Aligned For You

Chapter 18

CW: Animal Death, Blood, Ritualistic Injury

There wasn't really any time after breakfast, as Caius had hoped, to find Alonne, though he did his best to look around for the guy as he was led to where they would be doing the ritual. But even waiting outside in the hallways, there was no sign of his timid, capped sidekick, which was...disappointing for a lot of reasons. He had been wanting to see if Alonne had any more information on MacKenzie's job, but, kind of selfishly, even more than that he had just...really wanted a friend at the ritual.

He would admit, even if it was only ever to himself, when he imagined his binding ritual as a kid, he had imagined it would happen at a temple, with his family watching from the background, but his friends nearby, teasing and cheering him and his fiancé on, as the two asked Tua to let them face the afterlife's challenges together.

Instead, apparently...one of the most important rituals of his life was going to take place in a poorly lit, stony basement, surrounded either by active enemies or relative strangers, with a fiancé who, frankly, thought the whole thing was a waste of time...

Caius took a deep breath, before putting his smile back on, squaring his shoulders and raising his chest as he confidently strutted forward. So what!? So it wasn't going to be a particularly nice ritual. Caius could still take pride in it! Plus, what more noble use for a binding ritual could there be, but to bind yourself to someone who was entirely ignorant to the texts and probably always would be? When they both died, and Felix found himself in the first plane, instead of being there with no guide and no partner, which was the main problem most non-believers had, instead his fiancé was going to have a well-prepared Caius there and whichever guide that Tua had chosen for them this day.

And ultimately, that was the whole point. So long as Caius remembered that, it didn't matter if the ritual wasn't 'fun' or 'not super scary'. It was preparing him, and someone he cared about, for life in the afterlife!

However, as they went down the stairs and the sunlight from the hallways above quickly disappeared, Caius heard the soft sound of a whinny below, and he froze.

Because Caius was at the front of the line of people going down, that meant everyone else froze as well, giving Caius confused or exasperated looks in the process. Only Head Secretary Ezar and General Juu at the front were free to move forward, though they both stopped and looked back at Caius, just as confused.

"Everything alright there, Your Grace?" The General asked.

It had just occurred to Caius that there may not be anywhere else to sacrifice the animal. That if Felix was down there at all, he'd at least hear it, whether he was looking or not. Taking one look at the Head Secretary, who was looking more and more annoyed, Caius steeled his courage, turned around, and bowed to the king.

"I apologize, but..." Caius straightened up, glancing over at Felix before continuing on to the King, "Could you all wait up here, for a while? Until someone comes up and tells you it's okay to come down? This first part of the ritual doesn't require everyone, and I think it may be best to split the group until it's done."

"Prince Caius!" the Head Secretary said, apparently shocked. "That's incredibly rude! You're asking your fiancé to skip part of his own ritual? I'm ashamed of you. I apologize, King Aiichi," Ezar said, bowing ever so slightly. "Please disregard our young prince. It is of course acceptable and highly appropriate for everyone to be present. We would never ask you to leave."

A horse. Faintly, Felix wondered if that meant, like...expedited travel in the Tuan faith. More importantly, though, was that, apparently, they were going to bleed out a whole-ass horse. That wasn't exactly something you could do discreetly.

While Felix didn't think much of it, Aiichi's polite smile was cemented into place. How clever they must've thought they were being. He didn't see himself as much of a vindictive person, but he would derive pleasure in the climate the secretaries would find themselves in when they returned to Luminary. For how much they craved it, so many from that country were terribly ignorant to the fact the power of a country resided in its citizens.

Caius spoke up as he had promised, but as Head Secretary Ezar tried to override it, it was time for Felix to speak up.

"Actually," he started, raising a hand slightly, giving off a strong impression of innocence. "I understand how important it is for your religion, but I find slaughter quite distasteful. I would never ask you to call the whole thing off, but rather, I do not think I would be able to give such a sacred act the veneration it deserves. If it truly is not necessary for me to be present, I would not like to ruin something so special to you all."

"I will come fetch you when your part comes in, then, Fe," Aiichi nodded. "I have to admit, I am rather curious to see a binding ritual performed, and I deeply appreciate the invitation to observe. While not as widespread as in Luminary, we do have those who practice the Tuan faith in Dicea. I will always take an opportunity to understand my people better--and our new allies as well!"

There was a bit of shuffling as Felix worked his way to the back of the line.

"...certainly. Of course," the Head Secretary said, after apparently debating with himself for a few seconds, his gentle, cheerful smile back on his face. "I apologize. If Caius' betrothed doesn't wish to attend, that's an entirely different matter. Of course, we would never want to pressure anyone into an uncomfortable situation. Very well then! Let's keep going, everyone."

