#Like the parade master was all “The King will throw a Feast!!! He will be so HAPPY!” like wow okay my heart thanks-- | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jq37 · 5 years ago

Text

The Royal Report– A Crown of Candy Ep 3

Keep Sharp

On the Road Again

Welcome back to Calorum you guys. We last left off witnessing an actual miracle as a group of cheese assassins masquerading as meatlanders (and Brennan by proxy) failed to kill a single Candian, Tartguard included.

Now, everyone is picking up the pieces. Amethar is still messed up from the fight so he’s being tended to. Liam and some of the NPCs are working on clearing the tree from the road. Ruby, still covered in blood, is in one of the carriages and when she uses Prestidigitation to clear the blood from a circus flyer she was carrying, Calroy walks in and grabs her hand to stop her as a reflex. He quickly drops her hand--very bold move to grab one of the princesses like that--and tries to impress on her that the rest of the world isn’t like Candia and she really really needs to stop with the casual magic when they’re on the road. Ruby is really naively taken aback and frustrated by this information but Calroy describes it like it’s business as usual. Her aunt, Lazuli, has the title of Archmage but the official position is that the title is an archaic holdover from less enlightened times and she was simply a really good alchemist--even though everyone knows that’s untrue. That’s politics bay-bee! Lapin joins the conversation (along with Theo shortly after) and says that if people knew where he got his powers from, he’d be dead (which seems a weird thing to say with Calroy in earshot).

Outside, Liam is chopping up the tree and finds these little peppermint acorn things called Heartseeds which are basically concentrated, ambient, magical energy that can grant small wishes. Preston eats them and gains a fly speed of 40 (but it’s like he’s a firework--he has to land after 40 feet). Jet finds Liam and asks for help with keeping an eye on Ruby. She’s pretty shook after seeing her almost die. Liam is down to do it for nothing (the kid just wants to be included) but Jet insists on being in his debt and--always on brand--he just asks for some cool seeds. She also finds a meat shield that’s made out of gross, burnt, stuck-to-the-pan meat bits that she names Burnt Ends.

They get going again and in the PC wagon you have all the PCs but Jet (who is outside with the guards and Grissini) along with Cruller and his wife--Lady Donetta. She chats with Grissini for a little bit while the adults try to get her to get in the carriage. She’s finally swayed by Ruby but when she comes in she says she wasn’t (just) flirting. She was trying to get intel on how in trouble Ruby was. Liam offers that he speaks Ceresian so he can spy if they need him to and also did anyone have any dreams last night? Theo--who is trying to keep everyone alive and was like so close to being impressed by Liam--along with Lapin and Cruller try to get everyone back on track but Ruby--defiantly--is all, “They’re not gonna kill me. I’m a princess!” Theo points out that someone almost killed her literally ten minutes ago and Cruller points out that death isn’t the only bad thing that can happen to a person. She could get forcibly put in a monastery for instance. Jet is not even having that in hypothetical-land and says that as the heir princess, she would lay the smackdown on anyone who tried to do that.

It looks like things are about to dissolve into overlapping gibberish but Amethar does the dad thing of putting his foot down and yelling at everyone to get along before taking a dad nap passing out from his injuries. Lady Donetta patches him up while Cruller once again talks about the importance of politics. It’s not just them that have to play this game. The Meatlanders are polytheistic generally but all Bulbian on paper. Jet thinks this whole song and dance is ridiculous and should be changed once she has more sway in politics, but she’s willing to shut up for now. She’s also willing to keep Lapin’s secret, but him bringing it up sparks Cruller’s interest. Lapin tries to gloss over it but Liam chimes in that he’s sorry about breaking his teacup. Lapin shuts him up (Liam on a low Insight check thinks he hates him) and rolls a 14 to get Cruller off his back.

Secrets and Lies

As they cross the border into Fructerra, Sir Theo invites Ruby and Jet out for some fresh air and they invite Liam which he goes along with even though it’s clear he wanted to talk to the sisters alone. As soon as they’re out of earshot of everyone Theo turns off the scold and says that regardless of everything they’re all saying, Ruby absolutely needs to keep studying magic. He says that he was a ward of Lazuli who taught him some magic (including animating Sprinkle) and he has a whole-ass lore dump for them that he was planning on subtly revealing over time but now’s the time for getting everybody up to speed ASAP not mentoring from the shadows:

