The Bond of Saussi and Raceasa (Private for vashti)

[wolf.]

Saussi lays below that of a great mountain, and its outer borders is lush trees and streams. Once a powerful force like its neighboring kingdoms, but soon it became shrunken with the vanishing of its rulers. As who would listen to that of a child? A creature no one had seen and have never heard a single utter from in years. So, Saussi has become dangerously small and its livelihood is threatening complete destruction. Thus, Salem Devenshire, the brother to the missing queen and what was left of the guard, arranged the one thing that would make any sort of sense for saving. Their closest neighbor was the large empire of Ricaesa, and the talk of a marriage was spoken even when the queen was young. Even if the population and power was small for Saussi, they did harbor a greater resource.

The territory was a mass producer in precious gems and silver, and the whole town sat upon untouched clusters. Then there was, of course, the gene pool of the principal. Saussi was a home to very strong elemental beings, and generalized powers as well. From a waterbender to that of teleporters and people who spoke to the animals. The short coming of this was their powers where rated upon class; as the lesser classes did not have such stronger of powers or none at all at times. This made the leading family extremely powerful, whether or not they knew it or could even control the powers given.

For the last remaining of the Devenshire matriarchy, immense psychic and telekinetic abilities ran through the young boy; yet they where never truly acted upon. Salem had tried his best to teach his nephew about what he could do and how to control it, but Salem did not have such power to correctly do so. The psychic ability has not been since Salems own grandfather, and even then it wasn't even close to what a tantrum from a 10 year old could hold. Thus, the young son only learned to do minor things like lift objects, move them and learn of someones past by touch. Everything remains untouched and uncontrolled to the point that a stoic personality is what was best to keep it at bay. Anything more could bring down the chateaus' walls.

As would be expected, Ricaesas' Queen was interested in that of Saussis' resources and the possibility of the last monarchs' genes to be past on. Even if they did not have a princess, the arrangement of a marriage was set in motion not long after Salems' request for help. As both of the princes' where grown adults, the marriage should go along flawlessly and Saussi would become an outskirt territory for Ricaesa. A mining town if you will. Though the news was not so well received by that of the Saussi prince and the little nobles that where left. A marriage between two men? What good would that do? Besides make a mockery of the royal system itself. Yet none of this was voice as young Journey knew better than to question what would be best. After all, he has never had to make a ruling decision for-- anything really.

Journey had never been to the Ricaesa kingdom before, and the trip there was surprisingly not very long. Salem had stated to him that he was to meet the other prince as well as the queen. A trip meant to just have him see Ricaesa, learn about their ways, people and so forth. Simple and easy interaction. A preparation of calm thoughts and music to keep the powers in check, and of course what to say and what not to say. Usually silence was the best policy, but he had to speak to them about himself and seem interested. A bumpy stop is what pulled him from his thoughts and to-do list, and he looked up at the castle. It was large, beautifully made and had guards at the front as it should be.

Stepping from the carriage and onto the cement staircase, Journey looked about for a moment at the surrounding area. It was much different than home. Had more people by far, larger houses and he could smell food on the wind from the nearby bakeries. It was actually quiet nice and peaceful. Then he had to head up the stairs, past the posted guards to where he assumed was where he was to meet them. From what he had been told, Nereus was the prince but was not yet ruling as his mother was still alive. All he was told was the king was killed early on, and not much else. Journey moved some hairs behind his ear and his gaze looked up the walls to the different art pieces that sat around. He had slight hope that this would go well. The key word being 'hope'.

