Joshua meets Mira
Part B of the dragon-verse. The main pairing is monogamous, again, but many of the supporting characters are in polygamous marriages, so be warned.
This chapter in particular makes me cringe, though I cannot say why. It does its job explaining the world, though, so it will have to do until I have a better first chapter in mind.
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The hard wind rattled doors and windows, shocking people away from the streets with its fury. It was no surprise that it also carried the light rain drops in a diagonal fall, almost giving the daring people braving the outside the impression that the rain was running parallel to the ground, instead of falling from the sky.
On those particular dark streets, there was only one figure outside. She gripped her cloak tightly around herself as the wind attempted to carry her away despite her heavy form. It was not only the rain and the wind that kept her face downcast, however. She had left her home earlier that day, when the rain was but a few cold droplets against her face, to help bring to the world the child that would be her best friend's daughter.
The child that she brought to her breast, however, never drew her first breath, the still weak body unable to withstand the heavy amounts of magic she could feel, even now, steadily filling the air. She had not the heart to take away the stillborn child from her guilt filled, grieving parents, which brought to her chest feelings far heavier than the sorrow for the loss of a new life.
Her best friend was going to be in deep trouble without a baby, dead or alive, to put an end to the long months of deceit her fake pregnancy weaved around them. It would not be a problem, had the non-existent child not swayed the hands of many to bow to her marriage with her husband, one of the most influential men on the kingdom.
The witch shivered, weaving the energy for a spell to protect herself against the wind and rain. The shield didn't hold for long, however, the violence of the raw magic power swirling in the air crashing against the weak attempt like a hammer against a glass window. The witch paused and stared fearfully up at the black and green clouds.
Never had she seen such a display of raw power in her life, other than in fairy tales, and it chilled her bones more than the wind and rain to imagine what could be causing it. She had no doubt that any child born in that week would succumb to such heavy amount of power, even after the great shield she had erected around the city when she realized that was no normal rain.
She felt guilty for hoping that the possibly absurd number of casualties would turn the court's eyes away from her friend and the apparent disappearance of her child. She didn't want to think about what was causing the phenomena in the first place, because whatever it was would certainly take everyone's attention when it wanted, even if they were all unwilling to give it.
A startled scream tore from her lips as something heavy came from an alley behind her to crash against her side. She took a few steps back in a rush, her heartbeat loud against her ears, as she saw a huddled figure crash to the floor in an awkward, bowing position. The person, she could barely make out the form of a woman, reached a hand out and pulled at her dress with a vice-like grip. She saw her lips move, and despite the instincts telling her to blow the woman far away from her and flee, she instead used an amplifying spell so she could hear the words being mumbled.
“....child. Please... protect him... he cannot... perish...” She could feel the spiritual energy slipping away from the huddled form as the spell broke and the woman fell back awkwardly. She could then see the reason for the position, even with her last energy the woman had been trying to protect a heavily bundled baby.
The witch swallowed painfully as she looked at the baby, before kneeling to bring it against her breast. She knew it - no, he - was probably dead already, and it made her eyes and throat burn at the agony of that mother, of many other parents, and at the unfairness of that unnatural rain.
She uncovered the baby's face and startled as his hand unsteadily gripped her finger with all its strength. Gasping, she erected a more powerful shield spell so she could see the baby clearly. The newborn boy was still an angry red from recent birth, and it was obvious he had been cleaned in a rush. He looked startled and upset, like the few newborns she had the opportunity to see, but to her utter shock, the energy swirling in the air didn't figure into his lack of comfort. If anything, once her shield broke again, the child seemed to relax and bask in the magical wind that engulfed them, not one high sound escaping his small lips.
Shutting away her thoughts on the matter, and trying not to think too much on the huge luck bestowed upon her and her friend at the appearance of the newborn, she unsteadily rose to her feet and magically moved the woman's body to the closest shelter she could find near the street. She knew the city inhabitants would give her a proper burial once the weather calmed, if she wasn't able to track her steps and do it herself.
She sheltered the baby inside her cloak, then, and rushed back to her friend's side as quickly as she could. Unwittingly, that woman had not only just saved the baby boy's life, but also hers and her best friend's, to which she would forever be grateful.
The unnatural weather stood for yet another day. Once it was over, as she had suspected, quite a number of people had died. Most of them were children, and no children bellow the age of one - breathing or unborn - had survived. The only exception was the boy now taken as her best friend's son, much to the grief - and also joy - of many. The mystery haunted her for years afterwards, but she was true to the words the woman never heard from her lips - she protected the boy with all her powers, and buried herself in books in hopes of finding out why he was the sole human baby to survive that storm.
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Joshua walked silently through the castle, trying to ignore the nobles that would fervently gossip as soon as he got in their line of sight. They pretended he couldn't hear anything, so he had to begrudgingly pretend he was indeed not hearing. Gossip about his marriage followed him wherever he went now, and some of the things he heard made him struggle not to blush. Lucky for him, he was so white that he had a perpetual blush in the cold walls of the castle, so rarely anyone ever noticed when he lost his composure.
A particularly appalling rumour had been spreading that morning, and he couldn't help it when he heard it once again said in his presence. He felt heat rise to his face and it was everything he could do not to trip over his feet in embarrassment. The young wizard that guarded him threw him an odd look.
“Are you alright, your highness?” the wizard asked politely, in the gentle and submissive way that only he could manage to attain with that tenor voice. Joshua hoped one day to make the wizard lose that unbecoming meekness, but after two years he was still nowhere near his objective. Although he had been making quick progress lately... “...Your colouring is really strange right now.”
“I'm fine, Inyat.” he mumbled back, trying to force the blush back down. “It's just the rumours... They are getting too bold.” the nobles were, at least, if they dared to repeat these stories anywhere near his person. He saw the wizard fight a grin from the corner of his eyes, and almost felt like smiling himself. Almost.
“They like to forget a rumour when they forge another. When could you manage to get a young lady pregnant, if they were saying just last week that you were attempting to sleep with all male soldiers in the castle?” Joshua struggled to breath for a second, and his blush heated up to a whole new level as he stared incredulously at his guard. It took him a second to hold back from snapping at him - after all, if he was now comfortable enough to say such things near him, the last thing he wanted was to drive Inyat back into his shell. He masked his look with another comment.
“There are no female soldiers, Inyat.” He tried to keep the snappish tone away from his voice, and the tone that came out instead was the weirdest he ever heard his voice become. His guard looked at him again, and he blinked at the startled look he got. “What is it?” he asked patiently.
“Your face is covered in white and red spots, your highness. Are you sure you are well?” Inyat sounded very worried and Joshua almost groaned in dismay.
“I'm fine. I just... don't blush well, I suppose you could say.” he replied in a bemused voice. He almost yelped when his arm was suddenly pulled, and he found himself in a dark room. Before he could get used to the lack of light, a greenish-white light bathed the room - which he could now see was a storage room. He blinked in surprise at the small ball of green light on his guard's hand, then followed the arm up to a worried face.
“I can muffle the rumours if they worry you this much, my prince.” he was startled to hear the gentle voice. It was the first time Inyat acted in other form than his impersonal self around him. It seemed that the news he was to marry a wizard didn't only affect the nobles, but his guard as well. He did seem glad teaching him the ways of magic lately. He smiled, unable and unwilling to fight back the feeling of accomplishment at succeeding to open a crack in the wizard's shell.
The wizard seemed confused with the smile, but soon he shyly smiled back. Joshua took in his expression, noticing how the green light complimented his hazel eyes. It also gave a shining hue to the light green highlights in his curly shoulder-length forest green hair. It never ceased to amuse Joshua how, even though he barely came up to Inyat's shoulder in height, when he looked straight at the guard with a frown he always looked intimidated.
