sinbound. [Akira & Earinor] [ENG]

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    • "I thought so yes and it's still some time, before Fhaergus is shut tight again. You know what? If you wanted to avoid your father for a while, I could in fact kidnap you before the winter, bring you to Fhaergus and you and your father have no chance reuniting for about three months.", he proposed. Usually the people of Fhaergus could read the weather good enough to know when the last chance to cross the mountains had arrived, until now someone being stuck there always never happened, but maybe Caelan and Allard made a mistake in calculating Ronans day of departure from Fhaergus to Alster and he had to stay, what a shame. From what Caelan heard about the Duke of Alster, he already wanted to keep Ronan as far from there as possible, his own father seemed like an angel compared. "You're capable of a lot of things.", he smiled, Ronan did tend to talk about himself, if he wasn't able to do anything or wasn't worth a dime, but that wasn't true and that needed to be edged into his stubborn head. "Weird stuff...? Like... you in a dress and me making you scream my name?", he asked as if Ronan wouldn't know himself, just to remind him.

      "I think it's more like you wanting to want me having my hands back on you.", Caelan grinned, turning the tables again but not thinking further of it. At least the bed was something he really didn't think about, he always had been caring, though he didn't look it supposedly and it was no effort at all. If it made Ronan chuckle and smile a while longer, even better, he liked hearing and seeing him happier than just minutes before. "Nothing of this? What do you mean by that?", he asked, maybe thinking way too much about these words. He wondered if Ronan meant Caelan flirting with Ronan, and being flirted with back, or maybe only that he'd stay the night now, as opposed to his previous plan. He did feel tired though, so sleeping here wouldn't be too bad. "I... uh... it doesn't bother me to lay on the grass either and you did share your food with me, so we are even, but... I mean if you wanna share, why not?" Caelan fought himself back on his feet yet another time, not planning to do this again until after morning. "Move to the fire, silly." He said shooing Ronan to that side of the supposed bed, Caelan didn't need the proximity to the fire anyway, in fact, having Ronan as shield from the heat wasn't too bad. While he was at it, he put some more wood into the fire to have it burn a while longer, then he walked past Ronan and lay down next to him, placing his head on parts of the towel, functioning as a pillow now. He looked at the stars and the moon again and wondered what time it actually was.
    • “Wait. You are telling me, theoretically a stranger but somewhat your friend, that you’d have no problem with taking me with you, all the way back to your country and tuck me away behind the cold Fhaergus mountains just so I don’t have to deal with my father? What are you gaining from that? Or is it just because you can’t help but pity me?”, he asked and made way for Caelan to lie down next to him. Everything would be better than having to endure Darragh’s constant nagging or simply the fact that he was unable to compliment his very own son, even if just for a minute, because deep down he probably knew something he didn’t want to know, let alone question his wife. The thought of Darragh actually, truly finding out about Ronans real father sent a shiver down his small back and made him recall that nothing - absolutely nothing in life - was free, especially not the warmth that Caelan was spreading and definitely not his own, warm bed that he wanted to lay in until hell froze over. “Oh, I am, but none you could think of”, Ronan admitted as the coat, that he had draped onto his slender and fragile form, finally started to warm him a bit more. If he was honest, Caelan - or well, his coat - didn’t smell bad. “Yeah, kind of ... why are you repeating that, anyway? Do you really wanna make it happen?”, he asked. Was he still faintly smiling? Probably.

      “What gives you that idea?”, his look became more stern, but somewhat neutral and his gaze shifted back onto the flames, as Caelan complied and finally lay down next to him. What was this? A bad but vivid dream that eventually would culminate in something that the young heir to Alster couldn’t even pinpoint? Wasn’t he just inviting the devil into his abode, by simply offering him his body and the cold it was emitting, or did he look like he was begging for warmth that he so desperately needed? “Isn’t it that we shouldn’t be doing this? We aren’t comerades on a wartorn battlefield, trying to survive the freezing night, and yet we’re ... acting like this, aren’t we?” Ronan wasn’t uncomfortable yet, he actually felt sort of content, knowing that the parts where their skin and not-skin touched would flare up because of the heat that his fellow lord was exuding and once he did, once Ronan - in fact - turned to face the fire once more and listened to the low crackling, he felt warm all around. “I would feel bad if I wouldn’t share”, he said, cuddling into the coat once more. “Are you tired? Have you spotted more constellations?”, he asked, almost sheepishly, as the world around him started to become a bright orange blur. Caelan of Fhaergus was, indeed, a heartthrob and didn’t even bother to hide it, instead he flirted with him as well and the thought of wearing that blue dress was, all of a sudden, a lot less bothersome.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • "Why are you always asking what I would gain? We are friends you know? You want to get away from your father and it's not bothering me having you in Fhaergus, in fact, if you'd annoy me, I'd just go somewhere else, like I do when my father does the same. My family can't kick you out either, after all no one crosses the mountain passes in winter and you are going to be duke some day.", he explained, asking himself why Ronan wouldn't just take his offer as a friendly act and nothing more. He didn't want to gain anything, unless it was Ronan having some fun and peace. He didn't know exactly what was going on in Alster, but he heard enough already to want to help him somehow and as friends he didn't expect anything given back. "You're good at frowning!", Caelan said the first thing coming to his mind. Ronan surely was good in a lot of things, he sure was smarter than Caelan anyway and he already had a lot to do with Alsters internal affairs. "It was fun hearing you calling my name like that the first time, so yeah why the hell not?"

