forum "I would burn the world for you" (OxO Closed)

Started December 01, 2022 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

tune

Bel's neutral expression melts into an uneasy one. A secret note with bad news. "You could tell me," he suggests, but he doesn't press. He turns away, biting the inside of his cheek as he saddles his horse. The horse is very still, allowing Bel to quickly saddle and prepare him for riding for the day. He gives Nico his space, clearly whatever in the note ment to be kept from him.

You know what I'm part of. Yes. Bel must have forgotten. The Lisais–formed for the downfall of Bel's kingdom. Bel's home. Swallowing and taking a shaky breath, he quickly mounts the horse and leads him out the stable door and into the outside morning. The reins feel comfortable in his hand, Bels few belongings hanging off the side bags. He's going to have to retrieve his mandolin and his mothers novel from the other men at some point, but now is not the time. Later.

Nico should tell him, he should. But he was worried how Bel would take the message. He was worried he would be happy and want to leave. And so it was for pure selfish that he didn't say a word about it. "We can talk about it later." Which really meant never and Nico was going to find a way to distract him.

Nico waited until Bel was mounted to walk away and mount his own horse. There were some things he just couldn't share. Nico was the leader, their prince. He had hundred if not thousands of people following his cause and waiting for him to take the throne. He couldn't disclose everything or it would be chaos. Keeping information to himself was easy, second nature. And yet this didn't feel right to him. Ir didn't feel good keeping stuff from Bel.

"We ride all day. We stop only for night. The sooner we get home the better. We have a week left before we reach home if we run tino no more surprises. There's one more village to stop through before then so don't feel like you need to ration any of the food." Nico rode up to Bel's side and the rest if men fell into formation around them. Nico should tell him. There was no batter place than now but he just couldn't. After the next village. After the next village he would talk about everything.

Bel addresses Nico's promise with a nod, though he isn't expecting it to be followed through. Bel may be kind and fairly naive, but he certainly isn't stupid nor blind. He can read people, and he's learned how to tell when somebody has something to hide. Regardless of whatever secrets Nico is harboring, Bel won't push. Once he's ready, he'll tell Bel. Maybe. (He hopes so.)

The other men quickly catch up to Bel. The horse beneath him is one that he's not bonded to yet. Unlike Katya back home, this horse isn't in tune to every small movement Bel takes to steer. It will take time. Everything will take time.

At the mention of night in the woods again, Bel can't help the brief look of dread that crosses his eyes. Gods, he can't wait until they finally arrive. Who cares about the journey full of bandits and shadows when the safe destination is lurking at the end? "Then I suppose we should get going," Bel suggests.

Nico pulled in closer to Bel, trying to give him a reassuring look. He wouldn't let anything happen to Bel. He would protect him with his life. "Kaillas, make sure our tracks are covered. We don't need any more incidents." He didn't further explain how Kaillas was going to cover their tracks. To explain would only freak Bel out and that was the last thing he needed. Several members of their group had magic but weren't ready to disclose that to Bel. Not until he stopped fearing magic.

Magic wasn't something to fear. Magic just was. It existed. It was neither good nor evil. It was up to the user on how the magic was used. And unfortunately, some people used it for bad things. But Bel had witnessed magic first hand on the terrible things it could do and he was stuck in his ways. The king, his father, certainly didn't help by instilling fear int he people with propaganda that all magic was bad. Nico hoped that one day he could convince him otherwise. Hopefully before he was forced to use his magic.

With a signal, they were trotting out of the stables and headed to the woods. Braxton and Laurent led the group. The two were talking quietly together, laughing and bumping up against one another by kicking their feet out at one another. Cass was on one side of Nico and Bel was on the other. Kaillas was in the rear. Nico handed the letter to Cassian. He read it, his face turning grim, before handing it back. "How do you want to handle this?"

"We don't. Either we make it home in time or we have a standoff." Nico didn't know what they would do if Bel's siblings found them. He wouldn't give Bel up but that was for personal reasons, not because of the mission. But if Bel wanted to leave with them, he would be devastated.

Bel only spares a momentary glance over to Nico and Cassian's brief interaction before turning all his attention back to the road ahead of them. The village sits around them, fading behind them the further they walk. Bel tries not to feel sad for leaving such a lovely place. Nobody was dying, nobody was in danger. Yet, something still makes his chest heavy as he turns to watch it disappear into the trees. Hopefully one day he'll be able to return.

Out of courtesy, Bel tries to tune out the brief conversation between Nico and Cassian, but it proves quite difficult when a few key words catch his ear, such as: handle, we don't, and standoff. Trying to decode the puzzle, Bel's brow furrows over his eye, but he keeps his look straight forward as his horse trots on. Pushing the confusion from his mind, Bel tries to focus on naming the horse below him. He didn't ask the stableman if he had a name, and in hindsight, he probably should of. Well, too far now.

