Chapter 25: The One By Your Side

Not even the sun has awakened yet but the palace was full of bustling people, the white clothed servants paced around and panted, some were calm and others were sweating. The hallways were designed red and gold as well as the plentifully blue lanterns hanging around the ceiling of the palace.

Every inch of the palace was literally sparkling, and with the smell of the incoming dawn, it was finally the day of the Crown Prince's nineteenth birthday, or the day of his coronation ceremony.

The streets wore festive flags, and banners were installed in every corner, the Jian's emblem sewed with shiny gold threads on to the fabric of the green banner. The housing lodges were fully booked, and no other lodges in the capital had spare room because of the excitement of the coronation of the new king. Seeing a coronation would only occur after years of reign of the former King, and so witnessing this grand event would be even more fulfilling and surprising. The people's jolly murmurs filled the capital, rumors going round and round about the next King. Almost all of the residents of the Kingdom had all gathered to the city, enough that it would shock you to see countless of heads walking around the markets and streets of the Jian Kingdom.

The loud honking sound of trumpets from gigantic cruise ships arrived at the Kingdom, foreign guests and travellers aboard the ships went far to attend this event, other officials of kingdoms went too to watch as well as respective representatives of their Kings who were unable to attend.

As people were already excited on the evening before the coronation, some already paid some visit at the venue, hoping the coronation can come even faster to see their new King be crowned in front of their eyes.

*

Presently at the palace.

Her heels clacking hard, she stops and pants. "Has anyone seen Sir Aren?" She breathed out, It was Lady Anwir's assistant, the one who she mercilessly made to wear pink to match with hers. Anyway, this servant was also under the directions of the King to make things easier around the palace, and with the absence of Aren, things seemed to be unstable.

The veiled servant's voice also seemed to be at loss, bowing an apology she replies. "I apologize miss, im afraid we have no answers."

"Where did Sir Aren went?! The kitchen are in a mess without him!" The pink cladded servant sighed and exited.

After some time, a loud shriek of voice rang with "Did anyone ever saw Aren's shadow? How disorganized things are at the preparation of the after party! The kingdom's representatives will be disappointed with how clumsy things are getting!" Fumed Anwir with her pink clothed servant behind her.

"Quick! Find Aren!"

*

Jian Li breathed out, sliding a satin fabric on his newly bathed body. It was still rush-cold dawn but he now already needed to prepare himself for the coronation. His naked body walked around lightly on the soft red carpet, and only the orange light on the fireplace lighted his pale and soft skin, his body that was filled with feminity and grace.

"Does anyone know Aren's whereabouts?" Asked impatiently the unclothed grace inside his quarters to the servants outside the door.

One spoke softly, "Your Highness, I am sorry but it has been till yesterday we've last seen sir Aren."

Jian Li huffed a breath and massaged the space between his brows. "Do you know when he might be present?" The Prince grew uneasy, wanting someone by his side right at the day of the coronation to support him.

Then the servant replied to His Highness, "..He most likely are on the venue Your Highness, being a head servant isn't an easy task.. he might be back on your side just few more hours.." her faint voice tried to reassure the Prince, although she doesn't really know when will their leader servant will go back.

"Alright. Four, six and three," called the Prince. These names were how he named his veiled servants, unfortunately, even palace servants are prohibited to reveal their names to the Highnesses besides the servants who were promoted to the position of attending to the Princes themselves, like Aren.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Three voices answered.

"Go and find my assistant."

"As you wish Your Highness!" After a short bow of three heads, their short but fast footsteps sounded fading away, letting the Prince know that they have gone to fulfill his order.

"The rest of you, take a short break." He added while the rest bowed and obeyed, silently walking away from the Crown Prince's quarters with only two guards remaining outside the doors.

He picked up his white under clothes and wore it, sliding the top garment and tying it after. When fully dressed in white garments he picked up the violin made of glass and grasped its fret, lifting and putting the perfectly shaped glass violin on his left shoulder, nuzzling it near his neck and then rested his chin on the cold transparent glass. "Aren... Where are you, im getting nervous.."

His eyebrows moved nearer, his eyes filled with uncertainty and nervousness, he picked up the bow and breathed out, gently playing the gentle song composition Aren made when Jian Li was still a toddler.

