Consider it a trial-period - Basile

T: around midnight
P: The airport
W: cloudy and windy
@Basile

It had not been more than a couple of weeks since the wedding. Still, things had changed significantly for both of them; King Nathaniel and Queen Noelle, since their duties as the new reigning couple had to make most decisions regarding the politics of The Circle. To some, it seemed like an easy task; yes or no to most matters. It wasn’t that simple.
Nathaniel had promised his most trusted and confidential advisor would be his wife - which still was the case. Every matter of importance was run by her to make sure she felt included in the whole affair. However, the smaller details; those that mostly only would affect him, he had decided to not include her on as much, unless he saw the need. Why? Because even though they were married, it felt like she still resented him in some way. He knew there was a sensual attraction between them; he knew he adored her and treasured her, but… Did he love her? He didn’t know, and less than a month to decide on such a thing had left him wondering.
Nerobel had offered to send word for an advisor to be sent to them. At first, Nathaniel didn’t like the thought of having to consort others than his wife, but after sleeping on it, he had told Nerobel to send word and arrange for an advisor to be sent to Gaia. It had been arranged within days, making sure that Nathaniel had almost no time to regret his decision. Nerobel had refurnished the bedroom next to Nathaniel’s, making sure that the advisor was as close to his king as needed. The room had its own en suite bathroom, with a large tub and marble flooring. The bedroom itself consisted of a king-size bed, a massive dresser, a huge wooden desk and a luxurious chair. The floor was covered in a thick carpet. All tones were neutrals with cool grays, browns, greens and blues. The view from the room was directly down into the fluorescent driveway where watergardens would decorate every inch that wasn’t needed for the vehicles. Next to the dresser was a door identical to the one used to enter the room. That door would lead straight into the king’s chambers.
It was getting relatively late, when the plane arrived from France. It had been almost midnight, but due to delays of unexplained origin, it had not been possible for the plane to arrive any earlier. Nerobel stood dressed in a navy blue suit, black leather shoes and white gloves; holding a sign with ‘’The Circle’’ on it, to signal to the advisor that he was to follow Nerobel. The almost elvish-looking man had of course turned tired after working all day, so he closed his eyes for a moment, before he heard the doors from ‘’arrivals’’ going up and a small amount of people would enter the hall.

Basile looked around with his silver blue eyes, looking almost hypnotic, as he smiled softly, before he walked out at the arrival gate, only to see a elvish looking mand, tired obviously from what he could see, holding a sign with his name. He walked over towards the man with the black suitcase following him, as he gave a slight bow from him, with his hand on the chest area, as he said " A pleasure meeting you Nerobel ". He then walked with him out of the airport, as he looked up towards the sky, holding back a yawn, as he stood straight, while waiting to be able to get his suitcase inside the car, as he himself got inside it, as he looked towards Nerobel for a brief moment. He knew that he was to be advisor for the king, and that the king was called Nathaniel, but he was to always adress him, sir or my king, your highness or majesty ". He looked some of the paper through, as he sat in his navy blue suit, with the black dressshirt underneath, and bottoned all the way to his throat, at the collar. He didnt bear any form of tie, as he wasnt really a tie person. He looked at Nerobel for a moment, before they finally came to the estate. He looked impressed as he looked at it. His family had many beautiful estates all over France, but then nothing like this, as he smiled softly, before getting out of the car, as he took his own suitcase, with a soft expression over his lips, before he asked softly with the posh accent " Am i to meet the king tonight, or first tomorrow morning? ". He waited for answer, before following inside, so he could be shown to his room.
When he saw it, he smiled, as he looked at the flooring, before walking over to the dresser with his suitcase, as he said " Thank you very much. You look like someone who could use some sleep, so i can take it from here. See you tomorrow Sir ". He smiled softly, as he started to unpack, just as silently as he could, before looking around the room a little, as he took everything in. He sat down in the bed, took of his clothing, as he laid down into the new bed, feeling the softness around him, as he looked up to the ceiling, before falling asleep, as he couldn´t wait to get to work, as he had waited almost his whole life for this oppotunity.

Nerobel had little interest in the newcomer. He was a siren of the Circle, so Nerobel had no reason to dislike him. It didn’t mean that he had to like him, however. Nerobel had always been the most trusted advisor to the royal family - ever since Elaine took over the regime. As the rather tall young siren arrived and greeted Nerobel with a very formal greeting, Nerobel repaid the favor by copying Basile’s bow. ‘’The pleasure is mine, Mr. Le Montt.’’ He simply said, before he escorted the almost silver-eyed man to their vehicle. Nerobel placed the suitcase in trunk before he opened the door for Basile. As soon as Basile had entered the car, Nerobel went to the driver’s seat and powered on the engine. Soon, they were on their way to the estate.
As they arrived and Nerobel exited the vehicle, Basile had already gotten out and retrieved his suitcase. Nerobel fished out a set of keys from his pocket and handed them to Basile with a lack of expression on his face. ‘’The king is asleep, Mr. Le Montt. He will be until tomorrow at 5am. Breakfast is served at 7am in the large hall. You’ll meet him then.’’ Nerobel simply said; clearly being a butler of some sort, since he had such a clear vision of how his master slept and ate. ‘’The keys are for all rooms in the estate, except the queen’s chambers. Those are off-limits unless invited personally by the queen.’’ Nerobel said, before he escorted Basile to his chambers.
As Basile had been shown the location of his room, Nerobel simply awaited the next order from the new advisor. When Basile then told Nerobel to go get some sleep, he nodded once. ‘’Goodnight then, Mr. Le Montt.’’ He said, before closing the door and leaving Basile alone.

