[b]Jan Leon[/b]

The Prince let his thoughts linger on the word Galorien. He had seen hell; he had been the ruler of that hell for a few short days. Jan Leon didn't want to remember the events leading up to Galorien's fall. He did not want to remember the way the broken and bruised bodies devoid of life stirred once more on the battlefield. He wanted to forget it but his mind and heart would not allow it. As they walked he sensed the presence of the ghost knight beside him. The man had been a valuable friend to Jan, no matter how long they may have talked to each other. That man knew more about the Prince's darkest time than his own father did. The Emperor had been safe and away from the violence but his son and the now dead knight had been in the heart of it all. The Prince did not cry, he could not cry. There were no tears for the fallen kingdom within him. 

"You have only seen the towns and cities of Nicaea," he said, "You have not seen the true beauty that lies within this land." There was a bitter tone to his voice and perhaps it was his misplaced anger. There was always anger when he thought of Galorien and what he had done there. When they arrived at his apartments, he looked at Dawn from the corner of his eyes. "I will pull a few strings for you then but I doubt my Aunt would like the impression you would leave of Elys. She's quite...stuck on having Elys be a perfect lady." He said before saying his goodbyes and walking into his apartments. Beside him the ghost knight continued to follow. His guards gave curt nods before closing the doors behind him. 

"You seem tired, my Prince." 

"I am..." He admitted, "I feel drained just thinking of that day...and I feel drained when people hold me at arm’s length." Jan walked through his sitting room before practically diving onto his bed. Usually he would sleep within the tiny room of his workshop but tonight he must put on the show that he is the proper Prince who enjoys his life in the castle. It was his prison. He was forever bound here until his father felt that he was no longer of use. Lying face down on his bed, Jan sighed deeply. The ghost knight sighed softly before sitting on the edge of his bed. Jan had been expecting the weight of a person to sink the edge down but the man was dead; there was no way for him to weight down the bed. 

"You raised an army of the dead and slaughtered countless men. It's something that people are always going to be wary of." The knight said. "How are they ever going to look past what you can do?" 

Jan shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what to do about it. "I am a monster...they're right."

"My Prince you are not a monster. You've simply been given the gift of using the dead."

"It's not a gift, it's a damn curse.” Jan rolled over onto his back with his arms and legs spread out wide. "Why would the gods give me such a curse? Why would they give anyone the curse of magic?" 

The knight shook his head before leaning forward on his knees. "I don't know. Maybe they think you will be able to do something about the world." The knight was, well had been, just a few yeard older than Jan. He was a handsome man, Jan remembered feeling a pang of envy because of the man. His strong jaw was lined with sand colored stubble. He had been fairly tall like Jan himself but stockier in terms of muscle mass. His hair was uncombed as it had been in his final moments of life and his green eyes held such life despite the fact that he was dead. Perhaps it had been because the man was now free of the horrors of having to fight once more or because he took some sort of twisted enjoyment out of seeing Jan suffer. A boyish grin swept across his face. 

"Everything will fall into place, Jan Leon." That was the first time that he had called the Prince by his given name. 

"Just give it time."

Jan closed his eyes, having heard the words of the man. He didn't know if he could be that patient.

 
[b]Risey[/b]

Risey nearly had a heart attack at the words of the Crown Prince. [i]He wants to leave the castle? How daring for someone of his status. This could be the perfect opportunity to get more information~[/i] she thought. Risey had been told of the Mind Mages that watched over things and she was careful with her thoughts. A spy had to be careful and guard against anything. She looked around his sitting room and smiled to herself, the room was a perfect reflection of the man sitting across from her. It was quite simple just like him but one could see the royalty within the room. Sig was like that she came to understand. He was quite simple like his brother but he was confident in his position in life. Risey pecked at the food, taking the meats for herself but tucking away the soft bread and a few other things within the cloth napkin that had been provided. It wasn't for later, she could go without the rich foods of the royals for a life time, instead the things she chose to hide in the pocket of her dress were for a child; young boy who had been born to a Nicaean Lord and his Galorien servant woman. The boy had been contracted to live and serve within the castle and he brought Risey much enjoyment. The boy was funny and he often told the most wondrous stories despite being only ten. 

As she finished, the woman wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and glanced at the Crown Prince. She tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear before she closed her eyes. This was the perfect opportunity for her to do many things but she wondered briefly about just how she was going to get him out of the castle unnoticed. Opening her eyes, Risey let a wide smile come to her face. "I'll help you...But I must ask for a few more pieces of bread...for someone special." she said. Sig was the only one who could hear without having to get too close but she wished he knew how to read lips. It had been so long since she was able to talk for extended periods of time without the aid of her charmed necklace, which couldn't be used while she was within enemy territory. Anyone familiar with magic would notice right away what the necklace was for. The woman toyed with the strip of white cloth that was tied snugly against her throat and for a few moments she debated with herself if she should take it off. Usually she took off the cloth once she was able to retire for the night. Reaching around her neck and under her hair, Risey tugged on the knot before it fell away and she gathered the cloth in one of her hands before depositing it within the pocket of her dress alongside the food. 

On her neck were three evenly spaced scars. They were raised with slightly jagged edges and they stood out from her pale skin. She wasn't ashamed of her scars but she knew that the nobles did not enjoy looking at them. They were a reminder for all that terrible things had to happen in the past although they refused to acknowledge them. Her scars did not originate from the Galorien Invasion like many had believed. The Empress and Jan believed that the scars and her inability to talk above a whisper were a result from the war their kingdom had caused. They had occurred in her childhood during the Daniycian Civil War, when she and her siblings were attacked. Risey couldn't remember many of the details of that day, only that she had been playing with her sisters within the walls of their home and there was shouting; lots and lots of shouting before pain and then nothing. When she had woken up her voice was gone. Risey was forbidden to look into a mirror or some other reflective surface in fear that she would be afraid of what she seen. It had taken a year before she was able to know what had happened to her. Three of her sisters had similar injuries but to other parts of their bodies. One was cut on her arm, another on her abdomen and the third on her face.

Risey looked at the Prince with her chin held high. She wondered if he would be surprised. It was no secret that she was unable to talk but the reactions that the scars got out of people gave her a twisted sense of gratification that they could see the horrors of violence and how those events lived within a survivor. That's what she was - a [i]survivor [/i]. There were no other words to describe the woman. 

"I hope...you...do not....mind..." Her earlier talking had taken a lot out of her. "If I..." she gestured to her bare throat. 

The dark haired woman's thoughts went back to getting the Prince out of the castle and an idea came to mind. Under the castle was a river of sorts; it had been built originally as a drainage system but after a new system was put in place the old one was forgotten and it was allowed to flood and it had been converted into a means of transportation underground that was mainly used for hauling in the spoils of war. That would be a safe place to take him. The system opened up into a small hidden dock just outside of the final wall of the castle and under the cover of the nearby forest. The Empress had told her about the route, as she commonly used it to travel to a small private springs that she owned. 

Risey looked around for any clothes that could be of use to the Prince, ragged ones that would allow him to pass as a commoner. Finding none from her seat the woman gestured to her own clothes by tugging on the shoulder of her dress. It was going to be interesting trying to communicate with the man through non-verbal means.