𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑽𝑶𝑰𝑪𝑬 ~Kix~

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓝𝓲𝓷𝓮

The morning buzz in the princesses' room was unmistakable. It was the day of the banquet and it was obvious each young woman was excited in her own way. "Did Miss Turner say when our gowns would arrive?" Charlotte asked as she secured a final pin curl to her hair with a Bobby pin. Her ginger hair, to her, was always at its finest when it was curled to its very end. "This afternoon after our tutoring lesson." Caroline replied as she snatched the dish of pins from her, seeing as Charolette had now finished with them, and placed it back in it's rightful place on one of the shared vanities between the girls. "But that will take forever!" Cordelia complained as she added more of the brown face cream to her porcelain skin. "Ew what is that stuff on your face?" Carissa sneered as she scrunched up her nose at the sight of it. "It's a special clay mask for the skin. It draws out impurities." Cordelia replied with a mater of fact tone, holding her head up high. "Ew. So you have dirt on your face?" Caitlyn replied,and Cordelia scoffed. "It's clay." "Whatever." "Calypso." Courtney called to the youngest sister who ran a brush through her long blonde hair as she gazed contently out her window at the garden. "You seem awfully happy this morning." The mute girl didn't respond. She simply gave her sister a look that spoke for itself. "It was a boy wasn't it?" Courtney asked with a small grin. Charlotte gasped as she instantly trotted over to Courtney and Calypso's side. "A boy?" She asked, her lips pulled tight in a giddy grin. "What's his name? Where is he from? Is he handsome? What color are his eyes?" Charlotte asked the youngest, beginning to plague her with questions. Courtney looked down at her sister and that's when the instantaneous sensation of realization washed over her face. "It's one of those soldier boys isn't it?" She asked and Charlotte gasped again. "A soldier? Oh how romantic and yet absolutely and utterly forbidden." Charlotte gushed dramatically as she pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. Courtney shook her head at the theatrical display before turning back to Calypso. "It's the one who saved you yesterday isn't it? The medic." "He saved you?!" Charlotte squealed. "How valiant." "Charlotte could you do us the greatest possible favor and please silence yourself."  Courtney snapped and Charlotte scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine." She huffed before walking away and back to the action between the sisters preparing for the day at their vanities. "You really fancy him, don't you?" Courtney asked, her tone was soft like freshly tufted cotton. Calypso nodded. Courtney sighed. She two knew the all too unfortunate situation of their realities. Arranged marriage was the equivalent of bondage to someone else to accomplish a simple task, at least that was how they viewed it. "I'm sorry." Courtney said before she wrapped her arms around her little sister in a warm hug. When Caroline wasn't around, Courtney was the one taking care of her sisters. She may have been closer to the middle child but she was much more responsible then most of the sisters older then her, excluding Caroline. Their tender sisterly embrace would be interrupted when Caroline spoke up, however. "Has anyone seen Cosette?"

Cosette twisted and rang the salt water from her long curly brown hair. There was nothing quite parallel to a morning swim in one of Atla's sea shores. At least that's always what she told herself. She smiled as the feeling of the warm sun washed over her, heating up her skin and drying her thin garments. "Good morning." A sudden voice caused her to turn sharply to see an unfamiliar face. "Good morning." She replied as her green eyes carefully studied the man before her. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" "You're really pretty." The man replied and Cosette chuckled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I appreciate the compliment, sir, but who are you?" The man in armor managed a grin. "My name's Hardcase. All of my brothers are still asleep so I got bored so I went to see what kind of trouble- Er fun I could find." Cosette smiled at his words. "You're a trouble maker too?" She asked with a a sly grin and Hardcase was now the one chuckling in response. "That's what my brothers say." He replied. "Funny." Cosette replied. "That's what my sisters say about me." "Sisters?" Hardcase asked and Cosette nodded. " I am one of twelve." "Seems we both have a lot of siblings then." Hardcase mused and the girl looked up at him with a grin. "Is that so?" "Yes ma'am." Cosette giggled softly at his words. Hardcase was doing his best to charm her, she didn't have the heart to tell him he was failing but also succeeding at the same time. "Perhaps I'll see you again sometime." Cosette spoke as she brushed her fingers through matted brown hair, which was laced with salt, sand, seaweed, and heaven knows what else. She looked nothing like a princess and more like a victim of a sunken ship, washed up to shore. "You're leaving? Now?" Hardcase asked as he followed the girl to a near by cloak that had been tossed to the ground. She picked it up, making no effort to shake the sand and dirt from it, before wrapping it around herself, the thick wool of the fabric stuck the damp salty clothing that covered her skin. "Yes." She replied shortly. "I must return before my sisters realize I'm gone, which I am sure they already have, and surely, they will raise hell I when return and I would like to keep from evading that as much as possible." "Perhaps I could walk you home?" Hardcase offered, walking along behind her. Cosette chuckled before shaking her head. "Oh no, you could not." Hardcase frowned at the woman. His brothers had so much luck with the women in this planet, he was not about to strike out. "But-but I don't even know your name!" He replied and Cosette turned to him as she walked. "It's Cosette."

"Where have you been?!" Caroline scolded the girl covered in dirt, salt, sand, and seaweed. "You look terrible!" Caydence shrieked at the sight of Cosette. "And you smell like Cordelia's face mud!" "Hey! It's a face mask!" "Whatever." "I went for a swim." Cosette said as she grabbed her brush and began violently brushing and yanking at the salt coated knots in her hair. "Princesses don't go for a swim and come back holding a keen resemblance to that of a sea monster." Caroline scolded and some of the other girls laughed. "Off to wash up with you. You cannot go to tutoring looking-and smelling- like that." Caroline ordered. Cosette rolled her eyes with a groan. "But I don't- Caroline please, it's not even that bad!" Cosette replied. "No it's pretty bad." Carissa added, jumping into the conversation. "I bet Calypso agrees with me. Calypso always agrees with me." Cosette muttered. Calypso looked over at Caroline who stared her down with keen motherly eyes. Calypso quickly took the hint and shook her head. "I will summon Miss Turner. You need to wash up before you continue with your day." "Fine."

"And where were you last night?" Fives asked his brother as he nudged his arm teasingly, a knowing grin on his face. Kix merely rolled his eyes. "I had medical things I needed to attend to." Kix replied. "Right, would these medical things include studying the anatomy very closely of a certain mute princess." Jesse teased and kix's face instantly began to heat up. "I bet her long hair was really fun to pull, wasn't it Kix?" Fives teased his brother and the others chuckled. "Nah, you know Kix," Tup began. "He's a medic, he does things to take care of his patients he wouldn't do anything to hurt her or make her scream." "Bummer, Kix." Jesse said with a grin. "You'll never get to hear her moan your name." Jesse's comment caused the men to roar with laughter. "Please," Kix began, face red with both embarrassment but also anger at the teasing from his brothers. "It wasn't like that." "So you don't deny that you were with her last night?" Tup asked with a raised brow. "Well I-" "who do you think was on top?" Fives teased. "Did you hold her on her lap or rail her into the ground?" Jesse asked. "Would you three stop!" Kix hissed. "Sorry vod we just-" "just because one of us is hanging out with a girl doesn't mean we had sex." "Woah Kix had sex? Was it with that mute girl?" The four men turned to see Hardcase who had been missing for the early hours of the morning. "Hardcase?" Fives asked with a raised brow. "Where you been vod?" He added and Hardcase grinned as he sat down with his brothers. "I met a girl."