Talking to the Moon

Marriage? RaRa’s eyes widened at the words and her mind was upside down. Never had she imagined that her trip for the day would end up with her knotting the threads of marriage.

“What have you just said?” She managed to put together the words barely, shaken by how things had progressed so fast and so far from her current wishes. She had not even thought of forming a family just yet and especially not with a man she didn’t even know. With her eyes still covered but with a faint touch of curiosity to see more of the male (mostly due to the impact of the meeting) she managed to turn in her heels and give the other her back and a little bit of privacy. “How come that coming to a public place would end up in us getting married. Have you lost your mind?”

She could feel her face burning, her blood had gone to her cheeks out of embarrassment. RaRa heard the man coming out of the water and figured he would look for his clothes and recover some of his dignity with the fabrics. She took a discreet peek at what was happening behind her, catching a new view of the man, quite muscular she could now say.

“Is this what you do in your spare time, sir? Walking around the woods naked?” She asked, her voice almost feisty. RaRa now had a good story to tell the others at the cottage. Not every day one walks into a naked man. Or at least not the Fairy.

Matteo scoffed. A part of him was offended. He hadn’t gotten a great look at her, but he knew he was definitely the bigger catch on this side of the river. After all, Matteo was a prince, and, even if he wasn’t, he was easily the handsomest man in the kingdom. Frankly, she should thank her lucky stars if she got to marry him. Which she wouldn’t. Especially not without that attitude.

Matteo began to cover his body, making sure to keep an eye on the interjector. His evening was ruined, but at least it seemed his life wasn’t. This woman had most likely wandered in. As long as she didn’t figure out who he was, Matteo was sure things would be fine. How many commoners knew his face, anyways?

“That is none of your business,” he said. Though, admittedly, nudity was prevalent in many pagan ceremonies. His parents had opted not to--no, the Griffiths-- but that still made them more comfortable with the concept than the royal family ever would be. After all, it was just a way to get closer to nature. “I was the one enjoying a swim when you just decided to stroll in.”

it was a tradition now, all of these years later. putting herself at the right places at the right times. never too far from the crown prince in his time of need. always at his elbow to offer a gentle, kind smile with lightly rouged lips and eyes the color of red oak whispering invitingly; telling tales of maternal comfort. of welcome that had no end. celestine had been at this charade for so long, it took nearly no effort at all, and when he turned, drink offered with that same familiar homesickness in his gaze the mask slipped silently into place.

“are you not enjoying the harvest moon, your highness?” her tone like always was soft, something about it summoning the feeling of slowly crackling fire and peaceful nights. always even, never raised. a steady volume and gentle candor. it was easy to look at this man and see the little boy he had once been. homesick and longing for a family who loved him, and not the family who surrounded him now. a lonely prince, born a bastard; standing singular and aloof from the other players on the chess board who sought to see his end. it was likely even matteo himself had no true idea of how secure he truly was. he had the good witch as an ally. none would touch him, if she didn’t allow it.

all she needed was more time, and time was a thing she possessed in excess. lifting the goblet in his direction she tilted her head, face showing nothing but tenderness and care for this sweet, silly boy trapped playing a game he could never truly understand. “to your health, crown prince matteo. though perhaps it is to your happiness, that i should be toasting.” all the same, she brought the drink to her lips, tilting the cup, though not a drop of ale touched her tongue. “you know…” taking a glance around as though concerned of being noticed she leaned in slightly, the smell of smokey herbs scenting the air around her. “nowhere in the rules does it say you are stuck at this feast forever. you have plenty of time to enjoy the holiday in a way you find more appealing. and…if you were to require an escort, i am as always, at your service.”

Matteo wasn’t sure when his relationship with Celestine had shifted. Maybe it was with age. Maybe it was as he adjusted to his new role. Either way, he found her oddly comforting. Just, not comforting enough to tell her the truth about his abilities. However, he knew that truth would have to come out someday. If he wanted to become undefeatable, to truly surpass all expectations placed upon him, he would need to be trained by the legendary Good Witch. Someday, Matteo could even become an immortal like her. But something was stopping him from taking that next step. 

