forum Pirates, I suppose

Started June 25, 2022 by @Calanthe

tune

Nathaniel looked very nervous, and he clearly didn't recognize Cadell. After all, he hadn't seen him since he was probably around five years old, and he wouldn't have interacted with him too much since he was a few years older. Cadell was more likely to have known Nathaniel's older brother, Lloyd, and Lloyd's death was very well known around the town. As much as Nathaniel's father tried to hush it up, it was hard to keep news like that away from the public. Lloyd was always too wrapped up in his studies and duties to really bother making friends, but he was usually cordial with visitors. Nathaniel was the one that always wanted to be social with visitors to the castle, and he was given more liberties since he wasn't the crown prince at the time.

"D… do you know who I am, or are you just making an assumption?" Nathaniel asked nervously, his voice quiet. "I haven't been allowed to leave for over a decade. Father always has meetings elsewhere so that strangers can't come here." He winced at the grip Cadell's crewmates had on him and shifted, his wings fluttering again, which sent a few pure white feathers floating to the ground. At Cadell's last statement, Nathaniel paled, feeling sick to his stomach. "The ship? W-What are you planning to do to me?" He asked weakly. "Where are you taking me? I'm not… I-I'm not allowed to leave the grounds…"

Cadell had always been somewhat good friends with Lloyd, the two having got along rather well since -for some odd reason- Cadell's older brothers never seemed to show that much interest in befriending the prince. So he knew for sure that that was not Lloyd, besides Lloyd had always been taller than Cadell, and his wings were different from his younger brother. Well, the issue being that he had never seen the younger prince's wings. Now although he had had access to 'rubbing shoulder's' with royalty, when he grew older and began to lose rights and privileges that his brothers still obtained, he began to distance himself from other nobility, and ultimately left the family when his father passed away, so he never knew that Lloyd had passed away.

"As far as I am aware, your are Prince Nathaniel, second born child of the house of Windsor, and second to throne." Cadell shrugged as though it was common knowledge, before frowning when he heard a loud crash coming from another room. Hopefully that wasn't too valuable. He thought, the words that the prince had said were yet to actually pass through his thick skull so he hadn't caught a thing the young man had just said. "Isaias, please check on that." He said, as he picked up the prince almost tossing him over his shoulder. "You heard me, your majesty, you'll be taking a nice trip aboard my ship." Cadell chuckled, "Oh my dear prince, we are no longer playing by the rules of your father, rather by the rules of the sea." He said as he began to leave the castle. "Men, another twenty minutes, then I expect you to begin loading up as soon as possible." Cadell called over his shoulder as he left the palace. As he carried the prince back to The Crown Jewel, he began to figure out where he could place the prince for the night. Not with the men, that is just an accident waiting to happen, and the brig might scar him for life. The only feasible option would be my quarters… of Jesper would not like that. Perhaps I can put him there for the night, sleep with Jesper, and then move Nathaniel into Jesper's area for the night. He was quite pleased with plan, and was now just focusing on getting back to the ship ignoring most of the bodies lying on the ground.

As he stepped past one he noticed a child crying next to one. Oh dear lords… I warned my men about this. Cadell thought, keeping an eye on the young child who just seemed so bewildered and lost. So without saying a word, the captain -rather foolishly- picked up the child, now hurrying back to ship with the prince in one arm and the young boy in the other. I hope Dion doesn't mind watching another child. He thought silently boarding the ship, feeling horrible of all the losses from the island that night. Cadell hadn't planned on all this to happen.

Nathaniel winced at Cadell's description of him. Clearly this guy had been away for quite some time for his information to be so outdated, and remembering Lloyd always hurt a bit. "Ah… well, I'm… n-not exactly second in line anymore…" He mumbled tentatively. At the sound of something breaking, he jumped and looked over his shoulder. Although he didn't expect his father to be angry with him, the king would certainly be angry, most likely with the servants for leaving despite them having Nathaniel's permission. He was distracted from his thoughts by Cadell suddenly picking him up, which startled him again. He supposed he must be being kidnapped for a ransom; after all, although Cadellm seemingly didn't know, Nathaniel was incredibly valuable now that Lloyd was gone. His father would definitely pay a hefty ransom to get his crown prince back.

