akuji’s words were a comfort and a curse: the descriptions of the hell she could face at the paws of his father made her stomach knot, but his promise gave her the courage to bolster herself. he was all that she had now, and the same could be said vice-versa. of course, should they truly need to, they could return to cold summers. he could be with his sister or his children, she with her father or at her mother’s gravesite. but that was an option that could only lead to - well, she didn’t want to think about the what would happen should akuji be at the mercy of his father. katia could see the fragile sanity that he’d collected over time away from the master that had beaten him into a monster and she knew that it would shatter the instant farant was within striking distance.

if she had looked into his face, if she had dared to once more draw comfort from the depth of his gaze, she would have seen the softness of his gaze. however, her attention was drawn by the approach of another. the woman was ghostly pale with amber eyes that were almost unsettling. katia was immediately unsettled, though her royal facade had already slipped down - an impassive, if not haughty, look. ”No need to wake the whole house, dear lady, but please tell me what is it that brings you to the paradisiacal borders of Malignant Felicity?”

if katia had been made of stronger stuff, the meniscal look of fear wouldn’t have crossed her face. as it were, though, the look did flash across the former princess’ face. before she could speak, akuji had come to stand just slightly in front of her. she dared to lean in just a bit, muzzle grazing his shoulder. she doubted that the woman had seen it, but the brief moment of contact settled her rampaging nerves, if only just a little. she didn’t have to see her knight’s expression to hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke. ”We do not have business with the whole house, but with only the King directly. He knows of our arrival and it is to him that we will talk to. Now, if you don’t mind…” a feminine howl rang out before another word could be spoken, a blessing in katia’s book. akuji spoke of perfect timing and the princess had begun to recede into her thoughts when her name caught her attention. she followed, pressing close to his flank as they made their way through the darkness of malignant. cold summers’ had its own places of thickly packed trees, but nothing in her homelands could compare to the shadows that seemed to cling everywhere here.

they entered the pack meeting without a care and katia was suddenly self-concious, brown and green eyes shooting around to quickly take stock of the wolves present. at akuji’s quiet snarl, her attention went immediately to him as she shifted closer - pushing her shoulder gently into the hollow of her guardian’s hip. the knight used her former title and she was careful to keep her mask schooled against the dagger of pain it brought her. katia stepped slightly away from him, easily within reaching distance but enough that she could address the king. ”we are grateful that you have allowed us to reside within your beautiful kingdom, and we assure you that we will do our part to benefit malignant felicity.” had anyone doubted her royal heritage, they wouldn’t now: the smooth, soprano tones had fallen from her lips with the rolling cadence of royalty. normally, she wouldn’t bother taking such care with the way she spoke, but with farant and the clan’s presence hovering over them like vultures, the former princess wasn’t willing to take any chances.