Fantasy Noble Secrets [ Phoenix and Yours Truly ]

[PhoenixMire]

“Stable boy!” cried a woman’s deep voice.

“How many years has it been?” Cynric called back as he ran through the kitchen. “You should know my name by now!”

The woman tsked, wiping her large berry stained hands on her apron. “Child, you know how the head cook gets when something isn’t absolutely perfect. I don’t have any time for trivial details like names. Now if you’re finished mucking out the stables, are you going to just stand there like an idiot, or fetch me some more water?”

With a heavy sigh, Cyn nodded his head. “All right - fine. I’ll be right back.”

He stepped outside the kitchens and to the side yard of the castle. A tall stone wall rose up before him, protecting the castle from anyone outside. A dirt trail led him to a courtyard, paved with overgrown stones, dotted with beautiful flowers in every color imaginable. An idyllic little well sat off to the side, tan stones forming its sides and red shingles atop it. Cyn dropped a wooden bucket into the dark depths of the well.

As he turned the crank to bring the now-filled bucket back to the surface, something caught his eye - a shock of hair so pale it was almost white. That didn’t look like the groundskeeper. His hair was salt and pepper, not this bright blonde. … No. It couldn’t be, could it?

Furrowing his brows, Cyn forgot all about the pail of water and cautiously approached the figure, who was kneeling in the dirt and tending to a bush of flowers. Just as he’d thought. It was the prince! What in the gods’ names was he doing here?

Nervously, Cyn cleared his throat. “I - uh, pardon me, my liege… Could you not find the groundskeeper? If - if something about these flowers is bothering you, I can go find him to take care of them for you.”

 

[Yours Truly]

At first, the task was easy. All he needed to do was pick out all of the weeds to allow for more growth. Easy.

Simple.

On paper, of course.

Nothing was ever simple in this life. Nothing was ever as easy as it seemed, it almost always proved to be harder and more complicated than it was supposed to be.

First, it was absolutely blazing out here in the grass. Second, the gloves he had stolen did not fit him. Which meant that every time he tried to pull up a weed from the flowers that had finally begun to bloom, the gloves slipped a little and he was back to getting a grip on the invasive weeds crowding the roots.

He was so intent on getting the weeds out that he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, so he paused in his slow progress to wipe it away, just as an unfamiliar voice cut through the soft sounds of wind sighing through some nearby trees.

For a long second he didn’t understand the words he was hearing, as he’d not been paying enough attention. All he got was the last few words.

He peered up at the stranger with a hand to block the sun from his eyes. At first it was difficult to see them, but dark hair and pale skin greeted him.

Ezrin was used to this. His response was one that had no room for argument, “I am perfectly capable of doing this myself.” He said. He gave only a slight pause before adding, “In fact, I prefer to do this myself.”

 

[PhoenixMire]

Cyn watched the prince work, noticing the ill-fitting gardening gloves, and raised a brow. What was his royal highness playing at? Prince Ezrin was always strange - Cyn barely ever approached the man, what with them having such a wide gap between their stations, but every now and then he saw the prince wandering off to do something alone. Wasn't it supposed to be dangerous for royalty to be out and about without bodyguards and soldiers? Not that he really cared... Cyn felt the death of nobility was no great loss. What did he care for the petty conflicts between these high and mighty people and their grudges against each other?

He shook the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to be brooding over this. "Ah... of - of course, your highnesty. I mean - majesty. Highness. Um..." Gods above. He was a total mess. Cyn nervously scratched the back of his head and shifted his weight. "What I mean to ask is, don't you need to be accompanied by your soldiers?" His bright blue eyes fell upon the stone walls surrounding them; sure, it would be difficult for someone to simply find and attack the prince here, but whatever. May as well ask. He didn't want to get in trouble for noticing the prince off on his own and doing nothing about it.

 

[Yours Truly]

Ezrin attempted — and failed to not make a face at the man standing before him as he struggled over his words.

Highnesty.

If he were anyone else, he would’ve pointed out the hilarious stumble but he did not. Rin wasn’t one to stutter or struggle with his words but knew that it would just be better if he did not point out. It would make things awkward, and he hated when things got awkward.

So he schooled his features back into something acceptable, and no longer amused like he truly felt.

