insurmountable | everybody's challenge turning into mine / and overcame adversity

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everybody's challenge turning into mine / and overcame adversity

[He knows he's going to get scolded by Prince Aether. He knows and he doesn't really care, that other knight really had it coming.

He'd had a little spat with one of the other knights in the keep, a little disagreement over dinner, at least that's what Childe would have called it. In reality, he'd started the fight, running his mouth and delighting at the visceral anger he'd caused the other knight. A few words were exchanged, a bone from a finished chicken wing was flung at the other, and that's all it took before he was showing off his martial prowess in front of the rest of the keep. The guy got one good blow in before he'd beaten him unconscious, having to be pulled off of him before he went too far. No alcohol needed for that mess of course, since he reveled in making scenes like that.

And he never regretted it, at least when it came to his reputation. Which, of course, wasn't great. He'd always had a chaotic side and people steered clear of him because of it. But those people really aren't the kind he'd hang out with anyhow. He had his own agenda, and if he's being honest, no one could keep up with him.

He's trying to get back to his own quarters now, a nasty cut right across his eyebrow where he'd gotten punched. He swears the other must of had a ring on or something, a knuckle shouldn't of made a cut that big. But it hurt, and he has to constantly wipe the blood away or else it would trickle down into his eye. He's a bit preoccupied with making sure he can see that he doesn't see Prince Aether round the corner and begin to walk towards him.

When he removes his hand from his face, there's blood all over it, and still some that bubbles up and pools in his eyebrow again.

That's when he spots the other. Drat, he's in for it now...]

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[The knight only laughs a little nervously, because where he's confident he may of hit the rabbit himself, there was no doubt, no hesitation on the part of the princess. It was far enough away, hidden enough too that he would have had a lot of trouble, considering how his bow skills aren't quite up to par with the rest of his weapon expertise, but she...wow.

His eyes are wide with shock. Now that the rabbit lie still, she nailed it exactly where she should of. It never would have had a chance to escape under her eye.

He glances over to Aether with that same expression, before turning back to the rest of the party. This is exciting.]

Yes, of course. I'm honored you have that much faith in my abilities, princess. I suppose we'll have to have a little competition now, shouldn't we? Now that the bar has been set so high. What do you all say? It'll surely make our afternoon worth it. We can go off in pairs, our two kings of course can pair together, myself and the prince, and then the princess and the squire.

[Because Elise needs a damn handicap. He hopes that everyone can see this clearly. It's not even just because he wants to be with Aether, this time.]

[Aether's eyelids lower slightly and he smiles.]

You've found yourself a worthy opponent, Childe. This definitely sounds interesting.

[He looks to his father, seeking approval and the king shrugs, then finally smiles.]

So be it. May the best hunter win.

[Elise seems a little overwhelmed that she's suddenly taking part in the competition, but she's quick to nod, looking eager to show her skills.]

I'll do my best!

[And so each pair goes their own way, hoping to prove their skill... Aether honestly doubts anything else may happen here. Childe seems really eager to win.]

[Finally, a moment of respite in this tense situation, it seems. Childe joins Aether by his side as they trot away on their horses, letting Elise keep his bow for the contest. They'd really only need one, as it would be difficult and dangerous to be shooting at multiple targets at the same time.

As soon as they are no longer within earshot of the others, Childe's shoulders finally sink downward in an exhaustive sigh.]

I really thought your father was about to have my head there. I really owe Elise one.

[It's as if the stress was radiating from Childe, coming so close.]

And now, I must think of a way to defeat her in this contest...who would have thought she was such a good shot.

[Aether can see how stressful it was for Childe. He's not surprised at all. His poor knight could lose his life if things went wrong. The prince reaches out to pat the other's shoulder. That's the most he can do as long as they're on their horses.]

We both owe her... But also I spoke with my father. I have sworn with my life that Elise's happiness will be most important to us.

[His smile is tiny, but there's no happiness in it.]

If something goes wrong and my father would want your head... then he'll have mine as well.

[What would be Aether's life without his knight, anyway? If Childe was to die, then Aether would follow him.]

As for how to defeat the princess... [He perks up.] How about we try hunting boars?

[The knight's eyes widen for a moment. He can't just say that and move onto the topic of hunting just like that. Childe shakes his head, backing this conversation up to that before he even dares think about hunting any boars.]

