Chopin

*Author's note-- This is a sideproject I threw together. I hope you like it, and let me know if I should keep it going or not. Thanks a ton for reading it in the first place, it means a lot to me. Feel free to leave comments critiquing, or just general thoughts, I love to read them. Thanks again

-Arraiga*

She had noticed him almost as soon as he had entered the Grand Ballroom. Something about him had caught her eye, and he had stayed in the corner of it the whole night. He was not immensely tall, but he seemed larger than he was, an easy smile coming across his face as he socialized with various nameless Lords and Ladies. She had noticed his eyes right away of course. The green-gray of the outer part of the pupil was unusual enough in Hiper, but the inner rim of yellow was what really caught her attention. She gazed at him, both hoping to meet his gaze, and yet hoping he didn't notice her staring either.

"-Princess Natalia, may I have this dance?"

"What?" she asked, blinking back to reality.

"May I have the pleasure of being your partner for this dance?" the man repeated. She hadn't even noticed him there, lost in her observation of the strange-eyed man.

"Oh, yes of course Baron, it would be my honor," she replied, looking at him with a dazzling smile. She had guessed at his title, and he had not reacted, so she must have been right. Or he had noticed she was distracted. Regardless, he took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She went through the motions, not really paying attention to her partner. She had been drilled by her mother on the basics of ballroom dancing since she was a child, and it was second nature for her. After a flawless performance, she and the nameless Baron parted ways.

She glanced around, looking for the strange-eyed man again. "Now where could he have gone?" she muttered to herself as she made her way through the crowd.

"Well, I don't know who 'he' is, but I would love to be your next dance partner," said a voice somewhere beside her. She turned, intending to lightly let the man down. As she turned, however, her eyes caught on a peculiar yellow halo surrounding his pupils. It was him.

There was no way she could let him know she was talking about him, she had never even met him before. "Is that how they ask royalty to dance where you're from?" Great, come off as a haughty, spoiled princess.

"No, but I've always thought improvising was more fun than stuffy old men and their rules and regulations," the man replied, not missing a beat. He was grinning roguishly, doubtless aware of what she was thinking. She chuckled a little, despite herself.

"That must be why you've neglected to introduce yourself as well," she said, regaining her composure.

"Oh yes, how thoughtless of me. I'm Edward, it's wonderful to meet you," he said, standing up to kiss her hand. She reluctantly gave it to him. Still, she was intrigued by his casual, almost laidback demeanor. Certainly not the typical attitude of someone talking to the Princess of Hiper. Nor was it customary to withhold one's last name.

"Well Edward-"

"Please, call me Ed,"

"Alright Ed," she continued, placing extra emphasis on "Ed" to show her slight irritation, "I will allow you to dance with me."

"That's oh so gracious of you Your Highness. I promise to be more entertaining that Baron 'I-wasn't-paying-attention-to-his-name'," Ed teased, making her blush slightly. So he had been watching her too.

"It isn't gentlemanly to eavesdrop. If you are so in need of my attention, all you needed to do was ask," she replied, trying to shame him as well. He merely laughed and took her into his arms to begin the dance. She hated to admit it, but she felt comfortable in his arms, his confidence and infectious smile worming their way into her.

He matched her steps with an easy grace and a charming smile, and more than a few of the other partners backed away to observe them.

"Oh myy, where is HE from?"

"I've never seen him in the court before, have you?"

"He's quite charming, and look how easily he matches the Princess!"

"Two minutes."

She blushed, trying to ignore them, yet proud she had the center of attention with her. He noticed and smiled down at her. "It seems we've attracted quite the crowd."

"Yes, it does seem that way doesn't it?" she replied as he spun her. It felt so natural, so, so right! She craved to feel more of his touch. The thought of his fingers tracing her skin sent shivers up her spine.

"Well, I for one, am not used to so much attention. They're going to make me blush!" he exclaimed.

"Perhaps a change of scenery would be best then?" she whispered into his ear as the song stopped. He raised his brow slightly, but consented as she led them from the opulent ballroom and onto a vacant stone balcony. Her eyes were on him, looking him over, and she failed to notice the doorway to the balcony being shut.