“Yes.” He sighed, “Always, and it’s just so tiring, and they’re all so boring. It took me twenty minutes today to escape them to do this.” He gestured to the bush, “They very competent at their job it’s actually quite frustrating—“ Rin stopped himself. He was rambling. Again. “What I mean to say is, yes. But I don’t care for their opinions on my hobbies, so I escape them at my earliest convenience. Is that a problem for you?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Cyn was still berating himself for his ridiculous slip-up, but he felt some small sense of relief when Prince Ezrin did not bring it up, or even chuckle. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself down.

As he listened to the royal rambling on, he raised his brows, pursing his lips at the other man's complaint. Oh yes, having a personal escort of guards must have been so horrible. These damned nobles and their petty complaints... maybe the prince should try actually having a lot on his plate.

Which, speaking of, reminded Cyn that he had not brought the water pail back to Maria. Oh, she was going to be so angry if he didn't hurry! Cyn bowed his head so quickly he made himself dizzy, his black hair falling over his eyes. "No, your highness, of course it's no problem! I merely - I just - uh... Anyway, I have much to do, so if you'll excuse me. My apologies." He rushed to the well again, hoisting the heavy bucket full of water and running back to the kitchen, accidentally spilling some of the water as he went.

Maria - the plump, strong woman that had told him to fetch the water in the first place - shot him a glare when he set the pail down on a long wooden table piled with apple peels. "What took you so long, boy?"

"Sorry!" he said quickly.

"Are you going to rinse off these potatoes for me or not?" she huffed.

Cyn frowned. She hadn't mentioned anything about rinsing potatoes earlier. What was he supposed to do, read her mind? Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he simply nodded, hurrying to use the pail of water to rinse the dirt off a large pile of potatoes. Once he was finished, his mind wandered back to the beautiful courtyard garden, and for some reason he found himself wondering if the prince was still out there... plucking weeds with ill-fitting gloves. He had to admit, it was a sort of funny image. Curiosity overtaking him, he poked his head back out of the kitchen and peered into the garden again, eyes scanning for the young royal.

 

[Yours Truly]

The Prince was left blinking and confused, all alone as the dark haired stranger left him abruptly.

For a long while he sat in the dirt and looked absently in the direction they’d quickly walked away.

They’d seemed to suddenly be in a rush.

But these weeds wouldn’t leave on their own, and it was already taking so long, he decided to give it his all, and finally after such a struggle he was successful in pulling out most of the unwanted growths.

With a glance over his shoulder, he wondered what the handsome stranger had been up to before he’d inquired about him pulling weeds.

He wasn’t surprised they’d left quickly, most didn’t stick around after realizing he wasn’t about to entertain their monotonous conversations.

Finally, the last weed was pulled and he had no reason to linger. He pulled off the gloves and looked at the sky, there were a few clouds in the sky. It didn’t seem like it would rain, so maybe he could get away with riding for a few hours.

Or… not… his hopes were dashed as a familiar guard made his way over to where he was still sitting in front of the flowers. “I was sure I’d find you here.”

“Yet it took you so long to find me?”

“I got distracted.” The guard admitted with a short bow, “I apologize.”

Rin gave the man a flat look as he stood slowly. He debated leaving the gloves beside the flowers but decided against it when he realized they’d probably be moved somewhere else, and he wasn’t about to go searching for another pair tomorrow.

Without another word or glance he walked away from the small patch of flowers. Maybe if he used the excuse of wanting to go for a morning ride alone, they’d leave him alone long enough that he’d be able to work on planting new tomatoes tomorrow as well.

“His Majesty The King has been looking for you.” Great. Just great. More meetings.

Rin sighed, looking around the maze of a garden. If he made a run for it, would they be able to catch him?

 

[PhoenixMire]

There the prince still was. It looked as if a guard had found him, which clearly his highness was not quite delighted about. Cyn couldn't help watching from the kitchen doorway, for some reason curious about what might happen next. He didn't know why. Was he expecting the prince to do something interesting?

"For the gods' sakes, boy," Maria called as she peeled potatoes, "are you inside or are you outside? You'll invite the fae, just standing there with the door open!"

Cyn groaned. "Fine, sorry! I'll step out."

"And while you're out there, pick me some basil."

Cyn huffed. So demanding. He'd just barely washed up from mucking out the stables - a horrible, filthy, exhausting job - and he didn't even get a chance to rest before he was running errands for Maria the grouch. She might as well have been a troll, for all her manners. Or lack thereof. Shaking his had, he shut the kitchen door behind him, awkwardly wandering back out into the garden. He didn't want to interrupt whatever was happening with the clearly disgruntled Prince Ezrin and his guard, but Maria would bite his head off if he didn't get that basil.

