[h1][center][color=ab274f]Wulfric[/color] & [color=9354FF]Ryn[/color] Part 2[/center][/h1][color=lightgray][hr][hr]
[color=9354FF]“There’s no need to fight them all.”[/color] His voice carried a note of weariness. They swayed to the music wordlessly until Ryn gasped. [color=9354FF]“[i]Today or tomorrow?[/i] Adel, I’m happy you’re enthusiastic about our little outing, but we haven’t even settled on a destination yet!”[/color] Prince Wulfric regarded him with a blank stare. [color=9354FF]“You… are talking about my offer this morning? In the kitchen?”[/color] No response. [color=9354FF]“‘Then we should do this again, next time I’ll take you outside’?”[/color]

[color=ab274f]“The…outing,”[/color] Wulfric repeated. Hendrix was quite masterful in pretending nothing unusual had occurred. Well, the moment had passed, though it lingered heavily at the back of his mind. [color=ab274f]“I suppose. I will notify you when I am available, and I can act as [i]a guard[/i] while you go about your business.”[/color] He had no preference for location, but given the usual constraints… [color=ab274f]“Unless we find ourselves with unlikely bouts of free time on our hands, it will have to be within the city.”[/color]

The prince’s words drew a playful smile across Ryn’s face, [color=9354FF]“So if we did find ourselves with bouts of free time on our hands, you’d consider venturing outside the city?”[/color] With a man he suspected to be an assassin? 

[color=ab274f]“Why not?”[/color] he shrugged, confidently nonchalant.

He studied Prince Wulfric, as best as one could study another covered from head to toe, and moved on to another question, [color=9354FF]“Where have you never stepped foot in?”[/color]

[color=ab274f]“In [i]Caesonia?[/i]”[/color] He found it strange the count was asking where he [i]hadn’t[/i] been. [color=ab274f]“Some minor villages aside, I’ve been more or less everywhere.”[/color] Really, it was easier to answer in terms of where he [i]had[/i] traveled. [color=ab274f]“I’ve been to Varian often, though the visits were usually to the major cities. I haven’t been to Alidasht much, but one of those times was a year-long stay.”[/color] In conclusion? [color=ab274f]“I have never been anywhere outside these three kingdoms.”[/color]

[i][color=ab274f]“... minor villages...”[/color] [color=gray]It ruffled in response.[/color]

[color=gray]That town was no different than countless others strewn across the kingdom; it boasted nothing to make it stand apart. A place of little consequence, bereft of resources and strategic value, just a humble place tucked within the folds of the kingdom. The soil was stingy, the view unremarkable. It was a place you passed through on your way to somewhere more important. But oh, the people! They danced when they felt like dancing, fought when the fight was worth it, and loved their neighbors as themselves. They had little but gave much, sharing whatever they could. So though the town was poor in coin and influence, it held the most coveted treasure: a home.

A home that had fallen to rubble and dust, its beating heart forever silenced. Bodies were heaped together in a charred, tangled mass in the square. She, the centerpiece.

He never visited, did he? That minor place of little consequence.[/color][/i]

[color=9354FF]“Apologies, I meant where within Sorian have you never set foot in.”[/color] But if the prince did go everywhere in the capital… [color=9354FF]“If you have walked every corner of the city, where have you spent the least time in?”[/color]

‘Every corner’ might have been an overstatement. [color=ab274f]“The slums, low-end establishments, the mines…”[/color] he shrugged. [color=ab274f]“I do not go out of my way to mingle with commoners.”[/color] He was sure that was self-evident, and yet…

[color=9354FF]“Why?”[/color]

Wulfric sighed at the question. Nonverbally, he indicated for them to move off the dancefloor. If this was to become an involved conversation, he’d rather have it in a more appropriate setting. [color=ab274f]“I am aware that [i]you[/i] are a proponent of personally involving yourself in every little thing, and acquainting whomever you come across. Yet [i]why would I?[/i] I do not deem it necessary nor efficient.”[/color] Neither did he hold that kind of interest in most others. [color=ab274f]“You and I operate in very different ways, Hendrix,”[/color] he shook his head. [color=ab274f]“However, I take it that you are set on proving me wrong, or some such.”[/color]

What would have normally received a quip or two was met with sobriety. [color=9354FF]“Noblesse oblige.”[/color] The count let a moment pass to note the response the phrase elicited before pressing on. [color=9354FF]“Despite what you may think of them, they’re still your people.”[/color] Ryn’s mien was as unruffled as his mask, betraying nothing. [color=9354FF]“A kingdom is only as strong as its most marginalized. If you want to make a stronger kingdom, you must start from its foundation... or risk your castle toppling.”[/color] His gaze never strayed from the prince’s eyes, pinned into place. [color=9354FF]“Everything starts from understanding.”[/color] 

Once again, the count sought to meet his gaze, even through the heavily obscuring mask. Wulfric acquiesced by staring him down. [color=ab274f]“Yes, it does,”[/color] he agreed with the literal meaning of ‘nobility obliges’. [color=ab274f]“I know my duties,”[/color] he stated coolly, a touch offended at the implication that he did not, or that he wasn’t performing them. [color=ab274f]“The [i]poor[/i] are the foundation? That’s a bit of a stretch.”[/color] The ‘castle toppling’ bit was…an interesting threat, to say the least.

