|
|
Post by eragon on Jan 2, 2020 1:56:59 GMT
Sebastian heard Alaric at the door just before it began to open. He didn't need to see Evolet's wild gesture to know that he needed to hide; as Seb had pointed out, he didn't doubt that Alaric would hand him over to the Raevaryn king, or worse. He scrambled under the bed, the nearest hiding space since the small couch was right in front of it, and held still, hoping he hadn't been noticed and cursing their carelessness. They should have locked the door.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 3, 2020 1:42:26 GMT
Alaric opened the door and came face to face with a panicked looking Evolet. His concerned gaze quickly turned stern as he stepped into the bedroom and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, scanning the large quarters. He usually didn't carry a weapon on him, but under these circumstances he'd considered it necessary, "Are you okay? What's going on?" he questioned his daughter, pacing into the middle of the room. He couldn't see anything right away, but he could sense his daughter's restlessness over his sudden appearance.
|
|
|
|
Post by Elvander on Jan 3, 2020 1:52:52 GMT
"E-everything's fine, father. You just startled me. I was crying, and I didn't want you to see," She confessed, telling a half-truth. Indeed, the princess' pale blue eyes were red and puffy from her tears, as was the tip of her nose. She looked in to be disheveled as well. A light breeze blew in from the open window where Sebastian had climbed in, rustling Evolet's tangled hair. She watched the king closely, her heart beating fast. If he could Sebastian in here, what would he think? No one would really believe that she and Seb were just friends. Men and women did not sneak around together after dark unless they were making love. In Evolet's case, she knew that would be impossible, but for everyone else, it wouldn't come across like that. And not to mention the scandal that would ensue if people thought that the princess was shacking up with the brother of the wolf man. "Do you need something, Father? Are you all right?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 3, 2020 2:46:50 GMT
As she spoke, Alaric's gaze drifted toward the open window and his suspicion grew exponentially. He remembered making a point of locking all of her windows when he'd brought her to her room the previous night. He strode quickly to the window and closed it, locking it and turning to Evolet with a stressed look in his eyes, "I've come to check on you. You mustn't hide your tears from me," he insisted.
Though he wanted to soothe her, he couldn't shake the gnawing intuition that something was not right, "Evolet. I need you to be very honest with me. Has someone come to see you?" he asked her, stepping forward so that his boots landed dangerously close to the end of the bed where Sebastian was hiding, "I need to know that you are safe,"
|
|
|
|
Post by Elvander on Jan 3, 2020 3:12:42 GMT
Evolet didn't make it a habit of lying to her father. But his demeanor right now... it was scaring her. She had grown so used to seeing him as a depressed shell of a man. He seemed alive now but... in an unsettling sort of way. "I'm safe, father. I promise." Evolet approached her father and laid a hand on his arm. Her crow, Tristis, watched the exchange and ruffled his feathers, but gave nothing away. She couldn't give up Sebastian... but she wanted to trust her dad. "I did have someone visit me, but they left. They just wanted to check on me, the same as you." She tried a half-truth, wanting to appease her father. He always seemed to be able to tell when she was fibbing anyway.
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Jan 3, 2020 4:00:57 GMT
Seb winced involuntarily as Alaric's boot stomped down just a few inches from his face. The ruffled skirt around Evolet's bed concealed him from view well though; unless someone lifted it, it was unlikely they would see him. He felt a bit guilty, both for unintentionally eavesdropping on their conversation and for putting Evolet in a position where she either had to lie to her father or expose her friend and degrade her honor further than the events of the wedding already had.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 3, 2020 22:30:15 GMT
Rather than appeasing him, Evolet's admission only made him more weary. Alaric stared at her disapprovingly, sensing that his daughter was keeping something from him, "Who?" he demanded to know, his tone quiet but laced with authority, "Evolet, I do not mean to break your trust or intrude upon your privacy, but you must understand the gravity of this situation. Precautions must be taken. You have to trust me."
