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History

Jemyn and his many siblings were born to a family of nobles in Aurunoc. They weren’t the wealthiest nobles, but they certainly weren’t on the bottom of the food chain, either; their life was comfortable up until the rebellion that led to the Black Kingdom falling. In the chaos of it, their parents were killed, the siblings were split up, and later taken and shipped out of the kingdom via a trafficking ring. With the kingdom fallen and most of the previous king’s law enforcement removed or killed, massive gaps in security were left behind in the chaos, allowing many individuals to fall victim to the illegal trade. Jemyn’s brothers, Valentine and Maddox, were taken before him, and it was some time before he was also taken. By then, he was rather thin and weak, not allowing him much of an opportunity to fight back.

In his new role, Jemyn was little more than a stable boy, expected to care for the animals his so-called master owned, though he was also expected to sleep out in the stables, too. He felt safer among the animals than the so-called people in the house anyhow. He also learned many good hiding places for when one of his masters would come out searching for him in the night, frequently intoxicated. Being slippery and knowing how to find good hiding places were skills he had mastered throughout his childhood, even if those skills were previously used for childish games of tag and hide-and-seek.

When one of his hiding places were exposed in the dead of night and Jemyn was grabbed by his master, something snapped in him–perhaps an overactive sense of fight or flight. He doesn’t remember that night, but when he came to, he was lost in an area he’d never seen, blood drenching his clothes as he rode atop one of the beasts he previously cared for. Sunlight warmed his chilled spirit, and for the first time in many months, Jemyn considered the concept of freedom.

He wandered for a time, uncertain of where he was or where he was going; his first concern was finding any part of his family, and then they could figure everything out from there. He began honing his skills from this young age, gathering information, sneaking into places he shouldn’t, putting himself in danger again and again just to find any scraps he could about where his brothers and sister went. It took several months, but at last he heard whispers of people who resembled Maddox and Valentine, and he followed the rumors as far as he could. When he finally located them he settled in, noting patterns and schedules for those who kept his brothers captive as he was once held.

With some patience and determination, he was able to make an opening for Valentine and Maddox to slip out, and the trio ran for some time before stopping to catch their breath, making bewildered demands to know how Jemyn found them and got them out. Val in particular seemed livid that his little brother was able to do what he failed at for so long. But Jemyn told them it didn’t matter, he was just happy to see them again, and that they could be together. Maddox was quieter than Jemyn remembered, but seemed to have been taken care of; Val on the other hand was a little worse for wear, new scars and calluses decorating his body where there were none before. His attitude wasn’t much better–bitterness and anger danced in his eyes–but Jemyn was just glad his plan had worked.

Eventually, the trio returned home to Aurunoc, scouting out the changes. The kingdom seemed a little worse for wear, the citizens walking with dark clouds over their heads and much less friendly than Jemyn remembered, but it was still home and all they had known. Valentine went on about schemes and rebellion as he took note of the damage to their home, how run-down certain areas of the city were, but he didn’t notice the uneasy looks his brothers shared behind his back.

Back to the Kingdom

Valentine is still hung up on his plans for rebellion and reinstating the proper royals on the throne once more, but a simple rebellion planned by an angry youth and his hesitant brothers wasn’t much to stand on. Jemyn spends his days gathering information and reporting back to Val, making connections with others who share their goals, and helping out in the community where he has time. The city is still rather prosperous, but the disdain for the current king is a near-constant undertone everywhere he goes. The few noble families in the city–who have since pledged their allegiance to King Caecilius–hold valuable information that Jemyn could use for his brother’s cause, so he keeps an eye and ear out for these members of their society.

When he hears of a gathering that most nobles will be attending–a play in the local theatre–Jemyn plans his own attendance. It’s a perfect opportunity to gather information, whether it’s just gossip or hard facts. What he doesn’t plan for is ending up in a seat directly next to the prince, who Val claims is just as much of an enemy as the king himself. What the prince is doing down in the common seating when he should be among the other nobles at the very least is beyond him, and his plans to infiltrate the wings are put to a stop immediately thanks to his presence. The entire time the play is going, Jemyn’s brain is going a mile a minute as he trembles in his seat. Was this planned? Are the royals onto him and his brothers? How did they find out? Why is the prince sitting down here? Not even the nobles do that!

