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The Daily Life: Chapter 2 |
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Chapter 2: The Peasant and the Prince
"Hey! Ken! Come on! Ken! You've gotta come here!"
The narrow upper halls of Castle Arvol where lined with red carpeting, and the white stone shone brilliantly with the light. Two boys were navigating the Castle unattended.
The shorter boy was very energetic. He had messy, shoulder-length brown hair and wide amber eyes. He wore a fancy goldenrod vest over a white doublet with tights, and goldenrod shoes. He constantly flails his arms around.
The other one appears hesitant and aggravated. He has messy, short, dark red hair and had big, yet tired-looking blue eyes. He wore a commoner's red tunic over a cream cotton shirt with matching pants, and brown shoes. His left hand was scratching his head while his right arm dangled by his waist.
"Why'd you force me to come here? You know this is a dumb abuse of your authority, Rodrian! This is just some dumb aristocrat's outing, isn't it? A waste of my time, I bet! I could probably be back at the streets of my home, resting under some shade, or wandering the marketplace to see a couple of nice knick-knacks. Instead, I'm forced here with my hero-obsessed sidekick... entertaining him because he can't even get out of his castle today! If you felt like today was going to be boring for you, don't drag me into your pointless affairs!", the red-haired stranger complained.
"No, seriously! This is going to be really fun! I overheard some attends say that something really exciting is supposed to happen today! As sworn future Heroes of Arvol, we have the RIGHT to see this!" the wild one named Rodrian shouted.
The stranger in the red tunic named Ken grinned. "In secret? You're really stinking at following your "Code of Honor", here. Then again, it doesn't help that you fight like a ruffian of the streets. It's like you completely forget you have that short sword of yours! Just as well. You'd swing the thing like it's a club, the way you fight!”
"Hey! Shove it! What matters is that the hero triumphs in the end, right? I saved you from quite a few bullies back then! It's because of me, no bully will even think twice of fighting you with me by your side!" shouted Rodrian.
"I just don't really like fighting that much," Ken responded in aggravation, "Besides, you’re just lucky we haven't ran into any of the REAL threats, yet! You're the Younger Prince of Arvol, Second-In-Line to the Throne, and that sword-obsessed Cedric's younger brother! You realize how much trouble it would cause if they even saw you with a scratch? I told you, stay out of my business, or at least stop gathering attention around yourself!"
"Quit spouting nonsense!", Rodrian shouted," You know how it's going to be: The minstrels will one day sing praises of the Valiant Hero, Rodrian, and his urchin companion turned loyal follower, Ken the Brave! How they smote hordes of bandits by themselves! How they saved entire kingdoms by vicious enchanted beasts! How villainous sorcerers with devastating power was slain by our arduous efforts! We may even one day discover sacred relics that could be the key to world peace! We will be legends!"
"Legends who may very well get in so much trouble with his parents", Ken muttered to himself. "Listen, if I recall correctly, YOU'RE the one who's been following me, so you're technically the follower! And secondly, I've already told you, quit dragging me to every little event! This nobility stuff bores me death!"
"C'mon! Just keep following! We're almost there, anyway!" Rodrian called out.
"Okay, okay. Don't shout, I'm right next to you, you know", Ken complained.
The two finally reached a room by the end of the hall. Rodrian opened the door to reveal a cellar with a few kegs.
"Wine? Booze? You mean there's some special feast you noble-types will be having in honor some randomly-spawned holiday that only you guys celebrate?" Ken sighed.
"No, no! We're gonna get the best view of the event! We're still not quite there yet. Look!" Rodrian pointed out a trapdoor on the floor near the opposite wall.
Ken sighed, then slowly walked toward the trapdoor to open it, revealing stairs. Rodrian headed down first, then Ken came in after.
"So, where are we going, anyway? We're going through secret pathways, now! Is it really all that special?" Ken asked.
"If Father forbids me to be involved, then it must be really important! Everyone's been talking about how important this is to my brother's future! It must mean something, especially for a dedicated warrior like my brother! It must be something really exciting if it's to test his abilities!" Rodrian exclaimed.
