Crowns and Thrones (Docga and SC)

Mahna stared out the window, wrinkling his nose. He watched as they left the city's borders and into the countryside. He knew it'd be at least a day or two before they were actually home; riding throughout the night would be unwise, and the only possible shortcuts were dangerous. He sat quietly, soon beginning to drift off to sleep. His father would awake them when they arrived in a suitable town, anyways.
 
During her sleep, Anette dreamed of war and of death. She tossed and turned as she dreamed of all the kind people she had met having to retreat into their homes for their safety, and some not making it. Then her dreams all zoomed into Mahna. She actually did miss him, more than she expected. She woke up with a start, her pillow wet with tears from her dreams. It was morning; she had slept for a very long time. There was nothing she could do. Nothing. She just wanted to talk to Mahna and have him convince his father to do something else, if he could. She was angry and upset.


Wait, maybe she could see him again. Maybe she could change everything.


No, she couldn't. There was no way she could ever get to Kil'Reta without getting caught. Was there? She quickly ran to her closet and fetched a map, taking it back to her bed and examining it.
 
Mahna was, as he expected, awoken when they stopped in a town that his father deemed good enough for them to sleep in. They made their way to an inn, sleeping there, and the prince quickly fell back asleep once in the foreign bed. His sleep was, for the most part, dreamless, a sort of floating sensation accommodated by darkness. When he awoke in the morning he ate, and they set out again. They'd cross into the desert, now, reaching home by nightfall, if they were fast enough and weren't stopped by anything.
 
Anette didn't like to admit it, but the people she knew in the town weren't all good people. In fact, she had helped some criminals in the past--all criminals with good intentions, of course. She was always looking out for the good of her people. But some of those people owed her favors.


Anette waited until nightfall. She left a note saying that she was out at breakfast early, knowing that nobody would check on her until the morning. She knew all the best ways to sneak out of the castle, and she took her favorite: Through the laundry vent. She traveled down this all the way to the first floor and used her master key to get out of the room where the servants would wash clothing and locked it again. She did the same thing at one of the side doors that wasn't guarded because it led to the garden, which had tall fence all around it. Completely in black, with a black cloak and hood to complete the look, she used her key again to unlock the gate and took the long way around the castle to reach the town and not get caught by the guards. She made her way into the town and found the person she knew stole horses (but only stole horses from people that didn't care for them properly), and knocked on the door. He was an elf, and always up at night. He opened the door.


"I need to get out of here as fast as I can. I need to travel to Kil'Reta."


"Kil'Reta?" he responded. "That's far. It'll take a few days, I hope you realize."


"That's fine," she said. "But I need your fastest, most durable horses."


She had helped him so many times from getting arrested, he couldn't possibly say no. He knew she wouldn't do anything if he rejected her, but he was a nice fellow and knew when he had to pay back a debt. "Sure thing," he said.


As a perfect addition to her all-black, he gave her a black horse and a small, light, one-person chariot. "Nightmare is my fastest horse by far, and this chariot is the lightest. However, it might be a bit bumpy."


"That's fine," she said. "Thank you. I'll return him as soon as I return." She paused. "I was never here, alright?"


"Who was never here?" he said, winking, before shutting the door. She set out into the night, map in one hand and provisions for a few days in the other.
 
They reached home around midnight, and Mahna was sure he wasn't the only one who needed to stretch out his legs. He stifled a yawn, pausing to stare up at his home. The palace was, of course, in the same state he left it in; the giant marble walls unscathed, a few arched windows left open to cool off the house in the night time, candlelight filtering through them. There were guards standing at attention, as always, saluting and pulling open the large double doors leading inside the palace at the sight of the king and prince approaching.


"Father!" one of Mahna's many sisters called from the top of a staircase, grinning. She hurried downstairs, pulling the king into a hug. "Did your trip go well?"


"As well as it could," he said, straightening up. He, of course, didn't want to tell her of the war; she was only nine, and was often sheltered from these things. "Shouldn't you be in bed, Fuila?"


