Voice Test Post: Xander (Fire Emblem: Fates)

[blackparagon]

It's time for an open voice test post! This time, it's for Crown Prince Xander of Nohr from Fire Emblem: Fates. For a summary of his character (courtesy of his trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS):

"Xander is the eldest son of the Nohr royal family, and crown prince of Nohr. He's taciturn and quite stubborn, but he views Corrin as true family though they aren't blood relatives. Said to be the strongest and most skilled swordsman in Nohr. Xander wields the divine weapon known as Siegfried."

Leave a header here with a prompt -- or ask me to come up with one!

(Image source)

Comments

OOC

[gohomeivar]

[Is there anything that you'd like to do?]

Re: OOC

[blackparagon]

[I had a couple of ideas. Perhaps they're stuck doing the cooking one evening for some reason. Or maybe he's teaching her to ballroom dance. Other than that, I'm pretty open.]

OOC

[gohomeivar]

[I feel bad for him then for cooking, but ballroom dancing would be amusing.]

Re: OOC

[blackparagon]

[I think I'm leaning more toward ballroom dancing now. Shall I start us off?]

[gohomeivar]

[Sounds great! That would be nice.]

[blackparagon]

[The annual spring festival was approaching. Nohr didn't possess much arable land, but that just meant that they valued what they did have more for it. Additionally, with the war over, this also meant more Hoshidan fruits and vegetables would be coming to market.

This all made for a busy time for the Nohrian royal family, as they traditionally oversaw planning and the festivities themselves. Castle Krakenburg was far busier than it had been in months, with Xander's brother and sisters and their retainers running around making sure things were going. Xander, however, had other matters to attend to.

As the reigning king, Xander was obligated to open the festival with a dance. His father had snubbed the duty for several years, delegating it to one of his children, but Xander was not his father. He wanted to do this for the people.

Not only that, but Nohr had received a guest. Though Xander wasn't fully convinced of Milla's alleged place in the hierarchy of divinity, he did acknowledge that she was somehow connected to the gods. That alone made her an honored guest -- as well as Xander's dance partner for the ceremony.

Though first he had to make sure she could keep pace with him on the dance floor. That's why the two of them are in a room which, save for a single pianist, was empty. Before starting, though, Xander wants to make sure Milla is ready.]

Would you like anything before we begin? A glass of water, perhaps?

[gohomeivar]

[Milla was intrigued by human customs. She knew a little bit, but she was still pretty clueless when it came down to the things that humans enjoyed and for what reason. She'd never been invited to a ceremony like this before. It was sort of nice to be considered for something like this, but she also didn't want to make a fool of herself. She had done her best to study up on the customs to better fit in, but Milla was still Milla in the end. It was strange to think she'd have to wear something that wasn't exactly easy to walk in compared to her more "free" apparel that she wore.

For now, she needed to just make sure she could at least dance. That seemed to be the biggest thing here and quite frankly, she had no idea how to dance. At least that had been a thing that she'd asked for help about prior, but she failed to see the reason why her learning how to dance was so amusing to see. At least by this point, she wasn't going in completely blind, though.]

No, I'll be okay. Thank you for the offer regardless.

[asspect]

[ So... how about Xander being sent off to hunt a dragon, maybe to prove his strength or to acquire a treasure, only to discover said dragon is a benevolent motherly figure who is currently facing trouble within her own kind? ]

[blackparagon]

[That could be interesting! Considering the situation of Nohr's court while he was growing up, it could hit especially close to home.]

[sparrowfeathered]

[Nohr has a reputation, of course.]

[Rose wasn't surprised when someone from Cheve hired the Scattered Bones to try to kill Prince Xander. The province could have broken away; moreover, the Nohrian royalty is... dangerous. They've led their armies. They've been there when crimes have been perpetrated. Rose couldn't say no, even if she isn't sure this Nohrian prince needs to die. But, that's her job: finding out.]

[And she's quite good, too. The masked woman, wearing her combat leathers, has slipped through the fortress that Xander is staying in -- a few guards knocked unconscious, bound and gagged on the battlements are the only sign of her passing -- and then she gets to his room. She drops in from the rafters, having snuck in from the roof. She lands quietly, with a soft thud.]

[Rose is silent, as she looks around Xander's room -- trying to find the crown prince. A knife is in each hand.]

[blackparagon]

[This wasn't Xander's first rodeo.

One might think that being the son of the beloved Queen Katerina -- one of the two women Garon actually married -- would grant him immunity to the politicking and hazards of Nohrian court that befell his many half-brothers and half-sisters. Unfortunately, this was not entirely true. Xander has had a few attempts on his life -- far fewer than his half-siblings had experienced, but still enough to understand one when he saw it.

