Arno

Gingerly bring a hand to the blankets tied around his shoulders, Arno could feel his face flush, something he could blame on the cold instead of the tenderness of Knox's action. Hands drifting towards his head, the prince could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks before he dragged them across his face with a heavy sigh. He wasn't a teenager who should be easily swayed by albeit simple but sweet actions like that. But here Arno was. Acting like a stupid teenager unsure if what exactly he was feeling was a crush or longing for affection he often deprived himself of. As for his sister, Christine's face had turned a deep shade of red. Whether it was out of embarrassment, anger, or some third thing, Arno wasn't entirely certain. Shaking silently in place, the princess's hands were curled tightly into fists, leaving the prince at a lost for what exactly he should do.

" He's treating me like a child..." The princess stated through gritted teeth, taking in the jacket that had been placed on her her with furrowed brows, " Where does he get off talking to us like that! Just because he's a little older with a handsome face.... That's infuriating! I swear..." Arno couldn't help the stifled laugh he let out at his sister's comment. He had almost forgotten they had similar tastes when it came to people, much to his sister's dismay when he ended up with one of her many one sided puppy crushes that she couldn't act upon. But he should set things right between her and Knox, the Knight didn't deserve the princess's ire, and she was far to old to be falling for palace gossip like this.

Squatting down in front of his sister, the prince bit his lip as he thought carefully on what exactly he should say before he carefully brought his brought his cold hands to her gloved ones, " Christie, I have no idea what extent the rumors you had heard about me and Sire Knox, I would like to dispel them. So I can not only put you at ease, but for you to know that your anger for me while appreciated, is misplaced. Sire Knox is... A good man, like most of the people working for us. What happened between us wasn't his fault, it was mine. While I don't want to get into the details of what exactly happened to start such rumors, I want you to know that for the most part, they are baseless. Just small talk to give the maids something to talk about while they work or give nobility something to talk about besides politics and the likes. Next time, please be careful before slinging around accusations like that, And take what Sire Knox said to heart, it's a little late for me and our brothers but you still have the chance to be someone who isn't easily by their anger like that." Rubbing his thumb against the back of her hands, Arno had hoped he had gotten through to her some how.

The princess pouted in response, but had looked away rather than trying to argue with him, a good sign. Worrying her lip, the princess's gaze had turned back to the Guard's house that Knox had retreated into before hesitantly returning it back to him. " I made a bit of an ass out of myself, didn't I," Christine stated softly, flushed now with embarrassment instead of anger.

" A little bit," Arno supplied with a weak smile, " But I didn't do much better myself. Besides, I tend to make an ass of myself every day so don't beat yourself up over it."

" You do, don't you," she said, a hint of laughter in her voice before she sighed, " I feel bad now, especially since he gave me his jacket... It smells nice, but I think I enjoy your choice of cologne more." The girl had brought up a sleeve to her nose, sniffing the still warm fabric.

" Christie!"

" What! He was the one who placed it on me, if he didn't want me to smell it, he shouldn't have put it on me!"

" I swear..." Arno groaned before he eyed their picnic basket. It was getting late, and colder for that matter, he wouldn't be surprised if it didn't start snowing later on in the night, " Christine, I think we really should reconsider eating dinner here after all."

"But-!"

" While I don't mind eating late, I do mind possibly getting frostbite. With how cold it's getting I fear it might snow soon. My view isn't the best but, we can stargaze from the warmth of my room, is that alright?" The prince offered, hoping she would drop trying to spend the evening outside in the freezing cold. Even with the blankets, tied securely around his shoulders, the cool winter air was starting to bite at his skin.

The younger girl let off a displeased whine, but in the end it seemed even she was starting to feel the cold, " Fine, but only if we'll eat in my room. It'll have a better view of the stars, and we'll have a proper table, deal?"

" Deal," Smiling, Arno paused as he remembered the Knight's jacket still draped over his sister's shoulders. They should return that before they left. Untying the blanket's tied around his neck, Arno put the sheet over his sister's head in a teasing manner as he plucked Knox's jacket off of her, " I'll be taking this back to it's rightful owner, you can start heading off with out me, I'll catch up with you in a moment."

Christine squawked as the warm fabric covered her eyes, pulling it down to free her vision as she huffed, " I'll be waiting here so you don't freeze to death, thank you very much. Unlike you, I still technically have a coat while you're wearing nothing but a thin shirt and pants, so hurry up for the both of us. And could you possibly apologies for me? Please?"

Arno snorted, waving a hand dismissively as he strode towards the knight's quarters, " Sure, but you really should do that yourself! I'll be back in a jiffy."