"Oh man, the princess has kidnapped me and forced me onto an abandoned balcony. I fear for my life," Ed said sarcastically, looking over the railing, pretending to look for an escape route.

"Hush, I've done no such thing! I merely pulled you along to a secluded place so that we may... get to know each other. You came willingly," she said, joining him by the rail. It was a rather chilly night, which gave her an excuse to pull his arms around her.

"You're quite direct Princess, I like that in a woman," he said, obliging her. He held her against his chest, looking down into her deep purple eyes.

"And you are the first person to speak to me so frankly. I kind of like it," she replied, winking at him and smiling. She was no stranger to men's advances, but this was the first time she was initiating it herself, and she wanted to make sure she did it right. But then again, she was the princess, and he should be begging her for his attention, not the other way around.

"Is that so? Well, the night is young Natalia, what pleasures do you want to explore first?" Ed asked. He was pushing his luck, they both knew that. Only her immediate family called her by only her given name, and anyone else who had tried had been punished severely for disrespect. But here, alone on the balcony, wrapped in his embrace, she found it soothing, rather than offensive. Afterall, she had been calling him by a nickname this whole time as well, its only fair he gets to use her name as well, right?

Instead of answering, she pushed up onto her toes, pressing her soft red lips against his. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of her lips coming together with his, closing around one of them, releasing it, then repeating the whole delightful process again. Soon she felt the craving for more, and she slowly slid her tongue out to join her lips in their delicate assault. He replied eagerly, opening his mouth to her, and letting their tongues wrestle. She felt him bite down on something, and a slow trickle of liquid seeped into her mouth. Her vision hazed, and she felt faint.

As she fell away from him, she thought she heard him say "I apologize for this princess," but her vision faded to black before she had the chance to ask why he was apologizing.

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"I'd dare say that you were enjoying that," a hooded man said as he emerged through the balcony door, careful to relock it behind him. Someone had drawn the curtains, restricting vision onto the balcony. Any extra time that might gain him was a welcome addition. Ed chuckled, holding Natalia's limp form still. He lifted her onto his shoulder with a grunt, then turned to face him.

"She's a damn good kisser, I was impressed. Its really too bad about this whole kidnapping thing," he replied.

"Yes well, you don't get any money until she's back at the base, so I hope your newfound fondness for her won't be an issue," the man said, not even trying to be discreet as he pushed his robe aside to reveal a flintlock pistol.

"Yeah yeah, it won't be an issue. So long as you get your part done," he warned, not phased in the least by the obvious threat. The man snorted and tossed him a bundle of rope with a hook attached on one end.

"Don't doubt me boy, or I will put a bullet through your head," he said menacingly. Edward just laughed and affixed the hook securely to the railing. He pulled the rope through his belt loops. Princess over his shoulder, he stepped up on the railing, pulled the rope taut, and with a final mocking salute to the hooded man, lowered himself the 15 feet from the balcony to the courtyard. as soon as he hit the ground, an expensive looking cloak came sailing after him. Ed lowered the princess onto the ground long enough for him to catch the cloak. He worked quickly, propping her up on his shoulder, and wrapping the cloak around her. He pulled the hood up, obscuring her face from view so that any passersby wouldn't be able to guess who she was. Slowly, he walked them toward the front gates of the Grand Ballroom, appearing to any casual observer to be a couple out for a stroll. Ed knew the disguise wouldn't pass anything more than a rudimentary inspection though, which was why he had chosen this exact route for the escape. The guards were changing shifts, and too busy dealing with demands of lesser nobles to pay him any mind.

He was at the gates, when he heard someone call out behind him. "You there! Where are you going?"

"Shit," he thought to himself. He turned and smiled at the guard that was now within ten feet of him. Run? or lie? "I apologize my good sir, but my lady friend here has had a bit too much to drink I'm afraid,"

"Is that so? That's too bad, the princess is expected to announce her engagement in just a few minutes, an event no one wants to miss," he said, eyeing her suspiciously. Ed fingered a small dagger hidden in his sleeve, ready to strike if the need arose.

