Surprisingly, Calia was fine to leave him to his own thoughts. Not too fussed about needing to fill silence with endless back and forth conversation. Even if she had finally come to the realization that she did prefer having company compared to always being by herself. Traveling with Rhelic had given her a chance to appreciate what it was like having a friend along. And while Arc was no friend by far, if they could maintain this new sense of ease and not fall back into trying to kill each other again, she’d not have to fear that despairing loneliness that liked to creep in on her.
She figured a few things out at least. Not as fast as she would like, but the progress was there in every step forward.
Without needing his input in such things, her first stop at a leather worker’s shop was a short conversation of questions and answers. What gear was available and the prices of such. The time it would take to make or alter things to her size and specifications. Here and there she would pause with a frown, glancing down at his jeweled beetle body with curiosity because clearly he was so deep in thought, he was touching on things that was making his own self uncomfortable, but she didn’t bother him.
Archimedes clearly had things he needed to figure out for his own self. Now at least maybe he realized she could actually be his ally, instead of just entertainment and a vexation.
Calia repeated the process with a tailor and a cobbler, as she wasn’t about to go traversing the mountains wearing pretty princess gowns. She’d walked through the square just getting a feel for where other supplies might be located for the future, until finally she’d taken up a seat at a little outdoor cafe. Where everything smelled of freshly baked sweet breads and icy cold drinks that were surely heralding in the coming of summer to the elven lands.
It’d been the start of spring when the demons had poured into Caeldalmor, and it’d now been several weeks since having taken that much time just to travel through the mountain and then across the elven lands. If Calia’s siblings had indeed made it through the mountain pass before it collapsed, she wondered where they would be now. Settled into a new home in some village trying to figure out how to come back? They’d have to somehow find another mountain passage back into the mountains. Or travel across the Imperial Kingdoms to the ocean or completely around the mountains altogether to try and take a route through the elven lands. Without knowing how large that kingdom was to travel, she supposed even if they were alive out there, Calia was not likely to see them for a very, very long time.
She did favor the idea though, that they were still out there. It made everything here feel worth doing, so they’d have a home to come back to.
By the time she was presented with a plate of warm pastry and fruit, along with a steaming cup of some sort of spiced tea, Archimedes was practically wallowing on her shoulder seemingly having reached his limit of whatever the hell he was pondering. She reached to sweep him off her shoulder, to set gentle on the table, presenting him with the largest strawberry on her plate.
If anyone thought it was odd she was having lunch with a golden beetle, well she didn’t much care.
“If forcing it were liable to work, I could have left you with Ashera. We’ll have better luck sneaking around the loopholes of your former contract, if you even remember what it was for.”
Immediately he just sort of plopped on the tabletop, muttering something that was probably impolite as a general giving to his distaste for it all. Not aimed at anyone in particular, just expelled so he might at least take a moment or five to consider the surroundings. The view of some woman with hair that was so high on her head he was surprised there were no bees flying in and out of it as a new hive. Not sure that was a style he would have chosen for anyone even as a joke. Taking in smells and sights and sensations to nullify the pinging throb that made him feel like he had to unscrew his own eyeballs to just let the pressure out.
Settling instead to wiggle the little legs out to latch onto the strawberry that had been offered while practically feeling present side eyes. No doubt someone trying to figure out what was more unusual. The human woman of obvious comely description or the fact she was sitting here with a shimmery shiny scarab companion. Their ears were likely trained too to be eavesdropping and he almost scoffed at it. It wasn’t exactly inconspicuous when one’s ears were long and sharp.
“It’s not as if I was tryin’ to grind my brains into mulch.” Demon rolled the item over so the green crown wasn’t pointed at him, “But I also be knowin’ it ain’t guna get any easier. Consider my attempt to be tamperin’ mental closed doors as a way to try and get used to the whole being stabbed repeatedly in the gray matter with a rusty blade. Don’t know if its guna work but I can’t exactly roll up into a pill bug every time either.” Finding a suitable spot to start the means of nom-noming, one paused. Making those sticking up receivers flicker and, “Whaddya mean former contract? Mine and yers or somethin’ else?”
Calia wondering if she were going to be this amused with him when he was no longer in this small adorable bug form. It was easy to be like this, when he appeared to be nothing more than a plucky creature full of sass and nonsense. Rolling around that strawberry trying to find the best place to shove his face into it. Was she going to be this amused when she could actually see the stupid looks on his pretty man face!
“I suppose that is true,” she agreed, pulling apart her piece of pastry to find it had a fluffy bit of cream inside. Licking a bit off her finger before popping a piece in her mouth. Surprised that he wasn’t putting two and two together in this context, because she was certain he knew better.
“You weren’t born a demon,” she reminded him, just in case. “So then, how did you become a demon? You told me once that people didn’t just die and become demons because they were assholes in this realm. That means either you were studying demons and found a way to be one of your own choice or it was another way. A curse, potentially. A demon contract more likely. From what I have learned of you so far, you could have made a contract that had unintended consequences.”
Well now there was a thought. One that he could at least think upon as the means of properly eating something was given a chance. Hardly one to complain about food in any form, her questions did raise a need to think about it.
He had told her that one just didn’t poof one day into a demon because they were just a great pile of smashed assholes. It needed something tangible. A promise. A guarantee or rather aka, a contract. Although he wasn’t sure what his personality had been prior to his mwahaha creation as a horned beast. Would he have been someone that actively sought out the chance to do so or was it something more. Something else.
“And what have yah learned then about this former self? If yah be thinkin’ that I made a contract with unintended consequences. I ain’t gotta clue so might as well hear someone else tell me. Not like I could refute it.” Granted he did have a moment when talking to Starling about the whole declaration that apparent research he had found was not intended for what the bastard did. How true that was? Not a clue.
“To be fair, for a demon to go and find someone to make a contract, they usually have reasons for it. Of course, it ain’t guna tell all the details to it either. Make it sound good but it’s more akin to a iron maiden. Looks like one thing on the outside, absolutely brutal on the inside.” Turning the fruit aside to start chewing on the opposite with an intention to make it even for some reason, using it as a means of filling verbal space. “Either I was doin’ somethin’ that said evil overlords weren’t a fan of and sent someone out to get it to stop, or I had somethin’ they wanted… Or wanted me to forget.” Noisily humming on that. “Which could be the whole, fuck my brain hurts, thin’. And, as much as I hate to think about it, the queenie likely has it right. It’s guna need some traumatic abuse to get it to reopen. Which I think just may actually kill me. So win win?”
Calia watched him with a bit of a contemplative side eyed. Debating whether or not it was good for her to even tell him what she did know of his former self. Almost afraid anything she did say was liable to set him off to being over sensitive and insulted. He didn’t much seem to care about his former life, up until someone like Starling pissed him off… and well, he at least had a good reason to be mad and defensive then.
“Hmn, you were good enough at what you did to be in line of being the next ruler’s mage advisor. Something they apparently take incredibly seriously here, to be cultivating such a role alongside royal heirs.” There could have been other choices, but from the sounds of the way things went down back then and the demon invasion, it seemed to Calia any potentials must’ve died. Leaving no one but the wrinkled elder as their option.
Even now they seemed to desperately need that role filled, giving her the thought that a lot of mages died.
“The story I was told, was that there was some sort of plague hitting the kingdom during that era, a sickness. It even affected your own family, so you were researching ways to help, only the result was demons being unleashed into the kingdom. There are people who believe you did it on purpose and those that believe it was an accident. Most really not caring either way, only feeling you were the center of it and therefore hate and blame you regardless.”
She let that sink in for a moment, resuming her means of her own treat and pondering over how any demons might want to get involved.
“We know now you were studying demonology, you could have uncovered all sorts of things from that. Pissed off demons, pissed off others. It really doesn’t much narrow it down unless we have a chance to look at your old research.”
As for his final comment, Calia gave a wry sort of look before poking at him with a finger.
“It’s not going to kill you. You can pull strength from me if necessary, for I am nothing if not spitefully avoiding death at every opportunity.”
Oh boy did some of it twinge and nag and pull and screak inside his skull. Once more making him want to curl up so tight that he might have enough pressure to turn himself into a stone. But as he stated before, he had to get used to it. Not that it was easy and it certainly was a struggle to eat when there was so much waffling around with a fireball in a confined space that it made it perfectly difficult to do. But do he must.
