Zacharius Venturi
26 :: Masculine :: Prince of Kagha :: Mentions: Everyone in the garden, Mirian [ind]
When Kristopher recited the childhood trauma that Zacharius made the younger brother endure, he could only let out an exaggerated sigh. The day that Zacharius broke Kristopher’s wrist was a memorable one.
The birds were chirping, the summer winds were blowing, and little Kristopher’s crying was being hushed by a desperate, young Zacharius, who didn't want to get his ass beat by a couple of angry parents.
Zak can vividly remember the panic on his face when he realized the trouble he’d get into if his parents found out about Kris’s injury. In a way, he felt like he was in more pain than Kris. The lectures he had to go through just because Kris couldn’t avoid the lightest tap of Zak’s wooden sword.
“Are you still on about that? Normally people would’ve moved away from an object coming straight at them,” Zacharius shot Kristopher a haughty smirk before continuing. His tone would've almost been pitiful if it wasn't drenched in amusement.
“It was inconvenient,” Zacharius noted the days he had to spend under the supervision of a nanny, who prevented him from doing anything potentially harmful. He managed to rid himself of the nanny when he hid inside of a cabinet and got her fired for losing sight of him. Ah, fond memories.
“Apology rejected,” Zacharius muttered, snickering at his own comment, full-heartedly knowing that the petty remark would further feed the flame of their continuous insult war.
Zak couldn’t help but notice when Kris reached to scratch their hair, revealing a certain gesture that made Zacharius roll his eyes at them. Now he knew why he never felt guilty for making Kris go through his shenanigans for long. Kristopher was just as much of a shit as he was.
He followed Kristopher’s quick glance at Mircea, a smile tugging at his own lips. He knew what his brother was thinking.
I’m going to snitch on you so hard after the ball.
Zacharius’s attention was grabbed when Sori asked Mircea about his past. He would’ve missed it if he wasn’t finished messing with Kristopher. The princess talked in such a soft tone that it was almost strenuous to keep a focus on what she said whilst maintaining the position of the better Kaghan prince.
Zacharius flickered a small stare toward Sori’s little brother, who was addressed as Hyacinth. He shamelessly eavesdropped on them.
A room with your brother? Wow.
While Zacharius was a bit understanding of their situation, he couldn’t imagine having to survive in the same room as Kristopher. Just thinking about it made him shiver uncomfortably.
Kristopher would have to sleep on the floor while I get the bed. He sleeps on the floor anyway so it’s no problem for him. I’d have dibs on the tub, but then again he’d probably still be asleep on the floor by the time the tub would be ready. He would definitely wake up at the smell of food, so I’d have to tackle him down to get the first bite. Maybe if I keep Kristopher malnourished he’ll shrink an inch or two.
Well, maybe he could imagine it.
Zacharius was getting a little too into the idea, when his amusing train of thought was wrecked by Sori and Hyacinth looping arms and chatting about how much of a shit their sister was. The mention of Mirian brought his mind back to her drama-induced scene.
If Mirian stayed just a little more, she would’ve been able to learn about Mircea’s past. It explained his Orinian boots, which were the root of Mirian’s questions.
Why were his thoughts still lingering on the woman? Was it the way she left the group? The way she muttered to Mircea?
The curiosity made Zacharius want to follow her and ask her some questions of his own. With her blatant speech, he felt as though he could derive enough information from her to satisfy himself.
How would he get to her without making her father suspicious of him?
It clicked.
The ball. It would be perfect timing. His mini interrogation session would be blanketed by a lovely dance between the two. The fellow royals would think it’s just his courtesy. The rest of the people in the ball wouldn’t be inclined to know who Mirian and Zacharius were, it was so perfect. This way would be much more effective and discreet than tailing her like some sort of stalker.
Zacharius set his idea in stone. He’d ask the princess to dance, no matter how many suitors she had, and from there, he’d let his questions roll. He gave a satisfied nod to himself, proud that he was able to think of such a thing.
...
Zak kept forgetting about Randolph, to be honest. Whenever the king would talk, he’d be shocked to find it coming from above his head. Randolph complained about walking on flat ground and talked about being a dead weight on rough terrain. Zak nearly let out a scoff at his words.
You feel pretty deadweight to me.
Before Zacharius could speak a filtered version of his words, he felt hands grip his neck. He could feel the intricate callouses in Randolph's palm when he realized what the guy was doing. A million questions raced through Zak, which made him tense up.
Is he off-balance?
Is he falling?
Is he going to take advantage of my vulnerability and strangle me for being rude?
When did I upset him?
Can he read minds- no that's absurd Zak... but is it?