He says that Lazuli--who, like Ruby and Jet, wanted magic to be acceptable and not relegated to the shadows of one kingdom--was doing arcane research into wild stuff like immortality that would have advanced the world a lot further than its current state. She died sacrificing herself in a battle where she was the only Candian casualty. Theo was there and, before she sent him away, she said that she needed to do it to, “save [their] people and save [their] world.” He didn’t get what she meant and why that would be literally the hill she--a princess and Archmage--would choose to die on but he knows she would sometimes have visions of the future and he thinks she might have known Ruby was coming and needed to ensure that timeline happened. Ruby--who is outraged that this is the first she’s hearing of all of this and shocked that Theo is suddenly cool (“I've always been cool! All of us are cool!”) still doesn’t want to do all this “book stuff” or embrace any kind of magical destiny and even Jet is like, “Come on girl.” Anyway, Sir Theo tells them they just need to be chill and lowkey and he’ll hook them up with magical training and banned books for Jet. He also promises to teach Ruby the Find Familiar spell.

Liam helps Lady Donetta with herbal remedies for Amethar and he comes back at full health. Amethar gets to talking about Liam’s dad who he says had Liam’s knack from nature stuff and taught him (Amethar) how to fight. Calroy chimes in that his dad and Amethar fought together in the Ravening War. He also says that Liam being a hostage (he outright calls him a hostage) is what lets his dad not join the Concord (the kind of ride or die, post Ravening War pact everyone else is in) and remain an independent rebel state. Apparently, he seceded because, King Jadin (Amethar’s Dad--the past king), would not uphold Candia’s alliances. Liam’s dad (Duke Joren Jawbreaker) turned traitor to go fight with their Dairy Island allies.

It takes another couple of days to get to Comida and, on the way there, Ruby learns and casts the Find Familiar spell--netting her a butterscotch falcon that she names Yak after the noise he makes. She hopes he’ll be friends with Sprinkle because Siobhan knows that the second real objective of every D&D campaign (after making friends) is acquiring pets and having them play with each other (which is in direct opposition to the DM goal of not letting any of your players have any pets).

Cruller checks in with Theo about the secret magic lessons and also says that he’s looked into it and the imperial soldiers who saw Ruby do magic are gossiping. Grissini is shutting some of it down so it’s not spreading like wildfire but it’s really just a matter of time. Cruller tries to get more specifics about what Jet and Lapin were talking about (his Sugarplum magic) and Theo dodges the question. Cruller says that he can be more helpful if he’s in the loop but doesn’t push further.

Faces and Names

We have made it to Comida and, after a quick House Rocks family heart to heart, it’s time for a parade of a BUNCH of new characters:

Manta Ray Jack: Man at Arms of House Cheddar and one of Amethar’s Ravening War buddies. A literal 2 foot tall cube of cheese. He also has a tattoo of a Manta Ray on his arm which isn’t important to the plot but is important to me that you know.

Sir Morris Brie: Knight of House Cheddar, Master of State to the Duchess (who we’ll get to next) and another Dairy Island buddy of Amethar.

Duchess Primsy Coldbottle: A literal bottle of milk, 16-year-old regent of House Cheddar (Duchess of Lacramor specifically) and ruler of the Dairy Islands. On a nat 20, Ruby knows that Prince Tarthur Cheddar was the prince during the Ravening Wars but died. She also knows about…

Captain Annabelle Cheddar: (Captain of the Colby) who is this cool, naval, battle-ready lady that Ruby sees hanging out with a bunch of solider women fighters and having a great time while Primsy is talking to her advisors. Apparently, Anabelle should be the rightful heir to the Dairy Islands but was stripped of her title because she refused to marry (hmm) which Ruby thinks is sick as hell. She goes to chat her up and finds out that she’ll be fighting in the Melee part of the tourney.

Senator Augustus Ciabatta: A full bread person who’s a senator from the very populous Ceresia and he’s throwing coins to the people from his palanquin. (I want it on the record that I feel an episode called Bread and Circuses coming.)

Prince Cabbage: The adult son of King Cabbage. His palanquin is the second largest. The largest belongs to...

Hierophant Rex Belizabeth Brassica: She is basically the Bulb Pope. She’s like a green woman with broccoli hair. She and Lapin have met before before she became pope. They quickly talk and she invites him to tag along as they pay their respects to the Emperor. He agrees to go. She’s followed around by Archbishop Onionpatch (another Primogen from Greenhold in Vegetania).

Theo is a little nervous about Amethar cozying up to all these dairy people considering the attack but Amethar insists he can handle himself. There’s a big feast set up and Amethar goes to talk to Primsy who is just super sweet and seems to know she has a lot of responsibility that she is trying her level best to uphold. She’s like the anti Jet and Ruby and Brennan...if something happens to her...I swear...

