Phillippe Mardoché Regis d'Alençon

A Pokémon RP blog exlusively for use with @aresite's Sun!verse

[aresite]

"I can totally read!" Olli defensively lied. He came to a stop under the second bit of sunlight and found that there was a second rope ladder waiting for them there. He climbed the ladder with a huff and found that there was a lid on top of this one as well. He pushed it open with his shoulders and crawled out to find himself in a small garden.

There was a small Gardener's Shack placed beside the well but it was old and looked unused. The small garden was tucked away next to the inside of the Inner Wall and was lined with small hedges.

"See! Told ya I knew a way!" Olli said triumphantly.

Ares waited at the bottom of the ladder for Mordecai and put out both torches before he climbed up. The blast of fresh sunlight when he exited hit his face and caused him to squint as he pulled himself free from the Den. His eyes barely started getting used to the harsher light when he heard a sudden gasp from Olli and suddenly he was being pulled down behind the hedges.

"Someone's comin'!" Olli whispered harshly.

Ares peeked around the hedge to see a woman enter through the Faire Grounds Gate and walk speedily towards an awaiting carriage. She was pulling a girl along behind her and Ares immediately recognized her. He felt Olli tense beside him and knew that the other boy had recognized her as well.

That long golden hair, bright blue eyes, and the way she held herself were already engrained in Ares' mind. He felt his heart race in his chest and he put a hand over it as if he was worried the pounding would alert everyone to their presence.

"It's her!" He whispered under his breath and tried to fight the urge to run after her... and if it wasn't for Olli's hand pressing down on his shoulder he probably would have given into the urge.

The Footman bowed deeply as the Queen and Princess approached the carriage and then opened the door for them. Ares crouched forward until he was almost exposed from behind the bushes and prayed that she would look back... but she didn't. Neither the Queen nor the Princess looked back as they entered the carriage and he uselessly climbed to his feet as the carriage started to roll away.

"Phew!" Olli sighed. He immediately relaxed. Ares heard him mention something about getting their money and getting out of there next but he barely heard the other boy. He felt a wave mixed wave of disappointment as he climbed to his feet and stared off after them...

[theonceandfuturesun]

Phillippe eagerly climbed up the other ladder once Olli removed the cover and a proper stream of sunlight was breaking through the gloom of the den. He did, however, give the cave-like cavity one last glance before doing so. It was beyond eerie, and he resolved to tell the guards about it being there underneath the castle. He was sure that'd get him more than a bit of recognition. Surely his new fiancée would be pleased with him too, reporting something so dangerous being underneath her home. It was just icing on the cake that these two piece of flotsam wouldn't be able to use it to sneak in again.

Phillippe climbed out of the hole already very convinced of the praise he'd be lauded with and looking very pleased with himself. He was just dusting himself off when he spotted two blonde women storming (or rather, the older one was the one storming forward, the younger one just looked like she was being dragged) towards the castle. He recognized the Queen. He'd seen a portrait of her before, after all, so he would know to at least feign respect to her while he was here, so the girl must've been the Princess. He tried to chase after them, but they were in a carriage long before he could get close.

"Hey, stop that carriage," Phillippe called out to the staff nearby, exposing himself and completely ignoring Olli and Ares who remained behind in the bushes. "I have business with them!"

[regalia-solvieg]

"Aye, is he now? Good lad!" Ulric said off-handedly. He took a good long swig out of his ale glass and then slammed it down on the table beside him, "With that dedication he'll make a steadfast son in law. Let the boy be! We will be hosting a Grand Ball tomorrow after the last tournament and let the kids meet there. In fact, we'll announce the engagement to the whole Kingdom! Ha!"

Chiyo pursed her lips behind him and then gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "Ulric dear... may I have word with you? Alone." "Aye? Not right now my Queen!" Ulric quickly replied, "It would be rude to leave our guests when the just arrived!" His tone kept it's jovial flair but there was a firm and final undertone to it as he added, "You can tell me whatever you need to later tonight!"

Chiyo's expression darkened and for a moment it almost looked like her eyes glowed a more brighter blue... but the look was gone almost instantly and she straightened up. She looked behind her at the men of Ulric's council that was gathered behind her. The only one who looked like he wanted to come to her aid was standing there looking helpless - and that was Sir Tatume. The rest returned her sharp gaze with a rather smug one of their own. She turned to look at Aria but saw her seated there with Osborne leaning quite close to her and neither of them could see her from where she stood.

She straightened up bowed her head at the men, "Well then. It appears that the excitement today has left me rather drained. I will be retiring early tonight-" Her voice cracked in rage for a brief moment and it sent a shiver down even the impregnable Harold Brookee's spine. "-Please enjoy your stay." She then turned towards Kida and grabbed her hand firmly, "Come, Kida."