As Cadell carried him through the town, Nathaniel felt sick to his stomach with horror and fear upon seeing the bloodied bodies strewn about. He found himself back to when he was seven and the castle was attacked again, but it wasn't empty that time. It was chaos, and many of the servants and guards were killed in the fray. Nathaniel and Lloyd tried to fly to safety, with Lloyd watching their backs as a barrier. When Lloyd was shot, Nathaniel tried to hold him up, but his wing was shot soon afterwards, sending them both hurtling towards the ground. Lloyd fell to his death, and Nathaniel's wings were crushed when he fell.

Nathaniel snapped back to reality, trembling uncontrollably with tears stinging his eyes, and was forced to see the bodies again. He whimpered shakily, and his stomach lurched again upon seeing a child, not far from his own age at the time of the first siege, crying over the body of a loved one. "No, no, no, no, no… please, god… p-please…" He whispered, covering his ears with his hands and screwing his eyes shut. He couldn't handle any more of this, and yet the sickening, heavy scent of blood still filled the air. The townspeople would awake the next morning to find that their friends and family had been killed, and that the prince had been abducted. Nathaniel was distant as he was brought onto the ship, and he still had his eyes closed and his ears covered as he trembled in Cadell's grasp.

Now back on the ship Cadell began to try to figure out a plan of what to do with his prisoner and the child. It seemed as though both parents of the child had been killed, and with his conscious he would feel horrible if he had not done something for the child. I suppose first things first, I take the prince down to my quarters then give the child to Dion, they can tend to him and make sure that there are no injuries on him. He thought as he began to go below deck, hearing the clamoring footsteps of his men above deck as they brought back their spoils from the island. As he went down lower and lower, he began to contemplate what would be the wise thing for him to do with the prince. Well, taking him for ransom would be the easiest thing, selling him back to his father, or I suppose there might another country that may want to pay for this young prince. He thought, stopping at one of the doors on that hallway and gently knocking on it. "Dion, I am in need of your assistance." The captain called, tightening his grasp around the waist of his prisoner.

"Yes, yes." A voice called back from the room and footsteps could be heard approaching the door. "Yes captain?" They asked before spotting the young child in the captain's arms. "They did it again… Didn't they? I thought you instructed your men to not kill."

Cadell just frowned, "I didn't think too well through that this time, and they were bloodthirsty, not that that excuses this. But, both of the child's parents were found dead, and I cannot just leave him to die on the island, so I was wondering-"

Before the captain could even finish his sentence, the ship's medic cut in. "Of course I can take care of him, and I suppose Theron would be pleased to have a friend close to his age." They said, opening their arms to take the child from Cadell.

"Do inspect if the child has any injuries, if so I'll provide whatever is needed to have them taken care of." The pirate said, letting his medic retreat into their room.

Once that had been settled Cadell went down one more flight of stairs, then taking Nathaniel into his quarters. "This is where you shall for the night. "I can bring you a set of clothing for the night. As for the items in the room, I'd prefer for you not to touch them at all. And I will be able to tell if you have." The captain threatened, before going over to one of his chests of clothing, pulling out something that might have worked for his prisoner. "Try this." He said, handing the clothing to the man, before motioning to the open changing screen.

Nathaniel had ceased to be teary by the time he was brought onto the ship, and had swapped his demeanor for one that was shaky and distant rather than visibly distressed. He was having trouble focusing, his mind confused about where he was and what was happening. Part of him felt as though he were seven again and he had just lost his brother, but he tried to keep himself grounded and convinced that he was, in fact, in his twenties.

He couldn't quite hear the interaction between Cadell and his medic, still not entirely present at the time, but did vaguely recognize that Cadell was no longer carrying two prisoners. He supposed it mustn't be too difficult to carry the two of them regardless, one prisoner being a young child and the other an avian with hollow bones, which lowered his weight significantly.

When he was set down, he looked up at Cadell blankly, only barely processing what was being said to him. He didn't flinch at the threat as he usually might have done, and simply nodded in acknowledgment instead. He wouldn't need to touch anything in here anyway; most of it either made him uncomfortable or didn't seem useful. He wasn't too interested in trying to escape either. He knew that he would likely be caught, and then the pirates may not be so kind with him. He was pulled from his train of thought yet again when clothes were put in his arms.

"Oh… thank you…" He mumbled softly, and after a delay of a few seconds, headed behind the screen to change. The borrowed clothes were large on him, and weren't designed to accommodate wings, so he was doing the best he could to keep them folded close to his back. He would conceal them via magic, but he couldn't keep glamours up while he was sleeping, so there was no point. The pants were much too large for him, so he took his belt from his old clothes so he could keep them up. He figured that Cadell would probably allow that. Once he was done changing, he folded his clothes neatly and stepped back out into the open, looking even smaller than before in clothes that didn't fit him.

