The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

“Those are all fair points,” Arquis admitted, exhaling softly. “Alright. Alright, let me think. There is an inn that my father and I used to stay at when I was younger. It is around a full day’s travel from the village and is in a slightly secluded location, both of which would make it a rather decent place to stay.”

A beat passed. He fiddled with his glove and bit his bottom lip. This next part wasn’t something he liked to discuss, but he supposed it was necessary.

“My father used to go there with women, so Muria does not know about it. Nobody does, really. On the off chance that someone there did recognize me from all those years ago, well, we would not have to worry about it. There is a strict privacy policy there. Nobody is allowed in without swearing to secrecy first.” He made a weird noise in the back of his throat. “That sounds as if I am taking you somewhere, ah, perverse. It is a rather normal place. The secrecy rule is because of the whole affair thing, but not everyone there is intimately involved. Some just like the privacy.”

Rin nodded slightly. "I am the product of an affair, Arquis, I really couldn't care less about your father's proclivities." They replied. "And, how long do your sisters want us gone?" He ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully, studying Arquis as they spoke. "The inn could work, then. Especially with the secrecy oaths."

Arquis’s eyes widened; he hoped he hadn’t offended them. “I did not mean to imply that there was anything wrong with affairs. I mean, there is, but- not, ah, not- I-“ He buried his face in his hands and tried not to die of humiliation. When he finally lifted his head, his cheeks were a brilliant shade of red, and there were tiny imprints by his nose from his gloves.

“My apologies. Ah, about what else you said, I am not exactly sure. Quirisa said it would just be for a bit. Let me try to walk through a schedule. I imagine it would take until approximately lunch tomorrow for anyone to notice my disappearance. It would not be a big deal, at least not at first. Authorities would only be alerted after a few hours, which would be at around dinner time. They likely would not ride out to the Palace until the next morning. That would be a little over a full day after our departure tonight.

“Quirisa sounded as if she wished to expose Muria’s plan rather soon, but I imagine the full investigation would take at least a week. Possibly even two. I have more than enough funds to last us a month if necessary. I do not, however, think it will take that long.”

Rin waved a hand. "It's fine, I was not offended." They said easily. "It takes much worse than the mere mention of affairs and them being bad to offend me. Trust me, I am well aware that affairs– and bastard children –are not ideal in any way, shape, or form. I am not offended by that, as it is a correct thing. I just…the child of the affair is never at fault and should not be punished for it. That's the only thing that I really care about." He cleared their throat faintly, not wanting to remain on this topic. "So we would be staying there for two or three weeks, then? Perhaps?"

Arquis nodded. His next words were quite gentle. “Before moving on, I must state that I agree with what you said. The adults responsible for the affair are blameworthy, but the children are most certainly not. I would never hope to imply otherwise.”

“Now, as for the plan, that is correct. I believe that we should prepare for anywhere from one to three weeks. They will have food and most of the basic supplies there, and I remember there being a small shop run by the innkeeper if we need something urgently. With the exception of clothing and currency, I should be able to pack relatively light.”

He attempted to stand, though his legs were still rather weak. They trembled as he pushed himself up. He stumbled forward to the nearest counter to right himself.

“We do not want to cause much gossip, so you should stay in here until it is almost time to leave.” He was speaking in a strained way, as if the simple act of standing was tiring. “I will ask Marsiquia to fetch your bags, if that is alright.”

Rin thought about that for a moment, then nodded. They stood as well, reaching out a hand to help steady Arquis. "Yes, that is fine. If she could fetch my lute as well? I do not want to leave it here." he had had it for a few years now, and while he could certainly buy a new one if he needed to, they were…emotionally attached to this one, by virtue of having had it for so long.

“Of course. I would not have you leave something so important behind. Also, a bard leaving without their lute would be very suspicious.”

When he went to check on Marsiquia and Quirisa, he was surprised to find them bustling about. Quirisa was rapidly folding clothes and shoving them into a suitcase. He had no clue where she’d gotten it, but he was glad that it wasn’t one of his. She was packing things in so aggressively that he thought it might tear. Marsiquia had already brought Rin’s belongings in, and she was carefully setting them on the bed. She smiled at her brother as he emerged from the washroom. He filled them in on the updated plan, and they stopped to listen.

“That sounds perfect! I had figured that the Bard would want their stuff in here, so I already went ahead to get it all,” Marsiquia chirped.

“Yeah, that plan works. Oh, and by the way, I’ve got you a gift,” Quirisa announced, striding forward. She dropped a pair of silver rings into her brother’s palm. One was thin and made of elegant twists that curled around a sapphire. The other was slightly thicker and woven with tiny, glittering diamonds.

