Eleventh

She couldn't help but glance away from the prince.

His smile was so beautiful.

Too beautiful.

How could he possibly look at her and call her beautiful with a straight face?!

But when she dared to glance at his expression again, the light in his eyes was so full of admiration that her heart nearly burst in her chest.

Her eyes darted away from him, to her plate, to her drink, to the walls, anywhere else that wasn't Adrien.

But each time they returned to his face.

The prince gave her another warm smile.

She felt a warmth rise up from within her and she returned it.

He was kind.

Genuinely kind.

And his attention never left her, even as they ate together.

"This meal is delicious, is it not?" The prince smiled brightly at her and gestured at the table. "The finest dishes made by our most skilled chefs!"

Her mouth watered just looking at everything set out. She dug right in, enthusiastically trying every dish. "They really are!"

He beamed at her and set aside the napkin that he had previously been holding over his lap. "Please enjoy it as much as you like!" His violet eyes sparkled with excitement as he watched her devour the food.

She paused eating and smiled back at him shyly, nodding. "Ahaha...it's really tasty. It really is...I'll save room for dessert!"

"Of course!" The prince replied cheerfully. "This is a special occasion."

"Special...? What's the special occasion?" She raised her eyebrows questioningly and cocked her head.

"What indeed...?" His tone remained light-hearted and teasing. "Is the appearance of the Keybearer not reason enough to celebrate?" He reached for her hand again, grasping it gently and lifting it to his lips.

She glanced away from him, cheeks heating. "I...really...don't feel...like anything all that special, though..."

"Then I will fix that." He held her gaze steadily, his face serious and intent. "Lady Emily...let me tell you a story."

Her face was aflame now. His earnest and determined gaze was so intense that she had to turn away from him in embarrassment. "Okay."

His expression softened slightly, and he smiled.

"When I was young, a traveling caravan came into town. They considered themselves a mobile festival, bringing an endless festival of excitement everywhere with them where they went."

He paused to sip his wine before continuing. "My parents thought I was too sickly to even attend, but I..."

His smile turned faintly rueful - as if embarrassed.

"I was a very insistent child. It was...so colorful. So lively and loud I could tell even from the palace, so I begged them to take me out to see it. They finally allowed me to go out one day, carried by a servant to witness it."

His smile faded away as he looked into space, remembering. "At first, I couldn't believe my eyes."

She found herself enraptured with his story, with the look on his face as he spoke.

"But the show went on, and the performers danced around onstage, showing off tricks and dances from distant lands."

His eyes sparkled as he relayed this, recalling it as if he'd never forgotten it.

"It was...beautiful. There were so many colors. So much lively activity. People danced. They ran around. They jumped and sang and paraded around with animals. Some even wore masks, painted in bright, garish designs and vivid shades."

He took a bite of food, then swallowed. "I was entranced. Not just by the performers but by everyone around me watching, who also had so much energy."

He looked around, gesturing at the decorations in the dining hall, before returning to his food.

"It was so different from anything I experienced until then. The strict regulation, the care that I was handled with by everyone, the...constant exhaustion. When I was young, I could barely keep myself awake for more than a few hours at a time."

His lips curled up in a fond smile, and he took a drank of his wine. "But that day I was so swept up in the festivities I spent all day without falling asleep once." He looked down at his hands. 

"What happened...?" She asked softly, biting her lip.

"When I came home, the exhaustion I'd not felt consumed me all at once. I collapsed." He answered. "My parents had the servants beaten and thrown out of the castle and I...was banned from ever attending that festival again."

"...Adrien..."

He shook his head, the sad expression on his face transforming into an affectionate smile. "It's...quite alright. When I reached a certain age, my sickness went away."

"Did you ever...go back?"

"The performers were caught in a dragon attack at some point." He shook his head once more. "Unfortunately, that festival...is gone."

He gave a regretful sigh, and picked up his glass to take a drink of his wine. 

Her gaze fell to her own food.

What a...terribly sad story...

"....Do you wonder why I told you this story, Emily?"

"...Because you remembered something beautiful from your childhood?"

"No." He laughed gently. "Though that is true enough."

He shook his head.

"The reason is...because in that festival they had a play. Not in the strictest sense of the term, as they had no props and their stage was the street they performed on. But they did tell a story. The legend of the Keybearer."

A quiet gasp escaped her lips.

"...Even before you were in this land, Emily, you gave me strength. You gave me hope. Before we ever met...you gave a sickly, lonely boy...life."

His voice was soft, but his gaze was still just as intense as before. "Even if you cannot see it, Emily...you are...so much more than just 'special'. You are the heroine of a world. And you are...my..."

He trailed off, and smiled down at his food with a small shake of his head.

"You have not disappointed me since we've met, Emily." He looked up, meeting her eyes. "I am quite fond of you already."