Morg: Heyo! You guys ready?

Ikuto: For what?

Amu: I try to just ignore everything you do.

Morg: Why are you both like this?

Ikuto: For fun.

Amu: Because you can't tell me what to do.

~Queen's Decree~

"Her Grace, the Countess, Mashiro Rima."

Amu dipped her head in return to Rima's bow as the Countess stopped before her on the steps of the castle. "Welcome, Your Grace."

"Your Majesty," Rima said without a trace of a smile on her lips. "It has been far too long."

Amu turned to lead the way into the castle. She waited until they were out of the public's sight before she relaxed. "It's good to see you again, Rima."

"And you," Rima replied with a small smile. "I heard that Utau beat me here. Did she get the good room?"

"You know that you each have your own room in my hall. They are exactly the same."

"Sure they are."

Amu didn't bother to bite back her smile as she took Rima's hand in hers. "Almost everyone has arrived. We are still waiting on the Hotoris, but everyone else has settled in."

Rima squeezed Amu's hand. "Are you ready for the ball?"

Amu waited until they were entering Rima's room before she let out a deep sigh. "Yes and no. I'm sure it'll be like a lot of the other extravagant parties that mother has held here before."

"It will also be very different."

With another sigh, Amu dropped down onto the couch in Rima's room. "Yes, I'm aware. Kukai and Nagihiko are already here. They arrived yesterday. I've never met royalty from other countries. It's strange to have so many people on equal footing as I am. I can't just ignore them like I can the people in the court that drive me to irritation."

"You could," Rima said with a smirk as she put down her small purse and joined Amu on the couch. "I think that could be quite amusing, actually."

"Sure, let's start a war for my birthday."

"I know it's what you've always wanted."

Amu snorted. "Don't let Utau hear you say that. She would get too excited."

"Let me hear what?"

Rima stood to return the hug that Utau gave her as soon as they were close enough. "Amu is going to start a war by being rude to the other royals."

"That is not at all what I said."

Utau didn't bother to hide her laughter as she joined her two best friends on the couch. "I love that idea. I haven't met the prince or the king, yet, but I'm sure they're boring."

Amu sniffed as she tipped her chin up and away from her two friends. "Not everyone can understand what it's like to be royal."

Rima elbowed her Crown Princess hard in the ribs. "You knock that off."

Utau joined in with their laughter as the three girls collapsed together on the couch. "I'm looking to spending time with you two. Not really the rest of it."

"Same here," Rima murmured after catching her breath.

Amu nodded but didn't say anything as she relaxed with her friends.

XXX

The carriage made its way slowly through the streets of the capital city. The Hinamori's castle grew larger in the distance. Tadase was only spared a glance at it out the curtained window. His brother was quick to smack his hand away from the covering.

"I don't care to look at the peasants. Or have them looking at me."

Tadase bit back a sigh. "I was only checking our progress."

"We'll arrive when we arrive. Do you remember the plan?"

It was all that he could do not to flinch. Kiseki hadn't said a word about his plan until after they had left their parents and the safety of their country behind. Tadase wouldn't have come if he'd known what his older brother was planning. "I remember."

"Then you better not mess up, Tadase. You would hate to find out what I would do if you did."

Swallowing hard, Tadase kept his face void of his emotions. He'd learned long ago that he couldn't show a reaction to anything his brother did less it gets much worse. "I won't mess up."

Kiseki eyed his brother as their carriage began to turn. The light thump against the top told the two men inside that they were almost to their destination. "You are a prince. I'm sure you know how to be charming."

Tadase hid his scowl until the door was open and Kiseki exited the carriage. He did not hold back his glare at his brother's back until he was also stepping out into the courtyard to face the future queen.

"His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Kiseki. His Royal Highness, Prince Tadase."

Tadase watched his brother bow to Crown Princess Amu and Queen Regent Midori. He followed suit to bow to both women from just behind his brother's left shoulder. When he lifted his head, Tadase found Princess Amu looking at him. She didn't smile but she did dip her head in acknowledgment of him.

Something in his chest twisted at the show of respect. He almost wished she hadn't done it. His brother's teasing was going to be worse now that he'd caught the Princess's eye.

"I trust you had a pleasant trip, Your Majesty."

Kiseki smiled as he offered Amu his arm. "Of course, Your Majesty. The views were spectacular and the roads were quite safe."

Forcing himself to keep his opinion to himself, Tadase bit back the reply sitting on the tip of his tongue. His brother had no idea what the scenery looked like. He had kept the curtains closed the entire trip. It had gotten so stifling in their carriage that Tadase had opted to ride up on the driver's bench instead.

"These shall be your rooms while you are staying here, Your Highnesses. This one was prepared for you, Crown Prince Kiseki. And this one for you, Prince Tadase."

Tadase blinked before taking in the sight of Princess Amu's outstretched hand. She had indicated which room was his, but he hadn't been paying attention. He bowed shortly in gratitude and waited for his brother to make his way to his room so Tadase wouldn't make the mistake of choosing wrongly. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Amu smiled at them. "Please let a servant know if you require anything else."

"I will," Tadase said with another bow. He waited until he was safely in his room with the door locked before he frowned.

It took him a few minutes, but he was able to pull himself together enough to stagger away from the door and approach the dresser. There was a bowl of water with a towel sitting on top of it. He splashed some water on his face before looking up into the mirror next to the bowl.

