The War of Two Worlds

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

The delegation of faeries was due to arrive at any moment, and the entire castle seemed on edge, scurrying around and unable to figure out what to do with themselves. Theo -or Teddy, depending on who you asked- stood in full armor, standing with the other knights. The welcoming procession included the King, Queen, their children, a handful of other important figureheads, most of which were nobles, and then quite a few knights. Some were decked out in excessive extravagance, more show than anything, and those lined the pathway the faeries would take once they entered the throne room. The other knights, those in a smaller quantity, stood near the royal family and were special simply because they had pledged their lives to their rulers. Theo was one of those knights, and stood near the crowned prince, who was actually his charge. Well, his and another knight's by the name of Cedric. He and Cedric alone were responsible for the safety of Prince Tylor, which sometimes seemed to be a rather interesting and stressing chore.

---

As they entered the human's castle, Ravyn shifted a little closer to her queen. While they traded with the mortals and held a sort of uneasy peace with them, she really didn't much trust any creature that was capable of lying, especially with ease. Besides that, they wielded iron, something the humans handled with ease but was quite deadly to the fae. Maybe she was paranoid and grumpy because she was being forced to wear a gown so as to appeal to the human's ridiculous beliefs, but in her experience, being paranoid never quite hurt, especially when protecting one's queen. Though, even if she did have to wear the ridiculous gown that was heavy and constricting and caught under her feet, at least she wasn't forced to wear shoes as her feet were hidden. And as they were led to a room that was crawling with humans in heavy metal wielding swords, she wished that she had been able to convince Mariella that they should have brought more faeries.

@ beautiful monotony

Despite attempting to convince his mother that he had no need to be at the meeting, Tylor was inside of his bedroom and dressed to be presented to the world for this conference. That is what he felt like most of the time - a pawn of his parents. Of course, he would play the part of the prince for this would be country some day, but he would run it very differently. Standing in front of the mirror, he adjusted his jacket once more and exited to find that Cedric and Theodore were waiting for him. "Gentleman." He addressed them before taking off down the spiral staircase towards the ballroom. Hearing the myriad of voices below, Tylor plastered on a smile and prepared himself for the bombardment of questions. He reached the floor, automatically greeting his mother and father. They were pleased to see that their son had fulfilled his duty as the prince. "Tylor, please, the Faeries will be here soon, and we would like to make sure that they feel welcome." The Queen requested to which Tylor merely nodded his head.

--

Mariella walked into the human castle with ease and grace, as if she had all the confidence in the world. She held her head high despite feeling like her legs were to give out. This would be a very important meeting between the two races to settle a war that was not needed. Mariella wanted to have the least amount of trouble as possible. The faster that she could go back to her world, the better. Looking over towards Ravyn, she gave her a reassured smile. Even on the way to the castle, she kept reiterating that there was no need to bring extra artillery to a peace negotiation. She watched all of the humans bow or curtsy while she passed by while she acknowledged them in return. Mariella stepped inside of the ballroom, automatically finding the King and Queen with the Prince. Giving a small courtesy, she greeted them with the utmost courtesy.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

As the faeries entered the room, Theo raised his eyebrows at the sight of only two of them... The queen was fairly easy to pick out, or at least he felt so, and nearby was another faerie, another female. Did she not have any male faeries with her to protect her? The knight personally thought of this as a tactical mistake on her part, though he didn't worry over it. Unless the negotiations went extremely badly, they would both be safe within the castle walls. Still, it seemed foolhardy to him not to have brought at least one person along that could protect her. He briefly considered the crimson-haired faerie, but dismissed that thought entirely as, after the formal greetings were set out of the way, things were taken to a private room. He and Cedric flipped a coin to see who would go with the prince, and it ended up being him, so as the royals took their seats around a table, Theo placed himself behind Tylor's seat, figuring he was in for a long day of standing.

---

Aside from a brief curtsy, Ravyn was still and silent as greetings were given between her queen and the humans' royals. Soon, she found herself standing behind her queen in a smaller, more private room, considering each of the humans before her curiously. Though those doing the talking seemed preoccupied, she met the gazes of a couple of the sword-wielding men who appeared as if they were bored already. A couple continued to cast furtive glances at her, whether because of the fact that she was a woman, a faerie, or her hair color, she wasn't sure. While the crimson red wasn't natural among humans, faeries were quite another matter. And while her glamour could have made her hair appear a more natural color to the humans, she had simply decided to dull the color a little. Even her normally unnaturally vivid green eyes appeared duller, more of a simply bright green. Honestly, the effort put forth to placate the humans was amazing...