      Caelan turned his head a little and looked at Ronan, facing the flames, the makeshift bed wasn't exactly what they most probably were used to, especially in terms of size, but Caelan didn't mind that their bodies touched occasionally and he also didn't mind lying only partly on the blanket either. "Because you are the one thinking about it.", Caelan answered with a slight smile and could also still hear the good mood in Ronans own voice. Laughing and smiling wasn't so bad after all, right? Ronan seemed to enjoy it very much. "What are you talking about?", Caelan snorted amused,looking at Ronans back covered in his own coat with the Fhaergus crest weaved onto it. "It's not like I'm cuddling you and you also didn't invite me to, you just wanted to share a little self-made bed, right? Two guys lying next to each other, what's wrong with that? Or do you in fact want me to hold you? Are you still cold?", he asked and what started to be a joke turned into a genuine question and some worry in Caelans voice. He knew that temperatures he didn't deem cold, for others was freezing, so maybe it actually was cold, too cold for the young Alster noble. Caelans gaze however fell back on the stars. "Hm... a little tired, I was riding the whole day.", he mumbled. He was able to spot a lot of constellations. "Yeah... but I can tell you about them another time... maybe when we're stargazing in Fhaergus, or Alster."
    • "I'm just being cautious, that's all! But I do appreciate the offer and I kind of want to entertain the thought that I, of all people, would be welcomed in the esteemed Fhaergus estate, just to spend a winter there and piss off my father for no good reason, other than I really just want to see him mad when I get back home", Ronan whispered, shortly after Caelan had explained. Winters were always cold and snowy in Alster, not as cold as it was in Fhaergus, but icy enough to make him feel exhausted if he waited outside for too long and to drain him of all energy, once the grey clouds swallowed up the already weak sun. Getting up was, especially when it was freezing outside, harsh - his body felt sluggish, even more than his head, and once he sat up, he actually wondered if his tiredness would overtake him once more. Often enough it did, stole away his will and let him fall back asleep, all while sitting up. His doctor had said not to worry about it, it was something perfectly normal to do, but he always felt quite tired. "That I am! I'm also good at defying my father!", he spoke, as if he were counting every unnecessary skill he once possessed, just to show Caelan. "Then make me, Caelan. Do your best."

      What did he actually want? Throw himself off of a bridge into murky water, his frail body dragged away by the everchanging current, or Caelan's hands all over said body, just so that he could feel the burning heat leave marks, imagine himself spending time with someone he shouldn't and eventually coming to accept that every man he liked would never like him back? Once Ronan had found someone to marry, all of this would end - he'd have to fit in, as if it wasn't hard enough already, and he'd have to have an heir, worthy of taking over once he lost his life. "Urgh, how annoying", he sighed. Just because he had laughed once and felt generally well didn't mean that Caelan was to abuse the situation, was allowed to do all of these things, or even put his hands onto him. Not that Ronan would push them away, though. "Would you hold me if I told you that I'm still cold, though? Just for a moment? I mean, it sounds stupid, I'll give you that, but you know, I wouldn't necessarily mind", he sighed, as the flickering flame was guiding his eyes for just a moment. Why, of all things, was he this exhausted? "So am I", Ronan answered, as he gave up on trying to force himself to stay awake - whatever Caelan would say, he rather nuzzled into his soft coat and took a whiff, calming himself down a little - maybe this would help against his tiredness. "Lets sleep now, we can ... fool around ... tomorrow ..." When did he close his eyes again?
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • "You're always welcomed in my home and my father won't kick you out.", he said, it was easy to let him stay the winter, the question was, how would that end? What would Ronans father do if he left his home for whole three months? Caelan would take the blame if it helped, would say, they lost track of time, winter came earlier than expected, or they had some sort of accident and couldn't depart in time, whatever it took to keep Ronan out of harms way after coming back home. Caelan was a trouble maker, a no-good son, an idiot, so if Darragh of Alster had even more reason to believe exactly that, there was no harm and he couldn't exactly do anything to Caelan either, unless he wanted to risk trouble with the whole of Fhaergus and Caelans father. Allard didn't like him, he didn't even want to look at his son, but he would defend him, his name, his house, his family, like he always did, like he did with his brother and Caelan whenever he made a mistake. He got a lecture, a long one, but he still got all the help Allard could offer and more, his father wasn't a bad person, Dreigh wasn't either, Caelans family was just... complicated. When did he start think about his father like this though? He should stop... he rather concentrated on Ronan, sounding like a child, proud of every stupid little thing, but it was fine. "You'll get even better when befriending me, I'm pretty good at pissing off mine.", he chuckled and afterwards shook his head, even though Ronan couldn't see it. "Not today. But I will... eventually."

