C A E P H E U S // KALON #1110

[lysander]

x





┌ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ┐
♛
C A E P H E U S
username; lysander　 | 　name; caepheus 　| 　gender; male
└ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ┘





B A S I C

✘. caepheus / kai-FEE-yus

✘. male

✘. cancer / infp / chaotic neutral

✘. mid twenties

✘. pansexual / panromantic

✘. contest link

[lysander]

personality ;

capheus is a young man in his mid-twenties, born to a prominent kingdom located in what we'd know as southeastern europe. he is the younger sibling and twin of caphea, now the despotic and power-hungry queen of said kingdom. from the very start, it was clear that caphea was a more suitable ruler for the land due to capheus' lackadaisical personality and lack of ambition. he often skipped his lessons in favor of goofing off and playing around while caphea not only showed discipline, but also a high aptitude for learning and politics. she was chosen next in line for the throne despite her sex and her studies increased in intensity, leaving capheus alone for the remainder of his childhood.

as an adult, he still lacks a drive and a sense of honor or duty. he dislikes anything related to being prince, including ceremonies, formalities, and listening to the requests of the people. he shirks his duties, leaving for several months at a time on trips to see the world while his sister runs the country. while they were extremely close as children, caphea's upbringing caused her to change, and this has long since made capheus feel alienated and alone.

now, he is close to no one. it's rare for him to take an interest in other people, maintaining only shallow, skin-deep relationships at best, and he often abuses his wealth to distract him from his dissatisfaction with his life. he often wonders if something is wrong with him — that he should be as ambitious as his sister, but more often than not he can't bring himself to care about what if's and should have's.

he possesses the charisma you'd expect from a prince, but a keener eye might notice the disinterest in his body language and voice. caepheus is, and probably always will be, aimless and bored, and his lavish lifestyle does nothing to help. even so, he does enjoy luxury, being something of a connoisseur of imported, fine goods.

being royalty requires a certain level of cultured upbringing; caepheus is a skilled player of the harpsichord, and is often invited by neighboring countries to perform for them. he uses this as an excuse to ditch his post back at his kingdom, and to flirt with members of other royal families and royal courts. he's well read in literature and can cite entire pages from memory, and he enjoys interpreting and discussing the nature of poems and writing with anyone who'll humor him. he deeply enjoys the humanities and loathes having to manage politics and economy. he's also a pacifist, unlike his sister, and while he knows the art of fencing and other means of self-defense, he abhors the idea of ever having to use it on anyone.

caepheus has heard of the atrocities his sister has committed, but has never witnessed them for himself. he wants to believe that she is better than that, and refuses to investigate in order to maintain some semblance of faith in his sister. deep down, he still deeply cares for her despite being estranged.

[lysander]

untitled vignette ;

his sister was dressed in gold since the day they were born.

thirteen minutes. thirteen minutes was all it took to snatch the throne away from him. to cast him in the shadow of a sibling he could never bring himself to hate, but neither to forgive. together, they were inseparable twins — twin galaxies spiraling in unison, both full of unexplored potential and child-like wonder. but after their afternoon playdates, the attendants would take his sister away — down the darkened corridors of the palace where he grew up, past lacquered doors with jeweled handles.

she was made to be a queen.
this, everyone knew. this, even he knew.
but that wasn't the problem.

he was never treated badly, per se. he lived a life of unimaginable luxury as crown prince. from the exotic sweets from the south to the finest silk from the east — he wanted for nothing, and everything he could possibly ask for was provided to him on a silver plate. princesses — and princes alike — from neighboring kingdoms would come to his side and vie for his attention and make him the envy of all the youth his age. he'd have personal harpists and lyre players string ballads together with their instruments, far into the darkness of the night after candles had long since been snuffed.

all of this made him rich beyond imagination. yet, none of it was what he wanted.

as his days went by in idle boredom, his older sister, caphea, grew. stronger, taller, more beautiful than the night sky — as her courtiers would say. as the years went by, capheus could see the air around her chilling — a confidence made of ice; sharp, cold, and dangerous, just as she learned. to be queen meant to speak softly words of iron. steeled will underneath a gentle decorum. her eyes were no longer the eyes of his sister. lessons in politics, war, swordsmanship eroded away that old child-like wonder they shared in the past. the old gardens they used to play in were overgrown with unkempt foliage.

every time capheus walked through them, he found the empty stillness to be absolutely loathsome.

he never wanted power. the throne wasn't for him. capheus was happy to live his life in the comfort of royalty, bereft of the responsibilities of kingship and duty. he wanted nothing, really, except for one singular thing that his wealth and prestige could never give him or ever replace: his sister.

the one who left him behind in the pursuit of glory, now nothing more than a stranger to him.
it's something he'll never forgive — and never forget.

[lysander]

dinner for two ;

"you're late."

the queen's voice is laced with a hint of annoyance. she's tapping her finger against the marble table, a glass of wine to her left and a silver platter sitting directly in front of her. the remnants of a meal lay pushed to the side of the plate; it seemed as if caphea found greens unsettling to her stomach today.

her eyes stare daggers into caepheus' chest as he enters the dining room. he looks away, a quiet tch replacing a proper reply. he stretches, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back into one of the chairs — one noticeably far from the only other diner present.

