Raptra

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

Ah, that'll be interesting. Well, decided to introduce a new character instead and delay the festival. Will have her CS up soon. Hmm, I wonder if I should have a face claim for Dame Gertrude...

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

Eliezer was seated at his desk as he pulled some paper out. After picking up the quill pen that he was about to use, he paused for a moment to gaze at his name engraved onto it. As he ran a finger over the lettering, he then hesitated to write with it. Using a gift from Raven to write to another lady would be inappropriate, would it not? He was unsure, but decided to put it back where it had been and use another. It was as if in spite of all that had happened, the item still held some significance to him. His knight walked in as he was writing, and he glanced up to look at him for a second before returning to his task.

"What kept you, Sir Hildebrand?"

Not yet knowing if he should let Eliezer know about his earlier exchange with Shadow, he kept the reason vague. "Another required my attention for a short while, Your Highness. If I may inquire, what matter are you currently attending to?"

Hildebrand had noticed the prince writing a letter, and Eliezer stopped writing and cautiously glanced around before beginning his explanation. "I believe that you are familiar with Lady Adelina Nemes?"

The knight nodded, knowing the lady whom the prince had just mentioned to be a noble who was closely acquainted with the royal family and a childhood friend of the twin princes.

"Well, I am requesting to visit her, and to stay at the Nemes Estate for a few days," Eliezer continued. "I hope to leave for the Celestial Moon Festival from there, so as not to risk anyone here finding out about my disappearance. Also, after all that has happened, my need for a rest and some time away from the palace is a valid reason to make this visit. I shall have to let Lady Nemes know what I am planning to do and trust that she will aid me in keeping it secret."

Hearing that Eliezer was already making plans to see Raven, Hildebrand knew that the letter would remain with him for the time being. "I am am glad that you have decided to take this chance, Your Highness. I do hope that all goes well with this plan."

---

The response from the Nemes Estate soon reached the palace, mentioning that the crown prince's arrival was to be expected. Eliezer spoke to his brother as usual, informing him of the visit and letting him know that he shall be taking over his duties until he returned. He knew that Mathazar also had a reputation to uphold at this time and would not deliberately do anything to harm Dainia just yet. A couple of days before the festival, Eliezer boarded the carriage with Hildebrand, and Mathazar, who was seeing them off, only wished his brother a safe journey and told him to have a good rest. He and Robynne shall, of course, have some spies follow them to the Nemes Estate, for they did not know if Eliezer was up to anything by making this visit.

It was a relatively short journey within the kingdom, and when the carriage of the prince arrived at the gates of the Nemes Estate, the elegant, refined noblewoman was there with her guards to greet him and all of his own who had accompanied him. When he and Hildebrand had alighted, she let Eliezer kiss the back of her hand before holding him lightly by the shoulders.

"My dear Eliezer, how long has it been?"

"My apologies for the infrequent communication, Lady Nemes. Much has been going on involving Dainia and my family," the prince responded.

She gave him a look of concern. "So we have heard. Please come inside, my guards shall escort yours to their quarters."

"May I request for Sir Hildebrand to accompany us, Lady Nemes?" Eliezer asked, gesturing to his knight. "He is a trusted companion of mine."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Nemes," Hildebrand greeted her as he bowed.

She nodded to the knight with a pleasant smile. "Of course."

Once the three were seated in private, Eliezer revealed the reason for his visit. "I have a favor to ask of you, Lady Nemes. The day after tomorrow, Sir Hildebrand and I shall be leaving to attend to a certain matter, and we shall return by the morning after that. Nobody else is to know that we have left the estate. Pray do this for us."

Adelina stared at the prince in wonder for a moment. "Why Eliezer, if I could not tell the both of you apart, I would think that you were your brother. What is so critical that it has driven you do such a thing?"

Eliezer let out a sigh. "If you must know, there is a lady whom I must speak to. It is crucial that I do."

She gasped in amusement. "So, you are in love?"

The crown prince shook his head. "It is not like that. Well, that is not the only reason why she is important, at least. This also has to do with Dainia's relations with another kingdom."

As Adelina was still a noble of Dainia, Eliezer did not want to shock her by mentioning Lunar. He knew the general opinion of Dainia's upper-class population regarding this other kingdom, and he did not want to risk anything by telling her that the lady he was planning to meet with was the heir to the throne of Lunar.

