Princess Amira continued to pull her friend along by the arm even after they'd left the throne room. In a complete reversal from her performance in the chamber, she now seemed to be just a young girl eager to play with her friend.
Once the throne room doors had shut and they had made it out of earshot of the entrance guards, however, Sorana came to a stop and pulled her arm free from the princess' grasp, "What were you thinking?!" she berated almost immediately.
The princess put on a rebellious, yet comfortable smirk, "Whatever do you mean?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"You know 'very well' what I mean," Sorana pressed. "I've always said your jokes would get you in trouble one day and look what happened!"
Princess Amira waved her hand dismissively, "Please, everything turned out alright, like it always does. Besides, I needed to finally outdo my dragon attack from when we were kids."
Sorana opened her mouth to retort, but she was interrupted by the sound of Kaden laughing, "Yeah, that was a pretty good one," he agreed.
The princess' expression then became serious and she gave Kaden an odd look. It wasn't just a look of irritation at the 'help' having spoken out of turn, though there was some of that, but was mostly a more curious one, "How do you know about that?" she asked.
Kaden shrugged, "Sorana told me," he answered simply.
The princess looked even more curious now, "She 'told' you? Even about the bed-"
Kaden quickly put a hand to stop Amira from continuing, "Hey, she hasn't told 'him' about it," he said with a nod toward Kor."
Kor, for his part, acted as if he wasn't paying attention, as he was not being spoken to directly.
Sorana, on the other hand, was looking equally irritated and embarrassed, "Can we not talk about-"
"How long have you known Sorana?" the princess interrupted, questioning Kaden directly again.
Kaden didn't like the princess' tone, but for Sorana's sake, he chose not to react to it like he usually would, "I've known Sorana since we were kids, almost as long as I can remember. Why?"
The princess' smile just seemed to get smugger, "So, you're 'that' Kaden, huh?" she asked, but this time the question was instead addressed to Sorana.
Kaden wanted to know what she was talking about, but Sorana spoke first, "You're not changing the subject," she insisted forcefully, though partly because she didn't like where the subject was turning to. "Kor very nearly killed you over your little 'prank', all because he thought I was in danger. Had something gone wrong, besides the obvious issues with that, it would have caused an interplanetary incident! You really should consider your position once in a while."
The princess tried to brush Sorana's words off, but it was clear that she didn't like being reminded of how close she'd come to death, "Then it's a good thing you have your dog well trained, isn't it?" she sneered toward Kor, who still showed no evidence that he'd heard anything.
"Amira," Sorana pressed sternly.
The princess just shrugged and started walking again, "As my mother said, we had this whole thing all planned out months ago. Long before we decided to let you bring your own bodyguards."
Sorana took a moment to eye her friend's back suspiciously, before eventually following her, "And why is that?" she questioned next. "I've never needed bodyguards before, even when my parents were here. I dismissed the intense scrutiny of your guards as a precaution for Kaden and Kor, but then the Minister said something strange. What's really going on in Valentulus, Mira?"
Princess Amira's face soured, "It's nothing," she insisted. "Just some stupid political rumblings. I have all week to hear the nobles and dignitaries prod me with that kind of drivel, I'd rather not get into it here."
But Sorana wasn't satisfied. She stopped the princess in her tracks by grabbing firmly onto her arm.
The princess spun around and fixed Sorana with an angry look. It was clear that she was someone not used to being touched without her permission. But once she saw the concern in her friend's face, her expression softened.
"Fine," she conceded. "But not here. I don't want anyone overhearing."
Sorana still wasn't happy, but she admitted her friend's point and nodded her acceptance.
The princess then smiled again, "Come on, I'll show you around the Palace!"
Princess Amira spent the rest of the day showing the three of them around the Valentulus Castle.
Sorana had already been here many times, but the palace decorations were constantly being changed, so it was never a bore to see. As they toured the lavish home, she and Amira reminisced about both old times and recent events alike since their last meeting.
All the while, Kaden and Kor dutifully followed them around, keeping their distance to allow privacy, though the princess kept flashing them looks. They were a mix of curiosity and dislike, but the mix was likely from the fact that she couldn't easily tell them apart while their formal hologuises were on.
