Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Heir Presumptive. [Ahnkuri x Kadavro]

Ahnkuri

Ahnkuri

Banned
Banished
Joined
May 15, 2012
Location
In your pants.
Ren hadn't thought much of being a royal at the beginning of his life. Confined to the central palace with constant supervision.. What kind of hellish existence was that? But, with time and maturity, he could cast eyes on the true nature of his blood. Independence was within grasp all year, with the exceptions of a few scattered conferences that required his presence. This lifestyle was well worth the burden of the occasional sending-off to some foreign territory where strange, inhuman figures hid in hollowed trees and only the darkest of alleyways. Whether or not they were enemies was unknown, and would remain unknown. The King, his father, refused to send any royalty to scout those select areas out of fear that he would lose power. No, he wasn't scared of losing family... at least, not for the reasons one should fear it. He was petrified of the kingdom believing that he couldn't protect the few people he was meant to protect beyond all the rest. Politics was perception.

Yes, politically-obsessed relatives aside, he enjoyed life here... Northern Wolken sated his desire for the cold more than any other location in the kingdom could. And, at the rare chance he might be pressed to warmth, his own modest but private palace offered all the luxuries he could think to ask for. His limbs were sprawled across the arms of his favorite chair as he considered what he might do for the day... He had happily delegated many of his tasks as a royal to hand-selected and mostly trusted men beneath him. His knight escort, consisting of four armor-clad soldiers, stood stiff and silent around him. No, they could not be persuaded to leave. Not unless he was in trusted company. The King's cowardice was to blame, yet again. Ren pushed his teeth to his lower lip, pulling a tendril of his short, black hair from his view before he stood. He was restless. He needed more. As if fate itself, a messenger came bustling through the massive double doors, bowing on the ground at his feet and telling him most pleasant news of his brother's anticipated return, which was to happen within the week.
 
The thunder crashed as a train of wagons rolled down a long road, seemingly undecided whether to clear u up due to the stiff spines and pride of the shackled men and creatures or to soak them into submission in the name of the Crown. An iron rod to one of their knees helped return things back to a steady drizzle as the chained men fell in a cascading effect, with those who didn't manage to get back up in tip having their hands trod under the spikes of boots meant for mud, while those who got up too quickly faced the chance of a rearing horse kicking them so as to avoid "escape attempts". Where would they have gone though? The road only went one way and the forests and fields could suck the unwary down to their throats. "BACK IN PACE!" The beastly large lipped creatures in the front were pulled up from the cobbled ground, where they had been trying to get as much water as they could out of habit. The bloated creatures were struck until they began to pull those behind them along, even if they still lay on the ground.

Ahead a large knight road on an even even larger horse, larger than life in all aspects. The effect could have been do to the straightened back when others huddled from the rain and long trek. It may have been how he headed an the column like an arrow tip, the footsoldiers around him forming the barb while their heads only reached to his waist. It could have simply been the better diet and the stripes on the waterskins covering his saddle and beaten armor that caused the effect. The flaking gold over both may have simply set him apart, viewed behind by all not scrambling to get off the ground so far below him. .He didn't slow down at the commotion, nor did he speed or even turn. He would go as the empire did. Forward at the pace of a snail, spiraling outwardf from their home before heading forward over the land, all the while leaving a trail of slime before them. He was now doubling back on that same trail, build by the labor of the conquered, as quick as could be before the rain caught up, they were treated as brutally as could be so that the spark of rebellion within them allowed what sunlight could be collected into magic mirrors. And sometimes they needed to take a few of the newly conqured subjects along to warm things up. And so they continued along the road that led to the Centre,
 
The issue now was finding a way to get his brother in his palace. The conqueror would be returning only to the Central Palace... unless some other event drove him to take a more northern course. Ren had been meaning to actually have an intelligent conversation with his older brother for the longest time, but whenever they encountered one another they were always forced to debate politics and regulations. He knew next to nothing of his sibling, but he was sure the man would have much to say when given the opportunity. Unlike Ren, the other Prince was sent on tasks internationally pretty often. He didn't get to enjoy the peace that Ren had been able to afford, for an as of yet unknown reason. Was the King being possessive of his greatest warrior and most revered son, or was the reason something else entirely?

