"I never knew you've acquired a taste for baby blue and polka dot, brother."

Xander looked around for the item in question, and found it-a lunchbox, sitting on top of a stack of paperwork on his desk. "Ah, that would be Charlotte's. I seem to have forgotten to return it to her. I should send Las-no, that would be a very bad idea. I should send Peri to return it to her."

It was just after their war meeting, and Leo had returned with Xander to Xander's tent to go over a few more details. The discussion was mostly done now, and Leo was only sitting there, finishing a cup of tea. "Please don't tell me you've been won over by her spectacular cooking," Leo said, with a sigh. "You'd make Queen Katarina roll over in her grave."

"...Well, Charlotte's cooking is infinitely better than mother's, I'll give her that," Xander said, not really taking offense at Leo's remark. "...I think she's a fine young lady and an impressive warrior in her own right."

"...I'd honestly be impressed at anyone who can hold their ground in battle while half-naked, yes," Leo said.

"Hah!" Xander let out a laugh. "That I can agree with."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

There was a silence after that, soon filled in with a bit of chatter going over a few more details about the last war meeting. When all seemed to be discussed and done, Leo got up, motioning to leave.

"Oh, wait a moment, Leo. Just one more thing." Xander got up, rummaging on his desk as if to look for something for a few moments, eventually coming up with a roll of parchment and handing it to the mage.

"What's this...?" Leo asked, opening the roll of parchment to read it.

"Royal banquet," Xander answered. "Celebration for our exemplary war efforts, or so they say."

"You mean, someone's excuse to get drunk and make merry while we're out here risking our lives in the battlefield," Leo said, tossing the invitation right back towards Xander's desk. He knew they had to attend-out of protocol, lest someone interpret it as a rebellion against King Garon if they were absent. "They should save the celebrations for when we actually win."

"You know I share the same sentiments, brother, but for now you know we are obligated to attend this." Xander said, with a heavy sigh. "...And, there's one more thing..."

"Please don't let this be something even worse than the banquet."

"...I heard your mother is going to be in attendance."

Leo paled.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I've always quite liked you in blue, milord," Odin said, holding up one of Leo's deep blue shirts, and a coat of a lighter shade, encrusted with jewels. "But hark! This this white ensemble is dazzling as well, enough to inspire songs about milord!" The mage held up another set of clothing, this time with a white and gold motif.

"Tempting, but I do favor these black trousers for milord," Niles said, holding up a pair of said black trousers. "I believe they... properly emphasize milord's shapely behind-"

"W-What?!" Leo was snapped from his daze, finally hearing the banter between his retainers who had been looking through his clothing chest to find appropriate clothes to the royal banquet. "Niles, please refrain from... awkward comments about my backside. As for what to wear... the blue set looks fine." Leo said, choosing on a whim. "I have more pressing matters to worry about apart from clothing choices..."

Leo sat there, burying his face in his hands once more. Odin and Niles watched him in silence. There were very few things that visibly rattled the second prince of Nohr... at this point, it had become easy for them to make educated guesses on the matter.

"So, with how you are acting, milord, I take it the she-wolf is going to be in attendance?" Odin asked.

Leo just groaned.

Odin and Niles themselves fell into silence, each recalling their last meeting with the prince's mother. None of which were pleasant, to say the least. She'd cast suspicion at each of them-Odin, for being a man with not much background, and Niles, for being a former outlaw off the streets.

"God-Anankos! Naga! Anyone! I wish she were dead," Leo muttered. "As if father weren't enough of a shadow behind my back-"

"Shhh." Niles sharply shushed him, the outlaw quickly looking out the tent to check if anyone had been passing by. Leo sighed, and understood. Statements against King Garon were deadly statements to make, no matter if it were a trivial complaint of a son. "Odin and I will be in attendance to make sure you could make a hasty retreat if you wanted."

Leo sighed-partly of relief, partly of frustration. At times like these, he was glad he had Odin and Niles, both equally saving him from mundane small talk of royal parties in their own way. Odin often made a spectacle of himself, directing any and all attention towards him, so that Leo could retreat. Niles and his crude humor, on the other hand, would often cause guests to flee from them.

"Was she not nagging you about making a match the last time you met?" Odin asked, recalling the last banquet. "Something about how you never go to the banquets with a date, introducing you to so-and-so's daughter, and talking about the joys of children and procreation?"

"Dear gods," Leo muttered. "That was a nightmare. She wants me to marry and secure a match if only to rival Xander, and have a son to strengthen my claim to the throne, that's what." Xander being unmarried at his age was much talk in Castle Krakenburg, even spewing senseless gossip that he perhaps had no preference for the female gender. "It's so absurd how we're out here at this war and all some people could think of is who inherits what if Xander dies." Which was not likely to happen anyway, Leo thought. Xander, die? Leo looked up much to his older brother, and he knew it would take much more than some war for him to kick the bucket.

"It's unfortunate, but it seems we'll have to steel ourselves for the inevitable encore of milord's mother's sermon..." Odin said, shuddering a bit. "There's no way to avoid it... I doubt I could get away with 'accidentally' spilling wine on her gown as I did last time, that would certainly rouse suspicion..."

No way to avoid it, huh...

"Say..." Niles broke the silence, and Leo looked up to see his retainer with a grin. It was almost scary, and by that Leo could make a fair guess that whatever Niles thought of, it could possibly be no good. "Why don't you just go with a date then, milord? That would certainly appease your mother, no? We can simply find a suitable woman to assist you, which shouldn't be much of a problem."

Leo looked thoughtful for a while, contemplating this suggestion. "And where do you propose we find this 'suitable woman'? If it were someone not up to the task, it'd be even more of a pain, and I'll never hear the end of it from mother," Leo said, darkly recalling how the woman never stopped questioning his choices for retainers. "It has to be someone she'd like without a shadow of a doubt."

...Someone she would like without a shadow of a doubt.

...Someone like her.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Aaaand there goes the laundry, all done!" Charlotte walked into her tent, feeling quite a bit accomplished after a day of helping the soldiers with the laundry. Sure, she hoped more men would have been watching her... but sometimes a good deed was a joy of it's own. While helping out at camp in feminine endeavors like cooking and laundry was all part of her master plan... she also enjoyed them.

Her tent was always orderly-always prepared for a surprise visit-that it was too easy to spot the roll of parchment on her bedroll, something that previously did not belong there. Curiously, Charlotte opened it, and was surprised to read an invitation to Garon's next royal banquet.

M-Me?! Invited to the royal-?! Ah! But why...? And who...?

It was then that she noticed the note at the bottom of the invitation, scribbled in different ink and different penmanship from the rest, obviously something added later.

Dress appropriately. My retainers will help you pick out something to wear. - Leo