@ beautiful monotony

Moving inside of the smaller room, Mariella took a seat at the table across from the King and the Queen. She turned to take a look at how Ravyn was feeling, making sure that she was at ease. Although, Mariella's nerves were not helping her either. Her eyes scanned across the room and landed on the knight standing behind Prince Tylor. It seemed that security for the royal family was very different than the security precautions that they had taken. It certainly did irk her that the humans would bring along man power during a peace treaty; that would completely defeat the purpose. She brought Ravyn only to ease her own people since she was stepping into enemy territory. "I hope that we can come to an agreement." Mariella started, wanting to make sure that the humans knew her intentions. The Faerie Queen offered the smallest of smiles towards the entire royal family. "I would like to hear of your terms first."

--

Prince Tylor was practically forced into the smaller room, taking a seat closest to the door. He could practically feel Theodore breathing down the back of his neck. Glancing behind him, he gave his knight a look to let him know of his close proximity. Tylor was sure that the Faerie Queen could do little harm since they had the numbers against her. He took a deep breath to calm down his annoyance, seeing a spark of red-hair. Tylor's eyes automatically shot over to the crimson red since it stood out in the entire room. It had not occurred to him that the Faerie Queen had brought along a knight with her, especially a woman. The poor girl looked afraid of her own shadow and of no use to the Queen. "Yes, of course." His mother started with a chilled smile. Tylor had labeled that her diplomatic smile that was reserved for political uses only. "Our terms are that you share ten percent of your lands with us as well as increase trading between the two worlds." His father offered to the table, not taking anything less.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX
(I hope you don't mind, but this might get a little boring for a few of our characters, so I'm going to skip xD)

By the time that negotiations were brought to a stand still for the day, Theo felt he could easily fall asleep where he stood. He had briefly considered it even, figuring he could probably do it, but the thought that he might snore if he did so prevented that from happening. And as the session was dismissed for the moment, he felt that not a lot had actually gotten done. His King and Queen weren't willing to budge on what they wanted, and the Faerie Queen did not seem to like the arrangement. It was all just a bunch of political going in circles from what he could tell. All that really came out of it was that since the Faerie Queen had to get back to her kingdom that day, she would leave a representative at the castle and take a representative with her to her kingdom. The two would stay for about a month, until the next full moon, and then actually report back during the next meeting on certain issues, which hopefully would help ease the continuance of the negotiations during the next negotiations, which were scheduled to be held in the fae kingdom.

---

"I am to be your representative, aren't I?" Ravyn asked of her queen almost as soon as the meeting had come to a close. No one had really left the room yet, and were all shuffling about, stretching and getting ready to leave. "Their representative had better be a knight or some such, in case you need protection on the way back..." she chewed at her lip, unspent energy basically rolling from her in waves. "I don't like this," she declared before her question could be answered. "I don't like their demands. They continuously creep in on our lands and now they want to demand more from us when we have the right to attack them and instead we're trying to negotiate peace." Even if she was talking about the people who were still in the room, at least she had the wits to lower her voice so that they were out of earshot of the conversation she was having with her queen.

@ beautiful monotony

(No, that's fine! One-sided conversations are pretty boring)

When everyone parted ways, the royal family moved into one of the side rooms. The King and Queen were not very thrilled that the Faerie Queen was giving them such difficulty. They believed that they were offering a very fair treaty. The King had no inkling of who to trust though, fearing some sort of betrayal. Although, he did trust one of his closer knights, especially since he was guarding the future leader. "Bring Theodore into the room, son." The King ordered Tylor, hurrying him. Tylor left the room to find that Theodore was not too far away from him and pulled him inside of the room. "Would you be my representative and go back with the Faerie Queen? Make sure that you guard her with your life. We do not need to deal with a worse ruler. Make her see that we are offering a giving trade, and do not offer any of our lands." He requested of the young knight. Tylor was a bit surprised to hear that one of his knights would be used as the representative but had no right to object to it.

