Crown Prince Niall Collins
Location: Palace Ballroom/ Courtyard
"Mother, really we needn't be so decadent with the decorations. We have nothing to prove during the ball tomorrow, absolutely nothing. You mustn't fret so much over things like this, it will grey your hair." Niall was imposing as he stood next to his rather petite mother, he had inherited her dark hair though his was not quite so dark as hers. His face held a sly grin as he spoke the last several words and she turned to scowl at him. "Niall, sometimes you are much too big for your already rather large breeches." Though she scolded him she held a slight hint of a grin on her face, it was only the twitch of the corner of her mouth that belied that she's wasn't particularly serious. What she was serious about was the massive amount of decorations that covered the ballroom. It was a ball for no particular reason than to celebrate their wealth and the wealth of the people on Indra. His mother did love balls a bit too much sometimes for Niall's tastes.
Standing six foot seven made the Crown Prince stick out like a sore thumb, one of the reasons he chose to ride an Orica rather than an Epsuli as many of the courtiers and people directly under the crown did. He father always chided that he wasn't quite sure what they had fed him to make him so tall and broad but they needed to figure it out and give it to their young training soldiers. Though Indra had not been at war for many years now they kept a very elite master military force at all times, as men got past their fighting prime they retired to become teachers for the new recruits. They had master archers, swordsman, and cavalry and they fought to ride the horses Niall trained himself. Niall's Epsuli horses were revered for their bravery and instincts in battle. The cavalry trained on horses that knew the battlefield already. The horses learned rather quickly that it hurt to get hit with a sword and quickly learned to dodge blows if at all possible. Niall trained them with swords with a wooden edge so that they wouldn't get cut but it would still sting something fierce. It was just up to their riders to stay on top of them and not screw up their maneuvers.
Niall shook his head at his mother, "I will leave you to your work my dearest mother. I am going to see the horses and spend a bit of time outdoors." Though he wasn't really required to bow because of his position he did so anyway, sweeping one of his long legs out behind him in a graceful movement towards his mother. "Be safe my son," Was all the Queen of Indra replied. Niall took his leave, returning to his full height and striding out the doors of the ballroom into the courtyard through one of the side doors. The royal stables were within eye sight of the courtyard for him, just over the tops of the tall hedges that gave the illusion of privacy to the people sitting in the nooks and corners of the maze of hedges. He knew all the turns by heart, he had since he was a child. He used to pack his sister Selene out here when they were children. He was the epitome of health and strength and she was entirely too frail. If he could feed her his strength he would do so in a heartbeat.
He found an unoccupied bench in the larger side courtyard that was lightly more private than the one out front of the palace where visitors of his father, ambassadors from other nations and courtiers walked about freely. They were more liable to get lost in this maze that his mother had put in when she first married Niall's father. She was the second Princess of Zeelu, their king at the time's youngest daughter. Now her eldest brother and Niall's uncle was King. Zeelu was not as wealthy as Indra or Escova but not quite so poor as Manora who didn't even have a monarchy. Today Niall wore one of his favorite simple long sleeved shirts. It had come from he Bazaar earlier this year in Escova. It was made from a lovely light fabric that kept him from sweating so fiercely in the heat of the day. Niall leaned back against the back of the stone bench that he was apparently much too large for as his legs stuck across the walking path nearly completely and if he were to lean his head back he would undoubted end up with a head full of leaves from the bush behind him.