Upon leaving the tailors’, and having been appropriately poked and prodded, the sun is starting to lower in the sky as the two walk in silence back toward Elias’ wing.

Noras is deep in his own head, mulling over the rules of knighthood — how many they are, and how restricting. It makes his chest feel tight; it makes him want to get the fuck out of here before the marble walls close in. At the same time, he reminds himself over and over just how fortunate he is to be allowed this position, this chance at life — not just a life, but a better one, a good one. He turns these thoughts around and around in his head, until they reach Elias’ chambers and the prince suddenly speaks.

Elias, suddenly remembers something: Oh, I forgot my book in my study. [He turns to Noras, who’s still deep in thought] I see that you may need some time alone to process, so you may go back to my quarters, I won’t be long.

Noras, rising out of his funk: Oh - yes, of course. [unsure of the correct words] ...I shall see you later, then.

Elias manages a small mischievous smile as he leans in to speak quietly to Noras: Don’t change yourself just because of the rules. You’ll become boring if you turn into one of my siblings’ knights. [Then with a wink, he turns heel and leaves the other way].

Noras blinks, confused, heat rising to his face as Elias walks away: …Alright?

He enters Elias’ quarters and finds his way to the rabbits, where he identifies Sir Fluffles and gives him a short nod. Before Sir Fluffles has a chance to respond, footsteps sound at the entryway, and Noras straightens abruptly, turning in the direction of the sound to see a well dressed stranger. The man shares looks with Elias, deep blue hair and eyes, but his stature is much bigger, and his eyes aren’t nearly as kind as Elias’.

The man: Oh - is Elias not here?

Noras: [warily, shifting back and folding his arms] He went to get a book.

The man: [flippantly] Is that so? [his eyes scan the room, pausing over the alchemy table, before settling on Noras] You’re the new knight, or well, will be the new knight. I saw you fighting earlier, [looking him up and down] impressive.

Noras’ skin crawls at the stranger's look. His eyes flit over the stranger’s shoulder, but the hallway remains empty. He looks back at the man: [warily] Thank you. [He hesitates for a moment] May I ask - [once again unsure, struggling with the correct formal phrasing] … to whom am I speaking?

Stranger: [smirking in amusement] So you really aren’t from around here then. Interesting… You may refer to me as his Royal Highness Prince Enzo Royce Claus Alden de Perez XIII. Or simply, Your Highness will do.

Noras, eye twitching: ...Of course, your highness. [with great difficulty] Is there… anything I can do for you… [with even greater difficulty] … your highness?

Enzo, with a mean glint in his eye: [lightly] Oh, not at all, I was looking for the runt. [He makes a show of pretending to leave before turning to speak to Noras again with exaggerated pity] Although I have been wondering, do you know who you’re giving your life to?

Noras straightens: [soldily] Yes.

Enzo, with a smirk: So he’s told you about poor Trent then?

Noras: Trent? No.

Enzo: [with mock pity] Ah, so he didn’t tell you how he murdered an unarmed man in cold blood?

Noras: [snorts, unable to help himself] El- Prince Elias? Murder? [he shakes his head] Prince Elias couldn’t murder an ant. [Even as he says this, his eyes drift momentarily to Sir Fluffles]

Enzo starts laughing, to the point where he starts clutching his stomach: Oh, you really don’t know anything about him then. I do pity you. [he walks over to one of the chairs, and sits down, looking back at Noras] The Elias that I know, is unforgiving, merciless, and blood thirsty.

Noras keeps his demeanor in neutral: [steadily] Thank you for the information. Will you wait for Prince Elias to return? He should be back soon.

Enzo: [humming] Mayhaps, I haven’t quite finished. [He motions for Noras to sit on the chair across from him]

Noras approaches slowly and sits tensely, glancing again at the doorway.

Enzo: It was last year, maybe a few weeks into the new year. Elias had locked himself up in his wing, you see. He decided to dig deep into the arcane, perhaps a bit too deep. [he looks at Noras and pauses for dramatic effect, before smiling and continuing] So I, worried for his health, sent a friend to make sure he didn’t delve too far. Court Magician Trent. [He looks over back at Elias’ library] They grew close, but perhaps Trent was blinded as you were, because he didn’t see the darkness in Elias’ soul. Elias wanted to create a spell to impress our father, but of course, there aren’t many who can create spells, much less ones that aren’t dangerous, and what Elias wanted to do was extremely dangerous. Elias hid his research from Trent, and when Trent found out and tried to dissuade him, Elias saw it as a challenge. He used his spell to transform his rabbit into a giant monster that tore Trent limb from limb. [He watches Noras closely for a reaction].

Noras glances over at Sir Fluffles, one eyebrow raising ever so slightly as if to ask, Really? Sir Fluffles hisses at Enzo. 

Noras looks back at Enzo: I see. I am… sorry for what happened to your friend. If I may ask, what happened to Elias, and the rabbit, and his research, after all that?

Enzo grins widely, leaning back into his chair: I’m not sure what you know about magic, but there’s only a certain amount one can use at a time. If they try to push it, their own lifeforce starts to get consumed. [he waves his hand around in disgust] Horrible business really. Elias hadn’t completed the spell, he didn’t know how to turn the rabbit back. And every second that the rabbit remained enchanted, the more magic was being pulled from the runt. By the time anyone realised what was happening, Elias had already used his entire reservoir, and started dying. [he shrugs] He figured it out right before passing out, reverting the rabbit back to its original form, but the damage had been done. Elias’ organs were failing, and it took all of the palace’s doctors to keep him alive. [He stretches standing up and finishing the tale with a lot more boredom than the rest] He ended up in a coma for a year, just woke up a month ago and a half ago. The King found this shameful, and hid it from the peasantry, executing the rabbit in Elias’ stead. His research, on the other hand, was destroyed. No one knows who did it, but it is gone. [he regains a cruel grin] The runt is the only one with access to that spell now. [going back to flippant] He’d be an idiot to use it again anyways, if he does it will probably kill him.

