Afternoon Musings {open

[Aris]

The sun slowly ebbed its way over the afternoon sky into its highest perch above a few lazy clouds that were crawling their way to the west. A gentle breeze toyed with the leaves in the trees before lazily swooping to play through the wavy locks of Prince Charlemagne. He sat back against the bark of an ancient willow tree, caressing the belly of his favored hound while keeping a keen eye on the Ladies that strolled passed. He shot a charming smile here and there, giving reason for a few of the prettier girls to stroll past again and again; all in hope he would ask them to sit and chatter awhile.
He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossed at the ankles and picked up his leanly built hound and placed the dog in his lap as if she were a child. She grumbled in false complaint then situated herself along the length of his legs in a rug like fashion: her belly thrust upward for the optimum scratching and her legs sprawled in four different directions. Her head lay against his stomach with here green eyes trained dutifully on her master: begging him to scratch her forever.
A spill of giggles brought his attention up from his canine companion up to where three particularly good looking ladies, a few years younger than himself, stood. He flashed his award winning grin before casually calling out, “Good afternoon Ladies.” They replied with a chorus of giggles and flirtatious waves before scurrying off to hide behind a hedge where they commenced to laugh like asylum escapees.
Char chuckled quietly to himself with a slight shake of his head. He grasped Sive’s ears with both hands and flipped them out playfully gaining a irritated growl in response. “Oh Sive, my dear, why must they find me so irresistible” he laughed, running a callused hand through his blonde locks, easing them into his signature wind swept appearance.

[FaerieDust]

"Ah, brother, could it be your merry smile, or your impressive jousting skills? Nay, perhaps that golden spun hair, or," Alexander smirked slightly as he sauntered up in his best girly manner, wagging his eyeslashes at his younger brother, "those to die for eyes?"

Alexander had always been a bit jealous of Charlemagne, though that didn't make him love his family any less. Alexander still trusted Charlemagne more than most of the men who surrounded him during the day, and his brother never told him what to do or who to speak to. Alexander hated that. Advisors, their mother, always telling him what to do. And that ever present "Pick a wife!" nagging, yes, at least Charlemagne never bothered him about that.

Alexander took a seat near his brother and glanced towards the direction where the gaggle of prancing girls went, "Mother is planning a ball, I think. I overheard her talking to the Steward yesterday. Not one of our regular balls, either, I heard Tavish, and Herrsland will be invited. You may have a chance to be irresistible to a barbarian girl."

Everyone knew that Tavish girls were pretty, but they were wild, and preferred fur cloaks instead of silk and brocade. They lacked certain "refinement" Alvernon and Herrsland girls had. Alexander had little curiosity for himself, but he gave a half look to Charlemagne. Would he see a Tavish princess as a challenge or a turn-off? Then Alexander laughed, "But I should not say much, one of these red-headed princesses they prance in front of me like a pony for sale may just become my wife. Or yours."

[Aris]

His elder’s brother voice brought a mild smirk to his lips with amusement playing in his eyes. Despite his often felt jealousy toward Alexander, Charlemagne had a great respect for his brother and enjoyed their brotherly teasings on the occasion. “Or perhaps it’s merely the fact I am your brother and you, as the Crown Prince, are simply the prize to be caught” he jested back, poking his elbow into his brother’s ribs playfully with an overly dramatic expression of earnest truth. His false expression broke into a mischievously playful grin “No that couldn’t be that” he chuckled tapping his chin with a forefinger and furrowing his brows with false determination, “It has to be the eyes!” He laughed softly with amusement, before turning back to face Alexander as he began to speak again.

A ball with Barbarians? He shook his head in wonder and slight disbelief at the fact then smirked with the thought of a whole new bunch of exotic girls swooning over him. He pondered a moment over the challenge of having to adapt to romanticizing a girl of such a different upbringing than what he was used to chasing.
“That should be very” he paused, silently searching for an appropriate word to describe how he fathomed the event to be, “Well, It should be very entertaining in the least” he mused with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

“Aye, a wife for you perhaps, but me not so much” he replied with another shrug, changing his gaze back to where the groupling of giggling girls hid then back to his brother with his famous mischievous grin placed on his lips. “Besting the point you needing one to claim the thrown, I on the other hand have no particular need to bind myself to one until I am either crippled and unable to stand on my own two feet or dead.”
He paused, letting his words drift on the air a moment before turning to his brother again, all serious in expression. “You don’t think that’s the whole reason mother has planned this? To marry either us off or Catherine to a foreign dignitary, do you?” Charlemagne’s brows furrowed together with a mixture of true panic and false distress as he studied the dog that now lay half way on his lap and half sprawled in the grass. He turned to grasp one hand to his brother’s shoulder, “I’m to young to be tied down to one girl” he cried out mockingly then broke out into a laugh and leaned back into the tree’s bark, amused with himself. “But all joking aside, what are the odds of coming out of this without being engaged to some barbarian?”

