Prince Durbe's Story

7th of May
The Coast of Occidens

It was raining lightly, just like that other day.

A brown-haired boy clad in a commoner's tunic stood on a cliff above the sea, staring out into the ocean and watching it break against the rocks scattered a few meters away from the shore. Behind him sprawled a forest, one of the few acres which hadn't been touched during the war effort. A town sat on another cliff several miles away, darkened from the light gray clouds obscuring the afternoon sun.

Droplets of water slid through the boy's hair and across his face, but he did not move to take shelter in the woods. It was as though his entire existence was fixated upon the tides far below. His chest heaved in and out; his breaths were deep, as though he was trying to calm himself. But it probably wasn't working, seeing as the muscles in his right arm were taut.

There were a number of markings across that arm, and they pulsed in time with his breaths, letting out rainbow colored light and fading periodically. Suddenly, the boy's eyes flared wide open, and he thrust his right hand forward. The markings flashed brightly with their multicolored radiance, wreathing his arm in an aura of the same color. Then, bursts of light flew from the aura and spiraled out above the ocean...only to disappear, not having flown very far. "Damn," the boy growled, clenching his fist and lowering it as the aura faded. "No matter what I do, I can't increase my range at all...is there anything I can improve upon?" He started to sink into a sitting position...

"Sir? I have something for you..."

The boy's ears perked up, and he looked up through the rain to see a girl with black hair who seemed to be around his age walking towards him. She was carrying a brown satchel, and was wearing a simple black commoner's dress. Standing up, the boy stretched and tried to fake a face of mild irritation, to mask the frustration he had been displaying earlier. "What are you doing here, Ayu? And with that sort of getup, too...it's like you're lowering yourself to my level."

The girl gave him a look of disbelief. "Lowering myself to your level? Sir, you're a prince--you shouldn't speak of yourself that way." The two didn't exactly speak to each other with proper formalities, despite the gap between their positions--as the girl just revealed, the boy was a prince; she, on the other hand, was merely a servant at his castle.

"I'm incognito right now, Ayu," the boy replied, indicating for her to lower her voice. "And besides, I'm no decent prince anyway. You can ask the princess or the king about that. But anyway. What are you here for; do I suddenly have to obey a curfew?"

Shaking her head, Ayu reached inside her satchel and handed him an envelope. Surprised, the boy moved underneath a tree, took the letter, and opened it. "...an invitation to the ball in Anatoli?" he muttered, frowning.

Ayu nodded. "Yes. They were delivered to the castle at noon. So, sir..."

But to her shock, the boy placed the invitation back into the envelope and handed it back to her. "I'm not interested," he declared simply. When Ayu began to protest, he held up a hand to stop her. "I'm not interested in that sort of event. It's just a get-together between royals to see who looks the most fabulous anyway. Might as well stay home and keep training my magic." Turning away, he walked back into the rain, raising his right arm and generating the rainbow-colored light aura. "So, go back home, alright? It's not pleasant weather out here--I like rainy days, but I don't know about you."

Abruptly, Ayu stepped forward and seized his hand. Stopping in his tracks, the boy whipped his head back in her direction with annoyance and confusion in his eyes. "Please listen to me," Ayu insisted, her violet eyes pleading. "Sir, I've noticed for the past few months you've been increasingly frustrated--"

"--yeah," the boy interrupted, pulling his hand away from her roughly. "My progress with my magic is stagnating. And, you know...despite my oh so powerful father being a master of light magic, he ended up giving birth to a boy who couldn't channel that magic." Glancing at the marks on his arm with a foul expression, he continued, "That boy tried to cheat so that he could perform magic after all, but it's just a cheap knockoff. And it limited his physical growth too, so he ended up being a scrawny wimp, compared to the oh so grand princess. I've been angry about this stuff for years, Ayu. It's nothing new."

"That wasn't what I was talking about!" Ayu was shouting now, her eyes filling with desperation. "Even if you've carried these feelings for 17 years, you've been even less happy in the previous months. Durbe--" She was trying so hard to get her point across that she dropped all formalities. "--it's because your mother is gone, isn't it?"

These words struck a chord in the boy's mind, and his movements ceased. "Your mission to bring peace to Nótia failed when the king called it off and finished the conquest. And at the same time, your mother was completely cast out, gone forever from your life...from that point on, you've been smiling less and less. What, you think a servant wouldn't know anything about a prince's feelings?"

Reaching out, she pulled him closer--this time, the boy gave no resistance, instead looking down at the ground. Water trickled down his face...and it wasn't necessarily just the rain anymore. "You're still thinking about whether you want to marry Princess Eris of Voreia or Princess Reyna of Anatoli, correct?" she asked, in a quieter, gentler tone. "I don't know if you'll make up your mind right then, but...spending a night with those two may put your heart at ease a little, help you recover from your sadness. So, as your servant...and your friend, too...I insist that you attend this ball."

Finally, the boy raised an arm and wiped the water away from his face. Looking back up, but not necessarily at her, he replied, "Alright then, Ayu. If you really, you know...think it'll change anything...I'll go see them one more time." Picking up a satchel of similar design to Ayu's which was lying next to a tree, he slung it over his shoulder, took a roll of bandages out, and wrapped them over the marks on his arm, hiding them from the world.

And then, Prince Durbe silently walked down the road back to the capital of Occidens, feeling even more lost than before.

