It Started With An Accident....

Destiny didn't understand why she was here. Prince Vincent had already blown her off, and it had been announced that the wedding ceremony would take place - but not with the Princess of the Sea that had initially been promised.

No, Kalinda had showed up to ruin all of that for her (not that she wanted to marry Vincent in the first place), but it was still very hurtful to see another person in the place you were once promised. That, and it meant she had to go back home with no army, no support, and no heir of what the world presumed was the last Dragon in Ylphasia -- and only a half dragon at that.

Despite what the cold-hearted prince had said, Destiny still did her best to make herself beautiful and presentable to him. The silly young woman foolishly thought that all men were swayed by the charms and looks of all women, but for Vincent it was the opposite.

Ever since Dowager Queen Kalinda showed up, his eyes had sparkled with joy, and he had her at his side every moment of the day. The way he looked at her and combed his long fingers through her fiery red hair and looked into her gold eyes of fire with complete dedication made Destiny's insides churn with jealousy.

Still, it was worth putting her all into her attire and presentation. She had directed her maidens to delicately lace her hair up into a beautiful up-do with gems and delicate shells braided throughout her silky threads.

She had picked out her favorite, sea-blue dress that matched her eyes, and adorned jewelry across her neck, arms, and fingers like she would had she been home. Everything that was the best she could muster - she put on.

Destiny had even had her scales scrubbed, polished, and buffed to make her flesh look iridescent in the right light. Painful as it was, she felt it would be worth it if she could catch Vincent's red eyes for just a moment.

The Prince was as mean as he was handsome - which said a lot since he had even removed the Princess from the Queen suite and had instead placed Kalinda in the gorgeous royal wing.

Perhaps she should have given up. Perhaps she should have packed it in, and gone home... hell, maybe she could have tried her luck at another suitor...but her father so desperately wanted the assistance of this particular kingdom, that she just had to try again.

It had all been for nothing. Nearly a quarter of the night had gone by, and her intended had only kept Kalinda in his company.

When it came to the toast, Destiny had been asked to sit in the crowd, and he had announced to all that he was to marry the Succubus instead. He had even asked for her hand in front of everyone to the shouts of many who cheered in happiness.

There was no way she was going to be able to garner that support for her kingdom, now. The war was as good as over.

Tired, bored, alone, and defeated - the lovely young Princess left the ballroom as yet another round of music played without a partner for her to dance with. Plus, she needed fresh air.

The royal garden had been opened up and lit for the occasion, and it was the only place she could think of to properly 'hide without hiding' to save what little dignity she had left. To cry in front of a crowd of important people would be a death warrant to her cause, and a huge embarrassment to her father in a personal sense.

After she tucked herself away in a little cluster of fruit trees near what appeared to be a little sitting area for ladies out to tea, she finally let herself cry. With the moon high in the sky, it made for a lovely look as things not only glowed in the warmth of the fire, but the cool embrace of the stars as well.

It felt good to release her pain, but she was embarrassed that she hadn't been able to hold it together for the whole night. To have to see her intended so happy in the arms of another was too much for her, apparently.

Destiny sighed and wiped her tears away as swiftly as she could and then relaxed into the tea chair so she could save as much dignity as possible, and in an attempt to act natural. Her beautiful sea-green eyes watched the cloudless sky in silence.

It was a nice, solitary moment until someone coughed from a bit of a distance away. Whoever it was - they sounded as though they had choked on something, and their rapid sputter made her think they were in danger.

Not one to stand by idly, she got to her feet, kicked off her high-heeled shoes, and ran towards the sounds of the struggle. She wanted to shout, but did not have the ability to do so, and instead she relied on the stranger's gasps and wheezes to locate them.

The Princess whizzed around the corners of what appeared to be a small hedge-maze (very small, really), for it wasn't a few twists and turns until she ran right into the man who slapped his chest harshly with his own fist.

As soon as she collided with him, she fell right onto her rump, and made a soft 'whiff' that escaped her lips pathetically. The rocks and pebbles below her buttocks hurt as they imprinted into her flesh under the thin fabric.

She had squeezed her eyes shut in the impact, but once she opened them and looked up to the person she had attempted to rescue, her face lit up on fire.The man before her was absolutely gorgeous - his face was well sculpted into a strong, square mold, and his two bright, red eyes sparkled in the moonlight with transient-like quality.

