Chapter 122:
Long Forgotten Faces
While the hidden western wing to the palace was not large, the halls rapidly changed, filled with rooms that were easy to get lost in without knowing the layout of the building. Jasmine walked with a pep in her step, seeming to enjoy talking to Silas a little more as they walked, speaking in low tones.
"Just down this hall are the guests' rooms. You will be in the room next to Maeir's just over here." Jasmine explained as they walked, gesturing towards a row of plain-looking rooms. She stopped in front of the middlemost door, her hand falling on the knob as she said, "I know they all kind of look the same, but you'll get used to it in no time." The door knob turned, and Jasmine stepped inside, followed by Silas, still donning his dress. As they walked in, they were greeted by a familiar figure.
"Silas?" Standing in the room, dressed in a warm knitted cardigan and form-fitting dress pants was Clarence, who stared towards the door with a hint of surprise. He stood tall, holding one of the many arranged books from the bookshelf in his hand, the cover hidden by his fingers. "What are you two doing here?"
"Perfect, you're already aware then." Jasmine smirked at Clarence and Silas and said, "Here is your room. I'll wait outside while you change."
"What-" Just as Silas attempted to respond, the door was slammed shut behind him, and he let out a small sigh, staring at Clarence with some passive resentment. Staring at the prince, he rubbed the space between his brows, feeling an oncoming headache knowing he would be stuck with the young man for another few nights, sharing a sleeping space like before.
At this point, I could care less where I sleep, but why does it always have to be with him? Silas thought to himself as he opened his mouth, addressing Clarence in a flat tone, "Jasmine already left, so I'll need you to help me untie the corset. Can you do it?"
Feeling the heat travel to his hands, Clarence hesitated for a moment before he stared at Silas's face, feeling the impatience radiating from his gaze before he finally responded a reluctant, "I'll try help you." He placed the book in his hands down and walked towards Silas, who had already begun to move towards the center of the room, closer to the bed.
It was when he faced Silas's back that he found himself lost. Clarence, having been given a very short, informative lesson from Angeline, was unsure where to start. The tips of his ears flushed red as he asked, "Where do I start?" He asked innocently, having no practical knowledge.
"Untie the knot at the top first, and then slowly loosen the ribbon from the top to the bottom. Make sure you loosen the ribbon as you work down the layers, otherwise it will stay too tight for me to remove." Silas directed, feeling somewhat proud of his clothing knowledge, having learned much from Meredith during their travels. He spoke to Clarence like a mentor, feeling some pride in his words as he spoke. He felt he could do without his assistant, however.
"Got it." Clarence responded, his fingers trembling slightly as he listened half-heartedly to Silas's words, his mind distracted.
The young royal began by unlacing the knots, using his fingernail to dig into the intricately-tied knots until they loosened, allowing Silas to take a breath as the corset slowly loosened around his waist from the top to the waist. While the corset narrowed Silas's waist, it was still narrow enough for Clarence to wrap his arm around. Restraining the urge to do so, Clarence continued to unlace the ribbon layer by layer, clumsily listening to Silas's instructions as he worked.
Thankfully it's just the two of us in this room. If anyone else were to see him like this… Clarence's grip on the ribbon tightened, and his eyes darkened as he started at the unblemished, pale skin exposed through the loosened corset. I would rip out their eyes. The prince held his hands still for a moment, fighting the temptation to lift his calloused fingers to stroke the spine that had enamored him, wishing to draw his finger down each bump, following that line to the place covered below the skirt.
The ways he had seen Silas already, so sweet, so innocent, so needy, he felt as though he could no longer contain his feelings. Clarence could only sink deeper and deeper into his dreams, wishing to monopolize the elf more and more, until Silas could only see him, relying on him entirely, trapped within his wide embrace, his safe space. Just being in the palace with him like this was not enough, but he felt he could endure.
I still can't forgive myself for how I acted at the palace. Clarence thought as he loosened another row of ribbon. As much as I wanted to keep him by my side, I… I never should have hurt him like that. If I were to do it again, he would run away from my side, wouldn't he? The young royal's eyes darkened at the thought.
"It's still too tight. Make sure you feed out the ribbon more from the middle." Silas said, turning sideways as Clarence withdrew his burning gaze, swallowing the dry saliva that pooled in his mouth, feeling as though his throat had run dry just by glimpsing at the tiny sliver of exposed skin.
Having no experience in this regard, the prince felt like a stumbling fawn, navigating the unfamiliar feelings he held within his heart and his lower body.