He’d asked. Calia answered.
It was certainly not her fault that he was about to explode from the inside out. A rain of bug guts and strawberry!
Managing to at least eat a good portion before he was too close to that threat and decided that was enough. Becoming a compact sort of golden thing on the table that twitched once or twice. Wondering just who was going to go running from this little café with new gossip and spin it around the nearest watering hole. “I ain’t guna put that on yah.” Lungs pulled a slow methodical breath trying to reason with one’s own existence, looking at that poking finger as if it were trying to tell him something. “Nor would I.”
Little bug legs or fingers or whatever one wanted to call it, rubbed at the globe of head. Smoothing over and over with a slow attempt of brutal concentration. “I don’t think its guna matter what truth is found. People blame shit on others all the time. It’s how they cope and I ain’t about to start gettin’ all sobby faced about it either. Whether it happened on purpose or accident, no one gives a hoot about those details. They just want to blame.”
“Demonology is that sort of taboo stuff one ain’t supposed to be puttin’ their peepers into. It’s the same for that dumb arse that came and ruined shit for yah. Gettin’ involved in that stuff is liable to be reason enough for shit to happen.” Arc knew enough to know that if you dabbled in it, you were inviting bad omens into your house. Of course, whether it had been done as a curiosity, a purpose or a last resort for this former life he couldn’t say didn’t exist, the results were all the same.
Shit happened. Shit exploded.
“All I know is right now, the research wasn’t supposed to be used for what captain crapbag used it for. And that I had no hand in killin’ Carlisle. That…” Grunting at the thought, he pushed through it. “Part sticks out like a sharp knife. Somethin’ somethin’ near the same age. He was younger than me, couple years? Cheeky thin’ if these painful throbs are to believed. Smart… and stupid.” Arc turned then to look at her. “As much as I hate it, lookin’ at that research might be useful. Or goin’ to the impact zone, where it all started. Might be somethin’ there that could help yah too in the case of the demons and Caeldalmor. If it was a demon that did all this convoluting plottin’, then they leave traces of themselves. Signatures and well… I could prolly tell just what sort of fucked up callin’ card was there.”
“I’m going to use you like a little magical well, Arc. It’s only fair for you to use me too,” she stated easily and left it at that. No need to argue it, as he would or he wouldn’t. And chances were, he’d lean on her more than he realized, anyway. This new binding between was not as limited as the demon contract, as well as the fact that Calia had no fear of him treading too far. She held no secrets and only had ever been private about herself to protect herself. Now didn’t much matter as long as he wasn’t trying to hurt her or someone else.
As he went on she polished off the last of her sweet pastry, here and there glancing up at those with pointed ears trying not to look obvious about their eavesdropping. Supposing only for a moment that maybe they ought not to be discussing these sorts of things in public… then again, why not? These elves with their long lived lives didn’t move at a quick enough pace, in her opinion. Not enough to shake them up, as they’re clearly trapped in limbo from the events of over a century ago. Secluded in their own way on this side of the mountains.
Till finally, his recollections caught her attention in a very interesting sort of way.
“Impact zone,” she repeated, mulling over the words, as she supposed that was a good way to describe it. Remembering that Renus revealed the place where the demons had been unleashed never had been able to be sealed. It was a still open gateway between the realms that had to be guarded, and even then demons still found ways to slip through.
With that painful fact of knowing she did not know where the open gate was in Caeldalmor. As the cave where he’d spilled her blood and stole her heart had not been it. He’d unleashed those demons from somewhere else.
“Renus could take us. I would like to see it myself. I ought to know what to look for in spotting demon gates…”
Shifted with a grimace to grab at her cup of spiced tea. “You’re adding quite a few things to our to-do list. There will be no time for fun and whimsy.”
Her words made him pause. Not in the same way as the former ones had but because it sounded so strange to hear her suggest him using her in such a way. Enough that it felt properly wrong and he wasn’t inclined to do so. Only cause, it felt as if he might have to rely on her and something about that in itself felt strange.
Better not to comment on it. Settling for the rest and offering her some information that wasn’t really asked for. Granted he was pretty good at doing that anyways. As they both knew and had been pointed out steadily in their on and off again relationship.
“Suppose. I doubt the little redhead prince would be hurt by steppin’ out for a bit. For educational purposes and naturally to keep an eye on thin’s.” Basically knowing that Renus wouldn’t just send them off without his personal escort. As well, there was probably far too many unknown outcomes that could make the man nervous. With him. With her.
“Our?” Arc offered his best scrupulous look he could manage, “I mean, I don’t know if yer necessary entirely for such a travel outside of just gettin’ a gawp at the demon gate or whatever it is. Most of this sounds like a problem for myself if I wanna get free of the bindin’. And I doubt anyone is guna be enthused to be offering fun and whimsy. Although yah might be gettin’ such things with Princess Nysia and her mad hatter feel with the suitors. Unless yer lookin’ for a new beau to try and pony up with less crazy. Then yah just need to shoo me away, I ain’t about to interfere with yer rodeo’s.”
Calia could surely agree that Renus wasn’t likely to let them go off doing all this investigation on their own. Liable to give the poor prince a heart attack just thinking about all the ways Calia herself could get into to trouble, let alone now having a demon attached to her and all the fun and wild imaginings he could come up with from that. Just the thought alone had her grinning wide.
She shifted, making quick work of finishing off the last of the fruit while he made a fuss of the our part of the statement. Seeing amusement with that two, because this new binding most certainly meant that their troubles were now shared. The demon contract had been one sided, mostly all in his own favor and broken the instant he was done with her. This, though? It was going to last a long, long while. Until they’d both found their peace and no longer needed the other.
…maybe she ought have worded that different, now that she thought about it.
Regardless when she ate the last of the fruit and placed down a few coin, it was easy enough to hold out her hand so her could have a hop up.
“I do feel a need to erase Starling right out of my head, but I’m not feeling brave enough just yet to go testing my luck. At least digging into your background has me doing something useful. Besides, I’ll be doing most of my whimsy hanging out of that fae tree and seeing if any time spent with her will actually offer me something of value.”
With the hand down there was little time wasted to help himself up. Crawling quickly, amused somewhat because he hoped all the juicy little tidbits of information were paired up nicely for the nosy folk. Seeing the lady command her talking bug into hand was just a final piece to the utter insanity. Scurrying up and along like a good little pet till he was situated comfortably. He was starting to understand why parrots perched on their captain’s shoulders like this. The view was pretty good! With a full three sixty he could get nearly all the angles. Only needing adjustment when Calia’s head might be in the way.
A simply move to the other shoulder would fix that.
“I don’t blame yah. I feel like yah almost need to vet these blokes with some measure of test. Ain’t sure what but somethin’.” He could probably offer some advice about it but unless the situation was happening, it was hard to do. And as he said, he wasn’t actually trying to mess up her evenings with testing out bed springs. Her business was her business.
“Well if that tree wanted the binding and was talking to yah, then she likely needs somethin’ from yah. Fae are clever but one stuck in the ground unable to do anythin’ besides watchin’ the world go by? Seems like yah have the advantage. And yah did save her roots from getting tainted. Sounds to me that she owes you and Fae don’t like ownin’ stuff. Some even have to repay the kindness otherwise it does spooky thin’s to them.”
He gave a spin for fun, “Where we goin’ now? Back. To be harassed by the princess?”
“It was far easier in Caeldalmor, when most weren’t more than farm boys or cave miners,” she declared. “And if one turned out to be a massive asshole, didn’t matter much as a broken nose did the trick, even if I did run into them again by chance.”
As for the fae tree, Calia sincerely doubted that the tree was done with her… and with Archimedes for that matter. She might have helped stopped the horrors that were spilling onto her deep roots, but Calia had the feeling there was more going on in the elven court than just mad mages. Why else push together herself and the demon at all! It’s not as if they could stay there forever as the tree’s eternal entertainment! It seemed perfectly happy with it’s watch over the royal family.
Finally she just let out an exasperated huff.
“It probably is Nysia’s turn for my attention, and I doubt she’s gonna let anyone escape that after being so nicely sweet to let Renus have me first. I almost tempted to remind her that you’ve got yourself a very nice elven form that’s going to need dressing too, lest you walk around the palace bum out.”
And creeps who laid in waiting lusting over a princess’s magic while pretending to care and mind themselves. Salivating over a forbidden tome that was discovered. Surely the wannabe warlock was so deep into the black now that he wouldn’t even remember what Calia’s face was like without seeing her.
