homebound. (earinor & akira)

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    • "Very well.", Edward nodded with a slight smile on his face and a nod of his head. There would be no chickening out, but if the prince had an unbelievably reckless idea, at least Edward would try to convince him otherwise. Climbing the mountains that led towards Thria was dangerous enough already, not to mention Thria itself, a land they practically knew nothing about. Stories could tell just a fraction of the truth but even then it sounded like it was very dangerous there, with wild animals and a culture that was very different from their own. Sure there were dangerous animals in Ylisse as well, especially farther south, but it sounded less bad if the stories held true. Edward was wondering something else though. There were not many occasions where he wasn't at the princes side, though of course in the castle that was protected not only by him, he didn't need to stay in his room, but sometimes just outside the door. At night he got a break of his own and a different knight took his place, but now there was no one to change places with him and the inn rooms weren't guarded from outside as well. He stuck to the prince more than before and he wondered if the prince would grow tired of him at some point.

      "I really don't mind. The floor is good enough and my back feels just fine.", he answered shaking his head. Most of the time he sat and leaned against something, his sword always by his side and ready. If someone figured out their identities, they probably wouldn't dare hurt the prince, but Edward didn't know what to expect still. He didn't want to leave anything up to chance. Sure normally he had his own bed, but he rather knew that the prince was save than having a soft underground for the night. At some point they'd have to sleep on the floor anyway too, he could get used to it right now. "It depends on our pace. If we keep going like this I'd guess between one or two months to reach the mountains. I don't know how long it will take to climb them.", Edward answered. He was away with his father once but that was some years ago, he couldn't exactly say he was very sure about anything regarding traveling. "We should buy some things before reaching the mountains too. Warmer clothes at least." They already had a tent, maybe they'd need a second one too though. Edward wasn't quite sure if he'd rather leave the prince alone in his own, or awkwardly shared one with him, intruding his privacy. He knew however that once it grew cold on the mountains, he couldn't just sleep outside.

    • Going back now was going nowhere and the truth was, Cecil would be ashamed to give his adventure up this early, to just spend days on end doing nothing but sitting at home, maybe locked away in his room or inside and listening to the things that his father had to say to him - it all would culminate in nothing much, nothing likable to say the least and it only proved that he, of all people, was nothing much either. His oldest brother could spend weeks out here without getting bored, torturing Edwards brother - probably - to hunt some sort of beast with him that hadn't existed anywhere near here for the last hundred years and that was it, that was what all of this was worth to either of them. They had fun, they lived their life and eventually, this outdoor-loving maniac would get the throne and just go on about his day and Cecil, well, he didn't mind, yet he wished to be much more like him or his father, like someone who was used to a normal life like that, able to go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. "Eddie, we're getting you a bed and you will sleep in it, whatever you like it or not.", he announced either way. There was no need to get worked up about those things, Cecil knew that, but he also was fairly aware that no matter what, he'd have to be strict, lest Edward wouldn't exactly obey him. Or would he? Cecil just cared about his wellbeing!

      "One or two weeks is fin- ... did you just say months?", his eyes grew wide and a groan came from his lips - he ruffled through his hair, quite frustrated all of a sudden, or at least wanted to, but only managed to rub them against his hood. "And what if we skip those little trips to nowhere really important and just get straight to where we want to be? One or two months seems like forever." He wasn't even sure if that was something he wanted to do, but doubt never led to good things, which was why he just shook his head. Warmer clothes sounded nice, even though he probably wouldn't have to worry about the sun on cloudy days - which was a plus - and still, who guaranteed him that it was always snowing in Thria either way? It didn't make a difference to him, if it was cold it would be and if it weren't, it wouldn't, but he still had to dress up and so did Edward, no doubt about it in the first place. "Yes, that's true. Maybe a stop in the last town before we reach the mountain pass?" Was there no way to get over it without climbing? Who knew, they'd have to figure it out and considering it wasn't too cold right now, maybe they got lucky and Thria had something else than the cold to offer as well - but for now, they had to reach an inn and before they did, it had felt like an eternity to Cecil, but still, the few hours they'd spend on their horses from the lake to here were ... not too bad, right? "Finally, I'm starving." For cake, that was.
      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... well. If you insist...", Edward answered. He didn't have much of a choice here and it wasn't the worst the prince could ask of him, so agreed. As long as it was two beds it would be fine to sleep in one and compared to the castle they weren't even that comfortable. Edward wondered if the prince would at some point get homesick, or if he at least complained about scratchy sheets and hard mattresses, as well as the lack of pillows. For now he seemed way too excited to complain about anything though. "It's a far way towards the mountains, yes.", Edward nodded. When he was traveling with his father, seeing all of the country took a year. Now they traveled in a straight line, sort of, but they weren't very fast and didn't take much chances. They also made break at lakes. On one hand Edward wanted to be fast, in case someone would catch up to them, on the other he wondered if skipping all those breaks truly was what the prince wanted. "We'd be faster, yes. But didn't you want to make memories of your own? I am sure Ylisse has much to experience too, not only Thria.", Edward asked. He also didn't want the prince to rush or to overwork himself. He wasn't used to riding through the day and Edwards wasn't either.

