A Prince and His Knight

[Quatre Winner]

All the man could do was to take the prince's hand and kiss it, bowing low for a moment. The traditional response, with none of the verbal ostentation. He couldn't get anything coherent out, beyond a shaky, "thank you, your highness". It was probably a good thing he and others thought the prince had a chance to stop the monsters, or their world would have shattered with hopelessness. They had more faith in the prince than he probably did in himself.


On the other hand Kai, who spent more time with the prince on a daily basis, grew more and more alarmed with each new interview. They didn't learn much more from the others who came in to tell their stories, but things were not looking hopeful. Though no coward himself, Kai had half a mind to drag the prince back home at once and come back to take care of things himself. It would have been considered treason to go against a direct order from the king and queen, one which even their kindly hearts could not have taken lightly, yet he was seriously considering that very kind of treason. What they had sent their son to take care of he was totally unprepared for. Neither of them were that prepared, even now that they knew more than when they started. Yet the knight considered himself to have more of a chance than the sweet-tempered prince. He'd been in battles, Devan had not. If he died, the kingdom would continue on…Devan would continue…


Kai frowned, not liking the emotions that came with that thought. Anyway, he doubted taking Devan back would make any difference; the prince would just come right back. Whatever his lack of fighting prowess, he was almost insanely dedicated to doing what he thought was right. Kai wondered if even breaking the prince's legs would stop him… Probably not, and he didn't know if he could do that to Devan. Maybe if it was the only way to keep him from being killed…


At the moment, they were just gathering information, not fighting enemies. So far, they had learned little more than what the first man had told them. People would show signs of illness before an unnatural dark took over entire towns, and those who were ill transformed…or seemed to. No one could give a definite answer on that, or on what the shadows were. They weren't even sure what caused the illnesses that seemed to lead to the transformations. They were all laborers and farmers, so the vague theory of contamination through bites or scratches meant little. Those who became ill never mentioned being attacked, either.


Kai's mind whirred with possibilities like a swarm of bees in his head, and as the last of the refugees headed back to the farm house, he rubbed his temples a bit. He was glad when the farmer brought them lunch; they would have to travel further on very soon. Once more, Kai spread out his cloak, setting the food in the midst, settling next to Devan again because the prince looked like he needed the support. Kai waited for him to speak, or to be silent with his thoughts.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan definitely didn't like any of the stories that they received. The last of the refugees left and then was alone with Kai. He couldn't think about eating right now. He was trying to think of what these things could possibly be. After staring at the food for a few moments, Devan just stood up and started to pace.


This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. He thought it would be easier to pace and think. He bit his lip as well, a habit he picked up from his mother. "How are we supposed to fight something that's a shadow?" He mumbled to himself. Then thought he almost had it. "No, it has to be something. It can't just be a shadow. It has to be attached to something. Or it is the something." He continued mumbling to himself, still coming up with a good way of stopping it.


"Attacks at night and it uses people to do it." He pushed his hair from his face. "Does that mean it's not strong enough to attack by itself? Or does it just want to create the most amount of suffering it can?" He really hoped that it was the first option. "Maybe attacking with light is the answer. It can't possibly be human weapons or it would have worked."

 

[Quatre Winner]

Kai watched him pace from where he sat on his cloak in the straw. He hadn't touched his own food, either, only going through the motions because eating was necessary. Every word out of Devan's mouth reflected some of what the knight was thinking himself. How, indeed, could they hope to fight shadows? The whole thing seemed supernatural, though Kai was not convinced.


Kai frowned down at his knees in thought. "The enemy is very cunning…this could all be a clever trick. The attacks happen at night when no one can see what is going on. They're confused, afraid…they panic. People don't think when they panic." He looked up at the prince. "Remember the first man- he didn't even have time to grab saddles for their horses. He and his daughters just ran. They all ran. Somehow, the enemy convinced them their loved ones were really monsters." Kai wondered if those left behind had then been captured or killed. By all accounts, they were ill to begin with, so that wouldn't have been difficult.


