Hello all! Sorry that it's been so long since i've submitted anything... my schedule has been very dense lately. I got exams coming up this week and i'm SO looking forward to those *barf* but i had a lot of last minute papers and projects due recently so free work time has been very little. Updates should pick up soon, at least i hope.

stormy waters that lay ahead aside, Here is the twenty first installment of That Incredible Feeling!

story

"talking"

thinking

Emphasis

LOUD

(Me talking)

Enjoy!

That Incredible Feeling

Written by: Flashgunner

Ch. 21: To be King of Kings

You know… The large gate of Tolbi appeared over the horizon, bathed in the red and yellow glow of the sunset as Isaac bounced up and down upon horseback. I've been to Tolbi a lot lately… He thought to himself as the long bumpy journey was nearing its end.

"We've been here a lot this year huh?" Jenna repeated his thoughts to him. They cleared the lightly forested regions and were now galloping across the serene grassy plains that surrounded Weyard's largest city.

"Yes we have… but frankly…" Isaac smiled. "I never get tired of seeing it…" The two gazed forward at the approaching city. It was true, even when not overrun by the Colosso festival, Tolbi was quite a sight. The architecture was leagues beyond anything you'd find in Vale, Contigo, or anywhere else. Even Lemuria had a hard time comparing to the architectural beauty with its ancient architecture built millennia ago by legendary architects. Buildings built predominantly of stone, massive sanctums with large towers and spires, many buildings four stories or more… One could not help but marvel at the sight of Weyard's most advanced and most powerful city.

The horses slowed to a walk as the great archway passed over them, the commotion reaching Isaac's eyes immediately upon entry. People were rushing to and fro, some carrying so much in their arms that bits of clothing, food, or even whole boxes toppled out of their grip.

"What's the big hurry?" Isaac questioned the knight beside him.

"For the wedding of course!" The knight almost chuckled in disbelief that Isaac would ask such a silly question. Isaac and Jenna, however, being from a town secluded from most of the world, had never witnessed such an intense preparation. Weddings in Vale were simple events held in the town square, there was singing and dancing, but people only had to show up in their best clothes and maybe bring a dish to be shared at the dinner afterward.

"The wedding of a king…" Isaac thought out loud, catching Jenna's attention. "Looks like pretty serious business…"

"Are all these people attending?" Jenna addressed the knight, who again seemed to be surprised that the two were unaware how it all worked. Jenna could see his thoughts written in his eyes and became slightly annoyed "You know we are from a town with little to no connections, just humor us." Isaac held back a laugh at Jenna's irritated comment and the knight cleared throat.

"My apologies… let me explain…" He glanced around at all the commotion and activities. "In Tolbi, as it always was even before Babi, the king is regarded with more respect and power than any other ruler in the land. They stand as an icon for the economic and political capital of Weyard. Because of this, over the course of centuries the kings of Tolbi have gained almost sublime status… and any occasion involving them, may it be a wedding, a birthday, or the birth of a son or daughter is celebrated on a large scale… They may not all be able to attend the wedding of Lord Guile, but the entire city will celebrate the occasion with a citywide festival."

"Wow…" Isaac said out loud in wonder. "So it will be just like Colosso?"

"In a sense, yes…" The knight continued. "However there are a few differences… Colosso directed almost the entire bulk of the crowd into the coliseum… for this event, the city itself will be packed to the point where the town guard will have to direct crowd traffic… Secondly… the reason people seem so rushed is because Colosso is a planned event. Nobody expected Lord Guile to propose marriage so soon after being crowned… So the people are working on short notice…" As he finished they made it through the cacophony of the streets and past the guarded gates that precede the castle approach.

"It must be an amazing feeling…" Jenna suddenly remarked, catching the attention of Isaac.

"What is?" Isaac questioned.

"To be held in such high regard… to been as an icon of everything… I don't know if I could do it… it seems overwhelming…"

"I'll stick with being the mystery people with strange powers." Isaac joked as he mocked the way most of the world viewed the adepts. "That's already more attention then I want." Jenna raised an eyebrow as she glanced towards him.

"Says the man who's been in two Colosso tournaments and caused quite a ruckus both times…" She smirked.

"Hey it's not like I TRIED to cause an uproar… who do you think I am? Garet?" They both chuckled at the true statement as their horses were lead to a stable outside the main castle gate. The castle looked larger than Isaac had remembered it and he would be right. The structure had been added onto since he last stood before Babi. It was taller, had more towers and had been extended further. Now that he thought about it, there was no ballroom in the castle when he was here on his travels, so that must've been a new addition. Overall, the castle was about four times the size it previously was, and because of that it seemed much more fit for a ruler of the aforementioned caliber. The stable attendants received them and the two dismounted. No sooner did they do that, were they beckoned by a castle guard to follow him.

