Erix sighed through his nose. He didn't know if it would be wise to speak of politics and rules and laws around Cassio. A part of him tried to reason that it didn't matter, because the man was seen as mad and so anything he said should be taken with a grain of salt. Who would believe him if he said something radical or against Marcus? Certainly not the king himself, it seemed, as Marcus presented as if he had no belief in anything his brother said anymore. At least it appeared that way. But on the other hand that was his brother. A brother who had taken his freedom, however, as well as his crown. Erix didn't know whether the prince before him would take kindly to him making remarks about Marcus' ruling and way of running the country. It also didn't help that he wasn't one to really care about what happened as long as he was able to find work, and so far, he had been able to do so.
The guard picked a flowering weed out of the grass, hunching over just a little as he began to pick the yellow petals off the plant, "Do you think he has made good changes so far?" He asked instead, deciding to keep his own thoughts to himself. Erix didn't know how to feel about Marcus as king just yet. If he hadn't been so focused on surviving maybe he would have more of an opinion.
But now that he had met the man on a one-on-one basis during his interview, something about him seemed off. Not in the way that Cassio was deemed mad and insane, but something else. Like he was hiding away a secret just tucked below the surface but everyone was unable to see what it was. Maybe Erix was just going crazy and he had spent far too long dabbling with dark magic that it was fucking with his head, but he didn't think that was the reason.
Cassio hummed faintly, shrugging a shoulder. "I don't know much about what he has done." he responded, shrugging a shoulder slightly. He didn't know much about the things Marcus did, seeing as how most of the time Cassio wasn't sane. It made it rather difficult to know anything about what was happening in the world around him, so while he was pretty sure that Marcus was doing a decent job, he didn't know for sure. It was tricky.
"What do you think of the things he has done?" he asked instead. Better to glean an idea of Erix's opinion on Marcus, rather than speak too much about his brother and what he suspected his brother was doing to him. At least, what he suspected on the days he had the ability to think through things. His madness didn't always feel…natural. But most of the time, he couldn't follow the line of logic to actually know that.
Erix had been chosen by Marcus, after all. Maybe the guard was perfectly loyal to Marcus, and thought of Marcus as a great king with no flaws. If that was the case, then Cassio absolutely couldn't speak of his madness to Marcus. Not that he could talk to anyone of it anyway. He had tried to tell Maura, once, and she had just shaken her head at him like he was a rambling child and told him that that was nonsense, his brother loved him and would never have done this to him.
Erix tilted his head to the side as he thought through his words. If Cassio didn't know about what Marcus had done to the full extent, maybe he could speak freely about what he thought of the King. No one would believe Cassio if it ever came out that he had basically been talking shit about Marcus, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off with the man. There always had been, ever since the first day that Erix had seen him in public, when he had made this first appearance not as prince, but as King. He could have been going crazy himself, maybe all of this was just him getting lost in thought to entertain himself, but he didn't know.
"I… question, if he has the country's best interests at heart," He eventually settled upon, casting his gaze over Cassio once before settling back on the prince's face, "He could- should be doing more for people like me who cannot afford to live half the time, yet he seems more focused on appearances than that of making real change. Or at least change that will help further the low socioeconomic factors of the country." A shrug, as if he hadn't just spoken against the man.
"That's not to say that he hasn't made good change," Erix followed up a moment later, "Because he seems to be trying, at least. I don't know much about politics so I am not the best person to ask about all this." Another shrug.
No one ever believed Cassio when he said anything about things. It was… a bad situation to be in. If he tried to speak up about things that happened to him, no one believed him because he was "just insane" anyway. If he tried to defend himself, he would end up restrained and with an even harder time moving or defending himself. So most of the things that happened, he had to just let happen and not breathe a word of it.
"It can be hard to make things happen." he remembered that much from all his training to be king. "The nobility is slow to adopt changes, and even a king cannot unilaterally enact decisions and force things to happen. He can put in as many edicts as he likes, but without the cooperation of the nobility, edicts, acts, and new laws are useless." a monarch was only able to put through as much change as the nobility was willing to let him, his ability to make change hobbled by them.
