forum Pirates, I suppose

Started June 25, 2022 by @Calanthe

tune

The prompt says England, so I guess vague coastal England area is fine sdgjkl
I've personally never been to England but I don't think the geographical accuracy is too important tbh

Ok, cool beans

((Btw, the posts do not need to be this long, I just love a good starter)

Cadell, to say the least, was bored. His crew had recently attacked an island -Cadell not having been interested in learning its name- in the more southern parts of the new continent, and after another successful escape from the Royal Navy, he was in the mood to do something exciting. His crew was still on a high from the escape, and a few were still celebrating, but Cadell needed something to pull him from the low that he was slowly sinking into. He had never been much of a thrill chaser, but ever since he decided to start privateering, things had changed, and he was wanting to complete one crazy feat after another, not having much regard for his men's lives, or his either. It is not as though we have much to hold onto. Most of these men were unwed -so they had no ties to a wife or children- and were practically as crazy as he was. I know I need to do something to get out of this rut… But what? We've terrorized most of the islands in the area, and I am surrounded by things that are weighing the ship down.

"Theron, make a note so that you will remember to tell Isaias to go through our latest earnings so that we will have more to sell when we get to Port Royal." He said to the other person who was in his room, his cabin boy, Theron. The young boy had been working on the ship for a while, and was rather good at his work since Cadell had been the one to teach him his work. "Yes sir." He said, looking up from the maps to see Cadell take another sip from his chalice. "Sir…" I hope this is a good time to make my suggestion, and the ale does tend to put him in a good mood. "We have visited all of the islands in the Carribeans, and at this point the Royal Navy will continue to look for us around the Americas, so perhaps we visited your home country?" Theron looked up at Cadell, slightly nervous to see the captain's reaction, but it seemed as though Cadell was just listening to the boy's idea. "Continue Theron, please?" Cadell murmured, taking a swig from his ale. "From rumors I've heard there is a very wealthy family living on the island of St. Martins- Perhaps even royalty from the rumors I have heard."

"St. Martins? Blasts, I thought we were there just the past Tuesday?" Cadell sputtered, before letting the cabin boy continue. "St. Martins -off the coast of England- there is a family of great wealth who lives there, and-" Cadell rose swiftly going over to view the map, "And what, Theron?" He asked, looming over the boy, "I heard that someone is away, it was mentioned when we attacked one of the manors at Saint Vincent." Ah, that was the name of the last island that we visited… Cadell thought, taking another swig before speaking. "Are you suggesting that we pay the manor a nice visit?" He asked, reaching over for his quill making a few markings on the map in his own shorthand. "Y-yes sir, I do think that if this is the case, perhaps it would be worth a try, and our ship is quite faster than that of the navy, so if it was not true, we would be able to escape rather swiftly. And, although it may be a long journey, we have the provisions, and the pay off ought to be grand." Cadell chuckled ruffling the boy's hair in a rather paternal way, before speaking once more, "This does not seem like a half-bad idea, so, I think we will go through with it. Go up to the main deck and inform Signere that there has been a change of course and that we are now making way to St. Martins." He said with a self-pleased grin, before going back to his armchair, lounging in it once more, I do hope that that was not some ploy, but I am sure that we will be able to get out of there if it does prove to be unsafe.

About a week later, the barrel man spotted land, and the ship neared closer to the sleepy port. Or at least they had expected it to be that way, but it was teeming with life. "Captain," called Jesper, rushing towards him, "It seems as though some sort of festivities are going on, although I am not sure what it is quite yet. I am not the most familiar with these types of things." His first mate said, seemingly quite stressed due to this. "I am sure that it is nothing, and besides, if they are all out of their homes, that means that they are unprotected, and it seems as though the men might want to spill a little bit of blood." He said with a chuckle, only to see the displeased look on Jesper's face, "I was only jesting, but it could prove quite fruitful if we wish to try to get to the castle." Cadell said, turning to look as they approached the island. "Have a volley be fired off, I want them to know that we are coming." He said, letting Jesper spread the message before going back down to his quarters to get his weapons.

