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Kayeni followed the now-impatient prince with a hint of mirth and annoyance in her eyes as, in quick succession, he insulted herself and the Galcolian nation as a whole, then insulted his own father, then insulted his own house, and looked as if he really, really wanted to wring her neck. Really, he wasn't the first person to think that. But he was the first person that actually could, at the moment. Although she doubted it, given what she had read and heard about him. Prince Bjorn Ansgar. First in line to the Valorhm thone, captain of the Castle Guard, avid hunter, and an insufferable pain in the ass with serious attitude problems. In a nutshell, someone that, unless something out of the ordinary happened, she'd have to tolerate for a long time. She tried her best not to react to the prince with attitude problems - from the few minutes that she had seen of him, Kayeni could already confirm the words of the diplomats that had met him - rapidly insulted literally everything.
Wouldn't it be nice, she idly thought, if he had passable court skills. Because he clearly had none. However, Kayeni probably couldn't keep all the annoyance out of her eyes as he strode along the corridor, almost borderline too fast for her. She didn't change her pace, though, preferring to infuriate him a bit more rather than actually acquiesce to his silent order to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. If he wanted to annoy her by casually insulting her by doing literally everything to make her annoyed - starting with trying to walk way too fast - then she'd be damned if she didn't do the same thing. "Stone here, stone there, fire here and there, and the odd geyser." Kayeni mimicked his little princely tone. "Hmm. How interesting." She let a trace of humour thread her words - for god's sake, she could enjoy herself a bit here, couldn't she? "What about that over there?" she said, pointing to what definitely wasn't stone, fire, or geyser - more like... hmm, maybe he'd describe it as "a vague humanoid shape that was dressed like a guard and was part of the scenery with no relation to their conversation". Now, that would be interesting. But for now, she'd keep her annoyance in check and play a little game of mutual infuriation. Who would win? The prince with attitude problems and no filter, or her? |
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Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince ~ His eyes narrowed at her before he followed to shift his gaze to where she was pointing. He pursed his lips slightly before sucking in his lower lip as he fought to maintain his cool. "That... Is none of your concern. Not yours. None of your business." He muttered sternly as he carried on walking. ~ He could already sense Kayeni's advances on his nerves, as if she were now purposefully hunting out each of his buttons and dancing all over them. That look she carried... He could swear she almost looked smug. Björn's jaw clenched as he ran a hand through his hair, being careful not to disturb the locks too much. ~ He had always prided himself on his appearance, being told time and time again of how much of a looker he was to many he came across. His mother always reminded him of how much of a pretty boy he was. Though thinking back on it now, the way she used to say it sounded much like what you'd have said to a bird, like a parrot or such. He was only a wee babe when she used to fuss over him and shower him with compliments along those lines. Even so, he always spent ungodly amounts of time staring in the mirror, rearranging every lock of hair until it looked satisfactory to him. ~ He could feel the gazes of the guards positioned along the corridors as they walked on past, the stares bothering him far more than usual. Not that he usually complained. He always loved getting attention. The compliments, the looks, the whispers. He knew how much of a sight he was to behold, so who wouldn't want to go on about him? But, today seemed to just not be his day. Every whisper, every gaze, it didn't feel right like it usually did. No. It felt judgemental and Björn didn't like it one bit. ~ 'Why can't a geyser just form right here...? Divines just take me now. Anywhere but here.' He groaned inwardly as he cast a small glance over at Kayeni who seemed awfully entertained. He led them down another corridor before they came to a set of iron doors. The guards both bowed respectfully, before pushing the doors open as Björn strode out into the castles courtyard, taking in a deep breath of the stuffy and hot air. He had grown accustomed to the smell of sulfur, having lived breathing the same air day after day, year after year. He took a moment to gather himself before he sat down on one of the courtyards many benches as he wiped a hand over his face, setting his chin to rest on his palm as he tapped his foot idly. |
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Kayeni wasn't sure when it happened, but by the time they had gotten outside, the prince's mood had gone from being infuriatable to... just a bit miserable. Wow, she was smart. It probably hadn't been best to be prodding the bear, and now here they were. Although she vaguely remembered hearing somewhere he could be a bit - emotional - at times... she didn't entirely mean to have contributed to it. Okay, maybe she might have done a teensy bit of it. But now she felt terrible. So here they were. And she'd have to do something about it... which, now she thought about it, she could actually see a way to make this good for them in some twisted way. "Prince Bjorn?" Without waiting for a reply, she plowed on. "You know what I've been sent here for. We both know neither of us wanted this to happen. But the fact is unchangeable - it's here now, and neither of us can do anything to change it." She perched on the bench too, a respectful distance away from him and barely even on the bench with how forwards she was sitting. "So, let's make a deal. You don't want this, and neither do I." Her thoughts went a bit rampant. Maybe, just maybe...
