Chapter One: Knight and Noble

[Lunar Rome, 1873]

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Wind settled on the brow of Lunar Rome. It was the daily breeze, cold and light and full of flora from the farthest countryside beyond their walls. Workers and pedestrians moved about like pieces on a sliding puzzle, a measurement that Lelizh of Pisce was taking with absolute care.

He knew a carriage would crush him flat. In that event, he had instructed his stalwart companion to frame him like a painting and place him above the warmest fireplace of the Pisce estate.

That same companion was burrowing into his mind now. His demands were like worms in his brain. He could feel the dizzying wriggling with each passing second.

"Won't you put your shoes back on?"

"I can't feel the earth underneath me if I do. I can't honor any wish you have for me, you only request my suffering."

“You think that any request that pertains to portraying yourself in a Noble light is a method of torture that I devised.”

No joy seemed to be left in their day. It had been sucked dry by elderly men. Simply put, there was no time for fun. They were carrying out an active Triumviral request!

Lelizh and his Consort Knight, Heiyu, had been 'patrolling' along the main road leading through the breadth of the Llevest District. As Noble and nauseatingly gaudy as it was, there was no room for smiles. Everything carried a scent of professionalism that couldn’t bear happiness in any measure. And on top of it all, in the midst of their terrible haven, they had been approached by a Palace messenger carrying a letter marked by three seals.

Three irrefusable invitations.

In fact, one of them was his own family seal! How could he possibly ignore the call to attend?

This wasn’t just an annoyance to the prissy Noble, it was a workload for the already-tarnished Knight.

Because Lelizh would refuse to put his shoes on, Heiyu was forced to carry them, his other hand reserved for readying his grip around the hilt of his gleaming blade.

That was partially because although Lelizh himself was supposed to be carrying his own weapon, he always found himself quite disobedient to policy. There was also the general idea that he was quite unendingly lazy. So there was no need to fret about such mindless things, that only meant that Heiyu had to work double-time to account for his tendencies.

The steadfast man didn’t mind. It was only his job to guard to the shorter, weaker Noble figure. Moreso to be married to him. He hadn’t received any titles from the ordeal, although that wasn’t a large matter either. Heiyu was a soldier, all that mattered in the end.

But despite the conduct that laced their partnership, the two could never be separated. It wasn’t only duty or service that kept them together as a constant. But that didn’t often need to be spoken aloud. Spiders breathed down their necks over the fact, webs were woven like traps around them.

The Consort Knight released his grip on his sword for a moment, reaching into his jacket alongside an indiscernible murmur. With a single quick blow, Heiyu struck a portion of his sleeve to his blade, sparks igniting the end of a cigarette.

“You should really quit that nasty habit.” Lelizh chided, glancing away in a pouting fashion.

Heiyu allowed the swirls of ivory to roll past his lips as he frowned. “How is it a nasty habit?”

“The smell it creates is sometimes unbearable.”

“Smell? What smell? There is no smell at all.”

“Smokers can’t realise their own scent. That’s like… the first universal rule of existence.”

“I’ll stop smoking if you put your shoes back on.”

There was a brief period of silence as Lelizh crushed the dried leaves of autumn underfoot.

“Alright, there is no scent at all.”

Heiyu stared at him a moment before flashing a slight smile.

The Consort Knight flicked the ember-kissed length to the ground and sighed. “Best in moderation, then.”

“Your health, dear Heiyu, is the only thing that matters.”

Lelizh Pisce was a terrible sort of kind soul. The kind that would get any job done and see a morally-acceptable benefit to himself at all costs, sometimes even to the betterment of others. The great son of the bank was amiable and could be convinced of most kind things. He had the wealth to spare and impatience for a lack of joy. It led him to believe that often, charity was the very price of society.

The bounty on Lunar Rome was fair, it was reaped often and everyday. Fruits and vegetables and gold, marble and lace. They sold metals and wine and oil, exported craftsmen and all their talent, all in the pursuit of fostering friendship with others. Friendships meant favours, and favours meant opportunities.

The coins were great, the bills were better. But all that money had to be kept somewhere, and that somewhere happened to be the Bank of Pisce.

That was why it was doubly important they attend whatever puppet-show had been called.

Heiyu paused for a moment, grabbing hold of Lelizh’s arm and forcing his gaze upwards.

In their misadventures, his hair had become nothing but tangles and knots. It fell past his shoulders in sheets of gold, soft and silken and full of his sense of life.

“Stand still, now. We’re almost there.” The Knight murmured as he instinctively reached to clear the locks away from his brow.

Lelizh batted away Heiyu’s hand, frowning. “It’s no matter, leave it.”

The Knight still contended and ultimately won his way, smoothing over the mess of his hair. His hand ran down the side of Lelizh’s face, settling on his cheek, thumbs wiping away the dirt that had collected on his blush-stained face.

“Don’t you know that they all look at you each gathering? You pretend not to notice.”

Lelizh scoffed, the corners of his lips curling up. “What, does it make you jealous that I must be perceived? Stared at, admired? I am particularly admirable…”

Heiyu did not respond, clipping the loose hair to the side of his face. At the same time, he leaned in closer, placing his lips on Lelizh’s.

People watched them as they embraced in the middle of the street. Most were caught by the glimmer of the Noble’s hair, like sunlight in its gentlest beauty. Others felt their eyes wander to the taller Knight cloaked in cyan, his armour dark and dull.

Neither saw the others.

The world felt like stars on the ground for Lelizh. They burst in fantastic colours around them and he paid them no mind at all. He fell deep into the Knight’s embrace and forgot about any other care he should have had.

One thing about duty was that it was the brother of defiance. The same deeds never strayed far from their similar natures. Taking their time was the price of their joy.

If they were to be late to the Senate gathering, there would have been no consequence to them. It would have been worth it.

It wasn’t like anyone who wished to do anything to him really could, anyway.

When they broke away, Lelizh felt a sudden heat rise up into his chest and face. He felt more a mess than he looked. There was an overwhelming urge to go back home, to not attend the Senate gathering and spend the day by Heiyu’s side. He felt his focus shifting to the shade of his collarbone running beside his slender neck, the accentuation of his cheeks and the pale of his skin.

But the sort of duty that came alongside a promise was Heiyu’s most valuable possession.

Lelizh would never think to deny it.

He grasped Heiyu’s hand tightly and grimaced, turning his head away.

“You lead me to no fun…” Lelizh began to chide, chuckling as he pulled the man’s face down close and placed his lips on the Knight’s cheek. “But perhaps all the joy.”

In the autumn morning, calm settled on the breadth of Lunar Rome.