bloodbound. (earinor & akira)

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    • All of that was his fault - he'd never been able to protect anyone, much less had he made any efforts to do so. All the while he spent time with Rain, he was just waiting to drag disaster after disaster with him, but strangely enough, nothing had transpired as long as Rain was around - the moment he died, it all went to shit and Nayantai didn't want to live like this. He wasn't a good father, not even an useful one, and he did nothing but wrong Richard time and time again. Crying didn't help, getting angry didn't help and all of his efforts to put a dent into anything that connected his cell to something else and trapped him in here, were thwarted, not by himself, but by the fact that he was lacking in his own ways - this shouldn't be, then, and he was merely fighting an invisible enemy he had no power over. "I ... failed you.", he accepted, and that he had done, multiple times. Whatever hollow words his own son threw at him didn't help either - Richard wasn't meant to be the one that was whipped, it was Nayantai, and he didn't want to listen to all of the pain that was dished out on someone else, just to drive him, specifically, insane. He hated it, it reeked of all that Aramis had ever accomplish and would ever do.

      As it came to a halt, at least for a moment, he didn't want to look at the blood that most certainly was dropping off of Richards back by now, and he didn't want to know what it looked like, either, and yet, he forced himself to watch - it was the least he could do, even if there was no way out. "Don't.", he softly asked of his own son, who wasn't his flesh and blood, but might was well something akin to that - Nayantai never viewed him as anything else, anything grotesque or not his son; Richard was all that he had, but even before that, he was still his child. Wasn't he pathetic? He could do nothing but watch, rattle on bars like an enraged animal and beg and plead with those in charge, as if they'd have mercy on him for being their captive - Nayantai should have been above that, but he wasn't haughty. Their offer, however, was nothing more than a farce to him - it only followed that they wanted something unimaginable from a father like him, from someone that already was sinking deeper down an unimaginably low well, but it hardly did anything for him, or Richard. "And ... if I don't?", he asked the guards, the dogs without a master. "Ten more from us.", they elaborated, but Nayantai winced, only hearing Richards plea and shaking his head. "Richard ... I ... I'm sorry ...", he mumbled. "Forsaking your own son? What a bold decision.", one of them commented, but it just went on, and on, and on - it was the same questions over and over again, until Richard didn't move an inch. One of the guards laughed, but after that, they only freed him from his shackles and trailed off with him. Nayantai was, if anything, a horrible excuse for a father - hell, he shouldn't even be one; Richard deserved better.
      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 didn't...", Richard plead, his father did nothing wrong. None of this was his fault, Richard clung to that. He was fine, he could take this, Nayantai didn't need to be sorry. Once the guards asked Nayantai to take the whip and explained that it only grew worse if he didn't, Richard was glad that he refused. It would have destroyed him, Nayantai was already on the verge of breaking into fine dust, but that would have been the worst for him. Richard received ten more hits and he was barely able to kneel anymore. He forced his head up when they asked Nayantai the same question again anyway. "Don't...", he panted looking at him and Nayantai would comply and not take over the whip. There were another ten strikes, the same question and Richard who shook his head at his father as good as he could, then another ten. Whereas there was just some droplets of blood before, by now Richard didn't even feel anything but burns on his back. The strikes grew unbearable and he barely held onto his consciousness. He long was only held up by the chains around his wrists that dug into his skin and made the broken arm hurt additionally. Whereas he braced his back and tightened his muscles before, there was no such thing anymore and eventually Richard was blessed by his mind escaping him.

      When he came to he found himself in another room, not the cell he were in with Nayantai and not the one he had been in alone. This room was fairly well lit even though there was no window in sight. Richard lay on his stomach, his body felt heavy and the slightest move made his whole body writhe under the pain coursing though. "Don't move.", a distant voice advised and once Richard saw some red hair, h knew who it belonged to. "Fuck... off...", Richard grumbled, trying to bring his body to sit up, but to no avail, instead he suddenly felt something cool on his back. At first it hurt, but in the end it felt fairly nice and soothing. Richard slowly came to realize that someone was tending to his wounds, under Aramis supervision. "Let's give him something for the pain.", Aramis ordered, his voice unusually gentle and someone Richard couldn't see reached over his body to hand the duke a tiny cup. "No! Don't t-" Aramis put the cup to Richards lips, forcing whatever this was into his body. Then he stood up and the work on Richards back continued. At the same time he grew numb and tired and eventually drifted off again.

      The next time Richard woke up he was n his own secluded cell again, but there was a torch lluminating the room. Aramis brought him food and water again, some pulp this time. Again he demonstrated that it wasn't poisonous and once more Richard drank and ate from it once the man left. Once more he was taken again eventually and brought into the room with Nayantais cell, once more he was tortured, only that this time his head was forced into a bucket of water over and over again, making it hard for him to talk to Nayantai, but he still didn't want him to hurt his son. Again he was brought out when he reached his limit. He was brought back into his cell, got food and water and was brought back to Nayantai. He wasn't sure if it was minutes, hours or days in between those situation, but he grew increasingly anxious when they brought him to his father, struggling to break free, to run from his cell and whenever he ended up with wounds of any sort he found himself in that other room, with Aramis watching over him - helping him. Richard knew that he was to blame but he grew accustomed to his face, he looked forward to some rest whenever he saw him.

      At this point Richard lost track about what had been done to him. They whipped him, almost drowned him, beat him up, broken his bones, hung him until his shoulders jumped out of the joints, burned him,... Now he was in this dreadful place again, the cell with his father in it, the last place on earth he wanted to be in. As the hot iron touched his skin he screamed, wondering why his body was still able to feel pain at all. Again the guards asked the same dreaded question, but this time Richard didn't stay quiet as the times before, nor did he tell his father not to comply. No, instead he lifted up his head to look at him, his eyes full of tears. He was done, he couldn't go on anymore, he didn't want to. This could be over so much quicker, before he passed out from the strain and pain. He had done this for Nayantai, he didn't want him to cross a line that would break him, but he couldn't fight for him anymore. "P-Please... dad...", he pleaded, "... do as they say, please..." His voice was crooked, his throat dry and as he heard the guard pull the iron out of the fire he panicked, tearing on his restraints that never budged. "I'm begging you! Please make it stop! Please help me...!"

    • Sitting around in this cell, all on his own, didn't have any merrits - he'd lost track of time, wondered time and time again what would happen if this went on, if he kept sitting there, unable to do anything, unable to swallow all the things that he didn't have to endure himself, and to finally force himself to make a decision. Richard could have had it easier, if only he'd taken matters into his own hands, but no, he was too much of a coward, unable to do anything but watch, but try to keep himself calm, but spout nonsense and let them hurt his son over and over again - if anything, he deserved death, nothing else, but even then, he'd not rest, and even then, he'd not be deserving of something as grant as that either. There they were again, bringing new things with them, alongside Richard, whom he'd failed to protect too many times, who's father he couldn't be from here on out - there was no way he could ever justify all of this, he could ever ascertain why he'd do something to him, but it should come natural. He'd already tried to kill him once, but now, none of this worked, and just because Aramis wanted to draw all of that out of him again, he was forcing himself to endure while others suffered, while the very last person that he even gave a damn about was kneeling before him, enduring everything over and over again.