 

[cephalophore]

as a prince, nereus was aware his life was not always his own. yet, somehow, he didn't expect it to turn out like this.

there have been talks of marriage and engagements since nereus was a child, so being promised to another royal wasn't the suprising part. no, nereus accepted that dutifully, as a prince ought; but why, from all the people in the world, did his mother pick journey devenshire, the prince of saussi? oh, you know, the kingdom that they have been rivals with more often than not? any person off the street could tell you about their centuries long feud, the bloody battles they have fought. it was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous and it's no suprise nereus would be flabbergasted at his mother's decision.

but the thing is, he knew the reason. and it was a reasonable one, too; that's the worst part. nereus couldn't even protest against the engagement, knowing just how advantageous this match would be for his dynasty. for all it's might, ricaesa was barren - the land was userful for farming, but not much more. ores, forests, precious jewels were far and in between in ricaesa. it was the cause for many a war between their kingdoms in the past; ricaesa longed for saussi's rich resources like the thirsty long for water, though never being able to claim the other land. finally being able to tap into the rich veins of ores and metals will no doubt have a highly positive influence on ricaesa's development. it was one of the reasons his mother was so insistent on this match.

the other was, well... the prince's powers. the savarress dynasty's strength was nothing to scoff at, sure, but journey's power was exceptional. reinette couldn't recall a time she's heard of a physic with so much potential in her lifetime; to have a person with such abilities marry into their family would only serve to make ricaesa more powerful. it's been a while since foreign and savarress blood mixed - so this would be a welcome introduction of new powers into their royal line. though, as luck would have it, there was no princess whose hand they could offer. nereus was an only child, with his mother stubbornly refusing to remarry after his father's death, therefore he would have to do.

so yes. it was an infuriatingly, annoyingly, stupidly good reason. only an idiot would refuse such an arrangement and while nereus might be many things, an idiot he was not. the prince accepted their engagement, with the planning going smooth like butter. it was final, nereus savarress and journey devenshire were to be wed.

his fiance was a faceless, voiceless man - nereus had a name, but nothing else to go on. reinette send one of her council members to discuss details at the saussi court and they came back singing praises about the other prince's demeanor. oh, what a quiet, intellectual sort! i'm sure you'll find him delightful, my prince! the noble insisted, but they might as well said nothing at all. those descriptions were empty, worthless. the man was still a mystery; about the only thing nereus knew was his past, and even that was a puzzle like the rest of him. the details were blurry, but everybody knew that journey's parents mysteriously disappeared when he was just a boy. even the people in ricaesa took notice, that's how odd it was; the king and queen, suddenly gone without a trace. there were talks of conspiracy, as there tended to be, but nothing official. some even said the rulers were killed or kidnapped, but there was no evidence to point in that direction. as it was, the queen's brother took over as a regent - that seemed to be the end of it. from that point on, saussi withered. how can a kingdom hope to exist without a ruler and with a child on the throne? it shrinked and shrinked, until it became small like at the present time. were nereus not ricaesan, he would feel pity; while saussi was largely unfamiliar to him, he grew up on legends and tragedies of the wars the two countries have fought. saussi used to be a worthy foe and now, it was a shadow of it's past self. a shame, but splendid news for ricaesa.

"nereus, for goodness' sake, stop scowling like that! you're meeting your fiance, not the grim reaper."

his mother's annoyed voice pulled him from his thoughts, startling. he didn't even realise he was glaring, but the queen's deadpan face told it all. nereus shifted sheepishly, fixing his sleeves for what seemed to be the hundredth time today - the meeting was only a few minutes away, and nereus would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit nervous.

not that he would admit it under torture. the prince simply squared his shoulders and fixed his jacket; it was a dark blue, intricately decorated with gold detail. ot was more regal than nereus wore in his day to day life, but his mother insisted on it. whenever it was to display their wealth or to make a good impression, nereus wouldn't know. perhaps both. though, compared to reinette, he was almost humble - her collar stretched behind her neck like a peacock's feathers, with small sparkling stones. ricaesan fashion was notoriously flashy (or pompous, depending on who you ask), but it was even more so for the ladies of the court. his mother, of course, was no exception.

