King's Castle

Heading over to the buffet, Wolfie piled his plate high with food. His thoughts now focussed upon the amount of good food he had access to. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before! He sat down in the corner, scoffing a wide variety of treats hungrily. "mmmm this is so good!" he exclaimed loudly, then continued louder and more excited "food is ART!!"

Feliciano Vitus


Feliciano's smile grew even smaller, but he had to fight to keep it. He didn't want to make Ludwig feel that bad for this. Feliciano knew Ludwig was a very busy guy now, and he was too... Perhaps it was best if he left when he wanted to, even though it was pretty upsetting for Feliciano. He gave a small nod, frowning just a bit. One of his hands rubbing his arm awkwardly.
"Yeah... I understand Luddy- Uh... Ludwig..."

A small wave of disappoint seemed to have washed over him, but it quickly began to fade when he heard his brothers voice.
A smile grew on his face, and he was quick to wrap his arms around Lovino for a hug. He suddenly seemed bubbling with excitement all over again.
"Lovi!! There you are!! I was wondering where you'd be!!" He then grabbed one of Lovino's arms and pulled him over more, and gestured to Ludwig as he spoke.
"Lovi, look! It's Luddy! I don't know if you know him or not, but he used to be my best friend when I was younger!! He came here! So many people came here its so amazing!!" He spoke quickly, but at least he wasn't so upset about Ludwig denying his request anymore.

"Oh, Luddy, this is my brother!!" He smiled, trying to pull one of Lovino's arms out to make him try and shake Ludwig's hand.

Ludwig Ritter

Ludwig's shoulders slumped slightly when he saw Feliciano's mood dampen. However when Lovino was introduced, the blond raised an eyebrow. He was sure that the king's son had disappeared? Right?
"Ah..I wouldn't say 'best friend' " he was quick to argue, however when feliciano attempted to force a handshake he stiffly held out his own hand for Lovino. "Uh..hello." He greeted in an awfully awkward fashion. Should someone be telling the king about this, he really felt like someone should be telling the king about this. He was torn between being a loyal puppy and immediately going to tell Romulus, and standing like a statue that had no idea how to make conversation. With his hand still out for Lovino, he ended up going for the second option. "I uh..as feliciano said, I'm Ludwig from the house of Ritter."
"Uh.." Well would Lovino want to be called 'your highness' or not, he wasn't in line for the throne anymore from what Ludwig could see, but as Lovino was the older brother it would make sense for him to inherit the throne upon his return.

Ashleigh Atherton

Wide-eyed, Ashleigh dashed after the young boy, patting his shoulder "Shhhh. Easy on the shouting, kid." she cautioned, though her tone of voice was much less harsh than it had been up to now "Just enjoy the food and the art and all will be well, okay?"

Lovino Vitus

"Dammit, stop touching me!" Lovino groaned as he tried to push his younger brother away from him, his cheeks flushing a bit red from embarrassment. His cool and seemingly evil prodigal brother entrance was just ruined by this idiot who was quick enough to hug him and dragged him over to his place. As much as he hated this, he kept his voice and resistance at minimal so as to not draw too much attention, especially from Romulus.

And as much as he didn't want to admit it, Lovino did miss Feliciano and his cheerfulness.

Wearing an even more miserable face, the older brother slapped away Feliciano's hand and crossed his arms instead, eyeing this man curiously. Luddy, Feliciano says. Hazel eyes examined him from head to toe. Well, it was no doubt about it. "You look like old man Ritter, after all." Lovino said. The same stern expression and physical features were a giveaway to who he was. "Yeah, and as this idiot said, I'm Lovino."

After a while, Ludwig was only making weird and awkward sounds and Lovino rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue. "'Uh' what, you bastard? Why are you staring at my face?" Really, Lovino's vulgar mouth and hostility didn't hold themselves back. Might be because he's nervous with attending the royal ball and all, might be because he's being pressed with his nostalgia, or it just might be he felt a bit protective of his younger brother. Or maybe he could just smell the gay within.

