Ashidanza!

Prince Naveen Lazarov. If you think I'm nursing a hangover, I am.

[naveenlazarov]

Crashing Kingdoms Task #4: Naveen Lazarov Aesthetic

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Maybe I’ll be Drunk Again | Naveen & Herc |

Hercules sat at the bar, finding himself there twice within the same week was an odd occurrence. For his whole life he had tried to stay away from the poisonous substance that was alcohol, but as of late, that very poison seemed to be the only thing keeping him alive. Wars on the borders had resulted in many deaths of his men, all deaths that he took blame for, felt responsible for. It seemed that every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was death. Death caused by him. Taking another swig from his stein full of ale, he beckoned to the bar tender for a shot of whiskey. 

His face began to feel warm, and his vision began to blur. The comforting feeling of the alcohol coursed through his veins, and he welcomed it with open arms as he ordered another shot, and finished off his ale. The joyous sounds of drunken laughter and steins clanging together filled the knights ears, yet it just all reverted back to battle cries and the sounds of swords scraping against metal armor in his mind. He may be home, but his mind was never off of the battle field. He took the shot that was delivered to him, and turned in his chair, attempting to shake off his thoughts. Looking around the bar, his eyes fell on a familiar face, and he held up his stein as a sign of cheers, “Naveen! Fancy seeing you here!” his words were slurred. 

[naveenlazarov]

There were many things that Naveen did not understand about the royal courts and nobility. He couldn't understand what use it was to preen over the latest fashion trends when their people were being threatened with a formidable darkness that they stood no hope of defeating. The fact that these men and women could hide their intentions and stab one another in the back with such vicious nonchalance was something that the prince used to dismiss. Yet with the haunting thought in the back of his mind that one of them could take that saying literally, that there were magical folk among his court simply waiting for the right chance to strike again, being in court was more unbearable than usual. He needed a break from the titles and courtesies. He needed to be with his people; not the aristocrats, but the commoners who understood him better in a single night than a duke or duchess would in a lifetime.

It was for that reason that he had once more donned his commoner garb and slipped out the window of his current residence, sneaking out to the nearest pub in the vicinity. With a pint of cheap ale in his hand, and the roaring sounds of drinking songs and celebration all around him, Naveen finally found it in himself to relax. A few people who recognized him flocked to his side, and soon he found himself the center of attention, chatting amiably with anyone within earshot.

From somewhere in the room, a familiar voice reached Naveen. He glanced over in their direction, breaking out into a wide smile as he saw a particular knight waving a stein at him. Breaking away from his newfound friends, he made his way over to the soldier. "Mister Herc? Fancy running into you yet again! We must be bound by fate, you and I!" Naveen beamed, clapping a hand on his shoulder grinning from ear to ear. “Come, these lovely folks are certain they can drink me under the table. The loser foots the bill. You should join us!”

[hercules-angelis-blog]

The thought of Naveen in armor made Hercules laugh, but it also made his cheeks redden. He wasn’t wrong, he would look really good in armor. Naveen seemed to be becoming more natural and relaxed, and Herc was glad he could help the prince out. He knew what it was like to feel as if you were helpless and couldn’t do anything right. The way he got through it was remembering, no matter how long and hard you work at something, you’ll always have things to learn. “No one becomes a professional if you think about it, there’s always things to learn. So just think of things that way!” He smiled his bright positive grin, “Just another thing to learn!” 

Herc thought for a second on what he had said about parties and speeches. “I disagree,” he said taking a bite of his sandwich trying not to drool at the deliciousness. “Giving speeches to your people keeps them informed, how you speak with confidence and a passion shows your people how much you care for them and your kingdom. The parties keep them happy, and carefree under your rule.” He shrugged taking another bite, licking the dripping sauce off his lips. “And on that case, everyone in all of the kingdoms knows you throw the best parties!” Laughing at Naveens comment, Herc looked at the ground. “I love giving people compliments!” he put his hands up in mock surrender, “What can I say? I like to make people feel good.” He smiled at the prince and turned to the people walking through the market laughing a little to himself. He never would have thought he would have found a friend in a prince, let alone Prince Naveen. Herc was shocked he was even able to speak around him. 

[naveenlazarov]

The knight appeared to be growing flustered and Naveen grinned knowingly. Had Hercules taken his small joke seriously? He would not tease the man much further, seeing as he had so earnestly helped the prince, but goodness he had come across the potential for something fun. It had been some time since he had thought that way, which would have been an eternity for the pre-wraith prince. “Limitless optimism. Yes, I think I like it!” Naveen beamed, mirroring Hercules’ grin with a toothy one of his own. “I am not much of a learning man, but I do believe you are on to something, monsieur.”

