(Of course!)
After a long few days of traveling, the gates of Nord Widona we’re finally in sight. The climate was definitely chillier than in Usige, and a little drier, but the snow would come in later seasons. Levi lifted his nose to the wind and inhaled a deep breath of air into his lungs. It was finally feeling like he was home. But as they made their way closer, he felt a bit in anxiety welling in his gut. Would they recognize him? Would they even believe him?
Fortunately for the moment, a general crowd was filing their way into the city gates, and it didn’t seem the guards were stopping people one by one. As long as Levi and Fiori didn’t look too suspicious, the two of them should be able to slip into the crowd without being stopped by a watchful guard.
(Thanks so much!)
Fi had seemed to sag as the journey went on, getting more and more caught up in his own head the longer they went without catching sight of Nord Widonia. He almost looked defeated by the time they got to the gates, wincing as the dry air scraped at his lungs. This ws a place most uninviting to him, too brisk to seem like anything but a battlefield. Where Usige welcomes you in with open arms, this place staid prickly and eager to turn you away.
"Leviticus." It was the first time he had spoken in a while. "I cannot enter through this gate."
Levi stopped his horse before they got too close to the gates. He turned his head around to Fiori with a little bit of concern. “Why not?” He tilted his head curiously, studying his friend’s demeanor carefully.
"Look at me." He wasn't like these people, with their pale hair and their pale skin. He was dark, like his mother, with hair cropped close to his head and clothes too light for the cool weather Fiori was clearly a foreigner here. "They'll spot me right away, I'm… different."
Levi scanned over his appearance. “Oh…right,” he huffed, running a hand through his hair briefly. “Um, I think I know another way. It’s more secluded.” The way was to the castle, a trail he took often when he was riding horseback by himself. It wasn’t completely private, but there would be much less people.
Fi nodded, quickly turning his horse and following Levi off to the less well-beaten trail. One of the guards seemed to notice him and he winced, pushing his head down as he kept pace with Levi. "Your home… is it close to the gates of the city?" What he was really asking was how long do I have to be out in the open?
“No,” Levi shook his head, “Not exactly. It’s deep in the heart of the city actually, surrounded by trees and at least a square mile of landscape. It’s very private. And the way we’re going, not many people will see us.” He looked over his shoulder again at Fiori, trying to put in the most reassuring expression he could. His pace had picked up speed, most likely out of excitement for returning home.
Fi swallowed down his nerves and tried to pretend this didn't feel like rushing into battle. THis was worse, actually. There was no thrill here, no honor, only the sick twisting in his stomach and the sharp bite of unfamiliar air. He still gave Levi a flickering smile when he turned back. "A long ride, then. And we have not spoken about… what I will do in this city of yours."
Reassured, himself, by the smile Fiori returned, Levi looked back forward to their path. “A couple hours at most, I think. Nothing compared to how long it took to get to this point,” he lightly humored. “And… I would suggest laying low. I don’t think you would be very welcome by most of the citizens, but if they understood the story I’m sure I could allow my immediate family to let you stay in our home.”
"Laying low." The words tasted bitter on his tongue. Fiori had always sought to face his problems head on, to hide away from them felt… wrong. Cowardly. He wished, not for the first time, that this was something he could fight. "I will endeavor to, my friend, but I do not wish to impose on you any further."
“Oh, you certainly won’t be imposing.” Levi tugged on the reins to have Ozymandius turn. They were getting closer to more familiar territory, and with that his spirits gradually lifted. “I do hope you like dogs because we have… several. I don’t even know the exact number.”
Fiori laughed, quiet, and nodded. "I like dogs, though they don't always like me." They were drawing closer and closer to the palace and while there did seem to be a few homes by the wayside, they never stopped at any of them. "Pardon me, Leviticus, but have we passed your home? All I see is the palace."
Levi looked around the scene, and then up at the stone castle. His expression lifted at the sight of it. Home. He hesitated, silently wondering if now was the time to tell him he was the prince…“Oh, no, we haven’t passed it yet. I live in the palace.” Although he was completely serious, he wasn’t aware that his tone might have sounded like he was being facetious.
Fiori blinked once, twice, and gave a nervous laugh. "I am not quite sure this is the time for jokes, my friend." He remembered what Levi had said. Nobles didn't live in the palace the way they did in Usige. It was just the royal family and the servants, and Leviticus certainly wasn't a servant. "I know you are glad to be home, but it would soothe my nerves greatly if you could tell me where we were going."
“Hah, well…” Levi nervously laughed along. “The fact of the matter is I’m not joking. That is my house.” He supposed there was no danger telling Fiori now. He looked behind himself once again. “You know the prince that was assassinated recently?”
