The Sting Of Bitter Stars

[Yukio Takamiya]

Opening post:

 

 

 

Name: Deniz Bedfordshire

 

Age:19

 

Description: Jet black hair, pale skin and red eyes of the Eligerand clan

 

Likes:Books, Hunting, Cats, His father figure(blacksmith), Adventure

 

Dislikes: The prince's brother, The castle's guard dogs, Stupidly annoying people(absurdly dense individuals)

 

Personality: Deniz is extremely particular about his history and prefers not to let anyone know about it. He is rather cold due to his tragic past. He especially enjoys the thrill of hunting, it is about the only thing that could make him smile. Perhaps not the only thing, Deniz also smiles at the sight of any feline.(p.s. he is not Sebastian Michaelis).

 

Bio: Deniz is of Royal blood. His father, the previous king led the country well but was uncapable of creating a strong military. Thus, like any other misfortunate country, the lland was invaded and conquered by the current king. Deniz who was only seven years of age then had been smuggled out of the castle by the royal blacksmith. After the war, the royal family,like any other royalty of a conquered country was publicly executed. The survival of Deniz, the last remaining member of the Eligerand family, was not discovered. Raphael Bedfordshire, the royal blacksmith and good friend of the previous king took Deniz and changed his last name to Bedfordshire. Deniz assumed a new identity and lived life normally in a busy town. The country prospered under the rule of the new king and the people were happy, soon the previous king was forgotten. Deniz who witnessed this backed down and ceased all thought of revenge. However, much changed when the king announced his upcoming retirement to let his oldest son ascend the throne. Deniz had seen the crown prince once and that was enough to convince him that the prince was an excellent candidate for the next king. However, there were also people who opposed his ascension of the throne. if the crown prince ascended the throne, it would foil their plans for power. Whereas, the younger and useless prince promised them glory if they aided him in usurping his brother's position .Assassins were hired to kill the crown prince but Deniz had taken matters into his own hands. He protected the crown prince every night in secret and would continue to do so until the crown prince had bore an heir.

 

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"Deniz! Get me the hammer!" Raphael Bedfordshire, the town's best blacksmith shouted over the roar of the furnace.

 

"Coming! Here it is," Deniz Bedfordshire called back and came running from the back room with a large hammer. Raphael and Deniz had the same last name but they were not blood related. Deniz had been adopted by the older man when he was just seven years old. Raphael used to be a good friend of the previous king and the royal blacksmith who made weapons for the military. His skills were the best of the best and his products were sold at high prices.

 

Raphael threw down the hammer and stretched," ahhhhh, we're finally done for the day. Me gettin' too old for this, with ma' bones creakin' every now and then." He gave Deniz a tired grin and went into the back room. The apprentice nodded and the blacksmith's retreating figure and started to gather the equipment and prepared to close for the day. After closing the shop, Deniz changed his working clothes into his all dark night out fit, consisting of a black cotton-neck, black tunic, dark pants and dark boots. Grabbing his sword, he was about to head out when Raphael called out,"you're goin' again tonight?" He nodded in response. Raphael sighed in defeat,"i don't like this, Deniz. You're protecting the son of the man who killed your father. i didn't train you so hard for this. i wanted you to avenge your family and take back the throne. But you're doing the complete opposite."

 

"Can we not go through this again, Raphael?" Deniz grumbled and left. he was running late. Usually, he would be inside the castle by now. Deniz had gotten used to the routine of getting into the castle by now. First, he would scale the wall of the castle as the guard dogs started to bark. Then, the dogs would be reprimanded for making so much noise at night by night guards who had failed to detect him. By the time they had retired into the guard house, Deniz would have been on the roof of the prince's quarters. Deniz landed on the balcony outside the room and leant against the wall beside the door. The crown prince would have been asleep right now, Deniz could hear steady breathing and sighed in relieve. He had been late, but not late enough for anyone to have arrived before himself.

 

Deniz was particularly cautious this night. His gut feeling told him that an assailant would pay the prince a visit. His gut feeling had never been wrong and Deniz had learnt to trust it to not risk any chances. He waited patiently for another hour or two, soon enough, his sharp ears picked up the sound of footsteps on the roof. Deniz pressed himself against the wall right underneath the roof as the assassin landed right in front of him. Fortunately, the assassin's back was facing him when he landed. Deniz quickly and silently lifted his arm and elbowed that special spot behind the neck. The latter grunted in pain and blacked out too quickly to realise what had happened. And as usual, Deniz would drag his victims to the back garden where the man would die by his sword. He left the body behind a tree, his usual spot where the guard would later find when dawn broke.

 

When dawn approached, Deniz left the castle and made his way back to town. At first light, he was already in bed, sleeping for the next four hours, after which he would prepare for the day's work.