      In the end they rode a few hours more. It wasn't hard to find the right road that led to the next town and the sun only started to sink when they reached it. They probably could have tried the next town too, but Edward didn't want to ride with the young prince when it was dark, he rather didn't take any chances and as the prince voiced, he was hungry already. They road into the town and searched for an inn. They found one, it was lit and already there were a lot of people inside, voices reaching out onto the street. Edward got off his horse and led his own and the princes to the adjacent stables. He asked some attendee to take care of the horses, before he helped the prince off of his and grabbed their belongs from the saddlebags. He didn't trust these people to not try and steal whatever was stealable and they had a lot that was worth much. He then walked to the inns entrance with the prince and once he opened the door, the voices got even louder. It was very full, people drinking and laughing, also the room was decorated with flowers and ribbons. It looked like someone married, probably from this town and now every citizen was celebrating here as it seemed. Edward grabbed the princes hand quite rushed, though he usually didn't force any touch onto him, even if it was well meant, but he didn't want to lose him in this crowd. Then he made his way through all those people to find the host and to ask for a room for the night.

    • Once they arrived at the inn, there was a lot more going on than anticipated. Cecil hadn't experienced some festivities like these in quite a while, actually, he'd only once snuck out to some event outside of the castle walls and even then, his father had found out and he wasn't stoked - not really surprising, yet, what could he do about it? Curiousity killed the cat and in this case, he very much was one, albeit a kitten, who got someone else in trouble for all the stupid things that came to mind, and yet, he marbled at all of it with big eyes, listened to as much of the loud noises he could and still couldn't quite make out much, most of them were already a drunken mess, weren't they? Silence wouldn't reign here, it also didn't do so at any events between nobles, but the common folk was different - and while he'd probably been swallowed by the crowd in no time, Eddie grabbed him instead and dragged him along, much like he'd helped him off of his horse before - and brought him to someone he thought to be the inns owner, or one of his employees. Either way, people were people and work was work, something that Cecil had only heard of in theory - and if all went well, he'd never have to lift a single finger himself, either, unless he'd be exiled by somebody, for some reason.

      Nobody would know he was a prince alone by voice, which was why he was eventually the one to pester the innkeeper. "I'd like a room with two beds for tonight.", he implored and the man eyed the two of them - did he even really understand them both? Cecil wasn't sure, it was almost as if the man - who either was hard of hearing or not understanding what Cecil meant - tried to figure out by the way the two hodded figures looked, what they could have wanted. "A room for two for one night, please.", he implored again, this time being understood instead - he was handed a room key after Eddie handed over some gold, probably an adequate amount, yet, the few coins didn't seem much to Cecil and he just dragged the bluehaired man after him instead, on the search for their room. Maybe they could loose themselves in the festivities, too, but he doubted it - which meant no food for him, lest he'd disappear in the masses as well, never to be actually seen again, with Eddie still out here doing his utmost to keep someone save that already was gone. Once he found the door, the two of them disappeared right into it - the sun had sank below the horizon, but it wasn't all that dark just yet, which was why he didn't fiddle with the candles or the fireplace, not that he had much idea about the inner workings of the latter anyway, and locked it. He strolled over to the windows and closed the blinds, before taking off that hood of his - his hair was still kind of damp and probably looked silly. "I mean, we got two beds!"
      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 prince was the one who spoke to the innkeeper, which caught Edward a little bit by surprise. It was fine for him to do so, but he still was kind of worried something, he had no clue what, could happen because of that. He also had noticed how the prince had looked around, like a child. There were so many people that all were no adequate model for what the prince should strife for, that was for sure. Most of them had been drunk, some had sung and danced. Edward wasn't sure if they'd even be able to sleep with all that noise, who knew how long this party would go on. Eventually however Edward had to hand out some coins and they got a key. Again the prince was the one taking the lead and he dragged Edward with him who rand at least into one person, the smaller prince just squeezed past. Once they found their room and went in Edward let go of all their belonging and put them into a corner. He also carefully took his hood of, as to not destroy the princes work from earlier. The prince was right, they had two beds, one by the door and one directly by the window. Edward was still debating which one was saver. As for a bath there was nothing more than a large bowl with some water, a dirty piece of soap and some towels in one corner of the room.

