Lumi's kitchen life came to a sudden halt when Marcos entered the next day.

He looked at her apologetically before telling Jodi that he was there to retrieve her.

Then, to her amazement, two servants followed behind into her room.

Or actually...her former room.

Even Marcos seemed bewildered by the events. Lumi kept looking up at him, waiting for some form of explanation as to why her stuff was now being moved to the other side of the palace, and why she was being told one of these two girls would see to her personal needs.

"There are a lot more council members and foreign dignitaries coming in," Marcos whispered. Lumi was suddenly reminded of her conversation with Jodi.

"What does that have to do with me?" Lumi asked.

Marcos winced.

"You know that room you were in...was a servant's room..."

"Well, I figured as much. That would be very bad for your Kingdom if that was considered the guest bedroom."

Marcos had no warning to her words and failed miserably to hide his sudden burst of laughter.

He shook his head, trying to keep his composure as the servants looked curiously behind them.

"What I'm trying to say is, with all the travel coming into the palace, word will get out that you are here and well..." Marcos looked at her, trying to convey his unspoken meaning.

Lumi nodded, a silent 'ah' forming around her mouth.

Summer and Spring had a close relationship. If a dignitary of spring were to arrive and the treatment of the former summer princess was discovered...Lumi had not thought that far ahead. It seemed men were always thinking about the political side to things and how the smallest of actions would be perceived to the other kingdoms.

Marcos stopped, showing her the new living space she would be sleeping in.

"The King is just down the hall."

Lumi felt her eyes widen.

Why was he so close? Should she even be allowed to be that close to the King? Shouldn't he have his own private wing or something?

Fiery Hell, he didn't have a study, and now she was being told that he didn't even have a private wing?

What kind of King was he?

Lumi only mutely nodded at Marcos. She stared down the hall, wondering if she would catch a glimpse of him there, watching her with his blue eyes. But he was busy running a country.

Lumi entered the room, turning to find herself alone. The servants and Marcos had left.

She only had one trunk of clothes. She had not brought anything else.

She turned back to face the room, gasping at the balcony that was before her.

The structure was coming quickly to her head, but it couldn't be...

She went outside quickly.

There to her right was the courtyard that she was familiar with. Heavy stone was around her, with thick blunt spikes lining the edge, making jumping impossible. But the balcony far to her right was the one the King had been standing on...

It was still a distance away, half a hall's length as Marcos had said, but still- that was his balcony that he had stood on.

Lumi stared at it for a long moment before pulling back to take in the room.

The contrast to the servant's room was clear.

The fire was already lit, the colors surrounding the wall dark blues and greens with silver over the edgings. Lumi took in the plush carpet and the large bed.

It seemed similar to her room in the summer palace- not the color or layout, but the feel in that this was a bedroom for a royal.

Lumi felt uneasy being in here for some reason.

She shouldn't be in here.

A silent knock on her door caught her attention.

A maid, the same one who had helped carry Lumi's trunk, peered cautiously around the door.

"I'm... at your service....Princess Lumi...," she whispered her words, head down the whole time.

Lumi felt the familiar feel of her former life returning to her. It was returning to her too fast though.

"Come in."

The girl stepped in.

Lumi sat down on the bed, sighing.

"I'm not sure what all you will be able to do for me..." Lumi admitted.

The girl glanced up, confusion on her face.

"I'm to help you get ready and...anything else you need."

"I can get ready myself," Lumi gestured down.

The girl frowned again, tilting her head to the side, "If I may...I was told that you would need help getting ready and looking...um...presentable?"

Lumi stared at the girl for a few seconds, both of them looking at each other in confusion.

"Presentable?" Lumi asked.

"For the...guests?" The girl seemed just as lost as Lumi did. Even more with that fact that Lumi seemed unsure at every word she was speaking.

"I don't have clothes," Lumi said bluntly.

The girl bowed again, "I can make anything you wish. I've been told to be at your disposal."

The girl seemed to shrink back at the cat-like grin that was slowly spreading on Lumi's face.

"Anything?"

The girl swallowed down all of her words. Instead, she just nodded, her eyes wary of anything else Lumi had to say.

Lumi suddenly jumped from the bed.