"Come with me… Lord Guile wishes to meet with you before showing you to your rooms… You must leaveyour blades with the servants; they will take them to your rooms along with your bags if you wish" Isaac and Jenna both froze as they heard this.

"Wait a minute… did you say, our rooms?" The flustered earth adept questioned. "As in… rooms IN the castle?" The guard's expression didn't falter as he proceeded to explain.

"You are the honored guests from the village of Vale… All honored guests have been designated personal quarters by the order of the king. This includes you." The two adepts glanced at each other again, pleasantly surprised that they were being allowed to spend a few nights in a castle, but not just any castle, the castle that belonged to the most powerful ruler in all of Weyard. "Now please follow me, we should not keep Lord Guile waiting." The guard turned and continued towards the main entrance.

"Wow… this trip has been full of the unexpected so far huh?" Jenna stated as they followed the guard.

"And we haven't even met the king yet." Isaac chuckled as the two entered the castle behind the guard, dropping their swords and bags for the servants waiting by the entrance. The moment they stepped into the first hall, the two were almost forced to shield their eyes. The walls of the vestibule were decorated from end to end with sparkling suits or armor of both silver and gold variety. Each suit was about five feet apart and had its arms turned in to hold the hilt of sword, upon which a shield was mounted as well. Every piece of the empty armor husk was finely polishes and glimmered in the light. They stepped into the main hall and Isaac's jaw nearly dropped. The castle had been completely refurbished. He was not expecting that even though the suits of armor may have been enough of an indication. The walls were lined with artwork by only the most famous artists of Weyard along with several banners of different colors. Not one of these banners was identical, for each had a different symbol and color upon them. After taking a closer look, Isaac recognized a few of the symbols. They were pictures that represented another town or city, and there was a banner for each one.

"Amazing…" Jenna spoke as her head strained to turn every which way so as not to miss a single sight.

"This city really is like the center of the world…" Isaac quietly exclaimed, but no matter how hard he looked he could not find a banner for Vale. The guard began to speak, ironically on the subject that was on Isaac's mind.

"There is one space left on this wall…" He pointed to an empty space near the end of the hallway as they approached it. "Once you discuss with the king what you want your banner to be, he will hang it here with the others.

"Are the other representatives already here?" Jenna questioned on a whim.

"Yes actually." The guard answered. "Every person or small group that has shown for the celebrations has personally met with Lord Guile and discussed this matter. As a symbol of peace and prosperity, Lord Guile wishes to have these banners as a reminder to himself and to his subjects, what Tolbi stands for… the connection of the people." The guard rapped on the large door at the end of the hallway before it began to slowly open, being pushed by two other guards from the inside. "This way please…" He beckoned as they followed him through the door. The next hallway was much smaller, and as Isaac remembered, it was the hall right before the king's throne room. Even if he hadn't been here before though, one could've easily guessed. There were two knights fully clad from head to toe in suits of armor similar to those that stood as statues in the vestibule. They were both very large men, towering over Isaac by at least a foot and a half, giving them a menacing air that one would not challenge. They stood completely still beside the large door that lead to Lord Guile's throne, so still that one found it hard to distinguish them from the decorative suits that lined the walls. In their hands we large halberds that stood a head over even these two giants and looked extremely heavy. As they drew near the door, without a single word the knights took one step sideways towards each other to bar the path. "I have brought representatives from the village of Vale as Lord Guile requested, please let them pass." The guard requested. Again silently, the knights parted and returned to their original spots.

Security seems a bit… tighter since I last set foot in this castle… I wonder why… Isaac pondered as they were lead into the throne room; however to Isaac it was like walking into a different building all together. The grey brick walls and brown stone pillars had been painted white and a brand new red carpet extended from the floor towards the throne. With the expansion of the castle, the ceiling was raised and a beautifully crafted iron candle chandelier hung down to about ten feet from the ground. Large stain glass windows had been fitted to allow extra light from the outside with two on each wall; the four designs on the glass were the four major elemental goddesses, Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. Between each window hung a wall length tapestry, one of Babi, and the other of a man Isaac had never seen before. He looked young, with short brown hair combed over and dressed in the same red and yellow ceremonial robe that Babi always had. Who is… Oh! This must be…

"Ah! I see I have visitors!" Isaac's turned from the tapestry and focused at the door in the back of the room. The very same man from the tapestry emerged and walked towards the throne, keeping his eyes on Isaac and Jenna at all times. However, instead of sitting down in the throne, he continued on his path, walking towards them. Isaac now got a better look at him. He was about the same height as he, and walked confidently, his eyes were bright with passion, and a welcoming expression lay upon his face. The guard immediately kneeled and bowed his head.

