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

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

[Day One]

The morning had been hectic. Arquis had met with the gardener about a bouquet of missing roses, called in the calligrapher for a quick place card fix, rearranged the dessert menu twice, and hunted down a maid for an incident involving a broken vase. That was all, of course, before breakfast. He'd only gotten down a cup of coffee before being whisked off again, this time to deal with a tablecloth mishap. The designer had sewn a dozen that were noticeably off color, and he'd had to send for an emergency seamstress to set everything right.

Now he was in the ballroom. He wasn't sure why he was there, so he pulled his notepad from his suit pocket and thumbed through to his schedule. He'd already dealt with the nervous guest that had arrived a day early; they were being entertained by his mother in the tearoom. That left the appointment with the musician, the one who was supposed to play before the last band. He took a deep breath and glanced over to the nearest wall. His image was reflected in one of the gilded candelabras. The front of his black vest was rumpled, so he smoothed it down, quickly combed a hand through his hair, and tidied his silver cufflinks. Then he slipped his notepad back into his pocket and waited, arms casually folded, for the stranger to arrive.

Rinlos had arrived at the Palace just thirty minutes ago, and was led to the ballroom to meet with one of the members of the family. They were not originally from this country, instead from the neighboring country of Kevra. As a result, they had a faint accent, which came through in his voice whenever he spoke. He was led into the ballroom, and approached the man standing there. They bowed. "Rinlos Tamare, at your service." he said in a respectful tone, standing straight again and looking Arquis in the eye. It was difficult for them, sometimes, to remember that to everyone they encountered, they were nobody. Not even a nephew of the king. He was nothing. Even to his father, he didn't matter that much. Just the bastard child conceived with a courtesan. Rin was lucky the king had chosen to take him in, and they had been reminded of that constantly as a child.

Arquis looked the stranger up and down before giving him a polite smile. He nodded at the maid that had brought them in, and she gathered her skirts before heading for the nearest door.

"Arquis de Vey," he replied, gesturing to himself with a gloved hand. "I'm delighted to meet your acquaintance. I'll show you to your guest room in just a moment, but I'd like to run through the schedule first. Today will be a free day. You'll have time to wander the grounds as you please. There will be lunch from one to three, though we offer coffee, tea, and assorted pastries all day in our tearooms. Dinner will be from five to seven. You'll take both meals in the dining suite unless you'd prefer them in your room, which can certainly be arranged. As for tomorrow, breakfast will be earlier than usual–we prefer to get it out of the way on the days that we host parties. Lunch will be brought directly to your room, and then dinner, of course, will be at the party. You will only be playing for a little while, so you'll have time to eat with the rest of the guests." He paused and glanced at a passing butler, then looked back to the musician. "Do you have any questions? Or- ah, well, has someone offered to take your belongings already?"

Rin nodded, taking in Arquis' words quietly. "I see." he said. "Yes, someone took my bag." he traveled light; just one big knapsack to hold most of his belongings. "Is there a specific kind of music that you would prefer me to play? I am assuming no bawdy bar songs, yes?" they played a lot of those; they often stayed at taverns and inns and paid for their night by entertaining other guests for the evening, as well as helping out with other things. "Any guidelines you would prefer I choose music by, or have you chosen the music for me?" he didn't mind if their music had been chosen for them, they just wanted to know.

He smiled again. "No, no bar songs. There will be a little alcohol, but not much. As I said earlier, you won't be playing for long, so I suggest anywhere from four to five shorter songs. Classical music or quiet folk songs will work fine. I don't have any specific choices in mind, though I could always consult a professional if that would please you."

"No no, no need to consult a professional. I do know what would be appropriate, and there is no need." they waved a hand, already considering what songs they could choose from. "What of the language involved? Would you prefer music in your language, or am I free to sing songs in my own?"

An older woman with braided hair came up beside Arquis. He didn't recognize her until she pulled out a massive book and flipped several pages in. Written in a cursive was a request from the guest that had arrived early. She'd apparently finished her breakfast with his mother and was now sending her maid to ask where the soap was for the bath. The old maid offered him a pen, and he wrote a quick description of where the toiletry cabinet would be in her bathroom. Then she left. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a long, deep breath before realizing that he still had company.

"My apologies, everything tends to be busy the day before an event. Anyways, I believe we were talking about music? You had asked… ah, right, the language. Yes, my language would be best. Most of the people attending will be from this country, and though there is a diversity of language here, a majority will speak my tongue."

(is there a name for Arquis's country? or?)

"Of course, I understand." Rin replied, inclining their head. "I know of songs that will fit the criteria, not to worry." he already had half of them planned, and his left fingers twitched as he played through them mentally. "My thanks." he was tired and a bit travel-stained; they had had a long day of travel, and when this cnoversation was over, they fully intended to take a long, hot bath.

(It's called Anvillea. Also, sorry for this next bit, it's a bit long but I figured it'd be less boring to have the walking/stairs part done in one go than for us to have to go back and forth with it.)

"Excellent. Now, let me guide you to your room. These halls can be a bit confusing, so I advise that you ask for assistance if you ever get lost. Someone will direct you to where you need to go."

