[PRP] Future Noble (Laertes and Veselko) - FIN!

[Mogami]

While Laertes was experiencing a sort of happiness he had never imagined possible, he had quickly come to realize that fatherhood came with a heavy price: a fear like he had never felt before now troubled the purple Guard. It was easy to be brave and shout to the skies that you fear nothing when you have nothing to lose. But now Laertes had found something that he valued above his own life and finally realized the meaning of the words “I would die for you”.

When you gain something so precious, you inevitably gain the fear of losing it as well. When one of his cubs fell, he worried. When they coughed, he worried. Even when they slumbered in a peaceful sleep and he listened to the faith sound of their breathing, he worried. And now that started thinking about their futures in the pride, he worried even more. It was crippling feeling at first but one that was quickly turning into a fierce determination to become stronger than ever.

“Veselko. Would you like to take a walk with me?” He had spoken with Vor the day before and realized that he would also need to have a word with the rest of his children. He watched as Daizee cleverly distracted the other cubs and smiling at his most purple son, Laertes stepped out of the den.

It was a difficult balance for the usually light-hearted lion but he was still trying to find a way to be the best father he could without losing himself in the process. One thing was certain. Despite all appearances indicating the contrary, Laertes had changed and he knew it.  

[MoonRazor]

Veselko was purple and proud. At his age, there wasn't much he understood about the social strata that divided the creatures of the pride other than the fact that purple was good. That was one of the first things he had come to realize upon gaining some sense of the world around him, and it was an idea that he embraced fiercely. He was one of the good ones.

It only made perfect sense, considering how completely awesome his parents were. There was no doubt in Veselko's mind that he was absolutely deserving of the respect that he had been born into. After all, he was purple. It made sense.

Good fortune was all the little purple cub had ever known, and because of that and because of his namesake, he was happy. It seemed to him that his parents had set before him a legacy that called for good cheer, so it had to be in his best interest to try to live up to it. That, too, made sense to Veselko.

So in the spirit of good cheer, the little lion had awoken feeling optimistic and happy and completely ignorant to the suffering that happened outside of his protective family bubble. It was with this cheer that he faced everything, even his father's request for a walk. "Certainly, father!" Veselko beamed, promptly hopping up from where he sat watching a line of ants and scampering over to his father's side.  

[Mogami]

Father? Father? Honestly, they were growing up too fast already!

“Father? Have you outgrown “dad” already?” Laertes said with a playful grin, using one of his paws to gently bump his son on the side. “You’re too young to make me feel old, you know.” He chuckled lightly as he reminded himself not to walk too fast.

“We’re going up the mountain today. I want to show you where I lived before I became a Guard. And I’ll show you where the King lives.” It wasn’t so much as the destination that mattered but more the things they could discuss on the way. And with a son as purple as Veselko, there was many things he needed to tell him in order to guide him properly through the sea of prejudice and temptation all around them. He hoped he could do a good job at it.  

[MoonRazor]

Oh, well this was exciting! Ever since he had become aware of his destiny to grow up as part of the nobility, Veselko had hoped to better understand - or even just to see - Elsinore. The mountain had long since stood as a symbol of all things wonderful and right in the purple cub's mind, and now... now that he was actually going to step foot on it, he felt almost as if he was being allowed at long last into the society that he had always been destined to join.

"Are we really?" He asked eagerly, eyes wide with excitement as he pranced alongside Laertes, taking two steps to his father's one in order to keep up. "Are you going to introduce me to all the Nobles, fa-- dad?" He corrected himself, although he couldn't help but feel silly addressing his father with the more informal moniker. After all, it seemed as though he [i[had, indeed, outgrown the word.

Using it in private, he could understand. Hidden from prying eyes and ears by the safety of the den, Veselko didn't mind letting loose and calling his father "dad" every once in a while, but when they were outside... it just didn't seem proper, and proper was all Veselko really wanted to be. He was going to out-Noble the nobility, and calling his father "dad" didn't quite seem to go along with it.

Still. He supposed that, as long as there weren't any others around, it would be okay.

"But why did you become a Guard, dad?" He piped up suddenly. "Isn't it better to be Noble?" After all, the Nobles lived on the mountain near the King.  

[Mogami]

“I will introduce to the ones I know, sure.” Laertes laughed wholeheartedly both at his son’s effort to address him in a more informal and familiar way and at his sudden excitement. But he wasn’t all that interested in introducing to all the Nobles he knew as he was certain some would color this little impressionable blank slate with views and ideals Laertes would hate to see developing in his cubs.

