Coronation Day- Merlin and His 'Grandchildren'/Meet-Cute??? *Nope*, More Like 'Malchik Gay'...
♪For the first time in *FOREVER*,
There'll be MAGIC- *there'll be FUN*!
*For the first time in forever*,
I could be NOTICED BY SOMEONE...
And I know it is *TOTALLY CRAZY*
To dream *I'd find ROMANCE*,
But for *the FIRST* time in *FOREVER*,
-At least I've got *a chance*...!♪
'For the First Time in Forever', Disney's 'Frozen'
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
It had now been a fortnight (two weeks) since Tadashi had been saved from certain death in a possibly-accidental fire and had been magically transported to safety; though in ARENDELLE, NORWAY rather than his cozy cafe home in San Fransokyo with his loving caring perky aunt, sarcastic snarky *freakin' brilliant* warm-hearted younger brother, and their fat happy Japanese bobtail cat Mochi. Yet although he missed them and his best friends Fred, Aieko AKA Honey-Lemon, Go-Go ('Ethel' being her birth name), and David also now mainly known as 'Wasabi' *like CRAZY*, he well knew that with Callaghan on the loose and crafting back together the portal still usable to literally wreck/destroy Alistair Krei's life after his only daughter Abigail had lost her life during one his experiments, it would be NOWHERE NEAR safe to 'come back from the dead'- and even after that, more than likely. So for now, it was best for everyone he loved and cared for involved that he stay in Arendelle with his new friends...
(He hoped that one day he could make it up to Hiro *BIG-TIME*, after what the younger Cauc-Asian male had been through and was still mentally and emotionally suffering-!! He hoped that Baymax was also looking after Hiro since his 'otuoto's' pain would most definitely be at *the HIGHEST* rating on a scale of one to ten even with Aunt Cass's, Mochi's, Fred's, Honey-Lemon's, Go-Go's, and Wasabi's support...)
Hey- bright side! Not only did he get to meet an *actual fictional character or two* as well as end up in the house of a *GORGEOUS guy* who was as genuinely nice as could be for all of his previous home problems, but Tadashi also was able to be in *SEMI-familiar* territory, at least! -As in, since he'd lived above a cafe ever since he was eight and had often helped his aunt out when he became old enough, he was more than able to help out in the bakery where Hans Belmagio worked. Aunt Cass's orange rolls were *a BIG HIT* in Arendelle now as well as Hans' (and Pinocchio's) cinnamon cookies, almond cake drizzled with lemon glaze and sandwiched together with blackberry jam, an absolutely *freakin' DELICIOUS* chocolate cake that tasted like something Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket could have made together, the orange-and-chocolate cake (mostly *JUST orange*, as blood-oranges could be a bit hard to come by everyday), pistachio cookies, biscotti, and cannolli!
Tadashi had always been a friendly kind-hearted sort of person, so it was really no surprise when almost instantly the moment he was more centered in their fair kingdom, all the citizens of Arendelle loved-or-really-liked seeing him behind the counter of Tomally's Baked Goods as much as Hans or Fru Tomally herself. The kids especially liked him, because he was more than willing to offer a listening ear, fix a boy's or girl's broken toy, or help to patch one up if he or she had been hurt. It sweetly brought to mind for 'Nocchi how Zia Chiara had been regarded in Pariva when she was younger (so she and Zia Agata had told him a couple of times when they visited him and Hans in Norway) ...and also *PAINFULLY reminded him* of how HE had once been and *still should have been*; *COULD HAVE still been*, if he'd just been honest and forthright with Pinocchio from the start-!
Just like Hans, Tadashi was a *VERY GOOD older brother*. Had been since the age of five rather than later in life, but- meh! *Semantics*. Pinocchio hoped that 'Hiro' had known and still knew just HOW lucky and blessed he'd been to have someone like 'Dashi' in his life- especially right now, when it seemed as though his beloved 'nii-chan' (big brother in Japanese) had perished in the SFIT fire along with *that SNAKE-RAT* Professor Callaghan... How lucky and blessed he was to STILL have a *PROMINENT* *TRUSTWORTHY/HONEST parental figure* in his life, whether she was his aunt or mother...
