Virgil kneeled in front of the king as Roman bowed slightly and started to speak to him, "Father, I have brought the mightiest of blacksmiths into our staff. He is the son of Ottie Black, the very man who made your favorite sword." "Is that so? Stand up, Blacksmith," the king said, making Virgil stand up straight, trying to make a good impression. "State your name, Blacksmith." "Virgil Black, your Highness."

The king hummed, nodded, and gestured for the blacksmith to come closer to him. "May you roll up your sleeves? Ottie had engravings all around his body, and if I know anything better, I would say that you also have these engravings." Virgil wondered why the king didn't just say 'tattoos', but, he obliged anyway, rolling up his right sleeve to show ancient runes and writings that swirled around his forearm, leading up under his sleeve to his bicep. The king gently took Virgil's arm to examine it closely, grinning as he knew that this was the real blacksmith descendent of Ottie.

"Wonderful work, my son! Bring this young man to his new quarters, he can eat dinner with us tonight, if he so please," King Hewlett says, getting up to go attend a meeting. Prince Roman nodded, smiling softly to himself at the praise, and took Virgil's hand, knowing exactly which room he would have. The prince did not have permission to bring him to a guest room that was near his room, but, the king said 'quarters' and didn't say servant quarters, so.

Prince Roman practically sprinted up the stairs with Virgil being dragged along, worrying about his belongings that could be potentially damaged by the guards that took his horse and wagon. Prince Roman stopped in front of a door, painted a dark oak color, just like all the others, except for three? How odd. There were two blue doors, one a sky blue, and one navy. The third door is a bright red, with a gold doorknob. Virgil figured that that door belonged to Roman's quarters. Again, how odd. Why would Roman bring a peasant like him so close to the place where he sleeps? Wouldn't people of higher status only be allowed to sleep up here?

Virgil didn't have much time to ponder when Roman suddenly opened the door, showing off a very bright room, that held cream colors and maroons. It is a standard bedroom, that held a study area, and, a large wardrobe? Virgil could only imagine what he could put in there. All of his belongings and more could fit in that wardrobe alone. Suddenly, Virgil felt very overwhelmed when Roman started to speak, describing where all of the furniture was bought from, obviously being too expensive for Virgil. Virgil didn't even want to touch the GROUND for god's sake. 

Virgil just kept quiet, wanting to go back to his horse and work on those daggers that he had to put a hold on since the prince put such an abrupt offer onto him. Virgil sighed, eventually tuning out Roman to look around the room himself, eyes landing on the bed. It was huge, a queen-sized bed, much larger than his twin bed at home, held a passion red duvet, with cream-colored sheets peeking out from under the millions of pillows that sat atop of the bed, looking very fluffy and appealing to snuggle into. Scratch not touching anything, he will touch nothing but that bed, it looked too tempting to sleep on the floor instead.

Suddenly, a hand was in front of Virgil's face, snapping to get his attention. "Virgil? Were you listening? You weren't, you were staring at me, so, maybe you had gotten captivated by my handsome features?" Prince Roman teased, making Virgil go a light pink in the face, spluttering to get something out to clear that idea from Roman's head. Roman simply laughed at him, making Virgil go quiet and kept his head down, very embarrassed by the whole situation. "I just want to go back to Storm. Can you bring me to her? I do not know the location of the blacksmith area, and I would like to take inventory..." Roman simply nodded, deciding to finally leave Virgil alone, sensing that Virgil was getting anxious about leaving his things with strangers, even if they were trusted guardsmen. 

Prince Roman hummed a familiar song, that Virgil instantly recognized as the song 'Once Upon a Dream' from the play Sleeping Beauty. Yes, seems a little childish for a man his age to watch things with childish endings and more corrupted underlining to the stories, but who wouldn't enjoy things like that? Walt Disney is practically a magician in the theater industry, and people cast in those roles are legendary. Virgil subtly joined in, trying not to have Roman notice, but, alas, his deep vocal cords were a bit easier for Prince Roman to pick up than the average human. Prince Roman looked over his shoulder, sending a small and knowing smile towards Virgil, who immediately stopped singing, casting his gaze towards the hardwood floor that held a thin red carpet on the floor. 

