[Center] [url=https://fontmeme.com/calligraphy-fonts/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190115/1e1d66e8168362048a9afe9048d21310.png[/img][/url] https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/1477209d-53cd-476e-950b-97961515074d.jpg [Color=gray][I]Staring Erik and Talya.[/i] [b]A Collab by [@madmonarchist] & [@HaleyTheRandom][/b][/color] [/center] The time zone difference from Notia to Aciras made it difficult for Talya to sleep the night after the ball. She laid awake, replaying the events of the ball in her head. Her conversation with Yu had been interesting, and Princess Lea seemed like an absolute sweetheart. Her obsession with pink was…. questionable. Now that she thought about it, all Talya really did was observe. It was sort of out of character for her, but she felt it was a smart thing to do. After all, one could learn more from observation than just about anything - or so she believed. Around three in the morning, the young woman decided that checking her social media would be better than staring at the ceiling of her guest room. #ThatHat was absolutely everywhere. It seemed that Quentins face was plaster everywhere from every angle. Though it was only one of the most stand out fashion choices, the Prince had most definitely made a statement. The last thing on the agenda was to check her email. A link to one of the Aciran tabloids had found it's way there (Talya tried to make it a point to keep up with what was going on in the world, but sometimes it just got to hectic). Reading all of it thoroughly, the thing that would stick out the most to her would be the part about herself. Not because she was self absorbed, but because of what was written. Was this writer trying to expose Erik? Was she trying to make her betrothals invalid? Make Talya and Erik seem like not so royal royals? Of course she was. That's what tabloid were all about. Angry and anxious, the princess tossed her phone on the bedside table before rolling over with a huff. Somehow, she eventually managed to fall asleep. [center]~▪☆¤☆▪~[/center] Waking up to the sound of her alarm (Set precisely to ten) Talya would take a minute to select her outfit. Said outfit consisted of a blue t-shirt, skinny jeans and knee high, dark brown, leather boots. Always prepared, she tied a flannel shirt around her waist in case it got cold. She tied her hair back into a ponytail, applied mascara, a little clear lip gloss and was on her way. The information swarming around from the tabloid was still fresh in her mind, and soon Talya found herself making a detour - right to Erika room. Knocking on the door a few quick times, the princess stood on the outside, arms crossed and waited on her betrothed to answer. [center]~▪☆¤☆▪~[/center] After the ball, Erik returned to his room. He had refrained from checking his phone the entirety of the time of the ball and the minute he did, he found several messages, most of them from his sister, a few from Yelena and his other friends. Taking off his tie, Erik began to unbutton his shirt as he skimmed over the messages, walking over to his dresser to retrieve his night clothes. Placing the phone on the dresser, Erik continued to read the messages as he changed into his night clothes- blue and white stripped pajama pants. Carefully folding the rest of his clothes, Erik skimmed through the applications on his phone eventually reaching to a video-calling application that had been developed by Veredunian technologists for the royal family- the servers couldn’t be hacked externally. That was the main appeal of this application really- it gave Erik complete privacy, or the illusion of it anyway. Privacy didn’t quite exist in Veredun, but that was a topic for another day. Within minutes, the screen filled with the familiar face of his sister’s smiling face. Seeing that, Erik’s lips curved into a wide grin as well. “Why hello there,” she greeted with a wide grin. “How was your night? You had a ball, didn’t you?” she asked as Erik nodded in response. “It was alright, and the ball was pretty much what I expected- lots of glitter, diamonds, designer dresses- you know,” he answered as he walked towards his bed, collapsing on the covers. He held his left arm above him as he continued to speak to his sister. “Was it fun?” she asked but all she got from Erik was a shrugged response. “It was okay I suppose,” he answered cryptically. Truthfully, Erik detested formal events like that. They gave him no freedom of movement and choice at all. Erik’s conversation with his sister continued for about another hour, during which she had informed him on all the latest developments in Veredun. She had always been like that. Since they grew up separately, Juliet had always insisted on informing Erik about everything in her life when she communicated with him, right from the most mundane of things. She’d said that it helped her feel closer to him. And once Erik began to travel, she’d text him religiously twice a day- once in the morning and once at