“If it’s better…? Mmmm. Well, I suppose it’s better for some.” No him though, definitely not him. He grinned, glancing to the side for a few moments to really look at Veselko. “I suppose… I should tell you how I came to the pride. You know that unlike mom, I was raised outside of the Suka’Fumo. You can imagine how I felt when I came here for the first time. I was greeted at the border like a prodigal son returning home, invited to live here and take the role of a Noble. All my needs would be cared for. All that was required of me was to be a good advisor to the Bwana and to conduct myself with dignity. I was happy. I was amused. I felt a little proud, too.”

“But I was raised to think differently, Veselko. My mother, your grandmother, was a very strong and bright lioness. She raised all her children with a strong sense of right and wrong. She taught to earn what we had and to appreciate it with all our beings. She taught us to fight for the things that mattered, to give up when there is no gain, to know when hide your feelings and when to say you’re sorry.” There was something else he would like to tell his son regarding his grandmother but he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear it yet.

“I grew restless, Veselko. I was strong lion used to take care of myself. I couldn’t adjust to endless days of idle talk and to be an advisor when I knew so many others were more suited to the task. I was a relatively new member as well and I didn’t feel I had earned my place in the pride. I needed to feel useful, I needed to change. So I became a Guard because nothing gives me more pleasure than to be one of the Suka’Fumo’s trusted guardians that keep the borders safe, that lead the hunters so that everyone can eat and that protect the King should war ever befall us. I am happy. And when you grow up, you’ll have to find what makes you happy as well.” He wasn’t grinning anymore, but it was more of a gentle smile that adorned the dark lion’s features.

“Well, my coat gives me some privileges even within my rank so I am last one who should complain.” He chuckled.  

[MoonRazor]

Veselko had to admit, he loved hearing stories about "grandma," who was a faceless figure in his young mine, but still somehow quite amazing. She was a small part of him that lay outside of everything he knew, and the mystery that surrounded her because of it was enough to make him eager to learn more.

Only, something didn't quite seem to ring true. "But..." he began hesitantly, and you almost see the little gears spinning rapidly in his mind. "Didn't you earn it? You're purple." And that also seemed, to Veselko, to mean that his father must automatically have been in the right. It must have been like a birthright of some sort, being right, that came with being purple. That was how the world worked in his young mind, anyway.

He glanced up at his father, almost as though he as double checking to make sure that he hadn't been wrong all this time and that his father was, in fact, purple.

He could understand the restlessness. Kind of. Being a young child, Veselko himself was rarely still for extended periods of time, so the fact that his father couldn't stand it either seemed reasonable. Even adults had to move around sometimes. What the little cub couldn't quite grasp was why Laertes hadn't simply chosen to be a Noble that moved around. It seemed easy enough to do both...  

[Mogami]

Oh, dear. Perhaps he had underestimated the influence of the environment in his cubs’ lives. Then again, he was having this conversation now for a reason, wasn’t he?

“The world is a big place, son, and there are many lions living in it. And they all have different beliefs that they have learned from their parents or through their own experiences. The Suka’Fumo is a just a little part of that world, just one of the many prides. Outside of these borders no one cares how purple one’s coat is.” He could imagine how strange it would be for a Noble to leave these lands and find himself alone in the rogue lands, with no one to hunt for him, with no one willing to give automatic respect. Pretty lost and angry, he figured. “Some prides value other things, Veselko. Some are large warriors and only accept those with red coats. Some prefer bright colors. Some favor other things like strength, loyalty or determination. And most… really don’t care about the outside of a lion. They only care about his beliefs and his actions. If they’re trustworthy, if they have good intentions. If they seek peace. Only within the borders of this pride, this little amazing piece of the world, does the color purple truly matter. Your grandmother, of course, raising us in the rogue lands, always judged a lion by his words and actions as well. Not the outside appearance.” And obviously, he did as well. But he didn't want to be too direct too quickly.

They were getting closer to his former den. It was kind of nostalgic, really.

“I’m not saying the beliefs of the Suka’Fumo are to be disregarded, of course. When you join a pride you pledge your allegiance to its ruler and you accept its customs as your own. But if you have to sacrifice your values, you destroy yourself. In this pride you’ll see that males are regarded above females. But if someone were to mistreat your mother or your sister in any way, do you think I would calmly accept it? Even if it were someone of higher rank? And do you believe you should be regarded as more important than your brothers because you were born more purple than them?” The answer was clear in Laertes expression. NO. He would be the first to criticize his son if he ever crossed that line.