I can't help but feel excited about this, almost as though something is going to change. But I doubt it, I am just being foolish. Well, perhaps not… He thought feeling the eyes of Jesper on him as the other entered his quarters. See, Jesper and Cadell had a bit of an on-again, off-again relationship, but it had been working for them. Jesper gently kissed him, before stepping back, "The men are waiting for you, Cadell." He murmured, before heading up to the main deck. Cadell quickly took his sword from the shelf he displayed it on and slid it into its sheath. Once Cadell was ready, he went back to the main deck, watching as his men began to rile themselves up to attack the island, and sighed as he heard the cheers in reaction to the volley, I do hope that Theron was right, this ought to be worth it. He thought with a quite grumble, not even realizing that the anchor had been dropped and that his men were waiting for him to send them off. "O-oh, I must apologize…" He said, trying to think of something to say, but nothing came, "Just be back before the navy comes, I'd prefer to not have anyone left behind." Cadell said, before watching the men run off the ship into the small village, leaving just him and a small group of his closest men behind on the ship. "Now, as for us, we are going to the castle, and taking whatever we can find."

After about twenty minutes of the small group hurrying to the castle through the dark of the night, they came up to it, only to find it seemingly abandoned? There were no carriages out in the front, except for one, so that must mean that Theron was correct. I'm sure he'll be pleased to hear this when we return. He had left the boy on the ship to make sure that he would be safe, and also able to alert them if the militia or navy was coming. "Alright men, you know the drill." He said, letting the group first try the door, before just breaking it down, "Now, take whatever you can find or whoever you can find, remember anything in this home could possibly make a profit for us."

(Alright aha, I'm a pretty casual Roleplayer so usually I can do about a few paragraphs tops ^^;)

"Nathaniel, you aren't to leave the grounds under any circumstances. You have to keep an eye out for criminals; there's always more crime around holidays like this… but you shouldn't have any issues. Our guards are more than enough to scare off anyone who might try to come near, and the castle is imposing." Tobias Windsor, the king, prattled on and on about rules to his son, who was steadily losing his patience. The king was going to head off on a trip to find potential suitors for Nathaniel, which Nathaniel was less than happy about. He thought that he wasn't interested in a relationship, particularly marriage, since he had felt no interest in any of the women his father had brought before. He actually just wasn't interested in women, but as he wasn't generally permitted to interact with men his own age, he had no clue.

"Yes, father, I know… I'll be fine, alright? Safe travels." Nathaniel bowed politely, and after some more nagging and prompting, his father finally left. Once Nathaniel was sure that he was far away, he dismissed the servants to go enjoy the holidays with their families. He was confident that nothing would happen anyway, and he didn't want to keep the attendants from enjoying their day because they had to sit around in an empty castle for his sake.

Once alone, Nathaniel took the opportunity to go out to the town for the first time in years. No one recognized him, of course; no one had even seen him for sixteen years. Everyone knew he existed, of course, but he was always kept away from prying eyes. He was glad to explore and experience what the town was actually like, and he bought a few trinkets from the market that he planned to hide or lie about when his father returned. He knew that the servants would cover for him if he claimed that one of them brought them to him as a gift.

After tiring himself out at the town and market, Nathaniel finally returned home to sleep. No one was around to tell him what to do, and he was exhausted, so he just slept in his clothes from the day. In the middle of the night, he stirred at a loud sound from afar. His heart lurched when he heard distant screams from the townspeople who were still awake, and the sounds drew nearer to castle. Oh god… of course, right after I let everyone go home. What am I supposed to do? He got out of bed, his heart racing, and yelped softly when he heard something crashing and breaking downstairs followed by cheering. He whimpered and looked around frantically for some sort of solution and ended up grabbing a heavy book to try and defend himself with. It wasn't long before some of Cadell's crew broke into his room, and he tried to hit one of them with the book, but it was no use. He screamed when he was picked up and thrown over someone's shoulder, and thrashed his wings in an attempt to escape, but only succeeded in losing some feathers and gaining some bruises from his captor's rough grip. Soon, he found himself brought down to be held in front of a man much taller than himself, who he assumed must be the leader or captain of some kind. He stood trembling in front of Cadell, his wings puffed up with fear and his eyes shining with tears as he looked up over a foot to meet the man's eyes.
"Please… d-don't hurt me…" He whispered softly. He wanted to make it clear that he was going to comply; his father's riches weren't worth risking his life for.