Ren stopped all considerations. Thoughts meant nothing compared with demands. "Knights, you are to send a messenger to the Central Palace detailing my desires... I need a new four. Lower in rank. Maybe with less strict ties to my father, if such a thing can be said without punishment." He shrugged. This request would benefit him three-fold. One, he would be without supervision during the knights' travel. Two, the new knights that would come north to meet him might be less wary and possibly more willing to depart his presence without excuse. And three, the opportunity for his older brother to visit Ren's palace would be presented. Less rules, more socialization. The knights seemed reluctant to follow the command, but did so nonetheless. Ren saw them off, waving them good-bye from the front doorway and pausing once they had gone to admire the relentless rainfall.
 
The march went on. At times there were openings in the clouds, light pouring in like halos off on sidepaths above towers or speckled above cities who managed to hold onto their own charters or show dissident. Some of the weaker prisoners were sold to them, who loved them for their novelty, spirit, and potential fountains of knowldge. At times though... Sole individuals came to the roadside, looking over the condemned in the roads and carts as they trotted along. Man, women, something else... It was best not to ask what it was they were nor why they alternated in picking people with no discernable pattern and trying to collect some sort of set. Into the strongbox of the lead carriage the metals went, with enchanted items, potions, and amber joining the war booty. "Halttt-" A sentry further up the road found himself facing down a host of men who came up from the side of the road. The new soldiers who joined from the subdued area had jumped off the horses they were riding doubleupped on, scimitars at the ready.

"There is no sun!" The sentry pleaded after seeing the uniforms of the knights in the front. And there was very little light, it was true. What little there was came from above the soldiers and prisoners. There wasn't dissident with this man, though it wouldn't rule out him being a brigant. Knowing the stares from some of the leaders, the man tried to clear up things before they got messy. "The people around here are loyal! The skies have rewarded us so much that the road has overflowed, with mudslides above and below!" And they soon got the story of how they wouldn't be able to get through in large groups. Too great a risk of the prisoners drowning or escaping and off the booty being soaked through and ruined. It had taken them far too much effort to keep everything dry. "Find the least loyal area and prepare to raze it." The leader in the golden suit commanded to an adjutant, who spread the word after his commander commanded it. They moved off to a side road heading northeast which winded about as the portions of the road not washed away tended to be in the forests and wastes, where the woods, wilds, and hunters had yet to be tamed, moving further and further to one of the less drenching areas. At which point they trampled some guy on a horse. "He needs another four knights?" The gilded man half muttered to himself after being shown the wet letter, part of the writing ruined from when the trampling caused the letter's container to leak. "Tend to the rider, remove the armor from his horse, the keep heading north." The man was coming from the south suggesting he hadn't been able to deliver the letter himself, probably also coming across some flooding. Garold could use a warm house. "I'm sure he won't mind a few guests." The host of hundreds moved onward, northward bound.
 
He didn't do much with the unsupervised time he'd negotiated the knights away for... but even just making tea in peaceful quiet without the sounds of clanking armor or the feel of eyes hovering felt oddly thrilling, as if turning a corner could mean an assassination attempt or an infamous thief stripping him of every lavish garment on his body. He almost enjoyed the appeal of someone attempting such a thing against him-- he might not have been the best warrior in the land, but he could hold his own against a petty burglar or a common mercenary out for his head. After so much time merely training alone, he craved an encounter that truly put him on the edge of life. Yes, his newly dismissed knights would've trained with him whenever he asked them to, but it wasn't the same. They always held back. Even simply bruising a royal was a punishable offense. No, no, Ren wanted to go against an enemy bent on his destruction. After all, what was the value in a fight if the stakes weren't devastatingly high?

