ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏʏᴀʟ sᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ - advanced roleplay discussion

Place within the royal gardens, the gazebo is simple yet romantic. Often it's decorated with lights, making it the perfect spot. Simply lovely.

Sydney as sitting in the grass with all of her work spread out on the grass. She smiled it was a beautiful day and she had been up since one o'clock in the morning trying to get her work done before the Illea report. She yawned and took another sip from her giant cup of coffee. She instantly felt the effects of the coffee work it's magic on her.

Syd felt like someone was watching her but shrugged it off as her bring tired. She honestly couldn't think straight the pages were starting to blur together and her eyes were feeling heavy. " Ok Sydney ." She said standing up and stretching " I think it's time to take a break." She muttered to herself she turned around and stood face to face with... That was strange Syd couldn't remember who the person standing in front of her was which was odd because Syd knew practically everyone around here.

Syd smiled "No trouble at all I was just about to take a break anyways." She said thinking about all the work she still had to get done. "Anyways I'm Sydney Nastasia Corset Royal reporter for the king and queen of Illea." She giggling at the end "Sorry I couldn't help myself." She said laughing "Just call me Syd." She said with bright eyes.

((Sorry))

Syd nodded "It does, doesn't it?" She wasn't trying to be snotty or anything like that she was just proud to be in the place she was in right now. "Syd clicked her tongue "The middle name is a bit unusual.." Syd paused then smiled "But imagine it like this Amyeline Pennyweather Cross Guardsman Of The Illean Royal Family." She said in a loud important voice "Then you start to feel better. Also for the record I like your middle name it's cool." She said trying not giggle at her little stunt.

Syd nodded her head "Long hours are the worst." She agreed.

Syd giggled with Meline "Imagine having Corset as a last name in school I got teased and picked on a lot." Syd explained feeling kind of down. She didn't really like talking about school all that much because it reminded her of other things about her past. "Honestly if breathing wasn't a muscle reflex I think I would forget to do that." Syd said jokingly back to her normal bubbly self. "Reporting is different from most jobs." Syd started out slowly trying to find a way to explain it. "Most people think it's about standing in front of a camera trying to look pretty." Syd said disgustingly "Believe it or not every time I go on camera I pretty much either risk losing my job, getting thrown in jail, or if the royal family really didn't like what I said then death ." Syd said shuddering at the thought.

Syd nodded "Yeah it definitely is." Syd said thinking of Meline's job she wondered what it would be like to be a guard. Syd knew she would hate it but there must be something good about it for other people to want to do it. Syd smiled "Exactly if they knew where I am now they never would've picked on me." Syd said smiling.

Syd caught Meline's smile falter slightly she smiled "Don't worry about me those kids I don't even care about them anymore. I hardly remember any of their names or anything about them." Syd said "Besides I got my revenge and it didn't make me feel any better. So instead I learned to move on and not them bother me." Syd said thinking about all of the gruesome rumors she had spread using the paper as her tool. Syd laughed "Either that or a unicorn to jump off the edge of a rainbow right?" Syd said trying to imagine that picture in her head.

Syd got that look in her eyes one that told you she was actually taking your silly advice or idea seriously. "I totally would." Syd said dreamily not noticing that one of her more important papers had been tugged by the wind out of her bag. She was thinking so hard that she didn't even hear the words coming out of Meline's mouth all she heard was a little noise but it was enough to get Syds attention "Huh?" She said and looked around "What did I miss?" Syd asked

Syd felt her feet move a couple feet back when Meline went into what Syd called "Guard mode" the thing that basically all guards did whenever they heard the slightest noise or movement. Syd honestly didn't really mind they were just doing their job same as anyone else. All the same when Meline relaxed her shoulders Syd let out a breath she had no idea that she was holding. She looked at the spot where Melina had her eyes focused and what she saw horrified her her opening statement for the Illean report was dancing in wind a few feet in front of her. Syd took off running even though she had heels on and would probably twist her ankle but still she ran on she was nearing and had just barely grasped it in her fingers when she tripped and her glasses fell her face and onto the soft green grass in front of her. Syd stopped as soon as the glasses left her face but unfortunately she stepped on her glasses Syd flinched as she heard a crack and her glasses snapped. She looked trying to see how far she had ran but couldn't tell where Meline was she looked around desperately trying to see but honestly she wouldn't be able to see her hand if it was touching her nose. "Meline?" Syd called out trying to see if she could find her way by voice.

Syd was a little more than a little scared when she heard a voice behind her and it wasn't Meline but rather a guy. She turned so fast that her heel caught in the ground and she fell her foot twisting the wrong way. If it hadn't been for the mysterious guys in front of her arm she would've fallen over. So you can run several yards to catch a flying price of paper in heels and not so much as fall but when you turn around. you freaking sprain your ankle she thought with a twinge of annoyance. "Hi I'm Sydney." She said finally having enough sense to speak. She was kind of upset that Meline had to go but then again Sud had just about ready to go herself. Syd smiled a bit when Sage said that was here to help. "Fantastic!" Syd said brightly finally regaining some of her old spark after the initial shock of not being able to see. "Then you can help me to my bag so I can grab my extra pair of glasses right?" She said hoping he would say yes but even if he said no Syd would make him do it anyways it was just better if he wanted to do it in the first place "It's by the Gazebo." Syd said helpfully hoping that they weren't to far from the Gazebo because she wasn't sure how far she could walk with a sprained ankle and asking him to carry her or help her even more than he was already forced to would be slightly embarrassing.