Quietly to himself, Bel begins to sound out random sounds, finding something that could stick well to the light brown stallion. Eventually he lands on a good th sound to start with. "Thaine, Thoriel, Thom, Thake, Thitk, Thicket–" Instantly, his mood is lifted as the name sticks. "Thicket," Bel smiles as he leans down to pet his muzzle. Thicket whinnies happily, satisfied with his new name.

Nico looked over at Bel, watching and listening to him as he spewed out names until something stuck. He smiled. "It's a good name, Thicket. We'll get him better training when we get home, if you'd like of course. Our horses are trained for battle, and while I don't plan on you ever going into it, I would like for him to be prepared in case anything happens."

He hoped nothing would happen. But if Bel decided to stay with him, it was always a possibility. He wondered what it would be like if Bel stayed with him. Nico would go on missions now and then, leaving Bel behind. It would be to dangerous to take him with him. Was that really a life to live? Your parents leaving for weeks or months at a time.

Another reminder of danger, battle, potential death. Bel smiles tightly and shakes his head. "If that's what you would like, Nico. If it would put you more at ease knowing that Thicket would be a trained warhorse." The prince leans over to rub the horse's neck. Katya isn't a trained warhorse–if anything, she's a glorified jumping mare. She's swift, but she lacks the stamina of most high-intensity steeds.

At least on his own horse, Bel can make a break for it and return safely while the others would fight. Call Bel a coward, but he despises bloodshed. He despises the smell, the sight, the texture–anything and everything about it sickens him. Bel never wants to be responsible for a death again. Now on the road, every movement from the corner of his eye could be a bandit–could be something to attack him or die by his hand.

(if you don't have anything planned, maybe timeskip a little until more action? there's not really a lot to rp when they're just on the road ;-; alskdjf)

(jafjdsdf you're not wrong. I swear I probably had a plan before I took my extended break but now I don't remember lol. It'll pick up though once we get to the camp. Not to mention the angst when Bel learns who he is lol)

Nico pursed his lips. There was something wrong. Bel was mad at him, he could tell. He urged his horse closer, signally Cassian to give them space. As if picking up his mood, all of them gave the two just a little space, pretending like they weren't listening.

"Is everything okay? Are you mad at me?" Nico didn't understand what he had done. Yes, he was keeping information, but it wasn't something he could share with Bel. Bel hadn't established his loyalties yet. He had no idea if Bel was going to stay with him and support his cause or if he would just feed his family information when he truly learned what and who he was. It was a risk he wasn't ready to take. Not yet. His people came first. He wouldn't put them in danger over this, not because his heart impaired his judgment.

(aldhjshdk alright sounds good! and ohhh shit yeah there's gonna be a ton of angst)

Bel was too engrossed in trying to name the species of flower that was lining the path to notice Nico get close. He jumps slightly, but quickly gathers his bearings as he looks to Nico. "Me?" As if there could be another person Nico could possibly be talking to. "No, I'm not mad at you." Slightly irritated, but certainly not mad. "I just know you have your responsibilities and I'm giving you the space to address them."

Nico is the leader of an elite taskforce for the Lisais. He gets messages in code and has allies and enemies all around. Bel might have been (forcibly) removed from his own duties, but that doesn't mean Nico is as unshackled as Bel. While he may be irritated, Bel understands and eventually it will all subside. Ignore his emotions long enough and they'll go away.

Nico drummed his finger on his thighs. He was agitated. He had too many things to be thinking about and yet the only thing he seemed to be worried about in this moment was whether or not Bel was mad at him. He had the royal children coming after him, potentially exposing his people and getting them killed. If he was smart, he would cut his losses and let Bel go. But the intel he had was too great and could be a tipping point in the war. He could finally win something. He could finally take back his mother's throne and set the world right.

It wasn't the desire to rule that had him motivated, it was doing the right thing that did. His people were counting on him to make things better. To free the world of threats against them for simply having magic. To create peace and certainty. They were looking to him and he wouldn't disappoint them. He couldn't. "I don't need space, Bel. I promise you I will tell you when I can. But I can't right now. You're still.." my prisoner "There are complications. When we get those worked out at home, I'll tell you everything I'm able to." If he didn't hate him by then.

(got it aljdkd I might do something with the other three, but they can wait.)

It's a little odd to here Nico's claim of not needing space. Whenever anybody in his family got irritated or angry, the first thing everyone does is clear the room–allowing one to think and brew and pace until they're ready to talk it over during dinnertime. It was just the way Bel was brought up. Distance.

