Just a few headcanons about Nikandros/Nicaise, six years after Kings Rising (considering Nikandros to be around Damen’s age)
Nicaise and Nikandros enjoy spending time together in the gardens of the palace in Ios, perhaps sitting together on a bench close enough to the palace so that they'd get the chance to exchange palace gossips as well as to bitch about whoever is unlucky enough to end up as their bitching target
they're bffs and everyone in Ios knows better than to mock Nicaise about him being Veretian or his past or literally whatever
they also wonder when they'll finally announce their wedding
truth is: they actually ARE just bffs/parteners in crime (which means that Nicaise commits the crime and Nikandros being the good friend/kind soul that he is, fixes whatever he did -thanks Damen for making him Kyros-)
Nicaise would bite the face off whoever dares to question their friendship and imply something else is going on between them. Nikandros would do the same just so Nicaise wouldn't dirty his hands "with the filth" as he once said
Nikandros knows, most of the times, when Nicaise is up to something. Once he found him wandering just outside the gardens, looking with interest at whatever was on the ground. When the next day he received a letter from “Lord and Lady Kanvery” who were “interested in exchanging goods directly with the province of Ellium”, he didn’t even bother himself with opening it. He instead completed his tasks as kyros and waited until he knew Nicaise would be out of his rooms. He then proceeded to empty the envelope full of worms under the covers of Nicaise’s bed. What a surprise it was going to be
Nicaise likes wearing chitons, they're comfortable and they're perfect for the extremely hot weather in Akielos (he started wearing them after Laurent made him notice just how much he was sweating and that it was visible through his veretian clothing, "I'm going through puberty you idiotic camel! You're as much as an animal as your boyfriend is, surviving in this heat with THOSE clothes!". The day after Nikandros bought him a chiton)
they like riding on the beach. Like, it always ends up in a race but still
once Nikandros let Nicaise win on purpose because “he’s just a kid”
Nicaise didn't talk to him for two weeks straight because “I’m not just a kid you old... dumb... whatever”
once Nicaise and Nikandros were walking on the beach, really close to the water, and Nicaise started complaining that in Akielos there was never any snow. Or at least there was as much snow as there were civilised people. Nikandros threw him a ball of wet sand aiming for his face but hitting his shoulder. He started considering himself dead nonetheless when he saw the look on Nicaise's face
Also, I’ll probably add another time what happened to make Nikandros and Nicaise get this close
This is how 16 years old Nicaise and Nikandros got closer aka how their actual friendship started
"I'm telling you, I saw her right out of my room when I came back. And I'm sure she was prying into my stuff, reading my letters! I have a witness!" the merchant's face was red at this point and it almost looked like he could explode in a matter of seconds, Which would be quite funny actually.
The two Kings scrutinised him from their thrones, one next to the other.
Laurent's faint smile betrayed his thoughts. Of course he was enjoying himself, his sadististic side would be overflowing with excitement at the thought of watching someone who had so obviously been played in his hands not even realising it.
It was crystal clear that the servant had been sent by Laurent. The merchant was trading slaves, that was his charge, and what would be better than finding the evidence of the trade and humiliating him publically?It took slightly more time than anticipated to find the right book -with the names of the buyers and the earnings-, so the young servant had been caught red-handed.
"Let the witness speak" said Damen, who was probably as tired as Nicaise of this little game. It was the third time in a week that they went through all of this, perhaps it would have been better to let the giant beast have his brutish way this time and kill the man already.
The witness was a young man, no more than twenty years old, and he looked like he had no idea of what he was doing there. He took a step forward with his gaze lowered to the ground. "I'm no more than the humble assistant of the merchant Arsene, Exalted, but I can confirm that the girl was outside of our room when we came back last night"
Laurent was now fully leaning on his throne, a lazy smile on his lips as he watched the man's every move like a hawk. "Just your assistant? Isn't it a bit convenient?"
