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Knox _______________________________________________ The man gazed down at the Prince's food, unsure what most of it was. He wasn't well adveresed in foods outside of the basic meals, and the soup was questionable that Arno was eating. He bit the inside of his lip, glancing down at his own plate. It looked perfectly fine to him. It was rare for him to eat at this time of day, so he was just happy to be eating on the journey. The wind blew through his hair as he watched Arno while the other man spoke. Knox's smile was lopsided, and showed the enjoyment that he felt being in Arno's presence. It was odd that he felt so comfortable around such a figure so high up in the hierarchy. It was the same figure he'd always wished to be, and yet, in this moment, Knox wished to be no one but himself, after all, he had it all; a stable job, a roof over his head for the night, and dare he say... a friend? "But what is the point of a gala other than to parade your wealth like a show pony?" He questioned, "I mean, I wouldn't fit in that sort of envirnment, I'd be bare without my sword! I'd happily watch you waltz from the door." His tone was playful as his head tilted in towards Arno as he addressed him, picking up his lunch as he did so. Arno's sister-in-law had never been anything but pleasurable to the palace staff, and he'd appreciated it. The same couldn't be said about other nobles, born or married in, in their eyes, the staff was a machine that didn't have a life outside of work, not that the staff truely did. The Knight's eyes went back the Prince now to watch Ange attempt to make her way back through the field, huffing about as she kicked a weed, trying to pry it off of her skirt. It was stuck on the fabric really well, and as she kicked at it, her foot got caught, causing her to stumble to the ground. "Oh." He simply said, watching her with an apologetic look. "I think that weed is giving Ange a harder time than you." He said simply with a chuckle. "I still don't understand why you would want to stand around in a hot room in a hot suit and talk to others. I understand public apperances for the royal family, but ugh." Knox shook his head. "Too many people." He'd begun to untie his tall boots, gently placing them next to his plate on the ground. As a kid, Knox would often to his farm chores barefoot, even in the winter to save his shoes for a better purpose such as work. He wasn't afraid of the cold anymore, after all, his tolerance was rather high at this point. He looked at his boots for a minute. He would need to clean them upon reaching their new grounds, they were rather muddy now, the dust from the carriages in front having covered them. The blue mountains that reached out vastly in front of the pair reflected in the bubbling river, the image distorted as the water ran over the rocks. His loose white shirt ruffled in the breeze as he stood. The top two buttons had come off quite some time ago, but Knox hadn't had the time to fix them after his shift was over, so he'd left it. It wasn't like the King would hang him out here for having a damaged uniform. "Isn't the view lovely?" He asked Arno, looking down at him, his blue eyes bright before watching his horse with a small smile nudge the Prince's shoulder. - The grey horse looked down at the man that sat in front of him, ears perked, nickering at him. "He acts as if he is starving." Knox said with a roll of his eyes, dipping his toe into the water. It was cold, which was expected, of course. He pulled away from the water, watching Ange waving at him, was it time to get a move on already? He wouldn't tell Arno that just yet since he still needed to saddle his steed back up. Knox put his boots back on, and tied the cape back around his shoulders, the red fabric blowing in symmetry to his hair. Walking carefully around the Prince, Knox picked up his horse's gear. He placed the white saddle pad on the horses back, and then the saddle. Before he did the girth, he made sure that Orega's breastplate was in the correct spot. Before he put on the horse's bridle, he picked up the chanfron. It was an attractive piece of armor, and the only on that the horse carried on the trip. It had a large spike in the middle of the piece, the Royal Family's crest below it, letting all those whom they passed know that this horse, and rider served the Crown. It was also to let the other guards scattered among the territory that Knox was the Knight, and had there been a problem, they were to come to him, not one of the other guards. - The man fastened the noseband and looked down at Arno. "Are you ready?" He asked, picking up his own platter. "I was told, very aggressively, that I am not to allow you to break an ankle, so," He said, pulling Orega closer to the man, "You are to ride out of the field on my horse." He gave him a wink. "He shouldn't kill you." He said with a shrug, watching the Prince for a moment, wondering what he were to do with the excess amount of food. He'd save it, maybe it could be the guards dinner, if it wasn't going to be Arnos'. |
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Arno
