The prince shrugged. A tough question to answer. If it had been anyone else, someone of power and status he would have said yes. He was. It was his duty and job to look after his people and care for them and provide and make sure everyone's needs were met and worries were vanished. He would have said that going away for a 'personal trip' would be out of line and utter nonsense, that they shouldn't even say such things. But it was far from the truth and, Cas had found himself being honest with Hylas so far, why stop now? "No, I wasn't. Sure, I love my job, my people, but there was never any privacy and never any time to get away from it all. quite frankly it became suffocating."
"Suffocating?" Hylas prompted with a curious glance over at the prince. Never would he have thought that Caspian— the so-beloved prince of Eirus —would have thought of his recent work as suffocating. Many people figured that being a royal was a liesurely thing, with servants to carry out any job or to fetch anything they pleased. And though Hylas had known it was more of a burden than a blessing, to hear it from Cas was an interesting thought to account for. Killing an honest and hard worker would be harder for a 'moral man' to go through with, which was exactly why it was so difficult for Hylas to consider. "Surely you found other ways to…get away. I don't know what royals do for repose, though I'll assume it's not as dramatic as people like to say;" He said with the faintest of smiles, "You know, being fanned and fed grapes while lounging on a divan."
Cas snorted, "Oh gods no. It isn't like that at all. And even if it was I wouldn't want to be fed grapes. There's a line in the sand and that is crossing it in my opinion. It would just feel… strange, to have the people that, even though they work for me, are my friends feed me like that. They'd do it if I asked yes but, I don't know, they're people not slaves. And I wouldn't want to spend my down time with them, I want to get away from it all, to forget for a while that I'm royalty." Most people would dream to be waited on hand and foot. To have people do whatever you want them to at the snap of your fingers. Bring you whatever you wished to relax. But for Cas he knew that wouldn't make him happy. He wanted alone time, quiet time. Time to forget he had so many responsibilities and duties to attend to, even just for a few moments.
Hylas nodded thoughtfully as he the prince spoke, taking another bite of his pastry. "Interesting. I didn't know being a royal was such a chore," He remarked, wondering if other royals felt the same ache to get away, or perhaps if it was just Cas that felt so strongly about it. He, too, was bound to a seemingly inescapable life of work, the only difference was that the memories had never left Hylas, even when he managed to distract himself or return to the countryside, he could never really get away from himself. "But when you say that you want to get away and forget that you're royalty— I don't understand. You said you hardly travelled for leisure, so how do you get away?" Hylas asked, letting an outstretched hand touch the stalks of wild wheat and tallgrass as they walked.
(Heyy so I'm kinda back? Will be a bit spotty for a few more weeks because school but then I should be more active :))
"Books," He replied simply, and maybe a little too quickly. Oh how he loved them. Cas could spend hours upon hours sitting in his library by the light of the window and reading to get away. On the days where he could actually leave the palace, he'd go to the small farmhouse not too far behind the castle. Far enough away to escape palace life, but close enough that it didn't feel like he was really away from home, really getting away from work, "Books and the old farmhouse." He nibbled at his food, finishing off the last of it not a moment later, "I can just sit in the rose garden and read my day away, sounds like the perfect getaway for me." And it was. The thought that he might not ever get to see his books and flowers again was not a pleasant one.
(hii :) don't worry about it, im dealing with school too. i hope you're doing well !!)
Hylas almost smiled at the prince's prompt reply, supposing that reading really was a love of his. But why do I care? Being able to escape sounded so lovely, and the thought of immersing oneself without memories clawing their way back was so quietly fascinating to him. "So you find solace, then; away from the palace and in this place you've made your own," Hylas said, chewing the final morsels of his pastry in thought, "It sounds peaceful." It made him think of his own home– or rather, house, a little past the border. It was where he planned to take them, and as the image of the warm brick and swaying grass became sharper in his mind, he felt a soft ache in his heart, as if that everpresent homesickness might ease once they arrived. With a long glance over the hill, he could see where the trees grew closer together, and the path became littered with tree roots. "I've always had problems with reading, but I have a few books dear to me."
(Thanks :) I hope you've been doing well, too)
"When you live in a place where you're constantly surrounded by others, people who design everything for you, do everything, it's nice to find a home that you can call entirely your own." Cas shrugged, "I can tend to the garden without being told to stop because I'll get my clothes ruined. Or read for the entire day without having someone come by asking about one policy or another." He sighed, shaking his head softly. He knew Hylas didn't care, but it was nice to have someone listen, even if it was his assassin. Even though yes, he had his father, but he never truly listened. It always turned into a lecture. And everyone else in the court wouldn't understand, he'd known that for a very long time now, "Why have you had problems with reading? Not enough time or focus?" He asked, looking up at him with an eyebrow raised.
