Blind Spot

Status
Not open for further replies.
"You are a very smart man. Yes, I learned your name through the prince, chose to remember it because I feel it would be very disrespectful to call you 'old man' or the sorts when referring to you. You do have a name." Sayomi said glad that he didn't get more on edge then he already was by the sheer fact that she knew his name, when he obviously had tried to keep it from her.

As he spoke, she listened. But something still did not seem right. "What would posses her to come and seek me out when I am alone? She wished to know what made Angel break through his walls. She had the most sour tone.." she started blankly at the wall behind him. She needed to think more. But was not sure what exactly she was thinking about. "She had referred to him as her son once..." Before she continued she thought of something else. "The queen said that she was just 'another lucky girl' such as myself. What do you think she meant about that? I mean her husband just died and all.. so why would she call herself lucky?" She felt for dumb for asking him the last questions, but he was the only one she could speak to that knew the queens past.
 
"Well, if I may be blunt, you are the first person that the prince has interacted with in a very long time. The only people he has ever been so close to socially were his father and his bodyguard." Darius explained with calmness, as though it was a fact rarely talked about. "The prince has never been so open until he met you. Everyone in the castle's staff noticed it, and I've heard chatter about it all night long. You must not realize how big of an impact you made..." Darius recovered from his sobering tone, remembering whom it was that he was talking to in the first place.

After clearing his throat, Darius continued. "As for the queen's designs, I don't know why she would actively seek you out, but I assume she was simply curious. Finding anyone, let alone a woman, who can curb the prince's nerves has been nothing short of a miracle. And yes, the queen can be a bit...abrasive... but don't let that alarm you. She tries not to let people catch a glimpse of her real self...I hear it isn't pleasant. As for her luck, I would agree with her. The late king's marriage was...oh, I shouldn't say anymore. Gossip breeds ill in the hearts of men, especially when it's about the queen." With this, Darius clammed up, refusing to speak further. It seemed as though he was afraid of something, but he gave no tells on what it might be.
 
With his last sentence, Sayomi's curiosity sky rocketed even more than it had before. There was something off about everything. "The odds of his attention being truly caught by me are phenomenal. It seemed more like he was pulled to the only person that didn't mold to everything, such as himself. You saw what he wore. He does not wish to blend. He wants to stand out and show that he is is own person almost." She was always one that treated the people that hired her as much like the person that they were. They came to her for rhyme or reason, and sometimes her finding a little information about something would help their mind at ease. Just as they had reasons that they believed were good enough to have someone killed, she used the reason that the person was not good people.

"You may not want to talk any farther. But I believe something is off. You think that the prince is the one who killed the king, yet there is no hostility or the likes among him. Even when he had been sparing with that man, he was good, but made many subtle mistakes. It seems that people almost scare him, until he grows somewhat comfortable. While the queen seems hostile towards anything that can change her plans." Her green eyes pierced through him. "If you do not tell me, you should know that I will find out. So either, I will be up here every night slowly going deeper and deeper into the castle, or I will create a large stir within the people. I will make sure that when I finish my job, that it is the right person. You want the proper killer of the king to see justice, you don't want to wonder in the back of your mind if a young man who was actually good was killed in vein." She watched him, trying to see if she could him to talk more.
 
"Please no!!!" Cried out Darius in exclamation. His stiff demeanor changed rapidly at the utterance of "stir within the people." He pleaded on, "You mustn't let word get out to anyone! Especially not those of the royal house, I beg you! Please..." Tears formed in the man's closed eyes as he continued on, being worn down by the discussion. "Keep this between you and I. It isn't my choice what I tell you... I love the prince. Both he and his father were kind to my family through our lives. Even the queen had her kind moments...but my family...I would do anything for them. I have three grandchildren, the most precious things in my life...and now, they are being threatened! All because of some convoluted plot! I may love the monarchy, but if my family is at risk, I would do anything... and that is why I came to you. Please, just do the deed. I've already said too much..." Darius crumpled in a sobbing heap due to the fatigue of the night and the sorrow he felt, his night-cap slumped over one side of his head in a pitiful fashion.
 
Sayomi walked over to the man,and helped him up into the bed, straightening his night cap. "You also forget, that my mother, the only person that I have in this world lies within the bounds of this kingdom. I must be sure before I finish. If I finish,and it is the wrong person, then you are back where you started, except I would not be able to help you." She pulled his blankets up, and looked at him. "If I get something wrong, everyone is at danger. Your lovely grandchildren, and my mother." She walked herself back to the window. "I will let you rest. And the faster that you decide to speak to me about what I ask, the faster that your wish comes true."

