s t a r s t r u c k

✧˚ · . ─── " Yes , that has become the focus of my worries recently , " he was multifaceted in terms of masks and half truths, it was not often he spoke so candidly but the prince was reckless where Esai often practiced prudence. Indeed, Alistair would be an easy target no matter the prince's strengths and craftiness. " Well ── " Esai offered a roll of his eyes, conceding only slightly, " None else in the court is as brazen as you , it would be an unfortunate loss . "

"I thought so. Sometimes you can be so transparent," if bothering Esai or forcing the other to remain in his presence wasn't part of Alistair's week, he felt like it wasn't worth it. Still, the prince had many menial tasks to do, which included spying on the vampires, attempting to read their minds, and hopefully not get caught. That was the best he could do at the moment, and even the thought of it made him want to lounge on his favorite fainting couch and ignore the responsibility. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Careful, don't get weepy on me."

the  eryndor  spymaster  was  always  accustomed  to  uncertainty,  it  was  such  a  normal  part  of  existence  she  no  longer  mulled  over  it.  that  very  unexpectedness  had  also  resulted  in  what  signa  would  say  was  the  best  thing  to  enter  her  life  -  her  elder  brother.  in  the  world  of  chaos,  only  her  brother  remains  her  one  constance,  and  the  only  individual  who  truly  knew  and  understood  signa.  each  time  she  thinks  back  to  how  dismayed  she  was  when  their  father  arrived  home  with  the  now  high  lord  of  galathryn,  she  almost  laughs  at  herself  because  lark  had  surprised  her  in  every  conceivable  way.  that  they  were  two  broken  children  who  had  learn  to  trust  one  another.  "somehow  you  believe  you  can  attain  their  leader's  name  over  your  mind-reading  sister?"  she  taunts,  but  its  only  with  lark  that  her  taunts  are  laced  with  genuine  affection.  "humor  me,  what  would  you  say  to  this  elusive  leader?"  she  laughs  a  bit,  "the  day  i  make  friends  would  be  the  day  the  pigs  would  fly.  have  you  any  luck  with  the  strange  visitors?"

His grin was easy, though it slipped from his features into a more neutral, resting bitch face sort of expression when a vampire glanced leisurely around the garden and past where the two of them sat. Larkin shook his head, though they both knew he'd rely on her for that information, he liked to give her a hard time about it. "He'll know my name and that's all that matters." He gave her a gentle nudge, "Oh, you know. That he's ruined my grand plans for the year, that now we'll have to engage in peace talks, that now I have to do my job." He trailed off as he sighed, "No, I haven't bothered yet. Think my sparkling personality will win them over?" He was calloused and unapproachable at times, but one could do anything with a hidden agenda.

very  little  rattled  the  younger  lord  vorros,  particularly  considering  the  fact  that  their  continent  and  his  court  of  eryndor  had  seen  nothing  but  peace.  that  peace  may  be  fragile  at  best,  but  it  was  certainly  silent  when  it  was  the  games  that  held  the  most  excitement  before  this  reign  of  chaos  begin  shortly  in  aurelion.  it  was  close  to  evening  when  the  news  came  from  his  father  of  who  these  strange  new  visitors  were.  vampires.  of  all  the  theories  he  might  have  conjured  for  whatever  was  behind  the  dead  bodies,  this  was  the  last  thing.  zander  had  believed  them  to  be  absolute  myths,  so  much  so  that  even  in  tale  forms  they  were  mostly  forgotten.  his  forrest  green  eyes  study  the  newcomers  from  they  stood  speaking  to  the  inner  circle  members  of  their  neighbor  courts.  standing  beside  an  aurelion  royal,  he  shifts  to  speak,  low  enough  only  for  prince  alistair  to  hear.  "either  we've  entered  a  different  realm  entirely,  or  someone has  managed  to  create  the  longest  form  of  a  prank."  the  young  lord  knew  the  latter  wasn't  possible,  now  after  seeing  how  serious  his  father  been,  the  grim  look  on  his  features  when  he  urged  his  children  to  be  careful  and  no  longer  allowed  to  wander  without  soldiers  of  their  own  guarding  the  vorros  children.

