[$] To Have and To Hold (with LotusCurtiss)

[LotusCurtiss]

C O R Z A t h e P R I N C E


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝"Well, if you want to talk about it, I am all ears." Corza took a bite of fried pear. "I won't stop you though I would be delighted to hear about it." ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

Garrat moved in his seat to get more comfortable. "I suppose I shall start, then," he declared. "I would say it was a third into my month of leave. Through my touring of the kingdom, I had slept in fine buildings, eaten odd yet delectable delicacies, seen breathtaking wonders of nature, all of which I would share with Martha on the way back. I recommend that you go see the legendary mountains at Forlor when you get the chance, sire." To this, he heard his fiancée quickly agree. "Anyway, I eventually came across Martha's village, oddly left unnamed. Martha and I had run into each other on the very day that I arrived. She wouldn't stop apologizing for frightening my horse, even though there was no way either of us could have known."

When Garrat had gone silent, Martha knew it was her turn to speak. "Well, to be fair, he had fallen into mud just moments after we encountered. I then had to provide housing for him. It was a rule in the village to provide lodging to anyone from the palace, and it was the least I could do after the spectacle," she recalled with a little giggle. "He was rather gracious, I must say, despite our rocky meeting. Whenever it was brought up, he would joke about how he used to play in the mud as a child. Anyhow, I suppose we had gotten rather close over the month, because he one day proposed to me. I must admit I'm still not quite used to it, but I'm glad. Most of our time together was spent in conversation, but it was very nice."  

[LotusCurtiss]

C O R Z A t h e P R I N C E


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝"Getting to know the other through conversation is one way to fall in love." Corza stated. "Garrat, you often did fall in the mud when we were little." He laughed. "You made a game of it." ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

Garrat became a little flustered. "It was the mud curse, I swear!" he muttered, though with a chuckle. "You seemed to get as much a kick out of the game as I did."

Martha raised an eyebrow. "My lord, if you don't mind me asking, what was Garrat like as a child? It seems you have known him for quite a while."  

[LotusCurtiss]

C O R Z A t h e P R I N C E


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

#
❝"I was born sickly, and was bed ridden till a few years ago when I recovered. Garrat, other than being my bodyguard, he is my only best friend. Of the times I could go outside, we would play hide and seek and every time he neared the bank side, he would slip and fall. Not gracefully to say the least." He shook his head. "Garrat and I grew up together, he was clumsy, and always had trouble following him." ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

"Hey, the majority of those troubles weren't my fault," Garrat said, though he knew differently. "We were very much like brothers, and we might as well have been." He became rather quiet. If he went on, he would have revealed to Martha that he and Corza were no longer so close. If she knew, then she would wonder why, and he could never tell her a lie. Only keep secrets from her.

Martha giggled a little bit at the image of Garrat's clumsy younger self. "Well, that explains the warm atmosphere Garrat has right now," she remarked. "Anyway, it is most fortunate that you have recovered as much as you have now, my lord. At first glance, I would never have known that you ever had been sickly."  

[LotusCurtiss]

C O R Z A t h e P R I N C E


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

#
❝"This is a nice change of pace from Garrat. Recently in the past year, he has become a stickler in trying to be absolutely silent, this includes no speaking as well." At least Corza will keep that much a lie. "He has aggravated me no matter how many times for not answering a question or a demand. To hear him break the silence for the past year is a breath of fresh air."

"Well, I am sure word spread about me to even the furthest village, this included my illness. I am afraid even I am still a little too weak muscled, I can only carry the daggers my Father has given me as a birthday present last year. They are not much but at least I can wield them with some accuracy though they have been specifically designed to be extremely light weight and hard." ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

Garrat should have expected Corza mentioning his silence, though it was odd that he told Martha it had been a year rather than several. Nonetheless, it was at least less troubling. "I had my reasons. Besides, I'm speaking now, aren't I?"

Martha became curious about that year of silence. It was odd, as Garrat was rather talkative back at the village. "Did the two of you have an argument, perhaps?"  

[LotusCurtiss]

C O R Z A t h e P R I N C E


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝"No. Garrat has been trying to work on his stealth. I don't know why he decided to go so far as to remain silent when its his foot falls that give him away." Corza shrugged. "Before you left, I had considered sending you to the whipping post because you failed to follow an order to speak on several occasions. And I was about to hand it down when you asked for a leave of absence." ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

"I suppose I was lucky there," Garrat said a little more seriously than he intended. "I still need to work on steps, but my lack of speech was practice to prevent myself from muttering on the job. You should know that I had that tendency when I think too much." A clear lie, but it would have to do for now.

"Not sure why you needed a year to do that," Martha said, though she was sure Garrat was not telling the truth. Even just one year of silence was odd.  

[LotusCurtiss]

C O R Z A t h e P R I N C E


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝"I would point out to him that his inability to conceal himself kind of pushed him over the edge. I never figured that Garrat would take it to the extreme." He took a sip of tea. "I have decided to send you to the Captain of the Guard to train you in foot work, you have done a excellent job in keeping silent." ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

Garrat wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad turn of events, but figured things could have been worse. "Perhaps that is what I need. Thank you, my lord," he said. At least there was no need to talk about his feelings.

"I wonder how you made it as a bodyguard all this time, Garrat," Martha teased and then she turned to face the prince again. "My lord, I do wonder: what are the pastimes here? If Garrat is to be busy for a majority of the day, and perhaps I would be living on these premises at least until the wedding, I would like to know what activities are available here."  

[LotusCurtiss]

C O R Z A t h e P R I N C E


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝"There truly has never been an attempt on my life and my older brothers' never felt that I was a threat." They will find out soon enough. "I think its Garrat's paranoia that get's in his way sometimes."

"Surely not, it would be rude to leave a Lady out in the cold. If you are good with cats, the palace cat's need a care taker." ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

Garrat glanced at Martha as soon as Corza mentioned cats. Her eyes were twinkling at the possibility of taking care of them. "Seems like your kind of job, milady," he said to his fiancée.

"Cats? I love cats!" Martha exclaimed quite excitedly. If they weren't in front of the prince, she would have squealed. "Do any of them happen to be kittens? Or are expecting any?"  

[LotusCurtiss]

C O R Z A t h e P R I N C E


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

#
❝"I have seen one or two of them laze around here with round bellies. Though they do become quite ornery around any person male." Corza blanched in memory. "As far about existing litters, well, I don't know but the maids often talk about a few kittens seen here or there that causes them to be swept off their feet at the slightest cry or cute gesture." He laughed softly. "I can hear my brothers clear across the castle complaining about the service slowing down."

He tapped the table with an index finger, the glistening crest of his families signet, glimmered. "Now, what to do about housing...I could, no...maybe, no...that would be, no..." He thought deeply. "Ah, that room should do. It would be rude to house you with the maids, so there is a spare room at the end of my East Wing. As long as you keep it maintained and even after your married, it will be both of yours. Looks like someone will get out of that room of his that looks more like a small jail cell." He grinned in amusement. ❞
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BrokenScreamBox