[Fanfic] Beginning And The End Part 1
Title: Beginning And The End
Author: rurushuu
Recipient: itachi00sasuke
Genre Fantasy, Romance, Cardverse, Omegaverse
Rating: R18!!! Explicit.
Summary: It is very dangerous for a king to fall for the Omega's seduction.
------------------
For the Secret Santa 2012. I hope my recipient likes it. It is important to say that while this is indeed the completed prompt, the story of this universe is by far not complete. I never knew my brain would fart, seriously. But rest assured, there will be a sequel/ second chapter to this very soon. It won't be a long series, but it requires a lot of thinking and researching on my part. Whelp. Enough talking. Enjoy.
Beginning And The End
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The kingdom of Spades was the soul of the world, they said.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">A sheltered land it was. Way up north Spades was bordered by the majestic mountain chain of Triskaideka, the thirteen thrones of the creating gods. Down the golden cliffs in the east was the Mourning Sea, the pool of tears shed in all time, and most importantly, it was the home of Spades' most important ally, the underwater kingdom of Hearts. If one would wander to the very western border, then one would find the sacred forest of Agion. It was the kingdom's most mythical region, where few facts were known and countless legends were born.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The south was the end of the world.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Spades was above all the land of kings and queens so powerful and beloved that they were worshipped not unlike one would worship the gods. Temples of marble and gold were built as tributes to their rulers.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">And three cities were the jewels of the Spadian crown.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The saphire city by the sea Kachol'ir was rich and of great political and diplomatical value for the kingdom as it was the closest to Hearts. Fishermen, sailors and merchants filled the busy markets and taverns with their lively voices.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Zachor'ir was the city of knowledge. History, literature and song were archived and stored in the great library of Zachor'ir, which was a high tower that scraped the clouds; and its winding staircase was not so surprisingly nicknamed the staircase to heaven.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">And finally there was the capital of Spades. The heart and jewel of the kingdom.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Adom'ir was encircled by a high city wall of white; it was a metropolitan and at the same time a fortress. All who beheld the wall trembled in awe and were humbled by its symbolism - that Spades was untouchable.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">To a great kingdom belonged a great king.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The ruler of the blessed kingdom was Alfred of Spades,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of William III,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Alfred the Terrible,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Henry IV,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Henry III,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Alfred II,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Henry II,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Edward I,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of George the Conqueror,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Louis I,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Henry I,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of William II,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of William I,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Alfred the Great.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">King Alfred's queen was as beautiful as a painting and at the same time she was one of the strongest warriors known to man. Queen Isabella's shoulder length golden hair and her emerald eyes were the inspiration of song and poetry all over the world. The couple was wedded when they were barely fourteen summers old - eventually they learnt to become one another's dear friends and were later on a couple of loving husband and wife. Alfred lovingly called her by the name Bella, his beloved 'Belgian Waffle'.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">But that day the king was not present in the capital, leaving the queen to represent him while he was on a hunting trip with a few of his closest friends by the forest of Agion. They could have easily chosen to reside in the nearby summer palace, of course, but young as they were, they chose to do it the adventurous way, complete with amateurishly done tents and bad camping food.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Why are we even staying here so close to the forest when we could simply take the palace?" Lovino furiously stirred the overcooked beans, obviously too frustrated about the lack of gourmet food to mind his language in front of the king.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Aalbert, the queen's older brother, shrugged with indifference and simply leant his back against the branch of an oak, taking a drag from his slim pipe and puffed out thick smoke that filled the air around them with a sickly sweet scent. "Al is being a wannabe commoner, as always."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Well he can shove his weird hobbies elsewhere. I want a comfortable bed for fuck's sake!" By now the Italian (a province in Hearts) Earl was stabbing the bean soup until it had turned to a questionable mush.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Hey, I'm here right in front of you guys. Seriously," said the young king of nineteen years with an indignant half-shout. He promptly decided to skip dinner after only one look into the pot.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"And isn't it nice to be a little more spontaneous for once? Spending the night under the stars and cooking our own inedible food, without any annoying guards and completely incognito. That's a dream, man."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">However, Lovino was not able to share the king's enthusiasm. Not only because he was a privileged twit - his main concern was another. He repeatedly glanced over to the dark forest line, seeing nothing but trees and the occasional squirrel or nightglows, and yet he was filled with unease. "It's not that I don't like the idea. It's just...aren't you afraid of the forest?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Alfred stared at his close friend for a moment before bursting in resounding laughter, successful in making the Italian flinch at the volume that tore through the silence of the night. "You don't really believe in the scare stories of Agion, do you? Really, they're bedtime stories to scare the children. Nothing more."