Spirits of the Earth

This thread is tagged to the wonderful @KingTyrant!

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Flordia sighed.

Great, just great.  More lessons.  More studying.  More annoyingly-proper-princess instructions.

The teenaged princess had just been informed that her studies would be increased, due to the fact that she 'is going to become the next ruler, and a great ruler needs to know everything about their people'.  As said by her mother.  And maybe that was true, but Flordia really didn't want to be a ruler.

The girl was broken out of her thoughts as her mother walked up, worry on her face.  Flordia wasn't surprised, she, too, was a little nervous at the moment.  Over the past few days, letters had been arriving at the castle, letters saying that someone was planning to assassinate a member of the royal family.  Rumor had it that the letters were speaking of Flordia.  After all, she was the sole heir to the throne, and without her, someone non-royal would have to take the throne. 
"Your bodyguard has just arrived," her mother said. "You should come and meet him.  he's quite intimidating, I'm sure you'll be safe."

Flordia sighed again, but nodded and stood up from where she had been sitting in a widow seat.  It wasn't that she didn't think she needed a bodyguard, after all, someone was out to kill her or her parents, it was just that she wasn't really looking forward to having someone trailing her all the time.  Always over her shoulder, always there.

"He's quite experienced too," her mother said as they walked down the halls towards the throne room where they would be meeting.  "He was a mercenary before this, and he has traveled all over the world."

Suddenly, the world was bright again.  He had traveled the world?  He was experienced?  Flordia couldn't believe it.  He would be able to tell her about so many things!  He would be able to tell her about different lands and cities and places!  Sure, she had read about all that in books, but it would be amazing to hear a first had account of the world through a mercenary's eyes!

They had reached the large oak doors of the throne room and the guards stationed there pulled open the doors, letting Flordia and her mother through.

Flordia looked around the room and she laid eyes on a tall, black haired man standing in the middle of the room.  He was dressed completely in steel armor, which was dented and scratched from use, there was also a sword hanging from his hip, and Flordia rushed forward, princess manners forgotten.

"Good day, sir!" she said, sticking out a hand in a very unladylike manner to shake hands with him.  "My name is Flordia, Florida Gindien!"

"The royal family will be delighted to hear that you agreed to their daughter's protection, Mr. Woods..." The messenger who led Leon through the crowded streets told him. Leon responded with a mere grunt, shoving past people carrying sacks of fresh produce and stumbling as children ran between his legs, playing tag and other games of that nature. He rolled his eyes, looking up at the tops of the fancy, sturdy buildings. He cast his gaze forwards, eyes narrowing at the large mass of towers in the distance, indicating the grand castle. "As long as I get paid everything I was promised, I have no issue." He told the messenger, not looking in his direction.

He was confronted at his home in the Thunderblacks, a cave with a makeshift wooden door in the side of the steep rock wall, with a ledge leading up to it. The messenger had been ordered to find someone to carry out the task of protecting the heir to the throne, and Adela was a prime location for sellswords of all shapes and sizes. As he went from tavern to tavern, asking around with every inkeeper and poor farmer he could find, all fingers pointed to one of the most well-known mercenaries in the land of the Dragon-Riders. Leon initially wanted nothing to do with the task, already irritated that his alone time with a bottle of mead and a tavern whore had been interrupted. But when he heard of the reward in store for him if he accepted the job, he couldn't refuse.

And now, here he was. Standing in front of the huge, wooden gate that led to the castle interior, a group of guards in fancy, bronze armor with intricate carvings standing atop the wall and looking down upon the two men. "Who goes there? Nobody comes inside the castle with this talk of assassins going around!" One of the guards shouted, Leon crossing his arms and staring up at them as the messenger cupped his hands around his mouth. "This is our man! He's been sent from the Thunderblacks to protect her Majesty Flordia!" His voice, while high-pitched, was loud enough to reach the guards on the wall, who looked at each other for a moment. "Right... Led him into the throne room! The Queen and Princess should see him shortly!"

The gate slowly fell, chains attached to the steel slowly lowering it over a deep trench and effectively creating a bridge. The merchant led Leon inside, the courtyard rather nice-looking, with green grass, a cobblestone path leading up to the stairs of the main keep, and a large stable full of the royal guard's horses.  Leon took in the sights, his brows raised in an impressed manner. Even in a state of emergency, the servants still had the time to keep the courtyard looking pretty. Two more guards opened the doors of the keep as the merchant and Leon headed up the stairs, both men going inside without hesitation into a long, wide corridor lined with stained-glass windows and marble pillars. The floor was made of what seemed like granite, a dark blue carpet leading up to the elegant thrones.

Leon walked to the middle of the room, leaning against a pillar as he took in the sights. The courtyard looked rather pretty. This throne room, however, was just downright pretentious. Talk about showing off your wealth to every poor man out there, barely surviving off stale bread... This was just one of the many reasons he couldn't stand royals. His gaze shot up as he heard another door open, as well as a girl running down in his direction. Here came a new reason to hate royalty. As she frantically threw out her hand, introducing herself with a bit too much enthusiasm, Leon's eyes shot from her hand to her face, scowling slightly. "Leon Woods." He looked up at the Queen, not one once of respect on his face. "Is this your daughter? The one you fear is being targeted?" He asked, raising a brow.

The queen pursed her lips at her daughter's behavior, but nodded at the teenager's newly hired bodyguard.

"Yes," she said, and her eyes grew stern at the look on the man's face.  He hadn't even nodded his head to indicate a bow. "And it is your job to prevent that from happening."

Flordia had barely noticed the man's lack of respect, but she raised an eyebrow and lowered her hand when the mercenary, Leon, refused to take it.  "No need to be rude," she said, but she didn't sound irritated in the slightest.

"You'll start right away," the queen said, ignoring her daughter.  "As soon as you clean up." Her eyes ran over Leon's form.  His well-used armor, his all around mercenary appearance.

Leon gave a nod, glancing at Flordia for a moment before back to the Queen. At first glance, he looked a tad worn from his travels, and that wasn't just the state of his armor. His long, black locks were tied behind his head neatly in a bun, a thick layer of scruff on his face from not being able to shave in awhile. Little specs of dirt were stuck to his skin here and there by sweat, as well as a hint of blood. This wasn't surprising, considering it was common to have to deal with bandits and creatures in the wilderness of Le'raana.

He crossed his arms, giving a grunt. "I suppose I could go for a warm bath and a close shave. And from then on, I'll have my sword at the ready, in case some fool tries to break into your daughter's bed chambers..." He assured her, looking the princess up and down. "Kid. What's your name?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. If he was going to protect this girl, he at least wanted to have something to call her.

Flordia raised an eyebrow again, but she wasn't intimidated, though perhaps she should have been.

"Flordia," she said. "And I-!"

"You'll be shown to your quarters," her mother interrupted.  "They're right next to Flordia's."

A moment later a servant entered the room.  "Right this way, sir," the young man said, motioning for Leon to follow him.  "We have a bath already prepared for you."

Leon blinked at her, genuinely wondering what nonsense was going to spout from her mouth next. His thoughts were interrupted by the servant, who requested for him to follow. Giving a swift nod, Leon went after him, up the staircase towards his quarters on the second floor of the main keep. As he entered, he was met with a rather fancy room for a mere bodyguard. Beautifully-sewn tapestries and pristine wood foors, a king-sized bed with silk curtains, and portraits on nearly every wall.

Leon took in the sight before centering his attention on the tub near the center of the room, slightly steaming with hot water. Turning towards the servant with his same stern gaze, he gave a nod. "I'll take it from here." He told him, already slipping off his shield and belt, which held his sword. Once the servant had left, Leon undressed fully, removing the tie from his hair and allowing the long, charcoal locks to fall down to his shoulders again. Wincing, he entered the water slowly, sighing in relaxation as he sank to his chest. Closing his eyes, he let his thoughts take over...

He thought mostly about the purpose of him being there. As he arrived in the grand city, the amount of guards on duty were ridiculous. Making rounds throughout the busy street, on every wall, every other building top... It made him wonder why Flordia's family needed to assign her a personal guard of her own. With how many they had, anyone could protect her. Especially the royal guard. From the size of the stable, there had to be many that were qualified to keep her safe. At first, it came to him that his arrival in the city was pointless. That made him angry. But then, another thought came to mind.

Perhaps the royal family suspected that the assassins in question were already in the city. Or even worse, within the castle itself. Someone within the royal guard, no doubt. This idea made Leon's eyes shoot open. He now felt the need to investigate, but he had his orders. Protect the kid. And that's exactly what he planned to do.

"Mother, how am I ever supposed to become a 'good social ruler' if you never let me talk?"  Flordia sighed as she walked down the hallway after her mother.  "I was just going to ask him about some of his experiences!"

The queen looked at her daughter out of the corner of her eye.  "The time for that is later," she said.  "And besides, you need to know nothing about him other than the fact that he's going to be protecting you, and that if you think he's doing anything wrong, or to endanger you, you are to come to me or your father."

Florida sighed. "Yes mother."

Then she turned down an adjoining hallway and continued on to her room.  She glanced at the door to the room next to her's, Leon's room, before stepping into her own quarters.

They were quite grand, with beautifully woven tapestries on the walls, a large four poster bed, a few couches and chairs, a large desk that was currently strewn with books, papers, quills and ink,. and a large bookshelf lining one wall.  Flordia walked over to her bed and flopped down on it, grabbing a book from her bedside table and started to read, at first, it was hard for her to concentrate on the story, even though it was an incredibly good one, but after ten minutes, she was immersed, and probably wouldn't leave until she was interrupted.

Leon finished his bath, getting out and drying himself off with a towel before hearing a knock at his door. "Come in..." The mercenary sighed, wrapping the towel around his waist before looking towards the door, which opened slowly. The man that walked in was dressed from head to toe in an elegant white doublet, his short, blonde hair parted neatly down the middle. He wore a well-trimmed mustache, a shortsword at his hip. The man walked to Leon, extending his hand. "Edwin Ellion, captain of the royal guard." As per usual, Leon looked down at his hand, narrowing his eyes disapprovingly.

Taking his hand away with raised brows, almost as if he was surprised at Leon's reaction, Edwin placed both hands behind his back before looking Leon in the eyes. "I came to simply offer you a warm welcome to our castle. I assure you that you will find everything here satisfactory." He gave a respectful bow. Leon scoffed. "So far, everything is just as pompous as I expected it to be." He crossed his arms. "These... Assassins. Do you have any information on who they might be?" He asked. Edwin reached into his back pocket. "It's interesting that you mention that... I happen to have a note for you. The latest one delivered to the castle, for the princess herself."

Leon looked down as the captain handed him a rolled-up piece of paper, sealed with wax that was stamped in the shape of the letter K. Unrolling it, Leon's eyes scanned the paper. 'I have been watching you, Flordia. You do not wish to lead your people to greatness. You wish to abandon the life you were given and usurp the legacy of your family. If you were to become queen, the neglect would be unfathomable. You must be terminated. Just seven more days, little whore...' Leon gritted his teeth. Whoever wanted Flordia dead had eyes inside the castle. Which meant that Leon's speculations were turning out to be more and more true as time went on...

It was then that something hit him, and he looked up at the captain with an untrusting glare. "You came to me with this note? Not the queen?" He asked. Edwin raised a brow. "You are her protector, are you not?" He retorted right back. Leon stepped towards him, a growl in his voice. "And she is her mother!" He crumpled the note, tossing it into the corner of the room as the captain began to shake. "Here's what I think... You didn't want the queen to know about such a direct threat, because all she would do is tighten security. That would interfere with you and your little conspirator's plans, yeah?" He accused. Edwin's eyes widened. "W-What!? I-I never!" He protested. "But you don't want someone finding out that you hid such an important note, so in your defense, you show it to me instead. Someone with much less authority." Leon continued to throw his accustations, the captain narrowing his eyes in pure fury as he pointed his finger towards the mercenary.

"You listen here... I would never do anything to hurt her majesty... I have been a good friend to the Gindiens for many years! These accustations are baseless, and I am within my right to alert the queen of this outrageous outburst!" The man hissed at Leon, pressing his finger against his chest as he spat at him over and over. Leon bared his teeth, his pupils narrowing into slits as he grabbed him around the collar. "And I'm within my right to snap your puny little neck for laying a finger on me. You act suspicious, make an enemy out of the princess' personal guardian, and expect me to trust you simply because you're some snot-nosed royal guard?"  He asked, almost lifting Edwin off the ground. "And to top it all off, you lay your grubby mitts on me as if I'm your child!" He let go of Edwin, throwing him from the room and against a wall.

Edwin shook, glaring at him. "Y-You're an animal..." He murmured. Leon scoffed. "You don't know the half of it." With this, he slammed the door, Edwin brushing himself off before storming away.

Flordia was still reading when she heard a commotion in the room next to her.  She got up and, leaving her book on her bed, left her room and walked to Leon's door.  It was oepn, and she was about to step inside when she heard her name amogst the angry voices and she stopped, staying out of sight around the door frame as they spoke.

