[IC] A Journey for Peace

[Alfbie]

The more Kiara talked, the more inwardly excited Lamont became. Why hadn't he thought of doing this sooner? Now that the idea had presented itself, he felt foolish for overlooking such a simple thing. It would be a perfect way to really get to know his people.

"I'm not so sure about taverns," he said a little cautiously, remembering a time when a few of his brothers had convinced him to go out with them. After getting over the crowds, the rude patrons, and the awful-tasting ale, Lamont vaguely remembered having one of the best nights of his life... followed by two truly awful days in which his hangover had left him confined to his bed and unable to hold down even water. His heart ached at the memories -- it was one of the few times he had felt close to any of his brothers and they had learned that they were more alike with similar interests than any of them knew. Even while enduring his hangover, they had been sympathetic to Lamont instead of cruel because of all the fun they had together the night before. He would never create moments like those again. He wished he had more time to try to get to know the siblings that had teased him all his life.

Lamont tried to force those bittersweet memories from his mind. "I'm not sure what I want to do," he said. "I simply want to observe and mimic -- see where the day takes us. Browse the markets, eat commoner food, partake in various commoner activities. How do they spend their free time when they're not working?

"You and I will share breakfast tomorrow morning. We'll tell my parents that we will be spending time together around the castle, which will primarily be true. They'll probably have bodyguards accompany us -- I can bribe them off easily enough. We'll put on our disguises and have some fun. Does that sound like a plan to you?"

[Arrayah]

For several minutes, Kiara was quiet as she stared at the blooming petals in front of her. It was strange that someone could be in such a similar situation to her own, and yet be so different from her. It was obvious that Lamont longed to be someone different than what their life was forcing them to be. He would have fit in well in Astora where as she would have been more at home here. At least in their interests. Even his own parents had accepted her more readily when they had learned of her weapons experience. Here what she loved was valued. This helped to ease the terrible feeling in her gut caused by the hatred of the people in Berinike.

Even so, Kiara doubted she would be happy here if she was still royalty, for that was what really caged her. It was not the disappointment her mother held towards her because she was not more feminine, or the frustration she received when her tutors learned she was not very talented at sewing or anything of the like. It was that she could not even leave her home without tricking the people she was closest to. It was that she was forced to shove her entire being deep down where even she could barely see it.

It was something she thought Lamont may be able to understand.

Instead of voicing these thoughts, though, she just nodded and spoke quietly, her mind still elsewhere. "Yes, that sounds fine to me. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that we are doing something together, regardless of what it is. I'll have to take some time. Hiding my race is much harder than disguising my status, but I'm sure I can do it."

[Alfbie]

Lamont regarded Kiara for a moment, almost bashfully. It was true that he wasn't used to interacting with a fairer-skinned Astorian, but he could not imagine Kiara any other way. In some ways her red hair and light skin made him compare her to a walking flame -- brilliant to behold, her presence a helpful blessing to end this war as a fire was to chase away the chills, but dangerous to touch, yet he was expected to somehow handle her, control her... if he didn't, she'd be like a wildfire, out of control, just as his father feared... Still, her appearance suited her. He considered himself merely a hunk of dried wood -- useless except to fuel the fire, either just enough to be comforting or too much.

Lamont smiled ruefully to himself. He didn't want to think about how he would control Kiara, though he felt certain it would be a topic of conversation his father would force him in a bit closer to the wedding. It was easier, and possibly more fun, to be on equal ground with Kiara right now. He barely knew her, but getting to know her little nuances, how she thought, and how she acted was so far more interesting than most of the books he read. What would they encounter on the streets of the capital city dressed as commoners? Would they be swept up by drama between peasants? Would they be taken by a grand adventure across town? Would the find espionage and intrigue in the alley shadows? It was exciting just to think about the possibilities, the repercussions never once crossing his mind.

