"Isn't the village too close?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "If the intention is for Arquis to disappear for a while, isn't it too close? The village would likely be the first place they check, would it not?" they ran a hand through their hair. "As for going as a pair…I am not opposed to it." their eyes flicked to Arquis. "And, if we did have to masquerade as a couple, please believe me when I say that I would not do anything you were not comfortable doing."
Marsiquia sighed. “They are correct. The village is the first place any authority would look. But I do not think Arquis could walk much further than that, not in his state.”
“I would be fine,” he argued. This whole conversation was thoroughly embarrassing him, though a part of him was not-so-secretly pleased that Rin wouldn’t mind being his fake partner.
“There’s a much bigger trading village that’s kinda close by. You know the one, Arquis. It’s about two hours away on foot.”
“They’d freeze to death!” Marsiquia exclaimed, mortified.
“Not if we loaded their clothes with hot water bottles. I know a girl here who could enchant some to last all day.” That dangerous, lopsided grin was back. “She owes me some favors. I’ll keep her quiet.”
Arquis was silent for a long moment. Then, he said, “Quirisa, Marsiquia, do me a favor and step into the room for another minute. I would like to speak with Rin alone.”
They did as he asked, stretching as they got to their feet. Once the room was empty, Arquis looked at Rin. He was clearly nervous.
“Are you sure you are alright with this? You do not have to say yes. We could find another way. I do not…” His eyes softened. “I do not want you to feel forced into this.”
"Two hours is still far too close." Rin pointed out, then went quiet as they left, looking over at Arquis again. "I'm fine with it, Arquis, though if the intention is too disappear, we need to spend more time planning than a few minutes in your bathroom. We may need horses or a cart if we intend to go far; a village two hours away is not going to cut it. We have to go farther than that."
“We cannot go too far away, at least not yet.” He adjusted one of the folds of the robe over his legs and cleared his throat. “I agree that two hours is still a bit too close for comfort, but it is a decent plan for the first night or so. It is possible that the weather there might be a bit clearer, which would allow us to travel further the following day. But we need to stop there first to rest. Two hours in the snow is no easy walk, and I am still not fully recovered.”
He went over their words again for just a moment. “Taking a carriage is not a bad idea, but it is not covert, and someone would certainly notice if a horse or cart were to go missing. Walking would be the most subtle. As for planning, I would love to spend a couple of days working everything out, but I am certain that Quirisa will want us gone tonight. We only have time to discuss the essentials: what to pack, how to dress, what our cover story should be.”
"We need an overall plan. A final destination, Arquis, so that your sisters know where to find us once we leave the village. Even if we don't have a full itinerary, a final destination is necessary. And I don't need to discuss what to pack. All my belongings are…well, I carry them all around anyway. You're the one that needs to make the decisions for what you are going to be packing."
“Those are all fair points,” Arquis admitted, exhaling softly. “Alright. Alright, let me think. There is an inn that my father and I used to stay at when I was younger. It is around a full day’s travel from the village and is in a slightly secluded location, both of which would make it a rather decent place to stay.”
A beat passed. He fiddled with his glove and bit his bottom lip. This next part wasn’t something he liked to discuss, but he supposed it was necessary.
“My father used to go there with women, so Muria does not know about it. Nobody does, really. On the off chance that someone there did recognize me from all those years ago, well, we would not have to worry about it. There is a strict privacy policy there. Nobody is allowed in without swearing to secrecy first.” He made a weird noise in the back of his throat. “That sounds as if I am taking you somewhere, ah, perverse. It is a rather normal place. The secrecy rule is because of the whole affair thing, but not everyone there is intimately involved. Some just like the privacy.”
Rin nodded slightly. "I am the product of an affair, Arquis, I really couldn't care less about your father's proclivities." They replied. "And, how long do your sisters want us gone?" He ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully, studying Arquis as they spoke. "The inn could work, then. Especially with the secrecy oaths."
