forum A Thing You Won't Remember

Started September 18, 2022 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

tune

"Why are you asking me this? I have no interest in joining a rebellion. I am not meant for a battlefield. But in a hypothetical situation, in whatever fantasy world you have concocted where I got a say in who ruled, I don't know. If a Callistar was still alive, I'd suggest them. I do still have my roots. Or perhaps if my family was alive still, I'd suggest one of my brothers. They were close enough to the crown. They knew how it worked. But I was very young when everything happened. I was never in the know. I wouldn't have understood anything had I been included."
A trap. This is a trap.
The only problem was, she didn't know what trap she was walking into. If she knew, she could tread the ground how she needed to, to skirt around the trap. But she had no idea what Lear was hinting at.
"I think Romulus will be a good king. A strategic marriage would secure his position and at least keep Venian blood on the throne, even if it isn't the right lineage. It's just a suggestion you could mention. He doesn't have to agree to it." It would strengthen his claim to the throne, however. It might appease the people enough to cease any violent unrest.

There it is.
Lear immediately let up the pressure on that line of thinking. He went with one of the other things in his head, his curiosity satisfied and his suspicions, confirmed.
"You think I'm going to suggest to him that he trap himself, like you and I were trapped for so long, to secure the opinions and safeguard the wounded egos of a handful of rebellious people?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you'd do that to him."
He wasn't, but that was besides the point.
Well. Mostly besides it.

Romulus had glanced up at some point, and seen them talking, but he'd put his head back down when he saw the look on Lear's face. The Lieutenant had a very specific expression when he was hunting, that you never knew till you were in the talons. Romulus had been there before, and part of him pitied Elia with whatever she was trying to withhold from the man.
Lear hadn't been given his spot, he'd earned it, in a million ways. This was one of them.

"He would not be trapped as you and I were. That would be suggesting that he experience everything we have gone through, which he would not." Elia stared him down. She was not backing down from this. "Clearly, you do not understand how royalty works. Sons and daughters are married off to whatever stranger their fathers chose for them for alliances that will help the kingdom. I'm not suggesting that we look at every noble woman and chose one to be his bride that is the most advantageous. Let him choose which woman to marry but let it be a Venian. I would suggest looking at ones that would be more helpful to the crown, such as finding a woman whose family has money or armies or resources, but it's not required. But marriage would strengthen his claim. Politically speaking, it's a smart move. It doesn't need to be now but he should before he inherits the throne."
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
What was the point of all of this? What was his aim?
She was usually good at reading people. The only thing that she could get from Lear was a hound on the hunt. She just didn't know what he was hunting for. "And as I've stated, it is just a suggestion. I can't force him to do anything, nor would I try. I am trying to be helpful but you don't have to take my advice. I may have been young when the king took over and there weren't many things I understood, this was one of them that I did. At least discuss it with him. Maybe he would be listen."

Lear smiled at her. "He doesn't need his claim strengthened, he's got the only claim at all. There's no one to contest that, you've said it yourself."
He tipped his head forward, making hard eye contact.
"Unless you know something I don't." It wasn't a question. More of a chance, extended to her to see if she'd keep lying.
If she said nothing, he was going to cut the conversation and walk into the tent.
If she told him, he would have to see how she reacted, but he'd like to embrace her as a friend and walk into the tent.

"Does he have a claim, though? He is the offspring of a usurper. It doesn't matter that I alone think he is fit to rule. If by some miracle, an uprising is able to remove him off the throne, don't think they won't find someone else to place up there. Someone who isn't Romulus."
Danger danger danger
The warning bells were ringing loud in her head. She needed to be careful with her next words. She wouldn't give anything away that would be dangerous for her. "Marrying a Venian woman would appease the majority and hopefully ensure peace. Do you think Romulus would truly give up that opportunity for the mere fact that he doesn't love her? If there is anything I've learned, he will do the greater good. He wants peace. This will help ensure that."

"Of course he has a claim, Elia. The throne belongs to the Vespasians, that's how conquest works. His father won it, not fair and square, but by cunning and treachery. That still makes it his, which means Romulus has the only claim. It's his throne to give up, or to take, as he likes." He kept his smile. Her line of thinking only made sense from one perspective, a very specific perspective.
And if she wouldn't admit to being the sole holder of that perspective, he wasn't going to push anymore.
"Anyway. I didn't mean to get you all bothered again. I'm sorry." He turned and walked into the tent.

