S I R E N of sollia *

Theo had been directed to the venue to help keep watch over the crowd. This wasn’t the first time he had been given such a duty and he normally enjoyed the free show that came with it. Of course, he still had to keep his eyes open for any trouble. However, this night he’d had a much harder time of it, his gaze constantly wandering toward the stage. When the performer addressed him directly, the knight all but stammered, completely unbecoming, before composing himself. “I um…well, yea,” he replied, “I mean, no, I’ve never head you before. You’re really good.”

calypso liked to make a point to know all the players involved when it came to the intricate games played within the kingdoms. sollia he had down like the back of his hand and bergia, well, it was far too cold for him to ever venture that far north. siren’s didn’t thrive well that far away from the ocean. but this was someone he had never seen before, instantly sparking his interest. “thank you, ser. they would have sought me out from sollia if i wasn’t really good.” calypso smiled, white teeth gleaming from his mouth, highlighting the rich pinkness of his lips. “here’s to hoping you’ll get to hear more of me. i’m calypso da cassona...countess da cassona. are you on duty?”

Zion liked to blend in with the people of his kingdom from time to time. He dressed like them, acted like them, drank like them. He had heard that someone would be singing and that was one of his favorite things to do, listen to singers. Zion’s own voice wasn’t too bad but he was a prince and something artistic like that would be cute while he was young but not something he’d ever be able to do for long. When the singer came over to him he grinned. “I have not,” he said to the question, giving his head a shake. “You’re very good. Most people here could do anything but move their eyes from you. Congrats.”

he always welcomed a new face to his shows, knowing that once you heard his voice for the first time, you’d want to again. though it was rare that a prince of house toyne would be out and about with common folk dressed this way. calypso would have fallen for it himself, had it not been for his relationship with sovin and icarus, sending him on a rather interesting collection of castherian princes. zion was just as handsome as his brothers which meant calypso had to indulge. “congratulations aren’t necessary, my friend. talent is a gift bestow from the heavens themselves. if anything i’m blessed with such beauty, grace, and a voice to captivate the masses.” calypso explained, treating the boy with the same cordiality he would a common noble. if he wasn’t letting on of his royal nature, neither would he. “i am countess calypso of house da cassona. who might you be?”

CLOSED: @songofcalypso​

The latest production by one of the Sollian theater companies was – of course – inspired by Maren’s supposed rage; whether the topic was in memory or mocking of those that were lost to the winds and tides, the jury was still out.

Drus and Callypso, both as royalty and a patron of the arts, were allotted special seating. Lack of people around them meant the social convention of silence during the show was rather lax, both of them permitting.

“–I don’t think any of the writers were there,” the prince said, leaning into Calypso’s side to whisper.

calypso had seen quite a few pieces of work through being a patron of the arts and a performer as well. such a tribute to the events in medes had to be one of the most garishly insensitive productions he had attended in awhile. but he was a countess and liandrus a prince, which meant attendance was expected, if only to thank the cast for their work. “agreed, my prince. i can easily say this will be the first and last showing.”

“i noticed you swaying in the back there, have you never heard me sing before?”

the  prince  never  cared  for  formalities  -  of  course  he  did  his  duties  as  a  prince  but  the  tedious  things  were  never  something  he  bothered  to  try  and  do  such  as  have  a  plus  one  to  these  sorts  of  things  -  he  wasn’t  seeing  anyone  and  was  not  betrothed,  so  he  saw  no  reason  for  it.  “  why  are  you  surprised ?  i  almost  didn’t  come  to  this.  ”  he  said  as  he  approached  the  siren  and  pushed  him  down  onto  the  bed  before  getting  on  top  of  the  da  cassona  himself.

icarus knew one day he’d have to marry someone and bear a child but he kept pushing that off, always wanting to go off on adventures and have no attachments to a singular person. the chase of defeating monsters, saving damsels, and making love to them was the life he wanted but he feared his days were numbered with the duty he owed his family. “certainly” he said as he took the others hand and guided them up the castle to his chambers he had been given.

“now, now… how has your visit before i made it better?” he shut the door behind them and pulled calypso close to him, their bodies against one another.

