Love Among Duty & War

The King of Eustele was a kind and generous man, embraced by the people and said to be beloved by the gods.

But he was still rather eccentric.

They were calling it the Festival of Hearts and it was quickly coalesced with the Princess’s coming of age celebrations. The entire week before, the town itself was alive and teeming with excitement as they eagerly laid out preparations for this special event. The likes of what was set to take place over the course of the coming weeks was unlike anything anyone had ever witnessed before.

It was the King’s idea.

Eustele was to serve as a host to special guests from the surrounding kingdoms. A plethora of princes would be making the journey just for a chance to win the Princess' heart, hand in marriage, and the promise of Eustele's alliance. Princess Ariadne was a lovely young woman, revered for her beauty and kind heart, but it was the promise of alliance that drew so many from far across the lands. It was long believed that an alliance with the sacred kingdom would bestow a blessing of the highest kind.

It was on this day that the guardian knight, Vesper, found herself perched just over the Princess’s right shoulder while they oversaw the parade from high up on one of the castle’s grand balconies. She stood, back straight and hands gloved in white clasped at the small of her back. Vesper never enjoyed wearing the formal uniform, but she would bear with it all the same. The starched jacket and her pleated skirt were white, accented with vivid lines of blue and glittering gold buttons. Her sword rested her left side, held secure by a blue leathered belt wrapped thrice around her hips. This was one rare occasion where she could be seen with her pale, strawberry blonde hair thoroughly brushed and weaved into a neat braid over her shoulder. Dark eyes peered down at the extravagant carts and carriages squeezing through the narrow cobblestone streets like a snake.

It was a seemingly endless procession of Princes and their companies that were being cheered on by the citizens of Eustele and neighboring kingdoms as they weaved their way towards the castle. The crowd was overwhelming, the event having drawn people from across the continent just to witness a piece of history in the making. Citizens packed the streets, hung out the windows, and lined the rooftops for a chance to glance the visiting royalty. Colored pieces of confetti spilled over the streets. They fluttered and spiraled through the continuous roar of the crowd.

“This event is bordering dangerously on the edge of insanity,” Vesper muttered.

Princess Ariadne giggled and jabbed her guardian lightly with her elbow, resisting the smile already curving her lips. “Quiet, Vesper, at least you’re not the one that the event is centered around.”

“You’re right,” the guardian said, a wry smile stretching her mouth. “And we have yet to go down and properly receive them.”

On this occasion, the Princess wore a pretty cream colored dress, accented with pastel shades of blue, pink, and green. Her long black hair was done up in an intricate style, threaded with pastel colored ribbons and dotted with small white flowers. Princess Ariadne had a simple beauty about her and she hardly fancied expensive jewels or heavy trinkets. None of that held up well when she went gallivanting about the kingdom with Vesper anyway.

“Gods, I’m going to be sick,” she sighed, her hands knotted over her stomach. “Just how many are there?”

Vesper offered her a sympathetic smile as the Princess rose from her seat and stepped inside, out of the beaming sun and away from the balcony. The lady knight traced her footsteps as they drifted down the cool marble hallways of the castle in an unhurried and informal gait.

“Don’t worry, Aria,” Vesper said. “I’ll never be too far, so if any of those men so much as breathe in a way you don’t like, let me know. I could always end them.”

Ariadne laughed, all her anxiety fleeing at the image of her loyal knight hunting down any suitors that were so unfortunate enough to cross her. Vesper had a penchant for soothing worries, especially when it came to the Princess’s.

“Vesper, we are not trying to start a war,” Ariadne said. “But thank you. You are right. As long as you are there, I trust everything will be fine.”

The beginnings of a wicked smile were emerging on Vesper’s face as she was struck with a thought, “Scaring the little Princes should be fun…”

“Vesper!”

“I’m only joking, Princess,” Vesper chuckled. “Come on then, I promised Odessa that I’d deliver you back with plenty of time to prepare for the commencement ball. You know what happens when we’re late.”

Ariadne pursed her lips, knowing that Vesper was entirely correct to rush them along. As children, they were no stranger to the elderly handmaid’s harsh cuff to the back of their heads whenever Vesper brought Ariadne back with twigs in her hair and mud up to her knees. By the time they were teenagers, they had learned the best way to deal with Odessa was to not piss her off too much. They learned that the one clear indicator of her looming wrath was always seen in the twitching of the protruding mole on her chin because she always wore the same scowl whether she was in a good mood or not.

The woman was already waiting in the hall when they got there and she hauled Ariadne into the room before Vesper could even get a word of greeting in. She was just about to follow them in when the short, silver haired woman nearly caught the guardian’s nose in the door. Vesper liked to think that she was pretty quick, but she could never fully escape the crafty handmaiden’s viciousness.

“Odessa is as anxious as ever,” a voice edged with amusement came from behind the knight. “How is my sister faring with all of this?”

Vesper rubbed the tip of her nose and swiveled around on her heel to cast the person an easy smile. Prince Constantine’s honey blonde hair had grown longer than she was accustomed to seeing, now falling over the back of his neck and angling down the sides of his face. His bangs had been swept to the side so that his royal blue eyes remained unhindered. Those eyes were about the only physical similarities that Princess Ariadne shared with her brother.