Upon approaching the building, Arno was unsure how to conduct himself, bravado leaving in an instant at his uncertainty. A light could be seen further into the building, and after a moment, the prince rapped at the door. Even though he was technically a prince, he couldn't bring himself to just barge in unannounced. He was tempted to just walk in though, considering how cold it was getting. Absentmindedly, the prince began to cling to jacket to leach off the remaining warmth it gave off.

It was only a moment before knight had opened the door, giving the prince a better look at the sparse furnishing the he old building, the knight a tad surprised at his presence, " Your Highness! to what do I uh, owe the pleasure to?"

" Is Sire Knox still up?"

The knight hesitated, lip turning to a thin line as he eyed the prince, " May I inquire what for? If it's not to much to ask that is."

" I wish to return something of his to him, in person preferably, but if need be I can leave the item in question with you if it's too much of a hassle," Arno said slowly, hoping to have a chance to speak with the Knight once more, properly this time. Considering the fact that he was still here meant he probably spared him of his fate. Hopefully. That or his father was willing to give him one last day before they kicked him to the curb, which in itself could been seen as it's own victory when the other outcome would have possibly been death. Regardless, it was late enough as it was to not warrant having to worry too much about possible eavesdropping from unwanted listeners.

Upon learning the directions to Knox's room, Arno couldn't help his smile. Bowing courteously, the prince kept his voice low to avoid waking up more people than was required," I can handle my share of maliciousness, but thank you for the help." Turning to face the hallway that now stood in front of him, Arno steeled himself in preparation. He needed to make this quick.

Arno had done his best to keep his footsteps light as he made his way through the dark hall of the guard's housing, something the prince had rather ample practice in if he could say so himself. With his numerous late night escapades that led to the prince sneaking out to some uncouth party or the likes, Arno would argue he had mastered the art of moving about without drawing unwanted attention to himself. That being said, the older nature of the building did cause him the second guess himself, the occasional creak of old wood would stop him in his tracks momentarily before forcing himself to continue on. Along with the occasional whistle of wind slipping through cracks in the windows and walls, The prince was almost appalled at the state poor building. Almost. It was leagues better than the old servants quarters from what he could remember. The only reason Arno could think of why they were renovated first over the guards and knights' own quarters besides age was possibly because of Ange. He had remembered hearing her say something about the state of the poor building years earlier to his brother. Eager to please, a renovation for the building was started in no time, causing his older brother to be a favorite of the servants for a short while. He could still see William's smarmy expression from all the praise he had received to this day. He'd have to consider if there would be a way for him to bring up a possible renovation for the knights before he left, without drawing too much attention as to why.

Upon reaching the the knight's room, Arno knocked on Knox's door lightly without much pause as waited for a response. The ginger took the moment to eye the other doors to his sides, he was fairly sure he had to care to not disturb the other residents, but that also could just as well meant that he hadn't been loud enough for the intended knight he was trying to get the attention of. Knocking a second time, this time with a slight increase in volume, Arno shifted the jacket he had in his arms. He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself as he waited when his second knock seemed to have it's intended reaction. With a creak, the door had opened, and a confused Knight greeted him. Even slouched over like this, Knox still was taller than him, but he couldn't help but feel like that the knight didn't look exactly comfortable.

Shuffling into Knox's room, Arno took the moment to fully take in the knight's living situation as he spoke with a huff, allowing for the knight to retrieve his article of clothing from him, " As if I could find the time to return your jacket to you discreetly in the day. It would be a debacle in itself that I rather not deal with, and I'm sure you would feel the same way." The room, to simply put it, was rather plain. Not that it was devoid of personality, per say, but when he compared it to his own, it was hard not to feel a tad guilty about it's lack of amenities.

Taking a seat on Knox's unoccupied bed, Arno watched the knight walk around in the darkness of his room with a practiced certainty that the prince had to mentally applaud the man, something he wasn't always able to achieve in his own bedroom regardless of how long he had lived there. Even now, Knox had a natural charisma to him, voice low as he spoke that made Arno want to lean into and allow to envelope him. He restrained himself from doing so, much to his own displeasure. At least he he could satisfy himself with the pleasant smell of Knox slowly encompassing him. Humming softly, the prince wrapped his arms around himself absent mindedly, before replying in return," You don't have to worry about that, I don't intend to bother you for too long. I just intended to return you jacket to you to avoid any unwanted hassle. Speaking of my sister though, she did want to apologize. I'll make sure she has the opportunity to say so her self, but as you saw, she can loose herself rather quickly without thinking of the possible consequences at times. But... I suppose I'm thankful she still cares for me after everything. Considering my relationships with most of my family and all."