They were arguing, and quite loudly.  Flordia recognized the voice of Captain Ellion, and he didn't seem to be happy.  It seemed like Leon was accusing Edwin of something, accusing him of being in on the death threats she had been receiving.

Then Edwin was thrown from the room, hitting the opposite wall.  Flordia gasped, but the captain didn't notice her as he got up and stormed away.

Leon had slammed the door, and Flordia stepped up to it, knocking hard on the wood.  She needed to know what this was about!  And it didn't even cross her mind to go get her parents, or another of the Royal Guard.  It may not have been the wisest choice, but Flordia was reckless, like her brothers.  One of which had been banished, and the other who had run away.

As Leon got on his armor, he grumbled quietly at the knocks on his door. Had that snotty guard come back to argue even more? Or had Flordia been eavesdropping on the arguement? Either way, it was going to be annoying. That much was true. "I'll be right there..." He said unenthusiastically, Slipping on his boots and gauntlets, approaching the door. He paused, thinking for a moment... Flordia seemed eager to talk to him about something downstairs, so that would be something else he would be looking forward to.

He grasped the doorknob, turning it slowly and hesitantly. Closing his eyes as he opened the door, all he could imagine was Flordia jumping in his face and talking nonstop. Instinctively, as soon as she was allowed access to the room, he backed off, turning to the dresser, where his belt, sword, and sheathe were laying. "What do you want, kid?" He asked, tying the belt around his waist. He turned in her direction, his animalistic gaze locked on hers. "Or were you just bored and you felt the need to bother me?" 

It was a moment before the door opened, but Flordia waited.  When it finally swung open, it was to see Leon turning back to his equipment lying on the dresser.

At his question, Flordia crossed her arms.  "I do have a name, you know," she said, but she continued without waiting for an answer.  "And no, as you seem to believe, my only aim in life is not to annoy you, I wanted to know what your argument with Edwin was about."  She paused, before adding. "And I don't know what kind of person you are, or if you'd do this, but please don't lie to me.  I'm sick of being lied to by people as it is."

Leon listened to her speak, sitting on his bed and running a hand through his hair, which was still wet from his bath. He tried tuning out her whining and crying regarding him not addressing her by her name and his accusations of her just being there to irritate him, but it was when she began asking about his argument with Edwin that he started to listen. Giving a soft sigh, he shook his head. Just when he was about to answer her honestly, she made a request that aggrivated Leon slightly.

"... Have you ever considered that people may have lied to you to protect you? Flordia?" It was the first time that he had used her name, and it was obviously in a spiteful manner. It was true, though. Flordia was young, and her mother, father, and even her own servants knew for a fact that at her young age, she was not prepared to deal with the harsh reality of life. Every threat she had recieved from these unknown assassins, all the responsibilities she would have as the queen of her nation, war, famine, disease... It had all been hidden from her with her age being the main factor of it all.

He got up, walking towards her. Once he was only a few feet away from her, her head only coming up to his chest, he narrowed his eyes. "The kind of person I am, is someone you don't wanna get to know. I've hurt a lot of people, and I don't have friends. I don't desire to have friends. I can't keep friends." He growled, glaring into her eyes. "But I've been around long enough to read some people like an open book. You're a child who can't handle the truth. If I told you what me and Edwin were arguing about, you'd be scared out of your mind. Believe it or not, my job didn't include scaring you half to death. Now leave. One of the servants told me that dinner would be ready very soon."

Leon didn't want to admit that maybe, in some way, shape, or form, that he didn't want to scare her because he actually cared about her feelings.

"I have," she said when he spoke.  "And I agree that some of it is to protect me, that most of it is."

She didn't move when he walked up to her, and she looked up at him as he continued to speak.  "I know what you're saying, I do, but I don't need to be kept in the dark about everything, I don't need to be ignored and protected about everything," she kept her voice steady. "And it's okay to lie to me about some things, I get that, but this has to do with me, with my life, or my death, and I think I deserve to know at least that.  I'm trying not to be bitter about this, but it's hard when my mother hardly even acknowledges me as a person, and not lust the heir to the throne, and it's hard when nobody tells me anything about the assassination threats, or why someone even wants to kill me."

She was stubborn, that was for sure. All Leon could do was stop and rub his eyes in annoyance when she kept going on about wanting to know what the commotion between him and Edwin was about. He was hoping that he could have the last word and head downstairs without anymore discussion on the subject. He guessed that was now out of the picture. Removing the note from his bag, he turned to her and pressed it against her chest, narrowing his eyes in her direction.

"You want to know what the argument was about? Read it. Read what's on there and ask yourself if your mother deserved to know before I did." He told her, regretting that he handed her the extremely personal letter to begin with. He could see it now... The hyperventilating, the crying and panicking... Then again, she seemed a lot tougher than most children he encountered. That was a plus. It meant that she wasn't completely helpless. "Then ask yourself if that bastard is really on your side."

The accusations were bold, but in times like these, when the threat of an assassination was all too real, Leon couldn't be too careful. Especially not as Flordia's protector. Heading downstairs to escape the confrontation, he was confronted by one of the servants from earlier as soon as he entered the throne room. "Ah! Mr. Woods, I was just about to go and retrieve you... I hope the bath was to your liking?" He asked. Leon gave a nod. "It was fine." He replied. The servant gave a smile, gesturing for him to follow. "Great... Come. Dinner has been prepared."

Leon did as he asked, following him into a rather fancy dining room with a fireplace, chandelier, and a full feast set up at the table, where the King and Queen were to be seated. As appetizing as the food looked, the thought of such pampering was a disgusting one, in his eyes. As the servant pulled his chair out for him, he gave a heavy huff. It was when he sat that he realized he was right across from Edwin and what looked to be the Queen's political advisor. The two didn't exchange words, just hateful glares.

For a moment, Flordia was sure he wasn't going to tell her, and she was about to say something when he gave her the note.  She took it.

"Wait, he didn't give this to my mother?"  But he was leaving the room.  She contemplated going after him, but then she looked down at the mostly crumpled letter in her hand.  She took a breath and unfolded it.  As she read, her breath hitched in her throat, she had prepared herself for this, expected this, but it was still somewhat scary to read it herself, read the actual note left by a killer, or someone who hoped to become one.  She took a deep breath and scanned the letter again.  She was scared, sure, but that wasn't even the worst bit.

The worst part was, they were right.

If she would become queen, she would be a terrible one.  Sure, she would try, because she did care about her people, but her heart wouldn't be in it, and a ruler needed to be one hundred percent invested in their kingdom.

Flordia did not cry, her eyes didn't even wet, but if they had, it wouldn't have been out of fear for her life, but fear for what she would do.  She couldn't become queen, it wouldn't be right.  Not for her, not for her people, but what could she do.

"Dinner is ready, Your Majesty."

Flordia jumped and spun around to see a servant standing int he still open doorway.  The girl quickly composed herself and nodded.  "Thank you, Alris, I'll be right there."

With a bow, the servant left the room.  Flordia put the letter into one of the pockets in the skirt of her gown and left Leon's room, closing the door behind her. 

She went down to the dining room and found Leon and Edwin already seated.  She quickly studied Edwin's face, trying to see anything out of the ordinary there, and found him to be glaring at Leon.  Not a surprise, but was he the one sending the threats?

Looking away, she took her place next to her parents' seats.  After a few moments they entered, and Flordia, Edwin, and everyone else at the table stood.  Flordia looked at Leon.  Would he stand?

The glares exchanged between Edwin and Leon were met with little words, but were ceased as Flordia walked in. Edwin's expression lit up, the guard's attention being taken off the mercenary as he stood to greet the princess with a bow. Leon scoffed silently, his pupils narrowing into slits at Edwin's unsettlingly respectful aura towards her. It was like the dog knew that Leon had revealed the note to her... Hopefully, that would be an aspect that Flordia didn't go rambling on about to anyone else in the room.

As the rest of the royal family entered, Leon barely even noticed. He was too busy examining his fancy silverware and plate, a vase in the middle of the table stocked with flowers from all over Le'raana. Even a gorgeous, multi-colored rose from the heart of Adela. The province he wished he was in right about now. His gaze finally lifted to see Edwin, the queen's advisor,  and basically everyone else giving him nasty looks. He scowled slightly, wondering why everyone burned a hole in his skull.

Turning his head to the side, he caught view of the queen and her king, a gentleman whom Leon hadn't had the pleasure (or displeasure) of meeting yet. He looked back at the judging faces of the others around him, Edwin looking more shocked and dumbfounded that Leon hadn't figured out that he needed to stand yet. The truth was, he did know. He was simply debating whether or not he should. As much as he'd rather dine with pigs than bow to some snotty royalty, he was surrounded by ladies and gentlemen with swords and regal armor. It would be wise to not ask for a fight from anyone here.

Giving a heavy sigh, he placed his hands on the table and stood, his chair scraping against the stone floor as he pushed it back some. Crossing his arms, he gave a disgruntled huff, Edwin just sighing in relief. "Dimwit..." He spat in Leon's direction quietly.

It would have been hard not to notice the tension in the room as her parents entered.

Everyone stood, but it seemed that Leon was taking his time in deciding if he should stay seated or not.  Flordia, unlike the others, was not glaring at Leon, but rather watching him curiously, her interest outweighing any offence she may have had.

Then he stood, and it was almost as if everyone at the table let out a collective sigh.  Then the king and queen sat down, the other's at the table following suit.

"How has you're day been, Mr. Woods?" the king asked, looking over at Leon.  Everyone at the table's attention was on the two.  "Though it hasn't been long that you've been here, I suppose you must have gotten a feel for the place?"

When Leon sat, he took a pose that most would see as anti-social. His fingers intertwined, he sat with a hunch in his back, leaning his head on his hands as the others socialized. He said absolutely nothing until the king finally addressed him. At that moment, pretty much all conversation ceased, everyone's attention focused on Leon's reply. It took awhile for the mercenary to say anything back, but when he finally did reply, it surprisingly wasn't a simple one-word response like Leon had planned on giving to any question these people threw his way.

"I feel..." He began, Edwin's face contorting slightly as he expected Leon to be stupid enough to reply with something hateful. Perhaps that was mostly because of the tongue-lashing he had recieved earlier on upstairs. "I feel welcomed. That's all I can really say." Leon finished, not even bothering to look at the king. "Surprising... I had no idea elves were so accepting to Adelan mercenaries. It's a nice change of pace, to not be distrusted everywhere you go." He added. The queen's advisor chuckled, leaning over to peer at Leon.

"Well, you have quite the astounding track record... Who better to protect her majesty than someone of your particular talents? Here, we like to make sure that anyone willing to help us, no matter what race or walk of life they come from is treated with the upmost respect." She explained. The woman had short, curly hair and an elegant red dress, her eyes a dark green color and her skin slightly sun-kissed. She held out her hand to Leon. "Nalda. Advisor to the queen and to a lesser extent, the king of this land."

Leon's piercing, wolf-like gaze shifted to her, the man holding out his hand to shake hers. "A pleasure meeting someone of such beauty and class. It's very rare that a lady talks to me like you have now. Again, a nice change of pace." With that, he leaned in, planting a kiss on her wrist in a charming fashion. A giggle escaped her lips, a slight blush on her cheeks as she pulled away. "And I thought you at first to be a common brute... How silly of me."  Leon's original viewpoint of castles and royal life slowly began to alter as he saw the people's desperate attempts to befriend him and get on his good side. These royals were not like most. They were more accepting of outsiders. They talked like any common man. That was something good to see.

A servant approached Leon, who was still giving a charming smile to Nalda right across the table, Edwin looking simply disgusted. He tapped his shoulder, Leon turning with narrowed eyes to the servant, who took a step back in slight intimidation. Seeing who it as, Leon sent his gaze forwards, taking his original stance as he gave a slight grunt, almost as if giving the signal for him to start talking. "Forgive the interruption, Mr. Woods... Our meal tonight includes venison from the Wester Highlands of Serendipity as well as a side of salad and diced, seasoned potatoes. Is... There any particular way we shall have your meat prepared?" He asked, quill and notebook in hand. Leon didn't look at him, uttering a word that caused Nalda and Edwin's eyes to go wide.

"Raw."

The servant paused for a moment, not really writing anything down as he tilted his head at the man. "Erm... Excuse me sir, I must be hearing things. I could've sworn I heard you request for us to serve you raw meat." He laughed, thinking that Leon's reply was a simple misunderstanding. "I did." Leon said, looking at the servant with a slight growl, becoming annoyed. The servant gave a confused, but accepting look as he wrote down what he needed to write down before moving on to the others. Edwin and Nalda were still befuddled, for lack of a better word.

Flordia observed all of the happenings before her in silence.  That was how she knew most of the things she knew about what was going on in the kingdom.  By listening.  She had learned that she got more answers if she didn't ask so many questions, and just found out things for herself.

