Prince Antoine
{ βI only wish that things were that simple.β }
| Name |Prince Antoine, heir apparent of Slibah.
| Nickname |Tony - a common nickname used by close friends and members of family, provided he isn't in trouble. Derived from Antoine as a simpler, shorthand version of the name.
The Young Rose - an almost derogatory nickname mostly used to indirectly reference the distance between Antoine and his guardian, King Jack I. It comes from Antoine taking partially after his guardian's wife, the Black Rose, whereas he has been quite distant from his father for most of his life.
| Age |17.
| Gender |Male.
| Sexuality |Heterosexual.
| Kingdom |Slibah.
| Alliance |The broader Kingdom of Slibah; not particularly the King alone, but not that he'd let that slip.
| In Depth Appearance |Antoine stands at 5 feet and 10 inches with a light complexion, dark hair, and a build that sits somewhere between healthy and semi-athletic. He bears a head of light brown, curly hair, which is more often than not tied back for comfort. He is conscious of his appearance and makes an effort to frequently groom and wash, which includes a regular clean shave - not that his beard is anything close to handsome yet anyway. He has a small scar on his left calf from an accident at the river as a child which, while barely worth mentioning, serves as a useful identifying feature. He normally carries a hand-and-a-half sword on his hip, right beside a dagger.
| Habits |Rubbing his temples - When stressed or in thought, Antoine will often rub at his temples with his fingers. He normally uses his left hand but the right sometimes acts as a suitable substitute.
Glancing - A habit he acquired from his perceptive guardian's wife, Antoine often sneaks glances at what's going on around him. He's quite wary in his own home, being distant from his family as he is, and in turn makes a note of paying attention to what's happening or changing.
| Hobbies |Chess - Perhaps the only thing he's taken from his guardian, Antoine is a frequent chess player. While he enjoys the game, he believes there isn't much in the way of skills that can be transferred to "real life", so he strictly regards it as a game.
Reading - At the advice of the prior Castellan, Antoine is a frequent reader. While he has indulged in "the classics" out of apparent necessity, he currently enjoys more "relevant" pieces - such as legal documents, plans, and reports. He favors martial documents, namely documents relating to command and logistics.
Longswording - Antoine frequently practices with the two-handed longsword, admiring it the most out of the various martial arms choices. While he's definitely capable - for a 17 year old, at least - he's by no extent gifted; a sword isn't out of place in his hands, but he would be out of place in a melee.
| Likes |Peace - From a bit of quiet to realm-wide peace.
Family - Antoine greatly values family and kin; it's just unfortunate his current guardians aren't his legitimate family.
Horsemanship - Antoine is close with Willem, his gelding. He enjoys spending time with him and often visits the stables or takes to the trails to unwind.
Archives and Libraries - Antoine enjoys spending time becoming familiar with archives and libraries, reading through texts and reports that strike his interest.
Lakes and Rivers - Antoine enjoys spending time at lakes and rivers, whether it be swimming or watching the water.
| Dislikes |Extreme Cold - While extreme heat is tolerable with a well-deserved swim at the end of the day, extreme cold irritates Antoine. His hatred of winter is no secret, from both a personal and a logistics perspective.
Honor, conceptually - Antonio finds honor conceptually difficult: if one has sworn an oath to a liege, but the liege is a tyrant, then is the honorable option to break the oath and deliver justice, or to keep the oath and let it happen? He's currently in the process of some soul-searching to try and find an answer.
Ale - Antonio's "mother" has influenced him to have a disdain for ale, if nothing else. Unfortunately, wine doesn't particularly strike his fancy either.
King Jack I - Antonio is well aware of how Jack I killed his biological mother, even if he bides his tongue. He is also well aware of his "hobbies" - his inclination to hedonism, even at the expense of others. He isn't sure what he wants to do, but he knows he wants to do something, eventually.
Tardiness - Antonio is, as a man of logistics and statesmanship, punctual; naturally, tardiness is one of his pet hates as he has,
more often than not, planned out most of his day in advance.
| Fears |Oceans and Seas - While Antoine loves rivers and lakes, he's almost irrationally afraid of deep water. He sees it as something akin to a void or abyss.
Torture - Seeing what his guardian can do has instilled a fear of torture in Antonio first hand. To this day, he has vowed to sooner fall on his sword before submitting to torture.
| Personality |Antonio is a bit unconventional: while he's reserved, he's certainly not shy, and while he spends arguably too much thinking, he's certainly not an introvert. This comes from a mix of two things: unusual circumstances and the stage of his life. Within his househould,
he's meant to break bread with both the man who murdered his parents and the woman who doesn't miss any detail; the social isolation,
despite being surrounded by the royal family of Silbah of all things, presses him into a reserved and focused state of mind. To add to this, he's at the stage of his life where he's discovering his identity: learning to love, learning what he values, learning how to become the successful nobleman his guardian would have him become - or, more pressingly, that his real parents would be proud to see him become.
While his situation may cause an unconventional personality, it does bring out the best of his commitment and dedication. His life revolves around growing up - his identity, what's "right", what he should do. To this end, he's steadfast and determined, a trait that will likely stay with him for the majority of his life; after all, it's all he's known throughout his child.
| Background |Antoine was born 17 years ago to the prior King and Queen of Slibah, shortly before the events that would lead to both of their deaths; so naturally, his childhood was a little bit complicated. He was barely old enough to form memories when he lost his mother. He only watched his father gradually slip in his state of mind for a bit over a year before he was whisked away by the prior Queen's family: following the suspicious circumstances of his mothers death, her grieving family plotted to abduct and "rescue" the King's other son. After all, the illegitimate son was in prison, so there was no fear of the throne coming to the lap of a pretender, right? Unfortunately, the King's unforeseen illness struck far too quickly, and before the family could plot to prevent the legitimization of the bastard son by returning a legitimate child to the fold, the cards were set; and after the now-legitimized bastard murdered the King in his own court, they certainly weren't returning him then. The prior Queen's family kept Antoine, hiding him from the world and plotting his return to the royal court.
Some time passed - not that nothing happened. It was a tricky situation: there was no doubt that now-King Jack I would plot to murder Antoine if he was discovered as a threat to his rule, although this would make a useful piece in a scheme to return the prior Queen's family to power in Slibah. When Antoine was only 12, still learning the common tongue with the scholars, the prior Queen's family set their scheme into motion: a miner turned in a young child to the city watch, stating that he found him abandoned in the mines and took him in, and that he suspects him to be the lost noble, Antoine. With some careful maneuvering and a bit of political pressure, Antoine was returned to the royal court as the heir apparent: while he would not press his claim on the Slibahn crown, he would instead inherit it; at least, if he made it that far.
Since Antoine returned to the royal court, he's come to understand - fear, even - the hedonistic nature of his adoptive father and has caught on to the nature of his legitimate family's plot. He's between a rock and a hard place and on top of all that, he's in the thick of growing up. While he hates the hedonist Jack I, fond of the vile extremes of pleasure as he is, he's certainly not fond of his immediate family either, noting their schemes to return to power using him as the main piece - at the risk of his life. The big question to him now is, what's the best thing to do? He thinks about it arguably too much.
| Extra |I can't say I have any particular favorite, although I am lenient towards medieval dark ages and napoleonic time periods.
