Traveling for Politics

She bit back her sigh. Right. Today was the day she was to depart for her first ball outside of her kingdom. She stood, nodding as she smoothed her hands over the skirt of her dress. The garment was not the usual fashion she would wear to go out, but something simpler and meant for travel over long distances. It was still made of the finest silks and embroidered in elegant patterns with rare beads and shells from distant lands directly incorporated into the design. However, it was not one that would be considered appropriate in any political setting.

Those dresses were packed away in the large trunks that were already loaded on one of the carriages in the caravan awaiting her. Her lady-in-waiting assisted the Princess in pulling on her winter boots before leading her downstairs.

"You will do fine, Lady Amir," the servant encouraged softly as the two passed through an empty corridor. "I am certain of it." A smile crossed the Princess' lips.

"Thank you, Lyra," she responded. The lady-in-waiting returned the expression gently. The woman had been serving the Princess for most of the latter's life and always knew just what the Princess needed to hear.

Soon, the two were descending the steps into the main entry hall. Amir's eyes were drawn immediately to the strangers standing near the door with a small group of knights, apparently receiving some sort of speech or instruction from the Captain of the Order. On the other side of the kingdom from her destination, the knights had been busy fighting off an attempted invasion which the scouts had fortunately caught onto early. As a result, there were not as many of the guards available to accompany her as was standard protocol. After much debate, her father had finally consented to his advisor's suggestion and hired a group of mercenaries to fill in for the absent knights.

The group by the door must have been them.

They were all vastly different from one another, much less everyone the Princess had ever met. A young, lithe woman with a crossbow clad in long pants and a heavy cloak. Two identical men with large muscles, one with a great blade and the other a massive shield. Then, there was the last man...

Something about him drew her eyes magnetically. It could have been his black hair-- a color not common in Hisan. It could have been his heterochromia, one eye a piercing red and the other a glimmering gold. It could have been the scarf obscuring the lower half of his face, the ends worn from age, almost looking scorched in some places. It could have been the fact that he had no obviously visible weapons...

None of that felt right, however. It was not something physical. There was just something about his presence, at once intimidating, cold, distant and intriguing, warm, magnetic. While she stared at him in curiosity, he seemed to notice, his glance shifting in her direction, eyes immediately locking with her own. She jumped, flushing, but was unable to **** herself to look away.

Finally, she took the final step off of the stairs, following Lyra towards the front entrance.

"Ah, Your Highness," the Captain began, turning to face her with a polite smile. "You have impeccable timing. I would like to introduce you to your traveling companions for this journey." She nodded, coming to a halt at his side. She finally managed to shift her gaze as he indicated the archer. "This is Xia Ni; she is one of the best archers in the kingdom." The woman gave a bow as she was introduced. He turned towards the swordsman. "Egon Kempe; he has trained his entire life with heavy blades." The man bowed stiffly, as did his doppelgänger. "His brother, Vahan; he has spent just as long with great shields." Finally, it was him. "This is Luka; he has... many... talents..." The Captain's voice seemed forcibly relaxed, coming through clenched teeth. Apparently, he was not particularly pleased that Luka was present. After a moment, Luka gave a slight bow, his eyes not once leaving the Princess'.

"It is nice to meet you all," the Princess greeted with a slight, polite smile. After a moment of silence, another knight cleared his throat quietly.

"We will want to depart soon," he began, "so as to make some progress before night fall." Everyone present nodded. She bid Lyra and the Captain farewell before following the mercenaries and two of the knights out of the building, the final knight holding the door open and filing out behind her.

She so wished she could take a moment to enjoy the falling snow, but she was hurried into the center carriage, the door closed securely behind her. Her thoughts were quickly drawn away as she saw who was accompanying her in the carriage.

Luka.