forum A Dreamer, a King, and a wolf. // Romance & Adventure // OxO // closed

Started July 09, 2019 by @croccin-champagne

tune

Celeste couldn't sleep. Hadn't been able to for the entire carriage ride. While it could have been attributed to the constant movement and occasional disruption, courtesy of uneven roads and rocks here and there, something told her it had nothing to do with that. Nothing to do with that, and everything to do with the man sitting on the bench across from hers. The King of her kingdom, a man a bit older than her, gave off the definite vibe that she should watch herself and her secrets around him.

They hadn't spoken since the border between Roviern and Ithaein, when he had announced that they were now in a completely different kingdom, and that she should prepare for things to be different. That had been the end of that, and they had once again lapsed into silence as he studied her for a bit longer than necessary, and then turned to viewing the scenery passing them by. Luckily, the capitol was close enough to the border that it wasn't all that long, maybe an hour or so, before they entered the city.

The first occasional of trouble, however, was when they attempted to enter through the gates that blocked the palace off from the rest of the city. A knock on the side of the carriage prompted Celeste to quickly climb out, despite the King's attempt at getting her attention, to find quite the sight in front of her. One of the guards that had been stationed at the gates was fearfully backed up against the carriage, as Pluto her familiar and partner in crime, sat back on his haunches and eyed him. He let out a sort of 'boof' when he spotted Celeste, happily leaving the guard be, to instead stand between her and the other guard. That was an interesting one to clear up, but with the King's semi-reluctant assurance that they were both accompanying him, they were let in.

Twenty minutes and a terrified servant found them being led into the throne room of the palace, large wolf included, where they were told to wait for the King to arrive. Her own King didn't seem too happy with that, so she stuck to idly fiddling with one of the braids in her oddly colored hair, undoing it and twisting it back, before repeating the process. Waiting feels all too familiar…

Soren was arguing, yet again, with the members of his court. They were in a room off to the side of the throne room, the doors closed and two guards stationed before it.
"-produce an heir!" Shouted one of the noblemen.
"No! I have told you time and again that I have no wish to marry yet, nor do I need to!" Soren replied, standing to his full height and glaring at the men. He had been arguing for years over this. They wanted him to marry and have children, produce an heir, continue the bloodline.
"But you must! The line of succession is not clear!"
"I don't care!" Soren shouted, just as the door was opened. Anyone standing in the throne room would have heard his shout.
"Ah…my king, the king of Roviern is here to see you, along with a girl." The guard said slowly.
Soren sighed softly, and straightened. "I see." He inclined his head slightly to the lords and ladies of his court, and left the room. He walked to the throne, sitting down upon it and looking at the king of Roviern, and the girl. "Welcome." He said. There was a slight frown line between his eyebrows, and his crown was slightly askew. "King Lin, a pleasant surprise to see you." He inclined his head in a slight bow to the king of Roviern, then looked at the girl. "And who would you be?"

(I had to make up a name for the king of Roviern, hope you don't mind)

((Nah, you're good.))

The shout that carried out into the room echoed in the large space, and Pluto moved closer to Celeste as she carefully controlled the habitual flinch that threatened to show. She rocked on her heels slightly, something to do and focus on instead of the shadows clinging to her mind, as the King wrapped up whatever he had been discussing.

She didn't miss the shift in Lin's demeanor as the other King greeted him, skilled enough in reading body language to note that his respectful and polite greeting and expression was a lie. Interesting. Before he could introduce her for her, Celeste spoke, cutting him off and earning a disgruntled side-eye. "Celeste Sovanna, your Majesty." She said, the corners of her lips turning up in a friendly smile, something she was well aware wasn't quite the right protocol for greeting royalty, especially this high up. One of her father's allies or not, though, she had developed a set of rules when it came to meeting people of any status. And smiling was first on that list.

(ok. Btw would Soren know who she is?)

Soren looked at the girl. Celeste Sovanna, eh? He narrowed his eyes slightly. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss Sovanna." He said calmly, ignoring her blatant disregard for etiquette. His signet ring flashed on his right hand. "I am King Soren Aevin. Welcome to my kingdom." He looked at King Lin again. "What can I do for you?" He asked.
The guards stationed around the room kept a wary eye on the two visitors and the wolg.. The one closest to the throne, standing a foot away from Soren's left elbow, seemed to be the one in charge, with a red badge around his upper right arm. He especially kept a close eye, though he, like the others, remained silent as the grave.

((He wouldn't know her personally, but he would likely have had a run-in with her once, and heard things here and there as a result of her accidental reputation.))

Celeste reached up to trace the design on the back of her neck, her eyes flickering from King to King with a sort of curious and calculating look, one that didn't match up with her smile. That would prove to be a common thing, her eyes never quite matching her expression. Or each other, for that matter. Pluto huffed a sound almost like a sigh, shifting as he sat down next to her, intelligent eyes scanning the room.