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Lovino shot the blond friend a furious glare. "You as the king of Spades should have more respect towards the living myths of your kingdom!"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Easy, Lovi," said Alfred in attempt to appease the hot blooded companion. "I've been here before and the only interesting creatures in there are the priests and priestesses of the creating gods. Well...they weren't exactly interesting, to be honest. But yeah, you get the gist. They pray and work and pray and do magic things. And that's it. And we're going to go hunt some average dangerous monsters for food and glory tomorrow, and they never leave the forest anyway."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The fire softly crackled and radiated its warmth for the three young men. But Lovino's mood was far from warm and comfortable. He was beyond anxious, showing it by his fidgety behaviour. "You're foolish to think the forest of Agion is not more than that. Haven't you ever heard of the Omega inside?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Albert, who had been too preoccupied with his blissful smoking to pay attention to the two bickering nobles, finally found himself interested in the subject. "You really think she exists?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"The Omega is a man, Bertie. At least his appearance is that of one." Lovino's voice lowered and he alternately let his gaze wander between Aalbert and Alfred for dramatic effect. "But he is able to carry a child in his very existent womb."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Alfred gasped at the thought but he clearly did not believe in the existence of such a being.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"The Omega lives with his five Omicrons, those are his servants that are of his kin. The Omega is their king."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"I'm the only king in this kingdom," interjected Alfred.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Shut up, Alfred. Listen to me. The difference between the Omega and the Omicrons is that he's able to give birth to a child destined to be powerful and that could only mean harm. Luckily, it doesn't seem to be easy for him to get pregnant."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"You know a lot about this mangirl, Lovi," said Aalbert with a teasing grin, knowing the other's little obsession with urban myths, always claiming that they were true. Well, magic existed in their everyday life, but a man getting pregnant with a dangerous baby? That's where one should draw the line and call for more realism. With that thought he turned back to smoking his pipe just to find out that he had run out of flavoured tobacco. He dropped the pipe - his mood instantly turning sour, now that he was forced to listen to the conversation.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Of course Alfred did not believe in the ridiculous story, but that did not make him indifferent about it. Maybe it was because he liked legends well enough to humour them for entertainment. So Aalbert watched him nag Lovino about it and trying hard not to look too interested.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Okay," began Alfred, "So this Omega guy has his own Omicron followers and they they all can give birth regardless of their gender appearance, right? I know they gotta be a bunch of weird people, but that's no reason to be afraid of them?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Lovino sighed. "Well I wish they were harmless. But people told me that sometimes they like to leave the forest and seduce people."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Alfred laughed. He liked how the story suddenly took the raunchy turn. "So you are afraid of us getting laid?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Annoyed at the king's antics, Lovino took it upon himself to hit the other with his pair of leather gloves. "You really shouldn't talk like that, especially because you're husband to a perfectly lovely woman."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Anyways," he continued, "they seduce you and if they like you enough, they are going to enchant you and make you bend to your will."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Extremely dangerous for very important people like us," remarked Aalbert with an amused grin.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Alfred stared at his friends, mouth crooked and expression showing both doubt and unease, until he decided that he was stupid for letting himself be affected by Lovino's fairytales. Standing up with a groan, he stood up to walk into his wonky tent for a hopefully good night's sleep.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">He shouldn't have expected a good sleep, really. No matter how he turned and twisted his body, there was no comfortable position. Stones and twigs kept poking against his back through the sleeping bag, and he was sure several insects he didn't dare to identify had been crawling over his chest. And the gusts of wind did not exactly serve to calm him.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">It was obvious in the morning that none of them had gotten a decent sleep, with Aalbert being the least affected and Lovino the grumpiest of the trio. They tried to eat their breakfast - beans again, with added potatoes- and readied themselves for the hunt. The early hours were mostly spent in silence. Lovino inspected the bows and arrows, sharpened their blades, and fastened their supplies to their respective steeds. Aalbert couldn't be bothered to help the Italian earl, much to said man's utter annoyance, and decided to massage his sore muscles. And Alfred was too busy with his pair of boots to be of any help either.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Their mood eventually lifted once the sun was higher and they left the forest with a satisfying catch of a fully grown wood tiger. It was a tough hunt, with the beast being stronger than a bear and faster than their horses, but thanks to their skilful coordination they were able to lead it to a clearing, where the tiger was assaulted by the much hated rays of sunlight. Taking advantage of the beast's confusion they wasted no time to strike on Alfred's command. And they were proud of their achievement, never mind their sweaty bodies and the still sore feeling from the noblemen's worst sleeping situation ever, after all it was not every day that you could hunt down a majestic wood tiger with fur as vibrant and fangs as sharp as the one they killed.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">To everyone's relief, Alfred decided to return to the Palace of Pleasure, the royal family's summer residence. So at least they were going to be spared from another night of torture, and Lovino was simply happy to escape the potentially dangerous forest border.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">-----
On to Part 2
Author: rurushuu
Recipient: itachi00sasuke
Genre Fantasy, Romance, Cardverse, Omegaverse
Rating: R18!!! Explicit.