Prince Roman reached the blacksmith workshop, and Virgil is ecstatic. There were a couple of different stations to work at, along with a huge black cauldron in the middle of the room, filled with cold water, along with many bookshelves in the far corners of the room, away from the smelting area. Virgil relaxed at the familiar warmth of the smelter, smelling iron. Whoever worked here before him seemed to specialize in cheaper metals; he couldn't smell any other metal except for copper. "I'll leave you be if you wish to accompany my family and me at dinner, it starts at 6:30. I hope to see you there," Prince Roman says, briskly leaving the room to attend a tutoring session.

Virgil slouched once Roman was gone, exhausted from having to keep his back straight at all times to not deem disrespectful. Virgil went to the back where Storm was kept and started to unload all of his equipment, barrels, and a plethora of different sized crates. Once Virgil finished unloading, he detached the wagon from Storms saddle, petting her black and white speckled snout. Virgil spotted a stable, and directed his horse to an empty one, stacking up hay and water for the night. Hopefully, the tenders of the stables would keep Storm healthy, but, just in case, he'll check in on her every noon to assure her health is all right.

Virgil looked towards the mechanical clock on one of the workshop tables and decided it was best for him to head towards the kitchen. Virgil really could not decide whether or not to take up the King's offer for the dinner. He felt that he would be too out of place, considering he had no idea of cutlery and whatnot that resided at the royal table. Virgil, currently lost in thought, didn't realize that Prince Roman had walked into the kitchen to see what would be prepared for tonight's meal. Prince Roman is pleasantly pleased to see Virgil, smelling like fire and metal, something that Roman doesn't find offending in the slightest. He finds it very comforting to smell this, and see Virgil a bit tousled and seeing black smudges across his face and clothes, but, it seems that he washed his hands to pick up an apple from a basket on the oak tabletop in the back.

"Virgil! So nice to see you! Have you made your mind on the offer for dinner?" Roman asked, snapping Virgil out of his thoughts, having a portion of the apple in his mouth. Virgil glanced over to Roman, seeing the look of hope on his face, making Virgil cave in, just this once. Virgil swallowed and glanced down at himself, sighing softly. "Yes, Your Highness. I will have to clean myself before dinner to look more presentable, so I'll be on my way," Virgil replied to the prince, and walked out of the kitchen, up to his room to finish his apple and clean up.

Virgil closed the door to his new room, still very hesitant to touch anything in the room, but, Roman gave him this one, so he will take Roman's gift to the heart. Virgil saw a couple of washrooms on his way back to his room and made a note for the closest ones, one being Roman's washroom. Virgil grabbed a new set of clothes from a suitcase that he eventually brought up while working in the workshop, and headed to a washroom that was cleaner than anything like he's seen before. There was a tub in the far corner, with a sink and toilet on the other wall, with a various amount of soaps lining the wall on shelves. Virgil closed and locked the door, stripping down and running some cold water in the bathtub, heating it with a magic spell that he had memorized, for the sake of his mother, of course.

Virgil stepped into the bathtub after choosing a shampoo and body wash, trying to get the grease and charcoal off of his skin. Virgil dunked his entire body underwater, not remembering the last time that he bathed. Yes, his mother made him wash off all the grease and charcoal, but he never really took any baths or showers. Virgil sighed softly as he washed his hair, scratching at his scalp in a very pleasant way. One Virgil finished washing, he emptied the tub and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the small cabinet near the door. He dried himself and got dress, looking over his tattoos as he did so. He's had all of these since birth, knowing every spell that is on his body by the heart.