I can’t throw an old man off my shoulders even if he’s attacking me, that’s just cruel.
The release of pressure made Zak confirm that the gesture was intended, and wasn’t an assault.
Did he just… feel my pulse?
Zacharius’s eyes were filled with bewilderment as they narrowed into confused slits.
He parted his lips to ask about it but decided against it. How does one even ask for a plausible explanation for what just happened?
Zak’s attention was stolen by Mircea, who seemed to be matching him in his own game. The way that Mircea nearly stuttered had Zak’s eyes shining with amusement. A charming look crossed his face and Zacharius batted his long, dark lashes, as if perplexed about what Mircea said to him.
“For you, I’d grant any wishes,” He tilted his head amorously, keeping his gaze on Mircea. He could see the man’s ears turning red, which urged Zak to continue.
“Let me guess your three wishes…” Zak neared Mircea, lowering his voice to where the exchange could only be heard between the two… and perhaps the guy on his back, which he had forgotten about, again.
“One, you wish you didn’t turn a beet red at everything I said,” Zak drew his face closer to Mirs and continued, his eyes still locked.
“Two, you wish I would get closer,” Zak slowly started to withdraw, very slowly, as if trying to lure in a beast.
“Three, you wish you and I were the only two in this garden,” That flirtatious parting of his lips was the finishing touch as he returned to his full height.
A slight hum escaped him as he lightly shrugged, only aware of Randolph’s presence when he felt the 200 pounds force his shoulders back down.
“Being a genie, I could grant those wishes. That is if you were to possess me,” The last bit seemed like more of a submissive flirt, one that Zacharius rarely pulled out, but one that was also equally as effective.
The Orinian royals were debating with themselves- something to do about the concept of picking flowers or something along those lines. So perhaps they didn't hear the last bit, but one could never be too sure. Though he could feel Sori look at him with a hint of confusion, he knew the glance wasn't out of questioning for his flirt, but out of questioning for Kagha's intriguing way of flirting.
No, not all of us are this bold in our affairs. He wanted to say and nearly gestured to Kagha.
Right now, Zacharius was focused on Kagha’s explanation. Seeing Kagha being crushed under the woman’s weight whilst trying to explain that they weren’t lovers made Zak snort.
“I mean I never really tried to pry into your hobbies, and I’m glad I didn’t,” Zak sarcastically rose his brows and side-eyed Kagha and his… opponent? Lover still sounds better.
The woman didn’t look exactly sane, especially when she licked her blood-ridden lips, which Zak only just noticed.
“Hosting a freakshow your highness?”
The words were ominously venomous, and Zak wanted to transform to an intimidating demeanor at her comment, but refrained. Who was this chick? After examining her more, her height, her build, the authority that she so blindly demanded.
The Empire. Tread carefully, Zak.
Could she be a spy? A noble? Hell, they were in trouble if she was royalty or some infamous soldier.
All jokes aside, Kagha was definitely on the verge of murdering her, which wouldn’t bode well with the Empire if they found out one of their royals or knights was being treated in such a way.
Shit. What would Salen do… What would Salen do…
All the while thinking this, Zak maintained an aloof expression, as if he wasn’t contemplating a thousand ways the Empire would take this interaction as a direct threat.
For now, he had to keep up the act so that the enemy standing before him wouldn’t sense anything was off. For once, he was thankful for being taken to Black Hill Prison at a young age to learn the lesson behind emotions, and how they can give away everything.
“If you must know my name, it is Kagha Talmeren, Commander of the Kaghan Armies. Rather appropriate, no?”
Zak rolled his eyes at Kagha, dramatically crossing his arms before realizing that they were the thing stabilizing the king on his shoulders. He made sure to keep a steady balance just in case.
“Don’t forget the “Pale Bear~”” Zacharius remarked, making his hands jazz out for extra effect.
Right after his words, Kagha flipped the woman under him with such fluency that Zak would’ve believed Kagha if the man said that they had rehearsed that.
“I find the hatred here quite intriguing, I wonder what she did to get that sort of treatment,”
Zak instinctively nodded to Randolph’s words, a constant smile tugging at his lips as he watched the two interact.
Though his curiosity-filled eyes were dimmened into concerned ones when Kagha mentioned Basil.
“What do you-“
Zacharius was cut off by Mir, who had flamboyantly made his entrance into the conversation.
I didn’t know Kagha had any taste. Zak retorted in his mind, looking between Mircea and Kagha.
“I dated a man from Edyss once, he was-“
The rest of Mircea’s sentence blurred into a jumble of words when Zacharius played the section of his sentence. He was glad he had selective hearing because damn he would’ve missed out on this goldmine if he didn’t.
