes look along the rows of rings. Amelia felt slightly bad about Sergio having to pay for anything for her, but she wasn't sure how to handle a situation like this. She wasn't suppose to be able to cover the cost. Sophia's position in the castle doesn't give her much breathing room, so saying that she could pay for it would come off odd. It was just something she would have to deal with it seemed. However, out of all the rings, one kept catching her eyes. It was simple in design, but the diamond was so beautifully cut while not being overly big that there was a charm to its simplicity. The sliver band that held it was solid for the most part, but near the diamond, the band broke up to be thin lines interweaving with one another before meeting the diamond at the center. "What do you think about this one?" She asked him, "I think it's really beautiful. Not too much, but not too simple either."
 
Sergio looked over the ring, it was modest and beautiful and it was just perfect. If it was a real wedding and they were really husband and wife he could see them getting something like that for her. He blushed severely as that thought caught up to him. As he nodded his head, "Yeah, I think that will do perfectly fine. I think it is very lovely and will look overly on your finger," he said with a smile as he took out the money for the ring and paid the man at the counter who was in thought for a moment or two, his eyes looking away as if trying to access some hidden memory or something simply that he had forgotten over the years that he had been working.

"You have a good eye, my young Sophia, but that isn't the ring of a noble lady, that you can buy though, there is something I almost forgot," he said almost giving himself a face palm after remembering something. "I am greatly sorry, but I shall be back in a moment or two," the man commented as he bowed and took his leave.

Sergio looked at the princess curious what the man was after. "I think it is good enough, I wonder what that old guy has in his mind," he mused as he had no clue, he was not told about it, for a reason too. He looked in the direction. "I don't know what is up, maybe it is something from back in the day or some arrangement I don't know about," he said with an eyebrow raised. He had no clue what was going on, but he knew something was up and he was a bit on guard cause of it.

The old tall skinny man walked back with a box, a small perfect box that he put on the counter that was in front of Sophia. The man looked at the two with a small smile on his lips. "I am sorry I forgot about this, it was kept under lock and key for the possible day that Sergio here might be married. You see, it was actually made by my father, and given back for holding after Sergio's parents died. It is the only ring fitting of his wife, it is the ring of the late lady of the county, and Sergio's mother," he said as he looked at her, "It was to be given to his wife, we just gave up on that hope and well kept it here hoping that hope would pan out. I would love to give it to you, in addition to the one that you picked out for one price," he told her as he opened the box.

The ring was interesting, it was gold, and it was cut with 5 gems, none of them were diamonds, but they were four emeralds and one ruby that was larger and placed in the center of the emeralds. The ring had a symbol of the former kingdom the small area was once upon a time too. It was a symbol of the turtle of all things that symbolized the old kingdom. It wasn't a symbol that was anywhere in the kingdom but it was the symbol none the less. The old man smile as he looked at the impression that the ring would leave on Sophia. He knew that the ring wasn't super fancy, but it was still important and it could be used for things other than a wedding ring as it was made in a day before diamonds were popular for wedding rings.
 
It wasn't hard for the Princess to notice the redness in Sergio's face as they looked at rings together and felt her own intensify. She would like to think that his thoughts were filled with thoughts of her, perhaps even romantic ones, but she was far too shy to ask him directly, especially in a public place where onlookers would expect that to be a normal occurrence. However, she doubted that her knight truly thought of her in such a way, but the thought was nice enough on its own. His approval of her choice and his comments on how it would look on her made her smile. Amelia was happy to hear his approval of something she liked. It made her feel good. It made her happy to see him happy, especially when it was something of her own doing. She's always loved his smile, even when they were younger and she was always eager to put another one on his face whenever it was missing. A man as handsome as him only became more so with a smile like his. It almost made her melt to see it upon him lately and made her feel things she couldn't quite explain or describe, but it made her happy all the same. Seeing Sergio getting ready to pay for something for her made a tinge of guilt run through her. She would have to see to it that she repay him for something so lovely, but before Sergio could pay the man, but the man's realization stopped him from doing so.

She looked curiously at the man before watching him go and gave the same curious look to Sergio. He gave her a similar face, so he couldn't have known what the man intended to show them, but seemed to know that the man had something up his sleeve judging by the way Sergio looked more alert then before. "I thought it was nice too, but maybe you're right. It could just be something else he wanted to show us before making a choice. Either way, I'd like to see what he has intended for us." She smiled at him a little as they awaited for the man to return to them. The man returned soon after and Amelia gave the box in his hands a curious look. As the man explained what awaited within the perfect little box, her eyes widened a bit in surprise. This wasn't just any ring he was about to show her, but something very special. A strange mixture of honor and guilt washed over her. She was honored to possess something so special as a ring that once belonged to Sergio's mother, but she felt like it was wrong for her to wear it despite that given that she wasn't truly his wife, but for the sake of their ploy, she was going to play along and hope that his mother would forgive her for having the ring despite not really being her son's wife.

