Private Tales New Places, New Faces

[Neveah]

There was a whir, then click-CLANK as her door was unlocked. She carefully stashed the tools back in her pack and stood, looking to Kir.

"Then leave. I'm sure you can find an easier job elsewhere." Twisting the knob, she entered and this time, didn't slam it in his face. Dropping her pack by the window, she went to gather her sheets that were still hanging outside the window. Pulling them up took more work than throwing them out.

"You don't know my father. He will probably not see reason or let me go anywhere near the canyons. Especially if those creatures are on the move. But I have the most experience with them, besides the tribes."

 

[Kir]

Kir stepped forward into the room, looking around suspiciously as though an errant crossbow bolt might find him as he stepped through the threshold.

When no arrow immediately pierced his heart the Neusian relaxed slightly. Though not by much. "Easier? Yes. Better paying?"

He very much doubted that.

For a brief moment he looked around, observing the Princesses rooms. He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, save for the lack of blankets that now presented itself around the room.

"Maybe he won't." Kir agreed. "But if you know as much as you do, and he denies you..."

For a brief moment he considered. "I'll at least help you get a word in."

That much he could promise.

 

[Neveah]

Nev's room was decidedly un-princesslike. She had lots of treking gear scattered about. Riding clothes filled her closets over fancy gowns and dresses. She had all sorts of well-worn boots kicked to the side by the window. There was one large gryph stuffie from her childhood which sat in one of the two chairs by the fireplace.

A small stringed-instrument sat in another corner. Right next to a bandolier of knives. And her shortsword.

"I suppose we have a deal then," she looked up at him slyly as she untied the bedsheets one by one. "Help me out?" She began to shake one loose and spread it so he could grab the other end and help her straigthten it back over the bed.

"I still don't think my sister killed herself," she said quietly. "And it's strange that the creatures are so active right after her death." Another frown. If he wanted to protect her she figured she should share her doubts about the cause of her sister's death.

No foul play was found but for some reason Neveah didn't trust the reports that had come out.

 

[Kir]

Kir began to untie the knots she had brought onto the sheets. "I don't know."

The Werebear admitted.

He had not been involved in the investigation of Neveah's sisters death. Such things were beyond his purview. The King and Queen had brought him here to make sure that the Princess was safe, and that was really all there was to it.

Still, he couldn't help but feel his interest piqued.

"How did she die?" He asked. "There was a man, Captain of the Resh Guard, he was an investigator."

And Kirov's mentor. "I think he might have been more help than I."

At least he'd have the training for it.

 

[Neveah]

Neveah began tucking the sheets back onto her mattress. Not being particularly careful about it. Then she paused and sat on the edge of the bed, looking up to Kir. "They found her body at the bottom of the courtyard. It looks like she jumped." A frown tugged at her lips.

"No foul play found but I swear. Alysea wouldn't do it. She wasn't that type of person."

It just...didn't make sense. Her older brother, Gabe had been away on a mission for her mother. He'd only come home for Alysea's funeral and then left again. The oldest, Frenna, was here. Neveah wasn't as close to her as she'd been with Alysea.

"Hey squirt," speaking of. Nev glanced up, surprised at Frenna's ability to just appear places. She'd always been so...silent. "Heard you're in trouble with mom and dad." She was slightly shorter than Neveah. Blonde hair and bright green eyes. She still wore an armband of red, just like Neveah for being in mourning for Alysea.

 

[Kir]

"I see." Kir said in consideration, listening as Neveah expressed her discontent.

A frown touched his features for a moment.

He hadn't even known that the Princess had supposedly killed herself, much less the truth behind it all. Such a thing wasn't entirely surprising. It made sense that the family would want to keep something like that quiet. It was a horror in it's own way.

A frown flickered over his features, and he was about to say something else when the door was opened and someone else stepped into the room. His head half turned, noting a woman that had more than a few features in common with Neveah.

His head tilted, but he said nothing.

Knowing it was not his place.

 

[Neveah]

"What else is new," she sighed and looked to Frenna.

