Time tells no deadman's tale.

[Micah]

Fire bequeaths new life into our realms An ashen whisper slithered and yielded to her mind, subdued into a brisk wisp of gray to blend itself with the rest of her colorless thoughts. A breath later, the ruling star of the sky peeked its flickering nose over the horizon, rims of sun-kissed gold immediately setting fire to the mountain silhouettes consuming the far off expanse to the south, gently pushed forward by a riveting canvas of celestial arcanes coated in royal's blue as the rising dawn burned the pallet of midnight into a passionless sky slowly eaten by a ghastly cerulean. The ever aloof sun's morning warmth mildly creped its way across the land, casting away the shadows, quenching its gluttonous thirst to swallow all and everything in its heated light. Softly, it pecked Micah's dull skin, polishing her pale surface into a marble flushed color as her skin breathed in the warm morning and revived itself from last night's bitting winds. Not only her and the silken white pajamas that wrapped around her skin like a gown, but her eyes and hair threshed with life's golden spark before such a warm delight.

Seated atop what seemed like nature's stone throne, Micah indulged herself in the sights overtaken by the rising sun, her back facing the great carnival camp set to stand by the human workers of her circus caretakers. The fun houses encompassed a small section of the outskirts of the city of Acathia, a permission slip hiding itself somewhere between the drawers of the ring master. Soon, the gates would cordially invite spectators to dazzle in the bustle of carnival life's vehemence up to one's neck with clowns, freaks, ugly beauties and death defying performers. Micah was just a performer, no death prowling near her acts, to be clear on that subject. Out of most of these employees, some godforsaken, others shackled to their destinies, few free willed, Micah treaded with those few of free will, with her working hours restricted to the twilight's schedule, she needed not worry herself over a day's busy buzzing, like worker bees crazily gathering the honey from the audiences for their ring master queen. It wasn't always like this, nor this grand a place, but it was inevitable that corruption would spill into the hearts of even the humblest of men in the overpowering presence of wealth and fortune. Micah knew it and she stayed, knowing of no other place where she could dance to her hearts content and brighten faces like the circus.

There are, of course, a few exceptions to her flexible schedule. Sometimes Micah would party herself with a few of the performers and head into town to gather crowds with a few free shows, advertising the eccentric splendor of the carnival. Today sported such a day, but it was her first visit to this city and Micah's curiosity pounded ecstatic against her chest, hungry eyes locked on the delicious prizes occult within the kingdom's towering buildings and stone build landscapes. A whistle abruptly pierced her ears in its faint notes, drawing sterling blue eyes to skid over her shoulder and wildly search the perimeters for the caller, who turned out tot he be the leader of their first expedition. A giddy smile quickly stretched across velvet pink lips, pursed together as if clutching a delectable secret in a sultry, toying grasp. Something she knew flashed through her squinted gaze and powdered her cheeks a rosy pearl before she turned and hopped off the rock she had perched herself on. The short trip was meant to explore and strategize over the city's most populated areas and easily impressed folk, but Micah had ulterior plans to theirs. The plot unraveled before her eyes last night and she was chipper to watch it set into motion.

An encounter awaited her dainty trot into Acathia, unaware and blind to its own written story. The keepers of time haunted everyone's dream and Micah was no exception, except that she could see them, hear their horrific voices and feel the pulses of their erratic heartbeats as they scribbled one's day into the brain in invisible ink, waiting for the florescent light to reveal the hidden scriptures and Micah possessed such gems for eyes and she could clearly see how her day was to be planned, as annoying as it would seem, but everything set in stone did not mean it could not be averted. Amusingly enough, she would shatter the stone and hope the keepers would write a twist ending elsewhere, unknowing of who erased the first volume, but who cares, right? One had the power to change one's destiny, always. They are just not that aware of it.

The sudden bustle and traffic of people filled her surroundings in the fashion of ants. Their gazes busy with the day's chores and their gaits filled with purpose and direction. Slowly, her smallish group mingled its way through the bundles of people and entered an area that could easily be labeled as a market place, but not at all as big and crowded as one would be and its buyers and sellers where all of the same line of middle class society and modest wardrobes. Micah almost stood out in her darling Victorian flower girl dress, accented with bloodshot lace insert, ribbon lacing, no sleeves, and a garnished, frilly end dangling frivolously above white sandals, intruding upon the brand of "Rosemary" under the carriage of her cloth. With the silk swaying briskly in every breeze, her hair tied up in a single braid beginning with a crown over her skull and falling down to her legs, Micah earned various intrigued glances scanning her up and down. She on the other hand did not spare them acknowledgment and kept her gaze front and center on the route her companions where marking into their memories, almost as if they where prowling around the area, hunting, scavenging for the most productive spots and rewarding stages. After a morning of exploring, she and the rest fled the city shadows and returned home to report.

