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

[LotusCurtiss]

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


❝I WISH FOR MY BEST FRIEND,❞

❝IF ONLY HE WEREN'T SO COLD.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝Corza rolled backwards on the smooth stone, feeling a punch that sent him sprawling. Determined not to be defeated, he alighted on his feet and charged. Sending his right fist at the imaginary person that blocked but he came up with a uppercut, drilling into the chin. Taking the opportunity, he snatched the front of the shirt and heaved them over his shoulder, falling backwards to deal more damage. Bring an elbow into the midsection. He quickly got back to his feet and stood, watching, waiting. When the person didn't get up, it was clear the he was the victor. The fight lasted thirty minutes and Corza was drenched in sweat, breathing heavy from the effort. "Maybe I imagined too strong of an opponent." He heaved. "Maybe it is for the better that I did." He swallowed a glass of water and poured another. "I can be so ambitious." He laughed.

He brushed the bangs that stuck to his forehead away and he saw the reflection in the single window. "Now then, perhaps it is time to train even harder." He took a stance when there was a knock on the door and went to go see who it is. Taking a towel and hanging it over his head to cover his forehead. The Forge Master. The man had skills to sneak in, yet Corza trusted him with the best way to get inside the East Wing undetected and at what times too.

He had a sack over his shoulder. "You work fast." He showed the way to the closet inside of the Weapon Room and the man got to work installing the request.

Delighted, Corza dropped ten gold coins into his hand. "Keep extra quiet about this and burn the plans if you haven't already." The Forge Master nodded and slipped silently out. Corza admired the work, chains and shackles of black iron and the only set of keys in his hand to the work. Yes, soon he'll get his revenge on Garrat.❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

Garrat tossed and turned in his sleep, trying to change his dream. His attempts only made the image of Corza's saddened face even worse. Unable to take it any longer, the bodyguard woke up and just stared at the ceiling. He was tired, but there was no way he could go back to sleep. Besides, he felt danger coming soon. His instincts were telling him to leave the palace and run, but he could not leave Corza unprotected.

He kept his sword at his bedside in case of nightly attacks, but he knew it was nothing but a piece of assembled metal if he slept heavily enough. It was probably well and good that he usually did not need a lot of sleep then.  

[LotusCurtiss]

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


❝I WISH FOR MY BEST FRIEND,❞

❝IF ONLY HE WEREN'T SO COLD.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝Corza went back to training after admiring the new gear in the closet. As he battled imaginary foes, his mind began to think up plans on how to get Garrat in there. Best to beat him up first was one, another was to knock him in there. All plans seemed complicated but he sorted out the steps. His muscles were screaming when midnight came around, pain and tension filled his entire being. He poured the picture of water onto his head, savoring the cool liquid before finally stripping to climbed down the stairs in his room to his privet bath.

With a heavy sigh, he sank in up to his chin, the pool glimmered like the ones in the temple but not as bright, the pool floor was layered with glow stones that seemed to soak up any light. The fine etchings of muscle tone stood out in the glow, Corza scratched his stomach, they were hard muscle. Being self-taught had disciplined him way better and the imaginary training benefitted him. Watching how others took blows and knock backs, seeing the amount of pain they displayed helped him feel the full force. While his brothers size each other up, he was focusing on becoming stronger than them all, not just the one who currently is strongest.

He turned his thought's else where and drifted about. ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

(Garrat's already in a closet. I don't think he would appreciate being shoved into another one. xd I can't believe I did that.)


Garrat finally decided to take the time to patrol the palace once again. It seemed to be the only thing he could do at the moment. He could read the few books he owned, but he had tired of them long ago and he had no other immediately useful talents. The most he could do for now was patrol and think, patrol and think, patrol and think. To be frank, he would very much rather be asleep and having morning come very soon.

He paused in his tracks when he felt chills. It wasn't from wind or anything of the sort, but he just knew he had to beware of something. Or someone. His wariness suddenly brought Corza to his mind, much to his confusion. The prince might have some resentment toward the bodyguard for the separation, but, as he had not done any investigating or taken any action of vengeance or something of the sort before, Garrat had assumed Corza just decided to leave him be and move on, though not without the occasional frustration.  

[LotusCurtiss]

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


❝I WISH FOR MY BEST FRIEND,❞

❝IF ONLY HE WEREN'T SO COLD.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : Oh, lets see how it plays out! xd We are so bad! ||

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❝Corza slipped completely under the water, washing the sweat off of him completely before doing a couple of strokes and rising to the surface. What to do? He was bored and he never was bored, training took his mind off of it and the frustrations with Garrat, that weren't needed any more. Moving on, he found it simpler than he expected but the wounds were still there.

Corza went under, no time to dwell. He sighed. Bored. ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

The palace was clear as usual, Garrat noted and then he lingered in the kitchen for a late night snack. A carrot, perhaps. He had decided during his walk that he should take a few days off, maybe a month or so, if only to travel to find a woman to love. First, he would need to work up the courage to ask Corza, but he had not requested anything from the prince in years, before their separation. The only exchange of words they had in which Garrat spoke happened to be reminders or bits of advice when he felt Corza was unreasonably angry. Other than that, any attempt at speech was awkward.

Once he managed to locate a carrot, the bodyguard reclined on a nearby chair. It was so dark and empty in the kitchen. As a child, he would have been running around without rest until he returned to the safety of either his room or Corza's. Such panicked scrambles were out of fear of anything lurking that he could not immediately see, but such little fears had to be abandoned as he grew and when he decided on this job.

Finishing the root, Garrat exited the kitchen and headed toward Corza's room. He needed to take action. He needed to leave and find a lover, or else his feelings would forever maintain the wall between himself and Corza and they would never be able to rekindle their friendship. Even now, he wasn't sure if he had a chance, but finding a woman would at least help him direct his inappropriate feelings elsewhere.