"You can say that I'm still a prisoner, Nico. There's no use in sugarcoating the obvious," Bel answers, keeping his voice calm and level like his mother always taught him. "And I understand your position, alright. I'm not forcing answers out of you, and you'll tell me when you're ready." Bel sighs and turns back ahead of him. "You're lucky you nabbed me out of all my siblings. I may be the weakest but I know how to be diplomatic." One resulted to yelling, the other violence, and the third to crying. He may not be able to hold a sword or brew a poison, but he knows how to talk. He knows how to communicate.

The road ahead of them will be long. Bel feels his agitation waning and his usual calm set in. He hopes his words would be enough to soothe Nico, but he's no mind reader and whatever Nico's internally dealing with also rubs onto Bel.

Nico wished that he hadn't nabbed Bel at all. Not because he didn't like him or didn't want him, quite the opposite. He had grown to care Bel and didn't want the prince to be his prisoner. He wished they were friends, lovers, whatever they could be. He wished it wasn't this.

"I don't want you to be my prisoner. I don't want to take you home and present you like that. I want you to be with me. I want you to want to help my cause, be apart of it. I'm not asking you right away. But, I would like for you to listen and learn why before you make a decision." Nico almost pleaded with Bel. He didn't want to lose him. "Will you listen? To my stories and my peoples?"

Bel certainly doesn't want to be a prisoner either. He really hasn't felt like one, especially in the more recent days, but a golden cage with a food and a handsome man is still a cage. If this hadn't have happened, Bel would likely be in Irgeven pacing the endless gardens while the Lady Tacia handles literally everything necessary to run a kingdom. Maybe if he was lucky he could pick the napkin color for one of their balls.

"Is that not what I've been doing this entire journey?" Bel turns to Nico, slightly confused. The other man asks him to listen and learn, what else has Bel been doing? Sleeping with men he hardly knows? "I'm not a stubborn man, Nico, it won't take much to get me to listen." It's never taken much for him to do anything.

Nico huffed a small laugh and looked down at his hands. "I don't want to ask you to betray your family. That's not fair to ask that of you. I'm part of the Lisais. Our whole mission is to over throw your father, who stole the throne, and put the rightful heir on the throne. A princess escaped your father's clutches. She's long since passed but she had a son. And that son they plan to put on the throne." Gods he was such an idiot. He wanted to smack himself in the face.

"I can't ask you and yet I am asking you. I shouldn't be and I feel awful about that. Because helping me means the fall of your own family, possibly their deaths." Why was he still talking? Why was he doing this? Did he want to ruin everything he had just made?

"And I won't betray my family," Bel replies. The back of his throat feels heavy thinking about their possible demises. "There's not a chance in hell I'll put them in direct danger." A sigh. "Nico, I'm going to work with you because I trust you. You've never lied to me and you've shown me great kindness." He sighs and licks his lips. "Over the past few days… Everything I've known about my father has been questioned. I was under the impression that my father's older sisters died to some plague and he took up the throne unexpectedly. That's what every history book in the kingdom says. That's what my ancient tutors have all told me." Bel finds a spot on the back of Thicket's mane to stare at.

"I don't believe my father is a good man, but he's never been a cruel man. My siblings are all innocent as well. They may be more brash and aggressive than I, but they're still caught up in this same debacle." Miran's anger stems from the war; Val's violence stems from the overprotection of guards; Treya's manipulative nature stems from being a youngest child in a family of royals. Bel's anxiety stems from the dark and the paranoia his father implemented since he was a boy. "And maybe you should feel awful," Bel says softly, nearly to himself. "Being able to take a life so easily shouldn't be a brag."

Nico's nostrils flared at the end of words. That had been the killshot right there. Nico didn't take life because he wanted to, he took it because it was necessary. Because it was deserved. He didn't enjoy it. He never did. The scars on his back were burning from just the memory of the things that had been done to him. And if Bel knew, if he knew what had happened, he wouldn't say such things. But tell Bel about his back would be to tell Bel everything and that wasn't a conversation he was ready to have.

His back was ridged as Nicandros slipped backa dn Nico was gone. He was a leader now, he was leading this mission and he was going to get the intel he needed. "I'm sure we can negotiate something to save your family's life, but they will not keep the crown, know that." It was then he turned to face Bel, expression cold. "Know I don't enjoy taking lives but I do what needs to be done. I don't hesitate to save the people I love."

And with that, he urged his horse forward and Cassian took his spot where he had previously been next to Bel.

