MONTGOMERY GAUTHIER

Third Born Prince of Dele // 24 // M.N.

[montgomeryofdele]

𝕴𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 // 𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖌𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝕲𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖊𝖗

Muse: Montgomery Gauthier

FC: Jacob Elordi

Age: 24

Title: Third Born Prince of Dele

Kingdom: Dele

Nickname: Monty

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 190 lbs

Positive Traits: Independent, honorable, charming, adventurous, empathetic

Negative Traits: Conceited, devious, irritable, selfish, aggressive

Biography:

On the very day Monty came into the world a mage stood over his cradle, placed a hand on the prince’s chest, and gazed into his future. Although no event was ever set in stone, the mage was sure of a few things. Monty would grow up to be exceptionally handsome, athletic, and statuesque with features akin to a Greek god. He would be gregarious and charming, making him popular amongst his peers and the people of Dele. And there was one more thing of which the mage was certain. The boy was sure to be a rebel. At the time, King Morris was unsure of how to interpret these determinations. But he knew he must keep a close eye on his son.

As a child, Monty was quite the trouble maker. His parents found it extremely difficult to pin him down. He was always skipping his lessons, running off without warning, playing pranks and causing a ruckus. However, he intended no harm. He simply had a wild spirit that could not be contained. As hard as his parents tried, they were unable to tame him. The only solution they could think of was to focus more of his time on physical activities. A young Monty found a love for horse riding, sword fighting, jousting, and martial arts. He was very interested in the art of war and even had dreams of becoming a knight or a war leader.

A few years past and Monty began to grow into his looks. He was a boy no longer. He had bloomed and blossomed into the handsome and statuesque young man the mage predicted him to be. People took notice of the changes and suddenly Monty had hoards of men vying for a chance with him. The king, who was quick to catch onto this, figured he could use his son’s magnetism to his advantage; as a way to gain political favor. Morris began to shop Monty around but he couldn’t quite bring himself to give his son away. Not when there were so many important actors to consider.

But as time went on, no one deal was ever made. Monty was tossed around from man to man, a recurrent prize in his father’s political games. Morris insisted that it was all for the betterment of their kingdom. But Monty loathed the fact that he had been reduced to nothing more than an object. He often wondered if this was just a last ditch attempt to keep him in line.

At his father’s funeral, Monty didn’t shed a tear. He sat, stone-faced and silent throughout the days long ceremony. Rumors began to spread about Monty’s apparent hatred for his father. Some believed that the prince was behind his death. What they didn’t understand was that Monty didn’t hate his father, but he wasn’t particularly sad that he was gone. He was free. Perhaps now he had a chance to rewrite his story and become the man he wanted to be.

[montgomeryofdele]

crownsweight·:

it was terrifying. never in his life would reynaldo imagine such a violent reaction coming from a carefree-spirited soul like montgomery…but alas, reynaldo was not the same as he was six years ago. so many things had changed, new responsibilities, more pressure, less confidence with every passing day. he could not even imagine was monty had to be going through. the push was unexpected, the crown prince stumbling back and fumbling his way to land by the edge of the bed. staring at the young dalessian as he slammed the door on the guard’s face. only once the waters calmed did the older royal stood up back on his feet, careful steps approaching montgomery again. his own heartbeat slowing down, body faintly trembling.

“what? why would you believe that?” the crown prince scoffed, palm on his forehead. disgusted? if anything, he was dead worried. “monty, i- …i have no idea what just happened, or what is happening. whatever it is-” a hand moved down to brush the younger prince’s fingers, only to feel the hot blood dripping onto his own digits. the dripping red made reynaldo turn his head around, running over to the closest crate in search for any bandages. none to be found. instead of searching any further, in an act of desperation, he took one of the blades that was settled on the table, and tore along the edge of his shirt. with just enough fabric, the onderean moved back towards monty, taking one hand and carefully wrapping the green cloth over his knuckles, pressing tight enough to stop the flowing blood. he had to rip apart some more, and soon was tending the second hand.