Without thinking, and without filter, Zacharius looked to Mircea, the questions obviously plastered on his face.
“You’ve dated a man?” From Edyss? The last question was asked in his head, one that he would tell Mircea about when there wasn’t a crowd.
Zacharius had a mix of emotions. For one, he was kind of hurt that Mircea didn’t mention his secret lover to him. Secondly, Mircea didn’t mention that he had dated a guy, which would’ve been vital information.
Where can I find this 'guy from Edyss'. The words were laced with petty mockery when Zacharious thought of them.
When Mircea continued on with communing with Kagha, Zacharius couldn’t help but notice the flirts thrown in there.
He needed a moment to process this.
Mircea? And Kagha?
He looked like a deer in the headlights, constantly looking between the two as if wondering how- when- why Mircea would flirt with Kagha. The two never flirted. Kagha never flirted.
A twinge of emotion twisted in Zak’s chest as he bit back extra comments. This emotion was familiar. It was the kind he’d get whenever Kris got to eat a platter of sweets while Zak was grounded in his room… The same feeling he’d get when he saw the other teens playing and partying on the beach while he had to study with advisors in his room. It was torture then, and it was torture now.
The only way he felt he could cope with this jealousy, was to do what he did best.
Zacharius tilted his head playfully as if he didn’t have a confusing storm of emotions brewing in him.
“Awww, Mirceaaa~ I wanted to be the first man you dated,” Zacharius said in a mischievous tone, eyeing Mircea like a hawk to see what reaction would sprout from him.
When Mircea tensed up, and the weird-ass lady that was now under Kagha talked about murderous intent, Zak pulled himself out of his trance. He nearly flinched at the sound of doors swinging open and the stomping that neared them.
Shiiiiit.
Zak slowly turned around, snaking his hands back up to help stabilize Randolph just in case Basil tried to tackle him down for the flower that was like a laser pointer luring a cat. He felt so exposed with a bright red target twisted behind his ear.
Like a sitting duck, he waited for Basil to release some sort of squeal or screech that indicated how upset he was with Zacharius for having picked a flower. None such noise came as Basil came into sight, stopping by the bush that was lacking a singular rose.
When Basil turned toward Zak, Zak wished that he could deflate into a raisin. The pure storm of emotion that twisted in Basil’s eye was one that made Zak feel incredibly guilty for having gone along with the whole flower thing. He was expecting to get chewed out by the gardener, but instead, Basil delicately pulled the rose from his ear, which scraped against Zak’s skin, causing a long trickle of blood to spill down his ear and blend into his onyx hair. An observant eye would be able to see the faint tint of red hidden on the edge of his sunkissed ear.
Zacharius had never seen Basil so… consumed by anger. He was openly shocked when Basil crumbled the rose in their hands, letting the remnants spill to the floor as if it was nothing. Zak watched the flower drop, then brought his eyes back to Basil’s face. It was as red as a tomato but had a certain blush that Zak was familiar with.
When did Basil drink? Never.
When did Basil not retch at the smell of blood- especially his own? Never.
Something was terribly wrong with the poor young man, and Zak had the heart to reach out to him, but ultimately missed when Basil spun around and made a beeline toward a few objects. The way that Basil caressed a certain rock made Zak slowly begin to back up. The way Basil gripped the object, his hand shaking as he did so, made Zak back up even faster.
Suddenly, a rock caught air. Then another, and another. Eventually, Basil started to get creative and objects of all kinds were soaring. Zak managed to dodge them quite well up until the King on his shoulders started to sway about. He was thrown off balance when tufts of his hair were yanked side to side and nearly toppled over. Zak couldn't help but let out a muffled cough when the king kicked at his ribs as if he was some sort of mount. His head flung back at the force of the king’s pulling, and he nearly tripped over himself.
Zacharius could only imagine how demeaningly funny this must’ve looked. His suspicions were confirmed when Kristopher started to barrel over in laughter. Zak, too, almost fell into a cackling mess when he saw Kris almost get smacked upside the head by a snake that couldn’t escape Basil’s rage.
He shouldn’t be laughing, but he was.
It didn’t help that Kristopher’s laughter was contagious. It’s all his fault for laughing in the first place. This was a serious situation.
Yet Zak could only keep laughing, and the more he laughed, the harder he laughed.
That was until, as delirious as he currently was, he noticed a potted figurine of a fairy flying at him, with the intent to kill. He couldn’t swivel out of the way to dodge it, since Randolph’s attempts at making him dodge was the opposite of helpful. The only thing Zak could do was lift his forearms up and wait for the impact.