Tadase wasn't sure how he was going to survive this trip let alone his brother's plans. But he knew he had to. Lulu's life depended on it.

XXX

Amu took her time as she left the wing of the castle that housed the Hotoris. She didn't want to seem eager to anyone to be away from them. Something about the Crown Prince made her uncomfortable. She couldn't explain it to herself so she knew that she wouldn't be able to explain it to anyone else, either.

The younger prince had seemed normal, though. Something was still off about them. Amu caught herself pressing her fingers against the hilt of her dagger. That alone made up her mind. She changed directions. Instead of returning to the parlor where she'd left Utau, Rima, and Yaya, Amu turned down the hall that led to her room.

She left her door slightly ajar before moving to her balcony to look over the garden. Ikuto was at her side within a few minutes. "I have a bad feeling about the guests I just welcomed."

Ikuto dipped his head but didn't say anything as he stayed back away from the edge of the balcony so he wouldn't be seen. "I'm not surprised."

The words took a second to register in Amu's mind. She'd been expecting him to ask for her reasoning. Not agree. "Ikuto? Do you know them?"

Ikuto bit his tongue.

Amu turned to take in her protector. It had been a long time since Ikuto had refused to answer one of her questions. "Ikuto?"

"I would rather not talk about it," Ikuto managed to grind out between his teeth.

Frowning, Amu stepped back into her room. She shut the door to the balcony before noting that Ikuto had shut the door to her room. "You can tell me."

"I know."

The words were a bit stiff but Amu could see that Ikuto meant them. "I don't think there is anything you could tell me that would ever change my opinion of you."

Ikuto turned away from his princess. "It isn't my image that I'm worried about. I was cast out and forbidden from talking about what happened. I would forfeit my life if I told you."

"They're from your past?"

Dipping his head in a single nod, Ikuto glared at the doors to Amu's balcony. "Yes, I know them."

"Will they recognize you?"

"Possibly. I don't think my appearance has changed much over the years."

Amu frowned at that. "I don't want them to cause you any trouble."

Smirking, Ikuto finally brought his gaze back to Amu. "I think it will cause them far more trouble to realize that I'm here than it would me. Especially if you never do anything to indicate that you know that we know each other."

His words did not make the frown on Amu's face go away. If anything, they deepened it. "Stay away from them, Ikuto. I would hate to go to war with their country because they couldn't leave my knight alone."

Ikuto used almost all of the training he had to keep his mouth from dropping open. Just the thought that Amu would go to war for him had him wanting to fall to his knees. In the end, all he could manage to reply with was, "I'm not your knight."

"Technically you are a Knight-in-Training. You have sworn an oath to me and my kingdom. If they do anything to hinder you in your ability to fulfill that oath then they are attempting to harm me or my people. It would be a good enough cause to go to war."

Ikuto blinked a few times as he processed what Amu said. Her thinking about everything in the terms of politics made a lot more sense. "I have enough skill to protect you and stay out of their sight. Most people don't know that you are never without protection."

Amu smiled as she took a small step closer to Ikuto. "I don't want you to hide from them, Ikuto. If they have a problem with you then they need to deal with it by themselves. I will not tolerate anyone saying anything against you."

"Because I'm your knight?"

"Because you are my friend."

Just when he thought he couldn't fall in love with her any more than he already was, she went and did something to deepen his admiration. "I will protect you as I always have, Amu."

"Because you are my knight?"

There was a small amount of trepidation in her question. Ikuto was sure that he wasn't meant to hear it. "Because you are my friend."

XXX

"I want to see."

Amu sighed for what felt like the hundredth time as she stood in front of the seamstress working on the alterations to her ball gown. "I understand that you want to see."

"So then let me see," Utau said from her own perch. Her gown had been sent ahead of her with the understanding that she would finish her alterations once she reached the castle.

Rima looked from one of her friends to the other before shaking her head with a smile. "I agree that it would be interesting to see."

"See!"

"But I don't want to intrude."

Amu grimaced as her gown was tightened around her middle. "It isn't about intruding. You both have attendants and guards that are aware of your presence at all times. It would be really difficult to show you."

"Then show us by yourself later when we retire to your room," Utau said as she was helped down off her stool. Her gown was large but not too large. She could move in it, which was better than what Amu could currently do. "I want to know."

Amu grunted as her dress was pulled tighter. "That's enough," she said to the girls working on her gown. "I want to be able to breathe."

"Your mother said to make you a gown that is at the height of the current fashion trends."

"Yes, well," Amu said with a polite smile, "being that I'm the Crown Princess, I can set my own trends. Wouldn't you rather everyone want to copy your new style than try and copy what has already been done?"

The women looked at each other before they moved away from the girls to talk with each other.

Amu was relieved to see them go. She really hated the dress they were trying to put her in. "I can show you tonight. It isn't much. We haven't had time to do much."

"I'm sure you haven't," Utau leered.

Rima elbowed the other girl before smiling up at Amu. "Tonight then."

Amu dipped her head in agreement as the women came back to her. They were quick to start pulling at the fabric she was still draped in. Amu was pleased when they started to loosen the bodice once more. At least she knew that she'd make it through the ball without fainting due to lack of air.

.

Morg: I am a firm believer in Ikuto needing more love.

Ikuto: Only from Amu though.

Amu: You wish!