"I mean, none of us are really into the whole 'you have to be married by the age of 19 at the most.' Rhydar's love life has been declared a lost cause, so the Queen has declared this little event. He doesn't care either way, just that he has to choose." She shrugged. "He doesn't think it'll be successful at all, that's why he doesn't mind it. He's more amused with the thought of women tripping over their feet to be with him than anything." She smiled warmly over at Lily. "And I would love to spend more time with you. Your company is quite enjoyable as well."
Lily smiled, a full smile this time, though still small, and her face brightened with the expression. "You might just be the first person to say that, in a truly kind way." She said, before huffing a small laugh. "He's really a lost cause, marriage-wise?"
"I mean, he's 22 and has yet to find a girl he truly fancies," she said, scrunching up her nose some. "He's played around a bit like the male that he is, but has never settled down and let himself be, and I quote, 'put into the shackles that is a long-term relationship.' It's nonsense, really. Magnus is quite happy with Koralia, and they've been together since childhood. I don't see why he can't see himself that happy with a woman."
She was quiet, nodding as she thought. "Maybe all the women he's encountered, at least potential suitors, are just…not the right fit?" It was obvious she was just making an observation, and not at all suggesting she would suddenly be right. "This whole thing might actually be good for him, in that way. At least to help him realize what kind of women he isn't interested in."
Cinthia nodded slowly, thinking through Lily's words. "That makes quite a bit of sense. I like how your mind works, not that I'd rifle around it to see how it works," she added jokingly with a light chuckle. "If you don't end up with him—and I'm not saying you won't, because I'll definitely be upset if he tosses you to the side—I'll be happy to be your friend even after."
That was a bit of an odd comment. Lily's small smile continued to play on her lips as she looked over at Cinthia, pretending for a second she wasn't here to kill the girl's brother. "Well, let's hope we stay friends, and I don't get tossed to the side, huh?"
"Cheers to hoping for the best." Cinthia nodded finally, then looked around the tunnel and changed the subject. "I think we're getting close to the exit. This tunnel runs directly to the library. Don't ask me why, because I have no clue. I'm still trying to puzzle out why the First King had dug a tunnel to the library."
"Maybe the library building served a different purpose back when the tunnels were dug?" Lily guessed, shrugging a shoulder as she returned her gaze to the walls. "Or it could have been some sort of rendezvous, if there was ever a need to escape."
She pointed an agreeing finger Lily's way. "Good point." She then ran her fingers along the wall and stopped at a spot where she felt a very light snag. She pressed her palm against the wall, and a hand-sized stone slid in the wall. A secret door opened just beside it, the wall sliding apart to reveal it. "Here we are," she announced.
"I would love to meet whoever built these." She decided, watching the process with fascination. "If they were still alive, of course. Lead the way?"
Cinthia gestured for Lily to follow her as she slipped through the opening. It led to an enormous and ancient looking library, its giant, spiral staircase leading to all the different open floors, both above and below the ground. They were currently on one of the lower levels, looking at walls covered in delicately carved and meticulously polished shelves filled to the brim with large books. Just from a brief glimpse, it was clear many curious fingers had brushed over these sturdy spines, flitted over the thin paper of the hundreds of pages, hooked between different sections to hold their thoughts.
The dark hardwood floors were polished as well with old decorative rugs laid down over them. Cushioned seats lounged about at random spots, offering a place to sit and relax with a wise book in your hands. Tables also were scattered throughout the library, letting both young and old scholars hunch over their many resources at once. Torches effectively lit the entire building, giving a comforting glow to the place that gave off enough light to easily be able to read while keeping it just dark enough to provide that air of grandness yet soothing comfort.
Cinthia turned to Lily once they both had entered the small alcove that led out to the main area in the middle of the library. "Well?" she asked.
(gah, that took longer than I predicted)
Lily's eyes widened once more, as she took in the sight of the library around them. Were things all this large in this city, or was it just places that royals frequented? "It's….amazing." She whispered, still awestruck. Daisy would've had a field day with this. She never would have wanted to leave.
