| 1 x 1 | A Prince And His Rebel

[Caffeinated Nova]

Lucas glanced down at the finger pressed against his chest, and then up at Sigma's face, his own expression turning serious. He knew what Sigma was doing - before now there had always been a little competition between the two of them on who could best protect Toby, although at first he was sure it had been who Toby liked best. Things were different now. The fact that Sigma was actually trusting him with Toby's protection, after all of the mistakes that Lucas had made, was sort of touching.

"I get it, Sigma." He said evenly. "I'd do anything for him." He looked down at Toby's protective arms around him, and couldn't help but let the serious expression slide a little. He looked so damned cute. He realised with a pang that he should have organised some sort of honeymoon - that was what normal people did, didn't they? Escape to far off countries in the sun... Although they'd sort of done that already. Besides, anywhere with Toby there was good enough for him.

"The twins seem to be growing up quickly," he said dryly, trying to change the subject. "More than usual, I mean. When're they taking over running Arryn?" He joked.

[Dunyazade]

Sigma relaxed a little. "Good," he said shortly, letting his finger drop. "Hopefully we don't have to have this conversation again." He reached out again, slowly, and ruffled Toby's hair.

Toby ducked slightly, but didn't pull away from Sigma's hand, his nose wrinkling. He'd never been particularly fond of that move...but it was something that usually only Sigma did to him, and it reminded him of the many years that Sigma had been the only person he could rely on. They'd really come a long way, hadn't they?

Sensing that Lucas was changing the subject, Tobias easily followed his train of thought. "They've gotten so big," he added. "They're already taller than I am...is that because they're demigods?"

Sigma shrugged. "We don't know. We've only had them officially examined once, just so we didn't have to pay a bunch of idiots to stay quiet. The kingdom can obviously guess there's something special about them, but since not a lot of people know about me, it's sort of a mystery."

His eyes turned in the direction of the front door. He couldn't see them, but he could sort of feel them nearby. "Those two?" he scoffed in response to Lucas. "They're too busy trying to learn everything about everything. I think Theo's more interested in controlling shadows than running the kingdom. And Annie recoils at the idea of anything involving responsibility or work."

"Someday one of them will have to take over, though, right? Is it going to be patriarchal?" Toby asked.

"Patriachal?" Sigma glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Theo's not automatically next in line. And there's still the council. If those two would at least slow it down with the growing for a bit...and on top of everything else we have to deal with..." He sighed. "Hell, there's still a lot they don't know about us, Neeve, you two, or even my parents or Omi."

At "Omi" Toby reflexively flinched, fingers digging into Lucas's shirt. "Do...do they know anything at all about Omicron?" he asked quietly.

Sigma looked down, instantly sensing that something was up. "It's one of the many things we haven't had a proper discussion about," he said slowly. "Why? What's wrong?"

[Caffeinated Nova]

Lucas relaxed a little as the conversation changed to something lighter, but he didn't let go of Toby's waist. As far as he was concerned the other boy wasn't getting away from him for the rest of the day, he'd done enough socialising without him - and it wasn't out of fear or over-protection, Lucas just couldn't stop holding onto him.

"Theo seems to be exactly like Dariian when he was a child," Lucas said with a slight smirk. "I don't think you two would have gotten on well if you'd met so young. He'd snub the rest of us and go hide away with his books. The only person he didn't really mind talking to when he was really young was Lorcan, and only because he was smarter than the little brat."

He tilted his head at Sigma's next words. "He's not next in line? Then what exactly was the huge outcry about you two not having an heir about? Even Torr deal with royalty like that. When our parents die, my brother will be next on the throne."

Lucas leaned down a little to rest his chin on Toby's head, arms circling his waist more firmly. His eyes narrowed and darkened at the mention of Omicron. "He came after Toby, said Dariian had messed something up for him. Took his powers back from him. Thanks for the heads up on that, by the way." He shot a glare at Sigma. "Taking his powers back saved Toby. But if it hadn't..." He trailed off darkly.

[Dunyazade]

"As ideal as that might be, Theo's not automatically getting the reins just because of his bloodline. There's been more than enough issues in Arryn thanks to monarchy. We want to set a precedent that whoever rules the kingdom needs to earn it, to prove that they can handle the responsibility without going insane over it." The council had been a bit torn on the issue, most believing in respecting the tradition of royal bloodlines, but Sigma was firm on this issue. If they were going to place the kingdom in someone else's hands one day, then that person had damn well better be able to take care of the people so the resistance could retire.

"Having said that, I would like one of our kids to be the next ruler of Arryn, but if neither of them are equipped for the job, then shoving it on them's a bad idea." Sigma just shrugged. "We'll have to see. Anyway, there's no rush, the current king's still alive and well and whiny as ever."

"What about you?" Toby asked. "Ambrosia said that you'd been appointed to the council again."

