Forum Thread

The loud footsteps and squeaking of shoes really irritated Joy,so she took a sip of tea before getting up,placing it on the chair she was sitting. "Noah? Is it you,dear brother?" she asked,hoping the echo would carry her voice to the people who entered. She didn't yell or scream but it was definitely above her normal speaking volume. "Sorry about that, Esmeralda..." she said as she sat back down,holding her tea.

Valentin practically jumps over himself as the attention that was previously used on the two mages against eachother turns to Kalinda and himself. A tour?? Around the castle?? That castle he'd heard about for *years*? This can't get any better!!!
Although his legs are still sore from all the running, he walks closer to Opal. "We'd love to see the castle."



Thea looks at the sun outside. Her father should be done with his "business" now. She should probably get going.
She stands up and curtsies to the two knights. "It's been an honour meeting you both, darling Rosaline and Philly, but I simply must get to the marketplace now."

rosaline stands up from her chair. "oh, so soon? well, would you like me to escort you? i can help you with the way, and any person who tries to bother you" she leans in to whisper in her ear. "they give knights discounts, or, they get scared. doesnt matter" rosaline winks as she pats philly on the shoulders.

"Oh, I have not your majesty, if I do I will get right with you!" he said gulping a croissant in a way that you couldn't see under his helmet.

"Awww, it's a shame you need to leave so soon, if you... really do wanna go homes together.... let me know. I will probably be on parole around the marketplace actually, lot of coincidences today it seems! Heh." Phillip was always like this when meeting new friends, very awkward unless they've known them for like a day, then he really went into overdrive. Most people found him annoying which is probably why he seemed so closed to himself. Hell some of his friends theorised he hides his face due to embarrassment! Whatever the case, he genuinely wanted to keep this farmer girl and her father company on their way outside the city walls, he worried for everyone who went there. Who knows what could be hiding in the dark?

William nodded, “I see. Thank you. Have a good day.” He said to Phillip and he smiled at Thea before he left the bakery. Hopefully his game of chase would end soon, and he could find Noah. ’Maybe Marigold has already found him.’ he thought while walking. He wanted to run, but that definitely doesn’t look good on him as a King. He tried to follow the faint traces of glitter on the ground.

---

After the morning walk, Marigold had briefly visited the bakery before heading back to the castle. After all, her mind always wavers back to her garden. The flowers made her feel safe - not that she needed reassurance, but because she enjoyed their company. Marigold had always thought conversations were interesting, but controlling body language and facial expressions constantly made her uncomfortable. Often she’d dream about being a quiet florist that people barely knew the name of, however she loved William and her children too much to leave the light of royalty. She cared about the kingdom, but the calm, uneventful life often called to her. She held her cheek against her palm, kneeling next to a growing plant and creating a graze on her knee. She smiled through her fingers.

—

A full white face mask on with holes for eyes on her face, Quill touched the backs of her ears and felt the strap run round her head. A hood hanging at her shoulders, she rummaged in her pockets and pulled out some silver coins, gaze targeted at the bakery. She decided to treat herself today; sweet foods have always been in her book of, ‘good things’ (a book herself isn’t even on), a metaphorical book of course. A small, hidden smile appeared on her face as she stepped through the door. She brushed shoulders with King William, and she kept her head down.

---

Sparing a quick look at the actual king who was Right Next To Her and trying to send him her most polite smile, she turns to her new friends again.
"Well... I know it's not the longest way in the world, but we could maybe all walk to the marketplace together? Maybe I can even convince dad to let me stay a bit longer!" She chuckles slightly when repeating Rosaline's words. "Maybe he'll give me a discount to a hotel or get scared enough to let me stay forever."

Tirik righted himself quickly, a small sigh escaping his mouth. "And how precisely do you plan to do that? Your... Room... Is on the other side of the castle from my workshop. If we go to your place first, you're likely not going to leave." The shadow had grown something like a skeletal structure, and now had six legs, a sort of dorsal fin, and a small head that swiveled back and forth between whoever was talking.

Regina made her way back to the stables and apologized to Brazen. "I'm sorry, Brazen. I didn't mean to almost run into a cart." Brazen gave a snort of disbelief. Regina protested, "But am I really intimidating? I mean, I've never seen myself that way." If a horse could roll its eyes, Brazen would've. Regina sighed. "But that's something to contemplate later. Thank you for not running into that stall. Brazen gave a little snort again, and Regina gave him a pat. "Thanks for humoring me, though." She dismounted and handed the reins to a stable boy, then walked up to the training field.