"Do you intend to use magic to aid you in your disguise?" Lamont asked, genuinely curious now about Kiara's process of hiding her skin. Astora was always better-versed in magic, Lamont curious if they all knew a little spell work. Perhaps she'd merely wrap herself in a cowl, but that wasn't nearly as interesting to imagine as a bit of magic...

[Arrayah]

A deep blush colored Kiara's cheeks as soon as the word magic was used. Another thing she was always disappointing her mother in. It was said that long ago when the Astoran's allowed the elves to live in the country as equals, they brought magic with them. The royal family were the first to learn, and therefore were supposed to be very skilled at it. Later, it was also taught to the people, though some secrets still stayed with the Astoran nobles. Magic showed a great intelligence or wisdom to the people in her country, as not everyone could learn. It was not very well known that she was absolutely terrible at it. Like anything that required patience and thinking - besides her bow and arrow - Kiara had a hard time with spells and enchantments. Her mother was convinced that it was because she did not want to learn, but the princess was sure that it was more because she was not meant for it. Fate, destiny, whatever it was called had led her to this place, and perhaps it was the reason she was born to be who she was: terrible at everything associated with Astora.

As always, she kept these thoughts to herself as the blush finally calmed and her skin returned to its normal color. "No. I will not be using magic. I uh..." Should she tell him about her failure at it? He might understand, after all, since he was not very skilled with a weapon. Kiara shook her head lightly, deciding against it. She might very well need him to think that she could burn him to a crisp one day.

"You men and your imaginations. You're missing the most obvious and easiest way to disguise yourself: makeup. I can easily shade my skin. I might even dye my hair if I don't feel like wearing the scarf around it. The eyes will be harder, but I suppose if everything else looks right, most people won't notice them, yes?" Her laughter was barely audible as she continued to think of what she would do in the morning to get ready for their 'adventure'. It was always entertaining that men never knew what a little paint could do on someone. Normally, Kiara would not be caught dead in any kind of beauty product - at least not anymore - but this was an exception. Everything had its uses, though she was sure no one had done this before.

[Alfbie]

A little taken aback, Lamont wondered why Kiara was blushing. Had he said something wrong? Had he offended her? He knew he wasn't supposed to care, he wasn't supposed to be here alone with her like this, he wasn't supposed to be talking with her. This wasn't the plan. The plan was to keep to himself until the wedding day, and then...

But here he was, unable to stop staring. Lamont found her endearing this way, a delicate flower instead of a flame, though he had no desire to continue to embarrass her.

her haughtiness returned and Lamont sighed, finding himself being made a fool. As soon as she mentioned makeup he inwardly berated himself for his oversight. Of course she would use makeup, it was probably easier to apply and handle than a spell. He was the the one that blushed now, taking a step away as he pretended to find greater interest in the leaves of a bush. "Well, I certainly hope you manage to find this makeup, for you'll need a lot of it." He visibly winced at his tone; he didn't mean to sound quite so snooty. He was a little annoyed, but not angry. Yet, as he stole an almost-startled glance her way, he couldn't bring himself to apologize. Why? It was just a comment about makeup. He certainly didn't know where to find it. Berinike men didn't wear it, and his brothers used to tease him enough about how "frail" and "girly" he looked, the most effeminate of the princes. He didn't look that frail, that girly, did he?

"I must do some research for my own costume," he commented in an effort to gloss over his slip in attitude. "I suspect a typical peasant doesn't dress quite like I do."

[Arrayah]

Just as Lamont did, Kiara too winced at the tone his words took when he responded to her. Here she was, trying to get along with him as best as she possibly could. She'd tried her best to be respectful, kind, and not nearly as outspoken as she usually was and it had gotten her nowhere. Still he felt the need to treat her as if she knew nothing, as if she was nothing. It didn't matter if it wasn't how he meant things to come off, it was certainly how she was feeling. It was that final straw that had her flying off the handle. She'd been dealing with glares and insults since she had walked through the city gates. More so, she had almost been killed just to get here, and he felt it was okay to act as if he were better than her? While he sat in his library and pretended none of it happened?

