The Princess Knight

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that you recognize in this story. Everything belongs to JK Rowling. All I own is the plot.

Pairings: Draco/femHarry, others to be decided.

Notes: Thanks for all the wonderful and encouraging reviews everyone! Wow, I honestly didn't expect such positive feedback for this story back when I first thought it up. I'm glad everyone is enjoying it! I apologize for my incredibly long absence. I'll try to post the next chapter up as soon as I can but unfortunately, I can't make any promises as to the frequency of updates. RL has been crazy lately, and I barely get any time to write. Anyway, enough of that. Enjoy the chapter! :D

Chapter 4 – The Road Ahead

The entire Slytherin palace was awake before the sun was even up that morning, abuzz with preparations to make sure that the King and Prince would be ready for their trip to the other Kingdoms. Only King Lucius and Prince Draco, along with their respective entourage of top generals, advisors, and royal guards, would be gone for the next few months. The Queen had opted to stay at the palace and take charge with overseeing management of the kingdom while both the King and Prince were away.

Jade woke up a few hours earlier than Prince Draco that morning. After she tucked him back underneath the covers, she pressed a quick kiss onto the top of his head, re-sheathed her sabres back into their holsters and quietly left his room, making sure to close the doors carefully behind her. As soon as she was out in the halls, she dropped her gaze, avoiding the stares of all the guards outside his room.

She didn't lift her head again until she reached her chambers. Once she did, after making sure all of her things were packed, she took a long, cold shower. Afterwards, she stared out the windows of her room in contemplative silence. By the foot of her bed, curled up by the rug on the floor, Lance lifted his head from where he was resting it against his paws and stared at her, head tipped curiously to the side.

"I envy you, you know." With a somber smile, Jade stared back at him, meeting his light gray eyes. "In spite of what I said the day we found you, you probably know where you came from. You probably had a master once. You have a past to look back to. As for me, I don't even think I have a past."

Lance let out a yip at that and Jade shook her head with a sigh, lowering her gaze from him and staring at the foot of her bed. She thought back on Severus' words a few days ago, and she frowned.

If I am from Gryffindor. Jade thought to herself, failing to notice that Lance had stood up from the rug and was making his way across the room toward her. Then I might have family there somewhere. She leaned back against the headrest of her bed, deep in her musings. Maybe once we get to Gryffindor, I could go around and ask the people from the villages near the forest that Severus said he found me.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another loud bark, followed by Lance jumping up beside her on the bed. He nudged her a couple of times with his nose, causing Jade to blink and stare back at him.

"Oh? What is it, Lance?" In spite of herself, she reached up and chuckled, using a hand to scratch the back of his ears. He barked again, his tail wagging insistently as he gave her a very strange look. Thinking that he was just anxious about their upcoming trip, she answered him with a shake of her head.

"I already told you that I can't feed you again. We'll be leaving soon and if you eat now, you'll surely be sick the rest of the way." Jade sighed and stood up, checking the clock on the side of her wall. "We should be getting ready to leave soon anyway. I'd better go check up on the squad." She muttered.

Lance yipped and barked a couple more times at her, bouncing on the bed and trying to get her attention but Jade chose to ignore him. After casting one last look at her things, she made her way out of her room and began heading towards the palace halls to where she knew the rest of the Royal Army were beginning to assemble. She recognized her squad easily. It wasn't really difficult to find them; they were the only ones who didn't wear the traditional armor that bore the official insignia of King Lucius.

Instead, Jade Blaise, Theo, Vince and Greg all wore the insignia of the Crown Prince on their capes, and instead of the thickset, heavy armor worn by General Severus and his men, they wore lighter suits – those that allowed them to move around faster and more fluidly than the rest of the Royal Army.

"Officer approaching!" Vince and Greg immediately straightened and saluted Jade as she approached them. Blaise and Theodore, on the other hand, looked up and greeted Jade with a low bow.

"General." Blaise said stiffly, and Jade couldn't help but stifle a smirk when she saw the irked expression that crossed his face whenever he addressed her by her title. She knew for a fact that Blaise harbored a bit of resentment against her, mostly because she was ten years younger than him and yet, she outranked him by two levels. Blaise was a Lieutenant when Jade had been promoted to Captain of the Prince's Royal Guard. Now that Jade was appointed General, it just made him resent her even more.

"We're just about ready to move out." He continued, and without lifting his gaze from her, he raised his hand and gestured to the lower-ranking soldiers behind them to start gathering all of their belongings. "I'll have the cadets bring our things out to the carriages. I've also already spoken to General Severus – the Prince and King should be ready to go. They're waiting in the throne room." He told her.

"I see." Jade nodded, and she turned around, allowing one of the lower ranking soldiers to fasten her dark green officer's cape around her neck. "Head to your positions. Is the army in formation?"

"Squad Five and Squad Seven are already in front, Ma'am. As you requested. Vince and I will cover them on the sides." Theodore answered, though Jade noticed how he was deliberately avoiding her gaze. "Lieutenant Blaise and Greg will cover the rear. You and General Severus are to ride directly beside the King and Prince's carriage." He finally looked up as he said this, studying the look on her face.

By then, the cape around her shoulders was already securely fastened and Jade turned around, lifting her gaze and staring out through the open doors of the castle that overlooked the fields outside.

"Then let's move out!"

"I just don't understand, my son." King Lucius sighed as he leaned back against his seat and stared at the Prince that sat across the carriage from him.

"Why are you so against the idea of marriage? You never used to be so adamant about all this before. You know our traditions, son." He reminded him.