"Lord Guile I have brought…"

"Oh please do stand up…" Guile cut him off.

"Sire?" The guard looked up quizzically.

"You do not have to kneel before me; I'm a leader, not a tyrant."

"Y…yes… my lord…" The guard awkwardly stood back up. Isaac was surprised, but he also couldn't deny that it was one hell of a first impression.

The most powerful king in Weyard and he's treating a guard like an equal… I think I'm going to like this guy… Isaac thought to himself.

Wow for a king he seems so… un…king…like… Jenna was almost as confused as the guard; she had never met a king before, but from what she had read in the many books of the Vale and Vault libraries, Guile did not exhibit a single typical quality, so far at least.

"Now then…" Guile addressed the guard again. "Who have you brought?"

"Oh! Yes…" The Guard took a step back and motioned to Isaac and Jenna. "As you requested I have brought our representatives from Vale for the wedding and royal ball…" He suddenly stopped and his eyes went wide as Isaac stepped towards the king. Isaac had caught the air around Guile as welcoming and down to earth, so he approached him as he would any new acquaintance, by stepping forward and offering a hand shake.

"I am Isaac; it is an honor and a pleasure to meet you…" Guile seemed pleased with Isaac's forwardness and reached his hand forward to accept the handshake, effectively stopping the guard from having a heart attack as well.

"The pleasure is all mine… I've been dying to meet you after hearing about your famous Colosso matches and your mysterious powers…" Then he placed his other hand around the exposed back of Isaac's. "And thank you, you are the first to greet me like a normal person. It's refreshing…" He then turned to Jenna. "And if I'm not mistaken, this must be our current Colosso champion!" Jenna averted her eyes and blushed.

"Yes… my name is Jenna…" She sheepishly introduced herself. She was surprised when he gently took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Charmed." He smiled warmly. "I've heard many things about both of you…" He released her hand and returned to his previous spot to address them both. "I'm sure you're tired from you journey, and I would hate to bother you about this… but would you mind showing me your abilities?" Isaac and Jenna glanced at each other. "Nothing dramatic, I don't want to press you, I'm just curious to see it with my own eyes…" Isaac smiled.

"Sure." Isaac replied plainly. Jenna turned to him and watched as he hovered his palms near each other.

Um… I hope he isn't going to use any of his Venus psyenergy… I'm pretty sure Guile wouldn't appreciate it if this new castle was hit with an earthquake… She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed the energy buildup in his hands glow white instead of yellow. He was using neutral energy. Guile's eyes were fixed on Isaacs hands with fascination as the white glow shone from his palms. With a small motion of the hands, Isaac aimed his psyenergy at the throne in the back to the room. The white energy flowed from his palms and floated towards and beneath the throne. With a slight upward movement of the hands, the throne rose into the air, being held up by a dim cloud of neutral psyenergy.

"My goodness…!" Guile took a few steps towards his elevated throne to get a closer look. "I was doubtful… but… but you really are moving it! Your powers… are real!" He sounded like a giddy child. Isaac slowly lowered the throne back down and turned to Jenna.

"Why not show him some elemental psyenergy?" He suggested. "Mine would've torn this place apart; it's up to you to finish this demonstration." He chuckled as Guile turned back to them.

"Okay…" Jennna stepped forward and clasped her hands together in front of her chest, focusing her psyenergy into her arms, then into her hands. She released her hands from one another and held them three inches apart as a small ball of fire swirled between her palms. Guile moved in closer to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Oh my… this is truly an amazing sight…" he bent down to get an even closer look, making Jenna feel a little odd. "To bend the elements at will… I'd give up being a king any day just to have such powers…"

"Lord Guile!" A voice belted from the doorway in the back. Startled, Jenna immediately withdrew the flame. Guile seemed to flinch as he heard the voice and let out a loud sigh. He turned to face a short portly man dressed in fine silk robes. The chest piece was red with blue sleeves and he wore leather chaps below. He was bald and looked to be a little past middle aged. He had a large book tucked below his left arm and upon right eye rested a monocle, which fell off right as he began walking towards them. He quickly replaced it as he stepped rudely right in between Guile and Jenna. "I take my eyes off of you for one minute and you're already going out of character!" He shook his finger at Guile like he was scolding a child. Isaac and Jenna watched the scene in bewilderment until Guile turned away before the man could finish scolding him.