{NOTE: In each of my posts I will be changing the location, depending on which character I begin my post with, seeing as I play four. I will be including each character's post in the one as a whole, so as to avoid posting four times in a row, and will simply go off of whoever I put as the first post. If that makes sense ... You'll understand once you see what I mean.

SECOND NOTE: In my first posts for all of my characters, they will all be long. I will be posting twice, the first time with Alessia Occidens and the Dragon Keeper, Jackovitch, so as to shorten the length. As for my second post, I will be placing Axel Rhodes and Celestial Tihmbuhrs in that one.

CHARACTER TAGS NOTE: ~'.'~ALESSIA~'.'~ Durbe is mentioned by her, but she does not interact with him. Doran is at the end of her post. Varithos is near the middle.

~'.'~Jackovitch~'.'~ Emma and the Dragon are both in his post about halfway through.}



"Can I keep it, Grandpapa? Please? Can I keep it?"

Akron snickered, his eyes flashing as he held the kitten in the air by its' nape. "You want a kitten? If I were to give it to you, you would grow to love it - and love makes you weak, Alessia," he said, his voice soft and dark. With that, he flicked his wrist, tossing the kitten. A knight caught it in a bag and it let out a cry of fear as the bag was closed. Th knight disappeared through a door.

"And that stuffed animal of yours needs to go." A snap of his fingers had a knight approaching the seven-year-old girl, his hand reaching out to grab it.

"Don't you touch Fialee!" Alessia cried, stumbling back and clutching the stuffed bunny to her chest.

"Give him the doll, Alessia, and stop acting like a child."

The knight once again approached her, but before his hand could even graze her skin, the armor that adorned his body began to glow a bright red. Shrieks of pain escaped the knight's lips, and it was mere seconds later that his skin began to bubble. A moment later and he collapsed to the ground, his skin slowly becoming black, his body jerking. The smell of charred skin began to circulate the room, and smoke swirled up from his body.

Tears brimmed in Alessia's eyes, her small legs giving out as she collapsed to her knees, her shoulders trembling. But they stilled as a clapping was slowly heard in the room. She lifted her head and turned her watery eyes to her grandfather's face.

"Well done, Alessia," he chuckled as he rose from his massive chair, clapping all the way. He crossed the impressive room to her side, his footfalls heavy on the marble flooring. Her grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. “Enough sniffling, Alessia. You have made your first kill. No longer are you a child – you are an adult. It is due time that you act like one.”

Blinking, Alessia lifted her head from the book that it rested on. She had dozed off in the middle of reading a book on the laws of Occidens – something she was more than just familiar with – and felt a bit ashamed by the fact that she had grown so relaxed that she had slept.

Sitting up, she stretched, rubbing at her eyes. It had been a while since she had thought about that day, and only she and her grandfather knew about the events of it. Her mother had noticed the changes in her daughter after it had occurred, but did not know the origin of them. She had grown distant from her brother, also, and began to ignore his attempts at continuing their kinship. As for her father – well, her father was more than pleased with the change, despite the fact that she no longer idolized him as she once had.

Pushing the chair back and rising to her feet, she braced her hands on what she had claimed as her desk – the only desk on the top floor of the private castle library. It was hidden near the back of the level and in a corner for privacy, and the servants knew better than to touch anything on the desk. It was often cluttered with books, papers, pens, drawings, a globe, and a lamp. As many of the servants referred to it, it was an ‘organized chaos’ – but it was her chaos. It was the only area in the entirety of the kingdom that she could feel alone and relaxed.

Marking the page and closing the book, she set it aside. She freed her hair from the tie that held it back, picked up her stuffed bunny – in surprisingly good condition despite its age – and strode from the library.

As she walked, she held up her hand, her palm up. Three circular, glowing orbs appeared, rotating in the air in her hand. She did it idly, moving her fingers in order to keep them moving.

When she reached the war room, she paused.

Life really was unfair, wasn’t it?

Lifting her hand with the bunny, she opened the door and slid inside.

“I apologize for my tardiness. I had business to attend to and lost track of the time,” she said blandly, moving further into the room. She drew out the chair on the right side of her father, across from her grandfather, and folded her hands before her. There was only a slight lull in the strategic planning, and once she was seated, the voices rose to their normal volume once more.

She listened in silence for a moment before slowly shaking her head and rising.

“No, no, no … That will not work at all,” she said, striking silence within the highest members of the Occidens military. She leaned forward, the glove adorning her hand and helping to complete her battle uniform clothing her arm up to the elbow. She plucked the metal poker from the hand of the man who currently held it, easily beginning to maneuver the figurines around on the map of a small Kingdom that was West of even them, completely out of the loop of the main kingdoms.

“We do not sacrifice our soldiers merely to advance our movement into a territory. You may not think it, but these soldiers have names – lives, families, friends, and loved ones. Not only that, but I spent damn near a year training each of these regiments to their highest abilities. These soldiers are the best and the most elite – aside for the new recruits – and I’m not about to sacrifice any of our soldiers, no matter their skills. A military without soldiers is no military at all,” she said, her hand stopping and drawing back once the figurines had been reorganized.