Syd was glad when he agreed to help her and had just turned around to start walking towards the direction she thought the gazebo was when she felt an arm snake around under her back and another towards the back of her knees. She felt her petite body being lifted from the ground and instantly her arms chose to wrap themselves around Sage's neck to give herself more of an anchor. Even though it definitely wasn't necessary Sage would never drop her or at least she hoped that he wouldn't. She decided to steal a look at the ground to see if she could tell how far they were away from the gazebo and she didn't like what she saw. All she could see was a blur of moving shapes and colorful blobs which did not make Syd feel very good. She closed her eyes and buried her head in Sage's shoulder trying to banish the thoughts of the moving ground below her. Inhaling his his scent she felt her thoughts start to settle down to a complete standstill but she still didn't remove her head from its preferred spot on his shoulder. She blushed "Well I guess I really wasn't thinking. This paper took me almost two weeks to write if it had been anything else I wouldn't have cared as much." She stated her head still buried in his shoulder. Right now Syd wished she could see it was frustrating not to be able to see the person who was rescuing her. She wished she could see him and not just a blur of shapes. Syd looked up and tried to piece together the shapes and colors she was seeing but couldn't. Frustrated with her stupid eyesight she just started talking "So are you a gYuard? How long have you Aymeline?" She wanted to ask if he had a girlfriend or anything like that but managed to hold herself back.

Syd sighed a breath of relief "Thank goodness." She said starting to think that maybe she had lost her paper after all and would have to start over. Syd started to wish that she had her glasses so that she could see but then again if her glasses had broke then she wouldn't have needed the man in front of her to help her. This thought shut the rest of Syd's brain processing down but only for a minute before she started to think about what that could mean. Then Sage answered her question and Syd blushed ashamed that she had accidentally asked such a personal question slip but since she had let one slip might as well add another in there. "So to be blunt do you have a girlfriend?" Then Syd winced and honestly wanted to slap herself "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like mean like that I swear! I mean I did but I... I mean oh my gosh! Let's just say you do not have to answer that if you don't want to." She said quickly stumbling over her words and stuttering and everything else that she usually did not do.

Syd's cheeks flushed brighter than ever when Sage started laughing, but then was relieved when she found out that not only was he not offended but he actually answered her question. She didn't know why but his answer made her happy, which was insane considering she had only met him not to long ago. No that couldn't be it she was just grateful for him "Saving" her right? Or at least so she thought "Yes I'm single." She said calmly "Why do you want to know?" She asked grinning slightly.

Syd was starting to grow more comfortable in Sages arms it was nice having someone who wanted to help who wasn't an annoying intern. She felt like she could stay that way forever. "I don't know no one has asked me that before." She didn't say it with any kind of emotion mostly because to her it was just a fact in life. She was to talkative for her own good no one had ever gotten the chance to talk to her, but in this position she was kind of forced to shut up and listen which she was actually happy about. When he said that it was good that she was single Syd thought he was making fun of her but then he bluntly said that it was not good if he was "checking out" a taken girl as he had so bluntly put it, that Syd felt her skin grow hot especially in the places where he was holding her. Stay calm, act cool Syd thought to herself as she tried to breathe. Once she had finally caught her breath Syd looked up at Sage "So you were checking me out huh?" Syd said with a wry grin. Usually she was bubbly and energetic but when she really wanted she could be s little minx. Syd nodded apreacitivly "Then you and I have that in common." She said "So how far are we from the gazebo?" She asked.

Syd shrugged "I guess I talk to much for my good."
She said with a sad smile. She thought about the person in front of her in ways she had never felt before. She wondered if he might like her to but quickly discarded that thought no one could ever like her after all she was twenty four and she had not been asked out by anyone. So his next words blew her away the way he talked about her was like nothing else she had ever heard. The eyes that she called plain were transfixing and he liked holding her. It was all so new she didn't know what to say "Th.. Thank you." She murmured quietly as she smiled just so he would know that everything was alright. She noticed that he had stopped and almost regretted asking where they were as if her words were the reason they had arrived. Once he had gently set her down Syd gasped in pain she had forgotten about her ankle! She couldn't stand up for any longer and probably would've fallen flat on her had he not placed his hand on her waist. She involuntarily leaned into his touch as he handed her beloved purse to her. She quickly unzipped the side pocket and withdrew her glasses after she had placed them on her nose she turned itching to finally get a look at her rescuer. She kept her hand in his intertwining their fingers because she didn't want to fall down again at least that's what she told herself. It wasn't at all because Syd thought that he was the hottest human being ever to live on the face of the earth. Okay so maybe she was exaggerating slightly. The first thing Syd noticed about him was his height he had to be at least five inches taller than her. The second thing she noticed about him was hazel eyes which looked down at her with an intensity that she had never seen a mans eyes. She slowly nodded "Yeah we probably should but first I really need to sit down." She said taking a seat on the first step.

Syd moved over a bit so that Sage could take the seat next hers. She noticed that he was watching her closer she just hoped that he wouldn't guess about he ankle. When he started talking about something completely different she almost sighed in relief but she couldn't get the fact out of her head that he seemed distracted but quickly passed it off as a wrong feeling. She was about to respond when he grabbed her feet gently if course but she couldn't help but wince inwardly as he grabbed the sprained one. She let out a shaky breath one that she didn't she was holding until he removed her stupid heels from her feet. She instantly felt better after the pressure was relieved off of her slightly swollen ankle. It was obvious that he had somehow figured out that her ankle was probably sprained. Syd honestly didn't know what to say. Should she apologize or what? Before she could say anything he was grabbing her ankle again as each little touch sent fireworks rocketing up her spine. However When he touched her swollen ankle she had to fight from crying out in pain. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my ankle." She whispered "I'm so used to looking after myself." She said looking down on the ground.

Keiran raced out into the garden, his eyes swimming with tears as he flew over the hedges and anything else in his path with a flying leap or a flip until he reached the gazebo, his twins words of anger and hate still echoing in his ears as he jumped up onto the top of the gazebo without a second thought to his safety. He pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them, sniffling.

"You don't get it, do you? He's just a guy, he'll fuck you if that and then leave you! Why can't you understand that IM the only one who will always stay?!"