[Kyte]

 

Name: Urval Gainsborough

 

Age:17

 

Description: Black hair, fair skin, and umbran dark eyes

 

Likes: Books, Adventure, Sword play

 

Dislikes: Pressure, Being cooped up

 

Personality: Urval can at first easily be described as an aloof and unsocial man, who prefers to stick to himself. Beneath the cold surface, there is a somewhat more humble and softer persona. He's a resourceful, opportunistic and cunning person who has managed to adapt very well to the harsh and high-pressured lifestyle of a crown prince, having developed a rather logical and cynical point of view on life.

 

Bio: Urval was brought into the world, into fractured royalty. Being the crown prince, his life was filled with toxic politics and suspicion. His mother dying from childbirth, Urval's childhood was as cold and lonesome, as he lived with no one to trust or confide in. The addition of his new step mother and half-brother made things much much harder.

 

As he got older, he began to seeing the people around him act even more aloof and secretive. It took narrowly avoiding enough fatal 'accidents' to make himself see that the others had conspired to kill him, trying to effectively stop him from taking the throne.

 

Having no interest with any sort of ascending the throne, nor wanting to deal with assassins every waking day of his life, he's decided he would give up his claim and run away, hopefully far enough that he could reach a realm where no one even knew who he was, and didn't expect anything from him...

 

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Urval woke to the sound of commotions, as dawn broke through his balcony window. With a tired and blanded face, he found his way to the balcony, a hand raking through his disheveled black hair, as he looked down to the source of the noise. The guards were all amassing to the garden, the usual spot. Urval couldn't see properly from where he was, but he had no doubts that another assassin had been cut down in the garden.

 

He looked at the clamoring guards thoughtfully. No one, it seems, knew exactly who'd been responsible for these corpses appearing. A clear message that another would-be regicidal assassin had been slain, before he even reached his quarters, and no one even knew about it until now. The thought was both relieving, as it was unnerving. Knowing there was someone close by who'd gone to great lengths to protect him, but he never even knew who his savior could possibly be... Or if they were even trustworthy.

 

Urval had thought of this alot. What kind of person was this guardian? Where had they come from? and why were they protecting him in the first place? He knew his father only went as far as putting a handful of guards nearby as his personal detail, none of them would have done this with an assassin... That only meant that it was someone who had entered the scene, yet outside of their purview... It was a chilling thought.

 

"My prince?" Urval heard the service wench entering his chambers. "Sorry to disturb you, the king requests your presence."

 

He sighed. "I'll meet him, soon as I'm dressed." He assured, as he stepped away from the balcony, once again letting the mystery of his secret guardian slip disappear with the morning hours.

[Yukio Takamiya]

The town was bustling with activity with vendors specially bringing out their wares onto the streets. It was the day that the traders came and the vendors wanted to sell a good deal of their wares before the day was over. Raphael was no exception, he brought out his best weapons, a variety of swords, crossbows and muskets. Naturally, his weapons sold well with the fine workmanship and quality materials used.

 

Deniz stood outside the shop rearranging the weapons on the wooden table when the sales had stopped for a short while. It was the only time when he could categorize the weapons and at the same time take a short break. Times like this were the most tiring blame Raphael for being the best blacksmith around. Deniz sat down on a wooden crate that had been flipped upside down and wiped at his brow. He could still hear the roar of the furnace and clonking of metal and knew that while he rested, Raphael was still hard at work. Deniz closed his eyes and sighed deeply, Raphael wasn't getting any younger. If he got too old to work, Deniz would have to take over his shop.

 

He turned to the left and looked at the castle which seemed so near yet was an hour's horse ride away. That was how large the castle was, it stood on a hill of greenery surrounded by a large wall and four gates. Deniz thought of the crown prince that was always in the castle, studying away his youth just to take over the crown. He couldn't help but feel uneasy everytime he worked during the day. Even in the day, the prince was subjected to all sorts of danger and it was extremely disadvantageous that Deniz was unable to protect him. Deniz could protect the prince from assailants at night, but he was unable to do so during the day or at close range. Prince Urval could have been poisoned and Deniz would have been unable to do anything. It was important that the prince had someone test his food and a personal bodyguard. But the king did not assign any of those to the prince. Deniz pinched his nose in frustration. The king was a great ruler but he didn't know how to protect his family, especially Urval who was soon to be crowned king.

 

"Hey there! How much are you trading these for?" A flamboyantly dressed merchant stood in front of the table analysing a musket.

 

Deniz snapped back to reality and stood up," five sovereigns, sir", he replied.

 

"Wow! That is a really good deal for such a fine musket. I'll take two of them." The trader handed over ten coins and left.

 

That night, Deniz went to the prince's balcony as usual and sat against the wall, staring up at the sky. Perhaps, just for tonight, he would allow himself to relax and he closed his eyes.

[Kyte]

Though the day was fast-paced, Urval took it very blandly. All too soon in the day, he disassociated himself from nearly everything happening, from the time that his king scolded the guards for letting in yet another assassin, to his tutor quitting for fear of getting caught in the crossfire, and all the way up to when the service wench brought his dinner to his room... and he discovered poison in his wine.