And now she was watching Leon apparently flirting with one of the royal advisors.  She hadn't put him down to be the flirty type, but he did indeed seem surprised at how he was being treated here.

Like the others, her eyes widened upon hearing Leon ask for raw meat.  Her parents hadn't noticed, they were busy talking with another advisor seated next to them, but Flordia looked at Leon curiously.  Who ate raw meat?  Was it some sort of mercenary-toughness thing?  Or was uncooked meat just Leon's preference?

The princess was broken out of her thoughts as the servant taking the orders reached her.  She stated her order and the man moved on as Florida brought her attention back to Leon.  He wasn't sitting far from her, Nalda was the only one between them.

Flordia was dying to ask him questions about his travels, but that would have to wait until later, she supposed, as she attempted to make small talk.

"Excuse me," she addressed Leon. "Do you prefer to be called 'Leon', 'Mr. Woods', or some other title?"

She had been calling him Leon this whole time, and the princess part of her hoped he wouldn't mind that she hadn't asked sooner.

Leon looked around at the shocked faces, not seeming to care much about it whatsoever. It was odd, yes. However, ever since he was a child, he couldn't bare eating cooked meat. His primal, wolf-like side couldn't stand the greasy, somewhat charred taste of food that had been put over a fire. It was simply disgusting. He glanced over at Flordia slowly as she uttered her question to him. It was one that felt rather stupid to Leon. She had been calling him by his first name ever since he arrived and he hadn't corrected her once. Why would he force her to start calling him, 'Mr. Woods' all of a sudden so late in the day?

"Leon will suffice." He answered simply, looking forwards once more. It took a long time for him to say something else, the room oddly silent as Edwin and Nalda shared unreadable looks between each other. Leon finally turned his full attention to Flordia, yellow eyes narrowed. "I have my own question, if you don't mind me asking..." He said, turning in his chair to face her. Without waiting for her acknowledgment, he began. "What name should I give to you? Your Highness, Your Majesty, or do you want me to finally recognize that you have a damned name, unlike everyone else in this castle?" He asked.

Edwin gritted his teeth at what he presumed was disrespect to the throne, Nalda's eyes widening at Leon's words. "Your Majesty." He hissed at Leon, his fists clenched around the tablecloth. Leon glared at him, Edwin leaning in close to the mercenary's face. "You will address the princess as Your Majesty and Your Highness. I believe it is time that you showed an inch of respect towards royalty, dog." He spat harshly, Leon not reacting with nearly as much anger. He looked back at Flordia, giving a nod. "Or, you could let the princess decide for herself. Last time I checked, she has a voice. Let her use it." He advised to Edwin, leaning in close to his face as well. "Dog." At this point, Edwin was boiling, almost ready to knock Leon's lights out.

Flordia nodded as Leon said that his first name would be fine, and she was about to open her mouth to answer his question, somewhat admiring the way he stated it, when Edwin broke in.

She watched as the tension grew, and she was quite enthralled, far from offended or hurt by Leon's words, as Edwin argued with the other man.  It was clear that the Captain and and Mercenary were far from becoming friends anytime soon.

The whole table was silent, and Flordia practically glowed with happiness when Leon responded, giving her what the girl took as a compliment.

"Thank you, Leon," she said, her voice in quite a cordial tone as she nodded to the man and looked over at Edwin as she continued to speak to Leon.  "I would prefer to be called Flordia, actually, and thank you for asking, not many people feel they can."

Leon couldn't help but chuckle. "Most are too scared." He explained. Edwin remained as angry as ever, the man not saying anything else in hopes of calming the tension. He'd hate to bicker back and forth in front of the king and queen at their new, albeit rude, guest. As the table stood awkwardly silent, still waiting for their meals, Edwin cleared his throat and gave a fake smile to Leon. "So... Sir. I caught a brief glimpse of that beautiful sword on your hip as you were standing. May we see it in closer detail? I would love to know who crafted such a gorgeous item. Perhaps I could make a trip to Adela and have something similar crafted for myself!"

Edwin's compliments did nothing to help Leon's hatred for the man, his eyes still trained on him in a glare. Still, Leon complied, unsheathing the blade with a sharp metallic shriek, holding it high for everyone at the table to see. It had been taken care of much better than the armor and shield, obviously being cleaned and sharpened every day to keep it in the best of shape, the light from the fireplace illuminating the steel brightly, the wolf head and dragon wings sculpted out of the hilt standing out most of all. "The original creator is long gone." He explained with a grunt. "My father. He was murdered by angry townspeople. He gave this to me before I fled for my life."

As Leon explained this, Edwin stopped, frowning and blinking as he suddenly felt very sympathetic. Even if he couldn't stand Leon, losing a father was something that he couldn't possibly imagine. Nalda also gave a sympathetic look, watching as Leon sheathed the blade and shook his head, sighing. "And... Your mother?" Nalda asked, legitimately curious. Although, in the grand scheme of things, perhaps that wasn't the best question to ask. "The whore abandoned us when I was a child. Thought I was a monster." He hissed. "The... Priests in the village. Claimed I was cursed." Leon immediately corrected himself with a lie, trying not to draw suspicion.

Edwin and Nalda both stared at him with wide eyes, in disbelief that not only had the man lost both of his parents, but he was also evidently cursed. They looked between each other, then back at Leon, the only thing breaking the awkward silence being the arrival of the servants, with everyone's food. Everyone at the table had pretty normal meals, their meats cooked to their liking. Medium-rare... Well-done... And then their was Leon.

The servant placed his plate on the table, potatoes with bloody raw venison, which made a puddle on his plate. Leon was far from disgusted. Giving a sigh of relief that his hunger would soon be satisfied, he grabbed the meat with his battle-claw gauntlets, ripping a huge chunk off before shoving it in his mouth, blood streaming down his chin as he chewed up the venison. Naturally, Edwin and Nalda stared with mouths agape and eyes wide.

Flordia was far from offended as she watched the happenings before her in awe.  Indeed, the sword was beautiful, but she frowned when he said his father was killed, and about his mother.  She bit her lip as he mentioned being cursed, not because she was afraid, she was to enthralled to be scared, but because something had seemed a little off when Leon had said that.  He had hesitated.  It had seemed like could have just been a little nervous about talking about apparently being cursed, but Flordia wasn't sure, he had said 'monster'.

However, nobody else seemed to notice, and after a moment of silence the servants came with the food.

For a few seconds, normal conversation started again amongst most of the people at the table, until, of course, Leon began to eat.

Everyone stared.  Most in horror, but Flordia was just amazed at this man.  She had never met anyone like him.  It was extremely refreshing and quite exhilarating.

There once again was silent, until another of the King's advisors, a portly man named Torrik, couldn't stay silent for a moment longer.

"Goodness, man, have you no manners?" Hiis tone wasn't angry, just surprised and a tad bit offended.

Nobody had even touched their food. They decided to watch Leon as he chowed down on the bloody meat, in utter shock and even disgust. Eventually, Edwin picked up his silverware and began cutting his cooked venison, Nalda doing the same not long after. As everyone began to eat, Leon was over halfway done with his meal, his meat little more than a puddle of blood as he ate the potatoes noticably more civilized.

Alas, everyone stopped what they were doing once more as Torrik asked his question. Leon shot him a silent glare, using his napkin to wipe off his bloody mouth and gauntlets. "Well, I would have manners, had I grown up in a castle and not a filthy cave in the Thunderblacks. Any more questions, Manners-Man?" He asked, sounding surprisingly calm as he gave his retort. He didn't do a very good job of not making it awkward, as Edwin stood without finishing his meal, wiping his hands clean with a napkin.

"Well... My compliments to the chef! I really must be heading off to bed, though. Goodnight, everyone." With that, he was gone in an instant. Nalda stood soon after. "Yes... It is quite late!" She gave a laugh that was laced with nervousness, taking her leave as well. Leon was the only one legitimately ready to leave, as he stood once his food had been finished and let out a satisfied sigh. He gave a nod to the king and queen. "Thank you for the dinner. It was wonderful."

Giving a glance at Flordia, he left the dining room at a much slower pace than the last two. In fact, as he entered the throne room, they were nowhere to be seen. He couldn't hear them ascending the stairs, either. They really wanted away from him, didn't they? He shrugged, heading up to his quarters. But instead of entering, he kept going and went inside Flordia's room. This was the part of the job that was most likely going to have the princess very agitated.As he entered, it was completely black aside from the moonlight which blasted through the window. He could already feel his skin crawling...

He had been told in the original contract that at nights, she had to be under direct surveillance from him. Which meant he would be forced to sleep during the day. Swell... Still, it wouldn't be unlike most nights, where he tossed and turned, always struggling to keep the beast at bay as the alluring light of the moon tortured his mind and soul. The only thing that was different is that he had to watch a girl to make sure she wouldn't have her throat slit in the black of night. He huffed, walking over to her windowsill and perching atop the sturdy wood, his silhouette darkening the room slightly further.

Torrik chuckled at Leon's retort.  "I apologize if I offended you, it wasn't my intention."

Floridia finished her meal in silence, but she wasn't feeling awkward at all, even considering how uncomfortable Nalda and Edwin seemed to be.

Conversation returned to the table until people started to leave, and soon it was just Flordia and her parents at the table.

"That Leon is quite an interesting man," her father said and the Queen nodded.

"Yes, he's definitely not a noble, nor was he ever."

"I think he's very interesting," Flordia said, and her mother glanced at her.

"Of course you do," she said. "You just don't get distracted from your lessons because you're so interested in asking him about his travels."

Flordia's eyes widened, as if she couldn't even comprehend the thought. "No need to worry about that, Mother, I am completely invested in my studies."

They spoke a bit more before Flordia excused herself and went up to her room.  She opened the door but immediately stepped out of the doorway and back into the hall upon seeing the dark figure in her window, the thought of the assassination notes immediately on her mind.

Had the assassin finally come?

The small dagger she hid in her dress was in her hand in an instant, but then she paused.  She had recognized the shape, and the light from the hallway \had slightly illuminated some of his features.

"Leon?" she said, still not stepping into the doorway or in sight of the figure at her window sill, just in case she had been mistaken about who it was, though she was fairly certain it was Leon.

Upon hearing her voice, Leon opened his eyes, which glowed their bright yellow in the darkness of the room. "You going to bed? Go ahead. I've been ordered to guard over you during the night, so I apologize if I make you uncomfortable." He said, leaning back against the window and crossing his arms. "And if you start whining, an assassin will be the least of your worries!" He growled.

He had spotted the gleam of her dagger out in the hallway from where he had been sitting. It looked like a dinky weapon, and it by no means could effectively pierce his armor, but it showed him that she wasn't entirely helpless. Perhaps her parents were just doing their typical parent routine and being far too protective, but he wasn't about to judge too harshly. It wasn't like he had his own kids...

Upon hearing his voice Flordia sighed and stepped into the room, lighting the oil lamp on the table, revealing the room to be quite messy, and shutting the door behind her.  She huffed when he said she'd better not whine.

"I'm not going to try and make you leave, if that's what you mean by whining," she said. "I know you're not going to."

She pulled her nightclothes from where they were still lying on her bed and went into the attached bathroom to change.  She emerged a few moments later dressed in a blue nightgown.  She draped her clothing over the back of a chair.

"It's really messy in here," Flordia said, gesturing around the room, but she wasn't apologizing.  There were books and papers on every surface, and a few dresses or stray shoes here and there, though the dresses were at least hung over something or other.

As Flordia turned off the oil lamp and climbed into bed, she glanced over at Leon.  "This is going to be weird. . ."

Leon chuckled softly, not looking at her. "It's definitely the oddest request I've ever gotten. I think this is the first time I've ever been ordered to watch a 15 year-old girl sleep." He said, huffing. Silence took over the room, Leon looking out the window for a split second. He sighed in relief, noticing that the moon was obscured by clouds. That would buy him time before he was stricken with various pains brought upon by holding back his transformation.

"So... You seemed pretty eager to ask me a few questions when I first arrived." He said, breaking the silence as he looked down at her. "Well... Now would be the time, kid." He told her, thinking that it would only be fair to give her what she wanted from the start. He didn't think his life was all that interesting, but to someone like her, forced to stay in a castle day-in and day-out, he could understand her curiosity. He decided he'd tell her a few stories about his travels, and then hopefully she'd sleep soundly.

Flordia did think this was pretty weird, but she forgot about her misgivings as soon as Leon mentioned her asking questions, and actually invited them.  She shot into a sitting position. "Really?"  she asked, exited, then she calmed herself. "Okay. . ."  she thought for a moment before continuing, there was so much she wanted to know!  "I've read a lot," she said. "But I know that's nothing like actually being somewhere. . .  What place have you been that you think is about the exact opposite of here?"

Better start with some extremes.

