Kazin
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Post by Kazin on Nov 6, 2020 11:04:59 GMT -8
writing for Granseal!
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Kazin
Global Moderator
Posts: 254
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Post by Kazin on Nov 6, 2020 11:06:31 GMT -8
Chapter 1
It had been a whirlwind. There was no other word Hawel could think of to describe what had happened in just a few short weeks, the sequence of events that led to his eventual take over of Granseal. It wasn't something he had ever wanted. Hawel would have happily lived his life as a prince, handing over control to one of his kids eventually, but it seemed the universe had a different idea in mind. Hawel was going to be crowned the king in an unfortunate turn of events and freak accidents, and perhaps a bit of karma.
Hawel had always been big on eavesdropping. He would hear his mother, back when she was alive, bicker with his father, back when he was alive too, though the thought was new, about how they should never have given Hawel the middle name of 'Creed.' She said it was too risky, that it was going to come back and bite them in the butt. Creed was the name of a lesser demon, the son of the greater demon Zeon. Mostly seen as a neutral deity now, Creed worshippers weren't uncommon, and Creed himself wasn't seen as a threat. Hawel's mother, however, was more traditional, in a sense - she hated Creed. She always whispered about how Hawel's middle name, thanks to his father, would bring misfortune upon the royal family and leave them cursed.
Perhaps she was right. Hawel Creed Granseal, the new king who didn't want to be king, fatherless and motherless due to freak accidents. Bringer of bad luck. Karma. All thanks to his father.
Hawel let out a deep sigh, squirming uncomfortable underneath his father's heavy robes. There hadn't been time for the tailors to give him his own set, and his father wasn't a small man by any means. Plus, the robes still smelled like him... and it was all enough to make Hawel want to run away, to forget where he was. He should be down by the river laughing with his friends. He should be training to be a War Commander, to lead the armies for his father, not become his father. Hawel could feel the pressure building up, the need to escape creeping further and further into his mind, but he made himself squash it. He couldn't run away, no matter how much he wanted to. He was Granseal's king now.
Letting out another sigh, quieter and smaller this time, Hawel forced a smile to his face. It was time to present himself as a king to the people of Granseal. He could no longer hideaway from responsibility and behave as a prince. He had to smile, to wave, to show the world that he was capable, no matter how he felt he wasn't. "Don't look too forced," his advisor muttered under his breath from beside him, and Hawel forced his tension away, mouthing a quiet thank you back.
If there was one thing Hawel was good at, it was pretending. Let's see how well he could pretend to lead a village...
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"My liege, there are weary travelers outside of the gates." Balbaroy looked as exhausted as Hawel felt. The birdman had been serving the king as an advisor for as long as Hawel could remember, and it seemed he never got any sleep - though now, he looked ready to collapse.
"Thanks, Balbaroy. Why don't you go get some rest?" Hawel rested a hand on Balbaroy's shoulder, giving him a small smile. "You've been overworking yourself, and it shows. We don't want to scare away any new villagers, do we?"
Balbaroy offered his own smirk, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He said nothing in return, just nodding, though Hawel could guess what was on his mind. Granseal was shrinking, and these travelers might be the only villagers they would get for a while. Granseal used to be a bustling village, but in the past half year that Hawel had taken the position of king, villager after villager left, leaving Granseal but a ghost town, ruled by a king who didn't have anyone to rule over.
The travelers weren't hard to spot. They looked out of place, standing on the red carpet of the castle. They would have fit in just fine if their clothes weren't dirty, but what drew Hawel's eye was the medium-sized dragon they had beside them. It looked positively delighted to be in a building that was taller than it, the icy blue of it's eyes darting around in joy as it took it the surroundings of the castle. A dog stood beside it, also seemingly impressed, though it was regally waiting by the youngest member of the travelling party.
"Travelers, welcome to Granseal. I promise we used to look much grander than this, though we rise to the challenge to be bigger and better than we were yesterday. What brings you to our village?" Hawel shot Balbaroy a passing glance, trying his best to glare quickly in his advisor's direction. The birdman was lingering, waiting to see if he needed to help Hawel negotiate, refusing to rest.
"Hello," the young human spoke up, her voice small and breezy. "We come from... a former village called Phoenix Grove. We've been looking for a place to stay, and well..." she trailed off, looking to her companions for help finishing her sentence. The tall one, an elf, shook his head in awe as he finished her sentence. "Well, this castle really caught our eyes. And we figured we'd come see if there was space available, even to just rest on night. I'm sure my dragon Skreech here would love a chance to rest his feet." Skreech let out a sharp shriek in return, nudging the elf as if to say yes.
