JJ Doe

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Flashback: Night Sola 23, 1739

Callum & Riona Part 4

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with @princess

When they reached the kitchen entrance, Riona said, “Play the Callum who decided never to change.” Snagging his wrist, she slung his arm over her shoulder and grabbed his waistband. “Ready?” Cal nodded, he couldn’t think of a more perfect role for him to play.

Riona shouldered through the door on an indrawn breath, half-carrying, half-dragging Cal into the kitchen. A knot of servants whipped their heads around at the intrusion, their hushed gossip and midnight snacking interrupted. “There we go, Your Highness, home sweet home,” she sang out.

The tensed servants relaxed. They recognized the familiar routine that played out. One chuckled, “His Highness been overindulging again, has he?”

Riona opened her mouth to respond, then she heard something that just barely sounded like her name.

“Rhonda,” Cal patted Riona’s shoulder. “Thisisnotmyroom. Where, are, we?” He looked around, wide-eyed confusion wasn’t hard to fake. “Soooorry, wroooong hoooome.” He announced to the room, howling out the words in an off-key song. The small crowd laughed in amusement.

“Sorry, we’ll get out of your hair, guys.” She hauled Cal toward the other entrance leading deeper into the castle. “This is the kitchen, Your Highness. Bedrooms upstairs. Hold tight, we’ll be there in no time.” The servants tossed out their good lucks and goodnights before returning to their chatting. When the echoes of the kitchen finally faded behind them and they rounded a corner, she halted. Quick glance around, then she let go of him. “All clear.”

“Guess it’s onwards and upwards then.” Callum gestured towards the staircase. A silence that was appropriate for the library was eerie in the palace that normally bustled with activity. It was a lonely place late at night; staff lingered in only a few rooms to avoid disturbing those who slumbered, and sparse guards stood sentinel near rooms that held the most value. He hoped that the number of guards sent out to keep an eye on him and Ana had thinned their ranks out even more.

“Any idea how many guards to expect up there?” He whispered as they climbed the staircase past the second floor.

Riona stopped and gestured Cal to do the same. She pressed a finger against her lips as the jangling clamor of steel and the buzz of voices swelled louder down the corridor. They stood stock-still till the sounds receded into the distance.

“Depends,” she finally said, “on the King and Queen’s mood. But sometimes security increases by order of your brother… Or Morrigan might do it randomly.” She risked a glance down the hall where the guards headed, spying the increased security now posted at the Princess’s bedroom door. A crease formed between her brows. “It might be one of those ‘someone’s feathers are ruffled’ nights.” She turned back to Callum, mouth a flat line. “We better hurry upstairs and check if there’s more… If it comes down to it, we can use the service corridors and other passages.”

“Weird, Ana’s not even in there.” He followed after Riona, wondering why they needed extra guards for an empty room.

“I’m thinking that’s for when she gets back… You know, so that she doesn’t bring any ‘unwanted friends’ over? Heard Edin was getting pretty antsy about that.” She glanced at him. Callum made a face at the mention of his sister’s late-night rendezvous. “Your room might have a couple of guards too.”

As Riona and Callum ascended to the third floor of the castle, they noticed a subtle shift in the atmosphere. The grandeur and extravagance that adorned the lower floors give way to a more modest and functional design scheme. The security presence was notably lighter compared to the floors below, reflecting the lesser importance of the individuals residing here. While there were still guards stationed at intervals along the corridor, their numbers were fewer, and their demeanor was less tense. The concubines' bedrooms seemed to bear the marks of importance, but even then the air was still more relaxed, as if the weight of responsibility had eased somewhat.

Paintings adorn the walls despite the simple atmosphere. Their dated art style suggested they had stood witness to the test of time. A portrait of King Callum I Danrose commanded attention to all immediately upon entrance to the third floor. His solemn expression speaks volumes to those who gaze upon him, hinting at the weight of responsibility he bore. In his hands rests an open book, its pages visible to the viewer.

Further down the hall, a maid labored with uncertain hands with laundry. Despite her efforts, she appeared hesitant, as if wrestling with an unfamiliar task. Positioned at the end of the hallway stood a laundry chute near the maid. Adjacent to it, a table held a woven basket, patiently waiting to receive its load. After she finished packing the garments into the woven basket, she approached the chute and set the basket inside, hanging it onto a mechanism.

With a hopeful expression, she reached out and grasped a lever mounted on the wall, pulling it downwards. However, to her dismay, nothing happened. Furrowing her brow in confusion, she frowned and scanned about the area until her eyes locked on a smaller switch. She pressed it and the floor beneath the basket dropped. With a sigh of relief, she began to rotate a nearby wheel to guide the basket down the chute just as an older maid passed by. She touched the younger maid’s shoulder, muttering a word of comfort.

Callum stared into the eyes of the long-dead king that shared his name. He tried to figure out what book the man was reading and wondered if he’d ever read the same book. His mind spiraled as he thought about this king’s rule, The Dark Period, a time of rampant plagues, starvation, and war. He looked up at the man who had started witch hunts and left nothing but devastation. As his mind wandered he was left wondering; just how similar he was to both a long-dead king and one who still ruled. The intense eyes of the portrait bore into him.

He moved a bit to the left, then back, and then a bit to the right. However he moved the eyes followed him, glared into him. “It’s like his eyes follow you. All evil and judgy.” He whispered, still fixated on the portrait of King Callum I Danrose. He glanced back at Riona, “Right, sorry, I guess we wait and see if they leave,” His head nodded in the direction of the maids as he stayed out of their view. “And if not, we’ll need a distraction.”

Riona gaze lingered on the maids before looking at the portrait that Callum was transfixed by. “There’s lots to get done so I don’t think they’d stand there for long.” She said as she leaned closer to the painting, squinting to make out the text.

As Callum and Riona had fixated their gazes on the text, their eyes adjusted to the small writing of a cryptic message:

Beneath the shadow of the king's gaze, in the room where legends lie ablaze, seek the heart of the monarch's might, where the sword of truth casts its light.

Retreating a step, she tore her eyes from the portrait, refocusing on the maids with a considering tilt of her head. “I’ll go say hi to them, just in case.” With a gesture for Callum to remain, Riona crossed the hallway to her coworkers and greeted them. “Is everything alright?”

The younger girl perked up and smiled, “Oh, hello there! I'm Hanna. Everything's quite alright, thank you kindly. Only started me duties yesterday, you see, and I got a tad befuddled with the laundry chute. Tried me hand at pulling that grand lever, but it didn't seem to budge.” She sighed and anxiously tapped her foot.. “I hope I did not seem incompetent on the first day to you girls…”

“Fear not, my dear. It's not always as simple as it appears. We've all had our fair share of such moments… In fact I believe I got confused by the same very thing when I first took a gander. “ the older maid chimed in with a warm chuckle.

“Believe us, Hanna, everyone’s pulled that thing at least once, it’s like a right of passage in these parts.” Riona smiled at the girl, and Hanna smiled graciously in turn, before glaring at the lever.

“And, come on, honestly? Look at that thing. What kind of architect thinks that it’s a good idea to place a giant lever right next to the laundry chute but make the actual button so small?” Clucking her tongue Riona traced her fingers over the lever. “Do you know what this is actually for Ms.Buttersworth?”

“I always assumed it was broken, and that the button was added later.” The elder maid replied to Riona.

“Huh. One of the many mysteries then.” Riona took a few steps back to get out of the maids’ way. “Sorry to keep you two. You’re doing great Hanna. If you need help, just ask.” They all said their goodnights to each other and Riona watched them leave.

Callum stayed where he was, focused on trying to read the cryptic text. Beneath the gaze of the king is a book? He thought but wasn’t sure if it meant the king in the portrait. Where do legends lie ablaze? His eyes shifted to the concubines’ room. Lie ablaze with lust? He continued to ponder as Riona left to speak with the other maids. He didn’t like looking up at the portrait’s gaze, but he turned around and tried to match positioning to the portrait’s to see if was looking at anything or just hanging there and judging everyone around it. In the portrait, the king was simply staring at a sword.

“We’re good,” Riona said when she returned to him. “Figure something out?”

Callum gestured first to the text on the portrait, then at the sword. “Beneath the king’s gaze…” He whispered part of the riddle. “I guess that’s the sword of truth? So where do legends lie ablaze?” He continued.

“A library? Museum? Hall of fame?” Riona guessed. But the third floor had none of those. After rereading the riddle and checking behind the portrait itself, she said, “This might be saying that there’s a hidden room ‘where legends lie ablaze’ located ‘beneath the shadow of the king’s gaze.’” It was also wishful thinking. Because if that was true, then the ‘heart of the monarch’s might’ could be exactly what she was searching for.

No. Don’t get your hopes up, she warned herself.

Stepping back, she took in the full portrait. “Do you think this is anything like the library puzzle?” Riona pointed at the sword first. “Shine light on the sword.” Then swung her finger toward the lever at the end of the hallway. “And then pull that lever? It’s been there forever, maybe even before the laundry chute was installed, but nobody’s figured out what it does.”

Cal grinned at the mention of a hidden room and his thoughts overflowed with what they might find in there. Enchanted artifacts? Stacks of books containing arcane and esoteric knowledge? A magic sword? He rifled through his pockets, pulled out a book of matches, and promptly struck one. “Do you think it’s enough light?” He asked holding the lit match near the sword.

“Let’s find out.” Riona jogged back to the lever and pulled.

Nothing seemed to happen, but for once, the hallway had been very still when the lever had been pulled, and the sound of a mechanism unlocking could be dimly heard from one of the rooms in the hall. A couple of the rooms had their doors ajar upon closer inspection. A concubine’s bedroom was open as well as Alden and Wystan’s bedrooms.

The sudden soft mechanical click echoed in the quiet hallway from one of the ajar doors and caused Cal to jump. He glanced down the hallway, a careful peak in case they were about to be caught. The match burned its way down to his fingertips. “Ow!” He hissed as he dropped the burnt out match. The sound had to have come from one of the three rooms. “Oh, look, I think it worked! Should we try again and listen by the doors?”

The mechanical click was music to Riona’s ears. It had worked! By the Gods, it actually worked! Where had the sound come from? She mulled over the riddle once more, parsing each word, each nuance.

Beneath the shadow of the king's gaze, in the room where legends lie ablaze, seek the heart of the monarch's might, where the sword of truth casts its light.

The “shadow” could refer to an advisor or guardsman, those who lurked in the periphery of the king.

Riona still thought that “the room where legends lie ablaze” was a hidden chamber housing historically important artifacts and documents. But if she had to pick, then the Royal Advisor’s quarters best fit that description.

The “heart of the monarch’s might” could be hinting at a room that held the essence or symbol of the king’s power. That could be any of the three.