Alistair wasn't one to believe in tales – not like he had when he was younger, sitting with one of his sister's and listening to them read him a story from one of the many books within their library. As he grew older, it was perhaps the cynicism, or the free will that he liked to grab ahold of and run wild with. Still, Lord Zander stood beside him, the new group of visitors chatting away with the court, "Do you think? It'd be a good one – until another someone ends up dead." He picked up a glass of wine, though he set it back down when he saw a vampire holding a glass with similar liquid. "It's like everything is ruined. If the rebels have been killing our competitors, do you think the games will even continue?"

vampires.  now  there  was  a  word  that  hadn't  been  uttered  in  a  millennia  perhaps.  records  were  always  wiped,  every  generation  of  rules  liked  to  re-write  their  history  to  suit  their  needs,  but  it  struck  her  as  troublesome  that  not  a  single  court  of  aethara  held  any  knowledge  of  an  entirely  different  species.  which  one  of  their  ancestors  had  wiped  it?  had  it  been  the  fae  or  the  vampires  themselves  who  wished  to  erase  their  existence  and  their  knowledge?  maybe  they  shouldn't  be  surprised,  who  were  they  to  arrogantly  assume  that  only  fae  and  humans  existed?  so  many  questions,  and  astra  suspected  they  would  remain  with  little  answers  as  possible  because  their  visitors  did  not  seem  like  to  sort  to  share  any  more  than  was  necessary  to  work  against  the  rebel  faction  of  vampires.  "they  might  aid  us  with  defeating  the  rebel  faction,  but  something  tells  me  the  vampires  are  not  be  trusted.  "  in  truth,  astra  might  have  given  them  more  benefit  if  their  queen  had  come  along  with  her  children.

"Are attractive people ever trustworthy?" Alistair gave a sideways glance at his sister from where they stood, the prince once again glancing out towards the posse of vampires that had taken over the garden, wandering through it. He had been begrudgingly practicing his shields, and his mind-reading that he wished would come in handy for those who were perhaps less than prepared for it. If it would even work. His fun was ruined, the games seemingly less and less important, as these creatures somehow sprang up from the pages of their favorite novels. "We're basically harboring the world. What's next? Shapeshifters?"

draeven  wasn't  prepared  for  the  letter  at  his  door  to  be  warning  him  not  only  of  being  a  continued  target,  but  also  additions  to  the  gated  city  they  were  still  being  asked  to  remain  inside.  not  normally  one  to  enjoy  confinement,  the  competitor  was  attempting  to  keep  himself  busy,  and  not  paranoid.  it  didn't  help  that  each  corner  he  turned  he  expected  to  see  a  creature  of  the  night  either  after  his  blood,  or  after  those  seeking  his  blood.  fear  was  a  weird  emotion  he  wasn't  sure  he  was  feeling,  but  perhaps  a  whisper  of  it  had  settled  in  the  lord's  chest.  all  the  same,  each  day  at  first  light  the  warrior  made  his  way  to  the  training  grounds  to  work  alongside  others  who  were  hopeful  to  keep  their  skills  honed,  and  perhaps  work  to  tune  up  if  they  had  been  slacking  as  of  late.  as  drae  approaches  the  grounds  he  slows  to  a  stop,  eyeballing  where  he  wishes  to  go,  who  he  wishes  to  spar  with  first,  or  if  he  wishes  to  just  observe  for  a  short  bit.  when  someone  comes  to  his  side  the  warrior  doesn't  move  at  first,  slightly  somber  given  recent  events  as  well  as  the  hour  of  the  day.  "  is  it  just  me,  or  do  these  fields  seem  more  packed  each  morning  ?  "  he  didn't  think  it  was  a  bad  thing.

If anyone asked Alistair on who he thought would win, before the vampires decided to impose themselves upon them all, he would've said whichever man looked the best in armor. While the prince's tastes changed daily, today, Draeven had all his support. In many ways. "Listen, I have a whole lot of money on you, don't let me down," he jested, bumping his shoulder against his friend's. His words aren't ignored, however, as Alistair sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, "I mean – we're not giving off any sort of message by being overprepared, are we?" Fear was a huge motivation for some, but were the games ever going to pass with the war that had decided to make itself known on their doorstep?