      Caelan closed his eyes, the stars still edged into his brain, he knew every single position of every star, a useless skill, but one he posessed. The stars were always something Caelan was fond of, the night sky calming and painting the world dark, making everything more equal and calm. If he liked something in Lavern, it was the nights, the constant chirping of the crickets, the soft sounds of the grass swaying in the wind, he almost forgot he wasn't alone while he lay here, drifting into sleep already. Ronan however pulled him back one more time, talked and talked though Caelan didn't really mind. He was a strange one, oh yes he was. Asking Caelan to look closely at his body after unbuttoning his shirt because of a stupid joke and now asking Caelan for a hug, because his coat apparently wasn't warm enough. "Shut up...", Caelan mumbled, turned to the side and put his arm around Ronan. The fire on one side, Caelan on the other and all cuddled up in his coat, now there was no way he still was feeling cold, wet hair or not. For someone coming from Alster he didn't seem to be able to deal with the weather there, but not everyone was like Caelan, who played in the snow since before he was able to actually walk. "Good night...", he mumbled, making himself comfortable and drifting off completely.
    • "Mhm", Ronan mused, with a faint smile returning to his face - very much aware that he shouldn't even think about it. His father wouldn't kill him for spending time here, or spending time in Fhaergus, but he'd eventually tell him that he was neglecting his duties as a future duke and that he was nothing more than a disgrace to him, to Alster and to the Kingdom of Adrestia. One would think that he had to be horribly depressed and was unable to control his emotions and maybe the stern scowl and the shy nature of Ronan did the rest, hit the nail on the head and hammered it into the coffin - some people would probably and rightfully assume all those things and they were right, though, he'd never admit that. "That's a deal then, my friend", he said, as he listened to the faint words that they both were whispering at one another, as all their strength left them and told them that they should, perhaps, go to sleep and let the night be what it was - just that. "I'll count on you", the young noble said, as he was barely awake. One of the few things he registered was an almost silent 'shut up' that Caelan still mustered, before he actually put his arm around him and again, Ronan could feel warmth pooling in his stomach and heat overtaking him, as if Caelan's warmth was burning itself into him. "Sleep well ..." and with that, he didn't need long to fall asleep.

      Once he had been pulled into the land of dreams, there wasn't much left to be desired - though, all of those dreams were a blur of snow, of cold, frigid weather and him, being the sourpuss he was, feeling like his lungs were freezing and breaking with every step of the way, as he tried his best to form a path to freedom. The only thing that kept him company was warmth, like a flickering flame, but it was ... more than that. Not just a fire, raging uncontrollably and definitely no coat, keeping him warm. He was unable to catch a single glimpse on the forlorn figure, but it seemed to be human, tall and well built, blonde and blue-eyed and ... was he dreaming of Caelan? Whatever it was, Ronan wouldn't know - instead, he was awoken by the chirping of some birds, the sun already creeping up the horizon, whereas there only remained still glowing embers of yesterdays fire and ... Caelans arm, still draped over him, as if he were some sort of plushtoy the other noble had held onto. Right. They were sleeping in a makeshift bed, together, body against body, to keep him warm and to not freeze to death. "Hey, sleepyhead", he said, as he gently tugged on the blondes arm. "Wake up, or the sun is gonna cook you for breakfast." Not that it necessarily mattered when they left, anyway, but Caelan had been the one already whining about the supposed heat this day was going to bring.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • Caelan fell asleep almost immediately after he wished Ronan a good night. He hadn't noticed how tired he was, but after all he left early in the morning the day before, rode on the back of his horse all the way here, with only one break in between, then went swimming, searched for some wood and spent some time with Ronan, if not all of that had made him tired, it was what they talked about, which was not only fun and jokes, no. It was no wonder that he dreamt of Fhaergus, his father and his demands, his niggling and whining over what Caelan did this time. he also dreamt of Ronan, of taking him up to the highest mountain peak of Fhaergus, looking at the stars with him and keeping the snotty figure from freezing to death. Red cheeks, shivering, yes that was Ronan, that was what would happen if Caelan didn't pack him in a lot of warm clothes, so much in fact he would fall over probably.

      Caelan woke up when he heard Ronans voice and felt a gentle tug on his arm. He noticed he still smiled while waking up, though Ronan couldn't see that anyway. He slowly opened his eyes, turned on his back and while doing that, let go of Ronan which he had seemed to hold the whole night. Maybe that explained why his shoulder was feeling all numb and stiff. He needed one more moment to wake up, rubbed his eyes and blinked at the sky. The sun was slowly creeping up and Ronan was right, they should leave soon if Caelan wouldn't want to be cooked. In the end it didn't matter though, they wouldn't be arriving before noon anyway. Caelan needed one more push, closed his eyes and if pushed a button, suddenly jumped on his feet, wide awake. "Morning!", he said, looking down on the figure next to him and at the same time, searching for his shoes he left somewhere yesterday. "Talking about breakfast, you need one?", he asked already up and about, spotting what he had searched for and grabbing his shoes to put them on his feet. He needed something to put out every remaining spark of the fire, namely something he could carry some water with and then he would ready the horses. Caelan wasn't exactly a morning person, but he wasn't someone one needed to drag out of bed either. When awake, he liked to do start moving, packing or generally be occupied with something.
    • Ronan was, unlike his new travel companion, not someone that prefered the cold climate of his own country than whatever Lavern had to offer, at least not during the spring. The days were, without fail, never too hot or too cold, whereas the climate in Alster ranged from still kind of freezing to could be warmer, anyway - but, just like Caelan, Ronan hated the heat that both Lavern and Olette had to offer during the warmer seasons and he'd rather bury himself in a heap of snow than come here, once it got undeniably hot. "Morning", the black haired noble said, as he was kind of taken aback by the sudden loss of filling warmth and the fact that, of all people, someone like Caelan was awake and up for adventure that fast. Ronans own vision was still somewhat blurry and the gentle, still cold breeze, forced a shiver down his spine once it hit him, despite still being cuddled tight into the coat. There was no fire, nor was there any Caelan to warm him, so naturally, he should get up - that wouldn't be a bad idea, after all, this makeshift bed wasn't something he was used to and ironically enough, he could feel his back already complaining and almost yearning for an actual, real bed in Lavern, once he had forced himself through networking and the tournament. "Did you sleep well?", he mumbled, still no sign of actually getting up, all the while he was rubbing his eyes.

