homebound. (earinor & akira)

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    • Edward felt like he wasn't included in that conversation anymore, even though he clearly could hear every word the prince and Logan exchanged. He bit his lips and acknowledged that he wasn't asked for his opinion this time and thus was the princes right. he didn't need to listen to Edward, he could order him around and even when he begged Edward to be honest, he disregarded his pleas anyway. Like now, when he fought with a dangerous stranger and Edward imagined all that could happen to Cecil during this little struggle. Edward didn't mind working hard for the prince, he didn't mind doing everything for him, but it seemingly drove the noble into the arms of a ruthless mercinary instead. Edward knre that he wasn't very vocal or fun to be around, he also knew that his role was to always object and say no to the princes ideas and that was why he didn't wonder why he rather listened to someone like Logan. Edward wasn't enough, he'd never be, because he would always be the princes knight first and foremost and only afterwards his friend. Even then, he was too different, too calm and generally against fun as it seemed.

      "It's not possible? Who told you that?", Logan asked raising an eyebrow. "You can be whoever you want to be. Anyone can be strong. You might not grow as tall as me, but that doesn't mean you can never beat me." Logan didn't know about the princes condition, but he wasn't inherently wrong. Edward still wanted to be the one to shoulder everything, be it protecting the prince, or simply caring for him by cooking or setting up a tent. "Don't worry!", Logan then laughed. So he'd hunt for them now? Maybe it wasn't the best idea to let him go into the woods alone, maybe he met his coconspiritors to discuss how to dispose of the two of them. Cecils words stung. He'd just let any injury slide, unknowing that it hurt Edward anytime something happened to him. Now in this playful fight was no exception. Logan wasn't doing much and he didn't break a sweat. The prince was too eager and at the second big swing he hit the air again and stumbled to the ground. Edward already hurried a few steps towards him, blaming himself for letting this happen, but Cecil just got up again. Was he fine? Edward stopped in his tracks and could only watch him go at Logan again, who gracefully dealt with all that the prince had to offer. "Aren't you getting tired?", Logan asked grinning, then he looked at Edward. "Hey knight! Don't you wanna give him some tips?"

    • Souring ones mood was something that Cecil was, unfortunately, very good at. Happiness was not something he could hand out like candy and often times, when it was just the two of them - him and Eddie - he was more than happy about divulging all the new things he learned to Edward, despite Edward being right there next to him, and he was talking and talking about something that the knight hadn't experienced if they were apart for some reason, which rarely happened and usually not for long anyway. Right now, however, the prince had found Logan and decided that the blonde was his main object of interest and he had, sadly, thrown Eddie into something akin to a ditch, simply because he wanted to have some fun. "Ask anyone in my family and they'll tell you the same. Eddie isn't like that, he'd not discourage me ... but it's just the truth.", Cecil explained and swung his stick-sword at Logan, who either parried or dodged the attack entirely. Naturally, there was some sense of unfulfilment, dread and hatred rising in his stomach because he couldn't get this stupid thing to work, couldn't get the blow to land - and Cecil himself wasn't unskilled at swordplay, though, his usual ways were nothing more than traditional, ceremonial swordfighting, something that both parties had to play fair for.

      Logan, on the other hand, had seen his fair share of unfair fights, he was sure of it, and therefore, he evaded each and every blow, no matter how small or big it was, or how hard it would hit. "I hope so! I don't need to get taller, it's fine, but I can't get stronger either. What does it matter, though? At least I'm having fun!", he laughed, sounding exhausted already, with some dirt over his clothes now and pearls of sweat dripping down his forehead. Truth be told, he was making amends and trying his best at something he'd never tried before, but it wouldn't make him much stronger than that. "If I was as strong as Eddie, I'd have beaten you to a pulp already!", Cecil declared, but even then, tumbled again and fell face first on the ground once more, this time getting up faster than before and while his swipes, again, didn't touch Logan, he heard his mockery which spurred him up even more. "Tired? Not in a million years!" He didn't even have thirty, probably, but he was breathing fine for now, so that was a good sign, wasn't it? "Hey, he has a name! And also, if he wants to give tips, I'd like that!" Frankly, he could use help, and he needed a bit of a breather, which was why he tried to land a hit on Logan once more, prancing around like a kitten when he tried to cushion his next fall and this time, he stayed where he was. "I give up!", he declared, fixing his clothes, but remaining seated in the dirt for a bit, looking down on a flower he found next to his leg - all bright and yellow and ... was that a dot of blood? "Eddieeeeee ..."
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • "Well maybe they are just wrong. Even if you can't be as strong as me, you can learn something else. No one needs to relay on anyone else, anyone can find their way. Just find something you're good at and stop sulking.", Logan replied disregarding Cecils explanation. It was just people talking him down, or the prince giving himself an excuse the be mothered by his knight like that. Maybe it was Edwards fault too, for being dependent on Cecil needing him and thus he pulled him down so he would continue to depend on him. Either way, Logan didn't want to let that slide, he wanted Cecil to become independent and he wanted him to stop thinking that he couldn't achieve anything. That was probably a matter of principal for Logan, because he himself never wanted anyone to dictate his life. There was no reason why Cecil should not be able to wield a sword. He was clumsy, eager and emotional right now, but that was only a matter of training the right technique. "Just do some training with your knight and you'll get stronger in no time. Keeps him on his toes too."