Anyway, Theo is scanning the room for trouble and he sees (1) That Anabelle is looking at Amethar forlornly from across the room (maybe like she wishes she could be in the room where it happens so to speak?) and (2) there is a young Dairy nobleman stealth flirting with Primsy. Amethar asks Sir Brie about the attack and he says they had nothing to do with it. They don’t have the resources after the war which was fought largely in the Dairy Isles. He seems to blame Anabelle at least partially for the diminished power of House Cheddar based on the dirty look he shoots her when he mentions the state of the state. Amethar reiterates that the alliance between Candia and the Dairy Isles is solid and Manta Ray Jack pops in to casually drop that Amethar had a war girlfriend (lover? idk what the proper terminology is here) in the Far East Isles back in the day so I’m sure that’s gonna become relevant at the worst possible moment.

Brennan also curses us by unleashing Thad (Jet’s avocado pen pal boyfriend) onto the story and as soon as Jet re-meets this poncy, French-y, horny, avocado she’s like “I made a huge mistake” and later gets him to “meet her outside” so she can ditch him.

Theo goes with Liam to check up on Primsy because he’s concerned with whatever is going on with her and that cheese boy who he learns is her traveling companion--Lord Stilton Curdeau. And it’s covered by cologne but his cheese stink is familiar. He wants to alert Amethar but Amethar is currently eyeing Basha Myaso (Warlord of the Beef Clans and ruler of all of the Meatlands) who is glaring at him. On Calroy’s advice, he squares up with Basha who implies that Candia is responsible for the false flag attack. Amethar tells him to “watch [his] fucking mouth.” Diplomacy!

Meanwhile, Lapin is with the Pontifex in the Great Food Pyramid (which is, of course, a thing). She introduces him to Sir Keradin Deeproot who is this super buff super intense carrot Paladin. We learn that Lapin isn’t an archbishop and his title of primogen comes from his status as a “miracle worker”. Apparently, Miracle working is very uncommon even though the Bulbian church is so massive. When asked, Onionpatch says that things in Vegetania are fine except that King Belvedere Cabbage is infirm. Another Priogem--this one of Cersia--joins them, the Archbishop Fettucina Alfredi who is this very classically beautiful looking, toga wearing woman with glowing eyes--she’s also a miracle worker. Lapin is like, “Oh fuck,” because if she’s magic too then she might be able to tell that he’s not actually on the level.

Lapin veers away from Alfredi and chats up the Pontifex who says Brightgarden is OK but they're currently dealing with a murder of an archbishop in the Meatlands (the Archbishop Raddica). Lord Basha is looking for who did it and the Pontifex wants them brought to justice ASAP. Alfredi brings up the attack on the road and wonders about the rumors she heard about strange magic. Lapin, sweating bullets, lies and says that he thinks it was the work of the Bulb. On a 14 Deception from Lapin, Alfredi thinks lavender fog would be a weird Bulbian intercession. It sounds more like something a false good she’s heard about from Candia would do. What’s her name? The Sugarplum Fairy? Lapin, with a 25 Persuasion check, is able to wave that off as primitive backwoods things that he’s working to stamp out in Candia. That’s enough to get the Pontifex on his side and they go up to see the Emperor.

Outside of his room is his daughter--Lady Plumbeline Uvano--who is lowkey very upset about something. She greets them and then takes the Pontifex in to talk to the Emperor while Lapin waits outside with Alfredi and Kerradin. When she’s done paying the respects of the church, the whole holy crew goes back to the party. Before Lapin splits off, the Pontifex does a little pull aside with him about Candia’s role in the war and how she thinks, with him at the helm, Candia is in good hands.

At Sir Theo's suggestion, Amethar has the Candy Crew stand with the Cheese Peeps during the announcement of the tourney which is a big deal because it’s a symbol that the alliance is still on even though they were attacked by cheese bandits. Primsy introduces herself to the princesses and gives them cool, milksilk handkerchiefs she embroidered herself with a candy cane crossed with a cheese cube on a stick with their house words: There is Strength in Sweetness. She doesn’t have one for Liam but gives him hers (it has her house words: Keep Sharp) on the condition he joins the archery competition and fights for her. With not a 15 between the 6 of them (even w/ multiple help actions) none of the PCs have presents for anyone else.