Did such a thing need to be stated. Not at all. Leaving her to be at her own comfort with the question of what they were to do now. Mentioning the princess that had become the warden of this one in particular. With her own plots and thoughts about nine silly elves that were vying for her attention. However, after the court appearance and Calia sprinkling some fun little bits of information for those prissy nobles, it could be a little more interesting. Maybe it would aid the princess or it might present her with a new problem with eager lovers to be wanting her attention.
Something about that very thought to him only seemed like something Nysia would want. To be drowning in affections and making the choice all that much harder.
“She’s a little short for my tastes. Seems cute but clearly dangerous.” Arc suggested far too easily, “And I don’t think I want the wee doll tryin’ to dress me in anythin’. Rather have my ass hanging out, sure it would only add to the scandal that is happenin’ within the palace. I don’t think we need to be sharin’ that sort of torture. Surely yah can figure out ways to avoid gettin’ shoved into some gaudy blushing pink frilly dress that makes yah have to turn sideways to enter a room.”
“Well, I guess that is one way to turn the court upside down. A bare assed demon prancing around.” Calia didn’t even try to not laugh about it – it was a loud delighted sound, with no care in the world with the curious looks in their direction. She just went on walking and minding her own business.
The walk back to the palace was likely much quicker than the sauntering pace she had before, when she’d been busy escorting Starling and then trying to erase the entire shifty conversation from her brain. The first thing Calia did was go take a peek into the royal courtyard where the fae tree was living it’s most comfortable life. Confirming to herself to that court was indeed over and there was no longer any lurking nobles within the glass domed chamber.
She was just about to step herself inside for a little tree time when a loud AH!! nearly had her jumping out of her skin!
“There you are! I almost thought Renus had whisked you away to join the knights guard and their endless training sessions. Hmn, green and gold suits you. I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Nysia had clearly been looking for her and now not about to let Calia escape, as she’d quickly grasped the woman’s hand and started tugging her along.
“Thanks to you, I now have an entire room full of courteous gifts from not just my nine suitors but well… I feel like it’s half the court now!” she laughed, waving her free hand in the air, completely entertained by the entire thing. “In a single day. From what? You chattering around in court with a little jewel on your shoulder for all of fifteen minutes? Liriel is completely exasperated, since she wanted less suitors, not more of them, but isn’t it nice to see how one little thing can set off such a big splash? I can’t wait to see what Mama makes of it.”
“I think the nobles of your court need to start taking up hobbies…” Remarked Calia, just trying to keep up with the speed of the girl.
Nysia laughed again. “You’re not wrong. It’d surely make them a lot more interesting too.”
“Just say the word and I’ll do it. I’ve got no body shame.” He was likely grinning ear to ear with that little tidbit. Of course it would really shake things up in the court. Fainting damsels and concerned angry men. It sounded like it could be a fun time, as long as he was sure he could hide away somewhere after to avoid the mob that wanted to lynch him. If not string him from the nearest not fae tree!
The whole wander back to the palace was at least swift enough and he was more than willing to go and sun for a bit when the princess had gone to check whether or not the court was free. To spend time getting to know the living ancient being that only she could hear, while climbing amongst her leaves and branches. It sounded like a fine way to rest truthfully but that was never how these things went.
As the steps were about to be committed too, Nysia had appeared. Quickly shifting himself to trade shoulders and rotate all the way around to make sure he had an eye on her in case she tried that whole grabbing thing again. Not sure he wouldn’t bite her. Guessing the idea of a knightly training session was more up Calia’s alley.
Although had they slipped away, they wouldn’t have gotten the news that Calia had successfully made more suitors appear and heavily gift their thoughts and affections in physical form. Managing to irritate the older sister with the whole lavish gift giving and waiting to see what Queenie herself had to say about it all. Something that made him chuckle only to grow at the idea of the court needing hobbies. “Yah say it as if eavesdropping and bein’ snooty ass nobles ain’t a hobby.” Arc offered, “I don’t think they are guna take up needlepoint any time soon. And it don’t sound like the princess herself is so upset with being spoiled plenty further rotten.”
He paused, thought and replied momentarily, “Yah think the nobles ought to be lavishin’ yah with such thin’s too Lia. Yah know, to get some sway in so yah can influence the choice of unlucky sod.”
“Oh, it’s true, it’s true. Knowing everything about everyone is very much a skill to be cultivated,” Nysia agreed, practically preening about it when she shot the jeweled beetle a winsome smile. “The perks of being the one in the middle of the web are pretty divine, as well! We ought to see about gaining Calia her own mass of suitors.”
“I think I’d rather go scale the nearest mountain and then throw myself back down it again,” shot back Calia immediately.
“Pff,” scoffed the smaller princess. “She’s not romantic, you see. Thinks the only thing men are good for is their dipping stick.”
“Nysia,” Calia couldn’t even dig up a proper warning, merely the woman’s name alone and the exasperation of it was enough.
Only encouraging the elven sprite with more laughter. She’d dragged Calia down a series of halls off to her own suite, pulling her and her demon companion inside the room before she dared to release. As claimed, this sitting room was full of beautiful big displays of flowers within vases. Boxes of fancy looking treats, and tiny little sparkling jewels. There were stacks and stacks of letters, and an impressively nude statue with a bow placed in just the right spot.
“Do you even want to know what useful things I’ve learned, already?” she questioned, practically begging Calia to ask the question with a pleading look. A daring look! “Some of it is even about you and Archimedes. Aren’t you just a liiiittle curious to see how this room full of silliness things can tell you oh so much about the noble court?”
“That sounds like a pain in the ass and far too much effort. I could think of three better thin’s to do than sittin’ about listenin’ to someone talkin about another person and so forth.” Even if it was a good skill to have, it was tedious. Not to mention the mental energy it took to know everything about someone. Unless they had a very specific reason for it, why bother. It was just as easy to get someone drunk and encouraging them to spill their guts and secrets than putting that level of cultivating effort in.
“I don’t believe Lia has the time to sort and pick through whatever amount of questionable suitors that came trottin’ after her. Plus, they’d really have to be remarkable at this point, this princess has enough on her plate.” He was slightly smirking to himself at the suggestion that the mountain dame wanted to climb up one of the rock faces only to toss herself off into sweet death than amass herself a entourage of desperate, preening, begging sods that were only in it for limited reasons. No one could convince him otherwise.
“Yah be leavin’ her be. Unless yah know what a good romp does for one’s health, yah can’t be makin’ assumptions.” Funny how he could make those comments himself but hearing someone else do it and he was quick to step in defense. Certain that Nysia may only think her suitors thus far were only good for looking at or presents or information.
Of course she didn’t seem to mind the warning from Calia or himself. Whisking them down the arrangement of halls to be at least politely pulled into the room rather than thrown or pushed inside. Not that they might not have been saved by the bounty of assorted gifts, leaving him to finally flutter off and select a seat in the room to settle upon. Staring at the nude statue with its bow, “I wanna know who sent that one. Firstly, how does one send a princess a nudey statue. Secondly, who wrapped the bow about its dangly bits and thirdly, the brass balls on the one who sent it at all. Certainly a conversational piece.”
Eyeing said princess, “Bettin’ she took a peek at the bod hanging between there.”
If he had any eyebrows, he’d be waggling them. Settling for antenna at least. Not that it seemed to distract any because Nysia was practically blooming under the idea that she had learnt some various things already. Including bits about the daughter of Caeldalmor and himself. “Yah be needin’ the invite to give out the details? Colour me surprised that yer not just rapid firin’ out the details discovered like a teenage doll spending the night with her collective other dots to gossip with a wagglin’ tongue.” Beetle flattened out on his selected seat. “Yah might as well tell us before we grow old with the waitin’, princess petal.”
Calia wasn’t sure how she felt about Arc defending her… honor? Her peace? Either way, she was pretty certain it was only because he’d decided it was HIS job to hassle her and now no one else was allowed to. Which was curious, but she supposed she’d been trying to keep people’s grabby hands off him, and being watchful for anyone attempting a murder, so it was only fair.
Finding herself to sigh all the more when his blabbering only bought into Nysia’s nonsense and encouraged her all the more.