Hylas couldn't help but smile as Cas spoke fondly of such a place, looking down at the path scattered with pebbles as he pictured a happy prince peacefully going about his day. That too, reminded him of his life back at his stone cottage, sharpening his knives with river stones and checking in on his humble vegetable patch. But their was a quiet jealousy that came with the thought of Cas 'escaping' from his responsibilities; he had stories to lose himself in, all while Hylas was left in the deafening silence of country. Picking a stalk of wheat and toying with it in his hands as he walked, he kept his eyes averted. "I had to…teach myself to read, I suppose," He admitted with an air of uncertainty. There was so much of his past that he chose not to dwell on, along with the understanding that the worst of his childhood had been forgotten, or rather, lost. But the memory of learning to read was one of the less-painful ones, with images of the printed crates from the city that they would later sleep in, the royal proclamations nailed to trees, and the old bookkeepers shop at the outer edge of the market. "The expense— it was….I just…didn't have books in my life until a little later," Hylas shrugged, half-hoping the prince would understand what he was trying to say in the silence between his words, "And I like to keep busy, so."
Touchy subject. Cas looked down at the path. He understood, not everyone had the life he did, had the same opportunities. He wouldn't push, "Ah, right yes. Of course." He didn't mention anything else about it, ask why. He could tell it was something Hylas didn't want to talk about.
Luckily for the two of them, they wouldn't have to. As the trees became denser and they could no longer see the town in the distance, the clopping of distant hooves could be faintly heard. Along with the chatter of people and the occasional whine of a horse. It sounded like a group of people, no more then ten at least. They were traveling at a fast pace, that much was obvious and were heading North, right in the direction of the two.
Cas knew that if the two of them were caught, if he was seen outside the palace walls with a stranger, they'd be done for. Considering he'd been missing for more then twelve hours at this point news of his disappearance would have reached most corners of the kingdom by now. And any travelers wandering through, would know about it for definite.
The muffled sounds of people approaching seemed to come from nowhere as they made their way through the forest, halting them where they stood.
"…Yes, but if all is well, we must return to Valthea before the harvest begins,"
"…And so we shall. The prince will return, I'm sure of it."
With a frenzied glance upwards to the curve of the path, Hylas abandoned all thoughts of reading and things that brought them peace. He darted to the edge of the path without the slightest hesitation, grabbing Cas in a sudden reflex of unintelligible panic and just about dragging him into the dense thicket. His mind ran wild with thoughts of their potential discovery and capture, half-believing that the prince might call out to travellers in an attempt to get help. It wasn't unusual for travellers to pass through these woods, tradesmen and nomads were known to frequent the other towns along the border. This was the edge of Eirus, after all; and these roads were the quickest way to the capital.
The voices grew louder behind them as Hylas hurriedly led them through the greenery, barely checking to see if Cas was keeping up as they moved past fallen trees and overgrown shrubs. "Here," He hissed, eyeing a tree wide enough to hide behind and hasitly beckoning him closer, casting a wary glance back to the road, where he could see the faintest bit of movement through the trees.
Cas didn't have time to think before he was being dragged off the path and into the thicket. If he hadn't been with such a skilled assassin maybe he would have called out to the travelers, tried to get some help to get him back home but it seemed Hylas kept dragging them deeper into the trees to stay out of sigh. For once he did as he was told when the other beckoned him closer, not wanting to piss him off until he was standing with barely two inches between the two of them.
The prince open his mouth to say something but was promptly cut off by the sudden, and very loud thwack of a bow and the thud of a body hitting the floor. Then there was a scream, one cut off by another thwack and thud until there was a deafening silence that echoed around the forest. All birds went quiet as heavy footsteps and chain metal rang though the trees. Bows were slung over backs as the group, whoever they were, made their way to the group of innocent, and now very dead, travelers.
"Pick up anything of value and let's get moving again," One voice called, gruff and loud, "The quicker we get back to the boss with the news of the prince's disappearance, hopefully we can move his whole plan forwards."
Hylas tried to slow his breathing as he stood hidden with Cas, facing him as he raised a hand to cover his mouth, but hesitating when the sound of a struggle echoed into the wood. Screams, outcries, and choking gasps were uttered from those riding on horses, falling to the ground in a sick round of thuds. Highwaymen. They weren't uncommon along trade routes throughout the continent, but Hylas knew in a moment that to suddenly attack a group like this one was far more brutal than any typical efforts of a roadside robbery. His eyes flickered up to the path, cautiously peering through the slits between the trees as a voice spoke up. Boss…prince's disappearance…plan. Every word reiterated itself in his mind as he silently watched the blurry shapes move over the fallen travellers, not quite processing what he'd just witnessed as they took what they wanted and mounted the whining horses. For a moment he forgot that Cas was actually with him, more focussed on the plan they referred to instead of the man in question, but with a chilling realization, he glanced back at the prince, expecting a panic that would need to be silenced, knowing he heard it too.
