viceofvoices | Of Courts and Courting

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hild,
roleplay

Of Courts and Courting

Traveling beyond enemy borders is no easy feat no matter who you are. It takes some finesse and knowledge and maybe even a generous amount of luck. And if you're trying not to be found? Doubly tricky! But Hild managed. After all, her love life was on the line.

Since their botched wedding, Hild and Krichevskoy went about life much the same way they did before, only now the tensions between their two clans of demons was focused primarily on a third threat: the monsters and lesser demons who had risen up much earlier than anticipated thanks to Hild's secret meddling. And while that meant Hild and Krichevskoy no longer had to get married, it seemed she had less and less time to even spend time with him out of her own free will. War councils and spell preparations, magic training and scouting missions...really, all she wanted to do was sneak away and spend time with...

Pausing under a tree in the forest lining this border of Krichevskoy's kingdom, the cloaked Hild paused and grinned to herself, swept up in the memory of their last encounter. He'd actually kissed her back, which was more than he'd ever done before. Hands to her cheeks, one of the most powerful demons in the universe squirmed in bashfulness as she recalled the event, oblivious to her surroundings.

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Hild waved a dismissive hand. "No, no...it's fine. I shall try and tell you everything you wish to know, no worries. I'm just..." She broke off, shrugging a bit. "Not all memories are pleasant. Just keep that in mind."

Krichevskoy nodded. "I understand. If there is anything you don't want to talk about yet you do not have to respond." He had gotten a little too eager, he supposed.

Even without his memory, he was still undeniably him. She'd never doubted the genuine goodness within him, but it was still nice to see that, stripped of artifice and context, he was still so kind. Hild smiled a bit as she pushed past some foliage and headed into more forest.

"What else do you wish to know? Shall I tell you about your extensive collection of romance books and your fondness for red roses? You have a coterie of loyal vassals, though they have been known to tease you relentlessly..." She laughed. "Then again, so does everyone you meet. It's simply too easy to get a reaction from you."

He frowned a little, though it seemed more like the petulant pout of a child. "They do not seem very loyal if they are so quick to tease." If he was supposed to be a ruler, he had hoped he would be more respected than that.

"If that is the case, I shall endeavor to give no reaction to any teasing I endure."

"Isn't it good?" She turned to smile at him over her shoulder. "They care for you deeply and treat you as a friend. Formality and pomp might seem like a good time, but there's more to be said for subjects who see you as a person rather than a symbol." Hild turned away again, and by the gentle and wistful tone of her voice, it seemed she might have been speaking from experience.

"It seems better than being feared," he conceded, "though I think I would prefer a little more respect. ...But I suppose thinking of what I would like in theory does me no good when I don't remember the fact."

Krichevskoy was quiet a moment, studying Hild's back in silence. She seemed rather sad when she spoke, but he had the feeling that at least she respected him--or her memory of him, at least.

"What was your life like?" he asked, suddenly wanting to pull the subject off himself for a little while.

"My life...?" Hild stopped walking abruptly, one hand on the rough bark of a tree next to her. After a second, she began walking again. "Mm...well, I didn't have the upbringing you did, precisely. No father or mother to shelter me from the world, nor castle or servants to tend to me." Her voice was distant as she spoke, as if her mind was a million miles -- or years -- away. "I have been left to my own devices for as long as I can remember. Those who have claimed a familial tie to me have only done so once it became apparent that I had no intention of quietly fading away."

They were in denser woods now, the light dim as it barely broke through the canopy. Hild stopped in front of a thorny bush of wild flowers, gently running her fingers over the satiny dark petals. "For years I did whatever I had to in order to survive. My hands were stained with filth and blood. But as is so often the case, when under such pressure, one either is crushed to dust or polished and made pristine in the tempering."

She slid her fingers from the blossoms to the thorns below, forcefully pushing her thumb into the sharp points. "As I matured, I made a vow to rise up and show the world that would push me down just what sort of strength I had. And it would be a more lasting strength than simple brute force...I would gather the sort of strength that meant never having to dirty my hands again."

So she had had a long, difficult life while he had had a good one. But, more than that... "You were alone the whole time?" he asked, voice soft as he took a step forward. He wondered if he should be more disturbed or saddened that she had to kill, wound, and destroy to survive, but the loneliness that he could imagine that accompanied the life she described seemed so much worse to him.

"...no. Not for all of it." She dropped her hand and closed her eyes, memories filling her heart. "I have had my share of love and loss, even in that darkness." Hild then turned to face him, hands behind her back, and smiled sweetly.

"But that is a tale for a different time. Already I have told you far more than I ever did when you were yourself." She laughed a bit, her expression sly. "Perhaps it is your naked guileless gaze that has stripped me of all my defenses?"

He looked away from her and rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "It seems I am prying again, after I said I would try not to. I guess I cannot help myself."

"I confess, I'm surprised at your interest in me. I expected more questions regarding your life -- friends, enemies, lovers. Your riches and powers."

She dropped her gaze to the black skin of his throat, her smile fading. "How are you feeling...?" She stepped closer to him, reaching out to very carefully touch his cheek. "Are you in pain? This deep in the forest, at least, the light shouldn't be too overbearing." What sun did break through the trees overhead came down in soft shards of blue-hued light.

