Peace for a Price (1x1)

"It will be my honor, Princess!" Akira said with a deep bow. He turned and led the way out of the castle, already chattering.

With the guards shadowing them closely and keeping a close eye on everyone around them, Akira showed Malisia the castle grounds first. Much of the artwork Eleazar had already shown her, but there were a few pieces he hadn't, such as a couple of statues hidden in alcoves. There were a few tiny gardens being carefully tended, mostly ornamental, and he showed her a spot where they could see over a low wall to the kitchen gardens. The chefs guarded the garden jealously, and only those with permission from the duke herself could enter. Even the king would have a difficult time entering. They were absolutely immaculate.

After the gardens, he took her down to show her more of the city. People stared in wonder, bowing respectfully whenever Malisia looked toward them, but everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the Princess. The same was true in the shopping district when Akira took her through the many smaller shops located sometimes in an entire building, and sometimes only occupying a single room.

After that, as it was lunch time, he showed her the restaurant district where each of the shops along the street specialized in a different food. Akira had his suggestions, but he admitted to her that all the food was truly good and it came down to personal taste. The competition was simply too fierce for anything less than good to survive along this street.

After eating, he led the way to the most special place on the tour: The Greenhouse! Greenhouses were expensive to build and difficult to upkeep when only a few people understood how they worked, so the greenhouse of this city was a treasure and closely guarded. It was perhaps as large as an average barn and not well stocked, but the plants that were in the greenhouse thrived and were clearly tended almost obsessively. There was even a walking path that looped the inside with a few benches along the path.
 
The Malisia was happy during most of the tour.

She enjoyed seeing what was left from the castle, the statues crafted marvelously and the grand garden. though she could only see it from afar.

The trip to the town was equally pleasant, her smile widening every time someone bowed for her, and she returned the gesture though in a much more casual manner, friendlier, as if attempting to convince people not to fret and that she wouldn't be upset about them holding a less formal greeting.


The food was also outstanding, or maybe she was just very hungry, both, definetely both.

Her favorite part was of course, the green house, it was beautiful, it kept her interested for, maybe too long, she was focused on every little bit of life than the place held, it was a feat of true effort, to keep plants alive in such a good state, she could learn something from this place, if she was allowed to of course.
 
"These plants come from all over," Akira told Malisia as they walked through the greenhouse. "None of them grow here in Cronavid, but they can manage here in protected greenhouse! I am told a few are useful and most are just for prettiness sake. Prettiness is useful in its own way, though, yes?"

When they were done with the greenhouse, it was nearly time for supper. Akira took her back toward the palace by the long way, showing her whatever architectural wonders they'd missed the first time through. They arrived back at the palace in one piece, and Akira bowed repeatedly to Malisia before taking his leave to head to his own home. It had been a long day of walking!
 
From all over? That gave her hope for the project she would continue on her new home, a properly guarded place for new plants to grow would be helpful at the beggining, but she wanted to go higher than that, she would fight against the climate, the soil, the genetics of plants themselves and would do anything that would be necessary to make the crops good enough to feed Cravonid.

"Prettiness does indeed have its uses, you are right." She said with a soft laughter.


Once they returned to the castle, the princess thanked Akira endlessly for the time they spent. It was refreshing to feel, well, human again. She didn't spend an afternoon dreading the awkward time she'd have to spend with Eleazar later, in fact, she didn't even think of him at all during the visit to town, it was all replaced by a warm, sense of peace.

She learnt new things, met new people, and was able to behave like royalty while still being friendly and kind to the citizens, she was proud of herself.


Malisia didn't take too long to return to her chambers, thanking the guards once more for their help, and asking them to tell either the king himself or Lance Hearthrune of her return.

She tied her hair up, and started to plan for the night, deciding to go for the washrooms before anything else. She hadn't gotten that dirty during the walk, however she was still civilized enough to worry about hygine.
 
Eleazar had spent his day resting and staying around the palace. After so much time spent around other people and having to constantly be on good behavior, he was exhausted. Having Malisia out and away gave him the opportunity to sleep longer than usual. Then he hung out in the sitting room part of their quarters reading, fiddling with things, and staring at the ceiling for no reason at all. He was fairly certain he was unnerving Malisia's maids but did not care.

When Malisia returned to the castle, he'd already left and had returned to Lance's room. Lance was sound asleep, as he normally did throughout the day, and therefore did not care that Eleazar was sitting on the floor of his room and essentially hiding from his bride. When a servant came to call them for dinner, he ensured he was properly presentable and resigned himself to the fact that hiding time was over. He went out into the sitting room and waited for Malisia to join him so they could walk to the dining room together.
 