“The Kingdom of Hotine has three entrances. Before we can reach any of those, we will need to fight the military that they will send out to fight us. Regiments Kato, Orange, Olpoid, Naztish, and Iliya will engage in battle with them, while regiments Alpha, Green, and Nova will advance through the front gate, to the East, since it will be the most heavily guarded. Regiment Sly will advance through the most unused entrance, the West, and will immediately hunt down the royal family due to their stealth. Regiments Fox, Red, and Jean will advance through the entrance to the South, and will meet up with Regiments Alpha, Green, and Nova in the center of the City after clearing out their sections of said City. They will then advance on the castle and work together to defeat the military stationed outside of it, creating enough of a gap for Regiment Sly to slip through and enter the palace. Once the military outside is defeated, Regiment Fox and Kato will follow after Regiment Sly and enter the castle to assist them, while the remaining Regiments will guard the outside of the palace in case reinforcements of any kind appear. There will be no raping, pillaging, or murder of any of the civilians of the kingdom, and if I find the body of a single child or woman laying anywhere in the kingdom, I will find the culprit who allowed it, and the culprit who committed the crime, and they will be duly punished.”

There was a sound of a grunt as a man near the other end of the table pushed to his feet, his expression red. He could be no more than thirty years old, yet obviously thought very highly of himself.

“And why should we listen to you? Not only are you but a child, but you are also a female. You haven’t any clue what you are talking about, as proven by your pathetic excuse of a warrior’s uniform.”

There were a few gasps at the man’s audacity that followed his statement, and immediately the attendees of the planning pushed to their feet and retreated against the walls. A look of confusion and then uncertainty crossed the man’s features as he noticed the movements.

Alessia stared at the man for a moment before chuckling softly and straightening. “My, my, my …. Boys, it seems that we have a little boy here who knows not his own place. Due to the fact that I do not recognize your face, I have no doubt that you have been recently inaugurated into the planning committee, so therefore I will be easy on you.”

Glancing at her father, she batted her eyelashes at him. “I’m afraid that I just cannot let this go, father. I apologize in advance for disrupting the meeting.”

Holding out her hand, she deftly caught the broadsword that was tossed to her. Not even close in design to her own sword, it felt odd in her hands, but she quickly adjusted to the light weight of it and the movement of it through the air. She swiveled it a few times before stepping towards the man.

Two of the members moved forward, followed by three more, and the long table was pushed up against the wall. Another member approached the man, handed him a sword, before scurrying back against the wall in fear.

Swinging the sword much like one would swing, say, a grappling hook’s rope before throwing it, she eyed the blade, a slightly dark smile on her lips. She stopped it and stretched, bracing her free hand on the flat of the sword as she did so.

“Tell you what. Since you are obviously new and seem that you are quite the amazing and distinguished warrior, I will allow you first move. I feel that that is more than fair, correct?”

The man trembled for a moment, the sword shaking in his hands. She had yet to even make a move and had already struck fear in the foolish man. Pleasure slithered through her at the fact.

His face hardened suddenly. “I would be more than happy to put a childish, foolish woman in her place!” With that, he launched forward, throwing his entire body into the attack.

It didn’t even seem like she moved. Instead, she was so swift that she took one little step to the side, turning her body just so, and the man missed entirely, losing his balance and nearly falling on his face.

“For shame … You call yourself a warrior, and yet you cannot strike even a little girl.”

Chuckles echoed in the room, and the man’s face turned red with anger and embarrassment. He let out a battle cry, lunging forward with the sword. She bent backwards, much the same as one would do when doing the limbo. Her free hand shot out, grasping the wrist of the man. She allowed her sword to fall to the ground, preferring hand-to-hand combat over weapons combat, and brought her now-free-hand up, she gripped his hand that was curled around his sword. A twist earned a yelp of pain and the sound of a bone snapping, and the sword fell limply from his fingers, clattering to the floor. Immediately removing the hand that was on his wrist, she shot it upwards, striking the man hard in the jaw with the heel of her palm. The sound of teeth-hitting-teeth was disgusting, and blood splattered from the man’s mouth, mixed with two teeth. Her right leg moved forward, curling around the back of his left one, and she jerked. At the same time, her free hand grabbed his throat in a choke-hold, her other hand releasing his now-broken wrist, and she placed it across his eyes. She twisted her body along with his, spinning him as he fell so that he turned face-first into the floor. His head struck first, as was her intention, followed by the rest of his body.

She lifted her foot, slamming it down on the side of the man’s head, and immediately digging into it in order to crush it into the floor.

“Now, what was that about a childish, foolish female? Because the only child and fool I see here is you, veslingr*.”

With that, she turned her face to her father. “My duties here have concluded. As the king, you have last say in the planning of war. Take my idea into consideration,” she said. Immediately she removed her foot, turning a bland look on the sniveling man. “One of you – fetch a couple of servants to clean this pathetic excuse of a man up. I don’t want his blood staining the floor.”

Alessia returned the swords to the men that had offered them, bowed to her father, and left the room.

Her stuffed bunny was clutched by the ear as she strode through the hallways of the castle, no destination particularly in mind. Instead, she was looking for a person in general – the person that her father had recently brought up in the ranks and placed as a member in the royal families’ personal guards.

She found him outside, of course and down the hill from the castle. Despite the short amount of time that he had been working for her family, she already knew him well enough to guess where he would be – reading people was a skill that she prided herself on, after all.