The sight that Regina was greeted with was not a good one. There were 10 Knights out there. And 3. Only 3, were actually training. The other 7 had taken her absence as a sign to sit down in the grass and talk amongst themselves. A few were actually asleep! The nerve of them!" "FERGUSON, HARRISVEIW, DONAHUGH, GOREGOUGH, MOLTRIEN, EXCALIBEIN, MELATIN, FRONT AND CENTER, NOW!" She roared, stalking across the feild. The guilty knights looked up like small children caught with their hand in the cookie jar, and immeaidnetly scrambled up and jogged to Regina. Regina scowled. "So I take some time for myself, and you decide to take a break while it is clearly not time to take a break?! Your fellow knights are training hard, and you are slacking off!" She continued to scold them, telling them that actions like these reflected on the rest of the knights, and on herself. That they were adults, and should be responsible. At the end, she sighed. "I'm too tired to deal with this. Obviously, you've had a good break, so just..go back to training. I'll check in later." She really, really needed a nap.

---

Having lost interest in what was happening in the bakery, Scarlet left her spot by the bakery window. After buying the items she needed, she decided to leave the city. On her way back to her not-so-secret lair, she finds a small boy begging for cash. He glances up at her with wide eyes. They are slightly fearful, which makes sense, she does have multiple weapons on her. He bravely pushes his empty hat towards her. She stares down at him, her face unreadable.
"Where are your parents?" She asks softly. Certainly, his parents wouldn't be stupid enough to allow this boy to be standing here alone this far away from the city. It wasn't safe here. The boy's eyes tear up and he slowly lowers the hat and hangs his head down in disappointment.
"Don't have any" he whispers. Scarlet winces, her own eyes tearing up from what he had just revealed. She quickly digs into her pouch and gives him a handful of coins, which he happily accepts. "Thank you!" He shouts. He steps forward to give her a hug, which makes Scarlet stiffen slightly. He doesn't seem to notice, he leaves quickly, running off with the cash. She watched him leave, a shadow of a smile was on her lips. What can she say? She had a soft spot for orphans. She knew exactly how they felt.
-Enough, that's in the past Scarlet scolds. She didn't have time to wallow in self-pity.
She had to prepare, it was coming time to have a little chat with the members of the Ring, and she would have to promise them something to get their spirits up. She had a feeling that they were quickly losing interest in her cause.

Noah smiled toward his sister as he bolted down through the hall. He didn't stop until he reached The Silly Chamber, where he slumped down onto the wall outside of it. All that running had finally tired him out. After a small moment of sitting, he started to laugh a little at the silliness of the situation. He had run all across town, with his own brother chasing him? That's hilarious!

Cooper narrowly missed the incoming prince as he bolted down the hall. He simply sighed and went to return the tray back to the kitchen. That prince is going to get somebody killed going that fast.

Kalinda smiled widely and nodded excitedly while Valentin spoke. But she didn't say anything, as she didn't want the mages to be displeased with her.

An audible gasp could be heard escape Joy's mouth as she witnessed Noah dash from the corner of her eye. She took her final sip,took a long breath,stood up and signaled Esmeralda to go check on Noah together. "Please excuse my dear brother,Cooper." she said as she noticed he was clearly distressed. She hesitantly handed over hier tea and the small plate she placed it on and curtsied her way back to Esmeralda.

Regina decided that she should go back to her room. She was exhausted and really needed that nap. She entered the castle and started walking towards her room when she glimpsed Noah running to the Silly Chamber, or whatever it was that the jester called it. He was going to hurt himself or someone else if he kept that up. And Regina had suffered from far too many of his pranks. She paused at the edge of her room, then walked up to him. "You keep up all that running around, Prince Noah, and so help me, I will tell the king where you are. I've suffered one too many of your pranks, and the next one will drive me over the edge. So consider this a warning, yes?" She sighed. "Just..don't run around so much. It's making me nervous, and I've already had a crazy morning." She started walking back to her room.

---

"Can we... have a code word... before we start running... again?" Ava held their stomach with one arm and used the other to balance themselves against the wall, trying their best to not make their lungs give up today with these large gasps. "But you are, pretty genius, now they're all, looking for us, finally, attention" They lifted up their arms to throw some 'finger guns' (as the cool kids call it) but almost fell after a second or two, letting out a very strange noise before returning their hand to be pushed against the wall. They didn't have enough time to register the general's entire presence but still slipped a whimper to really indicate that they are, in fact, still scared. "capiche!" she wasn't even talking to them.