When the other went back behind the changing screen, Cadell began to straighten up his bedroom, locking away his maps and things of that nature, before realizing his mistake. I do have quite a few sets of clothing that I can use, besides that set is a good deal older and I do not wear it anymore. So I could cut a hole into it so that he can at least wear them comfortably? He thought, waiting for the other to come out from behind the changing screen. In the meantime he pulled out one of his smaller knives so that he could make the cut into the shirt, before remembering that he would need something to sew them up. So he rose and went over one of his drawers pulling out a small sewing kit. "Nathaniel, are you almost done?" He asked, before looking up to see the man step out of the changing screen. Cadell couldn't help but laugh seeing the man in his clothing He looks so tiny. The captain thought, before motioning the man towards him. "Let me make a little opening for your wings." He offered, patting the bed for the other to sit down on. As he had been waiting, Cadell had let the magic he had been using to conceal his elven ears drop, as well as some of his other features, so he looked a tiny bit different than before.

Nathaniel hesitated for a moment, but came over when he was beckoned anyway. He sat beside Cadell on the bed, finicking with his clothes to try and get them to work a bit better. Most of his clothes at home were tailor made for him, so this wasn't an issue that he frequently had. He eyed Cadell's pointed ears curiously and surmised that he must be inhuman as well.
He cooperated well enough and did as he was told so that Cadell could make cuts in the proper place. His wings were quite large, so a decent portion of cloth needed to be removed in order to accommodate them.
"Um… how long do you plan to keep me here?" Nathaniel asked softly, looking over his shoulder at Cadell as he worked on the shirt. "I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt… the king will be furious once he discovers my absence. I'm not sure who all he'll take it out on; he can be violent."

(Also I'm sorry for not responding sooner, I was out of town and was really busy))

(Np!)

Nathaniel hesitated for a moment, but came over when he was beckoned anyway. He sat beside Cadell on the bed, finicking with his clothes to try and get them to work a bit better. Most of his clothes at home were tailor made for him, so this wasn't an issue that he frequently had. He eyed Cadell's pointed ears curiously and surmised that he must be inhuman as well.
He cooperated well enough and did as he was told so that Cadell could make cuts in the proper place. His wings were quite large, so a decent portion of cloth needed to be removed in order to accommodate them.
"Um… how long do you plan to keep me here?" Nathaniel asked softly, looking over his shoulder at Cadell as he worked on the shirt. "I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt… the king will be furious once he discovers my absence. I'm not sure who all he'll take it out on; he can be violent."

As Cadell began to work with the shirt, he stayed rather quiet. It was not as though he was trying to be rude, especially with someone who he had been a family friend of, but more so that he was just tired. I do need to focus, I do not wish to hurt his wings or anything like that. Silently he made his first cut into the shirt, doing his best to give the wings enough space for mobility while also not exposing too much of the other man's body.

"I doubt that it will be for too long." The man murmured, "You will be returned when your father pays, simple as that." Cadell murmured, "Of course your father will be furious, I do expect that. But with my own protection, I do not know exactly what he can do." The pirate mumbled finishing up the hole and now beginning to sew the edges. "I do have to ask though, where was your brother? I sort of expected him to be there with you." Cadell never had been aware of the death of his friend, so he was rather confused by his absence.

Nathaniel shifted his wings under the shirt a bit, trying to keep them out of Cadell's way so he wouldn't get cut. When Cadell brought Lloyd up again, Nathaniel paled and looked at the ground, seeming stressed and uneasy. "Ah… either you seek to torture me or you've been away for a very long time. For your sake and my own, I hope it's the latter." He drew in a wavering breath, struggling to find the words to answer. "Lloyd… died, w-when I was seven. He was killed during a siege on the castle, t… trying to protect me. That was sixteen years ago." He murmured in reply. His wings puffed up a bit in discomfort, and he started to fidget with his hands. "S-So I've had to take on the role of the crown prince. Which… I suppose is good for you, since… my father will pay more to get me back." Nathaniel coughed and rubbed at his eyes, feigning that he had gotten something caught in them.

Cadell began to thread the needle, he began focusing more and more on it, doing his best not to prick himself. He could be somewhat clumsy at times and was trying to get this done as quickly as possible too. But as the other began to speak, the captain looked up in slight confusion. "What do you mean torture you? I mean, I have been away from the island for quite a good period of time, but still things ought to not have changed too much?" He asked, sitting back slightly to get a better look at his prisoner's body language.