Summary: It is very dangerous for a king to fall for the Omega's seduction.
------------------
For the Secret Santa 2012. I hope my recipient likes it. It is important to say that while this is indeed the completed prompt, the story of this universe is by far not complete. I never knew my brain would fart, seriously. But rest assured, there will be a sequel/ second chapter to this very soon. It won't be a long series, but it requires a lot of thinking and researching on my part. Whelp. Enough talking. Enjoy.
Beginning And The End
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The kingdom of Spades was the soul of the world, they said.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">A sheltered land it was. Way up north Spades was bordered by the majestic mountain chain of Triskaideka, the thirteen thrones of the creating gods. Down the golden cliffs in the east was the Mourning Sea, the pool of tears shed in all time, and most importantly, it was the home of Spades' most important ally, the underwater kingdom of Hearts. If one would wander to the very western border, then one would find the sacred forest of Agion. It was the kingdom's most mythical region, where few facts were known and countless legends were born.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The south was the end of the world.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Spades was above all the land of kings and queens so powerful and beloved that they were worshipped not unlike one would worship the gods. Temples of marble and gold were built as tributes to their rulers.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">And three cities were the jewels of the Spadian crown.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The saphire city by the sea Kachol'ir was rich and of great political and diplomatical value for the kingdom as it was the closest to Hearts. Fishermen, sailors and merchants filled the busy markets and taverns with their lively voices.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Zachor'ir was the city of knowledge. History, literature and song were archived and stored in the great library of Zachor'ir, which was a high tower that scraped the clouds; and its winding staircase was not so surprisingly nicknamed the staircase to heaven.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">And finally there was the capital of Spades. The heart and jewel of the kingdom.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Adom'ir was encircled by a high city wall of white; it was a metropolitan and at the same time a fortress. All who beheld the wall trembled in awe and were humbled by its symbolism - that Spades was untouchable.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">To a great kingdom belonged a great king.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The ruler of the blessed kingdom was Alfred of Spades,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of William III,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Alfred the Terrible,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Henry IV,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Henry III,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Alfred II,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Henry II,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Edward I,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of George the Conqueror,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Louis I,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Henry I,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of William II,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of William I,
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the son of Alfred the Great.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">King Alfred's queen was as beautiful as a painting and at the same time she was one of the strongest warriors known to man. Queen Isabella's shoulder length golden hair and her emerald eyes were the inspiration of song and poetry all over the world. The couple was wedded when they were barely fourteen summers old - eventually they learnt to become one another's dear friends and were later on a couple of loving husband and wife. Alfred lovingly called her by the name Bella, his beloved 'Belgian Waffle'.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">But that day the king was not present in the capital, leaving the queen to represent him while he was on a hunting trip with a few of his closest friends by the forest of Agion. They could have easily chosen to reside in the nearby summer palace, of course, but young as they were, they chose to do it the adventurous way, complete with amateurishly done tents and bad camping food.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Why are we even staying here so close to the forest when we could simply take the palace?" Lovino furiously stirred the overcooked beans, obviously too frustrated about the lack of gourmet food to mind his language in front of the king.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Aalbert, the queen's older brother, shrugged with indifference and simply leant his back against the branch of an oak, taking a drag from his slim pipe and puffed out thick smoke that filled the air around them with a sickly sweet scent. "Al is being a wannabe commoner, as always."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Well he can shove his weird hobbies elsewhere. I want a comfortable bed for fuck's sake!" By now the Italian (a province in Hearts) Earl was stabbing the bean soup until it had turned to a questionable mush.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Hey, I'm here right in front of you guys. Seriously," said the young king of nineteen years with an indignant half-shout. He promptly decided to skip dinner after only one look into the pot.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"And isn't it nice to be a little more spontaneous for once? Spending the night under the stars and cooking our own inedible food, without any annoying guards and completely incognito. That's a dream, man."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">However, Lovino was not able to share the king's enthusiasm. Not only because he was a privileged twit - his main concern was another. He repeatedly glanced over to the dark forest line, seeing nothing but trees and the occasional squirrel or nightglows, and yet he was filled with unease. "It's not that I don't like the idea. It's just...aren't you afraid of the forest?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Alfred stared at his close friend for a moment before bursting in resounding laughter, successful in making the Italian flinch at the volume that tore through the silence of the night. "You don't really believe in the scare stories of Agion, do you? Really, they're bedtime stories to scare the children. Nothing more."