Visiting (Alexander/Seigmand)

[alexanderthegreat]

Too much had been on Alexander's mind recently.

Too. Much.

It bothered him. Staying in his own kingdom bothered him because he felt like he was constantly monitored by his people and servants. Yet he hated being out of his kingdom because since his visit with Milicia he just felt...watched in general.

"Go on a trip, sir," Holmes had suggested, "I will take care of everything here while you are gone, you know. Go clear your head and stop worrying. You're doing only the very best you possibly can for you and your people."

Alexander trusted Holmes completely, he'd been so good to him after his father's death afterall. He would have gone to Trucido but for some reason had developed the most irrational fear of the man--almost like he was afraid that the word "TRAITOR" was written on his forehead and Trucido would kill him the moment he saw it...

The only other person he thought he trusted enough to spend any kind of time around (even if Alexander was certain that he actually wanted nothing to do with him, especially after everything that happened on Earth) was Seigmand.

Alexander had approached the castle entrance, staring at the door and unsure if he should proceed. The only thing that had pushed him this far was the idea that he had to calm down and this was how he was to do it.
Perhaps even through Seigmand he could figure out more about the Sumata. Seigmand was a smart guy, he knew a ton. All Alexander would have to do is remember it and somehow get it back to Milicia.

"H-hey, is King Dezmar in?" he blurted at one of the servants around the front doors. The small woman merely blinked at Alexander and ran off, making him sigh in frustration.

This was going to go well.

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Seigmand didn't have the patience for interruptions. Not now. Plans had gone from great to catastrophic in a day's time, so when one of the young courtesans told him he had a visitor, he was all but ready to slam the door shut when she said it was King Alex. Alexander? Here? What in the world did he come all this way out for? He sighed softly as he left for the front gates, thinking if nothing else a little chat with someone as energetic as Alex might distract him from his problems.

"Alexander, it is...good to see you. What brings you out all the way to Roccia?" He didn't need to ask, the boy's face said it all. He was troubled, and Seigmand wondered if he would be playing councilor in a matter of minutes. "Umm, let's go for a walk Alex. I know a nice tucked away little area where we can talk in private." Seigmand led Alex through the corridors of his keep, emerging at last in a reclusive chamber that he used extensively for meditation. "So what's troubling you Alex?"

[alexanderthegreat]

Alexander shook his head, trying to settle himself down. What was he going to say? How was he going to say any of it? He never thought about it at first but on one hand where he could learn a lot from Seigmand and get it back to Milicia, the man was very well smart enough to learn from Alexander and send it back to Trucido instead.

Bad thoughts. All bad thoughts!

"I...it's...do you ever get this ODD feeling like you're being watched?!" Alexander suddenly blurted out, "and I don't mean like 'you're going crazy' watched. I mean REALLY being watched by someone..."

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Oh boy, this is much worse than I thought? But what does Alex need to fear being seen doing anyways? "Please Alex, come sit on the floor and relax." He motioned him to follow suit as he took a cross legged seat in the room's center.

"Now Alex, you and I are kings. The eyes of the world are always upon us. Some look for leadership, others for weakness. But this does not mean you have anything to worry about. Now come, tell me what's troubling you? Know that this room is private, and that I shall be the only one to hear what you say."

[alexanderthegreat]

Alexander bit his lip uncomfortably, following Seigmand and taking a seat on the floor in front of him.

"I...it's just..." what was he supposed to say? 'I sold info to Queen Lunestise in Crepusculum on Trucido and promised to do so from now on--I'm sure he'll kill me when he finds out!' Because he knew that would go well. Alexander frowned.

"Well, to begin with, unlike all of those other fools I'm actually worried about what should happen if Lunestise brings her army and attacks Santo-Luce. Selfish as it is to think of my own kingdom, I'm sorry to say that mine doesn't really have enough on the offensive side to overtake her's. Aside from that, my royal advisor has been acting strange recently; he's grown steadily grouchier, and has been snapping at some of the servants on a daily basis--he won't even leave the castle whether I'm there or not," Alexander spoke with a sigh, shuddering, "Seigmand, I really don't know what to think, but I can tell you something is wrong. Worrying about some invasion is bad enough, but Holmes seems to be on edge. There have even been nights when he won't sleep until he knows that my captain is by my side and watching me for the night. Call me crazy, but it's like he keeps watching for some kind of an intruder or something..."

Alexander ran one of his hands through his hair as he said, "this is getting too confusing for me. Am I paranoid? Holmes told me I wasn't but I was stressed, so he sent me to have a 'break' you could say to 'clear my mind' and shake it off, you know? Lucky you, I came here."

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Seigmand sat patiently and listened to Alex's frantic confession. It was no surprise how troubled Alex was about the war. Seigmand felt the tension mounting in his kingdom and he was still many many miles from even the invading force near Ignis. He couldn't imagine how tense things were in Santo-Luce.

Yet the most interesting bit of news was how much Alex mentioned his servant Holmes. For Alex to be paranoid was normal for a boy who stood beside his enemy, but he'd seen Holmes before when Alex's father was king. He'd seen the face of war before, so why was he so tense?