As the prince assisted Silas, he let out a soundless sigh, collecting himself somewhat as the tip of his fingers accidentally brushed against the soft surface of Silas's skin. He froze for a moment, feeling as though his own word had stopped as the tips of his fingertips stayed motionless.
"Sorry-" Clarence stuttered, finding himself stumbling over his words.
Silas looked over his shoulder, "It's fine, just be careful-" His eyes fell on Clarence, how had leaned forward to look at the knots. With their faces so close, Clarence's nose nearly brushed Silas's cheek. Startled by Silas, Clarence stepped back, abruptly catching the loosened fabric of Silas's skirt with his foot. He began to fall forward, pushing Silas
"Ah!" The pair screamed as Silas fell forward first, pushed to the ground by Clarence. His body fell sideways, his skirt loosened to the point of falling off of him as his blouse lifted, no longer tucked under the oppressive skirt. As he fell, Silas attempted to latch onto Clarence, hoping the other man would grab the nearby table to stabilize them, but instead, he fell forward, smashing his face into Silas as they hit the ground. With an abrupt thud, they fell to the carpeted floor, their bodies sore and still.
"Ugh…" Clarence groaned, his cheek pressed against something as he used his hands as leverage, pushing against something soft under his palms. As he looked down, he saw Silas, disheveled and angry, lying underneath him with his hands at his slides, looking up with pure fury. Strands of blonde hair circled his face, his eyes wet with aggrievement.
"I heard a noise, are you two-" Jasmine yelled as she opened the door, stepping into the room. Taking in the scene below, she stood by the door for a minute, her eyes wide before she covered her eyes with her hands, yelling, "I didn't see him fall on you or anything!" Her eyes peaked between her fingers, allowing her to still see the two men tangled on the floor like a pair of young lovers. She showed no signs of leaving, however.
"Get off me, now!" Silas yelled, his dress half way down his body, exposing his bare upper half, having already removed the blouse himself. He was so angry, his skin flushed red, dying parts of his upper body a seductive shade of pink that Clarence could not help but dazedly notice. His chest was firm and his skin soft under his palms, his collarbone prominent and shapely, like a delicately constructed bow. Even his eyes fell on the bottom half of Silas's face, his pale lips, his pointed chin, and his long neck, curved like a swan. Before his eyes could indulge in the scenery any further, he felt a pair of hands push him heavily from the chest.
Using that momentum, Clarence quickly stood up, pushing himself away from Silas as he stared at the elven man in a clumsy manner, his face dyed a deep shade of red. The way he stumbled made him almost fall again, but he was able to regain his balance by leaning against a chair, his right hand covering the lower half of his face as his left hand held onto the chair.
Silas sighed angrily from the ground, dusting off his clothes as he slowly stood, lifting himself from the ground. There was no embarrassment in his face, only irritation as he stood shirtless, the skirt narrowly hanging on his narrow hips as the skirt threatened to fall to the ground. Clarence could only stare at the garment in anticipation, hoping it would slide down without his assistance.
"You, stop staring!" Silas yelled, pointing to Jasmine. He then turned to Clarence and yelled in an equally annoyed voice, "And you, throw me my pants!" His words were barked out aggressively, causing Clarence to flinch as he ran to the side of the bed, grabbing the extra set of prepared clothes before he threw them to Silas with his head turned to the side.
As quickly as she entered, Jasmine was forced out, but not undetermined. Out of view, Jasmine peeked through the door until her gaze was caught by Clarence, whose expression was even more frightening than Silas's. Weakly, she retracted her head and allowed Silas to finish changing in peace. Even Clarence, having been chastised by Silas, retracted his gaze and turned, allowing Silas some semblance of privacy as he finished dressing himself in the prepared dress pants and blouse, throwing the skirt aside with resentment, cast away to the corner of the room like garbage.
The knitted vest he wore was styled similarly to Clarence's, and it fit snugly against his figure. The threading on the edges gleamed slightly, as if the sunlight reflected off of the fabric. Staring at it with some interest, Silas ran his hand over the threading, feeling a slight warmth emanating from the threads. As his palm passed the fabric, he felt a trace of mana escape his palm and enter the garment.
Strange. What is this fabric? Before Silas could think further, there was a sound from the door, distracting him from his thoughts.
"Are you finished yet?" Jasmine stuck her head in from outside, glimpsing towards the pair of men with a faint smile on her face. When she stared forward, seeing Silas's outfit, her face brightened slightly, and her gaze could not help but pause over him for a moment.
