A/N:

At last! The first installment of the new VK fic, inspired by Game of Thrones!

YUKI

Yuki Kuran, age 18 and crown princess of the Nine Kingdoms, was completely unable to contain herself. She had spent the entire morning sprinting back and forth to the Venetian window which overlooked the central courtyard for a hint of something, but instead all she had found was the usual bustle of servants and lazy meanderings of bored nobles. During the routine morning procedure of dressing and preening she had passed the minutes tapping her foot impatiently and shaking off the serving maid in order to check the window again, much to the poor girl's dismay and frustration. But no, nothing. Not the smallest sign of anything.

She heaved a tremendous sigh, plopping back into the chair at the tiny breakfast table beside her bed. She poked at her empty plate with her fork. The clock hands were inching past noon and onward towards lunchtime. She had expected their visitors to have arrived by now. Still, if she had learned anything in her years as princess, no one, especially no one noble, ever arrived on time.

Standing up suddenly and knocking over her chair, Yuki strode to the door and yanked it open. The guards on either side were slightly startled at her abrupt exit, but strove to hide it. She giggled to herself and attempted to regain some of what little poise she possessed by slowing her pace. It wouldn't do to be scolded by her adopted father later if she was seen walking in an undignified manner by the gossipy noble women that abounded the castle. At the moment, however, the wide, airy stone halls were fairly devoid of noble persons, for which she was grateful.

Her feet made a beeline for the training yard where she knew her two Bloodguards would be practicing at this hour. Most noble men with a Guard kept a respectable distance from their knights, but Yuki found that to be tiring. She preferred to spend as much time as possible with the two young men who at least were pleasant company, in contrast to most other nobles her age. Especially Ruka Souen. Yuki rolled her eyes. She understood that her adopted father wanted her to maintain a good relationship with the Souen kingdom, but Ruka was one of the most vain, shallow girls that she knew. Then again, most of the young ladies at the court were like her…

Finally arriving at the practice yard, which was little more than a glorified area of hard-packed dirt strewn with various training objects, Yuki immediately picked out the two members of her Guard sparring off to the right. She paused for a moment, watching them. They were really completely different, like day and night, but she cherished both of them as friends and easily entrusted them with her life. She could think of none better to fill the roles of her primary knights and guardians, and they were sworn to her service with the strongest bond possible, an unbreakable blood oath.

Her gaze darted to Hanabusa Aidou, the first member of her Guard. He had been sworn to her service since his 12th name day, as a pledge of loyalty from his father to hers. One day he would have to return to his homeland to rule in his father's stead, as the sole male heir to the title, but for now his duties were that of a knight. He was smaller than the other member of her Bloodguard, more slim and agile, with a slightly flashy fighting style that irritated the other endlessly. He was also the object of desire of half the girls in the court, since he had the misfortune of inheriting one of the most beautiful faces in the Nine Kingdoms, framed with perfect golden curls and punctuated with penetrating blue eyes. At least, Yuki thought it was a misfortune. Being handsome also made him extremely arrogant…and sometimes insufferable. She mentally stuck her tongue out at him and giggled to herself.

She continued to watch Hanabusa fight for a moment before turning her attention to her second knight, Zero Kiryuu. Yuki felt a warm surge of affection envelop her chest as she followed his movements. Zero had arrived later than Hanabusa, at the age of 15 after being a slave in the fighting pits in the city. He had achieved some fame as being particularly fierce despite his age, and when word had reached her adopted father of his lineage, King Kaien had immediately brought him into the castle, and subsequently, her Guard. In contrast to his comrade, Zero was tall and broad-shouldered, with great strength and a commanding presence. His silvery hair and violet eyes were marks of his Kiryuu blood, inheritors of a family which had become nothing more than history. Further demonstrating his prowess in combat were the six piercings, three on each ear, which marked his rank as a pit fighter. It was said that a man earned a piercing for every one hundred men that he killed. She shuddered to think of how Zero had obtained six. On his chest was the slave brand that further demonstrated his past as a fighter in the arena. And of course, on his neck, was the tattoo inked there as proof of his pledge to serve her...

Her gaze lingered on his form, watching the play of muscles beneath his nearly white skin. Even under the force of the sun's rays, for some reason he seemed incapable of gaining color. Her eyes ran over the lines of his chest and shoulders, traced with the fine lines of scars dating back to his time in the fighting pits, and stopped at the thick scar that marked his left arm. She felt a shiver despite the heat. He had told her the story before, and she could see him alive and whole in front of her, but fear welled up within her to think that a few inches more and the spear would have penetrated through his heart…

She gave herself a mental jolt. It wouldn't do to linger on such thoughts. Yuki seized a canteen of water and a few dry cloths sitting on the bench nearest her and strode over to the pair, smiling broadly when they took note of her and halted their training. Both greeted her with a slight bow, which she frowned at as always. Such formalities made her feel more distant from them.

"How's practice?" she asked casually, handing them each a cloth that they immediately used to wipe the sweat from their brows.

Zero merely shrugged in response, and Hanabusa replied sarcastically with, "Losing as always, thank you so much for asking."

Yuki giggled. "Maybe you should try winning?"

"Oh, haha, quite humorous." He shot her a rueful grin, then turned the full force of his glare on Zero. "Hey, Zero, maybe you should put on some clothes?" He pointed to discarded shirt on the ground. "You're in the presence of a lady."

Zero regarded him calmly and said nothing, but his eyes clearly stated that he wasn't going to move.

