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 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...]

[The prince grins again.]

I'm watching, believe me.

[He steps closer to have a better look at the unfolding situation, but still maintaining the distance so he wouldn't disturb the water. It takes some time, but the fish is lured and soon it takes the bite. Aether's eyes sparkle slightly - maybe they will finally have some luck. A fish of this size will be an amazing catch indeed.

...But as that thought crosses his mind, he realizes that something is wrong. The fish pulls with force so much greater than he imagined and it begins to trash violently in the water.

The king of this pond won't go down easily.]

[The grin on his face is nothing less than completely egotistical and cocky when he sets the hook on the fish.

His face changes when the monster almost yanks him into the pond.

The struggle that the fish is putting up is far beyond what Childe had expected. And even though he may look like a twig, he is anything but- years of dedicated training and honing his battle skills have helped him build a solid frame that even the strongest fighters had trouble putting off balance. But this fish? It did it with a single yank, and the knight is in awe that neither their makeshift rod and line didn't snap instantly.

He digs his heels into the dirt, but he faces a challenge he hadn't anticipated either. If he pulls too hard, he will break their line or rod. But if he doesn't put some muscle into it, he's going in the drink. In which the latter, unfortunately, seems to be what will happen. Childe begins to get dragged further and further forward-]

My goodness-!

[-and he looks to Aether with a look of mild panic on his face. He's going in, help!]

[Suddenly the confidence they both had drains and Aether rushes to his knight's side, grabbing him in the middle to keep him in place.]

Hang on!

[The fish seems to think nothing of the added weight as it continues to struggle violently. Water splashes, even the horses turn to look at what is happening, mildly startled. And then...!

The rope snaps, the king of this pond breaks free and the two young men loose their balance and unceremoniously fall right into the cold water. Aether probably has the worst luck though, as Childe ends up right on top of him, trapping him under the surface. The prince flails his arms and tries to pull himself up and out of the water. Once he finally manages that, he breathes in heavily, as drops drip down from his hair and face.]

...We're definitely being tested.

[There's just no way that the two of them would have this much of a bad luck.]

[The support from Aether helps, seeming to slow him down for a moment before he'd meet his watery fate. But the fish seems to have other plans, pulling them both still towards the water, until the worst thing that could possibly happen, happens.

The line snaps.

And Childe feels himself lurch forward, over the edge of the pond, Aether going right along with him, hitting the water with a huge splash. He couldn't of imagined that the pond was already this deep near the shore, but the prince goes under and Childe goes right on top of him. He flails for a moment, trying to let Aether up from under the surface in panic.

Childe pulls himself out of the pond, dripping wet, some of the mud having washed off and some just now wet and still sticking to him. His hair is wetted down, looking like a lost wet puppy as he looks to Aether, defeat on his features.]

I swear I did nothing severe enough to deserve this treatment. Ugh, look!

[He points to the middle of the pond where the fish is practically doing victory breaches of the water with its back. The hook is probably still in its mouth, so not only has he lost his dignity, Childe has also lost his hook.]

The nerve! Allow me to go right in there and slay that fish-!

[Aether breathes in and out deeply, then coughs some water out of his lungs before trying to wipe his face. The mud is washed from some parts, while still sticking to his clothing and hair. On top of that he's now soaking wet, shivering lightly when the air hits his drenched form.

Then he looks to Childe. The other is in no better shape and yet, there's something charming about the way his hair stick down. The prince sighs, smiling faintly and tries to reach out to his knight to get some water away from that hair. It's hopeless, obviously. They have nothing to dry themselves with.

As Childe points to the fish, Aether's head quickly turns in that direction. Ah... it really feels like the fish is making fun of them.]

Be my guest...

[He's sure he doesn't have to say anything more to give the permission. They can't go back empty handed... and well, it's the fish's fault it didn't want to do this the easy way.]

Just be careful, okay?

[Thankfully, Childe is a tall man. And he takes full advantage of that, slipping back into the water, not caring to take anything off. He's soaked anyhow, and maybe this will get the mud off of him too. Childe wades in, the water coming up to his shoulders in spots, towards where he saw the fish, until he completely disappears under the water.

The fish has the advantage. He's going to have the time of his life trying to catch it, but he has a tactical advantage of not having an animal brain, even if it seems the fish is capable of taunting him.

