Re: Halcyon [Mister + Assi] - R-18

[Mr. Kirkland]

Nahrin appeared to be keen to get moving, so it was a struggle to keep him at the same pace as Eowyn, but he managed it (just). Arthur felt far more relaxed than he had the last time that he was alone with Alfred. He didn’t feel like he had anything to be concerned about, and if bandits appeared then he would do his upmost to protect his fiancée’s brother.

It was nice to get out of the castle, actually. The fresh air was doing him good, he could tell. Despite the air he’d gotten in the gardens of the castle, it wasn’t quite the same as being in the countryside. He couldn’t begin to imagine how awful it must have been for Madeline.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred just looked forward as he rode his horse and seeing that Nahrin seemed eager to run, he made Eowyn run a bit faster so that Arthur's horse would have the opportunity to actually get the freedom that he probably desired.

He couldn't help but be curious though, especially since he was alone with his sister's fiancé.

"So...what do you think about Madeline, anyways?" He asked, glancing over at him.

He had to admit. He really enjoyed the breeze on his face and the wind that blew through his hair.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur knew that he would have to choose his words carefully here. He thought a lot of things about her, but he was pretty sure that they would have a mostly platonic relationship for a while.

“I think that she’s lovely,” he said, after thinking for a minute or so. “We share a lot of common interests. It was a good match by our parents, I have to say… I used to worry about it but now that I know her, I don’t know what I was worrying about,” he admitted, becoming a little shy as his cheeks darkened. It felt odd talking about this to Alfred, as though he shouldn’t do.

“You’re lucky to have a sister like her,” he continued. “All of my siblings are bastards,” in the literal sense.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred just looked at Arthur for a moment and he hesitated, thinking about it. He knew that Arthur was probably just trying to impress him or get on his good side. But he heard the stories from Brutus! He knew that Arthur took many women to his bed...

Just because he was married didn't mean that he would actually remain faithful.

But he just laughed a bit.

"Yeah, I am lucky. She's growing up too quickly, even for me." He sighed softly, just enjoying the cool of the air.

"It kind of sucks though, being a prince. You know? Having to have your marriage arranged. I mean, in the end, I will probably be married off as well."

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur smiled and chuckled good-naturedly, trying his best to be charming.

“That’s the way it is with younger siblings, isn’t it?”

The young prince had, indeed, bedded a few women (and once the stable boy, but that wasn’t… to be spoken of or in bed). It had all been casual, no promises ever made. But Arthur didn’t feel as though he’d been unfaithful to Madeline, seeing as he didn’t know who she was and their betrothal was only announced a few years ago. That didn’t mean that he was going to tell her about it though.

“Yes, I quite agree. Although it’s certainly better than living in squalor.” The idea of Alfred being married off made him feel a little uncomfortable.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred hesitated before smiling, nodding.

"Yeah, you're right about that."

Alfred himself had never bedded a woman. He had once made out with one, one that he met in a pub while he was sneaking out of the castle. Yet otherwise, bedding a woman was something that he hadn't done, no matter the temptation.

"And right about that also. Though you know, I like living a more unroyal lifestyle sometimes." He ran a hand through his golden hair. "At...at least you can marry the one you love, yeah? And, it's so much more lively." He shrugged once more. "I just hope I don't get married to a woman I don't like."

Soon enough he could see the forest in sight and he headed off the trail.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur sighed, the undertone of laughter in his breath.

“I’m sure that whilst it would be lovely in its own ways, there are very few things that we would enjoy. The freedom, as far as I can tell, is the most irresistible. I’m sure that many commoners would like to change their lifestyle to be like ours. They long for rich clothes and good food, good wine… we take it for granted.”

He hummed in amusement at Alfred’s final statement, turning his horse to follow him into the woods.

“I’m sure that you’ll make someone very happy one day.”

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred just kept his gaze in front of him, thinking about it for a long moment before nodding slowly.

"I could only hope that I'll make someone happy."

But would he be happy with himself? Of course he would. Many kings have lived a life where they had to kill to get what they wanted. It was nothing new. Not only that but Brutus thought it was for the best. Arthur's act right here was just a deception, just like his own friendliness towards him.

