Rulers of Veistanlu

Two Greatest Allies

Grand Knight Renjiro was not at all happy.

He was taken aback by Prince Alvar's magnificent entrance, which saw him arrive out of nowhere and prove Sir Braun wrong in such an over-the-top manner while maintaining his calm serenity and elegance. He was not at all expecting to see the charming Prince by the front gates, presuming that he had snuck out, causing him to decide to rebuke the Prince.

Of course, Prince Alvar was too astounding that he couldn’t do it.

As the Prince left, he had observed the long-haired Onyx staring at the flows of the Prince’s robe when he had walked back into his workplace. Renjiro, grinding his white teeth, cleared his throat, raspy enough to bring a pair of lost green eyes to his golden armor.

"Not only do you have unpleasant manners, but you also have a very unnerving demeanor!" Renjiro had exclaimed, his tone clear and solemn. Onyx's behavior appeared to be familiar to him— a tiny tremor between his lips and fingers, low heavy eyebrows, uneven rise and fall of chest— moves that he had mistaken for those of a fleeing criminal.

Onyx had not answered; instead, a foot pointed outwards, indicating that his body should turn around and leave. Renjro, who had the legal authority to stop him, reached out to grab him, but Onyx's reflexes were so quick that he was able to wrench himself away. 

While the Prince expected his Grand Knight to merely chastise Onyx, he had no idea that his mouth had begun interrogating him.

"Are you being chased by my chivalries?" Renjiro asked with a softer voice than his usual loud one, his wariness rose every second of silence that Onyx offered. The long-haired appeared to be having a debate inside the palace of his mind, knuckles tensing.

Finally, it appeared like Onyx, irritability smeared on his face, had selected his answer as he muttered, "Find it out yourself."

Onyx scurried away from the palace before Renjiro could snap his responses against him. "What an extremely dubious guy!"

During his eight years as a Knight pledged to Prince Alvar's command, he had much too many encounters with criminals. Despite Onyx displaying suspicious behavior, Renjiro couldn’t bring himself to take him down because he believed that Onyx was innocent, leaving him standing in the zephyr, motionless.

He asked himself, "But what could cause that ill-mannered guy his distress?" He doesn't follow every event with his nose; nevertheless, because the Prince was involved in previous events with the peasant, he would like to do a background check even if it wasn't his duty.

And then there's Cal Portia.

She hastily ran past the Knights by the palace, multiple minutes after Onyx's disappearance. Those Knights had ordered her to come to a halt, or they were about to engage in hostility. But all that was on Renjiro's mind was that she might withhold the answers he had been searching while dismantling the knocked out Braun and the two bystanders to be fired, as well as taking over the butler registry, which had become a shambles without him.

His mind still prioritizes Prince Alvar, of course.

"Good Sirs, keep in the lead since it may be a way of decreasing our guards in preparation for another assassination attempt!" Renjiro hurried after the woman that ran in the palace's main entrance, ordering the three Knights he had just deployed to protect the gates. "I'll take care of the lady!"

The events that followed his unprecedented day were perplexing to him, and he admitted to himself— naturally, he didn't want to make a poor impression in front of the Prince— that he knew nothing about the peerage, as he was more knowledgeable about all Knights of Veistanlu.

Renjiro was irritated by the possibility that the Prince would develop a strong attachment to Onyx, leading him to protect him despite Lady Cal's harsh charges. When blue eyes pierced the depths of his soul, it appeared as if a palm smothered his mouth, refraining a word of his to be heard, to be known. Prince Alvar had wielded incredible control over him to not say a word about Onyx.

Earlier, Renjiro couldn’t bring himself to take him down because he believed that Onyx was innocent, and he was correct, since Prince Alvar proved not only Sir Braun, but also the Grand Knight to be wrong. All it took was a file containing Lady Cal Portia's heinous records. Renjiro's jaw was tightened; he wanted to strangle himself and labor nonstop for the next twenty-four hours to forget about the negative things he had thought about the Prince, doubting His Majesty’s ability to avoid laying personal feelings on such a large matter.