“You mean THIS?” The elven princess snatched that red bow off the offending statue to reveal, exactly what all was expecting. Waiting for the shock and awe, the gasping, the blushing, or really something other than the mountain wildling crossing her arms and looking unimpressed. “Oh. I really thought maybe the rumors of your proclivities were exaggerated!”
“That makes it sound like I’m seducing men left and right, Nysia.”
“Well, by the way Star-” from the way Calia cringed, Nysia immediately switched gears. “…the Mage we’ll never speak about again was a hard catch.”
“Are you going to tell us about this stupid thing or not.”
“Right,” Nysia bloomed back into her wicked smile, popping the bow back for the statue’s modesty before reaching up to show that it spun on it’s dais, to give the full three sixty view of chiseled marbled body. “This one came from suitor number three. Do you know what that tells me? He posed for this statue with one of the great sculptors. These things take months to complete, you know. Sometimes even years! That means he already had this damn thing, standing around in his own house for goodness knows how long! And he just decided, because of your little speech today, to have it sent over to me.”
At the start, Calia wasn’t interested in this nonsense in the slightest. Yet, as Nysia started her little spiel, she found herself drawn into the details. Arms slipping from their crossed hold and eyes going blinkingly wide. That… well, it never would’ve occurred to her that such a gift was odd for reasons beyond just being a naked statue. Nysia was in fact a lot more intelligent than she appeared on the surface.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Calia marveled at the very thing. The statue and Nysia.
“I know,” marveled Nysia back, looking up at the pretty face of the thing. “I can’t marry him, he’s absolutely in love with himself.”
One down, eight to go then, Calia thought.
“Alright, you’ve got me. Now I am actually curious about what else is in this pile of chaos.”
If only he could do a dull wink wonk at the whole ripping the ribbon away from the stony manhood. Settling for a slight tip that was considering the thing but overall the marvel and shock value hadn’t reached Calia. He was pretty sure the only way that was going to happen was if that thing dangling suddenly had a life of its own. Which would be pretty concerning and expressively showing it’s other uses. Something that ought to be quite a topic piece because he was almost sure that elves weren’t that open about their jollies and bedroom play.
Thankfully Nysia seemed to have one brain cell of wit. Not diving head first into talking about Starling Everflame. It was liable to piss him off again and there was no telling what Calia might feel about it t this point. Better to ignore and issue the princess chatterbox to get to her point.
He personally wasn’t expecting the statue to be a posed statue of suitor number three. Warranting a few mental blinks and a slow internal smirk finding it utterly hilarious at all!
“He shouldn’t be too proud,” Arc stated so bluntly, “He just gave someone a nudey statue of himself with the chance it could be shown to public and personally mocked because if he be that in love with himself, boy is guna be embarrassed.” Well at least that eliminated one suitor. “Can’t blame it on the cold, either.”
Granted he was equally and newly curious about what else was here because if they were all going to have sufficiently given Nysia gifts that she could determine their personality traits as a balance for her own, it was going to be suddenly very easy.
“The poor thing, he really doesn’t realize what’s he’s done at all, has he,” remarked Nysia looking up at the stone pretty thing with a fond, but heavily amused expression. “I should probably destroy it, but he is rather fine to look at. Maybe I’ll keep him to remind my future husband I always have options.”
Calia doubted that was such a good idea, but wisely kept her mouth shut on that respect. Instead, caving into her own curiosity to picked up one of the stacks of love letters to open up pages and read the contents within.
“Salutations, Dear Princess Nysia. We of house Greenehart cordially invite you to our residence for high tea. After disturbing rumors of the demon traitor and this human visitor reached our ears, it gives us such fear of your treasured self falling victim to more tragedy caused by the hands of your own blood — Well that’s not fucking subtle at all is it,” remarked Calia with a scrunch of her nose.
Nysia nodded, waving her hand as if it were something she’d received every day. …maybe it was!
“The Greeneharts are not fans of Mama, all because she was a shining jewel during her time and over shadowed their family back in the day. Honestly, they don’t like myself either, but they have eligible sons and any foot into the royal family is sought after.” All of this was so casually mentioned, just the everyday facts of being nobility. Unfortunately, this was something Calia herself was familiar with, as soon as she was old enough to be introduced to court, there was always someone sniffing around. She was eternally grateful that her mother didn’t want to force her children to marry, even if she did frequently fuss about it.
Nysia picked up a box of chocolates to flick the top off of, popping one into her mouth and holding it out for Calia to peruse. The mountain princess gave it a skeptical stare before snatching one out to follow suit. Making a soft hum of appreciation then snatching up a second one before Nysia wandered off with the box.
“Do you even actually want to get married, Nysia?” Calia questioned, because all of this seemed like an obscene amount of trouble and chaos meant to distract and deter anyone that’d actually want to court her.
The elven princess merely smiled all the brighter. “I do. But I’m not about to marry someone that doesn’t have my best interests at heart, that isn’t good for me and the family. Or is so stupid it’ll hurt to have a conversation with them.”
“What about the whole love and romance aspects of it,” was her dubious retort. As the elven princess had seemed like she was all about the sentiment, the wooing, the fluff and poetry and passion of everything.
“Isn’t this romantic?” exclaimed Nysia, gesturing around her, somehow seeming to honestly believe so. “It’s all beautifully dramatic!”
“It’s performative and shallow,” argued Calia. “You want to be able to have a conversation with your husband, but have you actually HAD any conversations at all with any of these men? Investigating them and analyzing every little thing they do is not the same as getting to know them, face to face. Let alone seeing if you have any physical chemistry at all, as you’re going to want that too if you’re planning on making children and don’t want it to be a chore.”
Now it was Nysia’s turn to be completely dubious, not believing an ounce of what Calia was trying to tell her at first. “I’ve talked to them. …some of them.”
At least it was getting her wheels turning, because the girl was going silent. Filling that void with the sounds of her stuffing chocolates in her face and the smacking of tongue.
Okay now it was good he didn’t really have facial expressions cause if she was going to keep that thing and threaten any future husband with it, she wasn’t going to have a husband for long. And his face would have displayed the whole thing. Settling to give Calia his best side eye. Searching to see if the woman of the wilds and stony mountain faces was on the same page as him.
Nysia might be older than Calia but she was clearly a dunce when it came to the affairs of everyday emotions.
By the nine at least the more reasonable one –which in itself could be considered a stretch- picked up a love letter. Reading it outloud till he was properly near giggling at the plain absurdity of it all. Nothing like putting pen to ink and making sure it was as clear as day you didn’t like the royal family’s decision. “Let me just get out my ol’ agenda there. Pencil yah yer treasured self in for some tragedy. Yah got the time, Lia?” Arc asked, voice filled with dripping sarcasm and jest because yeah, that’s what this was about. He had no room to cause a scene and he really didn’t want to!
The whole, weapons that could kill him was absolutely the biggest deterrent! Not to mention, honestly? He really wasn’t that invested in chaos and hellfire. He was far more interested in being free to do what he wanted and that was chasing skirts. Having fun. Being no more than a demonic mote on the earth that could eat, drink and be merry with a good healthy helping of mischief along the way. It would help if he could find more demons that had spells he didn’t and make sure there ever so lovely hearts were properly consumed. But beyond that, he was docile.
Docile as a murderer but docile!
He drew to a silence. Listening to the two of them go back and forth. To where Calia finally asked the loaded question in which Nysia answered with the same sort of excitement a toddler had about candy! It was just the idea of it, not so much the means of really having it for long.
And if she thought any of this was romantic, good god. She really needed a reality check cause all these gifts and dramatic displays of empty gestures was absolutely no more than just a theatrical performance. It meant nothing. “It sounds to me yer the one about to get duped. If yah don’t know any of them, then yah don’t know their real plots. Yer just a steppin’ stone for them to get close to the royal family and interject themselves with no more than the honour of being married into it. Yah better talk to them, yah might find out the lot of them are just a bunch of ejit’s.”
Arc crawled up onto the arm of the chair he had taken, looking at Calia. Purposefully. “It may not be helpful, or it may be. Yer mum. She was the one yah stated was all fancy pantsy and royal. Surely she had expectations of what yah and yer sister were to marry. Examples of what to look for… what to look out for. From a motherly perspective. Rather than a excited teenage pancake that gets distracted by gifts and muscles.”
Calia was already tilting her head, imagining the tragedy – how easy it would be to just pick Nysia up and toss her out the nearest window. She probably wouldn’t die from it, so it’d be fine, right? Shaking herself out of that daydream to glance down at Arc with a frown.
