Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

A/N: This takes place in the west instead of at Japan. I admittedly did not do a lot of research, so pardon my mistakes. Also, females here are not as suppressed as their medieval counterparts. Homosexuality is less taboo, but it's still not widely accepted by the public.

Thunk!

Princess Rinka allowed a small smirk to grace her features. The arrow she had shot had landed securely in the bullseye of a wooden target. A series of claps sounded next to her, and Rinka spun to look at her elder brother.

"Wow, I can only wish I was as good as you are," Prince Hiroto said wistfully. None of his arrows had hit the bullseye, yet every one of Rinka's arrows had.

"But you're really talented at using swords, Hiro-nii," Rinka reminded him. "We all have our strengths. Anyways, where's Lady Hinata?"

Hiroto shrugged his shoulders. "Probably kicking ass somewhere." For the heir of a kingdom, he sure used bad language, however he only did so in front of his wife and his younger sister.

"Hiroto-nii, I'll be eighteen soon, who shall I marry?" Rinka asked while drawing her bow again.

Hiroto's eyes followed the arrow as it swished through the air. Bullseye again. "Well, Yuuma's out of the question because he's betrothed to Princess Megu," he said, referring to his best friend, who happened to be a prince too. "Prince Taiga's been courting you ever since you were fourteen, but I don't really trust him and his kingdom is poorer than ours. Prince Karma's kingdom is extremely powerful and we would benefit greatly if you get married to him, but I've heard he's sadistic and he hasn't shown any interest in marriage."

"Prince Itona's kingdom specializes in machinery and equipment, which can also benefit us. I don't like or dislike Prince Itona so I wouldn't mind being married to him if it helps our kingdom. I like Prince Nagisa's personality, but his kingdom is new and relatively weak," Rinka mused. "Prince Tomohito is friendly but our kingdoms are very far away from each other."

Arranged marriages were very common. Sometimes, by chance, both parties could truly love the other, like Prince Yuuma and Princess Megu. They were the perfect, fairytale couple. Or sometimes, the couple could have a rocky start, like the fiery Lady Hinata and the equally fiery Prince Hiroto. They were always somehow fighting with each other over the most trivial things. Recently, their relationship had improved immensely (thanks to Rinka who had enough of their noisy fights). Rinka could only hope her future husband was decent. She knew she had to be married sooner or later to secure ties for her kingdom.

A meow sounded and Rinka felt soft fur rubbing on her leg. She put down her bow and picked up the fluffy tabby kitten at her feet, and her serious expression immediately softened. "Yumi-chan, you're bored, aren't you?" She scratched under the cat's chin and it purred happily. "Hiro-nii, I'm going hunting."

"Alright. I would say stay safe, but you're the archer princess. No one's gonna mess with you," Hiroto affectionately tousled his sister's hair. She shot him a cold glare, and he grinned cheekily. Rinka scooped up her kitten and prepared to set off.

Everyone in the palace knew Rinka loved to hunt. Everyone knew she loved to hunt alone. However, for safety's sake, several guards would accompany her to the woods. One of them was Rinka's best friend, Rio. One the way, Rio kept on blabbering on how none of the available princes were good enough for Rinka.

"Prince Karma is simply a devil. Well, a hot devil. But I bet he looks down on you and your dad and the kingdom, because he's an arrogant asshole like that."

That was why Rinka knew so many "bad words". Her brother and best friend, two of the closest people in her life, used them constantly.

"Prince Itona always says weird stuff like 'my kingdom will be strong again' and 'I am strong'. The only thing that's attractive about him is his eyes. They may look dead, but that colour is exotic, I tell you."

"I'm actually considering Prince Itona," Rinka admitted. "The machinery his kingdom produces is quite fascinating. I can secure a good supply of machinery for our kingdom if I marry him. He did take a bit of interest in me the last time we met."

"He was staring at your chest," Rio replied bluntly. "It wasn't even that noticeable, with your dress and all that. At least he wasn't all grabby like Prince Taiga. But remember that rumour where Prince Itona was involved with witches and dark magic?"

"I don't really trust rumours." Rinka dug her feet in the sides of her horse and sent it galloping. They were now in the woods, the leaves and branches casting shadows over them. Rinka took in a deep whiff of the scent of nature. It made the hunting blood in her go alive.

