forum Tired-but-passionate

Started September 12, 2023 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

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@Tired-but-passionate
I didn't know what to name this lol. I'll put up a better prompt today.

Hi! I’m here :)

Hello :D I'm at work rn and I'm studying for a test. But I'll post a prompt before the end of day.

Yeah I’m at school atm. No worries

(Whoopsies, meant to send this sooner. Life happened)

The Kingdom of Vallasaria has been at war for five years now. Five years of death and sorrow and misery. Their bordering kingdom, Venia, has been attempting to invade them. Vallasaria has held strong so far, but their lines are beginning to crumble. Their allies have all but disappeared. Trade has slowly diminished as Venia has threatened to attack them next. Vallasaria is bordered by an ocean, Venia, and a neutral kingdom that refuses to get involved in their conflict. King Everand has all but exhausted his options. He needed allies and quickly. And the fastest way would be through marriage of his firstborn and heir, Everand the Second.
A messenger raven was sent to their last remaining hope, Ensian, a kingdom residing on an island miles away from the mainland. Their navy was legendary and could be the tipping point in the war. It could mean the difference between life and death.
A deal was struck and so it would be.

(Sorry that is so short. The creative juices were not flowing)

(lil character sheet)

Name:
Age:
Sexual orientation:
Appearance:
Personality:
Other:

Name: Theo Ilyani
Age: 24
Sexual orientation: ace homoromantic
Appearance: with a slender, soft yet angular frame, he stands at about 5’11 with a narrow face with prominent cheek bones and an olive complexion. Almond shaped/ mono-lid eyes with warm brown irises that look almost gold in the right lighting. His hair is wavy, swept to the side and raven-colored. They used to wear it short, but recently they’ve been growing it out and wearing it in a few simple styles. A birthmark in the shape of a bird in flight on his right thigh. I imagine he wears something like this https://pin.it/4u6FqsB or this https://pin.it/36sLTW5, frequently combining black or other dark colors with very light, pastel ones. I imagine he is also the type to wear long skirts with ruffles or lace occasionally.
Personality: (annoying bully voice) neeeeerrrrrrddddd! But seriously, once you get past all the walls of good natured indifference, they show that they have a serious, sometimes obsessive, passion for both broad and specific topics. The main ones he’s been interested in for most of his life was forest wildlife, both in general and specifically reptiles and amphibians, horror and murder mystery novels, long-range combat, and how tea is produced. Usually that’s all kept hidden away though, as he is a bit of a solitary soul and a man of few words, and reveals certain sides of himself only when he feels safe or comfortable enough to do so. Though considered a very logical person, or at least employs logic in their actions and thought process, they are also very emotional. However, they rarely make decisions based in emotion. He’ll probably go somewhere by himself to cry or scream into his pillow, but he’ll come back with an entire plan or response in mind. Unfortunately, this also makes him rather useless when he is in an emotional state, often paralyzed by his feelings.
Other: he possesses the ability to communicate with most reptiles, developed his magic as a young child, and made friends with two snakes who visit him from time to time

The kingdom is Lautraka? Hope that sounds good

Name: Prince Everand Callistar the Second
Age: Twenty-three
Sexual orientation: Bisexual
Appearance: Everand is the spitting image of his father, only twenty years younger. The portraits hung on the walls of his father when he was Everand's age were often confused as the crown prince himself. It had gotten so bad that plaques had to be placed around the galleries of any paintings of the king in his younger ages to specify that it was indeed the king and not the crown prince. His hair is cropped on the sides and his hair left long and curly on the top. It was a soft shade of ash-brown hair. His eyes were a striking blue color, perhaps even more vibrant than his father's. He's six foot even. He has a slender, athletic build. Years of training had defined his body but he never quite packed on muscle like the guards he often trained with. One of the only differences from his father who had a slightly bigger build than himself. He had a strong jaw and a slight aquiline nose. There was a bump on the bridge of his nose that was larger than he preferred.
Personality: One of the biggest differences between Everand and Everand II, was that the latter preferred to keep to himself. The king, even in his youth, was rather outgoing and social. He would always be seen going into the city and talking to the people. His son was not like that. Not in the slightest. Everand II preferred to keep to himself. He preferred the company of his books or the few friends that he had made. His friends weren't ones his parents particularly agreed with, as they were the soldiers who guarded the palace. But they were who Everand had chosen and they were just happy that he was socializing. It wasn't as if he had social anxiety or anything. He just genuinely did not like people. He could carry a conversation easily but he was just more content to stick with himself or his spare few friends.
Other: He has two younger sisters and one younger brother.

