THE DANCING PLAGUE

sideblog .

[lordofrevelry]

the dancing plague - dancing on the wind up and down again . round and round the bend . from a flow'ry bed to the clouds ascend , tumble down again , yet with each descent do we rise again to our heart's content . fly away my friend , for a day and then we'll begin again . lying lost in thought , do you love me not ? follow these petals cast a loft . will you, when I'm gone will you remember me ? lovers in the spring . how the garden sings! ever green ! spirits lush , we bring . braving anything together , we learn to play our part . navigate the dark , up we reach . catch a falling star , lock it in our hearts eternally . flying without wings , kites without a string , loop and leap . to these crowns we cling for we'll all be kings tomorrow .

daniel ings, homosexual, cis male + he/him → is that not [caspian ulmaris]? i have seen them bearing the crest of [vessai], their loyalty worn plain upon their garb. they are said to have lived for [forty-two] winters and are of the [merfolk], shaped by blood and custom alike. by birth, choice, or circumstance, they walk the path of a [master of revels], a place they now hold in the world. those who speak of them name them both adventurous and boisterous, though not without flaw, for they are likewise impetuous and callous.

bio tba

[quillsandcrowns]

@lordofrevelry ❥ featuring Nate & Caspian at the Games

Nate loved the Games, there was something so amazing about watching people use their skills at all the various challenges, plus it helped Nathaniel get rid of some of his competitive energy that he kept bottled up at most times. He had signed up for a few different events but the only one that he felt really good about was the ones in the water, he had a feeling that he could actually win!

He was doing some stretching near the place where the water event was meant to take place when he spotted a familiar face and curly hair that almost matched his own. He practically ran into the crown and jumped into the other's arm and placed a kiss on his cheeks. “You're here! I got worried when I didn't see you earlier, but I knew you would be here!,” said Nate kissing Caspian quickly on the lips, “I am really gonna win now that you are here, papa!”

[lordofrevelry]

Caspian greets his nephew with a smile. Seeing his favorite after bidding him goodbye was as sweet as finding unplundered treasure. " I'm always around. All you need do is whistle, and I shall appear. " He says with a smile, booping Nate upon the tip of his nose. "How fars the games? I've been occupied with all sorts of events. Not here, of course. They weren't interested in my types of celebrations. " He says with a playful pout. His reputation had proceeded him, and the planners didn't want people to pass out from exhaustion. Not when there games and revelry afoot. Caspian loops an arm around one of Nate's so they can walk hand in hand. Ordinarily Caspian had a gaggle of attendants following him, but that day he had decided to travel alone. He wished to enjoy the games by his lonesome, wanting to possibly flirt with the participants for fun.

[tidebreakerthallan]

he shook his head, caspian was gorgeous and dangerous and as enticing as the day they met. more even. the man was enough to make him want to commit...

if the sea didn't call so strongly for him. "you know i find that term offensive." he was hardly a man of land, even if he was not quite born for the sea, at least not to be under it.

"of that i had no doubt," he mused with a smile, drawing closer to the man, a shake of his head and a snort. truthfully he would not be able to say he has aged as well as his lover--but as a half-elf he had hardly aged as much as the other might enjoy pretending.

"oh i know, haggard, dirty, you have a particular type." he pulled the merman by the waist, breathing in his scent as he leaned ever closer, "and here you are, looking for the one who fits just right in it hm? all those pretty boys at court not up to the task are they?"

he had no intention of paying them much thought though, pushing caspian against the nearest wall to claim his lips, to let their bodies meet and come together after so long apart.