Malisia eventually came out, freshly dressed in an elegant and modest dress, much more covered up than what she was used to wearing, but remaining comfortable thanks to layers of fabric that were breathable but kept her warm, with a tasteful pattern of frills and folds along the edges of each piece of silk that had been sewn together, she looked... Pretty, as usual, not that she thought about it too much now given the only person she could possibly care about thinking of her appearance, was currently avoiding her.

She brushed her hair gently, though there wasn't much to be done about her nearly untameable curls.


The princess made her way to the sitting room, with her hands neatly folded behind her back, her glasses gently resting over her nose, though slightly displaced as she flinched a bit in surprise at the sight of Eleazar.

The time of supper was nearing, that likely explained why he was there. She took a deep breath and approached him, quietly, her smile, though weak, remained there.


"Good evening my lord-" She said, dipping her head respectfully, not really looking at him at all, but rather, his general direction. "Apologies for the wait, I assume you were expecting me?..."
 
Eleazar glanced toward Malisia and nearly nodded in approval. She looked good. To him, the outfit looked like someone who was conscious of their appearance, not someone who was trying to show off and hide her vulnerability by displaying more of her physical self as some of her other clothing choices had seemed. This dress drew attention in a tasteful way and allowed people to see her. It suited her.

"I was not waiting for you, but I was expecting you," he replied as he rose from his seat. "No need to apologize. Are you ready to walk to the dining hall?"
 
The princess was surprised that he adressed her directly rather than just nodding and heading away into the hall, it was pleasant.

She could almost swear he'd looked at her for longer than he had done before, as if truly paying attention to her appearance, of course, she didn't know he actually liked how she was dressed, nor could she guess as much, but eventually she'd learn how to please him, dressing modestly wasn't that hard in the first place, particularly in the colder climate of Cravonid, dressing in warm clothes helped her spring-accustomed body to feel much, much better.


Before she met Eleazar, she didn't really dress showing skin in a concious manner, it was just the way she noticed some travelers who visited Valeskiar chose their outfits, the women who dressed like this gathered more attention to themselves, and this made her guess for most of her life that it was simply the better way to dress.

Of course, when she grew up she understood how shallow this was, but it simply became a habit, regardless of how this made her feel even more exposed and concerned about her appearance.

But there she was, standing comfortably, without hunching over as she often did, feeling confident before her husband despite the odd circumstances from the prior day.


"Yes, your highness."
 
"Good," Eleazar said, offering his arm to her dutifully. She seemed taller than normal. Was it usual for humans to grow in height? He shook off the thought as he walked to the dining hall.

The dining hall was filled with people softly chattering in their soft, polite manner. Most of them were Kitsune, but there was a smattering of others as well. The sound of conversation lulled when they spotted the royal couple, and they turned to bow or curtsy respectfully to them. At Eleazar's nod, they returned to their conversations calmly. Eleazar led the way to their seats at the head of the table, but he did not sit just yet as the food had not yet arrived.

Duke Asudai glided up to stand by her seat next to Malisia. Normally, she sat on Eleazar's side, but tonight she chose to sit near Malisia so they could talk. She greeted Malisia respectfully and did a little small talk until a small bell chimed. Eleazar pulled out Malisia's chair for her, and only once the royal couple were seated did the others sit down.

Servants swooped in, bearing trays filled with food. They presented the food to each guest in a smooth display of perfectly practiced skill, and in no time at all, each guest had their food. From there, conversation all but stopped, but few seemed inclined to talk as they savored the taste of the food before them, humming softly to show their approval of the large but not extravagant meal.
 
Malisia accepted the king's arm, but was gentle, a light hold so he wouldn't feel as if she was pulling on him.

She was happy to have a conversation with Asudai, she made sure to tell her about how pleasant her visit to town was and mention Akira's eagerness to serve as a trait that would get him quite far. In what little time they had she spoke of the beauty of the smaller gardens around the grounds, and the delightful sight of the kitchen gardens, even if it was from afar.

Once the meal was ready she remained silent, respectful of the traditions that the folk here had regardless of her own habits.
 
After dinner and before the final sweet course, Duke Asudai spoke to Malisia more about her trip out and what she liked and disliked. She noted Malisia's enjoyment of the gardens, particularly, and how she spoke more about them than anything else. It was an interesting thing to note.

Lance appeared sometime during dinner, but his appearance was so smooth and quiet that no one really noticed him until they were gathered around talking. He smiled and bowed to Malisia, and then it was time for the sweet course, otherwise known as dessert. It was a small, simple sweat thing, and that course was quickly over followed by a small hot drink while everyone chatted amiably. People came and left as they felt like it, the atmosphere relaxed and friendly.

When it was all over, Eleazar walked Malisia to their rooms and then disappeared, leaving her alone once again. Lance tarried behind, not for any desire to speak to Malisia, but because one of their group wanted to talk to him about some of the logistics of their next leg of the journey. That didn't take long before that conversation was over, and he left, too.
 