Ludwig Ritter

Well if there ever was an unexpected meeting, it was this one.
When it became clear that he wasn't going to be partaking in a handshake with Lovino, Ludwig lowered his hand, letting it Hand by his side just like the other one.
Ludwig found himself at a loss when it came to what he should do next. He had been expecting someone similar to Feliciano, however appearance was the only thing that he could mark as a similarity between the two. Lovino made the comment that he had heard many times over the course of his life about him looking like his grandfather, though it couldn't be an uncommon appearance since Ludwig had been mistaken for one of those people from Forbitrelse...he couldn't recall who, but clearly that meant that he just had one of those familiar faces.
"I wasn't staring at your face I was...uh..." Again he found himself at a loss, unable to think of an excuse for not saying anything for so long.
....perhaps it would simply be best to leave these two to their reuniting? Yes, that would clearly be the best option here. He didn't know Lovino that well and clearly it would be good for the two brothers to talk alone rather than to try and include Ludwig in the conversation.
"Your highnesses it was lovely speaking with you but I think I just heard someone call my name, I should leave and attend to this. I sincerely hope that you enjoy the rest of the ball." He explained, giving a stiff bow before exiting quickly to visit the buffet table. Ah yes. The old 'pretending someone called you.' Trick. Works like a charm!
He sighed softly, taking one of the little...he wasn't sure what this food was, and put it into his mouth. Oh! So it was some kind of fish, the taste surprised him and he took a look up, admiring the architecture of the place.

Feliciano Vitus

Feliciano found himself feeling a bit saddened again by Ludwig's departure. What did he mean, he "heard someone calling his name"? Feliciano heard no one call out for Ludwig. They finally get to catch up, and then there he goes again.  He gave a little sigh, before returning his attention to his brother Lovino. As angry as his brother always seemed, Feliciano knew he was always deeply caring and all. In fact, he was over joyed to see his brother. That made this evening even better.

"Sorry about that Lovi," He said, feeling a little awkward about everything that happened, but he wasn't too bothered by it. Maybe a little disappointed that Ludwig and Lovino just did not connect at all.
"That was Ludwig, he's actually really, really, really nice! I don't know why he wanted to leave. But Lovi!! I didn't think I'd even see you here!! I'm so glad you came!!"
His smile grew bigger, as he let himself give Lovino another big hug. It was so nice to see him again. He knew Lovino must've been a little happy to see Feliciano again too. He just didn't show it as well, but he knew it was there.

Francis Vitus-Atherton

Francis smiled at her, and held out a hand. Once the girl had given her his hand, he tugged gently, and led her out onto the dance floor for the beginning of the next song. Holding her hand and placing his other hand just above her waist, he began to lead the girl in the dance, stepping forward and guiding her back. "One, two, three, one, two, three... There you are, you've got it!" he encouraged her with a gentle smile. "Don't look back, don't worry. I won't let you run into anyone." He glanced away from her face briefly, and spun about, drawing her away from some slower dancers. "There we are, see? You're a natural at this."

Lovino Vitus

The older brother snorted the moment Ludwig excused himself, uttering, "A big bastard but a complete idiot." Turning to Feliciano, Lovino raised a brow in the obvious gloomy mood he had on his face when his so-called 'best friend' left for an invisible person calling him. What, so he preferred the company of that man than his own brother?!

"Sorry, yeah." Lovino rolled his eyes and clicking his tongue in irritation. "Stop the act, will ya? You know you could just follow that man instead of me, it's that obvious you'd be happier with him." Maybe he had dropped too large of hints of jealousy. He couldn't even look at Feliciano in the eye now!

But Feliciano was... Feliciano. His younger brother pulled him into a hug, and even if he wanted to shove the idiot away, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He missed this... warmth. "S-Stop it," His cheeks flushed red from embarrassment, his hands awkwardly on his sides. "People aren't supposed to know I'm here!"

