#mergi zain

[fidgetnano19]

Day 6, Part 3: Dragged Away

Translations

Mergi: Knight type guy

Ogam: Prince

Onai: Princess

Eika: Queen

Kolekja: Little monster

Ceamar, 4 years ago

[[MORE]]

Brexton leaned against the door, flipping through his worn journal before finding a blank page to scribble on. Inside the room behind him, he could hear giggling, and he kind of wished he could be included, except he knew he was doing an important job by standing watch over the corridor.

Besides, there'll be time to catch up later...

The sound of footsteps distracted him just as his pencil touched the paper. He glanced up, a man he'd never seen before headed directly toward him.

He was tall, almost as tall as Brexton, with a short brown ponytail. He slowed as he approached, eyeing Brexton warily. "What's going on here?" He smiled, but it was clear that he was being cautious.

A mergi? If so, then he worked for Egom Orestes.

Brexton forced himself to return the smile, choosing his answer carefully. "Mar– The Ogam's cousins are visiting. You weren't told?"

"No, I wasn't... Is there any reason why the door should be guarded just for that?"

"Never said I was guarding it", Brexton hummed non-commitally, pretending he was busy with the notebook. "Just stepped out for a breather, is all."

"Well, then you won't mind if I–"

Brexton shifted, blocking the door with his body. "Actually, I do. My, uh... My bond is in there. My brother's bond, too. So you see, I'd feel better not letting some stranger just barge in."

It was only partly lying. Einnet really was Torin's bond, and Finny would have been his, had everything gone as planned. The part about not letting a stranger around them was completely true, even if it wasn't his real reason for refusing.

"And I would feel better if I made sure, since you're also a stranger, and it very much looks like you're guarding this door."

He wrapped his hand around the knob, but Brexton was too fast for him, reaching down and clamping his hand over the man's knuckles.

He winced, yanking his hand back in surprise, and shaking it to ease the chill in his flesh. "Okay, so you're definitely an egomija."

He'd be tempted to grin at the man's mistake, if he weren't so commited to keeping him away from the room.

"That was just a sample, mergi. Touch this door again, and I'll–"

"Brexton?" Haru's greeting interrupted him, and both men turned their attention to the Ogam, who had managed to sneak up on them while they were arguing. "I wasn't expecting you to be here."

"Noe couldn't make it." Brexton explained, shrugging as he tucked his journal away, making a mental note to return to it later. "I don't mind it, though. Good to see you again, Haru."

"You, too. It's been... Kea, it's been quite a while, hasn't it. You're almost as tall as Noe, now." He chuckled, reaching past the mergi to shake hands. "It's probably for the best that Noe isn't here. Wouldn't want our newest mergi reduced to a pile of ash, now would we?" He laughed, and Brexton joined in, revelling in the mergi's obvious discomfort.

"Can't have that. Besides, it's been a while since I've seen Marek, too."

"Ah, then give me a minute to chat with Zain, here, and I'll take over the door, give you a chance to visit properly." Before Brexton could answer either way, Haru threw his arm around the mergi's shoulders, dragging him away. "Let me explain a few things to you..."

Brexton let them go, then retrieved his journal, shaking his head. Knowing Haru, the man he'd called Zain was about to get quite the earful about interrupting the Ogam during one of their visits.

...

The raucous laughter stopped as Brexton opened the door, all eyes on him.

Marek was the first to break the tense silence. "Brex!" He hurried over, lifting his skirt so he wouldn't trip on the hem. "We were just–"

Brexton watched his cheeks colour adorably as he looked down at himself, fidgeting with the gown.

"Is that one of Einnet's?"

"Um, y– yeah. She said she brought it just to..." He worried his bottom lip, flashing his wide lilac eyes upward only to hide them again

As shy as ever...

"Spin around, let's see you."

Marek covered his face, twirling slowly so Brexton could see the back of the gown. Aside from hanging a bit loosely over his shoulders, the gown fit him well, and the dark colour complimented the olive tones in his skin perfectly. If he didn't know any better, he'd be completely fooled into thinking there was a pretty girl standing in front of him.

"It really suits you. You look beautiful, Mare, as always."

He kept his hands over his eyes, and Brexton fought the urge to reach out and tug them away, reminding himself that Marek didn't like to be touched, now.

"We– we were playing dress up, and... Oh, come and have a look at Finn! My kolekja is so cute!" Turning the topic to Finn, he seemed to forget all of his shyness, ushering Brexton further into the room.

When he reached the centre, Einnet placed her hands on his shoulder, standing on her tiptoes to whisper, "Is this alright?"

"Haru took over door duty for me. It's perfectly safe." He hesitated, glancing around at the scattered assortment of dresses, and the remnants of what appeared to be a tea party, then added, "As long as no one minds having a guy in here, that is."

The door to the en suit opened, Finny rushing out in another of Einnet's gown – this one obvious because it was far too frilly and long to be her own.

"I told you!" Marek beamed proudly at the youngest princess, the cousin he'd always been the most fond of. "Doesn't she look like an Eika?"

