Arno

Balls, galas, and other big pompous social events that Arno as a prince was expected to participate in were something that left him conflicted. He wasn't against parties per say, far from it actually. It's just... His taste in company tended to contrast the expected and generally more well respected guest list of his family. Stuffy as his family's social events may be, it was an expected part of the prince's life that he grown accustomed to. Beyond being a way for the royal family and other high ranking families to show off their wealth, they were the optimal place for one to properly network within the kingdom's court. Considering his position in the castle, both past and present, a little networking would have done him far more good than harm. Arno wasn't without allies, but in comparison to his brothers, he was greatly out numbered in court. Besides, after Durant's eye opening outburst, it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to reconsider some of his current ones as well. Though... Arno knew he was getting a tad ahead of himself.

Returning his gaze back to Knox, Arno felt his cheeks heat up upon registering the knight's lopsided smile, praying to what entity that might be watching over them at that moment that his blush could easily be passed off as the cold getting to him. Thumbing the back of pale hands, the prince could feel them clench slightly as turned his gaze squarely back to his food, unsure on how to react toward a seemingly innocuous comment by the knight. 'I'd happily watch you waltz from the door.' Knox probably didn't think much of the comment, but... Arno found his hands unclenched, hand raised to brush his ginger bangs from his face, half tempted to fiddle with his hair as he responded hesitantly, " You... You get use to it after a while. The people, the noise, the questions and the million little comments everyone makes. As you get older you realize that a lot of it is just a bunch of nonsense meant to gauge whether or not if the person you're talking to is able to further your ideals and worth your time or just a hindrance to your plans." Arno's sigh was heavy as he thought back on his squandered opportunities to proper integrate himself with powerful allies, in the long run it was useless to think about what if scenarios like this, but he couldn't help but wonder sometimes.

" It's not too bad once you're well acquainted with the game everyone is playing, plus I'd be lying if the food and booze weren't a nice bonus. I suppose that's one of the perks of having a father who has wine in his cellar even older than the capital... As for you Knox, I think you're selling your self far too short. A knight as handsome and as kind as you would be running laps around the majority of nobles attending these frumpy balls. At the very least you make for..." pleasant eye candy... is what Arno wanted to say, but he found himself unable to continue the sentence. Any confidence he had gained back had deflated just as quickly as it came, leaving him feeling far smaller than he would want. Arno was use to flirting with out qualms, poking and prodding with out further thought, and yet he couldn't bring himself to do so with Knox. Inexplicably so for what ever strange reason, to diminish the knight hard work and simplify him to some toy felt for people like him felt... Wrong. After a pause that felt like an eternity, Arno coughed awkwardly into his fist, a strained smile on his face as he tried continue his sentence as seamlessly as he could, " ... Pleasant company. Far more pleasant than my usual crowd. The handful of people willing to put up with me. But I would want to bore you with the humdrum of politicking disguised as socializing." A pity, considering the fact that a man like Knox was meant to be showed off, but that would be something Arno would keep to himself.

The sound of leather rustling had caught the prince's attention, drawing his gaze from his half eaten meal to the knight beside him and in a combination of shock and horror, Arno watched as Knox remove his boots. A million thought raced into his mind, half of them questioning the knight's sanity based on the fact that the weather was far from warm enough to warrant risking possible frost bite, and the other half truly question himself. Maybe he was so use and spoiled with his life in the castle that he was just over reacting about the cold... The icy breeze that cut through his thick wool coat argued other wise. Subconsciously wrapping his arms around his torso, Arno's eyes made their way up the knight's body, contemplating everything had done up until that moment to deserve something like this. Blessing or curse, it was like he was in some sort of purgatory, trials and all that he had to face to boot to get out of this hell to boot. Upon hearing the knight's voice, the prince's head shot up towards the man's face. Nodding lamely, Arno sputtered a simple 'yeah' to Knox's comment, unsure if the man had noticed his ogling. He'd have to get the knight a new proper uniform, for his own sanity if for no other reason.