“It’d be better if she were only wrapped up in the gifts and muscles, this is worse,” she commented with a sigh.
“You think I don’t know how many people are trying to manipulate their way into my good graces?” Nysia asked with a laugh. “I’m being practical and careful about my selection. Making sure my future husband is going to be a good fit.”
“What you’re doing is forgetting that you’ll be spending the rest of your life with the man. Boiling him down to stats and facts and politics isn’t going to do you any good when you’re alone together, trying to live your life. A long, long, looooong life.” At this rate, Calia felt the girl thought her husband was going to be someone hanging out on a shelf while she went about her own business. An object as useless as the naked marble statue in the room! There to stand around and look pretty, to make babies and flitter in and out of existence depending on Nysia’s need for attention!
At least something about this conversation was making the elven princess pause for a minute. Clearly not liking that the two of them were ganging up on her and wasn’t as delighted and impressed with everything she was getting up to. But she was listening, processing… making an attempt to consider that there might be some validity to the words.
“Well, what was your own mother’s perspective, then? What was expected of you as a Princess of Caeldalmor?” asked Nysia.
A quick dirty look was shot at Arc, as she wasn’t sure she even wanted to talk about her own experience and family. Now that it was out there, though, there was no sense in being difficult over it.
“My parents had a love marriage and it’s what they wanted for us too. Though, both of them told the story very differently…” she started, having to basically begin at the start, for the context mattered with her mother’s advice. “My father claimed it love at first sight, the moment he saw her working out in the fields. That after a few minutes chatting with her it was enchanting and he proposed on the spot, it was all a grand beautiful story.”
“My mother, said he’d shown up being a pompous ass and thought he could propose marriage to a woman he met five minutes ago and that it’d just work because he was a Prince. She’d turned him down, and he thought that meant he should stay and prove he was a worthy husband. Which did help in some respects because she’d gotten to know him better, but she still wasn’t keen on marrying him. He accepted it then and went on in his travel around the kingdom for a good year or so. It changed him as a man, he learned some things, so when he did meet her again things actually clicked and she married him.”
Calia had wandered the room while she told this story, picking up gifts here and there to examine, making her own expressions that she thought this story a lot more realistic than the ridiculous dramatic romances people liked to sing songs and write stories about.
“It was important to her that we didn’t get swept away in the flirting and the dramatics. She wanted us to know ourselves well, to understand the person we invited into our life would be our partner and be part of us.”
“Aye… suppose yer right.” Whether or not he was actually some former royal mage advisor to this very court, he didn’t remember the methods or purposes of royal political crap like. However, he could tell Nysia was very young, very inexperienced and had a head on her that thought she knew it all. Suddenly almost being able to see why Liriel had set Calia into Nysia’s path. For a new perspective. One far more rounded in reality rather than being a sly cotton candy devil. While there was likely some things Calia needed to learn from Nysia, right now the princess of the moment was being given a gentle reality check.
That selecting a man wasn’t just as easy as going eenie meenie miney mo! They had personalities. Thoughts. Likely backing of families that could either be beneficial or detrimental to the crown. And surely the princess wasn’t prepared for when said husband had enough of her attitude to start being reactive. Or just call the whole thing off.
Calia was right. This was a long, long, looooong life. One that needed more critical thought put into it.
There was at least some effort going into putting two brain cells together. Where he might have gotten a mean mug from the dark haired one, he just bounced up and down in his form of shrugging shoulders. She had perspective to offer and it was probably a good idea that Nysia heard it! Watching her. Watching Nysia. Checking to see how either of them were responding to the reply of detailing how a married couple from love could differ so much.
How the king’s version was romantic but missing key important parts.
And the queen’s was in depth and expressed the importance of learning another. They both had validity in their own ways but they didn’t work as separate tales entirely. Better together than apart. “Yah can’t know someone merely by what they gift yah. These,” Arc made his best motion, “Are distractions. The sort of thin’s that is tryin’ to do no more than make them seem the most polished turd on the pile. Yah have at least a head on yer shoulders that seems like it can be calculative but what Lia has expressed is important. If yah fall for the king’s tale, then yah miss the important parts. The queen’s side tells more details. It’s realistic rather than some dreamy nonsense fairytale that if yah think about, has no end. No one really has a happily ever after. Relationships of all sorts take work. Day in and day out. If yah not thinkin’ about that, yer not ready to marry. Let alone have wee ones trottin’ about yer ankles.”
“The two of you sure take the fun out of everything,” sniffed Nysia, tossing aside her half eaten box of chocolates to rest her hands on her hips. “If everything I am doing is wrong, then what I am supposed to be doing then.”
This entire conversation was exhausting to the point that Calia was now daydreaming about tossing herself out the window. Unlike Nysia, she could probably land on her feet if she was quick enough. A shattered bone could heal fast enough. …she did go confiscating that abandoned box of chocolate, though, the sweets were making up for this drawn out torture.
“Go on dates, Nysia.” she suggested, deciding she might as well appeal to the girl’s interests in a way that was actually going to help her. “If you think your snooping and gifts from afar are fun, then you’re going to be dazzled by outings. Spend a day, or even a week with each courtier going on a small adventure. Talk and gossip, play games… get your hands all over them if they spark up some interest for a little heavy kissing.”
That dubious expression was back on Nysia’s pretty face, until something sheepish and finally a little more genuine started to bleed through.
“You expect me to just be alone with them,” she huffed.
“Is that what you’re afraid of? Being alone with them?” asked Calia with surprise. Shyness is not what she’d expected out of this blustering woman at all!
Nysia immediately flushed a deep red and stomped her foot on the floor.
“I’m not afraid of anything, it is just… well, look what has happened with you and Mage That Is Banished From All Thoughts Forever! Our family has had so much trouble, it is hard to… to open up honestly with someone and not be afraid they’re going to be the next – well – him!” she pointed directly at Archimedes then. The golden beetle of the hour!
“Ah…” was all Calia could say then. That was a hard thing to argue with, as Nysia had said – looked what happens when you even give the tiniest bit to others. How easy it was to be tricked, mislead, stray right into something stupid and it blow up in your face. “…it’s not always like that, Nysia. Bad things are going to happen your entire life, will you let it only be the bad things? If you don’t even try to chase joy, you might as well crawl into a hole and die now.”
“It’s called being realistic.” Watching her toss aside the chocolate in a huff only to declare that clearly she were the party poopers in this case. No, they both likely just have leagues more experience and their heads not dancing around in the fluffy clouds thinking that it was just so easy. If she wanted just a political marriage, then her family ought to select the best candidate. Call it done and dust their hands off.
It was clear that wasn’t what Nysia wanted, so some tough facts had to be given.
With the sweets picked back up for Calia to snack on next, she offered the sagely advice.
Dates. The thing people did while courting and trying to determine if they were a proper lovey dovey match at all. Finding out their likes and dislikes. Quirks and humour. Tastes in the everyday world while not just hiding behind titles and such. And of course Calia was giving out some encouragement to the idea of Nysia getting handsy. “Be smart about that one. Some lads don’t take no for an answer all too well and will be smartin’ if not entirely pissy about havin’ boundaries put into place.” The way her face had turned into something more, it was hard not to chuckle at it.
Till it was red and Calia called it out after the idea of being alone with them was apparently so difficult.
Never mind the whole rude ass part of her spitting out that she wasn’t afraid of anything –bullshit- to point at him. “Hey!” Flicking legs out trying to replicate a whole flail of arms at the pure insult. He understood it of course didn’t mean he had to like it. “Firstly, fuck you.” Arc spat uncaring if she was royalty or not! “Secondly, dontcha be blamin’ all yer worries and bullshittery on me. Whatever happened, happened. They ain’t me so yah can toss that right into the trash. Yah ain’t guna get far if yah be usin’ previous circumstances to hide away like some fluffy dewdrop in the ivory tower.”
Not that he was over the whole rudeness considering he turned to muttering and slipped down the crack of the chair to go scurrying around the backside. He didn’t have to take that! Right as it was, rude! Rude!
Nysia was clearly not used to having anyone but her family cursing at her, so of course she took on offense and shock with Archimedes doing so. Her hands on her hips again and only replying to that display with a blowin’ raspberry with tongue. Perfectly immature in every possible way.