The tourney is announced. There are three events, each with a dope prize. Winner of the melee gets a boon from the emperor at the end of his rule. The winner of the archery contest gets a seat on the Cornucopian Council, the title of Master of Arrows, and is made advisor to the next emperor (which seems like a LOT to put on a person whose main skill is “can shoot arrows well” but OK sure). The winner of the joust gets to name a candidate for Emperor from any class or house they wish and their choice must be considered. Ruby and Liam join the archery contest. Theo signs up for the joust. Jet is hesitant but Amethar convinces her to join the melee with him. She also scratches “The Dairy Islands Rule!” into a piece of wood for Primsy and she’s charming enough that Primsy doesn’t think it’s a slipshod afterthought.

An imperial courier shows up and tells Theo the Emperor wants to talk to Amethar. He brings all the PCs and Calroy. Lady Plumbeline is still outside her dad’s room and she’s still pissed. On a 24 Insight check, Theo can tell that--as I suspected from episode 1--she is pretty ticked that she has all this institutional knowledge and competence and experience but, because of an arbitrary rule, she can’t take the throne. She tells Amethar (who she met when she was a teen) that they need to limit how many people go in as to not overwhelm him. He takes Lapin and Theo (who gives Sprinkle to Jet) and goes in to talk to Uvano.

Uvano, as we already know, was another Ravening War buddy of Amethar’s and another person he’s seen piss and shit--which we learn because that’s apparently how Amethar classifies who his best friends are. They talk the way old buddies do and Uvano asks what he would say about his life taking a surprising turn. Amethar says that if it was anyone else asking, he probably wouldn’t be on board but for Uvano? He’ll do it. That’s just what he wanted to hear.

And that’s where we end the episode without rolling initiative because the combat in the next episode is all fun and games and to quote Lou Wilson--who I suspect is about to become the wrongest person in D20 history--“It’s all sparring. Nobody is going to get killed.”

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure.

You Should Know

Country Accents seen to be as follows: Dairy (Scottish), Meat (Russian), Fruit (French), Grain (Italian), Candy (American/British)

In the long awaited sequel to “Kristen Has -3 Dex,” Liam has a -2 to Charisma.

Ruby speaks Lacra (Dairy-speak).

The Meatlander gods include The Great Cow, The Great Boar, and The Great Hen.

The head beef dude has a super jacked T-Bone steak wife who I assume we’ll get a name for during the melee next episode. Update, courtesy of @fjordgofurther--we did get a name this ep. Her name is Scravoya.

The Bulbian concept of hell/the devil involves the “Hungry Ones” which just serves to underline that Brennan really did think this crazy thing all the way through and still decided to not do it but to DO it.

Everyone levels up every episode I believe since D20 uses milestone leveling for the main seasons but Ruby and Jet leveled up twice to level 3 to help catch them up a little now that they have a story reason to be stronger.

Things I’m Concerned About

Uvano is only in his 60s. Like, people die in their 60s but that detail casually mentioned in a setting like this always brings up the possibility of poison or some other kind of sabotage.

The second Brennan mentioned the daughter of Uvano in passing ep 1, I clocked it and the situation is basically what I was anticipating it seems. Like, of course she’s pissed. I would be too. I wonder if either the boon or the chance to offer up a candidate could be used to override the Concord rules? Either way, gotta keep an eye on her. Also, I noticed the little flippant remark she had for the Pontifex (“This is Fructerra, I’m dressed for court.”) and I don’t know if that’s distaste for the church or something more personal but it seemed interesting enough to mention.

I know that the improvisational nature of D&D means that there’s not foreshadowing in the same way that you have in something fully set like a book or a movie but every time the Rocks family gets together for a sweet (ha) conversation (“We just want to protect you, Pop.”) I am just more and more sure we are being set up for a fall.

Lou Wilson’s defining trait as a D&D player is doing what his character would do and letting it play out to its logical conclusion, consequences be damned--consequences be welcomed even. And Amethar is--como se dice--no Calroy when it comes to politics. I can’t imagine these facts at up to any kind of happy sum.

Also, speaking of, I wanna trust Calroy, but I can’t. He’s too good at this. He’s too competent. He knows too much information and Amethar trusts him too much. Hope he proves me wrong but I will not be made a fool of by a slice of cake. Do you hear me Brennan? I REFUSE.

I've only had Primsy for a week, but if anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself. No but, seriously, if she is just as she appears to be (and this is GoT so I guess it’s not off the table that she’s secretly like bad and it would have taken a 30 Insight check to find out) then MAN I am so scared for her. Characters who are just trying their best to do a good job are my Kryptonite and she is as much in the wrong genre as the twins are. Moreso even.

I’m concerned Amethar has a cheesecake baby somewhere out there that’s gonna end up being a Problem. Oh my god what if one of the twins dies and their backup character is Amethar’s illegitimate kid?