He didn't want to start thinking about it too much though. Not when it was so close to the fateful end of Prince Arthur Kirkland of Albion.

He rode his horse through the forest and it was easy to tell that if one didn't know their way through the forest, then they would surely be lost. He stayed quiet throughout most of his trip to the forest yet soon enough the forest became less dense and he found himself following a good sized pond with lilly pads floating on the water and flowers of all different colours surrounding the edges. He soon tied his horse up to a tree, sitting near the edge of the pond.

"Here it is. It's...it's not all that impressive actually. But if you continue on walking the direction that we were heading in, you can see the mountains. It's a few moments away."

He dipped his fingers through the cold water, sighing.

"I was told once by a friend of mine that this was a faerie pool. That faeries danced around on top of these waters, but I haven't ever seen one. It's a comforting place though."

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur dismounted and tied up his own horse. He removed the bit from his mouth so that he could graze and gave him a comforting pat before joining Alfred.

It would be a lie to say that it wasn’t stunning. It looked like something you would see in paintings, or read about in books. The colours were beautiful, and he was pretty sure that he could see aven flowers amongst the vast array of colourful flowers.

Arthur perched on a rock beside the pond, resting his elbows on his thighs as he visibly relaxed in Alfred’s presence; he wasn’t forcing himself to keep a straight back or to sit in a ‘formal’ pose. He looked across the pond to the way that Alfred was suggesting. He would have quite liked to see those mountains.

At Alfred’s sigh, he had Arthur’s attention again as he watched the younger boy intently. Arthur cocked an eyebrow.

“I thought that people who believe in fairies were stupid?”

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred hummed and soon he took his hand out of the water.

"They are stupid. I was stupid once before also. I believed they existed and so I came out here almost every night just so that I could maybe see one faerie. Now I just come here so I can take my mind off of everything. You know, they even have rare flowers blooming around this pool."

He gave a wry smile. "Maybe faeries do live here and they all just hate me."

Alfred paused for a moment.

"...How do you like it here...?"

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur rolled his eyes, although his soft smile didn’t fade.

“Yes, I have noticed them,” he agreed, looking around the pool. He hoped that one day he’d be able to grow flowers like this in Albion, where ever he could. He desperately wanted to beautify the city surrounding the castle. The castle itself was decorated tastefully with fine resources brought from their conquered lands. Gold, jewels, special types of tea, furs… the castle in Albion was certainly one of luxury whilst the people who lived outside of the castle walls lived in an industrial area. There were, of course, richer and greener areas populated by mystical creatures and rich folk in the countryside, however, they were few. He wanted to rule a kingdom filled with happy, handsome people, not people covered in grime and scowls.

“Mm, well, fairies require patience and loyalty. To see one, one day, you must have faith that they exist.” He looked at Alfred knowingly and then shrugged at the question.

“I think that Columbia is a wonderful place. People seem much happier here; the sun shines more.”

[Assistant Jones]

Unlike Albion, Columbia was a kingdom that often did not conquer and barely any wars had ever been fought on its lands. Yet it was a wide and expansive kingdom, filled with many unknowns and who knew what else was in here. It wasn't fully explored yet and it was something that Alfred had always wanted to do. He wanted to explore more of these lands. Columbia's kingdom was younger than Albion's, less of an architectural beauty and more beauty in its innovations and wildlife.

Not only that but Columbia was a global centre where trades from all over the world were in. The citizens were not only born from Columbia. Many were born from the Eastern lands, many from the Northern and so much more. And in that it had its advantages.

He glanced over at Arthur and barked out a short laugh.

"You're speaking as if you've seen them before."

Alfred paused and drew his knees to his chest.

"I suppose they are."

[Mr. Kirkland]

“Maybe I have,” Arthur smirked, looking across at Alfred challengingly. “But I suppose you wouldn’t be interested, would you?”

Arthur pushed his hair back from his face and leaned backwards to look up at the pink sky. He exhaled slowly, admiring the way which the colour of the setting sun made the world look so much more beautiful.