As the men began to sweep through the castle, wrecking some things and grabbing others, Cadell stood quietly in the center of the foyer looking around. Hhm, although it seems as though some of the family has left, there is a carriage, meaning that one of them is still here. I do not believe that they would allow a servant no matter how high of a ranking to use a carriage. At least, my father never did. And if it was perhaps an advisor, wait a moment, why would an advisor even be staying that the house? That's a rather foolish thing to do, so it must be a part of the family, or someone close to the family…Either way, I'll turn a profit. Wait, this is odd though, where are the servants? He tried to think of what could have happened to them as the small group continued through the house before realizing that they must be down in the village. Ah, that does work for me, the fewer people here means the less blood that needs to be spilled…Mm, actually, perhaps we can go without that this time, maybe in the village, but I don't wish to hurt the wrong person, my head is already on a warrant, and I do not need much more of a reason for people to be hunting me down.

The men continued to loot the home, and Cadell decided to get a good look at the home around them, I believe I recognize this crest, I mean, it is a bit uncommon one….The Whitlocks, perhaps? I remember my father being good friends with Lord Whitlock, and it was always just the three of them. Although I don't believe I ever really spoke to him. He was always right behind his father, and he was a few months younger than me, but he seemed nice. He thought as he pushed open the door and found it to be a sitting room. As Cadell looked around the room he soon noticed -although it was quite hard to miss- a full-sized portrait of the Windsor Royal Family -with their wings concealed. Ah, so I was incorrect…Wait, dear gods, the royal family? So Theron was correct in thinking that they were royalty. I do hope then that Prince Nathaniel does not even recognize me, although he was younger than me when we first met. He thought with a grumble, shaking his head as he realized what this meant. If he recognizes me, and manages to be saved, that means that I could bring shame to my family… actually, come to think about it, it is not that bad. And besides, it would be nice to see him again, he was always quiet but seemed rather sweet. But, I remember my family saying that they as a family became rather reclusive once they moved away, so perhaps that means that maybe he is here, and not someone else? As well, it is a chance I am willing to take

As he exited the room, he saw Jesper and was going to speak to him, they heard the footsteps hurrying directly above them in the castle. "Now that's a foolish move." He chuckled darkly, before turning to his men, "All the same, perhaps you should see what that was, so you three." He began motioning for Jesper, Isaias, and Signere to come to him, "Go bring me whoever you can find in the palace, rest of you continue to loot, and leave nothing unturned, I feel as though we might be graced with the presence of royalty this night." Cadell joked, giving his men a mock bow.

The group silently crept up the stairs, their swords and guns drawn out in case anything was to happen, after all, someone running like that, knowing fully well that people were in your home was rather unwise. "This could be a trap," Jesper whispered quietly to Signere. In response, Signere rolled his eyes and turned to look at the man while keeping his eyes on the stairs, "I think that is the most obvious thought at this point, Jesper." He griped, before turning back and leading the men up the rest of the stairs. "Now, keep your eyes peeled for anyone, we know they must still be up here." He said quietly before motioning for the men to go to each room to see if anyone was there, and eventually, they found someone.

It was a Nathaniel, holding a book in his hands. It took all that Isaias had in him to not burst out laughing while Jesper and Signere attacked the man. Signere noticed the wings and was initially surprised having not seen an avian before, while the other two seemed to be quite okay with it. Most of the crew were not human, so most species had been seen by most before. As the man continued to fight, Jesper motioned for Isaias to continue to look for others while the two carried the prince down to where Cadell stood. " Prince Nathaniel, I presume?" Cadell asked, never having been aware of the prince's disappearance years ago. "You look marvelous." He said, his voice full of mock awe for the prince, while the other's chortled at his words. "Signere, if you and Jesper would not mind, I will take Prince Nathaniel back to ship with me, while the rest of you continue to loot." He said, picking the prince up and noticing the wings finally. The captain himself was of the elven species himself, so he was no stranger to magik, but he never remembered Nathaniel with wings.

Nathaniel looked very nervous, and he clearly didn't recognize Cadell. After all, he hadn't seen him since he was probably around five years old, and he wouldn't have interacted with him too much since he was a few years older. Cadell was more likely to have known Nathaniel's older brother, Lloyd, and Lloyd's death was very well known around the town. As much as Nathaniel's father tried to hush it up, it was hard to keep news like that away from the public. Lloyd was always too wrapped up in his studies and duties to really bother making friends, but he was usually cordial with visitors. Nathaniel was the one that always wanted to be social with visitors to the castle, and he was given more liberties since he wasn't the crown prince at the time.