The ring itself was beautiful, far more so then most rings that she has seen in her life. It reminded her of something a Queen would possess. The gems and the symbol they represented was not lost on her and was one of the very first things she had noticed about it. Her studies taught her of all symbols that were used and not so often used. While it had been sometime since she had seen this symbol of the old kingdom with her own eyes, it wasn't hard for her to recognize either. "Oh my..." She gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand for a moment before moving down to rest against her collarbone, "It's beautiful. It's even more so then most of the rings in the capital and even better then that, it's special. I feel so honored to be offered something so sentimental and meaningful..." She smiled sweetly before giving Sergio's hand a squeeze, "I hope my husband's mother will be happy to see me have it, especially since it means so much." She hinted towards Sergio, hoping to express that she was concerned that she was worried she was unworthy of such a wonderful thing given that they weren't actually married.
 
"I am sure she will be happy to know that you are with me," he said to her softly as he took her hand into his own. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "I am sure you should have both rings and that this ring should fit you better than anyone else," he said honestly but he was also acting as well. He wished this was her ring and that she was his wife, but he knew that to do so would be treason and that he would be a traitor to the kingdom if married the princess of the kingdom. They would see him as not good enough for him and they would consider that he was trying to steal her away, and he was breaking his goal of keeping her safe while just being her guard.

That didn't mean that he didn't want to, he wanted to hold her, kiss her, hug her and do other things he rather not think of or his face would turn rather red. He felt his face still turn a good bit red as he gathered himself from his own simple thoughts. He wanted to be with her, he loved her completely and fully and had for a very long time. Yet, he knew that if he did so, that it would be bad for her. He wasn't a high enough rank for her and while they were away from castle, it could cause problems for her. The idea of causing problems for her was something that he would never want to do. He knew that her father wouldn't approve of him above all and would be rather mad at him for stealing her.

He smiled as he looked at her and then took her hand as he held her hand and then smiled. "Let us just go for a walk lovely wife," he said with a smile as he looked at her. He could pretend though right now that she was his wife and that she was with him and she was his everything. He wanted to walk with her and have his time with her. He held her hand firmly as he walked outside and headed down the street to the main park in the center of town. It was where most castles would be and one was there, it was a defensive castle with great walls, and all, but it was used by the people to operate ceremonies and well for defense back when this was a kingdom and when they had to worry about bandits years and years before.

The park around the castle had a second purpose for defense, as the large river around the castle would be a natural defense. He walked to a bench and sat down as he motioned her to sit down with him. As she did, he leaned over and kissed her lips as he looked at her. "I am sorry, I couldn't but help myself, my lovely princess," he said softly with a sad tone to his voice as he looked at her with longful eyes. He wanted her above all people, and he wanted to be with her more than anyone. He knew that he couldn't have her and if he did, it would cause problems for so many problems when they king found out and would send someone to get her back or maybe even invade his lands for her if he wanted her back badly enough.
 
Her knight's words brought the little Princess some comfort. Hopefully, his mother could look down at them and smile despite they weren't truly married. Sergio was doing his part as her beloved knight to protect her under a ploy and she knew she could be proud of the man her son grew to be. A part of her wished that their marriage wasn't a facade, even if her knight was only acting his part, just pretending that they were something more then what they were made her feel so happy. Every time she felt his hand holding her own, his arms around her, his lips kissing her own, a fluttering sensation grew in her chest. Just the idea of being his wife and feeling the way he treated her as such, real or not, made her so happy. She could imagine the entire village coming together, her father passing her over to Sergio after she walked down the aisle and the feeling of his lips against her own as they became one soul before he took her back to their bedroom. Her thoughts had to stop there. If her fantasy went any further, not only was it improper for her to think of such things, but her face would grow so red her company might think something was wrong. So, she quickly had to distract herself with the scene before her before her fantasy took over her thoughts again.

Besides, as unfair as it was, it was unheard of for a woman of her status to marry another of his ranking. Amelia thought it was a stupid rule. It wasn't unlawful for a high born person to marry someone low born, but it was typically unheard of and risky due to the public might not taking the union too lightly. It wasn't like blood was the issue, but it was resources, money, connections, all things that most low born people typically don't have. A married is usually made to the benefit of both families involved. Unfortunately, love wasn't much of a factor. This was a hard truth the young Princess learned in her childhood when she spoke of a knight one day saving her from some beast that wanted to marry her in one of her childish fantasies, her father quickly told her the truth of things. "You'll grow to love your spouse if you already don't by the time you wed him, my dear." He told her as she sat on his lap on the throne. Her mother and father seemed to be happy, but she was sure that neither of them truly wanted to marry each other in the beginning. She wondered if her father had a woman he wanted to marry before her mother was arranged to marry him, but it was a question that she rather not know the answer to. If love wasn't a factor in deciding who she wanted to marry, then she was only marrying someone for other people. Though, she supposed that was her role. A Princess, someone who would become Queen, couldn't be selfish or think of her own happiness, her life was dedicated to the people. Her happiness came last. Though, if there was any man who she'd throw away her birth right for, it would be for Sergio.

