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Darkseeker
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Avery was too tired and out of control to argue, so he leaned against Lorenz, and let the older man half carry him into the large manor. He started shaking as soon as they got to the stairs, and Lorenz spun the older prince around so his face was in his chest, walking him backwards, until they'd passed Robbie's room. The bodyguard deposited Avery in his desk chair, and withdrew from the room, going to check up on the other security features of the house, as well as give Avery privacy.
Privacy was the exact opposite of what Avery wanted. He pulled off his suit coat, and immediately was out of his chair, pacing the hallways, not passing Robbie's rooms, but going the opposite way, pausing at the door he'd seen not so long ago. He pushed it open. Since he was already shattered inside, it couldn't hurt much more, could it?
He padded across the soft, creamy carpet to a nice chair, slowly sitting down in it, surveying a room that seemed to empty, so void of life. He picked up the picture frame that was sitting on a small table next to the chair. The picture showed the two princes, a few years back, with a girl in the middle, her smile bright. He brushed his finger over the younger princes face, and the girl's, and held the picture close to his chest. |
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Neutral
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Aspen helped Lorenz with the prince when necessary. He told the guard when to step when they began to climb up the stairs toward his room. He followed ahead of the two and when they got closer to Prince Robbie's room, he quickly shut the door to ensure that his older brother wouldn't see his room. He helped Lorenz with getting the prince settled in the chair. The body guard left them alone but Aspen stayed nearby. He didn't want to, not with the state he was in. It wasn't long before the prince was up and pacing the hallway. Seeing that pacing wasn't causing any harm, he just watched of a distance. He watched the prince go to another room and followed. However, he didn't step inside. He felt like he shouldn't. So he simply watched in silence. He saw the prince sit and study a picture frame. It was a picture of younger him, younger robbie, and a girl. His heart ached, it was probably the her that was mentioned before. "I'm here if you need anything," He spoke, reminding the prince of his presence. |
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Darkseeker
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Avery sighed, and stared at the floor. "Why do they always die?" He whispered, holding the picture much too tightly, his knuckles turning white, and he steadied himself slightly. "First I was alone, but then there was Em, and then Robbie, and we were so happy. And then we couldn't have Emily anymore, and it pretty much killed me. I can't be alone again. If Robbie goes, I do to."
The words were quiet but firm, and Avery glanced around the room. The pale pink walls were soothing, and he felt like all his harsh, raw memories were coming back. The last time they'd all been in the room, nothing could stop them, and everyone had been happy. Avery never had headaches or stressed days, and Robbie was content in his Royal position.
Avery wandered the room, touching the small glass trinkets that sat on shelves and tables, pausing at the bed. The wispy pink and white canopy partially hid the bed, and he reach out, and picked up a bear. It was lavender cashmere, and worth a lot of money. He remembered mentioning it to Aspen before.
"I miss you," he whispered, setting the bear back down, and curling into a ball on the floor. |
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Neutral
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Aspen just listened to Prince Avery. The way he spoke about Emily concluded that she was, in fact, the her that was mentioned before. His heart ached. The princes were far too young to understand death-both of them still are. He, himself, barely understood death but he understood how death affected people. And he could definitely see how much Emily meant to the prince. He also began to understand why the prince was overprotective of his brother. Why the prince was so worked up over his brother's accident. He was afraid that he was going to lose Prince Robbie like he did Emily, despite the medical staff doing the best they could. Aspen had faith that Prince Robbie would not die but the prince? The prince already began his grieving process. He watched every movement the prince made, wanting so bad to give him a hug However, he didn't want to step into the room. He knew it would be disrespectful if he did, at least if he did without permission. He didn't know Emily but he could tell just how much she meant to the other man. "May I join you?" He asked, definitely not wanting to step into Emily's room without permission. He knew just how valuable a room was and what memories a room held for those that experienced a loss. Entering without permission would be equivalent to kicking dirt upon a grave stone. |
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Darkseeker
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Avery hesitated, not wanting to be alone, but then again. What would Emily have thought? He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I guess. She loved everybody. Never met someone she didn't like," he said, his voice hoarse and tired. He looked down at the picture he was still holding. It was a glossy photo, the frame simple and white, just like the room. Emily grinned up at him, her pale skin like porcelain, her ruby red hair tumbling over her shoulders, her shocking green eyes staring up at him. Avery hated how he looked in the picture. He was on her left side, his arm around her waist, his blonde hair long, almost shoulder length. He had a carefree look about him, and a devil-may-care smile. Robbie was on Emily's left side, still young. He was missing his front tooth, and his hair was short, seeming to hug his head. Both the boys were shirtless, and Emily was wearing some kind of swimsuit. Avery had the same picture in his room, except he'd cut himself out. He'd told the other two that he cared about them more, and he wanted them to have a place of prominence. It was just a happy coincidence that he didn't like pictures of himself. He looked up as Aspen walked into the room. "Emily would have loved to meet you. Getting her hands dirty was her favorite thing." |
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Neutral
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Aspen patiently waited for his answer, not pushing him toward a direction at all. He didn't want to overstep a boundary and he also didn't want to influence the decision. Rooms became sacred overtime. He couldn't count the many times he had to remodel a room after a loved-one had passed. It was one of the most difficult parts of his job. But short while, Prince Avery gave him permission to enter. He nodded in response but waiting a few moments before stepping over the flooring line that divided her room from the hallway. ""Emily would have loved to meet you. Getting her hands dirty was her favorite thing." "She sounds lovely," Aspen responded with a gentle tone. He complimented the tone with a soft sad smile. He walked into the room and sat down beside Prince Avery. He sat close enough that their thighs were barely touching but not too close where he was overstepping the prince's comfort level,"I would have loved to meet her too." He gazed at the photo. Prince Avery hardly looked like the person he knew him to be. He looked so much younger, more energetic and carefree. It was a side of the prince he wasn't lucky enough to see. Emily looked happy herself with strikingly green eyes and flaming red hair. "Would you like to tell me more about her?" He asked after a few moments had passed. |
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Darkseeker
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Avery paused, not sure if he wanted drag up painful memories, bu he took a deep breath. "Emily was the daughter of one of the lords who used to come here with us. She had a heart condition that made it hard for her to breathe. When we were 10, she got a heart transplant. She wanted to just live after that. We did everything here. My mum and dad loved her like a daughter. She loved swimming, and riding horses, and...and everything. Robbie looked up to her as much as he looked up to me. I protected them both, and I-I loved her." Avery stopped talking, his heart aching. He had tried his best to not think of his best friend for years, knowing the pain that came with it, and his lips quivered.
