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 Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 2:58 am
Ken slept off and on, waking when he became afraid, only to realize he didn't have to stay awake through the pain anymore, not have to worry about being hit for falling asleep again. He ate little during the night, refusing hot food if he couldn't feed it to himself, explaining to Yitta that sometimes hot foods were forced into his face and it was very frightening to see someone go at him with a spoon of hot soup. The next evening, he laid in the carriage with Yitta, watching the scenery change from the floor and light turn to dark then to light again. He tried to sleep, sometimes they hit a nasty bump and he tensed at the pain. Yitta was there though to help him, she really was useful when it came to caring for someone, just he wouldn't trust her walking behind him anymore. By the time they reached Blackwolf Hall, he was a bit better at keeping awake, Yitta helped him stand until his knees gave out, showing he was still a bit weak and had to be carried to what he swore was a huge room. He was helped into the large bed, smiling at Ailean as he told him of the bathroom and a study room's whereabouts. "It's perfect, better than a closet and hay stack." He laughed lightly, Yitta lit the fireplace later in the night when she came by, Ken didn't wish for the curtains to be closed, stating he quite loved seeing the farmland, that he hadn't slept by such a big window in a long time and the moonlight was comforting. The doctor had come earlier, shortly after their arrival and had redone the bandages and checked his wounds, even the T on his chest to see what could be done. It would have to wait until he was fully healed, in case he couldn't handle too much pain and too much alcohol tended to make him rather sick to the stomach.
He slept good in the warm, comfy bed, waking to see not Yitta, but a different servant who was attempting to sew, only to get frustrated and grumble to herself. "Do you need help?" He startled her, sitting up carefully as she helped move the pillows to keep his propped up comfortably. She asked if he knew how to sew and he nodded, gladly taking the unfinished embroidery and helping her to fix some errors when Ailean hobbled in. "N-No! No....erm...I'm just showing her how to do this real quick...." He gave it back once finished, relaxing slightly and looking a lot better, not so much in pain. "I know I'm suppose to be resting, but is there anything I can do to help around here? I could draw some pictures for you." He laughed lightly as the servant perked up at hearing it was true their new young master could draw.
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Bethany blushed brightly as he flipped the edge of her nightgown up and commented that she was wearing undies. "That is none of your business!" She got up when he went to get dressed, holding back laughter as he failed to notice her revenge. She waited until he left when getting dressed in a soldier's armor, hearing the commander yelling already at Joseph. She sighed when he left, only to return later to put his horse back in the stables then leave again for his pathetic camp. She knew he couldn't build one by winter, the nights were already chilly and her cabin was already built, it just needed some wood for the fireplace. The commander came up to her, telling her of the exercise he had planned for Joseph and the recruits, asking if they really should use alcohol this time to get their princess. She nodded, they sent three recruits off with a couple barrels of beer, finding Joseph and raising their arms in celebration. "Hey, your that prince guy, we snuck some alcohol into camp but the commander is so strict on it, we gotta drink it outside of camp, wanna join us?" They asked, setting them down when he agreed, a few minutes later only to be pointed at with a sword and told to leave the alcohol and go so they did, but not far. They waited for him to drink every ounce and fall asleep in his silly bed.
The sun would rise and the exercise began, find the princess and claim your prize. Princess Joseph, in a dress as pink as a baby's arse when smacked. His hands and feet chained to a stone wall and a small pillow between his head and the wall it leaned on, for courtesy towards a princess. Bethany already knew where he was, taking her time to get to him and think if she should laugh or not.
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Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 5:50 am
 He chuckled a bit at the boy's flustered reaction. "You look better today." He then took a seat in the arm chair, which had been moved to be closer to Ken's bed. He moved slowly to sit as always, his bad knee emitting a crunching noise as it was bending. When his rump was close to the seat, he flopped down into it and gruffly placed his hands upon his knees with a sigh. "Thanks, Milord! I just couldn't figure out this pattern at all!" He smiled, watching the girl admire the work Ken had done. "You've already done quite a lot. Because you're here, Blackwolf Hall feels alive again. The servants are all working with renewed fervor now that they know they'll still have jobs after death finally claims me. And I see you've helped brighten Inga's day as well."
The servant girl nodded and beamed, holding the embroidery against her chest. "Yessir!" He leaned back in the chair, glancing out the window momentarily. Then remembered that the boy had asked about drawing something. "Ah, right. Your art. Inga, would you bring him some parchment and charcoal?" As the maid bowed and hurried away to fetch the items, he looked back to Ken. "I know it must be boring to be stuck in bed like this for so long. The doctor says it'll take over a month for your wounds to heal completely, but you'll be able to walk around sooner than that. Don't push yourself. If you're a patient boy, you'll probably heal faster." As Inga returned with the sheets of parchment and charcoal pencils, he reminded Ken that if he wanted something he could simply ask for it. He was going to be in charge fairly soon, after all.
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It was fairly late when Joseph stirred from his slumber. He realized that he felt much colder than he should, as if his legs were bare. His chest felt tight. Thinking it was a stitch, he inhaled deeply, only to feel something hard pressing into his abdomen. It snapped as he expanded his chest, and he finally bothered to open his eyes in order to look at it. He immediately noticed the pink dress, along with the odd outline of the corset underneath it. It was a color his eldest sister adored. Why was he in a dress?! His legs were sticking out of it at the bottom and as he tried to get it off of him he realized that his arms and feet were chained up. There was only so much length allowed to him, and struggle though he did he was too hungover to break free with strength alone. Still, he'd rather be naked than stuck wearing this monstrosity. So he tore it free, it was already half-off anyway since it was too small to fit him.
Even the skirt left his bare legs exposed. He paused as he tore the top of the dress apart, eyeing his legs suspiciously. It took him a moment to realize and in horror, he reached down in order to feel one. It was clean-shaven! "What in god's name?!" He shouted, angry and confused. He ripped the dress off, which exposed the women's pantaloons he was wearing underneath. He ripped those off as well, left naked in the cold wherever the hell he was. To his fury he realized that every part of his body except for his brow and scalp had been shaved! He cursed and shook his chains violently, pulling with all of his might. He then noticed that his hair was loose, and perfumed, and a sheer veil was over it. He ripped the veil off, snarling at the pain it caused as it was pulled away. He used such force to pull at his binds that the stones in the wall loosened. The few stones being pulled away caused the building to groan.
Joseph looked at the wall, then above his head. The building continued to make sounds that a structure shouldn't make if it were stable. He could swear that the wall he was chained to was moving. He didn't know what to do about it, so he just settled on continuing to try to pull himself free. This made his situation much worse, as the stones continued to fall from the wall the upper floor was made unstable. It collapsed, first in the center, then bits of the walls overhead followed. Joseph was fortunate enough to be able to dodge the floor falling on him, but not so fortunate to avoid the large chunks of building falling his way. This was partly due to him being chained to the wall with only so much length. He dodged the boards, nails and a few pieces of stone. Little bits of everything scratched at his skin as they fell.
Barely over the sound of the building, he could hear other men shouting. Their voices were growing distant. He didn't know who had brought him here, or how and what's more he didn't care. If he found them, he wanted to kill them. A large stone from the collapsing building above him crashed into the top of his head. The impact caused him to fall over, his consciousness fading to black as his body went completely slack.
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Time continued to move on for the eldest daughter and heir to the throne. Her suitors had all sent generous offers to her father, asking for her hand. Her useless slave-boy was still recovering from his injuries and causing nothing but trouble. For herself, as well as the man she'd believed to be his only friend until Egbert had decided to reveal such a thing to her. She was still horribly embarrassed just remembering the incident. How after her Uncle, who had appeared and promptly disappeared from out of nowhere like some sort of mischievous ghost, had translated for her the boy had erupted into laughter. It was late afternoon and Astrid was at work in her study, seated before her desk. She was supposed to be looking over letters, but her thought kept drifting away from her work. It had been nearly a week since she'd sent him away. She felt like a fool for thinking about him, a man of low-birth who had revealed himself to be a pervert on so many different occasions.
It was painful now, knowing that he'd been fully as god made him all of those times he'd teased her. The occasions when he'd asked to help her get dressed, or lifted up her skirt, or even worse when he'd been within arms reach of her. Although more recent, the new bit of knowledge she held about him now made her feel like a silly little child. How could she have let such a depraved man be so close to her? Make such insinuations? Draw such lewd things, even featuring her, and to have allowed him to live afterwards? He'd even gone so far as to hug her. She'd been kind after the incident with the mercenaries and held him atop the horse! It was only so he wouldn't lose his life, but even so just knowing she'd been so familiar with a fully intact man made her feel horribly guilty. For all of her effort to keep herself pure and focused on her lifelong goal of ruling the country, in just a year's time he'd managed to sully that dream. He'd stolen her first non-familial hug, first kiss. When she hadn't been paying attention, he'd even wormed his way into her heart.
She was glad to be rid of him now. Even though she punished him for every one of those crimes, he still went out of his way to try it again. She touched her forehead with one hand, bringing her other arm up on top of the desk. She could feel the familiar burning sensation in her cheeks, which told her she was blushing. Her heart was beating erratically again, and although she wasn't happy about it she felt that warm sensation just from thinking about him. She inhaled abruptly and released the breath in one long, drawn out sigh in an attempt to calm herself down. "It was only a worm... It wasn't a man, nor even human, but a mere, lowly parasite seeking to manipulate me... Yes... For his fellow sub-human allies... That's all it was." She sighed heavily once more and shifted, attempting to turn her attention back to the letters on her desk. They were from her suitors, some were military reports and other information she was supposed to go over.
She was to chose a suitor within the year and be married by the next. In the meantime she was to start assisting her father, in preparation for the day she'd take over the throne. This would only happen if her father were to pass away or be deemed unfit to rule by reason of insanity. Both of which weren't likely to happen any time soon. But, still she was expected to be prepared. She loved strategizing about the expansion of Criaswen, how to uphold the laws and best intimidate her kingdom's enemies. Of her suitors there were two which were the most beneficial choices for her. One was the heir to the throne of a young country, from a new land across the ocean. The other was the slovenly, newly crowned King Victor of Bexlock. He's even more disgusting than Kenneth... She thought to herself bitterly, looking over the letter he'd sent her. There was stains on the parchment and his handwriting was sloppy.
As she held it, she began to notice a foul odor coming from it as well. She sniffed the edges, where she was holding it and squeaked in revulsion. This smells of feces! He didn't even wash his hands before handling this paper! How thoughtless! What if I catch a disease from handling this wretched thing?! She thought to herself, closing her mouth tightly and holding it far away from her. She glanced at the writing, being unable to discern it. Then tossed it into the fire and immediately left the room in order to wash her hands thoroughly with some very hot water to kill any germs. She felt so violated by the presence of such filth that she was considering just taking a bath in order to make certain that every trace of it was gone from her person.
