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Crossing Borders (LustfulSins&Mari)

This time, Evindal does scowl. A lie? How could it be a lie? The proof of King Nasir's affections to the elven queen had been obvious Evindal's entire life. But Kaine's anger is clear, and the hiesen prince remembers that Kaine doesn't get angry over little things.

"Kaine, I-" A stone chatters down the bank. The elven prince's raised voice attracted a hiesen patrol. Murmured voices can just barely be heard overheard. Evindal stands and leans over Kaine, hands braced on the underside of the bridge behind the elf. His black clothing blends with the shadows, and the pair of faintly glowing green eyes that peer around the far side of the bridge skim over them, then disappear, not seeing the two figures.

Evindal relaxes after several heartbeats. "Look, I don't know what to tell you. We should focus on doing what we can here. Send an envoy with a written offer to supply my men and make Hollow Point neutral ground within two days. I'll do what I can after that to convince my father."
 
Kaine froze when he heard a stone, looking to the opening. Patrols were likely and this was one of them. His attention moved back to Evindal. Would he give him up to them? It would be easy, the enemy prince caught in 'their' territory. It seemed that wasn't his plan though as the other man leant over him, hiding the two of them from prying eyes. Soon, the patrol moved on and Evindal moved back.

He didn't like leaving their meeting like this, but he couldn't think of a way to extend it. He couldn't think of a way to wrap it up in a happier manner. "I will" He agreed. He would convince his father, if he told him it would save lives in Hollow Point, he would agreed. All they wanted was people to be safe. "But...in three days, meet me back here. Okay? After the truce has been decided"
 
Evindal hesitates to answer when asked to meet again, but ends up nodding. "Alright. Three days, midnight again." The hisen prince turns and scales the bank quickly. There's no sound as he crosses the bridge, returning to his camp.

Back at camp, nobody has noticed the prince's absence. Evindal slips into his tent unnoticed, sighing deeply. He has a lot to think about. How could it be a lie? It goes against everything he's been told, growing up. Even his mother believed what she'd been told, the one time Evindal had asked. He had then quickly been hushed, and told not to ask again. Evindal shakes his head, stretching out on his bedroll and closing his eyes.
 
Kaine watched as Evindal left, waiting for a few moments before he too left. He didn't like that he felt so empty. He returned back to his tent without attracting anyone else's attention, a feat he was proud of considering he was initially certain that someone would have noticed him. It seemed that the supposed victory had made his people more relaxed. They were enjoying their evening, celebrating the lives of those that they had lost.

Before he went to bed, he wrote out another letter to his father. He didn't have to be too convincing but he outlined a plan to leave Hollow Point, to have it become neutral ground, and to pass on supplies. He sent it with a messenger straight away, seeing no reason to delay.

The next evening a messenger would bring a formal truce to Evindal with the stipulations that had already been decided.
 
Kaine's messenger was received politely, if not warmly. Tensions ran high through the camp at the site of an elf dressed in white, to signify his status as a messenger, being escorted through the hiesen camp to Evindal's war tent. The message is received quickly, and the prince shoos the messenger away just as quickly. He keeps himself composed, acting as though he had no idea such a truce offer were coming.

Within the hour, Evindal has sent a hawk to the hiesen capital of Oln, where his father would receive the offer, along with his report and reasons for believing this is a good offer to take. Knowing his father is not one to hurry through decisions, Evindal spends the next two days running his warriors through drills, keeping them busy and tired, so none would question the decisions behind Evindal's report.

King Nasir's confirmation, and acceptance, of the truce offer of Hollow Point, is received late at night the third day. Evindal is to be in charge of building a more permanent encampment here, so supplies from Hollow Point can be received, inspected, and sent on to other battalions of the hiesen army spread along the nation's border. Evindal is quick to inform his men, then tells them he is not to be disturbed for any reason, and slips out the back of his private tent to meet up with Kaine. The hiesen prince is hidden in the shadows beneath the bridge, blending with the darkness, when Kaine arrives.
 
Kaine had informed his fighters of the potential agreement, but they hadn't moved. They didn't know if it would be accepted and they didn't know if their offer would be taken as an opportunity to attack. Kaine tried to keep the morale of his fighters up, running through drills with them and spending time in the wooded area near their camp. They always thrived in nature, and even in the midst of war that wouldn't change.

As the days passed and the third night came, Kaine was nervous. Part of him was worried that this truce would lead to their destruction, as silly as that may seem. He didn't want a decision he had made, a course of action he had suggested, to lead to them losing. He retired early on the third night, bidding his fighters goodnight before pretending to go to sleep. Instead of sleeping though, he snuck out to meet Evindal.

He found the bridge again, going underneath and smiling when he saw Evindal. "You came" He said. Admittedly, he'd been worried that he wouldn't show. It would be disappointing. "Has it all be agreed?"
 