      Then Logan laughed. He could probably see that the prince overidolized Edward. He wasn't that strong, if he had to name a winner, hed bet his own money on Logan and not on himself. He lacked the experience, he probably lacked the strength too, so the only thing he had was a reason to give his all, which was Cecil. The prince got riled up and fell again. Edward flinched, but stayed at his position. He didn't want to see this, he didn't want him to get hurt. Now he shuld give him tips? Edward wasn't sure if he was able to, he wasn't a good teacher. "I...", he started, but Cecil didn't come to him for advice, instead he attacked once more with way too much energy and as there was nothing to hit, he lost his balance again. edward flinched again, he hated to see that happening. Only when the prince declared he was done did he step closer. However, as soon as the rpince cried out for him, Edward hastened his steps. He rushed to his side and let himself fall on his knees next to the prince. There was blood and with the white haired that never was good. He shot logan a glance, but there were more important matters at hand. edward quickly procured a piece of fabric and pressed it to the princes nose. He was visibly worried. "Lay your head back.", he told him, helping him to do so. Then he simply picked him up from the ground to carry him over to their things. he let him down on the blanket and got another piece of fabric, one of their towels they packed. He used their remaining water to make it wet and then pressed the cold and wet fabric against the princes neck. "I'm sorry. Are you hurt anywhere else?" "It's just a bleeding nose...", Logan pointed out slowly joining them, but Edward completely ignored him.

    • Logan was right, to some degree. Cecil couldn't control himself, he was too emotional in more than one way and the hope that he'd make himself any stronger than he already was, was wavering. When he'd been younger, he'd dreamt about protecting both himself and Edward, with both of them going on journeys and seeing foreign places. Now, all of that had turned to fine dust particles and the thought alone seemed ridiculous for a multitude of reasons, many of which he failed to clarify in the first place. "I'm not sulking, I'm just saying the truth.", he told Logan, but Edward had come to his apparent rescue soon enough and Cecil was pressing a cloth against his nose, doing as Edward instructed him to. Training would be nice, for both of them, but Eddie was better off training with someone that matched his strength, someone like Logan, not someone like a sorry excuse for a prince that couldn't even keep himself from bleeding. "Whoa!", he remarked after being hoisted up and only realizing that he was when Eddie had made a certain motion. The world beneath him moved, and before he knew it, he was laying down again, something he wanted to avoid.

      Nobody would be disappointed in him, in fact, his father was much more heated when it came to these things and Cecil understood the crude sentiment that came along with it. Just like earlier, when he had caught a quick glimpse at Edward, who was full of worry - and unwilling to just accept a decision that was bound to fail them both. There was some shuffling and yet, he was fine, it was just a nosebleed and in any case, that wouldn't be as outrageous as it had to be right now. "Eddie, it's not your fault. I have to keep my balance in check and al- Ah!", he exclaimed upon feeling the cold piece of fabric in his neck and sighing. "It's fine, but that surprised me. Anyways, no. My nose doesn't even hurt, it just bleeds." Falling square onto his face thrice had its benefits - he was bound to learn, but now, they had used whatever water they had left on him and Cecil, for the first time in forever, would prefer the cool shade in the castle to ward off his nosebleed - then again, it only was Eddie and him, and Logan, out here, not fifteen servants and three doctors hounding him because he had scraped his knee with a fork during a food fight with Maeve. "Yes, it's a bleeding nose.", he told Logan. "Sorry for making you worry, Eddie.", he mumbled, wiping his nose with the cloth from earlier and staying where he was. "The thing is, if I start bleeding, it won't stop and in certain cases that can be annoying and a bit ... threatening. I mean, little pricks are fine and all, but ... ugh, I was born an unsightly beast and suffer the consequences." Then, Cecil sighed. "Look, Eddie is worried for a good reason, but I'm done with being pampered. If I die, I want to die seeing something first, not all warded and sheltered from the world. That sounds stupid and selfish, but I'm trying to better myself. It's just hard to do when your own body decides to, you know, kind of kill you."
      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.

    • Logan didn't understand. He understood nothing and sometimes Edward had the feeling that the prince chose to not understand as well. A scraped knee was fine, it didn't bleed endlessly, but there were also found invisible, inside of Cecils body if he fell too hard and then they wouldn't even know about it. He'd bleed out. Maybe it was due to the fact that Edward has seen too much at a very young age. It had changed him for sure, he grew more hesitant to indulge the princes silly ideas. He always was dutybound and tried to keep his post. He tried to do what he was supposed to, always, but when he was younger he also was dumber and when Cecil asked to go outside over and over again they eventually did. It had been a rather shallow wound Cecil sustained when he fell, just like now, only that there had been a nasty stone hidden away by grass. Edward was alone with him and much younger, much weaker. When Cecil hit the ground and started bleeding, initially he seemed fine, but it wouldn't stop. Edward got rid of his shirt to soak up the blood coming from the princes head. The noble had gotten increasingly drowsier and Edward had never in his life experienced such a tremendous fear on so many levels. He picked him up, it was much less easier than now and he rushed him home. There had been blood all over the princes face and hair as well as on Edwards body and hands. Back at the castle Garrett himself took over, picked Cecil up from Edwards arms and carried him away. Francis rushed after him and Edward didn't know what to do. A maid found him standing in the hallway, he didn't know what to do and she helped him clean up, before she needed to get back to her own work. Edward didn't dare ask if the prince was alright, but he stood in a corner near the infirmary and watched people going in and out for hours. That his father didn't scold him right away was even worse. Edward had felt like he deserved it, but it was only days later that he received some slight punishment, which he thought of was way too little. Edward would never in his life forget this moment and seeing the prince bleed now made him doubt himself once more. He shouldn't have stopped it or caught him when he fell...

