Lloyd lay on his bed for a while, reading, until he felt like it had been long enough for him to go check on Nathaniel again. He closed his book and got up, stretching out his stiff wings a bit before he left his room and headed to the infirmary. When he got there, he found Nathaniel, awake and chattering away to Ellis. "Hello?"
Ellis had been in the middle of teaching the youngest prince to do origami, explaining each step and helping him when he needed it. At the sound of another voice, his head shot up, eyes widening at the sight of Lloyd. "O-oh! I'm sorry!" He said quickly. "I was just…" He trailed off, not sure what to say.
Nathaniel grinned when he saw Lloyd and waved. Lloyd sighed softly and headed over to give Nathaniel a hug, as he knew that was what the boy wanted. Nathaniel had always been very physically affectionate. "Careful. Don't hurt yourself again." He tousled Nathaniel's coppery cloud of hair affectionately. Nathaniel stuck his tongue out playfully and kept folding his paper, which wasn't looking like much. "You don't need to apologize." Lloyd turned to Ellis and smiled softly. "Thank you for keeping him occupied. He have tried to escape, knowing him." He laughed a bit and Nathaniel huffed indignantly. "I don't believe I caught your name?"
Ellis ducked his head a little bit. "Right. Of course, your highness. I'm, uhm, I'm Ellis." He didn't use his last name anymore; Lord Aron had made it very clear that Ellis was no longer allowed to use that name. He set the origami aside, chewing on his lip a little bit. He adjusted the kerchief, hyperaware of the way his clothing was starting to fall apart, loose threads falling out and the hems frayed, the leather shoes scuffed and worn and ancient.
Lloyd nodded. "Come. You'll need new clothes." He gestured for Ellis to stand and took Nathaniel by the hand to lead him along. "You're feeling better?" Lloyd asked Nathaniel, to which the younger boy nodded. Nathaniel had a sling on one arm since he'd dislocated his shoulder. Lloyd then gestured for Ellis to follow and walked out.
Ellis stiffened a little bit. "Sir, I'm…I'm not in your employ, and…" He stood, fidgeting with his hands for a moment. "It's… Aron's or Lord Tremaine's job to see to my clothing, as it is their employ that I am in." He didn't make eye contact with the older prince. "I don't…I don't need charity, either, I assure you. I can get by just fine with these."
"Nonsense. My father would say that Anton is now under our command. I don't like using such terms, but the point is, I'm allowed to get you new clothes. Besides, all the servants here wear the same uniform. Now, come along." Nathaniel grabbed onto Ellis's hand and started pulling him out with a grin.
Ellis bit his lip. "I… I really don't need new clothes, sir. These ones work just fine, and I'm not…I'm not a servant of the royal family, with all due respect. I'm…" He trailed off, still not making eye contact as he was pulled along by Nathaniel.
"C'mon, just a gesture of our gratitude or something!" Nathaniel grinned, continuing to try and pull Ellis. "Careful Nathaniel, you're hurt." "I'm fine." Lloyd sighed. "Anyways, like Nathaniel said, consider it an expression of our gratitude. It's nothing, really, and it will cost you nothing."
"Your gratitude for what? I'm just the servant. If you wish to express gratefulness, then…then give Anton a present or something. I don't need it." He fidgeted a little bit again, letting Nathaniel pull him along.
"I'm sure he'll receive things as well. And you may not need it, but I insist. I promise it will not take long. Rosie just needs to get some measurements." Lloyd led the group along to Rosie, who was supposedly the resident tailor. She was a plump, friendly looking woman with rosy cheeks and long brown hair tied up in a messy bun. "Lloyd! Aww, baby, it's been so long since you've visited me!" She grabbed him and kissed him on both cheeks, leaving him a bit ruffled, but still grinning. "I know, I know. I've been very busy with my studies. Would you mind getting some measurements on Ellis here?" He asked. "He's in need of new clothes." "Of course, of course! Come here, dearie!" She took Ellis by the arm and pulled him onto a short platform.
Ellis ducked his head shyly as he was pushed onto the platform. He hoped he would be able to keep his own clothes on; if he took them off, then the few little marks he had that showed his heritage would be visible, and god knew what would happen then. People like him weren't supposed to exist. Mixed races weren't tolerated in most places.