Adelina was still entertained by the fact that the inexpressive and uptight prince was capable of romantic feelings. "And to think that everybody around us used to jest that you and I would wed someday when we were children."

"They all knew that it was unlikely, considering that you were always more fond of my brother."

"Do not say that Eliezer, I am equally fond of you both," she replied with a laugh, before cocking her head at him in confusion. "Actually, would Mathazar have not been able to help you? From what I know, he is rather skilled in this area, is he not?"

Eliezer hesitated, pondering over whether he should tell her what he knew about Mathazar or not. Adelina was his longtime friend, and he cared deeply for her. She was Mathazar's as well, and perhaps it was only right for him to let her know that his brother was not who he seemed to be. He looked to Hildebrand for validation, who firmly nodded.

"Tell her, Your Highness."

"We... have reason to believe that Mathazar is conspiring with questionable individuals against me. He does not know what I plan to do, and I must ask that you say nothing about this to him."

Adelina was stunned at this information, knowing how close the brothers had been before. "Mathazar? But was he not always there for you? He would never..."

"That was what I said when I first learned of his intention to betray me, Lady Nemes. I did not want to believe it. I thought that he cared for me more than anyone else. Please believe me now when I say that this is true," he then paused and leaned in closer to her. "He has fooled all of us into thinking that he is somebody that he is not. Pray aid me in what I am about to do, my lady. If anything were to go wrong in the process, you may deny everything, and the responsibility shall fall on me."

The noblewoman sat still, thinking for a long while, before she spoke again. "You are the heir to the throne of Dainia, Eliezer, and I therefore trust that you have nothing to gain from lying to me. You have my support."

Empyreus Academy

@Aphelion Petty rivals? ;)

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

Ah alright, think you'd enjoy it.

When he heard this was intentionally a way to provoke Raven he was mad and wanted to kill them now for using his sister emotions for their benefits.

@Fairy Tale Dreamer

That would end our story quickly lol. I don't think it was intentional though, but that works. Sorry for the wait again, kind of tired and not really satisfied with what I have planned for my next post. Shall I do a skip to the festival?

Empyreus Academy

So are we wanting boys/girls dorms with roommates or a free-for-all where you pick your roommate?

@Birdboy

So we're doing the dormmate idea then? Free-for-all is fine, cause we could have something like this, if you'd like.

Empyreus Academy

Angel raised an eyebrow in slight confusion at the reaction. Did his response just make this boy nervous? It was not exactly what he had expected from someone who would decided to start a conversation in such a situation. Regardless, the blond continued to speak, describing his abilities due to there apparently not being a name for it yet. He listened to 'Able' as he watched the bus driver work his way through a set of keys, before replying the taller teenager again.

"Interesting. It's Ángel," he commented, and first gave Able the Spanish pronunciation of his own name. "You may call me Angel if it's more convenient for you."

Angel felt immensely relieved once they were let inside the building, delighting in the warmth of the fire. He was slightly taken aback at the enthusiasm of the man whom he assumed to be Dr. Muller. He glanced over the other people in the area, presumably the staff members of the academy, while Muller was speaking, and when that was over, he found himself still taking it all in, mainly the fanciness of the whole setup and the mention of the bedrooms. Uncertain about where to begin, Angel hesitantly raised a hand, or more like a couple of fingers, before asking a question.

"Have the rooms already been allocated, Sir?"

@Gisk @Birdboy

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

Phew, finally back. By the way, have you seen the 2009 movie Ninja Assassin? Caught most of it on TV and it reminded me of this RP.

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

Eliezer shook his head when Shadow suddenly appeared and shocked Hildebrand. "I would have to ask that you people do you best not to cause my knight any more distress. I still need him alive."

It was a humorous implication that the knight could have been killed by the shock, and although Eliezer was aware that it could be possibly taken as a serious statement because it came from him, he was immensely frustrated at the moment and could not have cared less. Hildebrand was surprised at the prince's attempt to jest, having never witnessed it before, and turned to him with a scoff of amusement. The two then listened to the words of the assassin, and after he disappeared, Eliezer sighed and continued to speak to his knight.