There was no way “the sword” wasn’t the Royal Battlemaster. And while the Royal Advisor was more likely to be in the know of the king’s “truths,” the concubines had access to a different kind of “truths” too.

Mentally tallying up the scores, she nodded, “Yeah. You take one room, I’ll take another.” If both of them heard or saw nothing from the rooms they chose, then it meant that the room they didn’t check was the one. “Ready?” As soon as Cal lit up another match, Riona yanked the lever and rushed over to Alden’s room.

When Riona approached Alden's door, she noticed through the crack that the room was in disarray. Furniture was overturned, and papers were strewn across the floor, leading to an overturned journal by his desk. A faint, metallic scent lingered in the air. The normally tidy room looked like a whirlwind had swept through it, leaving chaos in its wake. A single chair sat in the middle, one of its legs broken. She didn’t like the look of that at all. Not one bit.

Riona stood before the door, ears strained to catch that telltale click. When she didn’t hear the sound get any louder, she should’ve just turned and walked away. There was no reason for her to go barging in there.

But... What if Alden was injured? She’d have to go in and help him, which would only delay their exploration. And if there was a body… well, this might be their last chance in some time to comb the third floor thoroughly. How could she know, unless she looked?

With a resigned sigh, she steeled her nerves and slipped into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind her.

The metallic scent in the air grew stronger, mingling with the musty odor of overturned ink as Riona entered. There was a trail of blood that wound its way across the floor, a twisted ribbon of crimson that spoke volumes without uttering a single word. The trail led up to an open window, curtains billowing as a breeze blew through her hair.

TLDR

They make their way to the third floor where a clever riddle leads them to three possible bedroom rooms, one containing a secret room. Before choosing the correct room, Riona finds an alarming scene left behind in Alden’s room. What’s become of the King’s advisor?

Avalia

Time: MORNING
Location: INT. TAVERN
Interactions/Mentions: Guy affiliated with The New Dawn @Lava Alckon; Zion @Helo
Equipment:

[+]

⋆ Attire from Avalia
⋆ Backpack
⋆ Smartphone
⋆ Wallet and key
⋆ Computer
⋆ Headphones
⋆ Spare eyeglasses
⋆ Plastic bag
⋆ Letter
⋆ Zion's hunting knife
⋆ Clothes from Earth
⋆ Canteen "borrowed" from Malachi's
⋆ Map "borrowed" from Malachi's
⋆ Some food from breakfast

---

Jun sat at the table, as quiet as a mouse in a room full of cats. His eyes nervously ping-ponged between the group members, their lively chatter filling the air. He kept his mouth shut, but his ears were on high alert, desperate to catch any nugget of information that might aid in his grand escape plan. Though calling it "grand" was perhaps overselling it. "Clichéd" would be more accurate. Or "unlikely to be seriously injured in the next 10 minutes" at the very least.

While he nibbled his way through breakfast, Jun squirreled away the extra food he’d ordered into his backpack. After forcing down the last bite, Jun mumbled some excuse about needing to visit the restroom. With his bag slung over his shoulder, Jun made his way to the back of the tavern, his heart rate increasing with each step.

TLDR

Jun commenced Plan B: excuse himself to the bathroom and make his escape through a back door or window.

Avalia

Time: A.M.
Location: River Port
Interactions/Mentions: @mole@Conscripts
Equipment: Knife, drugs, and wallet looted from dope peddler

✠✠✠✠✠

Vasco threw his head back and let out a belly laugh. Slapped his knee and everything. The way Rowan had spit out “Zara was our friend” like it was poison, well, it told Vasco all he needed to know about how the elf really felt about the human who came before him.

Rowan’s frosty glare only tickled Vasco’s funny bone even more, sending a shiver of gleeful defiance down his spine. “Touch her again like that, and we will be replacing you,” the elf hissed.

Vasco met his gaze head-on. Brazen as brass, he reached out and grazed Aurora’s cheek with his hand, tucked a stray lock behind her ear before trailing his fingers through her hair. All while never breaking eye contact with her steamed brother. He brought the white strands close and twirled them between his fingers, taunting-like.

“You’re welcome to try,” Vasco smirked. “But answer me this, hero - what’re you gonna tell the big cheeses when you botch the job a second time on account of losing your marbles over kid sis here? Think they’ll trust you with a third human?” He shook his head. “Face the music, pal. Play the incompetent sap or fess up to putting me in the ground cause I got under your skin, it ain’t gonna paint a pretty picture of any of you.” Vasco threw a quick glance over at Barrock and gave him a short “alien slang” lesson. “Where I come from, ‘paint a pretty picture’ is called ‘looking kosher.’”

He let Aurora’s hair slip through his fingers and eased back, hands raised. “Believe it or not, I’m doing a good turn by not mollycoddling her. You all keep squawking on about this being a war. So, what’s she doing here if she’s gonna go to pieces every time someone kicks the bucket, huh? Doll’s hanging by a thread, but you’d rather keep her in the thick of it than send her somewhere cushy to get her head on straight. If she snaps, that’s on you palookas, not me.”

As Vasco turned on his heel, his one good ear caught Aurora’s pained whisper. He halted, just for a second before moseying over to Barrock.

The orc’s tidbit about his three-month stint as a hitman got the ex-mobster’s attention real quick. Vasco felt a spark of kinship with the big fella. “No kidding? We oughta bend an elbow sometime and swap stories.” He socked Barrock good-naturedly in the arm. “Got a few doozies of my own I could jaw about,” Vasco crowed, puffing up with pride.

While Barrock mapped out the plan, Vasco’s mind was cooking up a shopping list of the kinda hardware he wanted. Sure, going up against an army with just a blade he’d picked up on a whim sounded exciting, but even a tough nut like Vasco knew that'd be a fast track to the bone orchard.

“Or,” Vasco piped up when the orc had finished, “you could quit pussyfooting around and use me as bait to smoke them out. Save us a lotta time and legwork. And!” He shot Rowan a sly grin. “You’d get your crack at replacing me without getting your mitts dirty.” His gaze slid to Aurora as he added. “After all, I ain’t no Zara.”

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Night Sola 23, 1739

Violet & Fritz Part 2

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But before she could succumb to the primal urge within her, a sudden force tore his hand away, snapping her back to reality with a jolt. "No!" she hissed, her voice dripping with venom, as she recoiled from him, her back pressed against the cold embrace of the hedge, its shadows swallowing her whole. "Why are you here! You should go." She said desperately.

The count’s gaze locked onto the woman, his face expressionless, his body still. Slowly, as the world regained its colors, his senses realigned with it. At last, a faint smile graced his lips. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly as the smile spread on his lips as she felt panic slip in.

Emboldened, he approached her with purposeful steps. “Lady Damien,” he began, his voice calm and controlled. “... You are a remarkably kind and strong woman,” he said. “I can only imagine the pain you’re in, battling this.” Ryn reached out and held her hands.

Her red eyes dropped down to her hands as she felt his warmth against her cold skin.

“You’re staying away from your home to protect everyone inside, aren’t you?”

Violet's eyes looked up towards the windows as she felt a sharp poke of anger and frustration.

“But I can see that your control is faltering. How long will you be able to resist before the craving takes hold?”

At this rate, she might snap and attack the first living thing that crossed her path. If she could not control how much she took, then they would surely perish from exsanguination. Better to curb some of that maddening need while she still had a semblance of self-control.

After making a rough estimation of her height and weight, Ryn calculated how much blood she would require, at the very least, to stave off the worst of her thirst. “If you fear you won’t be unable to maintain your grip on yourself much longer and you’re scared of inadvertently killing someone… then I will offer a portion of my blood.”

Violet's eyes shot towards him.

Stunned silence.

“At my weight, I have about 4,270 milliliters of blood in total. It’s said that humans can lose up to 15% of their blood volume without severe medical consequences. Which means I can safely spare around 640 milliliters.” The smile on his face widened a fraction as he took in her reaction to his sudden babble. “That’s a bit more than what’s in a soda bottle.” He gestured with his hands, sculpting the air to illustrate the size and shape. “Have you ever had one? It’s delicious.”

Lowering his hands, he arrived at the crux of his proposal. “I am willing to donate one bottle’s worth of blood to you, if you are willing to risk it.”

The silence echoed around them as Violet nearly pressed herself into the large hedge behind her as if trying to flee from the situation but yet she hesitated. She had already killed someone. Not just an hour ago…

…But the smell that lingered in the air and the taste that still stained her lips… "Why?" her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "Why?..what do you gain from this. No one does anything for free." Her tone turned back to its venomous state, each word biting after the next. "I cant even trust my own family, how is it you believe i’d trust anyone with something like that?"

“It would make me feel like I did some good by helping someone, so there is that. And maybe I’ll be able to make a new friend along the way.” Ryn tilted his head, confusion written on his face. “I understand why you might not trust me, but why can’t you trust your family? Do they not know about this?”

A darkness shrouded over Violet's face as her eyes narrowed. A grin slowly crept on her face, her lips curling to reveal the toothy secret she held behind them as darkness encased the pair. “Who do you think chose this life for me?” She asked him, “It wasn't me.” She snapped angrily, her head shaking in disagreement.

Her grin faded nearly as quickly as it came. “What does it matter anymore?” she said, rolling her eyes. “I was good…never did anything wrong, read my books while they dotted over my sister. Living a boring life in the shadows of someone else.” She then gestured to herself. “I end up with an ax in my head, dead. Only to be pulled from peace…sun…calmness to a world where my body was failing me, my eyes blind, my face disfigured…just so they could pine over another sick child.” tears well in her eyes as she dropped her head. “Forced to drink someone else's blood to survive…” a tear rolled down her face as she gently wiped it away.

Lady Damien’s words and tears spilled from her in a torrent of raw anguish. Ryn bore silent witness as she unburdened her soul. A pang of sympathy pierced his heart, for hers was a tragedy oft-repeated amongst those forced out of death’s slumber. From the folds of his coat, Ryn withdrew a crisp, neatly folded handkerchief. “Here,” he said, proffering the fabric. She stood still for a moment before reaching for the handkerchief.

“Do you wish to die again, rather than live like this?”

"I thought for a while about it, even starved myself in denial." She offered back the Handkerchief after drying her tears with a soft smile. “I dont think i’d return back to where I was if I did…" she said softly,knowing her actions of survival would lead her down a much darker end. “They created the monster, so they will need to live with it." Her voice dropped to a more venomed tone once again.

Violet's red eyes shifted to look at him as her eyes pierced into his with a stare, unblinking and focused. “I haven’t entered the event…because I would kill them all." including alexander she thought as she tried to tear the memories of earlier from her mind but it was no use. “...You asked me before…about the craving. I dont think I could stop myself if I were to go through with your offer. You’ve been kind to me which many have not. You even kept me company in the park… " her voice trailed for a moment as she felt a few of the memories slip in. Taking a deep breath she reached down and slipped the shoes back on her feet as if preparing to leave. “So I will show you kindness and decline your offer."