As Calypso led Drus away, the prince smirked at him over his shoulder. “You say you want a show, and yet…we’re leaving the view of the public?” The so-called siren’s proclivity for publicity was, often enough, the only times Drus found himself actually examined in the public eye. So much of his work was behind the scenes. Calypso was his only real point of visibility – unless some of his other  trysts were to come to light.

Briefly, Drus broke contact to slide the coat off his shoulders, swinging it around on a finger to rest down his mostly bare back. “Anything I should prepare myself for, Director?” Yet another role between the two – hats exchanged as easily between them as sharing breaths. “You know I’m no truly practiced actor, how long it takes me to get in the proper mindset…”

director... it had a nice ring to it, especially since it places him yet again in a position of power. regardless of status, it was clear that their dynamic was irrefutable. calypso enjoyed being in charge, leading and guiding liandrus through different walks of life, exposing him to culture and experiences that most princes were sheltered from. it was his gift to sollia (along with his many others) to ensure that this prince knew the best his country had to offer.

“you’re going to need a lot less clothing, that’s for sure. let this be a breakthrough for us. the sun high in the sky shall be our lights...our vivid memories of what this day will hold will imprint them in our minds...and well, i don’t think we’ve ever had a problem starting the action.” calypso pulled him in, tossing the jacket off to the side on the beach, where the rest of their clothes would eventually fall. this cove wasn’t one that had been on many people’s radar, lord driftwood had taken him here once after a performance and left quite the lasting impression. “are you ready my ingenue? this could be quite the award winning performance.”

if you needed the textbook definition of a hero - icarus would be that. brave and noble man who followed a code of chivalry while also being cocky at times and liked to brag about it. so when a beautiful young lady like calypso wanted to hear about his stories, he would go on and on. a grin escaped his lips as the other made their intentions clear.. calypso was the very type icarus liked. perhaps more dangerous than the damsels he liked to save but dainty and pretty still. pulling the other closer, icarus didn’t hide from groping her ass. 

“perhaps you’d like to return to my chambers so we could talk more about my heroic deeds over some wine? i’d love to get to know the infamous calypso da cassona.”

calypso wasn’t afraid of going after the things that he wanted in life, seizing opportunities as they presented themselves. a prince wasn’t beyond the countess’ radar, in fact one could make the argument that he sought them out. he would never dream of settling down with one, not one that was tied to sentiment and familial responsibility. calypso enjoyed the hunt and thrived from being free and wild. icarus was a rolling stone, chasing the next adventure and heroics acts which already made the siren attractive to him.

what a stark difference from his uptight brother, sovin. one craved the dominance of the countess while icarus seemed to enjoy the ideal of a damsel.

The public that would misconstrue Drus’ lips to Calypso’s neck was the same public that didn’t get to see the prince’s true need for affection and affirmation – a likely product of the blank face presented when in full view. “If you asked anyone in the castle, the only one preventing the spreading of my wings is me.” Which had some merit, honestly.

“If it’s a show your after,” Drus said, fidgeting with the edges of his jacket. “I’m itching to take this off for a while. Medes’ oceans aren’t as warm as ours, but we could still enjoy going out for a swim? Or if you’re hungry, there seems to be pavilions with food and drinks – we could sample Medesian liquor, along with what everyone else brought.” Drus tugged his elbow as it was tucked in Calypso’s, pressing himself to the siren’s side. “Either way, I’m on your arm.” While he trusted and valued his mother’s opinion rather greatly, there was little that could be done to pull the prince from his closest friend.

calypso knew of liandrus’ harrowing doubt that sometimes kept held him down, no matter how influential calypso could be on the young prince, it wouldn’t change his predisposition to talk himself out of things. the siren melted into the prince, enjoying the attention and affection just as much as the royal himself. their dynamic had many different layers, from student/teacher, prince/noble, best friends, lovers, but the lines never seemed to matter when they were with one another. they both kept things separate and blurred all at the same time.