Rubbing a thumb along his over his bicep, Arno bit his lip as Knox brought up his coffee table along with the events of today. He really shouldn't be beating himself up over that, he needed to put an end to that now, " Do I need to remind you who exactly suggested you push me onto my table? While I didn't expect the extent of your strength, I was prepared for some form of injury. I'm not as delicate as the events of today suggest I might be. You just so happen to have the strength of a Goliath. And you caught me on a particularly bad day. As for the table, it seems everyone and their grandmothers were fans of it, but I can assure you I don't have the same attachment. Don't worry about it." He'd leave out that it was a gift for the time being, The prince didn't need Knox to lord that over himself. When the knight continued on, Arno froze, he hadn't expected his father to personally offer Knox to attend with him on the trip.

" I- Wow, I was hoping my brother would approach you some time in the future but... I can't say was expecting this, and so soon too," Objectively, this was the best case scenario he was hoping for, but he couldn't help the dryness that was forming in his mouth as he spoke," But that's... Good. I should apologize in advance for taking you away from your family then. While I do hope you have a better relationship with your family than I do, I can only imagine how that could make things more difficult on you when it comes to leaving them..." He really hoped he was rambling but Arno was finding it hard to focus, watching the knight move about his room once again after giving him a concerned look. " I'll talk to him once I've collected myself, definitely before we leave. Besides I can only imagine how he'll react once try to start cozening up to him again," Arno shivered at the idea. While his father could be stern towards him at time, his father could be rather clingy towards him and his sister if he felt like they were drifting way from him. Christine and him had their fair share of experiences of their father attempting(and failing) to bond with them in various of embarrassment, much to their own dismay and their older brothers' displeasure.

When Knox had finally fetched what exactly he was looking for, it took a moment for the prince what exactly was happening. Deft hands carefully fixed a well made cape around him as Arno sat frozen. While he would be lying that he hadn't been feeling the icy air in the room, any thoughts of feeling cold had vanished upon Knox's action. Face turning a deep shade of pink, Arno began to curl into himself in embarrassment. The cape itself was heavy, and in normal circumstances, it would have been a welcomed warmth, but now he felt like he was over heating. The prince didn't want to pull off the pleasant fabric, but he was afraid to ruin the poor oversized garment with his nervous sweating. Curling his fingers around the loose fabric, Arno could only squeak in response at first. Clearing his throat Arno attempted to speak once again," Knox, I shouldn't... I literally just came back to return your jacket... And like you said, My sister will be waiting and-" Arno stopped himself mid sentence. He was rambling. Biting his lip, Arno rose from his seat on the bed that they were now technically sharing, grip tightening on the cape as he did so. He should really head back to Christine before it got even later. " I- I should leave, I'm sorry, it's been a pleasure truly, but..."

Attempting to strip out of the cape, he could feel himself stumble as he struggled to loosen the garment, mentally cursing the low light and his already poor vision. He was making a fool of himself simply because he insisted he had to return jacket. He should have waited for morning like Knox had said. He was typically better at situations like this, but his sweaty palms were doing nothing but hindering him.

Arno

The prince wanted to assure Knox that his concern was appreciated, the thought running though his jumbled mind like a stone dislodged in a river, mind too scrambled to properly his feelings to words. Instead a simple flustered nod was all Arno could muster as strong hands enveloped his own. His hands were larger, rough too with callouses from a life of hard work, but they still carried that usual hesitant kindness as they moved his arms away from his neck and shoulders. Knox always seemed to be that way with him. He was way too good to him for only knowing him personally for a day, if he continued on like this he was afraid it'd go straight to his head. Hell, this treatment was already going straight to his head to cause him to fumble around like this.

Watching as Knox undid the heavy cape, He was a still as rock, completely enraptured as he watched the older man's hands move in complete silence. It was a strange feeling really. With everyone he had been with up to this point, Arno could hardly pin point a person who made him feel anywhere close to this way. Even with the partners he had been closest to felt more natural to him than these unfamiliar emotions now washing over him. He felt unusually small, but he couldn't find it in himself to hate it, instead he could almost hear something small in his body screaming at him to lean into these new sensations. He couldn't. His instincts whispered back about how nothing good came from listening to that little voice deep in his mind like that, nothing but hurt and heart ache followed. Especially from someone he barely knew, regardless of how kind he was. He was being incredibly stupid right now, trying to find some deeper meaning in Knox's actions when there wasn't, there couldn't be. He wanted to play with his hands, to distract himself, but he couldn't bring himself to move, breathing slowed as if moved too suddenly he'd wake up from some cruel dream. Then the knight's cape was off him, and the moment that had felt like an eternity had passed. Like all things do.