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Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 1:40 pm
Kenneth smiled at Inga, glad to make her so happy with such a little thing. "I know quite a bit of sewing, I could teach you some patterns later Inga, it's common in my family to know patterns if we wish to paint." He adjusted himself slightly, the bandages thick to cushion him but he had trouble getting a shirt on so he sat shirtless, keeping the windows closed and the fire going for awhile until the sun rose. He took the parchment and charcoal when Inga returned, drawing lightly and happily of Ailean sitting in his chair. "I know...we have something in common, unable to ask for help." He joked, sketching lightly and looking up every now and then to watch Ailean until he became suspicious of what the boy was drawing. "I walked a bit earlier, I saw the neighbor, herding a lost sheep." He noted some details on Ailean's appearence, the way he sat to make himself comfortable and the length of his hair....oh. "I bet it's embarrassing that my hair is short...appearntly slaves weren't allowed to have long hair." He touched his short hair, glad it had been cut by guards who took care to not leave it choppy like the princess had tried to do.
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Bethany was riding on top of a young gray horse with a beautiful white mane, trotting lightly towards the old worn out builden when she heard crumbling sounds. "Damn you Joseph..." She hopped of and entered the builden, looking down a hole to see the prince was knocked out and nakkid. She motioned some recruits to bring a blanket as she climbed down and unlocked his chains. "Joseph?" She checked his head, a bump was left and she was forced to drag him up the stairs and around the hole before getting some help in getting him on a stretcher to bring back to camp. She had the doctor treat his wounds, checking up on him every now and then to see if he would wake up. "Keep him calm with some alcohol, he needs to heal before he tries to beat anyone up again." She also made sure to send a letter informing the king of how god damn stupid his son was and asked if he was adopted or found as a baby.
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Victoria was heading to see Astrid when the woman herself ran past her in a hurry towards the bathroom, using hot water on her hands to be rid of something. "King Victor? Ugh, he is disgusting." She waited for her to be done before taking her hand and pulling her along. "Come! Lets go shopping! Get your head out of that stuffy room, we need to look for jewerly for when your coronation!" She was so excited she nearly ran out without her hair veil, Astrid helping to stick it over her hair. "Father says some men from the ball are sending him gifts for my hand in marriage, he isn't impressed yet." She pouted, since the gifts were books or cheap jewels.
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Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 8:18 pm
Ailean cleared his throat before shrugging in response to Ken. "I don't care about that. Grow your hair out if you want to." Was the only thing he could think of to say. He wasn't terribly familiar with fashion or things of that nature. He looked over at Inga, who seemed to be holding herself back from saying something. "What is it, Inga? Is something troubling you?"
The girl sat up straight, an awkward smile on her face as she realized she'd been caught. And she'd tried to hard to hide her curiosity. She laughed nervously, folding the embroidery as she tried to think of a polite way to answer. She couldn't, so she just went with her gut. "Oh, y'know... I've heard it's just what the nobles do to say that they're rich. Growing their hair out like that, I mean. I think you do it for a different reason, Milord. Uhm, if I may say so I would be grateful if you would teach me those patterns. The Head Maid has been nagging me about my skills with a needle and thread. It really would help me out.." She peeked over to the drawing Ken was creating, as she had often while the two were talking. She looked pointedly from it, smiling nervously. "That sir, is a fine talent you have there. It looks just like 'im."
"Oh? Like who?" Ailean asked, leaning forward in his chair in order to try to see what it was the girl was talking about. He couldn't get a good angle, so he asked Ken to show him and was quite surprised when he did. "Is that me? Right now?" He asked in amazement, having never seen such a thing be done. Sure, he'd a portrait made of him and his late wife together, but that was over forty years ago. He'd never bothered with it since, one record of his generation was enough in his opinion. "Where did you learn to draw like that? It looks just like me."
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The building completely collapsed into itself merely a second or two after Bethany had managed to escape with the brash young prince. Joseph didn't wake as his injuries were treated, from the size of the bump it was clear that he'd been hit by something so large it would've killed a lesser man. Two of his ribs had been broken, as well as one of his wrists. This was probably due to how much strength he'd used to try and break free. A hole had to be drilled into his skull to relieve the pressure, and kept very clean in order to prevent infection. Still, he didn't wake up from a procedure that was known to be excruciatingly painful. Chewed food had to be forced down his throat, along with water, to keep him alive. The doctor wasn't certain that he would ever wake up, but the beast of a man had defied logic before. So, he chose to keep trying. It was nearly four days afterwards, when Joseph finally did stir from his long sleep.
He could feel a dull throbbing pain in his head, his throat felt dry and his body heavy. His breath stank like his teeth hadn't been brushed in days. He sat up slowly, despite the efforts of the nurse to keep him lying down. "You must stay down a little longer! Let your body catch up. Please, your highness!" The middle aged nurse knew better than to push her luck with him though. So he was allowed to do as he pleased, yet again. He looked around the tent, realizing that it wasn't the place he'd been last. As he tried to recall that, his head throbbed again causing him to grasp it. He groaned and inhaled slowly through his teeth, ignoring the nurse's questions. "Where the hell am I?" He asked, softly at first through the pain. When her answer wasn't sufficient, he shot her a vicious glare and grabbed hold of her shoulders. "You did this to me, didn't you?! What have you done to me you crazy b***h?!" He shook her violently, smacking away the doctor as he tried to stop Joseph from attacking the woman.
He'd gotten to his feet and was holding the woman well above his head in order to shake her some more. His demands were interrupted as the doctor rolled a barrel in. Joseph recognized it, at first glad to see it. He dropped the woman, who fell helplessly onto the wooden floor of the cabin they were in. He let some of the beer flow out of the barrel on to the floor. As the liquid poured, he squinted at it. Why was it so familiar and why did he think that he couldn't trust this beer? What was his brain trying to tell him? He was so thirsty, a good drink would be best to soothe his pain. He wanted it. Why couldn't he have it? He gradually began to remember what had happened, even as the doctor was babbling on about something he wasn't hearing properly. His face flushed with color and he looked down at himself. His left wrist was splinted, he was dressed in a simple robin's egg blue tunic that reached his knees.
No dress in sight. He smelled his hair for traces of the perfume he was remembering. Without a care, he pulled his tunic off in order to inspect himself. He could hear the nurse complaining, but didn't give a damn. He felt his torso, legs and his manly parts for signs of hair. It was growing back, though just feeling the stubble on his testicles made them itch like hell. So it wasn't a dream. He scratched them without a care and went to the door. He looked outside of it and couldn't believe what he saw. Snow blanketed everything, there were little cabins everywhere too. "Where the hell am I?!" He asked, demanding to know and closed the door quickly as a chill wind blew his direction. He ran over to the doctor and began to punch the man until he got the explanation he wanted.
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Astrid helped the girl get her veil on, for the sake of decency her hair should at least be covered. She knew Victoria wasn't fond of the pointed hats normally reserved for the youngest princesses. Although Ester seemed to be quite content to wear one whenever she needed to make an appearance. She sighed, "There is much work that needs to be done. I can't just spend the rest of the day shopping, Tory." As her younger sister stopped ahead of her and continued to pester her about taking a break she sighed once more. She was upset because of the feeble offerings of her suitors. She didn't want to tell the girl that after Astrid had made her choice, the other men would start to woo her instead. It was all for the pursuit of power, unfortunately. She knew that Victoria wanted more. Soon enough she would learn that love mattered little when it came to such matters.
"Very well... I suppose you're right. Let's bring Hector along as well. He could use some fresh air." A little time away from her rooms would help to put her former servant out of her mind. Or at least she hoped for as much. She'd never brought Ken into the city with her before so she should have no memories of him attached to such an experience. After fetching Hector, they left for the nearby city. Astrid walked by Victoria's side, Hector holding Tory's arm on the other side. As they approached a shop, well known for providing the most fashionable clothing for the best clients, she pointed towards it. "Why not order some new clothes while we're here?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:17 am
Grow his hair out the way he wanted to? He enjoyed long hair, the feeling of tying it back while he painted or drew with charcoal made him feel happy and motivated. "I use to have it long because my father had his long, I thought it was cool. Woman often liked it as well, I had no clue it might of been for wealth." He looked to Inga and smiled, nodding that he would help teach her some patterns and improve her skill "You both like it?" He showed Ailean the picture, glad the man seemed amazed at it as he continued to work on it. "Yes, I learned mostly on my own, but my father taught me the basics, I saw one of his paintings down the hall, I almost forgotten his style..." he smiled sadly, scratching his cheek and smearing the charcoal on his face as he became nervous when Inga began to laugh. He looked at them both confused, wondering what was funny until he touched his hair and saw the charcoal on his hand. "Oh...my bad." Shrugging and continuing to draw, not caring much if he had charcoal in his hair and on his face, it didn't seem to avert his focus much.
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Bethany was making her way to where they kept Joseph, having switched out her armor for a bit warmer attire of leather and a fur jacket over it. She could hear what she only hoped would be Joseph awake as she rushed in to see him beating up the doctor. "Joseph! What is wrong?" She pulled him back and got him to sit down while she gathered some warm clothes for him to go outside in. "You've been out for a few days, appearntly the recruits thought it funny to pretend you were a princess so I went searching for you, if I hadn't found you, you would be dead under rubble." She handed him the warm clothes, checking his head and bandages and even his wrist. "It snowed the night we brought you back, had to quickly build some cabins, you don't have one so you'll stay in mine." She turned away as he got dressed, pretending she hadn't saw him without clothes before just to keep the blame off of her for him being shaven clean. "Are you hungry? I got some wild boar at the cabin all heated up." She peeked as he struggled to do his pants with a wrist that he couldn't bend so she grabbed his pants and pulled them tight before getting it done.
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Victoria kept her pout up, rather annoyed at the silly hat and veil before hearing her sister agree to go shopping- with Hector. "I like one of them, but his mother hates me, says I should be shorter than her son!" She grabbed Hector in the middle of his tutoring, having him hold her arm as they walked about. "I miss Ken, he always kept you so lively, oh remember him being told to check out the special entertainment slaves? The look on his face was priceless!" She giggled, looking towards the shop and nearly dragging Hector at her pace as she swiftly turned towards it's doors. "Yes! I wonder if they will make your coronation dress? You would look beautiful in bronze or even a matte gold!" She sifted through some advertised dresses, not seeing her favorite color of purple so she moved on with Hector and tried to match him to some suits. "I miss Joseph too, as much as a brute he was, he loved shopping for custom made clothes with me..." She crossed her arms over her chest, sighing when Hector refused most of the picked designs so she shuffled towards the heels, again, looking for purple riding boots.
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Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:00 am
The maid nodded with a small smile, thinking about what the statement might mean. "I think it might be due to the fact that ordinary folk don't let it grow out. It's easier to get rid of lice and fleas if you keep your hair short. Some even shave it and wear wigs instead." Ailean looked over the sketch for as long as it was showed to him. Then leaned back in his chair once more when Ken resumed his work. He noticed the boy marking himself by accident and didn't mind it at all. Inga could be heard giggling though, but trying to stop herself. He smiled as the maid waved away Ken's question, amused by the situation. "It's good you're getting along." Through the open door of Ken's bedroom, a large shaggy dog walked inside and sat down by Ailean's chair. A few puppies, fairly large themselves but only about halfway grown, came running in behind it. They romped, wrestled and snarled at each other as they bit and pulled at each other's fur.