"What's new in the gardens?" Sorana wondered as they walked out onto a long terrace that overlooked the castle grounds.
A large portion of the view was taken up by a massive maze-like field that stretched into the distance. It was made of mostly greens, but was also dotted with colors of all kinds.
Princess Amira shrugged with disinterest, "I wouldn't know," she admitted unashamed. "All those plants and dirt, why would I care?"
Sorana sighed, but not in response to her friend. She was clearly focused on the distant greenery and had let out the breath wistfully as the memories of playing in the royal garden as a child returned to her.
The princess frowned at being ignored and instead gestured to another large area of the grounds, "That's my sister's favorite place," she noted with what sounded like disapproval.
The area she was pointing to was a wide open field, but this one was made from walls of stone and was dotted with inlaid circles of dirt.
"That's the training grounds," Amira continued. "Her obsession with ancient styles of combat has become a bit irritating, but she's managed to get half the guards in the kingdom to sign on to her 'knight' school. I can't imagine what's so appealing about bringing an energy sword to a blaster fight."
Sorana shrugged, "With modern combat armor and nanotech to repair small piercing wounds, sometimes a powerful melee weapon in the hands of a skilled wielder is the best way to take down an opponent." Sorana said this last part with an eye toward Kor and loud enough for him to hear her, but he did not react to what may have been a compliment.
But the princess just shook her head, "Anyone who uses a weapon that they need to swing is just a dumb brute. There's no use for that kind of 'skill'." The princess also spoke with an eye toward the Lombax whom she believed to be Kor, though he did not react to what was clearly an insult.
Too focused on overlooking the castle grounds to see her friend's attempt to goad her bodyguard, Sorana continued, "But you have to admit, there's something romantic about the idea of knights," she noted thoughtfully.
Princess Amira studied her friend for a moment and then a grin spread across her face, "You mean like how your 'knight' protected you in the throne room?" she asked mischievously.
Sorana's ears flicked reflexively and she had to fight to keep them from curling as she remembered how Kaden had thrown himself over her protectively the moment it was clear a fight was going to break out.
"Th-that's not what I meant," Sorana argued stiffly, turning her warmed face away in embarrassment.
Suddenly, the young Lombax felt pressure on her ears and she squeaked in surprise.
"Your body's being more honest than you are," the princess said as she stroked her friend's long, soft ears.
Spinning around, Sorana pulled herself away from her royal friend, "I told you to stop doing that!" she hissed, trying not to be too loud, though she knew Kaden and Kor were likely seeing everything.
"You used to love it when we were kids," the princess countered, her arms still outstretched and her hands clasping the air, eager to be run through her Lombax friend's fluffy fur.
"Well we're not 'kids' anymore," Sorana pointed out, before picking up her dress and marching off across the terrace. "Come on, the main ballroom is just over here, right? I assume that's where I'll be performing?"
The princess' grin widened further as she followed her friend into the massive room that connected to the other side of the veranda.
As Kaden and Kor entered behind them, they were greeted by an enormous, vaulted chamber that was large enough to fit a small star cruiser inside.
Brillant banners of golds and reds streamed down from the ceiling, many of which were marked with bright emblems. Most were representations of the Valentulus family crest, but there were many others mixed in as well. Clearly, these were for some of the powerful guests that were going to attend the party.
Though still incomplete, dozens of obscenely long tables were placed around the massive ballroom. When the festivities began in earnest, they would be filled with foods of all imaginations. Kaden's mind eagerly envisioned that future, but he quickly returned to the task at hand.
As Sorana took in the decorations, the princess retook the lead and brought the group to the large stage at the far end of the room, "And here is where you'll be playing," she said happily. "It'll probably be the highlight of the night, though that's not saying much considering the other 'festivities'," she added unhappily.
Sorana made her way up onto the raised platform and looked out over the ballroom, imagining the performance she was to give in front of half the social elites on Markazia, just a few days from now.
Kaden and Kor did so as well, but with a different thought in mind.
"Hey, Sor?" Kaden began, speaking out of turn, but not caring, "Mind if we take a look around? I'd like to do at least one geo-render of the position before the big night."