Wait just a moment. I won't have you losing your head in case I lose mine. You have to live on, and I won't accept that answer from you.

[He's beyond flattered that Aether would say such a thing with conviction, but he could never allow it to happen. Is it romantic? Yes, but Childe's selfishness stops at a certain point. That is definitely one of those points.]

Is that understood? Or else I'll be coming up with a plan to get us both out of the woods.

[Which, knowing Childe, will happen anyway.]

[Aether can't hide his surprise hearing Childe say those things. Then his eyes soften, fond and loving. As chaotic as the knight is, it was obvious he would never accept both of them losing their life. Yet, the prince can hardly see himself moving on without Childe by his side, living with the thought that this love was the other's demise.

He's not going to say any of that though.]

We're not going to die. My father is already suspecting something, but I think... he'll let it be as long as we make sure that Elise is having a happy life.

[He smiles softly, squeezing his knight's hand.]

And that's what we're going to do. She's going to be loved and cared for. That's what we all want anyway.

[Life may be more complicated than this. Who are they to guarantee that the princess won't have her heart broken at some point? Or that she'll grow tired and unhappy of hiding the truth from everyone?

But Aether wants to stay positive, he wants to believe that this crazy plan will work. But more than anything, he wants to finally be with the person he loves the most. He doesn't want to regret loving and being loved... and now, in this very moment he thinks he can follow Childe anywhere. Even to death.]

[He appreciate's the prince's optimism, and the knight squeezes his hand back. However, Childe still wears a worried expression...that wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, at least about his father.]

You know, the king already suspecting that there's something going on isn't exactly reassuring. Not that I've known him to be an unkind man, but...

[Maybe he shouldn't dwell on it for too long. Childe sighs, looking to the sky and saying a little prayer to himself that this all works out the way he's planned it. He'd much prefer that he can stay with Aether until they grow too old, but there's much work to be done to assure that.

But they'd see it through, he knows it.]

Though, I guess a good place to start to keep the king off our backs is to let Elise have her fun today, right? Let's hunt some boar before we fall too far behind.

[And before his anxiety about the whole situation decides to skyrocket again. He's got a contest to win.]

[Maybe Aether has some more optimism towards this, because it's his own father they're talking about. Surely, the king would recognize how committed his son is to making everyone happy.

Aether keeps on smiling softly. He wishes so badly to spend the rest of his life with Childe by his side, to grow old together with him. He can tell his knight is anxious and he wants to sooth his nerves. Maybe the challenge of hunt will be enough to take the other's mind away for the time being, and later they will figure something out, how to survive this, how to make things right.]

Let's go. I happen to know a place where boars can be spotted.

[He gives his knight another squeeze of the hand and an encouraging smile.]

Oho~? Lead on, Prince.

[Reluctantly letting go of the prince's hand, Childe grips the reins of his own horse to follow Aether wherever he leads him into the forest, refocusing his mind at the task at hand. This was a competition, and he'd like to win it, though he realizes that he might be out skilled. Surely he can find a way around it.

When they come upon some boar, Childe's eyes go wide and his horse slows, as to not scare them. He gestures for Aether to hand him the bow that's attached to his horse, wanting to take the first shot. When it's handed to him, he raises it, takes aim-

-and fires, hitting the top of the boar's back, not quite where he was aiming. It runs, blood trickling down its body, much to Childe's dismay.]

Let's chase after it, it can't outrun us. We can finish it off then.

[They have swords.]

[The right spot isn't too far and Aether can't help but grin seeing how Childe focuses on the new task. The boars suspect nothing as they approach and the prince hands the bow to his knight, observing him as he makes a shot.

...As expected, he still needs lots of practice with the bow and he misses the mark, making the boar bleed and flee in panic. The knight and the prince waste no time to chase after it. However, the animal ducks somewhere into thick bushes, trying to vanish from their sight. The traces of blood are the only thing that shows them the way.

Aether stops his horse and makes a small unhappy sound.]

I guess we have to take our swords and go on feet from here to catch it.

[Thankfully, the board won't be able to go too far, but the lush greenery effectively obscures the path ahead. Aether can't quite tell what awaits them on their way.]

...Let's be careful.