Managing to squirm away and miraculously not throw a barrage of cusses at him, Lovino straightened his doublet and dusted off his sleeves. He threw a stern look at the younger Vitus, before blood rose to his cheeks again. Man, this was hard. And awkward. "S-So... How have... you been? And... Romulus..."

King Romulus Vitus

The King shrugged. "Eh... So-and-so," He made a hand gesture of flicking his wrist horizontally before laughing boisterously.
"Don't worry, child. I don't mind whatever choices you'd take..." Romulus smiled, sipping his wine casually. "It's our choices and mistakes that makes who we are. I couldn't even imagine myself to be tied to such oath as the fleece does. I would never develop a grudge, you've done your job well after all. But the laws wouldn't be so kind if you were to leave..."

______________

Natalya Czarina

"I am trying my best to stomach him," she admitted with a scowl on her face. "If I would never allow him his dance, I'm afraid he will never leave me alone. Which seems to be the most excruciating of the choices."
Natalya took her steps delicately, shifting her weight to which is more convenient. She could feel the warmth of her blood beginning to concentrate on her leg -- ready to trickle down from her wounds. It was never a good sign, and she hoped this night would end soon despite having the fortune to dance with his brother at the moment.

Emma smiled brightly, super proud of herself that she was able to keep up with the royal. And she was also receiving praise as well for her hard work. She was always a fast learner, and this was clearly evident as she was dancing her heart out at the ball. And she was having such an amazing time, and she was glad that she decided to come to the ball tonight.

"It helps to have an amazing and patient teacher." Emma said, complimenting her partner. "You're very kind to encourage and compliment me, especially when it's my first time dancing like this. I genuinely appreciate it."

Alfred Atherton

"I know of that, my king, I've known that from the start." Alfred found himself smiling, as if undaunted by the facts that limited him from a lot of privileges. But he was young still, his life woud have to wither by without these until his last breath. "But it is an achievement, to be bearing your golden cloak. It's worth more than prestige or a woman's loving arms." Though men older than him claim there was no better feeling than to have a lover by their side. Alfred could not empathize. "What does it feel like...? To love and be loved?" It was a question innocent enough. Alfred asked him as how a young child would, filled with honest curiosity. There was no better person to ask. He had grown to see Romulus as his father figure, having to barely know his before he died.

Ivan Czar

"I feel as if I've spoiled your good mood for reminding you of him." The knight was yet another person his sister disliked, to which he saw cause for her disapproval. "Will asking about your adventures today be a better conversation route?" Ivan would rather have her accompanied by his knights, especially in such an unfamiliar place. He saw the Capitol as a breeding ground for convicts and criminals, not to mention the kind of debauchery it had to offer. His sister was capable enough of taking care of herself, however it would not hurt to be more cautious. "Hopefully you didn't run into trouble."

Wolfie looked back at her, grinning "but ive never had such amazing food! in such an amazing place! its like art! art everywhere!" he giggled, more excited than he'd felt in a long time.

King Romulus Vitus

"Worth more than a woman's loving arms!" He whimpered, clutching his heart dramatically. "You hurt me."
Well, Alfred's next question did make the point he would wish to make. "You know too little. How old are you, boy? Have you actually been with a woman... intimately?" The king whispered, pulling the knight closer. "Do you wish to be a saint?! The brotherhood pledges no wife or child, that wouldn't stop you from..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "This is unbelievable!"
After shaking the thought with a laughter, he sighed and scanned the room. Aside the Czars, Francis himself is enjoying his dance with a certain belle the king isn't quite familiar with. "A lover... can be a man's greatest source of strength as well as his own weakness. Nevertheless, it's better to have loved than not love at all. You may not have noticed it now, but being in love can make you feel alive. If ever you will, one day you will come up to me and say, 'My king! I am finally alive, and I am in love!' Only then you will know how much you are missing all these time. But alas, you can never force or find love. It must find you."
Such a hearty king Romulus is. Most of the Vitus ruler were, but he was so far the most. Which makes him the perfect Yoda for the young Luke, since he never needed to teach the ways of love for his children -- them being born with the same passion in his blood.