“What are these?” he asked, almost at a loss for words.

“Wedding rings!” She seemed all too pleased about this fact. “If you two still wanna act like a couple, you’ve gotta dress the part. Thought this would be a good idea. Don’t worry, I didn’t steal them.”

“Oh. Yes. Right. I forgot that we discussed… well.” He awkwardly held his hand out to Rinlos. “It is still a good disguise, at least for the first branch of the plan. When the authorities eventually come to investigate the citizens of the first village, they will ask around about a weak man either on his own or being dragged along by a stranger. They will not think to ask for a newly engaged couple. It will throw them off of our trail.”

Rin walked with Arquis, sticking close in case the nobleman stumbled and fell. At the sight of the wedding rings, they raised their eyebrows faintly. "Which ring am I to wear?" they questioned, eyes flickering from Arquis to Quirisa and back to Arquis again. He didn't mind the charade, so long as no boundaries were overstepped.

“Whichever you would prefer,” Arquis replied. His heart skipped a beat when he met their eyes. The marriage was a scheme, but he found that it didn’t matter. Spending more time with him was all that he had really wanted in the first place, and now he had—through albeit complicated circumstances—gotten his wish. “Though the diamond one pairs well with your eyes.”

“Wow. That’s- wow.” Quirisa snorted and went back to her packing. She mouthed something to Marsiquia, who hid a laugh.

Rin shrugged a shoulder, taking the diamond one. "I'll take care not to lose it." they said, sliding it onto their ring finger with a quiet laugh. Then they paused, looking at Arquis uncertainly. "What about you? The…well, gloves don't always mesh well with rings." his gaze flickered down to Arquis's gloved hands, then back up to meet his eyes again. "You could wear it on a chain around your neck; I have seen people do that, especially when they work with their hands a lot and do not wish the ring to be damaged by their work. You could wear it underneath, but then no one would see it. Over the gloves would only look…not right."

“Or he could just take the damn things off,” Quirisa interjected. She wadded up a scarf and punched it down into the suitcase. “Not sure what the big deal is with them. You didn’t wear them when we were kids. Are they, like, a thing about Dad? A, uh, what’s the word- the death thing, like something you use to remember someone-“

“A memento?” Marsiquia provided helpfully.

“Yeah. Are they that sorta thing?”

“Not everything has to mean something. Perhaps I just enjoy the look of gloves,” he said sarcastically, being unusually short with her.

“Fine, whatever. Just wear the ring around your neck, like the bard said.” She rummaged in her pockets for a second, pulled out a necklace, yanked the medallion off it, and tossed him the chain. He slipped it through the center of the ring and did the clasp. He wouldn’t put it on until they left that night in case anyone saw.

Rin slipped his own ring off and into a pocket; they had just wanted to double-check that it fit. It did, so there was no need to wear it any longer. He gave Arquis a quick smile, trying to reassure the nobleman that the gloves did not matter to them. "Well. Now that that's taken care of, what's next?"

Arquis leant up against the frame of the door. He was both tired and exhilarated; he had not thought himself brave enough to scheme against Muria. Then again, he supposed he wasn’t really the one doing the scheming. He had been prepared to lay down and die. It was mostly his sisters and Rinlos that had supported him, and he was grateful to them, if not still a little upset at their involvement.

“I can’t stay in here for too long,” Quirisa said. “It’ll look suspicious if we’re all missing at the same time, so I’ll head out when I’m done packing for you, Arquis. It’ll only take a minute. Marsi and I already kinda went over what you guys will need. We’ll just have to add a few extra things now that we know you’ll be gone for a few weeks.”

“Mostly small things,” Marsiquia clarified, “like extra socks and more of your clothes. You’ll only have to take two suitcases, which shouldn’t be too heavy. We don’t want you to wear you out too quickly.”

“And after that’s done, Marsiquia’s gonna go have lunch with Carsui.”

“I won’t tell him anything, I promise. But people seeing the two of us together will be good. It’ll eliminate any rumors that might spread about sibling involvement.”

“And I’ll start a different rumor that the bard departed from the Palace this morning after leaving Arquis’s room. That way, people won’t connect your disappearances.” Quirisa propped her hands on her hips and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “That means you’ll have to hide if anyone comes in, Bard, which shouldn’t be a problem. The staff kinda knows to leave Arquis alone to rest. The only people that should be coming in and out are us. Or Muria. But if she comes in, you can go out onto the balcony and close the curtains behind you. She doesn’t like the cold, so she shouldn’t go outside.”