Kida was startled when she had heard her name. She hadn't been paying attention to them at all. She had been more distracted by the look on her Aunt's face and what was going on there. She had heard what they were talking about out of one ear though and could understand her Mother's rage but she didn't seem to take it as seriously as her Mother was. Just like all the other 'suitors' Kida fully intended to reject this contract like all the others. She knew she did not have time to worry about distractions such as that.

The Queen though, whirled around and marched towards the door with one hand pulling Kida along with her and the other clenched firmly at her side. Kida looked up and saw that she held her head high despite the fact that her lips were pursed tightly together as she stormed from the room.

"Guess the tournament really was too much for the poor Queen to handle?" Ulric shrugged before reaching out for his cup once more... though this time he drowned the entire thing in one long swig.

[theonceandfuturesun]

Henri was a mixture of relieved and exasperated when Ulric simply let Phillippe's misbehavior slide. On one hand, Henri was grateful that his son's antics hadn't jeopardized this opportunity, on the other, he failed to see how such reckless behavior could possibly make the King see him as a hopeful son-in-law. To value such a level of excitement that forces actions above clarification is the peak of foolishness. He prepared himself to reply when suddenly (or maybe more expectedly) the Queen asked for Ulric's attention. It was obvious what she wanted it for, but she had to know this wasn't going to go her way. Her husband was hardly more than a puppet. Speaking to him about the matter would do her no good, although he did give her the lowest amount of respct for attempting the handle the matter privately. A fact that Ulric seemed completely unaware of, more than happy to have a marital spat out in the open where everyone could see.

Henri watched the spectacle unfolding with well-masked amusement. Truly, what a fool. He'd heard that the Queen was useless, but perhaps the King himself played a role in that with his obvious idiocy. Though it was her duty, he could understand not wanting to spend more time than necessary with someone who so obviously couldn't be bothered with even a modicum of awareness. How this oaf had come to be King of such a nation was simply astonishing.

"Well, women do tend to be less amicable to violence. My own wife won't go anywhere near the knights even when they're out training, much less during practice matches." Meanwhile, his son was almost too enamored with the concept of learning the sword- which was fine to an extent, but the boy tended to take such things too far, much like he had today. "In regards to the previous topic, our children meeting at the ball sounds ideal. Best to make as good a first impression as possible, after all."

[aresite]

Olli did not seem to bothered by Mordecai's reluctance and just shrugged as he climbed over the well and gripped onto the ladder, "I mean, suit yerself? If ya don't wanna go this way we could always go through one of the gates, but you'll probably be waiting awhile to go through a line at the Faire Grounds gate or the stairway at this hour." He stood on the ladder and folded his arms over the well to sneer at him, "I'll go down first since yer so scared."

And with that he started climbing down at a brisk pace. When he was about three or four steps from the bottom he jumped off and landed in the rocks at the bottom with a hollow echo.

The inside of the den that could be seen from the light seeping in from the top of the 'well' was nothing too remarkable - it was just a large circular cave made with the same, pink-tinted rocks. Various piles of rocks and lumps of dirt lay about in dusty heaps that looked like they hadn't been disturbed in a century. The only other source of light other than the beam above him was another ray of sunshine peaking through on the other side of the Den.

Olli fumbled around for a moment in the dim light until he found what he was looking for - a couple of old torches. He pulled out his flint and quickly lit the torches before waiting for the others to climb down.

"There's nothin' down here!" Olli stated before he had even turned around and looked around. Luckily, there was no sign of life or activity in the 'Den' - but then again, there never was.

Once the others got down Olli offered the other Torch to Ares and started across the Den. The torchlight flickered off the smooth walls. It did not look like a natural cave at all and looked like it had been carved out by some mysterious power.

"These Dens exist all over Galar!" Olli grinned as he continued to cross it, "Legends say that they used to house powerful Giants that used to roam the world and cause destruction before the God Zamazenta-" Or Zacian depending on what version of the story was believed and where it was being told, "-sealed them away when he formed a pack with the Ancient King!"

Ares caught the fact that he had said 'Zamazenta' when they normally would have just said 'the Gods' as they had people in their Kumpania from all over Galar and beyond... but he also caught the hidden pride in Olli's voice as he said that and it slightly worried him. Though... he figured he shouldn't be that surprised now that Olli knew he was a descendant of that 'Ancient King'.

"Legends say that if the Solveig Family were to fall then the Giants would return and destroy all of Galar!" Olli's voice echoed off the walls as he approached the other ray of light and he felt his heart beat excitedly in his chest as he said it. He turned around and looked at Mordecai with a grin, "But I bet'cha knew all that already?"