night. Every week, they’d have a video conversation, well whenever the connection was good anyway. But their conversation was not all mundane. Juliet had informed him of a rather disturbing development- some Acrian gossip tabloid had apparently reported that Erik was not committed to Talya and had a secret girlfriend. All true of course, but it was the most inconvenient thing. Erik had never intended to marry Talya, and he suspected the same from her. Naturally they’d never had a conversation about this. Ever since the engagement had been announced, Erik and Talya had spoken of everything but the impending reality of their situation. Because of this, both of them had ended up becoming friends. But now, Erik suspected that it was time to talk to Talya- he had to tell her the truth. She deserved that much. With that, Erik had fallen asleep. He awoke next morning to the earliest rays of the morning sun and did his usual routine- a quick morning workout, a shower and changed into his outfit for the brunch. Crisp white pants, a grey-ish blue blazer, and a printed blue and white shirt underneath. As Erik continued to get ready, he answered texts from Yelena and his sister. He had never intended to lie to Talya at all, but the circumstances had made it that way. When his engagement to Talya was announced, Yelena was nothing but a friend- there was no reason to say anything at all. Until very recently, he was not sure about Yelena. He liked her sure, but he was not sure that he could commit to her. Or that she’d commit to him in a long-term perspective. But things had changed. Over the course of the last few weeks, Erik had realized that he truly did love Yelena and would never love anyone else the way he loved her. He wanted to spend every waking moment with her. And when he couldn’t, Erik would spend his time talking to her- they would text every single day. Over the course of the last few months, he had opened up to Yelena in a way that he never could to someone who he hadn’t known since childhood. He had told her everything- about his parents, his siblings, his grandmother. Everything. She was easy to talk to and when he did, Erik realized just how strong and supportive she could be. He needed her. Probably far more than she needed him to be honest. [center]~▪☆¤☆▪~[/center] And that was when he heard the echo of knocking on the door. The knocking sounded different- angrier. Impatient. Erik could guess who was at the door- Talya. He highly doubted Vera would be as patient, and Anatole’s knocks were far calmer. Sighing, Erik inhaled sharply and headed to the door. [i]It is now or never,[/i] Erik thought to himself silently as he reached for his brown leather belt, looping it around his waist as he opened the door. And as suspected, Talya it was. “Hey,” he greeted, standing aside so that she could enter. She looked slightly upset and Erik had a pretty good idea as to why she would be. She had read the silly tabloid, he thought to himself silently. “What’s up?” he asked, though he knew exactly what was on her mind. Fortunately for Erik, it didn't take him forever to open the door. He seemed just as calm, cool and casual as ever. Talya, however, was on a sort of mission - one to protect her kingdom, her family, and her reputation, as well as Eriks. Though they had never really discussed their feelings for one another, Talya had developed a crush on him long ago - one that she did her very best to keep hidden. She was all but sure that Erik only seen her as a friend. The way she looked at it, it could be worse. She'd take what she could get. Besides, it wasn't like he had ever lied to her about Yelena. Any feelings Talya developed were entirely her fault. Walking in the room, taking a seat in the foot of the bed, Talya closed her eyes and took a deep breath in hopes of calming her nerves. [Color=6bb8cf]”Have you seen it? That stupid, ghastly tabloid?”[/color] As Erik suspected, Talya had seen it. At that point, Erik craved some sort of liquid courage- vodka, tequila, whiskey, [i]anything.[/i] Briefly Erik closed his eyes to compose himself and inhaled sharply. Snapping his eyes open, Erik slowly exhaled and found the rhythm of his heart once more. It was now or never, he reminded himself. “About that….,” Erik began slowly. He saw Talya sitting down. [i]Good,[/i] he thought to himself silently. [i]That should make this a lot easier.[/i] “So, I wouldn’t say that it’s entirely inaccurate,” Erik chose his words carefully, not wanting to upset Talya more than she already was. Though, he suspected that anything he said would only make her more upset and he couldn’t blame her for it. This was all on Erik. He should have handled it better, more maturely. She deserved better, he thought to himself silently. But what was done was done. Now all that was left was to deal with it. [Color=6bb8cf]”What do you mean?”