Malisia stayed in her room after the meal, making sure to say goodbye to everyone politely once they took their leave,

She didn't complain about Eleazar leaving again, she just guessed it would be like this for a while, and, though she didn't want to seem paranoid, she was aware that it was likely her fault. Maybe she'd moved too fast and brought this onto herself. Her mind didn't dwell on it too much.

Soon enough, she was getting dressed for bed, telling her handmaidens about her day and reading along with them only for a few minutes before she was ready to sleep.

She wrote down what she learned in a new empty book, looking back at her old... Diary, if it could even be called that. Malisia kept it, of course, but not because she thought of what she'd written in it anymore, but simply as a way to look back and learn from her mistakes, there was more to life than being worried about the future after all, she could still focus on the important parts, her botanic studies, treating the people right, and settling into her new home.


The princess laid down on the center of the large bed, looking a the ceiling and with high hopes for the next day, despite not knowing what would happen. She need to forgive herself and learn to have better concept of herself, and Eleazar too, even if he didn't adress her directly about some of his actions, she knew it wasn't his fault, and she knew it wasn't all her fault either, they were simply... Struggling to settle together, that was all.

Things would get better, she wasn't sure why she knew it, but she just did.


She had a decent time, sleeping peacefully, a dreamless sleep, but full of comfort and rest, finding comfort within the sheets of the bed that was supposed to be shared by Eleazar and her, but she didn't mind that much at all, one day they would share the same space, she would conquer him- Or let herself be conquered by him, she wasn't quite sure yet.
 
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The next day dawned the same as the one before. Akira showed up at Malisia's door with an offer to show her more of the city - it was a good-sized city, after all - and to take her around. Eleazar was nowhere to be seen until supper time, and neither was Lance. They arrived together, and Eleazar politely walked Malisia to the dining hall. After diner, he inquired about her day and seemed genuinely interested in whether or not she enjoyed herself. Then he was gone again for the night while Lance lingered in case she needed him.

The next day, it was time to leave. Eleazar was there at the first morning light to help get everything packed up, and then they were on the road again. He rode in the carriage with Malisia as he had before, and while he was polite and always willing to respond to her, he did not go out of his way to start a conversation or make more than minimal effort to keep one going.

It took four days to reach the next castle, Castle Papaver. This one had on singular Duke to look after it, but was instead shared by four smaller lords. There was not a large city attached to this castle, but there was a small town that spread out around its base. It was much homlier than the castle they'd just left, but it was still a dignified building, and the four lords used the castle as a meeting place to discuss the four portions of land they looked after and host any large events and ceremonies. It was also where visitors were put up, and now where the King and his Princess would be hosted. Three of the four lords were ecstatic to meet the Princess, and the one who was less than pleased was still absolutely polite to her and never once did anything disrespectful. They held a massive feast for the royal couple on their second day at the castle, allowing them the day of their arrival to rest and relax from traveling. There was not much for Malisia to explore here as the area was strictly agricultural with crops and livestock.

After leaving Castle Papaver, it was back on the road for three days to Castle Orenburg. Orenburg did have a small but refined city and was looked after by Duke Perovskia, a slow, methodical Oni standing seven feet and five inches tall with dark green skin, black horns, and a voice as deep as the deepest gorge and flowed like melted chocolate. Most of his citizens were also Oni, meaning that while the number of the buildings in Orenburg might have been smaller than other cities, the size of it was still huge, and the castle, itself, towered over everything else.

They would be spending a little longer here than originally panned as scouts warned of a coming storm. The caravan did not want to be caught out in a storm, so Duke Perovskia graciously made provision for them to stay an extra two days, meaning they would be there for four total. Of course, the moment they arrived, Eleazar disappeared.
 
Malisia's time had been... pleasant to say the least, she was stilll respectful and loving of Eleazar, in her own odd way at the very least. She told him what he wanted, that she was quite happy with her day and was excited to see what their next stop had to offer, as well as speaking well of Akira, not that she thought Eleazar cared that much, but thinking that it would be beneficial for the young man that the new princess of Cravonid had such good things to say of him.

She didn't find herself overthinking Eleazar's actions the following days, accepting his silence and distance despite it all.

However, her habits were changing. She started dressing a bit more modestly, mostly out of the cold that seemed to grow greater with time, oand once they were warned about the storm that was approaching, it made sense as to why her spring-accustomed body was having such a difficult time adapting to the harsh weather. And yet she never complained.

Her handmaidens had made sure to tell her how good she looked in her new outfits, and she was thankful to hear it, as much as she wanted to argue and say she was more comfortable in different attires, she knew they were right, they had lived longer, and they wouldn't say anything for the sake of causing her trouble or harming her. Their advice was more convicing than her own opinion at times.