      Edward shook his head, it was his duty to protect the prince and he failed, he wouldn't let anyone say any different. When the prince spoke he sounded weird due to the blood and the fabric in front of his nose. Edward couldn't do much more but take the burden of holding that thing to the princes face from him. "You are not unsightly, nor are you a beast.", Edward mumbled calmly but also as honest as he could be. "I'll take you wherever you want, we can see a lot of things and I'll protect you, but please... you need to take more care of yourself so we actually can.", Edward answered even though the princes explanation was meant for Logan and not for him. "Well good to know.", Logan butted in. "That is more reason to train you more, so you won't hurt yourself as much and can defend yourself just in case. You're clumsy, but we'll get rid of that." Edward was angry at Logan for just brushing everything off like that, but he didn't say anything to him, instead he softly lifted up the princes face. "Let me see...", he softly spoke and carefully took the fabric away to see if it still bled.

    • Often times, things happened for a reason, and while something like this didn't have an apparent reason, Cecil was painfully aware of the repercussions that one wrong step could have. Once he fell, he could try to catch himself, but with noodles for arms, all of that was foiled, despite his non-apparent weight and the fact that he had trained once - he felt like an old man sometimes, reliant on someone else to care for him and bound to duties he could hardly accept as his own. Sure, there were attempts to make efforts in some ways, to help himself, but even in the past, all that had led to some bleeding had hurt, sooner or later, and it made him lose his mind. He wasn't sure if he liked being pampered or being cared for, if he liked the prospect of having his work cut out for him, but Edward simply tried his best in many ways, something that Cecil was greatful for and smiled about, despite the fact that his bloody nose was ruining an otherwise perfectly fine afternoon. "It's fine. I'm not as pretty as my siblings and I never will be, but it's fine.", he admitted. Sometimes, it became painfully apparent just how sour Cecil could be, over something he had no control over. He was white as snow, in a family that was anything but that - theoretically the black sheep, by appearance alone, even when he shared their sentiments to a fault.

      "Eddie, I will. But I still want to experience things - I'll take more care next time, I just wanted to hit Logan, mhm.", he clarified for all three of them, giving the blonde a sour glance before laughing. "I'll get you next time!", he spoke, almost a tad bit too excited about everything - whenever that next time would be, though, Logan was better off preparing himself for the beeting of a lifetime. Arguably, Edward was mad and Cecil gave him an apologetic smile while listening to the blondes ranting. That was an approach, but even then, it had never worked before - and as it stood right now, maybe he was better off not trying something as ridiculous as that, something that told him just how lost he was. "I'll take your word for it, Mr. Mercenary!", he dared him, but then sat up a bit, before using the fabric to wipe the blood from his face. For any other person, it would have dried up by now, or at least slowed down, but as soon as Eddie grabbed it, Cecil was filled with a bit of dread and immediately lay all the way back down. "Still bleeding.", he told him. On the contrary, his breathing was fine and nothing felt any more odd than it had ten minutes ago, which was good in itself. Edwards hands felt nice on him, but even then, he pouted a bit. "It's not that bad." It never was, at least when it came to Cecils assessment, but who even knew. "Don't look at me like that, I'm not dying."
      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.

    • "Stop...", Edward said softly and looked at the prince who was reminded of everything that bothered him by the bloody nose. It had been fun while he was trying, albeit failing to hit Logan, but now he bled, when any other person wouldn't have and it annoyed him. Edward knew him well enough to know what was going on in the princes head, but there was nothing much he was able to say to make it any better. "You are just as pretty as them.", he said anyway and Logan was awfully quiet, maybe he felt bad for what had happened. He just walked over to hand Edward his water in case they needed more, he probably saw that their reserves were emptied before. Edward only looked at him briefly and took the offer without a word, just a nod. "Anyhow...", Logan finally said something too, "There is no use in comparing oneself to others. You are you and they are they. You will be the first one of them to enter Thria and see a lot o places, doesn't that sound good?" Was Logan trying to cheer the prince up? He said all that with a weird tone in his voice, but when Edward looked up again, Logan had turned around and started to put back on his armor he cast aside before.

      Whatever Edward said and however often the prince hurt himself, he seldomly learned anything. He still got sunburnt all the time, even though he seriously hurt himself before and he would fall on his nose again too. maybe Edward should give him some advice next time, but he mostly felt like the prince didn't want to hear any of it. "Next time? Maybe in ten more tries.", Logan replied laughing and once he had packed up, he sat back down again to wait until they could leave. The prince was still bleeding and Edward firmly pressed the fabric back on the princes nose. This could take quite some while, Edward knew that all too well. he told Logan that he shouldn't do that. Edward needed to take better care of the prince, he just didn't know how. Edward furrowed his brows at the sight of the bloody fabric and the traces of blood on the princes face. "Mhh.", Edward nodded slightly. It wouldn't kill the prince, but Edward just hated seeing him like that, no matter where the blood came from.

    • Ugh, all of this was getting to Cecils head and on Edwards nerves as it seemed - and Logan was caught in the middle of this shitshow, which turned out to be a variety of things. There was an attempt here and there, from Cecil no less, but he knew the truth anyway. Garrett was stronger, Xander was smarter and Maeve would always be prettier - in the end, he was the black sheep among them, hiding more than one dispicable secret inside of him, where none could see the bruising or the pain. Eddie, however, did his best to comfort him, all the while Cecil couldn't help but shake his head. All of this was ridiculous for a variety of reasons, and many of them amounted to nothing but more stupid ideas in his scrambled little head. "I'll stop, it's fine, I'm fine, Eddie. I'm just annoyed.", he sighed, wanting nothing more than to bury his face in his knights shoulder or chest and stop thinking about it. But he'd get blood all over him instead, something that Cecil wasn't used to, as well as something that he didn't quite understand for the hell of it. There was nothing to worry about in the losest sense of words. Logan chimed in, too, and Cecil felt bad again, simply because he was burdening two capable men with his stupid emotions.