The tan Lombax used the phrase 'we' because he could see Kor itching to inspect the location as well. Sorana's performance would be the most dangerous time and place for her in the entirety of their trip. However, the armor-encased Lombax was unwilling to break decorum to request permission and was clearly becoming restless.
Sorana gave the two of them a suspicious look, "I don't think that's such a good idea," she said, with an eye to the expensive decorations around the room.
But Princess Amira waved a hand dismissively, "Oh, they'll be fine," she countered. "Come on Sorana, let your 'knights' protect you."
Sorana gave her friend an annoyed look, but relented, "Just don't break anything," she ordered with justified concern.
Kaden rolled his eyes at the lack of faith, though no one could see it, and Kor bowed his thanks, before turning and walking off.
Making his way to the end of the stage, Kaden looked out over the ballroom and scanned it visually with his NID. A moment later, his backpack opened up and a dozen small, metal disks shot out from it.
The unexpectedly sudden sound and movement made the princess jump back, grabbing hold of Sorana reflexively. Her white-furred companion, however, was completely unfazed by the display.
"What is he doing?" Amira asked curiously, as Kaden's disks flew to every corner of the room, scanning every inch and building a three-dimensional layout of the area.
Sorana just shrugged, "Sweeping the area," she explained, not really sure of the specifics involved in what her protectors were up to.
"And him?" the princess asked next, though this time with irritation in her voice.
Sorana turned to look at what she talking about and saw Kor laying his massive wrench down on the floor against a far wall, before walking away from it.
She wasn't sure, but she wanted to belay her friend's worries, "It's a pretty heavy weapon," she began half-baked. "He's probably putting it down to make it easier to move around-"
Before Sorana could finish, Kor spun around and charged back toward his wrench at top speed.
Both girls opened their eyes wide as it appeared that the warrior Lombax was about to collide with the wall, but at the last second, he leapt into the air. As he did so, he thrust his hand down toward his wrench and the movement miraculously seemed to give him an unnatural push as he used the rest of his momentum to run straight up the wall.
Kor eventually came to stop at the edge of the giant stained-glass alcove, where he quickly climbed over the cliff-like overhang and disappeared from view.
"Well, that was impressive," Sorana noted, more to herself than anything.
Princess Amira just turned up her nose at it, "Yes, incredibly useful… if someone hadn't already invented ladders."
Sorana shook her head at her friend, "You really must let it go," she said. "It was your fault to begin with."
Amira just scowled, "Let's leave this subject," she insisted. "I don't want to talk about this… Koral guy any more than is necessary. Instead, I'd like to know more about this 'Kaden'," she pressed, her mischievous grin returning.
The young Lombax gave a quick glance toward where Kaden was standing. He was likely too engrossed in his scans to pay them any attention, but was still close enough to possibly overhear them.
"I don't want to talk about it," she pressed back. But, knowing how the princess was she added, "We can talk about it later… when you tell me what's really going on."
Realizing that what she wanted was now a give and take, the princess pouted briefly at not having gotten what she wanted, before saying, "Fine," in an annoyed way.
By that time, Kaden had finished his scans and his small disk drones were returning to him.
Once they were all packed away, he turned around and made his way back to Sorana and Amira.
"Find anything interesting, Kaden?" the princess asked curiously, though clearly not interested in his scans.
Kaden just shrugged, "I don't like the looks of this place from a security standpoint, but I should have enough drones to cover the entrances.
"Indeed," came Kor's metallic voice, so close that it caused both Sorana and Amira to jump in surprise. "There appear to be many nooks from which a sniper might hide. I hate snipers."
"Where did you come from?!" the princess demanded hotly. She clearly didn't like being taken by surprise.
"He just does that sometimes," Kaden answered for him.
Kor bowed to the princess, "My apologies for scaring you, your majesty. Walking in silence is a habit."
Princess Amira gathered herself and stood as tall as she could, "I was not scared!" she declared indignantly. "I… I was just overwhelmed by the impudence of your actions. From now on, you will make it known to me before you approach, understood?"
Instead of responding, Kor tilted his gaze toward Sorana, who rolled her eyes and sighed, before nodding.
"As you wish," he responded.
"Did you plant the tripwires?" Kaden then asked.