(adhkqjiqrffjaij uhhhhhh pretend I posted this like three days haha. I was dealing with work drama and studying for exams)

Prince Everand Callistar the Second truly did resent his name. It was one of the few things he despised his father for. He couldn't for the life of him understand why his father would name him after himself. Well, he did in a way. See, his parents had tried and failed to have a child for the first few years of their marriage. Several miscarriages and illnesses plagued his mother. So when she finally fell pregnant with Everand II and carried him to term, it had been a miracle and his father declared that it had been his own strength that he had been born and that the child would be named after him. The queen hadn't been all too happy with that but she couldn't very well say no to him. Because of his resentment of his name, Everand II preferred to go by Ever. It was much easier and less confusing at court. All of his friends and family, and generally most of the court referred to him as Ever, or Prince Ever. He would have gone by his middle name instead but it was so much worse than Everand and should never be spoken into existence again.

His kingdom had been at war for the last five years, thanks to the reigning monarch of Venia. Venia's kingdom craved the land and resources that Vallasaria had. Ever's kingdom had an excellent trade established. The ocean allowed for their main revenue to be fish. The ocean also provided better transportation of these trades and could implement taxes to those kingdoms who wished to port and trade goods through their kingdom. Financially, they were a wealthy kingdom. And Venia wanted that. Because of the war, Vallasaria's trade had slowly begun to diminish, due to the conflict. They wanted to remain neutral in this war and did not want to jeopardize angering Venia. They were a much larger kingdom than most surrounding kingdoms and those that Vallasaria had established trade with. And much larger than Vallasaria as well.
There seemed to be no end in sight for this war. Vallasaria's lines were beginning to buckle and the people's faith in their monarch was fading. Where were their allies? Where was help? What was the royal family truly doing? If only they knew that the king and queen had exhausted every option. All but one, marriage alliances. Their oldest son and daughter would have their marriages arranged to strike up an alliance with two other kingdoms. In exchange for their assistance in this war, new trade negotiations would be drawn. Tax exemptions on all ships making their way to port and goods traded in and out of their kingdom, along with discounted goods on any and all goods traded from Vallasaria. This, among other things, would hopefully be tempting enough to strike up a deal.
The first kingdom to strike their interest in this marriage alliance was Lautraka, on the condition that the marriage alliance was to the heir to the throne, meaning Prince Everand the Second, who despised all thoughts of being forced to marry. Especially someone incompetent. But the king and queen felt they had no choice, really, there was no other choice for them. So the deal was struck and their selected child would be shipped to Vallasaria to marry the crown prince and only then would their be armada be sent to aid in this war.

Today was the day that Ever was to meet his betrothed and tomorrow he would be married by noon. He despised it and he despised his parents for this. he understood the necessity of it but his parents knew of his wishes. They had promised him at an early age that he would be free to marry whom he chose. And now they were going back on their word. Promises meant everything to him, and if they could not keep their word, how could he ever trust them? He had been in relations with a lord's daughter. No one knew of it save his mother and one of his sisters. Her family hadn't even known. Perhaps he would have even married her one day, had they been allowed to continue their relations. But his mother made him end it the day the marriage alliance had been struck. And he had. Despite his disgust of this arranged marriage, he would not do either of them he disservice by being married to one and having an affair with the other. It did not matter if many men in his position had affairs, he was not cruel. He understood the turmoil it put people through, he had seen what it had done to his mother, despite his parents "being in love." He would not wish that upon anyone.
He was sitting in the library, hiding away from the world, and hiding from his parents and the arrival of his betrothed. He did not want to meet him. He didn't want to meet the person ruining his life. He had done well so far of escaping his parents and the attendants they had sent looking for him. It also helped the librarian loved Ever and wouldn't betray him in such a way. The older woman looked at him like he was the son she had lost to war. And if he needed sanctuary in her library, she would give it to him as long as he needed, even if she disapproved of a time like this. He had already dismissed her words encouraging him to join his family. He couldn't, he just couldn't.