"D… do you know who I am, or are you just making an assumption?" Nathaniel asked nervously, his voice quiet. "I haven't been allowed to leave for over a decade. Father always has meetings elsewhere so that strangers can't come here." He winced at the grip Cadell's crewmates had on him and shifted, his wings fluttering again, which sent a few pure white feathers floating to the ground. At Cadell's last statement, Nathaniel paled, feeling sick to his stomach. "The ship? W-What are you planning to do to me?" He asked weakly. "Where are you taking me? I'm not… I-I'm not allowed to leave the grounds…"

Cadell had always been somewhat good friends with Lloyd, the two having got along rather well since -for some odd reason- Cadell's older brothers never seemed to show that much interest in befriending the prince. So he knew for sure that that was not Lloyd, besides Lloyd had always been taller than Cadell, and his wings were different from his younger brother. Well, the issue being that he had never seen the younger prince's wings. Now although he had had access to 'rubbing shoulder's' with royalty, when he grew older and began to lose rights and privileges that his brothers still obtained, he began to distance himself from other nobility, and ultimately left the family when his father passed away, so he never knew that Lloyd had passed away.

"As far as I am aware, your are Prince Nathaniel, second born child of the house of Windsor, and second to throne." Cadell shrugged as though it was common knowledge, before frowning when he heard a loud crash coming from another room. Hopefully that wasn't too valuable. He thought, the words that the prince had said were yet to actually pass through his thick skull so he hadn't caught a thing the young man had just said. "Isaias, please check on that." He said, as he picked up the prince almost tossing him over his shoulder. "You heard me, your majesty, you'll be taking a nice trip aboard my ship." Cadell chuckled, "Oh my dear prince, we are no longer playing by the rules of your father, rather by the rules of the sea." He said as he began to leave the castle. "Men, another twenty minutes, then I expect you to begin loading up as soon as possible." Cadell called over his shoulder as he left the palace. As he carried the prince back to The Crown Jewel, he began to figure out where he could place the prince for the night. Not with the men, that is just an accident waiting to happen, and the brig might scar him for life. The only feasible option would be my quarters… of Jesper would not like that. Perhaps I can put him there for the night, sleep with Jesper, and then move Nathaniel into Jesper's area for the night. He was quite pleased with plan, and was now just focusing on getting back to the ship ignoring most of the bodies lying on the ground.

As he stepped past one he noticed a child crying next to one. Oh dear lords… I warned my men about this. Cadell thought, keeping an eye on the young child who just seemed so bewildered and lost. So without saying a word, the captain -rather foolishly- picked up the child, now hurrying back to ship with the prince in one arm and the young boy in the other. I hope Dion doesn't mind watching another child. He thought silently boarding the ship, feeling horrible of all the losses from the island that night. Cadell hadn't planned on all this to happen.

Nathaniel winced at Cadell's description of him. Clearly this guy had been away for quite some time for his information to be so outdated, and remembering Lloyd always hurt a bit. "Ah… well, I'm… n-not exactly second in line anymore…" He mumbled tentatively. At the sound of something breaking, he jumped and looked over his shoulder. Although he didn't expect his father to be angry with him, the king would certainly be angry, most likely with the servants for leaving despite them having Nathaniel's permission. He was distracted from his thoughts by Cadell suddenly picking him up, which startled him again. He supposed he must be being kidnapped for a ransom; after all, although Cadellm seemingly didn't know, Nathaniel was incredibly valuable now that Lloyd was gone. His father would definitely pay a hefty ransom to get his crown prince back.

As Cadell carried him through the town, Nathaniel felt sick to his stomach with horror and fear upon seeing the bloodied bodies strewn about. He found himself back to when he was seven and the castle was attacked again, but it wasn't empty that time. It was chaos, and many of the servants and guards were killed in the fray. Nathaniel and Lloyd tried to fly to safety, with Lloyd watching their backs as a barrier. When Lloyd was shot, Nathaniel tried to hold him up, but his wing was shot soon afterwards, sending them both hurtling towards the ground. Lloyd fell to his death, and Nathaniel's wings were crushed when he fell.