Every word spoken rang through Cas's mind louder then his own thoughts. His eyes widened, breathing speeding up as the own sign of the panic that felt like it was going to explode out of him at any moment. But he'd been in life or death situations before, he knew that to make a noise, to give away their position would mean death for them, too. And if they were to get to the bottom of whatever this plan was. A plan that would work better now that he was 'gone.' Now that Eirus was down a leader, someone who had done so much to protect the place he loved.
The group of travelers, killers, whatever they were, seemed to stop once they had salvaged whatever they could from the innocent victims, taking out canteens and flasks to drink and recoup before they set off again. Another voice spoke up, a female this time, not too long after the first.
"He's still rallying and creating troops in the west," She said, "Didn't someone say he wanted to take the North before moving to Eirus?"
There was a reply of grunts and nods, the group agreeing. The first voice spoke again, "With his power there wouldn't be a need. But if he's experiments work then we could take the whole continent in months."
Hylas let out a slow and silent breath, keeping dead still as he listened to the words sounding past the trees and wishing with everything he had that the people— the hijackers would leave. Another had spoken, and from this and the mention of an overseer, he determined that the group was just one of many reporting to a higher power. Though he'd hoped that they might be simple rogues or foot soldiers working for a rebellion of sorts, he had heard how quickly and synchronized their attack had been and how indifferently they spoke among the bodies lying at their feet. But at the mention of Eirus, his eyes worriedly flickered back to the prince and his troubled state; trying to keep himself together while they were still in danger of being discovered. Take the North….move to Eirus. Someone; whoever this 'he' was, was readying an attack, with an army soon to be large enough to overtake the northern kingdoms of Mavadora.
Hylas could hardly piece together what it was he was hearing as they spoke of power and experiments— something so forcible that it might topple whole kingdoms in a matter of months. Months. Everything said from the bandits swere scattered thoughts in Hylas' mind, like putting together the pieces of a puzzle without a clear picture to reference. They want to attack. They wanted the prince gone. And…they think he's gone. "Breathe," He mouthed to Cas, meeting his frantic gaze with a soft nod as he drew in a slow inhale. He could hardly imagine what it was like for him to hear this as the man they wanted dead; knowing that his murder was appointed by something much larger than anything he previously could've imagined.
Breathing was difficult. Cas didn't know if it was due to the fact that he was still hiding with his assassin, someone who had been sent to kill him either by this… this higher power or someone else. And then there was this higher power themselves. Someone who had enough power and resources to take all of the north and move to Eirus. If Eirus was gone… without one of the leading kingdoms the continent would fall. The prince knew it. To be a prince without a way to get to his kingdom, with an assassin who he knew wouldn't let him go yes, breathing was becoming very, very difficult. Having to swallow those thoughts was a task harder then getting his breathing under control. They were still hiding and he couldn't give their position away. Which was why he took one breath, then another, under he was calm enough that he wouldn't expose them.
A third voice sighed, gruffer then the other two and deeper, "We still don't know if those experiments will work. And he still doesn't have the eastern witches on his side. It might be longer then we hoped to attack."
"Oh shut up," The second said, "Zaros has enough power to kill hundreds in one go, even if the witches don't join us we don't need 'em anyway!"
What they spoke of was far graver than anything Hylas had ever hoped to hear, and as a young man who witnessed the war unfold, he could hardly believe it. It just couldn't be. Not so soon, anyway; the wounds dealt to the kingdoms were barely healed, and now to hear of a single power planning to do the same— worse, even, —felt impossible. He cast a worried glance at Cas, choosing to focus on his forest-coloured eyes rather than the movement beyond the trees. How could such a thing be possible? In our own land? As a traveller he'd overheard his fair share of rumours; rebel groups protesting for better wages, crooked noblemen stealing land, higher taxation for imports and such. But an upheaval as great as they described was past the point of a bare consideration. Between all of the chaos and silence that he found himself in, Hylas hadn't even thought to consider where he stood in the grand scheme of things, but with a cold chill of realization, he soon did. The task of killing the prince— the money his employer offered… It was all towards the development of this plan to lead sheep to slaughter.
