Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on Apr 26, 2011 7:50:40 GMT -5
I'd been home for a number of days since my release of the Palace dungeons, and no amount of time did anything to lessen my anger at the imprisonment. No matter what I had said when the General had come, I wouldn't have been allowed to leave the City to return home, and nor would I have been allowed to even remain here; that was obvious. Either way I was headed to the Palace, but at least this way I had the satisfaction of bludgeoning the bastard in the face with my fist.
How dare he think such of me? How dare anyone of this country think badly of Ruskovians, especially after how their former Queen treated my brother! I was more than just affronted, but I knew enough politics to know how to play my cards. I wasn't the most studious when it came to intrigues and political maneuvers, but I had studied, I had watched, I had listened.. Svaros, but I I'd lived it. I couldn't burst with my humiliations and make outrageous demands, no matter how much I wanted that bastard General hanging with a rough rope cutting into his neck. No, I had to be more subtle, and for the first time I realized how much self composure things like this demanded. My respect for Father rose, and I began to wonder if the staunch, cold exterior he exuded was actually him as I'd always believed, or if there was more to him. Father had never been warm, but neither was he a tyrant.
If nothing else, pride in my country had rose, and with this slap in the face coupled with my recent breakup with Mercedes, I felt myself becoming.. colder, more detached. I was angry enough not to care, but still aware that it was there.
A frown crossed my face as I fingered a letter, simply telling me someone was going to meet me here in the City. I wondered who it would be; part of me hoped it was Alexei, but part didn't, knowing how hard being back here would be for him. Svaros, but Sabrina had died, and I hadn't written him at all. I closed my eyes, guilt washing through me, the stress of the entire situation beginning to bear down on me. Somehow some good had to come of all of this, but I didn't know how. All I knew is I wanted to go home, I wanted nothing more to do with this damnable country and it's citizens. Queen Coretta had apologized to me personally, and irregardless to the fact that I could see she meant it, I still didn't want to be here. The townhome was too empty and silent without my brothers and sisters here with me, my feet itched, and I turned visitors away regularly who likely only wanted to come gawk at the Ruskovian prince who'd slept in the dungeons. Blast it. Blast them all.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on Apr 27, 2011 2:16:35 GMT -5
I’d been grateful for the privacy of the carriage, it let me study the people and places we passed as I traveled from the docks to the city. The people… the women…. Gods and Goddesses help me, how could they all be so beautiful?
Alexei was a fool to have left this; it was only further proof of what I knew of him.
The carriage had also allowed me the privacy to pleasure myself several times during the trip; there were just too many tempting bodies outside the windows not to need release.
Eventually, the carriage pulled to a stop in front of the house Alexei had bought in the City. I stepped out and headed up the walk, letting myself in without waiting for a servant. If anything this was my house now.
A maid… oh yes, she would be in my bed soon enough… came rushing to me, eyes wide and she began stammering in their language. I waved her off and called out in Ruskovian, “Sergei! Where are you?”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on Apr 27, 2011 9:49:36 GMT -5
My mood wasn't as dark as it'd been while I was incarcerated, but neither was it as light and care-free as it had been before. I was standing, hands held behind my back as I stared out a window overlooking the backyard gardens when I heard the faint noise of the door. Irritation already grew, but vanished instantly when I heard the voice that called my name out.
I froze.
Vlad? They sent Vlad? Hell. Oh bullocks! Resignation immediately wafted through me, but I didn't dawdle in answering his call; immediately I turned on heel and walked from the room, my carriage and demeanor upright and proud.
It took but half a moment to reach the top of the stairs, and that again to descend and walk til I was before him. "Brother," I greeted, giving him a short bow but no smile. I was going to have my rear handed to me, and no amount of trying to sweet talk Vlad would curb it. "It's been a long while."
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on Apr 28, 2011 1:51:49 GMT -5
I looked at Sergei as he came down the stairs and couldn’t help but feel a rush of hate. He’d spent all this time here and only managed to cause trouble. He looked even softer than he had before he’d left Ruskovia.
“That’s a stupid thing to say, as if I don’t know how long it’s been,” I said, brushing aside his greeting. I took off my coat and tossed it to the maid who still stood there, looked bewildered. “Is there anything decent to drink in this place?”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on Apr 28, 2011 15:52:54 GMT -5
There was no dissembling with Vlad... Honestly, there was nothing but negativity from him, and it brought both anger and comfort to me in an odd mixture of emotions that sat wrongly in me. Anger for the obvious, but Vlad was Vlad; he was always Vlad, and he represented home. Svaros but I missed it, and his straightforwardness did comfort me.
"Nothing as decent as what there is at home," I said, my voice flat. I looked to the maid and gave her a short nod to dismiss her before gesturing for Vlad to follow me into a nearby receiving room. "Brandy?" I asked as I entered it, moving to around the bar to pour for us both. I didn't really want any servants around; they'd seen enough of my humiliations when the General had come here, and I didn't exactly relish the thought of enduring more than I had to.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on Apr 29, 2011 21:41:43 GMT -5
“Yes,” I answered, glancing around the room. I settled on taking a chair and flopped down into it, my legs stretched in front of me.