“Sir Doran,” she greeted as she neared him. He was lying on the ground beneath a tree, an open book in his lap and his head tilted to the side. The afternoon sun cast a shadow from the leaves of the tree across his sleeping face, and her footsteps faltered. The sight of his face caused a soft badump in her chest as her heart skipped a beat. After a moment, she shook her head and finished the trek down to him.

Leaning over, she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder – after all, she is a girl. She isn’t always violent. She lightly shook him.

“Sir Doran, you fell asleep. You missed the meeting,” she said. When she received no response, she knelt down beside him, her skirt reaching to her mid-thigh when kneeling. “I can cover for you only a few times, but my father will eventually find out that that is what I am doing. Besides, it is now time for me to assess your abilities – my grandfather wishes it, seeing as he does not trust that you are capable enough to be placed in the royal regiment.”

Sighing, Alessia shook him once more. “I swear to the Gods, if you do not wake up I will be forced to burn you – and I really do not wish to do that.”

{SIDE NOTE: ALL languages used will be placed at the end of each character’s post, along with the translation of the word(s) used.
Old Norse
Veslingr ~ Puny Wretch

---

The darkness no longer frightened him. It did at one point, but now? It was merely a slight annoyance to him.

"Here is the girl's lunch, Jackovitch."

Turning his head to the side, Jack trained a dull look on the Head Kitchen Maid of the castle of Anatoli. They were at the beginning of the forest of Dasos, in a cabin-like structure that was built by the Queen's orders. It was where Jackovitch lived and where different maids traded being stationed in every week, and also led to the cave that had held him captive for two decades.

"You made sure that there was nothing with carbohydrates in her meal, correct? I have told you many a times what carbohydrates do to a young girl of her stature," he said, rising from the stool that he rested upon.

The maid rolled her eyes and let out a sound of irritation. "Of course I did. I know how to do my job, and I know how to do it well. I don't tell you how to do yours, now do I?"

Jack's eyes flashed with warning as he gripped the tray handles, practically tearing it from the woman's hands. He leaned across the counter, his pupils boring into her own, the frightening nature of him enhanced by his ever-present mask.

"You would do well not to forget who it is that is actually in charge in our partnership, Clarise." He spoke softly, his voice holding an underlying growl to it. After a moment of holding the now trembling woman's gaze, he straightened and shook his hair from his face. "I will see you at supper time," he said, the only farewell she would be receiving from someone such as him.

Turning, he strode from the kitchen, his footsteps making nearly no sound on the stone flooring. As he neared the stairs that were just outside of the kitchen, the stairs that lead to the dragon's lair, he paused.

In reality, he was not a cruel man. He had merely lost all happiness and hope in life. After being forcefully torn from his mother's arms twenty years before, he could see nothing in the near nor distant future that could possibly improve his life. He knew the Queen, almost as well as he knew himself. Despite her promise to free him as soon as Emma grew to the age of sixteen years, she would undoubtedly never allow him to leave. Instead, she would find a fresh excuse as soon as her old one wore thin. Whether be her order for him to stay on for the reason of ensuring that Emma did not somehow escape the Dragon's lair, or for him to prepare potions for her to retain her beauty, he would never leave.

His only option?

The Queen needed to die.

Too bad there was no one to perform such an impossible deed.

There was a soft tap as his foot hit the first stone step of the stairway. He need not touch the handles posted along the wall, for he had more than enough balance in his stance to as avoid falling headfirst down the stones. As he descended the stairs, he slipped his hand inside of his jacket. Withdrawing it, he brandished a thick book that reached to an estimate of 873 pages - a mere few days read for a girl such as Emma. He studied the cover as he walked, eyeing the golden lettering that spelled the simple words, A Complex History. It spoke of almost everything that had occurred in the history of the kingdoms, and also spoke of the world outside of the dreaded cave that she had lived in for the entirety of her life. It gave detailed descriptions of oceans, volcanoes, deserts; mountains, rivers, canyons. Things that people never thought of as being interesting, for they had always seen such things. For a girl such as his Emma, however, it would undoubtedly be one of the most interesting books he had ever gifted her with.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, he moved to the stone wall that stood before him. Placing his palm against the stone, he murmured a few select words.

"Indica mihi, est occulta ..."*

A warm, dark green glow appeared beneath his fingertips. The glow spider-webbed throughout a tall, rectangular section of the wall, forming a door of some sort. A creak was heard, followed by a soft rumble, and then dust rose as the stone slid aside, disappearing and retreating into the rest of the stone wall. Stepping through it, the stone rumbled shut behind him, and he strode down the smooth walkway made of rock. It led down into the beautiful, yet dark, cave. The first part of the cave was the hole, which he passed beneath, the rays of the sun barely reaching the bottom of it. After that, he reached the main area of the cave, his eyes immediately finding the enormous dragon.

"Hello, Ralarth," he spoke softly, his eyes moving to Emma's relaxed body on the stone floor, his disinterest evident. As he approached her, he placed the tray of food on the stone slab that he had turned into a table-like structure with his stone-work. He crouched beside her as he reached her. Placing his hand on her back, he leaned over to glance at her down-turned face.

"Emma, I have your lunch. It's your favorite," he said gently.

A flash of red caught his eyes, and before she could react, he had gripped her face and turned it up so that he could better see it.

"Have you been taking your medicine?" he asked, his voice irritated and his expression a mixture of anger and concern - the latter he attempted to hide as best he could.