Arno felt his legs move for him as Knox moved to open the door like he was in a trance, not fully there as he held up a hand to speak in a soft voice, " Please don't waste your precious candles on me, I'll be fine. Good night to you as well..." Making his way out of the dark hallway, the prince wasn't able to bring himself to look back when he heard Knox's door close softly behind him. He felt like he was suffocating somehow, he needed to be out of here, fast. This had to be the buildings fault some how, he'd have to see about fixing the old building sooner than he thought. Finally leaving the old Guards housing, Arno was greeted by a less than pleased Christine, thankful not snowed on yet.

" What took you so long?" The princess was shivering per say, but it was clear she wasn't pleased to be kept waiting like she had, wrapped tightly in his blankets with a small scowl on her soft features. She took after their mother in that sense, nice round face like a doll, but she had their father's eyes and hair. One of the few things that she took after the king, though their father certainly didn't mind, pleased she looked more like her mother than he did. He couldn't say he was happy that he was apparently the closest thing to a spitting image of his father at his age, minus his hair and eye, but it made it hard for anyone to deny that he was the king's son. Even if his mother's features had softened his father's more defined facial traits.

" I wanted to make sure my apology for you was sincere. Plus I nearly fell through the floorboards for you, so lets get to it before the both of us freeze to death," Arno retorted with a smirk, a little too relieved when he felt his usual self come back to him as he quickly scampered towards his sister for warmth.

Trading places with the blanket, Christine squeaked as his cold body pressed against her back and his chin resting on the top of her annoyed head(" You'll ruin my hair!" " Please, as if a little ruffling of your hair will kill you."), blankets draped over them in a sort of tight cocoon before they began to shuffle over to castle. It was a beat of silence before the young princess spoke again, clearly still embarrassed by her previous actions," Thank you for that by the way... I'll see to it that I'll apologies to him some how later. Maybe I can bring up something to Father about the state of the guards housing. With a proper apology of course."

" I'm sure the knights and guards will appreciate that, but I'm afraid our little knight who helped us might not be around to appreciate the news, considering he'll be joining me to the Beaumonte Estate up north."

Christine frowned, pulling away from him once they entered the comparatively warmer castle to walk besides him instead," Oh. That's a shame, but I'm surprised he'll be heading up with you... Though I suppose if Damien set this up, he's probably using this as a chance to embarrass you further..." Arno wanted to kick himself for letting that slip, be refrained from doing so, at least Christine was still under the assumption that Knox still disliked him.

" That's true, but I'm still unsure if he be positioned there permanently or just over glorified muscle for the journey there before returning back to the capital. There's still the possibility he'll be able to enjoy the renovated facilities once he returns Christie."

The princess smiled, a pleased hum told him everything he needed to know as she refrained from responding. As they made their way further into the castle, a servant spotted them, racing up to them to help on their way to his sister's room, taking the picnic basket from Christine's arms to carry it themselves.

-

Upon entering Christine's room, whatever picnic dinner was packed for them was abandoned in favor for a warmer meal brought to them by one of the princess's maids. A light soup and warm bread placed before them along with a couple of more snacks for the more than ravenous prince, having forgone any semblance of a meal for nearly the whole day. They had spent the rest of the evening chatting amongst themselves, avoiding the topic of Arno's eventual departure in the near future for more frivolous topics for the most part. It was only as the night wore on that the princess finally spoke up on the matter, exhaustion helping her to be vulnerable with him.

Gripping at her skirt, Christine spoke in a small voice," I don't want you to leave Arno..."

" I know Christie."

" I wish I could go with you, I wish Damien would let me..."

" I know."

" This isn't fair... You should just stay here, tell them you'll do better like you always do..."

Arno was silent, unsure what exactly to say to comfort his sister at the moment, tentatively moving to her side to offer physical comfort in place of words. Standing besides her chair, the prince knelt down and opened him arms, lips ready with a hollow apology before his sister threw herself at him. Anything he was going to say replaced with a grunt as she buried her face into his chest.

Muffled, Christine spoke instead, thankfully not crying as she did so," Spend the night like you use to, like when I was little, just this once?" Arno's expression softened, he knew exactly what she was talking about. She'd fetch for him occasionally when she either found it hard to sleep or woke up from a nightmare. While his room wasn't exactly close to her's, it was closer than their parents. Not to mention Arno would go to Christine's room instead of requiring her to come to his like their parents did, making it leagues less scary for her in the process. Arno wouldn't lie and say that it wasn't a hassle for him, but in the end he couldn't find it in himself to hate the experience of being someone Christine relied on when she was younger.