      He felt sick to his stomach, not because of the display he saw, but rather because he was fairly aware how dispicable he was - Richard had begged him before to not do anything, to not let anything get to him, and yet, Nayantai was only complying because he didn't know how to make any damn decision himself. All that he did was wrong, he only clung to the dead who's whispers grew louder and louder, who reminded him that no matter what he did, in the end, they would haunt him regardless, would tell him that something was up and that something would be happening, but none of those forceful whispers had gotten under his skin, until now, when he couldn't do much else but hear pleading that went into an entirely different direction, that wasn' asking him to not do something, but rather begging him to do something, to stop watching, to hurt him for once - and Nayantai wasn't sure if he should, if this wasn't a trick his eyes were playing like they did when he woke up from one of his endless dreams in here, but no, it was too real for that, and Richard seemed to be at his wits end, too. Whatever would he do? Make the wrong decision on his own or the wrong one by being told to do what he was supposed to? Nayantai was stressed, wanted nothing more than for this to have never happened, but ... it would have to suffice, then. Richard asked, therefore he wanted it ... somehow. "Stop already ...", he pleaded, but the guard that was about to use the hot iron only stopped for a second. "Changed your mind already?", he suddenly asked, and Nayantai didn't want to believe himself. "I did.", he suddenly answered, getting up from where he was - there was only snickering and sneering as one of the guards came closer to the cell and unlocked it, finally allowing Nayantai to come out and presenting him with what he was supposed to do. "Five times and we'll let him off.", one of them spoke, and the old wolf swallowed. "I ... I'm sorry.", he spoke aloud, doing as instructed, wincing every single time he heard the painful noises Richard could no longer surpress. This ... wasn't fine, none of this was fine, this ... he was ... he ... he ... This wasn't the right thing.
      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.

    • Richard couldn't think straight anymore. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to think when Nayantai complied and was let out of his cell. There was no fight left in either of them and Richard wasn't even sure how long they've been here. If he was still himself he would hate himself for being so damn weak, Nayantai had lived in this hell for four years straight and Richard already cried after a few... whatever it was. But he wasn't himself, he didn't hate himself, instead he looked at his father with tears in his eyes. He watched him com closer and he was... scared. Whenever he saw him something bad happened to Richard and he wasn't feeling thankful when he felt the hot iron on his skin. He just wanted the pain to stop, but instead his father was his torturer now. Richard screamed and cried. His voice was hoarse and he panted heavily. He had to endure it five times and he looked at his fathers face during it. His muscles tensed up, he struggled, teared on his chains and once the pain finally stopped his head sunk to his chest while his feet gave way.

      Nayantai was escorted back into his cell and for Richard it was the first time this torture stopped without him losing consciousness. He tried to lift his head to see where that one guard left to next, but at least they kept their promise. Still he wasn't let down yet. He couldn't hold himself up and his weight teared on his own arms and shoulders. The door opened once more and someone besides the guards entered the room. It was Aramis and he let the guards lower Richard to the ground before sending them out. Afterwards he kneeled down before Richard and loosened the shackles around his wrists himself, taking the praise for liberating him, even though it had been Nayantai that made them stop. Richard didn't know what to think, he barely was able to stay awake and he practically fell into Aramis arms once he was free. It wasn't hard for him to hold him, there practically wasn't anything left on Richard. He barely ate and what he ate hardly was enough to heal his own body. "You've done it...", Aramis smiled at him, whisking some blonde strands out of Richards sweaty face. "Now do you want to stay here with your father, or do you want to go with me?", he asked. Richard didn't want to stay here, he wanted out, towards that other room he usually found himself in, where there was someone caring for him, giving him something for the pain and food. The blonde couldn't form any words however, instead his trembling hand gripped Aramis clothing as if he hugged him. He couldn't see Aramis smile. The young prince that was only a shadow of his former self was lifted up by the duke and led to the door, but he stopped as another set of footsteps was coming down. Aramis let Richard sit down next to the doorway to see what was going on, his guards should have waited right outside.

      "Lucien?", Aramis asked, his voice surprised but soon enough it turned somewhat angry. "What are you doing here?" "Me? I'm the one who should be asking that. Isn't that the kings brother over there?", the other person asked, he sported the same red hair as his father, yet he was so much smaller and feeble compared to Ares, this persons brother as it seemed. "I'll ask you later how you found this place, now go.", Aramis demanded, but Lucien didn't budge. "No." "Are you disobeying me?" Lucien made a step back, Richard barely noticed what was going on, but if he would have he would have seen the fear in Luciens eyes. His heart was racing and his body frozen stiff as his father practically stared him to the ground. "Thought so. Now leave as long as you can." "No." "No?" Aramis grumbled, but he stopped as he saw the knife pointed at his stomach, the one his own son had slipped out of his sleeve. "You can't kill me.", Aramis voiced, calm for someone that was threatened and his son hesitated for a second, then suddenly looked up at him. "I can't?", he asked and in the next moment he rammed the knife into his fathers stomach. Aramis was confused and shocked as he went down on his knees. Lucien wasn't done, he grabbed him by his red hair and looked at his fathers scared face for the very first time, then he ran his knife through Aramis throat. The duke of Olette couldn't even scream, it was just a gargling noise that left his throat and while he fell to the floor, Lucien was stepping over him to face Richard. "Lil' Bro, I came to save you!", he chuckled as if he hadn't just killed his own father, than he kneeled down and gave Richard a hug. "I'm getting you out of here, don't worry. Your brother is here too!" "Bro...ther...?" Richard was confused, he didn't know what just happened and he also didn't know how he ended up with the knife in his hands. There were footsteps once more, heavy ones this time and they rushed down the stairs. How many red haired people would fit in this goddamn room? "Lucien? What did you do?!", Ares asked as he looked at the situation at hand, his voice growling, it reminded Richard of a lion. Lucien raised his hands as if he was innocent. "Me?", he asked surprised, after all he wasn't the one holding a knife and Ares gaze shifted towards the blonde.