"Other than torches, I don't know how we would 'attack with light'.. Might be an option, though." He glared at the ground, poking a bit at the cheese in front of him. "Whoever they are, they seem to want to scare as many people as they can. Maybe they're trying to send a message to the king and queen… Maybe they're trying to scare us into some kind of surrender. There's no way to find that out for now."


As always, that was what bothered Kai most of all; not knowing. It was impossible to deal with an enemy they didn't really understand. Thinking of the refugees, of their haunted looks and fearful behavior, the wounds on their bodies and the loved ones abandoned in abject terror, he wanted more than ever to destroy this terrible enemy. Children should not be losing parents, parents should not be losing children... They should grow up better than he had.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan paced. He paced and listened to everything they said. He took a deep breath when Kai stopped talking. "It's not a 'who', it's a 'what'." Devan said. "It's not natural." He tried to think harder about what it could be. "What if they still have control of the people who were possessed?" He was going to stick with that word because it was all that they had.


"Our first move should be trying to see if we can save them. Or at least find them." He still wasn't sure how to fight with light exactly until he realized something. "They hide during the day, they must!" He turned to face Kai. "It only makes sense if they're shadow-like creatures, they need a place where shadows can exist. They must hide in the forests right outside the border towns until night fall. We need to lure them to the center of the town at night."


A plan was forming in his head and it just had to work. "Then all we need to do is quickly make it too bright for them to exist anymore." Sure that part he knew he could do, but he knew it would take some convincing to have Kai believe he could. "It's the only thing that I think will work against these things."

 

[Quatre Winner]

Kai opened his mouth to argue the point, but then remembered the prince's ring, and thought better of trying to convince him that such things didn't exist. A compromise would be reached, though since they couldn't throw away all their planning on nonsense. Kai would have to prove the absence of magic in other ways, namely the complete lack of it once they got to where the enemy was. Proof is in the pudding, as they say. The knight refused to accept that he and the prince had so little chance of survival, that they would probably be overcome just like everyone else. He had to think that there was some way around it, because the thought of Devan getting hurt or killed…


"It's possible that this is not supernatural in nature- whole armies have been fooled by the simplest of tricks." His eyes followed Devan, back and forth, back and forth. "I think it would be best to try and get them to fight in the daytime in any case. We are weakest at night." When they couldn't see…


Kai was glad to hear the prince's thoughts aloud. Not that he doubted Devan's ability to work through things, but he did tend to get a little distracted now and then. The knight could almost see the cogs working in his prince's head, and rather liked where the idea was going. It sounded like a solid plan, to a point, anyway. Getting the enemy to the center of town would make them easier to surround and ambush. For the sake of exposing their enemy, Kai was all for the idea of the bright lights, but that would be more difficult.


"I don't know if there will be anything bright enough." he pointed out. "Torches and lanterns are still not as bright as I believe you're thinking. I suppose their light could be magnified with mirror surfaces, but how many of those would be in any of these towns?"

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan tried to think about what to do. He did take into account what Kai said about them being weakest at night. "But it's obvious that they only come out at night." He said. "How are we supposed to made them come out during the day? It can't be easy." He thought about the idea of it being a trick.


"I doubt it's some trick, people don't physically change because of smoke and mirrors." He said. "And it's scary several towns every night. You'd need an army of humans to do that and one doesn't just miss a whole battalion of people outside their village. Or inside it for that matter." It didn't make any sense.


"I know you don't believe in magic, but I think that's what this is." Devan stopped pacing and faced Kai. He was dead serious. "But think about it." He had to try something. "Name one bad thing that has happened to this place ever before this." He said. "Think about one time the people weren't happy or the country struggled." He didn't even wait for Kai to answer him. He knew the answer.


"Never." He held up the hand with the ring placed on his finger. "Almost like magic." He didn't care if he was being way obvious about it. He brought his hand back down. "The supernatural exists and I have this feeling that that's what we're up against."

 

[Quatre Winner]

Kai shrugged. "There might be a way…it's just something we have to think about. And no, people don't physically change, but they can also be tricked into believing things when they're terrified. Trust me."