Scooping her up in his arms with a grunt, Arno responded in due turn," Of course, always. Let's get ready for bed then, just don't complain about my facial hair like last time, alright?" Nodding at a maid to fetch his and Christine's night ware, The prince made his way to his sister's plush bed to seat her there, laughing silently to himself when he felt his sister's face scrunch up against his chest at the comment comment. It was times like these when he had to remember how young his sister still was. Giving his sister her space to get changed before he could do the same for himself, Arno sighed. This would probably be one of the last times he'd be able to do this with his little sister. He's was going to miss being an active presence in his sister's life.

After everything was said and done, Arno found himself staring at the canopy of his sister's bed, illuminated faintly by the light of the fire keeping the room warm. His sister was curled up side him, one arm looped around his and the other around a well loved teddy bear as she slept silently. He couldn't find it in himself fall asleep yet despite everything, mind blank as the faint scent of nutmeg and cinnamon wafted around him. His whole day had felt like an eternity while simultaneously rushing by in a flash. He was going to be sent up to the far north of his kingdom in a couple of yet to know days. Away from everything he knew. Away from the family he loved. And hated. Alone in a sense that he never knew. Except Knox would be there, for how long he didn't know. He couldn't help but feel comforted by that thought as it echoed in his mind. He didn't know when exactly he fell asleep, but he was sure it was earlier than he had the previous night. He'd wake like he had any other day, but this time with an unknown time limit set on how much longer he would have in his current home and family. And he'd have to go on about his day like any other. How strange.

Arno

Prepping, Arno's last couple of weeks had been dedicated to that task once his sister-in-law reached the old estate her family had set aside for him. Apparently it had been years since the Beaumontes last used the poor old building, since the one who favored it was now living at the castle with her husband, leaving it practically untouched since her last visit. His brother Damien was kind enough to let him read the letter his wife had sent upon arrival, something about how he should be acquainted with his future home and all before kicking him out of his room, to be left alone with the note(try as he might, Damien was every bit the romantic that he claimed not to be).

Besides some flowery language that was clearly meant only for his brother's eyes, Elise had wrote rather fondly of the building, albeit with a rather somber tone. With how her family had been neglecting it's upkeep in favor of their other estates, his sister-in-law was glad none the less that it would finally be seeing some proper use finally after all of these years. There were some notes on how the remaining servants still stationed at the estate were glad to have someone finally inhabit it along with some new help, as well as how she was hesitant on handing over one of her childhood homes to Arno before she conceded that the decision for his new lodging was what was best for everyone. Her concern was to expected, He could only assume Elise was worried he'd trash the place, but there was still an air of kindness she bestowed upon him he found rather sweet, if almost undeserving. It still evaded him on how such a kind woman could fall in love with a person like his brother.

And with that, Arno had found his every waking day was filled with prepping for the damned trip. From what clothes he would bring, what furniture he wanted to keep from his room, among a slew of other boring and utterly mind numbing tasks. When he wasn't getting ready for his travels, he was getting updates from his older brother's ever changing list on who exactly was going to accompany him and the coup plot Arno had informed Damien earlier about. For the latter it seemed for the most part rumors were true. Germain was under the crown prince's custody at the moment, further evidence to try him for treason still being gathered, or had yet to arrive to the capital. As for the former, Arno was now flocked by four maids at all times, like a queen bee and her attendants, fussing over him and bombarding him with questions or updates on things. Ange was one of these maids, sticking to him like glue despite her reservations about him following through on his promise.

Two of the maids were women he was rapidly becoming more acquainted with as the days passed regardless of how he felt towards them personally, and a smaller maid that was "gifted" to him by his sister. Maria, or Mouse as his sister liked to call her due to her timid personality, apparently hailed from a nearby village close to the Beaumonte's estate and was thus sent his way in hopes her insight of her home town would be of help. As much as he appreciated his sister, The idea of being presented with the girl like she was an object to be passed around didn't exactly sit right with him, regardless of where her intentions lied. Arno had set Christine straight without a moment's hesitation, where after a couple of apologies from both him and his sister, The prince found that Maria had taken to try and flag him down after he and the princess parted ways. Evidently it seemed that young maid more than willing to join him on his journey for the opportunity to work closer to home, A couple of servants had approached for the exact same reason shortly after. Arno didn't exactly have the heart to deny them, concluding that at the very least he would have some willing participants joining him. Slowly but surely, Arno was almost certain he was prepared for travel.

-

The day that Arno was suppose to set off was just as busy as his past week had been. He had been awoken earlier than he would have liked, his little worker bees busy gathering whatever last minute things his mother had requested be taken with him from his now strangely bare room. What remained of his furniture was now bare for the most part, bits and bobs that use to litter his vanity, dressers, and tables were now empty, leaving sparsely a trace that someone was someone was still living there. At least until this afternoon, quickly correcting himself for what was to come.

