#boacharacterintro

Liandros Arandus I, 101st King of Siros

The Royal Guard stalked about, all large and brooding adorned in black armor, snooping behind stalls, pushing through the crowds and posted on every corner. They each had grim black eyes that glowered down at the citizens with disdain.

Luwyn could see a few clustered together, protecting whatever was between them from old ladies and beggars that flocked around. They turned and marched straight for Luwyn. In the center of their formation strolled the king, Liandros.

Liandros was an imposing figure, even among the Guard. He looked several years older than Luwyn, but he was handsome, with a youthful glow. Tall and well built, with striking blue eyes. He dressed in fancy blue riding clothes, wrapped in a brilliant purple cape with blue butterflies embroidered throughout, clasped with a diamond moth brooch. His golden curls were tamed by the same ruby emblazoned golden circlet and he wore a sour, smug expression. Little blue butterflies floated and swirled around his head.

Liandros turned and examined Luwyn up and down and tapped his chin with one finger. He gestured for Luwyn to approach, and Luwyn nearly jumped out of his skin. He scuttled over to Liandros, ducking his head.  

“What is your name, boy?” Liandros asked. Luwyn had only seen the king once, and was pleasantly surprised to hear his voice. It was full, but lithe and silky, with a noble old Sirosi accent and a bit of femininity.

Luwyn had been holding his breath and released it in a whoosh of warm, damp air onto the king’s chin. Liandros frowned.

“M-my name is Luwyn,” Luwyn said, ducking his head again. His cheeks were hot and he could feel sweat starting to trickle down his forehead. His eyes shot open and he bowed awkwardly, wishing he could ram his head into the dirt.

Liandros gave a short, snide chuckle.

“Luwyn,” Liandros mouthed his name obnoxiously. “Why give a rat a god’s name?” he asked his guards. Luwyn peered at Liandros.

The king had addressed his guards, and insulted Luwyn, but not in the common tongue, Luwyn realized. It wasn’t god-tongue either, but something in between. Old Sirosi, he remembered from Jahal’s ramblings. He also remembered Jahal’s warning.

Be careful around him

“Anyway,” Liandros continued, breaking Luwyn’s concentration. “Why are you so damn filthy?”

“I was...uh,” Luwyn started but he didn’t know how to finish. But the king’s wide, impatient eyes and cocked head told Luwyn that he should think of something quickly. “I was hunting a stag. I thought that I killed it, but when I knelt to skin it, it hopped up. I tried to wrestle with it, but it got away,” Luwyn lied, kicking at the dirt.

Liandros seemed completely uninterested and looked into the distance just passed Luwyn and droned, “How unfortunate. Well, clean up, will you.” And with that, he continued strolling around scowling at the common folk. The butterflies trailed behind him. Luwyn didn’t know if it were a coincidence or the king’s magic.

___________________

Garuahanyr “Garu” Reilyr

The next morning, Luwyn and Fila walk down stairs to find Garu already awake, and packed, and grimly enjoying another cup of tea. He was dressed in tight, black leathers and his bow wrapped around his back, and quill and sheathed greatsword behind him. Rich, brown hair was wrapped in a braid and rested over his shoulder, trailing down his chest. His eyes were closed and his face and body looked unbelievably calm. He looked like a silent statue, with his pale grey skin and eerie stillness.

Luwyn was surprised to see Garu awake so early. They celebrated their new partnership with an ale, and then each ended up having eight. Luwyn remembered falling over the table and being carried upstairs by Garu. The last thing he remembered was Fila being laid next to him, then turning to see Garu starting at him. Their eyes locked for a moment, Luwyn remembered, and he didn’t know if it was the ale, but he swore he felt a hand brush back his hair.

Now, Luwyn was still wobbly and his stomach was tight, and though the good meal and sleep helped, he was still recovering shakily. Fila yawned once or twice, but was otherwise unphased by the previous night’s escapades.

“Good morning!” Fila called out, waving at Garu as they approached.