Just as it often had with Ostus, her skin tinted red in anger. It was a problem with the people of her country. It was so hard to hide embarrassment, anger, sickness, any extreme emotion really. The color of the skin was affected by most of them.

When she snapped at him, her skin was still as bright as her temper, "No. I don't suppose they do. I don't suppose anyone dresses quite like you do except maybe your pretentious family." She did not mention that what she was wearing was the simplest dress she could find and even it was a bit too much for her. She also did not mention that the nobles in Astora were every bit as gaudy, if not more so. Instead, she only continued to rant.

"Have you ever even seen your people? Interacted with them? Or do you just sit in your secluded library and pretend they do not exist, that no one but yourself is alive in the world? How selfish of you." Kiara took one last look at the garden before she stomped away, barely slowly to call behind her. "I will meet you tomorrow. I expect you to learn just what is wrong with your appearance before then."

[Alfbie]

Lamont's jaw tensed. He stepped to squarely face her, glaring her directly in the eye; he had dealt with this brothers long enough to at least stand up for himself in stature. The words Kiara said instantly had him angry; Kiara the flame was back and he would not be burned!

This was easier said than done. Looking ready for a fight was one thing, but talking was quite another. His mind fumbled with the what to say, grasping for something that would sting, something that would lash back at Kiara's comment with equal ferocity. Why, oh why did he always say the wrong thing when he didn't mean to but could never say the right thing when he wanted to? By the time he had come up with a half-way decent retort, the princess was already halfway across the garden.

Lamont gritted his teeth and looked away, never able to voice his retort. He had it coming, and he knew it. It wasn't the first time he was called selfish, weak, or cowardly, but hearing it still hurt. Of course he had seen his people! He just... never bothered to pay close attention to how they dressed. And pretentious family! This from an Astoran! Anyone from that country typically made the finest Berinike warrior look like a country bumpkin, so to call his family, especially his father pretentious... This was what had gotten Lamont the most fired up, but here he was, stuck with his frustration.

As usual.

If he wasn't careful, all that pent-up anger would get the best of him.

He strode away, doing his best to swallow his wounded pride and the anger clawing to get out. He decided to retreat to the library, the very thing Kiara scolded him for. To hell with that she thought of him. Perhaps he'd get around to that disguise later in the evening...

~~

Lamont was not present for breakfast the following morning, which did not seem to surprise King Hugo at all and had Queen Alexis curious.

"My son told me just this morning that the two of you would be spending some time together today," she said mildly when Kiara arrived for breakfast, pinning her with a careful gaze, "but as per usual, he isn't here. I refuse to send a servant out with food for him this time. I'm at half a mind to lock that library up."

"Or burn it to the ground," Hugo grunted as he slurped back a fried egg. "Would do that boy some good."

[Arrayah]

It was a very long night for the princess. It took her too many servants to find the makeup that she needed, and even more to find her way back to her room. There were too many glares, too many whispered insults, but worse were the people who just ignored her. It wasn't something she was used to being so unwelcome in a place. Even when she had been pretending to be a peasant, everyone had welcomed her with open arms.

When she finally did make it back to her room, her anger knew no bounds. Things were thrown, broken, and bruised. After all, Kiara had never wanted to be in this place. If she were anyone else, she would have probably left already. No one wanted her here, no one respected her, and no one even treated her as a human. Just when she was beginning to think that maybe Lamont would, he too had acted as though she were beneath him because of her gender. Then there was the fact that the one person she felt close to, the one person she wanted with her to share all this with, would never want to see her again by her own doing.

Most of her morning was spent cleaning up the mess she had made knowing it would be wrong to let anyone else do it. When she finally finished, Kiara spent the rest of it getting ready for the breakfast she would be attending. It took too much work to look the way she should have the day before: hair curled and pulled up into some intricate style, a large dress that she could barely move in, corset pulled tight, but most importantly, the nice shoes that clicked with every step she took. Kiara was hoping if she looked proper enough, the King and Queen would excuse any rudeness from her, and perhaps ignore the dark circles under her eyes from the sleepless night.