Hawel smiled at the travelers, sharing a more optimistic look with Balbaroy, his frustration at the birdman momentarily forgotten. "We'd love to have you, for as long as you wish! Balbaroy would be happy to give you quarters where you can stay. In fact, if you'd like to join our village, I'm sure Balbaroy can give you more details..."
The birdman smiled as the travelers turned to him. "Yes, absolutely! Right this way. And forgive my young King Hawel's poor manners, but what were your names?"
"Gyatso, Haku, and I'm Rin," the youngest said, smiling apologetically over towards Hawel. "Sorry, I also forgot to ask your name. As Gyatso said, this is Skreech, and our dog is Cricket."
"It is very lovely to make your acquaintance," Balbaroy said, offering a small bow that made Hawel roll his eyes in amusement behind the newcomers' backs. Sometimes the birdman could be entirely too formal, though Hawel knew he would preach the opposite about the young king.
"Oh, yes, sorry about that." Hawel interjected, scowling at Balbaroy in mock frustration again. "I'm Hawel, by the way - please no 'king.' Just Hawel."
"Hawel. Thank you. We would love to join Granseal." He made sure to shake hands with each and every one of the newcomers, his new villagers, a small bit of fear and excitement mixing together as he thought he could finally be the king his father wanted him to be.
Perhaps good karma could come to Granseal - to all of Granseal, even the king with an unfortunate middle name. Hawel had hope that these newcomers would be the start of a new age for Grans Island, and especially for Granseal.
And perhaps the weary travelers from Phoenix Grove, with the darkness behind their eyes that told of unspeakable horrors Hawel couldn't even begin to guess at, would become great friends. Hawel could only hope that whatever misfortune they had come from would not follow them to Granseal, but perhaps that was a train of thought destined for another time... He tucked away his thoughts, and vowed to remember to ask the villagers what had happened to their past village at an appropriate time.
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Kazin
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Post by Kazin on Nov 6, 2020 11:07:01 GMT -8
Chapter 2
"Sir, I know the new villagers are fairly easygoing, but... we have a serious housing problem." Hawel wanted to shut the world out, to ignore his advisor, to let sleep wash over his brain and take him into a more peaceful time. Yet... he could hear Balbaroy's voice, too loud, too clear. It took the young king a few moments to process a response, sighing quietly to himself as he realized it was not a problem he could ignore until it went away. Balbaroy was too responsible... and too right all of the time.
Hawel was pacing in the hallway of his castle, not an uncommon thing nowadays. "Please stop calling me sir," he begged, not bothering to hide the frustration in his voice. "I... I don't know how to do this," he muttered pitifully, not really directing his woes to anyone in particular. Balbaroy heard, though chose to say nothing - he stayed as still as a statue, his eyes never leaving Hawel's face. "I guess..." Another sigh from Hawel. "I guess we have to... help them fix up a space, right?"
"That is usually what one does when we are in need of a house, yes." Balbaroy let one eyebrow raise, letting Hawel make his own decision. "I can do whatever you need me to do. Really, we could just tell them where the materials are and let them do it themselves, but..."
"But that wouldn't be the right thing to do as the king," Hawel finished, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, desperately fighting the urge to roll his eyes at Balbaroy. "Sometimes you can be too... good," Hawel shook his head, letting another sigh escape from his lungs. "And by that I really mean thank you. You know your advisement does not go unnoticed, nor does it ever go ill-received. Truly, I'm pretty sure I'd be traveling and trying to find another place to stay, letting Granseal lay abandoned, without you, Balbaroy."
The birdman let a small smirk play at the edge of his face, beckoning Hawel to lead the way out of the castle, towards the houses. "Ironically, your father thought the opposite, though I was younger than him and new to the job. He often did not like what I had to say to him, and chose to ignore what the people wanted... which was all I relaying, mind you."
Hawel frowned, small memories of angry whispers from villagers each time he left the castle. It made sense, the discontent; his father really never spent money for anyone but the royalty or the soldiers, thinking he had to prepare for another war with Galam. Times had been peaceful for centuries though, so Hawel didn't quite understand... Galam had seemed pleasant enough each time he took battle training with their soldiers. They even had a truce to remain peaceful and allies with each other. "My father was quite the... superstitious man." He finally answered, blinking into the bright sun as the pair exited the castle to find the villagers. "Also, did you ask if they wanted to keep staying in the castle? I truly don't mind. It's not as if we have a lack of quarters for them - there's even plenty of space for their dragon."