He let the idea pass, pouring more tea into a glass chalice he was taken to for whatever reason. Maybe putting a harmless--even healthy--fluid in a chalice made to hold more intoxicating substances amused him. Hours had passed since he'd dismissed his guards, and so he decided to wait out the rest of the time before his new knights came in the archway of the open front entryway, analyzing each raindrop as it passed from eye level and smacked onto the cobblestone path leading to his palace. In the distance, he could see the silhouettes of men and horses taking form amidst the haze of rain. The clouds overhead cast an interesting glow on his skin that made him look--if possible--more pale.
 
After twenty days they seemed to have made it. Many prisoners fell ill and were cut from the chains, several of the camel creatures became bloated with too much water, and horse shoes were begining to rust. They were meant for dirt, not cobbles. Their grip was only so strong. The rapids through the ditches on the side of the road cut deep into the earth, often spilling over, the road a half-horizontal waterfall as they moved up the hill. This sort of thing tended to mean that the marchers were not a happy folk. Forward they went, glad for the chance for a dry room and a decent fire. "You can raid the taverns later." An officer in the rear of the swarm snapped at pikemen, trying to have his voice heard over the sound of the rain and footsteps. They had only stayed in the town long enough to ask for directions. It left quite a few men disappointed that they wouldn't be able to get to fill their bellies with drink and warm food. "Now come on!" He led them over a hill leading up to the entrance of the palace, where they found some pasty skinned person in a wet, half transparent shirt. "Come along!" They ordered, grabbing and dragging him out in the rein until they came to Garold.
 
As a group of unexpected visitors came into view, Ren could also make out his brother ascending the hill and coming toward the palace, which rested on a flat, plateau-like area that would be hard to miss even without the extravagant shelter positioned there. He made certain to get out of the way while welcoming the soldiers into the palace, telling them they could find bedrooms, running water, extra clothes, and a storing room--where a surplus of alcohol was kept--in the basement. The word 'basement' hinted that the area wasn't suitable for living... but in this palace, every inch of shelter was set to the utmost standards. The guards he'd ordered approached him and told him who they were before descending to the basement to clean up. As Ren's older brother crossed the threshold into the lobby, he put a smile on his face. "Travel seems to have taken a toll on your men and on you as well. I hope the palace provides what the road cannot, and more." When the words left his lips, they seemed much too formal for a greeting between brothers. His smile faded. He shook his head a little as he heard himself.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" That seemed a little more friendly. "It'd be good to talk to you once you've gotten comfortable. Or do you feel like sleeping instead? I have a room made up for you upstairs." He notioned to the grand staircase that seemed to be the centerpiece of the lobby, flanked on either side by a door that lead to the living space, formal chamber, and kitchen, among other things. Six lavish bedrooms with accompanying washrooms were upstairs for any guests of royal or otherwise significant blood. "How long do you intend to stay?"
 
The footsoldiers found the Prince to be rather odd, not minding having been pulled out into the rain, but instead welcoming everyone in with a chipper additude. Seemed a bit strange, but who could blame someone for not annoying a bunch of heavilly armed men? They went along there wayh to set up, a dozen armed men waiting at the doors to prevent a Prince being manhandled again, while Garold removed his helmet, revealing his heavilly tanned face to his brother. "Not long enough. You are still keeping yourself looked in here?" He looked down at the skin tone of his brother and the veins which could be seen under it. "Your blue blood shows through. It looks as if you didnæt even need cosmetics or leeching today." He gave a slight rise to an eyeborw, as if daring the younger man to be less than the oh-so-gracious host. "I well be taking the best bedroom, of course. My men will quarter in the halls and other rooms about for protection. Where will you be sleeping?" So many ways for him to exert dominance over his brother. Ren was no fighter. He might have been a thinker or a lover, but that only made him more of a threat. He risked nothing while Garold himself risked everything, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. It would be best to keep Ren in his plae so that he didn't try anything funny if the King died while the eldest son was on campaign.
 