[Sighing, Childe dismounts from his horse to wander towards those bushes that the boar had run into, barely seeing the blood that trails across the greenery. The knight frowns, making a mental note to go back to basics later and practice his archery once again, cursing himself for not having mastered a bow quite yet.

He doesn't see the boar at all however, meaning it still had a lot of fight left in it despite still striking it with an arrow. He starts forward, determined now to track the boar down, and bring it back for dinner. It won't get away.]

Hm, I'm not too worried. No matter whether it's a natural obstacle or a beast that gets in our way, I'll take care of it. You see-

[He says, before Childe lurches forward and nearly falls down. His leg sinks into the ground, and before he knows it, his other legs stumbles forward to balance himself out, also sinking downward.]

Aether...

[He's knee deep in mud that's suctioned him down into it.]

Could I perhaps get a hand...

[Aether stays close behind his knight, making vain attempts at locating traces of the boar. The greenery makes it tricky though and the prince has to wonder if they're even going in the right direction. Suddenly, Childe trails off catching Aether's attention and the next thing he knows is seeing the knight's legs sinking into the mud.]

Childe! Hang on...

[He quickly grabs the other by one hand, then tries to reach for another to help him out. At the same time, the prince's gaze falls down, searching where the mud starts and ends. The greenery again does not make it easy on him, leaving Aether no choice but to stand still and hope he can pull his knight out.

They sure don't have much luck today...]

[He can feel the mud popping and sucking as he tries to lift one of his legs out, attempting to reach for Aether. Childe's arms are long, thankfully, and he grabs the prince's hand and pulls. But his footing isn't good, the terrain underneath already quite uneven as he attempts to lift himself out with Aether's help.]

Ngh...

[But he feels his foot slip.

Oh no.

Childe's eyes go wide in the middle of pulling on the prince, before he realizes what's happening.

His foot slides off of a tiny, slick slope underneath the mud, and he feels his whole body shift forward. A small gasp of surprise and horror escapes from him, and down he goes- face first into the mud.]

[As Aether is focusing all his strength to get Childe out, the moment the knight slips the prince finds himself getting pulled forward too. He doesn't even get to made any sounds, before landing right next to Childe, face in the mud as well.]

Agh...

[He pulls himself up, at least as much as the slippery surface allows him to, trying to get the mud out of his face.]

...Childe, are you okay?

[Ugh. He can almost taste the mud as it still sticks to his mouth. Aether's face scrunches in disgust.]

[The knight somehow manages to push himself up, hands frantically trying to find the solid ground under the mud so he can lift his head up to breathe properly. How ridiculous would they look when they returned, he wonders, embarrassed by this entire predicament so far.

His eyes stay closed as he spits mud out of his mouth, sighing in defeat. Everything had been going so well up to this point in the day.]

That all depends on your definition of "okay."

[Because he's physically fine, but mentally...it's starting to wear on him already in a way that he's never experienced before.]

Somehow I've managed to annoy even the gods, I suppose, [he complains as he wipes mud from his eyes,] though I'm not sure what I did to deserve such karma.

[He looks over to Aether now. knowing he'd fallen as well. Childe laughs even still- the prince is covered.]

It seems I've given you my bad luck prince, haha. Are you alright?

[Aether is dreading showing himself in front of his father like this - stained in mud as the prey escaped them. The princess and her father will no doubt see him as incompetent and have quite a laugh! Obviously, he's going to frame it as if Childe was just dragged along with him because he doesn't want his knight blamed for this misadventure.]

Maybe we're being tested by the gods...

[This entire day definitely feels like that. And who would've thought any of this would happen! The freedom and happiness Aether felt when riding the horse alongside Childe and kissing him under the willow now seems like a distant dream.]

I'll live... [He throws his knight a look when the other starts laughing.] You do realize you don't look pretty yourself?

[He reaches out, smearing some more mud against Childe's cheek.]

I think you're just jealous, [he chides with a sly smirk, reaching out himself to smear an entire open hand of mud across Aether's face.]

Even covered in mud, I think I could still charm a certain someone into kissing me.

[He looks back at his work, satisfied with the thick mud mask he's now created on the prince's face. Childe manages to push himself upwards, carefully standing and offering a hand to help Aether balance himself so they can try to pull themselves out of this mud hole together.]