Udo’s desperate quest for the honorable death that would let him pass on with his goddess’s blessing flickered and faded behind Ryn’s closed lids. A bone-deep sigh rattled in his chest. “Then I hope you can take some small comfort in knowing that there are ways to put a permanent end to your existence, should you desire.” An unthinkable thing to voice for most. For those who had contemplated suicide, though, the power to draw that final curtain provided bittersweet comfort. To know that there would be an end to their living nightmare.

For Violet, living had become her nightmare.

Shifting in her spot, Violet swayed softly as the air around her seemed to darken. She wasn't sure anymore what awaited on the other side but she knew what waited for her here and that was death and not that of her own.

“And though your family chose this, from the sounds of it, they must’ve loved you so dearly to want you back no matter the cost.” His gaze fell to the damp cloth, imagining the bitter rain of tears that must have fallen the night of Lady Damien’s murder, before tucking it away. “You’re also blessed with friends such as Lady Charlotte, who would support you through this. It speaks volumes of you as a person, Violet.”

The red eyes that fixed upon him as he spoke, narrowed at the thought of feeling remorse for the ones who supported or perhaps even had some hand in her condition. Blessed… There was no blessing here, only whispers and laughter. Death.

Ryn paused, his expression shifting as a subtle frost crept into his tone. “However, if your motivations stem from a desire to punish your family, I must urge you to reconsider your method. Please, do not involve those unconnected to your grievances. That path will only breed more pain, more darkness. They don’t deserve to bear the consequences of your family’s actions.” With her condition, she risked devaluing people to mere sustenance. If she decided their deaths could serve as a means to settle the score with her family, it would be all too easy to start viewing all other life as expendable, much like them. “Don’t let your pain and anger destroy yourself… You deserve better than that.” He wondered if he spoke these words to Lady Damien or to his own family—his grandmother.

Little Ryn stared unblinkingly into his grandmother’s eyes as her hands held his face in an inescapable grasp. Though neither were the same color, they were so dark it he could not really tell, even this close to her face, they just looked black. “They are the ones who robbed us of everything. But they twisted the narrative, turned us into monsters to be hunted without mercy.” Her weathered hands trembled, from what, he could not say, “And if not for the oath, I would have gladly become one, in body, mind, and soul.”

“It’s a bit late for that Lord Fritz. Much of me has already been destroyed.”

“But not all.” The tears were proof of that.

For the first time, Ryn’s gaze completely left Lady Damien and he contemplated the problem before them, brow furrowed in thought. “I believe securing a stable source of blood must be the priority. Establish a reserve of sorts that doesn’t involve slaughtering people left and right. It may also be worth exploring whether your hunger can be sated by non-human blood.” When he halted his pacing, he met her gaze. “Putting the issue of morality aside, even from a practical standpoint, you cannot afford to draw attention to yourself with unnecessary killing. You may end up having to deal with an angry mob with torches and pitchforks. And you would be depleting valuable blood resources.”

“Your concern for my actions are misplaced Lord Fritz. Respectfully you nor any of the other nobles cared until I became some circus act to gawk at for the morning newspaper. I would be shocked to even believe any of you cared or even knew of my death.” She looked away uncaring. “What I do with my time is my own, and if any of this information bleeds out, I will ensure that it isn’t the only thing bleeding.”

“Was… that a pun?” Ryn chuckled softly before settling into a troubled smile.

“... It seems like you’ve decided everything about me, for me, as well.” He said, the unspoken comparison to her parents hanging in the air. “May I ask why the concern I had when we walked together or the concern I am expressing now is less meaningful to you?”

From what he could gather, she seemed to be somewhere between resigned to her perceived fate and enraged at the injustice of it all. “I’m sorry people aren’t grieving for you in the way you wished. But as I understand it, your parents, with the crown’s help, have kept your murder a closely guarded secret. The newspapers haven’t reported it. Few even know of your passing, and I learned of it only by chance.” He assumed the Damiens did this in order to protect their daughter, to give her some modicum of normalcy.

Leaning forward, he pinned her with an intense stare. “What you do has always been your choice alone, Violet. You can give in to despair. Allow circumstances, or others, decide everything for you. Seek revenge or offer forgiveness. End your life or embrace this new existence. Become the monster you dread or the person you want to be. Fight alone or with allies. Every decision has consequences you must shoulder.” As Ryn straightened, he began to put his glove back on. “I’ve listed potential alternatives. Whatever avenue you pursue to slake your thirst, hereafter, know that it’s a road you walk with open eyes, fully aware that other roads exist.”

“You are not what they made you, Violet Damien. You are who you choose to become.”

“Spare me your pity party Lord Fritz. My life has been chosen for me.” She let out a long sigh as her chest collapsed down, the wind picked up again and as she breath in the smell once again hit her nose. The pungent, iron scent…called to her as she swallowed hard to pull it back. With so many people at the event, she needed to find some place less crowded…quite. “Regardless of what people want to say or believe, I am the one who needs to look in the mirror. The constant reminder of my disfigurement. On top of all of that I am now subject to remove life from others to spare my own. You may keep your advice for someone who wants it. Until someone is in my position, to know what its like to be ripped from what I could only understand as heaven, To be pulled back to fulfill some sick joke of sparing my parents feelings. My actions may be of my own, but they were fueled by what lurks inside that manor,” her voice deepend slightly.

The comment about the disfigurement puzzled him. True, there were scars, but they did not diminish her beauty in his eyes. She was beautiful despite it, even because of it. Much like kintsugi.

“Most living things take life to sustain their own. Even you did before you died the first time. Unless you secretly knew how to do photosynthesis, I assume you’ve had your share of meat, fruit, vegetables, and yeast.” His fingers traced the veins of his wrist. “Living things can make more blood as long as they live. You don’t have to kill anyone.”

He knew that the conversation had reached an impasse. Lady Damien made it evident that she was unwilling to entertain his words, at least not at present. Maybe if the words came from someone she cared for, it would be different, but not from Ryn, some random stranger. Thus he ended the discussion with, “I may not fully understand what you’re going through, but I’m here to help however I can,” and left it at that for now.

An idea suddenly came to mind and Ryn flashed her a boyish wide grin. “You said you’ve always been a good girl who never did anything wrong, living a boring life. Then, why not be adventurous in this one? Try out new things that you couldn’t before? We could even do something deliciously naughty, like fling eggs at your parents’ house.”

Violet's eyes glanced over at the party. Alexander had made it rather clear to her what she was instructed to do and while she did hold the thoughts in the back of her mind this offer sounded much more exciting.

“What… do you think?” He watched her, hopeful, waiting on her response.

“What do you have in mind?” she flashed a toothy smile, her sharp canines peeking beneath her red stained lips.

The smile that It returned to her was wholly different from the ones which came before. A feral thing, all sharp edges and glinting teeth; a bestial baring of enamel that mirrored the lady’s own wolfish grin.

---

With the masquerade party concluded and his commitments met, Ryn made good on his final promise of the night by introducing Lady Damien to the city’s nightlife. They indulged in the revelry offered by various disreputable establishments—shabby taverns, smoke-filled public houses, and rowdy saloons. Laid wages at a gambling den thick with the reek of desperation, the rattle of dice and the slap of cards punctuated by curses bitten off behind clenched teeth. Using charcoal stubs, they left their mark defacing walls with crude drawings and inscriptions. And they danced. Danced to every music that caught their fancy. Everything Lady Damien had always been curious about but never dared to explore in her previous life because she was a “good girl.”

All the while, Ryn kept a watchful eye out for trouble. Which may be the only reason why he spotted the group of shifty characters who had been tailing them for quite some time. Their sidelong glances and hushed exchanges spoke of opportunistic thieves awaiting just the right moment to make their move upon the unwary pair.

A rather intoxicated Violet giggled off to the side as she clumsily fell into a gentlemen. He had his arm outstretched looming above her head as he gave her a coy smile exchanging words that made Lady Violet's face flush with pink as she attempted to steady herself.

Oblivious to the people that Fritz spotted, Violet took a long sip on her glass as she leaned up against the wall continuing to giggle at a joke that was more then likely not funny.

Deciding it was time to intervene, Ryn approached his inebriated friend. “I think it’s time we call it a night, Violet,” he said. Lady Damien’s protests bubbled forth, giddy and slurred, her cheeks flushed a deep pink, but Ryn held fast. He carefully guided her towards the door and out into the cool night air, his arm securely around her waist, anchoring her against the pull of gravity.

Rather than take the most expeditious path back to the Damien estate, they wove a circuitous route through narrow side streets and dimly lit alleyways. Better to muddy their trail should any unsavory sorts give chase, and the added time afforded a chance for words.

“Well, well,” Ryn began with a playful tone, “who knew you were such a party animal! How was your first taste of the city’s nightlife? Did it live up to your expectations?” Even as the questions left him, he wondered if this night of reckless abandon would ultimately prove cathartic for her or if it would only compound the issues that drove her to seek solace in the first place. Ryn watched her carefully, his hand gently rubbing slow circles on her back when she needed to pause and reorient herself.

Stopping to lean against a stone wall Violet caught her balance. Grinning at Fritz she let out a small giggle. “Better than some horrible masquerade” she adjusted the tail of her gown that she had borrowed from Alexander's wife. Realizing that she would need to go home, at least to find a better change of clothing she frowned. “ I should probably head home…” she said softly in defeat however she had no intention on staying. “Thank you for turning my evening around. You really opened my eyes” she smiled as she attempted to straighten up but ended up falling back into the wall.

Ryn gestured toward the far end of the dimly lit alley. “Worry not, my lady,” he assured her. “Once we exit this passage, home shall be but a stone’s throw away.” With genteel courtesy, the count hooked Lady Damien’s elbow with his own and continued down the uneven cobblestones.

As they emerged onto the gaslit street and her stately manse came into view, Ryn jovially said, “Thank you for allowing me to accompany you tonight. If you ever wish to go on a similar adventure, let me know. I would love to do this again.” He paused, before his voice took on a softer cadence. “And I want you to know that my offer of companionship extends beyond just drinking and dice. If you ever have need of a friendly ear, or a helping hand in finding your killer… you need only send word, Violet. I am but a missive away.”

Ryn’s eyes held hers, willing her to absorb what he just said. “I hope you don’t forget my words this time.” His hand found her arm and patted it.

Violet's red eyes glanced down to his hand that offered her a supportive pat then back to his face unsure if his words were genuine or held some sort of motive behind them. It was as if in her drunken state there was a small part of her still there, the part of her that never died that day. The one that wanted to trust someone.