Garu opened his eyes one at a time and gave Fila a crass look. “Good morning,” Garu said. “Could you be any louder? I was meditating.” Garu’s voice shook with irritation. Fila was taken aback. Luwyn was amused to see that Garu had actually succumb to sufferings of drunkenness.

“Grouch,” Fila spat, frowning.

Luwyn chuckled and sat down next to her and across from Garu. He looked up and saw Garu smile dryly.

“Are you ready, my prince?” he mocked.

Luwyn snorted. “I’m not a—well, I guess I am a prince. Sort of. But you don’t have to call me that.”

“Oh?” he asked, raising his brow. “Then what should I call you? Your highness? Your majesty? King Lu?”

“Definitely do not call me Lu,” Luwyn ordered as he thought back to the way Jahal would call him that when he was younger.

A devilish grinned wrapped across Garu’s face. “I will definitely call you Lu then. Be prepared,” he teased.

“Please, don’t,” Luwyn urged. His first were clenched underneath the table, his teeth grinding together.

“Oh, come on, Lu,” Garu egged on, his voice light and playful now. “Lighten up a little.”

————————————-

Fila of Ioba “The Mud Witch”

“This is a potion for a powerful divination spell. Basically, it will give me the answers I need, usually through ancient prophecy or a glimpse into the past or future. It only takes a few seconds after I…” she trailed off, rolling up the sleeve of her robes.

Fila placed the potion dipped athame longways across her arm and blue liquid trickled off of the blade. Before Luwyn could ask “After what?”, she pressed the blade into her skin. Tiny streams of blood poured from the gash, but she never flinched or cried out, or showed any pain in face. The potion seeped into the shallow wound, mixing with her blood and staining her arm purple.

Fila’s head snapped back, and she droned on a more aggressive version of the chant she sang earlier, in a harsh, raspy voice. The words were pure magic and stung and rang in Luwyn’s ears. Her brown eyes turned blue, and it spread into the whites, and thick, black hair spiraled around her and her entire body trembled as Luwyn watched on helplessly. Her chanting grew so loud and unsettling that he covered his ears and scrambled to the far corner of the room.

Suddenly, she was quiet. Her head snapped forward and the blue drained from her eyes. Her hair settled back down her back and her body stilled. She turned to Luwyn and shot him a devilish grin.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. “Don't worry, it’s safe.” She mocked and laughed as Luwyn walked grumpily back to her side.

“So,” he started. “What did you see?”

“Interestingly enough, it was a prophecy that has to do with you,” she confessed quietly.

Luwyn jumped in surprise. What could she have seen about me, he thought.

“Something that you are meant to do,” she continued, squinting her eyes thoughtfully. “Something that will benefit the entire realm. But,” she cut off, snickering and waving her hand. “You’ll have to completely a separate task before the prophecy can be completed. Inconvenient, I know.”

“Incredibly,” he said under his breath. “Well, what all do I have to do?”

Fila shook her head and laid the athame on the table. She bent down and scooped a handful of mud and spread it over the gash in her arm. She whispered to the mud, and it glowed and hardened. “Oh, I cannot tell you this, Luwyn. Your destiny will reveal itself in due time,” she replied. After a few seconds, the dirt crumbled away from her gashless arm. Fila rotated her arm, inspecting it, then nodded when satisfied.

Luwyn realized that he had been at the hut too long and feared Jahal may return to check on him. His paranoia grew as he thought of the last time he skipped out on chores or work, much less punishment! He would probably make Luwyn scrub down the stables or haul wares to each of his stalls in the market or tend to his boar herd or make him eat old meat and stale bread for weeks…

Luwyn broke from his internal rambling to see Fila staring at him intently. She slowly scanned Luwyn up and down and bit her lip. Her robe started to slip dangerously far down her chest and arms.

Luwyn sputtered and stepped back, puzzled. “Wha...what are you doing, Fila?” His face was red and his collar pooled with sweat.

