#「♔」saber vanille | para

[lalcne-blog]

index: saber vanille

spring. clear skies. gold. high fashion suits. stress headaches. kissed hands. lost opportunities. the world on someone’s shoulders. strawberries. red roses without thorns. midday naps.

          HE LEARNS FROM a young age that what he wants, he gets. the staff of the seelie court trip over themselves to cater to his every need, and while he would never treat these wonderful people as anything less than his friends, it is clear to everyone aside from himself that he takes advantage of their positions.

          he learns from a young age that, for the most part, what he wants, he gets.

          it’s a dangerous lesson for such a young child to learn, but he uses it for the most trivial of reasons. he never asks for anything dangerous. all he asks for is some snacks, for a bath to be run, for someone to play with because his parents are busy.

          he’s told that he ❝ is a joy to serve ❞, and it is a compliment he takes in stride for the rest of his life.

          the only people he can’t bend to his whims are his parents, who are kind but firm in the way they rule both their people and their children. this only causes trivial arguments that last barely a minute until he’s old enough to attend school, and that is when the first real disagreement strikes.

          ❝ what do you mean i can’t go to school with everyone else ?? ❞ saber asks, turning his head towards the window where the other children are playing outside. he doesn’t know most of them. he’s only really spoken to the noble fae.

          ❝ you’ll still receive the proper education you would at school, plus the extra information you’ll need to learn to be a proper crown prince. it’s more convenient to teach you that way, ❞ his mother tells him, as though a five year old would be more worried about his education than how much he can play.

          he whines, stamping his feet, and his mother frowns as he says, ❝ but i wanna go to school !! mama, i wanna !! i wanna !! ❞

          ❝ no, saber, and that’s final, ❞ his mother says in that tone of hers that is both gentle and final simultaneously.

          he continues to whine as she leaves the room despite knowing it won’t work.

          he doesn’t go to school. he isn’t cut-off from the outside world by any means, able to play with the other children as he pleases, but the distance between them is growing now that they’re not attending the same school. his lessons become more demanding as he grows older and he spends less and less time with those outside of the royal home until they are simply friendly acquaintances.

          the older he becomes, the more handsome he becomes, and the more off-limits he becomes. nobody approaches him if he strolls around the market place. all they do is stare and bow and say nothing more than a greeting, and that is only if he greets them first.

          it’s lonely at first, and it remains lonely for quite some time, until he decides to take it in his stride just as he has with everything else and changes things for his own benefit. he realises that to make a difference, he must make the effort himself.

          rather than staying silent on his outings, he walks up to people, greets them, kisses their hand, asks them how they’re doing, what they’re doing, why they’re doing it. these are his people. he knows that he will always be on a pedestal and that people will always flush around him and avoid eye contact out of embarrassment and amazement ( and he will admit, it does make him feel pretty fantastic that he has this effect on people ), but he can do his damn hardest to ensure that the gap between them is as small as possible.

          he tells himself that he doesn’t need to attend school, that he isn’t lonely, that this is good for him, but there are times where his resolve falters.

          ❝ valentine will be attending lucille academy, starting at the end of this month. ❞

          like now.

          he whirls around, his wings almost knocking down the assortment of hair products on his vanity, and stares at his mother with wide eyes. while he can no longer see his own reflection, he knows the betrayal is written all over his face.

          ❝ valentine gets to go ?? ❞ his voice takes on a childish tone that only his mother ever hears nowadays, and even then it’s rare. she doesn’t seem surprised. perhaps she knew exactly how he would react.

          ❝ valentine isn’t the crown princess. she isn’t able to inherit the crown, but she does have the freedom to choose where she studies. both of your roles come with pros and cons, saber. ❞

          feeling as if he’s eaten several lemons at once, saber bites back the retort burning in the back of his throat and returns to fixing his hair.

          ❝ of course, mother. you’re right. ❞

          his words ring hollow in his ears.

          strategy meetings have been on his agenda since the tender age of eighteen, almost like a coming of age ceremony. he doesn’t find them particularly interesting, especially as there is nothing to strategize against, but he keeps his opinion to himself. he’s learned that, at least for now, his job is to sit with his back straight and listen to every detail, a vault of military information.

          he only attempts to change that status quo once.

          ❝ and that concludes the meeting, ❞ his father says, nodding to the minutes man, who starts closing their record book.