Forcing a smile she nodded “Thank you…” she said softly as her expression shifted from her giggly state to one more somber as they approached closer to the manor. “...I will keep it in mind.” Her eyes glanced up to the Manor as it came closer in sight. Every time she saw it, she felt as if the world around her was closing in. Nailing her inside of a coffin. It was no longer home.

“I hope you can keep this night between us.” she said, before stopping them just a block from the back gates. “I don’t know who to trust right now…” her voice dropped to nearly a whisper.

Ryn took note of Lady Damien’s curious reaction—she seemed more distressed by her parents’ decision to resurrect her than not knowing who had cut her life short and why. For the time being, he resolved to grant her the space she needed. He trusted that she would seek him out should she decide to accept his offer. With a nod, he acquiesced. “Understood.”

Mischief sparkled in Ryn’s eyes, accompanied by a conspiratorial smile. A finger pressed to his mouth. “I cannot vouch for the other patrons’ discretion, but my lips are sealed. As far as I am concerned, tonight is our little secret. If someone asks about you, I will tell them I saw you returning home.”

In a gesture of gallantry, the count brought Lady Damien’s hand to his lips as he swept into a bow. “I hope to hear from you soon, Violet. Until then, good night, and don’t be a stranger.”

Offering him a smile and a very off balance curtsy, Violet nodded in understanding. “Goodnight Lord Fritz” she smiled before turning her back to him and walking back towards the dreaded manor, pausing she turned back around peering over her shoulder at the man. Flashing another smile, this time showing off her fangs as her lips curved into a playful expression “You’re lucky I don't bite.” Giving him a final nod of her head she turned back around and walked off.

He wished It could say the same.

Avalia

Time: MORNING
Location: EXT. DOCK / INT. TAVERN
Interactions/Mentions: Guy affiliated with The New Dawn @Lava Alckon; Another guy affiliated with The New Dawn @SilverPaw; Zion @Helo
Equipment:

[+]

⋆ Attire from Avalia
⋆ Backpack
⋆ Smartphone
⋆ Wallet and key
⋆ Computer
⋆ Headphones
⋆ Spare eyeglasses
⋆ Plastic bag
⋆ Letter
⋆ Zion's hunting knife
⋆ Clothes from Earth
⋆ Canteen "borrowed" from Malachi's
⋆ Map "borrowed" from Malachi's

---

"I'll take that as a yes to all of the above then. Unless you want to, oh I dunno...elaborate?" Jun frowned at Tanithil's response. He was absolutely, positively, one-hundred-percent certain he had shaken his head. Last time he checked, a side-to-side head wobble meant no in every country except Bulgaria… and Sri Lanka… and maybe India. Turkey. Okay, maybe there were a lot more regions than Jun initially thought. That wasn't the point. The point was, he was pretty sure the Captain was just trying to get him to speak.

When both Tanithil and Arlen strode off in different directions. Jun realized that they made the mistake of taking their eyes off of him. Time to make a break for it!

As Arlen, Zion, and Jun wandered toward the tavern Tanithil had pointed at, Jun tried to oh-so-casually drift off course, edging towards sweet, sweet freedom. But every time he steered himself in any other direction than the one Arlen was heading, Zion would either pull him back or block his path with his hulking frame. It was like the lion-man gained mind-reading abilities or something. After several failed attempts, Jun reluctantly shelved Plan A.

Plan B then: excuse himself to the bathroom and make his escape through a back door or window. Classic.

They plopped themselves down at one of the larger tables inside the tavern, and Jun claimed the seat at the far end. Perusing the menu, he jabbed his finger at his breakfast order, then tacked on a few extra provisions for good measure. Since Tanithil was treating them to breakfast, he might as well stock up for his soon-to-be life on the run.

Jun sat quietly, biding his time and waiting for the moment to set his plan into motion.

TLDR

Plan A to slip away while Tanithil and Arlen were not paying attention to Jun, failed because of Zion. Jun decided he would attempt Plan B in the tavern.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Ríoghnach "Riona"

Time: Daytime, Sola 24th
Location: The Primitus Church of Sorian
Interaction(s)/Mention(s): @Helo@princess@TpartywithZombi@Lava Alckon@SilverPaw@FunnyGuy@Rodiak@Potter@Apex Sunburn

Riona fixed the lordling with a long, hard look, her eyes traveling over his figure as if searching for any shred of evidence to support his claim of being fashionable. His fashion sense wasn’t bad, she had to admit—he kept up with the latest whims of the nobility well enough, and he hadn’t completely abandoned tradition for the sake of trends. But the careful blankness of her face revealed nothing. “If that is what you must tell yourself to sleep at night…” she said at last, her gaze sliding away to some distant point. She let the implication hang in the air between them.

The arrogance of the man, thinking he was doing her a gracious favor with his talk of olive branches when he couldn’t even be bothered to remember her words from one moment to the next. Did he really not understand what the problem she had with him was, even after she’d laid it out as plain as day? Even Shehzadi Nahir had practically drawn the Lordling a diagram, but apparently his ego was too impenetrable, his skull too dense.

“Gods spare me from fools and slow-witted lordlings,” Riona muttered, letting her maid’s mask slip. But Lordling Smithwood was too busy prattling, and she doubted he’d even noticed.

He was critiquing the shoes she’d left, in excruciating detail—too gaudy, too dull, unbefitting a man of his stature, on and on. Except for the lion slippers. He liked those. Because of course he would.

“I cannot understand why Lady Morrigan finds this an appropriate remedy, the burden of correcting unruly servants should not fall upon guests. This would never happen in Varian. Have I offended her somehow?”

Clearly, he didn’t expect Riona to answer, but she gave him one anyway. “Is it not obvious, milord? She’s waiting for you to snap. See how much you take after your father when that happens.”

Out of nowhere, the Lordling began rattling off demands about rearranging his room. Riona could only stare, incredulous. Why? What’s the point? Was this some stupid power play?

It was.

One condescending lecture later, he strode on, so pleased with himself.

Technically, she had followed his orders about the shoes to the letter. It wasn’t her fault the young lord hadn’t specified what kind of shoes he wanted. A mistake he seemed determined to repeat, given his vague instructions about the furniture. Riona smiled to herself. Oh, this is going to be fun.

Brushing down Menace, on the other hand, would be a welcome respite. She’d encountered the stallion before, helping in the stables. Prickly at first, Menace had a sweet side once you learned the trick of him. Nothing like that insufferable rider of his, she thought with a snort. Maybe she'll slip Menace an apple or two next time. He deserved it for putting up with that ass.

Inside the church, Lordling Smithwood asked, “Refresh my memory, do you worship His Royal Majesty as if he were the embodiment of a god or because the King is divinely chosen?”

Riona bit back her first response. I don’t. But she couldn’t say that out loud in church, could she? So instead she recited the official line. “It is believed that the ruling family were chosen by the gods to lead the kingdom, blessed with perfection by Zivita himself.” Then Edin became king and his god-complex demanded that he specifically should be the object of worship. “Ever since His Royal Majesty ascended the throne, some have started preaching that he is more than just chosen. He is a mortal god. Born of divine blood, an avatar of Zivita himself.” Blah blah blah. What a crock.

As Lordling Smithwood’s attendant, Riona didn’t sit next to him, but stood against the wall near him. From her vantage point, she got a clear view of those who assembled.

The Monets’ presence came as no shock. The real gut-punch was seeing Count Calbert. His own daughter was still out there somewhere, lost or worse, and here he was attending some stupid ceremony. Priorities, indeed. Maybe Cal had the right of it after all.

Princess Anastasia was with, what Riona could only assume was her new fling, Shahzade Farim. All thoughts of Darryn had clearly been wiped from her pretty, empty head. Darryn… Still missing, still gone. Each hour that passed without a word from him coiled the dread tighter in Riona’s gut, a sinking feeling that something terrible had happened.

Riona also spotted the Vikenas. Nerves played across the Duke’s face, but there was courage there too. Why else would he be attending this event? Lady Charlotte hovered at his elbow, but her attention seemed focused on jotting notes on a journal she carried. Of what, Riona had no clue. She just hoped that Edin’s sycophants were too enraptured by the ceremony to notice one noblewoman neglecting her most holy of duties—fawning over her blessed sovereign.

A trace of a smile ghosted across her lips at the sight of Shehzadi Nahir, memories of the last night’s dance returning to her. But the warmth flickered and died as quickly as a snuffed candle when Wulfric walked into view, his presence an icy draft that seeped into her bones and snaked around her throat. The smile faded into a taut line.

Four unfamiliar faces caught Riona’s eye. Three were complete strangers. The other, Riona recognized vaguely as one of the Shehzadi’s many servants. Four very different, but very dangerous people. It was all in the way they moved—the coiled alertness of their posture, the calculated precision of each step. They were weapons, honed and deadly. (Of course, the literal weapons strapped to the foreign duo were also a dead giveaway.)

She watched silently as the assembled took their seats.

Then, the ceremony began, and Gods, every second of it was torture. Riona wanted to rip her ears off, listening to that stupid f**king song extolling Edin’s virtues and supposed divinity. To gouge her eyes out so she didn’t have to witness the farcical spectacle.

But why stop at harming herself when the true objects of her hatred were right here, within reach? The very people she despised most in this world, all gathered in one place. It would be so easy, whispered a voice in her mind. She could do it now. Here, in this church, while they celebrated the glory of these monsters. What delicious irony it would be. And the best part? The Gods wouldn’t lift a finger to stop her.

Because if the Gods were real, if they truly cared about their chosen, they would have acted long ago.

Avalia

Time: A.M.
Location: River Port
Interactions/Mentions: @mole@Conscripts
Equipment: Knife, drugs, and wallet looted from dope peddler

✠✠✠✠✠

“So, tell us. Where were you last night?”

Vasco patted Rowan’s cheek with blatant condensation. “Rowan, sugar plum, honey bun!” he drawled. “You know you ain’t going to like the answer. So why bother asking?”

He savored the way Rowan’s frown deepened, the wrinkles on his pretty face multiplying like rabbits in a hutch. “Or maybe,” he mused, “this is your way of adding to that laundry list of reasons to get a shiny new human, huh?” Vasco clicked his tongue. “Last one musta been a real piece of work for you to be so keen on ‘trading her in’ for a stand-up guy like yours truly.” He tapped a finger against his temple. Clever play, if that was their game - using incompetence to give the bum’s rush to the heel. Didn’t seem their style, but hey, you never know.

Barrock grunted, “None of this alien slang, please.” Vasco made like he was chewing it over real thoughtful-like before laying it straight. “No can do, pally.” This was who he was, right down to the marrow. A leopard can’t change his spots, and neither could Vasco. “Tell ya what though. You stop being an orc, and maybe I’ll consider it.” Even if the green hulk somehow pulled off that miracle, Vasco had no intention of playing ball. And they all damn well knew it. Barrock was just going to have to get cozy with the lingo, same as the rest of these birds.