"I wish you luck trying to pry it from them," Bel says calmly, watching as Nico takes the lead. Theres been a shift, stark and polar from what they had been only hours before. Politics and family are messy matters. Bel isn't about to endanger his family and home because of a rebel group lusting for the crown. Nico says he doesn't hesitate for the ones he loves, but what about the ones Bel loves?

Cassian's horse comes beside Bel's. Bel remembers the name as the one who stored his two allowed belongings from earlier. Quickly and with grace, Bel leans over to Cassians bag and finds his book, the green one that belonged to his mother. It's prose, written in a calming manner that's sure to allow Bel to relax and Nico to have his space. Space, distance, silence. All very familiar responses to Bel. Flipping to the first page, Bel studies his mother's signature before turning to the first chapter. A cough unexpectedly racks through his body, momentarily disrupting his reading.

Cassian was silent for a moment, debating his options, how he wanted to approach this. Nico of course, would owe him big time for doing this, fixing his relationship. Or at least patching it for the time being. They all knew it was going to blow up in his face when it was revealed he was Nicandros Callistar, the rightful King. But that was for another time. This was now.

"I'm not going to pretend I know where you're coming from because I don't. I've never been in that situation before," he started, keeping his voice low enough so it was easier for the others to pretend not to listen. "Nico has done a lot of things for us. He picked us up from nothing and brought us up." Shit, that made it sound like Nico was the leader. He wasn't supposed to do that. "He's taken us in and saved us more than a few times. He's done so many things and been through so much you wouldn't even begin to understand. We still don't, not all of it." That still sounded like Nico was the big boss. He wasn't doing a very good job at this. "You've seen his scars I've gathered? Most of those came from one place. I won't tell you because it's not my story to say, but those play a big part in this. Since I won't tell you that, let me tell you my story."

Bel sighs, closing his book as he looks over to Cassian. He doesn't need to know what page he's on, he's read it enough. I'm not mad. He wants to say. I understand. I don't need your explanation. Instead, Bel keeps his mouth shut.

The prince is fully aware that he's a prince. He's always had food on the table and a soft bed and an army to protect him. He's privileged with an education and all his hobbies and his endless supply of money. Hie largest hardship growing up was worrying if he upset his father in some way.

"Alright," Bel says simply. "I'm listening."

Cassian paused. It wasn't hard to tell the prince would rather being doing anything but this. Anything but talking him. He understood that but Bel was a prisoner, technically, and he wasn't going anywhere so he might as well listen.

He had faith that if Bel worked with Nico that they could figure out some sort of solution that made all parties happy. A way to let Bel's family live while Ncio still took the throne. It belonged to Nico. And because he didn't want it, it made Cassian love him and want him to rule even more. It was because of that, that everyone followed him.

"I lived in a small village along the outskirts of the kingdom. We were small, virtually unnoticeable. We had our own way if things despite the king's orders. He was so far away it didn't seem like he could touch us. Not really. But one day, when I was still a small boy, the king soldiers rode through and rounded everyone up in the square. They separated the young children from the adults. I remember how terrifying it was as a child. I didn't know where my parents were, I didn't know what was going on. There was a man speaking that we had neglected orders from our king and punishment would be to take one child from every family. I was my parents only child, so I was taken. Us boys were forced to join the arm. First as child soldiers, which mist of us died from, and the ones that survived were trained for worse. And the girls, I don't know what happened to them. I don't want to know. But I do know those ten years were terrible. Not many coukd survive the way I did. There's a reason in a great swordsman and a brute. It's because they made me like this."

My father's not a cruel man. He's not cruel. He's not cruel– Like a mantra in his head, Bel repeats it over and over as Cassian delves deeper into his story. He clenches his jaw–looking off to the horizon. Bel said he was going to listen. And he is. He's listening and it's all things he doesn't want to hear. Bel is a man of his word, though, so he refuses to even tune out the man. "That's unfortunate," Bel says, lacking anything else to say. "It shouldn't have happened." His mother was alive then, she would've stopped anything exponentially horrible. Or maybe his mother didn't know–but the king and queen were always supposed to operate together. Part of Bel wonders if Cassian could be lying, but Bel knows that the man would never lie about something like this.

Then Bel remembers how old Miran was when he first went to battle. He had been training and training all of his life and he was twelve and their father allowed him to lead a charge. It was a miracle he only came back with a dislocated jaw and a few minor scratches. Val and Treya were never allowed to fight. Bel was easily considered too smart to be wasted on swordsmanship. Val became her own form of warrior. Treya found her niche in the alchemist's quarters brewing potions and poisons. Val was also appointed Duchess of Cobrass when she was sixteen. Treya was married away to a man twice her age across the country.