"AHEM!" He cleared his throat to drown berating he was receiving. "Isaac, Jenna, this is my royal tutor… Horatio…" The two adepts glanced at the tutor briefly, who looked like he was exploding with anger.

"FOR ONE THING…" He suddenly began towards Guile, causing Isaac and Jenna to step back further.

"Well this is interesting…" Isaac whispered to Jenna. She had a blank look on her face and leaned in towards Isaac.

"I thought he was the king… doesn't that mean subjects pay him the utmost respect?" She whispered back.

"Last time I remembered what a king was, yes that was part of it." Isaac shrugged.

"Pardon me if I may explain what you are seeing." The two turned to see the guard who led them in step forward. "You see… Lord Guile was the only descendant of Babi we could find, and even with him we had to skip over a few extended family connections… but that's not the issue at hand… the fact is, Lord Guile was a poor farmer… an everyday man with an everyday job. I cannot begin to tell you how much debate there was among the elders and subjects. But many, including Idoem insisted that the royal bloodline of Babi be kept intact, and thus, we brought in Guile…"

"Rags to riches…" Isaac commented as he stole a quick glance at the argument off to the side.

"Indeed…" The guard continued. "And that is the very reason why Horatio is being hard on him… Guile had never known royal tradition or demeanor, so we called upon one of our best scholars and skilled tutors in the ways of royal etiquette in hopes of making a king out of an ordinary man…"

"It doesn't look like he's that happy about it…" Jenna inquired as she looked back at the lord and his tutor briefly.

"Yes… Lord Guile… despite the rank he's attained, as adopted a vision of his role that is much more fair and down to earth than anyone would ever expect a king to be… many of our subjects disagree with it, but Horatio absolutely despises his light-hearted attitude… calling it a disgrace to Babi and to Tolbi… it's a little scary sometimes… how angry he gets with Lord Guile… it's not normal…" As he concluded Jenna raised an eyebrow and glanced at the guard.

"You seem to be awfully in the know for a common guard…" She pointed out with a slightly smug grin on her face. The guard shrugged.

"You'd be surprised how much you hear just by standing guard around the castle." He chuckled.

"Then answer me this…" Isaac spoke up with a sudden serious tone while raising a finger in the air. The guard picked up on his curiosity.

"Go on."

"This isn't the first time I've been here… so the changes to the castle have been surprising… but I've been wondering since I've gotten here… why does security seem so much tighter? Is it just because of the occasion?" The guard listened and sighed.

"Ah yes…" he turned back to the Horatio and Guile, who seemed to have calmed down a bit. "That is Horatio's doing… he believes that Guile's lax outlook on kingship makes him an easy target for kidnappers and assassins…"

"Assassins? You're kidding me right? Babi ruled for centuries, and even when he was weak and frail, barely alive due to the mystic draught, he was never once touched." Isaac interjected. The guard nodded.

"I know, there hasn't even been anything as little as a threat to the ruler of Tolbi for over ten generations so I've heard… I guess when you're the ruler of the economic and political capital of Weyard, the sheer amount of ties and contacts you have is enough to make even a petty thief fear for his life… too bad Horatio doesn't see it that way…"

"…You WILL learn to act like a king… I will not allow the royal line of great kings to be tarnished by your lack of competence!" Horatio barked as his monocle fell out again.

"Okay! Enough of this Horatio! We'll deal with all of this after the celebration, just please leave me be for now, I'm getting married for heaven's sake…" Guile pointed back towards the door from whence Horatio came and the tutor grunted angrily while replacing his monocle again.

"You better believe we will talk about it soon… if you don't shape up your actions, drastic measures will be taken!" Horatio spat out as he hobbled back to the door and disappeared. With a heavy sigh, Guile turned back to the adepts.

"I apologize greatly… that was probably not the greatest first impression I've ever given…" He looked very ashamed to have had Isaac and Jenna witness the previous exchange. Isaac quickly shook his head and waved a hand out in front.

"Oh no, don't worry… no harm done." Isaac didn't want Guile to think they were in any way offended.

