Chapter Text
The forests of this ‘Red Kingdom’ were positively gorgeous, he must say! Much less dark and dreary than Oakhurst’s tall pines, though both had their respective charms. Louis was not a fan of how much sun filtered through the leaves of this forest, pretty as it was, while Oakhurst’s kept him in cool, comfortable shade during his walks.
Oakhurst…
Right, that raises the question, doesn’t it?
Where was he?
He knew it was classified as the Red Kingdom, of course. Kitty had explained that much. Yet despite her knowledge of the area (though her knowledge of the Blue Kingdom seemed significantly more advanced), Louis had a feeling she didn’t know where they were on a map. How far were they from Oakhurst? Was Oakhurst even on the map anymore…? He still had no clue how long it had been since he last walked the Earth. It could have been years, decades, centuries…
Louis’ mind, excited as it was at discovering this new area, was filled with worries and concerns as well. He was worried about his people, and whether or not any of them survived Owen’s rampage. He was worried about Owen, and whether or not he ever got over his supposed death. He was concerned about getting home and reuniting with his former domain. But most importantly, he was concerned about what these two kingdoms brought forward.
He knew nothing about these people. He knew nothing about who they were, what their intentions were, what their laws were, what morals they abided by, or whether or not he would even agree with them!
Louis knew nothing. He was at an extreme disadvantage in this situation, which was not good for a vampire such as himself. If he were to be found out, he was sure he wouldn’t wake up in another coffin this time. He would be pursued, found, and staked. There was no doubting that.
He was experienced in political climates, however. That was an advantage, though it didn’t outweigh the disadvantage. He could talk himself out of most situations, if it were ever deemed necessary. Louis had planned excuses for everything;
His clothes? A rabid animal, thorn bushes, and of course, being able to say he’s been wandering the forests for weeks without any true suspicion. He certainly did look a bit like a wild man. (Nothing wrong with that, of course, he adored wild men.)
His hair? A bad barber, a close run in with a blade, a lack of care causing it to come out in clumps, or again, thorn bushes. He had learned just from this walk alone that his hair had grown into an absurd length, and it got caught on everything. Terribly annoying—but a viable excuse.
The cinches on his clothing? A campfire incident! He’d seen Owen get a tad too close to a fire once, it was terribly scary, for both Louis and Owen. It was certainly a reminder of how fragile humans can be—one misplaced step and poof! They’re dead and gone.
His scars? Classified. It was, truly, rude to ask about such large scars, anyway. Most mortals knew and understood that, but some were more blunt than others. Owen was one of those, bless his heart, he was horribly socially inexperienced. It led to a lot of misunderstandings and miscommunications, but nothing that couldn't be worked through.
If Louis played his cards right, everything was going to be fine. Unless, of course, he were to be framed again, but until he manages to hold some position of power, he figured nobody would waste their energy. He couldn’t think of a single scenario where he could possibly accomplish that, so he assumed that outcome was not plausible.
But just in case, he would need to explore the forests and plan escape routes from either side. A main one and a few back ups, each. There was no such thing as being ‘too safe’ when an elder vampire was backed into a metaphorical corner. Louis didn’t want to hurt anyone. He didn’t blame them for being afraid of him—in their eyes, he’s the predator and they’re the helpless prey.
The best he can do if all Hell breaks loose is to remove himself, and let the humans continue their lives without fear.
Kitty scaled the trees above him, jumping from one to another with the grace of a proper feline. He supposed it made sense—he had assumed Kitty’s name to be divergent from her birth-given name, and she had to have earned it somehow. Even he had to admit it was quite fitting.
Louis observed as the trees slowly began fizzing out, the bright rays of the setting sun making its shared hatred with him known. He could see the silhouette of a large structure just ahead. He could hear more heartbeats now, too—eight of them, to be exact (counting Kitty). Two of them were a little too close, now that he was properly paying attention…
“Halt right there!”
Well isn’t that just his luck.
