Intermission

After the meal, there was some free time. Since it was his first day as king, nothing in particular was on the agenda.

Fennel strolled around the castle, eventually stopping in front of the royal garden. 

Everywhere he went, Japser had been following close behind. It was beginning to make the new king feel uneasy. Was that his life now? Could he ever hope for a moment without this man smothering him?

"Japser," Fennel sighed.

"Your majesty?" Jasper bowed his head. "How may I assist you?"

"Do you really need to follow so close behind me?" Fennel asked. 

"My King," the guard began. "I'm simply fulfilling my duty to you."

"What if I told you I'd be fine within the confines of the palace?" Fennel asked.

"Today?" Japser shook his head. "There are so many individuals from areas that you do not even rule. It wouldn't be safe without a guard shadowing you."

Fennel groaned. He placed his palm over his face. He wondered why a king needed a personal guard but a prince could roam freely. Though, he realized that if he ordered Jasper to leave him alone for the day, the knight would have no right to refuse his request.

Fennel nodded, then stepped outside.

His eyes scanned the area. A few people were gathered, socializing with one another. He wasn't in the mood for chatter, as he would be thrust into it later on, so he sneakily crouched down, making his way to his secret spot. 

Japser raised a brow when he saw the king crouc. He kept a good distance, as he felt the royal must have had a reason for it.

The guard watched as the feline gracefully jumped over a tall hedge and disappeared behind it.

Jasper was dumbfounded by the action.

Fennel sighed with relief and sat down in the grass. He grumbled incoherently as the cape he wore got in the way. He was thankful he wouldn't need to wear it to the ball and could instead have normal regal attire.

The first item on the agenda would be to completely lose the cape, or, at the very least, get a shorter one that wouldn't inhibit his movement as much.

The feline leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He already felt exhausted.

For a brief period, he drifted off. It felt good to relax under the sun. It was fortunate that the day of the ruler had wonderful weather. Per the superstition, a sunny sky at a king's coronation was a sign of good luck.

Jasper approached the hedge and looked over it. He saw the king relaxing, so he backed away silently. He stood guard over Fennel's secret spot.

"Hello," a high-pitched voice called out. "Are you the king's guard? Why are you here alone?"

Japser frowned. "You are?"

"Callie."

Fennel's eyes popped open when he heard the voice of nightmares. Of course, that woman had come for the ball.

"Where's Fennel?" She asked.

"King Fennel," Jasper huffed and corrected her.

"Yeah, whatever," Callie sighed. "Look, I want to talk to Fennel. Just tell me where he is."

"No," Jasper said, shaking his head. "I cannot reveal such information. It could put the king in danger."

"Come on," Callie groaned. "You really think a little girl like me is going to kill your king? I'll have you know, I'm a princess myself."

"Even if that were the case, I'd never disclose that information. My number one priority is to ensure his safety."

"Jeez," she frowned.

Japser stood tall, crossing his arms. As he did, a light bulb essentially went off over her head. A huge grin appeared on her face as she looked at him.

"Uh, yes?" He asked, confused by the look she gave him.

"Do you have a wife?" She inquired.

"Eh? I am the king's personal guard," he explained again. "I am unable to take a wife."

"Do you think I'm cute?"

"What?" Jasper scoffed.

Fennel cringed. 

"Do you?" she asked.

"No," Jasper replied in a flat tone. "I'm not looking for a wife."

Fennel gave up. He wasn't going to be allowed to live in peace for the rest of the day. The feline stood and jumped back over the hedge. 

When he saw Callie's look of shock, his ears and brow both twitched. "That's enough."

"Fine," she muttered, then stormed off.

"Ah, my king," Japser chuckled.

"You just have to ignore her," Fennel sighed. "You deflected her attack pretty well."

"T-Thanks."

"Japser," Fennel began. "Will you go to the staff to help them prepare for the ball? You know, maybe they need help setting things up."

