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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[Ah, a walking chaos as always. Aether expected nothing less. He lets a soft snort at his knight's antics as Elise giggles. She then lets go of the prince's hands and sways in place as her own hands are joined on her chest. Yet again, she seems so very much like an excited child.]

Absolutely! It will be wonderful and I can't wait!

[Aether laughs.]

In that case, let's tell my father about it. I'm sure we won't have to convince him for too long if he sees how happy you are about it.

[The princess stops swaying and averts her gaze abashed. Yet the smile is ever present on her face.]

...On the other hand, if my father sees how Childe is happy about this, he may get suspicious. [Aether adds, tone amused. The princess again giggles softly, then steps closer to them, her gaze fixed on the knight.]

I think it'll be a good moment to practice dancing in general, too. [Something that they will definitely need on the wedding day.] Sir Childe... I hope you won't mind if... [She looks around as if to make sure nobody is listening in, then she leans in, brow worried, voice quiet.] If I dance with the prince? Just one dance is fine.

Hey now...

[Childe lets go of Aether to set back on his hips, arms akimbo. Now that's just unfair, why is it if it makes him happy everyone assumes that there's a great possibility it's going to be a headache for everyone else involved? Even if that's true half of the time?

However, Childe's face softens as Elise asks him politely to dance with Aether, and the knight only returns an amused smile at her. She didn't need to ask of course, but it's cute that she did regardless.]

Of course, I don't mind at all. Prince, I suppose you should ask Luke if he's alright with you taking the princess out for a spin on the dance floor. [He turns back to Elise, eyes even more amused than before.] You two have been getting along quite well, I've noticed...

[Since they caught them making out and all behind that tree.]

[Considering what happened in the morning, Aether's face burns when Luke is mentioned. The princess doesn't get a chance to ask what happened. Her own face is soon set on fire at Childe's comment.]

Ah, y-yes! Luke is very good to me... I'm happy... I never thought I'd be this happy.

[That's probably something none of them expected when Elise was supposed to come to the castle. It hasn't even been long yet it already feels like the princess has become an integral part of their lives. Almost as if she's always been here, with them.]

And I'm happy for you. We both are.

[May that happiness last for as long as possible.]

[Childe nods his head in agreement, thoroughly entertained by Elise's embarrassment, and at Aether's as well. What short lives they live, it's best to enjoy it as much as possible.]

Why don't the two of you find the king. The sooner you can get this in the works, the better, I say. I'll wait for the both of you to return with the news. Then, we should have a relaxing night before preparations are made for the ball.

[Since it'll look suspicious if he doesn't come! Then he guesses he won't go! So unfair...he's not a bad guy...]

Perhaps a quiet, private dinner out in the gardens. Out of the way of prying eyes.

[He winks at them both- then they might even get the chance to chat privately, too.]

[Aether nods.]

Well then, we'll go and get this done.

[But at the proposition of the dinner, the prince blushes again. The princess also looks flustered but she grins happily.]

That's a wonderful idea! Ah, Sir Childe... I am truly happy I got to meet you!

[Aether blinks, then shakes his head with a weak smile. Elise and Childe are really a chaos duo now, coming up with various ideas so their days would never be boring.]

I think I know a spot in the garden where we should be hidden from everyone... and let's hope nobody will be looking for us this time.

[The knight throws his hand up behind his head, grinning. Elise is a very enthusiastic person, and he can't say he doesn't enjoy all the praise she gives him all the time. Chuckling, he nods to Aether, the mental map of the gardens already running through his mind.]

I've got an idea of where you mean. Alright. I'll see all of you tonight.

[Childe waves to the both goodbye, strutting off to find a little trouble to cause while he waits for dinner to come...]

---

[The secluded part of the garden is a beautiful sight, one that the knight seldom visits due to his duties, but one he always appreciates when he gets the chance. Luke follows close behind, not having the chance to experience as much as Childe has being close to royalty, his eyes widening at the sight of the gardens.]

I don't know if I'll ever get used to this, [the squire exclaims as he walks with his knight to their destination.

Childe regards him with a smirk, taking the time to take in the sweet scent of the flowers that are so well cared for.]

You will, but never take it for granted. There, here's the spot. Seems we've arrived just in time. [He waves to the prince and princess, smile bright.] Hey! Fancy seeing you two here.

