Capítulo 10: The Festival

"I have never attended a festival in Ogronevia! Do you think we would stand out?" Osayi asked as he bounced on the carriage's seat, his costume reminiscent of a child of a baron.

Ísar gave the prince a pointed look that asked if that was a real question and Osayi merely giggled in response.

"I wonder what the street food would be like," Xinghua mused from Ísar's right, the young swords master fidgeting with the leather gloves the maids had given him.

"Empty, once you've visited them." That earned Osayi a flick on his forehead from Xinghua. "Ísar I'm not lying! That whale cleared out a suya stall in minutes when he visited my castle! Do you know how much meat that is? He literally ate a whole cow!"

"Why in all the heavens would you tell him that?" Xinghua seethed as he tried to grab Osayi from behind Ísar's head. Ísar wondered why he was sitting in the middle again and moved to the other side of the carriage with their escort of the evening, Sir Erik.

"I will be sitting here. Carry on," Ísar said with a sigh. He couldn't believe they were both older than him.

"Are you actively trying to embarrass me?" Xinghua whispered to Osayi, but Ísar could hear them clear as day. Whispering around him didn't do much. It was why he was able to know so much palace gossip even as a toddler.

Osayi responded with a very serious expression and an enthusiastic nod, which once again earned him a flick to the forehead. "It's not my fault you make it so easy. And stop hitting me. My skin's too delicate for such abuse."

"You hang out with your sisters too much."

"You're just jealous my sisters adore me and why wouldn't they? Look at me." He punctuated that statement by putting his hands under his chin and batting his eyes.

Ísar huffed out a laugh, trying to not let them know he was listening.

"You have such interesting friends, my lord," Sir Erik mused quietly as they both watched the two princes bicker.

"Thank you again for accompanying us. I'm sure you had other ideas for how to spend your night."

"Oh? So you did think of that when assigning me this task," the grumbling knight said, humor in his face but his expression showing nothing but boredom. "I didn't have any other plans but sleeping but at least you thought I did."

"You are very strange, Sir Erik," Ísar said and immediately regretted it. He'd spent too much time trying not to get on any of his closest aides bad sides. He didn't want any of them to just up and randomly quit on him, not when he still needed so much help.

The knight, however, smiled. It was the first time Ísar had seen the older man do such a thing with his face.

"Thanks, your majesty."

"It smiles!" Osayi yelled in mock panic, pointing a finger at the tired Knight whose smile immediately fell. "No, no! Do it again!"

"Osayi!" Ísar and Xinghua yell in horror as the boy made the carriage rock with how jumpy he'd gotten. Ísar almost fell over but was caught by Xinghua who then moved him to sit back beside the Imperial Son before he dragged Osayi back in his seat.

Ísar was still a little dazed from having been so easily handled by Xinghua when he caught sight of Sir Erik staring right at him, an amused look on the Knight's face.

"Very interesting friends."

_________________________

The last day of the coronation festival was said to be the biggest and brightest throughout the week-long event. Each district of the capital was lit-up with blinding lights, magic, music and warmth.

It was the first coronation festival the kingdom had seen is decades. His father had seen the event as wasteful and did not give permission for it to be held when he had been crowned. Ísar had seen it as a necessity after a tragedy and he was glad to have been right.

As the four of them got off the inconspicuous carriage, Ísar felt something akin to pride at himself when he saw just how elated his subjects were.

"Where to first?" Xinghua asked Ísar, as Osayi stared at the streets with so much excitement, the king was worried his friend was going to pass out.

"We could walk around and see where the night brings us," Ísar suggested, not sure if he'd told the princes his inability to understand directions. Asking him where to go or where something was located without giving him a map was not the best idea.

"Guys! There's a guy with an actual wolf! Hurry before I forget how to breathe!" With that, Osayi had decided for them as he dragged them both towards the wolf and that was only the start.

Strolling through the shopping district, Elysian Avenue, that night was a wonder. Each of their senses were awake from rich smells coming from the many food stalls, to the item shops selling marvelous trinkets. Ísar had even sneakily bought little souvenirs for his friends, hoping to gift it to them later.