"Not everyone is comfortable staying indoors all the time," Balbaroy chided him gently. "They asked me if they could live in a smaller house, particularly for the dragon, who does not like your castle. Not that I blame him, with wings that big, I would want to stretch out and fly into the sky more often too."
"Right," Hawel said, cursing himself inwardly. They lapsed into silence as they neared the new villagers, who seemed much more well-rested during their stay in Granseal. None of them had a gaunt look about them anymore, though the haunting looks behind their eyes, particularly the two men, remained. Rin, at least, seemed bright and happy, beaming at Hawel and his advisor as they approached. As did the dog, Cricket; she came bounding up to the both of them, wagging her tail ferociously, her tongue lolling out to the side of her muzzle as she licked at Hawel's hand. "Hello," Hawel said, returning a smile of his own. "Balbaroy and I would like to offer our assistance in fixing up some houses for you and your dragon, and dog, to stay in." He bent down absently, giving the wagging dog at his feet some scratches behind the ears.
"Thank you," Gyatso said softly, smiling back. "That's very kind of you, and I think we can get everything done today with both of your help."
"Perfect," Hawel said, setting his thick - and finally properly fitting - king's robe to the side. "Let's get started then, shall we?"
And while the work wasn't fun, persay, it was nice to finally have company, to learn about other people besides Balbaroy. With each passing moment, Hawel found himself glad that the village was growing again, that he had friends to talk to that were closer in his age than Balbaroy was. He vowed to find someone Balbaroy's age, to let him have his own socialization with someone his age too - for loneliness was never a good feeling. With each passing moment, Hawel felt more confident that he could do this, that Granseal could thrive like it did when he was a child.
"Thank you," he said to Balbaroy again and again throughout the day. He meant it with his whole heart. Granseal would not be anywhere without the birdman, and Hawel knew it. Maybe he should throw a feast in his advisor's honor once they got more villagers... and more food, he remarked to himself, almost laughing out loud as his stomach gave a small growl.
Yes, it wasn't easy. But it was rewarding. Hawel found himself excited at the prospect of working towards a bigger village, something he never thought possible. He couldn't wait to see what next year would bring.
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Kazin
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Post by Kazin on Nov 6, 2020 11:07:25 GMT -8
Chapter 3
Maybe the whispers that had followed Hawel his entire life were wrong. Maybe his middle names wasn't cursed after all. Maybe the problem had always been the shoddy leadership of his father, refusing to do what was best for his people... Though Hawel had his doubts, waiting for the day everyone would decide to leave, he couldn't deny that he was enjoying the good while it lasted. And he was enjoying the people he met, the stories he heard.
Raid, Bane, and Georga had all lived together in the past. A cohesive unit of friends, they were all happy to have found somewhere to live. The sound of more voices spreading throughout the once-bustling castle town reminded Hawel strongly of his days as a schoolboy, walking through the streets and nodding at everyone he saw. He had no time back then to get to know the people he should have. He had no time for anything but learning to use his sword. He didn't even have time to see that his father was slowly building a wall inside the castle, shutting the royals off from the rest of the town. Maybe Hawel was too young to understand it anyway, but a small part of him wished he had made more of an effort as a boy. Silently, he vowed to make up for it by getting to know every single one of his villagers, regardless of how big Granseal got in the future.
Raid didn't talk a lot. Instead, he preferred to observe, watching the world without interacting with it. While Hawel couldn't quite appreciate the new Soldier's stoic attitude, too alike his father for Hawel's comfort, he appreciated that the demigod would crack a smile whenever Cricket would come over. Perhaps he was more suited to be with the animals. At the very least, Hawel was glad that Raid didn't shut himself away all the time - he would hang around everyone else, just not talk much. Which was much more than Hawel could say about his late father.
Bane and Georga were best friends. Hawel could tell from the moment they set foot inside Granseal that they were inseparable, always together as a brother and sister might be. He could tell there was nothing more than friendship between them, but their laughter was contagious. They were easy to talk to, and seemed to always have something helpful to say if someone needed it. Bane wasn't bad with Cricket either, a common bond that connected him and Raid, allowing them to form a quiet bond that Hawel couldn't bring himself to understand. Mentally, he had made a note in his mind to see if he could get closer to Raid, to understand the quiet Soldier better than he understood his quiet father. He didn't want to make the same mistakes his predecessor made.