"I am curious about that as well, of course. But the questions seem to simply appear on their own." He squinted up at the canopy, but he couldn't look at it for too long. It wasn't quite like the initial sunlight of the doorway, at least--that had been nearly like staring into the sun.

"It is a little uncomfortable, but I cannot say I'm in pain. This is much better than it was. The cloak helps as well." It was a nice barrier between the light and himself.

Her lids lowered slightly and her smile deepened, a seductive edge to it. "Hmm~ It pleases me to know you can't help but want to know me more, even like this." Her hand on his cheek slid down to his jaw, and it was like caressing smoke. "It gives me hope for our future."

Then she turned, her cloak fanning behind her as she continued to lead the way. Her voice was once again all business, absent of that brief, soft warmth. "We are approaching the neutral zones between our lands. There should be an inn safe for us to hide in while I find some help, as long as no one recognizes you."

She glanced back at him, thoughtful. "...perhaps we should cut your hair off."

Krichevskoy could only manage a weak "Ah," at first, falling behind a moment when he came to a brief stop. There was a faint, somewhat darker tinge to his cheeks when he started walking again, and he didn't quite fully recover until Hild made the suggestion to cut his hair.

"No!" he cried suddenly, coming to another stop and standing in such a way to make it clear that he wasn't planning on moving. "We are absolutely not going to do that!"

The response was almost instinctual, really. He mostly remembered what he looked like and had no idea whether he'd look better with shorter hair or not, but he knew his hair looked fine as it was.

...He thought.

She snorted indelicately. "Come now, we --" Doing a double take, Hild stopped walking and turned to face him once it became apparent he wasn't budging. She sighed, her hands on her hips. "Really, your vanity is astounding. Your very life is hinging on making certain you aren't recognized!"

Krichevskoy crossed his arms and looked away in a huff. "I refuse. I will pull the hood down and remain silent, but I will not cut my hair here." A sudden thought came to him, and with a note of triumph he added "And who is to say you would be able to to begin with?"

"Ah, look who found his stubborn streak despite his memory loss!" Hild stalked towards him, more than a little huffy herself. "You foolish man, there is no town or kingdom in our worlds that will not recognize us, especially together. They have come to expect it!"

She smirked, eyes narrowed. "You will learn, again, that I will always find a way to get what I want...!" Her hand shot out to grasp his hair.

Krichevskoy hopped backwards out of the way, cloak nearly phasing through him in his attempt to dodge. "And this is something you will not! I, I am putting my foot down about this!"

As it turned out, Krichevskoy's sheer will not to have his hair touched made his body react accordingly -- even countering his dodge, Hild's hands went through his hair completely. Frustrated, she stopped and pouted. "Ahh~! Fine! I'll disguise myself then! Jeez!"

She stomped her foot in a tantrum and immediately erupted into smoke. Standing where the full grown Hild had been standing, she was now in the form of a young girl. Her clothing had been altered as well, made to fit her tiny form without issue. Still, she crossed her arms and glared up at him, her voice still the low, elegant and haughty voice of the full-sized version.

"Are you happy now?"

"Yes, that is a much better plan," he replied, pleased with his victory. It may have made things a bit strange, and definitely a little more awkward, but he had managed to get his way in the end.

"I doubt we will run into any trouble. This is a nearly perfect disguise between the two of us, after all."

Shoulders slumped, she held out her hand to lean against a tree dramatically. "Ugh, how can you be so naive and still lead an army of demons...?" She trudged ahead once more, still pouting. "I know you don't remember anything, but this was an extremely well calculated attack. One of your kind, working with..." Hild's brow furrowed. "...with one of my kind, very likely. Since killing you outright has clearly not been their agenda, they're sure to be tracking us and watching us react to this curse they've placed upon you."

"So that is what happened?" he asked, chastising himself for not thinking to ask about it. He knew there had been an injury and some sort of curse, but with this state being the only one he could remember, he supposed he didn't see it quite the same as Hild.

Krichevskoy put a hand to his chin in thought. "What makes you believe it was not an assassination attempt?"

"There are a hundred curses better suited towards assassination than -- well, whatever this is," she replied at once, absently swatting away a low hanging branch. By now they were miles from any decent pathway, and with the dense foliage, their progress was slow. She briefly considered blowing a hole through everything with a nice, simple fireball, but that would of course make it that much easier to find them.

"No, this is something else...Killing you would be too kind. Whoever is pulling the strings doesn't just want us to suffer: I fear they want to unravel the very political structure of our people."

"You believe they will blame you for this?" he asked cautiously. She had said before that his own subjects would probably try to usurp him while he was in this state, and he wondered if he would be able to fight or if any weapon he used would instead fall through his fingers.

"Perhaps two factions seeking to reign themselves?"

"Even if painting me guilty was not the intent, it's sure to be a byproduct," Hild said after a moment. "Our people have been at each others throats for generations. It was only recently that we, working in tandem along with our councils and senates, struck a bargain of sorts towards peace." She left out her plan of undermining said bargain for her own personal needs, of course. He'd remember that again soon enough, surely.

"It may very well be that there are those who prefer the battles of the past, driving them to this." She put her hand to her chin, her childish face all the more cute for her very serious expression. "I can't shake the feeling that there's more to it than that, however."

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