Noras: [softly] Probably kill him… that’s something. [suddenly looking up at Enzo] I’m sorry. It must be frightening for you - [belatedly] all of you.

Enzo laughs: Not at all. Elias may be a bloodthirsty bastard, but he’s not an idiot. If he even tries to mutter that spell again, he’ll be filled with so many arrows he might as well become a pincushion.

Noras: ...Ah.

Enzo: So, what do you - [his eyes catch movement in the doorway as Elias steps in and freezes] Ah, looks like my time is up.

Elias, his face hardening: What are you doing in here?

Enzo: Oh, I was just filling in the gaps that you happened to have left out from your dear to-be knight here. [He turns back to Noras] You’re a good fighter, if you change your mind about Elias, I’m always in the market for an extra knight. [He blows him a kiss, then clips past Elias as he leaves].

Elias’ face is completely pale and he simply stares at Noras.

Noras: [mildly] Did you find your book?

Elias jumps slightly, suddenly very meek, shrinking on himself as he wiggles the book in his hand a bit: Yeah…

Noras: Good, do we get to eat now? The only good thing about royalty is their food. Or so I’ve been told. I have my doubts, as to that.

Elias flinches, walking over to his study to place down the book. He’s silent for a moment before saying: He told you about Trent.

Noras shrugs:Yeah. [he glances over his shoulder at Elias] Your family is very dramatic. Are they all like this?

Elias: No. Otis is very straight forward. [He turns to Noras, his jaw quivering as he fights to keep a neutral face] Do you want to cancel the ceremony?

Noras blinks: Why? Because you killed someone? [He stands up] Elias, even if the specifics of what your brother said were true—which I fucking doubt, mind you—I’m hardly the person to be - passing judgement on you - or anyone.

Elias, flinching and taking a step backwards at “killed”: I - I… I didn’t tell you the truth though. I omitted something that should matter, you should be angry.

Noras: [bluntly] I kill people for a living. It’s what I do. It’s what I nearly did to you.

Elias finally cracking: But it’s not the same! Your circumstances led you to killing, you did what you had to do to survive! Me? I have no excuse! I felt so betrayed that I lost control and killed someone I considered a friend!

Noras: [quietly] You lost control?

Elias, pausing and also speaking quietly: Yeah. I’d… had no sleep for a week. I found out that Trent had been reporting everything I’d been doing to Enzo. I wanted him to leave, so I tried to use a spell to force him, but a small part of me wanted to make him pay for the hurt I had been feeling… Magic needs intent. If your intent isn’t clear, it chooses randomly between what it could be. I lost control of my intent, and I killed him.

Noras hesitates. He closes his eyes, takes a breath, and then looks Elias in the eye: Do you know how many times I’ve lost control and killed someone? Zero. I’ve killed a lot of people, more than I bothered to count, and every single time, I have been in control. I always knew exactly what I was doing. [he pauses, sucks in a breath, and continues] Some of them were targets. Didn’t know shit about them beyond their names and faces and the amount of coin my bosses decided they were worth. Some of them were traitors, like your Trent, people who hurt me, or sold me out. [he gives a short, humorless laugh] You saw, in the forest, what happened to people like that. One of them, just one, was a kid — my age, most likely, maybe a year’s difference one way or the other. I killed every one of those people with intent, with my axe, in the control of my hands, in the control of my head. And - I was in control when I put you in a sack and took you to what was almost your executioner. And you, you were in control of your own mind when you - when you saved me, and forgave me, and let me stay with you and become your knight. So… [he suddenly realizes that he’s given a speech, and stops short, tugging at his sleeves] So… yeah… you clearly haven’t forgiven yourself for what happened, and I guess that’s your business… but I’m… I’m not going to change my mind just for that.

Elias stares at Noras for a second, processing and not quite sure what to do, when he starts crying against his will: I-I’m sorry, I - I - [he falls to his knees, sobbing]

Noras startles as Elias collapses, glancing nervously about, panic rising. He hesitates, and then approaches Elias slowly, cautiously, as one might a wounded animal, slowly going to his knees so that they’re level with each other. Then he tentatively reaches a hand out and sets it lightly on Elias’ shoulder, keeping him at arm’s length.

Elias hides his face in embarrassment, sobs still wracking his body as they stay like that for a moment. Maybe a minute passes before his crying calms, and he lifts his head to look Noras in the eyes. He searches them for a moment, before saying: [softly] Thank you. Thank you for … for your words.

Noras gives an awkward sort of half-shrug: Sure… um… no problem.

After a few moments, Elias realises that this is the second time that he’s cried in front of Noras in the same week, and he jumps back, face beet red. He stares at Noras for a second, wiping the tears from his face before offering him an unsure nod, and fleeing to his rabbits.

Noras gets up slowly, watching after Elias as he goes to sit with the rabbits. After a moment, he makes his way over and softly clears his throat: You said… I could… meet your rabbits… someday?

Elias looks up at him, still feeling a bit bad for forcing his emotions onto Noras, and gives him a small smile: Sit down, I’ll introduce you.

Noras sits down.