Nathaniel snapped back to reality, trembling uncontrollably with tears stinging his eyes, and was forced to see the bodies again. He whimpered shakily, and his stomach lurched again upon seeing a child, not far from his own age at the time of the first siege, crying over the body of a loved one. "No, no, no, no, no… please, god… p-please…" He whispered, covering his ears with his hands and screwing his eyes shut. He couldn't handle any more of this, and yet the sickening, heavy scent of blood still filled the air. The townspeople would awake the next morning to find that their friends and family had been killed, and that the prince had been abducted. Nathaniel was distant as he was brought onto the ship, and he still had his eyes closed and his ears covered as he trembled in Cadell's grasp.

Now back on the ship Cadell began to try to figure out a plan of what to do with his prisoner and the child. It seemed as though both parents of the child had been killed, and with his conscious he would feel horrible if he had not done something for the child. I suppose first things first, I take the prince down to my quarters then give the child to Dion, they can tend to him and make sure that there are no injuries on him. He thought as he began to go below deck, hearing the clamoring footsteps of his men above deck as they brought back their spoils from the island. As he went down lower and lower, he began to contemplate what would be the wise thing for him to do with the prince. Well, taking him for ransom would be the easiest thing, selling him back to his father, or I suppose there might another country that may want to pay for this young prince. He thought, stopping at one of the doors on that hallway and gently knocking on it. "Dion, I am in need of your assistance." The captain called, tightening his grasp around the waist of his prisoner.

"Yes, yes." A voice called back from the room and footsteps could be heard approaching the door. "Yes captain?" They asked before spotting the young child in the captain's arms. "They did it again… Didn't they? I thought you instructed your men to not kill."

Cadell just frowned, "I didn't think too well through that this time, and they were bloodthirsty, not that that excuses this. But, both of the child's parents were found dead, and I cannot just leave him to die on the island, so I was wondering-"

Before the captain could even finish his sentence, the ship's medic cut in. "Of course I can take care of him, and I suppose Theron would be pleased to have a friend close to his age." They said, opening their arms to take the child from Cadell.

"Do inspect if the child has any injuries, if so I'll provide whatever is needed to have them taken care of." The pirate said, letting his medic retreat into their room.

Once that had been settled Cadell went down one more flight of stairs, then taking Nathaniel into his quarters. "This is where you shall for the night. "I can bring you a set of clothing for the night. As for the items in the room, I'd prefer for you not to touch them at all. And I will be able to tell if you have." The captain threatened, before going over to one of his chests of clothing, pulling out something that might have worked for his prisoner. "Try this." He said, handing the clothing to the man, before motioning to the open changing screen.

Nathaniel had ceased to be teary by the time he was brought onto the ship, and had swapped his demeanor for one that was shaky and distant rather than visibly distressed. He was having trouble focusing, his mind confused about where he was and what was happening. Part of him felt as though he were seven again and he had just lost his brother, but he tried to keep himself grounded and convinced that he was, in fact, in his twenties.

He couldn't quite hear the interaction between Cadell and his medic, still not entirely present at the time, but did vaguely recognize that Cadell was no longer carrying two prisoners. He supposed it mustn't be too difficult to carry the two of them regardless, one prisoner being a young child and the other an avian with hollow bones, which lowered his weight significantly.

When he was set down, he looked up at Cadell blankly, only barely processing what was being said to him. He didn't flinch at the threat as he usually might have done, and simply nodded in acknowledgment instead. He wouldn't need to touch anything in here anyway; most of it either made him uncomfortable or didn't seem useful. He wasn't too interested in trying to escape either. He knew that he would likely be caught, and then the pirates may not be so kind with him. He was pulled from his train of thought yet again when clothes were put in his arms.

"Oh… thank you…" He mumbled softly, and after a delay of a few seconds, headed behind the screen to change. The borrowed clothes were large on him, and weren't designed to accommodate wings, so he was doing the best he could to keep them folded close to his back. He would conceal them via magic, but he couldn't keep glamours up while he was sleeping, so there was no point. The pants were much too large for him, so he took his belt from his old clothes so he could keep them up. He figured that Cadell would probably allow that. Once he was done changing, he folded his clothes neatly and stepped back out into the open, looking even smaller than before in clothes that didn't fit him.