"When we were here, we'd pick all the roses, and put them in the vases in here. It always smelled sweet. If we came in the winter, the staff would put dried roses in here. The vases were never empty. It was her idea to put in the meadow. She wanted to have a variety of flowers." Avery had uncurled himself, and stretched out his legs, staring at the wall. "She was fierce and feisty. She hated to be told no, and she loved anything that was dangerous. She wasn't scared of anything. Her favorite color was green, but she told me she wanted pink walls, because pink was softer. She loved putting her hair up in a twisty braid." Avery didn't know why he was sharing all these tiny details, but he didn't care. Every bit of it was Emily, and it was a mix of good and bad to talk about her. The girl who had haunted his memories for years, and he was finally talking about her again. |
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Neutral
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"You don't have to if it's too much for you," Aspen told him, seeing him hesitate,"Only if you want to." But the prince seemed to want to talk about her. He listened to him talk about Emily. The prince started talking about who she was, her heart condition, her life motto, and of course who she was to him. She sounded like a great friend and an even more extraordinary girl. He couldn't imagine going through so much while being so young. But then he was sure somebody could say the same about him. Single mother, raising a crapton of kids, ran away to another country... that might make him extraordinary as well but he felt indifferent about himself. "When we were here, we'd pick all the roses, and put them in the vases in here. It always smelled sweet. If we came in the winter, the staff would put dried roses in here. The vases were never empty. It was her idea to put in the meadow. She wanted to have a variety of flowers." That explained his shift in behavior toward the gardens. A lot of things began to make sense now. "She was fierce and feisty. She hated to be told no, and she loved anything that was dangerous. She wasn't scared of anything. Her favorite color was green, but she told me she wanted pink walls, because pink was softer. She loved putting her hair up in a twisty braid." "She sounds tough and courageous," He told the prince,"And a great person in general." In a way, she reminded him of Cassandra. Tough, stubborn, and carefree. He was more sure than ever that he and her would have gotten along well. He did wish he could have met her. |
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Neutral
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"You don't have to if it's too much for you," Aspen told him, seeing him hesitate,"Only if you want to." But the prince seemed to want to talk about her. He listened to him talk about Emily. The prince started talking about who she was, her heart condition, her life motto, and of course who she was to him. She sounded like a great friend and an even more extraordinary girl. He couldn't imagine going through so much while being so young. But then he was sure somebody could say the same about him. Single mother, raising a crapton of kids, ran away to another country... that might make him extraordinary as well but he felt indifferent about himself. "When we were here, we'd pick all the roses, and put them in the vases in here. It always smelled sweet. If we came in the winter, the staff would put dried roses in here. The vases were never empty. It was her idea to put in the meadow. She wanted to have a variety of flowers." That explained his shift in behavior toward the gardens. A lot of things began to make sense now. "She was fierce and feisty. She hated to be told no, and she loved anything that was dangerous. She wasn't scared of anything. Her favorite color was green, but she told me she wanted pink walls, because pink was softer. She loved putting her hair up in a twisty braid." "She sounds tough and courageous," He told the prince,"And a great person in general." In a way, she reminded him of Cassandra. Tough, stubborn, and carefree. He was more sure than ever that he and her would have gotten along well. He did wish he could have met her. |
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Darkseeker
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"She was amazing," Avery whispered, setting the picture on the bedside table. "I miss her so much. She was like my other half. She knew me better than I knew myself." Avery stood up, and took a deep breath. "I'm going to get flowers from the garden. She'd like it if I brought them up. You can come if you want too," he offered. Not waiting to see if Aspen was following, he walked to the garden, carefully cutting Emily's favorite blossoms, and carefully arranged them into pretty bouquets, adding some simple greenery and baby's breath. It took him a while, and allowed him to keep his mind off of his brother.
Once the flowers were to his satisfaction, he took them back up to the room, filling the vases one by one, until the room was filled with the blooms, and smelled sweet and warm, and Avery opened the windows, letting the scent mingle with the sea air. He sighed, and sat back in the chair. |
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Fall 
Night Weather: 
Clear Moon: 