Finally, after midday lodged on their heads and the doors whipped open to the audience with festive hymns, Micah retraced her voyage back into the city streets upon swapping into evening, clad in the same dress from before, but now baring a ghostly pale tint to her frail body, rose petal cheeks accentuated with rosette coral and thin lips brushed in delicious crimson wine. Hair still braided in its long rope to her thighs, a new crown adorned her head, a cardinal garden of petals embellishing the tiara to match the bloodshot lace crisscrossing her chest. This time, the fickle attention of the town's people assaulted her image, worn by a morning's arduous tasks. She was courted by two eccentric, lanky fellows, dressed in circus banners of vivid pallets and eye catching jest. She trotted to the center of a square of dwellings, a spacious stage set before a well often harassed by the commoners. There, at the standstill before the pit of life giving water, Micah poised her body while callings and encouragement trumpeted from her companion's mouths. The name of their business breezed into the air and signaled the unlock of her frame into the first stance, a hand stretching, reaching for the heavens, begging for a drop of its cleansing waters to trail down its palm, her face following the bridge of her arm to the skies, her dexterous feet holding fast against the earth coming up against each other like twisted feet staring into each other's toes, the remaining arm balancing her body as it tilted ever so lightly on towards the cobbled soil as if preparing to bow to an invisible king. Her eyelids slid halfway down her pools of silver and blue, transfixed on the invisible holy object delicately poised atop her outstretched palm and her lips released the tension of their pursed painted kiss in a brisk exhale.

Time seemed to slow as if to have a better look fixed on her silhouette and as a result the stares of the crowd began to struggle as her framework blurred eerily in the transition. To them, it was all a simple display of circus magic. She was ready. And the party of ballet would soon commence.

[Jezia]

Jezia was bored, seriously bored to the point she had even accepted the fact she had to have a guard with her when she went into the city. Lasts nights dream was playing heavily on her mind this morning. so much so she had not taken the offer to ride with the Lord Slayer. Since that day in the forest where she had seen some akin to madness in the eyes of her friend she had been reluctant to share her dream with Sasha. She used to share everything with the woman. But now, after that dream. She could not bring herself to mention the being she had been touching.

A flame of pleasure lit in her chest as she closed her eyes remembering the dream. It had started out so wonderfully. Well sort of, if not for the spinning madness of the animal spirits it would have been wonderful. Then there had been him, the man/beast. She knew she should gave feared him, he was so powerful, intimidating in his presence. Yet she had felt no fear for this beast. The black lion had been breathtakingly gorgeous. His fur had been so soft under her fingers his hard body warm like the comfort of a familiar friend. Even now her fingers tingled with memory of his fur slipping through her fingers.

Licking her suddenly dry lips she looked at the guard who had been unlucky enough to get the task of riding with her into the city. As always the guard was silent. Men were not supposed to look upon the princess and see a woman they were only allowed to see a royal nothing more. A pang started in her chest and spread to her stomach as she would have very much liked to have spoken with the man. But she knew he would not break her fathers rule. The only sounds around the pair were voices of sellers in the distance and the rhythmic sound of hooves on the cobbled pathway beneath them. The guard clearly was busy sulking in his saddle so Jezia let out a wistful sigh a tingle starting on her cheek as she remembered how she nuzzled against the chest of the beast enveloped in his strength and warmth.

The scene played in her mind as if she were reliving it. When the great beast had lowered his head and scented her neck a shiver wracked her body heat crawling over her skin. A blush stole over her cheeks and she remembered the smell of him. Wildness and mountains. She could almost smell it him now, she could almost feel him in her mind like she had done last night. A tingling presence which at once calmed and aroused her to open herself up to…. To something. She didn’t understand the desires she was having. Opening her eyes she looked around sheepishly as she realised they had already made it to the square. A blush colored her cheeks but no one seemed to notice the blush, they were all chatting and looking at her.