It wasn't really a surprise to her that Lamont had not shown up to the breakfast even though he had said he would. It was obvious now that the effort they had made before was all for naught. It didn't matter. Kiara would be going into the city with or without him. If the Berinike were to be her people one day soon, she wanted to get to know them just as she had gotten to know her own.

Her voice was tired, annoyed as she responded under breath barely even caring if his parents could hear her, "Good riddance. I hope he stays in there as it burns."

[Alfbie]

The room was such so that every clank of a fork against a plate, every word spoken, ever soft footstep was amplified a little. This, combined with the quiet of having only two other people at the table, meant that the king and queen most certainly heard Kiara's comment.

Both paused mid-bite of their food, staring at her in stunned shock.

Alexis was the first to recover. "I hope you don't mean that," she said, at once flustered. "I hope you are not serious about burning any part of this house, especially with anyone trapped nearby." She turned to her husband. "Do you think she's serious?"

King Hugo pinned Kiara with such a penetrating stare that he needed no words to express what he would do to her if she truly did try to harm Lamont. "Of course she isn't serious," he remarked to his wife, though he never pulled his gaze from Kiara, "are you, princess Kiara? Because if you are, the repercussions of your actions would ripple throughout both countries for centuries to come." He took a sip from his goblet. "I'm sure Kiara and Lamont are merely quarreling. What has my son done this time -- or more accurately hasn't done -- to displease you, princess? It is time Lamont learn of his responsibilities not only as future king but as a husband."

[Arrayah]

Another under the breath comment, "Why would I be joking?"

Then she raised her voice and spoke sweetly, hoping to erase the damage she'd done. "Of course I'm not serious. I understand why we are all here and what we are trying to do. Obviously, hurting your son would not benefit that goal."

It was quiet for a few minutes while she stared at her food, seething. She did not want to answer the King's questions because certainly it would just cause another reaction like the one to her earlier comment. Kiara had never been one for court politics, and with the very little sleep she was running on, she had even less patience for them than usual.

Even so, she opened her mouth to respond. Her tone was the same as before, though her words were not. "It's hilarious to me that you should act as if you care how he treats me. I'm sure that he has done nothing that you would not approve of, of course, besides the fact that he has not yet arrived to this farce of a meal." She looked up now, her eyes cold as she stared right at the man who had caused so much death in her country.

"I don't see why we should pretend that I don't know what you want from me and what you want from your son. I'm supposed to be a meek little wife that can be controlled, lest I use my voice to destroy your precious country. Sorry to disappoint, but it will never happen."

And then, for just a moment, her eyes softened. "But Prince Lamont may yet live up to your expectations. He is considering learning to fight, just as you wish."

[Alfbie]

King Hugo did not miss the meaning of Kiara's words despite her sugary-sweet tone. He locked eyes with her, refraining from taking another bite of his food, all attention on her. The color on his face deepened as anger slowly settled in, his eyes narrowed dangerously, and the queen looked on between the two, her eyes gleaming in interest.

Kiara's last comment derailed him. His expression faltered for a split second, registering surprise, before snapping back to the resolve of a steely warrior king. "I'll believe it when I see it," he remarked coldly. "Let me make a few things clear with you, princess. You are correct -- we probably shouldn't take up pretenses. You are useless to us until you wed our son Lamont, produce an heir, and raise that heir to eventually take the throne. Until then you are a royal hostage. Your family knew this when they agreed to have you wed to my son. Nothing was sugar-coated for them. I didn't like the idea any more than they did, but we all agreed that this was a better solution than seeing more of our people die. War is tiring for even the best of us, and we are all very tiring indeed.