“Thank you for the offer, but keeping the nobles from spreading the rumours will only make them worse.” he then paused, and threw an awkward glance at the door. “Actually... I might just expect them to quit talking about a pregnant fiancée and start talking about how I like to ravish you in storage rooms after lunch today.” he said with a hint of dismay in his voice. To his surprise, Inyat chuckled.
“I made sure no one saw us enter this room.” he clarified softly. Joshua nodded, with a small thankful sigh.
“I'm glad they still think the word wizard describes males and females. I hope I will be happily locked away in my rooms with my husband by the time they realize their crown prince has married another male.” Inyat blinked in confusion for a while, before sighing.
“I forget how humans know nothing about us wizards... A witch could never give you heirs. Only a wizard could.” the wizard said in a somewhat defeated tone of voice. Joshua couldn't help the confusion as he looked up into hazel eyes.
“Erm... I still don't understand this concept myself. Your society is very strange, Inyat.” he tried to maintain a diplomatic tone. The guard smiled gently - it struck him, for some reason, that his guard felt.... motherly. He always did.
“I beg to differ. Your society is far stranger than mine, my prince.” he said with a faint amused lilt.
“You would make a great mother.” he said softly before he could halt the thought. Before dismay could flood him, however, Inyat beamed down at him, only making his confusion mount.
“Mother is not the word you are looking for, but I understand. I would love to have a child of my own someday. But at the moment, my priority is to keep you out of trouble, your highness.” Joshua stared up at his guard until the older looked once more composed. He chuckled, then, and shook his head.
“You seem to be doing your job right, too, Inyat. Now, I wonder if we can leave this room without being seen?” the prince looked warily at the door.
“Of course. Just step outside, no one will notice you leaving the room as no one noticed you entering it.” Joshua looked askance at his guard. “It's a spell.” he nodded at the simple, and at the same time complicated explanation. Then, taking a deep breath to ground himself, he opened the door and left. His guard followed behind him, it took some slower steps until he managed to keep the guard walking by his side once again.
They once more walked in silence, but now Joshua was braced enough to keep from reacting to the outraging rumours. They were born from the sudden announcement of his marriage - which, he thought with a frown, his father had handled very badly. The king had been arranging his marriage with a prince of the witch kingdom for over a year now, after he had ashamedly admitted to his father he had no interest in women.
He was happy now that he had the courage - marrying a strange man was a far better concept than marrying a strange woman. He could now, at least, entertain the thought that having heirs wouldn't only be a duty, but could also be a pleasure, even though he still had no idea why the witch society was so completely different. He didn't doubt it, however, when he saw Inyat and Onashira interacting with each other. He acted like a young lady, and she acted like a powerful lord when they were near each other - it still caught him out of guard sometimes how strange they both were, the only witches who lived in the castle.
Even though the marriage contract took over an year to conclude, the witch Queen had requested the princes get married right away for some reason. Instead of trying to talk sense into her, his father had simply agreed and announced his marriage was to take place in two weeks.
That was two weeks ago now, and Joshua had heard all sorts of rumours as to why the marriage was so rushed, to the point of even skipping an engagement. The pregnancy rumour was the most baffling, closely followed by the rumour the crown prince was being forced to marry to keep from sleeping around with every male in the castle. Sometimes Joshua wondered if those fools truly understood that he would one day be their king, and they should be trying to win his favour instead of staining his name for idle entertainment.
He stopped walking, keeping his surprise hidden when a hand once more touched his shoulder. It quickly left, however, and he looked ahead to realize they had already reached the ballroom. Joshua looked back at his guard nervously, and only now realized the tender look he got from the wizard, even as his face remained impassive. Feeling encouraged, he strode forward. It was time, soon enough he would meet his fiancé, and by this time tomorrow, this man would be his husband. He could barely ignore the butterflies in his stomach as he walked towards the centre of the room.
The great ballroom stood empty but for a few chosen guards and nobles that raptly watched the royal family in the centre. There was a raised dais on one of the room's end where the king, queen and crown prince usually stood, but at this time, for diplomacy, they chose to stand on the lower floor instead.
His father, King Johannes, stood tall and proud not far from him, the opulent ceremonial clothes lending his girth almost double of its normal size. He had brown hair like his, but much darker than his light brown tone, his skin had a permanent look of a healthy light tan despite his inability to stay under the sunlight for long before his duties called his attention.
Queen Morganna stood proudly by his side, her smaller height not subtracting any from the authority her slim form commanded. Her dark hair seemed black while she walked within the confines of the castle walls, and her brown eyes had darker and lighter spots that matched his father's eyes. His mother's skin was paler than his father's, but it was nowhere as pale as his own. If anything, Joshua looked like a washed out version of the royal couple. He liked to keep his hair long, too (to give him some colour, he would say), and it currently fell down by his tight - longer than his mother kept hers.
His mother smiled as he stepped within her range, and she reached out to brush away a lock of hair that had escaped the confines of his crown. She took him by his shoulders as she ran her eyes over his form - he was three inches shorter than her, much to his dismay - and seemed pleased with what she saw. He held his breath as she nodded at him to take his place, but lightly cringed when she changed her mind.
“Joshua, my son, are those gloves?” she asked lightly, but he could hear the authority behind her voice. He looked back towards her with the guilty look only his mother ever managed to extract from him. “I remember telling you not to wear gloves when meeting with your soon to be husband.” she admonished, holding her hands out with a silent order for him to do the same.
“They are my ceremonial gloves, mother, I'm sure no one will mind.” he replied with the strongest tone he was capable of pulling, wishing he had his guard's tenor voice. The queen gave him a pointed look, and barely managing to hold back a pout he held his hands towards hers with a defeated look.
“I have explained before, today is the first day you will be meeting.” She said patiently as she quickly took out his gloves, disappearing with them in one of the many folds of her dress. “You will be marrying tomorrow, so you should both make the most of today to learn more about each other.” she paused and then winked, and Joshua braced himself for the next comment. “I am sure he will be delighted to feel the softness of your skin when he attempts to hold your hand.” she said in a conspirational whisper, and the prince felt heat rise to his cheeks despite the forewarning.
He looked down at his uncovered hands in a vain attempt to hide his blush from his mother, and frowned at them. The blue lines that held his blood criss-crossed under his pale skin - the reason why he never left his rooms without gloves. He looked back up at his mother with pleading eyes, but she was having none of it. She patted his hands, then gently pushed him away towards the other side of the king, who was watching them with nothing short of amusement. They were enjoying this far too much, Joshua thought as he fought down his embarrassment.
“Don't forget to praise the colour of his eyes once you reach the gardens; if he excuses himself for his rooms, kiss his hand in goodbye if you cannot reach his forehead.” Joshua tried to stand as tall and proud as his small frame allowed him to, but his father's conspirational whispers made him want nothing more than to run into a corner and hide. His father and mother had taken it upon themselves to teach him courting techniques in the last two weeks - both male and female ones much to his dismay - and he had made sure to keep away from their presence as often as he possibly could. He wondered faintly if his parents had gone through this before their own marriage, since they seemed so delighted in his embarrassment.
“Don't worry, your highness, your blush isn't showing so much.” he silently thanked Inyat with a nod for the whispered information, and felt somewhat taller now that he was sure his face showed no weakness. He felt more than saw the Royal wizard take her place by his side, not only because the spot to his right side was suddenly filled but also because he heard his guard shifting uncomfortably for a moment behind him. They stood at attention for about five minutes before light started to fill the room, originating from the floor right in front of them.
He successfully hid his surprise as a cube of air took the density of water for a moment, changing it's colour to a pale turquoise, before resuming it's normal colour and density. The witch Royal Family stood on that spot once the air was once again looking normal, and he silently thanked Inyat for the awe inspiring shows or magic he gave him after he heard he was to marry a wizard. Otherwise he knew he would be unable to keep the awe away from his features at the moment.