The Bulbian Church has so much power but so little magic which seems...odd. Also, just curious, what is a Paladin without divine magic? Isn’t that just a fighter?

I very much vibe with the concept of Alfredi as a character but lol I was STRESSED for Lapin during that whole conversation and I feel like that’s gonna be my default state for him all season.

I’m concerned (or maybe just suspicious) that there’s more to the backstory with Theo and Lazuli than we heard. That little extra narration from Brennan about swearing he could feel her smile? Mmm, OK.

Five More Things

The character art for this season cracks me up because Brennan clearly gave the artist for this season two lists and one list was labeled “Hot” and one was labeled “Ridiculous” and that’s how we got characters like Primsy and Calroy in the same scene as Anabelle and Grissini and the funniest part is Brennan’s absolute refusal to play any of these characters like they’re any more or less ridiculous than any of the others. He’s like, “The hot pasta woman is valid and the talking cheese cube is EQUALLY VALID.”

“Not this season. Not season five.” Very bold of Brennan to be outraged about Emily trying to ride a living sprinkle dog like that's the ridiculous thing about a world with a living sprinkle dog.

The Sucorsi Road running into the Glucian Road for Sucrose and Glucose is the kind of worldbuilding detail that I love.

I was gonna be so mad at Brennan for the nonsense that is the name “Belizabeth” but he said on Adventuring Party that he was specifically dunking on GRRM with that so he gets a pass this time.

You know that famous Pixar meeting/lunch where they came up with Bugs Life, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E in one conversation? I bet Brennan had a similar brainstorming sesh where he came up with Garthy, Anabelle, and two other thirst traps that haven’t been introduced yet. Like come on. He described her hair as, “princely”? Brennan is trying to kill some of y’all.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #a crown of candy #a crown of candy spoilers #the royal report

98 notes · View notes

laurent-ofvere · 8 years ago

Text

amnesia snippets bc im a disorganized fuck

“ @safetytank the base plot is that ya boys are out doing something or other with some soldiers and get jumped by bandits, damen gets clonked on the head and THE REST IS HISTORY (fuck me i’d love to make this proper and finished but the wedding fic is taking up all my attention) also feel free to stick any of this under a readmore bc even these little bits are kinda long”

DAMEN GETS AMNESIA AND FORGETS LAURENT AND ITS SO SAD AND IM SO SAD EVERYONE READ THIS AND CRY WITH ME

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Auguste of Vere knelt over him, one hand tilting his jaw upwards as that accented voice said again, “Damen.”

In the split-second it took him to drive his fist into the prince’s shoulder, he had the sense of mind to stomp down the pang of guilt at how his opponent’s expression had been one of worried concern.

Strangely—if fortunately—the Veretian hadn’t expected the move at all, and hit the ground hard enough that the force threw him onto his back. In the space of a heartbeat, Damen rolled over and scrambled to his feet, yanking his sword from its scabbard in expectation that the other prince would have done the same.

He hadn’t. His counterpart had only managed to wedge an elbow between himself and the grassy dirt, and now Damen could see what looked like a piece of yellow silk knotted tightly around the arch of his foot.

He frowned, his sword’s grip never wavering. Auguste hadn’t been injured before they had begun fighting, he was sure of it. And neither of their armies carried yellow, only blues and reds. Now that he thought on it, he didn’t recognize their surroundings at all. Marlas was a wide-open field, not a valley between gently-sloping hills and dense forest.

And Auguste…was not Auguste, he realized with a dawning moment of comprehension. The man lying at his feet was a fair double, possessing the same pale complexion and blond hair as the Veretian royal family, but he was thinner, softer, and wore his fear more plainly than any real crown prince would have allowed.

“Damen,” the impersonator repeated. Then, in Akielon, “It’s me.”

He breathed out, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. Just like Vere to claim they would hold to the rules of an honorable battle, and then send a body-double in their prince’s place. He sheathed his sword, staring down at the false prince with unmasked disdain.

“Clearly,” he spat, “it is not. Tell me where you have taken me.”

The confusion on the double’s face gave him pause, enough that the man seemed able to gather himself, wheels clearly turning behind those lake-blue eyes.

“We’re camped at the foothills of Serecote,” the false prince spoke in accented Akielon. “You are in no danger.”

His glance around them at the bodies strewn across the grass was a snippy retort all on its own.

“They were brigands,” the Veretian continued, admirably calm for someone sprawled on the ground with what looked like a broken ankle and a ruse that had come apart inside of a minute. “Loyal to no country and no ruler. All of them have been dispatched.”