Stupid, the Prince never did that for the years you’ve been loyal to him, he scolded his mind, and he will never do!

But, just as he felt things couldn't get any better, he couldn't believe a peasant could devise such a clever scheme. Placing a letter in a disguised present, causing a commotion by utilizing his rank as a serf who had been denied permission to enter the butler registry in order to attract higher authorities, the letter comparable to a Noble’s, and simply having the thought to do all of this had Renjiro drop his jaw if he would allow himself.

Renjiro's spine shook as he deduced that the Prince had his sights set on Onyx solely on the basis of these facts. If he were the Prince, he'd also be on the lookout for a gifted individual. He'd look at a peasant who had little to no chance of getting an education as a child, but was suddenly capable of thinking of brilliant ideas like this.

The thing was, he wasn’t Prince Alvar; Onyx was a threat to him, not a blessing.

And so, the scheme to apprehend Baron Dolian and clear Onyx's name followed suit.

“I see three potential outcomes,” the Prince said amidst signing papers. Renjiro and Duke Mejia were on the couch facing each other, listening to the Prince. “One, Dolian would get him in these moments as we speak. Two, Dolian would get him tomorrow before the selection. Three, he will never be caught by any of us, which was the worst if he chose to cover himself completely, though, I doubt that.”

The last paper from the middle of the desk had been sorted out, and his task had been completed. The envelope with the golden wax from the neighboring kingdom remained laid down in the middle, left to be ignored by His Majesty. 

He continued, “I also doubt the second outcome. Dolian is a very social person, and he would not want to miss out on the chance to expand his power and reclaim his reputation at the selection, which is open to all Nobles. The invitations have already been sent by the King.”

“So he will be caught tonight?” Renjiro asked, seeming unconcerned.

“Precisely. Based on Dolian’s multiple cases, every offence he commits is swiftly dealt with. That’s why we need to track down where his last location would be, so we'll be able to figure out which jail he’s in,” The Duke said, cracking his icy knuckles above his crossed knees, and eyed the Prince. “He wouldn’t be asking for your help if he strays far away from the palace, so he certainly wouldn’t go outside of Velemau.”

The Prince added to the Duke’s response, “He could not either. Being the wealthiest has great advantages and one of them is power. The more powerful you are, the faster your word travels. Onyx is facing the richest Baron and a well-known actress, so news will be dispersed before nighttime. The Nobles, who lived on the same borders as Dolian, were sure to have heard the story, putting an end to the likelihood that Onyx was still there.”

Renjiro looked at the Prince, straightening his spine and asked, “If that is the case, he’s going to be in the commoner’s area, Your Majesty and Your Grace?!”

“Yes,” in sync, the Prince and the Duke affirmed.

“Pardon me if I’m being rude, Your Majesty,” Renjiro said in a softer tone that was completely opposite to his real one. “However, I don’t see the need to wait until tomorrow. We could arrest Baron Dolian this instant because his injustices were already given by…”

Bitterness burst through his tongue when he paused, two pairs of eyes waited for him to finish his statement. It was rude to let the highest ranking Nobles wait, so Renjiro finished even though it felt icky on him. “Onyx.”

What is wrong with me?!

“His multiple injustice that took place within years deserves more than just a simple punishment to prison,” Prince Alvar answered with the soft voice that had the sole ability to scratch any brain in satisfaction, despite his message being far-reaching. 

Prince Alvar clasped his porcelain hands by his desk, his gaze had been soft once more for Renjiro, who found His Majesty’s eyes very mesmerizing. The Prince asked him, “Sir Renjiro, you do know that tomorrow will be the first event in years in which the King, His Majesty himself, had prepared? Excluding New Year’s Eve.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness!” Renjiro responded with high regard.

“Every aristocrat is sure to attend, which means?”

"A big audience."  Renjiro had realized what all the Prince had anticipated to happen tomorrow. 