Their Royal wizard stepped forward at once, as did a man from the other group that looked much as if he could be one of his father's cousins. Joshua was almost certain he was no wizard, because his hair was a solid colour. All other wizards he ever met always had streaks of lighter hair mixed with the darker colour, including the ones he was first seeing at that moment. They both exchanged pleasantries, before the man bowed towards them, and announced with a clear voice the reason for the presence of the witch Royal Family, before introducing each of the members.
Queen Orrai Gemini was the first introduced. She had a severe expression to her face, and held herself as if she was queen to the whole world. Joshua unconsciously attempted to stand even taller, but his full height was at her elbows line. She could be their Royal wizard's twin, with her red hair with pink streaks and her cold blue eyes. Except her hair, straight down to her shoulders, was not bushy, and although they both had their forms more filled than the average woman, even Onashira's height only came to the queen's shoulder.
Their King, Iphakt, was as tall as the queen's eye line and, shockingly, could also be the queen's twin. Not only his hair and eyes were like the queen's (although the colour on his own held much more warmth and a strange golden hue to them), but also the bone structure of his face and shoulders. They both had lightly tanned skins, but his face had a healthy flush that hers hadn't.
High prince Iva was the next to be introduced, which Joshua took to be the same as 'crown prince'. Except, he looked nothing like the king nor the queen. His skin was of an exquisite dark olive colour Joshua had never seen before, and his hair was black with streaks of deep blue. His eyes were dark red, and his face was also severe, but somehow he could feel as if his edges were smoothed, and the man's posture didn't make him feel defensive. He was as tall as his father - shorter than the witch royal couple - and he was a bit filled out as well, although nowhere near the queen.
Joshua couldn't keep his surprise from his face as the crown princess and prince were introduced next, since he had assumed the High Prince to have that role, and just how could two royal siblings be named as the future holders of the crown? She had a deep red hair with lighter red streaks, and stood as tall as his father as well. Okaid had a somewhat darker tan to her skin, although nowhere near Iva, and her bone structure and severe look were just like the High Prince's own. Inath had pale blue hair with streaks which almost looked white, but otherwise he seemed to be the exact image of King Iphakt.
Next, and last, to be introduced was his fiancé, Prince Imira. He was shorter than the rest of his family - much to Joshua's relief - although he was much taller than himself. With a quick calculation, Joshua supposed his own head would come up just short of his shoulders - he was almost the same height as Inyat. He was slim, but slight filled out on the cheeks, and had the same grace and warmth to his posture as the king had. He felt his face warm up as their eyes met, but didn't look away as he continued to appraise the taller prince.
His eyes were red, a few hues lighter than the High Prince's, and the golden hue that glinted in them was unmistakable, unlike the King's. His chin-length hair was a deep sea blue, and the streaks were also a somewhat darker blue, although much paler than the rest of his hair, and the contrast seemed to work well. His skin had a medium tan to it and Joshua couldn't help but notice he wasn't wearing gloves, either. A witch behind him, which hadn't been introduced, seemed to lean over and whisper something by his ear. A warm smile crossed his lips, and his eyes seemed to twinkle with mirth at the words whispered. He wondered what was being said when the witch sent a discreet sign his way.
“Don't be startled, this is a tradition of our people.” the low whisper was all the warning he got before the sleeve of his shirt was gently pulled up to show his arm up to his elbow. Joshua paled, and it took all his self control not to turn on Inyat and demand what he was doing.
All thoughts flew from his mind, however, when the girl behind Imira did the same, and discreetly lifted the foreign Prince's right sleeve up to his elbow. The creamy hue of the skin under his arm denounced he spent many hours in the sun to get his tan, and there were runes delicately drawn near his wrists, of which meanings Joshua didn't know. What surprised him speechless, though, was that the skin around his elbow looked, instead, like a lizard's scales; except, they were of a deep bluish-lilac colour and had the appearance of precious stones -like really dark amethysts. Joshua was stunned, and had to blink twice when the cloth once again covered the prince's arm. He felt a breath near his ear before he heard Inyat again.
“The runes in his wrist mean he excels in earth and spirit magics, he is a good healer, and also that his magic powers are above average.” he heard the whisper, and couldn't keep a light frown from his face. He felt somewhat slighted that he had nothing in his arm to show the other except for his unseemingly dark veins. He looked up at the prince's face to see that a blush and a grin were being directed at him, and the girl behind him seemed somewhat over excited. He stared in confusion, but the explanation soon came in another whisper. “I wrote on your wrist that you excelled as a scholar and as a diplomat,” he paused for a moment, “and that you were a virgin.”
Joshua felt heat flood his face, and didn't hold himself back as he took a step back and stepped on his guard's foot. Hard. He heard a muffled squeal from behind him and resumed his pose as a proud and powerful king, even as he watched his fiancé shoot him an overly amused glance, and the witch behind him struggle not to laugh.
Returning his attention to his father, he realized that not only had his family already been introduced, but that his mother and their High Prince were exchanging words about what they hoped the marriage would bring their sons. Which meant he completely lost his father's and the queen's speech about what they hoped the marriage would bring their kingdom. He shot a discreet look at the queen to notice, startled, that the witch was very nearly outright scowling at him. Another whisper came to his aid.
“The arm showing tradition is held by commoners and minor nobles.” Inyat explained helpfully. “That's why I didn't explain to you before, but your fiancé's guard motioned for me to follow the tradition.” Joshua held back a sigh, wishing he knew that before so he could stop his guard. Getting on the bad side of his in-laws wasn't a good idea at all. Except, when he looked at the King, he was looking at him with a warm smile and an amused glint on his eyes. Once the High Prince finished his speech, he briefly smiled towards him as well, assuring him the animosity was only coming from the Queen. It then struck him - who was Imira's parents? Surely he couldn't have three of them, although he did look a bit like them all...
His mother placed a small pink amethyst (the colour of his eyes) on the prince's forehead to symbolise their engagement, and them the high prince came before him to do the same. He had to take off his crown so the wizard could place the ruby between his eyes. His hand was oddly gentle as he did so, and he felt a warm and comforting rush of air spreading through his body. A whisper from his guard told him the wizard had just cast a blessing spell upon him, but it barely registered as he watched the older wizard. For some reason, he could just tell he was Imira's father, and that Imira was a beloved son that made him proud. He idly wondered if the spell had something to do with it, once his mind was clear once more.
The nobles around them politely cheered over their engagement, and then, just as the witch Queen stepped forward, the King took his hand and Imira's, and gently pushed them towards the doors. He looked back with a slightly confused look.
“We should continue the preparations for your wedding tomorrow, why won't you take a stroll on the gardens? The day is positively lovely today.” the red haired man said with a gentle smile. Joshua was about to politely refuse, but the Queen beat him up to it.
“They are adults, they are beyond capable of taking the preparations in their own hands.” The witch said firmly, and the wizard king seemed to pale a little at some hidden threat in her eyes. The high prince stood between them both, obviously pushing them apart to take his position before laying a not-so-discreet arm around the king's waist.
“That's silly. Adult or not, no one should plan their own wedding - it just spoils the thrill of the surprise.” the wizard, Iva, said firmly, and he could also hear an unidentified tone hidden in his voice. He and the queen exchanged seemingly blank looks, before his own mother stepped forward.
“They are both right, of course. The day is lovely, and five adults are more than enough to finish the preparations for tomorrow.” She smiled sweetly at him, and he could tell she was not oblivious to the strange air, either. He nodded, bowing to his father and mother, then to the other royal family, before exiting the room.
His fiancé was right behind Inyat and himself, with the witch skipping behind him. Now that she wasn't overshadowed by the taller prince, he could see her curly hair shone the same hue as copper, the streaks breaking the hair's main colour looked like pale gold. She was just a little darker than he was, and the vivid green eyes seemed to be specially bright framed by the lighter hair and the pale tone of her skin.