Malisia was now walking along the halls of castle Orenburg, at least those that were open for her access, she moved silently, the sound of her heels barely making any noise along the floor as she made her way across the castle. She was dressed in a long gown, a lovely pastel green dress with white accents, with short sleeves and a fitted bodice. and a large white bow is tied at the waist, with a skirt that flared out in an elegant A-line shape, reaching the floor.

She was deep in thought, not concerned, simply... Bored, she could ask for someone to accompany her and go to the city, but she wasn't in the mood for it at the moment. She was reminded that her parents had strictly told her handmaidens to be prepared to receive a letter from them after around a week from the wedding. That week had already passed, and the letter was nowhere to be found, it made her something in the back of her mind itch, she wanted to avoid the leaders of Valeskiar to arrive Cravonid again, at all costs. She could already hear her mother's constant complaining and judgement.


The princess shook such thoughts off her mind, and continued her exploration, wondering where Eleazar could've gone to now.
 
Duke Perovskia found the Princess first. He was walking through the hallways in his slow, methodical way, his wide, muscular body taking up a little over half of the hallway. He wore loose-fitting wool pants and a single wide band of intricately woven and colored dark red sash tossed over his shoulder but no shirt at all. The sash was wide enough it managed to hide a large portion of his chest, but not everything. The castle had been built for his kind, and the princess looked small inside it. Eleazar looked even smaller. Lost in his inner contemplations, it took a bit of time before the Duke noticed Malisia.

"Princess," he rumbled, slowing to a halt and dipping into a slow bow. "It is an honor to cross paths with you. Are you lost, Your Highness? I am willing to accompany you wherever you desire to go."
 
Malisia quickly shifted her attention to Duke Perovskia, a bit ashamed at the fact she hadn't noticed him either, regardless of how large the man was.

She greeted him with a bow as well, showing her best smile for the sake of politeness.


"Thank you- So much for the offer. I am not quite lost, simply a bit tired. I had a desire to stretch my legs a bit due to how long his Highness and I have been spending on the carriages. Speaking of whom... Do you happen to know where he's gone to? I won't go to him just yet- I simply desired to know if he was doing well."

The princess shook her head a bit, realizing she might've sounded more worried than she needed to.


"R-Regardless..." She cleared her throat. "I thank you greatly for being so kind to receive us for longer than expected. Your castle and city are quite grand and beautiful."
 
The duke sighed deeply as he thought. "I have not seen His Majesty recently," he finally said, "but I imagine he is doing well. He was never one for people, so I would be inclined to think this is taxing on him." He smiled, revealing just the tips of his tusks as he did so. "As it happens, I had hoped to speak with you. Lord Hearthrune, he whispered in my ear that you seek a certain feather. Yes?"
 
Malisia nodded as he spoke of Eleazar, it was obvious that his subjects were all well aware of the king's solitary habits. She decided not to comment on it too much of course, she wouldn't want anyone to think they were struggling to adapt to each other, or worse, regretting their choices.


Her eyes widened a bit, the feather, of course. She had nearly forgotten about it with all the moving that they had gone through the last few days. Her smile widened into something far more genuine, nodding eagerly.

"Yes. It is- A gift for his Highness. Do you happen to know where I could acquire one?"

She knew the answer was likely a yes, of course, he wouldn't have brought it up otherwise, but she wanted more information.
 
"I do happen to know this, yes," the Duke said happily. "There is a Roc that nested near here some time ago, and we have seen signs that mean it might be back. It is a little less than half a day's journey from here, thus if you wanted to go, you could be back by nightfall."
 
Malisia pondered. Nightfall, Eleazar often returned whenever it was time for a meal, she could skip a meal easily, and return for supper without rushing too much, that is of course, if she got ready quickly.

She didn't need to think for too long, of course.


"Well, the chance may never come again if I do not take it now." She said with a grateful smile. "Pardon my boldness... But I would like an escort to take me there. I am not yet familiar with the area, and sir Hearthrune has asked that I carry at least a guard or two on me whenever I go out in public."


The princess gently brushed away some wrinkles that had formed on her dress, thinking of how ridiculously dangerous what she was about to do was, was she really willing to risk herself to do something that Eleazar might not appreciate?

Of course, she was.


She had time to think about her feelings for Eleazar during the short time she spent away from him, and as much as there were still things that angered her, she truly and honestly loved him. Perhaps not yet in the romantic way she hoped for, but she appreciated him, his people, and even if she was indeed a product, she was still married to him.

He had gotten her out of the vicious cycle of going over and over, and over again to meet kings or their sons whom she had no interest in marrying or visceversa, of course, he didn't save her on purpose, not with those things in mind, but even then it was still something that roamed her mind at times.


"And please- Do not tell Lord Eleazar where I have gone. I would like it to be a surprise."
 
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