“So, you’ve managed to bring shame on our motherland and you weren’t even within a day’s ride of the borders,” I said, moving my gaze to him.
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on May 1, 2011 16:03:40 GMT -5
Svaros, but I wasn't sure if it was the tone of his voice, his words or just the fact that he was here that set my teeth on edge. My spine managed to stiffen even more somehow, and I set the bottle of brandy down harder than intended after pouring the glasses.
"I have done no such thing, brother," I said, struggling to keep my ire down as I spoke in my native tongue. Even that felt good, no matter what we were saying. "If I had been the one to murder the Queen, then yes, but if it was me I sure as a whores tits wouldn't have used poison, then stayed in the City after." I'd rounded the bar as I talked and handed his glass to him, my hand holding my own as he lounged. "I'm surprised you came yourself; that Father allowed you out." A little barb; Vlad wasn't Czar yet, something we both knew, but I wasn't brainless enough to throw things in his face outright.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on May 2, 2011 15:34:25 GMT -5
A worm of pleasure moved through me as I saw him react to my words. I sipped the brandy, it was passingly good, but wasn’t vodka.
Sergei’s words seemed intended to bite, but I didn’t bother reacting. “He certainly wasn’t going to come himself, not for you,” I replied with a sneer. “But your mess here required a response. I’m to meet with the new Queen and exact an apology for how you were treated.”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on May 2, 2011 16:22:07 GMT -5
"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to meet you."
Raising the glass to my mouth, I downed it in one go, then set the glass carefully down on the wetbar, almost as if to make up for the earlier thud of the bottle. "She's apologized to me personally already, just so you're well up to date on events." I took a seat opposite of him, crossing one ankle over my opposite knee as I eyed him. "You're not here just for an apology though."
Just a statement; either Vlad would tell me or he wouldn't, and I'd be damned if I was going to let him have the satisfaction at denying my question. I was too irritated, too angry still... and truth be, probably too long gone from Ruskovia to fall into it like I once would have.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on May 3, 2011 21:47:39 GMT -5
“It was more than just you she insulted, little brother,” I said, emphasizing the ‘little’. “She owes Ruskovia restitution for how you were treated. This place owes Alexei something as well, but they still have his sac and he won’t come and get it back.”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on May 17, 2011 7:51:23 GMT -5
It was impossible not to hear the infliction he gave the word 'little,' and I had to focus on my shoulders not tightening any more than they already were. Too much had happened to me lately to let Vlads pickings wear me down... but on the same note, so much had happened that it was hard for me to let little things go sometimes.
I wanted to tell him it was a shame they hadn't sent Alexei here in Vlads stead, but I couldn't; partly because Alexei wouldn't be happy here, and partly because I had to be careful how much I provoked my eldest brother.
"And what sort of restitution does Father have in mind?" I asked idly, figuring it'd be something in the way of estates and sole trade agreements on a few key items that would give Ruskovia many riches.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on May 17, 2011 19:12:25 GMT -5
Finishing my brandy, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and set down the glass before I answered.
“A wife,” I replied, watching him intensely as I awaited his reaction.
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on May 18, 2011 16:29:58 GMT -5
"A wife?" I looked in confusion at him; Vlad was already married, and Fydor was getting married, and I didn't think they'd pit Alexei here a..
Oh no.
Oh no.
I stared at him, horrified, for a moment before I abruptly snapped out of it, shaking my head. "No," I said, stern, barely keeping myself from backing up. "You can't possibly think to throw one of these.. these women on me! Blast Vlad, if you could tell me one thing they're good for outside the bedroom then I'll happily go!" My scowl returned fiercer than ever, but for now it wasn't for Vlad, only the situation.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on May 19, 2011 17:30:42 GMT -5
I laughed, a lovely harsh sound, at his reaction, before sitting forward in my chair and staring at him.
“Your wife will be good for the money and political advantages that she brings,” I said, my voice low and cruel. “She will be good because she will remind the world that Ruskovia is far more than a land of thieves and murderers chipping their way out of the ice. She will be good for the children she bears whose Ruskovian blood will course strong through their veins and spread further through the world.”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on May 23, 2011 15:01:03 GMT -5
BALLS.
My rage was flipped in an instant, and my fists clenched as I looked about us. I could feel myself growing wild, edging on out of control, and I had to focus myself to retain control, to bring myself back together. When I looked at Vlad, my gaze was hard enough to etch steel, my fists were still clenched and I spoke through my teeth, but I was in control. Mostly.
"You're going to make me marry one of these women. My life, forever attached to those who threw me in jail, who kept me like some rat! I don't care what their reasonings were, they accused me of doing this, they accused Alexei, and now I have to spend the remainder of my life wedded to one?"
I didn't remember throwing my glass, but it exploded against the fireplace in a brilliant display of crystal shards, spewing outward to form a hard rainbow for the barest of seconds. My eyes snapped back to Vlads. "She will go where I say, when I say. She will not speak unless I give her leave. She will not bed another, like these harlots seem so fond of doing, and most of all, she will live in Ruskovia. Don't give me a weak wife," I added, unsure of how Vlad would take my sudden snap of temper, and not caring at the moment. I'd rarely displayed my temper so outright growing up, generally keeping it in til I was in my rooms or escaping to the stables before it got this far.
