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Luciana was getting the feeling that the Lady Romily did not get out much. There was just a bit too much fuss over her simple request. As the fair haired noblewoman and her father were muttering excuses, the Armorican princess felt the gaze every eye in the grand hall fall on her and the group. A gentle smile rested on Luciana’s lip as her pearl gray eyes scanned clandestinely scanned. The expression on most of the courtiers faces were still of surprise. Then in her peripheral vision she saw two women whispering to each other. The princess then felt her brother’s strong arm link with her, signifying that this little conversation needed to be wrapped up. In reply, Luciana wrapped her nimble fingers around Tristan’s forearm, indicating that she was well aware of that fact. It was an all around odd situation, one that Princess Luciana had never experienced before in her life.

In attempt to make the scene less awkward, Tristan, being every bit as clever as his sister, slipped from his twin’s grasp and turned to address the room. Then he stated, jocularly, “It seems my sister’s boldness has caught Lady Romily off guard.” The Armorican Crown Prince shot his father a quick look, and King Alaric knew immediately what to do.

In a rather proud and paternal tone, the king remarked to a nearby noble with a chuckle, “My daughter is quite persistent, a trait I must confess she acquired from me.”

Then Queen Valeria scoffed at her husband’s comment, and chimed, “You know very well, dear husband, that Luciana got it from my side of the family.”

Oh yes, the Armorican royal family was quite crafty in their teamwork.

A secretive smile played at the corners of the princess’s mouth as her brother returned to her side, and then Luciana caught something particularly strange after Romily made a final attempt to leave the hall. The sweetness of a seemingly endearing statement made by Lord Durwin became suspicious when the Carmelide nobleman whispered a few words in his daughter’s ear. His comment was too low for Luciana to hear, and then came the words the whole room had been waiting to hear.

“If the princess wishes it – then I would be honoured”

A soft, pleasant laugh escaped from the Armorican princess’s lips. With her pearl gray eyes glistened in delight, Luciana said with much enthusiasm, “Fantastic.”

The Valois twin followed shortly behind the noble father and daughter as Lord Durwin led Romily to the table. Linking her arm with Tristan’s, she drew her brother close, and whispered softly, “Tristan, watch him like a hawk.”

The prince said nothing. Instead, he simply nodded in accordance with his sister’s wishes. The motion went unnoticed as the hall was once again filled with conversation. Approaching the table, Lord Stefan rose from his seat and chivalrously pulled out the chair Princess Luciana had been sitting in. A flirtatious smirk rose on the princess’s lips at the young nobleman’s gesture. Seeing that he was no longer required, Prince Tristan passed his charming sister to the young lord and returned to his chair next to queenly mother, which just so happened to be on the other side of Romily. Then with her fair hand placed on top of Lord Stefan’s, Luciana was guided into her seat. She gracefully lowered herself into the seat like a feather floating to the ground.

With a. unceasing expression of delight, the visiting princess leaned closer to Romily, and said in a gracious manner, “I cannot thank you enough for joining us, Lady Romily. I must confess I found myself quite outnumbered amongst so many gentlemen.”

There were of course a few ladies present that were around Luciana’s age, however she judged them to be ambitious debutantes following their father’s orders to secure a grand marriage. Since Tristan was the wealthiest bachelor in the room, Luciana chose to avoid them rather than invite trouble.

“And one can only hear about so many hunting tales.” She added, taking a dainty sip of her wine.

“As I recalled, dearest sister, you were in quite a few of those tales,” remarked the prince, not liking the fact that she had implied that his stories were boring.

Peering around Romily to look at her brother, the Princess of Armorica quickly retorted, “Yes, but you leave out the best parts. Like the time when you got stuck in the mud”

Tristan glared at his twin sister, and crossly stated, “I told you to never bring that up… ever.”

