Connal sighed as he stood in wait for the princess.  He had never been a patient man.  The young sidhe heir would be out soon, of course.  She had to be.  Not that the evening would get any better at that point; soon they would all be subject to inane court banter for hours upon end.  He truly couldn't decide which was more torturous.  Sighing again, openly anxious and irritated, Connal resumed pacing in front of the door to the princess' chambers.<br/><br/>Connal cracked his knuckles as he walked.  Nervous anticipation always made him eager for a fight.  His hunger for battle, his passionate approach to taking lives, had made him a high-ranking soldier well before the arrival of the new heir.  Now he was her Captain, her Keeper.  It was a position he'd not have chosen before meeting her.  Connal despised courtly life intensely, and having been "promoted" to Captain of the Princess' Guard had only made that worse.<br/><br/>Dawn was worth it, however.  She was special; she was more than she had even been told.  It was unfortunate that she had no recollection, but Connal knew that it would come to her soon.  It was her destiny, after all; her spirit knew, even if her mind did not.<br/><br/>Connal's shoulders slumped noticeably as he was lost in thought, before clearing his mind of such things.  He glanced over at Lira as she snapped at the younger handmaiden, and he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.  He had an immense respect for her; she was a terrifically gifted fighter, and devoted beyond measure to the princess.  Still, she was somewhat lacking in the area of social skills, he mused.  She was quite beautiful, though... there was no denying that.  The colors she had chosen suited her temperament quite well.<br/><br/>With a click, the assembled parties fell silent, and Princess Dawn, in full formal dress, stepped out with a resigned look on her face.<br/><br/><em>"Well gentleman, shall we go to the gallows together?"</em><br/><br/>The room's attention was on her immediately, and Connal was no exception.  Even as she spoke he moved to take her hand in his.  He had forgone his gauntlets for the evening; after all, this ball was divinely ordained.  Whoever struck against them here struck against the goddess herself.<br/><br/>Connal actually mustered a low laugh at her choice of words, sharing her resigned attitude and nodding.  "Truly, you will be hanging on display for all to see.  We will of course do our best to make it more bearable; still... "<br/><br/>He trailed off and looked away from her, unwilling to admit that there was very little he or any of the guards could do.  This<em>was</em>an execution of sorts, after all.  Every appearance was, as the Seelie Court forced Dawn to assume her new role and put away her old one.