Roman looked over at Virgil as they took a stop at the river that is halfway to the castle, giving the horses a chance to get a drink and rest for a bit. Virgil is currently tending to his mare's horseshoes, easily replacing them with his hammer that he apparently had. What more can this man do? Sew his own clothes? Roman rolled his eyes at his own joke, kneeling down next to the river bank and scooping some river water up to his mouth to drink. They were farther upstream, so the river was cleaner due to the rockier banks.

Roman hummed to himself as he heard birds tweeting, never really having sat down and appreciated the nature around him, since he's always on the move, needing to do some prince work that his father needed doing. The hammering soon stopped, having Roman turn his attention to Virgil, witnessing him take off his shirt with his back towards Roman. Roman couldn't help but stare at his back, seeing some ancient markings all over his torso and going below his belt. Roman vaguely recognized the markings, but, again, could not remember where he has seen them. If Roman was correct, he'd say that those markings were tattoos that were permanently engraved in his skin until he dies.

Only people with high magic rankings or long lines of ancient magic were able to obtain these tattoos all over their skin. It helps sorcerers remember meticulous spells or ones that they use over and over again and do not want to draw the ancient runes associated with the said spell. Roman quickly looked away once he realized he was staring at Virgil's body for too long then he intended.

Virgil put a new shirt on, a black button up with purple patches scattered around the entire shirt, intended for meetings with nobles and higher-ups. Virgil then tucked his shirt into his pants, raising his arms to give him room when he would reach for something out of his reach. Virgil hummed softly to himself as he laced up his boots, feeling like he was presentable to the king now. He moved his purplish hair out of his eyes, hopping back onto the saddle that his mare is still wearing.

"Alright, let's go, I do not want us to make the king wait any longer than we have to," Virgil murmured, squeezing Storm's sides with his legs to make her go. Roman hummed in response, mounting horse, catching up to the blacksmith quickly. "So, Virgil, what is your first order of business after you meet the king?" Roman questioned, honestly curious about what the shorter male would do. "I plan to make a shop somewhere in or near the castle. If I'm going to be a blacksmith and trainer, I will need my own smelting area. I assume you already have a training ground, seeing as you are carrying that sword around with you, or is it just for show like the rumors have said?" Virgil teased, making up the rumor on the spot, knowing very well that Roman can use his katana. A very refined craftsman would have made that for a prince, and that person is not Virgil.

Roman huffed in response and said, "Pardon me, but I have learned how to use this katana under the supervision of my guard and mentor, Patton Hearth. He is a wonderful man, and I will not let you insult him in front of me." Virgil put his hands up in defense and tried to clear himself up, "My apologies, your Majesty, I was only poking fun at you." Roman nodded, looking ahead at the forest, seeing the castles' drawbridge coming closer. Roman hopped down from his horse and dragged the white stallion near the drawbridge, waving up at the guards to bring it up. The back drawbridge was always closed since it was only used for large amounts of people coming in, trading joints, or ball gatherings. The guards started bringing down the bridge just as Virgil trotted up with his mare, staring up at the castle in awe.

If Virgil was being completely honest, he has only seen the castle once, and that was to be blessed by the priest at the castle when he was only a few months old, so he never counted it. He marveled at the white marble pillars and statues, wondering how long it took for the castle to be built out of entirely marble. Roman and Virgil trotted in with their horses, with Virgil still looking in awe around him. "Come on, I'll have someone bring your belonging to a smelting shop while we converse with the king," Roman says, smiling at Virgil's awestruck expression that is plastered on his face. Virgil snapped out of it and simply nodded, hopping down from Storm's back.

(I apologize that this is so short. My depression since the Hiatus has gotten worse, and I have no motivation to continue it. I promise that the next chapter will be longer, about 2,500 words. Thank you all for being patient with me.)

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