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

    • There was nothing left of what he once could've called pride, but it didn't matter - he was a dead man walking, had failed not only himself but many others at this point and if he had to die with the guilt of doing things the way he thought they were right, he would have to; it didn't matter, and the only thing that actually shattered his spirits more was the fact that Richard, deservedly probably, chose Aramis over a reeking cell that only eminated pain, that reminded him of the fact that thankfully, he wasn't a monsters son by blood, but rather by choice, and Nayantai had only himself to blame for it. He gave up - he didn't need anything anymore, and the next time Aramis would come down here, he'd just surrender, give in to whatever he wanted him to do; there was nothing more for him to hold onto, and if all of this went on, he'd rather die here and now or become a mindless mess than to ever think for himself again. All he did, all he tried, none of it worked - he'd given up before even doing that, he knew what, and yet, all he could do was go back to his corner, shaking and wondering if the ghastly hands that touched his own, and the voices that condemned and praised him for his actions alike, were real or if they were just trying to mock him for being alive? He didn't fucking know.

      However, there wouldn't be a next time - Aramis apparently didn't even get the chance to leave, though, he was stopped by another voice that Nayantai didn't recognize and all of it felt like his fucking imagination was getting the better of him already. There was no knowing, but there was an odd noise, followed by what seemed to be a rather short talk - and a thud, as if a body had fallen to the floor before long, but even then, Nayantai could neither see nor did he want to hear what was going on, not with the whispers growing louder and more demanding - Richard wouldn't forgive him, didn't need to, and he'd not beg for forgiveness - even asking for it would be out of line. But there was something else, something he didn't pick up on as he shut out the world. Another pair of footsteps wandered after Ares, who apparently shouted about something, and before any of that could even take coherent form, there was an exasperated sight, as Ares was probably close to losing his pretend cool at Richard. Before he could do anything, however, someone already bashed the hilt of his sword against the head of the redhead and then, graciously, kicked him down the few stairs he landed on, not sparing him a second glance. "I didn't think you'd actually stab your dad to death, but oh well, that is deserving of praise!" One dead redhead and an unconcious one. "Lucien, did you have to give him the knife?", the voice grumbled, maybe a bit exasperated, as he leaned down and grabbed it from Richards hands before placing it back in those of the redhead himself.

      "Do we leave that thing here, or do you want it back?", he questioned, before looking at Richard again. He looked ... way worse than anticipated, and he had to swallow whatever was clogging his throat right now, but he didn't have time to despair about it either. "Also, do we still need your brother?", the familiar voice inquired, before leaning down to where Richard sat, crouching in front of him - still the same old, beneath all that pain and apparent tiredness. "Missed me?", Dayan simply questioned, mustering a soft smile. "Everything is going to be fine, alright? That's what big brothers are for, sorry I'm late. But ... we're going home.", he simply made clear, though, he didn't pick up Richard just yet. Dayan walked over to the cell, one he now had the keys for, and unlocked it. There was no sympathy for his old man whom he stared at, at his shaking, miserable form, and who's wide-eyed expression had suddenly taken note of the fact that he was either going insane, or truly daydreaming. "Get up.", he simply ordered. "We are leaving, and I'd feel horrid for leaving you here.", he ordered, but there was no answer, and no way that his father would actually make a move. "It's the least you can do, get out. Go home." And suddenly, his old man moved, though, begrudgingly as it seemed. Dayan, on the other hand, gave Ares a good kick as he went back over to Lucien and Richard, the latter of which he carefully picked up. "We should leave, before your brother wakes up. Do we need anything? We have them and their stuff." They should be good to go, but with Lucien around, Dayan prefered to question everything time and time again, as if his judgement overruled everything anyway.
      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.

    • Richard flinched as Ares gaze fell upon the knife in his hands, the knife he didn't even know how he got it, but before he could do another step towards him, there was a thumping noise. Shortly after the red haired man rolled down the stairs and another took his place, a familiar face that... no. Richard was questioning his sanity, was he dead? Was this how it was to die? Maybe he was hallucinating? "I didn't stab him, I slit his throat.", Lucien corrected the last person that entered the room. He said it emotionless as if he didn't care about what he just did and he started to wipe off his bloody hands on a cloth he took from his brothers unconscious body. "But I did it for you - for us!" What was going on between those too? Richard could barely follow, he barly could stay awake too and maybe he was already dreaming anyway. "Did I?", Lucien innocently asked as the new familiar voice asked him about the knife that Richard still held in his weak hands. It got taken away from him though and given back to the redhead, who looked at it somewhat begrudgingly and then just thre it to the floor as if he was done playing with it. Instead he was fixing... his clothing?

      "Well if not for him I have to sit on Olettes throne and I rather sit on your lap, hun.", the unfamiliar voice said but Richard barely noticed it, instead he stared at the face that now came closer to his own. It was unmistakably his brother. What if all of this was just a trial, some place in heaven or hell that only now granted access to the promised land, but actually Richard never believed in anything like that. Richard raised his shaking hand, but before he could grasp anything of his brother, he just faded away like a ghost. Of course he missed him, but... what was going on here? Richard could only watch as he walked towards Nayantais cell, a place Richard didn't want to look at at all. For a moment he was scared for his brother, as if Nayantai could lash forward and kill him again. Dayan ordered his father to get a move on in a tone Richard never heard from him before, all kingly and demanding. Then Dayan came back and Richard actually felt his embrace. His body was warm not like that of a corpse and Richard suddenly found enough strength to cling to him. "Is it... really you...?", he asked, tears were forming at the corner of his eyes and he didn't even care that he probably bloodied Dayans clothing. For now he didn't even care what that red headed devil was doing with him, he just wanted to make sure this was real. "All good!", Lucien chuckled overly excited and was the first one to climb the stairs. "I'll deal with Ares later."

    • Dayan had come here to retrieve what he'd lost a bit too long ago and couldn't find for the life of him, but what he found - only thanks to Luciens help - wasn't exactly the condition he'd anticipated either of them in. They could leave now, yes, there was no one keeping them in place and good old Aramis was finally sleeping with the fishes, but that meant that, if Ares woke up and misinterpreted all of this, they'd have another problem. "You stabbed him before that, peaches.", he sighed, but it hardly mattered. "He's dead, and dead is dead - and yes, you did do it for us. I'm proud of you." And if Lucien had been unable to, he'd just have done it himself, if he'd managed to get past Ares, that was, but at least he was sneaky enough to keep his cover up for a while, to then spring a surprise hit on him. That didn't change the fact that it was disgusting, dark and damp down here and Dayan didn't appreciate the scenery, either. Then, the knife was flung into darkness itself, gone before anyone knew it, and there was a zombie trailing after the king himself, his own death sentence following him close by, while he pressed his own brother to his body, as if the remaining warmth would heal him. "No idea, what knife anyway?", he answered Lucien, making a motion as if he were to zip his lips shut.