Lin straightened to his full height, which, admittedly, made him fairly imposing. If Celeste had to hazard a guess, though, she would probably be willing to bet it was all show. "My apologies for the sudden visitation, but I would like to request permission to stay here for a little while. Ms. Sovanna and I are currently on business in your kingdom, and I thought paying you a visit might be good for relations." Celeste had to admit, he made a good point, even with the slightly vague information. With the tumultuous relationship between the two kingdoms, a tentative alliance would be good, for both the people and the seats of power.

(alright good to know)

Soren sighed softly, looking over the two. He tapped his fingers against the throne for a moment.
A servant came in, walking to the man beside the throne and saying something softly.
The guard nodded, and bent to murmur in Soren's ear.
Soren looked up at the guard, and nodded curtly. "Go. Take however many you need, captain Mikhail."
Captain Mikhail bowed slightly, and gestured to half the guards in the room, and they left.
Soren returned his attention to King Lin and Celeste. "As you have come on such short notice, I'm afraid we don't have rooms available for you to use yet. However, I will let you stay here. Just be aware that this kingdom cannot and will not tolerate meddling from you two, and if I need to escort you to the border by force, I will."

Celeste cut off Lin once more, this time saving Soren from some passive-aggressive comment. "Of course, your Majesty. Your hospitality is much appreciated, in any case." Her words were spoken honestly and paired with the same friendly smile, this time not quite hiding the curiosity in her odd eyes. She seemed almost oblivious to the glare the disgruntled looks had turned to, as her fingers traced the dreamcatcher on her neck once more before lowering to clasp her other hand in front of her. "That seems quiet worrying." She said, her eyes flickering to the door, before meeting his once again. Another sort-of breach of proper manners. "Anything I can do to offer assistance?"

Soren nodded, and said something to the servant, who gave the two a curious glance before hurrying off. He turned back to Celeste and King Lin. "No, there is nothing for you to do." He said firmly. "My guards have it under control." His eyes flickered slightly, and he twisted the signet ring on his hand.
The servant came back, and bowed. "Your highness, the rooms in the east wing are already full of guests for the festival."
Soren frowned slightly. "Oh. Put them in…" He hesitated. "The West wing."
"What? B-but sire, that wing is for you!" The servant spluttered. "You and your relatives!"
Soren sighed. "Yes, and I haven't any relatives left, now do I? So put them in the West wing. You know which rooms are to be left undisturbed, and which they may be housed in." He looked at the servant, speaking firmly.
The servant sighed, and bowed. "Yes your highness." He said, giving Lin and Celeste a dirty look before leaving the room again.

I don't see why getting rooms at an inn is entirely out of the question. Celeste thought to herself, tilting her head as she watched the servant leave. She opened her mouth, an apology and some sort of offer to stay in the servant's quarters or an inn on the tip of her tongue. Lin spoke quicker though, almost as though he had known exactly what she was about to say.

"As my companion said, your hospitality is very much appreciated, your Majesty. Though please, do excuse her habit of butting into things that do not concern her." Lin flickered a significant look over to Celeste, and a flicker of something passed across her face, before she returned to watching the door. "Her upbringing apparently lacked boundaries." That drew an even more noticeable reaction from Celeste, and she leaned into the wolf at her side for comfort after flinching. "I apologize on her behalf."

Soren studied Celeste for a long moment. Yes, I can imagine her upbringing must have been unusual. What with that father of hers. He thought. He looked at Lin. "Of course. And pardon my servants rudeness, as well. He is one of the newer.ones." One of the ones brought in to replace those slaughtered in the massacres a few months ago. He reflected. Good gods, I have a lot to take care of. He sighed softly. Eliha and the other guards will take care of the debacle at the Elluin, but… He stood up from his throne.

"Ah. The newer ones tend to take a bit to get used to how things work." Lin said, nodding. His voice carried understanding, but it wasn't all that hard to tell it was fake, if one was paying attention. "Are we taking up too much of your time, Majesty?" There was that slight passive-aggressiveness again, almost condescending but not quite. Such were things with royalty.

Soren raised an eyebrow slightly. "No, of course not." Anything not to have to argue about getting married with the nobles again-! He thought. He walked over to them. "Is there anything I should tell the servants about? Certain requirements for your rooms?" He glanced at the wolf. "Such as…a door between the two?" He allowed a very small smirk to flit across his face as he made the veiled insinuation that Lin and Celeste were involved in a less than appropriate relationship; that she was his mistress.

While disgust made itself apparent on Lin's face, something entirely different played out on Celeste's. Something very similar to fear. Not of being caught, or anything, but it almost seemed like fear of the very idea of a door between the rooms, of doing anything like that with Lin. "Windows." She choked out, after biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, clearing her head. "If there's any chance I can have access to windows, that would be appreciated. No door between them, though." Definitely not.