[lordofrevelry]

Caspian had hoped that their meeting would result in this. He desperately wanted to rekindle whatever lingered between them. So many years had been spent together, on land and on sea. When Thallan pusteps into his space, the lord of revelry lets out a laugh. His hands move to clutch the man who had been so close to being his everything. They slide up his sides, traveling over that defined chest before settling upon familiar shoulders. "you were everything I could have ever asked for once." caspian's eyes are half-shut, admiring the man before him as if he were a piece of priceless art. "and I've never been one for anybody prettier than me. it simply couldn't work." caspian noses into thallan's cheek, drinking in the sensation of the man surrounding him. "what of you, hm? have you ever had anybody prettier than me?" he dared the other to answer,

[quillsandcrowns]

The trip to see his uncle was one of adventure that was for sure, but one that the prince absolutely loved. When he wasn’t on the ship that brought him, he was in the water swimming beside it; his guards watching from above to make sure nothing happened to the youngest of the Ulnaris clan. As he stepped off the ship, he smiled towards his guards and told them that he would be staying in his uncle chambers and figure out where to take the bags. They nodded to him before walking off with his luggage. He turned towards the ship and stretched happily as he rubbed his naked chest before turning back away from the ship and smiling brightly when he spotted the familiar face of his uncle.

There was nothing that was going to stop the prince from running into the other’s arms, he was easily lifted into his arms as he kissed him all over face. Giggling brightly as he kissed back all over his face and a quick Platonic one on his uncle’s lips as he hugged him tightly. It had been far too long, and he hated that he didn’t get to see him as often as he once did, but he always made sure to come visit when he could. “It was amazing! I got to swim at some parts of the journey and it was incredible! I also found you something!,” said Nathaniel as he reached into the only thing he was wearing the pants, pulling from his pocket a large pearl, “I found this in this really huge oyster! It opened for me and this huge pearl was inside, and it just reminded me of the time we found all those pearls that day. I figured you could put it on something so you always have me close by!”

Nathaniel was happy to be in his uncles arms after so long, even more excited to find out all the things that he had planned for them. “Are we doing anything tonight, Uncle Cas or are we snuggling and catching up?”

[lordofrevelry]

Nathaniel reminded Caspian so much of himself when he had been his age. Only Caspian had been much more adventurous, abandoning matters of court in search of excitement and wonder. He would have surely died of boredom if he had remained in the castle, confined to the stifling and tedious life afforded to princes. At least his darling nephew had a yearning for fun that naturally drew Caspian to him. It was nice having another person who shared the same interests. When Nathaniel rummages through his pockets and reveals a pearl, Caspian lights up. He takes it into his hand, marveling at the size and color of it. "How beautiful." Caspian pecks his nephew on the cheek, looping an arm around his shoulders so they can walk side by side. "I figured you'd be exhausted after your journey. Let's go back to the castle and catch up. There's plenty of time for fun and adventure after you've had time to rest, my little love."

[heavensoared2]

darius  watched  the  attendant  approach  with  the  tray,  gaze  flicking  briefly  from  the  offered  glass  to  caspian  himself.

always  so  serious.

the  faintest  hint  of  amusement  touched  the  corner  of  his  mouth.  he  accepted  the  glass  after  all.  “your  hospitality  is  noted,”  darius  said  evenly,  lifting  the  cup  slightly  before  taking  a  measured  sip.  the  wine  was  good  —  unsurprisingly.  caspian  rarely  tolerated  mediocrity  in  anything  meant  for  enjoyment.

his  gaze  returned  to  the  bath  just  in  time  to  see  caspian  rising  from  the  water.

for  a  moment  darius  said  nothing.

he  had  long  since  learned  that  caspian  possessed  absolutely  no  concept  of  modesty.  the  prince’s  expression  remained  composed,  though  his  eyes  lingered  perhaps  half  a  second  longer  than  strictly  necessary  before  drifting  away  again  as  the  towel  was  finally  wrapped  into  place.

predictable.

he  listened  quietly  as  caspian  launched  into  his  ideas,  the  prince’s  attention  settling  back  on  him  with  that  same  calm,  assessing  look  he  often  carried  when  hearing  proposals  in  court.  a  pirate  themed  ball.  pools  for  merfolk.  a  golden  celebration.  darius  turned  the  ideas  over  in  his  mind  while  idly  rolling  the  stem  of  the  glass  between  his  fingers.