Naveen ate as Hercules spoke, rather amazed that commoner food could taste as good as it did. As he was discovering, it was not simply the sandwiches that were of fine quality in Larean. “Well perhaps they are useful in that way, but is that what my kingdom needs now? To turn a blind eye to all that has happened in the past few months? It is difficult to be encouraging when it is a brand that you do not believe in yourself, monsieur.” He shrugged, supposing that the other man did have a point. Naveen’s mind went in a completely different direction at Hercules’ next words, almost choking on his sandwich with suppressed laughter. “You like to make people feel good, do you? An interesting turn of phrase, if I may point out Mister Herc.” 

[hercules-angelis-blog]

“Oh it wears me out,” he said with a chuckle, “It’s hard to look around here and see everything that could possibly go wrong, but as a knight, or even just as a soldier, you have to trust and have faith.” He smiled at the man next to him. “You have to trust and have faith that the training you received will be enough, enough to get you through whatever is thrown at you.” Hercules listened intently as Naveen explained his worries, which were understandable. Hercules had enough anxiety caring for a dog, he couldn’t imagine a whole kingdom. It had to be extremely exhausting, and a lot of pressure. “I can’t imagine doing what you’re doing Naveen.” He gently squeezed the shoulder of the man next to him hoping it was comforting. 

When their sandwiches arrived Hercules handed the vendor the money, and Naveen his food. Arcas scarfed his down in seconds of course. Herc laughed and led Naveen to a table that was off to the side of the market place. “You’ve been doing this and been around this your whole life I’m assuming, whether or not it feels this way, you have the training and it’ll be second nature to you!” He smiled brightly at the man in front of him. “Believe me, you have a way of charming people Naveen,” his cheeks got slightly red, “Thats the best trait a leader can have!” 

[naveenlazarov]

“Faith in training, huh?” Naveen thought on it for a while. The knight did seem to be quite assured about it, and given how he had seen more battles, he was inclined to believe them. Although it was difficult to think of etiquette lessons and music training as productive to fighting the forces of evil. “Then we are agreed. We shall never trade jobs for the day.” He nodded, his grin becoming a bit more natural with the act of comfort from Hercules. He was a good man, this one. “As good as I would look in armor, I am also sure its weight alone would be too much for me.”

The prince gladly took the sandwich, his appetite returning in the wake of their conversation. Like before, the dog’s food disappeared in moments and he joined the knight in laughter. “That does sound quite right, but somehow knowing how to make a public speech and throw parties do not seem to be very useful skills. I am completely out of my element as of late, Mister Herc.” They all were, yet despite all the terrible things that were happening, he was there in the marketplace with a good friend and few things could have been better. “So I am charming, am I? Perhaps you may be fit for the prince role after all! Half of it is compliments after all.” Naveen wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, glad to be feeling more like himself. He owed Hercules, though it was hard to put it into words as to why. “But thank you. It does mean a lot to me to hear that.”

[hercules-angelis-blog]

“Strong would be an understatement!” He said smiling adoringly at the pup, the dimples in his cheeks showing. “I took him to an animal doctor, and he would guess that Arcas will grow to be almost two hundred pounds! Mostly muscle!” He smiled brighter at Naveen, “It’s nice to not be the only big lug in Larean who knocks people over and eats their food,” he laughed, a twinkle in his eye. “There are many places in Larean with odd names! Too many to list in fact, yet they always seem to be the best ones.” Hercules had known for a while that the same concept went for people. Some one the most interesting people seemed to be the best to have on your side. He had known Naveen a short amount of time, but he seemed to be one of those people. 

The line began to move slowly but surely as people walked away with huge delicious smelling sandwiches. Hercules’ mouth began to water, Phil hated it when he ate food from the market. He always told Hercules that he might as well eat from the trash bins. Naveen’s question took him by surprise. No one had ever really asked him that. “The Royal family has an army to protect and fight for their people,” he began with a shrug, “even when we are not on duty, we are expected to keep an eye on everything and everyone we pass. Always  alert, and always ready to give our lives for those we protect and care for.” he shuddered as memories from the battlefield filled his mind, the smell of blood and death filling the air. “I am technically free to do what I want on a day to day basis, but when it comes to the small details, I am never free to do what I want. In the long run, it’s undeniable, my life will end protecting the people of Larean, and even though 99 percent of the population couldn’t pick me out of a crowd, each and every citizen of Larean is family to me, and I would and will die for every single one of them.” He shuddered a little as they finally stepped up to the ordering window he shook it off and put his signature bright smile back on his face. “I’ll have a rueben with extra cheese on sourdough please, and Arcas here will have the same thing!” He looked over to the Prince standing next to him, “What would you like Naveen?” 

