Pokémon: Aura Guardian

"William."

Calling out to William, who had already advanced far past them, Ares halted his Zebstrika, observing his surroundings carefully. The guards that had followed them for some time now were nowhere to be seen. All that remained were traces.

Traces of their ride pokemon were still fresh, yet now they were simply gone. They truly were exceptional at their job, as they had disappeared without so much as a sound.

Adrian had at some point separated himself from them as well, as he stood farther away from them near a hill, gazing off in the far distance. He seemed to have noticed something, as his gaze had hardened, his knuckles turning white as he tightened his hands around his reigns.

Following his gaze, Ares's expression turned grim.

A dust cloud could be seen, not too noticable at first glance, yet it was worrisome that they only noticed it now.

Giving a small nod to Lucario, Ares enhanced his senses with aura, the world turning blurry as faint outlines became apparent like stars in the deep night. Lucario jumped from Zebstrika's back and ran off towards the West, intending to provide a clear view of the scene at a closer range. A little distance away from them, presences were coming closer to them, numbering around two dozen, their shapes becoming clearer in his mind.

From the life signatures he could feel, it were both humans and pokemon, inching closer towards them in a rapid pace.

Connecting his and Lucario's sight, Ares could see what Lucario saw, as the appearance of those coming towards them became visible.

Riding on the back of a rather large and robust Zebstrika was a middle aged, well-built man.

A saltpepper colored beard covered much of the man's angular face, his wild hair cascading down his shoulders, reaching just below his neck. The man was in rather thick metal armour, a broadsword on his back. His figure, much like his steed, was robust and well-maintained, radiating strenght and finesse.

A large scar ran diagonally from his right eyebrow over his eye down, over his nose, towards his left cheek, painting a rather intimidating picture of the man in question, even with the few softening features of wrinkles and crows feet around his eyes.

At the man's side were soldiers wearing much simpler yet decently strong armour, each of them riding a Zebstrika on their own. While their pokemon were fast, they surely could have been faster, had their riders worn armour made from leather.

Blinking rapidly, Ares recovered his own sight, as William and Adrian had stopped at his side, both waiting silently as they observed the massive cloud of dust coming closer and closer.

"A man in armour is approaching, with more than two dozen soldiers at his back. Middle-aged, salt pepper hair, bushy beard and riding a rather robust Zebstrika. He and his men are armed, yet it is unknown if they are hostile."

Sharing his findings, Ares waited patiently for Lucario to return to his side.

Coming into view, Lucario quickly returned to his side, sharing a few more of his findings, along with the fact that the soldiers and their leader didn't seem to posses any other pokemon. Their danger assessment was immediately lowered, yet he still remained on guard. 

He wasn't intimidated by the approaching group, he wasn't alone, as he had his pokemon at his side. While he was still not completely healed, he could always call out Charizard and flee should it get to that point, which it surely wouldn't.

His opponents didn't have pokemon of their own, as the only ones he and Lucario had seen were the Zebstrika. If the only ones that were armed were the humans, he was certain he could figure something out one way or another.

"Then there is no need to be on guard. It seems he has come out to receive us. I was wondering why the guards had retreated. I'm sure it was on his orders."

Not certain what William was speaking of, Ares opted to remain silent. While he could certainly give his opinion, there were too many unknown variables in this time period that he was unsure of how to handle particular instances. He was still uncertain of the power balance in this age, especially since the two princes were on opposite sides. Who knew when an overzealous supporter would attempt something.

He didn't want to be caught into their fight for the throne.

Fights for succesion were always a mess, even more so when both possible heirs had more than a little power in the management of the kingdom or business. Most of these fight didn't end well for one or both sides. And bystanders were more often than not dragged into the fight, if they wanted to or not. Hell, he was sure he wouldn't be spared either, but if push came to shove, he could always leave this mess behind. From what the history books told, the fight would get out of hand anyway. The only person that worried him was the princess, as she would surely be included in the struggle for the throne. Maybe if it came to it, he could take her with him when he left, should the need ever arise.

Scoffing at the thoughts running rampant in his head, Ares opted to observe, as the group had now come within sight, the dust cloud covering the near surroundings as they arrived, their commander soon stopping right in front of them. With the sudden stop in motion, the dust swept over them, temporarily obstructing their view and cladding them in a fine layer of fine sand.

Dismounting in a swift, efficient manner, the middle-aged man dropped down on one knee, bowing his head deeply as his right arm rested against his chest in salute. His subordinates soon followed his lead, kneeling just a little bit behind him.