"I know, I know, Father. Just…forget I said anything." Draco hesitated, trying to think of what to say without sounding disrespectful.

In his frustration, he clenched his fist and stared out the window of their moving carriage in silence, his gaze immediately flicking to a nearby dark-cloaked figure outside.

From where he sat inside their royal carriage, it was difficult for Draco – or anyone, really – to not stare at Jade. As she sat atop her white mare, poised and regal in her complete green and silver armor and with her hair swept up into a ponytail on the top of her head, the young, 18-year-old female General was quite a sight to behold.

It wasn't just that she was beautiful, although Draco certainly couldn't deny that he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her since she turned sixteen.

The attention she drew from people was from the aura of strength she radiated, and Draco knew more than anyone else that there wasn't a soldier alive in the Four Kingdoms who could match up to Jade's fighting skills.

Even some of the older officers, those who had been a part of King Lucius' Royal Guard for more than a decade, looked up to Jade and often followed after her lead when in battle. Despite her young age, Jade was a brilliant strategist, quick and concise in giving out her directions when it came to war.

Prince Draco sighed and averted his gaze from Jade with a shake of his head.

He could only wish that Jade was half as easy to understand when she was off the battlefield.

Often times, whenever Draco tried to understand her, he encountered nothing but a dead-end – the same blank expression that Jade would often resort to giving him every time she wanted to hide her emotions. It was frustrating for him, because for the past ten years of his life, Prince Draco had been struggling to understand the beautiful, enigmatic young girl that he had taken in – and had unwittingly fallen in love with – thirteen years ago.

Wincing at that realization, Prince Draco lowered his hooded gaze to his feet.

He had known for quite some time now – three years in fact – that he had fallen in love with his General.

It wouldn't have taken a bloody Sage to figure it out; it was obvious to everybody in his court, including his own parents. The affection he lavished upon Jade was different from that which he gave the other women of his court or to the noble ladies he'd been in a relationship with over the past years.

Back then, when he'd taken Jade in to train as a soldier in his army, she'd been much too young for him to give any attention to – and so he'd never anticipated that it would actually come to this. She was all grown up now, a stunning, green-eyed beauty, and more often than not, she haunted his dreams at night, plaguing him with his own desires that were rapidly spiralling more and more out of his control.

Everyday, he grew more attached to her – more and more inclined to keep her in his presence all the time.

The realization that he was beginning to see her differently both thrilled and terrified him.

He had never meant for things to turn out this way.

Ten years ago, Draco only cared for Jade as a sister. He had taken her in, taught her how to read and write, instructed her in the ways of their Kingdom so that she may grow up to be a proper young woman one day and marry a nobleman of her own. He didn't know exactly when his feelings for her had started to change – evolving into something that went beyond the bounds of propriety – but they did.

It doesn't matter anyway. Reluctantly, Draco lifted his eyes again and gazed out at Jade from the carriage windows. He watched as she motioned with a couple of gestures to some of the soldiers behind them, calling out orders and carefully guiding all of the squads into formation around the Royal Carriage.

"Maintain your formation!" Jade called out to the group of soldiers who were marching on their horses behind her. They answered her with a crisp salute before hurriedly rushing to follow her orders.

I am the Crown Prince of Slytherin. I have a duty to my people. Draco's eyes dimmed with regret as he tore his eyes away.

Nothing can ever happen between the two of us. He realized.

Lost in his musings, Draco didn't even realize that they had already left the kingdom and had been on the road for a good couple of hours until his father called his attention again, causing him to flinch slightly and look up, staring blankly at Lucius' grim expression.

Glancing around their surroundings, Draco noted absently that they must be somewhere between the borders of Slytherin and Ravenclaw.

For his part, Lucius was openly studying his son, a worried look on his face.

"My son." Lucius sighed heavily before he reached up, massaging his temples in exhaustion. "I understand how you must feel. I know that by asking you to marry a woman you barely even know, I might be asking too much of you, but we have a responsibility to our Kingdom. You understand right?"

"I do understand, Father." Draco assured him quickly, and he managed to give him a weak nod. "And you have nothing to worry about. I have no qualms about an arranged marriage. I have anticipated such a thing from the very beginning anyway." He added slowly, averting his eyes to stare at his shoes.

"I see." King Lucius looked as though he wanted to say more. Unfortunately, just as he opened his mouth to continue, the loud blare of one of the squad horns outside suddenly caused both the King and the Prince to stiffen in their seats and hastily look out the window of their Royal Carriage in alarm.

At the terrifying sight that greeted him, Prince Draco felt all the blood drain from his face.

"Death Eaters!" Blaise cursed loudly under his breath as he glanced over his shoulder and stared at the squad of masked, cloaked figures galloping after them from behind. When he saw that most of them, especially the ones in front, were beginning to glow with magic, his eyes narrowed and he turned to the soldiers beside him. "Flint! Tell the squads to get into defensive position! We're being attacked!"

"Aye, Lieutenant! Both General Jade and General Severus are at the front of the line with the King and Prince!" Marcus Flint answered him with a curt nod.

"I'll inform them both of the intruders!"

"Go!" Blaise ordered sharply, and without waiting for the other soldier to acknowledge him, he tugged on the reigns of his horse to spin the animal around and began galloping towards the back of the line to face the approaching Death Eaters. Most of the other soldiers, those who were closer to the back, were already engaging some of the Death Eaters into a fight and Blaise joined them, yanking his sword out of its scabbard and jumping down from his horse. He didn't bother waiting for any orders as he let out a growl and jumped right into the battle, slashing through as many Death Eaters as possible.