[/color] she said, her expression full of thought. Wow, this was much harder than he had anticipated, Erik thought to himself. “So,” he began slowly. “You remember when we first got well… engaged right?” he asked rather awkwardly. “My grandmother obviously didn’t bother to tell me and I only found out months after the actual arrangement was completed. During that time, I was talking to someone- she was just a friend back then,” Erik explained. “I didn’t even know who she was,” he recalled with a small smile. “I met her for the first time in some seedy Rustavyan bar my crew used to visit. I had no idea why she was there. We just spent all night talking. After that, we exchanged numbers and kept in touch. I’d see her every time I went to Rustavya, which was quite a bit considering we share borders,” he explained. “She’d show me around Rustavya, and before I knew it, she became one of my closest friends. At that time, the engagement was announced, and I didn’t think much of it. All I knew was that I didn’t want someone else to control my fate. But I said nothing because well… I could say nothing, you know what my grandmother is like.” Empress Catherine did not take no for an answer. Her word was the law in Veredun, a law applied equally to everyone for the most part anyway. If she wanted Erik engaged, he would be engaged. But he had always planned on rebelling at some point- running away if he absolutely had to from the wedding. He would not be controlled by her. She would not dictate who he would marry and spend the rest of his life with. She didn’t have that power over him. Naturally, he said none of this to her face. “And as time passed, we got closer. I eventually found out who she was- Yelena Fabergé,” he stated. “She wasn’t a part of the Rustavyan royal family, but she was a Rustavyan noble. And she was very close to Vera I mean, Princess Verena,” he corrected himself quickly. “I was introduced to Princess Verena through her. And Princess Verena recognized who I was after a background check. I’d said nothing to Yelena about my background because I didn’t think it mattered at the time.” “Eventually, we became closer and about a year or so ago, I started to date her. But I knew my grandmother wouldn’t take it well so we decided not to tell anyone about it. She would be upset that I ruined her engagement plans and ‘embarrassed Veredun on a global scale’,” he quoted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he spoke. “But more than that, she would brand me a traitor for having anything to do with Yelena as she is Rustavyan,” he continued. “You know the relationship between our countries. Even when its ‘good’ its hardly amicable. So we decided that it was safest not to say anything to anyone about this for the both of us. And at the time, it was just supposed to be innocent fun,” he explained. Even on Yelena’s side, being involved with Erik was not the best. Relationships with Veredunians was tolerated, but one with a high-born Veredunian noble, a Veredunian prince and one who obviously had seemingly close ties to the Veredunian Crown was not. While Erik wasn’t as well-versed in their diplomatic history as some of his older siblings, Erik knew enough to know that the ties between Rustavya and Veredun had been strained far before the disappearance of the Rustavyan Queen. “But over time, it stopped being just fun,” he stated. “I found that I could talk to her about you know… stuff,” Erik answered cryptically. He could talk to Yelena about everything, Erik realized. She didn’t judge him, she just listened. She supported him, consoled him. She was the first person he had actually told important things to- about his childhood, his relationship with his older siblings, Juliet, Ferdinand, his parents, his cousins, his grandmother and Empress Catherine’s supposed involvement in Ferdinand’s death- everything. “It began with Ferdinand’s… you know,” he trailed off. The world knew Erik’s older brother had died. Veredunian media had spun it to make it seem like Ferdinand was a martyr, a war hero. He was of course. Ferdinand had been one of the most capable soldiers Erik had ever known- honorable and humble. He was a strategic genius and was well-liked by everyone, even those who hadn’t directly served under him. He exemplified a war hero. But the media highlighting that aspect of his life was just a cover-up to hide the more sinister circumstances of Ferdinand’s death, particularly what he had uncovered about the Veredunian genetic research. That wasn’t the Veredun Ferdinand had sworn to defend and protect. Ferdinand was the kind of person who would die for Veredun in a heartbeat, but not like this. Apart from Juliet, it was only Erik who had known. But now, Yelena did too. “She helped me through it a lot,” Erik continued. “Had it not been for her, I don’t even want to think about what could have happened. I wasn’t in a good place you know.” That had been the most significant loss Erik had suffered since the death of his own parents. Erik had grown up almost exclusively with Ferdinand and his loss opened up several painful memories and traumas associated with the loss of their