Fi gave him a smile and it felt so wrong to be smiling, given what had happened just hours before, but he didn't let it slip. He just gave Levi a nod and continued on his way. "Of course, my friend. It would be… a pleasure, to allow you to feel like yourself again."
“My friend,” Levi echoed back in a murmur, both as repetition and meaning it for Fiori as well. They had gone through so much in just a few days, and it seemed as if it had been much longer. He kept his chin level, peering forward as they rode onward.
(Skip?)
(Yeah, to when they arrive at Nord Widona or a little bit before?)
(Sounds good to me, could you start please? I've got a lot going right now.)
(Of course!)
After a long few days of traveling, the gates of Nord Widona we’re finally in sight. The climate was definitely chillier than in Usige, and a little drier, but the snow would come in later seasons. Levi lifted his nose to the wind and inhaled a deep breath of air into his lungs. It was finally feeling like he was home. But as they made their way closer, he felt a bit in anxiety welling in his gut. Would they recognize him? Would they even believe him?
Fortunately for the moment, a general crowd was filing their way into the city gates, and it didn’t seem the guards were stopping people one by one. As long as Levi and Fiori didn’t look too suspicious, the two of them should be able to slip into the crowd without being stopped by a watchful guard.
(Thanks so much!)
Fi had seemed to sag as the journey went on, getting more and more caught up in his own head the longer they went without catching sight of Nord Widonia. He almost looked defeated by the time they got to the gates, wincing as the dry air scraped at his lungs. This ws a place most uninviting to him, too brisk to seem like anything but a battlefield. Where Usige welcomes you in with open arms, this place staid prickly and eager to turn you away.
"Leviticus." It was the first time he had spoken in a while. "I cannot enter through this gate."
Levi stopped his horse before they got too close to the gates. He turned his head around to Fiori with a little bit of concern. “Why not?” He tilted his head curiously, studying his friend’s demeanor carefully.
"Look at me." He wasn't like these people, with their pale hair and their pale skin. He was dark, like his mother, with hair cropped close to his head and clothes too light for the cool weather Fiori was clearly a foreigner here. "They'll spot me right away, I'm… different."
Levi scanned over his appearance. “Oh…right,” he huffed, running a hand through his hair briefly. “Um, I think I know another way. It’s more secluded.” The way was to the castle, a trail he took often when he was riding horseback by himself. It wasn’t completely private, but there would be much less people.
Fi nodded, quickly turning his horse and following Levi off to the less well-beaten trail. One of the guards seemed to notice him and he winced, pushing his head down as he kept pace with Levi. "Your home… is it close to the gates of the city?" What he was really asking was how long do I have to be out in the open?
“No,” Levi shook his head, “Not exactly. It’s deep in the heart of the city actually, surrounded by trees and at least a square mile of landscape. It’s very private. And the way we’re going, not many people will see us.” He looked over his shoulder again at Fiori, trying to put in the most reassuring expression he could. His pace had picked up speed, most likely out of excitement for returning home.
Fi swallowed down his nerves and tried to pretend this didn't feel like rushing into battle. THis was worse, actually. There was no thrill here, no honor, only the sick twisting in his stomach and the sharp bite of unfamiliar air. He still gave Levi a flickering smile when he turned back. "A long ride, then. And we have not spoken about… what I will do in this city of yours."
Reassured, himself, by the smile Fiori returned, Levi looked back forward to their path. “A couple hours at most, I think. Nothing compared to how long it took to get to this point,” he lightly humored. “And… I would suggest laying low. I don’t think you would be very welcome by most of the citizens, but if they understood the story I’m sure I could allow my immediate family to let you stay in our home.”
"Laying low." The words tasted bitter on his tongue. Fiori had always sought to face his problems head on, to hide away from them felt… wrong. Cowardly. He wished, not for the first time, that this was something he could fight. "I will endeavor to, my friend, but I do not wish to impose on you any further."
“Oh, you certainly won’t be imposing.” Levi tugged on the reins to have Ozymandius turn. They were getting closer to more familiar territory, and with that his spirits gradually lifted. “I do hope you like dogs because we have… several. I don’t even know the exact number.”
Fiori laughed, quiet, and nodded. "I like dogs, though they don't always like me." They were drawing closer and closer to the palace and while there did seem to be a few homes by the wayside, they never stopped at any of them. "Pardon me, Leviticus, but have we passed your home? All I see is the palace."
Levi looked around the scene, and then up at the stone castle. His expression lifted at the sight of it. Home. He hesitated, silently wondering if now was the time to tell him he was the prince…“Oh, no, we haven’t passed it yet. I live in the palace.” Although he was completely serious, he wasn’t aware that his tone might have sounded like he was being facetious.
Fiori blinked once, twice, and gave a nervous laugh. "I am not quite sure this is the time for jokes, my friend." He remembered what Levi had said. Nobles didn't live in the palace the way they did in Usige. It was just the royal family and the servants, and Leviticus certainly wasn't a servant. "I know you are glad to be home, but it would soothe my nerves greatly if you could tell me where we were going."
“Hah, well…” Levi nervously laughed along. “The fact of the matter is I’m not joking. That is my house.” He supposed there was no danger telling Fiori now. He looked behind himself once again. “You know the prince that was assassinated recently?”
Fi was giving him a look of naked curiosity, but there was no suspicion there. He still trusted Leviticus. "I do," he said. He couldn't remember what the eldest prince looked like, what had he looked like? "I do. I'm… I'm looking at him, aren't I Leviticus?"
“Ah-yeah…you are” Levi nodded, but it was laced with a somber tone. “He was never assassinated—I was never assassinated.” He studied Fiori’s expression for a reaction. Had he already known before this? Levi worried about it for so long, and now he was trying to make it clear.
"I see." He couldn't help but be hurt by the revelation— Was he not trustworthy enough to know? Not good enough? Had he been a bad friend?— but he understood why. He did not like it, but he understood. "You… you are him. You are the prince, come to reclaim your throne."
“Yes,” Levi looked down, and then forward again. The palace was drawing closer. “Yes, I am. I’m sorry I couldn’t have told you sooner. I would have if I knew I could.” Surely his brother was the prince regent now, and he would have to challenge him soon.
"But you couldn't." Fi breathed, in and out, in and out, and let everything Levi had ever told him click into place. The church, his loyalty to it, his want for change, his belief that their nations could make peace, all of it. Not because he was Levi, but because he was the prince. "And now we are here."