      "You're right.", Edward nodded, still eying both of the beds and thinking he'd take the one at the window, but there were more pressing matters. "You said you were hungry.", he pointed out, thinking about their situation. Sitting down there was probably not the best idea, there were too many people and it was loud anyway. It was probably best to either find somewhere else to eat - but this wasn't a big town - or to bring something upstairs. Edward neither wanted to bring the prince back down there, nor wanted he to leave him alone here though. If he could only be at two places at once... "Maybe we can bring some food up here. I uh...", Edward still wasn't sure about this, but the prince could simply lock the door behind his knight, right? "If I may leave you alone for a few minutes, I could try and get something for us?", he suggested almost a little bit nervous. The prince wasn't exactly in the position to protect himself, but there was no need to worry. Edward didn't think someone followed them and he also didn't think that anybody recognized them or tried something funny as long as the sun was still up.

    • No one was going to hurt him and he was sure of that - not only because Edward was there, he also wasn't sure what a bunch of drunk peasants would be capable of that he couldn't at least somehow deflect. Surely, there were people more capable of dealing with the situation or said peasants in question, but there also was him, somebody that knew what to do and when to do it, nothing out of the ordinary and it all was in good faith, if not something that he couldn't get rid of. Cecil didn't believe that any person was inheretly evil, yet, he also wasn't led to the assumption that everyone wanted the best fort everyone around them, so getting close to somebody that only had bad ideas was not in his or anyones best interest. Whatever the case, no matter what, it only followed that he had a few things he'd have to make up for and while that didn't seem so bad, there also was something he had to ask himself about: Why was he here, if not to see the true colors of a world that he could only glance at from all the way above up until now? Giving somebody the benefit of the doubt was one thing, but there was something about anyone that showed one their true colors in the end.

      "I am, but I think in that regard we're out of luck anyway.", he just proposed with a shrug of his shoulders. If he asked for food in the middle of the night, somebody would cook it for him, even if the occassion was rare and it only stemmed from times when he was sick, found himself awoken by one too many dreams and then figured he hadn't eaten all day - or when his brother returned victorious but later than expected, almost as if the feast had justed waited for him to arrive. "I don't mind not eating for one night, it's not like it's going to kill me.", he told Eddie eventually as he eyed both beds, then, however, he stepped a bit closer to the window after he'd drawn the curtains shut just before. When it turned dark, he couldn't even peak out of them, lest somebody saw the moonlight glimmering through the window and the white hair, that was more reminiscent of a sheeps wool than anything. "You may! If you want to, uhm, you can lock me in here? Like, take the key with you? Or should I keep it here?", he asked, stepping back from the window and glancing at Edward instead. "Also, which bed do you want?" There were only so many ways this could go and none of them were particularly interesting in the first place.
      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.

    • Not eating for the entire night? That was not going to happen, not as long as Edward had something to say here, especially not if the prince already voiced that he was hungry and that was why he strongly shook his head. "Don't worry, I will get you some food.", he explained unusually determined, before even thinking about how he'd want to do it with the key. He didn't think the prince would run off, but how would he know who it was when someone knocked, maybe taking the key was best. Locking in the prince somehow seemed wrong however, after all he ran away because he always had been locked in. "I will take it with me then.", he decided and he also still stood by the door as he was used to. In the castle he usually didn't move around much either, as long as he didn't have a task. For now he eyed the two beds again and wondered if the prince would like to have the window close in case he wanted to look outside. Then again, if someone saw him there with his distinctive white hair, it could be a problem. In the end why would Edward decide though? "I am fine with both. If you'll excuse me now, I will be back in a few minutes.", he voiced, nodded instead of a bow and then took the key from the keyhole it still was in.

      After Edward opened up the door again, left and closed it back up behind him, he put on his hood again and made his way down. It wasn't less noisy here and even up in the room they could here the guests talk and laugh. Edward made his way through the crowd again to find the host once more. He had to raise his voice to ask him if they could prepare some food for them to eat in the room. The host told him they had some sort of buffet prepared fot the guests today, but for some money Edward could take some with him. The knight was pretty sure he was being ripped off when he heard the price. Apparently it was such good meat they got just for this wedding, of course it was expensive. Edward sighed, but he didn't bargain and instead paid the man what he asked for. Soon after the host got back with a tablet full of bread, cheese and cooked meat, as well as some baked potatoes. It was enough for the two of them, that was for sure and Edward took the tablet and walked back upstairs to their room with it. There he awkwardly got out the key again - it would have been easier the other way around, but he couldn't cite the prince to the door to open up anyway! - and unlocked the door to come back in.

    • Cecil was sure he could have made do - there was no need to get so worked up about some food for his sake, just as there was no need for Edward to go out of his way to grab something for him. He knew that his knight was only making sure that he had everything he could ask for, but maybe that was just a bit more than the care he was supposed to exert - he wasn't sure, was he? After all, the two of them were almost glued together, if only for a few reasons, but right now it wasn't exceptionally dangerous for him to be on his own either - the people downstairs were concerned with themselves, with alcohol and the festives and probably hadn't even caught a glimpse of the prince that everyone seemingly was looking for - all of these precautions were necessary, yet, he wasn't even so sure why. Was it because he knew that, without Edwards help, he'd be home in no time, had no way of navigating himself, would have probably gotten kidnapped already and people would already have taken advantage of him for the silliest of things? Most likely, but other than that, there was really no need for concern, not even when Eddie proposed he'd lock him in here - actually, Cecil was very much fine with that.

