Recent Posts

Oliver knew he had fallen asleep just as soon as his head hit the hay. He hadn't drank like that in a long while now, and somehow his system got too overwhelmed to handle the amount of liquor he consumed tonight. And not to mention, he had completely skipped dinner. He was too preoccupied and already too wasted to face his parents at the dining table, so he had instructed his servant to bring his dinner to his room. It had remained untouched except for the bottle of wine that was already more than halfway empty. That bottle of wine now lay shattered at the foot of some tree by the garden, the wine probably intoxicating the ants that were making a small home there somewhere.

“Shhh... shhh, be quiet!”

He knew he ought to be dead to the world, but the sound somehow found a way into his head that it made Oliver turn over in his bed of hay. And of course, the horse was making quite a raucous. It was probably just the wind talking, his head rationalized as he fought between sleep and waking up.

“Don’t you wake your brothers and sisters, no one can know!”

Reluctantly, Oliver's eyes fluttered open at the voice. He have had enough sleep to wash off a bit of the remnants of the night's drink, and he could vaguely register the voice to be familiar, very familiar. He slowly sat up on his pile of hay, and tried to find out where the voice was coming from. Truly, this was a very unholy hour to be bothering even the horses. The stablemaster needed to rein not just the horses but his own stablehands and their maidens. The stable was not the place for clandestine couplings. They could spook the horse. Or was it...was someone stealing the horses?

“Come, we must go!”

Finally, Oliver stood up and a flash of bright crazy lights flooded inside his head. He shouldn't have done that, he told himself as he placed a hand to steady the thumping that was beating inside his skull. When he finally recovered, he turned to the stall beside Arrow's and saw a dark-haired woman pulling on the reins of one of horses that they usually let their guests use. There wasn't much light to illuminate her face, so he couldn't make out much of her. Oliver's foggy mind knew that voice, but he couldn't quite place it.

"What are you doing?" he demanded in as strong a voice as he could muster. He stepped out of Arrow's stall, tightly holding onto the walls, supporting himself up as he walked groggily towards where the woman was. "And who are--" Oliver stopped when he was finally standing closer, and saw who it was.

"Yassia?" His mind was still muddled with alcohol to do any serious thinking, so all that came out of him was a purely curious little voice. "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be with Edmund...?" Oliver felt that something was afoot. Yassia couldn't be down here in the stables way past midnight and waking a horse up in the quietest way she could. He wanted to think, he wanted to figure out what it was, but the drunken stupor was still there, and a bad case of hangover was about to set in.

That was fast. Oliver told himself when he saw that the lights in Edmund's antechamber had already started to dim before even an hour had passed. So it seems Yassia didn't need a lot of convincing. Oliver had hoped that she had at least put up some semblance of a fight. Well, not a real fight, but a negotiation of sorts, ironing out details and stuff, arguing over her responsibilities as soon-to-be queen of Mercia, discussions about when the wedding would be, things like that. Well, she probably didn't want to. She probably just let Edmund lead her to his bedchambers where he takes all the freedom to get to know his betrothed more under the sheets. Who could blame her really? Edmund was handsome, he was Crown Prince. And she was just a princess who badly needed what he could give. It was a win-win situation for both of them indeed. So much for giving her a little ammunition before facing Edmund. So much for telling her to use her beauty to get what she wanted. Well, maybe she did. Maybe she did twirl Edmund around her little fingers to seal the deal with her right then and there. If a child were to be borne out of this night, good for them. Oliver would need to tell the army to prepare themselves for a long journey across the ocean to fight for a kingdom not their own.

His drunken mind wondered what had made her seal the deal so quickly. Was it the ring, so finely crafted by no less than the royal goldsmiths? That ring had quite a number of diamonds on it to possibly even buy half a small kingdom back. Or was it the promise of finally being able to help Ailantha? That was all she had traveled across Albion for, wasn't it? Now her travels and waiting is finally at an end, and she could go back stronger than she left it with a strong army behind her. Or was it Edmund and his amazing charm with women? Oliver didn't even want to know how Edmund did the proposal. Either way, it was over now. Yassia will finally get her wish and Edmund will get himself a queen. May they live long and prosper, Oliver thought as he gave a clumsy little salute towards Edmund's balcony. He decided to move along now. The last thing he wanted to hear were moans of pleasure coming out of that open balcony.