“the  pirate  ball  would  certainly  be…  memorable,”  he  said  at  last.  and  his  uncle  would  surely  enjoy  the  flattery.  could  he  invite  umoria's  master  of  ships  without  raising  suspicion?  his  gaze  drifted  briefly  over  the  bathhouse  again,  as  though  imagining  the  space  filled  with  revelers,  music  and  whatever  elaborate  spectacle  caspian  would  inevitably  construct  around  the  idea.

then  his  eyes  returned  to  caspian.

“though  i  suspect  the  court  may  require  some  convincing  if  their  crown  prince  is  to  be  presented  as  the  king  of  merfolk.”

a  faint  pause.

the  corner  of  his  mouth  curved  again,  subtle  but  unmistakable.  “especially  when  the  role  seems  rather  obviously  suited  to  someone  else  in  the  room.”  another  small  sip  of  wine.  “the  golden  celebration,”  he  continued,  tone  thoughtful  now,  “might  prove  easier  to  persuade  the  nobility  to  embrace.”  his  gaze  flicked  briefly  downward  toward  where  caspian’s  tail  had  been  moments  earlier.  “though  i  suspect  that  inspiration  had  very  little  to  do  with  restraint.”

[lordofrevelry]

   that glimmer of amusement from darius made caspian smile. as much as he loved tormenting the crown prince, he also adored making him happy. he had once known the pressure of being next in line to the throne, back when his brother hadn't had any children. caspian knew from an early age that he never wanted to be king. he would have been forced to obey court etiquette, attend dull meetings, and spend his entire life being manipulated by the court. caspian was glad when his eldest nephew was born. he no longer had to worry about such a boring fate and went off to live a life of adventure. having returned to court, he now spent his days planning parties and living as he wished. caspian only catered to the needs of those truly important, such as darius, but even then he was more apt to follow his own desires.

   "of course it will be memorable. it's one of my own creations." caspian says with a shimmering smile that rivals the plentiful rings he adorns his fingers with. moving to dress, he maintains conversation with the prince. an attendant offers caspian clothing which he puts on, admiring himself in a nearby mirror another attendant held in place. "and the court will have no issue with you being paraded as king of the merfolk. why?" caspian buttons up the front of his ornate doublet, leaving the top few buttons undone so that he can show off the golden necklaces he wore. "--because I said so, of course. they'll have to get used to the idea of you as king one day, anyhow. why not practice?" caspian finishes his outfit with black boots that another attendant has to lace up the back. they go all the way up past his knee, stopping at his thigh. once finished caspian gives himself a look in the mirror, striking a pose. he truly was the prettiest creature to ever grace the entire realm.

   "now. I remember you inviting me out to lunch?" caspian had a good buzz going and didn't want to lose it, nor did he want to part with darius just yet. so he claps twice, instructing his entourage to gather all of his belongings for transport. "take all that back to my chambers. I'll be with my prince all evening. he's promised to marry me and make me the future king consort." he teases while his attendants chuckle, amused by their patron and their antics. caspian loops an arm around one of darius' biceps, tucking himself against his side. "shall we?"

[tidebreakerthallan]

@lordofrevelry

"i was wondering when you'd show up…" he drawled as the surprise visitor wandered into his ship, the wind made his shirt almost fall away in the eerie quiet aboard the ship. the crew was sleeping, or at the harbor while he took back to sea for some peace of mind. being in vessai brought back memories, ghosts even, and of course… he never doubted it would bring caspian.

he was no longer a pirate, and they were no long the lovers they had once been. but some things never did change. thallan tidebreak and caspian ulmoris… they might just be among those things.

"i hear you're faring well, master of revels," he smirked, "the dancing plague…" he circled around the merman, eyeing him up and down. how long had it been now? years… and yet, he still remembered how he once was and now. both older, settled into roles set for them.

