once upon a time . . .

　　training with the high priest was a completely different experience altogether, one tovyr had handled with as much discipline and determination as he could muster up. it took some time, but he got the handle of it. he took off his helmet, grinning from ear to ear as he approached the priest. sandy hair drenched in sweat, cheeks flushed red. "thank you, sir....i have learned a lot from you." his head bowed, he did not want to downplay how much lucien had contributed in building up tovyr's abilities. "it hasn't been easy, but i do want to bring honor to my title."

Nathaniel had always been curious about a lot of things, it was something his parents had always commented on when he was younger. He always asked questions, wanted to know everything that he could about the wonders of the world and all the people who were in it. He knew that he would never wear the crown of the king, but he knew that he wanted to help out his brother as much as he could when he took it over. This meant that he made sure to get to know everyone that he could because you never knew when your kingdom would need help from someone else. His father had always said that Nathaniel never met a stranger and that was true. At every party, Nathaniel mingled and talked to everyone, and that also helped him get the latest gossip as well. It was truly a win-win for everyone.

Today though he heard about a boat that was in the docks from some of his guards, he overheard them talking. Before he knew it, he had made his way down to the shore to see who the guest to the kingdom was and was greeted by a man, a man who was very naked. A smirk played out on the young prince's face as he stepped closer to the man and the water. The sunlight hit his skin and hit his skin, making the colors of blue, pink, and purple dance their from the soft scales that could be seen just on his skin. Just to give the hint that he was not human at all. “I think every day is lovely for a swim, just ask my guards who have to come out here daily with me even in the rain,” said Nathaniel with a chuckle as he turned his head towards his guards who were standing away but still close by, before turning his attention back to the hot, naked man in front of him,“ My name is Nathaniel, Nathaniel Ulmaris.”

With his introduction out of the way, he pulled off his shoes and the last thing he was wearing, britches with no undergarments underneath as he tossed them onto the shore and then looked up at the man. “May I join you for a swim?”

　　a merman. the shimmer across the young man's skin immediately captivated the pirate, for any respected pirate could tell what it representad. a child of the sea stood before him, with a gorgeous body and boyish features.

　　"i can tell, my darling. one cannot not reject the call back home." with hands on his hips, galileo moved across the waves, just to get a better look at the beauty before him. said beauty had a name, one which immediately perked up the former prince's ears. "but the seas are not your home, are they? ulmaris...you must live in a shining marble castle, with maids and guards to serve and protect you."

　　his eyes shifted to see the men who escorted the young royal, eyebrows inviting them to join in if they so wanted. they wouldn't, most likely, not if they were as disciplined and uptight as those back in vissai. not that galileo needed a crowd, fun as the prospect was - in that moment, nathaniel deserved all of his attention. "for today though, you're in my domain, little prince."

as a small group of people from varlinnis had been invited to the kingdom and the high priest did not have the opportunity to get out of the festivities. he was actually there to speak to their high priest. yet, he ended up being dragged with some knights and members of the round table for what felt like the whole trip.

the honor was a good one. chasque offering them a feast like this was appreciated, it was just that he felt like he had no time to be on socially. then, as he made his way around, he realized how different some of them were from each other. he would never have expected even their own lord commander to feast like he had never seen a proper meal before. after politely finishing a small portion of his dish, devansh had grabbed something to drink and would call it a night.

at first, he didn't even realize that he had been staring. other customs and kingdoms fascinated him, but this one probably the most when it came to the people. they were so different. umoria lured him in by the magic, but chasque lured him in by the men.

when he noticed he was being offered a tart, he politely shook his head. "no thank you. i fear if i eat any more i won't be able to study the curse with lucien." he leaned forward, running a thumb over tovyr's chin to collect the rest of the jam. "please, continue to indulge yourself though. do not mind me." he took his thumb into his own mouth, making a content noise at the taste of the jam. that would be all he allowed himself to have though.

　　if only it had been the blood of a proper aristocrat, then he wouldn't be embarrassing himself before foreign dignitaries.

　　with a coy nod as the only response, the tart was placed back in its plate. tovyr would have cleaned himself right after, but the high priest was a step ahead. a careful thumb reached up to where the last remnant of jam was gelled. at least he could tell the other was not put off by his behaviour, with the way he smiled as he took the digit to his lips. tovyr allowed himself a smile as well, fingers brushing against the fabric of his tunic just enough to rid himself of the last few crumbs stuck to them. no jam though.

now that he was getting older, fabianus was expected to travel with the hand, lord command, grand maester, high priest, and all of the masters of the small council. one day, he would be the one to take over for one of them. most likely it would be the lord commander, he knew where his strengths were, but he didn't fight going out with the rest. mainly because all of this was power. he wanted the crown. he wanted to take it from alaric and soon to be darius. so he wanted to make sure that the rest of the people in vissai had a good impression of him, including his uncle.

hearing that they were going to have some free time, the second-born prince turned sour inside. he didn't like that. spare days were a waste of time in his mind. they were supposed to be out on business, everything should have had a purpose. and yet...

mainly, he also knew that the water wasn't for him. how his uncle got used to it, he would never know, but he was a man of the sky and ground. fabianus preferred to be riding pyraxis somewhere or charging ahead on his own two feet. so he had resorted to joining the other men, but did not fully indulge them just yet.

his pants were rolled up to the middle of his calves. his sleeves were rolled up all the way to his elbows. then, his shirt was loosened at the top to let air in. that was the only sign of comfort that he allowed, sword still holstered.

his gaze shifted over to his uncle, another man that was robbed from the crown in his opinion. "you would know best in that regard." he'd been sitting close enough to feel the breeze and not the water, but did not move as he watched galileo. "you are the expert of the ocean. although, i almost this isn't a ploy to get me naked." still, he reached down to start undoing his shoes, tossing them behind him when his soles were bare.

　　but that first journey was not with darius, but rather the second prince in line, fabianus. galileo was not as close to him as he was to his older brother, and he even wondered if the young dragon would remember his disowned uncle. whatever was the case, he was hopeful that he could give his dear nephew the best impression he could offer. and if he didn't like it, well that was fabianus' problem to sort out.

　　"that i would. now the skies may be your field of expertise, but that doesn't mean you should fear the seas." it was obvious that his nephew was sitting in discomfort. whether it was the way galileo had chosen to trick his darling brother's good faith with his little detour, or the fact that they had taken a ship rather than a dragon as the skywardens would often do. whichever was the case, the old man was determined to change that.

　　it surprised tovyr how easily he was recognised - then again, his height was quite a remarkable feature to go by if anyone needed to pick him from a crowd. but the man before him did not hesitate for a second in calling him by name. then again, it was not rare. a mester of whispers had to know the ins and outs of everything going on around them, and if the lord before him was as well connected as wyll, tovyr could only wonder how much else he'd know of him already.

　　it was quite rare for people to bump into tovyr like that, as if he wasn't as tall as an oak. more often than not, it was the half-giant's oblivious nature which led him to stumble against those he could not catch a glimpse of, a usual occurrence much to his misfortune. in that moment, all the knight could do was make sure the stranger didn't hurt themselves against his metal plate, broad hands helping the other the same way they dd with him once both men were standing firmly in place, the giant's bright blue eyes looked down upon them. a foreigner, tovyr could tell by his look. how would they know him, then?