Besides, a punch in the face or gut would be highly preferable to marriage to a d'Angeline.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on May 23, 2011 15:11:20 GMT -5
I was still as I watched his temper explode, but at the end I could not help the smile that twisted my lips.
“It’s nice to see that this land hasn’t stolen the spine out of every Romanov,” I said with a chuckle as I leaned back in my chair once more. “You and your bride to be will both be returning to Ruskovia with me, that is already decided.” I held up my empty glass towards him, wanting a refill of brandy. “As for whom exactly she is, I have yet to see a list of possible brides, but you can be assured she will be beautiful, wealthy, and compliant, just as any woman who marries a Romanov should be.”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on May 23, 2011 15:26:05 GMT -5
I didn't know whether to sigh in relief or hiss in vexation. I'd be returning to Ruskovia, but not until I was wedded to some silly chit.
I didn't want a wife. My heart was still shredded over Mercedes, and abruptly I realized I needed to tell her. I didn't have to, I knew, but it seemed unduly cruel to let her hear it through the grapevine. I sank into a chair finally, and, my hands now free of a glass, I rubbed the heels of my palms into my eyes.
"Fine," I responded at last, my voice still hard and holding a snap to it. There was nothing I could do to change things anyway, not once Father had made his mind up, and no matter Vlads pull I couldn't see a matter of my marriage being arranged without Fathers say behind it. "We will go to the Queen then, and face her together, get a list of women, and leave this hellhole as soon as possible."
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on May 23, 2011 15:31:42 GMT -5
“We?” I replied with more than a little sarcasm in my voice. “Oh no, not we little brother, me. I will go to the Queen and I will choose your bride. You will stay in this house and behave yourself until such a time as we all return to Ruskovia.”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on May 24, 2011 14:34:15 GMT -5
My spine stiffened again; I could barely tolerate Vlads temper and tone on top of everything else. How amused he must have been when Father told him. Maybe it was Vlad that suggested it.
The thought made me flex a fist again, and I had difficulty in controlling myself once more. "We will go together, big brother," I said, acknowledging his stance over me in seniority, but showing I didn't care at the moment. "You may speak to her, and you may choose my bride, but I will not be left behind like some gutless coward! I will see everything for myself; I'll see her face when you inform her, and I'll know who is offered, and be able to judge the length of the Queens apology for myself."
If she gave me weak willed women, if she gave me someone who was not acceptable, it'd be the last slap in the face I would take. I glared at Vlad, well aware I was stepping over many boundaries with acting out like this, but I was too angry to care anymore.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on May 25, 2011 0:30:42 GMT -5
I rose, quickly, slamming my glass down onto the table as I did; hearing it crack.
“You will do as you are told,” I said, my voice knife-edged. “If there comes a time I think you should be included, then I will tell you. You came here because father was feeling generous, and now I am here to put an end to the mess surrounding your presence. Had you returned to Ruskovia with Alexei and Fydor, then you would not be in this position. Do not forget that, nor forget your place.”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on May 30, 2011 22:34:00 GMT -5
When Vlad rose, I knew I'd pushed him too far, and I remained where I was, quivering in rage. He was right, as much as I hated to admit it, as much as I hated him for this position I was thrust in.
"Married," I muttered, and in contrast to Vlads standing and white-hot anger, I downed the rest of my brandy and stood myself, but only to move to the bar to pour myself another. "Blessed Svaros. She'd better have a spectacular pair of thighs to wrap around me," I added, giving Vlad a look that was supposed to be wry, but held a dark edge to it. I couldn't shed my anger, not now, and not likely for a long time. I would have pitied my to-be bride, but I didn't have it in me right now. I'd see to Mercededs, I decided, but I wouldn't bring her name up here right now. Not now.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on Jun 2, 2011 15:40:44 GMT -5
“Watch yourself brother or I’ll test the tenor of her thighs myself before your wedding,” I told him, my voice still steely and angry.
“Now, get one of the servants to show me to my room, I am ready to be out of these traveling clothes.”
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Sergei Romanov
Royal
His Royal Highness, Prince of House Romanov
Posts: 366
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Post by Sergei Romanov on Jun 6, 2011 16:56:51 GMT -5
My teeth audibly clicked shut at Vlads remark of tasting my to-be bride before I had a chance to, something I knew he'd do, and do again and again if it suited him.
"Of course, brother," I said, issuing him a stiff bow before spinning on heel and striding out of the room. My gaze was glitter and ice, and I snapped my orders quietly to a maid before continuing my way up the stairs, going to my own rooms to figure out just what to do.. even though I knew it all to be futile.
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Post by Vladimir Romanov on Jun 6, 2011 18:50:23 GMT -5
I chuckled as he left the room, pleased at seeing him finally hold his tongue. A moment later a girl came in and with a curtsey said she’d show me to my room. I followed her upstairs, watching the sway of her ass in her dress.
Oh yes, I was going to enjoy my time here.
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