Osayi had vanished and appeared throughout the night, one time showing up and placing a necklace on Ísar's neck then vanishing only to find them again later to put a beaded bracelet over Xinghua's wrist.

Though in between Osayi going on his solo adventures, Ísar and Xinghua had been playing the many games within the festival. For one of them, Ísar was able to dunk an annoying old man into a bath of water earning him the prize of a stuffed animal. He, without thinking much of it, gave it to Xinghua as a present.

From the way Xinghua stared at him with wide eyes and a reddened face, as well as the low whistle Sir Erik made, Ísar felt like he was missing something.

"Uhm," Xinghua muttered as he looked from the stuffed rabbit toy to the sky, his left then his right before pressing the toy to his face with a sigh and an even redder face. "Thank you," he mumbled into the animal.

His reaction was making Ísar shy too, the king now blushing as well as he mumbled, "You're welcome."

The little king somewhat understood the reactions when Xinghua later won him a teddy bear from an archery game. Ísar's heart was going to explode.

Then Osayi appeared again, demanding food.

Ísar had never really indulged in his own nation's delicacies as palace food was heavily restricting. He didn't care that both of his friends laughed when he had gotten so excited after taking a bite out of his treat called Pönnukökur. Thin pancakes with powdered sugar and strawberry jam.

There was regret, however, at stopping at the baker's stall, because after Osayi had devoured four Kleinas—a fried pastry dusted with powdered sugar—none of them were safe. The Southern Prince originally had enough energy for all three of them, after eating those sweets he turned into a power source for a small country. Xinghua of all people was finding it difficult to rein him in.

Sir Erik had to put the prince on his shoulders until the younger boy calmed down. Ísar sighed with relief when the boy had finally stopped vibrating like there had been an earthquake.

They had another dilemma after that but this time, with Xinghua. Ísar knew the boy loved meat and that he could eat as much as a fully grown soldier. The young King didn't think he needed to take Osayi's words from the carriage to heart.

They had found a stall selling Pylsur, a kind of hot dog specialty in their kingdom, and Xinghua was gone. It was worse when he found out he could ask the chef to make it spicy.

Osayi was back in action and created a bet with the merchant, saying that if Xinghua ate over fifty pylsurs in forty minutes, it would all be free. If he lost, they would pay double the price for all fifty. The merchant took him on that bet as the two foreign children were bringing him curious customers.

"Eat, eat, eat!" Osayi and some other onlookers chanted as Xinghua ate with such terrifying speed. Ísar was watching with both awe and worry, thinking that the Imperial Son might make himself ill. "Eat or so help me!" Osayi had gotten a little too into the bet though.

It was thirty-two minutes exactly when Xinghua finished the last pylsur with a loud burp and Ísar had never seen Osayi look that proud.

"My baby! You did papa proud!" the Southern Prince said as he cradled Xinghua's head and the winner of the most ridiculous bet ever simply laughed as he patted Osayi on the back.

"I feel like I shouldn't have watched that ordeal," Ísar mumbled, unable to get the images of Xinghua eating like a starving monster out of his head.

"Try to forget, my lord. For your sanity, try to forget," Sir Erik said, a look of disgust on his face while holding Xinghua's and Ísar's prizes. "I definitely will."

______________________

"Goodness what a meal," Xinghua sighed happily as he sat on a bench.

"Do you have a bottomless pit for a stomach?" Ísar asked as he sat next to the Prince who only laughed in response.

Xinghua? My friend, that's not a no!

The king sighed as he sat back on the bench and faced the city's square. Osayi had made friends with several children and other citizens along the way, even a bard that he paid to play music so he could dance with everyone. They were singing and dancing under the lights from the statue of Eirlys, the Mother.

Ísar laughed under his breath when Osayi lifted up a peasant girl like a bird for his dance move, the girl laughing so happily.

Xinghua crossed his legs and put both arms on the back of the bench as he yawned, his left arm nearly cradling Ísar's shoulders. The move made the young king flinch before awkwardly leaning back to the seat. It might have been in his imagination but Ísar could've sworn that Xinghua had shifted closer to him, going by how their knees were touching.