      Cecil didn't care much for the bed either, he was just glad they had two - glad that Eddie didn't have to sleep on the floor any longer or tried to promise him that no matter what, he wouldn't leave him alone for more than a few minutes. For now, the prince sat down on the bed that was closer to the door - maybe Eddie liked glancing out of the window more than him at night - and fiddled with his thumbs, wondering if he was going to go anywhere in particular or if it was fine for him to stay where he was. The food he could be brought was anything anyway, but that wasn't really what he was concerned with right about now, no - he wondered if his father was worried sick, if his sister was already cursing herself for not listening to him more often or if either of his brothers had set out to find traces of him, or if they all sat together at the dining table and just complained to a crying mother - a lone queen - that everything would be alright, that he was save either way and that Eddie would never do any harm to him. Was it right to just run off and not think about any of that? Probably not, but when he heard the door, he jolted out of his thoughts and looked over to Eddie, who'd brought quite the amount of food with him, just to get off of his bed and let him come inside. Cecil sheepishly grabbed the key and closed the door in an instant, in hopes that nobody had seen him - he locked the door behind him. "Um, I think I'd like the bed here, closer to the door ... also I'm glad you're back unscathed! And with food!"
      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.

    • When Edward came back in the prince was already standing up to help him close and lock the door. He didn't have to do that, but now it was too late anyway. "Yes, of course.", he said meaning the bed the young prince picked and then looked around to find a small table he could put the tablet full of food on. "It wasn't any trouble.", he also answered only half understanding that the prince probably made a joke. Edward was already trying to figure out how and where he'd let the prince eat. The room had a small table at the bed, but that was not for eating and there also weren't any chairs, but there was a little stool at the corner with the bowl of water so he waltzed over there to pick it up and bring it over. Then he took the little nightstand table and moved it away from the wall and bed a little. lastly he put the stool in front of it, so the prince could just sit and eat there. Edward already knew that the prince would want him to eat with him, instead of after him like it should be. They had that discussion before and thus he could just sit on his bed and use the same little nightstand table.

      On the tablet there were two sets of forks and some crude knifes. All that was missing was a napkin of some sorts but Edward simply took one of the towels and provided it for his prince.Edward wondered if he should taste it first, but he didn't think anyone here would try to poison them, there was however something to drink in two cups on that tablet too and by the looks of it it was wine. Wine found here was probably not what the prince was used to from the castle though. They still had some water from their journey too. Maybe the prince needed it to get rid of some taste and Edward never drank alcohol, especially not now when he needed all his senses to stay alert. For now he remembered he also could take off his hood now, which he did, again carefully to not ruin his hairdo. In fact he got rid of the whole cape that smelled like lake. He needed to wash some of their things later on. As if they were still in the castle he offered the prince the chair, or rather stool, before he'd sit down himself. "I hope the food is to your liking.", Edward voiced, but being picky wouldn't be of much help out here.

    • Everything in here seemingly had to still be perfect, even if Cecil was sure that he could manage to hold his plate and eat with his hands - it sounded like blasphemy and his father would chastise him, tell him he was no little kid anymore and that he had learned table manners for years now, but the king was nowhere to be found out here and once they passed Azenad-Othidors borders, they probably wouldn't even have to think about his father any longer. Well, he probably joined forces with his allies, that much was for sure, only those who were insane enough would push past there and actually assume that somebody was headed that way - and even if, him and Eddie still had quite the advantage, which meant there was nothing much to worry about. "That's good to hear, but you can take me without the next time. That way, you won't have to carry everything on your own!" Besides, if he only ever relied on those around him, he was much more of a kid than an adult that he'd be by next year - and even then, could he blame someone that was solely by his side to make him happy and also to read every single wish he could have from sealed lips? No, Eddie was percious in many regards, almost like a crown jewel, but that was something that only he thought about - others would probably say that Cecils own earrings were worth much more than anything, but money couldn't buy him a friend, not for long.

      "You really didn't have to go out of your way to build something like this, you know? But thank you, Eddie.", Cecil smiled, knowing that the knight wouldn't have wanted any other way either. They both were quite the mess - they tried their earnest to make it right for the other, to keep one another company and not get too much in one anothers comfort zone, on the other hand, Cecil wanted to push himself out of his own and that meant that Edward had to come out of his own as well, as silly and harmful as it might seem, it was nothing more than to prepare them both for relying on one another, instead of both of them relying on Eddie himself - he'd be hurt at some point from something, or at least worn out from all the things he had to do for himself and Cecil and that was something he wanted to avoid. He did take the seat he was offered, then eventually both fork and knife and started eating a few bites anyway - this wasn't so bad, yet, it was pretty simple too, wasn't it? Nothing worth praising too much, nothing worth complaining about. "It's just fine, don't worry too much. Actually, I still wish we could share a table, but that's impossible here. What about you, do you like the food?", Cecil questioned. Would Edward ever voice his thoughts? It was hard to figure out, as much as it was hard to figure somebody like Edward out in the first place.
      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.

