[h3][color=00667c]Praeth[/color] & [color=ed145b]Nadia[/color][/h3]
Many solid steps echoed upon the cobblestone road leading to Shadow Worth. The spectacle of bridal collection was significant to both factions; accordingly, there were numerous Drakken and Gemminites traveling along the roads to and from Shadow Worth. Among them was a tall figure, tall even when compared to the Drakken people. The man stood in extremely imposing and heavy garbs; Steel guarded his torso and shoulders while he was shrouded in worn leather and thick linen. What was most imposing was the mask, only covering the upper portion of his head with what appeared to be two holes bored into the front, the lower half of his face was shrouded in the shadow of the cloak's high collar.
[hider=Armor]
[img]http://orig14.deviantart.net/ead4/f/2011/040/4/6/big_bad_knight_by_jeffsimpsonkh-d396opt.jpg[/img]
[/hider]

The large figure of the man was broad shouldered and towered over everyone around him, but at the same time, he could not be considered especially stout, appearing slightly more lean than heavily built. His steps were long, but his tempo was leisurely enough that most traffic passed by him with their eyes cast away, nobody dared make eye contact with such an overbearing presence.

This man went by the name Praeth. Although he had only recently made his debut as the only remaining Falkasius noble, the entirety of the Drakken faction knew his name. It was no lie to say that the entirety of the country believed he had somehow massacred the entirety of the increasingly powerful family. Debates surrounded his existence and rumors were only made more fierce as his very existence had seemed to appear from nothing. Without any evidence of where Praeth had originated from, or what his motives were, the majority of the Drakken race openly opposed his rise to power. The fact that he had managed to procure brides was only due to the fact that he had gained a great deal of power becoming the head of the extinct but wealthy Falkasius nobility.

Eventually, Preath arrived at the gate of the Shadow Worth. Given his appearance, the guards thought it only common sense to stop Praeth before he entered the hall filled with nobles.
"Halt! State your name, position, and purpose." The shorter of the two guards asked while they both held their spears to block his path.
[color=00667c]"Praeth"[/color] He failed to elaborate, but it would be no exaggeration to say that the imposing presence Praeth maintained nearly caused the Drakken guards' to flee.
"L-lord Praeth, by all means..." The guards made way, but did not welcome Praeth. If the guards had a say, they would not have allowed Praeth passage, but it was a rare occurence for the Drakken Court to push forward an edict to allow nobles a bride on such short notice. Thus, there was nothing to be done.

To solidify his position, he had decided the most straightforward way was brides, not only did they provide status, but offsprings to recreate a family of power. Praeth had arranged for a total of 3 brides. He was not picky, nor was he in any haste to leave with political strife closing in on all sides. Thus, he sent his one and only attendant to select 3 women. Praeth paid his attendant three times the amount of the standard payroll, thus, the attendant was extremely thorough. The brides were in Praeth's hastily assigned chamber, the corridor leading to his holding was barren compared to the other lords. Where nobility heavily guarded their own chambers, Praeth's was guarded only by his attendent. The attendent himself had brought all three of the brides and watched over them with a stern eye, food had been provided while they awaited the Lord's arrival.

Finally, Praeth had arrived, and he softly opened the door without a word, simply sharing a knowing glance with his attendant before the man left the room, leaving Praeth alone with the three brides.

Nadia had spent the time since the choosing trying not to cry. She missed her family and their house in the woods, and being around so many strangers made her even more scared. She had not said anything to anyone since she last saw her parents, had not even spoken to the other Gem girls who had been chosen with her. She had been sitting in a chair by the door when she saw it open and a Drakken stepped in. Running a finger under her eye quickly to make sure that she had not shed any tears she stood and walked over to where the other two girls were standing.

The attendant closed the door behind him and an oppressive silence followed the sounds of the shutting door while Praeth simply looked the brides over, eventually offering forth a subtle nod and began taking off his armor. He unclasped his cloak, letting it fall to the floor as he took off his mask, revealing sharp, but hardened features. Although he had revealed his face, it almost seemed even more difficult to read his emotions following the removal of his mask. Grabbing the chair Nadia has just been sitting on, Praeth spun it around and sat on it, although his eye level remained slightly above those of the brides. His eyes finally wandered to appraise his chamber. It was spartan to say the least as he had not taken anything in preperation. His wealth currently was by no means less than that of other nobles, he merely lacked the experience or manpower to import anything into the solitary room beyond a few beds, a table, a handful of chairs, and a few light fixtures. After a long and terrifying silence, Praeth finally parted his lips.
[color=00667c]"I will make one thing clear to the three of you. One: you are, and from now on, will be mine, do as I say and our relationship will be fairly pleasant. Now, I will begin with myself. My name is Praeth, nothing more, nothing less. My history is complicated and perhaps it can be postponed for another day."[/color] Praeth looked towards Nadia, she seemed to be the most meek, as well as the smallest of the three, [color=00667c]"What about you, little one? What is your name? Tell me a little bit about yourself."[/color] Praeth's mannerism of speech was heavily accented, it did not sound Drakkonian either, it was as if his tongue was heavily weighted with numerous languages, to the point that he had no discernable accent but a prominent one nonetheless.

As Praeth introduced himself, Nadia found herself wondering where his accent was from, as she had never heard one like it before. She was not left to wonder long however, as he seemed to single her out to introduce herself next. As a sort of reflex, she looked at the ground between herself and him as she spoke, although at first she was so quiet she could barely hear herself. She repeated her name a few times until she had managed to find an audible volume, and continued from there. [color=ed145b]I'm Nadia Parnel. I- I like the woods, and quiet."[/color] She was silent a moment, wondering what else to say or do until she remembered her manners. [color=ed145b]"It is, nice to meet you."[/color]

Praeth listened without a change in his features, until the very end, his eyes widening slightly before he releases a low chuckle. [color=00667c]"I have never heard of a Gemminite greeting a Drakken properly after having just been chosen to be taken from their families. Either you are far too gracious of me, or far too ignorant in what exactly is happening to you right now."[/color] He finished with something more of a kindly tone than a scoffing one despite his words. Shifting in his seat, Praeth stood back up with his hands behind his back, examining Nadia before kneeling before her, [color=00667c]"Perhaps it is out of pure curiousity, but would you care to show me your power? Of course, do not fear hurting me, go all out, I have yet to experience the extent of Gemminite magic..."[/color] Praeth's eyes lit up at the idea of experiencing something new, pleased with having the oppurtunity before him.

Nadia took a step back as Praeth suddenly kneeled before her, bringing himself to the same eye level as her. She listened as he spoke, trying to bring herself to look at his face at least. She didn't want to be rude, but she couldn't manage it. [color=ed145b]"I- even if you do not think you will get hurt, I'd rather not. My element is fire, and while I am capable of handling it on my own, I do not wish to chance losing control of it and hurting myself or anyone else here."[/color] She spoke softly and hoped he would not get angry at her for denying him.

Praeth nodded sagely, [color=00667c]"If you are not yet comfortable with your abilities, I will not be so savage as to force your hand. Although if I was unable to quell an elemental fire attack from one so young as you, I believe my esteem would take a rather fatal blow."[/color] He had a slight curve of the lips upward, righting himself from his kneeling position. [color=00667c]"You are to do as your told, even if you don't think it a good idea. We will work on it over time, but today I will take the policy of leniency for the sake of introductions." [/color]Praeth said, turning towards the right of Nadia, Praeth faced Araxie next, his soft smile remaining,[color=00667c] "I suppose it is your turn next, my dear~."[/color]