“This is Inyat, my Royal Guard.” he introduced his silent companion as they stopped a few corridors away from the ballroom. He saw Inyat bow to them both, before murmuring something in a language he didn't understand.
“This is Onath. I suppose she is my guard, too, in a way.” Imira said after a moment of contemplation. The witch grinned in a way Joshua could only call malicious, but before she could say anything, a hand was almost slapped to her mouth. “Don't.” the prince finished, throwing her a glare. Joshua stared, never before had he seen a man act in such a violent manner towards a woman... erm, witch.
“Whaat? I was just going to say how happy I am to make their acquaintance.” the girl replied with a innocent smile, before turning toward the bewildered human prince. “Nice to meet you.” she made a show of bowing to him, before turning on Inyat and falling to one knee. “Never before have I seen a wizard with such beautiful jewels hidden in his eyes.” she said solemnly as Joshua gawked. The witch took his guard's hand gently and laid a kiss in his wrist. He never saw his usually composed guard such a dark shade of red before.
“T-Thank you, my lady.” Inyat stuttered faintly, otherwise frozen in place. Joshua didn't know what to do, either. It was the first time he crossed paths with a woman that bold. Imira didn't seem shocked, he just crossed his arms and pouted.
“I should be courting my future husband, and not watching you court his guard.” he mumbled loud enough for the small group to hear. The witch stood and shrugged at him, not letting go of Inyat's hand.
“Not my fault you are so slow and inexperienced. If I waited for you, this precious bird could take flight from my sight.” she turned to his guard and grinned. “Brilliant idea you had, by the way, Nyat. I should have signed on Mira that he is virgin, too.” Joshua was beyond bewildered by now, wondering if he was having a very strange dream. Imira was blushing to the roots of his hair.
“I'm not! Besides, I don't see why that matters at any rate.” he nervously crossed his arms. “I should have brought one of my brothers instead of you.” he finished, somewhat sulkily. The witch flashed him a smile.
“You say that as if your mother would allow you to do it.” she brushed him off, before turning back to Inyat, smiling apologetically. “Please don't hear this as treason, but our queen is somewhat old fashioned.” Imira snorted at that. Joshua tried to say something to get the conversation back within his control, but words eluded him. Onath seemed to notice. “You know, you are very poor at courting. You have managed to completely alienate your fiancé. You could never get a wife on your own this way.” she said pointedly towards Imira. He spluttered for a moment, before regaining most of his composure, but still blushing.
“Please forgive me, prince Joshua. My friend often throws me off my guard.” he bowed his head and gripped his hands over his lap, his posture suddenly submissive. Joshua was so shocked at that point that he didn't even bother hiding the look from his face.
“It's... quite alright, Imira. I am unsure what I should do myself.” he replied with a shrug. That got him a weird look from his fiancé for a moment, before he paled and shrunk even more in on himself, like some shy maiden after getting reprimanded. Onath stared at Joshua with a raised eyebrow, and he looked back, unsure of what he had said wrong. Inyat chuckled.
“It's not like this, Prince Mira. Now that I think about it, I don't think Lady Onashira ever explained to him descriptive names... He calls me Inyat all the time, but he has never slighted me.” he said softly, smiling at the other prince. Joshua felt like the conversation was starting to slip away from him again. Imira looked something between relieved and ashamed.
“Descriptive names are supposed to be used only when you introduce someone, or when you write down their name.” Onath took it upon herself to explain. She laid another kiss on his guards palm, before letting go of his hand and turning her full attention to Joshua. “If you use them otherwise, it usually means you are either diminishing them for being male, or showing them undue respect for being female.” she finished with an raised eyebrow. The human prince felt proud when he managed to cut back his confused reaction - he was finally in control of himself again. Instead, he just motioned for her to continue. The witch looked amused.
“Basically, when you introduce someone, you attach 'I' or 'O' before their name, depending on their sex. The system was created because all of our names can be used by either, but somewhere along the line people started abusing it.” Then, she grinned. “Just drop the first 'I' or 'O' and you will be safe. Of course, since I'm special,” she winked, and Joshua offered a somewhat indulgent smile, “my name is a special case. Even though one would introduce me 'Onath', my name is Elnath.”
“I see. No one has ever explained this to me before.” and after he heard it, he felt somewhat ashamed that he never realized his guard was uncomfortable with the way he called him. “Now it makes sense why the names of all wizards always start with the same vowels.” the unrestrained and hearty way that Elnath laughed took him by surprise again. That was another first. Women he met in general were ashamed of laughing. Except... He threw a suspicious glance at I-- no, Nyat, and Mira. Nyat was chuckling in a reserved manner, and Mira was attempting to drown his chuckle with a hand on his mouth. As if they were ashamed of laughing. A feeling of dread started to slowly fill his stomach.
“Why would someone be slighted for being male?” he asked Elnath as soon as her laughter quieted, afraid he had already guessed the answer. She grinned at him and raised an eyebrow.
“Would a woman be slighted for being female?” she replied right away, and Joshua didn't hide away his wince. His reflex response would be to say no, but after just a short while watching the three weird witches, and looking back on the interactions of... Nashira and Nyat, he couldn't help but think the answer was very likely yes.
“Now I think I know why Nashira hates so much when people call her 'woman'.” Joshua said in a defeated voice, and Elnath beamed at him.
“That's great that you do! Recognizing the problem is the first step onto becoming a better person.” the witch said with a cheerful nod, patting his back. He felt a blush rise to his face as once more his mind supplied how strange the girl was, except it shouldn't.
“I don't understand, tough, why our societies are so different in this point, when I have observed so many similarities otherwise.” he said with a sigh as he watched Mira and Nyat. They were apparently composing themselves still, Mira was watching him, and Nyat was watching Elnath.
“My mama studies the reason, she is a scholar at the court. Her grandmother was the witch liaison to your kingdom once - you call them Royal wizards I believe - and she passed down my family line quite a number of interesting stories.” Elnath sounded quite proud of her family line. Joshua smiled at her.
“I would love to talk with your mother about her research someday.” he said truthfully. Elnath beamed at him.
“I'm sure she would love to talk to you too, for inside view in the ways of humans. Your current liaison to our kingdom doesn't like her much.” she giggled a bit, and before anyone else could say something, she struck up the conversation again. “How old are you? I apologise for saying so, but you look like someone who has barely left childhood.” Joshua cringed, and squared his shoulders in an unconscious attempt to look taller. Mira stepped forward and pulled hard at one of her hair strands, to which she squealed and Joshua stared.
“I'm really sorry about Elnath, she has no shame.” Mira glared at his friend, but there was an air of teasing to their interaction.
“I will be twenty next month.” he replied in a defeated voice, to which the two wizards looked surprised.
“What a coincidence, me too! We should have our party on the same day.” Mira offered, but he sounded almost shy, it was obvious he was nowhere as comfortable with him as he was with the witch.
“I completed twenty-three four months ago.” she sounded somewhat smug, and Joshua understood why when he saw Mira discreetly pulling at her hair again. He saw a movement at his side and felt Nyat stand a step behind him, completely composed now. Elnath threw him a strange look. “How old is my beauty?” she asked none too discreetly, and Nyat shifted again so Joshua was somewhat between the witch and himself, to the prince's amusement.
“Twenty-five.” he was short to keep his voice composed, but Joshua could notice it was a few pitches higher than his normal. He was mildly surprised, although Nyat looked young, he never expected him to be so young. His brother's guard was older than their father.
“Now that we all know we are older than the age of consent, let us go to the bedrooms. Ops, I mean, the gardens.” Elnath laughed merrily, as the two wizards blushed to the root of their hair. Joshua felt a blush across his face, himself, but he was far more amused than dismayed, like the other two seemed to be.