"You can show me to the quarters I have been assigned to, and my guards to theirs, and consider your job as my 'guide' done here. If your father asks, you did a wonderful job. But frankly, I don't entirely want or need a guide." The unspoken implication that she could figure it out herself - of course she could. She could do it without any prince-with-behavioual-issues watching her every move. "If you don't bother me, I won't bother you. We can both live in mutual peace, and we can perform just enough for your father and his council to be happy with it." Maybe Kayeni had overreached a bit here - she honestly had absolutely no idea whether he'd accept his offer or not. Because, while she might not have acted like it, everything she just laid out were essentially the only cards she had at play here. If he refused, she literally had no other choice but to stick with him, as much as she loathed it. "Do we have a deal?" Kayeni's heartbeat picked up in a bit of anxiety as she looked at Bjorn, expression showing absolutely nothing of what she was feeling. It wouldn't do if he realized why, exactly, she was offering this deal, would it? |
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Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince ~ "Pfft... Oho... Ohohoho!!! You think you're in a place to make such deals, Princess?" He could hardly hold back a scoff as he heavily rolled his eyes. "As tempting as it is to be rid of you, my father isn't an easy man to fool. He has his ways of ensuring things are being dealt with accordingly..." Björn grumbled as he let out a sharp huff. ~ He began to softly tap his cheek with the hand his chin was resting on, his lips slightly pursed in another pout. "But by all means. I'm sure we've had quite enough of each other. I'll take you back to your quarters. And your... Entourage too I suppose." Björn spoke gruffly as he sat up, before hauling himself back to his feet. ~ "Follow me. And don't take your sweet ass time. Some of us actually have things to do. Today, preferably." He continued rather rudely. He gripped the fabric of his cloak as he pushed it back into place over his shoulder before making his way back to the iron doors as he held one open for Kayeni. ~ 'Geez. There's no way I'm seriously still being civil with these damn people.' His eyes flickered to the small group of Kayeni's entourage as he glared sharply in their direction. 'Get them to the rooms... Get them out of my hair. Out of sight. Out of mind.' He thought hopefully. He waited for Kayeni, thinking of how he was going to spend the rest of the day without having to worry about her. ~ 'Worry?? No. Not worry. I don't need to worry about her. I just need to keep an eye on them... Make sure they aren't here to assassinate me. Or the king.' He closed his eyes for a split second before casting his gaze up to the sky. 'At least it's a clear day...' He thought with a soft sigh. ~ He felt Kayeni walk past as he followed after her, closing the door behind them as he took the lead further down the corridor. "I'd assume they've set up the west wing for you Galcolians. Decent view of Alteryh. That's the volcano..." He quickly added on the end before she had the chance to ask. |
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Kayeni - yet again - decided to ignore the hidden insult as he indirectly laughed at her deal. But - the main point is, he accepted it. Really, that was pretty much all she could be thankful for. Because as the stuffy prince led her through the hallways yet again - soon, soon she'd be rid of being forced to follow him around - and tried to keep her mouth shut. The sooner she was rid of the prince, the better. She wanted to go out without anyone following her and to organize her thoughts, and the goddamned prince to stop insulting her. "That sounds like an... interesting view. It sounds enjoyable." she said as they continued along the hallways. Empty words, conveying an even emptier meaning, as she simmered slightly inwardly at the blalant way that the prince was insulting her. The worst bit is, she wasn't allowed to insult him equally back. She could infuriate him with small things, but she couldn't directly insult him - much as he was doing now. Because unlike him, she didn't have any power in this godsforsaken castle. She was a prisoner in everything but name, wasn't she? They wouldn't let her leave - at least, like this, they wouldn't. She had to stay - both because she was duty-bound to by the agreement she herself had witnessed her father signing, and because it would be impossible for her to escape. Well, not impossible for someone like her, actually. But even her father had told her to not escape, and "wait to see how things turned out." But talking was better than this