Silas stood in the center of the room, dressed in the cardigan prepared by Angeline. Standing not far away from him was Clarence, wearing a similarly styled cardigan. The two outfits flattered each other from style to color palettes, and as she stared at the two men, Jasmine could only stare in appreciation at the two handsome men standing in the room, dressed as though they were a couple.
Angeline, you sly dog! Jasmine laughed to herself quietly, noticing the slight air of tension between the two matching men before she pushed open the door further, motioning for Silas to follow her. "Silas, it's time for us to go. The meeting's already started by now." Her eyes moved to Clarence, only able to appreciate his good looks as she said in a plain tone, "You stay here. We'll retrieve you after."
Clarence looked over at Silas, who did not seem to notice the matching cardigans yet. He nodded mindlessly, staring at Silas's cardigan with some interest, then to his own, staring at the faintly-glowing threads before he heard Silas speak.
"Thank you, Clarence." Watching Clarence's gaze, Silas spoke aloud, his words were flat, but there was a trace of appreciation in his voice. "You wait here for now. I'll keep you informed after the meeting." While Silas could not share all the information, he could keep the prince updated with some basic information. He could be trusted to that degree, at least.
"Of course." Clarence smiled weakly in response. "I'll wait for you here."
He watched Silas's figure disappear behind the closed door, listening to the latch fall shut as he slowly walked, step by step, making his way to the bed. He thought of when he and Silas shared the bed at the small farmhouse that day, the day Maeir had caught him stroking Silas's soft hair with his hand. He stared at his hand, and then back to the bed, the dark blue hue in his eyes burning bright.
The young prince's fingers traced over the dressed queen-sized bed. His hot palm warmed the cool, silk fabric. He thought of Silas's skin, the way it felt against his fingers. It was just as soft as he had imagined, his back unblemished by the years of war he had faced. Thinking of what could have happened to Silas's body, Clarence let out a withheld breath, his eyes falling half-shut as he stared down at the bed.
Quietly, he lifted his knee, the dull pain from falling earlier still throbbing through his limbs as he lifted his other knee, standing on his knees near the edge of the bed, holding himself back for only a moment before he gently lowered himself onto the prepared bedding. He could not be bothered to remove his shoes. He could only apologize to Silas later, hoping they were able to share the intimate space once again, even if it were only in their dreams.
Clarence's hands rested under his chest as he laid his right cheek against the silk fabric. He sighed, gently rubbing his cheek against it as he closed his eyes, falling still as his body warmth transferred to the blanket below.
He imagined the scene in the farmhouse, his hand stroking Silas's hair, his hand moving towards the elven man's cheek as the distance between them shortened step by step. Their breaths mingled, the dampness in Silas's eyes warmed under the dim candle light. He could feel his thumb wiping away the stray tear, his lips approaching Silas's parted mouth, his cheeks flushed in shame-
Fuck. Clarence held his burning face in his hands, his feelings turbulently raging in his heart. As long as Silas remained by his side, even if it were reluctantly, he could wish to see another day, wish to stay in this palace one more day if it meant staying by the person he desired. Brushing his hand against the silk sheets, he felt as though he were stroking that person's skin. It made him want to act even more.
Laying on the bed, his eyes closed for a moment, there was a startling shout, followed by the sound of glass breaking. The prince rose abruptly from the bed, his eyes focused on the door he watched Silas leave from, his heart pounding in his chest.
What just happened? He asked himself as he stood, quickly leaping off of the bed as he ran towards the door with abandon, throwing it open
Seeing the four figures that greeted him in the hall, the prince found himself frozen, his gaze met with a familiar woman he had all but forgotten from the palace.
…
While Camille visited Angeline and her guests, Kivah led Cordelia through the palace with practiced movements, preparing to meet with Lady Eva and her group as soon as he settled Cordelia in a room. While they had traveled with her some time and had shared their travel plans, the countess did not trust the young, Vartien monarch to not betray them, and instead she was sent to be monitored in one of the rooms along with one of the other guests the countess did not specify.
I wonder who they found? Jasmine was sent on a mission to recover two elves, but from the sound of her letter, there were three guests now, including one human. Kivah's curiosity was burning, but he kept his thoughts to himself, interested in asking the countess for more information once they met in their meeting.
"So this is the Highland District?" Cordelia asked with a nod, her eyes taking in the scenery of the hall as she walked, surprised by the simple yet refined style. Even the Vartien Kingdom viewed the mountainous region as nearly uninhabitable, and instead conducted trade with the Yursinean traders in their country, unwilling to make the trek through the mountains. Seeing the land itself now, Cordelia felt safe, as if she never wanted to leave. "It's lovely. Far more developed than I thought, too." She added, staring towards Kivah, who walked by her side, smiling.
