#theo interaction

Setting: The Guard's quarters

Theo wanted to feel excited, wanted to be satisfied with the knowledge that the Holy Roman Empire had been found to be behind the attacks, but there was a prickling nag that something was unfinished. They still had not settled on who among the staff of Versailles had helped in the attacks, though they now knew who was bankrolling them. They were also not completely certain that the Holy Roman Empire was the only country conspiring. Of course, Theo did not bring this up to the other guards who were simply relieved at the possibility of getting to go on furlough to Paris and get out of the palace for a few days. Theo did not want to rain on their excitement so he took his worries to Santiago.

Theo had learned early into his mentorship, that Santiago was almost never pleased or at ease. Years of protecting the unprotectable had left the Marechal with a deep sense of impending doom, one that was rarely wrong. If Santiago told Theo it was time to relax, he would do so, but he sincerely doubted he would. Theo found Santiago with a group of recruits, setting the ground rules for them as they entered the service of Versailles so he waited, standing straight and tall, an example for all of those in front of Santiago. When Santiago dismissed them, he fell in step beside him. "It seems you were right to have me look into the Hapsburgs sir. I wanted to know if you still wished me to focus on them or if you wished me to pivot my focus to those inside the palace who might have helped."

"Merde!" Theo exclaimed as he and Reina stood in the cell that had housed the former rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, though he supposed "cell" wasn't exactly the right word. As former royalty and Hapsburgs, the family had been given certain luxuries incumbent to their status. It had made the cell look more like a miniaturized palace than a prison; there was plenty they could have used to pay off certain servants. "I swear this prison is nicer than half the homes in Paris," Theo growled. And yet, the Holy Roman rulers were not there. "It would be best if we could catch them before they left the country. Once they return home, they will be impossible to ferret out. Too many in their home castles will flock to them. It might mean getting aggressive when we should not need to. Just in case, I wonder if they will dispatch troops to their strongholds, just in case. What do you think Reina?"

Setting: Back at Versailles

Theo found Elie exactly where he'd thought he'd be. He'd been wondering about the prince lately, at the tightness that seemed to envelope him. His talk with Tae-hyung when he had sparred with him still clung in his mind. If Etienne was to go to Korea possibly, then what of the prince's twin? The two had been together all their lives; what happened when twins were torn apart? Not that Theo had the status, nor the inclination to voice his concerns. These things were far above his level. Instead, he brought food to the hidden prince, setting it down by him before taking a few steps back and looking up at the sky. "Are you glad to be back at the palace or would you have rather stayed in the country, your highness?" he asked quietly.

Setting: Outside, a few days after the attack

The mood around the palace had only soured for most in the days that followed the attack; so many were nursing wounds both visible and invisible. He could see it in the eyes of those he passed, a feeling of exposure; they knew how vulnerable they all were and many of them felt that he and those like him were to blame. Ordinarily, Theo might not have cared as he did not put much stock in the opinion of royals, but this time, there was a part of him that feared that they were right, despite all the extra measures that they had painstakingly undertaken. The frustration, the anger, and, most of all, the guilt, ate at Theo in those days. The mood in the barracks hardly helped matters. Soldiers whispered baseless theories or worried over the states of their friends, some even grieved in silence for those who could never rejoin them.

He found himself outside with his sword in hand, his comfort since Santiago had first begun training him; he had told him early that the only way forward was to put all his feelings into focus and all his focus into his sword. Going through a familiar routine, he blocked, feigned, parried, and thrust, whirling around more and more quickly before delivering a thrust only to find someone near him. Quickly, he put his sword to his side, bowing while breathing heavily. "I beg your pardon. I was training and did not hear you approach."

Setting: amongst the rubble, where the first charges went off

He had picked over the wreckage of the palace walls time and time again since the explosions had rocked Versailles; from what everyone had been able to judge, this was where the first explosion had happened, far enough away from the main festivities that no one had judged them for the terror they were until it was too late. By then, a chain reaction had started with subsequent explosions rocking the palace. Theo held a piece of the wall and crumbled it between his fingertips. He still had so many questions, even after looking at all the clues for days. How had the perpetrators managed to move and hook up so many explosives without anyone having known? Was it only France that was being targeted if people from any nation could have been hurt? Were they looking at palace servants? He ran the thoughts over and over in his head until he heard someone approaching and turned. "I am afraid if you are looking for something here or if you hoped to find something, there is little to find other than ash and rubble. Whatever they used to destroy this wall was powerful. Can I help you with something?"

Setting: stables, a few days after the attack, early morning

Daylight broke over the grounds of Versailles as Theo and Cheval made their way out of the stables. Cheval scraped at the ground restlessly with his hooves, eager for the morning run despite the chill that hung in the winter air. Theo's mood matched his horse as he anxiously waited for his, well, he supposed that he would call the prince a friend, despite the disparity in their stations. He had met the Prince soon after the summit had started on a ride and the two had shared some banter over their horses and had developed something of a standing race. What had started off as chance had become something both Theo and Cheval looked forward to greatly, especially with all that had been going on in the preceding days.

Theo huffed into the cold, watching his breath hang in the air as he heard the oncoming hoof beats. "Bout time you got here Prince Enzo, the sun hasn't had time to warm me up and a frozen opponent is hardly conducive to a good race," he chuckled.

Where: the training grounds

Dark figures, money left under tavern tables, shadowy faces, and middlemen. Theo's brain wrapped in and around upon itself, trying to untangle the knot of information he'd gained from the prisoners so far. How was it that, with all that had happened and all that he'd done, he seemed no closer to finding the missing pieces, those who had hired the soldiers. Whoever had planned the attacks, everything, had been careful to make sure that no one guard would have enough information to truly implicate anyone, no matter how much Theo beat them. Or maybe they had given up more, but Theo wasn't able to make sense of it. Either way, Theo knew there was only one way to clear his head and that was to train so there he was, slicing into the dummies on the training yard with fury, knocking the head clean off one of the wooden posts. He felt eyes on him but did not stop and look up until the wood rolled to the spectator's feet. Then he saw the queen, bowing hurriedly as he realized. "Generale."

Setting: Walking through the halls of Versailles

Theo was shaking. If it had not been bad enough that the guards had been placed on high alert after the bombing, now there had been a poisoning and the young soldier knew that the palace guards had already been spread too thin. He strode quickly through the palace, stopping to ask the other guards for the location of the Marechal. His brain spun as he kept coming back to the thought that the summit had to end. There were no other options, no other solutions that would effectively slow the spread of tragedy that had befallen them. The Bourbons had just returned to power and they would lose all of that power if they continued to focus on hosting this summit that they seemed woefully ill-equipped to handle.

He found his mentor walking through the halls himself, his brow furrowed as he traveled to his next destination. "Marechal!" Theo called, falling into step beside Santiago. "Marechal, please tell me that King Dennis is sending them home. Please. It is insane at this point to keep this situation going. We cannot possibly figure out who is doing all this if we are guarding so many different nobles and royals alike. We need to send them home and focus on protecting our own." Theo whispered his words but his manner was pure frustration though he knew that he needed to rein in his passions.