An Arrangement of Fate

02. The Truth

The sun had started to set behind a mountain range in the distance, and the temperature began to drop giving a slight chill in the air as Prince Todoroki and Princess Yaoyorozu finally exited the labyrinth. "That was a beautiful dragon fountain back in the center Todoroki," Yaoyorozu told him as he handed her shoes back.

Shouto nodded while he watched her put her shoes on. He noticed she was having trouble balancing herself and he reached out and held her shoulder. "Yeah. I've only seen it from the castle. Seeing it up close was definitely different," he stated without looking at her now.

Yaoyorozu's cheeks were a rosy pink as she slid her shoes back on. Once they were on Shouto let her go. She turned and faced him with a smile. "Shall we head to the castle now? It's late and I'm sure dinner is soon."

Shouto nodded once again, this time looking towards the castle. "Sure. Let's go before it gets too dark to see," he replied as he began to walk away.

Yaoyorozu and Shouto walked side by side as they exited the garden over the koi pond. Once they crossed it Shouto spotted Mandalay and Yaoyorozu's guard Aizawa waiting for them in the courtyard. Shouto slightly cocked his head to the side as he looked at his guard in red armor. "Why are you here Sosaki?" he asked Mandalay.

Mandalay grinned as she looked from Shouto to Yaoyorozu. "The King and Queen waited up for you two. They haven't started dinner yet," she informed them both.

That's a first. I thought they would've been done a long time ago, Shouto thought as he glanced over to Yaoyorozu beside him. He looked back at Mandalay with a small sigh. "Ok. Thanks. I guess we'll head to the dining hall then."

Aizawa took a step forward, which caused everyone to focus their eyes on him. "You go on ahead your highness. The Princess needs to clean herself up before dining with the King and Queen," he said as he observed Yaoyorozu's appearance.

Yaoyorozu glanced down at the bottom of her dress and her feet. "Oh yes of course," she replied with a slight chuckle. "I'll head to my room and get washed up right away."

"I can escort her from here," Aizawa said to Shouto as he lead the Princess away from his side.

Shouto shrugged his shoulders and followed them into the castle. He watched momentarily as the two of them walked down a different hallway, one that lead to the staircase, while he headed in the other direction toward the dining hall. Mandalay accompanied him as they walked across the dark stained wood hallway.

She glanced over at the prince who she was to protect with her life. She had been with him since he was a child and has come to know what he was feeling by his expressions, even the little amount of emotion he would show. "So how are things going with this princess your highness? You seem less cut off from her than all the previous ones," she said to him, watching his face for any sign of a reaction.

Shouto choked on his response momentarily as he thought of Yaoyorozu and their pleasant walk and conversation through the maze. He glanced over at Mandalay without moving his head. He could tell she was trying to read him. "It's not as bad as I thought," he finally replied. "This whole marriage thing is still a pain, but at least Yaoyorozu seems interesting and different than all those other preppy, stuck up princesses..."

Aizawa lead Yaoyorozu up the stairs. They then walked down the hallway on the third floor, headed for her room. "So, how has this prince been treating you Princess?" he asked in his usual tone.