Soren gave her a long, careful look. "Are you alright, miss Sovanna?" He asked slowly. "And of course you will have windows. All of the rooms do. Yours will most likely overlook the gardens." He told her. Most of the windows on the West Wing did. His own did, though his floor was higher up than Lin and Celeste's would be. He looked at the wolf. "Is there anything that should be done to make the room more comfortable for the…wolf?" He asked, raising his eyebrow slightly. This close, it was easy to see that despite his obvious youth, there were already a sprinkling of pure white hairs on his temple, along with a worry line where his eyebrows seemed almost permanently drawn together in worry and stress.

"I'm fine." Celeste said with a nod, a slightly strained smile taking over the previous look on her face. Pluto seemed to understand that Soren was talking about him, the wolf's yellow eyes settling on the King's as his ears twitched slightly. "Er-…maybe a dish for water?" She fell quiet for just a moment, seemingly listening to something, before nodding. "Yeah. If it's not too much hassle, a dish for water would be ideal." Celeste's mismatched eyes took the opportunity to look Soren over up close, the colors changing without any apparent rhyme or reason. She looked every bit the witch she was, with her odd hair and eyes and marking visible on teh skin peaking out from under her cloak, even if her short stature kind of cut away from that.

Soren nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure that happens." He seemed sincere, and while he noticed how closely she was studying him, he didn't saw a word in reprimand. He looked at her for a moment, taking note of her eyes and hair. A witch, perhaps? Interesting. He thought to himself. "Now. As it will be an hour or so before your rooms are ready, is there anything I can help you with? Food, perhaps? A tour of the grounds?" If he wasn't busy, the nobles would pounce on him, pestering him to get married, or expand the borders, or this or that and the other thing, and he was sick of it. Showing a visitor around was the perfect excuse to ignore them.

"I have a message that needs sent, so I will have to pass." Lin said, looking between the two of them with a coldly calculating gaze. "But I am sure Ms. Sovanna would gladly accept that invitation. A chance to stretch her legs some more after the long trip."

Celeste knew that look. That look meant she wasn't allowed to refuse. She had seen it on her father's men so many times, on her father as well, and her "I would." was second nature. "As long as you aren't busy." She added almost hastily, once again tracing the mark on the back of her neck. "I'd hate to get in the way of anything important."

Soren nodded. "Of course. If you have anything you need help with, ask one of the servants, and they will assist you." He told Lin. He looked at Celeste. "I have nothing important to take care of that i know of, and if I don't know of it, it can't be that important." He said with a small laugh.
Suddenly, a noble came storming into the room. "What's this about you giving these…these visitors rooms in your royal wing?!" The woman demanded, stalking right up to Soren.
Soren raised his eyebrows. "Lady Eline." He greeted. "I may give visitors rooms in whatever wing I wish to. I am the king, am I not?"
Lady Eline spluttered. "Well, yes, but…the royal wing! It's disgraceful! Absolutely disgraceful!"
Soren's voice turned firm. "Lady Eline, I may do whatever I wish. This is still my palace, and this is still my country, and I am still king!" He said, eyes flashing. "Do not dare try to tell me what to do. I am not your husband, I am not your son, and I am not your subject! You are my subject, and you would do well to remember that!"
Lady Eline spluttered again, then turned on her heel. "Hmph! It's disgraceful and disgusting, is what it is!" She said, stalking out of the room.
Soren pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "My apologies. My court is…rather high strung these days." He said slowly, eyes flashing with irritation and anger.

Celeste blinked a few times, only noticing her tense and hunched posture after a bit too long. She really needed to work on that, the hiding when someone was mad. You're not getting anything done like that. Especially out here. She watched Soren's face carefully as he spoke, noting the anger and, more importantly, the underlying stress. "Chamomile." Her voice was soft, but sure, and it took her a moment to realize she should expand upon that. "It's good for stress, and helping people sleep." Though she hated the taste of tea herself, she still brewed and sold it on occasion, and plenty of people swore by chamomile as a way to help themselves sleep.

Soren looked at her. "What? Oh. I…am not much for tea." He replied with a small smile. "It's not my favorite drink. I prefer coffee." He said with a small shrug. "So. Are you hungry? Or would you prefer a tour of the grounds?" He asked, straightening the pale blue jacket he wore. The signet ring on his finger flashed again, the symbol of the Aevin house on it.

"A tour would be wonderful." Celeste said, her smile reaching her eyes this time, if a bit small. "And I can't say I'm much of a tea person either. I can appreciate a good cup of coffee, though." Pluto stood, walking directly between Soren and Celeste as Lin left the room. The wolf continued, stopping in front of the door and sitting down facing it, like he didn't even trust Lin. It would easily look like he was just waiting to leave, but Celeste knew her familiar better than that.

Soren nodded, and offered her his arm before he started walking. He watched the wolf for a moment, then opened the doors and kept walking. "I'll take you through the palace itself, then to the gardens." He explained as they walked. His dark hair was starting to fall over his forehead, rather than stay neat and tucked back under his crown.