 

Urval wasn't blind to what was happening to him, he'd learned a long time ago that people had been trying to take him out of the picture, so he knew to be prepared. He looked down distastefully at the wine he poured upon his own meal, seeing the dark clumps of an ambiguous powdered poison, now sogging into the staining bread.

 

The service girl crumpled, bringing her hands to her face as she sobbed. She lamented that the second prince had given him order to poison him, and desperate for the pittance he gave her to aid her bedridden mother, she agreed.

 

Urval consoled her with a pat, and came to a decision. He took off his insignia ring, placing it in her palm. He ushered her out, as she urged her to sell it off, and use whatever she received to help her mother when she did. Finally shutting the door, Urval sighed, and immediately started packing.

 

It was time to leave.

 

------

 

Not wanting anyone to catch on to his plan, Urval went to bed that night, feigning sleep, waiting for the right time he would expect the staff to finish their rounds, and the guards to switch shifts.

 

Upon the hour of truth, he threw off his covers, garbed in riding gear and a cloak. He snatched his ready bag from under his bed, and made for the door, completely unaware of the watchman who was asleep upon his balcony.

 

Narrowly avoiding the patrols, Urval made it to the outer wall. With the aid of the very oak tree where the assassin's corpses where usually heaped, he hitched himself up over the edge of the wall, and escaped the castle's perimeter.

[Yukio Takamiya]

The sound of the door in the room opening and closing woke Deniz up. He quickly stood up and pressed his ear against the wall, there was no sound of steady breathing. Had something happened to the prince?! Deniz grabbed the doorknob and turned, it opened. Didn't the prince thought to lock his door, just how careless could he be? He pushed the door open slowly and peeked in...the bed was empty and so was the room. Deniz pushed the door wide fully now and walked quickly into the room. Where was the prince? He thought in alarm and looked around the room frantically. Just to double check, he flipped the sheets and opened the bathing chambers...no one was in the room. Could the prince have gone out for a late night walk, if that was so, Deniz had to hurry and find him in case of an attack.

 

Deniz walked back to the balcony and looked down into the garden which was about the only suitable place for a walk. After a while, he finally spotted Urval. The prince was wearing riding garments and climbing the tree where Deniz usually dumped his corpses. What on earth was he trying to do, injure himself. It was only when the prince disappeared over the other side of the wall then did Deniz realise what was happening. The prince that Deniz had seen once before would never have shed his responsibilities. What made him change his mind?

 

Deniz hopped over the balcony's ledge and landed on the grass quietly. It was extremely dangerous at night especially for the crown prince himself. Deniz cursed and ran after the prince. Perhaps it was time he revealed himself to the crown prince. Deniz scaled the wall much faster than the prince and landed on the ground just in time to see the prince turn round a corner. He ran after the prince silently as they headed towards the stables.

 

The prince was only focused on escaping, Deniz realised. He did not even once turn to look back, focusing only on what was in front of him. How careless. When the prince stopped to peer round the next corner, Deniz was already close enough to be breathing down his neck but was yet to be discovered.

 

"Just where do you think you're going, Your Highness?" He whispered softly by Urval's ear.

[Kyte]

Quietly, Urval snuck, careful not to alert any of the guards. If he could just make it to the stables, he could ready a horse and make it out of the gate in very little time. He peered over the corner, scoping out the straw-laden stables, making sure none of the guards or staff were around, he was nearly home free, until he heard a whisper in his ear, and warm breath on his neck.

 

Urval's blood turned to ice. His body went rigid, and froze in place.

 

Who was that? Urval had thought he had been so careful, how did they sneak up on him? I couldn't of been a guard, they wouldn't have come in so close to his personal space, no one would... unless they had certain motive.

 

Urval swallowed dryly. Trying to think of a way out of this trap he got caught in, there had to be a way. "Ah..." He racked his brain, until an epiphany came to him. "Just thought, I'd visit the kennel." He said, before bringing two fingers to his mouth, and blowing an ear-splitting "PHWEEEEEEEET!".

 

Almost immediately, the barking started, and the sounds of multiple paws stampeding across the ground was heard. He jerked his elbow behind him, hoping to give a solid hit to the mystery assailant, before making a sprint to the stables.

[Yukio Takamiya]

"Oomph!"Deniz grunted when an elbow connected with his right rib and his breath was knocked right out of him. He watched the prince run off to the stables as he tried to gather his bearings. The dogs were coming. How he hated them and their noisy yapping. As soon as he had caught his breath, he went after the prince who was already in the stables. Reaching the entrance of the stables, he was just in time to see the prince come out on the back of a large stallion and he watched the horse gallop away at high speed.

 

Cursing, Deniz ran into the stables alarming every horse in the structure with the presence of an unfamiliar face. With the panicked stampeding of hoofs and approaching barks, Deniz could feel an incoming headache. He looked around the stables, desperately hoping that it was still here and had not been gotten rid of. There was only one horse that would warm up at the sight of him. The last cubicle...Deniz walked towards it and opened the gate.