    • Edward looked up, then shook his head. "It was fine, really.", he smiled and he actually was surprised the prince just let him go like that. After seeing his eyes almost sparkle by the sight down there he would have thought the noble wanted to go down there and just watch the people party. He was right in not doing so though, two hooded figures were mysterious at best and in the end maybe someone wanted to know what lay after. Once they checked, they'd probably know who the two travelers were and that would be bad. As of now hopefully nobody even knew which direction they took or what their destination was. Although the prince ran away to be free, he didn't seem very free just yet. Edward didn't like that fact, they weer not out here to hide again, but he couldn't change it either. What would wait beyond the borders, if they could sit somewhere and find other people, he didn't know and thus it was almost sad to miss out on everything here. Not that they should intrude on a strangers wedding, but maybe they came around something else, a market or circus.

      "It was no problem at all.", Edward answered and sat down on his bed on the other side of the table. He didn't have it as comfortable to reach the food, but for now he didn't either way. He wanted the prince to eat as much as he liked before taking some for himself. Once he was asked how he liked it though he eyed the food for a moment, before taking a fork and knife himself and trying some. Starting another discussion about manners was probably pointless, even though it felt weird to eat across the prince. "It is just fine.", he then nodded. He was used to fancy food himself, after all he was still from a noble family, but then again Edward was pretty humble. He didn't need much, he didn't care about the kind of food, or if he got something every day. He didn't care if he got fruits and meat, or if he had to live off of potatoes. He also didn't care if he slept in a bed or on the floor. Sometimes people mistook him for being indecisive or too stupid to give an answer, but the truth was, he simply did not have that strong of an opinion regarding many things. Was that odd? Being out here made him wonder about so many more things regarding himself.

    • "That's good to hear." They couldn't exactly join the wedding, the two of them would stick out like sore thumbs either way and as sad as it was, Cecil had to adhere to just that. Normally, he'd try to figure something out, but in reality, there was nothing much he could do - he had to live with what he had, with the consequences he had to face and if he thought about it for too long, there was nothing he could do either way. Why was that? Sometimes he wondered about that himself, but there had been no answers - nothing he could make much sense of and that was, essentially, what he had to live with either way. One thing that Cecil did understand, however, was that Edward was there and that was all he was supposed to be concerned about - not his white hair, his pale skin or anything like that, not even when he sat on a stool and used a crummy nightstand as a table. On the other hand, he was sure that if his oldest brother was out hunting, he definitely wasn't giving much of a damn about anything either way, especially when it came to riding out and surrounding himself with nature for weeks to come. Still, he was somewhat envious - not green with envy just yet - but that would pass eventually, the longer he'd be out here. "Eddie, can I ask something stupid?", he voiced.

      There were many things one could ask their knight, especially while eating and eyeing the plate, occassionally looking up at his friend to make sure that he still was there, not gone in a puff of air and definitely not just in his head in the first place. While he knew that ones mind could play tricks on anyone, he was fairly certain that wouldn't be the case here and he also was painfully aware that, whatever the case, the only thing that would get worse from here on out was his sunburn - something he barely felt for now, but he already had suspected it was there - and his eyesight, which was nothing that would happen overnight. "I'm glad to hear we can both live with it, then.", he added, before shoving another bite into his mouth. Cecil had to be honest, he missed sitting at a giant table with his family and listening to all sorts of banter, yet, he sometimes felt like an outcast when much of what he could have told was the plot of a book or countless ideas he'd had over the course of the afternoon that had never come to fruition for he wasn't exactly in the shape to go out after repeatedly hurting himself by just spending half an hour gazing at the sky, cursing his eyes - sadly. "Are you envious of someone? Like, your brothers or mine, or something like that. Or even some peasants, leading a normal life."
      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.

    • They had actually been lucky with the food. it wasn't every day that the common folk had so much to eat, especially not some fatty pork or deer, but today they had something to celebrate, killed off their best livestock for it and given two lonesome travelers some of their share. They could have ended up with nothing but a broth instead too. He truly hoped that the prince was fine with it, not just saying so, but there was nothing to do about it anyway. Even if they found a baker tomorrow to buy something for along the way, picnic or not, they'd probably not find the finest pastry. Cake probably had to be ordered in advance in such a small town, lest it would just go to waste, but that gave Edward another idea. "You know maybe if we'd ask we get some cake. I believe they celebrate a wedding down there, if they have some leftovers later on, we might be able to buy some.", he said, knowing that the prince liked his sweets. Maybe he'd find something suitable at a bakery too though.