-

Arno had his fill of his meal, what ever remnants of his food sat untouched on his plate in a sad sort of fashion. He had never been a big eater, always preferring smaller serving sizes in comparison to the large feasts and meal prepared for the royal family, something he inherited from his father funnily enough. Arno contemplated on whether or not he should try to pawn off some of the fruit on Orega despite everything, the horse's insistence that he was in fact starving had moved him in the way one might feel about a child begging for an extra sweet after dinner. For such a big showy horse like Orega, he could be cute, but perhaps he being biased based off of his limited interactions with the creature. He should tempt faith with such a large animal. The prince was sure that whatever food wasn't eaten would either be save for another meal or passed off to some other hungrier guard or servant.

Watching Knox outfit and saddle up his horse though was something therapeutic in a strange sense of the words. Practiced hands working a confident and calm ease while Arno sat in silence. He had watched his William saddle up his many horses from time to time, but he typically had some else there to help him with it, nor did he take much of any time thoughtfully gear up his horse like Knox was, it was interesting seeing first hand the difference in how they did things. Orega was certainly a very lucky horse, to have someone like Knox take care of him like he did. Bringing his knees to his chest, Arno wanted nothing more than to watch Knox continue on with his almost mundane task before the knight's voice brought him back to reality. They were leaving. Arno's lips thinned at the though of being on the road once again, stuck in some carriage with maids who had little respect for him. The prince grabbed his book and food hesitantly before rising to join the Knox, if anything, he could always try to tune everyone else out by reading until they finally reached the inn.

" You're joking right?" upon approaching Knox and Orega, Arno wasn't sure what exactly to make of riding the horse out of the field. It seemed... a tad excessive. Ange had always been one to view him as something frailer than he actually was. In comparison to his brothers, it wasn't hard to see why, William was built like a brick walk, stocky and imposing while Damien had the figure of a solider from some romance novel without the actual experience of being in an actual war. When put besides them, it wouldn't be hard to imagine that he'd be the type to be blown away by even the lightest of winds even though he was far from some skinny twig. It would always have the the unintended effect of rubbing him the wrong way. But... He couldn't deny that he wasn't interested in riding the animal, even if it came at the expense of treating him like some delicate flower. " I- Well. I sure hope he won't kill me, I'm sure he wouldn't want his master out of the job, besides, I doubt you'd let him do so in the first place. Where else will you find someone as entertaining as me? Ah but... I'm ah, well..." Arno was out of practice riding horses in general, the last time he had been on one was years ago. Distant memories of how to mount the beast were like cob webs in his mind, untouched and definitely not the most reliable.

" Just give me a moment, I do apologies, I'm probably going to make a fool out of myself... I fear loosing vision in one of your eyes makes this sort of thing a tad more difficult than it should," Arno gave the knight a wobbly smile as he babbled on, eyes frantically switching between the man and horse. He could hear a distant shout from what he had to assume was Ange from across the field, clearly unaware of Arno's predicament and no doubt urging for them to hurry up. A shame the grass was so tall, he was sure The little maid would take great pleasure in watching him bumble though this conversation. At least she could watch him potential fall off a horse, she'd enjoy it for all of five seconds before it hit her what exact had happened.

Inching towards Orega hesitantly, Arno looked towards the make shift camp the rest of the troupe had made for their lunch break. The last remains of now smoldering small fires and the sound of cutlery and dishes being put could be heard from even here, muted as they were, with the buzz of voices ringing out in the clearing starting to take place. it sounded busy in comparison to the much quieter drone that had taken place before. Maybe it was because he was so focused on his time with Knox and his horse that he hadn't taken notice to it like had now. Arno hoped there would be another opportunity to simply eat in peace with the knight in the future like this. He couldn't keep fooling around like he was though, the last thing he wanted to do was to keep Knox waiting, or get the knight in trouble with Ange. Carefully, Arno placed his foot into Orega's stirrup before hoisting himself onto the animal with the grace of a new born fawn, unsure how he didn't fall off the poor beast as he clutched the saddle tightly. He really should practice horse riding again if something like this ever happens in the future...

Arno

To call mounting Orega a harrowing experience would be an overstatement, Arno would more so consider it along the lines of something like being a fish out of water, but he was beginning to view it as a blessing in disguise than him simply being out of practice like he was. Instead Arno could only focus on Knox's doting attention to insure that the prince wouldn't become some sort of stain in the grass below them due to his own negligence rather than what it truly was: The knight simply wanting to make sure that he didn't hurt himself under Knox's watch. Knox's gentle guiding hands had left him in a daze, the extra help going straight to his heart in a way he wished it didn't, stomach filled with butterflies in a way that made him angry in himself. He was getting swept up.