      This went one of two ways, but they hadn't done this before - and it would be the last time he'd spring into action himself, at least he very much hoped so. Abandoning the throne for a few days to toil through Olette was no small feat, especially not when everyone should be unaware he was gone in the first place. "Alright, fair. I do like that, you got me there. Wouldn't want it any other way, peaches." It probably was abundantly clear to just about anyone what kind of relationship Olette's second-youngest and the current king shared, but it wasn't like he wanted to bother the lost souls that he was dragging out of here. Dayan was glad to have them back, one more than the other. Richard was save now, and while he knew that that only was a temporary circumstance, it very much meant that they could at least catch up together - and fix that sullen, confused expression on an almost unfamiliar looking face. Both, actually. "I'm real, yes ... hey, don't cry.", Dayan chuckled, but he wasn't the slightest bit amused, just looking out for his brother instead - he didn't have a free hand to wipe away his tears this time, though. Lucien just reassured him what he should have known on his own, and the three of them trailed after him - this wasn't exactly his home turf either, but they had used their good luck up by now. "We can always ... promote ... him, I guess - maybe that'll get rid of him temporarily. But that's something we should discuss at home." A lavish castle, that was, but nobody here needed to figure anything out just yet. "And you, just rest - you're save now, and when you wake up, I'm still here, alright?"
      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.

    • "But I didn't stab him to death... I stabbed him and then I slit his throat which caused his death.", Lucien mused, but it hardly mattered, he much rather snuck a little touch of Dayan butt in when he passed him, not that Richard could see that. What was going on between the two men was hardly of Richards concern right now, not when he had to fight to stay awake in the first place. His body looked probably more like Nayantais soon, with all the scars he'd been given in this dungeon. Most of those were no scars yet though and everything hurt. He just wanted to finally get out of this place, he wanted to feel the sun on his skin and see the stars. He had enough of darkness which maybe was the reason he didn't want to close his eyes just yet. Instead he grabbed onto his brother harder, counting on him to save him, as if they didn't need to get out of here first. Where would they even go? Home? Richard couldn't yet comprehend what that meant.

      Richard felt like a child again. How often did Dayan carry him home because he hurt himself? How often did Richard cry, not because something caused him pain, but because he didn't want his parents to find out, or sometimes even because he was frustrated that he hurt himself in the first place. Right now h was just happy to have Dayan back, regrets would come later. If he had known he was alive maybe he would have searched for him instead of killing all those people who, in hindsight, died for absolutely nothing. Dayans voice alone calmed Richard down and he didn't even care if he talked to him or Lucien. He believed him when he told Richard he was save now and he leaned his head against him. His body that had been filled with adrenaline finally calmed down and he actually closed his eyes. Maybe when he awoke he was in a comfortable bed in a room with an actual window.

    • "Details. You did great regardless.", he assured Lucien. It was only fair for him to sneak a touch out of his beloved, but Dayan flinched for a second, not to shy away, but because if anything, Lucien lacked the understanding of human boundaries - his brother and his father were here, and one of them could see what he was doing, even if he was just trailing after them, dumbfounded and tired, seemingly scared out of his mind. Richard himself held on tighter, as if he were to fall, or Dayan were to fade out of existence once he let go, but none of this was happening and if anything, they all just wanted to go home, get a good wash after this ordeal and plenty of rest, and after that, they had to continue with unpleasant work that came with being king, though, Dayan banished it to the back of his mind. "We'll need a bunch of bandages and ointments when we get home, and probably a lot of painkillers.", he finally sighed, watching his brother drift off and seemingly getting some rest. This was a lot, and it also meant that his mind had to fix itself, too - Dayan didn't want to know what happened, but he could see, and he wasn't just glad that Aramis was dead because he could marry Lucien now, but also because Lucien wouldn't be doing things like that, and Ares was simply to stupid - and hopefully not back on his feet anytime soon.

      They had made their way home eventually, and as servants - some of them still recognizing the faces that Dayan dragged in - particularly swarmed them, he had gotten rid of all of them and just instructed whoever he saw fit to do what needed to be done. Both Richard and Nayantai were messes, in their own regard at least, but while he did only mean well by putting them both back in their old rooms that had hardly changed, his brother slept for what felt entirely too long for his big brother, who sometimes stole himself away to watch over him, only to leave when he urgently had to. His father was a whole different story - he was wide awake, at what seemed to be at all times, and at first, Dayan struggled to find him when he finally forced himself to go see him; he'd eventually found him in a corner, behind a curtain, hiding away and not getting out a word. He looked exhausted and spent, as if nightmares plagued him, and all that Dayan asked, as gentle or firm as his voice was, he'd never gotten any answers out of him, not when he tried to hand him food that his old man denied, and not when he tried to hand him water, or ask him about what had happened. Sometimes, whenever he couldn't sleep himself or was up late, he could hear him cry, but not lament anything, just muffled crying, but he never once seemed to even touch the bed. Dayan wanted to say he didn't care, but it got to him and Lucien was fairly aware, though, he told him to shut up and not mention it to anyone, especially not Richard, who eventually found his way back into the waking world. They now sat there, and as he viewed it as his duty, Dayan had explained what exactly had transpired, but didn't show Richard any of his scars just yet. "... anyways, that's why I'm king, sort of? Also, you don't have to glare at him like that, peaches is harmless. Right?"
      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.

    • Richard - again - didn't notice how long he was out cold, but when he finally opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was blinding light that came from practically anywhere. It was as if he never had seen the sun before and he needed to blink quite some time to be able to see the outlines of the room he was in and of the things in it. It took quite some while until he noticed that it was his own. Not that it belonged to him now, that he exchanged a room for a cell, no, it was his old room in the castle in Myriad. A maid Richard barely recognized noticed that he was awake and rushed out immediately, he didn't know where to. He grunted as he tried to move his body, everything still hurt and it seemed like he had bandages everywhere. He could see his arm wrapped in white fabric as he raised it before his eyes and it looked thinner than he remembered it. Finally he turned his head and touched the soft mattress he lay on. This was his bed and not some disgusting cell, he couldn't believe it.

      When the door opened again Dayan rushed in and immediately jumped onto the bed to set by his brother. Richard grunted again, he didn't change, but that was good. Richard told him that he was feeling well, that was a lie, but he felt good enough for now. After he helped him to sit up a little Richard asked about what happened and Dayan told him everything, from awaking alone with Richard and Nayantai gone, to meeting Lucien - who seemingly entered the room at the perfect time - and being crowned king of Adrestia. Then he told him about Lucien coming clean about his mission, about the fact that they both fell in love and that that was the reason he kind of - Dayan phrased it that way - helped to free Richard and Nayantai. Richard didn't really understand his and his brothers relationship and the red hair freaked him the fuck out, which was why he watched Luciens every move. "Right!", peaches answered wrapping his arms around the new king and offering Richard a plate of strawberries in one swift motion. "I... uh...", Richards voic sounded hoarse, he didn't speak for a while as it seemed and he also didn't know what to say right now. "What about...", Richard had to gulp down a chunk obstructing his neck as he thought about the one man he grew to fear down there - and it was the wrong one. "... Nayantai?", he ended his question looking at Dayan. He didn't take any of the strawberries, just shot Lucien a suspicious glance. "Do you... mind if we'd spoke alone...?" Seeing the red head sitting behind Dayan, his arms wrapped around him and his head on his shoulder disturbed Richard somehow. Luciens gaze looked a little bit disgruntled but he let go of Dayan, not before giving him a kiss on his cheek however. "Don't forget to tell him about Ares and the nobles that want the shadows head.", Lucien spoke and Richard got the feeling he enjoyed whatever he spouted there just a little bit too much. He left however and Richard waited for him to close the door. "What about Ares?"

