As Dalton rounded the corner on his way to the Throne Room, he spotted Sir Albert approaching from the opposite direction. He halted his walk down the corridor and gave a brief nod of his head as his fellow knight stopped in front of him. Dalton listened attentively to what the man had to say but soon furrowed his brows when the older man's voice took on an amused tone. As Sir Albert finished, Dalton released another frustrated sigh. He seemed to have been doing that a lot today. [b][color=paleturquoise]"Thank you Sir Albert. I appreciate you taking the time to bring me that news. It will be an honor to be in charge of the Princess's riding lessons. Good day."[/color][/b] Dalton inclined his head in another nod and continued his walk down the hall. After he had rounded another corner, out of Albert's line of vision, he allowed himself to run a hand through his dark hair and close his eyes in exasperation. There were plenty of capable knights to teach her how to ride a horse. He appreciated his skill as a rider didn't go unnoticed but his duties as Captain already took up a lot of his time already. Recomposing himself, he knew there was no arguing against an order.

Ten minutes later, Dalton found himself bowing before the king for the second time that day. [b][color=paleturquoise]"Your Majesty. I come bearing news that the Princess has been shown to her chambers and is currently preparing herself for the banquet tonight."[/color][/b]

[b][color=lightslategray]"Ah, yes, very good! I also assume Sir Albert was successful in informing you of Princess Melanie's riding lessons?"[/color][/b] The king was jovial as always. Even more so than he usually was, Dalton realized. It must please him greatly that the kingdom finally had an heir to the throne. A notion that would put everyone's hearts at ease.

[b][color=paleturquoise]"Yes Your Majesty. If I may be excused?"[/color][/b] After receiving permission to leave, Dalton made his way outside to the Guards' Quarters. It took the next two hours to inform the troops of their formations for the banquet and to ensure everything was in place for tonight as far as securing the castle against any possible attempts to end the Princess's royal career prematurely. The guests were starting to arrive and fill the ballroom so Dalton took that as his cue to return to his own bedroom in order to get himself ready. It didn't take him long to change out of his armor and into his formal court uniform. His was different from what the other knights would be wearing as he would be escorting the Princess for the entirety of the evening festivities and therefore had to be a bit more presentable and prestigious. Not at all pleased with the harsh white of his uniform, much preferring darker colors, Dalton grimaced at his reflection in the mirror, gilded with the red and gold colors of the kingdom's crest and adorned with the symbol of his rank.

Fastening his sword to his belt, Dalton closed his bedroom door behind him with a soft click and made the short journey down the hall to the Princess's bedchambers. Standing tall and proud like a man of his rank should, he landed two swift knocks upon her door and waited. Hearing the call from within for him to enter, Dalton opened the door and almost immediately stopped dead in his tracks. No longer did he see a ragged coffee girl from town. Instead the girl who stood before him exuded a soft elegance worthy of her new title. A couple moments passed before he caught himself staring openly. Ashamed of his falter, Dalton quickly bowed and held his arm out for her. [b][color=paleturquoise]"If you are ready, Princess, it is time we made our way to the ballroom. The banquet shall be getting underway shortly."[/color][/b]