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(1x1 RP with Johanna)

The castle grounds were alive with activity, especially in the courtyard. Soldiers were bringing in a beast that they had captured out in the woods. Heavy enchanted chains were wrapped around his neck, arms and legs, and the soldiers yanked the creature along. He was hulking, with horns protruding both vertically and horizontally from his head. Eyes were a dark gray, hair was long and black. Torso revealed both muscles and scars, since all the beast was wearing was a pair of black shorts. His legs were interesting, bent double instead of just at the knee, and ending in clawed talon-like feet. The wings that were currently chained down to his back, also tipped with a horn at the top of each, made him seem much like one of those gargoyles that kept watch over cathedrals.

"Come on, you brute!!" the one soldier shouted, smacking the creature with a club. Lucard, the beast's name, shuffled along calmly and quietly. He didn't behave like the monster they were treating him as.

Johanna had come out of her study where she was studying medicine. Shocked about all of the ruckus, she looked around for the cause. "What is going on here. Can't a girl sit quietly- oh." She saw the creature and got quiet. It's eyes seemed sad and she felt for him. "What's wrong here?" She asked while walking towards the soldiers. She moved very easily and softly, not to spook it or scare it. Her eyes went over all of the chains, upon seeing blood she shook her head and a sturn voice came out of her petit person. "Loosen the chains!"

Lucard looked up when someone came by. A woman, no less! He quickly looked away as she came near, staying very still so that he wouldn't frighten her. "Your majesty," the soldier said, "we found this monster in the forest. We didn't have the forces to slay him there, so we've brought him here for judgment to be passed on this horrid beast." When she ordered them to loosen the chains, the soldier gasped. "Your majesty, it could get away! The moment it was free, it would devour you! We can't let such a dangerous creature loose when you are near." However, the soldier knew that if she was serious and ordered him a second time, he would have no choice but to obey. To not do so would be treason. At the mention of what he would do were he loosened, though, Lucard gave a slight scoff.

"And what was this creature doing wrong? Did it kill someone? Steal something?" She asked while taking the cloth from between her belt and dress. "Look at it, it's not even fighting you." Softly, she offered it her cloth to wipe away the blood. "Let his chains go, atleast the ones that are unnecessary." She took a step back and gave it a bit of space. "We'll see what my father has to say about this. You can't just capture someone because you feel like it." She shook her head and muttered to herself. "Beast.. Pff the only beaste I see is you two dragging this poor creature along like he is dead." It was silent, barely understandable but it was clear enough how she felt.

"You.." She pointed to one of the guards. "Get him some water and a clean shirt." The guard looked shocked and hesitated at first but she raised her eyebrows at him and he quickly ran to get what she ordered.

The soldiers looked at each other. "He was going through the woods. A monster like him can't just be left alone! He could murder an entire village!" However, she insisted. Reluctantly, the one took some of the chains off, but kept the two on his arms and the ones that pinned his wings down. Carefully, with as delicate a touch as clawed fingers could have, Lucard took the cloth and wiped away some of the blood. He watched her now, curious and confused. He took two firm steps, gave a yank on one arm that pulled the poor soldier right off his feet, and put his arm around the woman. He watched her, waiting for signs of fear that surely would come. He wasn't touching her, but she was stuck in the space between his body and his arm. Surely something like this would frighten the woman. No one had ever NOT been scared of him. It was simply impossible.

A high pitched screech left her mouth for a second but then she kept still, waited for his next move. The sudden unexpected move did scare her but she wasn't going to judge before knowing what he really wanted. At first, she had her eyes closed and her heart was beating so hard, it seemed to beat outside of her body. But then she opened them and looked at him. You see, Johanna wasn't just a princess. In secret she hoped for some adventure, some change in her boring world. She liked anything that was different and not easy to figure out.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice was soft and you could hear a little fear in it. Not fear of him but of what might happen, the unknown. She might have been shaking on her legs, she ignored it and looked him in the eyes. The soldiers around her started yelling and pointing their swords at him and her but she shused them. "Stop yelling, he isn't doing anything wrong." Without needing to look at them she ordered them to put away their swords. "Put them away, I'm fine. Ya big babies." That last was wispered and joinged by an eyeroll.

