Two years after Prince Heiko witnessed the death of his father during the 91st Battle of Tyton, and subsequently, the defeat of his kingdom, he was sent to the gates of the victor, armed with nothing but empty words and a command from his elder brother to form a treaty of peace. 

Two years after General Celestino Adesso released the arrow that felled the great king of Simo, he is presented with the youngest of his sons. Though barely a man at seventeen summers, the prince was far from wet behind the ears. In fact, his tactful yet brazen form of statecraft vaulted him far beyond his years. Coupled with his draconian mannerisms, and a knack for callous pleasure, it was only a matter of time before Celestino caught a whiff of something sinister. 

But Prince Heiko was no fool. He was betting heavily on that sharp nose. He wanted a sense of dubiety to gnaw at the general. He needed to create mistrust in his elder brother in order to build credence in himself. Because he knew of Celestino Adesso, and of the illustrious king he served. He knew they wouldn't trust him over his elder brother any more than they would trust a raincloud to bring sun. He knew that to those men, he wasn't honorable, and because of that, he was forced to play the games he was known for. The ones that conspired in the dead of night, the ones that spoke no words but shifted kingdoms. The ones that could obtain the allegiance of General Celestino. Little did the young prince know, however, allegiance was not all he would obtain. But no matter how much Heiko wanted to offer the man what he desired, he could not - not while bound to the gods. 

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Cele passed the waterskin to the young prince, who had been silent for an unsettling amount of time. He didn't understand why neither the captain nor Kaifin found any issue in the behavior, though he was a bit thankful (if he was being honest with himself) that it offered him a chance to speak with Heiko. He hadn't meant to hurt his feelings - in fact, he was still baffled by the fact that he was capable of piercing through the rough surface. 


"Here," he prompted, shaking the waterskin close to Heiko when the prince didn't look over to receive it. "You should drink." 


The general had never seen jade so sharp, certainly not when beset in such a melancholy expression. Despite them, the prince did take it from Cele, if not a bit curtly, snatching it close and fiddling with the stopper before looking away to take a swig. 


Cele tried to ignore the obvious fact that Heiko wanted nothing to do with him and took a seat beside him, exhaling. 


Dulcet and Duplicitous - Part 6