Kor raised back up and nodded his head, "Every shadow is rigged," he assured him.
"Tripwires?!" Sorana exclaimed, "What do you mean you set up tripwires?!"
Kaden quickly put up his hands to calm her down, "They're just sensors, Sor," he explained. "They won't even arm until the night of the party. Besides, we only put them where nobody would go anyway. They'll be fine."
But Sorana was not eased in the least, "What about the Valentulus security?" she demanded. "What happens when they find Lombax-made sensors all around the main ballroom?!"
"Pft," came Kaden's unconcerned response behind his holographic helmet. "If a bunch of Markazians can find 'my' tripwires, then I wouldn't need to worry about security in the first place," he countered arrogantly.
The angry, white-furred Lombax was about to say something else, when the princess' hand came down on her shoulder, "Don't worry, Sorana," she said reassuringly. "In fact, it's a shame, a few fireworks would have been just what my lame birthday party needed anyway."
Sorana rounded her angry expression on the princess, who sighed, "Fine, I'll let security know to watch out for them. Commander Crogy won't be happy about it, but if I only tell the officer in charge of the ballroom, they'll probably be relieved to know that Lombax tech is bolstering our defenses."
Sorana still looked unhappy and was debating on how to argue further when Amira shoved her forward lightly.
"Come on now," she pressed. "It's getting late and I need my twelve hours of beauty sleep. Let's convene in my room."
And before her friend could contest the decision, Amira was marching off toward the exit.
Sorana just shook her head, gave her bodyguards one last look of displeasure, before chasing after the princess.
Kaden and Kor held back to give the two of them a respectful distance from which to follow them, but this time they held back just a little longer.
Kor turned to Kaden, "Was I not supposed to use the explosives?" he asked in as hushed a robotic voice as he could.
"No, that's fine," the tan Lombax confirmed with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The princess said she wanted fireworks, right?"
Kor was not so sure about his counterpart's confidence, but he didn't have time to press the issue. Kaden quickly took off after the girls, so he just shrugged his armored shoulders and followed.
"And so everyone's all up in arms about these 'Grungarian Marauder' guys," the princess continued to explain, once they were in the 'privacy' of her bedchambers.
She and Sorana were sitting at the tea table in the room, while Kor was standing dutifully in the corner as he'd been told. Kaden, on the other hand, was hovering by his childhood friend, studying all the fancy decorations and nicknacks of the room. Especially the fancy cakes on the table.
"Some of those stuck up nobles even had the audacity to claim that it's my mother's softness that's emboldening them," Amira complained further, as her maid poured her another cup of tea and a second maid placed another pastry in front of her, which she immediately took a bite of. "Mhmf… I mean, it's not as if those mindless brutes are even capable of such rational thought. They probably just wandered into our territory like the dumb, war-minded, dregs of the galaxy that they are!"
Sorana considered her friend's explanation as she politely declined another pastry from a third maid.
The white-furred Lombax understood the Markazians' plight, the Grungarion Marauders were one of the many violent sub-races of galactic society that chose to plunder and loot rather than build themselves up. They were indigenous to this region and so were a constant nuisance, much like the Agorians were to the races in her own sector.
However, Sorana did take issue with a few things about the princess' attitude on the subject.
Kaden also had an issue with the princess' explanation, though for a different reason, "I thought the point was 'not' to be overheard?" Kaden questioned with a whisper in Sorana's ear.
Sorana shook her head, but not so blatantly that it would draw the attention of Princess Amira from the other side of the table, "She doesn't really consider her personal servants 'people'," she whispered back dryly. "As the Minister said, the 'help' is supposed to be functionally invisible."
"That sounds stupid, as well as a security risk," Kaden noted quietly.
"It may be that the princess is just a little too observant with this tradition," Sorana countered sadly.
"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Amira demanded after she'd finally looked up from her dessert. Then she eyed Kaden suspiciously, "Wait, you're the 'Kaden' one, right?" she questioned, unable to tell him apart from Kor with the holo-projectors still active.
Kaden simply nodded.
Yet another mischievous grin split the princess' lips, "Hmmm? Now I'm even more curious about what you two were whispering about."
Kaden didn't know what the princess was talking about, but Sorana saw where this was going.
