Hikari jogged down the lane, nervous at the sight of a sudden small royal progress coming into Alaric. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She wondered why they were here, why Father was so nervous. They did have a large, marauding pack of wolf demon bothering travels on the roads and the villages and the towns in her territory, but Father and Mother could not seem to agree how to handle them. Maybe the king had heard of them and came to help...
She located the royal carriage that likely held the queen and the vain boy prince. The king road astride a massive hippogriff, liking it was the best beast to hold his massive, muscular form.
"Your grace," she said, bowing low before him.
The king slipped off of his stead, bowing down at her as well. She felt tiny next to him, even though she had grown to just shy of Father's height. "My lady," the king said, straightening up. He took his hippogriff's reins in his hand before the beast could even consider moving on its own accord. Once he stopped, everyone else and every beast seemed to stop, freeze even, just because he did. "You've grown," he commented, looking her over in an odd way.
"Yes, my king," she said. "Why are you here?" she asked, too bluntly. "Your grace."
King Hayate just smiled down at her. "To meet with you, little one." He beckoned her over. She stepped over to him hesitantly. Without a word, he hoisted her up, helping her to sit astride his massive hippogriff. She fear almost that her pants would split from this. "You've ridden a hippogriff, before. Have you not? I gave your parents two."
"Yes, your grace," she said, jumping as the beast lurched forward. She thought about the hippogriffs they had now. Six of them. Mother was trying her luck to breed them.
The king held fast to his hippogriff's reins, leading her towards the main gate of her castle. He cut in front the guard and the others in front of them. They made way for her and the king. She saw from the vantage point her parents standing in front of the open gate, holding hands. Father was bristling, which was peculiar to her. He disliked seeing the royals, but it seems like he would want to do nothing more than to chases the lot of them off.
"Your grace," Mother greeted King Hayate, bowing before him. Father no more than bent his neck. "What brings you here, my king?"
"To meet with you three privately, it's been quite a while since I have last seen you," King Hayate told Mother in an almost flirtatious tone.
Hikari slipped off of the hippogriff she was on on the opposite side that King Hayate stood. It was a longer fall than she expected. She managed to land on the balls of her feet, hands coming down around her in a crouching position. She rose up, dusting herself off. She waltzed back around to stand by Father. "We can meet in my presence chamber," she said. "Your grace."
"Let them settle in and rest up first," Father hissed out next to her.
"Oh," Hikari hummed. "Yes, of course."
"The prince, queen, and I can meet with you three while the rest of my men settle in, if you don't mind, Lady Hikari," King Hayate said. Hikari watched a servant run up to the king, taking the reins of his hippogriff without another word from the king. "Alright..." the king started, barking orders with his next breath.
It did not seem like anytime before Hikari was in her presence chamber with the king, queen, vain boy prince, a king's guard, her parents, and Brother.