A man came in, apologizing for the disturbance, and grabbed the pup's by the scruffs of their necks. Their tails were still wagging though and they wriggled around in his hold as he tried to carry them out. Ailean smiled, happy to see the young pups at play. He reached down to pet the mother dog, who stayed behind by his side. He waited for a few moments, petting the dog in silence. He didn't really have much to say. But he figured he should, since Ken was probably pretty bored by now. He looked over, watching Ken at work with his pencil. "Hmmm.." He rubbed his scruffy chin as he observed the boy's fervor. He didn't want to interrupt, but if the boy didn't have any questions for him right now he was keen to return to his work. "It's good to see you so enthusiastic about something. We've a few more of your father's works around here somewhere. My wife was a fan of his, you see."
A third pup ran into the room and the trainer appeared again to try to pull it away. He informed Ailean that another dog was expecting her littler due any day now. He got up from his chair, using the arms of it to support himself as he stood there. "Ask for what you need. You'll probably want colors soon, right? There's plenty of supplies in your study. Inga knows where everything is, I believe she helped to set things up. Remember not to push yourself. You must try to rest, to let your body catch up with that spirit of yours. I'll return to have dinner with you in the evening. Take care, m'boy." He said with a smile, hobbling out of the room with the large dog patiently matching his pace.
Some time later, a servant entered the room. He looked to be about ten years old and was carrying a pack over his shoulder. He walked up to Kenneth and handed him a letter. "Delivery, Milord. Two letters from a Lady Claymoore and a Princess Inrmis." He handed the letters to him and afterwards departed to go on delivering the other messages he was responsible for. Inside of Lady Claymoore's letter was a lock of short, wiry black hair tied with a ribbon. It looked a lot like the short hairs that she'd put in his wine before. The letter was full of her professing her love for him, that someday she'd rescue him from his captors. That she knew it wasn't his fault that his father opposed their marriage. She was determined to win him over and was sure to include details of the various gifts she'd be sending in the future for Ken's recovery. This would include a detox potion, which would free him from the control of his previous master and the oppression of his father if he drank it on a night of the full moon.
The letter from one of the Inrmis princesses turned out to be from little Ester. Although not a talkative girl, she wrote quite a bit to him. She asked him how he was faring at his new home and that she missed him and included him in her prayers. She was happy for a fellow lover of the piano to be able to live freely now and hoped that his new family was kind to him. She sent a sheet of revised music, one from a piece that they'd been playing together in the month that her eldest sister refused to see him. It was something creative they'd been working on together and she wanted him to know that she wouldn't forget it now that he was a free man. She also wrote that she'd be happy if he could visit, or if he would prefer that she would gladly travel to Blackwolf Hall to spend time with him.
She also wrote of the new little niece, that Joseph had been banished and would not be coming after him, and that Hector was still complaining about the commotion Ken had caused at the ball. Mainly, she thought it was funny to see Hector so worked up when he was usually so calm. At the end of her letter, she wrote again that she missed him. She asked him to take care of himself and be well. And included again that she'd continue to say a prayer for his health and well being every night.
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"You! This was your idea, wasn't it?! What have you done to me?!" Joseph demanded of her to explain to him what was going on, not satisfied with her story. He hadn't really been listening either. But as he was handed clothing, he started to get dressed in it anyway. He shot her a glare every now and then, after pulling on his shirts and then his pants. He struggled with it, snarling in reaction to the pain he felt when he moved his wrist. He couldn't latch his belt on his own so he was forced to let the pint-sized woman help him. He realized that she'd mentioned food and scowled. All of the meat he'd gone to the trouble of preparing that night was now ruined. The furs he could salvage though, if he found them.
"My kills went to waste because of this! Why didn't you use my title? You don't have the right to address me without it! And why do I have to share a cabin with you?! You, who cheats and hits me from behind when I'm not looking? I'll bet you're the one to blame for the injury to my head! It was that damned shield of yours, wasn't it?!" He continued to complain and yell at her even as she left the doctor's cabin. He followed her, in order to continue berating her, until he found himself standing in her cabin. He growled in frustration. Why was she ignoring him like this?! "Answer me, woman! What's your role in all of this?!" He walked over to her as she was doing something at the fireplace. Then crouched down to her level, slamming his uninjured hand against the wall in order to try to get her attention.
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Astrid sighed, having little patience to day though she tried to maintain her usual outwardly calm demeanor. "Yes, that is a strange demand. Perhaps she only wants her son's bride to give him short children? I can't fathom why anyone would find that to be desirable though and you know our family's history. Your children will certainly be giants, even if the man you marry is technically a midget. " She chose not to answer her sister as she began to talk about Ken. She was trying to put him out of her mind for one, so she didn't appreciate Tory's bringing him up as a topic. She knew very well that the young woman had seen Ken kiss her at the ball, along with so many others. She just wanted to forget that such a thing had ever happened. But Tory was a romantic at heart, and therefore she surmised that the younger girl would only forget that slave if she found something else more interesting. She bit back a sigh as she remembered that Tory had also been there when Ken had given her a flower, and also when he'd been holding her hand. She'd been witness to so many occurrences that Astrid wished to put behind her.
Hector scrunched up his face at the mention of Ken's name and spit on the floor. "Don't even talk about that guy. And forget that other guy who won't marry you cause of his mom! You don't need a coward anyway! I'll find you someone better!" He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. He wasn't a particularly rowdy child. It was only when someone he hated was brought up that he ever acted this way, and Ken was on his list of people he hated most. Right up there underneath Joseph. He was reluctant to follow Victoria around, trying to politely refuse everything she held up for him to wear. He didn't really like shopping at all, unless it involved books.
Astrid followed them as Victoria went around the store, picking up swatches of fabric and various outfits. She considered the different suggestions from Tory with a smile, reminding her that her coronation was years away. There wasn't any point to planning out her outfit now, but she kept quiet for the sake of keeping their fun going. She commented on the clothing selected for Hector, finding a particular set to be quite suitable for the boy. Even though Hector didn't like it when Tory suggested it for him, the moment he realized Astrid liked it he agreed to buy and wear it. She forced a gentle smile as her sister spoke of Joseph.
Even should she become aware of their brother's multiple attempts on her life, Victoria would probably still adore him. "He does love to spoil you, doesn't he? Still, it's a good thing he was there with you when that horrible man was pursuing you. Even if he did end up paying such a price for defending your honor... Shall we purchase something for him as well? If I remember correctly, father only allowed him to bring one of his weapons with him." She walked with Victoria over to the shoes, eyeing several designs for herself until she pointed towards a pair of purple slippers that she thought would suit Victoria. "What do you think of this pattern? Would you try it, if we ordered you a pair?" It was then that a man walked into the store that caught Astrid's eye. His skin was fair and smooth. He had a few strange markings on his face, all of which were composed of thin, curved red lines located on his cheekbones and the center of his forehead. They were small, and barely noticeable through the thick waves of black hair that loosely hung around his face.
He seemed a bit out of breath at first, but as soon as he looked over to them he stopped panting. He donned a confident smile, one hand hiding behind his back as he strode over to them. He was focused on Victoria, and Astrid was very wary of whatever it was he was holding behind his back. Her arms were at her sides, ready to strike or block the man if he should try anything. Instead though he stopped a little too close to Victoria for Astrid's comfort, and leaned down to be able to speak to her at a more-her-height level. He smelled pleasantly of cologne and his clothing was all of a high quality, and apparently in the latest trending fashion. "Mademoiselle, forgive me for being so forward but I can not help myself. The moment I laid eyes upon you, I knew I must speak with you. Beautiful woman with the hair like silk and the eyes like the reflection of the moon off of the purest spring of water.. May I know the name that belongs to such beauty?"
As he spoke, Astrid watched the man produce a rose and offer it to Vitoria. His voice had a strange accent, but he spoke Crias well enough that even someone as terrible with foreign languages as Astrid was able to understand him. His words were like honey, she wondered how her sister would handle being approached like this. She stood quietly, watching the man's every move carefully. She glanced over at Hector, curious as to why he hadn't done anything to the man yet. He was standing there, with a look of sheer horror on his face, his mouth hanging agape as he stared at the man. Apparently he was too shocked to interfere. The man wasn't a threat yet, so Astrid didn't wish to cause a scene either. Well, any more of a scene. Several pairs of eyes were watching them.
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Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:59 pm
Kenneth was surprised at the sight of the huge dog than his half sized pups, sitting up a bit straighter to watch them play and sat back when the trainer came to retrieve the pups. "I might try to walk there later, and I will let my body rest." He waved bye to the old man as he wobbled out with the old mother dog and he looked to the picture to continue on it. When the messenger arrived, he was drawing a portrait of Inga while she sewed next to him. "Hm? Thank you." He opened the letter from Lady Claymoore, groaning as he forced himself to finish reading it and asking Inga to politely use it as kindling in the fire. He gladly opened the princess's letter, expecting Astrid to have written to him, but was none the less happy to see it was from Ester. She had loved playing the piano with him when he had time, it was usually when Astrid went into the market was when he could relax and show Ester how to write music and play it. He smiled at the written sheet, remembering that although he had been sad to be pushed away by Astrid, Ester knew music made him lively again. "Do we have a piano? No? Oh...no worries." He sighed sadly, reading the rest and deciding to try and get up again. It was slow, the thick bandages helped him not tear anything open and Inga was there to keep him upright. They walked slow to the study, he looked at the decoration on the walls before entering the room and sitting in a rather comfy chair. "Inga, do you mind getting me something cold to drink? I won't move I promise." He smiled as she left and looked through his desk, chalk, little vials of paint and drawing materials ranging from paper to pencils. He chose a piece of paper and began to write a letter back to Ester;
'My dear little princess, I miss you terribly, my wounds are healing well and I am confined to my room until I'm better, although I did leave it so I can write this letter to you. I am happy you have a new little niece, I will visit when I am better to see you play our music piece and see the tiny new princess. My new father is nice, the home is big and I feel safe, but for some reason I miss your eldest sister, as cruel as she can be, she has a gentle touch I can not explain. Tell her to write me as well, I will try to send gifts as I begin to draw more, I'll send Victoria a book from this region, and try to draw plants for Astrid, would you like anything Ester? How about I make a new piece just for you to play?'
He signed the letter and folded it, slipping it into another envelope that he used some wax to seal and set it aside. He took more materials out and set them in a tiny basket under the desk, unable to bend over to pick the basket up, but Inga was glad to help him bring both him and the basket back to the room so he could relax while he drew. He drew the royal family from memory, not knowing of the dead ones except the most recent dead sister. She had been beautiful, but not always there when needed, she had never been meant for the throne and was taught that lesson the hard way. He let Inga get more sewing material, falling asleep in the time it took her to find them.
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Bethany ignored him over and over until they reached the cabin and she began to stoke the small fire while he complained. "Title? You don't have one here, remember? Your a soldier." She looked to him as he got to her height and then to his hand before standing up fully. Reaching his chest was as tall as she was, moving past him to take her jacket off and reach under what was his bed to take some furs out. "I recovered these, the men ate your meat." She set it on the bed and walked up to him to stare up at his face. "You want a title, earn it, your a recruit, and possible future king, but if you don't have the army's respect, your a failure. I only hit you once with my shield! You have not once called me by my title as a shield maiden, my role is to protect you, so far I wish I left you in the rubble." She huffed, swinging around as her long hair swatted his chest in it's braided form and she grabbed a dagger to point at him. "Your father sent letters while you slept, I had to lie and say you were doing great, he sounded so proud when hearing his son was becoming a man. Too bad I lied." She turned back to a large plate of meat and carved at it to get him a decent meal. We are going to our first battle in a few days, would you like to come and see a real battle? I'll be by your side or helping others." She asked, trying to be nice to him, not telling him how worried she had been he would die from his head injury, that it had been her fault she let it happen.
