Already he was beginning to hear the whispers of his possible arrangement. Yes, there was some truth to the matter of him being wed to some Pridelander girl, but it still didn't stop him from glaring at passing guards and hunters that chuckled as he walked passed them. If anything, their laughter caused the young Duke to grow angry at the idea of leaving the pride to marry some lioness he only knew from what the falcons told him.
Still, his mother would want him to be nice and presentable when he finally did leave and what better way to impress then with a gift. Luckily he didn't have to go far since the West was known for their fine arts.
One of his family's friends had spoken of a new lioness who had joined the West, an artisan who was apparently strikingly beautiful from what other drunken workers had spoke of to his attendants and friends. He would be the judge of that though. The young duke, who wore his full white mane proudly, made his way down from his family's den and towards the commons of the West's house. He didn't know where to find her, but he had some ideas.
"Lan Yan!"
For one, she was known to be quite loud.
"Lan Yan, come baaack. I'm sorry! I needed one of your feathers for this headpiece though!" A rather beautiful little lioness came jogging out of the mouth of a den, chasing after a small bird that looked strikingly similar to her own pelt.
"Hmph." It tweeted back, "Good luck trying to complete it without me!" And with that final grumpy reply, the avian was gone into the trees.
Sinking down onto the ground, Angara just stared up into the sky. Now how was she going to finish the headpiece for the performer who needed it to be done by nightfall and even now the sun was already at it's highpoint. It would only be a few hours before it finally set. A sigh made it out of her mouth as her head sank along with her eyes. Just as she turned to go back into the den, she saw the steel blue lion standing there, just...watching with a confused look on his face.
"Oh gods, I'm sorry. You saw that didn't you?" She hardly noticed the lavender clouds or the facial markings under his eyes that marked him as part of the royals of the West.
"I did." Han confirmed, his bright eyes following up to the treetops where the bird had disappeared into. "Was that bird a friend of yours?" He knew his grandfather had one as did many members of his family and in the West house. He just hardly saw them act so...undignified for lack of a nicer word.
"Oh, Lan Yan? Yeah she's a friend of mine. An assistant really, but my friends tell me the gods gave her to me as a gift since she's so similarly colored to me. Or that she's me from another life, who knows really!" There was an awkward chuckle in there somewhere. "So, what can I do for you?"
"Well, I was told you're a wonderful crafter within the West."
"There was quite a bit of embellishment in whatever you were told. I'm still an artisan with large goals."
"Goals, like what?" Now he was curious and it showed.
"Weeell, I'd love to see the Lady wear something I made one day. Oh, oh, maybe the Empress as well. Wow, could you imagine the talk of the pride I'd be if either wore my things?"
"I could actually." It was refreshing to not be doted on the moment she noticed him but at the same time it was strange to not have her fawning over him, seeing to his every need. It was something he had wanted for some time. "I may be able to help with the first, but I'm unsure of the second."
"You could?!" Well that caught Angara by surprised. Both of her ears swung forward as he had her full attention now. "How?!"
He chuckled before responding, "I'm the son of Lady Zhong Zhao. So if I gift my mother something, I'm sure she'll wear it at least once, possibly more if I'm around."
Son of...Lady...Zhong Zhao?! "Wait, wait, wait. You're a DUKE?! And you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't think I needed to." While he enjoyed not being treated special, seeing her react to finally figuring out who he was was amusing.
"Well then...what can I do for a Duke of the West house?" She asked, suddenly sitting up straighter, her voice more level as she tried to suppress her excitement of just being around him.
"I'm looking for a present for my to-be bride." He began, pacing slightly as he spoke of a lioness he hadn't even met yet. "She's in the Pridelands. All I know is that she's the daughter of a goddess and that she's beautiful. I wanted to get something help accentuate that natural beauty. I was hoping you might be able to help me." Han stopped his pacing just as his words did as well. He looked at the artisan, almost pleading her to help him, to accept his request to make him something.
"I...I think I can help you with that." This was such a high-priority item that maybe the performer would understand if their mask was a few days late. "Is there anything specific you want on it?" Angara watched him intently, trying to make mental notes of everything he said to her now.
"I was thinking something simple. Maybe a necklace since those would be easier for her to take off if it got in the way. A gem would be nice. I'm...not even sure what her eye color is or else I would suggest something similar to that for it." All of his attention was on Angara now. Those workers weren't kidding when they talked about this lioness' beauty. If he hadn't already been promised to the Pridelands... "What do you think?" Han asked, trying to swerve his thoughts away from the path they had been heading.
"I...I think that sounds lovely." The smile she gave was a forced one, but it was a good one. "She sounds like she'll be a very lucky lady to have such a caring mate make sure she had nice things to wear." Boy, it had to be nice to be a royal where the only thing you had to worry about was what kind of jewelry to get your mate. "I should be able to have it done in a few weeks. I don't want to rush it so it will take longer than my commissions usually do."
"Of course. I would have been surprised if it had been done sooner. Would it...alright if I came to check on it every now and again? I'd like to see its progress."
"That is one request I can't agree to." Angara stated with a firm shake of her head. "My work is not to be seen by the public until it is completed. It ruins the flow of my creative thoughts and cause my mind to freeze up, unable to continue with the piece. At such a time I would have to scrap my work in progress and start completely over."
That made sense, but there hadn't been any harm in asking. Han nodded, giving the lioness a friendly smile. "Your terms and time are acceptable. I look forward to getting a visit from you with the finished piece then. With a bow of his head to her, he turned and made his way back up towards the royal dens, leaving her stunned at what had just happened.
[word count: 1301]