Luciana was quite proud of herself. It was a sister’s privilege to get on Tristan’s nerves every once and a while. Her brother’s anger did not faze her in the least, and she went on, turning her attention to Romily:

“You’ll enjoy this. It’s quite a funny story. Tristan and I were out for a ride when we came across this muddy ditch. Tristan, wanting to be a showoff, boasted that he could jump over it. So he takes one of our guards’ halberds and pole vaults over the ditch… Well almost over the ditch. When he was half way over, the staff broke, and he landed face first in the mud. He was completely covered head to toe, and it took three men to get him out.”

As the princess finished her tale, she laughed amusedly, entertained by the past memory. Her laugh seemed to be infectious for Lord Stefan chuckled softly beside her. Tristan seethed, drumming his fingers on the table and muttering under his breath.

“But enough stories about us,” remarked Luciana, her eyes bright with intrigue. “Lady Romily, you must have some good stories about Camelide that don’t evolve sports and dull affairs of state.”

"It is a shame there is not more of an audience to appreciate such an endearing voice."

The silence that had consumed the balcony after her song had drifted into the wind had dissipated with the prince’s words. Looking back at Arthur, warmth radiated through Luciana face, and a slight blush spread through her cheeks. ‘Oh God!’ thought the Armorican princess, embarrassed that he had caught her singing to herself. Luciana hated to sing in front other, especially if she didn’t know she was doing it, although she had been told on several occasion that she had a lovely singing voice. Even though she enjoyed the spotlight in other area, singing was not one of them. As he approached, Luciana turned her gaze to night’s hidden horizon. As her blush faded, she said with diffidence laced in her words, “Thank you, but I’m no Lady Helen.”

She let silence envelope them once more as she took another sip of her drink. Once Arthur had settled beside her, it once again broken with the most common of questions. Was she alright?

The princess opened her mouth to answer the question with a simple “I’m fine”, but something stopped her. She didn’t need to hide from Arthur that she was concerned for her family and her country. But she was confident that everything would be perfectly fine, and she was all right with that. But she was not sure which one explained her state of being.

“Hmmm… I’m not quite sure,” Luciana answered eventually in an almost hesitant voice. Then out of blue the princess remarked, ’Is Tris a good fighter? I mean, I know he’s the top warrior in Armorica, but does mean he can defeat Lusitania? Because what if he gets wounded, and he isn’t able to lead the troops? Then he’ll be captured and most likely killed, and then Armorica will lose the war. No one told me what happens if we lose.”

‘But Tris won’t lose. He’ll win, and then life can go back to normal.’She reassured herself.

“But that won’t happen because I know that my brother can send those Lusitanian dogs running back to their power hungry king. With that in mind, I think I’ll be good,” continued Luciana with her confidence echoing in her alluring voice.

The image of her regal brother marching off to war with his sigil cloak draping over the flanks of his massive warhorse flashed in her mind. She had embroidered the Armorican royal crest into Tristan’s cloak before he left as a token of luck.

“That reminds me. I still have to give you your gift. Come on.” The princess stated in a newly lighthearted tone. She took Arthur’s hand and began to drag him away from the balcony’s edge. “And I thought of a way that you can make up for you lack of attendance.”

---

As morning sun beat down on the kingdom of Camelot, warming the sweet spring air. The dark green, leafy trees of the Darkling Woods reached for the warm light, blocking it from the forest floor. Only minute, rivulets of light pierced through the treetops, illuminating the wooded areas. A soft breeze blew through the branches, swaying the limbs back and forth. The dark forest floor was hidden underneath dry, scattered leaves. Small animals and critters skittered over and under the dead foliage as the day began the woodland. Soon the pounding of hooves broke the forest’s stillness.

Weaving through trees, the Armorican princess audaciously dashed through the woods as she raced ahead of the prince and his knights. In order to make up for ignoring her over the past few days, Luciana “forced” Arthur to take her on a hunting trip. Not surprising, it did not take much convincing, merely the words, “We should go on a hunt tomorrow.” Of course, the princess was more along for the ride than for the entertainment of killing fuzzy, forest creatures.