Pulling herself up in her saddle she waved to some of the people and smiles spread through the crowd. People started to move forward so they could see the princess of the realm and soon circled her horse. The guard seemed to still be in his mood as his horse continues on. Jezia shook her head, she was not going to let her people down by ignoring them like most royals. Everyone was talking at once as she looked down at the faces of the people around her.

“Welcome Higness… So Beautiful… Like sunshine…. Our princess…. Regal, like the perfect doll…”

Comments flowed to her ears as she chuckled and looked down. At a small boy staring at her with open awe. As much as she hated the idea of marrying against her will she knew she would, for these people. A frown developed on her face as more words came to her, but she could swear they were not from the lips of the people. These words were dark, filled with malice, filled with…. Insanity? Or close to it.

~Little princess…. Famous, so much money…. Would be perfect…. Take her… guard is gone…. Cut her…. Make them pay….. money…. Rich…. Could have anyone then…. Yes… why wait?~

Panic closed her throat but she refused to let it show on her face as she looked around her not finding the source of such madness. Swallowing hard she looked around the crowd for Barett, he was way ahead of her now. A wave of cruel desperation and vile enjoyment washed through her. What was happening to her? Closing her eyes she looked at Barett’s back and narrowed her eyes. She didn’t care if he wanted the job or not, it was his job to look out for her. How could be not feel this?

Her horse pranced under her as Jezia tightened her grip on her reins. Her head started to pound, pressure built behind her eyes and she wondered if someone had to throw a rock at his head for him to realise his chrage was behing him? Then all of a sudden Barett sat bolt up right in his saddle and turned around quickly.

“Who threw that?!”

Clearly someone had thrown something at him, what luck! She watched as his face paled to white and he looked around frantically. Then his eyes found her and he winced. He knew he had been an ass. He would be lucky if he got a guard post after this one. Turning his large stallion he forced his way through the crowd back to her side his face like powder his eyes down.

“Princess…”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Her head was pounding but at least the sense of malice had faded.

“Don’t you Princess me Barett… I know you would rather be tupping the maid or one of the compaions but you do actually have a job to do….”

He visually swallowed deeply and looked very contrite. His short cut brown hair slipped into his eyes as he fiddled with the reins. Finally looking up his hazel eyes worried.

“Forgive me Highness… I let my mind wander… it is an honor to accompany…”

“Oh don’t talk rubbish, I know none of the men enjoy being by babysitter, don’t lie to me… I hate liers…”

He nodded as the crowd parted to let them through. Jezia looked around the crowd again glad that the feeling was now gone. Her heart seemed to start beating again, her throat opening up. Maybe she had just imagined it? yeah that was it, she was being paranoid. Who could blame her after the dreams she had been having recently. She thought of her beast from her dream and calm settled over her again. Barett remained quiet but was a lot more alert now as they moved slowly through the growing crowds. There appeared to be some kind of travelling entertainers in the city.

“Oh look Barett… Think we could stop to watch for a little?”

The guard frowned and looked around them and finally he nodded.

“I don’t see the harm Highness, just remain by my side…. Highness… I am sorry… its is not that we dislike the job, it is just….”

She held up her hand and he stopped talking.

“Do not worry Barett, I understand. You’re guards men, you would rather be fighting or training then babysitting me… I am sorry you drew the short straw….”

Jezia turned her head from him clearly indicating she was done with the conversation. She heard him sigh and move his horse abreast hers. Jezia sat up in her saddle and settled to watch the performance from her horses back. It looked like it was going to be a good one. The small child in the middle seemed to be preparing to do a dance. Jezia ignored the funny rippling which tingled her skin, she was determined not to let anything spoil her day.

[Micah]

There seemed to be a small number of spectators who had stopped on curiosity's whim to peer at the child attempting to hog their attentions in the middle of the square. That even a single person would find it entertaining enough to keep on watching her telling of tales through to the end would satisfy Micah, but this gathering would certainly brighten her caretakers even more.

In any case, it was time to begin; her advertising companions had seized their hollering and now placed themselves to the well's side, one of them bringing out an instrument strung from his back by which to play with, forged in fine, smooth wood and decorated with cords vertically tied at its center. It produced bell-like tunes when touched note by note, while the other artisan took into his hand a similar artifact, also strung across the center and shaped in a similar fashion, except its hilt was longer and the method of carrying it was against the chin while the instrument rested on his shoulder and the rest was held horizontally by his arm. An extra set was held in his other arm, a single string attached to wood to play the violin.