The next morning was hardly anything noteworthy for Nathaniel. He got up, got dressed and went for the usual morning run, which lasted him about an hour. Afterwards, he returned to his chambers, where he would undress and - completely naked - would walk across his room to the en-suite bathroom of his. With the door wide open, he then proceeded to take a long bath, since he was forced to turn to his aquatic form, tail and all, in the tub. Once finished, he climbed out of the tub and with a loud thump, he would land of the bathroom floor, reaching for a towel. Somewhat frustrated, he snarled at himself for forgetting to put out a towel in arms reach, before his tail turned to legs once more, leaving Nathaniel completely naked on the bathroom floor for a few seconds, before he managed to get up on his feet and get the towel placed around his hips.

Basile had unpacket and placed everything nice and neatly in the dresser, before he had gotten his clothing off, and folded it on the chair in the room, before he walked to his bed as he almost jumped into bed, before he took the duvet and closed his eyes. It didn´t take long for him to fall asleep. When he woke up the next day, the first thing he did was finding his clothing for the day, before he found his running shorts and shirt, as he found his shoes and then his socks, got everything ready, even the bandwrap around his arm, before he got out of the door, not hearing that the king had left just minutes before him. He then got on with his morning run, coming back just a little bit after Nathaniel, as he locked himself in, got into his own room, took of the clothing and dropped it in the bin, placed his phone on the dresser, and then walked naked into the bathroom of his own, before he took a long shower for himself, just what he needed, before he turned it off, only to hear a rather loud sound coming from the room next door?.

" Excuse me, are everything alright in there? ". He listened against the door, as he thought he heard something that sounded like someone in distress, before he hurried to open the door, as he grabbed a towel, threw it around his hips, dripping with drops from the morning shower, as he ran into the room, only to find the future king in the bathroom, just having wrapped a towel around his hips. He stood there, almost naked.. until his towel glided slowly down his hips, leaving him naked, before he grabbed it, rewrapping it, as he looked embarassed down, before he ran his hand through his hair, as he said with a panting breath, almost close to a moan, as he said " i thought.. something badly had happened to you, your highness.. ". He looked down, as he bowed deeply and with his arm shortly over his chest, before he said " i apologize for the intrusion.. " with those words he turned, to walk out the bathroom, feeling like his heart was in his throat, as he had hurried inside.

Nathaniel had barely managed to wrap the towel around him before some young man barged into his room, wearing just as little as the king himself. Nathaniel looked slightly confused at the young man, before he noticed the towel dropping. ‘’Your tow-,’’ he said, but it was too late. The towel dropped. Given the young man some privacy, Nathaniel turned his head away until the guy had repositioned his towel. ‘’There’s no need to apologize. And there is definitely no need for bowing at me.’’ He said, smiling calmly. The guy was just about to leave, when Nathaniel with a very stern voice uttered a simple; ‘’Wait.’’. It was an order, and it was delivered as such. ‘’First of all… Good morning. My Name is Nathaniel. Nice to meet you.’’ He then said, with a crooked smile on his lips. He walked over to the young man, using on hand to keep his towel in place and the other to run through his hair.
‘’And who might you be?’’ he then asked, standing in front of the young man and looking straight into those almost silver-looking eyes. ‘’I take it that you are the new advisor, since you entered through the private door. How fitting, that the advisor sees me as gods created me on the very first day.’’ He said, reaching out the hand that had been running through his hair to the young man. ‘’I hope I didn’t cause you too much of a fright?’’ he asked, winking at the man

He turned around, only to hear the stern echo of a wait rung into the room, as he stopped as if someone had physically frozen him to the ground. He could feel the shivers down his spine, as he thought to himself, as he looked up shortly to the ceiling. * Fuck fuck fuck.. did i already fuck up at first day *. He turned slowly, with a confident smile over his lips, but his beating heart said otherwise, as he stood face to face with Nathaniel, looking into the eyes of a king, resembling a lake river´s bottom on a summerday more than anything else in this world he had ever seen, like sunlight glittering over the transparent surface, letting the colored earth stone´s really whine through the running river. He looked a little confused, when the tone seemed to change a little, with the smile Nathaniel showed after his very kind words, as he just stood there still, frozen to the spot he had commanded him to wait in.

