(alright! :) Lol same. Yup I can!)
Sue had led Celeste back to the palace in time, and helped outfit her in something nice.
There was a knock on the door, and Sue opened it. It was the captain of the guard. Captain Mikhail. "I'm here to escort miss Celeste Sovanna to the King." He said. He had his helmet off, revealing that he too was quite young to hold this position, maybe 21 or 22.
Sue nodded, blushing slightly and gesturing to Celeste. "Go with the captain. He'll take care of you." She said softly, fidgeting with her skirts.
It had been a bit of work, altering the only skirt she'd packed-it had been in the bottom of her bag already, by complete accident-and admittedly, it had taken a little bit of magic to complete in time. Celeste was relieved they had managed it, especially when the captain of the guard arrived as she was attempting to put on her left boot. It was a nicer pair than the ones she'd arrived in. And by nicer, she of course meant less dirt.
"Two seconds!" She called, finally getting the boot on and lacing it before standing from the bed. The skirt, which had originally pooled around her feet when she walked, had been cut and unevenly hemmed on purpose, leaving her with a nicer look, but still one that matched her usual 'aesthetic' as she called it. The dark blue of the long sleeved v-neck she'd scrounged up added a pop of color that matched the skirt it was tucked into, and covered up her scars while still looking nice, instead of 'prudish'. Add that to a list of bad words.
Celeste glanced at Sue, her brows furrowing slightly as though she was thinking, before she smiled at the girl. Was that a wink? Probably. "Wish me luck?" She asked, stepping towards the door as Pluto rose from where he'd been napping on the bed, hopping down to lick Sue's hand before following Celeste.
Sue smiled slightly. "Of course. Good luck." She said, watching them go.
The captain offered her his arm. "I will be escorting you to the King, who will be presenting you and King Lin to the court." He explained, leading her down the hallway. He had brown hair that was cut short along the sides, and intelligent grey eyes. "As we walk, however, i have a few questions for you."
Celeste studied the captain for a moment, before accepting the arm and letting him lead her. Though her instinct was to be wary, especially around a man with a sword, Sue hadn't seemed worried. And she trusted the girl. "Should have worn orange." She mumbled to herself, referencing the earlier pumpkin comment, despite the fact that Mikhail would have no clue what she was talking about. When she spoke again, it was with a clearer voice and a friendly smile. "Ask away, then."
"Please answer honestly. If you don't, and it is discovered later, the punishment will be far worse." The captain said. "Do you intend harm, of any sort, towards my king or my country?" He asked, grey eyes flickering over to study her. His steps were measured and even as he led her through the palace.
Celeste looked up at the captain, blinking once. "You lead with a question I wouldn't even have to lie about. I do not intend to harm your country, or your king. You can rest assured that that is the furthest thing from what I am trying to do." She promised, shaking her head slightly as she looked forward once more.
"Hm. You've made about half my other questions worthless, then." Captain Mikhail said with a soft laugh. "Why are you here, then? And what are you planning on doing?"
"I-I don't know if I can tell you. But-" Celeste added, before he could speak. "I can tell you that I'm just here to find something." Lin hadn't said to keep it a secret, but it was implied that she shouldn't tell anyone that might then decide to get in their way. That's why she'd been willing to tell Sue. Maybe he could be of some help, though… "I'm looking for a stone."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "There are thousands of "stones", throughout the castle. Most used in the palace construction. You'll have to be a bit more specific." He said, looking at her. "So please clarify." His job was to keep King Soren safe, and then everyone else in the palace. But Soren would always be his priority.
Soren was waiting for them to arrive. He had changed into more formal attire, the crown still on his head, his hair combed back.
Celeste furrowed her brows as she looked off to the side, unaffected by his look. "I can't…remember much about it." Her memory wasn't the best, but she almost always managed to remember what things looked like. All she had though, was a vague memory of the stone. "It was a sort of milky and pale lilac, like the color of the clouds as dusk descends on a summer day. Like…my hair, I guess. That's the closest I've ever come to finding a matching color. That's a bit ironic, now that I think about it."
Captain Mikhail frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm. I see." Was his only response. He walked in silence for a minute, before opening the door to a chamber. "Here you are." He said, letting go of her arm and giving her a slight bow. He walked over to the side, putting on his helmet and waiting.
Soren looked up from where he had been examining a map. "Hello, miss Celeste." He greeted with a small smile. "I trust you are doing well?" He straightened.
"I am." Celeste said with a nod, the smile she gave Soren just a bit brighter than the one she'd given Mikhail had been. "Though I did find I was absolutely unprepared, packing-wise." She huffed a small laugh shaking her head. "Sue helped me take care of that. How have you been since we last saw each other?" Her eyes flickered from the map she'd been eyeing curiously for a moment, to Soren's face, as Pluto sat down in front of Mikhail to watch him.
Soren smiled. "Yes. She's a sweet girl." He said. He shrugged. "I have been…busy. As usual. That part of my life doesn't ever seen to let up." He laughed softly, though there were still some worry lines around his eyes. He was starting to get old before his time, he knew. The map was simply of the kingdom and the surrounding areas, with certain spots circled in black ink. The pointer finger of his right hand had an ink stain on it, which he didn't seem to have noticed. He sighed softly. "Has the captain explained what is going to happen next, or shall I explain it for you?"
Captain Mikhail watched quietly. He was simply standing guard, as was his job.
