Waiting.  That was the part that Daehyun hated the most about retrieving Einherjar.  Just because he heard them didn’t guarantee his recruitment of them was going to be timely, as was proving valid in Amber’s case.  He spent the evening scouting out the castle; a sizable establishment for sure but it had nothing on the halls of Valhalla.  The people were boring, the knights inactive, and the servants were little better than mice, scurrying along the halls this way and that trying to avoid notice.  He missed Asgard already and it was only his first of many recruiting missions…

                Over the course of the next day though, he spent his time watching her gradual preliminary transformation from Princess Amber to Mercenary Bertram; in part her own idea and backed fairly extensively by the Chancellor when they convened later in the afternoon when the latter was able to pry himself from the King’s side.  The Princess was not able to rely upon her usual armor which she always had on hand and instead was forced to locate additional ‘practice’ armor from the quartermaster.  He wasn’t exactly happy to give it to her either, since he was well aware she already had a set and was supposed to have been trying to behave more like a Princess…

                Needless to say, when she started throwing one of her tantrums, even he was quick to grant her wish.  Unlike the plate and chain mail she was used to wearing, Amber managed to get a worn set of hardened leather armor considerably more alike to those the mercenaries wore.  It still needed extensive altering to make it pass muster as not on par with the knights of her father’s kingdom, but it was enough to complete the main portion of her disguise.  Hiding her gender and who she was made for an even greater challenge.

                It amused Daehyun to no end when he saw that she decided to copy part of the attire of the same young warrior she had spoken to oh-so-briefly the other day.  Aside from gathering a mish-mash of second hand clothes to wear under her gear, filched from the laundry room of course, she procured a face covering she could wear over the entire lower portion of her visage, hiding all but her eyes from view; the tall fellow had worn one around his neck, but it appeared to be more for decoration than anything else.  The other problem was her hair.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t something she would be able to remedy that day since her father was bound to notice if she did anything drastic to it at present.

                Later in the evening, Amber stole out of the castle to inspect the tourney grounds, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible.  Daehyun kept pace with her while she scouted out the area, familiarizing herself with the competition circle as best she could.  “For one that thinks she’s exceptional, you are certainly not very aware,” he chided, shaking his head with a glance at the young mercenary watching her curiously from afar.  “He’d make a better Einherjar than you at this point,” he sighed, rolling his eyes and watching the tall young man instead.

                Daehyun was aware he had caught sight of her leaving the castle when the boy was heading back to the barracks and opted to follow the unknown figure out of curiosity.  It made him laugh that he hadn’t realized who he was following until they’d actually arrived.   Like the Princess, he made it past the light sentries posted around the area following a similar path, which was more respectable given his appearance and height, and was doing a better job of remaining unseen at present.

                The Valkyr had to admit he was certainly curious about the young warrior since he wielded a sword most men would struggle with.  Either it was specially crafted or his father had very likely used one and taught him to wield such a thing at a young age.  The weapon wasn’t on his person right now, but Daehyun had seen him carry it with an ease that bespoke frequent use; the real question was how skilled he was with it.

                With a speculative expression, he walked right up to the taller young man and peered at his innocent face intently, quite used to the way the humans looked past him as if he wasn’t there.  To them, he simply wasn’t unless he wished it.

                “What are you doing, Princess?” the mercenary mused to himself softly, crouched in the shadows and chewing on a short thumbnail as he observed the young woman while she made her rounds.

                “Being foolish,” Daehyun answered the question unnecessarily when he turned his attention back to her.  “Oh.  Look.  How much do you wager she hides something there later?” he asked of the youth, chuckling when she made a small mark behind the stands and laid one of her bracelets down, mostly out of sight.  “See?” he shrugged, having seen that a mile away.

                “Captain was right,” the boy chuckled with a smirk.  “You are a little warrior woman aren’t you?”  The young mercenary nodded to himself thoughtfully and shifted to leave, exhibiting a skill in stealth the Valkyr did not expect from him.

                “I hope so,” Daehyun grumbled to himself, watching the young man leave; they needed competent warriors for Ragnarok, not self-proclaimed unfounded heroes who only thought they were better than they were.  “Alright Princess.  Best get back inside before someone else sees you,” he warned, looking around for any guards that may be in the vicinity.  She was lucky so far, but he wasn’t sure how long it would hold either.

                Needless to say he was glad when she headed back so they could both get ready for the morrow.  She made one final detour to the stables with a carefully wrapped package in hand on the pretense of visiting her mare.  Apparently, based on her mutterings, she wasn’t exactly happy about the gentle-natured palfrey meant for a lady and would have much preferred a stallion.

                Daehyun narrowed his eyes at her arms and shook his head in irritation.  She didn’t have the arm strength yet to hold a creature as stubborn and powerful as a stallion, though she may not have had the chance to discover that as yet.  Still, he wasn’t surprised when her presence wasn’t questioned and Daehyun laughed when she carefully handed the package to one of the stable boys whom it was likely she had called upon for errands in the past.

                As unobtrusively as she could, she handed him a rolled scroll with instructions and a few coins to help ensure his assistance and secrecy.  That taken care of, she did indeed visit her mare, a beautiful ivory creature by the name of Sapphire, and headed back inside, having trouble schooling her expression to something more neutral…

                Another long night spent wandering the castle showed nothing else save a chance meeting between Kranth and one of the mercenaries who had come with Captain Jaeseop’s band the other day.  Daehyun arrived late to their exchange so missed what they spoke of initially but it was unusual to say the least.  The Chancellor appeared too calculating and much too satisfied.  Mildly torn between following the Chancellor or the mercenary, Daehyun opted for the latter and listened with interest when the Captain noticed the other man’s reappearance as he returned to the barracks hall they’d been granted for their stay.