Arno had the habit of letting himself to get swept up with his feelings like this even if he knew they weren't mutual and regardless of if they would lead to disastrous results. Alexander was an excellent example of letting his heart doing his thinking rather than catching onto the man's obvious red flags like he should have. But it was so tempting to simply ignore all logic and to slip into the magical pretense about pretending like there was a possibility of something more. The prince was more use to nursing a broken heart than he would have liked, but that just meant it wouldn't be something he wasn't use to, he could cope with letting these lingering sentiments over stay their welcome if it meant living in the possible 'what if' scenario of it all for just a little longer. He could stand being a little delusional all things considered really, if anything he could argue he deserved it. Arno would just have to grapple with the fact that Knox deserved someone better than him latter on. The last thing the prince would want is to strap the knight with the heavy burden of him more than he already had, Knox should still have the opportunity to escape his tangled web of family BS if need be, and whenever he pleased.

Before he knew it though, they had returned to the rest of team they were traveling with, leaving the small secluded spot near the river and tall grass far sooner than he would have liked. After dismounting Orega with Knox's much appreciated help, Arno was greeted by sight of his maids busying themselves with prepping his carriage for the last leg of their trip before reaching the inn, Ange on the other hand was waiting for him on the side, away from the other servants. Ange was shivering, arms wrapped tightly around her while she glared daggers at the prince and knight, clearly unhappy with the duo and how long it took for them to join the rest of the group. Arno would have felt her, forcing the poor girl to wait in the cold for him if he hadn't wanted to stay by the knight's side for even just a bit longer, forcing the maid to brace the cold for longer at his own selfish expense. But Knox and Ange's had jobs to do, and he really shouldn't distract them for much longer like he had, the last thing he wanted if for them to end up having to rough it in the outdoors if they could properly avoid it.

" You're a nightmare to deal with," Ange tried to say flatly, teeth chattering from the cold as she scowled at him. She wasn't exactly wrong, but he didn't give her that satisfaction.

" You're just angry it's cold and Knox didn't want me to break my neck like you kept saying I would. You should have brought your coat with you then, or at least a blanket instead of complaining to me."

Ange rolled her eyes like she always did with him, breath visible as she snorted in displeasure," Just get in the carriage already so there's one last thing everyone has to worry about will you?"

"Alright, alright, I'll get out of everyone's hair, the last thing I want is to get in everyone's way. I take it you'll be helping everyone pack up? (Ange nodded, not bothering to comment further.) I'll be inside by my lonesome then. Reading. I'll see once you girls are finally able to join me again, don't freeze to death out there."

With that, Arno was left alone as Ange joined his other maids, taking control of the situation like a drill Sargent as the girls jumped at her sudden presence. The maid was light on her feet so he couldn't blame them, but it was funny to watch the girls squawk before returning to their work with a renewed vigor. Eyeing the rest of his servants and guards momentarily, the prince returned his attention back to his book that now rested in his lap, mostly forgotten during his meal up until this point. With a sigh, Arno flipped though the pages absent mindlessly until he reached his stopping point from before, page number memorized with ease. Running a hand through his ginger locks, the prince took to reading the book the same indifference he had felt when he first received it. He hoped with a little time he'd regain his interest in the novel like had earlier at beginning of their trip.

-

It was dark out when Arno was jolted awake but the sudden jump of the carriage, probably from running over a root of one of the trees that now enveloped their trail. Ange and Mouse had seemed unbothered by the sudden jostling of their vehicle, still slumped in their sleep without a care in the world, while Natalie hissed. The maid was still doing her needle work, undoubtedly she had picked herself, waving her injured hand as if she could shake out the pain her finger as she squinted at her work before her. Luci on the other hand was awake surprisingly enough, gazing out the window she was sat next to with an intensity he hadn't expected. As if she realized the prince was staring at her, the maid turned her attention over to him, lips drawn into a thin line, " We're close to inn your highness, it shouldn't be too much longer..."