Sir Marshall opened the office door for himself with the dining cart to serve the Prince the gift that Onyx had brought him; exquisite strawberry sambocade on an expensive-looking golden plate with a golden fork. Prince Alvar knew precisely when to drop Renjiro’s mood that just got stabilized. Renjiro had a nasty expression on his face as he glanced at the pastry. Such a foolish emotion; it wasn’t even the Prince’s fault that he was irritated. It was his alone.

An evening snack was also brought to Duke Mejia and Renjiro, consisting of honeyed bread with peppered eggs on the side and a glass of water. Sir Marshall, whom he had known for some years, prepared delicious food, and he always felt compelled to devour it all in a flash, but this day was different. His hunger was non-existent, no matter how appetizing food appeared to be.

“Prince Alvar, I'd like to continue with your commands at this time.” Renjiro stood in front of the desk, kneeling on his knees on the hardwood floor. “Please command me before you eat so that I don't interrupt your small break, which you only get every now and then.”

“What’s with these young Nobles and leaving their food past its best before digging in?” Sir Marshall chuckled as he placed the plates by the circular, glassed table that centered the azure couches.

Duke Mejia beamed his teeth, and replied, “I apologize on their behalf. Unlike them, I would eat every meal you offer to me, Sir Marshall.”

The conversation of the King’s butler and the Duke hadn’t stopped while the Prince left the sambocade to walk by the wooden wardrobe. As he opened the furniture’s door, the Prince caressed a silky, seamless textile that was being brushed by pink fingertips, before he removed it from a small hook. He handed the sage green robe to Renjiro. “Your decision to offer this or not to him will be up to the decision of Onyx— if he runs, or if he accepts to be apprehended.”

He had the impression that the Prince was being unduly thoughtful, but he ignored his suspicions. Doubts would plunge him into the oceans, drowning him in embarrassment. The Prince seemed to want to do more with the long-haired peasant than merely cleanse his name and set him free. Whatever it was, Renjiro detested it, since his obligations came first: accomplishing every duty that the Prince, to whom he had dedicated his life, had assigned to him.

“Understood. I will be handing this to him, Your Royal Highness!”

**

It took Onyx about six hours to realize what he had done wrong.

His plan was simple: hand the “gift of gratitude” to the Prince, then run, not signing or committing up to anything. Unfortunately, things just never turned in his liking. He struggled to disobey when the Crown Prince himself ordered him to sign up!

You’ll be the butler, his instincts had told him multiple times during the day, and it terrified him. One thing was for sure— his instincts never lied. But before he should design his escape route from being a butler, he needed to escape his current conflict.

Since word of his 'wrongdoings' had spread under his name in the borders of Nobility, Onyx was obliged to remain on the borders of the Commoners. He never stayed in one spot for too long. He wandered through the open areas and crowded streets in the setting sun, attempting to blend in— but his height was enough to give him away, and his clothes were the same from the last time Dolian had seen him. If he was a little smaller, he could cross-dress as a girl with his long and silky hair, but it was not the case.

Steeped in the multitude of occupied people, he found himself reminiscing yesterday about the pieces of Prince Alvar; pale complexion, tired eyes, and middle parted light blonde hair. His face was very good-looking, and his blue attire reeked luxury and honor, radiating Nobility. Despite his beauty, Onyx noticed that the Prince looked weary for some reason.

The biggest thing that he noticed was how the Prince’s every move was so graceful from the way he walked and talked, even as basic as breathing— and it’s completely opposite from Onyx. He recalled the Prince's soft voice passing his delicate ears, in which the noises he heard were much louder than the ears of man, yet the voice remained calming. It soothed him, even when the Prince battled against Braun by stating powerful words, who was singlehandedly destroyed.

His face burned like fire back then. It was the bare minimum, but the Prince defending him would never be forgotten by his hazy memory.