"Who IS he?" Frenna leaned against the doorway eyeing Kir up and down. Keen-eyes clearly interested. But viewing the guy like a piece of meat. Goddess, she went through men faster than a hog eating fresh daisies. Neveah got off the bed and turned, working to get the sheets back in order.

She'd leave introductions up to Kir.

She wasn't sure if he was a secret to others, including her sister. After all, she hadn't known he'd been hired. She liked it better when he shadowed her and didn't' stop her from doing what she wanted. Now she actually had to listen to him.

At least for now.

 

[Kir]

"I'm a friend." Kir said with a smile. "Hired by your father."

He had never much liked lying.

There wasn't really much of a point to it. Neveah had found out the truth, why try to perpetuate the lie of it all? Better to just get it over with. "I am here to make sure your sister is safe."

Kir had no other way to put it really.

The King had wanted to make sure that his daughter was safe, in fact, he was pretty sure that Frenna probably had someone following her as well. That wasn't information he was going to share now, though only because he couldn't confirm it.

"I think." He declared. "I've been doing a pretty good job at it too."

A wide smile crossed his face as he looked at Neveah.

 

[Neveah]

A low snort at Kir's use of the word friend. A roll of her golden eyes. Then a harumph at Kir's smile and ending statement.

"Ohoh," Frenna smirked. "Nev and her shadow." Frenna made no comment on whether or not she had one of her own or knew or didn't know about it.

Neveah scowled. "Don't you have anything better to be doing?"

Frenna's smirk widened. "Other than letting you know you are required to attend tonight's dinner party? No." Her arms crossed as she took in Neveah's expression. She knew Neveah hated formal events. She'd always been one who preferred exploring with her hands, exploring the city, gardens, or being outside to formalities.

"Seven o'clock sharp. And the dress code is not what you're wearing." A slightly evil smile from Frenna as she turned and left, calling over her shoulder, "That's all."

Neveah flopped head first onto the bed. Face pressed into a pillow as she screamed. It's material muffling her exasperation.

 

[Kir]

Kir remained quiet as the two sisters began to bicker back and forth with one another, eyebrow lofting briefly as Frenna mentioned some sort of party. Briefly he wondered if he was invited, but he decided not to ask the question.

He was the Princesses guard, of course he was invited. He had to be, otherwise something could get her murdered. Then he thought whether or not his armor would count as formal wear. In Neus it would, in fact he would be praised for his service.

Kirov's tenure in the Royal Guard was etched into his armor, which was what made the spare set more valuable than the first. "Nice meeting you."

There was a sense of sarcasm to the words, mostly because the woman had practically ignored him.

When Frenna walked out the door, Neveah threw herself down onto the bed. A screech echoed into the pillow beneath her, and once again his eyebrows rose.

"Very mature." He commented quietly, shaking his head.

For a brief moment he paused, and then he stepped forward to lean against the bed post. "You realize this is an opportunity, right?"

Kir had spent enough time around politicians to know that.

 

[Neveah]

"Very mature."

Head turned as her eyes narrowed up at her bodyguard.

"You know, I liked it better when I didn't know you were around," she huffed and flopped on her back, grabbing the pillow and putting it over her own face. Dark, braided hair fanning out around her head. Chest heaved as she let all her breath out of her body.

Boots flopped to the side as she shifted her feet, not caring that dirty boots were on her bed.

"What do you mean an opportunity?" Muffled voice murmured from the other side of the pillow. Unwilling to move it from her dark-skinned face.

 

[Kir]

Kir watched the girl, his head shaking as he let out a long sigh.

He wondered briefly if Princesses were the same in every nation. "Your father might be King."

The Werebear began.

He knew well enough how all of these games were played. Neus did not have a King, nor an Emperor. The Duma of seven ruled and made decisions among themselves. A system that worked well enough for them, but the principal was much the same here as they were there.

"He has power, but that power only goes so far as those who support him." Kir explained. "Sway enough of them, and their word carries weight."

Slowly he stepped up to the bed. "If you can turn enough of those at the party to your way of seeing things, you may be able to convince your father of your point of view."

Kir wasn't entirely sure when he had turned coach to politics, but here he was.