Cinthia smile at Lily's awestruck expression. "I love it here; it's actually my favorite place to go to escape my royal duties, as well as the majority of the people in the palace. Surprisingly, no one's managed to figure out where I disappear to." She seemed to look right at home, surrounded by ancient books, some not even written in the modern tongue. Her darker complexion fit right in with the black, maroon, and mahogany theme this place had, with splashes of gold here and there.
"I can understand why you spend so much time here. I've never seen this many books in one place." Lily whispered, her eyes landing on Cynthia after a few moments. "I could spend my entire life reading in here, and barely make a dent in the number."
"I encourage the challenge, but the number of books you would be able to read is limited to your knowledge of languages," she said. "Because, you see, this library is split into different sections for different cultures and subjects. We're currently on the floor for this kingdom's early days, almost all written in the ancient tongue as opposed to the modern version."
"I know multiple languages, so I guess that just makes the goal more unattainable." She said, shaking her head. "So many books." She huffed a laugh, returning to looking around curiously. "That must be quite a few sections."
Cinthia gestured around her. "Make yourself at home. I have to go all over the place to get the books I want, so feel free to wander around and take what you want." She tossed a friendly wink over to Lily. "And who knows, maybe we both know a few of the same languages?" She grinned and lowered her voice, dramatically holding her hand up to her mouth. "Secret conversations!"
Lily huffed a laugh, nodding. "We'll have to run over a list of languages each of us speaks, find some in common." She promised, lips quirking up into a faint smile. She returned her hand to their place in her pockets as she looked to the nearest bookshelf. "I wish you luck on your book quest, Cinthia."
"And you yours." She sketched a bow, then turned away with a friendly wave.
She nodded in farewell, starting for the bookshelf. Where did they even get a hold of this many books?
((Skip to after, or later?))
(Hmm, maybe say that she and Cin hung out at the library, and now it's time for her to meet Rhydar?)
((Works for me. How would that go about? Like, where?))
(Oooo. Maybe, since he doesn't really look like what a prince would look like, they bump into each other in the halls and she doesn't recognize him? He nicks her picture as he grabs her to steady both of them, and when they officially meet in the throne room, he gives it back to her?)
((I love it. Give me a sec~))
Lily made her way through the halls of the palace, her eyes on the pages of one of the books she'd picked up at the library during her and Cinthia's excursion. The book itself was an old, leather bound copy of an adventurer's journal, one she'd been looking for for a while now. Every library she had gone to though, had either had their copy stolen, ruined, or had never owned one at all.
The reading was an attempt to distract herself from the meeting, just a few minutes away. She didn't want to think about murder right now, much less the murder of the brother of her friend. So instead, she lost herself in the recordings of adventure, danger, and what grabbed her attention most, freedom. She might have been a little too lost though, evidenced when she almost collided with another person.
"Woah, easy there." Rhydar abruptly stopped and lightly grabbed onto the distracted girl, steadying them both when they nearly ran into each other. He was wearing less traditional royal clothing, not at all looking like the crown prince of the kingdom. True to habit, as he grabbed the girl, he nicked a random object off of her without her knowing, tucking it into his back pocket. He chuckled. "Interesting book?" he asked with a hint of amusement.
Lily blinked, looking up from the book as she closed it. "Oh, Gods, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention at all." Her cheeks were dusted with a faint blush as she apologized hurriedly, tucking the book under her arm as she straightened. "Er-yes? I mean, it is a good book. Apparently a bit too good. I really am sorry."
His eyes were bright as he smirked down at her. "It's alright, I should've been paying more attention." She's cute, especially that little blush. "Where're you headed?" he asked, messing with the leather bracelets around his wrist.
She scrunched up her nose as she thought, clearing away the fog left over from reading. "Throne room, I believe." She looked around for a moment, before sighing. "And I seem to have lost my sense of direction." She looked back up at the man, noting the the startling color of his eyes.