Keiran shook his head, trying to rid himself of his twins angry voice. Shortly after leaving the entrance hall, Keiran had been looking around for Zander to see if he'd be interested in getting something to eat, and when Kyrer figured out what he was doing, he'd gotten angry.

"Fine! If you think he's that important, go! Go be the little whore that you are!"

Keiran flinched at the words circling his mind, the hurt throbbing anew as he remembered vividly seeing the anger on his brothers face, could feel how he had shoved him away. As he turned to race away in tears, he hadn't seen how Kyrer had realized what he'd said and tried to stop him, he could only recall how much his brother had hurt him. They'd never been apart before, hadn't been since the day they were born. Why was it that now such a rift between them was formed? He didn't understand, couldn't comprehend it beyond the hurt of his brothers words and being away from him.

Of course, a gazebo is not a sturdy thing with which to rest your weight upon, especially the roof. Since they are more to keep the sun or rain off of a particular area, they are not essentially extremely sturdy. Keiran didn't feel the shifting of the roof shingles until it was too late and he was falling off with a sharp cry, sticking his hands out foolishly to catch himself instead of tucking and rolling and hitting the ground like he normally would. He hit the lip of the gazebo that juts out and tumbled, instead of falling normally, he fell slightly sideways, hit a tree on the way down and felt a sharp pain in his ribs and as he reached out to grab a branch to try and stop himself, sharp pain flooded his hands too as they were shredded by the bark as he fell past it until he hit the ground hard, forcing the breath from his lungs and his head swimming from the impact on the ground.

So he wasn't gay, thank God. No, he was probably Bisexual. Zander had gone along and switched places with a guard for the rest of the meetings, and only did he realize he wasn't gay, he realized that he liked Audra a lot. She was just so beautiful. But he had to keep looking away, to make things look professional. Their relationship was to remain a secret and secret only. Zander left once the Prince began his second meetings and ventured outside for another breath of air. Now he was just walking, relaxing a bit in the sunshine. He kind of just wanted to lay down and pass out for a few hours--he could use a nap. He thought the day would be boring and filled with a bunch of prissy girls, but instead he met a beautiful girl, kissed some boys, and got stabbed by a Northern Rebel who threatened to end his life. What a day, eh? But hey, add more of those twins Zander was actually debating avoiding. Zander was walking in the direction of the gazebo when he heard a sound before he saw it. Sounded like something just fell, and sure enough, something did. Or rather, someone. It was Keiran actually. And hell, maybe if it hadn't looked so bad Zander would have walked his booty over there but it did look bad, so he jogged over, bending down over him. "Hey man, are you alright? Looked like a nasty fall?" He asked him, peering down at what looked like an emotionally and physically hurt Keiran.

Keiran gasped for breath, each inhale causing pain to flare along his ribs, hinting at where they were either cracked or soon to be darkly bruised. There were still tears in his eyes when Zander suddenly popped up above him, asking if he was okay...or at least, he assumed it was Zander from the voice, his vision was still swimming and it was hard to make him out by appearance. "I-I.....f-fell off the Gazebo...." he whispered out softly, "A-and....hit a tree..." he slowly lifted his hands to stare at them, watching the blood trickle down from where they'd been shredded by the bark as he tried to grab a branch to stop himself. "I-I think....." he paused for a moment, as though expecting someone to finish for him, and a pained and hurt look filled his eyes once more as he realized that there was no one who could finish his thoughts. "I-I might have.....h-hurt my ribs....maybe more....m-my vision is swimming." he admitted, having to speak in short bursts to try and keep his ribs from hurting more. He was almost tempted to ask why Zander was here, but he didn't care. He was just happy to not be alone.

Zander's eyes seemed to fill with more and more concern as Keiran kept talking, explaining how he had ended up on the ground. His hands were bleeding, from trying to grab onto a tree apparently, because he fell off the Gazebo and hit a tree. His words came out in short bursts, his breaths were shaky, and he couldn't see straight. Zander reached down and put his hands behind his head and on his back, helping Keiran to get to a sitting position. "I think we should take you to the infirmary... You're really not okay." Zander wasn't a doctor or anything near a doctor, but he was definitely sure Keiran was not okay. He couldn't help but feel bad for the poor guy, falling like that. Actually, the more he thought of it the more he wondered why he had fallen. Why had Keiran been here anyway? And more importantly, why had he been alone? "What were you even doing up there, Keiran?"

Everything around Keiran seemed to start to sway and move around as Zander sat him up, and he closed his eyes to try and avoid seeing it, taking in a sharp breath by mistake and feeling pain lance along his ribs. He had no choice but to rely on Zander's strength to remain upright and not flop onto the ground again. "N-not....not the infirmary..." he murmured softly between soft pants. "I-it always....c-causes such.....such a fuss..." he opened his eyes a touch to look up at Zander, enough that when he inquired as to what he was doing, the guard would be able to clearly see the hurt that flashed through his eyes before he closed them again. "K-Kyrer.....h-he......" tears trickled from beneath closed eyes as he whispered out the last words Kyrer had said before he ran off.

Zander was a mess when girls cried. They looked so pretty and the next second they were sniffling and their faces were wet--it was horrible. They don't deserve to cry, or to be sad, or anything bad!! But boys? Zander never really saw boys cry. His dad cried when his mom died, and he cried at the funeral. But that was really the only time Zander had seen males cry. And now, when Keiran thought of his brother. Zander figured they had had a fight or something, but who knows really. Hopefully they'd get back together. Zander looked around and not the tree not too far away, and dragged Keiran over so he could lean against it. "Hold on a minute, I'll go get a first aid kit so we can fix you right up." He told him, patting his head softly before he stood and ran off. Thankfully he was a guard, he could just borrow one from a safe room or something.

If it wasn't for the fact that he would smear blood all over his face, he would have already wiped the tears from his eyes. He wasn't one to cry normally, but his emotions always rocketed higher when it regarded his brother, his twin, the only family he had left. Especially over the words he had said. What he had called him. The anger in his eyes as he said it.