She pulled her mask up and was gone out the window. She climbed her way down, and then was gone into the night once more. She had an idea of how she could get to see the royal family again, she was just unsure of how long it would take to accomplish it. She decided that she would wait until morning to get started on it. She walked into her house and walked to her bed. With a groan she fell on the bed, clothes and all.
 
At the dawn of the next day, storm clouds brewed in the sky. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and one could tell by the cool breeze that rain was unavoidable. The prince jumped up at the cool morning air flowing through his window. He lived for days like this, and was eager to go out to the town as soon as possible for a pleasant stroll. Dawning a leper's mask with a black cloak and gloves, the prince was prepared to sneak out yet again.

It was assumed that Angel slept in by most of the castle, and the few who knew his secret weren't all that concerned...or he had bribed them. Climbing out the window was tedious for the first year or two of this hobby, but the prince had finally mastered a quiet and efficient way to reach the bottom floor of the castle from his second story room. After hitting the ground with cat-like precision, he ran through the gates until he was out of sight of the castle. Finally free from the reigns of his bodyguard and the queen, Angel strode about with a peace he rarely knew inside the castle, not unlike his own dance in its grace.

Reaching the town, the prince was careful to conceal his identity, especially with last night's festivities. Luckily enough, it was early in the day with many townsfolk still asleep. With a breath of fresh air through the holes of his mask, Angel began to make his rounds around the town, simply taking in the life he almost wished he had.
 
As the sun peaked onto the bed, it made its way to Sayomi's pillow, and across her eyes. It was a little past dawn, she didn't have more than a few hours of sleep, but she was used to the lack of sleep. She got up, and changed into a green dress that matched her eyes almost to the pigment. She needed a few supplies from town along with talking to an old friend. She did not want to draw all the excess attention to herself with being in pants, though she did keep her boots on, making her way down the hall she saw that her mother still slept. She smiled and went slowly down the stairs. She entered into the kitchen. She poured a cup of tea from the night before and drank it while eating the last piece of bread.

She left the house and ventured into town, and made her way to the inn. She went inside and went to the bartender. "Maurice. I am calling in that favor." She wrote down what she needed on a piece of paper and handed it to him. "The faster you get it here, the more you get it. You know the deal." The scraggly middle aged man took the paper and placed it in a pocket, not saying anything to her, a man of few words.

Sayomi left the inn, and proceeded into town. By the time she had made it into town people had already set up for the market. She smiled as she stopped at one that had breads and jams. She picked up a few loafs and got a berry spread. As she carried the bread and spread, looking for a fruits vendors, thinking about what her next move would be.
 
As Angel, disguised with mask and cloak, made his way through the town, he heard the hustle and bustle of the market. He always kept money on his person, just in case he found something he liked. With control and dictation, he weaved through the crowd like a needle through thread, almost like a dance in it's own way. He found himself waltzing to an imaginary tune as he made his way to a fruit vendor. Even the crowd, familiar with the repeated antics of this masked wonder, made a path for him to dance to. The prince felt so free, and so alive not having to conform to the people's expectations. It was as though he was another person entirely.

The market took notice as the prince's weaving turned into a full-fledged dance, and a circle of people formed around him to cheer on his livening steps. Every once and a while, Angel would pluck a maiden from the crowd, give her a twirl, and send her away with a flick of the wrist. It was all in good fun, and the people had great laughs. The prince would even select a man from the crowd if he was feeling mischievous, relishing in the shock of their face.

Even with his lively actions, Angel was still careful to hide his identity. As his black cloak fanned out from his movements, a black undershirt and dress pants were revealed. Even his boots were a matte black. A hood hid his blond locks from the daylight, and the mask he wore only had holes for breath and sight. He was, in the terms of the town, "The Witty Phantom," but he cared not. Experiencing the pureness of the kingdom was a feeling that Angel cherished.
 
As she walked, Sayomi took off a piece of bread and ate it as she looked around. Usually she was somewhat frugal with her money. But actually being here to see her mother in a town she was well familiar with made her more loose with it than usual. She stopped and was able to purchase a bag to hold her bread and jam and the other things that she would be buying. She looked at all the stuff that people had made, all the jewelry and clothes and little odds and ends. Sayomi had never been very well with some of the things most women were supposed to be good at. While she should have been learning those skills, she was learning skills for her new trade.