Every time he got close to telling her, his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. So, he promptly changed the subject. But, Matteo could feel that another shift was coming soon. His days of self-teaching were numbered. Celestine had not changed since he was a child, at least physically. It should have been disconcerting, but she represented some sort of consistency in his life. For someone who had lost that at such a young age, it was welcome.

“My brother and his wife are likely going to draw a lot of attention for the evening.” His brother had been married off to a princess of a far off kingdom. She wasn’t even the eldest, so there was no hope for him inheriting the throne there either. “Though, I wonder how he is going to explain dragging his wife all the way here in her condition.” Said condition was a very pregnant stomach. Matteo scoffed slightly. Leave it to his brother to use his own child for attention. The kid wasn’t even born yet. 

He contemplated Celestine’s invitation. “Think we can get away with the two most important guests at the party running off?” he half-joked. As much as it pained him to admit it, Celestine’s absence would probably be more noticeable.  “We could also fabricate an emergency.” Though, it would be difficult to convince anyone of such a thing on the most peaceful holiday of the year.

Admittedly, Matteo’s costume choice was a result of an argument with his father earlier that evening. It had taken scrambling at the last minute, but he managed to switch concepts just before the ball. His attire was pure white with silver embroidery. Originally, he was supposed to be dressed as one of his ancestors. In a sense, he still was. His father just didn’t know it.

His mask was carved like a dragon’s face and horns curled on his head. A billowing cape and silver paint on his face made it obvious who he was. Just in case though, he carried a scepter with a moon carved at the top. He was Ayla, the mother of elementalists.

Maybe he should have been more bothered that his costume was a woman, but dragons seemed fairly gender neutral. Matteo wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t just labelled a woman to fit their narrow views. He could have easily been Dai, but for obvious reasons, he always felt a special relationship with Ayla. Besides, his father was a traditional man. His father was currently avoiding looking directly at him, so Matteo knew he struck the right nerve. Matteo smirked.

“Well, it’s a party now, isn’t it?”

as much as hua wanted to pretend that things were okay… they most certainly were not. there was nothing okay about waking up in someone else’s life. no matter how interesting the dream of doing so was. but he had never actually, expected to be someone like Rowan. what did he know about helping people? or fighting evil? in his life, he couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag… but now he was expected to be captain of the guard? 

it was all a little too much.. that didn’t stop the universe from piling on just a little bit more. in the form of the crowned prince looking to see what there was going on regarding the missing people. ones taken from their own woods and if there were demons at work. hua knew, logically, that should sound exciting but also, logically, he wasn’t rowan and didn’t know how to fight demons. 

of course the captain of the guard would be with the prince, really, he probably should have told him to completely back off and take the lead but… he.. didn’t. nodding along as the prince spoke, he desperately searched his mind for his name. he knew it, but everything in the moment was a blank.. oh no. 

the shoulder bumping into his was all the pulled him out of his small internal panic. the small chuckle he let out was, almost mechanical, “of course, couldn’t take all of the fun..” confident knights said that right? definitely a thing. “but if it’s agreeable, we should do some reconnaissance. before rushing in..” it seemed reasonable. cautious..

Matteo nodded. He supposed it was better to be safe than sorry. Though he liked being the hero, he wasn’t going to give his brothers the satisfaction of being the next king. While he was confident in his abilities, hiding his powers from Rowan was a way of tying his hands behind his back. He had to pretend to be a proper, human prince. Even if that meant risking his life. 

It was strange. At one point in his life, surviving was the risk. Having enough food, growing enough crops, selling enough herbs. The Griffiths were far from affluent, but they got by. They had no time for anyone else’s problems. However, Matteo now was faced with nothing but everyone else’s problems. That was what it meant to be the Crown Prince.