[theonceandfuturesun]

"Hein?!" Phillipe snapped. "I-I'm not scared! Who the hell said I was scared?! I just think exercising a reasonable amount of caution when going into such a suspicious place is obvious! This is why commoners are commoners!" Despite his bratty tone and complicated words though, the first half of his exclamation clearly belayed his age, for once. Once Olli was safely down (and he could confirm the ladder was in acceptable condition), Phillippe started down himself before Ares could even get the chance. Him. Scared. The thought made him scoff. He was the son of a duke. Why should he have to be afraid of anything? The ones who should be scared are the foolish royal family of this country for when Kalos finally conquers them.

Phillippe hopped off the ladder and looked around once he was at the bottom. His studies didn't include rocks, but he didn't need those to tell him that this wasn't normal. Despite the color, the glow they put off was eerie and made him feel uncomfortable. But he wasn't scared! He wasn't scared at all, dammit! And that definitely wasn't relief he felt when Olli got the torch lit. No, definitely not at all!

"Of course I know that, you fool," Phillippe replied, starting to get anxious. "Everyone knows that." What he didn't know was why there was one of these things underneath the town. If they ever came back, wouldn't that be dangerous? And who's to say there wasn't one sleeping down here somewhere, merely being kept in check by the power of the pact? But he wasn't scared! Not one bit, okay?! "I don't need a history lesson from someone who can't even read. Now which way is the entrance to the Inner District?"

[aresite]

The two boys looked at each other. The look they exchanged clearly said they did but neither of them said anything for a moment.

Finally, Ares turned back to Mordecai, "There's four entrances into t'Inner Gate. Two use lifts and then there's the Main Gate that's a stairway." Ares was reluctant to say the last one, "And then there's the one through the Faire Grounds - but that one'll be crowded with people who're participating in the tournament at this time a'day."

Unfortunately Olli didn't seem as hesitant to speak as Ares was and continued, "What about the Den? We could always lead him through the Den!"

Ares wanted to turn around and smack Olli one for that but he restrained himself and just gave Olli a glare to which Olli got defensive for and huffed and without waiting for Ares to respond he pushed his way in front of Ares to lead the way, "C'mon! I know a way we can get through without anyone seein'!"

Ares sighed and hesitated for a moment before following along. He did not like the idea of telling an aristocrat about that way but it was kind of too late now.

Olli sped up until he was walking quite fast and 'bee-lined' it towards the Faire Grounds. When he reached them though, instead of going inside he turned and followed along the wall until he reached a row of hedges and then crawled under them to where a small well waited. At first it just looked like a normal dried up well that had been long boarded up. However, Olli easily pushed the lid off and revealed a long dark tunnel beneath it. The tunnel looked like it was lined with dull pink tinted rocks that stretched on until it faded into darkness. The outside of the well seemed to be made out of the same rocks that stuck up in an almost circular shape. Dirt and grime had tainted the outside though so that from a distance they almost looked gray. Someone had hung an old worn rope ladder down the inside of the well and had secured it outside by wedging it firmly between the rocks.

"Ta-da!" Olli cheered, "The Den!" He looked up at Mordecai rather proudly, "This'll take is right there!"

[theonceandfuturesun]

Phillippe folded his arms and angrily tapped his feet while the two commoners clearly debated over telling him. It was obvious they knew other ways in- and then when Olli spilled the beans, he could tell that Ares wasn't pleased.

"Then you should have said so in the first place!" Phillippe barked. "Hurry up and take me there. Unlike you, I don't have all day." It was almost like Olli couldn't lead them there fast enough. Phillippe easily kept pace with him, very nearly storming past him several times before inwardly realizing that he had no idea where he was going.

When they got to the well, however, it was like all the wind had been taken out of his sails. He folded his arms again and wrinkled his nose. They expected him to go down this obviously sketchy thing? He doubted that ladder could even hold their weight!

"This is your way past the gate? You expect a noble like me to go into that obviously dubious place? How do I know there's even really an entrance down there?" How on earth could some place like this connect to the Inner District? Surely if it had, the whole of the Inner District would be a rotting mess with riff raff and pests. "You two go down first. How can I possibly trust a ladder that looks older than the palace?"

[sv-npc]

Ulric tried to be on his best behavior in front of this foreign Duke - but he wasn't very well known for that. It had been a couple of weeks since the Council approached him with this idea and he found it as advantageous as they did. It was the opportunity to lesson tensions between the two Kingdoms that could not easily be passed up. He knew Chiyo wouldn't agree as easily as he had to this arrangement so he hadn't told her yet.

Bryce knew the King well and he was definitely there to fully support the idea of keeping the King on-track because the moment Ulric sat down and started talking about the competitors below he quickly stepped up behind Ulric and added, "Sire, the Duke has come a long way-" "Aye, you are right. Perhaps the Duke wants a drink before we start to talk business?" Ulric nodded - completely missing Bryce's point. "Where is that Steward- ah! Here he is!" Ulric cheered as the door opened and the Steward hurried in with a silver cart.

Bryce pursed his lips and then continued, "As previously discussed, the Council has unanimously decided that this agreement would not only be in the Princess's best interest but for both Kalos and Galar alike."

