<div class="floatleft">(http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j480/Erion2451/lily_collins_hot.png)</div><strong>Character:</strong>Ellya Hellatius<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Proving Grounds, Princess' Box<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Day 1, Noon<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Open<br/><br/>Ellya winced and averted her gaze as Kirxu rendered his opponent unconscious.  A slight nod sent a man dressed in a white doctor's smock to check on the combatant.  The elegant princess than turned her attention to her adviser, an elderly man reputed to have been a great swordsman and tactician in his prime, now reduced by a crippled back and painful joints to educating the peace loving princess on the finer points of battle.<br/><br/><strong>"Strength of arm is not the only factor in a battle.  Sometimes the more agile man can win.  Especially a man who can predict his opponent's moves."</strong><br/><br/>Ellya nodded, that seemed straight forward.  Logical enough to not need an adviser to tell her the obvious.  She smiled politely though and thanked him for his knowledge before she turned to a woman closer to her own age and dressed in finery befit a lady in waiting.<br/><br/><strong>"A noble of the Larynth Concord, my Lady.  He is their only delegate.  My sources tell me he gained great honor during their land's conflicts with bandits.  It is also said that the lady's are quite taken with him."</strong><br/><br/>Ellya's smile wrinkled slightly.  She could always rely on Tabitha to toss in a bit of gossip.<strong>"Find out more about our young noble.  If you think he is worthy invite him to meet with me in the Grand Library.  We shall see if his mind is as quick as his feet."</strong>Ellya's lady bowed her head and took her leave.<br/><br/>The game's had begun.  They were not of Ellya's choosing or to her taste.  She would've preferred a sharing of ideas and knowledge over this barbaric tournament her father had orchestrated.    Though she would never put voice to such a preference.  She was a daughter of the Emperor and thus her opinion mattered only so finely as to place support behind a single champion.  Those were the rules her father had laid out.  The rules that would decide her future and the future of the empire.  As miniscule as her opinion may seem, she was determined to make it as weighty as possible.  She would know as much as she could about any single man before she lent her support, though she couldn't say the same for her sisters.<br/><br/>A gentle breeze, created by the large palm fans, filled the box and helped dispel the day's heat.  Ellya had dressed with the weather in mind.  Her dress, made of silk so that it could breath, left her shoulders and upper back bare and revealed a modest and appropriate amount of cleavage.  Goose-egg sized sapphires and diamonds decorated the silver tiara which held her golden brown hair into a loose braid which fell just past her shoulders.  Star shaped earrings with marble sized gems matching that of her headdress framed her royal visage while a simply, elegant pendant dipped between her breasts.<br/><br/>The third daughter of the Emperor's second wife was well known within the city and the surrounding counties.  Her charities had earned her the reputation of being generous and kind.  While her work as a healer had endeared her to both soldier and peasant.  The sight of conflict and violence turned her stomach, yet she performed her duty unwaveringly.  She would watch a dozen more bouts before retiring to the palace for the rest of the day.  Those few men who caught her eye and had the proper upbringing would receive an invitation to a chaperoned meeting with the princess in a public venue.  Few, if any, who were low-born received any such invitation.  The tournament was young, after all, and it would take much more than a single victory by such an individual to gain an audience with Ellya Hellatius