He had intended to get back into the castle and up to his rooms but somehow, he found himself standing beside his horse Arrow. He must have missed a turn somewhere and got him to the stables instead of an entrance back into the castle. It was almost getting late though, so the servants were already mostly in bed or are doing final clean up before calling it a night. The stables, for one, are already devoid of life, save of course the horses who have also started to doze off. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to wake you up," he whispered to Arrow as he opened the door to his stall and stepped in. He gently massaged Arrow's nose as he rested his head against Arrow's neck. "I just wanted some company tonight. Edmund is getting married, and it makes me sad. Why it makes me sad? Because he is marrying the girl of my dreams. Yassia. You've met Yassia back in the woods. I didn't get to thank you for pushing me into the river, by the way. You saw what happened after that right?" he told Arrow with a goofy grin on his face. Then he immediately dropped the grin as soon as he remembered what he was there for. "Anyway, my beloved brother is taking her away from me. Why do I let him take her away from me you ask? Because she needs him more than she needs me. She needs to go fight some battle and Edmund can give her her army. I can't." Drunk Oliver was lost in his own conversation with his beloved horse. "You don't mind if I stay here with you for the night, do you? I can't seem to find my way back into the castle. I think they've locked me out." He said as he started looking around and found a pile of hay. He kicked his boots off and then clumsily lowered himself onto the hay and lied down. "Just for tonight, love. I'll be out as soon as the sun is up, I promise."

Oliver was already used to the headmaster's usual aloof manner in dealing with most people, especially students, that he only chuckled at his reply. To be honest, Oliver was quite flattered to know that Sir Kay thinks so highly of him that the old man believes there is still so much he could do if he would only just put more effort into it. Truly, no other man knows Oliver better than Sir Kay, except perhaps Bauer. Not even his own parents see any sort of an untapped talent or skill that Oliver had yet to show the world or something. For a moment there, Oliver was at a loss for words. He had received a lot of praise and criticisms about the things he had done, charitable or otherwise, but none had actually given him an uncanny boost of confidence that Sir Kay just did. So he just nodded, gave the man a warm and a tad bit shy smile, as he returned his firm handshake with an equally firm one.

He distinctly heard Yassia coming up with an excuse not to let go of her hot chocolate, and Oliver was quite impressed that she was indeed as serious as he was about their wager. He pitied the server who was practically caught between the crossfire now. And it seemed she can't look Oliver in the eye anymore after Yassia declined his request. The server, however, was saved from replying or doing anything about it when Oliver smacked Bricks right in the face. While the accident had momentarily put a little ceasefire on their ongoing battle for more hot chocolate, Oliver was doing his best not to get sidetracked by it. If any, it would even be a perfect opportunity to take advantage of, with everybody's guard being down and pre-occupied with the raucous the incident had caused, especially Yassia's.

"I am really sorry, Sir," he repeated his apology to Bricks, who already had quite a reputation around school that the incident didn't help but ignite its popularity some more. Oliver felt bad for him, and he wanted to remedy that situation. "It is completely my fault. It seems I have missed the school's famous beverage more than I realized," he added chuckling. Eventually, Bricks waved him off, trying a small smile despite his obvious embarrassment, and Oliver instantly wished there was something he could do for the old man. He looked meaningfully at Bauer standing nearby, who seemed to have easily caught on what Oliver was thinking. Bauer made a note of it.

It took Sir Kay to bring Oliver back to his own predicament, his chocolate-drenched shirt. He had indeed taken quite a good amount of a hot chocolate bath there, and he was starting to feel uncomfortable as the liquid started spreading on the back of his shirt. Before he could reply with his thanks, Yassia had immediately offered to take him, and Oliver was caught between gratitude and amusement. He had not expected her to be in-charge of the uniforms, so it was quite a pleasant surprise. Then she mentioned something for his skin, which did a rather crazy number in his head. What skin? It took Oliver a while to process that she was referring to the possible burning that his skin might have suffered due to the scalding heat of the drink. Oliver had been pre-occupied with apologizing to Bricks that the situation didn't sink in until now. "Yes, please I would love that," he replied with a grateful smile and then turned to Yassia, waiting for her to take the lead. As he did, his eyes spied her unattended mug of hot chocolate. A mischievous twinkle flashed in eyes as he started to reach out towards it.

‘You’re impossible!’

That impish little smirk appeared on Oliver's face again when he saw Yassia's reaction. It wasn't so much her words, but the expression on her face--the laughter in her eyes--that sealed the deal for Oliver. She was pleased, Oliver convinced himself, and that was all that mattered. Well, of course, it helped that everybody in the refectory was cheering him on, students and staff alike, but it was really Yassia's reaction that was more important to him. And he was glad that, at least, she herself had joined in the applause and gave him that irresistible smile that he had grown to be exceedingly fond of.

"The pleasure is all mine, Sir Kay. I hope I didn't disappoint," Oliver replied as he shook the old man's hand, and smiled genially at him. At the sight of the steaming mug of hot chocolate before him, Oliver's head immediately darted towards Yassia and the mug in front of her. Of course, he instantly remembered their little wager. He gave Yassia a small wink before he proceeded to take a sip from his mug just as some of the students started piling out of the refectory. Oliver couldn't help but let out a small sigh as he felt the rich and creamy goodness of the drink in his mouth and down his throat. How he truly missed its taste. No matter how he and his cooks tried, no one can ever replicate the delicious taste of the school's very own hot chocolate. There was something about it that makes it unique and sweet-tasting like nothing else, and nobody knew what exactly it was that made it so. Like a greedy little kid, Oliver immediately downed his hot chocolate in a few gulps. Then he turned to one of the servers standing behind him and whispered something in her ear. A brief reaction of disbelief and astonishment flashed across the server's face but then she smiled and gave him a small bow. Oliver watched as the server moved towards Yassia and said. "The Duke wanted more hot chocolate, miss. And he specifically asked for yours." Oliver nonchalantly whistled a happy little tune as if he didn't hear what the server had said.

And since he was indeed quite determined on getting as much hot chocolate as he could before proceeding to the gymnasium, Oliver decided to flag another server to get him another mug. Surely, they wouldn't begrudge him any more of their finest beverage. It's not everyday that Oliver comes to visit after all. Seeing an unoccupied server standing by the way, Oliver raised a hand to get his attention. But it seems, the server had his mind set somewhere else, and Oliver had to turn and wave his hand a tad bit wildly to be noticed. Sure, it was conduct unbecoming of a royal dignitary to be waving about like a chimpanzee, but what does Oliver care. He was back at home in RAA, and he'd act however crazy he wanted to be.

But what Oliver didn't notice though when he did his little stunt was Bricks, the deputy headmaster, who was passing behind him with a full mug of steaming hot chocolate in his hand. Call it accident, call it clumsiness on Oliver's part, but his loud gesturing hand perfectly smacked old Bricks in the face, which in turn caused the man to lose his balance and send the steaming liquid from his mug right onto Oliver. The hot liquid splashed onto Oliver's right shoulder, drenching his shirt as it trickled rather hotly down his back. Oliver yelped both in surprise and in pain when the searing hot chocolate made contact with his skin and was now running down the length of his back. Immediately, Oliver saw Bauer running towards him, as did a few of the staff, but Oliver held his hand up and smiled at them. "I am so sorry, Bric--I mean Sir Bricker, I didn't mean to--" he said as he stood up and turned towards the man. "Are you alright? I hope I didn't hit you too hard," he apologized, sheepishly. Right now, he just didn't want to look at Yassia feeling utterly embarrassed at this spectacle. So much for their wager, and so much for making a good lasting impression on her.

A rather abashed smile flitted across Edmund's face at Yassia's words. Oliver can tell him all he wants that Edmund doesn't have genuine feelings of love for the princess, but right now Edmund was quite undeniably reduced to a smitten admirer. Her words meant so much to Edmund, and he felt thoroughly glad that Yassia was giving him her full attention for the night. This was starting out to be a good and worthwhile dinner. And Edmund was merely letting the emotions around them simmer for a bit before he goes in for the kill, or so they say in hunter parlance. "Thank you, princess. It really means so much to me. I sincerely hope I can give you more than what you have given me these past few days. You have been nothing but gracious and generous of your attention to this humble prince," he expressed.

Edmund listened to her speak fondly of her country. There was nothing but pride there for her homeland, and Edmund could just imagine her gushing about Mercia when it becomes her own kingdom as well. "Sounds like paradise. I would live to feast my eyes on the beauty of your country. Perhaps as soon as the council gives us the army we need, I would love to march beside you, keep you company on your journey back home. Would you like that?" Edmund asked. If he were to make her his queen, it would only be fitting that he himself help her save her people, that he himself command the army that Mercia would grant her.

Yassia's next words elicited a hearty laugh from the Crown Prince. "Of course, Mercia is home. To me, there is no kingdom greater in all of Albion than my own homeland. We are a strong and fierce people, and would do everything in our power to take and protect what is rightfully ours. Granted the weather could get nasty here in the north, but it only taught us to be resilient, to be survivors wherever in the world we may be. You could hardly find a Mercian who is a whiner," Edmund explained, winking at her. She had spoke about him being a good ruler, and he gave her a rather meaningful look. He put his goblet of wine down, and leaned into the table towards Yassia. 

"I can only be as good a ruler as the people who follow me. And I personally believe that I can only be as strong as the woman who would rule Mercia beside me someday. Finding such a queen, a queen who is as strong as she is beautiful, is no easy task," he confessed. He eyed Yassia with burning intensity, hoping she would pick up in his subtle clues. Yes, he had been looking so hard for his queen in all of Albion, but had failed time and again. He only realized now that one he needed was a remarkable princess from the foreign lands, for how else would one explain Yassia's reason for crossing the seas if not to be his queen. Yes, Edmund was quite convinced of that.

While Oliver was hoping to get Yassia's support on him not spiking the hot chocolate, he did not expect his former headmaster to give him a rather interesting description of his own niece.A rascal, huh? Oliver thought with undisguised amusement as he took the extra effort to show a rather playfully confused face at Yassia just as her uncle told him about reminding her of her responsibilities. Of course, it didn't escape Oliver the mention of "holding up authority," and took that to mean that her uncle might probably grooming her to take over the administration of the school should the time comes. Interesting. Even though her uncle's words were reprimanding, Oliver could sense the unmistakable endearing tone in his voice. The headmaster dotes on his niece, that was pretty much obvious. Then Yassia gave him a wink in return, and Oliver's lips curved up into a geniune smile of surprise that he tried but failed to rein in. He didn't expect that. "And here I thought I finally found someone to help me win your good graces, Sir. I will seek more reputable company next time I visit," Oliver replied with a teasing twinkle in his eyes, mostly directed at Yassia. If the headmaster's words were true, Oliver, it seemed, has found himself a kindred spirit in Yassia. Yes, he was certainly looking forward to bringing out that hidden rascal in her.

He followed the crowd up the large staircase, which he remembered to lead to the refectory, without losing touch of his ongoing conversation with the headmaster. A play of emotions flashed across his face as Sir Kay gave him and Yassia his own candid account of Oliver as a student. Oliver wasn't sure if he should be flattered or ashamed. Well, right now, he seem to be feeling both at the same time. "You were a brilliant mind and still have a smart head on your shoulders." That was certainly something coming from the headmaster, and yes, it was the exact praise of his life as a student that he wanted Yassia to hear. Perhaps, she puts stock in men with brains. It wouldn't hurt to let her know he was bright enough. "...even though you were found out of bed four times in a row before the final examinations" Perhaps he should be proud that even though he was loitering about the week of the final examinations, he still graduated a 'summa cum laude'? Oliver was rather conflicted about that. And totally speechless. But as he repeated the headmaster's words in his head, he knew he could feel pride in there somewhere. Even though Oliver was infamous for his countless shenanigans, he actually liked studying and always worked hard to ace his exams. Yes, there may be the usual pressure from his parents about excelling and making the royal family proud, but Oliver never did let that singularly fuel him. He graduated top of the class because he worked hard for it, not because his parents wanted him to or because someone paid for it. The headmaster knows that more than anybody else. And Oliver actually found himself smiling shyly at the disguised compliment the older man just gave him.

"That was blunt, wasn't it?"