For a moment, something dark passed over his eyes, before it was gone again. "I'm only saying we need to consider the possibility. Yes, it's extremely difficult, but not impossible. I've been to those villages, and they'e surrounded by forests. It's possible to hide a battalion's worth of people in there. We'll have to check it out for ourselves."


At the prince's sudden, very accurate assessment, Kai's expression closed off. It had been somewhat more open while they discussed their plans, but now he looked a bit unemotional, and his veiled eyes returned the prince's keen look with a cool one. He really really didn't want to be having this conversation right now, but as the prince had called him out on it, Kai had no choice.


Setting down the food he hadn't even touched and standing up, he made his way over to the prince and looked down at him, being almost a head taller than Devan was. In his blue eyes there was no real anger, but a kind of tightness around the edges of his mouth showed he wasn't happy.


"I don't know what Their Majesties told you to get you out here, and maybe they believe in magic, but it would be irresponsible of me to let this go on. What you're talking about, your highness, are coincidences. Their Majesties are brilliant managers, and command the respect of the people. They set an example of behavior that the people wish to follow. We have natural defenses around our kingdom's borders, but there are still battles and skirmishes that happen. There is nothing 'supernatural' about this kingdom, or what is going on with the refugees. They have bought into tales of magic, and are easily led."


Devan would know this tone of voice, the measured, almost rigidly polite tone that meant Kai was trying to control his anger. It wasn't anger at Devan so much as at the lies perpetuated by so many that kept them in the dark and away from reason. He couldn't bear to see the prince so willingly misled.


Taking the prince's hand in his, he lifted it so both their gazes locked on the gold ring. "This," Kai said evenly, "Is just a band of metal, maybe with sentimental value, but no other powers. Please, do not let yourself make that same mistake- it will leave you, and your kingdom, vulnerable."


(Don't give up on your magic theories, Devan! Kai's just being Mr. Practical xD Also, not sure what the ring looks like...)

 

[Tinker Bell]

((NEVER GIVE UP! And I was thinking simple gold with the royal crest on it or something.))


Devan started to get angry when Kai clearly didn't believe him. He knew that Kai was good at controlling his anger, but Devan wasn't. He was too emotional, too simple. His emotions took over when Kai said the ring had no powers. Devan knew he was going to say some things he would regret later, but it was too late to try to reign it in.


He yanked his hand out of Kai's and stepped back. "What do you know?" He asked, definitely angry. "There is more to life than things you can get solid proof for! My parents would never lie to me about anything! You just don't understand!" There was definitely no controlling his anger this time. He was upset that Kai didn't believe him.


"This isn't natural. It's not an army playing mind games! It's something supernatural. I know it!" He looked down at the ring. "And this is not just a band of metal! Why won't you just see that this is real?"

 

[Quatre Winner]

(Ah, ok. Just making sure, in case there was some weird thing about it Kai would notice.)


Kai's face remained impassive, even as Devan's angry tone cut him right through. He hated having the prince be upset, especially with him, but would rather get the unpleasant things out there than hold them in and possibly get them both killed because of it. Devan's attachment to the magic idea was not going to help anyone.


"I never accused Their Majesties of lying." he said, an even counterbalance to the prince's. Nonetheless, that insinuation stung. "What they told you, I am certain, they believed themselves. Their Majesties would never lie. But even they can make mistakes, and so can you. You cannot move forward on this errand with only a feeling. And proof is necessary, especially for such claims. So far, I have seen no overwhelming evidence of magic, from that ring, from you, or anyone."


In order to stop the prince from pacing, he reached out with a hand, placing it firmly on Devan's shoulder. In an effort to help Devan see his point, the knight continued to speak, recalling an episode from their childhood.


"Do you remember when we were young, and you did not believe in elephants because you had never seen one? Then the paja of Kamula came to see Their Majesties, riding on his elephant. You needed proof of that before you would believe." The prince may have had doubts because, at the time, the one who told them about elephants was an older knight known for being a bit whimsical in his stories.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan didn't want to listen to anything Kai said. "You don't need proof for everything!" He said, shoving Kai's hand off. It hurt to do, but he was too angry to think about it right now. He just hated that this was so hard. "And this isn't like the elephants! I was five, I didn't know any better."