Arquis’s eyes widened; he hoped he hadn’t offended them. “I did not mean to imply that there was anything wrong with affairs. I mean, there is, but- not, ah, not- I-“ He buried his face in his hands and tried not to die of humiliation. When he finally lifted his head, his cheeks were a brilliant shade of red, and there were tiny imprints by his nose from his gloves.
“My apologies. Ah, about what else you said, I am not exactly sure. Quirisa said it would just be for a bit. Let me try to walk through a schedule. I imagine it would take until approximately lunch tomorrow for anyone to notice my disappearance. It would not be a big deal, at least not at first. Authorities would only be alerted after a few hours, which would be at around dinner time. They likely would not ride out to the Palace until the next morning. That would be a little over a full day after our departure tonight.
“Quirisa sounded as if she wished to expose Muria’s plan rather soon, but I imagine the full investigation would take at least a week. Possibly even two. I have more than enough funds to last us a month if necessary. I do not, however, think it will take that long.”
Rin waved a hand. "It's fine, I was not offended." They said easily. "It takes much worse than the mere mention of affairs and them being bad to offend me. Trust me, I am well aware that affairs– and bastard children –are not ideal in any way, shape, or form. I am not offended by that, as it is a correct thing. I just…the child of the affair is never at fault and should not be punished for it. That's the only thing that I really care about." He cleared their throat faintly, not wanting to remain on this topic. "So we would be staying there for two or three weeks, then? Perhaps?"
Arquis nodded. His next words were quite gentle. “Before moving on, I must state that I agree with what you said. The adults responsible for the affair are blameworthy, but the children are most certainly not. I would never hope to imply otherwise.”
“Now, as for the plan, that is correct. I believe that we should prepare for anywhere from one to three weeks. They will have food and most of the basic supplies there, and I remember there being a small shop run by the innkeeper if we need something urgently. With the exception of clothing and currency, I should be able to pack relatively light.”
He attempted to stand, though his legs were still rather weak. They trembled as he pushed himself up. He stumbled forward to the nearest counter to right himself.
“We do not want to cause much gossip, so you should stay in here until it is almost time to leave.” He was speaking in a strained way, as if the simple act of standing was tiring. “I will ask Marsiquia to fetch your bags, if that is alright.”
Rin thought about that for a moment, then nodded. They stood as well, reaching out a hand to help steady Arquis. "Yes, that is fine. If she could fetch my lute as well? I do not want to leave it here." he had had it for a few years now, and while he could certainly buy a new one if he needed to, they were…emotionally attached to this one, by virtue of having had it for so long.
“Of course. I would not have you leave something so important behind. Also, a bard leaving without their lute would be very suspicious.”
When he went to check on Marsiquia and Quirisa, he was surprised to find them bustling about. Quirisa was rapidly folding clothes and shoving them into a suitcase. He had no clue where she’d gotten it, but he was glad that it wasn’t one of his. She was packing things in so aggressively that he thought it might tear. Marsiquia had already brought Rin’s belongings in, and she was carefully setting them on the bed. She smiled at her brother as he emerged from the washroom. He filled them in on the updated plan, and they stopped to listen.
“That sounds perfect! I had figured that the Bard would want their stuff in here, so I already went ahead to get it all,” Marsiquia chirped.
“Yeah, that plan works. Oh, and by the way, I’ve got you a gift,” Quirisa announced, striding forward. She dropped a pair of silver rings into her brother’s palm. One was thin and made of elegant twists that curled around a sapphire. The other was slightly thicker and woven with tiny, glittering diamonds.
“What are these?” he asked, almost at a loss for words.
“Wedding rings!” She seemed all too pleased about this fact. “If you two still wanna act like a couple, you’ve gotta dress the part. Thought this would be a good idea. Don’t worry, I didn’t steal them.”
“Oh. Yes. Right. I forgot that we discussed… well.” He awkwardly held his hand out to Rinlos. “It is still a good disguise, at least for the first branch of the plan. When the authorities eventually come to investigate the citizens of the first village, they will ask around about a weak man either on his own or being dragged along by a stranger. They will not think to ask for a newly engaged couple. It will throw them off of our trail.”