Romulus saw the satisfied look on his face, and smiled at him. "Well, you seem happy about something."

Lear winked at him. "Oh, just having a friendly conversation about succession is all."

Romulus immediately frowned, giving Elia and Lear both a slightly confused look. "And this is good?"

Lear glanced at Elia. "We agreed you'll be a great king."

Elia glared at his back. She stood outside for a moment, debating walking away. For whatever reason, she didn't. She walked inside the tent and sat down on a cot. She crossed her ankles and placed her hands on her lap.
"You'll be a better king than your father, though that isn't hard to beat." She added. "And, this is also assuming you don't get murdered in your sleep. You never know who might come for your neck because they decide they no longer want you on the throne."
She started picking at her nails, cleaning the dirt from underneath them, as if she hadn't said what she just said. "I also think you should get married but Lear doesn't seem to agree."

Romulus smiled, shaking his head just slightly. "Venomous, indeed." He looked at Lear. "What on earth did you say to her to get me threatened?" Lear shrugged at him, and Romulus shook his head again.
"Well. Luckily I don't need to know who's coming for me in my sleep. It doesn't matter." His smile faded just a bit. "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to snap awake and immediately smear someone across a wall."
The matter-of-fact way he said it was… concerning.
"And as for being a better king than my father, well." Here his smile really faded. "You're absolutely right, it wouldn't take much."
He'd just managed to dig out of the pit Elia had put him in earlier, and here she was, plunking him right back in it.

Lear caught it, and deftly moved the Prince's attention. "Elia tells you only part of the truth. She thinks you should marry Venian, specifically."

Romulus quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, so I can point to my wife all my life and shift the people's hatred from me to the woman who agreed to marry the Harad prince?" He glanced at Elia. "A woman would have to be crazy to agree to that."

"I don't think that's something to be proud of, Romulus. Most people don't go around boasting about killing their would-be assassinator." Then again, most people weren't alive to be able to boast about such a thing.
Elia waved her hand as if waving off his concerns. "I think it would bring peace to many Venians to have one of their own sit on the throne. Politically, it's a smart move. I'm sure you could find some lovely women that are interested in being queen. People are always going to hate you. they're going to hate who you marry. That's a fact of life. you can't please everyone. You can, however, please the majority and hopefully bring some peace to the distress your father had brought on to us." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's up to you though I do suggest you take a political standpoint on this. You need allies."

The Prince shook his head. "Not proud of it, just not worried about it." And truth be told, he wasn't.

Lear watched Elia respond, and something he hadn't taken time to put together clicked in his head.
She has more to live for than she will tell- her own self-importance. The constant jabs, the digs about usurpers and people revolting and all that- she just really needs to feel that she's still relevant, still important. It's how she's stayed alive…
And now he definitely wasn't bringing it up again. Not if it might crack her in an irreparable way to know that over the last 12 years, the people had moved on. Her claims of the majority being appeased were ignorant of the fact that the majority had accepted the new status quo. Some hadn't, certainly, but if today had proved anything, it was that those who hadn't were the criminals and dark underbelly of the country, and those kinds of people would never accept the crown existing unless it benefitted them.

Romulus let his eyebrow drop. "Or I could just do what I'm doing and bring actual peace, instead of a political one. We all know political moves don't mean jack to the common man. But freeing children, cleaning up crime? That tends to make a difference." He shrugged. "And the people who wish to judge me based on my father will do so regardless of what I do or don't do. It's not my responsibility to fix their hatred, racism, and bitterness."

"Then perhaps look for a bride in neighboring kingdoms. They saw how easy it was for your father to swoop and place himself on the throne. Others might be nervous or they might be looking to do the same thing. No matter the case, it's always a good thing to gain strong allies. You never know when things might go south. It's always good to be prepared."
Elia placed her hands behind her as she supported her upper weight on them. "You don't need to make a decision now. And try not to brush me off like I have no clue what I'm talking about. I do know a little bit. And I was born into this scheming world of nobility. At least think about it."
She began to tap her foot, her leg bouncing in response. Nervous ticks, alongside nail picking and finger tapping. All habits she had picked over the years. Drinking usually helped to calm the ticks but seeing as she couldn't find anymore, she was screwed.
"You need to start thinking how a king would. The people's opinions are everything. They won't follow you if they hate you and don't fear you enough to submit."