"You'd be surprised; we have an old man back in Vale that likes to give us lip at times, so it's nothing we haven't seen before." Jenna casually added. Isaac threw a hand over his mouth to muffle a laugh. He didn't even make the connection to Kraden. This little humorous gesture seemed to do the trick as Guile's expression lightened.

"Thank you for not being judgmental… I am new to the whole royalty class as is, and becoming a king isn't the best way to wet your feet... still he's always like that with me and I really don't want anyone from beyond the castle walls to know about it… it's embarrassing…"

"Guile?" A much softer, sweeter tone compared to the last one to echo from the hallway behind the throne. The effect on Guile was much different as well, instead of cringing in preparation for a verbal beat down, his face seemed to light up and he eagerly turned to the door. Emerging from the back hall was a tall slender blonde girl donning a green one piece dress that was similar to Jenna's but minus the leather chest piece and the cape anda little more fancy looking. She looked to be only an inch shorter than Isaac and her hair hung down to her mid back. She stood in the doorway shyly, glancing at Isaac and Jenna as if unsure how to proceed.

"Elisa! Come on in!" He beckoned her. She hesitated after the first step, but found her courage and walked towards them, almost gliding directly to Guile's side. "Let me introduce you to my long time friend and soon to be queen, Elisa. We've known each other since we were young, and have faced thick and thin together… And now we will take on the duty of upholding Tolbi together. Fitting isn't it?" Guile explained with pride. "There's no need to be shy Elisa…" He turned towards her slightly as she seemed to slowly float behind him.

"H…hello…" Elisa greeted sheepishly with a slight blush. Isaac and Jenna both answered politely and introduced themselves, but the conversation quickly turned away from them. "Guile… Horatio was yelling again…" She spoke softly to him while clutching his arm.

"Oh Elisa, don't worry about him, he's just being overly ambitious as usual…" Guile comforted her while stroking her shoulder.

"I'm just afraid he'll lose it and hurt you…" She pouted slightly, but Guile only chuckled.

"If he does anything like that, he has a one way ticket to the dungeon." His humerous comment made her smile. Isaac watched the scene unfold and played back everything he had seen and heard.

You know… I have a good feeling about him… His attitude may be unorthodox… but a king who was once a peasant himself may be able to exercise fairness based on his own experiences… Jenna glanced at him and noticed he was smiling. To be a king of kings… He continued to himself. I can't wait to see how his actions influence Weyard… By reading one of the many faces of Isaac she could see he looked content. Jenna grinned.

I bet he's thinking about the future… If I know him he is… He's always looking ahead, trying to find ways to better himself and those around him… I'm sure he's taking a liking to Guile's style. She liked seeing him happy. If she could look at his face all confident and lit up like it was every moment of her life she definitely would.

"You have nothing to worry about Elisa… let's focus on our special occasion around the corner okay? I'll come with you." Guile assured his fiancée with his hands on her shoulders. He turned back to Isaac and Jenna briefly. "Again I apologize for the rude interruption by Horatio, but I welcome you humbly to Tolbi as our Valean guests of honor. The guard will show you to your rooms and explain the order of events for the next few days. Now if you'll please excuse me, I must go attend to the preparations. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow!" With a nod he turned to Elisa and walked with her back towards the door behind the throne.

"Please follow me." The guard requested, and the two adepts followed. Jenna could tell that Isaac still had his mind on Guile, because his expression had barely changed. She giggled, breaking his focus slightly and he looked at her confusingly.

"Nothing…" She managed to say in between giggles. Isaac raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged as they were led from the throne room. They were taken back into the main hall of the castle and up a flight of stairs near the main entrance. Just as with the first floor, the second had been remodeled and refurnished with sculptures and artwork, not to mention it had been expanded and had many more rooms for guests. They were led to the end of the hall to the last two doors. As the guard had mentioned earlier, their belongings were there waiting for them.

"Dinner will be brought to you in an hour or so, for now, make yourselves at home." The guard bowed to them respectfully and went on his way.

"Well then…" Isaac began while gathering his bag and sword. "I'm going to get myself settled in. See you later." He nodded at Jenna as he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Oh my sweet goddess Venus…" Isaac exclaimed as he took a look into the room.