Her cheeks blushed when Sergio referred to her as his "lovely wife", finding herself unable to deny him the pleasures of a simple walk with her. Amelia thanked the store clerk for his kindness and wished him a good day before wrapping her arm around Sergio's. Even if their marriage was a folly, Amelia could at least enjoy pretending with him. She remembered how much she loved to have walks with Sergio back at the castle when the both of them were avaible. He always seemed to make time for her, something she wished she appreciated more before all of this had happened, but at least she could enjoy his company now in a fantasy she wished to be true without the sensation of guards closely watching them. She observed the village in a comfortable silence with Sergio's hand holding her own firmly. Her eyes studied the castle that remained within the village back before the village became part of her father's kingdom. She remembered many, many years ago this village had its own king and queen, but as things tend to go, a marriage was made between the Princess of this village and the Prince of the other, bringing the two lands together. At least, that was the story she was told. History was a tricky subject at times, one book would say one thing and another would say something else, but this was the story most of her books have told her and she accepted as truth, but if Sergio told her something otherwise, Amelia would be inclined to believe it. Once the King and Queen of this village reached their end, the castle here remained without a King and Queen, if the books could be believed, but luckily not completely abandoned neither. The sight brought a soft smile to her lips and made her wonder if a King and Queen would ever occupy the castle ever again or if it would purely remain used for defenses and ceremonies. Either way, she could admire the beauty of the ancient castle with interest in it.

The park around the castle was rather pleasant. It was simple like the rest of the village, but not without beauty or purpose as she could see the large river nearby served as another line of defense against attackers. Unfortunately, even villages as this one were prone to have a bandit attack at one point or another. At least, they had plenty of defenses and strong warriors like Sergio to protect the village's people. Seeing her companion taking a seat on a bench and motioning for her to join him, she smiled sweetly at her knight and sat down on the bench beside him. However, she was taken by surprise as her knight placed another kiss upon her lips once she sat down. His kiss was the sweetest thing in her world and she adored every second of it. The moment their lips parted, Amelia felt a bit sad to feel the warmth of his lips off of her own. There was something in his words though that tugged at her heart. The way he called her "lovely" made her blush, but there was a sadness in his voice. However, it was his eyes that nearly made her lose her breath. There was something she hadn't seen within them before, something that looked like longing. As though he wanted to kiss her again and again. Amelia couldn't hide it back anymore. That tone, those eyes, it was enough to break her just enough to let on what her true feelings for the man before her were. At first, she just smiled and said, "It's quite alright...", her voice soft and comforting as her hand reached up to gently touch his cheek. Her eyes looked into his for a moment, before softly adding, "I...I like it when you kiss me...". After a few seconds of silence, Amelia brought herself closer to him, kissing her knight on his lips herself and letting it linger as her hand gently touched his cheek, wanting the kiss to last as long as she could, hoping Sergio wouldn't hate her for it.
 
Surprise, that was what hit him when she kissed him, she kissed him and told him she liked to kiss him. His face turned red, he looked something like a bright red apple. He blinked as he took a moment to simply gather himself as he looked at her and then blinked. He took her hand and led her forward without saying a single word. He walked though the park into the castle itself. He knew the castle well enough and led her to a back room as he closed the door. He had to lead her here as he couldn't say what he wanted in public, there was to many ears and to many spies that would be around, both that of other kingdom's perhaps and even that of her father who might be using this as a test for her and him.

He closed the door as he looked at her. "Princess," he said looking up at her taking a deep breath. It was time to man up, time to be a man and show how he felt. He remembered getting that advise a large number of times when he talked vaguely about a woman he liked with many men over the years. He gathered himself as he looked her in the eyes. "I hate the status difference between us, I hate that we are on different levels of society, I hate that I can't and haven't been open with you, and my feelings. I also love to kiss you," he said softly and a bit quietly. "I hate not being with you and not being by your side. Princess, I was the worst person for the job of protecting you, as a fake husband, for my dream would be not to have it as simply fake," he said holding her in a whisper to make sure only she heard him.

He stepped back, his heart racing like never before as he looked at her, "I am sorry, now, I hope this information doesn't trouble you, I will do what I need to do," he said as he waited for her reaction. He just threw everything out. He needed to do this, he had to be honest, he was not going to be able to do anything anymore if he couldn't be honest. He looked at her. She might be shocked, she might be mad she might who knows. He wasn't sure, he had loved no woman but her his whole life and he would love no other. He knew that fact already and he would causing her endless problems with his feelings. He just felt he should be honest with her for once, faking it wasn't going to help anyone.
 
The look on Sergio's face once their lips parted was one that brought a shy smile to her lips. Amelia wasn't sure what to make of it. While his face was redder then she's ever seen it before, even under the heat of a metal helm on a summer's day, she couldn't tell if he had a look of shock, horror, excitement, or all at once and she felt a tinge of worry fill her. Did she make a bad move? Was he mad at her, hated her or was he happy? It was nearly impossible for the young girl to determine and the fact he was silent with her only made her more nervous. "Sergio?" She questioned after a long moment of silence between them, but without a word, he took her hand and got up from the park bench. Amelia got up as well feeling his hand pulling her own, realizing he was wanting to take her somewhere. For a moment, the little Princess was confused. She didn't understand why Sergio was silent with her and seemingly wanting them somewhere else, but once she saw that he was leading her to the ancient castle she had admired only moments ago, she quickly realized his intentions. He wanted them out of the public eye, but if he had anything good to say about her kiss, why would he want them alone if the public saw them as a married couple? A part of her began to worry that he was actually mad at her or wanted to reject her implied feelings without anyone listening in, but she prayed that part of her was wrong.