This chapter in particular makes me cringe, though I cannot say why. It does its job explaining the world, though, so it will have to do until I have a better first chapter in mind.
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The hard wind rattled doors and windows, shocking people away from the streets with its fury. It was no surprise that it also carried the light rain drops in a diagonal fall, almost giving the daring people braving the outside the impression that the rain was running parallel to the ground, instead of falling from the sky.
On those particular dark streets, there was only one figure outside. She gripped her cloak tightly around herself as the wind attempted to carry her away despite her heavy form. It was not only the rain and the wind that kept her face downcast, however. She had left her home earlier that day, when the rain was but a few cold droplets against her face, to help bring to the world the child that would be her best friend's daughter.
The child that she brought to her breast, however, never drew her first breath, the still weak body unable to withstand the heavy amounts of magic she could feel, even now, steadily filling the air. She had not the heart to take away the stillborn child from her guilt filled, grieving parents, which brought to her chest feelings far heavier than the sorrow for the loss of a new life.
Her best friend was going to be in deep trouble without a baby, dead or alive, to put an end to the long months of deceit her fake pregnancy weaved around them. It would not be a problem, had the non-existent child not swayed the hands of many to bow to her marriage with her husband, one of the most influential men on the kingdom.
The witch shivered, weaving the energy for a spell to protect herself against the wind and rain. The shield didn't hold for long, however, the violence of the raw magic power swirling in the air crashing against the weak attempt like a hammer against a glass window. The witch paused and stared fearfully up at the black and green clouds.
Never had she seen such a display of raw power in her life, other than in fairy tales, and it chilled her bones more than the wind and rain to imagine what could be causing it. She had no doubt that any child born in that week would succumb to such heavy amount of power, even after the great shield she had erected around the city when she realized that was no normal rain.
She felt guilty for hoping that the possibly absurd number of casualties would turn the court's eyes away from her friend and the apparent disappearance of her child. She didn't want to think about what was causing the phenomena in the first place, because whatever it was would certainly take everyone's attention when it wanted, even if they were all unwilling to give it.
A startled scream tore from her lips as something heavy came from an alley behind her to crash against her side. She took a few steps back in a rush, her heartbeat loud against her ears, as she saw a huddled figure crash to the floor in an awkward, bowing position. The person, she could barely make out the form of a woman, reached a hand out and pulled at her dress with a vice-like grip. She saw her lips move, and despite the instincts telling her to blow the woman far away from her and flee, she instead used an amplifying spell so she could hear the words being mumbled.
“....child. Please... protect him... he cannot... perish...” She could feel the spiritual energy slipping away from the huddled form as the spell broke and the woman fell back awkwardly. She could then see the reason for the position, even with her last energy the woman had been trying to protect a heavily bundled baby.
The witch swallowed painfully as she looked at the baby, before kneeling to bring it against her breast. She knew it - no, he - was probably dead already, and it made her eyes and throat burn at the agony of that mother, of many other parents, and at the unfairness of that unnatural rain.
She uncovered the baby's face and startled as his hand unsteadily gripped her finger with all its strength. Gasping, she erected a more powerful shield spell so she could see the baby clearly. The newborn boy was still an angry red from recent birth, and it was obvious he had been cleaned in a rush. He looked startled and upset, like the few newborns she had the opportunity to see, but to her utter shock, the energy swirling in the air didn't figure into his lack of comfort. If anything, once her shield broke again, the child seemed to relax and bask in the magical wind that engulfed them, not one high sound escaping his small lips.
Shutting away her thoughts on the matter, and trying not to think too much on the huge luck bestowed upon her and her friend at the appearance of the newborn, she unsteadily rose to her feet and magically moved the woman's body to the closest shelter she could find near the street. She knew the city inhabitants would give her a proper burial once the weather calmed, if she wasn't able to track her steps and do it herself.
She sheltered the baby inside her cloak, then, and rushed back to her friend's side as quickly as she could. Unwittingly, that woman had not only just saved the baby boy's life, but also hers and her best friend's, to which she would forever be grateful.
The unnatural weather stood for yet another day. Once it was over, as she had suspected, quite a number of people had died. Most of them were children, and no children bellow the age of one - breathing or unborn - had survived. The only exception was the boy now taken as her best friend's son, much to the grief - and also joy - of many. The mystery haunted her for years afterwards, but she was true to the words the woman never heard from her lips - she protected the boy with all her powers, and buried herself in books in hopes of finding out why he was the sole human baby to survive that storm.
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Joshua walked silently through the castle, trying to ignore the nobles that would fervently gossip as soon as he got in their line of sight. They pretended he couldn't hear anything, so he had to begrudgingly pretend he was indeed not hearing. Gossip about his marriage followed him wherever he went now, and some of the things he heard made him struggle not to blush. Lucky for him, he was so white that he had a perpetual blush in the cold walls of the castle, so rarely anyone ever noticed when he lost his composure.
A particularly appalling rumour had been spreading that morning, and he couldn't help it when he heard it once again said in his presence. He felt heat rise to his face and it was everything he could do not to trip over his feet in embarrassment. The young wizard that guarded him threw him an odd look.
“Are you alright, your highness?” the wizard asked politely, in the gentle and submissive way that only he could manage to attain with that tenor voice. Joshua hoped one day to make the wizard lose that unbecoming meekness, but after two years he was still nowhere near his objective. Although he had been making quick progress lately... “...Your colouring is really strange right now.”
“I'm fine, Inyat.” he mumbled back, trying to force the blush back down. “It's just the rumours... They are getting too bold.” the nobles were, at least, if they dared to repeat these stories anywhere near his person. He saw the wizard fight a grin from the corner of his eyes, and almost felt like smiling himself. Almost.
“They like to forget a rumour when they forge another. When could you manage to get a young lady pregnant, if they were saying just last week that you were attempting to sleep with all male soldiers in the castle?” Joshua struggled to breath for a second, and his blush heated up to a whole new level as he stared incredulously at his guard. It took him a second to hold back from snapping at him - after all, if he was now comfortable enough to say such things near him, the last thing he wanted was to drive Inyat back into his shell. He masked his look with another comment.
“There are no female soldiers, Inyat.” He tried to keep the snappish tone away from his voice, and the tone that came out instead was the weirdest he ever heard his voice become. His guard looked at him again, and he blinked at the startled look he got. “What is it?” he asked patiently.
“Your face is covered in white and red spots, your highness. Are you sure you are well?” Inyat sounded very worried and Joshua almost groaned in dismay.
“I'm fine. I just... don't blush well, I suppose you could say.” he replied in a bemused voice. He almost yelped when his arm was suddenly pulled, and he found himself in a dark room. Before he could get used to the lack of light, a greenish-white light bathed the room - which he could now see was a storage room. He blinked in surprise at the small ball of green light on his guard's hand, then followed the arm up to a worried face.
“I can muffle the rumours if they worry you this much, my prince.” he was startled to hear the gentle voice. It was the first time Inyat acted in other form than his impersonal self around him. It seemed that the news he was to marry a wizard didn't only affect the nobles, but his guard as well. He did seem glad teaching him the ways of magic lately. He smiled, unable and unwilling to fight back the feeling of accomplishment at succeeding to open a crack in the wizard's shell.
The wizard seemed confused with the smile, but soon he shyly smiled back. Joshua took in his expression, noticing how the green light complimented his hazel eyes. It also gave a shining hue to the light green highlights in his curly shoulder-length forest green hair. It never ceased to amuse Joshua how, even though he barely came up to Inyat's shoulder in height, when he looked straight at the guard with a frown he always looked intimidated.