Sigma looked embarrassed. "Yeah, they put it to a vote. I guess...if they're willing to trust me again, then I have to live up to that expectation. I can't let the kingdom down again."

He listened, dismayed, as Lucas explained Omicron's visit. "Are you shitting me?" he gasped. "That...a*****e. I knew we couldn't--"

Abruptly, Sigma cut himself off, making a sharp gesture. "I didn't think he knew where you were. We never told him. I specifically told him that Toby was off limits. ********] His worried gaze turned to Toby. "Are you okay?"

Tobias leaned into Lucas, biting his lip. Those moments had been some of the most painful and terrifying of his life. But... "I am," he finally said quietly. "The demonic power in me was going to destroy me, so even though it...was...he did help in a way. He tricked me for a bit, and I lost faith in Lucas, but--but once we found out..."

Frustrated, Sigma ran a hand over his face. "s**t. I'm sorry, I didn't know he'd be able to find you. Is your security system thing equipped to keep him out?"

Toby nodded.

"Good. Look, I'll find him, and get some answers, I swear. He's not going to get away with this." Sigma glanced at Lucas now. "He's got what he wanted, so he probably won't be back. But I'll get in touch if I hear anything. And you two do the same."

[Caffeinated Nova]

Lucas couldn't help but tense at Toby's words. Omicron had only been near them for a few moments, and had managed to single-handedly wreck the faith that Tobias had for his husband. Or fiance at that point, really.

"If he comes back I'm not going to hold back on him," Lucas said with a slight growl, green eyes flaring. He didn't really believe that Omicron would come back, though - he'd already gotten what he wanted. But they'd had their security system upgraded again - nobody was getting in here. Again, the thought of whisking Toby away to some unknown island that couldn't be reached by anyone that couldn't turn part-fish seemed appealing.

"Anyway, let's stop talking about depressing things." He sighed, glancing around the room. "This is supposed to be a celebration and two of us are already asleep," he indicated Dariian, who was dozing with his head on Neeve's shoulder, arms around him protectively.

[Dunyazade]

Sigma heaved a small sigh through his nose, hands resting lightly on his hips. "Fair enough," he said. "Can't say I wouldn't do the same." He felt a surge of guilt at the thought that his biological brother had caused his surrogate brother to suffer, and he hadn't known anything about it. If Omicron dared show his face again, there would be a lot of angry people he'd have to deal with.

Toby could feel the tenseness in Lucas, and looked up at him worriedly. He reached up and touched Lucas's face. "I'm sorry," he said softly. If only he hadn't doubted Lucas, even for a short while. He leaned against Lucas, feeling a wave of sadness. Omicron was definitely dangerous. The question was, what did he plan on doing with the powers he'd siphoned?

Sigma glanced at Dariian and Neeve. Neeve's head had slid over to rest against Dariian's, and despite the paleness of his face he looked peaceful in sleep. "I should probably get those two home," he said slowly. "Neeve's had it rough for a while, and he needs a good rest. And Dariian probably ran himself ragged today."

"Will you come back?" Toby asked.

"Of course, I will." Sigma smiled at him. "We really need to stay in touch better, especially considering how easily some of us can travel. I know the twins really missed you."

[Caffeinated Nova]

Lucas let out a slight breath when they successfully managed to change the subject. He smirked slightly at Sigma's words. "He must have made us try on a hundred different outfits. Never mind being a King, he and Jori need to team up and become party planners." He lowered his hand to Toby's hip, loosening his grip a little bit. He didn't want Toby to feel sad... or suffocated.

"You should let the twins holiday here in the winter." He said thoughtfully. It would be good to have some kids around the place, even if they were older kids now. "I bet they'd like to see one of Toby's workshops. He's pretty impressive in them." He glanced down at Toby with a proud smile.

Almost as if he'd known they had been talking about him, Dariian had slowly started to wake up. He blinked bright blue eyes in the sunlight coming through the windows, and looked around sleepily. "Damnit," he said grumpily, pushing himself up onto the edge of the sofa. He hated sleeping in front of people. "What did I miss?"

[Dunyazade]

"Somehow I can see him excelling at that," Sigma said dryly. "It'd have to be a side job, though. He's really bound and determined to run the kingdom."

His brows raised in surprise at Lucas's suggestion. "That's not a bad idea. I think they've been wanting to visit for a while. And they need to get out of the castle anyway, learn a little bit about the world."

Toby predictably blushed. "W-Well, maybe...but it's boring for anyone who isn't into technology. Of course I'd love them to come stay, though!" he added quickly, as if afraid they would think he was turning the children away.

"I'll run it by them, then." Sigma glanced back over when Dariian finally rose, and couldn't resist a smile. "Oh nothing, just plotting villainous plots. Looks like we need to get you two home, sleepyhead."