And despite the fact that he was not convinced that someone as attractive as the Prince would be a target for assassins, he always anticipated the worst, even if he was a naturally optimistic person. He had it etched on his cranium that humans were fopdoodles, and it wouldn't stun him if the Prince was a master of deception. So, he stopped praising Prince Alvar.

“Move!” An angry old guy bumped against him, his loud voice left his ears ringing. Gritting his teeth, he remembered the annoying Knight in gold that never knew how to control the loudness of his zealous voice. He considered him unbearable, and Onyx applauded that the Prince was skilled enough to not be bothered.

With Renjiro replacing the Prince in his head, Onyx let out an aggravated sigh of relief as he realized he had evaded an eminent Knight who would make it difficult to redeem his name. Imagine being caught by the highest-ranking Knight? He would rather surrender to Dolian’s Knights.

However, when he heard it everywhere, he was distracted from his thoughts by heavier footsteps than normal, and he remembered six pairs of them. His tranquility had been replaced with awareness. If Renjiro hadn’t done it, the bribed Knights would go lengths to chase him.

If Onyx ran, it would seem that he gave himself away.

“Dolian’s serf, don’t move!” A Knight immediately grabbed his wrist while he was deciding on his next move, but it was too late. The Knight’s declarations were heard by the citizens who panicked away from them, creating space in the middle. Onyx was in the middle, the spotlight.

He was frozen, his thoughts became careless as the abrupt feeling of despondency overcame him. His heart sank to his stomach; he hadn't planned ahead, nor hadn’t the Prince given him any clues, even the tiniest one he could grasp that could determine the wisest course of action.

All he knew was that he placed himself in a bad spot when the audience was perceptive to listen and pass the news with their self-willed tongues. Society shouldn’t care about a mere peasant like him— but the play changed when Dolian and Cal walked into the stage, frauds but confident with their ignoble intentions.

“You made things so much more complicated, you shat,” as he stepped nearer with the woman clinging on his right, Dolian said whilst approaching Onyx getting his wrists handcuffed behind him. Seeing him made Onyx remember the events of yesterday, the inhumane events that made him the most furious.

Onyx felt his face heating.

Cal shouted with a disparaging tone, “Don’t you feel ashamed?! You ran away from the consequences of your actions!”

Canines shortly became incisive beneath his mouth. Your actions, not mine.

Dolian added to her persuasive performance, “You deserve to rot with your hands to yourself!”

Rage rushed on his face redder than an apple, head throbbed when he felt various eyes that looked so disapproved of him. I don’t even like having contact with humans. Why would I touch them?

When he looked back at the Knight behind him, he realized he was bigger and that he could easily take him down and flee. 

Should I?

Anger surged through his bloodstream, heating him up. Beads of sweat formed on his hairline, and a gritty wind blew violently through his nose as he breathed to catch up with his thudding heart. He knew he had every right to be enraged, and looking at Dolian’s chunky face tempted him. Even so, we mustn't lay a finger on them with the intent to kill—

Shut it, I know! Onyx responded to the voice that kept admonishing him since the very first day, his tongue slightly shifted since mouthing his response would show his fangs.

“Make an effort to flee.” Dolian's top view with gray hair caught Onyx's attention as he ran his fingers over his little beard. His eyes were so dark, and what he said next had darkened Onyx's as well. “A Knight told me about your child in Avairu. I have the power and wealth to make a difference about her.”

Don’t.

Onyx’s seething eyes pierced Dolian’s wicked grin beneath him.

Don’t give in to the madness.

“So, what will be your decision? The people are watching,” Dolian chortled through whispers, the sight of Onyx’s angry expression above him pleased him when he licked his chapped lips wet.

Onyx knew that he would be captured eventually, but he was undecided about turning himself in. He wanted to know what he should do depending on the Prince's next step. Now that people he knew were involved, he was lost, troubled between two options.

He sent an apologetic message in his mind with a yielding frown, for the Prince will now have to decide based on his decision.

Hope. His tongue bled from his growing canines that slashed a tiny part of the muscle. I choose hope.