    • Seeing Richard awake, already talking and very much alive was a relief to Dayan, but it also meant that they had to proceed with all of this at some point and that he'd have to shut up a little while longer. As long as olettian nobility wasn't on his ass, Ares being the worst of the bunch, all was fine and they could proceed as they wished, but it still meant that this was meant to be a forever - it didn't matter, though. What mattered, in the very end, was that his little brother was fine and that he wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon, at least for now. "You'll warm up to him, no worries. I tried to outsmart him at first, but oh well, though luck.", he admitted and that he did. Keeping his wits to himself, Lucien hadn't been able to figure him out at first, but he'd gotten through to him anyway, embarrassingly quick at that. Nothing got past him, but to Dayan, that wasn't anything to be concered about anymore - Lucien would figure it out for him, and if he didn't, they both had every right to die for being idiots and just hoping for the best, instead of actually doing their best. "And he's incredibly smart, too.", he reassured Richard, as if that was one of Luciens redeeming qualities, whom he now gave pats to. There was a plate of strawberries, one that Lucien had dragged with him because he'd eaten them earlier anyway, and now that they sat on Richards bed - Lucien or not - Dayan couldn't help but snicker a little bit.

      "Kind of reminds me of us building a pillowfort in here, but that's been a while." And all those jokes aside, he wanted nothing more than to question himself and if he had any kind of repercussions about not changing anything - Dayan buried Flora and Atwick long ago, but he never got to bury Richard or their dad, which meant they had to be out there, and he was right. Instead of Richard, Dayan took one of those strawberries, however, and offered it to Lucien, not even considering to eat it himself - he wasn't in the mood, but he was allowed to indulge his fianceé, now that they could marry without having to worry about anyone. "I don’t mind, no.", Dayan elaborated, sighing as Lucien inched away and gave him a kiss, which beckoned the young king to trail after him and steal one for himself, from his lips this time around - was it really so bizzare to love someone? Well, it was nice to watch him leave, yet, he hated to see him go. "Ah, right. Thanks to Luciens little ... diversion, Ares now wants your head. And a lot of olettian nobles, too. He doesn't remember that we were there, apparently, and thinks that you and Nayantai just fled the scene, but it's best to lay low. We told the servants to keep their wits about it, any I pray-tell none of them run their mouth.", he sighed, then grabbed another strawberry that he offered Richard. "Eat some. Though, if you'd prefer something else, let me know, I'll go tell a maid." Then, Dayan reached out towards his little brother, before remembering something incredibly stupid. "Oh, right. I don't know if you remember, but we got your stuff before we left. I'm not sure if it's everything, but I left it at your desk. ... Uh, I do have a question though. Did you, uhm, like ...?", he asked, motioning at the ring that sat on his own finger, then pointing at the thing that dangled from the sheath of Richards sword - he wasn't an idiot, he knew what that was. Then, as Lucien had left, he shook his head. “Nayantai is mostly fine, physically speaking. He had some bruises and cuts that had to be treated, but he didn’t complain about them at all. I don’t know what they are from, but they looked sort of nasty - same with your back, that was the worst I’ve ever seen. Either way, he’s … doing sort of fine, can’t say if he’s in pain or not, but mentally, he’s pretty much … well … he doesn’t answer to anything, hardly eats or drinks and the only noise I hear him make is crying in the dead of the night. He won’t tell me what is wrong, and the one time I heard him say something he was sounding like a broken record, profusely apologizing to thin air. It took a bit of mental labor to get over myself and go in there, but … I don’t know at this point.”, Dayan admitted, his lips forming a thin line, casting his gaze aside. There was no pressure to do anything. “I thought about showing him fathers grave, but I feel like that wouldn’t help him one bit.”
      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.

    • Seeing Dayan together with Lucien like that, totally head over heels, was kind of scary. It didn't feel natural to him, he never saw his brother like that, not with any flings he brought home. This was very much Dayan, he looked the part, his voice was the same and his smile too, albeit being a little softer right now, but maybe because his brother just woken up from a myriad of wounds and bruises on his body. The lovey dovey gazes, the kisses and pats however were weird and Richard wanted nothing more to have his brother back and that for his own. Maybe he was just jealous, but the man his brother fell in love with was the son of their worst enemy that was sent here to claw his way into Dayans heart so he'd be the one in control. He succeeded in his mission, they all knew that, but Dayan didn't seem to care? Instead he praised Lucien for his smartness and fed him with one of the strawberries he brought to Richards room. He even kissed him and Richard averted his gaze. He was glad once Lucien was finally gone.

      "So your boyfriend framed me.", Richard simply answered. Sure the nobles were his fault, but not Aramis. Richard furrowed his brows, he knew the bad feeling he had about Lucien was right. "And now? Are we supposed to hide in the castle forever?" Richard wasn't even sure if he minded that, at least he got his brother back and Nayantai he supposed, though he wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to feel about him. Suddenly Richard found himself presented with a strawberry right in front of his face and he shook his head. "I'm not hungry..." He should be, that he knew himself, but he didn't feel like eating at all. Richard instead turned his head towards his things, searching for something specific. "I had... Nayantais engagement necklace... the one he got from dad? I must have lost it at some point, do you have it?", Richard asked, but Dayan seemed to be more focused on another necklace he saw and Richards face grew a bit red, but most of all sad. "Hell no! It... was more of a parting gift..." He had thought about Yujin a lot, he had been the only and last person to give him comfort down there, but none of that mattered anyway. "I suppose I should maybe tell you what we've been up to..." About Silesse, maybe a little about Yujin, about their journey back and the people they killed, though Richard didn't want to think about Nayantai at all. Maybe Dayan would ask about some older scars too, the one on his neck and the one on his arm, if it was even visible under any knew wounds. Then Richard wondered if Dayan even remembered what happened on the day they got attacked, since he himself and Nayantai did a pretty good job simply forgetting it. When Dayan started talking about Nayantai and Richards own injuries the blonde averted his gaze and his stomach started turning. It had been bearable at the start, but at the end...? He remembered when he clung to Aramis and he hated himself for his weakness once more. "If Atwicks and Floras graves are next to it... probably not...", Richard silently uttered. A big lump was forming in his throat when he imagined the state of Nayantai, yet he didn't want to get near him, not at all...