Devan wanted him to listen. "Magic comes from the same place that love does! You don't need proof to know that it exists, it's a feeling you get inside." His frustration was starting to bubble to the surface, replacing the anger. "Magic is real! Just because you don't believe in it doesn't mean it's not real!"


He turned his back to Kai. That hurt him more than shoving his hand off and he closed his eyes. "Magic is real." He said quietly. "It is."

 

[Quatre Winner]

Kai pretended not to be hurt or offended, even in his own mind. Devan was just upset, that was all. That was all. Outwardly, the knight didn't even look ruffled, though his nostrils flared slightly at the mention of 'love'. He wanted to say he didn't believe in love, not the kind he thought the prince was talking about. Then again, the fact that he had jumped straight to romantic love in his own mind made him pause, lips pressed together in a firm line. Devan probably hadn't meant that kind of love, why should he think so?


Kai shook his head as if to clear it. What made the whole thing worse was how desperately Devan clung to the idea of magic, and Kai didn't know if that was because it represented his parents, or their survival, or both. To have the magic not be real meant that Devan's parents were liars or fools, and that they were going to die on a fools' errand. Kai hadn't meant to take it that far, but he believed Devan was being dangerously unreasonable about this.


However, not knowing what to do, and seeing that the prince was not going to listen to reason, he decided to end the argument right there. No amount of it would change the prince's mind when he was in such a mood. Turning and sitting down on his straw-covered cloak, Kai addressed the prince in a level voice.


"Come and eat. We must leave before noon if we want to reach the next town."

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan didn't do anything for several moments. He was too mad. Too frustrated. Too upset. Normally he trusted Kai with everything because he had always believed Devan. Even if he didn't, he never made Devan feel like a child for believing what he did. This time was different and Devan didn't know how to respond to it.


Then Kai mentioned getting to the next town. Devan took several deep breaths. They had a mission and he couldn't let his own feelings get in the way. He went over and sat down, but away from Kai. He was still upset and he'd rather not think about it right now. Somehow he was going to make Kai believe him. Somehow Kai would see that magic did exist and it had to be the only way to stop these things. Obviously human weapons didn't work.


He didn't eat much. He never did when he was upset. Mainly because now there was a huge knot in his stomach and he couldn't eat much. Finishing, a hand ran through his hair as he tried to calm himself down.

 

[Quatre Winner]

Kai did feel badly about the argument, and though he didn't show it, anger turned inward and burned like an ulcer. Had he not felt it his duty to at least try to point out what he saw as a mistake, Kai would have kept his mouth shut. He couldn't change what had been said. He knew he had hurt the prince's feelings, but could not repent his decision, merely the manner in which he had fulfilled his duty. The knight didn't mean to treat Devan like a child, yet he had done so. He could have handled things better, and now, seeing the prince put distance between them, it was all he could do not to show how much it hurt. Outwardly, he appeared unaffected, except that he ate little. Both he and Devan had that habit when they were upset.


Once he had shoved down as much as he could stomach, which was very little indeed, Kai began to quietly wrap the rest of the food and pack it away in their saddlebags. They would have it for the next few days, which was god, because who knew what lay beyond the line where darkness and light clashed for supremacy? Magical or not, the idea of that divide was monstrous.


Kai almost wished he could keep Devan from having to deal with it, but now more than ever he was convinced the prince would not stay behind. Kai did not look at him as he shook out his cloak and re-fastened it around his neck, then went to get the horses ready. In reality, he didn't know what to say to Devan at the moment, and his typical way of dealing with such emotional outbursts was to wait for them to blow over. Even when the horses were packed and ready, the knight just stood there holding the reins in silence, showing no sign of the burning anger in his gut.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan, despite being completely upset, did notice how little Kai had eaten. He felt certain it was his fault and his outburst. Not that Devan could help it. He stayed sitting even as Kai got the horses ready to move on. He stared down at the ring, twisting it around his finger. Kai was wrong. Magic did exist. He just couldn't give up. Even if Kai didn't believe him this time. He didn't need Kai to believe him. He just needed to believe in himself. It wasn't going to be easy. Every time he did something, Kai believed in him. Or he felt like Kai did. That was why he took Kai with him, he thought he couldn't do it without that feeling of having Kai's full support.