[Both men take their respective seats at the table, next to their own royal. Much to Childe's surprise, Luke takes the hand of Elise and kisses the back of it before sitting, his face flush as he does so. Amusing, the knight thinks, how he's gotten so bold in such a short amount of time. Childe glances over to Aether- can he do that too?]

[The meeting with the king went well. Aether expected his father to be unconvinced about this idea, yet Elise endless charm and happy attitude quickly mellowed him down. With a sigh, he nodded and agreed to the ball. The orders for preparation were given out soon afterwards and both the prince and the princess thanked the king with bright smiles on their faces.

Now they are waiting in the garden. The many flowers that surround them are absolutely magical and the secluded area gives them enough privacy to talk freely and do whatever they want. Not many people ever come here, save for the gardeners who work in the morning.]

A secret place that only we know about... [Elise mutters, still in awe. Then she chuckles to herself. Aether can see how much she's enjoying every moment here, in the castle. It's good to see her so happy.

Before the prince gets to say anything else, Childe and Luke arrive and join them. Aether also looks surprised when Luke takes the princess' hand and places a kiss to it. They've grown so close to one another in such a short period of time. Elise's face is bright red, but she's beaming, eyes brimming with fondness.

For the moment Aether is completely mesmerized by the happiness of the couple in front of him, before he blinks and finally notices Childe's look. He's asking for permission to...?

Oh.

The prince blushes, his gaze dropping to the side as he slowly offers his hand. He doesn't have to worry about anything here, a kiss on the hand is not a really big deal either, but at the same time he's not used to being affectionate when other people can see it. Not too mention... His gaze quickly falls on Luke, before he averts it again. His face grows even darker red.

How will he ever apologize to Luke for what happened in the morning?]

[The knight idly wonders if that blush is because he's taking his hand and kissing it sweetly in front of the other two, making sure it's slow and deliberate- it's not as if he'll get many chances like this. That thought is not only confirmed, but is augmented when he notices that Aether steals a look at Luke for a moment. He's still embarrassed about getting caught...the poor guy. Childe is completely over it already, something that happened that he'll try to avoid in the future but no harm no foul.

Childe lowers the prince's hand, smiling brightly at the three of them, making himself comfortable as they start their dinner.]

So...

[He looks over to Aether and Elise specifically now, because he must know.]

Did you two get the masquerade ball approved by the king?

[The tender kiss against his hand easily makes his heart beat faster and Aether is trying to beat down his own embarrassment. Nobody is making a big deal over the morning events either, so maybe it would be for the best to move on.

Elise watches the two with some sort of fascination, cheeks brightly red. Maybe it's only now when it fully occurred to her that all of this is real. A knight and a prince, sharing sweet moments like in a secret garden... How romantic! She beams, not hiding how proud and happy she feels right now. In fact, she looks like she's just gotten everything she's ever wanted.

Aether glances at her and his face only gets redder again. But Childe asks him a question...]

Ah, y-yes... We got it without much trouble...

[A soft, awkward laugh follows. He really needs to get used to this.]

[Goodness, look at Elise. He catches that expression out of the corner of his eye. That's as happy as a girl can get, sitting next to her lover while admiring the relationship he has with Aether. And the prince, that's even better. But maybe he should stop making Aether so red that he won't be able to eat his dinner.]

That's splendid to hear. I guess we'll have to have some masks made for ourselves soon. I think I've got a couple of ideas for a design in mind already. I'll have to share them with all of you later to see what you think.

[He turns now to Luke, grinning from ear to ear. His own squire, to be knighted, how exciting is that?]

You know, I was thinking that perhaps as part of you knighting ceremony, you could duel me one last time to see how well your skills have progressed since you've been my squire...

[He just wants to fight someone, that's all that is...]

S-Sir Childe...

Edited (had to fix my html) 2022-08-01 23:26 (UTC)

[Hearing about the duel makes all eyes fall on Childe. Even though still embarrassed, Aether shakes his head, smiling slightly.]

You never miss a chance to a fight...

[Elise, on the other hand, seems to sparkle. Her hands are joined over her chest as she beams.]

Oh, I would love to see a duel between the two of you! It will be absolutely splendid!

[But then she thinks a bit more about it and her brows furrow.]

But only as long as nobody gets hurt! [She grab Luke's hand almost protectively, as if she was ready to fight anyone who hurts her future knight. Aether blinks at this, before turning to his lover.]

A new challenge for you, Childe - making sure that nobody gets hurt during the duel.