Arno frowned, brows upturned in confusion as he looked out of his window see if there was something he was missing beyond the thick wall of trees surrounding them, " Uh, is there something wrong that I'm not aware of? Are the coachmen and guards aware?"

" Nothing's wrong per say, just personal nerves I'm afraid. I, uh, do apologies for making you worry for no reason like that," Luci gripped her skirt before turning her attention back out towards the window, voice soft as she continued, " I would also like to apologies for the hassle I- we caused earlier... That was deeply unprofessional of all of us. If you see fit, it would be more than understandable if you decided to fire us for our insubordination, or worse even.... Maria, Natalie, and I all agree we were all way out of line and anything you have in mind for us would be more than reasonable..." The other maid in question that was still awake besides her nodded, head hung sullenly as she too couldn't bring herself to look at him. How strange.

" Did Ange give you girls a stern talking while I was a sleep or did Sire Knox's scolding talk some sense into you?"

" No-!" " That's not it-"

Both maids began speaking over themselves at ranging volumes, finally waking up the remaining two maids before Natalie took over with the talking, " While what Sire Knox said was a wake up call, and Ange did scold us even further, we all have come to terms with our unprofessional behavior and blatant disrespect towards your highness. When we worked with the rest of your highness's family, we never even dreamed of treating them with the same disrespect we treated you with, and yet we did so to you without a second thought. That was unexceptionable of us to do so. While we don't expect a second chance from you, we do want you to view our apology as sincere, regardless on what you have planned for us." Mouse nodded quickly even in her drowsy state, clearly understanding the gist of what Natalie was saying despite it.

Before Arno was given the opportunity to even respond, the coachman called out to the prince instead, voice only slightly muffled by the walls of the carriage they were in, " We're here your highness! It'll be a moment for us to park our carriage but it should take that much longer!" Turning his attention back out to his window, a large building was clearly in view, along a slew of eagerly waiting staff huddled outside of it. A heavy set man stood with a large smile on his face, as the rest of the crowd muttered amongst themselves with rapt attention, clearly not use to hosting a visitor like himself. Still, to keep things under wraps, he was certain only a hand full of staff if any would be aware of actual status. It was still amusing to witness regardless, Arno rarely had the opportunity to speak with the commoner class beyond his servants and guards, a rare opportunity in a sense.

" We'll continue this discussion later. I'll figure out what I want to do with you girls later, alright?" The girls looked amongst themselves uncomfortably, while Arno kept his attention on the inn and it's staff. At least this should be fun, it shouldn't be too bad staying here.

Arno

Arno felt like a mess as he climbed out of his carriage, hair ever so slightly disheveled and clothes undoubtedly wrinkled, afraid he would looked unsightly to the eagerly waiting inn staff who had been anticipating his arrival. Golden hour had descended on them without much hassle, bathing the clearing and inn in golden hues and elongated shadows, as chatter began to fill the now bustling space. Servants, guards, and staff alike began to make quick work of taking down whatever necessary luggage was needed or being guided to where they and their animals where going to be staying for the night. The noise was dull, but loud enough to be a continuous droning that drowned out the specifics of the group's specific conversations. Almost no one was wasting time with disembarking and preparing for the evening. Besides him he supposed. Making an effort to try and straighten out his clothes, Arno's eyes landed on the woman besides who he assumed was the owner of the establishment, either his wife or some female relative of his close in age. The woman's stare was firmly locked on to him while the inn keeper was preoccupied by none other but Knox, quickly drawing his attention to the pair as he ignored the woman's gaze practically burned holes into him.

Knox looked equally out of sorts appearance wise, but it was hard to say that anyone in their band looked 100% presentable after their long day of travel. Knox's uniform was more more presentable than it had been during their lunch in the clearing by the river, but a whole day on horse back had left it worse for wear from Arno's humble observation. Nothing that couldn't be mended with a deft hand, but still something that would have gotten the older man scolded by his father if the king was there to witness everyone in their grimy travel worn glory. He had almost forgotten the knight was speaking to their host when Knox began to make his way round to the back of the inn with his horse in toe. Whatever the knight and inn keeper were discussing was kept short, ending with the elder of the two pointing to the back of his establishment with enthusiasm. Arno couldn't help himself when Knox had past his crew with a small smile on his face, waving at the knight with his own shy smile wordlessly. Ange elbowed him as their heavy set host approached them with the still staring woman by his side.