Brexton nodded, bowing exaggeratedly to the Onai. "Eika Finny, huh? That has a nice ring to it." This caused a fresh round of giggles to erupt, mostly from Finny herself.

He sat on the bed, letting Marek serve him a cup of tea, and easing into the cheerful conversation. It was easy to pretend, just for the afternoon, that they were still a closeknit group of children – that all of the things they'd been through, collectively and individually, over the years were nothing more than a series of bad dreams. The only real difference was that Finny was older, more involved in what was happening around her. And, of course, that Torin wasn't there.

On the far end of the room, Einnet bustled around Finny, applying far too much make-up to her sister's plump cheeks, and he wondered why it was that they got along so well like this when they barely spoke to each other at home.

Marek settled in beside him, sipping his own tea. "They're having fun", he commented, following Brexton's eyes.

"They don't get to relax much." Brexton turned his head, giving Marek his full attention. "How are things with you?"

"Oh, you know..." He waved away the question, blowing the steam off his cup. "Nothing really changes around here. Haru and I spend most of our time in here, hiding from father, and Antoku is... Antoku. Off doing his own thing, which is really just code for avoiding me."

"What about the new mergi?"

Marek's gaze sharpened, before he swivelled his face away. "What about him?"

"He and Haru seemed pretty friendly outside. He was awfully concerned about you, too. I thought maybe you guys were all getting along."

"They were... friendly?" Marek blanched, bunching his skirt in the fingers of his free hand. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Can a man like another man?"

It wasn't exactly the sort of thing he'd been expecting, but he cleared his throat, trying to come up with a decent answer.

"Are you asking my permission?"

Marek scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Obviously not. The new mergi, he– a few months ago, he told me he proposed to a boy once." He bent away from Brexton, gently settling his tea cup on the bedside table. "He and Haru have been spending time together lately, going on hunts and things like that. It may be nothing, but... I'm worried about it."

"Afraid he'll steal you brother away?"

"A bit..." Marek squeaked his confirmation, tucking his chin into his palm.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Brexton tried to shrug it off, without giving too much away. "Noone alive could steal Haru from you."

The tension melt away from Marek's slim shoulders, and Brexton felt some of his own discomfort vanish along with it.

"What about you?"

"Haru's not my type." He smirked, watching Marek flounder for a response. It was so much fun to get him flustered.

"I meant are you interested in anyone, smartass."

"Not as such..." Brexton's smile faded as he found Einnet across the room, meeting her eyes before quickly looking away. "I'm still not over my first love", he confessed quietly.

[fidgetnano19]

Day 6, Part 2: "Yes, I'm aware. You're point?"

Translations

Ogam: Noble boy, prince

This came out really short. I dunno. I've been sick but trying to power through.

Ceamar, 4 years ago

[[MORE]]

"Zain!"

He stopped outside of the barracks, giving the Ogam a chance to catch up, and then to finish panting so he could tell him what it was he'd called him for.

"Do you need something, Ogam Kuniharu?"

"Yes... the flowers... no good. You should try another method." He stood to his full height, placing a hand on Zain's shoulder. "Marek doesn't like them."

Zain studied his face sceptically, sure that he had ulterior motives, again. After all, why should he give him advice, when they were both after the same person. "And I'm supposed to just take your word for it?"

"You don't have to. Look." From behind his back, he produced a small bouquet of red roses, holding them up for Zain's inspection. "He told me to throw them away, same with the last six."

"He's still that angry with me?"

"Not at all. He pretends it's because of that, but... the truth is, he can't bring himself to touch them, I can tell." Kuniharu handed off the flowers with a small shrug. "I know Marek, it isn't disgust that's stopping him from accepting the flowers, it's fear – maybe because you handled them, or... I'm not sure of the 'why', exactly, but that's how it is."

He peered down at the roses, wondering what possible reason the Ogam would have for telling him all of this.

"He likes books. Romance novels, fairy stories, anything dramatic and sappy." Haru went on, oblivious to Zain's confusion. "I could help you pick something out, if you'd like."

"Why would you do that? You and I are rivals."

"Yes, I'm aware. Your point?" Kuniharu shifted so he was leaning against the wall of the barracks, his shoulder pressed uncomfortably close to Zain's. "Alright, the truth then. Marek lives a very isolated life. If it weren't for my father's meddling, he'd spend all of his time hidden away in his room. To be near him... I haven't had a lot of opportunities to make friends, especially not ones I can talk openly to, without playing the pronoun game."

Zain huffed, caught off guard by the sudden admission. "The... pronoun game?"

"You know, 'the person I like', 'they make me really happy', that sort of thing. Always walking on egg shells, being overly concious of yourself."

"No, I know it..." Zain chuckled to himself, feeling a weight lift that he'd never been aware he was carrying. All the times he'd done that exact thing, or else quietly excused himself from a group because the conversation had turned to pretty women... It had come so naturally that it never occured to him to be bothered about it, until Kuniharu pointed it out. "I just– I've done that all my life, but I never had a name for it until now."

