[Atoli01]

My name is Chi. Chi von Schweitzer. Illegitimate and hated royal of the kingdom of Albasta. And today I was turning fifteen. So in other words, there was going to be a huge party thrown for me and I'd have to pick out a knight to protect me at the end. Really though, it was going to be a party with no 'congratulations', or any pats on the back. Chances are, no one would even acknowledge my existence, even though it was my party.

It took everything I had not to break out laughing then and there. I mean, throwing a party for me was useless. And I could fend for myself. No one... no one except my brother looked at me as a person. Who would care if I died anyways? All they were doing was wasting a perfectly capable knight and doing unnecessary work. It was all so stupid.

Knock knock.

One of the maids went to open the door, returning with a man behind her. "Levant!"

If it weren't for the other darned maid placing her hand on my shoulder, I would've quite literally tackled him. He smiled gently as he walked over to me, patting my head. Both maids took a moment to bow to him, along with a 'Good morning, Your Majesty'. They both got back to work, one fixing my dress and the other preparing the makeup and hair supplies.

I felt the maid behind me finish tying the last ribbon on the back of my dress, squeezing my already petite waist. She quickly tried to usher me to the other maid, but with no success. I slipped right around her and over to my brother, a frown spreading across my face.

I clung onto his arm and looked up at him, "Why do I have to get my hair done, anyways? It'll just get messed up anyways. And makeup looks just plain unnatural. Besides, its all such a hassle."

He laughed as he shrugged away from me, replying, "You have to make a good impression. Just do it." He handed me off to the maid by the table, the one who was going to be doing all of my makeup and fixing my hair.

I sighed as I obeyed him and took a seat in the chair. But once I was seated, I turned around to face the maid. "I don't want any makeup put on! And I just want my hair in pigtails, got it?!" It wasn't often that I was bossy like this, but I hated doing this kind of stuff.

The maid sighed and nodded as I turned back around. She was probably on the verge of murdering me. I mean, I had already argued about the dress being too frilly - which, for your information, I didn't win on that matter - and now about the hair and makeup. I heard Levant laugh a little as the maid started working with my hair. He walked over to the side of the table, my eyes drifting to the mirror in front of me, and then over to the window.

The city was full of life, as expected. And surprisingly, it was none too different from any other day. But then again, many tried to erase my existence out of their mind; to them, I wasn't here, and I never would be. I sighed and averted my gaze back to the mirror. The maid behind me had already fixed one side of my hair. I sighed and looked over to Levant. "I really don't want a knight. All I want is for this day to be over with so I can return to my everyday life."

He still stood there, his arms crossed, not saying a thing. After a few minutes, the maid had finished fixing my hair, fastening a ribbon to the top of my bangs. I got up and walked over to the full mirror that was on the wall. My dress was red and went down to my ankles, yellow ruffles from below my elbows and from my waist down. There were pink ribbons tied around my elbows and waist, along with the one that was stuck in my hair. I had on pink flats to match the ribbons, and a black choker around my neck.

"Chi, it's time to go. The party will be starting in just a few minutes," Levant said, grabbing my hand and leading me out of the room. We walked down the castle hallway, and down the spiraling staircase, all the way to the audience room.

All of the royals and nobles would be attending the party, along with my potential knights. I sighed as he lead me into the room. There were only minutes left, but there was almost no one there yet. We walked to the very front of the room as Levant took a seat on the king's throne, me taking my place beside him. The queen's throne was still empty, since of course, there was no queen. The thrones in the actual throne room were much more elaborate, but these were still amazing looking. But regardless, I couldn't take a seat there - it would be disrespectful.

I stood there silently, hands together in front of me. Even though Levant was my half brother, he was still the king, and respect was to be showed. After a few minutes, everyone started filing into the room, taking their seats at the tables. Royals all sat in the front, followed by the nobles, and at the end of the room, the knights, most of which were boys. Once Levant had judged everyone as being present, he stood up from his throne, everyone diverting their attention to him.

"I welcome all of you here today for the fifteenth birthday of Chi von Schweitzer. As you all know, she is one our kingdom's treasured royals. All of you, I'm sure by now, know the routine - we'll have a grand feast to celebrate, followed by the selection of her knight. I ask everyone to treat her well, if only for today. With that being said, let the celebration begin!"