The musicians signaled each other with a brief nod toward themselves and together they pierced through the stuffy worker's atmosphered in an abrupt harmony of merry ballads and a vivace tempo as the expertly and dexterously began playing their instruments. Syncing the music of her body to the rhythm of the joyous song, Micah then began her dance, swaying her feet in the air, rocking her hips to the beats, spiraling briskly on chipper toes and arched arms, twisting her body upside down on a single hand to split her legs apart in the air and balance the rest with her other free arm.

The falling sun sweeped over the rooftops in tangerine shadows, brightening her performance with stage lights of tawny and gold hues. The sunlight spilled and seeped through her skin, glistening the dim fabric with a rich creamy glow. Micah could feel the increase of stares on her waving framework, her cheeks perking in a vivid flush as her lips drew back into a smiling display of white teeth, showing the viewers how she was truly enjoying her dance as she skipped, twirled and stepped, hop, stepped in the air and over the ground.

Suddenly, as her eyes swooped toward the sky in the aftermath of an acrobatic move, except she upstaged the acrobat when she stood on her toes, a bright, white light fiercely blindfolded her vision in a blanket of stainless snow, as if a solar eclipse had eaten away the heavens and she could see nothing but its eye wracking, vivid white page. Consequently, the bizarre spectacle stole away her breath clean from her lungs and she was once again forced to bed her frozen, sterling gaze on the surface of a picture tape wildly rolling before her eyes, crudely embedding image after suffocating image into her unprepared brain, sometimes baring entire landscapes and fully set sceneries in its passages, which often proved to be more difficult to capture in her stare all at once, but at least this foresight relieved her of most of that. In fact, it was replica of the vision she witnessed the day before, but harsher. She watched the curious play unfold once again.

A dusting of buffeting sand, a flash of fluttering wings, battering against soot. Soot sprawled everywhere. The ash ate away through everything; the grass, the mountains, the soil, even the skies, a somber gray veil ominously blanketing the sun. And suddenly, cutting through this sinister plague of gray was a golden light, wavering and bending abnormally like a far off mirage in a dessert until it evolved and took shape, sun-kissed leather stretching, slithering across the bones of great beast. From the light was born a winged mammoth and upon landing, the touch of its claws seemed to clean the earth where it stood, shadows parting like a flock of venomous spitting ravens into the sky.

Golden rimed eyes snapped toward her, the viewer, as if her presence had been detected. A soul shackled in an intense glare, but through that brilliant gaze, she saw confusion and a sense of being lost and then a glowing white arm extended from her camera toward the light.

And thus it ended, just as Micah reached for those puzzled eyes, her skin snarled to jump off her bones and a chilling touch licked up her spine. Finally, as her lungs gave out, she rebelled against the vision, the urge to do so having abruptly entered her body as if it was a natural instinct, and Micah just as unceremoniously as she entered into the foresight, she was spat out.

Micah felt her being breaking through its surface, gasping for the sweet air of life as she breathed in reality once more, filling her chest, her ears, her eyes as they blinked on and off as if adjusting to the light of the real world again. She seemed frozen in her last move, as if a long procession had just taken place, but it was not so. She had accidentally frozen time in the shock of the savage possession of the premonition, but those kinds of foresights, the ones that show up without warning and take hold of her body abruptly don't last more than a minute. Her ability had spilled into the surroundings by accident, but it was just as well, since she needed the short breather to recover, so as to not seem like her movements had been difficult when they where truly not.

Loyal to her dance, she stayed petrified in her stance still, able to keep the posture for an impressive amount of time. When she was ready again she let loose a soft, lengthy exhale and like the passing of a breeze, time slowly eased forward again until it completely reverted to normal at the end of her breath. She kept on dancing as if nothing had happened, the smile in her face not as vivid as before, but present and welcoming none the less. It was not the first time this had happened, after all.

Finally, the music died away and she stopped, following its zombie steps to a dead end. She bowed in this midsts of vivid claps and amused cheers, some delighted, others nonchalant, and when her chin rose again, surprise flickered through her face as her eyes stole the image of a particular girl standing within the crowd. Her gaze singled the young woman out, although she already stood out enough being carried in her horse and accompanied by an armored man at the backseat. But again, a brisk shimmer of gold flapped through her eyes and a smile quickly rose to take place in her lips as a result, kissers that pursed with mirth at the pleasure of keeping such a delicious secret stretching from cheek to cheek.