Lloyd? Is dead? Cadell thought taking in a quiet gasp. I know that I have been gone for a while, but he cannot be dead. "Prince Nathaniel, you must be lying to me, your brother simply cannot be dead." He said, his one voice a bit shaky as he spoke. But then again, after we left the island, my parents never mentioned Prince Lloyd again, and well… He pulled himself out of those thoughts, trying to regain his composure. "Ah… Well, I suppose that you will turn a bit more of a profit than I had originally anticipated. But, my condolences for the passing of your brother. He was… Well, I am sure that he was a good man."

Nathaniel exhaled shakily and looked away, wanting to leave the situation, but knowing he couldn't. "I'm sure he would have been. He was only fifteen…" He shook his head a bit and bit his lip for a moment to try and regain his composure. "My father locked me away afterwards so that he wouldn't lose his other heir, I suppose. That's… that's why I was surprised that you immediately recognized me. I haven't left the palace grounds since Lloyd died, and I wasn't out a ton before that anyway, so most of the townspeople scarcely remember what I look like. I wouldn't generally be recognized if I were to leave home. The king always goes elsewhere for meetings; never invites strangers over. He's paranoid, but I suppose I did get kidnapped, so… who's to say?"

Cadell was doing his best to act as though he didn't know or even care about the dead prince, but it was quite a struggle. That was a good friend of his, someone that he spent so much time around as a child, to die so young. Why did my parents not tell me about this? They knew just how much I cared for Lloyd, how close we were. The more he thought about it though, the more hurt and saddened he became. "I suppose it was a lucky guess then?" Cadell sighed, not wanting to give himself away to the other man. "But knowing ages, I would think that you could not have been your brother." Cadell said, trying to find some way to excuse how he knew who Nathaniel was. Finally threading the needle he began to sew up the other's shirt staying quiet as the prince spoke. "Well, to be fair, someone eventually would have broken into the palace, but who knows, their reasons might be different from my own." He murmured now working on the other man's shirt. "As to knowing who you were, my parents used to have a portrait of the royal family in their home, and your wings were different from your brothers, so that also helped me correctly identify you."

Nathaniel was growing more suspicious as Cadell spoke. He kept coming up with more excuses as to why he knew Nathaniel, but it just didn't quite make sense together. At the mention of the portrait, he only grew more confused and looked up at Cadell. "A portrait? I don't think we had any portraits done with our wings exposed. Most of the townspeople don't even know that we're avians to begin with…" He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Cadell's features, trying to figure him out. He was vaguely familiar, but he didn't know why. After all, he had been Lloyd's friend, not Nathaniel's, and Nathaniel frequently wasn't allowed to meddle in the crown prince's business. "You must have been a noble of some kind to be close enough to the royal family to know of our heritage. Who are you? I don't know of any nobles with your name."

"No, you do not remember? Or at least well. I-I…" Cadell stammered a bit nervous, and was about to reveal himself to the other man when he heard a knock at his door. "Excuse me." He mouthed to Nathaniel as he rose and went to the door, opening it to see Jesper who looked a bit annoyed. And the look on the man's face only grew more annoyed as he saw the prince sitting on his partner's bed. "Cadell, please come by my room whenever you are done with this." The man said before turning away and walking down the hall.

Cadell let out a tired sigh, closing the door behind him and going over to Nathaniel. "Alright, I'm pretty much done with this, and everything in my room is secure, so I shall leave alone for the night. I need to go speak to Jesper anyway, so I shall see you in the morning." The man said, picking up his knife and taking the sewing kit with him. He knew that he was ignoring the prince's questions, but he was not in the mood to answer them at the moment. "Good night, Nathaniel." He said, before closing and locking the door behind him.

Cadell's nervousness didn't reassure Nathaniel at all, but it was clear that he wouldn't be able to get any more information out of him tonight. He sighed softly, and when Jesper came to the door, he awkwardly started to fit his wings through the holes Cadell had made in the shirt. They weren't perfect, by any means, but did the job well enough for him to be at least a little bit more comfortable. He looked up when he was addressed again and hesitated before he nodded in return.
"Ah… alright. Goodnight, I suppose." He replied softly. Once Cadell was gone, he tentatively curled up in bed and, by some miracle, managed to fall back asleep until the morning. The sun woke him, and he got out of bed. However, there wasn't much he could do since he was locked inside, so he resigned to restlessly pacing the room. His wings needed to be preened, but he was too stressed to bother with them at the moment.