 

"Hey there Finn, haven't seen you in a long time. You've grown a lot." Deniz said. The black stallion whinnied softly and gave Deniz an affectionate nudge. "There's no time to waste boy, I need your service now." Deniz hurriedly saddled Finn and rode off after Urval just as the first dog appeared with a guard. The guard shouted for him to stop but was ignored. He ran off to call for security but Deniz knew that once the guards arrived, they would be long gone. But, the prince had to return, Deniz would make sure of that.

 

Finn was slowly catching up with Urval's stallion. "Go faster if you can Finn," Deniz said as he urged the stallion to go faster. They were getting closer but Deniz became aware of another approaching horse. Was it the guards, that was fast, but why was there only one? Finally, the third horse came into view heading straight towards Urval but it wasn't a guard. The mysterious rider was , like him wearing all black with the exception of the drawn sword in his hand.

[Kyte]

Urval squinted into the night, as he navigated his way off the castle ground. The moon and the stars were overcast by clouds, making the ground look blurry and hard to distinguish with the speed he was riding. Perhaps sneaking off in the night hadn't been the best laid plan, though he never intended to be caught and chased in the first place.

 

Hearing other sets of hooves behind him, Urval looked over his shoulder, seeing two men in black in hot pursuit of him. "Christ..." He cursed, looking back ahead. He knew the only thing for miles was open fields, and his horse couldn't keep a full gallop for long... He needed a plan.

 

"Come on, Haymaker." He urged his horse, steering it dead-center of the road. First thing's first, he needed to avoid any unexpected obstacles...

[Yukio Takamiya]

"Hurry Finn!" Deniz urged his horse to move faster as the armed assassin closed in on them. He drew his own sword in preparation for combat. Urval had moved to the center of the path leaving his pursuers including Deniz to be side by side right behind him. The assassin was on the left and Deniz was on the right. Shifting his sword to his left hand Deniz attempted to strike the assassin only to miss. The assassin's horse moved up in the line of the prince. Deniz had been completely ignored by the assassin whose focus is on his mission.

 

Finn too moved up, now all three horses were side by side. But the assassin wasted no time. He swung his sword and Deniz barely managed to deflect it from beheading the prince. He found it a little funny at how they must look. Fighting with swords over the Urval's head. He wondered what the prince might be thinking of his actions. Shrugging the unnecessary thoughts away, Deniz focused on the battle at hand. This couldn't go on forever and the prince was being very un-cooperative.

 

"Your Highness, please stop your horse. This is extremely dangerous."

[Kyte]

The prince tried to come up with some plan, but he ran short of ideas, as the first man came upon his left flank. Urval kicked his foot out, trying to keep a leg's distance between the two of them, as the man on the white horse tried to seek purchase. Of course, it became much more difficult, when Finn and Deniz came on his right, to both his and Haymaker's displeasure, as they boxed him in.

 

Urval barely had room to move, as he ducked the first swing on his left. Curiously, he heard the clashing of metal above him. Chancing a look up, he saw sparks flying with each deflection over his head. That was interesting. Whoever these men both were, at least they weren't partners in crime.

 

The prince took little time to think about it, as he took the situation to his advantage. He unsheathed his own saber, smashing the hilt of it into the ribs on the man on his left, while he was open. The man gasped, as his balance shifted, until he was dangling at a dangerous position. Haymaker snorted, lunging at the assassin's horse, snapping at it's snout. The white horse whinnied disdainfully, moving to purchase greater distance from the aggravated stallion. Urval smiled approvingly, looking back at the other man.

 

"For some, more than others!" He flicked his arm, putting up an offence to the man on his right.

[Yukio Takamiya]

The crown prince was seriously pissing him off, Deniz decided. He had successfully gotten rid of the assassin on his left that to which Deniz approved. However, the prince had now turned his weapon on Deniz himself, not a very smart move. Instead of really fighting the prince, Deniz decided that he should focus on disarming him instead. Deniz raised his sword to block the oncoming attack. Right when the two weapons connected, Deniz shifted the direction of his sword so that it was pointing downwards. That led to Urval's weapon sliding down his sword, sparks flew and the two weapons made an unpleasant shriek that sent goosebumps through his skin.

 

With the prince in his panicked state it was nearly impossible to make him drop his weapon. "Your Highness, I am not your enemy. If you would just listen. Seriously, a man of your status should never be as child-like as you. Shedding your responsibilities, have you ever thought of how your people might feel?" Deniz tried to get Urval to listen. This side of the crown prince was extremely foreign to Urval. What's worse is that he couldn't attack him, Deniz was left wih the choice of defending himself against Urval's blows.

 

"If you leave now, your brother would ascend the throne. Their objective would have been achieved with you gone." Deniz continued. He had never spoken so much at once ever since he was seven, it felt a little weird. "Do you think they would leave you alone even after you abandon your position. I can tell you that you're wrong. They would only send more assassins your way just to make sure you never come back. This country would be ruined, is that what you want?" Deniz was agitated, the country meant the world to him. He couldn't let it fall. If the prince was hell bent on abadoning his status, then Deniz would follow Raphael's wish. He would seize his rightful place on the throne from the younger prince by force.

