forum Kingdoms and crowns - oxo - romance

Started August 18, 2021 by @CaseyJ group

tune

“Well, it was never really said, though the hero was said to be blessed by many different species…but mostly that he had the power of luck” Lukas said thoughtfully, “there are a lot of different theories though”

"Luck, hm? Well, I suppose that could be possible. Or perhaps they were in the favor of some more powerful magical being." Fiel realized he was drifting a bit too high, towards the undersides of the clouds, and gently started drifting back down. He had to keep reminding himself that Lukas's lungs weren't as tough as his. "You mentioned this hero helped your kingdom grow and prosper long ago. How could he do that? Was there some obstacle he removed for them, like an enemy kingdom or a drought? Or was he simply very rich?"

"I think the story said something about him teaching us how to be independant and grow our own foods and such…although some say he also led us in battle against our enemies." he said after a moment.

"Sounds like he was quite capable." Fiel thought about that for a moment. "The stories never mentioned where this hero came from, did they? Because now you mention it, we have a story in Tarilon about a traveling stranger with mysterious powers, and to be honest it's quite similar."

"no, no one ever knew where he came from, that could be a possibility, they just say that he showed up one day." He said thoughtfully.

"It would make sense, really," Fiel continued, starting to get a little excited about the idea. "The stranger in our stories was a powerful trickster who loved mortals and often helped them out. You couldn't always trust him, but at the end of the day he was never cruel. He just liked playing games and being called a hero. He was very secretive about his name and face too! I can easily imagine him traveling across the seas and making your kingdom wealthy and powerful. Say, do any of your stories mention him wearing a mask?"

"hm, I think so, although, over the years, his appearance has been changed so many times, no one really has the same idea." He mused.

"He did that in our stories too! Often they called him the Masked One in the older books I read, so that's why I asked. The trouble with the original legends is they're very vague about the details–as if they thought people would always know who the Masked One was, so why bother explaining it? It's no surprise that his looks and supposed powers change depending on who you ask."
As Fiel was saying all this, he was watching the horizon steadily, making sure they stayed on the right course. All at once, he broke off and blinked, frowning. "Um…..did you see that?"

"see what? I wasn't paying attention sorry." Lukas said, looking around, having no idea what Fiel was talking about.

"For a moment I could've sworn…." Fiel peered straight ahead in confusion, but nothing moved over the gray water far below. "…I could've sworn I saw someone out there. It sound stupid but…." He stopped and shook himself. "It was probably just my imagination. The ocean will start to play tricks on you after a few hours, I know that well enough. Now where were we…..?"
But this time he broke off again and his heart jumped in alarm, because he'd just noticed something else that was definitely real. The sky had darkened. The wind had changed direction and become colder, more restless. And when he wheeled around to look, Fiel saw a massive tower of angry clouds building directly behind them, rushing to overtake them with frightening speed.
"Ah," Fiel said, his spirits sinking. "Lukas, hold on tight. I think we're in for a storm."

"where did that come from!?" Lukas said surprised, he was sure he would have noticed on oncoming storm like this. He held onto Fiel. "I should of seen that a while ago, there is no way it just appeared". He muttered.

"Storms can grow quickly over the ocean, and it was behind us," Fiel said, but there was a note of uncertainty in his voice. Lukas had a point. Normally there was no way he would've missed such a dramatic weather change while literally flying in it. But there was no time to wonder how it had happened. He needed to get them both to safety before the gale truly reached them.
"Keep your head down and try to protect your eyes," he instructed, circling in search of an updraft. "If I'm quick, I can take us above the clouds and let them pass us by. It will be a bit harder to breathe and stay warm, but it's better than getting tossed into the sea." A shred of tell-tale cloud caught his eye and he veered towards it. "I'm going up. Ready?"

Lukas adjusted his position so that he was doing what Fiel said. Normally he could sense a storm coming, it had a certain feeling in the air, then again, being over the ocean might have messed with his senses. "yeah" he replied to Fiel's question, many questions running through his head on where the storm came from.

(Sorry for the wait fam, I joined a new fandom and basically left social media to draw fanart over the last couple months TvT Hope you've been doing well!)
Fiel waited for Lukas to brace himself, then quickly changed the angle of his wings and shot upward, lifted by a strong current of air at the fringes of the storm. He soon realized that, while carrying someone, he wasn't nearly as agile as usual. Normally the wind tossed him around like a leaf and all he had to do was steer. But today he was forced to seek out the most powerful currents and beat his wings a few times to counter the extra weight. When taking long trips, Fiel always calculated how much energy he'd spend in flight so he could pack enough food, but this new discovery was already throwing off his calculations. He hoped they didn't run into any more storms after this.
Finally, they broke through the clouds, and the wind suddenly leveled out. The sky was vast and blue and icy cold all around them, making them look like a tiny dark speck flying over an endless field of snow. To their left, the storm was the only other landmark, rising far over their heads in an angry tower. Fiel immediately started flying away from it, wary of sudden gusts that might suck him back down. Already, his breath was fogging and his eyes stung from the cold.
"Are you doing all right?" he yelled back anxiously to Lukas. "Please tell me if you can't breathe or stay warm."