"You did great, as always Micah. You seemed a little tense near the end though."
The man who played the violin furrowed his brows as he commented in his approach and held her attention as the spectators went about their previous to do lists. The performance had been over and their third wheel was once again announcing the arrival of their group of travelers at the outskirts and advertising more spectacular talents.

"It must have been your imagination Curtis. It's always so wild, you should learn to tame it like that kitten of yours."Her voice trailed the air somberly, as if its mature tone didn't belong to Micah's childish body.

"It's not a kitten. It's a lion. I see you are your old self. Literally." Micah had already won a reputation over having something of a split personality between her mellow banters and giddy moods. It's like a switch you could flicker on and off and she more than not flicked it for her own convenience. She did appear to be just a little girl, after all.

"If I am old, you should be dust." She giggled and then suddenly turned serious. "I'm going out. Right now."

"Don't be fooling around today. We need to keep moving. We can only rest for thirty minutes before we go on again."It was so like him to protest against everything Micah did. If she didn't know better, she would conclude he secretly hated her guts, but the matter did not refer to her personally. It always had something to do with their jobs or the quality of their performances. Strict as a general when it came to it.

"Thirty minutes? That's twenty nine more than I need then. I'll meet you there later." Micah answered back and waved him goodbye as she fled into the dispersing crowd behind an innocent facade and sweet laced smile. They knew she had that habit of disappearing and suddenly reappearing at the nick of time, so they did not doubt her words, as annoying as it was to fret over her exact timings.

Dusk desperately settled over the land, setting dwellings and streets alight with candlelights and window lights. She knew where to go and it was evident in her purposeful strides as they merrily trotted to her destination, almost dancing, one might add as the people spotted her small body smoothly twisting around the obstacles of her path. Her skipping brought her to the central market place, an area usually drowning with the inhabitants, but at this late growing hour, it slowly released its buyers into other streets. Micah stood besides an entrance guarded by a great archway into another particularly grand street. They say this road would eventually lead you to the Castle, but Micah was not aware of that. There, she took her time waiting for her meeting to take place, occupying her curiosity with a fruit stand seat next to her. A few passer byes stopped to stare a little, having recognized her dress from the earlier show and others even inquired when she would perform again. She politely answered their questions and smiled at the small attention she was receiving from the few gathered people and their excited children.

[Jezia]

Jezia was sure she had chills from that dance. No one else seemed to be as moved by it as she was though. She could have sworn she felt the ebb and flow of that dancer’s energy brushing over her skin like finger tips. The memory brought a shiver to her body and she rubbed her arms. Barett did not need to be told twice as he pulled out a cloak from his saddle bags and offered it to his princess. Jezia took it but would not mention that her chill had nothing to do with the weather. She could not get the hypnotic dance out of her mind. It was like it had been performed only for her. Other then the damn headache she had been living with for the past week she had very much enjoyed the performance.

The sun began to set and she turned her horse to regard her guard. He was lent down over the saddle to his horse watching the crowds dissipate his cool eyes on the dancer who was no speaking with someone from her performing troupe. She rolled her eyes, no doubt like most men she knew he would be down the tavern later finding some willing wench to sate himself in. Jezia was sure that it must be bred into the males of the species, the drive to fuck anything within 20 miles then find somewhere new. It was an odd thing to be jealous over but she just wished she could have such freedom. As a princess and a woman she was restricted even more so then someone from the corner street. Who would have thought she was making plans to hye her way off to a tavern maybe for one night. She have drive to see what the big who-ha was al about.

Barett remained quite as they started their way back towards the Royal Mile lane which lead back to her gilded cage of a home. She only wished that the man she was due to marry was some kind of, wonderful, understanding male who would help her expand and grow as she aged. Unfortunately everything she had heard about Prince Orro was bad. He was not even a nice rake. He had taken the maiden heads of four of his serving girls with no regards for what could happen to them afterwards. But that was all rumor right? She had a funny feeling it was no rumor but fate and the last thing she wanted was to see bastard children running all about the keep because her future husband could not keep it in his pants.