Stepping quickly but shyly, Cyn passed the prince with a bow of his head, reaching to pluck a few sprigs of lush green basil from a corner of the garden. Unfortunately, he tripped over his own two feet, and went crashing into the plants with a cry of surprise and dismay.

 

[Yours Truly]

He didn’t mean to, especially not in front of one of the many guards who disapproved of his every move and action, Ezrin might’ve smiled just a… little at the clumsy display unfolding right infront of him.

He found himself walking over to their obviously uncomfortable resting place on the ground, and before he could think better of it or stop himself, Ezrin held out a hand.

“Are you alright?” He found himself asking as well.

If he’d had any semblance of regret he would’ve looked over his shoulder and to the guard standing stiffly behind him. But he did not, and instead stared right down at the dark haired stranger from earlier. He allowed himself a small smile, and wondered if he would come to regret this or not.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Cyn could not believe he'd just done that. Well, he wasn't too surprised - he was a clumsy disaster sometimes, after all, but now of all times?! He didn't particularly care about the prince's opinion on him, but the thought of giving the uppity nobility more things to giggle about at the common folk's expense was frustrating. All too many times he'd heard the higher-ranking peoples through his life snickering at him, at people like him, at his mother - and surely the prince was no different.

Except there he was, offering a hand and asking if he was all right.

Cyn stammered a little. His cheeks and ears flushed deep red with embarrassment. "I - thank you, your highness. You really don't have to..." He glanced between the royal's hand and his face a few times, debating his options. If Cyn took the prince's hand, surely the guard nearby would find some reason to be angry about it. But if he didn't take the prince's hand, then the prince himself may be offended. He supposed he'd rather risk the wrath of a guard than someone of royal blood.

So, after a moment of hesitation, Cyn grasped Prince Ezrin's hand and allowed the other man to help him to his feet. Still flushed, he brushed himself off, sweeping away basil leaves from off his tunic and trousers. He plucked a couple leaves from his hair as well. "Th-thank you, highness," he said quietly, bowing his head. "I, uh, apologize for that. I just needed some basil, see..." Cyn stared at his worn boots, awkwardly shifting his weight.

 

[Yours Truly]

Watching as he brushed off dirt and leaves, Ezrin took a polite step away to give them space.

He didn’t know why, but his eyes lingered on the redness displayed on their cheeks. He wasn’t one to stare, as he’d been taught it was rude, but now he couldn’t help himself.

Nor could he help the fact that his small smile grew just a little before he pretended it never happened and shoved the expression away.

“No need to apologize.” He began, glancing down at the basil plant, “It happens to the best of us.” He turned away to leave, but then turned right back around with a tilt to his head, “Are you sure you’re alright?” It came out a little more uneven than he’d hoped for.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Cyn was very aware of the prince’s lingering gaze, which only made his face flush redder. What was the other man’s problem? Was his royal highness truly that amused over a lowly servant boy tripping into some basil?

When the prince turned away and then back to ask if he was all right, Cyn raised a brow. What, was Prince Ezrin waiting eagerly for him to trip again? He bowed his head. “I’m perfectly fine, thank you,” he replied. “I, uh, I’m honored… for your help… that you helped me. I - I don’t mean to distract you from your duties, though, your highness.” Cyn glanced to the guard that had found Prince Ezrin; the guard did not seem happy about this situation.

 

[Yours Truly]

Rin stared. Duties.

The word made him sigh automatically as it reminded him exactly of what he was avoiding by being here in the garden.

He was expected to show up to meetings all day today, and since they all were so boring he could sleep through each one, he’d avoided this responsibility.

But now he’d been found.

So hiding was no longer an option. He gave the dark-haired stranger one last look before creating distance between them.

Turning to his guard, “Shall we?”

 

[PhoenixMire]

Cyn simply bowed his head to the prince as he turned back to his guard. He supposed he should get back to his own duties in the meantime. Not only had he brought Maria the pail of water late, but he'd also be late with this damned basil. She was going to be livid. Sighing, he plucked yet another basil leaf out of his hair, one he hadn't noticed til now. "Good day, then, your majesty."

He plucked plenty of sprigs of fresh basil - this time making certain not to trip over his own feet and fall again - and then he headed back to the kitchen to bring Maria her requested plants. She tsked at him, clearly angry at his delay, and went on a long rant about young people being useless as she worked to season some chicken. But Cyn wasn't really listening. Against his will, he kept finding his thoughts drifting back to Prince Ezrin. What was with that strange royal? He didn't quite act like other nobility he'd met before...