"Lamont doesn't need a meek, compliant wife. Right now, you show more promise of being an effective ruler than he does. However, I will not have our customs, traditions, and culture snuffed out by whatever Astoran sentiments you decide to bring into this castle. I don't expect you to grovel at my son's feet because how you feel about each other does not matter in the grand scheme of things. You will, however, comply to my orders and the Berinike way. You will learn, you will assimilate, and if you don't agree to that, then I can treat you as a hostage ought to be treated by locking you in a dungeon until the wedding."

With that, he rose from his chair, it scraping obnoxiously against the floor, and strode away, abandoning the rest of his breakfast.

Queen Alexis eyed Kiara with a neutral, almost haughty gaze. "How did you do it?" she remarked. "How are you getting Lamont to listen to you when he has outright defied us his whole life?"

[Arrayah]

It took every single ounce of self control in her body to keep Kiara from laughing at the though to him trying to keep her prisoner. It was true, that he could certainly lock her up and put guards on her, but Hugo obviously did not know all of the skills she possessed, particularly her ability to escape most any cage. He was also forgetting that while Ostus may very well hate her at the moment, he was sworn to protect not only her country, but her as well. Kiara wasn't alone in that sense, though she might have seemed it.

What was even more amusing, though, was that he thought he could force her into acting a certain way. Not even her own mother could do that. Perhaps if Kiara had been scared of the King, it would be different, but she wasn't. Instead, the thought of him as a kind of bully, and there was no way she would bow to his whims. Soon she would rule. He would do well to remember that. Besides, there was the fact that Astora still existed and she was still it's princess. How could he justify not changing the Berinike way and then turn around and ask her to change? If she were to let go of her Astoran heritage, what would that say to her people?

Nope. Kiara would not be changing for this King or any other. She had no intention of turning Berinike into Astora, and so she would not allow him to change her or her country. It was a matter of principle. As she told Lamont earlier, the two countries needed to accept each other, not continually try to force the other to act the same way.

And then there was the very true fact that she was much more prepared to rule a country (or in this case two) than Lamont. Kiara suspected this was because he had grown up with many older brothers who were obviously higher in line than him. He hadn't really been expected to take the throne until all his brothers were dead, and he was a bit too old to properly prepare. Kiara, on the other hand, was an only child. She was the sole heir, and had been taught to rule her entire life, though she blundered through most of her lessons. The difference between Lamont and her was more simple than that, however. She had known since the moment she'd been born that she would rule her country. Lamont had only known the moment his last brother lost his life.

When Alexis spoke, Kiara turned her eyes from the King's retreating figure, a bit surprised. It was probably the very first thing that the Queen had said that did not have some underlining malice, though her tone was still haughty as she spoke.

Her head tilted, and her voice spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Because I don't judge him for his choices. I simply told him that I was worried for his safety and wished he would learn to defend himself sufficiently. He agreed to try to train with my guard." The last part wasn't exactly true. He had agreed to it, but that was before he had heard Kiara's description of Ostus. Either way, he'd agreed to train with someone.

[Alfbie]

Queen Alexis frowned, her mood darkening. Though she was impressed that Kiara was somehow getting through to her stubborn son, she didn't like the tone Kiara used to explain herself, as though she and her husband were fools and interacting with Lamont was simple. She loved Lamont; he had always been her favorite, but he had always been a difficult boy. "You think neither of us haven't tried pleading with him to take up arms for his safety?" she snapped, annoyed. "You don't think that, after watching my other sons die one by one, that I haven't begged him to find some way to protect himself? Every day I wonder if this will be the day that I lose all of my children. I wonder if some assassin will come sneaking in and carry out my worse fear. Lamont is never seen without a guard, but I wish he could do more to protect himself. It's almost as if he wants to die..." She trailed off, not wanting to even think about that.