[color=ab274f][i]“Understanding,”[/i][/color] he scoffed, disdainfully tossing his head aside before he turned a haughty look on Hendrix. [color=ab274f]“What you [i]mean[/i] is that I should rule based on [i]sympathies[/i],”[/color] he sneered. [color=ab274f]“But it is exactly that which so often leads to favoritism.”[/color] That wasn’t his only grievance; someone trying to dictate [i]how[/i] he ought to care or [i]for whom[/i] and [i]for what[/i] was not appreciated. That aside, there [i]were[/i] advances he had in mind for the kingdom. [color=ab274f]“I [i]will[/i] harness potential where it exists,”[/color] he proclaimed resolutely. [color=ab274f]“And there are certainly improvements to be made, [i]that[/i] we can agree on.”[/color]

A guffaw erupted from Ryn, sudden and loud enough to turn the heads of those within earshot. As his laughter continued unchecked, however, their curiosity waned and they relegated the sound to the status of background noise. Soon, they all returned to their own affairs.

Eventually, his laughter subsided to sporadic bursts. [color=#9354FF]“[/color][color=#9255FB]S[/color][color=#9256F8]o[/color][color=#9157F5],[/color][color=#9158F1]”[/color] he said between gulps of air, [color=#905AEB]“[/color][color=#8F5BE8]y[/color][color=#8F5DE4]o[/color][color=#8E5EE1]u[/color][color=#8E5FDE]’[/color][color=#8D60DB]r[/color][color=#8D61D7]e[/color] [color=#8C63D1]n[/color][color=#8B64CE]o[/color] [color=#8A67C7]d[/color][color=#8A68C4]i[/color][color=#8969C1]f[/color][color=#896ABD]f[/color][color=#886BBA]e[/color][color=#886CB7]r[/color][color=#876DB4]e[/color][color=#876FB0]n[/color][color=#8670AD]t[/color] [color=#8572A7]f[/color][color=#8573A3]r[/color][color=#8474A0]o[/color][color=#84759D]m[/color] [color=#837896]h[/color][color=#827993]i[/color][color=#827A90]m[/color][color=#817B8D].[/color][color=#817C89]”[/color]

With a last chuckle out of his system, Ryn sucked in a deep breath. [color=9354FF]“You know Adel, for someone who complains a lot about favoritism, you do tend to disregard ‘the poor’ and focus on very specific groups of people...”[/color] Instead of pointing out the obvious implication, he rubbed his chin and voiced another thought. [color=9354FF]“It’s like you use that as an excuse to avoid due diligence.”[/color] 

Ryn frowned slightly, [color=9354FF]“I also hadn’t realized you’re the sort to rely on chance to find individuals with potential. Would you not rather nurture it so [i]anyone[/i] can harness it?”[/color] His eyes fell onto Prince Wulfric’s neck, to where the scar was. [color=9354FF]“There’s no shame in admitting you’re intimidated because you don’t know how to handle them.”[/color] 

[color=9354FF]“Not to worry,”[/color] Ryn reassured, patting the prince’s shoulders with both hands, [color=9354FF]“that’s what our excursion is for. Once you’ve witnessed the lives of your people—really seen them—you’ll be able to come up with the best way to improve things for everyone.”[/color]

[color=9354FF]“[i]People[/i] are the foundation of a country. It doesn’t matter if they’re poor or rich.”[/color] His hands slid off Prince Wulfric’s shoulders. [color=9354FF]“If you can’t take care of the foundation… what’s your purpose?”[/color]

Ah, that laughter. Such a pointed, hysterical thing. So familiar. Was it an echo of the time when he himself had first wondered how similar he’d become? The prince experienced a rare feeling of contriteness. [color=ab274f]“Perhaps not so different after all…”[/color] His father did hate the destitute, the infirm, and all such ilk. Was [i]indifference[/i] an improvement? Wulfric sighed. [color=ab274f]“I would ask why [i]you[/i] bother,”[/color] [i]with me,[/i] he didn’t explicitly say, [color=ab274f]“yet I can guess well enough.”[/color] 

Underneath the calm exterior, Ryn’s heart stopped. [color=9354FF]“Oh?”[/color]

Wulfric merely hummed in answer, however, and moved on. [color=ab274f]“Bias and hypocrisy,”[/color] he lifted a hand, not seeking to defend himself. [color=ab274f]“I am aware I prioritize those in power,”[/color] he twitched his shoulder in a small shrug. Truthfully, it [i]did[/i] bother him, the idea that he was overlooking an important problem. [color=ab274f]“An excuse…”[/color] He fell into thought.