[Kyte]

Urval gritted his teeth, as he kept swinging his blade. At Deniz's assurances, he snorted. "Apologies, if I can't take the word of a stranger." He swiped, just to be blocked again. "My closest servant tried to poison me today, so I'm not in a trusting mood..."

 

The prince grew more agitated, as the man spoke on, his words making him increasingly agitated. "What business is it of yours to question my decisions?" He said, as he swung. "If the people are discontent with my brother," and truthfully, Urval had it on good authority they would be. "they can revolt. Smash the gates, plunder the castle, put his head on a pike, I couldn't care less! and he can send all the assassins he wants to, I don't plan on ever coming back!" He accented his point with a heavy chop.

 

Haymaker now tried to nip at the remaining horse at it's side, attempts to shoo it away, while their riders fought above them.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Their weapons continued to clash and Urval was obviously affected by his words. But not only were they in battle, the prince's stallion had also tried to take a nip at Finn. Finn, offended that his own stable mate would try to shoo him off, fought back.

 

Urval's words had angered Deniz, he grunted as the prince dealt him a particularly heavy blow. But his rage got the better of him and he swung the sword away. Grabbing the reins from Urval's hands, he forced both Finn and Haymaker to stop. After successfully stopping both horses, Deniz pointed his sword at Urval, the tip resting right below his chin. "Is that what you really think?" Deniz asked Urval dangerously as if daring the prince to give him an answer. If looks could kill, Urval would have been six feet undet by now. "Then I suppose I have been wasting my own time these past few years. How about it Your Highness, shall I kill you myself?"

 

Deniz had been pushed to his limited, Urval had no idea how many lives depended on him. The amount of time and effort he placed into protecting him, just to hear such words coming from Urval's own lips. "You disappoint me," Deniz said quietly before dragging Finn to the grass by the s7de of the path to rest and graze.

[Kyte]

Urval looked back with his own defiant glare, a cold-sweat breaking out on the back of his neck, as he held gaze with the mystery man. The past few years? It was coming clear to him now, and suddenly, the mystery man wasn't so much a mystery anymore.

 

"I never asked for your help, stranger." He accentuated that point, clearly. "Don't go blaming someone else for the time you lost littering corpses on our garden, when it was you who made that sole decision."

 

He patted Haymaker, trying to steady the horse. He was cornered now, no use for running... "If you're suddenly looking to kill me, I'd rather you just do it, instead of sitting there talking about it. Either way, I refuse to go back."

[Yukio Takamiya]

Upon hearing Urvals words, Deniz's cool and calm facade fell, the desperation was now evident on his face. He whipped back and walked quickly towards Urval to grab him by the collar with both hands. "YOU HAVE TO BE KING, YOU MUST!!" He was shouting by now to prove his point. "Did you think that I chose to do what I did for the sole reason of protecting you? What are you to me...NOTHING!!!" That's right, the prince meant nothing to him, but he was necessary to uphold the country that meant everything to him, the country was his only memory of his family. He couldn't let the younger prince destroy it.

 

Deniz let go of Urval's collar and stood up. Turning away, he placed a hand on his face to still his features and return it to the emotionless expression from before. "I understand that you won't return, because this country means nothing to you. However, a righteous man always has a sense of responsibility. If that line is still unable to change your mind..." Deniz turned back to look at Urval, a dangerous glint in his eyes. " I will give you a warning..you may take it as a threat if you prefer." Deniz paused to watch Urval's reaction before continuing," I will take the lives of your whole family. Not just the younger prince and the queen whose lives you don't take into regard. But even your father, the lives of your family in exchange for mine."

 

After finishing what he wanted to say, Deniz walked back to Finn, unaware of the small hint he had revealed. The death of his family was somrthing he had never liked to talk about. "If you change your mind, I will escort you back. But if you still persist on leaving, let me know and I will take my leave." Deniz said while patting at Finn's legs to ease the tense muscles. "I await your answer, Your Highness."

[Kyte]

The prince was shocked, when the man suddenly burst into anger, and grabbing him. For a brief flicker, Urval actually did fear for his life, as the man shook him by the collar. He wasn't sure he felt so frightened... until the man let go of his collar. "Nothing..." He echoed the other man's words.

 

Urval laughed hollowly, arms crossing over his stomach, as he looked to the ground. "You talk as if I should care what happens to them." He said, his smile undercutting his bitter voice. "A brother who wants to kill me, a step-mother who's all to willing to go to great lengths to see her blood-son ascend, and an old fool who barely looks in my direction anymore."