it  was  rare  to  find  helion  stationary  these  days,  especially  given  the  recent  news  he  and  his  wife  were  amongst  the  first  to  learn.  the  consort  processed  by  taking  rather  long  walks,  practicing  his  shields  and  attempting  to  block  out  the  many  screaming  emotions  in  the  castle.  the  city  of  aureth  was  a  boiling  pot  at  present  and  there  was  little  the  fireborn  could  do  to  stop  his  city  from  going  up  in  flames.  stress  very  rarely  reached  the  king  these  days,  this  was  a  reminder  of  his  laziness  that  was  not  being  received  in  the  best  way.  it  made  for  poor  company,  but  he  was  truly  attempting  to  do  his  best.  when  the  frostborn  does  find  a  space  to  settle  in,  it's  merely  to  write  a  letter  to  his  house.  it's  not  long  before  it  seems  someone  chooses  to  join  him  in  his  study,  and  given  its  place  in  their  personal  quarters,  very  few  would  venture  this  far  without  being  stopped.  helion  still  isn't  quite  sure  what  he's  to  say  to  his  children,  but  there  is  no  avoiding  them  either.  "  i've  got  to  write  my  sister  before  she  appears  at  the  front  door  demanding  answers  i  do  not  possess.  would  you  like  to  keep  me  company  ?  "

Alistair always made his way into places without thinking twice about it. Perhaps no one could stop the prince when he was on his own whirlwind of an idea, but his father had been the one to ease Alistair's own worry last time. Helion was where Alistair was told he would be, though writing a letter to his fitful aunt wasn't what he'd expected. Still, it made for his own amusement. "Perhaps we take a chance at gaslighting her this time around? If she shows up, wouldn't that be far more amusing?"

✧˚ · . ─── Esai stilled for a moment, a small piece of himself near pleased to have been granted any genuine reaction from the prince. Most fae danced around the truth, wove it to their own image, but Alistair frustrated him most incredibly compared to anyone else when it came to the carapace tightly woven around his true self. In spite of this reveal, Esai bit back a mild laugh, " I often send my thanks to the stars above that you're not often delegated as a problem solver . I was simply checking you had not abandoned all your feelings, your majesty , " he'd rather dreaded titles and drawled out the moniker rather obviously as a result. Esai mildly acquiesced to whatever scant bit of truth he could offer in turn, " Though I'm most relieved you're still here to badger . "

Once Alistair saw that Esai was happy with his answer, the prince lost whatever train of thought he had that got too close to facing reality. Easing the other down seemed to be a fun way to get them to bond. Weren't they always bonding? "Don't you agree they'll come for me next? I've heard I'm pretty irresistible." Maybe it was ill to joke of the dead, or perhaps the unknown danger that lied before them, but Alistair wouldn't be himself if he wasn't entirely sure that he'd be just fine. "So you're saying you'd miss me?"

PAUL MESCAL Rolling Stone (October 2025)

✧˚ · . ─── " Do I appear upset to you ? " There is a quizzical show as his brow is raised but Esai does not let the rest of his countenance paint any readable picture for the prince. He would venture to call the other fickle but knew Alistair would take it as a reprehensible offense to be called out. " Sunshine would be most helpful this time around , if not somewhat inappropriate , " there was a mild twitch of a smile as Esai noted this for any positive attributions to what has unfolded seemed an impossible feat to accomplish. The expression vanished just as quickly, the smallest hesitation as Alistair prattled on, expectedly, selfishly. " You'd venture to call your day great because you still stand to live it, no ? " Esai eyed him carefully, he could claim the other to be most shallow, but he'd never claim him to be heartless to an extent of mocking others at their demise. Esai willfully ignored the volley of such question for he knew Alistair could come to his own conclusions.

"Yes, I know. By the stars, Esai, what do you want me to say? That there's something killing fae? What if it's not a fae? What if it's something else that wants us dead? Really great conversation topic." Alistair put his hands on the stone rail of the balcony, looking out down towards the gardens. "It's not like I can do much about it."