--

Mariella let out a loud sigh, pacing back and forth in the small room the meeting had just taken place in. The meeting had gone completely south starting with the King's demands; the humans were always too stubborn to realize how giving she was. Pausing, she turned to face Ravyn, placing her hands lightly on her shoulders. "Ravyn, you are the only one that I can trust to do this for me. You can make the humans see that we are willing to compromise, but we are not willing to just hand over our lands." She quietly requested, looking down at her knight. "Make sure that you are always level-headed. They want to see your frustration and anger, but don't let them." Mariella advised her knight, giving her a small smile. If there was anyone that she could trust, she was sure it would be her.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX
(I thought so too xD)

As he was ushered into the room, Theo honestly wasn't entirely sure what his presence was being requested for, and was surprised that he had apparently been chosen as the representative. He could think of a few men who would certainly be better suited to the job than he was. While he was loyal, he was a knight who protected his kingdom's royalty. He was the person you would ask to march into battle, not the person to be asked to preform a diplomatic duty. Who was he to argue with his King though? "Yes, Your Highness," he agreed, despite his misgivings, and bowed his head. He thought of Cedric then, and sympathized with the poor man who would be guarding the prince alone for the next month or so.

---

Ravyn blinked in surprise as she suddenly found her queen grasping her shoulders, and she basically expected to be shaken as Mariella spoke. "Of course, my Queen," she replied, returning Mariella's small smile with one of their own. "Your trust in me shall not be misplaced. Even if I actually have to learn something of politics, I shall make them see sense. There will not be bloodshed, nor any war, and we will not lose any more land than we have already to them." It was a foolish promise as she couldn't assure for a fact that she would be able to accomplish any of it, but she said it anyhow because she was determined to do her best to make it happen.

@ beautiful monotony

The King nodded, relieved to have one knight who was not a coward. "Good, then, we shall retire for the day to our chambers. You will be leaving tonight, Theodore, so you must make haste with packing. You will be gone for exactly one month." The King informed the knight then turned to leave with his Queen. Looking at each other, they knew that they had made the correct decision. Tylor was left with one of his knight, letting out a loud sigh. "Are you sure you want to this? You will be leaving your family for a whole month, Theo. There is no turning back once you have said 'yes' to the King." Prince Tylor asked, reminding him of the consequences. He knew that knight had to be loyal to the royal family, but this matter was not small deal.

--

"Yes, that is exactly what we need to make it through this treaty. I am placing a lot of faith into you, Ravyn, and I hope that you do not let me down." Mariella knew that she was placing a lot of pressure onto her young knight, but that is exactly what she needed. "I will see you in exactly one month." She gave her one last hug before turning to leave the castle. Mariella wondered what type of person she would have to bring back with her to the castle. Hopefully, he or she would be tolerable enough to see the Faeries' side of the tale. Waiting at the front entrance, the Faerie Queen patiently waited for the representative while looking at the architecture of the castle.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

Theo gave his prince a look. "I know what I've agreed to, and I know that there is no turning back. Attempting to weasel my way out of the job would not have worked though, in any case," he said. "In any case, I better go change into some traveling clothes and prepare myself. Don't forget to give Cedric trouble while I'm gone." With that, and a clap on the shoulder for the prince he had been watching over for a few years now, the knight took his leave to get ready. He changed into traveling clothes, as he'd said he would do, but kept weapons on him just in case. Then he packed with a few change of clothing and other necessities, making sure to stop by the kitchen for bread as well. Not having been told where to go, he stopped a servant and asked her about the Faerie Queen's location. She didn't know, but the third person he stopped directed him to the front entrance, which, thankfully, was where he found her. He bowed respectively to her. "My name is Theo, and I am a knight, having been chosen to be this kingdom's representative in the fae kingdom for the next month."

---

"One month," Ravyn agreed, which was basically their farewell as her queen left. Not quite sure what to do at that point, she went in search of the royal family so that she could let them know who she was and that she would be the one staying the month as representative. Though she failed to find either the queen or the king, she did find someone she recognized from the meeting. She assumed this was the prince or some such, since he had been in attendance and sitting at the table. "Hello," she said, making sure to curtsy as show of proper respect. "My name is Ravyn, and Queen Mariella has chosen me as her representative here."

@ beautiful monotony

Admiring the stained glass windows, Mariella wondered how those were even created. In her homeland, there was nothing like it before and it was exquisite. She reached out to touch it when she heard someone call out to her, making her jump slightly. She turned to face Theo with a welcoming smile, acknowledging his bow. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Theo." She greeted back and then gestured for him to follow her back towards their carriage. "What is your take on the treaty?" She asked him, wondering what those underneath the King thought about his leadership.