"Is that right? She's never been able to handle her liquor though, and it's not good for her to be passed out on a bench somewhere, there are all sorts of miscreants willing to take advantage of an unconscious girl lurking about," he exclaimed. He winced inwardly at the irony of his words.

"Well good on you citizen, be on your way," he replied, seemingly impressed with Ed's act of "goodwill". He nodded his goodbye, and Ed carried on his way, significantly less optimistic than he had been moments before. Suddenly he had only minutes to make the escape, rather than the hour or two he had expected.

"She was supposed to announce an engagement tonight huh? Shit, that means the guards will realize she's gone much sooner than we planned for. How the hell did those idiots miss that detail?" he muttered to himself. He quickened his pace, hoping to be well on his way to the dropoff point in Henden before the guards caught onto the scheme.

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"Where. Is. She?" a woman exclaimed, causing several armored heads to quake in fear. She was tall, exceedingly tall, and even though she was wearing a light party dress to match the occasion, it is clear practicality played a major role in its design as well. The dress was short, allowing her legs a wider range of motion, and form-fitting to ease in rapid movement. Of course, to the untrained eye, it appeared as if she was wearing a tight dress that accentuated her natural curves nicely, and showed a teasing amount of her long, toned legs. More than a dew eyes had been drawn to her over the course of the night, and all eyes were on her now, albeit for a different reason.

"We have checked everywhere Lady Lydia, but the princess is nowhere to be found," a guard replied. He had the misfortune of being the first one to reply, and she let into him.

"Then clearly it is your incompetence that has misplaced her, because she did not simply wander off. She knows how important tonight is, regardless of how she feels about it!" she seethed. The targeted guard shrank a little, and she was about to resume when another guard walked briskly into the small antechamber.

"My Lady, I have just heard a report by a Patrol Guard that he saw a man and a less-than-conscious woman leave the premises about twenty minutes ago. He couldn't say for certain if it was the Princess, but she was of similar stature," he stated. He stood, waiting for orders.

"You're certain you checked everywhere?" she asked, turning to the first guard. He nodded, hoping to avoid another scolding. She put her hand on her forehead, "The princess was most likely the woman the guard saw. It is too soon to be sure, but we may have a kidnapping on our hands."

"Shall we organize a search party?" the second guard asked, trying to be helpful.

"No you idiot, it will take much too long. No, we will go after them ourselves, we may be able to catch them before they make it out of Cinturon. You!" she barked, pointing at the second guard.

"Yes ma'am!" he replied.

"Assemble a small squad of five men and meet me at the train station. You!" she pointed at the beleaguered first guard, "Alert the city gates that they are to keep an eye out for anyone who fits the description, and to have them pulled aside. Anyone who resists is to be treated with extreme prejudice. We can't allow them out of the city, people!" she ordered. They both hopped to attention and hurried off to carry out their orders.

"Damn, and I was finally gonna be able to relax a little," she sighed, bemoaning her fate. She sped out of the antechamber, colliding with several unlucky servingmen and women. She hit the door to the grounds at a full sprint, and made it from the door to the gate faster than one would think possible. The guard on duty barely had time to register her arrival and give a quick salute before she was past him, running through the well-lit streets of Cinturon.

The city was vibrant at night, with streetlights that illuminated every street and a populace that carried on doing its business well into the night. Many a backdoor deal was being sealed, and the taverns would be reaching their peak of business soon as well. The constant noise of the Merchant Quarter, could be heard from most parts of the city, and gave the city a feeling of being a living, breathing, gargantuan beast. The Grand Ballroom was located in the Noble Quarter, far away from the hustle and bustle of the Merchant Quarter, which occupied the area a traveller would encounter first if they were to come through one of the massive gates that guarded the city's four entrances. There were two on each side of the Surin River, which bisected the city, and each had a figure carved into it. On the north side of the city stood the King's Gate, and the Hero's Gate, named for the distinctively massive statues of a king and a hero, respectively, that were carved into the stone gates. The south side was guarded by the Queen's Gate and the Trader's Gate, also named for their statues. The Merchant Quarter formed a ring just inside of the city's walls on both sides of the city. Moving progressively inward, a traveller would pass through the Citizen Quarter, then the Noble Quarter, and finally, the true marvel of Cinturon: the Royal Palace. It straddled both sides, a massive work of stone and metal that rose above the placid tides of the Surin and connected to both the north and the south sides by means of the Twin Grand Ballrooms. Below the Palace, a connector for the city's trains ran mere feet above the water, hauling materials from one side to the other. It was this train that Lydia expected the kidnapper to attempt to use to escape.