The room was almost larger than his house. The walls were all white with red banners hung on each corner, reaching from the high ceiling all the way down to the floor. On the far end was a large bed that looked wide enough for three people covered with blue silk sheets and the fluffiest pillows Isaac had ever laid eyes on. To the left of the bed was a tall mirror with a gold plated outline and a table at the bottom upon which sat a large wash basin and to its side a bar with white towels draped over it. To the right of the bed was at least ten feet of space and an arrangement of three bright red couches, two against the corner of the wall and one facing them both with a triangular table in the center. Immediately to his right were many dressers for which to store clothing, but Isaac hadn't brought much, so the use of these would be miniscule. Immediately to his left was a large round table with six chairs around it. The chamber was brightly lit by multiple large torches with protective iron bowls beneath them to catch ashes and embers. A rope hung near the door with a small sign beside it that read, "Pull to douse torches. The servants will light the torches in the late afternoon." Isaac followed the course of the rope and noticed a pulley system attached to the ceiling that split off and held large iron dousing cups that were presumably lowered onto the torches when the rope was operated.

"Genius…" Isaac thought out loud. "And overwhelming…" He spoke to himself as he entered the room and closed the door. During this entire sequence, Jenna had done nearly the same thing. She made her way into the room after thoroughly observing it, set her bag down on the round table, and removed the leather vest portion of her typical traveling outfit. She looked around for a few moments and then stared at the wall between her room and Isaacs.

"Hmmm…" She looked away. "Yeah." She said to herself as she trotted to the door and out of her room, moving straight to Isaacs's room without wasting a single step. Without knocking she turned the doorknob and let herself in. As the door suddenly open, Isaac quickly shoved his new formal outfit back into his bag and snapped his head towards the door in surprise as Jenna closed it behind her.

"Jenna?"

"Hi!" She bounced over to his bed and plopped down on the soft mattress like a little kid waiting for something interesting to happen. Isaac gave her a silly look.

"What, you couldn't… say… knock on the door?"

"Didn't feel like it." She spun herself around with ease because of the sleek silken sheets and lay on her back with her legs bent and her head hanging over the side, making her ponytail and the rest of her hair swing down to the floor.

"Oh, of course…" Isaac chuckled, "And what if I was changing?

"I figured you were too busy admiring the ridiculous rooms they gave us to have unpacked anything yet, not like you had time anyway, we've been here for a couple minutes." She was completely right, he had only managed to remove his crimson breastplate, and he even still had his scarf on. He walked up to her and poked her on the forehead.

"Then at least knock next time so I don't jump through the ceiling." He joked. He couldn't argue that he enjoyed the fact that she had immediately come to him. The typical jumps and pangs of their psyenergy didn't really surprise them anymore. They were expected when around each other, but they had not, by any means, lost their satisfaction. Any moment they were with the other they inconspicuously sought close proximity to strengthen the effect. Of course, they wouldn't admit that to one another, at least not yet.

As Isaac turned around to attend to his bag again, he was stopped abruptly by a yank at his neck. He turned around with the scarf remaining stationary on his neck to see it being held at length by Jenna, who had spun around and was now lying on her stomach with her legs swaying back and forth in the air.

"Somebody's a bit playful…" Isaac smirked at her.

"I'm bored, can you blame me?" she replied as she rocked from side to side and began waving the scarf up and down.

"Okay, let me finish unpacking my things and we can go look around the castle okay?" Isaac suggested as he undid the knot on his scarf and let it fall to the floor. This gesture did not go unnoticed by Jenna. Isaac was typically EXTREMELY possessive of his scarf. Never did he ever let anyone else take it or borrow it. Garet tried once in the past, but that almost landed him a night at the Great Healer's Sanctum. While the gesture was heartwarming and basically told Jenna that he had full trust in her, with the mood she was in she couldn't help but be mischievous. She quickly wrapped the scarf around her neck and fastened the knot so that she was wearing it the way he always did. She got up, letting it fall to the ground, being a few inches shorter than Isaac caused a little bit of the scarf to drag across the floor as she walked right up to him.

"I think I'll just go look around now." She said with a devilish grin on her face and kept walking past him.

"Huh? Um, okay…" Isaac replied, sounding a tad disappointed as he stole a quick glance at her nearing the door. He turned back to what he was doing, but suddenly took a double take and saw his scarf turning the corner with her. "HEY!" He yelled, cuing giggles from the hallway. He ran after her, catching a glimpse of the end of his scarf trailing into the door to her room not too far away. He gave chase and caught the end of his scarf before she could get halfway into her room, stopping her abruptly, but he accidentally pulled a little too hard and she lost her footing. Luckily he was still going forward, so they collided, Isaac catching her around the waist before she hit the floor. He was a little annoyed that she just up and left with his lucky scarf, but her continuous giggles pushed that small bit of annoyance aside, and he saw it for what it was: Jenna just being herself, upbeat and playful.