Having been standing with his eyes mostly closed, to lessen their slight glow, Evindal is slightly surprised Kaine had spotted him. He stands without thinking, an automatic reaction of respect toward another. He can't help but notice the relief in the elven prince's voice. "Of course I came. You asked me to." There's a slight intonation of confusion as to why Kaine would think otherwise. A hiesen's pride is their loyalty to their word.

"All is agreed. The confirmation came just shortly ago, so I haven't sent a messenger to your camp. I felt it unsafe to do so in the dark of night. No need to make a messenger seem as an assassin." Evindal gestures for Kaine to be seated, even waiting until the elf sits to return his own rear to the stone he'd been occupying. "With luck, this truce will hold, and a permanent encampment can be built, with supplies from Hollow Point, on the Idunn side of the bridge."
 
The others matter of fact way, the way he thought it was obvious he'd show was rather sweet. He had always been a man of his word, really Kaine should have expected it. He was comforted by the agreement being made. He could have sent a messenger, they would have been accepted with the courtesy they deserved. The elves were welcoming and wouldn't turn away a chance at peace.

"I hope so" He murmured, seeing this truce as the first chance at peace. If they could make this hold then they would have a better chance at making a permanent peace hold. "But what about everything else? What about Galmeira? Is that where you father will be going next? We won't be able to reach a truce like this...how do we end this?"
 
Evindal shakes his head, sratching his jaw with a clawed finger. The sharp tip leaves a faint red line, though it's difficult to see it in the dark. Those gauntlets alone could serve as a weapon if the hiesen prince wanted. "It's unlikely my father would head for Galmeira if you have Hollow Point's mainland bridge armed. Galmeira's a port city, yes, but better defended that Hollow Point. He would need a larger force than I have with me, and it wouldn't be easy to get that force across two bridges in a timely manner."

Evindal pauses, thinking. His gaze becomes distant, unfocused. "He's been spreading his forces along the Itran Split, but there was talk of gathering to lay siege to Seylia, before I left to come here. Seylia is strong. I did scouting there last year. And nearly got caught."

Evindal blinks, refocusing on Kaine. "Nevermind that. I want to know about you. For one, I never figured you for a close combat fighter. Maybe an archer." Evindal changes the subject. As much as he wants to help Kaine, his loyalty to his father prevents him from revealing too much of his father's plans.
 
Kaine had meant Galmeira as an example but he did take some comfort in knowing that it was unlikely to be attacked soon. Any comfort he had taken was soon washed away by Evindal's next statement. "Seylia, of course..." He murmured, shaking his head in annoyance for not having thought of it himself. It was the logical option and Kaine hated. A place he had only fond memories of falling to war...

It didn't seem like he was going to get a plan out of Evindal any time soon.

He chose not to argue for the moment, instead smiling when he was asked about himself. It was strange to be asked about himself, especially in this sort of situation. "It wasn't my first choice but apparently I'm good at it, it's needed. We have enough archers, and ones that are a lot better than me"
 
"I'm sure you'd make a great archer, Kaine. Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm surprised King Killian is allowing his only heir to be on the front lines, though. What I something happens to you?" Evindal settles his hands on his thighs briefly, then clasps them together. His left leg bounces slightly, until he leans down to pick up a small stone. He tosses it lightly between his steel gloved hands, not needing to look at it to know where it is in the air.

It's as though he physically can't sit still. Social interactions, outside of war planning, are not something he has much experience in. It makes him nervous, because he doesn't know how to respond or react to many things. "What about magic? Do you still pursue that?"
 
Kaine was flattered but he knew the truth. He wasn't a bad archer by any means, there were just so many better than him and so it made sense for him to fill a gap elsewhere. "I could say the same for you. What would your father do if something happened to you?" He returned the question. "The people need to see that we're with them, that we're willing to put ourselves on the line instead of just risking their lives" It was something that his father strongly believed in, a belief that Kaine had been brought up with as well.

"I do" He said, picking up a bit of moss from the rock and holding it in his hand. The ball rose up, hovering in front of him for a few moments before it began to glow and draw circles in the air. It circled around Evindal a few times before returning to him. "I still prefer the tricks to anything more practical, although it's all a lot easier now"
 
Evindal tilts his head, like the thought his father would be concerned with his safety is confusing. "My father would just have another son if I died." The hiesen prince shrugs as though it's not a big deal. Clearly, love was not something Evindal had grown up with.

Evindal panics when the moss ball starts glowing, zipping around him. The moment it stops moving, he snatches it out of the air, folding his hands around it to block the light. "Are you crazy?! What if someone sees the light?" Evindal's panicked voice is half whisper, half yell.
 
It was sad to hear the other's words, as if he was resigned to the fact that he might die and then his father would just move on. His parents would be heartbroken if something happened to him, they would mourn Evindal's death should it come. It was...it was a little too much for him to think that his own parents would be more effected by Evindal's death.