"let's go greet him, shall we?" nereus spoke, inclining his head towards the halls.

the meeting room wasn't too far away from where they were, but if one wasn't familiar with the castle, it would be easy to get lost. it was like a labyrinth of marble, the hallways twisting like vines. nereus grew up in this castle, however, so finding his way around wasn't a problem. portraits of ancestors leered from every wall, following their every step - one stood out from the rest, a grand painting, depicting a dramatic scene. the first meeting between the founders of the savarress dynasty, jefischa and the demon tiberius. centuries ago, ricaesa was ruled only by humans, though that changed when his family took power. as family legend would have it, jefischa was forsaken by her family and with the help of tiberius, took over the throne with a political ploy. the two married and created what was now their demonic bloodline. the legend itself inspired many plays and artoworks, and while nereus had to admit the skill of this particular painter, he... always found it kind of silly. tiberius was pointing somewhere off canvas, looking terribly bored, while jefischa had an 'are you serious?' look on her face. it didn't look all that romantic, did it?

it took a minute more before the carved doors of the meeting room came into view. the servant posted by room bowed when they came closer and opened the door, saying that the prince was already inside. his mother entered first and nereus paused by the door frame for a heartbeat or two, hesitating - well, here goes nothing. raising his chin, the prince gathered his confidence and entered, all proud and arrogant. and there journey was, observing the various art pieces. he... didn't look like nereus thought he would. though, then again, nereus wasn't sure what he even expected in the first place. journey was handsome, nereus noted begrudingly, with long hair (not that he could match nereus' radiance, obviously). it was odd to finally see the person he was going to, well, marry and for a few moments, the man simply stared.

he quickly fixed his expression to something more polite when his mother cleared her throat, the queen offering a smile in greeting. nereus gave a small bow in journey's direction, but didn't speak yet; until reinette introduced him, court etiquette dictated him to be quiet. ''ah, prince devenshire. a pleasure to finally meet you.'' reinette spoke, straightening to her full height. not that it was really neccessary, seeing as the queen's very presence seemed to demand respect. when it came to formal affairs, reinette always made sure to remind everybody who was in power (even nereus, when he was a child and refused to eat his vegetables). ''i hope your journey was pleasant?''

it was nereus' turn to straighten up when his mother gestured towards him with a gloved hand, signalling him to greet the other man. gods, why must this be so awkward? nereus wished he was anywhere but here. ''prince nereus savarress, crown heir of ricaesa. an honor to meet you, prince devenshire.'' his tone was even and polite, though he must have started to scowl again as he saw his mother shoot him a sharp glance. seriously, he'd rather get this over with and go back to doing anything else.

 

[wolf.]

Journey had spent his time waiting in remembering anything about this kingdom. Salem didn't share hardly anything until recently, but he had always knew the name of the prosperous land. From what he could recall, the two had bad blood for some time and their bloodlines where..different. How different he had forgotten but he knew Recaesa was a mixed blood kingdom. In his thought, Journey had begun to fiddle with his sleeve. Salem had put him into a sort of mix of father and mothers' clothing. A button up suit top but with a piece of fabric that hung from his waist like a train. Also made him put his chocolate brown hair into half up braids to keep it from his face. A rather uncomfortable outfit, but suppose it was to keep appearances nice. He had to draw the line at covering his blind eye. It was part of him and was not harmful, plus the other normal blue contact never looked natural enough.

The sound of footsteps on the other side of the door drew him away from gazing at a painting, a past ruler maybe, and he turned to see it open. Ah right, demon blood that was it. The horns should've been a dead giveaway but oh well. Though Journey had to admit he was taken aback by the presence of Reinette and her son, Nereus. Reinette radiated her Queen power and the clutch she held on those around her. She was beautiful though, and very elegant in her stance. Nereus was mainly the same, but with dark hair and haunting eye. They where also both very tall and slim, Journey only stood about 5'10 so the two had to be much taller, with a much more royal line of clothing.