Raising from his bed, Mouse split away from the other maids to help dress him, leaving the rest of the girls to continue on with their task as the girl moved awkwardly around him. Arno had hoped after all of this time together that the poor maid would have gotten use to him by this point, but it seemed time and time again she'd be startled by even the simplest things. Well, it wasn't like they still didn't have time to get even more acquainted with each other he supposed. Mouse had chosen a pale olive green frock coat for his jacket, along with a deep burgundy vest, and a high collared shirt, setting them aside for him as Arno eyed the clothes. Arno couldn't help but chuckle at color selection. Christine preferred a variety of different shades of greens, reds, and pinks while his preferences were towards more blue shades. Arno knew it was probably subconscious, but it felt like his sister's tastes would be sending him off today. He couldn't find it in himself to mind it when he thought about it that way.

Stepping away from behind the partition he had been dressing behind(a skill that Arno had been honing the past few weeks, and was quite proud of now), Mouse smiled at him timidly when Ange spoke up, " We should be heading down now your highness, Addie and Jean are taking the last of the books you wanted to the carriage as we speak. I'm sure you'll want one last good bye with your mother, father, and sister before you leave I assume?" The older maid did a last survey of his room, checking to if there was anything else they still needed to bring down while Mouse finished grabbing his remaining clothes.

" Pfft, I'll say one last goodbye to mother and Christie, but you know how father's been with this damn war he's set on," Arno said with a near disgust. The prince didn't know the exact details on what was happening, apparently he was no longer informed on such crucial matters just in case he became a security risk with his practical exile, just bits and pieces about how the king of Edrein down south was viewing their kingdom less favorably by the day.

Ange frown, lips kept in a tight line as she thought for a moment on whether or not she should argue with him, before deciding better of it, " Fine, lets get to it then. I'm certain the princess will do everything in her power to delay you for as long as she possibly can, so I'd rather we get this over with before we're forced to travel at nightfall."

Arno snorted," Oh I'm sure, At least mother will be curt about it, let's get going then."

-

Arno wasn't sure what he preferred more, his mother's short farewell with all of it's awkward but well meaning intent, or his sister's sob filled goodbye where she latched herself onto him had every intention to not let go to. It was a bitter sweet feeling, knowing that his mother and sister cared for him in the own differing ways, even if it didn't feel that way at times. The prince had also avoided William to the best of his ability, knowing that the second prince would take every opportunity to harass him while he still could. With everything going on, He had almost missed the king and his guards passing him on his way to visit his mother. His father was far to preoccupied with his advisors and visitors to take notice of him, not that Arno cared, but a familiar red head of hair caught his.

They had well passed each other in the hall when the prince realized what had happened, still caught up with the hilarity that his sister had left a massive tear stained mess on his burgundy velvet vest, the soft fabric now crushed from her face and was thankfully snot free as Mouse fussed over him. A red flush washed over him in a moment of embarrassment, knowing that there was a possibility that Knox had seen him with a smug look on his face and a wet splotch on his clothes., kicking himself internally. At least he would have his mother to take his mind off the handsome knight. It had felt like ages since they had a proper conversation with each other, Arno was itching to speak to the knight, unsure what to discus but her was sure he'd talk poor Knox's ear off regardless. That or he'd freeze and make an utter fool of himself, which would be less ideal.

-

Upon arrival to his carriage, Arno couldn't help but grimace at the large entourage waiting for him. Knights, Servants, various horses and carriages that would be use for his things and select servants, all waiting for him so they could head up to the Beaumonte estate. It felt unreal looking at it all now. He really was going north to give his family some supposed peace of mind, Arno could feel his hands curl tightly around each other has his thumb rubbed the back of his left hand, a smile on his face as approached the gaggle of servants crowding the door to the vehicle. He couldn't see Knox from where he was standing, Arno noted mentally, ignoring his displeasure on his observation.

" What seems to be the problem boys?" Arno chirped airily as he finally approached the waiting servants. He couldn't see anything that would be a glaring issue, eyeing the wheels and newly built carriage in front of him. He wasn't an expert per say, but if there where this many crowding around, there had to be something going on.

" You highness! I apologize for them," A coachman spoke up, motioning for the servants to stop huddling around, " It's just that we really should get going before Duke Alexander arrives, there's news that his arrival will be-" The sound of approaching wheels and hooves had cut the coachman short, a carriage quickly coming into view as it entered the castle grounds. Arno couldn't help but notice the gentleman's grimace as the duke's carriage entered the inner ways of the castle up the driveway. Arno could only assume Damien wanted to keep him away from Alexander as he tended to be a bit...

