forum Kill The Prince, Steal The Crown // Private rp

Started May 30, 2019 by @croccin-champagne

tune

She blinked, pulled out of her thoughts as she nodded. The fireflies resting on her scattered lazily, and she tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. "You don't have to. You could always head back."

He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets once again. "I want to. And I'd much rather spend a little more time with you and making sure you're still okay than heading right back to the ball," he admitted, pretending to be nonchalant about it.

She blinked, obviously surprised by that. "Oh. Well, in that case, I would love the company on the way back." She said softly, reaching up to fiddle with her hair.

He smiled slightly and walked over to her, but provided enough space between them as to not bother her. He tilted his head towards one of the doorways leading back into the palace. "Well then. Shall we?"

"Sadly." She sighed, grabbing her shoes from where they were lying near the bench, but deciding to carry them instead of putting them back on. She started for the doorway, at a fairly slow pace to wait for Rhydar to catch up.

He came up beside her and kept pace with her easily. He didn't know what to do with his hands, so he kept them stuffed in his pockets. He absentmindedly spun one of his rings around, the action bringing a surprising amount of comfort and ease to him.

Her footsteps fell silent alongside his as they made their way through the halls, Lily occasionally pausing to recall the right hallway to turn down. She was quiet for the first few minutes, before speaking to once again apologize. "I know I said it earlier, but I really am sorry for causing a scene." The way she said it made it obvious she fully believed the entire thing was more her fault than anything.

He lightly grabbed her arm to bring them to a stop, then quickly let go, facing her. His eyes were serious and his jaw was set as he locked eyes with her. "None of it was your fault. You didn't go up to him and make him do any of that to you. I chose to knock his pride down a few notches by tossing him around like the drunken bellend that he is. You were the unfortunate victim. Nothing was your fault," he repeated, his tone unwavering.

Nothing was your fault. He seemed so sure of that, it made her want to believe him. Her eyes flickered across his face, habitually looking for any sign of a lie, and she was startled to find none, focusing them back on his. She'd been told plenty of times that it was her fault, and here he was saying the opposite. "I-you're sure?"

Out of habit, he reached out to very loosely grab her arms. His form of reassurance. "I'm more than sure," he said softly, "I'm positive. You didn't do anything that could even be seen as your fault." He quickly let go and backed away to give her space once again.

She nodded, glancing to her arms, where his hands had just been, before looking up at him. "Things-things like that are fine, most of the time." She said quietly, after a few moments of thought. Certain places were easier than others, and her arms were one of those places, usually.

He just nodded, going back to spinning one of the rings around his finger. His tongue flicked out to brush against his lip ring. The strange air around them was making him a little more fidgety than usual. He didn't make a move to get any closer or touch her again, just waited for her to say if she was ready to resume their walk to her room or not.

She shook her head, reaching up to rub the back of her neck as she motioned down the hallway with her other hand. She didn't like how vulnerable she kept finding herself around him, but it seemed like fate had decided that would be a common occurrence. "Shall we?"

He dipped his chin in a slight nod. "We shall." He turned and motioned for her to follow, keeping a leisurely pace as he walked down the hall. He wasn't in any rush to head back to the ball—no matter that he was supposed to be the guest of honor.

She followed, at his side but just a step behind him, fiddling with the ring. She'd slipped it onto her finger to keep from losing it, and found an odd comfort with it there. "You mentioned catching lightning bugs as a kid." She said quietly, offering a lighter topic to turn to. "What was that like? Growing up here?"

A muscle feathered in his cheek as he clenched his jaw some. "It had its bright moments, like the lightning bugs, but other than that…" he trailed off, shrugging. "I was either getting yelled at and chased by the maids, getting punished by my parents, being forced into classes about proper eating etiquette or some other boring and useless thing, escaping said classes, getting reamed out by the tutors…" He trailed off again. "My sister tried 'correcting' my behavior by offering to teach me. She'd always make it fun or interactive, and I was actually a good kid for a bit."

All it took to notice the mistake in subject was the way he clenched his jaw, and she made a mental not to avoid things like that in the future. Nice going. "Learning. What-what was that like? Learning with her, I mean?" She asked, wrapping her arms around herself. She'd been forced to teach herself when she could, and the one teacher she could remember didn't stand out much in her memory.

He bowed his head as he played with his rings. "It didn't last long, as she didn't have much time, but everything she taught me I still remember." A wistful smile played on his lips as he spoke. "She taught me about horseback riding and hunting. When I stole some of her jewelry, she taught me the value of different gems and metals. She showed me how to judge the basics of someone's personality and use it to my advantage in a political debate."

She reached up, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder for a few moments before withdrawing it, trying to offer as close to the kind of comfort he seemed used to as she could. He hadn't said it outright, but it was fairly easy to guess that she…wasn't around. "She sounds like she was a great teacher."

He glanced over at her in surprise but did feel oddly comforted by her touch. He blinked and looked away again, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Yeah, she was. She would've made a great Queen, but it would seem someone else disagreed. She disappeared when I was 9. After a year of searching, she was declared dead." He spun one of his rings some more before he said quietly, "Isla, was her name."

(eye-la)

"Isla." She said softly, looking down at the ring in her hand. There were a million things that could have happened to her, but a few stuck out in her mind. "She gave you this." She said, a statement, not a question. "You should take it back."

He shook his head, refusing it once again. "No. I don't need it anymore. I'm the heir to the throne; I shouldn't be frolicking around looking for trouble and hoping that my luck hasn't run out just yet. You have your nightmares and demons to contest with, and I hope that, just maybe, that'll provide the help that I can't give." He stopped fiddling with his ring and stuffed his hands in his pockets, head bowed. What he didn't tell Lily was that that ring had been passed down from generation to generation, hopping between kingdoms and countries, given to friends and lovers by those that thought of them as someone special. Legends claimed it truly did protect and help those bearing the ring—and that once given to another, it was now theirs to keep.

Then again, those were just silly legends passed on as bedtime stories.

And you're going to end up another name on my list of demons, and people I've hurt. She bit her lip, fiddling with the ring a bit before sliding it back into place on her finger and looking up at him. Her heart hurt, knowing he didn't exactly get the chance to be a kid at a normal pace, something she understood. "You're an heir. Not a ruler yet. What if…you had just a bit of fun before having to take on the full responsibility?"

He huffed a small laugh, shaking his head. "What do you think I've been doing? I've wasted my time doing what I love, but the cruel reality of my position still hangs over my head. It's best if I just…give in and deal with it." His emerald eyes were dim; they lacked the usual amusement and joy that brightened them.

If anyone was fit to be the next official ruler, it would be either Magnus or Cinthia. But tradition decreed that the first born child of the royal line was to be the heir. He had tried to change his parents' minds about the tradition, but they would hear none of it. They were well aware of his opposition to being King, so they just saw it as a sorry excuse to get out of it.

"I know, I know. It's not the best idea, but I meant…smaller things." She looked off, fiddling with a strand of hair. "Normal things. Beyond stealing." She sighed, shaking her head. It didn't make sense, to get so worried over and attached to the man she was supposed to kill, and yet, here she was. "I'm sorry." She said quietly, the words carrying a double meaning that wouldn't make much sense. "That you have to take on that position, without any choice."