"Demons, the lot of you!" He growled at them as he leaped into the air and lifted his sword up, grunting as he brought it crashing down against a wall of Death Eaters charging at them from the front line. Almost immediately, he pulled his sword back and began running towards the middle of the crowd.

When he managed to fight halfway through to the middle of the skirmish, however, Blaise heard a loud, screeching wail nearby and froze as he looked up, his eyes growing wide with paralyzed horror.

"Mother of Merlin." Blaise whispered, rooted completely to the ground as he slowly trailed his eyes upward and stared up at the hulking giant that was walking towards him from the Death Eater lines.

From where he stood, he saw that the giant was at least ten feet tall, with legs practically the size of his entire body and enormous hands that looked big enough to crush his skull between its knuckles.

Good god. He thought to himself, swallowing the dry lump that had formed in his throat.

As he slowly began backing himself away from the nearing giant, Blaise chanced a glance over his shoulder, paling in realization when he saw one of his fellow soldiers running toward the giant from the squad behind him. As the soldier neared him, it didn't take Blaise long to recognize who he was.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?! You'll get yourself killed!" Blaise screeched at him.

"I've taken down one of these things before! I've got this!" Theodore shouted back at him as he yanked his sword out of its scabbard and raised it over his head, charging at the giant with a determined glint in his eyes. "It's also the perfect opportunity to get Jade's attention!" He added with a small grin.

"Get away from it, you fool!" Blaise shouted furiously after him, his eyes wide with alarm.

"You can't take on that giant by yourself, damn it! Pull back! Pull back, I say—"

Theodore ignored him and Blaise winced as he was forced to watch his friend charging through the wall of Death Eaters in front of him, slashing and hacking away at them to form a narrow path. Once he had managed to reach the center, he stood completely still and slowly lifted his gaze up at his enemy.

"It's a giant! Stand back, it's a giant!" One of the soldiers nearby began shrieking in panic.

The creature was glaring back down at Theo, its dark eyes – eyes almost as large as his entire face – narrowing into tiny slits.

When Theodore launched himself into the air and brought his sword down towards the giant, aiming at his chest, the giant let out a low, angry growl and reached one of its hands up in reflex. He caught Theodore easily in its tight grip, crushing the soldier slowly with its fingers.

"Theo!" Blaise paled and immediately began charging forward; gripping the handle of his sword tightly with his fingers but it was much too late. The giant gave out another angry, sadistic wail before it slammed Theodore back down onto the ground, causing the dark haired soldier to scream out in pain.

"No!" Theodore managed to grunt out through gritted teeth, seething with pain as he struggled to push the giant's heavy palm from where it was crushing him slowly to the ground. "Someone, help!"

"I'm coming!" As he ran, Blaise looked around frantically, searching around the battle area surrounding him for any soldier who could help them. Unfortunately, as it was, all other soldiers – save for General Severus and General Jade – were already engaged in a fight against the other Death Eaters.

Even Vince and Greg, two of the biggest soldiers in the Slytherin Army, were caught in the back of the line, fighting off a horde of Death Eaters with their shields. Pale with dread, Blaise brought his gaze back to Theodore and ran faster, fighting his way through the crowd of enemies surrounding him.

"Hold on, Theo!"

The sharp, panicked screams of her fellow soldiers behind her caused Jade to stiffen in alarm.

She tightened her grip around the handle of her sabres and glanced over her shoulder, watching with narrowed green eyes as hordes of Death Eaters began sweeping in on their entire entourage. Swallowing the urge to charge into the battle with the rest of their men, Jade turned to look at Severus beside her. When she realized that her mentor made no move to help the others, she stiffened in anger.

"Severus!" She ignored his quelling glare at her and gestured angrily to the fight behind them.

"Why are we just standing here?! Are we not going to do something and help them?!" She raged at him.

"Our duty is to protect the King and Prince." Severus drawled back calmly at her, the firmness in his voice never wavering.

"No matter what happens, we are not to leave their side." He reminded her.

"I understand but—" Jade cut herself off when she saw another one of their men – she couldn't even remember his name – being stabbed to death by a swarm of Death Eaters surrounding him. "—we can't just stand here and watch them die! Those Death Eaters are picking them off one by one and I—"

"Jade!" Severus admonished her sharply with narrowed eyes.

"You have a responsibility to protect the royal heir to the throne and no one else! I forbid you to go back and help—Jade?! JADE!"

The rest of Severus' protests were cut short when Jade chose to ignore him altogether and jumped off her horse, yanking her twin sabres out of their holsters and dashing as fast as she could towards the brunt of the bloody battle behind them. She heard Severus' angry shouts, as well as Prince Draco and King Lucius' confused reactions, behind her but she paid them no attention as she fought her way through to the very center of the battle to where she heard the most screams of pain and death.

"It's a giant! Stand back, it's a giant!"

"Someone, please! Help us!"

When she finally caught sight of exactly what was causing all of their soldiers to scatter and scream for help, however, her green eyes narrowed and a blank, calculating frown creased her features. Tightening her grip on her blades, Jade very slowly made her way towards the source of their screams.

"What is she doing?!" Blaise yelled helplessly at Vincent and Greg beside him, all three soldiers' jaws hanging open as they lifted their gaze and watched as Jade approached the giant cautiously. Around the scene, the crowd of stunned Slytherin soldiers all parted wordlessly to let her through, their bated breaths lingering in the silence alongside the soft and steady sound of Jade's unhurried footsteps.