 

He glared at the man, his despair and anger fully evident. "You talk to me about righteousness? and about responsibility?" He scoffed. "What do I owe a family that treats me like I'm an expendable nothing? What do I care for a position where I'll always have a knife to my back, and never know a night's peace? Why should I stay in a place where I've never truly known the warmth of simple affection?" Urvals voice rose up higher, as his emotions had gotten the better of him, tears welling over, as years baggage all came down at once. "I never asked for anything to be this way! Not to be born as and heir, a disappointment, a killer... I DIDN'T ASK TO BE BORN!" He screamed, his voice echoing over the nighttime plains.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Didn't ask to be born? That was a good arguement, but no one asks to be born, it just happens. Deniz snorted as he caressed Finn's jaw,"once a prince, always a prince. Even if you do find a new life, your actions, behaviour and attitude will blow your cover immediately. All this was carved into you the moment you started walking, its just a pity that it is also in your blood." Deniz spared Urval a quick glance and continued,"tell me Your Highness, do you think the world turns for you and you alone?" He paused awaiting Urval's answer.

 

"Even if you do abandon the throne, the world still runs, time doesn't stop. The country still moves on, its just a matter of which direction it ends up going in. As a prince, I realised that you are incredibly spoilt, you care about nothing else but yourself, that is why you can so easily watch your home country fall into ruins. You have not tasted real tragedy my prince, simple lack of affection and stress does not count as tragedy." Deniz said all these calmly, not once looking at Urval. "There is only one word that can be used to describe you. 'Weak', that is what you are. You have suffered as a prince, workload and danger of being assassinated. But what is death in the name of a prince, a quick shot of an arrow or a slice of a sword. You barely feel it before you fall into eternal sleep." Deniz walked towards Urval and bent down to look him in the eye. He then continued in a quiet voice," do you know how the slaves die Your Highness? They are beaten and tortured everyday as they work. The amount of blood they lose before they finally give up on life. You haven't experienced all that and so have I not, but I have seen them and heard their cries. You have spent your whole life holed up in the castle, perhaps it is time you see for yourself."

 

Deniz stood up and held out a hand to Urval,"I won't force you to go back now. Instead, take your time to explore the country that your father has built. I shall be your escort."

[Kyte]

Hearing Deniz's words made Urval absolutely livid. 'Spoiled'!? Did he even dare use that term to describe him? He could barely bite his lip, as the man kept on with his own tirade. Of course, Urval felt for the people of the land, he never once felt that anyone, regardless of class should ever have to suffer... But was the years of pain and torment he endured mean any less? Did his own life mean so little to anyone?

 

He glared at Deniz, long and hard, as he considered the man's offer for a brief moment... and spat in his face.

 

Urval turned away, grabbing Haymaker's reins, moving to flee the scene. "If I should see it for myself, I'll do it without you." He growled venomously. Urval swung his leg over the saddle, and urged it to a slow start, beginning putting distance between him and the man. They got a few feet away, before they paused, and the prince looked back.

 

"Why bother protecting me at all, if I was worth nothing to you?" He asked over his shoulder, before spurring the horse forwards, obviously intending it to be a rhetorical question.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Urval had actually spat in his face, how unrefined not at all befitting of a prince. Deniz wiped at his face and stared at the prince's retreating figure. Getting onto Finn, he called out to Urval," Your Highness, everyone is born for a reason and I believe that you are no different. You just have to find your own purpose. Never ever say something like not asking to be born again. Instead, be thankful that you were brought into this world regardless of whether you suffer or not."

 

He urged Finn to trot after Urval,"be thankful, not for the sufferings that you endured but rather that you got to know what is suffering. You are able to have feelings and a conscience because you are alive. Without being alive, we cannot think, that is why no one is able to imagine what death is like. I hope that you will learn how to make better choices." Deniz paused, wondering if he should answer Urval's question.

 

"My words earlier were out of anger, for that I apologise Your Highness. You are worth more than you think. I have my own reasons for protecting you, I would rather not talk about them if I could help it." Deniz's collected expression fell for a moment as he recalled the faces of his family. The pain was evident in his eyes but they quickly disappeared again. "Have a safe journey Your Highness, I shan't bother you again." Deniz turned Finn away and headed homeward.

[Kyte]

As Deniz followed him, Urval continued on, giving no indication he was listening. He felt his hands shaking under his gloves, as Haymaker loped on. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so incredibly offended by someone. He could hardly remember a time he allowed himself to feel anything. Talking to this man, this mysterious protector, for merely a few moments... everything came like a dam had burst.

 

"A man who'd spent years of his life to secretly protect me, and yet he knows exactly nothing of my person." The prince snorted. "Such an incredible farce..." He decided he didn't like this man. Urval absolutely loathed this Deniz.

 

Still, despite the man's earlier speech falling on deaf ears, he did hear the man's apology; simple words that were enough to surprise Urval the barest amount, and perhaps, made him soften the tiniest bit. Urval still glared at the man's back, as he rode off into the night. He was still greatly upset with Deniz, all things concerned... Still, he watched that man, until his entire shape faded into the dark horizon, and he let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.

 

"Let's be off, Haymaker." He urged the horse forwards. "We've yet a long journey ahead of us..."

[Yukio Takamiya]

Deniz arrived back at the town late that morning. He dragged Finn by the reins and let him back to the shop.

