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

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

Quirisa stopped before she was all the way out and turned around. Her heels clicked as she stormed back. She stopped before Rinlos and crossed her arms.

“You were in his room last night,” she said in an accusatory tone. She drummed her fingernails against her forearm and quirked her head. “What were you doing?”

“Quirisa,” Arquis yelped, “that isn’t any of your business!”

She leaned forward and pressed her hands down on Rinlos’s armrests. The slight smirk on her face was challenging.

“You’re my brother. It is my business. Now, come on, give me an answer. What were you two doing?”

Rin blinked up at her, not visibly reacting to how close she was, nor to the fact that she had trapped him in his seat. "First, kindly take a step back. I don't like being trapped." he replied, keeping his voice calm and even. "Secondly, your brother and I are both adults and are responsible for ourselves and ourselves only. All due respect, but I do not answer to you." technically, he outranked Quirisa, even if this was not Kevra. Technically, Quirisa had no right to challenge him. But that was not a card he was ever going to pull; not unless he had no other choice.

She disappeared from sight. Three seconds later, she was standing against the opposite wall, tugging her heels off and sliding down to the floor. She roughly pulled her hair out of her bun, made a slingshot with her fingers, and shot the hair tie at Arquis. It bounced off the back of his chair and landed on his lap.

“Yeah, yeah, no need to get all pissed. I’m just messing with you.” She kicked one leg over the other casually. “I don’t care if you and him did the horizontal tango. I’m much more interested in why you’re still hanging around him now. One night stands usually end after one night. Hence the name.” Her grin stretched into a near snarl. “Now, I wonder why someone might try and get on brother dearest’s good side. It certainly wouldn’t have anything to do with his inheritance; no, that’s not it at all. I’m sure you like him for his sparkling personality.”

“Quirisa, that’s enough.”

Her personality changed in an instant. She sat up straight, her eyes going cold. “Did he ask to stay? Even one day—did he ask?”

“I’m not sure why that is relevant,” he answered, a little thrown off.

She smiled, satisfied. “So they did. One day turns into two days, two days turns into a week. Before you know it, he’s living in the Palace all year round, leeching off of your fortune. Isn’t that right?”

Rin frowned, pushing up from his seat and watching Quirisa. "I have no interest in your brother's money. I have no need of it." true in more ways than Quirisa and Arquis knew. "In addition to that, I enjoy wandering far too much to stay in one place for too long." this was both true and not, at the same time. Yes, he enjoyed wandering, but some days he longed for home. For somewhere to stay longer than a week. But he knew that even if he went home, he would want to wander again eventually. "Now, do stop smearing me in an attempt to insult your brother. I do not pretend to understand the complexities of your relationship, as I have no siblings myself," false, he had a half-sister, but they were too far apart in age for any kinds of trouble like this, "but I do not want to be brought into this argument."

“You’re right. Not about whatever else you said, I wasn’t paying attention. But about the relationship thing. You’re wrong if you think I’m just trying to insult him. I mean, that’s definitely part of it, but that’s not the whole picture.”

She stood up and reached around to the back of her dress. Her focus switched to Arquis. He sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. She undid her zipper in one single movement, but before her dress could come off she turned invisible again. It fell in a puddle onto the ground beside her discarded heels.

“I’m going to my room,” her disembodied voice called, “in case you’re interested, lover boy.”

Arquis groaned. As soon as the door creaked and shut, he turned to Rinlos. His eyes were apologetic. “My apologies, that was so unprofessional. She should not have acted in such a way. I hope… I hope she did not offend you.”

Rin cleared his throat loudly as Quirisa turned invisible and left, looking up at the ceiling as if he suddenly found it very interested. Normally he would not have minded the invitation, but he could tell there was something more going on here, and he very much did not want to be drawn into the midst of…whatever this was. Whatever the drama here was, whatever family secrets might have been at work here, he wanted no part of this. He looked at Arquis, taking a deep breath. "It was quite unprofessional." he agreed. "And while I'm not offended, I am…" he trailed off, trying to think of the correct word to use in this situation. "confused, perhaps, would be the best word." his eyebrows drew together faintly as they studied the nobleman.

“Whatever the social expectations or guidelines are for a situation, Quirisa wishes to bend them until they break,” Arquis replied, feeling very tired. He supposed there was a reason for it; he’d been working hard the past few weeks, and his body was exhausted from the episode in the ballroom. He supposed he also was tired of his sister. She had a way of getting under his skin. “She is always looking for a fight, whether it is on the verbal or physical battlefield. She excels at finding weak spots and digging in until the other party relents. But she is not randomly or unnecessarily cruel. In this case, for example, I believe she thought she was protecting me. Possibly even apologizing for her rudeness yesterday.”

