Secrets and Forbidden Love

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Oh, if only he was not as ignorant as he seemed. Josephine was concerned by his unconcerned demeanor, but said nothing in response. She could only wait and hope against hope that Alyx would be hospitable. She held onto Matt's hand as they walked the trail, trying to think up things to do if anything should go wrong. And there were so many things that could go wrong... or there was in her slightly paranoid mind at least.
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He kept glancing over at her as they walked, she was slightly in front of them so he couldn't get a clear view of her face but she seemed tense. "Are you alright?" He said thinking for a second "Your worried about tonight aren't you?" he said with a slight smile "If it makes you feel better I will only glance at you for a second just as a greeting and focus on talking to your parents and brother. That way I can warm them up to me." He said with a smile "Mostly small talk and I will feel around to figure out what they like and don't like. You know become friends first."
 
<input id="mac_address" value="undefined" type="hidden"><input id="triggerLogout" type="hidden">"Are you alright?" Josephine turned her head and nodded, smiling slightly. "You're worried about tonight aren't you?" She couldn't help but nod again, this time less. "I don't know how your presence may be reacted to. Think nothing of it, I worry too much." "If it makes you feel better I will only glance at you for a second just as a greeting and focus on talking to your parents and brother. That way I can warm them up to me. Mostly small talk and I will feel around to figure out what they like and don't like. You know become friends first." A true smile quirked her lips, but it didn't last long. "That may be best." Her hand gently squeezed his, admitting silently to still being concerned. 'May luck be on our side. Because unless we are both lucky, this could end very badly.'

((Ooo, idea ^^ will pm it to you))
 
He smiled and continued to walk with her, he could tell she was very worried and he didn't like that, it really made him upset to think about how unsure she is. "Listen, if you don't want me to go then we can wait longer. I fear the longer we wait the more likely it will be that they become more defensive of you." He said kissing her cheek. "Lets just go to the house, I will run home and change before knocking on your door and asking if I could stay. If they say no I will move on and if they say yes then I will come in. As far as tonight is concerned we do not know each other." He continued to walk with her holding her had. "We should get their soon though, you said they could be coming home soon."
 
Josephine didn't speak much, lost in her thoughts, trying to clear her mind. "My home is not far from here, not much farther." She glanced over at her friend a few times, each time glancing away as another thought came to mind. 'It shall be alright. My family will be kind. They will not do him any harm if we keep ourselves apart.' This repeated in her mind, the only way she could find to try and convince herself that things would turn out for the better and not the worse. After a little while longer of walking, they walked through the treeline and towards a two story home. The walls were of wood, as were the houses of peasants; her parents could not afford a stone house similar to any of the nobles. The knob on the back door was made of brass, half rusted over from years of age. Nothing of her living gave any hint towards any bit of noble standings. As she realized how poorly her home must look, she felt a bit ashamed; he must think so badly of her, for such ridiculous and weak housing... perhaps he would not visit after all. The young woman stopped at the back door and let her fingers slip away from Matt's. "Dinner is near sunset, if you intend to come bearing food it may be best to arrive before then. Many a traveler would not wander after dark anyways."
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He smiled and nodded when they got to the house. He figured he should come with money and food... that would be alright, just as long as its not too much of either. He turned to walk home giving her a gentle bye before running off to prepare. Upon getting to his house he grabbed a basket of food, taking the same type of food that he had when they went on the picnic the day before. Then he under dressed himself to look of a lower noble and cut parts of the clothing to make it look like he had been in a fight. After adding some blood and hiding the dagger just in case he was jumped on the way he started to head out. Silently he went past the guards and rushed to her house about an hour before sunset he was back and knocking on the door with food and money. He ended up ditching the basket and wrapping the gifts in a cloth so it was more realistic.
 
<input id="mac_address" value="undefined" type="hidden"><input id="triggerLogout" type="hidden">Josephine smiled and waved him off goodbye before going inside. It was almost half an hour before the rest of her family had returned home, and she was in her room, drawing. For the most part, she went unquestioned and left alone, other than a drop in by Alyxander. He left her alone after checking up on her, seeing as she was busy; he seemed in a good mood, so that was a comfort. After a couple hours, all the family had settled into their normal evening routine. There was a knock at the door, which Josephine eagerly reacted to. However, she let the door be answered by someone else, to make sure it didn't seem planned. Madame Williams opened the door instead, while her husband was busy in the kitchen. She gasped when she saw the battered young man on the doorstep, or supposedly battered anyways. "Oh my, you poor dear. What has happened to you?" Josephine slowly snuck from the doorway of her room, though not going down the staircase. She too gasped, fearing Matt had truly been hurt.
 