The king and queen of Vallasaria awaited in the throne room along with their children save Ever. It was evident on their faces that they were upset their first born had evaded him and was ignoring them and his betrothed. They would certainly have words about it later when Ever made himself known. But there was no more time left to search for him. The trumpets had been sounded, announcing the arrival of this prince and he would be walking through the doors to the throne room any second now.
Unbeknownst to all of them, Prince Ever was watching from his seat along the window, watching as the prince arrived in the courtyard and disappeared into the palace.

Lautraka was a relatively safe place. A chain of islands miles away from any potential rival nations, it had been very divided between different tribes of people until about a hundred years ago, when it was unified under the Ilyani Dynasty. The tribes hold a peace held together by shared religion, language, and magic. Of course, there were slight differences, but not enough to break the peace. Together, they created a nation-state built from, on, and with water. It rained frequently. Beasts lurked below the waves. But the sea was in their veins too, and they could tame it. As such, their navy and armadas were unlike any other. Their trade routes were fast and convenient. They learned to use their resources well, and so did not need to conquer others for more. Resources were best gained through business.
But nothing was ever perfect, of course. King Sareth was not a kind-hearted ruler. People lived to work and worked to live. And, more importantly to the king, Lautraka held little sway over the world. Others saw you as a thing to be conquered. It was what happened when you were small and sought no conflict. Initially, Lautraka was indifferent to the plight of Vallasaria on the mainland. But then news of marriage alliances came, and the deal looked too sweet to pass up. Better to make friends than enemies, right? King Sareth’s son was perfect for it. Timid, obedient, and… a burden. It was no matter that he would be marrying another man, heirs could be gotten by other means. Even if this meant that Lautraka was now at war with Venia, with their strong armies, things would hopefully turn out well. And so, King Sareth’s son was sent all the way to Vallasaria without a second thought.
Vallasaria was not safe. Theo was quite aware of this. He watched as the sky above lightened as the ship they were aboard left the rains of Lautraka behind. Despite being accompanied by attendants and the snakes hidden his clothes, he felt very alone. Their father looked indifferent as he told them the news. Their mother was happy for him, even. He was sent away not two days after being told where he was going. So quick, so sudden. Did his parents really think of him so lowly? It was true that they seemed rather secondary compared to their sister, but he had done so much to prove himself, so much to please. And they couldn’t shed a tear for them? What had they done that was so wrong? Theo knew it was best to just focus on what was ahead, but these thoughts kept turning in their mind.
When the ship came to port, Theo kept looking to the sky. A pure blue sky was rare in Lautraka. There was little rain here. The sun flashed in his eyes, and he looked away. They were escorted to the capital city, where a welcoming party continued the journey to the palace. Everything was large and stony and bustling with activity. It all seemed to pass Theo by in a few moments. He soon found themself crossing the courtyard and into the palace doors with his attendants and the snake companions, ready to present himself to the king and queen of Vallasaria, and meet their betrothed.