It gnawed on him, at times, that it may be because of [i]excuses[/i] that he hadn’t killed his father. The risks it would carry for him, to commit regicide and patricide. The risk of opening forth a path to more bloodshed; how such an act may wreak havoc upon the nation. The question of how it would all affect his siblings. Excuses aside, would it not be by becoming king, even if by force, that he could once and for all truly affect the changes he wished? 

Then again, hadn’t a large part of him, too, genuinely believed in internal change?

So…was the notion that [i]he didn’t have enough power[/i] in and of itself an excuse?

[color=ab274f]“Hm.”[/color] He’d adopted quite the stereotypical thinking pose, elbow perched upon a folded arm, balled fist set against his chin.

He reached no particular conclusion on that line of thought. Instead, he glanced back at Hendrix, shaking it off for now. 

[color=ab274f]“Oh, I am all for education. Unfortunately, attempts to improve it have been limited at best.”[/color] He wasn’t a fan of the conclusion that he was ‘intimidated’, and found it a tad dubious that an excursion with the count would make such a striking difference to his plans. [color=ab274f]“We shall see,”[/color] he hedged.

He tilted his head at the question about his purpose. [color=ab274f]“My aim [i]is[/i] to take care of them.”[/color] He could have expounded on their different views of caring, or regale him with his goals for the nation and its people. But that’s not what the count was saying, here.

However, those words seemed to be enough. Hendrix visibly relaxed, and his expression softened.

[color=ab274f]“You know,”[/color] Wulfric continued, a tone of revelation in his voice. [color=ab274f]“Since you are so heavily invested in the prosperity of [i]this[/i] county, and appear to possess a desire to act as my arbiter…”[/color]

He stared down at Hendrix with more intensity than at any other prior point during their conversation.

[color=ab274f]“Take my advice to heart,”[/color] he intoned solemnly. [color=ab274f]“If you conclude that I am [i]incapable[/i],”[/color] he lifted an arm, and set a clawed finger against his own neck in a very telling manner.

[color=ab274f][i]“Do. Not. Hesitate.”[/i][/color]

Ryn blinked a few times. [color=9354FF]“Is that a request?”[/color]

Wulfric straightened up, hand waving dismissively. [color=ab274f]“An advice,”[/color] he reiterated casually. [color=ab274f]“Make of it what you will.”[/color]

But he could not leave it at that. [color=9354FF]“No.”[/color] Ryn stepped closer. [color=9354FF]“What is it that [i]you[/i] want?”[/color] His eyes desperately searched the prince’s, looking for that silver thread he thought he saw the glint of behind those words.

Wulfric considered the other man. [color=ab274f]“Would it not be a grand thing,”[/color] he began softly, [color=ab274f]“to have someone you could trust with both your life [i]and[/i] with your death?”[/color] He paused, the question lingering unanswered. [color=ab274f]“I have a few people for the former…but the latter?”[/color] A wry smile formed. [color=ab274f]“It might be better to pick someone I mistrust, than to have no one at all. Why not you?”[/color] he prompted.

[color=9354FF]“You’re putting your complete trust… into someone you mistrust?”[/color]

Slowly, his shoulders lifted up, then dropped after a moment. [color=ab274f]“Well, it isn’t as if I would [i]let[/i] you, but…you strike me as sensible and capable enough.”[/color]

[color=9354FF]“You wouldn’t let me, but you still ask me to… Is this, not-a-request, for insurance?”[/color]

Ryn stared up at Prince Wulfric for a long time. [color=9354FF]“Thank you for the compliments,”[/color] he finally said, [color=9354FF]“but I fear I may disappoint you.”[/color] He lifted up his open palms. [color=9354FF]“I’d make a terrible assassin.”[/color] He then shrugged. [color=9354FF]“So, you have no choice but to live up to my very, [i]very[/i], [b]very[/b] lofty expectations, and be ‘capable.’”[/color] 

Dark eyes twinkled behind the mask. For reasons he couldn’t explain, Wulfric felt as though he’d seen the count before, many years ago.

As he started wondering if he should be disappointed, Hendrix offered…an alternate offer?

Wulfric was vividly reminded, how not so long ago, he had been fiercely telling himself he wouldn’t live by someone else’s standards. Yet, had he not unwittingly fallen into the trap of listening to his parents far too much? Maybe, a counterweight was just what he needed.