"Wouldn't it be nice to not have to do that, for once? Besides, I'm confident I can win, so I don't need to resort to such dirty tricks." He held his hand, smiling earnestly at Zain. "Friends?"

"Friends." Zain shook his hand, deciding that maybe being rivals didn't mean they also had to be enemies.

"Good. Then let's go on a hunt this afternoon. Marek refuses to join me, says it's 'barbaric'", He paused, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. "So I'm stuck bringing a bunch of 'yes-men' servants. Really sucks all the joy out of it."

[fidgetnano19]

Day 4, Part 3: Dare You

Translations

Kiga: Someone older AND higher in station. Marek is using it incorrectly when referring to Zain

Koja: Someone younger and higher in station

Really, these two just use them as nicknames for each other.

E kali...: Marek is starting to say he's scared, in his native language, but he calms down enough to say it the normal way. There is something interesting about the way he says it, but I'm keeping that a secret for later. ;)

Minor warning for creepy older boys that Zain should have just punched. Like, really, really should have.

I had an entirely different plan for this prompt, but it wouldn't cooperate. I got distracted flipping through notes and found some stuff past fidget had jotted down about kid!Marek. This just wrote itself, so here we are.

Griaria, 10 years ago

"Zain!"

At the sound of his name, the young boy spun around, peering curiously at the breathless girl in front of him. He vaguely recognised her, but not enough to put a name with the face.

"You– you are Zain, aren't..." She bent over, clutching her knees as she panted furiously. "Aren't you?"

When he nodded, her face lit up. "Come with me!" She stood and grabbed his hand, yanking him across the cobblestone street.

"Where are we going?" he questioned, tugging his hand free, because there was only one person he wanted to hold hands with, and it wasn't this girl.

"It's Marek, I... I think he might be in trouble", she explained, not slowing to even look back while she spoke to him. "Some older boys asked him to play, but they took him down to the old alter, and–"

He didn't give her a chance to finish. Didn't even thank her for coming to find him, though he probably should have. Instead, he broke into a sprint, making a beeline across the village toward the forest.

Please, be okay!

He wasn't yet in sight of the abandoned alter when he heard Marek calling out for him.

"Shut up!" The group of boys came into view – three of them, all Zain's classmates, though he wasn't exactly friends with any of them. "I told you, didn't I? We just want to play a little game."

"Do you think she's really a boy?"

"Nah, no way that's a boy. She's just lying to get attention!"

"Only one way to find out..."

"Ha! Dare you to check!"

Zain ran as fast as his feet would carry him, gaining momentum to topple the first boy, knocking him off Marek's stomach, where he'd been sitting to keep the little Ogam pinned.

He stood between Marek and the others now, a barrier to protect him from harm. He could hear Marek crying behind him, but there was nothing he could do about it until he finished what he'd started.

"Leave Marek alone! If you ever touch him again, I'll– I'll..."

"You'll what?" Despite the cockiness of his tone, the other boy backed away, along with his friends.

Zain was bigger than them. Bigger and stockier than most Griarian boys his age, thanks to his father's foreign blood. Sometimes, it got him picked on, but very rarely did anyone try to fight him.

He squared his shoulders, gathering himself up to his full height. "Marek is mine, so just stay away from him!"

The ringleader frowned, staring daggers at Zain, but he wouldn't budge no matter what. One of his friends smacked him in the shoulder, shaking his head.

"Let's just go. It's not worth it."

Zain held his intimidating stance, refusing to let his guard down until the boys were out of sight. A pair of small arms wrapped around his waist from behind, Marek's face burying into the back of his shirt, leaving a wet spot from his tears.

"E kali..." He hiccoughed, squeezing tighter. "I was really s-scared!"

Zain reached down, unclasping Marek's arms so he could turn and hug him properly. "It's alright. You don't think I'd let anything happen to you, do you Koja?"

Marek shook his head, but the tears showed no signs of stopping.

"Hey, look at me! If you're gonna be my wife someday, then it's my job to protect you." Zain's cheeks coloured with embarrasment as his brain caught up to his mouth. "I mean–"

"Did you just...?"

"Only if you want to! If not, then forget– forget I said anything, alright?"

Marek sniffled, nodding against Zain's chest. "Idiot Kiga! Of course I want to!"

With the matter settled, Zain pried himself free and grabbed Marek's hand. "Let's go home, now. I bet Mama's got a snack waiting for us already." He led Marek through the forest, back to Deerlight and the small house he shared with his mother. "You're going to sleep over again tonight, aren't you?"

Marek's soft but definite, "Mhmm", was followed shortly by, "You're hand's so much bigger than mine, Kiga."

"I said it before, didn't I? Marek's hands are perfect for mine, because they're so small. They fit right in."

"Right!" Marek grinned up at him, the tear stains on his cheeks beginning to fade. "Kiga... can we, um... When we get married, can we do it at the altar?"

Zain furrowed his brow, confused. "Why there?"

"Well, because then instead of a bad memory, I'll have a really great memory there."