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he removed a hankie and wiped her bloodied lips.

"If you continue to forget your medicine, than you are going to die - just as the Dragon Keepers before me. Or have you forgotten the stories I told you?" he asked, his hand slipping into his pocket. He removed a vial, popped it open, squeezed her cheeks, and tipped the liquid into her mouth - or so he hoped it would fall. Returning the vial to his pocket, he sighed and rose. "If you don't take your medicine, I will stop bringing you books to read," he threatened, moving over to the table. He held up the book and waved it in her direction. "I brought you a history one that also explains the outside world. If you want it, than you need to promise that you'll take the medicine I made you." Holding the book in the air, he awaited her response, his eyes locked on hers.

{Latin
Indica mihi, est occulta ~ Reveal your secret to me.}

7th of May
Road to Occidens Capital

The rain was still falling near the coast as Durbe and Ayu made their way home, even though they had been walking for quite some time. Durbe was still looking rather moody, and Ayu had already decided it was not a good time to talk to him. Especially not as they passed barren, lifeless fields where forests had once stood, before they were cut down for the constant wars of Occidens...

"But, you know," Durbe suddenly wondered out of nowhere, "I can't believe you found me so quickly. I never tell anyone where or when I'm leaving the castle..."

Ayu sighed and glanced at him sideways with annoyance. "I had to go to a magician to get any idea at all about where to find you, sir. And even then, it took a very long time for me to get there. Since when did you start travelling so far from your home? The other servants said you were still here last night."

"I left before dawn," the dejected prince replied almost automatically. "In any case though, how long did it take you to get to where I was anyway?"

"3 hours," Ayu answered, still sounding annoyed. "So it'll be dark by the time we get back to the castle. Next time, don't go so far from home!"

Suddenly, for the first time that day, Durbe's eyes flashed with a mischevious look. "Oh, I'm sorry. Shall I make our trip a bit shorter?" Before Ayu could ask what he meant, he suddenly tore the bandages from his right arm, let them fall to the ground, and raised his arm, the rainbow colored aura flowing out of it. Two white wings appeared on his back, and he ran towards Ayu, grabbed her around the waist, and took off.

After screaming in surprise for a few moments, Ayu finally regained composure. "Did you really need to surprise me like that? And what happened to staying incognito?!"

But Durbe wasn't listening to her, instead focusing intently on his wings. Had to make them flap in unison to let him gain altitude, remain at the right angle to let him fly where he wanted...humans don't have wings, so this magic required a lot more of his thought process to get right. As soon as they were some 10 meters into the air, Durbe pointed himself forward and, with a beat of his wings, flew directly towards the capital city, leaving the road to curve away.

Of course, even if he was in a foul mood, it was hard for Durbe to remain that way while he was flying. He absolutely loved doing it, and thus he had worked so hard to be able to control his wings to this extent. "What do you think? It beats walking, no?" he asked, with a huge smile on his face.

"Ugh...so long as you don't suddenly drop out of the air," Ayu muttered, folding her arms. She still seemed annoyed by Durbe's behavior, even after all these years...

Some things never change, huh. Durbe's mind began to drift briefly, but he quickly realized he was spacing out, beat his wings again, and started flying faster. But even though flying was definitely faster than walking through any shortcut, he knew they would not make the full distance even if he went up to his maximum speed. Only 4 minutes left...might as well make the most of it. "Time to see how fast I can go!" he declared boldly.

"What?! N-no, really...t-this speed is fiiIIIIIIIIIIINE!" Ayu's last words were drowned out when Durbe abruptly accelerated, and she could do nothing but hope Durbe wouldn't drop her (she wasn't exactly able to hold onto him for dear life in this position). Ignoring her and laughing, Durbe flew above Occidens' countryside, over a river, and closer towards the capital. Some people looked up, wondering what was flying over them--they were shocked when they saw an "angel."

But even though he had enjoyed his flight, Durbe knew his time was running out. When the remaining time fell to 1 minute, he started looking around for a road for them to land on, preferably one that was more out of the way. At 30 seconds of flight left, he noticed one in the distance and started to slow down, prompting Ayu to look up at him and wonder if he was plotting some other stunt.

Gradually, Durbe descended towards the road, still remaining in the air as long as he could, and positioned them just above it. "Well, what do you think?" he asked, looking so much happier than he had when he recieved the invitation. "Now you know how great it feels to fl-"

But he had taken too long to descend. While he and Ayu were hanging just 1 meter above the ground, his flight time ran out, and his wings abruptly scattered into white feathers which vanished quickly. With a shout of surprise, prince and servant fell to the ground, with Ayu landing on top of Durbe. "...ow..." Ayu rubbed her back, and stood up, stretching. "And is that one of the reasons why you like flying, sir?"

"Huh? No, I didn't plan that last part!" Durbe seemed to pout, which made him look quite funny, before standing up and stretching in the exact same manner. "But anyway, it was fun, right?"

After a silence, Ayu turned away and ran one hand through her long hair. "Right, well, you say that again next time you have to be the passenger. Please don't do that again too often." With that, she started to walk away. "Well, you've gotten us nearly a third of the way there, so I guess your plan wasn't too bad. Come on, let's get to the capital."

They could both see the castle of Occidens looming in the distance...