      Whether it was fate or simply his own intuition to wake up right then and there, he was unsure - he simply knew that maybe he shouldn't have, but he also knew that that wouldn't change anything. Just because he had let himself fall into a well didn't mean he couldn't claw himself out of it and just because Caelan was there, he couldn't show more signs of weakness - so he actually used his somewhat numb feeling hands to prod up his upper body and sit up, mimicking what he tried to do at home when his mind was willing but his body was still trying to deny him all of what he wanted. God, did this have to be so hard? "Breakfast?", he asked, as he rubbed his eyes yet again, let the loose strands of hair fall back into his face and as he sat up, stared back down at his lap, as if there had been anything interesting he could offer. This ... wasn't supposed to be as hard as it was, and only exposed more and more of his weaknesses, but any and all attempts to force himself to something would culminate in just this and he could feel his eyelids refusing to actually stay open. "Yeah ... I think ...", he murmured, almost slugishly as he - albeit somewhat unwilling - drifted off again, all while sitting up. What had this been about again? His doctor saying not to worry that he felt like absolute crap every morning?
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • Caelan noticed right away that Ronan wasn't as energetic as himself and he knew that all too well. If Cameron or Orlando wanted, they could sleep the whole fucking day, leaving Caelan to his own and he was forced to do something by himself. It was fine, he was used to it, after all the lonely months in Fhaergus were coming back every year and there he had no one who could entertain him. "I slept well, yep.", he announced holding still for a moment and looking at the sleepy head still trying to wake up, wasn't he the one telling Caelan to get up already? "What about you? Still look tired, actually you look like you didn't sleep at all, don't tell me you were still cold!", he said, maybe he was a little too enthusiastic, especially in the morning when his travel companion was still trying to wake up. Well, he could take his time, Caelan meanwhile tried to find some food and water in the nobles saddlebags, lying on the ground near his horse. There was so much stuff inside, he needed a while, but eventually he came pack with some bread and cheese for Ronan and draped everything right before him. Caelan himself only took one small bite, until he stood up again and saw to the fire being completely out in order to not start a wildfire.

      Ronan could take all the time in the world though Caelan would have liked to leave right away, to avoid the sun, but it would hit him anyway, melting him and making him all sweaty and sticky, he hated that. The cold was making one feel uncomfortable but at least not disgusting, because the body tried to fight the temperatures somehow. Caelan hoped the delay was actually putting Cameron in Laverns capital before him, so he was able to snatch a fresh set of clothes from him, in order to feel like a human again. As soon as they would arrive Caelan would take a bath and change his clothes. "Take your time.", he said despite already making plans for arriving, though they leaving wasn't even in sight yet. While Ronan woke up and ate, Caelan indeed readied at first Ronans horse, since the blanket of his own was still tucked under Ronans ass.
    • If he were to describe it, he wasn't sure if he even could - it was as if his blood had been frozen stiff overnight and still needed a moment, or two, or three, to get back to circulating through his body like it was used to, to get rid of the stiffness and numbness in his fingers and hands and to finally feel like his head wasn't going to crack open just because he'd had a small headache. Whatever Caelan said, did it really matter? Or did it actually help him? "That's nice ...", he mumbled, trying to pull himself out of his misery, but before he could, Caelan already had caught onto it and was back to his bold and daring self from yesterday, that simply had crossed the word "holding back" from his vocabulary in exchange for being ... a bit too energetic in the mornings, as it seemed. "I slept just fine", he exclaimed, as he tried stretching his fingers and hand a bit, extended them towards something that wasn't even there and eventually took some pieces of what Caelan brought him, put them in his mouth and gently chewed a bit, before swallowing it and moving on. This was dragging itself for too long and he felt horrible, too sluggish to even form a coherent thought, and so he got up at some point and only felt like the world around him had decided to spin without warning.

      Was he dizzy? Maybe. Was he going to let Caelan have the moment and let his dizziniess take ahold of him? No. "I did, I'm fine now", he said, audibly sounding like he was still stuck in a different sphere, but he took the "blanket" and the saddle with him and got to actually reading Caelans horse, since a small glimpse at his own told him that there was no need to, that that had already been taken care of, anyway. The long coat was still draped over his small body and he knew that, for one, this wasn't something he could use as his advantage and that, two, it probably looked ridiculous. After all was said and done, he folded their makeshift blanket and put it back in one of the few saddlebags Caelan's horse had, before walking over to put his boots back on and - eventually - making his way to the blonde that had accompanied him last night. Finally, he took the coat off of himself and extended his hand towards the fellow noble. "Thank you for lending me your coat, I appreciate it", he said, a soft smile on his lips and his head finally pulled out of the clouds that it had been lodged into just before. "We ... can leave if you want", he said, as he glanced at both their horses. Resting his head against Caelans broad chest would also be an enticing option, but not for now.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • Caelan didn't quite believe Ronan, if this was how he looked when he slept 'just fine', then Caelan didn't want to know what he looked like if he didn't. "You sure? If I kept you awake somehow, you could have woken me up, you know?", he asked, well aware that he held Ronan the whole night and he wasn't planning to act like it didn't happen. After all there was nothing to it, Ronan was feeling cold and Caelan was able to help, so why wouldn't he? After he fell asleep, which was pretty fast, he didn't notice anything anyway, Ronan and himself didn't seem to have moved very much, that was also why Caelan petted Ronans horse on his flanks and afterwards started to stretch a little. He let his shoulder move in small circles to cast away the stiffness and then his neck followed. The hard ground was never as comfortable as a bed, but here too Caelan was used to it, that however didn't imply, that his body didn't ache some time after.