He turned to find two knights standing directly behind him, both wielding weapons of their choice and holding threatening stances. Louis looked toward the structure, noticing just how destroyed what he had assumed to be their kingdom was, and grew a new understanding; they couldn’t afford such an intruder.
The first knight, who was bigger and slightly in front of the second, was just shorter than him and entirely masked in pristine iron armor. They were adorned with elements of forest green, including the feather on their helmet and a skirt over their armor. They pointed a matching spear directly at him as they came closer, coming off as formidable and dangerous.
The second knight was a lot less heavily armored, holding the appearance of a young woman. She had lovely brown hair and some form of helmet, unlike the other knight’s, with a yellow feather. Her armor also carried green accents, though more of a sage green, in fact she appeared to be wearing a sweater underneath said armor with a matching skirt (or was it a dress?). She wielded a sword, a bit unconfidently, and now that he was getting a good look at her, her stance took on a bit more of a threatened stature rather than threatening.
“Who goes there!?” The first knight shouted in his direction, holding their spear at arms length directly towards his throat, ready to strike if he were idiotic enough to move. Louis raised his hands, emanating peace, already calculating how to de-escalate the situation. He had barely been awake for an hour, he couldn’t get arrested!
The second knight came up behind them, seeming to sense the supposed tension of the situation, nodded approvingly (why?) and held their sword out in a practiced fighting stance. “Yes, who goes there…?!” He noted that they were attempting to mimic the tone of the other knight—key word; attempting. Must be in training, or perhaps a recent graduate.
“I do!” He said swiftly, remaining calm as he slowly reached out and lowered the spear in front of him—just slightly, lest he have to explain why he doesn’t perish when struck. “I mean you no harm, really, I am just passing through.”
The first knight nodded slowly, “Hm. Well, I don’t know if I believe that!” They came around to his side, the second knight holding the front, encapsulating him in a form of circle to prevent any attempt at an escape. Warranted, he supposed. “What are you, exactly?”
Louis looked between the two, slightly off guard by the question. “I am human…?”
“Are you sure?” The second knight came closer, trying to get a better look at him. “You have pointy ears… You’re not an elf?”
He shook his head, raising an eyebrow. “No, I am human. I was born with a bit of a birth defect…” Louis knew that elves existed—he’d met a few in his time—but the last time he was awake, they were in hiding. Many other supernatural kinds, too. The idea of them gaining rights is quite joyous!... But it also shows how long he’s been tucked away…
“Oh…” The second knight muttered, looking over him in curious wonder. “I’m sorry, sir, I mean no offense.” She lowered her sword, guard slipping just slightly as she grew more sure he wasn’t going to hurt anyone.
“No, it is quite alright!”
“Wait, wait, I’m not done questioning!” The first knight came closer to him, ignoring his little ‘woah’ as they pointed their spear directly at his throat and backed him against a nearby tree. “Where do you come from, pacifist?”
“Oakhurst?”
“Where is that?!”
“Far from here…”
“Is it associated with the Blue Kingdom??”
“No…?”
…
“Alright, he passed inspection, let him in!” The first knight released him from their hold, waving him and the second knight along. Louis couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief… Thank goodness, he hadn’t gotten prosecuted.
Kitty jumped down from the trees, “Oh joyous day!” She said happily, ignoring the second knight’s yelp and hushed scolding for scaring her like that. He noted that they seemed to know each other. “Come along, box man.”
“We’ll need to get you some new clothes.” The second knight walked beside him, seeming to share the same curiosity as Kitty. “I’m Katie!”
He hummed in acknowledgement, offering a kind, gentle smile to the young woman. “Lovely to meet you, Katie, I’m Louis.”
“Louis… Why does she call you… ‘box man’?”
“...Complicated.”
“Right, of course.”
As they walked towards the ruined kingdom, Louis’ sharp ears caught wind of another heartbeat, getting a little too close. He felt as the night air swept over the land of the Red Kingdom, a chilly breeze sending anticipating shivers down his spine.
He caught wind of a menacing giggle, just inside the kingdom walls.