Despite the fact that Ulric was King - anyone could clearly see who was pulling the strings as Ulric nodded along with Bryce's words, "Yes, yes. I know."

Chiyo seemed to stiffen behind Ulric as she caught on to what the three of them were talking about but bit her lip. She placed her hands on the back of Ulric's chair and looked over at the Duke as if seeing him all over again for the first time.

"A marriage between Princess Kida and Young Lord Alençon would not only help quell tensions between our neighboring Kingdoms that has been strained for far too long but could open up numerous trade opportunities." Bryce stopped there. He felt he didn't need to go into the other excuses he had given when he had convinced Ulric to go through with this plan, "We have taken care of all the particulars already. A dowry has been prepared and is ready to be signed and all that remains to be done is the official pleasantries that tradition and etiquette require such as the agreement of both sides and the formal announcement." He passed a scroll of parchment over to the King before he could respond.

Chiyo started from behind Ulric and a small gasp escaped from her lips. She was trembling slightly and looked like she wanted to say something but as she opened her mouth to speak she felt Constable Brookee step up behind her. She didn't know whether to be frightened, confused, or enraged and instead of voicing anything remained silent.

"Ha! Well look there! Looks like you've got everything all taken care of! Maybe I should fire my Steward and hire you in his place!" Ulric laughed as he unrolled the scroll. "Y-Your Majesty..." The poor Steward gasped but then stopped himself there.

Ulric frowned at the arrangement that was all so carefully written down on the parchment with apparent disinterest and then passed it off. As he did he caught Chiyo's look out of the corner of his eye and cleared his throat, "But no need to jump ahead of ourselves! The couple hasn't even met yet!" He looked over at the Duke, "Where is the lad anyway?"

[theonceandfuturesun]

As he'd expected, Ulric hardly even glanced over the agreement. Truly, the nobles of this country were so foolish. Even his co-conspirator, Bryce, had yet to notice the handful of clauses slipped into the agreement that would earn Kalos some of Galar's more lucrative assets. Or perhaps, the nobility of this country simply no longer had any clue precisely the value of such artifacts since they could no longer use them. He was at least grateful for Bryce's ability to keep the King on-topic, though. He couldn't imagine how this would have gone if he had to suffer listening to Ulric brag and blather about that mutt of a son the entire time. He wasn't sure where the man picked him up, but the Duke knew for a fact that he wasn't the Queen's.

"Indeed, I believe a union between my son and your daughter will be beneficial not only to them, but to our great nations in our efforts to renew the peace between us," the duke added. "I can think of no one more perfect to sit at my son's side than your daughter. I hear she is exceptional. My son is also quite brilliant. I'm sure the two will get along well." At the mention of Phillippe's whereabouts, however, Henri had to steel his poker face. "My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty. My son was simply so excited at the prospect of meeting his new bride that he took off to meet her at the gate without getting the confirmation that she had already arrived." At least, that was where he guessed the lad had gone. "I've already sent some of our escort knights to go fetch him. I doubt it will be too long before he will be present. My apologies again for his insolence. Truly, I don't know who he takes after." He was going to have to give the boy a good scolding later, if only because it was a result of his actions that he'd been forced to lower his head to this buffoon of a king. Hopefully, he'd be able to play it off as just the foolishness of a child, if fortune favored him even in the slightest.

[aresite]

Ares and Olli stood where they were and watched Mordecai cross the road and speak with a guard. Despite the fact that they technically hadn't done anything wrong, the fact that they were Rovers meant that they had a long ingrained fear of Guards and made a point to stay out of the way. They could hear some of what Mordecai was shouting from their hiding spot but could not hear anything the Guards were saying.

"Kinda a snobby jerk, isn't he?" Olli huffed and crossed his arms. "Aren't all Nobles?" Ares replied off-handedly. "Hey-" Olli started in a rather offended tone but before he could finish they heard Mordecai's voice and looked up to see him heading towards them.

Ares seemed to perk up when he heard Mordecai mention the inner gate. Finally! He thought. They had both been wanting to go there from the get-go but for obviously different reasons. Ares looked over at Olli and saw that he had an almost hesitant look on his face that almost made Ares want to reconsider... but all he had to do was think about that girl he had seen in the woods and all reservations faded. Sorry Olli. He turned around and started walking down the Northern Thoroughfare.

Motostoke City was one of the largest cities in Galar and while it had expanded past the walls quite a bit - inside the walls would be a maze of buildings built upon buildings if one didn't know the rule that all Thoroughfares led to the Castle in the center. Like the original city from the Old World it was also built in tiers and separated by stairways extending from old gate houses. From where they walked Ares could see the ruins of an old Clock Tower and from that he could easily pinpoint where they were - even if for some reason he couldn't see the Castle that towered in the distance. At the foot of that ruin existed the remains of a coliseum that now housed the Faire Grounds. He knew a way to slip into the Inner Walls from the Faire Grounds but he didn't really want to risk showing their 'aristocratic friend' that way encase he told someone and they fixed it. Instead he decided to head straight for the strange contraption that lifted people from this tier to the next and was strictly limited to the Nobility. Surely that Mordecai guy wouldn't have a problem entering through there... right?