      Caelan took a step forward, in Ronans direction while the noble stood up. He was fearing that the tired men would fall over right away, but gladly it didn't happen and so Caelan just eyed him a little, watched him readying Caelans horse now. "I could have done that, no need to hurry, I just like moving my body, when I'm awake.", he said, but didn't stop him, he rather watched carefully in case he needed to catch Ronan, before he hit the ground. But all was fine as it seemed and Ronan even gave Caelan his coat back. "Anytime, but you can keep it a while longer, if you're still cold.", he offered, he didn't need it anyway and the sun was still creeping up, wasn't completely there and the cold air of the night was yet to be cast away. The air was moist and the morning dew dripping from the grass. A soft smile wandered on Caelans own face as he looked at Ronan. "You're smiling again.", he noticed with a calm voice and somewhat happy about Ronans mood that was obviously better than the day before. Caelan suppressed the urge to stretch out his hand and order the mess which was Ronans hair, instead he just told him. "Your hair is a mess."
    • What was being just fine worth anyway? The question is, was and would always be that he - without doubt - would be someone that merely had the chance of succeeding in life if he tried to climb a ladder that already was way too high, tried to force his own body to do his bidding despite knowing that said body had reached its limits and all in all, Ronan knew that, whether he tried to be himself, or he tried to simply exist, it wouldn't matter how or why he did it, it just mattered whether or not he put a lot of effort into it, and it'd end just like that. "Don't worry, you haven't - I would have cause ruckus if you did", was what the young noble could come up with. There was no way in hell that he actually, truly, could tell Caelan of anything he dreamt that would have caused himself to look grouchy, but he knew better than anyone that he was awake now and that his body had finally gotten the message as well - he was, without doubt - very much alive and kicking. "Do I look like I got ran over by a bunch of horses or what?", he asked, sheepishly and quite unaware of the state his body was in. He staggered, with every step he took, he though, his body would give in beneath his knees and sent him falling toward the floor, but he pushed onward as if this was nothing but child's play, compared to the things he usually had to endure, this was nothing anyway. As the dizziness crept up his throat, he remained calm and decided that it was just fine to be himself, that it was alright to let his body fail him, but it didn't - thankfully.

      "It's fine, I just thought that I should return the favor, really", the loner mused. Yes, he was indeed aware that he could have kept his hands out of Caelan's affairs and off of his belongings, but essentially, Ronan was nobody that really, truly cared. "Thank you, but I think the sun will keep me warm from here on out, so no need to borrow me your coat any longer", and as he handed it over, he sort of regretted it. Draping his body into the warm, almost soft coat, would do wonders to improve his mood greatly - especially if they left right now, on horseback - but he didn't want to pull back now, he wasn't weak. "Oh, am I? Sorry about that", he said, before he actually registered what had left his lips and before he could correct himself, he found himself faced with a new problem. "Urgh, that's the price I have to pay for not cutting them off", he growled, as he reached for his saddlebags and - instead of a comb - pulled out nothing more than a fresh hairtie, while he combed through his hair with his fingers. They were slightly wavy and probably looked awful either way, reeked of the lakes water, though, he could worry about that later - instead, once he had made them look somewhat presentable, he pulled them and tied them back up again. "That should fix it. Thanks for telling me", he said, as he approached his horse and checked one last time if he had everything he needed, just before tying his boots up. "Do you have something left you want to take care of? Otherwise we can leave."
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • "Well, good then.", he said, but still wasn't sure if he wasn't the cause for Ronan looking like he did just now, more asleep than awake and maybe a little bit dead overall. Caelan kind of knew how a bad morning felt and if he hadn't stood up like he did, he's lie on the ground, turning and mumbling, never wanting to see the sun again. He needed one burst when he woke up, fast, otherwise he'd just stay in bed all day. That his approach wasn't for everyone was clear, maybe he was too fast and somehow forced Ronan to pick up the pace, he was sorry about that if it was the case. "You do yes. A whole lot of horses to be exact, not trying to be rude though." After all Ronan had asked. The smaller noble always seemed to find a way to worry Caelan or make him feel sorry for something he might have done. Maybe Caelan cared way too much though.

      "Thanks.", he simply said, still eyeing the dark haired noble, trying to figure out if this was a normal morning for him or not. It probably didn't matter though and why for fucks sake did Caelan think back to the night, when he lay his arm around him now? He averted his gaze, searched for something he could do and decided he'd pack away the coat Ronan no longer needed. He sure found back to his cheerful self again, laughed a little and turned around to face Ronan again. "Why the hell are you apologizing? You should apologize for every time you're not smiling, if anything!", he stated and had further reason to be amused when Ronan tried to fix his hair. As opposed to him Caelans hair was easy to tame, the blonde strands just fell straight down, without much of a try to overcome gravity. Even going to sleep with wet hair didn't ruin his hair all too much. "Why don't you? Though, I like it the way it is, the long hair suits you.", he smiled, the extra work was probably worth it. maybe it was because Caelan only ever saw Ronan with this length of hair, but he couldn't imagine it short. "No I'm all done, let's leave." Caelan climbed the back of his horse and for a moment wanted to help Ronan with his, when he remembered that he probably didn't need that, he was a full-grown Lord, not a maiden, even if a dress would suit him.
    • "You're worrying too much about a friend you barely know, really", he assured Caelan, once he thought that he could hear the ichor of doubt throbbing out of his voice and words. There weren't a lot of things that he couldn't put his mind to, but once he thought he had sown any seeds of doubt, he'd rather plug them out right away, instead of leading them sprout and eventually blossom. Was he too cautious? Did he actually give a damn about Caelan's own feelings or was this all just a farce he put up, trying to assure everyone he could think of that he, Lord Ronan of Alster, wasn't being crushed by the weight of the baggage he was hoisting around? "Sucks to be me", was all he said, not sparing a scowl nor a smile for the blonde and assessing the situation once more. Ronan was here, somewhere in Laverns wilderness, with a fellow noble and to-be duke. Said to-be duke was the son of Allard of Fhaergus and would eventually cause more trouble than he was worth, but proved to be quite a feisty travel companion - and a nice one on top of that. Ronan was, after all, not neccessarily enamored with him, but he felt the tension in his chest rise and fall with every single breath he took.