“Thank you for the offer, but keeping the nobles from spreading the rumours will only make them worse.” he then paused, and threw an awkward glance at the door. “Actually... I might just expect them to quit talking about a pregnant fiancée and start talking about how I like to ravish you in storage rooms after lunch today.” he said with a hint of dismay in his voice. To his surprise, Inyat chuckled.
“I made sure no one saw us enter this room.” he clarified softly. Joshua nodded, with a small thankful sigh.
“I'm glad they still think the word wizard describes males and females. I hope I will be happily locked away in my rooms with my husband by the time they realize their crown prince has married another male.” Inyat blinked in confusion for a while, before sighing.
“I forget how humans know nothing about us wizards... A witch could never give you heirs. Only a wizard could.” the wizard said in a somewhat defeated tone of voice. Joshua couldn't help the confusion as he looked up into hazel eyes.
“Erm... I still don't understand this concept myself. Your society is very strange, Inyat.” he tried to maintain a diplomatic tone. The guard smiled gently - it struck him, for some reason, that his guard felt.... motherly. He always did.
“I beg to differ. Your society is far stranger than mine, my prince.” he said with a faint amused lilt.
“You would make a great mother.” he said softly before he could halt the thought. Before dismay could flood him, however, Inyat beamed down at him, only making his confusion mount.
“Mother is not the word you are looking for, but I understand. I would love to have a child of my own someday. But at the moment, my priority is to keep you out of trouble, your highness.” Joshua stared up at his guard until the older looked once more composed. He chuckled, then, and shook his head.
“You seem to be doing your job right, too, Inyat. Now, I wonder if we can leave this room without being seen?” the prince looked warily at the door.
“Of course. Just step outside, no one will notice you leaving the room as no one noticed you entering it.” Joshua looked askance at his guard. “It's a spell.” he nodded at the simple, and at the same time complicated explanation. Then, taking a deep breath to ground himself, he opened the door and left. His guard followed behind him, it took some slower steps until he managed to keep the guard walking by his side once again.
They once more walked in silence, but now Joshua was braced enough to keep from reacting to the outraging rumours. They were born from the sudden announcement of his marriage - which, he thought with a frown, his father had handled very badly. The king had been arranging his marriage with a prince of the witch kingdom for over a year now, after he had ashamedly admitted to his father he had no interest in women.
He was happy now that he had the courage - marrying a strange man was a far better concept than marrying a strange woman. He could now, at least, entertain the thought that having heirs wouldn't only be a duty, but could also be a pleasure, even though he still had no idea why the witch society was so completely different. He didn't doubt it, however, when he saw Inyat and Onashira interacting with each other. He acted like a young lady, and she acted like a powerful lord when they were near each other - it still caught him out of guard sometimes how strange they both were, the only witches who lived in the castle.
Even though the marriage contract took over an year to conclude, the witch Queen had requested the princes get married right away for some reason. Instead of trying to talk sense into her, his father had simply agreed and announced his marriage was to take place in two weeks.
That was two weeks ago now, and Joshua had heard all sorts of rumours as to why the marriage was so rushed, to the point of even skipping an engagement. The pregnancy rumour was the most baffling, closely followed by the rumour the crown prince was being forced to marry to keep from sleeping around with every male in the castle. Sometimes Joshua wondered if those fools truly understood that he would one day be their king, and they should be trying to win his favour instead of staining his name for idle entertainment.
He stopped walking, keeping his surprise hidden when a hand once more touched his shoulder. It quickly left, however, and he looked ahead to realize they had already reached the ballroom. Joshua looked back at his guard nervously, and only now realized the tender look he got from the wizard, even as his face remained impassive. Feeling encouraged, he strode forward. It was time, soon enough he would meet his fiancé, and by this time tomorrow, this man would be his husband. He could barely ignore the butterflies in his stomach as he walked towards the centre of the room.
The great ballroom stood empty but for a few chosen guards and nobles that raptly watched the royal family in the centre. There was a raised dais on one of the room's end where the king, queen and crown prince usually stood, but at this time, for diplomacy, they chose to stand on the lower floor instead.
His father, King Johannes, stood tall and proud not far from him, the opulent ceremonial clothes lending his girth almost double of its normal size. He had brown hair like his, but much darker than his light brown tone, his skin had a permanent look of a healthy light tan despite his inability to stay under the sunlight for long before his duties called his attention.
Queen Morganna stood proudly by his side, her smaller height not subtracting any from the authority her slim form commanded. Her dark hair seemed black while she walked within the confines of the castle walls, and her brown eyes had darker and lighter spots that matched his father's eyes. His mother's skin was paler than his father's, but it was nowhere as pale as his own. If anything, Joshua looked like a washed out version of the royal couple. He liked to keep his hair long, too (to give him some colour, he would say), and it currently fell down by his tight - longer than his mother kept hers.
His mother smiled as he stepped within her range, and she reached out to brush away a lock of hair that had escaped the confines of his crown. She took him by his shoulders as she ran her eyes over his form - he was three inches shorter than her, much to his dismay - and seemed pleased with what she saw. He held his breath as she nodded at him to take his place, but lightly cringed when she changed her mind.
“Joshua, my son, are those gloves?” she asked lightly, but he could hear the authority behind her voice. He looked back towards her with the guilty look only his mother ever managed to extract from him. “I remember telling you not to wear gloves when meeting with your soon to be husband.” she admonished, holding her hands out with a silent order for him to do the same.
“They are my ceremonial gloves, mother, I'm sure no one will mind.” he replied with the strongest tone he was capable of pulling, wishing he had his guard's tenor voice. The queen gave him a pointed look, and barely managing to hold back a pout he held his hands towards hers with a defeated look.
“I have explained before, today is the first day you will be meeting.” She said patiently as she quickly took out his gloves, disappearing with them in one of the many folds of her dress. “You will be marrying tomorrow, so you should both make the most of today to learn more about each other.” she paused and then winked, and Joshua braced himself for the next comment. “I am sure he will be delighted to feel the softness of your skin when he attempts to hold your hand.” she said in a conspirational whisper, and the prince felt heat rise to his cheeks despite the forewarning.
He looked down at his uncovered hands in a vain attempt to hide his blush from his mother, and frowned at them. The blue lines that held his blood criss-crossed under his pale skin - the reason why he never left his rooms without gloves. He looked back up at his mother with pleading eyes, but she was having none of it. She patted his hands, then gently pushed him away towards the other side of the king, who was watching them with nothing short of amusement. They were enjoying this far too much, Joshua thought as he fought down his embarrassment.
“Don't forget to praise the colour of his eyes once you reach the gardens; if he excuses himself for his rooms, kiss his hand in goodbye if you cannot reach his forehead.” Joshua tried to stand as tall and proud as his small frame allowed him to, but his father's conspirational whispers made him want nothing more than to run into a corner and hide. His father and mother had taken it upon themselves to teach him courting techniques in the last two weeks - both male and female ones much to his dismay - and he had made sure to keep away from their presence as often as he possibly could. He wondered faintly if his parents had gone through this before their own marriage, since they seemed so delighted in his embarrassment.
“Don't worry, your highness, your blush isn't showing so much.” he silently thanked Inyat with a nod for the whispered information, and felt somewhat taller now that he was sure his face showed no weakness. He felt more than saw the Royal wizard take her place by his side, not only because the spot to his right side was suddenly filled but also because he heard his guard shifting uncomfortably for a moment behind him. They stood at attention for about five minutes before light started to fill the room, originating from the floor right in front of them.
He successfully hid his surprise as a cube of air took the density of water for a moment, changing it's colour to a pale turquoise, before resuming it's normal colour and density. The witch Royal Family stood on that spot once the air was once again looking normal, and he silently thanked Inyat for the awe inspiring shows or magic he gave him after he heard he was to marry a wizard. Otherwise he knew he would be unable to keep the awe away from his features at the moment.