Oof
Lear watched Romulus carefully. The Prince was doing very well at not getting irritated with the lecture from a girl who'd been stuck in a brothel for over a decade.

It was simple. Romulus had come to the conclusion about Elia's self-importance the night he met her. So it had bothered him less and less.
Her high opinion of the people's opinion was also off. A people only mattered as far as their will to fix their situation. Which, by the fact Romulus was the only person in the entire kingdom doing anything about the bad situations, made him feel pretty safe around the Venians.
The constant reminders that she, personally, despised him, though… those were wearing.
"And how would you know how a king thinks?" He asked her, genuinely curious why she thought she would have such knowledge.

"As you have pointed out, I'm of noble blood." Elia said. Technically, not a lie. She did have noble blood. Her mother had been a daughter of one the wealthiest houses decades ago. Her marriage to her father had been arranged. While they did not start off in love, they grew to love each other. At least that was how Elia saw it. "I had visited court more than one occasion. I knew the king's children, was even friends with a couple of them. I'm also well read in the histories. You can learn a lot from history."
She started picking at her nails now, tearing the healthy nails off. She made a small hissing sound as she took off too much and her nail bed started to bleed. She put her finger in her mouth and sucked off the blood.
"But again, as I've stated multplie times, you don't have to listen to me. I'm merely offering suggestions. It is what has been in the past. But no matter what you decide, you will need an heir. It's up to you how you go about it."

Romulus started to respond, but Lear cut him off. "My Prince, the matter can be easily tabled for later." He cut Romulus a look. Let her keep her delusions, till she can heal past them.

The Prince caught the look, and nodded slowly. "Good points, both of you." He turned to Elia, smiling. "Thank you for your input."
He went over and sat back down on his cot. Outside, the moon was making its slow journey across the sky. "I'm going to sleep on the ideas I've been given tonight. Emphasis on sleep."

Lear stepped over to his cot and sat down next to Elia. "Where are you sleeping, friend?" There was nothing behind that word but friendliness, and a bit of concern. She'd screamed awake the last couple of times, and while she hadn't been the only one, the teens and children had managed to comfort each other.

Elia stilled her hands and placed them on either side of her as Lear sat next to her. "I was probably just going to walk around for a bit. Maybe see if Alak wouldn't mind some company."
She sought out pleasures of the flesh as another way to calm her nerves. It was strange m, having so much trauma surrounding sex that she sought it out. With the right person, she found it freeing and relaxing. It helped her clear her mind and forget for just a few hours. Perhaps if she was lucky, he would wear her out enough to get a couple hours of sleep.
She eyes Romulus, searching for a reaction, before turning her head back to Lear. "I'm not really tired." She was definitely tired. She had dark shadows under her eyes and her body was starting slump. "It's nothing you need to worry yourself about, love."

(I have been waiting to drop the other shoe about Alak for around 10 pages now, ever since I very specifically said he wanted to help her, not that he was attracted to her XD it's the little things)

Romulus glanced up. "Maybe one of the other guards. Alak's husband might not appreciate that very much."
He had pulled off his shirt, and was peeling his boots off, prepping to sleep.

Lear watched her, noting that she was clearly tired and looking for the Prince's attention. "Well… here. Just take my cot." He stood. "I need to go await Carth's return anyway."

"Well then, Alak's husband can join then, if they're into that." Elia didn't mean it, of course. She had no interest in him really, and less interest in coming between a couple. She was just craving something physical to distract her from all of this verbal back and forth. It was making her head swim and she was getting frustrated because she knew she wasn't being listened too. And no one was taking the time to explain anything to her. It made her head hurt and she wanted to escape to something she knew.
"Thanks but no thanks, Lear. I'm not tired and I'd rather not stare at the tent ceiling all night long. I'll just go for a walk."
She made to stand as well. She couldn't sleep. She always woke up more tired than when she went to sleep. She would just work through it until she dropped.