“I think there’s a lot less poverty in Columbia… that, or you’re good at hiding it. People in Albion, aside from the rich, are not as well fed or dressed.” Which was probably why Alfred had a different opinion about wanting to be ‘normal’ than Arthur did.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred's eyes widened a bit and he looked at the other with wonder. He couldn't help notice just how...relaxing it was to stare at Arthur when he was so calm and enjoying the nature but soon he snapped out of it and shook his head.

"O-Of course I wouldn't be interested! It's all make-believe anyways!" He retorted back, cheeks dusted red in embarrassment.

Though soon he stood up, dusting his trousers off.

"Let's go see the mountains." And with that, he headed towards a less dense part of the forest which soon led to an opening where they could have a good view of the mountains off in the distance. The mountains were painted with the colours of the sky and there seemed to be endless fields ahead of them.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur held Alfred’s gaze whilst it lasted, somewhat amused by the shock on his face.

When the other stood up, however, he jumped to the conclusion that he’d annoyed him again. Although thankfully Alfred announced what they were going to do next. He got up and nodded.

“Lead the way.”

He followed Alfred through the sparse trees and came to a halt at the boy’s side. He gasped and stared at their surroundings, jaw hanging open until he remembered his manners. He was speechless for a few minutes until he finally managed to form the word: “wow”.

Now this really was like something out of a painting. Arthur almost wished that there was some way for him to capture this moment so that he could remember the vivid colours of the mountains forever.

“Alfred, this is amazing.” He didn’t even think about the fact that he didn’t call him ‘prince’.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred looked over at Arthur and to see his reaction be so...positive...it oddly made him extremely happy. And Arthur had even forgotten to call him prince. Was he really that in awe of the scenery?

He soon looked back, biting his lip a bit and trying to urge down the pounding of his heart. He was only happy about it because someone liked the view! It could have been anyone!

It wasn't because of the extremely genuine expression on Arthur's face and just seeing the other so happy.

He didn't care about impressing Arthur. No. He couldn't care.

Alfred tried to remind himself of why he was doing this, why he was trying to pretend that they were starting a friendship.

"Probably the best view in all of this part of Columbia!"

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur grinned before he could help himself and looked across at the other.

“Definitely. It’s spectacular.” He turned his gaze back to the view, marvelling as clouds drifted slowly over the mountain tops; he could see small specks of white at the top of them – obviously snow. He fleetingly wondered what the snow looked like in Columbia. Probably not grey like those in Albion.

“Thank you for taking me here,” he said, quieter. He loved the way that the light brought out the tonal blonde colours in Alfred’s hair and how it made his clothes look even more like velvet.

“So, you come here on your own?”

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred's cheeks were bright red but fortunately enough it was hard to see from the sunset. He wasn't embarrassed and he definitely didn't think that Arthur wasn't all that bad right there and then! He was terrible, he was seducing his sister!

Though he simply swallowed and nodded.

"You're welcome...it's really no big deal. I just wanted to see everything for myself again."

He continued on gazing at the lovely scenery.

"All the time."

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur almost snorted but managed not to as he returned his gaze to the view.

It all seemed so perfect, the serenity of the scene. And… he had to admit, he was happy that it was Alfred there with him. He felt like they needed this to be able to move on with their lives and start to really get to know each other. He felt like he could stay there forever.

“I can understand why…”

Suddenly, there was a loud whinnying noise from where the horses were. Arthur whirled around. The sounds of men became evident as the whinnying of their horses got louder. Without hesitating, Arthur sprinted as fast as he could towards where they had left their horses. And sure enough, there were several men surrounding the pool, all of whom were unkempt and bearing weapons.

After a moment of initial fear, Arthur drew his sword.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred was a bit stunned with Arthur suddenly moving though soon enough he heard the noises and completely understood the situation. Though he never really had to deal with them.

Soon he swivelled around and ran after Arthur, his heart pounding and his hand on the hilt of the sword. It was when he saw the men, bandits he presumed, that he finally drew out his sword also. Admittedly Alfred was a bit wide eyed and he was nervous though he knew that he had to calm down. Especially if they both wanted to get out of this alive.