King Everand and his wife were sat upon their thrones in the throne room, awaiting the arrival of the foreign prince. Their two daughters and youngest son stood on either side of them. The prince by his father and the daughters by their mother. While their first child had taken a long time to come into this world, miscarriages and illness ridding of the ones before him, the other children came relatively quick and smoothly. A sign that the gods were in fact not angry with them. That they had needed that conflict in their lives to further their strength and union. As if the king did not regularly hold affairs with women of the court.
King Everand looked at his youngest son. "You did not find him?" The king was angry you see, his son was not here to meet his betrothed. He was engaged to be wed, wed tomorrow in fact. And the prince, Theo, was arriving today. Prince Everand should be here to meet his betrothed. To have some time together to know one another before they were tied together for the rest of their lives. He felt shame and guilt for having to promise Ever's hand to another, than same with his daughter. He and his wife had promised them that they would be free to marry as long as their chosen spouse be someone worthy of the position. Someone of high status and hopefully someone that could bring something to the kingdom. But war had it's ways of squeezing in and disrupting things. And this was one of them. He had exhausted all other options. He had no choice and Ever just couldn't seem to see that.
"No, father. If he does not want to be found he will not be." Ever had always had a habit of disappearing. Servants could look for him for days and yet he would not be found if he did not want to be. An annoying trait for a prince to have. The crown prince, at that. His presence was needed more and more these days and yet he seemed to disappear. He was not ready to take over the crown. Not for a long while. And if he could not own up to the responsibility, he would pass the crown on to his youngest boy. King Everand would not put his kingdom in jeopardy by letting a boy kind take over who had no interest in ruling.
He nodded his head to his son and gave his wife a solemn look. She pursed her lips together, clearly unhappy as well. He took a deep breath, loosing any signs of annoyance or anger. He was about to meet his future son-in-law. He wanted the prince to feel welcome. He would not scare him away by appearing angry to him. A steward came to the door, announcing the presence of the prince and the doors were opened.
King Everand smiled as the prince was revealed, his wife did the same. His children stood respectfully and tall. They were ready to welcome the prince with open arms, for they had no choice but to embrace him.

The doors to the throne room opened, and soon Theo’s eyes were searching. There was the king, the queen beside him, and their children around them… but only one of them looked male, and he seemed to be the youngest one there. It was impossible that the little boy should be his betrothed, and if he was, Theo would have no choice but to raise some concerns. No, it could only be that the one they were set to marry was not present. Once he became aware of that fact, Theo’s tired mind came to a stop. He was not here, and that meant proceedings could not continue. They no longer need to think of marriage, at least not right now. On the journey here, all they could think about was the past, how previous events led up to the current moment. But now that he had arrived and entered the palace, he started to realize that this was all really happening. The future was coming, and it was coming fast. By tomorrow afternoon, they would be a husband, a foreigner stuck in a foreign land, with a life of unknowns and uncertainties laid out before them. But for now, his betrothed was not here. The future was coming a little slower now.
Prince, a soft, hissing voice said. Do not forget where you are.
Theo blinked. Right. Vallasaria’s royal family stood before them. He stepped forward, put a hand to his chest, and bowed their head. He wore traditional Lautrakan garments with ornate jewelry decorating their skin and hair.
They cleared their throat. “Greetings, Your Majesties, Your Highnesses. King Sareth and Queen Aditya of Lautraka send you their regards.”

King Everand watched as the prince bowed his head in respect. Good, that was good. Relations with Lautraka were… strained at best. Communications were slight and trade even less so. He had no idea what this prince would look like or behave like. Whether his mannerism was well honed. But this marriage arrangement was crucial for Vallasaria's survival. They could not win this war without it. They would be obliterated. They needed the armada and soldiers. And thus they would have to deal with however their son behaved. Though on first impressions, he seemed to behave well enough. Now, if only his son was the same. It wasn't for lack of education and etiquette classes. He had. Prince Ever had been raised like any prince. And yet he had rebelled. It was unheard of, for a prince, a crown prince at that to rebel in such a way. Third and fourth sons were different. There was so much space between them and the heir it didn't matter as much, unless it came to a political play of marriages. But the heir? It was unheard of for them to rebel.
"Thank you and welcome, Prince Theo. My wife, Queen Verah and I, are delighted to have you hear with us. I do hope your journey was without conflict." He treated Theo with a welcoming voice. "You're journey has been a long one, you must be exhausted. Your rooms have already been prepared for you to freshen up and relax before dinner. We will be holding a feast in your honor tonight, before your wedding tomorrow. Everything has been taken care of you. There is nothing for you to worry about." Just as long as both princes showed up, everything should go smoothly.
"If you will follow Abram, he will show you to your room. Your things are being taken there as we speak." A butler stepped forward, dressed in the usual garb of the palace servants.