[A match like that doesn't sound nearly as fun as one where they can go all out, and Childe pouts a little at the fact that it seems that he'll have to hold back if this fight actually occurs. Though, it surprises him how ready Elise looks to fight anyone who would dare hurt Luke...maybe he could talk her into learning swordplay one day.

Luke blushes when Elise grabs his hand, sitting up straight now as if he were defending her honor just by taking Childe on.]

That does take a little of the fun out of it, but who am I to deny a challenge even such as that. Alright, I'll be careful- but I'll still win.

[The self assured cocky grin on his face says it all. Challenge accepted, then.]

I won't make it easy, Sir Childe. I've learned a lot, and who knows, maybe I'll better you in combat!

Oh? We're starting the fighting talk already? We could always duel right here, right now...

[He's not kidding either, the knight's fingers itching for a sword to be put right into them. A little exercise right before dinner sounds good.]

[The back and forth between Childe and Luke is a little unexpected and Aether has to wave a hand to stop this.]

You two won't duel here, because that would give away our secret spot.

[Aether lightly pokes his knight in the side.]

I know you're itching for a fighting, but you'll have to wait. Surely, there's plenty of things that can keep you occupied before the two of you can duel.

[Childe looks back to Aether, disappointment in his eyes that he's being told to behave, but quickly gives in. With a sigh, he lets it go, and Luke looks to Aether apologetically. He knows better than to feed into Childe's competitive nature, but sometimes one can't help themselves.]

My apologies, prince. We didn't mean to interrupt dinner in such a fashion.

Please accept my apology as well. I'll make sure to choose a different part of the gardens for our duel.

[It would look cool, two people locked in the heat of battle with beautiful scenery all around them. It's just too bad that they can't go all out during the fight. The flowers would have made a choice object for blood to be spilled upon. But Childe knows that Aether probably won't approve of that either, so he quickly adds:]

Kidding, kidding. There are plenty of grounds here at the castle for such a use. There's no stands here for people to watch either, so it's not exactly ideal.

[Childe's disappointment is not lost on Aether, but the prince chooses to ignore it. His knight has to learn to not give in to his strive for battles. There are many fights he will likely face in the future, there's no need to rush.

Maybe Aether can make it up to him later tonight, but the dinner is supposed to be a peaceful occasion. They have to make good use of this time while they can.]

Luke, you have nothing to apologize for.

[At least Aether can forget about his previous embarrassment. He gives Luke a small smile, before turning to Childe, a brow raised, before his knight explains that he's just kidding.]

Well, you'll just have to be patient. The knighting ceremony will be after the ball, so it's not that far away in the future. And that reminds me... Luke, would you be opposed if I danced with the princess during the ball?

Edited 2022-08-03 21:03 (UTC)

[Luke dips his head towards the prince in appreciation of his graciousness, still cursing himself for letting himself get swept away by Childe's boasting. Maybe that's just a byproduct of being around him so much, though Luke does prefer to stay on the straight and narrow- except, of course, for this little affair. At least he has royalty on his side.

He responds with another quick nod to Aether's question. How could he deny the prince?]

Of course! It would seem strange if you didn't, wouldn't it?

[Childe, on the other hand, lets his head fall against a closed fist as he rests an elbow on the table, not all that interested in this conversation. He picks up a fork, waving it in front of him before letting it sink into a piece of chicken, picking it up and eating a piece. He can be patient, as long as he gets his fight.]

Perhaps it would be best if we all shared dances. It will make the whole affair a bit more natural, wouldn't you all say?

[Elise quickly nods to that proposition.]

Yes, I think that's a great idea. Perhaps it will also allow us all to get to talk to each other.

[Aether nods in agreement. It's important that they're all close and that they all have mutual trust. This affair won't last long if there will be any misunderstandings between them.]

Then it's decided. I hope the ball will be pleasant to all of us and that it will go well... And then the knighting ceremony. And the wedding.

[He smiles sheepishly. It will be busy for some time and there's many unknown in the future that awaits them. As if sensing his thoughts, Elise gives him an encouraging smile.]

We're all in this together, so don't worry.

[Her optimism really is something he'll be forever grateful for.]

[Childe chuckles quietly to himself- he was never all that worried about this masquerade ball anyway, but he's happy to see that at least the other three are starting to become more comfortable with this. He eats a bit more of his food, chewing thoughtfully. Since they're all decided, then he supposes they can move on from thinking on things that cause too much anxiety.