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Victoria nodded, loving that her sister agreed with her about the ridiculous demands. "She has this idea that men must be taller than their wife, she told me I was a giant compared to her dwarf of a son. I told her to not both sending anymore gifts then, father was also upset she would try and tell his family that we are not meant to be this tall!" She turned to Hector and smiled, ruffling his hair and bringing him over to more manly shoes. "I don't need help in finding someone, I just wish they would stop shoving cowards and gross men towards me!" She frowned as Hector refused clothing until Astrid noted her approval and he went right for it, she huffed and handed it to him to purchase himself. "True, what will he like? Oh, a broadsword meant for his strength? Oh I got it! He use to have this beautiful bow and set of arrows, made from ebony and tips of diamond. It was stolen a few years back, maybe if I can find something similar?" She pondered on it, reverting her gaze to the shoes and nodding, they were adorable!
She tried them on, they were a perfect fit and comfortable for once! "Yes! I love them!" She handed the pair to Hector to hold as a young man came in, out of breath. She stood still as he got as close as possible, appearntly not understanding personal space, but she had a light blush as he spoke to her. "Princess Victoria Irnmis, third daughter of King William." She watched him produce a rose and swiftly took her fan from her sleeve to block the lower half of her blushing face. "A rose? Your so sweet." She was also thinking of her current book. "You remind me of 'A Tale of The Gardens.', and your name my mysterious man?" She took the rose gently, twirling the thing and seeing that he had gone all the way down four blocks to the only stand that sold roses without thorns.
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2017 1:11 am
After a long days work, well after dark, Ailean hobbled up to Ken's room for dinner as he'd promised. He sat down at the small table his servants had set up for the two of them. There was ample space for it, in the vastness of this mostly empty room. He looked over to Yitta and asked her to wake up Ken. He was recovering well enough that it was time for him to wake for normal meal times. Even though normal for him was quite a bit later than they had eaten on the way here. After Ken woke up, he waited for Yitta to help the boy over to the table to take a seat there. The chair was cushioned to be gentle on his back. "Have a good rest, Ken?" He asked slyly, trying to suppress his amusement in seeing the various bits of color and charcoal wiped on the boy's face. The various papers and materials scattered over his bed hadn't gone unnoticed either.
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He sneered at the woman's arrogance and walked over to his bed. He sat down on top of the furs, refusing to touch the food she gave him. "I don't care if you're a peasant girl or not. It's stupid to think that its a prince's job to earn the respect of those beneath him. The lords beneath the king take care of the army and the lords will be loyal to me. " He crossed his arms over his chest, his injured wrist being over one of his elbows, and looked away from her. He glared at a corner of the cabin. Everything he'd been working towards was gone. He was forced to either submit to these peasants or leave the country. If he gave up his claim to the throne, would he at least be allowed to stay? He would never submit himself to these common people who didn't even live in reality. "I already told you that I was born a prince. Nothing can change the royal blood that flows through these veins of mine. Even if you hadn't gotten me out of there I would've been fine on my own." He grumbled, upset about this entire situation he was stuck in.
Just because he'd gone out of his way to defend his baby sister, now he had to deal with these sorts of people. He could easily kill them if he wanted to. He felt like a neutered tiger, forced to live among the sheeple. His eyes caught the glint of metal and he looked over to it, seeing his broadsword mounted on the wall. The dainty little ribbon from his sister was still there. He smirked, laughing at the sight before looking away and continuing to sulk. At least he had one person he could count on. Sort of. His sister was loyal to him but that didn't matter much since she was pretty useless. Her head was full of nonsense and she couldn't fight worth a damn. She was only good at being pampered. He fell quiet after that, staring at a dark corner of the cabin.
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The man slashed a brilliant smile at Victoria which revealed his white, orderly teeth. Astrid eyed him suspiciously. He took care of his teeth and skin so it was obvious to her that he was of good breeding. There was something about him that she didn't trust though. Why did he not know what Victoria looked like when she was a princess of marrying age? Who was he, exactly? "Victoria? Ah. Quel beau nom. A beautiful, regal name. It suits you, my princess." His smile didn't falter as Tory told him that he reminded her of one of the characters from her books. Another thing that Astrid found to be suspicious. "I am Armand Desmarais, a mere man I must confess. I was passing by when I was blown away by your beauty." Outside, there was a man calling out in a foreign language that Astrid didn't understand. The strange Casanova seemed to take notice of it as well. She heard him say something under his breath.
"You have my sincerest apologies, my beloved angel. Go now, I must. It pains me to have to say goodbye, so permit me to say..." Then he did something which alarmed her. He picked up Victoria's free hand swiftly in order to place a soft kiss upon the back of it. If he hadn't let go immediately, Astrid would have smacked the man for his insolence. "... Until we meet again." The man then winked at Victoria, gently pulling away until his hand was completely removed from hers. Then he left the building and could be heard speaking to the other foreigner outside briefly before the voices faded away. Astrid turned to Victoria, frowning slightly as she disapproved of the color clinging to the girl's cheeks. Hector was still too shocked to do anything. Or perhaps he was repulsed? Sometimes it was difficult to tell with him.
"Oh, why did you indulge him, Victoria? How dare a peasant go so far as to kiss your hand... Are you all right?" She placed a hand upon Tory's shoulder, trying to seem sympathetic though inwardly she was fuming. She would have the peasant tortured for his daring actions, if he'd only stayed a little longer. She had hesitated only for the nagging suspicion that she'd met such a man before.
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2017 3:52 pm
Ken was sleeping peacefully, his head laid back and a line of drool before he was awakened and he wiped it away. "Hm...? It is time for dinner?" He yawned, rubbing at his face and letting Yitta help him to the table as he sat and smiled at Ailean. "Yes, don't know when I fell asleep, but it was a good nap." He looked to their plates, lifting up the lid and going wide eyed, steak...? Hot potato? GRAVY?! He bit his lip, waiting for Ailean to eat as he had to force himself not to tear into the plate. "This is delicious, Yitta, what are you doing?" He scrunched his face up as Yitta used a wet cloth to get the color and charcoal off his face. He went back to eating his food, swallowing a mouth full of food before telling Ailean of the letters. "Lady Claymoore wrote to me, she is still obsessed with me, says your oppressive and one day she will free me, are all woman that crazy in the country? Also princess Ester wrote to me, she sent me a music sheet for a piano, we worked together on it the last month I was there." He smiled, shoving a piece of steak in Yitta's mouth to stop her from fretting over him being slightly bent to eat. He spent the dinner talking to Ailean about all sorts of things, from his education to why he could sew. It was when Ailean finally went to bed that Ken had Yitta change his bandages, the doctor haven taught her how to care for her lord. He laid in his bed, watching Yitta straighten the materials strewn across his bed until he fell asleep.
It was just when the sun rose that she would notice Ken had gotten out of bed and left to go downstairs and sit outside with some drawing materials. The chair was uncomfortable, but it rocked back and forth and seemed to help as he drew.
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Bethany set the plate in Joseph's lap, grabbing his chin to make him look at her. "If the recruits decided to knock you out again and sell you to a slaver, your f*cking prince blood means crap." She let go and went to her plate as well, looking back to him when he laughed and tilting her head. "You would've died, and the country would of lost another soldier and wouldn't care." She set her plate down, having only ate a few bites before grabbing her coat and leaving the cabin, she had other things to do then to babysit him. She returned later in the night, deciding undress behind a curtain and get into more lighter, softer clothes that would still keep her warm while she slept. She slipped into her bed, curling the blanket around and drifting off until she felt another added to her body. It didn't matter as she curled with it, smothering her face into the soft fur.
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Victoria stared at him, shocked at he spoke to her in such a beautiful accent, the color to her cheeks were bright, showing through make up and she could of sworn her heart could be heard thumping. "M-meet again? Meet Armand...again?" She blinked, feeling Astrid touch her shoulder and looked at the door that Armand left. "I...I think so." She looked to her hand, sniffing it to smell his cologne and beginning to fan herself as she felt rather hot in the shop and needed fresh air soon otherwise she was going down like a sack of potatoes in a dress. "Oh Astrid, I must see what else I can learn of him!" She turned to Hector, tapping his cheek with her other hand to get him to respond to them and buy the clothes as she scurried out, lifting her dress up slightly so she could hurry and see him down the street. The man was already gone, and she let out a happy sigh as she continued to fan herself; holding the rose still and sniffing it.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:06 am
Yitta blinked as a piece of steak was shoved in her mouth. She didn't know what to do, her hands staying raised as she was in the process of wiping a piece of food from his hair. She blushed, a little embarrassed now that she was being treated this way. Though she had to admit being forced to eat something as tasty as this was pretty nice as far as punishments go. She cleaned and dressed his wounds, marveling at the amount of little things that came up with the old bandages. The color was brown, when they had been white just yesterday. How quickly his body was healing. After that she helped him get back into bed. This time it was his turn to get his pillows fluffed. Then she tidied up and took a seat by his bedside. She watched over him, often having to smack herself in the face to keep from falling asleep. After cleaning up a windowsill, she turned to see his bed was empty. She panicked a bit, looking under the sheets and then under the bed.
She hesitated before checking the bathroom for him, worried that he might've fallen over in there. When he wasn't there, she went around looking for him until she found him sitting outside. She walked up behind him, glancing at the paper he was sketching on. Then decided to get him back for causing her to worry. She crouched behind a tree and did her best to distort her voice. "Kenneth.... Kenneth... You escaped me last time... But now, I've got you in my sights!" She called out in her best impression of a ghost, then crept up behind his chair in order to grab his shoulders.
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Throughout their meal, Ailean was content to talk with Ken about whatever the boy wished to discuss. "The women of Criaswen are a passionate bunch. At least this generation is. My wife was cut from a different cloth." He often had to take a sip from his water to keep his throat moist in order to speak. As Ken mentioned the piano sheet, he thought of the present he was preparing for him. "Ah, about that. I've contracted Nota to build one for you to commemorate your joining the family. He's one of the best, I hear. He should be here in about a week." After that they chatted away until it was time for him to retire for the evening. "Try to get some rest, eh?" Though he'd made the suggestion he truly didn't mind it if Ken stayed up all night. He just wanted the boy to relax, it was much better if he'd understand that he was safe here. As he hobbled off to his bedroom, he thought about the problem with the woman who was so interested in his son. Just thinking about the other woman having launched such a drunken attack on Ken made him laugh aloud. Both experiences were like something out of an opera. When he woke in the morning, he set about working as he usually did. There were still some things for him to catch up on so he sent word to Ken that he wouldn't be able to join him until dinner time.
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He stared into space for the longest time after she left, his mind eventually going blank. He could hear a ringing in his ears. His eyes were burning, so he closed them to give himself a break. He didn't care about her opinion, really. If anything he'd accept that challenge head-on and would no doubt come back to kill those who tried to make him into a slave. He didn't know how they'd managed to get him. Had they hit his head as well? Why did it still hurt so much? He reached up in order to feel it and pulled his hand away, raising an eyebrow at the traces of blood he could see on his fingertips. Why was he bleeding anyway? He tried to remember what had happened to him. The explanations he'd been given weren't good enough to him. In any case, he had to try to remember that the people here weren't his allies. Some of them anyway. He was sure that he could win over the other men.