Balls, galas, and other big pompous social events that Arno as a prince was expected to participate in were something that left him conflicted. He wasn't against parties per say, far from it actually. It's just... His taste in company tended to contrast the expected and generally more well respected guest list of his family. Stuffy as his family's social events may be, it was an expected part of the prince's life that he grown accustomed to. Beyond being a way for the royal family and other high ranking families to show off their wealth, they were the optimal place for one to properly network within the kingdom's court. Considering his position in the castle, both past and present, a little networking would have done him far more good than harm. Arno wasn't without allies, but in comparison to his brothers, he was greatly out numbered in court. Besides, after Durant's eye opening outburst, it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to reconsider some of his current ones as well. Though... Arno knew he was getting a tad ahead of himself. Returning his gaze back to Knox, Arno felt his cheeks heat up upon registering the knight's lopsided smile, praying to what entity that might be watching over them at that moment that his blush could easily be passed off as the cold getting to him. Thumbing the back of pale hands, the prince could feel them clench slightly as turned his gaze squarely back to his food, unsure on how to react toward a seemingly innocuous comment by the knight. 'I'd happily watch you waltz from the door.' Knox probably didn't think much of the comment, but... Arno found his hands unclenched, hand raised to brush his ginger bangs from his face, half tempted to fiddle with his hair as he responded hesitantly, " You... You get use to it after a while. The people, the noise, the questions and the million little comments everyone makes. As you get older you realize that a lot of it is just a bunch of nonsense meant to gauge whether or not if the person you're talking to is able to further your ideals and worth your time or just a hindrance to your plans." Arno's sigh was heavy as he thought back on his squandered opportunities to proper integrate himself with powerful allies, in the long run it was useless to think about what if scenarios like this, but he couldn't help but wonder sometimes. " It's not too bad once you're well acquainted with the game everyone is playing, plus I'd be lying if the food and booze weren't a nice bonus. I suppose that's one of the perks of having a father who has wine in his cellar even older than the capital... As for you Knox, I think you're selling your self far too short. A knight as handsome and as kind as you would be running laps around the majority of nobles attending these frumpy balls. At the very least you make for..." pleasant eye candy... is what Arno wanted to say, but he found himself unable to continue the sentence. Any confidence he had gained back had deflated just as quickly as it came, leaving him feeling far smaller than he would want. Arno was use to flirting with out qualms, poking and prodding with out further thought, and yet he couldn't bring himself to do so with Knox. Inexplicably so for what ever strange reason, to diminish the knight hard work and simplify him to some toy felt for people like him felt... Wrong. After a pause that felt like an eternity, Arno coughed awkwardly into his fist, a strained smile on his face as he tried continue his sentence as seamlessly as he could, " ... Pleasant company. Far more pleasant than my usual crowd. The handful of people willing to put up with me. But I would want to bore you with the humdrum of politicking disguised as socializing." A pity, considering the fact that a man like Knox was meant to be showed off, but that would be something Arno would keep to himself. The sound of leather rustling had caught the prince's attention, drawing his gaze from his half eaten meal to the knight beside him and in a combination of shock and horror, Arno watched as Knox remove his boots. A million thought raced into his mind, half of them questioning the knight's sanity based on the fact that the weather was far from warm enough to warrant risking possible frost bite, and the other half truly question himself. Maybe he was so use and spoiled with his life in the castle that he was just over reacting about the cold... The icy breeze that cut through his thick wool coat argued other wise. Subconsciously wrapping his arms around his torso, Arno's eyes made their way up the knight's body, contemplating everything had done up until that moment to deserve something like this. Blessing or curse, it was like he was in some sort of purgatory, trials and all that he had to face to boot to get out of this hell to boot. Upon hearing the knight's voice, the prince's head shot up towards the man's face. Nodding lamely, Arno sputtered a simple 'yeah' to Knox's comment, unsure if the man had noticed his ogling. He'd have to get the knight a new proper uniform, for his own sanity if for no other reason. - Arno had his fill of his meal, what ever remnants of his food sat untouched on his plate in a sad sort of fashion. He had never been a big eater, always preferring smaller serving