"have you come to revel with an old sailor like me?"

[lordofrevelry]

caspian had taken so many lovers across his forty-two summers that he could hardly remember all of their names. only the truly excellent or awful stood out. others, like thallan, had left him battered and scarred. there had been plenty of passionate arguments, quarrels over plundered treasure or becoming jealous of another man, but there was no bad blood left between them. caspian couldn't be tied down. he was as free as a violent storm upon the sea, and couldn't fathom such a notion. but for thallan? he could almost contemplate the notion, which made their break up sting. caspian didn't get attached. but like a barnacle on the side of a ship, thallan had managed to stick. for once caspian wasn't attended to by his entourage. he was all alone, done up to the nines in a golden cape and jewelry. on one ear he wore a shimmering ruby that glimmered in the low light of thallan's ship. "I couldn't stay away. not when I haven't seen you in years, landlubber." caspian offers him a shimmering smile, watching as thallan approaches. caspian was much older now, grey hairs having worked their way into his beard and at his temples. wrinkles decorated his face but only served to make him more distinguished. "very well, if I say so myself." he preens beneath the man's attention and the nickname that made him infamous. "old sailor." caspian chuckles, "I remember when you weren't so grizzled. all of that sea salt and sun has aged you." he playfully wrinkles his nose, "you're lucky I've always liked them haggard."

[lordofrevelry]

@quillsandcrowns the location: regia ignis the soundtrack: x

it was rare that caspian permitted visitors to his chambers. only his attendants, other members of court, and men lucky enough to bed him were afforded the luxury. inside caspian had decorated his chambers with treasures he had collected over the years. yards of silk hung from the ceiling, threaded through with gold and embroidered with fantastical scenes. over caspian's own bed a portrait of the man in courtly finery sat. it was obvious to any who entered the room who it belonged to, and that they thought themselves very important. caspian didn't love anybody as much as he loved himself, but nate was a close second. he had adored the boy since he was born, and always brought him gifts upon returning from his adventures. now that nate was older, and caspian had moved all the way to vissai, he didn't see as much of his favorite nephew. so when nate wrote to him, telling caspian that he was going to visit, he was quite excited. caspian had already planned a weeks worth of adventures for them. they would explore the city, and he would show him all of the sights. then if he wished they would go spelunking. vissai had so many forgotten temples, and unexplored caverns that were ripe for plundering. caspian personally greeted his nephew at the gates of regia ignis with his entourage in tow. caspian constantly surrounded himself with artists, musicians, and gourmands, all of whom served to inspire caspian and indulge his capricious whims. when caspian spots nate he jogs to meet him, capturing his nephew in a deep embrace. he lifts the boy up and off of his feet, squeezing tightly. "my baby!" he peppers his smooth face with kisses, his beard raking over his naked cheeks in the process. "it's been too long." caspian sets nate down, thumbs smoothing over his cheeks while he looks upon him with eyes full of admiration. "how was the journey? not too dull, I hope?"

[heavensoared2]

a  golden  fin  broke  the  surface  of  the  bath,  catching  the  lanternlight  as  it  waved  lazily  through  the  bubbles.

darius  paused.

so  that  was  the  spectacle.

his  gaze  lingered  a  moment  longer  than  it  probably  should  have,  watching  the  slow  movement  of  water  around  the  brilliant  scales  before  his  attention  lifted  again  toward  the  man  lounging  comfortably  within  the  bath.

caspian  looked  perfectly  at  ease  in  the  center  of  the  ridiculous  little  world  he  had  constructed  for  himself  —  music  drifting  through  the  steam,  attendants  hovering  nearby,  fruit  offered  at  his  leisure  as  though  he  were  some  pampered  creature  from  the  deep.  darius  supposed,  in  a  sense,  he  was.

the  prince  approached  the  edge  of  the  bath  with  unhurried  steps,  the  heat  settling  warmly  against  his  skin  as  the  soft  notes  of  the  harp  echoed  quietly  between  the  marble  columns.

late,  apparently.

one  brow  lifted  faintly.