While force wasn't becoming for company, the rain wasn't a matter he intended to avoid. And, naturally, he assumed the soldiers weren't in the best mental state after traveling so tirelessly to make it here-- some indecency was expected and planned for. A mistake of bluntness could be forgiven once, and so it was. Once. When he saw his brother's face, he arched an eyebrow. He'd almost forgotten what a tan looked like around Northern Wolken. "You'd be careful to avoid being mistaken for a knight, yourself." He effortlessly twisted what seemed to be a negative implication in the other direction. It had been much, much too long since they'd seen each other. Did disdain breed via distance? When Garold mentioned that he'd be taking the 'best bedroom', Ren was almost speechless. Almost. "I'd wish you good luck in finding it. All the rooms on the second floor are made to perfection." A conversation meant to welcome his older brother had turned into a diplomatic but assertive effort to bat away what seemed to be unpleasantness. When asked where he'd be spending the night, he blinked his stormcloud eyes-- yes, the atmosphere seemed to affect even this shade. "I doubt I've decided yet. Is my location so valuable?" He tried to keep suspicion of negativity from clouding efforts to understand Garold.
 
Maybe the boy was growing a spine. Couldn't have that. After giving a deliberatly judgmental look over his brother's frame and clothing he gave his response. "And best that you don't get mistaken for a squire." Garold clicked the spurs on his heels together, causing snaps of sound and light like that of a log breaking apart in a fire, causing an officer who had been standing ten yards off to come over with a folding table and a strongbox. "We came across your letter." The officer and prince both used their own keys to unlock the strongbox, which revealed a more ornate and watertight one wrapped in sheets. They then opened that one as well, taking out a leather folder. Another man came by, drying their gauntlets while a fourth removed them. A page soon followed with a pair of an gloves made from an exotic satin treated to avoid causing smudges. After pulling them over his large calloused hands he looked over one of the letters within a folder as his helmet was taken away.

"The letter we found is a bit damaged, though it suggests that you wanted the man we trampled to double your bodyguard count. Since we were as sidelined as that man on the flooded roads, we have decided to pay you a visit and see as to what you feel so threatened by." The carts were unloaded and the various comforts of the prince's war tent were brought in, the servants conscripted to help so that they wouldn't need to get too wet. "I will be taking the main bedroom as the most senior noble and officer here, though you can say that you offered it or that I was taking it as a decoy if you wish, to protect what little dignity that you have. "Despite your dainty hands showing you've never worked a day in your life you could pretend to be a servant to deal with whatever miscreant you are scared from. Can't have you all alone with the soldiers in the outfit you are wearing until they've had a few days at a brothel."
 
Ren, though clearly feeling insulted by the first comment, merely placed his fingers upon his lips in an effort to silence whatever he feared might spring from his vocal cords in reply. No, he wouldn't reply to something like that. His clothes were incredibly casual in the moment and he felt no need to justify nightwear by emphasizing the level of detail in the seamless stitching or the quality of the silk or the perfect texture of the leather. Not to mention, the design implied someone of value would wear it. After hearing that his messenger was trampled, a short gasp did escape his lips. He couldn't fight it back, but he did intend to piece together his resolve as he listened further. "I'm afraid you've misunderstood. I asked for four replacements, not additions." He shook his head. "I hope that wasn't the only purpose for your travel. You may have wasted your terribly valuable time." Antagonism was to be met with composure. "Do take whichever you perceive as the main bedroom. They come in colors. Ruby, sapphire, emerald, gold, onyx, and ivory." He wondered what his older brother was playing at by providing such tension without reason.

Upon the closing statement, Ren's eyes widened. "You would compare the purpose of a prostitute to your own brother?" At this point, it was difficult for him to justify Garold's words. Had he become so militant that he couldn't see through the eyes of a royal any longer? Such dialogue and criticism could not be made public, and should not be made at all. Though his jaw had dropped, he brought it back to its proper position and crossed his arms over his chest casually. "Do you confuse me with someone else?" Ignorance would supply the only excuse he could imagine for such behavior. "Select a room so that I may choose the farthest from it. I'd hate to offend such a sensitive man as you with my whore's oufit and dainty fingers." There was no room for tact in a tactless conversation, it seemed. "Yes, do see your men to the brothel. A hooker might teach you an ounce of propriety necessary to a Prince of this kingdom."
 