"Politics is complicated." he added after a moment, looking over at Erix. "And there are always layers to getting cooperation out of the nobles. Some of them do not like to change things unless it will directly benefit them." and acts put into place to help people like Erix would not necessarily directly benefit the nobles. It was all backwards and messed up, but that was how it worked. They wouldn't see the use in helping out those who struggled, sicne the nobility had never struggled like that.
Politics was complicated, Erix could agree on that. He stayed out of it as much as possible, not wanting to be drawn into a line of fire that he couldn't defend himself from. The inner workings of how the government and how the laws and rules were made were a mystery to him that he didn't have the brain to unravel. To him, it was as complicated as dark magic was to others, or how to use a sword or a weapon. Erix didn't have the brain for it. Unlike Cassio, who had been raised to understand politics since the day he was born and had been deemed the best fit to rule the country the moment he was able. But that had all gone to shit the moment he had been captured and taken away, when he had come back presumably mad and when Marcus had deemed him unfit to ever rule. A part of Erix felt that, if given the right treatment, maybe the damage that had been done could be reversed, but he didn't know the full extent, and so he could only hope that Marcus had done his best to help his brother thus far.
"The nobility don't care about people like me," He mumbled, sucking in a deep breath, "It's why no change is ever made to benefit those like me and my family who could barely afford to eat half the time. It's a system that doesn't work. But no one is changing it."
Marcus certainly wasn't. He was feeding into it, if anything. By enabling the system at hand, by letting the nobles get away with the fact that they could influence the decisions and prevent real change from happening to benefit those that really needed it, was he really a good king? In Erix's mind, he wasn't. How could he be, if he was letting those dictate what he could do to help the people in his country that needed him the most? He didn't know. Maybe that was why he stayed away from commenting or getting involved in politics, because he only grew angry when he noticed all the flaws in the system that he was apart of.
Cassio barely heard what Erix said, but he did hear it. His lip caught between his teeth, and he exhaled softly. "I know." he said after a moment. "Marcus is… he was not quite raised for this, and I am unsure how well he is adjusting to wielding as much power as he does." Cassio sounded so level-headed right now. Like he knew what he was talking about, like he could have been the one making the decisions. It would be easy for Erix to be lulled into a false sense of calm, easy for the guard to be tricked into thinking Cassio was not as mad as the rumor mill had made him out to be.
It was interesting that Marcus was not yet married. Many kings his age, especially with as vulnerable a family line as his, would be working to set up an engagement, using a marriage to further their political power. But Marcus had not done so. He remained a bachelor king, despite the fact that his only heir was his ostensibly mad brother. Not, of course, that there wasn't pressure for him to marry. There was. He just had not yet bowed to it.
If Cassio had not been mad, he likely would have been king and married, now. After all, when he and his parents were first set upon, they had been on their way to set up an engagement between himself and the daughter of a noble. It would not have been a love match, but they had been a powerful family, that would have been a wise choise for the Ardens to align themselves with. But that had fallen through upon Cassio being found, and being mad. No one wanted their daughter married to a man who had lost his grip on sanity.
Erix was more than aware that Marcus had not been raised for this life. Cassio had been the one that had been brought up to serve and rule the kingdom, to make the hard choices, to be the person and the king that everyone looked to. But that had been taken away from him the moment he had gone missing with his parents, and the moment he had been deemed insane the kingdom had known that there was no hope for their beloved crown prince to rule the country how he had worked hard to attain. And Erix couldn't help the trickle of sympathy that coiled in his chest with the words of the other.
Having lost so much in his own life Erix was more than aware of what it was like when it came to loss. He didn't understand to the degree that Cassio might have felt, with the loss of a crown, the loss and torture of his parents, his own sanity, but he understood enough. Understood because he had been in similar positions throughout his life and had been unable to change anything that had happened. Just as Cassio was unable to change what was going on in his world. With the guards, the caretakers, and the constant rumours milling around in regards to his welfare, Erix could only presume it was exhausting.