The girl stifled a yawn, nodding. "Mother said I could stay up and wait for you, if she could wait with me. She's, um... around here."


The king nodded, giving his daughter another light hug. "Hurry up to bed. Where is Krohd?"


Mahna shifted at the mention of his older brother, staring at the king.


"He's up, too. The library, I think. Why?" Fuila tilted her head.


"I'd like to speak with him. To bed, Fuila."
 
Anette spent various nights at different places, traveling for almost all day every single time the sun rose again, and even into the night. She didn't know why she was doing this. Perhaps because she felt useless, like she had never really helped her country before and that this was her chance to. But, after a few days of traveling, she arrived at the border of Kil'Reta.


She entered the city and requested directions to the castle. She hadn't thought this through enough; how was she going to get to the castle? They weren't exactly expecting her.


She traveled to the city in which the castle was and decided to stay the night in an inn there. The architecture was all so bizarre for her, and so was her first meal. It was also really spicy.


She slept rather well that night, putting off her worries in the morning. Luckily, as a princess, she wasn't very famous. Her father would be, or perhaps some of his ambassadors, but people in other countries didn't tend to know her. Because of this she wasn't bothered by people trying to talk to her and ask why she was here. She hated being treated like royalty, and being treated like anyone else was nice for a change.
 
That night, Mahna was invited into the conference room. It was strange for him, as his older brother was usually the only prince there. He remained silent for the most part, wishing that he wasn't dragged into the war.


He spent the next few nights mulling over what would soon follow. He spent the days wandering the town, trying to distract himself with the many exciting celebrations that were almost constantly going on. Mahna was fairly familiar with the people, and it wasn't unusual for a few of his sisters to try to tag along.
 
Anette woke up in the inn where she temporarily held residence. She showered and dressed nicely, with a sundress that reached her knees and didn't have any sleeves--it was much hotter in Kil'Reta than her homeland. She ventured out into the city, a letter in hand, and walked towards the castle. She assumed from how her castle was run back at home that she wouldn't be able to simply waltz on in, but she marched towards it anyway until she was stopped by a guard at a very far entrance. Clearly no one recognized her here.


"What is your business?" asked the guard in his native language. She wasn't really fluent, but she knew a few phrases.


"I want you to give this to Mahna," she said awkwardly, handing him the letter. The guard grabbed it out of her hand and opened it, screening it for anything dangerous. It was written in her language, so he didn't understand it.


"I'll see what I can do," responded the guard, and then something else that she couldn't understand. When it came to this language, she was really shaky.


"Thank you very much," she said, turning around and heading back for the inn.


The letter itself had nothing useful written in it. It just said gibberish written in her language that meant nothing. Specifically the following:


"Dear Mahna,


Thank you for visiting! We apologize for any inconveniences on your return, but we wish you a safe journey. We hope you have been eating well since your arrival. Stay healthy and be sure to be observant! Noticing things is very important.


Sincerely,


The Royal Guards of Elheim"


He wasn't really supposed to get anything from this part of the letter. It was honestly just to make it look... not suspicious. What he (hopefully) would notice was the return address from which the letter was "sent." The name written was Fish Chowder, in her own language, and the place it was sent from was the inn in which she was staying. Nobody else would know about the fish chowder--in fact, not many people in this country would even know what fish chowder was, most likely. She could only hope Mahna would get it. Hopefully.


If he didn't come to the inn in a few days, she would try something else. But for all she knew the letter wouldn't even get delivered. So much would go wrong. She just supposed that was what made it so interesting.
 
Mahna, that day, was awoken by his father, and brought into the conference room to discuss important matters.


"Mahna, I'm entrusting a small portion of our army to you. This will be a test, see if you can handle it. But also, a... gift." the king nodded.


He, of course, was hesitant to accept this 'gift', but had to, seeing as he was probably expected to fight in the war.