“you  summoned  me  to  a  bathhouse  while  half  drunk,”  he  said  calmly.  “i  feel  my  punctuality  has  been  quite  reasonable  under  the  circumstances.”  his  gaze  drifted  briefly  back  toward  the  golden  fin  cutting  lazily  through  the  water.  the  corner  of  his  mouth  curved,  just  slightly.  “though  i  will  concede,”  he  added  dryly,  “it  is  a  rather  convincing  performance.”

for  a  moment  longer  he  regarded  the  entire  arrangement  —  the  music,  the  attendants,  the  carefully  cultivated  atmosphere  of  indulgence  caspian  seemed  to  summon  around  himself  as  effortlessly  as  breathing.  it  was,  darius  had  to  admit,  very  much  his  domain. 

his  attention  settled  back  on  caspian,  expression  smoothing  once  more  into  something  composed.

“now,”  he  continued,  voice  carrying  easily  across  the  water,  “you  claimed  to  have  been  struck  by  a  wave  of  genius.”  far-fetched,  surely,  but  darius  would  listen  regardless. 

a  faint  pause.

“i  assume  that  is  why  the  crown  prince  of  vissai  was  urgently  summoned  to  witness  all  of  this.”  his  gaze  flicked  briefly  toward  the  bath  again  before  returning  to  caspian.  “so,”  darius  said,  tone  calm  but  unmistakably  expectant,  “what  is  this  grand  idea  that  could  not  survive  the  journey  onto  paper?”

[lordofrevelry]

   "as far as I'm concerned if you're not half drunk at a bathhouse, you're doing it wrong." to drive his point caspian gestures for a muscular attendant to serve them both a glass of wine. the man kneels down to first serve caspian before offering darius his glass upon a platter. "he probably won't take it. he's always so serious." caspian says over the rim of his glass, welcoming the wine that flowed from it and down his throat. "but it can never be said that I am not hospitable." caspian moves to stand, the transformation of his tail to ordinary legs hidden beneath bubbles.    out of the water caspian snaps his fingers, shamelessly naked before the room and the crown prince. an attendant offers him a towel which caspian wraps around his waist. still nursing his glass of wine, he mulls over the ideas in his head that were now running rampant. "while lounging in the pool I was struck with inspiration: a pirate themed ball. large pools would be erected where merfolk can sing and play instruments. while our guests dress like pirates. all the food would be nautical, of course. and you would be dressed as king of the merfolk." caspian grins, all too pleased with his idea.    "or an entirely golden party. inspired by my own tail." he wiggles his toes in the absence of it now. "golden decorations. golden foods. golden costumes. less extravagant than the pirate idea, but no less fun." there wasn't a concept that caspian couldn't turn into a full blown orgy of sensation and delight. just last month he had hosted a party where the theme was day and night. it had lasted for two entire days, resulting in multiple guests collapsing of exhaustion in a bid to keep up with caspian upon the dancefloor. all guests in attendance held the scantest memory of what truly occured, seeing only the aftermath of celebration and revelry, and feeling the bone-weary agony of a body pushed beyond its limits. meanwhile and elsewhere, caspian was already planning his next celebration.

[eddie-redcliffe]

I'm really quite drunk.