He realized he’d started to ramble and pursed his lips together in embarrassment. There was something about the bard that made them easy to talk to. He hoped Quirisa wasn’t right, but he somehow doubted she was. Rinlos seemed like a genuinely good person; they hadn’t taken advantage of him, and they’d been presented with multiple opportunities to do so.

“I am sorry, Rinlos.” He looked straight at the musician, hoping that he could see how genuine he was. “She should not have implied such negative things about your character. You have shown me nothing but kindness, and my family has brought you only trouble.”

He got to his feet and offered a gloved hand to Rinlos. “I have an idea. Before you have to go onstage, would you like to see something? Consider it a repayment for my sister’s rudeness.”

Rin listened to Arquis's explanation, dipping his head in acknowledgement of the nobleman's words. He took Arquis's hand, shrugging a shoulder. "Sure. We just cannot take too long, as I will need to be onstage eventually." they smiled lightly at him. "And as for what your sister said of my character…" he waved a hand vaguely. "It is alright. She knows nothing of me, only the standard reputation for bards. And, if she was indeed only trying to protect you, then…" they trailed off.

Arquis led Rinlos through the hall to a set of red double doors. A maid with a silver platter of pastries pushed them open and curtsied to him as she passed. Blended aromas of baking bread, melted cheese, herbs and spices, and a hint of something sweet wafted through the air around him as he entered the room.

The main kitchen was busy this time of day. Chefs, butlers, and maids scurried about, dolloping sauce onto roast meat and dicing vegetables. A few had formed an efficient line in which one popped the tops off wine or sparkling juice, the next poured it out into glasses, another arranged them on a tray, and the last brought them out to the crowds. Two small teams of pastry chefs were dusting the tops of soufflés with powdered sugar, piping cream between layers of miniature cakes, drizzling caramel onto coffee liqueur cream puffs, and dipping madeleines into chocolate. Another group was on dinner duty; they barely had time to look up from their sautéed mushrooms.

One of the head chefs noticed him standing by the entry. They quickly wiped their hands on their apron and barked an order to a waiter before hurrying over.

“Everything is running smoothly, sir!” they reported dutifully, smiling.

“Yes, you all have done a wonderful job.”

Their grin widened at the praise. “Thank you! We do try our best.” Almost as an afterthought, they added, “Is there something you came for, sir?”

“I was planning on showing my guest the candy suite. It shouldn’t be in use today, correct?”

“That’s correct. We’re doing pastries and desserts, not candies, so everyone’s out on the main floor.”

“Wonderful,” Arquis said, giving them an approving nod. They went back to work while he gestured at Rinlos to follow him.

He walked around the edge of the room to avoid bumping into anyone. In the far corner was a set of stairs that led to a vacant room. The walls of the room were lined with shelves holding ingredients ranging from sugar to vanilla beans to peppermint leaves. Connected to the shelves were short counters. Each counter was loaded with items: dainty packages with bows, small pouches of wrapped mints and caramels, whisks and bowls and baking sheets, bottles of syrup and clean hand towels, cups with lollipops, and so much more. It was organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless.

“The Palace sells candy to distributors all around the world. I… I used to come up here when I was a child and wanted a distraction.” He smiled faintly. “We do not have to stay long, but I thought you might be interested in seeing it.”

Rin looked around the candy suite curiously, studying the chaos with a soft smile. "This is fascinating." he inhaled, laughing a little. "I can smell the sweets." he commented, looking over at Arquis for a moment, then around the room again. He didn't touch anything, merely looked at everything around him with a smile. "It is a wonderful set-up you have here, too."

(oops sorry I’m sick and I totally crashed yesterday!)

Arquis smiled back in response. “You can try anything, if you’d like. They won’t notice; they sneak candy all the time while working.”

He walked over to one of the cabinet and examined a stack of jars. They each had a little label on the front that was decorated with patterns. “Let’s see… the one on the bottom here is peppermint candies. I believe they’re the ones meant to melt in your mouth, kind of like ice. This one above it is pomegranate flavored, and it has a gummy texture. Then there’s ruby chocolate and…” He moved over to another cabinet and looked at a row of boxes. “Licorice, taffy, candy coated almonds, coffee chews, and some… oh! I remember these!”

The candy that he fished out of a glass cup was a lollipop in a plastic wrapper. It was shaped in a perfectly smooth sphere. Decorating it were flecks of gold, but it was mainly colored a soft creamy shade. He hesitated for a moment. He didn’t allow himself sweets, normally. But this wasn’t exactly a normal occasion. He undid the wrapper and tossed it into a bin, then tentatively licked at the candy. It tasted just as he’d remembered: sweet like coconut with a touch of vanilla.