"Yeah, I heard that today would be one of Prince Cedric's first steps towards his manhood or something. Although I also heard some special guests from Arvol's greatest Houses would be there. I have a feeling this won't be as exciting Rodrian makes it out to be" Ken thinks to himself.
The two continue down the stairs until they finally reach an opening. From the opening appears to be a perfect view of a vast courtyard. Various flowers of many colors surrounded a smooth pathway.
"Hmm... so this is the main garden of the castle... interesting arrangement," Ken admitted.
"Well, sure, there's that. but.... I wanna see the action! Maybe Cedric's going to spar with one of the finest warriors of the land!" Rodrian exclaimed with his fists clenched tightly.
"Okay…. but what's a hidden balcony doing here, anyway?" Ken asked.
"It's pretty handy, huh? You never know when some villain may sneak around in the courtyard, so this is a great place to search without being spotted! The only other people even aware of this place are highly-entrusted sentries!" Rodrian bragged earnestly.
"I suppose..." Ken responded while his eyes witnessed the scenery.
He continued scanning the flowers and the bushes, somewhat impressed by the bountiful beauty of the courtyard. Further in, he noticed three young girls in distinctly colored dresses; the three maidens chosen to be the Prince's potential fiancée.
"Uh..... Rodrian, I think those girls have something to do with it" Ken pointed out.
"WHAT?!" the little prince shouted, "Girls?! No way! This is supposed to be something really important! Girls are.... are... ugh! They're not worth making a ceremony about!"
"Says the one with so many ridiculous heroic knightly fantasies floating about in his head. The thought of women is gonna hit him hard when he grows up, isn't it?" Ken grumbled to himself.
"What? Did do you say something?" Rodrian demanded.
"Nothing… anyway, I think you underestimate the roles of the young ladies here. I think I've heard about this kind of thing" said Ken.
"Ahh... no way! This can't be right! There's no way this ceremony will have my older brother sit around and watch a bunch of dull girls! I bet everything will start when he arrives! They're probably just fawning spectators!" Rodrian announced.
"He's... going to be really disappointed, then, huh?" Ken sighed to himself.
Just then, a handsome young boy with short brown and hazel eyes entered the court yard. He wore a fancy, long silver royal coat l with dark blue lining. He also wore neat gray shoes, moderately loose white pants and a tight leather belt holding a short silver sword in sheath. His cool gaze witnessed the girls without flinching or blinking. It was difficult to accurately guess his emotions, as he exerted strong self-control.
"Yay! It's my brother! Now the main event's about to begin!" Rodrian shouted.
Side by side, the three girls slowly made their way towards the silver-clad prince. After a few minutes, they soon came close enough for the two boys to get a good look.
Rodrian groaned. "Honestly, I don't understand what's supposed to be special about girls... the older guys must be total morons! I'm glad my brother Cedric isn't so easily distracted by them!"
Ken carefully observed various qualities of the three young girls. "Hmmm... neat! primary colors!" he said in quiet amusement.
"I don't get the affairs of the nobility, sometimes. I mean, every one of these people is a child, just like me and Rodrian, here! Do they honestly expect a boy to be content with the prospect of an established marriage at our age?! There's no way anyone would actually be happy to be forced to spend the rest of their lives with somebody just because of some political deal! It's so disgusting that the stability of kingdoms rest on stupid rituals like these! Sure, marriage based solely on “love” rarely result in true happiness, but I just feel like parents are selling off their children like livestock! This is joke! They... can't possibly make an ideal match based off on reputation alone! Heck, there's a strong chance that none of these girls would actually appeal to Cedric in the future!" he thought to himself.
He found himself observing the girls more carefully while completely disgusted by the ideas of nobility, when the one in the red dress stepped forward. Young Ken breathed hard. Much about this girl greatly appealed to him. Her curved blonde hair and big, shining hazelnut eyes were indeed cute, but what appealed to him most was the earnest smile she had. There was something very open and honest about it, something that he felt wasn't some bitter farce worn to appease an audience. She seemed genuine, pure,, and full of innate curiosity. It was a trait Ken deemed to be rare amongst nobles, or any living being for that matter.
