Diverging Roads

The fresh breeze of the road was a welcomed departure from the dark and stagnant air of the Barona Catacombs. Despite the invisible weight that hung over the capital, the open road felt free of such unpleasantries. The sun shined down on them, with no concern for wars of succession. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees with no regard to the bodies of loved ones buried amid their roots.

They were walking past a fork in the dusty road when Asbel paused for a moment. The road to Gralesyde was the largest, but there were also smaller roads breaking out in different directions. Richard stopped and glanced down the side road, but it was a small and unmarked route. It didn't look large enough for a turtle transport to travel down and it was slightly overgrown from disuse. Sophie only stopped to look back at them when she was already several steps ahead of them.

"Is something wrong, Asbel?" he asked as he took a step closer to his friend.

Asbel shook his head quickly in response. "No, it's nothing," he said with an unconvincing smile as he hurried to take the lead in their group once again.

Richard hastened his pace to catch up with the trainee knight, skeptical of his quick dismissal. Sophie trailed several feet behind them, occasionally pausing and picking shiny objects off the side of the road. They were out of earshot, but the prince still decided to be discreet.

"Where did that road lead?" he questioned, both curious and concerned.

Asbel's gaze fell to the ground momentarily, as though in guilt. "Ah, well…it's a pretty old road; I haven't taken it in ages."

"But where does it lead?" the prince asked for a second time.

"Just west," he shrugged.

Richard still wasn't satisfied with the vague answers. "Don't you remember?"

"…Lhant," he said reluctantly. "It's a side road to Lhant."

The prince couldn't ignore the unusual distance his friend used when discussing his home. Even though it had been a long time since they met as children, such a subdued demeanor was strange for Asbel. The knight hastened his pace, but Richard did the same to keep up with him.

"You haven't said much about your own circumstances for being in the catacombs," Richard said gently, trying to test the sensitivity of the topic. "I'm relieved that you did not side with the knights, but exactly what happened to you?"

The heir to Lhant was silent for a moment before responding. "I was banished from Lhant. Hubert is working for the Strahtan government and it's in his control now, I couldn't take care of it on my own."

Though he didn't mention his father directly, it wasn't difficult for the prince to mentally connect the dots. A pang of guilt shot through his thoughts as he considered how long it took him to question his friend on his own situation. They had been travelling together for the better part of the day before the topic finally came up.

"That situation will only be temporary," Richard said reassuringly. "I'll see it to myself if need be, once we're in power again."

Asbel smiled slightly but shook his head. "Hubert's probably a better choice for lord anyway. I just hope to be able to go back sometime."

"Do you still have no interest in being the Lord of Lhant?"

His reservations were shown once again in the few seconds that passed before he replied. "I feel like I should be more obligated to do it. My mother thinks that there shouldn't be any alternative."

"You're welcomed to stay in Windor after we've reclaimed it," he offered, a bit too quickly. "You shouldn't be completely enslaved to the wishes of your family."

The wording was almost too personal, the suggestion was nearly too eager, but Asbel didn't give any indication of noticing. Instead, he responded one of those smiles that was still so strikingly similar to the one the prince remembered. It pulled at the corners of his lips in just the same way, though not quite as quickly as it did when they were children. His eyes were also gentler now, with more calmness rather than an overabundance of reckless eagerness. Things had undoubtedly changed since they were younger, but they were still the same two people bound a step apart by their respective duties.

"Thank you for the offer, Richard," he said as he started to bow.

Richard stepped forward and set a hand on Asbel's shoulder to stop him. The prince smiled, almost sadly to see how time changed their relationship.

"There's no need for that," he said quickly.

Asbel's hand went to his cheek, a gesture of discomfort that Richard noticed him doing several times since they met up. Sophie started to wander back over to them and listened to their conversation.

"It's a little weird to be so informal with you now," Asbel admitted.

"It never seemed to bother you when we were younger," Richard said jokingly. "You thought nothing of barging in through my window back then."

Asbel laughed a bit awkwardly at the memory. "I doubt that you'd really appreciate that these days."

"I wouldn't mind, as long as it was you," Richard said lightly.

Before Asbel could determine if the prince was joking or not, Sophie stopped when she stood beside the two of them. They both looked over at her when she looked up at them, though her eyes were as blank and emotionless.

"You should hug," she said in a completely deadpan voice.

Asbel found himself regretting what he told Sophie when they saw a coupe in Barona. The girl had instantly become curious about their unusual public activities and he had to explain it in some reasonable manner without having to explain couples in depth to someone so young.

"Oh, there's no need for that," Asbel said as he glanced to the ground.

"No. Hug." Sophie said blankly. "That's what you said friends do after doing something weird."

"Well, that situation was a little different," Asbel said, trying to channel Captain Malik's ability to talk his way out of anything.

"Then you're not friends?" Sophie asked, almost pouting.

"No, it's not that, it's just…well, different," the knight rambled while Sophie only looked more confused.

"It's fine, we'll hug," Richard said amusedly.

Asbel cast him an apologetic look while Sophie poked him forward. Asbel obliged and put his arms around the monarch awkwardly. He was stuck between thinking back to when he would have thought nothing of such a gesture and the reality of the present; he was embracing the rightful king of Windor, which fell far from the category of chivalry or respect. He did distantly notice that under the layers of royal regalia, the prince was thinner than he expected. It was a melancholy reminder that he probably worried about poisoning just as much as he did when they were young.

"There you go, Sophie," Asbel said as they parted. "You have nothing to worry about."

She nodded and started to take the lead down the road.

"I'm sorry about that," Asbel sighed, speaking quietly enough to ensure that she wouldn't hear. "It's just that there was this couple in Barona and they were kissing and then they hugged and she said it looked awkward and I didn't know how else to explain."

Richard listened to the long winded summation and nodded. "It's alright. Explanations aside, you seem a little more like yourself now."

"I do?" he asked lamely.

The prince nodded and started strolling forward. "It's good to see, but we ought to keep going. We want to reach Gralesyde before nightfall."

Asbel nodded, a bit confusedly, and followed. He glanced down the dusty road leading into Lhant one final time before redirecting his gaze to the road ahead and the two people he was travelling with. He may have left family behind in Lhant, but he was far from alone. The war ahead of them was more than just border disputes; it was a battle for the entire country alongside the rightful king himself.

Someday.

Someday…

…Someday…I will remember how to spell Gralesyde and Strahta. I've written both so many times that it's pretty pathetic to still get them wrong. :B

Anyway! This oneshot is for Assbele, who suggested the prompt of Richard cheering Asbel up. She also suggesting the timeframe of when Asbel got banished from Lhant, so I rolled with that. :D The whole hug part was a pretty derpy idea, but…it stayed. XD

My remaining and upcoming prompts from Tumblr are…

"Lost together" from SexuallyFrustratedShark

"Failed attempts at wooing" from Phantomlayla

"Find Sir Meows-a-lot in the palace before Captain Cockblock or Duke Whiney ruins the moment" from FlowerWithNoName

Along with five other random oneshots and two multichapter items on my List of Shame. It isn't a to do list anymore; it's a List of Shame.