My hope— Prince Alvar.

**

Renjiro tensed as he saw Onyx being pursued by six Knights wearing metal handcuffs around his wrists, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fulfill the Prince's desire to lend the robe. Even though he knew this was one of the outcomes, he grimaced, scared of the Prince's discontent. Renjiro kept staring at him, hoping that Onyx would see him and give him some sort of guarantee.

And, in a matter of seconds, a pair of green eyes fixed on him.

He caught Onyx exhaling and dropping his shoulders when their stare broke, and Renjiro could not help but do the same. When Onyx's irritated countenance changed to a fresh look of conciliation, it appeared that he understood that help was on the way.

When Renjiro witnessed Dolian and Cal swimming in throngs of disgruntled people while delivering fraudulent stories, his lull was broken. He detested how firm every word that came out of their nasty mouths was as if it were the truth, conspicuous behavior that had been cultivated over a long period of time. Long after Onyx had been effectively imprisoned, continuing to smear an innocent man's reputation itched Renjiro’s tongue to spew his justice heart.

Even when he did not like Onyx for reasons he couldn't fathom, he knew he had not deserved it. No one did. It was all a pleasure for a vile man.

His heart raced, feeling compelled to summon all Knights, turn them against Dolian and Cal, and reveal their crimes right here, right now, for he could as he was the Grand Knight, a power high enough to turn tides. He knew he shouldn’t— but he wanted to because it was morally right. 

Prince Alvar will hate us, stop your temptations right now, he convinced himself when he embraced the unused robe. It would not go according to His Majesty's wishes, and for sure it would break his heart if the Prince gave him a cold shoulder. 

Especially now, that this scheme involved someone that His Majesty had plans on.

“God, this infuriates me!” Stepping away from the scene, Renjiro’s decision was to retreat back to the palace, chanting the full names of those six chivalries under illegal command in his head.

Heavy boots drifted through the thoroughfare, metal clanking against metal. Tips of spear handles whammed through the cemented ground by the palace’s entrance and fingers clasped their visors, greeting Renjiro in his red robe that complemented the green textile clinging on his arms that shouldn’t have gone back with him. 

A familiar, slender woman with his same height was anticipating him at the palace’s grand entrance, and Renjiro felt as if he was witnessing a feminine version of himself, sans the golden armor. She held her silver helmet’s visor with the tips of her fingers in his presence.

“So, are you not going to reciprocate my greetings, brother?!” She asked, tiny strands of short, gray hair and the volume of her voice akin to Renjiro, who hastily clasped his fingertips on his golden visor. 

“Apologies!” he exclaimed. Once they did their chivalry custom, Renjiro noticed that she had a huge pile of documents by her free hand when their arms fell back on their sides.

He asked, “What brings you here, Lady Renjianne?”

“His Royal Highness, Prince Alvar, had ordered a preparation of documents to easily find out the chivalries whomst illegally involved!” Renjianne answered, retaining her good morals even if she was conversing with her own twin. “Do you happen to have the names?”

“Yes, there were six!” Renjiro began announcing the names and side information that he could recall, whilst his sister attempted to scramble along the files she had. Her ears remained attentive to his thundering voice.

When it was clear that she was having trouble maneuvering the coffee-colored documents, Renjianne suggested, “Can’t we just wait until we get to Prince Alvar’s office?!” 

“I,” Renjiro paused, the sudden mention of His Majesty was quick to let his feelings pour in over his blaring heart. The reason remained unfound, but duties came first.

Renjiro continued, “I’d like to converse with the Prince when the duties are done, and after escorting Duke Mejia. In that way, His Majesty wouldn’t stay discontented.”

“Oh, so my brother had failed a mission,” Renjianne rolled her eyes with the same shade of his after telling a banter.

“Not my fault at all!” Renjiro countered. “I have one— two or more reasons why I couldn’t accomplish it!”

“I believe you, obviously,” Renjianne said, rolling her eyes once more to see the visor where her fingers held tight into. She was about to leave. “But His Majesty is more important than you. Farewell!”