Garold waited as the runt of the litter pouted, looking as if he was going to suck his thumb before he gasped. "Would the replacement include the messenger?" He briefly looked over the collar of the nightshirt where the throat was exposed. "And no, this is mostly a detour. We will be quartering here for a bit, take care of any dissident around, then be on our way when the roads are repaired or a new route is found." Eyes widening, jaw dropping, forced huffiness... might have been too soon to say he grew a spine, even if he did leave the Centre. "It is not about what I believe about you, but about what the soldiers would think and do. They can be a bit... tactless. The concept of consent is not something that comes to those of our profession easilly." He wryly looked over the man, really only a boy in his eyes. "They are not nearly as chivalrous as those of us who use the horse. As for myself, I have no need for a courtesan at the moment. You are really the only one of a high enough rank for that at the moment yet I doubt you would be in much favor of that." He waved his arm to the stairs, then slightly shoved Ren if he didn't start to move. "Aren't you going to show your guest around? You seem to have forgotten your duties as a hostess, being so far away from civilized company."
 
After wrapping up his shock and neatly tucking it away in the back of his mind, he decided that, though whatever remnants of his brother's royal behavior were missing in action, Ren would not give in to overpowering feelings of disappointment mixed with growing resentment. "So that's why you spend so much time astray. You're training beasts to be beasts." He looked to the glossy floor for a moment before locking eyes with his brother. "Your utmost productivity aside, I can forgive them for their nature. They know nothing better." He let a diplomatic smile cross his lips. He laughed when his older brother called him a 'hostess' before alleging that he was uncivilized. "I have more pressing matters to attend to than escorting you about the palace. I'm disgraced by my inability to wait on your every desire, but some things can't be helped. Bedrooms for the honorable are upstairs, quarters for the socially inept are downstairs, and everything else rests on this floor. If we'd only met today, I would have you in the basement." He caught sight of his brother's moderately wandering eyes. "Have you anything significant to say before I leave you? More complaints about how I carry myself? Perhaps another power play or two? I'd be more than welcome to receive them."
 
'Ohh, ho?' Looked like he had been getting somewhere. The kid was cracking fairly easily. "Yes." He leaned over and patted him on the head. "Princes need to have backbone and a bit of a vicious streak. Good to see that you have some, even if one needs to wait for you to talk before they see it." Perhaps his brothers clothes were baggy to hide muscles or weapons? Probably still giving him too much credit. "I will leave you to whatever tasks of state you have, though would suggest that if you aim for the diplomatic angle in life that you don't cave in to a few comments." He walked away, his spurs scratching the polished floor before he turned his head over the beaten shoulder of his golden armor. "And keep in mind to never go out of your way to insult a person, even if the other already has, especially if they are the ones occupying your house in terrain unforgiving to those attempting to flee." He nodded politely to one of Ren's bodyguards, who would have been too late if there had been an actual attack. "And so you know, I am not ashamed of being a knight. Outside of the Centre I am a warrior first, as my orders have clearly stated. Why should I fear being associated with those who would and have thrown themselves between me and ballista?"
 