However, apparently, it was not the everyday beasts that Luciana had to watch out for. Oh no. Upon entering the forest, the Crown Prince of Camelot had warned her about the “magical” creatures that resided in the woods and told her to stay close for her own safety. Thinking that Arthur was still flirting with her, the princess of Armorica disregarded his warning and lightheartedly told him that he would have to keep up if he wanted her by his side.

Luciana was dressed in one of her more regal hunting garments, a hooded olive green cotton dress with long trumpet sleeves and copper lining with vine like embroidery bordering the edges. Knee high brown leather riding boots were pulled over her tan breeches while soft leather gloves sheathed her pale hands. Traversing through the forest was no reason not to dress her best.

As she swerved her dark Andalusian through the trees, Luciana brought her horse back onto the path, the skirt of dress billowing behind her in the manifested breeze. Cavalier’s resilient, obsidian hooves disturbed the dirt path, raising clouds of dust, as he carried is mistress swiftly through the dim forest. His strong muscles fluidly propelled him forward, his nostrils flaring with every step he took. The dark Andalusian stallion was a credit to his noble breed in every way.

The equine transitioned down from his gallop into a waltz-like canter smoothly and gracefully. Luciana’s hips rocked with her horse’s strides, moving as one with him. With her posture straight and her shoulders back, the princess sat poised in her saddle. No one could say she was not an excellent rider. It was not long before she heard the hoof beats of the mounts of Prince Arthur and his knights.

“Cavie, you’re losing your touch,” remarked Princess Luciana to her loyal stallion. “It took them longer to catch up the last time.”

Determining that the race was over, the Armorican princess gradually brought Cavalier to a halt in the middle of the path. As the rest of the hunting party came into sight, Luciana stretched out her upper body on her horse’s neck, giving Cavalier a hearty scratch beneath him thick dark mane. Then with a lively smirk, she called with carefree laugh, “Quickly, my lords. How will you ever protect me if you can’t keep up?"

A vivacious laugh erupted from Luciana’s lips as she delicately held a silver wine goblet in one hand. Her battle of wits with Lord Stefan of the House of Ferreira was turning out to be more entertaining that she thought. It even proved to be amusing to Prince Tristan, who was sitting to her left. For once their parents were ignoring the twin royals as the king and queen chatted happily away with Lord de Braose.

“My lord, I did not know that I would be having a side dish of comedy to go along with my roasted pheasant, but I must say, I rather enjoy it,” remarked the dark haired princess in a charming and amiable tone, placing her goblet next to her nearly empty plate.

“Who are you kidding, Lulu?” piped Tristan in a jovial manner, leaning towards his sister. “You like comedy with everything from pheasant to tiramisu, and don’t you deny it.”

The prince’s words left both Luciana and Lord Stephen in stitches. Composing herself, Luciana replied, “While that is true, my dear brother, you require something a every meal as well… A lady on your arm. However I do not see one tonight. Are you hiding her under the table?” With her last words, the Princess of Armorica lifted the tablecloth, looking to see if Tristan had actually stashed any of his latest beauties underneath the table. She’d put nothing past him.

“Oh, you wound me, sister,” stated the Crown Prince, rather dramatically as he clasps his hands over his heart. “Do you really think me such a villain to pursue every young lady I see?”

“Your words, not mine, Tris,” replied Luciana with a soft giggle, her pearl gray eyes gleaming with charm.

All of a sudden, the banquet hall fell silent. All the conversations and the laughing ceased. It was so quiet that Luciana swore she could have heard a pin drop. The princess’s light gray eyes followed the gazes of the other nobles to the hall’s entrance where she saw a pretty, young blonde woman peering inside of the hall. Then, in a twinly synchronized manner, the Prince and Princess of Armorica glanced at each other, glanced at the young lady, glanced at Lord de Braose, and finally looked back at each other and shrugged. To an outsider, their actions would seem quite odd and somewhat confusing, but sometimes the royal siblings did not need words to communicate… And it was quite amusing to confuse other with their silent speech.

“May I introduce my daughter, the Lady Romily de Braose.”

