Every princess needs a handmaid

No sooner had Artorias called in for her, his ears picked up the sound of scrabbling paws, and then Briar came barreling out of the den to all but throw herself at him. He gave a soft "oof" as he caught her and laughed, smiling wide while he returned her happy kiss, the familiar feel of her lips on his making his heart skip a beat while he wrapped her up in his forelegs and held her close. "Well hello, Princess! I missed you too!" he remarked with a bit of jest, booping the end of her snout with his own before letting her go when she realized they weren't alone. Artorias followed Briar's gaze to Lia, who was doing her best to look as submissive as possible. Briar asked who she was while she leaned against him, and Artorias wrapped a paw around her waist to keep her held to his side.

"Briar, this is Idalia. She also goes by Lia. She, uh... She's the reason your father and I went on this trip," he explained. "Your dad was invited to a special sort of market. They sell literally everything—including wolves. He thought it would be good worldly exposure for me to see what some aspects of the world are like, and since he was going to buy some wolves to turn into warriors, he said I should consider purchasing a servant, so I can learn the process and something to consider when I become Aegis." He looked back to Lia with warm eyes and gestured towards her. "Lia is our new servant. She's incredibly sweet, very bright, obedient, well-mannered, and a great conversationalist. We're going to give her a much better life than what she had, and in turn, she'll do virtually anything."

He turned back to Lia then, beckoning her to introduce herself to Briar. "Lia, this is Briar Fatalis, Princess of the Armada. She's the wolf I've been telling you about." Beaming at his girlfriend once more, Artorias added on, "Oh, and just so you're in the know, Lia is going to be serving as your personal handmaiden until you both move to the Hallows, so she'll be staying in your care once I have to return home."

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"