Zorian changed as fast as he could tying up his new red jacket that was made of the softest velvet he had ever felt, he put on his red mask and raced through the keep, making sure no one saw him. Going across the bailey he went to the stables, Ridley was there, “i’d thought you would go again,” he smiled at the boy,
Zorian huffed, “lucky guess,” he told the stable boy, “is pirate ready?”
“‘As Been for an ‘our.”
Zorian smirked, “thank you,” he said as he rushed to the horse climbing on him. He urged pirate along racing to the gates, passing through the fields, then town, then passed the temple. Seeing past the trees he saw Stregan in the distance it’s towers high, and the lights of the castle torches burning bright.
He slowed when he reached their gates, heading down the long pathway again lined both sides with servants holding flame torches. He arrived at the steps, jumping of his horse and leading him to the green to wait, as he ran up the thousands of stone steps, he heaved in breath after breath as he arrived at the top, cursing himself for the speed he went. With heavy breaths he headed up the stairs to the large doors to the hall, the two same guards were stationed by the doors.
“Late again.” one sniggered,
“I know,” Zorian heaved, leaning over, crouching slightly catching his breath.
The other laughed, “that little prince has been waiting.”
“Great,” Zorian groaned,
Both the men chuckled, as they opened the doors, Zorian walked through looking down to the hall, seeing the many masked faces, he saw from his height, his stepsister standing next to a man who looked much like merchant, he spotted a boy making his way up to Zorian, “you came.” the boy grinned, he wore a light beige, matched with a mask of the same colour again covering his face except for his mouth and chin. Zorian frowned, walking past the boy searching the crowd for a servant serving wine, “have i done something to offend you?” the prince asked, rushing to Zorians side once more, his voice laced in anxiety.
“You hadn’t told me you were the prince.”
“Ah,” the prince began, “I was going to,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck, “but you ran so fast i could not catch up.”
Zorian found a servant carrying a tray of filled wine, “you had all evening,” he grumbled, “and it was not nice to find out who you were from someone else's lips. Not that i care all that much,” he muttered, taking a large gulp from his glass,
“And yet you came still.”
“For the wine,” Zorian said, “it has been on my mind all day.” he swiftly put,
The prince smirked, “of course what else is there to think about,”
Zorian sighed, “there is much to think about,” he spoke quietly under his breath,
The prince gave him an odd look, “is there something amiss-” but before he could finish or for Zorian to answer a loud rise in voices began, spilling with excitement, as all gathered close to the centre of the hall, where the dancing had been.
Zorian looked on, curious, seeing three men with tanned dark skin, that reminded Zorian much of his mothers, prompting him to look down at his own skin that was tinged with a light brown, as the men rolled up their sleeves, as if preparing for something, one placed a small seed in the very middle of the hall, right between the crack of the floors stone. The man shuffled back, Zorian only then taking notice that none of the three men wore shoes, as his bare feet scraped against the cold stone floor, Zorian could not hear what the man said but saw his lips move within a whisper, then all too suddenly the room grew silent as with an abrupt crack the seed began to sprout, shooting up into the air, till a small little tree stood. It's leaves and branches draped down around the grey tree trunk, it's leaves a colour of green that was far purer than any Zorian had ever seen, and from the branches fruits and flowers began to bloom and bud.
The fruits were strange, cherry-like in hue and colour but the size and weight of a pear, dangling down, begging to be picked by the many hands around. But before anyone could, an odd assembly of flowers blossomed something out from their red-ish pink petals, that looked a lot like dragonflies except they weren't, for their wings were too large and almost butterfly-like in size. They fluttered around the room with a buzz, Zorian followed with his eyes, squinted and drew closer to the creatures, hoping he was mistaken but it became all too apparent that the flies were growing larger.