[Dunyazade]

[Dunyazade]

"All right, ready?"

"...Yes."

Sigma nodded, then sank into an easy stance. His silver eyes followed Neeve's cautious movements, mentally examining and judging his stance. He still moved too warily, like he expected the ground itself to attack him. A dark band was around his wrist, his own shadows temporarily restricting themselves so he didn't accidentally unleash them.

Neeve took a deep breath, then lunged. He aimed a blow at Sigma's shoulder, but his wrist was caught, and in moments he'd been flipped onto the ground. A pained grunt forced its way out of his mouth as he jarred his back.

"Neeve..." Sigma sighed, leaning over the prone man. "You're gonna fail if you keep hesitating like that."

"Mmh...forgive me..." Neeve managed, squeezing his eyes shut.

Sigma watched him for a moment longer, then reached down with both hands. He snagged Neeve's armpits and pulled him up, before shifting around to hitch the other man onto his back. "Come on. Let's call it a day and get some food."

"Sigma--"

"Nope, we're done. We push it too much and you're just gonna get an injury. Physical therapy has to be in spurts," Sigma said firmly. Not to mention if Neeve was seriously hurt, Dariian would probably cut Sigma's head off. The redhead had barely agreed to this idea in the first place.

Sigma had thought it was a weird request, when Neeve had asked to be taught self-defense. After all, he had the shadows and everything. But he'd agreed to it, although it was slow going. Neeve was at least up and mobile now, but sometimes he still got bizarre cases of heartburn or back pain, some lingering effects from the demonic magic searing the darkness out of him.

In any case, he'd said he wanted to be back to his best in time for the twins' birthday, which was coming up pretty soon. It was actually amazing. The twins were almost a year old, and they looked and acted like teenagers. To make it worse, Ambrosia had already fielded a couple of letters from kingdoms asking for political marriages for both Annie and Theo. It had taken Ambrosia a good deal of persuasion to keep both Sigma and Dariian from declaring war on said kingdoms. It was ridiculous.

"Maybe we should go find the twins. Last I heard they were planning on bugging Dariian about something. And Theo's probably ready for another lessons with the shadows anyway," Sigma went on.

"Of course," Neeve said quietly, giving up the fight and letting his arms settle over Sigma's shoulders as they headed inside together. He'd regained a good deal of his strength, but he still had issues sometimes. He wanted to become stronger, be able to protect Dariian and Sigma again--but it was still the case that they had to watch over him. He didn't like it.

[Caffeinated Nova]

As Neeve and Sigma headed towards Dariian's office, raised voices could be heard. That wasn't exactly unusual as Dariian always moved towards yelling when he was annoyed with people or wasn't getting his own way, but the other raised voice - though certainly much lower than Dariian's - was Theo's.

"But if Uncle Neeve came with us then we would be safe! It's not as if we would be going to Wui, Father! Issara isn't that far away, and even so, Uncle Neeve could take us through his shadow portals-"

"I said no, Theodore," Dariian shot him down immediately, raised voice sounding tired and frustrated. "Can't you see I'm trying to get these tax amendments done?"

"You always have work to do. Annie and I are old enough to go outside of the palace without an escort! I knew I should have asked Papa instead of you."

Dariian glared at Theodore over the top of his glasses. "He would say the exact same thing. Why can't you just wait a week until we're less busy and we can escort you? Why is visiting Tobias and Lucas so urgent?" He watched as Theo's eyes widened, before his face became suspiciously innocent. "Theo," he said warningly, "trust me, I know when something is going on."

He pressed the pen against the desk and crossed both arms across his chest. His blue eyes flickered over to Annie and he raised his eyebrows expectantly. "What's going on?" He tried not to sigh as he spoke. He knew they wanted to get out of the palace, and everything in him wanted them to be able to leave when they wanted. He didn't want to keep them trapped here like he was when he was younger, but there were so many things going on outside of the Kingdom that he couldn't bare the thought of letting them out alone.

Somehow the world had become rather interested in the two Royale children. And why wouldn't they be? A year ago there had been no children, and now he and Sigma suddenly had two teenagers. An adoption theory was out of the question, as they looked so much like he and Sigma. And if anything ever happened to them in the future, Dariian didn't want their right to the throne questioned under blood lines.

He sensed Sigma and Neeve and let out a slight breath. Backup had arrived at last.

[Dunyazade]

"Uh oh," Sigma said, pausing as they approached Dariian's office. He recognized those voices and their respective tones. "Looks like something's going on."

"Oh dear. I hope there is not an issue," Neeve said worriedly.

Annie looked down stubbornly at the ground, kicking her shoe against it. This was going nowhere fast. She'd hoped that if Theo presented the idea, since he was more thoughtful and persuasive of the two of them, then they'd get somewhere. But no, Father was unyielding, and it was driving her crazy.

