Thread: In a Kingdom of Unrest [Seraphina X Just Another King]

After two years of sneaking out from under her fathers nose, Clara Montcroix, had been saddled with a bodyguard. The twenty-one year old Princess was stubborn to say the least, and getting paired up with an annoying guard was not at the top of her priorities. She cursed herself for not being more careful for the previous two years. Never in her wildest dreams did she think her father had noticed the bruises and minor injuries she would occasionally sport after a more active night out of the castle. The King was apparently more observant than Clara gave him credit for. For four days shed been followed around- no. Practically stalked by her guard. Everywhere she went, he was there and she couldnt stand it anymore. In her room, he was watching. At dinner, he was observing. During tea, guess who was present? Clara was ready to drug his ale and sneak out from under his watchful eye. He wasnt necessarily friendly either, as if he assumed she was like any other royal Princess who didnt like to play by the rules. It wasnt that she was spoiled. It was simply that her priorities didnt line up with what the King had in mind. Which led to her little adventures . Her guard hadnt bothered to ask why she snuck out, but it was obvious he hadnt been instructed to stop her. As long as it remained that way, she didnt see any reason to inform of what her motives were. Let him think what he wanted. The longer she could ignore him, the better. But damn it, it was hard. Clara looked up from her vanity, her blue eyed gaze reflected back at her and giving her a clear view of the bodyguard that stood on the other side of her suite. Her eyes narrowed, irritation clearly evident in the expression she had specifically reserved for the battle ready guard. Ridiculous She muttered under her breath. Clara couldnt lie, it could have been worse. He could have been hired to keep her from leaving the castle. But if she remained honest, he would have had a much harder job if that was the case. He had a cakewalk of a job. It wasn't as if she really got into any trouble. The first four days of his job had been boring she was sure. Maybe if she kept it that way he would complain and get himself assigned elsewhere. In my dreams... She whispered to herself, standing and pushing away from her vanity. Her blonde hair was pulled back with a clip and it hung long down her back, while her riding pants and leather bodice were hidden by a warm evening cloak. She tried to dress the part of an adventurer whenever she snuck out, that way the kingdom citizen's wouldn't recognize her as the Princess. What she was doing was for her own reasons, not to get attention. The less people that recognized her- the better. Lacing up her boots, she turned on her heels and headed out of the suite. She followed the same corridor every night, even though everyone still knew she snuck out. Clara would take a right past the first guard check and then slip down the servants stairway and out the back of the kitchens. At the time of night she usually left, the kitchens were slow and nobody ever paid her mind. As usual, she didn't bother to check if the guard was following her. After all, she preferred he didn't. When the cold night air brushed across her face, Clara sighed, a blanket of peace washing over her. The night always did something to calm her. It was what led her to start sneaking out of the castle in the first place. Her other motives had developed later. Stepping onto the cobblestone pathway, she quickly made her way off of the castle grounds, her eyes bright with enthusiasm and determination. There was as specific goal in mind for the evening and she was already running behind. The blonde haired Princess slipped between a broken section of the castle's surrounding wall, glancing over her shoulder only briefly to check for the guard. The streets outside of the castle were still rather busy, the night merchants trying to sell their merchandise to anyone who passed them a lingering glance. Clara liked the night merchants, they tended to have more unique products that she couldn't find from anyone that entered the castle. Pausing beside a round and short man, she leaned over his wares. Evening, miss... He greeted politely, his grin toothless, but kind. Clara tipped her head in greeting and settled her gaze on a pendant hanging from a long silver chain. Something catch your fancy? He inquired. Clara nodded, pointing to a beautifully cut moonstone, wrapped with artists wire and attached to the chain. The merchant lifted the necklace and offered it to Clara to hold. With a delighted smile she cradled the pendent in her hand. It's only two silver for the pretty miss this evening... Clara didn't even need to think about it. She reached into her cloak, fingers wrestling with a small bag of coin that she attached to her pants. Two coin were exchanged and she slipped the necklace around her neck, satisfied as the pendent settled beneath the edge of her bodice. She bid the merchant a good evening and disappeared into the crowd of night travelers. She kept getting distracted, but her real mission was down on the river bank, where the homeless tended to gather. Clara had arranged for an accident to occur regarding a lot of food that was meant to be delivered to the castle. The food accidentally ended up stockpiled not too far from river. Clara wanted to get to it before anyone else found it, then she would lead the homeless families to where it was hidden so they could collect food for themselves. But she had a bad feeling that someone else might find the food before she had a chance to get there.