The young Lombax turned to her two bodyguards, "Would you two mind guarding the hallway for a bit. I'd like to talk to my friend in private for a moment."
The princess gave Sorana an odd look, but Kaden and Kor both bowed and prepared to leave the room.
However, just as Kor was about to pass by the table at which the princess sat, he stopped and barked, "Your Highness, I am approaching!"
Kor had not spoken since the ballroom and the suddenness of his grainy voice startled the princess, causing her to spill her tea.
The maids, however, did not react as one would think. They were clearly used to sudden loud outbursts and annoying/concerning sounds.
When her two protectors had left, followed by the princess' angry glare, Sorana eyed her friend silently. Almost a minute later, Amira finally understood.
The princess clapped her hands twice and all of the maids stopped what they were doing, bowed, and exited the room behind Kaden and Kor.
Now the two of them were alone.
"So, your guard's name is Kaden, huh?" the princess noted mischievously. "That wouldn't happen to be the same Kaden you're always talking about, is it?"
Sorana set her jaw and stared down her friend. Somewhere inside she'd known this conversation was unavoidable, but she hadn't yet decided how to handle it.
At the very least, though, she needed to get more out of her friend before she started on that topic, as there would be no changing the subject after.
"Alright, I'll tell you," Sorana began, causing the princess to look a little surprised, "But, only after you 'properly' explain what's going on with the Grungarians."
Princess Amira sighed, she knew there'd be a catch, "I already told you, they're just being a nuisance and people are getting all in a tiff about it."
Sorana eyed her friend reproachfully, "Exactly 'how' are they being a nuisance?" she pressed.
Princess Amira shrugged, "They've been attacking trade ships from Markazia a lot recently, but apparently they're mostly targeting ships from Valentulus," she explained, though clearly more interested in her snacks and tea than the topic.
"They've been specifically targeting your people?" Sorana asked curiously.
The story sounded strange to her. Grungarian Marauders were, well... marauders. They made attacks of opportunity on whatever cargo vessels that happened to cross their path. She'd never heard of them attacking in an organized fashion before.
The princess shrugged, "There's no direct proof that they're targeting us, but apparently something like, seventy percent of ships attacked in Markazia starspace have our insignia on them. As I said, a bunch of nobles have come to the conclusion that it's because they know about my mother's favor for 'diplomatic' solutions over military ones."
"And, nobody can seem to stop them?' Sorana wondered further.
"That's just it," Amira replied unhappily, "this has only been going on for like a month. Figures it would happen just in time for my party! The guards have already been mobilized and have destroyed several of their ships. We even got a promise of support from the Lombax ambassadors. As far as I'm concerned, the problem is already solved. Everyone knows that once a Lombax combat group is on a task, it's as good as dealt with."
"That explains Commander Veralux's heightened security," Sorana noted.
But Princess Amira just shook her head, "That's even dumber. Sure the castle garrison has been weakened a bit to go hunt down the Grungs, but everyone knows that they don't have the kazianpower to assault a single ground target so long as the planetary defense network is active. There's nothing to worry about," she added, before shoving the remainder of her cake into her mouth.
Sorana considered her friend's words and turned them over in her head, "You're right," she said offhandedly, while still deep in thought.
The princess nearly choked on her tea upon hearing what Sorana had said, "W-what?" she questioned, unable to remember the last time her friend had told her she was right about anything.
Sorana, unaware of the princess' reaction, simply shook her head, "Grungarians are just dumb bandits. They're way too disorganized to attack specific targets without obvious reasons and they never stick around long enough to face a concentrated counter-attack. It just doesn't make sense."
"Exactly!" declared the princess, vindication in her voice. "We can't figure out the motivations of scum like that, so let's just change the subject."
"That not what I meant-" Sorana began, but the princess' expression had already changed and it was clear that she was done with this topic.
"So, spill it already," she demanded, with all the authority of a full-blooded princess. "That Lombax out there is 'the' Kaden you're always talking about, isn't he? The crazy smart kid from Valmecha who's also just plain crazy?"
Sorana sighed and took a sip of her tea. She then put the cup down, looked back up at her friend and sighed once more, "I… never said he was crazy."