Why were they even here? It wasn't like they brought much with them and how did they even find them?

Alfred stared at the men before glancing back at Arthur, nervous.

"What do we do?"

[Mr. Kirkland]

The men just laughed at Alfred’s question.

“Get to the horses,” Arthur whispered to him. “I’ll keep them away from you as best as I can. Don’t be afraid to stab.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he gripped his sword tighter in his hands. He charged forwards and swung at the bandit closest to him. It knocked the man off of his feet, a little startled by the sudden attack. He tried to stay as close to Alfred as he could, trying to block the attempted blows that followed.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred had to admit that he was a bit frightened and all at the same time, comforted by the fact that Arthur was a good swordsman. It definitely showed as well. Soon enough he sprinted towards the horses, darting past a few of the bandits before cutting the ropes to their horses with his sword.

Eowyn soon startled, making Alfred turn around to narrowly block a sword aimed at his back. Soon enough he pushed the other's sword away with his own, swinging at the bandit again and getting across his chest.

"Arthur!" He called out. "The horses!"

He managed to jump back from another swing of the sword.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur swung at the man coming up behind him. It seemed as though, now they were fighting, the amount of men seemed even more than before. As though they’d doubled in their numbers. Arthur didn’t want to kill anyone and doing a pretty good job of both avoiding they hits and not fatally wounding them.

Until a sword caught him in the shoulder.

He cried out, shortly before Alfred called for him. He turned to the man that delivered the blow and promptly retaliated by stabbing him in the gut. Arthur hadn’t ever killed anyone before, and he could only hope that this man wouldn’t die. He had a very strong, sharp sword (which was why it was so heavy), which would doubtlessly do a lot of harm.

When he finally managed to pull his sword free again, the bandits seemed deterred. Arthur backed up to where the horses were, holding his sword out as a warning.

“Get on your horse!” he instructed Alfred before hurriedly doing just that. He reigns on Nahrin were not correctly in place but he didn’t have the time to adjust them. And Lord, his shoulder hurt. He could see blood seeping through his shirt.

Arthur pulled at Nahrin’s reigns so that he would lift upwards on to his back feet, leaving nearby bandits at the mercy of his hooves. Arthur took off, galloping on ahead.

He, of course, looked back to check that Alfred was following.

[Assistant Jones]

With wide eyes, Alfred quickly fumbled a bit and he soon climbed on his horse. Arthur just got stabbed. That was terrible.

He should have been happy that Arthur was hurt but all he could feel was fear and worry for him. No...he should be happy. But he couldn't bring himself to feel that way. Not when he looked at the wound. Soon he quickly rode off on his horse after Arthur's horse, soon easily catching up on speed and not slowing down once even after they passed over the bridge.

"Arthur? Are you alright!?" He called out, trying to shove the worry out of his voice and trying his damned best to stop the shaking of his body.

There was too much bleeding and when he looked back, he saw that there were definitely guards stationed at the bridge.

"Arthur! Stop! You're going to bleed too much! Get off your horse!" He yelled before finally slowing his horse down and climbing off of her. Soon enough he pulled off his jacket, quickly ripping the sleeve off.

"Come here."

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur sheathed his sword as they rode, worried that he’d drop it. He felt dizzy but he wasn’t about to stop riding. He couldn’t focus enough to get Nahrin to move faster to keep up with Eowyn. He tied the reigns so that they wouldn’t get caught as they rode and instead held on to the front of his saddle, although he wanted to slump forward.

Adrenaline was rushing through his body as even he shook a little, frightened from the ordeal. He heard Alfred over the loud thumping he could hear in his head. He frowned across at Alfred, woozy as he unsteadily got off of Nahrin.

It wasn’t a big wound, he knew it wasn’t. It was probably deep, but it couldn’t be that bad. He wasn’t quite that unlucky. He had to use his horse to help himself stay upright.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Arthur gawked as Alfred tore his jacket. “I’m fine! I’ll be okay. I will. I’ll be fine.” That was what he was telling himself, at least. He pressed his hand over the wound to try and stop the bleeding.

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