Before his very eyes one landed and within a second it was no longer a fly but a large white tiger, that growled subtly, Zorian stepped back from the beast, as a chorus of applause begun, as each fly turned into a large wild cat, Zorian could spot a few lions, and leopards. One of the three men yelled a command to the animals in a foreign tongue, and immediately all the cats roared in unison. Many of the courtiers gazed in fascination, even Zorian found himself drawn to the animals, having never been close to one before. He watched as ladies and lords stepped towards the beasts, their hands out reaching to touch the cats.
“My father has tigers kept in far gardens,” the prince whispered to Zorian,
The boy snorted, “i am supposed to be impressed?”
“Most people are,”
“And what else does your father keep?” Zorian spoke in a board tone,
“Grey tailed monkeys from the east, and elephants.”
“Elephants?” Zorian questioned,
“I used to be afraid of them when i was young.” the prince smirked, “my nursemaid had told me they were demons in disguise.”
Zorian chuckled, “I think demons would be more inventive with their disguises.”
“Like what?” the prince asked,
“I could imagine the baker in town is one, he is a bit of a grumpy prick.”
The prince laughed, “maybe my nursemaid was the real demon.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if my stepmother was.” Zorian muttered as he took a sip from his glass, he spotted her in room, and her eyes were locked on his, Zorian froze for a moment, not knowing what to do, or if she even recognized him, he was brought out of his trance as he felt something spill on him, seeing that his hands tipped his glass over to his chest. “Shit,” he mumbled,
“Here,” the prince spoke, pulling out from his sleeve a handkerchief, “One good thing about being the prince is the number of handkerchiefs I receive from ladies each day.” he chuckled, as he began dip the cloth onto Zorians chest.
“Thank you,” Zorian paused, “your highness.” he added dimly.
“Remulus,” the prince spoke,
“Sorry?”
“Remulus, call me Remulus, or if you so wish Remi, but only my father calls me that, but i shall make an exception for you.”
“How gracious of you,” Zorian snorted, “a better name than I have heard these days.” Remulus looked down to Zorians chest bashfully, “now that i think of it,” Zorian began, “i haven’t told you my name.”
“Do not worry, I like the mystery of you.” Remulus smiled, one that was full of charm and foolish wishfulness.
Zorian was quiet for a moment, he sighed, taking hold of the prince's wrist pulling it away from his chest, “i do not think i should have come,” Zorian whispered, feeling an ache in his chest, feeling weak and nervous, regret flooding through him in waves. “I-i-” he stuttered stepping away from the prince, not daring to look him the eyes, “I need to go.” he decided looking around to see his step family, he saw his stepmother still glancing his way, her lips titling in that smile she so often wore when looking down at Zorian, instantly he felt a fear creeping up on him, remembering her plans for him, “yes, i need to leave,” he told himself, turning from the prince.
“No, please wait,” Remulus called after him, but Zorian traveled between the many bodies that crowd the hall, by the feasting table, he bumped into a boy that he did not have the time to apologize to, knowing well he made the boy drop his plate of food onto the stone floor, he rushed to the stairs, hearing the steps of the prince behind him, he ran up the stairs and through the doors passing the guards, but still the sounds of the princes feet echoed behind him. “Wait!” he shouted, “wait!”
Zorian raced down the stretching steps, seeing his horse still on the green of the grass. He swallowed down breaths as a lump grew in his throat, as he reached his horse he heard the laboured breaths of the prince behind him, standing but a few paces away from him.
“Please,” the prince breathed, “do not leave, we have hardly had time to talk, at least keep me company for longer.”
“I can’t,” Zorian croaked out,
“Why?” Remulus stepped forward and Zorian turned to face him, still gazing down to the ground. “Tell me what I can do, to make you stay.”
Zorian scoffed, “you can not. Nothing can.” the boy felt finger tips on his chin, bringing his chin up to the princes face, he stroked Zorians jaw tenderly,
“Then I will defy the gods.” he said confidently.