      "I guess I'll go places. With you two. That's something they don't have, and I'm happy about that." However, he still was weak and needed protection, and while Eddie was there for him right now, what would happen if he wasn't anymore? Logan had been right, he had to grow above and beyond himself, had to become strong, not only for his sake but for his knights sake as well, and the longer he spent tending to something stupid like a nosebleed, the more time he was wasting. "You just watch! I'll defeat you faster than you see it coming!", he declared, almost as if he was out for a fist fight this time, despite knowing his strength and the fact that against someone like Logan, he was bound to lose. It hurt to consider, but even then, Cecil was done with being sore and sweaty, and hurt and helpeless. As Edward pressed the cloth back against his nose, he took over so he could put his hand down. "Mhh? We can leave now, right? I'll ride with you if that makes you feel better?", he proposed, putting his free hand against Edwards nose to softly press against the tip of it. "Cheer up. I didn't want to hurt you, I'm sorry." For once, he really was, and he smiled at Eddie because of it - they were doing well, but they both knew that it couldn't hurt to slow down.
      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 knew that his prince was annoyed and he wasn't as funny as Francis, or Logan as it seemed and also not as carefree as William. He compared himself to his brothers too. All the damn time, maybe they both should just stop that. Still Edward felt bad for not being able to cheer his prince up, no matter what he said or did. Logan didn't seem to say the right words either, the prince only looked more upset. it was hard to pull the prince out of a slump like that, but maybe he didn't need to. Maybe it was fine to be upset. Edward would have said more, but Logans presence made it hard for him to speak his mind, it was already hard with only the prince around, but with a stranger listening in Edward felt even more tongue tied. once they made it into the next town, maybe he could talk to the prince about some things. Logan didn't comment much more either, it wasn't a conversation he was part in and when the prince declared he'd beat him, he just grinned and shook his head. Edward knew that his nose might bleed for quite a while longer and so he agreed to keep going. "I'm fine.", Edward answered, wondering why he was suddenly the topic. It didn't matter, he carefully picked the prince up and sat him into the grass momentarily to pack up the blanket and the rest of their things. Then he picked up Cecil again to put him on his horse. Edward tied their two horses together then got behind the prince, so he could hold him and have a look at his nose every now and then. With that they were ready to leave.

      Edward checked on the prince every now and then and once the bleeding had stopped, he put the fabric away to clean later and procured another one. With the rest of Logans water he wiped away the remaining blood from the princes face, but didn't let him move over to his own horse. Eventually he lat the prince take another position however, so he could sit normally on the horse with Edward behind him. Logan rode a bit ahead, after all he was the one knowing the way. Edward had no other choice but to trust him for now and once the sun started setting they reached a little town. They headed for an inn, got off their horses there and Logan told them to take a seat, while he was going to the counter to ask for two rooms and some food. Edward and Cecil had their hoods on and knowing that Logan would come back eventually, Edward sat next to Cecil, instead of opposite of him. The knight wasn't a fan of crowded places, this inn was packed though and loud. He much rather would have gone upstairs to have some peace and quiet, but he knew very well that manners told them to at least eat together with Logan and also Cecil liked those kind of scenes. It took a while, but eventually Logan came back, not empty handed, he brought three big bugs of beer with him and placed them so hard on the table that some of it spilled on the wooden surface. "Those are on you lil'... uh sheep!", Logan chimed remembering that he probably shouldn't call him prince. "Anyway, let's toast to our new partnership!" With that he slid onto his own seat and took one mug for himself.

    • Having someone take care of him was something that Cecil loathed, much like he had to admit that it was his only shot at a normal life. An injury like that hardly hurt or killed, but Edward seemed like he always wanted to help, as if he felt like he owed Cecil something and with that, he decided to simply not comment on the fact that he could move fine and that his head wasn't scrambled and all over his place. Eddie was overreacting, at least to Cecil, but then again, his concerns weren't unfounded, in fact, they never were and he hated himself just a tad bit more for not obliging to his knights request in the first place. He was glad to hear that he was fine, but even then, he just had to make sure, in case he'd upset him or even furthered a misunderstanding between the two of them. There was nothing that held them up, and even less for them to think about, but then again, he also felt bad about all that could transpire and in turn, what made him himself. Cecil wished to be more like anyone that he never could be, but soon enough, all those worries were wiped away when he found his way into Edwards arms.

      The ride was pleasant and the bleeding stopped eventually - the only thing he didn't like was the subsequent cleaning and the fact that, no matter what, Eddie would always be the first one to care for him and about him, even before he himself had the opportunity to. While they rode, the breeze had been nice and the fact that he could hold onto Eddie with a bit of twisting and turning was welcome, too. By now, Cecil was tiring of many things, but most importantly, he was just tired of today and wished to find himself a nice napping spot, or go up to their room as soon as they made their way to the inn. Soon enough, he exchanged a comfortable ride for a hood that had been forced over his head and while his nose had stopped bleeding, blarring noise soon hit his ears as they scuffled for a table in a corner, somewhere where nobody would spot them easily. Logan disappeared for a while, only to return with what seemed mugs of some kind, the yellow liquid content sloshing from one part of the rim to the other and completely mesmerizing Cecil for a second, before they were slammed onto the table and almost spilled everywhere. "Sheep?", he chuckled, he wasn't brooding anymore, but he still was tugging on a corner of the fabric on Eddies sleeve, to keep him close, seemingly scared for once. "I... uh, suppose so! To our new partnership, yes yes!", he announced, grabbing one of the heavy mugs for himself and shoving the third in Edwards direction, before they all brought them together with a distinctive clink. Cecil soon took a swig, having not tasted the concoction before, only to find that it was pretty hard to lift the mug with one hand, and the contents of it were bitter. "What ... even is that? Alcohol?", he suddenly asked, looking at Eddie. "Am I even supposed to have that?" By Ylisses laws, he wasn't even an adult ... oh 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.