This was a side of Montgomery that Reynaldo had never had the displeasure of witnessing. Monty knew that he must’ve been confused and scared by it. He tried to stay as still as possible, his head hanging low as he slowed his breathing. His eyes were on the floor beneath him but he could feel Rey’s footsteps as he cautiously inched closer. Monty’s eyes came up just for a moment. Just long enough to catch a glimpse of Reynaldo’s worried eyes. He wanted to cry. So badly. But no tears fell from his eyes. Reynaldo reached out and brushed Monty’s bloodied knuckles. Before he knew it, Rey had gone off into the direction and began frantically rummaging through his things. “Rey”, Monty groaned, reaching a hand out. “Please. Please stop.”

“What are you doing?”, Monty cried out, watching as the crown prince took a blade and began to hack away at his own shirt. In a matter of seconds Reynaldo was back to him, wrapping shreds of fabric around his hands and holding them there. “Please. I’m fine”, Monty whispered, lips twitching as he gazed at his prince. “I love you”, he whined. “I love you, Reynaldo. I never stopped loving you.” The words just slipped out. Monty thought he’d given up on such an emotion many years ago. “Stop it.” Monty slipped a hand under Rey’s chin and lifted it, staring at him for a moment before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on the other’s lips. “I’m alright, Reynaldo. I promise you.”

[montgomeryofdele]

crownsweight·:

it was painful. more so than thinking that it was montgomery himself who rejected him for so long. they had a chance, they could’ve been together, by that time they could even be married already. share a life, share a love together. but it had been robbed from them, for reasons beyond reynaldo’s mind. and the perpetrator of such a heinous crime was resting on his deathbed, unpunished and unquestioned. the onderean heir only wishing he was satisfied somehow, holding back any tears when he finally was strong enough to look up at the younger prince. their eyes meeting for a few seconds before monty turned his back on him, staring at the window instead.

what could reynaldo even say? the older male was still in shock, only giving a few steps towards his beloved friend, with the intent of placing a hand on his shoulder, offer gentle confort. it was over, they were together again, they could sit down, talk, and move on past the anguish of the last six years. before his hand could make it to monty though, the delessian was down on his knees, screaming and punching the floor as hard as he could. reynaldo’s entire body tensed, jaw dropping in shock. hands launching into action as soon as he began to see the wooden floor starting to get stained red. the crown prince could be shorter than montgomery, but his muscles showed the years of labouring his own land. both arms hooked themselves under the prince’s armpits, pulling him up and away from the floor. 

“calm down, calm down, monty!” he begged from behind clenched teeth, head turning back as he heard the door being knocked, nay smashed on by the fists of guards, ordering entrance. the onderean feeling his heart going faster, lungs following along soon after. panic overtaking him,  grip on montgomery tightening.

This rage that Monty was unleashing had been a long time coming. It was the product of years of disappointment he’d held onto for all this time. All he could see was red, figuratively and literally, as he bashed his knuckles into the ground below him. He kept on screaming as he felt Reynaldo above him, panicked and trying to pry him off of the floor. It worked. Monty got up off of the floor and pushed Rey aside, storming towards his door where he could hear the frantic knocking of a guard on the other side. He unlatched the door and swung it open, seething as he demanded the guard to ‘leave me be’. He slammed the door back closed and locked it again, standing still for a moment, his chest falling up and down violently as he tried to calm himself.

He stood there, hands at his sides, blood dripping from his knuckles onto the floor. His head hang low and his eyes were closed. “I am not the same person you once knew me to be, Reynaldo”, he said in a low grumble. “I am not the same. You must be disgusted.” Monty wasn’t normally one to say such things. He never wanted to be pitied. Which is why he’d never told anyone about his suffering. But he realized, standing there with bloodied knuckles, that he had held onto too much. There was only so much someone could handle all on their own.