He looked up when he realized Kai had the horses set. He didn't realize until that moment that he had shed silent tears. Looking down, he quickly wiped them away. He didn't need to be crying now. He couldn't be crying now. After a moment, Devan stood up. He straightened his clothes and fixed his cloak.


He didn't say anything as he took the reigns to his horse and swung himself on, not once looking directly at Kai. He likely wouldn't say anything for awhile. Mostly out of guilt and sadness. He had gotten upset that Kai treated him like a child, but he had fought like a child. If he had been more mature and reasonable about it, it may have gone better than it did.

 

[Quatre Winner]

Strangely enough, Kai did believe in the prince, he just thought him misguided in this instance. It was Devan's pure, loving heart in which Kai placed his full hope and trust. That hadn't changed one whit. Seeing the prince's tears just spoke volumes to the knight about that loving heart he so cherished. Devan was not shedding childish tears of selfishness. Kai could guess well enough that the prince felt betrayed for not being believed. Devan wore his heart out in the open; it wasn't hard to figure what was going on inside.


Yet, even seeing that depression of spirits, the knight didn't repent of what he'd done, merely that he'd been too abrupt about it, too harsh. Kai had the onstinct to go over and dry the prince's tears, to straighten his clothing and brush the straw from his hair, but he didn't move. Only when the prince was on his horse did Kai mount his own, saying nothing, but looking more intense than usual.


As they exited the barn, Kai nodded his acknowledgement to the farmer, who blinked and backed away from the knight as though trying to escape being struck by lightning. Inwardly, Kai winced; he hadn't been trying to look so stormy, but he couldn't always help it. he was glad to see the man approach Devan, so the prince at least could give him a proper farewell.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan hated how the farmer back away from Kai. Kai wasn't scary. Okay, maybe Devan was biased from knowing him so long, but he couldn't help it. He managed to keep his face even. He still had his people to worry about after all. They came first. Always before whatever he was feeling. That's how he had been raised. The people came first.


Devan looked down at the farmer from his place on his horse, a forced soft smile on his face. Although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Thank you so much for all of your help." He said. "You truly are a benefit to this country." He didn't wait for an response from the man. Instead, he just started to ride again. They needed to get as far as they could before nightfall. Even in their country, without worrying about the shadow-creatures, it wasn't safe to travel at night.

 

[Quatre Winner]

Kai didn't care that much personally about others being intimidated by him. He was used to it, and anyway, as the prince's current personal bodyguard, it was the kind of problem he wanted to have. Kai was not a people person anyway. What bothered him was when he would actually try to help someone or talk to them and they would shy away from him. At present, he also wanted to make sure that his rather severe-looking countenance wasn't going to hinder the prince in his duties. Like Devan, Kai believed that the people must come first.


The knight nodded to the farmer as they passed, but his attention was on Devan. He'd ridden behind the prince yesterday, eyes on Devan's back the whole time. Today definitely felt different, like there was a wall between them. Kai didn't like that at all. He couldn't bear for the two of them to be so at odds, but neither was he going to rush over to the prince and beg forgiveness when he felt he had been in the right. He could have handled it better…


Kai sighed. Maybe by that night things would have smoothed over. Devan just needed some time to calm down- they both did.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan was glad that Kai was behind him. He knew it was probably stupid and selfish, but when he was upset he usually wanted to be alone. Being alone wasn't an option right now so he thought that not looking at Kai would work for the time being. He used the time they were travelling to work through his thoughts. He realized it was entirely his fault. At least the way he saw it. Magic was supposed to be something people didn't believe in. Devan couldn't be upset at Kai that he hadn't believed him. Devan was going to have to apologize to Kai.


