#knightsxheart

[scattereddimensions]

Visiting Lhant (closed with knightsxheart)

@knightsxheart

Richard gazed out the window of his carriage, fighting back a yawn.  Riding in any kind of vehicle never failed at soothing the Windorian king to sleep and this wasn’t any exception.  It wasn’t as if he wasn’t excited about the nature of his current trip.  No, he was quite thrilled, especially taking in the sights and smells of the countryside.  It wasn’t often that he got a chance to escape the bustle of Barona, other than meeting with dignitaries of Strahta and Fendel in person.

This trip was a vacation of sorts for the blonde king, something that he knew he needed.  Between fixing the mess both he and Lambda created and the ever-growing pile of paperwork, it was a never-ending job.  He refused any help from his associates (explaining that he needed to do this and that he wasn’t trying to step on their toes, as it were) and dove in with gusto.  Today, he was taking a few days’ break to visit his old friend, Asbel Lhant.

He remembered the good old days, when Asbel, his brother Hubert, their friend Cheria, and an odd child named Sophie climbed into his guest room in Lhant manor to tug him along on their adventures.  At first he wasn’t sure how to respond to the children that were roughly his age, if not a few years younger, wanting him to play with them.  It wasn’t often that he played with any kids his age.  He was raised to one day take over Windor and there was no time for play.  He was trained to speak proper and so he was confused when the children of Lord Lhant and two commoners spoke to him.

He let out a chuckle and rested his head against the cushioned seat.  He was grateful for what they did, despite the trouble they had gotten into.  He treasured those moments and even the brief moments he had when they were all grown.  Richard had wanted to visit Asbel in the knight’s Academy but knew that it would distract the former noble.  He loved their easy friendship and the teasing they shared.

Right before it all fell apart.

He was startled from his dark thoughts when the carriage came to a halt in Lhant, the townspeople gathering to catch a glimpse of their King.  Richard smiled and pushed open the carriage door, waving away the attendant as he descended down the short stairs.  Standing in front of the crowd was his best friend, Asbel.

“It’s great to see you again, Asbel,” Richard spoke warmly, his smile stretching across his face.  “It has been too long, old friend.”

[ofstarsandskies]

knightsxheart replied to your post: “Hold still— I need to clean it.”:

[-WATCHES INTENSELY-]

“I appreciate you looking out for me Asbel, but you don’t have to keep staring at me all the time...”

[ofstarsandskies]

“Hold still— I need to clean it.”

Injury Starters ||  @knightsxheart

Escaping the castle hadn’t been an easy task; people Ludger considered dependable allies were so quick to turn their swords against him. There wasn’t one corner where another enemy hadn’t been lying in wait; if not for the secret passage leading into the catacombs, their army of three wouldn’t have made it past the castle gates. Though once they reached the passage, they kept running just in case a couple stragglers spotted followed them. By the time they reached a “safe” spot, Ludger could barely breathe. 

Asbel wasn’t in in much better shape, although he immediately went into worrying about him for some reason.

“Am I that dirty--?” It took Asbel’s question for Ludger look down and realize his friend’s concern: a cut across his arm was bleeding pretty badly. Weird, Ludger didn’t feel anything until Asbel brought it up; Julius used to joke how Ludger’s worrying somehow overpowered all wounds, but maybe it wasn’t a joke after all. 

If his arm was still bleeding after heaven knows how long, Ludger couldn’t brush it off as something to take care of later. It’d be better in the long run for them to take care of it now. “Alright. But if something jumps out at us, we’ll need to save the treatment for after. We don’t need more wounds between us.” Proposition out there, Ludger sat himself down and rolled up his sleeve. 

Yeesh, his cut looked much worse without his clothes partially covering it. Note for next time: be more conscientious of his own condition. 

“Um... Are you hurt anywhere too? It’s only fair I help you dress your wounds.” 

[ofstarsandskies]

“you’re going to get yourself hurt.”

protector / protectee starters || @knightsxheart​

Another wave of those strange monsters were causing a stir near the entrance to Barona again. Honestly it was almost impressive how many of these things basically sprouted up overnight compared to their less... persistent(?) neighbors. Although for how impressive they were, their continued tyranny meant they had to be dealt with before they managed to harm anyone from the city. 