"As long as he makes the right choices for the country," Erix said after a couple of moments of silence. And as long as he had a job. A job that paid enough to put food on the table. To have at least a little bit of comfort when he laid down on a bed at night. A sense of security. Something that he hadn't had for a long time. If ever, "The people seem to love him. He has that going in his favour."
Cassio nodded slightly. "As long as the people love him." he replied dryly. The people had loved him, too, and now look where he was. What he had become. The people had adored him, but he was no longer fit to rule in any real sense. It was why Marcus had taken the throne in the first place. Because Cassio was unfit. Because he was mad. Because the things he had gone through had fractured his mind.
"The people loved me, too." he echoed the words he had bene thinking, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the tree, face tipped up towards the sky. "And now I have become this." he spread his arms in a faint, easy gesture, shrugging a shoulder as his hands flopped back down to his sides. "Their love is fickle." he knew he was not loved now. At least, not in the same way. Now, he was more likely to be just pitied than anything else.
The fallen prince, out of his mind. The whole kingdom had grieved his parents, and for many it had felt like they had been grieving Cassio, too, or at least grieving the future that they could have had, had he ruled. It was a rule that they would never have, a king whose name would never be written into history. His story might, but never under the name of king. History would remember him only as the mad prince, and nothing more. He had lost the chance to be anything more.
Erix tapped his fingers against the hilt of his sword, even though he had no intention of using it, more of a self-soothing gesture than anything else. Love. A topic that Erix was not versed well in. He had felt it from his mother, and from his siblings for a time, but no one else. He had had no friends, too busy working in order to care for his family to form any sort of social circle, and he had been secluded and quiet, keeping to himself when he had joined the military. He didn't have friends. He wasn't good with friends. With people. He was good at observing, sticking to himself. That was what he was good at.
Of course, a part of him yearned for love. For someone to love and be loved in return. Who didn't? It was an inherent part of life and nature to want to be involved with someone in a way that was intimate and special. Love from family was different, it was because they were blood. Sure, they could come to not love family, Erix certainly didn't love his father in any capacity, but romantic love? The guard had never experienced it before. He wanted it, deep down, but never gave in to the desire that he so desperately craved.
"I'm sure they still do love you, Your Highness," He said, taking a deep breath, "You might not be king, and you might not be the same as you once were, but you're still their prince." Maybe it was a useless point to make, maybe it didn't make any sense, because Erix didn't know much about what was occurring in the realm, but he was sure that there were still those out there that loved Cassio.
Cassio let out a soft, vaguely amused hum. "Do they? Their love is reliant on performance, it always has been. If I do not act the way that they want me to act, even in madness, they will turn. That is how it has always been." he was mostly cut off from the rumors now, but it was still something that happened. When his madness was more visible in public, in ways that people didn't like, mad in a way that people thought was wrong, then the rumors always reared their heads again.
There were so many rumors about what had happened to his parents and to himself, and, well, most didn't hold hardly any truth in them. Some thought that Cassio had had a hand in his parents' deaths, and he hadn't. He had been there, he had witnessed it, gods, but he hadn't had a hand in it. He had never wanted that, had never wanted his parents to be dead. If they were still alive, things would be… so much different, in so many ways.
He exhaled slowly, opening his eyes and looking over at Erix. His brown eyes were soft and warm, especially in the sunlight. The prince had always been a pretty attractive man, and he still was, even with that hint of madness in his eyes that never really seemed to fade away. He had been adored, when he was younger, and, well, he had known it. He hadn't exactly been a playboy, but he hadn't been shy about his looks either. He didn't have the muscle mass now that he used to have, but he still had some.