"Krohd," the father continued, glancing over at his oldest son. "You will be fighting by my side."


"Yes, father." the high prince nodded.


"Is that all?" Mahna asked, frowning. "My legs are getting stiff. I'm hungry. I have to pee." he repeated a few of the many excuses he typically used to get out of boring meetings or discussions.


The king sighed. "Fine. But don't disappoint me, Mahna. This is war."


He nodded, hurrying outside. He made his way downstairs. "Fuila! Bilsi!" he called, glancing around. "I'm going out, if you'd like to join me!"


As he expected, he could hear small footsteps quickly making their way downstairs. He was met with the excited faces of two of his youngest sisters. Then, there was a tap on his shoulder.


"Sir, a pale girl asked that we deliver this letter." a servant said, handing a letter to him.


"Thank you." he said, slipping it out of the envelope and reading it quietly. It wasn't much; just a friendly message from some people in Elheim. He read it over again, before noticing a couple scrawled words on it. Fish chowder.


He paused, looking for the address and finding it. It wasn't terribly far from the palace, at least. He turned, making his way out the door, followed by his sisters.


"What's with the letter, Mahna?" Fuila asked, tilting her head.


"It's a letter from a friend." he explained, glancing around and taking a turn. 
((Bump))
 
Anette was waiting in her hotel. Would he come? No, he probably didn't even get the letter. She rolled around in her bed. Why did this worry her so much? She started thinking about what she was going to say to him first. Something about the war? Something about him? She hadn't eaten all day, so she went to the downstairs of the inn and ate a quick meal. She retired back upstairs to brush her teeth and dress more nicely; he could show up at any moment. Or not at all. She wore a modest yet appealing dress that reached her knees and had no sleeves. She then walked downstairs again and reached for the doorknob. For all she knew, he could be right about to open it from the other side. Or he could be in the castle, minding his own business, having never gotten the letter. Or even worse, having gotten the letter and not understanding.
 
He roamed the buzzing streets, searching for the inn. It was certainly loud and bright, filled with entertainers of all sorts. It only took him a few minutes to recall which celebration was going on; a week-long celebration of death and rebirth, which the many banners and decorations showed. He continued to walk quietly, Bilsi and Fuila at his sides, the younger sister holding onto his arm. Fuila tended to stray a little more, easily distracted by the sword swallowers and fire breathers, Mahna often having to pause to keep her with him. The girl would probably be fine on her own, seeing as many of the people in the capital were kind, especially to the young daughters of the king, but he usually kept them close as they walked.


Soon enough, he found the inn, pausing in front of it. He turned to Fuila, gesturing to a nearby group of entertainers.


"Can you take Bilsi over there, Fuila? This'll just take a moment."


"Official business, brother?" Bilsi asked, glancing up at him.


"Something like that." he said, straightening up and staring at the door.
 
She opened the door, and oddly enough, there he was. She blinked a few times, not sure if he was actually right there. What were the chances.


Then she hugged him.


It was a weird instinct, but it happened.


"I missed you," she said. It definitely wasn't what she was planning on saying, but she did. But it was true, she did miss him. They had made a good relationship in the little time they had met, and she... well, it wasn't only that she missed him, but she missed the peace between their countries. She missed the assurance that her people were going to be safe. And she wanted to fix that.
 
He flinched a bit as the door rather suddenly opened and Anette pulled him into a hug. Well, at least he didn't have to keep looking for her. After a few long, hesitant moments, he spoke up.


"Anette, you're..." he paused, glancing back quickly. "...here. It's dangerous, isn't it?" he asked, frowning down at her, before lowering his voice to a whisper. "It's... enemy territory, and you're the princess of another kingdom. You could be held for, um... ransom, if anyone found out."


Mahna glanced back again, thankful that Bilsi and Fuila were distracted by the entertainers. He didn't want them telling their father.
 
Anette quickly stepped back, realizing that what she had done was quite silly.