Kaine brought his hand up to his mouth, hiding a quick laugh. "No one can see it" He assured him, standing and going over to him. He placed his hand over the other's folded ones. "I use them as ways to pass messages. I used to do it at home but it's surprisingly useful on the battlefield. No one but the one I want to can see it" He'd created it as a way to let his parents know what he was doing, so they wouldn't worry. Now, he mostly used it to pass orders around or to check on those that he thought needed help.

"Open your hands, hold it to your ear, you'll be able to hear my voice" It would just say hello, but it was enough to get his point across. "Usually they would hover and pass their message before falling back to the earth"
 
Evindal's eyes drop to Kaine's hand over his own. He has no idea how to react to the touch. All the touches he was raised with were either harmful and warning grabs. But Kaine's hand is light. The hiesen prince blinks to refocus his attention on Kaine.

Evindal frowns slightly at the explanation of the glowing moss ball, not entirely convinced that only he and Kaine can see it. But he does as told, lifting the small object to his ear. The result is a shiver up his spine. It's so foreign for him to hear a quiet voice in his ear, especially Kaine's, that he automatically drops the moss ball. The heel of his steel clad hand rubs his ear. "That is.. Strange magic. Carrying voices." Magic is not something the hiesen can practice.
 
Kaine pulled his hand back, smiling as Evindal did as he asked and actually laughing when it was dropped. He supposed it was disconcerting if one wasn't used to it. The disembodied voice of the prince was normal for those that had spent time with him, he'd lost touch with Evindal before he had learnt this skill. He wondered if he would have been able to extend it's range if Evindal had been around. Maybe they could have stayed in touch that way...

He sat down beside the other prince, taking the opportunity to get closer. So far a distance had been between them, now he would try and lessen that. He wanted his friend back. "It is strange, but it's useful. I've been extending the distance I can send it" He said, enjoying talking like this. It was as if they were just catching up. "Mother got me a tutor specifically for magic. She wanted me to learn as much as I could"
 
Evindal gets a bit nervous at having Kaine sit beside him, but he just folds his clawed hands together to hide it. He listens as Kaine speaks of being tutored, and supported by Maeryn. Kaine was not as lucky, though it could have been worse. "It's good you were able to pursue magic. What little time was not spent eating, sleeping, or training, I was with my mother learning to read and write, as when as the complexities of numbers. Beyond that, we did nothing together. Now that I am rarely home, my mother is little more than a concubine to my father."

A chill wind blows beneath the bridge, along the river from the sea, carrying with it a slightly salty scent. Evindal inhales deeply, turning his face to the wind. "Hm. It's going to rain tomorrow." Evindal turns back to Kaine, touches a pointed finger to the side of his nose. "Living in the desert, one learns fast the smell of coming rain."
 
Again, Kaine was struck with sadness as he thought about the upbringing that Evindal had. They were both princes, both meant to be raised to rule a kingdom, but it seemed that their parents planned for two very different kingdoms. He took a breath, shaking his head. "That's...unfortunate. Queen Riela was always so lovely when I spoke to her" He said, remembering a kind woman. Perhaps that was because he was a child but he remembered her fondly. It was sad to think of her without the love of her husband.

He was initially confused as to how Evindal knew that rain was coming but he explained without being questioned. "Ah, that does make sense. Rain must not come often for you" He said, a small smiling coming to his lips. "I love the rain, it's relaxing" He used to stand out in the rain as much as he could. He'd end up getting sick but he always thought it was worth it.
 
Queen Riela is indeed a lovely woman, full of kindness and empathy. It's purely unfortunate that King Nasir's mind is poisoned by jealousy and hatred. Evindal shakes his head. "My mother manages to smile most days. She likes carving, so I often bring her petrified wood or small hardened branches whenever I return to Oln."

When Kaine speaks of loving the rain, Evindal scowls. "Rain is awful, even if it's much needed when it comes. In Iduun, it rains for days, and it rains hard. Nobody goes outside, lest they risk death." With the hiesen being cold-blooded, lack of heat and an inability to warm up make cold rains dangerous.
 
"Ah, that is a very different rain to what we have" Kaine said, nodding slowly as he thought about how scary that sort of rain could be. "Our rain...it rarely lasts more than a couple of hours, it can be gentle, and is more comfortable than standing under a waterfall" Whether or not Evindal had experienced that, he didn't know.

"Now a truce has been agreed, will you be staying near Hollow Point?" He asked. His father would likely want something more permeant made on the other side of Hollow Point, just in case the hiesen king changed his mind on the truce. Kaine would stay whilst that was set up and, he hoped, he would be able to continue seeing Evindal. He wanted to end the war, wanted Evindal to realise that he had been lied to, but he also wanted his friend back. If meetings under the bridge were the way to keep him then that was what he'd have to do.
 