Sergio was moving quickly and with seemingly urgency in his step as they moved through the castle, barely giving the Princess anytime to admire the interior of the castle, but her eyes only lingered on Sergio as he led her away anyway, her thoughts becoming more fearful of what he might have to say to her. He led her to a back room and closed the door, Amelia looking a bit nervous and worried about what Sergio's words would be now that they were completely alone. Once Sergio began speaking, Amelia fell completely silent, unable to bring herself to speak while he did. As he spoke, Amelia's fears and worries melted away only to be replaced with pure joy. Her eyes widened at his confession at first, but soon a smile grew upon her lips. She never thought that every kiss he gave her was a kiss he genuinely wanted to place on her lips. Every sweet word he's ever spoken to her only became that much sweeter to think that he really thought those wonderful things about her. Everything he did, everything he said, all became that much more enjoyable for Amelia now that she knew his true feelings and she never felt so happy since she was a little girl playing with the very knight who was confessing his feelings to her. Her lifelong friend, her protector, her claimed husband, the man she loved, loved her back and the thought alone was enough to make her eyes water a bit.

She was speechless for a moment, unsure how to react or speak with such a wonderful thing being spoken to her. Amelia brought herself closer to the knight and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, almost tight enough to squeeze the air out of him as she felt her eyes water up a bit more. "How could I ever be troubled with this news?" She managed to speak, her voice full of joy. The Princess managed to eventually let her arms grow loose enough around him to allow her eyes to look up into his own, wanting him to see the truth of her words as he had done for her. "I hate it too. I always hated that rule. I hate that people have made it a standard for someone like me to love a man like you, but I don't care." She spoke, a couple of tears of joy running down her cheeks. "I always cared for you, always wanted to be with you, but...I never thought it was possible, so I tried to ignore what was there for so many years. I don't care anymore though. I can't deny myself anymore. Every word you speak, every kiss I feel, makes me feel so happy. I want to be your wife, not just in name, but truly. I would give anything to make this ploy our reality...I would even give up my rights to the throne if it meant I can be with you." She smiled up at him, unable to stop the tears from falling anymore. Amelia was just too happy to keep them contained. With her own declaration out for him to know, Amelia allowed herself to kiss the man she loved once again. This time, she wanted him to know how real the kiss was, how real her feelings for him were as she lovingly kissed him, letting her arms wrap tightly around his strong body, no longer caring that they were from two different worlds, but wanting to share her's with his.
 
For Sergio to say this all was a surprising day was a massive understatement, to think that this was possible was a impossibility or would of been one before the start of the day. There were so many thing to think about, so many things to worry about so many reasons for them not to even try to be together, that it wasn't funny. He knew them all so well, as he had told himself them over and over again, as he worked to convince himself that she would never care for him and that he should give up on his feelings, but a heart as they say was stronger than one could imagine. He knew her father wouldn't approve, that they would be in trouble, but none of that was in his mind in that moment, in that second. He was focused on the happiness that was inside of himself.

He was filled with joy and happiness in this moment he felt like anything could happen and should happen. He felt like they could accomplish whatever they wanted and together they were right. He felt the bliss flow though him as he felt her kiss him. He knew that she cared and loved him, that the feelings he thought were one sided were not, that they were both in love with each other. It made him so very happy, it made his heart sing songs of joy in his chest. He broke the kiss as he looked at her and smiled, before kissing her once more, his hands remaining around her as he kissed her.

"You have made me the luckiest man alive," he said to her softly as he looked her in the eyes moving closer, "I have loved you for years, and I have wanted to kiss you for years," he said to her in a whisper his lips close to her ears as he told her, "Amelia, I love you, and always have," he informed her in the whisper. Sergio had to inform her giving her, her real name. He wanted to make sure she knew his feelings that were open. He put his arm around her. "Our little public cermony can be our real one," he said softly in another whisper before he looked upon her face. "Now, what do you think of the castle, I know it isn't big, but care was taken into making it," he said as he led her up the stairs.
 
Amelia didn't care anymore if her father approved of her love for Sergio or didn't. Naturally, she would want her father to be happy for her, but she knew once she told him that she was in love with a knight and wanted him as her husband, he wouldn't take too kindly to the news. Yet, she didn't care. For years, Amelia hated that rule that she was suppose to marry a Prince or a lord when the only man she ever wanted was so close to her all this time. Her father would probably send for her to return home the second he found out and would probably make it his mission to keep the two of them apart until he found her another man to marry, but again, she didn't care. All she wanted was Sergio, the man whose been by her side since she was a little girl. Not everyone in the capital would be against her decision either. While many were loyal to her father, Amelia was beloved by all of the capital. Those who were loyal to her father would stand by whatever decision he came to, but the others would rush to her side to show her support and with such a drastic war taking its toll on her poor parents, her father wouldn't have enough fight within him to handle another army should he decide violence was needed. Amelia doubted her father would resort to violence against her. After all, she was his only child and he beloved her, but was a stickler for old traditions, even if they weren't what she wanted. However, Amelia knew the possibility was still there. Her father was a good man, who loved her with all his being, but he would still do what he thought was right, even if it meant the happiness of his only child.