Natalya Czarina
She wanted to interrupt him with the topic, but decided it was the worst route to take so Natalya bit her tongue and processed her next answers well before spilling them. "I didn't, brother. My day was well, I admire your concern very much." She smiled sweetly to conceal the truth.
"I spent most of my time in the high market. It appears I have a low profile around here, which suits my favor. No one recognized me." Hardly. Oh how she wished this was real. "How about you? How was yours, my lord?"

Ashleigh Atherton

"W-Well...I suppose I can't really argue with that..." Ashleigh replied to him, shrugging, a little stunned by the boy's sudden energy "But still, please be a little quieter?" she asked, suddenly a lot more polite than demanding

Ulrich Ritter


Ulrich stood by the king and listened to the conversation beetween him and the young Lord Commander. The topic didn't really catch his top point of interest, as well as he didn't feel that he could actually add anything to it. He wasn't really the most comfortable if anyone would ask him the question about winning a woman's heart. Luckily, that didn't happen and he was able to stay quiet for the most of the conversation. He planned on standing next to the king as long as Romulus would want, but a familiar feeling in his stomach prevented him from doing so. He tried to lastly recall when he had something to eat, and it was this morning - no wonder he was getting hungry.

"If you'll excuse me for a minute," he quickly said to Romulus when a few quick moments of silence were present in the conversation. Avoiding any other explanation he turned around and walked away from the two, his new direction being a table with food. He approached one, scanning it with his gaze to see what choices of food were offering themselves. He decided for a simple peach. Taking the fruit in his arms he moved away from the table, yet again finding a wall to lean onto and eat peacefully.

Like many times before this evening he looked around the place, seeing if there was anything - or anyone - that would require his attention. He also made sure that he still saw the king with one eye, just for a better feeling that Aether's ruler wasn't attacked or anything of the sort.

Alfred Atherton

The king's reaction made him feel a bit insecure, embarrassed to say the least. But the lad's cheeks were tinted with red as a response to how the conversation bloomed. "I'm twenty and one... And... Uh... No...?" Of course there was harmless flirting, but that never really got him anywhere. Most of what he got from it were giggles, and he enjoyed that very much anyway. Sometimes he would fail horrendously, scaring the girls away with a failed stunt or just receiving a blatant roll of eyes. Alfred leaned back when he was being pulled closer. He was but a fiesty lion cub compared to the great wolf Romulus was. His king was a rumored womanizer, and he was but a boy.

"I've never... thought about it that way..." His brothers probably sneaked off at some nights, finding their way into their secret lovers' beds. His inexperience led the king to be in a state of disbelief, but he must have found that amusing. Alfred was a man grown—at least, he thought he was. It should be surprising to have him be so innocent about such matters.

Alfred always had ears to what the king had to say, and what he had told barely registered in the knight's mind, but it somehow made sense. He knew he would be remembering these very words when the time would come for him to fall tragically in love. It would be too late to back out of the brotherhood now. "You make it sound so slendid... I guess I will just have to wait for it, then. It makes me kind of curious." And curiosity was both a blessing and curse in the case of this one.

Ivan Czar

"Nothing exciting, I fear. Though this place looks more colorful than Silny and a lot sunnier... I kind of like it. It's a lot more diverse, though I've come to dislike the crowd and the smell." The Capitol has its attractions, but it was too unfamiliar for comfort. "I wonder if I could find anything I could enjoy—apart from the wine."

Ludwig Ritter

When he lowered his head to look away from the ceiling, Ludwig spotted his father by one of the food tables, following him with his eyes.
Alright, so, perhaps...