You know, if you leave the mud on your face, I heard it does wonders for the skin.

[Aether closes his eyes, flinching when the muddy hand touches his face. Gross. He tries to wipe it with his sleeve, but sadly, the mud is everywhere.

None of this stops him from making a face at Childe's comment though.]

You wish.

[There's absolutely no way he would kiss Childe now! It's bad enough already that he can feel grains of sand in his mouth.]

Once we get out of here I'm heading straight for the river. [So no, he doesn't really want this sitting on his face. Aether takes his knight's hand and tries to leave this disastrous puddle behind.]

[Now aware of where his downfall lie beneath the mud, Childe carefully avoids that spot as they both trudge through the mud and out onto solid land. Aether helping him balance makes the effort at least a little easier, and once they get out, Childe looks down at himself.

He's absolutely covered in the front, the back relatively untouched. He must look like a scene, and he's glad that no one else was around to see it.]

You know, I think that boar just had the best luck of its life.

[The knight desperately tries to wipe his fingers off, to whistle loudly for the horses, but it's practically to no avail.]

Hopefully the horses didn't wander far. I'm not about to put my fingers in my mouth to call them.

[The path is not easy, but they manage somehow. Aether is in no better condition than Childe, really wanting nothing more but to take a long nice bath. Or two. He's not sure one will be enough to get rid of all this dirt.]

I hope it lives a happy life then.

[A small sigh escapes him, then he shakes his head. even the horses are against them.]

I recall... there is a pond or something around here.

[Maybe they will find their horses there. And some clean water to wash at least a bit of the mud away.]

It sounds as good a place as any to start. How unlucky, that our horses decided to get thirsty at a time like this.

[It's almost as if he can feel the mud weighing him down as they move towards the pond, and not before long, it comes into view. At the other end are their horses, drinking from it just as Aether predicted, and Childe's eyes brighten at the sight.]

Good suggestion, prince. Seems you've got a sixth sense for runaways.

[It's then that something huge breaks the surface of the pond. The back of a fish that seems far larger than anything that should be living there, the water and scales giving the illusion of it being black. The knight's eyes widen, pointing to the pond.]

It seems we're not alone! Did you spot that?

[Aether can feel the mud drying on his face and clothing, and it's not exactly a pleasant feeling. He sighs relieved when they reach the water. Seeing the horses there is one more thing less to worry about. Maybe they didn't catch anything and they're both a mess, but losing the horses would be far more heartbreaking. Aether was quite fond of them.

The prince is the first to approach the pond and the sudden disturbance in the surface startles him. He looks around, seeing the fish hiding in these waters.]

We definitely are not alone... But what kind of fish is that?

[He's not sure he's ever seen one so big before.]

Childe... you're good at fishing, aren't you?

[Childe is grinning from ear to ear- maybe, if they can't get a boar to bring home, maybe a giant fish would do instead. Is it not the same as hunting, really? The purpose is to bring home food for them to eat, right?]

I am! There isn't a fish I can't catch. Why don't we bring back that fish, and see how it measures up to what the others might manage to hunt?

[That way, they can relax, clean themselves, and ride back with a prize catch. Childe immediately begins looking for something strong to use as a rod, as well as something to substitute as string.]

You'll have to endure having mud on you a little longer, though. We don't want to scare it away.

[A smile quickly spreads on his face despite the mud.]

Just don't make me wait for too long or else this mud will stick to my face forever and that won't be pleasant for either of us.

[His voice is light and joking.

The prince quickly focuses on helping Childe gather anything he may need for his grand fishing adventure. He has no doubts that the knight will catch the giant dwelling in the pond.]

[After a few minutes of searching, the two of them finally manage to wrangle up a stick that seems strong yet pliable for a fish that size, with a questionable "string" attached to the end of it. Miraculously, Childe had a hook on his person, and then after a few minutes of digging around in the dirt, he produces a worm.]

Ah! Now we have everything we need. Watch and learn Aether, I'll show you how a professional fishes up a royal feast.

[Childe proudly wades into the water, to cast his line towards where they saw the fish break the surface. For a while, nothing bites.]

Patience is a virtue, [he'll reassure Aether at some point.] Give it some time.

[The fish breaks the surface of the water again nearby after several minutes, and Childe's eyes go wide. Here it comes...]

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