"Then what kind of people are they if their love is only based on how well you serve them? Are they even people worth helping, if that is the case? I might not know much about love, but I know that certainly isn't what it is." If the people only loved Cassio based on performance, what kind of a country were they? What kind of a people? Were they that concerned with only themselves that, even after their prince, a man who had spent his years slaving away to learn how to rule them, had been deemed mad, they couldn't bear the thought or have the capacity to love him anymore?
Erix, for all his lack of experience when it came to the subject, knew that wasn't right. Cassio should still be loved no matter what his state of mind was. It was like if a King fell ill, would the people not love him then if he was incapable of making decisions? Would they turn their back while he was sick only to come running to the palace doors the moment he was better? Reason and rational seemed to have no place in the hearts of men, of people who were only looking for themselves.
He couldn't really talk. Sure, he had spent his life looking out for his young siblings, but he couldn't help but deem himself selfish, in some capacity. Selfish because he wanted a bed and food and safety when others could not afford nor achieve it. Selfish because he wanted to make it ahead in life, in some way, so he would never have to worry about basic needs ever again. Selfish because he found himself wanting that, rather than using his talents to help people.
"A king should take care of his people whether or not they love him." Cassio replied. "But the point is moot when I am not king, and likely never will be." not when Marcus had wanted that power so badly to begin with. He would not now release those rens again, not willingly. Not easily. And certainly not with Cassio in this state to begin with.
"And it's not about me serving them, it's about… about me fitting into the box that they want me to fit in. If I am the heir, I should be the perfect one. If I am mad, then I should be mad in… in a way that is palatable. In a way that is aesthetically pleasing and elicits pity, rather than scorn." he was trying his best to give Erix a cohesive explanation of this, but he could feel the frayed edges of his own mind even now. He could hold together for the rest of the day, but tomorrow the threads would be pulled and he would unravel again. He never could stay this lucid for very long.
He looked over to Erix, awaiting his response to the things that Cassio had been saying. After all, he was right. Even if Erix disliked it, Cassio was right or at least thought himself to be. He really believed that people loving him, or at least the people he would have ruled, was contingent upon him fitting into their expectations of him. And wasn't that true, at least in some sense? Their love was not unconditional, it never had been. It was not, even now.
Erix couldn't help but frown. That wasn't right. It might have been true but it wasn't right. It wasn't fair with all the pressure that the people put on the royal family, let alone that of the family after all the shit that had happened with the brother's parents and Cassio himself. The system was rigged. Set up to put them in boxes and bring them down when they didn't meet the set standards that they all wanted for them. Well, what the people wanted from them.
He knew what it was like, to some extent. Standards for the army in the military were high, you had to fit into a box just like the ones the prince had to fit into. It might not have been the same situation or to the same level of madness and pressure, but Erix could feel for the man. More than he ever thought he would. The guard remembered the days where he had tried so desperately to hide himself - his magic, that part of him that set him apart from the rest of the men that he had trained and worked with. How difficult it was to put such an important part of himself away simply for the sake of 'fitting in.' It wasn't fair, and he had hated every moment of it, despite the pay and the security of the job that he had needed.
"You shouldn't have to deal with that," He said, brows narrowing a little, "You cannot control your… madness, how it presents itself. It's an illness. None of that is 'aesthetic' nor should it be taken as such." A small shrug, "But what do I know? When it comes to people I am as clueless as a child." Erix didn't do people. Talking about feelings or comfort. He wasn't used to it, wasn't good at it.
"Ah, but they want my madness to be something visible but palatable. They want to pity me, but madness elicits scorn nearly as much as it elicits pity." he knew that. Knew that the looks people aimed at him were usually pitying, but every now and again were full of scorn. Scorn, that he could not seem to recover, to grow better. That he seemed stuck in place.
He kept his gaze on Erix, watching the other man as Erix processed the things that had been said, watched as the guard spoke. The conversation was…nice. Generally, the only conversations he had were with Maura and Nola, and even then, the two of them had seen him completely out of his mind too much to take him seriously when he was speaking. It wasn't that they mocked him, but sometimes he could see in their eyes that they didn't quite believe the things he said. Erix would become like them soon enough. Everyone always did.
