Fellowship & Fairydust

The carriage clattered over the dirt road, taking them nearer to their destination. Erik attempted to get Nico to practice smiling, as he would be among the rich partygoers, a fact that only seemed to make him scowl even more. After a time, the carriage stopped at a crossroads and the driver approached their window.

“Um, e-excuse me, sir, but which path would you like for me to take? Both lead to Prince Prospero’s castle, but one is shorter and takes us through the village of Catania, the other way completely avoids it, but it is longer.”

“How much longer?’ asked Nico.

“Another day at most, sir.”

“We’ll go that way,” replied Nico.

The driver seemed relieved. “Very well, sir.” He jumped back into his seat and got them on their way again.

Erik glanced at Nico knowingly. “Putting off meeting the prince and his retinue will not make it any easier.”

“No, but it might help me fortify my sanity.” Nico shot him a grin.

Erik laughed. “You have a point there, my liege. I do believe I shall join you in this fortification.”

They both certainly hoped their sanities were fortified enough when their carriage pulled up to the castle two days later and were granted entry. They could sense what Hades had mentioned in his letter about it; it was surprisingly eerie, despite looking almost normal. It wasn’t long before Prince Prospero himself came forward and greeted them. Nico could sense something off about his aura, and it made him feel sick.

“Welcome, welcome, Lord Di Angelo, to my magnificent castle. I am honored that you chose to seek refuge at my castle instead of leaving the country, and honored indeed to be able to hear, I hope, the talents of your well-renowned masked butler. Does he in fact sing like an angel?”

Erik gave a bow. “If my master will allow it, perhaps I may play and sing for you tonight, and you may decide for yourself.”

Prospero glanced at Erik angrily before turning his gaze on Nico. “Do you always let your servants speak for you?”

“Erik was merely offering a suggestion. I have yet to decide if I will let him play tonight – that is, if you still desire to hear him.”

“It would be a great pleasure, if you let him.”

“Very well. I wish I could give it more thought, but I am afraid my mind is barely functioning at the moment. It has been a long trip and I am tired. May we see our room?”

“Your room? You plan on sharing your room with your servant?”

“Yes, he is not to leave my side without my consent.”

“But Lord Di Angelo . . .”

“No buts, he stays with me.”

“But he is a servant . . .”

“And I am his master; he does whatever I tell him. I acted on his advice to come here instead of leaving the country, your majesty. Will you deny me my rights to have constant access to my butler, my musician, and my advisor?”

Prospero was taken aback by Nico’s cool outburst. “No, my apologies, your lordship. You shall have your wish. Guard!” A guard rushed towards Prospero. “Please show Lord Di Angelo and his butler to their room.”

“Right away, sir.” The guard bowed and led Nico and Erik into the castle corridors.

The place was eerier on the inside than the outside, and Prospero’s lavish taste in decor only made Nico feel even more sick. The feeling subsided a bit once the door closed behind them, but only somewhat, seeing as how the room was only a tad bit less lavish than the main hall of the castle.

“How can people live amid all this stuff?” grumbled Nico as the two set down their bags and tried to settle in.

Erik removed his mask and gave him a slight smile. “What can I say? They think that by surrounding themselves with man-made beauty, they can forget the ugliness that could come with it.”

“If you were the head of a wealthy household, would you have all of this?”

Erik shrugged. “At least some of it; I do like to surround myself with beautiful things, for obvious reasons, but I might not go all-out as our gracious host seems to.” He put his mask back on. “Now, if you don’t mind, I will put my butler duties to good use and get a feel for the place while you rest.”

“What?”

“Come now, you did tell the prince you were tired from the long journey, which means they will most likely leave you alone.”

Nico grumbled, “Fine.” Erik took off his coat, his shoes, and his socks before helping him get situated in the bed. “Well, at least the bed’s mostly comfortable. Crack open a window, will you, Erik? I don’t want to get too hot.”

“Of course.” Erik opened up a window partially. “Anything else, sir?”

“Well, since you’re out doing butler duties, get me some water and something to eat. Oh, and ask when dinner will be served.”

Erik chuckled. “Of course, rest well.”

Erik patted Nico’s shoulder before leaving the room. He moved at a regular pace, but his eyes quickly took in every detail, especially when it came to the other guests. The majority of them were pretty mindless, seeking only their pleasure. Prospero seemed to be the only one with any kind of brains, his devilish mind hidden behind a mask of pleasure-seeking. Erik smirked; if there was anything he and Nico were good at, it was taking off others’ masks. But one man he nearly ran into on his way back to the room gave him bad vibes.

“My apologies, my lord, I did not see you.”

“Apology accepted; I too should have been watching where I was going, as well. Ah, getting a little something for your master, I see. Is Lord Di Angelo feeling well? I so desire to meet him.”

“He is only feeling tired; he is not used to long carriage rides. He should be feeling well enough to join you at dinner.”

“Ah, wonderful, then I shall see him tonight.”

He smiled and walked away, but Erik stiffened. The way he had smiled made alarms blare in Erik’s head. Erik continued towards Nico’s room without meeting anyone else, but he did make a mental note to never leave Nico alone in the presence of that man, ever.

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