Lear glanced at Romulus, trying to catch his eye, but the Prince had his head down. Ironically, other than him, Alak was Elia's best shot in camp. The other guards wouldn't tangle with someone so temperamental. Alak would at least want to help.
Lear opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a quiet voice.

"Lear?" It was Calvin, sticking his head in the tent flap. "Carth just got back, and he's asking for you or the Prince over in the big tent."

Lear nodded at him with a small smile. "Thank you, Calvin." He looked over at the Prince, who shook his head just slightly. "I'll be there momentarily."

Calvin turned to go, and Lear turned to Elia. "Well, if you're going to walk anyway, want to come with me?" He wasn't sure what Carth wanted, but it was probably an update on the children.
He smiled at her, and headed out the flap. "Invite is open."

Romulus gave her a small smile, his face looking decidedly sleepy. He didn't say anything, just slumped over on his side, looking ready to pass out.

Lear walked into the meeting tent and saw Carth. The man looked like he was about to drop. He'd been riding back and forth from the Palace all day, on a Wulf at top speed. He had somehow managed two round trips, back to back, in just under 24 hours.
He also looked like someone had stuck a knife in his back.
Lear frowned a him. "What's keeping you up before you get some sleep?"
Carth's voice was shot, probably owing to his exhaustion. "Wanted to let someone know that the kids are safe. Made it to the palace without incident, got them unloaded and bathed and into real beds in the guest dormitories."
Lear smiled. "Good! Their first night in clean beds without any company in a while."
Carth nodded, but didn't smile. "I was also told to give this to the Prince. Figured you could soften it a bit." He held out an envelope, the royal seal writ large across it.
Lear's face immediately darkened, and he took the letter. "Ah. Thank you, Carth. Is that all?"
The big soldier nodded slowly, on the verge of falling over. Lear patted his shoulder.
"Go get some rest then. Much to do tomorrow." Carth nodded and stumbled out, headed for his tent.
The meeting tent was empty for the night, so Lear plunked right down where he was. He contemplated the letter for a moment, before tearing it open and unfolding the sheets of parchment. It was addressed to Romulus, from the King directly, which was never a good sign. He read it quickly. There wasn't much to it, but it wasn't good.
"He's going to try to break him again, the monster…" he murmered, not realizing he'd said it out loud.

(I'm kinda assuming she came with him, but its ambiguous on purpose)

Elia looked over at Calvin, a bit surprised he was bursting in. She glanced at the prince before turning her head to Lear, nodding her head at him. She got up and walked next him. She kept her arms by her side and was relatively quiet.
She looked up at Carth. He looked awful. She didn't hide the grimace on her face. Her body relaxed just a tad as she heard that the children were safe. She blew out a breath and gave him a small smile, despite the fact he had manhandled her. The smile dropped, however, when he handed Lear a letter. She wanted to know what it was about but held her tongue.
She waited until they reached the meeting hall to say anything. She sat down, tapping her fingers against the table as Lear read the letter. She was half tempted to peer over his shoulder to read it bit thought better of it.
Her lips pursed in a frown. "What does it say?"

Lear folded it and put it back in the envelope. "I can't tell you everything, some of it is private to Romulus, but the gist of the letter is that his father is back at the palace and wants him home. He's angry with him for several reasons, and…" He clenched his fist, his face hardening. "Well. Let's just say he's going to make his anger known."
He deliberated about whether to give the letter to Romulus now or later, and decided the morning was soon enough.

Elia frowned. Her attention was on the letter. She was itching to read it. She was nosey and, well, Lear had read it already so what did it natter if she did? The seal was already broken.
She shot her hand out to try an snatch the letter from him, getting uo immediately and backing away from Lear to try to keep a hold on the letter. "If it's private. Why are you reading it? Romulus should be the to open it not you. It should be up to him if he wants to share it."
Despite her words, she ran from him, trying to open the letter and read it. She was nosey and Lear had already read it. What did it matter if she did too? Who would she tell? No one. She didn't have anyone to tell.

Lear narrowed his eyes at her. "It is his choice, one he's made already. I have full permission to read that correspondance because he trusts me. You don't have that permission." He didn't try to chase her down, seemingly not worried about her reading the letter.
The reason why became apparent as soon as she pulled it out. It was written in Harad, an angular, completely foreign language with different lettering and syntax, which he was fairly certain she didn't read.
He just waited in the tent. Either she would bring it back to him, or he'd have to recite the thing to Romulus, which was irritating but still an option.