“i’m always after a show, especially if my co-star is willing to go the extra mile...” he took his arm, carefully leading the prince away from the main part of the party thinking about what they could do to kill some time before the next part of the festival. liandrus detailed some great ideas. but there was one that would always stand out to calypso and it involved getting liandrus out of his clothes. “let’s go practice our lines someplace a little more private...one of the gentlemen in waiting told me of this lovely cove near one of the beaches.”

there was something undeniably anthropological about sovin’s excitement. of course, festivals were exciting anyway, but there was so much to think about in regards to it. officially, he was there with his family to represent themselves and look good, but he would be lying if he didn’t admit he just wanted the chance to get a very hands-on look (that must have been an oxymoron of some sort) at the culture. it was just one of those things.

the prince had finally found some time to himself, in which he was free to look around his new surroundings. of course, he was not exactly inconspicuous. his obviously expensive outfit did not help him blend in with everyone else. maybe that would be a problem on his academic endeavour, but he had far better things to be concerned about. sovin looked out from the window, admiring the sprawl of people below as they enjoyed themselves, praising the divine, and fascinating the castherian prince.

this would make the second toyne prince calypso had come into contact with today at the festival despite it being the first one to have known his name. sovin was an absolute delight in calypso’s eyes. he was the perfect man that the socialite looked for. not only was he a prince, but he was set to be king of casther once sayuja was out of the picture. handsome features, a beautiful beard, and wicked hands that did glorious things to the siren’s body. “prince sovin, i have to say, you look even better from behind.” calypso snuck behind the other’s frame, whispering into the prince’s ear as he looked on from the window above. they were alone for the time being which meant the hand calypso placed on sovin’s well toned rear would go unnoticed by the other guests of the party. “you must be happy to see me, my prince.”

icarus had never met calypso but the sollian countess had a reputation that preceded him, the prince had heard about his suspicious relationship with the royal house of sollia or the mystery that came with the noble house of da caassona and their ancestry to the far off land of siyera. even the toynes were aware of calypso and the influence he had in his court. icarus sad seen the face of a siren before and they shared the same eyes with the raven haired beauty before him. 

“that is dawnbreaker.” he said as he allowed the countess to examine it for a moment as to show it off before he took it back and returned it to his helm, weary of anyone messing with his trusted weapon of choice. “i was in casther and saved a small village from crooked criminals who tried to strip the people of their goods.” he said, icarus always loved to recall his tales to anyone who took an interest in it. “dawnbreaker cut through their flesh like it was bread. their blood soaked the earth, feeding teran as payment for their crimes” he looked the other over. “that’s why i was late”

icarus would never need to know about the relationship calypso had with the other toyne brother. if that got out, it could easily be construed that calypso was bouncing from one toyne to the next and while that was literally his plan of action, the bouncing was more in relation to bedrooms than social standards. casther wasn’t his home and the weather too mild for him to be there permanently, but the young noble needed companions for when he did travel to various lands for concerts. 

“dawnbreaker. i love it.”

While Solaris’ concern was noted, Liandrus had such a hard time imagining Calypso manipulating him like that – especially after six years. The simple affection between them always warmed him, whether it progressed further or not. “No such trouble – yet,” he admits. “She’s just being careful.”

Drus jumped at the snap, then pressed himself against Calypso in equal measure. The other man knew just how physical, how tactile Drus was, especially after being in public for so long. It’s like a chill would settle over his skin, and no matter how many layers he would pile on, nothing would warm him again the same way another’s touch would.

At the question, Drus did his best not to balk. Milan was likely somewhere around – since he’d seen the man when they arrived – but not quite visible at the moment. Drus was almost hoping he wouldn’t appear. “Not around right now, but I’ll point him out to you.” The prince planted a ‘friendly’ kiss to the siren’s neck, just under his jaw. “I promise.”

with their long standing relationship, calypso was still surprised that the queen of sollia was resistant to the amount of time liandrus spent with the da cassona. he supposed he shouldn’t be considering the reputation the royal had in being fiercely protective of his children. despite all of that, it was rather annoying to be viewed at as just another noble amongst the court. he’d never deny how toxic the others could be, but the countess was far above that echelon of people, ascending to the cream of the crop, rubbing elbows with everyone.

“careful...yes, indeed. hopefully all this care your mother has for you, doesn’t prevent you from living a bit and spreading your wings.” calypso would always be a supporter of liandrus’ goals and dreams, even if it meant going against the wishes of the king and queen. the kiss to the other’s neck was a platonic gesture to the countess, but there was no way to guarantee that anyone else watching on would see it as so. it was that air of mystery that calypso liked when around so many people. the ability to flaunt himself around and leave the audience guess.