The young man did approach them as they entered to close their distance. Though their greeting was a bit odd to him as not even his subject referred to him as a prince. How can one be a prince with no home to rule? Regardless, Journey gave a smaller bow in return to be polite and spoke to Reinette first as she greeted him, "Please do call me Journey, you are the first two to call me Prince Devenshire," He opted to give a smile, small and it seemed empty, and then he looked at Nereus. That one blue eye seemingly shifting more than the other as he listened to the introduction Journey honestly couldn't help a little chuckle at the full title announcement, "Of course, I have heard about you from Salem. It is very nice to meet you as well Nereus, I do like your outfit," It was more to be kind as people tend to respond better to kindness, but he really did like it. It was very regent but yet seemed comfortable.

Now unsure of how to proceed, Journey gave a slight look around to find something to speak about. The young man had come to the kingdom alone, as there was very little guards to be sparred, and he was use to looking to Salem for guidance. Could say he was more of the royal one than Journey was with how smooth his uncle spoke. "Ah, suppose we should get to speaking?" Journey was unsure of how to handle this situation. Maybe next visit he will study more on how the royal families interact.

 

[cephalophore]

only when journey came closer did nereus see the detail of the other's features; braided hair, fashion that nereus has never seen before and... different colored eyes? one was a captivatingly blue, drawing attention with every movement. nereus has never seen anything like it and he stared at the other for maybe a second too long. as much as he hated to admit it, it added an unique charm to journey's handsome face - not that he was annoyed at that or anything. nope. nu uh. journey was shorter than him though, which made nereus feel a bit smug. the other prince's conduct was definitively foreign from ricaesa's court etiquette, with the more casual way he spoke and even, gasp!, telling them to call him by his first name! nereus' eyes visibly widened, glancing from his mother and back to journey. calling somebody by their first name was only reserved for family and close friends, not people who just met. nereus thought his mother would be annoyed at the prince's informal demeanor, but instead, reinette seemed charmed.

''how humble! very well, journey. i suppose we'll be family soon, anyways, so we should get used to this.'' reinette's smile widened, obviously pleased. journey did seem like a breath of fresh air from the overstuffed nobles of the royal court. nereus was not so impressed. it felt odd, for somebody he barely knew using his first name. and that smile - nereus wondered if it was just his imagination, but it looked empty. maybe journey was uncomfortable being here, too. at the compliment, nereus couldn't help but give a small smirk. ''same to you. i haven't seen anything like your outfit before.'' he wasn't just saying that to be nice, too. sure, nobody was as well-dressed and graceful as himself, but he'll admit journey's clothing was nice. as expected of a fellow prince, obviously.

a small silence followed and nereus suddenly wasn't sure of what to say. there wasn't any book of rules for how to act around your new fiance when you barely know them, and the prince was at a loss. thankfully, journey spoke up again before the silence stretched into awkwardness - saying that they should get to speaking. nereus was about to agree, but reinette was quicker than him, shaking her head elegantly. ''i'm afraid we won't have much time to talk right now. duty calls, as it always does.'' she offered another smile, this time a more genuine one. ''lord salem has told you about the ball in the honor of your engagement tonight, yes? you two can get to know each other better then, i'm sure.'' oh, right. that. nereus loved a good party, but he wasn't sure if he looked forward to the ball. being stuck with a guy he didn't even know for the whole night? all while nobles stared at them? it sounded unpleasant, to say the least. and even more awkward than this whole situation. ''i'm sure you'd want to get settled down before then. nereus, show him to his rooms, will you?''