" I must admit, I never dreamed that I would ever get the opportunity to accommodate, uh, someone of your status in our humble establishment, and yet when I was informed that your presence would be gracing us I was under the assumption my leg was being pulled!" A hearty laugh bellowed from the man before him, cheeks rosy as the gentleman ran a large hand through his thick well trimmed salt and pepper hair, turning his attention to the woman besides him, " Isn't that right dear, nearly knock me out of my seat as I was informed by my wife here!"

The woman nodded solemnly before breaking her own silence, thin pale fingers tucking loose dusty colored hairs behind her ear as gracefully she could manage," We mainly quarter merchants and the off handed noble looking for a discreet way to and from the capital.... I fear we were under the impression the letter was a hoax or worse, a heist of some sorts considering our clientele... Thankfully our son worked with the crown for a short stint as a clerk and was able to confirm the seal and crest on the envelope and letter were authentic," She closed her watery eyes thoughtfully, resting her head in her head before adding to her statement almost as if it were an after thought, " Ah, please understand, our son works for us currently so you won't have to worry about the possibility about your presence being leaked to the rest of our guests...."

" You're in safe hands, we can assure you that, you'll be able to experience the same peaceful night's rest the rest of our guest get to in our inn!" The husband's warm eyes practically sparkled as spoke, clearly he was excited about his presence here. Arno had gotten use to this type of reaction, seeing as how even the servants the castle would sometimes get star struck when they where given the opportunity to interact with royalty like him. Still, there was a sincerity to the way the inn keeper acted that made Arno feel at ease. It wasn't the same way Knox made him feel, but it was still pleasant regardless, The prince couldn't help but smile.

" While we typically have our staff wait outside to help our more influential guests unload their luggage, my husband insisted we wait for your arrival out of excitement my, uh, lord?" She seemed hesitant in referring to him as such, but at a lost on what else she might call him. " We both do hope your journey wasn't too difficult?"

Arno waved his hand dismissively, " We arrived safely, all in one piece, and all before darkness enveloped up, what more could someone as for? Well, beside maybe to look more presentable before such a lovely lady like yourself, hmm?" The prince's smile had turned mischievous, while Ange groaned besides him, and his other maids had opted to keep silent.

The wife stared at him dumbfounded, face flushed as she took a moment to register his comment, while her husband looked easily stupefied as he responded in her stead, pointedly ignoring his comment," I- Wow, I-I'm sure you must be tired from your journey, and we shouldn't keep you out in the cold for much longer. If you'll follow me I'll lead you to your room, I apologize if the room itself doesn't meet your standards but we do hope it will work for the night."

Everyone must have been exhausted by this point, even he was despite the nap had in his carriage, the rough ride anything but restful. It would be a toss up for him if actually got any proper sleep tonight, but at least being in a proper bed would be a step up from the carriage he had been in just moments before. He'd just have to hope that he'd get some better rest tonight despite the humble lodgings. Clapping his hands together, Arno hummed as he spoke, " Mmm, That would be wonderful, truly. I'm sure the rooms you have prepared for everyone will be more than enough for us, don't worry yourselves too much about it. I'm sure a handsome man like yourself must have your hands full running your business with you beautiful wife, so please show the way so I don't have too take up any more of your time than I have to."

Both husband and wife sputtered in response this time, quickly ushering him and his maids into the building as they gave a rushed tour of their inn before b-lining to the prince's room. lead up a flight of stairs, Arno would sprinkle a few more flirtatious comments before his hosts finally slipped away from him, red faced and clearly at a lost for words as they left him alone with his maids once again. The prince couldn't help but chuckle to himself, it was horrible of him to tease the older couple like this, but still so fun to watch them scramble like they had to not make fools of themsleves. Truly a guilty pleasure of his.

" You're absolutely awful, you know that your highness?" Ange said in a low voice upon entering his room, the other girls began to comb through the room as he stood next to Ange by his door, " I'm sure if you had come across the son you would have flirted with him too, do you ever know when to stop? Mr. and Mrs. Gauthier seemed like good people and you had to pull a stunt like that, huh?"