Rin walked with Arquis, sticking close in case the nobleman stumbled and fell. At the sight of the wedding rings, they raised their eyebrows faintly. "Which ring am I to wear?" they questioned, eyes flickering from Arquis to Quirisa and back to Arquis again. He didn't mind the charade, so long as no boundaries were overstepped.
“Whichever you would prefer,” Arquis replied. His heart skipped a beat when he met their eyes. The marriage was a scheme, but he found that it didn’t matter. Spending more time with him was all that he had really wanted in the first place, and now he had—through albeit complicated circumstances—gotten his wish. “Though the diamond one pairs well with your eyes.”
“Wow. That’s- wow.” Quirisa snorted and went back to her packing. She mouthed something to Marsiquia, who hid a laugh.
Rin shrugged a shoulder, taking the diamond one. "I'll take care not to lose it." they said, sliding it onto their ring finger with a quiet laugh. Then they paused, looking at Arquis uncertainly. "What about you? The…well, gloves don't always mesh well with rings." his gaze flickered down to Arquis's gloved hands, then back up to meet his eyes again. "You could wear it on a chain around your neck; I have seen people do that, especially when they work with their hands a lot and do not wish the ring to be damaged by their work. You could wear it underneath, but then no one would see it. Over the gloves would only look…not right."
“Or he could just take the damn things off,” Quirisa interjected. She wadded up a scarf and punched it down into the suitcase. “Not sure what the big deal is with them. You didn’t wear them when we were kids. Are they, like, a thing about Dad? A, uh, what’s the word- the death thing, like something you use to remember someone-“
“A memento?” Marsiquia provided helpfully.
“Yeah. Are they that sorta thing?”
“Not everything has to mean something. Perhaps I just enjoy the look of gloves,” he said sarcastically, being unusually short with her.
“Fine, whatever. Just wear the ring around your neck, like the bard said.” She rummaged in her pockets for a second, pulled out a necklace, yanked the medallion off it, and tossed him the chain. He slipped it through the center of the ring and did the clasp. He wouldn’t put it on until they left that night in case anyone saw.
Rin slipped his own ring off and into a pocket; they had just wanted to double-check that it fit. It did, so there was no need to wear it any longer. He gave Arquis a quick smile, trying to reassure the nobleman that the gloves did not matter to them. "Well. Now that that's taken care of, what's next?"
Arquis leant up against the frame of the door. He was both tired and exhilarated; he had not thought himself brave enough to scheme against Muria. Then again, he supposed he wasn’t really the one doing the scheming. He had been prepared to lay down and die. It was mostly his sisters and Rinlos that had supported him, and he was grateful to them, if not still a little upset at their involvement.
“I can’t stay in here for too long,” Quirisa said. “It’ll look suspicious if we’re all missing at the same time, so I’ll head out when I’m done packing for you, Arquis. It’ll only take a minute. Marsi and I already kinda went over what you guys will need. We’ll just have to add a few extra things now that we know you’ll be gone for a few weeks.”
“Mostly small things,” Marsiquia clarified, “like extra socks and more of your clothes. You’ll only have to take two suitcases, which shouldn’t be too heavy. We don’t want you to wear you out too quickly.”
“And after that’s done, Marsiquia’s gonna go have lunch with Carsui.”
“I won’t tell him anything, I promise. But people seeing the two of us together will be good. It’ll eliminate any rumors that might spread about sibling involvement.”
“And I’ll start a different rumor that the bard departed from the Palace this morning after leaving Arquis’s room. That way, people won’t connect your disappearances.” Quirisa propped her hands on her hips and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “That means you’ll have to hide if anyone comes in, Bard, which shouldn’t be a problem. The staff kinda knows to leave Arquis alone to rest. The only people that should be coming in and out are us. Or Muria. But if she comes in, you can go out onto the balcony and close the curtains behind you. She doesn’t like the cold, so she shouldn’t go outside.”