It swims away, and the knight grins inwardly to himself, swimming as fast as he can and rounding to push the fish closer to the shore in an area he knows comes to a walled off corner where it would be hard to get out of if he managed to get right on top of it. He only comes up for air, going back under and chasing it until he finally managed to herd it into said corner.

A giant splash erupts from the pond, several minutes later, and it almost seems as if...Childe is wrestling with the fish.

It's slippery and he's trying to hold it in his arms, somehow. It would be funny if it weren't so ridiculous, and finally the knight manages to grab a knife from his boot and stabs it into the fish, blood staining the water red.

He stands, exhausted, looking to Aether. It took...way longer than it should have, meaning he shouldn't of tried at all, but he did it.]

[As Childe swims for another attempt to catch the fish, Aether makes his way to the shore. He tries to get as much water out of his clothes and hair as possible, but everything sticks to his skin, weighting on him. At some point, the prince shrugs and starts watching for his knight instead. This is when he notices the way Childe rounds to capture the fish, then seems to be... wresting it. That definitely went in a completely different direction than the prince thought.

Aether, steps closer to the water again, his eyes widening when he spots the red spilling on the surface. But then he realizes that his knight emerges victorious.

Maybe it's a silly victory, but still, Aether gives a big, proud grin. He then rounds the pond, to get closer to where Childe is in order to help him get the prey out of the water.]

You really did it, my dear knight!

[He laughs softly, reaching out to take the fish and give it a closer look. But as he does that, suddenly something else appears from the woods. It looks like... a boar with an arrow sticking from its back. The tired animal reaches the pond, suspecting nothing and after a moment of silence Aether pulls out his sword and finishes what Childe has started.

Now they have both something to show for the king. Maybe the contest is not lost at all.]

[Childe proudly stands up a little straighter with the praise, despite being beyond tired after that battle between himself and the fish. But it's a huge fish, one that must have been living in this pond for some time to get this big, and he puffs his chest out towards Aether as he comes to help him with it.]

Of course I did, it was noth-

[But his sentence is cut off by the boar appearing, following Aether's eyes over to it. The prince unsheathes his sword and Childe only shoulders the fish over his shoulder now, knowing the prince was about to make sure that they both had a prize to take back to present to his father. When Aether slays it, Childe begins to walk towards the horses who had skitted away from the pond during the fish struggle, loading the fish over the back of the horse for the moment and calming it down.]

Perhaps we'll win this little contest after all! For all its ups and downs, it certainly was an adventure, wasn't it?

[Aether heaves the boar onto his shoulder, then up on his own horse, tying the prey carefully so it wouldn't fall off. Once that's done, he turns to the other and gives him a tired smile.]

It was, but I'm not sure I want to repeat it. On the other hand, you seem like you had a lot of fun.

[Grinning, Aether leads his horse on the way back. Hopefully, once they return to the castle they can take a nice warm bath and finally relax.

It doesn't take them long to meet up with the king and others. Elise spots them right away and waves enthusiastically, before putting her hands over her mouth when she gets a better look at them both. She's quick to rush to their side.]

Oh goodness, prince, Sir Childe! What happened to you? Are you hurt?

[Aether gives her a small, apologetic smile. Both him and his knight are soaked, their clothes stained with blood and mud. It's definitely a worrying sight.]

We're both okay, I promise. [He points to their catch.] And we brought back something for the dinner--

Childe. [The king's voice suddenly interrupts and Aether's father approaches the two of them. He gives the knight a stern look, before looking at the prey they brought back.]

A big fish... and a boar... [He glances from Childe to Aether, the prince stunned as nervousness overtakes him, then suddenly... the king laughs. Aether's eyes grow big and confused.] I can't wait to hear what kind of hellish creatures these two were that they gave you so much trouble.

[Aether looks away, embarrassed, but the king seems to find the situation humorous and thus he remains in good mood. He pats his son on the head as if teasing a small child. That brings back some memories. Aether manages to smile and Elise too looks relieved.]

Look at what I caught! [She says, then gestures ahead. On the ground there are three rabbits, two quail and a doe. The winner is obvious in this situation.]