"We're knights, we have to uphold our reputation. In front of the princess you should at least show some respect." The silver-haired knight's lack of response was clearly irritating him. "It's improper!" he snapped.

Zero looked at her then, clearly asking if she cared, and to Hanabusa's horror she shook her head and said, "I don't mind. It's hot, anyway. Actually, I thought you looked tired." She offered the canteen to Zero, who took it with a small smile of thanks.

"Of course, condone and reward bad behavior." Hanabusa's mouth twisted downward with disapproval.

Yuki was saved from having to make a response as sudden trumpet calls cut through the open air, announcing the arrival of their visitor. She grinned, excitement blossoming in her chest. It wasn't often that they had important company such as this, or company that warranted a full-fledged feast and celebration.

"I guess this means we'll miss lunch." Hanabusa pouted, then stretched and hit the side of Zero's calf with his wooden practice sword. "Alright, come on, we've got to make you look respectable…and yes, this includes a shirt."

Zero deigned not to respond to this, but picked up his things and followed the blond knight out of the practice yard, leaving Yuki with a simple "See you soon."

Fortunately for Yuki, she was already dressed and ready for the arrival procession. She exited the yard as well and headed for the main entrance, where she knew many of the nobles would have gathered, as well as her adopted father. On her way, many servants scurried by, clearly hurrying with last minute preparations. She smiled. It was good to see a dose of liveliness in the castle.

As she approached the entrance, she found that a crowd had already gathered. She spotted Lady Ruka in the center of the human cluster beside her closest companion and childhood friend, Akatsuki Kain, who was both a knight and noble lord himself. Akatsuki was Hanabusa's cousin, but their shared blood was anything but evident in Akatsuki's looming build and fiery red hair. His people were of the Dawn Plains, a place ruled by the sword and by honor more than business or politics.

A voice interrupted her from her musings. "Yuki! Just in time! Though, if you'd been late, you would have still been on time, because a princess is never late." Yuki turned to see her adopted father, King Kaien, who winked at her cheerfully.

She gave the customary curtsey to the king to appease the nobility and then immediately asked, "How long until he arrives?"

"In a matter of minutes, I'd imagine." The king waved ambiguously in the air.

"Why is he coming, anyway?"

"Well, he's coming because he's not leaving, obviously," Kaien remarked with a straight face.

Yuki shook her head, ignoring the lame joke and trying not to roll her eyes in public. Behind her, she felt the familiar presences of her Bloodguard move in. The doors of the main entrance began to creak open with a rattle of chains, opening the hall to the outside world.

"Let's greet your cousin, shall we?" Kaien motioned for Yuki to move to the front of the assembly.

By the time Yuki had settled in between her father and, most unfortunately, the Lady Ruka, the procession had already nearly reached the Great Hall in which they now stood. The parade stretched for what seemed an eternity beyond the primary figures; an excess of courtesans, carriages, and soldiers that seemed disproportionate even for a high noble. She could not see the end of the human river, which wound through the gates of the outer wall and across the massive stone bridge which connected the castle grounds to the city below.

Her cousin Kaname, ruler of the Kuran realm Soshiyu to the northwest of Ashgate, led the procession. It had been nearly a decade since they'd last seen each other, and that had been when Kaname had inherited his realm once he had reached legal ruling age at 18. He hadn't changed much in the last 10 years. He was still regal as ever, with a composed, unreadable face and shadowed eyes. To his left rode his main guard, the severe-appearing woman trained in the black arts called Seiren. To his right, however, was someone that she hadn't seen before but recognized from his yellow banner imprinted with a single grey tower. This would be Takuma Ichijou, heir of the most influential minor noble house in the Kuran realm. The Ichijou family had always shared an intimate friendship with the Kurans, so it came as no surprise that their heir would make an appearance alongside Kaname. It would also explain the grandiose procession that trailed behind them, as the Ichijous would have been sure to send their own part of the entourage.

As the nobles and their guardsmen dismounted, Ruka seized her arm with surprising force, eyes sparkling in a way that Yuki hadn't seen before. "You never told me how… How… He's beautiful," she whispered, eyes locked on the princess's cousin, cheeks flushing.

Yuki stared at the noble for a moment in slight disbelief, then merely stated, "He's unwed." She didn't really know what else to say. Ruka sucked in a sharp breath. For once, it seemed Yuki had said the right thing.

Kaien gave her the signal, and both she and her father stepped forward to receive Kaname and Takuma into their household. Yuki hoped that their stay together would at the very least be an entertaining diversion from the normal boredom.

Her mouth opened to form the expected words, "Welcome to our home, cousin."

A/N: So short. So meh. I have to say...they tell me first is the worst and this chapter definitely isssss... I hate beginnings... -grumbles- Second chapter is a lot better, promise!

Don't forget, this fic is UPDATED WEEKLY. Meaning, every Wednesday, you'll have a new chapter. When I go back to Spain again in September, you may even have them really late Tuesday nights as I'll be 6 hours ahead.

Finally, as those of you who read My Scarlet Letters know, I'm all for gradual development of both the plot and the characters, so if you don't see your favorite character in this chapter, don't worry, all of the VK cast will make an appearance. I don't like giving away spoilers but I feel in this case it might be necessary. If you are a fan of Yori or Shima, both appear just a little bit later in the fic so be patient! Don't worry though, Yori in particular is one of the main characters ;).

That's all for now so tune in next week folks!