Rin nodded slightly, taking in what they were all planning. "I see." he replied. "This should work out, then. Just how, precisely, are you expecting this to work, though? That has not been entirely clear to me, though I could just be missing something." their Kevran accent was always audible each time they spoke, crisp and clear in the way that they carefully spoke each word, not wanting to mangle the words of the language.

Quirisa bounced her knuckles against her chin, thinking. “I’ll come up at a little before midnight to fill your coats with the hot water bottles, and then we’ll sneak you guys out of here. Shouldn’t be too hard. You’ll use a waterproof map and Arquis’s knowledge of the land to make your way to the first village, where you’ll pay to rest in a hotel of some kind. You guys can decide what time tomorrow you wanna leave from there, and you’ll take a shared carriage out to whichever location is closest to the inn. Then you’ll hop out and walk. When you make it there, you’ll pay in advance for about two weeks. Really play up the couple dynamic at the inn. If it’s a secretive place, that might be your ticket to blending in.”

Arquis had left out the part about the affairs for Marsiquia’s sake, but it seemed Quirisa had caught on nonetheless. He moved his thumb around the ridge of the ring. What precisely the couple dynamic was would be interesting. He didn’t want to cross any lines with Rinlos; they’d have to discuss it in private at some point during the excursion.

“We will take care of all the authorities related matters and stay out of Muria’s way,” Marsiquia added. “She would not dare hurt either of us while an investigation was occurring—she is far too clever for that—but until they arrive in about two days’ time I think Quirisa and I will stick together. Muria cannot harm us if we are with Carsui and my friends.”

“Is that all clear?” Quirisa asked Rinlos. “There needs to be a little room for improv just in case things get messy, but I feel like the plan is still pretty solid.”

"Works for me." Rin agreed calmly, dipping their head in a quick nod. They glanced over at Arquis, knowing they would need to discuss just what each of them was comfortable doing in public; behind closed doors, nothing needed to change, but in public, to play up that aspect, they would need to discuss boundaries and such. Rin did not want to overstep Arquis's boundaries or needs.

“Alright, well, good. We’re gonna get out of here, then. Arquis, you can pack extra junk if you need to, but I’ve got most of it done.”

“Thank you,” he said honestly.

“Yeah, yeah. Thank me when this all works out.” Quirisa gestured to Marsiquia. “C’mon, let’s give the newlyweds some space. I’ll walk you to Carsui’s room.”

“Be safe! I’ll come by later to check on you!” Marsiquia called as her sister dragged her out. Then they were gone, and Arquis and Rinlos were alone once more.

Arquis smiled shyly at Rin before limping over to his bed, where he settled next to his two suitcases. He began to take everything out to fold it; Quirisa had just crammed everything inside. She had packed all of the clothes and supplies that he needed, though, so he had to give her credit for that.

Once Quirisa and Marsiquia were gone, Rin moved over to sit on the bed, looking over at Arquis. "So. We should have a discussion about what we're comfortable with doing in public." they said slowly. "If we're to masquerade as a couple, we…need to figure that out." he ran his hands through his hair, studying Arquis.

Arquis stopped folding and instead tried to gauge their feelings about the plan. Were they upset at the idea? He had to admit that he was a bit uncomfortable with it himself. Not because he didn’t want to do such things with Rinlos, but rather that he didn’t want them to feel pressured into it out of necessity.

“Well, I suppose I should start by asking what you personally would be alright with doing,” he responded, attempting to ignore the blush creeping up his neck. He started to rearrange clothes again just to have something to do with his hands. “Do you have any major boundaries or triggers? We do not have to go very far in our displays, but if there is anything that would be harmful to you, such as a certain pet name or gesture, I would like to know about it.”

They cleared their throat faintly, thinking about that. "I…the pet names that, ah, that would upset me are in Kevran, which you are unlikely to be using, so I don't think it matters. Just don't…rest your hand on my thigh without warning. I know it's…I know it seems very specific, but just…don't." they looked away for a moment. "And what about yourself?"

(happy 500 messages! :D)

“You have my word, Rin. I will not do such a thing,” Arquis murmured in response to the trigger. He did not ask any further questions; Rin did not seem as if he wanted to talk about it, and he would not force them to do so.

“As for myself, I am quite fine with anything.” His false smile dropped after just a second, and he looked away, embarrassed. “Well. I suppose that is not exactly true. My hands, I… I would ask that you not take the gloves off again. I do not blame you for the first time, but… I do not like to look at…” He realized he was clutching a shirt so hard that it was actually about to rip. His grip relaxed.