[It was an awful time, but Childe has to admit to himself that he did have fun regardless. As long as life wasn't boring, he was enjoying himself, and that was far from boring.

He grins back to Aether as they both walk back to find the king and the others, smiling apologetically as well when Elise voices her concern, keeping his mouth shut for the moment and letting Aether handle it. After all, one does not become a good liar in a few hours or so, and so it's for the best in case some daunting questions are asked. But when the king turns to him and addresses him, he feels his body freeze up, wondering if something had leaked, or perhaps he's going to question the blood everywhere...

But that doesn't come, the laughter of the king making him relax. He's really too much on edge today, maybe he'll sit in the bath for longer than normal to relax. Childe glances over towards where Elise is pointing to, and his jaw drops. On one hand, he's not surprised, but on the other.]

That's more game than even most of our seasoned hunters could do in a whole day, [he exclaims, impressed.] I must say, I have to concede to you, Elise. Prince, you should of told me your bride to be was so skilled. I would have tried a little harder.

[It's a joke, one that marks clearly that Childe would never hope to be able to replicate such a feat anytime soon. The knight is more than willing to make it at his own expense; anything to ease his nerves and make things seem normal, like he wasn't the one romantically involved with the prince.

He swears when they return to the castle, he is going to go somewhere with Aether privately and work all this stress out.]

What a feast we'll have tonight. We should head back quickly, before the meat spoils, no?

[Elise smiles bright with pride when she's praised and her father seems pleased as well. The nervousness evaporates from the atmosphere but Aether himself can only think about going back and taking a moment to relax.

The king nods.]

Yes, let us not waste time.

[And so they pack the meat on the horses and make their way back to the castle. Aether walks closer to Elise, chatting with her about her day, wanting to make sure that his father knows that he's not neglecting his bride. The princess seems incredibly happy, the smile never leaving her face and it's heart-warming to see her like this.

He hopes she'll always be happy here.

Upon their return, servants approach them, looking alarmed by the prince and knight's appearance. Aether reassures them that there's nothing to worry and asks them to prepare a bath for him and another one for Childe, as well as new sets of clothes.]

Father, we will attempt to get ourselves in order before the feast. [He announces and the king nods, before going back to ordering the servants to take the meat and deliver it to the cooks. Tonight they will dine like never before.]

[Childe accompanies his squire back, speaking with him brightly but sometimes in low tones to ask how everything went. Seems that he and Elise really had a great time, and she was the one that had killed all the game. Luke only rode the horse and rode her around to find her prey. It makes him laugh, and Luke sheepishly admits he'd asked Elise for archery lessons.

He finds it splendid, that at least that part of the arrangement is working out. One god, he thinks, likes him.

----

Upon reaching the castle, the servants rush off to prepare their baths, and Childe inclines his head for Aether to follow him in the direction of their much needed bath.

Once they are far enough away, he laughs, the day passing so quickly and they had gotten so close to being caught.]

Must I take a bath separately? You don't think the servants would mind if I joined you, would they?

[He can't help but tease, but if given the chance...]

[The redness hits his face instantly when Childe teases him like that. Aether tries to calm himself, not looking at his knight.]

We were supposed to keep it a secret, remember?

[They almost got caught once today... Doesn't Childe have enough? Ah, of course the other is doing that purely to get a reaction out of Aether. That's part of his chaotic nature.

At the same time, there is something enticing about that idea. The prince is not yet ready for it, but one day he'd definitely want to relax in the bath together with his knight.

For now though, there are other things they can do before the dinner.]

But once you're done with the bath... meet me in my chambers?

[They won't have much time, but it's fine. Just a small taste of what is going to come tonight. That's the kind of temptation he can't really resist.]

[Childe's eyes widen. Oh, that was not what he expected Aether to say, but he is beyond pleased with the concession he's made for not bathing with his knight.]

Now, I wasn't expecting such a...saucy response from you, Prince Aether.

[Using his full name and title to tease him a little further, enjoying the blush across his face. How cute, he thinks, that the prince gets so flustered by his direct advances like this. He'll just continue to do so until it doesn't work anymore.]

What plans do you have? Could I be privy to them? Or should I come up with my own creative ideas? Oh, how I'd love to know...

[Childe lets a finger play with Aether's braid for only a moment before he pulls it away, grinning like a little kid.]

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