#jesters.starter

sleepless nights were not a foreign concept to azriel, plagued with them since he first swore the oath many years before, but they were certainly stronger now with the kingdom on alert. it felt like a failure to the man to some degree, that it was under him and his guard's watch, that another member of the crown had fallen. azriel hated the way it made his stomach twist, so he had begun taking the nightly patrols himself. quiet footsteps echoed down the stone walls as he walked, sword on his hip as his hand hovered over it. a sharp turn of the corner, azriel's eyes taking immediate note of the other standing there already. " good evening, my liege. . . it is quite late to be wandering, shall i escort you back to your chambers?"

        he'd  found  a  place  for  himself  in the corner of the room, content, as he was without fail, to remain amongst the shadows, unseen by and not a burden to those also occupying the space. he missed runestone already. it's quiet. it's familiarity. if he could lock himself away in the chambers given to him then he would, but oddly enough, he worried his absence from court would only draw attention to him, prompting further whispers about his failings, too timid to even represent his family. so he swallowed his nerves and sat quietly, observing as he leafed through a book. the sight of another wandering around, seemingly out of place, drew his eye.        ❝  you can sit here, if you'd like,  ❞ he offered with a shy smile.

It was with great joy that Petra danced in a corner of the great hall, off beat and without much for looking like an actual dance. They had been trained in the past, of course, but it was not nearly as fun. Especially since, she enjoyed flailing around a bit. The liege paused her dance for a moment to grin at someone nearby,"I promise sometimes the answer to a night's problem is dancing in a corner. You can join me if you'd like."

ever the picture of doting prince, vaelyx had been steadily making rounds around the feat and entertaining the various lords and ladies that were in attendance. countless introductions to daughters and sons that seemed immediately disinterested with the prince, which he could not fault as he found himself almost as quickly checking out of the conversations. after what his sister deemed an appropriate amount of time, vaelyx excused himself to return back towards where he had spotted some unclaimed goblets of wine. the man helped himself to a goblet, smiling as he took a sip. “ can you keep a secret?” he asked, shifting his gaze to the person standing near him. the prince leaned in slightly, as if they were conspiring together. “ i shall never tell lord redwyne, but i do believe i am far more partial to dornish wine over arbor red.”

it felt like ages since forrest had been in court for any sort of celebration or feast, certainly not since the queen’s first marriage and his own. the jacket that his good mother had pleaded for him to wear, while quite stunning in varying shades of deep greys and hints of navy blue, felt far tighter than he was comfortable with. as if she was still sending in the measurements from when he was younger, rather than allow forrest to wear what he truly desired, the thought of being stuck under his parent’s thumb again made his stomach twist. “ by the seven,” he muttered under his breath, grabbing the first glass he saw and downing it immediately with a slight wince. he’d never been partial to dornish wine, the burn far too harsh for his liking. as he coughed, patting his own chest gently, forrest’s eyes met someone else’s. realization set in as he smiled slightly at the stranger. “ pardon me, please tell me that was not your drink that i stole?”

        dark  eyes  watched  as  people  circled  about the room, quietly making note who spoke with whom and the frequency they drifted back to certain groups over others. people were so careful with what they said but not who they surrounded themselves with. it made sense. people in unfamilar places felt most comfortable around familiar people. cassian was happy to glean what he could. however, the sound of someone approaching tugged at his attention. he possessed no desire to listen to whatever drivel they were saying, but the hand of the queen had crafted a careful reputation for himself, and unfirendliness wasn’t one of its traits. he looked to the side with a smile.        ❝  my apologies, the music drowned out what you said.  ❞        it was only partially true, but lies fell from his lips naturally, and this one was nowhere near the worse he’d spoken this evening alone.