Instead, the queen attempted to compose herself; she straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and picked up her knife and fork, pulling her gaze from Kiara to her food. "There must be some other reason he agreed to train," she commented haughtily, "some reason he won't admit to you. Perhaps he is enchanted by your exotic features; I have counted my blessings that he hasn't been smitten by some strange peasant girl, but it had also worried me that he did not seem interested in anyone." She paused to take a bite of her food, chewing thoughtfully. "Whatever the reason for his compliance to you, I am glad." This was as close to a 'thank you' as the woman was willing to give. "Now I wish he was taken enough by you to enjoy breakfast. You should eat, take some food to Lamont, then enjoy your day here at the castle; I'll send a servant to your needs. Tomorrow begins your lessons to acquaint yourself with Berinike customers, culture, history, law, and politics. You might as well enjoy yourself now; you have a great deal to learn."

[Alfbie]

((double post,awesome))

[Arrayah]

It was less what the Queen had said, and more that she had said it at all that surprised Kiara. It was obvious that the King and Queen cared for their son, but Kiara knew it was not the only reason they wanted him to fight. As Hugo had said the previous day, they also urged him because it was the "Berinike way." She suspected that this was part of the reason Lamont rebelled against learning. That, and perhaps he was just not very good at it. Kiara knew that whenever she failed at something, it was much too hard to keep trying.

And then there was the fact that every one of his brothers had died despite all of their training. That didn't seem very encouraging. It was a sad fact that sometimes fighting skills couldn't keep you alive, and sometimes you didn't need them to keep from dying. It was a strange world, but even so, the ability to use a weapon was useful. For Kiara, her bow and arrow training had served as a way to calm herself, as well as protect. This was why she had been so devastated the day she learned she may never be able to lift one again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Queen's comment about her "exotic" looks, and Kiara found herself rather offended. And then she added the part about falling for a peasant girl, and a small gasp left the princess's lips before she could stop it because that was almost exactly what she had done, despite her better judgement. She'd just been about to excuse herself, to hide the blush that was creeping into her cheeks when the Queen practically thanked her and sent her away.

The idea of her taking food to Lamont was despicable. There was no reason for it when he had two good legs that he could use to walk to the room they were eating in, still, it gave her a reason to leave and escape the Queen's perceptive gaze. So, without touching her own, she packed up a plate and began the walk to the library that she suspected he was in, fully planning on throwing the food right in his face.

[Alfbie]

Lamont was not at the library. In fact, without him there, the place was empty; Berinike people were more hands-on learners.

Lamont was not at his quarters, either.

He was, however, outside at the garden waiting for Kiara, but he didn't look like a prince at all. With as much casual grace as he could muster, he gripped a rake, idly raking leaves and weeds to and fro in a circle around him. Most gardeners knew to collect the mess into a single pile. Lamont, however, merely kept scattering and pushing the dried leaves around, not really accomplishing anything aside from keeping busy.

He wore a simple long-sleeved tunic, burgundy in color, with a fraying collar and sleeves. This was accompanied by tanned trousers and simple boots. A grey bowl hat hid the long, silken strands of his hair and cast a slight shadow over his face, but it looked odd compared to the rest of his attire. The tunic and pants looked far too clean and pressed, the boots obviously new, his hands smooth and callous-free, fingernails clean, and face clean-shaven. Any close observer could tell that he wasn't a common peasant -- or at least he was a very clean one, but he would blend in well in a crowd or at a distance.

It had taken him most of the night to procure this costume; it was difficult letting his servants know what he wanted without giving away what he was trying to do. His bodyguards knew -- of course they did, it was their job to know what Lamont was up to, but he had paid them to silence before, and it was no less effective this time around. Sometimes he had wondered if some of his brothers would still be alive if their bodyguards were more dedicated to their jobs.

Now was not the time to be thinking about such things, however. His empty stomach complained in gurgles, his eyelids drooped in threat of staying closed for a few hours... Was Kiara coming? Perhaps he should have attended breakfast after all. What if she was still waiting for him? Despite all that had transpired yesterday, he had been far too excited to drop their plan now, yet he had a nagging feeling that perhaps the princess was upset enough to have changed her mind...

