Vengance of the Keys

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ Chapter 5: Scarvern ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Scarvern tightened the bow of the princess, he had acquitted this new job since landing in Feswan after the key incident. He had specifically ended up in the Veramanel Mountains, which happened to have no cities or any living life there but a few fish and some trees. He had hiked down to the city of Rtena, and was fished out by the prince of Feswan.

The princess of Feswan was before him, watching his hands as he tied the bow's shaft tighter with each pull of the white ropes. "Scarvern! You're gonna break the thing if you pull any harder than that!" She complained. "Father said I cannot break anymore, or I will have to learn to stay on the sidelines and watch Achelyus hunt!" Achelyus was prince Chiara's older brother, and the prince.

"Yeah I know," Scarvern put on a fake smile as he looked up at Chiara. "I'll try my best not to break it," The truth was, he wanted to get out and find Reylyn. He hadn't been able to contact her for three months, all he was hoping for was that she was safe.

Chiara's soft laugh echoed through her room. "I hope Father lets you stay here forever, you would make a great king one day!"

He nodded his head in fake thankfulness. "Such nice words, princess Chiara," he purposely tugged the ropes enough for the bow to snap. As usual, it didn't cause any damage but a slight line in the wood, many littered across the bow. It reminded him of Cazzlyn's bow.

"I think you deserve a break," the princess stood from her bed and walked over to his kneeling form. She tapped him on the shoulder a few times, as if he was really focusing on tightening and fixing her bow.

"Yes, princess?" Scarvern was getting sick of referring to everyone as 'princess', 'your majesty' or 'sir'.

"You deserve a break!" the princess reached her hand out to pull him up, but he politely declined.

Scarvern walked towards the door and gave the princess her coat, it was a cold winter day out "We can't have the princess getting cold, can we?" He smiled at her.

She punched his arm lightly. "You're such a gentleman!" Despite her usually getting on his nerves, it was enjoyable to have some form of a friend in this castle. He slung the coat over her shoulders and as well as his arm. They stepped into the cold balcony of the room, where snow was falling. The first snowfall marked the official day of winter according to one Feswan legend.

The legend explained that the first snowfall of the season brought new beginnings and safety to the kingdom and the family. That's one of the reasons why the family loved winter so much.

Scarvern brushed snow off of his leather pants and his slicked back hair. The stylists had also changed his appearance drastically as well, and his tan from surfing so much with his sister was fading away. He wondered how she was processing his absence.

Chiara rubbed her hands together before bringing them to her mouth and blowing her warm breath into her palms. "My father predicted today was going to be the first snowfall of the season," She grinned at Scarvern's flushed cheeks from the cold. He wasn't used to this cold of weather, he did happen to grow up in the warmest country from the quad kingdoms. "I wonder what you look like in the summer. Maybe you love apple bobbing and whale watching,"

He turned back from the balcony as he felt her gaze on his back. "Isn't apple bobbing a fall thing?"

Her grin faltered into a slight frown. "You do apple bobbing in the fall? Aren't the apples too late in bloom?"

Scarvern walked behind her and shifted the coat to fit more across her shoulders. "Nope, not too late in the season. That's great for picking them actually. Oh, and you want to know something even more terrifying? We coat them in caramel before dipping them in hot water. We watch the caramel peel off of them." In reality, they didn't do that. He teased her because of her reactions.

Chiara's jaw was almost on the floor. "What type of psychopathic kingdom does that type of thing? Watered down caramels are disgusting,"

"Well, first off, my kingdom is not psychotic. Second, watered down warm caramels are great after a cool day. They're like hot chocolate but it's in the shape of a solid instead of a liquid. We sometimes sprinkle sea salt on them to add to the flavor," Now that was not a lie, sea salt warm caramels were a family, well kingdom, tradition around the late months of fall.

Chiara gasped happily. "Like our Charcoaled toffy!" Charcoaled toffy was a sweet treat of toasted toffy of some sort with varying types of peanuts. Chaira had told him they were eaten during celebrations like the coronation and birthdays of the royal family, and occasionally, the butlers and maids would get gifted some for their birthdays.

"Mhm. Like Charcoaled toffy, but with Vadelin's own salty twist to it," He focused his eyes on the snow covered buildings in the horizon. He wondered how his companions from the quest were doing. Reylyn was most likely enjoying life with her weapons and freedom without the darkness of Maleni. Maybe she was even in this side of the country. The balcony was now white, plastered by the falling snowflakes.

Her teeth clattered loudly behind him as the snowfall increased. Scarvern turned to her. "Let's go back inside, I can make you some hot chocolate if you'd like?"

Chaira nodded. "Yes, I would love that," He nodded and opened the door into her room. "

"Lady's first," She smiled and picked up her long dress and walked into her room. Scarvern followed behind quickly and found himself in the princess's dining room. He selected through the multiple kettles until he found the hot chocolate one, as well as the flavors. "What flavor would you like today?"

"I would love cinnamon hot chocolate today!"

"Of course," He placed the kettle into the sink and ran cold water before letting it boil on the stove. Scarvern began to think of his plan to escape.