parents that had been long suppressed by both Erik and his siblings.God, he had been so close to doing absolutely stupid things- openly confronting Konrad and Anastasia for their involvement in Ferdinand’s death topping the list. He owed Yelena his life to be honest. Had it not been for her, Erik would have done so, along with a list of other reckless things and his grandmother would have his head on a platter in the imperial palace. On several occasions, Yelena had stopped him. He’d confided in her- the recurring nightmares, everything. He’d told her things he had never told anyone else before, not even Juliet. And for the first time, Erik felt as if he was not entirely alone. He wasn’t ready to give that up in order to appease his grandmother. He was already out of favor with her and Erik doubted that going through with a simple marriage arrangement would change any of that. “And ever since then, our relationship changed. It became more serious,” he added, pausing to inhale sharply. “And I never intended to hide anything from you. I just didn’t want to cause problems for nothing. I didn’t want to say anything until I was absolutely sure, which I am now. I had intended to tell you in a much better way, under much more… positive circumstances, but I don’t think that is possible anymore,” he continued. “I’m so sorry Talya, I never intended to hurt or embarrass you at all,” he stated sincerely. Talya sat on the edge of the bed, legs crossed as she took in the information. She remembered Erik mentioning a good friend from home a few times named Yelena. So it wasn't as if he lied, right? She ought to be yelling at him right now, but instead she felt only very, very slightly angry. Said anger was only directed at herself. The feelings she had for Erik were small, but they were still there. How was she supposed to marry someone who she [i]knew[/i] was in love with someone else? She couldn't. Erik was her friend, and she wasn't about to mess up his relationship, even if she wished she was Yelena. [Color=6bb8cf]”It's fine, Erik. You didn't upset me. But… we have to make people think that we're together. That we're in love. At least for the time being. If not, this tabloid will keep printing our names amidst it's speculations. We have to go through with the engagement while we're here in Aciras. Maybe not the whole time… but enough to let the situation die down. I'll even help explain all this to Yelena if you wish.”[/color] She took a deep breath. [Color=6bb8cf]”And I don't expect you to marry me, Erik.”[/color] Erik hadn’t expected that. Not at all. He’d expected Talya to be upset, after all anyone in her situation had the right to be so. Erik had handled it all very poorly. Thus, for Talya to react this way… Erik couldn’t help but be grateful. [i]Incredibly[/i] grateful. And so, all Erik could do was nod in agreement. She had a point. Although this was just some Acrian tabloid, Empress Catherine would not take it lightly. All of this happening in Veredun was one thing, but this happening outside Veredun was something entirely different. At least for now, this was what had to be done. Erik was fairly certain that he didn’t have to [i]pretend[/i] to be in love with Talya. Marriage arrangements of this caliber were common among royalty and nobility. However, what he did have to do was pretend as if he was committed to Talya, at least on the surface. “You’re right,” he agreed with a light nod. “However, I have a plan for that too,” he continued. “I’m sure you’ve heard the statements from Veredun about me, about how… different I am from the rest of my family,” Erik began carefully. Yes, he wasn’t a high-functioning sociopath, psychopath or a war criminal. God forbid that he was as close to normal on the spectrum, Erik thought to himself sarcastically. “For years now, they have been painting me as an immature, frivolous child who only cares about having a good time. Now, naturally that’s not entirely inaccurate, but it is exaggerated quite a bit,” Erik continued. “And by ‘they,’ I mean my cousins specifically,” he clarified. “I mean, it’s not been all bad,” he added with a light shrug. “People don’t expect too much from me and I get to live my life the way I want for the most part, I get quite a bit of freedom as compared to my older siblings,” he continued calmly. “But under this guise, I have foundations that people don’t quite question my private relationships much. People [i]expect[/i] me to be scandalous, they don’t expect me to be monogamous to anyone,” he continued. Why this was the case Erik didn’t know. He’d never been unfaithful to anyone in his life-cheating on his girlfriends was something Erik just never did. But again, he never questioned those accusations, mostly because he didn’t care to be embroiled any more in the media than he already was. “I’ve been using this cover for the most part to hide my relationship with Yelena,” he explained. “And until now, it’s been going quite well,” he added, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. For