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Lovino shot the blond friend a furious glare. "You as the king of Spades should have more respect towards the living myths of your kingdom!"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Easy, Lovi," said Alfred in attempt to appease the hot blooded companion. "I've been here before and the only interesting creatures in there are the priests and priestesses of the creating gods. Well...they weren't exactly interesting, to be honest. But yeah, you get the gist. They pray and work and pray and do magic things. And that's it. And we're going to go hunt some average dangerous monsters for food and glory tomorrow, and they never leave the forest anyway."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The fire softly crackled and radiated its warmth for the three young men. But Lovino's mood was far from warm and comfortable. He was beyond anxious, showing it by his fidgety behaviour. "You're foolish to think the forest of Agion is not more than that. Haven't you ever heard of the Omega inside?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Albert, who had been too preoccupied with his blissful smoking to pay attention to the two bickering nobles, finally found himself interested in the subject. "You really think she exists?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"The Omega is a man, Bertie. At least his appearance is that of one." Lovino's voice lowered and he alternately let his gaze wander between Aalbert and Alfred for dramatic effect. "But he is able to carry a child in his very existent womb."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Alfred gasped at the thought but he clearly did not believe in the existence of such a being.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"The Omega lives with his five Omicrons, those are his servants that are of his kin. The Omega is their king."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"I'm the only king in this kingdom," interjected Alfred.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Shut up, Alfred. Listen to me. The difference between the Omega and the Omicrons is that he's able to give birth to a child destined to be powerful and that could only mean harm. Luckily, it doesn't seem to be easy for him to get pregnant."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"You know a lot about this mangirl, Lovi," said Aalbert with a teasing grin, knowing the other's little obsession with urban myths, always claiming that they were true. Well, magic existed in their everyday life, but a man getting pregnant with a dangerous baby? That's where one should draw the line and call for more realism. With that thought he turned back to smoking his pipe just to find out that he had run out of flavoured tobacco. He dropped the pipe - his mood instantly turning sour, now that he was forced to listen to the conversation.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Of course Alfred did not believe in the ridiculous story, but that did not make him indifferent about it. Maybe it was because he liked legends well enough to humour them for entertainment. So Aalbert watched him nag Lovino about it and trying hard not to look too interested.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Okay," began Alfred, "So this Omega guy has his own Omicron followers and they they all can give birth regardless of their gender appearance, right? I know they gotta be a bunch of weird people, but that's no reason to be afraid of them?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Lovino sighed. "Well I wish they were harmless. But people told me that sometimes they like to leave the forest and seduce people."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Alfred laughed. He liked how the story suddenly took the raunchy turn. "So you are afraid of us getting laid?"
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Annoyed at the king's antics, Lovino took it upon himself to hit the other with his pair of leather gloves. "You really shouldn't talk like that, especially because you're husband to a perfectly lovely woman."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Anyways," he continued, "they seduce you and if they like you enough, they are going to enchant you and make you bend to your will."
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">"Extremely dangerous for very important people like us," remarked Aalbert with an amused grin.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Alfred stared at his friends, mouth crooked and expression showing both doubt and unease, until he decided that he was stupid for letting himself be affected by Lovino's fairytales. Standing up with a groan, he stood up to walk into his wonky tent for a hopefully good night's sleep.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">He shouldn't have expected a good sleep, really. No matter how he turned and twisted his body, there was no comfortable position. Stones and twigs kept poking against his back through the sleeping bag, and he was sure several insects he didn't dare to identify had been crawling over his chest. And the gusts of wind did not exactly serve to calm him.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">It was obvious in the morning that none of them had gotten a decent sleep, with Aalbert being the least affected and Lovino the grumpiest of the trio. They tried to eat their breakfast - beans again, with added potatoes- and readied themselves for the hunt. The early hours were mostly spent in silence. Lovino inspected the bows and arrows, sharpened their blades, and fastened their supplies to their respective steeds. Aalbert couldn't be bothered to help the Italian earl, much to said man's utter annoyance, and decided to massage his sore muscles. And Alfred was too busy with his pair of boots to be of any help either.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Their mood eventually lifted once the sun was higher and they left the forest with a satisfying catch of a fully grown wood tiger. It was a tough hunt, with the beast being stronger than a bear and faster than their horses, but thanks to their skilful coordination they were able to lead it to a clearing, where the tiger was assaulted by the much hated rays of sunlight. Taking advantage of the beast's confusion they wasted no time to strike on Alfred's command. And they were proud of their achievement, never mind their sweaty bodies and the still sore feeling from the noblemen's worst sleeping situation ever, after all it was not every day that you could hunt down a majestic wood tiger with fur as vibrant and fangs as sharp as the one they killed.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">To everyone's relief, Alfred decided to return to the Palace of Pleasure, the royal family's summer residence. So at least they were going to be spared from another night of torture, and Lovino was simply happy to escape the potentially dangerous forest border.
Constantia;color:#4D4D4D;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">-----
On to Part 2