 

"Hey Deniz! A fine horse you got there. Where did you get it?" One of the street vendors asked smilingly, not expecting a reply from Deniz, no one ever did. Deniz ignored him as usual and headed in the direction of the shop.

 

"You're late," Raphael said without looking up when Deniz's shadow fell over him. He was arranging the weapons,"go change your clothes and-CHRIST, IS THAT FINN? You stole him?" Raphael's widened to the size of saucers when he saw the horse. "Oh Finn," Raphael cried and gave the stallion a big hug followed by a tug on his mane. "How I've missed pulling your hair!" Finn stomped his hooves in irritation and nipped him. When Finn was just a young calf, Raphael had often tugged his mane. When he turned, Raphael would pretend to do something else. In time, he learnt that Raphael was the one pulling his hair and would nip at the man. Once, a playful six year old Deniz had tugged his mane but Raphael was punished instead.

 

"Raphael," Deniz called. "Close the shop for today. I have something to discuss with you." Raphael tied the reins to a pillar and headed into the shop with Deniz.

 

"The crown prince has ran away,"Deniz told Raphael of the happenings the previous night."

 

"That's surprising, what are you going to do now? The prince has made it clear that he won't return." Raphael asked secretly hoping that Deniz would finally do what he wants.

 

"I'll usurp the throne. Its the only choice now. Is the rebell army ready?" Deniz sighed as he replied to Raphael's question. He had hoped that the day would never come when he should rebel. But the army was always ready for him.

 

"I've spent the past few years creating weapons just for this occasion, how could they not be ready. You just need to give your command, Your Highness."

 

"Don't call me that,"Deniz said and went to the back room.

 

Late that night, Deniz got out of bed and went towards a chest of drawers. Unlocking one of them, he took out a velvet box. The box contained a thumb ring that identified him as a prince and the heir of the Eligerand clan. It was the only thing he managed to take among the chaos. He would need it soon. Placing the box back, he locked the drawer and placed the key under the floorboard. He went back to bed after that. It was the first time in years that he was sleeping at night, it would need some getting used to.

[Kyte]

Luck was more or less with Urval that night. By the time that he and Haymaker had run out of steam, they came across what looked to be some kind of abandoned farm. Urval tried to ignore the notices of evictions, as he made his way towards the small barn that sat across from the house, Deniz's rants somewhat echoing in his head.

 

'He didn't care. It wasn't his concern any more...'

 

He pried open the lock that held the chains on the door, and eased inside. Looking around, he could see that the farm must have recently vacated. Though it might have been stale, there was still much hay for Haymaker to indulge in, while he could rest.

 

That morning, the former prince slept in a hayloft, bundled with merely a cloak to blanket him. It wasn't the luxury of a soft mattress, or a downy pillow, but he was determined that he would get used to such things. What mattered now was that he finally had the freedom he had long sought after.

 

Later into the Evening, Urval woke to the sound of rumbling, and the pitter-patter of water falling on top of the roof. He stretched, yawning, as he came down the hayloft, and looked out the door. It was raining buckets outside, and everything looked completely miserable. He sighed, as he held his hands out to catch the water in his palms, splashing his face to wipe of the grime of the previous night.

 

Urval supposed he'd take the chance for a respite. Determined or not, he wouldn't believe any person would be foolhardy enough to come after him in a storm this horrid...

[Yukio Takamiya]

"Are you ready Deniz?" Raphael called out. Deniz walked out of the door, a blank look on his face and walked towards Raphael who was wait ting with two horses. One of them was Finn, the other was a grey horse that Raphael had recently got for the long journey they were about to make. Saddling the horses Raphael and Deniz left the town.

 

----------------------------------------

 

"Its right there," Raphael pointed. Deniz nodded as they continued forward towards the village. This village wasn't any ordinary village, it was a village of soldiers disguised as common folk. Soldiers that had fought and failed to protect the country and their king, those that watched him die and cursed at the current king. However, new recruits were always welcomed. Young men who felt bitterness against the country were scouted and recruited, late night trainings were commenced in secret. The larger the village grew in population, the better. However, their numbers would never be comparable against the army, soldiers were trained so hard that they vomitted. The soldiers were made sure to be significantly stronger than the soldiers of the military. All this was for their prince, Deniz Bedfordshire, who would soon return his name to Eligerand.

 

"Your Highness," the 'chief' of the village greeted. He was more commonly known in the past as Captain Siras. Deniz nodded in acknowledgement and was led deeper into the village. They entered the largest house where meetings were conducted. It was a one room structure lightly furnished with a long table and eleven chairs, five on each side and one at the head which no one ever sat on. It was reserved for Deniz. Deniz walked towards his seat which was the only one left, everyone had already been seated and was waiting for him. Greetings of 'Your Highness' echoed throughout the room but Deniz waved them all away. He was reluctant to do this, but it had to be done. The prince was gone and all that was left to succeed the throne was his brother. Deniz couldn't allow that to happen.

 

"Has a date been selected?" He asked.