Regina sighed and called out, "The same goes for you, Jester!" She slammed the door shut and collapsed on her bed. This..had been quite the morning. Why couldn't she have had a morning that was only slightly entergetic? At least that tea had chased away the headache. She could feel herself falling asleep. Maybe just for a little bit...it wasn't like she had much to do, anyway. Those errant knights had been put back in line, so she could count on a good hour of sleep..but then, she promised herself, she would get back to work...

---

Noah nodded at Regina absentmindedly. They wouldn't ruin his fun. He smiled at Ava. "Yeah, sure. Do you have any suggestions?" He asked. He slowly got up from his spot against the wall. "Also, do you have any more buckets?" His mind was already at work, coming up with new pranks.

Cooper put the tray away in the kitchen. He looked around. He had done the laundry. He had finished mopping all the water puddles from the castle floor. He had served tea. What else could he busy himself with? He went out into the hallway to see if anything would help him remember tasks to perform.

єℓℓισт ѕαρρнιяυѕ

Storming through the palace halls, he waved absentmindedly to his sisters as his eyes narrowed at the closed doors of The Silly Chamber. Well, if they wanted to play the long game, then Elliot was more than happy to play along. Making his way down to his room, greeting maids and servants on his way, Elliot threw open his door and marched towards his desk piled high with stacks of paper. The heavy wooden surface creaked ominously as Elliot picked up with slight difficulty a specific heavy-looking stack and made his way back towards the Silly Chamber. The paperwork was set down before the door and he dusted off his hands with a sigh.

The stack contained what work Elliot didn't complete for Noah yesterday and what Noah had to do today. Technically, he wasn't giving Noah any extra work, only what he needed to do. It also wasn't that much work but the sheer volume of it made it look terrifying anyway. Dusting his hands and knocking firmly on the door, Elliot left an inconspicuous note atop the stack and departed to do the work he was required for the day.

"For His Royal Highness, Prince Noah Sapphirus,

Please Do Not Move

Have Fun, Brother Dearest"

---

Kαɳαƚα

As his duties came to a small lul and the daylight hours began to brighten the sky, Kanata gently held a pipping hot bun in his hands. The steaming bun sat heavily on his tongue as he chewed thoughtfully. Perhaps after today he would wander around town and maybe pay a visit to the royal family. After all, there did seem like a bit of chaos surrounding the town today.

Polishing off the last of his food, licking his fingers delicately, Kanata wiped his hands on a cloth and stood up to stretch. Through the ebb and flow of the crowd, hair of woven bark with flowers booming within its roots floated past him before kneeling down to regard the flowers. A smile blossomed over his face as the priest slowly wandered over to kneel down beside Marigold, lithe arms wrapping around his knees as he took the time to admire the flowers.

"They're quite pretty today," Kanata murmured, one hand coming up to brush against the velvet petals of a violet. "Wouldn't you say so, Your Majesty?"

---

"hmmm" Ava was in deep thought. "How about... Plan B?" Absolute Genius. They patted their clothes a little to lessen the amount of glitter, although a good chunk of it was already sprinkled around in a trail after the chase. "I don't think I have any buckets in here," they leaned into the doorframe of their Silly Chamber "but I do have this funny pillow thing-" they walk to a very unsuspecting looking wooden chest putting down the tart bag and opening the chest, then grabbing what looks like a small pillow "peep this" they squeeze the pillow and it lets out a- yes its a fantasy whoopee cushion look this is actually way funnier than it sounds

Opal seemed to ponder for a quick second "I don't wish to kill off their excitement but your observation is far from incorrect, divination is a very personal and time-consuming subject to indulge in, I doubt I could put a halt to once I begin, hmmm" after thinking for another second they replied "Since this was to happen at one point regardless, shall I propose a compromise? We could guide them through the palace's most impressive sight, then proceed in presenting all the utilities they may need like the kitchen, their rooms(I assume they will also be staying there, if not please ignore this) and a resting place then once we are to begin training, we could simply split into pairs and let the students decide on who they would prefer to observe today. Would this be possible? We could always swap in case you prepared a lesson for two." The Seer proposes, even if the conversation was between them and Tirik, his tone seemed to imply that they would take the apprentices' opinions into consideration before going through with this.

---

Joy saw Elliot return to his office and took the chance as he passed by the room they had tea at. "Excuse my bad timing,Elliot,but what did our troublemaker brother pull off this time? I promise I won't keep you from your paperwork,a brief answer would suffice. I should also inform you that me and Esmeralda were just about to head out for a walk." she added,looking back at Esmeralda. Noah's voice could be barely heard across the long hall,as well as the person that accompanied him.