A round of applause echoed throughout the room, many getting up and helping themselves to the banquet. Levant sighed and sat down, turning to face me again, "Well, go on. Enjoy. It is your party after all." I smiled and ran off to the banquet, Levant soon following me. Yes, if only today I could have a good day.

{{OMFG, its sooo long! TT_TT Oh well, bear with it? -shot'd- X3}}

{{Chi: 1, Levant: 1}}

[Hannah Kerela]

Aslan cast a glare into the mirror as he readied himself. For once, would it kill the spirits around him to just... disappear? He pushed the thought aside, straightening his clothes and brushing the hair out of his face. Today... Today was special. He'd watched Chi - Lady von Schweitzer, he corrected himself - with a proud eye, though he wasn't much older than her - she'd done well for herself, given her circumstances - and he wanted to be there for her big day - such a hard life, she deserved a bit of praise and fun. If only the people would allow her that much. It was nonsense, what people thought of her - as if it was her fault what her parents had done! He thought it was ridiculous to despise her for the sins of her mother or father.

Aslan straightened his shirt one last time, then headed out to the party, taking a place along the wall - he didn't think it right to indulge on such an important day, what could even be the first day of his official employment. He thought back to what his sister would have said - Aslan, you're so boring! - and chuckled to himself, before sighing. All that was behind him, now - he could focus on making a place for himself. That was why he'd come so far from where he'd originated from - he wanted a new life. He looked up, scanning the room to find Chi and Levant to make certain that no one got any bright ideas.

Overprotective? Maybe. Paranoid? Probably. However, given this country's history, could he be blamed? He thought not. People disliked Chi, however ridiculous their reasoning. And a large gathering like this could be seen as an opportunity for such people to rectify their perceived problem.

He did his best to ignore the moaning woman to his left, however, acutely aware that she wasn't visible to everyone. Finally, he turned his face just fractionally. "Go away," he muttered. "No one here can help you." He looked back out toward Chi, watching her with interest.

[Atoli01]

Even though it was my birthday, I was going to wait in line like any normal person. I mean, even if I did want to try to skip the whole line, no one would let me. It appeared that Levant had done the same as well, since he stood behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I smiled as the line moved up. I hurried and grabbed a plate, Levant following suit. Hopefully by the time we got up to the front, there would still be enough food left.

"Hey, Levant~? Why do we even have to have these stupid parties, anyway? Couldn't they just let us choose - no, assign us, even - a knight and be done with it?" I looked back at him, puzzled. No matter how I looked at it, parties really served no purpose. For a normal person, it might make them feel loved, or popular, or whatnot, but it did the opposite to me. It showed just how much everyone hated me.

Levant smiled and laughed, replying, "Well, to tell you the honest truth, I've no idea. They serve no purpose really, other than making the day a bit more fun for everyone. And plus, why do something so formal without having a bit of fun beforehand?"

I sighed; I would just never get him. After the line moving up several times, we had finally reached the food. I quickly took a spoon full of salad and stuck it on my plate, along with two chicken legs. As we got further up, I also got pasta, a couple slices of turkey, carrots, and a slice of bread. My plate was basically full by now. I looked behind Levant - people were already lining up for seconds.

I waited for Levant, and once he finished getting his food, I walked with him to one of the tables. We were required to sit in the front with the other royals, whether we liked it or not; in this case, not. Luckily, the only two people sitting at that particular table was the prime minister and one of Levant's potential brides. Speaking of which, I always hated the arranged marriages.

I looked around the room, a single knight catching my eye. I mean, he wasn't hard to miss. He was the only one standing there and not eating any food. I quickly turned my gaze back to my plate and began eating. Levant always mentioned to me how horrible my etiquette was at the dinner table, but I aways ignored him. I mean, who really cares how and how much you eat?

{{Chi: 2, Levant: 2}}

[Hannah Kerela]

Aslan saw Chi look at him, and he quickly averted his eyes, looking downward, but smiling to himself - the princess was still managing to be her usual self, even under pressure. It was endearing, to watch her act so... so normal. So much more normal than any of the other royals, at any rate. He couldn't help but think it was... cute, in a way.

The moaning woman was still next to him, reaching out and touching his arm pleadingly. He stiffened, his eyes shifting in the spirit's direction. "Go away," he repeated. He couldn't help her, and, right now, he didn't really want to - he was here for one person, and one person only, because Chi needed support more than anyone. He looked back up at her, watching her.