As they got to the end of the staircase, Caius found his fears had been valid. The space was large but relatively empty and un-obstructed. Even if Felix had moved well onto the other side of the area, he would still have had a clear view of the process, let alone the sounds and smells associated. Right, the smell... considering they were only using this room for its drains, maybe it wouldn't be super inconvenient to...

"Yah-hah! My Prince!" said Priestess Angela Nagal, the priestess who had made the journey with them specifically for this ritual. She had also led sermons and prayer circles on the road, so he was very familiar with her, though they hadn't had too many opportunities to talk one-on-one. Still, he knew she was a hugger, so he opened his arms as she leapt into this, laughing cheerfully. "Oh dear, oh dear, it's today! It is time!"

"Yes, it is. Thank you again for coming such a long way for this, Priestess." Caius said, letting her go and stepping back to bow respectfully, "It's incredibly appreciated."

She waved off his gratitude. "Of course, of course! Oh, where is the other one? Pretty little thing? What was his name again?"

"Prince Felix, and he's coming down after the animal sacrifice. I'll be the one witnessing our guide’s passing. Um, actually," Caius said, taking the priestess' hand between his own and bowing his head again, the priestess smiling at the display as behind him the General loudly sighed. "I know you've already set up down here. I appreciate all the candles and rugs you've put around, it looks really nice. But considering the, uh, size of our animal, would it be okay if we brought the bowl upstairs to him instead?"

"Prince Caius!" the Head Secretary tried to interject, but the priestess cut him off, waving her hands again.

"Of course! You think I wanted to do this in this damp, stupid place? It smells of mold and dullness. At least we could do it out in the sun!" she said, knowing that her position as a priestess put her in a unique position where she really didn't have to give much consideration to the Head Secretary's ire, who was openly glowering now, twice shot down.

Turning to the king, the priestess gave a slight bow as she said, "That is not meant to be a dig against you, My King. I know you all gave us the best space you could for our purposes. But they are dull, terrible places you have given us. So yes, if it is okay to move the second part of the ritual to a field or something? Much better! Tua be pleased!"

"Tua be pleased," Caius mimicked back cheerfully, and was, in fact, the only one to do so.

There were, in fact, not that many true believers in the room.

"Okay! Let's do it, then!" Priestess Angela said, taking Caius by the arm and leading him over to the horse. "Say hello, Caius! This will be your guide! He is very strong, and very fast, but quite gentle. Please, feel free to give him a pet! I have been petting him for the last hour! It is divine!"

Aiichi chuckled kindly at the priestess, nodding his head respectfully. "No offense taken, Priestess Angela. It's not exactly a temple, is it? This room was chosen for its drains, but I think you are correct. We will have to provide better accommodations for our religious friends in the future."

"As for where to relocate, have you had the chance to see the backlot of the castle? This certainly wouldn't be the first event we've had there. Along those lines, if you wouldn't mind indulging my curiosity..." The boss and priestess continued on to talk animatedly about the finer points of Tuan practices and beliefs, Aiichi actually genuinely interested in learning more, and Angela happy to spread the knowledge of her faith.

As she let him go, she practically skipped back to the king, asking him if there was anything he wanted to know before they got started. Letting their conversation be background fodder, Caius looked over the horse.

It was big, with a broad back and strong legs, and entirely black, with the exception of some white spotting near his tail. And like she said, despite his massiveness, there was a gentleness in his eyes, the horse not flinching or turning away at all as Caius reached out to pet him down the nose, instead just looking curiously at Caius.

"Hello," Caius said quietly. "So...you're the one, huh? Thank you for being here. I am in your debt."

"Um, so, what's his name?" Caius called back, still petting him, admittedly trying to figure out how exactly they had gotten him down here, and how on earth were they going to get him out? He was massive.

The Head Secretary, getting around the priestess' excited answers to whatever random thing the king was asking about, walked over to Caius, the gentle smile back on his face as he reached out to put a hand on Caius' shoulder. Caius, not wanting to make an incident, just bore it quietly, if not a little more focused on his feet than the horse now.

"We found him our second day here, taking a look through the markets. He was a carriage horse but look at him. Could have been a warhorse, easily. Wasted potential. So we bought him from the carriage driver and brought him here in the night. The driver said his name was Thick-Foot, which I thought, perhaps, was a little on the uninspired side, so I gave him a new name."

Reaching out with his free hand to pet the horse, Ezar said with a smile, "Prince Caius, meet Aphelion."

Caius had found himself, involuntarily, trying to take a step back, away from the Head Secretary, a repulsion in him that he wasn't actually used to feeling. The Head Secretary's grip didn't allow him to make that movement though, and though Caius' mind was swimming with questions and concerns, he still had the foresight of mind not to make an incident in front of the king, instead whispering "H...how?"