Zain shook his head, amazed – as always – with how adorable Marek was. "Then let's do it now." Making a decision, he steered them in the opposite direction, back to the old altar.

"But– but, we don't have rings. Mama told me once, that pretty ring she always wears was from her wedding." Marek stalled, tugging urgently at Zain's arms. "Wait, I know." Dropping Zain's hand, he raced off into the trees.

"Wait up! What are you doing?"

When Zain caught up, Marek was already on his knees in the grass, plucking flowers off of the ground.

"We can make some, with these." He held a handful of blossoms, picked way at the bottom so the stems were still long, then separated them in half, handing some to Zain. "I'll make you a ring, and you can make mine."

Zain sat down beside him, watching Marek work and doing his best to copy the motions. His ring didn't come out nearly as good.

"Finished~" Marek sang, scrambling to his feet.

"Koja, your dress!"

The skirt was ruined, covered in green stains from the grass.

"I dont mind it," Marek surpised him by shrugging it off, even though Zain knew the gown had been one of his favourites. "I'll ask Mama to make me another one."

With their homemade rings in hand, the two boys headed back to the altar. Of the two of them, Marek was the only one who'd actually been to a wedding, so Zain let him take the lead, repeating things when Marek said the husband was supposed to.

"I now announce us man and wife!" Marek's cheeks flushed, his eyes meeting Zain's for the first time since the wedding had begun.

He somehow looked even prettier than ever. Zain froze, so bewitched by the sight that he barely remembered to breath.

"You're supposed to kiss me now", Marek whispered, pulling Zain out of his daze.

"Like... like a real kiss?"

"I think on the cheek is fine, if you'd rather–"

Zain launched forward, pressing his lips to Marek's. They were warm, and much softer than he'd imagined. He felt like his heart was going to explode, but it was fine, because Marek was really his wife now, and nothing else mattered more than that.

"Kiga!" Marek whined, pulling away. "No fair. That was my first kiss, and I wasn't ready, yet. I want a do-over!" He pointed to his pouting lips, and Zain was all too happy to give in.

[fidgetnano19]

Day 4, Part 2: Human Shield

Translations

Mergi: fighty guy for hire

Koja: little but in charge

Fair warning, someone throws up by the end of the chapter

Ceamar, 4 years ago

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off earlier. It's just that, if something like that were to get back to father... I mean, if he thought I had spent the night in Haru's room, he'd–" Marek shook his head, realising he didn't know exactly what Orestes would do, other than that it wouldn't be pleasant. "It would be upsetting to him. I cause father enough trouble as it is."

"You? Cause trouble?" Zain teased, chuckling at his own joke. "I can't begin to imagine it."

"He says I need to be more masculine. More like... Like my brothers, I suppose. It isn't that I mean to worry him, I'm just", Kea help him, he just couldn't put it into words, how terrible it felt to know that he was a constant source of disappointment, that he would never measure up to Antoku and Kuniharu in the eyes of their father.

"You're just you", Zain supplied, glancing over his shoulder to smile warmly in Marek's direction. "I know you don't care, but I think you're perfect the way you are."

He waited for Zain to turn around again before batting at the tears gathering in his eyes, telling himself it was silly to get worked up over something so minor as this near-stranger's placating comment.

"You're right, I don't care." How he managed to say it without his voice cracking was beyond him. "There's only one person's opinion that matters to me, and it isn't yours, or my father's."

"He means that much to you?"

"Of course he does!" Marek flushed, he hadn't meant to put it so bluntly. "When I was little, I fell ill. Haru spent the entire time waiting outside my bedroom, reading and singing to me through the door. As soon as I was allowed to have visitors, he was the first to come see me, like he couldn't wait to be near me again."

He couldn't remember the first part, of course. He had no memories from the days he spent in quarantine, or anything before it. But he'd heard the story plenty of times, and Haru really had been the first one by his side, before his own mother, even.

I showed him such an ugly side of me that day...

"Is that why you wear his shirt to bed?"

Marek faltered, peering down at himself. "Wh–what makes you think it's his shirt?"

"Well, it certainly isn't yours, Koja. It goes all the way to your knees."

"It's not, I don't really sleep in it. I have my own..." He couldn't very well tell Zain what he did sleep in, but for some reason he didn't want him thinking he snuggled up in his brother's shirt every night, either. "I put this on because–"

"Because your father would approve of this more than what you actually wear?"

Damn him, why did he have to be so insufferably observant all the time. He was supposed to be just some fool Marek suffered out of necessity.

"What about you?" Marek decided his best bet was to change the subject, before he betrayed any more about himself than he already had. "Do you have any brothers?"

"I'm an only child. I was very close to one of the other village boys when I was young, but..." Zain sighed heavily, making Marek wonder if he'd touched upon a sore matter. "That was different."

"You mean your Marek? The one you mistook me for, when you first came here."

"Yes, but he moved away when I was ten. The day I became an adult, I left home to find him, and well, one thing led to another and I ended up here." Zain held his hand out, gesturing at the palace surrounding him.

