Asher was not pleased with his current situation. In the chaos that had been the last few days, the prince had forgotten all about the fact that he had a ball to attend. It had been made painfully clear that his attendance would be required, as his father had promised that he would drag him in chains if the prince refused to come quietly. So here he was, dressed in [url= http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/object/142/14290371/Eternal-Poison_Olifen.jpg]ridiculous attire[/url] that restricted his movement and a [url=https://img1.etsystatic.com/055/0/8999364/il_570xN.728316085_p8or.jpg]gaudy crown[/url] that weighed heavily on his brow. But the one thing that bothered him the most was the fact that he did not have Balmung by his side, as it apparently wasn't proper for royalty to come to a peaceful event armed. For the past two years Asher had kept the blade on his person at all times, but now he could truly appreciate just how naked he felt without it. Unfortunately, all he could do was suck it up and resolve to never allow such an event strip him of it again.

His father’s stern warning pulled him away from his thoughts. A brief nod was the only response Asher gave the king, as he had to fight the urge to scoff at the idea of enjoying himself at such an occasion and the very notion that he would ever let his guard down was borderline insulting. Nevertheless, as the doors opened even the sour prince had to appreciate the locale. Between the exquisite ballroom and the tasteful orchestra in the background, the place somehow managed to appeal to the tastes of denizens of the Dark and the Light. The smallest of all smirks worked its way into his expression as he couldn’t help but wonder just how much time and effort had gone into all of this.

The two had barely made it through the door before being confronted by a man that could have only been the King of Light. As the two stared each other down for an agonizing few seconds, Asher’s sword hand twitched ever so slightly, as if trying desperately to reach for the hilt of his sword. [i][color=slategray]’Forget about what is proper, never again am I leaving it behind,’[/color][/i] he vowed silently to himself once more. But when the two kings embraced like the brothers that they were, those thoughts all but vanished. Asher had been the king’s son for 24 years and for the life of him he couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen his father hug someone, much less smile so honestly. Truthfully, he couldn’t even feel anything other than surprise at how warm his father was acting, which in turn was making it took a great deal of effort to keep the astonishment from sneaking into his expression. Yet he knew that at the very least that his eyes would give him away to any vigilant observer.

The King of Light turned his attention to the woman with red hair by his side. Asher couldn’t help but blink several times, trying to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him, as he recognized the creature. Her dress suited her much more than the prince cared to admit and there was something different about how she carried herself that was markedly different from their last few encounters. Their eyes met for the briefest of instances, an innocent act that if he didn't known better he would have thought was responsible for making his heart skip a beat. [i][color=slategray]’What in the love of Darkness is going on with you?'[/color][/i]

His question would be left unanswered for the time being, as his head jerked slightly in his father’s direction at the sound of genuine pride in his voice. For as long as he could remember, Asher had chased after that kind of praise, but rarely did the king ever voice such a thing out loud or in front of others. It was almost embarrassing for him to listen to his father speak that way of him, but thankfully a small tinge of surprise was all others would see. The internal turmoil was thankfully settled not even a few seconds after his father introduced him. [color=slategray]”It’s an honor to meet you, my lord,”[/color] he said to the King of Light, every bit the confident and gracious  prince he was expected to be. But inwardly, he couldn’t help but wonder how the king felt about seeing him, the very demon that not even a few days ago was responsible for attacking his kingdom and kidnapping his daughter, here in the flesh. Had their roles been reversed, it would have taken Asher a great deal of restraint to resist the urge to liberate the other’s head from their shoulders. 

The prince hadn’t even been in the damned ballroom for more than five minutes and the amount of emotions he had been subjected to was already enough to make him want to fidget nervously. [i][color=slategray]’Wine,'[/color][/i] he concluded sagely, [i][color=slategray]’Wine is how I’m going to get through this night.'[/color][/i]  

[@Ace of flames01]