He felt the solid figure crack and shatter as it smacked against his arms. Bits of the figurine rained down, shattering whatever was still intact when it made contact with the ground.
When objects stopped being thrown, Zak took a good look at the carnage. It was a flowery blood bath. Like some kind of allergy-prone person finally got their revenge by wreaking havoc on the garden.
Zak, thinking it was over now, was efficiently caught off guard by Randolph ducking once more and cursing under his breath. Zak stumbled backward, barely managing to catch himself in time.
He looked up to see the source of what caused Randolph to panic, and it was none other than sweet, innocent Basil, throwing a dagger at the woman who was now beneath Kagha.
“You- you threatened to kill me,”
Zak froze, staring down the woman who was accused. So that’s why Basil was so different. Not only was one of his flower babies stolen, but his life was threatened for the first time in forever. The buzz of alcohol definitely didn’t help, either.
For a moment, Zak didn’t believe Basil’s words. He didn’t want to believe them. What could they do to her? Especially if she was someone renowned. They couldn’t throw her in prison and say “she threatened to kill one of our servants, this is totally not an act of war so please turn a blind eye”.
When Zak took in the woman’s words, he could only lock his eyes on Mircea, who was delicately taking off his jewelry while calmly expressing death threats.
Fuuuuuuuuck.
Zak audibly groaned in displeasure when he kneeled to the ground and let Randolph off his back. The enticing “Oooh” that Randolph let out made Zacharius suppress a smile. He was still feeling the high of laughing with Kristopher just moments before.
Zacharius didn’t realize how heavy the guy was until the burden of Randolph's weight was lifted. Literally. Zak could feel the muscle in his shoulders clawing at his skin in defiance when he stood up.
Zak did a half-hearted form of a skip and a jog toward Mircea, quickly placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from continuing. He knew Mircea would want to beat that woman’s ass, whether it was with his bare fists or his absurdly long heels. Ten hells, he might even kill her after seeing Basil’s neck.
A part of Zak wanted to let Mircea loose on a rampage, hell, he wanted to hold Mircea’s heels while rooting for him in the fight. But, the little Salen on his shoulder forced him to play the prince role.
If we cause a scene with the Empire, everything that was planned is going to fail. The empire would be up their ass in seconds, and rising suspicions would lead them to the buried truth. Zacharius couldn’t let that happen. Too much was at stake.
“Mircea,” Zacharius grimaced, his tone was commanding. He didn’t need to express the rest of his explanation for doing what he did, because he knew Mircea would have some kind of inkling of understanding. Or, at least he hoped.
“Escort the royals to the ball, that’s an order,” Zacharius lifted his hand from Mircea’s shoulder before turning to Kagha.
Zacharius’s aloof manner was stiffened by the kind of authority only a king could have. One would think he was Emperor of the world by the way he walked.
“Commander, take the woman into the barracks and help nurse her back to health. Take some soldiers with you,” Zacharius ordered. On the outside, it would’ve seemed like he was trying to help the woman, but the way he looked at Kagha indicated more- it was a look that Zak often offered to the man; Interrogate her. Get the information we need; Why she came to my kingdom. Who she is. Her intentions.
Zacharius finally made his way to Basil, who was being talked to by what he supposed was Prince Hyacinth’s personal guard, since the guy was shadowing the young prince ever since they arrived. The man was quiet up until now, and only just started talking about the flower in his hand.
Zak ignored him.
“Basil,” His voice was a rumbling, deep one that demanded immediate attention, yet his eyes were oddly soft for holding such a demeanor.
He forced himself not to look at the nasty cut on Basil’s neck.
“I expected more from you.” The disappointment that dripped from his lips was just as cold as his voice.
“You of all people should know the work that has been put into this event. Clean yourself up and come back to the ball when you’ve gathered your thoughts. You are to find me after the ball to discuss your future in this kingdom,” Zak kept his eyes on Basil. It may have sounded like a threat, but Zak just wanted to talk to Basil about what happened, and, possibly enforce him in the military. The way he threw that dagger without an inkling of knowledge and practiced skill had potential. The collection in his rage had what the Kaghan army strived for.
Every citizen of Kagha has to get military training someday, and right now, Basil would gain from learning something. He should be learning how to protect himself so he didn’t feel so helpless and alone when his life was threatened. So he wouldn't feel as though he needed others in order to be safe.
Not everything in this world was sunshine, rainbows, and flowers. Basil was just starting to figure that out, and if Zacharius didn’t put a leash on him now, he feared he would lose Basil altogether. Enforcing some tough love sounded a lot better than being in a world that lacked Basil.
Fall 
Night 
Clear Moon: 