"What's your name?" She asked excitedly.

"M-Macy."

Lumi went up and grabbed Macy's hand. "I'm Lumi, though you already know that. It's actually Lumikki, but everyone just calls me Lumi."

Lumi paused and examined the girl.

"Do you know how to fix hair like mine?"

Macy stared in awe at the dark curls that laid on top of Lumi's head. She shook her head, having never seen anyone with looks or hair like Lumi's before.

"I guess I'll have to teach you then," Lumi said, smiling.

* * *

Marcos was going to have a fit.

Somehow in the month that had passed, he felt like his role had become the exasperated father of the summer princess.

With the arrival of the foreign dignitaries coming, she had to look somewhat like her title. She couldn't stay shut in the servant's room.

People talked. Even highly trusted people who served the King couldn't be completely trusted to stay silent about her presence in the palace.

Everyone knew it and it seemed to have caused the King to be even angrier these past few days. It was obvious he disliked the additional burden of figuring out what to do with her.

So to no one's surprise, he had her moved into a better room (though it was a little too close to the King's room for Marcos' comfort), with a maid assigned to her.

Which arrived back at the point of why Marcos' eyes were twitching in silent disbelief and irritation.

The princess had come down in a....dramatic display. Marcos was beginning to realize that that was the only way Lumi knew how to present herself, even if it was unintentional.

He had no idea how she had managed to fit herself with such clothing. Her gown was obviously designed after the style of her native land. It had a high collar, and long sleeves yes, but the colors were a vibrant metallic blue with swirls of gold all around.

And her head.

What was on her head?

Marcos found his eyes unable to leave her figure as he took in the long jewelry that went from the bottom of her ears to the top of her shoulders, and the horrifying image of the golden chain that wrapped around her face, and went...to her nose...

The other guards all looked equally stunned also.

Even the King stared longer than his usual second as she entered the throne room.

To make it worse, her normal wild hair had been hidden now in a cloth? Marco was tilting his head trying to figure out what the point of that was.

The scarf-like item had been wrapped around her head, making her appear several inches taller.

The individual had to look at each piece separately before he could step back and view the princess as a whole.

Once the initial shock left Marcos, he was able to realize that the outfit...suited her.

His gaze flickered up to the King. He was still looking at her.

Marcos realized he had been staring at the Princess this whole time also.

She seemed more comfortable now than she had ever been. She moved with a grace he had never seen in her before.

The gold bracelets that were always on her wrists and ankles were still there and still made the soft noise as they hit together every time she took a step. But there was a rhythm to their movement.

For the first time since meeting her, Marcos looked at the girl and saw her for what she had been born as. For what she really was- or had been.

A royal.

* * *

Lumi sat at the foot of the steps to the throne room.

She had been unaware of how much her entrance had affected everyone in the room.

Macy had worked with the clothes she had brought from her homeland and managed to make an amazing gown from the material.

Lumi looked at the clothing, smiling at the colors and feel of the material. She loved it.

She looked up at the King.

He was working on whatever paperwork, like always.

She wanted to ask why she was needed here.

There was no one here that Lumi needed to greet. She signed, toying with the bracelets that were on her arm.

She looked back up at the King, realizing that he was staring at her now.

"I don't feel like going outside," she said, shrugging.

"It only took a month."

Lumi tilted her head, a smile spreading across her face. He was showing more and more sarcasm with her.

At least...she hoped it was sarcasm.

"Even I need breaks."

"I thought you said you could stay outside forever."

Here the King paused, looking down at her. There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes, "maybe I should just give you what you want and toss you out there to stay."

Lumi gave a nervous laugh, trying to push down her panicked thoughts that he might be serious.

He probably was serious.

"Well...I think I could survive...or I would at least be able to survive long enough to make it to somewhere like the Spring Kingdom."

The king almost seemed to scoff. It was a subtle movement, but Lumi caught it.

"My grandfather taught me the ways of abnema - the warrior's code. Every member of my family must undergo the trial of briyet."

King Theros looked at her with indifference and little interest as he asked, "Trial of briyet?"

"Bree-ya," Lumi explained, "the 'ya' is in the back of your throat, like this-" she demonstrated but King Theros only stared impassively at her.

