Going To The Festival Together

Arielle knew the king was very tired. He must have sat for hours with his council and listened to various complaints and requests from many people. More so, he then needed to solve their problems quickly was not something easy.

"Come here," called Ronan.

Arielle walked closer.

"Closer," added the king.

Arielle then climbed the stairs.

"Closer. I can't hear anything from that far away."

Arielle chuckled and knew that the man was lying to her. There was no way these people had been given permission to go this far to get close to a king. And the great hall must have produced even greater echoes of sound.

No matter how far they stood, their words would still be heard by the king. Even so, she still stepped forward which made Ronan grin behind his mask.

When the girl was near him. Ronan didn't wait any longer and took the girl to sit on his lap.

"Did the people who lined up earlier also talk this close to you?" asked Arielle in surprise.

"Only you," he replied.

Arielle grabbed Ronan's mask and took it off. Her smile grew wider when she saw the red eyes in front of her. Her forefinger touched the white line of the long-drying scar.

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Ronan a little hoarsely.

"I heard that the city is holding a festival. So, I ask your permission for me to go with Lucas and Tania to the town square."

"You can't."

Arielle's smile suddenly disappeared and she stared at the man in front of her with a look of disbelief.

"Is it because I am a prisoner?" asked Arielle, heartbroken, which made Ronan rush to wrap his arms around Arielle's hips.

"I did not mean that." Ronan cupped Arielle's face to take a closer look. "I can't entrust you to Lucas or any of the soldiers. Not even William."

Arielle's eyes became sad. "But Lucas is the bodyguard you appointed yourself to escort me."

"Right. It's just that the festival in the city will be very crowded. I'm just worried."

"I can take care of myself! If Your Majesty don't believe it, you can ask Tania that I often walk alone enjoying festival nights in Nieverdell. I never got lost."

"Nieverdell and Northendell are two kingdoms with different cultures and geographical conditions."

Arielle pulled Ronan's hand away from her face. Ronan thought it was enough to appease the girl. He hugged Arielle tightly, and felt the energy within him being filled again and all the fatigue vanished.

"I will accompany you," said Ronan, which surprised Arielle.

"You don't have to push yourself, Your Majesty. You must be very tired. If Your Majesty won't allow me to go, then I won't go," said Arielle glumly.

Ronan buried his face in the crook of Arielle's neck and enjoyed the warmth. "How can I refuse when my friend has asked?"

The sadness that Arielle felt earlier disappeared instantly.

"Really?" asked Arielle. She was still in disbelief that the man had changed his mind.

"Of course. I'm glad you like this. Come to me when you want something. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you, Arielle."

Arielle always felt her heart flutter when Ronan said her name. She returned the man's hug gently and caused Ronan to smile.

"Thank you," said Arielle.

The two continued to hug. Ronan was still comfy at that position, while Arielle already started to wonder when they would be able to go to the town square because it was already late.

The hall door creaked open, and Arielle looked back. William appeared with a flushed face. He was surprised to see Arielle on the lap of the king. He immediately lowered his head in confusion when he found Ronan now stared at him sharply over the shoulder of the princess.

William cursed himself for always interrupting their moment. Not on purpose, William just wanted to convey a letter from the King of Nieverdell.

"Sorry to interrupt your time, Your Majesty. But I have an important message from-"

"Work hours are over, William. I don't want to hear anything else," said Ronan.

William refrained from laughing as this was the first time Ronan had turned down work. However, when he saw the sharp red-eye gaze of his king, it made William more self-aware. He just looked down and allowed himself to leave the great hall.

"Your Majesty, do you still have work?" asked Arielle.

"No. I can do it tomorrow. Tonight we're going to the festival, aren't we?"

Arielle initially hesitated because she felt guilty for making the man leave his job. Ronan rubbed his cheek against Arielle's which made the girl laugh from the tickle.

"You are my friend, right? There's no need to feel guilty because this is my wish."

***

Ronan kept his promise to accompany Arielle to come to the festival held in the town square. However, before he left the palace, Ronan took off his mask to replace it with a cloth to cover his face. In addition, Ronan also did not forget to put on the hood of his coat so that people could not recognize him by his eye color.

"Doesn't Your Majesty feel suffocated?" asked Arielle worriedly when she saw the black cloth that now covered half of the man's face.

"No. I'm pretty comfortable with this," Ronan replied.

The two of them rode on the same horse and left the palace. Of course they were also accompanied by several knights wearing ordinary clothes. Ronan's clothes are all black in contrast to Arielle's white clothes. Although the dress was quite simple, Arielle's white hair made Arielle look like a snow fairy.

Once they arrived near the square, Ronan helped Arielle down from the mount. One of the soldiers was in charge of guarding the king's horse.

Ronan offered his arm, which Arielle accepted to hold. They both looked very different. One was with a dark aura and the other was full of brightness. Arielle tightened her coat because the night air was very cold.

But when she passed a man who was wearing clothes similar to the priest's disciples in the Cathedral, the air temperature became very warm, which made Arielle's face heat up.

"How could this be?" asked Arielle, a bit confused.

"There are six priests scattered around the square to warm the people who come to enjoy the festival."

"Including Priest Elis?"

"Certainly not. Priest Elis is always needed in the Cathedral. They are students whose rooms you had the time to clean."

Arielle stared in awe at the teenager who was forming the heat trigram. Arielle no longer felt cold as before so she then took off her coat. And sure enough, the wind was quite warm, which reminded her of the air in Nieverdell.

In the square, many lanterns were hung made of colorful paper. Everyone went around and looked at whatever the vendors had to offer. Many foods or goods tents were open and welcome to all.

Arielle's mouth fell open because she was amazed to see all this. The festival in Northendell looked much different than she had imagined. The square she visited was warm from the touch of various people in every corner.

Crowds of people laughed and played their musical instruments. Small children ran around and chased each other among the busy adults who enjoyed their happiness.