Knowing that Sergio loved her as well, every kiss they shared only became that much sweeter. She felt so much stronger with him by her side, like they could take on anything that came their way. Her father included, an obstacle they would surely have to deal with in time, but for now, she wanted to enjoy every second she had with her beloved Sergio. Amelia had never felt such happiness before and she wished she could feel this way forever. She was safe in his strong arms and his love for her made her feel just as strong. Once their lips parted and she saw Sergio smile onto her, Amelia couldn't stop her own smile from growing and even letting out a little chuckle before she felt him kiss her again. If they weren't careful, they probably wouldn't leave this room for hours, just kissing and holding onto each other as though stepping out of the room would be the end of their new found love for each other. She wanted this moment to last forever, just having Serigo's arms around her body and her own around his, kissing each other over and over again until the both of their lips were raw and their arms weak and sore. However, the outside world would seem even brighter and happier with him by her side, especially knowing the ploy they've been playing could become their reality.

His words brought a smile to her lips and a little chuckle out of her as her arms squeezed him in a little hug. The things he whispered into her ear made her blush and smile all so sweetly. Though, she couldn't hide the fact his whispers brought a wave of chills down his spine. His strong voice with the warmth of his breath against her skin nearly made her turn beet red all on their own. She closed her eyes as he whispered to her, taking in every sweet word as though they were going to be the last things she would ever hear from him. Each one more sweet then the last, especially when he used her real name. "I love you too Sergio, with all my heart." She whispered back, smiling before giving his cheek a soft kiss as she took a moment to enjoy the warmth and strength of his arms and body so close to her own smaller and more fragile one. Her eyes slowly opened, as their eyes met, talking of their marriage ceremony being something real rather then a false display to make the villagers happy. Her smile grew even wider at the idea of being her knight's legitimate wife, even if it meant losing her right to the throne. "I would love that. I want to be your wife, your real wife, not just something for show." She smiled at him before feeling him leading her up a set of stairs, changing to subject to relate more to the ancient castle around them. "I think it's beautiful. You can tell the people who worked on building it worked hard and put a lot of love into their work and I'm sure the Kings and Queens who once lived here were all wonderful to their people. Though, why do you ask?" She asked a bit curiously, looking towards him with a bit of a curious look as she made sure to match her pace with that of her beloved so they could walked together side by side.
 
"Well this is where the ceremony will take place of course, and I want to make sure it is a place that you think is up to the task, it is to be in reality our real kind of marriage," he said to her as he gave her a warm friendly little smile. He took her up to the second floor which gave a view over the main hall. The hall was large, with statues of past heroes of the land, and paintings of the kingdom's history all around the walls of the room. It was as much part of the history and culture of the old former land as anything else. He stood there and let her look over the room to take that in. This would be where her wedding would be, the only one he hoped she would ever have, and well he figured it was as fitting of a place as any other. He leaned over the railing as he knew that people would fill every inch of the place.

"The town fill this place in, I will have to be on extra guard to as that will be a dangerous moment in a way as it will be the best time to go for you," he said as he let out a sigh. "People will be limited to areas, and the guards will be in place, but the area of my rule spans many many towns like this own, though most are smaller and are for one purpose such as a lumber town or a mining town. There is the town that is the main hub for the farmers, and the town where the military of the region trains and lives. Basically each town has its own purpose that they throw themselves into with furry," he explained as he figured that she would want to know a bit more setup. This is the capital thus the hub for all of them and where they come to trade and sent out goods to the rest of the world and the town of books and knowledge."

He kept his arm around her as he stood there looking down on the hall. "Now, back corner is my father, he was the one who sent me to be a guard to you or rather suggested the idea when I was young. He liked the idea of a lord from here would focus on protecting the future daughter of the king and would make sure she felt safe," he explained as he smiled. "Protecting you has been my greatest joy, and growing up with you as well. You are a beautiful woman who is unmatched by all others. Now, I am the lucky one here, and well these people will love you even as you are now and all," he said referring to her as the lady in waiting, "No matter what you are or the rank you hold you are still just as important to me," he announced as it would seem he meant that her lower rank was not important to those who heard, when it was in truth the opposite fact.
 
A little grin grew on the Princess' face when her beloved brought up the marriage ceremony. The idea of their legitimate marriage being being held in such a historic and ancient castle that was held dear to the villagers seemed like a wonderful idea to her. The hall was especially wonderful. The statues of past heroes and painting depicting historical events seemed all the more perfect to hold their ceremony here. She wanted to embrace this village and its people, knowing well she may lose the right to her throne in the capital. Amelia wanted to know everything about their history, their culture, everything she could possibly learn about it all. If she was going to marry her beloved knight, she wanted to know his home, his people, his ways. All she's ever known is the capital, it would be like completely starting over again, but Amelia was more then happy to do so, especially if it meant she got to be with Sergio. Even as he looked down at the hall, leaning on the rails, her eyes could only admire him. How strong he was, how kind, how sweet, and how much he loved his village and herself. Sergio was her fairy tale knight, the very kind she use to dream would rescue her from some beast like her storybooks use to tell her, but she never thought she would actually get to marry the knight of her dreams. For so long, Amelia had grown to expect to settle for one of the Princes who presented himself to her, given that none had truly won her heart or interest, but now that she was going to give it all up to marry the man she actually loved, she felt free and truly happy for the first time in a long time.

