Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


Prince Aurelius Scorpio stared out the small window, enjoying the salty breeze rolling in from the tide. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deep, feeling his longs with the unique scent that only an ocean could bring. Looking down, he examined the spiraling city below, the crisscrossing maze of streets, the scurrying people that, from where he was, looked more like ants then human beings. Even from his office, he could hear the buzzing of the voices. Impossible to make out one from the other from the distance, but he could hazard what it was. Negotiating price of goods, asking neighbors how their day is going, simple conversations filling the air of the large city and bringing it to life.

The large oak door to his office slammed open, and Artos leaned away from the window, turning his head over at the sudden intrusion. A large man entered, a scar running down his nose, the blade that had long since passed over his face taking out a chunk of the nose with it giving the man a rather unappealing visage. His hands gripped a stack of papers as if to protect them from any unseen attackers even in the small study that had books and papers strewn about the floor, "My Lord Scorpio, Princess Aries has arrived," his gruff voice broke out smashing what little hope of peace and solitude his small office could provide.

The Princess Aries has arrived, "Has she?" He asked to no one in particular. The announcement of the visit had sent the council into a frenzy. So many things could go wrong and, likely, would go wrong. It was always an... event when the leader of their neighbor changed and this time, Artos had only sparse information on their newest princess which did not bode well as he was far from the most diplomatic of people. He could already imagine the old men in the council chambers biting their nails as they imagined all the ways their 'beloved' prince could rub the princess the wrong with with his charming nature. But there was little to help with it, but he had to try.

"Don't want to keep her waiting. She might get replaced by some other sword swinging maniac with a desire for power. Then we would have to do all this over. Again, can you imagine that?" Artos said flashing a smile to the older man, "Or would it be again? We haven't truly started it yet, so I suppose it would almost be a do-over," he said in mock confusion.

"Prince.." Gregor growled, his thick, brooding eyebrows low over his eyes, "Be careful today. We can't afford slip ups here."

"I know," Artos said, he truly did. They couldn't afford to fight their neighbors. They didn't have the military strength to do anything. They relied on their information and secrets to keep them safe.. as well as the economic repercussions attacking them would bring them whilst trying to appear more trouble then they were worth. It was a fine line to walk in the face of numerous personalities taking the reins of the warlike nation.

"Go and greet the Princess, I will meet you in the hall," Artos ordered and turned his head as the older man bowed and left to follow his orders. 'Be nice.' He reprimanded the reflection in the window.

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Artos stood at the center of the great marble hall, declining to sit in the throne for now. As he waited, he looked down at himself, the plain white cotton shirt and plain brown pants, wondering, idly, if he should have worn something more... formal, but perhaps this was for the best. He really doubted he could reign in his tongue if he was uncomfortable.

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


Artos' head snapped up, having been looking down as he picked at his shirt, at the sound of the doors opening to, who he could only assume was the princess. His dark eyes scanned her, he was surprised to see her in a dress. He had always assumed the princess of Aries would show up in full combat regale... or perhaps an armored dress. Were there armored dresses, and if so, what did they look like? A question for a later date.

The red hair was... interesting. It was a rare hair color in his kingdom, and he wasn't sure he had ever seen hair that was, indeed, such a rich hue, "Princess," Artos said, bowing his head slightly to his guest as a way of greeting.

"It seems I overdressed," he remarked dryly, noting the noticeable different between her dress and his plain shirt before internally wincing at himself for his tone. It seemed he was doomed to failure from the beginning and it didn't look like she was in the best mood to begin with, but he took solace in that, it appeared, someone else had kicked her metaphorical puppy before she had walked through those doors.

Artos spoke quickly trying to cover his early slip up, "Welcome to Sapal," he said waving his hand to the left in, what he felt, was a suitably dramatic gesture, "I hope you have a pleasant," he said fighting down the tone that wanted to rise in his voice, "stay."

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


"I live to entertain," Artos said on reflex, his voice dry as his mind filed away the information. The Princess had a sense of humor, which meant this could not be a total disaster after all. He could almost picture the hanging mouths of the old men on the council when they found out that he could be 'pleasant', well, tolerable, at least.

"As you have likely hazarded, I am Prince Aurelius Scorpio the Twelfth," he said, his voice dull as he went through the motions, "And unlike my state of dress, it is overly an overly formal affair."

He paused for a moment, seizing her up once more, the laugh had been unexpected but not unwelcome, "We can move to the dining room to discuss the terms, get something to eat, or you are free to tour the city now. Someone can be brought to bring you to your room if you wish to rest," he repeated the words that had been drilled into him as a child.

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


"Right," Artos said biting off the words that wanted to follow. He was beginning to think he would fry his brain by the end of the day. He was already, miserably, failing to stop his dry remarks despite conscious effort to do curb his tongue. He did not expect her to stay more then a day, he couldn't recall any other Aries leader that did off the top of his head. Their relations were courteous, not warm, but she did say 'or two', so probably not.