When she settled down, she realized that Isaac had not let her go yet. "Isaac, you caught me, may I be free?" She spoke with the tone of a quivering child.

"Nope." Said Isaac as he picked her up by the waist, causing her to yelp in surprise. "I'm taking you right back to my room." He carried her right out the door. She kicked around a little bit, but only for a moment before giving in.

"Okay fine…" She pretended to pout, but couldn't conceal the large grin that spread across her face. They got halfway between their rooms when a familiar voice caught their ears.

"I knew I recognized those voices… But… what are you two doing?" The two adepts froze and looked towards the voice. There, right in front of them, was none other than Ivan. He was staring dumbly at the odd scene that lay before him. Jenna was wearing Isaac's scarf and Isaac was carrying her around the waist, from behind, through the royal halls of the castle of Weyard's most powerful leader.

"Uh…" Jenna spoke up while smiling innocently. "Hi… Ivan…" Isaac put her down and the two faced him, both unsure what to say because the moment was quite awkward. Ivan looked at both of them multiple times; then suddenly snickered and lost himself to laughter. The adepts glanced at each other quickly, both blushing in embarrassment. Ivan eventually calmed down ad wiped a tear from his eye.

"It's just… I see you two again… and really the way you two were acting really didn't surprise me at all…" He managed to say in between deep breaths to regain air. Isaac caught on quickly and smiled.

"Good to see you too Ivan…" He replied somewhat sarcastically.

"Of course, where are my manners… it's great to see you two again… but why are you here?" He asked quizzically.

"We're here to represent Vale at the ceremonies!" Jenna happily announced. Ivan looked surprised.

"Really? They're finally acknowledging Vale?"

"It seems our participation in Colosso has sparked the interest of many." Isaac explained. "I assume you're here to represent Contigo?" He asked.

"Yes." Ivan replied with a nod. "I take it you two will be at the Ball as well?" The two answered with a nod. "Great! Now I wish I could stick around and talk some more… but I have a few other people to meet up with, so I'll see you tomorrow!" Ivan waved and turned to go find his other acquaintances. The two just stood and stared at the direction he left in for a couple second, but eventually Isaac turned and grabbed Jenna around the waist again, hoisting her back into the air.

"Yeep! Isaac!" She laughed.

"Now where were we?" Isaac laughed as he carried her back into his room. However the instant he set her down, a knock came on the door. "Darn we're famous today…" Isaac joked as he opened the door. A sharp delicious aroma met his nose as he set his eyes upon a servant carrying a large trey of food. "Ah, dinner." He beckoned the servant inside and also glanced out to see another servant knocking at Jenna's door. "Jenna, your food's at your door."

"Tell them to bring it in here I wanna eat with you." She said while intertwining her fingers behind her back and bouncing up and down gently. She was still full of energy and was having trouble expending it. Isaac flagged down the other servant and soon two treys of food were placed on the round table in Isaac's room. "Let's see what we have here…" Isaac walked over and lifted the cover off his trey. "Oh wow…" He was once again dumbfounded. The smell hit his nose immediately and he could feel his mouth water. On his place was a large assortment of food, including two sizable chicken breasts, a large piece of corn on the cob, fresh bread on the side with a small stick of butter and an assortment of penne pasta with what looked to be a creamy mushroom sauce. On the side were two silver goblets, one with water, the other milk. And on the other side was a rolled up white cloth napkin with a fork and knife tucked inside of it.

"Whatever you do…" Isaac looked up to see Jena staring at her food as well. "Don't tell Garet about this, he'll flip!" Jenna joked.

"How about we also keep quite how much we've poke fun of him today." Isaac laughed as he stated.

"Hey, we can't help it!" Jenna sat down and went right for her silver wear. "He's a good source of humor!" She began surveying her food, wonder what to pick at first.

"Can't argue with that…" Isaac shrugged and joined her at the table. They were both very hungry, relying on small rations they had brought along for lunch during their long horseback adventure, but even with hunger on their side neither of them was able to finish all the food on their plate. As Isaac decided against the last piece of steak and set the fork down on his plate with the piece still on hit, he leaned back and let out a content sigh.

"That was good…" Jenna was tipping back slightly in her chair.

"All this special treatment… it's nice, but I think I prefer my mother's food." Isaac stated. Jenna was about to respond when yet another knock sounded at the door.