“We are so relieved you are well, Vasco.” Aurora’s tear-choked voice drew his attention. “We were worried about you.”

Vasco slid up next to her, slung an arm around her shoulder, and tugged her close. “Nah, toots, you’re the only one who gives a hoot. Rest of them look like they’d be doing the world a favor finishing what the Family couldn’t.” His thumb wiped away the tears ruining her face. “No surprises there. Can’t have the gutter trash sullying a sweet little angel like you, now can they?”

He shot Rowan and Barrock a sidelong glance, a wicked grin across his mug. Tough break for them. Folks like Vasco got a real tickle out of defiling the pure and innocent. Like stomping fresh footprints through a field of virgin snow.

When Barrock parroted the same question Vasco had asked earlier, only for it to be ignored, Vasco spoke first. “For starters, you all need to quit feeling sorry for yourselves. It’s getting real stale, and with everything you’ve pulled off during it, I’m starting to think you’re just dragging your heels. Bellyache all you want about how you screwed the pooch, but it ain’t gonna bring your human back or change that you mucked up the one job you had. Time to put on your big boy pants and move on.”

He aimed a chilly look at Aurora. “If you can’t handle that, then you got no business being out here, Ingénue. The real world’s too much for you to handle.” Vasco tilted her chin up, stared hard into those doe eyes. “You’re a real looker, doll, but what good are you like this? Scram before you get someone else bumped off.”

Releasing the elf, Vasco addressed the group. “But if you’re meaning to even the score, next step oughta be clear as day, yeah?” He flashed them a smile, all teeth. “Find the bastard who killed your gal and put them six feet under.” Now that would be a helluva lot more entertaining than watching this sorry bunch mope around all day, that was for damn sure.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Flashback: Night Sola 23, 1739

Callum & Riona Part 2

---

Gathering her notes, she returned to Callum’s side. “... Look, don’t forget that you’re welcome here, Cal. The house doesn’t hate you and I don’t hate you being here either.” She searched his face, wondering how many safe havens remained for him on the castle grounds. “It’d make me sad if you don’t like being here anymore.”

“Never said you were unwelcoming. I go places I’m not wanted all the time. I'd still visit if you lived in a cave full of very angry vipers.” The feeling was gone now but that didn’t make him feel better about it. He’d never felt such intense malice before, not even from Edin. You’re right. I am jumpy, but hey, harder to sneak up on me, right?” It was better to change the subject.

Riona pressed the cup into his hands with a gentle insistence. “Drink this. It might help.” Then she offered a sheaf of notes. “And this is for you. Kalliope helped me infiltrate a masquerade party today. I gathered some information that could get you off to a good start with the Thornbreakers.”

He looked down at the cup Riona placed in his hands. He lifted it close enough to smell, which was a mistake. “I already had tea.” Callum whispered to the cup. “Better tea.” This a nearly inaudible whisper was sighed into the cup before he brought it to his lips and downed it like a shot. Even trying to avoid tasting it, he still made a face reminiscent of a child tasting alcohol for the first time.

“Oh stop being melodramatic, Cal. It’s just water. Lukewarm water sure, but it can’t be that bad.” Riona shook her head. “Seriously, what kind of tea were you guys drinking?”

“Roman’s shaman friend made it, it was tea for people who wish to see.” He whispered with a sense of reverence, describing it just as Roman had. Cal eyed the now empty cup. “Water? I try not to touch that stuff.” He was certain that it had tasted bad; maybe it was the cup. He licked the side cup which didn’t taste any weirder than expected. “Why would I tell them what you found? And why do you sometimes work with Quack, but not officially work with Quack? Never thought you were much of a Thorn-saver.”

“Because I’ve got your back, not the Thornbreakers. I’ve never really been on board with their cause, and I don’t think I ever will be. I’ve been helping out Quack with the effort to help folks in need, but that’s it… He just happened to get himself mixed up with anarchists,” she said, letting her arm drop.

“I don’t know why people think I have a problem with nobility, but I don’t. I have nothing against aristocracy itself. Some of the people I care about most happened to be of noble birth.” Annoyance flashed crossed her face. “What I can’t stand are those arrogant pricks who think their precious titles and bloodlines give them the right to abuse their power and treat others like something they’ve scraped off the bottom of their boots.” A weary sigh dissipated her irritation. “There are plenty of decent sorts among the highborn, people who show basic human decency to commoners. But some members of the Thornbreakers are hells-bent on punishing every last noble, regardless of their actions or character. All because they were born into a family with a fancy title… How is that any better?”

“It’s a depressingly low standard; basic decency and not abusing power, and so many fail at even that. Tells me everything I need to know about the aristocracy here.” Callum shrugged, he wasn’t sure if things were better in other places, but he was sure the rot in Caesonia extended far beyond his own house.

“Gods, don’t remind me,” Riona said, massaging the bridge of her nose.

“Thanks for helping.”

She looked up at him and nodded in acknowledgment. “I might not give a damn about the Thornbreakers, but I worry about you. I want you to thrive and bring change. But you can’t do that if there’s members who think you’re more of a liability than an asset and decide to off you.” Riona lifted the notes back up. “This might help you survive in their group long enough to gain their trust. It has to be an offering from you. Don’t you dare mention me.”

He stared at the carefully gathered notes, he couldn’t exactly read them - words kept shifting and forming patterns on the pages. They weren’t his notes, it wasn’t his work. “That’s what Danroses’ do right; underhanded moves, manipulation, building trust on lies.” He watched the flowing movements of ink, an easy way to get what he wanted dancing before him. He looked Riona in the eye. “I won’t lie to them. They’ll trust me because I’m worth it or they won’t.” There was no waver in his voice.

“Making friends with people who try to kill me, has worked out before. I’ll keep your name out of it if that’s what you want.” He offered.

Riona blinked at Callum, her brow furrowing as confusion and even hurt flickered across her features. Realization dawned, her mouth parted to form a silent ‘oh.’ “Wait. You think I want you to claim you gathered all this yourself?” She shook her head, dark curls swaying, before she forced the notes onto him. “The Thornbreakers wouldn’t believe you even if you did do it by yourself. Just say your secret coterie of informants collected it. The important thing is you deliver it to them yourself. And that you don’t mention me.” Pivoting on her heel, orange skirts swirled around her legs as Riona started toward the back of the house. “If that’s too much for your pride to swallow, then burn those notes.”

“Burn them? Obviously, you worked hard to get this, I’m not going to burn it. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page, and guess we weren’t, but only because I think of the least honest ways to do things first.” He fidgeted with the empty cup. “Secret coterie of informants. You make sound all fancy and official.” He grinned and wondered if Wulfric had a secret coterie of informants. Probably.

Riona halted at the hallway’s mouth, one hand braced on the doorframe as she half-turned, loose locks framing her face. “Callum.” His name carried the weight of a challenge on her lips.

“If you can’t stomach underhanded tactics, manipulation, lying… Then the Thornbreakers isn’t for you. Because that’s exactly what you’re going to have to do for them. They don’t have the luxury of playing it straight, not against opponents with infinite power, wealth, and influence to grind them into the dust.”

“I said I wouldn’t lie to Quack or the other Thornbreakers, and I won’t lie to you either, by the way. I didn’t say I wouldn’t lie at all, just not to allies, or friends?” He said it like a question, a standard he hoped he could keep but wasn’t sure how possible that was. “Guess I’ll see how well I can keep to that.” He wished he had something else to say because as soon as Riona disappeared from his line of sight he worried he’d feel eyes watching him again. He wanted to wait outside, but instead, he pulled a chair close to the wall so he could sit and still feel confident nothing lurked behind him.

“Come on,” Riona called out from the other room, “try to sound a little bit more convincing than that! Are you really going to go with…” She put on an exaggerated impersonation of Callum, “‘Guess we’ll see how well I won’t lie to you guys.’” Switching to a deeper voice, she continued, “When they ask, ‘How can we trust you?’”

“I don’t sound like that!” He shouted back, there was a long pause before he added, “Do I?”

“When you’re drunk.” She said lightly at first and then, “... And when you doubt yourself.” Though she doubted he heard that.

“Good thing I’m not drunk then. That guy sounds annoying.” He mumbled to himself and waited until Riona was well out of earshot before whispering to the quiet room. “This is Riona’s home, she says I’m welcome here.” Maybe it was just to calm his nerves but whatever he’d sensed earlier did not return. The hut felt just as it always had, maybe it was all in his head.

A few minutes later, Riona emerged from the room, dressed in the standard uniform. It was the least conspicuous outfit to be in. Even more so with the Prince by her side.

On the table, she unrolled four thick sheets of paper, smoothing them flat with practiced hands. Layouts of the castle, one for each level, painstakingly drawn from earlier surveys. With a hint of pride, Riona confessed, “I’ve been measuring and mapping the castle. I narrowed down potential locations for hidden rooms… not that I’m sure how to get inside all of them, but it’s a start.” Her fingers traced along the paper, indicating sections still blank. “I haven’t explored these yet.” She looked up at Callum then, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. For the first time, in a long time, she didn’t feel like she was on her own. To have someone by her side gave her immeasurable strength. “So, partner, where to first?”

“You made these!” He looked through the detailed schematics; all four castle floors were laid out perfectly. Or it would look perfect if the lines on the paper would just hold still for a second. “Hey, that’s my room!” He pointed it out as if Riona didn’t already know the castle’s layout better than he did. “Wow! Now it really feels like we're two rebel spies at the start of a master plan!” There was no containing the enthusiasm, it spread infectiously across his face like the grin of a child.

Beside him, Riona felt her lips curve upwards in an answering smile, caught in the gravitational pull of his enthusiasm.

“We know about the secret room in the library, so I guess we can count the first floor solved for now. Second floor, I think that can wait, not like it’ll be hard for either of us to explain poking around in the tea room. So, third floor.” He placed that page on top of the others and pointed to the unknown room. “Seems like a good start, work our way down.” Cal didn’t mention the basement, he didn’t want to go down there, even fully sober that place was unsettling.

Nodding, she rolled up the papers. “Let’s get going.”

“Cal... Where’s your shoes?” Cal only shrugged in response.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Ríoghnach "Riona"

Time: Daytime, Sola 24th
Location: The Primitus Church of Sorian
Interaction(s)/Mention(s): @Helo

Sola 23rd Nighttime

The music and chatter died away as Riona stepped out of the lively warmth of the masquerade ball and into the cooler, quieter paths of the park. The transition from the glittering ballroom to the moonlit emptiness was stark. Her heels tapped a lonely rhythm on the cobblestones, the sound crisp in the still air.