Once he was finished talking, he took off towards the double doors in the back corner of the ballroom. They opened up into the foyer, and instead of heading to the grand staircase, he went to the smaller door on the left. That led to the side staircase, which stretched up to the second guest relaxation lounge. The room was small with lots of natural light pouring in through the windows. They all looked out over the forest, which was a vibrant display of autumn reds, yellows, and oranges. Every few seconds a gentle gust of wind would send leaves showering down from the trees onto the main walkway.

He quickly glanced over the rest of the lounge. Surprisingly, everything else seemed to be in place. The little porcelain tea set on the unlit fireplace was sitting beside a fresh bouquet of golden chrysanthemums. On the table in the center of the room was an array of worn books, each with their own bookmark. There was also a pitcher of clean water with a lid and a stack of crystal glasses. The nearby couch, which was stuffed with fluffy feathers, was draped with soft, freshly washed cotton blankets.

Arquis walked through the room into another side hallway. The floor was made of cherry wood, and the walls were painted a creamy white. He opened the third door on the right with his master key and slipped inside. Like all of the guest rooms, the space was cozy. The window at the back was covered with a thin curtain to let only a decent amount of light in. The bed was plush and covered with handmade quilts as well as a few plump pillows. There was a small bedside table with a welcome basket containing perfumed flowers, a case of fruit-filled chocolates, and a little lavender candle. Next to it was a lamp with a painted lampshade.

He put his key back into his pocket, retrieved the proper one from the bedside table, and finally turned to offer it to the musician. "Does this look alright to you? If not, I can have arrangements made."

(alright great, thanks!)

Rin looked around the room, then returned his gaze to Arquis. "This is fine. Thank you." he smiled a little. "Much nicer than some of the places I've slept recently, that's for sure." last night had been spent in a cheap tavern, and they dearly hoped they hadn't caught lice from that bed. The night before had been in the hay in someone's barn. He slept in a lot of different places, to be honest, and a place like this was a luxury that he was going to enjoy for as long as he could.

Arquis smiled as gently as he could and rubbed at the back of his neck. The fabric of the glove made his skin itch. “Yes, I’ve read that the life of a traveling musician can be difficult, which is why I’m quite glad that the room is to your liking.” He let his hand drop. “Well, I’ll leave you to get settled in. As I said earlier, you have some time to wander about, but you could always take a nap if you’re tired. The free time is yours to spend as you please.”

He pivoted on his heel and walked to the door. Then, suddenly, he stopped. He wrung his hands together and bit his bottom lip, glad that the musician couldn’t see his face.

“If it is- if at all possible, I’d advise that you stay out of the way of my mother, Muria. She, ah, doesn’t- she doesn’t always enjoy the company of others.” The last part of the sentence dropped to a whisper. He then cleared his throat and, as if he hadn’t said anything at all, headed back down the hall.

(Ooh uhm…maybe we could just timeskip? Rin doesn't have the kind of personality to immediately search for Muria (too much fear that she'd kick him out ig))

Rin nodded a bit. At Arquis's words about Muria, he tipped his head in curiousity, but didn't press. Once Arquis was gone, he grabbed some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom, intending to draw a bath and bathe himself.

(alright! I choose to make it one character centric, then, with a focus on Arquis; Quirisa and Marsiquia will still be important, but they’ll be more of side characters. and I’ll start it up again with that time skip! imagine a couple of hours have passed)

Lunch came sooner than Arquis had expected. He found himself in the dining hall at around two thirty in the afternoon, just after the main castle staff finished with their meal. There were a few people left at the tables. He recognized his sister at the one on the far left and went to join her.

“Good afternoon, Marsi,” he said, trying for a smile. She beamed back and slid him an empty mug. Her brown hair was done in an intricate braid, and her bangs framed her face. The ribbon in the braid was the same powder blue as her dress.

“I looked for you earlier, but I couldn’t find you,” she chirped. “I wanted to ask if I could change my dress for tomorrow. The brown one just doesn’t look right, I think I’d rather wear the pink.”

“You don’t really need my permission for that, Marsi,” he replied, though they both knew it was a lie. Everything related to the party had to be verified by him; that was his duty.

They lapsed into silence. A butler came up beside him and poured coffee into his mug. It was his second cup of the day, though it wouldn’t be his last. He’d have another after dinner with Muria. The thought made him shudder inwardly, and he busied himself with sipping his drink to avoid meeting his sister’s eyes. When he was done with the mug, he put it to the side and began to scan the hall, desperate for a reprieve from the awkward situation.

(alright, makes sense, thanks!)
(also i gtg soon, and I probably won't be too active tomorrow sorry)

Rin arrived to lunch quietly. He had bathed and wahsed and changed, and looked better than he had earlier, travel-stained and weary. He inclined his head to Arquis. "I hope I am not late." he said as he took a seat at the table, getting some food. "I was rehearsing some of the pieces for tomorrow, and I'm afraid I rather lost track of time." the smile that they gave was soft and apologetic, even as he poured himself a glass of water.