Leon blinked at the question, laying his back against the window as he thought. "Your home is warm... Lush. Full of life. Very crowded and urban, lots of people." He said, glancing at her. "Right?" The question proved to be quite rhetorical, as Leon quickly moved onto describe a place that he would think is the exact opposite. "Imagine a place with hardly any people. No massive, busy cities, no castles, no luxuries. No warmth, no grass, no trees, even."

"It's a place called the Sionad Tundra. And if you live out there, you already have my respect. That's something not easily achieved, too." As he told her all of this, he sighed and reminisced himself, thinking of all the terrible things regarding the Sionad Tundra, as well as the people brave and determined enough to live in such a place, living in tents made of fur, leather, and other scraps of warm material set right next to the few and far-between hot springs.

"Have you ever seen snow before? If not, let me just sum it up for you. It covers this place. Makes it to where no life can dwell. If you get caught out in it without the right clothes, you might as well already be dead. Many people have frozen from being out in the tundra too long. It's also easy to get lost out there, with no landmarks, or visible roads. Overall, it's just awful. If you can even picture something like that." He said, unconsciously rubbing his hands as if he was still out in the freezing cold.

After a long period of silence, Leon leaned forwards, his arms crossed over his lap. "And then there's the added threat of the Sionad trolls." He murmured, forgetting for a moment that Flordia probably had no idea what this was.

Florida was captivated, sure, she had read about some of these things, but it was nothing like hearing it from someone who had first-hand experience.  When he had finished she leaned forward, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her arms on them.  "I've seen snow," she said. "But the winter's not very harsh here, not like what you said."

She was silent for a moment before sitting up again. "And what about the trolls?" she asked, as she had momentarily forgotten about his last sentence.

Leon blinked at her for a moment, almost in disbelief that the girl didn't know who the trolls were. It was then that he remembered that she was confined to this castle. He didn't know how he kept forgetting that detail. "The Sionad trolls... Regular trolls, like the ones you'd find in the Sirantil Valley, in Connlaoth, are just dumb and ugly. Not really too much of a threat. Sionad trolls are the exact opposite, to an extent."

"They're still pretty stupid, but they're still smart enough to plan out an ambush. An entire army of your castle's best guards could be slaughtered in seconds, if they were to take you by surprise." He told her, shaking his head at the thought. "Still, where the real threat rests is in the fact that there's a lot of them. Thousands, at that. They're strong. Barbaric. Unforgiving. One in itself could leave you mortally wounded, even without weapons. Though, you'd be less of a target than myself. Their leader, Rk'stl... His main enemy is humankind."

Flrodia's eyes widened at his description of the trolls, but not in fear, but in curiosity and amazement.

"Why do they hate humans so much?"  she asked. "Was there a war or something?"

Leon scoffed, scratching his chin. "Not a war. Wars. There have been many." He told her, shaking his head. "More than you would believe, as a matter of fact. The bastard has raided villages and towns all over Le'ranna. Serendipity, Adela... They're infamous for being war-mongering barbarians who kill innocent people without hesitation. I've had my fair share of run-ins with the trolls. Every single time, their blood has coated my blade." He explained, looking proud.

There was a long pause, Leon scanning her face in the near darkness of the room. His wolfish eyes could see better than any man could, so her features weren't hard to make out. His eyes narrowing, he opened his mouth to speak. "You want out of here. You want out of here bad." He assumed. Nobody had her level of enthusiasm about monsters and dangerous landscapes without having the heart of an adventurer. "I can tell, too. The way you act around all this fortune and luxury, the way you act around your mother and father... It's not what you want out of life." He said, his eyes still trained on hers.

It was fairly obvious to not only him, but everyone else he had met that day. The difference between his observation and theirs, was that he was happy knowing that Flordia wanted to see what the land of shattered time had to offer, instead of choosing to stay hidden from everything beyond the walls. Meanwhile, it intimidated them, knowing their heir to the throne wanted to leave her responsibilities and run off. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, kid." He told her, his tone sincere. "It's nice to see that people your age have an urge to explore and see new things. Really."

Flordia listened as he continued to talk about the trolls, but she looked down at her knees as he spoke about her want for adventure.

"I'd never be a good ruler," she said,but she shook her head. "And that's not even the worst part, I don't even want to be a ruler!"  His tone somewhat comforted her, but she sighed. "I do care about my people, but I could never be happy ruling them, and if I have to tolerate it my whole life, I know I won't do a good enough job for them.  Maybe it's selfish, but I can't help it."

She looked up at his silhouette in the window. "I have two brothers, you know, both adults now.  The oldest was going to be king, and Faelis, the younger one, ran away when he was fifteen,seven years ago.  He was like me.  Bored.  But he didn't have the weight of having to rule a kingdom in the future on his shoulders.  Then my oldest brother was banished for trying to save the whole kingdom."  She sighed again. "Sometimes I'm mad at them for leaving, and leaving the crown to me, but I know it's not their fault, Faelis didn't know that Kilarhas would be banished, and it's not as if Kilarhas even asked to be banished."

"Sometimes you've gotta look out for yourself before anyone else. If you don't think that being the queen is your calling, then don't take it. You may have royal blood, but nobody can force a crown on your head. Not without stripping your human rights... And if it was up to me, anyone that tried to do that would get a middle finger to the face and would never hear from me again." He told her, doing his best to convince her to follow her dreams. He wasn't the greatest motivational speaker and he by no means could relate with her situation, but she sounded as if she truly hated being next in line to rule.

He really shouldn't have said anything. Instead of butting into family issues, he should've just stayed neutral and silent. It wasn't his job to be this kid's therapist, or to convince her to run off like her brothers had. His job was to just keep her alive. "Look, as far as I'm concerned, royal traditions are a complete joke. Out of every man and woman in your kingdom, and you're the only capable ruler? I think royal traditions need a slight revision, don't you?" He asked, still deciding to play a factor, even though he had just debated in his mind against it.

"Don't let me convince you either way, Flordia. I'm not going to be your parents, and force you to leave or stay. All I'm telling you to do, is follow your damned heart. Especially if you think that staying will do more harm than leaving." He ended his tirade, hinting at her former claim that she wouldn't make a good queen regardless. After a long bout of silence, he finally looked back in her direction. "Is there anything else you'd like to know- AGH!" He began, his sentence cut off by an intense stabbing pain in his head, his muscles spasming as he closed his eyes tightly, gripping his skull. Looking back slowly, he realized that the moon was beating down on him through the window once again.

Dammit... Perfect timing. Standing, he closed the blinds of her window, panting as he struggled to keep the beast at bay. "Actually... I think you should get some sleep, kid." He told her, gritting his teeth as he looked away from her.

Flordia's eyes widened at his words.  He was agreeing with her?  Or at least not telling her to be quiet and do what she was supposed to.  He was telling her to do what she wanted?  No one, no one had ever told her that.  No one had ever even tried to tell her anything other than it was her duty to be queen, and that's what she should do.

"Thank you," she said, and nodded when he said that royal traditions seemed absurd to him. "I completely agree!"

She was so surprised and pleased that he actually was saying this that she almost didn't notice his sudden lapse, but she did.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sliding her legs off the edge of the bed and standing. "What's wrong?"

Leon's skin crawled, almost unable to control his own body movements. He had to hold his arms down against his chest, his legs twitching as he gritted his canine-like teeth. He grew frustrated as she stood and started asking questions. Not now... Why couldn't she just listen to him and go to bed!? "Kid... Go to sleep!" He growled at her. He didn't mean to snap at her in all reality, but if he didn't get out of here soon, things would get very ugly.

It was when he felt his bones start to shift and his claws extend that he realized he needed to leave. Now. "Just... Don't worry about me... Ok? Nights... Are pretty rough on me." He explained vaguely, stumbling out of the room before sprinting out of the room, the door wide open as the coarse hairs began sprouting from his skin, slowly enveloping his body as his jaws stretched painfully into a muzzle, his long hair hiding this gruesome sight from view.

Due to how late it was, there was barely any light to be seen in the castle. The guards had begun to change shift, thankfully, so none were around to stop Leon out of suspicion. In record time, the man was outside, the moon just beating down on him harder as he dropped to his knees near the stable, just out of the view of the castle windows as he let his transformation naturally occur. He did his very best to muffle his agonizing screams, his body shifting as bits of armor busted off and came loose, barely resembling a human anymore as new bone formations were made, turning him into a wolfish  quadruped with nasty, razor-sharp claws and jagged teeth.

His body now sported a thick, greyish black coat, his frame much, much larger than that of most wolves. A bushy tail had sprouted from his backside, his natural yellow eyes now wilder than ever and somehow even more vibrant. His transformation had clearly upset the horses in the stable, who whinnied and cried out in fear at what they had just witnessed. Leon, snarling and stumbling to his new legs, turned to the horses with a hungry look in his eyes.

Out of nowhere, the powerful creature lunged into the darkness of the stable, the horses' cries of fear and now, audible pain reverberating throughout the courtyard of the castle, which were mixed with the sounds of growls and clattering of wood. A struggle was going on, which ended with one less horse crying out, and the sounds of a hungry beast ripping into its latest meal.




The very next day, Leon woke up in a field about a mile outside the castle, fully clothed, thankfully, and not remembering the events of the night before, as per usual. Standing groggily, he began to walk back towards the castle. Entering the courtyard through a small side-door, he noticed a crowd gathered at the stable, and frowned in slight remembrance of what had occurred. It seemed to be a running theme that whenever Leon wolfed out, someone or something got hurt. He was just glad it wasn't Flordia.

Upon pushing his way through the crowd, his actions being met with offended grunts of the nobles, as well as their intense glares, he approached the front to a grizzly sight. The guards who examined the scene parted for Leon, knowing who he was and how vital he was to the king and queen. Leon's lips curled at the carnage, a small stallion, ripped open on its side, with blood and entrails spilled. From the claw marks and visceral wounds, it was clear that something had fed on it. Something big.

Edwin was kneeled near the body, shaking his head. "First assassins, now animals threatening the cavalry's best horses!" He stood, wiping his hands off with a rag as he gazed upon the horse's face. Eyes rolled back in the skull, its skin swarming with flies. "No mere wolf did this..." He looked at Leon, with less distain than he had been looking at him with, but still a good amount. "You're a mercenary. Ever seen something of this nature? Any animal could've caused these wounds?" He asked.

Leon blinked at him, looking back towards the horse as last night's events played back in small snippets, triggering a small, ashamed sigh from the merc. "A monster, I'll say that much." He gave his conclusion, pushing his way through the crowd, back towards the castle gate. It was a cloudless day, birds chirping and everything seeming nice and peaceful. However, in Leon's mind, the sky couldn't be any more gray.

Flordia didn't sleep a wink that night.

She stood there for a few seconds after Leon left befroe rushing after him.  He had a lead, and was moving very fast, but she managed to keep up with him until she reached the great hall.

"Your Majesty, you can't be out this late!" a guard called out to her. "It's too dangerous!"

And no matter how she protested, the guard would not let her through.  He brought her back to her room and placed another guard at the door.

Flordia jumped when she heard the loud whinnying from outside.  She rushed to her window, but couldn't see the stables from there.  She listed longer, and thought she heard another sound.  It was muffled, but, to her, it sounded like growling.

_____________________________________________

The next morning, as soon as the guard let her out of her room, Flordia rushed down to the stables, where there was already a crowd gathered.  She pushed her way through until she saw what everyone was looking at.

She gasped at the sigh of the stallion, but it was a gasp of surprise, rather that fright or disgust.

"The poor guy. . ." she whispered, and she glanced around to see Edwin talking with Leon.  She followed after the mercenary as he started away from the crowd.

"What happened?" she asked him as she ran up next to him. "Where did you go last night?"

Leon winced at Flordia's question, turning to her slowly. "Nothing happened. I just... Needed to get out. Nights make me paranoid. I went and took a walk around the plains." He lied to the best of his ability, looking back towards the stables, where the massacred horse was still being examined by the guards. "They'll be tightening security, with that horse being torn apart like that. If an assassin is coming, they'll have a lot to contend with."

His words were mainly used to comfort her, but so far, she didn't seem all too afraid. Even if she should've been. Bravery like that was something worth being impressed by. Young women her age usually weren't ones to stare right in the face of death. He looked over her for a long time, almost as if sensing the disbelief in her expression. "However, a wild animal on the loose within the castle walls isn't a harbinger of good luck. I suggest that during the day, you stay inside. Focus on your studies, to keep you occupied."

He turned once more, disappearing inside the castle, two guards nodding to him as he walked into the throne room, where Nalda approached him with mad speed. "Mr. Woods!" She exclaimed, Leon narrowing his eyes. She looked utterly terrified. "Mr. Woods, we have a problem!" She said frantically. "I've seen the horse. The guards are already on finding the monster, don't worry." He assured her, thinking that her fear Spawned from the recent discovery. However, Nalda quickly shook her head. "Mr. Woods, we've been infiltrated!"