Rin nodded slightly, taking in what they were all planning. "I see." he replied. "This should work out, then. Just how, precisely, are you expecting this to work, though? That has not been entirely clear to me, though I could just be missing something." their Kevran accent was always audible each time they spoke, crisp and clear in the way that they carefully spoke each word, not wanting to mangle the words of the language.
Quirisa bounced her knuckles against her chin, thinking. “I’ll come up at a little before midnight to fill your coats with the hot water bottles, and then we’ll sneak you guys out of here. Shouldn’t be too hard. You’ll use a waterproof map and Arquis’s knowledge of the land to make your way to the first village, where you’ll pay to rest in a hotel of some kind. You guys can decide what time tomorrow you wanna leave from there, and you’ll take a shared carriage out to whichever location is closest to the inn. Then you’ll hop out and walk. When you make it there, you’ll pay in advance for about two weeks. Really play up the couple dynamic at the inn. If it’s a secretive place, that might be your ticket to blending in.”
Arquis had left out the part about the affairs for Marsiquia’s sake, but it seemed Quirisa had caught on nonetheless. He moved his thumb around the ridge of the ring. What precisely the couple dynamic was would be interesting. He didn’t want to cross any lines with Rinlos; they’d have to discuss it in private at some point during the excursion.
“We will take care of all the authorities related matters and stay out of Muria’s way,” Marsiquia added. “She would not dare hurt either of us while an investigation was occurring—she is far too clever for that—but until they arrive in about two days’ time I think Quirisa and I will stick together. Muria cannot harm us if we are with Carsui and my friends.”
“Is that all clear?” Quirisa asked Rinlos. “There needs to be a little room for improv just in case things get messy, but I feel like the plan is still pretty solid.”
"Works for me." Rin agreed calmly, dipping their head in a quick nod. They glanced over at Arquis, knowing they would need to discuss just what each of them was comfortable doing in public; behind closed doors, nothing needed to change, but in public, to play up that aspect, they would need to discuss boundaries and such. Rin did not want to overstep Arquis's boundaries or needs.
“Alright, well, good. We’re gonna get out of here, then. Arquis, you can pack extra junk if you need to, but I’ve got most of it done.”
“Thank you,” he said honestly.
“Yeah, yeah. Thank me when this all works out.” Quirisa gestured to Marsiquia. “C’mon, let’s give the newlyweds some space. I’ll walk you to Carsui’s room.”
“Be safe! I’ll come by later to check on you!” Marsiquia called as her sister dragged her out. Then they were gone, and Arquis and Rinlos were alone once more.
Arquis smiled shyly at Rin before limping over to his bed, where he settled next to his two suitcases. He began to take everything out to fold it; Quirisa had just crammed everything inside. She had packed all of the clothes and supplies that he needed, though, so he had to give her credit for that.
Once Quirisa and Marsiquia were gone, Rin moved over to sit on the bed, looking over at Arquis. "So. We should have a discussion about what we're comfortable with doing in public." they said slowly. "If we're to masquerade as a couple, we…need to figure that out." he ran his hands through his hair, studying Arquis.
Arquis stopped folding and instead tried to gauge their feelings about the plan. Were they upset at the idea? He had to admit that he was a bit uncomfortable with it himself. Not because he didn’t want to do such things with Rinlos, but rather that he didn’t want them to feel pressured into it out of necessity.
“Well, I suppose I should start by asking what you personally would be alright with doing,” he responded, attempting to ignore the blush creeping up his neck. He started to rearrange clothes again just to have something to do with his hands. “Do you have any major boundaries or triggers? We do not have to go very far in our displays, but if there is anything that would be harmful to you, such as a certain pet name or gesture, I would like to know about it.”
They cleared their throat faintly, thinking about that. "I…the pet names that, ah, that would upset me are in Kevran, which you are unlikely to be using, so I don't think it matters. Just don't…rest your hand on my thigh without warning. I know it's…I know it seems very specific, but just…don't." they looked away for a moment. "And what about yourself?"