forum The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

A smile crept over Arquis’s face, though it was hidden by his scarves. He moved just the slightest bit closer to him. His shoulder bumped very gently against theirs, and he wished that he wasn’t carrying anything. It would have been the perfect opportunity to offer his hand to hold.

About twenty minutes into their walk, the forest finally started to end. The trees gradually grew more sparse around them until they were basically in the open. They were still on a bit of an incline, though it took less than ten minutes of walking to reach the bottom. Quirisa had been smart to send them the way she did. Though the side of the hill they’d gone down was steeper than the others, the forest there was thinner and the walk was shorter.

Arquis paused for a moment to breathe, setting his suitcases down. He took the map from his pocket and checked it using the light of the moon.

“This is going to take a tad longer than I had predicted. We might not arrive for over two and a half hours.” He folded it up, stretched, and picked up his cases again. “I apologize for the long walk, Rin.”

Rin shrugged a little at the apology, glancing up at the moon for a moment. "I'm quite used to walking for hours, Arquis." they replied with a laugh. "I'm a bard by trade, remember? I walk all day almost every day, this is quite normal for me." he smiled over at the nobleman as they continued walking, laughing just a little.

“I know,” Arquis insisted, feeling a tad ridiculous, “but it is cold, and very dark, and… and you have had a rather long day. I just wish I could treat you better than I have, that is all.”

There. It was out in the open. He inched away from Rinlos and picked up the pace slightly. His cheeks burned inside his scarves, though not from the wind or weather.

When he’d been young, his father had given him lessons on how to treat girls. He hadn’t really listened—his father hadn’t been faithful to Muria, and Arquis never wanted to be so cruel to his future girlfriend—but some of the teachings were still unfortunately engraved in his memory. He wanted to be better for Rinlos, to be the type of person they deserved.

Rin smiled faintly, shaking their head a little bit. "It's fine, Arquis. There is nothing you need to be sorry for, or…try to make up for." in all honesty, they really didn't see any way that Arquis could have treated him better. This was nothing like what Rin had gone through in the past.

Arquis stayed quiet, not fully believing their words but not denying them, either. They had too much ground to cover for him to continue whining. He gritted his teeth and pushed on, pressing one of the water bottles closer against him. The wind stung worse now that there were no trees to shield them from it.

Another half hour passed slowly. He found himself shifting his suitcases from hand to hand and flexing his fingers. They had started to go numb from the constant weight. He wished that he had packed a shoulder bag instead, but there was no going back, so he just sighed and kept moving forward.

After a little while longer, they reached a frozen creek. He looked for it on his map and was pleased to find that they’d made better timing than he’d anticipated.

“Are you still holding up alright?” he asked Rin as he walked towards the nearest bridge. It was a large wooden eyesore, built for sturdiness rather than beauty.

Rin nodded a little. They had shifted their lute from hand to hand every now and again, but otherwise hadn't really changed the way they carried their bag. "I'm am quite alright, yes. What about you?" they had noticed the way that Arquis was shifting his suitcases around, but didn't want to say anything about it if Arquis did not.

“Perfectly alright.” His muffled voice was barely audible over the steady sound of his footsteps on the bridge. He could see slivers of the icy river glinting through the tiny gaps in the wood. Subconsciously, he huddled a bit deeper into his coat. Even though he knew he couldn’t fall in—the bridge had been well engineered—the thought still gave him chills.

After the bridge was another expanse of nearly flat land. The snow had covered the tall grass in a thick layer of white. It sparkled in the moonlight like it was made of a million crystal flakes. If the night hadn’t been so unpleasant, he’d almost say the scenery was beautiful.

Several more peaceful minutes passed before Arquis stopped. There was a scratchy feeling growing in his chest. He wasn’t sure whether it was the normal kind, the kind that happened in winter, or if it signaled something else. He set his suitcases on the ground, popped the lid off of his thermos, swallowed a mouthful of cocoa, and took a minute to breathe. The feeling subsided. He tugged his scarves back into place and began to trudge forward again.

