forum Kill The Prince, Steal The Crown // Private rp

Started May 30, 2019 by @croccin-champagne

tune

She snorted at the 'title,' then flicked her hair with a flourish. "I suppose I am the Lady of the Passages, aren't I? I just have the nose for snooping."

"Quite the useful nose indeed." She said, nodding solemnly. It was startling, just how at ease she found herself with the princess. You need to be a bit more careful. "Shall we then, Lady?"

"We shall." She led Lily through the ancient halls, brushing her fingers over the occasional carving on the walls. She avoided touching the other girl, however. Skin to skin contact was what triggered her Seer abilities—the gift passed down from the First King. Everyone's abilities were different, as they were derived from their innermost desires and personality.

((What's the chance Rhydar is going to pull his thievery magic on Lily when they meet later?))

Lily's hands fiddled with anything and everything on her person, which wasn't all that much beyond her clothing, as she studied the carvings on the walls. Her nerves had died down, replaced now by slight awe, and appreciation for how well made the passages were.

(He'll steal something on her in greeting because he's bad at introductions)

"I don't know much about these passages," Cinthia admitted, "I just explore them. I know that there are more I have yet to see—call it a gut feeling." She tapped a finger against the wall and dropped her hair, raising a curious brow Lily's way. "You're here for my brother's hand, and yet you aren't gushing over him and pestering me for details," she pointed out.

((Sksksksk I was assuming so. She doesn't keep much on her but a small amount of cash, a hidden knife or two from time to time, and an old photo of a younger her with her mother and sisters.))

"I'd rather get to know him myself, than learn from the opinions of another person." Lily said, her fiddling pausing as she stuffed her hands in her pockets. "You're his sister, and I'm sure you know him well, but we all have things others don't know or understand. It almost feels…rude, to ask you, instead of getting to know him as the time comes."

She snorted. "I'm rooting for you, then. All the women I've met talked nonstop about him and how great he is, yadda yadda yadda. Then they proceeded to bug me for 'the deets'." She held her hands up to so air quotes.

She lifted an eyebrow, looking both amused and weirded out. "I wasn't aware 'deets' was a word." She said, shaking her head. "That's going to be fun to deal with for however long it is before someone's chosen, huh?"

Cinthia nodded, offering a sympathetic glance Lily's way. "Indeed it is." The reached a Y in the path, and Cinthia headed down the right tunnel without a falter in her step. "I'm honestly probably going to steal you away most of the time to make an excuse for you being near him on a regular basis—the Queen won't be satisfied if you lot don't get to know him. Rhydar has made his one demand clear: He doesn't want to marry just because he has to. He wants to pick a girl he thinks he'll enjoy spending his time with. Hence the fight for his attention."

Lily followed Cinthia through the tunnels, her eyes only leaving the walls to look at the other girl. "The help is appreciated, but I would be happy to spend time with just you, too. I find your company enjoyable." She brushed her hair away from her face once more. "There is one thing I'm curious about, concerning your brother. He's okay with this whole event, as long as he is allowed to choose?"

"I mean, none of us are really into the whole 'you have to be married by the age of 19 at the most.' Rhydar's love life has been declared a lost cause, so the Queen has declared this little event. He doesn't care either way, just that he has to choose." She shrugged. "He doesn't think it'll be successful at all, that's why he doesn't mind it. He's more amused with the thought of women tripping over their feet to be with him than anything." She smiled warmly over at Lily. "And I would love to spend more time with you. Your company is quite enjoyable as well."

Lily smiled, a full smile this time, though still small, and her face brightened with the expression. "You might just be the first person to say that, in a truly kind way." She said, before huffing a small laugh. "He's really a lost cause, marriage-wise?"

"I mean, he's 22 and has yet to find a girl he truly fancies," she said, scrunching up her nose some. "He's played around a bit like the male that he is, but has never settled down and let himself be, and I quote, 'put into the shackles that is a long-term relationship.' It's nonsense, really. Magnus is quite happy with Koralia, and they've been together since childhood. I don't see why he can't see himself that happy with a woman."

She was quiet, nodding as she thought. "Maybe all the women he's encountered, at least potential suitors, are just…not the right fit?" It was obvious she was just making an observation, and not at all suggesting she would suddenly be right. "This whole thing might actually be good for him, in that way. At least to help him realize what kind of women he isn't interested in."

Cinthia nodded slowly, thinking through Lily's words. "That makes quite a bit of sense. I like how your mind works, not that I'd rifle around it to see how it works," she added jokingly with a light chuckle. "If you don't end up with him—and I'm not saying you won't, because I'll definitely be upset if he tosses you to the side—I'll be happy to be your friend even after."

That was a bit of an odd comment. Lily's small smile continued to play on her lips as she looked over at Cinthia, pretending for a second she wasn't here to kill the girl's brother. "Well, let's hope we stay friends, and I don't get tossed to the side, huh?"

"Cheers to hoping for the best." Cinthia nodded finally, then looked around the tunnel and changed the subject. "I think we're getting close to the exit. This tunnel runs directly to the library. Don't ask me why, because I have no clue. I'm still trying to puzzle out why the First King had dug a tunnel to the library."

"Maybe the library building served a different purpose back when the tunnels were dug?" Lily guessed, shrugging a shoulder as she returned her gaze to the walls. "Or it could have been some sort of rendezvous, if there was ever a need to escape."

She pointed an agreeing finger Lily's way. "Good point." She then ran her fingers along the wall and stopped at a spot where she felt a very light snag. She pressed her palm against the wall, and a hand-sized stone slid in the wall. A secret door opened just beside it, the wall sliding apart to reveal it. "Here we are," she announced.

"I would love to meet whoever built these." She decided, watching the process with fascination. "If they were still alive, of course. Lead the way?"

Cinthia gestured for Lily to follow her as she slipped through the opening. It led to an enormous and ancient looking library, its giant, spiral staircase leading to all the different open floors, both above and below the ground. They were currently on one of the lower levels, looking at walls covered in delicately carved and meticulously polished shelves filled to the brim with large books. Just from a brief glimpse, it was clear many curious fingers had brushed over these sturdy spines, flitted over the thin paper of the hundreds of pages, hooked between different sections to hold their thoughts.

The dark hardwood floors were polished as well with old decorative rugs laid down over them. Cushioned seats lounged about at random spots, offering a place to sit and relax with a wise book in your hands. Tables also were scattered throughout the library, letting both young and old scholars hunch over their many resources at once. Torches effectively lit the entire building, giving a comforting glow to the place that gave off enough light to easily be able to read while keeping it just dark enough to provide that air of grandness yet soothing comfort.

Cinthia turned to Lily once they both had entered the small alcove that led out to the main area in the middle of the library. "Well?" she asked.

Lily's eyes widened once more, as she took in the sight of the library around them. Were things all this large in this city, or was it just places that royals frequented? "It's….amazing." She whispered, still awestruck. Daisy would've had a field day with this. She never would have wanted to leave.

Cinthia smile at Lily's awestruck expression. "I love it here; it's actually my favorite place to go to escape my royal duties, as well as the majority of the people in the palace. Surprisingly, no one's managed to figure out where I disappear to." She seemed to look right at home, surrounded by ancient books, some not even written in the modern tongue. Her darker complexion fit right in with the black, maroon, and mahogany theme this place had, with splashes of gold here and there.

"I can understand why you spend so much time here. I've never seen this many books in one place." Lily whispered, her eyes landing on Cynthia after a few moments. "I could spend my entire life reading in here, and barely make a dent in the number."