Calia erupted in laughter.
Good gods, this was the stupidest thing she’d ever been a part of. Her brothers hadn’t been like this, not even her sister who was for sure the sort to be dazzled by all kinds of silly romantic things. Of course, they had been elder siblings and had a smidgen more maturity than herself… For fuck’s sake, Nysia was her elder too and ought to have more sense than this! The woman was spoiled, too smart for her own good, and didn’t have a clue of what she actually wanted. Just ideas and dreams, all of which she was too afraid to actually chase.
“Will you at least try a few dates, Nysia?” She finally asked once she’d tempered down her snickering. “How about we make a deal. Pick three of them and have a day with each. If you do that, I’ll let you dress me in whatever the hell you want for that celebration ball. Frilly lace, corsets, hoop skirt… whatever horror you wish. I’ll even parade around and dance in it, make a right ass of myself.”
That got the girl’s attention! Whirling her around from glaring at the jeweled demon’s behind to eye Calia up and down as if she wasn’t quite sure she believed this promise, but was far too intrigued not to consider it.
“Anything I want? You won’t fight it?”
“Anything. If you spent and entire day with each of them,” confirmed Calia.
She ought to have been scared for her life with the expression that followed in the elven princess. Pure delighted evil, that was! Already seeming to be scheming and sizing up the mountain girl, on what sort of monstrous things she could be draped with.
“It shall be done! Oh, this is going to be grand! What about Arc? Can I dress him too for a few more dates?” she asked hopefully, suddenly sounding as sweet as pie.
“Don’t make deals with demons, Nysia.”
What did he have to lose at this point by telling her in all lack of decorum to go fuck herself? Nothing, honestly. Well he could be harmed as they all knew but he was hardly the one that would simply nod and butter up someone being a tit. She could blow raspberries at him all she liked. It clearly had an effect on Calia to spur into laughter. As one might need to do with how asinine this all was.
For a moment or five he would stay where he was. Just listening as Calia volunteered herself to be the princess’s newest cupcake to decorate in whatever she wanted. That seemed like a quite the dangerous deal. But if that was what she was willing to give, he wasn’t about to stop her. Not unless he was told to stop her.
It seemed to have won madam cotton pants back into a winning mood. Enough to even dare to try and squeeze him into her insanity of frilly things. It worked on getting him to reappear and stare at her. “What makes yah think I would even let yah try?” He looked sidelong at Calia, “Yah call me a demon but I think yah just made a deal with one yerself.” Indicating said princess being the stronger of evil here. “Plus, I don’t wanna. There was already talks of scandalizing the whole court further with a naked arse trottin’ about. I might as well have my bits of fun in such ways and I have a terrible feelin’ yah have terrible fashion choices. So no bloody thank you. Add on, I don’t have to be my normal appearance anyways around yah. So good luck to yah, puffcake.”
“You used to adore me, Arc!” Nysia declared. “You thought I was the cutest sweetest little thing.”
There was no way to know if that was true or just Nysia taking advantage of the lack of memory. Regardless, Calia had enough of all this. If Nysia was meant to teach her anything, well they certainly weren’t going to get to it tonight.
“She should’ve been more mindful about making a deal with me too,” was Calia’s mysterious reply. Complete with a look that was so very faeish in mischief, it was a damn mind-boggling thing that her ties to fae things were only coming to light now. “After all, look at what’s happened to him, Nysia, after making deals with me.”
The elven princess snorted. “You’re not going to trick me or make me second guess it now. I’m going to spend the next three days on these dates, and I’ll tell you all about them. And if you end up escorted by a bared-arsed demon, it will be all the better! Maybe they’ll make statues of him too!”
“Our work is done here, I see,” mused Calia with another loud laugh. Beckoning to Arc with her fingers but not hanging around to wait for him. A little afraid that Nysia was going to start trying to hold her down for measurements next and comparing her to color samples. Bidding the princess nothing more than a simple wave and a smug little look before escorting her own self out of the door.
Was she going to regret it? Maybe. Or maybe Calia was banking on the fact that Nysia wouldn’t want to displease her mother and make a mockery of her court, either. She’d at least keep Calia in something appropriate and not too wild.
Could a beetle show disbelief or judgment. Scrutinizing her up and down with the whole feeling that she was a bald-face liar. Adore her, pah! “If that were true, I was clearly outta my mind. Cutest, sweetest little thin’, my ass.” She was hardly any of those. Perhaps on the outside but inside, oh she was absolutely a terror. Someone who might have lines of her own ancestor’s fae-hood appearing. Preferring to be a pest than anything else. Lounging around all day waiting for someone to pamper and spoil her something fierce.
If she was telling the truth, then she had grown out of whatever past thoughts could have had. But it also begged the question, what was he apparently like back then.
Rather than chance a new hurt, he took to chuckling airily at Calia’s reply. Conceding to it, “I suppose yer right.” He was hardly about to stay behind to be potentially forced into something he didn’t want any part of. Not quite convinced that Nysia wouldn’t find some way to dress up a scarab in some doll clothing. Hastily helping himself up to hitch a ride with Calia while not mentioning that there was still the family dinner that Aien had invited Calia too.
Just waving a little leg at Nysia when the door opened and closed successfully.
“She’s clueless.” Arc stated bluntly but considered, “Just young though. No experience and I believe she be havin’ her head up in the clouds. Thinkin’ of fairytales rather than the fact that what she wants, takes actual work. Ain’t sure if she’s done an ounce of work in her life.”
He considered Calia quietly then, “Yah sure about this?”
“And to think, had you not gotten into trouble, you might even be one of Nysia’s suitors now…” Calia mused out loud, all too entertained by the exchange between to the two. At least enough to be snickering about it now as she waltzed herself down the hall just as quick as she could without actually running.
Hoping this time to actually get her moment with the tree now that everyone had their fill of private Calia-time for the day!
“I’m sure enough, anyway. A night of looking stupid isn’t going to hurt more than my pride. It’ll certainly have the entire elven court confused as to what I’m about, going from refugee princess to mage seducer, to demon wrangler, to parading ballroom cupcake.” At this rate, Calia couldn’t suffer anything worse than her present reputation. She was just glad no one was trying to kill her, and that well… all of this felt close to home. Normal, even for the silliness.
“She is clever too, though. I hadn’t thought you could learn so much just from the sort of things people send you trying to win favor.” she mentioned with a shrug of her shoulder. “The kingdom ought to thank the stars that Nysia isn’t heir to be Queen, she’d have everyone upside down and inside out.”
“Are you suggestin’ I would be a cradle robber?” Naturally Calia was terribly amused at any idea of being a suitor for the youngest princess. Almost suddenly very grateful that he had no memory of it because what if it had been true! That he thought her sweet. And cute and all that gag worthy stuff?! He’d have been subjected to that sort of fruity torture and probably liking it like some mindless chump.
No, it was far better he had no memory and was now a whole new reason to not want to recall any of it. Because dear god.
Suppressing a shudder only for so long, figurative ears perked at the confirmation that she was sure about her choice. Also having a point that the court wasn’t going to know what to make of her. What was she? Clearly an enigma that was fitting oh so well into the category of fae. What kind of fae was still left up in the air but one all the same. “I think three of those titles are better than the last one.” Who wanted to be a parading ballroom cupcake! One ought to hope there was no speedy painter in the house when it happened because it would be caught on canvas forever.
“Fair. I wouldn’t have put that much effort in to such thoughts either. She is clever which makes her all the more dangerous for not thinkin’ through the rest of her ideas.” Suddenly he hopped off her to flutter in the air for a moment or two. Testing his strength as it were that turned into a burst of laughter. Almost falling out of the air because of it, “Perhaps it is what it would need! I mean yah read that one love letter. Maybe some elves need that stirrin’.”
It took a moment but noticeably he finally dared it. Letting the flying beetle poof out of existence to shift body back into a towering stature that had hands once more!
Pausing and grateful that he had a foot again! And a tongue, which was highly beneficial entirely. Fingers felt at the state of face and could feel the puckering of scarring at least. It would mend still but it was far less ghastly than half of it torn right off. Raking fingers through hair and pulling in a slow careful breath feeling the scabbed over wounds from hooks pulling at skin. Granted he did need a change of clothing, he wasn’t at least naked!
