Author Note:

Redoing this A/N to link my Tumblr, because that's what I see a lot of the cool authors using. (Link in comments box. ➡️)

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[ Etho Point of View ]

Packing was something Etho only did when it was absolutely necessary. Leaving home for recreational purposes wasn't something he was familiar with.

"Hey, Bdubs?" Etho asked, pulling at his gloves. He waited outside the king's open door, afraid to go in.

"What is it?" The king called back.

"What do I need to pack?" Questioned his bodyguard.

"Your stuff." He bluntly replied.

"Okay..." Etho took a step foward, before stepping back to where he was. "What stuff?"

"You need clothes and— Actually, nevermind." Said the king, shouting the second part. "Just wait. I'll be there to help you in a second!"

The king left his room and examined the lack of things Etho had packed. He turned to his bodyguard.

"Where are your clothes for the trip?" Bdubs asked.

"In there." Replied Etho.

"You can't bring this." The ravenette stated, tossing the fur coat out of the bag. "You'll melt if you wear this."

"I don't really have a lot to wear other than this." The silvernette gestured to the clothes he was wearing.

"After this trip, we'll make sure to fix your wardrobe." Bdubs promised. "You'll need something green for when we get to the Coastal Kingdom."

The king dug through the practically empty dresser to gather everything needed for the trip. It was estimated to be three days long in total; two days would be exclusively for traveling.

Bdubs picked out a dark gray tunic, letting Etho keep his scrunched up black pants and the black ankle boots. Obviously, the outfit wasn't complete with a moss cape that stopped halfway down the bodyguard's back. Etho made the executive decision to keep his gray mask and the black fingerless gloves from the previous outfit.

"What's the moss for?" Etho questioned, running his hands against the soft green fabric.

"It makes it easier for you to be identified once we leave the kingdom." Explained the king. "Without the moss you are a bodyguard. With the moss you the handsome Moss King's bodyguard."

"Right." Etho nodded, struggling not to laugh. The king was oblivious to this thanks to his mask.

"We also need to get you tailored for a tailcoat." Bdubs said, stepping back. He examined the man's figure. "You'd look best in a black tailcoat."

"A tailcoat?" Etho's eyes widen. "What do I need that for?"

"For the celebration party after I make peace with the Coastal Kingdom." The king elaborated. "You have to look like you actually live in a castle."

The king's brown eyes glanced up to Etho's silver hair. Etho's messy, silver hair. Etho's messy, silver hair with bangs somewhat side swept in front of his dark gray eye.

I look like I don't live in a castle? You walk around with a giant blanket of grass.

"What if you don't make peace?" Etho curiously asked.

"Make sure to keep your sword sharpened." He replied, turning away. "Just in case, of course. I don't plan on starting a war."

* * *

Getting tailored wasn't that bad. It was odd for Etho to wear a tailcoat, but that was only because he had never worn one before. He's not the type to attend royal parties. Usually.

The tailor stepped away, allowing the king to examine his work. Etho, quite unsubtly, did the same, awkwardly turning his neck and checking out his suit's backside.

"Leave us." King Bdubs dismissed the tailor.

Once the creak of the door shutting finished, Etho pulled at the white cuffs of his under shirt. The rest of the outfit—tailcoat, pants, and shoes—were black. He tried to push the silver hair in front of his face behind his ears, however it wasn't quite long enough to be held back his left ear.

"What do you think?" Bdubs asked, slowly appearing behind him in the mirror.

This is definitely the nicest thing I've ever worn.

"It's comfortable enough." Etho shrugged.

"Is it comfortable enough for you to wear for a three hour long party?" The king questioned. "If it's not, I'll call the tailor back in."

Bdubs seems set on having a peace party at the Coastal Kingdom.

"It's good." Replied the protector.

The king made sure to pack the suit, while the protector returned to the outfit the king had picked out for him earlier.

* * *

Etho spent most of the morning with Bdubs. When the king and him had to separate for the royal to attend to private business, Etho had a pretty good guess of what he would be doing next.

However, Etho wasn't in the mood for training today. He didn't want to admit it, but he still was sore from last time. The faint ache that stung everytime he moved his arms or took a step, encouraged him to avoid the Royal Guard Captain to the best of his ability.

If Cleo didn't see him, then he wouldn't be told that he needed to train today. A perfect plan.

"What are you doing?" Asked a mischievous voice, followed by an unnatural gust of wind.

An almost perfect plan.

"Nothing!" Etho spun around, completely catch off guard. "Hi Grian."

An avian hybrid dress in a puffy red sweater stood against the doorframe, arms crossed as he leaned his head against the doorway. Lavender feathers flew around him like leaves in wind, them landing in a circular radius of him. His left wing was equipped with splint, courtesy of Doctor Tango.

"Hi Etho." Grian wore a smug grin. "Watcha doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Etho replied.

"I'm helping out with packing for the trip." The hybrid replied, leaving the doorframe. "You've got all your stuff together, right?"

"Yeah." Etho nodded.