“It’s not easy to be a good Noble either, Veselko. Being born purple doesn’t automatically make one good. Trust me when I say this, there are some less than good ones out here. You will learn to tell them apart but that should remain between the two of us. A good Noble must know how to use diplomacy, must always keep his feelings in check and his intentions pure. They must work hard to know what is going on in the pride, know how to deal those who were born in different circumstances and to be able to detect any seeds of unrest before they become a problem to our King. And they must always be level-headed in order to give Bwana the vast number of point of views and the best possible advice.” Laertes sat down, looking down at his son with a confident grin. This was probably the path Veselko would take later in life and he trusted his son would be excellent at it. The last thing he wanted to make him think that his father didn’t respect the position that he hadn’t chosen for himself. He looked up and spoke in a lighter tone now. “That’s the King’s den up there. But we shouldn’t get too close or else his guard dog will bare his fangs at us.”  

[MoonRazor]

Okay. So, Veselko was beginning to understand what his father was trying to get at, but that didn't mean it all made sense. Red coats? Bright colors? How could they possibly...? Much as he wanted to ask, he figured that it wasn't the right time. Most likely, such a question would only have resulted in them going around in a circle again, and in any case, he could always ask a nanny of some sort.

At Laertes' question about his brothers, Veselko opened his mouth to answer, and promptly shut it again. No doubt, saying the wrong thing at this point would have prompted a stern telling-off from his father, and the little purple cub wouldn't have wanted that. "They're also very purple," he settled on saying, nodding more to himself than anything. Apparently, he wasn't any more important than them, but then, Veselko thought he was alright with that. So far, he quite enjoyed the company of all his siblings, so that would have to make up for any other flaws they had.

Not that they had many, if anyone was to ask.

"I can give good advice," he said, wandering over to sit down next to his father, tilting his head back so he could see Laertes. It was more difficult said than done. At this point, Veselko was still small enough that his father seemed to tower endlessly above him. "I told a lizard to run away if he didn't want to be eaten yesterday. And then he ran away when I chased him." Which meant, of course, that Veselko had saved the little lizard's life.  

[Mogami]

“Just remember that it is only within this pride that the color purple matters. Were you born in any other place in the world and your coat would’ve mattered little.” In all honesty, Laertes wasn’t sure he was getting through to his son but he hoped he was at the very least, showing him where his parents stood. He could tell Veselko wanted to say more than he already had but he always seemed to reconsider his words so it was to tell what went on inside the cub’s head. “You should pay close attention to our King’s actions. He has surrounded himself with family members who don’t have a hint of purple, a bodyguard that is as black as the moonless night and many have even criticized him behind his back for choosing a Queen with little purple. Remember that he will judge you on your own merits and not on how purple your coat is or how highly you think of yourself. The King’s trust is not freely given, you must work hard to earn it. Simply being born to the right parents is not enough.”

He laughed at his son’s example of a “good advice”, finding it rather endearing though perhaps childishly self-centered.

“I’m afraid that hardly counts as good advice, my son. Good advice implies that there is a great understanding between yourself and the one you’re advising. Lizards aren’t known for their intelligence so such warnings mean little to creatures who cannot understand them. Did you kill it?”  

[MoonRazor]

"But they don't eat purple lions outside right?" He asked carefully, voice dropping down to a whisper as he contemplated the horrors of being eaten. How absolutely terrifying that would be! Of course, it wasn't like they ate non-purple lions here, so it didn't seem likely that his worries would be confirm. It never hurt to be sure, though.

"But the Queen is very beautiful," Veselko said with a nod. That must've been why. He wasn't sure where he had heard it from, but somebody somewhere had said that the Queen was beautiful, and Veselko was inclined to believe it. He'd never seen her up close, from what he'd heard, he though it must be right. That, and the fact that whoever had said it had been older than him and therefore most definitely smarter.

"So that means, if I'm purple and a good lion, I'll be the best," the little cub said resolutely. Yes, he was determined to be the grandest Noble in all the land, and he would earn the King's trust and give him wonderfully useful advice, just like a good Noble. Veselko had places to go in this world, and he was more than ready to reach them.

"No, I didn't kill it," he said with a giggle. "If I did, it wouldn't be good advice."  