Princess Amira nearly leapt from her chair in excitement, "By the saints, the day has finally come that I get to set eyes on the boy who laid claim to my dear friend's heart!"
There was silence for a moment as Sorana's ears bent down as she looked away in embarrassment.
The princess waited patiently for a retort, but when it didn't come, a look of confusion spread across her features, "You're… not going to deny it?" she asked, baffled by her friend's lack of defense against such accusations.
Instead, Sorana seemed to curl inwardly, as if trying to bury her head into her body. Her ears bent down even further and her face became red enough to see, even through her fur, before she let out a hushed reply, "No."
Amira's face lit up as if she were witnessing a miracle, her eyes widening to the size of plates, "Ooooooohhhhh!" she squealed as she 'actually' leapt from her seat this time and ran around the table and nearly tackled Sorana into an embrace. "I can't believe it! You've finally admitted it! I thought this day would never come. I guess I'm not the only one who's becoming an adult soon, huh? Eh, Sorana? Eh?"
With a great deal of effort, the besieged Lombax managed to push off the smothering Markazian princess, before finally regaining her breath, "I-it's… it's not that simple," she countered bashfully. "I... don't even know if he feels the same way."
Princess Amira suddenly stopped her continued attempts to hug her friend and instead fixed her with a curious look, "So?" she asked with genuine confusion. "What does that matter? If you want him then just make him yours already."
Sorana let out another long sigh and felt a little of her embarrassment wash away, "There's that royal sense of justification again," she noted. "I'm not a princess like you. I can't just make a royal decree and lay claim to whatever guy I feel like."
But the princess just shook her head as she returned to her seat, "Pft, don't give me that. The Bellit family has at least a thousand times the power of our little kingdom. You're practically a princess in every way but an official title. If you wanted to, you could take this Kaden boy by the sheer force of your name."
Instead of being upset, Sorana just smiled knowingly, "Then you don't know Kaden," she said as she considered it. But then she realized that she was actually considering it, "But that's not the point! I don't want a relationship based on my family's name."
Princess Amira let out a soft groan of disappointment, "I was a fool to think you had made some 'actual' progress. I guess I 'am' sort of envious, though. Despite us being the same age, you're still just a child by your race's standards. I guess I'll just have to wait until you grow up to see 'if' anything happens."
"Hey," Sorana shot back defensively, "it's not like I don't have any plans or anything. I mean, I only just made up mind about him recently, but I've already gotten him to come along with me to the other side of the galaxy. I mean, I hadn't planned on Kor being here too, but he's usually guarding the hallway."
Despite the inward elation that Amira felt upon hearing her historically pristine and formal friend talk about her love interest, she kept a strategically calm and indifferent demeanor, "Oh please, you may have dragged him to another planet, but I bet that's as far as you can go. What are you even going to do here? Knowing you you'll just spend the whole trip saying hi to all the hoity-toity people who have connections with your family and maybe meet a few new ones."
Sorana was angered by her friend's dismissal of her efforts, especially because the princess' analysis of her behavior was irritatingly accurate, but she 'did' have a plan, "Shows how little you know," the young Lombax sneered. "I may have to grin and bow to a bunch of rich windbags for most of the week, but there 'is' an opening. Guests won't start arriving in earnest until the day 'after' tomorrow. That gives me a whole day to take Kaden all over a city he's never been to, but that I'm very familiar with. I'll take him to all my favorite spots, we'll tour all the unique foods that I know he'll like, and then we'll finish the day with a romantic dinner at Cor de Ternus. And then maybe we'll…"
But Sorana trailed off as she suddenly realized the horror of what she'd just done.
Slowly, she turned to look back at her friend, only to find the princess wearing the widest, most victorious grin ever.
"No," Sorana asserted firmly, making it clear that she wasn't going to budge.
"Oh come on!" Amira pleaded, her grin barely fading as she was unused to not getting her way.
"I said 'no'," Sorana repeated with slightly more concern than authority in her voice this time. She knew the princess was used to getting her way.
"You know," the princess began thoughtfully, "as royalty, I can get you the most romantic spot in Cor de Ternus without a reservation," she offered with a knowing look.
