"I've made up my mind. I'll keep it hidden for now."

It was in that moment that Amalthea realized who Solomon really listened to. Hadn't she stayed by his side from the very beginning? Hadn't she been loyal to him even before she knew he'd become the Hero? Why did he always listen to that gutless, pathetic, worthless peasant whose only claim on him was some stupid life debt? That girl was nothing but trouble from the first minute she showed up. She once tried to kill them both, but [i]that's okay[/i], because she had that stupid hair and [i]rational[/i] ideas. Of course there was no way she might [i]possibly[/i] try to betray them all! Solomon probably trusted her because she was so [i]apologetic[/i] for having [i]murdered[/i] him and gave him puppy eyes. It probably wasn't even the puppy eyes. It had to be her body. There was no other explanation. The subtle elegance of her figure made Amalthea's pronounced curves and bountiful bosom look like an escort's. Seeing her executed for treason would be a pleasure.

The princess trailed her fingers along the hilt of her sword. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her cheeks reddened in anger. While she couldn't control those manifestations of her emotions, she fought with every fiber of her being to keep the rest of her body language neutral - and clamped her mouth shut.

[i]Just you wait.[/i]

Solomon continued. "While we are on our way to the kingdom, and maybe even after, depending on how this all goes, I'll start learning. Every weapon, skill, strategy, and... maybe even some magic. After I learned enough, after I help people, after I'm worth bearing this mark, I'll start showing it. For now, however, I haven't learned all that much yet, and I have no skills that show any difference between me and someone without the mark."

He chuckled, then added, "Please tell me one of you grabbed my shirt because I, for one, did not."

Rose smirked a little. "Any volunteers, princess?"

Amalthea ignored her. Rose shrugged. "Guess not. Here." She pulled off her own cloak and draped it over Solomon's back as they walked. "Sorry about that. We can get a new one when we reach town."

[hider=OOC Note]
It's a lousy hook to leave you on, I know, but it's past midnight and setting up the town will take several more paragraphs and just as many hours. I'll write up that part later.
[/hider]