Ephemeral Affairs [MXM]

An Old Plan

Alosrin wakes to a sweaty hand holding his and a heavy head lying on his bedside.

He pulls his hand away and alarmed the prince, "Where's Borscht?"

"He's dealing with my clone. Apparently someone had been stalking my clone, perhaps it's someone who remembers how I used to look like."

"Well, that's not good," Alosrin bites the tip of his nail and kisses Niowei before getting up.

Ajax narrows his brows, "What do you mean?"

"It got nothing to do with you."

And Alosrin proceeds to the door and Ajax quickly follows behind him.

The prince swiftly snatches Alosrin's wrist, "I'll tell you that I'm jealous so I ask that you stay with Yllathanise and I."

"Jealous? Nil—It's not what you think it is. I'm worried that it might be Juda's father. Juda is my ex-fiancé's ex-lover, but more importantly Juda is a friend and is like a big brother for Yllathanise."

Ajax smiles and sighs a loud relief, "And I'll prefer to be addressed as darling since anything else will confuse you."

"I call my daughter that." Alosrin wiggles his arm, "Please let go."

"Yangtai, Suzhen, Jiang, and Zhinu. Watch Princess Yllathanise," Ajax calls his attendants, but to Alosrin, he whispers softly, "Yes. Please, let's go."

"Let go or I'll break your arm," Alosrin gives an intimidating act.

The prince steals a kiss from the elf and drags them into his room easily.

When Alosrin comes to, Ajax places a finger on the parted lips, "Just tonight. May I have you all to myself?"

It takes Alosrin a while to answer, "No."

"But you hesitated. So if I ask you again, I know you won't refuse my request... May I have you all to myself—"

Borscht breaks into the room with everyone behind him, and somehow everyone settles around, pretending to not have interrupted anything.

"Why is everyone gathered?" Aguano seats himself between Borscht and Niltiocles.

"I want Master—"

"Please, call me Jassin."

Borscht lowers his lashes before looking up and starting over, "I would like Jassin to help us make a plan."

"And he's qualified because?" Niltiocles yawns while staring at the wall. "All I know is that this Jassin person has been stalking me."

"So the situation is," Borscht continues anyway, "The person Jassin has been keeping an eye on is the clone of Prince Niltiocles made by Mother."

Alosrin looks down at his hands and nods.

"It's not his fault. We made a pact," Ajax takes Alosrin's hands and interlocks them with his.

The elf glares at Ajax and pulls his hands back unsuccessfully.

Niltiocles rolls his eyes in annoyance even though he tried to remove his sense of self away from Alosrin.

"Crown Prince Ajax of Huca is the reincarnation of Crown Prince Niltiocles of Aarth," Borscht looks at Jassin to see if he seems surprised.

Jassin gives a dried laugh, "His Highness must either be incredibly lucky, or not, to be born into royalty twice in a row."

"It must be that I'm incredibly lucky to meet the person I love in both lifetimes," Ajax only smiles and glances at Alosrin.

"Then Borscht, you don't really need my help do you? Before us is a mythical scholar that is known far and wide as the best of the best."

"Over confidence was my downfall," Alosrin pulls his hands from Ajax and hides them behind his back. "I'll love to hear what you have in the making, Jassin. Especially when Borscht acquired you personally."

Jassin gives another dried laugh and crosses his legs, "If you can make it through the story I'm about to tell then I'll let you hear what I'm thinking."

"Just talk already," Aguano glares at Jassin.

Over fifty years ago, Asandria had two sons. And when the Crown Princess of Aarth was looking for a groom, she looked no further than the second son of the Hienzworth family.

Just before Crown Princess Nanya wed her husband, the first son of the Hienzworth died without an heir.

"Master Hienzworth, it is good that we are trying to forge a bridge to the Aarthian Royal Family, but we must not forget to maintain ourselves," the second son said to his father. "I shall refuse the marriage proposal and marry my brother's wife to continue the Hienzworth legacy."

And yet Princess Nanya refused to take no for an answer and married the second son anyway. Together they had twin sons, Niltiocles and Nir.

As time passed, it was obvious to anyone that Nanya favored Nir and her husband favored Niltiocles.

So she allowed Niltiocles to go travel and do whatever mission he set for himself because she wanted her husband to also focus on raising Nir.

"I know you want my son for your own selfish reasons," Nanya said to her husband one evening.

"I don't know what you're talking about. And if I did, how could I have carried out my agenda when Niltiocles is never home?"

They argued back and forth until it slipped out that Nanya's husband was actually married to their sister-in-law first. In her rage, she sent him back to Asandria.

"You sure know the details," Ajax closes his eyes and shakes his head painfully.

"So what is your plan?" Aguano rolls his eyes.

Jassin looks back and forth between Borscht and Niltiocles and smiles, "Well to start, we will need King Nillin to claim you as his long lost twin brother so that Niusin can't claim you later."

"Sorry?" The room echoes with confused sounds.

"You carry the Royal Lineage whether you're aware or not, and whether we want you to or not. So let's use this factor to our advantage."

Jassin smiles at Alosrin, "We will need you to ask your son to claim him as his long lost brother. King Nillin will not listen to anyone in this room other than you... And the giant beast there, but he's a giant beast, you know."

"If it's too much on you, Mother. I'll write the letter and Jotan can place his paw print on it. I think we will still be good," Borscht tries to ease the elf.

Ajax laughs by himself.

"What's so funny?" Aguano stands up.

"It's nothing really. He used to court the mother and now will become the mother's son," Ajax laughs even louder.

Niltiocles couldn't look at Alosrin and simply turn his body away in shame.