    • Something had happened and Dayan knew, he wasn’t stupid and even with Lucien out of the picture for now, he could think for himself - maybe even in a slightly more human way, especially around his brother that had no expectations of him and only needed a bit of patching up, some nurturing and all would be fine in due time - even if they couldn’t stay together forever, that was simply impossible. “Fianceé, but yes. That wasn’t part of the plan that he told me, though - maybe he had it in mind earlier and just didn’t spring it on me, or he … no, he probably had that in mind anyway.”, he admitted and sighed. If Dayan was just good at tactics, at making up plans, Lucien was a master - far out of his league and so much smarter, it hurt trying to keep up with him. “That’ll hardly work. You see, we have a slight problem now that you’re very much alive and Ares is after you - you exist, you’re alive, and I’m not the rightful king, never was, never will be. But … hiding you away here, as long as you don’t challenge my authority for the throne is the best I can do for now.”, he answered. Exiling them to Fhaergus might work, too, but he doubted that Lucien was interested in keeping the very threat to Dayans existence close. “I’m not planning on killing you anyhow, I’ll just have to think about what would be the right course of action.” Lucien could, too, but one thing that most of his plans lacked were the factor of human emotion; and in this case, anything that would hurt at least Richard, would also hurt his precious Dayan, probably. “Richard, even if you aren’t, open up - you have to eat something, if it’s just a tiny strawberry, that’s alright. But … I was the same. I spent weeks crying in my bed, in pain, but … I’m here now, I want to help, alright? Would you like something else?”, Dayan asked. Their trauma had all turned them into something much more abrasive and they all acted like they’d taken on one anothers personalities or something odd like that, though, Dayan was the one wearing gloves a good chunk of the time and the only people he felt fine touching - as well as the things they touched - were Lucien and Richard, for now.

      “Oh, you mean that old thing?”, he peered up after being asked about it, and took something that he’d kept on his person earlier, handing it to Richard and forcing the strawberry on him, too. “I took it because I wanted to give it to him, but when I showed him what I wanted him to have, he looked at me like he’d either seen a ghost or like I’d been covered in blood from head to toe. Needless to say, he didn’t take it.”, Dayan sighed and he knew that his little brother probably had that thing on him, considering Nayantai wasn’t going to let go of this thing ever - everything just turned to shit and now Dayan was wondering if he could have killed Aramis earlier to avoid that; even if it hadn’t been because he looked out for his idiot father and idiot little brother, but rather to further his own selfish gains of marriage. But that didn’t matter, he listened to Richards side of things instead and found himself wondering just how much he’d missed out on; why he was the one stuck here, not whisked away to a place his old man deemed save, but it hardly mattered now - it was good the way it was. “I mean, I … guess I could let him have the urn? The grave is empty anyway? But, no, that’s too much for now.”, he expressed and then sighed, before leaning forward. The scar on Richards neck was new to him, though, it looked older compared to the rest. “Either way, it doesn’t matter for now. Just … I have questions of my own, but, I don’t have to worry about that thrian lover of yours, do I?” Dayans look grew somewhat stern for a moment, then softening up, looking almost flustered. Something had happened between Richard and Nayantai, but he didn’t even want to ask - not now anyway. Instead, he leaned patted a Richards shoulder, softly - he didn’t want to hurt him. “Either way, you’re save now, and I won’t let anything happen to you again - I’m king after all, my word is absolute.”, he reassured Richard, before hugging him - it wasn’t a tight one, it never would be, but it was enough to get the message across. “I missed you, terribly.”
      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.

    • "And you just let him do something like that? Aren't you angry at him? You'll even marry him? Dayan I know I wasn't here but... he came here to whisper in your ear and that's exactly what he does now!" It was too soon to fight with Dayan. They just found each other yet his brother was as stupid and romantic as ever, thinking this devil liked him for some reason. Richard didn't want them to marry, not at all, especially not after practically being forced away as soon as he found his brother again. And Dayan didn't even care! "So what happens when you can't hide me anymore? I don't care about being king, I just... want to stay with my brother." Richard thought seeing Dayan again would solve all of his problems, but no that wasn't the case at all. The fact that he had to spell out he wouldn't execute Richard hit him, had that ever been an option for him? Richard looked at the strawberry still presented to him and shook his head. "No, I really don't want to..." Only now he realized that while he was out cold most of the time, Dayan had been here, all alone, without his dad to take care of him. Richard wanted to apologize for that, but he kept his mouth shut.

      Richard watched Dayan get something out of his clothing, the necklace Richard asked for and he took it as well as the strawberry that was just put into his hand. He quickly gulped it down without even chewing it much and for some reason it tasted absolutely disgusting to him - he that usually ate like a bear didn't want anything. His body also showed that he hadn't eaten much during the time he was a prisoner. Now he just looked at the necklace and figured maybe he should help Dayan understand Nayantai a bit more, even though he himself could only speculate. He let his fingers run over the wood sighing. "He... forgot what he did... Aramis made him... us remember...", he mumbled and while pictured were flooding his head he suddenly wasn't sure if he wanted to touch that thing anymore, that's why he let go and it fell down onto his lap instead. Telling Dayan about Silesse was much easier than think of the past few weeks. He left out the good time he actually had with his father once they were back in Adrestia and he didn't say anything about the dungeon they ended up with. When Dayan looked at the scar on his neck Richard averted his gaze once more. "When we were attacked... a sword slit my neck... He tried to fix it, sewed it, but it opened up, I can hardly remember though. He... well... burning it seemed like the only option...", Richard explained while he tried to forget the pain he felt back then that was so similar to what Nayantai did to him before Dayan finally saved him. "Yujin? N-no... that's over...", he mumbled, by now he probably forgot Richard anyway. The sudden touch almost freaked Richard out, but it was Dayan patting him and that was more than fine. He looked up at him again and hugged him back when he came closer. "I missed you too...", Richard answered almost crying by now.

    • “Richard, calm down.”, Dayan sighed after digesting all those words that his brother spouted at him. Clearly, he wasn’t a fan of Lucien, or of his heritage for that matter, but Dayan was the same and could only shake his head, hugging his little brother just a little bit tighter, nothing much, but even now that he could hold him close, he wasn’t sure if it was comforting to him - so much had happened and it all had been preventable, if Dayan didn’t take a hit and just fall over, unable to protect at least one of his siblings; but that was over now. “Look, Lucien had his own agenda, but he isn’t loyal to anyone but me - sure, I let him get to me at first, but, if he really listened to Aramis in any capacity, why would he help me find you, get you back and even kill him? Lucien doesn’t like getting his hands dirty.”, he mumbled, as if that served as an explanation for everything that was wrong with this situation, but Dayan knew that it hardly was - he wasn’t delusional, he was in love, and he’d long seen past the shortcomings that Lucien supposedly had had. “What happens? Ares will leave, I’ll give him a promotion or whatever and make him a general, eventually and I doubt that anyone else will be as persistent as him in the first place. We’ll figure something out, I’m sure. Don’t worry.”, he reassured Richard. Lucien and him wanted to expand towards the south either way; with Aramis dead, Olette and Lavern was particularly theirs anyway - and with that, their entrypoint.