Kivah looked towards Cordelia, a gentle smile on his face, "I'm glad you like it, Patricia." Hearing the unfamiliar name, it took a moment for Cordelia to respond, making Kivah lower his head with a small laugh.
For a Vartien citizen, she is an interesting character. Kivah restrained his laugh, staring towards Cordelia as she walked down the hall, stopping only as he directed her towards a small room towards the end of the hall.
"This room is currently empty, and the room to the right is my room here." Kivah gestured, motioning towards the corner-most room with a wave of his hand. "For now, since you are still recovering, it would be best if you rested. I have to meet with Countess Camille to discuss our plans moving forward, but let me show you the room first."
Their approach was quick, and before they could enter the secluded room, there was a sound from the area. Across the hall, nearly three doors down, a door abruptly opened, and out stepped a figure from the room. The person was not terribly tall, nearly as tall as she was, but their blonde hair rested near their shoulders, their gaze falling to the side as they spoke to the red-haired woman at their side, their conversation quiet, too quiet to hear from their distance.
But as Cordelia stared forward, the pair stopped, staring at the young Vartien with a gaze of interest. To Cordelia, the gaze felt cold, freezing her in place as she abruptly stopped, her feet refusing to move forward any more. She abruptly stepped back, her hands clutched in front of her chest as she shook her head, staring at Silas with a glimpse of fear in her eyes. "Y-you… you're an elf!"
One of those elves. The same type of elf that had shattered the Yursear Kingdom from the inside out. It was the elf that had killed her friend, Annmaria, while she and the other candidates were evaluated, forcefully sent back one by one to their home countries. It was the same kind of elf that had infiltrated the palace, murdered one of the few people she trusted in the foreign kingdom, and of the elves that had removed her sense of safety.
It's one of those creatures… those damn elves…
As Cordelia stumbled backwards, her hip crashed into a small pillar, the decorated pillar holding a vase. The batch of spring flowers fell to the floor, scattered across the carpet as the water spilled, eating away at the corner of Cordelia's dress as the vase shattered, the flowers scattering around her figure like scattered drops of rain. The feeling was lost from Cordelia's legs as she fell downwards, her knees threatening to fall into the pile of ceramic shards.
"Patricia!" Kivah said aloud, pulling Cordelia away from the shards of broken glass as the woman held her hands to her chest, as if clutching her heart. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her face void of any color as she bit her lip, feeling an overwhelming sense of despair swallow her.
It was not until that same door opened, the door that was shut once before, opened again. Once the familiar figure stepped out from the door, her breathing stopped entirely, her face falling another degree as tears streamed down her face in an eerie, silent manner. The hall fell still, but their gazes were dynamic, eating at each other like cannibalistic parasites, unable to guess the other's intentions.
Stuttering, Cordelia could only ask, "What are you doing here, Prince Clarence?"
…
Within the prepared discussion room, Eva and her group had already arrived, meeting Maeir, Camille, and Angeline within the room. There was an air of unhidden excitement as they reunited, feeling as though they had not seen each other in years.
Greeting the countess first, Eva laughed warmly as she spoke. "Camille, you haven't aged a day!" Eva's tone was bright in a different sense. Her attitude and demeanor was like an older sister, speaking in a warm tone that would have made Silas shocked, seeing how familiar the cold woman behaved towards the countess.
Camille opened her arms and hugged Eva, her height towering over the short woman. "I almost didn't recognize you. Your disguises are beautiful as always." As they pulled back from the hug, Angeline stood by Camille's side, her arms open expectantly.
"What about mine?" Angeline joked as Eva laughed, pulling the short young elven woman into a hug. Angeline's forehead tapped against the side of Eva's neck, her height short even towards Eva, wearing lowered heels for their meeting.
Once Eva greeted Countess Camille and Angeline, she turned to her group and introduced everyone. "You've met everyone before, but there are some new faces this time." Neema and Saorise smiled, Yulia nodding her head in recognition.
"But you haven't met Adora." Eva gestured towards the elven woman to the side. "And I have yet to introduce myself to Maeir."
Maeir had already sized up Eva, recognizing the famous singer from her traveling performances. She stared at each of the strangers with a level gaze, her eyes eating away at their appearances, as if she were trying to remember their appearances for later. Her gaze was not hostile, but not particularly friendly, making it difficult to start a conversation with her. Standing with her back to the wall, she stood within close proximity to the door.
Under the expectant gazes of the participants in the room, Maeir finally spoke. "I'm Maeir, Silas's mother." Her introduction was short, succinct. It left no room for questioning, except for Adora, who stared towards Maeir with a relieved gaze, knowing Silas would be soon to come.