Kai was young, but very sharp and very charismatic. He had an air about him that made him seem older, though in reality he was younger than Hawel himself was. When the new Hunter had first told Hawel how old he was, the king nearly tripped over his own feet as he did a double take. "But you... how... you're... what?" Hawel still shook his head when he thought about it. Balbaroy had pointed out that Dark Elves don't age as fast as humans do, but it wasn't that - it was his persona. Kai never let anything remain undone, making sure each task was done to completion before moving on to another. He was a valuable asset to Granseal, and Hawel quickly appointed him Head Hunter as he proved his worth time and time again, even in the very short time he had been in the town.
Darren was still an enigma to Hawel. He seemed to avoid the king at any chance he could get, and Hawel didn't understand it. He had tried to ask Balbaroy about it, but the adviser was as clueless as he was. He didn't seem to be quiet like Raid was, laughing and making conversation with nearly everyone... except Hawel. He barely even gave Hawel two words, even when the pair first met each other. He even had full-fledged conversations with Raid, Hawel noticed, and yet the Gatherer would not bring himself to spare Hawel even a passing glance. The young king made it his goal to figure out what he had done that might have offended the new villager, and refused to stop trying until he knew. In the end, Hawel decided that Raid would be the best one to try and talk to about Darren. Besides, it would give Hawel a chance to get to know him better too, right?
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Hawel stood back as he let Balbaroy assign the duties for the day. It wasn't anything ground breaking, and he wanted to show his villagers that Balbaroy held a position of power. Not that anyone had tried to go against his adviser's words, he just didn't want to command all the time; truthfully, Hawel wanted to sit back and let Balbaroy take as much responsibility off of his shoulders as he could manage. It was stressful enough trying not to follow in his father's footsteps and break the negative view that most had of Granseal - any help that Balbaroy could give was help that Hawel would take.
"Raid, you will be going out with Hawel this evening." Balbaroy raised a questioning eyebrow at Hawel's choice of patrol, giving the young king a nearly imperceptible eye roll. He knew what he was trying to do, and he had advised against it the night before. Leave Darren alone for now, give him time, the birdman had said. But this was one time that Hawel was going to ignore his insight, and follow his own instinct instead.
Raid furrowed his own eyebrows, glancing over at the king. Hawel had risen, nodding at the Soldier and ignoring Balbaroy's stare. "I look forward to our patrol," Hawel said, giving Raid a smile, which the villager tentatively returned, though the smile looked more like a grimace, Raid's features too used to his signature scowl. The pair didn't take long to get ready, and before Hawel knew it, they were headed out of the village gates, away from the safety of the walls, out into the wilderness.
The patrol was quiet for a while, both between the two men and between the borders. It wasn't until they had reached the furthest border, the halfway point of their patrol, that Hawel decided there was no better time to talk. "Hey, Raid... I have a question for you." The Soldier turned, giving a short grunt without really looking Hawel's direction. Hawel blinked, but took the grunt as a sign to continue his thoughts. "Darren. I think you know him sort of well, or at least better than I do. Do you... happen to know why he avoids me so much?"
Raid shot Hawel a half-glare, a warning glance that spoke volumes. Hawel nearly shrank back, ready to apologize for even bringing anything up, but he continued to look into Raid's glare, refusing to back down. Not yet. He needed some kind of answer. Eventually, Raid let out a quick sigh, rolling his eyes. "I'm not sure it's anything I should talk about." He said shortly, turning his attention back in front of him. "The guy just doesn't want to talk to you. He said it's nothing personal, trust me on that."
Letting out a sigh of his own, Hawel hunched his shoulders in defeat once Raid turned around. "Thank you," he said tiredly, wrinkling his nose as he tried to think of what he could do to get Darren to trust him. The tired king let the rest of the patrol pass in silence, hoping that he hadn't ruined Raid's trust in him, too.
Maybe he wasn't cut out for being king after all...
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Kazin
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Post by Kazin on Nov 6, 2020 11:07:57 GMT -8
Chapter 4
At least nothing bad had happened during the patrol he spent with Raid. Nothing beyond his crushing feeling of failure and defeat at not being able to figure out Darren... or Raid, for that matter. Maybe the king had only succeeded in making things worse instead of better, as far as his relationship with his villagers went. Maybe he just needed to learn how to keep his big mouth shut, or actually listen to the birdfolk that was his adviser once in a while. Balbaroy was right. He should just leave Darren alone. Perhaps some people just aren't meant to like others... Not everyone is going to like the way he rules his kingdom. It's just something he needs to learn to live with.