Nalda and Leon stomped off towards the scene of the crime as quick as they could, coming across a contraption in the castle study, where Flordia could've entered at any time. Everything looked somewhat normal, other than the mass of guards gathered around something peculiar rested against the wall, next to a bookshelf, hidden away in the darkness. It looked to be a small, crudely-crafted mechanism that held a crossbow-like device, an arrow with a nasty tip protruding from it at an upwards angle.

"A trap... Set for Flordia." Leon said quietly. "How do you suppose this? None of our servants have accidentally set it off. It's... Odd." Nalda replied. Leon approached it, kneeling and looking closely between the nooks and crannies of the mechanism. He noticed a dimly-glowing symbol resting on one of the wooden boards, his eyes narowing. "A rune... Get me something of Flordia's. Something containing her essence. Sweat, hair, anything." He told a guard. He raised a brow. "What...?" Leon growled at the question. "Just do it!"

The guard shrugged at Nalda, who looked unsure about this. He went off, Nalda glancing at Leon. "Mr. Woods, what are you trying to accomplish?" She asked. Leon stood. "Not trying to accomplish anything. I'm trying to prove a point." After a while, the guard returned, holding one of Flordia's corsets. Leon took the garment, giving it a quick smell out of anyone's view. Yep... Her scent was pungent on this one. Tossing it up right in the line of fire of the machine, everyone gasped in surprise as the nasty arrow shot out, striking the corset in mid-air and pining it to the wall.

"My gods!!!" Nalda placed a hand over her mouth. Leon didn't react, simply crossing his arms. "It's a magical rune. It detects its target's presence as soon as they come within range and activates the mechanism, firing the arrow. If Flordia had come in here, she could've been impaled." He said, a sense of urgency in his voice. "Get the guards to scout every room in the castle. And whatever you do, don't tell Flordia about this discovery." With that, he turned and left the room.

Flordia pursed her lips at Leon's explanation, not quite sure whether or not to believe him, but she didn't have time to protest before he headed back to the castle.  He was a strange man, he seemed to be keeping a lot from her, but she didn't know what about.  Perhaps he was just like that, mysterious.  Maybe he had seen so much in his lifetime that it took him a long time to open up to anybody, let alone trust them.  Flordia could understand that a bit.  As a princess, you could never be sure who was really your friend, or who was being paid for it, or who just wanted something from you.

She sighed, and went back to look at the horse.  He mind whirred.  What could have done this?  How could something this big have gotten past the guards?  Leon had said the security would be tightened, but it already was very secure with all this assassination business.  Whatever had gotten in must have used magic of some sort, or maybe it could fly?  There were so many possibilities.

Despite being told several times by various guards and court members that she should go back inside, Flordia didn't until she had looked over the scene of the crime a little more.  Perhaps she could find some sort of incriminating evidence as to what sort of creature had managed to get inside the castle walls, into the stable, kill a horse, eat it, and get back out without being seen. 

She found nothing.  There wasn't a trace of what could have done this.

She headed back to the castle, intent of finding Leon, though she didn't quite know what she would say to him when she found him.  Despite this, it seemed like he would have some sort of answer for her about what happened last night.  Why, she didn't know, but she just had a feeling. . .

She found him coming out of study, and she hurried to fall into step behind him.

"Hey, if you were out walking last night, did you see anything unusual?" she asked, pulling her thoughts together.  "You know, any clues as to what could have done that to the horse?"

Leon jumped at Flordia's voice, Nalda quickly shutting the study door so she wouldn't see the trap, as well as the guards who had gathered in the room. Leon gave a sigh of relief as Flordia's view was obscured, but then tensed back up again at her question. He narrowed his eyes at her, admittedly annoyed at how interested she was about the incident. "No. I didn't see anything, kid..." He grumbled, turning and walking down the hall away from her.

It didn't take long for him to stop in his tracks, a thought entering his mind. Flordia wouldn't leave it at that... In fact, knowing her, she'd press even harder out of sheer curiosity. He looked back at her, just sensing the suspicion on her face at the story he had given her. She was a kid, that much was true, but she wasn't stupid. Not at all. He shook his head, sighing as he walked back towards her. Laying an armored hand on her shoulder, he leaned in close to her ear.

"If you really want to know what happened to that horse, then I'll tell you. Alright?" He tried to be as quiet as he could. "But let me make one thing very clear." He looked straight into her eyes with his sharp, serious gaze. "You will not tell the guards, you will not tell your parents, and you will not become hostile with me. I'm agreeing to tell you because I feel that you, the one I'm guarding, deserves to know important information about the one that's guarding you. I swear, kid... If you as much as scream, I'll bolt. I'm not against leaving you for the assassins."

He stood up straight, looking around. "Tonight... I'll tell you tonight, when the moon is high. It'd be the most appropriate time." He said, turning and walking off again. His words he had spoken to her made him think long and hard. Was he really willing to give up his biggest, darkest secret to a girl who'd probably piss herself and scream bloody murder? He'd hate to make an enemy of the guards... He sighed. Perhaps the only way to know the outcome, was to transform before her tonight. That way, she couldn't laugh and call him a liar if he had just plainly told her what he was.

Flordia narrowed her eyes at his blunt response and frowned as he started to walk away.  He must have heard something, right?  Or he must have talked to someone who had.  Whatever it was, he was keeping something about the horse from her, and she wasn't going to stop bugging him until he admitted to at least knowing about it, even a little. Flordia opened her mouth, about to call after him, but before she could speak, he stopped.  He must have decided to say something else to her, because he turned around and started back towards her.

Flordia was silent as he approached again, and her eyes widened as he leaned in close and spoke again.

What did he mean?  He knew what happened?

When he finished, Flordia thought for a second, his thread barely registering as her mind raced.  Her first instinct was to agree, to jump right in, but she hesitated, if he knew what had happened, why hadn't he told the guards?  Had it something to do with him?

But her curiosity won out.

"Okay," she said, nodding.  "I won't say anything, I promise."

Tonight.  And it was several moments after he had walked away that Flordia moved.  What could he possibly tell her?  Had he let in the beast that killed the horse?  But why would he do that?  It couldn't have been an attempt on her life, could it have?  Whatever had killed the horse had come nowhere near her rooms, had they?  Or perhaps it was all part of some larger plot?

Flordia's mind whirled as she headed back to her rooms.  She was nervous, but her curiosity and excitement smothered the fear.

She couldn't wait for tonight.

The rest of the rather turbulent day went by slowly. Leon spent a good portion of his time outside near the barracks, training with the other guards, teaching various mercenary techniques that he had learned over the years in his profession. They were crude, dirty moves, the type of sword and shield maneuvers that royal guards wouldn't usually perform. They definitely weren't pretty, but they were effective. Seeing the guards dance around with a weapon like they were in a ballet was simply embarrassing. It was refreshing to teach these elves some barbaric warfare, even though Edwin probably wouldn't be a fan.

Before Leon knew it, the sun was setting over The mighty kingdom, and the moon was already faintly visible in the sky. Leon's skin was crawling... What better time than this to ascend the staircase to Flordia's room? Going out the rusty, iron gate towards the main keep, Leon made the trip up the staircase, up towards where he and Flordia's rooms sat next to each other. He stopped at the door of her room, hesitation taking over as he thought long and hard. His transformation into the wolf wasn't for the faint of heart. It was terrifying, frankly.

Flordia had an undying curiosity and a heart of courage, but this could've been the one thing that would get a contract put on his head. He wasn't sure how many monster hunters resided here, but would he really take the risk and find out? Yes. The answer was yes. He needed not to fear Flordia's response, as he had warned her early on about screaming or acting out in hysteria. It wouldn't end well for her, to say the least. His experience with men and women who he intimidated, was that they tended to listen to him and follow instructions.

Shaking his head, he clenched an armored fist and gave the door three solid knocks. He looked up and down the halls, the torches flickering as an eerie silence took over. Clearly, guard rotations hadn't even begun yet. They probably should've, though... Leon was the first to demand tighter security. After both the horse incident and the trap in Flordia's study, no other chances could be taken. Once he was given the ok, Leon turned the knob and walked in, his expression serious, as always, but with a slight tinge of nervousness.

He walked over to his spot that he had the night before, the spot that held a direct view of the agonizing moon. Taking his cross-legged position on the windowsill, He clasped his hands together and gave a sigh. "Won't be too long now... There are a couple precautions we outta take, though." He pulled a strong rope from the satchel hanging at his waist, placing it on her bed in front of her. "When I tell you to, I want you to bind my arms and neck with this and tether it to something heavy in this room. Something that won't get picked up easily." He recommended. "You'll see why soon enough."

She couldn't concentrate on her studies, she barely ate a bite, and all of the little free time she was allowed in the day was spent sitting in her room.

Her parents, of course, hardly noticed the change in her behavior, they hardly noticed anything about her, but she couldn't get her mind off of what Leon had told her.  What in the world was he going to tell her?  Perhaps he just knew what had killed the horse, and that was all he was going to tell her.  But if that was true, then why did he seem so tense about it?  And why wouldn't he tell the guards?  Flordia knew that her parents would probably want her to tell them, to tell a guard or soemthing, but the girl's curiosity was too much, and she said nothing.

She spent the whole day wondering, and she went straight to her room as soon as her studies were finished.  She sat there, looking out the window and watching the guards practice with Leon, until the sun started to set and the mercenary left the training area.

A few minutes later there was a knock on her door.  Flordia jumped up from her bed and ran to it, about to fling it open, but paused.  She peered through the small hole in the door and saw that it was Leon standing there.  Then she opened the door and closed it behind him, then she went to sit back on the edge of her bed, both exited and nervous.

She frowned at his instructions, but nodded, and, for once, didn't ask any questions.  Like he had said, she would find out soon enough.

She took the rope and stood up.  "Okay.  I'm ready. " She smiled a little, she couldn't help it, and said, "I think."

Leon answered her excited demeanor with an audible grunt. He took a moment, staring out her window, the moon becoming more and more visible as the sun sank over the horizon. He tensed uncomfortably, shaking his head before looking back at her. "How much do you know of lycanthropy, kid?" He asked, looking towards the rope nervously. He sincerely hoped that rope could hold him back. It would be very unfortunate to end up ripping her apart on accident.

His worries also included the fact that she probably wasn't as ready as she claimed. Someone as pampered as her, someone as unaccustomed to the world outside her walls was sure to be timid at his much more frightening form. This time, he was going to teach her the reality of Le'raana, instead of running out as he had the night before. Hopefully, he knew what he was doing and nobody would be hurt. He also hoped that she would stay calm, as she had promised.

He originally planned to let his transformation speak for itself, but he could feel the tension and curiosity rising in the girl, and he allowed some explanation of what he was in order to soothe whatever questions tumbled around in her mind. "I never chose to be... This." He started off, shaking his head and staring at the floor. "Dad never knew what in the gods' names caused it to happen. Mom saw the glowing eyes and claws and didn't know what to say. She was horrified. Especially when I had my first transformation at the age of 3."

He felt his fists clench as he reminisced about what little he knew of his mother. The same mother that had abandoned him and let him grow up half parentless. "My dad always went on these long tirades when I was a boy. Your mother must've went out and had her way with the dire wolves! That kinda crap... He'd only do it when he drank. Which was often." He looked towards the window again, a scowl forming on his face as his anger grew. It wouldn't be long before the wolf took over.

"Ever been pelted with rocks, kid? Ever been outcasted and treated like less of a person? That was my life. My father tried to tell me it'd be alright. Told me that I'd be something special. A strong man with lots to look forward to." He scoffed, shaking his head. "Never happened. My father would still be alive today, as a matter of fact. He'd still be alive, if it wasn't for me. Seems like everything I've ever loved, I've killed in some way. It's a sick joke, isn't it?" He asked her, although he didn't expect her to respond. She was probably already afraid.

Before he could say anything to calm her, he lurched, feeling the moon's pale light wash over his form. He looked down, his muscles contracting as he held off the transformation as long as he could. He removed a gauntlet, his black claws extending out slightly and the hair on his arms growing thicker by the second. Looking up at her, his eyes flashed as his canines grew sharper and longer. "Enough talk... T-Tie the rope around me... To something heavy." He snarled, his chest heaving as loud snapping could be heard underneath his armor.

Flordia's eyes widened at his words.  Lycanthropy?  He continued before she could answer, but she had red about it before.  Werewolves.

As Leon continued, Flordia realized what he was getting at.  A werewolf? He was a werewolf?  She didn't speak, just listened as he told her his past.  The shock on her face turned to pity, and when he finished a tear slid down her cheek.

She reached out a hand, then hesitated, but after a second she placed her hand on his arm.  She didn't know what to say to him, 'I'm sorry' wouldn't be enough after what Leon must have gone through.  So she stayed silent.  Fear hadn't even crossed her mind.

Then he told her to tie him up, and she came back to the moment, remembering what was bound to happen.

She grabbed the rope and wrapped it around him as tightly as she could.  She wasn't extremely strong, but she had taught herself how to tie a proper knot after she had realized, years ago, that she may not always be a pampered princess and she might need some skills other than needlepoint.