[FaerieDust]

Ah, at least Charlemagne could make him laugh! And laugh Alexander did, he really did feel at ease with his brother, there were so many stuffy people at court- a lot of charming and witty ones, but so far he, Alexander had all the stuffy ministers of finance, and ministers of foreign affairs, and the lord of this and the lord of that, all wanting attention. Perhaps all these girls had romantic notions of a king, but Alexander was finding out there was a lot more to it than a crown and a throne. Alexander lived for these escapes, and perhaps when he was crowned he could mandate them, for his sanity of course.

Alexander thought about the foreign princesses for a moment, all he knew is that they came from Tavish, were said to be pretty (but come on, what princess was not said to be pretty) and had flaming locks. Neither were married, so he supposed he might choose either. Or none, as the princess of Herrsland was supposed to be coming, if he heard right. Maybe a barbarian girl would suit him just fine, especially if she didn't talk very much. There was also the chance these girls were more refined than they were given credit, and perhaps as a fair he should wait until he saw to judge... Still, all he could imagine was girls dressed in hides and furs with swords strapped to their backs and riding war ponies into the courtyard instead of in fine carriages. He murmured in agreement, "Yes, very entertaining, indeed."

Alexander sighed and followed his brother's gaze, "Aye, I suppose I shall be married before Mid-Winter, if Mother and the council have their way. At his brother's next grin, Alexander laughed again, "Ah yes, all the noble lords will be fighting for the chance to marry their daughters to a crippled prince." He shook his head with a smirk, "That will never be allowed to happen, Brother, unless of course you are thrown from your horse in the next tournament. I believe you will never be allowed to take that joy from mother to see you marry the girl of her choosing. Then again, perhaps you will be able to choose your own captor. I forsee a political match for me."

The tone had turned more serious and at Charlemagne's next question, Alexander paused for some thought and began slowly while plucking some clumps of grass, "Catherine's fate was sealed before father's death. It was his wish to marry her to that Prince of Herrsland. I doubt either kingdom would break the betrothal now. I half expected her to be married before either of us. Catherine, I believe, fancies herself in love with her betrothed. I have seen her gazing at his portrait she has hung outside her chamber door. And I know they write letters seldomly." Whether this Eryk fellow gave two shakes for his sister, he'd never know.

"As for you, I expect you might get off the hook. I do not find myself as lucky. I have also heard I might be married off to one of the Southern princesses. I hear they have this tanned, olive skin, and dark brown hair, and large eyes. The men there take several wives, I hear, so perhaps they will give me several sisters." Alexander's lips tightened, that would be horrible, one to make one woman happy, but to be married to several women who all wanted something from you? The Southerners were mad.

Alexander grinned and slapped his brother on his shoulder playfully, "I think you shall be left to your own devices, I am sure you'll have to entertain, be your charming and witty self, but you are the younger, you are Charlemagne. Just don't break a foreign heart, Brother, I'd hate to have to wage my first war without even being king yet."

Then he winked at Charlemagne and quipped, "And don't go calling my future wives barbarians."

[Aris]

He dipped his head slightly as a muted chuckle ran through up his throat. “Ah, I believe you are very right” he laughed, “I think mother would raise me from my death bed just to marry the girl she thought suitable.” He sighed, pushing his hound the rest of the way off his lap. “And as if I will have choice. Mother is always screeching about how my taste in the opposite gender is far from acceptable and I need to raise my standards” he scoffed mockingly,

He loved his motherly dearly and was blessed to have such strong and kind hearted woman as his mother. But at times, her micromanaging of everything everyone has ever done could get tiresome quite quickly. He has a mind and is quite capable of using it without the constant little hum of what his mother deemed appropriate and what she deemed not.

“If she took the time so see it from my angle, every girl I meet has met one standard or another if you catch my drift” Charlemagne laughed. He poked his eyebrows upward with amusement as a sly smile crept across his face in jest of his own joke.

“Ah, I forgot about Eryk of Herrsland” he mused thoughtfully, digging through his mental storage for the small tidbits he had heard of this Prince. An amusing character in the least with a knack for bear hunting. “And that explains so much” he laughed softly, “There’ve been times I walked passed her chambers and overheard conversations with herself about ‘he being so perfect’ and all that gooey love junk woman fantasize about. For a moment there I thought our dear sister had lost her marbles or gotten into the wine.” He sighed inwardly with wonderment on how easily women seemed to fall head over heels over the perfect man, and is if he existed truthfully was a mystery in itself. Everyone had their quirks and perks but women seemed to shut out the bad and fantasize the good and make it wonderful.