((This post was co-written by Nightblazer and spudjohnson))

7th of May
Occidens Castle
The castle's northern corridor was silent and darkened. Suddenly, seams appeared upon a wall, before the portion marked by those seams swung open on a hinge, and Durbe and Ayu walked out quietly. The sun was setting, and the rain had followed them above the castle. "Alright, well, I'll head to my room and change. You'd best get into your uniform, too," Durbe whispered to his friend.

Ayu nodded, and started to turn away...only to remember something and catch Durbe by the elbow. "Wait, Durbe...I probably should have told you this sooner, but...while I was taking your family's invitations to the ball, I overheard the king telling some of his servants to follow me, see what you, your sister and I were doing. I tried my best to lose them...don't know if I succeeded. But anyway..."

Biting his lip, Durbe sighed and pulled his hand away gently. "I'll speak to my father myself, then. If he wants to know what I'm up to so badly, he can hear it from me."

"E-eh?! You're just going to tell him about-?!"

"No, I'll just say I was training. It's technically what I was doing, you know." Turning on his heel, Durbe ran down the carpets as quickly and silently as possible. Watching him go, Ayu turned the other way, back to her own quarters. Spotting another servant on her way there, she asked him to take the Princess' invitation to her, for Ayu had no time to bother. She groaned and put a hand to her face, muttering something about how Durbe seemed to eat a lot of her time.

Meanwhile, Durbe entered his room, closing the door behind him with light sounds. Glancing around at the dark blue and silver furniture and decorations, he let out an exasperated sigh. Every time he went wandering outside the castle, his room seemed more and more excessively ornate, and it was starting to bother him. Oh well, couldn't help it right now. Taking off his tunic and sandals, Durbe bent down, reached down, and gripped a small gap between the floorboards. Prying up gently, he exposed a secret compartment, in which he put his commoner's garb. After closing it and making sure it was securely shut, the prince went to his wardrobe and dressed in elegant dark blue robes with silver lining. Again, too fancy.

Exiting the room, Durbe walked towards the king's chambers, no longer trying to hide his presence. His feet made long yet quick strides, and the set expression on his face was probably good enough for a decent theater play. Of course, he wasn't exactly trying his hardest to impress.

The king's chambers were just up ahead. Knocking on the door before advancing into the room, Durbe could see his father was seated in a chair, probably thinking about some other campaign plan. But now, his eyes were fixed on Durbe...and just by looking at the eyes of the king and prince, anyone could tell how much they despised each other.

A short silence followed, before Durbe finally broke it. "So," he said curtly, and just about borderline rudely, "I hear you were interested in what I was doing, father. Why not ask me directly?"

"Durbe," Varithos replied coldly, "So good of you to pay your dear father a visit. I have missed you so. Is this what you do, now? Neglect Council meetings to run off with a servant girl? Understandable that you have... needs. However, the needs of the nation outweigh a petty romantic meeting. Your sister, as always, attended. She caused a scene as well, and learned more about putting whelps in their place. So, in reality, your presence wasn't really needed. Now, what is it you want?"

A smile flashed on Durbe's face, but it was a bitter one. "Honestly, father, I doubt half of your council would want to see me anyway. And besides, if it's any consolation, I was out training. Ayu didn't arrive until much later." Pausing for a moment, he turned over one part of Varithos' statement in his head, and then asked, "Pray tell, what 'whelp' offended your dear heir this time, and what did he do?"

"It is nothing you would think mattered, so we will leave it be. If you wish to know, ask your sister," Varithos stood and clasped his hands behind his back. He strode away from Durbe, surveying a map on the wall of their intended conquest. "Did your precious Ayu tell you what arrived today? I would assume she had, unless she was otherwise engaged with her master. The Queen Beatrice of Anatoli has requested the presence of the Royal Family of Occidens. We will attend, as was requested of us. Unless you have another idea on how to respond to this invitation." He rounded on Durbe, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This is an important matter. Should you take any... questionable... actions. I will deal with you as I would a high traitor to the Kingdom. You know what I mean. The fact that you are my son is no matter, the law is the law, and the law is my will."

The prince scowled, a hand moving into his pocket, before pulling out the envelope he had recieved during the afternoon. "It was this, correct?" he asked, walking slowly towards Varithos at the same time. "So the rest of you got them, too. Oh, don't worry, Father, I intend to go after all. But..." Scowling again, he looked away for a few moments, as though he hated what he was going to say next. "If possible, I would rather go to Anatoli early, by myself. Is that too much of a favor to ask? Half the people in this castle would be much happier too, I assume."

Varithos remained where he stood, considering Durbe's request. It did not take long for him to respond. "No. If you wish to attend the ball, you will go with us. You will not go alone, you will not bring Ayu with you when we all depart. We must appear united, even if we are divided among ourselves. The Legacy of the Kingdom comes before whatever it is you intend to do alone in Anatoli. Am I understood?"

Well, that didn't exactly go as planned. Trying to think of other ideas, if only just to get away from this castle, Durbe dared to take another step forward and suggested something else. "If I go to Anatoli early, I can try to...how do I put this...make things more comfortable for you by the time you arrive." Another thought dawned on him. "After all, you're planning on marrying the queen, aren't you? And you should remember that I have...experience...with easing foreign affairs." Needless to say, that "experience" was not something either of them would like to remember.

