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If Ilarus would ever attend a council meeting, he was sure that the universe would explode.

He knew Indrallious had also skipped those dreadful meetings, so he was saved from another long lecture about his failure of a position as a prince. As if he hadn't had enough of those already. Roanin, however, was certainly boring himself to death, droning on and on with his father and the other council members about warfare and whatnot. His elder brother was more than enough to uphold their prestigious family name; there was no point for the youngest, most boisterous of the brothers to get into the picture and tarnish it. So, Ilarus had busied himself in the morning with a nap among the trees in the courtyard. Indeed, the air of the outside world was far better than the prison walls and wardens of the castle itself.

He was feeling well rested, especially after several days of avoiding his father and mother inside the castle every moment he saw them turn around a corner. The task became more difficult after day two; his father had sent the servants to replace them in their search and he had to avoid a dozen or so of them. By the time day five came around, his father had given up on the search and called it off completely. Ilarus had to admit, he was a little disappointed; it was fun while it lasted. Climbing up the trees to hide, disguising himself to trick them (once he wore a maid's dress. Though it was embarrassing, it was hilarious to see the head maid scream in terror and faint at the sight of him), and tripping the servants as they ran for him (he apologized for the sprains) was something to keep him busy throughout the week.

However, he was left to wonder what an important matter it was for his parents to go through such measures to find him. Then again, he felt that he would be an inconvenience in the matter anyway; Roanin and Indrallious could handle it themselves. Besides, if he had been caught, it would be endless lectures and meetings every single day. Ilarus shuddered at the thought. How awful! But now it was another thing to add to his father's list of why Ilarus had disappointed him as a son...

The young prince shook his head to clear his negative thoughts. He would not allow such things to bring him down, especially after a wonderful nap! A nice meal would cheer him up, certainly! There was a decent tavern not far from where he was.

He walked along the road, greeting the people cheerfully and receiving the same in return as he made way to his destination. As he allowed himself in, he was surprised that his brothers had already beaten him there.

A large smile spread on his face. "So you've decided to stuff yourselves without me? Do you really hate me that much?" he joked as he sat beside Roanin. However, seeing the two serious faces of his brothers (not unusual, but it was stronger today) he frowned and tilted his head in confusion. "What's with the long faces?"

Marriages? Was that why the king and queen were searching for him? It was already a surprise to him that his parents had wanted to involve him into any of the kingdom matters, but involving him in a marriage was an even bigger surprise. Mixed with astonishment was anger. Why were they even forcing all of them into this ridiculous idea?

"What!? Marriages!?" Ilarus cried out, appalled. He stood up so quickly in his fury that he knocked his chair over. "You mean they expect us to marry some woman without even letting us decide? We're the ones getting married here, shouldn't we have a say in this matter!?" Ilarus began pacing back and forth, a habit he had whenever he felt nervous or frustrated, which summed up his feelings for this particular situation. "I don't want to be tied down to some woman I know nothing about! What if she's hideous? What if she's a horrid, manipulative witch?" He gasped. "What if she's completely dull? I can't be married to someone who's boring!"

{That's alright, very understandable. I hope you'll make it through with whatever you're dealing with.}

"You know what? I'll keep that in mind the next time you're paying!" Ilarus shot back with a grin and punched his elder brother playfully in the arm. He was relieved that the tension was slowly slipping away, replaced by the usual friendliness among the brothers. As the worker came around for his order, he decided on a mug of coffee, three sandwiches, and bread and cheese. The young prince tried to avoid glancing at his brother's plates, only to control his hunger and avoid the temptation of swiping Roanin's sandwich.

"So are we going to meet our wives-to-be?" It was partly an attempt at a conversation, and partly a question of curiosity. It was not that he was so ready to bring up the marriage topic again, but the princesses themselves couldn't be all that bad, could they? "Maybe it would be better if we knew how they were really like so we can understand how to deal with them," he suggested. "Who knows? Perhaps there's a chance we could actually enjoy their company." A distant, dreamy look overtook his face as he stared off into the air. "Maybe, if I go through this marriage, Father might start to like me," he whispered wistfully. It was a far-fetched wish, of course. He had piled up too many disappointments on the king's plate for him to simply cast it all away just because of a marriage. It was a possibility though; an almost nonexistent one, but it was there nonetheless.

The smell of coffee pushed the young prince out of his reverie and without hesitation, Ilarus dove into his food and ate it hungrily.