Asbel had apparently been meaning to visit Richard and accompanied him for this fight. That would sound like a boon, but really it was proving to be a double-edged sword. There was less worrying about getting flanked with someone at his side, but said someone kept fretting at every scratch or bruise the monsters managed to land on him. And to Ludger...

"Is that a problem?” There wasn’t an ounce or humor or malice in Ludger’s question-- only confusion. “Most monsters sniff out an injured opponent in hopes of an easy meal, so if anything a few cuts just makes searching for them faster. I’ll patch myself up once the request is fulfilled; time spent worrying about what might hurt me’s time wasted.” 

Ludger gently pushed Asbel aside and took a peek around any spots a stray monster could be hiding. Nothing; looks like the stragglers got wise and hightailed it out of there. These new monsters were known to recover quickly, so immediate pursuit was the best solution. Although that also required Asbel staying on-board, and he looked ready to call this whole thing off. If they weren’t busy, Ludger would be touched at the man’s concern. Keyword: if.

Perhaps a bit of incentive might make him reconsider?

“If me getting hurt worries you that much, then all the more reason for us to finish this quickly. I’ll deal with them by myself if I have to, injuries and all.” 

[ofstarsandskies]

@knightsxheart because I saw you like me AU stuff and thought you’d might want in

Through the many nights the Crown Prince came around to share dinner with him, there was one name Ludger kept hearing: Asbel. Truthfully, since Ludger mainly trained under Major Victoria and Asbel under Captain Malik, their paths rarely crossed. Before now he wasn’t bothered by that-- graduating from the Academy wasn’t a competition so how everyone else was doing didn’t affect Ludger. Though from all the praise Prince Richard offered the young man, Ludger had to admit... he was interested in formally meeting Asbel. 

But that plan raised one burning question: how? It couldn’t be during class time, and he’d hate to force Asbel to get up earlier than usual if he was the type to sleep in. That left two options: work himself to the bone so he’d manage to get off class ‘early’ and catch the man right after he finished (assuming he didn’t get let go earlier than him) or offer prayers he’d take a page from Ludger’s book and stay up late. 

For the next two weeks, Ludger consistently stayed up past curfew in hopes he’d get lucky and find his target. He’d check the training grounds, the kitchen, and quickly scan outside the Academy every night. Day 15 of his long search, Ludger could hear something near the grounds. Ludger headed straight there and peeked from the door: a person he hadn’t seen yet. Was that him? From the back in the dark, Ludger couldn’t really tell. 

Well if worse came to worst, his assumption was wrong and Ludger’d have to make a new strategy.

“Sorry to intrude, but could I ask you something sir?” Ludger slowly approached the man just in case he could be perceived as a threat. “I’ve spoken to Prince Richard a few times and he talks a lot about an Asbel. I was wondering if that was you.”

[aquaius]

@knightsxheart​

A human? Did a human just approached him?

He turned around to see if there was any other human behind him but no one was there. Mikleo returned his focus on the other,  carefully observing, based on the clothes he wear and his posture, he was no doubt a knight of some kingdom.  Its rare to find someone, a knight specifically who don't emanate much malevolence. He didn't mind the idea of another human able to perceived the seraphim, in truth he was fortunate to found someone who has a high resonance in a place he doesn't know about. It would make his journey less conflicted. The water seraph crossed his arms over his chest, ❛ I see. So you were able to see me. ❜

[cxrpsedancer-blog]

❝ it's never too late to be what you might have been. ❞

famous quotes || @knightsxheart

“What I might’ve been?” the words were repeated; what could she have been? “It might help if I knew what that was...” Adelaide mumbled under her breath, barely audible for the Paladin to hear.

Never had she pondered about the person she was; no one knew who she was before the blonde had adopted her current name either. She was an enigma to herself just as she is to everyone. At the very least, “At the very moment, however, I am happy to be the person I am today.”

“Could you say the same for yourself, Asbel?”