A pained look entered his eyes and he struggled to maintain eye contact with her, "I will not lose you, too,"
|
|
|
|
Post by Elvander on Jan 4, 2020 21:59:34 GMT
Evolet bit her lower lip, still struggling with the decision. “His name is Seb. Don’t be angry with me, father. Please. I’ve lost too many friends to lose another,” she pleaded, her head beating fast. As long as Alaric didn’t search the room, Sebastian would be safe.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 6, 2020 3:05:14 GMT
Alaric's eyes closed, as though to conceal his frustration with her. He took a deep breath to calm himself and sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing his hands over his face in exasperation, "Sebastian Van Dam," he concluded. Of course he knew everything about the family; everything except the werewolf detail. He finally looked up at her again, a disapproving frown marring his face, "I'm not angry with you. I'm worried about you. Please, distance yourself from the boy. That family is nothing but trouble. If I find him here again, he will be arrested. I'm sorry, Evolet," he said with finality.
|
|
|
|
Post by Elvander on Jan 7, 2020 4:39:39 GMT
"Don't!" She raised her voice at her father and winced, but didn't take it back. "He's not a bad person, father. He's not like Wolfgang. Sebastian is my friend and I will never forgive you if you take him away from me too!" She couldn't help it. The princess could no longer be demure. Everything was being taken from her, one piece of her heart at a time. Her mother, Arabella, Poppy, Wolfgang, and now Sebastian. She would not stand for it. "I think if you knew him, you would see that he's no threat to us. We should be offering him shelter, not tossing him aside!" Her eyes flashed defiantly and she raised her chin up, looking very much in that moment like her mother.
|
|
|
|
Post by eragon on Jan 7, 2020 4:56:37 GMT
Sebastian felt the bed dip down slightly as Alaric sat down on it, and he did his best to quiet his breathing and squish closer to the floor. He wasn't surprised by Alaric's words; after all, he had been the one to point out to Evolet that her father wouldn't trust him like she did. Nonetheless, it still stung. Seb hoped the king would think nothing of Evolet's startled exclamation as he sat down and would listen to the rest of what his daughter said instead. It did make him feel better, knowing that he had at least one person on his side, one person who wouldn't judge him for what had happened.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 7, 2020 5:41:13 GMT
Alaric's eyes hardened as she raised her voice at him, too wound up to notice her objection to his choice of seat. He stood up again, feeling his heart wrench at the sight of her: a perfect semblance of her mother. Unfortunately for Evolet, he'd spent most of his life learning to hold his own against his wife's defiant nature, "We were all fooled by Wolfgang. Forgive me if I don't welcome his brother into my home with open arms!" he yelled back, uncharacteristically raising his voice at her, "You are my responsibility. This kingdom is my responsibility. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, until the day that I die," he asserted, clearly not budging on his decision. He strode toward the door, "One day, you'll thank me,"
|
|
|
|
Post by Elvander on Jan 7, 2020 17:27:52 GMT
“No I won’t!” She shouted back at him as he began to stride away. But she could breathe easier as he moved toward the door. “I will never learn to rule if you insist on treating me like a child.” She turned her back on him, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for the slamming of the door. She hadn’t fought with Alaric in a really long time. Somehow, it felt better than the fragile sorrow between them.
|
|
|
|
Post by Val on Jan 8, 2020 2:35:06 GMT
Alaric stood in the doorway and faced her, fuming as he scanned the room one last time before focusing on her, "If you keep acting like a child, you will continue to be treated like a child. Consider this another lesson in ruling." He turned and slammed the door shut behind him, storming down the hall toward the lingering guards, "I want this castle searched from top to bottom, starting with my daughter's room," he demanded, before disappearing to his chambers.
|
|
|
|
Post by Elvander on Jan 9, 2020 19:22:45 GMT
She breathed out as Alaric left, and knelt to peek under the bed. “You can come out now,” she whispered, feeling weak and exhausted after the argument with her father, and a little embarrassed that he’d heard all that. She was unaware that outside her doors, guards were organizing to enter and complete a search.
|
|