uncomfortable silence as the overly tall prince led her through one stone hallway and up another, then down yet again. She could have sworn he was trying to make her get lost - or maybe it was just her being unfamiliar to the castle for now. In her defense, everything was unfamiliar. Starting with literally everywhere smelling like a combination of old fart, stinky mud and smoke - she had been in this smog for barely a few hours and she already felt like she was going to be sick. How she wished for the crisp air and the blue and white banners of her home. "Is my presence requested at your dinner? I'm sure that your father would want to introduce me to the rest of the court." She started, then stopped, inwardly kicking herself. Of course the prince wouldn't know if his father wanted to be there or not. She was just too anxious to know how long she could spend out. "If you don't know, that's fine," she hurriedly tacked on. She could find out herself, after all, right? |
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Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince ~ "Tch. Such greed huh princess? Already thinking of dinner. I'd like to see you try and stomach some of our cuisine. I'd say it'd make for rather good entertainment hm?" Björn hummed as he came to a stop by a set of large doors, identical to many of the iron doors that lined each hallway. ~ He pushed against it as it opened, revealing a large, decently decorated room. The room itself contained a central fireplace on the far wall, the iron bars coloured black from years of use. There were dark coloured couches, and a dragonskin mat on the stone floor, the red scales glistening in the light that filtered through the windows. There were a few extra doors that presumably led to bedrooms. ~ "Your little entourage will be staying in this wing. Should have the necessities." Björn muttered as he stepped aside, allowing them to enter. ~ His silver eyes drifted over each member, before coming to rest on Kayeni. "You'll be staying further over. You won't be too far but at least you'll be alone." Björn grumbled before striding back down the corridor, leaving the others to situate themselves in this new place. He didn't seem to pay much mind as to the implications that could've been behind his words, how they may have sounded to Kayeni. Being in a foreign land, an enemy kingdom, to then be separated from those of her own. ~ His eyes drifted to the windows lining the walls as the sunlight danced off his eyes, making them glow that lovely pale blue they so often hid from sight. It was like they carried the frost and ice themselves. |
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Kayeni - like she was beginning to do a lot - decided to, yet again, ignore the prince's jab. Now simply wasn't the time to crack - although, given the prince's attitude and the way he still kept insulting them over and over, if he kept up on this insolent attitude, it really was a matter of time. Couldn't the imbecile control his mouth a little bit? Or at least be somewhat civil? Granted, she definitely hadn't been expecting fanfares and roses, but definitely more than insults thrown by what was forced to be her prospective groom. If he wanted to go anywhere in his miserable life, he'd have to stop shouting slurs at everyone that came across his path that he didn't like. In other words, "learn a bit of self-control". However, she doubted he'd be able to do that, considering how much pampering he must have gotten to get to this stage. Gods, why couldn't he just stop yapping and just think about what he was saying before saying it? Of course, she didn't say it out loud. But she most definitely thought it as a bit of a raincloud above her head as she followed Bjorn, yet again, through the castle that was his. Quickly looking back to her guards, she nodded in silent approval that they could stay there, before hurrying after the retreating back of Bjorn. "It's common courtesy for the visitor to your castle be invited to dinner." Finally answering Bjorn's first remark, and feeling like a teacher teaching a young child at the moment. Now she knew that her tutors felt when they first started tutoring her. Nonetheless, she continued on. "Court protocol also dictates that regardless of whether they accept or not, he offer should stand, whether you want it or not. So, regardless, of your opinion, unless Valorhkian court procedures are vastly different to literally everyone else in the world, I would assume that later in the day someone will come to ask me if I would like to go." A bit of bite entered her words near the end. Screw being kind to this imbecile. He had shown nothing but disrespect and scorn to her. Why would it be fair for her not to reciprocate slightly? Not as blalantly as he was doing, but more an undercurrent. Such as using a patient tutor-voice that usually they'd use for younger children on this... man-child, really, if Kayeni thought about it. It might have been slightly impulsive and rash on Kayeni's part - and probably not the best court behavior - but then against this... behaviour, what else was she meant to do? |