" Arno? Is that you? I though you would have been long gone already! By god, what luck it seems I have today!" Alexander's carriage had barely come to a stop when the duke quickly clambered out of it, a bright smile on his sun kissed face as quickly took in the prince. It had been ages since Arno had last seen the man, his sheer presence still as overwhelming as he remembered it. As handsome as he was, short dark brown curls that perfectly framed his face and warm eyes beaming as they looked down at him, Arno couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the man.

" Alexander, it's a pleasure to see you again, but I am afraid you caught me just as we were about to leave," Arno said with an apologetic smile, hoping the duke would understand, " I'm sure you're tired from your traveling, you'll be having you fill of my brothers for the time being, so I don't want to keep you too long-"

" What? Nonsense!" Firm hands grasped his shoulders suddenly, Alexander's unwavering smile still shining as Arno's polite excuse to send off the duke flying over his head. " I'm sure I can convince the king to postpone you trip for one more day so we can catch up, after all it's been so long and-"

An irritated cough from inside the duke's carriage had stopped him from continuing on, before the owner of the voice revealed herself. Alexander's new wife it seemed. Just his luck to have to deal with the both of them just before he could depart.

Arno

Duke Alexander could be a bit of a handful, rude to servants and lower class as well, but from Arno's experience with him had always tended to be on the more fond side. Alexander was after all, the longest relationship he had experienced to date, a modest eight and a half months together. Arno would admit the man had his quirks, and the Duke could have quite the mean streak(nothing he wasn't familiar with already), but he always treated him well when they were together. For the most part. Arno was willing to over look a few spats here and there when Alexander would always make sure to apologize afterwards, usually in the form of gifts. Now that the prince thought about it, the last gift Alexander had gave him was that damn table everyone was in a tizzy about. But that specific gift wasn't the product of a fight, more so a parting gift at the time.

Arno wasn't completely blind to the fact that there were rumors of Alexander being engaged to the daughter of another noble family while the duke was romantically perusing him, he just chose to ignore them for the most part, possibly in hope that they would turn out to be false. He was after all use to being the center of unsavory rumor, regardless on whether they had any basis to them or not. But all it took was one fight that got a little too heated when Arno confided to the Duke about the rumors, for him to slip out from his life. Arno was an empty husk of a person two months, unsure what had happened between the two of them and what to do with himself when Ange had informed him of a gift he received from the Duke of Fleury. It was an expensive and intricately crafted coffee table, and a note in Alexander's hasty scrawl that simply said something along the lines of, 'I'm sorry my love'. Arno trashed his room after receiving it. It felt strange thinking back on it, on how fast he was able to move on afterwards, almost a little too fast he could say, to the point he nearly forgotten about it. And yet after seeing after everything was said and done, he couldn't help but feel entranced by him once again.

What a strange feeling it was to watch Knox approach the duke and him, Alexander still latched onto him as the knight glared down on them before informing Alexander of their strict travel schedule. Detaching from him, Alexander almost hesitantly slunk away to fetch his wife, holding out his arm as he approached the open carriage door. Looking up at Knox, the knight almost looked like something straight out of a fairy tale that horse of his, a wink his way causing the prince to turn an ever brighter pink. Alexander was a handsome man in his own right, sharp jawed and well toned body, but Knox had a natural pull to him that the duke couldn't replicate even if he tried.

A dainty hand grasped onto the duke's hand in turn, stepping out into the courtyard with practiced grace and only a mildly irritated expression. Alexander's new wife was small little thing, and rather plain looking as well, something that surprised Arno when he finally saw her for the first time. He remembered one drunken night he spent with the duke where he revealed rather shamelessly what his ideal type was, funnily enough it appeared that neither the prince or his new wife seemed to fit these tastes. The duchess gave her husband a rather pointed look as if expecting for his conversation with the prince to be over with, only for Alexander to detach from her and re-approach Arno with a renewed vigor, that earned Arno a scowl from the poor woman. It seems that the duke still lacked a way with people.

" Again, I do apologize Alexander. I would have loved to catch up with you and your lovely wife, really, but we're already running a bit late as it is. I'll see if I can write to you once I reach my destination, alright?" Arno gave the duke another, but less sincere, apologetic smile as Knox grabbed the man. Alexander's wife took her place next to her husband, but refrained from taking his his arm the group watched him flounder uselessly against the knight's strength. What a disaster.

Tugging at his coat, Arno watched for a moment as Knox made quick work of Alexander, coachmen and footmen alike quickly unloading the duke and duchess's luggage before turning back to his own carriage. Mouse's mouth was agape after watching everything that was going down, while Ange and the other maid were various degrees of unfazed. He was ninety percent sure the other two maid were familiar with the duke, with Ange having dealt with Alexander the most out of all of them, meaning they were all well aware of the Alexander Durant experience. More guards began to rapidly approach the duke and his wife as they attempted to drag him away to meet with his father.