The chill wind blowing in from downriver is already starting to affect the hiesen prince. He blinks slowly, processing what Kaine has said. Then he realizes his slow response time and rubs his hand along his thigh. Give an answer and leave. "My father wants to build a more permanent camp. I'm to be commander of the camp, so yes, I'll be here a while. My apologies, Kaine, but I must go now."

The hiesen's cold-blooded nature is a closely guarded secret, so Evindal offers no explanation as to his sudden departure. He also leaves to quickly to set another meet date. He can't let Kaine see him sluggish, even if he wants to be able to trust the elven prince. Back at camp, he slips in the back of his private tent and is quick to make a fire in the brazier. Outside, his men are already packing in things they can't afford to get wet. They, too, can smell the coming rain.
 
Kaine was initially happy to hear that Evindal would be staying nearby. It gave him hope, but that happiness moved to confusion when Evindal quickly left. "I..yes, I'll..." He started unsure of how to say goodbye now that he was leaving. He hadn't expected it so soon. He left before he could arrange another meeting, before he could explain his wish for more meetings. He stayed when he was for a few moments, collecting his thoughts before returning to his men.

The camp was quiet, everyone resting. There were a few outside, sitting and talking by fires or on patrols. Kaine found it oddly peaceful for a war camp. He got himself ready for bed, deciding to wait for the official acceptance of the truce before he tried to contact Evindal. Once asleep, his dreams were of pleasant childhood memories, all of him playing with Evindal and hoping that they wouldn't have to be parted so soon.
 
The rain comes in the night, and turns out to be more of a storm traveling inland. The hiesen camp is able to stay warm long enough outside to better tie down their tents and supplies, but nearly the entire camp is sluggish come morning. Even Evindal is slow moving. The storm doesn't end with the night, but the truce agreement must be delivered. Evindal's messenger is bedridden, his fire having gone out in the night. So the hiesen prince rebuilds the man's fire, then borrows his white messenger cloak for himself. Evindal has always lacked a sense of self preservation, bow is no different.

Taking only his clawed gauntlets, as messengers carry no weapons, Evindal pulls the white cloak over his own oiled black cloak. The thin fabric of white one is soaked in mere moments, and though Evindal's oiled cloak does shed the water easily, it does little to hold in heat. No choice, the agreement must be delivered. Evindal mounts the messengers horse, turning it across the bridge for the elven camp.

He only makes it halfway through the village of Hollow Point before he tilts sideways off the horse and hits the ground. A villager passing by is quick to call for help. Even though Evindal is hiesen, it's an unspoken rule that messengers are afforded every kindness. The prince is unconscious as he's taken to an inn and settled into a bed. The innkeeper finds the carried message scroll and sends it along to the elven camp, as well as news of the strangely downed messenger.
 
The rain was somewhat worrying, and with what Evindal had said the night before, Kain wondered if they messenger would come. He knew what was happening, but he couldn't begin preparing, couldn't let his father know, until they had the official agreement. It was a frustrating position to be in. Kaine attempted to focus on other things though. After all, he had to think about Seylia. There were preparations to be thought about.

A message does come, but not with the messenger Kaine had expected. A heisen was expected, not a villager from Hollow Point. He took the message and the news of the messenger, paying the villager for bringing the message the rest of the way before sending them back home. He reading the scroll, finding it contained what he expected it to. He told his men of the truce and sent his own messenger to take the scroll to his father. He would send a letter later. For now...

For now he was concerned about the messenger. From what he was told, the messenger had been on his way and had fallen. It wasn't clear what was wrong with him. Feeling a gesture need to be made, even if that gesture was mostly to settle his own nerves, Kaine made his way to Hollow Point.

He reached the inn and immediately requested to see the messenger. He was brought to the room and was surprised to see, not an ordinary messenger, but Evindal. He didn't make his true identity known to those in the inn and instead sent them away. "Please, get a physician ready. I'll pay for anything needed and will come and get you when he had woken" He gave his orders, hoping they would be followed even though this was a neutral point now. Did the people know that yet? He chose to deal with politics later and instead went to sit by his friend's bedside.
 
The hiesen prince had been removed of his cloaks, the white one hung above a bucket to drip water. His steel gauntlets were placed on the small table beside the bed. Though his skin is ice cold, the villagers had presumed it was because he'd been out in the storm. However, he hadn't been shivering from cold. Little did they know, Evindal had been so cold that his muscles couldn't even shiver. As he slowly warms, thanks to being in the relatively warm inn, he does start to shiver, a lot.

Evindal's eyes flutter, then barely open. He's not really conscious, not yet, though his head does turn toward the figure at his bedside. In this state, Evindal's caution is non-existant, his mind fogged. His thin lips part slightly, and his voice is barely audible. "Cold.."
 
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