Fi was giving him a look of naked curiosity, but there was no suspicion there. He still trusted Leviticus. "I do," he said. He couldn't remember what the eldest prince looked like, what had he looked like? "I do. I'm… I'm looking at him, aren't I Leviticus?"
“Ah-yeah…you are” Levi nodded, but it was laced with a somber tone. “He was never assassinated—I was never assassinated.” He studied Fiori’s expression for a reaction. Had he already known before this? Levi worried about it for so long, and now he was trying to make it clear.
"I see." He couldn't help but be hurt by the revelation— Was he not trustworthy enough to know? Not good enough? Had he been a bad friend?— but he understood why. He did not like it, but he understood. "You… you are him. You are the prince, come to reclaim your throne."
“Yes,” Levi looked down, and then forward again. The palace was drawing closer. “Yes, I am. I’m sorry I couldn’t have told you sooner. I would have if I knew I could.” Surely his brother was the prince regent now, and he would have to challenge him soon.
"But you couldn't." Fi breathed, in and out, in and out, and let everything Levi had ever told him click into place. The church, his loyalty to it, his want for change, his belief that their nations could make peace, all of it. Not because he was Levi, but because he was the prince. "And now we are here."
“Indeed we are,” he echoed in reply. “I’m not sure who will be here, if any of the people I know closely. Surely my brother. Hopefully Mordecai. Mordecai and Marya are the two who will believe my story no matter what my brother has put into their heads.”
"Your youngest brother," he supplied, anxiously watching the castle draw closer. Nerves had never sat well with him. He gripped the handle of his sword, one of the few familiar things he still had. "I'm sure you will be reinstalled. You are the same person who was forced out. He will not be able to challenge you so soon after you've forced your way back in."
“That’s true,” Levi considered this, looking off to the side. His youngest brother was so young, but hopefully not so manipulatable. If all went well, he would hope the whole kingdom was on his side. If the rest of the kingdom found out, of course. “When I take the throne again he’ll certainly be punished. Even more so for murder or an accomplice of it. He would have had someone killed to look like I was assassinated. He cannot just…continue as it was before.”
Fi nodded his head. "Yes, but you had considered this before. You knew someone had been killed to cover the death of the prince. You knew they found a body. You knew your brother had you ousted." He shrugged. "None of this information is new, only the context in which you face it. You must have had some punishment in mind."
“The information is the same, yes, at least for now. Surely I’ll learn some more of his antics when I get comfortable inside,” Levi replied, straightening his back. “And yes, I do have some sort of punishment in mind, and I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” He reluctantly slowed his pace to ride better alongside Fiori so that it was easier to have a conversation. “I want him to have some sort of idea of what he put me through. So I’m going to put him into servitude. Obviously it won’t be exact, but unless I send him away it won’t be perfect.” He looked to the side now, towards Fiori. “I’m thinking of putting him into servitude under your management.”
Fi listened carefully and gave Levi the hum he always used when he was thinking. He didn't like owning slaves. He didn't want to. The thought of owning another person, even if it was a just punishment, had never really sat right with him. "I would not be… enthusiastic, my friend. For you… I would do it, and I would be willing, but it's… it's not something I have ever truly wanted. I doubt it ever will be."
Levi watched Fiori while he thought, returning the hum with a nod. He knew his family, the court and the nobles wouldn't like the idea of anyone being owned by someone else either. There were labor camps for the prisoners, yes, but it wasn't like those prisoners were owned by anyone in the physical world. "I would appreciate it," Levi replied softer. "But I would never force it upon you. Did you have personal servants at Usige? Not slaves, but servants?" The word slave would throw off the people in his kingdom, and it certainly had thrown off Levi. Labels held weight.
Fiori let out a sigh. "I did, Leviticus, but it is… it is not going to be like that with your brother." His hands tightened in the reigns. "There is a difference in labeling, yes, but… if he is forced to be my servant, if he has no choice and no wages and the threat of punishment hanging over his head… is he not a slave? Forced servitude… it sounds prettier, yes, but it is the same burden, and one I have never wished to thrust upon someone."
Levi stared down at the ground, his lips pursed tautly while he thought about FIori's words. "This is true, I suppose. Maybe I am just resentful for what he did. He betrayed me, his family, and for that he is no brother of mine. He deserves to be punished severely. I just can't imagine him simply sitting in a jail cell. I don't think he would ever learn from that."
Fi nodded. "I… I would like to add that… I think it is a fitting punishment for the crime. It is reciprocal, it is smart, and it will do its job putting him in his place." He adjusted and readjusted his grip on the reigns. "And… for you, I would act as his master. I would not be enthusiastic, but… I would, and you would hear no complaints from me so long as I do not hold that position for life."