    • The town Logan led them to seemed a bit bigger than the last one they visited. The inn was bigger too and apparently a hotspot for meeting each other after work. It was packed with people and even after they sat down there came even more. Logan vanished in a pool of strangers, even the tall blonde completely vanished for a while. It was loud, people were talking and laughing, a cacophony of voices echoed through the room and probably also up to the rooms. Edward hoped they had two free. The prince was sitting in the corner of the little booth they found, Edward sat next to him, shielding him from anyone who might come near. Still he tugged on Edwards sleeve, he held on to it as if Edward would vanish into a crowd of people as well if he didn't. Edward wasn't a big fan of crowds, but it was good that the prince for once didn't prance off and wanted to jump right into the mess too. Edward didn't want to lose him. "Don't worry.", he smiled at the prince next to him. "The more people, the less they are interested in us." He wanted to cheer the prince up and eventually moved the hand closer to the prince from the top of the table under it, to grab Cecils hand for comfort.

      When Logan came back the prince didn't want to show how he truly felt as it seemed. That was fine, he acted as cheerful as ever, or maybe Edward did calm him down. The blonde had brought three mugs of beer and Edward supposed that some food would follow once it was done. He didn't want to drink, he never did, after all he had a job to do and for that he should keep his senses together. "Did they have free rooms?", Edward asked and Logan nodded. "Yes yes, don't worry. Here's your key.", Logan answered, pulling said key out of his pocket and putting it on the table. Edward took it and put it into his own pockets, then he already got dragged into a toast and after looking at the excited prince, he took his own mug to put it together with Logan and the prince. Logan took a big gulp right after, he seemed to enjoy himself. The prince tasted his too, while Edward just put the mug back down without drinking from it. The prince asked for advice and Edward smiled at him. "Yes, alcohol. Beer to be exact.", he nodded, not sure if the prince should indulge in something like that. "I uh... if you want to?", he smiled with a nod, deciding to let the prince have some fun. Not letting him do what he wanted to had led to that stupid fight in the first place. Maybe if he was allowed to try some things, he became less restless. "Just don't drink too much, or you'll get a headache." Logan chimed in too. "Did you never drink beer before?!"

    • Edward was like an anchor to him, something valuable that kept him at bay and he cherished him for that, yet, not that alone - it was strange, but even stranger than that was the fact, that both him and Edward continued relying on one another, so far away from the truth that they absconded and ignored for more than one reason. All of this was nothing more than glitter on some sort of vile amalgamation, something that made Cecil someone he was not, and even then - no matter how retched his very being was - Edward seemingly didn't dare insult him and instead preferred to be by his side, to make him feel more loved than anyone else would ever be, and to tell him how much he was truly worth, despite all the things he could claim to be instead. Cecil didn't run off this time, no, he enjoyed the non-apparent silence in their little corner and the furthering understandment that Eddie offered him up. "You're right, more time for ourselves ...", he mumbled, more to himself than his knight, but said knight was right in more than one way. Hopelessness didn't suit either of them, it didn't kill either, but it became apparent on their tired faces sometimes, something that Cecil faced regardless of what he could or would be able to do from then on out.

      Eddie soon enough snatched their key from Logan as the prince himself held onto the mug he'd been given, which felt somewhat nice and cool, but at the same time he wondered if his hands were burnt again and if he needed more ointment applied to him, something that he didn't even think too much about at this point. If it hurt, it hurt, and if it didn't, it wouldn't - that was one way to live by, but not a good one in any way. "A bed would be nice right about now.", he chuckled, alluding to the fact that he was somewhat beat and ready for bed, despite the fact that he found himself drinking beer - something he wasn't allowed to do up until this point, but greatly welcomed for one reason or the other. "Beer? So that's what they drink, huh.", he wondered aloud. Garrett didn't fancy particular drinks and Xander was usually beat after a glass of wine - he always was beat and left William to clean up the mess that he embodied, but ... did Eddie think the same of him. "Tastes bitter.", he remarked after taking another swig, making a disgusted face at one of his following attempts. Logan seemingly enjoyed it and Eddie ignored his own mug fully, which left Cecil to shake his head the slightest bit. "I'll do my best.", he answered, trying to mimick Logan by taking a big gulp himself, only to fail at that because everything about him was just comically tiny at this point, especially compared to that damn mug. "Just a headache? Doesn't Garrett always throw up?", he wondered and yes, whenever the crown prince was in particularly good mood, he lost himself in alcohol and nothing else. "Logan, I'm not 21 yet. I never had anything, not even wine."
      Looking back, it maybe is like the toy carts you rode when you were a kid. But those toy carts could never go beyond the walls of the lawn. We want to follow the rugged concrete road beyond the wall. As we've grown, we've decided to leave behind the toy cart.