[montgomeryofdele]

caspar-hawthxrne·:

“Words like that are so much simpler to say than they are to do. I was there when you learned to walk, you think I would simply cease to worry because you are older and more handsome now?” The Warden laughed and worked his hands over Montgomery’s shoulders, and down his biceps, the flow of mana working over aching muscles, moving over the boy’s chest he rested them there for a second. “I will worry for you long after it is no longer necessary and you are a figure of legend. But I will try to be less verbal about it. For you sake.” 

“Such a needy little prince this evening aren’t we?” Caspar asked picking up one of Monty’s legs and beginning to work over the strong thick calves, and up his thighs. “You know my hobby is imbuing weaponry with magic. I would like to gift you something unique- custom. With your father’s passing you will be thrust more repsonsibilities. I would like you to have something that will…help me worry less. It doesn’t have to be a sword. I gave Owen a bow.” 

Monty followed his Warden with his eyes as he came from behind the chair and knelt down before him. “Have you ever known me to by anything else?”, he teased, spreading his legs and gripping the sides of his chair. “A sword will be wonderful, Caspar. Thank you. How very kind of you, looking out for us the way you do.” Monty licked his lips and closed his eyes, his head falling back as Caspar began to work magic into his legs. There was a sense of calm in the air now. One he hadn’t felt in weeks. And as his muscles began to relax, he felt another part of himself stiffen up. He lifted his head and stared down at his crotch. “So sorry, Caspar. Looks like you’ve given me a stiffy.” Monty chuckled quietly, gently rocking his hips upward.

[montgomeryofdele]

thefifthprince·:

xxx

Avery knew they were all tired. Avery should be happy so many people cared about his father enough to want to go to his funeral and stay, but he wanted time with his brothers. Wanted to just be able to accept it and mourn privately without eyes watching their every move. And he could tell that he wasn’t the only one who felt that way, although they all have varying degrees.

Avery nodded his head as he heard Monty’s words. “But who’s going to watching out for you?” Avery asked, hand reaching forward to grip at his brother’s hand. “I’m nervous for you the most because I know what you would do to protect us.” Avery admitted as he squeezed his brother’s hand. “And if I were to witness you get hurt…Or worse, because of me?” Avery choked up a little bit at that though, shaking his head as tears came to his eyes. “I…I just needed to know that you were alright. I’d already checked on to the others, but they were asleep. Your guards just had to rat me out.” Avery said with a chuckle and a pout. “Would…Would you mind if I stayed here tonight? I can sleep in the chair.” Avery requested.

Avery’s reactions made Monty smile. He wasn’t amused by the pain in his voice. He just thought it was very sweet the way Avery worried for him. Monty had no doubt in his mind that he’d be alright. If their father’s death had proved anything, it was that their brotherly bond ran deep. Nothing could tear them apart. Not if Monty had anything to do with it. “Please, baby brother. You must breathe. Try not to get yourself worked up over hypothetical situations.” Monty squeezed his brother’s hand back and after a second he pulled him up and onto his lap. He put one hand around Avery’s waist and the other reached for his cheek as he gently wiped away a tear. “No need to sleep in a chair, silly. You’ll sleep in bed with me. And I shall hold you close to me. Show you that no matter what comes of our family, I will always be here to protect you.”

[bbyelordi]

jacob elordi wearing glitter: a look

[montgomeryofdele]

crownsweight·:

montgomery’s order was tossed aside immediately. it was moments like those where reynaldo needed to remind himself of his worth. so many years of pining and waiting for an answer, even willing to accept a negative but as long as it came from the delesian prince’s lips. to see him, eye to eye, hear that he never wanted to see him again. and after all those years, the closest he got was his father. but not this time. morris gauthier was dead.

and thank the gods he was.

