"Sakura... I must say I'm surprised you didn't know it by now, your highness"
Her voice played back in his mind as he walked up the stairs towards his room. Hanzel called up to him, asking if he needed anything.......but he simply ignored the guard, and walked into his room, while talking to himself
"Of course i knew your name! I was just trying to converse!!" he complained out loud, before slamming his door shut.
He could tell he had insulted the girl, and in the back of his mind he felt bad for doing so. But refusing to admit that to himself as he slipped out his clothing and then into a pair of baggy black pants,, he continued to blame the princess for the awkward conversation going awry, instead of himself.
"She should of known that! It was obvious....." he said, even though it wasn't the truth.
Kaiyle had spent so much time in the forest away from the kingdom, that he lacked the pleasant social skills the other royals showed with ease.
"I'm so sick of people..........i just want to sleep now!" he complained,, before falling back on his bed and closing his eyes.
*-*-*------------------------------*-*------------------------------*-*-*
His sleep would only last a few hours, before a loud powerful rumble of thunder caused his eyes to shoot open.
The curtains had been left open on the windows, so the young prince sat up on his bed and stared out into the chaotic storm.
The sky was as dark as coal, but the lightening was so powerful that each time struck the ground, or struck out inside the clouds above, it brightened the sky nearly as much as the sun did during the day.
Kaiyle also spotted the tress off the sides of the cliff...........not simply swaying, but bending incredibly close to their breaking points.
"This is going to be bad......." he whispered to himself, before standing up from his bed and slowly making his way out his room door and into the darkened hallway.......wearing nothing more than the baggy pair of black slacks that hung low on his hips.
The only lights Kaiyle could see coming from the first floor where the lights from the fire-lanterns that hung on the walls between each of the guests rooms.
He wasn't sure if the power was off, or if the guards were just conserving energy. So to cure his curiosity, he casually jogged down the staircase.
All the guards were congregated together on the first floor by the guest rooms.........a rare sight. But seeing as how the watch tower was now empty, it made sense they'd all be packed closely together while on duty.
Half of them were asleep, but Jaraette wasn't......and the older women perked up from her chair at the site of Kaiyle..
"Your high-, i mean, Kaiyle.....what are you doing up? It's late." she asked, before taking a quick glimpse up at the large royal clock on the ceiling above them........which read 4:35am. Sunrise would be in two hours, but it was doubtful the darkness outside, or inside, would change much thanks to the thick storm clouds.
"I can't sleep......." he muttered, while shoving his hands into his pockets......causing his already sagging pants, to sag sightly more. "Why is it so hot in here?? Did the power cut off, and shut down the air down?"
Jaraette shook her head. "Yes, it went out a short while ago. The back up generators are working though, but we wanted to save the power charged inside of them for the lights and appliances in the morning..........so it's become quite warm and humid in here."
The woman pulled at her uniform jackets collar, as if she wanted to take it off, but didn't.
"Why are you dressed as so then? You should remove that heavy jacket if you're so warm....."
Jaraette, and the few guards awake behind her, all look relieved to get the go ahead to strip out of their jackets and down to their undershirts.........which were fitted white tees for the men, and a white wide-strapped tank for the women.
"Thank you sir!" one of the guards called out from behind Jaraette. Kaiyle simply shrugged
"I'm not your master........i could careless about the formal rules of the palace. If your hot, take your jackets off......if you're cold, put them on. I really don't care."
And with that, Kaiyle went to walk towards the Kitchen. But he didn't get far before a guard began to argue with one of the prisoners..........whose voice was all too familiar.
"Get back in your room general!" a guard said loudly, as the man opened his door and tried to walk out.
"Oh but i can't sleep! The walls, they rattle like micro rockets are inside of them! And the lightening, what if it shatters my windows? And then over charges my heart and it goes ka-boomy like an old worn out car battery that was past it's prime!!!"
It was Ringo.....complaining about being cooped up in the room directly beside the princesses room.
"Isn't there room for an old man to roam?? This place is gigantic! And at least in the watch tower i could roam the gardens! So what do you say? Let me at least go walk around out there a bit? I'm dying in this old room, with it's rocket rattling walls and-"
The prince sighed, before cutting Ringo off.
"If we let you outside, you'd be blown off the side of the cliff old man." he said with a smirk.
"Well let me blow away then! Anything is better than being in this muggy room with such restless legs attached to my poor body!!!"
"SHUT UP YOU OLD COOT! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!!" yelled one of the other prisoners a few doors down, to which Ringo responded with; "Such lack of respect for an old man, such lack of respect! These young people i tell you!!"
"Stop being so dramatic. As long as you stay on the first floor in view of the guards, i could care little.........especially if it'll quiet that mouth of yours down."
Kaiyles words on their face might of been a bit harsh, but there was a wide smirk on his face.......and the old man knew his words should be taken in jest, and returned the smirk........before walking out into the main lobby to perform some basic military exercises he use to perform daily while serving in Apan.
"Calling me dramatic are ya? Well how is this for dramatics!??" said Ringo, before dropping down to the floor and performing one handed push-ups.
Kaiyle simply shook his head and laughed slightly to himself.......before opening the tall doors of the nearby living room, and walking inside.
He'd pour himself a glass of cold water from the miniature refrigerator beside the fireplace......and then take a seat in the loveseat closest to the door.
From where he sat the guards, and the doors to the guest rooms, were out of view. But he had a clear shot of the majority of the main lobby........and watched as Ringo went from push-ups, to jumping jacks, to the calming Eastern art of Thai Chi.
"Crazy old man....." he whispered to himself with a smile, before taking a sip of his water.