    • Edward noticed that the prince was tired, usually he needed to shoo him up their room to end the night, but not today as it seemed. he did move a lot today and the sun usually tired something out too, especially when it was a hot day. The pursuit from Logan, the fear to be caught and then the little fun training fight the prince had, of course he was tired. He'd sleep good today, especially if he kept drinking. Edward drank before, mostly because his father or Francis had pushed something in his hand, but he couldn't say that he enjoyed it very much. "Let's eat something and then I'll bring you to bed.", Edward smiled and Logan answered with a frown. "What? I thought we'd have some fun tonight!", he complained and then sighed. "Well it's fine. I ordered some food for us, it'll be out in a few minutes." Logan seemed somewhat disappointed. They traveled together, but that didn't mean they were friends. "You shouldn't drink too much yourself." "Ah, are you worried about me?" "No, but we want to leave early." "Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I'll be awake."

      Edward left it at that and pointed his attention back to the prince who studied the golden liquid inside his mug. "Mhm... most alcohol is bitter. If you don't like it, you don't have to drink it.", Edward responded. Logan shook his head. "You'll get used to it, don't worry.", was the blondes advice on this matter and he already almost finished his own mug. Like a child the prince tried to follow the mercenaries example, but the mug was too big for him and he didn't drink much of that beer thus far. Edward let out a very short chuckle, more like a snort. "That's because he drinks more than too much.", he explained to the prince. He wasn't supposed to talk about the crownprince like that, but he still did just this once. Logan started laughing for multiple reasons. "21, huh? I was 15 when I first drank beer!" He certainly looked like that. "What about you knight?" "I think it's best if at least one of us stays sober."

    • A sullen expression wasn't something that suited Cecil very well, and yet, he wore it on his face as if it was the only thing he was capable of. Logan made him light up on multiple occasions and Eddie too, but Cecil was beat and he wanted nothing more than a hug and maybe some soft affirmations and then some sleep. Was that was Garrett meant when he said he yearned for some onesided love? No, that was referring to some of the poor girls he fucked and then dumped every once in a while - Cecil wasn't that naive and yet, he gave his brother the benefit of the doubt. "You'll carry me to bed? That's sweet!", he remarked, taking another gulp from the comically large mug that he raised with two hands, only to make another disgusted expression. Why would anyone like to drink this? Grape juice tasted far better, even if he'd never gotten his hands on the fermented version of that, he didn't seek it out anyway. "We can have fun tomorrow, as much as you want. How's that sound?", he suggested to the blonde. Why was he talking to Logan as if he were a toddler? Cecil didn't know, but he knew for sure that no matter what, he was having fun right now, with both the mercenary and his knight. "Pfft, you two sound like Garret and Francis if you argue like that.", he threw into the mix; they kind of did, always arguing about the small things when they wanted to embark on a big journey the next day but also enjoy a grand feast that was hosted because of Garrett's departure.

      "No, no! I will drink this!", he assured Eddie, but thinking about downing the entire mug, much like Logan was doing seemed impossible. For a moment Cecil looked at him and wondered about how nice the lightning was in here - it was dark, but the sun hurt even his eyes, and the oil lamps that burned and flickered in the night wind whenever the door swung open provided a somewhat cozy atmosphere, even when the inn was louder than a thousand men during combat training and smelled worse than the stables at home. "So it's just one of those things where you get used to it? The more you drink the better it gets?", he questioned Logan soon after and, without thinking too much, drank again. Food would be here anytime, but his empty stomach and the fact that he'd never consumed anything like that before eventually made him hiccup, which made him embarrassed instead. Cecil his his face in Eddie's shoulder for a bit, wishing for the hiccups to subside and yet, it didn't haven and he, instead, bemoaned his newfound problem. "Garrett likes drinking, alright? He's a bit of an idiot ...", he managed to mumble, accompanied by a chuckle. Eddie didn't seem like he felt inclined to, but Logan was going on and on. "Fifteen? Uhhhh, what were we doing when we were fifteen?", he asked his knight. Probably taking classes and learning proper etiquette, or getting thrown around by Garrett. "Hmm, no. Drink with me. Pretty please? Just a 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.

    • "Uh.. I... I didn't mean that I'll carry you...", Edward quickly responded somewhat startled and with cheeks that grew a bit red. "But if you want that, I'll do it.", he added as quickly, of course he would if the prince so wished, he better did to not lose him in that crowd in here, they were lucky they got a table, but as Edward predicted, they were all occupied with themselves, no one paid attention to the two hooded figures. "Tomorrow? When I hunt your food, ey?", Logan asked with a laugh. "Maybe if Mr. Knight decides to give me another chance in a fight, I'm satisfied." technically Logan didn't lose, or did he? Edward broke his stick and sent him to the floor, but only after the mercenary bonked his stick on the princes head. Edward felt bad about that, he should have paid more attention and for now he didn't answer. He'd fight Logan if the prince ordered him too, but he didn't want to take that invitation, or demand, or whatever it was himself. He looked at the prince rather shocked when he was told he sounded like his brother though. Maybe he did. "Your brothers?", Logan asked with a grin and leaned back. "I'm guessing Francis is the stuck up one. No offense." Edward didn't take one.