When the other went back behind the changing screen, Cadell began to straighten up his bedroom, locking away his maps and things of that nature, before realizing his mistake. I do have quite a few sets of clothing that I can use, besides that set is a good deal older and I do not wear it anymore. So I could cut a hole into it so that he can at least wear them comfortably? He thought, waiting for the other to come out from behind the changing screen. In the meantime he pulled out one of his smaller knives so that he could make the cut into the shirt, before remembering that he would need something to sew them up. So he rose and went over one of his drawers pulling out a small sewing kit. "Nathaniel, are you almost done?" He asked, before looking up to see the man step out of the changing screen. Cadell couldn't help but laugh seeing the man in his clothing He looks so tiny. The captain thought, before motioning the man towards him. "Let me make a little opening for your wings." He offered, patting the bed for the other to sit down on. As he had been waiting, Cadell had let the magic he had been using to conceal his elven ears drop, as well as some of his other features, so he looked a tiny bit different than before.

Nathaniel hesitated for a moment, but came over when he was beckoned anyway. He sat beside Cadell on the bed, finicking with his clothes to try and get them to work a bit better. Most of his clothes at home were tailor made for him, so this wasn't an issue that he frequently had. He eyed Cadell's pointed ears curiously and surmised that he must be inhuman as well.
He cooperated well enough and did as he was told so that Cadell could make cuts in the proper place. His wings were quite large, so a decent portion of cloth needed to be removed in order to accommodate them.
"Um… how long do you plan to keep me here?" Nathaniel asked softly, looking over his shoulder at Cadell as he worked on the shirt. "I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt… the king will be furious once he discovers my absence. I'm not sure who all he'll take it out on; he can be violent."

(Also I'm sorry for not responding sooner, I was out of town and was really busy))

(Np!)

Nathaniel hesitated for a moment, but came over when he was beckoned anyway. He sat beside Cadell on the bed, finicking with his clothes to try and get them to work a bit better. Most of his clothes at home were tailor made for him, so this wasn't an issue that he frequently had. He eyed Cadell's pointed ears curiously and surmised that he must be inhuman as well.
He cooperated well enough and did as he was told so that Cadell could make cuts in the proper place. His wings were quite large, so a decent portion of cloth needed to be removed in order to accommodate them.
"Um… how long do you plan to keep me here?" Nathaniel asked softly, looking over his shoulder at Cadell as he worked on the shirt. "I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt… the king will be furious once he discovers my absence. I'm not sure who all he'll take it out on; he can be violent."

As Cadell began to work with the shirt, he stayed rather quiet. It was not as though he was trying to be rude, especially with someone who he had been a family friend of, but more so that he was just tired. I do need to focus, I do not wish to hurt his wings or anything like that. Silently he made his first cut into the shirt, doing his best to give the wings enough space for mobility while also not exposing too much of the other man's body.

"I doubt that it will be for too long." The man murmured, "You will be returned when your father pays, simple as that." Cadell murmured, "Of course your father will be furious, I do expect that. But with my own protection, I do not know exactly what he can do." The pirate mumbled finishing up the hole and now beginning to sew the edges. "I do have to ask though, where was your brother? I sort of expected him to be there with you." Cadell never had been aware of the death of his friend, so he was rather confused by his absence.

Nathaniel shifted his wings under the shirt a bit, trying to keep them out of Cadell's way so he wouldn't get cut. When Cadell brought Lloyd up again, Nathaniel paled and looked at the ground, seeming stressed and uneasy. "Ah… either you seek to torture me or you've been away for a very long time. For your sake and my own, I hope it's the latter." He drew in a wavering breath, struggling to find the words to answer. "Lloyd… died, w-when I was seven. He was killed during a siege on the castle, t… trying to protect me. That was sixteen years ago." He murmured in reply. His wings puffed up a bit in discomfort, and he started to fidget with his hands. "S-So I've had to take on the role of the crown prince. Which… I suppose is good for you, since… my father will pay more to get me back." Nathaniel coughed and rubbed at his eyes, feigning that he had gotten something caught in them.

Cadell began to thread the needle, he began focusing more and more on it, doing his best not to prick himself. He could be somewhat clumsy at times and was trying to get this done as quickly as possible too. But as the other began to speak, the captain looked up in slight confusion. "What do you mean torture you? I mean, I have been away from the island for quite a good period of time, but still things ought to not have changed too much?" He asked, sitting back slightly to get a better look at his prisoner's body language.