sizes in comparison to the large feasts and meal prepared for the royal family, something he inherited from his father funnily enough. Arno contemplated on whether or not he should try to pawn off some of the fruit on Orega despite everything, the horse's insistence that he was in fact starving had moved him in the way one might feel about a child begging for an extra sweet after dinner. For such a big showy horse like Orega, he could be cute, but perhaps he being biased based off of his limited interactions with the creature. He should tempt faith with such a large animal. The prince was sure that whatever food wasn't eaten would either be save for another meal or passed off to some other hungrier guard or servant. Watching Knox outfit and saddle up his horse though was something therapeutic in a strange sense of the words. Practiced hands working a confident and calm ease while Arno sat in silence. He had watched his William saddle up his many horses from time to time, but he typically had some else there to help him with it, nor did he take much of any time thoughtfully gear up his horse like Knox was, it was interesting seeing first hand the difference in how they did things. Orega was certainly a very lucky horse, to have someone like Knox take care of him like he did. Bringing his knees to his chest, Arno wanted nothing more than to watch Knox continue on with his almost mundane task before the knight's voice brought him back to reality. They were leaving. Arno's lips thinned at the though of being on the road once again, stuck in some carriage with maids who had little respect for him. The prince grabbed his book and food hesitantly before rising to join the Knox, if anything, he could always try to tune everyone else out by reading until they finally reached the inn. " You're joking right?" upon approaching Knox and Orega, Arno wasn't sure what exactly to make of riding the horse out of the field. It seemed... a tad excessive. Ange had always been one to view him as something frailer than he actually was. In comparison to his brothers, it wasn't hard to see why, William was built like a brick walk, stocky and imposing while Damien had the figure of a solider from some romance novel without the actual experience of being in an actual war. When put besides them, it wouldn't be hard to imagine that he'd be the type to be blown away by even the lightest of winds even though he was far from some skinny twig. It would always have the the unintended effect of rubbing him the wrong way. But... He couldn't deny that he wasn't interested in riding the animal, even if it came at the expense of treating him like some delicate flower. " I- Well. I sure hope he won't kill me, I'm sure he wouldn't want his master out of the job, besides, I doubt you'd let him do so in the first place. Where else will you find someone as entertaining as me? Ah but... I'm ah, well..." Arno was out of practice riding horses in general, the last time he had been on one was years ago. Distant memories of how to mount the beast were like cob webs in his mind, untouched and definitely not the most reliable. " Just give me a moment, I do apologies, I'm probably going to make a fool out of myself... I fear loosing vision in one of your eyes makes this sort of thing a tad more difficult than it should," Arno gave the knight a wobbly smile as he babbled on, eyes frantically switching between the man and horse. He could hear a distant shout from what he had to assume was Ange from across the field, clearly unaware of Arno's predicament and no doubt urging for them to hurry up. A shame the grass was so tall, he was sure The little maid would take great pleasure in watching him bumble though this conversation. At least she could watch him potential fall off a horse, she'd enjoy it for all of five seconds before it hit her what exact had happened. Inching towards Orega hesitantly, Arno looked towards the make shift camp the rest of the troupe had made for their lunch break. The last remains of now smoldering small fires and the sound of cutlery and dishes being put could be heard from even here, muted as they were, with the buzz of voices ringing out in the clearing starting to take place. it sounded busy in comparison to the much quieter drone that had taken place before. Maybe it was because he was so focused on his time with Knox and his horse that he hadn't taken notice to it like had now. Arno hoped there would be another opportunity to simply eat in peace with the knight in the future like this. He couldn't keep fooling around like he was though, the last thing he wanted to do was to keep Knox waiting, or get the knight in trouble with Ange. Carefully, Arno placed his foot into Orega's stirrup before hoisting himself onto the animal with the grace of a new born fawn, unsure how he didn't fall off the poor beast as he clutched the saddle tightly. He really should practice horse riding again if something like this ever happens in the future... |