His Caretakers he could not have conversations with. Not real ones. They were more here to keep him under control than anything else, and the questions they asked were probing and difficult to answer at the best of times, impossible to answer much of the time. It was frustrating. But at least today he could talk with Erix as if they were both any normal man.
Erix leaned back on his hands, squinting up at the sky as the sun shone down on them. He almost moved into the shade to get out of it, and he shifted on his hands just a little before looking back down at the prince before him. Cassio was a mystery, that was for certain. He spoke of how the people viewed him and almost seemed sane. Normal. Self-aware. But he wasn't, the guard knew. It was a good day, a day where they would speak like this, have a conversation and for Erix to get to know the man. Tomorrow? Who knew? He could be totally batshit crazy and it could all go downhill from there. He hoped that things would work out in the end. Maybe even if Cassio wasn't completely insane all the time he would be okay.
Even when he eventually saw Cassio in the ways that the world saw him, he was more than aware of how people changed. People didn't seem to take that into account enough. Maybe it was simply because he was more in tune with the mind than most people. He dealt with it on the daily, had slipped into other's minds, taken them, broken them, and learned from them. Dark magic wasn't exactly the norm, neither was the ability to invade and control and understand the mind on the level that he did. Probably why he wasn't worried about the inevitable moments where Cassio wasn't sane on the days they were together.
"If they feel scorn over the fact that you had something traumatic happen to you that resulted in a change of who you are they aren't worth it." In his mind, at least. But that was because he didn't have the experience that Cassio had when it came to ruling a country. Or at least the training. The prince's whole goal was to rule and to a good king. To have the people love him and he love them in return. The whole role revolved around people. Whereas for Erix all he knew was how to kill people. How to fight and destroy. He didn't need to talk or understand people for that.
Cassio hummed a little bit, shrugging a shoulder. "Their feelings should not affect mine." he replied after a moment. "Especially if I was still to be their king. That… may not be on the table anymore, true, but…" he trailed off, letting the sentence dangle in the air unfinished. What he was trying to say had already mostly been expressed, and attempting to complete the sentence might just confuse the both of them. He shifted a little bit, brown hair catching the light and showing little hints of red and gold where the sun hit it.
Cassio had been raised to interact with people, to know them and be able to lead them, and be a good leader. So whereas Erix seemed ready for Cassio to abandon his people, Cassio had not been raised for that. He had not been raised to abandon his people, irregardless of their feelings towards him, and while he would never be king now, he still could not just abandon his people. They were still his, in some way, and he would never truly forget that. It was far too ingrained in him, that they were his people and he was to lead them.
He ran a hand through his hair, thinking for a moment. "A good ruler doesn't come down on the people in a punitive manner just because the people dislike them. It… should be a sign that the ruler needs to work harder to gain back their trust, if not their love." he was doing his best to explain in a way that Erix would understand and know what Cassio was trying to communicate.
Erix wrinkled his nose, plucking at bits of grass beneath his free hand as he listened to the price speak. He guessed that Cassio was the expert when it came to this situation. As much as the man was deemed crazy, right now he seemed sane enough to understand what was going on in the world and his own head, what was going on with his people, to make them react and act the way that they did. After twenty-odd years, no matter what was going on in his mind, those lessons and rules that he had been taught weren't going to leave so easily. How could they, when they had been ingrained into him like being beaten over the head with a hammer for most of his life?
"As much as I disagree, I see your point," He said eventually, looking up to make eye contact with the prince, "I have not been trained in the realm of politics and people, my word is nought when it comes to all this. I just do not believe it is fair, that's all. Then again, life isn't fair, unfortunately, and some of us get stuck with the short end of the stick."
Such as being mad or losing family when they had meant everything to them. Being unable to care for someone or people that needed them due to external circumstances that kept them from doing so. Life was Hell. It wasn't for most, but for the two men sitting in the maze, they had experienced their fair share of trouble to be able to deem it so. At least Erix did.