The reaction was nothing he could have expected based on precedent. He was left speechless for a moment before he could manage to contemplate anything articulate. Yes, even after all of that, his older brother still seemed fixed on some superiority complex. Nonetheless, it was. Respectful? He didn't think he'd be using that word at all this evening. So the act was a test? It was difficult to wrap his mind around the changing atmosphere in the lobby. So, his expectations weren't completely disappointed now? Where did that leave him? He could certainly feel insulted for the implication that he'd acted unreasonably in the face of crude antagonism, but he chose to let a relieved breath fall from his lips. "Very well. I'll take your words into consideration, but only once you hear mine." His leg kicked up behind him and he pulled a sharp, ornate dagger from within the boot attached. "I'm not helpless. Father seems to think I'm without hope when it comes to protecting myself, and I'd have him know that I'm not. He wouldn't believe just me." He seemed to be setting up a proposal, slipping the dagger beside his hip beneath the surface of his pants. "I want to reduce my bodyguard count to one instead of four. One of my choosing. If I forgave you for testing me in such an obscene way, would I have your signature?" It was something he'd been thinking about for a very, very long time... Ever since he was assigned bodyguards. Where others saw slender, he saw speed. Where others saw dainty, he saw unexpected. Ren knew his perceived flaws and, more importantly, he knew how to use them to his advantage.
 
"One moment." Garold had begun to write on armor of one of Ren's bodyguards before handing it to another man to deal with The letter was shown to the bodyguards, who where then ordered to take a five day leave of absence to rest. Whether or not they took up the chance or if they didn't think the order legitemate continue to guard the Prince or keep the others away was up to them. Either way, men were stationed in every hall, to keep a close eye on Prince Ren. Couldn't be having any accidents happening while they were visiting. Besides, if the King no longer had a spare he wouldn't risk his firstborn in expanding the Road is there wasn't someone to fall back on. "Pretty knife, but if you had any training or if it was sharp you wouldn't risk sticking it down your trousers unless you wanted to take up singing." As he didn't see a belt he imagined that the pants were fairly tight and would have been sliced through. It was good leather, though... "Forgive is not the sort of word to through around, as if you had power over someone. If you did, you wouldn't be needing to resort to extortion or blackmail." He signalled for his borhter to follow him then kept talking, whether or not he came. "Alright, we can testing how well you can defend yourself. If it is actually obscene, either in how well or badly you do, I will sign." Not as if it would make a difference.
 
Ren patiently examined Garold writing something against the armor of one of his bodyguards. One of the knights bowed before Ren and informed him of what was happening. A smile crept on the Prince's lips. Not exactly what he wanted, but it would do until a more permanent solution could rise to the surface. "I'd like the four of you to go no farther than the village, but we have enough room to have you stay here if you'd prefer it. Inform a messenger to deliver your decisions to me when they're made." They took their leave. It wasn't as though this would prove Ren could be truly independent, what with the soldiers lining the palace, but it was something more productive than he would've been able to do on his own. His smile widened when his brother questioned the etiquette and precision of his handling of the dagger. "I had a tailor install a sheath. Hiding a weapon beneath clothing is the best way to catch an enemy off guard, especially when he thinks he has the element of surprise." He lifted the dagger out and slipped it back in quickly, not showing any signs of pain or discomfort, to confirm.

Ren didn't know where his brother was going, but thought the conversation was worth continuing. "You really shouldn't be suspicious of my motives. Or, not yet. Get to know me before assuming I'm trying to win some hidden battle against you. I wouldn't call it blackmail... Do you think so poorly of me?" He was truly curious as to what his brother thought of him. They really didn't know each other well, so was he making assumptions based on reputation or drawing judgments for himself? "It's a trade. But if you feel that proof of my ability to defend myself is necessary, I'd be more than happy to show you. I may not have shining armor or some impressive sword, but being underestimated is my advantage in any fight." They continued on, wherever they were walking to. "It's nearing winter." He could feel it in the air with each draft of wind. Each day was colder than the last, and every winter came earlier in the north. Walls of snow would definitely limit actions around Northern Wolken.
 
'Instead of just having a different one in there rather than two sheathes for one blade?' He mused to himself as Ren followed after him, footsteps drowned out from the clanking of armor. The little rugrat seemed to be like a pixie, the way he buzzed about. He didn't bother to answer the part about what he thought of his little brother, instead looking through the opened doors as he headed to where men had taken his belongings. "You want one bodyguard, of a lower level than you currently have, and you have given no real reason for it." looked into a large room where some of the ill and partially wounded lay. "More wood," he ordered, nodding to the fire nearby the injured messanger from earlier. "If they don't have anything dry use the furniture." They probably would have anyways, but best to let them know they had permission. He continued onwards as a human model was taken into a room. "Have you tried it against someone who was actually trying to hurt you? Would you manage against kidnappers, assassins, or militamen?" He looked around, checking to see which room had been chosen for him. "You may be right about the weather though, for whatever reason you brought it up. I've been away from this sort for far too long and the seasons seem to change faster this far north." OBviously he would need to move sooner.
 