Her movements were surprisingly bold and calm as she stopped directly in front of where the giant was crushing Theo to the ground.

She looked up slowly, squinting against the sunlight to stare up at the creature and meet its confused gaze. With a low grunt of annoyance, the giant seemed to forget all about its intention to crush Theo and instead, it let out a loud cackle and turned its attention to Jade.

"Pretty girl look tasty!"The giant grunted in a low, dim-witted tone of voice.

"I eat you instead!" It added with a gleeful smile as it bent down closer and reached its gigantic fingers towards Jade's form.

Blaise watched nervously as Jade's eyes seemed to gleam at that, and one corner of her lips twitched upwards briefly into what appeared to be a small, amused smirk. She side-stepped the giant's swipes at her with little effort, her boots scuffing against the sand underneath her feet as she dodged.

"Come and get me." Jade arched a single eyebrow at the giant, but she didn't bother waiting for him to react before she suddenly spun around him, seizing Theo's forgotten sword off the ground. Then, before the giant could process the practically inhuman speed of Jade's movements, she bent her knees for a split second and then leapt gracefully into the air, Theo's heavy sword held high above her head.

With sword still clasped tightly in her hands, Jade brought its sharp blade crashing back down and plunged it right into the giant's nape.

The giant gave a sharp screech of excruciating pain at that and tried to reach behind him to grab her but Jade was much too quick, and she evaded his attack easily.

Afterwards, Blaise continued to gape at the scene with a mixture of horror and amazement as Jade kept her grip on the hilt of the sword and used her weight to drag the blade of Theo's sword all the way down the giant's spine, severing his connection to his huge body.

When the giant let out a shriek and slumped to the ground, dead, Jade landed gracefully on her feet inches away from his lifeless body.

Utter silence reigned around them as the Slytherin soldiers, as well as some of the Death Eaters, stared in shock, watching as Jade stood up slowly and turned around to face the remaining Death Eaters behind her. As though snapping out of their daze, they descended upon her as a bloodthirsty swarm of blades and angry shrieks.

Without thinking, Jade immediately sprang into action. Dropping Theo's sword onto the ground, she grabbed hold of her own sabres and yanked them from their holsters, leaping up into the air and making quick work of the Death Eaters attacking her, one by one. Shaking his distraction away, Blaise finally ran forward to help her, clearing out the rest of the Death Eaters surrounding them.

As soon as the last of their attackers were down and Blaise turned to face Jade again, he saw her kneeling beside Theo's bruised form on the ground and returning his sword. When he grimaced weakly and managed a weak nod at her, barely able to meet her eyes in humiliation, Jade stood back up slowly and gestured for the nearby medics to tend to Theo's injuries. Just as she was walking away, Blaise recognized the words that Theo called back out to Jade, causing the young general to stop in her tracks.

"…Thank you for saving me, General." He called out; his expression unreadable as he stared longingly after his commanding officer's retreating back.

Jade had heard Theodore's last few words but she didn't stop to look at him, knowing that she'd only end up hurting him again when he saw the blank, unaffected expression on her face. It wasn't that she was unaware of the way he felt for her – in fact, the male soldier had pretty much made his affections for her known even before she had been appointed as Captain of Prince Draco's Royal Guard.

Unfortunately, she also knew that she would simply never be able to reciprocate his feelings.

"Goyle." Jade called the attention of the large soldier, waiting until he removed his helm from his head and bounded over to her.

Once he fell into step with her, he straightened himself into a salute.

"General." He answered automatically.

"Stay with Nott. Make sure he's okay." Jade raised an eyebrow and nodded towards where Theo was still being tended to by their army's medics.

"Then tell the rest of the army to clean this mess up, and gather the wounded. We must make haste, we're to reach Ravenclaw before nightfall." She added.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Goyle saluted her once and did as she instructed, leaving Jade free to inspect the mass of lifeless Death Eater bodies littering the ground around her.

As she passed by one of them – a dark-cloaked Death Eater whose white, skull mask had been pushed askew from his face, she noticed that the man's chest was still breathing, albeit weakly, and she knelt down to inspect his injured frame.

As she reached out and pulled off his mask, staring at the grotesque, twisted skin of the scarred face underneath, the Death Eater cackled at her, a stream of blood leaking from the corner of his lips.

"I—it's only a matter of time now." The Death Eater hissed, his eyes wide and maniacal as he stared up at Jade's impassive face with an eerie smile.

"Nothing you do can stop him." He whispered.

"Nothing can stop who?" Jade asked him sharply, her eyes narrowing sharply as she raised her sabre and held the sharp edge of its blade threateningly against the Death Eater's throat. "Who is this you speak of? Tell me now or I shall sever your head from the rest of your body." She growled darkly.

"You're too late!" Much to her chagrin, the Death Eater only laughed again, cringing in pain seconds later and clutching at the overflowing blood wound below his chest.

"Y—you may have stopped us from spilling his blood, but you're too late!" He grinned widely, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

"The Dark Lord shall rise again…And this time, no prophecy will be damn near strong enough to defeat him!"

"What prophecy?!" Jade demanded in a harsh voice, not relinquishing the blade she had against his throat.

"Tell me about your lord! Tell me who you are! Why did you attack us? What do you want?!"

As she knelt down further, however, intent on forcing the Death Eater to talk, the white face in front of her had suddenly changed – morphing into a hideous, snake-like creature with flashing red eyes. It hissed and opened its mouth, exposing a long, lizard-like tongue and rows of razor sharp teeth that would have sunk down deep into the flesh of her arm had Jade not jerked away sharply, jumping to her feet. Within a split second, she swung her sabre towards him, slicing the snake-like head from his body.

