The throne room is large, with walls that meet high ceilings with beautiful chandeliers.

Lancaster leans against one of the majestic walls of the throne room, eyes closed and deep in thought. His arms are crossed, his sword dangling lazily at his side. Beside him, the large open arch window allows tiny bits of twilight rays into the room. The room is bright and outstanding, but never enough to compete with the twilight rays that form incandescent brilliance more beautiful than that of the chandeliers.

There are occasional sounds of tapping that make him frown. Once they stop, though, the quiet never returns -- for clattering sounds take their place.

He rubs his temples. "Your highness," he sighs.

"Hmm?" Alaina says, though her mind isn't really present at all. She has been twiddling with decoratives or artifacts she could find in the throne room, tracing their ancient designs absently. She gets bored from time to time, thus occasionally walking towards the open arch window, tapping her fingers on the windowsill as she stares blankly into the sun setting over the horizon.

At times like this, Lancaster stays by the princess's side. She is back in the castle safely, but he knows better than to leave her alone.

"I know what is on your mind, and what is bothering you," he starts. He glances over at Alaina, who is now beside him, her head resting on one of her arms that are spread across the windowsill.

"I know you do," she says, sighing as she stops tapping the windowsill.

"And I am sure you know very well that the outcome is final, whatever the kings' decisions are."

She sighs again. "I know."

He steals a glance over at her again. "But rest assured. I am sure the kings would not agree to the proposal."

Alaina lifts her head to look at Lancaster in the eye. "But what if they do?"

Lancaster is silent. He honestly doesn't know how to respond to her question, probably because he didn't think that the negative outcome would be an option. To him, he thinks that it would be impossible for the kings to accept such a proposal. It is a mere preposterously packaged idea, with no support, only empty lies.

Hearing no reply, Alaina finds herself staring yet again over the horizon, at the sky with a mixture of the colours red, orange, yellow, blue and even hue of purple. The sun is no longer visible, long gone; and in its place the moon shall take over not long later. "They wouldn't, just like what I told the man back in the city centre."

Not tearing her eyes away from the setting sky, she nods lightly as a gesture of assuring him, though part of her feels that she's saying it to assure herself -- hoping that her seemingly serene words can calm her chaotic mind.

As she fixes her gaze onto the beautiful sky, she can't help but think that the most beautiful things never last forever; just like how she'd only briefly turned away to look at Lancaster for a moment, and in a blink of an eye, she'd missed the sunset. In a flash, the sun is now gone, as the night gradually crawls in.

"Your highness," Lancaster says, pulling Alaina away from her thoughts. "If the unfortunate -- you and I and even everyone else in Theia apparently know which outcome is -- should happen, just remember that I shall always be by your side."

"As a knight?" she questions, but it is rather posed as a challenge.

"As a friend."

She smiles. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"And in which the turn of events are not to our favour, it is a problem for the future, if a bright one still exists, of course," he says, trying to make her feel better. "And so we should deal with matters at hand now, in the present."

"What are you getting at?" Alaina tilts her head slightly, frowning.

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"I am suggesting --"

Before Lancaster could give a proper reply or explanation, the grand double doors of the throne room burst open, and a messenger appears before Alaina and Lancaster.

"Pardon my intrusion, your highness," he bows, "but his majesty is now in his study."

Alaina had requested earlier to be informed of upon the completion of the meeting between the kings, so she could quickly hear the answer, providing that it is a favourable one that would lift her heavy heart, of course.

Every muscle in her body tenses as she readies herself for whatever is to come. "Thank you," she says genuinely to the messenger, and as soon as she does, she dashes out of the throne room and heads towards the study immediately, with Lancaster following closely behind.

Once she arrives in front of the closed doors of the study, she takes a deep breath, before opening them immediately without a knock or a warning. "Father!" Alaina bursts in, readily greeting her beloved father. Though she knows that her actions are rash and rude, even non princess-like of her; she priorities knowing the truth, and nothing else matters to her in that fateful moment.

But she does not receive a reply. Alastair sits on the chair behind the desk, and just like a soulless body, he stares blankly at his wooden desk. Two guards are stationed on either sides of him, and Lloyd Elliott is currently by his side. Lloyd has an unreadable expression on his face: he is frowning, but somewhat seems calm; he looks confused, but still has his usual composure.

"Father --"

Alastair flicks his hand, silencing her. This gesture shocks not only Alaina and Lancaster, but Lloyd who flinches ever so slightly, and even the two guards who turns to the king questioningly.

He turns to one of the guards. "See to it that the princess returns to her room. Make sure she does not find a way out of the castle, not even her room." He emphasises the last few words with a cold tone, then turns to Lancaster. "You shall be working back with the knights. You need not accompany the princess no longer, as you two pull too many strings together."

Lancaster is lost for words. He cannot believe this side of the king he is witnessing. He just stands there, frozen in his position with shock.

Alaina gasps. "No, you can't --" she says with fear and sadness in her voice.

"Enough," Alastair says, glaring at her. "I have preparations to make for the upcoming installation for the new emperor, and for the ceremony for the official formation of Empire Asteria."

Alaina tries to find her voice, but it doesn't come. The king is strict on her, but he definitely loves her, and she knows that very well. But what in Asteria has gotten into him?

Lancaster winces at the sharpness of the king's voice and the coldness of his glare. In the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of Lloyd, who looks like he wants to say something, but resisted the urge to. He nudges Alaina lightly, in case she tries something that might make things worse -- if something worse even exists -- than it is now.

"Please," Alastair says to the guard.

The guard approaches Alaina, hesitantly, but he knows better than to disobey the king at his current state. He gestures for her to exit the study. "Your highness, may I accompany you to your room?"

Fighting back the hot and stinging tears threatening to form in her eyes for the incredulous behaviour of her beloved father, she turns away to leave the room, but not before saying with as much threat as her voice would allow, "mother would be very disappointed."

*****

Alaina paces her bedroom in anger, frustration, and disappointment. Outside, the two guards that had been on either sides of Alastair back in the study stand, as a statement that the princess is not allowed out of the room. For how long, though, they are unclear, for they had just complied to the king's orders, not daring to question any further.

This is not a problem, she thinks, as she starts towards her window. She's used to sneaking out, so even if there are guards stationed outside, it shall never stop her. The only possible problem that may arise is that if her father were to have given word to every single guard in the castle, she may be in trouble if caught. If so, the entire castle would be against her.

She can only hope that only the people that were present back in the study were the ones who know of the situation at hand, so she would be able to innocently stride past any guard she were to stumble across anywhere, anytime.

Tying her hair into a messy ponytail, she pulls the curtain from its original place, yanking it hard and breaking it free from the window. Using the curtain as an aid, she ties it to the windowsill, and once she is assured that it is tight and safe, she uses it to climb safely out of her bedroom through the window. Landing safely on the soft grass of the castle's gardens, she scans her surroundings for any guards patrolling around. At the sight of an empty garden, she smiles to herself in relief. No one, just like she'd thought. She makes her way slowly into the main atrium of the castle.

She spots four guards as she peeks into the atrium. Two patrolling the area, and two other guarding at their posts looking like they're about the drift off standing as it is getting late into the night.

Alaina creeps around the atrium, avoiding them if possible, in case she causes unnecessary uproar especially this late in the evening, not to mention immediately after the meeting between the kings.

As soon as she manages to enter the atrium, she dashes down the side corridor of the atrium that is beautifully structured with old pillars and high arched openings that allow only little moonlight into the dark corridor. She runs as fast as her legs allow and as light and nimble as her body would take her, with only one goal in mind: to find Lancaster, the only one -- assuming the entire castle is against her -- who would definitely understand.