"Hmmm?" the Head Secretary said, still admiring the horse as he asked, unconcerned, "How what, my prince?"

"H-how did you know about-"

"-How did I know about two stupid boys, running around the capital city under false names, risking a fifteen-year war and countless lives to go drink in a pub, frolic in some gardens, and then fight, extremely publicly, in parks together?" Ezar’s hands squeezed, "Did you think you were being subtle, you stupid child?"

Caius' stomach dropped, neck reddening in embarrassment and shame. In that moment, honestly, he could have been eight again, being explained all the ways he had been wrong, and his brother had been right...god, the urge to just drop into a submission bow was...

No. You're not a child anymore. And this...this was totally disrespectful!

"A guide is meant to be chosen for its symbolism and its strength." Caius murmured, anger putting a growl in the edge of each word as he said, "It's meant to be an honor to the animal chosen. Are you telling me you dismissed a highly symbolic animal of peace, in exchange for a horse, just to, what...threaten Felix? Threaten me? During a ritual as important as this!?"

"I'd suggest you hold your tongue, my prince, and remember who you are talking to," the Head Secretary said, leaning in close as he eyed the other occupants of the room carefully. "I know you feel real important right now, because all eyes have been on you for the last few months, but don't forget that the only reason you were chosen is that you were expendable if everything went wrong. Nothing else. A particularly well-trained royal dog could fill your position right now. Even better, honestly. At least a trained dog could growl on command."

Caius clenched his fists, breathing through his nose. He couldn't rise to the bait. He had no idea what the Head Secretary was even trying to do right now, but if the goal was to make him angry, then Caius wasn't going to let him have it.

Caius took a breath, said a quick prayer to Tua, and came back into the conversation refocused. Calm, even.

"I don't know what you were hoping to get from this, but I'm not giving it to you," Caius whispered, the horse, wanting more attention, nuzzling into his arm for a moment. "I'm not some puppet that will dance for you, and I'm not going to try to push Felix out of command. It's done. I've decided already."

Ezar smiled, finally allowing the hand to drop. Caius took an easier breath without it.

"Yes, yes. Quite the hero, aren't you. A pathetic kind of hero, but I can see how this would seem heroic to you, in its own way. It's a real shame then. How if things continue on like this, the beautiful prince will, in about a month, end up hating your guts for your efforts."

Caius's brows furrowed. "What do you-"

"Are we ready?” The priestess called over, apparently the king's discussion with her wrapped up as she walked to the prince and Head Secretary, who both took a step away from each other, the conversation put on hold for an audience. She was wielding a beautiful, blue, incredibly sharp curved ceremonial dagger, and was holding a simple, wooden bowl. "I am tired of this basement! Let's do this thing! Everyone in kneeling positions, give our guide the proper respect he deserves!"

The Head Secretary, smiling at Caius, went to take his spot on a kneeling board, which was elevated and put reasonably far back so that the spray wouldn't reach it. Caius, lingering, looked over to the horse, who again, bumped against his shoulder, looking for more pets. Obligingly, he put a hand on the horse’s nose, petting up and down...and felt tears start to sting his eyes.

"I'm still grateful you're here," Caius told the horse, guilt gnawing away at him as the horse gave him a slow, sleepy blink. "Even if the reason you were chosen was meant to hurt me, I am still grateful to you. I..." Caius blinked, a tear falling down, then another, as he put his head against the horse, feeling its warmth against him. "I will see you on the other side. Thank you for waiting for us."

Then Caius took a seat and watched as the priestess, her voice bouncy and bubbly, started to say the ceremonial words, and if anyone noticed his tears, they said nothing about it.

Meanwhile, Felix didn't stray far from the stairs leading to the basement, but he did find himself pacing around the landing, trying to calm himself down. He sort of wanted to go find where Alonne was, ask him what he wanted to tell Caius so he could pass it on, or see if he knew anything more about where MacKenzie had been sent. Not things that would help any in easing his nerves, but important things.

So he paced, sleeves fluttering in his wake, almost as erratic as the fluttering in his stomach.

Nearby, a small child was bouncing on the backs of his feet, wondering if it was really safe to go up to Prince Felix, who he had been staring at from around the corner. The prince probably, ya know...wouldn't want to see him. But Timothy had promised the detective that he would give Caius the note and since Timothy hadn't seen an opening to do that yet...

Screw it! Go!

Timothy walked up to Felix quickly and, the second he noticed the prince's eyes on him, fell to his knees, putting his head on the ground, holding out a slightly crumpled piece of paper in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't kill me, I've brought a message from Mr. Aire!"

The message read:

The way we came.