A display of strength should've earned their respect. There were two people in the way. Mainly, the commander and the woman. He couldn't recall her name. She didn't act like any other woman he'd ever met. Even his deceased sister wasn't as crass as this woman. Whoever she was, she cursed worse than he did and didn't care to look at him naked. She'd claimed to be a virgin, too. What virgin woman could look upon a man, even going so far as to handle his most prized parts without dying of shame on the spot? Then a sudden realization hit him. She wasn't a woman at all. She couldn't be. He'd felt breasts, seen them too. Pretty nice, so that must be why he hadn't thought of it sooner. She was really a man. He'd heard of such people, like chimeras almost. Technically, he'd been told that he was one too since his eyes weren't the same color. But he was all man. His older brothers had told him about the half-man, half-woman creatures that lived among humans.
Was she one of them? That really made a lot of sense in his mind. She wasn't really a woman, more like a man than anything. He hadn't seen proof of womanhood, after all. She'd been wearing underwear which was really unusual for peasants. Girl peasants only wore them when they were having their monthly visitors. He knew that much from experience, having had so many female slaves since he'd hit puberty. He rubbed his chin as he thought about it, frowning at how smooth his skin felt. He still wanted to see what it looked like, if it was different from his. It had to be. He couldn't help being curious about it. The poor b*****d being half-woman also explained how she'd been unable to fight him off before without the use of some sort of weapon. Was she retarded as well? Unable to understand the most basic of things he'd told her? That would also make sense, since she refused to acknowledge that he was superior to her in every way.
He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest once again. A quick glance over the cabin told him that she'd gone off somewhere. What would he do now that he knew the truth about 'her'? If he stayed there was still a chance that she'd beat him over the head again with that shield of hers. Even with the Inrmis blood that flowed through his veins and his inhuman strength and vivacity, he didn't think he could take another hit to his head like that. He inhaled, filling his lungs with air. He felt a slight pain, due to the broken ribs, but ignored it. Then he released the breath as he rose to his feet. He felt a bit woozy, so he stayed where he was momentarily. Then he went over to the door. He was dressed warmly, as Bethany had forced him to earlier. But he didn't think to put his coat back on. He wanted to go and clear his thoughts. It was difficult to make a decision about this situation and he needed to make one quickly.
Every time he thought about it too deeply, his head started to hurt badly enough to make thinking impossible. So he settled on going to check on his only friend and ally in this camp; Will-o-The-Wisp the horse. He was pleased to see that she was in decent shape. She bumped her nose against his cheek, a clear sign that she was happy to see him. He groomed her coat and mane. Then made sure she had enough blankets covering her to keep her warm. He checked on her weight and the food and water in her stall. Then the insulation in the stable, just to be sure that it would be warm enough for her. It was dark out by the time he made his way back to the cabin. There was no other choice for him, except for the stable. Willow was too keen on playing with him. There was a real chance that she'd end up hurting him, being such a large horse. The cabin was dark except for the glow of the fireplace. As he entered, he could feel his fingers start to burn.
He looked to his hands, noticing for the first time how red they were. It wasn't due to blood this time. He gave his body a few minutes to warm up before becoming impatient. The half-girl, half-boy was there sleeping in it's bed. He looked over at her, sizing her up again. He considered tying her down, so that when she woke she wouldn't attack him again. It was the only way to be sure. So, he grabbed one of the furs from the pile still sitting on his bed. It was skinned from a bear, oddly enough. It was much larger than she was and thick, so she wouldn't feel the rope holding her down. He lay it over her, smirking as he realized she wasn't going to wake up. Then he wrapped a rope over her body and beneath the cot several times. It was tight enough to keep her down for the night. He'd held back in order to avoid cutting off the circulation to her limbs. After that he flopped down on his bed.
The poor thing collapsed underneath his weight and he fell back on top of it. He closed his eyes, soon falling asleep. In the morning, he awoke to a lot of noise coming from the woman-man-thing's cot. He growled, irritated, and eventually had no choice but to sit up and address her. "Shut up or I'll gag you! I was asleep!" Just after he yelled that at her, the door opened. A cold breeze blew in and the commander could be seen poking his head in. Joseph scowled as the man told the two of them that they were to go into town to fetch some supplies. His interest was piqued as the man left their pay by the window before departing.
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She bit back a sigh, frustrated that she'd been witness to her foolish sister falling in love yet again with yet another worthless man. She followed along behind the girl, leaving Hector to buy their things for them. The only positive thing about this exchange was that it had been limited to just a passing meeting. She didn't expect Victoria to ever have to see that man again, since he was only a mere peasant. "Breathe, sister." She advised, somewhat alarmed to see the color still clinging to her sister's face. She feared that so much emotion would make the young woman faint at this rate. She felt the girl's forehead before walking her to a bench in front of the store, to sit down. "You've had enough excitement for today... Let's head home for now, shall we?" As she was attempting to convince Tory to let the issue go, she caught sight of a little mouse running across the street.
It darted between people's feet, disappearing underneath skirts. It appeared to be quite distressed. For that reason, it reminded her of Kenneth. She frowned softly, watching it run away. The direction it was running in happened to be away from her. I wanted him gone. He was overstepping his boundaries. I couldn't simply kill him for his actions, either... Yet she was still feeling bitter at just being reminded of him. She loathed him, for being such a weak little philanderer, yet still managing to steal her heart from her. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the mouse's continued flight, wishing that like this mouse Kenneth was going somewhere far from where she was. A slim white cat with gorgeous shiny fur then pounced on it. She couldn't help but notice the pink and ruby jeweled collar and matching leash the animal was wearing. As the poor little mouse squirmed around in the cat's hold, she felt a compulsion to go and help it.
She stood and took a step forward, hesitating just in time to avoid being hit by a passing open carriage. After it was gone, she looked back in search of the mouse. The cat was holding it firmly in it's jaws by the chest. She saw it crunch down, breaking the ribs. The little Kenneth-like creature squirmed for only a second more, it's body twitching with the ever-slowing beat of its own heart as it slowly died. Then the cat had a little feast, until it's master noticed her behavior. The little mouse was spit out by the cat and along with her master, she walked away with her tail raised proudly. The little mouse's death was made meaningless by the fact that his killer had barely even nibbled on his corpse.
She sat down next to Tory again, folding her hands neatly in her lap. She looked back to her sister, trying to shake the uneasy feeling she had after seeing such a scene. The pathetic little pest had reminded her so much of Ken. It was weak, fearful. Helpless to stop a much superior animal from taking its life. She wondered, though it was sinful even to speculate such a thing, if this had some sort of fated meaning? Was God telling her that Kenneth would suffer some horrible fate, now that she'd abandoned him? Would he be all right without her? She looked up as she noticed Hector had joined them. Then, looked to Tory. If the girl had said anything at all to her, she didn't know. She merely smiled, placing a hand upon her younger sister's shoulder. "Well? What do you think, shall we go home?" It didn't matter to her now if Tory wanted to go around looking for that strange man. Astrid just wanted to leave, so she wouldn't be near enough to see that little corpse lying alone in the street.
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Hector looked up at his sisters, a little confused. "What? Hey, wait, why do I have to pay for everything?!" But the two had already left him behind. He grumbled, turning to the store keep. He handed the man the amount asked for, telling him to have the items sent to the castle. Then he hurried out to rejoin his sisters. He stopped by Victoria's side, staring at her blankly. "Are you all worked up again?" He asked, wrinkling up his nose at the thought of his silly sister losing her head over yet another lesser man. He could sense that something was amiss with Astrid, so he turned his attention to her. "Astrid? Are you feeling unwell too?" He pouted, going over to tug on her arm in an attempt to pull her attention away from whatever it was she was staring at. When it proved to be fruitless, he huffed and turned towards Victoria. "We have to go home since both of you are sick, okay? Can you walk by yourself or do you need me to help you?"
It was then that he heard Astrid say something, and he glanced over at her again. He bit his lip in worry, as he saw how bloodlessly pale she looked. In place of the serene smile that usually graced her beautiful face was a look of shock. Like she'd seen a ghost from one of his books. He didn't see anything that was worth making a face like that, though he was worried about her well-being. Now with two sisters out-of-sorts, he puffed out his chest. "I'll get you home, ladies!" He proclaimed proudly and attempted to hook both of them by the arm so he could walk them back to their carriage.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 2:49 pm
The chair creaked every time he rocked it, Kenneth was scribbling little things onto a sketchpad, mainly of the sheep that were just up the road, they ate at the grass along side it, their herder pushing them further back whenever a carriage came through. He flipped the page and began trying to finish a picture of Yitta surrounded by chickens, beginning to laugh lightly at how scared she had been. "Yitta, your shadow betrays you, and your hair." He turned his head to her, looking at the huge mess of red moppy hair she had and wondering if she didn't have time to braid it or not. "Come here." He took her hand and pulled her around to sit in front of him while he stuck his fingers in her hair to attempt to braid it again. "Has the head maid been treating you well? Teaching you things?" He asked, taking a pencil to stick in her hair to keep doing the braids, twirling two together at the end and tying it back up with the yarn that had been attempting to hold it together in the first place. He smiled when it seemed to be better than before, a few short curls escaped but it didn't matter to him as long as she didn't look like a rag-a-muffin. Kenneth sat back and continued on the drawing of her, sighing when the chair hurt too much and stood up slowl. "Come on, lets tour the house." He wobbled a bit before moving forward inside the house, giving her the sketchpad and pencil.
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Bethany had been sleeping comfortably, not knowing he had tied her up until her eyes opened and she couldn't move very much. The curses that spewn from her mouth would tell anyone she was not religious one bit and she continued until Joseph woke and screamed back at her. "Untie me!" She stopped as the commander entered and told them they needed to fetch some supplies and...was that their pay for the month? She squirmed until getting one arm free and reaching for the knot to undo it so she could get up. It took a few minutes, but she managed to get out and toss the bear pelt back on Joseph's poor fallen bed. "I'll go on my own!" She got dressed in her armor and opened the door to leave when a servant of the camp held a dress out to her. "Commander says you can't wear armor in the town as a woman..." She mumbled, looking to Joseph as he stared at the little bag of barely ten silver coins, half of them being Bethany's pay as well. She refused until finally giving in and taking the dress and turning to Joseph. "Get dressed." She went behind the curtain and took several more minutes to dress as she had trouble with corsets and attempting to pin her hair up so that the veil would cover it. She came out and immediatly became angry at his laughter of her in a noble's dress.