Luciana discreetly shot Tristan a look as if to say, “I didn’t know he had a daughter.” Tristan followed her with a glance of his own, replying, “Neither did I. What a pleasant surprise.” Then as Lord Durwin introduced the Armorican royal family, the crown prince arose from his seat and strode dashingly up the Lady Romily. ‘Oh God, No! Tristan, this is not the time to pull your knight in shining armor stunts,’ thought the princess, referring to Tristan’s proclivity to flirt with every pretty lady he saw. In order to advert any possible disaster, Luciana gracefully rose from her seat and followed her eager brother.

“It is a pleasure to meet you – I hope that my father had provided you with much comfort”.

Before Lord Durwin could “escort” his daughter out of the door, Prince Tristan caught up with them, took the Lady’s by the hand, and suavely kissed the top of her hand. If was not for the fact that she possessed impeccably etiquette, Luciana’s jaw would have dropped to the floor. Then as the princess approached the three, Tristan let go of Lady Romily’s hand, and remarked, with a charming smile, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Standing next to her Casanova of a brother, Princess Luciana swept the hem of her silver gown over one of Tristan’s feet in order to conceal the action to follow: her stepping on his foot with all her weight. Tristan stepped back in order to alleviate the pressure that was bearing down on his foot and flashed a glare at his darling sister. Luciana only responded with a quick smirk. Then turning her attention to the noble father and daughter, Luciana, engaging her enchanting charm and wiles, inquired with a sweet smile, “Lord Durwin, do you think you could persuade you daughter to stay and keep me company?”

"It was a rather beautiful show indeed,"

"The exquisite Lady Marian Engel truly does display such elegance and poise, practically lighting up the entire room with her aura of grace."

Luciana was not used to being overlooked for another woman, but she was sure that Arthur was only saying it to get a reaction out of her. With an indifferent expression, the princess gaze followed Arthur’s as his eyes rested on the Lady Marian. She had met the nobleman’s daughter a few times, and, although she had to admit Marian was a beauty, Luciana’s first impression of the lady was not something she would ever voice in public. Lady Marian’s reserved and shy demeanor far from impressed the Princess of Armorica even though Luciana knew the lady could not help her nature.

“Hmmm… I supposed,” remarked the Princess of Armorica, indifferently as she turned back to face the group of knights and ladies. Then she added in a most casual tone, “Be careful not to let your eyes wander to often, my lord. No every lady may tolerate it as I do.”

Then the dark haired princess wrapped her lithe arms around Arthur’s upper arm like she was going to drag him somewhere, the cornflower blue sleeves swathing his limb. Drawing closer to his body, Luciana held him possessively, like a child clinging to their favorite toy. Her lips forming a soft pout, she looked up at with a gaze of curious desperation, similar to those that the wives of soldiers had when waiting for news of their husbands. However Luciana’s expression was more geared toward drawing attention of lords and ladies that surround them… For the pure sake of amusement. Luciana and Arthur would laugh about this the following day on their ride. Of course she was going to more or less compel the prince to go riding with her, not that she thought he would much convincing. After all, he still had to make up for the past few days.

“I do hope you have not tired of my company.” She said in an almost childish voice that did not suit her one bit. Then, with the slight smirk and ignoring the noble around them, the Armorican princess continued, “For then I would have to atone for boring you by whatever your Highness desires.”

While still holding Arthur’s strong arm, she turned her gaze away Arthur and looked upon the ladies and lords of his group with her coy smile… And thank God she already was smiling or else their game would have been given away by the laugh that Luciana was currently suppressing. On top of that, it was a good thing her beloved brother was not here. If he had heard those words escape from his darling sister’s lip, he would cause a scene like no other. As a matter of fact, Luciana couldn’t believe she said them. So many things could be taken out of context, which would only add to the fun.

Still fight the urge to laugh, the Princess of Armorica faced Arthur again with an amused smile lighting up her face, and inquired, charmingly, “My prince, shall we take a turn about the room… for I have grown tired of standing still.”

"That sounds like a most wonderful way to spend the evening."