[Arrayah]

Kiara had looked everywhere. The library. His bedroom. Every hallway and room in between. She hadn't even really known why she had been looking. It wasn't as if she cared whether he ate or not. Perhaps she had actually been looking forward to making the trip into town together? No. Of course not. Not with him. Maybe if it had been... Kiara would not think of him. Neither of them. One she had sent away, and the other had obviously decided he had something better to do. She would be fine on her own.

The princess made her way back to her own room and started with disguising her looks. It had taken almost as long as getting ready for breakfast, but the end result had been much different. Now, instead of her normally tanned skin, Kiara emerged from her room with a caramel complexion. The curls that fell around her face were no longer a fiery scarlet, but a deep auburn that looked dark brown when she stepped out of the sunlight. Looking in the mirror had certainly been... interesting. It was almost as if she were a completely different person, but there was one thing that remained.

Just as she had the night she'd left home, Kiara reached a hand out to touch the eyes she saw reflected back at her in the mirror. They were still a light gray, but more so... they were still as lost and broken as the day she'd begun her journey. Yes, at least she still had her eyes.

She was wearing the same peasant's dress that she had been when she arrived at the Kingdom the day before as she made her way through the garden. Though the green around her tried its very best to calm the anger boiling inside her, it failed. In a very unladylike fashion, she let out a loud yell, kicking the leaves the gardner had been making into a pile. It was hard to say why she was so furious. Then again, Kiara had not known what had caused her outburst the night before either.

After several moment, her breathing returned to normal along with her emotions. And, unsurprisingly, Kiara immediately felt awful for the work she'd created for the man in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I'll help to clean this up, if you-" she had started to apologize, but then... she'd recognized the man underneath the common clothing.

"Lamont?"

[Alfbie]

Lamont hadn't recognized Kiara at first. His mind was wandering as he pondered if he should drop the disguise and go look for the princess. Every moment that passed convinced him more and more that she was mad enough at him to drop their plan, that he really ought to step forward and apologize, perhaps. Why else wouldn't she be down here by now? It was already well after the agreed-upon time to meet, and he was starting to get tired of doing this yard work. They did have a gardener for this very thing, after all.

Just as he turned to head back into the castle, a peasant girl let out a yell and thoughtlessly kicked at the leaves he had just raked together. His eyes widened in stunned surprise before narrowing in anger. "What do you think you're doing?" he snapped. "I worked hard getting this pile together, and you up and undo it all, just like that!" He sneered. "What is someone like you doing out here anyway? I don't remember our gardener being a woman. Shouldn't you be back inside the castle? What is your official duty anyway?"

Instead of answering with a job title, the girl answered with his name. Lamont blinked, surprised once again, wondering how this peasant girl came to know his name...

That's when he noticed the shape of her face, took note of the way she spoke, and noticed those eyes... how could he forget those grey eyes?

"Kiara?" he murmured back, any remaining trace of anger melting away to astonishment. He squinted before he broke into a wide grin. "It is you!" he gushed quietly, taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching before dropping the rake to take both of her hands in his. "Your disguise..." He gaze ran appreciatively down her form and back up again, "It's quite good! I almost didn't recognize you! You almost look like one of us. Anyway, I'm so glad you decide to meet me here after all. Come, we have no time to lose." He began to lead her eagerly towards the outer side gate that would lead them into the city proper. He let go of one of her hands to check his pocket; yes, the key for the gate was still there. "I've been thinking so much about all the places I want to discover with you through the guise of a commoner. I want to stroll the market square and purchase something. I want to visit a tavern. I want to find some sort of street play or performance, if there is any." He began to rattle of his list of things to do, his entire demeanor aglow in his excitement to spend a unique day outside of the castle with Kiara. He forgot at once about how he behaved earlier and it certainly did not cross his mind to apologize.