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Victoria fanned herself as much as possible, the color refused to leave her cheeks and for anyone to know how she was so distraught over one man would create gossip. "H-Head home? Oh what if he writes to me? I wonder if he can write so romantically as he talks." She looked to Hector and stood before turning her gaze to Astrid as she seemed a bit...like an airhead, more than Victoria was so she sat back down to wait for Astrid. "I'm fine, Hector,
just...oh one day you will make a girl's heart do the same, little brother." She smiled to Astrid, deciding not mention the girl had been spacing a bit, maybe she was thinking of Ken? Or her suitors? She stood up and hooked arms with Hector, pulling him and Astrid off in the opposite direction of the carriage. "No, a little excitement will not stop me from getting Joseph a gift!" She clacked her heels on the rocks, letting go to swoop into several more stores and aqcuire books for Hector, music sheets for Ester, a new dress for Astrid and a beautiful bow made of red wood with steel arrows. She happily hooked her arm back with Hector to go to the carriage, poor boy was out of breath keeping up with the two girls.
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 1:49 am
Yitta jumped as she was caught, sitting down obediently as she was directed to. She stayed still, even when he'd catch a knot in his fingers, and stayed quiet throughout. She answered him with a nod, to tell him that the head maid wasn't being tough on her. She followed along, holding on to his things and one of his arms to try to help him have an easier time walking. The castle was large, full of empty rooms where previous generations had lived. It was darker, more rustic in appearance than the royal family's. Yitta liked how dark it was. There wasn't much furniture at all, but there were plenty of places one could hide if they wanted to. Even a few large tapestries, depicting old battles and the like were long enough to hide behind. The servants who lived here passed by, busy with their work.
It was when they reached a certain hallway that they stopped. Some paintings were hanging there, in addition to that there were vases and other sorts of decorations around. The curtains on the window looked old, but were kept clean. It was a very old fashioned style of cloth. As she looked at everything, she noticed that it was all far out of style but at one point it might've been. There was even a rug on the floor, which was fairly unusual as the rest of the castle didn't have many decorations at all. She noticed Ken looking at the paintings in a weird way. "Master, what is it you like about this painting?" She asked as she looked at it as well.
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Joseph's attention was taken away from the paltry wages when an odd-looking boy approached him. He was short, so probably pretty young or maybe just poor so his growth was inhibited. He was bundled up so much that only his eyes were visible. "You've a letter from a Lady Ottoman, a Prince Inrmis and a Princess Inrmis." After taking the letters from the boy, he walked over to his bed. He tossed the bag of coins at Bethany and as the woman-man-thing decided to get into its womanly clothing he sat down. He was already dressed and had no desire to change out of his fur-lined tunic and pants. She was taking her time, so he just settled on opening his letters. The first was from a woman he couldn't remember having ever met. She wrote that she felt terrible for his situation and was praying for his safety. After that, he didn't know as he balled up the letter and tossed it aside. He didn't need prayers to keep him safe, he was more than formidable on his own.
After that he opened the other letter, expecting it to be from Victoria only for it to be from Ester. He tapped the parchment as he considered whether or not to read it. Ester was a quiet, shy and curious little kid. She hardly ever spoke to him when they were around each other. For that matter, she didn't make any noise when she laughed and that just spooked him. If she ever wanted to communicate with him, she'd hand him a letter or a note and they'd talk that way. So he didn't think he'd be hearing anything he wanted to if he bothered to read this. But as he was debating it, his roommate finally finished dressing. He erupted into a fit of laughter at the sight of her, only stopping when something was thrown at him. He tucked the letter inside of his tunic and slipped his boots on. Then walked with Bethany to the wagon they were to take out with them.
He eyed it disapprovingly. "Why are we bringing this thing along? It would be much faster to just take the horses. I guess it wouldn't be fair either way though. My Willow is far superior to the mares you have here." He smirked, getting on to the front seat of the wagon in one leap. He laughed again as he saw Bethany trying to climb up front. "That skirt means you ride in the back. ******** go before I kick you off this piece of s**t." He was laughing even as he made that demand, so amused by the sight of her struggling in that dress. He reached down and grabbed her by the sides of her waist. Then lifted her effortlessly into the air and placed her down in the back of the wagon. Then drove off, reading the instructions as he drove them into town.
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Astrid felt more at ease as they put distance between themselves and the pathetic little corpse. How many times had she threatened to kill him throughout the year she'd owned him? Every time he'd gone out of his way to help another servant or slave, how severe the punishment she'd given him had been. His body was covered in scars. As far as she knew, they'd all been driven into his flesh by her own hands. There were the lashings he'd earned from their captors, which would probably scar even if he continued to take care of the wounds now. She'd been able to harm him without hesitation. She'd brought him to death's door several times, healing him only to beat him again when he inevitably messed up again. She'd even gone so far as to choke him, just before he left, as a warning to him of what would happen if he betrayed her. If she'd killed him then, she wouldn't have to think about him like this now.
The cruel death of a creature that reminded her of him wouldn't weigh on her heart like this, either. She sighed once more, following Victoria along as the girl continued to shop around. She'd only left her work because she wanted to put him out of her mind. He'd only been gone for a short time, after all. She'd believed her will to move on to be stronger than this. She regretted ever telling him that she loved him. She should've just told him a lie instead and just to be sure he left her alone, told him that if he ever bothered her again she'd kill him. The forest of corpses which was protecting the eastern border of her country could always use another 'tree'. She calmed herself eventually, donning the usual mask of tranquility she wore when alone with Victoria. She helped to pick out a few books, knowing Hector liked to study and that he preferred stories about ghosts, hauntings and other related subjects to those of romance or adventure.
She picked out several jewels for a circlet and described the design she wanted to the jewelry maker. This was to be for Victoria, something to match her beauty. Her intent in giving her this item was to encourage the girl to wear her veil. She selected a fashionable outfit for their brother, with Tory's advice. She knew how little Joseph cared for such things. It would be better to send him an animal, since he loved those so much. She picked out a few designs for Ester as well, of different little jewelry items, since she wasn't going to return empty-handed after going out with Tory. For their parents, she selected some wines and cushions. For the new little niece, she made arrangements with a tailor to go and make a few dresses for the little darling. That would be gift enough for her Aunt and Uncle as well. For Arric, she had some furs sent to him. He was similar to Joseph in some ways, but the boy was for the most part an enigma to her.
She also selected a few perfumes, jewels and ordered a silk dress for herself. After wearing the one her mother had given her, even with the cold weather, she felt the desire to own more of them. As they shopped, she noticed a storefront that was decorated with paintings, sculptures, vases and other artsy-looking things. She looked away from it, walking back with her siblings to their carriage. After returning home, she dismissed herself. "You have my gratitude, sister. That was quite enjoyable. Now, if you'll both excuse me. I must return to my work." She wasn't at all pleased with the idea of having to confront the filth in her office, there due to King Victor's slovenly habits. When her Uncle had told her that he was a slob, she hadn't imagined it could be to such an extent. He'd been clean at the ball, though now that she thought about it his advisor had stayed fairly close to him.
Was he being watched in order to keep up some sort of false standard? She sighed yet again, going in to put away the important documents before having a servant come in to thoroughly clean up her office. She stayed present, now that such valuable information was kept here. When it was all finished, she took a seat at her desk. She opened her journal, making notes about the day's events and adding to the chart she'd made where she was comparing her suitors to one another.
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"It isn't fitting for a woman to think like that." He said with a frown, looking up at Victoria disapprovingly. "If you keep all those perverted thoughts in your head, you'll grow up to be an indecent woman. You'll scare away good men like that! Maybe you'll even become a ghost. It wouldn't be fitting for a ghost like that to haunt the castle." Hector hurried to keep up with Victoria. "You move so slowly at home! You're like a wind spirit whenever you go shopping! Tory, wait up!" He was herded about, often growing bored especially when around the jewelry. He liked what Astrid picked out for him, groaning a bit at how long the whole thing was taking. It only made matters worse when some new trendy fashion statement was pointed out to Tory. He regretted coming along for their little trip. He'd been in the middle of lessons though, so this wasn't as boring.
His tutor insisted on studying things he already knew. That old woman was trying to delay his intellectual growth and get more money out of the King, he was sure of it. But his father dismissed it every time he brought it up. In any case, he was glad to be away for a little bit. But did it have to be so boring? His interest was piqued as they headed into a bookstore. He wanted to stay there, though many of the books available he'd already read. He reluctantly agreed to leave when it was time. He tried to get them to stop for a bit, so that they could all rest with a drink at the music hall. They were in the upper class area of the city after all so no poor people would be around to harass them for money. But they weren't having any of it, telling him each time he asked that they were nearly finished.
By the time they were going back towards the carriage, Hector was exhausted and thirsty. "Don't you ever... get tired?!" He complained, sighing with relief as they got into the carriage. He grabbed a drink from underneath the bench. He sat down, leaning his back against the over-stuffed cushions which lined the wall behind him. "That took forever. Look, the sun's almost gone." He looked over at Tory, content now that he had some water. "Why do you let those kinds of guys flirt with you like that? Don't you want an honorable man to marry you? How are you going to live if you marry a guy like that, you'll end up spending the rest of your life in misery. The peasants eat their own babies if it's a rough winter. I don't want to let that happen to you, Tory. Your babies deserve to live." He said, scolding her a bit for letting herself get carried away by the flirtations of a peasant. As Astrid left, he didn't really want to stay around.
It was nearing time for dinner though, so he turned to look at Tory. "You're my sister and I care about you. Would you walk with me for a while until dinner? I think there are some things you need to know and I'd leave it to Father, but I don't think he'll talk to you about it. I think he'd just tell you to leave it up to him but your mind wanders so much."
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:51 pm
Kenneth enjoyed seeing the rest of the house, seeing most rooms were empty disappointed him, not many decorations, maybe he could try and liven up the place? He stopped as they entered a more decorated hallway, letting Yitta explore some vases and tapestry while he stared at the paintings in shock. "My father made these, maybe when he was my age, they look old and a rougher style than his." He frowned, most were of scenery or animals, but one was of princess Astrid as a child, recieving a gift from a young boy. Had his father drawn this? Why didn't he know of it? Why give it to Ailean and not keep it? He paled and breathed heavy, not hearing Yitta anymore and feeling that ache in his heart from being abandoned by his family. Without notice, or even a warning, he collapsed, out cold and running a slight fever, maybe from walking too much and the strain on his body.
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Bethany was frustrated, the dress dragged in the thick snow and she forgotten that wearing it meant how difficult it would be to get on the wagon. "Because we need supplies, unless you plan to carry them!" She struggled, unable to lift her leg to get on as the dress was tight, ignoring his laughing and comments until he lifted her up and set her in the wagon where she fumed on the ride into town. "Say one word in town about my appearance and my heels are going into your boots." She crossed her arms, trying to adjust her breasts during the bumpy ride, mostly trying to get them to look smaller before they got to town as it was embarrassing to have a huge chest and small waist like she did. When they entered the town, she struggled to get down, falling into the cushy ground before quickly recovering and brushing the snow off of herself. "Alright, whats first?" She snatched the list then pointed to a shop that sold meat and veggies. "Your doing all the lifting by the way." She lifted the dress slightly and stepped forward to head into the shop.
One man approached Joseph and patted his back. "Nice whore, bet she was cheap!" He laughed, walking off to rejoin his buddies who had whistled and cheered at Bethany. If she had heard them, and was in armor, they would've regretted it, except she ignored them and tried her best to keep her chest covered.
