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Sage chuckled softly and nodded, moving to brush his hair and such before grabbing an apple and the bag of coins they still had. "Right, everyone ready," he asked, moving to scoop Liz up when she nodded eagerly and reached upwards for him. |
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"I think we're set," Elara noted softly, letting out a simple four note whistle into the woods, Varys darting out of the bushes before walking towards them. She scratched behind his ears, the group all taking off. |
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Sage nodded with a grin, admittedly excited to get into town. It would be fun for a day out. |
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Elara kept Varys at her side, slipping on her cloak and pulling the hood down her face, walking beside Sage towards town. |
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Sage found himself bouncing along next to Elara, enjoying their time out as they walked. Eventually, he set Liz down once they got to the town, letting her walk next to him but making sure to keep his hand firmly around hers. |
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Elara perked up at the sight of a familiar hood, too good of quality, too expensively made, sticking out like a sore thumb. She grinned, nudging Sage with her elbow. "Found him," The woman mused, making her voice blend in with the crowd--foreign. "Nathaniel!" She called, the man glancing around, eyes landing on her and gleeming, pushing through people to get to her. Elara immediately noticed the way it seemed he'd aged fifteen years, the bags under his eyes, how his smile didn't reach his eyes either. Her brows furrowed slightly, Nate glancing around as he noted Sage before looking back to her. "What's happened, you look like you've aged fifteen years." She murmured, Nate just sighing, his usual broad shouldered stance slumping for once. "It's exhausting, staying up for days with no sleep for council meetings, having to direct the War Council, and train troops, all while learning how to be a king and also go on hunts for you and have to lead on false trails, I haven't slept in days El, days!" He started, the woman tugging him out of the crowd and to a opening, pulling him into a hug. "I have to go, they'll send out somebody to look for me if i'm gone too long--" The man rambled, Elara bracing her hands on his shoulders. "Hey. Listen, long as you're with us, you're alright. Slow down, who will send somebody out for you?" She asked, her brother fidgeting as he answered. "The council, they'll send my troops, scared i'll run off and they'll have no more heirs to the throne. Not that I ever would, knowing if I was caught again i'd probably be tortured until I was barely classified as 'alive'." Elara stared at him with a pale expression and wide eyes, jaw slacked as she contemplated everything. "Does. . . that also await me if i'm caught?" She asked fearfully, Nate shaking his head and pulling away. "No, they have to keep you in good condition so they could send you off to be a brood for some other kingdom---I really have to go now, El, i'll find you when I can!" He called, pulling her into a quick hug before slipping back into the crowd, darting back to the castle, hoping he'd be on time. Elara watched longingly as he went, a sense of dread filling her. She sighed, collecting herself once more as she looked for Sage. |
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Sage had wandered along, glancing over at the man Elara pointed out and nodding with a grin, shooing her over to talk to him. He sort of lingered nearby, keeping an eye on them, but stayed far enough away to not like ....eavesdrop on everything they were saying. He didn't want to be rude or anything. He gave Nathaniel a quick nod when their gazes met...he was somewhat glad to see the guy, he supposed. They'd gotten along well enough. They weren't friends, exactly, but...they didn't have any issues with each other, and sage appreciated that. He did notice how bad the guy looked though, and he felt a frown cross his face as he hurried off, giving Elara a concerned look when she came back towards him. "What was that about," he asked quietly, not wanting to scare Liz, who was currently playing with some leaves she'd found on the ground. They were fun colors, ones that were starting to get more rare as the leaves fell and died with winter approaching. |
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She let out a breath, watching as Nate's figure became smaller and smaller before vanishing completely. "He hasn't slept in days, training entire battalions, dealing both the regular council and the War Council, learning how to be king, and he told me that he had to get back within a certain time otherwise they'd send troops after him." Elara explained quietly, watching Liz for a moment. "Told me he can't run away, if he gets called he said and I quote, "if I was caught i'd probably be tortured until I was barely classified as 'alive'"." |
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Sage let out a slow breath as Elara explained, nodding along. "That's rough," he murmured, shaking his head as he glanced in the figure the other man had disappeared in. "He needs some helpers. Where the hell is his council? Generals?" He frowned slightly. "He'll have full power soon....maybe he can make some changes when he's actually king," he sighed, running a hand through his hair and then bending over to look at the leaf Liz was showing him, humming a "that's very cool, hon," to the girl. |
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She scrunched her nose at the mention of the council, recalling bad memories from them. "The council's terrible, doesn't matter who you are, heir to the throne, civilian, the king, they'd rather watch you like a dog fight, watch you get torn to shreds before shrugging and heading to the next one. They control everything, rank higher than the king. All those 'failed' missions? Never failed, council just ordered them back, my father never fought against him, too scared---that coward. " She said bitterly, nodding at the mention of her brother having full power soon and making changes to the kingdom. "He will, he's already promised numerous changes. First, he'll elect a new council--one not full of idiots. Next he'll get some more guards on patrol duty who are supposed to help and actually will, not just stand there." |
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Bright Sunshine with a few High Clouds