"Exalted, if I may, this useless servant can't be trusted more than two respectable men. I beg you to punish her, lest she gets strange ideas in her head. What if she does this with my Kings? I wouln't be able to bear the burden of letting this one time slide"
This was just ridiculous. And getting worse and worse as the minutes passed.
"You probably don't realise how stupid you look right now but I can assure you that everyone else in this room does, so if you would please shut your mouth and bite your tongue hard enough to make it fall off, you would certainly spare everyone the nonsense that's coming out of it" spat Nicaise from his position on the dais, which was at Laurent's left. Once he opened his mouth it was like he couldn’t stop the words from pouring out.
"How dare you-..."
"I know it's not hurting you but your stupidity is clearly hurting others" Nicaise sighed "Look, you've given me a headache and it's been barely half an hour, just... Shut up."
The room fell silent. He knew what everyone was thinking about him at that moment.
Nicaise got up and left the room.
No, sitting there and looking pretty wasn't for him.
He slammed the door on his way out.
"Explain. Tell me what just happened in there because if it is what it looks like then you are in trouble, and I'd hate for you to be punished over something stupid like that" said Nikandros after he found him in the gardens, not even bothering to sit down. It looked like he had been running.
"Yes well, I hate having to be nice to someone when I'd rather punch their face in so why should I even hide it?"
"He's a nobleman other than a merchant, you know that Nicaise"
"And I am the King's pet" technically true but also not, slavery had been abolished and he was too young to be a pet with the new laws but still, Laurent bought him from the Regent almost two years before and he was definetly going to use this to his advantage. "I only have to listen to what he says if he says something. He was just playing in there. And stop treating me like a kid"
"You're not his pet and you know it, and I'd gladly stop treating you like a kid if you actually stopped acting like one. Now explain"
"I don't owe you an explaination"
"You do. Unfortunately you're under my care for as long as the Exalted deems necessary" Nikandros then sat down on the bench next to him and looked at the ground, sighing. "Damianos will probably calm him down by the way. He didn't even look angry or anything so there's hope... Right?"
"I don't care about Laurent. And of course he didn't look angry, he never looks like anything but a constipated goose" Nicaise tore a leaf off a hedge next to the bench and started playing with it. It made Nikandros smile thinking about the inventivel nicknames Nicaise always had ready for everyone.
They went silent for a moment before Nicaise talked again. "I'm just... Tired of this. I have nothing, I'm basically like a slave." Nikandros opened his mouth to say something but closed it right away. If the boy felt like this there was a problem, a serious one. "I want to travel, I want to go to places as a free man, I want to spend time doing stupid things and, and I want to be able to talk to someone who's not at least ten years older than me. I want to have friends my age that don't feel uncomfortable when I'm with them, I want them to know me and not feel grossed out... I would really like it. I mean you're pretty decent but... Maybe at the end of it I would like to be a kid from time to time" But I can't because everyone knows I'm one of the closest people to the King of Vere.
That went unsaid.
Almost two years had passed since the first time Nicaise set foot in Ios, two years and no one noticed all of this, himself included.
If he had to look after the kid, he might as well do the best that he could.
Some things needed to change.
He placed a hand on Nicaise's shoulder and squeezed just enough to have his attention. "We'll think about something to fix this, alright? But for now, do you know how to wield a dagger?"
"Happy birthday, Nicaise," Nikandros said in a gentle breath at the nape of his neck, also watching the besotted fools across the hall.
"They think they're so subtle, making cow eyes throughout the entire meal. I felt like I was going to be sick," Nicaise griped.
I'm sure you did NOTHING to discourage it, you helpless romantic.
You take that back!! I am no such thing!
With a smirk and a scoff Nikandros produced a small delicate confectionery that he must have requested personally from the cook.
Nicaise made a soft face before he schooled his features and narrowed his eyes. As he opened his mouth to retort, he was beckoned by a fellow councillor towards his King and the Exalted.
"I will see you in our quarters, Kyros. "
"Yes councilman. Besides, I must still arrange your private gift."
With a backwards glance and wink the older man was gone.
