Arien watched Ryn with concern in his eyes. Even after he was given the smile, he was still worried Ryn wasn't doing well.
"Are you ready to go to the palace?" He finally asked. He gently stepped towards Ryn, reaching out to gently place his hand on Ryn's.
The boy flinched, but clearly calmed as the man rested his hand on his own. He took another sigh, his breathing calming and his sweet smile becoming slowly more genuine.
“Yes, I am,” he said, infinitely thankful that his voice was stronger than before. “And, I apologize about Rio. I… I actually assume I should be apologizing to him, no?”
Ryn took a moment and looked back to where the other man walked off, dropping his head and letting out a breath.
“I assure you I can explain my actions, your highness,” the boy continued, meeting Arien’s eyes once more. “While what he said, I have no proof of denying, but I do know my side of the story, and I apologize greatly for it. Had I known this was the outcome, I would have acted much differently.”
Arien held his hand on Ryn's, flinching a little himself when Ryn did.
"I do not know everything that happened," Arien said softly. "I'm not going to make any judgements against anyone until I hear the full story, from both sides." Arien still had concern on his face, but he slowly returned the smile for Ryn's sake.
"Come, we'll discuss it after you've settled in." Arien left his hand were it was, gently leading Ryn away from the alley and towards the castle.
“Y-Yes, your majesty,” Ryn replied, following closely behind.
There wasn’t a proper word for what he was feeling. Or perhaps there was, and Ryn just couldn’t find it. It was a mix of disbelief and euphoria, but at the same time, he was worried beyond question. He kept possibly a little too close to Arien, just trying to latch on to anything vaguely.. familiar? He didn’t know.
Arien glanced at Ryn a moment. He wanted the other to know that no matter what happened, he wasn't going to be punished for what happened, but… He stayed quiet for now. He saw how close Ryn was staying to him, and carefully placed one hand on Ryn's shoulder, staying close to Ryn himself.
"You can call me Arien, if you wish," Arien said gently.
“Yes, your majesty,” Ryn mumbled absently, not necessarily registering what the man was saying, just trying to agree. Once the words turned in his head, he quickly backtracked to, “I mean, Arien. Sorry.”
He was too aware of the man’s hand on his shoulder, not sure wether to feel like a prisoner being lead to an execution, or a.. well, or a concubine being lead to a castle. Of course, he was more fond of the latter, but still worried nonetheless.
Arien have Ryn a reassuring smile, keeping close.
"It's okay," he said softly. He and Ryn eventually made it to the gates of the palace. The guards stepped aside when they saw Arien, and the king led Run into the courtyard.
"You're okay," he said, realizing how nervous Ryn seemed.
The boy let out a small laugh, at least seeming in better nature than before. He rubbed at the back of his head, ruffled white hair falling into his eyes.
“Thank you so much for this offer, again, your— Arien,” he said, catching himself at his fault. “I’m still trying to distinguish it from a dream.”
It was all truth. He was desperately gripping at reality, trying to figure out if this whole thing was a hoax. It all seemed much too good to be true, especially to someone such as Ryn.
Arien smiled a little at the explanation.
"You're welcome," Arien said with a smile. "And I'm sorry to admit, but it's just going to get better from here." He chuckled a little, looking around.
"It seems we beat Rio here. That is good, at least."
By that time, Rio had gone home, grabbed a bag and stuffed it with his Falcons items. He allowed it to perch on his arm while he gathered all other items such as his weapons and a few special items.
Ryn’s heart skipped a little at the man’s words.
How could this possibly get better? Ryn thought to himself, his mind a mess of questions. He was already going to be staying with someone who was… nice to look at, and despite also being alongside someone who wanted to wring his neck, it seemed like an extremely positive ordeal already.
“It seems so,” he mumbled softly, eyes wandering around the courtyard.
Arien started to lead Ryn into the palace.
"Well, that just leaves more time for us to talk alone, then. But first- how do you feel about getting some new clothes?" He smiled a bit, bringing Ryn into the front hall. It was massive, of course, and lavishly decorated.
The guard that had been sent with Rio looked him up and down.
"Are you ready to go to the palace now?" He asked, growing impatient. "Anything else you need will be provided there."
Rio let his Falcons fly off before taking a few back roads and narrow streets, reaching the palace dance minutes after the king and Ryn. "I'm Rio, the king is expecting me." He spoke. Rio could sense that the man was uncertain. Considering g he had two swords strapped to his waist, a few knives on his arms, and possibly a few more weapons hidden here and there.