He was surprised that he didn’t feel guilty. There was just something so nice about indulging. He leaned back on his forearms against the counter, stuck the lollipop in his mouth, and gestured with a tip of his head.

“Really, Rinlos. If you see anything you like, go on and try it. I promise I won’t mind.”

(it's fine! No worries!)

Rin nodded a little, smiling at the sight of the nobleman with the lollipop sticking from his mouth. He reached out, takign a candy and popping it into his own mouth, closing his eyes to enjoy it. "Mm. This is really good." he said, once he had swallowed and his mouth was no longer full. "Thank you, Arquis."

He popped the lollipop out of his mouth and licked at it a few more times before replying, “There is no need to thank me. If you’d like to take more with you, feel free to do so. We often end up with a little left over—it is better if it doesn’t go to waste.”

A quiet noise came from somewhere in the left of the room. It was a clock, chiming away the hour. He squinted at it before sighing and leaning back to his feet.

“You’ll be playing in twenty minutes, I believe. The party will finish about an hour after your performance.” The weight of it settled in his chest. Rinlos would really be leaving the next morning. “I suppose this might be our last chance to meet.”

Rin's gaze moved to Arquis again, and he nodded slightly. "It may." he replied in a quiet tone, looking at the nobleman. "I'm grateful for the time we had, though. It was…nice." he took another piece of candy, popping it into his mouth, and looking over at Arquis.

The hand not holding the lollipop unconsciously crept up to his undone tie and began to fidget with the ends. The more he tugged at it, the more neck it exposed. He raked that same hand through his hair, mussing it further, before letting it drop to his side.

He took a small step closer and placed the lollipop back in his mouth. It was almost gone at this point. That seemed oddly symbolic. Soon, it would be completely finished, and there would be no sweetness left, nothing to cheer him up. He realized that he wasn’t really thinking of the lollipop and went pink in the face. Oh, he was pathetic.

“Well. I should show you back to the ballroom, shouldn’t I?” he asked, not moving.

He hummed faintly, finishing the candy in his mouth. "If you feel we should, yes." he replied, blinking over at Arquis and giving him a faint smile. He wished faintly that he could stay longer, but knew it could cause trouble if he did, knew it would not end well. This was nice, but it would not last.

(sooo how are we going to get Rin to stay longer, or? what are you planning on having happen? Bc I'm fine if we want to injure him/have him suddenly fall ill as a reason for him to stay, unless you have a plan in mind?)

(I was thinking about having it snow in the early morning and blizzard the next few days so that he’d physically be trapped, but we could also definitely have Rinlos fall ill overnight—that would also work really well. or maybe a combination of both? let me know what you think!)

Arquis tossed his lollipop into a bin and did up his tie. Then, he headed to the door. Every eye in the kitchen was on him as he crossed through the room, back out into the hall, and all the way to one of the entries to the ballroom. Three young boys darted past them, followed by a frazzled mother in a fur shrug.

He turned to Rinlos and nodded, not quite looking in their eyes. “I hope your performance goes well. I look forward to it.”

(maybe a combo of both?? Maybe it snows and he goes out in it and then gets sick?)

Rinlos gave Arquis another quick smile, tugging on the cuffs of his own jacket. "Thank you, Arquis." he replied, gently brushing a hand on Arquis's arm as he passed the nobleman on their way into the ballroom. They would be playing soon, and he wanted to get onstage and ensure his instrument was tuned up. There was nothing worse than beginning a performance and realizing that their instrument was out of tune.

(haha I was planning on eventually having a similar plot line with Arquis, that’s why he can’t go in the cold—perhaps they could go out together and then when Arquis gets ill everyone blames it on Rinlos? which would mean he’d have to stay at the Palace to be investigated)

Arquis began to push his way through the crowd again. He felt the lingering warmth of the touch all the way to his throne, where he sat heavily, feeling terribly torn up inside. Someone exclaimed something to his side and came over.

“Arquis! Are you alright? You looked pale, and then you just disappeared,” Marsiquia cried, then pursed her lips in worry. “Do you need to rest? You have been pushing yourself awfully hard lately.”

“I’m fine, Marsi. Thanks.”

Someone else approached beside her: Carsui, her boyfriend. His eyes flickered between the two of them before landing on Marsiquia.

“He looks like he needs space, love. Let’s go dance, maybe give him some room,” he said softly. She agreed and let him lead her away, his hand resting comfortingly on her back.

Arquis tilted his head back. Soon, Rinlos would be playing on the stage behind him, and he wanted to hear it.