[naveenlazarov]

“Two hundred!? Aishidanza, I would not have believed it if you had not said it.” Naveen’s eyes widened in shock, staring back at the dog in a new light. A dog of that massive size certainly suited his master, who was of a similar build. While the creature already looked fully grown, save for its massive paws, it was small in comparison with its owner. “But what can I say? We all do crazy things when we are hungry.” The prince said in good humour, shrugging. To see the two of them rushing into battle when the pup was full grown would be an intimidating sight, without a doubt. “Indeed, I find that those with peculiar names have the most character. And those in Larean have certainly proven that sentiment true, from the ones I have met, of course.”

The sandwich cart really did smell good. Naveen gave the customers an envious look as they passed with the most delicious sandwiches he had ever seen. It appeared that his run-in with the knight was more fortuitous than he had anticipated. He listened attentively to Hercules, nodding at some points and drawing his eyebrows in concern. “But does it not wear you out, monsieur? Having to be on guard at all times? Waiting for a danger that you do not know of?” Naveen looked off in the distance, not quite seeing the peaceful marketplace as his mind drifted back to the horrors of his own castle. He was sure it did not match the sort of things that the soldier had seen, but still... ”I do not know how you do it, Mister Herc. Here I am the future monarch of a kingdom, but when my people need me I am of no use to anyone. It is...frustrating.” The man blinked as the line moved up. “Ah, I do not mean to be such a downer, monsieur! It is simply that there are some things on my mind that I have not quite figured out.” He explained, forcing a grin as he took a look at the vendor. “I think I will be fine with a club sandwich. I must say, they look excellente, Herc.”

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Hercules saw some curiosity rise as the man watched his dog. From what Hercules had seen lately, Arcas had a way of making people forget their problems, especially so for Hercules. The dog brought a sort of light to his surroundings. “It would be absolutely no trouble at all, especially after my dog nearly knocked you into the mud for one!” Hercules laughed and began walking towards the best sandwich cart in all of Larean, “Besides, you got the wrong kind!” He smiled before pointing to the long line down the market, “627′s is the place to get a great sandwich! They’re out of this world some would say.” 

Listening as Naveen denied the formalities, he nodded, “As you wish, Naveen it is, and you can call me Herc!” He laughed, “Hercules can be a mouthful sometimes.” His eyebrows drew together, he couldn’t imagine people not wanting someone as nice as Naveen to be their prince. “I am sure they see you as a truly wonderful leader Naveen.” He assured the other man as they walked stepped in line at the sandwich cart. 

[naveenlazarov]

Naveen was glad that the dog’s owner had been someone familiar. It would have been awkward to ask a total stranger for reparations, though Hercules’ cheerful behaviour was reassuring. “Yes, he will be quite the strong canine in a few years, if this was any indication. I hope for the sake of the poor food carts around here that he does not knock them over entirely one day.” He chuckled; the first time he had done so in some time. It was only at Hercules’ prompting that the prince took a proper look at his surroundings. Indeed, there was a substantial line trailing down the street, leading to what he assumed was the cart in question. He raised an eyebrow, perplexed by its unusual name. He had never heard of a shop that was labelled by a number before. “All this line for one sandwich place? This I have got to try!”

Naveen grinned, feeling a bit more like himself as they conversed. “Very well, Mister Herc! I would offer you a shorter version of my name, but alas, mine does not come with so easy a nickname. If we want to talk about long names, however, you cannot imagine some of the ones you hear in court. They can be astounding.” He scratched the back of his ear, following the knight to stand in line. “I wonder about that. As of late, the title seems more of a token. The Maldonian army has done an incredible job of repairing the capital after the attack. For the most part I simply try to stay out of the way.” He frowned, thinking about it deeply. “Tell me, what is it like in this kingdom? Do the royal families keep you busy, or are you free to go about as you please as a knight?” 

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Hercules swore he had met this man before but could immediately tell that he had been through some things. His eyes seemed empty and were circled with bruise toned skin. So he offered up a smile, and hoped to be able to lighten this mans mood. “I’m not one hundred percent sure, I found him outside of my home rummaging through the trash. He seems to mostly be mastiff, but he could have some other breeds mixed in there as well.” Hercules gave Arcas a stern look as the pup scarfed down the sandwich, even giving a small burp when he was content. “I can buy you a new sandwich if you’d like… he’s sort of a bottomless pit. If you show him food, there’s no hope in controlling him.” 

