Thread: The Allure of the Uniform

All that noise had begun to get on her nerves causing her to seek some quiet in the gardens. Mina was used to having people constantly moving around her considering the fact that the castle was always in the midst of one celebration or another but this one was unnerving her for some reason. While the new guards might be fun to look at now and then and also tease there was something so stern about them that seemed to throw everyone else off their game. Erilin had always been a kingdom that enjoyed great wealth and pleasure. They were near one of the biggest seaports on the continent so any shipments had to pass through their kingdom before being allowed to go anywhere else. With all the tariffs they collected from trade they had managed to build quite a wealth for themselves and were able to make some very powerful allies. Erilin's standing army was only a couple hundred men strong and most of them just knew the basics of how to handle a sword and ride a horse. They had always had someone else there to protect their kingdom since a disturbance for them would be a disturbance for the entire trade of the continent and no one wanted to see that. Their easy lifestyles were in such a direct contrast to the strict people of Cadia. Honestly, how people could be happy living under such an iron fist would forever evade her. Princess, there you are. Mina looked up from her position on the bench just in time to see Elmyra coming towards her. The woman had practically raised her and was the closest thing to a mother she had. That also meant that whenever anyone needed Mina to do something it would have to be Elmyra who would guilt the sullen princess into it. With a slight groan Mina got up off the bench and walked over to the older woman. She was in her mid forties with dark brown hair and vibrant green eyes that made her seem much younger then her years. She also had a motherly nature about her that at the same time made you love her as well as fear her. Now what is it? I wanted to spend some time reading in the garden. Mina said with a pout as she crossed her arms over her chest. The older woman merely gave her a look like one would give their child if they found them with their hands in the cookie jar. Elmyra didn't believe for a second that reading was what Mina had been planning and she'd really rather not know just what the princess was up to today. Sometimes she was surprised that her hair wasn't starch white with all the things she'd had to put up with Mina doing over the years. Reading? Ha, that's rich. Elmyra said with a snort as she placed her hand's on Mina's shoulders and started pushing her towards the castle. While I'm sure you had many things to do there is a job that the princess needs to attend to. Your father wanted you to meet with one of Cadia's soldiers and make sure to welcome them graciously into our kingdom. After all, it's important to make sure our new allies are happy and that they feel welcomed. Mina sighed heavily but she made no move to stop Elmyra from pushing her towards the main room. While the girl might love the power of her positions she didn't like the responsibilities that came with it. Since the Queen had passed many years ago it had fallen upon her to play hostess for visitors. I don't see why Jacob can't ever do it. Mina muttered under her breath as they stopped in front of the entryway to the main room. Of course her brother couldn't be bothered with simple things like this when he had to prepare to take over the throne one day. Elmyra merely rolled her eyes before patting Mina on the shoulder once and leaving to take care of all the other things that needed to be done. No doubt she'd go to the kitchen and start yelling at the cook about the quality of the pheasants they had. Well, it seemed as if the soldier was already there. Not giving away her presence she took a moment to examine him with curious eyes. He seemed very different then the men she was used to seeing. Whenever one read stories about princes and brave knights he was probably the image they got when they thought about the characters. A strong man with golden hair in gleaming armor with his cape flowing behind him. A smile spread on pink lips as she silently thanked whatever gods had shone favorably on her today. The men of her kingdom had become boring as of late and this foreign soldier would be just the new distraction she needed. Clearing her throat to announce her presence Mina made her way towards the man. Hello, I am the princess Mina. It is a pleasure to welcome you to our kingdom. Gathering her dress she dipped down into a low curtsy and made sure to be at just the angle where he could get an eyeful of her cleavage. The dark curls spilled out around her as she stood back up so her own blue eyes met his. One her face was a shy smile as she batted her eyes up at him with whatever fake innocence she could muster. Daintily she held out her hand for him to greet. In her mind Mina was already calculating just how long it would take before she had this man eating out of her hand. Taking into account that he was a foreigner she gave herself about a week before she had a new plaything. Maybe this alliance might be more beneficial then she first thought.