A soft noise of pain escaped him when Zander moved him to lean him against a tree, his head lolling limply as he waited for the world to stop spinning around. "O-okay...." he said softly in response to his words, unable to really protest. Even if he wanted him to stay to keep from being alone...

It was quick, taking maybe a minute or two before Zander was already seen running back in the distance. The warmth of the sun was pleasant compared to the sheer cold that had surrounded him in the nearest safe room, and boy had it been unpleasant. But thankfully he was back to where he needed to be, a warm area with cool shade. And of course, filled with fresh air and pretty flowers. Oh, and an injured guy.

Had this not been the reason Zander was running in the first place, he may. have just stopped and enjoyed the weather, but, there were more important things at the moment. A bit out of breath, Zander arrived to the gazebo, kneeling down by Keiran. He took his hands in his, examining them. "I'm sorry you fell.." Zander was digging in the first aid kit, looking for bandages.

Keiran was leaning against the tree where Zander had left him, somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness as his emotions bordered somewhere between despair and pain. He had never thought that such words, such hatred, would ever be directed at him, not from his own brother. He couldn't understand why he'd gotten so mad. They'd branched off to find friends in others before, and Kyrer had never gotten so upset. Was it because it was a guy? Kyrer knew his preference was towards males, was he worried that he would leave him? He wasn't sure, but saying such hurtful words made him doubt that was why, simply because it wouldn't make sense to be afraid of losing him, then force him away anyways with hurtful words.

These thoughts swam around sluggishly in his mind, the echoed words of his brothers anger reverberating within his skull that would push him to tears if he allowed it. He'd already shed some on top of the gazebo, but now it hurt to continue so he refrained from succumbing to the sadness eating away at his heart. Anything Kyrer did was always felt so much more intensely for Keiran. He was the more sensitive of the two, the gentler one, but his feelings were always sharper, more intense and harder to ignore.

It took several long moments for Keiran to stir and open his eyes when Zander approached and spoke, giving him reason to acknowledge his presence and know he was there. He blinked up at Zander, a sad and lonely look clear in his eyes as he watched him dig around for bandages in the kit he brought, his vision was still swimming a little, making it hard to focus on the guard. At his words about the fall, Keiran tried to shift and a soft whimper of pain escaped him instead. "'M sorry I fell too...." he slurred out softly, placing his hands carefully in his lap so Zander could bandage them, frowning at the bits of brown he saw in his hands, bark most likely....but he couldn't really be sure. It wouldn't hold still. "I shouldn've been on top anyways....not made to support people up there..." he continued, sounding almost drunk as he slurred his words, no doubt the result of falling and smacking his head on the ground. It was entirely possible that he had a concussion from the fall.

Zander knew Keiran was hurt, and truthfully wasn't very sure what to do about that. Well, he did, but he wanted to know why. He just wasn't sure whether he should ask or not. His dad always told him if someone was hurt about something, the best thing you could do was just help them. Fix them up and help them go along with their merry lives, and if they choose to help you they will. But Zander wasn't sure if Keiran would ever tell him anything. After all just earlier he and his brother had technically sexually harassed him, or something crazy like that, and now he was stuck questioning his sexuality. He kissed a selected and broke the law, got taken hostage by rebels and stabbed in the side, then he got kissed by two very confusing boys and now he was bandaging one of them up. What the hell was with this day? Couldn't everything have been a little spaced out?

Zander laughed a bit at what Keiran. He was digging through the kit, looking for tweezers to pull the bark out of his hands. "It's really not.. It's made for people to be under. You know, so they can kiss and do cute romantic shit, like in the--Oh! Here we go! Now we can really fix you! Alright, this might hurt a bit, but just look at me and it'll all be fine... So, tell me a bit about yourself? I don't believe you can just kiss someone and go along with your life like that." It was true, yet while Zander knew he had done that a few times before, this was different. This was him, and another guy. Not just some hot girl from the party his friend threw.So, while he waited for Keiran's reply Zander busied himself with his hands, carefully removing the bark from his hands.

Under normal circumstances, Keiran might have remained silent while Zander patched him up, not disclosing anything from his past. But then again, under normal circumstances, his twin would have been there to keep him from climbing and subsequently falling off the gazebo, or would be the one patching him up, not Zander. Not that he minded. He liked Zander, in his own way. Granted, he was worried that after that kiss, Zander might not want anymore to do with him, but the fact that he wanted to learn about him made him hope otherwise.

His head was throbbing from its impact on the ground as he stared at Zander, a small smirk on his face after hearing Zander laugh. "Well....yeah, I guess you're right..." he said after a moment. "Never saw a movie with people on the roof of a gazebo, after all." he glanced down at his hands when he felt the cool touch of the steel tweezers, watching him pick bark from his hand before looking up again. Tell him about himself? Well, there was no real harm in that, after all. "Well.....my full name is Keiran Galloway...." he said, hesitating as he said his last name, there had only been two others who shared that rather famous last name. "Despite being an entertainer, me and my brother are caste Two's......our parents are Elizabeth and Lawrence Galloway, the ah......" his voice faded into silence for a moment as he choked up. "The actors who disappeared and weren't seen again..." he finished softly, his gaze moving to the ground. He'd long hoped that they would return, but so many years had passed since they left that the hope was fading.

Trying not to sink further into sadness, he looked up at Zander again. "Normally, I don't indulge in the same.....sexual behaviors of my twin." he said, by way of apology for the earlier kiss, "I don't entirely understand why I chose to do so today, and no doubt our actions have confused you as well." he sighed, resting his head resting against the tree behind his back as he stared upwards at the canopy of leaves above him. "I normally stick with just being with my twin but....I guess lately I've started to realize that....I want something a little more than just him, if that makes sense. I want friends....maybe even someone to love...." he sighed again. "Um.....what else would you like to know? I'm not used to talking to someone who doesn't already know everything about me." he admitted a bit sheepishly. His breathing was shallow, his words coming in careful bursts so that he wouldn't cause pain to lance through him at his tender ribs. It was likely that at the worst, they were cracked rather than broken, at best they were badly bruised, but one wouldn't know without either an xray or perhaps just physical examination.