5 more days and she would be travelling to see this man. She was still vehemently hoping something would go terribly wrong and they would have to put it off for days, maybe even months. Jezia was sure she could come up with a plan in a few weeks. Maybe she should just be the most uncouth woman he would ever meet, that might work. Though Sasha might kill her. Oh well she would cross that bridge when she came to it. besides even if her marriage was a shame and would be loveless she knew she could fall back on the powerful, beast lord from her dreams.

Jezia was so caught up in thoughts that she didn’t realise the small girl from the dance was now stood as if waiting beside the archway that separated upper class families from the lower classes. She hated the fact her father approved of such a measure. The upper classes acting like the lower ones were not even worth their time. Jezia knew she was going to have a fight ahead of her if she ever wanted to change popular opinion. Jez felt her horse come to a stand and she frowned looking down at her.

“Something wrong girl?”

She looked around her, no one seemed to be watching her. As she turned in the saddle slightly her eyes fell on the dancer from earlier and she gave the girl a smile. People used to say the sun shone from the smile of the princess. And right now it was no different. The darkness may be spreading her cloak over the land but the princess still seemed to radiate calm, energy and warmth.

“I just wanted to say that was an incredible performance earlier… I have never seen anything like it….”

Brett came to a halt beside her and looked at the small girl then to his charge. He was supposed to be back for a card game with the boys. But after putting his foot in his mouth earlier the last thing he wanted was to remain on her bad side.

[Micah]

A restless moon creeping somewhere on the distance, menacingly peering over the horizon at the still bright flare casting crimson and tangerine deadlights across the sky; a sun that was inevitably descending upon its deathbed where it would rise with new life the next day. Yet dusk still lingered and played frivolously on their necks as Micah waited for the page of her book to flip on to the next chapter, humans eating up her line of vision with their rather dull, fragile frames, and their voices bumping into her thoughts one after the other, all somehow or another questioning. However, The thin giggles of the little rosemaiden bubbled shyly around her inquirers and their questionnaires, honest amusement skidding across some of her smiles as she slowly served the few gathered people their drinks of knowledge and nervous thank yous, hesitating to receive each new comment.

Finally, blessed be her patience. It was truly a virtue to her traits. The page turned and Micah released her breath as if it had been clogging up her throat in the feeling of her time move forward again as the meeting was set into motion. She spotted the equine trotting its way toward the entrance to her side, its bulk and hooves pounding against the cobbled road a simple source for one's attention to cling on once it's made its way before your eyes. It shouldn't have been a surprise that her stare was immediately drawn to it, but it was curious how her gaze had grazed over the exact pathway where the horse came into sight before it happened. Quickly now, she taped into her slick, aged mind and shot everyone a brief grin they could lock into their memories of her and excused her escape by convincing them she needed to be off to her next performance. The lie rewarded her with a slowly dispersing crowd by the time the Princess on her horse had stopped to address her -Micah had pretended not to have noticed her coming though.

“I just wanted to say that was an incredible performance earlier… I have never seen anything like it….”

Like skies painted in brittle, plated armor, so flimsy that the faintest scowl could shatter its shield, Micah sparked her childish eyes skyward toward the speaker's facet framed by curving waves of earthly locks. She bore a gentle silhouette outlined by the encroachingg, impish shadows of sundown tugging at her clothes, yet the young woman's beam repelled away the murky depths and shone an innocent warmth through smiling lips. How could one not return such a smile in the face of its own darkness and Micah's was ever the eccentric mix of coy, welcoming, and up to no good.

"Thank you...Nothing makes me happier than listening to your applause." Rippled back her young guise in the midsts of a courtesy bow, toes fidgeting, her delicate fingers lifting her skirt, her posture never failing to deliver the elegance of a dancer as perfectionist as her. Although she lacked the knowledge of the lady's name and status, a simple glance to her garments and carriage stated how she belonged to a world above the middle classed citizens and Micah could not help but give her respect as due and a good girl that she was, no matter the species. Portraying herself quietly, she spared a glance to the guardsman once her chin had come back up just as he marked her framework with an annoying glare, at first, but he seemed to suck up his discontentment after staring at the saddled girl. "He seems unhappy" She commented on the outlook with a pitying frown.

"You will come to see me again tonight, right?" As if bespeaking to a friend of old, an unseen charisma cut through her shy facade as her eyes sparkled with expectation.