He needed to get a hold of the situation fast, it was already bad enough that Alexander held them up like this, and now there was a crowd forming around them to catch a peek at what exactly was happening. With a loud clap of his hands to draw the attention of the crowd that had formed around the ensuing chaos, Arno spoke to the servants around him, " Alright, that's enough futzing around! Sire Knox has a point and we're on a strict deadline! Get to it before it starts getting later than it already is!" Scrambling to get back to packing and preparing for the trip, Arno snorted as he watch the servant scurry about again, before he turned to his maids, " I'll be waiting in my carriage for the time being, you girls can join me to keep me company for the time being while we wait for everyone to finish up, alright?"

" Are you sure that's alright for us to do sir?" Mouse asked as she eyed their carriage the duke's, " Duke Alexander seems quite fluster right now, and it doesn't seem quite right to leave everyone else to do the work while we laze about..."

" Bah, it's alright. He'll get over himself in a moment so you don't have to worry about-" The loud sound of a sharp slap had caught Arno off guard as he tried to reassure the younger maid, cutting himself off as he tried to gather what had happened through the mess of the crowd around him. There were too many people for him to properly see what exactly had happened, and to whom, but Arno could feel a pit form in his stomach the more he searched. He hoped that whatever it was, Alexander's wife had slapped him for embarrassing her in front everyone instead of the possibility of it being something else.

Ange frowned, looking between him and something in the distance as she worried her lip." Your highness, let's get you situated before it starts to get colder. Maria go see to it that Arno gets to his carriage alright and have him read to you one of his many books to get your mind off your travel nerves, alright? Me and the other girls will finish up out here," waving them off as she spoke quickly, Arno couldn't help but feel like she had saw what had happened.

" Ange what on earth are you going on about.'"

" It's nothing to worry about your highness, just get inside before your brother finally comes out to yell at everyone for causing a commotion," Ange pressed, motioning for Mouse to drag him off. Arno wanted to argue, he plan to, but she was off into the crowd before he got the chance to.

" I'm sorry your highness... We should probably do as Miss Ange said," Mouse said softly, working her hands nervously as she looked up at him. Arno frown deepened before he concede.
There wasn't much that he could do now that Ange had gone.

-

Arno doesn't know how long he was sitting in his carriage reading out loud to Mouse while they waited to depart, but it felt like eons. The other too maid had been keeping themselves busy with needle work or by catching up on lost sleep, using his monotone voice as background noise. At least someone was enjoying the mystery novel he had received as a birthday gift nearly two years prior, Mouse was lent forward with rapt attention as he lazily read, clearly unbothered by his disinterest. He was leaning against the plush inner wall of the carriage when the door opened once again, Ange's expression more neutral than he would have liked as she climbed into the carriage with them.

" What took so long?" Arno asked as he shut his book, moving the bookmark he had placed further into the book to his current page.

" A wheel came loose on one of the carts, they had to fix it before we left, apologies your highness. We should be leaving now."

" And about what happened earlier?"

Ange bit her lip, moving her skirts as she took a seat besides him, debating on whether or not to tell him what she saw. After a moments of hesitation, she gave the prince a concerned look, " I'll only tell you if you promise to not make a big deal out of it, your highness."

" God, what do you- Ugh, fine, I promise."

" It appears Duke Alexander slapped Sire Knox. I can only assume Knox's actions frustrated the duke, so please don't hold it against him," Ange said slowly, waiting for his reaction.

Arno felt sick. Alexander could be a bit temperamental, but he had rarely seen or heard him act that way before. For him to slap Knox that hard that even he could hear it... The prince could feel his grip tighten on his book as he looked out of his window, the carriage was moving at that point, the castle courtyard and garden slowly rolling out of view. He wouldn't be able to walk up to the knight and talk to him properly this way. But... Knox did have a horse he was riding on.

A guard riding besides paid no attention to them until Arno opened the glass window on the carriage door, leaning his head out as Ange and Mouse squawked. It was only slightly windy, causing him to spit a couple of ginger hairs out of his mouth as the poor guard beside them gawked at them, Ange and Mouse failing to drag him in as he spoke over the rattling of wheels and horse hooves, " You there! Fetch Sire Knox for me, I wish to speak with him about what transpired before we departed. That is all, thank you." Wiping a few more stray hairs from his face, Arno finally allowed for the girls to pull him in, the maids themselves looking particularly pale at his stunt.

" You're going to loose more than your eye one of these day Arno, you know that right?" Ange stated, panting heavily as she glared daggers at him, " And you broke your promise, five seconds after you made it, you know that, right?"

Arno hummed, slightly pleased at himself. " I know, but you really should know me better by know Ange."