"But your-"

"Please," Fennel pleaded, as he wished for the knight to agree.

"Just this once," Japser frowned. "Do not do anything rash. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I promise."

Japser nodded. He looked at the king and reluctantly left, as he knew it was no use defying a king's order, even if it wouldn't be in the king's best interest. 

Fennel immediately began to make his way out of the garden and down the halls. He needed to know what had been going through Oliver's mind when he had made his pledge to remain loyal to his leader.

It had been bothering him to no end. It didn't help that he just wanted to see him in private. It gave him an excuse to check up on him.

As he approached Oliver's door and was about to knock, he heard the melodic voice of a song coming from within the room.

Fennel paused. The bard had been practicing for the ball. 

A smile crept across the copper-haired feline's face. He closed his eyes and stood there. He didn't want to be interrupted, but he wanted to hear more of it.

He placed his ear next to the door. His green eyes closed as he focused, able to hear the notes strumming on the lute. It was the song that had played on the hill, but now there were lyrics to go along with the notes.

The king sighed contently and held a hand against his chest as he listened. All was perfect in life as long as he could listen to Oliver play. The music the yellow-eyed man produced was enough to instantly relax his heart.

Fennel could stand there and listen to that song for all of eternity. There wasn't any way he could ever grow tired of the way the bard played.

It was beautiful. It was all he needed.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Oliver was unaware that the king stood on the other side of the room.

As he played the tune, his mind was filled with thoughts of messing up during the ball. He didn't want his first real task as the court bard to be a disaster, so he had vowed to practice until the hour drew near.

He had been so focused on spending time with Fennel, so there was little time for practice.

When he finished playing, he felt satisfied. The music was as perfect as it was going to get. Since he was a bit of a perfectionist, he would never be happy with the performance, but a world of song was all he knew.

Oliver set the lute down, then looked over another piece of music. It was a little complicated. He was glad he still had time to practice. Earlier, he had grabbed his lute as he didn't think he would have the opportunity to return to his room, but Anise insisted he practice more before the evening.

The bard was glad he took the advice to heart.

Before he could begin to play, he heard a soft knock on the door. He raised a brow, then stood up. "Who could it possibly be?"

When he opened the door, he saw Oliver swaying nervously back and forth. He no longer had the regal aura he had when he was on the throne. 

"F-Fennel?" Oliver stammered with a shocked tone.

"Oliver, did I do okay?" Fennel asked with his cheeks puffed out.

Oliver smiled. He grabbed Fennel's hand and led him inside, then shut the door behind him.

"You did more than okay," Oliver insisted. "You looked like the king up there."

"That's great news, because I am the king now," Fennel chuckled.

"How are you feeling?" Oliver asked him as he led him to the bed.

They both took a seat next to each other. 

"I'm still not looking forward to being a ball," Fennel sighed.

"It'll be fine," Oliver assured him as he patted the top of his head. "There's nothing to worry about!"

"There's everything to worry about!" Fennel groaned.

"I know," Oliver sighed. "But it's part of your duties."

"It doesn't make me like it," Fennel grumbled.

"There's things all of us must do that wr don't like," Oliver told him. "It's just part of life."

The two remained silent for a moment. Fennel rested his hands in his lap. He flicked his tail, accidentally smacking Oliver's back.

"I'm sorry," Fennel frowned.

"Your majesty," Oliver let out a fake gasp. "You're already trying to torture me."

"No!" Fennel laughed. "I would never."

Oliver smiled. He was well aware.

"H-Hey," Fennel began. "Why did you kiss my hand so much? Were you just unsure what to do?"

"I was pretty sure of what to do after watching all those nobles."

"Then why?"

"I had to prove I'm your number one super best friend," Oliver teased.

"Oh. Right."

Fennel stood and began to walk away. Before he could make it far, he had a sudden thought. His green eyes looked toward the bard, a mischievous grin on his face.

"What now?" Oliver chuckled.

"Let's run away together."