"Kyaaa, it's Princess Elisandre!"

The voices of two of the three noble girls cried out their delight practically in unison, but Violette simply sighed at the dramatic exaltation of her companions. Still, even she was eyeing the princesses, admiring the manner in which the elder Princess's dress shimmered in a manner unlike fabric should be capable of.

"Have you heard? Have you heard? They say an elven seamstress made her dress," exclaimed Tenessa eagerly, "And her jewelry was from the horde of a dragon!"

One of those rumors was far more likely than the other. It was true that Thaln's crown had originated from the horde of a dragon, recovered long ago when the winged terror laid slain, it was unlikely that the same held true for the jewelry that adorned the First Princess. Still, its quality could not be ignored.

"I heard it was dwarves," commented Angenese, laughing slightly at her friend's fanciful proposal andreplying with a considerably more likely one, "They're not very pretty themselves, but they can make beautiful jewelry."

"Maybe it was the dwarves who made it, and it was found in a dragon's horde?! Ah, ah, Sir Knight, have you ever seen a dragon?!"

Violette merely sighed once more, though her eyes still remained on the elder Princess.

[@HereComesTheSnow]

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"My, you flatter me, Sir Knight, Dame Serenity," the Princess replied, placing one hand to her chest, "But even royalty should respect the work of the brave souls who defend these lands."

Something about the way she spoke seemed almost pointed, but it was almost certainly not directed at anyone who was present.

"To be honest, I'm simply excited to meet the Iron Rose Knights," continued the Princess, "While you may be new to the Order, your history is storied to say the least! And you slew such a monstrous killer for the sake of our people so recently."

She paused a moment.

"Ah, forgive me," she commented, apologetically, catching herself before she became too excited, "It's simply that the last time I was in the presence of Knights of your order, I was quite small. Younger then dear Maletha is now."

She took another deep breath, in a bid to steady herself once again.

It was at this moment that Veilena took the opportunity given to her by Serenity to step forward.

"It's lovely to see you again, your highness," the young noblelady said, curtsying and bowing her head, "I was quite pleased when I received your invitation."

"Ah, Lady Cazt, I'm glad to hear it," the Princess smiled as she spoke, "I trust you haven't encountered any unpleasant behavior?"

"Of course not, your highness," Veilena replied, her voice growing just a little louder as she spoke, "After all, only [i]cowards[/i] would simply stand by and whisper in hushed voices at the presence of a guest invited by a member of the royal family. Anyone with [i]any[/i] self-respect would at least say such things to my face."

If the Princess understood the Cazt heir's intent, it didn't show on her features. But perhaps she simply intended as much.

The younger princess was far less talkative then her older sister, though she was peering up at the knights wordlessly as she stood by. The moment anyone looked in her direction, however, she was quick to avert her eyes. It was only when Sir Fionn knelt in front of her that she found herself looking directly at someone.

She was hesitant to respond for a few moments, glancing up towards her sister. But Maletha eventually slowly reached out with one hand.

"I-it's nice to meet you, Sir Knight," she said, speaking quite a bit more quietly then Elisandre, "My, there, um, certainly are a lot of guests tonight..."

[@ERode][@VahkiDane][@The Otter]

[@Raineh Daze][@Rune_Alchemist][@Psyker Landshark][@PigeonOfAstora][@Crimson Paladin][@Psychic Loser][@Richard Horthy]