--

"Of course, Theo, that is what I do best." The prince grinned back in response to his knight before releasing him to find the Faerie Queen. He would miss his fellow friend and protector during his month absence. Leaving the room, Tylor wandered about the castle aimlessly. It was too early to sleep for the young prince,unlike his parents who would sleep five hours before him. He did not expect to run into the representative so quickly though. "Ah, yes." Tylor automatically identified the Crimson haired girl from before in the other room. It was quite hard to forget her. "Prince Tylor. I am sorry to tell you that the King and Queen have already retired to their chambers. It would best for you to do the same." He advised her since the guards would not be at ease with a stranger walking about the castle, even if she were a representative.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

Theo followed the Faerie Queen to the carriage and soon sat across from her in it, frowning a little at her question, soon struggling for words. "I believe the treaty will be a good way to avoid bloodshed and will be beneficial to both kingdoms." He began slowly though by the end, he sounded more sure of his words. Honestly, he would spend the next month around the faeries, who did not agree with what his King and Queen were asking, and he felt a neutral answer would probably be best... he hoped he was right there. He was a knight... not a politician or a peace maker.

---

"And therein lies the problem," Ravyn said as the prince advised her to retreat to her chambers. "Until after that meeting, I hadn't the slightest clue that I would be staying. In fact, the plan was that all of this treaty business would probably be done today. I have no chambers to retire to." Since he was part of the royal family, she was hoping he would be able to help. Considering some of the horror stories that were spread about the fae, she pretty much expected anyone else to scurry off at the sight of her. Everyone except the guards who couldn't get away since they were required to stay at their posts, and they would be of no help.

@ beautiful monotony

She gave a thoughtful nod in his direction, turning her head to peer outside the window of the carriage. "Then, we do have the same intentions in mind. I want you to remember what you have just told me for this may either be the shortest or longest month of your life, Sir Theo." Her kind eyes moved over towards the young knight as she turned her attention back to him. "Your lands are beautiful and very fertile, but I do not quite understand why your King would like some of my lands. For thousands of years, those lands have belonged to the Fae, but your King seems adamant in claiming them as his own. I want to make it clear that I am not willing to negotiate them as part of our treaty." Mariella stated while folding her hands neatly in her lap, waiting to hear his response.

--

Tylor sighed since he had not the slightest idea of where to place the representative. For he did not even know which rooms would be occupied or free for a visitor. "Yes, of course. I will fetch one of the servants to come and guide you to an empty room." He offered, turning to find Cedric not far behind. Telling him of the request, he reassured his knight that Ravyn would not be of any harm to him. Tylor was so sure of his own capabilities against the young girl that he heeded little caution. "The plan had been to finish everything today, but, alas, that did not work out. Eventually, everything will fall into place"

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

He hadn't even yet been an hour away from the castle, and already Theo was thoroughly beginning to dislike his role as representative. Once again, he found himself struggling for words in his quest to avoid saying something that he shouldn't. "Your Highness... I am here as a representative, to observe and come to certain conclusions in order to smooth over the creation of the treaty. I am not here for negotiations of any sort and it would be out of my place to attempt to do so. Rest assured though that all of your concerns shall be noted." He offered her a small smile, hoping that it was an acceptable answer. He was no good at this sort of thing, and he was half sure that it showed in the stiff way he currently carried himself as he sat in the carriage across from the Faerie Queen.

---

"Of course," Ravyn replied as the prince's knight moved off to fetch someone. Tylor's reassurances to the man were both amusing and disgusting to her... he either assumed that she hadn't the capabilities to harm him, which she thought was likely the case, or was entirely certain that she wouldn't dare any sort of attempt. Well, she supposed it was lucky for him that she neither had incentive to cause him harm of any kind nor would she, as a guest in a strange kingdom. She found herself curious... "Tell me. Why do you believe I'll be of no harm?" she asked, head tilted a little to the side. "My sex, perhaps, or because I wear skirts? Because I do not appear intimidating and seem to be carrying no weapon and have no armor on? Do you believe me incapable of harming you or do you assume I shan't dare it?"