The older man didn't seem blatantly irritated by Ren, but he did seem busy. The black-haired Prince listened attentively enough, taking in the changing scene around them as they moved through the palace. "Is having more freedom not reason enough to request it? You and father seem to think I can't make responsible decisions. Having to go through you just to have such a simple order done is shameful.. and I'm through with being the breathing insurance policy if you die in battle." He seemed dead set on this. He really didn't feel the need to lay out the endless reasons for wanting less supervision, but he supposed the main one was that he wanted to travel more often. Even just within the kingdom. Northern Wolken was a beautiful region, and his palace offered so much. But it wasn't enough; he was too curious to see the rest of the world to settle here. Maybe royalty was more a chain around his legs than he'd considered before. "We have stores of wood in the basement." He let out a sigh. His brother was so willing to part with things that weren't his. "I've never been given such an opportunity." He thought that was obvious enough, since he'd been tied to palaces full of knights for his entire existence. He nodded when Garold mentioned his concerns about the weather. Ren stood still in the living area, glancing up at the chandelier. Value. If a royal had only his bloodline to fall back on, what purpose could he have? He couldn't be complacent forever. He had to be worth something more.
 
"I'm hardly thrilled about being uninsured with someone untrained myself." He moved into the large bedroom, where his things were being moved into Ren's wardrobe. "You might as well make yourself useful when around here and do patrols." He stood still as others began to undo his armor, one of camp followers taking some of Ren's clothing outside the room. "Running outside in the rain aside," He gave the wet tunic another eye, wondering if he had a habit of standing outside in similar attire "maybe you wouldn't be the best in outdoors activities." He said some odd phrase, perhaps just a snort, as he was toweled off with some of Ren's monogrammned things as they slowly removed layer after layer, putting them onto the mannequins and racks to dry. "You at least learning how to deal with your fiancé?" After the men had loosened his leggings, they had begun work on removing the stud piercings from an ear, his sandy hair dyed mahogony having gotten caught and wrapped around as the hair grew without tending over the long trek. It showed some signs of infection from the long trip without its removal.
 
Ren didn't know whether or not to follow his brother in the bedroom. Was it invasion or privacy, or did the fact that they were brothers compensate for the breach in discretion? He stood against the wall nearest the wardrobe, keeping his eyes at a modest angle in the opposite direction as his brother. Perhaps it would've been more rude not to follow and listen than standing here while he was being undressed. He didn't much care for the clothing within the wardrobe-- he had an equal amount of clothes in each of the upstairs bedrooms to suit his spontaneous sleeping arrangements. "The knights helped me practice day after day. It's not as though I intend to rely on my body to do the work for me." He corrected, tilting his head farther the other direction. When his brother mentioned patrolling, he shrugged. They had people to do that for them. Unless Garold was hinting that he should leave the room out of a sense of modesty? When his potential engagement was mentioned, he shrugged again. "I need not marry as long as you live. You can have a woman to make your future Queen. I have enough to deal with by myself." With that, he thought it a courtesy to offer his older brother modest via leaving the room. He stood by the edge of the door within earshot to hear his brother's reply.
 
Garold gave a short bark of laughter at the suggestion that Ren didn't need to marry. "You don't need kids, you just need a wife."His breastplate was removed, followed by layers of chainmail, vibration-absorbing plates, leather, as well as regular cloth to prevent it scratching up his torso. In all, enough to tire a regular horse, whether or not there was a person in them. He sat down as a his body got a brief scrub to remove caked blood and sweat, as well as some smudged inks. "Your body will have to work for you in that way, at the least. We can hardly conquer or confiscate everything without bringing in some new blood so that we don't need to spill more." A physician came in after a runner went for him about five minutes Garrol's half hour undressing. He wrapped the bottom of Garold's muscular torso and back in bandages that would rival a corset in their tightness. A set of bars where added, keeping his posture upright. "What do you have to deal with?"
 