Cyn shook his head, getting to work kneading some dough for apple pies at Maria's request. The prince was strange, sure, but certainly he'd turn out to be just like all the others of royal blood - uppity and oh so arrogant just because they'd been lucky enough to be born to a different station. It was all so unfair, really.

A few of the maids around him gossiped as they helped around the kitchen. "Did you hear? We may be seeing a baron and baroness soon!"

"Really?"

"Well, I don't really know. I heard it from Layla. You know how unreliable she is. But still! We may be getting visitors!"

Great. Cyn hoped that wasn't true. Yet more infuriating nobility to deal with. If it was true, no wonder the kitchen was in such a rush to make tons and tons of fancy food.

 

[Yours Truly]

The inside of the palace was much cooler than how it felt outside, and it was welcomed after a morning in the sun.

Ezrin never fared well in the sun for long periods of time, especially during the summer. He much preferred the winter to such humidity.

Sweat had collected in many places over his body, and dirt was painfully obvious on his white tunic. Without speaking, he took a left, then a right, and another left before finally making it to his rooms. The first was a receiving room for any guests he may or may not have, and the second room had many small tables and couches scattered about, as if he’d ever had any use for them. Normally he kept any interaction with others strictly outside these rooms. Didn’t mean that sometimes people would wander in and he’d find himself in boring company with awful tea.

A bowl of fruit had been left out on one of the many small tables, he grabbed some as his stomach would bother him during the entirety of the meeting he was about to late to.

Only after half-bathing and changing into something else did he leave his room and drag himself down the hall to a dreadfully boring meeting.

Just before opening the heavy wooden doors, Ezrin took a deep breath and feigned a smile.

He could play this role all day, the air-head prince who always forgot what time it was or got distracted— and not how he truly felt, annoyed and bored by the monotonous back and forth between nobles who’d never agree on anything.

The doors parted. “I did not intend to keep you all waiting.” He said with fake but concerningly realistic happiness… almost on the line of arrogance. “Shall we begin?” He asked, looking to his father, the King. There was a slight frustration to his expression that quickly faded the longer they gazed at one another.

“Yes.”

 

[PhoenixMire]

"Ohhh, these pies are going to be late," Maria said with panic clear in her low tone. "The head cook will have me flogged in the dungeons!"

"She's not that bad," Cyn sighed. In fact, he thought Maria was worse, sometimes.

"Yes, she is! Stir this pot of apples for me, boy, I need to shape that dough."

Frowning, Cyn did as he was told, making sure the apples stewing over the fireplace didn't clump together or overcook. His eyes glazed over as he smelled the delicious scents of cinnamon and clove wafting from the cooking apples. Of course, he'd get none of it. All this was meant for the royalty and their knights. And their possible guests of honor, whoever they were. Cyn wanted nothing more than to sit back and relax after such a long day - and maybe hug his mother. He'd been seeing less and less of her lately ever since she'd been assigned further into the castle to clean linens and royal bedchambers.

A while later, the pie crusts were filled with delicious cooked apples, then set into the brick ovens to bake. Just as they were about to be removed from the oven, the head cook burst into the room, dark eyes alight with anger. "What is taking so long?!"

"Apologies, ma'am!" Maria said quickly, bowing her head. "Pies are nearly done! You, girl -" she snapped her fingers at one of the maids - "take the pies out, I need to finish this chicken."

The maid rushed to do as she was told - a little too eagerly, in fact, and accidentally burnt her hand on the oven with a cry of pain. Maria huffed. "Just what I need right now! Poor girl, hurry to the well and soak your hand before it blisters." Shaking her head, she took the pies out herself, then turned to fix her glare on Cyn. He flinched involuntarily at her icy gaze. She brushed his tunic off, patted his hair down, and sighed. "You'll just have to do. Since that girl burnt her hand, the other serving maid will need help taking these pies to the royals. We're already late, so hurry it up." Maria narrowed her eyes. "But not so fast you trip over yourself as you always do."

Cyn rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine! I'll take the pies." He held two on a tray, while a serving girl held the other two, and mentally prepared himself to walk in on a room full of annoying nobility who were probably angry that their treats were late.

 

[Yours Truly]

”The best route to transport the grain is obviously here-“ the man speaking was giving him a headache.

For the entirety of this full meeting so far consisted of two Nobles arguing over whose grain was to be bought for this quarter, and how best to get it to the palace and nearby villages. After finally getting over whose grain would be bought, the two were now arguing about which route to take.