A breeze whispered through the trees, carrying a distorted, half-caught syllable that sounded vaguely like an order. Riona paused, straining to listen, but the night remained tight-lipped. Then, madness shattered the silence—a high-pitched cackle that spiraled upwards into a frenzy.

Her head whipped towards the sound and her eyes locked onto a figure emerging from the darkness. It was adorned with a lion mask, its features grotesquely exaggerated by the dim light, eyes nothing more than dark, empty sockets fixed on her.

H_ahAHA^ha!

The lion charged.

She ran. Heels clicked frantically against the stones as she dashed along the path. The laughter chased her, bouncing off the trees, gaining ground with every second.

Her heel snagged in a crack. She stumbled, gasping, flailing for balance. Too late.
A hand clamped onto her shoulder and spun her around. The lion mask loomed inches from her face. Wild, unhinged eyes gleamed behind it. Laughter spilled out between ragged breaths, drowning out her own panting.

^WaHA_wHa^hAHach!HAHAHA!

With no thought but escape, she rammed her knee up with all the force her terror-inspired strength could muster, connecting sharply with the madman’s groin. The effect was instant and gratifying—he doubled over with a strangled wheeze, grip slackening.

Free from his hold, Riona didn’t pause to look back; she ripped off her treacherous heels and sprinted barefoot toward the edge of the park. Up ahead, illuminated by the soft glow of a lantern, was Mr. Brisby, waiting beside the carriage.

“Mr. Brisby!” she called out, her voice shaky but relieved.

The coachman turned, alarmed, and rushed over. “Riona! What on earth?” he asked as he reached her side.

“Madman in a lion mask. Chasing me. Laughing.” She managed to gasp out.

Mr. Brisby’s face set into a grim line as he helped her into the carriage, then glanced back warily into the dark park. “Let’s get you away from here,” he said, securing the door before climbing up to the driver’s seat.

As the carriage rolled away, the rhythmic clopping of the horses’ hooves and rumbling of the wheels on the cobblestones gradually soothed Riona's frayed nerves. Wrapped in the safety of the carriage, she let herself relax.

And felt something hard digging into her. Riona reached down and pulled out a dented pocket watch. … Sh*t.

Riona and the Smithwood servants couldn’t hide their smirks as they took in the sight of Lordling Smithwood’s shocking pink skin and equally vivid hair. Some managed to keep a straight face better than others, but there was no mistaking the amusement in their eyes. The Lordling, for his part, looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. Being assigned Riona as his attendant for the event only soured his mood further.

Outside, the maid held the umbrella over the Lordling’s head as the rain pattered around them. He b*tched and moaned about the shoes the entire way to the church. “I thought they suit you, milord.” Riona said, her tone just a touch too innocent. “As it seems you have a penchant for the flamboyant.” Her gaze flicked pointedly to his flamingo-like appearance. The Lordling huffed while she bit back a smile.

Inside the church, she fell into step behind him, keeping a modest two paces between them.

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Fritz "Ryn" Hendrix

Time: Sola 24, 1739; Daytime Hours
Location: Morning Blossom Cafe
Interaction(s)/Mention(s): @Tae

Ryn hurried through the rain-soaked streets, his heart pounding with anticipation as he approached the café where the courting mixer was set to take place. The pitter-patter of raindrops against his umbrella provided a constant backdrop to his thoughts. When his destination came into view, an unexpected sight caused him to slow his steps.

Near the entrance, a dire wolf lounged. Its majestic presence captivated him, pushing thoughts of the mixer from his mind. Cautiously, Ryn approached, careful to maintain a respectful distance. As he drew closer, the creature’s beauty left him awestruck. “Well, hello there, my stunning friend,” he said, his voice soft and friendly. “I must say, I didn’t expect to find one of your kind here, so far from the wilderness. What brings you to this quaint little café on such a rainy day?”

Piercing, intelligent eyes regarded Ryn while the wolf seemed to study him.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Riona & Wulfric Part 2

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TLDR for the flashback: Jonathan’s birthday party goes on, and the children end up playing football. Lacking a referee, the game devolves into a free-for-all brawl towards the end. As the adults are informed, the fight is broken up. However, Wulfric happens upon the parents arguing soon after. Then, Lord Desmond Dantès speaks to him. The prince is impressed, but unfortunately has to leave. On the way home he saw Lord Dantès holding hands with the castle’s royal gardener, Gardner Haywood. Lady Dantès was holding hands with two other adults he didn’t recognize.

Year 1720, Flora

There were other dances after that, but they all blurred together in Wulfric’s mind. As much as he didn’t want to, the anger and frustration at that Dantès girl wouldn’t leave him. Thankfully, after a few more songs, Jonathan suggested they should do something else. He brought out one of his gifts - a ball from Lord Dantès - and said the boys could go out to play football.

“Isn’t that a peasants’ game?” Wulfric asked the young lord. His tone was equal parts scandalized and enthused. The only reason he’d come to this birthday party was because he had heard other people brag how fun they were. And this would be a new, unknown game, so he was really excited to try it out.

“Er…we play it at school,” Jonathan replied, embarrassed. Immediately, Wulfric blurted out, “You go to school?” This was even stranger to him. “I thought all nobles were tutored…” He looked at Jonathan in wonder, but the boy was growing very uncomfortable. “How is it?”

“What, school?” the youngest Bernard asked, a tad grumpy. “It’s just school…it’s boring.” He looked down, turned the ball he was holding in his hands a few times, then peeked at the prince. “This is much better, I promise! Will you play with me?”

“Of course,” Wulfric confirmed, slightly confused. Weren’t they all going to play? “But you’ll have to tell me the rules,” he grinned dazzlingly.

“Oh…alright.” On the way out, Jonathan related the basics. There were teams, there was striking, scoring, and defending. There were some rules about what you couldn’t do, because it was considered barbaric. Wulfric found himself comparing the game to dueling, except football wasn’t one-on-one.

Outside of the Bernards’ estate, past the garden, there was a neatly trimmed lawn. There were white lines running here and there - this was called the field. There were two simple structures on each end of the field; the goals. There were wooden benches far to one side, and Suzanne, Margaret, and Jennifer immediately sat down, chatting to each other. Wulfric’s servants and guards stationed themselves at the stands as well.

Lars set himself as the leader of one team, while Wulfric let Jonathan handle theirs. After much bickering, cajoling, and a sprinkle of insults, it was five against four. Lars had Charlie, Tomás, Florian, and had reluctantly accepted Cora. With Jonathan were Wulfric, Juan, and Mariel.

“You can handle being one down, can’t you?” sneered Lars mockingly. “Unless you want to take that one,” he laughed loudly as he looked at Lady Dantès as if she were a cockroach he wanted to squash. The young girl had remained closer than the three who’d sat down. Wulfric glanced at the youngest lady skeptically. Surely, that small child wouldn’t decide to play. “Just don’t complain it was unfair when you lose,” Lars jeered with a smirk.

“You’ll see who’s the loser when we beat you!” Jonathan shouted.

“Come on, let’s make him regret picking a fight with us.” Wulfric beckoned Jonathan. It was time to start. “You should get out of the way,” Wulfric said to Lady Dantès dismissively. Jonathan made that discomfited frown again, and said softly, “I…I wouldn’t want you to get hurt…Um…” The boy didn’t seem to want to chase the girl away, but was also reluctant to let her stay that close. “It…could be dangerous,” he eventually settled on.

Lady Dantès and, for some reason, Mariel frowned slightly in response. The younger girl recovered first, while the older girl continued to be mildly upset by what had been said. “Thank you for caring. But I’ll be fine, Jonathan. I played before.” Lady Dantès regarded their team with a critical eye. “Who’s doing what?”

“Positions?” Mariel asked, and when the little girl nodded, she finally stopped frowning and turned to Jonathan. “Well?”

“Um…” Jonathan scratched at his cheek, suddenly shyly embarrassed at all the attention. “I-I’ve played different positions…But I’m good at passing. What about you?” he turned to Juan.

The tall, lanky boy shrugged. “If you’re midfield, I can strike.” Quizzically, he looked at Wulfric, who admitted, “I’ve never played in a team.” He had messed around with a ball on his own, and had seen a game or two from a distance, but that was it. There was an awkward silence, and some of the children exchanged concerned glances between each other.

“Your Highness…” Jonathan started carefully. “Could you…keep the goal for us?” Wulfric tilted his head at the boy, expecting an explanation. When the other youth gave it, the prince grew sulky. “What?” he exclaimed. “You just want me to stand around doing nothing?

“It’s not nothing,” Mariel growled and glowered.

“Can you or can’t you do it?” Dantès gave him a challenging stare.

Juan merely stood there, looking uncomfortable, while Jonathan raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Er…n-now, t-there…uhh.” His gaze wildly darted around, seeking a solution. “T-the other team’s all ready! We, uh, we…n-need to decide soon. Could you pleeease do us a favour here, Prince Wulfric?”

It was only because of Jonathan’s pleading, and because he could see Lars gloating from afar that Wulfric agreed. “Fine, but when I’m bored, I’m switching.”

With three positions settled on, the boys turned to the girls. Mariel punched into her own palm, a fierce expression on her face. “I’ll play defense. No one’s getting past me.” Four pairs of eyes landed on the last member. The small child, Dantès, ended up as their second midfielder.

When they were all ready, they got into their designated spots. Wulfric was at the goal, so all he had to do for a while was watch. The ball was placed in the middle of the field. Rather than a clear signal, the opposing teams had a haphazard count-down, then the children launched towards the center, competing on who would get the ball.

Tomás, who was an attacker - the same position as Juan - had that boundless energy driving him, so he made contact first. He was quick, aggressive, and unpredictable. A wildcard that could whirl by all opposition like a sudden tornado, but also a reckless, easily distractible player who often had the ball stolen from him. However, he had Charlie and Cora supporting him as midfielders, and those two were the stars of teamwork. Unlike anyone else, the pair was clearly used to playing together. They moved fluidly in sync, giving Tomás plenty of opportunities to work his magic. Surprisingly, Lars was the defender; from the back, he shouted out orders to his team. Most of the time, they listened to him - and when they got it right, their play was a work of art.

Honestly, their team was weaker, Wulfric could see that from where he was watching. Juan was a decent match against Tomás, but the twins were good at blindsiding him, and Lars was a formidable defender. Jonathan was experienced, and even Dantès held her own, but compared to the twins? Unexpectedly, Mariel was their saving grace; she limited the opponents’ options so much that Wulfric could predict and stop most of their attacks.

There’d been several times where bickering had ensued in the game so far. Tomás had knocked down Juan, Lars had tripped Jonathan, Dantès had kicked Lars, and Mariel had nearly stunned Charlie once by barrelling into him. For each of these events, the team whose player was affected had called foul, while the opposing team had either claimed it an accident or a valid strategy.