Felix was surprised to see Timothy, and even more, as he immediately fell into a Luminous Submission Bow. At least a little more prepared for it now, Felix sighed quietly and carefully lowered himself to kneel in front of the boy, even if it was a more difficult motion for him in the clothes he was wearing.

Accepting the paper, Felix didn't look at it right away, even if it was important. This was important too. He didn't reach out to the child, not wanting to scare him further, but kept his hands in his lap, just sitting there in front of Timothy. "I'm not going to kill you. After everything everyone did to prevent that, it'd be a pretty dick move on my part."

"Not to mention that's just not how we do things here," he sighed again. "Even for people who do pretty dumb things. MacKenzie may teach you all sorts of things, but personally, I hope you never get a real mission, Timothy."

Waiting to see if his words actually reached the boy, Felix opened the note in his palm, brow furrowing as he sucked in a breath and tucked the paper into his sash to pass on to Caius later. 'The way we came'? Did...that mean MacKenzie had been sent to Luminary? A concerningly long trip, but...she could handle herself, surely. And the only Diceans notably in Luminary were the ambassadors, who would be preparing to return tomorrow. It was...gross, but their work was already done. Ezar wouldn't order a hit on his own people, would he?

Caius would likely know what the note meant. Way more than any speculation Felix could come up with, anyway. They wouldn't have much time to talk privately, but at least Caius would get the message.

"Thank you for passing the message on. I'll make sure Caius knows too--would be a pretty sad wedding without a word from one of his best friends, right?" They were alone, but there was no telling if someone from the basement would decide to come up.

Timothy looked up at the prince, eyes at first full of distrust...but after a few more comments, feeling reassured that the prince wasn't going to immediately take revenge upon seeing him, he pulled himself up from his bow, wiping the front of his clothes off with an embarrassed sniffle.

This time, in a respectful bow instead, he said, "I know you're going to be my prince now, and my king someday. I'm...I'm glad I didn't succeed in killing you!" The small child said, his eyes swimming in frustrated tears, "Miss Stone explained it to me. It's not your fault the war’s over. I guess the war is just...supposed to be over now?" The child was clearly still confused over the finer points of the conflict, before bowing further, "And this wedding is just a part of that, I guess. But it would have been wrong to blame you or Prince Momento. I'm sorry!"

Felix couldn't help huffing a laugh. "I'm glad you didn't kill me, too. That would really suck for me." 

Then, as if afraid to hear anything else back, the kid started to run away...and then stopped, looking back and bowing again, remembering. "Miss Stone said I couldn't go with her for her job, but she said I'm in charge of watching after you and Prince Momento! So...so I'll do my best! And if you see me sneaking around watching please tell me because I'm not super good at hiding yet and I need to know or I won't learn none! Okay-thank you-bye!"

He waved to Timothy as he scampered off, the little shit. He'd be a fun kid to have around--Felix could level up his sneaking skills right alongside him. Avoiding the guardforce had never been particularly hard. Now, avoiding an assassin-trainee? That'd be a real challenge.

Almost as soon as he was out of sight, the doors opened, and a row of everyone who had been downstairs came up, some of them fine, others looking... a little disturbed. Watching a horse die was an exhausting process, and the only two people who seemed entirely unbothered were the Head Secretary Ezar and the Priestess Angela, who, upon seeing Felix, giggled in joy, bouncing up to him and enveloping him in a hug.

For being the only one close to the horse when it died, she was remarkably clean, only her shoes and ankles stained by it as she shouted, "Oh, there he is! My cute little prince! Oh, I have been waiting to meet you!" Growing still and patting the back of Felix's head, she said, "Tua bless you this day, all days, Prince Felix! Rejoice! He is a strong, sexy god, who loves you dearly for who you are."

Caius, who was the last to get up the stairs, his eyes still red-rimmed, chuckled nervously at the display. "Felix, I see you've met Priestess Angela. Apologies, she's a bit... hands-on. Priestess, I'm certain whoever put Felix's makeup on today would be weeping if they could see you trying to mush it around like that."

"Right, right, fine! No more hugs from the priestess!" Angela pouted, letting Felix go before giving him a smile and a wink. "Oh, my prince, you should have seen your guide! Such a strong beast to come with you to the afterlife! And the horse was pretty big too!" she said, winking at Caius who just looked at Felix with a sheepish, apologetic grin. "You will be served well in the afterlife, I am sooooo super jealous of you! Okay! Now someone lead the way, where are we going?! Gotta get this blood mixed while it's still hot with Aphelion's energy! Let's go! Let's go!"

Looking over as he heard the door open, Felix was entirely unprepared to be nearly bowled over by a ball of bloody sunshine. Not that he could really see the blood splattered on her with how she'd pulled him to her chest. He flailed a little in the woman's grasp, trying to keep his balance though he doubted he could get so far in her grasp.