it took the crown prince a moment to process montgomery’s next words. it could have been mere speculation, but there was a confidence in the younger one’s voice that made the onderean heir feel the blood that heated his face begin to drain, leaving him ghostly pale. why would the king do that? what could be the purpose? as far as he knew, monty was never betrothed to any other kingdom - his master of whispers never failed to deliver. six years, and not a word in regards to any wedding.

his body remained frozen in place, as if bounded by ice cold chains. slowly snapping back into place, reynaldo picked up monty’s question with a dry laugh. eyes lost in the fireplace. “five years worth of them…’course, less and less, but ever constant.” he mused, clenching his teeth. the fire cracked gently…could it be? all those letters, all those words filled with care, devotion, admiration, grief, rage, desperation…could they have all burned along the logs? five years which felt like a lifetime…reduced to nothing but cinders.

Monty could not believe the words that fell from Reynaldo’s lips. But as he looked into his eyes, he could tell that they were sincere. Morris had kept them away from each other for as long as he was alive. There were a million things running through his mind, all of them overshadowed by the rage that was building up inside of him.

Monty turned away from Rey and walked over to the window. He could feel himself about to explode and although he didn’t want his guest to see it, he knew that it had to come out. Because for as long as he could remember, Monty couldn’t express his grief in any other way. He was not the type to shed tears. Instead he dropped to his knees and started to scream. He began to shake uncontrollably and pound his fists into the hard ground below him. And as he went on, he felt the skin on his knuckles breaking under the pressure, leaving blood stain on the ground. “If he wasn’t dead already I would fucking kill him! I’d kill him!”, Monty screamed through heavy breaths. “That fucking bastard!”

[montgomeryofdele]

rider-ismadi·:

Ismadi was in Dele as part of the household retinue for the royal family of Ondera, and it was an odd homecoming. Having not set foot on these lands since the day the last Meisian king had attempted to kill him. Although the names and faces had changed in the past 100 years, the endless parade of pomp and circumstance had not. Or the hurry up and wait. A harried butler had, in fact, ordered him to find Prince Montgomery and escort him to the “West Hall,” before fleeing to handle some other crisis. After knocking on a dozen doors, he cracks a smile when he hears the whispered gripe.

“Indeed, your highness, a most cruel and uncivil hour. Only the peasantry are up this early, and have been for hours. The audacity of it all,” Ismadi’s voice drips with sarcasm. But he executed a perfect bow nonetheless. “I have been ordered to bring you to the West Hall. However, given the maze like corridors and hidden stairs, I’m aftaid you’ll have to lead.”

♛

As Monty leaned out a bit more, he could see that it was Ismadi, a dragon rider of House Canolo. Funny, Montgomery hadn’t seen the man in years. Which seemed to be a recurrent happening the past few weeks. Monty wondered why an Onderian dragon rider had been sent to fetch him. And at an hour like this, nonetheless. “You may walk beside me”, Monty answered simply and confidently, slipping back into his chambers momentarily to throw on a ridiculously large black fur coat and some leather boots. He carried with him his golden sword and a small dagger in his sock. One could not be too careful in times like these.

“Alright”, he huffed, slipping through the door and into the hall. “I’m set. Now, where was it you’re taking me again? And why?” 

[montgomeryofdele]

caspar-hawthxrne·:

Caspar continued to massage and work over the prince’s shoulders, working mana into his fingertips to help loosen muscles and relax the young man. Leaning down he kissed Montgomery on the top of the head. “You are strong beyond your years, I know this is hard for you and an entire nation is looking for you to be stronger asbout this than you should have to be.” he said soflty. “I would hate for wrinkles to mar your gorgeous face, so please let me know if you need me for anything at all my prince. I see you are sharpening your sword. I think you are old neough now, would you like me to make you a magic sword?” 