She stopped and got half a dozen eggs, along with some potatoes and peas from a young lady. "Where is the best stand to get fruit?" She asked as she paid and declined the change. The women just pointed as she looked at the cold piece that was now all hers. "Thank you, my dear." She said with a smile continuing forward. She could tell that some of the people seemed to recognize who she was from the night before, it wasn't hard. She still stood out from the crowd in her dress. Not as form shaping as the one the night before, but still more so than the average days dress. The color stood out against their basic and fairly dull colors.

Sayomi found her way to the fruit stand and smiled as she looked at all the fruits. She knew that once the merchant say how much she bought, he would be ecstatic. She liked fruit because of its grab and go ability, so it made it easy for her because she did not have to sit and eat.
 
Angel, now tired from all the fun he had with the people, snuck away to buy a few things from the fruit stand. His head was swimming with excitement and exhilaration from the morning. Even though his mask depicted a silver-cast face of severe disinterest, Angel's eyes and voice said otherwise. It would always vex people at first, talking to a man so jovial without seeing his lips move, but over the course of about a year, the prince's habit became commonplace in the market. Angel leaned on a post of the stand as he spoke to the fruit-vendor, talking about politics, growth of the year's crops, and even the prince himself.

It was this way that the prince learned about the kingdom and its needs. Heaven knows his mother couldn't care less about the frivolities of the common folk, but Angel knew where his duty lie. As shy as he was, the prince knew what needed to come first. His ethic in that regard was stunning. So though it seemed like common banter to the fruit man, Angel listened intently at every word spoken, catching discrepancies and reading between the lines. He was so focused that he didn't notice the approach of a familiar face from the night before. After finishing the conversation, Angel turned to look at the fruit more, but stopped himself short. Had he taken a few more steps, the prince would have likely ran face-first into the woman he knew as Nadia. He stood there, awestruck and without words, simply staring at her face. As equal mixtures of joy and dread flooded to his head, the disguised prince made a decision, and stuck with it. With only a moment's hesitation, he greeted the woman. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure." Angel said with a bow, disguising his voice to sound more hollow and raspy.
 
Sayomi felt eyes on her and looked out of the corner of her eye at the man. She noticed his mask first which seemed odd to her in the middle of the morning in the middle of the town. She decided to ignore him and looked back to the fruits. As she picked up an apple, he spoke to her. Sayomi turned to him and gave a small smile "Nadia. And who might this masked stranger be?" She asked him, handing the vendor three gold pieces. He looked at her confused. She just smiled at him as she started filling her bag with an assortment of fruits. She knew that the gold pieces were more than enough to pay for all that she wanted, and then some.

She let her gaze go back to the masked man, looking him over again. Something about the way that he held himself, and his bow triggered something in her mind. But she was unable to figure out why. "Is there a reason why you wish your identity to be a secret masked man?" Her eyes gave a small twinkle with her next words "Or do you just not see yourself attractive enough to go without the mask?" The last part she was just teasing him. She could not think of any reason besides the money he may have seen her use that caught the mans attention.
 
"I have lost the need for a name, madam" Angel replied, quickly getting back into character. "I let the people call me what they like. As for my face, it is for the good of others that I do not show it." The prince had recited this story to masses of people before, so he began it again, like clockwork. "I have a 'condition' of the skin, you see. A disease known as Leprosy, to be precise. I wear this mask, and these gloves, as well as all my other garbs, to keep others from catching it." Angel performed a twirl, letting his outfit show off, then he continued. "You may wonder why I even bother, as many people have, but what fun can be had away from others? Truly, if one does not struggle to find happiness, then no happiness will be there to find." His deep brown eyes glowed as he spoke, showing his conviction to this belief.

"Ah, but I have taken away your time. It was a pleasure to meet you Nadia. Perhaps we may dance in the market one day." The prince ended jovially. He then grasped the woman's hand and raised it to kiss it, only to stop the movement inches from the silver of his mask. Only then did he realize what he may have done. He let her hand drop from his, turned away, and walked calmly back into the sea of people that flooded the market. Glancing back at the lady he knew as Nadia, Angel let a smile come to his masked face before melting away with the crowd.
 
"I have lost the need for a name, madam" Angel replied, quickly getting back into character. "I let the people call me what they like. As for my face, it is for the good of others that I do not show it." The prince had recited this story to masses of people before, so he began it again, like clockwork. "I have a 'condition' of the skin, you see. A disease known as Leprosy, to be precise. I wear this mask, and these gloves, as well as all my other garbs, to keep others from catching it." Angel performed a twirl, letting his outfit show off, then he continued. "You may wonder why I even bother, as many people have, but what fun can be had away from others? Truly, if one does not struggle to find happiness, then no happiness will be there to find." His deep brown eyes glowed as he spoke, showing his conviction to this belief.