"I'm", Marek ducked his head, ashamed to not be what was expected of him, once again. "I'm sorry that I'm not who you thought I was."

I'm not who anybody wants me to be.

"No need to apologise. Getting to know you has turned out to be quite the adventure, too." Zain stopped at a fork in the path, checking first down one hall, then the other. "You don't happen to know which way is out, do you?"

"I..." He hadn't been paying attention to where they were going for a while now, and truthfully he spent so much of his time hiding out in his room that he wasn't very good at navigating the palace under the best of circumstances. "Right?"

Zain was somehow fooled into believing he knew what he was talking about. Maybe he wasn't observant, maybe he was just a lucky guesser.

"Where was I?"

"Your Marek", he supplied, finding himself curiously thankful for the conversation.

It kept his mind off the alarms, at least.

"That's right. I proposed to him, you know."

Marek froze, too stunned to take another step. "You proposed to a boy?"

"Of course. Does that surprise you?" Zain stopped, too, giving Marek time to catch up.

"I– I just didn't know that you were– that you liked boys?" His cheeks burned as he forced the words out, trying so hard not to make it sound like some sort of accusation.

You seem so... normal.

"I don't", Zain shrugged, oblivious to the fact that his answer made no sense. "At least, I don't think I do? I guess I've never given it much thought... Either way, it was him that I loved, it didn't matter if he was a boy or a girl. Every second I could spend beside him, every smile he showed to me, they were all precious."

"In that case, I hope you find him some day."

"Make no mistake, I haven't given up on him, even–"

A figure crossed their path, at the end of the corridor, where it intersected with another. Zain held his hand out, halting Marek in his tracks.

"Did you see that?"

Marek nodded solemly, twisting his hands together as he willed his eyes to focus on the darkness ahead.

The shadow reappeared, headed straight for them this time.

"Watch out!" Zain grabbed Marek, much to his horror, and pinned him against the wall, shielding him from the stranger's attack.

The heat from the mergi's body was too foreign, too much to bear.

Breathe...

Breathe.

BREATHE!

The world swam before Marek's eyes, and no matter how hard he tried to stop them, tears pooled down his cheeks, dripping onto Haru's tunic.

Shameful!

His own voice, reminding him to stay calm until he could escape, was replaced with that of his father.

Why are you crying? You're a boy, aren't you?

The mergi's weight nearly crushed him, but he was helpless to do anything about it. The moment it let up, he slid to the floor, clutching his head in his trembling hands.

How do you live with yourself?!

"Marek!"

Marek knew that voice. He knew it, and he wanted so badly to call out, but his throat closed up, refusing to let the name pass.

"I warned you not to touch him."

"I, I didn't mean to. I thought you were the intruder, and– You surprised me is all."

"Well, I thought that you were the intruder."

They were standing so close that if Marek could bring himself to, he could reach out and touch either one of them, but they sounded so very distant.

His stomach lurched, bringing up the contents of what little he'd eaten for dinner all over the front of his shirt. Bile clogged his nose and throat, choking him.

"Breathe, Marek! Deep breaths, in and out, you'll be okay." Haru bent down, ghosting his hands over Marek's clenched ones. "I'm right here, everything's fine now."

"You... You left me!" Marek shouted, catching his brother off-guard because he rarely raised his voice above a whisper. "You left me, Haru! It's all you're fault!"

He struggled to stand of shaky legs, refusing to look at either one of them before running off in what he prayed was the direction of his bedroom.

[fidgetnano19]

Day 4, Part 1: "I know you didn't ask for this"

Translations

Koja: Once again, an honorific for someone younger but above you in station.

Ogam: Boy of nobility, in Marek's case, basically a prince.

Kogam: Zain's attempt at cutesy flirting, a play on words to mean 'little prince'

Mergi: Hired swords, knights, etc

Ceamar, 4 years ago

Marek bolted upright, trying to pinpoint what it was that had woken him so suddenly. At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Writing it off as simply being shaken by a bad dream – a common occurrence for him – he made himself comfortable on the bed again, tugging the covers up until only half his face was exposed.

He was just drifting back to sleep when the alarms sounded again, louder this time. Startled, he threw the covers off and struggled groggily out of bed.

The alarms were unsettling, yes, but the prospect of leaving the room as he currently was, and being seen by his father – now that was truly terrifying. Hurrying to the dresser, he stripped off his nightgown and tugged one of Haru's old tunics over his head in its place, kicking the lacier garment underneath the bulky piece of furniture.

A quick check of the mirror assured him that he now looked passable for Orestes, so he grabbed his gloves off of his nightstand and raced out of the room in search of his father, or – far more preferably – his older brother.

The corridor was dark and silent, save for the alarms, which were sounding incessantly now, rattling his already fragile nerves.

Yanking the gloves on until they covered the better part of his arms, nearly meeting with the bottom of the tunic's rolled-up sleeves, he crept across the hall to his brother's door, wondering how long it had been since he snuck to his room in the middle of the night.