"...ah... cute... she's....too cute... I ... gaah!" Ken couldn't really think straight. It was such a new sensation for him, and he wasn't prepared to deal with that kind of thing.
Rodrian looked at his shaky friend and stared in confusion. "What's wrong with you? Can you breath?" he asked in concern.
"N...n-nothing! I-I'm okay... I'll be fine!" Ken stammered.
"Okay. It was like something came over you, so I thought you suddenly caught a cold. Just, don't get sick while we're out here" Rodrian suggested.
"W-will do" Ken said as he tried to regain his breathing. He continued watching the girl in the dress with much curiosity.
Prince Cedric coolly approached the young girl in the red dress, who immediately stiffened into a proper posture. He paused a minute to observe her for a bit, then the young girl gave a curtsey. Cedric nodded. He then knelt down, slowly took her right hand, and kissed in gently. After Cedric stood upright, the two of them conversed.
Ken could not hear the conversation well, but intuition told him that they were getting through introductions, seeing as there doesn't seem to be familiarity between the two of them.
"I suppose this is it," Ken thought to himself. "I think it'll just be the same for the other two. This isn't worth my time. Maybe I should just get out of here and sneak back to ask Cedric what he thought about all of this. Knowing the first-born Prince, I bet he could honestly care less about girls as well. Well, I'm off...”
But before he could take even one step back, the young girl in the red dress caught his eye again, and he really couldn't take his attention off of her.
"But... I really shouldn't give up this chance of seeing a cute girl like her, should I? Sure, it'll probably be a commodity to see girls of that kind of cuteness later on. Maybe I'll even be caught up in the common desires of men and notice the beauty of women as I grow up, but this is a rare moment for now! This is... innocence I'm witnessing! Whether this is hers or mine I'm thinking about, I can't simply walk away from this! I---"
Ken stopped thinking entirely and went back to observing the pretty little girl. A cool bliss overwhelmed him, and yet part of him was still very uncomfortable with this new feeling. Somewhere in the back of his mind, part of him thought, "Being a man is going to be a horrible experience for me, isn't it?" But his rationale didn't really matter to him for him.
Meanwhile, Rodrian scoffed as he noticed his friend's trance-like state. "Ah... my trusty sidekick gets tired to easily. But that's why it's up to me to take him under my wing" he said to himself. Again, he turned his attention to the exchange and groaned. "This... is.... BORING!" he thought.
The young girl in the red dress curtseyed once more, than graciously stepped back. This time, the one in yellow stepped forward and emulated the motions that the previous girl had done. This one appeared to have more energy than the last one. Her smiled brimmed with excessive cheer.
Although it wasn't so obvious by fixed up appearance, Ken sensed a wily nature within her. His eyes observed her in a calculating demeanor. He looked cool and detached as he took mental notes.
"Hmm... this one seems to be the outdoorsy type, for some reason. I don't know why, I but feel like she's the most active of this bunch. Maybe she likes horse riding and archery on her free time, whenever that is. Yeah, I'm feeling a lot of spunk from this girl. Definitely not the easiest to handle of these three girls, but I think she'd know how to show someone a good time, if given that chance. If she doesn't care about appearances, it must cause a lot of headaches for her servants" Ken thought to himself, amused.
Not long after observing the girl in yellow, his eyes shifted focus towards the girl in red once again. "Stop it! Stop it! I know she's cute and everything, but... ah, I can't be satisfied with this delusion in my head! I could be wrong! Everything I thought about her could be a lie as well.... even if that's what makes her so cute to me... ahh...."
After the girl in yellow's turn was over, Rodrian punched Ken's arm, which immediately started him out of his mental distraction.
"They're... just...talking" Rodrain grumbled. "I just know there must be more to this..."
Ken took his attention off the girl in red and turned to his displeased friend. "Yes, there is, but it isn't much to either of us. I think one of these girls will have to marry your brother in the future. The court is trying to decide who'll be his best fiancée. It's just customary that the Prince meets them in person, first" he explained.