" Please, it was just a little teasing in good fun, I'm sure our hosts understand, hmm?"

Ange rolled her eyes, joining the other girls to help triple check there was nothing wrong with his admittedly small room(at least to his standards)," Sure, whatever you say Arno..."

Upon finishing their search and concluding the most offensive thing they came across was a spider's nest under a dresser that Mouse has discovered, his maids bowed out, leaving the prince alone to either help the other servants with unloading, find their own shared room, or to fetch something to eat. Considering how late it was getting, He couldn't blame them. The smell of whatever meal that had been prepared for the evening had wafted up to his room for quite some time, leaving Arno feeling peckish as he undressed to down to his shirt and trousers, discarding his clothes wherever he please when a knock stopped him momentarily. Ange must be back with his dinner. Mindlessly, Arno opened his door with out a second thought, only to be greeted by Knox his bag in hands.

" Ah," The prince felt his brain blue screen upon registering Knox was out of his uniform, giving the knight a more relaxed but still distinguished look despite it. The man was covered in a thin layer of sweat, whether it was from their long ride or from laboring out side with his thing, Arno wouldn't know. Clearing his throat, Arno gave Knox a polite smile, " Ah, yes, the trip went well for me, I was even able to nap for a bit before we arrived at the inn, I hope the trip went well for you then? As for my maids, It seems your and Ange's scolding finally got to through to them, so they've been nothing but docile to me since... I told them I figure out what I'd do with them later, so I suppose I should get around to finding a fitting punishment for them soon. But thank you for informing me about my meal, I keep and eye out then, and I hope you'll enjoy your dinner as well, hmm?"

Once Knox had took his leave, Arno eyed down the hallway that the knight had been looking down, gaze meeting with the inn keeper as the man hesitantly approached him once again. Something about informing him about one of his luggage carriage's wheels and a few other minor things the staff of the inn were attempting to fix. Mr. Gauthier undoubtedly wanted to keep the prince updated on his things in an attempt at being an over achieving host. How cute. The prince thanked him with a few more flirtatious remarks before the innkeeper left and was replaced by peeved Ange, whether her mood was because of him or something else entirely, he couldn't tell. At least he could in his room while Ange scolded him again.

-

Arno had spent his evening after finishing his dinner continuing his book while he waited for the sounds of people bustling about outside of his window to die down. He was a decent amount into his book when Arno peered towards his window, the rich blackness of the night sky and tree line visible from his where he sat in the room's surprisingly comfortable chair, the sounds of night life now the predominant sound instead of muddled voices and repairs being made to carriages. It had to be late, meaning the prince was wasting precious sleep by reading rather than being in bed. Arno thumbed his page as he eyes his bed. It was a lot smaller than the one he had back home. Or well, his old home had. He was restless, like he thought he'd be. Even though the prince wanted to sleep, he couldn't bring himself to climb into bed. It would be like he was confirming he'd never be back home, that everything would be far too real and different now. The prince closed his book and placed it on the little wooden night stand besides him.

Arno had learned that Knox was apparently boarded in the room across from his, meaning the the sounds of the door across from his opening and closing that evening was from the knight himself. He was undoubtedly asleep by this point, the prince's gut instinct telling him it was beyond midnight by this point, and yet Arno was tempted to knock on the knight's door to see if he could ease his own nerves by talking to the Knox before he went to bed himself. It would be selfish of him, possibly waking up the poor knight simply because he couldn't bring himself to sleep. And yet.

Arno had wrapped a blanket that had been placed at the foot of his bed around him, knowing he'd be freezing if he left in just his night shirt, he was already starting to feel cold as he was. Slinking out of his room, Arno stood silently outside of the knight's door, worrying his lip as his hand was raised limply in an aborted attempt to knock. He could still turn back. Stare at his ceiling, walls, and floor for the whole night then pass out in his carriage when it got to much for him in the morning. At least that way someone would get some sleep that night. There beat of silence as he stood there motionlessly, before he finally gave in a knocked weakly. " Knox?" The prince's voice was a whisper, cheek pressed against the cold wood of the door, listening, as regret instantly washed over him. What the hell was he thinking? He should leave before the knight woke up. " I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone..." Arno turn to head back to his room, hoping that at the very least, no one else was out and about like he had been if anything else.