[color=ab274f]“I know a thing or two about lofty expectations,”[/color] he quipped. Without the faintest clue of what exactly he was agreeing to – and frankly, [i]why[/i] he was – the prince raised his right hand. [color=ab274f]“Shall we shake on it?”[/color]

Ryn eyed Prince Wulfric’s offered hand while his remained suspended. [color=9354FF]“Be careful, Adelard. Promises can be soul-bindingly powerful. If you want to shake on it, shake with intent to fulfill it.”[/color]

[color=ab274f]“Of course,”[/color] Wulfric said calmly, despite Hendrix’s outlandish manner of phrasing that. [color=ab274f]“I fully intend to use you to fashion this country into a better kingdom.”[/color] A note of amusement crept into his tone at his next words. [color=ab274f]“We could also term it…cooperation.”[/color] He studied the count for a beat. [color=ab274f]“I will do what I can to realize that goal,”[/color] he stated seriously. [color=ab274f]“And [i]you[/i]?”[/color]

[color=9354FF]“Yes.”[/color] The answer came out without hesitation. [color=#9354FF]“[/color][color=#9254FD]I[/color] [color=#9255F9]a[/color][color=#9156F8]m[/color] [color=#9157F4]w[/color][color=#9158F2]i[/color][color=#9058F1]t[/color][color=#9059EF]h[/color] [color=#905AEB]y[/color][color=#8F5BEA]o[/color][color=#8F5BE8]u[/color] [color=#8F5DE4]i[/color][color=#8E5DE3]n[/color] [color=#8E5EDF]t[/color][color=#8E5FDD]h[/color][color=#8D60DC]i[/color][color=#8D60DA]s[/color] [color=#8D61D6]e[/color][color=#8C62D5]n[/color][color=#8C63D3]d[/color][color=#8C63D1]e[/color][color=#8B64D0]a[/color][color=#8B64CE]v[/color][color=#8B65CC]o[/color][color=#8B66CA]r[/color][color=#8A66C9].[/color] [color=#8A67C5]W[/color][color=#8A68C3]e[/color] [color=#8969C0]a[/color][color=#896ABE]l[/color][color=#896ABC]w[/color][color=#886BBB]a[/color][color=#886CB9]y[/color][color=#886CB7]s[/color] [color=#876DB4]h[/color][color=#876EB2]a[/color][color=#876FB0]v[/color][color=#876FAE]e[/color] [color=#8670AB]b[/color][color=#8671A9]e[/color][color=#8572A8]e[/color][color=#8572A6]n[/color] [color=#8573A2]a[/color][color=#8474A1]n[/color][color=#84759F]d[/color] [color=#84769B]a[/color][color=#83769A]l[/color][color=#837798]w[/color][color=#837896]a[/color][color=#837894]y[/color][color=#827993]s[/color] [color=#827A8F]w[/color][color=#827B8D]i[/color][color=#817B8C]l[/color][color=#817C8A]l[/color] [color=#817D86]b[/color][color=#807E85]e[/color][color=#807E83].[/color][color=#807F81]”[/color] [color=gray]For it was in their nature. The oath.[/color]

Ryn reached for Prince Wulfric’s outstretched hand, but stopped a breath away from it, waiting for the prince to bridge the gap—a chance to back out. [color=9354FF]“For a realm not just ruled, but truly served.”[/color]

[color=ab274f]“So be it.”[/color]

Wulfric bridged those last few millimeters with ease. Smoothly, he took ahold of Hendrix’s hand. It was a firm, solid grasp. Silent now by way of agreement to a common purpose, the two men shook on it.[/color]

[color=gray]The polished stone floor of the grand throne room ran slick with splattered blood as the figure stumbled forward. Before the other could retreat, crimson-stained fingers closed tight around fine robes and drew their faces close. The crown tumbled from its place by the sudden motion, somersaulting and caroming across the floor in glints and gleams.

Eyes, darker still than the night’s reign, supped deep of betrayal writ plain. With the last laborious breaths questions and curses might have passed drained lips, but only a gasp emerged—“Noblesse oblige.” A wretched cough sent flecks of scarlet flying. “Swear… you’ll care for them all.”

If they were going to take it all, let it come with the duty owed.

“I beg of you.”[/color]

[color=Dimgray]Or someday face the consequences of one’s hubris.[/color]
[color=#575757][right]Someday…[/right][/color]
[color=#3D3D3D][right]… ṣ̶̕o̷̪͙̐m̵̰͂ë̶̬́́… d̷̨͎̪͒̑ǎ̶̹̗͔͌̈̚͜ỹ̶̭͎̟͆̈́…[/right][/color]

[hider=TL;DR]After a deep discussion Wulfric and Ryn agree to work together for the betterment of Caesonia.[/hider]