Rodrian looked aggravated. "... and you didn't tell me this sooner because..."
"I'm sorry, the thought must've slipped my mind" Ken answered in half-apology, "Besides, YOU'RE the one who assumed this was supposed to be one of the greatest celebrations the court will ever see."
"That CAN'T be all! Father expressed how important this was!" Rodrian growled.
"It's because... Cedric's supposed to be moving towards manhood" Ken sighed. "Parents are ridiculous that way".
Rodrian folded his arms in frustration. "I don't believe it. Father forbid me to come and watch. He said I was too young, and wouldn't understand. Why would he actually do me a favor and forbid me from something so... boring?"
Ken sighed. "I bet I know why" he thought to himself. He then turned his attention back to the meeting, and the young girl in blue was up. Out of the three, this particular girl looked the most relaxed, mature member of their group. Her lovely smile further complemented her image of a cool beauty. Like the two before, she curtseyed, and then she spoke with Cedric.
Ken nodded to himself. "This one... seems the friendliest, although I admit she looks vaguely familiar". He thought back to a bit, and could've sworn she saw someone like her hanging around a local training barracks for aspiring court soldiers "Wait... does that mean she has a relative of lower status preparing to join the army?". The image was of the young girl was a little vague for him to recall accurately, so he dismissed this thought for the moment. "She could probably get along with nearly anyone without starting a conflict. She seems to have a sort of calm fortitude to her. If she were to retain those qualities at growth, she'd seem to be best fit as a royal bride, but there are always other factors when it comes to the decisions of the court. Not belonging to the wealthiest noble, or having little value in diplomacy can really hinder her chances. Still, she seems to be the most pleasant one, so she has a chance in the eyes of the court".
Again, he found himself looking upon the one in red. This time, his mind went completely blank.
Fed up with the lack of excitement, Rodrian stomped around. "That's it! I've had it! I wasted too much of my time here when I could be off training, or having another great adventure! Come on, let's get out of here!"
He then grabbed his companion's arm and tried to drag him off, but he refused to budge. "Come on! What's up? You said it yourself that this is waste of time!"
After the young lady in blue stepped back, all three gave one more curtsey in unison. Cedric gave a polite bow, and then headed back towards the castle. The three young girls turned around and walked off themselves.
After the three girls disappeared from view, Ken stood up immediately. "Uhh... okay, okay. Sure.. let's go."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get outta here and find some villains to do battle with!" Rodrian cried.
"Fine by me. It sounds much better than hanging around here. Just... don't get carried away and put yourself into near death again. Putting a prince in danger isn't on my agenda, today. Besides, it gets tiring having to save you over and over again" Ken grumbled.
"What are you talking about? I'M the one that one that's saving YOU all the time! I always see you outnumbered whenever we meet each other!" Rodrian insisted.
"And the sudden victories we manage every time is always a fluke" he thought to himself.
During his walk through the secret passage, he found himself clutching his head, with that girl in red still in his thoughts. ".... okay, okay... I'm done! I'm done! I don't need to see her anymore! I understand she's cute and everything, but--"
His mind quickly faded out of reality as he imagined that girl standing right before him. In an instant, the smiling young lady gave him a peck on the cheek, which woke him up abruptly with his face bright red. He nearly tripped over as his concentration failed him, but he managed to land on one knee.
Rodrian turned around. "Are you sure you're okay?" He then looked closer at Ken's reddening face. "Wait a minute! Are you actually interested in those...girls?!" he asked.
The redness in Ken's face went away as he got back up. "What? No! I told you I was bored, didn't I? Don't mind me! Let's just get outta here!"
"Good. I can't go loosing my sidekick to something as stupid that! Ick... I don't understand why the older boys are so excited about them anyway" Rodrian complained. "What matters most is adventure and glory! That's how we'll make a living, right Ken?"
"Yeah, yeah... it's much more exciting than my home life, anyway" Ken answered. For a moment, Ken looked up at the ceilings and put his arms behind his head.