Varithos considered Durbe's proposition. A few tense moments passed with father leering at son with such intensity the air threatened to ignite under the pressure. When he reached an idea that suited him, he smiled cruelly before replying. "Very well. You may soften them up as you say. However, if you choose to go with this plan, your mother will attend. And your precious Ayu will be joining us as our personal handmaiden. They will be watched over by my personal guard when not with us. Should you attempt to betray me, Durbe, they will not enjoy what comes next." Varithos strode towards Durbe before he loomed over him, glaring harshly at his son. "Do not test me, Durbe. I will not hesitate. Your mother may still have a place within my heart, but do not think for a second that I will keep her alive after the betrayal that you ahd she attempted to carry out in Notia. Do I make myself clear?" Varithos' tone grew harder and harder as he finished speaking until it seemed as if his very words would break the floor they stood on.

While Durbe wanted to shout back that he and his mother had had the best intentions when they did what they had done, he knew he was on the backfoot anyway. Gazing back with as much intensity and resolve as he himself could muster, he answered, "You've made your point, father. Consider the deal done."

"Very well. Go. Prepare yourself for the journey." Varithos leaned back, smirking evily. He strode away from Durbe before stopping and turning back to look at his son over his shoulder. "Remember, Durbe. Do not test me." He turned away, leaving his son to see himself out of his chambers.

It worked. Internally breathing a long sigh of relief, Durbe just smiled and bowed. "Thank you, father," he said with the most genuine tone that he had ever taken when speaking to Varithos in years. Turning on his heel, he walked out of the room. But instead of heading back to his room, he was planning to go to the library. Of course, they were in the same direction relative to this room, so his father probably wouldn't figure out which room he was really going to.

Varithos listened to Durbe leave, before turning around to gaze after his son. His smirk settled into a firm scowl, and his eyes narrowed. He knew Durbe would never acquiesce so easily, yet he was not that worried about it. He had his bargaining chips, and Durbe, to Varithos' knowledge, had nothing to go on. He sat back at his desk, returning to mulling over what would be needed for the trip to Anatoli, while simultaneously planning for any of Durbe's possible counter-moves. A slight grin formed on his mouth as he wrote his plans. He always enjoyed allowing his opponents some glimmer of hope before crushing them without mercy.

7th of May
Occidens Castle

After making a few more marks, Durbe put down the quill pen and studied his work. "Fantastic," he muttered, taking pride in something he had created for once.

Lying on the desk in front of him, surrounded by countless books about enchanting objects, alechemy, and various other magic arts, were sketches of several pieces of armor, a bow, and a shield. After working hard on the designs for months, Durbe finally felt satisfied with this final version which he had just drawn in the past few hours. "Now then," he muttered, picking up another book and looking through it. "What am I going to need to make this...?"

-It would be best to utilize Taiyo, a special metal found only in Occidens itself, as the main component...though Taiyo might be a bit hard for him to obtain from any trustworthy source. In any case, it was lightweight and strong, so he wouldn't have to worry about the items in the design being burdensome or breaking.
-Next, he'd need crystals, as they were the best medium for storing and amplifying magic. He probably would have to visit Notia for the finest ones...that would be a bit awkward. Besides, it would be very expensive to get the crystals in the quantities he wanted. And even then, they might be flawed or cracked...
-Argent, a bright silver-colored metal used in jewelry, was also an excellent conductor of magic, so it could serve as the "veins" connecting the crystals to the users. It was mined in Anatoli. But people claimed that it was very hard to tell ordinary silver from Argent, for all other properties of the metal were the same. And of course, it'd be very expensive, once again.
-Various other materials, such as mercury, would also have to be applied during every step of the enchantment process. At least those would be easy to get from any alchemist's shop. But he'd have to learn some alchemy too...

"And it's likely," Durbe mused, starting to worry about the task he had set for himself, "that I'll have to have these crafted in Voreia...blacksmithing is their main business, after all. I've got quite the run-around ahead of myself." Writing down the list of the materials he needed in a corner, he closed the books and put them to his sides once again. "Man, this is going to be a tricky job...not to mention, I have to be quick about it." After gently blowing on the paper to make the ink dry quickly, he stacked the papers on top of each other, and started putting the books back into their rightful places.

This, which lay sketched upon the various pieces of parchment on the desk, was the other reason for his asking to leave early. There were a lot of risks, but... "I'm tired of being the dead weight in this family," Durbe told himself once again, picking up the stack of parchment and walking back to his room. He didn't encounter a single person on his way there.

Now, time for packing. Durbe placed his clothes, laurel crown, and various other things he would need into a trunk. The sketches, however, were instead placed inside the brown satchel sitting nearby, which he had been carrying with him while away from the castle, along with money and bandages. The prince's plan was to continue masquerading as a commoner unless he was in any royal court, in which case he would shed the disguise. At least no one probably would recognize him...

In the meantime, he had to also keep gathering the materials for his plan. There was a lot of empty space in his trunk, as such, but he still was worried something may go wrong. Oh yeah, that's right, he'd probably have to hitchhike the whole time...

There was a knock on his door, interrupting Durbe's thoughts and prompting him to look up. "Come on in; I haven't locked the door," he called out. The door opened, and in stepped...Ayu? "Wait, don't you have duties at this time of night?" Durbe asked, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

Sitting on the bed, Ayu looked him in the eyes with a concerned expression. "Durbe, I...I heard you're leaving for Anatoli tomorrow. Why the sudden departure?"