Hylas was the means to an end. The end of Eirus— and potentially the end of Mavadora as a free continent. Hundreds? He repeated to himself, wearing a gentle frown as he stood, both intrigued and horrified at what he heard. A man— This Zaros. Different from others who practice magic. But how? And why? And how did no one know of such a plan? All he understood terrified him, and all that he didn't brought forth a looming sense of dread; the harrowing conclusion that he would soon find out.
There was an unsettling silence that was cast over the small area in the forest. The birds went quiet as the group too, fell silent for a few moments. Cas held his breath. They had to leave. Leave so him and Hylas could talk about whatever it was they just heard. There was another few moments of deafening quiet and then the first voice once again spoke.
"We need to be getting back," They said, boots crunching on the ground as they walked towards the group, "Get the news back to Zaros."
There was a bustle of movement, the group gathering their old and now stolen items. In a moment there was a ripple of power. An uncomfortable shiver that passed through anyone within thirty feet of the group and then they were gone. Vanished from view and the forest resumed its natural way of life.
Cas immediately released a breath, bracing his hands on his knees. He felt like he was going to be sick, "How- what in- Gods what just happened?"
Hylas thought for a moment that perhaps he'd imagined certain moments of what they saw and heard, but as the world around them seemed to shift back into place, he knew for certain that what they'd witnessed was more than just a misunderstanding or a trick of the light. They came from nowhere, and that's where they've gone now, just like that. He let out a shaky breath, turning away as he rubbed his face. They wanted him gone, and I helped them. I did this.
"Oh no," He quietly groaned, taking a few nervous paces around them as he tried to make himself understand, knotting his fingers in his dark hair and shaking his head. This type of stress— confusion, dread; such a degree of worry was so foreign to him. There had never been anything in his life aside from his own survival that had prompted worry out of him. But now he found himself in a position of involvement, with this Zaros, and the feeling of helplessness; the sudden realization hat he had no control over what he'd gotten himself into was becoming louder than his confusion.
"I don't understand," Hylas said, shaking his head as his gaze flickered back to Cas, "I don't understand. I don't." He stared helplessly at the man before him; the very man they spoke of as a fallen obstacle in their design. "I just had to kill you and— that was all. There wasn't supposed to be…this purpose— this plan behind it."
A muscle flickered in Cas' jaw as some unreadable expression crossed his face, "No there wasn't," He straightened himself, "You were just supposed to kill me and get the money and that was that, right?" He shook his head, letting out a small laugh, "But now the whoooole continent might fall because apparently the money was just too good to let up just this one time." The prince was mad. Confused. Upset. Furious would be a better word for what he felt. This whole time he had thought that after he was gone, once his father knew what to do everything would be okay but no, the gods had other plans. In this instance, bringing down an entire continent by a man who had enough power to wipe out and conquer the place in months. Kill hundreds. His people would die like lambs to a slaughter again. The last war had been devastating enough with the bare minimum of magic but Zaros? It sounded like this war was going to be much, much worse.
"You don't get to judge me for this," Hylas snapped, growing defensive as a reflex though he knew that he really deserved to feel horrible for what he did— or had planned to do. He had been harbouring so much guilt over the past few weeks, with his heavy gaze and tense shoulders, the present shock and constant restlessness that had led up to this moment were all coming out in his reaction.
"You haven't had to do what I've done," He told him, shaking his head as he took a step closer, almost twitching at the recollection of the crueller jobs he'd done. He's never had to live with this blood on his hands. Everything was his fault; it always was. The disappearances, the bodies found were always his doing, and now that he'd taken the prince from the palace, he had made way for a madman to step in. "It's all I can do. I never wanted any of this," Hylas said, wearing a gentle frown as he averted his gaze, feeling like he couldn't face Cas for a moment as he tried to process the shock of all that was happening. The fall of a kingdom would give way to the fall of the continent. No one was safe, not even him. They wanted to use him. Never in his life had he felt so powerless, knowing that Zaros' plan had already been set into motion, the rising support the bandits spoke of becoming greater than any force he could imagine. The dread of knowing that he was to blame was more than he felt he could bear, and his shoulders seemed to sink a little as he tried to keep his composure. "It was wrong, I know— " He said, fixing his tone and running a hand through his hair as his gaze flickered back to Cas, "But you're alive. Because I want you that way."
