12 You're Freezing Cold

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| At The Kingdom of Azalon |

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Looking in the golden arched mirror, the Princess examined her fitted white short sleeved shirt which hugged tightly to her slender waist, turning around, she examined her back.

°Does this jodhpur make my butt look big?° She bit on her bottom lip.

*Knock* *Knock*

The sound on her door bringing her back to reality, snapping out of her thoughts, she jumped back in shock. "Who is it?" She cleared her throat.

"Princess Aria, we would be late if you keep this up." Lady Leah called behind the door.

Battling with her 1½ inch heel boots, she finally was able to get one to fit. hopping on one foot she searched for her left pair of the boot.

°Where are you little one?° She picked up her pillow from the floor, hoping it would be beneath it.

Finally she spotted the luster of the metal decorating her leather boots on her bed.

°How did you get there?° She walked up to her bed.

"Princess?" Lady Leah called impatiently.

"Give me a minute!" The princess dashed to her bed, pushing away the several trial of clothes laid helplessly in piles, getting to her boot.

"Yes!" she said in a whisper, raising the boot in the air.

*Click*

Princess Aria's head shot up, turning she looked at her door, the knob seconds away from fully turning anticlockwise. "Noooooo!" She screamed, dashing towards the door, pushing onto it, slamming it before it could be fully opened.

"Oof" Princess Aria heard on the other side of the door, her chest heaving at the effort she had made to get to her door in time.

"You could have at least warned me, Your Highness; I wanted to just make sure you are okay." Lady Leah explained.

°Ohh° Princess Aria shook her head at the awkward situation they both were in.

"You should have at least knocked." Princess Aria replied, her back still learning against the door.

"I did Your Highness!" Lady Leah deadpanned.

°Right!° The princess sweatdropped at how dumb she seemed at the moment.

"Please do hurry up, our ride to the stables awaits." Lady Leah reminded.

"Yeah! Yeah." Princess Aria's eyes more focused on the mess she had made in her room.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Lady Leah offered.

"No, just stand where you are, I'll be out soon. Do not try to open the door." She made sure to lock it with it's bolt this time.

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| At the Royal Stables |

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"Welcome, Your Highness." There stood the Stablemaster at the front door, bowing in respect.

"You need not to do that." Princess Aria waved off his extreme sense of respect, by her guess, he should be in his 50's. "You can just call me Princess Aria or just Aria." She threw a wink his way as she passed by. Lady Leah scurrying to keep up with her pace.

"As you wish, Your Highness... Pardon, Princess Aria." He bowed yet again, a smile gracing his lips.

°She is actually nice°

Raising his head slightly, the towering figure of the King as he arrived struck fear instantly into him. "Your Majesty!" He bowed once again.

°What is he doing here? This must be a trick° The Stablemaster stood fixed to the spot until the King passed by him into the stable.

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"Wow, such a beautiful horse!" Princess Aria doted on a magnificent Friesian horse which poked it's head out of it's stall.

"Princess Aria?!" Lady Leah tried catching up to her, tailing after the princess on sighting the King's glare on her failure to handle her one work.

"Your High-ness!" Lady Leah called out of breath. Resting her hands on her thighs, bending over, trying to take in her breath.

"Why can't you keep up?" The Princess teased.

°If it weren't because of this dress° Lady Leah looked down on her lavender glazed cotton one piece dress, the lacing on her back a little too tightly fitted. She tried steadying her breath. "Please wait up!"

The King shook his head as he walked in graceful strides, his Royal Advisor Curtis trying to keep up with his pace.

"Sire, the next on our agenda is..." royal advisor Curtis had began but was cut off mid speech due to the halted movement of the King, his raised hands and his twitching brows as he closed his eyes in thought.

Exhaling, dropping his hands beside himself, the King turned to his side facing his Advisor, finally speaking: "I clearly remember this is the Royal Stables, is it not?" He questioned as he bent slightly downwards leaned closer to the royal advisor. A dark aura seething off the King.

"Y-you're right Sire!" Royal Advisor Curtis yelled in fear.

"Do my ears deceive me? I thought I heard of things relating to the problems of the kingdom?" The King glared at his advisor.

°Why you double crossing Princess, I specifically warned you on the King's disdain to horses, especially that black breed° Royal Advisor Curtis gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"I just thought that because you dislike horses, you would be more interested in-"

"Are you being paid to think for me?" The King challenged.

"No, Sire." Royal advisor Curtis frantically shook his head.

"What are you two doing?" Princess Aria leaned back watching them.