Lumi shrugged, feeling like an idiot that she had expected him to attempt the pronunciation after her.

She sighed and moved on, "it's because of my mother. She's from a very traditional culture. It's something only my family-," Lumi stopped short and shook her head, the sudden mention of her family making her quickly change the subject, "It's a test to see if you are a worthy soul. You go into the hot lands and survive on your own for two weeks."

"Only two weeks?"

Lumi looked up to see the King was already back at his work, looking through his papers.

Lumi frowned. She didn't want to go into the details of the trial. The events were sacred and the customs were held closely to the tribe. No one knew after all, before they underwent it, that the clan of the tribe was actively pursuing you. Every time you were caught, you received a promised burn mark upon your skin. Lumi had only been caught three times. It was not a record, but still a very low number.

Realizing that the conversation had hit a dead spot, Lumi quickly rattled her brain to think of something else.

However, the King surprised her by asking, "What tribe is your grandfather's?"

Lumi leaned back on the steps, putting her elbows on the one above her.

"Would it matter if I told you the name? Do you know any of the southern tribes?"

That was obviously the wrong thing to say.

She wished she could take her words back as she balked at the glare coming from the King.

"I'm not uncultured." His whispers were always more threatening. The lower his voice went, the more Lumi wondered if he was closer to snapping.

Lumi hesitated before saying, "Utara."

The King's eyes flashed to her. Obvious recognition showed in them. And something close to...regard...a second glace to take her in. Lumi felt surprised at that. Many from the fall and spring Kingdoms knew of the tribe and the customs they fast held onto, but she had doubted that winter held the same knowledge.

Lumi knew absolutely nothing about the layout of the winter lands, so she had assumed the same thing in the winter people also.

It was just an unspoken rule that people from the summer and winter lands could never get along.

Which made it even more strange why the Winter king had agreed to accept the summer princess into his court.

"You've heard of it," Lumi said it as a statement. It was obvious he had heard of it.

The King nodded, staring at her now with new eyes.

"I've...read about their customs."

A fierce grin seemed to grace her face. It made her seem even more wild. Even more strange and exotic as she looked up at him and tilted her head.

"What customs have you heard of?"

The King didn't want to share them. They had been barbaric things. A small book had been printed about a male from the north who had visited the summer lands in secret. From there, he had observed the most secluded tribe, taking in their rituals and customs. Of course, they had found him out right away, but to the man's surprise, they allowed him to view some of their secrets.

He had taken what he saw and written about it.

It had been published years ago, and many of the schools within the north had banned the book. The writings in it had just been...unheard of.

The King looked at the girl before him now.

"I can't remember."

"You're lying," she teased.

The King flared at the accusation. The guards tensed at the insult, but Lumi ignored it all, laughing at the face the King had made.

"Really...what did you read? I'm curious now what an outsider might think they know?"

Lumi watched the King with fascinated eyes.

His blond hair was pulled back. It was always pulled back, but to Lumi's surprise in a swift jerky motion he took out the band that had been holding it together, letting it fall away.

The effect took her breath away as the golden strands encircled his face.

Without conscious thought he started to pull back the hair, his eyes far away as he spoke, "You cut your hair."

Maybe that trail of thought had been what led him to be conscious of his own now.

"Well...the men do," Lumi admitted.

"You paint yourself."

"Yes," Lumi nodded, "that is the custom."

"You are savages."

"Ye-," she stopped, "No...I wouldn't call it that."

His eyes stopped on her. She wanted to look away. He seemed to be shrinking her down. Suddenly the clothes that she wore made her conscious of that single word he had spoken.

Savage.

"And you're ignorant," she whispered.

There was a heavy silence. They both seemed to be glaring at the other.

The guards held their breaths. Waiting. Waiting for their King's reaction.

He looked sharply up at one of the guards, pointing down to Lumi.

"Take her away."

Lumi did not protest as she stood and was led out of the room. She felt conscious of every step she took. Of the clothes that adorned her body, and the noise of the bracelets she wore as they hit each other.

Savage.

Was she really?

She turned at the last second to look at him.

His eyes met her and an unknown emotion came to Lumi as she turned away and left the room.

Hope you are staying safe! ♥ Thank you for reading