When they were smaller, it was a regular occurrence. In fact, at one point they spent almost every night together. He wasn't sure anymore which one of them had put a stop to it, or even if it had ended before or after the fever. It was hard to tell, sometimes, which things he truly remembered and which were merely blanks filled in by Haru.

He gathered his courage, then raised his fist to knock on the door. No answer.

"Haru, are you in there?"

Hesitantly, he grasped the doorknob, willing himself not to think about all the other hands that had touched it before him, and all the things those hands had touched before they got there.

Breathe.

Even with the protective layer the gloves provided him, his skin itched and his pulse galloped.

"Har–"

The room beyond was empty, the bed vacated so quickly that half the covers were thrown on the floor beside the bed.

Haru left without me?

He could hardly believe his eyes. Haru had never left him behind before, not once in his whole life. His chest tightened, the loose fabric of the tunic suffocating him, strangling his throat until no air could pass to his lungs. Without Haru to reassure him that the alarms were nothing to worry about, or guide him through the palace, he felt completely lost.

What should I do?

"Koja?"

He spun around, finding himself face-to-face – or more accurately face-to-chest – with none other than his least favourite mergi.

Breathe, his mind reminded him, followed by another, more important command: Hide it!

He swallowed hard, imagining that he was shoving all his fear somewhere deep inside with the simple motion. He couldn't display it out in the open, especially not to someone like him.

Tilting his chin up to stare Zain directly in the eye, he demanded of him, "What are you doing here?"

"We're conducting a sweep of the palace. There was an intruder sighted on the grounds." He stopped, frowning down at Marek with concern. "No one came for you, Kogam?"

"Don't call me that!" he insisted, with all the false bluster he could manage. "I'm sure they tried to, but..." He couldn't come up with a single decent excuse for why none of his family or the servants came to fetch him, so he shrugged his shoulders, pretending it didn't matter. "I must have slept through it is all. I'm a very deep sleeper."

Zain smiled indulgently, irritating Marek even further. "I'm sure you are." He reached out to pat Marek on the head, but he ducked the contact in the knick of time. The mergi stumbled backward, looking genuinely apologetic. "Sorry, force of habit. I– I'm not actually sure where you're supposed to go, but the barracks are practically a fortress in their own right. Why don't I take you there until the 'all clear' sounds?"

He wanted to refuse, but honestly he didn't know where to go in the event of an intruder, and enduring Zain long enough to reach safety seemed far more promising than hiding alone in his room or wandering the halls by himself and hoping for the best, so he grumbled, "Fine."

"This is probably just a false alarm. A large animal, or... or a mergi out taking a piss in the rosebushes. Try not to worry about it too much, Koja."

"Are you always so crass?" Marek questioned, wrinkling his nose in distate. "Who would even do such a thing?"

Zain laughed, which made his broad shoulders rise and fall. "Don't tell me you've never done it."

"Of course not."

They walked in silence for a while, weaving their way up and down the long corridors of the palace.

Zain was the first to disturb the peace. "So, that was Ogam Kuniharu's room you were coming out of, wasn't it?"

"Is that any of your business?"

"No, it isn't. I was merely curious."

"Yes, it is his room. I heard the alarms, and went looking for my brother."

Ahead of him, Zain nodded slowly, as though he were deep in thought. "I see. I thought, maybe you were..."

"I don't care what you thought." Marek had to bite the words out, not at all amused by his choice of topics. "And if you're going to interrogate me, there are far more subtle ways to go about it."

"My apologies, Kog– Ogam. I won't say anything further on the matter."

As they neared the front of the palace, Marek started to feel bad for snapping at Zain. After all, he was the only person who had come to check on him, and he was going out of his way to keep an eye on him until his safety was assured. Despite his mixed feelings toward the man, he at least owed him something for his trouble.

"Look–", was all he got out, because Zain chose the exact same moment to speak.

"I know you didn't ask for this." Zain sighed, peeking back at Marek. "I know that I'm just about the last person in all of Ceamar that you want to be stuck with right now. But, I am the person who would do anything to keep you safe. So just bear it, for your own sake."

[fidgetnano19]

Day 1, Part 3: Shaky Hands

Translations:

Mergi: hired warriors, knights, blah blah

Loji, kamo: (mergi) ranks

Kiga: an honorific, more informal than addressing someone by their proper rank/title

Ogam: Boy of nobility, a prince

Egomija: a bonded mage

Ceamar, 4 years ago

"Zain, Gilliam, and Lovet", the names were read off of a scroll, as plenty of others had been throughout the morning, and the three raced to show that they were present. 

They were led into a courtyard, where they were formally introduced to Loji Fowke, the leader of Ceamar's mergi. Zain shook his hand, but his mind was elsewhere. 

Specifically, it was singularly focused on the beauty behind the man – the one with their face buried in a book, oblivious to everything going on around them.

His heart thudded inside his ill-fitted training armour, and he silently willed them to look up, to show him their eyes.

"Zain, your partner will be Kamo Owun, of the Gloro. For your first challenge, you only need last ten minutes. Good luck." Loji Fowke nodded, dismissing the men to pursue their challenges. "Ogam, please pay attention."

