"Ah. I recognize Snapdragon flowers here, from my home. And Twizzle Twist vines." He touched one of the leaves gently, looking over the gardens with a smile. "I do hope you come to Obdin some day. I'm not sure if you'd like it, but. I still hope you go."
I'm sure I'll end up there for a meeting or something one day. Marius headed into the flower garden and looked around with a soft hum, brushing his fingers gently along the flowers' petals. I'll have to do even more of those when I'm king.
"Yeah I know. But I'll always be there by your side as an advisor. I'm the eldest male in the family so that's why I'm Marianna's advisor. Crystal never married as you know. Some think she never will." He shrugged and suddenly gasped. "Oh! Marigolds! My favorite." He said as he rode over and got off his horse, and picked a few. He stuck them in his hair and he got back on his horse. "Don't judge me. They're gorgeous."
Hmm. I like lilies myself. All the rare flowers in here and they're still my favorite… Marius plucked a lily from its bush and gently stuck it behind his ear. I spend more time in this place than you'd think. I like being outside, but I don't like the market.
"I guess I'm just used to being forced to be extroverted. And you well, you're used to your own space. I do apologize." He smiled, already making a mental note about the lilies. "Where too next then, my dear prince?" He asked, looking over at Marius.
Mm… we can go to the normal gardens, if you'd like. Vegetables and the like. Marius turned his pony around and headed out of the flower garden, the lily still behind his ear.
Evan nodded and followed him. "Have you ever gone dragon riding?" He asked suddenly, looking over at Darius.
Yes. Once, when I was younger, and then never again. Marius tightened his grip on his pony's reins. I ended up getting hurt and never tried it again.
He nodded gently. "I love dragon riding. We actually have a sport in Obdin called Dragonball. It's a mixture of sports, but of course you have to be specially trained in riding. Me and Evelyn play all the time. Maybe. If you trust me. I could take you again. I'd take you on the oldest and gentlest dragon we have, Scarlet. I promise that if we somehow fell off, I'd hit the ground instead of you."
I don't know. Maybe. I'll consider it. Marius sighed and continued on until they reached the gardens. Here's where we grow our vegetables and such. I assume they taste good, but I wouldn't know.
"Hm. That is a little sad, I am sort of a foodie myself." He said with a blush,as he continued to ride. Princess began to graze as he looked over the gardens. "It really is beautiful. Thank you for taking me."
Mhmm. Marius continued on. The vegetable gardens weren't particularly pretty anyway. Soon, they came up to a giant farm on the side with a large silo beside it, presumably full of grain and such.
Evan looked over the lands slowly. "Do you have any livestock?" He asked gently as he lead his horse along. "Your lands sure are large. Which really isn't too surprising but still. My home lands aren't this big." He mused quietly to himself as he went along, humming softly.
Yes, we have livestock. We just keep it away from the food so they don't destroy it. Marius glanced around as he continued on, adjusting his grip on the reins. We can go see them if you'd like.
"I'm alright. I've seen enough cows and sheep on my travels. We should go find a good picnic spot for tonight while we're out riding." He said with a sly smile, chuckling a bit as he rode along, as if this was his whole reason for going riding. And in fact it was. He was clever like that.
Alright. Marius turned away from the farms and led Evan over to a mountain, where he slipped off of his pony and started walking towards a nearby cave.
Evan tied his pony up to a tree and followed after Marius, smiling. "A cave? Are you sure we aren't disturbing bears or anything?" He asked curiously as he followed. His hand smacked against Marius's a few times before he finally just took Marius's hand and held it gently. If he wanted to pull away at any time he could, Evan wouldn't stop him.
There's no bears in here, I assure you. Marius climbed up into the cave with a soft huff and wandered in. After a couple of minutes of walking, the pathway opened up into a cave filled with shimmering crystals.
"Oh wow…" His eyes glimmered as he looked around, slowly turning around. He squeezed Marius's hand tightly, just for a moment before loosening his grip. "This is beautiful." He said in pure awe, unable to stop his head from swiveling around and around, constantly turning just trying to take it all in. (Aha they should bang in a cave)
(Lmao they could)
I come here pretty often when I'm not in the star tower or the flower garden. Marius sat down beside a small pond in the center of the cave, running his fingers through it lightly to distort the images of the crystals.
(Do not forget Evan is holding Marius's hand. I am surprised Marius hasn't reacted yet.) Evan followed in tow, and sat down next to him, watching Marius with a smile. "Hmm. Might get a little too cold at night though. We should make sure to bring extra blankets and pillows in case we fall asleep after the picnic." He said with a nod, resting his head lightly on Marius's shoulder.
(Ehhhh but does he really care lol)
Yeah, it gets cold here. Marius kept toying with the water with a soft hum, his tail swaying behind him a bit. I'm sure we can find some thick blankets to bring with us. The floor isn't very comfortable.
He nodded. "Indeed, and we only can create so much warmth. This cave really is beautiful but I can only imagine how dark it gets too. We'll have to remember extra lanterns." He got up. "Should we get going or would you like to stay here a bit?"
Mm… I like it here, but we should probably get going. Marius sighed and got to his feet, leading Evan back out of the cave. There's a forest over there, but it's really easy to get lost in, so we'll avoid it.
Evan nodded as he just let Marius tow him along back to where their horses were. He let go of Marius and got onto Princess. "Where too next then, tour guide?" He said this in teasing tones with a smile.
Marius rolled his eyes and hopped up onto his pony. I'll just bring you to the nearest thing. He led Evan along until they reached a large expanse of land with lots of seating, a large pond, flowers, and an elegant gazebo.
Evan looked around. "This place looks like where we'd sneak off to kiss when Marianna is getting to be too much." He said this a bit shyly, with a bit of a chuckle. He began to speed up just a bit ahead of Marius before he got a chance to respond.
Marius flushed a bit at the comment, looking away. Uhm… I guess so? He replied awkwardly. What was he supposed to say to that? He dug his heels into his pony's sides to catch back up to Evan's horse.
Evan decided to give chase as an open field opened up before them. "CMON GIRL!" He dug his heels harder into her sides, watching her take off at a run and speed off, wild as the wind. Her hooves thudded against the ground as Evan shot up, now way ahead.
Marius dug his heels into his pony's sides as well and it darted off after Evan's horse. He couldn't yell at his pony, of course, but it had learned to follow his nonverbal commands anyway.