Rin just wanted to tell the both of them that it did not matter whatsoever as long as the shipment got where it was needed. This stupid back and forth was driving him absolutely bonkers.

Over the table, he glanced at his father, who was already giving him a knowing look. Everyone else was too busy to notice the king shrug his shoulders a little at him with a slight smile. As if to say, Welcome to my life. Except Rin was well aware of his life, and this had been his life for far too long these days.

It was as if these idiots started these arguments just to entertain themselves and spend more time in the King’s and Prince’s presence. He shook his head at his father who finally looked away and silenced both of them with a decisive, “We will use this road.”

Both stopped arguing, and the long-winded conversation over the dullest subject possible continued to torture Ezrin on the inside.

 

[PhoenixMire]

"Don't trip," the serving girl teased Cyn, her brown eyes sparkling as she smiled.

"I won't."

The two walked through the castle, Cyn trying not to stop to admire the paintings lining some of the walls, or the lovely view of the village and the farmlands beyond them from some of the windows. Occasionally he'd peer at the view, but quickly caught himself and focused on not tripping and ruining the pies. Maria would have his head if he did.

It didn't take long for them to arrive to the council chambers. Cyn could just barely hear muted voices through the thick wooden door, their tone indicating they were arguing over something. Two guards flanked the door. Cyn offered a shy smile, and looked to the serving girl for help.

She spoke up. "The cook told us to bring these here. Apparently the nobility would like some pie to break up their no doubt boring meeting?" She grinned.

 

[Yours Truly]

At some point during their argument, Rin had closed his eyes and begun to ignore them. It wasn’t on purpose or anything, it just ended up happening. His eyes closed on their own accord and he found himself sitting upright abruptly as one of them raised their voice a little higher.

“My grain is much closer to transport I just don’t understand why—“

With opened eyes he made direct eye contact with his father, who gave him only a slight nod.

So he interrupted, “Last quarter, we bought grain from you, and the one before that. You will do well to remember that.” He took a breath, “You are closer but we are going to overlook that. This isn’t the first time you’ve brought this argument up, and my response is the same as the last time. We can’t always buy your grain. Next quarter we will be buying from you so calm down.”

With that the argument was officially over, and silence permeated the small room. Voices from outside the door were heard just before it opened and offered them reprieve from such boring conversation.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Oh, gods. There was the prince again. After his eight full years of working in the castle and only getting glimpses of the prince, why today of all days did they keep running into each other? Cyn glanced to the serving girl - Maya - for any sort of help. She just smiled and somehow performed a perfect curtsy despite her hands being full with a pie-laden tray. "Your majesties. Esteemed guests," she said in a sweet voice. Maya set the tray of pies on the large table the nobility sat around; Cyn followed suit. He shyly glanced at Prince Ezrin and then back away, unable to stop thinking of tripping into the basil earlier. His cheeks flushed.

"Y-your highness," he muttered, unable to make eye contact. Maya was serving up slices of pie to the nobility, mentioning something about this being an appetizer before a large meal of roasted chicken and potatoes. Cyn stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do now, fidgeting with his hands.

 

[Yours Truly]

Ezrin wasn’t the biggest fan of pie. In fact, as a child, he’d refused to ever eat it. That was why he found himself to be behaving oddly.

For what reason did he keep staring at the pies the familiar stranger carrier in his arms?

It couldn’t be because he wanted one. No. He would much rather eat fruit, or maybe another kind of pastry. So why? His eyes traveled up.

Was this man always so introverted? Was he always so unsure of himself? Rin could relate to that, though as a prince he had to hide it well enough for everyone else to assume the opposite.

The man seemed unsure of what to do with himself, and for some odd reason, Ezrin said— with a little humor that he hoped wouldn’t offend, “You’re supposed to cut the pie.” He didn’t realize until it was too late that he’d leaned forward a bit as he said it, so correcting his posture, “I would like a piece.” He surprised himself by even considering saying such words about a pie, but couldn’t help it. There must be something wrong with him.

 

[PhoenixMire]

At the prince's words, Cyn's face flushed even redder, and he stammered unintelligibly. Why was he such an idiot? He was certain he caught a glimpse of Maya rolling her eyes from his peripheral vision. "M-my apologies, your liege. ...My liege, I mean..." Gods, he couldn't even talk. All he could think about was embarrassing himself in front of the prince with that stupid fall, and how he just kept embarrassing himself further. Why did he care so much, anyway? It wasn't like he really cared what nobility thought of him. ...Unless it could endanger his life. But this wasn't that kind of situation.