Anasta would be snickering at him if she could see.

 

[Neveah]

Oh-so-slowly, the young woman drew down the pillow from her face to look up at Kir. She hated to admit it but he had a point. However, she didn't think the people would care whether one of the princesses went to scout the canyons or the guard or the gryph tribes. She wasn't sure they would be swayable.

They would just want it checked out.

But maybe there was another way.

Alysea would have the best advice right now. Or she'd happily play distraction for Nev. Her heart ached and twisted at the thought.

Neveah sat up. "Prepare yourself for a night of fancy gowns, dancing, and sparring of words over drink and delicacies." Dark brows furrowed. "You take shifts in watching me, though right?" He couldn't be around her 24/7. Just made her wonder.

 

[Kir]

Kir let out a sigh.

He hated those parties. In Neus they where thrown exactly seven times a year. Each family that sat on the Duma hosted a ball, and each time everyone important was in attendance. The space between them was marked with conjecture, rumors, whisper.

Often that was worse than the fucking parties themselves. "No."

He told her simply.

"Just me." As far as he was aware anyway. For all he knew the King and Queen had decided to hire someone else to watch the watcher. They were certainly concerned enough. An impulse he could understand. "But don't worry."

Kir said with a smirk. "I'm not going anywhere."

There was just a hint of amusement to his tone.

 

[Neveah]

"Don't you need to sleep?"

She tried to remember if he'd gotten any when they'd spent the past night on the Savannah plains. She'd managed to fall asleep so she wasn't sure. Finally releasing the pillow, she hopped off the bed. She realized she didn't know much about him. Other than his large bear form and that he was fast.

And tall.

Had a sense of humor.

And was annoyingly accurate at being able to predict what she'd do. How long had he been watching her? Probably just since her sister's death a few months ago.

She began rummaging through her closet, looking for a suitable dress. There were plenty clean ones to choose from since she never wore them. Maybe slightly dusty. A glance over her shoulder back at Kir.

"So tell me more about where you come from. What's it like? Do you have family still alive? Do you miss them? Can everyone in your family turn into an animal? How old were you when you first found out you could be a bear?"

 

[Kir]

"Not often." Kir admitted with a shrug. "Side effect of my curse."

He had thought it odd at first, but now he hardly questioned the fact. One or two hours did him well enough when it came to sleep, at least most of the time. There were a few occasions where he needed more, but they were few and far in between.

Mostly after transfor-

His thoughts were broken up as Neveah began to assault him with a plethora of questions.

Kir blinked for a moment, half stunned at the proverbial cascade of words. A frown touched his lips, and then he began to answer. "I am from Neus. An isle in the north. It is a Republic of sorts, run by the Duma of Seven. Each represents a city, all of whom guard Neus itself."

Explaining it further was...hard. "It is...cold during the winter. Warm during the summers, and...unique in it's culture."

"I have no family, I am an orphan." Had always been, as far as he knew. "My ability is not natural. I was nineteen when I was bitten by another of the Medved. They inflicted their curse upon me, and I now bear it."

No pun intended.

 

[Neveah]

Neveah frowned as she pulled out an olive green dress, holding it up to peer down at herself.

Golden eyes flickered back to Kir. "I didn't realize it was a curse. You know this city is renown for its healers. We have multiple towers where people come from all across the world to study. We could pay a visit at some point if you'd like to talk to one of the masters?"

She felt...sorry for him. At least with her magic she could control it. As long as she didn't stay in her animal form for too long. There were always risks and costs to magic. But it was far from a curse.

"Do I have to worry about you biting me?"

 

[Kir]

”It is not something that can be healed anymore.” Kir said with a shrug.

There had been a time when he’d wanted to be rid of the curse, when he had thought it a nightmare he could barely suffer through. He had visited healers all over the world, spoken to mystics, even wandered through great Temples.

All of them had been useless, and it had only been in the Wylds that he had found his answer. ”The curse has settled.”

He explained.

”Removing it would kill me.” It might have been different, had he found a solution before the first transformation. Now the bear was as much a part of him as he was it. ”And no, you don’t have to worry.”