"So what was that all about?" Olli asked rather tactlessly as he tailed along. Suddenly he didn't seem to eager to get going anymore.

[theonceandfuturesun]

"She already came through," Phillipe hissed. "I'll have to go back to the castle." He grit and ground his teeth, sounding every bit as irritated as he looked. And, unfortunately, he wasn't going to be able to sneak in the same way he came out. That had been a one way route he hadn't planned for when returning. What should he do? Try to find another way in? The guards should see how he's dressed and let him in, right? In fact, it'd probably been long enough that his father was starting to look for him. That should be reason enough. But if he could sneak in through another way, then he probably should. Then he could just play it off as if he hadn't actually gone out. He hadn't said where he'd be going in the note. "Hey. You two. There's another way through the inner gate right?" He refused to believe there wasn't another area that he could sneak through. They'd seemed to know their way around here pretty decently, so he doubted they didn't know a way in. He'd have them show him then he'd report it to the castle security later and have everyone praise him!

[sv-npc]

"Greetings, Your Majesties." Bryce said with a bow as he got the King's attention.

Ulric looked over his shoulder and saw him and gave the other a wide grin, "Ack! Good timing my good fellow! Did you see that down there? My boy was the only one to hit the bullseye! Ha!" The corner of Bryce's lips twitched up, "My apologies, I was not paying attention." "Well, you missed out!" Ulric laughed.

Bryce watched Ulric placed Kida on the ground and couldn't help but see the contempt in her eyes. He tried his best to ignore the little girl's stare and keep his attention on the King as the King stood up to face him.

"What's all this then? I wasn't expecting a Council Meeting in my Box?" Ulric jested, "This is regards to our last meeting. Though first, allow me to introduce you to our esteemed guests." Bryce stated, "Allow me to introduce the Earl of Castelia and an ambassador of Unova, Lord Osborne, and to the Duke Henri Leandre Regis d'Alençon, the Duke of Alençon."

Ulric looked surprised and straightened up slightly, "Well. You did well to introduce me right away." He clapped his hands before holding them wide open to his guests, "Greetings, esteemed guests and welcome to our little Victory Festival! I am glad you both could make it!" "The pleasure is all mine." Osborne stated in a rather flat, distracted tone. His attention was clearly not on the King but more directed over to the Queen and the other girl standing there. He quickly looked back and bowed his head and said a quick 'Excuse me' before ducking off to walk over towards them.

Ulric paid the Earl no mind and allowed him on his way before turning back towards the Kalosian Duke. Ulric looked proud and yet slightly torn or distracted by something himself and he placed a hand on Kida's shoulder in a gentle yet protective way. She didn't seem to be paying attention to him though. He kept his eyes on the Duke and seemed to be trying to hide some sort of eagerness.

Chiyo seemed to sense his emotion and had walked over towards him with a curious look on her face. Neither Bryce nor Brookee who was standing guard in the background, but Sir Tatume put a hand on his chest and bowed deeply from his own post. He had taken a stand next to a Guard at the exit to the Box and was trying to make himself invisible but luckily enough Chiyo seemed to see him and smiled at his kind gesture before turning her attention back to the others. Ulric was not surprised that they had gained her attention when the Duke of Alencon was announced. He had not told his wife yet that the Council had wanted to invite the Duke and it was common knowledge that tensions between Kalos and Galar were tense and that Kalos were even less fans of the Empire. But, if all goes to plan, with this meeting, the Council were trying to combat that tension - even if he hadn't found the time to fill his wife in on it yet.

Ulric wrapped a hand around her waist before he then turned towards his Steward and barked an order for him to bring more seats and a round of ale before gesturing at the ones behind him, "I was not expecting you so soon! Come, sit with me! The first round of the next Tournament shall begin soon! We have plenty of time to discuss matters."

(( @theonceandfuturesun ))

[theonceandfuturesun]

Henri patiently waited for his introduction, although he failed to see why he should be introduced second. The other man hardly even stuck around and immediately went to curry favor with that rural island. So what if they had some unusual power? They hardly had any land, not to mention the power of sovereign was divided amongst multiple siblings. There was no point in trying to curry favor with such a country-side royal. Well, those two lesser-nobles could do as they pleased. If they kept each other's attention, then that'd be even better for him. But for now, he needed to deal with King Ulric and the task at hand ignoring that fact that his stupid son was currently at large.