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Knox ____________________________ The distant chatter and the sound of plates clattering was distracting, especially when a plate dropped, shattering on a rock. The large beast didn't even bat an eye. Knox was grateful for the horse standing there. He knew that the animal would take care of Arno, but he had always been hesitant about putting other riders in Orega. The horse, after all, was a horse, and like all horses he was a 1300 pound prey animal with a mind of his own. He was a kind beast, but a beast nonetheless. “If you would prefer,” Knox said, taking hold of the reins, “You can walk back. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do.” His smile was small, but it was still there, lighting up his eyes, watching his horse interact with the Prince. He could hear a faint “Hurry up!” From Ange. That was his cue he supposed. “Do you want a leg?” He asked, dropping the reins and coming around the side to help him. “Orega is quite tall, but,” He paused to take Arno's hand, “If you gather your reins in his hand and grab the pommel of your saddle with this one, lift your left foot for me, thank you.” He said, gently guiding the man's foot towards the stirrup. “If you can't hoist yourself up, I'll give you a leg.” The knight said warmly. The warm, woodland smell that always clung to Arno wrapped itself around Knox, almost like a warm hug. He gazed up at Arno on the grey horse, smiling at him. “That wasn't too bad, was it?” He asked, patting the thick neck. The horse looked back at his rider, nickering at him, large brown eyes blinking as he did so, nudging the foot. This wasn't his normal rider. The gears turned in his head as he nudged the knight's hand. This was new. Both of his ears flicked back, listening to the rider. He was clearly nervous, so the beast dropped his head, gave him a large sigh and slowly began to walk back towards the others, grabbing the tall grass as he passed. “Are you alright up there?” Knox asked, pulling a seed off of his cape, walking next to the horse and rider pair. His gaze met Arnos, holding it for a moment before it dropped to his hand, crushing it in his palm. “I beg of you to not fall out of a window on the last portion of this trip.” Knox said softly as they approached the nearly completely cleaned up area where the camp had been established. “It would be a shame if you got hurt and our adventure had to end early.” His voice was soft, carrying away from Ange in the breeze. The knight wasn't sure how much longer they had, and he wasn't looking forward to the rest of the ride in the wind, but that was his job. He wouldn't complain about it, and instead he'd take it with strife. That was how a peasant managed to get this far in the standings. He made sure that Arno safely made it off of Orega before he started to get the men ready. “Have we checked the wheels?” His stern voice, the complete opposite of the tone he'd just given to Arno, carried through the disassembled camp. “Why are you just sitting there?” He asked a young guard as Knox helped restock the luggage. “This should be done by now.” He reprimanded his crew, taking a heavier bag from another young man that was struggling. “I have this, get to your post.” He told him, his tone kinder to the young man, patting him on the back, “Thank you for your help.” The last thing that Knox did was to kick dirt on the smoldering pits, ensuring that there were rock rings around them. A wildfire was that last thing that this group needed. The man looked around for his horse, spotting him not too far off. He collected the horse, and hauled himself up to the beast's back. He turned him, watching the carriages depart. His gaze turned to the sky, watching a falcon circle overhead twice before going off again. With that, he and his faithful horse fell into line at the end, watching the carriages bounce around on the rocky dirt paths that laid ahead. What else would this trip have in store? That couldn't be said, but hopefully it would be a quiet trip. Knox patted his leg, stopping his horse. His sword… he'd left it behind at his lunch spot. “I will be back.” He called up to the coachman, “I've left my sword behind I fear!” He said, turning his horse, and nudging him into a canter away from the very man he was to be protecting. The horses' hooves hit the path, leaving a dust trail behind them. They slowed as they entered the field. Knox was scanning the grounds, and jumped off upon seeing it hidden in the grass. His heart relaxed as he picked it up, putting it back in its scabbard at his hip. That could have been bad. He got back on his steed. It was comfortable to have the weight back of his sword with its engraved handle. The pair walked back through the field, picking up a canter back towards the group. Knox's short hair blew back in the wind, keeping it from dancing in his line of vision. The rhythmic sound of the horse's hoof beats and breaths paired nicely with the wind that rushed by his ear. There was nothing like the fresh air that was offered out here. He slowed to a trot as they came back to their spot. He saw the coachman give him a small wave. Knox returned the favor with a nod. It was time to zone out for the rest of the trip for the day, scanning the area for any threats that may put the Prince in danger. |
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Summer Month: 2 
Day 
Heavy Rain