He had to, once again, bite his tongue and the instinct to roll his eyes as she took off without him, with his longer legs, he was able to catch up to her and match her pass fairly quickly, "Your concern for my comfort is touching," Artos said dryly without noticing he had done so, again. A few microseconds later, of course, he noticed. It seemed his unruly tongue truly was a pox from the gods.

Artos took the chance to let his eyes roam the crowded streets as people already started to part at the sight of him to make room, he flashed a small smile and waved his hand at them. The large houses lining the streets were only broken by the occasional alley, "Would you like to see the docks? The ocean is lovely at this time of day," Artos said turning his head in the direction he knew the docks to lay. It was a safe bet as she likely hadn't seen the ocean, or at least, had rarely seen them giving their homeland.

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


Artos listened as he matched her steps, his eyes taking in the sea before him. It was welcoming but it always held a hidden cruelty. It would take one in its embrace just as quickly as it would dash them across the rocks in a fit of rage. He raised an eyebrow at the notion that he was the only one of the two of them that was collecting information of the other. Everyone collected information, filled it away at the back of their minds never to see the light caress of conscious thought again. He merely kept his collected information more organized and readily available then others.

"Let us hope I know what it is you desire," Artos said, turning his head to look at her, meeting her eyes with his own darker shade. Her offer to lower her own taxes was a large offer. It would increase trade, but with their taxes still the same, they would reap larger benefits from it. The information she wanted could not be easy. Would it be about perspective rivals? The tension between the nations?

"So," Artos said, "What is it the Princess of Aries needs from the humble 'Shadowlord'?"

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


Artos only gave a small shrug, it wasn't the first time someone had made and offer then changed their mind in an attempt to gauge the price. They never seemed to understand that information did not have a set price. The cost depended entirely on how much they wanted to know. People would spend fortunes for what they desire, even if what they desire isn't worth the price and, in his experience, it hardly ever was.

"That depends," Artos said, turning his eyes to the sea as she had already done, "On what they wanted to know and how badly they desired to know it."

He moved his hand up, running his fingers through his hair, "Do they want to know what you are developing? What you are working on? The tension in your nation? Do they want to know which ears are best to whisper in to cause another uprising? Or, do they want to know what you like to wear? When you like to sleep? What you like to eat? Who you enjoy spending your time with? Who you are bedding."

He lowered his hand from his head, and turned back to her. He scanned her from head to toe, "And, of course, how badly do they desire to know it. A man, or woman, will often go to any lengths to satisfy their obsession, but for you, Princess, I would not sell such information. Telling you what I know about you would give you hints and glimpses into what little birdies I have placed near you."

And, of course, he didn't memorize such things about her as it were. Some details may have stuck with him, but recalling it offhand would be difficult, but she did not need to know that.

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


'The South continue to look to the North to correct the past.' An amusing way to put it, to say the least. He doubted anyone from the south would have chosen the same words she did, "Your sexual prowess are no doubt impressive and leave wooing men and women alike in its wake," Artos said dryly unable to fight that quip.

"But you see," Artos said, holding up a hand in the air to demonstrate his point, "If you are so open, I have no need to pay for information you sell because I have my little birdies. Although, I am sure some will be dismayed to find out their sexual prowess was lacking," he added as an after thought. Of course, if he even had someone that was, or had, done that was another matter.

"We have come full circle then," Artos said, "For there is very few things that I can not learn about you if I so desired it and those I could not are not worth knowing," He put a hand on his hip and leaned against it as he scanned the open skies, "The only thing that remains is a minor curiosity for, while I am many things, a mind reader is not among them."

"Your offer, while temporarily withdrawn, is a curiosity in itself. Did you offer me such a thing just to tempt me? While the offer is generous, the Scorpio can do without it, but for you to make such an offer means your demand must be rather interesting," he tapped his fingers against his hip, "So, Princess, what have you come to ask from me?"

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


"Do you know what I have found to be the most often case during my tenure as Prince, Princess?" Artos said, his gaze sliding over the people milling about, "There is always someone. Someone forgotten, someone glimpsed once that lurks in the dark corner of a memory long forgotten. There is always someone who remembers, someone who survived," he said turning his gaze back to her, "But I admit, I never bothered to attempt to look too deeply into your past."

"Not that I am not a bit curious," he continued dryly, "Who wouldn't be? Your people have a fascinating culture, but it would have been a poor use of resources when the leader of your nation is subject to change so frequently."

And it truly was. While information on their leader's background could shed some light on their likely actions, it, more often then naught, wasn't worth it. Instead, they examined them during their 'rise' to prominence and made their best case scenarios and worst cast scenarios. The Aries's land was large, the new leader could potentially come from anywhere and traversing the desert was a long, arduous journey on its own, much less, with someone constantly moving about it searching for information then they have to shift through lies, truth and half-truths.

"Oh, I would never deprive you of your fun, Princess," Artos said, the corner of his lip twitching upwards, "I would hate for you to go and terrorize the town looking for your next bit of fun. I would have riots on the street to keep you contained."