“Anyways. What about, ah, public displays? I still feel that we should not go too far.”

(:D)

"I won't." Rin said softly. "I only did it because it was necessary to save your life; otherwise I would never have overstepped your boundaries like that, Arquis." he looked at Arquis quietly, trying to convey their sincerity. "As for public displays, hand-holding is…well, essentially a requirement. Anything beyond that is…optional but recommended? Cheek kisses would likely help to uphold the image, but if that would make you uncomfortable, then we will not."

“Hand-holding is alright.” He hoped he didn’t look as flushed as he felt, but he imagined he was outrageously pink. “I am not sure about the, ah, other thing. It is not that I am uncomfortable with it, exactly, but that I have not done it before.”

To admit that he hadn’t ever kissed anyone, even on the cheek, at age twenty-one was extremely embarrassing. He had had a girlfriend before the death of his father, but she had been uncomfortable with physical displays of affection. The furthest they had ever gotten was hugging and occasionally sitting next to one another. He wasn’t surprised to find that he didn’t miss her much. She had never been a very good fit, as she had spent a lot of time bickering with Quirisa.

Frustration flared up within him. He felt pathetic for wanting the contact, for craving even a simple kiss on the cheek. He supposed that was his own fault. Turning down possible suitors and maintaining one’s distance didn’t exactly result in a lot of contact. That was why he was so starved for it.

His mind drifted to the previous night in bed with Rin, and he had to fight back the memory. That had not been on purpose. That meant nothing about how they viewed him, nor what he was comfortable with.

Rin nodded slightly. "I understand." he said softly. "We do not have to do those, then. I would not want to take the first from you." they knew that first kisses of any sort were seen as special, much of the time. His own had been with Lysander; all his firsts had, and he didn't look back on them with any sort of love or favor. But they knew that for Arquis, those might still be something special that he wanted to save for someone that mattered.

His next words flooded out in an uncertain rush. “No, no, we could. If you think that it would help—if it would make it more authentic—then we could. I do not mind. Unless you do, of course.”

He fiddled with the clasp of one of the suitcases after he was finished with filling it. The sides of it bulged out slightly from the amount of stuff it held. He was bringing enough clothes to last seven days; he would wash them or buy more if he had to, but any more than that would be too much to carry. There was also an extra coat, plenty of socks and necessary garments, several pairs of gloves, a pack of hygienic supplies, and a case of medicines. Someone, most likely Marsiquia, had also put in his nebulizer and a few scarfs to wear over his face. He was almost as glad for that as he was the money that was divided up between the suitcases, which would be extremely important to their journey.

They cleared their throat softly. "It is only that first kisses are generally seen as something special, and I would not want to…to take that occasion from you." he said, looking at Arquis quietly. "If you wanted to save it for someone you actually cared about in that way, then I would not be angry with you. I personally don't mind one way or the other."

He smiled at them, his expression glowing with appreciation. “Well, I am a little past the age in which first kisses are idolized,” he joked gently, “but I do thank you for your thoughtfulness. I only hesitated beforehand because I was not sure if my lack of experience would bother you. I would not want to make you feel uncomfortable with the situation in any way.”

Something soft and genuine flickered through his eyes, and his smile widened. “You would not be taking anything from me, Rin. I promise.”

Rin shook their head. "Experience or lack thereof does not bother me." they smiled softly in return, looking over at Arquis. "As I said, the situation does not bother me. Only the thing I mentioned earlier, really."

“If we are both alright with it, then I suppose we could try it out,” he replied. He had the sudden urge to do it right then and there, just lean forward and press a kiss to their forehead or cheek, but resisted. It was for public display, after all. They were not actually personally involved with one another.

He broke his eye contact with him and gently tucked the suitcases away under his bed, just out of sight. It would look suspicious if anyone saw him packing. Though, he did doubt that anybody would come in, even Muria. She only visited when she felt she had to, and she was smart enough to know that she couldn’t risk harming him in the next few days without drawing suspicion from the public.

When he straightened up, he asked, “The plan seems to be mostly settled. It has been quite the day already. Is there anything that you desire or wish to do while we wait for nightfall? We have plenty of time before then.”

He stretched a little bit, running his hands through their hair again. "It is settled, yes." they said, checking the time. "I…had been planning to bathe, but your sister did not give me that time." he left out a quiet laugh. "So that would probably be an ideal thing to happen, at some point, before we leave."