She tied the ropes to her bedposts.  The huge oaken bed must have weighed at least a thousand pounds, and the girl hoped it would hold Leon.  She stepped back a few feet from him, out of reach, if the ropes held.

Leon yowled out in pain as his bones shifted, his feet deforming into skinny haunches as his body tripled in size. His mouth and nose extended into a long muzzle, black fur sprouting from his skin as his armor began to bust off here and there. It was crafted in such a way that it couldn't truly break from his transformations, but the pieces scattered around the room as his backbone lurched outwards and his hands shrank into sturdy paws.

By the end of his transformation, what stood in Leon's place was a massive, black wolf, its lips curled back to reveal jagged, razor-sharp teeth as it growled at her. Its tail wagged back and forth threateningly, the beast's eyes seemingly staring into her soul as it flexed its long, intimidating claws. Suddenly, it let out a number of barks, lunging at her, only to be caught on the rope. The bed scraped against the floor with a loud creak as Leon tugged on its weight, the wolf obviously unable to recognize Flordia as an ally.

Outside, it would be hard to believe that nobody heard the commotion, but it was so. No guards were patrolling Flordia's hallway at the time, as they all were down in the guardhouse, having drinks and singing bard songs against Leon's orders. However, this proved to be a rather good thing, as if anyone was to see the situation going on in her room, Leon would be killed on the spot. 

Whoa.

This was amazing!  She had always dreamed of having some adventure, something exciting happen to her-!

Then she realized that there was a man turning into a ravenous beast not five feet from her, and that she should probably take another step back.  She did, and she most definitely was nervous, and while her excitement drowned out her fear tenfold, she wasn't stupid, and she stayed far out of reach of the wolf's-Leon's- snapping jaw.

She glanced towards the door, but no guards burst through, and she could hear no shouts or running footsteps.  Then her eyes flicked to the bed, which was creaking in a not-so-assuring fashion as Leon pulled against the ropes, the ropes that were holding, for now, at least.

"Are you still in there?" she called to the wolf over the sounds of his growling after a moment, quite unsure what to do now that there was a huge turned werewolf in her bedroom.  "Leon?"

Leon's violent barking and growling seemed to quiet down, the once angry wolf calming slightly and sitting on the floor in front of her. He continued to growl, baring his teeth at her. He drooled a bit, the saliva dripping against the floor as he dug his claws into the wood boards. After awhile, even his growling ceased, sitting silently as he blinked at her. At this point, the lycan no longer seemed to want her blood, rather, he just looked at her curiously.

Perhaps Leon's human side kicked in and he recognized her somewhat, or maybe the beast had just grown tired of trying to carve a hole in her head. However, it became fairly clear that he knew who she was when he let out a soft whimper, lifting a paw and leaning in, sniffing in her direction. No longer would she have to worry about dying, but now she had a massive dog, as playful as any other in her room. It was worth arguing which was worse.

Flordia watched Leon as he continued to thrash, and then start to calm down.

She bit her lip as he pawed at her, and she took one step closer to him.  She was still out of reach, but she wanted to see how he would react.  He seemed calm now, and Flordia didn't think he would try to attack her, but she wasn't sure, after all, there was a full-sized werewolf in her bedroom.

She carefully lifted a hand in his direction, close enough that if Leon stretched out his nose about as far as he could, they would just be able to touch.  Better lose a few fingers investigating than her whole self, Flordia reasoned.

"Hey," she said softly, looking in the wolf's eyes. "Leon, are you in there?"

Even if he was calm, the wolf may still have completely taken over Leon's mind.

The wolf's eyes were locked on her fingers, lifting his muzzle just enough to be able to sniff them. He opened his jaws, lapping at her fingertips a couple times before lowering his muzzle once more. Obviously, he could've bitten her fingers off if he had the chance. But he did not. Some resemblance of Leon remained. It was as if a switch had been flipped, letting the beast know that this girl was an ally. Not an enemy.

As she spoke, he let out a small bark, doing whatever he could to aknowledge the question he'd been given. This was the hardest part... Trying to distinguish between animal and man. Leon had lived with this curse for so many years... And yet he simply couldn't seem to find a way to control a few specific things. One of those just happened to be taming the boiling rage that the wolf contained. On a good day, he could. But on others... Nothing could stop him from shredding both friends and enemies alike.

Perhaps it was the thrasing he had been doing, or just the strain of the transformation, but the wolf seemed to let out a big yawn just before laying down on his belly, his head resting on his paws. Closing his eyes, it didn't take long at all for him to fall out. By morning, he'd be back to his regular self, and with that, Flordia wouldn't need to worry about the guards finding Leon like this. Or worse, she wouldn't have to worry about being mauled. But right now, it seemed that was but a distant concern. Wolf? No... More like, big, loveable dog.

So he was in there. . .

Flordia watched him as he lay down, and she sunk into a crouch, just watching him.  He seemed harmless now, as he lay there, sleeping, but he must be incredibly strong, to have mauled the horse like that.

Then Flordia again realized just what was happening, and a wave of exhilaration swept over her.  This was amazing!  Who would have thought that her mercenary bodyguard would be a werewolf?

After a while she stood and went to her bed, sitting on it, but with no intentions of sleep.  However, after only a half hour, she was fast asleep.

Early next morning, at the foot of Flordia's bed, Leon was at work reattaching his missing pieces of armor. The day after each transformation, everything was always a blur. Who had he killed? What were these wounds from? And the headaches... The headaches were always the worst. Worse than the worst mead hangover any town drunk could ever imagine.

Looking towards the sleeping girl, he gave a huff. She was alive... That was important. And he hadn't been caught, obviously. Unless anyone had heard his barking and snarling all throughout the night... He was sure he'd be hearing from someone by now if this was the case. For now... He just needed some herbs for this headache... Maybe breakfast would do him good. As for Flordia, she had a long night. She deserved her rest.

The mercenary headed from her room and downstairs, where an awful scream could be heard. Leon, eyes narrowing, took off into a sprint into the throne room. Hanging from the ceiling by her ankles, blood dripping from three throwing knife wounds in her chest, Nalda swung from side-to-side. She was dead. Beyond the ool of crimson on the floor, two bolded words were written in blood. It was enough to alarm any man.

I'M IN.

Looking towards the servant at his side, who covered her mouth and nearly hyperventilated with shock, he growled. "Get the king and queen. Get Edwin, too. We have an intruder and the princess is no longer safe here." He told her. She hesitated, too afraid to even move. "GO!" He hissed. She quickly ran off.

When Flordia woke Leon was gone, but so was his armor, so the elf knew he was a human again.  That, or he had been found out by the guards and captured!
Panic fluttered in Flordia's chest for a moment before she realized that if that was the case, she probably would've woken up, if the guards hadn't woken her themselves.
She quickly climbed out of bed and realized she was still in her clothes from the night before.  She didn't particularly care herself, but she knew her mother would complain if she saw her rumpled dress.
Usually her mother had someone come into her room to dress her each morning, but since Leon had arrived, no one besides her was allowed into her room but him, her parents, and the guards, much to her mother's displeasure, she wanted her daughter treated like the princess she was.
But Flordia was actually quite glad of it.  Just the act of dressing herself gave her a sense of freedom.  So she quickly pulled off her dress from the night before and sipped into another.  It wasn't nearly as fancy as the last, just a simple turquoise gown with hardly any adornments.
She slipped on her shoes and stepped out of her room, saying good morning to the guard who was stationed at her door.

But she noticed he looked tense.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and her fear from before returned. "What happened."

"Nothing you need worry about, Your Majesty," the soldier said. "Just stay in your room until we have this sorted out."

"Have what sorted out?" Flordia said firmly, not moving from where she stood. "If my life's in danger I think I ought to know!"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I have been ordered not to say."

"This is my life on the line here," Flordia almost yelled, "and I will not sit in the dark while everyone else fixes it for me while I sit and embroider in my room!" She knew that it wasn't really the guard's fault, it wasn't as if he made any of these decisions, but Flordia couldn't help it.  "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

And she took off.

She could run fast, but she had slippers and a long dress on, and the guard was a full-grown elf male.  He grabbed her arm, and she struggled, and if had been actually trying to hurt her, she probably would have been able to escape his grasp somehow, but he wasn't, so she let him pull her back to her room.

"I want to talk with Leon," she said through the closed, and locked, door. "Just please let me talk to Leon."

It may have seemed strange, that she wanted to talk to the man, the werewolf, she had only just met, instead of her mother.  But upon closer inspection, it wasn't, not really.  Leon was the only one who had ever listened to her, ever given her even a small degree of respect, and she was sure he would tell her at least something about what was going on.

It wasn't too long after Flordia was locked up that Leon was right there on the other side of her door. "Well, he's right here." He said, crossing his arms. "Open the door." He growled at the guard, who did just that. Looking at Flordia, he gave a sigh. What could he possibly say to her that wouldn't give her a heart attack? Well... Up until now, she seemed to have a pretty good grasp of reality, so he supposed hitting her with the harsh truth was better than lying to her like everyone else in her life.

"Flordia... I'm afraid we have to leave." Giving a glance at the guard, he felt his grip tighten on his own arms before looking back at her. "Nalda is dead. Attacked in the middle of the night. A servant found her strung by her ankles with three stab wounds to the chest." He explained. The guard looked very offended at his bluntness, standing up nice and tall as he prepared to confront the mercenary, who simply put him down with a hard glare.

He pulled a map from a pouch on his belt, unfolding it and handing it to Flordia. "We've been ordered to leave the castle as soon as possible." He said, the castle on the map circled in red ink with an arrow leading out to the barren countryside. "Edwin and the guards are searching the premises for the intruder. Your mother and father are taking a wagon much farther than you and I are going. We've been ordered to a temple out in the forest. Mivana's Sanctuary. We're to stay there until nightfall, then return when we get the signal. The assassin should be snuffed out by then..."

He ran a hand through his hair, before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I was hoping all of this was just idle threats... I was clearly wrong." He shook his head, heading from the doorway. "Come on. We're burning daylight."

Flordia gave a sigh of relief at the sound of Leon's voice as he ordered her door be opened.

"What happened, what's wrong?" the questions were out of her mouth before the door was completely open, but then Leon started talking, and Flordia was stopped in her tracks.

She listened, shocked, as he told her what had happened.  They had to leave?  And. . . Nadia, dead.  This was awful, what was happening?  Why would anybody kill Nadia?  She hadn't done anything wrong. . .

She barely heard what he said about where they had to go, just thinking about Nadia.  She almost started to cry, but she held back her tears and forced a nod at Leon's words.  She couldn't waste time mourning now, that could wait.

"Will my parents be safe?" was the only question that made sense, that she really needed to know.

Leon paused, looking over his shoulder and giving her a nod. "Yes... They'll be fine. But right now, my only priority is you. Get whatever belongings you think are necessary, and meet me by the stables. We're taking a horse to the Sanctuary." He told her, before disappearing down the main staircase. Hopefully, they'd have the grim scene in the throne room cleaned up by now.

After being given thorough directions by the guards at the stables, Leon dressed the horse's saddle with bags of equpiment and supplies. After all, a piece of information he forgot to mention to Flordia is that there was a very good chance that they'd be there longer than a day. Climbing atop the horse, he waited for Flordia before taking off for Mivana's Sanctuary.

The road was long, winding, and quiet. The forest they entered only resonated with the sounds of birds and small crickets. As the day continued on, the anticipation for what would happen next only made Leon's headache worse. The stress of protecting one girl from a clearly skilled assassin, one that could be anywhere at any time was enough to drive a man insane. He didn't know why... But something came over him. A feeling of worry for the girl. Looking over his shoulder at her, he frowned.

"Hey... Kid. Are you alright?" He asked calmly, the horse trotting along at a gentle pace, enough to give her nerves a moment to calm. It was definitely more soothing than the fast, disorienting gallop they took from the castle. "I know everything is scary... Stressful, even. But they'll find the bastard. And if he shows his face here, I'll kill him myself. If I don't kill him... I'll die trying."

Leon couldn't believe his own mouth... Why did he sound like a dad? He didn't need to make the girl feel better... That wasn't part of the contract. He'd simply spent too much time around the girl and it had made him soft. She was just some snot-nosed brat who's mommy and daddy happened to be the king and queen. She didn't have any real value to him... But the harder he tried to remind himself of all that, the more he inwardly denied it.

Wait.  He was just leaving her?  She stared after him as he walked down the hall, telling her to pack her things so they could go.  Flordia had barely digested the information about Nalda and now they were leaving?

Flordia stared after him for a moment before she shook her head.  She needed to do what he said and hurry up.

She rushed back into her room and quickly pulled off her dress, the thought that it may not be the most practical gear pushing through her other invading thoughts.  She pulled on the only pair of trousers she owned, along with the sturdiest pair of boots she could find and a simple shirt.  She couldn't think of anything else that she should bring with her, then her mind sprang to the dagger in the drawer of her nightstand.  It probably wouldn't help her much in a real fight, but she grabbed it anyway, slipping it into her boot.

