The peace that formerly reigned in Terra Nova has eroded, now little more than a memory. War ravages the continent. Disputes divide kingdoms; ideals divide families. The quest for power consumes absolutely and indiscriminately. None are immune to its allure.
Who will rise and who will fall? Only time—and ambition—will tell.
UPDATES
05.26.2023
2 month character creation hold for all existing members begins 6/5/2023. Ended 8/5/2023.
10.29.2023
Change in how times flows. Was 4 IC seasons, now only 2 IC seasons per 1 OOC year.
5 whole years of Heir Apparent goodness! When I started the site, I knew I was hunkering down for the long haul, but I never could have predicted the numerous twists and turns this roleplay site has seen. Hundreds of plots, characters, and members have come and gone, all leaving marks on the site. I am so very thankful for those who have invested. Because you keep coming back, keep getting on, and keep writing, Heir Apparent has the legacy it does today. Three cheers to us!
Morning, as far as Kester was concerned, came far too soon. Despite the blanket, the pillow, and Nephys at her back, the floor hadn’t provided a particularly restful sleep, and as she stretched and sat up, she was immediately glad that Kaveri had taken the bed. Speaking of— A glance to the side showed Kaveri still asleep, though the river otter who had migrated down to the bed to sleep tucked against his side had started to stir. When Walnut opened his eyes and blinked at her, she offered him a small smile.
Hi.
“Hi. That was a good sleep.”
You look comfortable.
“I wanna stay here forever.”
Well, we can’t, Kester replied, running her hands through her hair to detangle it before tying it up again. Kaveri has work soon, and we have to meet with Bowen.
“Bowen!” Walnut bolted upright. “We get to see Bowen again today!”
Kester winced, not even bothering to tell him to quiet down. If Kaveri and Nephys had been sleeping, they certainly weren’t anymore.
Nephys had woken as soon as Kester stirred, though he'd kept his eyes closed and hadn't moved just yet. Kaveri was more likely to awaken if he began to up himself, and his human needed all the sleep his could get.
The silence didn't last long, though. Sideways slatted eyes opened and looked at Walnut as he jumped up and squeaked. "Must you be so loud so early in the morning? Perhaps I did not miss you as much as I thought." The dyr said, turning his gaze on the otter. Kaveri was definitely awoken by the sounds of excitement. He jolted for a single moment, sighed, and then laid back down on the pillow.
"Walnut, you remember you shouldn't scare me like that, right?" He asked with a yawn. "I could have grabbed you and strangled you." He reached for his side, picking the otter up and holding him close to his chest, where he rubbed his knuckles gently over Walnut's head. "Why are you so excited to see--" he paused, ceasing his verbal speech. That Minister? He can't be that great.
Slinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he sat Walnut down on the floor near Kester and rubbed his face. I forgot what it's like to wake up with Walnut around, he admitted.
"As I said." Nephys agreed.
Kaveri's eyes moved up to Kester, looking her over as if to make sure she was okay. Surely sleeping on the floor hadn't been all that great, but she wore the morning look well. What are your plans for today? You gonna go request a meeting with him right now, come back, or walk around the city?
Nothing, not even the ram’s displeasure, could dampen the otter’s spirits in the face of a new day and what lay ahead, but he was too distracted by Kaveri’s sudden consciousness to immediately reply to Nephys. Eyes closed, he made a quiet noise of contentment as the Dresmondi rubbed the top of his head, belatedly offering a, “Sorry, Kaveri. I forgot.”
When he was set on the floor, he scampered over to Kester, who greeted him with a light scratch on the top of his head even as she ran her other hand down Nephys’s neck. Unlike the other two, she had not forgotten what it was like to wake up with Walnut around and offered a somewhat amused, somewhat commiserating grimace. Lucky you.
“Hey! I resent that remark!” Standing up on his hind legs, Walnut did his best approximation of an affronted human with his hands on his hips. Unfortunately, his forelegs were neither long enough nor did they bend in the right direction for such an action, so they merely ended up by his sides while his expression did all the work. “Is it so horrible to be excited to see a new friend?”
Walnut, he may be friendly, Kester reminded him, reaching to to pat the otter on the head. But that doesn’t make him a friend.
“You know, that’s exactly the reason neither of you have friends,” Walnut pointed out, turning to look at Kaveri, whom he knew agreed with Kester, regardless of whether he’d voiced it or not. “How are you supposed to make new ones if you don’t give anyone a chance?”