When he walked over towards him, his silver looking eyes with small specks of blue undertones in them, looked straightly down to the hand on the towel, before they darted to the side, embarassed at what they had just darted their gaze towards, as he had to keep himself under lock and key, as he was standing with his king.. even if the king was beyond handsome, but also a little intimidating, with the two meters, and the tone he had given so easily before. He looked down shortly, as he leaned a little forward, before the softly posh accent once again dominated the plump lips. " My name is Basile Lé Montt ". He looked up towards him, about to say more, when Nathaniel hit the head on the nail.

He was indeed the new advisor. As he stood tall once again, he couldn´t feel it, but he by pure instinct ended up biting down on his lowerlip, letting it glide a little to the side, underneath the pearl white teeth, as he looked at the king, before turning his gaze slightly away, as one could easily see a blush starting to appear over his cheeks and nose brigde, as he stood there, with the almost black hair, just reaching his eyes, and almost hiding them. " Yes your highness, that is indeed correct, a-and yes.. if you say so my king ". When they hand got reached out towards him, he reached his own to squeeze it, not too tightly, but just with enough force, to give a firm squeeze, as he said " No you.. " he stopped shortly, as he saw the wink, which only made him confused. He looked down once again, as he said " I will.. go back to my chamber´s if you allowed it my king.. i find it highly inapporpiate to strike a conversation while.. dressed like this in your presence ". He was very formal towards the king, obviously, as he had not known anything else in his childhood, than how to adress people.. always hold them an arm´s length away.

Nathaniel, a fairly tall man with dark hair and multicolored eyes, looked at Basile with slight amusement in his eyes. ‘’Basile Lé Montt. What a proper name that is. What may I call you? It will be such a hassle to call out your full name whenever I need your advice.’’ He said, with a little crooked grin on his lips. He had noticed how the young man seemed flustered, so maybe now wouldn’t be the best time to sort out any formal arrangements. Biting his lower lip, Basile looked like he was either about to ask something unfitting, or as if he thought of something very demanding of his full attention.
They shook hands for a moment, both the equal force in the handshake. After that, Basile decided to finally tell the king that he wasn’t comfortable with the situation. ‘’I’m glad I didn’t frighten, Mr. Lé Montt. Let me assume your position for a moment, and give you a word of advice. In my presence, you can dress however you see fit. Just be aware that even here, in this very room, the wall have ears and eyes. Now, you’re excused. I wouldn’t want to cause you any discomfort.’’ He said, bowing his head slightly, to show Basile some respect, before he turned around and began walking back to the bathroom; removing the towel on the way, to use it to dry off his hair.

Basile looked at him, as he responded " you may call me Basile or Le Montt, your highness. Or whatever may please your majesty ". He listened to Nathaniel, looking slightly at him and then away again, as he didnt know what to do with himself this very moment. He felt like time stood still.. just moments, but it was enough for him to notice the tone, the reaction but most of all, his own, as he gave a short nod and then looked towards Nathaniel, as he removed the towel, quickly turning, as he walked back to his own room, feeling how hot his body where, as he stood there.. before getting a cold shower. He sighed deeply while standing in the shower.. feeling the cold water run down his body, as he still had some time left to spare before dinner. He kept going over the embarassing moment, as he sighed, before trying to forget the whole deal, while he mumbled something to himself... like snap out of it, before he turned the water off and just stood naked in the bath with his back to the open door to his room, as he thought about his responsabilities once more.

Even though breakfast had been ready for about fifteen minutes, Nathaniel still had not joined them. Nerobel, the elvish-looking man that had picked Basile up from the airport, had received a text from Nathaniel, stating he wanted to eat his breakfast alone this morning. Why? He had not mentioned that.
In truth, Nathaniel didn’t care to eat breakfast. Instead, he was sitting in the window; his legs dangling on the outside, as he had a cigarette between his lips. Nerobel entered the room with a tray containing breakfast and coffee. ‘’Your wife wish to know if you’ll be joining them today.’’ Nerobel then said, making Nathaniel shaking his head. ‘’I don’t think so, my friend. I have some matters to attend to, regarding the old masonry… I doubt Noelle would find it interesting; looking at me going over the budgets.’’ Nathaniel said, before he inhaled a puff of smoke.
‘’You should stop that nasty habit, Nathaniel.’’ Nerobel said, as he placed the tray on the desk, before walking over to Nathaniel. The king had only bothered to put on a pair of jeans and some socks; leaving his torso naked. ‘’I know. I calms me.’’ Nathaniel answered, before he looked at Nerobel. ‘’What if I messed up? What if I forced Noelle to all of this, and she is looking for a way out?..’’ Nathaniel sighed, rubbing his face shortly. Nerobel leaned closer to Nathaniel, allowing himself to whisper in his ear; ‘’Don’t think that just because you’re married, I want to hear about your little irrational fears, Nath. She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t want to. Now, get it together. You have a new advisor that wishes to meet you.’’
Those last words made Nathaniel groan loudly. ‘’I’ve already met him! That poor guy walked in on me after a bath… Oh dear, he must have been so uncomfortable!’’ Nathaniel said in a loud voice, making Nerobel chuckle. Nathaniel inhaled another puff of smoke, to calm himself, before he looked out over the bioluminescent gardens beneath them.