Prince Ezrin seemed to lean forward a little bit, which made Cyn briefly worried. What was going on? Was the prince angry? Was he going to be hit? No, Prince Ezrin really didn't seem the type, but his heart fluttered nervously for a moment anyway, flashing back to all the times someone high-born had -

He shook the thoughts away, hurrying to cut a slice of pie and plate it. Cyn handed it to the prince with a bowed head. "Your majesty."

 

[Yours Truly]

He took the plate with gentle and slow fingers, all the while wondering why he’d done this to himself. Now to not seem like a prestigious prick, he looked down at the pie, he was going to have to eat this now, wasn’t he?

The realization had him frowning at the pastry. Others were also getting pie, even the king who seemed obviously excited to be doing something else besides listening to idiotic child-like men argue with one another.

He gave the servant a small smile that he hoped no one else would see, and then proceeded to ignore the pie.

Then an idea occurred to him.

This probably wouldn’t go over well, but why did he care? He was the prince. And what a prince wanted, he got. Even if it meant being kind of rude just to make a servant flustered.

Before the dark-haired man could turn away or help anyone else, Ezrin simply stated, “I would also like…” he thought for a split second, “mango.” He stated, not in a rude way, but in a tone that was calm.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Cyn looked at the prince with furrowed brows. He seemed a little hesitant about the pie, and then entirely set it aside. What was going on? Had he served up the pie incorrectly? Gods, if that was the problem, Cyn wanted to scream. Nobles could be so persnickety. Petty bastards.

But Prince Ezrin didn't seem angry. Just thoughtful. Then he asked for a mango.

Cyn's eyebrows shot up. "M-mango?" he stammered. He hadn't even seen a mango since two summers ago, when traders from the far southern kingdoms made their way northward. "I - uh, y-your highness, I... I don't know that we even have any of those. But if you'd like, I could go ask the kitchen staff?" No way was there a mango just sitting about in the kitchen. He recalled the last time they'd gotten a shipment of the fruits, Maria had treated them almost with reverence. She was in a constant state of panic that she'd ruin them if she didn't prepare them just right - so in the end she'd given up on doing anything to them and had simply sliced them up and sprinkled them with a bit of sugar for the royalty to enjoy. Of course, none of the lowly servants had gotten to taste any of it.

 

[Yours Truly]

A frown made it’s way onto his face. Mangos were his favorite, sure he hadn’t had any for a while now but surely there were some?

At least, he hoped.

Without a glance to the pie sitting directly in front of him, he looked directly at the servant.

“Ask if you must, but if not mangos, then something else will suffice.” He couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather have but anything was better than… pie. “And while you’re in the kitchen-“ for some reason he wanted to keep this servant busy… “get me some tea.” Maybe he was being rude, but he’d seen worse, and for right now at least, Rin wanted something interesting. And if that meant bossing this servant around because he was bored and in the mood then that’s what it meant.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Cyn blinked at the prince. "Uh, yes, of course, your highness." He made a quick bow and then exited the room, with Maya at his heels. The moment he was far enough away from the council chamber and the guards at the door, Cyn rolled his eyes and threw his hands into the air. "What is that damned prince's problem?" he complained, making sure to stay quiet so only Maya heard.

She shrugged. "Was he acting all that strange?"

"Yes! He keeps asking me for stuff, and he didn't even touch the pie I cut for him. Damned royalty. He's probably just having fun pushing me around!"

Maya sighed. "Well, it's our job, and I'm sure you'd rather fetch his highness some tea than end up in the streets because you didn't please him?"

"Oh, shut up," Cyn grumbled. "I was just fine on the streets for most my life, you know."

"Yes, yes, I know! You've mentioned this before."

Shaking his head, Cyn returned to the kitchens, asking Maria for a mango. She stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. Of course they didn't have mangoes. Well, what else did they have? Cyn set some water to boil then scoured the kitchen's supply of fresh fruit, wondering what the prince would like. Perhaps a little bowl of fresh blackberries and strawberries? He prepared a bowl of the fruit and sugared it lightly, then finished up some peppermint tea, which he brought back to the council chamber. Bowing his head again, he presented the tea and berries to Prince Ezrin. "I hope this will suffice, your highness."

Gods, those berries looked good. The still-uneaten slice of pie had looked good, too. But of course Cyn got none of it. Much to his dismay, his stomach growled loudly. "Um. Apologies. Anything else you need, my liege?"