Welcome to Gaia! ::

Remnar scowled, not a look that suited him, when Grendal mentioned the fact he would be struck for their fight. He, unlike Kierenar, wasn't about to just let things go. "If your father does that again, then I'll give him a royal order not to that he'll have to obey. You shouldn't be hit for our fights when you had nothing to do with them."

Still, his mood lightened a little when Grendal attempted in vain to appear like a cute puppy dog. "Oof, get off my you great oaf," Remnar said, shoving the older boy off his legs, but with a smile to let him know he was joking. "You're too heavy and with that spiked up hair of yours how are you supposed to act all cute?" The truth was, he was cute, Remnar couldn't deny that, but he would never admit it. He really didn't want to talk about it though. He tactfully avoided answering the question.

"Then you should stand up for yourself! You're not responsible for our disagreements! You know I hate seeing fresh bruises on you..." Remnar said. He scowled at the threat to cut his own hair; mind it did probably did need cutting since it was getting a little long, but not as short as Grendal's. And he wasn't entirely sure his friend wouldn't do it.

"It's stupid," he said. "In class this morning they we were learning about the northerners and their lack of respect for the dead," at least that was how Remnar saw it. Naturally the teacher was less bias on the matter. "I said as much and Kierenar, just to be contrary I'm sure, disagreed, saying I was a weak-bellied woman infront of the whole class. So I called him a barbaric brute and he left." There was more to it than that, Remnar knew, both of them had made digs at the weakest point each brother had but he didn't want to tell Grendal that as well.

"If you're just going to lecture me then go away. The last person I want to hear it from is you," Remnar said, irritated that his closest friend was treating him like a small child. He snagged the book from Grendal and opened it back up to where he was up to and stared at the page. He wasn't in the mood for reading now, but nor did he want to be lectured. "I was stating my opinion on the matter, that's all, he didn't have to get all defensive about it," he muttered as his finger moved along under the lines of text as though reading even though his eyes weren't really following. Instead they were watching Grendal in his peripheral vision.

Remnar met Grendal's disapproving look with an angry one of his own. He never wanted to talk about the fight, why couldn't he have just let the matter be? When he made the jibe about being a decent human being, he grabbed the closest thing, which happened to be a rather heavy book, and threw it with rather good aim at the back of Grendal's retreating head, before returning to scowling out the window.

*

Another arrow sunk into the centre of the but. He glanced up at the window where he knew his brother and likely Grendal sat and scowled. He always ran to Remnar, perfect, golden-boy Remnar. Another arrow hit dead centre. Sometimes, not sometimes, often, he wished he had been born a commoner or even just a noble so he could be just an ordinary soldier in the army. He had heard of their more unusual sexual habbits and if that meant he could perhaps get closer to Grendal then it might have been worth it. He was certain that as soon as he ascended the throne he would set about to change that, to make it more common and accepted.

Kierenar glanced up at the sound of clattering hooves in time to see Grendal ride his horse out the gates like an entire army was behind him. He sighed and glanced up irritably at the window where he knew Remnar would be. Now what had his brother done? Likely trampled all over Grendal's feelings again.

Striding forward he yanked the arrows out of the but and replaced them in the quiver before stowing both away, taking his large sword and strapping it to his back before finally going to the stables himself. His horse was tired and resting so Kierenar took another one, his brother's actually since it was unlikely he would use it, and mounted up, kicking it into a fast gallop to try and catch up, or at least return slightly afterwards. He wanted to be there to make sure that his friend wasn't beaten for their fight. Not that Grendal would realize that was his intention, or even likely be thankful for it, but despite the fact Kierenar never brought it up he didn't like to see their friend hurt because of his and his brother's problems.

He didn't manage to catch up but he arrived not long afterwards and followed him into the manor, asking a servant where he was. He was quiet as he entered the sitting room and snuck up behind his friend before leaning against the back of the armchair, his hands pressing on Grendal's shoulder's massaging them, trying to relieve the tension carried there, silent but appologising in his own way.

"Kei.. What are you doing here?"

"I can't very well leave you to face your father's anger on your own, now can I?" he replied in a joking tone. Of course he would never say that he cared for their friend perhaps a little more than he should and didn't want him to be angry with him. He pressed his thumbs into a tough knot to try to release its tension though let go when Grendal slumped back into the chair and took the armchair opposite him.

"If I had cared for you being a propper host I wouldn't have slipped out without the full honour guard and follow on rubbish that would have guarenteed it and announced my comming a mile away," he said in response to Grendal's appology.

"Kei, why do I put up with this?"

Kierenar laughed somewhat bitterly at that question. "Stuffed if I know," he replied. "Come back to the question in ten or twenty years time and you probably still wont know. Afterall, our tutors seem to have the right idea, this is the third one this year after all," he said with a slightly satisfied smirk, a little proud of the fact. "Not that they weren't all idiots anyway," he said waving the matter off.

He was silent for a time, as the servants came in with wine and food and served them both. He waited until they left before saying to Grendal, "I want to go north again, for a month or two. No fanfare, no pomp and ceremony, just slip out before anyone even notices. Though I'll tell father of course or he'll tear the country apart looking for me. Will you come with me?"

Kie rolled his eyes as Grendal nagged him about his studies. "You sound like a nagging nursemaid," he teased.

"I'll make him come round. And if he won't say yes then I'll just make up some excuse why I need to be sent as an embassy again. And if worst comes to worst and he still says no I'll leave anyway. I feel like I'm trapped here, like walking through those gates is like walking into a cage. There I'm free. Especially if I don't tell anyone who I am." He had to admit he was somewhat disappointed when Grendal didn't want to come with him. He hadn't gone last time either and Kie thought he would rather enjoy the north and their customs, if not their weather. "You wouldn't be deserting," he resoned. "You would be accompanying me as my body guard. After all that's what you're being primmed to do isn't it? Protect me and Remnar? Well it's not like he needs any protection, except perhaps from a stubbed toe by dropping some ancient book on it. And some field work will only improve your skills and standing in the army."