"U-um...thank you?" That was how you responded to someone blessing you, right? He glanced to Caius when he came up, trying to gain some context, but... Was the ceremony just that emotional for believers?

Once Priestess Angela released him, Aiichi came over to help Felix to his feet, adjusting the imaginary rumples from his clothes. And thankfully didn't comment or...wink or smirk or anything when Felix flushed lightly from the priestess' innuendo. Instead, the boss just looked contemplative as he ushered Felix forward.

"We're doing this somewhere else? W--" Felix quickly shut his mouth, keeping his shock contained to just a slight stiffening in his form, his father thankfully masking the moment by explaining the change in plans. ...they named the horse Aphelion? In that moment, he realized what had happened. How odd. They really thought something like this would break his resolve?

He tried to catch Caius' eye, trying to convey that he needed to talk to him. The secretaries’ little tantrum could wait--he had something more important to give the prince.

Caius was exhausted. Aphelion had been a strong horse and had survived a...a long time. Longer than the other sacrifices Caius had seen in the other binding rituals he had been witness to. While he was trying to stay positive about it, he couldn't help but feel like his and Felix's guide's slow, painful death, drowning in its own blood as it tried to run from its bindings, almost landing a kick at the Priestess' head, who had laughed it off, and managing to put several cracks in the wall before succumbing to the cut across its throat...

It all felt like a terrible omen. He wanted to find his friends and just hold them for a while...but that wasn't an option, as the Head Secretary put a hand on his back, gently pushing him forward as he said, "Come along, my prince, Priestess Angela says we are on a time limit. Wouldn't want all that trouble downstairs to be a waste, would you?"

Caius frowned at the Head Secretary. What had...what had he been trying to tell him before? Why would Felix hate him in a month? Had the secretary found out about Caius' wedding gift? But, why would Felix hate him for that? What had he meant?

Caius, on the move, saw Felix's pointed glance and...wasn't really in a position to do much about it, as the group moved as a whole, heading down the hallway as led by the King. The Priestess kept insisting they needed to hurry, so hurry the group did, and Caius, under the guidance of the Head Secretary, was guided with it.

With their expedited speed, it wasn't long at all before their little party arrived in the castle's backyard, looking just as pleasant as it had the other day when Caius had had his spars. It had been just two days ago, but Felix couldn't help feeling like so much had changed.

They'd found one saboteur, only to discover a deeper-set one, he now knew that Caius had never underestimated him (except for physical things, which was entirely fair), he...maybe had friends. Those were pretty big changes!

Felix let himself be guided into position, trying not to look at the bowl. It was just a bowl! The priestess would prick his finger, he'd say a few words, get some gross stuff on his forehead that he'd soon wash off, then it'd be done. Then he had to get married.

Deep breaths, Felix. Just not in the direction of the bowl.

"Is everything ready to go?"

It was a lot nicer out here than it was in the blood-soaked basement, which Caius was certain a bunch of servants were going to have a hell of a time cleaning up. Kneeling next to Felix, Caius took a deep breath, unclasping the armor on his arm, putting it aside, and then rolling up his sleeve. He saw a bunch of freshly, just now healing cuts on that arm already, and looked at it curiously. When...when had he gotten these again? So much had happened in the last week that he genuinely couldn't recall how he had gotten the arm cuts. Maybe it was something that had happened during the Checker Pollen incident? Or one of the spars? Maybe when he fell at the stabbings?

Who knew? Oh well. At least they looked like they were healing alright. Time to add another one.

...come on Caius! Perk up! He had been looking forward to this ritual his whole life! Just...try to get into it!

As the Priestess opened up her book, reading from passages of how Tua had first made the souls and then, realizing the soul was fragile alone, had strengthened it by connecting it to others, Caius leaned into Felix, bumping him playfully on the shoulder a little.

"You alright?" Caius asked, clearing his throat as he realized his tears from earlier had clogged him a bit, saying slightly clearer, "We're almost done. This next part's gonna go fast, I promise."

They were close together, but it would be far too obvious to try and pass on the note now. Not with the priestess right in front of them and all other eyes on them. They did have a bit of time after this before the wedding started, so hopefully, no one would insist on stupid things like the couple not being able to see each other. Especially with Alonne missing in action... Felix didn't want to leave Caius alone with his advisors if he could help it.

Felix listened idly to the Tuan texts, not really absorbing anything until Caius nudged him. Were they allowed to talk during this? Felix tilted his head a little, nudging Caius back. "I'm fine. While you all were downstairs I got a message of congratulations from Alo-mi. I'll tell you the whole thing later." Even if it was alright to more or less disregard what Priestess Angela was reading, Felix still kept his voice low.

"Are you alright? Sorry I had to leave you to it..."