After the cold shower to make himself calm down a little, he dried himself off, went through his skin care rutine, before he took on his clothing, making sure it was looking proper and sat nicely on his muscular body, but without showing or sitting too tightly, as he wasnt there to be an object of desire, but being advisor for the king and nothing more, as he had been trained to from his childhood. He walked out the door and went to dine with what he thought was the king and queen, but when he came, there where no one to see. First the queen and then suddenly.. Nerobel stating that the king would like to enjoy his breakfast alone this morning. Basile sat for a moment, looking at the food, as he sighed. He slowly got up, as he excused himself from the queen, before he walked down to the king´s chamber, as he stopped in front of the door, looking at it for a while, before he knocked, as he said " Your highness, it´s Basile. I would like to get permission to enter, if that would be okay with you ". If he got it, he would open the door, only to see Nerobel and the king hanging out the window, a little perplexed.

He walked with a steady pace over towards Nathaniel, as he stopped just barely at his side, before saying with a hesitant tone to his velvet soft voice. " My king.. i thought you would be joining us at the dinner. Is there perhaps something wrong, or something i could assist in.. ". He looked at Nathaniel, still trying to keep a polite tone towards him, as he just looked at the smoke for a second, as he took a step back, so the smell wouldn´t linger on his clothing. He himself had a scent lingering on him, of sandalwood. He looked at him with a worried gaze, before he asked " I would like, if we could reschedule time to get to know each other, and so i also could get to know your needs and wants.. from this. I would like that we are alone, when doing so ". He looked shortly at Nerobel with a little friendly smile, as to say it wasnt to be rude.

It had not been to offend the new advisor, that Nathaniel had decided to eat his breakfast alone. As he sat in the window, talking to Nerobel, he heard a knock on the door. ‘’Come in,’’ he simply said, before he turned a quarter of the way; one leg out the window and the other inside the room; resting his back against the frame of the window. He looked over at Basile as he entered and walked over to them. with a slight apologetic tone, Nathaniel explained himself; ‘’I wasn’t feeling well enough to join breakfast,’’. With those words, he took another puff of smoke, while Basile explained that he wished to reschedule, so they would be alone when discussing both needs and wants from the employment. He turned his head towards Nerobel. ‘’Leave us. I’ll let you know when I need you.’’. Nerobel nodded once, smiled calmly to Basile, before he turned around and left the room; muttering something underneath his breath.
‘’Very well, Le Montt.’’ He said, looking back at Basile. He had noticed the lingering scent of sandalwood, making him look down at the floor for a moment. ‘’You were hired to be my advisor. I must warn you, the queen will always be my most trusted advisor. If she does not agree with your visions, I will follow her advice over yours.’’ He said, before taking another puff of smoke before putting out the bud of the cigarette in a little ash tray next to him, before picking up a new cigarette from the pack on his thigh.
‘’We are in no wars; we have no enemies and we seek no harm. Your position here will be to assist and advise me on matters I have doubts about.’’ He said, before lighting the new cigarette. He took a deep breath.
‘’I ought to apologize for my behavior this morning. I meant not to fright you, even though, I obviously did. My apologies.’’ Nathaniel then said, before he turned to face Basile; swinging the other leg inside the room with him. He still sat in the window; now with the risk of falling backwards.
‘’I have a request for you, Le Montt. I care little for the titles you call me by. Please, call me Nathaniel. Only the common people calls me by a title, nowadays.’’ He said, before inhaling yet another puff of smoke. He was suddenly reminded of the way his brother had despised his smoking, making Nathaniel sigh. ‘’I hope you slept well. Nerobel informed me about the delays on your flight.’’

Basile looked a little worried at Nathaniel, as he said he wasn´t feeling well to join breakfast. " I´m so sorry, i assumed, that it may had been our previous meeting that had done something. Is there anything i could do for you?, sent the medic to you or anything.. ". He looked worried at Nathaniel, before hearing him tell Nerobel to leave them. Something inside of him, did not want to be alone with Nathaniel, but he just had to get used to him. He gave a short nod, as he said " of course. I wouldn´t expect anything other than that. Of course your highness ". He gave a soft bow, before he looked at him, as he found a chair and sat down, still with some distance between them.
Basile looked a little nervous and on edge, as he saw how Nathaniel sat in the window.. with risk of falling back, as he felt himself almost get up, before he held himself back, as he said " No please dont, i didnt get a fright, i´m just not used to.. that ". He chuckled softly, before looking down a little. " Okay, i will try to remember that my.. i mean Nathaniel ". He pronounced his name, still sounding so sweetly with the velvet soft tone over his voice, as he looked at him a little. " Yes, but it was okay. I slept wonderfully ". He slowly got up, as he looked at the king.