As likely a story as any. “Why have you brought me here?” he demanded, very deliberately placing a hand on the pommel of his sheathed sword. “Are you hoping for an Akielon surrender if my father can’t produce a combatant? Because I can assure you that won’t be the case.”

The imposter’s flinch was the only hint that his words had any effect whatsoever. No matter, he thought, taking a last glance at the corpses strewn around them for any clue that one might be playing dead with a knife gripped under their bloodied breastplate. The hills surrounding them would provide enough of a vantage point to gauge his distance from any mountain ranges, and from there chart his course back to the border.

The only problem would be evading his captors but, as he met the double’s eyes again, he didn’t believe that would be too much of an obstacle.

“Damen.” He paid the double no attention, choosing the nearest hill that wouldn’t leave his back exposed, in case the imposter had falsified his broken ankle as well. “Damen!” Then what had to be a filthy curse in Veretian. “Damen, wait!”

“Don’t call me that,” he responded in annoyance, turning his head enough to catch sight of the imposter still propped up on his elbows—his injury legitimate, then.

“Damianos of Akielos,” the double snapped, the title dripping with venom. “Your father has been dead for three years.”

The lie was of such poor quality its brazen tone caught him entirely off-guard.

“Is that what they told you to say?” he blurted after a moment or two. “Your masters are more terrible at this than I thought. Where’s your national pride in dishonesty and deceit?”

He shouldn’t have stayed to insult the exposed fraud, no matter how amusing it was to see the man take such offense that he was rendered practically speechless.

~~~~~~~~OH SHIT EVERYONE ELSE SHOWS BACK UP~~~~~~~

“United?” he blurted, the words punching through the shock rooting him to the spot. “How—when—”

“I believe it would be appropriate,” Auguste’s double interjected, silencing Nikandros’ beginnings of an answer, “for proper introductions at this time. None of this will make sense to him otherwise, so it would be prudent to begin with what is most important.”

From the gathered men’s silence, it seemed they agreed. Damen bristled silently at their acquiescence to a Veretian, and a professional liar at that.

“Fine,” he agreed reluctantly. “I would hope you know me already,” he addressed the gathered Akielons, whose nods without hesitance were a comfort. “In fact,” he turned back to the man wearing a prince’s armor, “the only one here I don’t know is you.”

Were he not seated as close to the imposter as he was, he might not have caught the minute strain of a tendon in the man’s neck, only a flicker of movement before those icy eyes settled on his own.

“Very well,” the man replied, his tone deliberately kept even. “Your people know me as King Laurent of Vere.”

King? His mouth fell open. He didn’t bother trying to close it again.

“You, however,” the man, the king of Vere, continued, “know me as your Prince-Consort.” He spoke the Akielon words with more of a pronounced accent than he did his conversational vocabulary. “We have been married for two and a half years.”

“We have not,” was all that came out of his mouth, on such a whispery breath that it robbed the words of the argumentative tone he’d intended. “We haven’t—Nikandros, this is—”

His friend’s lowered eyes were answer enough on their own.

“Married?” Damen blurted helplessly. To him?

“Whether you remember it or not, it was somewhat of an extravagant affair,” continued King Laurent, as if he were discussing the weather. “Three days of ceremonies, seven more of feasting, some ridiculous display you insisted on that involved horses—”

“The first ride is a revered tradition,” Damen mumbled, cheeks flushing with warmth. The thought of parading around atop a ceremonially-decorated steed with this mouthy Veretian royal in his lap was embarrassing enough without the addition that everyone presently gathered had likely witnessed it as well.

“So you told me, repeatedly.” The king’s tone remained cool and unperturbed as one pale finger idly circled the rim of his goblet. “Perhaps it’s better you’ve forgotten the mountains of paperwork that came after. Ratifying the merge of two kingdoms did not make for a particularly thrilling honeymoon.”

They were married.

~~~~~~~~MOM THE BOYS ARE FIGHTING ;A;~~~~~

“Oh,” he groaned aloud. Right. Married. Of course there was only one bed. “Did we—”

“We shared it,” Laurent answered, his eyes never straying from his sheaf of paper. “And many other things besides.”

He was glad Laurent hadn’t looked up. He wouldn’t have approved of Damen’s appalled expression.

“You needn’t subject yourself to my presence tonight.” Of course Laurent had caught his shudder despite Damen’s best attempt to hide it. “My own quarters are distanced enough that my existence shouldn’t offend your gentle sensibilities.”

“Are you always like this?” he responded irritably, his words harshened by exhaustion and still-lingering disbelief. “I can’t think what I must have seen in being insulted every time I so much as breathe with you around.”