He felt horrible for letting his emotions get in the way. On top of it, he had never really gotten angry at anyone before. The things he had done hurt himself and they probably hurt Kai too. At least when he used to get angry it was never at Kai. Never had he yelled at the person he was angry with, normally he just vented to Kai and got it all out of his system.


He never realized how much he depended on Kai before now. Devan needed him and he had to make things right. Even if it meant accepting the fact that Kai didn't believe him and that he was going to have to figure a way to do it without Kai's support.

 

[Quatre Winner]

As Devan blamed himself for the whole debacle, so did Kai. There were times in the past when his rather cold mannerisms had hurt the prince's feelings, but Kai didn't know how else to be. He'd thought of trying to change his own personality, but didn't think he could do it with any success. He'd been this way for so long. But then, wasn't Devan absolutely worth it? Kai had to admit that he was… Still, wanting to be more gentle, and knowing how, were two totally different things. He could at least apologize for the fight, however, Kai was afraid it would start another one because he wasn't changing his stance on magic. It would no one any good for him to lie. Saying he was sorry they fought, and sorry that he didn't handle it well, that was not a lie. Seeing Devan so angry at him had been painful, and he hoped to avoid hurting his prince in future.


As they traveled farther afield, Kai's thoughts grew more dour, and his expression, consequently, grew more grim. They were starting to pass a growing stream of refugees fleeing to the inner country, and the poor, shellshocked people would take one look at Kai and scramble to the other side of the road. The knight tried not to look so menacing, but he couldn't figure out how. He wasn't a smiler by nature, and a cheerful expression so ill-suited him that it looked more like a grimace. Therefore, he gave up. He was too distracted by his thoughts on Devan, anyway.


By the time the sun was beginning to set, the lukewarm Autumn air was turning downright chilly, and the town they were supposed to reach before nightfall was nowhere in sight. Kai began to grow concerned, especially as the moon wasn't giving off much light. In spite of the wall that had risen between himself and the prince, he urged his horse forward to ride alongside Devan, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His keen blue eyes scanned the shadows under teh trees, and the cold mist rising between their thick, black trunks. Just because Autumn evenings in the country often looked like this didn't mean he wasn't feeling very cautious.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Devan kept his face calm as refugees swarmed past them. He tried to send silent waves of comfort to them as they scuttled past. He wanted to do so much more to help them. If this got any worse, his parents would likely open the castle doors to refugees. Devan was determined to keep it from going that far. He was going to make it safe for the refugees to return home. Or to have the towns livable again. He wouldn't want to go back if he were the refugees.


Before long night had started to fall and a town was nowhere in sight. It was his fault. He had started the fight, which was mostly just him yelling at Kai, and now they were off schedule. Despite the tension between them, he felt safer when Kai rode next to him. It made him feel safer. He still trusted Kai with his life. No matter what happened between them, he would always trust Kai with his life. It was the feeling that Kai didn't believe him that hurt.


Finally a building came into view. Devan felt relief. They finally made it to the town. Although he highly doubted there would be much open space here if there was none before.

 

[Quatre Winner]

Of course Kai didn't want Devan to be hurt; the prince's most dedicated knight would have balked at the idea. Kai would rather have had all their enemies come rushing at him at once and tear him to pieces, rather than a single hair on Devan's head be so much as knocked out of place. Whatever he thought of all this magic nonsense, Kai would never leave his prince's side. Duty, honor, love, all these bound him to Devan, and made him determined to go where the prince went. If it meant his own death, that was the price he was willing to pay.


On the other hand, he couldn't stand by and let the prince drown himself in the stupidity of fairy stories. Kai didn't know how yet, but he would find a way to get through to Devan, to prove to him that it was through hard work and courage and determination, not magic, that they would win the day.


First, however, Kai felt he must mend the bond between them. He wasn't sure how to do so; the knight had never been very good as expressing his emotions. He remained silent beside the prince as their horses clip-clopped onto the cobbled street toward the center of town, passing houses that had darkened their windows for fear of night attack. Their golden lights used to make the square bright, but now only little slivers of pale yellow reflected out at the prince and knight, and furtive eyes peered at them, before disappearing.