"Mother of mercy…" Isaac thought out loud. I hope this is the last visitor we get, I'm getting sleepy…" He stood up and went to the door. As he opened it, it was almost pushed open and Isaac was forced to step back a tall man wearing a green royal robe and beret with a thin black mustache that was curled on the ends barged through the door, and behind him shuffled in a man clad in a brown tunic carrying a feather quill and paper. The rude entry sparked Isaac's anger, but before he could speak the man in green spoke.

"Please excuse the rush; I am Montair, Lord Guile's castle interior designer and keeper of Tolbian scripture. It would seem he forgot to ask you about the Valean banner to be hung in the main hall and we must have it ready by tomorrow." Isaac sighed.

"Very well…" He said with a slight growl, still displeased at the sudden unwelcome entry to his room. Montair motioned to his companion.

"Please describe your preferred design and color to my squire here…" Isaac nodded. After conversing with Jenna briefly they chose a dark green banner and described the shape of the psyenergy crystal in the center of the town square as the symbol within a yellow circle to signify the Golden Sun. When they finished, Montair bowed to him. "Thank you kindly… again I apologize for my rudeness, but if our thickheaded new king could remember his duties for more than a second we wouldn't have been forced to interrupt your night…" This was the second time the adepts heard of dissatisfaction towards Guile, so Isaac stopped him before he could leave.

"One moment if I may ask you something." He questioned, stopping Montair in the door.

"Please be quick about it, I must finish this banner." He stood in the door way and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Is there really a lot of dissatisfaction with King Guile? We've heard mixed things…" As he finished Montair huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms.

"You wouldn't believe how many people disagree with the ways he's set himself out… He hasn't the faintest clue how to rule, it will be a disaster…"

"But, what's wrong with the way he's doing things? Isn't it good that he's being more open?" Jenna asked from behind Isaac.

"Hardly…" Montair blurted out in an instant.

"Why?" Isaac was just as confused.

"It's understandable that you wouldn't know… Lord Guile is your kind of person… but that's just it. A ruler needs to be fair yes, but at the same time he needs an iron fist… the reason Lord Babi was so effective was because he exercised fairness among his subjects, while keeping a watchful, ruling eye on the people and the economy… Lord Guile just pushes that aside, saying the people need to be given their share of choice. I hate to break it to him, but it doesn't work that way… if the people are given too much freedom, then the stability of this economy will falter and Tolbi's influence will fall. If that happens nothing to stop people from believing the Tolbi royal family can be manipulated…" His explanation held weight and reason.

"I see…" Was all Isaac could muster, still trying to put everything together.

"If this continues… a regime change may be in order… I don't care if he's the last descendant of Babi… if he doesn't know how to rule then we need him out and someone who does in… now I must be off…" Without another word he left, almost slamming the door behind him.

"This is complicated…" Jenna complained as she scratched her head.

"It does make sense… but I still don't see why they won't give him a chance… they just seem so used to how things were…" Isaac pondered as he paced back and forth.

"Maybe they're just scared of change…" Jenna added as she stretched her arms out. "Whatever it is, I'm too tired to over think it…" She remarked while yawning. "I'm going to go to bed… it's been a long day…" Isaac nodded.

"I agree actually… that meal's making me sleepy…" Jenna walked up and suddenly gave him a tight hug from behind.

"Goodnight!" She cheerfully exclaimed before walking around him and departing.

"G…goodnight…" Isaac said with a blush on his face as she shut the door behind her. That's right… politics aside… I'm looking forward to tomorrow… I'll get to spend a day of royal celebration… He discarded the top portion of his tunic and walked towards the wash basin. It should be a lot of fun… it's not like I get this chance everyday so I should focus on that instead of the confusion in the royal family… He washed up and yawned again, moving towards the pull rope to douse the lights. Most of all though… I get the spend the whole day of fun tomorrow… with Jenna… He pulled the rope and the room was consumed by the darkness.

-To be continued-

Hm... seems like Guile is stretching the rules of being a king a bit... and a lot of his subjects dissapprove. That aside, Isaac and Jena don't get much privacy, but it looks like the two are becoming much more intimate and playful with one another... is something a brewing here? you'll find out soon XD.

Anyway, with exams on the horizon i wont do much work on my stories, but the next thing i do is in fact not for any of my current stories, i'm going to take a brief hiatus to work on a little special something that i will be submitting here for the incoming holiday, so look for that. =3

As i always say, i extend my deepest thanks to all those who read and or review my work, it really truely means a lot to me, you all rock!

Please read and review!

Flashgunner over and out!