[Back story from several years ago.]

"I appoint this servant as my official personal attendant." The young Crown Prince, Jian Li, stated, the servants gasping softly.

This was the small event of choosing the Royal Crown Prince's personal attendant, where Aren was first selected by the little boy as his own servant, sealing the deal with his little voice that Aren actually were in adore of.

Aren knelt with one knee and a hand on his chest, bowing his head deeply. "I pledge my loyalty to the Royal Crown Prince." Not even believing how a newbie like him were immediately promoted after a month of serving, he trembled slightly.

Jian Li understanding that this might be what his father does in the middle of the fighting grounds when there's war, he grabbed the nearest sword and unsheathed it, "Ah, shall I knight you then," He earned loud gasps from the palace staffs, some even cried out to take the sword away from His Highness but he swung it up, and tapped both sides of Aren's shoulder with the blade, the little boy announcing, "His Highness the Royal Crown Prince now officially declares this servant to be his personal attendant."

He gulped, "I am more than blessed, Your Highness." Aren managed not to trip on his words, and kept his head bowed so deeply.

The little boy's blue cloak flapped when he turned around, clasping his hands together behind his back. "Stand, from now on you are to be expected to always be within my side at all times."

Aren obeyed his master's first orders and stood, placing his hand on his chest and bowed. "Yes, as you wish Your Highness."

The Crown Prince's small event had passed and so he ordered his servants to get back on their duties with Aren awkwardly hanging around behind the little boy. "Your name?" The Crown Prince turned around to face his assistant, the wind softly blowing.

He cleared his throat, "Aren, Your Highness. Aren Cananeo."

"Ah. One of the Cananeos. I see.." nodded the Prince.

'Might this Highness know my clan's sins perhaps?' said Aren inside his mind, sweating a bit.

"I've heard," The Prince began, "they were great warriors of time." Smiled the boy.

Aren sighed, "Ah.." surely, a boy doesn't know.

The Prince followed up, his curiosity poking around. "Cananeos traditionally were being made as military knights am i right?" The statement made Aren freeze and sweat.

Jian Li who once have read an article page of the kingdom's past have known what happened at the history of Cananeos, despite not knowing what fully happened, he feels like this servant was not involved with it. And so he just nodded, understanding the silence, "So, why are you here?"

"Your Highness?" He blinked, looking at his masters face and decided to kneel down, feeling awkward at being so tall beside his master.

"Shouldn't you be pursuing music?" Jian Li faced him and kept both his hands behind his back.

Aren choked out, "E-excuse me?"

The Prince's dominant hand left his back and pointed at Aren. "Your hands, they're of the same with my instructor at music."

"Hands..?" Aren sweats.

"The tips of your fingers on your left hand have marks of cuts, no, scars rather? I suppose those are from strings?" The little boy touched his chin.

'What the-' Aren grew conscious of his hand and closed it, his eyes stuck at the well dressed and interesting Crown Prince.

Jian Li began his deductions, scanning the servant up and down, from back to corners of his face. He ponders quickly; 'A good posture, long left fingers, competent and dextrous right hand, there is also a bit of a stretch on the web of his left thumb and forefinger, abnormal spaces with his right fingers. Hm, he holds two pieces of instruments, one causing strain with his left, while his right fingers is stretched to hold the instrument. Considering the flexible movements of his wrists when he held his own sword earlier, the other instrument piece must also be mobile. With either he held the sword or instrument first, it must've helped him to polish his skills to achieve strong forearm muscles. Indeed talking of forearm muscles, i notice his left isn't as bulky as his right arm, so most likely this man uses his right almost everytime, maybe a dominant hand? Also his right pinky's distance to the ring finger is just as the same as my instructor's. So I presume that this man was maybe a violinist.'

"But your fingertips do not have thick callouses, i assume you haven't played for months. Why? You are a very skilled violinist aren't you? I presume you can play deadly feats to the point that those scarred fingers which held the strings bleed from practicing a piece." Hearing these words from a young little and sweet child made Aren's head bleed, his fast thoughts flooding in like 'how did he even know i play the violin?' 'is he a child?' 'how did he arrived at that outcome?' 'What the hell is this kid? Is he really one? Maybe he really is old, he just has some bone syndrome—'

"Walk with me Aren," said the Prince, jolting back Aren from his thoughts.