"Oh! Yes! You're right. I should be more careful. Nobody has recognized me, luckily, but, uh... I need to talk to your father," she said quietly. "Or convince you to talk to him. Or something. I'm not really good around royalty. But we can't have war right now. It's the worst for both of us. I tried to talk to my father about it, but he's convinced that your father won't back down. Not that my father isn't stubborn... he is. But is there anything we can do?" She looked around. "You can come inside if you want."
 
"Um, alright..." he nodded, glancing back at his sisters again. They'd probably be fine; he'd only be gone for a couple of minutes. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He frowned, approaching a window and peering outside. "I'm not sure my father would listen to me, if I asked him to surrender. He's very, ah... well, headstrong. Would protect his honour to his death." he ran a hand through his hair, turning back to her. "Of course, I'll try to talk to him. But he'll think I'm afraid, nothing more. I've been... given the job to fight in the war with him and my brother."
 
"You... you what?!" Anette replied, shocked. "You're fighting? You're not... you're not actually going to fight us, are you?" She hated this. She hated war, she hated everything that was going on. She looked down. It seemed like there was absolutely nothing she could do. She was helpless, as usual. Her mind wandered back to Elheim. Her father must have sent people to look for her by now. Quite a few days ago, most likely. What would she say to them when she returned? "Okay. Talk to him... and then talk to me," she said to Mahna, referring to his father. "Tell me what happens. Then I'll go home, if there's nothing I can do."
 
"Alright." he nodded, before leaning against the wall. "Need be, I can... use the well-being of my sisters as an excuse." Mahna frowned, glancing around quickly. "Promise to stay low. I don't want you getting caught and being held as prisoner." he glanced outside again. He could barely see his sisters across the street, but he knew they were fine on their own. They didn't need to be watched by him all the time. After a few long moments, he spoke up again, turning to her.


"When did you, ah... arrive here? When did you leave home? Your father might suspect my father of kidnapping you."
 
His sisters. Good idea, thought Anette. "Yes, I will stay low, I promise," she said.


Kidnapping? She hadn't even thought of that. Dammit, she had missed something. "I left a little over a week ago. I have left no information that I'm here, though. If I do this right, I won't leave a trace. My father will have no idea where I've gone, and I'll be back again in another week or so." That's at least what she hoped. "Luckily, not many people recognize me here." She lowered her voice. "Despite being... you know, I'm not exactly a celebrity. I'm not that high up, and not many people from other countries know who I am. Plus, as you can see, I'm not exactly dressed in my typical attire. I should be okay as long as I'm careful, and I'm being as careful as I possible can."
 
Mahna nodded, leaning against the wall and folding his arms. "Alright. I will speak to my father tonight. I will come here again tomorrow morning to see you and tell you the outcome of my request." he straightened up. his arms falling to his sides. "There's a festival going on, so you probably won't attract as much attention as you would on a quiet day. It's probably safe to head out and wander the streets for a bit. It'll keep you entertained." the prince said. He knew his father probably wouldn't stop just because of the princesses, but it was worth a shot.
 
"Okay, thank you so much for understanding," Anette replied. "I look forward to his response." She smiled, but she wasn't really happy at all. She was terrified. Going out into the streets and exploring was probably the best idea. She needed to calm down, and this was all freaking her out. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" she asked him, hoping all of the exotic culture she invested her mind into tonight would help her think about things other than the danger of her people.
 
He nodded, opening the door and peering out. "It shouldn't be too dangerous. Just... try not to be trampled by the crowds. And there should be some, ah, decent, cheap food, if you're wanting to save money. And be careful for pickpockets, they're everywhere this time of the year." the prince said as he stepped out. He was still for a few moments, before walking towards the crowd, finding his sisters.


"Are you done with your official business?" Fuila asked, looking up at him.


"Yes--" he said, realizing he was speaking the wrong language. "Yes. I heard there's a man on stilts near the marketplace, would you like to go see?"
 
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