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r_amythest asked...OMGWTFWASSARAJAYETHINKINGshippin
"Prince?"
"Ah!" Zephiel turned around, instinctively reaching for his sword before remembering he had not taken it with him. "Who is it?"
"It's only me, your highness. I apologize if I startled you," the person said. Zephiel relaxed, but only a little.
"Sir Erk."
Erk emerged from the shadows, holding a torch.
"Your highness, why are you out here so late? It's dangerous," he said.
"I was simply going for a walk. It's nothing anyone should concern themselves over." Zephiel scrubbed at his cheeks, trying to erase evidence of his sadness.
"It's so cold." Erk stepped closer. "Your highness-"
"Erk, we are friends. I've told you, please call me Zephiel."
"Zephiel," Erk corrected himself, "please come inside. Your mother and father are worried sick about you."
"Mother would worry, I suppose," Zephiel said. His father probably hadn't noticed he was gone. And if he had, he was probably glad to be rid of him.
"Zephiel..." Erk sighed.
"Please...I'm perfectly all right. I...I just need to be alone for awhile," Zephiel whispered.
"Is something bothering you? You seemed so...unsettled earlier this evening," Erk said.
"Don't concern yourself with my feelings, Erk. Surely you could be studying right now."
"I've done enough studying for this evening." Erk placed a hand on the prince's shoulder. "You feel so cold!"
"Erk, please let me be." Zephiel's voice wavered; he cursed inwardly and hoped the mage hadn't noticed.
"You don't sound like nothing is wrong," Erk said. The prince cursed silently again.
"I...I know we're friends...but I still don't wish to bother you with my troubles," he said. "Someone like you...does not need more to worry about..."
"Someone like me?" Erk asked.
"You always seem worried about something...you hardly ever smile. I don't want to give you any more reason to frown than you already have," Zephiel said. "After hearing of your life, I don't want to give you any more pain..."
"Zephiel, just because my life has been hard doesn't mean your pain is insignificant!" Erk scolded.
"Even so, a true noble does not weep to anyone about his troubles! His social obligations and duty to his country must always come first. He bears the pain and waits for it to go away." Zephiel's voice broke. "Why talk about something that truly is insignificant compared to my obligations?"
Silence fell over them for a moment.
"Look at me, Zephiel," Erk finally said.
"Erk..."
"Just look at me."
The prince slowly turned around to look at his companion.
The sorrow in his eyes just about broke Erk's heart. He didn't even notice the torch's flame giving out, surrounding them with darkness.
"You're crying," he whispered.
"Forgive me," Zephiel mumbled.
"Why do you cry?" Erk asked.
"Pardon?"
"Why do you cry, Zephiel?" Erk draped his cloak over the blond's shoulder. "Tell me...what causes you this pain?"
"All I want is his love and appreciation. I want him to be proud of me...to see me as more than a pesky child standing in the way of his ambitions...but no matter how hard I work, it changes nothing," Zephiel said quietly. "He still looks down at me with hatred in his eyes..."
"But...he's your father. He doesn't truly hate you," Erk said. "Parents love their children no matter how frustrated they are with them!"
"No, Erk. That may hold true for commoners, but not so much with noble families. At least in Bern. Children are tools for their success and fortune, simply another body to sit on the throne when their parents have died," Zephiel said. "Nobles are forced to marry and have children...some hate it so much, they grow to resent their spouse and their children."
Erk dropped the now-unlit torch and placed both hands on the prince's shoulders.
"I've heard of this...but I never knew it was true, or at least this bad. Maybe I'm just naive, but...the nobles I travel with are good and kind, their families love them," he said.
"Maybe it's different in Lycia," Zephiel said. "I hear the heir of Pherae risked his life to find the captured marquess."
"Lord Eliwood," Erk said. "Yes...I travelled with him during his search for his father."
"Is Marquess Pheare a good man?" Zephiel asked.
"From what I've heard, yes...he gave his life to protect his family, to save the mysterious bard and dancer who were kidnapped," Erk said.
r_amythest asked...OMGWTFWASSARAJAYETHINKINGshippin"Prince?"