All of them are mostly simple spells that he learned once he was six but have grown more complex as he grew more studious in the magic realm. Virgil, being blessed by his family heritage, could also sense magic auras in different people and areas, but, never really mention them due to how insignificant the magic was, such as empathy or telepathy. Roman's family seemed to have a strong magic aura, but, Virgil couldn't place his finger on what it was. Roman is always warm, but, he hasn't seen Roman get angry yet, so fire magic wasn't in question yet. Virgil methodically smudged some charcoal underneath his eyes, liking how dark it appeared on his pale skin. Virgil, satisfied with how he looked, head over to the door, opened it and saw Roman mid-knock, fist up in the air. Prince Roman looked down at him in surprise, but soon composed himself, and said, "Ah, Virgil, just in time, supper is ready to be served." 

Prince Roman held out his arm for Virgil to take, which, in response, earned an eye-roll, and a muttered 'no thanks'. Roman shrugged and chuckled softly, folding his hands behind his back and led the way to the dining hall. In Virgil's eyes, this dining hall was massive. The ceiling was very high, with walls far enough that at least 30 people chained could reach the wall. The golden chandelier above them held 20 candles, all lit at the moment. Replacing all of those candles must be a fortune alone, but, it's a royal family, what could they not afford?

Virgil looked around some more, noticing the double doors that led to the kitchen that he was in earlier today. He couldn't believe that he was going to eat with the king and queen. Virgil brought his long sleeves over his hands and began to fiddle with them, growing anxious. What if the king and queen despised his etiquette and decide to kick him out of the staff? He would be a bit heartbroken, at the least.

Virgil took in a deep breath and awaited the arrival of the king and queen, standing behind a chair that was right next to Prince Roman. Roman smiled over at Virgil once he caught his gaze, trying to reassure him that everything would be alright. Prince Roman wouldn't tell a soul this, but he was quite anxious himself. He knew that his mother had a high standard in etiquette and looks, and, if Virgil didn't adhere to them, he would be sent out of the castle immediately and never welcomed back.

Roman tapped his hand behind his back, getting a bit antsy for standing and doing nothing for so long, but would not show it. He was taught at a very young age that he was not allowed to show boredom in any case, and, if he did, he would be punished and locked away for who knows how long. These rules were established by his mother. He never really liked his mother very much, due to how many rules she sets and bends his father to her will. His father is a very pliant man, but, is stern with any judgment or rule set out by his mother since he adored her.

Prince Roman saw the servants run over to the doors in a hurried manner, and leaned over to Virgil, whispering, "Mother and Father are coming in now, make sure to sit up straight and only reply to questions that were asked towards you. Good luck, love." Roman stood straight and smiled at his mother and father as they walked in, his father looking thrilled and his mother, not so impressed. Roman would've guessed that she say something outside of the room, but, it was Virgil she was looking at with this look. Virgil couldn't help but straighten up a bit more under the gaze of Queen Rusul. The two royals sat at two different ends of the table, the King on Virgil's right, and the Queen to his left. Once the two royals sat down, Prince Roman sat with Virgil following after him. 

Queen Rusul began to speak while servants came out with all sorts of foods, boiled vegetables, and roasted chicken. "So, Virgil Black. I have heard a lot about you and your father, such as, the sword that will slay the Dragon Witch." Virgil nodded, thanking the servants quietly, and replied, "U-Uh, yes, your majesty, I was the one who crafted the blade in my humble shop. I am honored that your son and husband approve of my c-craftsmanship." The queen nodded, seemingly pleased with how he answered, and asked a question. "Tell me, Mr. Black, do you have any other projects that have been used in the kingdom?" "Ah, yes, of course. My father used to be the one to send your armies swords every six months. Ever since my father died, I have taken the task of sending in swords for the battalion. I also send in armor every year or two to supply your army. However, my father also used to make show swords, which is what King Hewlett is wearing at the very moment, your majesty," Virgil replied swiftly, taking small bites of his food as he was, surprisingly, conversing with the queen. It looks like it was going very well for Virgil.

Prince Roman smiled softly towards Virgil, staying quiet and letting Virgil talk, knowing it is how his mother is testing, both on usefulness and mannerisms. Maybe this will work out in the end.

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