Calia supposed she and Nysia had a lot of things in common despite the very obvious differences. Too clever and taking actions and making moves that could be genius, if not for the fact they tended to forget what the consequences could be. Too busy thinking about the right now moment, instead of what the future could hold. She didn’t need Arc thinking she was learning her lessons here, though, keeping those thoughts to herself.
She watched him flitter off her to take to flying on his own, and with a little unexpected ploof~! there he was. All man and horn, without anything vital missing. Drawing her to a slowing of her steps until she stopped, giving a very serious up and down gaze of him until something in her softened just a bit.
Disappearing as quick as it came before she’d turned away and resumed her trek for the glassed in courtyard.
“I never thought I’d be glad to see you in one peace. Best not let Nysia catch you like that, Arc. Who says she doesn’t have evil plots up her sleeve and a dungeon of her own to house is harem of menfolk.”
Raising an eyebrow at her whole stop and the up and down he had received, almost waiting for her to point out that a piece of him was still ripe with gore and dangling off somewhere he wasn’t paying attention –never mind the wonderment if he had seen her being gentle or not! A fleeting thought that moved away the moment she turned to return her progression to likely the Queen’s Court. After she had been temporarily abducted by that of the littlest princess and declared in the court itself that she wanted to climb along the boroughs.
Something the queen hadn’t shamed so the girl had a dead set thought in mind.
To hear her care was still peculiar. Leaving a silent little mote of appreciation in his skull that was not about to be spoken. “Mostly one piece. Still healin’ but ain’t nearly as bad and someone’s visceral nightmare.” The man offered as he sought to keep close. Even if there was a concerned trickle of a laugh that came out. Stealing a glance over shoulder just in case if her name was said enough, she might materialize out of thin air. “Oh she certainly has some evil plots up her sleeves, but if she has a harem of menfolk then I think yah just gave her a bunch of new ideas for them.”
“Her sister she stated was already exasperated with her. Yah think the crown princess would let it go if the younger one had menfolk fawnin’ on silk pillows in barely nothin’ at all? I dare say the entire crown might falter in pure horror if that were the case. Though I am sure yah can mention it casually when yer hauled in for family dinner time.” A bath wouldn’t kill him at this point, actually it would probably save him! “Which ought to be oodles of fun. Or torture, unclear which one it’s guna be.”
“Fun or torture will be determined based solely on who we’re sitting by, I’m sure,” she mused out loud, casting him a quick wicked grin. “Come to dinner like that and sit yourself next to Queen Ashera and we’ll see just how forgiving she is.”
A jest, of course! By the gods, Calia was not about to tempt fate for real in regards to pushing things too far involving Archimedes. The fact he’d even skirted by having his life spared was a miracle in itself. Let alone this binding that anyone sane wouldn’t have allowed Calia at the reigns of. Even she didn’t know what was going to happened the second some new disaster occurred, how she was going to react and handle it.
It was an insane thing to be afraid of your own self.
For now, she pushed those worries out of her head. Leading them off to the courtyard, where she hesitated at the door only to look around and see if anyone was going to pop out and stop her this time. Grinning wide when no one did to swiftly allow herself through the doors.
Late afternoon sun made the glassed in courtyard pleasantly warm, thankfully not too much so due to the leafy green branches of the tree. None of the spring buds had opened yet, which Calia thought was a shame – not that she stopped to ponder that either. Once the doors were closed behind them, she shot off in a quick sprint for the tree. It took two steps up the bark of the side for her to hop high enough to grasp on a lower branch, and a grunt to pull herself up to a sit.
The fact she didn’t start cackling like a deranged witch was more of a surprise. Still, there was this delighted, whimsical expression in her features, even as she stood to seek out how she could climb higher. Balancing then on afoot to pull off one boot, then the other to toss down below.
Lips curled upwards into something of a winsome and puckish grin. All tooth and fang alike arranged in nothing good if one knew what to look for, “Is that an invite? Or are yah just wantin’ to see a second round of how much bone and blood I can bare?” Truthfully there was a silent acknowledgement that Calia really wouldn’t want to invite such problems. Nor was he really that interested in doing so either.
Had he been unaware of demon harming weapons, absolutely. He would have put on his jester hat and been the biggest pain in the ass one had ever seen. Instead, these people knew and had prepared the bone and enchanted weapons that were a surefire cure for any demon hijinks.
Nor did he really want to have Calia getting her own taste of what could happen if these people were pissed off. Regardless if the binding of magic was influenced and encouraged by the elven queen, it was liable to make her desire to make these sorts into allies, a hell of a lot more difficult.
Best behaviour it was…. Okay decent behaviour.
Toddering after her a few paces only to glance about and take in the halls from a proper view, it wasn’t particularly difficult to tell that those of the servants that were few but noticeable in their passing, were on requested duty to keep an eye on things. To report what they seen and he guessed it was likely the way the royal family knew where Calia or him would be. Not about to be left entirely to their own devices but there was a bit of silent amusement when it came to Calia grinning like a feral goblin when the coast was clear.
Assisting the door to seal up behind, she was gone like a arrow from a bow. And he could feel the flow of magic moving through the air. Between the leaves, the branches. Spreading downwards into the soil that was plentiful under the laid flagstone. Below a cultivated spring of water was discretely hidden to keep the very tree healthy while the afternoon sun blazed through the glass dome high above.
Honestly, if she needed confirmation that she was some sort of fae touched being, it ought to be clear here and now. As she was up the tree like a squirrel absconding with acorns, ready to stash them away.
Unlike that of his current leash expert, there was a slow pace entering the hall. Studying it correctly now that he wasn’t bound to ethereal chain and magic dias. Feeling the pull and pinch that was the telling signs that if he wasn’t careful; he’d being accosted by memories. But he could feel them. A phantom recollection of foot across the heat of a warm pavestone. Sounds only heard by himself making ears lift and eyes follow suit, merriment. Conversations. Without anything clear enough to turn the growing discomfort into sharp shooting pain.
Flashes of images appearing. Murky, loose and without strong description. There but if he tried to focus on it, the agony rose and the very images melted and shifted like sand in an open palm.
Reaching to knead at temple, the girl in the tree clearly was now having the time of her life. And he thought. Carefully. “Forest nymph.” Arc made the ease of his strides nearly float, offering up other hand as a show of thought. “My guess for what yer fae roots could be. Or just some sort of dryad if you want a broader term.”
If Calia had any doubts left in her about accepting herself as fae, they were completely obliterated the second she got up in that tree. She could feel the magic in her finger and beneath her toes, wrapping around her like a warm cozy blanket. Hear the gentle croonings and whispers that were welcoming her back home. Back to whatever this magic was and how it connected her to her own, stolen out there miles and miles away.
Once upon a time she’d seen glimpse of fae creatures – at a far, far distance of course. Back then she’d always thought that pulling and yearning, those whispers of follow me, come this way were just tricks as fae were apt to do. Luring in stupid people with enchantments to steal them away forever. Not an actual beckoning to come back and be with those whose blood flowed with the same magic.
It’d be very easy to ignore all else and live in this tree. Only she was not alone, and that little binding was doing it’s twinging thing, where she was all too aware the demon down below was having his own kind of difficulties here with the tree and the memories of the courtyard.
Calia was at least halfway up the tree by the time he’d worked through it and was back to speaking again. Causing her to laugh from her perch up above.
“Sounds believable enough. It certainly wasn’t my parents or grandparents… an ancestor before that, having themselves a thrill with a forest sprite, I guess. …Would thy great mother and ancient roots like to give me a hint?”
She asked the tree directly, knocking on the side of the bark and tilting her head to listen. Listening… pursing up her lips in a scowl.
“…she says the horns suit you, but that you deserve a good spanking. I’m not volunteering for that. I’ve done enough.”
Clearly Calia wasn’t going to get the answers that’d actually be useful to her. Luckily for this tree she wasn’t too angry about it in the moment. Content to bask herself amongst the leafy green, like a fat cat in the sunlight.
“Forest nymphs were and are women of mesmerizin’ beauty. Even bein’ linked to inspiring creative expression like art and literature.” He strode close enough to consider the throne made of woven roots and flowers. Reminding him of a very leafy bramble bush, with less thorns. A wild natural thing that spoke of balance and calm and nature. Things that were likely impressed upon the royal family to maintain, if he were to take a guess at it. “While having a symbolic connection between nature and humanity.”