His body reacted before he could even think of it, as he stood face to face with Nathaniel.. looking into his eyes with his own, looking almost like pure silver, with specks of ice in them, as he had his arm around the waist of Nathaniel and one on the frame, before he pulled Nathaniel inside rather insisting, as he said with a worried tone " I though you were going to fall, im.. im sorry ". He let go of him, while spreading and then clenching his hand a little, the one that had held around the waist of him, as he blushed a little, before looking away from him, as he sat down, before asking " So.. tell me, is there something bothering you at this very moment.. or are it sickness of the body and not the mind, that is bothering you. Nathaniel.. ".

‘’What effect should our previous meeting have had on me, that would have rendered me unable to join breakfast?’’ Nathaniel asked, rather puzzled.
Then as they were left alone, it finally felt like Basile could talk a little bit more freely. ‘’I doubt most people are used to encounter their king naked. Either consider yourself lucky or unlucky, depending on your preferences.’’ Nathaniel said, as Basile chuckled softly. What a sweet chuckle, although it reminded him of a man he once had been with. he dusted off the thought, just in time for Basile to call him by his name - finally. ‘’I’m glad you slept well then.’’.
All of a sudden - with little time for Nathaniel to react - the advisor had moved over to him and placed a hand on his waist, as he was pulling Nathaniel away from the window. For a moment, he just stood there; confused about what had just happened. He had looked into those eyes; silver with frozen specs of blue. He said nothing, as Basile apologized, released Nathaniel from his grip and returned to his chair. Nathaniel crossed his arms over his chest, wondering what had gone through that usually careful man’s head, since he had decided to actually touch him. He had no shirt on, after all, leaving Basile to hold onto Nathaniel’s naked skin. Th scent of sandalwood was overpowering, which was the reason for Nathaniel to not say anything as Basile withdrew his hand and returned to his seat - now asking questions that made Nathaniel shake his head. ‘’Neither… Or both. I don’t know.’’ He said, as he rubbed his face to regain control of his thoughts. ‘’I feel like I don’t belong here, Le Montt. At all. A castle with mighty walls, keeping me locked inside - hiding from the entire world… It feels wrong.’’ He sighed, as he returned to the window, leaning against it. He looked at Basile. ‘’I take it that you have been informed of how the queen and I came to be just that; regents?’’

Basile looked up at Nathaniel, as he heard his words. Something inside of him, knew exactly how he felt, as he gave a short nod, before he got up from the chair, as he asked softly when Nathaniel had finished talking. " Would you perhaps.. like to take a walk with me?. Somewhere more private, and where.. these walls arent with us ". He smiled softly, as he took a shirt and threw over towards Nathaniel, as he said " As your ADVISOR, i advise you to meet me downstairs, as we will take one of the cars to the ocean, so we can enjoy a little walk while we talk ".

He then walked over towards his own room, as he said " Meet in 2 minutes? ". He didn´t need all time in the world to switch into something casual and something that could keep the cold outside, as he walked out the room, not even giving Nathaniel a chance to deny him, as he knew he probably would. Still with a scent of sandalwood to him, and still with his hair a little ruffled, he walked down in the black tailor made coat, as he stood and waited for Nathaniel to come down to the car, so they could drive to the ocean. It was a rather wind still day and the weather was alot more warm than normally.

A shirt was thrown over to him, making him look dumbfounded at it for a little moment, as Basile had expressed the wish to go for a walk with Nathaniel. Then, Basile used the trick that meant that Nathaniel had little to no reason to object; Basile pulled the advisor-card. ‘’Of course,’’ Nathaniel said, as he pulled on the shirt - grey like the Norwegian sheet-rock formation Skifer. He ruffled his hair a bit, as Basile told him to meet him by the cars in two minutes. What ungodly amount of time did Basile need to get ready!? Nathaniel grabbed a cardigan and pulled that on as well; dark green, knitted. Then, he put on some sneakers and placed a scarf around his neck, before he took a jacket almost identical to the one Basile wore, and walked down to the car. What had made Nathaniel accept the advisor’s suggestion? The fact that he missed the water so much. He missed living by the beach! Perhaps he could even show Basile his old house? The beach-house where he often would run to when he needed to think and just be alone. The house where Kenna had told him she was pregnant; where he had slept with Spencer; where he had told Kenna that Ellery was dead… The house, that he had left to go live in the estate, although all he wanted was to return to the water and his little beach-house. He hadn’t even told Noelle about it. Basile would be the only one beside Nerobel to know about the house.
Nathaniel now simply waited for the advisor to join him, outside a black Audi - a stylish car, no doubt, but also very incognito.

Basile smiled as he saw Nathaniel waiting for him outside with the black Audi at his side. He gave him a short nod, as he said " i see you beat me to it ". He then walked over to the car, as he asked " Shall i dive or? ". He looked a little at him, before he walked to the passenger seat, as he opened the door, before he looked up towards the estate, as he asked soft. " Soo, do we need to say to anyone that we are going. I just wonder, if the queen will ask for you, or Nerobel ". He had already gathered who the person´s where that Nathaniel talked mostly with. Nerobel, and the Queen Noelle. He smiled a little, as he got inside, before he sat down, forgetting for a minute everything about the seatbelt, as he wasn´t used to sitting on the passenger seat, it had almost always been in the back, with a driver in the front. " So ".