This is supposed to be a nice dinner, sans a good fight unfortunately, but even so they should enjoy it than worry about such matters.]

Hmmmm...

[He thinks out loud, clearly something brewing in that chaotic brain of his.]

How well do the three of you know how to dance?

[Both Aether and Elise also started enjoying their food, the general mood definitely more cheerful. As Childe asks the question, they turn to him.]

Well, I was required to learn how to dance for any formal balls. I'd say... I'm decent.

[Elise nods.]

I can say the same. I've always been told that it would be embarrassing not to know the basics. I'd like to think that I can dance well enough.

[For royals it's just one of the many skills that they need to learn, but neither the prince nor the princess were ever truly interested in dancing, considering that they danced only when it was absolutely required of them to do so. Now... it's different. Aether is genuinely looking forward to sharing a dance with his knight.]

[Childe then looks to Luke, who blinks nervously. This man. Does not. Know how to dance. He gulps, and the knight looks beyond amused. Oh, good. One person doesn't, and that means an endless amount of fun for him.]

Sir Childe, I do not. There's never been a reason for me to learn, because I never thought I would end up in the good graces of royalty.

[The knight shoots a look over to Elise, his chaotic partner in crime. This is their time.]

You don't have anything to worry about, Luke. We'll teach you, won't we?

[He looks to Aether and Elise together now, his expression absolutely delighted with this development. Dancing lessons would be fun, wouldn't they? And Childe has a plethora of different dances he can teach them.]

[Elise clasps her hands together, smiling bright.]

But of course! I will be delighted to!

[She then takes Luke's hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. Aether also nods to this. Dancing lessons are much better than fighting, after all.]

Don't worry, Luke. You're in good hands.

[Even though Childe's amusement screams that chaos approaches, the prince doesn't think any of this will cause them much trouble. Even if they get caught they can always say they're helping Luke gain skills that will be necessary for him once he becomes Elise's knight. It won't even be a lie.]

I think we can start the lessons after the dinner... Would you like that? [The princess asks her lover, eyes big and sparkling.]

[Luke looks back to her, mild panic on his expression, but how could he possibly deny her when she looks at him like that? The squire tries to calm himself, giving her hand a squeeze back, an appreciative nod sent Aether's way.]

Thank you...I never would have guessed I would be in such supportive company...I'd love to start lessons immediately, so I don't make a fool of myself or you, princess.

[Childe is leaning on the table now, smiling at the two of them. Oh, he'll teach Luke a great dance. He's got the perfect one in mind, and he's going to make Aether help him teach.]

Excellent. We'll begin shortly after we eat, to at least let our dinner settle. I have the perfect dance for you to learn, and I'll be glad to teach it to all of you if you don't already know how.

[It sure isn't ballroom dancing.]

[Aether continues to smile at Luke.]

We're all in this together, so we have to help each other out. [It's really that simple. Mutual support goes a long way.] Let's practice after the dinner.

[He glances at Childe, though, wondering what chaos is brewing in his head. What kind of dance can he possibly mean? Aether signs inwardly, but decides that he'll find sooner than later, so there's no need to ask now.

The princess seems to come to the same conclusion, except there is a hint of excitement in her eyes. Whatever Childe is planning, Elise is absolutely looking forward to it.

And so they continue on with their dinner.]

[The dinner goes along smoothly, Childe chatting them all up and having a great time. But when it ends, is when he gets more excited. The gardens still provide a great cover for them, and the knight leads the other three towards the giant purple wisteria tree that sets a beautiful scene in the center of the royal garden. The warm hue from the hanging lanterns that had been lit several hours ago gives the tree its own glow, accented by the full moon that rises in the sky.

Very romantic, if Childe were to voice his opinion, but instead he admires the view as he looks up to the sky.]

This seems like the perfect spot to start! Aether, why don't you come and join me for this.

[He's totally not going to surprise him with what he's about to do, not at all.]

Elise, Luke, just watch our steps. You'll be able to learn this in no time at all.

[It's very romantic. Elise seems absolutely charmed by the sight while Aether too, can't take his eyes away while a soft smile is brighting his face.

When asked by Childe to join him, Aether nods, steps close and offers his hand, allowing his knight to lead the dance. His head tilts slightly to the side.]

So what kind of dance we'll be starting with?

[He still suspects nothing.]

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