His sandy-blonde hair was rather long in the back, but his bangs were well shaped around his face, and were just a bit wavy in contrast to the slick ponytail he had tied behind his neck neatly. When his expression changed to that of shock and concern, her heart did a back-flip at how genuine the worry in his eyes were.

"I am so sorry, are you alright?" He asked with a light, soft voice that matched the kindness in his aura. The man leaned down and offered his hand to her with a smile that could slay a monster's rage.

The young Princess nodded, and accepted his hand before she had even realized it. His strength must have been great, because with the way he pulled her up to her feet so easily - he must have either had large muscles, or magical abilities.

Hell, her blood even seemed 'tingle' at the touch of his warm, smooth hands.

"I really hope I didn't hurt you. I wasn't expecting anyone to come around the corner, to be honest - so you took be a bit by surprise," he continued with a soft laugh as he looked away with awkwardness in the air.

Destiny shook her head and attempted to converse with him. Since she could not speak, she relied on the hope that he understood her signals and gestures to communicate with him.

'It's alright. I was the one who ran around the corner. I thought someone was choking, or worse... I didn't mean to run into you. I am the one who is sorry.'

"Oh, you don't speak." He replied with a bit of tamed shock.

Destiny shook her head again and pointed to her throat before she signed to him again. 'I can't. I would very much speak if I had the ability.'

The man look mortified and his cheeks seemed to heat up with a visible light for a brief moment. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, I'm usually not this bad with my word choice. I must be nervous for some reason."

She looked as though she had laughed, but no sound came out. He looked adorable with his shocked face and dimly lit cheeks.

'It's fine. I was having a little laugh at you anyway. I didn't hurt you, did I?'

The man smiled with joy and reassured her immediately. "Not at all, miss. You bounced off me with how tiny you are. I was afraid I'd shattered all the bones in your body for a minute."

Her eyebrow raised in a jest-like suspicion while she replied with her hands. 'Hah. I'm small, but I'm not fragile.'

"Sure, sure. That's what all the small, beautiful ladies say when they run into tall men." He returned with a soft grin and leaned against one of the walls of greenery, but it immediately separated due to his weight, and he sank into the shrubbery so fast he had no time to hide the shocked look on his face.

This time, she had to cover her face as she full-on laughed at the scene that had unfolded. Whoever this guy was, he was positively adorable, and completely genuine in his personality. A rare find indeed.

'Are you alright, Mister tall man? You looked a little taken back,' she poked fun at him and felt a bit empowered to move closer to him to gain the upper hand. Her arms folded over one another and she leaned into the same wall of leaves he had, and with her light weight, it held her with a tender 'spring' in their support.

He beamed with a wide grin and immediately gave in to her tease. "Alright, you got me. I was completely shocked....but so were you when you ran into me."

He had her there. Now it was her turn to move her eyes away in embarrassment.

"Why did you come running in here, by the way? You're dressed so beautifully - so you must be here for the party. Shouldn't you be dancing with some handsome Prince or something instead of being out here with a louse like me?" He gestured towards the castle, and while he was being a little bit funny, she felt he had truly tried to compliment her.

'I wanted to save you. Like I told you before - you sounded like you were choking. As for the party, it's hard to enjoy something that was meant for you, but was taken over by a stranger...' She answered with a frown on her face, and the inability to keep her eyes on his.

"Oh..." He started with empathy. "I... I'm really sorry. I didn't know you were the Sea Princess..."

She waved him off easily and cracked a half-smile as she tried to play off how hurt she really was. 'Is that what they're calling me? What a shame. No one even knows my name, let alone what I look like...'

"I-I didn't mean it like that...." He answered with terror and shook his head and hands rapidly in denial.

'It's alright, I was kidding. It's hard for people to know who you are when you spend your entire life in a tower under the sea. My name is Destiny Ismyrea. You can call me Destiny if you'd prefer.' She offered her hand out to him this time.

"Wow. That's a stunning moniker. I'm Lanshu. I'm Queen Adelaide's ward." He returned with a warmth in his voice that lost its previous comical tone. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Destiny." 

'Oh, please - the pleasure is all mine....but speaking of what we're doing out here -- what on earth is someone of such importance hiding in the garden? You do know your Queen was looking for you, yes?' She asked with concern.

Based on how his face twisted, he had no clue.

'Oh dear...' She signaled and let her face fall.