Warren woke with a start- a pretty common occurrence these days, unfortunately- and silently cursed as he realized he'd fallen asleep on the floor. With a bit of difficulty he rose to his feet, stretching his stiff limbs and fastening his sword belt around his waist, just in case he needed to do some swordfighting first thing in the morning. In his nightclothes.

Stranger things have happened, he thought to himself with a slight laugh, trying to be careful not to wake Rei. Warren pulled a chair over to the bedside, and he'd only just sat down when Rei chose that moment to wake up. Startled, Warren tumbled off the chair, nearly tipping it over on top of himself in the process. He looked up at Rei, feeling his cheeks flush.

"Morning, Rei."

"Good morning…?" Rei eyed him with a puzzled expression. Not that Warren could blame him. He quickly jumped to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Sorry- I don't make a habit of falling off chairs, I assure you."

Warren was glad to see a smile form on Rei's lips..

"I should hope not."

Their lighthearted conversation was cut short by a knock at the door. Lady Rosa peeked her head in and Warren motioned for her to enter.

"Good morning, Sir Warren." She then turned to Rei with a slight bow. "And you as well, Your Highness."

Rei said nothing, though Warren had gleefully struck up a conversation with Lady Rosa as he took a laundry basket and bowl of water from her.

"Careful, now," she warned, clicking her tongue disapprovingly as Warren struggled to set the bowl down on the bedside table. The bowl tipped slightly as it hit the table, splashing icy cold water all over Warren's shirt. He jumped back, muttering words he hoped Rei couldn't hear. Lady Rosa glanced at Rei.

"Has he always been like this, Your Highness?"

Rei cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

"Reckless and lacking in foresight? Erm, yes."

Lady Rosa laughed, and while Warren was a bit annoyed he couldn't help smiling.

Once the laughter had died down, Lady Rosa introduced herself to Rei, then informed him and Warren that the basket contained an outfit for each of them, shoes and all, and they could wash up with the water in the bowl, provided there was any left after Warren had spilled it.

"I didn't spill it," Warren protested. "I like to think I was...getting a head start on washing up."

Lady Rosa shot him a look and smirked.

"Honestly, how does Duncan put up with you?"

Rei eyed Warren quizzically.

"Duncan?"

Before Lady Rosa could say something sarcastic and/ or incredibly embarrassing, Warren simply said, "an Edrian castle servant who works with Lady Rosa. He cared for me when I fell ill."

Rei nodded. "I'll certainly have to thank him for that. And thank you as well, Lady Rosa, for all you've done for both Warren and myself."

Lady Rosa bowed and turned to leave.

"My pleasure. Now go on- you two have a pretty crazy day ahead of you."

Once the door was shut, Warren and Rei got dressed in silence, with their backs to each other. They had matching white tunics, black pants, knee-high boots and purple cloaks, though Rei had also been given a plum-colored vest and silky white gloves.

"Warren," he started once they were ready. "Do you feel...odd wearing Edrys' colors?"

There was a strange bitterness in his expression, and Warren couldn't help feeling a bit worried.

"Maybe a little? I suppose I've never stopped to think about it."

Rei didn't say anything else, instead silently tugging at his gloves. Seeing that made Warren's stomach do somersaults, but thankfully not for long because there was another knock at the door.

"My apologies, Your Highness," called a familiar voice, "but I have been tasked with leading you and Sir Warren to the Dining Hall for breakfast."

Without even waiting for Rei to reply, Warren eagerly ran to the door and flung it open, startling both Rei and the person waiting for them.

"Duncan!"

He embraced his dear friend, who- despite the early hour- was aggravatingly immaculate as always. Duncan stepped inside and gently shut the door, bowing to Rei and giving him a warm smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

Rei stood and acknowledged Duncan with a nod. "And you, as well."

Duncan quickly explained what they'd be doing- meeting the royal family for breakfast and discussing their plans going forward. Rei kept glancing around nervously as Duncan spoke, and even after Warren reassured him that the meeting would go smoothly he still seemed incredibly uneasy.

"Perhaps things will be less worrisome after you've both had something to eat," Duncan said kindly.

Warren grinned gleefully, but Rei only nodded.

Duncan opened the door, motioning for Warren and Rei to follow him, making their way to the Dining Hall, which Duncan had reassured them was only one flight up.

Upon reaching the Dining Hall's tall glassy doors, Duncan spoke with a nearby servant for a moment. The guard then ushered them in before closing the doors behind them. Inside was a long table surrounded by plush chairs, though only a few actually had people seated in them. The walls were decorated with tapestries and such, all in Edrys' purple and silver. The first to notice their little group was Lady Rosa, who had been speaking with the king and queen just a moment before. She nodded to Duncan, who stepped closer to the table and cleared his throat. The others at the table- king, queen, princess and several servants- glanced up at him.