"It wasn't anything Mrs." He said with a bow "It was from various men along my journey and I was hoping you could give me a place for rest." he said going threw an old rugged back "I have some money and food that I was hoping to use as a trade for a nights stay." He said holding out the food and a small bag of gold worth about a quarter of their house. "I hope it will do." He said closing his bag. "I don't have much else to trade if I'm going to get to my destination." By this point he had fumbled with his bags strap but managed to get it closed. She invited him in but he could tell she wasn't sure if she should let him stay. Her husband would be furious if she said he could. Mathias hoped that behind the lower clothing and cuts no one would recognize him, so far it was working her father would be the true threat in this case. Out of all of them her father would be the one to have seen him for one reason or another. "Thank you for your hospitality." He said acting like he just noticed Josephine "Good day." Was all he gave her with a nod before he was lead to the dinning room.
 
Madame Williams willingly invited the you ng male in, not in the least bit suspicious of anything. It was unusual for a traveler to seek out shelter in a citizen's home, but perhaps the inn had been overfilled again. "Please, do come in." When he mentioned the food and money in exchange for a night's stay, a light engulfed her eyes, a look of surprise and joy; but she knew it would be bad of her to take such payment hastily. "We need not such rewards. Besides, a night's stay here would not be much, if it shall be agreed to." "Thank you for your hospitality." " 'Tis nothing. Bitter nights are these, and we would not leave a traveler to fend for himself." Sir William turned from the fireplace as Matt was led in, glancing to his wife. "And who might our visitor be?" He cleaned off his hands with a rag, having been cleaning out dishes for dinner. "A weary traveler, he is. Looking for a place to stay the night, as he has nowhere else to stop before night falls." The older male, looks the younger one over for a moment, tilting his head slightly. He reminded him quite of the king's son, but the clothes were not b efitting of that title. "Where are you traveling from, lad? And to where are you heading?" Josephine snuck down the staircase, watching from afar. Her father seemed a bit suspicious, but not to the point of threatening or being any danger. All that was left was his introduction to Alyxander; and that was her biggest fear.
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When he walked in and noticed right away he was being introduced to Josephine's father. He was a bit nervous seeing the large man standing up, clearly whatever his job was required a lot of upper arm strength and judging by his hands before he wiped them clean he seemed to be a blacksmith. He walked over and looked him over before asking him a simple question "I am from a small village about a days travel from here. I don't think you would have heard of it but most call it Riverside, it was renamed by the king himself at one point to Riverdal though to this day he still never said why, and I'm heading to southhill. Its a three days journey from here but I go because their is word that the princess has been found." He said seeming to fidget, "I- I would like to see the princess go back to the thrown." He said acting like he had said something terrible. From what he heard from Josephine her parents disliked the king so a small tail like that should gain him a little respect. "I hope your not a strong one with the king, most people aren't now adays."
 
<input id="mac_address" value="undefined" type="hidden"><input id="triggerLogout" type="hidden">Josephine listened and watched from the stairwell. "I am from a small village about a days travel from here. I don't think you would have heard of it but most call it Riverside, it was renamed by the king himself at one point to Riverdal though to this day he still never said why, and I'm heading to southhill." The story was quite believable, even she would understand why he would not want to travel further with that back-story. A door creaked open from upstairs, and the young female caught movement from the corner of her eye. It was Alyxander, who had heard the arrival of a guest and come to see who it was. His timing could not have been worse. "Its a three days journey from here but I go because their is word that the princess has been found. I-I would like to see the princess go back to the throne." The wife and husband shared discretely surprised glances before both smiled. "I hope your not a strong one with the king, most people aren't now adays." Sir William opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off when a quick shadow darted into the room and pinned Mathias to the wall."Aye, we are not. Unlike you." The last world was hissed with such spite that it could have poisoned the prince and still had enough bite to kill the king as well. "Alyxander, stop!" Josephine ran in after him, grabbing his arm, his hand holding a blade to the younger male's throat. "He has done you no harm, so leave him be."
 