Their Royal wizard stepped forward at once, as did a man from the other group that looked much as if he could be one of his father's cousins. Joshua was almost certain he was no wizard, because his hair was a solid colour. All other wizards he ever met always had streaks of lighter hair mixed with the darker colour, including the ones he was first seeing at that moment. They both exchanged pleasantries, before the man bowed towards them, and announced with a clear voice the reason for the presence of the witch Royal Family, before introducing each of the members.
Queen Orrai Gemini was the first introduced. She had a severe expression to her face, and held herself as if she was queen to the whole world. Joshua unconsciously attempted to stand even taller, but his full height was at her elbows line. She could be their Royal wizard's twin, with her red hair with pink streaks and her cold blue eyes. Except her hair, straight down to her shoulders, was not bushy, and although they both had their forms more filled than the average woman, even Onashira's height only came to the queen's shoulder.
Their King, Iphakt, was as tall as the queen's eye line and, shockingly, could also be the queen's twin. Not only his hair and eyes were like the queen's (although the colour on his own held much more warmth and a strange golden hue to them), but also the bone structure of his face and shoulders. They both had lightly tanned skins, but his face had a healthy flush that hers hadn't.
High prince Iva was the next to be introduced, which Joshua took to be the same as 'crown prince'. Except, he looked nothing like the king nor the queen. His skin was of an exquisite dark olive colour Joshua had never seen before, and his hair was black with streaks of deep blue. His eyes were dark red, and his face was also severe, but somehow he could feel as if his edges were smoothed, and the man's posture didn't make him feel defensive. He was as tall as his father - shorter than the witch royal couple - and he was a bit filled out as well, although nowhere near the queen.
Joshua couldn't keep his surprise from his face as the crown princess and prince were introduced next, since he had assumed the High Prince to have that role, and just how could two royal siblings be named as the future holders of the crown? She had a deep red hair with lighter red streaks, and stood as tall as his father as well. Okaid had a somewhat darker tan to her skin, although nowhere near Iva, and her bone structure and severe look were just like the High Prince's own. Inath had pale blue hair with streaks which almost looked white, but otherwise he seemed to be the exact image of King Iphakt.
Next, and last, to be introduced was his fiancé, Prince Imira. He was shorter than the rest of his family - much to Joshua's relief - although he was much taller than himself. With a quick calculation, Joshua supposed his own head would come up just short of his shoulders - he was almost the same height as Inyat. He was slim, but slight filled out on the cheeks, and had the same grace and warmth to his posture as the king had. He felt his face warm up as their eyes met, but didn't look away as he continued to appraise the taller prince.
His eyes were red, a few hues lighter than the High Prince's, and the golden hue that glinted in them was unmistakable, unlike the King's. His chin-length hair was a deep sea blue, and the streaks were also a somewhat darker blue, although much paler than the rest of his hair, and the contrast seemed to work well. His skin had a medium tan to it and Joshua couldn't help but notice he wasn't wearing gloves, either. A witch behind him, which hadn't been introduced, seemed to lean over and whisper something by his ear. A warm smile crossed his lips, and his eyes seemed to twinkle with mirth at the words whispered. He wondered what was being said when the witch sent a discreet sign his way.
“Don't be startled, this is a tradition of our people.” the low whisper was all the warning he got before the sleeve of his shirt was gently pulled up to show his arm up to his elbow. Joshua paled, and it took all his self control not to turn on Inyat and demand what he was doing.
All thoughts flew from his mind, however, when the girl behind Imira did the same, and discreetly lifted the foreign Prince's right sleeve up to his elbow. The creamy hue of the skin under his arm denounced he spent many hours in the sun to get his tan, and there were runes delicately drawn near his wrists, of which meanings Joshua didn't know. What surprised him speechless, though, was that the skin around his elbow looked, instead, like a lizard's scales; except, they were of a deep bluish-lilac colour and had the appearance of precious stones -like really dark amethysts. Joshua was stunned, and had to blink twice when the cloth once again covered the prince's arm. He felt a breath near his ear before he heard Inyat again.
“The runes in his wrist mean he excels in earth and spirit magics, he is a good healer, and also that his magic powers are above average.” he heard the whisper, and couldn't keep a light frown from his face. He felt somewhat slighted that he had nothing in his arm to show the other except for his unseemingly dark veins. He looked up at the prince's face to see that a blush and a grin were being directed at him, and the girl behind him seemed somewhat over excited. He stared in confusion, but the explanation soon came in another whisper. “I wrote on your wrist that you excelled as a scholar and as a diplomat,” he paused for a moment, “and that you were a virgin.”
Joshua felt heat flood his face, and didn't hold himself back as he took a step back and stepped on his guard's foot. Hard. He heard a muffled squeal from behind him and resumed his pose as a proud and powerful king, even as he watched his fiancé shoot him an overly amused glance, and the witch behind him struggle not to laugh.
Returning his attention to his father, he realized that not only had his family already been introduced, but that his mother and their High Prince were exchanging words about what they hoped the marriage would bring their sons. Which meant he completely lost his father's and the queen's speech about what they hoped the marriage would bring their kingdom. He shot a discreet look at the queen to notice, startled, that the witch was very nearly outright scowling at him. Another whisper came to his aid.
“The arm showing tradition is held by commoners and minor nobles.” Inyat explained helpfully. “That's why I didn't explain to you before, but your fiancé's guard motioned for me to follow the tradition.” Joshua held back a sigh, wishing he knew that before so he could stop his guard. Getting on the bad side of his in-laws wasn't a good idea at all. Except, when he looked at the King, he was looking at him with a warm smile and an amused glint on his eyes. Once the High Prince finished his speech, he briefly smiled towards him as well, assuring him the animosity was only coming from the Queen. It then struck him - who was Imira's parents? Surely he couldn't have three of them, although he did look a bit like them all...
His mother placed a small pink amethyst (the colour of his eyes) on the prince's forehead to symbolise their engagement, and them the high prince came before him to do the same. He had to take off his crown so the wizard could place the ruby between his eyes. His hand was oddly gentle as he did so, and he felt a warm and comforting rush of air spreading through his body. A whisper from his guard told him the wizard had just cast a blessing spell upon him, but it barely registered as he watched the older wizard. For some reason, he could just tell he was Imira's father, and that Imira was a beloved son that made him proud. He idly wondered if the spell had something to do with it, once his mind was clear once more.
The nobles around them politely cheered over their engagement, and then, just as the witch Queen stepped forward, the King took his hand and Imira's, and gently pushed them towards the doors. He looked back with a slightly confused look.
“We should continue the preparations for your wedding tomorrow, why won't you take a stroll on the gardens? The day is positively lovely today.” the red haired man said with a gentle smile. Joshua was about to politely refuse, but the Queen beat him up to it.
“They are adults, they are beyond capable of taking the preparations in their own hands.” The witch said firmly, and the wizard king seemed to pale a little at some hidden threat in her eyes. The high prince stood between them both, obviously pushing them apart to take his position before laying a not-so-discreet arm around the king's waist.
“That's silly. Adult or not, no one should plan their own wedding - it just spoils the thrill of the surprise.” the wizard, Iva, said firmly, and he could also hear an unidentified tone hidden in his voice. He and the queen exchanged seemingly blank looks, before his own mother stepped forward.
“They are both right, of course. The day is lovely, and five adults are more than enough to finish the preparations for tomorrow.” She smiled sweetly at him, and he could tell she was not oblivious to the strange air, either. He nodded, bowing to his father and mother, then to the other royal family, before exiting the room.
His fiancé was right behind Inyat and himself, with the witch skipping behind him. Now that she wasn't overshadowed by the taller prince, he could see her curly hair shone the same hue as copper, the streaks breaking the hair's main colour looked like pale gold. She was just a little darker than he was, and the vivid green eyes seemed to be specially bright framed by the lighter hair and the pale tone of her skin.