She grabbed her cloak and the guard escorted her to the stables, where she quickly mounted behind Leon.
__________________________________________________

Was she alright?

The question itself seemed to calm her, and she couldn't help but smile a bit at Leon's next words.

"Thank you," she said. "This is all just so. . . different, for me.  My parents have tried to shelter me my whole life, and then something like this happens. . ."

She trailed off, her mind going back to Nalda.  She hadn't deserved to die.

"Not exactly the adventure you were hoping for, I imagine." Leon murmured, looking forward. They rode in silence for the rest of their journey, it not being too long before the sanctuary came into view, the woods opening up into a serene, peaceful clearing, rocks scattered here and there, which were covered in light green moss. The grass was short and healthy, a dark green. The individual blades swayed in gentle waves as the breeze hit them, just ahead of them being a rocky hillside. Built into the side of the hill, was the sanctuary itself.

It was overgrown with multiple roots, the pillars that held up the triangular roof cracked, some even toppled over, making a mess of the stairs leading up into it. From within, a faint orage glow could be seen, the two ornate, iron doors cracked ever-so-slightly, both rusted and one severely bent up. "Do the elves not take much care of their temples? Damn..." Leon murmured, shaking his head as he rode to the front. Leon dismounted, helping Flordia down before examining the doors for a long time.

He grumbled under his breath, glancing at her. "Keep behind me... There could be something dangerous inside." He told her, drawing his blade, holding it at his side as he kept his kite shield in front of his body protectively. He kicked against the iron door, nudging it open slowly. It made a loud, awful creaking sound, Leon immediately noticing a huge, open area full of pillars, the floor made of cracked, dust-covered tiles. A carpet going down the center led all the way to the far wall, where an alter and a number of religious carvings rested.

He took a long moment to look around, lowering his shield and sheathing his sword as soon as he was sure they were alone. He approached the wall slowly, looking around for whatever was causing the faint light that covered the sanctuary. Upon closer inspection, a giant, orange sphere high above the altar, embedded in the wall was being held by two identical, mirror statues, who were also embedded in the wall on either side of the altar. It seemed to emit the light they were seeing, powered by magical energy. Leon looked closely at the altar, noticing some words carved into the stone.

FOR LADY MIVANA, LAY THY FLESH DOWN.

Leon raised his brows. "I had no idea your people were into human sacrifice." He joked, knowing good and well that this sanctuary had most likely been abandoned for decades. He sat on the floor against the wall, removing his shield and placing it beside him, along with the sheathe holding his sword. He fished through his bag for a short while, pulling out a bottle of Adelan mead. Popping it open, he took a swig before making a slight face. If he was going to be stuck here all night, he'd at least enjoy himself. That meant drinking. A lot.

"Not exactly. . ."

Flordia was not surprised by the temple, or it's appearance.  She had been to one or two like places in her life, on the few excursions her and her parents took outside of the castle.  Those short travels were so she could 'better understand her people' by seeing where they lived and how.  But 'seeing where they lived' usually meant riding in a carriage past several cottages, hardly even slowing, let alone stopping so she could actually meet the people she was supposed to be ruling some day.

She did as Leon instructed and followed him carefully into the temple, when he seemed sure that it was empty, Flordia walked up to the alter, looking up at the carvings and the pulsing light.  "Even after all this time, the magic's still here," she said.

She sat down a few feet from Leon as he pulled out his drink.  ""Even though the temple is long abandoned, the spirits are still here," she said to him.  She didn't know if he's really care about the history of the temples, or if he even already knew, but she needed to distract herself, if only for a moment.  "They don't care that this place is in ruins, they didn't come to the temple when it was built." She looked around the stone room.  "They were here long before this kingdom even was.  The temple was built because the spirits were here, to worship them, partially, but also, and mostly, with the hope to gain their favor and reap some of the benefits that came along with having spirits not hate you."

Leon listened to her go on about the spirits, still taking swigs from his drink as he allowed her to distract herself. Perhaps such a practice would drown out the fear of a dagger in her back... But if he was to be honest, he was only half-listening, somewhat because religious affairs weren't of any real interest to him, and also because he needed his ears so he could listen out for any odd sounds.

Once she was done, he scoffed, shaking his head. "Not too big a fan of ghosts, kid... The whole, 'spirit' business gives me the creeps." He explained simply, pausing as he heard a distant shouting from outside. They were quite far from the main road... Out in the deep forest, as a matter of fact. Who was all the way out here, shouting? It wasn't a distressed shouting, either. More like someone calling for someone.

Leon cast an odd glance at Flordia, before looking back towards the front door with narrowed eyes. As the shouting got closer, Leon was better able to pick out a voice. And he knew that pretentious, snotty tone from anywhere. Edwin. "Flordia! Flordia!" Leon heard the name more clearly, that of which belonging to the girl he was supposed to protect. Giving a growl, he stood slowly, grabbing his sword and shield. "Stay here... Something's not right..."

Leon had that same pit in his stomach he got every now and then. It was a feeling he got when he was certain that he was walking headfirst into a trap. Why was Edwin all the way out here, instead of dealing with matters in the castle, regarding the assassin's whereabouts? And if the killer had been caught, why was he out here retrieving them alone? Now that he was so close, Leon could pick out only his scent. No others.

He walked towards the doors, almost expecting Flordia to come prancing up behind as soon as the opportunity was ripe. Perhaps her curiosity was admirable, but it was also something that could easily prove to be her downfall. With that in mind, he hoped she'd be smart enough to stay behind. Just this once. Upon reaching the doors, which were still just slightly cracked, he peeked out to see if he could spot the guard captain.

Twilight was looming over the forest at this point, the sky a mix of pink and purple, with stars beginning to twinkle directly above. "Flordia! Your Majesty, come out, please!" His voice rang out once more. At that moment, Leon saw Edwin storm from behind a shrub, out into the open. He looked stressed. Frustrated. So much so that his shortsword was in hand, the man holding it with an iron grip. He looked from side-to-side, lips pursed as his arms began to tremble angrily.

Leon watched as the elven man shouted in anger, throwing the sword, which stuck into the ground about ten feet to one side. At this point, Leon was happy he had hid the horse behind a band of trees nearby. Out of sight, just for occasions like this. "Damn... Everything's ruined!" He snarled, Leon raising a brow in confusion. Suddenly, Edwin paused, turning slowly and pointing towards somebody just barely out of view. "You..." He watched as Edwin gritted his teeth. "This is your fault!"

Just moments later, another figure stepped in, this one too odd-looking for Leon to even comprehend. Dressed in colorful, jester-like attire, he at first didn't take the newcomer seriously, what with his hat of long, belled tendrils and curled, bell-tipped shoes. However, it became very clear very soon that he was dealing with a real threat here, as soon as he saw the belt around his waist, outfitted with two pepperbox pistols and twin daggers.

Along a thigh, a bandolier of throwing knives sat, a satchel hanging off the side of the belt carrying gods know what... His exposed arms were a olive green color, leading Leon to believe that he was orcish in nature. However, above all, the thing that made this newcomer stand out most was the porcelain mask which covered his face, stylized as a comedy mask for plays, the eyes nothing more than black pits and the creepy grin stretching ear-to-ear. Whatever true emotion this person was showing, it was completely disguised.

"If it wasn't for your hesitancy, I'd be a prince right about now! If it wasn't for your poorly-placed traps, that snot-nosed brat would be good and dead! If it wasn't for that stunt with Nalda, she and that disgusting Adelan wouldn't have had a chance to escape! You're ruined everything!" Leon watched as Edwin proceeded to verbally attack the jester-clad figure, walking up and poking his chest. "You rat bastard... She was a friend! An associate! Her death wasn't in the contract! You're fired! You're... Gah!" Edwin wasn't able to find the words to express his anger, reeling back for a punch.

As soon as the fist came careening towards the jester's face, he caught it in a big, green hand, which proceeded to crush down on Edwin's much smaller fist. Edwin's expression filled with pain, grunting as he attempted to pull away. "Your contract means dirt to me." The jester finally spoke, his voice booming. "You came to me to get rid of an unfit heir. You claimed you had your kingdom's best interests in mind. Clearly, you're a fraud." He continued, baring down even harder, almost sending Edwin to a knee. "You're power-hungry. Deceitful. You played me like a violin, and I'm fed up."

Leon watched as the jester drew one of the pistols, pulling back the hammer threateningly as he held it up by his head. "You never seemed to care to tell me about the bodyguard, or the fact that he's a damned lycan. That's your fault. Not mine." He growled. Edwin's eyes widened in surprise at this, as well as Leon's. How did he know...? "Your friend took a late night stroll and caught me. She could've jeopardized my mission. That was her fault. Not. Mine." He growled a bit louder. At this point, Edwin was visibly terrified.

"You seem to think I exist to be your henchman... Let's get one thing straight, elf... I'd rather be eaten by wolves than serve you. Your position in the castle makes no difference to me. I'm not here for you. I'm here to kill the girl. Got me?" The jester asked, Edwin gulping a bit. Before he could nod, the jester began talking again. "That punch you just took tells me you know nothing of respect. So... Here's what I have in mind..." He yanked Edwin in, gripping him by the upper arm and placing the barrel to his diaphragm. "I'll teach you a lesson in respect. And mortality. Say hi to your friend for me."

Before Leon could act, there was a loud pow, accompanied by a flash of light and a plume of white smoke. A gush of blood shot out from Edwin's back, the man's jaws agape in visible pain. This didn't last long, however, as Edwin fell onto his back soon after, motionless. Leon swore under his breath, backing up and silently drawing his sword. Looking back towards Flordia, he gritted his teeth. "Hide!" He hissed quietly. The jester-like figure looked towards the sanctuary, aiming his pepperbox. "I know you're in there." He took a shot, which pinged off the iron door.

Flordia stayed back when Leon told her too, but she could hear the happenings outside quite well, her elf ear picking up every word.

Edwin?  Edwin had been behind it the whole time?  And who was the being he was speaking to. . ?

Flordia's thoughts were cut short as the being's words turned to a farewell, and Flordia knew what was going to happen before it did.

The bang shook her to the bone, but she didn't have time to think about it, for she heard Leon speak, and her eyes darted around for someplace to hide.

Her eyes fell upon the crumbled remains of a pillar just as the being outside spoke, and another gunshot rang out.

She ran for the pile of debris, and climbed within them, shielding herself from the surrounding room.

The pillar was only a few yards from the door, Flordia noted, her common sense slicing past her fear, so if she needed to make a run for it she would't be cornered in the building.

She kept her head down, but listened as hard as she could for the being, hoping that she could pinpoint his location and what he was doing by sound.

Leon flinched at the sound, rushing to the center of the sanctuary, a good distance from the door. He planted the pointed end of his shield into the floor, crouching so most of his body, the vital organs at least, were protected. Within seconds, the jester entered the sanctuary, lifting his other pepperbox and taking a shot at the standing shield in front of him without much thought.

The impact was enough to make Leon fall back, the bullet leaving a nice dent in his shield. As his back hit the floor, he let out a grunt of pain, almost unsure of what hit him. Fearing another shot, he quickly rolled to his feet and lifted his shield again, sword held by his side as he stayed on the defense. "So... You're the princess' last line of protection, hmm? An Adelan dog." With that, he chuckled a bit. "This will be easy. Too easy."

The jester suddenly holstered his pepperboxes, crouching and pulling out a few throwing knives. He threw them, the oddly-shaped blades of each causing them to travel in various arcs. Leon's eyes widened at the new strategy being employed, rolling forward to avoid the knives as they all collided in the same general location, where Leon once stood. "This Adelan dog is going to do a whole lot worse to you, then you did to that elev traitor!" He spat. Seeing the opening, Leon rushed forward, sword reeled back for a lunge.

Before he could do anything, however, the jester raised a hand, his palm flashing a pale red color. Leon suddenly stopped, dropping his sword and falling to his knees as he clutched his temples. Out of nowhere, over what seemed like a thousand whispering voices filled his head, but it was all enough to deafen a man. Give him headaches beyond belief. He fought to get to his feet and retrieve his sword, but he was simply unable to. These voices disoriented him completely.

"Now, tell me... Was it worth it? All you've managed to do is waste my time and royally piss me off!" The jester gave Leon a harsh kick in the ribs, his armor not thick enough to shield the impact as he was sent rolling across the floor. "Now... Be a good boy and stay. I have bigger fish to fry." He looked around, beginning a slow walk down the middle of the sanctuary as he then addressed her.

He drew two poisoned daggers from the back of his belt, spinning them both once. "Flordia Gindien... Heir to the throne... The future ruler of a whole kingdom!" He began walking between the many pillars of the sanctuary, looking for anywhere she might've been hiding. "I know you've gotten my love letters... They speak the truth, don't they? You can't lead... You don't want to lead. Becoming a woman so fast, yet you think and act like a child still. I think it's just about time to install a bit of order. My way. My name is Komiddy. Remember it well, child."