"Your Highnesses. Duke Ignatius of Ivory castle, at your service."

Duke Ignatius greeted loudly, his voice tinged with confidence and zeal.

"Rise, Duke Ignatius. It has been some time."

William gestured with his hand, the soldiers rising soon after as Duke Ignatius replied in kind.

"It has indeed been some time, my prince. The last time was at the Council meeting. It was a pity it had been cut short, interesting though it might have been."

His gaze lingered momentarily on Ares, the latter not shying away from it as he met the Dukes gaze in kind. Duke Ignatius grinned at that, enjoying the bold and rather brash look he was given.

"The princess informed me of your outing and requested me to escort you on your way, knowing I would be patrolling the area at this time of day. Please, allow me the honor. It would be remiss of me to leave you here, where many wild pokemon roam."

Gesturing towards Ivory castle in the distance, the white structure dazzling brightly in the early morning sun, Duke Ignatius waited for the prince to reply.

"Then I will accept. There is nothing more reassuring than having the duke escort us along the way."

William sounded genuine, yet the slight twitch of the eyebrow revealed his slight annoyance, his smile somewhat strained. He clearly wasn't amused by the sudden escort he gained. Adrian just scoffed, turning his Zebstrika to follow after Duke Ignatius. Now that the duke was escorting them, they once more continued towards Ivory Castle, the once rather talkative prince now becoming silent. Prince Adrian, however, seemed to have perked up a bit, his mood better than before, even with the chagrined look he seemed to permanently don.

There was an unseen tension, even with the occasional small talk between the duke and the princes. 

'They don't like the duke. Neither of them. Yet they seem to relish in the others dismay.'

Glancing at the three of them, Ares pondered silently, having joined just a bit behind them. He could hear the soldiers mumur behind him, their eyes fixated on Lucario and him. He could feel their stares prickling on his skin, the hairs on his neck rising from the intense stares. Their whispers were loud enough to be heard, as they didn't even seem to try to keep them down.

"I wonder who is traveling with the princes. He appears rather uncouth to be their study friend, even with the fancy clothing."

One soldier muttered, glancing at Ares from time to time.

"Who cares. He could very well be their servant or errand boy. It wouldn't be the first time they brought one with them. Just the first time they put extra effort in dressing him up."

"True, true. The last one didn't even hold one for a week. I wonder how long this one will last."

The soldiers chuckled, as small pouches of money were thrown around.

"I bet five silvers he will quit in three days. He doesn't look strong at all. Prince Adrian will surely drive him mad."

Another soldier quipped in, throwing a pouch in as well.

"I bet two days. Compared to prince Adrian, prince William can be rather vicious once a mistake is made. I can guarantee he will be fed to the Gyarados in the lake."

The soldiers burst out in laughter at that, only falling silent when they were glared at by the duke, who didn't look all that pleased at the boisterous mood growing in his ranks.

'They are disrespectful and ill mannered. Though it is interesting to hear about the characters of the two princes. Even more so when the both of them are trying to gain a positive public opinion. If I had to say, the princess has a better image than the both of them combined.'

Nodding silently, he continued to listen to the soldier, who had now chosen to quietly converse between each other, just low enough so that their commander, the duke, couldn't hear.

.

.

.

The trek to the Ivory Castle had been rather stale. There hadn't been any new sighting of pokemon, nor people, the crowd scaring them off. The few people they did see were bowing deeply until their group had passed, the farmers appearing scared and uneasy.

The fearsome appearance of the duke did not help, nor did the less than happy demeanor of the princes help. As they were slowly escorted, the facade both princes wore had been torn off, as they were frowning and grumbling softly, their masks only returning when they passed the common folk.

With Ivory castle being only a few miles away, Ares couldn't wait to separate from his company, as the new surroundings peaked his interest more than the complicated internal struggle going on between the two brothers.

From the looks of it, the two of them were eager to depart as well, having grown weary from the continued presence of the other.

It, at least, was entertaining to see the two of them struggle to stay at a comfortable distance from the ever sociable duke, who seemed unfazed by the annoyed glances he was getting. William covered it up the best, as he maintained a civil and polite stance towards the duke, even with the occasional grumble, while Adrian outright scowled at the slightest word directed at him, not even returning a word or sound.

'It would be even better if I had seen it all from far away.'

Ares chuckled at the thought, lamenting silently as the scowl on Adrian's face became ever present.

'If this goes on, Adrian will surely storm off.'

If only he did. Then he would have a good excuse to leave as well.