Tonight, Xander had retreated to his desk and had been writing in his diary about the events of the week. As he sets his quill down and snaps his book shut, he realizes something.

Even for a fortress at night, this was too quiet.

Xander's hand reaches for the black sword that he kept within arm's reach at all times. Siegfried begins to glow with purple flames as it touches his hand, and he retreats to the corner of his room. He crouches beside his bed.

A moment later, he hears the unmistakable sound of soft shoes hitting the stone floor. He can see the outline of another person, the candle left lit on his desk reflecting light off their knives. Immediately he recognizes what they're here to do.

With the speed of a master swordsman, Xander lifts Siegfried into the air. The purple flames wreathing the blade coalesce and lance toward the assassin, culminating in a sharp point. He doesn't intend this to be a lethal blow, but if it connects, it will hurt.]

[sparrowfeathered]

[Rose hisses softly, as the purple fire comes flying. She is impossibly quick; she leaps, and the bolt of fire slams into the wall behind her. It's a near thing, though; one of the tassels hanging from her back is singed away, and her eyes are wide behind the mask. She shakes her head.]

[Then she launches forward. Rose is nothing is not quick; Xander's dealt with enough Hoshidan ninja that he has seen speed like this, but she's up there with the best. She does a back flip -- and then rushes right for him. She slashes with each short sword, quickly.]

[The mask is staring right at him, as she strikes.]

[But it's also clear that this isn't just an assassination strike; she doesn't go for the kill. She tests his defenses, with blows aimed at testing his reach and his speed. For the moment, though, Rose remains silent.]

[blackparagon]

[Speed is something Xander is used to. He's no slouch at it himself, but he can't match the speed of the fastest ninja.

But when it comes to defense, he is second to none. In addition to the augmentation that Siegfried bestows upon the armor of its wielder, Xander's sword hand is quick enough to block knife hits. The sheer length of the blade helps, and it allows him to keep a bit of distance.

He's also able to read the way Rose is attacking. He can tell that she isn't going for a lethal blow. In between parries, he speaks.]

Ha! Tell me something. What kind of...would-be assassin...doesn't go...for the kill...straightaway?

[sparrowfeathered]

[Rose is surprised when he parries. She knew he was good; she didn't realize how good. The way he uses a two-handed sword to parry her daggers' strikes speaks volumes. The attacks don't let up, though.]

[Even if Rose, still, isn't going for the kill.]

...We try to find out whether our target deserves to die. After all your kingdom has done, what do you think, Prince Xander?

[blackparagon]

[A woman. Interesting. Camilla would be intrigued.]

Isn't that...what intelligence...is for?

[In his experience, people usually send assassins after determining such a fact. Clearly whomever hired this one didn't fill her in on all the details.

At any rate, Xander is ready to end this. He raises one of his boots and delivers a kick toward the assassin's belly.]

[sparrowfeathered]

What my employer's intelligence is for.

[There is a small shake of her head. Her voice is carefully guarded. Oh so carefully guarded.]

[She's kicked -- and she rolls with it. It sends her flying back, but she rolls when she hits the ground, and comes up standing. Ready.]

I have to decide the worthiness of a job for myself.

[ostianaxe]

[ crossover world where the noble families of Lycia and Nohr know each other ]

Xander, you knave! You never told me you'd be joining us on the battlefield!

[blackparagon]

[Xander looks down toward Hector from his perch on his horse. Of course, given Hector's own size, he doesn't have to incline his head far.]

I hadn't expected to be here, myself. But there has been a change of plans, and time wasn't on my side.

[evenglass]

[OOC: Before I start us off, which would you rather play out: Ivina visiting Nohr or Xander visiting Salimdor? Either way, it's going to be either a gala celebrating trade partnership, military alliances, or Xander's coronation if it's the former]

[blackparagon]

[I'm thinking it could perhaps be the former, with an announcement of their engagement. It may even possibly overlap with Xander's coronation.]

[evenglass]

[OOC: Alright. In hindsight, the former is a better choice out of the two. Anyway, I'm fast-forwarding a little bit where Xander is officially the king, that way it's easier to get to the juicy stuff]

--

[Salimdor and Nohr - they are two far-away nations separated by sea, only first making contact when Xander is already the new king of Nohr.

In the beginning, only the representatives of each country had been in contact with each other, and only delivered their news and messages to their respective monarchs. But as time went on, it reached a point where Ivina herself became directly involved in this matter, and had met with Xander on neutral territory. It was a brief meeting that proved her hunches right about Xander. She was able to relate to him a lot in regards to being the only ruler of a country that are still licking its wounds from war, but also as someone introducing radical policies that are met with disapproval from their own people.