"I will not marry a woman I don't care for unless it is demanded by the King himself." He murmured, still standing at the corner of the door frame, adjacent to the open entrance to the bedroom. Ren could be diplomatic, but diplomacy couldn't be allowed when it was an issue of involving someone irreparably in his life. Divorce, even for a royal, was murder to a reputation-- and his reputation wasn't the finest to begin with. He saw a number of people--doctors included--entering and exiting the bedroom over a small period of time that seemed much longer than it actually was. Ren grew curious as to what injuries had been sustained, and where, but stayed put, eyeing the polished floorboards. He let his older brother speak to him, and simply listened until the final question was presented. His fingers clung to the wall apprehensively, making a tiny, faint noise. "There are rumors." An ominous statement. "Half of the elders in the village may be going mad, but the other half agree. Something's happening. Commoners are seeing what they believe are monsters. The sightings are becoming more frequent. Only three have been found killed, but it isn't a comfort to the people." There was a shudder in his voice, and he could feel goosebumps on his arms. He wasn't frightened easily, but some cold memory just out of reach felt like it was rubbing into his skin. "On top of that, winter is coming-- I've yet to organize a collection of villagers and see them to foraging. I would delegate the task to an inferior, but it's something that gets me out of this palace for a week."
 
"You act as if love matters much for it." It was as if Ren had never heard about having Favorites for his emotional and pyschical needs. "Just let your wife remain in the capital or her home town. Let her have luxury and you can take whatever you want without her razing a scandal." Not as if that would matter to people of their postions either. It wouldn't be the first time that a Royal suddenly became a widower, himself included." Outside a soldier attempted to feel up Ren's ass, either not seeing the lack of breasts due to the leaning over and loose shirt or simply not caring. He went away after his attempt, whether or not he got stabbed, when hearing the voice inside the room and figuring this was the Prince's local bumboy. "If they are desperate enough to be foraging at this time of the year they obviously haven't been working hard enough during the rest of the year." After ordering a man to get Ren's chef working on something he continued. "Just tell where the deaths were happening. We'll slaughter them, then take some of the food set aside for winter for our trip south."
 
"Doesn't it?" Ren arched an eyebrow. His brother's question seemed silly, and the answer should have come without a need or desire to inquire. "It's not as though I'm being pushed to marry. You're the one with the pressure; you're the one designated to become King." He felt it unnecessary to consider marriage in any light. At least, not right now. A soldier had been eyeing him for a few moments before coming over and tightly grasping the back of Ren's pants-- but, in what seemed to be a flash of moments, the soldier had fallen over the beautifully-carved railing and was lying on his back next to he grand staircase. He needed only a minimal sense of strength to do such a thing considering the short distance. Defensive adrenaline may have influenced the behavior. The long, sharp fall might have killed the man, but the Prince didn't think to stare long enough to find out. He went back to the corner of the doorway and said nothing of the loud smacking sound of the armor hitting the first floor. "It's not like that. They've been working to death all year. We take the journey as one final push, not as a last resort." He explained casually. When asked for the locations of the deaths, Ren pursed his lips. "One body was found in the mountains a day's walk north from the palace. The other was found in the far west. The last, in the far east. All bodies were within Northern Wolken's boundaries, estimated to have been slain in the same hour, and..." He sighed a little considering the next line of words to fall from his lips. "Stripped of their flesh." He took a moment to let the detail sink in before going into more detail. "At first, we assumed it was an attack by one of the kingdom's enemies. It seemed calculated... but a group of commoners who allegedly witnessed the respective murders said it wasn't a man's doing. Three monsters exist, at very least. All seem to be far spread."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom