Meeting Wonderful Future Relatives (in a sense)

Cedric ran down one street before he noticed something was off, and by something he meant Archea. He hadn't run over and beaten him to death yet as he usually would for blantantly flirting with him in front of the new king. That would have been humiliating, Cedric should be dead.

Cedric paused as he turned a corner, and decided to go wait for Archea at his house. How did Cedric know where that was? Well, he wasn't one of the lands best assassin's for nothing. Cedric walked through the streets, lazily watching the town go by him. He knew he'd get to the house without paying attention, he always did.

Cedric's mind wondered back to Archea and the new king. He really wasn't jealous, he couldn't be. He also wasn't looking to make the new king think Cedric was in love with his best friend.

I mean, I AM, but really. Not like that.


Cedric rubbed his head a little, and noticed he was right in front of a gate to a mansion.

This must be the place, and based on what I know the room I want is riiiiiiight-

Cedric jumped up on the house, easily climbing its walls with ease before he reached the window he wanted. Knowing the ball was underway, he chose to sit in what looked to be a casual sitting room of some kind. No one was around, but he could here some din on the other side of the house.

Cedric looked around and decided to find Archea's room, knowing he'd want to relax after all the stress he's been under.

Carefully, as to not give Archea's family a heart attack, Cedric snuck around the house until he found what he believed to be Archea's room, because it smelled like him.

Weird that you know what he smells like, Ced. A voice drifted through his mind, sounded annoyingly a lot like Griffin.

Shut up, no one asked you.

Cedric sat down on Archea's bed and waited for him to return. Maybe he'd make up for what he had just put Archea through? He glanced around and saw a bathroom.

Cedric got up and went in, noticing a rather nice bathtub.

"Baths are good for relazation... I think," Cedric scratched his head, and turned on the tap. Noticing bottles around, he opened and sniffed them each, picking the scnets he liked best to go into the bath.


"There, now he'll have a warm bath to relax in." Cedric gave a pleased smile at himself, then went back to sitting on the bed to wait for him.

"Hopefully this is his room," Cedric mused. "Would be horribly awkward if it wasn't."

Cedric pictured one of Archea's family members coming in, only to find the King of the North, seemingly trying to seduce them.

Cedric laughed, and laid on Archea's bed, counting the number of things he had to do when he got back to his throne.

It was a little bit of time before Archea actually made his way home. Though he knew the route by memory, of course, his delirium wasn’t helping. It was only until an older woman, at a fruit stall, noticed Archea making his fifth trip in the same circle and decided to help him out. Despite the Empire being quite a big city, in a way, everybody knew everybody, and this woman knew exactly where to take Archea. So with a gentle grip on his arm, she led him to the front gate of his house.  
 
Archea thanked her as best as he could, but it really just came out as a wheeze. She understood, patted his arm, and took her leave. He stored somewhere in the back of his brain the need to repay her (but who really knew if he even retained it).
 
Everything that followed was kind of a blur. Some things were fuzzy in his mind, like how he couldn’t actually focus on anything without it morphing into undulating colors. But others things were crystal clear – like how he really wanted to just take a bath and go to sleep – or maybe just go to sleep.
 
The journey into his house, up the staircase, and into his bedroom was one he did not remember. But all of a sudden, it was as if Archea could smell the scents of bath salts, and could feel the soft heat from the warm water, and now he wanted the bath more than ever. He guessed he wanted it so much, he was dreaming that it had already been made and prepared for him.
 
So focused on all of this, he wandered through his bedroom into his bathroom as if to deviate from this course would mean the end of his life. And so, he didn’t bother – or more accurately, he didn’t have the physical ability – to look around him and noticed a very important detail.
 
Making his way into the bathroom, Archea could so strongly smell the bath salts and feel the hot moisture in the air. It was so real. So real. So … real. It was very real. Archea squinted down at the bathtub. Fresh water had been filled to the brim, and the remnants of some bath salts were leisurely floating through the water, turning the water a pretty, light pink hue.
 
Archea squinted some more. Someone had come to fill his tub. And put bath salts in it. His mother? No. She was out for the day. Father? He wasn’t that type of person. Then, his sister? Mmmm, but no, because she said she would be busy all day with work. So, who? Well, whoever it was, they weren’t very good at mixing bath salts, because now that Archea was thinking about it, he realized the smell wasn’t actually the nicest. To mix bath salts properly, one really had to think about how each bath salt worked with another to create the best scent, and also the best atmosphere for the occasion.
 
Archea stood there for some time, his mind whirling with thoughts, but at the same time, also completely blank. Maybe, he should just forget all this and go take a good, long nap. Yes. His bed did sound very comfortable right now. Archea turned on his heel to exit the bathroom. Now, all he could think about was his comfy bed. His bed. His … bed. Wait.
 
Maybe there was something that he noticed when he came into his bedroom. Something on his bed? A lump of something black on his bed. Something moving and breathing. Something that was a lot like … Cedric?
 
As fast as his weary body could carry him, Archea stumbled out of the bathroom. He stumbled like so, across the room, until he reached the footboard of the bed, in which he saw it was indeed Cedric. Cedric who was lying sprawled out on his bed like he didn’t have a care in the world.
 
Many things crossed Archea’s mind at once. Some of them were:
What is Cedric doing here?
How did Cedric get in?
Has he encountered my family, yet?
Did he make the bath? (If he did, he really doesn’t know how to mix bath salts.)
Why is he lying on my bed? And so on and so forth. However, there was one thought that flashed through his head that Archea held onto, and gained energy from.
GODDAMMIT CEDRIC YOU PIECE OF SHIT YOU I’M GOING TO KILL YOU
 
And suddenly, Archea was alive again! Or at least, he got a great burst of adrenaline. Because now he had enough power in his body to grapple Cedric and beat the living daylights out of him for embarrassing Archea in front of the King, and, well … for just being Cedric!
 
So he did just that. Arms outstretched and aimed for Cedric’s throat, Archea lunged at his friend, who was lying in a somewhat disadvantaged position on the bed. His arms were already flailing as he came down, and Archea made sure Cedric would feel his whole body weight when he landed on him. Then he started pummeling any part of Cedric’s body that his fists could find.  
 
No doubt, Archea had gone completely crazy.
 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 
Meanwhile, Archea’s sister had taken the day to get through some stacks of paperwork, and work more on her research studies.
 
She too was visiting home for the Celebration of the New King. Though she was a well-known doctor, who could’ve easily just stayed and serviced those in the Empire, she strongly believed that everyone deserved equal medical care, no matter a person’s social or economic status. And so, very often, she traveled to the much more rural parts of the Eastern continent, and gave her services as a doctor to those people who had no such resources. Occasionally, she would also travel outside of the continent – though these were usually cases in which she was specifically requested.
 
Concentrated on her work, she did not hear anything unusual going on in the house – or rather, anyone entering through not-the-front-door. And when the water for the bathtub was running, she had her nose buried in some ancient texts about medicine, that she was trying to decipher, and so did not hear that either. ((As a note for some: she is nowhere near ignorant, or air-headed, or anything that might make her seem dumb for not noticing things. She is just very studious and serious about her studies.))
 
A little while later, when taking a short break to get up and stretch, she did hear the front door open and close. She pondered this, wondering who it was. Mother was out on business for the Celebration Carnival, Father was out with friends, and Archea was out being his busybody self and making sure everything was perfect. But then the footsteps (which she noticed seemed dragged and uneven) made their way up the stairs and toward what was the general location of Archea’s room.
 
She peeked out of room to catch the top of a blond head, disappearing up the stairs, which confirmed it was Archea. He was probably home to get something, or maybe for a quick nap – for she knew all the organization and stress took a toll on her younger brother’s body. She would not bother him. Instead, she sat down to work some more.
 
However, what seemed to be only a very short time later, she began to hear a lot of loud thumps coming from the ceiling. When they continued without much pause, she decided she should probably go check on Archea and see just what the hell was going on up there.
 
Quickly ascending the stairs, she didn’t hesitate when she came to Archea’s door (after all, he could be in danger). What she opened the door to find, though, was definitely not what she was expecting.
 
Archea was straddling someone on his bed, but not in the good way. His fists were flying, and he was making a lot of angry noises, most of which seemed to be directed to the person under him. Speaking of them, it was another man, probably around Archea’s age. The other man was fighting back, but it was still quite a tussle between the two of them, as they rolled back and forth and clawed at each other.
 
She couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t even know the situation, but she knew this was not like Archea at all! Deciding to put a stop whatever it was, once and for all, she yelled in her best, demanding doctor voice, “ARCHEA ANAIS ALTAIR. YOU STOP RIGHT THIS SECOND OR YOU’RE GETTING YOUR SHOTS EARLY THIS YEAR.”
 
   
She knew Archea hated needles.


((Whoopdeedoo. Also ye she has a name you just don't get to know it yet. Love you. also sorry for no dialogue))

Running your hairs through your hair can only happen so many times before you get bored and take note of everything about it. Cedric decided his hair was getting longer, meaning he would have to....fix it's color soon, and possibly get it cut. He wondered when his hair had gotten so soft, or maybe he was imagining things from being here for a total of, well, probably not that long. Cedric was about to get up and find Archea, when the man himself walked through the room. Cedric lifted himself onto his elbows, about to greet his friend when he noticed something was off.

Archea was sick, probably from overworking. Cedric knew these signs from when Rowena was sick at a young age, and Archea seemed very sick.

"No wonder it took him so long to get here," Cedric half whispered to himself, knowing Archea would be too out of it to really hear him. Or apparently acknowledge him, because right now he was just staring at the bath water like it was an alien. Cedric tilted his head to the side and watched Archea sniff the air and mumble a bit. Cedric probably hadn't used the stuff in the bath right, but in his defense he didn't even know what those were.

Cedric watched Archea stiffen, and turn around slowly. Cedric would see his mind racing, probably with a lot of questions. Suddenly, however, Cedric saw something else in his eyes.

Pure rage. Cedric smiled just as Archea pounced on him, Cedric lost the air in his lungs for a second, and started attacking. Cedric was then in a fit of giggles as he tried to get Archea off of him.

"Archea, please. You're sick! And if someone comes in at the wrong time this'll look very bad!" Cedric couldn't stop laughing. He was starting to tear up, and he knew this was probably just making Archea angrier. It wasn't his fault! Archea was so against fighting, and here he was. Straddling Cedric and beating him as hard as he could because of... Well because he was Cedric.

Cedric rolled on top of Archea, finally getting his hands down for a couple of seconds.

"Archea, you need to rest! You can attack me when you're better, but as it is you'll just make it worse," Cedric barely finished that sentence before Archea was back to hitting Cedric. Rolling his eyes and smiling a little, flinching at a couple of the blows, cedric huffed a little sigh. "You're very cute when you're angry, but this is a little too forward." 

Truly, Cedric was not a smart man.

"ARCHEA ANAIS ALTAIR. YOU STOP RIGHT THIS SECOND OR YOU’RE GETTING YOUR SHOTS EARLY THIS YEAR.” a loud voice boomed, reminding Cedric of Rowena when he didn't send a letter home saying he'd be late. Cedric lifted his head, unable to use the rest of his body as Archea was very much on it. Cedric was surprised to see a woman, who looked an awful lot like... Archea? 

Cedric glanced at Archea and back at the woman with a sly smile on his face. This must have been Archea's sister. Cedric watched for Archea's reaction, thinking about introducing himself.

"Hello there, just a lover's quarrel. Sorry for all the the noise," Cedric smiled at Archea mischieviously, before turning his head a bit to smile sweetly at his sister. "I'm Cedric, very nice to meet you."

He winked, whether it was at Archea or his sister was a debate to be had.

Truly, he was not a smart man.

Cedric was saying things to Archea. But Archea couldn’t actually hear him, so he just continued punching. He would do so until all his rage was spent – which might actually be never, because it was Cedric he was dealing with.
 
Sometime during the scuffle, the two had switched positions and now Archea was pinned underneath Cedric. Momentarily unable to use his hands, because Cedric had managed to get a hold of them, Archea finally took in some of what his friend was saying.
 
“Archea, you need to rest! You can attack me when you’re better, but as it is you’ll just make it worse.” That almost sounded like a good deal – Archea even contemplated it for a tiny bit. But then Cedric continued, “You’re very cute when you’re angry, but this is a little too forward.” That sent Archea straight off the edge again, and he thought Cedric really should think before he spoke, for his own sake.
 
This went on for a little bit longer – Archea thrashing about and Cedric trying to calm him down while also laughing hysterically (which, of course, just made Archea angrier) – until a sharp, clear voice broke through Archea’s crazed, enraged mind. 
 
“ARCHEA ANAIS ALTAIR. YOU STOP RIGHT THIS SECOND OR YOU’RE GETTING YOUR SHOTS EARLY THIS YEAR.”
 
Archea, who hated needles with a passion (and was also slightly intimidated by an irate, older sister), immediately rolled off his target and fell onto the floor, where he sat like a kicked puppy. The adrenaline, that had previously coursed through his veins so vigorously, was now exiting his system quite fast, leaving Archea’s body feeling utterly weak and tired. He didn’t even care about Cedric’s reactions to his sister (flirtatious, of course), and instead curled up in the fetal position right where he sat.
 
His sister’s yelling and threats had just the right effect! She looked both pityingly and exasperatingly at her younger brother, curled up on the floor. And then she looked at the man on the bed. Immediately, from the look in his eyes, she could tell the recognition he held of her. After all, she and Archea were twins and looked quite alike. They had the same blue eyes, soft jawlines, and blonde hair – only hers was long enough to curl around her shoulders (and also pull back into a loose ponytail, as she had it now, for work purposes).  
 
“Hello there, just a lover’s quarrel. Sorry for all the noise. I’m Cedric, very nice to meet you.” This so-called-Cedric-man smiled at Archea, smiled at her, and then winked. She wasn’t sure whom this wink was directed to, but she also didn’t really care. Being a doctor had made her quite practical. She only gave Cedric a somewhat deadpan look.
 
“So. You are Cedric, King of the North. Archea has spoken much about you,” she gave a side-glance at her despairing brother. Then, making direct eye contact with Cedric, she continued, “Some good things … some bad things.”
 
She went over to Archea, and kneeling beside him, felt his forehead with her hand. He was truly burning up. She sighed one of those older-sister sighs, and then turned her attention back to her brother’s friend.
 
“If you would, so kindly, get off the bed, so that we may place Archea there.” She then proceeded to get Archea in a somewhat standing position so that he could make his way to the bed, where he promptly collapsed, face first. As she was getting him right side up and under the covers, she briefly turned to Cedric, “Will you get a washcloth with cold water, please? It’s all in the bathroom.”
 
Trusting that he’d be capable of this small task, she turned back to tend to her sick brother.

((And the sister still goes unknown. her name will be in the next one, I promise.))

Cedric watched as Archea rolled off the bed, concern filling him as he went into a fetal position. He was just about to jump down and help him when his sister interrupted Cedric's movements.

“So. You are Cedric, King of the North. Archea has spoken much about you,” Cedric smiled. “Some good things … some bad things.” Cedric's smile fell. “If you would, so kindly, get off the bed, so that we may place Archea there.” Was this about framing the love letter? He was going to do it anyway, but Cedric frowned to himself nonetheless.

He dismissed this, and helped Archea's sister get him on the bed, laying him beside where he was sitting, sliding off as he did so.

"It's not my fault your brother was straddling me," Cedric mumbled to himself, but Archea's sister could probably hear him. "Can't keep his hands off of me, who can?" Cedric continued to mumble as he went to the bathroom, and got the wet cold washcloth Archea's sister asked for. Cedric started pacing the room for no reason, cleaning.

"Archea, you really work yourself too hard..." Cedric glared at the body on the bed. "What am I supposed to do when you're sick anyway? Be by myself?" Cedric was basically talking to himself at this point, and he didn't really know why. "You know what terrible company I am! You're the only one who can deal with me for this long," Cedric stopped what he was doing and realized he had just organized some books into alphabetical order. What was he doing? Ce squinted his eyes in confusion and looked at Archea's sister.

"Sorry. I only do that when something has hurt my feelings for some reason..." Cedric tilted his head, then realized what it was. "Oh, he said bad things about me." Cedric rolled his eyes at himself. What was even more amazing is that while it felt like he'd been cleaning randomly for hours, it had really only been long enough for Archea's sister to look him over.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Cedric walked over to the bed, and reached out to hold Archea's hand. "I didn't mean to make him that angry at me, he's usually fine with my flirting." Cedric frowned, and wondered why he wasn't flirting with Archea's sister.

Well, that was obvious. Archea had all of his attention right now. To be fair to Cedric, Archea's sister reminded him far too much of Rowena when she got motherly. He was the Father, she shouldn't be doing that, but she did, and so did Archea's sister. Too close for home. This made him chuckle involuntarily.

"You remind me of my daughter," Cedric thought aloud. "Do you like to have leaves preserved in gold as well? Or do you have a different hobby besides your work in medicine?"

Archea’s sister, focusing on her family member and not the random king he was friends with, wasn’t really listening to Cedric’s mumblings. She heard snippets – like “straddling me” and “can’t keep his hands off me” – but she didn’t pay them any mind. Archea had warned her of King Cedric’s strange … strangeness. He got her the wet washcloth, and she thought that would be that.
 
But then he started pacing the room, and … cleaning things? And he was talking even more now. Not only that, but he was talking directly to Archea, who, obviously, was out cold. She wondered if she would have to take care of two grown men, now, because she honestly had no idea what Cedric was doing.
 
As she continued to watch him cautiously, he suddenly turned and addressed her. “Sorry. I only do that when something has hurt my feelings for some reason …” She guessed he meant the random cleaning. Cedric went on, asking if there was anything else he could do, and slightly, kind of, in-what-she-was-told-to-be-his-own-way, apologizing.
 
In this moment, she realized maybe she was being too harsh and cynical about him. She barely even knew him, and yet here she was judging him. Archea had always attracted strange friendships and people, but she had to admit, that wasn’t a bad thing. They were perfectly fine human beings and maybe even the most loyal, as well. They stayed in contact with Archea often, and sometimes would even travel together. She knew Archea was happiest when with them, his friends. Cedric was Archea’s newest addition to the oddball club, and she didn’t have any excuse to treat him the way she was.
 
She just … she just didn’t want this to end up the way that last one did. When Archea had written he was exploring in the South and quite enjoying himself, but then returned home one day, with no notice, and locked himself in his room, offering no explanation. The many days he wouldn’t come out, she only knew he was conscious because of his cursing, his frustrated screaming, his broken sobs, and the furniture being thrown around the room. Other days, it would be eerily silent, and she would try the doorknob for the millionth time, hoping he wasn’t … gone. She just didn’t want that to happen again.
 
But. No. It wouldn’t. She had to stop thinking about that. Archea had moved on, and so should she. Shaking those thoughts away, Cedric’s added voice helped pull her out of the reverie.
 
“You remind me of my daughter.” Well that wasn’t what she was expecting him to say. “Do you like to have leaves preserved in gold as well? Or do you have a different hobby besides your work in medicine?”
 
She stood there for a moment, not sure what to say. Leaves … preserved in gold? Thinking about it, it did seem … nice. A small bubble of laughter escaped her lips, and then she couldn’t stop herself. However, it wasn’t a mean or mocking laughter in any way, but a lighthearted, finally relaxed laugh that glided easily through her lips.
 
“I’m sorry,” she covered her mouth with the back of her hand, ending her tinkling laughter with a calming sigh. “Perhaps I should start from the beginning.” Approaching Cedric and holding out her hand, she finally introduced herself. “Hello! My name is Arkaia, and I am Archea’s older, twin sister. It’s a pleasure to meet you King Cedric, as Archea speaks very fondly of you.” It was true – all of her brother’s letters spoke of Cedric in high regards, as a very good friend, and those “bad things” she had mentioned earlier were really only tiny things that Archea complained of in a joking manner.
 
“I apologize for the way I’ve been acting toward you. I suppose the stress of the Celebration has gotten to all of us, but really, there is no excuse for treating a new friend this way.” She paused, and then decided she should probably explain herself. “I hope you don’t mind me calling you that? Archea’s friends are my friends, and vice versa. Maybe it’s because we’re twins, but we’ve always shared.” She chuckled a bit at this. 
 
   
“And to answer your question, no, I don’t happen to collect leaves and preserve them in gold. But as for other hobbies outside medicine, I do quite like a good game of poker.”


((OOC: Woot. Arkaia = "Ar-KAI-uh". Poker?))

Cedric looked up at the tinkling laugh that came from Archea's sister's lips.

"I'm sorry," Cedric tilted his head a bit, confused at the apology. Was she apologizing for laughing? She shouldnt, it was odd to collect leaves and preserve them in gold.

“Perhaps I should start from the beginning.” She walked over to Cedric, and reached out her hand for him to shake. Cedric opted to use the hand that wasn't holding Archea's and shook her hand with a smirk. “Hello! My name is Arkaia, and I am Archea’s older, twin sister. It’s a pleasure to meet you King Cedric, as Archea speaks very fondly of you.”

"And it's a pleasure to meet you, Arkaia. It's only fit Archea have such a beautiful sister, on account of how pretty he himself is." Cedric chuckled at that, and realized Archea wasn't currently up and couldn't beat him for saying stupid things. "I'm certain the bad things were my flirting with him, but really. Who can blame me?" Cedric glanced bemusedly at Archea's sleeping form. He'd enjoy this while it lasted.

“I apologize for the way I’ve been acting toward you. I suppose the stress of the Celebration has gotten to all of us, but really, there is no excuse for treating a new friend this way.” Arkaia seemed to say this like she was shameful...? Cedric squinted, he didn't understand. She was treating him how most people do, was that a bad thing? Cedric thought back to all the people he has met and talked to, and yep. That was the usual. “I hope you don’t mind me calling you that? Archea’s friends are my friends, and vice versa. Maybe it’s because we’re twins, but we’ve always shared.” Cedric smiled.

"Of course we're friends, don't be silly..." Cedric bit his lip a little, still confused. "Although I'm not sure why you apologized, that's how everyone treats me," Cedric laughed at Arkaia's reaction to that.

Arkaia confessed to playing poker, and Cedric smirked at her.

"That's a nice hobby, get any cash off of your brother?"

As Arkaia shook Cedric’s hand, she took note of how he never let go of Archea’s own hand, even though it made for an akward handshake. She briefly wondered if there was more to their friendship than Archea was telling her, but she also knew to mind her own business. Arkaia pushed the thought to the back of her mind, and instead, listened to the amusing talk of King Cedric.
 
“On account of how pretty he himself is.” She had to stifle her laughter, and was mutually glad with Cedric that Archea wasn’t awake to hear any of this. While indeed Archea was a “pretty boy,” he didn’t really like to be reminded of it, and was always telling people to call him “handsome.” Arkaia was beginning to enjoy Cedric more and more, and could see why her brother had been drawn to him – it was a very nice case of opposites attracting.
 
The conversation went on, and Arkaia was relieved they could be friends. However, she did find it odd that Cedric thought everyone treated him standoffishly. Perhaps she had had her reasons, but not everyone could be that passively rude? Arkaia made a concerned face, and was going to comment, when she heard a noise downstairs – more specifically, a door opening and closing, footsteps, and voices conversing back and forth. It could only be her parents! What timing!
 
Arkaia made a small excuse-me motion with her hand, and then moved past Cedric toward the bedroom door. As she went, she heard Cedric remark about her odd hobby. “That’s a nice hobby, get any cash off of your brother?” Arkaia let out a bark of laughter, turned back slightly, and shook her head. “If only. But believe it or not, Archea is usually broke. His adventures around the world are mostly funded by our parents. Speaking of which…” She turned back toward the door and exited to the hallway, where she peered over the railing to below.
 
“Come,” she motioned to Cedric with her hand. “Our, as in mine and Archea’s, parents have gotten back, and I’m sure one of the whole reasons you came to the East was to meet them.” Arkaia turned back toward Cedric and smirked a little. She then waited for him to detach himself from Archea, before she started to make her way down the stairs.
 
The mother, though the shortest in the family, stood elegantly in her stature. The blond hair curled around her shoulders, smiling, blue eyes, and feminine appearance she emanated, clearly showed that Archea had inherited most of his genes from her. An age was hard to determine just by looking, for her face was young, but her eyes were gentle and wise. To her left, stood the father, tall and steady. One could tell this was where Archea got his height. However, unlike the rest of the family, the father’s hair was a rich, dark brown, and his eyes were pools of shadows, yet still welcoming and warm. He was older than the mother, but still young in age.
 
“Welcome home!” Arkaia flowed toward them. Both mother and father smiled at their daughter, and chuckled at her enthusiasm. The next part she said quickly, because no parent likes to hear his or her kid has fallen ill. “Archea has unfortunately fallen sick. He’s upstairs resting. But he brought a friend!” With this, she moved to the side, in order to reveal Cedric, coming down the stairs after her. “So you two the know the friend Archea is always talking about in his letters home. This is he! May I present to you, King Cedric of the North!”
 
The father was first to step forward, after getting over the initial shock of hearing the words King of the North. “Your Highness! What a pleasure! Archea never mentioned that his Cedric was the Cedric, but I guess I should’ve put two-and-two together!” He chuckled, bowed, and also held out his hand for a shake ((because that’s what real men do hurhur)). “I am Tallon. If there is anything you need while here in the East, just let me know – anything to make you comfortable! Our home is your home!”
 
After Tallon stepped back, Archea’s mother glided forward. But before she said anything, she went right up to Cedric, stood on her tiptoes, held his head with both of her hands, and gave him a welcoming kiss on both cheeks. Stepping away, she smiled up at him, “I apologize if that surprised you. It’s a greeting that runs in the family, and I’m just so excited to meet you finally!” She did a small curtsy, as it was a King she was talking to. “I am Makael. I have read nothing but praise for you when Archea writes; he loves you dearly. Truly, if you need anything, while here in the East or even back home, do not hesitate to ask of us. Our home is your home, and we are all family.”
 
Meanwhile, back in the bedroom upstairs, Archea was coming to – but only slightly. His head pounded and it felt like someone was trying to crack his skull open. All Archea could remember was collapsing on the floor, and then it was blank. But actually, he did have a vague, fleeting recollection of warmth around his hand – a warmth that stayed there for a long time, before slowly ... slowly … leaving … almost reluctantly.
 
Archea blinked his eyes open. The world spun around him and he felt dizzy. He rolled off the bed (by accident), and face-planted onto the floor. It was not a comfortable position, to say the least, but Archea contemplated staying there. But then, in his contemplative silence, he heard the faint sound of voices from downstairs. Arkaia. Father. Mother. Cedric … Cedric … CEDRIC.
 
As best an ill person can leap to their feet, Archea leapt to his, and pitched his way toward the door. In all honesty, though, Archea had actually no idea what he was doing. Was he still angry with Cedric? He didn’t think so. Was he still trying to kill him? Nah, it could wait for later. So why was Archea is such a rush to get downstairs? He had no idea – he had just heard Cedric’s voice, said Cedric’s name in his head, and … needed to be downstairs? By this time, it was too late to turn back – Archea was literally falling down the stairs, four pairs of eyes trained on him, and him alone.
 
Somehow, he made it to the bottom in one piece and on two legs, rather than on his head. He wobbled. Arkaia approached, arms outstretched to steady him, but Archea waved her (more like wiggled his arm at her) away. His father was ordering a maid to call the doctor, and his mother was ordering another maid to … do something. Archea paid them no attention. Instead, he stared directly at Cedric. Maybe it would’ve been nice if it were a loving stare, or even okay if it were like a “let’s-fight” stare. However, it was neither of those, and more of a sickly-dude-with-glazed-eyes blank stare, that became a little uncomfortable after a certain amount of time.
 
Exhausted as he and his body was, Archea had enough energy to do … whatever it was he was doing, which kind of surprised him, because he really was sickly. He lurched toward Cedric. Archea still had no idea his intention, and only knew his legs were on autopilot. As he got closer, his arms rose on their own accord and stretched toward the other blond man – for what purpose, Archea knew not.
 
   
However, as Archea approached the distance of about one foot away, his body randomly decided to go back to being dead. He teetered mid-step, found balance for a nanosecond, and then pitched forward. With arms still outstretched, Archea fell face first into Cedric’s chest – and one could say it looked very much like a hug.

((OOC: Wowow!! Such late, much sorry))

Cedric heard the door opening and closing, and listened to the footsteps that entered. A man and a woman, standing close to eachother... Those must be the parents. Before Cedric could say anything about the new arrivals, and explain how he could tell footsteps apart so strangely, Arkaia made a motion with her hand to excuse her. She must know then. As she got up from where she was sitting, he asked her about her hobby, and enjoyed her reaction.


 “If only. But believe it or not, Archea is usually broke." Cedric could believe that. "His adventures around the world are mostly funded by our parents. Speaking of which…” Cedric wondered if Archea would be more of a mama's boy or a daddy's boy. He could easily see both.

Arkaia Leaned over the rail, and motioned for Cedric to follow. “Our, as in mine and Archea’s, parents have gotten back, and I’m sure one of the whole reasons you came to the East was to meet them.” Arkaia turned back toward Cedric and smirked a little, pointedly looking at their joined hands.

"Oh! You know all to well I came to meet my future inlaws," Cedric sighed dramatically and glanced at Archea. "I'll be back, Darling, try to hold back your attacks until then. I'd rather you not take out your anger on some poor servant coming to check on you." Cedric Picked up Archea's hand and kissed it lightly. He giggled, amazed he could do that without being punched. "Let's go!"