But his father lived that way. He didn't care at all about what anyone thought of him, and look where Granseal ended up... in ruins. Abandoned, except for the late king's son and his adviser. Left to die out completely, almost forcing out every last person from the castle town. Almost leaving the castle to crumble.
Yet... Hawel was different. Even if he couldn't get everyone to like him, he had supporters. He cared about what everyone thought. Gyatso, Haku, Kai, Bane, Geo, and especially Darren. If someone wasn't content, the king vowed he would fix it. And he wasn't alone, and he would listen to Balbaroy from now on - Hawel vowed that too. After all, look at where it got his father, not listening to the wisdom of the birdfolk.
"I will do better." Hawel said firmly, not really thinking there was anyone around. He jumped as another voice echoed his, only relaxing once he turned to see the familiar face of Balbaroy.
"Do better than what, my king?" Balbaroy asked, raising an eyebrow - half-amused, half-curious. "I don't doubt you will, by the way."
"Better than my father," Hawel said quickly, smoothing down his hair. He didn't want to look too wild - the pacing that Balbaroy surely heard from his quarters would make him sound crazy enough. "And please, Balbaroy. Call me Hawel. I don't need... really, I don't want all this formality. I want to be a friend to everyone, not just a king. That means for you, too."
Balbaroy bowed his head, a sign of respect. "Forgive me, Hawel. Old habits die hard, I suppose. After all, your father would not let me address him as anything but 'king' or 'my liege.' To be quite honest, I'm not even sure I remember what your father's name is."
Hawel allowed himself a laugh, echoing Balbaroy's own smirk. "Yeah, well, maybe I should start calling him by his name instead of referring to him as my father. Give him a taste of that disrespect he hated so much, as he never showed any of his villagers much respect in the first place..."
As Balbaroy's smile grew, Hawel's bravado shrunk. The king groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with his hand. "Ahhh, no wonder my father hated you as an adviser, you infernal birdman. Sometimes you feed into the worst ideas that I could possibly have, and yet you have so many good ones."
"Getting away from your father's impression is not a bad idea," Balbaroy said firmly, laying a feathered wing on Hawel's shoulder. "It seems his presence still lingers in your mind, and gives you a false sense of how you are leading Granseal. I must ask, have you ever listened to what the others say about you? I can assure you that none, not even the one you think hates you, have anything bad to say about you at all."
Hope lit up Hawel's eyes. This was news to him. "Darren doesn't... hate me?" Was the only question he could muster up, his heart soaring to new heights. He was better than his father - no, better than Eric Granseal - could ever dream of being. Granseal was flourishing, rather than shrinking and crumbling. Granseal was being rebuilt. Granseal could thrive once again, the way it was under his grandfather Alvin.
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"You know I don't actually hate you, right?" It was the first time Hawel had ever heard Darren address him. It was so unexpected that Hawel nearly fell off of the ladder he was positioned on, trying to patch a leaky roof for one of the two new villagers that had just arrived yesterday. Darren had volunteered to help, much to Hawel's surprise, but most of the morning had passed by without a word from either of the two. Which wasn't really uncommon, as Hawel and the others often needed their entire concentration to not mess up their patching job; none in the village were exactly skilled carpenters.
If Hawel hadn't known any better, he swore that from below, Balbaroy let out a snort of laughter, quickly covered up with a cough.
Hawel let a few seconds pass by before he could even formulate a reply. "I, uh... of course. I've..." He blinked hard, holding his hammer out with confusion. Maybe honesty was going to be a better approach with Darren. "You always just seemed so... keen to avoid me," the king finally admitted, giving Darren a passing glance. "I apologize for making any sort of assumption in the past. It was wrong of me."
Darren smiled lightly at the king, one which Hawel tentatively returned. "I should be the one apologizing, Hawel." Hawel nearly dropped his hammer when the forager finally said his name. "I never meant to actively avoid you... you just seemed kind of, well, arrogant. And I made my own wrong assumptions. And I was embarrassed, so I avoided you."
Wrong assumptions. That was all it was. Embarrassment. "I guess we both can put that behind us," Hawel said, feeling his entire body relax, like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
"Yeah," Darren agreed, his smile becoming wholehearted.
And in Granseal, as Balbaroy took his own walk back to the castle, leaving Darren and Hawel to finally become friends, he heard the contented sighs about Hawel's leadership, ones that the young king would surely hear on his own walk back to the castle. Hawel was just. Hawel was kind. Hawel was hard-working. Yes, under his rule, Balbaroy was certain that Granseal would be just fine.