Yassia's voice brought him back to his senses, and he chuckled at her comment. "I was caught five times, not four," he replied with a grin, trying not to let her proximity affect him. The scent of her sweet perfume filled his nostrils, and Oliver knew instantly that it would take a while for him to forget that scent. Maybe even never. He stepped back to let Yassia step into the refectory first before following. There was so much to what the headmaster said, to both of them, that needed a lot of processing. Dang, the man for making him a little too excited now about his niece than on the new gymnasium. Oliver suddenly felt the urge to grab Yassia's arm and drag her to the nearest room where they could lock themselves in so they could talk--just him and her. But of course, Oliver had only to look at his assistant tapping his watch to know that he didn't exactly have time in his hands right now. "So I thought earlier that I could easily wrestle your hot chocolate from you, but it seems I have underestimated you. I am up against a formidable opponent...you little rascal," he whispered as he leaned in, giving her a knowing smile before leaving her there and following her uncle.

“You can try, Sir, of course, but I’ve been in fact known to hold tight to what I think is mine!”

He had expected another retaliation from her and he wasn't disappointed. This is most definitely the only time in all his years attending inaugurations and similar events where he was having so much fun with the welcoming party, so to speak. Some would either go silent, while some would talk so much nonsense or with all seriousness that almost often bores Oliver. But never like this. None had been so bold as to banter with him like this.

“...hate to break it to you, but your efforts might be entirely wasted and in the meantime you might have lost YOUR chocolate as well.”

Now, who could resist such a challenge. Certainly not Oliver. "Oh, I have my methods in getting exactly what I want, and right now, my eyes are set on as many hot chocolate as I can get my hands on," he replied with an impish smirk of his own. He had never looked forward with such excitement to a cup of hot chocolate in his life until now. "So consider yourself warned, and may the best man or woman win," he added, his voice turning all serious and business-like. If anyone were to hear only the last bit, they'd think that the duke and the headmaster's niece were in the middle of a rather hostile confrontation where both firmly holding their ground and not wanting to stand down. Oliver was shamelessly amused by the mere thought.

When Yassia told him that he wasn't such an inconvenience to the staff and the school at all, he gave her a smile feeling like a heavy load had been lifted off his back. He'd rather be greeted as simply as possible than cause so many disruptions that would make them wish he hadn't come to visit at all. "That's good to know. I am glad I can be a valid reason for missing classes and homework," he replied with a wink and a wide grin on his face. No, there was no sarcasm there, just pure and simple delight knowing they are looking forward to his visit just as much as he was.

Of course, she would say yes. She practically couldn't say no to a request from a duke, could she? Times like this, Oliver was glad that he had his title handy. He didn't know what he would do if Yassia would avoid being alone with him. He just needed to get the proverbial elephant in the room out of the way. "Thank you," he simply replied as the frenzy of the media outside was already distracting him as much as the foreign word that came out of Yassia' mouth. Yes, he had noticed her speak in a foreign tongue earlier. It sounded like Spanish, but it wasn't. Now, Yassia was becoming more and more intriguing by the minute. "My apologies for that," he said quickly as he saw the headmaster make his way towards them.

"Headmaster, the pleasure is all mine...well more now that I am no longer your student," he teased laughing, as he tightly clasped the older man's hand before giving him a quick hug. It was truly a great pleasure to see his former headmaster still up and about at the prime of his life, manning the school with the same fervor and commitment as he did back in Oliver's time. The headmaster was infamous among his students as a strict disciplinarian, a no-nonsense man that you couldn't easily trick nor deceive. Oliver was quite a regular in the headmaster's office for his many shenanigans. But he was nothing but truly fond of the man now. "You haven't aged a bit, still as dapper as ever."

Edmund practically stared at Yassia shamelessly and with undisguised awe as she stepped into his chambers. Watching her, in all her dolled up glory, albeit simple and not so grand, it made Edmund feel like he was making exactly the right choice at the right moment. He had to admit that Oliver's words earlier had made him stop and think for a while if he had been rushing into things and not thinking it over. But to see Yassia here now, it not only drowned out his younger brother's protests, it practically cast them into oblivion. It was as if his conversation with Oliver didn't happen at all.