He leaned forward to put the radio on, softly not too loud as he wanted to be able to talk with the king while they were driving. " I have heard the story, about you and the queen, but you should know.. it´s quite normal. Sometimes, they even grew to love each other, and i can see some aspects of that probably happening.. ". He looked out the window, as he leaned a little towards it, with an elbow against the side of the car, as he leaned his chin on his clenched hand, before he said with the velvet deep voice. " I wouldn´t say you are trapped at all Nathaniel. Maybe in a role of leadership and guidance of your people and queen, but else.. you have so much freedom, especially in this modern world. In the old world, it would have been alot more.. secluded ". He looked over towards him with the silver eyes, as he looked at his coat for a moment, before he smiled and said " I can see you are a man with taste ". Just to change the heavy topic for a moment.

‘’Of course I did, Le Montt,’’ Nathaniel said with a crooked grin, before he pulled out a car key from the pocket of his jacket. ‘’Like I would allow anyone but me to drive my own car.’’ He said, winking at Basile, before he looked up at the estate for a moment, whilst Basile asked if they needed to tell anyone if they were leaving for a while. He pulled out his phone from the same pocket the key had been in, and dialed a number, only to put the phone on speaker. ‘’Le Montt and I are going to the seaside. Don’t expect us back for dinner.’’. A simply ‘Understood’, sounded from the other end of the line, before the call ended. He then entered the car simultaneously with Basile and closed the door. He fastened his own seatbelt, before he powered on the engine and began driving out of the courtyard.
They had only been on the road for a moment, before the car gave a sound to tell them that Basile had forgotten his seatbelt. Whilst driving, Nathaniel leaned in over him - keeping his eyes on the road - and fastened his seatbelt for him with incredible precision. Then, he returned to his driver-position, shifted gears and speeded up to almost to double of the allowed speed - just as Basile started speaking. Soft tunes played in the radio, as Basile said that Nathaniel was considered lucky, due to the fact that he could have been much more secluded.
‘’It is not my home I feel suffocating me, Le Montt. Neither my wife, nor my duty as a king.’’ He said, as he drove with high speed down the mountain roads. ‘’I don’t expect you to understand.’’ He then said, knowing that only one person actually had understood what he had been through - and she was going through hell herself, so he couldn’t ask her to be there for him, when he had left her at the worst time ever to lick his own wounds. Soon, the water was to see in the horizon. ‘’Nerobel picked the jacket. I don’t really pick out most of my own clothes any longer. It’s not suitable for a king, apparently.’’ He said, not even looking over at Basile, since he was driving way too fast to take his eyes of the road. Still, he was a experienced driver; nothing would happen to them unless he lost his focus.

Basile looked over towards him for a moment, as he suddenly heard the sound, obviously from one not having a seatbelt on. He was just about to take the grip in it, but he came just seconds too late for it, as he suddenly looked down at Nathaniel, too close for comfort.. as he felt his breath against him almost.. as he took the seatbelt and fastened it with such precision. " T-Thanks ". He smiled softly, but tried to not look too much his way, as he sighed a little, before feeling the tension in his body, as he heard his words. " I´m so sorry. I didn´t mean to assume.. ". He looked down, feeling like he was already failing greatly in being an advisor, even the whole that he already had it.. what was he doing here?. Was he just.. a consort of some form.. he felt more like a servant than any.. as he sat at his side. He knew nothing of Nathaniel.. and still he shared something.. and then all nothing even, as he looked up into the ceiling of the car.

He noticed the high speed down the mountain side, making him take a faster grip in the panic handle on the top side of the car, as he tried to calm his nerves, but truth was, it was rather stressful for him, ever since he had been in an accident with his father, not a big one... but it still made him tense beyond anything, but there was nothing to see, other than he gripped the handle.. just a moment, before letting go, as he tried to focus on his breathing, as he said " Ah.. but as a king, you are allowed to refuse. Nerobel seems rather close to you ". Not something he would mean was a good idea to have, but then again he was not a king, and he knew nothing of Nathaniel´s situation, so instead of trying to even come with soothing words, he decided to just.. listen instead. " Where are we going.. ". He knew they were going to the water, but they couldn´t possible use so much time there.. to miss dinner.