Suddenly Hercules remembered where he had seen this man before. The last time he had been much more up beat and much less dreary. “You’re Prince Naveen right? I believe we’ve met before.” He bowed to the royalty.

[naveenlazarov]

A certain light came back to Naveen’s eyes; a spark of curiosity as he inspected the dog that was so thoroughly enjoying his lunch. “A mutt then? Whatever he is made of, it is certainly impressive. He does not look much older than a year, if that.” The prince ruffled the dog’s head affectionately, before addressing its owner. “I know many others like that, but I am glad at least one of us enjoyed the meal. I am afraid it would have been wasted on me.” Although, watching how thoroughly the dog had enjoyed it, the prince found himself regretting the loss of his meal. He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “A new sandwich would be nice, but so long as it does not trouble you, monsieur.”

Upon mentioning that they knew one another, Naveen’s eyebrows drew together. The realization dawned on him as the man bowed, recalling where he had seen it before. “Ah, yes! The knight from Laeron! We have indeed, but please no formalities, Mister Hercules. I am not much of a prince, you see.” He smiled politely, though it did not reach him entirely. “I think all of Maldonia has seen that, between you and me.”

[hercules-angelis-blog]

Hercules walked down the street and the puppy at his ankles, tongue lolling out of his mouth. The market was bustling full force as usual at this time of day, and he figured this would be the best time to go to the archives to do some research. Suddenly, the puppy was running towards an innocent shopper, and before Herc could stop it, there was slobber and produce every where. Hercules ran up to the scene and scooped his companion into his arms. “I am so sorry, I can replace anything that was ruined! He’s still training!” Hercules started stuttering out excuses, flushed with embarrassment. 

[naveenlazarov]

Naveen was in a rather poor state. Dealing with things in Maldonia had taken its toll on the upbeat prince, and the constant demands for vengeance against the witch who ruined his ball were wearing him down between the constant letters of condolences that he had to send out. He needed a breather from his own kingdom, and Larean seemed the best option. Walking through the marketplace, he had purchased a sandwich that he had no appetite for, wandering about vacantly as he browsed the merchants’ wares.

All of a sudden, a monster of a dog had knocked right into him. “Woah there!” In his surprise, his sandwich hit the ground, with the beast happily laying waster to the fallen food. Its owner came rushing by in a flurry, but the puppy’s antics brought a small smile to the prince. “It is nothing, really. I’m sure this one will enjoy it much more than I.” Naveen peered down, looking at the mutt with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. “I have not seen a dog like this before. What breed is he?”

[naveenlazarov]

Crashing Kingdoms Task #3: Naveen Lazarov Personality Chart

“But when they finally do find their place in the world, their imagination, empathy and courage are likely to produce incredible results.“

[running-pietro-deactivated20160]

She let out a growl. “And this is exactly what she wants!! You!! Defeated!! Already thinking you can’t win! Of course she’s going to win. If we keep up with that attitude, not even trying to defend ourselves. it’s not jusitfying if she made the first move. It’s called defending ourselves. She attacked us first.”

“Give up then, give your kingdom to her. Do you honestly think she’ll spare us if we give ourselves up to her? I’d rather die defending my people then to just hand it over to someone who’s not worthy of ruling.”

[naveenlazarov]

“So she got it then; she’s beaten me. At least I am not foolhardy enough to send my citizens off to die for nothing! Because that is exactly what is going to happen, and you will have no one to blame but yourself when you have to face their families and tell them about how honorable their death was! Then you can explain to them why defending ourselves was worth it.” Naveen threw his arms up, angrily cursing in French.

“And who is to say that she won’t? Maleficent has made it clear what will happen to those who oppose her. What could possibly be worse? And die, you shall. Forgive me if I do not have that fighting spirit, but I know better than to wager on this war.”

[running-pietro-deactivated20160]

“Do you really think just ignoring this will make Maleficent go away?” She stared at him half horrified, half frustrated. “Who’s going to protect you if you won’t? I understand that as a prince you have your duty to your people. I understand that it’s a time of grieving, but if you don’t get it to together soon how long will it be before she comes back? Your defenses are weak right now, everyone’s is weak right now. We’re all scrambling trying to figure out what to do! She could easily attack any one of us! Any of our kingdoms! it is not just yours that could be overtaken, it’s all of Verden, Prince Naveen!”