“It’s no concern of mine that you shy away from responsibility like a whipped dog,” retorted Laurent, finally deigning to lift his gaze from the report fix Damen with an icy, calculating stare.

“I’ve been told not half a day ago that not only is every member of my family dead, some after trying to kill me, but that I’m supposed to lead two kingdoms’ worth of people that want any excuse to throw us back into war!” he exclaimed in exasperation. “It’s a lot to take in, thank you!”

He’d hoped pleading for sympathy might soften those blue eyes, but they merely narrowed in subtle displeasure.

“Ten years might have passed for you, but they haven’t for me,” he continued, too tired to keep the helplessness from seeping into his voice. “I’m not the Damianos all of you are convinced I must be. I have no idea what to make of any of this, to be truthful. I’m still not sure I believe any of this is really happening. And you’re not helping with this needless vulgarity.”

Laurent simply stood and made to leave. “You are correct,” he spoke over his shoulder in parting. “You are not Damianos. He would never defend his inexperience by bleating like a sullen child.”

The canvas flap of the tent entrance had already swung back into place before he’d finished spitting an obscenity at Laurent’s retreating back.

~~~~~~everyone’s upset, let’s calm down a little and try again~~~~

“His Majesty humbly requests your presence, Exalted.”

The messenger was well-trained enough not to react to Damen’s disbelieving snort at the use of the word “humbly.”

The tableau in his head hadn’t been exact, but he’d carried a clear expectation of how the King of Vere might present himself upon Damen’s entering his tent. From what little time they’d spent together he’d become quite accustomed to the haughty reticence and lancing words, familiar with his supposed-husband’s meticulous dedication to exacting social performances. As such, Damen had expected to find him lounging disinterestedly on some ornate piece of Veretian furniture, or perhaps seated at his missive-covered desk with a quill and impossibly straight-backed posture.

He certainly hadn’t expected to catch the ruler of two nations in the midst of pouring tea.

“Damen,” Laurent acknowledged, “thank you for coming.”

Everything about the scene was jarring. The fussy, demanding King Laurent bent over a low-set table with an overly elaborate piece of porcelain in hand, serving tea as if the camp wasn’t full of attendants to do it for him. The pair of cups he must have acquired specifically for this purpose, as their Akielon simplicity couldn’t have looked more out of place surrounded by Veretian opulence. The fact that Damen had been greeted cordially, almost warmly, rather than enduring some manner of snide comment upon his entrance.

He hadn’t been this wary since his father had agreed to hear the Veretian herald’s terms at Marlas.

The dark turn of his thoughts must have shown on his face. Laurent set the teapot down, one pale hand indicating the seat arranged opposite his own.

“I fear we’ve made poor first impressions of one another,” he said, making no visible acknowledgment of Damen’s cautious approach and guarded sitting posture. “Yesterday was a volatile time for the both of us, yourself in particular. I believe it would be to our mutual benefit if we could, perhaps, start anew?”

If it seemed too straightforward for what Damen had come to understand was a treacherously corkscrew Veretian nature, it was probably exactly that.

“As much as I’m sure you’d love to uncover some hidden motive of mine,” Laurent interrupted as if reading his thoughts, “you will be disappointed to find that I am perfectly capable of honesty, should the situation call for it.” Some unidentifiable emotion passed over those blue eyes. “I have you to thank for that, in fact. Tea?”

Whatever his dedication to remaining steadfast against Laurent’s machinations, he could perhaps hope that one claiming to be his husband would not try to poison him with so many Akielon soldiers gathered outside. His first sip had his brows raising in surprise.

“This is—”

“Ironwart,” Laurent finished for him. “You introduced me after we returned to Ios.” Something gentle flitted across his face, quickly hidden by the action of lifting his own cup to his lips. “You pouted at me for an entire afternoon when I told you Veretian tea is taken with milk.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” he said, “you’d just end up—”

“—Diluting the flavor,” Laurent said together with Damen, their voices mingling in unison. “You were quite clear in your belief that I’d rendered the health benefits entirely ineffectual.”

“Not that it stopped you, I’m assuming.”

“Now you’re catching on.” The approval in Laurent’s tone sounded strange, at least compared to the predictability of his snappish insults, but it was not unpleasant to have directed at Damen for once.

His eyes caught on a glitter at Laurent’s wrist. Strange, he hadn’t thought the king’s austere preferences included jewelry. Laurent, of course, noticed immediately, and lifted his other hand to tug back his sleeve.

The golden cuff encircling one slender wrist was Akielon in design, simple in shape and minimalist in decoration. Were the implication of such an item not paramount to its aesthetics, he might have said the color suited the Veretian king.

“You gave me this,” Laurent said, turning his hand so that the metal glimmered in the lamplight. “Its twin sits on your own arm.”