"So, you're after Prince Itona," Rio caught up with her. "Personally, if you're asking me, I think you should aim higher. Prince Karma may have a bad reputation, but he treats his servants decently. Remember how a servant bumped into him on our last gathering? She apologized and he waved it off. That was pretty nice of him."

Rinka recalled the nervous servant whose purple hair was in a braid. She was scared out of her wits when she accidentally hit Prince Karma, but he had soothed her. Rinka had to admit her respect for him raised a bit after that incident.

"Maybe you're right, but Prince Karma still obviously looks down on us. I'm not attractive enough for him."

"Yeah, maybe there's a way to make them all want you…" Rio stared at a spot at the distance. "Like, I dunno, an archery contest since you'll slay at that."

Rinka heard a sudden rustle of leaves next to her. She immediately grabbed her bow and fitted an arrow at the string.

"Is there something wrong, milady?" Rio asked.

"Shh!" Rinka hissed, aiming at the place where the suspicious noises came from. The guards followed suit, arrows poised to kill.

"Come out!" Rinka commanded. "Or else we will shoot!"

Silence.

After several tense, noiseless seconds, Rinka lowered her bow. Nothing had happened, and no one seemed to be there. She turned to look at her alert guards.

"It's probably a hare or something. Let's keep going."

As they trotted deeper in the woods, they didn't notice a gigantic, scaled creature hiding among the thick foliage. It slowly raised its head in the direction of the riders.

Its head was hideous with obsidian scales covering every inch of it. Two curved, pointed horns stood atop its head. Worst of all was its sharp, blood red eyes that seemed to glare at Princess Rinka with murderous intent.

The unnoticed dragon crept away and spread out its huge, bony wings. It launched itself into the air and flew away, a plan hatching in its brain.

A plan that involved the princess and her suitors.

"Rin!"

The sweaty girl turned to see her sister-in-law, Lady Hinata. She was dressed in a formal purple robe, which was extremely unusual for her because she preferred comfortable pants to dresses. Rinka nodded in acknowledgement.

"So, your dad had decided to host a ball in our kingdom in two weeks time. On your eighteenth birthday." Hinata's amethyst eyes had an uncharacteristic solemn look in it. "You know what that means."

"We'll be talking about my marriageable status," Rinka said. She was neither happy or unhappy about it. It was her duty to secure ties with other kingdoms, and she would do so by marrying important figures. This was for the good of her kingdom.

"It is likely that Prince Itona will bring you a gift. It is to impress you, so you better be. Or act impressed if you're not." Hinata stared seriously at Rinka. "This is a very important ball, Rin."

Rinka's mouth went dry. "I know. I'll try not to mess it up."

A big smile appeared on Hinata's face. "Well now that's done…"

Hinata slid off her robe to reveal the simple tunic and breeches she wore underneath. "Time for another fistfight! Thank God I finished my duties today. Being serious is tiring."

She gave Rinka a little wave. "See you at dinner! I heard you caught a deer, so I'm looking forward to it!"

"See you later," Rinka replied. She walked to her room and was immediately greeted by her lady-in-waiting, Hinano. They had known each other since they were young, and Rinka honestly thought of her more as a friend than as a servant.

"Rinka-chan! You're back!" she sang, orange curls bouncing around her face. "I've prepared a bath for you!"

"Thank you, Hinano." Rinka untied the pigtails in her hair and let it fall down in waves. She quickly undressed and slipped into the heated, scented water.

"Soo… about the ball on your birthday…" Hinano started cautiously.

"I think I'll be marrying Prince Itona. Rio wants me to marry Prince Karma because he's richer, but I think he has no interest in me." Rinka let the warm water lap over her skin. "Plus, both Prince Itona's kingdom and our kingdom can benefit from our marriage. We're known for being a good trading port, and they're known for their technology."

Hinano grinned. "Alright! I'll make sure you look completely stunning at the ball! The princes better be ready!"

A/N: This is for Day 7 of ChibaHaya Week 2018- AU. This will be a short story with hopefully short chapters.

Even though I say it's ChibaHaya, it actually starts with them being friends. It's another slowburn fic.

Please read and review! I'll love to see what you think!