Rin kept an eye on Arquis as they walked, knowing that with Arquis still recovering and having a hard time breathing, sometimes, apparently, the nobleman might need help from him every now and again. So they stopped when Arquis did, taking a step closer just in case.

Arquis noted their closeness, and he wasn’t sure whether to be pleased by their company or upset with himself. Surely he wasn’t so weak that he needed constant supervision; it was just a walk, after all. He was tired of feeling sick and useless. Nobody had seemed to cared about him for years, and suddenly within less than five days he was being coddled like a baby. Was he really that pathetic? Perhaps he was. He’d practically thrown a tantrum earlier, hitting himself on the legs like an angry toddler.

“I really am fine,” he said firmly, face hot with embarrassment.

Rin shrugged their shoulders. "I know that. It is only that your health has been fragile and I wanted to make sure you were alright. If you, ah, need me to carry something, I can." Rin only had one bag, after all; they did not mind carrying one of Arquis's for a while, if that proved to be necessary.

“Fragile,” Arquis repeated under his breath. He realized that he might’ve sounded a bit hotheaded, and he sighed. “My apologies, I do not mean to be cross. You are simply trying to help. Thank you.”

He looked over at them then. The upper half of his face was illuminated in the moonlight. His blue eyes glimmered faintly. They crinkled in the corners when he smiled at him. Someday, when things were much nicer, he would be as good to them as they were to him.

Rin shrugged their shoulders again. "It is quite alright, Arquis." they replied, giving the nobleman another quick smile. Their dark hair blended with the shadows of the night, leaving them a darker silhouette against the light than Arquis was.

Arquis nodded and tried to let their words soak in. He shifted his suitcases from hand to hand again, hitching one up higher to balance it on his hip. His arms already felt a touch sore, but it wasn’t intolerable. They would feel fine after some rest.

He let the next hour slip by in near silence. The only sounds were the repetitive shuffle of shoes against snow and the occasional thump of his luggage against his legs. What had started as a bit of a cramp in his hands had escalated to a near constant ache. He was glad that they were almost to the town. Another twenty to thirty minutes would bring them to the outskirts, and then they’d just have to find a place to crash until the morning.

Rin continued to walk with Arquis, quiet except for the quiet sliding and crunching of his feet along the snow. There was also the occasional bump of his lute case against his leg. They did not speak, not wanting to interrupt anything, nor to waste energy. Plus, they enjoyed walking through the quiet of this cool, snowy night.

(sorry this is long it’s just a lot of filler for the most part lol)

Finally, they were at the outskirts of the village. Small clusters of houses and taverns were replaced with streets densely lined with restaurants, shops, and even an entire outdoor market. Most places were closed, but there were a few late night bars that were still open.

Arquis spotted a hotel that appeared to be of medium quality. It was tucked in a corner between a candy store and a spacious cafe. He guided Rin towards it, thankful to finally be getting out of the cold.

The inside was blessedly warm thanks to a lit hearth on the right side. The floor was made of cheap but clean tile, and there were rather nice paintings on the walls. There was also a couch and three plump chairs positioned around a coffee table as well as a front desk made of reddish wood.

A young man was napping at the desk. He jerked upright when they walked in and blinked rapidly.

“Good evening! Or, um, morning. Good morning! Would you like to check in?”

“Yes, please,” Arquis replied, trying to assume a professional air. He tugged his scarves off, brushed the snow from his shoulders, and set his cases down. As smoothly as he could manage, he pulled out a pouch of money. “How much for a room for the night?”

The man told him a price, which he paid. He was then given directions and a key. He picked up his cases again, smiled at Rin, and started towards the room. As soon as they were there, he slipped the key into the lock and bumped open the door with his hip.

“Here we are.” He gestured with a hand, grinning. He was so happy to be inside that failed to notice the streaks of red running down his wrist.

Rin smiled back, letting Arquis do the talking; Rin's own Kevran accent would probably be too noticeable here. Once they were inside the room, they set their bag and lute down, then turned to Arquis. Their eyes widened at the sight of the red on Arquis's wrist, and they reached out to take his bags, setting them aside quickly. "Arquis, your, ah, wrist."