                “Everything alright, Geng?” he asked, watching him with sharp, almond shaped eyes.

                “Of course, Captain,” the wiry individual answered, flashing a confident grin and running a hand smoothly through his medium length, black locks.  “You can’t even take a piss without running into someone in this castle that thinks you’re up to no good,” he chuckled, heading for his sleeping roll.

                “Indeed,” Jaeseop nodded slowly, glancing out the door from which he’d come and then taking another look over the rest of his band.  Idly, he scratched at his mostly shaven head and grimaced, not entirely ready to settle down but knowing he would need the rest for the morrow.

                Daehyun didn’t even bat an eye when the slightly taller captain walked right through him as he made one final round of the place.  Curious, he took a moment to pause next to Geng as the young man laid down, inspecting his person and his gear.  Nothing seemed remiss with him so he wasn’t sure what the point of their meeting had been and honestly, that bothered the Valkyr.  The Princess was going to die soon, but he didn’t know when or by whose hand.  “You should keep an eye on this one,” he murmured, letting his eyes rest on the Captain who was just settling down for the night.

                Bored of the human affairs with no immediate answers, the Valkyr returned to his soon-to-be charge to await the dawn and whatever the events of the next day revealed.

                “Amber?” King Vornigan called softly when he poked his head into his daughter’s room early the following morning.  The Princess stirred with a groan on the bed but didn’t answer him directly, bundled under the covers as she was.  “Are you alright, dear?” he asked, walking over to her bedside and resting on the edge, carefully pulling the covers down so he could get a better look at her.

                “I don’t feel good, father,” she groaned pitifully, sniffing once to emphasize her misery as she looked at him through partially closed eyes with her brow furrowed.

                “What’s wrong?  Are you sick?” he asked, feeling her cheek and forehead with the back of his ringed hand in concern.  “Anissa told me you weren’t feeling well,” he explained, referring to her lady’s maid she often chased off soon after waking each morning.

                Pouting, Amber groaned a response and shook her head, wincing as if the light hurt her eyes.  “I won’t be able to attend today,” she admitted, for all intents truly devastated by that admission.

                “Oh, dear,” he urged, petting her hair gently with his hand.  “It’s not the end of the world you know.  And really, it’s probably better this way,” he added, recalling how much she had wanted to participate.  It might have been crueler had she been able to attend and not take part as opposed to resting here.

                “But-” she started to argue, only to be silenced by Vornigan placing a finger to her lips.

                “No buts, dear.  You just need to focus on resting and getting better.  That’s all,” he smiled, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss upon her forehead.  “And when it’s over, I can send Sir Henry to regale you with tales of the victors and mayhap hasten your recovery.  How does that sound?”

                “Terrible, father,” she pouted, sniffing again.

                Vornigan chuckled at her response but smiled at her sadly.  “Just rest well, darling.  I shall come to check on you after the Tourney, alright?”  She nodded in reluctant agreement and promptly rolled over, throwing the covers over her head.

                “Lady Amber?” the aforementioned Anissa asked softly as she stepped into the room shortly after the King departed.

                “Go away,” Amber grumbled from under her covers.

                “I’m sorry my lady, but your father-“

                “I said go away, Anissa!” the Princess snapped, sitting up long enough to glare at the delicate young woman who jumped at the sudden outburst.  “I wish to be left alone and will call you if I need you!” she went on caustically, feeling slightly guilty for being so heavy handed with her.

                “Your ladyship,” she curtsied quickly, face pale and bottom lip trembling as she fought tears, fleeing the room as fast as decently possible.

                “Harsh but effective,” Daehyun sighed, admitting it was a good way to be left alone.  At least she wasn’t completely soft at any rate.  “So now what, dear Princess?” he mused, watching as she hopped out of bed when she was sure the way was clear.

                Amber rushed to her dresser with the mirror and promptly took out a pair of shears, attacking her lengthy locks with quick efficiency, chopping off the majority and stuffing the remains in one of the drawers to take care of later.  Hastily, she pulled back half of what was left to keep the shorter length out of her eyes and then threw off the sleeping shift, letting it lie on the floor as she carefully bound her s and donned the clothes she’d scrounged together just for today.  She put on the face mask and smudged her forehead and around her eyes with faint traces of charcoal to help darken her complexion, giving her a dirtier look.

                “There,” she nodded in approval while staring at her revised appearance in the expensive mirror.  “Now to get out of here,” she murmured to herself, diving into her armoire to retrieve the length of rope she ‘borrowed’ just so she could get out of her window.  Being on the second story had its perks but not when she was trying to get down without being noticed.

                “Very original, Princess,” Daehyun snorted as he watched her tie it off and awkwardly make her way down the rope, keeping a careful lookout for anybody.  Fortunately, the majority of the guard and staff were focused on the competition which was precisely what she’d been banking on.

(a/n: Double update coming with this one.  I wrote it out and it ended up just shy of 5000 words which I could have posted but splitting it up felt better.  ^_^  I hope you enjoyed the update and look forward to the next one!  Thank you for reading!)