As Grian passed by Etho, the silver haired man's stomach bubbled. His body felt far too heavy for his legs. The fear that the brunette knew what he doing crept over his mind like a storm cloud on a beautiful. A slow moving storm cloud that Etho wasn't sure would pass.

Etho relaxed as soon as Grian walked by him again, watching the hybrid carry the bag he had packed in his arms. However, he stopped at the staircase, swiftly turning towards Etho.

"Cleo's looking for you." Grian innocently said.

His dark gray eyes, that could easily be mistaken as black, creased closed. He turned back around to face forwards, joyfully walking down the stairs.

"Is she mad?" Etho asked, rushing over to the stairs.

"Dunno." Grian shrugged, rhythmically moving down the stairs. He then let a grin slip, before walking away.

Cleo's definitely mad. She would never let me skip out on training.

Etho hurried down the stairs, nearly tripping on his own feet in the process. He glanced around, before sprinting towards the training grounds.

Why did I think I could skip out today?! I'm probably going to have to fight off the entire royal guard as consequence.

"Hi Etho!" Scar greeted him, arms and robe pockets filled with a wide variety of crystals.

"Hey Scar." Etho barely managed to evade running into the wizard.

"Bye Etho!" The scarred wizard watched as the king's bodyguard quickly made his way down the hallway.

Etho was exhausted the moment he stepped foot onto the grass. Luckily for him, he had time to catch his breath as he witnessed a sword fight between Cleo and Skizzle.

Neither of them are wearing armor, and Cleo's arm is still in a sling. Are they not worried about getting hurt?

On one side stood, Cleo, Captain of the Royal Guard. She wore a dark blue shirt with ruffled sleeves, with gray pants, and black boots. Their hair was pulled back into tight low ponytail. She stood ready with a sword in her left hand, her right arm secured in black sling.

On the other side stood, Skiz, member of the Royal Guard that Cleo deemed worthy enough to one day replace them. He wore a white tunic with the sleeves torn off, revealing his muscular arms. With his tunic he had black pants and browns boot. He had a necklace with the shape of a yellow sword blade, oddly missing the sword's handle. Skiz's fluffy hair was only more profound when the wind blew against his back.

Cleo's ponytail flew in the wind, as they didn't hesitate to take the first strike. She was quick, closing all the space between herself and Skizzle. Their swords clashed nearly a dozen separate times, neither able to catch the other off guard. Skiz wasn't quite able to keep up with Cleo. This gave the Captain an opportunity to tap Skiz on the shoulder with her blade.

"I win." Cleo tossing aside her sword. "Again."

"One day I'll be able to beat you." Skiz assured them, doing the same with his blade.

"That'll be the day you take over." The orangette said. "Unfortunately, that's not today."

Upon getting closer to the two, Etho realized they fought with dull blades. Both Cleo and Skiz turned their heads, Etho freezing when a pair of green and blue eyes locked on him.

"How nice of you to join us, Etho." Cleo sarcastically remarked. "I hope your ready for today's training."

I am not.

* * *

"I— Gotcha!" Skiz caught Etho, the protector's face was bright red with embarrassment. He couldn't believe how terrible he was at this.

"I was only joking earlier when I said you've never ridden a horse before," Cleo said. "But since you've fallen off six times, I'm starting to think that what I said is true."

"...because it is." Etho sheepishly admitted.

"What?" Cleo's eyes widened in surprise.

Etho stepped towards the brown horse with golden hair, brushing himself off. The horse was led by Cleo, who stopped everytime Etho fell off. Skiz walked beside the horse and Etho, making sure to catch Etho before he hit the ground.

"There aren't many horses in the tundra." Explained Etho. "And the ones that are there are expensive."

"How did you get here without a horse?" Skiz questioned.

"I walked." The silver haired man replied. "Except for the ocean. I took a boat there."

"That's a lot of walking." The brunette with fluffy hair commented.

It wasn't that bad. It did take a while, though.

"That's enough for today." Cleo said. "You'll get plenty of practice tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Etho questioned. "Aren't we going to the Coastal Kingdom?"

"We only have one carriage." Cleo informed. "Five people crammed into one carriage for a day won't be the most comfortable ride. Now that I've seen how terrible you are, you could definitely use the practice."

Tomorrow is going to be fun...

* * *

"Everything is packed onto the carriage." Grian reported. "I'll make sure Scar and I are ready by first light."

The hybrid stood at the end of the table. The king, the king's closest associates, and the protector sat at the table.

"Thank you, Grian." Bdubs thanked.

"Of course." The male bowed, before taking his leave.

"We should be heading to bed soon." Cleo stated, glancing in the direction of a wizard in purple.

"I'll be up on time." Scar assured her.

Cleo didn't seem convinced, but regardless, their gaze shifted to Bdubs.

"I always get up on time." The king stated.

"And you, Etho?" The Captain looked to the man stuffing his face on the king's right.

"Yeah." Etho nodded, not entirely sure what he was agreeing to.

"We can't be late to Coastal Kingdom." Bdubs told everyone at the table. He then stood up. "Goodnight."

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Author Note:

I should draw the Protector gang and their many outfits one day. Not today, though. Or tomorrow.