(hhhhhh let's do meeting Cal. So she would have been in the castle for a day or two, and it would be evening now)
Tyr went to get the new Cursebreaker, as those who had been brought in hopes of breaking the curse had been nicknamed. She had been put into a lovely set of rooms in the East Wing, decorated with motifs of roses and other flowers. The same motifs of roses were repeated around the entire palace, as they were the symbol of the royal family. When Tyr first brought her here, he had told her that the only rule she needed to follow? To stay out of the West Wing, the royal wing. So far, she had obeyed. He knocked on her door, waiting to see if she would answer. He was to bring her to dinner, to meet Cal for the first time.
Valencia didn't hear the knocking at first, too engrossed in a random book she had found. Then it became more consistent, and it was impossible for her to ignore it. She reluctantly closed the book and slowly walked to the door, cautiously opening it to find a man standing there. The same one that kidnapped and imprisoned her.
"What do you want?" She asked, though it wasn't a rude tone. It was more a…well, a very confused tone.
Tyr took in a slow breath. "The prince would like you to join him for dinner." he said, looking at her. Tyr wasn't a short man, but he was still two inches shorter than Valencia, a fact he had chosen to ignore. "If you would like to." this was the first evening of this cycle that Cal would be spending as a man, not a beast, and it was best to get started right away. Give them time to bond.
Valencia looked down at the small man, taking in his stature and the silent desperation in his eyes. She sighed.
"I will go. If you can answer me three questions. Only three. One: what is your name? Two: what is this prince's name? Three: do you even know what my name is?"
"Tyr Montalbano." he answered. "Prince Callum Shay. And, uhm…" he looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then at her again. "I don't, I'm sorry. You neglected to tell me, and while I am many things, a mind reader is regretfully not one of them."
Valencia sighed. "Well, my name is Valencia. Valencia West. And no, you may not call me Val or Cia or any other shortened version of my name. I don't appreciate it." She sighed again. "I kinda can't move if you're literally in the doorway. And dinner better be good food. Or I demand you return me to my home."
Tyr stepped back, offering his arm for her to hold, if she wanted to. "The food will be good. Mrs Tressor is possibly the best cook I've ever seen." he replied with a slight bow. "As for returning you…wait a month or so, and if you are not happy here, I will return you."
Valencia stopped before moving forward. "A month? A month! I don't want to be here for a month! I have stuff back home! What about my pets (lie)? Or my plants (another lie)? Or my job (admittedly less of a lie)?"
Tyr sighed faintly. "Look, miss Valencia…there is…" He closed his eyes for a moment. "A lot going on that you don't really understand."
Valencia squinted in an emotion only she knew and then sighed. "Okay, fine. Fine. Just take me to dinner. If I'm going to be here for a month then I might as well eat. I'm hungry anyway."
"Well yes. The plan was not to starve you." He said. "Come on, then." He extended his arm for her to take, blinking at her.
Valencia reluctantly took Tyr's hand. She didn't really want to go meet this prince dude but…her stomach was rumbling. Loud, if you asked. She placed an arm over her stomach, hoping that Tyr didn't hear it.
Tyr raised a slightly amused eyebrow as he linked his elbow through hers, leading her down the halls and towards the dining room. There were two dining rooms within the palace; one was a large, grand affair with a large table and ornate decorations. The other was the one he was taking Valencia to. Smaller, designed for parties of ten or less, but no less lovely in decor.
Valencia felt it was slightly awkward when Tyr looped his arm with hers, especially as there was a bit of a distance between the two arms. But she didn't say anything, as that would be quite rude. Instead, she just let him drag her through the palace towards the dining room.
(two inches is 5.08 centimeters)
Tyr really wasn't that much shorter; only two inches, which wasn't much of a difference. He led her down to the dining room, bowing a little as he released her arm and gestured to the table. Cal, who had been seated at the head of the table, stood up. Tyr smiled faintly. "Miss Valencia West, meet Prince Callum Shay."
(5cm still makes a difference to me tho…it can be awkward…)
Valencia stumbled ever so slightly as she was let go, then held herself. She looked at this prince. Admittedly, he was quite cute. But she could see a strange emotion in his eyes, almost as if he was in pain or longing. She awkwardly bowed, not knowing if that's what she was supposed to do.
(true, but like…he can still almost look her in the eyes? So it's not too huge to me? Idk. I'm only five feet tall (v. tiny) so I guess i see height differently? I don't know)
Cal's mouth twisted in a faint smile. "No need to bow, Miss Valencia." he said with a quiet laugh. He studied her for a moment, then frowned slightly. "Tyr, she's taller than me." he commented, eyes flickering to the guard.
Tyr frowned, looking from Valencia to Cal, and back. "Oh, my apologies. I suppose I remembered you…taller."
Cal sighed faintly. "Mm. Well, I…suppose it can't be helped now. It isn't that much of a height difference, in any case." he moved to pull a chair out for Valencia, before returning to his own. His movements were a little cautious, a little…almost shaky, as if moving carefully so as not to aggravate a wound.
(well i have a friend who is 5cm taller and it can be awkward to link arms with her sometimes…and i have one who is 5cm shorter and it can be awkward to link arms with him)
Valencia stood stunned for a short period of time, then moved to sit in the chair. Was this what it felt like? To be royalty? Or was he just doing this to get in her pants?
She didn't know. She was in a room in a palace in a world she didn't know that reportedly had magic. She didn't know why she was taken, since there wasn't anything special about her. She silently sat in the chair, looking down at the empty plate in front of her.
(alright, makes sense. Again, I just see height differently as a tiny person lol)
Cal took in a slow breath, letting it out again once he was settled in his seat. "Well. Welcome to the palace, Miss Valencia." he began, looking over at her with a faint smile on his face. "Dinner should be brought out shortly, and afterwards I can show you around the palace, if you would like. Most of it, anyways."
Valencia silently stared at him, listening to what he had to say. Then something popped into her head.
"Uh yeah, quick question. Why am I here? I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was kidnapped, taken from my world - I was not aware that there were others - and then brought, to a place that has magic! Magic's not supposed to be real!"
Cal rubbed his face with a hand. "Oh boy. Okay." he said slowly, considering her words for a long moment. "Alright. So…your world and mine are the only ones I know of. There may be others; I don't know. As for kidnapped…that…" he sighed faintly. "I don't have a good explanation for that right now, and you have my sincerest apologies for that. And as for magic…maybe it is not real in your world, but that does not make it any less so in mine. Not all of us are blessed enough to possess magic; of those here in the palace, Tyr is only one of very few. I myself have none either."
"But…magic still exists here. And magic is merely a figment of imagination, something you see in books and movies but things that cannot possibly be real. I still cannot accept that magic is a real thing, as I have always been told that it is not. And yes, I am aware that Tyr brought me here using magic but I…I still find it hard to believe."
Cal nodded a little bit. "Mm. Yeah, I suppose I can see that." he replied, humming for a moment. "I don't really know how to help you with that, though."
Valencia stared, and then her staring was interrupted by a server. Dinner was up. It looked…odd. Very different to the food she knew, and different to any food she knew existed in other countries.
Still, she was apparently going to be here for a month, so she might as well suck it up. She tentatively took a bite, then immediately went for more. It was delicious.
Cal smiled a little bit, serving himself some food and starting to eat. He ate in, well, a more civilized manner than she did, watching her with a faint light of amusement in his golden eyes.