"Alex, there is a very fine line between paranoia and being cautious, and your reactions from what I can see are normal considering your situation. You are young; you haven't experienced war, and if I think I'm seeing things right it'll stay that way. If she wanted to attack Santo-Luce or Nerezza she would've already." Seigmand closed his eyes and tried to put things together in his head.

Holmes is acting distrustful, but why? He's overly protective of Alex, yet he refuses to accompany him outside the castle. If he isn't trying to protect Alex, then what is in that castle that has him so worried? Or maybe it isn't about keeping something safe in the castle, but insuring nothing dangerous gets in...

Seigmand opened his eyes, and nudging his glasses back up spoke again. "Be wary of Holmes. I don't doubt he's faithful to you, but I wonder if he might be hiding something. It sounds like pressure is starting to get to him, and that pressure might be coming from harboring a secret. Even worse, it might be a secret that endangers you."

He sighed to himself. "...I'm sorry Alex, that probably isn't what you wanted to hear. My advice to you is this; talk to him. If you have to, order him to tell you the truth. And don't worry about the war. Trucido doesn't seem to care right now, and I doubt Milicia will touch you unless you push first."

[alexanderthegreat]

Alexander nodded as he took in what Seigmand said to him. Holmes could be hiding something? It sounded weird, the man never did usually hide anything on him...but his recent actions certainly would have made Alexander believe it, no doubt.

"I just don't understand what he'd be hiding from me is all. What does the guy have to hide?" Alexander slumped over, letting his face fall into his hands as he groaned, "I hope you're right about the war, though. At least it'd buy me some more time to figure this stuff out, especially Holmes. He's gotten so weird, I'm almost afraid he's going to start volunteering to be my bodyguard, he doesn't even seem to trust the guards anymore."

[Seigmand Dezmar]

"What indeed Alex? Perhaps something concerning your father, perhaps something about Trucido. It could really be anything, or nothing. This is all speculation Alex. However, if you are prepared for everything, then you will be surprised by nothing." He chuckled a little. "A quote from a book I found some time ago actually. It gave me much of the wisdom I use to this day."

"My point is that if you don't want to be so stressed about all this Alex, you have to have yourself prepared for everything. That includes being prepared for an event you aren't prepared for." He grinned a bit at the cryptic expression. "Relax, focus on what you can control in your kingdom. That means shoring up your defenses, talking to Holmes and trying your best not to piss off Milicia. Keep these in your mind and you should be just fine." He stared at the boy, and for a moment wondered if any of it would go through Alex's head.

[alexanderthegreat]

Alexander raised an eyebrow at Seigmand...SO not understanding what he was getting at. Well, kind of. Don't piss off Milicia, talk to Holmes, work only on what you can control rather than worry about what you can't. Simple as that, right?

Or not? He wasn't sure. What exactly could he control in his kingdom? Servants. He could control them, and through them he could in a way control his people...kinda...
Okay, so maybe he wasn't entirely sure what he could all do yet. But at least he had some kind of a direction. With that he forced a weak smile up at Seigmand.

"I think I can kind of get what you're saying. It's just hard, is all," Alexander gave a glance up at the ceiling, "it's for things like this that I wish Dad was still around, really. We never really got along too much, but a lot of that too was because we had different ideas...and I was kind of being a jerk, anyway."

He looked back at Seigmand and quickly got to his feet as he added, "Sorry, I guess I should get going I think I've taken up a lot of your time--unexpectedly, even. But I thank you for your help, Seigmand. Actually makes me feel a little better."

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Seigmand could tell just by looking at Alex's confused expression that his words had fell somewhat short of there mark on the young king. It was hard to pass on the wisdom gained through experience by words alone. Still, by the end Alex claimed to have gained something from his words, and that was probably as much as he could have hoped for. If the boy had even started to feel more confident about his task at ruling, then he'd done something right.

All of a sudden it hit Seigmand. For months now he'd labored to get Alex to trust him, working to ensure that one day he'd be able to coerce Alex to defy Trucido. The fact that Alex had come all the way from his own land just to seek Seigmand's advice was proof he'd finally done just that, yet he'd failed to seize that chance when he felt the most vulnerable.

Seigmand furrowed his brow in contemplation. Had he started to take a liking to him? Probably. Had it endangered his plan? Luckily he'd caught himself in time. He vowed to himself that next time he'd take the steps to ensure Alex followed beside him, and put his feelings for him aside till all was over. Perhaps it's better this way for now. I'll need him to be able to stand up for himself before he stands up against Trucido anyway.

"Think nothing of it Alex, remember that we royals must stick together not only to work for the betterment of ourselves, but that of our kingdoms. All the same, I'm afraid that you've caught me right in the middle of packing for a journey. If you are feeling at ease, then I should be off. By all means though, stay if you'd like and enjoy yourself in my keep as my guest." He rose to his feet and held his hand out to help Alex up.

[alexanderthegreat]

Alexander smiled, accepting the hand that Seigmand offered as he said, "You're surprisingly kind to me even after all of my ridiculous antics, the trouble and grief I've caused. I thank you for it and even moreso because I know I'm undeserving of it, but I think for now I will leave back to Santo-Luce. I worry about Holmes, ya know?"

He took a step back, turning and preparing himself to leave when he stopped and glanced back to Seigmand, a curious look on his face.

"I do wish you luck on your own journey--is there anything I can do to help, actually?"