“Perfect, my lord,” replied Princess Luciana with a certain sensuous tone laced him her voice, drawing closer to the Prince of Camelot removing any and all personal space that had been between them. Then with a flirtatious smirk, the Princess of Armorica pushed herself away from Arthur, releasing herself from his grasp. The gears were turning in Luciana’s eyes. Anyone could tell by the cunning gleam in her pearl gray eyes. She was up to something. The only question was: what?

Then with a sharp turn, Luciana picked up the skirt of her dress and sauntered away from the Crown Prince of Camelot, her lips slightly pursed with a tiny secretive smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. For anyone who didn’t know better, one would have guessed at something went wrong between the prince and princess. As Princess Luciana moved further away from Arthur, she did not look back once. Not once. A few nobles who caught a glimpse of the surprising scene murmured to one another, inquiring about the incident. However their whisper did not have a chance to cross the room for music began resound in the hall. The center of the hall was cleared, and couple began lining up, preparing for the dance.

Then the Princess of Armorica approached a group of knight that were standing on the sidelines. Stepping up to a dark haired knight around her age, Luciana asked, in an ever courteous manner, “Sir Garret, would you join me for a dance? I am quite fond of this song.”

The princess smiled demurely at the unsuspecting knight, her gray eyes piercing his with an innocent charm. Too bad nothing about this little scenario was innocent.

“It would be an honor and a privilege, your Highness,” replied Sir Garret, nobly after getting over a brief moment of shock. He then offered his arm to Luciana with a charming smile on his face.

“Oh, excellent,” remarked Luciana joyfully, resting her hand on the knight’s arm.Sir Garret then led the Princess of Armorica to the center of the room, joining the other couples that were taking part in the dance.
Beginning dance, the lords and ladies bowed each other as the music picked up its tempo. The tune flowing from the various instruments was a lively one. The strings and woodwinds carried the lighthearted melody, while the horns provided the harmony, and the percussion kept the quick beat.

Following the beat of the music, Luciana and the knight stepped diagonally towards each other, moving so that they were nearly back-to-back. Then wrapping one arm around the other’s waist, the two spun around one another twice, and then Sir Garret placed his hands securely on the princess’s waist and lifted her up into the air. When she was airborne, Luciana’s pearl gray eyes found the prince who she had left for the dance, and for a brief moment a playful, flirtatious smile danced on her pale rose lips. After Luciana was lowered to the floor, the two diagonally sidestepped to each other and circled around one another once more. Then Luciana and Sir Garret stood side by side and hand in hand as the dance began to manifest into a more linear fashion… Small jump the left, step back, and step side… Small jump to the right, step back, and step side… Tap to the side, tap across, tap to the side, and tap in. Then repeat. During the little line dance, Luciana found Arthur once more in the crowd and gazed at the young prince intently with a certain captivating enchantment glistening her light eyes. It was enough to make anyone wonder.

As dance ended, the couples bowed and curtsied to each other again, thanking their partner for the dance. As Luciana gracefully lowered herself, nearly touching the floor, her eyes remained fixated on the crown prince of Camelot as if she we bowing to him. This only left room for more speculation of what was going on between the two.

Rising, the Princess of Armorica thanked Sir Garret once more and sauntered back towards Prince Arthur with an amused look on her lovely face. The stopping a standing beside the prince, she asked in a playful tone, “Did you enjoy the show, my lord?”

Name Prince Tristan le Valois
Age: 20
Status: Royalty
Character Affiliation: Twin Brother of Luciana le Valois
Portrayed by Clive Standen

Personality Traits:

Major Event in History: Tristan’s history is very similar to Luciana’s.

Adoptable?: Absolutely! I would really like it if someone played Tristan. Shoot me a PM of if you would like to claim him.

The Princess of Armorica had risen with the sun this morning with every intention of going for an early morning ride with her steed, Cavalier. She wasn’t one of those women who slept in until noon. What a wastes of a day? No, Luciana needed to feel the wind blow through her hair and the powerful stride of her horse under her seat. There was truly not a more magnificent feeling.