"General!" At the sound of the Death Eater's scream of pain being cut short, Crabbe and her other soldiers arrived on cue, their expressions creased in shock as they stared at the sight before them.

"Are you alright?!" Crabbe asked Jade warily, inspecting the bloodied mess before her.

"I'm fine." Jade answered curtly, wiping the blood from her blades and tucking her sabre against her leg.

She gestured to the dead body by her feet. "Please be sure to clean this mess up before we leave." She told him.

"Yes, Ma'am!" As Crabbe instructed the other soldiers to do just that, Jade began walking back to the Royal Carriage in contemplative silence, thinking back on the Death Eater's foreboding words.

Something's not right. What did those Death Eaters want with us? Jade's expression remained creased into a confused scowl all the way back until she reached Severus and the Royal Carriage. After nodding at him, pointedly ignoring his disapproving glare, and climbing back up her horse, she noticed that Prince Draco had peered out at her from inside the carriage and was giving her a concerned look.

"The Death Eaters are gone, Your Highness." She tightened her grip on her horse's reigns and rode up beside him, stopping beside his carriage.

"It's safe to proceed with our journey." She reassured him.

"So I can see." Prince Draco answered calmly, his gray eyes inspecting the wound above her eyebrow and the splotches of blood on her clothes.

"They hurt you." He spoke in a quiet, pained voice.

Letting out a deep sigh, Jade finally lifted her eyes, meeting the Prince's gaze with her own. Inside the carriage, Jade saw King Lucius glancing back and forth between her and Draco with a strange, unreadable expression on his face. He cleared his throat, snapping Jade and Draco out of their trance.

Avoiding Severus' warning glare at her, Jade hastily moved her horse away from the Royal Carriage.

"Very well." Prince Draco glanced at Severus, nodding once at him, before he looked at Jade again, holding her gaze for a long moment. Then, when Jade finally lowered her eyes out of respect and moved her horse back to her position beside Severus, the Prince finally turned to address his horsemen.

"Onward to Ravenclaw!"

Fortunately enough, the rest of their journey to Ravenclaw was uneventful, and it wasn't until King Lucius had gently prodded him awake that Prince Draco opened his eyes and saw that they had reached the Kingdom's gates. Sighing and trying to blink the weariness from his eyes, Prince Draco straightened in his seat and watched as their men introduced themselves to Ravenclaw's watch guard.

Within a few moments, the walls around Ravenclaw were ordered to be drawn down, allowing them entry. As always, Severus and Jade rode their horses forward first, inspecting the area, before they nodded and the Royal Carriage followed, surrounded by a horde of the Prince and King's bodyguards.

They didn't have to wait long before they were pulling up by the entrance to the Royal Palace after that, and at the sight of it, Draco stiffened and he couldn't help stealing another glance at Jade.

Still atop the beautiful white mare he had given her, her long hair free and flowing with the movement of the wind, she was beautiful and it was hard for him not to stare at her for too long. Her green eyes were guarded, a distant, faraway expression on her features, and not for the first time since he had known her, he found himself wishing he could look past her walls and see what she was thinking.

"Draco."

Wincing at the sound of his father's voice, Prince Draco withdrew his gaze and met King Lucius' identical gray eyes.

The King was staring back at him with a hint of admonishment lingering on his face.

"Remember what we talked about, my son." He spoke quietly so that none of the soldiers waiting outside their carriage could hear them. "For the duration of our stay here in Ravenclaw, you're to conduct yourself with grace and with honor – especially when in the presence of the two Princesses."

"I understand, Father." Prince Draco nodded solemnly before glancing up at the Ravenclaw Royal Palace again. "Princess Cho and Princess Marietta have always been rather good acquaintances of ours. I've no doubt that our stay with them will be…pleasant, at the very least." He muttered to himself.

"At the very least." The King looked amused at his words and he rolled his eyes to himself before sighing and allowing his guards to help him alight off the carriage.

"Don't sound too excited, my son."

"I am quite thrilled, Father." Prince Draco was unable to keep the sarcasm from lacing itself into his voice, but when he realized whom he was speaking to, he winced and immediately glanced at his father, an apology ready on his lips. To his relief, however, King Lucius just chuckled at his reaction before he stepped out to greet the royal entourage waiting for them both in front of the castle's gates.

"Ah…Lucius, my friend!"

They looked up and stared back at the sight of King Albert, the reigning ruler of the Ravenclaw Kingdom, waiting for them just by the entrance to the palace. Beside him stood his second wife, Queen Katherine, and waiting behind them were the two Princesses of Ravenclaw – Princess Cho and Princess Marietta. Princess Cho's features was distinctly Asian, something she had inherited from King Albert's first wife, Queen Lina, who had died from the plague many years ago.

Although both Princesses were beautiful, no doubt, it was obvious that Cho far exceeded her sister in that aspect – something that her younger sister certainly didn't appreciate. It made Marietta constantly strive for everyone's attention.

Truth be told, Draco couldn't stand either of them – Cho for being so annoyingly soft-spoken and meek with him, and Marietta for being so open with her affections and clinging onto his every word.

He really wasn't looking forward to this visit.

"Albert! It has been too long, my dearest friend!" King Lucius greeted him with a wide smile as he and Prince Draco climbed up the royal palace steps. After exchanging a handshake with the other monarch, Lucius gestured to Draco behind him, directing his attention to the Queen and two Princesses.