Had one of the advisors tried to threaten him again? The horse was one thing, but if they tried to double up...ugh. He couldn't wait 'til they were gone.

Alonne had gotten in contact with Felix? Good, good! That was a good thing! Caius had been starting to worry about his friend, having failed to spot him once yet, despite moving from event to event. But if Felix had seen him, that was a relief.

...but then...why wasn't he here?

Caius looked around the field in hopes that he might spot him, but he couldn't look very far without coming across as rude to the priestess, who was now asking Tua to bind their guide to them so that they would go safely together through the afterlife. Talk between the couple binding was an accepted part of the practice, and again, if the crowd was less formal and more friendly, there would be calls from the audience as well, people praising Tua or wishing the couple a happy eternity together, every now and again a joker calling out, "This is your last chance to run!"

This crowd was just quiet, as everyone, for the most part, was just waiting for it to be over.

Caius chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "Do I look that bad? I'm fine. It was a nice horse. He let me pet him! I think you'll like him," Caius said, sighing in exhaustion as he said, "...hey, Felix? Is there...anything happening? A month from-"

"Naughty boys, whispering through my sermons. Truly Tua blesses this lovestruck couple, who cannot keep their eyes off each other!" the Priestess teased, holding the blade and offering her hand out to Felix first, saying with a wink, "I have heard cuts do not make your heart sing happy songs, so it will be just a little prick. We will do yours first, wait for you to steady, and then move on to your loving groom! Now, give me your hand."

Taking his offered hand, the Priestess said with a warm, sunny smile, "Tua is listening, my child. He is always listening, but what you say now, he finds more important and holds more dearly than ever. What is your request of Tua, Prince Felix?"

Fuck. Good thing he'd been able to wait outside. If he met the horse, pet it, knowing that it'd be killed for no real reason just moments after... Still, Felix offered Caius a small smile for his sake. If it comforted him to think he'd see the horse again after death...it was a kind enough lie that Felix felt no need to shatter.

However, his smile dropped off when Caius tried to get through something else, though he turned his attention back to the priestess. Something happening in a month? There...wasn't anything he could think of off the top of his head, specifically. The same administrative matters, people starting to return home from war...

"Ah, thank you," Felix murmured, trying not to sound distracted, holding his sleeve up as he offered his hand to Angie. The blade looked...rather wicked, but it was just going to be a little prick, which had never given him any trouble before. He'd be fine.

As he was prompted, Felix opened his mouth to say the words Caius had taught him before he paused. This was something he could do, even if he didn't believe. "I wish to always be by Cai-mi's side, even if not physically. I want him to never feel completely alone, and to know that I'll always be cheering him on, even for dumb things. Um. Tua bind us."

No matter who tried to isolate him, Caius had Alonne and MacKenzie, and now he had him. He'd protect his dumbass with everything he had.

Oh...oh no.

Caius was going to start crying again.

His eyes stinging like mad, Caius watched the Priestess gently prick at Felix's pinky finger, holding the finger over the bowl and ever so slightly squeezing as they waited for the cut to leak out a few drops. It took a bit, but she was patient as finally one, two, three drops fell into the bowl. Passing Felix a small cloth from her pocket to place against the cut, she then dug out of another pocket a mixing stick, mixing Felix's droplets with the wet pool of horse blood at the bottom of the bowl.

"Tua hears and blesses your wish, Prince Felix. Very well said!" she congratulated before looking over to Caius, whose eyes were swimming as he was biting his lip and gripping his legs, trying to keep himself under control as she laughed. "Awwww, my sweet cry-baby! It is okay, my prince, many people get emotional during their bindings. I've always preferred the criers to the stoics, personally. You can hear in them their hearts, so full and raw with emotion. So cute! Give me your hand."

Caius nodded, handing his arm out. Showing him where on his wrist she was going to cut, she said, "Tua is listening, Prince Caius. And as you are the type who would speak to him often, I know Tua is looking forward to hearing a request from his old friend. What is your request of Tua, Prince Caius?"

"If...if I were to die, a long way away, a long time before Felix does, I want to wait for him. To be there for him, if Tua would allow it. I..." Caius thought of Felix, and the people surrounding them, and, steeling his nerves, he said clearly and loudly, "I want to be around because I want to see all the amazing things he's going to do! I want to watch and cheer him on when he hits every milestone, defeats every challenge, and surpasses all expectations of him! Tua bind us, so I get to see it all!"

Again, in a different crowd, this might have been met with friendly cheering, maybe a family members’ tears. Instead, it was just silence, with the exception of a small, involuntary, "Tsk," from Secretary Ragna.

But the Priestess just smiled, saying, "Wonderful! Tua hears you, and is overjoyed! Hold still!" and then cut, deeply, into Caius' wrist, Caius hissing at the pain before suppressing it, squaring his shoulders and squeezing his fist to allow the blood to pool into the bowl.

