Nathaniel Aecroston
August 1st, 11:56 AM
Nathaniel pulled his leather shoes back on to his feet, rolling out of bed with a soft groan. The sun was higher in the sky now, it was nearly noon. If he didn't hurry, he was going to be late for his lesson with Lord Collin. He opened up the trapdoor, not even bothering to cast down the rope- he simply leapt down. He landed roughly, but on his feet, and his shoulder began to ache once more from the force of his landing.
"Damn you Edwards," Nathaniel murmured, gently rubbing his shoulder as he began his quick descent down the spiral staircase. At the first turn in the stairs, he slammed face first into metal armor. He jumped backwards, slowly looking up and meeting the steely gray eyes of Sir Edwards. Before he could move back any farther, the knight grabbed him by the arm, glaring down at him.
"That is no way for a prince to speak," Sir Edwards snapped, "I heard your comment. Apologize. Now."
Nathan bit his lip, forcing the whimper that was rising in his throat back down. "I.. I'm sorry.." He whispered, trying to step back from him, but Edwards pulled him right back. Why couldn't he have one day without this?
"Sorry, who?" Edwards snarled, raising his hand threateningly. There was no mercy when it came to Sir Edwards, and Nathan knew that.
"I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry." Nathan wasn't able to hold back his whimper this time, closing his eyes and bracing for some sort of physical punishment as he shrunk backwards. But for now, nothing came. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes to see Sir Edwards smirking triumphantly at him. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest, his hands shook wildly.
"You will learn to obey and respect me. Now, I believe you have a fencing lesson with Lord Collin in the courtyard. I am here to escort you there. Come along, boy." Edwards grabbed him by the elbow, leading him quickly down the stairs. Nathan stumbled every couple of steps, unable to properly keep up with the much larger man.
Nathan was weak-- physically and mentally-- Sir Edwards had seen it from the very start. He was not as brave or strong as his older brothers. Sir Edwards had been using and abusing him since he became a teenager. There was no one to help him, so the knight had beaten him into submission long ago. No one batted an eye because Sir Edwards was very good at covering his tracks. Nathan was alone in his struggle. He felt like a chess pawn.
As they were approaching the bottom of the staircase the hand on his arm moved to his back, and with a forceful shove Nathan stumbled down the remaining 5 stairs. He crumpled to the ground, every muscle in his body screaming in agony.
A sharp pain jolted up Nathan's spine, and he groaned. "You bastard!" The prince shouted, not caring of the consequences now. He sat up as much as he could, wincing in pain with every movement. As he was attempting to sit up, the knight's foot slammed into his side, sending him sprawling back to the ground.
"Watch your mouth." Edwards growled, before offering a hand down to Nathan. "Get up."
Nathaniel slowly turned his gaze up towards the knight, his face going as pale as a piece of parchment paper. He felt bile rising up in his throat, and he swallowed it back down. He stared at the hand offered to him, hesitating briefly before accepting it.
Edwards pulled him up roughly, not bothering to be gentle with the battered prince. Nathan winced with every movement. His shoulder hurt, and his ribs hurt worse. "I'm sorry." He wheezed, pulling his hand away from the knight. He didn't mean it, but it was worth a try.
"Do not lie to me. You are only sorry because you got hurt. There is no real sympathy." Edwards's expression was deadpan and his voice was monotone.
Nathan ducked his head down, avoiding his harsh eyes. "No, I mean it... I'm truly sorry sir. It-it won't happen again. I swear." Another lie, but he needed Edwards to believe him.
The knight narrowed his eyes at Nathan, not believing him just yet. But he seemed satisfied with the lie, for now. "Come along, then. Lord Collin will not appreciate you being late."
The pair began to walk again, and again Nathan struggled to keep up. There was a slight limp in his walk now.
They arrived at the courtyard within a few minutes. As expected, Lord Collin was already waiting for him, standing in front of the fountain.
Sir Edwards gave a deceptive smile, bowing to Collin. "My Lord, the prince. I am most sorry for being late, I had to wake the prince up from an early morning nap." The knight spoke with conniving ease, Nathan would've been convinced if he hadn't been there and known the truth.
Lord Collin didn't speak, only dismissed the knight with a wave of the hand. Once the pair were alone, the young noble slowly approached Nathan. "Tell me, Nate, what really happened." He cupped the prince's face in his hand, concern written all over his face.
Nathan tried to look away, but Collin forced him to meet his caring brown eyes. He loved the way the sun reflecting off his eyes, it made them seem like they were sprinkled with gold. "Collin... you know I can't say. You know I can't." His voice shook slightly, and his face got hot as tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to force them back.
"Tell me, Nate. Don't you trust me?" His voice was soft, and sweet like honey. There was something about his voice that Nathan just couldn't resist.
"He just roughed me up a bit, that's... that's all. He didn't hurt me too badly, I promise I'm fine. Can we just... carry on with our lesson?" A bit of a whine broke through in Nathan's voice, but he was able to keep his tears from falling.
With a frustrated sigh, Collin let go of his face, retreating to a bench nestled between two berry bushes. There were two foils laid out on the stone bench. Collin picked one up and tossed it to Nathan.
He fumbled slightly, but managed to get hold of it without dropping it. Collin picked up the other foil, moving backwards to put some distance between the two. They circled each other, until finally Collin spoke.
"Én guard!"
And Lord Collin lunged for him.
Vincent Ataven
August 1st, 11:56 AM
Vincent sheathed his sword, looking down at the body at his feet. Her throat had been slit, blood was still bubbling out from her neck. Her blonde hair was stained crimson. The prince was entranced by the gory sight.
"Such a waste of a pretty face," Vincent growled, wiping the blood off of his hands. The floor was covered in blood. He knelt down slowly, pushing Claire's hair out of her face. Upon parting her hair, he revealed that one of her eyes had been dug out of the socket. "So... foolish. Thinking I would let you go. Nobody ever escapes me." His lip curled into a devilish grin as he pulled a dagger out of his boot, slicing a chunk of her hair off.
Vincent rose to his feet, tucking the dagger back into his boot beside the key. He snapped his fingers, pointing down at the body. "Zyros, get rid of that, will you?" The large black dog began to growl, slowly prowling towards the woman's body, teeth bared.
Vincent turned his back on the scene, strolling out of the room as casually as if he were leaving a church. He dropped the hair into his belt satchel, tying it shut. He needed proof of what he'd done, after all.
He removed his leather gloves from his pocket, pulling them back on over his bloodied hands. He was unphased, of course. He was simply doing what was necessary. She was low enough in the royal hierarchy that her absence would not be immediately noticed, yet high enough that she would have the exact information that he needed.
And now, with a fiery ambition in his eyes, Vincent retired to his study in the south wing. It was a simple room, decorated with various hunting trophies. His most prized trophy being the head of a grizzly bear. It was hung in the very center of the wall opposite the door. There was a large desk in the center of the room, which currently had a map of Aecroston spread across it. There were two red flags placed at the main entrances of the castle.
With a sly grin, the prince picked up a white flag, placing it on the north tower of the castle. He placed another flag on a wall that bordered the garden of the castle, where he knew one of the royals spent much of his time. The youngest one, he was told. The weak one. There was a secret gate here, one that Claire had told him of. He was going to use this gate to infiltrate the castle. He would take the prince to use as a bargaining chip. Now, his plan is coming together. Finally, his dream was going to become a reality.
Vincent was going to watch the world burn.
Tomorrow, he would bring Hell to Aecroston.