"This is stupid. The older folks told me about how I was growing up, and how things like this would happen. Mom herself seemed excited about the prospect of a first crush when she usually hummed ballads of love to herself. Taking a sudden interest in girls, they said... don't tell me THIS is what they've been talking about all this time! This is... silly! There isn't any real pleasure in thinking about this!"
Again, he found himself seeing the face of that young girl, and his face turned red once again. No matter how much he wanted to get rid of that face from his thoughts, it wouldn't go away. In fact, the thought of that mysterious girl was bringing him an indescribable joy.
After the feeling overwhelmed him, he lowered his head and gave a long, deep sigh. "Oh maaannnnnnn..."
Outside in the courtyard, the three young girls talked amongst themselves.
"I'm impressed. Prince Cedric was such a polite young man, wasn't he? He understood etiquette perfectly well", Danielle grinned.
"Yeah, he was actually handsome, too!" Brianna exclaimed. "He seemed... really stiff, but I heard he's supposed to be this amazing prodigy as a swordsman! Hey, Castella! You could probably request a sparring match with him!" She gave Castella a slight nudge with her elbow.
Castella laughed nervously. "Honestly, I doubt I'm really that good. I probably couldn't even entertain him with a match"
"Oh, come on! Why are you always like that? We've gotta have people notice us if we're gonna make our mark on this world! We can't let the fact that we're noblemen's daughters get in the way of our fun! So c'mon, give that Prince the struggle of his life!" Brianna cried.
Castella shook her said. "All of my recent matches showed me how weak I was. The last person I practiced with made his best effort in putting up a good show, but it ended up being another attempt to appease me and bring up my confidence. The only thing I can do is build up experience on my own before I can be of use in a fight" she sighed.
"What?! Another chivalrous jerk? You should've just told him to take his "gentlemanly ways" somewhere else!" Brianna shouted.
"Now, now, Brianna. I'm sure he was just trying to be nice. Not every boy in the world could be conceited" said Danielle. "Prince Cedric acted courteously when he brought himself to us. I can tell he looked genuinely bound by his duties as Prince."
"I dunno... he seemed a little, "cold" to me", Brianna grumbled.
"No, Danielle had a point. The prince looked hesitant to go on with it, but he acted most graciously towards us. I'm sure he's sincere about our country's affairs and her people. And that wizard from before was so kind and friendly. It didn't feel like a meeting between a lady and a commoner, but rather a meeting of friends. He was... really sweet"
Brianna had a big smile on her face. "Ahh.... maybe you loooove this wizard boy?" she grinned in a taunting voice.
"Ah, no! You misunderstand! It was... he was just--"
"I wonder what your parents would think if they were to here their precious daughter chose some wizard boy he met on the streets over the Prince and ran off with him?!" Brianna teased.
"Castella assured us that the young wizard's acts were merely gestures of kindness. Castella, I'm glad you were able to meet such a considerate fellow" Danielle smiled.
"Thank you, Danielle. It was... a pleasure to meet him" she confessed.
"Speaking of meetings, I noticed you became really anxious after you presented yourself with Prince Cedric. You already got through the hard part, so why were you still nervous?" Brianna asked.
Castella's cheeks reddened slightly as she gave a slight chuckle. "You may find this story unusual, but... as we were with Prince Cedric, I felt like... someone was watching us... in secret!"
Brianna stared at her friend dressed in red. "What are you talking about? There were a lot of people out there looking at us like we were little dolls, and they were all out in the open!" she exclaimed.
"It was probably just some leftover anxiety," Danielle proposed "Startled nerves don't go away so easily. You were just being self-conscious".
"Right, right. I'm being way too paranoid. The castle guard is pretty tight. There's no way unauthorized people would be able to sneak into the castle, let alone spy at me in secret. There's just no way!" she laughed to herself.
Still, she wasn't completely convinced that she imagined it, but she managed to shrug off the discomforting feeling.
 Chicken Yuki · Mon Jul 24, 2006 @ 10:42pm · 3 Comments |
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