The ethereal being nodded softly, but made no move other than to flip to the next page. With a deep sigh of surrender, he perched on the wall beside them, taking out a pocket watch and signalling for the men to begin.

So he is a boy. It can't be Marek, though. Zain tried to convince himself, mostly so he could duel without distraction. Surely, he would have recognised my name.

Somehow, he lasted the full ten minutes, though he was shocked at how tenaciously his opponent battled.

"Good lad!" He reached out, shaking Zain's hand. "You fought well. Make it through your other tests, and there will be a place for you among the Gloro."

"Th–thank you, Kamo Owun." Zain flushed, partly from exertion, and partly from the unexpected praise. Remembering himself, he bowed deeply, holding the position until Owun reached for his shoulder, nudging him upward.

"Kiga is fine, for one of my men."

"Ki– Owun Kiga! I will not let you down."

By the time they were done chatting, he'd lost track of the boy. The leader, too, had seemingly vanished. Deciding that there'd be another chance, now that he'd passed his first challenge, Zain headed down the path to the barracks.

About halfway there, voices caught his ear, drifting from somewhere off the beaten path.

"Egom Orestes specifically told me to–"

"He said that I had to oversee the mergi training. Which I have. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have plans for this afternoon."

Zain caught up just in time to watch the Ogam march off, leaving Fowke to groan in defeat. He met Zain's eyes, and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"That useless child. Unless Ogam Kuniharu says it, he doesn't listen to a thing." He headed back, pausing only briefly to stand beside Zain. "Honestly, I don't know why he even bothered to show up today."

"I could try to talk to him."

"I wouldn't, but it's your funeral, as they say."

Zain pressed on despite the warning, easily catching up to the young Ogam. Without thinking, he reached out, wrapping his hand around the boy's rail thin arm.

He spun around, his eyes full of venom as he tugged himself free, readjusting his long white gloves. "Who are you? How dare you approach me so casually?" It wasn't his harsh words that knocked the wind out of Zain.

Purple... I knew they would be!

"Are you Marek?"

"Of course I am! Now, I demand you answer my questions."

Questions? He struggled to remember what Marek had asked him, too elated to concentrate.

"I'm Zain, from Deerlight. We used to spend all of our time together, when we were young." He searched for some spark, some glimmer of recognition, but there was none. "Surely, you remember me."

"Impossible. You're mistaking me for someone else." Marek scooted back, his gloved hands balling into shaking fists at his sides. "I've never been to Deerlight in my life."

No! No, it had to be him. Sure, he'd grown a lot since the last time they were together, but Zain couldn't be mistaken. No one else in the entire world was that beautiful, that graceful. Besides, his eyes – those twin shimmering amethysts, shaded beneath long elegant lashes – were exactly the same ones that Zain had always adored, the eyes that had haunted his dreams every night since Marek left the village.

"You don't remember?" He took a step forward, but stopped in his tracks when Marek flinched, bracing himself against the approach. "We made a promise, the day you left. You said that–"

"What's going on here?" A deep voice spoke from behind Marek, preceeding its owner's appearance.

The dense greenery behind Marek parted, revealing a tall gentleman, dressed in fine hunting clothes. He stopped beside the Ogam, bending to whisper something close to his ear.

"This man grabbed me!" Marek's hand flew to the spot on his arm, where Zain had caught him. "Then he started talking nonsense about Deerlight. I tried to tell him that I've never been there, but he refuses to listen."

"It's alright, Marek. I'll handle this", Zain could just hear him say, as he spoke softly to Marek.

"I– I was on my way to the barracks, and I..." Zain struggled for an explanation, suddenly feeling like he'd intruded on an intimate scene.

"Ah, you're not too far off. I can show you, if you'd like." He left Marek's side, flashing a warm smile at Zain. "Believe me, you're not the first new mergi to get turned around on these paths."

"Haru! We have plans, remember?" Marek stomped his foot on the ground, glaring angrily at the man's retreating back.

So, this must be Kuniharu. The only person Marek listened to, according to Loji Fowke. It was hard not to be jealous of the man who held such fierce loyalty from Marek.

"I promised, didn't I?" He reassured, without turning back. "I'll meet you at our spot."

'Our spot'...

Marek twirled on his heels, his long hair flowing wildly behind him, and stormed off. Beside Zain, Kuniharu laughed at the display.

"You'll have to excuse my brother. He only pretends to have such a rotten personality." He gestured back in the direction Zain had come from, his easy grin never once faltering. "Come on, I'll take you back."

They walked in silence until the barracks came into view. "I hope Marek's condition didn't trouble you too much."

Zain hesitated, confused. "Condition?"

"You didn't notice? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything..." He sighed, turning to scan the horizon behind him.

For a minute, Zain thought he would leave without explaining any further.