Yassia will become Queen of Mercia. She will become his own queen. Just look at her light up this dismal room with her mere presence, Edmund was telling himself. She belonged here. The prince hungrily gazed at her from head to toe, taking in the littlest detail in her hair, her lovely kissable lips, the dainty curve of her neck, her chest that showed just the right amount of swelling that would make a man ache for more, and down to her slim waist. It took a considerable amount of sheer willpower for Edmund to hold himself back and not take Yassia in his arms and ravish her right there and then. She was such a temptation, just standing there looking so effortlessly beautiful without knowing it. He cast a furtive but deliberate glance at the foot of the king-sized bed that was peering from within the main chambers. Yes, Yassia certainly belonged here. With me. Tonight. And from this night onwards.

He took Yassia's hand in his and planted a long, lingering kiss on the back of her hand before leading her to the lavishly laden table. "For you, every effort is worth it, princess," he replied as he pulled her chair back and waited for her to sit down. "I see you didn't shy away from any effort for this dinner yourself. You look perfect." Then he took his own seat and started preparing for the meal. "Please, help yourself. Let's forget stiff protocols and table manners tonight. It's just you and me," he said as he took a sip from his goblet. He reached for the bottle and filled Yassia's goblet. "How about a toast to our friendship and the friendship of our kingdoms?" he said raising his goblet.

Oliver had to admit he had felt a bit let down when, upon seeing him, he saw no hint of recognition from Yassia. But as soon as he had spoken, he knew he saw something there click. Had she been trying to recognize him through his voice? It would sound understandable as she was mostly in and out of consciousness the last time. Still, Oliver was rather happy now that he had finally registered in her mind even just a bit, and that she didn't exactly give him the evil eye or anything. Of course, they were in public. She could very well claw his eyes out once they will be left alone. Oliver decided with mirth that he'd risk it nevertheless.

He ignored her gasp as those of the crowd when he pressed a kiss on the back of her hand. Trust people to expect him to follow rules and protocol. Not that Oliver was over and above rules, he just didn't find this one to his liking. Women deserved to be respected and treated well regardless of their status. Noble or not, Oliver believes that they deserved to be kiss in the back of their hands.

“I’ve been playing it safe and howled with the pack, Sir!”

She had been playing it safe indeed. At least, she didn't tell him it was none of his business. Oliver chuckled at the thought. Somehow, he was preparing himself for the worse of her reactions towards him now that she realized clearly who he was. No, not as the Duke of Richmond, but as her assailant or something like that. "I couldn't help but agree with you there," he echoed her sentiments towards the school's self-made chocolate. Then, he boldly decided to make the most out of her kindness and seemingly civil reaction to him. "Very well then, I would be most honored to drink the famous RAA hot chocolate with you." Yes, she didn't not exactly offer that he drink it with her, but Oliver just made it so. For selfish reasons, he admitted. And he even made sure a few of the students heard him so Yassia couldn't just as easily decline. He turned to look at his two bodyguards who had considerably stepped back to give him space. Two large and hulking bodyguards who would make formidable opponents on the court when they play later. He just won their wager when Yassia practically shoved RAA's hot chocolate down his throat. Figuratively speaking, of course. Not that he minded. He actually preferred hot chocolate over tea.

"I'll follow your lead," he told Yassia and made room for the students to pile on ahead. Yes, it was clearly a dilatory tactic on his part as Oliver was keen on spending as much time as he possibly could with Yassia. He had never expected to see her again after the accident. To have her here now, Oliver was going to exploit it for whatever it's worth. Her uncle can wait. He had been constantly communicating with him through emails anyway. "I hope you didn't go through all the trouble of letting the children prepare a dance or a song for me today," he teased, his hand resting on the small of her back as they walked in after the students. He would appreciate a presentation, of course, but then having been there himself once before, he hoped the school had chosen students who actually enjoyed doing it as well. Oliver knew he had to stop comparing his own experiences as a student to what was going on now, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't exactly come to visit like this since he had graduated years ago. Had he known that Yassia would be here, he should have probably come to visit sooner, maybe even oversee the construction of the gym himself. Of course, he was determined to make amends for what he had done to her. "I remember losing a wager once when I was a student. I was forced to join the a play for a visiting foreign dignitary. It was the worst torture possible." He didn't know why he was telling her these story. They just suddenly came pouring out, like a part of him wanted to share himself to her. " Have you experienced something like that?"