Rheze

As the two of them stood outside the walls of their secure home, Marius could not help but feel slightly jealous of his older sibling. She  had met these folks before, she had shared moments with them on their own Xailan soil. She had been able to see parts of the worlds far from Ishgard and she had tasted the freedom of exploring a way wider arrange of cultures than her younger brother could even dream of. Ofcourse- he wore their Xailan linen fabrics, he tasted their food every sunpeak, but none of it could compare to seeing the Xailan sun for himself right?

The prince bit his cheek once as he stood a bit closer to her now, looking out over the steps that separated the castle from it's city below. It wouldn't be long before the southern royals would arive at their doorstep. Among them someone his father had instructed him to meet, a certain niece of the queen he was told, though Marius doubted he'd be able to pick her out from the group of foreigners. But surely his sister could? Could she not? The prince shot her a look then, a faint grin on his pale face- he had been tutored on the art of flattery and political lovematching, but none the less it felt good to have her at his side. No matter how hard it cut into his independend nature. He had been forced to let go off that side of him ages ago anyway. Ever since he first succame to the decease that had infected his thoughts and vision.

Family had helped him then, and still did it- even now. Somewhere he wondered if she knew. Arianna always seemed to know everything after all. Would she know? Just how nervous he was about the whole political affair he was going to play in the upcoming weeks?  It had become pretty clear it was going to be the only political deed he could perform for his country after all- no pressure. And the nerves of working on it for the past year had slowly starting to nimble on the prince his already unstable concious. And with that- Marius feared it would tumble over all over again. This time in the face of someone he had to maybe marry some day.

"so" he killed the silence that had fallen over the waiting siblings as he folded his arms behind his back. Knowing that keeping his thoughts ill like that would bring him nowhere good. "This woman  father wants me to speak, is she pretty?"  he grinned without a trace of seriousness in his voice.

Though challenged at life- Marius was but a human being- persuaded by beauty as people often are. A faint smile pulled onto the corners of his lips as his older sister spoke- for her to call someone one of the most pretty individuals she had ever met, was sure to mean something at least. Arianna was the priced one after all. The daughter dear whose shoulders would be expected to carry a kingdom someday. And with that, a priced pet shown off to the world. She met a lot of people that could afford to look pretty, to be the prettiest of the bunch- now that was a rare diamond in the jewel box. And Marius? He had enough rings on his fingers to proof his love for the cold gem.

He enjoyed fiddling with them- rolling them around his fingertips- pressing the stone against his skin. It calmed him down in times like these. Moments when his burden laid heavy on his conscience, he repeated and repeated- and though the situation did not change, his body had found somewhat of an outlet to focus on whilst he waited alongside his sister. Who in this instance formed yet another rock to lean on in the storm ahead. His smile faltered not as her company held him afloat. "Hm" he prince nodded as he looked onto the road ahead of them, "And you are sure dad only wants me to talk with her? Because if she is really that pretty and into me- I mean" he joked, his eyes sparking playfully, a grin teased upon his face.