"roast beast for dinner?" he asks. "how boring. you know, the seafood in the southern countries is to die for—"

"—where have you been for the last three months?"

caepheus halts his thoughts, lips drawn into a thin line. he says nothing, letting the silence carry the weight of his reply.

"caepheus. answer me."

"i've just been around and about. you know— seeing the world."

"you are the crown prince of this kingdom and you cannot just run around like a vagabond. do you know how many people want me dead — and you as well?"

his sister's voice is steeled, leveled, but her words are as cold as ice. caepheus' brow twitches.

"i can protect myself. i'm not an idiot— "

"no, you are. you are foolish and naive. you've always been."

it takes everything to grit his teeth and swallow his pride. this — this was the reason why he left three months ago. yet, capheus lets his anger simmer, turning towards his sister with a half-smile.

"and you? what happened to you all these years?"

she takes a sip of wine, hardly missing a beat with her reply: "it's simple. i grew up."

"oh? and you think i haven't?" his grin widens, cat-like and amused.

"of course not. you've ignored your duties, failed to show up for negotiations... then, you mysteriously disappear for months at a time? some prince you— "

"—i never asked to be prince."

the tone of capheus' voice catches her attention. they make eye contact. gold against gold. capheus is no longer grinning — in his eyes is a mixture of disdain and something else, something he's tried to hide all these years with no success: hurt.

"i never wanted to be a king. i never wanted to rule. it's not my fault that you left me behind."

caphea is stunned speechless. her brother stands up without touching his meal.

"it'd rather not eat in the presence of a stranger."


he exuents. the queen is left alone at the table, wine glass half empty.

[lysander]

text from ya boi cae: a brief glimpse into a modern au yes i am 100% not joking ;

in which caphea, nicknamed fea, is a professor of macropolitics at a prestigious university. capheus mostly bums around with their parents' enormous fortune, going to parties and doing absolutely nothing worth while.


— excerpt from a conversation with caphea

princeofnicehair: hey
princeofnicehair: hey sis
princeofnicehair: hey did you know that you have a big stick up your butt bc u do
Machiavellias: Yes, you've mentioned this before. Several times.
princeofnicehair: well im telling u again
princeofnicehair: just bc
Machiavellias: Okay. That's nice. Please let me work.
princeofnicehair: ur always so mean and i hate u
Machiavellias: Please don't tell me you're drunk.
princeofnicehair: youre not my real mom you cant tell me what to do
Machiavellias: I can't believe you turned out to be a stereotypical trust fund baby.
princeofnicehair: u HATE ME
Machiavellias: Alright. I have to work on important things. I've got a speech to give in an hour and I don't need you crying on my shoulder while I do it.
princeofnicehair: hey
princeofnicehair: fea
princeofnicehair: feaaaaaaa
princeofnicehair: dont ignoer me pls
princeofnicehair: youre my fave sister
Machiavellias: I am your only sister. Good bye.
princeofnicehair: ):


— excerpt from a conversation with mephis

princeofnicehair: oh my god. my head is killing me
geomantic: uh, why are you talking to me?
princeofnicehair: i like you. duh
geomantic: no, you're lonely and bored.
princeofnicehair: ouch. you slay me
geomantic: good. stop getting drunk and coming to me when the fragile illusion of your perfect rich boy life comes falling apart.
princeofnicehair: wow, ouch again. did i do something to tick you off?
geomantic: no, it's just painfully obvious. it's kind of embarrassing, really. your sister is definitely embarrassed.
princeofnicehair: man, why is she embarrassed. it's not like she's the one who's wasting her life
geomantic: sounds like you have unresolved issues.
princeofnicehair: why do you think i party all the time? you don't party because your life is going well. you do it because you need something to distract you
geomantic: as someone who never goes to parties, i suppose i can't argue with that.
geomantic: well, you wanna talk about it?
princeofnicehair: i thought you hated hearing my sob stories
geomantic: i figure it's either now or later.
princeofnicehair: i mean, it's not really anything
princeofnicehair: it's just, you know. she's got all the degrees and she's soooo well studied
princeofnicehair: she's publishing a book in a few months and everrryone comes by our place to interview her these days
princeofnicehair: i mean it's not like i want that kind of life
princeofnicehair: it's not me. it's kind of gross and snobby
princeofnicehair: but i guess i just feel kind of
princeofnicehair: i dunno
princeofnicehair: like no one realizes i'm even here
princeofnicehair: not even my sis
princeofnicehair: haha, that's pretty dumb, right?
princeofnicehair: i mean i got all the cash in the world. there's people out there starving and stuff. with like, you know
princeofnicehair: real problems
princeofnicehair: but i can't really help it, feeling like this
princeofnicehair: sorry, i keep dumping all my angst on you
geomantic: it's okay.
geomantic: maybe you should talk to fea about this.
geomantic: letting emotions fester inside you is never a good idea.
princeofnicehair: be honest with her? idk maybe when i'm dead
geomantic: suit yourself.
geomantic: but don't actually die. i'd hate for that to be on my conscience.
princeofnicehair: aw, you care about me :*
geomantic: marginally.