As he said these words, he neared closer and closer to Flordia's location behind the broken pillar. Leon still remained immobile on the floor, grunting and groaning in pain at the voices in his head. However, it seemed as this, 'Komiddy' figure got farther away, the spell wore off more. Eventually, it was virtually non-existent, and Leon struggled to his feet. "Bastard..." He grumbled, glaring at Komiddy. He'd need to get him by surprise, unless he wanted to be hit with the same spell again, or worse, a bullet.

Flordia could hear the being's voice, and couldn't help but look up when she heard the clang of knives on stone.  She watched with horror as the jester took down Leon, her heart jumping to her throat as she saw what the magic was doing to him.  She didn't know what to do, but then she realized that the dagger she kept in her boot was in her hand.  She could throw it very accurately, but her parents had never let her train with the guards.  She had never actually been in a fight.

But Leon was down.  She lifted the dagger, but the jester started to turn, and she ducked down again before he could see her.  She tried to slow her breathing as he slowly approached, speaking as he did.  At first she didn't hear what he was saying, only paying attention to where he was.  But then she heard his words, and knew he was right.  He was getting closer, almost to her hiding spot.  Her ears picked up a gentle scrape from where Leon was, and she hoped that he was okay, that he was getting up.

Maybe Leon was getting up, and he would be able to get to the jester in time to stop him, but Flordia coudln't see him, and the jester would find her within a moment.  Maybe he would kill her before she even had time to do anything.

Better to take him by surprise.

She stood up, revealing herself to him.  "Wait," she said, her and there was only a slight tremor in her voice, despite the fact that her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her rib cage.  She could see, out of her peripheral vision that Leon had gotten up, and for a moment regretted her decision to stand, but then realized that the jester would have gotten to her befroe Leon could.  This was a distraction.  The jester would be focusing on her and Leon could sneak up behind him. "You don't have to kill me." Flordia continued, her voice filled with all the courage she could muster. "But you're right.  I don't want to rule the kingdom, but I have no choice.  If I had it my way, I would not choose to be a queen, but it's not my choice, and I'll do the very best I can to lead my people."

As the girl revealed herself, Komiddy's grip on his daggers tightened. This was it, his target, in plain sight. All he had to do was cut her... Not even a lethal stab. The poison would do all that work on its own. However, he listened to what she had to say... She was clearly scared, and was clearly no tyrant. Yet. She was much younger than he expected, too. He didn't feel too well about slaughtering a child... But he knew he'd regret it if he did not.

"I'll make this quick. You'll barely feel a thing." With that, the jester placed one dagger to her throat, the point of the other pressed against the center of her chest. "The poison is fast-acting... It only takes ten minutes to destroy the body. In the first five, you'll go numb from chin-to-toe." He said, putting more pressure against her chest, as well as against her throat. "Only if you struggle, though... You can die a lot quicker."

His haunting words only made Leon angrier, the man sneaking up behind him to the best of his ability, in his clunky armor. Komiddy paused, turning just in time to see Leon's sword careening down to dice his skull in half. Raising one of his daggers, he blocked the strike, Leon coming again from the side, only to be blocked once more. Placing his daggers together, Komiddy tried driving both into Leon's abdomen, only for Leon to cut off the attack with his shield. Directly afterwards, the two locked blades, staring each other down.

"Nice try... I almost didn't see you coming." Komiddy murmured, his words laced with threat. Leon wasn't fazed. Digging his heels into the floor, Komiddy did the same, the two practically unmovable. "You want blood? Here I am, bastard. You want to slice someone's throat? Come at me. Give me the closest shave you can, clown-boy. Just a fair warning, it won't end well for you." Leon told him. Komiddy scoffed. "I'm more skilled than your tiny mind would like to believe." Leon gritted his teeth. "Likewise."

By the Gods.  This was it.  She was going to die.  Her breath caught in her throat and his blade touched her skin.  Then she noticed Leon approaching, and she prayed he would get to her in time. . .

Then he attacked.  The jester sensed the other man and spun around to block what would have been a deadly blow.  Their blades crashed together several times before locking.  As Leon spoke, Flordia became aware of the knife in her hand, and of the fact that the jester man's back was too her. . . Her mind spun. Should she attack?  Would Leon be able to fight off their enemy alone?  Flordia wanted to think so, but what if he couldn't?  One scratch from either of those two daggers would be deadly.  One scratch. . .

She didn't think about it for another second.  She lifted her hand and threw, the knife sailing quickly and accurately straight towards the jester's back between his shoulder blades.

As the knife flew, time seemed to slow, and for a second Flordia regretted her quick decision  as she realized what was about to happen.  A man could die here, and she would have been the one to kill him.  He was trying to kill her, kill them, but was that justification for killing?

Flordia didn't know, but she wasn't going to stand by and do nothing.  And as time started again, she did not regret defending herself and Leon, but only the way in which it had to be done.

Komiddy jolted forwards, dropping his daggers and grunting as the knife hit him right between the shoulder blades. He groaned out in pain as Leon blinked. From his point of view, he couldn't see that Flordia had tossed a dagger at the assassin. He merely took a step back, eyes narrowed as he stumbled a bit. However, Komiddy didn't drop dead as expected.

Suddenly, his physical form altered before them, changing from skin and bone to a mass of human body-shaped water. It fell, splashing against the floor, Flordia's dagger bouncing off the floor along with it. At this point, Leon realized what had happened. The girl had most certainly helped, but it seemed like the assassin was one step ahead of her. "An illusion... He's still around here." He said, giving his sword a small twirl.

"Komiddy... I recognize the name. He's an assassin of kings, queens, barons... Princesses. He only kills those unfit to lead, in his eyes." He told her, looking around for wherever he might've been. He certainly didn't need for them to be sneaked up on. "Stay close to me. And watch my back." He ordered, kicking her dagger to her. "And pick that up. You've shown that you can use it." He added, giving her a nod.

At that moment, something round flew from the darkness, audibly sizzling as it bounced against the ground, rolling to a stop at their feet. It was black, sporting a small fuse at the top which was burning down into the object itself. A bomb. Leon gritted his teeth, reeling back a foot before kicking it away just in time, however, it might've not been soon enough. The bomb exploded in mid-air, the light expanding and illuminating the entire temple before black smoke erupted in every direction, the debris from pillars that were knocked down in the blast sent flying as well.

The blast sent Leon flying back as well, colliding back-first with a pillar before dropping onto his stomach. His head must've hit something, because he was out cold. It was uncertain whether the bomb was meant to kill them, but either way, Komiddy emerged from the darkness once more, guns in hand. "Enough games... I can make this much more painful, kid!" He shouted, looking around for her.

Florida gasped as the form of Komiddy splashed to the floor.  Only an illusion, like Leon had said. . .

She grabbed the dagger that skidded across the floor to her, clutching it tightly in her hand.  She saw the bomb, and ducked as Leon threw it away from them, and as it exploded Flordia was thrown backwards.  She hit the floor hard, and she struggled to get up as she saw Komiddy coming towards them.

"Please don't do this!" she said to the man approaching, her voice shaking as violently as her body. "I'll do my best to lead my people, I'll have help!  You don't have to do this!"

He seemed unbeatable, how were they supposed to fight something like this?  how could they possibly win against something so powerful and so unwilling to back down from his goal?

Komiddy threateningly strode towards her, around the pillars with guns lifted to either side of his head. "Your words now don't reflect your actions later. A wandering mind like yours isn't one fit for a throne." He boomed out. "I see famine. I see panic in a time of war, when a steady composure would be needed. I see irresponsibility, and neglect. Your pretty face and sad eyes won't protect you from my duties to protect your subjects from your mistakes."

As he spoke, he came close, lowering his guns and cocking back the hammers. "Such a shame... Elven women are so beautiful." He shook his head ever-so-slightly, seemingly allowing her however many moments of life as he could. His hesitation gave Leon an opportunity to retaliate against the assassin, who was blasted much farther back than Flordia.

As Komiddy spoke to the young princess, Leon's body began to shift against its will, bones contorting and hair sprouting from his skin, muscles bulging to their max and claws extending from each finger and toe. His canines grew, his ears shifting into wolf-like appendages, along with the rest of his face, that formed into a muzzle. Throughout the transformation, there was a good amount of snarling and the sound of armor busting off, which would make one wonder how Komiddy wasn't alerted.

Almost as soon as the transformation was concluded, Leon was off, sprinting towards the assassin, who barely had a moment to react as he was slammed into. He grunted from the impact, him and the wolf tumbling for a bit before they stopped, Komiddy lifting both guns and firing, missing heavily before Leon locked his jaws around his shoulder. He shook him from side-to-side, tossing him across the temple and causing his body to bounce across the floor.

The assassin swore as he drew his daggers, beckoning the wolf forward as he stood shakily. "I've killed bigger. C'mon, flea-bag!" He taunted loudly. Leon roared out hatefully, charging at him as Komiddy took a defensive stance, daggers aimed to pierce the wolf's flesh. In Leon's current state, he wouldn't be able to remember the poison on the blades. This could be a fatal mistake, if one were to slice into him just a bit.

She'd escaped death so many times in the last few minutes, but she couldn't think of anything else to stall the assassin, to stop him from achieving his goal.

Then Leon started to shift.  Flordia saw him out of the corner of her eye, and it took everything not to look over at him.  Doing so would alert her would-be killer that something was happening.

Then Leon attacked.

Flordia thought that for sure the assassin would be killed instantly, but he was back on his feet as soon as the werewolf let him go.

Flordia glanced around the room, looking for anything that may be able to help them.  Then her eyes fell upon the two guns the assassin had held before Leon had attacked him.  She had no clue how to use a gun, but had seen them be used a few times before.  It hadn't looked that complicated, and she didn't have much of a choice now.  The assassin was advancing on Leon, and Flordia knew that she had to act quickly.  She reached out, grabbing the nearest gun and lifting it.

It appeared to be loaded to her untrained eye, and she pulled back the hammer, clicking it into place as she aimed for the assassin.  His back was to her, and Leon was just past him.  If she missed, she might very well hit the werewolf.  But she had good aim with a dagger, maybe this would be similar?

She corrected her aim a half a centimeter. . .  And fired.

The bullet shot through the air, and the split second felt like minutes as Flordia watched the bullet.  Then it hit.

Lodging itself into the assassin's shoulder.

Leon was only an inch from the waiting assassin as the bullet shot through the air, both hearing the sound first before it whizzed over Leon's shoulder, landing in Komiddy's own. The assassin was sent spiraling at an angle down to the floor, his blood trickling down his torso and landing in a small puddle beneath him. He landed with a thud, grunting out in pain and clutching his shoulder in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

Komiddy was dealt with for now... However, Leon turned, seeing Flordia with the assassin's gun. However, his mind wasn't registering her as an ally. Not in this state... His lips curled as he slowly turned his whole body, beginning a slow stroll towards her, claws menacingly tapping against the stone as he lowly growled.

His gaze fixed on her in a hateful manner, he stopped inches from her form, sniffing from head-to-toe, continuing to growl. It wasn't exactly known what it was the beast was doing... It seemed as if the man inside him was fighting off the animalistic urges to tear her apart as he planned to tear the assassin apart, and the man was winning. Just barely.

Suddenly, Leon's eyes widened as he let out a yelp, lurching back with his ears pinned to his head as another transformation racked his body, this time returning to his human form. Fur retracted back into his skin and bones popped back into place as he screamed with pain, his face morphing back to its natural Adelan features and his claws sinking back into his fingers. Leon collapsed once it was done, panting and half naked.

"Don't worry... I've more control than it does." He said, standing shakily as he looked over his shoulder, seeing the assassin crawling away, towards the far wall. He left a trail of blood behind him, Leon smirking. "Nice shot, kid." He said, ruffling her hair.

Flordia froze when the bullet hit her intended target.  Her eyes widened as he fell to the floor, blood running from the wound.

She had shot someone!  Someone was hurt because of her. . .  She'd defended herself.  She was still reeling when she noticed that Leon had not calmed down.  That his eyes had turned to her.  She gasped as she started for her.

"Leon. . ." she said slowly. "Leon, it's me!"

She stood completely still as he he approached, and she could see the battle being fought behind his eyes.  She could see Leon fighting to push the beast away.  He stopped in front of her, sniffing her, and Flordia prayed that Leon would return.

Then the wolf changed, his eyes widened and he fell back.  It was horrible to watch.  Glad as she was that Leon was returning, it was incredibly hard to see the pain he was going through.  The sheer agony of his transformation.

Then he was back.  Flordia almost burst into tears, but she held them back and smiled at him.  "Thank you," she said, laughing a bit as the adrenaline slowed. "I'm so glad you didn't eat me."

Then her eyes went to the man she had shot, and her expression grew worried.  "What. . .  What about him?"