"Essentially." Celeste nodded, tugging on the sleeve of her shirt in an almost self-conscious fidgety movement. "Though, I'd gladly listen again, if you've got any tips for not making an absolute fool out of myself." She said, her hand moving from her sleeve to the back of her neck, to trace the dream catcher. It was in full view now to anyone who could see her neck, as she'd let Sue help her pull her hair up into a simple and classy bun of sorts. The braids, however, hadn't been removed, partly due to a lack of time, and partly because Celeste liked them there.
Soren thought for a moment. "Don't…well, dont say or do anything foolish. You shouldn't have to say anything at all, really, but if for whatever reason, you do, just say something non-committal." He said. "Please. Especially if you are asked about politics of any sort." He said, reaching up and raking his hand through his hair with a soft sigh.
Celeste listened to him talk carefully, doing her best to file away the advice for later. "I'll keep quiet the best I can. And definitely try to avoid anything too heavy." The way she spoke the words sounded more like a promise than just a casual 'gotcha', but that wasn't anything new. "And if by foolish, you mean tripping and falling in full view, I'll do my best to avoid that as well." It was an attempt at a joke, at the very least trying to get him to smile again, though she wasn't quite sure why.
He nodded. The side of his mouth twitched in a small smile. "I see." He said. "We are just waiting for King Lin to arrive, and then we may begin. I will introduce him first, then you." He explained. "Because he has a higher rank, he must be introduced first." He said, dropping his hands back to his sides. "And then you shall be free for the evening, to do whatever you wish. Although I would suggest not leaving the palace grounds. The city streets, regrettably, are not yet safe." He looked to Captain Mikhail. "How has the city cleanup been going?"
The captain sighed. "Not well, sir. There are gangs refusing to let our officers do their jobs, that we are being forced to wage battles against to stop them. But it isn't a good idea to discuss this in front of someone…not from here, sir." The Captain's eyes flickered to Celeste, then back to Soren.
Soren nodded. "Of course. Thank you."
The crease between Celeste's eyebrow returned as she looked off to the side, thinking. She wasn't upset, she knew very well that she was a commoner and a foreigner both, which, adding up, wasn't exactly in her favor. There were other ways to learn things, anyway, and the thought flickering through her mind knew that as well. While it was obvious she was thinking, it wasn't obvious what she was thinking about, though her slight frown that came with thinking hard about something was just a tad bit adorable.
A low growl from Pluto announced Lin's arrival, before he had even stepped into the room. The King shot the wolf an ugly look, before his lips curled up in a look that was more sneer than smile. "King Sorren." He greeted, ignoring everyone else in the room, including his own companion.
Soren's eyes flicked to King Lin. His mouth twitched slightly, though his expression didn't change from a placid calm. "King Lin. We have only waited ten minutes for you. Don't worry, you aren't that late." He said. An insult, only thinly veiled. "I would assume you know what is to happen? Or shall i educate you as I would any other guest?" His words were pure politeness. Soren had lost the majority of his patience for the day, and was doing his best to remain calm and unperturbed.
Captain Mikhail sighed softly, watching them all carefully. The other guards stood at attention, also keeping an eye on the goings-on.
Celeste blinked out of her thoughts, looking from Soren to Lin, before meeting Mikhail's gaze briefly. The anger from Lin at Soren's thinly veiled insult was palpable, and it caused her to shrink into herself just slightly as she looked back at the two kings, evident mostly in the way her shoulders hunched.
"No, thank you." Lin said curtly, his jaw clenched. "I understand how this works." He finally acknowledged the guards and Celeste, though it was more a disdainful sweep of the room, with his eyes lingering on Celeste for a moment.
You do? Good." Soren replied. "Then follow me." He politely offered his arm to Celeste, and started walking, heading towards the door. One of the guards opened the door for them.
Celeste ignored Lin's gaze boring into the back of her head, accepting Soren's offered arm while carefully avoiding looking at anyone as they left the room. Her grip on his arm wasn't enough to hurt, or even be uncomfortable, just enough to belie her discomfort. Lin stayed silent, though he did visibly move away from Pluto as the wolf came to walk on Celeste's other side, once again sandwiching her between him and Soren.
Soren led them through the palace quickly, until they came to a hallway. There, he said, "King Lin, I'll announce you first, then you, Celeste. It's just a quick introduction to the nobility." He let go of Celeste, and straightened his jacket, then walked inside.
Captain Mikhail had come along as well, of course.
"Try not to be an embarrassment, would you."
Though it was Lin speaking the words, in a low tone to keep the attention of the guards away as they waited, it was in her father's voice that Celeste heard them. He'd had that same conversation with her countless times, before introducing her to his allies. In fact, once upon a time, it had been a young Soren and his father that she'd been introduced to.
How could she have forgotten about that? Celeste nodded once, not trusting herself to speak as she traced the dreamcatcher on her neck. She had met Soren before. He and his father had been two of the few guests that hadn't taken advantage of the time her father alone with them, as he so often did with his guests to test them. Memories of those times threatened to cloud her mind completely, the feel of hands on her arms and her hips almost as real as the feel of Pluto's fur inbetween her fingers. Please, please hurry.
Soren spoke to the nobility for a few minutes, then came back to get Lin. He saw that Celeste seemed upset by something, and stepped over to her, gently touching a hand to her arm. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. "You don't have to do this, if that's what's bothering you." he said, eyes studying her carefully. His hair was coming loose, and starting to fall into his face again.