"Yes, Your Highness." He stood up and followed behind his master when the little boy talked, "I've long watched the attendants around the palace. Despite being veiled, i am able to recognize who was whom and which was whom, but since i couldn't know what their names were except if they were promoted, i only watched them and labeled them with numbers inside my head, it was purely saddening if im being honest." He sighed, shocking the newly hired assistant. The Prince continues, "This is my first time choosing an attendant that i think are far most interesting out of all, and if i ever stepped across your bounds then I sincerely apologise for violating your privacy." The Prince turned around and was about to bow his head when Aren gasped and bowed too much that his head hit the floor, "No! No! No! You're Highness! I do not deserve an apology!"

Jian Li erupted a question mark sign on top of his head and just blinked, ".. oh if you insists so."

"..." Aren shut his mouth, thinking of his life choices.

"I um.. for me to he here-" he hesitatingly started and sweated, he just kept staring straight across the palace walls while he forms beads of sweats, unable to say which part to even start.

"There is no time being wasted, please just relax." Gestured the Prince that made Aren sweat even more.

The servant jolted, "Y-yes!"

They both stood facing the palace walls, the morning light faded with the clouds blocking out the sun. The wind softly blew, helping to soothe Aren and to take moments to speak. "Because I was a coward." He breathed out lowly, just enough for the little boy to hear beside him.

The Prince looked up to the looming white figure beside him, trying to figure out the face that the servant was interestingly making.

Aren sighed out and spoke again, "Ever since I was a young boy, I've spent thinking about making and playing music far more than anything, and as time went on, i figured out i have picked up my talent on it." Aren's face calmed down, his blonde hair blowing slightly.

"And?" Blinked the Prince, fairly interested.

"I eventually day-dreamed about being a famous musician, and desired to be one." Continued Aren, "But my father had his dreams as knight was passed over me since he does not have the talent to do so. While i was secretly practicing my violin far deep in the forest to not be heard, in the morning he makes me hold a sword and thoroughly trains me how to be a knight. Never once he ever asked me which dream i wanted, and kept pushing me to his dream. He kept praising me how i was so skilled to hold the sword despite being a beginner, while in fact it was because of the struggles to hold up the bow of the violin every night that I learned how to lift the sword without feeling the pain of muscle strain." Aren softly chuckled and shivered at the cold wind.

He sniffed the air. "And because of my cowardice and ignorance i never read what was happening around me, my clan and I, myself, ended up hurting the entire kingdom. I was a fool." Aren looked down his feet.

"I regretted not telling that I wanted to be a musician to my father, it led to so much disasters. His Highness' father, the King presented me another chance despite all thing that happened, and i will forever be grateful with it."

"The Cananeos are all eradicated, you must be here because you are different from them." Brazenly said the boy while staring at the horizon, clearly shocking the servant of how the little boy actually knows what happened in the past.

He took a second to reply. "Knight or not, i couldn't protect my remaining clan members Your Highness." He closed his eyes. "I am here because my past showed me no other paths, there is no other path for me but to serve you, Your Highness. That is why i am here."

"Have you tried looking around?" A little voice spoke, making him shot his eyes open again.

Not registering the thought, he asked again. "Your Highness?"

"Find a trail." Said the boy.

"Huh?" What's this kid saying? Is basically whats inside Aren's head.

"Even animals create their own pathway inside a vast and unknown forest, so why not pave your own road with your own feet towards where you think you belong?" The Prince smiled at the skies. "And even if that path you make is a course that is not built with bricks, you will always head to the same place."

Aren was left in silence, dazed to even start speaking. He looked up to the same blue and cloudy skies, watching the little figures of the birds fly away towards the bright horizon.

"Always walk beside me Aren, and tell me tales about the outside world." The boy smiled softly at his unveiled friend, turning away his back after. "In exchange, i will present you another path." Said the boy before finally walking away.

Jian Li's newly appointed assistant watched his little and narrow back as the little Prince walked away, placing his hand on top of his chest and bows, "....Yes, Your Highness."

'This is the person I should serve.'