Sorana simply turned up her nose at the offer, "Too bad for you, I've already made reservations. It might not be the number one spot on the terrace, but its still under the stars just as the glow from acid swamps takes over from the sun in lighting up the night."
The princess' expression then darkened slightly, "Well then, as royalty, I could change that."
Sorana eyed her friend coldly, "You wouldn't dare."
Princess Amira just smiled back and shook her head, "I think we both know that I would."
The two friends then stared each other down for what felt like minutes, neither willing to break or back down.
Then the princess cracked, "Pleeeeeeease!" she begged like a child desperate for a toy from her parents, as she reached across the table to her friend, though she wasn't long enough to make it so she just kind of laid across it. "Sorana, I beg you! Preparing for this party has been the most boring month of my life. I thought it would be all about decorations and food tasting, but it's just about sending invitations to guests! Mother won't even let my servants write them for me, I have to give a personalized letter of welcome to every baggy-pantsed git with an ounce of royal blood or political clout. I can't stand it! Going out into the city and helping you with Kaden sounds like most entertaining- er... I mean, 'important' thing I could be doing right now!"
Sorana simply set her jaw against her friend's pleas, "I'm not here to entertain you!... Well, uh... not until your party at least. And even then, only with my instrument, not my love life."
The princess scowled at the rejection and decided to change tactics. She then gave Sorana a serious look, which didn't have the desired effect, considering she was still sprawled across the table, "But I could help you, not just with the reservations, but much, much more. I could stage an attack by one of my servants in disguise and Kaden could rescue you!"
Sorana shook her head... after she'd considered the idea, "No, Kaden would kill them in an instant… and probably not leave much of them left."
"It's fine," Princess Amira tried to assure her, "They've already sworn their lives to me."
Sorana fixed her friend with a 'very' serious glare.
"I'm joking," the princess continued, but Sorana wasn't totally convinced.
Seeing that she was still getting nowhere, the desperate Markazian tried a more negotiating tone "Ok, how about this, there are tons of obscure marriage rituals in Valentulus. We could have you two married under Markazian law without him knowing until it was too late."
"Amira," Sorana intoned.
"Now, hear me out," the princess countered. "Some of these rituals are so old and unknown that there are still laws on the books which decree that 'the marriage must be consummated the same night'... eh?"
"Amira!" Sorana barked reflexively. Her face brightening in embarrassment, while her expression turned cold and full of anger.
The princess threw up her hands defensively, "Yep, you're right, too far. That's O.K. This is why we're working this out now, so that I can do 'my' best to help 'you'."
At this Sorana stood up, "I think I'm going to retire for the night," she said as she turned to leave.
But this time the princess managed to make it all the way across the table and grab hold of her friend's hand, "Why won't you let me help?" she moaned sadly. "All I want is to see my dear friend's love blossom and for her to be happy!"
Sorana just shook her head in disappointment at the sprawled out form of the next in line for the throne of an entire kingdom, "No thanks, your highness. I actually already have an overbearing and politically powerful, eccentric life-meddler with loose morals, a twisted sense of humor, and an ulterior motive that I deeply suspect is them just wanting to play with the hearts of others like a child with a toy."
The princess blinked a few times as she took in the Sorana full tirade, "Ok... there were some rather hurtful insinuations in there… but, I can overlook them 'if' you let me help you."
"I'm going to bed," Sorana said once more, before she pulled her hand free of her friend's grasp and continued for the door.
Princess Amira immediately reached out again, but the white-furred Lombax was already out of range, "Wait," she begged desperately, searching her mind for any excuse she could use. Then one came to her, "Kor!" she declared confidently.
Sorana came to a halt with her hand near the door control. After a moment of pause, she reluctantly turned a suspicious eye back to her friend.
Seeing she still had one chance, the princess swallowed her pride and went all in, "You said yourself that you hadn't planned on him being with you on this trip, right? So, what do you plan on doing with him at the restaurant, have him sit in on your 'romantic' dinner like a third wheel? Or, did you intend to have him guard outside while you shared an overpriced, extravagant dinner under nature's lights with your 'other' bodyguard?"
Sorana's suspicious expression didn't fade, but she was clearly interested now, "And you have a 'reasonable' plan to help?" she questioned in disbelief.