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Maeir." Eva spoke, bowing her head. "I hope your journey here was smooth with your son."
"It was." Maeir's icy expression warmed slightly at the mention of her son. "Thank you for protecting him in my stead." She bowed, cupping her hands in front of her chest.
To the side, Adora was standing near Vaan, her presence nearly hidden by the wide, towering man at her side, but not unnoticed by Angeline. "Who's this little elf?" Angeline asked, her gaze falling on Adora as she stepped towards her. Adora was dressed in a set of travel armor as she stood next to Vaan, surveying the unfamiliar scene. The transformation gem had long since been turned off, and her black hair had been tied behind her head in a braid, the strands wrapped behind her head in a cute style unlike Adora, styled by Neema and Saoirse on their journey.
Eva stared towards Adora, watching as the other young elven woman's face fell while she explained. "I'm Adora Calin from the Faelfier army." Adora's face was fixed into a firm frown as she responded, "And you're smaller than me."
Angeline laughed, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Adora. I'm Angeline." She bowed her head in a formal elven greeting, cupping her hands in front of her. Adora followed her movements, both bowing their heads slightly as they stared at each other. "I think we'll get along just fine!"
"Now then," As the two became acquainted, Eva quickly began the meeting. "Who are we missing?" Eva asked, looking through the mixed crowd with a steady gaze, prepared to start the important meeting as soon as they possibly could.
Saorise bowed her head, "Meredith and Holland are currently out on missions as we speak, so they will not be in attendance."
Camille shook her head, "A shame. They would have had valuable input." She paused before she continued, "The only ones that are missing from here are Jasmine, Kivah, and Silas. They should be arriving shortly." Camille sighed, resting her chin in her hand as she thought, "Jasmine took Silas to change out of his disguise. Those two should be here any moment."
Hearing the rest of the guests would soon be in attendance, Eva relaxed slightly, "Perfect. We can start shortly then."
Listening carefully, Camille stared towards Eva, her eyes sparkling with interest, "While we're discussing missing items, I assume you've brought the other half of the shipment?"
Vaan stepped forward, a small slip of parchment in his hand. "Please take a look."
Camille raised her hand, gripping the slip of paper as she turned it, reading the scribbled contents with a careful eye. As she reached the bottom of the page, she smiled, a laugh escaping her lips. "This is perfect. Just wonderful. How did you manage to procure so much of it on such short notice?"
Eva leaned forward, her gaze full of anticipation, "Once everyone has arrived, I can explain more to you. I would hate to explain such exciting news twice."
As they gathered, there was a knock at the door. Camille nodded her head, leading Van to step to the side to open the door, greeting the last of the companions needed to start the meeting regarding the Yursinean war.
…
Across the Yursear Kingdom, two figures stood side by side, their swords held high in their hands as they stared towards the group of armored men surrounding them. While the group was small, they were strong, and only three men remained of the group of Yursienan knights. In the middle of the group stood a familiar figure, his eyes narrowed as he held his sword, facing the two men with a heavy gaze.
"Uh, Meredith, I think we're in trouble." Holland laughed, his usual barking laughter restrained as he sized up Captain Laurent, the two men at his side staring at Holland and Meredith with ferocious gazes.
Meredith stared forward, refusing to respond as he gathered mana in his free hand, preparing for a vicious fight before their arrival at the Highland District.
…
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Finally done... I took a nap due to a sore throat, but I feel a lot better now. Spent two hours fixing this up and reediting a section I wasn't satisfied with. Usually I try to avoid more than 2-3 POV switches a chapter, but I was chomping at the bit to get Meredith and Holland back in, as we haven't seen them since the 110's~ hehe I miss my sons!
Writing Clare is super hard, though. I'm very ace, so it's like the blind leading the blind. I never had that awkward crush phase, but I hope it comes off well for him at least :D Let's be honest, he's a horny teen, and every time I write these scenes I'm laughing at him. He's awkward af! Hunny said she's glad I'm writing these bits. Have to appreciate Mishima for teaching me how to write attractive/lusty men! LOL
Again, weak editing for this week. Apologizes for any jankiness. It's been just me still ;A; RIP Hunny's schedule. I've noticed a noticeable increase in readers/ reader engagement as of late, so huge thank you to you all for reading! I've received lots of lovely messages, and it's made my stressful work schedule so much easier (Monday is going to be ass starting at 9am :D)! Huge thanks to reading with us so far, and here's to a good few more! Much love >y<~~