The cut had to be deep to leave a scar, which the Priestess knew Caius would value in the years ahead. However, keeping in mind Felix, she didn't let the cut bleed as long as she might otherwise have, handing Caius not just a cloth, but some bandages as well to start binding the wound with. "Very well done!" she sang, taking the mixing stick and swirling the blood thoroughly together until no one could reasonably say where one person’s blood started and the other ended. Taking the mixing stick, she started with Caius, dabbing the blood onto his forehead. Then she did the same to Felix, being certain to not mess up his hair as she put a little dab of the blood on him as well.

Standing back up and stepping back, she said with a smile, "Tua hears your request, and because he loves you, blesses your union and binds you. You shall never again be alone, no matter what dangers come, and together you will make it paradise. And hopefully, have fun on the journey as well! Tua be pleased!"

"Tua be pleased," Caius mimicked, a giddy grin on his face, placing a hand against his chest...before the grin fell into something more somber as, with various levels of polite enthusiasm, their audience all clapped for them.

And, just like that, it was done. Everyone started to clean up and talk among themselves as Angela, passing them both some more clean cloths, said, "Some people leave their blood bindings on all day, but I've heard that may not go over so well for the wedding, so here! Tua will not mind! He loves you, after all!"

Bowing, she went to collect her supplies.

Caius took a moment to reach up to his forehead and feel the bind, taking his fingers down to see the mix of blood on there. "Huh...I really thought I'd feel it..." He considered it a moment before, without any more ceremony, wiping it off. Looking over to Felix with a concerned grin. "I see you're still standing. You feeling alright?"

It really wasn't bad. The prick was quick and he didn't even really feel anything other than the priestess squeezing his finger. And he was careful not to look down at the bowl. That would probably get him worse than the cut. Still, he was careful to apply pressure on it when Angie passed him the cloth, knowing that, as small as it was, he'd still bleed a little more than the average person.

What did actually make his heart skip a beat, though, was when it was Caius' turn. Felix had been staring somewhere out in the middle distance past Angela, but when his fiancé started speaking, Felix found his attention drawn to the man beside him with an almost magnetic pull.

...he wasn't going to cry. Denji could go screw themself, even if they weren't there; he was not going to cry. Even at something like Caius loudly and proudly declaring his faith in him. S-something no one had ev-ever...

Felix blinked rapidly, looking to the side just in time to miss Angela stab the blade into Caius' wrist. He still shuddered a little, just from his hiss of pain, but not that, not even the bewildered stare he could feel coming from his father could stop his heart from melting.

He ended up looking forward again as the priestess dabbed their foreheads and luckily the blood had cooled enough that it just felt like...thick water. Sorta. And it was over.

Letting out a breath, Felix wiped his forehead and slowly made his way back to a standing position without, like, flashing anyone or loosening his robes. In the movements, though, he was able to retrieve Alonne's note with no one the wiser. Caius' concern was sweeter than it had any right to be, so for his efforts, Felix gave him a smirk. "A few drops won't kill me--I'm not that frail. I'm fine."

"Should probably keep this on for a little bit, though." Felix held his hand up, indicating the cloth he held to the cut, using that as a distraction to slip Caius the note with his other hand. "Luckily we don't have to run right to the park or anything."

Caius looked down at the paper that Felix had been pressing against his abdomen, taking it and, if only because Felix seemed to be trying to hide it from the others, leaned in close to Felix, using his body to hide opening the paper and reading it over.

Back the way we came? Caius's brow furrowed. This was clearly Alonne's handwriting, but...why be so vague? Was he afraid the note would get intercepted and didn't want to give away...what? The direction MacKenzie had presumably gone? Or...oh.

That's why he wasn't here.

"...he's gone after her," Caius said quietly, clutching the paper so tightly that it started to tear, frustration oozing out of every word. "He just wanted us to know which direction he was going. He's gonna try to stop her himself...dammit. Why??"

Caius put the note away, tucking it into his armor, as he said, "Not to sound cold, but...we don't try to stop her. We always just wait for her to come back. Why is Alonne...what does he know that would make him take a risk like this? Going alone? Shit..."

Felix looked down at his hand, seemingly judging if the bleeding had slowed to outsiders, keeping the appearance of their conversation vague. Even if he clenched his jaw so hard his head started to hurt a little. Idiots, the lot of them.

MacKenzie would be alright on her own, even for a relatively long time. Alonne? Caius had said he was trained to fight, but Felix couldn't help but worry. About his safety, and what the mission actually was to get him to go after her. It wasn't a bluff just to get Caius' escorts out of the city, he was sure. It was real, and something big.