"That shouldn't have happened," Bel repeats, biting the inside of his cheek.

Cassian only pursed his lips and continued his story. It was hard to hear things about the pimple you loved that you didn't want to hear. It was awful and hard to accept the truth sometimes.
"I was sent along with a group of people like me to.." He wasn't proud of what he's done, "to annihilate an entire village for magic. We had gotten intel that the village was purposely harboring and protecting known mages. We were intercepted on our way there. Nico and his gang. And for whatever reason, he kept me alive. Just me. I still don't know to this day. I was their prisoner for a while, like you are, until I learned their ways and understood that I was wrong. That I had been led wrong."

"Nico promised to help me find my family once I was cooperating. But when we found my village, there was nothing but ashes and burned bodies. The king had done to them exactly what he had made me do for years. They had been murdered for the rumors of mages. All of them killed. Their deaths were for nothing. No one had magic. And if they did, no one hunted anyone. They just wanted to be left alone. And they were murdered in retaliation of my desertion." There were tears in his eyes now. They didn't fall, he didn't cry, but his eyes watered. He would never forget his failures. He would never forget what he hadn't done.

"I was in a bad place for a very long time. I would have fallen apart without Nico. He gave me a purpose. He helped me forgive and let go of my anger. Revenge would solve nothing. He knew that and I never wanted to hear it." Cassian sighed, looking at Bel sympathetically. "This us why I'm here, why I follow Nico, why I'm part of the Lisais. To stop that from ever happening again. Our leader will make a great king one day and not just because he has the right name. He cares about his people. He wants to help us. It pains him when he can't save anybody. Sometimes, he can't even save himself. But everyday he gets up and he fights to free us. And he won't stop until he rids the world of suffering."

"Sounds like a noble man," Bel notes, both other than that he's quiet. He looks at his mother's book. His throat feels tight. Cassian wouldn't lie about this–no way in hell. As a child, he went through something no child should go through. He lost his home and family and was trained for war as a child. Nico rescued him first, then the leader allowed him a place in the Lisais. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Cassian. Nobody should've." He bites at his lips.

After a shaky breath, he speaks again. "Your fight is with my father, not with the rest of my family." He keeps his words calm. "We've been… We've been told many things by our father since birth. I am learning that… well, that they aren't necessarily true." He doesn't want to play victim. He doesn't feel like a victim. Not in any way that the people his father have wronged are. "You'll have to be patient with me, and I'll be patient with my siblings if I ever see them again. You can't expect twenty-two years of constant propaganda to go away so easily."

There hasn't been a word spoken among the trio in hours. The Crown Prince rides ahead on his beloved Flip, Val and Treya shortly behind him on their respective horses. Katya lingers in the back, still keeping up with the pace the other three horses have set. Treya, on her all-black mare, tinkers with masks that hook from one's nose to their chin. There's a small compartment near the mouth, one that she shoves lavender and basil into.

The youngest princess digs around in her side pouch, finding a specialized jar full of transparent violet liquid. She shakes it and twists the top in succession, and the liquid begins to evaporate to gas. Like a salt shaker, she twists the cap again and a small bit of the gas is released. The basil droops and withers, but the lavender withholds. "Ha–" She says to herself, dropping the wilted basil off the horse and watching as a ring of grass immediately browns. "Well, I discovered that lavender is the perfect counteragent to the noxia."

"That's good," Val praises. "And are the masks functional?"

"To my knowledge," Treya answers, firmly shoving the noxia gas into her saddlebag. "Father also gave me the clear to work on more… magical reactive poisons." Her dark eyes glitter with bloodlust.

"Did he?" Miran nearly sounds accusatory as he slows Flip down to walk between them. "So now he's approved your chemical weapons, but now he's also given you permission to work on poisons against mages?" Treya nods. "And it will only react to mages?" Another nod. "Gods, Treya. You terrify me."

Cassian nodded his head, looking forward at the back of Nico's head. "We're not expecting you to change your mind overnight or for you to pick up arms against your father. We would never ask that of you or your family. Talk to Nico, carefully. I have faith the two of you can come up with something that will satisfy all of you. The people might not like it, the ones that want your family dead. But they'll listen to our leader and that's all that matters. They love and respect him to much to go against what he says." And if anyone did, gods help them. Nico's wrath would rain down on them if they disobeyed him in something like this. He was a kind and merciful man, but not when it resulted in the death of someone that didn't deserve it.

"Give him some time to cool off and give yourself time to think it over. Talk later tonight. You'll figure something out." Nico was going to owe Cassian a whole night of drinking and gambling after this. He was going to wrack up his tab so high. He wouldn't actually do that of course but it was fun to think he would.