The Rebel and the Prince [Kaziel and Seraph]

[Seraph]

The war had taken root in everything people did or were allowed to do. Every little bit had to be given to the war effort. In the beginning, it hadn’t been that hard. Everyone had thought it would have been over in a matter of weeks, perhaps a few months if all didn’t go exactly to plan. When the soldiers had come to the towns on their horses and conscripted men, no one had said it could last years. Years in which crops could fail, production would slow down, years in which one never knew if their father, brother, uncle, or son were dead.

It shouldn’t have come as that much of a shock that people grew irritated and disheartened with the lack of progress. Whispers of the king being a tyrant were rampant and it came to no surprise to the small village when young men—healthy young men—started to disappear from their village. The voice of revolution spoke up in bars and brothels, to anyone who would listen. They accepted anyone who wanted to help, despite age, status, or gender.

She looked down at the dress she wore with a mild appreciation. The cause had given her many fine things in order to masquerade as gentry. She glanced at the mirror and touched the small chain of pearls around her neck. She was posing as the niece of another rebel, Duke Cheres, and she was content with the role and with the knowledge of what she would have to do—what she had started to do. Elizabeth was to gain any information that the rebels could use to overthrow the King. It had been hard at first when she arrived months ago, but the court had accepted her soon after.

The only problems came from knowing what was “good” information verses what was “bad”. She had been told that they would spin lies and tales to confuse her, but she had to remember their goal—freedom and peace. As long as the war finished, she thought pleasantly as she walked into the ballroom, everything will be fine after. She glanced around at the well-dressed court and suppressed a glare as the well-fed and opulent didn’t seem to be affected at all by the war. Every few weeks a party like this was held, only this time, she grudgingly admitted there was a reason: the prince’s birthday.

She wondered which of his consorts would be on his arms this evening, or would he surprise the court with a new who—consort, she amended to herself as she took a glass of champagne from a servant.

 

[Kaziel]

The Prince sighed. His escort to his birthday ball had not shown up yet... where the devil was she? Of course, all things considered, if this was all that went wrong today it would hardly be considered a bad day. He'd gotten the new rapier from his father, along with some various gifts from some of the ladies who sought his favor as always. From then on, he was given the day off from his studies and other duties, so he took the time to relax, something he had such precious little time to do. Before he knew it, his maid had come to prep him for the ball.

In truth he loathed such gatherings, both a waste of time and money. He had spoken about it to his father, but he hadn't really understood the situation until then. Such lavish displays would keep the upper class believing things were okay. His father was, indeed, the king of the land, but a well backed rebel could depose of the current king, and if they let on that things were not the status quo, such a thing might be attempted. He had been but sixteen when he asked about this, too young to have realized this on his own. Now, much older, he understood why... but he didn't like it any more than he did before.

This year he turned twenty... the age of adulthood. He knew he still had years before his father stepped down from the throne, but all the same, he still had duties to attend to, such as continuing his training in the martial and civil disciplines, or attending meetings concerning the state of the war.

Standing up, decently tall in this day and age at 5'9", he was dressed in a fine red coat, white undershirt, red slacks, and a pair of black leather boots, he scowled, his light brown eyes staring at the door where his consort should have already arrived. He kept his face well shaved, and his hair properly kept. His hair was up in a ponytail, the tip of it dangling slightly beneath the edge of his collar.

"Well." He said to no one, "It seems the good lady does not want to join me tonight... then I will merely find someone new. Someone more deserving." He stormed off to the entrance to the ballroom, and gave himself a moment to regain his composure before he was announced.

 

[Seraph]

Elizabeth, like most of the ladies in the room, dropped into a delicate and well-trained curtsy when the prince was announced to enter the ballroom. It had taken months for her to learn how to do a proper curtsy; one didn't bend at the waist too low or it was consider vulgar but not to bend low enough was an insult. If you were at certain affairs, one had to curtsy a different way--she had heard that the men in the cause that were in the noble class had mentioned there were fifty different ways to bow to a superior and only one way to make a mistake and lose your head. She glanced up as he entered, and tried to ignore the way her dark curls tickled her neck. It wouldn't do to burst out into laughter in the middle of his entrance.

While the first part of her job was to glean information from as many sources as possible, she had been told that if she could get into the prince's bed she would be rewarded quite well--a noble title in their new order. Elizabeth didn't much care for the title, but for the land that it would grant her when all was said and done. Her family, particularly her two little brothers, could do well on that land and it would give her family a good start. The job was made easier that the prince wasn't overly ugly, if anything he was quite handsome and that would make the task less distasteful. She just hoped that her dear departed fiance would understand what she was doing, and why. If this war had been fixed years ago...she shook her head slightly and listened to a few of the twitters in the crowd:

"Where is his escort--"
"Wasn't it supposed to be Ilena?"
"Do you think she was--"

She sighed and straightened as the required time to curtsy was over; count to ten and rise again, that was what she had been told. Stay down any longer and it will look as if you are trying to gain more favor from the crown, always tread lightly and play on the side of caution. Do not draw more attention to yourself than necessary.

 

[Kaziel]

The whispers began to float about the ballroom as he appeared without... whatever her name was. There were so many of them that he lost track of all those but his favorites, of which he had very few of. He could remember them if he saw their faces, but this girl obviously hadn't wanted to become a favorite of his that badly.