"I believe you lovely ladies are familiar with my son?" King Lucius smiled and waited until Prince Draco had finished pressing a formal kiss onto the hands of Queen Katherine, Princess Cho and Princess Marietta before he continued. "The last time he was here was…ten years ago, if I am not mistaken?"

"Nine and a half years ago, to be precise, Father." Prince Draco answered easily, flashing a charming smile at the Queen and Princesses.

"But I admit, I did not think it was possible for these ladies to become even more beautiful since the last time I visited. I am honored to be in their presence." He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment, causing both Cho and Marietta to blush behind their fans.

"Oh, he is quite the charmer, Lucius." Queen Katherine teased, giving Lucius a knowing smile.

"He obviously takes after his father." She added, earning a laugh from both her husband and King Lucius.

"We welcome you to our fair kingdom, Lucius." King Albert smiled before nodding at the row of servants behind them, gesturing for them to usher King Lucius and Prince Draco inside. "Our home is your home, my friend. Perhaps you would like to rest up first before we have supper?" He turned to his firstborn, Princess Cho, and gave her an encouraging look. "My dear, if you would be so kind as to escort our guests to their bedchambers? I do believe they've had a tiring journey." He winked pointedly at her.

Sighing in defeat, Princess Cho lowered her fan from her face and nodded. She turned to King Lucius and Prince Draco, acknowledging them with a graceful curtsy.

"Your majesties must be exhausted from your travels. Allow me to escort you to your quarters." She gave them a well-practiced, royal smile.

"That would be wonderful, my dear." King Lucius smiled back, nodding his gratitude at the King and Queen before he turned to Prince Draco again, giving his son a pointed look.

Taking his cue, Prince Draco obliged by bowing his head once to Princess Cho, waiting until her silk-gloved fingers were wrapped around his arm before he allowed her to lead both him and his father further into the castle.

Just as their entire royal assembly began to disperse, however, Prince Draco glanced quickly over his shoulder, his gray eyes frantically inspecting his surroundings in search of Jade's familiar frame. When he finally spotted her, standing a few feet behind him with the rest of his Royal Guard, their eyes met and Jade stared back at him blankly, acknowledging him with a brief, respectful incline of her head.

With that, the Princess of Ravenclaw began leading the Prince of Slytherin away.

"Did you have a safe journey, General?"

At the voice that had spoken, Jade shifted her attention to her right and found herself staring into the earnest smile of Lieutenant Cassidy, one of the Ravenclaw Royal Family's most trusted officers. He, along with the rest of Ravenclaw's Royal Guard, were currently escorting Jade and her men through the palace halls to what would be their quarters for the duration of their stay in the palace. A few steps behind her, Jade noticed that Blaise had paused at Cassidy's question as well and turned to look at him.

"And why do you ask, Lieutenant?" Blaise demanded curtly, stopping the other soldier short in mid-step and causing everyone else around them to stare at them. "Is there something that you know?"

"O—oh! Not at all, Lieutenant Zabini." Lieutenant Cassidy colored slightly at the suspicious glare he suddenly found himself receiving from the soldiers of Prince Draco's Royal Guard. "It is just that – only a few nights ago, before you lot arrived, the palace was attacked by those nasty Death Eaters—"

Jade stiffened upon hearing Lieutenant Cassidy's words but she said nothing, choosing instead to listen to his and Blaise' s conversation as she followed them down the corridor towards the barracks.

"—it was a brutal encounter, but we managed to hold them off. We don't know exactly what they wanted, but we do know that they were trying to get close to the Royal Family." Lieutenant Cassidy let out an exhale of breath and shook his head at the memory. "That was a bloody fight that was, we lost a lot of good men that day. We're lucky we were able to keep them at bay." He finished with a sigh.

"I see." Blaise frowned as he looked up, meeting Jade's narrowed eyes with his own calculating look. "We were attacked by Death Eaters too…a couple of hours away from here. And they seemed a bit more determined than usual. Almost as though they were trying to…retrieve something." He mused.

"…Retrieve something? What would that be?" Lieutenant Cassidy stared back curiously at him.

Blaise paused at his question, trying to gather his words, but before he could answer, Jade finally spoke up for the first time since their conversation had started, drawing their attention to her.

"It's nothing of importance." She interrupted Blaise sharply, her eyes narrowing as she shot him a warning look. "Now, Lieutenant Cassidy – if could kindly show us where our sleeping quarters will be?"

Startled at the iciness of Jade's voice, Lieutenant Cassidy blinked at her for a few seconds before he nodded and turned around, leading them through a series of narrow hallways down the castle. Just as they had reached the soldier barracks, however, and Jade was about to follow her squad to their quarters, she caught a sudden flash of white and gold from the corner of her eye and she immediately turned towards it, her muscles tensing and her hands automatically resting over the hilts of her blades.

When she caught sight of the figure a few feet away from her, however, Jade's grip on her sabres loosened and she froze, blinking in confusion at the sight of a white-robed, petite woman with long, silver-blonde hair standing a few feet away from her, staring at her with knowing, bright blue eyes.

Sensing her uneasiness, the woman smiled at her and gestured for her to move closer.

It didn't take Jade long to figure out exactly what the woman in front of her was.

From the royal insignia on the elegant white robes she wore, it was obvious that the woman was one of Ravenclaw's legendary Sages – exceptionally gifted scholars who were taken in by the Royal Family from birth, eventually to be schooled and trained by the kingdom's best teachers. From what Jade had read back in the Slytherin palace libraries, she knew that Ravenclaw's Sages were trained to know everything and anything there was in the Four Kingdoms, and that some of them – the most gifted of the Sages, would even have the rare skill to prophesize about events that could happen in the future.