@ beautiful monotony

"Yes, I apologize. My mind has been a bit scattered, but I do wish that your King will acknowledge that." Mariella accepted the answer and paused to think about the negotiations with the King. They had been going about in circles as to what would be considered a part of the deal. "Tell me, have you ever visited the Fae world before?" She asked out of curiosity since many Humans never laid eyes upon the magical world. It was truly a privilege to be one of the few people to ever visit. "Have you heard any type of rumors about it?" Mariella questioned, patiently waiting for him to think about it. She wanted to know what the Humans were saying about her people behind their backs.

--

Tylor was surprised to hear that the crimson haired girl brought up the issue, confronting him on the matter. "I believe that it can be a compilation of those things that you have just mentioned. Women in the human kingdom are wives and not soldiers. Many were shocked to see you walk inside with the Faerie Queen and did not expect to hear that you were her knight. They expected to see a man." He honestly responded, not seeing a problem with his views. The social order between the two worlds were completely opposite, but Tylor found no fault to them. "Does that satisfy your question?" Tylor questioned just in time for his guard to return back to his side. Addressing Ravyn, Cedric told her that there was a chamber prepared for her. "Good night, Ravyn." He bowed slightly to her and then turned to retire to his own chambers.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"No, your Highness. I've never seen Fae world," Theo answered truthfully. He'd never particularly had the urge to visit the Fae world either though, if he was being honest. He was content with his life. As for her other question... "Your world, my lady? Of course there are rumors. All rumors agree that it is a rather spectacular and beautiful place to see, but that it is also a rather wild place as well." She hadn't asked about rumors strictly pertaining to the fae as a people, and so he had decided to omit what he had heard in that regard. Many of the rumors weren't nearly as kind as the rumors told about the world itself. Faeries were not trusted easily...

---

The answer wasn't quite what Ravyn had expected... not in the least really, and after she was given directions to the chamber that had been prepared for her and the prince decided to retreat, she was left on her own, giving a small huff before she headed where she had been directed to. While the room was certainly nice, already Ravyn found herself missing home... where she didn't have to wear ridiculous outfits and didn't have to use a glamour to hide her true appearance and it was perfectly acceptable that she was a knight. A very good one.

And so the faerie found herself unable to sleep, sure she was wearing the rug thin with her pacing. It all took less than half an hour, but during that time, she decided to take off the ridiculous skirts and such. Luckily, she had a set of her own clothes as she had refused to change until the last moment on. She slipped these clothes on with relish, much preferring the feel of the faerie-made fabric. Her top, much like a corset, was fitting and had ties to keep it tight about her breasts. It was looser at the bottom though, and the whole thing was fashioned a little like a tunic. Its sleeves were only as thick as three fingers, the neckline low. With this garment was something that were akin to trousers. They, too, were fitting, but reached only as far as midthigh. It was all a type of faerie fabric unfamiliar to the humans and bright in color, and she completed it doing up her hair in a single braid down her back. Then she left her room, striding down the halls without a care for what the guards stationed about the castle would think of her. She needed to move, not sleep.

@ beautiful monotony

Mariella smiled when she heard that he had visited before, knowing that he was in for a treat. She hoped that he would fall in love with the country during his month stay with them. Maybe he would be able to explain to the King that they should not take away the Fae lands. "Wild?" She slightly tilted her head, not expecting to hear that kind of comment. Her world did have its fair share of crimes, if that is what he had meant, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Every world had its troublemakers. "I am not quite sure what you mean that. Could you elaborate?" Mariella requested with her inquisitive nature.

--

Escorted back to his room by Cedric, Tylor stood while the servants undressed him. It was comforting to be out of the stiffness of the proper attire as he was placed into his sleeping clothes - a loose pair of a tunic and pants, which suited his tastes more. The young prince settled beneath the covers of his enormous mattress that could fit at least five other bodies until there was a loud knock on his door. Tylor sighed while sitting up in the bed to allow the visitor to enter. One of the guards informed Tylor that their guest was wandering about the castle in the middle of the night. Of course, no one wanted to explain this to the Queen and King for their sleep was precious. Therefore, the responsibility fell upon the prince's shoulders. Tylor slowly got out of the bed, wondering why she was roaming about. At this rate, she would find one of the secret passages beneath the castle that was home to an endless labyrinth. Back in the day, previous kings would order convicts to be condemned to the endless maze to roam for eternity without food or water. Tylor exited his room while Cedric followed shortly behind him to find the representative.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

Theo was surprised at the Faerie Queen's confusion, having thought that if anyone would know what he was talking about, it would have been her. "Yes, your Highness. By wild... well, it is a hard thing to describe. If you would like an example, well... human women wear gowns that cover most of their skin. The gowns cover at least down to their ankles. Trousers are for men. I have heard rumor of how the women of the Fae world dress, with much skin showing. It has also been said that the faeries are mischievous, especially with their magic, and during the full moon will roam into human lands and cause their mischief here, and some lure humans back into the Fae world. There are many rumors, m'lady, about your kingdom." And sadly... Theo hadn't even mentioned the truly horrifying rumors.