She had grown up in the city, and knew many back routes and to and from most places in the city. Given that the kidnapper must be moving slowly, and was most likely not a native, he would be forced to take the main roads, and that would cost him valuable time. The only place he might be able to reach before her with a twenty minute headstart was the Astarte Bridge, which was still a solid ten minutes from the Northside train station. No, she would catch him, and she would eliminate him in the most painful way she could think of for even thinking of harming her princess.

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Ed realized very quickly that he was coming extremely close to running out of time. He had been forced to hide in abandoned alleyways several times as groups of rushing guards had bustled past. None had said anything about looking for the princess, but armed soldiers to rush around in their uniforms for fun, and he wasn't about to take chances.

He was in the midst of crossing a bridge that had seemed a lot closer to the train station on the map than it did now when he heard the sound of rushing feet again. He froze. There was nowhere to hide on the middle of the bridge. He acted quickly, positioning himself with Natalia so that they appeared to be a pair of lovers enjoying the moonlight. A pair of awkwardly close lovers, one of which needed a lot of help standing up. The footsteps--he breathed a sigh of relief when he determined it was just one person--slowed as they crossed the bridge.

"I really hope this bridge has a reputation of being a favorite lovers' spot to the locals," he thought to himself, clenching his fists. He readied his dagger in his sleeve anyway as he heard the footsteps come to a stop behind him.

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Lydia had spotted the pair standing huddled close together long before she had set foot on the bridge. Normally, she would have ignored the sight: seeing couples reminded her of her self-inflicted loneliness. But tonight, they fit the description she was looking for perfectly. Her hunch was reaffirmed when she noticed how stiff the woman looked as she approached. She stopped as she crested the bridge. She smiled as she heard a train blow its horn in the distance.

"And you were so close too," she sneered at his back, drawing a dagger hidden along her the inside of her thigh.

"Yeah, I was this close to getting laid, until you interrupted!" the man replied, sounding angry. He didn't turn around.

"Cut the crap, I know that woman beside you is the Princess. Hand her over now and I'll kill you," she warned.

"...Alright alright, you got me!" the man said, turning. He lifted Princess Natalia onto his shoulder easily, and lifted his arm in mock surrender, "But usually when you try and bargain, you promise NOT to take the kidnapper's life, right?"

"I am not bargaining, I am ordering. Drop her, and then I will kill you. Fail to do so, and I will kill you PAINFULLY," she said, anger rising. He smiled, even chuckled a little, as if she wasn't even holding a dagger.

"Really, you're awful at this. Let me tell you how to bargain. You see, you start by going low. Say, for instance, that you will kill me if I don't lower the price. But then I say, 'no no no, that isn't acceptable' and we work toward the middle. In the end, if you did well, You will end up with the item, and I will have lowered the price. If I did well, I would have kept my life and a high price. Simple, no?" the man explained in an alluringly teasing tone. He talked easily, despite the situation, and something about his eyes drew her to him. But he was holding the princess on his shoulders, and therefore, no matter how attractive he may be, he was going to die.

"I did not come here to receive a lecture, I came to retrieve my princess. This is your LAST warning," she replied. She heard the train rumble, it was coming close. "Surely he must realize that his escape route is gone," she thought.

"Such a dedicated guard, she has done well for herself. However, once I get paid to steal something, not even death itself can keep it in the hands of its rightful owner," he said, his boyish grin never leaving his face. She stepped in, closing the distance between them, and forcing him up onto the railing.