Cadell woke up late the next morning hearing the footsteps of the men above them on the main deck. He looked over to his side, seeing that Jesper was still asleep, and as he looked at his lover a mischievous, boyish smile came to his face. He moved, leaning over his arms around Jesper's face, and began pepper the other's face with kisses, cuddling close to the other man. He had always been a cuddler, loving physical affection, so this had become a normal thing for him. Cadell planted a few more kisses on the other's face -one on each cheek- before hearing a knock on the door. Cadell grumbled with annoyance, enjoying the quiet that he had had a few moments before, but got up when he heard yet another knock on the door. He slid open the door looking pissed as hell at the person before his expression softened seeing that it was Theron with the child from the night before behind him. "Erm, is everything alright?" Cadell asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "We were wanting to go bring breakfast for Prince Nathaniel since he can't leave your room, and we wanted to spend some time with him since he might be a bit lonely," Theron explained with a bright smile. Cadell inwardly groaned, looking down at the two boys. "As long as your chores are done by the end of the day and you are available whenever I call for you, you can do as you please." Cadell said, watching down the hall towards the steps, before going back into Jesper's quarters closing the door behind him.

Cadell sighed shaking his head at the idea, unsure where they even got it from, as he walked over to the small washbasin that was in the room. He poured some water into it, then splashed some on his face to wake himself up. He looked into the small mirror that he had taken for Jesper during a raid a while ago, grooming his hair, trying to make it neat, before picking up his shirt and boots that he had worn out the day before, slinging his shirt on a chair. "Jesper, I'm stealing a shirt." He called, trying not to be too loud in case the other was not fully awake, taking a shirt out the man's dresser and pulling it over his head, tightening the laces so that he wouldn't be completely feel completely exposed. Hhm…If he isn't exactly awake, I could bring him breakfast in bed, but, then when I leave knowing my luck he will have awoken and be upset with me for leaving without waking him up. So, I guess I can just finish waking him up, and then bring breakfast down here for the both of us. Look at me, I'm being a good partner. Maybe this will help show him that my feelings for him are true, and that this time I'm ready to finally stay with him? Cadell thought, looking at himself in the mirror, still trying to groom his hair. Ugh, I am in need of a trim…But that can always wait, I do know that I need to speak to him about what happened last night. With the prisoner and everything. And probably explain how I know the prince to him? Although I would rather not tell the prince just yet. Cadell pondered over what he could say as he walked over to Jesper, before sitting down next to the other on the bed, before gently kissing the other man on the cheek, "Wake up pen cysglyd, you can not sleep all day long. Besides, I am hungry."

Jesper stirred a bit at Cadell's sudden bout of affection, but remained asleep for the time being. He was notorious for sleeping in, but his love of rest didn't mean he was lazy on deck in the slightest. More noises arose and continued on, and Jesper grumbled in annoyance upon having to actually wake up rather than simply going back to sleep. He huffed when Cadell roused him again and reluctantly opened his eyes. "Mmnh… fine, fine. We can get you something to eat." He sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. "What are you wanting, Cadell?"

Nathaniel looked up when he heard a key jingling in the lock of the door. When it was opened, he looked pale and uneasy, not wanting to keep still in any one place for too long. He didn't feel safe here, honestly, and Cadell's cryptic responses in their conversation last night only made him feel more stressed and unsettled. How did Cadell know Nathaniel? Nathaniel hadn't ever heard of any nobles with his name before, but no one below that rank would know of the Windsor family's heritage. It didn't make any sense, and he didn't like feeling like he was missing an important piece of this puzzle.
He relaxed a bit upon seeing that his visitors were only children bringing him something to eat, but he definitely didn't look quite as regal as usual with his disheveled hair and oversized clothing. "Ah… t-thank you. What are your names?" He asked softly as he accepted the tray of food and started to eat.

Cadell could not help but laugh a little bit when the other began to grumble. Cadell could understand that Jesper was anything but a morning person, but some of the daily chores did need to be completed. Even though this is a sea day, I still have things that I need to take care of, as does he. He thought, before smiling brightly when the other finally seemed to wake up. "I was thinking that perhaps I could go get us the meal and bring it back to you, so that you could possibly sleep for just a short while longer?" He suggested, gently playing with Jesper's hair as he spoke to the man. "I thought it might be nice to have a breakfast in, since we are always so busy, and now with the prisoner, he needs to be taken care of as well." The captain said, beginning to list some of the reasons why he'd like to enjoy his breakfast with the other.