"Leave my sight." Easing his position, he stood straight, not sparing Royal Advisor Curtis a glance, his hands in his coat pockets, he continued walking towards where the Princess stood at a distance.

°You would have to thank me later, Curt- umm Curtis° The princess smiled to herself for saving him from whatever could have gone down if she had not interfered.

"Over here!" Princess Aria waved her hands in the air as she spotted the King coming over.

°Dimwit! Doesn't it look like I'm on my way over?° The King shook his head in disappointment. "Tch-"

Lady Leah froze to the spot on seeing her King at close proximity to a horse.

°Is he really going to stay here? I thought he wouldn't be able to make it here° she sweatdropped.

"Sire, would you like to take a rest while I bring something refreshing?" Lady Leah offered, her mouth slightly opened at the realization of overstepping her bounds.

°I am so dead!° She condemned her mouth immediately those words left her lips.

Giving a hard glare at Lady Leah, his brows knitted together in a frown, "That is the maid's job, but it seems you forget your duty most times. Would it be to your taste if I would rearrange the line of duties around here?" He replied.

"I am so sorry Sire, please pardon my grave mistake." She fell to her knees.

°If you do not step in, another would be in big trouble because of me° She panicked.

"Wow isn't the air hot around here?" The Princess said in a loud voice, fanning down on herself with her hands.

°I totally forgot to bring my gloves and coat, silly me!° The Princess brows twitched in frustration.

They both looked up at the Princess in confusion. To the Princess credit, they were both distracted so it's a win-win situation.

°Isn't this the cold time of the year?° Lady Leah stared at the princess who had a grin plastered on her face as she rubbed her hands to the cold, blowing on it.

°I can clearly see your breath due to the cold° The King's brow raised at her futile tactics.

"You're freezing cold." The King stated, giving her a thorough body scan.

"I am not!" She protested.

An east wind blew, dissolving her resolve, firmly gripping herself, she trembled slightly. "C-could I borrow your coat?" She looked pleadingly at the King.

Lady Leah's mouth hung open in utter shock at the inconceivable request by the Princess.

°Do you want your head on a platter?° Lady Leah's eyes darted from the Princess to the King continuously.

The King's lips perked up in a smirk, pulling off his cashmere coat, he threw it at her.

"Hey!" Princess Aria pouted, pulling off the coat from her face.

"What?" The King looked down at the Princess, "Did you expect me to put it around you?" An imaginary devil's horn made it's way to his head.

°As stupid as this sounds, yes, yes I did!° She shot daggers at the King.

"No!" she folded her arms, turning her back away from the King.

"You did ask for the coat, and the coat you got." The King retorted, giving an eye shut smile, finding her pouting lips amusing.

°H-He's smiling?° Lady Leah was dumbfounded at the strange side of her King.

"You're mean." She mumbled, she turned facing him again.

"I know." The King acknowledged. His frown returning.

°That is the King I know° Lady Leah released a breath of relief.

Putting on the coat, she began to feel a little warmer. "Leah."

"Yes, Your Highness?" She bowed awaiting a command.

"Does this horse have a rider?" The Princess reached out to the Friesian horse.

"He had but that was a very long time ago,Your Highness, he has proven hard to tame after the death of his rider." Lady Leah replied.

"Come on boy." The Princess whispered, her hands still stretched out.

The Horse shook it's head at first, taking a few steps backwards.

"He has proven stubborn to commands, and can be wild at any slight goading." Lady Leah warned.

"Come on." The Princess implored, stretching out her hand.

The horse's muscles relaxed, walking towards the stable door, bowing it's head slightly it allowed her to brush through it's mane. Removing it's head almost immediately, it breathed on her face.

°What's going on here?° Yet again, Lady Leah was met with a situation which left her speechless.

"Your Majesty!" The Princess overly stretched the word. "You do know my name, I think it is fair if you could tell me yours."

°Please Princess Aria, don't do this. With how strong you're driving your words, we might both lose our heads° Lady Leah sweatdropped at the misfortune she possesses now as she was assigned to the Princess.

"It's Zane." The King asserted.

°Wow! such a beautiful name° she fawned over.

"Does he have a name?" She stroked the horse's neck.

The King frowned once more at the utter disregard she displayed to the revelation of his name.

°I expected at least a comment on my name, yet all she thinks about is the horse!°

"No he does not. At least not anymore." Lady Leah replied.

"Then it's settled, I'll name him." Princess Aria beamed.

"I'll call him-"

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