After a few moments, he pushed away from the wall, moving away from the spirit, both to escape the moaning and to get a better look at Chi. He was glad that she wasn't around too many other royals - he knew how much power loved backstabbing, after all. Even with only the prime minister and one of her brother's potential brides, though, Aslan kept a close eye on her.

He trusted the king well enough, of course, but anyone else...? He didn't. Couldn't.

What am I doing? It's not my job to protect her, he thought, rolling his eyes at himself. Still, a small part of his mind insisted on an addition to the statement: Yet.

[Atoli01]

I wasn't going to talk them. I just wasn't. And besides, them and my brother were making small talk, so I didn't feel it right to butt in. Not like I'd be wanted, anyways. So instead, I just sat back, eating my food, trying to make the best of this wretched day. It was only a few minutes before I finished my meal, with how fast I had ate... not to mention how sloppily I ate, either. They could think what they wanted of me; I mean, they already hated me, so what was the difference, really?

I glanced over at Levant's plate - he had barely ate anything. It was times like this where I wanted to tell him to shut up and stuff his mouth, already. I knew my place though, so I sighed and stayed silent, kicking my feet back and forth like a small child. My feet didn't quite touch the floor, and it was honestly more entertaining than just sitting there. I idly stuck my spoon in my mouth - unaware of the odd stare I got from the prime minister - and looked around.

And there he was again. That same knight, just standing there. He had moved, but still... Definitely different from the other knights, I might add. All the other knights were sitting with their friends, presumably, and talking. To be honest, most of them didn't look that trustworthy either. Many of the guys looked like they would fit better in a jail, and many of the girls on the side of the street, trying to pick up boys. But that knight... something about him was just... different.

I quickly averted my gaze, though, since I realized that I had been staring at him the whole time. A spoon in my mouth as well. My god, how odd that must've been for him. I sighed and looked down at my plate again, when I heard the clanking of dishes behind me. It seemed a lot of people were done, so they were setting up desert on the back table. My favorite part of any meal.

I pulled the spoon out of my mouth and placed it on my plate. I waited for a few minutes for them to finally finish setting up, and then tapped Levant on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go get desert. I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

I smiled as I practically ran over to the tables filled with desert. The nice man behind the table cut me a slice of vanilla cake a put it on a plate for me. I took it and thanked him, grabbing a larger plate to put the rest of the deserts on. I went around, grabbing a couple different flavored cupcakes, a little bit of jello, some pudding, and a bowl of fruit.

Once I got back to the table, I placed my plate down atop of my other and took a seat. Levant smiled a bit at seeing how much I had gotten, probably on the verge of laughing. On the other hand, the other two had looks of disgust stained on their faces. I glared at the two, especially the girl - I didn't like her, for some reason - before I started eating.

{[I just noticed Chi's name is the first 3 letters of child. X3 Maybe that's why she's so immature. xD}}

{{Chi: 3, Levant: 3}}

[Hannah Kerela]

Aslan chuckled at the way she'd stared at him, the spoon her her mouth - it was cute, still. He felt bad for continuing to watch her, but... He really didn't trust many of the people around her, and something in him sorely wanted her to be safe. He glanced around at the other knights, sighing. Statistics were not in her favor, he realized - many of these men either looked shady, or incompetent. Same for the women, actually.

And that went beyond just the knights - the royals didn't look much more trustworthy. She needs a real protector.

When Chi got up for desert, he had to smile at what she'd gotten - vanilla cake was absolutely delicious, in his opinion, and the fruit was a surprisingly healthy option to go with it. He found himself smiling in approval, despite the fact that there was no way that the princess would care about what he thought.

And the look on the prime minister's face was, perhaps, worth the large amount of food she'd gotten for herself - it was almost laughable, how conservative some people could be about something as simple as food! She was fifteen, she needed food.

Or did these royals really not remember being a teenager? He would have pursued that line of thought further, had it not been for the increased volume of that accursed moaning. Aslan fell back against the wall as the woman drifted closer, his hand dropping down, as if out of laziness, and brushing the spirit just barely. The moaning stopped ringing in his ears, and the spirit faded into him.

He knew at once why she'd been moaning, having to tilt his head back and stare up at the ceiling to stop himself from tearing up with sympathy. To watch one's child burn... he thought, letting the wave of the woman's memories wash over him, waiting for the intense mental pain to pass.