Luckily, Rosie never asked him to remove his clothes. She just took her tape measure, measured Ellis's waist, height, wingspan, hips, chest, and more until she seemed satisfied. "Alright, dearie! You're all done!" She patted Ellis's shoulder and ushered him off the platform. "Your clothes should be ready in three days at most, probably sooner. Have a lovely evening!" Lloyd waved to her and smiled as he led the group back out.
Ellis' wingspan was exactly zero, seeing as how he was half human, and pretty much everyone thought he was fully human. He nodded a little, saying a quiet thank you as he was led out of the fitting room. He fidgeted with his clothing a little bit.
(Wingspan as in the length of his extended arms lol. I believe it's the same term)
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Nathaniel asked, grabbing Ellis's hand again to drag him along. Lloyd smiled softly and led the group back to Ellis's room. "Rosie is fantastic at her job. She'll be very quick, I promise. I'm pretty sure she has nothing else to work on at the moment either." Lloyd said quietly.
(oooh i thought you meant actual wingspan and I was very confused lol)
Ellis shrugged a little bit, letting Nathaniel drag him. "Right, I just…I really don't need new clothes. The ones I have work just fine for me." he hadn't had to patch them yet, though he had done repair work a few times when the elbows on the shirt had torn open. He had had to let out the hems on the pants, too, since he had gotten them when he was a bit shorter than he was now.
(Lol np)
"You may not need them, but I would like you to have them. Now it's getting late, and I should probably return to my studies. Farewell, Ellis." Lloyd dipped his head politely and pulled Nathaniel off to his room, knowing the younger boy was going to want to join him. He returned to reading and gave Nathaniel some paper so he could practice the minimal origami skills he'd picked up from Ellis until he inevitably fell asleep. Lloyd studied late into the night and eventually passed out from exhaustion.
Ellis watched the princes go for a moment, then went into his room, letting out a breath as he sat down on the bed, taking the kerchief off and setting it aside. He rubbed his face with a hand, not quite sure what to do now. So he went to sleep, curling up on the bed beneath the blankets.
Lloyd and Nathaniel were still asleep in the morning when the others awoke, Nathaniel since he always slept in, and Lloyd since he'd stayed up so late. At some point, a servant came in and gently shook both boys awake. Lloyd drowsily thanked her and headed into his bathroom to take a much-needed shower. Nathaniel left the room and went to go find Ellis.
Ellis was already awake and had had breakfast. He had actually gone out to the stables. His and Anton's horses had arrived during the night, and he wanted to check on them. Gora, Anton's gelding, had snapped at him when he had come close, but Pixie, his own horse, had whickered, sidling up to him for a scratch. He was still in her stall, grooming her, having snuck her an apple from the kitchens. Pixie had belonged to his mother, and was already nine years old.
After showering, Lloyd spent a long time drying and preening his feathers before he came back out again. He yawned a bit and ran his fingers through his damp hair, his eye circles quite visible for the moment. He was exhausted, but alas, he had responsibilities to attend to. Nathaniel wandered around the palace until he resigned himself to the fact that Ellis probably wasn't inside and headed out.
Ellis kept visiting with Pixie, cleaning out her hooves, and grooming her coat, then moving on to her mane, combing out the tangles. He cooed to her quietly as he worked, a soft smile on his face. He had a device stuck in his pocket so that Anton could contact him if he needed him.
Nathaniel spotted Ellis with the horses and grinned, running over to him. "Good morning, Ellis!" He chirped, looking up at the horse with a curious expression. "This horse wasn't here before…" He murmured. "Is it yours?" He asked. "What's its name? Can I pet it?"
Ellis looked over at Nathaniel, blinking and a little startled that the younger prince had sought him out. "Oh! Good morning, your highness." he greeted with a quick smile. "This is Pixie, yes. She was my mother's, and now she is mine. And of course you can pet her; just be careful not to startle her." he kept combing through the horse's mane. Pixie was a horse of average size, dapple grey with a long mane and tail.
Nathaniel pet Pixie gently, humming softly to himself. "You don't have to call me your highness." He murmured. "I'm only eleven, after all, and I've basically been disowned. Lloyd is the oldest, so he's gonna be king. My parents don't like me that much, but I don't think they can officially disown me." He rubbed Pixie's velvety nose.