Dressed in one of her hunting garments, a black cotton dress with long sleeves that ended in a point and a blood red hooded overdress with belled sleeves, Luciana practically hopped out of her room as she pulled her onyx gray boots over her black riding breeches. Anyone who saw her would have know she was more than impatient to get out the door. As soon as her boots were on her feet, Luciana broke into a run, hastening through the hall like the Questing Beast was chasing her.

When Luciana entered the royal stable, her horse, Cavalier, saw his rider and started pawing in his stall door. He clearly wanted to go for a ride as well. “Shh… Cavie, be quiet. You’ll wake the whole castle,” whisper Luciana, approaching her horse’s stall. The black Andalusian stallion stopped his pawing but tossed his head in impatience. The Princess of Armorica took her horse out of his stall and started grooming him. When Leer was groomed, Luciana tacked him up in his black leather bridle and saddle with a white fitted saddle pad underneath the saddle to prevent her beloved steed from getting rubs. The tack wasn’t fancy, but it was made of good quality leather.

As she was finishing, the Princess of Armorica saw that a few stable hands were awake. The hands bowed to Luciana and inquired if they could be of any assistance. Pulling the stirrups down on her saddle, the princess asked for a leg-up. One stable boy held Cavalier’s reins while they other helped Luciana mount up. Once she was mounted, Luciana thanked the stable hands and bid them a good day. With that the princess nudged her steed into a trot and left the safety of the city of Camelot.

When Cavalier was warmed up, Luciana spurred her stallion into a canter. The equine transitioned into the waltz-like gait smoothly and gracefully. Luciana’s hips rocked with her horse’s strides, moving as one with him. With her posture straight and her shoulders back, the princess sat poised in her saddle. No one could say she was not an excellent rider. As she passed through the fields, Luciana’s hair bounced around her shoulders with every movement while the skirt of her dress gathered around her thighs, billowing behind her. An elated smile lit up her noble face as she drew closer to the forest that surrounded Camelot City.

As morning sun beat down on the kingdom of Camelot, warming the sweet spring air. The dark green, leafy trees of the Darkling Woods reached for the warm light, blocking it from the forest floor. Only minute, rivulets of light pierced through the treetops, illuminating the wooded areas. A soft breeze blew through the branches, swaying the limbs back and forth. The dark forest floor was hidden underneath dry, scattered leaves. Small animals and critters skittered over and under the dead foliage as traversed through the woodland.

As she steered her dark Andalusian through the trees, Luciana was reminded of the fact that she did not know the Darkling Woods as well as she would have liked. It didn’t help that everything practically looked the same! Normally she only entered the woods with Arthur, who knew his way around, on one of their weekly hunting trips. However, he was preoccupied with the search for Morgana, so the Princess of Armorica had to brave the woods by herself. ‘If I stick to the paths, I should be alright,’ thought Luciana, confident she could do this by herself.

Cavalier’s resilient, obsidian hooves disturbed the dirt path, raising clouds of dust, as he carried is mistress swiftly through the dim forest. His strong muscles fluidly propelled him forward, his nostrils flaring with every step he took. The dark Andalusian stallion was a credit to his noble breed in every way.

Luciana knew no greater freedom than escaping court life and going for a bit of a joy ride. She couldn’t bear the prim and proper life every single day of her life. She’d go mad! A soft laugh escaped Luciana’s pale rose lips as she and her steed rounded a bend in the trail. Her dark, loosely curled hair flew behind her in the manifested wind as Cavalier galloped on. As the two were drawing closer and closer to the middle of the woods, Luciana said to herself, “And you were worried something bad was going to happen. See, you didn’t need Arthur after all.”