[Jezia]

Jezia did not fully understand the urge to speak with the small girl. She was hardly into her teens surely. Yet something, something in those enticing eyes called to her. Called to something deep inside her which stirred and raised a powerful head. Jezia felt her stomach drop as dizziness swamped her again for the 5th time today. The young girl seemed to not notice as Jezia took a slow breath. The scents of the city almost choking her in their intensity. It was times like this she wanted to be locked in her room where people could not witness the obvious illness their princess seemed to suffer from. Yet the girl gave her a smile to match her own and Jezia felt almost at peace. Something she had not felt for a long while.

"Thank you...Nothing makes me happier than listening to your applause."

When the small girl bowed Jezia smiled pushing her nausea back into the back of her mind. She would not allow her stomach upset to ruin her day out. The girl seemed to know the proper manners for addressing the upper classes. As much as Jezia hated the class structure of the city it was almost a necessity, the first class and upper echelons of society would never have anything to do with thee working classes. It was an upsetting and annoying trait that was human. Jezia would try her best to never allow herself to be influenced by class, but she doubted she would have much control when she came under the protection of her future husband.

Her mind automatically moved to her dream and to her Beast Man. Her heart beat sped up and her eyes glazed slightly. But she snapped from the lure to think about him. He was becoming an obsession, one she was not quite sure she wanted to let go. Her heart beat hard in her chest as she could have sworn the scent of him from her dream wafted through the air. Her eyes slipped closed for a second as she breathed in that phantom scent then pushed her fanciful thoughts aside to pay more attention to the performer of such wonders.

"He seems unhappy"

She had not seemed to notice the princesses wandering mind or the illness which had gripped her only moments before. But then again neither had Barett. Jezia turned in her saddle and looked at the guard. He was watching the area around them, his eyes moving back and forth over the shadows and places of attack. Jezia let out a soft sigh and looked back to the performer.

“Yes, I am afraid that escorting me is hardly the glamorous assignment the men would prefer to have. I sometimes think they would rather be cleaning the stables by hand them riding with me about the city…

I am used to it, no doubt they shall be glad when I am no longer their problem or concern…”

Jezia did not know why she spoke so freely before the child. Something about her just offered herself to people so they could talk and not feel slighted or rejected. Jezia smiled again blushing slightly. She did not mean to speak ill of her guards, they were charged with protecting her and no doubt they would lay their lives on the line for her. But sometimes she felt like she would rather just vanish into the city then watch such good men give their lives for her, why was she any more important then one of them?

"You will come to see me again tonight, right?"

Jezia looked at Barett who was watching the streets she gave the girl a sad smile.

“I can not, my father only allows me be trip a week into the city… maybe…. Maybe we could have your troupe come to the palace?

I am sure my father would gladly give me anything I asked for as he is selling me…. Oh… I did not mean… well yes I did I guess…. But it is an honor to marry for the kingdom…”

Yeah like she even believed that. Hell her words were half-hearted to her and she knew from the look the girl gave her she knew it too. Her eyes moved to Barett who was now looking at her with a mix of astonishment and pity. Her good mood fell quickly and she gave a weak smile to the dancer.

“Thank you again, it was a wonderful treat to see someone with your talent… I must be off…”

[Micah]

Micah too was a bit too entranced on every feature belonging to this young woman. It was sort of like watching a play focused solely on the heroine and while Micah always preferred to view such things on bigger pictures or more grand plots, she did not mind isolating this princess from her rather erratic preferences. Her smile did not seize as she read the subtle twists in her expressions, even as they deterred into a frown.

“Yes, I am afraid that escorting me is hardly the glamorous assignment the men would prefer to have. I sometimes think they would rather be cleaning the stables by hand them riding with me about the city…

I am used to it, no doubt they shall be glad when I am no longer their problem or concern…”
The sound of her response suggested this woman to be of quite the high nobility. Although she is no expert on the workings of such a society, having grown wild among the weeds of society that frolicked on poor shoes, but free and merry feet, and traveling among people no higher than the average human being, Micah could only bring understanding into her eyes through the sour expression that had painted on the girl's face. Memories of having a couple of times skidded through the suffocating fumes of the dwellings where the rich and powerful resided did permeate her head though. All the other times had been walking upon their graves and the remains of once lustrous cities.

"I-I see...I can't imagine such preferences from anyone though. I much prefer viewing the city rather than cleaning stables, although I guess they can't enjoy it as much when on duty..."

The damsel's last sentence provoked a bit of sadness to infect Micah's cherry smile.

