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So, if Edarial wasn't sure that his wife hated him before, he's really, really sure of it now. It's pretty usual that if they're in the same room, he feels nothing but silent, seething hostility from her. Usually, his reaction to this is a poker face followed by running. He doesn't like having someone hostile just - there at the dinner table, glaring at him with her hissing familiar.
Zevros doesn't hate him, Edarial's certain of it, but he's not helping. He's literally never seen his twin this angry before. This is coming from someone who has seen his twin be angry loads of times. At meals, he just - sits there. Stabbing his food and glaring at Edarial while he does it. He gets why, he knows that Zevros is furious with him for the whole 'cold political marriage' thing. It still hurts, though, to have his immediate family just be so openly hostile.
He gets more withdrawn. Meals get delivered to his room rather than him eating with Iobel and Zevros right there, being near-openly hostile. He stops sparring with Zevros nearly entirely, spends an unhealthy amount of time in either his office or his room, and Berathyme spends all her time coiled around his shoulders, offering what little comfort she can.
She's pretty terrible at advice, but at least he has someone that doesn't actively hate him nearby.
He throws himself into being a king, gets lots of things done, and is generally considered by the public to be good at it. A good king. It's sort of tainted by bitterness, now. But the country does not fall apart, it does not break down into civil war - he handles it. The education system gets a shove in the right direction, the canals get cleaned up, various unemployed people get jobs. He wonders what on earth he's done wrong when he's doing good in the world, but he supposes it doesn't matter.
He knew what he was getting himself into, when he made this choice. He knew that Zevros would be upset with him. Maybe to the point where their camaraderie will just never recover. He doesn't know. From the beginning, he knew that he'd be shackled to someone he doesn't love. Edarial hadn't been expecting the random hatred from his new wife, but he certainly wasn't expecting to be happy.
Just, well. He wasn't expecting to be so miserable, either.
It shows, the misery. Dark circles under his eyes, the withdrawn, blank expression, unkempt hair. He loses some weight due to skipping meals just to avoid his close family. Or, other times, he just forgets, burying himself in work so he doesn't have to think 'What did I do?' over and over again.
But he's a good king. So that's something.
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royal_obligation
"You have my eyes," says Nataliem.
royal_obligation
He says something to his familiar in her language.
"Eat shit, choke on it, and die slowly while I piss in your throat," says his familiar.
"Thank you, Berathyme," says Edarial dryly.
come_midnight
And the age is right and -
She tentatively suspects that Nataliem is telling the truth, not that she anticipates this causing his children to be inclined to release him.
She tentatively suspects that Nataliem is telling the truth, not that she anticipates this causing his children to be inclined to release him.
royal_obligation
"If you," says Edarial a little shakily, "are actually my father - then I'm ashamed to have you. I want nothing to do with you, and frankly you disgust me. So I hope you like your new home, because you will be here for a very long time."
"After all I've done for you?"
royal_obligation
Edarial barks out a laugh. "Corrupting pretty much everything I stand for with manipulation, kidnapping, terrorizing, poisoning, neglect, torture, treason, arrogance, narcissism, and generally being an asshole. Yes. After 'all you've done for me.'"
He growls, "You're lucky that my brother isn't here. He would have killed you. I wouldn't have stopped him."
He growls, "You're lucky that my brother isn't here. He would have killed you. I wouldn't have stopped him."
come_midnight
"Is he going to come all the way here and kill him even if told in some less remote part of the castle?"
come_midnight
"Is there anything else worth learning from this... person?" wonders Iobel.
come_midnight
"All right then." Iobel picks up her cat and turns to go, murmuring a summary of the information in Cricket's ear. He responds in repulsed tones. She pets him and says something apparently soothing.
royal_obligation
Edarial follows. Berathyme asks for a more complete summary, and he provides it on the way. She nuzzles him.
come_midnight
She decides not to attempt to begin any further topics of conversation, though she doesn't range far ahead of her husband either.
royal_obligation
This time, he breaks the silence.
"... So how afraid are you that I'll turn out like him?" he asks, quietly.
"... So how afraid are you that I'll turn out like him?" he asks, quietly.
come_midnight
"Less than Cricket is. Not zero. But I know little about what he was like when he was your age, and the late queen is not a stellar source of traits either, to be frank."
come_midnight
Iobel swallows several possible responses to that. She shushes Cricket when he starts muttering at her.
come_midnight
Eventually she comes up with one she doesn't feel the need to stifle.
"She didn't seem to care what happened to the country. He didn't seem to care how things happened to the country. You have some measure of care for both."
"She didn't seem to care what happened to the country. He didn't seem to care how things happened to the country. You have some measure of care for both."