 

"No, Your Highness, we were planning to discuss that after strategising," Siras replied. Looks of uncertainty was exchanged between the men.

 

"I shall pick a day then," Deniz said. "We shall attack on the day of the prince's coronation."

 

"Your Highness, I don't know if this is of any use to you but we received word that the crown prince ran away three nights ago." Siras reported.

 

"I am aware of that. All the more we should attack soon, his brother would destroy the country before we can even blink." Deniz replied.

 

"That is not all, Your Highness." Siras continued. Not all? Was there more? "Just a while before you arrived, news of the king's death reached us. They say that Urval killed him, that's why he fled. The penalty for regicide is death even if he is a prince. Currently, there is a large bounty on his head, bounty hunters are being deployed everywhere to capture him......Your Highness? Your Highness!" Deniz was no longer listening, he had grabbed his cloak and left the room.

 

"Deniz!" Raphael called out running after him. "Are you going to find him? What about the rebellion?" He asked as Deniz saddled Finn.

 

"The rebellion would most probably be cancelled." Deniz replied. "Because this time, I'm going to make sure he comes in back. But just in case, I leave the rebellion to you. If I don't return by the coronation date, attack. I will return soon. Farewell." He said and rode off. He had to find Urval without fail, this time he would make sure he bring the crown prince back even if he had to follow the guy around like a slut that he would never be. He rode throughout the night on Finn towards West where the prince had headed the last time they parted. He had to make the prince prove his innocence, find him before the hunters do. Even if the prince refused, which he most probably would.

[Kyte]

Urval made great headway in the hours he rode for, and with a surprising amount of ease. He mostly kept his hood drawn, and stuck close to the shadows, as he continued his path to the west. When he knew he was reaching close to the coast, he managed to stop at a nearby ranch, and handle some last-minute business.

 

"You sure he'll be alright here?" He asked the older rancher warily, patting Haymaker's flank. Though it nearly killed him to abandon his trusted steed, he knew he couldn't hold onto him, once he made it to the port city.

 

"Aye, a fine beast like him? We'll keep him for stud." The man smiled, as he acquainted himself with the wary horse. "He'll worry not but the fresh green pastures and the line of fillies to keep him occupied."

 

Urval nodded, that'd be for the best. He didn't think Haymaker would so much as let anyone aside from the prince straddle him, let alone be their steed. He brushed his beloved companion's jaw, saying his goodbyes. "You be good now. Don't be giving this kind man a hard time."

 

With that, Urval took the meager payment the rancher offered, the directions to the port city, and began hiking the last few miles towards the horizon.

 

-----

 

It was late night, when Urval finally arrived. His feet ached like he couldn't remember when, and his stomach ran on empty. Keeping his hood drawn, he made way to the docks, inspecting the ships that had been anchored. From his findings, Urval gathered that pretty much none of the ships were scheduled to leave until after first light.

 

Despite his urgency to shove off of shore, Urval's rumbling stomach forced him to recognize this as an opportunity for rest. He'd find an inn, get a hot meal, sleep on a cozy mattress, and he could finally attain his freedom in the morning.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Deniz rode on without rest, looking for Urval was proving to be very hard. Just where was he? He asked around, not looking for the prince but rather for anyone that has the same description. No one saw him. Deniz was starting to wonder if the prince had left the country. After two days of looking non-stop, Deniz finally let Finn rest. As the horse grazed and slept, Deniz pondered on where the prince could have gone. He had found a barn where the prince could have rested seeing some of Haymaker's hair on the hay. Finn's endless sniffing and snorts of irritation at the hair confirmed his suspicions.

 

They set off again after sufficient rest, Deniz wished desperately that they were moving the right way. It wouldn't help if they were moving further from the prince's location. Suddenly, Finn seemed to have been disturbed by something. He shot off course despite Deniz's tries to bring him back in control. He finally gave up when he realised that Finn was taking him somewhere. The horse was running towards a ranch as far as Deniz could see. Finn stopped at the enteance of the gate and the old rancher looked up in surprise.

 

"What may I do for you?" The rancher asked walking towards them. Deniz sighed in exasperation, Finn probably wanted something to eat.

 

"I apologise, my horse ran off course and came h-", Deniz stopped speaking when he spotted Haymaker eating oats out of a pail. "Where did you get that horse?" He asked.

 

"Oh him? That horse was sold to me by a rather young man. Its just too bad, I forgot to ask the name of this fine horse. Now, he doesn't respond whenever I call to him." The rancher shook his head as he spoke.

 

"His name is Haymaker," Deniz said and the rancher looked at him weirdly. "May I know which way his owner went?"

 

"Ah...the young man asked for directions to the port city most probably hoping to catch a ship off the land. Speaking of which, the shpis are probably coming in a few hours. If you want to catch him you better hurry. And thanks for telling this old boy's name." The rancher bade Deniz farewell and continued with his work. After thanking the rancher, Deniz sped off on Finn. Unlike Urval who had walked the miles, riding on Finn was a lot faster. He reached the city as soon as the first ships came in