"Elated greetings to Your Majesties," Henri said, offering the royal couple a slight bow. He didn't see why he should have to bow to them either- a blockheaded king and a useless queen- but for the sake of Kalos' future, this wedding between Henri's son and Ulric's daughter would be a great boon. In many ways. "It'll be my honor to join you for this event." Henri took his seat next to Ulric, holding in a sigh that threatened to slip out. He could only hope that Bryce was at least somewhat competent in keeping the coming conversation on-topic. he wasn't sure he'd be able to suffer listening to this blockhead for too long.

[aresite]

"Mordecai?" Olli parroted. He scrunched up his nose and quickly shoved his hands in his pocket. He didn't like this guy's attitude already. The urge to should out 'yeah well I'm actually no commoner! I'm a Prince!' was so strong that he had to restrain himself.

Ares knew Olli well enough to know what the other boy was thinking and shot him a look before turning and leading them out the other side of the alley.

Only three streets away from the main thoroughfare and the crowd was already starting to thin. He quickly looked both ways and did not see any on-coming carriages or Mount Pokemon and slipped out of the alley and into the street. From this street he could see the Castle off in the distance at one end and could easily get his bearings. Since all the streets in Motostoke were centered around the Castle it was easy to keep track of his way even if he hadn't been there since last year. Olli paused in the middle of the street and looked off at the castle for a brief second before hurrying to catch up.

The further they went from the thoroughfare the less and less dense and crowded the streets got. The buildings seemed to change as they continued on with the shops completely given way to up to two story family homes built one on top of each other in crammed squares. Most of these homes had their doors and windows wide open and the sounds of merrymaking could be heard even here. He knew that the closer they got to the northern side of the city that the houses would grow more elaborate as they went though as the city tried to keep things nice, neat, and orderly for the visitors through the Northern gate. Soon they would hit a small wall that separated the 'common folks' from the homes of Knights, Merchants, and Clergymen.

Soon the decorations seemed to change and then beautiful magenta and gold streamers were hung from streetlamp to streetlamp and the music that played in the distance took on a more 'orchestral' sound.

Once they reached the wall Ares followed it down until he found a large, broken grate. A couple of the bars had been removed to allow passage through a small dried up canal and once through it was a straight shot to the Northern Thoroughfare.

Ares led the way out of the last alley and onto a large street that was beautifully paved and fully decorated for the festivities. Unlike the Main Thoroughfare there were no stalls in the streets or crowds so dense that you can't move through but instead beautiful shop fronts with their windows open to showcase their wares and cute little gardens decorating the sides of each sidewalk. Carriages rolled along the street that were pulled by ornately decorated Rapidash along with wagons full of foreign goods to trade being pulled along by wary Mudsdale. Guards lined the streets at every third streetlamp and were armed with spears that were decorated in the same magenta and gold ribbons. It was a completely different atmosphere here than on the other side of the city.

While Ares didn't seem affected by it - Olli did. His eyes sparkled as he looked around the street and stepped forward with a gasp, "Whoa!" He spun around as he stepped out onto the cobblestone sidewalk and nearly bumped right into a woman in a rather elaborate dress who looked absolutely disgusted at the sight of him and hurried past with a huff.

He laughed and turned to look back at Mordecai and Ares, "Okay! We're here! What now?" He quickly stepped out of the way of a group that looked like some high-ranking Adventurers and back into the alley. Seeing the Adventurers reminded him that he was also on a mission and turned back to Mordecai again, "Oh yeah- you were lookin' fer something right? Then want an escort back t'the castle?"

[theonceandfuturesun]

Phillippe followed after Ares and Olli. It felt almost demeaning having to walk behind them, but even he wasn't arrogant enough to not acknowledge that there wasn't much else of an other way to lead. And, at least that way, if they rant into scary adults, these two would probably take the brunt of it. Or, at the very least, he could shove them at their assailants and run off by himself to safety. When they got to the alley way though, Phillippe noticeably paused, clearly not wanting to go through. Despite the fact that the sun was high in the sky and there was nary a cloud to be seen, the area felt dark, and there was a smell emanating from the alley that almost made Phillipe want to cover his nose. Seeing the two boys step into it undeterred though, he felt like he couldn't afford to seem weak. Two conflicting mentalities battled for dominance in his mind- 'Why should someone as noble as me have to walk through such a disgusting place' and 'Well if they can do it, why can't I?' and eventually the latter won out and he stepped in after them, only lagging behind a little at first and then forcing himself to pick up the pace as sounds and smells alerted him to things that he probably didn't want to see (or have see him). He was relieved to be back on the main thoroughfare but tried not to show it. He quickly brushed himself off in an attempt to get off any dirt, dust, or smell that the alleys might have stuck on him, but any tension he had was immediately replaced with irritation when he saw Olli all but darting around, clearly having no regard for the woman he'd bumped into either.