      "No need to", he once again assured. Caelan might have won yesterday bet, but there was more at stake now - he had been the one to talk high and mighty about his upcoming victory and yet, the supposed loser had more ideas than he himself, who wanted to not only best him but also win the tournament overall. If he did, his father would, maybe, finally bat an eyelash, once he heard that his son had stopped acting out of line, or so he believed. Deepn down, Ronan knew that Darragh wouldn't care, no matter what he tried or how long he did it. "I ... yeah. I'll do that then, sorry", it felt awkward, that was for sure, but the blonde wasn't that far off or even all that wrong - this was nothing more than a test, or maybe his very own ... punishment. Caelan had made him smile, and while the black haired noble would even go as far as to describe him as the sun, radiant and warm, he knew that everyone dragged some baggage around, whether it was for being a mistake or because fate favored no one, it didn't matter. "It doesn't look bad and ... short hair feels awkward", the young noble insisted as he got on his own horse, shortly after untying it from the tree. Cold, damp air still hung around and while the sun crept upward, time was running and not waiting for any of them. "Thank you, though." They got going eventually, but after all, none of this would have taken forever, not even if he tried. "And off to Laverns capital we are, huh?"
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • "I worry about all my friends, no matter the time spent with them!", Caelan assured Ronan, though he wasn't exactly sure if this was true. On the other hand his other friends didn't look as fragile as Ronan did, therefore there was less to worry about. Caelan even worried about what he said and he usually didn't do that, but now he had a young, insecure noble at his side, taking everything negatively said about him just as that, at least Caelan thought he did. "Please just stop apologizing altogether.", Caelan grinned, after he heard another one and shook his head. There was nothing to be sorry about, absolutely nothing. Caelan better kept up with the compliments to have that little bundle of blank lying nerves somewhat amused and not frowning all over the place. He meant when he said Ronan wouldn't get rid of him so easily now, so Caelan just needed to make sure, Ronan wasn't going to have enough of him.

      The journey to Laverns capital went smoothly, the heat however still was killing Caelan, especially when the sun stood on the highest point and just burnt itself into Caelans skin. He hated the heat so very much, he was all sweaty and before they actually arrived he had to put on his soon to be also sweaty, sticky and stinky shirt, which he did. Ronan seemed to have less of a problem, though Alster was a cold country too, well... maybe he was just better in hiding it. When they arrived, Caelan hopped of his horse and as always someone stood ready to take care of the animals, while the Lords could go on ahead inside. Caelan took Ronans hand almost immediately, because he didn't want him to run off. Coincidental he spotted three known faces already and he was thankful for them being here. Dragging Ronan with him he made a halt in front of the three figures, greeting them with a big smile. "Who's that?", the tallest of the three asked, he had black hair, his shirt was pompous and not buttoned up completely, while he stood there with one hand on his hip and seemingly having no care in the world, he mustered the new guy Caelan dragged along. "That's Lord Ronan of Alster, you dimwit!", a smaller, light haired figure hissed at him, trying to be quiet, but Caelan was sure Ronan heard that as well. With only a Viscount as father, he had much more to loose than the sprout of Stenz, even though the taller one would only inherit his country, if his 5 older brothers didn't. Caelan smiled at Ronan and then pointed at each of the three. "Cameron, Orlando and the quiet one is Ethan.", he introduced them casually. "And yeah that is Lord Ronan of Alster, I met him on the way, Cameron?" He turned to the taller one, who closely looked at Ronan and remembered his face probably as much as Caelan had. "Can I please borough a shirt?", Caelan asked, pleaded almost and Cameron started to grin wolfishly, like he always did. "Sure idiot. Where's your head all the time? Come with me.", he answered and Caelan nodded, looking at Ronan only briefly. "I'll be back, you can hang with us if you want. Orlando is an asshole, but Ethan is nice.", he laughed, only to reap a loud "Hey!" "Are you coming?", Cameron was asking, already on the way and Caelan nodded to follow him.
    • "You're a handful, did anyone ever tell you that?", he asked, as if he weren't preoccupied with deciding whether or not to ditch Caelan out here, run off with his horse and then arrive in Lavern, only to meet him there once again and make a stupid joke or three, about how he didn't expect to see him here of all places. Instead, he decided to stick with Caelan for the time being and, as he heard what left the nobles lips, couldn't help but be amused - even if he didn't show it outright. "Alright, I'll stop apologizing if you want me to, then", was all he ended up saying. Whatever was awaiting them didn't matter, at least for now, since he did try his best to ward off the rest of the sluggish feeling he was experiencing and then again, what, if not Caelan's whining would be awaiting him anyway? The blonde had insisted that the heat would kill him and naturally, Ronan expected to hear just that - lots of whining and even more garbled nonsense that he didn't want to bother with, but for the most part, their ride was kind of tame, even as the sun started to bother them and he himself thought, that he'd break out in a sweat soon enough, although he didn't, Caelan most likely already had as he put on his clothes properly.