“The Princess is carrying out her duties with all the finesse of a true royal, my Prince,” she said, dipping into a mild bow. “I wasn’t aware you returned from your delegation in Unterion. You look… well.”

The Prince eyed Vesper, clearly questioning the sincerity of her last comment, too drawn out to be inconspicuous. She didn’t bat an eyelash, but instead continued to watch him with an unreadable press of her lips that was neither a smile nor a frown. At last, her dark brown eyes blinked and the illusion of innocence slipped away.

“You’re poking fun at me because I need my hair trimmed,” he realized, a frown marring his features as he self-consciously tugged on a lock of his hair. “You’re lucky that I’m not a rotten prince who might have your head for that.”

“Once upon a time, I thought you were a rotten prince and as I recall, I nearly flogged you with a large stick,” Vesper laughed, waving a finger at him in jest. “But please excuse me, Prince, I have to see to it that Odessa doesn’t draw blood today.”

Prince Constantine’s mouth curved and his head tilted forward in consent. Vesper returned the gesture with a slightly deeper bow before turning and slipping into the bedchambers behind her.

There was a flurry of younger handmaidens scurrying about at Odessa’s barking, but she maneuvered out of their paths and settled on a spot where there was little traffic. Vesper’s eyes immediately fell upon a great stack of parchment papers sitting on the Princess’s desk and she didn’t hesitate to dig into them.

“I can’t say that any of these would be entirely trustworthy,” she muttered, scanning the contents of the papers critically. “Leave it to their scholars and artists to fabricate the perfect profiles for their dear princes. They make lovely characters, but I wouldn’t believe half of the bullshit that goes into-”

“Vesper!” Ariadne’s familiar chiding was pitched from the washroom.

“All I’m suggesting is that you take each of these with a big grain of salt,” Vesper said back with a smile tucking into the corner of her mouth.

The entire arrangement seemed silly to the young knight, but if that was what her King and Queen ultimately decided, she would play along and continue to carry out her duties. Protecting the Princess had been her primary duty ever since she was officially inducted into the Eustelean knighthood. Vesper would never believe that it could ever be otherwise, even if everyone insisted that she couldn’t be there forever.

Her grip tightened on the parchment in her hand, but she quickly set it back down when crinkles began to set in and Ariadne emerged, fully dressed in pale blue and ready to make her grand entrance. The raven haired princess forced a smile and wrung her hands nervously.

“Well, here we go,” she said as Vesper approached her.

“Don’t worry about a thing, Princess,” Vesper assured her, offering an arm before leading them down to the grand ballroom. “This may actually be fun. Not all the princesses are lucky enough to be the center of this much attention.”

“Blue is right, you know,” a voice spoke, lined with a touch of arrogance and a touch of contempt. “You should be thankful that your parents are letting all these handsome men into the castle to try and marry you! Ariadne, you are crazy.”

They quickly realized that it was coming from a petite girl with thick brown hair that cascaded into curls to the middle of her back. The dress she wore was very fine, the corset made of rich black lace over satin and decorated with cream colored lace sleeves. Her emerald eyes were staring at Ariadne as if she were a little beastie with horns, but it all changed when she shifted her attentions to Vesper. A bright smile blossomed on her face and she immediately rushed across the hall to jump onto the lady knight, forcing the young woman to give her some variation of a hug. Vesper should have known that it was the Princess of Avesta right off the bat, she was the only one who still called her ‘Blue’.

“Blue, it’s been so long! You look so nice in uniform,” she commented, drawing away and giving Ariadne a sly smile. “Surprised to see me? I insisted on coming up just to catch you both before the ball. I’m so excited! You know, me or any of the other princesses could easily snatch up the rest of the foolish princes and mend their broken hearts. To be honest, this whole idea is brilliant! I could very well be married before I turn eighteen!”

“I’m glad you’re so excited about this, Irina,” Ariadne said, gripping the Avestan Princess’s hand with hers. “At least if everything goes down in flames, you’ll be here to pick up the pieces and still be happy.”

Irina laughed, shaking her head and giving the anxious girl a reassuring squeeze in return. “Stop that, Ariadne, you’re so pretty that I hated you for a good while,” she scoffed. “I’ve had to hear so much from just about everyone about how perfect you are and how modest and ladylike that I still get the itch to just… just pinch you. Do you understand?”

“It’s nice to see you too, Princess Irina,” Vesper said. “But let’s walk and talk, alright?”

“Of course!” Irina wedged herself in between Ariadne and Vesper as she started to drag them after her lead. They both let her have her way until they reached their destination and the brunette excused herself on her own. “Good luck, Ariadne!” She bid farewell with a playful wink as she hurried off to find the main entrance for the guests.

Once the young princess disappeared around the corner, Vesper and Ariadne turned to each other as they took a few deep breaths. Vesper fiddled with her uniform for a moment before straightening and clearing her throat to quell minor anxieties of her own. This day may prove to be the most difficult challenge she would ever face to date.

“Meet behind the curtain at the first interval?” Princess Ariadne straightened and rolled her shoulders back, lifting her chin to assume an image she didn’t truly fit.

“As always.”