♛

Monty closed his gently as Caspar placed a sweet kiss on his forehead. “No need to worry about me, Caspar. Truly.” Truthfully, Monty wasn’t too hung up on his father’s passing. He was focused more on the situation surrounding it. And, of course, his family. Avery, as strong as he’d become, was still very frightened. Owen was very close to their father but hadn’t exactly been afforded the proper time to grieve. Valor, well, Valor was going to be fine. Nonetheless, Monty’s concern was with them.

“A magic sword, eh?” Monty lifted the sword from between his legs and held it up, swinging it gently and watching the way it reflected the moon’s glow. “Please, tell me more.” Monty leaned over a bit and slid the sword gently on the desk. “And while you’re at it, would you mind getting down here and working some of that extraordinary magic into my legs? They ache, Caspar.”

[montgomeryofdele]

yourvalor·:

 “A benevolent soul if ever there was one.”  Valor shot back in that same warm tone as he walked by the other. His eyes dipping just at ouch to watch the other place that sword onto the table. “True enough but gods forbid I left of any doubt I did.” Because he was aware enough how rumors could cause a family to divide, how division spread- and fall either of them knew the point of turning them against one another had been the whole reason their father had been killed.  There’s a soft smile at being caleld my dear and his eyebrow arch up just a touch at thise words.  “You know me- I would never admit to such thing.”  Which was rather a vague statement on such a subject as that  but all the same he was simply tilting his head at the other. “I was just pointing out what the rumors were saying about me. None of us escape gossip,”  He pointed out as he followed the other with his eyes, watching him throw those longs into the fireplace and cause that fire to heat up even more. 

There’s a soft sigh at that question because he’d felt like it was rather had to explain how he was. “ It’s a painful loss- though people expect me to be wearing black for the next six months and anytime I wear something slightly blue- I can feel the judgement for moving on so quickly.  The jugement for not perfoming my grief in a way they expect is..”  There’s a little wave of his hand with a soft sigh. “I am fine, Monty. More concerned about Owen and Mother. The pressures of it all. Avery’s in…a state half the days about the lost chances with father.  You’re..”  He’s gives a soft sigh as he tilts his head back up to him. “I know Reynaldo is back in the city. A thousand different impossible to handle things and not a single one of us can handle this burden alone.” 

♛

There were many things that Monty admired about his brother. One of them being how calm and cool he managed to remain when navigating difficult times such as these. Monty almost never had worry about Valor. The two of them together were the rocks that held their family together, whether the others were aware of it or not. Valor knew it too. Which is why he rarely asked Monty how he was doing. Valor knew he was fine and vise versa. “Right... Reynaldo.” Monty chuckled quietly, gazing into the fire for a moment before looking back at his brother. “Well... this isn’t about him. It is about us.” Monty reached over and placed a hand gently on his brother’s thigh. “We come first.” Monty’s first priority was to make sure his family was okay. There had been enough drama lately as it was. “Well then”, Monty sighed, hands on his knees and he pulled himself up onto his feet. “Now that we’ve established that you and I are doing just fine, why don’t we get the hell out of this stuffy castle and go do something fun? Hm? Come on, Valor. I am sick and tired of talking about death and devastation. I know you are too.” Monty reached out and grabbed his brother’s hands, pulling himself closer. “Come on. We’ll have fun! We always do.”

[ssweeneys]

Jacob Elordi in Kissing Booth 2

[montgomeryofdele]

crownsweight·:

you abandoned me.

those three words had been enough for reynaldo’s heart to sink. abandoned? abandoned was the way the crown prince had felt throughout the last six years, pouring his heart letter after letter, even when he eventually resigned to the fact that they would never be responded to. his family would insist on him to pursue other princes, there were other three noble kingdoms with beautiful noblemen for him to fall for - or if he so badly wanted to marry a gauthier, montgomery wasn’t the only one. 

except that montgomery was the only one. for reynaldo he was.

