Re: The wall

Leonidas walked among the battlements, letting his hands drift across the rough stones that made up the walls, feeling their texture and shape under his fingertips as he gazed over the edge. From his position on the inner walls, he could see the commander with his knights-to-be in shining armor, running drills in their heavy suits so as to be better accustomed to them. Though he was familiar with the sounds of their training - the shuffling of sliding steel parts, the heavy breathing, the shouted orders coming one after the other - he could not actually hear them due to the height of the wall.

Looking out past the outer walls, he could see the peasants running their daily lives of bargaining in the marketplace, and working the fields to supply the kingdom with its food. Farm animals grazed, and small caravans made their ways in and out of the more populated city around the castle, trading what could not be easily collected and maintained in the immediate area. Following the outward caravans, his eyes were drawn to the thick forests at the base of the mountain range, which encircled the kingdom to provide protection, and shone in the sunlight thanks to the snow covered peaks high in the sky.

It was a particularly clear day, with not a cloud in sight, which was what had drawn the prince out of the confining space of the inner halls, as well as what allowed him to see so far into the distance.

As his hand came to rest upon one of the lowered portions of the battlements that had been designed to allow for the guards to rain heavy bombardments on any potential invaders, Leonidas smiled to himself. He had another use for the crenellation. With a heave, he lifted himself up and over the wall, dropping down to sit with his legs dangling over the edge. Sitting atop the wall, rather than standing behind it, gave him a less cluttered view, and allowed him to feel the breeze in the air blowing past the entirety of his person.

Leonidas took a deep breath, letting the freshness of the cold air fill his lungs. Inside the castle, the air was consistently muggy and warm. He wasn't permitted outside of its walls very often, so days like this where he could sneak out to the battlements were the closest he got to being away. It gave him a sense of freedom, even if it was only a brief and half-imagined one. Though guards did patrol the area even up this high, he had done this so frequently over the years that they had given up trying to advise him against his actions. He knew that he had nothing to fear. He closed his eyes as he breathed the fresh air, and dreamed of sprouting wings, letting the wind lift him up and carry him away over the lands and seas, able to experience the world and all its wonders. The wind came up from the valley, carrying the smell of the trees from the forest mixed with the smoke coming from the bakery, a mixture itself of crackling fire and rising dough.

"Good morrow, Leonidas," came a soft voice from behind. Leonidas opened his eyes and turned back to see the source of the voice - a slender girl whom he had never seen before. "You looked like you might be needing of some company."

Leonidas took a moment to take her in before he responded. She wore a simple dress of soft green, with an azure pendant hanging from her neck, and her amber hair resting gently just below her shoulders. Her face was thin, but well composed, and her hair was draped around it in an almost picturesque way, and her matching brown eyes practically smiled up at him. "I did not feel particularly lonely," he informed her, "but if you are willing to sit as I do, you are more than welcome to join me."

The girl smiled and stepped towards the wall, much to Leonidas' surprise. He had expected her to leave immediately at such a proposition. She held a hand out to him, and he took it, helping to lift her up onto the wall so that she could take a seat beside him, her legs carefully draped over the edge beside his own. He looked at her once more, now not sure quite what to think of her. "Who are you?" he asked.

The girl looked at him and smiled gently. "Just a friend, your majesty," she responded. He looked into her eyes for a moment, pausing to read her face, then smiled. Together, they turned to look out over the countryside in solemn quietude.