---

Ravyn eventually stumbled upon a place that she assumed was a little like a training yard for the knights of the castle. If not for the equipment stacked against the walls, she would have dismissed it as a dull courtyard that no one ventured into. This place actually put a stop to her wandering as she walked over to the equipment. The majority of it stunk of iron and made her want to put a wide birth between herself and the poisonous metal, but then her eyes caught sight of wooden weapons. She found something that was probably supposed to be the shaft of a spear or some such, but was so alike a weapon she used that she couldn't help herself. Ravyn picked up the wooden stick, running a hand down the wood. It was like her bow that she had left. Her bow was better weighted and decorated a little with many scratches and such, though they all could look differently. Sometimes it was good to have one that would like a walking stick. Before she could talk herself into putting the make-shift bow down, Ravyn picked up a dummy as well and leaned it against a wall. She did a few warm-ups, adjusted to the way this was weighted, and then began to practice with the dummy.

@ beautiful monotony

Mariella knew that relations between the two races were strained but never knew of the rumors floating about. For some reason, they never made their way to the Queen's ears other than in that moment. It appalled her that the Humans thought so ill of her people. "Yes, I do understand that our social standards are different. I can assure you that there is nothing inappropriate about the way that the Fae women dress. As a woman myself, I would never allow them to degrade themselves by the clothes they wear." She shot down the mere suggestion that her women were.. mischievous or wild. Mariella could not help but defend her kingdom, knowing that the rumors were false. "Sir Theo, I do hope that you do not believe these ridiculous rumors. All the Fae want is to reach some type of compromise to create peace. They do not wish to stir trouble."

--

Tylor spent the better part of the night roaming about the castle, looking for their rogue representative. Traveling through the kitchen, various hallways, empty rooms, etc, there seemed to be no sign of Ravyn. The Prince sighed out of frustration with no inkling where she may have disappeared off to. "Sir, we do believe that someone has found her out by the training grounds." A knight cautiously approached him with the information just as he was to retire back to his chambers. Tyler nodded his head slightly then proceeded down to the ground floor. As he moved down the hallway, he heard various smacking noises. Why would she feel the need to be training at this hour? He thought, entering inside of the hall. Seeing the intense concentration upon her expression, Tylor decided that he would watch her technique for a few moments before interrupting her, leaning against the stonewall behind him. He was pleasantly surprised, acknowledging that Queen Mariella was correct to bring her along. She could easily rank up within the knights with her skill. After a few more swings, the Prince started to clap his hands to grab her attention. "You are quite skilled, I will admit, but there is some room for improvement." He slowly pushed off of the wall with his foot to join her on the mat.

@ Dandy Darling;
(Sorry its a little short but mibba killed off the first post I made)

Theo wasn't sure whether to expect the Fae Queen to admit there was some shred of truth to the rumors or to deny them. As for the horror that showed on her face at the mere suggestion of what was being suggested... he was inclined to believe her. So he bowed his head to her, since they were in a carriage after all and that was the best he could muster because of it. "Yes, your Highness. I will not allow for the rumors to stain my judgement while I am a guest of the fae." He hoped it was a good thing to say and not too much or too little. He honestly wished he had the option of not really speaking at all... he really was not suited to this sort of job.

---

Ravyn had not heard an approach, nor had she seen anyone from her peripheral vision. So when she suddenly heard clapping, she whirled around, bow raised up as if prepared. When she saw it was actually the prince, whom she had met earlier, she relaxed her stance. "There is always room for improvement." A frown tugged on her face as she regarded the nightclothes he wore. "They woke you because I wasn't sleeping, right?" she asked and shook her head with a sigh. Something like this would never be done at home. Unless it actually required the Queen's attention, it usually fell to Ravyn, who determined whether or not it deemed her attention. She was prone to restless nights herself in any case.