Fila shrugged and averted her gaze. “Oh, nothing,” she replied vaguely.

Luwyn huffed and composed himself. He suddenly remembered his true purpose for being here, and it wasn’t to entertain some witch’s delusions and hestarics. “My payment please,” he said firmly, or tried to.

Fila inched closer to Luwyn and her hand slid on top of his. He tried to wrench it back, but her hand held his down like an anvil.

“What are you doing?” Luwyn asked loudly. His throat closed up and his heart thumped in his chest.

“Well, I don’t have the payment, as I previously promised, but,” she said, holding up a finger to Luwyn’s lips to cut off his interjection. “I have something much, much, better.”

“Kyus” Luwyn Arandus

“That was some excellent fighting, Lu. I suppose you are meant to be the King of Siros,” Garu complimented Luwyn, chuckling. He raised his cup and took a deep swig. “To King Lu!”

“Thanks,” Luwyn said quietly. He didn’t want to say anymore, despite having so much to say.

Luwyn’s gaze was locked onto Garu. His nose was pointier up close and his ears larger and goofier. Garu’s hair was down and fell on his shoulders in chestnut waves. Luwyn managed to find a thin white scar on Garu’s previously thought to be flawless, grey cheek. He couldn’t decide if Garu reminded him of ice sculpture or statue carved from smooth, grey granite.

A sudden burst of confidence surged through him. Luwyn set down his cup. The cool night breeze ran through the forest and made his eyes water, but he fixed them onto Garu. Embers from the fires licked at his back, but his shoulders stayed square and direct. If he could beat a god in combat, he could ask Garu anything he liked.

“You said that you don’t think about the other night,” Luwyn started, speaking fast, fearing he would stop if he didn’t. “But I don’t think that’s true.”

Garu snorted. “I don’t.” He sipped from his cup lazily and rolled his eyes.

“That’s a lie,” Luwyn snapped, his voice rising, almost shaking with frustration. “I see the way you look at me, Garu. Fila sees it. Just talk to me.”

Garu looked down.

Luwyn shook his head. “You don’t make it easy, you know,” he continued. “Why look me in the eyes to congratulate me on winning a fight, but don’t acknowledge that you nearly kissed me just a few days ago? Why talk to me or look at all?”

“That’s different.”

“Bullshit,” Luwyn barked, crossing his arms. Fila shifted and Luwyn lowered his volume to a loud whisper. “Could it...is it because we’re both men?”

Garu scoffed and shook his head. “Please, how could I be so ignorant, I’m half elf after all. They’re a very open, unapologetic people. I don’t care about that, I…” Garu looked down again, twirled the tip of one his long fingers in his drink.

Luwyn’s eyes went wide at the possibility of an answer and he crawled closer to Garu. “You what?”

“I...I can’t think about it,” Garu forced out.

Luwyn’s heart dropped into his stomach. “Oh.”

“But...I...I want to.”

Luwyn looked up. The fire crackled in Garu’s black eyes.

Garu stared back and traced over Luwyn’s features and noticed how well they contrasted each other.

Luwyn was warm, where he was cold. The fire made his honey colored skin glow a warm brown. Luwyn’s face was still that of a boy’s, manhood creeping up like a shadow around his prickly, squaring jaw and brow. His shaggy, copper hair was nearly burgundy in the dim light. His amber eyes were excentuated by the fire’s light like molted nuggets of gold. Luwyn’s arms were bigger than Garu remembered, a side effect from weilding a god’s weapon he guest. Luwyn looked more like a king now, the new found confident radiated off of him in waves. Garu’s cheeks were suddely, unnatural, warm.

They more he observed, the closer Luwyn leaned toward Garu, until he felt Garu’s breath on his nose.

Garu shifted and swallowed. “Are you sure, Lu?”

Luwyn smirked and chuckled under his breath. He’d never seen the half-elf so flustered and it amused him.

“I’ve never been more sure of....” Luwyn replied, the last words disappearing into Garu’s mouth as their lips locked together.