|| ♔ || Shake Off the Rust || ♔ || @elios-carminati || ♔ ||
So far, this castle really did have everything. As Tristan stood in the center of the long, wooden-floored room he’d discovered that morning, afternoon sunlight streaming in through the tall windows lining the eastern wall, he was struck by something akin to suspicion. As though everyone in this castle had perhaps been dragged through a wormhole into some alternate dimension where whatever you happened to need magically materialized behind a door you hadn’t opened yet.
The prince brought himself back to reality by reminding himself that this was clearly a multi-purpose space; that fencing was, in fact not the only activity it was intended to host. The back wall was panelled with mirrors and a ballet barre, there was a rack of weights in one corner, and there were what appeared to be hookups for a badminton net on either side of the room. But it was the foils hung on the furthest wall that had piqued Tristan’s interest in this space.
The instant he’d spotted them, he’d been transported back to Monaco, to the space in the Carminati family home that was purpose-built for fencing; a space Tristan had frequently shared with his younger brother Elios as they grew up. Many an afternoon the brothers spent chatting and bantering as they harmlessly prodded each other with flexible steel. As they’d entered adulthood, and Tristan’s duties as the future king took away more of his time, they practiced less and less frequently. Then came Tristan’s accident several months ago, then Eden’s abduction by rebels. Needless to say, it had been ages since he’d fenced with his brother. But with all three siblings now sequestered to this Russian castle, with little to do but spend time with each other, it seemed the perfect time to reconnect. That morning, a very gracious member of staff had passed along a note Tristan had written to Elios, asking him to meet his brother in this very room, at pretty much this exact time. Just as Tristan raised his wrist to check the time, he heard movement behind him. A grin spread across his face as he turned to greet Elios, hands folded over the handle of his cane.
“Right on time.” he said, lifting a brow. “Not that I’m surprised...there’s not much to do here that might be cause for delay.” Tristan lifted his cane, pointing it at the foils on the opposite end of the room. “I thought we could shake off some of the rust, so to speak. It’s been forever since we practiced.”