*Surely*, he did; buried under grief or not. (*Psst*- hey, Tommaso!! *TAKE NOTES*!!!)
-But right now, Pinocchio Edward Seth Benjamin Belmagio pushed all of *THAT* unpleasantness/bittersweetness to the very back of his mind while getting dressed this morning, jumping out of bed with a smile on his face and twinkle in his eye the moment those big bright blue orbs fluttered open and were sleepily rubbed at. Because TODAY was Coronation Day! Crown Princess Elsa Frossen had turned twenty-one as of last December, and that meant she was old enough to be *OFFICIALLY crowned queen*! Which also meant *a ROYAL BALL*, later on...
Normally, 'commoners' weren't invited to attend balls- especially royal ones. But Pinocchio had quite accidentally struck lucky...
It was a kind of open secret that the late queen, Crown Princess, and Princess Anna had quite the sweet tooth- in particular, for *CHOCOLATE*. And so, in a flight of fancy/whimsy, the Crown Princess had apparently pulled a Willy Wonka and placed five golden tickets underneath the wrapping paper of five ordinary chocolate bars or inside a box of truffles- meaning that whomever opened these candy bars or boxes would be able to attend the royal Coronation Ball to be held later that evening after Elsa was crowned Queen. And *what do you know*??? Pinocchio had been one of those lucky five!!
Of course, the invitation itself had been written onto the Golden Ticket on one side (the other displaying a lovely portrait of the royal family back when King Agnarr and Queen Iduna were alive and the gates had still been open, the picture occupants smiling welcomingly under the cheery words printed in the beautiful shimmering colors of the Aurora Borealis 'CONGRATULATIONS!! *You're Invited*!!!'), and within it, it was written that same as with the famous chocolate factory of fiction, the lucky winners would be allowed to bring one or two members of their family with them, if not a family member and a good friend, or a couple of friends. Of course, 'Nocchi had chosen to invite Hans to go with him- and Tadashi, since they didn't want to leave their new friend and semi-charge-for-the-time-being all by himself after the coronation was over. The nerdy geek/dork that he was, whether he would have been invited to go himself or not, Tadashi had not only cheered for 'Nocchi a la Grandpa Joe, but also stridently sang 'I've Got a Golden Ticket' from 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' while dancing around the room with a laughing Pinocchio and Hans, who soon joined in the semi-famous cheery song of victory with him just because along with a chortling head-shaking Sebastian...!
(Pinocchio was SURE AND CERTAIN that Zia Chiara had taken pictures from her Wishing Star home *AND recorded* the whole thing, as family tends to at times like this. Not that he minded-)
He was usually pretty good with cleanliness, but this morning he made sure that there was *not one speck* of dirt, flour, dust, sugar, or baking power on his skin and that his washed, shampooed, and rinsed hair SQUEAKED when every last trace of hair-soap was gone. He brushed his teeth until they sparkled white like fresh-fallen snow a la Jack Frost, brushed and combed out every single tangle out of his thick now-flowing raven-black hair, and applied deodorant under his arms. Then he got dressed in a fine linen shirt of cheery sunshine-yellow and a pair of cotton emerald/forest-green semi-shorts embroidered with purple and gold Arendelle crocuses on the sides, pulled on a pair of heather-colored cotton socks, slid his feet into and tied a pair of richly-brown leather shoes nicely polished up for the occasion, pulled on a pair of fingerless white gloves, and shrugged on a black velveteen vest trimmed with silver before placing a blue-and-brown-braided white-feathered headband into his hair and fastening his 'trademark' necklace of a beautiful blue topaz butterfly hung on a near-matching thickish silk ribbon.