He began slowly walking down the stairs to the ballroom level and began glancing around. It would be ill suited of the Crown Prince to be without an escort tonight, and many of the unaccomanied ladies began snaking their way through the crowd in hopes of catching his attention. But... Ilena... yes that was her name... Ilena was that type, and he had been jilted by her. He glanced above the gathering crowd, looking for someone who was alone.

Two ladies stood out. First was Lady Ulena, the eldest daughter of the Lovos family. Duke Lovos was one of his father's most staunch allies, and he knew of Lady Ulena, though they were a few years apart and he had mostly interacted with her formally when visiting her younger brother, Alec, one of the Prince's closest friends. Next was a niece of Duke Cheres. He had seen her around court, but due to the generally bad blood between Davide Cheres and his father he'd kept his distance, thinking she had been sent here to try to gather something that could be used against them. It was still probably true, but he decided he would approach her... see about maybe improving the relations between their families.

He gave polite nods and a little bit of small talk as he wove his way through the crowd toward her. Sidling up behind her, he lightly touched her shoulder. "Hello, miss. I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced yet." he said, giving her his most charming smile.

 

[Seraph]

She sipped the champagne and savored the light and fruity flavor of this seasons finest, as she watched the Prince disappear into the crowds. Mostly likely to find some noblewoman to warm his bed for the evening, she thought with little kindness. Her thoughts remained dark as she contemplated various things before the ventured into lighter domains--such as age. Despite her dislike of the Prince and all of the nobility, she thought it funny how young he was. Before she had been excepted into her position, she had always though the crown prince older than her, yet when she arrived she found he was only nineteen. Making him twenty now, it was odd to find out that she, if the local drunk of a priest hadn't made a mistake on the registry, was almost a full year his senior, perhaps even two depending on which calender one used at the time.

She startled out of her day-dreaming at the light touch on her shoulder and she spun around quickly. Even though it was a knee-jerk reaction, she took care to mind her drink; it wouldn't do to spill it on whomever had disrupted her--oh! Her eyes widened slightly before she dipped into a curtsy, "Your highness."

She rose slowly and was slightly pleased that her dress had been of a more daring cut this evening than she had first wanted. Now, it could work to her advantage. She was pretty, in the very soft way of someone who had been living easy for the last year. Not overly slim, but not plump either and the soft pink of her dress set off the warm-tones in her skin. She smiled as she murmured, "Elizabeth Cheres, it is my pleasure, sir."

 

[Kaziel]

The Prince bowed slightly, not as deeply as Elizabeth did, but enough to be respectful. "And it is a pleasure to make your aquaintance, Lady Cheres." He let his eyes not too subtly trail down her body. Her dress was quite revealing for this type of event, but it certainly caught his attention.

"You are, I believe, the daughter of the sister of the good Duke?" He always kind of struggled at this point. He didn't know much about her, and never excelled at small talk. He was almost without peer as a warrior and general, but the diplomatic arts had always been hard for him. "So, what brings you to the capital?" His voice remained calm but he knew he was floundering. The music hadn't started, and asking her to dance, one of the few social arts he was at ease doing, was out of the question.

 

[Seraph]

Elizabeth smiled and gave a slight nod, "Yes, your highness."

She tilted her head to the side at the question, it hadn't been something she had been briefed on but she charged forward with an answer she hoped would be proper given the situation, "My mother thought that I could do with refinement from the courts my lord, and she thought that being in a small township with few prospects wouldn't do me any favors."

She flattened her palm against the skirt of her dress and straightened a none existent wrinkle in the fabric. She glanced to the side before she added, "Happy Birthday, Prince..." She flushed, "I appear to have forgotten your name, your highness. I might have had a sip too many."

 

[Kaziel]

"Oh it's okay. My name isn't said much these days. Too strung up with tradition of calling me the Crown Prince." He rolled his eyes ever so slightly at this, giving her a smile. "My name is William, but my friends call me Wil."

"And your mother seems like a caring and wise woman. She not only seeks the the betterment of her daughter, but also tending to her future." He smiled, but quietly groaned inside. Either she was a pawn of her parents, or a ladder climber. But... she certainly wasn't hard on the eyes. She could be a fun diversion... or maybe he was wrong. As self assured as he was, he knew he wasn't flawless, and his judge of Elizabeth could be completely off the mark. But only one way to find out.

"So, what what about Karina do you enjoy most? While I can't go out into the city often, when I do, the docks are one of my favorite locations. Being able to stand at the ends of one of the piers, just staring out into the blue sea, nothing else in sight is particularly inspiring."

 

[Seraph]

Elizabeth nodded with a slight smile, "My mother will be pleased with such a kind compliment from his highness." She swallowed hard as she thought about how to answer. The docks weren't her favorite place; she couldn't swim and had never felt comfortable going near water where she couldn't see the bottom. She gave a small shrug before she answered, "I've...never been allowed near the docks, my Uncle worries for my safety in such locations. But I am very fond of the Eastern Clock park; it's very peaceful there and I like to tend to the swans there..."

She paused before she added softly, "Though I do miss home. Seeing nothing but sky and plains for miles..." She trailed off before she shook her head, "I seem to have started ramble, Prince William, I hope I didn't bore you."