"How did you two meet, if you don't mind me asking?" Ísar randomly asked, needing to say something to calm his rapidly beating heart.

"Oh, we've never told you.?" Ísar shook his head. "Mmm. It isn't that interesting of a story, all things considered. His father and my father were friends as children as well, you see, and we are the same age. I think we were toddlers when we first met. You could say it was a kind of matchmaking by our parents except for friends."

Ísar hummed in thought, still wondering how they even worked as friends with such different personalities.

"Oh here's the part that shocks most people but Osayi used to hate me beyond belief," Xinghua said with a laugh.

"I don't believe that for a second," Ísar said with his eyes wide in surprise. "Can he even hate a person?"

"Your majesty, do be honest. You found me annoying when we first met."

Ísar pressed his lips together and the Imperial Son responded with a smile.

"In Osayi's words, I'm the kind of person you have to get used to. He's a bubbly, quirky and sociable person but a little too mischievous. I have always been a more quiet and reserved person. It didn't help that when younger, I thought it was my duty to tell our parents whenever Osayi had one of his many plans that broke the rules. Do you know he planned his revenge by changing my hair color with magic? I had bright orange hair for a week."

Ísar laughed heartily at that. He imagined a smaller and even more rigid Xinghua practicing the sword with hair as orange as the fruit and tiny Osayi in the background proud of himself.

"How did you reconcile?" Ísar asked as he watched two kids sneakily put a flower crown over Osayi's head. He mirrored the smile that grew on the Southern Prince's face when he noticed.

"We fought. Physically. I never, ever want to see Osayi that mad ever again. I won, obviously, but heavens was he terrifying," Xinghua said as he actually shuddered. "We were separated by our mothers and the next day, just like that, he brought over his magic toys when I was headed to him with my favorite snacks and the rest is still an ongoing story."

"That was quite the story. One would take a look at the three of us and wonder how such a friendship even came to be but I'm glad. Truly. I am glad I met you two."

Xinghua gave Ísar a warm and almost cheeky smile, using the hand he'd put behind the king's back to ruffle the other boy's brown hair. "I'm glad I met you, too, your majesty. For one thing, I got to fight a king and win. I most definitely will be embellishing this story for years to come."

"Must you ruin a good moment every chance you get?" Ísar asked, swatting the Prince's hand from his hair then jokingly said, "Just when I was starting to like you."

Xinghua laughed freely before shocking Ísar by putting his head on the King's shoulder, looking up and saying, "Please. You absolutely adore me, do not lie."

What in all of Hero's Hall did he just do and say?

Ísar practically scrambled off the bench, walking up to Osayi who rose an eyebrow at him in question. "I-I-," he tried to say but began to stammer, his voice cracking a little.

Why is it so hot in spring?

He cleared his throat and said, "I was wondering if I could join you?"

Osayi stared at him for an annoyingly long amount of time, looked behind him to where the bench was, then looked back at Ísar only this time with one of his impish little smiles.

"Sorry, no. I was thinking of going to see this play everyone was talking about. You can come but you might want to bring Hua Hua. He might be lonely."

Ísar involuntarily flinched at the mention of the Imperial Son's name and could feel his cheeks getting warmer and warmer.

"Oh," Osayi laughed as he got up from the floor. "Oh wow. You're turning redder than an apple. I do apologize but this is simply too funny."

"What could you possibly be finding funny?" Ísar muttered as he kept rubbing his cheeks, hoping he could calm them down. "I have no clue what is going on with me right now and I feel like I might be turning ill."

Osayi's smile dropped and he began to look at Ísar like he was talking to the village fool.

"I feel bad for the both of you. Dense and denser."

What did I do?

PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
itoade

Suya: grilled skewered meat spiced with a special pepper with the same name. The pepper includes powdered groundnuts, scotch bonnet peppers, ginger, garlic, onion powder, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. It is usually paired with raw onions and tomatoes. It’s believed to have originated from the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria

——

This chapter got really long so gonna continue it in a separate part!

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