once, he shared and understood his other relatives’ distaste for the media. “Anyway, what I am trying to say is that we should probably increase our public appearances a bit more. But don’t respond to any of these allegations, let them go on. It would be far more suspicious if I [i]was[/i] faithful to you,” he explained. There was no doubt that eyebrows would be raised if Erik would be faithful to Talya all of a sudden- it had been years since they were formally engaged and since then, neither Erik nor Talya had ever shown romantic interest in each other publically. Of course, that could have been easily explained by the fact that the engagement itself was an argument between their two countries and was nothing short of a business deal to be honest But such things were common practice among royalty and nobility. The suspicious part would be Erik’s sudden devotion to Talya- why now, would be the first question people would ask. Given his reputation, no one would believe that Erik intended to be faithful to Talya at all. It would be far more believable for the media to believe that Erik had his own relationships and scandalous affairs outside his engagement to Talya as opposed to suddenly being completely devoted to upholding the engagement all of a sudden. [Color=6bb8cf]”You are completely and undeniably right,”[/color] Talya said with a small smirk as she stood up from the bed. [Color=6bb8cf]”Should we make one of those public appearances going to brunch together?”[/color] “I suppose so,” Erik answered, nodding a little. Waking over to the wooden cabinet, Erik folded a black handkerchief and placed it in yen pocket of his blazer and reached for his black sunglasses. As he was doing so, he continued to speak to Talya. “I really can't thank you enough for this,”he began. “I know not many people in your situation would have reacted similarly. You really are something else you know,” he continued with a smile as he walked over to the mirror to check his hair one last time. “And one day, I'd like you to meet Yelena. I think you'd really like her,” he added, turning around to face her with a smile. “Well then,” he began, turning to face her. “Shall we?” he asked with a bright grin. [Color=6bb8cf]”You know I've always considered you a friend, Erik.”[/color] Walking across the room to open the door, she turned to look at him one last time before starting her descent down the stairs. [Color=6bb8cf]”I hope they at least have mimosas.”[/color] Erik grinned in response at that. “If all else fails, I'll make you mimosas,” as he followed her. From what he had seen at the ball, Erik was not impressed by the selection of alcohol. He didn't hold his breath for mimosas. Princess Lea seemed far more of a chocolate lover than a connoisseur of alcoholic spirits and wines. And as they entered the parlor, Erik’s suspicions had been confirmed. It was very… green and pink, Erik thought to himself silently as his eyes skimmed the decor of the room. He could see several plants and green motifs around the room and from what he could see, the furniture was late nineteenth-century. Everywhere he turned, all Erik could see was deserts and chocolate. The brunch looked more like a chocolate factory in Erik’s opinion. Brunch to Erik was usually on some yacht filled to the brim with various forms of alcohols and liquiers, but obviously this was not that kind of brunch. Though he much preferred the latter. Erik truly believed that anything on water was just far better than its counterpart on land. He could see a few people had already arrived, Princess Lea being one of them. From the corner of his eye, he recognized Alejandro and turned to flash him a wide grin. “I don’t see your mimosas,” he spoke to Talya, his eyes still skimming around the room. Walking into the room, it was apparent that Barbie had barfed all over the place. While Talya had been hoping for chicken and waffles and maybe some fresh fruit, it looked like she'd be settling for chocolate covered… everything. She gave a small nod towards her sister Ivy. [Color=6bb8cf]”I'll see you later, alright?”[/color] she said to Erik before taking a seat across from Ivy. “Sounds good,” Erik replied with a curt nodd. Walking over to the courtyard, Erik opted for a rather secluded place, and pulled out his phone. Quickly scrolling through his contacts, he found Vera’s name and began to text her. Yelena already knew that Erik was going to tell Talya- he’d messaged her about it, though she hadn’t replied [i]Suspicious,[/i] he thought to himself silently. Yelena was usually quite quick to respond. Returning his attention to the phone screen before him, Erik inhaled sharply and began to text Vera. It was better to tell her himself instead of her finding out from someone else… right? She already thought that he wasn’t serious enough about Yelena and Erik really didn’t need that stupid tabloid stirring up more problems than it already had. Something told him that he would not be leaving this brunch alive.