the  starborn  princess  was  well  aware  that  often  times  she  made  it  far  too  easy  for  her  little  brother  to  follow  and  spy  on  her.  she  had  meant  her  secrecy  to  elicit  that  sort  of  curiosity,  but  then  again,  when  something  was  forbidden  to  another,  it  only  made  them  all  the  more  determined.  her  little  brother  was  of  that  variety  of  creature,  always  poking  and  prying  into  something  when  being  denied.  it  amused  her  because  the  irony  of  this  situation  was  that,  astra  was  so  accustomed  to  being  pestered  by  him,  she  had  developed  an  immunity  of  sorts.  his  cheeky  response  causes  a  brow  to  arch  higher,  "i'm  sure  we  could  if  we  didn't  have  such  a  heathen  little  brother.  i  don't  know  what  the  goddess  was  thinking  when  she  blessed  you  with  mind  reading  abilities."  there  was  a  mock  exasperated  sigh  that  was  heard  from  her  as  his  arm  came  around  her  shoulders.  in  truth,  it  was  sights  of  her  siblings  never  losing  their  spark  that  eased  her  troubled  mind.  despite  the  events,  alistair  never  quite  lost  the  sparkle  in  his  gaze  nor  his  warm,  cheeky  temperament  that  the  princess  had  come  to  rely  on.  "so  on  top  of  being  a  little  devil,  the  others  work  to  feed  your  ego?  I  might  have  to  do  something  about  that.  honored  to  be  mentioned."  this  time  she  did  laugh,  it  had  been  awhile,  since  that  night  since  astra  laughed.  "to  put  your  skills  to  work.  some  of  the  nobles  that  went  missing  were  also  friends  of  our  parents,  it's  best  we  speak  to  their  relatives  and  see  what  we  can  find."

"I think the Goddess got it all right. Everything about me. You can't even deny it." Alistair could only smile at his older sister as she sighed, seeing through the false exasperation. If anything, maybe he could lessen the load placed on all their soldiers, if only for a moment, before things became more tense. Still, there was a sudden panicked look in Alistair's gaze, "Wait, woah – hold on. Me? Work?" There was sudden regret in his tone, like he would have to try and slip away out of her sight. "That's not fair," he didn't whine, but it was sure close to it. "Why would they want to speak with us?"

✧˚ · . ─── Normally his duties extended far outside of Aurelion's court, mitigating the affects of house Aurelis' pride and heavy hand when it came to the rest of the courts. To be situated within now, land locked upon the capitol, it felt a sense of clipped wings even if it was temporary. As stubborn and broody enough as any terraborn, Esai had stared down into the city of Aureth below; it wasn't often he found himself directly within the palace unless it was to discuss matters with the queen, but there had been rare enough occasions where Esai found himself situated upon this balcony off the great hall. It had proved a great place to cycle through his thoughts, but he'd learned in recent years it was also a great place for a certain prince to intrude. " Prince Alistair , " Esai was always so formal which he knew the other regarded with a sense of dread , " I'd think it favorable for you to let all your snark and sarcasm out now so we can focus on what's most important . " He was certain the prince had never been serious with him in his life which often frustrated Esai incredibly.

"I can focus on the most important. Besides myself, I guess. What do you want to talk about?" He paused, like he was thinking about it more and more. "How was your day? Mine was great, thanks."

helion  simply  swirls  the  wine  for  a  moment,  looking  at  the  liquid  as  it  spins  around  in  the  glass.  their  wines  were  superior  and  nothing  would  likely  change  the  consort's  mind  in  such  opinion.  "  knowing  you  are  safe  does  plenty  for  my  stress.  "  admits  he.  helion  was  developing  the  habit  of  not  lying  to  his  children  to  preserve  their  innocence  –  they  were  long  past  that  –  but  he  also  didn't  wish  to  tell  them  everything.  even  those  who  could  attempt  to  read  his  mind,  though  he  refused  to  drop  his  own  shields.  "  ah,  your  mother  has  that  handled.  "  he  teases  back.  helion  often  played  the  role  of  the  lazy,  hedonistic  king.  his  family  knew  better,  but  the  jokes  were  still  fun  to  make.  "  i  will  always  worry  for  all  my  children.  "  begins  he,  "  though  i  have  no  theory,  this  has  grown  to  the  point  that  it  has  to  be  more  than  foul  play.  "

He gave a small smile to match his father's teasing, but while they all had a role to play, there was always more. Hidden, lurking beneath the surface, was a strong personality each Aurelis seemed to wield when it suited them. "More than foul play?" Alistair echoed the words, like he was trying them out for the first time. He didn't like to think in absolutes, or in the way that the world could harm them. But he did know one thing – he was as equally headstrong as the man in front of him, and he leaned forward, "If you knew something was happening, you'd let me help, right?"