Heather
Feeling two pairs eyes upon her, each approaching with unalike intent, the princess stopped straightening the wrinkled petals of the flower she held and looked up. Her eyes, scintillating and wondrous, darted over to Edvard who stood on guard next to the stone walls of the castle. Her eyes then darted on over to the other side, next to Rikard who enjoyed the beaming sunlight on his face.

The princess stood from where she sat and gently placed the flower down on the wooden seat. She dragged a foot backwards and dug its tip into the soil. Carefully Alora tilted her heel to a lovely angle and slowly curled out her shoulders. The sides of her silk cape were then held (as she was unable to lift the bottom half of her slim dress that was stuck to her body frame) and as elegantly she should she curtsied, greeting the two protectors of the kingdom.

Alora flapped her cape upwards right after her curtsy and drew her foot next to the one that was at the front. The soil that had stuck to the tip of her leather footwear had fallen apart and barely any residue was left. Her head had turned to Rikard as he approached her after he'd finished ogling her. With a soft and tender tone Alora responded. 

"A pleasure to be acquainted, Sir Rikard. To answer your prodding curiosity, all I'm thinking of is how time has been passing by quickly, as well as how things have changed since the rejoice of my brother's return."

The princess smiled softly and turned her head towards Edvard. Her eyes silently gestured a welcome and an invite to come closer. Alora looked back to Rikard and overlapped her hands in front of her abdomen.
Kimberley
*Edvard simply stood as Rikard approached, taking quick mental notes of their conversation. He couldn't help but laugh as Rikard introduced himself, his voice resounding in a deep, yet soft chuckle. He smiled calmly, shaking his head. His forehead fell to the iron palms of his hands, burying himself in second-hand shame. Fulminatus? The title was as ridiculous as the man himself. A fitting title, perhaps. Picking up his eyes, he stared off towards Alora, nothing her beckon.*

*Who was he to refuse an order? With a heavy sigh, he slowly clanked forward, each step more intense than the last. His left hand rested on the hilt of his sword, the right clinging to his helmet, which pressed firmly against his steel breast plate, freshly polished and adorned with the black and yellow standard. Faelyth had given him the motivation to clean up not only his act but his appearance as well. Standing confidently near the two, he huffed carefully, stopping with a resounding thud.*

"Your Highness." *He spoke calmly, his armor scraping against itself as he moved to bend down on one knee, offering a solemn and silent greeting to the princess. He intended only on giving an adequate introduction and impression to the royals. Whether they be Alora or Astalios, it didn't matter. He planned on serving them directly, with honor and grace, and refused to pronounce himself otherwise.*

"I apologize for Ser Rikard's impoliteness." *He said, raising from the ground to tower over the princess.* "I can assure you, his intentions are noble. His tongue simply does not compare to the prose expected of him. I am Ser Edvard the Kind. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and an honor to serve." 

*Carefully, he turned his gaze to Rikard, shooting him a quiet smirk. Suffice it to say, he liked the lad. He was, perhaps, a little unruly, but he was slowly becoming worthy of his armor. He was soon to become one worthy of admiration, and the effort he put in was something Edvard respected.*
Elias
"...Right. Sorry, Your Highness, if I was rude." *Prodding was a bad word, wasn't it? It meant he was being a little annoying. But she wasn't telling him to go away, so it might have been only a slight level of annoyance. The way she moved was a little stiff, he thought to himself, which wasn't always a bad thing, but it was pretty formal. He glanced back over to Edvard, who seemed to be gloating over something he didn't understand. But at least he could grasp the fact that he was being played for a fool.* 

"Uh, I think time goes by pretty quick for people that don't have a lot of it, Your Highness. I guess you're in that position, bein' a princess and all - Lots of speeches to give and practices to go to and dinners to attend. But since the Iron Prince got back, things have been pretty..." *He took a moment to think about the change in situation. Tense? Were they tense? No. Orderly, he guessed. On the money every time, like a butcher who was cutting his meat into the same little pieces of chuck roast.*

"I guess they've been pretty by the book?" *He questioned.* "I mean... For us, it's been more 'go crack down on that nobleman here' and 'make sure he's payin' his taxes' there and 'arrest her for takin' bribes'. Which is good for the kingdom, right? But he's got his head in those ledgers, and he goes over em every night to make sure he's not missin' jack. He's been to Thunder Fest, sure... But not a lot of parties for someone who says he wants to get married."

*Many thoughts on his liege's propensity to sit and read instead of down a little ale and make a little merriment were present in his mind, but he figured that was all that was appropriate for the princess's conversation, and the watchful eye of Edvard.* "How's it been for you, Your Highness? Busy?"
Heather
The difference between Rikard and Edvard was vast. It'd made the princess snicker. They, hopefully, at the least had similar intentions when it came to serving the kingdom with the utmost loyalty.

Edvard didn't have to do much to give the impression of an experienced and loyal knight. The way he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, took his appalling steps with the heavy iron boots that beat the ground below, and stood with aligned shoulders was enough. Edvard's approach was far different than Rikard. The princess has been known to be one of the many rare understanding people. Although Rikard had come off as impolite, she knew his intentions were not. With Edvard's reassurance on that, she gave herself a small nod.

Her eyes shifted towards Rikard as he recommenced to speak. A thought of her own that she developed was how the depth of his pitch didn't intertwine properly with his face. It was at first baffling, but nothing she got glued onto.

His way of speech was half respectable and half, as she's heard many say, casual. It personally did not bother her as she was now well aware of his intentions and that he was still in his stages of learning.

 "You aren't exactly incorrect, nor correct. My duties consist a little more than the generic eating and attending you've mentioned, but you are on the correct line of thought."

The princess raised a hand up to her head to tuck away loose hair that'd escaped her bun. Once finished, she lowered her hands back to their overlapped position and recommenced speaking.

"I respect your thoughts and concerns, and to shift your doubt to affirmative fact, yes you are right about my brother's orders from the book being beneficial for the kingdom. The things he does out of the book are also just as beneficial. Without his side of the hard work, this kingdom would've started to corrupt itself."

"I wouldn't like to speak on my brother's behalf, though from what I've come to notice is that letting duties go for some liquor or gatherings is not as possible at times. I see that he's quite harsh on himself, and I do my best to help, but certainly you and I both know it benefits the kingdom. I can assure you that he'll find someone to wed eventually. He's a good egg. If he was able to attend the Thunder Fest, I'm sure there will be much more opportunities and possibilities if similar gatherings are held."

Alora's voice was calm, her tone soothing. Every word she spoke was rolled off her tongue softly and with gentleness. Hearing Rikard's question on how she's been, she answered briefly.

"Not as busy, though I'm expected to return in some time as I've got some scrolls to read over. Now to return the kind words to you both, how has your duties been, lovely guardians of the kingdom? I hope they haven't been too brutal or mangling."