With the niggling in his head being an persistent pressure he did his best to mostly ignore it. A task considering the poking and such was from images, not words. Thankfully staved far enough that he wasn’t hunched over trying to hold his head together.
Rather eyes cast upwards to the faeling princess in the leafy fronds of the great spring time Fae Tree. Asking if the very being might have some answers.
She might. But he knew fae well enough that they weren’t forthcoming unless it benefitted them. Even from his ground position he could openly guess that the grand being wasn’t liable to offer much information. Instead the being spoke of approving the horns keeping a low pulsing glow in time with beating vessel within his chest and suggesting he ought to be spanked. “There’s clearly some story behind that and I’m both mildly curious and quietly horrified to think of what soul yah had spanked at all.”
Gravitating closer to lay palm upon the trunk of the wondrous creature, it was instinctive that he smirked, “I think she might be suggestin’ that this other idea of myself was a imp and the horns only suit now to declare the truth.” The passing of hand was fond, gentle but short. Stepping away no sooner to consider the three imposing doors that sat at the edge of the room.
Left. The Crown Princess.
Right. The Queen.
Middle. The King.
The middle was an empty slot and by the way those images flashed again, it had been empty for a long time. Elves were akin to swans, they stuck together for life. Only separated by a few critical things but otherwise marriage was lifelong. A long life.
“Aye ought to be askin’ the fae tree how one can recover their missin’ heart. It’s important for a fae to have their beatin’ vessel and she just might have knowledge about the enchanted heart spell that could help yah. Fae tend to their own, just need to know how to word it that she’s interested in givin’ such details.” He stared a bit at the walls between the king and queen’s respective doors. Feeling as if he ought to go digging around there for no other reason besides curiosity.
Calia climbed until she found the perfect little nook at the heart of the tree to slide into, a nice smooth crook just right for stretching out and lounging to her heart’s content. Leaning back against the tree itself to stare up the sunrays filtering through the leafy green and listening to him relay information about forest nymphs. Thinking to herself that it sounded a lot more like her elder sister than it did herself, and yet here she was with the missing heart full of magic, and talking to an ancient tree.
Frowning when he suggested she ask about her heart and the curse that was laid on her. Placing her feet up on the branch opposite to her and giving it a good shake.
“You’re hearing him just fine, I can feel you all perked up and amused about it. Are you going to answer any serious questions, or are you going to give me a whole bunch of nonsense.”
Calia went silent for a long moment, waiting surprisingly patient considering she just literally shook a tree and demanded said answers. Somewhere amongst the sounds of soft wind and musical laughter, the ancient tree was smiling sweet, a motherly amusement at children that were young and silly and didn’t understand what had already been done.
She’d already helped. What need be done has been done. The rest Calia had to do for herself.
The mountain princess was about to get real frustrated with these non-answer answers, opening her mouth ready to argue with a damn tree of all things, until the realization slowly trickled in. Use his magic. It’s what she’d said. Tricked Calia into this blasted binding to give her magic, to go on and do whatever it was she needed to do.
It was a very wide-eyed blink that peered down again at the demon down below, looking him up and down with a whole new questioning sort of expression to her features.
“…hey, guess what. She gave me you. How’s about that for fae bullshit. A punishment and a gift all in one.”
With a bare muted amusement listening to Calia talk to the tree in what sounded like a one sided conversation –it was but only to those who couldn’t hear the ancient being- and found himself only growing in that sensation. He’d encountered dark fae before, knowing they were quite the problematic sorts that didn’t much care about anything outside collecting souls or people. Whatever they did for hobbies.
This one was of the light persuasion and it was sounding as though it was vexing the young woman laced up in the canopy.
Giving way to his interest to wander to where he had been looking, the beckon out was enough to pull a sarcastic laugh. Nearly deadpan, “I’ve been behavin’, yah ought to give me credit where it is due, lass. Whatever reason she orchestrated all of this, it’s likey for yer benefit over my own. If it wasn’t, we’d be havin’ a different tale. Yah be as yah were and I’d be likely properly dead.”
Reaching out to smooth hand against the ornate wall, feeling where wooden panels smoothed into stony facing; it was immediate. And enough to get him to back off, shaking head with the sharp bolt of twisting throbbing that had made itself clear. Warning him not to go any further. One he could oblige too.
There was a memory locked in such a minuscule place. Not worth digging at but rather demon pivoting on his heels. “Since yer relaxin’ all fine as a partridge, then I’m guna wander. Or rather wander my arse back to yer given room. Seein’ as I might as well scare people and clean up in the meantime. Let you and the canny fae tree get acquainted. Yah prolly only have a limited amount of time before Nysia or someone else comes to find yah and stuff yah into a gown for dinner. Yah know where I’ll be with that tether of the contract.”
None of this was what she wanted to hear, but then when had anything gone Calia’s way. To know she was fae ought to help solve a lot of her problems, only how could she feel settled when her own magic was so far away. A faerie tree and an Elven Queen had conspired to chain her with a demon, both having different reasons and yet served the same purpose of protecting this kingdom and all within it. Calia was naught more than a chess piece being used by the universe. Where was she going to end up when her part had served it’s purpose?
“Wait,” she called out, straightening up with a wicked little look. “Before you go.”
The princess did not explain herself in the slightest, but he could feel that pull of magic… only it wasn’t coming from himself this time! She’d placed her hands on the tree bark, manipulating what was already there, permeating the very air of the glass courtyard. Giving a laugh that belonged more coming out of some old wood witch than a princess in a tree, until there were several little pop, pop, poppop, pop pops or dormant buds coming to life in sprawling icy blue blossoms. The source of that beautifully sweet scent now finally blooming the way it was meant to, instead of it’s struggling dormancy of tainted roots.
“Try not to get yourself killed or kidnapped,” she bided him as a goodbye, perfectly pleased with herself. Preening as much as the tree, that now shimmered with a waterfall of blue.
Raising attention upwards at the whole request to pause before he went anywhere. Not sure what to expect but the shift in magic was noticeable. It was not his seeing as the binding wasn’t demanding that he give it up without a single please or thank you. But in the air. Pungent. Thick and utterly natural. Nature magic if he was to loosely term it in which came from the bird in the tree.
Infusing its motion through the very tree she rested upon. Enhancing the photosynthesis of the very buds till they began to unfurl and reveal themselves as a vibrant blue hue. Filling the air with a flora sweet nectar scent that only added another level to the very sensations of the room. Minus the whole cackling she was doing, it might have been magical. Just hearing her fitting the part of some old bog witch with her amusement, he could only shake his head.
Setting pace back in forward motion to leave the queen’s court with her ageless occupant, “Oh yah don’t need to offer false sympathies my way, Lia. We both know yah’d be more than thrilled if I were napped and slaughtered like a sickly plagued riddled cow.” He smirked at the commentary not really phased or bothered by it. Just cause they were forced together by the makings of elder beings didn’t mean a whole lot was different in the ending result.
Just that he had to behave and she just needed the manna from him to fill the vessel of her own being for a little bit.
Reverting back to the beetle so he might not tarry and not actually scare anyone because he was suddenly a demon on the loose and his handler was absent. It was liable to get the whole home guard involved! Better to be inconspicuous than naught.
“He’s bad about making assumptions,” she told the tree once Archimedes was gone and on his way. The only response she received to that was a soft breeze and a gentle, soothing rocking in the branches. As if she were just a babe needing to be coddled. Prompting this almost stubborn desire to want to fight it, only to give in with a hefty sigh.
“Why?” she finally just flat out asked, settling down plenty ready to stay in this tree forever. “Why him, why me, why now, why any of this.”
As to be expected, there was no true answer. Only the warm motherly affection and a gentle sway. The great roots down below were healing and this weird grand tree was happy with what had been set in motion. In it’s gentle way, telling Calia to just deal with it.
Just deal with it! A million and one problems between herself and Archimedes, a mess of their own lives and the single thread of a relationship that was nothing more than a dormant volcano liable to erupt the very second one of them was in a bad mood. Having no faith at all in her own self to manage the disaster that was her own mind, and firmly believing the demon was just a well-healed body away from tugging at his chains.
“I could just stay here and never leave. Fade into the bark and wood and be happy with that.”
This time there was a soft answer, firm and undeniable even if she wanted to. You’d not be happy.
Fantastic. Whatever the hell that meant. Calia shrugged her shoulders. “Fine, I’ll stay until dinner.”