Zorian shook his head, “you know nothing of me. Not even my name”
The prince smiled, “I know more than you think, I care not, all I know is that when i talk or speak with you, it is heaven and when we dance I wished for nothing else, and I want only to look upon your face and see your smile.” both his hands came up to Zorians face, his thumbs circling his cheeks.
Zorian shook his head once more, “no,” he said more forcibly, stepping back to his horse. “Please, leave me be, go back and spend your eve with some lord or lady, they will be more grateful of your affections.” he spoke in a harsh bitter voice, climbing his horse, saying no more words to the prince who was still and silent as the boy rode off through the long pathway making his way back to Harwood keep. Zorian gritted his teeth together as he rode, willing himself not to look back to the prince.
He arrived back to the keep, leading his steed to the stables, which was empty of any souls, some horses raised out from sleep when Zorian entered, he patted Pirate unsaddling him, he sighed, resting his head on the horse, “i am fool,” he said, “a fucking fool.” he finished unpacking the horse heading out the stables and onto the bailey walking slowly in a slump into the keep, he passed a door that was rarely opened, as a servant girl come out with empty bowls of food. She saw Zorian, curtsying to him,
“Milord,” she greeted.
Zorians face looked blankly to the door, “i thought her ladyship did not like to feed the prisoners.” he spoke,
A look of panic rose on the girl's face, “please milord, do not tell her ladyship, no one knows i do so, and the whole kitchen will be punished if she were to find out.”
Zorian shrugged lazily, “do what you will, i will not say a word.”
The girl sighed, smiling, “thank you milord.” the girl quickly rushed away from Zorian. He gazed to the door, leading down deep beneath the keep to the cells where the criminals of the town come to receive their judgment from his stepmother, which always at most ended with death.
He remember when he was young and his father had to come up with judgment for men and woman sent to him by the town, he asked why that was so, for surely it was the king's responsibility to deal with such things, but his father said it was how things had always been long before the kings castle had been built, his ancestors were the lords and ladies of the land in which the town stood, and therefore the ones to govern the town and the ones to set out the punishments of the common folk.
Zorian closed the door, that shut with a high creek, wandering down the corridors to his quarters he fell down onto his makeshift bed, removing his clothes and placing his old ones on. He looked at the clothes his mother gave him, and wished he could cry, but had not the heart to do so. He fell asleep soon after in his near pitch black room, but was awoken, by the sounds of his stepfamily, hearing knocking on his door. He got up, seeing his step brother Rob, the boy lead Zorian to the kitchens where his step sister sat, she looked drunk and dizzy from the way she swayed on her chair, but she was crying helplessly, her arms wailing about.
“She is too heavy carry on my own, and she refuses to stand to help me,” rob tells Zorian,
Zorian groans, “who had allowed her to drink so much?”
“No one, she had done so herself, she was upset how rudely the prince ignored her every attempt to start a conversation.” rob muttered,
Zorian sighed, he made his way to Gwyn, picking her up by her arm as Rob took her other.
“Why does he not like me?” she questioned, slurred, “i am everything a man should want, for i am beautiful and young, well bred and desirable so why does he not want me?” she cried, “i know why,” she started, as rob and Zorian carried her along to the main stairs, “it is that boy, he is distracting my love.” she practically yelled, “he is luring him away from me, tricking him.” she stated, “for why would he choose such a plain ugly little things like that. You should have seen him, Zorian, running away from the prince as if he were the plague and yet still the prince pines for him.” they made it to her chambers, dragging her along to her bed, tucking her in, “i shall win him back.” she said to rob and Zorian, “then i shall be the princess and mother-” he yawned, “mother will think of me as her prize..” she faded as she began to sleep.
“That was fast,” Zorian muttered,
Rob yawned, “i think i shall go to bed too,” he said tiredly, as he headed out of Gwyns chambers, Zorian followed, the need for slumber weighing him down, he noticed a light in his stepmothers chambers but walked past, scared she had figured him out and was suddenly glad that he would be gone the inter next day and would not have look upon her face. He smiled thinking of Mule, Mule what an odd boy…
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