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Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince ~ Common courtesy. Common. Courtesy. Those words struck a nerve as his eye gave a slight twitch in irritation. "Common... Courtesy..." He muttered under his breath as he suppressed a small scoff. Oh how his fingers ITCHED, to simply grab his sword, rip it from it's sheath and skewer the princess where she stood. ~ "Well then. If it's THAT important to you. I'm sure we can save you some of our scraps..." He muttered, so wishing he could stop pretending to be so civil. Even though the way he was acting in anyone else's eyes was incredibly far from it. It was taking so much of himself to not lash out. To not scream or shout or throw something, anything he could get his hands on. ~ The words she spoke hadn't been quite what had gotten him to this stage, but rather the build-up of everything that had taken place this past hour or so. He couldn't stand how Kayeni attempted to give him a lecture as if he were already unaware of such acts. ~ "Court protocol also dictates that regardless of whether they accept or not, the offer should stand, whether you want it or not. So, regardless, of your opinion, unless Valorhkian court procedures are vastly different to literally everyone else in the world, I would assume that later in the day, someone will come to ask me if I would like to go." Her voice seemed to grate his every nerve as he quickly snapped back at her. ~ "Alright!! Alright! I get it! We'll come fetch you for bloody dinner or something, gods!" Björn's voice trailed off into a heavy groan as he wiped a hand over his face. 'Why can't this day be over already...' Björn seethed internally, dreading every damn bit of this interaction. His mind wandered as he began to think about just how horribly tonight might go too. ~ Would he really be able to act nice to the Galcolians in front of his father? Or would he end up being scolded again in front of them all? He didn't want to think about the trainwreck that was sure to come but he just couldn't help it. ~ "The hell do your people eat anyways... Isn't it all snow back in Galcolia?" He muttered almost reluctantly. Clearly he was interested to know what it was Galcolians had back in their own homelands, but never would he ever try to let such curiosity come off to apparent. Thinking to Valvorhm and it's fiery landscape, most of their food came from the forests much further away from the kingdom. Due to that, they often dried meat and some plantation to make it last longer. ~ Of course the castle had more fresher varieties of the food, and Björns personal favourite on any dish was the accompaniment of Fire Fern. Only found growing around the volcanic areas, the fern packed more of a punch than most chilli peppers... It was hard to imagine any other types of food aside from what they had available here. Björn averted his gaze a little before returning it to Kayeni as he watched her with a slightly different expression than before. ~ He did a terrible job of hiding it, his expression and his words giving away everything he thought he might've been hiding. But he seemed genuinely curious to hear from Kayeni. ~ He was actually... Making conversation. |
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Her face was slightly flushed from slowly losing her temper, bit by bit. Kayeni was usually really good at dealing with idiots, but this one was slowly putting her limits to the test. He just needed to learn when to keep his damned mouth shut. That was it. She was perfectly aware that she might have been yapping a bit - but it was completely worth it as his annoyance spiked. From what she had seen, at least, his moods could swing from being annoyed to angry to sad to happy in the space of seconds, and she was already regretting slightly having shown much sympathy to... the man-child... earlier. Gods, couldn't he just deal with life? If he was upset, what did he think she thought when she was sent here? That it was all sunshine and roses? After yet another insult thrown at her, and her anger buried even further down than previously - she really needed to get out of here, didn't she? - Bjorn asked a question, and it took Kayeni a second for it to penetrate the veil she had unconsciously cast around her mind to stop lashing out. Bjorn... had asked a question. About what they ate in Galcolia?