“War is always going to have causalities, i wish it wasn’t that way. I understand you’re hurting and your people are hurting. But this isn’t a cause you can just let go and face when you feel like it. This is bigger than all of us, we need to start figuring out what to do.”

[naveenlazarov]

“Of course it will not make her go away, but she will leave my kingdom alone. Don’t you get it? She’s already won before we even started. Maleficent will go from kingdom to kingdom to show how powerless they are to stop her, and if we don’t give her what she wants, she will massacre our people. She is not interested in a defeated kingdom, she wants the ones who resist her. You will see when she comes for Agrabah; this is the game she is playing. Maleficent wants us to fight her, so she can justify destroying us.  ”

“Well that is too bad, princess, because that is exactly what we are going to do. Do not speak of fighting when you do not understand its cost. Maldonia is not in a state to go to war, and frankly none of the other kingdoms are either. I am not going to spearhead a movement knowing we don’t have a chance of winning.”

[running-pietro-deactivated20160]

“Then protect them now! This isn’t the time to be wallowing in self-pity, Prince Naveen. You lost people, everyone did. You don’t think I lost people of my own kingdom at your party? You don’t think that we’re all just equally to blame? They’re looking up to you. Maleficent isn’t an enemy that a few guards can stop. If she wants to make something happen, I’m sure she’ll find ways to do it. We need to be prepared. Thinking of the ‘what-if’s’ isn’t going to save us right now. If she wants a war, we need to defend ourselves and fight back. Do you think your people will want to fight if their royal prince can’t get it together? ”

[naveenlazarov]

“Yes, and that is so much easier to say when it is not your kingdom to worry about! How many people in Maldonia do you think are willing to march into battle after that? After the royal family was so easily defeated in the heart of the kingdom? How many are going to volunteer to bring Maleficent down when it has been made very clear that they won’t be coming back? I have already gambled with the lives of my people, and I will not do it again! I can’t do that again.”

“It is not that I do not want to do something about Maleficent, but Maldonia comes first. Right now that means it is not the time to talk of war, but to bury our dead, and see yours back home.”

[naveenlazarov]

jasmine-sultana:

“You didn’t do anything. The way I see it, you were just trying to give everyone a much needed distraction. You can’t fault yourself for trying to ease people a bit. Maleficent was the one who summoned the wraiths, not you.”

“And what good did that do? Instead of helping people, I invited them to their graves. I took every precaution that I could think of and she still got in. She used my castle to make her declaration of war and all I could do was stand by and watch. Some prince I turned out to be, when I couldn’t even protect the people in my own home from her.”

[naveenlazarov]

jasmine-sultana:

“You couldn’t have known she’d strike then, Prince Naveen. But your efforts are fully appreciated right now.”

“But this event had been my idea. If I had taken her threat more seriously, if I hadn’t been so insistent, these people would be alive and well with their families. I- I’m no less guilty than she is. I killed these people.”

[naveenlazarov]

“I...I cannot apologize enough to all those who were present at the ball last night. We found the source of the wraiths’ summoning and destroyed it, but it will not bring back the lives that were taken from us that night, and Maleficent is still at large. I take full responsibility, and if there is anything I can do to make up for this, I will.”

[captlishang-blog]

“If you’re able to get them to form an orderly group, I can lead them there. But if they’re going to continue to run amok and create chaos, there’s little hope of us getting there safely. You cannot let yourself shoulder the entire blame, your highness. Many people are to blame for this, and it’s far beyond your control. Gather up anyone you can, then. I’ll escort you myself to the west wing with anyone you’re able to save.”

[naveenlazarov]

“I will see what I can do. I am the prince, after all. No, monsieur, this is my responsibility. No one would be here tonight had I not insisted that we needed to host this event for morale. After this, I...I don’t know how many would want to oppose Maleficent anymore. I don’t even know how many we have left.”

“I managed to find a few. Let us hurry, sir, so we can get them to safety as soon as possible.”

[captlishang-blog]

“I can gather people, but where exactly should we move, sir? There’s not a lot of places within the castle’s walls without a swarm of those beings, so our hiding spots are dwindling by the minute. And if anyone needs to be saved, it’s you.”

[naveenlazarov]

“We need to get them to the western wing. We can barricade the wraiths here, and the narrower hallways will make it harder for them to pick us off like flies. The ballroom has too many openings- they can move around too freely, so we need to relocate. Monsieur, people are dead because I was too foolish to think that I could keep these villains out. This is my fault, and I am not going until we can save as many guests as possible.”