Ren barely managed to find his way back into the castle and to the wall he scaled nightly to get out without being seen by his guards. Having just climbed back up two stories of near grip-less wall on top of the stressful events of earlier in the night, his sleepiness was justified. Quickly changing from his simple 'street-child' garb into what he normally slept in, the boy crawled back into bed with a confused mind. He had just been offered a chance at escape, from everything. But it wouldn't have worked, his identity would have been revealed within days, and his hold over his quickly-collapsing kingdom would slacken to nothing. Thus, it was not an idea he was even allowed to think about anymore.
~.~.~.~
As to be expected, his attendants literally had to drag him out of the bed the next morning, the young king too tired to so much as mumble back a reply. The next half hour or so was a painful blur to him, but his advisors already had planned what he would be doing that day, so it hardly mattered that Ren couldn't even walk in a straight line. Before he even got himself to fully open his eyes, Ren found himself being shuffled out of his bedroom and out the door, stuffed into his usual finery like a chicken for a feast. His attendants were silent as they walked beside him, waiting to see if he would fall over from exhaustion. One would think that after so many days like that they would begin to guess that he was sneaking out nightly, but they just assumed it was the usual fear that he was going to die that night keeping the child awake. In truth, it was both, which relieved suspicions nicely.
Thankfully for Ren, there was nothing of importance for him. No ridiculous laws to sign, no new taxes that required his seal, no town for his court to parade him through as if he was doing such a fine job with his breaking kingdom. Unfortunately, his attendants were a chain, refusing to leave him alone for so much as a minute.
"Honestly, I'm not even allowed to walk freely in my own castle?" Ren spat, loosing his normally blank demeanor after a few traded velvet-lined insults. The attendant who was subject to Ren's fury almost winced, before remembering that his king could do nothing to him. "It's for your own protection, Your Maje-" The poor man's sentence was cut off by the loud crack of Ren's fist connecting with his jaw. Head snapping to the side, the attendant hit the ground with a yelp, while the others looked on in shock. Ren first was satisfied, then realized that he was going to regret that soon enough. But was he going to let the other attendants, whose attention had now turned to him, see that?
"Hm. I'm going to regret that later." Ren noted contentedly, with a shrug. Not even waiting for a reply, he started to walk off, but stopped after a few feet. Looking back over his shoulder, he added; "Oh, and if any of you try to follow me as well, I will have you at gunpoint." Looking at the stricken faces who only just remembered that their king had who-knew how many weapons on his person, Ren chuckled quietly, before heading out the hallways and into a small garden just outside the main building itself. It had been so very long since he had gotten a minute to himself when the moon wasn't out, when the sun was still high in the sky. His act that gave him that hard-won freedom would make it so he did not get one again, so it was best to forget that enjoy it. Taking a breath of the air with a sigh, Ren settled down to sit at the base of a tree. His ever-weakening health made it so a temporary escapade was not a choice, but with any luck his guards wouldn't think to look there for awhile yet once the attendants came running to them saying the king had gone insane.
But everything was so very worth it.
~.~.~.~
As to be expected, his attendants literally had to drag him out of the bed the next morning, the young king too tired to so much as mumble back a reply. The next half hour or so was a painful blur to him, but his advisors already had planned what he would be doing that day, so it hardly mattered that Ren couldn't even walk in a straight line. Before he even got himself to fully open his eyes, Ren found himself being shuffled out of his bedroom and out the door, stuffed into his usual finery like a chicken for a feast. His attendants were silent as they walked beside him, waiting to see if he would fall over from exhaustion. One would think that after so many days like that they would begin to guess that he was sneaking out nightly, but they just assumed it was the usual fear that he was going to die that night keeping the child awake. In truth, it was both, which relieved suspicions nicely.
Thankfully for Ren, there was nothing of importance for him. No ridiculous laws to sign, no new taxes that required his seal, no town for his court to parade him through as if he was doing such a fine job with his breaking kingdom. Unfortunately, his attendants were a chain, refusing to leave him alone for so much as a minute.
"Honestly, I'm not even allowed to walk freely in my own castle?" Ren spat, loosing his normally blank demeanor after a few traded velvet-lined insults. The attendant who was subject to Ren's fury almost winced, before remembering that his king could do nothing to him. "It's for your own protection, Your Maje-" The poor man's sentence was cut off by the loud crack of Ren's fist connecting with his jaw. Head snapping to the side, the attendant hit the ground with a yelp, while the others looked on in shock. Ren first was satisfied, then realized that he was going to regret that soon enough. But was he going to let the other attendants, whose attention had now turned to him, see that?
"Hm. I'm going to regret that later." Ren noted contentedly, with a shrug. Not even waiting for a reply, he started to walk off, but stopped after a few feet. Looking back over his shoulder, he added; "Oh, and if any of you try to follow me as well, I will have you at gunpoint." Looking at the stricken faces who only just remembered that their king had who-knew how many weapons on his person, Ren chuckled quietly, before heading out the hallways and into a small garden just outside the main building itself. It had been so very long since he had gotten a minute to himself when the moon wasn't out, when the sun was still high in the sky. His act that gave him that hard-won freedom would make it so he did not get one again, so it was best to forget that enjoy it. Taking a breath of the air with a sigh, Ren settled down to sit at the base of a tree. His ever-weakening health made it so a temporary escapade was not a choice, but with any luck his guards wouldn't think to look there for awhile yet once the attendants came running to them saying the king had gone insane.
But everything was so very worth it.
