Roderich
Long yawn fought its way through my lips. My arms were crossed over my chest, shoulders slouched over as I let my body be carried towards my dear home. It was late noon when I finally managed to escape the grasp of Vienna and yet, great weariness took over me, eyelids falling on their own and I had to gather all of the remaining strength to pull myself together.
Muscles ached and back begged for a soft bed to be rested upon, the wiggling of my carriage not helping it at all. Annoyance grew inside me but I only shook my head, tapping my knuckles against it gently to remain self-aware.
Instead, I decided to let the outside noises flow into my ears. I was far too used to them by now, the chirping of birds sounding the same every time I crossed this path. The clicking of hooves as other carriages ran past mine, some faster and some slower, depending whether the person inside was in rush or not. Even the horse noises became so familiar to me, I've acknowledged it for the shortest of second and then completely forgot about it. If someone was to ask me what I've heard along the way, I'd be speechless for I came to treat things as if they'd never leave and would always be there.
However, on this ride home, I paid attention to all those things I took as granted. The growling of wheels when the carriage took a turn. Splash of water when children from a nearby peasant house threw rocks into the small creek that ran across these lands. And all the other sounds of nature which somehow made me at ease.
I felt as the tiniest of smiles pulled on my lips, whole body relaxed and I exhaled loudly, letting my hands drop to my sides at last. Even the colours that decorated the inside of my vehicle seemed to beam. Suddenly, a wave of happiness swept every bad thought and threw it out, somewhere far away to a foreign land that wasn't known to me.
My brows furrowed; new four hooves came near my carriage, totally out of rhythm with my horses, and way too close to be just a person strolling by. Then they skipped and fastened their pace, although never leaving. I felt, and heard, the two black horses in front slow down, huffing out hot breath in quick puffs.
Tearing the small curtain away, I peeked out and to my surprise – and annoyance – there he was, the Spanish prince on his beautiful young horse. He carried himself with pride, but his expression was gentle nonetheless. Regardless of what he had to say about his former position as the heir of the throne, and how he was not a part of that family tree anymore, there were still small bits uttered across him in his every move.
Opening the upper half of my small window – still wondering as to why they couldn't just make the whole window be able to be opened – I spat out a harsh scold-like comment at him.
"Do you know how dangerous it is for both you and I to be here together? This is the main road to Vienna, Antonio; anyone could see you here. There are guards everywhere, I do hope you are aware of that." The Spaniard only laughed at my bitterness, emeralds sparkling in the last stripes of sunlight of the day. "Don't worry, Roderich. If anything was to happen, and anyone was to see us like this – perhaps even catch us, if you please – you'd have every right to claim you were being attacked by me."
I huffed at that, Antonio's laughter echoing through my ears once more, though a bit more muffled than before.
"Why is it always you, though? How come you appear out of nowhere all the time?" He shrugged his broad shoulders, a soft smile on his lips. "I'm an assassin."
A glare. Then a chuckle.
"I'm just joking around, Roderich. Although, I know you'd prefer your beautiful fiancée to be here instead of me." A satisfying smirk rested upon him when he noticed my face heat up. I clicked my tongue but said nothing more, only stared into space. However, then came the real reason he appeared, catching me slightly off guard and surprising me for the shortest of seconds.
"Roderich, I know I've said this before, but I'm truly thankful for all the things you and Lizzy have done for me and Roma. And I really am sorry for all the trouble."
I sighed, knowing what was coming next.
"You're leaving, correct?"
His hands rested on the front side of his saddle, letting his horse stretch out her neck more. I could see how she tried to shrug off the reins and bridle from her head, failing terribly and a part of me felt bad for the poor animal.
"It's about time, isn't it? We've been here for way too long for both your and my liking. People are waiting for me; only God knows what has happened to them or what they managed to do again." He paused for a heartbeat before continuing, his voice fond and full of gentleness, "I do realize they are just a bunch of criminals, but so am I." Antonio's mouth opened and his voice motioned he wanted to say something, but he quickly squeezed his lips.
I could tell there were many things on his mind but somehow, the same mind was at peace. He seemed to find inner peace in general which made me happy, for no apparent reason.
"You promised to take care of them, right? To your own self." I didn't even need the word of agreement from him as I continued to say, "You've always been so selfless, Toni. This is what I admire in you the most." The Spaniard chuckled, waving his hand in the air slightly.
"Have you told Romano yet?" Brown hair danced around as Antonio shook his head. "No. But after what I'm going to tell him, he'll understand without me directly addressing it."
"When?"
Was it either my imagination, or did his cheeks really went red for a split second? He brought a hand to his face, most likely to hide his rosy tint.
"Soon," he muttered and I could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. I barked out a laugh at my friend's sheepishness.
He grasped at the leather reins once more, getting the animal's attention right away. The Spanish man uttered something along the lines of "see you later", before squeezing his horse's sides and bolting away.
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Heya! I'm really excited; we're so close to the end! Which is also why these chapters are so short; I can't seem to write a proper ending, sorry.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if just a little bit. Thank you very much, guys! Stay safe and don't forget to stay hydrated <3
- Boora-kun
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