      Once they arrive, he was ready to keel over and free his horse of most of it's saddlebags, to hurry to his room and slip into his bed, just to sleep an hour or two, but he wasn't given a choice, not by Caelan, who immediately claimed Ronan as his, the moment he had stepped off of his horse and someone else had ensured that they'd take care of both of them. There were voices all over the place and it had become quite lively already - every single noise felt like a pain, somewhat nauseating even - and Caelan dragged him to his friends, decided that that was, where he wanted his travel companion and then even went through the trouble of introducing him to those around him. Ronan knew that most of these people, no matter who, wore a mask and just tried to find their place in a world that wasn't cut out for them, but the single most unbelievable thing was Caelan, who just left him right there, with two of his supposed friends, after he pranced off with another one of them. "I ... is he always like that?", was the only thing he wound up asking, as soon as the silence and awkwardness became stiff and unbearable between them. "He's quite the airhead, it's not all that uncommon", one of the two said, but Ronan couldn't be bothered to sort through this mess right now - instead, he glanced at the stranger who both had names, before he decided that he'd go find the room he was staying in and then see if he could bother anyone else that was currently present. "If you'll excuse me, I think I need to rest a bit", was all he said, as he waved the two strangers goodbye. Getting the smell of algae out of his hair would also be a start, no?
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • Caelan followed Cameron to his room and watched him dig through his wardrobe a while. As it was typical for him his room already was a mess with clothes lying around everywhere, on the ground, the bed and on top of his luggage. He also brought a lot, so much in case, that Caelan would not even have to wait for his parents to arrive with his own clothes. Though he did, because the pompous shirt with ruffles was maybe suiting Cameron, but not Caelan. "Don't you have something normal?", he asked, looking at the piece of clothing he received. "That is the newest trend you idiot, I know you only crept out of Fhaergus, but you should be honored to have me give you that.", Cameron answered, turning his nose upwards but continuing searching, while Caelan put the shirt away. "How about this one?" "Better", Caelan answered, took it and also received fresh pants which were not full of grass stains. It was practical Cameron had almost the same shape and height as Caelan, maybe he was even a little taller, but also slightly slimmer. "Thanks. I'll check my room, take a bath and then I'll see you around.", Caelan said, keeping the fresh and not smelly clothes far from his body, so he wouldn't contaminate them. "Sure thing.", Cameron smiled, left the room with Caelan and then they parted ways.

      Caelan was thankful for a bath and the fresh clothes. He felt like a new person when he came back to the outside area with wet hair still. People were talking, drinking and servants were handing out refreshments, most of it alcohol, like the famous Lavern wine. Caelan spotted the tall Cameron in the ground, made his way to him and soon saw Orlando and Ethan with them. "Where's Ronan?", he asked only to get told he wanted to freshen up himself, well that made sense and he would be able to find them sooner or later if he wanted to. "Why'd you bring him around?", Cameron asked and reaped a confused look from Caelan. "As I said, I have met him on the way and we travelled the last bit together." "Isn't he the one always sitting in a corner, reading and doing nothing but then? Didn't even know he could talk.", Orlando said, now seemingly all cocky because the future duke wasn't here to listen. "I mean, I guess he's shy, but yesterday we talked half of the night, so... he probably just needs to get to know all of you. I also convinced him to sign up for the tournament!" Caelan smiled, he always was the one most excited about that, next to Cameron, but yet again he only looked into sighing faces. Ethan was the one talking now. "Ronan is known for being sick, if he's smart, he won't sign up, if he does, don't kill him.", he said with a monotone voice which was common for him, Caelan was rolling his eyes but in truth he was a little worried. "He didn't seem as weak as you make him look.", Caelan answered and sighed. "As if the great Caelan of Fhaergus never was wrong when betting on someones strength! You're always expecting way too much of people!", Orlando laughed, leaving Caelan grumbling and putting his hands into his pockets.

      Dieser Beitrag wurde bereits 1 mal editiert, zuletzt von Earinor ()

    • In the end, he was the one left wondering as to why he'd embarked on a journey to Lavern, to talk with his fathers business partners and spread the news Darragh of Alster having caught a minor cold - if he could have, his father would have sent Declan, not him, but alas, he had to stand in for him instead. Ronan wasn't all bark and no bite, but neither was his father and the single threat of pain, looming over his very head, was enough for him to remain composed and get settled in the room he'd been provided with, even if just for a second. Yesterday was eventful after all and tomorrow would be no better, that much was for certain, as much as the fact that he'd have no choice but to comply to Caelan and his wishes, to own up to his promise and now, that he actually had made his way to take a bath, with some spare clothes in tow, it felt like all of this would eventually wash over him, as soon as he signed up for the tournament, and he'd lose. Was it dread that crawled up his dry throat or was it more than that? And if so, what exactly? Unable to pinpoint the uneasy feeling, he washed the reeking water off of his skin and hair, taking his time to actually get ready and even combing his hair, after he tried to somewhat dry it off with but a towel.