He nodded in false solemnity as Alexander spoke next. “I may, but mother is so tricky with her words for all I know is that I could be saying yes to butter on my bread and be thrown into a engagement by the way she speaks” Charlemagne jested, raising one knee toward his chest to rest one arm on. “Several wives” he mouthed the idea for a brief moment before shaking his head is disbelief. “Now that’s nutty even for my tastes.” The idea of having many adventures in the bedroom was enthralling but having to please more than one exotic outside the bedroom was enough to throw any sane man into mental fits.

After his brother’s jest, a humored grin crept across his face and a laugh left his throat. He placed both his hands over his heart and placed the most earnest and heart felt expression he could across his face. “How could you think that little ol’me could break a heart, I am absolutely offened” he mockingly cried, then burst into another round of laughter. “Trust me Brother, unless there is something truly enchanting about these foreign princesses, I plan to sit back and perhaps let our dear Constantine have his try at wooing a exotic or two.”

He laughed heartily and nodded toward his brother’s demand. “Of course not directly to her face or with ear shot, but I make no promises of what will be said in the taverns with my mates.” He jested back with a snort of laughter.

[FaerieDust]

Alexander shrugged, "Choose a girl that would please mother and keep a lover that would please yourself?" It was probably not 'noble' or 'good' or 'honorable' but some men had been doing it for generations, right? "Any choice is better than no choice, I think, anyway."

Eryk of Herrsland. Handsome enough with dark hair, impressive jaw-line, and confident smile. Alexander didn't care for the thought that his sister would be sent so far away. After her marriage, he could be quite sure he'd rarely see her ever again. She would be a queen, and he a king, even if their younger brothers could move between the kingdoms, it would be impossible for them. Alexander laid back in the grass and covered he eyes from the sun, "He better be bloody perfect, he's too out of reach for us to teach him a lesson. We may find out, I wonder if he will come with his younger sister for this ball."

Alexander laughed with Charlemagne, "Fair enough, Brother, though I should like very much to see you just 'sit back' on any type of fun. Rest assured, I will have the calvary at the ready." Alexander sat up and shook his head with a grin, trying to picture Constantine trying to flatter a girl in furs and wild red hair, "But perhaps I should keep my eye on Constantine incase he greiviously wounds the pride of our young visitors."

"Though enough talk of women and wives, I think I have earned a break next week, we should hunt the Dark Forest. Sir Vareon talks of a giant boar he nearly killed. We can stay at Castle Hodge."

Castle Hodge was a small castle on the edge of the Dark Forest, much farther north than Brehmen Town. It did not have a village around it, it was owned by the Farseekers, and supplied by the royal family. A small staff lived there all year round and kept the place ready for whenever the Royal Family wanted to stay, which was usually summer.

[Aris]

He nodded in softly in agreement, chewing over the idea of taking a mistress alongside a wife. It was not exactly the courtly behavior one expected of a child from the ruling power but then again, you always have to have at least one black sheep in the family. Charlemagne rubbed his hand thoughtlessly through his hair as he pondered on how his mother would take the notion of him taking a lover to please his needs before smiling sheepishly to himself. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her could it?

“The distance between the kingdoms could prove a bit troublesome should the need arise for us to put dear Eryk in his place” he mused thoughtfully with a slight frown. If this Eryk fellow turned out to be more beastly than charming, who would put him back in his place before any harm could come of their sister? “But then again I would like to think of our dear sister as being capable enough to handle herself” he started again, loosing the dab of seriousness and returning his jovial expression to its rightful place, “and if she hasn’t got him wrapped about her finger with a week, I’ll be very disappointed with Cathrine.”

“Oh, are you suggesting it is simply against my nature not to flirt with every female I see” he chuckled with a humored dip of his head. “I must say I am honestly offended at the notion” he scoffed in false disgust all the while a grin tugging at his lips. Not that he denied loving the ways of being a womanizer, it simply took a particular type of girl to catch his eye and gain enough interest to flirt with and he played with a slight doubt that any barbarian could hold such a place in his endeavors.

He dipped his head in agreement of his brother’s change of topics. “Absolutely a fantastic idea, it would do good for a change in scenery” he mused happily. A good hunt was exactly what Charlemagne imagined as a way to mentally prepare one’s self for a ball with foreign royalty.

"Can we trust the word of Sir Vareon, for the last I remember he was a bit free with his exaggeration.” Charlemagne questioned with a raised brow. He shifted against the bark of the tree, scanning the area in front of him for a brief moment. Castle Hodge, he hadn’t been there in ages but remembered it fondly as being small but comfortable; a perfect hunting lodge in the sense for royalty in need of an escape from the regulations of high court’s society. He caught the eyes of one of the lingering, giggling girls and sent a nonchalant smile accompanied by a wink her way. He watched in amusement as she flushed the color of the roses she stood by then scuttled back toward her friends who sat a few yards off.