Kester looked at him, not really in the mood to be needled at over her reasonable suspicion regarding Bowen. Is this really how you want to start the day off, Walnut? She turned to Kaveri before her dyr could respond and answered his question. Figured we’d grab some food, then see about arranging that meeting. A pause. Then, I don’t know, maybe go exploring, maybe just hang around. Got any suggestions?
Resent it? You represent it, Kaveri said with a puff of laughter, standing up and stretching his arms high up into the air, then bending down to touch his toes and stretch his legs. When he stood back up, he rolled both shoulders in two slow circles, then picked up his bag and tossed it onto the bed, searching for a new shirt.
"Kester is right, Walnut. You're much too trusting. Not everyone who is friendly is friendly for the sake of it," Nephys agreed.
As Kaveri tugged off the shirt he'd been wearing and pulled on a new one, he looked down at the otter and quirked his lips upward. Walnut wasn't always alone in the stance. Before the Eldouir had taken over, Kaveri had been on his side. They were strong together, no one could stand up to the four of them, so they didn't mind making friends of all kinds. Real friends or fake, time would tell, but the more people that were around, the more they could perform for. Walnut was always part of Kaveri's performances, whether he was showing off, pranking someone, or just entertaining the stubborn-faced Dijila. Now he couldn't blame Walnut for wanting more friends. They were all alone.
You know I hate to admit when Kester and Nephys are right, Walnut, but they are, he said, sitting down to pull on his socks and shoes. I don't trust this Minister, but at least we're meeting with him. We're giving him a chance, I just hope he doesn't prove our skepticism right. Kester had been the one to meet Bowen Belcourt, not Kaveri, and until he met him, he would assume the man wasn't much different from the other Arynnite's - standoffish, and always looking down their nose at the refugees, as if it were their fault that the redheads took over Dresmond.
Suggestions? He sputtered, laughing again. We haven't gone anywhere, he admitted. Just from here to the library and back. I did try to explore one night when I first got here, but I got lost so I have no idea what's even at the other side of the street. Though - oh, I forgot to mention. We did meet the Prince of Arynn Frey. He helped me find this place again when we got lost.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t resent it, too!” Walnut said, turning his affronted gaze on Kaveri as the man laughed and stretched, though he soon turned it on Nephys when the ram voiced his agreement with Kester. Then Kaveri joined in as well – perhaps the biggest betrayal of all. “Fine, fine,” The river otter huffed, not quite conceding the point but also reluctant to continue this conversation lest it devolve into an argument.
Kester, for her part, was more than willing to drop the topic. As far as she was concerned, she had already made her point to Walnut many times before, though she appreciated the support from Kaveri and Nephys. While they reinforced what she said, her gaze might have lingered a little longer on Kaveri than strictly necessary as he changed before she, too, turned away to get herself ready for the day. Stretching, she made her way to the bag that had been flung into the corner and left utterly unacknowledged last night, its presence entirely eclipsed by their reunion with the other two. Like the man at her back, she swapped out yesterday’s shirt for a new one before putting on her own shoes, glancing over at him at the sound of his laughter.
Maybe she should have known better than to ask Kaveri such a question. The time that he didn’t spend working on the library was likely occupied by drowning himself in ale at this very tavern, but lulled by the surprising ease of their conversation thus far, she had forgotten. Biting back a pointed remark about that, Kester walked over and offered him a hand to help him off the bed, saying, “The prince, huh? Sounds important.” She would not ask why he was lost in the first place, if the only exploring he’d done had been to the library and back. “What was he like?”
Intending to find breakfast, she turned toward the door and, if Kaveri was ready, she would hold it open for the others to pass through first before stepping into the quiet tavern herself.
From his spot sitting on the bed, Kaveri's eyes ran over the muscles of Kester's back. She'd always been the most impressive woman to him. Most Dijila were muscular, their bodies toned by years and years of hard training. Kester had always worked even harder than others, though. The problem was the tiny bruises spread across her skin, visible now where he hadn't been able to see them before she'd taken off her shirt. He wanted to stand, to close the distance between them and wrap his arms around her, and beg her to stop. That he would do right from now on. That he'd be there for her, so she didn't have to keep fighting.
But that wasn't a promise he could make.
Instead, he said nothing and looked back down at his shoes until she offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet. He looked down at her, resisting the urge to reach out and tug on her ponytail, and shrugged. "Very important, far as I can tell," Kaveri answered as he tossed his bag over his shoulder and they made their exit. Nephys stood only once everyone else had walked out, and Kaveri held the door until he'd fully exited. Then he closed the door behind them.