"I don't see why we need to be carted around and hovered over like we're weeks old," she said sulkily, crossing her arms. "I mean, I know there's the dispute going on with Wui and all, but thousands of people are living their lives just fine without having to be babysat constantly. We're not weak--we can defend ourselves. You all treat us like we're still babies."

"Believe it or not, the average kid your actual age is barely old enough to talk," Sigma said as he came in, pushing the door open with a free hand. He moved over to the chair across from the desk and settled Neeve down into it.

Annie bit her lip. "Well, obviously we're not average kids," she grumbled.

Neeve released a breath as he was settled into the chair, relaxing into it a bit. "Forgive us if we are interrupting," he said to Dariian.

"Sounds like it could use some interruption, though. What's going on, exactly?" Sigma asked as he came around the desk to stand next to Dariian.

"Maybe we could ask Uncle Neeve what he thinks," Annie said, with a familiar gleam in her silver eyes.

"Me? I..." Neeve looked confused, as if being asked what he thought was an abnormal occurence.

[Caffeinated Nova]

"Father won't allow us to visit Uncle Lucas and Uncle Toby unless he is present." Theo responded to Sigma, crossing his own arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes. "Which, as I have just told him, is a ridicuous expectation. The two of you are constantly busy ruling the Kingdom, and to expect us only to leave the palace with one of you accompanying us is equal to informing us that we can only leave once a month! You two are far too busy to babysit us - and we don't need babysitting."

Dariian sighed and shot Sigma an irritated, desperate glance. He had been arguing with them for a good half an hour, but Theo was far too good at logical arguments and Dariian was now just going around in circles. He had his reasons and excuses, but Theo managed to make him sound like some tyrant locking them up.

"I'm not saying you need babysitting, but you do need protection." He glanced at Annie at her words, "No, but those thousands of people aren't Royales! You're important to the Kingdom, you can't just go prancing about putting yourselves in danger."

"We wouldn't be in danger. We're capable of taking care of ourselves - besides, Uncle Neeve could protect us. And once we arrive in Issara we will be with Uncles Toby and Lucas, and Auntie Jori too!"

Theo switched his yellow eyes to Neeve and stared at him intently. "You'll accompany us, won't you?"

[Dunyazade]

Sigma crossed his arms, automatically frowning a little. So this was what was going on. He'd had a feeling something was going on with the twins, but hadn't known what it was. In any case, he could see the matching looks of exasperation on Dariian's and Theo's faces, and it made him wonder just how long they'd been at this. Both of them were used to getting their way--two unstoppable forces against each other...

He almost smiled, but caught it just in time. This was a serious moment, after all. The kids looked disgruntled, and Annie was sulkily butting her toe against the floor.

Neeve looked startled to be addressed, and hesitated a bit. He hated to think that Theo and Annie were displeased, but everyone seemed displeased at this point. And he did worry that he would be any use to them in this state. "Well, I..."

"Don't answer that," Sigma cut in. He turned to Theo, a disapproving look on his face. "Don't try and drag Neeve into this. You know he can't say no. And using our being busy as an excuse is just as lame. Your father and I aren't joined at the hip, and we could easily arrange to take you there during some downtime. Why you would deliberately pick a time when both of us are busy to suddenly decide you're too cooped up..." He could smell Theo's talent for manipulation all over this.

"But it isn't fair," Annie argued. "We've been patient, even when you pushed back the date for our trip to Issara, and didn't say anything against it. And if you're really worried about our safety--that's out in the middle of nowhere, with our two perfectly capable uncles, and Auntie Jori too just like Theo said."

She shifted her stance, jutting out a hip rebelliously. "Why do we have to be imprisoned here like we did something wrong? How will we ever learn anything meaningful if we never get to go outside these walls?"

[Caffeinated Nova]

"I'm not dragging Neeve into this." Theo replied calmly, "He was mentioned in our original proposal to visit Issara. We knew you wouldn't let us go alone, and rather than wait the ten years it may take for you two to finally be available, we wanted Uncle Neeve to take us to Issara so that we can have some fun. You must realise how boring the palace is. I've read through the library twice already. The peoples are all the same..."

His eyes glinted suddenly at Annie's words, and he jumped on that track. "If you want us to help the Kingdom when we're older then shouldn't we be outside experiencing things? Other cultures and people, different ways of ruling... Issara has the lowest crime rates outside of Arryn, I'm certain we would be fine."

Dariian sagged back in his chair and bit back a yawn. Damn, arguing with these two was tiring. He wondered if this was how Sigma felt when they argued - though of course Sigma would have given in by now, and let Dariian have his own way.

"Neeve isn't well enough to take you yet." He said firmly, indicating the other man. "You'll wear him out even more, he needs to rest!"