On White Wings
@regalwings
It wasn’t often Jakob took leisurely strolls, or, really, any leisure time at all. Typically, there was always something to do: double-checking chores, waiting on his liege, being harassed by those who were too lazy to help themselves, or, the absolute last resort, pretending to have nothing better to do than aid someone he’d come across. He almost didn’t know what to do with himself, not now, after splurging on a nap. Well, it was a nice day outside, and the early spring made for excellent gardens; indeed, viewing the courtyard this time of year would probably do him good. His mind made up, Jakob strolled with a sense of purpose towards the modest but luscious courtyard.
When he made his way outside, however, he froze at what he initially registered as a freakishly large bird. Closer inspection revealed that, no, the figure was humanoid, and appeared to be a woman. Jakob was staring in spite of himself. He knew of the kitsune and wolfskin tribes, but had assumed they were unique, strictly speaking, the only ones with such animalistic features.
“You knew Lady Corrin for almost a decade without knowing she was a dragon,” he reminded himself. That was… still a fact that continued to surprise him, actually. They never really sat down to actually talk about this turn of events, and as time went on, it became less likely they’d ever actually do so (or even need to), but that was neither here nor now.
Well, whatever this woman was, Jakob was quite sure she wouldn’t greatly appreciate his gawking and he finally, quickly, turned his attentions elsewhere. Ah, yes, the garden roses were starting to bud. How nice. Corrin would probably appreciate that.
“Wait,” he thought, “what is this woman even doing here?”
Indeed, no matter how unusual she was, she was still a stranger here, and definitely owed an explanation for her presence. Jakob quashed his awkwardness and awe, straightened his posture, cleared his throat and ordered:
“Excuse me, but I was not told we’d be having company today. State your business here, or leave.”
The heron princess had made her way to the foreign castle to attain an audience with her fellow princess. Rather, they had arranged this meeting earlier in the name of peace. Leanne had no one to lead now – well, not her own people. After the massacre, she was appointed as the official princess of both Kilvas and Phoenicis. She had a long history with their kings, Naesala and Tibarn respectively, and she was the figurehead that’d set out to make connections with lands beyond their own continent.
She was told she could explore the castle grounds freely, as her meeting with Corrin wasn’t until later. Of course, Corrin wasn’t the queen, just as Leanne was not, but the countries were not looking for any sort of major negotiations so much as wishing to learn more information. Leanne had heard fantastic stories about Corrin leading her people down the path she created – the path that she knew was best.
She reminded Leanne a lot of her beloved Ike.
Her train of thought was halted as she heard a voice call out to her. She had been leaning over to examine a nearby flowerbed, but she rose and turned. The man before her certainly looked proper. She had many people that took care of her at the castle, but none dressed much like the one before her. For some reason, though, she felt he was working for one of the members of the royal family. She couldn’t be sure, of course, but she sensed a very dutiful aura from him. His posture spoke volumes to that extent as well.
“Hello, sir…”
She closed her eyes, smiling at the crisp air around them. She was used to wind, as both of her countries were located on small islands surrounded by the vast ocean, but the wind here was gentle.
“I was told I have an audience with Lady Corrin,” she spoke as clearly as she could. A part of her wondered why he wouldn’t have been informed, or that perhaps she had ended up at the wrong castle. The other side of her decided it would be fair to simply explain as well as she could.
“I am Princess Leanne. I am from the continent of Tellius,” she nodded to herself, though her curiosity quickly got the better of her. “Dear sir… are you perhaps one that works for the nobles here?” His presence was unmistakable, she simply had to know.