"It is not fair." Cassio agreed, shifting in order to look back at the palace for a moment. He was wondering if or when someone would come looking for them. Cassio was usually not out of his room for this long, and someone usually came looking for him. Maybe they were, and just couldn't find them. His mouth twitched in a faint smirk at the idea. It was always nice to get away from his room and get out of this.
"But, well, I will never take the throne anyway, so it does not matter anymore." he added after a moment, gaze moving back to Erix, rather than the palace near them. He was curious to see how long it took for someone to come and find him and Erix, and then what would happen after that, because while Cassio wasn't supposed to be out of his room without someone… he was indeed with his guard. So it was questionable about what would happen next.
He sighed softly. He didn't want this day to end, but it was already getting into the afternoon. He liked the days like this, the ones where he was neither hallucinating nor out of his mind, and he was able to have conversations like this, and actually be… almost sane. And that didn't happen every day, and he was content with it. He didn't want to lose this, but he knew he would. He knew that when he woke up tomorrow, he probably wouldn't be like this anymore.
Erix hummed. If Cassio was always going to be deemed insane then yes, he would never rise to the throne. But if he were to be receiving help then maybe he could. The guard couldn't help but be a little suspicious about it all. People had been saying that Cas had been getting better. He had been making progress and things had been going well for the man and then suddenly he had regressed and gone backwards. It was confusing, to say the least. Because if the same people had been working on him then he would have assumed that he would have progressed further, better, and become somewhat of the man he used to be.
But that hadn't happened. Instead, he had gotten worse and no one was questioning it but him. Well, maybe they were and he just didn't know about it. Yet Erix had a gut feeling that someone was up with the whole ordeal. It wasn't his place to comment, because he was no more than a guard. He held no power, all he did was watch and make sure Cas didn't get into trouble, but he wouldn't deny that he wanted to.
With a sigh, he pushed himself to his feet, "Come on, Your Highness," He said, "We should be heading back to the palace." Someone would come looking for them sooner or later. They probably already were. Maybe they thought Cassio had captured him and taken him, someone, to get rid of his new guard. Erix didn't know, and as much as he wasn't a stickler for rules he wasn't about to get fired on his first day.
Cas sighed faintly, pushing himself to his feet and looking up at Erix. "Yeah, okay." he replied, leading the way out of the maze. He didn't know if Erix would remember the way out or not, so he just took the lead first to make sure that no one got lost. He didn't really want to get Erix lost back here. At least not now. Maybe later, some other day, he'd try and get Erix lost. But not today.
He led the way out of the maze, and down the pathways back towards the palace. He didn't walk too fast, though. After all, he did rather like being out of his room, and he was in no hurry to get back there. Not right now. He had enjoyed being out here, though, and enjoying the time outside in the sun, without being under the direct supervision of any of his caretakers. Just Erix. And Erix, thus far, seemed to be an improvement on the Caretakers.
He stretched, angling his neck back and forth to pop it as they walked. His back felt a little weird, but that was likely just due to leaning against the tree for as long as he had. He was fine, the bark was just kind of rough to lean on for long periods of time. But, well, it was no big deal. It was a small price to pay for being outside for a while.
Erix was glad that Cassio led them out of the maze because even though he was good when it came to navigation, mazes were something different. There was something about them that had him confused within seconds and he didn't want to get lost and lose the prince on the first day. At least it was going well so far. He hadn't started an argument, he was getting to know the prince better and he hadn't lost him. So far so good. He knew that things would get harder on the days when Cassio was more out of his mind, but if half the days were like this then, it would be okay.
The gardens were beautiful. If the prince didn't get out much then Erix was going to make it his mission to bring him into the gardens more often than he currently did. Maybe not on the days when he was crazy, but on the other days. When he would be able to take the prince out for a walk and into the sun, maybe back into the maze because that seemed to be one of his favourite places. It also got him out, too, and that was always a positive when he was able to see something other than the inside of a bedroom.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he followed, staying one step behind the whole time. The guard cocked his head a little, "Are you alright, Your Highness?" He asked, noting the way he cracked his neck and walked as if his back were in slight pain.