"It was wrong but you still chose to go along with it." Cas shook his head, rubbing his face with both his hands. Everything that could have gone wrong, had gone wrong, even if they weren't expecting it, "And I'm alive because there's no chance in hell you're going to kill me after what we just heard. Not if you want to save your own ass from death." Gods know what would happen if Zaros took over the continent. If he took the North, made allies with the Eastern witches, that was al ready half the continent gone just like that. For those bandits to talk of the fall of the continent within a matter of months? It made the prince's blood curdle, had his hands wanting to shake. What were they going to do? If they went to Eirus then Zaros would know he was alive. If they didn't do anything they would both die. But there was no one they could trust know. Maybe the kingdoms in the south but they were a weeks travel away, Zaros could well be on his way to the North by then. Horror passed over his face when for once he couldn't think of a logical plan, "What are we going to do?"
Hylas bit his lip in a moment of uncertainty, looking to the side in thought. What could they do? They were half a days' journey to the border of Eirus, and they couldn't risk the journey back to the capital, where they would be recognized and taken before knowing what was happening. Their previous plan had them sending a written plan to Eirus before Hylas would finally kill the prince and receive his payment. But now things had become twisted and unclear, now they knew of Zaros' plans. The kingdom needed more than a single letter of instruction— they needed their leader alive, but no one could know it. "Gods," Hylas quietly groaned, wishing he had never accepted the job to go after the prince. A selfish thought passed through his mind as he considered his options. Run away; It was a powerful instinct. He shook his head to himself, knowing he could never go through with it but still aching to entertain the idea of taking what he had saved and leaving Mavadora. He had connections; people he could pay for a safe passage out of the continent; it wouldn't be difficult. But still, he reminded himself of the guilt that would hover over him for the rest of his life, knowing that he could've done something but chose to run away like he always did.
"We…" Hylas tried, softly shaking his head as he stared off into the trees surrounding them. What can we do? There was hardly a clear thought in his mind, and with a helpless shrug he voiced the only thing he could think of. "We keep going. Make our way to my safehouse in Valthea and write a letter to the king," He sighed in quiet frustration, "And then…go from there."
It wasn't a great plan, but it was the only plan they had. Cas knew that working with his assassin wasn't going to be something he would enjoy but he could endure it. A letter isn't going to do much… If Eirus started readying for war then Zaros would know something was wrong. If he went home then he was sure to advance quicker. And with the power that those men had talked about, Eirus could be wiped clean off the map. It made Cas' stomach twist uncomfortably and make him want to throw up the contents in his stomach. They had to warn people somehow.. the other kingdoms… without altering Zaros. A tricky situation. The scars from the last war had only just healed. Cas didn't know what he would do if he lost his entire family and kingdom in a matter of years. His friends from other kingdoms, they could all be gone with just a snap of someone's fingers.
However he nodded, glancing in the direction towards Eirus for a moment before back to Hylas. They couldn't do much else anyway, not at the moment. He swallowed, "We should get walking then." The quicker they made it to the safe house, the better.
Hylas blinked, a little taken aback at the prince's reaction. He was expecting him to disregard his weak proposal and suggest something clever and princely, something Hylas couldn't wholly come up with, but seemingly obvious to him. But looking at Cas, Hylas could see how he really was trained for the worst. Even now, at what might be perceived as the biggest moment of both of their lives, he stood ready for anything, with only the slightest show of worry. "I– Yes. Yes, we should keep moving," Hylas replied after a brief moment of hesitation, running a hand through his dark hair. It felt like he was finally processing the severity of their situation, and how time was a major factor in whether or not they would succeed. With a cautionary glance around the forest, he frowned, another feeling of unease making itself known. "I say we stay off the path," He nodded, remembering how quickly voices from around the bend had seemed to appear as he looked past the trees, "There could be other travellers, and we can't risk something like that again." Again he was reminded that time, time was not on their side. This Zaros was nothing they'd ever seen before; something they knew nothing of, aside from the little mentioned by the bandits. Because of this, he would be unpredictable, and they wouldn't know if the support building in the East would grow into a more immediate danger. "It would take longer; we'd have to stay out here overnight but…perhaps we'd be safer. What do you think?"
Cas contemplated it for a few moments, thinking it over, accessing whether or not they could even afford to waste even one day out here and not getting the safe house tonight as planned. There were too many complications. Risk getting caught by Zaros' men if they were to come back out here, or waste a night out here they could be spent writing letters and assembling allies for what Cas knew would be a war bigger then anything anyone had ever seen before.
"If we cross the path we can head into deeper undergrowth," He nodded to the other side were the trees became denser, "There might be a cave out there we can stay in for the night, gives us shelter, then move off at dawn to Valthea." Ultimately getting caught was worse. If they were taken to Zaros, if he knew that they knew, Hylas and him would be killed in an instant. Maybe tortured for information about patrol patterns for different kingdoms, who their allies were, how strong the Western and Southern Kingdoms were, the best places to attack. It was too much of a risk. One that they couldn't afford to take.