"Ah, but I have taken away your time. It was a pleasure to meet you Nadia. Perhaps we may dance in the market one day." The prince ended jovially. He then grasped the woman's hand and raised it to kiss it, only to stop the movement inches from the silver of his mask. Only then did he realize what he may have done. He let her hand drop from his, turned away, and walked calmly back into the sea of people that flooded the market. Glancing back at the lady he knew as Nadia, Angel let a smile come to his masked face before melting away with the crowd.
 
Sayomi listened to the man's story, but before she could answer, he was bidding her farewell. As he lifted her hand up to his lips, her eyes widened. The way that he held her hand gave him away. She finally put all the pieces together and knew that it was Angle. Before she could say anything, he was gone. She looked at the fruit vendor "Additional three pieces if you watch my bag." he smiled and held his hand out for the bag. She handed it to him, forgetting that she had already payed for fruit that she hadn't gotten yet. She started after the masked man, swerving in and out of people nimbly. She may have been in a dress, but she had done things like this in more, and in less. Things happen unexpectedly usually with every job. She had been nearly caught while bathing or changing out of one outfit to another, and wearing leather armor that she swore weighed more than she did. After she followed him for so long, she decided that she needed to head him off. There was no way that she would be able to catch him, nor get him to admit who he was in front of everyone. She made her way through the woods, thinking of the direction that he would be taking.

She guessed by the lack of body guards that they did not know that he was here. So she decided to make her way back to towards the castle and then went towards the way she figured his room was. She hadn't remembered seeing it, but there was only one side of the castle that she hadn't gotten to that night. Once she hit the trees, Sayomi took off full speed, never more glad then she had been then that she wore her boots under her dress. She took off until she was a close enough to the castle to see him if he was to go that way, but far enough to not be spotted. She leaned against a tree, and waiting patiently, hoping.
 
Once Angel was close enough to the castle, he slowed from a running pace to a calm walk. His heart and mind raced at the blunder he made. He had never imagined that he would give himself away so easily. Though it was a panic inducing moment, he couldn't help but smile at seeing the woman again. Running to the wall closest to his room, the prince removed his cloak and mask to hide them under a bush nearby. As he scaled the wall, Angel wondered if he had been discovered. It tore him apart to think that he would be unable to go back to the town again without being judged, but seeing the one he knew as Nadia was almost a miracle in itself.

As he finished climbing the wall, Angel stopped to take in the view, sitting on the edge of the stone precipice, watching the town. It was rare for the prince to find peace so close to the castle walls, so he took it in slowly. He let his golden hair fall in a loose and messy fashion, allowing the gentle breeze to find its place between his locks, and letting his worries melt away with the light of the sun.
 
Sayomi started to think she was wrong. She hadn't seen him go by. As she turned and looked back at the castle though, she saw him perched about the wall. She bit her lip as she decided to surprise him. As much as she knew she shouldn't, she couldn't help but do it. She ran around to the opposite side of the castle and scaled the wall. Just as the night before she peered over to look for guards. After she saw the only one walk around the corner she jumped over, landing silently.

The closer she got the more she felt like she shouldn't be doing it. She finally went to the wall of the castle and begane climbing as she avoided every window. As she almost reached the top a maid opened a window and looked out. Sayomi smiled at the women handing her a gold piece " The prince's room is on the other side." The women said smiling. Sayomi figured that her with the prince must have caused some stir.

As the women closed the window Sayomi carried on. When she reached the top she ran as fast as she could across the roof. As she reached the side she saw him still on the wall and smiled. She scaled down the castle wall much faster than she did climbing up it. As she stared up at the wall she started slowly trying not to be caught by him. She got up to him and then softly tugged on the back of his shirt. "You know its hard to forget the way that someone likes you takes your hand. There is no way someone could."
 
"Nadia!" The prince exclaimed in a panic as he stumbled over himself to achieve an upright standing position. "W-What are you doing here? I thought...I-I mean...but you..." The prince tripped over his words, and simply looked at Sayomi, astonished and bewildered at her sudden appearance. His heart pounded furiously in terror and excitement, and his mind raced through all the things he ought to be saying. Of course, he could barely utter a syllable. The prince's shyness started kicking in yet again as he stood there, unintelligibly awestruck at the woman who was obviously more than she seemed.

After a brief silence, Angel found his voice and began to speak once more. "I...I guess you know my little secret then. Frankly, I didn't expect you to catch up with me while wearing a dress, but I suppose you are full of surprises." Angel smiled as he continued, coming to terms with the fact he had been found out. "I know better than to ask what gave me away," The prince continued, "but why follow me? I never expected much to be gained from following a prince that doesn't even interact directly with his people..." Curious, the prince gazed into Sayomi's green eyes with his own with renewed eagerness to know about this mysterious woman.
 