Lucard felt his heart sink. Yes, she was afraid of him. But then...she asked if he was alright. And she told the soldiers to stand down. He stared at her, then pulled his arm away and took a step back, lowering to one knee to bow before her. "As well as one might be under the current circumstances, your majesty." Well, at least his vocabulary was certainly not brutish. "Forgive me of the sudden actions. It was a...test, of sorts. For myself." He slowly stood, watching her carefully. "...I'll admit that I am puzzled by your kindness.."

Once he stepped away, she breathe again and sighed. "You see? He isn't a beast. I have never heard a beast talk in such a kind and polite fashion." She said smiling at the soldiers. "Please stand up. Kneeling makes me feel uncomfortable." She wiped away the tiny sweat drips on her forehead and smiled at him. " Well, I guess I just don't judge a book by its cover."

When the guard came back with water and a clean shirt, she took the water and took another step towards him. "Here, allow me to help." She said looking at the chains around his hands. As she raised the cup to his face, she slowly took another step and smiled. The soldiers mumbled and she coughed. " What? I can't hear you over all the shallow comments you are giving." Her tone was annoyed but her face stayed friendly while looking at him.

Lucard watched her, standing when he was bid. He would drink from the cup, trying to stay polite but indeed very thirsty. He gazed at her, watching her carefully. The guards and soldiers obviously weren't happy about this. He carefully took the shirt in his hands when he was done drinking. He contemplated it, but then reluctantly handed it back to her. "Thank you for your kindness, your majesty, but shirts are difficult for me to wear, due to the wings." He gave a slight gesture to the pair on his back, bound there by the chains.
He was very interested in just what she was going to do to help him. Surely she knew that if she had him released, they would just go get him again and bring him back under cover of night, when she was asleep and unaware. But she seemed determined to get him away from the soldiers.

She looked at the shirt and thought about that. "Hmmm, how about like this?" She ripped the shirt in the back so his wings wouldn't be a problem. "I'm sure it's really cold without a shirt." She said while gazing at his chest and blushing a bit. While looking at him, she observed his face and thought about what he was thinking. For a couple of seconds she got lost in her thoughts, something that happend often. But she got pulled out of them when her father came from around the corner with a couple of royal guards.

"Father." She said while bowing and looking at the floor. He stopped her and immediately told the guards to take him away. She wanted to speak up but he pushed her to the side and looked her in the eyes. "You'll understand when you are older." That was always his excuse. She was old enough to know that he just meant that she was never gonna be taken seriously by him or her brother. "Father! He didn't do anything wrong!" She shouted but being her little tiny self, it didn't do any good. He kept walking and she shouted again. "When are you going to stop ignoring me? If mom were here, she would've atleast let me speak." That made him stop for a second, then without saying anything he walked with the guards.

Lucard watched her effort in ripping the shirt and he smiled softly, taking it in his hands once more. "Thank you, your highness." When she gazed so intently at his face, he almost turned away. So many people were afraid to look at him, that he was not used to being stared at like that. However...the king soon came. The guards immediately yanked him forward, and a soft growl slipped his lips. He gazed back at them, watching Johanna as he was pulled away. No. He would not let her fail in this. Clawed feet stomped down into the ground, setting there. Guards shouted, pulling with all their might but not budging. "King Arthur," he said with a loud, deep voice. Not shouting, but loud enough for him to be heard. "One might think that a king with such a tale behind him would actually pay attention to a creature in his care, let alone his own daughter."