[Mogami]

Oh, Laertes wasn’t sure if honesty was the best policy in this case. He knew very well that when the hunger was fierce, there were always some cases of cannibalism in the rogue lands. And the hyenas didn’t much care what they ate as long as it could fill their bellies… so, the right answer would be yes but he just couldn’t bring himself to say it so directly.

“Outside, purple lions are treated no differently than other lions. It is a place with no order, with good and bad folk. Some lions will help each other, others will kill each other. Color matters little to them.” He felt as though he was repeating himself but it was an important point he wanted to make sure Veselko understood. “There are cases of lions eating other lions but they are very rare. And nothing that we should worry about here, of course.”

He laughed when his son reached a conclusion, hoping the mood would lighten a bit after discussing such morbid affairs.

“I’m sure you will be the most perfect noble there is. And I know just the Lady I should introduce you to. You’ll just have to be careful that she doesn’t try to pair you up with one of her daughters too quickly.” Oh yes… Lady Maua would certainly like to see such a gloriously purple cub joining their ranks. “I’m sure you’ll make your mother and I very proud.”

“I’m glad you didn’t kill it. The hunters work hard every day to bring us food and a wise lion does not take a life needlessly. It wouldn’t have been very good, no.” Even though the little creature would most likely have run with or without the kind advice it was given. Laertes tone grew somewhat serious as he lowered his large head to meet his son’s. “One more thing… about your brother Vor. We spoke about the color purple and the importance it is given. Normally, a lion like your brother might have some difficulty cultivating his influence but you know Vor is different. There will always be those who will fear him or hate him or judge him because he sees things the rest of us can’t even though his coat is not very purple. He might use it to help you in your quest to become a good Noble. He might even attract the attention of the King. But as you rise in influence, you must always keep your brother safe from those who would harm him. You might not understand this completely but please remember my words. Stay close to your brothers, Veselko, the ones who will never betray you. Family is everything, son.”  

[MoonRazor]

"Oh." The idea that he might possibly be eaten if ever he left the pride was certainly a disturbing one. Then again, Veselko wasn't planning on leaving any time soon, and dying a painful and undeserved death seemed as far away as anything.

"Pair me up? With a girl?" Veselko wrinkled his nose. Eager as he was to be introduced to this Lady, he wasn't so sure he wanted to be if it would involve close contact with girls. Lucetta, he was alright with even though he wasn't always completely certain that she didn't have cooties, but other girls? What if he caught something from them? Now that would have been bad.

Still, he supposed, if it fell under the category of "Good Lion Behaviors" then he would have to do it, regardless of the risk to his personal well-being. The cub sighed. "Will I have to learn how to dance?" He asked, resigning himself to his fate of being "paired" with a girl. He didn't even really know what that meant.

"Don't worry, dad. I'll take care of Vor. I'll keep all the girls away too so they can't infect him with their cooties." He puffed out his chest proudly. Oh, yes, he was going to look after his brother.  

[Mogami]

It took a great amount of effort not to laugh at his son’s words and Laertes mouth was clamped shut as he struggled to keep his expression as neutral as possible. Of course, that was a nearly impossible task and the poor Guard looked far more amused than he intended to.

“No, you don’t have to learn how to dance. When I say pair, I mean… like your mother and me… I… oh, it doesn’t matter. You’ll have plenty of time to worry about those things in the future.“ he sighed awkwardly. Cubs said the weirdest things! One large paw pulled his son closer to his body as Laertes grinned.

“That’s my boy. I know I can trust you.” Well, there was no point in trying to explain why Vor should be protected in more detail. Perhaps it was too soon for this conversation anyway. “Alright. On your best behavior! What do you say I introduce to that Lady over there?” Laertes said in a lively fashion, already stepping forward to greet one of his acquaintances.  

[MoonRazor]

Like, with the mushy stuff?! That was even worse! Veselko's eyes popped wide open in distress, but before he had the time to utter any objections, he found himself being pulled close by his father. Oh well, perhaps dad was just pulling his leg.

By then, thoughts of pairing up had left him, and he nodded enthusiastically at the idea of being introduced to That Lady Over There. Hopping up, he puffed himself up, smoothed his little purple forelock with a paw, and proceeded to follow his father smartly toward the lioness.

Yes, there would be plenty of time for him to learn, and plenty to learn. Today was just the beginning of it all, and Veselko couldn't wait.

fin!