      Edward looked up from his food when the prince started to talk himself again. "Of course.", he answered. Something stupid? Edward kind of felt like the prince was a little bit gloomy right now, but he didn't quite know how to change that. Edward wasn't the most fun person to be around. "Envious?", Edward then repeated the question and took his time to think about it. He was always like that, thinking about an answer thoroughly instead of taking risk of saying something stupid, or something he didn't mean after thinking it through again. "I don't think so, no.", he voiced his final answer eventually. He was fine with where he was and what life he had, even though the prince made it incredibly hard sometimes, like now when he convinced Edward to run away with him. "Is that... odd?", he added, tilting his head and wondering why he asked the prince a silly question like that anyway. He shouldn't trouble him with that and only answer questions, not voice some himself. Then again if he'd say that out loud, the prince would scold him for it and tell him once more that they were friends and he could talk to him. "I think everyone has problems of their own."

    • Friendly banter was all they had - a back and forth, nothing more and after that, they'd have to come up with something else, as long as Cecil didn't have another, quite brilliant idea that Edward had to talk him out of first. Hopefully, it stayed a somewhat rare occurence and while he couldn't say all of that for sure, hope was still something he ought to have, or was at least expected to carry with him for sometime, somewhere. "Cake?", he mouthed, not even having swallowed his current bite fully, before he immediately did and grinned - well, he didn't need some and Edward definitely didn't have to get out of his way just to get him something. This was stupid, in more ways than one, but he also knew that no matter what, he did like cake and was offered it right now, so why was he not going to take the opportunity in the first place? "Mhm, envious." Cecil was almost envious of everyone he met, whoever he came across, maybe just because they were able to lead a different life than he did, or maybe because they had something he could only dream of - in that case it wasn't about money, about buying things, it was about having something that couldn't be bought and even if Edward was just one of those things - one of those people - was that even enough in the first place?

      "Not anyone? Even if you think about it really hard?", he blurted out, wanting to know. There were many things that one would rather not voice, or speak about with their employer, with somebody that they were bound to by duty, because they had to be and sometimes Cecil wondered how it would be if him and Eddie could just trade places, bodies, for a single day so he could get to enjoy all of the things he usually couldn't, like the sun! Or being careless. "I wouldn't say it's odd and you're right, everyone has something they themselves struggle with and they'd rather not do so, but", he murmured, thinking about it for a second. What even was there? Edward could hardly judge him for being honest either way. "For example, I'm envious of pretty much everyone that isn't me, that doesn't need to put up with being easy to spot, unable to go out during the day or can't even climb a tree, in fear of scraping my legs open. It all is something, but if you don't envy anyone, doesn't that mean you're quite content with what you have?" There was no way to definitely answer that and he smiled at Eddie instead - they both had to deal with who they were at the end of the day and changing their bodies for one day, which already was an impossible feat, wouldn't help either way. "Hm, you don't have to get cake for me though, I'll survive without it!"
      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.

    • Edward had to smile when the prince repeated what he just said, even before swallowing his food down, though he actually should have better manners. He knew he would like some cake although it had only been a few days since they left the castle. He wouldn't have some for a long time, maybe never again once they traveled past the border, or at least only when he decided to turn back and go back home. "Yes, cake.", Edward repeated with a nod, though it wasn't even definite that there was something left they could salvage. It was rare occasions people like those down there got some, so maybe it was all gone already. Edward kind of forgot to eat whenever he was talking or only thinking about something 'really hard', so he didn't touch the food for some while. "I don't think so?", he answered seemingly unsure about his answer. He felt like he was supposed to come up with a name, but he didn't know many people and those he knew, he didn't want to trade places with. If he was anyone else, he wouldn't be here at the princes side, right? Even though he drove him insane sometimes, because he came up with reckless ideas, he sill didn't want to trade his job.

      Edward wouldn't even think about the possibility of switching places with the prince, or any other member of the royal family. He also didn't think he'd be a good fit there, though he wasn't sure if he fit anywhere to begin with. At least the youngest prince liked him, even though that may have come because they spent the last twelve years together. Edward looked up from the food he didn't touch in the first place and listened to what the prince had to say. He could at least understand why he'd rather be someone that could go out as he pleased. "I guess I am...", he answered and he still felt that wasn't what the prince wanted to hear. Maybe in the end he just thought that he couldn't be anyone else to begin with, why worry about it then? But that actually wasn't like him, in reality he probably just always thought that where people wanted him to be was exactly where he should be too. Be it on a journey with his father, or on the princes side wished so by the king, or now the prince himself. "A-alright.", he then nodded. No cake then.