"Your Majesties and Your Highness," he said with a low bow, "Prince Rei and Sir Warren of Faylinn have arrived."

Warren quickly bowed, picking his head up at the sound of a squeak at the table.

Devri.

The princess had covered her mouth with both hands, and when Warren and Rei took their seats across from her, her eyes went wide.

"It really is you," she whispered, earning her some looks from the servants around the table.. Warren eyed Rei, whose eyes had gone as wide as Devri's. The princess quickly pushed her seat back and rushed over to Rei. He stood, just barely staying upright as she barreled into him and buried her face in his shoulder.

“I’ve missed you,” she said as she looked up at him. She wiped her teary eyes and smiled.

Rei gave Warren a confused smile before giving Devri’s hand a squeeze.

“And I you,” he said quietly.

Devri giggled, embarrassed. “My apologies; I hadn’t meant to interrupt breakfast.” Her face flushed. “You all must be hungry.”

Devri and Rei returned to their seats and everyone was silent for a while. Warren glanced up and saw the king and queen remove their gloves and carefully place them off to the side. Rei noticed this too, and began tugging at his own gloves as if he were suddenly very aware of them. The king caught Rei doing this and raised an eyebrow.

“Would you like one of the servants to take your gloves during the meal, Your Highness?”

Rei seemed to shrink immediately.

“I-I…” he stammered. “I’m fine. Thank you. I-I’ll keep them on, if it’s alright with His Majesty.”

Warren and the king shared a look before the king dismissed the servants from the room. He made his way over to Rei and kneeled down to look him in the eye.

“Your Highness,” he asked quietly. “Is something going on? Something you would perhaps like to discuss?”

Rei shook his head and smiled sadly. “Thank you for your concern, but I assure you, I’m…” his voice cracked. “Fine.”

Devri had joined her father, taking a seat on the floor beside Rei’s chair.

“Rei…?”

He regarded her with a glance but said nothing. She then turned to Warren and whispered, “Sir Warren? Do you know what’s the matter?”

Warren had an idea. Several, actually. All of which left him fuming and unable to form anything resembling a coherent sentence without at least half a dozen words that would likely get him kicked out of the castle.

Instead of all that, he sighed and said, “I think so, yeah.”

Devri seemed to understand and didn’t press further. She and Warren both returned their attention to the king, who was speaking to Rei in a hushed tone.

Warren pushed his chair aside and sat on the floor beside the king and Devri, motioning for Lady Rosa and Duncan to join them. Duncan sat beside Warren and Lady Rosa brought Warren’s chair closer so she could sit nearby.

“Prince Rei,” Duncan started. “Please let us help you.”

Devri nodded. “Rei, I’m worried about you. We all are.”

Warren gave his friend a desperate look, but Rei merely averted his eyes and smiled sadly.

The king reached out a hand, as if to place it on Rei’s shoulder. Rei flinched, regarding the king with wide eyes. The king then turned to Warren with a solemn nod.

“I believe I’m starting to understand now.” He sighed, perhaps with frustration or something similar. “Prince Rei, I will not force you to say anything, nor will I ever assume I completely understand what you have gone through, but I ask that you allow us to support you, to care for you."

The king was smiling warmly, and Rei seemed to be trying to return the smile with one of his own. But then his face fell.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. But…” He let out a laugh, tears brimming in his eyes. “It’s foolish to waste such kindness on someone like me.”

“No!”

Rei flinched again, and it took Warren a moment to realize that he was the one who had shouted.

“I-I’m sorry, Rei,” he said quickly, now getting up to stand beside his friend. “But you’re wrong. You do deserve kindness, you do deserve to feel loved and cared for.”

Warren wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve and crossed his arms.

“Can I tell you something? I’m scared. Incredibly scared.” He tried to keep his voice level, but a lump had formed in his throat and he could barely speak above a whisper. “I don’t know what to do. I’m starting to feel like I never know what to do. I want to help you, but I don’t know how. But that doesn’t matter, cause you don’t want help, but maybe you really need it, and I don’t know how to tell you that without sounding like I’m ordering you around.”

The others all regarded him with perplexed expressions, and he felt his face burn.

“S-sorry, I hadn’t meant to-”

“You’re right.”

Rei was looking away, his arms crossed and his eyes watering.

“I need…” He laughed hopelessly. “I need a lot of things, I think.”

Lady Rosa gave Rei a small smile. “Time, Your Highness. You need time, to think and to heal. And while taking that time, we will give you whatever love and help we can.” She cocked an eyebrow. “As Sir Warren can tell you, there are plenty of things you needn’t do alone.”

Warren scoffed. “I got my stubbornness from him, you know.”

Lady Rosa laughed and messed up Warren’s hair. Warren eyed Rei with a reassuring grin, relieved to see his friend give a small smile in return.

Maybe we’ll be okay after all.