~Celestial Realm~
~Hall of Dreams~
Reqiel speed walked out of the Hall of Dreams when the council meeting finally came to an end as fast as he could. It was still early enough in the day that he could still keep to his plan of visiting the King today but his personal attendant had to be informed of this so he was still getting back in the carriage to be driven back to his castle.
He thought he had made his escape but he wasn't fast enough.
"Prince Reqiel?"Archangel Ethrond interrupted his escape.
Reqiel turned around in time to see the Angel flying over; he made a face, Ethrond was the youngest Archangel and seemed to think that it was some sort of achievement. Reqiel just wanted to be left alone.
"Yes? How may I help you?" He asked politely wishing Sarell could see him flawlessly holding a conversation without faltering.
They were in the hallways and if Reqiel thought he felt claustrophobic before, sharing the same space with Ethrond doubled the feeling.
"I supposed I just wanted to check on your well-being." He says in a syrupy smooth voice, a self-assured smirk on his face.
Reqiel bit the inside of his cheek and tried to convince himself that he was just being paranoid and that Ethrond wasn't that kind of person but he couldn't help the fact that the Archangel still unsettled him.
"Thank you." He muttered under his breath, looking away from Ethrond's piercing hazel eyes. The Archangel had absolutely no regard for personal space, it was almost like he had no idea of what it was.
Ethrond stepped forward, his dark hair and spread wings practically taking up all of Reqiel's field of vision. "I had the thought of coming over for a pleasant dinner, what do you say?"
Reqiel leaned back at the close proximity, digging his nails into his palms to stop himself from shoving Ethrond backward and making a run for it like he really wanted to. Instead, he forced out a shaky smile and nodded, trying hard to not look at his face which gave him a wrong feeling, it wasn't that Ethrond was ugly, as a matter of fact, it was the exact opposite but he just wasn't comfortable around the other Angel.
"Very well, may I take my leave now?" He asked tightly when Ethrond moved close enough for their robes to touch and Reqiel threw his head to the side, the Archangel was another reason he wanted to leave the Celestial Realm.
He had no idea why because there was no logical reason that he could come up with. It had begun under a year ago, the Archangel would corner him in private places and invite himself over for dinner, during dinner, he would spend half the time just staring at him, then more of that personal space violation before leaving without really accomplishing anything.
Reqiel had no idea what he wanted from him and he wasn't sure he wanted to even find out. Fortunately, voices started to come from a turn ahead and Ethrond backed away quickly like he had been burnt.
Reqiel was just relieved he could finally leave, already taking off down the hallway, he had an appointment to meet.
The carriage was waiting for him and he retracted his wings with so much relief, hopping inside before attendants could even assist him. He started to make calculations as the carriage headed back in the direction of his castle; he had to find a way to convince Sarell to let him go visit the King.
"Do you want me dead?" Sarell asked in horror when he made his plans known.
"Beheading is an ancient practice, Sarell." Reqiel tried to reassure him. "Plus, I'll be going with my full entourage..."
But his personal servant wasn't listening anymore. "This is an outright disaster," He panicked, pulling on a lock of his hair. "Oh my, you need another bath, time is of the essence!" He started bustling around, throwing orders around.
And that was how Reqiel found himself in the wretched bathrooms once more, his body being scrubbed thoroughly enough to bruise. This torture combined with a lack of light gave him a rather pale complexion.
He thought he would have been better off sneaking into the gardens but this was too important. He didn't understand why he was confined to a castle and great measures were taken to protect him, it wasn't like he had an ailment or was feeble of mind, but it was the King's decree and there was no questioning the King.
A much lighter outer robe was placed on him this time; after an inner shirt and pants had gone on, a gauzy robe with none of the previous embroidery was worn for him and held close at his waist by a belt.
After fiddling with a hundred little things for a while, Sarell finally pronounced him ready and hurried him to the dining hall to eat while he and the entourage got ready.
Reqiel didn't so much as eat as pick at his food, Sarell would probably scold him if he were around but he was too nervous to even try and eat.
The King might be his father but his stomach was in knots just thinking about what was to come and even worse Ethrond would be by in the evening time.
He just wanted the day to be over already.
The journey to the castle was solemn, like they were heading for an execution but Reqiel tried to not let it bother him. The crown on his head was falling to the side and the extra added ornaments made his neck hurt and his head itchy but he dare not touch it.
Sarell had gone to lengths to make sure it came out perfect, he wasn't about to ruin it. He never had to wear the crown to the Council meetings and wasn't that a blessing.
The King's Castle was even further from his castle than the Hall of Dreams but the journey turned out to be shorter or perhaps it was just his nerves acting up. He knew that Prince Velia and Prince Calas were back, and he hoped that he wouldn't bump into them.
He had a higher chance of convincing the King to let him go to the parade if he was all alone. Most of the Kingdom didn't even know about his existence, racking his brain now, he couldn't even remember the last time he left the Royal Mount.
The Royal Mount was where all the High Born Castles were located, as well as the Hall of Dreams and the King's Castle which was at the center of it all.