    • Cecil knew that there was nothing to be sad about - he’d come to realize either way that sulking over something wasn’t exactly what he was supposed to do and in all honesty, it wasn’t exactly befitting either. Once he spend too much time thinking about all of that, maybe he’d see that no matter what, the world didn’t revolve around himself and it was only right for him to eventually let go of things - to realize for himself that no matter what, he’d just invite his inevitable doom the longer he wasted away and the more he kept himself from really realizing what was important. Could his father judge him for being idealistic, for looking for things that weren’t exactly there in the first place or was all of it just him, talking nonsense that - no matter how much he wanted it to work - it never would and he failed to realize just that? “Not even just a teensy, tiny bit?” There were many things that he could have to figure out, that he’d have to sort out, but right now Eddie was much more interesting than any of that. Why? Because it felt as if he barely knew anything about him, despite the obvious facts and despite being so close to him for so long - it only followed that he tried to compensate for it somehow, even when it all lead nowhere, at least it seemed that way.

      “You are? I’m glad.”, Cecil smiled as he continued to ear away at the food on his plate - he was hungry, no doubt about it, but he also couldn’t quite understand what it was that would lead him to a version if himself that he’d accept himself. Maybe he just had to wait, stick around and figure it all out? No matter what, he’d have to live with it - Edward couldn’t figure out his life for him, but nobody could do that, just Cecil himself, as agonizing as it seemed. “That means you’re happy with yourself and there’s no aspect of yourself that you’d trade with someone else. I like you the way you are, which means this is exceptional news.” And if Eddie was happy with who he was, maybe Cecil could accept himself as such, too. Would it pain him to figure it out? In the end, probably not - it would just be kind of time consuming and beg the question whatever or not he really had a knack for all of those things that he did want to do or if he was hopeless in the first place. “You look kind of … disappointed. If you want a piece of cake, you can get yourself one, you know? I won’t judge, after all, my money is your money and … you’re better at budgeting it than I am at spending it.” That was the truth, he couldn’t make anything out of that - he knew that he wasn’t adjusted to peasant life quite well, but he’d make do. “We can share if you don’t want a whole piece for yourself.”
      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... I don't know. I never really thought about it, I guess...", Edward answered carefully. He wasn't sure if he should wish that he was someone else. What would he even do if he wasn't himself? He couldn't imagine living a different life and if he was completely honest then he didn't even know what he would want to do. Much like when the prince asked him what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go and he had no answer for him. What did he even like? He rarely had time to read, besides the books he needed to read, or the ones the prince wanted to read to him, so it wasn't getting too boring for his knight that stood at the door. He also didn't do much else but train, eat, sleep and of course take care of the young noble. Now he did that even more than before, now that there were no more servants, no cooks and no maids. Edward didn't even mind. If he'd have to name one thing he liked it probably was being occupied, or at least having some form of task. Anything really.

      Edward wasn't sure if he was just stupid and simply didn't know what it meant to be happy, or what else it made him give answers no one else would give. He wondered how he'd do in the princes shoes, but that was a silly thought to begin with. If he could however, he'd probably trade with him. He'd let him have his body to run around, lie in the sun or do whatever he wanted to do. "I guess... there might be some things I'd change, but... I guess there are people having it worse.", he answered and in the very next second shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." He didn't talk about the prince himself nor did he want to tell him that he should be happy about his life or his condition because other people had way worse lifes. He was simply talking about himself and tried to figure out what it was he truly thought. Why was this so hard if it were his own thoughts and feelings? At least the prince liked Edward how he was and that was probably also the reason he gladly stuck to him. It was probably also the reason why he was able to talk to him in the first place. "No, no. I'm not disappointed. I don't need a piece of cake.", he shook his head with an apologetic smile. "Do you want to wash yourself after you finished eating?" Maybe they should try and get rid of the smell of lakewater.

    • "That's one way to see it", he mused. Cecil, on the other hand, couldn't remember when he doubted himself for the first time. It had to have been quite some time ago, ages, even if that wasn't much considering his current age, but it was enough to make him doubt himself in any and all ways possible. Why was he doing that and more importantly, what did he gain from doing all of that? It didn't feel fair to feel bad about himself in Edwards presence, as much as it didn't feel wrong for the two of them to just consider doing whatever came to mind. Was it even odd that they sat here no, surrounded by nothing more than silence and the impending darkness of a day that was as good as over, or were they both just too sensitive to the obvious things and generally annoyed about what could be and what wasn't? Whatever the case, there was nothing about this that was important enough to waste his thoughts on and Cecil sighed shortly thereafter. It didn't take him long to put his mind to something, he knew that, but it also wouldn't take long for him to find something else that he enjoyed more than that - that was gradually more interesting than all those things that relentlessly plagued him in the first place. Hope was the last thing he thought he had, yet, it felt more as if it was the last thing he'd lose either way.