Kir continued. ”The curse can only be spread under the Blood Moons.”

An event that would not happen again for another five years.

 

[Neveah]

She imagined her parents had looked extensively into Kir's background before hiring him. Her mother was particularly meticulous that way. That didn't take away Neveah's frustration at their actions to hire a bodyguard in the first place and not even tell her.

And she suspected the last thing he wanted to see in her eyes was pity. So, she didn't give it to him. Instead she pointed from him toward the door.

"Out. I need to change," she held up the dress and waved it as if she needed to provide proof.

 

[Kir]

"Right." Kir said, turning around without much semblance of an argument this time.

He wasn't about to distrust her to the point that he would watch her change, that felt like a humiliating ordeal for the both of them. Better to avoid such a thing an-

Kir frowned as he half turned, stopping midway through the door. "Don't try to go over the Balcony again."

He should have taken the damn blanket rope while he had the chance.

"I have a good nose." Kir said, tapping his snout. "I'll find you even if you turn into a butterfly, or whatever."

The Neusian wasn't entirely sure if her magic would even allow such a thing, but he wanted to make clear that no matter what he still fully intended on doing his job.

 

[Neveah]

Luckily for him the bedsheet rope had already been untied and smoothed back onto the bed. A spark of mischief crossed the girl’s face at his threat. A hint of humor as he tapped his nose.

“I would be very impressed if you tracked me through the city if I was a butterfly. Perhaps I’ll have to try it sometime.” She winked and closed the door. Looking at the dress she held, another groan left her mouth.

After some amount of struggling, she finally had it on. With a very sullen expression on her face. She looked beautiful. But it just wasn’t her. Before Kir got too anxious, she opened the door.

“Happy?” She grumbled.

 

[Kir]

As Neveah dressed herself a servant ran up to Kir.

He carried a sack that was nearly half his size, clearly struggling with the weight of it. With a glance he checked into the bag, thanking the boy and handing him a few silver coins.

Without any shame, nor seemingly modesty Kir then stripped openly in the hallway. The tight clothes provided to him by the Tribeswoman were thrown onto the floor, and quickly he began to don his armor once more. The heavy weight of it settled comfortably on his shoulders.

By the time Neveah stepped out from the door Kir was dressed in a slightly fancier version of the armor he had worn when they first met. "I wouldn't say happy."

He replied to her.

"Content, maybe." Though even that was a stretch.

 

[Neveah]

Neveah, for once, was speechless. She stared at the Nusian. Throat cleared. “You um…look nice.” Adjusting the straps of her dress. She took a breath and stepped out.

She remained quiet as they walked. The corridors were wide and mostly open air. Ahead there was a large double entranceway into a greenhouse. The path curled around all types of plants and trees. On the other side large glass panes doors opened to a reception area with many well dressed and mingling people. A large buffet of various foods and many smaller gathering areas.

She saw her mother and father already engaged with someone. Her sister’s head was bobbing around near the buffet. Neveah paused, thinking about running in the opposite direction.

 

[Kir]

"Huh." Kir said quietly. "This came together quickly."

Of course, what he didn't know was that this whole thing had been planned quite some time ago, just no one had bothered to actually tell him. Not that they would have to, he was just a bodyguard after all.

He glanced down at Neveah who seemed to have stalled entirely in the doorway. "Whose the most influential person in here?"

Kir asked, before adding. "That's not your father, or mother, obviously."

That much probably didn't need to be said, but if Neveah needed a prod in the proper direction then he would be here to provide it. She was not wrong in her quest, Kir knew that. So he would do his best to at least support her in it.

The King hadn't said not to, after all.

 

[Neveah]

Neveah’s face puffed into a frown at Kir’s comment. She always thought they were the most influential. She supposed not above the hearth-mothers. But they wouldn’t be here. They never came to these things. Perhaps the Tower Healers?

Eyes swept away from Kir and back toward the buffet table. “I’m not sure.” She scanned the room again. “Perhaps Madam Zorra. She’s one in charge of the tower of healers. But I would’ve said my parents before you said something.”