Unlike in Slytherin, where it was custom to appoint a General to protect members of the Royal Family, Jade knew that in Ravenclaw, the Kingdom appointed a Sage for each member of their Royal Family instead. Each Sage was not only to protect his charge with his life, but every piece of wisdom and knowledge that the Sage would come to know, he would also provide freely to his royal charge as well.

Truth be told, Jade had always been uneasy around Sages – if only because they always seemed to speak in such vague and cryptic language that she never really understood what they were saying.

Apparently enough, this particular female Sage was no exception to unsettling Jade. When she tried to shake the feeling off and walk away, the Sage reached out and grabbed her gently by the arm.

"You." The Sage whispered softly, her blue eyes growing wide with realization as she studied Jade's features up close.

Shifting uneasily, Jade grimaced at her nearness and tried to pull her arm away.

"I know you." The Sage spoke again, refusing to relinquish her hold on Jade. "I have seen you in my visions." She whispered, and Jade almost recoiled when she saw the way the Sage's eyes took on a slightly dazed expression as she stared up at her. "It is you…The one with the scar and the green eyes."

"I'm sorry." Jade tried to excuse herself politely as she tugged her arm away.

"But I'm afraid we have never met before, and I know nothing of these visions you speak of. Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"Luna. My name is Luna." The Sage interrupted her again, her fingers tightening almost painfully around Jade's arm.

"Please do not run away from me, I mean you no harm, Jade." She pleaded softly.

"You know who I am?!" Jade paled and her eyes narrowed as she turned around slowly and glared back at the other woman's strange, glowing blue eyes.

"Who exactly are you…Luna?" She asked.

Instead of answering her, Luna's expression softened at Jade's cautious reaction and she smiled knowingly at her, releasing her grip on her arm so she could trace the lightning scar on Jade's forehead.

"How I wish that I wasn't the one to have to tell you this, brave one. But you carry a very heavy burden on your shoulders indeed." She murmured gently, taking both of Jade's hands in hers and squeezing her fingers. When Jade's eyebrows came together in confusion and she opened her mouth to ask her what exactly she meant, Luna went on, her voice barely above the ghost of the softest whisper.

"The time for you to set out and begin your quest for self discovery draws near." She murmured, her blue eyes turning almost luminescent in the dimly lit hallway.

"Your journey will not be an easy one. The road ahead of you will be ripe with pain, loss and darkness, brave one. For there is a great and powerful evil coming. You must find and unlock the truth of your past, or all Four Kingdoms will perish."

"Wh—what?" Jade's eyes widened at her words, all of her blood draining from her cheeks.

"I don't understand what that means! What great evil? Who are you and what do you know of my past?!"

"I wish I could speak more, Jade. But I'm afraid that is all I know." Luna shook her head and gave her a sad smile before she finally released Jade's hands and began to back away, pulling her white cloak over her head. "You are destined for great things. But it is only you who can discover that greatness."

"I do not understand!" Jade was beginning to seethe with anger and impatience and she took a deep inhale of breath to try and calm herself down.

"What is it that you are trying to tell me? Luna?" Blinking, she gaped when she realized that the Sage had, in fact, disappeared completely from her sight.

"Luna!" Jade's angry shouts reverberated loudly around the empty halls. For a minute, she debated inwardly with herself on whether or not she should storm the castle in search of the Sage when another voice had suddenly spoken behind her, causing Jade to stiffen in annoyance and whirl around.

"What?!" She snapped, surprising herself at her uncharacteristic display of anger.

Goyle froze at her sudden outburst, his voice laced with caution as he approached her.

"G—General?" He squeaked, taking a nervous step backward from her.

Allowing herself another inhale of breath, Jade managed to blank her expression just in time before she looked up and met his gaze, nodding for him to speak.

"What is it, Goyle?" She asked calmly.

"His Highness, Prince Draco, is requesting for your presence in his bedchambers, Ma'am. He says the matter is urgent and that you're to go to him right away." Goyle informed her with an uneasy salute.

Jade was careful to keep any form of emotion from her face as she nodded at him.

"Understood, Goyle. You are dismissed for the evening."

Before he could say anything else or ask her if anything was wrong, Jade had already spun on her heel and strode as fast as she could down the corridor, leaving him staring after her in confusion.

At the sound of soft knocking on his doors, Prince Draco looked up from where he was standing in front of his full-length mirror.

Recognizing the familiar knock easily, he stifled a smile and answered.

"You may come in, Jade."

The large, heavy oak doors swung open slowly and Prince Draco glanced over his shoulder, watching as Jade strode hesitantly into the room, still decked out fully in her green and silver armor. When she saw him watching her, her cheeks caught a hint of red and she began to fidget awkwardly.

"You wished to see me, Your Highness?" She asked softly. "Goyle said it was rather urgent."

"Yes, it is." Prince Draco rolled his eyes at her and gestured her towards him with an impatient wave of his hand.

"Well come in! It's rude to keep your Prince waiting!" He admonished her sharply.

"S—Sire?" Jade stammered back at him, looking adorably confused.

"Jade." Prince Draco fought to keep a smile from his face as he glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her, looking amused at her hesitation. "I order you inside and to come closer. Oh, and do close the door behind you, it's a bit chilly tonight. I don't want a draft to get in here." He added.

"Yes, Sire." Jade swallowed audibly but did as he commanded, closing the doors quickly behind her before she went to stand behind him, watching him through his reflection in the full-length mirror.