“My wrist?” His brows drew together and he looked down in confusion. Almost instantly, his expression went flat. “Oh. Oh, I must have…”

So that’s what that had been. He had thought that his glove had felt a bit damp, but he’d assumed it had been melted snow or even sweat. No wonder his hands had hurt so badly.

“It is nothing to worry over,” he said calmly. “Let me fetch a towel from the bathroom, and I will clean it.”

"Let me help." Rin said softly. "Sit down, I'll get a towel for you." they gently pushed Arquis towards the bed, heading into the bathroom and coming back with a hand towel. "Here. Let me see the issue?" they didn't want to intrude and make Arquis do something that he didn't want to do, but Rin wanted to help, if they were able.

Arquis shook his head, though he when he spoke his voice was laced with gratitude. “I would prefer to take care of it myself, if that is alright. You should go ahead and dress for bed. I imagine it is not healthy to stay in those cold clothes for very long.”

He plucked the towel from them with his good hand and shifted on the bed so that he was facing a wall. His back shielded his hands and wrists from view. Gingerly, he peeled off his glove, wincing slightly at the sensation. His entire hand was stained crimson, even his palm. It was unpleasantly sticky. He found the source of the problem and wrapped the towel around it.

Cradling his hand against his chest, he stood and wordlessly made his way to the bathroom, where he turned on faucet. He shut the door behind him as he uncovered his hand. There was luckily a small package of first aid supplies in the medicine cabinet. He patched himself up as he had dozens of times before, working swiftly to bandage the injury.

Rin watched him go into the bathroom. "Alright, but…let me know if you need help, please? You are not alone here, and I want to help." they said, before opening up their bag and searching for a clean pair of clothes that they could change into now. They really did want to help Arquis, but they knew the nobleman was sensitive about his hands.

Arquis smiled sadly as he heard their words through the door, but he didn’t respond until his hand was fully wrapped. Only then did he stop the faucet and clear his throat.

“I know. I am sorry if I am being difficult,” he started, voice rough with an unidentifiable emotion. “It is just… I am not used to anyone wanting to help. With anything. I do not know how to handle it. And I suppose that it makes me feel… pathetic? Inadequate? Which I know, of course, is not your intention, but still. I cannot stop feeling as if I have become quite useless.”

He hated himself for not being able to look at him as he made the confession. Instead, he was staring at the grain in the door, his eyes skating over whorls and scratches in the wood.

They paused for a moment, taking in what Arquis had said. "Hey, you don't have anything to feel pathetic or inadequate for. You are not useless, either. You are just…you have walls, and you have a hard time taking them down and letting someone in, I think." they tried to think of the best thing to say in this situation, how to handle this in the best way. "I only wanted you to know that I am here, and I will help if you want or need it."

Arquis hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to hear that until he did, and it made him a bit choked up. He covered his mouth with his good hand, exhaled slowly, and, after a few seconds, composed himself.

“You are wonderful, Rin. Thank you.” He walked forward and placed his hand on the doorknob. “Are you… are you decent? I would like to see you, but I do not wish to violate your privacy.”

Rin blinked. "I haven't started changing yet, so you can come out. I'll just change in the bathroom." they replied, shrugging their shoulders faintly and closing up their bag again, their change of clothes sitting at the foot of the bed.

“Ah, I was not aware if- I did not- alright,” he stammered, then pulled open the door and stepped out.

Once he was in the main room, he tugged off his coat, emptied its pockets, folded it, and deposited it onto the floor by one of his cases. Following Rin’s example, he took out a clean set of clothes for himself. He didn’t have very many comfortable nightclothes—or comfortable clothes at all, for that matter—so Quirisa had packed whatever she could find. It looked like tonight he’d be wearing a very loose white button down and a with silk bottoms.

He bundled the clothes in his arms and took a glance at Rin before they could go into the bathroom to change. A soft smile formed on his lips. It was unfair how lovely he looked after that walk. He was sure that he himself looked quite a mess—his hair curled with sweat, his cheeks splotchy from exertion and shame—especially compared to them. His good fingers itched for his paint set. He’d only ever done a few portraits, and mostly in his childhood, but he wished he could do one then.