There were two inns in town, and luckily, the second had one very small room left. Kai swung down off his chestnut gelding and handed the reins to the stableboy. However, he did not look at the prince, even as the innkeeper showed them to their room. Honestly, Kai didn't know what to say.


(Should there be a small attack that night? Or later?)

 

[Tinker Bell]

((There can be one tonight, you know, drama and all that good stuff))


Devan was glad when there was an actual room. He still greatly appreciated the farmer, but hay wasn't the comfiest thing to sleep on. Then they were finally alone in the room. It was very small, one bed, obviously meant for just one person. Devan didn't care. He was silent for several moments. Then he finally faced Kai and took a deep breath.


"I'm sorry, Kai." He said quietly, looking down at the ground. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." He was going to do his best to clear the air, wanting things to go back to how they were before. He liked it better that way. Although it was going to be hard to get it to be the same, if they even could.


"You have the right to believe what you do and I shouldn't have gotten upset because of it." It was times like this he was glad he was a prince. He had learned how to say what he was thinking in a way that sounded mature instead of saying 'sorry I was an idiot'.

 

[Quatre Winner]

(Hurray for drama! I think it's too soon for either of them to get infected, though,)


Kai had just been thinking of how to begin his own apology, when the prince suddenly launched into his. A bit stunned, though not exactly surprised, the knight stood stiff for several moments, looking down at the prince. Knowing what little he did of other countries and customs, he was still aware of how strange and unnatural it was for a prince to apologize, especially to someone so far below him in station. That was Devan, though, always apologizing.


The knight remained silent for several minutes, looking uncomfortable. "I…should not have spoke to you as I did." he murmured at last, eyes on a point somewhere over Devan's shoulder. "You are my prince, and nothing will change that."


His fingers clenched a bit, then he looked down at Devan, into those gentle eyes, his own softening a touch. "Please forgive me." It was a rare day when Kai the Stoic, Kai the Unemotional, apologized for anything beyond the expected court manners. Devan would be able to tell how much he meant it, and also the unspoken question of whether or not they could go back to what they had been. Kai didn't know how to express that desire beyond a look, and a faint brush of his fingers against the prince's slight shoulder.

 

[Tinker Bell]

((Definitely, plus that would probably be a bit too much drama right now))


Devan waited quietly as Kai stood there looking uncomfortable. Devan should have expected it, but it still made him nervous. Then he finally spoke. Devan looked down when he said that he was his prince. Devan didn't want Kai to just see him as his prince. He wanted him to see him as his friend. Maybe he read it wrong, but he didn't care about being a prince at times like these. He wanted to be seen as a person. A person who needed to forget about his stupid title.


Then Kai looked at him. Devan immediately noticed the change. The sincerity in his voice. Kai never apologized besides when it was expected. Devan didn't expect him to right now. Before Devan even thought about it, he was on his toes, hugging Kai. "Of course I forgive you." He said quietly. He didn't care that Kai never seemed to hug him back. He just needed the familiar gesture and feeling of his arms around the knight he trusted with everything.

 

[Quatre Winner]

(*nodnod* Gotta pace ourselves! xD )


To Kai, the title 'prince' meant more than just an inheritance; to him it was a symbol of all that men ought to be. Though Devan was not perfect himself, Kai saw in him the qualities of a true prince: honor, loyalty, love and kindness, applied to all his subjects equally. The title did not grace Devan, he gave grace to the title.


Even these embraces, though they were not exactly comfortable for the knight, were still an extension of that inherent princely vein. Kai felt he did not deserve to be so easily forgiven, but not wanting another argument, he accepted it, and the hug.


"You are kind to me, as always." Though awkwardly done, his arms still embraced the prince gently, patting him on the back. Having the prince's chest brushing against his brought up some unnerving feelings, but he did his best to ignore them. The knight's relief was too strong at present for him to push the prince away.