~~~~~~~~~~REBUILD UR RELATIONSHIP AW YEAH~~~~~~~~~

“Tell me about Damianos.”

Laurent, perceptive as ever, had immediately turned those blue eyes upon him with an unreadable expression. “What do you wish to know?” The guarded tone was clear, though his closing and setting aside his book was a sign that it was safe to proceed.

“What you—what he was like,” Damen corrected. “There are ten years between us, and I have…difficulty understanding the place he occupied in the world.”

Though Laurent remained seated with a wary stiffness, the admission seemed successful as an extended olive branch. “He was an effective ruler,” he began, clearly playing his words close to his chest. “Much beloved by his people, and passionate about the merge of two kingdoms so long at war with one another. Though he was one of the best captains I had ever served with, he did not possess a violent heart, and was pleased to see conflicts ended with a minimum of bloodshed.”

It was entirely possible Laurent was withholding anything but praise for the Other Damen out of a hope that compliments would earn him the veneer of trustworthiness. Still, Damen couldn’t bring himself to think that his counterpart could have been a greedy miser or a murderous tyrant. The Akielon honor guard would never have treated him with respect if he had, let alone the unanimous support Other Damen seemed to have garnered from the kyroi.

“Who was he when he wasn’t king?” Damen asked, hoping to keep from demanding too much too quickly, else his best source of information might shut down and wave him off entirely.

Laurent broke their held gazes, turning instead to his hands clasped in his lap. “He disliked confinement,” he said after a moment’s pause. “If there was nothing to hold him from it, he would be out riding or hunting, or participating in some manner of sport.”

That, at least, sounded familiar. He didn’t even realize he’d let a smile creep onto his face until a glance at it seemed to strengthen his plea in Laurent’s mind.

“He gave endless amounts of advice, whether it was called for or not. He made no mystery of his opinions, and stood by them with a conviction I’ve yet to see matched by any other man.”

“He sounds incredibly stubborn,” Damen offered.

“I’ve met rocks with less commitment to holding their ground.”

He chuckled aloud at that, imagining the Other Damen and Laurent debating into the night because neither believed in surrendering his point. The sound of his voice seemed to startle Laurent, earning him another of those looks that carried within it a strange jumble of approval, mixed heavily with sorrow.

“What brought the two of you together?” he asked, tentatively and hoping his intrusion might be buoyed forward on good humor. “It seems a strange coupling, given how different you both are.”

“A shared goal,” Laurent answered simply. “He wanted his country back, I wanted mine. His brother stood in his way, my uncle stood in mine. Any course other than working together would have been ill-advised, suicidal at worst.”

“Did you get along with him then?”

“Of course not,” Laurent practically snorted, though such a crude verb could hardly be applied to the delicacy of his every action. “He found me insufferable and I found him defiant and uncultured. Had he not proven his usefulness to me I’d have had him executed on the flimsiest of premises.”

He’d heard the gist of the story, but to have it confirmed so flippantly put an uncomfortable weight in his stomach that he couldn’t quite get rid of.

Of course, Laurent would have noticed even if it hadn’t shown on his face. The observation seemed to sober the other man somewhat from the light tone he’d used moments before. “I treated him poorly,” he admitted in what could almost be described as a small voice. “He didn’t deserve the punishments I inflicted upon him in my misplaced anger. He proved his unwavering loyalty time and again, and I couldn’t have asked for a more honorable companion.”

“You cared for him very much,” Damen observed, dropping the pretense of phrasing it as a question.

Laurent sighed, his gaze rooted firmly to the floor. “I did.”

In that moment, he could begin to conceptualize the sheer weight of loss that had to be hanging from the Veretian king’s shoulders. The Damianos he spoke of was everything Laurent himself was not. Together they’d tackled situations neither of them could have survived on their own, and had deposed two usurpers to rule two kingdoms’ worth of people through their combined efforts and complementary strengths. To lose that person, with whom he had built so much and weathered so many storms…

“I’m sorry,” he said weakly, though the words seemed to inadequate to fill the silence that had opened between them like some great, gaping chasm.

~~~~~i’m sorry~~~~~~

#THIS WAS FUCKING AMAZING AND IS BREAKING ME APART AND I NEED MORE OH MY GODDDDD #submission #captive prince #amnesia fic

80 notes · View notes