He looked over to where Feliciano was, and bit his lip before making a final attempt to fix his hair and restore it unsuccessfully to how it had been before Gilbert and messed with it and then walking across the ballroom to where his father was leaning on a wall. "Father." He greeted him, bowing his head in polite greeting. The fact that this caused some of his hair to hang against his forehead and the tops of his eyes annoyed him, and he decided to cut his bangs once he returned home.
"Father I was hoping to ask you something, Feliciano offered that extend my stay by a day and return to the castle the day after tonight instead of riding home once the party ends. Would it be too irresponsible of me to do that?" He asked cautiously. "Roderich should still be at the castle so it's not as though the place is completely deserted...."

King Romulus Vitus

The king nodded at Ulrich and regarded his leave with a smile before turning back to Alfred.

Upon hearing his revelation of never being in bed with a woman, Romulus gasped. His face wen't noticeably pale, facade horror-stricken. "What?! I don't suppose chastity is included in the brotherhood's law?!" Yoda, please.

"Oh you poor, poor thing..." He whimpered in disappointment. "How do you live..." Quickly, he engulfed the content of the wine. Feeling the warmth and the sweetness liven his system and having a handmaiden fill it again once empty.
"Thank you, my dear. I'm afraid this topic would send me soon to my death bed," he noted the maiden dramatically before returning to Alfred. "This is not how you want to live, child. You're one-and-twenty! You should be enjoying life at its best! All that youth and looks wasted... I simply couldn't allow it!"

Natalya Czarina

"I'm glad you could stay quite a bit optimistic, brother." She smiled a little, remembering her own day which was filled with torment and anger that seems to be haunting her until tonight. "I envy you, this place isn't as good to me at all."

Ulrich Ritter


He had remained in his position for a few minutes, finishing his peach. His hands now rested on his chest while he was staring in the floor in front of him. His mind was somewhere else; at home in Adlerhorst in fact. He didn't get many chances to think about the past, nor did he want to - but seeing his sons again prevented him from focusing on anything else.

However, his attention returned when he heard Ludwig speaking to him. He quickly looked up and pretended that he was present in mind all the time. Listening to Ludwig's request, he thought about it for a bit. If Roderich was still at Adlerhorst... "I suppose there would be no greater harm for you to stay a day," he replied with a small nod. So, Feliciano offered, hm? If the boys got along well that would't be a bad thing at all - the Vitus and Ritter houses would most likely still stay at peace. He didn't want to repeat any of the stories about history of those two houses that he read about when he was younger.

Feliciano Vitus

Feliciano couldn't help but let out a small laugh when Lovino struggled to fix himself up again after the extreme brotherly hug Feliciano had bestowed upon him. Lovino hadn't changed a bit, he was still as stubborn, and angry seeming as ever, but also really caring. Feliciano may be the only person that could see past all of Lovino's bitter attitude to see all that love inside him. Feliciano always seemed to see the best in everybody.

At the question, his smile faltered a little bit.
"Well... We're good," He glanced down, sadness seemed to have washed over him a bit.
"We miss you a lot though," His eyes looked back up at Lovino. It was different without his brother around. Sure he could be a big jerk sometimes, but Feliciano was always happy to see his brother. There was a special bond he felt he had with him, they were brothers after all. He naturally loved his brother, and for him to have been gone for so long... Things felt a little emptier at home.
"You could just stay you know..?"
He gave a small smile.

"I know you have lots of reasons to probably not stay, but... I miss you a lot."
He gave his brother yet another hug, this one tighter, as if he knew Lovino would not stay, and it might be another, very long time before he got to see him again.
"But you should consider it, you know..?"
He let go, and looked at Lovino, a little hopefully.
It was bad enough Ludwig said he couldn't stay, it'd be nice if Lovino did at the very least.

Lovino Vitus

'We're good.'

Yeah, well, maybe it should be more than that, seeing this grand ball was successfully held and all sorts of people came. Aside from petty crimes held here and there at the Capitol of which he may have contributed to, Lovino knew that Romulus has done very well in his job for the last decades. And as much as he hated to admit it, he knew Feliciano would do a better job than he, considering Lovino was not as well-loved by everyone as his younger brother.