The last accident-adjacent event involved Juan and Tomás knocking heads - literally. Juan came out of it with a swollen eye. Wulfric took that opportunity to switch out with him.

“Can you still see out of that eye?” the prince asked the other boy. Juan just shrugged, and mumbled unconvincingly. Wulfric hummed. “Watch out for your blind spot,” he warned.

Because both sides had been injured (Tomás had a bloodied nose), both teams got one point, and a rest period. Wulfric beckoned the others closer. “Juan, you know what to do?” he confirmed. The tall boy nodded, though not without sending a dark glower at Tomás. The young royal glanced at Mariel. “Can you defend with him like you did with me? They’ll want to shoot to his right.”

Mariel blinked, surprised at the acknowledgement, then gave Juan a considering look. The boy scrunched his face, looked away, then back, expression still sour. Then, he nodded haltingly. “Don’t let them score,” Wulfric directed this to the messy-haired boy, giving him a long look. That seemed to work, as Juan’s eyes widened, and he nodded quickly several times in succession.

“Alright,” Wulfric smirked. “I have an idea…” he motioned them all closer. “So far, Jonathan has stuck to Charlie, and Dantès to Cora, right?” The other children nodded. “Well, how about this? Both of you, get on Charlie.” Some started to protest, but Wulfric spoke on. “Lars almost always passes to Charlie, and then he and Cora to each other. Even if he’s forced to give the ball to her, you should have seen those two don’t work together. We’ll cut down on what they can do like that,” he explained, and most seemed convinced.

“Mariel, you can cover Tomás. Cora will be free most of the time, but we should be able to handle that…I’ll deal with Lars. If I can’t score, I’ll pass to whoever’s closest.” He gazed at the two midfielders. “So, be ready for that.” He looked from one player to the other, waiting for each to give confirmation. “Let’s go!”

They got into action. Now, Wulfric was the one leading the charge.

Finally, he got to move! He was smiling, exhilarated as he ran across the field. It was like the wind was with him, even as it rushed against him. It ruffled his hair, filled his chest, and tickled his skin. Hot puffs of air escaped him. He was so fast! The ground was hard as ever, but he bounded up from it with energy. He was like an unstoppable gale now, and he felt great.

Getting a grasp of who was where was more difficult now, but Wulfric got a hang of it soon.

Then, he was on the ball, and Lars was going right at him. Wulfric grinned.

The two faced off, Lars stole it for a moment, the prince launched right back at it…

…Unexpectedly, he slid sideways onto the grass, but got the ball. He somehow managed to aim it to a free player-

-Dantès.

As Lars was trying not to trip over him, Wulfric pushed himself off of the floor. “GO!” He started to run again, just in case. However, the little girl scored, getting the score even. Wulfric laughed, still enthused at the unexpected move he’d done against Lars by accident. It was so awesome, though!

“What about that? You even got beat by a little girl,” the prince pitched in slyly.

Lars got as red as a lobster, and Wulfric was still chucking as he turned around to get back to the game. The boy was shouting something, but the royal just ignored him. One more goal, and they’d be in the lead.

However, before they could resume, another fight broke out. This one was different. It got loud and messy, quick. Wulfric stopped in his tracks, and glanced back towards the players to see what was going on.

He turned around just in time to see Dantès launch herself at Lars, tackling him to the ground. They rolled across the grass, a tangle of flailing limbs, as each tried to gain the upper hand. They punched and kicked at each other as they grappled, twisted, and wrestled on the ground. “Get off me, you rabid half-breed!”

“Take it back!”

“You can go straight to the hells with your pillow-biting lord and take your diseases with you!” Lars grabbed a fist full of Dantès’s hair and yanked it back hard, causing her to scream in pain. But she refused to relent, pulling on his hair in return.

“Get off her, you fucker,” Mariel growled, immediately joining the fight to back up Dantès. “H-hey now,” Charlie tried to help, but somehow got tangled up into it all when Mariel’s kick landed on him. With her brother involved, Cora was at least half-in, trying to pull Lars away at one point, arguing with him at another, and intermittently attempted to get Dantès and Mariel to back off.

After it became apparent that the fight wouldn’t stop any time soon, Florian tried to help, “Um, guys! Let’s not fight.” Jonathan had been too shocked to react, but this startled him. “I-I’m getting the parents.”

Yet, even as he ran off, Juan drew closer. “You fat snitch,” he said meanly, eyeing Florian with a glint in his eye. Whether in an attempt to help him, or because he was itching to fight with Juan, Tomás jumped into Florian's defense. Now, there was a whole group of children brawling wildly.

Wulfric watched, both surprised and fascinated. He had never seen such a…chaotic, violent melee.

Maybe this was why his parents weren’t keen to let him commingle with other children.

“S-say,” Florian shuffled closer. “C-can’t you stop them?”

“Hm?” Wulfric turned to the rotund boy. “Oh, yes. Sure.” He whistled, and the guards who had previously been stationed by the stands came closer. They didn’t seem happy about the fighting children, but had obviously not judged this to be dangerous to him - else they’d have stepped in already. “Can you break them apart?” It was an order more so than a question.

In the following minutes, his guards wrangled the children with the tenacity of a cowboy dealing with a herd of raging bulls.

With the situation safer and partly handled, the three girls approached as well. “Oh, isn’t this so terrible,” Suzanne said to him. Wulfric just nodded. Margaret and Jennifer chattered too, but Wulfric was only half-paying attention. These three girls were like Duchess Edwards; skulking vultures looking to have fun by gossipping about a ‘terrible’ situation.

Soon after the guards had become involved, some of the parents arrived, led by Jonathan. Wulfric turned to his nearest servant; a man who had come to fuss over him, cleaning the mud and dirt off of him. “It’s time to leave.”

As he made his way back to the building, Wulfric passed by the Dantès. The lord was kneeling, asking what had happened. At first, the girl was fuming as she recounted what happened, but as she got to the part where she launched at Lars, her expression crumbled and tears welled up in her eyes. “Then h-he… he,” she choked up. “He called you a…” It was obvious the insult hurt the girl more than her guardian, because instead of repeating whatever offensive remark Lars had made, she burst into tears. Lord Dantès enveloped her in a comforting embrace, gently stroking her head with his hand.

He was murmuring reassurances into her ear when his gaze met Wulfric's.

The prince observed them for a short moment. Pillow biter. That’s what he’d heard Lars say about Lord Dantès during the fight. Wulfric didn’t even know what the insult meant. Obviously, it was some awful, horrible, and upsetting thing. He could find out later, however. The boy looked away from the pair, and went on his way. He would have to say goodbye to some people. It was clear everyone else had decided to leave too.

While people prepared to depart, Wulfric overheard angry shouts coming from one of the rooms. He went to investigate and found Lars's mother screaming hysterically at Lord Dantès, surrounded by several other adults. It mirrored the earlier fight between the children, except now the adults had sequestered themselves away to argue. And just like before, it turned physical. Lady Blundell struck Lord Dantès so quickly and hard it sounded like a whip crack.

Everyone froze. The room went silent, like the quiet before the storm. Except no storm came. Lord Dantès calmly faced Lady Blundell and addressed her and the others in a measured tone. His restraint seemed to shame all the adults present. Eventually, the matter was resolved, and the group dispersed, leaving Lord Dantès alone.

As the last person exited, he turned and opened the door behind which Wulfric had been listening. “I apologize you had to witness that, Your Highness,” he said, kneeling to meet Wulfric’s eyes. His green gaze, so dark it bordered on black, bore deep inside Wulfric. “How are you feeling? I hope this doesn’t deter you from attending any future birthday parties…”

There was a slightly pouting frown on the young royal’s expression at being discovered. “It’s alright,” he said, and tried to look as composed as the lord speaking to him was. “I could have left,” he added. Wulfric openly studied the bright red imprint upon the man’s cheek. The lord didn’t seem to care a whit; hadn’t even seemed to notice, really. Is that what it meant to be a real, proper adult? If so, Wulfric wished he could become one soon. He wanted to be just as unaffected when faced with pain. Still, he gave the man a weird expression when Lord Dantès asked him how he was feeling. “...I’m fine.” At the next line, however, he smoothed out his expression. Because he was a child, and still unpracticed, it was obvious what he was doing. “It won’t.” His parents, on the other hand?

Lord Dantès nodded, as if he understood unspoken thoughts. “At least it was an eventful, if not a little enlightening day?” He smiled.

A fleeting smile appeared before Wulfric made it go away. The way the lord said it, it sounded like they were both in on a joke, or sharing a hidden message. Mock-serious, he nodded sagely. “Very eventful.” The mischievous grin that wanted to escape warmed his gaze with a playful mirth. “And enlightening.”

“I wanted to thank you for your intervention, Your Highness. People might’ve gotten seriously injured if you hadn’t.” The lord bowed his head.

The young prince blinked in surprise, mouth opening. He shut it before the lord could see. He hadn’t imagined anyone could have found anything positive about this situation. His parents - like everyone else’s - would be upset that it had come to a fight, and that he’d been ‘involved’. They might scold or punish the guards, and would surely not allow him ‘unsupervised’ social outings any time soon.

“You’re welcome,” he eventually settled on. It didn’t cross his mind to mention Florian. He was sure the sincere gratitude he’d received was the only good thing he would get out of the scandal. This was for him - just for him. At a prompt from a servant, he said, “I have to go.” He frowned, disappointed but unsure of the reason for it. The lord was like one of his nicer teachers. He’d been impressed by how the man had handled those other adults. But he didn’t know how to say any of that; hadn’t thought of it so concretely. Instead, he went with what he did know: “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Dantès.” It wasn’t just empty words he might have said hundreds of times; he meant it. Same with the following bow.

After exchanging their last words, Wulfric departed for home.

On the carriage ride back, he caught sight of the Dantèses again. They were walking along the sidewalk with unfamiliar faces - except for one. Gardner Haywood, the royal gardener, strolled hand-in-hand with Lord Dantès. Wulfric didn’t recognize the other two adults swinging Lady Dantès between them, holding one of her hands each. One wore glasses over his honey-colored eyes, his features bearing the distinct characteristics of Alidasht. He had a deep complexion and even darker hair. The other was a fair-skinned woman who had auburn hair and eyes darker than either Dantèses.

“Fake?” Wulfric mused half-absentmindedly as mostly forgotten memories had been partially reawakened, and now sluggishly gathered at the forefront of his mind. “I resent that,” he noted, though he sounded almost– tickled, if meriness could ever be ascribed to the crown prince. “However, yes. It is I, Prince Wulfric. What a…thoroughly unexpected surprise.” It was largely a pleasant one, he thought, even if he and the Lady Dantès had never got along the one time they’d met. Recalling her name had also reminded him of the - sadly - deceased Lord Desmond Dantès. Yet another man who had been too good to die so early, to have been slain so horrendously.