      "Are you sure?", he asked the prince instead, everytime he took a sip he looked like he had bitten in a lemon. "Yes, just keep drinking it and you'll grow to love it." Edward softly sighed, maybe he shouldn't have allowed the prince to drink some beer. If he wanted to be like Logan, he'd be an alcoholic in no time and just like that the prince started to have a hiccup. When Cecil hid his face in Edwards shoulder he softly started to stroke over his back in hopes it would get rid of the hiccups and also because he thought maybe the prince felt better like this. "What's that supposed to mean? People who drink are idiots? Am I an idiot then?", Logan asked as if he was offended, but even Edward noticed that he was just joking around. "I can't remember.", Edward then answered when he was asked what they did nearly seven years ago. They were on this journey because the prince grew bored at home and Edward understood that, because when he thought back every day, every week, every year was kind of the same, with no distinct events. "Mh... alright.", Edward nodded as always. A few sips of beer wouldn't do much to him, so he took his mug and drank a tiny bit to satisfy his prince. Meanwhile the food was delivered to their table. It looked a bit too much for three people. There was a lot of meat, but also some bread and cheese. It was just put in between them and then they got three plates additionally. Logan grabbed a spoon and looked at the prince. "Look at me. I know a trick to get rid of your hiccups.", he grinned and once the prince faced him, he put the spoon on his nose. "Balance it."

    • "You won't carry me?", he asked, his voice somewhat sweet as honey. Cecil couldn't quite fathom that his knift was denying him right about now, but he held onto him regardless and wanted to fake some sniffling, even though there was no need for him to be melodramatic in this case. "You will? Thanks, Eddie!", he remarked, grinning upward at his knight, happy about getting his way, despite the fact that he almost never didn't get his way - when he'd order Edward to jump into a shark-infested pool, he'd probably do it, which was as sweet of him as it was insane. "Our food, Logan. And our fun.", he giggled, seemingly amused by the somewhat offended tone that the blonde played. "If he wants to, you two can fight. But no serious injuries, you hear me? I need my Eddie in one piece.", he declared, sounding mighty proud. Now, that meant it was up to Edward himself to make the decision - did he want to fight that ruffian of a mercenary again, or was he better off not making any attempts like that? Whatever the case, Eddie was older than him and he smiled still, haunted by his hiccups every once in a while. "Yes ... and yes. Francis is Eddie's brother, Garrett is mine and they are ... well, my brother is into hunting mythical beasts and won't accept a 'they don't exist' for an answer.", he whispered as best as he could, so that Logan would still hear it.

      Truth be told, they never had brought home a fabled beast from days past and Cecil doubted that any of them really existed - the thought itself was sweet, but who needed a horse with a horn, or an oversized lizard, or a bird made of fire? None of these things were something that he'd gain something from, but even then, the comprehension of things like that was beyond him. Garrett made attempt after attempt, successfully ruling out a few things in a days time, and Cecil himself, well, he'd always claimed they were hoaxes - once he'd gotten over the fact that there wasn't going to be a flying horse that whisked him away. "Yes! I want to say Logan wouldn't like to me but ... uh, I hope he's not? And everyone drinks this stuff, how bad can it really be?" Horrid, if anything. But not only that, Cecil was also making efforts to understand what had happened that made his attitude even more lax. Was it the exhaustion or the fact that he finally felt like he lived his life, together with Edward and an alcoholic? Now, that was mean, actually - Logan was somehow sweet, if rough around the edges. "No, that means my brother is an idiot for drinking more than he can reasonably stomach. You seem pretty smart to me.", he nodded, finally leaving his defense position despite being plagued by hiccups. Cecil figured it would get better if he drank some more and thus he did, in an attempt to quell his restless body. "That's fair, it's kinda boring anyway. You made it a lot better, though.", Cecil divulged and, for once, grabbed after Eddies hand again, despite seeing the platter of food being laid out in front of them, and the stuff that he - normally - wouldn't ask for, yet received all the same. Pastries were nice, but meat was better. "A trick? And what would that be?", he wondered aloud, looking up at Logan, before he felt some cold silverware on his nose. "Balance it? Whoa, but why?", he spoke, focusing on the spoon and nothing else, trying not to drop it - this was sudden.
      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 seemed disappointed. Of course he would carry him, whether it be in his arm or on his back, whatever he preferred. Up in their room he'd put him to bed, tug him in tightly and maybe put some of the cold ointment on and around his nose. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to go to sleep today himself, he still didn't trust Logan, even if he seemed kind of honest now. the decision if he wanted to fight him was up to Edward now and he sighed. Logan would only play games again, wouldn't he? "I won't hurt him.", Logan reassured the prince and the knight felt obliged to actually fight him, so they'd stay on his good side or something like that. "I'll think about it.", he answered. Did he need to prove himself? Next to Logan Edward felt weaker than he wanted to be, even though he held up fine against him, hadn't he? Did he go all out? probably not... "Well I've never seen a mythical beast and I probably visited more places.", Logan grinned. "Maybe we find some in Thria."

      Edward nodded at Cecil, if he wanted to keep drinking he should - for now. But one big mug was enough for him, they needn't get another one. "Oh? Smart? Well thank you!", Logan laughed again, seemingly enjoying himself, Edward wondered why and how. He could never be as carefree as him, nor was he ever that loud. He didn't raise attention to them, everyone was loud in here, but Edward just noticed how different they were. The prince was the one who could find joy in so many things too, maybe that was why he liked Logan. Yet he also appreciated Edwards company, today and 7 years ago as it seemed. He even grabbed Edwards hand again and the knight wondered if the prince was still a little overwhelmed by all those people here. Then he watched Logan put a spoon on Cecils face. Edward meanwhile cut some meat from the big block in the middle and put it with a view sides neatly onto the princes plate. "If you do it right you appease the hiccup gods. Did it work?", Logan asked with a grin.