‘’It is okay to assume. You won’t learn anything, if you don’t take risks in life.’’ Nathaniel answered calmly, as they turned onto the main road, causing Nathaniel to slow down to the accepted speed. He had noticed hos Basile had become uncomfortable by the high speed - he would have to get used to that. He was, after all, the one that would have to join Nathaniel whenever he was needed back in France, or other places for some reason.
‘’Nerobel is a very close and dear friend of mine. I choose to listen to him, because he has proven to know what he is talking about. I expect that I should trust you just the same with time, Le Montt.’’ Nathaniel answered with a calm smile. ‘’I am allowed to refuse, yes. But what point would that make? A king walking around in sweats all day doesn’t strike one as a good and capable king now, does it?’’ he asked, obviously jesting a bit with Basile. Some silence ensued, as Basile had asked where they were going. He must have caught on to the fact that Nathaniel wasn’t going to return after a short walk at the beach.
‘’I am taking you to see where you can find me when the silence gets too loud.’’ He then said, knowing that Basile wouldn’t understand that sentence until he had gotten to know the truth about how Nathaniel had become the last brother standing. He made a turn down a rugged road, leading down to a parking lot close to the water. He parked the car, and turned off the engine, before he looked at Basile for a moment. ‘’You wanted to get to know me. Come on then. Let me show you who I really am.’’ Nathaniel said, with a miniscule smile on his lips, before he exited the car; waiting for Basile to follow.

Basile couldn´t hold back a chuckle, as he heard Nathaniel say, that if he had refused, then he would have walked around in sweats all day. " Oh wauw. Suddenly i am very greatfull for Nerobel being a close confidant and also friend of yours. Sweats.. wauw " he laughed a little, as he smiled, before leaning a little more back, as he felt more relaxed now that the speed had decreased. He closed his eyes, as he let out a soft sigh, before opening them once again, as he heard Nathaniel mention something about silence. " Hm " nothing more was needed to be said, as he gave a short nod, before sitting more straight up in the seat, as he looked over towards him with a little concerned look.

Basile got out of the car when they were finally there, as he stood in the door for a little while, looking at the home, before he closed the car door softly, as he followed Nathaniel with his hands in his pockets. He didn´t say much, as he just walked inside with him, before turning around himself a little, as he said " Ah. So you come here often?. Or was this your home before the castle? ". He raised his brow a little, as he looked over towards Nathaniel.

Nathaniel shared the chuckle, as it felt nice to just be able to speak freely with Basile. They had been tense, both of them, after their encounter that morning. The concerned look on Basile’s face told Nathaniel that he was a priority with the advisor - which was nice to know.
Outside the car, the air was brisk and refreshing. He could almost taste the seawater in the air, making him sigh as he closed his eyes. Finally home.
Nathaniel walked over to the beach house, a couple of meters from the parking lot. The house itself was risen from the sand bed beneath it, with a stair up to the front door. A balcony stretched out over the water, allowing for one to jump straight from the balcony and down into the water.
Nathaniel unlocked the door and stepped inside, guiding Basile to follow him. The house was mostly built from driftwood and was decorated sparsely. With two bathrooms and bedrooms, it seemed large from the inside. A joined kitchen and living room saved some space. On a coffee table, there was a bunch of sketch books and on the couch was a guitar. A fine layer of dust had gathered on the surfaces.
‘’This was our home…’’ he sighed. He closed the door to the room that had been both Kenna’s and Spencer’s. He couldn’t stand the scent without tears coming to his eyes, so he tried to ignore it. ‘’I haven’t been here since my brother died.’’ He then said, closing the door behind Basile.

Basile followed Nathaniel as he closed the door´s after having said our. " You and? ". He had heard about Ellery, but not the part of him actually dying, so when he heard the words, he looked a little shocked for a moment, before he stepped to the side, as to let Nathaniel close the door behind him. He stepped a little more inside, as he looked around, holding a respectable distance, both for himself but also for Nathaniel´s sake, as he gave a short nod, before he started to take off his coat, as he hanged it, before he pulled up in his sleeves, as he said " Let´s clean this place up a bit, before we use it, so it actually looks like someone is living here ". He didn´t really know what to say to the fact that he had just shared.. that he hadnt been here since his brother died.

" You should have taken the Queen with you then.. shared this with her. This is something.. that could bond you closer, both of you ". He didnt understand why Nathaniel would take a complete stranger instead of his wife with him, as he sighed, before he turned on the water, looking to see if everything was functioning, as he said " So what happened to him.. ". He asked softly, as he turned around, before asking. " Something to clean with? " at to where it were.

‘’I lived here with my brother, his girlfriend and our good friend…’’ he answered, as he took of his jacket. He hung it next to Basile’s jacket, before he looked shortly at Basile once more. He then walked to the kitchen and pulled out a basket from underneath the sink. Dusters, cloths, cleaning supplies and whatever else could be needed, all collected in the basket. ‘’You’re right. Let’s clean up the place a bit.’’ He said, before he opened the door to the balcony to let in some fresh air.
‘’I need a place to go when I need some privacy from the queen. She is aware this place exists, but we have agreed that it is my sanctuary.’’ He said, quite calmly. ‘’But thank you for the suggestion.’’ He then said, before he looked shortly at Basile with a little smile. he began wiping off the counter, tables and shelves. Then, the question he didn’t want to answer appeared. What happened to Ellery?
‘’It is a long story, Basile…’’ Nathaniel sighed, before he looked down at the counter for a moment. ‘’We were cursed centuries ago. Cursed to share body and mind.’’ He said, before he placed the cloth, he had been using, under the running tap, to rinse it off and wring it out once more, ready to use. ‘’My brother had tried once before to separate us. I managed to stop him just before he killed me.’’ Nathaniel sighed, before he leaned up against the kitchen counter. ‘’To separate us and keep us both alive, we needed another body for the one that would leave… we agreed not to try again.’’ He said, looking at Basile.
‘’When my brother found out his girlfriend was pregnant by me and not him… He broke off the agreement and tried once again to separate us.’’ He said, looking down at the floor with a sharp breath. It felt horrible, explaining.
‘’Turns out the wrong brother survived.’’ He then mumbled, before he almost threw the cloth in the sink before he walked out onto the balcony where he looked out over the water whilst pulling out a packet of cigarettes from the pocket of his sweats and placed a cigarette between his lips whilst he fumbled after a lighter in his pocket.