A laugh escaped Sayomi's lips as he fumbled. In that moment, whether she got in trouble for sneaking onto the castle grounds would be worth it. She finished climbing up and sat next to him. "Sit down you silly man before you fall off." She looked up at him, the sun shining on her porcelain face. Though the skin on her face nearly perfect, in the sun light white scars could be seen on her arms if one looked hard enough. The smile that was on her face never faltered as she watched his expression.

"Never underestimate any women in a dress. Especially me. Though, in my line of work, I hardly ever wear a dress. So it was harder for me." She laughed as she looked down at her dangling feet, her boots showing underneath. Her green eyes looked into his brown ones, "I won't gain anything. I was just rather interested in the whole thing. There is absolutely no reason to be ashamed my dear prince. Some times you find out more from people not knowing who you are. Some times you find out the small things that some people might not think you can change or help, but then you can. Just because something is different doesn't make it wrong." She let her gaze drop. "You saw me and took the chance to approach me. But why?"
 
Angel sat at Sayomi's orders. His face, red with embarrassment, wore an expression of equal parts joy and confusion. The prince couldn't rip his gaze away from the woman as she spoke. He was now more curious than ever about this strange girl, but he couldn't bring himself to break the trance he was in. The sun was warm on his skin, and the stone ledge was far more natural than his usual seat. He felt at ease, like the world finally stopped revolving around him.

Sayomi's question took him by surprise, but the prince was ready with an answer. He had been wondering the same thing himself since that fateful day. "It is true that my mother pointed you out from the crowd. That was the first thing to spur my actions. However, it certainly wasn't the last. There is only so much that one can tell from a distance, so perhaps my judgement is off, but you seemed fearful. Not of my mother, or myself, but it was the crowd that did you in...much like myself. I don't know what I hoped to help by talking to you. Perhaps it was simply to quell my own fears at first, but then I heard you speak." The prince smiled, glad to get everything off his chest, even if it may be seen as blunt. The times where he could sit and talk with someone were few and far in between, so he took pleasure in his audience of one as he continued.

"What one can tell from another's speech is infinitely expanded from what can be devised from afar, so hearing you for the first time was certainly eye-opening for me. I rarely spend time with the people of the town as the prince of a castle. I always feared their judgement in that regard. Hearing you changed something in me... I understand how necessary it is that I trust the people that I will one day be king over...if that day ever comes." The prince ran his fingers through his hair nervously before continuing. "If I may be so blunt...I fear for my life. As capable as the men and women of the castle are, there is always a weakness to exploit. Perhaps that is another reason I came to you that night. I want to live a life that I never had before. It's why I dress up as a leper and walk amongst the town, and it's why I dance, fight, laugh, and love. To feel these pleasures on a day to day basis is more than words could ever explain!" Angel gestured wide at this, as though the whole world was his oyster despite his fear. He then realized how open he had been with the woman he had only met the night before, and peered down at his own black boots with a deep blush plastered on his face.
 
Sayomi looked over at him. "You are more than right. I am very fearful of such large crowds as there was last night. I am used to much smaller crowds. When you travel as much as I have, to as many different kingdoms, you often loose track of the styles in each place. It is beyond ones comprehension how things differ in every kingdom. Not just the style, the people, the way they behave. Everything. I was waiting for a drastic slip up."

As she looked over the landscape around them, Sayomi couldn't help but think. "But besides that, you should never loose facts. You are a human, not a god. You are technically at the whim of your people. You may have been born into this family, but where would you be without your people? In reality, who would you be leading? They want to know that you know that. " As they continued to talk, the awkward side of Sayomi began to come out a little more. When it came to showing something true about herself, she never knew how to handle it. She was not used to showing anything of herself, that when it came time to show it she didn't know how to react.

When he brought up not knowing if he would make it to the throne her heart skipped a beat, but her outside never changed. "Don't let the thought of death now be the sole reason for living. We only have a meager existence here, even if you were not to die tomorrow, you will at some point. You don't want to be on your deathbed, wishing about all the stuff you had done. It is better to make mistakes, then never to have tried." Sayomi said, not just to make him feel better, but to speak some truth. It was something that believed in greatly, and thought that he should look at life the same. "But why on earth would you be scared for your life right now?" This she was truly curious to. If he had been the one to kill the king, then one would think that he would be cocky, and full headed. That he wouldn't think of someone trying to kill the next in line after their leader died.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back