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Victoria smiled as they sat in the carriage, fanning herself as Hector complained of exhaustion. "Hmph, if you want a wife, be sure you can keep up with her." She chuckled, fanning him for a minute or two to keep him cool. "Good, better than staying in the castle all day! Besides, your tutor doesn't get paid if your not with her." Victoria stepped out of the carriage, waving to Astrid as she left them and turned to Hector. "What am I to say to them, Hector? You heard of honorable men from the ball, they laughed and embarrassed me! These honorable men don't think of me as a woman or princess, just an object to be humiliated..." She nodded, taking his arm to walk with him around the courtyard and gardens. "What do you wish to talk about, Hector? I know my mind wanders, my tutors complain about me all the time." She sighed, watching some servants bring the stuff from their shopping trip into the castle.
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:07 pm
"Oh?" She uttered in surprise, walking over to stand in front of one of the paintings. When she was a girl she learned a bit about painting. Since she was a girl though she hadn't been allowed to study art like the men did. Basically, no nude models which made understanding the human form more difficult for her. She could follow the brush strokes and see the care that was put into making the piece though. "Oh... You're so proud, Master. These are pretty good. Your father is pretty famous to have sold art works all the way out here. I wonder how he met Ailean's wife?" She was more so asking herself as she didn't understand it. As she heard a loud thud, she looked over at him and gasped in shock at the sight of him collapsed on the floor. "Master! Noo!" She ran over to him, the flat of her shoe catching on a miniscule gap in the flooring. She fell forward onto him. Her arms were in front of herself as she tried to catch herself, having fallen enough times to know that she didn't want to break her nose again on yet another floor.
Her elbows dug into his back as she landed on top of him. She rolled off and immediately tried to help him stand up. She pat one of his cheeks with the hope of waking him, as he was too heavy for her to carry on her own. She tried to pick him up anyway and ended up screaming for help. She aided in re-stitching the two deep gashes that'd burst open on his back due to her clumsiness. Then helped the doctor to wrap up his wounds again. Inga came in during that time, being there to take over watching Ken now that it was daytime. After everyone else had left, Yitta burst into tears. She held onto one of his arms gently, hands trembling as she was worried that if she held too tightly that she may hurt him. "Master...! Please don't die..! Please, don't let yourself go! Please stay with us!" She managed to breathlessly speak between her sobbing, pleading desperately for him to wake up.
She only left after a lot of encouragement from Inga. She nodded as she was told that he needed quiet to recover and that seeing her so worried would only make him feel worse. Inga held the door open for her, patting her back gently and softly telling her to calm down as she left. She watched the younger maid walk unsteadily back to her room. With a sigh, she went back inside Ken's room and took her seat by his bedside. She resumed her needlework, stopping every now and then to dry his sweat and to encourage him to drink some water. She made sure the blankets were over his shoulders so that he would be able to stay warm.
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He only smirked as he heard her complaining. He'd gotten to feel the soft, supple flesh of her sides as well as proving his strength again by picking her up. He also didn't want to risk her hitting his head again, since his skull couldn't take any more blows for the time being. So he was content to just keep his eyes forward and steer their horses into town. He was tying their horses to a nearby pole to keep them in place. When she fell he didn't hear it, instead looking over only when she grabbed the lift from his pocket. He erupted into laughter at the sight of the snow clinging to her dress. He would've smacked it off for her, especially since a lot of it was underneath that impressive peasant bosom of hers, but she'd left too quickly. When he felt someone hitting his back he turned to face them. He sized them up as he processed what had been said to him. It didn't really bother him that they thought she was his whore. It was impossible, obviously. He didn't have any interest in sleeping with her since she had the lower half of a man.
But he knew that if he defended her honor he'd get to fight. He glanced into the shop. The door was open, he was able to see how tight that dress was over her a**. She was his anyway, even if only the top half. So he grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him into the air with a sneer. "How dare you ogle my woman! I'll teach you your place, peasant!" He threw the man into the friends who were running out to aid him. Then beat them, wrestling and punching them until they were all black and blue. Which didn't take long. He walked towards the store with a victorious grin on his face. He felt refreshed, and was marveling at his own strength. Four against one wasn't enough of a challenge for him. The sooner he was back at camp, the better for he planned to cause another fight. He needed to make sure he'd come out of his coma with everything working anyway.
He had to crouch in order to enter the building. The ceiling was only six feet off of the ground, and he was a growing teenager who was already taller than the majority of peasants within the kingdom. He bent awkwardly, trying to fit comfortably within the space allotted to him. He tried straightening his back, bending his head to the side. That just made him dizzy so he settled on slouching forwards. The man at the counter was giving Bethany a hard time. She was attempting to haggle with him, but he was refusing to sell to a woman. So, Joseph charged over and slammed his fists onto the wooden surface of the counter. The wood splintered upon impact and he grinned wickedly. "Just do what she says. Don't want to end up like this, do you?" When the man threatened to call the guards Joseph was appalled. "Do you even know who you're talking to?! I'm Prince Joseph Inrmis, third born son of the King and Queen of mighty Criaswen!"
The man paled at the mention of Joseph's name and title. He was well known throughout the kingdom for his violent temper, inhuman strength and vitality. Rumors floating around had people thinking he was the result of some curse upon the royal family, black magic or that the Queen had slept with a dragon and he was the result. All stupid and he didn't know about them anyway. But thanks to that the man quieted and agreed to barter with Bethany. Joseph crossed his arms over his chest, unaware of the fact that he'd just broken the splint which protected his broken wrist. He didn't really feel the pain either, more or less due to the adrenaline still rushing through his veins. He didn't notice the two women who'd entered the store behind him and were currently undressing him with their eyes. They giggled to one another, both red in the face and working out between themselves who would get to approach him.
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She worked at her desk for hours more, writing down notes in her journal and sorting through letters and scrolls. She stopped only when there was a knock at her door. A servant entered with her permission, carrying a tray and with the little dead-eyed slave girl in tow. The slave tested her food and drink in front of her and left when Astrid was satisfied that the food wasn't poisoned. The servant placed the meal down neatly on a small dining table before being dismissed. She continued to write down a few more lines into her journal before finally setting her quill down and covering her inkpot. She washed her hands in a nearby basin and dried them. The table was only large enough for two people at the most, and only if the meal was a humble one. It was positioned between the window and the fireplace. She took a seat there, first taking a sip of the red wine which had been poured for her.
She closed her eyes, breathing in the rich scent of the drink and focusing on the flavor. She counted down from ten to one, attempting to relax her body and only partially succeeding. She couldn't completely relax, knowing too well that to do so would be to invite death. She ate small cuts from her meal, eyeing each piece of the steak suspiciously. Even her food reminded her of her freed slave, who had loved food more than life itself. She laughed once as she pictured him as a man as wide as he was short now that he could eat as much food as he wanted to. His cheeks would be plump, he'd have a few extra chins. Those spindly little arms of his would be thicker than her thighs and he would have to have a special table made to accommodate his ever expanding stomach so he could continue to shovel more food into his face. It was a ridiculous image and one which amused her to think of. She wondered if he would truly let himself go like that.
She'd told him to get fat and be happy, when last they'd met. She smirked, letting loose one more laugh at the idea of him still being obedient to her orders. Her smile faded though as she considered what they'd said to each other. If he listened to her, he would surely find his way to happiness. He was a man without a spine, who would do anything for anyone. Was he being bullied in his new home? Did he still have food, medicine and clothing for himself or had he given them away to ever beggar and poor person he'd come across? Was his home full of strays? Another image of him formed in her mind of him adopting a wounded lamb. He was laying in a barn with it in his arms. The little beast was wrapped up in bandages like a mummy and was curled up snugly against his chest for warmth. That stupidly happy smile he wore around the other slaves and servants, when he believed she wasn't looking, was on his face. That would be best for him. If he were happy, perhaps he would forget about visiting her.
She wouldn't have to keep her word by being his friend. She didn't care if he thought that she had no friends and lived her life paranoid. He was too careless, so coming from him such statements held very little weight. It was difficult to think of him not getting along with anyone. He'd charmed the wealthiest women in Criaswen and even those from their neighboring countries as well, seemingly with such ease. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if he were slaving away at his new home. The Margrave was a good man, she expected him to treat Kenneth well as if he were his own son. But he wouldn't keep him in line as well as she had. Without someone keeping an eye on him, it wasn't beyond belief to think that he would be taken advantage of. She knew that it would be his own fault if that were to happen. She looked at the little dessert plate that had been left for her. There were little berries, arranged prettily and dressed in a sweet sauce. It reminded her of his daring actions not too long ago, when he'd fed her a strawberry and she'd accepted a blueberry from him.
It also made her think of the discussion they'd had. How immature he'd looked when she'd told him that he would make a fine bride. More significantly, the information he'd told her about his sister. She was engaged to a man from the Rivallin family, a powerful family from a western country if she remembered correctly. She set her fork down with the prongs on the edge of her plate. Then rose to her feet and walked over to the coo-coo clock which rested on the mantel piece over the fire. She opened the face and pressed down at the center where the two arrows met. After waiting ten seconds, the little door opened underneath and the coo-coo came out noiselessly. She pulled on its wing and revealed a little compartment. She took a small piece of paper from it and after confirming that it wasn't her writing, returned the little coo-coo inside the house. Then she fetched a magnifying glass from her desk. She sat down at the small dining table once more and used the magnifying glass to read the paper.
The message contained information from a spy she'd sent to infiltrate the Rivallin household a month ago. They'd discovered that one of the boy's was engaged to a woman with the surname of Odilo. They wrote that they'd gained the trust of the head of the household and would be sending more information in a week's time. Astrid placed the note into the fire with tongs, burning it until there was no trace of it left. As she stared at the flames, her thoughts were rushing. She considered various possibilities, now that it seemed Ken's words had been true. Why hadn't her Uncle been able to reach the Rivallin's? Or did he not want to commit any resources in order to secure the information? Ken had been a slave, his family a lower-middle class one which made them largely unimportant. Perhaps he felt that it wasn't worth the effort. She thought of how disappointed Kenneth had looked whenever he mentioned his family.
Then rose to her feet and sat down to finish her meal. When the investigation gave her the results, if they were at all useful she would then have to speak with Kenneth herself. That was, only if she decided to tell him the truth. He'd been so saddened by the reality of being abandoned by his family. He was such a soft-hearted man, what other reaction could he give to hearing that? It was a cold, harsh reality that each and every person was ultimately alone in life. He'd opened his heart and trusted them to never betray him. That was his mistake. So why did it pain her to think of him suffering the consequences of his own actions? She sighed again, pouring herself another glass of wine as one had not been enough to calm her down. If after finding his sister, uncovering the truth as to why they'd abandoned him, should she even tell him? Would he ever find out on his own? Was there a need for it? It may only hurt him more.
Perhaps he'd attach the painful memory of learning to her and he would avoid her again. She wouldn't have to be his friend, or even see him again. He could always send a representative in his place if there was ever a need for it. If it would hurt him enough, there was some benefit to investing time and money in this investigation. Her eyes wandered over to the painting he'd made for her of her white baneberry. She had it framed and hanged in her office to remind her of one of the collections she treasured the most. She'd been missing her poisonous plants terribly at the time he'd sent this to her. It was as if he'd known, somehow, that she'd be missing it. He knew to much about her and it was dangerous to let him walk about freely with all of that knowledge. Still, she couldn't bring herself to have him killed to protect her privacy.
