Her lips were spread in a wide grin, one that seemed to stretch from ear to ear. Her dark hair was wild about her face and she looked rather like a goddess of old staring down at him. There was cruel mirth in her eyes, a mirth that brought fear to the forefront of his mind. There was nowhere to run or to hide and no one else around. It was just he and this grinning giantess. She blew a strand of hair from her face as she leaned in very closely, a chuckle bubbling up from within her chest.

"Well now, husband, we have all the time in the world to have fun now. You are all mine, forever! Let's get you set up in your proper place, shall we?" The young woman boomed, her voice seeming to echo out for miles.

Erik tried to move, tried to cast a spell but his body was completely frozen. He could only watch in horror as her hand, so much bigger than it had seemed in reality descended. Its grip was suffocating, tearing the air from his lungs. The next moment he was falling through the air, his arms flailing as desperately tried to find purchase for his hands. He cried out as he fell for what felt like and seemed like miles.

Eventually he landed hard upon a hauntingly familiar leather surface. He looked up at the woman looming over him and his eyes widened as five wriggling toes started to descend towards the surface of the sandal. He couldn't move again, he could only watch as the woman's foot drew closer and closer to him. Amelia's chuckle rolled across him like a thunder clap across the sky itself.

"Welcome to your new place in life, little prince, I just know you'll enjoy it..."

Erik finally gained the ability to scream as a mountain of flesh pressed down upon him...

"Your Grace! Wake up!"

Erik opened his eyes as he was shaken awake by the gloved fingers of his retainer. The young prince flinched away from the touch and looked around warily, trying to get his bearings. The rumbling of cobbled road, the artfully shaped metal surrounding him, and the cushion he laid upon told him he was in his carriage. Right. The carriage, his journey. It all came back though with it came the memories that rather horrid dream had been based off of. It was just that though, memory. Amelia was miles behind him now.

The homunculus noted the rather worried looked Lucius was giving him, naked concern writ across his face. The young prince sat up and worked to compose himself, smoothing out his hair and his clothes as best he was able. He wasn't horridly disheveled but it would certainly be noticeable. He couldn't afford that today. Regardless of how he might feel about this task that had been forced upon him, he was representing his race.

"Are we there yet?" Erik inquired, clearing his throat as he attempted to divert inquiry towards his nightmare.

The look upon Lucius' aged face told the homunculus that he wanted to pursue the topic but he opted against it thankfully enough. "Nearly. The castle isn't far now."

Erik nodded, falling into silence once more as the carriage rolled along. Ever since his... ordeal with Amelia Valendris he'd been having the rather unpleasant dreams. The faintest traces of dark circles ringed his eyes though she hadn't been the only subject of his darker dreams. Marie had been there as well, the clumsy princess having once accidently knocked him into one of her fancy slippers and trapped him there. They weren't constant but they were enough to have him dreading sleep.

Were all of his encounters going to be so dreadful? Was this one big horrid affair where members of the larger races could just do whatever they pleased with him? Given his last two suitors Erik wasn't exactly optimistic about his next one. The only thing he could say for certain was there was absolutely no way she could be any worse than the last one. She would need to be some kind of demon for that to not be true.

"So, who is next on the list again?" Erik inquired.

Lucius produced his little leather bound book and scanned it briefly, still frowning slightly. "Knight-Princess Lea Silverhand. She is the only child of the Order Master-King and is twenty-one years of age. Veteran of four campaigns and a distinguished commander as well as a very skilled warrior. With a recent sickness having befallen her father she has taken over many of his duties."

So a dull minded warrior brute. Fantastic. "Anything else?"

"She has had few suitors call upon her due to her... rather authoritative presence. Those that did she turned aside for being unworthy. A rather hard woman to impress by all accounts." He stated.

Erik barely suppressed a groan. He was doomed from the onset it seemed. A warrior and a rather hard to please woman did not exactly add to his odds. Maybe he'd be lucky and she would take one look at him and send him away. It wasn't exactly a likely scenario but he could at least hope. As the carriage rolled along he imagined some giant muscle bound ox of a woman, missing half her teeth and three fingers. Those who pursued such mundane endeavors certainly couldn't possess much in the way of intelligence.

The carriage continued to roll along the road and passed under the massive arching gate of a large castle. When it lurched to a stop Erik took a moment to compose himself. No matter what he needed to be polite and cordial unless he was openly insulted. He had to show he was civilized though also not weak willed. Otherwise this princess would walk all over him, perhaps in a very literal sense.

Lucius offered his hand though before he stepped on Erik opted to finally speak. "Lucius... how do you deal with things outside of your control?"

He pursed his lips. "You accept that you can't control them and endure."

The prince chuckled as he stepped onto his retainer's hands. He had always been in complete control over his destiny. To just accept that it was now possible in the hands of numerous others was not something he could just do. He was a prince after all, born to command and control. He wasn't sure he could accept the twists life was throwing at him lately.

Like the one both he and Lucius received immediately upon exiting the carriage.