Unfortunately, the Princess of Armorica spoke too soon. Out of nowhere, lightening crashed out of the sky and rain began to pour down from the heavens. It wasn’t anywhere near Luciana or her horse, but Cavalier still got scared and spooked. He neighed in fright and fully reared up, which would have been a majestic sight if it hadn’t been for one slight detail. Cavalier’s abrupt fright caught the princess off guard, and she slipped out of her saddle and landed behind her horse. Without a rider, the Andalusian bolted off in the opposite direction, heading towards Camelot, all the while Luciana sat still on the forest floor for a moment in disbelief and watched her horse run away.

‘That did not just happen…’ thought Luciana, processing the event as she stood up and dusted herself off. When she accepted the fact that her horse dumped her in the wood and ran away on her was when the princess began to panic. ‘Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!’ panicked Luciana in her mind as an expression of alarm and dread spread across her pretty face. As she went on a spastic mental rant about how she was stuck in the woods and how she was going to be eaten by a wild beast while pacing back and forth, the rain poured through the treetop soaking the forest floor. It water droplets began to soak through Luciana’s clothes and hair. When she registered the damp chill of the water permeating through her clothes, Luciana ceased her panicked mental rants and calmed down a bit.

“Just breathe, Lu.” She murmured to herself. “You can get yourself out of this… You just have to walk back the way you came.”

Pulling her hood over her head, Luciana turned around and started down the path that she had previously followed. At least she hoped it was the right path. It had the most hoof prints, but the Princess of Armorica never had the greatest sense of direction. Maybe her day would get better? Hopefully.

Princess Luciana was more than pleased to be back in the kingdom of Camelot. The fact that she has arrived in time for Arthur’s coronation was even more of a treat, however she could have done without the horrid events that took place over the past few days. She came to Camelot to escape the war and death that was present in her kingdom, but as soon as she entered the great city she was practically greeted by it. Witnessing the deaths of Sir Owain and Sir Pellinore was the most ghastly thing she had ever seen in her life. Luciana pushed the morbid memories from her mind as she meandered through the hall, mingling with the nobles of Camelot. She would focus on the celebration dedicated to the defeated of the dreaded knight and her favorite prince’s (excluded her dear brother) crowning.

Like the other nobles, the Princess of Armorica was adorned in her finery. She was dressed in an elegant gown made from various blue fabrics. The hem of the dress glides just above the wood floor, making it seem as if she were floating. Her dark tresses cascaded in graceful waves over her shoulders. A crown did not adorn her head this night. Instead a thin, simple sapphire and pearl diadem rested on top of her hair like a headband. A matching sapphire pendent on a silver chain graced her neck, and small sapphire earrings hung from her ears. Princess Luciana looked like a Nereids from ancient myths in all of the shades of blue.

As she was greeted by the courtiers of King Uther’s court, the Princess of Armorica slowly and discreetly tried to make her way over to Prince Arthur. She had yet to speak a word to him since she arrived much to her dismay. She had a present for him, a brilliant red cape with the Pendragon woven into the fabric with iridescent red thread. The dragon would shine forth with every movement of the light weight fabric. Luciana had fashioned the cape herself and was quite proud of it, and at the moment it was safely tucked away in her room. It was quite frankly killing her that it had not been shown off yet.

Luciana caught a glimpse of the golden haired prince as he conversed with his knights. She paused for a moment, debating whether she could tolerate listening to military tactics. Before she made up her mind, Luciana saw that Arthur was making his way to her.

“My Lady.” He said with a slight bow.

“Your Highness,” remarked the Princess of Armorica with a subtle curtsey and a clever smile dancing on her lips. A bit of playfulness laced her charming voice, but it still held its regal tone. Rising from her curtsey, Luciana commented, “You were missed at the duel, although your father did an excellent job. But I’m sure there was a good reason for absence. I simply can’t imagine you missing a duel for anything unless it was of the utmost importance.”

Luciana circumvented the obvious question, although the inquiry rang clear in her voice. The question was simple: why wasn’t he at the duel? Several possible answers floated into her mind. He overslept. He fell down the stairs. Things like that. The possibility that he was afraid to fight the knight did not even occur to her. Princess Luciana knew Arthur well enough to know that he would never back down from a challenge. At least she hoped she did.