    • No matter how long their journey would be, Cecil knew that Edward wouldn't leave his side, but even then, he didn't want to come off as ungrateful or someone that didn't appreciate all the aide that was offered to him by his knight. In reality, there was only so many things he could do on his own and he was rather glad that Edward was with him to take care of most of them, lest Cecil would realize that no matter what, he was actually dooming himself - what would have even happened if he ran off alone? Eddie would've been punished for not taking proper care of him and he'd bled out all alone, somewhere, because he'd slipped. "I hope you don't." Or else he'd have to hire someone that beat Logan up for him, which seemed like a daunting task, something that Cecil hardly would be appreciative of. No matter what, Eddie was considering it and that alone made him beam with what seemed to be thousands of smiles. Cecil couldn't believe what he heard and what was more important, he had a spoon to balance - which looked ridiculous, but felt surprisingly nice. "No mythical beasts in Ylisse, eh? Can you tell Garrett that if we meet him?", he questioned - maybe he'd finally shut up. "That'd be fun! Then I can annoy him!"

      Discovering something before his big brother did ought to be fun, not only because of the obvious disrepancies it brought, but also because it offered up quite an unfamiliar but lovely idea - Cecil winning at something that he could have never won before. Even then, however, daydreaming was out of question. "Hm, that makes me wonder - are you strong and smart or are you strong and just seem smart?", he suddenly asked, grabbing his mug of beer to drink from it again, something that managed to force him to make funny faces - which seemed odd by itself. Why was this thing so wretched? Who even drank this? Logans? Who even was Logan? Cecil had no idea, but even now, his face looked familiar and while he thought about it, the spoon soon fell into the mug, at the same time as Logan was saying something. "I suppose so, but I drowned the magic spoon in gold.", he spoke, looking at that poor thing and sighing, before he decided to fish it out of there - he didn't want cuttlery with his alcohol, but soon enough ... "Hey, it's really gone - what kind of nonsense is that!?", he asked Logan, before he frantically exchanged glances between him and Eddie. Now, what even was that?
      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 suppose you rather don't meet your brother. Wouldn't he bring you home?", Logan asked with a smile and started to grab some food for himself. Just as Edward expected, he was a ruffian with no manners. He didn't wait for the prince or Edward and then he just swallowed everything down in an insane speed. Edward didn't pay it more attention, once he filled up the princes plate he filled up his own too and started eating with the one hand he got left. "Would he even believe you?", Logan then wanted to know and he asked with a full mouth. Edward averted his gaze to his own plate. Cecil was different from his brother, knowing him he probably wanted to domesticate any beast he came across. The crownprince just wanted some decoration and fame. Wasn't he already famous enough? Well it was none of Edwards business and even though he'd never say it, he was happy to be assigned to Cecil and not Garrett. Then again, Francis seemed to fit him quite well. He never was fed up, unlike William and even though he reprimanded Garrett, he was never truly annoyed by him. He liked to hunt himself, Edward was sure of that.

      "What? Of course I am strong and smart. I mean... I probably didn't read as many books as you, but I know my way around the world and life.", Logan answered proudly. "You two can learn a lot from me. Hunting, fishing, cooking, I even can sew a little bit to fix my clothes." Logan nodded still very proud of himself. Edward probably didn't have as much experience in hunting, fishing or cooking, but he knew it in theory. He also was good at finding herbs, he kind of developed an interested for the princes sake and he was pretty good at sewing. Saying that, when he had time, he wanted to do something anyway. The prince let his spoon fall into his mug meanwhile, but he fished it out by himself before Edward was able to help him. Instead of helping with that, he quickly offered up a piece of fabric for the prince to wipe his hands with. Logan laughed because of the princes question and Edward had to smile too. "I'm not a hiccup expert.", the knight responded with a smile and Logan didn't feel the need to answer, he already told him it was a ritual, right?

    • Hiccups and brothers were weird in their own regard and Logan made all of that seem so mysterious, Cecil found himself intrigued in the witchcraft that they had just practiced, and then again, frowned upon what he'd heard. What a weird way to say things. "He'd grab me like a sack of potatoes and Eddie by the scruff of his neck and drag us aaaaaall the way back home. He's always been like that.", he answered Logan before remembering a particular incident that, despite their best efforts, hadn't ended all that well. As inquisitive and curious as he was, he'd dragged both himself and Eddie out of the castle and into the shrubs on the edge of the forest, where they had played silly games all afternoon and evening, but as soon as dusk settled and they wanted to walk home, Garrett had already come for the two of them, with Francis running after them, and without much effort, they'd grabbed the younger boys and carried them home, scolding them for staying out so long and yet, never told any of the adults and claimed they'd been with them the entire time, which was a flat-out lie. "Unless I bring back evidence, no. But I'm not keen on hunting, not even mythical beasts. Maybe tame it and bring it back? But Garrett would want to kill it anyway.", he sighed.

      Much like Logan, who dug in without holding back, his older brother could be a ruffian, albeit in a different way. Cecil wondered if he was missed already, or his big brother was just happy that he'd finally gone on his own adventures - but even then, he couldn't answer that, not like this and definitely not for himself, which was why he listened to their conversation a bit more. "So you're street-smart, not book-smart.", the prince concluded, having heard those terms somewhere before - or read about them - and then ignored them entirely. Sure, it was worth a disgusting attempt to bastardize some words, but who knew? Unlike Logan, all he knew was from classes and books, there weren't many real and lived experiences. "But can you use magic?", he tauned, curious as he took the fabric from Eddie and wiped his hand off. "Thank you, and ... thank you for the food, you really didn't have to do that.", he coyly admitted, before finally letting go of his knights hand. "Sorry, you can eat now.", he assured him, before he had to giggle once more. "You aren't a hiccup expert? What about a Cecil protection expert then?" In a way, Eddie was, but even then, they both often struggled to make something of their situation - but did it matter? The prince started eating, all of them were in for a good time, nothing else.
      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.