"How uncouth." Honestly, he wanted to treat the boy the same way, but the two still had a little use left in them. "Yes, my bride-to-be is supposed to arrive through the North Gate soon. You two stay here. I won't have the guards thinking I associate with riffraff." And then Phillippe walked off to the gate to talk to the guards. He barked at the first one he reached.

"You, knight, tell me, has Princess Solvieg come through the gates yet?"

The knight glared down at him, clearly not keen on responding to the demands of a haughty child, no matter how well-dressed, but it was clear that, despite his attitude, the kid was, in fact, a noble, and any true discourtesy could land his head on a pike, so he visibly bit his tongue before replying.

"I'm sorry, but that's privileged information, sir. She will be in attendance for the upcoming festivities, though, so if you wish to speak with her, I urge you to ask your parents to request an audience, young sir."

Phillippe's face grew red with anger.

"Have you no idea who I am? I am to be the next Regis of Alençon! My father is Henri Leandre Regis d'Alençon, you know! Your princess is my fiancée, so I demand you tell me where she is this instant!" That seemed to make the soldier hesitate. "Do you think anyone other than a Duke could afford to dress a child this well?" While the guard was hesitating though, the child's yelling had garnered the attention of the guard on the other side of the gate.

"What's he want?" the second guard asked, leaning in to whisper with the first.

"He's looking for the Princess' carriage, but-"

"Then just tell him," the second guard replied, exasperated. "It's not like she's here, and he's obviously from a high up noble family. Do you really want to deal with that later?"

"No, but..." the first guard sighed and brought his attention back to Phillippe. "Look, I'm sorry, young sir, but she's already come through and is on her way to the castle. You'll just have to see her when she comes out for the festivities. Now hurry along; I'm sure your escorts are looking for you." Phillippe glared at them and pointed at the first guard.

"I'll remember this!" he barked before stalking off back to the other two boys. "Let's go, We're going to the inner gate!"

[aresite]

Ares eyes lit up at the sight of the silver coin and he quickly wrapped his hands around it before the other could take it back. Olli's eyes also lit up as he saw that.

"It'll be an honor, sir." Ares replied while trying to hide a grin. One silver coin would be more than both boys would collectively take home after multiple days of working - but two? It would definitely make up for all the slacking they have been doing today. "And good thing we found ya, because ya were goin' the wrong way." He pointed towards the direction Olli and him had been going originally, "The Northern Gate's this way."

From where the boys stood it was impossible to see over the tall wood, brick and mortar buildings but the direction Ares had pointed in was towards the Castle that rested directly in the center of the City.

Tucking the precious treasure in his pocket he started walking towards an adjoining alleyway. They only visited Motostoke once a year but the two boys had learned from the local orphans the safest and fastest ways to get about without being seen or bothered. So, as long as things hadn't drastically changed - or this Young Lord decided that walking through alleys were 'beneath him' it should be a quick and easy route.

Olli followed along behind and without being prompted he added, "By the way, his name's Ares, and mine's Olli!" He wasn't even trying to hide his excitement as he folded his hands behind his head and grinned at the other.

Ares didn't bother to offer his name because he knew that Nobility often didn't like to mingle with people like them and he'd learned from experience how easily the aristocrat got offended... and he didn't really want to risk losing the second half of the payment.

[theonceandfuturesun]

Phillippe quickly withdrew his hands as soon as Ares snatched up the coin, shoving them in his pockets and discretely wiping his hands on the cloth inside. How brazen! Sure he'd held out the coin, but for the other boy to simply snatch it right up? How vulgar. Well, this was probably just how commoners behaved. How could they possibly withstand their greed at the sight of his generosity? At least he had the decency to know that escorting him was a privilege.

"I-I knew that!" Phillippe stammered out. "It's just hard to get around all these people is all!" He cast a dubious gaze at Olli for a moment. Really, no tact with either of these two. Had he asked for their names? There'd be no point in learning them. And why should he have to give his? To commoners no less. "If you really must refer to me with a name, I'll permit the use of 'Mordecai'," Phillipe spat. That was how this country used his middle name, right? "But we won't be spending long enough with each other to warrant getting chummy with the likes of commoners."

[aresite]

The two boys looked at each other and then Ares smirked. Hearing that this person the guy was expecting was coming through the north gate was rather exciting. Despite the fact that the Main Gates were wide open to anyone at this time of year - Nobility often disliked mixing with the 'Common Folk'. There was a special gate just for them that was still guarded and watched. Ares knew his way there quite well for as long as he's been able to walk - he had been expected to start earning his way and the easiest way for children to earn their coin was through pickpocketing. And while it was more dangerous, he always felt less guilty stealing from the wealthy than from the every day people who were trying to make their way through the main throughway. If one was careful and knew where to hide then there was a lot of coin that could be made by making off with one of the Nobleman's gold-plated hubcaps or by slipping by and slicing a hole in the bottom of a wealthy merchant's coin purse. Needless to say - both him and Olli knew the route well by now.