the prince barely had the time send his mother a betrayed look before the queen prompty left, giving some excuse about how she had a meeting with her council - which nereus knew to be a lie because she had a meeting two hours before. it was most likely a ploy for the two princes to be alone for a bit and talk. hells, that woman really could be evil when she wanted to be. nereus tried to hide his sudden tension, clearing his throat and squaring his shoulders proudly. whatever, how bad can this be? he's navigated conversations with nobles willing to backstab him for a single gold coin, this shouldn't be any worse. ''right.'' the man said, gesturing towards the door with his chin. there was no getting out of this one; journey would probably get lost in the first five seconds without somebody there to guide him. ''shall we?'' not looking back to see if journey was following, nereus set out into the pristine hallways once more, trying to remember where exactly which rooms were assigned to the other prince. still, it felt wrong to lead him in silence - he wasn't nervous or anything, because nereus didn't get nervous. of course not. especially not around somebody from a rival country. ''so. saussi. what's that place like?'' he started, tilting his head in mild curiosity towards journey. he really didn't know much about their culture, but they (obviously) weren't mixed blood. very strange to see somebody without horns, for one. but he was curious; keep your enemies close, they always say.

// i just noticed this but... saussi could be pronounced as saucy :v also, sorry if my reply is kinda weird, my braincells are on a strike >.<

 

[wolf.]

He did feel Nereus' gaze on him for a moment, but didn't let it both him too much. Suppose Journey was some sort of sight to see after all, right? Though wasnt surprised about his comment of clothing. Not his choice, but they had to tailor his mothers clothing for him. Father seemed to have little to nothing in the closet. Also, he wasn't very formal either as he never was raised with it or got many chances to learn it. With just his uncle and himself mostly in the chateau they hardly got visitors let alone other royal members. Though judging by their looks, or well more so Nereus', it wasn't an average phenomenon to say the least to request that. Journey just didn''t see himself as the prince everyone else did. At least Reinette seemed rather pleased with it, and a cold chill ran through his body for a moment; right family. That wasn't going to be something easily adjusted to, is it?

Then Reinette spoke of the ball, and Journey internally gave a small sigh in annoyance. Yes of course Salem spoke briefly of the ball; or more of a glorified bachelor party and it wasn't the most thrilling thing. As it would be more of the people of Riceasa showing up for their new ruler, and maybe the people of Saussi? Though it was doubtful as by then it'll basically be an empty space. Journey thought gave a nod, "He did yes, and I look forward to meeting the rest of the castle staff and your people," He answered with a smile.

Just as quickly, however, Reinette excused herself to leave and left behind the two princes. Exactly how he wanted this to go as so far Nereus did not seem to enjoy his presence. Journey didn't think anything bad of Nereus besides that he was formal and respectful. Regardless, he couldn't give a response before the horned prince started to walk and briefly looked back at him to see if he followed after. Journey gave a quick pace to catch up to him as they entered the hallways of the castle. This place was memorizing with its winding hallways. Yet it had beautiful coloring and decorations. Like a standing capsule of what came of Raceasa.

Journey looked up at Nereus as he broke the silence that formed, and gave a small raised eyebrow at his question. There wasn't much to Saussi anymore, and he found asking of what its like it quiet pointless. Though suppose for the other he has never seen or heard much of it because of its circumstances. Also Journey was starting to get the feeling Nereus was nervous with the Saussis' prince colder behaviors, so speaking should make it better it right? "Well, Saussi is surrounded by the neighboring forest, Sea of Trees, so its very pretty. Though the city itself it...desolate now. When I was small it was lively and bright, lots of markets and festivals," he responded and gave a small shrug, "It is not much," He paused for a moment before looking forward, "Raceasas' are demon elementals, what sort of elemental are you?" Journey was remembering his research with the different paintings, and figured he should return a question about Nereus.