"He's telling the truth," the guard who had accompanied him said. The other nodded, letting Rio into the courtyard. The king and other concubine were already inside, of course.
“New clothes would probably be best,” Ryn replied timidly. He looked down, clearly aware that what he was wearing was anything but professional.
It was ragged and torn clothing— a thread-bare shirt that may have been considered slightly too revealing, and dusted pants that looked no more comfortable than burlap.
Arien nodded. He left his arm around Ryn, leading him up there stairs in the hall. He brought him to a room that seemed to be made of fabrics. They hung from the walls and ceiling, creating an airy feeling to the entire room. There was a woman there, who looked up when the two came in.
"So, this is the new concubine," she said. She walked over, offering Run a leather braclet. It had pearls inlaid in the middle of it.
"I'm Henrietta."
Rio walked into the large building and paused a moment to take in everything that was around him. He gathered himself and whistled for his falcon who flew down and landed in his arm. He started walking through the palace and managed to find the king, waving a hand.
Arien looked up when he saw Rio wave at him.
"I'll be right back," he said gently to Run. "Don't worry, Henrietta will take good care of you." He stepped away now, moving over to Rio.
"I see you finally made it. I thought you said you were going to get here before us?" Arien smiled a little, mostly teasing.
“I—Er— Hello,” Ryn mumbled, allowing her to put the leather on his wrist. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was for, but he didn’t mind much. He carefully brushed the hair from his eyes, his heart jumping slightly when he heard the whistle from Rio. He tried his best to keep looking outwardly calm, without much success.
"Turns out Dawn here," he raised his hand with the falcon. "Wanted to go fishing and refused to come. You have a beautiful home." He smiled for the first time since meeting him.
Hentrietta looked up when Ryn jumped.
"Here, let's go get you some clothes," she said. She led him further into the room.
"The bracelet is a sign of your position. You are the King's now, after all."
"Ah, I see. Thank you, I inherited it from my father." Arien was a little breath taken by Rio's smile.
"And your bird is quiet beautiful."
Ryn followed, doing as he was told. Again, he never thought of himself to be so subservient, because he had been breaking laws for… god knows how long. But, he figured this place wasn’t to be trifled with.
Ah, ownership, he thought when Henrietta explained the wristband. He glanced down from the bracelet, then back to the woman, awaiting her next instruction.
"Thank you, he has an ego so I apologise if he starts following you." He rubbed his head, hearing him start screeching. "Go on then you silly bird."
Henrietta opened a trunk, rummaging through it. She pulled it a loose shirt, made of fine golden white silk, and was seemed to be tight pants off a more earthy gold.
"Try these on. You can do it behind that screen." She handed the clothes over, motioning to where Ryn could change.
"Well, I don't mind at all to have such a graceful creature follow me." Arien chuckled a little.
"Ryn should be getting done soon with his fittings. You can come in when he's done, you at least need to get the bracelet."
"What bracelet? Why are you giving me a bracelet?" He asked, crossing his arms now that the falcon had flown off.
Ryn did as he was told, taking the clothes and disappearing behind the screen. He reappeared moments later, the white silken shirt complimenting both his skin and hair. He certainly looked better than he had before, the gold in his eyes reflecting the various colors of the room as well. He shyly rugged at the shirt, smiling over to Henrietta.
“It fits,” he said softly. “Thank you so much.”
"You're welcome," Henrietta said. She smiled a bit to herself when she saw how well her choices looked on Ryn, nodding.
"Now hurry along- I'm sure the king is waiting for you." Henrietta shooed Run away, that smile still on her face.
"It's just a symbol of your status in the palace," Arien explained. "It's means you'll basically allowed anywhere in the palace without anyone challenging you."
Ryn shuffled back into the main room, still adjusting his new clothing and trying his best to stand upright. He gave a small nod to Arien, but kept further back when he saw Rio. He figured it would be better to keep his distance for the time being.
Neither the shirt nor the pants Ryn word left much to the imagination. The pants because of how closely they fit, and the sheet because of the deep neckline, revealing his chest. Arien looked over, smiling a little.
"You look great," he said softly. He saw how Ryn was keeping his distance from Rio, and didn't try to make him come over.
“Thank you,” Ryn said, hoping his harder voice would bring some new consideration to Rio. He figured trying his best to be confident would at least earn him minimal respect.
In truth, Ryn was actually internally screaming. The clothes were both too tight and too loose, but it’s not like he could complain. He was in no place to do that.
Carefully, he stepped over, briskly taking up post by Arien’s side. He held his arms lax in front of him, trying to inadvertently cover up as much of himself as he could.