"Of course," the princess answered eagerly, before peeling herself off of the table and approaching Sorana. "After you and your escorts leave to tour the city, I'll meet up with you, claiming to have snuck out."
"But, wouldn't you have to actually sneak out to do that?" Sorana questioned skeptically.
The princess shrugged, "Yeah, but I do it all the time," she countered dismissively. "Anyway, after seeing me without an escort of my own, you make a show of giving me that stern 'I'm no fun' look that you always do… yes, just like that… then you order Kor to be my bodyguard. This way, his attention is on me, and Kaden's is on you."
Sorana continued to eye her friend with distrust as she considered the proposal, "You really shouldn't be running away from your own security, especially when tensions are heightened."
The princess let out sighed, "That's a good line, but save it for tomorrow, ok? I'll be fine. I told you that no Grungarian would dare fly near our atmosphere with the defense network active, so all this extra security is pointless. Besides, I'll be with you guys all day and I'm sure your security can handle whatever else we might come across."
Sorana still looked unconvinced, but she wasn't saying no either.
"Think about it," Amira pressed, seeing a chink in her friend's armor, "with two guys and two girls, it won't even be like two social elites and their bodyguards, but almost like a double date. Of course, I don't want to think of it like that with the brutish one, but the atmosphere will be completely different. That will make the mood perfect for…" the princess ended her sentence with a physical demonstration of rubbing her two closed fists together and grinning stupidly.
Sorana deeply hoped that the gesture was some kind of unknown Markazian symbol for 'getting closer' rather than what she immediately thought. Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, her friend's offer did sound helpful to her objective.
"You won't have an issue being guarded by Kor?" she pressed, still looking for a major flaw in the plan. "He did almost kill you today."
"Ugh," the princess grunted in a very dissatisfied and unprincessy manner, but she recovered and brushed the comment off, "It's not a big deal. I mean, he's basically your trained attack dog, right? I won't hold it against him for baring his teeth when he's supposed to."
Irritated by the princess' rude, yet typical attitude, though she may be, Sorana couldn't actually find anything she had a serious issue within the plan. Plus, her friend's offer did actually solve a problem that she still hadn't figured out.
With a deep and reluctant sigh, Sorana conceded, "Fine."
Princess Amira threw her arms up in joy, "Yay!" she shouted, before reaching over and throwing her arm over her friend's shoulder.
She also rubbed her cheek eagerly against Sorana's fur-covered one, but the young Lombax let it go this time.
"Just leave it to me, Sor. I'll be the perfect wingkazian and keep that weird, crazy one off of your back!" the princess then stopped and looked thoughtful, "Which of them was the one you liked again?"
AN:
Cor de Ternus - is a fancy restaurant on Markazia - The name is a mashup of the Latin phrase 'per mutua nexis cordibus vestris' which means 'hearts intertwined' and 'amor aeternus' which means 'eternal love'.
Valens - A small kingdom of Markazia. Though tiny in comparison to most nations, Valens has made a name for itself for being an excellent negotiator and a friend to much more powerful countries. The word 'valens' means 'strong, powerful, or healthy' in Latin.
Valentulus - The royal family that rules over the Markazian kingdom of Valens shares its root name. Valentulus means 'strong, stout, or vigorous' in Latin.
Amira Valentulus - The first princess of the Valentulus family gets her name from the Nepali word 'amira' which means 'rich'.
Igeta Valentulus - The passionate queen of Valentulus gets her name from the Greek word Igetis, which means 'leader'.
Heads up to my weekly readers: there will be no new chapter next week, March 9th, for Days Past: Younge Days. Instead, I will be posting the first chapter(s) of 'In Search of Days Past', which will be a sort of prequel to the Days Past series, focused on Talwyn. The story is very short, the whole thing might not even beat out my longest Days Past chapter in terms of word count. Chapters, therefore will be very small, I'd even call them bite-sized. I plan to return weekly updates for Young Days the following week, March 16th, though.
When I post the first 'In Search' chapter next week, that is when the poll for the next short story will go live, so last chance to get in suggestions for stories. I've added a preview of the current poll on my profile page, so check it out and decide your favorites now. Hopefully, there will be some more by poll time.