"I would have invited him to stay where he was, considering that he shall be listening to what we are going to say regardless," he commented, before returning to the topic they had been discussing, this time with the input of Shadow in mind. "With all that has happened, it is highly likely that the royal family will not be present at the Celestial Moon Festival for our safety."

"Which would mean that your absence might not be realized if you do decide to go and see her," Hildebrand pointed out.

"If I do make such a decision, and if I am spotted, it would do no good for my reputation. There is already suspicion about my involvement with the Lunarian assassins. If I were to be seen leaving the palace unannounced with no regard for my personal safety, there would be even more reason for my people to question if I am suited to rule. She is the heir to the throne of Lunar, and after what my family has done to the kingdom, I do believe that I owe them at least this, but is it worth risking my right to the throne?"

"Not to mention you still have feelings for her, Your Highness."

"That is irreleva-" Eliezer cut himself off after seeing his knight raise an eyebrow at him - a nonverbal reminder that his feelings should matter.

The prince only let out another sigh, and Hildebrand started to advise him once again. "Ask yourself this, Your Highness. If you let her go, would you be able to live with that decision even if you manage to do right by your people? Can you let your heart tell you what is right this time? How much would you regret then, regardless of what may happen? You matter to her, and to me, if nobody else, not as the future ruler of Dainia, but as an individual. However, if you are afraid to trust this, then I understand. If you would pardon me, Your Highness."

Having said his piece, the knight stood and left the room, leaving Eliezer to contemplate the issue by himself, or rather, leaving him with Shadow, who was likely still around.

---

There was alarm in the palace once again in the evening when the body of the assassin together with the written threat and the blood-stained feather was found at the palace gate. Of course, only a handful of the palace's residents were actually aware of the Red Robin's association with the royal family and servants, and the identity of the one who had made the threat. All the rest knew was that the Red Robin was the client who was responsible for the attack on the crown prince's convoy on the way to Sorene, and was therefore puzzled as to why another party which she had likely offended would leave her a threat at the palace gate. The younger prince found some time after they had been alerted of this, and he managed to have a word with Robynne in a private chamber of the palace.

"I must say that you're doing well in provoking the Moon Raven. It will be more difficult for my brother to hide his association with her if she continues to react in such a way," he began. "In the meantime, stay at the palace, do not risk any more than you already have."

"However, if Prince Eliezer chooses to cut all ties with her and denies any of this, he would be believed, yes?" She asked.

Mathazar nodded. "If he does. I used know him completely, his thoughts, his fears... the decisions he would make. He was predictable, though, not anymore, unfortunately. We shall wait and see what he does now."

Meanwhile, Hildebrand was back in Eliezer's company. Like the members of the royal family, the knight had been present when the note and the feather was brought in with the details of the dead assassin.

"She is not well, Your Highness," he commented, as he walked with the prince back to his quarters. Seeing Eliezer's look of confusion after he had said that, he then explained. "I do not mean in terms of physical health."

Eliezer nodded in understanding. "I have made my decision."

Empyreus Academy

After the golden-eyed girl met his gaze, Angel felt a little bad, imagining that she must have already gotten enough stares when she had still been among the 'normal people'. However, his thoughts were interrupted when another boy whom he had not noticed earlier caught up to him and spoke to him. Considering his unusual stature, it was rather strange that Angel had not realized his presence on the bus, though, like him, this other boy had been silent for the journey, or at least during the time when he was awake. He took a couple of seconds to get what the blond was asking, after taking into account that it was probably only their unnatural abilities that set them apart from other people. Although he was usually not one to jump at an opportunity for a conversation, he appreciated someone coming up to speak to him at the moment. It would at least distract him from the cold.

Angel glanced up at the taller youth. "I'm an... electrokinetic, if that's what you mean. I believe that you'd like to share what you can do?"

As they drew nearer to their destination, Angel took a deep breath of relief, looking at the large building which was now much closer. If there would be no one else outside upon reaching its entrance, he might eventually attempt speaking with the bus driver, that is, if the older man did not speak first to tell them what was going to happen. Alternatively, they could all just hang around and explore the area until someone showed up.

"This seems... nice," he commented, keeping his eyes on the building.

@Gisk

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

Ah, cool. I know it's been some time, but I'm hoping to get back to this by the weekend or earlier.