      Under normal circumstances, he'd wear whatever Darragh wanted of him, but a pompous outfit was barely something that Ronan wanted to wear. His usual clothing had been discarded, dirtied by the smell of putrid water yet again, whereas the other option he had was just the simplest thing he could come up with - otherwise, he'd look like a clown, or so he thought. A simple pair of pants, a shirt with the crest of Alster embroidered on his chest and his boots also didn't look as horrible as he thought, even though - while rummaging through his clothes - he found a light coat, again property of Alsters nobility with its crest on the back - that he draped over the rest of his clothes. Normally, he'd grab a book and leave his father to deal with the other nobles, scurry off and eventually find himself in the woods, once it got dark - but there was other stuff to do now. Tying his hair up properly, he eventually decided to seek out some of his fathers business partners, a few things from the saddlebags in tow to actually and rightfully distribute them, alongside a book he had barely finished reading. If Caelan was preoccupied with his friends, he could just do what he wanted, no? This would be one uneventful day after all.
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
    • Caelan didn't have to talk to any important people, at least not until his father arrived and started to drag him around and this wouldn't happen until later this day. Even though he made a break longer than planned, the carriage with his parents would need a while longer. With the fresh new clothes Caelan felt better and for now he just stayed with his friends, seemingly not caring about Ronan but in fact being on the lookout for him the whole time. The eventarea was big, inside and outside and so it wasn't unusual not seeing him around. Still he knew as much about Ronan, that he could have been hiding already and where his room was Caelan didn't know. He also seemed to have had a rough start with Caelans friends and he wanted to correct that fact as well as maybe asking him again about the tournament, after the doubt was sown by his very friends. Ronan said people think of him as weak but he wasn't, so which was the truth?

      Caelan didn't spot Ronan for half the day, but maybe that was because they stayed outside somewhere, talking, laughing and telling Caelan what happened, while he was imprisoned in his own country by nothin more than the weather. He had fun, as usual, was taking his mind off of things but noticing, that he wasn't able to be as honest as he was with his new friend Ronan and that probably was because Ronan was so very much honest himself. He also had talked about how he hated to talk and hated those event, so why not help him have a little fun? While Caelans friends were already making plans for the evening and occupying a neat little spot in the garden, with some benches and an area with a lot of pillows to sit on, Ronan crossed his mind again and just in that moment, he spotted his slender figure talk in front of the entrance of the big mansion, which was like twice the size of the Fhaergus estate. Caelan took Orlandos glass out of his hands before he could take a sip, stood up and made his way past a number of guest, standing next to Ronan eventually and using his ellbow to get his attention. "Good evening mylady.", he smiled to the older woman Ronan was occupied talking with, before turning to Ronan and prresenting him with the glass of wine he brought for him. "I didn't want to interrupt, please keep going." Another charming smile and yes Caelan of Fhaergus was able to be polite, very much at that and not at all like the day before when he didn't mind if his accent got the better of him.
    • It was an understatement to assume his father and his somewhat grouchy mood would make him less popular than his own son perceived him as. Ronan felt like he was working off a list, packed with fixed dialogue and nothing more than a few things that Darragh wanted off the table, but every single time he approached someone, he had to introduce himself, had to listen to their banter about how it was nice to get to know him and ask him about his health, if he was doing well, if those pesky rumors were true and if he was waiting for his parents - he hated all of them, every single little bit, but as a former count, his father seemed to have more than just a handful of friends. Whenever someone asked him whether or not he'd participate in the tournament - and immediately answered their own question by pitying him - he felt sick, down to his stomach. What was this? A discussion about politics and proposals and him agreeing or disagreeing, or the older nobles pitying a seemingly not sick, not fragile young man that was trying his best to stay polite and not tell them to piss off immediately? Ronan wanted all of this to be over and yet, this was how he spent most of the day - engaged in conversations he actually understood and yet disliked, simply for the fact that there was way too much pretentious smalltalk mixed in. How far would his feet carry him if he tried to run away now? Probably no further than beyond the countries borders, eventually giving out beneath his weight and telling him that he was crazy for managing such a feat. Ronan of Alster was, by far, probably the only person that didn't enjoy being here and every longing glance for an unattended bench, or a nice spot in the grass, hidden behind some trees, was met with confusion or the question if he was looking for someone - though, not even the crown prince could be spotted among the crowds that passed by and eventually, the young noble gave up and concluded that his only friend, once again, had not made it here.

      While most of the business talk had occupied his mind, Caelan had crept up in his head as well - seemingly omnipresent and unwilling to let him slip out of his grasp, he was also searching for him - sometimes - but couldn't find him either. Ronan would be a fool to admit it, but for some reason, he hoped that the ball of sunshine would come to his rescue and simply pull him away - yet, it didn't happen, until now. The sudden touch almost freaked him out and the voice he heard only made it so much better, that he could relax for about a second. Caelan was here - and brought wine, of all things. Yikes. "I ... right", Ronan cleared his throat and passed on the last envelope he had. "As we've discussed, most of the details are enclosed within the envelope. The duke would be happy to hear back from you." "Of course, thank you for delivering the letter personally!", the old woman chimed, taking the envelope from Ronan. "That about concludes what I sought you out for, thank you for your time, L-", and before he could muster another word, he got interrupted. "It's quite alright, please - I've known you and your father for years, no need to exchange all these pleasantries", she said, focused on Ronan rather then Caelan. "If you insist. I wish you a nice evening", god, why was this so hard? "Thank you, I'll respond to your father once I've arrived at home!" And with that, she disappeared back into the crowd and left him behind with Caelan. "Why did you bring my wine?"
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.
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