Yet, after a few moments, he looked back out at the crowd around him, checking up on Chi briefly.

((Haha. Maybe. A name can make a person, after all.))

[Atoli01]

I picked up my fork and ate down all of my vanilla cake, followed by the fruit and the jello. Once I had finally finished eating my pudding, I sat back and stuck the spoon in my mouth again. I was thankful that they were all ignoring me, or they would probably been disgusted by how fast I ate. But I didn't really care what they though of me. I mean, sure, it hurt that almost everyone hated me. I couldn't stand it when I was younger. Even though I can cope with it almost completely now, there were still times when I couldn't take it.

I remembered when I was around seven or so, when I went outside to play with the other kids. They were playing tag, so I wanted to play, too. But even at that age, they had heard what had happened. They called me names and told me they didn't want to play with someone like me. I had run back to my room and quite literally locked myself in there. Levant had told me open up, but I refused. Well, he was more than a little good with his lock picking skills then, and went and unlocked my door himself, haha. He was the one person that was always there for me. Always.

A small tear dripped down my cheek, but I wiped it away quickly. Hopefully no one saw that, especially Levant. I backed my chair out a little so I could lay my head on the table. I yawned and felt Levant move his arm so it touched mine. It was comforting, really. Having someone with me, that is. I closed my eyes and fell asleep for a little while.

I was awakened by Levant ruffling my hair. I lifted my head up and rubbed my eyes, Levant standing up. I looked over to the desert table and saw nothing left, along with the fact that all the plates were cleaned up. Must've been asleep for a while. I softly yawned, spotting the prime minster and that girl staring at me. One of them muttered something, something like how it was impolite to fall asleep at the table, or something to that effect. I ignored them and watched as Levant walked to the front of the room.

"I am pleased to announce another successful event. I thank all of you for your cooperation and participation today, and ask you all to come for the next event. Now, I kindly request that all of the royals and nobles make their leave from this room. Again, I thank all of you, and have a wonderful day."

I grumbled as everyone, as well as me, got up. As instructed, almost everyone made their way out of the room - that is, except for me, Levant, and all the knights. I went and walked over to the front, taking my place next to my brother. It was going to be time to select my knight, then. Levant put his hand on my shoulder as all of the knights started lining up.

"Remember, choose the knight you think is best for you," Levant said softly to me. The only thing was, how was I supposed to do that? I knew none of the knights, really. I remembered to knight that I saw earlier, leaning up against the wall. He... he had seemed more trustworthy than all of them put together.

{{Chi: 4, Levant: 4}}

[Hannah Kerela]

A tear. Aslan's heart softened for a moment, and it took all of his self-control not to go over to her right then and there to comfort her. Not my place.

Aslan straightened when Levant called the room to attention, looking at Chi. He'd seen her fall asleep; all the better for her, a dream was a much healthier environment than the poison that royals tended to spout. He glanced around the room quickly - no dead spirits clamoring for attention, good.

He focused his attention on Chi, watching to see who she would pick - what else could he do, at such a crucial moment?

[Atoli01]

I sighed and looked over all the knights, slowly bringing my hands up to cover my mouth. Most, if not all of them probably hated me. Would probably do the opposite job of a knight; just turn their back on me when I wasn't paying attention. It was just then that I noticed that I was shivering a little, probably out of the pressure. I mean, every single person in there had their eyes on me, waiting for who I would choose.

Get that out of your head and choose already, lady! I tried to regain my composure and shook my head a little. He was who I was going to choose, for certain. That knight I had seen earlier. There was no way to tell for certain to know if he was going to be any different from the others, but I would take my chances with him. I sighed and scanned the room for him.

Once I spotted him, I quickly ran over and clung onto his arm, avoiding his face. "Levant, I want him as my knight," I said to my brother. All of the other knights stared in shock, but I spotted my bother nodding in a approval.  I tightened my grip on his arm a little and softly muttered, "Please don't let me down..."

{{Chi: 5, Levant: 5}}

[Hannah Kerela]

Aslan blinked when Chi gripped his arm, but wrapped his spare arm around her protectively. "My life is yours, Lady," he said, his voice quiet. Let her down? Never.