Cedric walked down the steps, falling slightly behind Arkaia so she could introduce them. As they reached the bottom Cedric took in the couple standing before him, and honestly- they were just really, really... cute. The Mother stood, yes short, but entirely elegant with beautiful curls of sunshine framing her ocean eyes. Cedric smirked, Archea took after his mom for sure. He glanced over at the father now, and was just as surprised to see how much of Archea he could see in him. His tall stance was filled with kindness and strength, and his amazingly manly face was framed by the most fantastic shade of brown hair he had ever seen, a dark rich brown- with eyes to match.

Honestly, seeing them together was the most natural thing Cedric had ever encountered.

"Welcome home!" Arkaia excitedly went over to her parents, who smiled at her. Cedric smirked at their family dynamics, wondering how Archea fit into it.  “Archea has unfortunately fallen sick. He’s upstairs resting. But he brought a friend!” With this, she moved to the side, and Cedric finished his descent. “So you two the know the friend Archea is always talking about in his letters home. This is he! May I present to you, King Cedric of the North!” Cedric smiled broadly and opened his arms, avoiding thoughts on how she emphasized the word friend.

"Hello! I'm incredibly enchanted to meet such a beautiful family," Cedric winked at them and bowed. Archea's Father stepped up to him, visibly shocked at the word king. Cedric had forgotten they had such respect for royalty. 

 “Your Highness! What a pleasure! Archea never mentioned that his Cedric was the Cedric, but I guess I should’ve put two-and-two together!” Cedric put his hand to his chest, his Cedric. Oh, he could just swoon. He'd save that for later. Archea's father bowed and then held his hand out. Cedric smiled warmly and grabbed his hand in return, thinking about how empty it still felt without Archea's hand which was just... REALLY weird. He pointedly did not think about it anymore.

"I'm flattered you think so highly of me," Cedric smiled.

“I am Tallon. If there is anything you need while here in the East, just let me know – anything to make you comfortable! Our home is your home!” 


"I'll be sure to ask if anything comes up, Tallon." Cedric bowed slightly and Tallon stepped back. Next was Archea's mother.

Cedric watched her glide over to him, actually glide. He was impressed with how elegant she was. Before he could react, she stood on her tip toes and kissed both of his cheeks.It was very... nice. Her lips were amazingly soft and warm, he forced himself to not look confused. He had never had a mother, is this what they normally do? He felt a slight tinge color his porcelain cheeks.

  “I apologize if that surprised you. It’s a greeting that runs in the family, and I’m just so excited to meet you finally!” Oh, that explained it, he grinned. She did a small curtsy, which Cedric responded to with a small bow. “I am Makael. I have read nothing but praise for you when Archea writes; he loves you dearly. Truly, if you need anything, while here in the East or even back home, do not hesitate to ask of us. Our home is your home, and we are all family.” 

"Don't be sorry at all, in fact," Cedric bent down and repeated her actions exactly, kissing both of her cheeks. "I am honored to, and should, take part in your traditions," Cedric smiled sweetly, looking at the three people around him. He then turned back to Archea's mother and stage whispered. "I love him too, so much," He smirked, and returned to a normal tone of voice. "Don't tell him I was so blunt with my feelings, he's already tried to kill me once today let's not push it." He tilted his head back and gave a small chuckle.

As he glanced at around, he noticed movement on the staircase. Was that... Archea?

"Archea...? You shouldn't be up," Cedric squinted when Archea didn't respond, he only stared at Cedric with what he knew as... oddly enough Bedroom Eyes. Cedric had to say, his heart totally did not skip a beat. Nope. Archea kept slowly approaching Cedric and he was at a loss for what to do, Archea obviously had a fever. "I know you're sick with love for me, but maybe now's not a good time considering-" Cedric stopped talking as Archea fell against him. Cedric quickly wrapped his arms around Archea's frame so he wouldn't fall after passing out. He glanced back at the others and smiled. "I guess he just can't keep his hands off of me, I'll go get Sleeping Beauty back to his bed so Arkaia can check on him." Cedric maneuvered His hold on Archea so he picked him up like a maiden, and quickly went up the stairs knowing they'd follow behind. Hopefully they wouldn't tell Archea about how he was holding him at the moment, although he wished he could get this moment dramatically painted so he could hang it in the throne room.