Theron had thought of knocking on the door to the prince's room, but since he had gotten permission from Cadell, he figured that he might as well just go in. So that was what he did. While Gregori held one of the trays, Theron balanced two on one arm, while unlocking the door to the prince's room. "Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Gregori asked, his voice a quiet whisper. "Yes, yes, I'm quite sure of it." Theron said, before pushing the door open, only to see a scared looking Nathaniel in the room. "Are you sure now?" The smaller boy asked, his eyes wide as he looked at the prince, and Theron simply nodded. "Come on, it's not that big of a deal." The other said, entering the room and handing the prince his tray of food, before sitting down in Cadell's chair. "My name is Theron, and he's Gregori."

Jesper sighed softly. He would get his duties done by the end of the day, but for now, it was difficult to think of anything other than sleep. He hated waking up in the mornings; it was always the worst part of his day. Unless, of course, someone else was flirting with Cadell again. As much as he hated waking up in the mornings, anyone trying to lay hands on his Cadell was something he hated much more. Although Nathaniel hadn't even shown any particular interest in Cadell, Jesper didn't like the attention he was receiving. Prince or not, Cadell's attention should belong to him. "Sounds fine to me, Dell… maybe you should let the prisoner suffer a little more, though." He suggested simply. "He's had long enough to have a soft, cushy life. He's a hostage right now; not on a fun vacation cruise. We don't have to make him comfortable."

"I'm Nathaniel…" Nathaniel replied softly as he ate. He ate while continuing to pace, too stressed and unsettled to bother to sit down. "Although I suppose you probably know that. Gregori, you're from the town, correct?" He asked. "I'm sure you're too young to be especially familiar with me. I'm little more than an urban legend or a rumor now. People were much more familiar with my elder brother, but he passed before you were even born. Ah, well… people know that I'm supposed to take over the throne someday, but I'm to be more or less held captive in my own home until that day." He looked over to the children and flushed lightly in embarrassment. "A-Ah, I'm sorry… I'm rambling. I'm just out of sorts, I suppose. Probably from being kidnapped. Never mind anything I said, alright? I'm probably not supposed to share it anyway…"

Cadell sighed a little bit at the suggestion of Jesper. "But well, he is a prince, and it was only for the time being. I thought that well, he could sleep there for the first night, and then perhaps we could move him into your room, and then we put you with me?" He suggested with a slight smile, sitting down next to Jesper on the bed, before playing with the other's hair just a little bit. "I thought perhaps that might suit you better?"

Nathaniel? I thought that they said that the prince's name was something else. Theron thought to himself, before finally noticing the wings on the prince's back, something that Gregori had noticed a while ago. The younger boy stood there in awe, his jaw dropped as he stared at the wings on the man's back. But when he was addressed, he silently nodded in response to the man's question. But when Nathaniel continued to talk, Theron sort of butted in, completely forgetting his manners that had been so carefully taught to him by Dion and Cadell. "You had a brother? That explains why I was told about a prince with a different name." Theron said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking up at the prince -since he was much shorter than him. "It's alright, you're no better than Dion when it comes to rambling," Theron said in between bites, "They will begin to talk to you about something for medicine and then jump from topic to topic." The boy was going to continue, when a knock was heard on the door. "Theron, are you in here?" Dion called, "I promised Cadell that I would keep an eye on Gregori, and yet you are running off with him, and… Oh." The healer said, looking at Nathaniel, their eyes wide in shock. "Are you the prince?"

Jesper huffed indignantly, but didn't protest too much. "I suppose so, if you think it's best." He grumbled in reply. To be honest, he wasn't too keen on anyone staying in his quarters, but he was more opposed to anyone being in Cadell's personal space. Nathaniel wasn't really a threat, per se, but that didn't mean Jesper wanted him cozying up in Cadell's room.

Nathaniel looked up and blinked a couple times when he was questioned about Lloyd. Ah, I'm so stupid… they must have tried to pretend that Lloyd didn't exist so that the kids wouldn't be scared. Or pretend that nothing happened to him… They shouldn't try to erase the memory of my brother like that. He pushed aside his anger for the moment so he could try and explain himself. "Ah, well… yes. My elder brother, Lloyd. He passed away many years ago now, a-and the title of the crown prince was passed to me. If you don't mind my asking, um… what exactly do you know about Lloyd? I don't know how much information was shared with the general public."