Of Crowns and Swords

[ofcrownsandswords]

( TOM HOLLAND, QUESTIONING, CIS MAN & HE/HIM ) — By the grace of the Gods, old and new, I present to you LORD APOLLONIUS of THE HIGHTOWER  within the lands of VALTOLIA. The Gods have blessed us with their presence for TWENTY-ONE years. many know them to be CREATIVE, OBSERVANT AND KIND and while it is not always shown, it is said they can also be GUARDED, SHY AND NAIVE. What will their tale in the story of Metia be? Only they can write it, so let’s see how their legend unfolds.

STATS AND BIO TO BE ADDED!

[saltcrowns]

Truth be told, you could practically read the anxiety on Atticus' face. He was a man who had spent years studying and understanding his enemies, reading up on their history... he was a tactician, after all, but Argonia was a loose canon. He knew the little bit about them from his books but those had been sparse and there wasn't any recent information on Argonians for centuries. Who knew how much they had changed since then?

"Please stop with the lord nonsense," he sighed, rubbing his temple as his brother walked into the room. "I am your brother, I've practically raised you myself." As the oldest Hightower, he was the one now in charge of finding a suitor for his brothers and that included Apollonius. "It's fine, at least you're alive. Just stay within the estate grounds next time, I don't know much about this city and that is enough to worry about." Atticus prided himself on how much knowledge he knew, that's how he functioned in this world. "I... Perhaps, if I finish my work. I'll need to find a guard to escort us, however. It's not wise to be out alone."

[ofcrownsandswords]

Apollonius was great at reading emotions, it came with his studies on human anatomy and portraying that on the canvas. He could see that anxiety, he could feel it, even before they came here. While he had his own anxieties about being this far away from home, it outweighed his need to show he could handle this, he had to prove himself that he ready to finally be out in the world. He couldn't help but chuckle at the misunderstanding, Apollo saying Lord in surprise to Atticus' presence, not calling Atticus' lord, while he certain has kept up with the titles, he knew his brother wasn't the fan of titles when it came to them being alone. He pulled off his boots, tossing them next to the couch as he crawled into it, his eyes moving over his older brother as he was bathed in the firelight, " I got some amazing drawings," He chimed, pulling out his small sketchbook, flipping through the pages. If Atticus was paying attention, he would surely see his own face appearing in Apollonius book, drawings of him studying, of him asleep in the stage coach, he did find himself drawing Atticus a lot, and was even wanting to ask to paint him, but felt it was too intimate and it made him nervous. Still, he got to what he wanted to show, quick drawings, not as much detail as that with Atticus, who's features he practically had memorized, but of others around the kingdom they visited, " Have you been around the kingdom, or just stuck in here all day?"

[saltcrowns]

for: @apolloniusxhightower where: themys, argonia

This was the last place Atticus would have wanted to be, he had a sinking suspicion that Argonia had the answer to who attempted to assassinate Iskander Pryor and tried to frame Valtolia. Not to mention the Hightower's library didn't have nearly enough information on this mysterious power... so curiosity got the better of him and he agreed to escort his brothers there as guests.

Sitting in the room that had been assigned to him and his family, Atticus sat by the fire with a large pile of Argonian books he had been able to get his hands on. He'd need to get his hands on more, but didn't need to look suspicious. "Where have you been, Apollonius?" he asked when his brother returned to the room. It wasn't too late in the evening but dinner had been several hours ago. "You know I don't like it when you go exploring unsupervised, especially in a place I know nothing about and have no control over." As the Valtolian Hand, Atticus had quite the reach back home.. but here? It wouldn't help his brother.

[ofcrownsandswords]

Being the recluse that Apollonius was, the youngest Hightower did not know much of why he was dragged all the way out to Argonia. He loved his home in Calais and while Argonia was not that far away, he felt his easel calling him. Having been forced on his carriage, he had only brought a small sketchbook, one that he handmade himself and felt that if he was force to be here, he might as well enjoy a walk. He didn't expect his brother to question him as soon as he returned though. The sudden questioning and presence of Atticus even starling Apollonius, " Lord, Atticus," He spoke shortly, his book held tight over his chest, " I wanted to go for a walk, see if I can find anything to draw," He held up the book as evidence, but he nodded at the rest of Atticus' warnings, " I apologize," He nodded his head softly, moving to sit on a loveseat, putting his stuff aside as he bent over to undo his shoes, " You could come out with me later though, it is a beautiful night and didn't you say you wanted me out more?"

[ofcrownsandswords]

As Apollonius looked over the sun as it set across the Kingdom of Valtolia, he thought back to his life in the kingdom, the death of his father, his self-guarding and exclusion he put him in. His father was the one that made him fall in love with art, the time he spent after his death learning all he can about it. His room was cluttered with self-taut canvas in various states of completion, some sketched, the basic layers applied in blocks of color or the finer details just starting to begin, all of his finish works were stored safely away or hung on his walls. He didn't leave Valtolia often, even going as far as denying any sort of courting in the his first few years of adulthood, but as he grew older, he knew he couldn't keep up this charade forever, he had to put himself out there, to connect and live his life beyond what he has. Like someone had heard his inner most thoughts and worries, there was a knock on his door, causing the youngest Hightower to put his sketchpad away before turning his attention to the door, " Enter!" He called before standing.