Elia squinted at the letter. It was in a different language. She should have guessed that would happen. She tried to wrap her brain around it and remember the lessons she had received over a decade ago. She used to have a tutor to teach her different languages but she had never been interested. She wished now that she had paid attention. She could make out a couple words but it wasn't enough to help her understand the letter.
She bit her lip and held the letter out for him to take in defeat. "What does it say? What is the king doing again that's going to destroy Romulus?"

Lear's face just looked sad as he took the letter back.
"I'm not sure exactly what he's going to do, but…" He tapped the table top with the envelope, studying the royal seal on it. "The last time he got angry enough at Romulus, he gave him that scar over his left eye." He gestured at his own face, mimicing the line that cut down across Romulus's face.
"The time before that, he took an Oliphaunt whip to him, and that was the time I told you the Prince worked for 2 days from Ruir's back, because he couldn't walk after." His face hardened again.
"The time before that, he-…" Lear stopped. He swallowed hard, thinking. "You can ask him about that yourself, if you like, but. Just know that the king is exactly as monstrous as you think he is, he deserves your hate more than you realize, and of all the horrible things he has done, some of the worst are the things he's done to his son."

Elia frowned at his words and looked behind her, back in the direction of the prince's. She knew the king was awful but to lay his own hands on his son…the king deserved to die. No one deserved such treatment, especially from their own father.
"I can take the letter to him, if you'd like. I might be able to soften the blow or help take his mind off of it." She rung her arms out in front of her. "He can take his rage out on me. I can take it."

Lear shook his head. "He's likely asleep now, we'll leave it till morning. He's got a long enough day on his hands without this on his mind too." He looked at her, a small smile crossing his lips. "And the Prince would never take out any rage on you, Elia. Whether you can take it or not." He touched her shoulder gently. "But I appreciate that you would even offer that."
Lear looked at the letter, his face growing sad again. He hated this part of being Romulus's dearest friend. "If you want to be of help, just… be gentle with him when we get back. The Palace is not a safe place for the Prince when the King is home."

Elia nodded her head in agreement. "I didn't necessarily mean in a violent way. There are many ways to work out aggression, Lear. I'm just offering my services should he decide on a rough fuck."
She took a couple steps back away from him. She studied him for a moment, his face, his body. She nodded her head. "If that is all, Lear, I think I'm going to take that walk now."

Lear nodded. "I knew what you meant. He doesn't do that either, because he's big enough for it to still be violent and dangerous. But again, thank you for offering to be of help."
He wasn't sure why she was looking at him like that, but it didn't faze him. "Just be safe, please."
His heart hurt for Romulus, for what he knew was coming, and it made him a little more gentle towards her than he might have been.

"I'll be fine, love, no need to worry about me." Elia gave him a reassuring smile before turning and walking out of the tent. She found herself wandering towards the edge of the camp. She like the quiet. There were less bodies to weave through. Less rumbling. It was peaceful, despite the fact she had been attacked out there the other day. She wasn't too worried.
She wrapped her arms around her middle as she slowly walked about, trying to keep herself awake. It wasn't the hardest, her head was filtering through thoughts. She had something else to think about at the arrival of the king's letter.

Lear sat back down at the table in the meeting tent. He was tired, but he couldn't go back to the tent and face Romulus, asleep or not. If he woke the Prince, the look on his face would force him to tell what he had.
So he sat at the table, thinking.
The King was a brute, always had been, and Romulus had admired him once. He loved his father, because he was his father, and for a long time they were very close.
It wasn't until the king slaughtered the Venian nobles that Romulus saw his father for what he was. He'd told Lear that the realization had nearly killed him.
He'd confronted his father about the atrocity, at age 13, and the king had called him soft and womanly for considering mercy a virtue. That was the first time his father had brutally beaten Romulus, and it destroyed their closeness forever.
Now, Romulus still stood between much of the country and his father's wrath. He acted as a buffer, filtering the King's rage before it came down to the people.

It was an awful role, but the Prince filled it where no one else could.

There was more, more stories, more memories, more sadness, and Lear thought about all of it for a while that night. It exhausted him, and he eventually fell asleep, his head on his arms on the table.