Headed to the bar, Kaveri nodded to the keep, who winked at him. "Breakfast? For both of us, please," he asked of the man, who nodded and disappeared. The place was mostly empty, save for a middle aged couple at the opposite end of the bar also having breakfast. He's going to rule the kingdom when the current Queen dies, or something like that, Kaveri explained as he took his seat. He seemed to be genuine, but I dunno. He said nice things about the Dresmondi, though. That we belong here as much as anyone. I dunno why he would say that, he didn't have to. He didn't have to help me back, either. He used some kind of magic, a key that took me from a door on a completely different street and when I opened it, I was at the library.
"He really was very patient with Kaveri," Nephys added. "In his drunkenness, he got us lost. The Prince brought us right back. I expected him to make us more confused, but he did seem genuine. Though, there's something to be said for that, considering Walnut also thinks this Minister following us around is also genuine."
Very important. Kester nodded as she stepped through the door and followed Kaveri to the bar. Ignoring the bartender’s wink, she bent down and lifted Walnut onto the seat beside her, where he perched on his hind legs and tapped his hands eagerly on the bar. His small brown head swiveled around as he surveyed the mostly empty room before peering down the length of the bar at the food sitting before the middle aged couple.
Settling down herself, Kester leaned her forearms on the wooden surface in front of her while Kaveri ordered breakfast. She turned to face him as he described his meeting with the prince, eyes flicking down to Nephys when the ram spoke up. They all knew that Walnut thought the best of everyone, so she felt little need to point that out.
I hope you’re right and he’s genuine, Kester said finally, though the skepticism hadn’t faded. But I wouldn’t hold my breath. Although Kaveri had made a good point that the prince had helped him when he didn’t have to, she still thought their position too precarious to truly trust anyone with their well-being other than themselves. The Dresmondi refugees had nothing with which to bargain. It made them vulnerable. But that was nothing new. Shaking her head slightly, she considered instead the curious key that Kaveri had mentioned. I wonder where that key can go—
The arrival of their food cut her off, and picking up her fork, Kester poked at the eggs on the plate in front of her with a sigh. Their food is so different from ours.
I hope he is, too, but I know what you mean. I'm not getting my hopes up. Besides, he said he's only taking over once the Queen dies, and you know these people live to be older than our oldest elders? He let out a little 'pft' noise, wide shoulders shrugging as he mimicked Kester's posture and leaned his forearms against the wood. She could be queen for years more. By that time, there might not be any Dresmondi left to worry about.
He eyed her before she was cut off by the arrival of their food, and looked down at his plate. It was the same as always. Better than nothing, just not better than ours, he commented, glancing down at Nephys. The ram would graze in the grass around the library as he worked, but Kaveri missed the days when he could munch on whatever he liked as they traveled the Dresmondi lands. Nephys missed it, too, but he would never outwardly complain. It was a waste of time, he thought, and no one could do anything about it anyway.
I was thinking about the key, too, he said, a slow breath, almost cautious, as if anyone in the tavern would have any way of hearing them. I've never seen anything like it. He just had me...picture the library. That's all I had to do. Picture the door of the library, then we stuck the key in a random door, and when I opened it...boom, we're at the library. I don't know how it worked, but if all someone has to do is picture a door...maybe we could get in and out of Dresmond.
Using the fork, he stabbed the eggs and let the yolk run over. He picked the sausage up with his fingers and dipped it into the yolk and took a bite. "We haven't been in their stationary city. We wouldn't be able to open any doors there."
No, but maybe we could find someone who could.
Last Edit: Jun 22, 2023 23:42:57 GMT -5 by Deleted
At the truth in Kaveri’s words, Kester let out a quiet, bitter chuckle of her own. Between the queen’s inactivity and the loss of the medallion and the Eldouir, their people were a slowly dying breed. And as matters stood now, the two of them could do nothing about it.
Ever the opportunist, Walnut didn’t mind the different food as much, and licking his lips, he eyed the sausage on Kester’s plate in a silent plea. She glanced at him as she punctured the yolk of her own egg with her fork.
Yes, Walnut, you can have it.
Hands pattering excitedly on the bar, the river otter’s grin widened as he reached for the piece of meat and latched on when she brought it within reach. Holding it with both hands, he took a bite of one end and chewed it eagerly, mouth open wide in a manner that would have been rude had he been human. Undeniably fond, Kester watched him for a moment, shook her head, and turned back to her own meal. She didn’t have to warn him about not leaving a mess; Walnut would eat any crumbs he left behind.