"Only way t'get around on foot is t'hire a guide." Ares stated as he looked back at the stranger, "If ya want, we can take ya there?"

[theonceandfuturesun]

Phillippe wrinkled his nose again and stared at them for a moment, arms crossed, internally debating. Why should someone his stature have to rely on these plebeians? But, he supposed if they were the ones offering, then wasn't it on him as the noble to be magnanimous and accept.

"I guess if you're really that desperate, I wouldn't mind having you show me around," Phillippe replied after a few moments, his tone dripping with arrogance. "I'll even be so gracious as to give you half your pay up front." He pulled a silver coin out of his pocket with a cocky smile. "You should be grateful, after all, this is more than either of you probably even make in a year. You can have this now, and if you escort me to the North Gate and back to the Inner Gate, you can have the other half when we get there. Not to mention, it should be an honor to escort someone as noble as myself!"

[aresite]

Escort Mission

Music loudly filled the streets that were so crowded that people had to push their way along them. Shops had their doors and windows thrown open and the scents of freshly baked goods, fish, cooking meat, alcohol, dirt, and sweat was everywhere.

Ares pushed his way through the crowd with Olli in tow. He wasn't quite sure where he was going but he was too hyped up by the activity to really care.

After entering the city the two boys had split away from the others to get 'a lay of the land' - or at least that was their excuse. In honesty, they were eager to try and find Jack and Erya and see the sights. It wasn't often they were around so many people so as far as they were concerned - earning money could come later.

Olli mentioned wanting to get a a better look at the castle so both boys had decided to make their way through the crowd towards it. But with the crowd as dense as it was it felt like that mission would be impossible and after starting to grow weary they decided to duck out of the crowd and down an adjoining alley to another busy, but less dense street.

"We'll never make it at this rate." Olli huffed as he crossed his arms and looked up at the Castle in the distance. Ares pressed his hand to his forehead to block out the sun and looked in the same direction, "Yeah... maybe we'll hafta wait until later?" "Yeah." Olli pouted, "But then what do we do until then?" "I dunno?" Ares replied with a shrug, "Guess we could go try 'get 'collect' some coins?" Olli looked slightly disgusted and shook his head, "No way! There's no one here worth stealin' from and I ain't about to nab a purse from just about anyone. I only wanna steal from the rich!" Ares had to grin and shrug his shoulders at that. He didn't really feel like fighting that. Instead he joked, "I didn't say 'steal' you Magikarp head!" "Hey! Yer the Magikarp head, not me!" Olli countered as he started walking again.

The two boys looked around for something to either earn them money or for something to occupy their time. It didn't take long though for Ares to spot something - it was a boy on the other side of the street. Given the way the boy was dressed and held himself, Ares could easily tell that he was outside his element and looked as lost as he did out of place.

Ares looked thoughtful for a second and then elbowed Olli in the ribs to get his attention, but before the other boy could protest he then crossed the street towards the stranger.

"Hey-" He called out to the other - but before he could add anything else Olli ran up and cut him off...

"Hey are ya lookin' fer somethin'?" Olli jogged across the street without even looking first... luckily there were no carriages or horses that dared try to make it through these streets during the festival so he didn't get run over.

@theonceandfuturesun

[theonceandfuturesun]

This festival was stupid. This city was stupid. His father and the king were stupid. But his fiancée was especially stupid. Why should he have to go out looking for her? She should have already been in the castle when he arrived. And why did all of this have to happen during this stupid festival? There were way too many commoners around. He couldn't believe that they just let anyone through the outer gates, even if it was only for a few days. He was going to have to talk with his father about this when he got back. Surely the man would listen.

Phillippe had snuck out of Motostoke castle upon learning that his new fiancée hadn't actually been at the castle but was actually supposed arrive later that day. He didn't see why he should wait around, so he'd headed to the North Gate to get her... or at least that's what he'd attempted to do after scrawling a haphazard note for his father and sneaking out past the castle guards, but now he was secretly beginning to question that decision in the back of his mind. Ever since he'd snuck back past the Inner Gate, the number of people had exploded. He'd nearly been carried off by a crowd of commoners with absolutely zero regard for his standing and lack of height. Finally, he'd managed to pin himself against a cobblestone wall near some food stands to keep out of the way, but he had no idea how to proceed...

...that was until two young commoner boys approached him. He wrinkled his nose at first, clearly disgusted. Why should he have to talk to commoners? ...But if they asked nicely, he supposed he could let them lead him to the North Gate to meet his bride.

"If you must know, I was making my way to the North Gate," Phillippe replied with a huff. "My fiancée is arriving today, and I'm supposed to meet her, but this place is so absurdly crowded. How is a person even supposed to get from place to place without a horse?"

[theonceandfuturesun]

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