He stood for a little while in front of the prince's door. His hand had been ready to knock on the wood, but his body was paralyzed by worry. Clearing his head, Garrat finally knocked, ready to bow if Corza opened the door. "My lord, I would like to request at most a month of leave," he said, unsure if the prince could even hear him through the door. "There is some business I would like to take care of elsewhere."  

[LotusCurtiss]

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


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝Corza pulled himself free from the pool, taking his time to dry off, even his hair that his mother prized greatly. He heard a knock and knew that it was Garrat being paranoid about his safety, deciding to appease the poor man, Corza pulled on his night shift, covered his forhead and went to go answer it. As he neared the top of the stairs, he heard a voice he hadn't heard in a long time. Becoming excited, he wasted little time to get to the door. He stopped before his palm could rest on the handle.

He had heard the request. All this time the man never talked, working out how he was going to ask him this. That was stupid on Garrats part, keeping silent as you planned for years to have time off. Corza calmed himself down, the man he knew longer was a friend but a bodyguard and he needed his Lords answer. He steeled himself strong and squared his shoulders then opened the door.

"I see why not, you surely have proved yourself worthy for a months leave of absence over the years. I'll ask the Captain of the guard to assign me another body guard till you return." He kept his face stoic. "What ever your business might be either privet or personal, I won't ask except that you return safely."

"Let the Great Tree keep you safe, Body Guard Garrat." He spoke the mans title with coolness and ease though he had to swallow the friendship that was trying to rise in his throat, back down. ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

Garrat bowed respectfully. "Thank you, my lord," he said and stepped away from the door to return to his own room. He wished he could say anything else, but it was not the time. Besides that, it appeared Corza was not as curious or even as interested in Garrat's business as he used to be. It was a bit disheartening, but it was a consequence of lost friendship. The bodyguard soon reached his room and he packed some clothing and other supplies for the trip. What meager savings he had should be enough to last him a month. If not, he was not above doing odd jobs.

Once he finished, Garrat returned to his bed to sleep. He would need rest for the trip which he planned to start tomorrow.  

[LotusCurtiss]

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


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : too stinking short! brain burn out. ||

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❝Corza shut the door after Garrat left. Well now, things surely would be different with out his noisy bodyguard around for a month. Now he had to rework his plan. ❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

Garrat slept a bit more easily and woke up early when morning came. Equipping his sword for protection and taking his pack of supplies, he walked casually to the kitchen for breakfast. Bread and eggs should suffice. He ate quickly, seeking to leave as soon as possible. The stables was his next destination and then he would go to one of the distant towns for his month-long search for a maiden.  

[LotusCurtiss]

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


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝Corza woke the next morning with a stretch, he rolled to the floor and began to dress in his red, black and gold adorned cloths. "Mother spent her time making this one for me, the thing fits like a glove, at least I can move and the black prevents anybody from seeing the muscle tone." He shook his head and pulled his hair back, only leaving the bangs to hide his forehead. "Now then, to call the Captain of the Guard."

The man came instantly and Corza told him about Garrats little vacation. With a simple nod, and affirmation that he would send his best to protect him, the man left.

Corza spent the morning like usual, he could tell that their was a bodyguard around by their presence but they masked their sound well and only answered when he asked them what their name was. "The Captain has trained you well." Was his only comment.❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

By the time the sun was halfway up the sky, Garrat was far enough from the palace that he could no longer see its gates if he looked back. His first stop would be the capital, where he knew plenty of women would be to search for potential husbands. The sooner he found one, the more time he could spend of his month to start a relationship. It seemed that such a thing was all he was thinking about now, but he had heard that it was about time he tried to find a wife.  

[LotusCurtiss]

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


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝Cprza spent the month's time reading, visiting his mother who kept on insisting getting his measurements, tending to Tiara and the Great Tree in her temple. Corza never left his training times though, they had become regimented. Bur for the better part of it, it was quiet, really quiet.❞
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[BrokenScreamBox]

A third of the month had been spent searching, and he spent the rest of the time with a young lady by the name of Martha. She lived in one of the far-off villages and had been the last unmarried young woman there. Over time, Garrat found out why: she liked to think a lot, questioning just about everything around her. The bodyguard was mesmerized by her insight and decided that she was the one he should choose. While his heart still didn't beat for her as it did for Corza, he had little doubt that it would eventually.

They arrived at the palace a day before Garrat's break was over. The bodyguard wanted to introduce Martha to Corza, but it did not seem an appropriate thing to do. Instead, he had her wait on Highwind while he went off to report that he had returned.  

[LotusCurtiss]

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


❝I NO LONGER HAVE MY FRIEND,❞

❝IT IS TIME TO BE A PRINCE.❞


||⇒ σ. σ. ҫ : ||

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❝Corza decided to entertain himself today, seeing how far he could skip stones to test his control skills. "Too shallow....too deep...." He said every time the stones ended up sinking early or didn't skip far enough. "Not enough wrist....too much wrist...." He continued. Steadily they began to skip longer and further. "Like throwing daggers but trickier." Corza was having fun.

Suddenly a commotion came on the scene and he turned to stop his current assigned body guard from killing Garrat. "Damn it Man! Announce yourself before you waltz right in here. Or rather by your state, run." He turned to the body guard and apologized for throwing the stone at him who bowed instantly for his lack of judgment. "Go tell your Master that my Body Guard has returned." And the man was gone.

"Thank the Great Tree that you managed to return safe with a margin of error that you didn't get killed when you have the time. You cut your leave of absence short, what news do you bring?" He noticed and kept his face stoic.❞
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