It has been a while since their last meeting in person. Their only contact fell to writing to each other concerning political matters, but Ivina made it a point to add a personal note in each letter. That way, they not only speak to each other as king and queen of their respective homelands, but also as friends. Ivina found herself eager to see his replies more and more, until came the day Xander's letter had an invitation to a celebration in Krakenburg castle. She knows what this is about. An unmarried king's first gala? It's always to look for a future queen. Regardless, this was invitation that she gladly accepts. It's a long and perilous journey by sea to reach Nohr, but she feels it would be worth it.

Now that the celebrations have began, Ivina makes an entrance by being the last to arrive. Her black and gold carriage stops by the red carpet, followed by a company of armor-clad and shield bearing knights as her personal bodyguard. As the carriage door swings open, the first to step out are four members of Ivina's court, lining up on the carpet as finally Ivina herself takes the first step out of the carriage. The queen is wearing a dark and flowing dress, with rose-gold accessories donned over her graceful neck. She traces her fingers of her gauntlet-clad hand on the brim of her hat to reveal her face. Ivina's hair seem to cover her left eye, but she sees the Nohrian welcoming party awaiting her arrival as she and her group walks with her head held high.

The announcement called to the crowd: "Her Majesty, Ivina of Salimdor"]

[blackparagon]

[Xander, as well as his siblings, had been introduced early on, especially seeing as the king was the host of the event. He's still relying on his brother and sisters just as much as, if not moreso than, he was prince. Running a kingdom is difficult work, and he welcomes any lightening of the burden that his siblings can do, no matter how minuscule the weight lifted is.

Upon Ivina's entrance, Xander stands at the head of the hall, wearing a black dress tunic and trousers, adorned with a purple cape and the black Nohrian crown atop his head, and he directs his retainers to create a path down the middle of the large room for his guest to walk. His expression remains as impassive as it ever was, though it would be easy to read his mood by looking at his siblings.

Leo, wearing a similar outfit to his brother sans the cape and with a high collar, gawks for a few seconds, before composing himself with a shaky smile. Clearly he wasn't expecting such a beauty to stroll in. Camilla, wearing a lilac low-cut dress and opera gloves, gives a serene smile, looking pleased to have another woman to speak to. And Elise in her black gothic lolita dress begins to tug on her sister's arm, twittering excitedly. She sees this as a golden opportunity to befriend another gorgeous woman and possibly get some beauty tips or simply talk fashion.

Once Ivina enters within speaking distance, Xander finally smiles.]

Welcome to Krakenburg, Queen Ivina. I'm pleased that you could make the journey here for such an event.

[evenglass]

[Ivina watches the Nohrian siblings from a distance, giving each of them a glance with her eye. This is the first time she meets the siblings in person, the family that Xander spoke about in their letters so proudly. But it was the man of the hour she paid the most attention to. Ivina smiles just as Xander did, giving the Nohrian hosts a small bow in greeting and looks up to Xander through her lashes]

As do I and the members of my court. The journey was long and arduous, however I feel now especially, that it is worth all the troubles. May this night further strengthen the bonds of our two nations.

[Lifting her head and speaking on the same eye level as her host, Ivina flashes quick glances at Leo, Camilla, and Elise before turning her attention back to Xander]

But most importantly, I'm simply delighted to see you face to face once again after all these winters, my friend; and to finally meet your kin as well. The night has just begun and already shows much promise.

[Introductions between the Nohrian siblings and Ivina's group happen around Xander and herself. With their respective groups' attentions are distracted, Ivina took the chance to greet Xander personally and without the formalities]

Please, call me Ivina. We may be two crowns, but we are friends before anything, are we not?

[blackparagon]

Indeed. So long as the formality -- or lack thereof -- presents the opportunity, I shall. And it pleases me to see that you are eager for the festivities this night.

[Xander steps down from the podium where he had been standing. He extends an arm for Ivina to lock hers around.]

Shall I show you around, then? This seems like an opportune time for it.

[evenglass]

[The chatter going on around her becomes more muted as Ivina's focus is just directed at her friend. Just as Xander offers his arm, Ivina's smile widens. She cups her hand around his arm]

I'd be delighted.

[The other members of Ivina's court will follow, but guided by the siblings. Ivina just lets Xander guide her through the halls of Krakenburg, where her eyes wander in short glances]

I hope the presence of my soldiers are not taken as a sign of aggression. My generals insisted that I come with my personal guards to this new world.

[Being the sole monarch with no heir, her personal circle can't help but feel protective of her. Much to her dismay and annoyance.]