"But what I care for is not the trade, itself, but the security trade provides which, in our case, is one and the same," his eyebrow raised at her removal of her shoes... It must have been an Aries thing.

"My name?" he said, not managing to hide his surprise at that question. He couldn't recall that last time someone had asked. Not that he tried to keep that a secret, most people in Sapal still remembered his birth name.

"Fair enough. Although it is a low price. You could have gotten your information from a Sapal Inn Keeper, but I suppose that wouldn't have been as fun," he said, bemused, "Legally, and officially, my name is Aurelius Titus Scorpio the Twelfth."

Artos paused for a second and looked up into the blue sky, "But I am not the original holder of that name. The previous Aurelius Titus Scorpio was far better looking, he was smarter, stronger and kinder then the one who would later usurp his name. After.. he passed away," he added softly, "His younger brother, a plain and unimportant boy who was of no real use much like an odd shoe no one ever expects to have to wear was thrust into the spotlight. According to tradition, the boy had to be named Aurelius Titus Scorpio, but the generation did not change and thus, the younger brother took up his older brothers name of Aurelius Titus Scorpio the Twelfth."

Turning his dark eyes back towards her, the corner of his lip lifting, "The younger brother's name was Artos."

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


"Of course it is. It was a story about changing my name, not the secret to eternal youth," Artos said dryly, "Next time a heir of Scorpio must change their name, I shall tell them to make it a secret blood pact, lock someone else up in an iron mask that will take their name and become an exiled prisoner spoken in hushed whispers that way, when an Aries Princess comes to visit, we can regale her with an amusing tale."

"Very inspiring, and this constant change of leadership has worked out... so well for your people, well, I am sure it is very lovely in the far south of your kingdom." Artos said turning his head to the sea. He knew that was a low blow as some of their past leaders have been some of the worst in all of the kingdoms forcing them to go south and has lead to numerous coup attempts, but her attitude had irritated him. It was as if it never occurred to her that, it was exactly what he was doing. It was why he was standing on that beach being told by a Princess of another nation to do the very same thing he was already doing. It was infuriating.

A slap in the face by someone who knew very little about his people, his city or himself and attempt to pass off advice as if he wasn't already doing so, and more then that, it was as if his efforts weren't noticeable in the least. Yes, he was indeed, very irked by her flippant attitude.

"Enjoy the beach," Artos said, "I think I will take my leave. We can finish... whatever this is at a later date."

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


Arto's fingers tapped against the wood table, the sound echoing throughout the small room. He had decided against any large, overly decorated dinners, much to his advisers chagrin, as he did not think the Princess would appreciate it, and more than that, he didn't want to bother arranging something like that. So, the main dinning room went unused in favor of the much smaller one reserved for members of the Scorpio family, as he was the only member of that family, he often found himself eating alone or with the occasional adviser like Gregor.

He wasn't sure what would be served tonight, if he had to guess, they would likely serve a Clawed King, since it was a delicacy of Sapal as well as other more exotics foods from other nations as a means of displaying wealth and care for their guest. Artos could already imagine all the food that would likely go to waste since he really doubt he or the princess could eat all of whatever they prepared. Artos leaned his head back, pondering it, before waving over one of the servers, overly dressed and waiting for a signal, "After the meal, tell the others they are free to take whatever is left over home with them," he said and cut the women off before she could deny on the grounds it would be 'inappropriate', "I would rather not have all the food tossed out in the streets as hungry as the stray cats undoubtedly are."

The server gave a small bow before backing away to her corner as Artos lowered his dark eyes to the equally dark wood table, running his thumb nail across the surface. It was an extremely old table, hand carved from a single great oak making it seamless. It was also immensely heavy as Artos learned when he had tried to help move it into place earlier. He traced the grains that ran along the table as he awaited his 'guest' for the night.

Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio XII


Arto's eyes snapped up from the table at the sounds of the doors being opened, as his eyes fell on the emerging Princess, he noted the change of clothes, it suited her. Standing up, he greeted her in return, "It is fine, I don't mind waiting," he said motioning to one of the servers in the corner to start bringing in whatever they prepared.

Lowering himself back into the chair, he felt it was best to give a small compliment to try and transition and to move beyond what had happened earlier, "Those clothes suit you, and your hair is nice pulled back," he said honestly. Before her dress hadn't suit her personality.

His eyes shot back to the door as servers returned carrying large platters, and he had to fight the groan that had risen in his throat, as he had assumed, they had prepared far too much for two people. He could already see the large covered platter with the Clawed King, the large crustacean being two large for someone without a abyssal pit in their stomach to finish alone, plates piled high with various fruits, cooked meats, jars of imported wines and spirits and even small baked goods.

As they were placed on the table, Artos gave the servers a small nod trying hard to not make a remark about the cooks having overdone it, but he ended up failing, "I hope you are hungry because it seems the cooks are intent on making you plump before you leave," he added dryly.