Now it seemed like Nathaniel's eyes were going to pop, "That traitor and backstabber ended up as king?" Nathaniel's brows were furrowed together, "A spineless liver eater like him was in charge of something? No wonder he messed everything up - might be great Scotland's fault as well - who in their blisterin' mind would let a lowlife murder rule their county."

Beans paled, a tiny bit of fear leaking into her soft grey eyes. Nathaniel seemed angry, but if anything shouldn't he be mad at himself? "Well um, everyone thought he was a hero for killing you after you, well you know..." the woman paused, "after you killed your family. Which, by the way, is completely chill in my book, like you do you, but like, far away from me please?" Astrid had no idea if Nathaniel could touch her while being dead, but she definitely didn't want to find out the hard way.

Everything in Nathaniel went limp, and his mouth dropped open, "I killed my family? That is... what the world believes?" He ran a transparent hand over his face and regained control over his expression, "That was Christian. He started a fire in the manor as a distraction, killed my mother and two younger sisters, and while I was showing him what happened to them, he charged at me while my back was turned and murdered me as well. People praised him as a hero?" Nathaniel scoffed, "And if I did indeed go mad and murder my own family, I find it concerning you aren't alarmed by that action."

Astrid gaped as Nathaniel practically rewrote history. So everything she'd read about him was a lie? He wasn't a greedy, mean, horrible, power hungry murderer? Her eyes widened as she realized that he hadn't know his brother had gone down in history as one of the most beloved kings ever.

"Ah, that was sarcasm, I was afraid you were going to kill me or something, I was just hoping that you wouldn't if I acted calm about it. And yes, King Christian was one of the most beloved Kings of Ireland, granted, he was a tool. Nobody likes him now, he broke the economy. A grand mistake is what my mother calls him." Astrid shrugged, then realized she should still probably be afraid of the guy standing on the staircase.

"Even if I wanted to kill you, I would not be able to." Nathaniel reassured absentmindedly, focusing enough time create his most solid form, and touched the hand railing. It went right through, "I don't have a physical form - the worst I can do is maybe make your nose numb if the air gets too cold." Nathaniel was ignoring the facts about his once-brother. He was shocked, but before his death, years of military training taught him not to show weak emotions to anyone. "How many years has it been?" Nathaniel asked after moments of silence, a small whisp of emotion - perhaps a deep sorrow and hopefulness - in his voice. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but.... he had to find out. How long had his soul been trapped - wrongly accused of a crime he didn't commit - and suffering while his brother made

history.

Astrid watched Nathaniel intently as he showed her he was basically harmless. It was sad, to see how he could barely affect the world, though he didn't look very sad at all. She doubted that he was as stoic as he seemed, no one could ever be so calm after finding out that their brother kinda got away with murder. Poor guy, she assumed that it had been very lonely before her, plenty of people said that it was haunted here, but no one ever dared to go in. Not in recent history at least.

Beans winced at Nathaniel's question, because the answer hurt her and she wasn't even the undead one. "Almost 200 years, 190 something I think. I'm sorry." She looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes as she spoke, she was sadened for him.

Nathaniel's fist clenched tightly, "Well I'll be..." He murmured, "History has certainly moved on from me, then." Nathaniel turned to face the girl, who was still sitting on the floor, and he noticed her odd apparel compared to his for the first time, and how she was unmarried at an older age, the device she held, and thought about the vehicles he'd seen, "The question is.... why can't I move on?"

Beans looked at the man sadly, her grey eyes watering. She always felt for other people, even if they were ghost people. "So you've been here, all alone, for almost 200 hundred years? That's so sad, I'm sorry." Astrid was almost tempted to cry herself, her sensitive nature taking over.

"And that is a very good question, as well." Astrid stared at Nathaniel with a deep sadness in her eyes. How lonely it must have been, all those years.

Nathaniel glanced over to the stranger brief moment, turned back, then whipped around for a double take, "Do not become

sorrowful over my troubles. I have accepted my fate for a time. There is no need to make my troubles your own." The first human interaction in 200 years and he nearly caused the other to cry within ten minutes.

rawr.