Really... it was a step in the right direction. Maybe. But... okay. Hmm. Choosing to answer the question, Kayeni buried every cent of apathy in her voice deep down in the little box she used to contain unwelcome things, and hesitated a few seconds before responding. "Well... Galcolia isn't all mountain and snow, unlike what you may think. But even in the mounains and snow, things can still grow." Maybe Galcolia was mainly mountains and snow, but there were some lowlands in places. But that didn't need to be mentioned - from what she had herad him describe Galcolia as, it was clear his view was Galcolia was all mountain and snow, and Kayeni could do very little to convince him otherwise. "Kale, for example." Maybe it would be referred to as a "damn common leafy vegetable", but in all honestly she liked eating the crispy kale chips that the castle kitchens always had throughout the year. "The snow might be considered a barren wasteland for all you Valhorks who live right next to blazing hot volcanoes - " that smelled like trash and she didn't know if they would erput in the next year or not, " - but even in winter, if you know what's the right things to plant, it's always possible." Kayeni wasn't giving away any trade secrets to the prince. He could go on believing that the Galcolians lived off kale if he wanted to. No way he'd ever hear of anything else about their trade routes, that, as far as she was aware, were more or less secret. |
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Björn Ansgar | 25 | Male | Crown Prince ~ ...Kale? A leafy green vegetable? That sounded so... Bland. Björn's nose scrunched up ever so slightly at the thought of it. Did it have special properties like the fire fern did, with its extra kick of spice and heat it packed into any dish it touched? Or was it quite literally just a simple... Leaf. ~ It didn't sound awfully substantial. Maybe that's why she was so keen on dinner tonight? 'Gods she must be absolutely starving then-!' Björn thought to himself in concern as he cast a slight glance her way, keeping his expression neutral. 'Will she even make it till dinner?? Divines above even if she did, the food was sure to kill her with how spicy it was-!' He felt his heart skip a beat. He had been so keen for her to try their food earlier, but hearing that the Galcolians eat something as simple and bland as Kale, he wasn't so sure they'd even survive eating such levels of spicy food. ~ He cleared his throat as they came to another set of large iron doors, this one however had a few more guards stationed in it's hallway. Extra security to keep her safe? Nope. Extra security to keep her in place. To make sure she wouldn't aimlessly wander, or meet up with her guards to plot anything. ~ Björn let the guards get the doors as he gestured for Kayeni to step in before he followed a little behind her. "These are your quarters. Should have everything a princess like you needs. A bed. A washroom. And a wardrobe full of Valvorhkian clothing. I suggest you try something on if you're to join us tonight." He smirked ever so slightly, letting his eyes wander a bit over her figure. Björn quickly snapped himself out of it as he remembered his train of thought just before they had reached the room. 'Shit-! I need to get to the kitchen now-!' His thoughts began to race as he quickly stepped back towards the open doors. ~ "Ahem, right well! Enjoy! Call out if you need anything, the guards are just outside-!" He spoke rather quickly, stumbling a little over his words as he rushed to get everything counted for before he tore off out of the room, breaking out into a sprint as he vanished down the long corridors. He skidded around the bend as he continued running. ~ His legs carried him in long, quick strides as he burst through the doors of the kitchen, his hair a little disheveled and out of place, his cheeks bright red from running. The kitchen staff all looked up in surprise at the sudden intrusion, before realizing it was the Prince himself. All at once, they dropped what they were doing as they bowed to him, watching with nervous eyes as Björn stepped in, breathing a little heavy. ~ "Tonight..." He muttered out, still attempting to regain his breath. "What... Is... For tonight...?" He asked as the chefs looked at him in confusion. A nearby lady's eyes lit up as she realized what it was the crown prince was asking. ~ "We were instructed to do a showcase of all Valvorhms' finest produce...! We have our meat rolls, dried fire fern strips, roast-" She continued to list off some of the food items they were to serve for dinner tonight. "Is all of it spiced??" He quickly interjected as the lady looked a little confused. ~ "Well. Yes. As it always is, your highness-" She politely ended in a small bow. The rest of the kitchen staff returned to preparing the food, the ovens all blazing hot as fire flickered from within. Stone bowls piled up along some of the counters, containing the residue of marinades, crumbs and even doughs. ~ "I want you to prepare other food for tonight as well... Be sure it isn't spiced. No fire fern, no anything." Björn stated rather than asked. The kitchen fell quiet yet again at the strange request, but who were they to deny him, the crown prince of Valvorhm? "As you wish your highness. We shall prepare some dishes to meet your request." A rather plump sized man spoke from nearby. He wore a light brown apron, with white powder dusted all over it. Flour. He had kind brown eyes, a wide smile and the beginnings of grey spotted throughout his hair. The lady, who Björn had been speaking to nodded in agreement. ~ "Yes, of course! We'd be happy to create such meals for tonight. If it is not too much to ask, is this perhaps for our guests tonight?" She asked a little hesitantly, unsure of if she were crossing a line by being so nosy. ~ Björn simply nodded as he turned away. "That it is, so make sure it's still of decent quality. Lest I hear bitching and moaning in my ear the whole night about how poorly it was all made.." He trailed off, his voice carrying an undertone of warning and possibly even threat before the doors closed and he exited the kitchen as quickly as he had arrived. |
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