Part. 1 — 3. The royal parade
“Hurry up! We’re going to be late to the parade!” A blond haired woman said to her army of children that came running down the stairs. They weren’t well off, but for an occasion such as this, they all had bathed (which was very unusual— they would only bath once a week), and they were all wearing their nicest clothes. They all had fresh flowers in their hair in honour of Phobos. They were all restless and excited. Royal parades were rare, and some had never seen one before and might not see another one before they left this Earth. As all the kids were walking out of the house, their little sibling was staying behind, nervously holding a crown of flowers.
“Come on my little bubble, join your sisters and brothers.” Her mother told her softly, but the little girl refused to move, staring at the crown she was holding.
“What if the prince doesn’t like my gift?” The little girl said in a quiet, anxious tone. Her mother crouched in front of her, holding her hands in hers.
“Oh bubbles, I’m sure he’ll love it. Your crown is absolutely lovely.” She assured with a smile. She remembered being about her daughter’s age when the Queen and King had gotten married, and how anxious she had been about the gift she would give them. Contrary to Asteria where the wedding stayed a royal business, in Phobos it was traditional that following the royal ceremony the newly weds would visit their new subjects. They were showing themselves to their people in the royal parade, and it was a way to create a link with their subjects. It also allowed everyone in the kingdom to partake in the wedding, no matter their social status. During this parade, people were allowed to give gifts to the royal couple. The more the gifts the couple received, the better it was— it meant that the union was accepted by the people. When Euphemia and Fleamont had been married, they had quite literally been drowned in gifts.
“Mum! They’re here!” One of the kid shouted from outside the little house. The woman looked at her daughter and smiled at her. “Come on bubbles. Let’s give the prince your beautiful crown.” Reassured, the little girl nodded and followed her mother outside.
In the streets, everyone had gathered to get a chance to look at the princes. On the floor, flowers had been placed everywhere for them to walk on, and music was playing in their name. As if the people were one, their heart beat in unison and excitement passed through them. One could know where the princes were based on the sound of cheering.
As they saw the royal couple, many agreed that they looked like gods. While James had been dressed in warm burgundy colours, Regulus was wearing night blue attires. Gold had been smeared on James’s eyes, for Regulus’s eyes silver had been picked. They looked like the sun and the moon. With the ribbon still linking them, they walked as one, and if some had been a bit hesitant about welcoming an Asterian prince on their land, this display impressed them.
When the couple finally arrived near their house, the little girl stepped forward so they would notice her. She was still nervous about the prince rejecting her gift, but she had taken so long to create her crown that she couldn’t back down now. Timidly, she presented the crown to Regulus. “This is for you, my Prince.” She said in a small voice.
Most of the gifts had been for James. Even if the people seemed to accept their union and Regulus as the new heir to the throne, they were still mostly wary about him and he hadn’t really been given any gift. By his side, he could almost feel James’s pride at this favouritism, but it hadn’t really bothered him. This was one of Phobos’s tradition he didn’t understand. This parade was ridiculous and a waste of time— they didn’t need the approval of their people: their union had already been decided by the Elders and High Priestesses. Even if the people were against their union, it wouldn’t matter, nor would it change anything. What did these people understand about politics? Regulus was especially moody about the weather. How could anyone live in such a hot environment? He had never thought there would come a time where he would want to go back to the apartments he shared with James, but ever since they had stepped a foot outside Regulus longed for the cooler room.
He looked down at the little girl that stood before him. In Asteria, she would have been executed for daring to speak directly to the Prince. The crown she was holding was not suitable for a prince— it was childish and almost an insult to his royal status. Around them, people were watching the scene unfold, unsure how the Ice Prince would react. James was waiting for Regulus to make a fool of himself, and Regulus could feel the energy radiating off of him. Instead, Regulus slowly bowed to the little girl. She looked up at her mother, her eyes bright with excitement, wanting to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Delicately, she placed the crown on his head, her face flushed with pride. The prince had more than just accepted her crown, he was wearing it! He stood up and she moved away to let him continue his walk, looking at him with clear adoration. Briefly, James looked at him with an unreadable expression before he resumed their walk.
From that moment on, people relaxed and were more prone to accept and cheer for Regulus. Gradually, people’s opinion on Regulus was changing— the horrific stories they had heard about him had surely been exaggerated. How could he really be as merciless as the stories told when he had bowed to a little girl? After all, they hadn’t seen him freeze that village, so perhaps it hadn’t happened like this. Perhaps, he hadn’t froze that village, but simply cool it. Yes, that sounded more like it. And maybe the people had done something to deserve it.
Needless to say James wasn’t happy about this new turn of events. He had expected the royal parade to be an absolute catastrophe. He had waited for this moment to humiliate Regulus, but instead he had gained popularity. He had hoped people would be throwing rotten vegetables at Regulus, but now they were cheering for him and James absolutely hated it. A couple of bushes might have caught on fire during the parade.
The royal parade always ended at Phobos’s temple. There, the royal couple were alone so they could present themselves to the god and give him an offering. By now, James was fuming and had poor control over his body temperature. Again, Regulus had the feeling of directly touching the sun, and although it was highly uncomfortable, knowing that James was deeply upset was enough to make it bearable. This was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
“Are you jealous of my crown? No one cared enough to make you one.” Regulus couldn’t help but poke at James. This was just too good to let go. And apparently, he was right— at once, all the candles in the temple were lit up, burning brightly. Did James not realize that by reacting like this, he was making it even sweeter for Regulus?
“You look ridiculous.” James snapped. Regulus sneered at him. He was so jealous.
“And you don’t have a crown.” James glared at him, and it seemed the candles burned brighter in the temple.
They had brought a case of gold jewellery and a candle as an offering. In the middle of the temple stood a statue of the god, and at its foot were placed the offerings. They stepped closer and placed the box of jewellery amongst the other offerings. They then took the candle and lit it together. As soon as they did, the other candles of the temple stopped burning, only leaving that one candle to light up the entire temple. Regulus wasn’t sure why James had decided to do this, but it was making him uncomfortable. The atmosphere in the temple changed, and for the first time since he had gotten to Phobos, Regulus could feel a chill breeze against his skin. Something was strange, something Regulus couldn’t put his finger on. It was ridiculous to think so, but he felt like they weren’t alone. Someone, or something was watching them, and if it weren’t for the ribbon that were trapping them together, he would have bolted out of the temple. The breeze became warmer, but contrary to the hot wind outside, it wasn’t overpowering and it was actually comforting. Regulus couldn’t explain it, but it was like a familiar touch against his skin. It was as if he had found his other half after years of looking and searching the Earth. The relief and love he suddenly felt quickly became overwhelming and brought tears to his eyes. At last, they were reunited again. Many things had changed since they had last met, but perhaps they would finally be together—
“We should go.” James’s voice snapped him back to reality. For a moment, Regulus had been gone. He wasn’t sure where he had been, but he knew that he had left this realm for another filled with memories and longing. He wasn’t sure if being with James was better, but at least he knew the rules of this realm.