“wait, no, i am not leaving.” his voice was commanding, pushing any nervousness to the back and standing his ground. not flinching at all even as the taller prince approached him. he didn’t seem angered though, but confused instead. as if trying to put together the pieces of a vase which monty had just shattered against his head. “i need you to listen to me, this is the first chance i have to speak to you in years.”

it pained him to see the rage in the younger male’s features. a face in which there used to be nothing but joy and mischief, it felt wrong. rey wanted to change that, if he was allowed, but first they needed to sort out what seemed to be a misunderstanding..but how could it be? fingers tensed, wrapping over where the hilt of his sword would be - his baldric rested on his bed, now he remembered. 

“i never called off the engagement. i asked for your hand, i wished nothing more than to be with you, reign by your side-” he bit his tongue in time, the last thing he needed was for his temper to betray him and start tearing up in front of monty. “…why would i have changed my mind? i received a letter from you, still have it on my chambers in ondera. you wrote to me saying that you wanted to cut off our engagement, and that was the last i heard a word from you.”

♛

Monty turned his back and began to walk away, his hands balling into fists. At that point, Monty had absolutely no desire to hear Reynaldo out. He was so very overwhelmed by his father’s death and the entire situation surrounding it. By weeks of constant condolences by sympathetic outsiders. He was so incredibly confused by all of it and this display by Reynaldo was not helping in the slightest. “You are leaving”, Monty interjected, turning back around to look Reynaldo in his eyes.

But the longer Reynaldo went on, the more Monty’s heart began to sink. Feelings of rage turned back into confusion. The wheels were turning so quickly that he’d barely caught the last part. “Y-you. You. I wrote you a letter? I did not! My father told me that y-...” Monty’s brow furrowed and his eyes darted towards the ground. A moment of silence filled the air as Monty regained his composure. “Reynaldo...”, he said calmly, taking a couple of cautious steps towards the other. “...I never sent you a letter. I believe... I believe my father forged a letter in my name.” Monty brought his hands to his mouth and closed his eyes, attempting to get hold of whatever feeling he had coming up from inside him. “How many did you write?”, he asked, hands still covering his mouth.

[montgomeryofdele]

thefifthprince·:

xxx

Avery let out a soft hum as he pressed his cheek back against his brother’s hand. “Monty,” Aver hummed back before nodding his head. “My body just doesn’t seem to want to shut down. Probably should have seen if a warden could put me to sleep, but…” Ever since finding out that the wardens were worried that the illness he had faced was possibly some form of curse or blood magic, Avery’s definitely had a slight fear of any form of magic. Avery nodded his head when he was offered some wine, twiddling with his own weapon timidly. “Yeah, that would be great.” He said as he set the kunai down lovingly before taking a seat. The kunai had been their fathers, and was the one weapon their father taught Avery how to handle after he got sick. Avery was also a great archer, but the kunai will always have a place in his heart after recent events. “Just can’t seem to calm myself down. My mind keeps racing.” Avery bit his bottom lip nervously before confiding. “Every brush of a branch sounds like someone tapping at the window, every footstep outside of my door leaves me nervous that someone is going to hurt me or someone else.” Avery said as he reached towards the beautiful chalice.

♛

The entire situation surrounding their father’s death had left the Gauthier boys on edge. Investigations were underway to find the person responsible for the heinous crime against the king and Dele. But things were moving slowly. The funeral was an entire ordeal that had lasted weeks and Monty could tell his brothers were worn out. It wasn’t easy dealing with fear and grief when they were being constantly bombarded by sympathetic outsiders. Avery had grown to be a strong young man but Monty still worried about him.

“I hate to see you like this, Avery. I really do.” Monty reached for his chalice and took a sip of wine, sliding down in his chair a bit and letting out a heavy sigh. “You know I would never let anything happen to you. Right? I mean, now that I know that someone has it out for us? I am more than ready to fight. Trust me, brother. Anyone lays a hand on you I’ll rip their fucking heart out.” The grip on his cup tightened a little, imagining someone hurting Avery. Any of his brothers. “I’m sorry, Avery. I got off track, as usual.” Monty took another sip of his wine and reached across the table, gently wrapping his hand around Avery’s wrist. “Tell me. What is it that haunts you? Perhaps there is something your big brother can do to help.”