"He can't stand to be touched." Haru went on, leading the way to the barracks' entrance. "When we were children, he came down with a terrible fever. He was quarantined for over a week, with only father's egomija allowed to go near him. When the fever broke, he... he had changed. He had no memories from before he fell ill, and whenever anyone tried to touch him, he would go into fits. It, I don't know. They say the illness did something to his mind."

"No memories? So then growing up in Deerlight, he–"

"Exactly. It never happened, as far as he's concerned. The Marek you knew, whatever he was too you, I suggest you forget him." Kuniharu warned, then started to walk away.

"You aren't just saying that to keep him by your side, are you?" Zain nearly balked at his own words, amazed to find himself speaking so brashly to an Ogam, but he had to know.

Amazingly, Kuniharu laughed. "You're awfully observant, mergi. It's true, I've never once seen Marek through a brother's eyes", he confessed so easily, almost as though he were relieved to speak the words out loud. "I can have selfish motives and still offer sound advice, can't I? You'll only suffer if you pursue him, and so will he."

[fidgetnano19]

Day 1, Part 1: Rumours

Translations:

Mergi: Hired soldiers, knights, etc. If you pay them to fight for you, this is the word for them

Ona: Girl, outdated. Mostly used by older people and country folk

Seva: Mistress, concubine, what-have-you

Meagana: Something roughly akin to dryads

Pasenro: Elves. There’s a way more specific definition, because these ones are distinct, but it’s not relevant in this chapter

Ceamar, 4 years ago

Zain didn’t put much thought into rumours. Not that he was privy to all that many – as a stranger in this land, he was lucky enough to procure himself a room for the night, and a hot meal. Catching wind of local gossip would be nearly impossible, even if he was far more interested in such things.

Except for tonight. Tonight, he’d happened to feel like drinking, and – as luck would have it – a few of the other men at the tavern were just like him, foreigners headed for Ravendenn, off to seek a fortune, or make a name for themselves, or whatever the hell else they expected to accomplish by joining Egom Orestes’ mergi. Zain would count himself lucky if the signing bonus put enough coin in his pocket to keep him from starving to death in the streets, but these… well, these were men of much loftier ambition.

As the wine flowed and the night stretched on, conversation turned. What once was hearty introductions – where they were from, where they were headed, and what they hoped to find once they got there – turned to idle chitchat.

Zain was too far into his cup, and too unaccustomed to having company, to listen to most of it. In fact, he was just preparing to settle his debt and make a hasty, though probably less than graceful, exit to his room.

“That’s all well an’ good”, the man to his left – a Leojan, judging by his thick brogue – grinned from ear to ear, jabbing his elbow into Zain’s ribcage before leaning over the table, like he was about to impart some secret wisdom handed down from Gri herself. “But, have ya lads ‘eard about the ona?”

The other men murmured amongst themselves, shaking their heads and turning their wide eyes to the man expectantly.

Yes, now would be an ideal time to retreat. Zain started to do just that, until the man’s hand clamped down on his shoulder, holding him in place.

“Where’re you off to in such a rush? We’re jus’ gettin’ ta the good part!”

“I was just,” Zain hesitated, glancing helplessly toward the staircase that would lead him to bed. “Off to 'pay my respects’, as it were”, he lied quickly, praying the words would appease his host.

“Well, pinch it a damn minute!” one of the other men demanded, pounding his fist against the table, an eager glint in his eyes. “We want to hear about the girl!”

“They say she’s a rhare beauty, beyon’ compare. She come fra somewheres else, but Orestes keeps 'er lockt up in 'is palace, an’ he won’t let nobody but 'im an’ 'is own lay eyes on 'er!”

Now that was odd. And not exactly what Zain had been expecting when the man brought her up. Who was this girl? A young seva, maybe. A meagana, or a pasenro foolish enough to leave the safety of Azurous seemed just as probable… he’d long heard tales of them being kept like pets for the jojea, though he had no idea if there was any truth to that.

“Pull the other one, old timer! If he never lets her out, how would you even know she exists?”

An excellent question, and one Zain hadn’t stopped to consider.

“I seen 'er wit me own two eyes, when she were jus’ a li'l sprig of a thing. She come to Leoja, for Eika Reidory’s marrying off!” The man insisted, leaning back in his seat to polish off what was left of his drink. “But, that’s not the strangest thing. Folks up in Ravendenn, they say she gives Orestes the slip e'ryso'oft, makes 'er way into town… ‘cept she’s always dressed in boys clothes.”

“Boys clothes?” Zain forgot himself, taken by surprise. A great beauty, dressed as a boy…

Could it be?

No, it wasn’t possible. That would too good to be true, and besides, he’d already given up… mostly. After all, he’d searched half the known world, wasted years looking, and had nothing to show for his efforts.

“Oh, we got 'is ahtenshion naow!” The older man laughed, slapping Zain on the back. “Auk, but sadly, I don’t be knowing anymore 'bout it than that.”

Once he was upstairs, alone in his hired room, he flopped on to the bed and sighed heavily. Heartbreak or salvation, which one awaited him in Ravendenn? Was it okay to let himself dream, just for one more night, that his quest might finally come to a happy ending?