      "There's always someone who has it worse.", Cecil crooned. That was always the case anyway - no matter how well-off one was, there were people who weren't and it sometimes showed, showed in their different abilities, in the way they behaved and talked, or just regularly when one was trying to attempt a futile conversation. Whatever the case, he was done with his dinner and while the plate looked suspiciously empty, his stomach thankfully wasn't. The people celebrating down there wouldn't mind another person, somebody as pale as chalk - probably about the color of the brides dress, could she afford it - and still, they couldn't just go down there, in case someone was actually sober and not as drunk as they expected them to be. Cecil was almost bummed out by the fact, yet he knew that complaing led to barely anything and the fact that he even found time to complain seemed much like a dead giveaway for a bunch of things in the first place. "Oh, stop apologizing. You did absolutely nothing wrong.", he commented with the shake of his head. Eddie was prone to apologizing, as prone as the next one and Cecil stretched himself, only to feel some sort of slight burn, of his skin rubbing a bit too much against his clothes - of course he did have a slight sunburn, didn't he? At least his back seemed to be exempt, but his chest wasn't. "If you say so ... and I think I might want to do that, actually."
      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.

    • Edward was pretty much never sure what to say and the prince was the only one he could talk to without overthinking everything to its core. Even with him though his answers came slowly and he doubted every word that left his lips once he said it. On one hand he had little to no opinions of his own as it seemed and on the other he didn't want to say anything that might be considered wrong. In the end he was trying to please everyone, even when he was asked a question. The prince wanted honesty and he kind of got it, someone else might want a definitive answer and Edward would try to give it to them. Sometimes the prince had a weird way to make Edward question himself more than he should and he knew he'd think about all of this for a while from now on. For now however he stood up. It got darker and darker and the prince already didn't have the best eyesight. Edward found some candles and something to light them with and did just that on various places in the room. By there beds and by the little corner that was supposed to be something akin to a bath. It wasn't very cold in Ylisse, but Edward still eyed the fireplace. "Should I start a fire for you?", he asked. Especially if the prince wanted to wash himself, maybe a warmer room would be nice.

      Instead of sitting back down Edward was already preparing the little corner a little bit better for a bath. He got some towels of their own and put them there, he also placed some soap they had bought, so the prince didn't have to use the piece that was touched by who knew how many people. It was soap, it was supposed to make people clean, but still... He also got some ointment and put it next to the soap, it would help with any sunburn. It cooled the princes skin off hopefully and it would make it heal faster. He could use it once he was finished. Lastly Edward got the princes night garments so he'd be able to change into them at the end. Once all of that was done he didn't really know what to do, but eventually he sat back down, because even though the princes plate was empty, Edward barely touched anything. He knew he'd feel more comfortable once the prince started to hide behind that little curtain to wash himself and Edward was more or less alone. He'd also need to wash at least his cape and his pants to wash the lake water out, but that could wait until the prince was finished.

    • There he was again, going out of his way to prepare everything for Cecil and he wondered how many times more Edward would do it until he grew bored, until it became painfully apparent that he wanted to be nothing more than what he was - a knight, a man of his word and not some servant that had to bend to his masters every will. Whenever that happened, he was sure that no matter what, he'd find himself confused and maybe disturbed by the sudden change, but that was exactly why he didn't feel the need to let Eddie do everything for him. If he only let him do whatever he wanted and let himself just accept that, maybe, Eddie wanted to do all of that for him, hadn't he already lost? Not only that, Cecil was sure whatever it was that he attempted, it didn't happen either way - it wouldn't happen before or after this and he'd suddenly lose a friend that he wanted to desperately keep close. Thus was his life, and while he knew it was a fairly lonely one, he also was certain that no matter what, in the end, it all came to a halt and he hoped that nothing would keep obscuring those ideas that vigorously sprouted out of his head instead - all those stupid, childish ideas that only led to one too many things and forced him to realize that no matter what, he wasn't uptight enough for a noble.

      "You mean in the fireplace? No need to, though, you could show me, if you want to?", he instead inquired, but the bath came first - he didn't want to do anything else, he felt somewhat sticky and the lake water definitely gave off a distinguished smell. What a shame, wasn't it? Not only couldn't they wash all of this off in a nice bathroom, they also were stuck here until tomorrow and he couldn't even catch much of a glimpse at the stars - would it be safer to continue their journey at night? Probably, but even then that meant that, no matter what, he'd still have to figure out how to sleep during the day, to ignore the pesky rays of sunshine, and he'd also have to give himself a peptalk during the night, when he truly didn't see anything and anyone looking from afar would only spot a pesky flame in the nightsky, that illuminated their paths. "Are you alright? You barely ate.", he pointed out when he glanced at Eddie - was this his doing? He should stop pestering him and let him actually eat his food, this poor guy. Cecil instead pranced off to their little bathroom and soon enough pulled the curtain shut behind him ... well, washing himself was one of the things that he'd not want any help with anyway, it would only be painfully embarrassing - as much as the pink tint that parts of his arms and chest had taken, a small sunburn, and my the way his nose hurt, he was sure it had gotten to his face as well. It could only get worse from here on out, 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.