[montgomeryofdele]

ofswordandcrown·:

-

The Eddisian prince was growing weary of the constant sorrow and tears that were shedding. He understood why, he understood that Morris had been a gentle monarch and that the kingdom benefitted under his reign, but he felt that perhaps the sadness was happening far too long. Still, though, the other monarchs of Dele were no doubt feeling it the worst, and so Matai hoped to offer company in the hopes to get their minds off of the tragedy that occurred. As much as one could, that is. And though it was late, it wasn’t late enough for most to be sleeping and so, eventually, he found his way to the quarters of one of the prince’s - Montgomery.

He was not close to Owen, and the last thing he would want is to be seen approaching Owen’s room this late at night and have rumors spread about him becoming Owen’s Queen, and while Prince Valor would no doubt welcome a visitor at this hour, Matai was not one to entertain in that way. “Forgive me for coming at this hour, Prince Montgomery… your guard informed me you were awake. Would you care for some company?”

♛

Days, as of late, had felt... prolonged. His father’s death had sent shock waves deep into the farthest corners of Aladonia. People from all over had gathered to mourn the late king in a funeral that lasted for days on end. Monty was exhausted, confused, a little frightened. He just wanted things to be over. For Owen to take the throne and for everyone to move on. Still, Monty had a duty to his people. And to his peers. To offer some comfort in times of fear and uncertainty.

“Of course”, Monty replied, loosening the grip on his sword and offering the Eddisi prince a soft and friendly smile. He moved in closer, placing his hand on the small of Matai’s back and leading him into his bed chamber. Monty locked the door behind them and moved towards a cabinet that housed his wine. “Matai”, Monty continued, pulling out a bottle of Eddisian wine and a couple of golden chalices. “My dear. It’s been such a long time. How are you these days.” Monty smiled, pouring out a couple of drinks and handing one of them to his friend. “I mean, despite current... events.”

[americanboys]

[omoerotismo]

[montgomeryofdele]

crownedgauthier·:

Unlike Monty, Owen’s relationship with their father had been much closer, much more amicable too. It was to be expected considering he was the first born, the rightful heir of Dele. He mourned, deep down. Those feelings, however, were tucked deep beneath the surface. As the remaining pilar of their kingdom, he couldn’t allow himself to lose his composure… He couldn’t allow himself to grow distant from the rest of his family, either. A thin line to walk on as he made his way into the room, closing the door behind them, ensuring some level of privacy for their conversation.

“I am tired as fuck,” Owen growled. He knew, out of all his brothers, if there was one he could use the worst words with, it was possibly Montgomery. “I have spent all day tending to our guests, making sure their needs are met, and I’m starting to wonder if we’re ever so spoiled! If you ever catch me complaining in someone else’s house because my pillow doesn’t have enough feathers, please do me a favor and punch me.”

♛

Montgomery understood and respected the fact that each his brother’s had a different, individually complex relationship with their father. He would never think of faulting anyone for his father’s actions towards him. Hell, he was aware that said actions were merely a decision that was made in order to better his kingdom. He didn’t have to admire or hate the man. He was the king and he was his father. But as for his brothers, Monty did love them. More than they could ever know.

“To hell with the lot of them, I say. After all, this is our kingdom. Our home. And we’re in the midst of death and mutiny. And you, my dear brother. You’re getting the brunt of it, I know.” Monty took his brother’s bowl of bread and put it aside, stepping closer to him and resting his hands on Owen’s shoulders. He gave them a gentle knead and offered a smile. “What do you say I call on my gentleman-in-waiting? Have him run us a hot bath and fetch some of that wine you like? We can soak while we let out all of our frustrations, hm?”