He could say a lot about his father, but not that he was a bad king. He kept the peace, fragile as it was. Even if his father was not as open-minded as he pretended to be, he could keep up the façade. It was admirable. It was also the reason Matteo could not tell him about his abilities. Part of him worried his father would recoil. The other part of him knew his father would exploit the abilities for the best of the kingdom. At the end of the day, Matteo being his son was the last thing that mattered.

Matteo chuckled at Rowan. “Well, I suppose you’d know best,” he said. Matteo proceeded towards the encampment. He crouched low, though they were still far from the demons. “What should we do after reconnaissance? Take them out one by one?”

Have your character introduce you to the rest of the rp. I hope they are flattering!

-is pushed on stage reluctantly because he is a PRINCE and why is he introducing a COMMONER- 

@celestinexnbm

Matteo had been crying nonstop for the past week. He wanted his mom. He wanted his dad. He wanted his blanket and for his little sister to come and annoy him. He didn’t want to be in this castle. He kept trying to run away, but the guards always managed to pick him up with ease, taking him back to his room with little concern.

They kept saying this was his home, but it wasn’t. His home was in the woods. His home was in a cottage. His home was not here, with its cold halls and frosty stares. His “brothers” had thrown more than one temper tantrum. Matteo hadn’t understood why, until the words “crown prince” were mentioned. Matteo had gone into a state of shock.

As it was, tomorrow would be his coronation as the crown prince. Matteo wasn’t one for fits, but he was an easy crier. After all his attempts at escape, the king had apparently found an acceptable babysitter to make sure that he would be there the next morning.

@serenitynbm

Matteo's mother had told him she didn’t want to see him sobbing over his adoptive parents. So, he had honored her wishes and decided to hide in the garden until he stopped. As of now, it had been two days. He was aiming for the week. Or forever. 

It was surprisingly easy to hide there. His brothers liked to ignore him. His parents didn’t care. So, it must have been his tutors who noticed his absence. Now, the staff was searching everywhere. Meanwhile, he was munching on unripened berries. They were sour and delicious. 

Matteo wiped his eyes. That was when he noticed a familiar shock of hair. No one in his life had ever had hair like his cousin Serenity. With little fanfare, he shot out of the bush, realizing belatedly he would probably scare her.

@nbmrowan​

Rowan had been acting a bit off the last few days, but Matteo had taken it in stride. His Captain of the Guard must have a reason for his odd behavior. He trusted his faithful knight and could think of no one better to help with this demonic uprising. 

There had been whispers of demons preying on Elestrens in their own forest.  People were disappearing, though it was often no one would miss. Considering his own parents--no, the Griffiths-- lived in the woods, it had become personal for Matteo. Though their relationship was nonexistent now, they had cared for him for many years. The least he could was make sure they could go into their own garden without fear.

Matteo wondered if the demons were under the orders of the Dark Witch. Was this some kind of covert attack? Was it a way for her to try and take over their kingdom? Though it had been three-hundred years, was that even a long time to an immortal? She could be bidding her time. After all, who would want to rule the Darien Vale when they could rule Elestren?

Matteo had trained under a different captain of the guard, but he admitted that Rowan likely knew more of what he was doing. Still, he was glad the guard was at least willing to let him pretend he was the lead on this mission. “The encampment should be close by,” he said. 

As this was a stealth mission, they were in minimal armor and Rowan was the only member of the army coming along. “Hopefully, there aren’t too many demons. Still, promise to leave me some,” he said, jokingly bumping Rowan’s shoulder.

Matteo was not looking forward to the family dinner later today. Though this was supposed to be a holiday for him, he couldn’t even revel in it. Just hours around people who didn’t like him or wanted to assassinate him. In another life, he would be the guest of honor for an entirely different reason. However, in this life, no one would even realize the significance of him at their dinner table. Well, aside from the obvious. 