Mathias was caught by a sudden surprise as when he was tackled into the wall and found a dagger at his throat. His hand had gone to his dagger and he was about to pull back and disarm the devil that had done that to him before he heard Josephine yell 'Alyxander, stop!' Right when he heard the name he let go of the dagger as the man was ripped from his back. Mathias turned around not showing any emotion from that. "Well, that was friendly." He said rubbing his neck a little. "I am going to assume he is no stranger to you since the young maiden called him by name." He said looking at Alyxander with a confused look "Have I done something to offend you?" He had a feeling Alyxander knew he was the prince because of his comment when attacking but he was going to play it off and hopefully make Alyxander think he was mistaken. Mathias drew his dagger out of his coat and threw it to the ground so the point held it upright in the wood. "I am now unarmed. I hope you hold yourself honorably or I may have made a mistake." Really it was in hopes of keeping the violence down for sake of conversation though should they attack him anyways he would be able to bring his dagger to his hand with the flick of his ankle. It was something he learned over the years from the swords master of the kingdom.
 
Alyxander begrudgingly pulled back and away from the younger male at Josephine's request, though was still displeased. His glare remained starkly on his face as he stepped in line with the rest of his family. "Have I done something to offend you?" "Not to offend me. But you speak of the princess, as I heard. What do you know of her?" Sir William put his hand on the young man's shoulder, giving him a sharp and warning look. "My apologies for such a rash reaction to your finding. My son should know better than to attack a guest." The scolding tone in his voice was as sharp as the dagger Alyx had put to Matt's throat moments before, and the boy winced a little. When their guest had thrown down his weapon, both the son and father stiffened a little. Their eyes were upon the knife that Matt had put down. Alyx knelt, ignoring Josephine's warning to leave the weapon be, and straightened up with the blade in his hand. "Where did you get this, might I ask?" "I am sure it is no concern of yours. Now stop trouble the poor traveler." Josephine snuck around behind her sibling as she spoke, but he held the dagger out of her reach when she tried to snatch it away.
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"I got it from the mugger who attacked me." He said ignoring Josephines comment. She was going to give them away if she kept it up. He acted like he was being defensive now "I hope you don't mind that I carry one. Now adays it is much more dangerous on the streets." He tried to think of a way to lighten up the tense moment but could not think of any. "It is fine, he must have mistaken me for a kings guard. He lives close to here if I'm not mistaken, and hearing him say you are not siding with the king may have caused the aggression." He said nodding at Alyx before answering the question. "I know of her basic descriptions. Copper hair, blue eyes." He said thinking "I don't think I know much more than that. I hear she is in southhill... though these leads have never come up right before." He said returning his gaze to the father. "If you do not feel comfortable you can take my dagger for the night. I won't need it until my morning travels."
 
Alyxander hid a smirk after Matt's answer to his question but kept silent for the time being. " 'Tis normal to carry a weapon, aye. These are very dangerous times." Josephine pulled back , walking towards the doorway. She knew she shouldn't stay nearby, because she was tempted too often to defend her friend and it may cause trouble for both of them. But she didn't dare walk off entirely. As they continued to speak of the princess, she thought about how alike her that description was, but again ignored it and hid the emotion completely. "If you do not feel comfortable you can take my dagger for the night. I won't need it until my morning travels." "We may just have to do that, sir. Because unless you were mugged by the prince and stole this knife from him, this blade says you are the king's son. I should know, because I made this dagger myself." Josephine's gasp mingled with her mother's who seem shocked at this as well. She looked over at Matt. 'He couldn't possibly... could he? Why did he not admit to being the prince? No, this is some misunderstanding... it must be.'
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"Are you certain this is the princes?" He said picking it up and examining it. "I wouldn't know." He said dropping it again to let it sink into the floor yet again. "Maybe he left it to the side of the road or something. All I know is I found it off a mugger." He said again acting like he wasn't seeing the point. Really he didn't know why the first dagger he grabbed was his own. He had forgotten that his father had the dagger specially made for him by the local blacksmith. He had a feeling it wouldn't be long before they called him out on it. "Regardless I thought you didn't like the king." He said pointing a finger at the three of them "and yet you seem so worried that I have the princess dagger. What do you think I did? Mug him on my way here?" He sounded like he was getting angry. A good show indeed. Really just by that an old peasant would be thrown off but these men were the paranoid type. They might continue to push it until he broke. "Even if I did you shouldn't care. It's not like they could track me to you. The paths are used far too much for that."
 