When their eyes met, Draco's eyes softened and he offered her a teasing grin.

"I apologize if I pulled you away from your duties, but I'm afraid this matter was rather urgent." With that, his expression took on a half-apologetic, half-sheepish smile as he held up his dark green, royal cape in his hands. "I need your help in fastening this cape around myself." He admitted ruefully.

"I see." Jade felt another flush staining her cheeks and despite herself, one corner of her lips tugged upwards into a reluctant, albeit exasperated smile.

"Then allow me, Your Highness?" She offered.

"Thank you." Prince Draco offered her another embarrassed grin as he let her take the cape from him, bending down slightly to her height so that she could tie the fastenings around his shoulders. As soon as she had finished tying the cape securely around him, Jade pulled back and stared at him again through his reflection in the mirror – admiring how handsome the Prince looked in his regal attire.

When Draco saw that she was staring openly at him, his voice lowered into a husky whisper.

"Will I do?" He asked her quietly, his gray eyes never leaving her face.

"Y—yes." Jade heard the way her voice had trembled and closed her eyes, taking a few inhales of breath before she opened her eyes again and stared at him.

"You look like a Prince." She whispered.

Draco stared back intently at her, a small, sad smile tugging on his lips.

"And you look like a Princess." He teased her gently.

Jade didn't know why, but she always felt a dull ache in her chest each time he said that, and tonight was certainly no exception. If anything, the ache in her chest only seemed to intensify when Prince Draco continued to stare tenderly at her, causing her to jerk her gaze away sharply and step back.

"Is there anything else I can assist you with, my Prince?" She asked formally, avoiding his eyes.

"Just one last question." He answered, and he shocked her when he suddenly reached out and tucked a hand under her chin, tilting her head back up gently so that she was forced to meet his gaze.

"Why do you keep avoiding my eyes?"

Jade's entire stance seemed to stiffen at his words, shocked by the blunt forwardness of his question but Draco couldn't seem to help it. Everything that was happening lately – the Death Eater attack, having to stay in a foreign kingdom and being forced to meet with princesses that he cared nothing about – it was all grating on his nerves. He just wanted Jade to say something, anything, to him that would at least give him any sort of indication as to what she could possibly be feeling about all this.

Or about me. Prince Draco cursed himself as soon as the thought had formed in his head. He shook the notion away, knowing his parents would admonish him again for entertaining such thoughts.

I have to stop this! He reminded himself, furious at his lack of self-control when it came to Jade. I'm to be married soon! I have to stop thinking about her that way!

And yet, despite all of these thoughts, Draco just couldn't help thinking that maybe, just maybe, if he found out how Jade really felt about him and somehow, she felt the same way as he did, then maybe, just maybe –

He cut himself off with a harsh scoff and a violent shake of his head.

Maybe things will end up even more complicated than they already are.

"M—my Prince, I was…I didn't mean—" Jade was still stammering as she struggled to think of an appropriate response to his question.

With a sigh, Prince Draco decided to relieve her of that burden.

"I was only kidding, my love." He chuckled and took her hand in his, pressing a reassuring kiss onto the back of her palm in apology.

"Now, tell me. What did you think of Princess Cho and Princess Marietta back there? Do you think that I could possibly end up with either of them?" He asked curiously.

At the mention of the two Princesses, Jade seemed to stiffen instantly.

She lowered her green eyes hastily to her boots and took a step away from him, carefully folding her hands primly behind her back.

"They are both quite lovely, Your Highness." She answered, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"Though, I personally find Princess Cho to be much more agreeable than her sister – if only because of the stories one hears across the borders." As the words left her lips, Jade couldn't help the way her features scrunched up in distaste. "Princess Marietta is…well, she is not particularly known for her modesty."

Belatedly realizing that she might have, unwittingly, insulted someone who could possibly end up as the Prince's future bride, Jade reddened and looked up at him in horror, a hasty apology already forming on her lips. To her surprise, however, Prince Draco was smirking at her, looking amused at her words.

"I'm not, as you say, particularly well known for my modesty either, Jade." He teased, his gray eyes alight with mirth as he studied the look of dismay on her face.

"Wouldn't you agree?" He arched an eyebrow pointedly at her.

"Of course not, Your Highness! I didn't mean—" Jade was stammering again, and for the life of him, given how exceedingly rare it was to see his poker-faced General become so flustered, Prince Draco couldn't help laughing. "—I didn't to say that, my Prince! I—I meant no disrespect, I apologize if I offended you with my tactlessness—"

"I'm just teasing you again, my love." Still smirking, Draco reached for her hand again and yanked her forward, closing that agonizing distance between them by pulling her close so that her cheek rested against his chest. When she stiffened at the intimacy of their position, he bent down and placed a soft kiss onto the top of her head.

"I'm just glad you're here with me, Jade." Draco closed his eyes, burying his face into her hair and inhaling her sweet, familiar scent.

"I don't know what I'd do without you by my side." He admitted quietly.

At his words, her arms went to wrap slowly around him, hesitantly pulling him closer against her so that he could feel the rapid beating of her heart against his chest.

When he didn't say anything else after that, content to simply hold her in his arms, Draco felt her lean upwards, her soft lips ghosting over the outer shell of his ear.

"There is no place else I would rather be, my Prince."

Notes: More interactions with the Ravenclaw Kingdom and its Royal Family in the next chapter! And maybe a quick interaction between Theo and Jade? ;D And lastly, let's not forget to anticipate more displays of jealousy from our favorite female general and our cocky Slytherin prince! ;D

Comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? Tell me what you think! :D