Arrayed in rows within the main courtyard of the palace were dozens of armed and armored knights, the sun glinting off of their metal figures. They were at attention and stood ramrod straight, one in each row holding a banner that moved slightly in the light breeze. This... was certainly more fanfare than his last visit had received. They made it certain that the only path open was the one up a set of stairs and into the main keep itself. Erik blinked and looked to Lucius who looked just as shocked as he.

A loud voice carried across the courtyard. "So, you are the prince I am to meet?"

From within the keep emerged another armored figure though this one was a woman. She was tall, taller than any human Erik had laid eyes upon. Her armor hid her form completely, the polished metal gleam in the sunlight. A white cloak was set over her shoulders with the symbol of her nation prominently upon it. Upon her brow was a circlet of silver, rubies inlaid upon the surface though the woman herself was rather not what he had expected.

Her strawberry blonde hair was cut short at her ears, certainly given credence to her more militant nature. Her right eye was covered by a black eyepatch with metal studs, a rather ugly scar streaking down where her eye had once been. She was handsome as opposed to classically beautiful, though certainly attractive enough even with the scar as a detractor. She exuded a heavy air of authority, her shoulders squared and her posture denoting one of absolute command over those around her.

She stopped in the middle of the courtyard, the heel of her boots clanking loudly. She smacked the bottom of her scabbarded sword upon the stone ground as her blue eye bore into Erik's, her gaze as hard as steel. Erik did not waver under the look, his composure refusing to crumble even under the eye of this woman. There was silence until Lucius opted to speak his piece as he was required to do.

"I present Prince Eri-."

"I addressed the man standing upon your hand, retainer! Unless he perhaps lacks a voice of his own." She bellowed, silencing Lucius.

Erik narrowed his eyes at the woman and sucked in a great breath. "I am Prince Erik Lostrem, son of Mage-King Fredrick Lostrem of Eteria. Master of Illusionism, Vice-Director of Golem Design and Manufacture, Holder of thirteen separate patents on various inventions, and second in line for the throne of Eteria."

The armored woman tapped her scabbard upon the ground once. "I am Knight-Princess Lea Silverhand, daughter of Order Master-King Laurent Silverhand. Knight-Captain of Sixth Regiment, Blademaster of the Iron Tower, and current Knight-Regent."

The exchange of titles was crisp and clear and both royals stared each other down. The princess' posture never wavered and neither did Erik's as such would be a sign of weakness. Perhaps she might more quickly dismiss him were he weak willed but he had his pride to think of. He would not waver under her stare. There was an almost electric intensity between them as mage and warrior refused to yield.

Finally after a good few moments Lea walked forward, her armor clanking loudly. She held out her free hand and the homunculus got the silent message. Lucius looked rather concerned at the idea of handing him over to the armed and armored princess. The tall woman snorted as she noted his hesitation.

"Your loyalty to your charge does you credit sir; however I am in no hurry to spark a war with the homunculi. I assure you, my intentions are non-violent." She said.

"Its fine, Lucius. You are free to do as you please in my absence." Erik said, dismissing his retainer easily enough.

The older man sighed and allowed the prince to step off onto Lea's gauntleted hand, the metal cold and unyielding. With that she turned on her heel and walked towards the keep. It was a test and one he actually understood. It tickled at his pride, as though to admit he required his retainer close by was a sign he was weaker than she. Erik doubted very much she was another Amelia, she seemed too... proper for that. Too rigid and less like a bored brat. A little like him in some ways.

The princess marched through the well-lit corridors of the castle, navigating them with ease. She didn't speak to him and he didn't speak to her. The young prince considered requesting her thumb be offered for support, casting the thought aside a moment later. He had to stand on his own two feet. He needed nothing from this knight and would not give her the satisfaction of a request for her aid.

Eventually they reached a rather well lit study, a small room with a few book cases, a fire place and a table with some chairs. Upon the table was a simple wooden chess board, the pieces looking to have been hand carved. It was not grand or ornate and in fact was very much rough, lacking in polish. Regardless it was clear what it was. Lea set him down on one side of the board and she sat down upon a chair on the other side.

"I want to see if you are worth the effort of getting to know. So I will give you the same challenge I gave all of my other suitors. Beat me." She challenged.

"How do I know you are worth my time?" Erik shot back.

Lea smirked. "You'll have to play me to find out. I have never lost a game. I have my doubts a man of your talent is looking for a woman of fine silks and little brains. Homunculi value intelligence."

Erik conceded that point though he stared at the board in thought. He could just turn down her offer and that would be that. She'd likely not consider him and they could part ways with no harm or foul. However there was a slight competitive itch that rose in him at the sight of the board. No one back home had managed to beat him at the game, his genius reigning supreme upon the battlefield as well as in academia.

"To make things interesting, how about this. If you win we will conduct this meeting however you wish it to go. If you wish to simply play and part ways then so be it. If I win then I will control the course of the meeting. Including what fate the loser shall suffer." She said, a light entering her sole eye.

The homunculus didn't like the prospect of what she might possible have in store for him, the time spent with Amelia flashing through his mind. However he supposed that by extension he would also have a say in what her fate would be at the end. A high stakes game of pride on both sides of the board. Not one that Erik could possibly back down from once presented before him, such was his way.

"Very well. I believe you have white so the first move is your, my lady." He stated.