Twenty-Fourth

Despite Emily's protests, Adrien insisted upon escorting Emily back to her chamber room in the castle.

"...Y-you really don't have to...!"

He really did, actually.

She'd definitely get lost.

But it was...embarrassing to take up so much of his time on something so trivial.

"You are my guest," He laughed, smiling fondly over at her. "And furthermore," He smiled warmly and continued to guide her towards her rooms. "You are my fated Keybearer, Emily. Besides," He looked pointedly towards the path ahead, "I quite enjoy it."

Emily flushed, and averted her gaze towards the ground as they walked. She wondered how she should act around Adrien after her 'awakening' of his power.

That was to say...

she sure did kiss the prince multiple times in the name of being Keybearer.

"Tell me, Lady Emily...If there is anything else you require or desire...please tell me at once, and I shall fulfill it." He announced gallantly as they neared her quarters.

"O-oh! Um." Emily faltered as she contemplated how to respond. "No, I think everything is alright! Thank you..." She stammered awkwardly, cheeks burning slightly as she kept her focus trained solely upon her shoes.

Adrien laughed warmly beside her and reached out to brush a lock of hair out from in front of her face.

"...Thank you, Lady Emily." His voice and expression were just as warm as each other.

She could hardly bear it.

It was simply too overwhelming...too intense!

'The way he looks at me like that...how am I supposed to deal with that??'

"...Uh..." She blinked rapidly at Adrien, completely lost for words as she tried to make sense of her emotions.

The Prince chuckled in a good-natured manner at Emily's confusion as he turned away, leaving her at the front doors of her chambers, calling over his shoulder

"If you need anything else, I am here for you at any moment. We will dine together tonight, however I must excuse myself this afternoon; I will return for supper to join you and discuss plans for your upcoming adventures."

Her head swam until she was dizzy with emotion and exhaustion, however she managed to mumble an acceptable answer, "U-understood...thank you, Prince Adrien..."

Once he'd disappeared from sight, Emily rushed back inside her bedroom and flopped backwards onto her bed with a loud groan.

Oh gosh, what am I going to do about my feelings for that man now???!!!

A pink paw planted on her forehead.

She squawked and sputter, the fae fairy smirking in a triumphant sort of way.

"See? That is how you unlock a key."

Emily blinked.

That...wasn't so bad...

"And...also..." Mia pressed her tiny paw to Emily's cheek and flashed her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry too much about his majesty."

"Wh-?" Emily began, before Mia cut her off.

She reached over and patted Emily's forehead a few more times, smirking. "You're destined mates, idiot."

"WHA-" Emily yelled and sat up straight like a shot. "What did you just say?!"

Mia snorted, tail curling lazily as she lounged beside the pillows. "It is written in your souls." She waved a paw dismissively, clearly bored.

"...Wh-wha...you...how...but we come from different worlds, how can our souls-"

"Kidding~!" Mia laughed wickedly and danced away as Emily pounced upon her furry, pink form. "Oh come on! It was a joke! Don't look so sad about it!"

"Who says I'm sad!" Emily glared at her indignantly as she pranced across the bed.

"Tears. Crying. I can smell them, idiot human. The whole kingdom probably can!"

"I DID NOT CRY!"

She leaped into the air and sprouted pink little wings with a high pitched 'MEEYOW', laughing. "I bet you're dreaming of kissing his pretty royalness, HUH! Nya~" She stuck out her pink tongue, tail twitching mockingly, flying in a circle above Emily's head. "What did that handsome prince taste like anyway?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

The tiny pink cat-girl zoomed forward until her face was less than an inch away from Emily's nose and gave her an obnoxious, devilish smirk. "So did you just dream about him all night? Do you want him to give you kittens, Missy?"

"E-eep! W-What is WRONG with you!" Emily stumbled backwards, unstable from her early attempt to pounce the katsith, and collapsed backward on the bed. "Ngh-!"

As the overexcited cat began to continue her teasing, Emily threw a pillow into her face.

"Meyeeoow!" The small cat-girl protested as the force sent her tumbling onto the bed.

She grumbled, grunted, and yowled in very over-dramatic fashion as she struggled to unpin herself by the pillow.

When she finally had, she'd calmed down some, her wings vanishing for now.

Mia sniffed haughtily. "It wasn't necessary to resort to violence!"

Emily folded her arms indignantly. "You were out of control."

Mia sniffed again and licked her paw. It had the air of someone filing their nails. "Fae moods strike at any time, you know. It's your fault for bottling up a katsith in your room."

That sounds like an excuse for being childish and carried away...

Emily rolled her eyes.

"Now, now, little Miss. Don't forget who you're in the company of. I'm still the fae in this contract!"

Emily sighed heavily and pushed herself up off of the bed.

She walked over to stand in front of the window, peering outside into the courtyard. She could see many knights training below, their voices carrying on the wind.

Several armored soldiers marched around the perimeter, while others practiced swordplay or archery in various areas of the castle grounds. A handful of horses were tethered nearby, grazing leisurely upon grass while their masters fought, or sharpened their weapons.

She recognized Kieran down there, his fiery red hair easy to pick out in a crowd. He moved with grace and speed, practicing with another knight.

The two combatants lunged and parried and circled each other relentlessly. The two appeared evenly matched. Neither appeared to have gained the upper hand.

They both danced in an almost mesmerizing display of agility and dexterity, striking out with blades that rang loudly upon contact. Sweat glistened upon their skin, soaked through their shirts. 

Eventually, one man fell heavily upon the ground.

Cheers erupted all over the area. Kieran grinned arrogantly, holding his sword up victoriously overhead. The beaten knight scrambled to his feet, glaring hatefully at Kieran before marching off.

"So, princess, did you just fall madly in love with that handsome man in a shiny metal outfit?" The fae fairy floated towards Emily, sitting on her shoulder.

"...With Kieran?" Emily scoffed. "No. He looks pretty but he's an arrogant, horrible person underneath." She muttered, rolling her eyes. "Why?"

"Mm....no reason..." Mia trills in amusement. "Human relationships are so funny~"

She stared at the fae.

I don't see anything funny about it.

As if reading her mind, the katsith cackled once more.