(I think it is pronounced that way? And it was great as always! Nereus is my spirit animal xD)

 

[cephalophore]

journey's behaviour was, well, kind of hard to get used to. the prince grew up with a million rules of politeness, of how to behave around others. how to bow, when to bow, which fork to use for meat and which for fish. the royal court was filled with these sort of minor fancies an journey, well, just acted casually. like a... a country bumpkin! and his mother's council member really wasn't joking when he said journey seemed more like the intellectual type. not that he said anything particular profound yet, but his manner of speaking seemed colder, like he's the type who'd only talk when spoken to. it was a sharp contract to nereus, who enjoyed talking about anything and everything that he deemed imporant (including his new hairstyle). he didn't seem too happy about the mention of the party, either - not his style? the horned man observed journey for a second or two, as if deciding the other's worth.

nereus has come to a conclusion. he didn't like journey, not at all.

okay, now, somebody might say that he was too hasty about his judgement. 'how can you say that, when you've exchanged maybe ten words?' one might ask, or accuse him of just looking for a reason to hate journey. but! nereus has a completely good reason not to like him, one he was sure could hold out even in court.

it was because, uh... well, you see...he was...that's it! journey was a saussi prince - his natural born enemy. nereus was simply accepting his engagement with the displeasure it deserved. any patriot would dislike a person from saussi, right? so nereus had a completely valid reason not to like journey already. it was just him being a proud ricaesan.

so nobody could blame him if he upturned his nose a little, sniffing at the other prince's reply. he tried to gather up what he was taught about saussi, but not much came up; of course, he knew about it's geography, cultural theory, some imporant people... but he's never actually seen it. but what journey told him was really quite pathetic. well, not that nereus would admit it under torture, but it sounded also depressing. such a great city, now desolate. oh, how it must have looked in it's heyday. since journey remembers what it was like before this, it's probably even a worse feeling for him. not that... nereus felt any kind of sympathy or anything. nope. the prince didn't have any time to ponder on this, as the conversation turned to his favourite topic; himself. raising his chin in a proud display, nereus gave a small, smug smile. ''indeed, we are. as for myself, i'm a fire elemental. pretty good, too, if i say so myself.'' it wasn't an empty boast, either. he wasn't the strongest in the empire, by far, but he was still taught by the best. ''and you're a physic, correct? can't say i've ever met one. must be...exciting?'' would that be the best word to describe it? nereus wasn't sure. lifting objects with your mind would be interesting, but nereus thinks he'd only use it when he's too lazy to get up, so... maybe journey felt a different way.

not that he had to think about it too hard. the guest apartments came into sight and nereus stopped in front of the ones reserved for journey. a painted peacock stared from the delicate wood, as if to beckon in. clearing his throat once more, the prince stopped in front of their destination, giving journey a polite nod. ''your luggage should already be inside.'' he started, trying to think of something adequate to say. it was harder than it might seem. ''if you need anything, call a servant. i suppose we'll... see each other at the party.'' thank gods this was over. nereus doesn't think he could handle any more awkwardness today.

 

[wolf.]

So the demon boy was a big more than anticipated. These people where on the prouder side right? The eye of the region and powerful creatures but seems Nerevus took his confidence much more seriously. At least that's how it sounded when he spoke of himself; a fire elemental? How exciting and yet very fitting. Though Journey had concluded that they may not get along. He did not hate Nerevus or even dislike him, a five minute talk was less than enough for an opinion, but the demon was definitely his opposite. More refined in royal etiquette and much more boisterous as well. Perhaps that is what would be best for Journey? A secluded human who hardly had a stand in Saussi let alone in this place.
He raised an eyebrow at the question of his own power and he gave a slight nod, "Psychic is the umbrella term yes. Though I am also telekinetic and if I had learned the extent I could read minds, make shields, possess bodies and so forth," he responded as if rehearsed. Journey has had to explain his power a lot growing up as his parents where known for their massive connection and immense strength in the field. So can imagine the disappointment when he couldn't live up to such things. Salem had told him it was because himself had no power and couldn't help him grow or learn. But at the same time he was called dangerous and a heathen at outbursts of his power in emotional stages. Thus why Journey was docile; any strong emotion could tear half a castle down.
They came to his room and looked at the door, it was a beautiful painting. This place had much at and love into its design didn't it? His gaze looked up at Nerevus and he offered a weak smile, "thank you very much, Nerevus, and I look forward to this party," Being friendly was so foreign and he felt like he was doing it wrong.