(yeah that works!)
(btw the song he's singing is "Red is the Rose", you can find plenty of covers online)

Rin quietly tuned his instrument while the other music group continued to play. Only once they were done did he strum a bit louder. Once he was satisfied that all the strings were tuned to his contentment, he began to play for real, strumming the chords with a light touch, then finally transitioning into a real song. He sang along as well, focused on the instrument in his hands. "Red is the rose, that in yonder garden grows. Fair is the lily, of the valley." their voice was a gentle tenor, and quite easy to listen to, with a smooth tonality to it.

(aw it’s really pretty!)

The music brought a change over Arquis. All of the tension drained out of his frame, and he melted into his throne. He didn’t know the song, but the musician’s voice actually made him tear up. There was a simple vulnerability to it that hurt in a lovely way. He was glad his eyes were closed.

Thinking that he might never hear that voice again made him want to weep openly, but that would interrupt his listening, so he stayed as still as possible. He wanted the performance to continue forever.

(yeah it is!)

Rin continued to sing and play, focused on his music. As one song ended, he would allow a moment of silence before moving into the next, continuing to strum. Some were merely instrumental, and some he sang along to. Most were soft and calming, but still danceable. Only one or two were in Kevran; most were in the common, shared language between the two countries.

(lol sorry this is a bit long, also after Rinlos’s next part should I time skip to the next morning? unless there’s something major you’d like to happen that night)

Someone poked Arquis’s arm during one of the later songs, and he jolted up in his seat. It was Marsiquia again. She leaned forward and gently pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. He could smell her floral lotion and see a few sparkles under her fingernails.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, I just thought you might be ill. You looked like you were sleeping.” She lowered her voice and whispered, barely audible over the crowd, “People have begun to talk. There are some nasty rumors spreading.”

“I didn’t mean to alarm anyone, Marsi, I was just enjoying the music.”

“It isn’t just that. I heard someone say that you looked like you were going to faint earlier, and then you ran off with- oh. Oh, Arquis.” Her big blue eyes widened with recognition. “It’s him, isn’t it? They said you ran out with a bard. And you two were together yesterday as well—he came to lunch with us.”

“I just think they’re talented. That is it.”

“I don’t believe you, Arquis. You look different.”

“You were right earlier. I’m tired. Nothing more.”

She quirked her head to the side. “Your tie is askew, and your hair is messier than normal. Your face was flushed when you came back in the ballroom. You-”

“Marsiquia, please,” he said, and the pain in his voice startled him. It was like a whimper from a wounded animal. “Muria cannot find out. Please, leave it be.”

“Alright.” And then, a beat later, “Alright. But you should head up to bed so that people aren’t suspicious. I’ll support the rumor that you caught ill.”

The thought of leaving the performance made his chest seize up, but he gritted his teeth and stood. “Fine. I’ll go. But who will see the party through to its end?”

“Muria, Carsui, and I will, and if I need to I’ll send for Quirisa to come back. We can handle it.”

He left the ballroom with wet eyes, ducking his head to avoid stares, and began the slow ascent to his room. Luckily for him, it was mostly a back way; there was nobody to pull him aside. Once his door was closed, he crawled onto his bed, pulled his knees to his chest, and tried to breathe.

(it's fine! Go ahead :) )

Rin registered faintly when Arquis left, but didn't interrupt his playing to say anything about it. He hoped Arquis was feeling alright; with nearly fainting earlier and then the way his face seemed to be flushed recently, Rin hoped that the nobleman had not caught some sort of sickness or bug. He continued to play and sing until his time was up, and then he set his instrument aside and got off the stage, letting the next music group take their place and begin. They melted into the crowd, speaking with some and laughing with others, making his way to the food to grab a plate. He was hungry.

[Day Three]

When Arquis awoke at five the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that he was screaming. Traces of his nightmare were still fresh in his memory. He could see his father’s stiff, blank, blurry face coming closer to him, as if he’d been drifting through water. He shook his head and scrambled to push his sheets away from his body.

That was when he noticed the second thing: his room was absolutely freezing. He began to shiver almost immediately. He stumbled over to his wardrobe, pulled out a thin coat, and threw it on over his outfit. He was still wearing his vest and pants from the previous night; he’d been so distressed that he hadn’t bothered changing.

When he went to his window, he found himself staring down at a vast expanse of white. His heart skipped a beat. A massive snowstorm seemed to have arrived overnight. Strange for the autumn, but certainly not impossible. Frost curled in a beautiful display on his window, and he traced it absentmindedly with a gloved finger.

Then he snapped to attention. If it was snowing so heavily, Rinlos wouldn’t have been allowed to leave. He raced into his bathroom, washed off in hot water, cleaned up his face and hair, and got dressed all within the span of half an hour. Not even bothering to consider his duties, he walked briskly down to the musician’s door and anxiously knocked on it.