Her voice played back in his mind as he walked up the stairs towards his room. Hanzel called up to him, asking if he needed anything.......but he simply ignored the guard, and walked into his room, while talking to himself
"Of course i knew your name! I was just trying to converse!!" he complained out loud, before slamming his door shut.
He could tell he had insulted the girl, and in the back of his mind he felt bad for doing so. But refusing to admit that to himself as he slipped out his clothing and then into a pair of baggy black pants,, he continued to blame the princess for the awkward conversation going awry, instead of himself.
"She should of known that! It was obvious....." he said, even though it wasn't the truth.
Kaiyle had spent so much time in the forest away from the kingdom, that he lacked the pleasant social skills the other royals showed with ease.
"I'm so sick of people..........i just want to sleep now!" he complained,, before falling back on his bed and closing his eyes.
*-*-*------------------------------*-*------------------------------*-*-*
His sleep would only last a few hours, before a loud powerful rumble of thunder caused his eyes to shoot open.
The curtains had been left open on the windows, so the young prince sat up on his bed and stared out into the chaotic storm.
The sky was as dark as coal, but the lightening was so powerful that each time struck the ground, or struck out inside the clouds above, it brightened the sky nearly as much as the sun did during the day.
Kaiyle also spotted the tress off the sides of the cliff...........not simply swaying, but bending incredibly close to their breaking points.
"This is going to be bad......." he whispered to himself, before standing up from his bed and slowly making his way out his room door and into the darkened hallway.......wearing nothing more than the baggy pair of black slacks that hung low on his hips.
The only lights Kaiyle could see coming from the first floor where the lights from the fire-lanterns that hung on the walls between each of the guests rooms.
He wasn't sure if the power was off, or if the guards were just conserving energy. So to cure his curiosity, he casually jogged down the staircase.
All the guards were congregated together on the first floor by the guest rooms.........a rare sight. But seeing as how the watch tower was now empty, it made sense they'd all be packed closely together while on duty.
Half of them were asleep, but Jaraette wasn't......and the older women perked up from her chair at the site of Kaiyle..
"Your high-, i mean, Kaiyle.....what are you doing up? It's late." she asked, before taking a quick glimpse up at the large royal clock on the ceiling above them........which read 4:35am. Sunrise would be in two hours, but it was doubtful the darkness outside, or inside, would change much thanks to the thick storm clouds.
"I can't sleep......." he muttered, while shoving his hands into his pockets......causing his already sagging pants, to sag sightly more. "Why is it so hot in here?? Did the power cut off, and shut down the air down?"
Jaraette shook her head. "Yes, it went out a short while ago. The back up generators are working though, but we wanted to save the power charged inside of them for the lights and appliances in the morning..........so it's become quite warm and humid in here."
The woman pulled at her uniform jackets collar, as if she wanted to take it off, but didn't.
"Why are you dressed as so then? You should remove that heavy jacket if you're so warm....."
Jaraette, and the few guards awake behind her, all look relieved to get the go ahead to strip out of their jackets and down to their undershirts.........which were fitted white tees for the men, and a white wide-strapped tank for the women.
"Thank you sir!" one of the guards called out from behind Jaraette. Kaiyle simply shrugged
"I'm not your master........i could careless about the formal rules of the palace. If your hot, take your jackets off......if you're cold, put them on. I really don't care."
And with that, Kaiyle went to walk towards the Kitchen. But he didn't get far before a guard began to argue with one of the prisoners..........whose voice was all too familiar.
"Get back in your room general!" a guard said loudly, as the man opened his door and tried to walk out.
"Oh but i can't sleep! The walls, they rattle like micro rockets are inside of them! And the lightening, what if it shatters my windows? And then over charges my heart and it goes ka-boomy like an old worn out car battery that was past it's prime!!!"
It was Ringo.....complaining about being cooped up in the room directly beside the princesses room.
"Isn't there room for an old man to roam?? This place is gigantic! And at least in the watch tower i could roam the gardens! So what do you say? Let me at least go walk around out there a bit? I'm dying in this old room, with it's rocket rattling walls and-"
The prince sighed, before cutting Ringo off.
"If we let you outside, you'd be blown off the side of the cliff old man." he said with a smirk.
"Well let me blow away then! Anything is better than being in this muggy room with such restless legs attached to my poor body!!!"
"SHUT UP YOU OLD COOT! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!!" yelled one of the other prisoners a few doors down, to which Ringo responded with; "Such lack of respect for an old man, such lack of respect! These young people i tell you!!"
"Stop being so dramatic. As long as you stay on the first floor in view of the guards, i could care little.........especially if it'll quiet that mouth of yours down."
Kaiyles words on their face might of been a bit harsh, but there was a wide smirk on his face.......and the old man knew his words should be taken in jest, and returned the smirk........before walking out into the main lobby to perform some basic military exercises he use to perform daily while serving in Apan.
"Calling me dramatic are ya? Well how is this for dramatics!??" said Ringo, before dropping down to the floor and performing one handed push-ups.
Kaiyle simply shook his head and laughed slightly to himself.......before opening the tall doors of the nearby living room, and walking inside.
He'd pour himself a glass of cold water from the miniature refrigerator beside the fireplace......and then take a seat in the loveseat closest to the door.
From where he sat the guards, and the doors to the guest rooms, were out of view. But he had a clear shot of the majority of the main lobby........and watched as Ringo went from push-ups, to jumping jacks, to the calming Eastern art of Thai Chi.
"Crazy old man....." he whispered to himself with a smile, before taking a sip of his water.