He looked at the girl that was gripping his arm, smiling just a tad - yes, he was glad to protect her. He could only be thankful that there wasn't an infuriating ghost egging for his attention, too - he could focus, for now at least, solely on making sure Chi was safe and well cared for.

Aslan, you're such a sap! he could almost hear Asara's voice. She'd think he was being ridiculous; he thought it was more that he was being open-hearted. No matter, though - Chi was the one who mattered, here.

[Atoli01]

"All knights except Sir Aslan are dismissed!"

At hearing what he had said, I smiled happily. Could I have really chosen right? For now it seemed so, but only time could tell; who knows, maybe the odds that were normally stacked against me, maybe they were in my favor today. All of the other knights started leaving the room, some with looks of disappointment on their faces, others looking like they couldn't be happier. I laughed a little and slid out of his grasp, pulling him towards my brother.

Once we got over to Levant, I let go of his arm and took my place beside my brother again. He smiled and patted me on the head before addressing the knight I chose, "Well, since Chi is my little sister, there's no need to really be formal with you. You're practically family from here on out. But, I'm assuming you'd rather introduce yourself to her?"

I smiled again and leaned forward a little, hands behind my back, "Just call me Chi from now on, m'kay? I hate formalities."

{{Chi: 6, Levant: 6}}

[Hannah Kerela]

Aslan bowed his head momentarily to Levant, the turned to Chi. "My name La-- Chi," he said, having to remind himself not to slip into old habits. "Is Aslan... I look forward to protecting you, Chi," he said, smiling warmly.

What he didn't add, however, was that his full and complete loyalty was to Chi, not to the crown - if it came down to it, he'd break any law to protect her. He looked at Chi warmly, tuning out the voice in his head warning him that he needed to warn her about his... abilities.

They could discuss that later... or never. Never worked quite well for him, actually.

[Atoli01]

I laughed a little when he almost added lady in front of my name. It was funny, though. And anyways, I liked how Chi sounded more than things like ma'am, Her Majesty, or even Lady Chi. I mean, I shouldn't even be considered a royal, so why be addressed as one? I always thought all those fancy titles were stupid, though; I mean, they served no purpose!

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Aslan!" I smiled and turned to Levant for a moment, "Hey, since the party is over, I'm gonna change back into my regular clothes!"

Levant nodded, "Well, its still light outside, so why don't you two take a walk outside once she changes? Chances are, you two will be spending the rest of you're lives with each other, so it never hurts to get acquainted."

I ran over to Aslan and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him along with me. "Come up with me, but wait outside while I'm changing, okay?"

{{Chi: 7, Levant: 7}}

[Hannah Kerela]

Aslan nodded to Levant. Getting to know one another... he thought he'd enjoy that. He let Chi - it was surprisingly easy to think of her in such simple terms - lead him, waiting as requested outside her room.

He turned over the spirit problem in his mind while he waited. He knew that it was only the responsible thing to tell Chi the truth - these spirits were occasionally dangerous, and they often compromised his judgment. Yet... He didn't want her to turn away from him, somehow, and go into the protection of some less trustworthy knight.

So what to do? Tell her, and risk her safety... or hide it, and risk her safety? What could he do?

((Hey, sorry I keep disappearing ridiculously early; I'm trying to fight off a cold. xX))

[Atoli01]

I opened the door of my room, closing it as I went in. It just then occurred to me that it was going to be an absolute pain to get the dress off... I sighed and thankfully, easily untied the ribbon from around my waist and kicked my shoes off. I struggled for a few minutes trying to reach the zipper on the back, clumsily stumbling around the room. Once I finally got it undone, I slipped my dress off and easily put on my regular sleeveless one; it was so much comfier than the fancy one.

I took a seat on my bed and slipped on my socks and my shoes. I walked over to my desk and sat down, pulling the hair bands out of my hair, letting it fall loose around my shoulders. I sighed and brushed my hair so it was mostly straight, besides the small wave caused by having it up for so long. I quickly tied a ribbon around one strand of hair before getting up and grabbing my gloves, throwing my choker on my bed before opening the door.

"Aslan~ Let's go, m'kay? How about the courtyard?" I poked my head out, staring at Aslan with a smile on my face. I walked out of the room and closed the door, grabbing Aslan's sleeve and pulling him along with me.

{{Awwwww, s'okay. Feel better soon, m'kay? O:}}

{{Chi: 8}}