“This is Inyat, my Royal Guard.” he introduced his silent companion as they stopped a few corridors away from the ballroom. He saw Inyat bow to them both, before murmuring something in a language he didn't understand.
“This is Onath. I suppose she is my guard, too, in a way.” Imira said after a moment of contemplation. The witch grinned in a way Joshua could only call malicious, but before she could say anything, a hand was almost slapped to her mouth. “Don't.” the prince finished, throwing her a glare. Joshua stared, never before had he seen a man act in such a violent manner towards a woman... erm, witch.
“Whaat? I was just going to say how happy I am to make their acquaintance.” the girl replied with a innocent smile, before turning toward the bewildered human prince. “Nice to meet you.” she made a show of bowing to him, before turning on Inyat and falling to one knee. “Never before have I seen a wizard with such beautiful jewels hidden in his eyes.” she said solemnly as Joshua gawked. The witch took his guard's hand gently and laid a kiss in his wrist. He never saw his usually composed guard such a dark shade of red before.
“T-Thank you, my lady.” Inyat stuttered faintly, otherwise frozen in place. Joshua didn't know what to do, either. It was the first time he crossed paths with a woman that bold. Imira didn't seem shocked, he just crossed his arms and pouted.
“I should be courting my future husband, and not watching you court his guard.” he mumbled loud enough for the small group to hear. The witch stood and shrugged at him, not letting go of Inyat's hand.
“Not my fault you are so slow and inexperienced. If I waited for you, this precious bird could take flight from my sight.” she turned to his guard and grinned. “Brilliant idea you had, by the way, Nyat. I should have signed on Mira that he is virgin, too.” Joshua was beyond bewildered by now, wondering if he was having a very strange dream. Imira was blushing to the roots of his hair.
“I'm not! Besides, I don't see why that matters at any rate.” he nervously crossed his arms. “I should have brought one of my brothers instead of you.” he finished, somewhat sulkily. The witch flashed him a smile.
“You say that as if your mother would allow you to do it.” she brushed him off, before turning back to Inyat, smiling apologetically. “Please don't hear this as treason, but our queen is somewhat old fashioned.” Imira snorted at that. Joshua tried to say something to get the conversation back within his control, but words eluded him. Onath seemed to notice. “You know, you are very poor at courting. You have managed to completely alienate your fiancé. You could never get a wife on your own this way.” she said pointedly towards Imira. He spluttered for a moment, before regaining most of his composure, but still blushing.
“Please forgive me, prince Joshua. My friend often throws me off my guard.” he bowed his head and gripped his hands over his lap, his posture suddenly submissive. Joshua was so shocked at that point that he didn't even bother hiding the look from his face.
“It's... quite alright, Imira. I am unsure what I should do myself.” he replied with a shrug. That got him a weird look from his fiancé for a moment, before he paled and shrunk even more in on himself, like some shy maiden after getting reprimanded. Onath stared at Joshua with a raised eyebrow, and he looked back, unsure of what he had said wrong. Inyat chuckled.
“It's not like this, Prince Mira. Now that I think about it, I don't think Lady Onashira ever explained to him descriptive names... He calls me Inyat all the time, but he has never slighted me.” he said softly, smiling at the other prince. Joshua felt like the conversation was starting to slip away from him again. Imira looked something between relieved and ashamed.
“Descriptive names are supposed to be used only when you introduce someone, or when you write down their name.” Onath took it upon herself to explain. She laid another kiss on his guards palm, before letting go of his hand and turning her full attention to Joshua. “If you use them otherwise, it usually means you are either diminishing them for being male, or showing them undue respect for being female.” she finished with an raised eyebrow. The human prince felt proud when he managed to cut back his confused reaction - he was finally in control of himself again. Instead, he just motioned for her to continue. The witch looked amused.
“Basically, when you introduce someone, you attach 'I' or 'O' before their name, depending on their sex. The system was created because all of our names can be used by either, but somewhere along the line people started abusing it.” Then, she grinned. “Just drop the first 'I' or 'O' and you will be safe. Of course, since I'm special,” she winked, and Joshua offered a somewhat indulgent smile, “my name is a special case. Even though one would introduce me 'Onath', my name is Elnath.”
“I see. No one has ever explained this to me before.” and after he heard it, he felt somewhat ashamed that he never realized his guard was uncomfortable with the way he called him. “Now it makes sense why the names of all wizards always start with the same vowels.” the unrestrained and hearty way that Elnath laughed took him by surprise again. That was another first. Women he met in general were ashamed of laughing. Except... He threw a suspicious glance at I-- no, Nyat, and Mira. Nyat was chuckling in a reserved manner, and Mira was attempting to drown his chuckle with a hand on his mouth. As if they were ashamed of laughing. A feeling of dread started to slowly fill his stomach.
“Why would someone be slighted for being male?” he asked Elnath as soon as her laughter quieted, afraid he had already guessed the answer. She grinned at him and raised an eyebrow.
“Would a woman be slighted for being female?” she replied right away, and Joshua didn't hide away his wince. His reflex response would be to say no, but after just a short while watching the three weird witches, and looking back on the interactions of... Nashira and Nyat, he couldn't help but think the answer was very likely yes.
“Now I think I know why Nashira hates so much when people call her 'woman'.” Joshua said in a defeated voice, and Elnath beamed at him.
“That's great that you do! Recognizing the problem is the first step onto becoming a better person.” the witch said with a cheerful nod, patting his back. He felt a blush rise to his face as once more his mind supplied how strange the girl was, except it shouldn't.
“I don't understand, tough, why our societies are so different in this point, when I have observed so many similarities otherwise.” he said with a sigh as he watched Mira and Nyat. They were apparently composing themselves still, Mira was watching him, and Nyat was watching Elnath.
“My mama studies the reason, she is a scholar at the court. Her grandmother was the witch liaison to your kingdom once - you call them Royal wizards I believe - and she passed down my family line quite a number of interesting stories.” Elnath sounded quite proud of her family line. Joshua smiled at her.
“I would love to talk with your mother about her research someday.” he said truthfully. Elnath beamed at him.
“I'm sure she would love to talk to you too, for inside view in the ways of humans. Your current liaison to our kingdom doesn't like her much.” she giggled a bit, and before anyone else could say something, she struck up the conversation again. “How old are you? I apologise for saying so, but you look like someone who has barely left childhood.” Joshua cringed, and squared his shoulders in an unconscious attempt to look taller. Mira stepped forward and pulled hard at one of her hair strands, to which she squealed and Joshua stared.
“I'm really sorry about Elnath, she has no shame.” Mira glared at his friend, but there was an air of teasing to their interaction.
“I will be twenty next month.” he replied in a defeated voice, to which the two wizards looked surprised.
“What a coincidence, me too! We should have our party on the same day.” Mira offered, but he sounded almost shy, it was obvious he was nowhere as comfortable with him as he was with the witch.
“I completed twenty-three four months ago.” she sounded somewhat smug, and Joshua understood why when he saw Mira discreetly pulling at her hair again. He saw a movement at his side and felt Nyat stand a step behind him, completely composed now. Elnath threw him a strange look. “How old is my beauty?” she asked none too discreetly, and Nyat shifted again so Joshua was somewhat between the witch and himself, to the prince's amusement.
“Twenty-five.” he was short to keep his voice composed, but Joshua could notice it was a few pitches higher than his normal. He was mildly surprised, although Nyat looked young, he never expected him to be so young. His brother's guard was older than their father.
“Now that we all know we are older than the age of consent, let us go to the bedrooms. Ops, I mean, the gardens.” Elnath laughed merrily, as the two wizards blushed to the root of their hair. Joshua felt a blush across his face, himself, but he was far more amused than dismayed, like the other two seemed to be.