However, Kaveri, as he often did, soon reclaimed her attention. Pausing from where she had cut some of the egg white with the side of her fork, she looked over at him with a grin tugging at the corners of her lips. That’s brilliant, Kaveri. In her mind’s eye, a world of possibilities stretched before them, but first: Didn’t— Didn’t they say Kezia went back home? Has she returned?
Kaveri, too, watched Walnut as he began to eat his sausage. The sight was familiar in a way he very much missed. Most everything in the past day had been familiar in that same way. It was going too well, and that made him nervous, but he wouldn't spoil this time with her. No matter what he did, he wouldn't let himself spoil it. Even if it hurt.
What didn't hurt was her compliment. He beamed underneath it like it was the sun. As he chewed, he couldn't hide his smile. Yeah, well. I'm not only good at punching things, you know. Sometimes I manage to think.
"Very rarely," Nephys chimed in, and Kaveri rolled his eyes.
"I don't know about Kezia, though. I haven't seen her in a while. I heard she was here, in Elyusian, but," he moved his hands, gesturing to his surroundings, and put his head on a quick swivel, as if to say 'where?' without saying it. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's given up on whatever she was supposed to be doing. The rest of us just work. Who knows what she does." The words were unexpectedly bitter, and that bitterness had not been intentional. Until just that very moment, in fact, Kaveri hadn't even been aware that he felt bitterly toward the subject. But he felt let down by many of his people, and Kezia was only one of them.
From somewhere outside, a loud bell began to ring. Kaveri's eyes widened and he began to scoop his food up into his mouth hungrily, over-filling it by a lot. So much he could barely chew it all. Nephys was standing up, too. "It's our work bell. We have to go. But we'll meet you at lunch." Nephys relayed the information, because Kaveri's mouth was too full to do it. That wouldn't stop him from thinking, but somehow it did anyway. Kaveri reached up and lightly tugged Kester's ponytail, a smile in his eyes even though he couldn't manage to put one on his face, and he hurried out with Nephys galloping behind him.
Kester hadn’t intended for it to happen, but when she glanced over at Kaveri, her heart skidded to a halt. Once upon a time, the brilliance of his smiles had frequently illuminated her day, but as the familiar, bittersweet warmth blossomed in her chest, she couldn’t recall the last time she had seen one. Between Coheed and the Eldouir and everything else, there had been little reason for either of them to smile – and even less for her to witness it. But now a lifetime of hurt had vanished from his face. The sight made her heart ache even as her tiny grin grew into a matching smile.
He has his moments, Kester told Nephys, her token effort at appearing unaffected by Kaveri’s obvious joy.
As it turned out, he knew as little about Kezia as she did, but before they could discuss the matter any further, Kester jolted and looked around as a bell began to toll. By the time she looked back toward Kaveri, the other Dresmondi had begun shoveling his breakfast into his mouth, and feigning repulsion with raised eyebrows and a wrinkled nose, she watched him with fond amusement. This sight, too, reminded her of better days when they were younger and he was late to training. Evidently, she wasn’t the only one thinking of the past.
Hey! Reaching up, she slapped at his hand when he tugged at her hair, but he danced away before she could actually hit him.
“Bye Kaveri! Bye Nephys!” Walnut called after them, having paused in his eating to watch them depart.
The two of them finished their breakfast at a more leisurely pace before venturing out on their own to explore the city. In doing so, they passed by the library – both Kester and Walnut offered their counterparts a wave – before meandering down some twisting side streets. Despite their best efforts, they inevitably ended up lost, but when the sun had climbed high in the sky, Kester managed to get directions back to the library from an Arynnite who was, like the rest, absolutely enthralled by Walnut. From there, they collected Kaveri and Nephys and made their way down the straight path toward the courtyard with the fountain where Kester and Walnut had met with Bowen the day before.
As she drew near the familiar area, the Dresmondi slowed and looked up at Kaveri. He probably has people here already, She said, glancing around as if she would have any more luck discerning who Bowen’s spies were now than she had previously. There was a man here yesterday, but I don’t see him today. Of course, that meant very little. With a gesture toward one of the buildings on the side, Kester continued, The person in the bookshop over there knows him; that’s how I’m supposed to tell him we’re here. A pause followed by a realization. She directed a self-deprecating smile toward the man beside her. I forgot the note and notebook he gave me at the tavern.