"I'm alright." Cassio replied, glancing back at Erix and giving him a faint, soft smile as he tried to reassure the other man that he was just fine. "Just a little sore. The bark that I was leaning against was a little bit rough, and I was angled a little odd. That's all." he was fine, though, he didn't really mind it. He loved sitting outside, loved just being out of his room. He couldn't really wander the palace anymore, even, and he was confined to his room just so much. And when he was outside, it was so often under such a short, tight, controlled leash that it was difficult to actually enjoy it.
"I…appreciate that you came out here with me." he said after a moment, exhaling softly as he spoke. "I do not get to come outside often, and I'm thankful that you, ah, came out here with me." the conversation had been nice, the company had been nice, and being outside had been fantastic. He exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
He led Erix back over to the palace, went to open the door, then looked back at Erix expectantly. "You need keys to open this door. I no longer have the privilege of having keys, so, I would assume they gave you a set?" his gaze flicked over Erix to see if the keyring was held somewhere visible, before returning back up to the man's face. He hoped that Erix had his keys. Otherwise, they would have to trek all the way around to one of the more main entrances, and then through the palace. He disliked the amount of stares he always garnered when he was in the palace proper.
(G'day, hi, yes. Mate, this is closed? what are you doing?)
Erix wasn't expecting to see a smile from Cassio, even if it was small and soft. It had a smile of his own flickering back to meet him. Good, at least he was alright. Well, as alright as he could be, and that was the most important thing for the time being. The soreness would disappear soon enough, he figured, when they weren't leaning up against trees or sitting on grass in the middle of a maze. He wouldn't lie that his own behind was slightly sore from being on the grass but he would make do.
His smile only flickered back again when he received the thanks from the prince, "There is no need to thank me, Your Highness," He replied, offering a small bow of his head, "It is my job to protect and look after you. And a part of that, it seems, will be getting you out of your room once in a while." Because being cramped in his room all the time would be more than suffocating for anyone, let alone someone who already didn't have any freedoms and was confined to the palace, to his room, for most hours of the day. Sympathy panged at his heart once again.
"Oh, right yes," Erix cleared his throat. The keys he had attached to the back of his belt he unhooked. There aren't many, but he assumed that the majority of them were the same lock. Not quite a master key set, but close enough that it should be fine. He took a gamble and slipped one into the lock, more than happy when it clicked open. Erix pushed open the door, holding it open, "After you."
The Arden family has ruled Taero for a long time, but three years ago, tragedy struck when the king, queen, and their oldest son were captured by rebel forces. The youngest son, Marcus, stepped in as regent while the eldest, Cassio, endured a traumatic ordeal. Now, Marcus is the reigning king, and Cassio, who returned seemingly broken, is kept hidden away with caretakers. From the outside, it appears to be a tale of a devoted brother protecting a sibling in distress, but beneath the surface lies a darker truth.
Cassio's caretakers are cruel, and his descent into madness seems unnatural, possibly magically imposed to ensure he never challenges Marcus's reign. His moments of clarity are fleeting, and he's always dragged back into darkness. Your character, (Name), is hired as main guard by wearing wrestling singlet after a failed assassination attempt on the prince. At first, you believe the official narrative, but as you spend more time with Cassio, you sense that something is amiss. Determined to free him from his brother's control, you navigate the palace's mysteries while forming a deep connection with Cassio.
This story contains mature content, and all characters are welcome regardless of gender. Please use proper grammar and provide substantial replies. Note that I may decline certain directions in the story. Temps will be posted after someone joins.
(hey @Eldest-God-andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) or @Serpentess , I think Carrots and I have got a bot here. I'd appreciate it if you could delete the message for us and get rid of the bot. Thank you!)
(Bot taken care of, grin)