      Despite his denial, Richard took both of the things he was handed, now that Dayan had let go of him again, and he ate the strawberry - but his face said it all anyway. Would anything be to his taste? Dayan didn’t know, but at least he knew how awful that feeling was of not liking anything and not wanting anything. “By making you, I’m guessing he pretty much kicked the foundation of an already crumbling building, right? Lucien kind of explained it to me, and I can’t wrap my head around it quite well, but, it sounds awful.” It also explained why Nayantai had done what he’d done - and yet, Dayan didn’t forgive him, despite not even knowing of his next transgression; he didn’t even want to know right about now, lest he’d storm out of here and demand his fathers head be severed from his body. “So he fixed you up? Hm, I woke up in my own bed and the first thing I did, after seeing a bunch of doctors and servants, was yell at them. I wasn’t exactly nice to them the past few months. As for me … well, I have two big gashes on me, and sitting up with them was awful.” And he hated crowds, touch as well, though Richard and Lucien were fine - remnants of his past and the only person alive that he felt like he could trust, up until now. “Over? Are you just too embarrassed to say yes?”, he joked instead, grinning at his brother like he knew what was up - he truly didn’t. There was a bit of silence, Dayan didn’t touch what Richard had dropped, didn’t even look at the necklace for that matter. “Hey, no need to c- … no, if you want to, you can let it all out. Just know that there’s someone here for you, alright?” He should get back to some sort if paperwork or whatever his diligent secretary kept track of, though, Dayan didn’t feel like it. Why would he? Richard was here, finally, and he spoke to him, for a change. He grabbed Richards hands, anything but hard, and leaned close, but nothing touched anything else. “I wouldn’t mind if everything went back to the way it was before, even if it’s hardly possible.”
      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 would he frame me for his murder then? It wouldn't surprise me if he sent Ares after me next...", Richard replied. He couldn't understand his brothers feelings. He couldn't understand how he was able to - very likely - sleep with their enemy, someone who clearly profited from their fathers and siblings death as well as Richards disappearance. He probably also benefited if Richard vanished again, wasn't Dayan telling him before he was a threat to his position? "So you think it'll all go away and I'll stay here for the rest of my life? What about the people we killed? I..." Richard didn't want to think about their lives and that they might have been innocent. There was no ploy, no one that opened some mercenaries the gates, Nayantai had already been with them, he just needed to attack. Richard felt stupid and played with. All he did he did for Dayan too and now he was just sitting here holding him. All of that was wrong and Richard wasn't ready to face that. He was almost disappointed when Dayan let go again, but he let him leave his embrace.

      "Dayan you... know exactly what happened that day, right...?", Richard suddenly asked. "I had nightmares every night and I saw this face, some stranger killing you and Flora and Atwick... I didn't... I'm not sure why or how I made that up... I went on killing all those people because of a memory that wasn't even real...", he admitted. He wished not only Dayan was alive but the twins too, why did all of that happen to them? "I was angry too... I didn't talk to Nayantai a lot and when I did I blamed him for everything, told him that he was old, scared and a coward. I even was angry at Rain...", he elaborated. "I'd get into fights all the time, I drank way too much..." Did he want to see Dayans scars? No probably not. Richard looked at his sword again and the necklace that dangled from it. "Yujin wouldn't marry me now...", Richard sighed. "Besides, I barely know him, it was only a few months I spent in Silesse..." There where too many things he regretted. Every choice he made seemed wrong, not only that it had catastrophic consequences. He looked at his hands when Dayan grabbed them, he noticed how thin his own fingers were compared to his and how he was trembling even now. "You're the one with the paperwork now...", Richard pointed out, trying to make a joke, but he didn't smile, he just squeezed Dayans hands recognizing that he was the only person he had left. "Will you stay here...? You always were when I was sick..."

    • “Richard, Lucien doesn’t even like Ares - and Ares doesn’t adhere to Lucien. He listens to me, and I say he’s going to the south for us and he’ll die there.”, he spoke, matter-of-factly, his voice sounding persistent, with a cool tinge to it, as if Ares could go and die now for all that the king cared. They needed him, however, and Lucien was right about that - work first, dying second, it never had been any different for all of Olette and who was he if he didn’t honor that tradition. “It happened, neither of you knew better, and I’m sure you just wanted to do the right thing? Who cares if you killed a few people? I’m not better.” Dayan himself had only given orders, sometimes out of his own volition, sometimes because of Luciens suggestions, but it hardly mattered - blood was dripping from their hands, no matter who it was, the entire royal family seemed to be embroiled into age-old conflict anyway, and if there wasn’t any, they were painfully obvious in creating it. “It’s not going to go away, but we can mend our wounds, somehow - it takes time, lots of it, but I’m here and I’m fine now.” They both claimed to be fine and they both weren’t, but it was what it was - and Dayan couldn’t change that anyway.

      “I knew from the moment I woke up, I didn’t have the bliss of forgetting - I just denied myself the truth for the longest time.” Until Lucien made it clear that he could no longer run, that everyone knew anyway, and yet Dayan kept silent, but he accepted the truth for what it was - just that. The son of someone that murdered even his own children, blood or not, and by now, wasn’t anything anymore. “Sometimes we make up stuff, either because we don’t want to realize the truth is what it is, or because no matter what we do, nothing that makes sense comes to mind. This isn’t the part where you take the blame, Richard - misconceptions happen, and it’s unfortunate but fine, you couldn’t know.” Dayan wasn’t any better, he had to grin and bear it before, but his brother was out of his mind, sort of, and helping him heal was the only thing he could do in hindsight - it didn’t feel impossible. With his father, all of that was a vastly different story, but Dayan didn’t want to consider that right now. “And? I think I yelled at a plethora of servants and I lashed out at everyone who was in my reach. I spent hours and days on end in my room and even my coronation was a fucking mess, that very much was saved by Lucien. Richard, things happen - and knowing dad, he probably just let you do whatever you thought was right, no?” Even if he hated his old man for all he’d done, for being exactly what Richard described him as, he was never going to lash out at his kids under normal circumstances - he’d … somehow, he was just a complete nutcase. Could Lucien help? No, be didn’t want to cause more damage, it didn’t seem like a smart idea. “Well, would you want to marry him if you’d known him a few weeks more? Yujin doesn’t know, or does he?” There was no way some random thrian knew of his brothers feats, though, Dayan couldn’t know what Richard told him, if anything at all. Whatever could his baby brother have spouted anyway? “And the one that has to make sure a bunch of adrestians keep in line. Do you know how annoying it is to keep Alster in check?”, he grumbled and held Richards hands, as if all of this was for support - for both of them. “Theoretically I have pa- ah, forget about it. I’m king. It can wait. I have enough time to spare, especially for you.”, Dayan mused. Richard was probably still exhausted and spent, and Dayan was the only piece of solace he had, wasn’t he? “I’ll be here for as long as you want me, but I can’t guarantee that we won’t get visitors.”
      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.