"Ah!" Zephiel turned around, instinctively reaching for his sword before remembering he had not taken it with him. "Who is it?"
"It's only me, your highness. I apologize if I startled you," the person said. Zephiel relaxed, but only a little.
"Sir Erk."
Erk emerged from the shadows, holding a torch.
"Your highness, why are you out here so late? It's dangerous," he said.
"I was simply going for a walk. It's nothing anyone should concern themselves over." Zephiel scrubbed at his cheeks, trying to erase evidence of his sadness.
"It's so cold." Erk stepped closer. "Your highness-"
"Erk, we are friends. I've told you, please call me Zephiel."
"Zephiel," Erk corrected himself, "please come inside. Your mother and father are worried sick about you."
"Mother would worry, I suppose," Zephiel said. His father probably hadn't noticed he was gone. And if he had, he was probably glad to be rid of him.
"Zephiel..." Erk sighed.
"Please...I'm perfectly all right. I...I just need to be alone for awhile," Zephiel whispered.
"Is something bothering you? You seemed so...unsettled earlier this evening," Erk said.
"Don't concern yourself with my feelings, Erk. Surely you could be studying right now."
"I've done enough studying for this evening." Erk placed a hand on the prince's shoulder. "You feel so cold!"
"Erk, please let me be." Zephiel's voice wavered; he cursed inwardly and hoped the mage hadn't noticed.
"You don't sound like nothing is wrong," Erk said. The prince cursed silently again.
"I...I know we're friends...but I still don't wish to bother you with my troubles," he said. "Someone like you...does not need more to worry about..."
"Someone like me?" Erk asked.
"You always seem worried about something...you hardly ever smile. I don't want to give you any more reason to frown than you already have," Zephiel said. "After hearing of your life, I don't want to give you any more pain..."
"Zephiel, just because my life has been hard doesn't mean your pain is insignificant!" Erk scolded.
"Even so, a true noble does not weep to anyone about his troubles! His social obligations and duty to his country must always come first. He bears the pain and waits for it to go away." Zephiel's voice broke. "Why talk about something that truly is insignificant compared to my obligations?"
Silence fell over them for a moment.
"Look at me, Zephiel," Erk finally said.
"Erk..."
"Just look at me."
The prince slowly turned around to look at his companion.
The sorrow in his eyes just about broke Erk's heart. He didn't even notice the torch's flame giving out, surrounding them with darkness.
"You're crying," he whispered.
"Forgive me," Zephiel mumbled.
"Why do you cry?" Erk asked.
"Pardon?"
"Why do you cry, Zephiel?" Erk draped his cloak over the blond's shoulder. "Tell me...what causes you this pain?"
"All I want is his love and appreciation. I want him to be proud of me...to see me as more than a pesky child standing in the way of his ambitions...but no matter how hard I work, it changes nothing," Zephiel said quietly. "He still looks down at me with hatred in his eyes..."
"But...he's your father. He doesn't truly hate you," Erk said. "Parents love their children no matter how frustrated they are with them!"
"No, Erk. That may hold true for commoners, but not so much with noble families. At least in Bern. Children are tools for their success and fortune, simply another body to sit on the throne when their parents have died," Zephiel said. "Nobles are forced to marry and have children...some hate it so much, they grow to resent their spouse and their children."
Erk dropped the now-unlit torch and placed both hands on the prince's shoulders.
"I've heard of this...but I never knew it was true, or at least this bad. Maybe I'm just naive, but...the nobles I travel with are good and kind, their families love them," he said.
"Maybe it's different in Lycia," Zephiel said. "I hear the heir of Pherae risked his life to find the captured marquess."
"Lord Eliwood," Erk said. "Yes...I travelled with him during his search for his father."
"Is Marquess Pheare a good man?" Zephiel asked.
"From what I've heard, yes...he gave his life to protect his family, to save the mysterious bard and dancer who were kidnapped," Erk said.