(No its fine, I was curios as to where you went though)
Lukas closed his eyes until they were away from the storm. The higher up they went the thinner the air was, it was simple science. He looked around and sighed, "I am fine for now, if it gets bad I will tell you Fiel." he replied.

(I bet lol, next time I'll at least let you know before I go into hibernation mode ^^; )
"Very well." Fiel tried to banish his worries for the time being. Lukas might not be accustomed to this like a Tarilonan was, but he wasn't a fool either and probably knew his own limits. "Ocean weather changes quickly," he remarked, "but that had to be some kind of record. And judging by the size of it, I won't be comfortable until we've put the horizon between us and it." He still couldn't brush off the strange feeling of being watched, which he'd felt ever since seeing the distant figure over the water. But this he didn't comment on.
Instead, he turned up the collar of his coat and rummaged in a front pocket until he found some snacks. "Are you getting hungry? It'll be midday soon."

(i had to close my chromebook so this didn't show as unread..sorry it took so long)
Lukas nodded and grabbed the charm around his neck to comfort him. "oh..yeah I didn't even realize it was that time..I could eat" he smiled slightly, trying to keep his mood up. The sudden weather did make him uncomfortable, but Fiel said it was normal so he shouldn't worry.

(no worries fam)
Fiel nodded and passed a linen package of dried fruit over his shoulder to Lukas. "Given our luck so far, I suggest rationing those. We probably won't have any serious delays on this trip, but I think it pays to be prepared." For himself, he unwrapped some of the seed-cakes he'd made last night and devoured them, making sure to count each one so he knew when to stop. "That's better. Well…what were we talking about again? Oh yes, the mysterious hero. You know, I really think both our cultures need to polish that story up a bit. It's so vague and bland." He laughed. "If this great hero was still around today, what do you think he'd be up to? Is there a wish you'd like him to grant?"

Lukas ate one piece slowly, "yeah, I mean, its cool how they made it vague but, its not helpful in learning more. If I would ask him to grant one wish…" he thought for a moment, "well…as it is just a hypothetical thing..I would wish that my brother never died…" he said sadly. "I mean, I know that is completely impossible…but I sometimes wonder what life would be like if he never did you know? like..would my parents still hate me?"

Fiel listened quietly. It made sense that Lukas would have that wish. "I guess we'll never know. I also wish your brother hadn't died, though. None of you deserve that." He thought for a moment. "If I couldn't have that wish from the mysterious hero…..I believe I'd ask if he could teach me a spell that would stop people from fighting over silly things. That's the thing I worry about most, you know—that I won't be able to keep the peace when I become king. Especially now that we've opened up our borders. I wish there was just a magic word to make everyone be friendly."

“That would be excellent. Having a magic word.” He thought for a moment, “my wish sounds kinda selfish doesn’t it? Wishing for peace is very selfless…I just wish my parents didn’t have a reason to hate me in a way” he sighed.

"No no! I don't think there are any 'wrong' wishes," Fiel assured him. "Honestly, I think I only said my wish because it's….sort of what's expected of me as the heir to the throne. There's nothing selfish about wishing for happiness for you alone." He paused, then added impulsively, "In fact I wish it for you as well. Maybe, after this visit, there's stuff I can do to help make your life happier overall. After all, our kingdoms are allied now. We should think it over together later, yes?"

“Well…Something you could do to make my life happier? Why would you do that?” He paused, “honestly, everything you have done for me so far is more than I could ever wish for.” He smiles to himself. “Being the heir must be a bit stressful sometimes, my brother used to be so busy all the time because of it…”

"It's stressful sometimes," Fiel admitted, "but I mostly don't mind. I really do want to be king someday so I can make sure my kingdom and people are taken care of. That's why Mother named me the heir instead of one of my older siblings—I was the one that showed real interest." In answer to Lukas's question, he added, "Why would I try to make your life happier? Well, why wouldn't I? I'm glad I've been able to help you already, but you're my first friend from another kingdom and I want to make sure your happiness….sticks around, you know? I think you deserve it."

"well that makes sense, having someone not interested would not be a good idea right." Lukas noted, "but I don't think I deserve it. I have done nothing good or worthwhile with my life…I am just the extra child you know" He muttered with a sad sigh.