He stared at his drink. It hadn’t always been like this. Harvest Moon had been his mother’s--no, Nimue’s-- favorite holiday. He wondered if she still celebrated it with the same elaborate feasts. They would go apple picking as a family and then carve shapes out of the fruit. Now, it was all just a political event.

Suddenly, he lost his appetite for the apple ale in front of him. He turned to the random person next to him. Without looking, he slid the drink to them. “Here. Happy Harvest Moon.”

Despite being one of the oldest beings to walk the earth in the kingdom, Heidi didn’t look a day over 30. Her delicate, noble features didn’t scream “powerful dark witch”, which allowed her to slip under the radar unless she wanted to stand out. It also led to embarrassing situations like these.

Another day, another discreet meeting in the woods. Another man coming to seek favor in her court. She hadn’t been terribly impressed by his claims nor the reports her servants had provided. In fact, the man seemed rather full of himself with no ability to back such claims up. As a demon, he had the ability to use shadow magic but not anywhere near powerful or talented enough to back her even blink.

She had asked him to show her why she shouldn’t just kill him for making her waste her time. Of course, that was the moment a valiant knight in shining armor had to make himself known. Heidi wanted to burst out laughing at the incredibly bad timing of it all. How had her life become an increasingly incredulous series of comedy as of late?

It was an easy call to make, to scream and feign distress. It was either that or kill this valiant knight. Swords aren’t cheap, and undoubtedly the knight would be missed. This random demon whose name she hadn’t even bothered to remember would not be. 

She took a few halting steps backward before artfully tripping on her cloak. The demon was looking at her in confusion, attempting to speak. It was a simple trick of magic to steal his voice out of his throat, resulting in only a throaty hiss. Her unfortunate victim didn’t even seem to realize that it was her doing.

Admittedly, Matteo enjoyed this part of the job. He had never thought much about being a knight, but he could have seen that as a viable career path in another life. There was something fulfilling about helping people. Though, the praise certainly helped. He pretended he did not need the attention or adulation, but he had to get it somewhere. At least the common people seemed to be excited about him being the future king.

Most commoners liked Matteo. He was a commoner once upon a time, which made them see themselves in him. Though the noblefolk liked to pretend otherwise, they were at the mercy of these people. After all, the Dark Witch had once been knocked from her pedestal with the help of such common folk. It paid to be on their good sides. 

Matteo rushed to the woman, placing himself in front of her. He slashed at the demon. A part of him wanted to tell the woman to run. It would be easier to take care of the demon with his magic. However, he quickly shook that thought away. There was no guarantee there were no more demons lurking in the woods. She might run to her death. 

There was always a risk using his magic against opponents. If he did, the other party would not make it through their altercation alive. He didn’t feel particularly guilty about handing that fate to a demon, but he would to an innocent bystander. This just meant the battle was going to be a pain. “I’m Theo, by the way.” Matteo didn’t need this one getting around. He was supposed to be in his study. “Did it hurt you?”

Send 🧚‍♂️ for our muses to take a walk by the Lisianthus River.

Matteo did not need a babysitter. Unfortunately, his family disagreed. That was the only explanation for why he was now taking his walk with Celestine. As the Good Witch, he had to believe she had better things to do than look after him. But, would she take a hint and go away? No. So, instead of going to the village and pretending to be a normal person, he actually had to go on a walk. A respectable one.

Matteo was uncomfortable around Celestine. She was a powerful witch and while he could hide his magic around most people, she was an immortal. He always felt like he was a word away from her catching him. His father still had the crown and therefore the power. Matteo couldn't blame Celestine if she sided with his father over him.

With no better location in mind, he went to the Lisianthus River. It was erratic today, bustling this and which way. He wondered if it was reading his emotions. There was never a pattern with the river. The strangest sight had been during the last thunderstorm. The river remained at peace, unbothered by the chaos surrounding it. Meanwhile, during the last thunderstorm, it had threatened to flood everything.

Matteo placed a charming smile on his face. His prince smile. "So, to what do I owe the great pleasure of having you join me on my walk today?"