He scoffed and snorted when the other was trying to convince him to stay. Running a hand through his hair, Lovino replied with, "Idiot, as if I would stay again here." Sure enough, Feliciano did say that he had lots of reasons not to remain in the kingdom anymore. "Your pathetic reason isn't enough. Besides, you're doing well, it seems. No need for me to ruin everything again, right?"

It was nice to hear he was missed. It was nearly four years since he last stepped in this castle. But he knew it was only Feliciano who missed him. Everyone in the palace never saw him as Lovino Vitus who struggled so much to meet everyone's expectation, but as Romulus' problem child who was never fit to rule.

"I'm in a better place outside the castle," He smirked, hands on his waist. He wasn't going to tell him the details, but, "I'm more useful there than this hellhole."

This time around though, Feliciano went to hug him again, and Lovino did try to push him away now, "Feliciano," He hissed through gritted teeth. "Stop hugging me, your fucking idiot...!" Maybe a bit more hugging would squeeze out the tears he had held back since earlier, and hell no, he didn't want anyone to see that.

Hopeful eyes met Lovino's stern hazel pair. "I will never come back to this damn castle. Remember that, Feliciano."

Trym

After a while, Trym and the others finally arrived at the king's castle. They were a couple of hours late, but Trym was sure no one would care anyway, so he didn't mind. Trym sure as hell did not mind, the first hours of these kinds of things were always lame anyway. Or, so Trym assumed, since he was usually not on time, so he didn't have much experience with that kinda thing. It was probably boring anyway, since he wasn't around, and he definitely made everything better always.

Looking around the place, Trym was having a hard time deciding whether he wanted to talk to people or eat first, so he decided to get some alcohol. Soon. "So many people and I still look way better" He commented to Lukas, knowing full well that this was the kind of comment that would probably irritate the shit out of him. Actually, most of his comments seemed to irritate Lukas, but that's what best friends did. Sometimes they were annoying, because it was funny. Lukas didn't actually think he was annoying, right? "And you, of course!"

Ludwig Ritter

Ludwig glanced at the ground, wondering what his father found so interesting there. Then he remembered that he himself had just spend a good deal of time staring up at the ceiling, so it was simple enough to assume that his father was just admiring the design of the place.
At Ulrich's reply, his eyes widened slightly, and Ludwig wore a small smile as he nodded. "Ah- thank you, I haven't stepped foot out of Unire for a while so it will certainly be interesting to catch up with Feliciano." 'Interesting' really didn't cover the half of it. 'Refreshing', 'a welcome change', 'gay'. Now those could certainly describe a little more of the interaction.

Feliciano would probably be so excited when he told him, though he decided to just inform him later since he was still having that brotherly reunion thing. He turned his head slightly to check and- yep, they were hugging. Wasn't too hard to guess who initiated that embrace.
Ludwig looked back to his father, hands behind his back. "Did you get a chance to speak to Gilbert?" He asked, looking across at his father. And to think, during their last interaction before tonight, Ludwig had Been looking up at him. Then again, so had Gilbert.
The new arrival got a head turn from him, mostly because he didn't recognise the people arriving. Well, familiar or not, their outfits were on point.

Ulrich Ritter


Ulrich returned the small nod to Ludwig. "Do catch up with him. It will be good for both of you, I imagine."

When he talked to both of his sons this evening, he had to accept the fact that they were now both grown men -and Roderich too- and that soon he'll probablly he be the one to look up when he'll want to see directly in their faces. Hell, Ludwig was even taller than Gilbert, or did it just seem that way? That fact scared the hell out of him actually. If they were to get into a fight they could probablly easily overpower him if joined.
"I have. Thank you for sending him to me," he said to Ludwig, before his eyes glanced in the same direction that Ludwig looked to just a few moments ago.

His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Feliciano hugging another brown-haired man - did it just seem that way or did the other person also carry the infamous Vitus curl? "Is that Romulus' other kid?" He asked.