How was he supposed to deal with this...Durbe decided it was probably best to tell her all the details right now, and told her all about how he had gotten his father to allow the trip, so that he could make sure the ball ended more favorably for Occidens. In the best case scenario, the plans would succeed, and Occidens would prosper even more--preferrably, without too much bloodshed. "...but I put you and mother at stake," he sighed, putting his face in his hands. "I'm probably going to regret this...but please, Ayu." Lifting his eyes to meet hers, he pleaded, "Keep yourself safe until the ball is over, and we've returned to Occidens. There's no telling what father might do to you...or really, any member of my family. Mother's kind enough, but..."

"I understand," Ayu replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'll be careful. In the meantime, do your best with tiding the queen over. Well, I'll be going now." She leaped off the bed, and walked out the door. "Good night, sir."

Smiling weakly and raising a hand in farewell, Durbe closed the door after she left. Time to hope for the best, he thought as he lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over his body. But he wondered if he should have told Ayu the whole story on his motivations...

(...and then I was weird enough to write one more post in an RP about to be closed. Again.)

19th of June
Somewhere in Voreia

After over a month, the sketches had finally become reality.

A boy with brown hair sailed through the cloudless midnight sky on white wings, whooping with uncontrollable enthusiasm. Golden armor covered his torso, shins, forearms, and head. A large green shield of crystal was strapped to his right arm, while a golden bow was in his left hand. From all the components (bar the shield), feather-like projections of neon green, blue, and violet light sprouted.

"This is even better than I thought it would be!" the boy exclaimed as he swooped down before pulling up and soaring back towards the clouds. "With this level of control, it even feels like I'm an actual angel now!" He had been flying for more than 8 minutes already, and it seemed he would not be stopping any time soon.

Finally, though, the boy descended to the ground. As he landed, he noticed a girl with long, black hair walking towards him. She was smiling, with equal joy, but a more calm sort, as she sat down nearby. "Well, Durbe, are you finally happy now?" she asked, looking up at his face. "All that time you've been complaining that your father and si...I mean, the princess...have such wonderful magic and you've had none of it is finally behind you, with the armor completed."

"Yeah, it's really amazing!" Durbe replied, beaming with excitement. "It's kind of a shame that I can only be on the same level as...basically anyone who uses magic, really...when I have this, but..." Looking down at the ground, a trace of sadness flickered through his eyes and didn't quite leave. "I'm just glad I have this, Ayu. It makes me feel like I'm actually something...not just some guy who was called a 'sign of peace' because a constellation shined brightly during the night of his birth, and failed to live up to that."

Quietly, Ayu watched his expression, before continuing. "But, what will you do now?" she asked, standing up. "You're not going to use it to fight wars, and I doubt you would go as far to attack your father right away. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's really any scenario in which this armor could be put to good use..."

Shrugging, the prince glanced back at the sky. "To be honest, I really don't have much of a path in life at all. I don't care about being a prince, and half the significant figures in our castle--probably including all my family members--hate me. If I could do what I wanted, I'd just travel."

"That's it? You just want to go gallivanting off on some idealistic crusade?" Ayu shot him a look of annoyance. "I don't think you're exactly ready to be a knight in shining armor yet, Durbe."

"I didn't mean that I'd be going off to slay dragons and defeat dark lords or any of those fantasy things!" Durbe protested, before he looked down in thought. "Although...I guess that wouldn't be too bad, heh."

Nearly toppling off her feet, Ayu let out a groan of disgust. "For crying out loud, Durbe of Occidens! You're hopeless!"

"Well, what would you rather do?" Durbe asked, doing the shrugging motion again. "You'd rather be out of the castle too, wouldn't you? Especially after those assassins showed up, probably from my father..." A dark, frustrated look flashed through his vision for a moment.

Nodding, Ayu walked next to him. "You're right. There isn't really anywhere safe for us anymore...so, you would rather just travel 'wherever the wind would take you,' or some flashy line like that?"

"That sounds about accurate," Durbe laughed, gently wrapping both arms around her waist. His wings appeared on his back and flapped several times. "Come on, let's go!" With that, they took off...

As Ayu and Durbe looked at the moonlit countryside beneath them, marveling at how beautiful Voreia looked compared to Occidens, the girl looked up at the sky, and suddenly her eyes lit up. "Durbe...look!" she called, pointing.


Following her gaze, Durbe saw the formation of seven stars gleaming brightly from above. "That's...the Grand Chariot," he breathed. Yes, this was the very constellation which had supposedly been shining brightly during the night of his birth. "To be honest, this is actually my first time seeing it and knowing it's there," he laughed, scratching the back of his head while wearing an embarrassed expression.

"Well, I'm no astronomer, fortune teller, or what-have-you," Ayu mused, "but this is a pretty good sign for the start of our journey, right?"

Somehow, looking at the constellation made Durbe feel that much more confident. "Yeah, it is," he agreed. "Hm...you think we should do something stupid like chase the constellation? No, I'm just kidding." Chuckling, he tried to ignore Ayu's irritated glare. "Well, anyway, I guess we'll head to Anatoli like I was supposed to, not that we have to care about Occidens anymore...wait a second. Wow, the Grand Chariot's right above it. Hey, guess we're chasing the stars after all!"

Both of them laughed at the joke as Durbe's wings guided them towards Anatoli under the beautiful star-filled sky.