“Quite.” Riona said, her tone brazen though her heart thundered in her chest. “No wonder I found you so irritating.” Truth be told, half of her wanted nothing more than to turn on her heel and flee, putting as much distance between herself and the Heir Apparent as possible. Why in the hells was Prince Wulfric here? Did he recognize the maidservant she had become too? No. After all these years working in that castle, he never so much as spared her a glance (not that she gave him a chance to, either). So he couldn’t have. Then why now? With a gods damn mask on no less? Was it the expensive dress? “It’s… been a while.” No, it hasn’t. “What are you doing here being a creepy crow when you should be… socializing with your prospective wives?”

“An evocative costume, is it not?” he agreed. To demonstrate, he swept an arm to the side in a dramatic gesture, feathers rustling in a riotous swirl of black, chains rattling against each other. “Hmm, well,” he smirked as she questioned him on his prospects. Notably, Lady Dantès had rescinded her decision to depart. Was it nostalgia, or was she trying to find out something specific now that she knew who he was? “It would be in bad taste if, immediately after Shehzadi Mayet’s departure, I would begin pursuing her sister.”

So his sights were set on Shehzadi Nahir or Shehzadi Layla? Interesting. Either would make a very powerful alliance if it came to fruition. All the more reason to find the evidence as soon as possible and expose them.

… Or else there’d only be one thing left to do.

“Besides,” a hint of slyness crept into his tone, “who is to say I am not socializing with a prospective wife at this very moment?” He laughed at the absurdity of the idea, longer than was strictly polite. After a moment, he cut off with a sigh.

Her body reacted—feet stepping a few steps back, arms wrapping around her to shield herself from the Prince’s very presence—before the familiar triad flared hot and bright. Anger. Repulsion. Hate. They seared through her veins.

She pierced him with eyes flint cold while he laughed at a joke that only he found funny. “You’d gain little from such an arrangement,” she said, “I have nothing left for you to take from me.”

‘Nothing left for you to take’ was a peculiar manner of phrasing on the lady’s part. Her reaction, too, had been worrying. It gave him pause, frankly. It was a reflexive loathing on her part - but what had caused it, exactly? While he chose not to comment on it, he had certainly noticed. “And yourself? What have you been up to?” he asked eventually.

“Do you care?” she repeated the question little Lady Dantès asked years back.

“Yes.” It was a simple assurance, but truthful. He wanted to know the cause of her abhorrence, of her hatred. He had to know. If his family had been involved in any way - if his past suspicions were more than just that - he ought to know.

A handful of breaths slipped by before Riona finally shaped the words. “What have I been up to? For fourteen years, I’ve endured a waking nightmare. One where the man and woman who slaughtered my home go unchallenged, unpunished.” Her fingers knotted in the fabric of her dress. “Did you know there’s no record left of the town or House Dantès? They’ve erased it all. Redacted from history. Convenient, right? It’s only a matter of time before we’ll be forgotten altogether as if we never existed at all…” Her knuckles become pale against the orange color. “Those monsters grow fat on the spoils of their atrocities.” She hissed, “Just as you reap the rewards sown at the expense of others, False Prince.”

“I see…” Well, he did in part. “I have noticed the suspicious lack of records,” he affirmed. In fact, it was that which had led him to believe that something other than ‘a bandit attack’ had been at play. But how could he have confirmed, when the king and queen never acknowledged such inconsistencies? There were several other instances where a lack of evidence was the only evidence. “I remember,” he informed her. “If only the two of you.”

She rolled her eyes. Not enough to recognize her as a maid. “How much of that memory surfaced only because we bumped into each other?”

“A fair amount,” he acknowledged, tone even. But the memories he spoke of were not merely the result of this happenstance. Why did she think he’d noticed the erasure of her family from official records in the first place? “However, Lord Desmond Dantès is not the sort of man I would simply forget about.”

The way Lady Dantès spoke of her family members’ deaths, it was as if the Danroses had had something to gain by killing them. He had always thought his parents’ reasons to be preventative in nature; to eliminate danger - or rather, suspected danger, or political inconveniences, as the case may be. “Do you know what happened there, exactly?”

Revulsion clawed its way up her throat. “You want the details of how everyone was butchered? Gods…” Riona shook her head. “No, why am I surprised? You were always like this...”

Wulfric blinked at her slowly, once, twice. “No, of course not.” That had been certainly unusually careless phrasing on his part. “I meant, why were they killed?”

“Why? You should know better than anyone why those monsters do the things they do.”

She wasn’t far off the mark; he knew his parents well. And yet… “I do not see what we could have gained by killing your family.” He said ‘we’ rather than ‘they’; he wasn’t that naive. “Were they – what, determined to be dissidents?” he questioned, highly doubtful. Even if they had been, that would never merit slaughtering a whole town, like she’d implied had been done.

“‘Determined to be dissidents’?” she half spat, half scoffed, the sentence out. “Perhaps you don’t remember much of Lord Dantès as you claim.” Of everyone, he had fought hardest against any whisper of conflict with the Danroses.

The Lord accepted every insult, every cutting barb from the preening Caesonian aristocrats, believing this self-abasement would keep their town safe, preserve the peace across the country. The naive fool even dreamed that one day, their kind might exist without living in fear. How disastrously wrong he had been. He underestimated the bottomless greed of those monsters and what fear could do to them.

“Then what?” Wulfric bit out, finally showing some of his own frustration.

“I’m ‘just some stupid lying girl.’ You won’t believe a thing I say because it’ll tarnish your family’s reputation and shatter every illusion you’ve had of yourself.”

“Have I not demonstrated that I am inclined to believe, or at the very least, to listen to your assertions?” he pointed out. “I am not someone who would cling to illusions, no matter how fanciful or entrenched.” He knew very well that reputation was a construct of lies, hopeful beliefs, and the occasional sprinkle of truth to tie it all in.

Riona’s defensive posture relaxed slightly. “If you do care… swear to me.”

“Swear what?” He inquired a tad cautiously. “I can swear that I care, because I do not wish to mistake convenience for necessity.” The difference between the two was something he had been mulling over lately. But he had no idea what Lady Dantès actually wanted or expected. All that was clear was that she hated him.

“If you actually care, find out for yourself.” She straightened up and faced Prince Wulfric properly. “And when you do, swear to me you’d publicly reveal what your family has done in order to stay in power. Every last one.”

“Oh, I shall most certainly find out.” He shook his head though he did not immediately deny the second part of her request. “In order to stay in power…” he ruminated on her words. How much of it was ruling through fear, how much a force of habit? Did she mean any and all executed criminals as well? He could believe there had been unjust killings, but equally, he was convinced that some deaths were necessary.

However, seeking out and rectifying those which had not been necessary, those which had been unjust was agreeable. Yet, it was very much a matter of finesse in how such a thing was to be done. “Total transparency with the hope that it would bring about appropriate accountability?” He had to wonder what results she wished for. Given her hostility, vengeance was easily believable. Perhaps she plotted for his family’s downfall, or for another to take the Danroses’ place. “You have a surprisingly naive and optimistic outlook of humanity. We are prone to excusing the unforgivable, and to turning a blind eye to the unjust.”

There were two ‘worst case’ scenarios he could foresee coming from her request. One, the complete disintegration of trust in the government followed by years of unquenchable rebellions and violent social unrest. Two, he or other parties could present all that had been done as if it had been inevitable - as regrettable yet crucial sacrifices. If the latter happened, then nothing would change, or worse yet, ever greater atrocities could be committed.

Personally, he wished for neither of those; it was a matter of finding a third path, then. “Very well. You ought to keep in mind, however, that I shall do it on my own terms.” Even if it was doing ‘the right thing’, he would certainly do it in a manner that would benefit him, if not necessarily his parents. “Too, if I ever come across something too dangerous to reveal,” such as magic, “it will be my prerogative whether I do, in fact, reveal it. Believe it or not, there are truths the general public is not ready for – not at the present time, and perhaps, not until many years in the future.”

Riona stood motionless, catching every syllable, reading between each carefully crafted line. It was a roundabout way of saying things, but clearly the answer was no. Never, to be exact. Because in the end, all of Danroses’ crimes were exactly that, “too dangerous to reveal.” The truth was a threat to their reign. And a Danrose would never act against their own interests. Nothing would change. Not under this “Prince.”

When the abomination’s spawn finished mimicking human speech, there was silence. Strangely, the lack of a face made it easier to see the thing for what it really was. “Greed and fear,” she murmured.

“Good to know you intend to follow in your parents’ footsteps, Edin the Second.” She would’ve used a different name that suited it better, but she knew that its sire’s name would cut deepest. “They must be proud. How many of your own people will you kill to ‘maintain order’? Was tormenting that servant at age seven ‘for the greater good’ too? Ah! But of course!” She threw her hands up. Her words dripped with caustic sarcasm. “You’re protecting the people from the monstrosities that are yourselves. How very noble! … Too bad you’re doing a gods awful job at it.”

Her hands dropped to her sides. “Is that ‘the truth the general public is not ready for?’... Huh. I wonder why anyone would find any of that upsetting.”

Despite the anger, she was surprisingly composed. Maybe because the thing confirmed what she’d already known, strengthening her resolve. “We have nothing more to discuss. Thank you for reaffirming that talking to you is and always will be a colossal waste of time.”

Rather than turn on her heel, Riona stepped into the thing’s space, thrusting the stupid crow mask up high enough to meet its gaze directly. “I pray your reign shall never come. But if it must, may we be fortunate that it is mercifully brief.” Her eyes blazed with a hatred that could choke the breath out of anyone. She held that smoldering look a beat longer before shoving the mask back into place.
Even as she raged and stormed, however, he stood there still and silent, as unaffected as a cliffside weathering a tempest, as calm as the proverbial eye of a hurricane he happened to find himself in the middle of. Even as she ever so rudely removed his mask, he faced her unflinchingly, his lack of expression only reinforcing the impression of featureless, insensate stone. Their gazes met, and if hers was an inextinguishable wildfire, then his was as inexorably, hauntingly serene and inscrutable as an ocean whose surface was wrapped in heavily lingering mists.

“How unfortunate.” It was a flat, toneless utterance, as uncaring to her pain as the universe was to them all.

Brimming with all that barely contained wrath, overfilled with it to the point of bursting, Lady Dantès was incapable of nuance. She wanted an immediate resolution, she expected a clear-cut outcome. Her desire for justice – for vengeance - would not be satisfied until he and his family were all six feet under. Her volatile nature would not stop at mere prayers and wishes for his death, would it?

How unfortunate then, that the last Dantès would have to be slain at the hands of yet another Danrose.

Just or unjust, good or evil, fair or not – what did it matter in the face of pure survival?

He watched her leave without another word. If you must be an enemy, then so be it.