"Should I ask someone to go after them? As backup. It would probably look better if there's someone from Dicea vouching for them..." Felix hummed, lifting a sleeve over his mouth and taking a few steps back from Caius as the others started to approach. Or, get ready to, anyway. It would...probably be difficult to break away to find someone trustworthy.

"Fe!" He could hear his father call out to him. "You should probably lie down for a little bit--that was intense. We have a little bit of time, so you should use it to rest."

He didn't even pretend to hide his glower.

"I mean, if you have someone you know you can trust..." Caius whispered back, before flinching, looking inexplicably guilty as the King called out to Felix.

His own shoulders slumped as Head Secretary Ezar, seeing his opportunity, called out, "Yes, Prince Caius, come! We should go make sure your cut is properly bound as well! Leave Prince Felix, he'll be just fine under his father's careful eye."

God, what were they, ten? Caius felt like he was being called in from hanging out with friends in the courtyard before the sky got too dark by one of the nannies. Still feeling confident from the declaration during the binding, and being so close to the freedom the peace treaty would provide, Caius was almost ready to just tell them off...

...but something was up. Between the comments on Felix, Alonne's desperate move, and MacKenzie's job, something was going on. And honestly, the best way to find out about what was going on would be to hear it from its source. Caius knew from experience that if he was just quiet, Mas-SECRETARY Ezar would feel comfortable to fill the space with his own self-impressed gloating.

But...was it really safe to go with him? If the plan was as bad as it was starting to look like, what if, the next time he saw Felix, he was...convinced?

Cornered?

...well, then Felix would come up with something! Caius had said he was going to believe in him, right? Believe in Felix, MacKenzie, and Alonne? Well, this was part of that! If Caius got cornered, he could trust in them to save him!

After all, every good hero saga has a strong ensemble cast to rely on! Friends, sidekicks, and comrades they can rely on during the hard times! Otherwise, well, the hero would just be an over-powered loner jerk! No fun to read about at all!

Honestly, he was probably psyching himself up too much for just being momentarily separated from Felix, but fuck it, he's had a really, really long week now. He was allowed a few extra pep talks to himself.

Turning to Felix, he reached out for his betrothed’s hand, the one with the cut on it. "May I?" he asked, gently taking it up and leaning down low, turning the hand around. He placed a kiss on the opposite side of the cut digit. His cheeks flushing red, he looked up from the hand, winking at Felix as he said, "Two kisses. Even less pressure now." 

Letting Felix's hand go, Caius straightened up and said, "I know you're good, but please go with your father. I think it might be a good idea to be surrounded by people you trust right now. And I...I'm gonna see if I can't make use of this." Nodding his head towards the Head Secretary, who was clearly getting more and more annoyed as he was made to wait on this display.

"I'll try to bring back more information. You can trust in me," Caius said, giving him his Prince of the Stars smile, before dropping the smile and, staring at the ground, jogged over to the advisors, allowing himself to be led inside without a backward glance.

God. They were both insufferable. However, he'd still take Aiichi over Ezar any day. And...at least Caius wouldn't have to suffer the old man for much longer. Then they'd only have one asshole to deal with.

Felix didn't want to leave Caius alone with the secretary, and he didn't want to give in to his dad, but...those were likely the best options to do what they needed to do. Aiichi wouldn't be able to keep watch over him the whole time, and maybe Caius would beat Ezar at his own game and get the missing pieces to their puzzle.

Set on the plan, he almost didn't even notice Caius taking his hand, but there was no way he could miss the. The kiss. Different, more intimate than the one last night. Still not a proper one that would actually take the pressure off, but Felix lit up pink.

...maybe it would be a good idea to lie down. For just a second.

With an affectionate squeeze of his shoulders, Aiichi cooed and brought Felix back inside, chatting lightly about what he'd learned about Tuan faith from Priestess Angela, more just filling space without meaning until they came to an empty parlor and he could set his son down on a chaise.

"Those were some heart-warming speeches you two had, very sweet. I'm proud of you, Fe, for doing your best. I can't imagine it was very easy for you to ask something of a god you don't believe in, but Caius seemed very happy. You two seem good for each other."

Felix just shrugged as he stretched out to appease the older man. "We need to set a good example, right? Not everyone's going to believe in coexistence right away. I can say a few pretty words."

"You're really growing up..." There was something fond in the leader's voice, something genuine that Felix didn't think he'd ever heard before. Not directed at him, at least. He blinked up at his father before the man straightened.

"So! The ceremony will start in a little under three hours, but we will need to be at the park before that. If I can't myself, someone will come to escort you. Please rest until then, Fe. Take some breaths. What you're doing is very important, but I wish for you to be happy and healthy on your wedding day."

"Yeah, yeah..."