"It's perfect." Amelia smiled, letting her hands touch the same railing he was leaning against as she felt his arm wrapped around her tightly, "I couldn't think of a better place to marry my sweet knight." She smiled at him sweetly, letting her hand slide across the railing to touch and squeeze his own hand before listening more to his explanation of things. Her father had told her countless times that despite how they look, villages and towns like the one they were in were essential to keeping the capital running so smoothly. Without places like these, the capital wouldn't be able to maintain itself with all the people that lived there. Perhaps, she could negotiate with her father once he learned of their actual marriage. She doesn't expect him to be happy about it, but if he didn't respect her decision, then she would have to take matters into her own hands with her new husband there beside her. The villages and towns nearby would be more then capable to survive together with their combined efforts and her father couldn't risk marching against them to fight given his armies were already being stretched thin. Breaking off from the capital was the last thing Amelia wanted to do, but if her father wasn't willing to accept her decision and threaten to break their marriage and sending her back to the capital, then it was something she would have to seriously consider, with Sergio's own thoughts and decisions as well, of course. Once they were married, they would become a team that would have to work together on things such as this, if he was for or against the idea of leaving the capital if it came down to it, she would either try to compromise or agree with him in the end. She just hoped it wouldn't have to be a decision the two of them would discuss so soon after being married.

Amelia smiled when Sergio pointed out his father and spoke of him. She remembered as a little girl, seeing a man like the one he pointed out, approaching her home with a young boy beside him, the very day that changed her life. If it wasn't for his father willing to let go of his only son in order to protect her, then things could have been very different. Sergio would have stayed in the village and Amelia would be forced to marry a Prince she didn't love with no knight that stole her heart to make her willing to leave behind everything she knew. His sweet words to her though made those thoughts fade away, more then happy that this was the way her life had gone as she smiled upon him and let herself lean against him a little, "I'm so happy your father thought that, otherwise, I wouldn't be here beside you. I suppose it's him I should be thanking for making me the happiest woman alive." She chuckled a bit. Her face blushed from his sweet words as her smile only grew larger. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to find herself in love with a man so sweet and caring to her, someone who loved her completely with or without a throne. "You're too sweet to me." She chuckled a little, "I don't care about your rank either. You could be a beggar without a copper piece to his name, and I'd still love you. I love you for everything that you are, not by your rank and I couldn't be happier to be your wife." She smiled sweetly, letting herself place a sweet kiss upon his cheek as her hand squeezed his.
 
His face turned red, a bright red as he looked down. He had never thought about it that way, he was glad he meet her and he was glad that he worked for her. Yet, he had never thought about how good that it was to be sent away as a kid. He always thought he was being abandoned for money. He wasn't happy about it and when he was first in the castle he wasn't very happy until he meet the princess. She was the one who made him enjoy the capital and find a place and purpose. He knew his purpose to protect and help the princess from almost the moment that they had meet each other when he helped her out in her garden when they were children and when he protected her once from something silly, but that was the start of what led to that moment.

He smiled as he thought about how things had grown between them as they got older. he would do whatever to help her and make her life as good and happy as possible, she meant so much to him that he could see that in each moment of his own life. He kissed her cheek softly as he leaned in and pressed his lips to her check before he kissed her lips slowly. He pulled back as he gave her a smile. "Thank you, it was a pleasure to help you and make your life so happy and I promise to protect you and help you as long as I live, I swear myself to you, heart and soul from now till forever, as my lovely wife and well my mate in this world," he said as he looked at her, his arms around her as he loved the quietness of the room. He knew that they would be seen as odd but that wasn't important.

He looked at the place where they would be wed, and smiled as he thought about how people wouldn't know how for real it was. He knew that it was seemed as a formality, but it was far more than that and would be one of the most special days in his life. He looked and imagined it in his mind the setup and the design of the room when they got married. He looked at it for a good moment as he smiled for a moment, before that smile went away from his face. He looked up and away as he looked at the princess and he moved her quickly holding her as an arrow went by her and hit behind her.

The knight sprung into action as the arrows that followed were aimed at him. "Foolish man, you shall pay for your father's crimes," he called out as he had to dodge a few more strikes. The attacks were oddly not aimed at the princess, but him as she was seen as a commoner and wife of minor noble but her important one. He got close as he dodged a few more arrows before he punched the man in the gut or what he thought was a man as he hit him in the stomach and grabbed him as he worried for the princess and had moved quickly across various railings to dodge his speed and ability to move on his feet easy to see as he had to get close to the attacker.
 