Basile looked over towards him, as he said " Then i still dont understand why you brought me, to such a.. sanctuary of yours. But i feel honored ". He still couldn´t let the formal tone just drop completely, as he took a cloth to dust off with, before helping with the counters and shelves, the cabinet´s and what else that needed to be done, from time to time also rinsing it off and then wring it out, to use once again. " So it was a matter of survival for you.. and a matter of attack of jealousi and betrayal from your brother ". He looked down a little, as he said " i could never imagine how it is for you, and i wont even bother. It must have been horrible.. ". He sighed, as he felt like they were going into a topic he couldn´t quite follow.. why him, of all people Nathaniel could go to, why tell him all of this?.

" I dont think there is any wrong. I think Noelle is happy it was you that survived.. and Nerobel too, but then again, i know none of you, so who am i, a complete stranger, to even say or state an opinion on something so serious ". He sighed, as he looked over towards him, as he walked to the balcony. He thought if he should walk with him, but.. he didnt want to impose. He noticed the fumbling, as he sighed, rolling his eyes a little, as he mumbled for himself. " Why of all jobs.. do i get this. Is this normal.. advisory.. am i even needed.. ". He closed his eyes, as he gently pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, before he turned, as he gently placed the cloth from him, before he walked out to Nathaniel, as he stopped.. and then turned just in the last second, before he said " Dont take your own life, while i´m doing the rest of the cleaning.. it will all fall on me then ". He wasnt one that was good to emotions and he already felt so wrapped up.. being near him.. as he turned once again, before he stood behind him, gently taking his hand down the pocket, as he got the lighter up, before he held it up for his smoke, as he stepped away from him, before the silver grey eyes looked at him.

" You wanna hear my honest opinion. I think you are happy that you survived, but not happy for the fact that now you are alone, and having someone with you so long.. makes one lonely ". He looked at him, before he said " And i also think that you are scared. Scared that this marriage is always just going to be an agreement and not a love relationship probably ". He looked at him for a moment, before he handed him the lighter once again, as he said " Stop thinking about the past and start living in the present. We only have one life, except for angels, and the life we live us sirens.. is almost eternal.. there is really no saying in what is right or wrong in this world.. make your own rules, and stop thinking about what other people think about you, or what you think about yourself. What kind of life do YOU want to live Nathaniel. You are not the victim.. your brother where, so now start living and stop acting like one stuck in the past ". He turned, as he knew it would probably spill bad blood between them, but if he was honest, he felt like being it too. He walked inside once again, as he said " it´s a lovely home, and it can be lovely again, with the right care ". He took a new cloth, as he walked to the bathroom to clean.

The words couldn’t have hit any harder. He tried to block out the silence, but it was deafening. Basile’s words didn’t help one bit - as he sounded just like Ellery had done. He took a deep breath, listening to Basile while he scolded Nathaniel for being like he was. Oh, just like the old days where his father would beat him up for not being like Ellery. Good times…
‘’You’re right. I am alone. I am terrified of it; of my own goddamn thoughts. I haven’t heard them in centuries! Even my own voice sounds wrong!’’ he said, before he turned his head and looked at Basile as he lighted the cigarette for him. ‘’Thanks..’’ he sighed, inhaling deeply. ‘’It’s a good thing that you at least have the gall to speak up against me.’’ He scoffed, at he looked out over the waters. He closed his eyes shortly. ‘’I can’t let it go, Basile.’’ He then said, shaking his head. ‘’It’s funny how people decides who is the victim based on who died… It doesn’t matter how we lived, right? It’s how we die that makes us either man, fool, hero or victim.’’ He mumbled. His brother had been the victim. To hell with that childhood where he was the light of their parents lives and Nathaniel was the dirt underneath their shoes. He still looked out over the waters, inhaling a puff of smoke from time to time.
He sat down, his legs dangling over the edge of the balcony. Honestly, he had thought about it before. Letting go and just not wake up. Drink too much and jump in the ocean… Dry up on the beach, until he wouldn’t wake up again… he had thought about it, at he was ashamed of it. ‘’Even here, the silence feels suffocating…’’