Piece after piece Zander pulled the pieces of bark out of Keiran's hands, saving him from splinters that would not leave for quite some time had Zander not pulled the bark out. He listened intently to the one twin telling the story of two, his face unchanging in its concentrated state as he continued on with the "surgery" as he would forever call it. Keiran's life seemed interesting. Parent's who went missing. Having a job commonly for fives but being a two. And then the whole twin situation. Apparently they were always close. And apparently he wasn't usually the one kissing others. He was rather confused, but surely not as confused as Zander. But still, he was a bit confused.

He couldn't really blame the guy. You can only be attached to someone for so long before you want something more, especially family. Siblings would always be connected, so even of you do separate it's the kind of connection that after a whole year of not talking you can just show up and ask for a cup of sugar. Zander was at the moment struggling with a rather small piece of wood that only seemed to enter Keiran's skin further the more he went in for it. "So you've never had friends? Hm, that's kind of sad really. Allow me to take the honor then! And this isn't usually something I do to my friends, but there's some wood stuck in your hand.. It'll only be a second of weirdness." And with that, Zander raised Keiran's hand to his lips before he proceeded to suck on the skin, trying to suck the piece of wood from his hand. Because there was obviously no other way to get that out, obviously.

Keiran watched Zander pick the bits of wood from his hand, wincing every now and then at the feel of the metal poking at his rent flesh. He didn’t complain though, since it was either get the bark picked out now or agonize over annoying splinters later, and him and his twin had a performance that he could not afford to miss, so in the end he’d likely perform anyways despite the pain. He wasn’t sure what would happen if he told his brother that he’d been hurt while they were apart. Who knew how he would react, when his reaction to just wanting a friend had caused such a rift between them? It was crazy to think how close they had always been, only for something simple like wanting to branch out and befriend someone to tear them apart, cause insults to be hurled that had wounded Keiran as deeply as some of the splinters embedded in his skin. He could tell Zander was listening, even if his face did not have animated expressions in response to his words. He looked like the type who was good at focusing and listening.

He sighed softly when he said that he’d never had friends. “For the longest time, we didn’t think we needed friends, or anyone outside of ourselves. I’m starting to realize now that I need more than just my brother…” he admitted softly. He smiled a little when he said that he would be his friend, even though his feelings regarding Zander were rather confusing, he was happy to at least be friends with him. He blushed when Zander raised his hand to his lips, biting his lip a bit and looking away shyly, his heart fluttering over the feel of his lips touching his skin. What strange feelings this man stirred in him…

--

Meanwhile, Kyrer had finally calmed down a little, truly starting to regret and feel guilty over his words and wanting to set things right. He had picked some sunflowers, one of Keiran’s favorite flowers, and planned on giving them to him along with apologizing. Knowing he’d go to the royal gardens to hide until he no longer felt as hurt. Except unless Kyrer apologized, Keiran would likely agonize over his words for a long time. He was a bit too sensitive, moreso than Kyrer was that was for sure. Winding his way through the garden, he found his way to Keiran at last, spotting his mop of blonde hair rather easily leaning against a tree. Kyrer moved to slip up on him, wanting to surprise him and apologize, only to stop short when he saw Zander with him. From the angle he was at now, all he saw was Zander leaning over Keiran and doing something to him while he blushed and looked away, biting his lip. His mind at once jumped to Zander doing something sexual to his twin and he dropped the sunflowers, anger contorting his face as he raced forward, yanking Zander away from him with a growl of, “What the hell do you think you’re doing to my brother?! Get away!”

“K-Kyrer! What are you doing?! He was just helping me!” Keiran cried out, struggling to get up.

“Pah! Help you indeed.” He growled with jealousy clear in his voice. “I told you already that I don’t want you around this guy.”

“You can’t order me to see or not see other people!” Keiran said, managing to get up and hugging his ribs gently. “I happen to like Zander, and we’re friends, so you need to quit acting so crazy and just deal! I can be friends with whoever I want.”

Kyrer’s eyes darkened and he turned on Keiran and shoved him, hard, making him yelp in pain when he pushed on his bruised ribs. “Don’t talk to me like that!” he snarled.

Tears filled Keiran’s eyes as he hugged his aching ribs. “What is wrong with you? You’re not the same brother I grew up with…” he whispered sadly, eyes filled with pain.

“I could say the same thing! How dare you act like this to me! After all we’ve been through, after all I’ve done to keep you safe!” he punctuated each word with a sharp shove that made Keiran wince or cry out softly in pain as he pushed his ribs again and again, seeming past reason since he was hurting his twin he supposedly cared so much about without pause.

"Q-quit it! Y-you're hurting me!" Keiran cried out.

There he was. Alexander Tenney, a boy who had grown up with a good life. Anything he wanted had been given to him, and he wasn't exactly sure what it felt like to struggle or work for something. And maybe that's why he wasn't sure what to be growing up, because everything needed to have been started for already. So, Zander became a guard. A person to protect the royal family and such from, well, anything that could harm them. Zander was very good at his job, and he often dreamt about being an old guy and still bragging about his days in the position. But this, this whole thing with gay boys and twins fighting, this was unexpected. Something Zander hadn't seen coming.

The two boys began fighting about Zander, Kyrer telling Keiran that he didn't want him to hang out with Zander and such. Zander was a bit offended, and was going to actually say something like, "Hey, I'm right here you know!!" But then, things got serious. Kyrer began pushing his brother, and not just some little push, but it was but it was hard, and also on Keiran's ribs. As much as Zander didn't want to intrude, he couldn't let Kyrer hurt his brother more.