"I am absolutely certain; because I has nicked the handle when carving it, and the same mark is on that dagger. It is also made from steel, which is quite expensive; no mugger around here would own such a weapon." Alyxander was very good at noticing tiny details, but he did get thrown off by the other boy's anger and defensiveness. Then again, why act so angry all of a sudden? They hadn't accused him of anything; he only accused himself. "No one said anything about you mugging the prince. And besides, you claimed you got that dagger from the person who mugged you." This was only making him seem more and more suspicious; even Sir William had to admit that. Besides the dagger, your voice and looks are quite the same as well. Don't you remember accompanying a guard to inquire about the king's armor supply? The prince was carrying that exact blade with him that day." "Enough, Alyxander. We will get to the bottom of this, but accusations will get us nowhere. How about you see Josephine to her room before checking up on supper."
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He listened to Alyxanders continuous talk and observations but he looked like he was trying to calm down. After listening about the dagger, not that he needed to explain how he knew it was his dagger. Such a work would be easily noticed by the man who created it, he pointed out that they hadn't accused him of mugging the prince though if the prince was mugged the entire town would have known about it unless it happened recently... still he wasn't going to get into an argument with this man, he would prove to be dangerous for Mathias's goals. He had to remind himself he needed to make the three like him. Then out of no where Alyxander accused him of being the prince. He looked stunned, more surprised than a peasant would look if you gave him a crate of salted food. "I look like the prince?" He said still absolutely dumbfounded. "That means you have met the prince?" He said knowing they hadn't. It must have merely been a glimpse of him. It went unnoticed though, her fathers much more commanding voice over took his and Alyxander was told to bring Josephine to her room. This wasn't looking good, they wouldn't bring her up before dinner, they would all eat together at a table not separated. It was common guest courtesy to do something as simple as that and he knew he was in trouble. Still, he doubted they were trained with the art of swords play, they might have been good at making it but that didn't mean they knew how to use it to a professional level. Maybe he could use trickery to get out of it.
 
((sorry if I'm assuming things too much ^^" Alyx is just the very defensive type, he needs proof but when he has it he is not one to just let it go))

Alyxander had very few doubts about his claim, for he thought he had more than enough to prove the traveler to be the prince; or a spy of the prince perhaps? That too would explain how he ended up with the prince's dagger. However, Alyx knew better than to go against his father's instructions, and headed out of the kitchen, pulling Josephine behind him. She seemed dazed and confused. Matt... Mathias... even the names were alike. Could her only friend really turn out to be her worst enemy? That was, if she was the princess, which was completely ridiculous... and so was that accusation. He acted nothing like royalty. "You seem very protective of our little guest, Josephine. Might I ask why?" Josephine snapped from her thought, Alyxander looking down at her with his piercing green eyes. "He deserves not what you have done, 'tis all. You must treat guests as guests, not prisoners. You always do this, find faults and trivial things to accuse others of bigger things. Truth be told, what are you hiding? What are you so afraid of?" As she spoke Alyxander seemed insulted, but kept his temper under control; had it been anyone else saying that, he would have hit them and leave quite a mark. But he dared not harm Josephine; she was to be protected, not hurt. "Just stay in your room. Dinner will be brought up to you, unless father says otherwise."

Sir William sighed when Alyx and Josephine had left the room. His gaze returned to their guest. "I am deeply sorry for such harsh accusations. 'Tis normal for him to be... defensive, but never getting to this state." He glanced down towards the knife that stood from the wood on the floor. The knife was of Alyxander's creation, but he dared not agree with his son. And so he would try in his own way. "You have spoken earlier of the princess. Are you a supporter of the House of the Sparrow." Only a true supporter of the princess would know of that meaning. But he expected the young man would agree, as he had such fond interest in finding the princess and seeing her return to her rightful place on the throne.
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"No, I am with a small group in Riverside that created a search party for the princess. They say that the House of the Sparrow doesn't get information right and their is a leak that heads to the king. I do not know much about it but I decided to join locally. If what I heard was true they don't seem to be going at this the right way. Though I have heard merely one sided stories about them. The group I am with has members who travel far and if they see someone resembling the descriptions then they spread the word to us. We are the ones who figure out if she is or not. Our only goal right now is to located the princess." He said looking at her father "What about the House of the Sparrow? What are they focusing on doing?"

He hoped if he changed the conversation enough the accusations would be forgotten. It would be interesting to hear about this group, he had never heard of the name so he made up stories that seemed reasonably for a rumor. He was a bit nervous, the father seemed to know how to bring him into a blind sided conversation. One wrong slip could mean danger for him so he would really have to think these out. Regardless of his uneasiness he still held himself in an almost causal demeanor. After all he should only be on edge when Alyxander entered the room. He was very unpredictable and ready to slit a throat without do reason. That would be dangerous.
 
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