"But having concern over something is one of the things that makes us feel alive."
It sounded more like a protest, but the urge for wanting to cheer the lady up from the continuous leaning toward such tunes of melancholy would often blurt out of Micah's loose mouth. The thoughts and patterns of her head where always so easy to slip out, it more than not wreaked havoc across the early days when she had just began to thresh the meaning of life among humans, -as a boy and a girl. The times when it seemed like everday was yet another fierce battle to eat an afternoon meal, yet even among those brutal childhoods she could not have even begun to iimagine the complexities of the kingdom's systems.

“I can not, my father only allows me be trip a week into the city… maybe…. Maybe we could have your troupe come to the palace?

I am sure my father would gladly give me anything I asked for as he is selling me…. Oh… I did not mean… well yes I did I guess…. But it is an honor to marry for the kingdom…”

At first, her smile had started againstle agaisn't the adversNoble'stinability innability to grant her wish and for a breaths moment Micah appeared to be slowly swallowed by her childish years as they rushed over her marble skin and set eyes sdisappointmentsapointment, but hope was rekindled as the noble woman continued with a most enticing offer. It was then she realized just whom she was speaking to.
"The palace? Oh! I see...It would be my honor, Princess."
Adding a little giddy giggle at the end, as if she where a mere child whom had discovered treasure, which could be very closely compared to the Princess, Micah once again tipped her chin and softly pulled on the sheets of her dress.
The vision she had come across earlier had not foretold how events would have unfolded after her meeting with destiny had ended, but now she understood the other puzzle pieces that made up the background story of that glimpse. Always, there where these tidbamonging amongst the cracks of every althoughd althought she always considered their almost unseen presence, she could never truly dediminutivehe diminute voices that whispered into her ears until she herselfind herseld already entangled in the moment she foresaw.
"You have much honor for it to cover an entire kingdom." Gently placing her words to one's ear, she offered back an honest-to-heart kind of smile, unlike the look of pity that crossed her guard's feature's, though slightly masked, so as to not appear obvisurmisedh surmissed.

“Thank you again, it was a wonderful treat to see someone with your talent… I must be off…”

"I'm delighted to be praisewho's thee, whos fatintertwinedentertwined with with mine. I look forward to our next meeting." She finished, bowed for the last time, and skiddeillusive on ilusive toes, her figure briskly dissolving by a suddtrafficking traffiking citizens. It's as if a loop had been purposely sewn around their talking forms earlier and now that business was done the people broke through that circle to form the regular crowd one needed to push around so as to get pretty much anywhere in the city.

[Jezia]

Jezia could have sworn she felt the air around her standing still. Like the city still existed around her but something was holding back the noise and the smell. She was sure it was just because of her odd dream, that beast in her dream. She felt sort of like she did right now, not on edge, just comfortable. The world seemed to recede and only the two women were left standing while those strange eyes of the girl seemed to see more then she let on.

"I'm delighted to be praise who's thee, whose fate entwined intertwined with mine. I look forward to our next meeting."

Jezia blinked and the spell was shattered the sounds of the city enclosing around her again and people started bumping into her horse once more. She looked around a little confused by what she had felt while in the presence of the young girl. The girl had very deftly vanished into the crowd and Jezia looked around for her but saw no one. She could hear her guard calling her name and she turned to look at him. She felt almost lonely with the presence of the girl no longer with her. Turning her horse she nudged the beast into a trot to catch up with her man and looked back again.

“Come on Princess, we need to be off, your father has very strict rules governing your time in the city….”

Barett scowled as Jezia sighed beside him. No doubt he was desperate to be on any other duty but baby sitting. Jezia hung her head slightly and trotted up the royal walk towards the castle. So this was how it was going to be then? Even though she was putting her future into the hands of a man she had never met, she still had to act like she was actually going to enjoy this.

Her mind travelled back again, the Beast man. She sighed deeply, a dream only. She could dream right. Maybe she would dream tonight, if she could keep dreaming of this Beast maybe her nights might be filled with something akin to happiness even if her days were going to become a form of hell.

Jezia wondering if she could sneak out tonight and go to watch the performance. It would not be the first time she had left the castle grounds without permission. She looked back and watched Barett from the edge of her vision. He would not care, he was in a mood anyway. Her mind made up she was a little more cheery for the remainder of the trip home. her mind swimming with plans for her little escape to the city for this evenings performance.