She'd been able to burn the drawings of herself after he'd disobeyed her. But she couldn't burn this depiction of her darling actaea pachypoda. Not even after finding that lewd drawing he'd made of her in her underwear. She kept that one in her desk, hidden in a secret compartment. If he never decided to honor his promise to visit her, she'd confront him with it and her awareness of him being intact. She'd make sure he paid for every indecent thing he'd done to her over the short time they'd spent together as master and slave. Every lifting of her skirts, holding of her hands, kissing of her hands, the times he hugged her. Even worse was the memory of his new father finding them together on top of her bed. She couldn't bare to think of how tightly he'd been holding her against him then, knowing that he was fully as god had made him at that time.
She'd see to it personally that he'd suffer for his familiar behavior towards her. She wasn't merely a girl, after all. But a princess and the future heir to the throne. She considered writing to him to warn him, but decided against it. She wanted the element of surprise to be on her side. Even though she didn't want to so much as touch him again, she'd make sure she returned the embarrassment he'd forced her to experience tenfold. The only thing she could be thankful for was that the servant who'd seen them like that worked at the other castle. Word would never reach the people who worked here. After finishing her meal, she continued to work well into the early hours of the morning.
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Hector blushed as Victoria told him to toughen up if he ever wanted to get married. He was going to complain about it, but when she fanned him to help him cool off he decided to forgive her. He looked up at Tory as she expressed her frustrations, frowning and nodding in agreement with her. "Those men weren't deserving of you. They all had their sights set on the throne. You need someone who is willing to stand by you. I'll find you someone better than that shameless peasant." He walked with her, looking up at the stars in the sky. They grew ever clearer as the sun continued to set in the background. "Life is a gift. It's pretty amazing sometimes to think that we can exist here, in this wonderful country. We've prospered, but we both know that it's not easy to survive. One mistake could cost you the rest of your life, one way or another. I know that you like to think about romance and stuff like that. But that sort of thinking won't get you anywhere. If there's an evil guy who charms you, what would happen to you then? What if he doesn't have the money to support you? What if he's a philanderer? Could you really live with a man like that and give birth to his children?"
He stopped her at a fountain, turning his gaze to the rippling water. "You see, it's like the water here. If you were to throw something in, or disturb the gentle waves everything would change. You need to be more cautious around men. You don't know what they're thinking, no human can know. It's fun to pretend that things like ghosts and psychics exist but for the most part that's not true. You really must be more careful. What if you gave your heart to the wrong man and ended up spending the rest of your life in misery, Tory? Do you follow me?" He asked, a bit frustrated by how jumbled his message was even though in his head it'd all made sense. He was worried about her and didn't want her falling for some random man.
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Meanwhile, little Ester was sitting in the wing of the castle which she shared with her twin brother. She was on her bed, face flushed and heart fluttering with excitement as she read Kenny's letter. She beamed, hugging the letter as she finished reading it. She was so happy that she could still be friends with him. She said a little prayer, thanking God as well for giving her the courage to try trusting Kenny in the first place. She didn't like being at the vacation castle. Her rooms were smaller and she had to be around servants she didn't know, which was scary. What happened to her sister, Swithin trying to poison her, someone trying to kill her with snakes, someone trying to poison her and someone even going so far as to send mercenaries out to kill her was terrifying.
She was so grateful to him for protecting her elder sister so many times and also glad that there were so many between her and the throne. She could never rule, being too shy and easily startled. She sometimes wondered if she was truly a daughter of this family, her siblings and parents being so very confident and pro-active in their methods. Violence was sort of fascinating... In a horrible way she'd also enjoyed watching Swithin burn. She shook her head, her fine dark blonde hair whipping around as she did so. Then got up and hurried over to her writing desk. She set the letter down, reading it over carefully before she began to write her reply. As she read the part about his recovery going well she said another prayer, so glad that he was healing now. She wrote that she was happy for him and hoped that he would be able to recover completely as soon as possible, and that she hoped that it didn't hurt anymore.
She was also looking forward to his visit, although she hoped that he would wait for his body to recuperate first. She wrote of the many pieces of music she'd acquired in the meantime and that she was looking forward to sharing them with him. She'd even gotten parts of a piece that he'd mentioned to her before as being one of his favorites. She was looking forward to talking to him more about music, in person. She paused here, fidgeting nervously with her pencil. She trusted Kenny now but wasn't comfortable enough to speak to him. She carried around a pencil and paper and used that to communicate with people. He was kind enough not to complain, and she was glad for that. It so nice to have a friend who was also passionate about the arts. She wrote that she would continue to pray for his safety and well being, and would also say a prayer for his new friends and father as well.
She wrote about the time she'd first met his new father, describing him as a man who didn't know his own strength. He was in her opinion a gentle giant, though he coughed all of the time and was happy to tease people who tried to help him when he didn't ask for it. She included a little story he'd shared with her, about a little girl who'd happened upon a battle he was in. There was a town along the border that was being sieged at the time. The peasants were all running about, trying to flee. It was near to where Ailean had grown up, so he was there fighting with his brothers and father trying to protect the people. As he was fighting, one of his opponents managed to knock him down. Before he could be dealt a fatal blow, a little girl of about eight years of age appeared from out of nowhere and rammed into his attacker. Ultimately, thanks to her bravery he was able to continue fighting. Some of the townpeople nearby saw her bravery and also took up arms to fight for themselves. They won the day and banished their attackers.
She wrote that at the time, she believed Ailean was trying to encourage her. But the story reminded her more of Kenny. How the servants were always singing his praises in the halls. Even the little girl who had been her slave for only a few days, talked about how he looked out for her. She admired that spirit and tried to think of that story when she was feeling scared. She hoped that it would now help him too. She didn't understand what he meant by gentle touch. She'd seen Astrid slap him before, when she was coming around a corner she'd happened upon an exchange. Astrid had been furious, the angriest she'd ever seen her. Usually, she was calm and Ester had never seen her be sad, angry or even all that happy before. So she'd been shocked to see such a thing. She hesitated as she thought about including this little story, then decided to go ahead and share with him anyway.
She hoped he wouldn't mind, but this is part of what being friends meant anyway. She apologized on behalf of her sister, explaining that members of the family Inrmis were all fairly passionate when it came to certain things. She was sad to know how violent her sister had been with him but promised to try to get Astrid to write to him too. She wrote that she was sure her sisters would be thrilled with any presents from him. She paused again, looking around the room to make sure she was alone. Then began to write again, this time very quickly as she didn't want to be caught. She wrote that when they'd returned to their home, Astrid had a carpenter come out to fit a frame to a rather nice painting. It was of a strange looking plant. The berries looked like little eyeballs, so it was kind of scary. But Astrid seemed to really like it because she had it mounted on the wall of her study. She would simply love something new to play, especially if he took the trouble to write something for her.
She was careful to acknowledge every point he'd made in his letter, double and triple checking so her friend wouldn't feel ignored. After including a few other details, some little stories she thought might help to entertain him, she folded the letter. She placed it inside of an envelope, dripped hot wax to keep it closed and then pressed her family's seal into the wax. She waited for it to dry before writing Kenneth's name on the front of the letter. She set it down on her desk. In the morning she'd have a servant send the letter out for her. For now, she was being called to dinner. So she washed her hands and hurried along, not wanting to be scolded if she was late. little mintchan ((It's hilarious that Ken only mentioned sending gifts to the sisters in his letter. Kenneh is number one top Casanova, oh my.))
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:57 pm
Kenneth felt the pain of her landing on him, too out of it to do much as it bled from the stitches breaking. A male servant helped Yitta to get him back to his room where the doctor unwrapped him and quickly; with the help of Yitta to fix the damage done and redo the bandages, putting cushion on the more delicate wounds before he left to inform Ailean that Ken had a fever and would be light headed for awhile, possibly from the blood he lost when Yitta first rammed her head into his back, back at the inn. He gave both maids instructions to keep him hydrated and to tell him when his fever goes down or when he awakes. It took several days of both the maids taking care of him for Ken to awaken. He was groggy and barely remember passing out, his fever was barely there anymore and he could feel the soft blankets on him. He awoke to Ailean eating breakfast in his room, staring out the window. "W-What happened?" He mumbled, looking to Inga who explained what happened as he frowned and looked back to Ailean. "I'm s-sorry...for being such a burden..." He touched his head gently, feeling a small cut that had healed over. Did he hit his head when falling? Thank god he didn't hit any objects and cause a concussion. Inga had letters for him again, but he was still too groggy to read nor sit up, the fact that one piece of hair stood up at all times showed how much he had slept.
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Bethany turned her head when Joseph screamed at some men, rolling her eyes and moving forward into the shop as she approached the shopkeeper to ask for the camp's order of meat and that his price was outrageous. "We could hunt for cheaper than this! Are you ignoring me?! Hey, I am talking to you and demand you lower the price if your even a smidge loyal to this country!" She was becoming frustrated, hearing Joseph stomp by and stepping aside as he dealt with the man. She was going to correct him, but decided his title would be useful at the moment. "Hmph, I'm sure the commander had you come along because of this." She turned to the shopkeeper and set down three gold coins instead of the ten he wanted. "Now! Or would you rather prince Joseph step over the country to retrieve it for free?" She watched in satisfaction as the man hurried to get the meat loaded on their wagon as she turned to hear the woman talk of the prince. "Get out you whores!" She lifted her dress and walked over to the much taller woman, doing what anyone would remember as a unlady-like kick to their chests. "Neither of you will approach the prince! Get out, harlots!" She grabbed the other one by the bow on her dress and pulled her outside, tossing her into the snow bank and watching the one she had kicked scurry out and away down the road.
She turned as Joseph made his way out of the shop with some jerky and sighed. "Fine, you deserve some since you helped me haggle with that man. Come! We need some blankets for the cold weather and any wounded during battles!" She shuffled forward, glad she wore boots with how much dress she had to lift to get by the snow. She was short with heavy weights, and struggled to get to each shop and even allowing Joseph to lift her over several snow banks that he could easily step over. A man approached her after she was lifted over another snow bank, slipping some gold coins into her chest and slapping her behind. She let out a yelp before grabbing his wrists and flinging the man over her and into the bank upside down. "How dare you!" She lifted her foot up and slammed it down on the poor manhood he had, twisting and even seeing Joseph flinch and look away. She stopped when blood soaked through and headed on into a candle store, ignoring the man calling that he would pay her back for that.
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Victoria followed, happy to be within the safe walls of the castle. "I wonder if I can really find a man, like that boy Kenneth, I'm jealous that he has his eyes set on Astrid, but she is the heir...and I don't want the throne, I want to travel with my future husband, see things outside our country! Can you find someone like that for me? Who can take care of me and let me be happy?" She twirled the rose still, smelling it and looking to Hector as he tried to explain his thoughts. "I do, Hector, once Astrid chooses her king, they will ask for my hand, then Ester's, aren't you engaged to be married to a Lord's daughter? What if you don't make her happy? What if she wants, what you cannot give?" She asked, hearing a butler call them inside for dinner. "I must go, I need to change for dinner." She rushed off and to her room where her slaves helped her into a soft dress with long sleeves and tight around the waist and bust. She spotted Ester and stopped her to fix some loose hair before hurrying behind her.Sabriel Thurirl maybe he will send sheep dung to Hector lol
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