“i will hold you to that, my golden boy. though if we’re not doing a meet and greet, that means we have to fill our time with something else. we can’t lose daylight or let our trip to medes be in vain. what do you wish to do?”

Lucien was starting to see that splitting from Darius wasn’t the best of ideas. He didn’t want to be in the way of the royals and their guards. And he thought that giving the prince some space was for the best for what would be a long stay in the realm of Medes. Only it was becoming harder and harder to find him through the crowds of people and multiple royals stationed about the field. Plus the few drinks he had didn’t exactly help with his sense of direction on this foreign island. It got to the point that the boy was tired of walking a bit and took comfort on a seat at the side lines.

It was then that a crowd started to build close by around an unknown figure. Then from the center of this gathering a siren’s song started to call out into the air. Being one with a tune for song himself he was unable to fight the pull, coming to his feet and easing through the crowd till he found the source. It was unreal, like there was magic or the blessing of the God’s on the man’s tongue. Unsure if that was partly due to his intoxication but he was drawn in. It even felt as if the song was directed to him as their eyes met in between the set.

When it was finished the gentleman approached through the sea of fans straight for Lucien. “Yes. It was amazing. I have never heard a voice like yours before…” Trying not to fawn over the guy as he stood close to him. “…my name is Lucien Rosewell, from Valtolia. A pleasure to meet you, Sir Da Cassona.”

calypso had never encountered a man with such hair before in his life. locks of near white caught his eye in the crowd and he had been drawn to the owner ever since. living in sollia it was a cultural epicenter with so many different flavors to choose from but such a rare beauty before him would have had calypso singing a different tune had they been alone.

“oh, i’m no sir. the only weapon i use is my tongue.” the singer emphasized, using the appendage to lick his lips slowly, wetting the soft pink pillows that were admittedly far larger and fuller than many of the people here. he would never pretend to be more than he was, especially since that was fabulous enough as is. “save the sirs for the men around here with swords and armor, despite it being a hotter than solan’s balls. it’s countess da cassona.”

he extended his hand as a gesture of introduction, curious to see how the other would address it. the giant ruby affixed in a ring on his hand was a gift from a very special sollian, but surely calypso didn’t expect him to kiss it as though he was some priestess. though the simple action alone would show what kind of rosewell he was. the name was familiar enough but calypso couldn’t place it in time to decipher it’s origins. “i’m in valtolia at least twice a month and always have a show, you’ll do well to come by once all of this is over, yes?”

arriving late to the event, icarus hadn’t been with his family when they left so he came to an empty castle and his advisors saying icarus was the last one. rushing through the portal, he landed in an empty room where he suspected other royals had traveled through. finding his family and the rooms they were sharing, he looked out his balcony to see it was already nightfall and people were out on the beaches with a large bonfire and people throwing items into it as a sacrifice. 

slipping out of his tunic, icarus changed into some medesi robes that were better suited for the weather and icarus felt like he could breath again. keeping his sword on him, icarus didn’t know if he would need it but decided it was best not to risk anything. going down to the beaches, he walked through the crowd and took a glass of castherian whiskey that he chugged to help get him in the right mindset. 

“what’s the fire for? is it the sacrifice to meran?” he asked as a figure approached him.

calypso had traveled around metia enough to smell a prince when he saw one. throughout the kingdoms some were easy targets, craving the love and attention calypso was able to provide their bodies for the night. all looking to sate whatever mommy or daddy issues they had and the siren had no problem capitalizing on it. calypso was naturally a more alluring individual and flamboyantly confident in everything he said, so he drew them in like a moth to a flame. the crown prince of casther knew him very well but the countess had only heard stories of his heroic brother. 

icarus toyne was quite a sight.

solaris had never been fond of the artistic savant, but he simply was the best which meant liandrus had to have him when shaping and nurturing his creativity. many trips to the castle in sollia didn’t change that, as the two beauties managed to avoid one another peacefully. but as far as he knew, liandrus had no intentions of cutting him from his life. 

“so, where is he? i’ve got a few guess but i need confirmation from your lips.” the countess smirked, brushing his thumb along the young prince’s cheek to get his attention on the men who were around at the time. all this talk about a mind blowing experience, calypso just had to know.

@goldendrus