Worse still is even when he escapes the theatre–unharmed and not so much as questioned in the slightest–is that he keeps running into Prince Satine in the city in the following weeks. It’s suspicious, and the prince clearly has some suspicions of his own directed at Jemyn if those narrowed, calculating golden eyes are anything to go by when they cross paths. Doing his best to lay low while still gathering information, Jemyn begins researching the prince and is surprised by what he finds. Where his father runs the kingdom without a care, doing the bare minimum to help out even those who beg for just a helping hand, Satine seems to be going out of his way to repair the royals’ relationship with the kingdom. It’s clear he’s putting in repair orders with the local blacksmith, redirecting funding to the areas of the city in the greatest need for assistance, and seeks out things that can be improved overall. Jemyn questions why he’s working in a way that seems to be against what his father’s work ethic has seemed to be the last several years, but he’s noticing the changes around the kingdom–people are more open to the prince and his presence, and seem genuinely grateful to the cold-faced man.

Present

Jemyn sighs as he returns to the apartment; no doubt Val will have at least ten new ideas and schemes ready to be shouted at whoever will listen. He’d already ensured that Nico was home safe with dinner; the little boy was quite rambunctious, but very sweet. He didn’t always go with Jemyn to work, but some nights there wasn’t much of an alternative. Both of his brothers as well as himself had taken quite a liking to the kid, and he was a frequent addition to their home on any given day most of the time.

Walking in, Jemyn is greeted by the typical sight: Val lounging on the couch with a bitter expression, the scent of stale alcohol hanging in the air. Both Jemyn and Maddox had given up on these ridiculous schemes long ago, but Val continues to cling to them with his bitter need for revenge. He’d once ranted about how no one supported him or cared about his needs, and Maddox had snapped back that no one wanted to take care of a grown child, that his stupid schemes wouldn’t bring back the dead or undo years of trauma. The least they could do was move on and try to be happy. Jemyn in particular was a thorn in Val’s side, since he seems to think he’s dating their enemy–the prince. He can’t help but roll his eyes whenever it’s brought up, but they do have one last job they want to do; release the previous royals from where they’re being held and take them to freedom. It was risky, but a masquerade ball was coming up soon, where the whole kingdom would be gathered. Surely they could manage to slip out a few people in the chaos; they didn’t deserve to be held in the dungeon like animals. “Prisoners of war” was a ridiculous title to give them. There was no war, and no one left to hold them ransom for.

Val didn’t even look in his direction, but did question if Jemyn was ready to play his part, to which he rolled his eyes and offered a sarcastic affirmative. His role was to distract his ‘boyfriend’; it would be one less pair of influential eyes on the operation. The whole thing was ridiculous, but Jemyn did agree that the royals should be released at this point, so he went along with it for now. He just hoped it wasn’t going to unravel the time they’d spent earning just a slice of peace for themselves.

Trivia

• Doesn’t remember what happened all that time ago when he ran away, but is scared he’s a murderer on the inside and that he’ll hurt someone he cares about
• Still spends his free time journaling; it’s a habit at this point more than anything
• Frequently steals Tabby from Maddox’s room when he isn’t home for cuddles
• Has rather strong trust issues and doesn’t open up to new people easily
• Enters sticker mode when stressed, anxious, or flustered

Relationships

Valentine

Brother

While they’re still rather close and Jemyn looks out for Val as much as he can, he doesn’t have as much patience or empathy as he once would have for his eldest brother. Their relationship is strained these days between Val’s selfishness and judgmental behavior towards Jemyn and the choices he’s making. Jemyn just wants to have a somewhat normal life, while Val keeps pushing for rebellion and revenge as if that will solve anything; Jemyn is in strong agreement with Maddox that that’s pointless by now.

Satine

Enemy to…Friend?

While initially Jemyn was absolutely terrified of Satine–not only was he the “enemy” as Val said, but he could easily imprison Jemyn for all his snooping and more that he’d done since returning to Aurunoc–he’s finding himself more relaxed around the prince recently. Following a series of coincidental meetings throughout the city that neither had planned–and that Jemyn frequently ran away from–they’re on speaking terms, of sorts. He feels comfortable talking to Satine in a way that he hasn’t experienced with someone else in a long time. His brothers tease that the prince is actually his boyfriend, but Jemyn doesn’t see him that way! Not a chance, nope!

Maddox

Brother

Some part of Maddox has become very distant compared to a few years ago–not that Jemyn blames him, he more than understands–but thankfully their relationship for the most part has survived and the two of them are rather close. Maybe it’s in part due to the feeling of isolation from their oldest brother, or a shared desire to put the past behind them, but Jemyn and Maddox are actually capable of calm interactions, unlike every one they seem to have with Val lately. Jemyn still tends to be more hot-headed than Maddox, who typically has to step between Jemyn and Val when things get heated; he’s always made an excellent mediator. Still, when things are calm, it’s not unusual to find the two of them cuddled up on the couch, watching some movie while having a quiet conversation.