She was about to walk away, annoyed ofcourse but then he spoke and she turned around with a suprised look on her face. No one had ever defended her before, let alone speak to the king like that. She smiled, subtle but visible to her father. This made him even more angry. "Be greatful, you are still alive because she is too young to understand what ruling the kingdom means." He nodded to the guards to take him away. "We will decide what to do with him in a couple of days." He said to Johanna and she shook her head.

"You are right father. I'm sorry." She walked away. Her mind was already somewhere else, trying to figure out how she could sneak out to his cell.

Lucard lifted a brow. "One might argue that she understands more than you, your majesty, because she understands grace and kindness." He let himself be taken away after that, knowing his fate was sealed. He would probably be executed as a monster. With his wings bound, he couldn't escape.

That night, Johanna went to the dungeon. She stole some food from the fridge and took blankets from her bed. Very quietly, she walked through the halls of the castle on her bare feet. In her night gown, she went down the stairs and once in the open space with cells, she lit a torch. She couldn't see his face but she assumed that he was sleeping so she pushed the food under the bars of his cell. The blankets, she pushed through the bars and quietly, on the tips of her toes, she proceeded to walk back up the stairs.

Lucard was not asleep. He did not sleep too often. He heard the noise and sat up, shuffling over to look at the food, and then the blankets. He then looked towards the stairs. "Princess." he said softly. Her smell was certainly distinguishable compared to all the stuffy armor. "Thank you." He ate some of the food, then wrapped himself in the blankets and shuffled back to the dark corner, to sit, and think. He pondered. There was much to consider with his new situation, after all.

When she heard his voice she turned around. "Oh, you are awake." She walked back and sat on the floor. It was cold and she wasn't used to the feeling but she endured it. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" She held the bars of the cell to get closer to him. "I'm so sorry that my father put you in here. I wish I could change his mind." Johanna pulled her dress to her knees to get a bit warmer. She never realised how cold the dungeons really were. With that, she realised how good her life really was and how much she didn't know about the real world. "I'm gonna try and get you out, okay?"

Lucard moved closer to her and the bars, watching her carefully. "I am well, thank you. Your father is as stubborn as the mountains, but one can hope that one day he will see reason." He lifted a brow. "...get me out? And just how do you plan on doing that, princess? It is not like I am able to sneak around." He was curious, however. He reached over, putting a very careful, gentle claw upon her hand on the bar. "...why do you try so hard to help me, princess? I'm quite obviously not a normal creature. They have the right to call me a monster, even if it is such a crude and elementary term."

"He isn't as stubborn as me..trust me." A quick chuckle followed by a shrug was shown and she looked around. "I honestly don't know how, yet. But! Once I have figured it out, I'll let you know!" Her eyes fixed on his claw on her hand. Thank god it was pretty dark so he couldn't see she was blushing. "They don't have the right to call you that. They don't know you, I don't know you." She sighed and continued soft. "Everybody has an opinion about me, a surten image of me. My father thinks I'm a child. The people in this town think I'm a princess, and not in a good way. But thats all they see, they never gave me a chance to show them." For a second she stopped to concentrate on not showing how hurt she was. It was a weakness, one she didn't wanna show.

"Anywaay, you should get some sleep. I'm keeping you up and I'm sorry for bothering you." She proceeded to stand up and rubbed her behind. It was numb from sitting on the cold ground.

Lucard carefully, gently pulled his claw away, so as not to hurt her. "I understand." he said softly as she stood. "Many see me as a monster. Others see me as a devil, a demon, some kind of curse. No one truly sees what I am." He smiled gently. "You have not bothered me, princess. Thank you for the food and the blankets. Go, get some rest, before you are found out here." He let her leave, and simply waited for either the princess to save him, or the king to condemn him. He would simply sit and think while he waited.

She nodded and gave him a smile, turned around to then immediatly turn back. "I'm johanna by the way. But you can call me Anna." She put her hand between the bars to shake his hand. She gave him a big smile and waited for him to return her handshake. " Don't worry, I'll get you out. One way or another."