    • "The south?", Richard asked confused. "What would he do there?" The south wasn't anything Adrestia usually concerned itself with besides trading. There was but a small passage past the mountains over there and of course Olettes and Laverns shipyards, one of which Richard almost burnt to the ground. "I thought they were responsible for killing you... I wanted to avenge you, that's why we went after Aramis too.", Richard admitted and he didn't quite understand why Dayan was so lavish about all of what happened, as if he didn't care who died and who didn't as long as he and maybe his brother came out on top. Was that what happened to him the last half year or more? "Dayan I'm sorry I left you alone...", he let out, knowing that that wasn't something his brother wanted to hear. If it went his way Richard would just return to normal as if nothing ever happened, but he couldn't stop blaming himself for so many things, as well as he couldn't stop blaming Nayantai for what had happened, even though deep down he knew that it wasn't his fault. He wondered if he should share with Dayan what happened down there, but only thinking about it made him dug his fingers into the blanket.

      Dayan came in like a hero, a knight in shining armor. He picked up Richard and brought him home and Richard wished it was the happy ending of their story, but their life wasn't over yet and the more he talked to Dayan the more he felt like he changed. "Nayantai tried to stop me from going here but in the end... it didn't take much convincing...", Richard nodded, but he dreaded speaking his name. Why was he so weak and why did Aramis still have him under his control even from his grave? "I don't want to marry Dayan. No one...", Richard pretty much cut the discussion off. Talking about Yujin was useless and it was similar to crying over spilled milk - nothing came of it. Yujin had forgotten him and was miles away anyhow. "You were accepted after all I guess... it was always your crown to have anyway..." Was Richard relieved he didn't need to be king now? Was he upset? He wasn't sure. Dayan seemed to be fairly happy about it though. "Lucien you mean...?", Richard bit his lower lip and then leaned forward against Dayans chest closing his eyes. "I just don't want to be alone...", he mumbled, tired at that. Talking so much exhausted him more than it should.

    • “Die for his king, silly. Out of sight isn’t out of mind, and he’d only get annoying in so many ways if he continues to live.”, Dayan hummed. He’d try to hunt down Richard, he’d be hard to control and at some point, he’d try to take Lucien away from him because he was an idiot. If anything, his king wanted him gone - used where he was used best - and if he died trying, that was good enough for Dayan. “Richard, it’s fine now, you don’t have to justify yourself. I’m here, I’m alive - and we’re together again.” With half of their family missing and a fourth one as good as dead, but Dayan didn’t care for now - he’d figure out what he’d do with his old man sooner or later. “Why are you apologizing? I didn’t protect you, that’s my duty, whatever I’m your older brother or just a king. That one is on me. And on Nayantai.”, he grumbled, probably showing the fact that he didn’t quite like their father all that much anymore - well, it only followed when the only person he could ever consult were three dead ones, until Lucien showed himself and Dayan slowly realized that he didn’t need to fear him. “He’s always been like that, indecisive I mean, but … it’s fine, just get some rest - I’m not going anywhere, I swear.”

      Dayan hadn’t said much after that, he just had brushed over Richards hair and reassured him that he was fine, and once he’d passed out, Dayan had allowed him to lie back down again, picking up the necklace that he didn’t know if Richard wanted, and put it on the nightstand. That was that. There wasn’t much more and he should at least go check on Lucien and how he was faring, but he also knew that Richard would wake up eventually and would feel betrayed when he’d just go and pull a disappearing act on him - and Dayan wasn’t a liar. He waited instead, sitting on the edge of the bed at first, before finally starting to marble at the things that his brother had in his room - some of it was missing, mostly clothing, and had probably gone to Thria and not survived the way back, and the other stuff was probably still in the wash, or on the desk over there. It didn’t matter, though, he just aimlessly kept pacing around the room, trying to keep his cool and just wait for Richard to wake up again - and once he did, someone would show up with food, before Lucien also made himself at home and some sort of banter happened - maybe they’d warm up to each other that way? This continued in the same vein for a few days, but today was different - for a change, Lucien himself brought the plates. “… Did one of the servants drop dead or something?”, he suddenly asked Lucien, who exhibited uncharacteristic behavior for himself right now. “Or did you just miss me, peaches?” Given, Lucien was stuck doing most of the work, with the king tending to his injured brother and making attempts to get something out of his father, which … didn’t work all that well.
      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.

    • Richard liked spending time with Dayan, less so when Lucien was around, sitting in his bed when he didn't even ask when he could and not keeping his hands to himself ever. And Dayan was just indulging him in everything that he did. Richard couldn't shake the feeling that Lucien wanted him gone sooner rather than later. It didn't really matter if his brother was sent away or not and what's more, Dayan actually started a war with the south while he also chipped on bits and pieces of Alster and Wezette, making myriad bigger and bigger. In Adrestia it was more an economic war, something that had Lucien written all over it, but a war still. Richard didn't want to fight with his brother and if he wasn't alive and Richard would be king he probably would have taken Olette by force and to himself, maybe even burning it to the ground. Now that it wasn't his doing however he wondered if Dayan was disrespecting what their fathers had wanted to achieve, what Rain and Nayantai fought for. They wanted peace but with Lucien here that didn't seem possible.

      Richard was awake when the door opened even if he slept more than he noticed what was going on around him. He still didn't feel like eating and whenever the red haired devil joined them he felt increasingly exhausted. Again he waltzed inside with some food for all of them. "What? Can't I bring my baby-brother some food so he gets better soon?", Lucien chimed and Richard furrowed his brows. "You mean so you can send me elsewhere sooner?" As always Lucien didn't react to a comment like that. "Besides, we had another maid creeped out by your dad, so I had to come here and tell you anyway." Lucien brought the food over and simply placed the tabloid on Richards lap, before he gave a kiss to Dayan. Richard avoided seeing his father until now, but he also wasn't asked if he wanted to get up in the first place. He hadn't really left the bed since he got here. Since Dayan was incredibly annoying if Richard didn't eat, he grabbed a plate and a fork to do just that, even though he still didn't want to. Lucien was the same to Dayan and so the devil forced a plate onto him. Richard sometimes wondered if it was poisoned or something, he was especially wary when Lucien was the one bringing food.