[heavensoared2]

@lordofrevelry

the  summons  from  caspian  arrived  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  delivered  by  a  someone  who  seemed  far  too  entertained  for  someone  carrying  a  message  meant  for  the  crown  prince.  darius  did  not  need  to  open  the  note  to  know  who  it  was  from.

caspian  had  a  habit  of  this  sort  of  thing.  vague  instructions.  inconvenient  locations.  requests  that  sounded  suspiciously  like  commands.  the  master  of  revels  had  never  once  come  to  him  like  a  proper  court  official  might.  if  caspian  required  his  presence  for  the  planning  of  some  festival  or  spectacle,  he  simply  arranged  things  so  that  the  prince  had  little  choice  but  to  come  to  him  instead.

the  bathhouse.

of  course  it  was.

by  the  time  darius  pushed  open  the  bronze  doors,  he  already  suspected  this  meeting  would  look  nothing  like  the  word  suggested.  heat  spilled  out  to  meet  him  immediately,  thick  with  steam  and  the  warm  scent  of  oils.  the  great  chamber  stretched  inward  in  marble  and  tile,  columns  rising  through  drifting  clouds  of  mist  while  lanternlight  shimmered  across  the  surface  of  still  pools.

somewhere  deeper  within  the  steam  was  the  man  who  had  summoned  him,  probably.  darius  stepped  further  inside,  the  echo  of  his  boots  soft  against  the  stone.  there  were  very  few  people  in  vissai  who  would  dare  drag  the  crown  prince  into  a  place  like  this  under  the  pretense  of  work.  fewer  still  who  did  so  with  the  casual  certainty  that  darius  would  come  anyway.  caspian  was  infuriating  like  that.

and  somehow,  irritatingly,  he  got  away  with  it.

darius  exhaled  slowly,  gaze  drifting  through  the  haze  of  steam  as  he  searched  for  the  familiar  silhouette  waiting  somewhere  in  the  bathhouse.  whatever  spectacle  caspian  had  already  begun  planning,  it  was  safe  to  assume  the  prince  had  just  been  pulled  into  the  middle  of  it  once  again. 

and  if  the  faint  warmth  lingering  low  in  his  chest  had  anything  to  do  with  the  man  responsible  for  it…

well.

that  was  hardly  something  a  crown  prince  ought  to  dwell  on.  his  mouth  curved  faintly,  though  the  look  in  his  eyes  carried  something  far  more  measured.  “next  time,”  he  said  dryly,  voice  carrying  easily  across  the  quiet  chamber,  “you  might  consider  summoning  me  somewhere  that  resembles  a  meeting.”

[lordofrevelry]

   dearest darius,    i'm sure you're positively delighted to hear from me. you must seek me out as soon as possible, as i have been struck with a wave of genius. i won't dare to put my ideas onto paper in fear that i will lose them. instead, i request that you visit the bathhouse post haste so that i might tell you all about them. do hurry up, as my muse is fickle, and I've had quite a few drinks.    love, caspian.

   having sent the letter with one of his pretty attendants, caspian was sure darius wouldn't mind being summoned. why would he? caspian was an important man with very important things to do. he couldn't, and wouldn't disrupt his day further by seeking out the crown prince. instead, he had sent darius a note, penned by one of his attendants while he relaxed. caspian spoke, and words were put to pen, words that required the urgent attention of his dearest darius. that note must have delighted darius, whom caspian was certain adored him. now it was only a matter of time until the prince paid him a visit.

   inside of the bathhouse darius would be transported to another realm. caspian had reserved a large room all to himself, transforming it into a haven for any lucky merfolk. bubbles floated up from the spacious bath caspian had spent the better part of the afternoon lounging in. nearby a small stage had been erected, giving a pair of bards space to play slow and ethereal music upon a harp. attendants stood at the ready while one sat at the edge of the pool, feeding caspian fruit while he lounged. his lower half was hidden beneath bubbles, but as darius approached a golden fin would emerge and wave at him.    "there you are." caspian moves to sit up, patting the edge of the pool. "I've been waiting for ages. you ought to practice being more punctual." caspian smiles, knowing his teasing will sink its barbs into darius without much effort. he glances around, looking confused by darius' statement. "whatever do you mean? this looks like a perfectly presentable meeting spot." he takes a grape from a nearby bowl and pops it into his mouth. "you lack imagination. that's why I'm the lord of revelry and you're not. imagine a party thrown to your specifications?" caspian shudders, "it'd be utterly dull."