*********
Daril hummed to himself as his horse, Whitestar, picked his way through the underbrush. The white stallion didn't like forests. He wanted to run over a nice flat plain, feel the earth pounding beneath his hooves and the wind in his mane. Daril was inclined to agree.
They'd originally been part of a fox-hunt, but Daril's stomach turned at the thought of thirty horses and a huge pack of baying hounds ripping a defenseless little fox to shreds. So after a short speech (about a half-hour long- he was very proud of how succinct his Justice speeches were getting), he had abandoned the cruel hunters for a jaunt back to his family's manor. He wondered vaguely why Mother had insisted he come to the capital again.
Ah, yes. To present himself to the Crown Prince, get some recognition at court, and bag a wife. His mother had been much more elegant about it, but that's what it boiled down to.
"I want to see you bouncing babies on your knee before I pass on," she had said dramatically. "That way, when I join your father in heaven, I'll know that the family line is secure, and my sons are happy."
"Dear, I'm right here!" his father had snapped from behind her. His wife had been an actress for a while before they had married, and her "flair for the dramatic" overcame truth more often than not. It was simply not Just when she did things like that to him, he thought.
So Leri and Daril had gone to the capital to schmooze. Which meant that Leri was at the nearest Mage Academy and Daril was out riding and going over his soon-to-be-written treatise on the nature of Good.
("It's going to be my senior thesis for law school," Daril announced proudly to his fiancee's friends.)
Daril's reverie was broken by a high-pitched scream. "Wha-?!" Whitestar pawed the ground and tossed his head in the direction it had come from. "Right! Follow that sound!" Daril commanded, and the warhorse leaped off the trail towards the sounds of a scuffle.
Daril saw the backs of three trolls as he raced towards them. They turned, hearing the crashing of the horse through the underbrush, but too late. Whitestar leaped over a brush and rammed into one troll with his shoulder as Daril drew his sword. Before Whitestar whirled back, Daril saw the trolls' quarry. A young girl was rising to her feet, her dress torn, her dark hair in disarray and her face smudged. But instead of being cowed by the beasts that had accosted her, she raised her head in defiance.
("That's you, beloved," Daril said to Amelia, even prouder of her than of his thesis. Amelia blushed.)
"Flare Arrow!" she cried, and fire streaked from her hands, causing one troll to burst into flame.
Daril slashed at the trolls even though his blade did not really affect them. Only fire could defeat a troll due to their regenerative powers. It was, Daril decided quickly, quite an unfair advantage.
"Enough play, beasts!" he announced as he reined in his warhorse. Whitestar gave the nearest troll a kick with his foreleg before striking a pose. Daril pointed his blade to the sky. "Your stench of Evil has permeated these woods too long. Today, I shall burn it away with the flames of Goodness! For endangering maidens, and causing them to muss their hair, you shall not go unpunished! For I will rain fire upon you and smite your stinking hides with the Blade of Justice!"
("He really said that," Amelia interrupted. "It was very stirring.")
With those words, Daril's formally normal sword became limned with flames, and each cut of the blade carried the weight of fire as well as steel as he and Whitestar wreaked havoc upon the trolls.
*****
Amelia threw what spells she dared, but the chance of hitting the stranger on the white horse was too great. Having learned from Lina while on the road with her, Amelia knew when to play the princess, so to speak. She backed away from the fight, and tossed just enough Flare Arrows to keep the trolls off balance until the swordsman could finish them. Soon, the three trolls were running for their lives. The horse snorted and seemed to smile smugly.
The stranger turned towards her. "Are you alright, my Lady? If you've come to any harm, I'll gladly chase those beasts down for you..."
"No, no," Amelia said quickly. "I'm fine. I'm just a little mussed is all. And my horse ran off."
"Probably smart of it. I think trolls eat horses." The warsteed snorted again, this time in disdain. The man swung down from his saddle easily and bowed deeply. "Daril Benn Daril Korith, my Lady. Please forgive me for not introducing myself sooner."
"Don't be silly! You can't introduce yourself in battle." She paused. "Unless you're also introducing yourself to your enemies."
"True enough, my Lady. Would you favor me with your name?" He asked this hesitantly, as if afraid to insult her.
"Amelia," she replied happily, sticking out her hand for him to shake. "Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune."
"The Princess? I'm honored." His eyes were wide, but he remembered the manners his mother pounded into his head. He took her hand gently, and bowing low, brushed his lips against the back. Amelia blushed furiously.
("That's so romantic," Lina gushed. "Noone ever kissed my hand!" She looked pointedly at her companions. Val had the good grace to blush in embarassment, but Zel merely ignored her. Xelloss decided that now was not the time. She looked particularly dangerous.)
"Please, your Highness, take my horse and I'll escort you back to castle, if you wish." She paused to think.
"Thank you. That's very nice of you!"
Before she could say another word, Daril bent to help her into the saddle. Whitestar rolled his eyes, but stood still for her. Amelia felt very akward, being helped up and riding while Daril walked, and was about to say something when Daril asked, "If I may be so bold, Highness, what were you doing out riding on your own?"
"Just that!" she laughed. "Out riding. I like to get out every once in a while."
"I think everyone does! Whitestar and I were out, too. We ditched a fox hunt and were wandering when we heard you."
"I was startled. Those trolls came out of nowhere and scared my poor horse. I... fell off." She toyed with the reins, embarassed. Real horse-women didn't fall off.
"You're not hurt?"
"No. I said I was fine."
"I apologize, your Highness."
Amelia chewed her lip. She didn't like being "Highness"ed all the time. "I'm sorry too," she told him. "That I snapped at you, that is."
"That's alright. My brother snaps at me all the time. Of course, I just ignore him. I can't ignore you." Now he blushed. She was very pretty, but way out of his league. He was a minor noble from the country, while she was the Crown Prince's daughter.
They rode the rest of the way in silence.
******
"You can't end it there!" Lina protested.
"All that happened was that Daddy heard the story, we had a huge banquet in celebration, and eventually we got engaged," Amelia explained.
"That's sorely lacking in detail," Lina whined at her. "How did you know you wanted to marry him?"
"He's a good dancer? I don't know," Amelia flushed.
"I knew since the moment I laid eye on Ame-chan that she was the one I wanted to be with," Daril insisted. "Even though I thought our stations would keep us apart, Amelia and Philionel's huge hearts reached out to me, and accepted me as one of their own."
"That's so sweet..."
"I can't believe he's for real," Zel muttered to himself.