Lloyd? Is dead? Cadell thought taking in a quiet gasp. I know that I have been gone for a while, but he cannot be dead. "Prince Nathaniel, you must be lying to me, your brother simply cannot be dead." He said, his one voice a bit shaky as he spoke. But then again, after we left the island, my parents never mentioned Prince Lloyd again, and well… He pulled himself out of those thoughts, trying to regain his composure. "Ah… Well, I suppose that you will turn a bit more of a profit than I had originally anticipated. But, my condolences for the passing of your brother. He was… Well, I am sure that he was a good man."

Nathaniel exhaled shakily and looked away, wanting to leave the situation, but knowing he couldn't. "I'm sure he would have been. He was only fifteen…" He shook his head a bit and bit his lip for a moment to try and regain his composure. "My father locked me away afterwards so that he wouldn't lose his other heir, I suppose. That's… that's why I was surprised that you immediately recognized me. I haven't left the palace grounds since Lloyd died, and I wasn't out a ton before that anyway, so most of the townspeople scarcely remember what I look like. I wouldn't generally be recognized if I were to leave home. The king always goes elsewhere for meetings; never invites strangers over. He's paranoid, but I suppose I did get kidnapped, so… who's to say?"

Cadell was doing his best to act as though he didn't know or even care about the dead prince, but it was quite a struggle. That was a good friend of his, someone that he spent so much time around as a child, to die so young. Why did my parents not tell me about this? They knew just how much I cared for Lloyd, how close we were. The more he thought about it though, the more hurt and saddened he became. "I suppose it was a lucky guess then?" Cadell sighed, not wanting to give himself away to the other man. "But knowing ages, I would think that you could not have been your brother." Cadell said, trying to find some way to excuse how he knew who Nathaniel was. Finally threading the needle he began to sew up the other's shirt staying quiet as the prince spoke. "Well, to be fair, someone eventually would have broken into the palace, but who knows, their reasons might be different from my own." He murmured now working on the other man's shirt. "As to knowing who you were, my parents used to have a portrait of the royal family in their home, and your wings were different from your brothers, so that also helped me correctly identify you."

Nathaniel was growing more suspicious as Cadell spoke. He kept coming up with more excuses as to why he knew Nathaniel, but it just didn't quite make sense together. At the mention of the portrait, he only grew more confused and looked up at Cadell. "A portrait? I don't think we had any portraits done with our wings exposed. Most of the townspeople don't even know that we're avians to begin with…" He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Cadell's features, trying to figure him out. He was vaguely familiar, but he didn't know why. After all, he had been Lloyd's friend, not Nathaniel's, and Nathaniel frequently wasn't allowed to meddle in the crown prince's business. "You must have been a noble of some kind to be close enough to the royal family to know of our heritage. Who are you? I don't know of any nobles with your name."

"No, you do not remember? Or at least well. I-I…" Cadell stammered a bit nervous, and was about to reveal himself to the other man when he heard a knock at his door. "Excuse me." He mouthed to Nathaniel as he rose and went to the door, opening it to see Jesper who looked a bit annoyed. And the look on the man's face only grew more annoyed as he saw the prince sitting on his partner's bed. "Cadell, please come by my room whenever you are done with this." The man said before turning away and walking down the hall.

Cadell let out a tired sigh, closing the door behind him and going over to Nathaniel. "Alright, I'm pretty much done with this, and everything in my room is secure, so I shall leave alone for the night. I need to go speak to Jesper anyway, so I shall see you in the morning." The man said, picking up his knife and taking the sewing kit with him. He knew that he was ignoring the prince's questions, but he was not in the mood to answer them at the moment. "Good night, Nathaniel." He said, before closing and locking the door behind him.

Cadell's nervousness didn't reassure Nathaniel at all, but it was clear that he wouldn't be able to get any more information out of him tonight. He sighed softly, and when Jesper came to the door, he awkwardly started to fit his wings through the holes Cadell had made in the shirt. They weren't perfect, by any means, but did the job well enough for him to be at least a little bit more comfortable. He looked up when he was addressed again and hesitated before he nodded in return.
"Ah… alright. Goodnight, I suppose." He replied softly. Once Cadell was gone, he tentatively curled up in bed and, by some miracle, managed to fall back asleep until the morning. The sun woke him, and he got out of bed. However, there wasn't much he could do since he was locked inside, so he resigned to restlessly pacing the room. His wings needed to be preened, but he was too stressed to bother with them at the moment.