Fantasy Cursed Island

[Fangs9090]

"Aye!" The prince and king raised their cups, as did the other members of the party and the nobles.

 

[Darkling0096]

"Aye!"

Jalin smiled at the accidental toast. That wasn't his intention, but anything that got them in the good graces was acceptable. After dinner, the nobles and party milled about, chatting or sharing stories. Some of the nobles left for their quarters, having had their fill of social interaction for the day. Siege made an effort to engage Fitzroy in conversation, asking if he'd walk with her on the grounds.

Turac, on the other hand, attempted to speak with the king, one to one.

 

[Fangs9090]

Fitzroy, amiable as he was, agreed to go for a walk about the castle grounds.


The king stayed at the table a little longer to have one more glass of wine.

 

[Darkling0096]

Siege grinned as the prince agreed to walk with her. Progress! Strolling through the gardens, which were well tended and planted so that there would always be something in bloom year around, and the accent flowers her magic bracelet created changed color to match. "I'm... not good at this part," she smiled a bit and brushed hair off of the side of her head. Like most beastfolk, she didn't have humanlike ears on the side of her head, but it was a habit she'd picked up from her mother when she was nervous.


"Your highness," Turac said, "I realize your position makes it precarious to reveal weakness to outsiders, but if things are truly as peaceful as you say, I fear for your people if something does happen."

 

[Fangs9090]

Fitzroy chuckled. "Tell me more of your home. Something besides politics."


"You think peace means we're relaxed." The king looked over at Turac.

 

[Darkling0096]

That, Siege could do. "My parents own a hotspring, they're retired adventurers," she smiled a bit and settled against a railing on a wooden bridge in the garden, "There's always some kind of monster around, or bandits... the odd Karen who can't fathom that we didn't allow children under five in the springs because they were too short and probably couldn't swim."


"I think it means your people are not prepared for the hardships of war," Turac shook his head, "With men or monsters. I have heard tell of kobolds erasing cities this size by simply tunnelling past it on their way to something else."

 

[Fangs9090]

Fitzroy smiled as he listened. "I suppose I don't have to ask why you decided to adventure yourself. Were they supportive of your choice?"


"Who can be prepared for hardship without facing it? Yes, should war come to us, the people will suffer. But rest assured, we are prepared to help them how we can."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Supportive!", Siege laughed, "They basically kicked me out the second I had the ability to support myself!" She shook her head, "My parents like having the house to themselves," she rolled her eyes, "So when me and the boys were old enough to move out, we did."


"I mean no disrespect, but your son has told us you lack a large standing army. All it would take to spark strife would be for one of your neighbors or yourself to experience a poor harvest year, or for monsters to be allowed to breed on your lands, and you will never be able to get rid of them."

 

[Fangs9090]

Fitzroy chuckled. "Well, I suppose that's good. Being an adventurer I suppose you don't have a place to call your own yet."



The king set down his glass. "Thank you for your concern, but you have no need to concern yourself with these matters. I will keep your words in mind. Did you need anything else?"

 

[Darkling0096]

"No, not really." Siege chuckled a bit, "We're working on that part, though, we plan to adventure on this continent for a while."


Turac bit back telling the king that based on what he'd seen this kingdom would be massacred if even a single tribe of goblins managed to gain a foothold, that he was a dragon turtle raised by humanoids, well aware of the workings of the minds of men and monsters alike. But he didn't want to give the king any reason to have himself or any party members executed or imprisoned. "No, that is all." He bade the king goodnight and left the table to go converse with someone else.

 

[Fangs9090]

"Have you considered purchasing a home in the city? There are a few vacant homes for sale, last I checked."



The king watched him go before standing up to take his leave as well.

 

[Darkling0096]

"Yeah... but then I'd have to pay taxes, and I don't really like cities," Siege shook her head. "I'd rather not have to wait through a three day long line through the gate just to sleep in my own bed, you know?"

 

[Fangs9090]

Fitzroy chuckled. "Fair enough, I suppose. I hadn't considered that perspective."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Eh," Siege shrugged, "What about you? Have you ever tried going on an adventure?"

 

[Fangs9090]

Fitzroy paused before he chuckled as he glanced to the side. "Only once... I was much younger then. I had only recently learned to use a sword properly. We received word of someone getting robbed on the road. There was no way to track the assailant, so nothing was done. I decided to head out by myself to find them."

 

[Darkling0096]

"What happened?" Now Siege was intrigued, she might have been able to get somewhere like this.

 

[Fangs9090]

"Nothing good." Fitzroy chuckled. "I underestimated the task and went without any preparations. I wandered aimlessly into the woodland where the attack happened before finally getting hungry. I was lost at that point though and ended up trying to eat some berries. I got a stomach ache, of course." He sighed and shook his head. "Lucky for me, the gate guards had seen me leave and reported it, so the guard wasn't far behind me to take me back home. I wasn't allowed to leave the castle for a week after that."

 

[Darkling0096]

Siege bit back laughter at that story, "What kind of berries?" She had a feeling she knew, she'd done basically the same thing to try and prove to her parents that she could handle herself when she was twelve. Of course, she was saved by Shuffle happening to be nearby.

 

[Fangs9090]

"Small and bright red. They were pleasant enough to look at, so it didn't really occur that they weren't good to eat."

 

[Darkling0096]

"You ate holly?", Siege broke out in laughter, that was great! "You seriously didn't know berries could be poisonous?" That was pretty much rule number one of adventuring, 'Don't eat anything you can't verify won't kill you'. The heels of Siege's good shoes didn't agree that there was anything humorous to this at all, as the left heel snapped off to escape this situation and sending the lion girl crashing sideways into the prince when she lost her balance.

 

[Fangs9090]

"Well, not at the ti-" The prince cut off as he reached out to catch her. "Woah, easy there. Are you alright?"

 

[Darkling0096]

Siege's weight and not having the chance to regain her balance herself would have taken them both to the floor, had the prince not shifted his stance to catch her. With her dress heels, she'd been a couple inches above Fitzroy. Without them, she fell to a few inches shorter. "I just got these shoes, too," she grumbled as she tried to stand, having fallen into the prince's chest before he helped her right herself. She had to take off both shoes to stand properly since the heel snapped off of one, and she didn't really like that.

 

[Fangs9090]

Fitzroy gave her a smile. "Shoes like that are dangerous, for a few reasons."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Eh," Siege pulled off the still good shoe, which might as well be garbage unless she could find the snapped heel and get Roy to fix the broken shoe. "At least no one's around..." Roy would probably never let her live it down that she flopped that bad.

 

[Fangs9090]

"Well, I can tell you that you're not the only that's happened to. Most people at the castle are polite enough to not laugh, at least."