“  have  you  any  news  on  the  archadian  empire,  commander?   my  father  seems  to  believe  an  urgent  marriage  is  most  appropriate  for  an  alliance .”         it’s  in  his  tone  of  voice  that  rasler  disagrees  vehemently.   dalmasca  will  stand  side  by  side  with  nabradia  with  or  without  holy  matrimony.   &   he’s  not  the  least  bit  interested  in  commencing  any  romance  with  lady  ashelia.   time  in  the  royal  city  of  rabanastre  was  short,  mainly  to  meet  with  the  king,  leaving  little  time  to  work  on  politics  with  the  princess.

“ they are. ”      it’s a grunt, low and condescending. idiots. there’s a distinct pout to versus’ lips as he leans on table’s edge, near a few piles of books and a globe that’s honestly just decoration at this point - outdated.

              bother him?

shoulders hike up a little higher and he hides between them // gaze drops to lines of mosaic scrawling in the tabletop.  “ uhh. nah. it’s a lil weird, isn’t it? i mean. ”  to them. apparently. dammit, now he’s making his dad uncomf- well, maybe.  nails tick against wood // another set of fingers rubs at his nose.      “ i dunno what they’re thinking. ” never does. bit of a sore spot, that, but. he’s ( thankfully ) got better company to keep. still, he’s enough experience by now to know this much, and an aghast glance is sent ( up, up, up ):

           “ actually, they tend to just get more dogged over time.       they don’t let up on juicy shit like this easily. ”

There wasn’t much to train, which was certainly something he missed. Working with the glaives was one thing he genuinely liked. There was nothing more satisfying then watching them grow stronger and quicker, due to the training he subjected them to.

MT’s just did whatever they were ordered to do, without finesse, and choice. The perfect soldiers, as efficient as they were dull to watch. Besides, their own daemon influence sometimes disagreed with the armor, and he sometimes had to focus to maintain it. Fluctuations like these were normal, he had been told, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

He eyed the oracle and crossed his arms as the MT’s wobbled their patrol. “Disgusting creatures.”

@sxrtis

Curious, his disdain for the MTs. She had expected he’d have some sense of... Gleeful power to lord over them as he did. Something like how Ardyn treated them. Instead, she shared a common trait with the general - and it was not something she liked.

You two clearly didn’t think this through.

Insomnia had fallen, the prince and his friends were at large and the empire was thriving amidst a world of rot and chaos. 

What a time to be alive. 

Cards were folding now and none held so much as a pair. Niflheim's wrath had seen both side lose massive amounts of assets, but Insomnia falling certainly marked the end to Lucian rule. Truthfully, Ardyn cared little either way. His only source of pride came from the truth of his cunning being behind King Regis' downfall and still then he had Glauca to thank for such tragedy.

A sip of his booze makes way to washing it down via a hefty swig. He'd linger upon it's taste though he finds his mind elsewhere, his gaze distracted by a mask situated upon a familiar face. Skulked away in the corner of the tavern engulfed by a shadow sits a man he believed to be dead.

Ardyn makes drunken strides toward the table before dropping down beside him.

send me five times kissed for a drabble about five times our muses kissed ↪ @parricidalis // not accepting

I & II.

         KISSSTEEL BENEATH YOUR LIPS,loyalty sworn to King as sword passes up to shoulder & shoulderwith the lightest of touches. Regis is proud, smile 'pon his features& warmth in his gaze as he offers hand to help you rise. (you are like a phoenix rise from the flames of war anew, afresh. YOU ARE CAPTAIN NOW.)

Youdo not rise at first, hand reaching out to grasp the kings own as youbring RING TO YOUR LIPS.You are a SOLDIER and he is your LORD ( you swear fealty to him like a knight of old. ) Wordspressed to the back of his hand & you feel it tighten it's holdupon your own.

Hehelps you rise this king of yours & you stand in front of himtall & proud. His touch lingers only for a moment.

III.

SALT& IRON 'PON YOUR TONGUE,wounds fresh, marredmottledreds, purples & blues 'pon a canvas of skin. YOUARE BLEEDING butthe pain feels like an old friend. ( STRENGTHDEAR HEART youare a soldier & you will walk away from this. )

The KING is at your left, voice a dissonant chorus compared to theringing of your ears. You cannot hear what he is saying but his faceis a FURY OFTHUNDER.Hands at the side of your face, his touch is warm 'gainst your flesh.

IAM HERE heseems to say ( or perhaps it's what you want him to say ) as thefirst thrums of magic feel like static underneath your skin. LIPSFIND YOUR FOREHEAD &it is only then as he pulls away that you notice he is bleeding too.

IV.

STEPSIN TANDEM YOU WALK AT HIS LEFT,gait filled with the melody of clicking, creaking & the scrape ofmetal 'pon metal as his bad leg gives way. He is weaker now this KINGOF YOURS butin no way has he been compromised by that weakness.

Youreach to steady him, hand at his shoulder & cane clatters to thefloor as he grips your side. It would not be the first time he hadstumbled nor would it be the last (YOU WILL NOT ALWAYS BE THERE TO CATCH HIM.)

Youdo not hear the words but you know that he is thanking you & youbreathe in the scent of vanilla & petrichor as he leans in toKISS YOU UPON YOUR CHEEK.

'do not tell the others I have stumbled.' he says.

'of course, your majesty 'you reply.

V.

LIGHTNINGBURNS LIKE INDIGNATION 'CROSS YOUR ARMOUR, oh how it burns andseethes YOUR KING IS DEADAT YOUR FEET & YOURBLADE IS BLOODY. It wasalways to be this way ( youknow this & yet you are filled with melancholy. ) Metalcreaked and groaned, armour almost alive with noise as you step awayfrom the body.

Somethingmakes you stop ( if onlyfor a moment ) & youlook to the crumbled form of your once proud king.

Yourhelmet falls with a clatter, skirting across the ground with a heavysound & YOU BRING THE BLOODY BLADE TO YOUR LIPS.