Another speculator joined the one who resided within the maze of foliage, this figure however was adequately concealed by the towering walls of emerald, these oculars, a molten gold in hue radiated nothing but pure malice. Fingers clenched and unclenched, a dry tongue clicking silently against the roof of a parched mouth, a bead of anticipation rolled down porcelain flesh- He had to make his move, soon; other wise he'd surely be punished upon his return.

King Ryoga's P.O.V

The palace stood before the royal in all of it's splendor and sauntering out from the front entrance, flanked by two armed guards was the Queen of the Kingdom of Raques, her visage parted with a smile of rapture "My King-" everything from the way she graced the pebbles beaneath with her slippers with her presence, to the tone of adoration that radiated from her voice indicated the relationship that had been bubbling between the two for some time.

Despite his cold exterior Ryoga accepted her hand when it was offered, pressing a chaste kiss to the top of her hand before withdrawing, his arms encircling her in an embrace that lacked any sense of awkwardness. "I've missed you..." She cooed, pressing her mouth to the side of his neck, her hands absentmindedly stroking up and down his spine.

Reluctantly the king pried himself from his lover's grasp, his hand instantly reaching for hers; fingers intertwining. "I've missed you too," He admitted, allowing her to lead them up the stairs and into her place of residence.

Another string fell.

Untangled before the universal writer.

Strewn across the floor carelessly.

The king didn't know it yet but the woman who graced his life with such new emotions would also be his undoing.

Rio/ Kaito's P.O.V

The dining staff manically maneuvered through the kitchen, organizing the evenings meal, stress resonating through the currently vacant dining hall. In hallway lingered the Knight, his austere hues capturing the image before him, not intervening but observing all the same. "..."

"Kite!" One of the chefs halted before the blonde, his face sweaty from both the intensity of the situation and the heat that naturally made the kitchen almost suffocating. "..Hm?" His brow quirked, attention directing to the man before him. "Is there something wrong?"

The pudgy man suddenly looked a little anxious, his wrists jiggling with each awkward movement he uttered "Would you mind informing the princess, that her meal tonight will be a little- delayed." He squeaked, horrified at the idea of ending up on the Royal's bad-side, most were. Kite only ducked his head, vanishing from the kitchen with a mere swish of his trench-coat.

The ascend toward the Princesses quarters involved little interaction with the other members of the staff, each tending to their own individual duties. From dusting the eerie portraits of relatives that were plastered to the walls, to trimming the hedges that lined the estate. Kite knocked on the princess's door, pausing a moment before raising his hand to do so once more "Prince-"

He was cut off as the door was pulled open, a pair of frosty eyes capturing his own and once again he felt his collar restraining him, holding him in place. "Something wrong my Knight?" She pulled the door further open, dressed in a gown that could barely be addressed as such. It ended just below the female's thigh and displayed far too much flesh for it to be wearable by a royal of all people. Not wording his distress the Knight held his position just outside the door "I was to inform you tonight's meal will be slightly delayed," his voice was monotonous.

Rio's irritation was quite evident, stretching from the scowl upon her soft rosey lips to the depths of fuchsia that could drown a man at her will. "I see- Is /that/ all?" She stated, rather bluntly- She was mad at him? What for?

"Kite!" A howl of anxiety resonated through the hall, catching both the royal and the guardian completely off guard, footsteps echoing through the hall as an assembly of armed guards, each with a look of alarm written across their canvasses approached. "An intruder! Currently moving from the left wing!" The knight was suddenly on high alert, deft fingers reaching for the blade and rested upon his hip.

"Princess, remain in you're quarters, I'll return when the suspect has been apprehended." The canine vanished, his body one among many, searching out the intruder; prepared to slaughter him if need be.

Assassin's P.O.V

We flooded through every crack in the palace, attentive in our slaughter; not one guard was left standing after we'd spread through, we knew our target. The young sibling of the King, Rio Kamishiro, from the Intel we'd been offered we were aware that she was vaguely aware of how to use a sword but other then that she'd be completely vulnerable, an easy target. "Move out!" One voice instructed but each movement was conducted as a unit, metal clashing against metal resonating through the castle walls.

We'd met the enemy!

And we were not to lose this battle, we were to tend to the Princess and were not to leave until our task had been completed. Our deaths didn't matter- After the King had been taken care of this land would be as good as ours!

A blonde met my blade, his eyes teeming with determination. He sword prowess was much more prominent then those who flanked him- He must have been a high ranking guard, Oh what joys the night offered!

Rio's P.O.V

The princesses quarters began to feel more and more like an ominous cell rather then a room for slumber, she couldn't remain so unaware of what was going on outside of her own existence so collecting a blade she slipped from her chamber, cautiously making her way down the dark hall.

"Princess-" A breathless voice sliced through the suffocating silence, causing Rio's heart to thud violently against her rib-cage, pain shooting through her chest. Kite! He was standing before her, scarlet staining his armor, clinging to his flaxen locks and caressing his cheeks. "What happened-" She snapped, her brows working together; they'd kept her unaware of the situation at hand, how dare they belittle her in such a manner-

"An attack.. an army..." the man before her could barely muster a sentence, his weight held majorly by the stone-wall behind him. "Tch..." That was when foosteps joined their hushed voices in a dissonant harmony, a tone demanding the two surrender their weapons and come quietly- But in war, there was no hesitation, there was no surrender!

Rio lurched forward, in the dark it was difficult to make out where she was assaulting but from the blood curdling cry that fell from the silhouette's lips she knew she'd hit a vital organ- Or two. She jostled the blade around, until the masculine figure fell limp on her blade, kicking him off with the assistance of her boot.

If it was war these people wanted, It was war they were going to get!

Trapped within the scarlet embrace the Princess would probably never see the visage of her brother again, nor would she rest in tranquility again.

The inevitable war was finally coming to be- And she'd have to use all of her might just to survive.