Amelia remembered the first time they met as children clear as day. She was a little thing, much younger then she was now, playing in the castle's beautiful gardens when she spotted a dog that had wondered its way out of the village and into the gardens. The collar around its neck told her the her the dog had an owner that was missing their beloved pet, but when she went up to it to pet it and perhaps even help reunite the dog with its master, the dog started to bark at her. Amelia was a skittish girl when she was young, mostly due to the sheltered life her parents given her up until they believed she was able to handle the harder things in life, so the dog's barks frightened her. In hindsight, the dog wasn't even barking aggressively, it might of been a series of playful barks given the way its tail wagged at the sight of her, but the scared little girl didn't think that way, she only hear loud barks that suddenly pierced the air and startled her. In response, she had let out a little scream and fell down to the grass, shaking. Amelia closed her eyes as the dog came up to her, most likely to lick her face, and before it had the chance to get too close to her, she heard the sound of crunching grass underneath a series of footsteps, before stopping in front of her. Amelia suspected it was a guard who heard the little Princess scream and ran to see if she was hurt or in danger, but when she opened her eyes, there was a boy just about her age, maybe a couple of years older who ran in front of her to block the dog's path. The boy managed to make the dog leave her be with a few strong shouts towards it, before turning to look at her and holding out a hand to help her up. That was the day she met her beloved.

Ever since that day, Sergio and her had grown closer every day. It didn't help that Amelia didn't often meet other people her age at the time and was excited at the prospect to have a playmate about her age, a boy too nonetheless. Ever since learning that Sergio had come to the castle to be a apprentice to one of the castle's most honored knights, Amelia always played games with him where he was a strong knight coming to rescue her from some beast. More often then not, the "beast" would always be a dog, cat, or any other small animal the two could find at the time. None of the animals were ever hurt of course, some even seemingly having fun with their playing just as much as the children were. Every game would end with Sergio "slaying the beast" and taking her away to marry her, despite quickly learning that their marriage wouldn't be valid in the eyes of the law, it was always nice to pretend that Sergio would be her husband, but little did she know that pretend would soon become reality, and she's never been happier. His words so sweetly spoken to her make her smile and blush, her chest feeling warm and tight with every sweet word and gesture he gave to her. Amelia relished every moment they were together, now more then ever and adored every second she spent with him in the quiet of the very castle that their marriage ceremony would take place soon enough. "And I'll be here by your side, my beloved husband, not matter what happens." She whispered softly, closing her eyes and leaning against her knight to enjoy the warmth and strength of his embrace.

However, their sweet moment didn't last much longer. With her eyes closed and her body relaxing against her fiance, she was completely helpless to see or notice the arrow that was shot her way. Amelia let out a little gasp in surprise feeling Sergio suddenly pull her away from the spot she was standing in. Her gasp turned into a little shriek as she could hear the sound of wind being cut through rush past her head before hitting the wall behind her. Her eyes widened as she saw the arrow stuck in the wall, horrified that it had nearly found its mark if it weren't for Sergio. For a moment, fear and panic surged through her. Had someone figured them out? Did someone find out who she was? Her first thoughts were the arrow belonged to an assassin, sent to kill her and somehow discovered her, but the voice of the man who continuously shot arrows towards them told her otherwise. Suddenly, she realized the arrows were no longer directed at her anymore, but her beloved instead. Amelia was careful to make sure she wasn't struck by any arrows that might of headed in her direction, but the marksman's hits were rarely headed her way now his target had changed. One stray arrow almost hit her, as her attention shifted to Sergio instead, in fear that any of the arrows shot his way would hit their mark. The shoulder of her dress had a thin rip and soon she noticed a thin red line slicing across her shoulder, blood started to seep from the wound and while she felt a hint of panic hit her at the sight of her own blood, it was Sergio she feared and worried for. "Sergio!" She called out to him, when a arrow almost struck him knowing that without his armor, one good arrow strike would be enough to bring her beloved knight down. Amelia felt completely helpless, there was nothing she could do to help her lover at this point other then call to him when a arrow got too close and she feared it would hit him. She looked around for something, anything to drive the attacker's attention away to give Sergio the chance he needed to get closer to their attacker. Her eyes spotted a rock knocked loose from the wall that the first arrow had hit and quickly grabbed it, careful to make sure she didn't did hit by any arrows. Amelia knew she was putting herself in danger, but if it gave Sergio the chance he needed to get closer, then she was willing to take the risk. She grabbed the rock and shouted to their attacker, "Hey!", before throwing the rock at him as hard as she could at him. Even if she didn't hit her mark, the few seconds of distraction she caused, should hopefully be enough for Sergio to get close to the man.
 
It was a moment, a moment that was not that uncommon for him, he had been in the battlefield, he had his brushes with death once or twice in his life, back when he was away during the war. He didn't talk about them as they were not something he wanted his princess to worry about, as he had gotten out of the situations fine, and he knew that having her caused him to be more careful, but also more determined to win what he could and stay alive too. His life steps moved as he heard the sound of the rock. The man in front of him had turned his attention towards the sound of the thrower of the rock. To that man, she wasn't a princess to take down, just some common lady in waiting who would be the countess of the area soon to Sergio.

The attacker was the son of a man who was exiled for crimes that of course he wouldn't tell his son about, and had told his son that he had well been exiled cause the count was corrupt and had gotten the land from him not because of his crimes but cause he stole it. The moment that the princess got his attention though, it threw off the moments around the decisive moment between the attacker and Sergio. Sergio took the man to the ground, his hand finding its mark ad the man fell to the ground, breathing for air as he was soon tied up and and secured by Sergio. Sergio tied him up securely as he would give the man a trial, but things were not looking good for the attacker of course as he felt something on his face after the adrenaline of the moment passed bye.