"Hey! Hey stop that, you're hurting him!" Zander yelled, going over and pushing Kyrer away from Keiran. "There's other ways to get your anger out than hurting the people you love." He explained, looking a lot more serious than usual. Zander could usually handle situations, not much shaking him (other than being kissed by males) but people getting hurt for no reason? No way is that Alexander Tenney signed up for.

Kyrer was seeing red as he stood there, taking out his frustration in part by shoving his brother as hard as he could manage. He was frustrated that Keiran kept trying to choose Zander over him, his twin, the one who loves him more than anyone else, the one who helped raise him and was there for him when he was lonely and scared, and missing their parents. How dare he try to leave him?! When Zander got in the way, Kyrer only got more angry. How dare this man get in the way of him and his brother?

Keiran leaned on Zander when he came between him and his twin, grateful to the guard for protecting him, though he was sad that he was having to be protected from his own twin. He had never seen Kyrer act like this, his twin had never been violent before, especially not with him. He was usually so laid back and flirty. He didn't understand why he was so upset, why he'd gone so far as to hurt him. It scared him, that Kyrer would get so upset he would hurt his own twin. They were all they had had over the years growing up alone, but that didn't mean they couldn't now branch out and make friends. Its not like he'd ever forget about his twin, he loved him far too much for that.

Kyrer growled and lunged for Kyrer around Zander, making Keiran squeak in fear and hide behind the guard. He was terrified by the behavior his brother was having. He didn't even understand where it was coming from. He didn't know what to do.

Syd was speechless for once in her life she had never really known that someone could actually want to take care of her. Had never even considered the idea after her father died the last person who she thought could ever even tolerate her much less love her but here Sage was and not only had he carried her several yards he was offering to be there whenever she was hurt. She felt her voice catch in her throat as she tried to say something but was completely taken aback by his sudden closeness. She just nodded slowly almost as if she wasn't sure she had given the right answer. As soon as he moved she could breathe and actually talk again though her knee felt like it was on fire in a good way though. "Well I must say I pride myself on knowing the best places to eat so yes dinner would be wonderful." She said before realizing that she had work to do but she couldn't take it back now could she? So she would go to dinner then stay up past midnight to get her work done sounded like a good plan at least to her anyways."Yeah it would seem that'd be best option considering I can't do anything other than limp right now anyways." She said

(view spoiler)[



(hide spoiler)]

The day was a warm one, the bright Spring sunshine heating the air and making nature come alive with activity. As her heels clicked upon contact with the smooth stone pathway, Katherine saw more than one butterfly, a purple one here, an orange one there, chasing one another in a friendly game of catch. Everything was just so vibrant as she scanned the gardens with her pale green eyes, and yet, at the same time, everything was so harmonious and peaceful. Just how she liked it. Everything in her life was relatively smooth flowing as well, or it was, at least, before Bae showed up...

But this wasn't about him, it was about the ritual afternoon tea with her mother. Today was the day she spent the afternoon chatting and enjoying light dining with the queen, though she wished she did not have to set up different days for her and her grandmother. Why could they not just get along? It would make things within the family run so much more nicely. Shaking her head and stopping for a moment, crouching in a ladylike fashion to pluck a red rose from a nearby push, Katherine gave it a gentle smell before proceeding down the pathway to the pavilion she had asked the maids to set up their tea in.

(view spoiler)[



(hide spoiler)]

Rosabella was humming to herself...again. The queen of Illea just had an awful lot of things to be happy about. Her eldest son was having his selection, he was happy as a bee with all the girls around him. And seeing him like that reminded her of her days in the selection, back when she and Aric were just kids that fell in love in a ballroom. Her daughter was waiting for her to attend tea with her out in the gazebo, and she really did know how to pick a spot. The day was gorgeous, with warm sunshine radiating off of every surface; the leaves, the water in the fountain...even the glossy brown of Rosabellas long, wavy hair was shining in its light. Everything just seemed to be falling into place, how could she be unhappy with that?

She walked down the pretty stone path in a pair of beige high heels that easily added five inches to her height. They were regular for her, sort of part of her uniform. Other than the heels, though, she was wearing a very pretty yellow sundress that showed just enough skin, to not be prude like her mother in law, or try to be too young. Rosa didn't want to impersonate her daughter, but they did have very similar styles of dress, especially during the day, when Rosa wasn't trying to be too stuffy. The Queen came upon the gazebo to find her daughter already inside, looking beautiful and happy "Katy!" She chirped happily, going up to hug her young daughter tightly before sitting down. She had always been very close to Katherine, since they were a lot alike. "How are things going? Are you enjoying Ollies selection?" She asked, sitting in a white metal chair, complete with a pink vision that brought out the colors of the flowers around them "I haven't seen you very much since they all arrived, been so busy with them all." She mused, her voice happy. The girls all reminded her of herself a bit, it was all very nostalgic.

(view spoiler)[
not Ivory just rosa btw
(hide spoiler)]

Allowing her mother to envelop her with warm arms and squeeze her tightly in an affectionate hug, Katherine wasted no time in returning it, rubbing her mother's back for a few moments before pulling away and sitting down on one of the cozy cushioned chairs that the gazebo had to offer them. "Hello, mummy," she said with a soft laugh, a radiant smile on her face as she watched Rosabella get comfortable on her own seat. As usual, the pair had a similar style in dress and fashion, both outfits in question having a floral, summery feel to them. The skirts both flowed and they both had high heels and bare shoulders. Katherine took after her mother in more than just clothing however, her own hair brown, just not as dark and much straight and longer, but really it was all in their personalities. Both were kind, and warm, and while Katherine didn't have the ability to face commoners like her mother did, she one day hoped to get over her anxiety and follow in her mother's footsteps. Taking the lid off of the tea pot before her on the table between them, Katherine flicked through the selection of different types of tea and asked in a happy tone, "Is there any particular flavor you would like, or would you prefer a surprise?"