“Wait! Brother-sister oath. Promise not to tell His Majesty yet for I will be the one who has to explain!” With his finger held his visor too in a swift, Renjiro exclaimed, and she sighed when her brother’s plans echoed through the cream-yellow walls of the palace. He simply exposed himself, but no one would notice because the palace was deserted, as if it were uninhabitable.

“Alright.” She walked away, blue robe oscillating back and forth as her metal boots drifted by crimson wool. She added, “The Great Duke Mejia just went his way out. I suggest you look for him around a market near a prison!”

**

Duke Mejia sneezed below the sun-setting sky. 

“Bless you, Your Grace,” the old lady handed out a plastic filled with fruits to the Duke after wishing him well. Hazel eyes began tracing the beauty of the skies in its pinks, oranges, and blues. Duke Mejia exhaled softly; it appeared that the scenery distracted him in a short while.

“Can’t help not to let out a sniffle. So many people talk behind my back.” Grabbing the plastic away from the lady’s aged hand, he wore an aplomb smile.

The lady returned his motion, wrinkles visible through her sincere smile, before revealing a superstition, "You sneezed only once. It signifies that people are saying nice things about you, Your Grace.”

“You’re boosting my ego, madam,” he laughed. “You should be going home now, or you’ll catch a cold.”

"Duke Mejia," the old lady called before the Duke turned away. She continued, "Yesterday, I was saved by a tall, beautiful young man, and I saw him being apprehended in the Commoners area for whatever reason. He was occupied here, providing a helping hand to everyone in the streets without expecting anything in return. I truly believe he is a wonderful person."

Duke Mejia's eyes widened. "Does he have lengthy, black silky hair?"

"Yes, that's certainly him! Please do let him go," the old lady clasped her hands.

Duke Mejia's eyes closed with a grin, and said, "I'll take care of it, Lady Vicky."

A thick, brown pouch with who-knows how much pounds were inside was handed over to Lady Vicky by the Duke. She shrieked with too much delight a few seconds later, and Duke Mejia hoped she didn't die of a heart attack.

The brief exchange of words was touching, and it made the Duke feel lighter for a brief moment. As he walked away from the old lady and into the dark side of his territory where justice was not served immediately, if ever, never, he was still smiling beneath his sensible anger.

As expected, the streets were becoming less congested. Children weaving in and out of the streets ceased to exist, crowds dwindled as people retreated to the safety of their homes after long and exhausting days at work, and traders began to store away the different things they sell.

The Duke received wholehearted greetings in his streets, and not once he failed to return it. He intentionally did not disguise himself to savor the pleasure of being free to interact with his own townspeople, one last time. It was just a matter of moments until he becomes a target along with Prince Alvar.

Sure, he was enjoying his time on the pavement, but he knew where he was headed.

He came to a halt in front of Velemau's second prison located in the border of the Commoners. When he thought that Renjiro and him split up, they actually went to the same location, and he recognized a golden Knight approaching him. 

“Duke Mejia!” He watched a shorter man than him with a red robe concealing his whole body that ran towards him. 

An index finger brushed by the Duke’s smiling lips, and it was understood by the Grand Knight when he lowered his volume on his next words. “Apologies. Is this where he's being held captive, Your Grace?"

The Duke answered, “A good old lady just gave us the answer.”

“Renjiro,” Duke Mejia called in a quiet tone. He watched the Knight turn himself towards him, patiently waiting for any command.

“As this is the only prison in the Commoners area, Onyx is most likely being kept inside. I'd like you to remain here until further orders come.” As a return, the Duke received a Knight's greeting, his fingertips holding to his golden visor. Duke Mejia moved slowly with a plastic in hand, leaving Renjiro in the shadows, lips closing in a natural smile full of exciting intentions.

The two greatest allies of Veistanlu had been deployed; hence, the scheme of His Royal Highness, Prince Alvar, had just begun.