Demus: The Prince And The Milkman

Friends?

(A/N: I spat this out for a few reasons, hope ya'll like it lmao!)

A few minutes later, Janus was being introduced to the cast of characters sitting in the cart. 

The first, the cart driver(and, as it seemed, resident mage) was a tall boy with combed black hair and turquoise eyes, was named Logan Grey. He was dressed in a dark blue cloak with runes peppering the back, as well as knee-high boots and a mage's hat.

The next one was Remus's twin, Roman, with flaming red hair that starkly contrasted Remus's, but they had the same curious, bright blue eyes and peppering of freckles. This boy wore a tan shirt with leather boots, and a cape made from white felt with a hood. 

And the last was the doctor, a short boy named Emile Picani with curly brown-sugar hair and circular glasses. He had on a light brown tunic and a dark mauve cloak matching Logan's except, Jan noticed, the runes were slightly different. He also had on tall boots, light seashell pink, but they had more straps and buckles. 

The cart itself was made of what seemed to be enchanted birch wood, judging by the slight golden shimmer to the white wood. It was pulled by two mares, one a beautiful shade of caramel with a blonde mane. The other was grey with streaks of orange flickering across the body. 

After Remus had introduced him("This is Prince Janus of Garner! Since he hates his dad, he's gonna run off with us!) Jan slowly waved hello, slightly terrified but also quite curious. "Nice to meet you," he whispered, still cautious. "My name is Janus Deceit-Garnet. And-- and this is Disi, my dragon." He pointed at Disquiet, who snorted out a snowflake and curled behind Jan's ankles.

Roman smiled and sat down in the cart cross-legged, extending his hand to Jan. "Pleasure," he said in the same thick South Garner accent that Remus had. "How are you?"

"Um..." Jan's voice trailed off into a small squeak. "Fine?" It was more like a question, as he very well did not know if he was fine or not, but it was the best he could do at the moment. 

The smile becoming a bit more condescending, Roman glanced at his hand and back at Jan, raising an eyebrow. Jan began to panic. 

Is there something I need to do with his hand? Is this something everybody learns?! What am I supposed to do?!

Very kindly, if not gently, Remus took Janus's hand and placed it in Romans, who shook it. Jan yelped and jumped backward, clutching his hand as if acid had been spat on it. "W--what is that?" he cried. "Some ritual of South Garner?"

Remus laughed. "No, no, it's... it's called being polite and having manners. You were a prince for the first half of your life, did your mother ever teach you to shake someone's hand?"

Jan blinked, confused. "What? No. I mean, she wanted to teach me etiquette, but every time she found a suitable tutor, I would skip lessons." 

It wasn't a lie. Jan had always hated learning manners, despite his mother's adamant requests for him to learn. And he had been seven when his parents had taken him here, so there wasn't much time for him to learn either. 

Emile smiled. "When you meet someone," he kindly explained, "You take their hand and shake it, or you extend it and they shake it. It's basic manners."

Remus rolled his eyes. "And you would know all about manners, Emile, being Lordess Fiere's son, now wouldn't you?"

The brunette huffed. "Adopted! Ah-dop-ted! And I ran away with Logan after the Great Taking, in case you forgot."

"What loving brothers," Roman cut in, an amused smirk creeping onto his face. "I'm sure Fiere will stop at nothing to get back such sweet people."

Jan's expression became confused. "Who's Lordess Fiere? Is she a new Lordess? I've never heard of her."

Roman looked at the other with surprise. "You don't know? I mean, I suppose you wouldn't, being locked up and all, but still..." his voice faded off, then he spoke again. "Fiere is the new ruler of West Garner, after creating an army of weird lava minions and overtaking the armies."

Jan's mouth grew dry. West Garner? But that was where the palace was! 

"Is-- is everyone alright?" he asked hurriedly, a tinge of anxiety present in his voice. 

Logan looked back from the driving seat. "If you're talking about the castle staff, no. Around half of them died in the struggle. However, the king and queen made it out alive, as well as the other half of the servants. They've gone into hiding, but still, they control most of the kingdom."

Nodding in agreement, Emile took over. "The armies of Garner have been able to keep Fierie at bay for now, and it seems like they'll be able to win soon, but right now the kingdom is in disarray."

"I don't even get paid for my job anymore," Remus complained. "I just took a job from someone to deliver the milk here in exchange for five gold coins." He held up his sack, and when Jan looked inside, he found only around ten coppers, the lowest form of currency in Garner. 

"You're saying you took a mysterious job to deliver milk to a prince all the way on the other side of Garner?" Jan raised an eyebrow and looked down at Disi, who was still firmly attached to his ankle. 

Roman yawned. "Money's tight."

"Sure, sure," Remus rolled his eyes. "It only took a few weeks to get here, but we'll have to stay off the main roads this time," he murmured. "It might take a month or two."

Jan frowned. "Really?" he asked. "A month?" Remus nodded. 

It was getting easier and easier to talk to people, Jan noticed. He wasn't completely sure if that was good or if it was bad. 

But he did know that he enjoyed the company of his new... were they friends? Maybe not yet, he'd have to ask them later. Right now, though, he was much too busy laughing and talking with the others. 

---

On top of a tree-covered hill, in a tall castle with colorful spired dowers, sat a woman. She was maybe in her late thirties, and adorned with dozens of jewels, all some shade of orange or red. 

She thrummed her fingers on the edges of her pink-and-grey marble throne, pursing her bright red lips and looking through narrowed eyes at the man-shaped blob of lava hovering about an inch off the throne room floor. 

Even though any normal person would be alarmed to see this sight, a glowing person-like thing dripping with lava hovering off the ground like a ghost, this woman seemed supremely undisturbed. 

"So?" she asked. "Where is the princess? You and the rest of your section were ordered to find her and bring her to me alive, so I could... negotiate with the king." She hesitated on the last words, a smile spreading across her lips. 

Even though she was quite short and soft-looking, with pretty cheeks and large eyes, she radiated an air of coldness. The lava-man quivered at her stare. "Y-your majesty Queen Fiere, the princess was not in her tower. It seems she has escaped."

The woman-- Fiere, it seemed-- emitted a low, growling sound in her throat. Her eyes flashed bright, and she raised a heavily ring-covered hand to point at the creature. He yelped and cowered back. 

She sighed and lowered her hand. "Still so jumpy? I told you, I'm not your last master. I don't hurt my servants." Fiere hopped down from her throne and paced around the tiled room, bright orange hair flying out behind her, waving in the wind from the open windows. 

"Sorry-- so sorry, ma' am," he stuttered. "I will go tell the others to continue the search!"

Fiere smiled a real smile this time. "Of course, that would be lovely. I do want to gain access to this land by any means necessary, and not for the reasons anyone thinks I am."

She raised her head to gaze at the ceiling. "After all, isn't it time the villains aren't just two-dimensional?"