Giving her mother a quick glance before she chose her own tea and put the bag in the cup, Katherine proceeded to put the lid back on the pot and pour the hot water inside of it into her drinking vessel. It gave her time to ponder over how to answer the questions that had been presented to her. Admittedly, Katy had not taken any part in the greetings and conversations with the girls thus far. She knew she was supposed to be at the meetings earlier that day, but to be honest, the idea caused her to feel all panicky inside of her chest. That and, as she had stated earlier to her brother, there was no point in playing nice with the girls until she had more of an idea who may be staying and who would be going. "Honestly, mother? I'm not finding it very enjoyable in the slightest. There are so many new people here, and I don't know any of them. In fact, I would rather not know any of them until Oliver gets to the Elite stage."

Sighing softly and placing the tea pot back down from where it came from, Katherine took a spoon and scooped up a little bit of honey, an addition to the tea tray by personal request, and then started to mix it into her drink. Waiting for it to dissolve with her circular motions of the spoon, Katherine smiled at her mother once more and said, "Though, that doesn't mean I am not interested in hearing how it is going. Tell me, are there any girls that Oliver has his eye on? Oh, I know! Has anyone made any serious blunders yet? Any worse than your little gravy incident on the first night of your Selection, by any chance?" She enjoyed talking with her mother, being able to tease her freely and chat more like they were friends. She could see why her and Seraphina didn't get on, but still, she wished they would.

Rosabella looked at the tray her daughter had surely requested was brought. There was a pretty little teapot that held just enough for two, a pair of cups and saucers, a small container of honey, sugar, and cream. One of the servants had even added a plate of tiny little pastries, the bite-sized ones that everyone knew Rosa found to be just adorable. "Something fruity, please dear." She said, watching her daughter fondly. In her eyes, Katherine was such a put-together young woman, how could she ask for a better daughter? The thought of her having a selection made Rosa's chest tighten, she would surely end up slapping a boy for looking at Katy the wrong way, she simply couldn't help but be overprotective. "I understand, it's not your duty to be there yet, it's alright. I didn't meet your aunt until I was in the elite, it's not something you're expected to do yet. You'll have to be there for the reports...but I could help you get out of that if your anxieties act up, you have other things to worry about." She promised. Rosa was very understanding of her daughter, and would rather not force her to do anything that makes her uncomfortable.

Rosa's eyes began to sparkle when Katherine asked for gossip, or whatever inside knowledge she had shot the selection. "Well, as far as girls Oliver seems to like, there's a good amount that he's already taken to. A girl from...well I can't remember right now, but her name is Kris, I think? She's adorable and seems nice, but likes to challenge people. You can tell she's the sort that likes shocking others. Oliver said she was an activist in her province for...animals, yes it was animals, and she seems a bit wild, but I don't see any problems with her yet, except that she might be too strong, and would overshadow our Ollie. Then there's one named Azalea that he spent some time riding with, a girl named Arav was there, too, but I don't know much about them. They're all beautiful girls, of course, but a lot of them are very sensitive. His first date is lovely, I really do favor this one, her name is Adeline, and she's very classy, you two would get along well, she reminds me of you, Katy. She's soft spoken but you can tell she has an opinion on things, and she's smart. I think they're going boating or something, I don't know but Oliver was wearing his swimming trunks when he went to pick her up." Rosa gushed excitedly. This was her baby, and he was currently searching for the love of his life. She stirred a spoonful of sugar into her tea, pursing her lips to think about the other events so far. "Oh, well one of the girls was disqualified before they even left the airport, she threw a shoe at another selected. The province is sending another girl, she should be here today. And one girl has already started hitting on a guard, I found her holding his hands in the infirmary. What sort of rat does that, when she's here for Oliver?" The Queen shook her head a bit, taking a sip of her tea. "A lot of them cry, I'm not sure why, but Oliver has consoled a lot of crying girls so far. One of them, a blonde girl, don't quite know her name, but she spilt wine on her dress the first night and started crying, Ollie fixed her up but really Katy, these girls all just cry too much." She said, almost laughing at herself "None of them have spilled gravy though, and so far, no ones gotten drunk and thrown themselves at Ollie, so I guess they're not taking any pages from my playbook." Rosa laughed lightly, winking at her daughter.

Kikki. I bit my tongue behind my cheek to keep from arguing against stupidity wrote: "Kyrer was seeing red as he stood there, taking out his frustration in part by shoving his brother as hard as he could manage. He was frustrated that Keiran kept trying to choose Zander over him, hi..."

Zander, was, well, debating a lot of things at the moment. Should he really stick around and help? It really seemed like these two needed some time alone to discuss what the issue was. But on the other hand, one twin seemed very intent on hurting his brother, which was definitely not safe. So what should he do? Should he stay? Should he go? Protect someone he just met and go against someone he also just met? Insert himself into an argument he didn't even understand?

Zander always had good reaction times. It was just something he was born with. He can recall using it when he was younger and people would throw things and yell 'Think fast!', and he would flawlessly catch it, and he can recall it now when he's doing guard-stuff and has to do things within a few seconds. So when Kyrer lunged at him to get around and grab his twin, Zander was quick enough to stop him. Well, sort of. He stepped forward, making the distance between the two brothers greater and attempted at catching Kyrer instead.

And did it work? Well... sort of?

Still chatting with Cameron as they walked, Oliver could see the gazebo as they approached. It was a big gazebo, one that could fit several small tables. One of the tables in the back was set up beautifully, a formal setting with a red table cloth. A telescope had been set up behind the table, looking out of the gazebo up at the stars. Oliver had this all set up hours ago, but now they were finally here. It was just turning dusk, the sun setting to make the sky a shade of orange. Oliver was listening to Cam as they approached the gazebo, and that was when he noticed his mother and sister.