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Kazin
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Post by Kazin on Nov 21, 2020 11:13:17 GMT -8
Chapter 5
People were everywhere. Hawel was so astonished he couldn't even greet them, letting Balbaroy do all of the talking. Not that that was anything new, anyway - Balbaroy seemed to often pick up the slack when it came to Hawel's leadership. Though the king could see the desperate frustration on Balbaroy's face, even catching what seemed to be his advisor mouthing 'say something,' Hawel couldn't do much but smile in shock as Balbaroy continued to talk. Why did leading a village have to be so much talking? Was it all he was ever going to have to do? All he was going to continue to do for the rest of his life.
"Excuse your king, please," Balbaroy's strained voice finally broke through Hawel's stupor. "He can be a bit dense sometimes, but I promise that doesn't make him any less of a person." There was no escaping the glare that Balbaroy gave Hawel, no pleasantries left on the birdman's face. "I am leaving to gather, my lord." Hawel wrinkled his nose at the title, to which Balbaroy gave his own satasfied smirk. "Perhaps once you are done daydreaming you can answer these new villager's questions?" In a sweep of his feathers, Balbaroy whisked himself out of the castle halls, not even giving a second glance backwards at Hawel and his new villagers.
The silence was awkward, to say the least. Hawel was too stunned to move, though it seemed that these villagers were interested in observing the castle, pretending to not have noticed the snappy exchange between Balbaroy and him. "Er," Hawel finally said, clearing his throat, trying to make pleasant eye contact... and failing. "Sorry about my manners," he said, giving a forced smile. Where was his head, damnit?! "Let me... show you to your quarters." He needed to get moving, needed to get them out of here. Why was the village growing so fast? With no complaints, the new villagers followed behind Hawel, and he was left feeling like he was the ringleader of a very weird circus. Not that the villagers looked overly weird, rather that they were all so different from each other, and a strange sight to be following behind a young king. Most, if not all, were older than him. Hawel half-heartedly listened to their muted conversations and hushed voices as they expressed interest in the castle, bidding them farewell once they seemed to be settling into their own spaces. "If you need me, my quarters are in the room above the throne room." With a slight bow, Hawel shuffled out amidst the light offers of thanks that they gave.
Embarrassment coursed through him. Granted, his father would have just grunted and pointed in the vague direction of the visitor's quarters, letting them figure it out on their own, but he felt no better than his father. Zero people skills. Zero charisma. As fast as this town was growing, it was quite possible this town could lose villagers each day until once again it was just Balbaroy and Hawel left. Without really realizing where he was going, Hawel stumbled up his stairs, trying to ward off a headache. He fell asleep to the voices of beratement that only he could hear.
"My lord. Hawel. Wake up! HAWEL!" He felt like he was underwater. He felt terrible. Who was shaking him? And who was still calling him my lord?! Though he desperately wanted to shake off the feeling of sleepiness, to open his eyes and come back to life, something was holding him back. Something, or someone.
Shit. This wasn't good. Hawel was sick. Or something even more sinister was at work. No matter the case, Granseal's king was not up for leading anytime soon. Mitula didn't seem to be sure what was happening to him, but Balbaroy knew. He had seen this happen before when he was but a tiny child, witnessed the wars that came after this dilemma. While Balbaroy thought he had witnessed enough to last him a lifetime, it appeared Bowie the Hero was not successful in banishing all the evil spirits like everyone thought. Part of the birdman wondered if this had been what was wrong with Hawel's late father... but he couldn't let the thoughts cloud his judgment, not now. Hawel was depending on him, whether the king was awake to know it or not.
"Please keep someone with him at all times," Balbaroy insisted to Mitula, asking without asking her to go back to his king's side. "I'm afraid I might now what this is... an evil gizmo may be trying to possess him. I've heard.... and unfortunately seen... what happens when they are able to break through someone's mental defenses. Most times a wizard has been able to banish the spirit from the area, but without a wizard, I'm afraid the only thing we can do is hope Hawel breaks away from the gizmo on his own. Unfortunately, this also means it could happen again. Gizmos aren't often keen on giving up."
While the king was fighting an unknown battle, the only thing Balbaroy could do was keep the kingdom moving forward. He would organize hunts. He would make sure everyone was happy. It really wasn't that much different from what he was used to doing anyhow... but the anxiety gripping his heart was more than leadership strife.
He was worried for Hawel, and worried for the future of Granseal.
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