          ❝ actually, ❞ saber begins, gaining the attention of everyone at the small, round table, ❝ i have something i would like to bring up first. ❞

          his parents look at each other in surprise, but not anger, which he takes as a good sign. the captain of their forces ( who he’s sure don’t do much at all, as threats have been few and far between since before he was born ) and his second in command emote less, but they turn to him with what he assumes is interest. the minute man opens the record book once again.

          ❝ alright, saber, ❞ his mother says with a nod and the briefest of smiles. ❝ go ahead. ❞

          ❝ it’s more of a question, ❞ he starts, and he directs his attention to his parents as he speaks. while the captain and his troops are formidable ( probably, he wouldn’t know ), all decisions come down to his parents. everyone knows that.

          ❝ i’m wondering about the war that’s been waging between the unseelie court and the elves. it’s been going on for years, and i’ve kept quiet about it so far, but why does no one in this room ever bring it up at meetings ?? ❞

          he doesn’t miss the way his parents’ eyes flicker towards each other. they’ve always been good at silent communication, especially when one or both of their children are in the room. he thinks they perfected it long before he was born.

          it’s his mother who responds with, ❝ the seelie and unseelie courts have an agreement, saber, you know that. we have a treaty that we remain neutral with each other. we do not harm them and they do not harm us. ❞

          ❝ i don’t want to harm them, ❞ saber says, and perhaps he’s jumping in too quickly to defend himself, but he can’t stand any implication that he would ever want to hurt anyone. that isn’t the type of ruler he wants to be. ❝ innocent elven lives are being taken, does that mean nothing to you ?? ❞

          ❝ saber, do not talk to your mother like that, ❞ his father warns, but all it does is serve as a reminder that he isn’t an heir in this situation. he’s still just a child arguing with his parents. ❝ the treaty states that the unseelie affairs are their own, just as our affairs are our own. we’ve maintained this relationship with them for an incredibly long time. we can’t risk it. ❞

          or they might turn on us, instead. saber hears it, even if it’s never spoken.

          ❝ you didn’t answer my question, ❞ he continues, as if he wasn’t just scolded. ❝ what about the elves ?? their lives are at stake. ❞

          ❝ that isn’t our call to make, ❞ his mother says, voice strained. she’s losing her patience. ❝ the unseelie court may be the only kingdom we have a binding contract with, but the sentiment remains the same across every kingdom: we mind our business, they mind theirs. ❞

          the tone of finality sink into saber’s brain, which is just as well, as he’s quickly realising that he isn’t about to win this one. perhaps he knew that all along. perhaps all he wanted was to imprint the issue in his parents’ minds, and if so, seeing the fruits of his efforts will take time. but he doesn’t really know anything, does he ??

          he stands, his back just as straight as it was when sitting, and says, ❝ then i suppose this meeting is adjourned. ❞

          with a quick bow to the three silent spectators -- not that he blames them, because it isn’t their place to disagree with the king and queen -- he leaves the room without looking back.

          when he’s left to his own devices, saber doesn’t know what to do with himself. his schedule is so demanding that hobbies are hard to come by, and even then, they seem to link back to his teachings.

          one might say that being the crown prince is all he knows how to be.

          with all of the interesting books in the royal library having been read once, twice, thrice over, he instead turns to the news archives to occupy his time. they span over years, the oldest from hundreds of years before his birth, and they aren’t solely from the seelie court, either. he can find headlines from every kingdom in existence, and he finds many of them more intriguing than those from home.

          but many of those headlines speak of terror and danger and all that is wrong with the world.

          ❛ WIZARD STUDENT BECOMES LATEST VICTIM OF DARK TIRADE ❜

          ❛ NORTHERN TERRITORY ELVES AMBUSHED, 53 DEAD ❜

          ❛ FAMILY MANSION ON FIRE, SEARCH FOR REMAINS UNDERWAY ❜

          these are things he wasn’t taught. these are the unsung heroes and victims of a world that is becoming increasingly unforgiving. his court is only a small sliver of what is out there in the big, wide world, and he’ll be damned if he isn’t going to learn every inch of it and beyond.

          a dull ache between his eyes pulls him from his thoughts and he massages the bridge of his nose.

          he supposes he’ll need to learn to save himself first.

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