"Mommy!" He grinned childishly. Leaving Cam's side momentarily, he jogged up the steps onto the gazebo, setting their picnic basket and Cam's flowers by their table before making his way over to his mother and sister. He hugged his mother first, kissing her on the cheek. When he felt she had been hugged tightly enough, he moved to hug Katherine, kissing the top of her head. "What a surprise. I didn't think you two would be joining my date." He joked.

It was then that he realized he'd kind of left Cam behind. Moving back towards her, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders to present her to his mom and sister. "Mom, Kat, this is Cam. She's the selected from Labrador."

Cameron smiled looking down at the daffodils Oliver had so diligently fetched from her room. What a goofball she thought to herself, shaking her head. She thanked him and telling him to be more careful. "Wouldn't want to ruin the money maker now would we?" Realizing how that had sounded the girl quickly corrected herself, "Y-you're face I mean." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and twiddling with the ear clasp she had made when she was a tad younger, it was a habit of hers. However she quickly dropped her hand to clasp the bouquet with both hands, bringing it up to face. She sniffed the yellow flowers cautiously. Truth be told she didn't know if she was allergic or not, she didn't think so. She waited a few seconds. Then buried her nose farther, she probably looked sill but she couldn't get enough of the smell. "Nope, not allergic!" She declared a wide grin on her face. She winked at him. "It would have been a funny story to tell though, if I had been." She admitted casually.

To say Cam was surprised when the prince had handed her the sword was an understatement. She took the sword one handed. It was heavy but it fit so perfectly in her hand, as if it had been custom made for her. If her father could see her now, he'd probably be feeling one of two things; 1. pride that his little girl was holding a royal sword with much history behind it or 2. he'd be scared that she'd accidentally stab the prince. As those thoughts crossed her mind she stared fondly at the blade, the light reflecting off of it and into her eyes. Maybe he could teach me how to use these properly? She wondered almost too hopefully. She cringed at how childish that had sounded. Her father had only taught her with toy swords he had made himself, but that wasn't like the real thing. She handed back the sword to Oliver who put it back in it's rightful place still talking about the history of the weapons. The red head smiled, and nodded once in a while, she knew some things from what her father had told her. But she didn't interrupt, finding it rather nice and interesting that Oliver knew so much. As he said earlier, his father taught. He taught him very well.

"No, no! It's fine, I enjoyed myself. I like learning things!" She reassured him, even if she did know some of what he had told her. Then her eyes went wide. "Shut. Up! No way!" She said imagining the curved blades. She could imagine the battle in her mind, it was gruesome but fascinating as well. She could imagine the battle field; dead bodies scattered everywhere across the ground, some still fighting for their last breath. It sent shivers down her back. So many people had died that day. People are still dying. "That would be awesome, Bubblegum!" She said barely able to contain her excitement. Her eyes lit up. She wanted to hug him and she nearly did moving closer to him before stopping and pulling away. "I'd fancy that." She cleared her throat and smoothing out her dress.

They walked down several hallways reaching some doors that lead to the garden. As soon as they entered Cam's breath was taken away. "Whoa." Was all she could say as she looked around their surroundings with awe written all over her face. It was so neat and tidy, but still look stunning. She listened to Oliver listing off his favourite animals. She smiled fondly, she wished she could have a pet, but she knew Helen, her step-mother- whom she loved dearly - would never allow it, they had enough to worry about, plus who would stay to look after the creature? Cam had work, so did her brother, and Helen was always out running errands. As he mentioned wolves she remembered a wolf being in the Drawing room earlier. She hadn't gotten a close look at it, she had been too preoccupied with the food the Queen had so kindly brought up.

"My favourite animal?" She asked and shrugged. "I don't really have one, I haven't been surrounded by any other species apart from fellow humans and bugs." She laughed. "There's an occasional stray cat or dog that my brother feeds on his way from work.." she said and seemed to be in deep thought. "I really don't know." She said seemingly saddened by the notion. "But I do like my toy fox my mother gave me?" She offered. Of course she wasn't talking about her biological mother who had left them when Cameron was only a baby for another man. Just the thought of that woman made Cam's stomach churn. "What's you-" just as she was about to ask another question when Oliver had called out. She stared at him as he ran towards his mother and sister. It was adorable and she couldn't help but shake her head staring at the Royal reunion fondly. She took this time to gaze around noticing the gazebo for the first time.

Then, the prince returned throwing his arm over her shoulder introducing her to her mum and sister. "It's nice to meet you both!" She said holding out her hand for them to shake, she had no idea what she was supposed to do, curtsey? Bow?! Was she too casual? However she kept a bright smile on her face trying to ignore the pain in her feet, even if it was just a small heel, a heel was a heel. A death machine in any shape or form.

((Oh oh you two need me?? What??))

((XD Yes. Remember. Rosabella and Katherine. Oliver is running into them with his date.))

There rosabella was, sitting with her daughter, gossiping about Oliver's girls, when her son himself shouted a greeting and ran up to her, a selected following closely behind him. Rosa hugged her son and kissed his cheek fondly, leaning a small smudge of light plum lipstick in her wake, and stood to shake the hand of the selected girl. She seemed a bit nervous, but Oliver had an arm over her shoulder. "It's lovely to meet you, Cam. Cameron, I believe." She said, her smile warm as she sat back down and smoothed her skirt just a tad. Nervous habit. Not that Rosa was nervous, but she was, sort of, seeing Oliver with one of the girls. He seemed happy, but what if this girl only want Ed to use him? She shook the thought from her head, trying not to be cynical, and then directed her gaze to the flowers Ollie had just set down. "Oooo, flowers? Are you two on a date?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows and grinning as if it were hard to believe. Looking at Cameron, Rosa laughed a bit "You're a very lucky girl, to be on one of the first dates." She told her, a glimmer in her eyes. "Would you two like to join us? Katherine and I were just discussing the selection, and the ball coming up, of course." Rosa lied. But she couldn't very well tell Oliver they'd been gossiping, at least m, not in front of one of the selected.

(....Sav?))