A slight bit of pain came from his face as he turned to look at Amelia. There was a cut on his face, from the arrow that cut his face from the arrow that had just missed in that last moment, her throwing the rock had made a large difference as it threw off the timing he had to aim at Sergio to fire his arrow. He put his hand to the cut that was below his cheek bone as he put his hand to cover it as he let out a sigh as he wasn't careful enough in the situation and he had been to rash. He picked up the man as he saw the guards coming in and handed the man over to them. He explained honestly what happened as he attacked him. At least he didn't have to hide the target of an attack here, this time. He went to find the princess as he wanted to make sure that she was okay.
 
Amelia had no idea who this man was or why he wanted to hurt her beloved, but whatever the case maybe, she wasn't going to give him the chance to shoot a arrow into Sergio. She knew Sergio was far more experienced then herself when it came to the art of war, but she couldn't stand by idle while the marksman took aim and potentially harm her fiance, not when they only just realized each other's mutual affections. The idea alone of losing Sergio, especially now that they've become genuine lovers, was too painful to even think about. They have been together for so long, she couldn't imagine a live without him and now that she was going to become his real wife, she couldn't stand to lose him. If this strange man took him from her, it would destroy her.

A little excitement rushed through her when her little distraction was enough to drive the man's attentions away from her beloved. The man either didn't have interest in her or didn't have the time to take aim at her, because he made no attempt to shoot a arrow at her before Sergio took him down to the ground. The moment Sergio tied up their attacker, Amelia felt a rush of relief wash over her. Neither of them were fatally injured and the man was captured. In Amelia's eyes, they were lucky that neither of them were hurt badly and still managed to get the attacker before he took a fatal shot or tried to make a run for it. All that mattered now though was that they were both okay. When Sergio turned to look at her, she quickly noticed the red line across his cheek, perhaps from the first arrow that nearly killed her. Even in his attempt to hide it, it was too late as she saw the damage the man had down to her beloved. While it was fair from something to worry about she couldn't stop herself from worrying about it. She could feel the sting return to her own. Amelia looked down at the sleeve of her dress that was torn where a thin red line was made in her flesh. It hurt, but all she cared about right now was Sergio.

As the guards arrived and Sergio explained what happened to them, Amelia started to make her way to him, worried and concerned for her lover. Soon enough, he was making his way to her as well after explaining what happened and getting the man taken care of, so she picked up her pace so she could meet him halfway and wrap her arms around him. She squeezed him tightly in her arms and smiled as she nuzzled her face into his chest, "I'm so happy you're okay." Amelia squeezed him a moment longer before loosening up her hold on him and looking up into his face. Her hand reached up to touch his that covered his cheek and whispered softly in concern, "You're hurt, let me see." She gently took his hand away from the spot on his cheek where his cut laid and she studied it for a moment. Overall, it was nothing to be concerned about, but she couldn't help it given who had gotten it, but now she was looking at it up close herself, she felt herself relax a little. She leaned upwards to gently kiss his cheek, careful not to hurt him, then looked up into his eyes. "I was so scared I was going to lose you." She whispered again softly before giving him a kiss, thankful she was even able to kiss him again.
 
He held her tightly as he knew that this had effected Amelia greatly, she was never at the front lines and had been away from fight. He knew that having someone so close threatened had to be hard for her. He looked at her as he held her close. He then looked down and blushed a bit as her hand pressed against the small cut he had on his face. He blushed as she kissed his cheek. "Now, yeah, it was a bit scary, but we got though, life is filled with challenges, and well this was one for us I guess. I hope the only one like it," he said as he gave her a pat on the top of her head, "Now, my lovely, let us head back. I figure that I will have to take care of that arm of yours. You were really brave to throw that rock and all. You most likely saved my life today, pretty impressive, and I guess I will have to pay you back for that act of kindness.

He leaned in and kissed Amelia on her lips this time as he let the kiss linger for a good moment, "Now, that is a small bit of that pay back for saving me," he said to her softly. He walked with her his arm around her waist, as he stopped and thanked the guards for taking the attacker away from them. He knew that showing kindness to those who helped was the right thing to do. He walked out of the front of the church. "Now, we just have to get our marriage thing done there, I am sure it will be less dangerous then and well everyone will know what to watch out for as well," he explained as he walked. He thought about the attack, it was good he thought he was the big target not the princess. Perhaps this would drive that home and convince people that the princess was not there.

"Now, the man lost his land when he was found to be a crook by my father, he was driven off my land and well his family moved to a nearby area cause of that. So it is natural that he would blame me for his troubles when if his father had not stolen people's money and treated people badly, my father wouldn't of had to banish him. I guess that is a challenge of leadership, making enemies of those who are offended in your actions. I haven't had to lead much, but these people think I am going to be here for a bit longer than normal and I am going to have to now," he said letting out a sigh, "Now, just being a guard to the castle is sometime easier than having to led a city or county of the king's kingdom," he said as he walked, the two getting back to their room as he talked with her.
 
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