-*There*. All done! He wanted to look nice, but not outshine the bride- or *the QUEEN*, rather. Looks like he succeeded...
Tadashi and Hans had cleaned up pretty nicely even more than their usual, themselves. Hans had pulled out, dusted off, and laundered his old Prince outfit he'd been wearing the day he'd met Pinocchio consisting of navy blue trousers, a sapphire-blue long-sleeved shirt under an indigo vest and light grey-and-black blazer jacket with dark green Danish patterns on the sides, a magenta cravat-tie, and black boots, while Tadashi was sporting a nice new dark suit with a sea-green shirt underneath, a sky-blue tie, and an ember-colored newsboy cap in place of his usual baseball cap along with dark brown boots. -Neither elder male was able to take their eyes off of each other, Pinocchio noticed with a stifled giggle. And *no wonder*...!
He coughed slightly to get their attention.
"Oh! H-*Heh*! Sorry, 'Nocchi. *WOW*- *lookin' GOOD*, 'lillebror'!"
"'Hai'- you clean up *VERY nicely* when it comes to a special occasion, apparently!" a slightly flustered red-cheeked Tadashi agreed with a gushing shining-eyed Hans.
"'Grazie', Mr. 'Dashi- 'grazie', Hans!" 'Nocchi chirped. "And you both look awful handsome yourselves...!"
"WHO- *me*??? Aw, shucks; but thanks anyway, 'koneko-chan'. That's rather sweet of you to say-!"
Hans just smiled back his own thanks. But before he could open his mouth to suggest they get going, he was interrupted by someone cheerily knocking on the door and calling out in the same tone, "*Knock-knock- hello the house*! Anybody decent as well as here??"
-Well, THIS was a surprise! The other Golden Ticket winner and *HIS family* were apparently going to walk with the Belmagios and Tadashi instead of simply meeting them at the chapel or on the street...
"Just a minute please, Professor Emerys! Be right there!" Hans replied, noting with an inward chuckle himself now how Pinocchio's already-sparkling eyes lit up like fireflies and *shone like STARS* as his own already roseate cheeks flushed ever more happily-yet-shyly red and pink, his sunshine smile transforming into a shimmering colorful rainbow, he was beaming that luminously due to *whom was with 'Professor Emerys'*.
Sure enough, just after the front door had been opened and polite greetings and cordial compliments on one's formal attire were exchanged all around-
"Wotcher, 'Nocchi!" grinned formerly Prince-to-be-King of England Arthur Pendragon/now simply Arthur 'Artie'-or-'Wart' Richard Reitherman Emerys ward and orphaned grandson of Professor Merlin Karl Emerys, his own agate-brown eyes shining with excitement and happiness in his thin quietly-winsome face framed by a slightly messy mop of straw-blond hair.
"*'Ciao', Wart*!" Pinocchio beamed back as he rushed forward to embrace his best friend next to Hans and Sebastian, who more than eagerly (if a bit shyly) returned the tight warm hug.
"With the way things are going, in a couple of years or matter of months, we should probably expect *kissing* alongside!" the famous wizard-in-hiding Merlin chortled in Welsh in a playful warning tone to Hans and Tadashi under his breath, his dark eyes twinkling merrily Dumbledore-style behind his round gun-metal-framed glasses. Funny enough, today he was also *FURTHER in Dumbledore's style*, given that for Crown Princess Elsa's coronation and the ball later on he was wearing an exact copy of his flamboyantly-cut plum-purple velvet 'Muggle' suit with his wizard high-heeled buckled boots, though he had slightly trimmed his long white beard and his just-as-white hair was much shorter already. He looked quite dashing for an older gentleman, though, rather than anything close to ridiculous.
%"*Oh, no*,"% Hans and Sebastian playfully groaned alongside Wart's long-lost twin sister former princess Eilonwy Susan Andrea Pendragon-Emerys, who was also looking quite lovely in a *BLUE-and-white* reproduction of Cinderella's mother's ballgown that her mice friends had kindly fixed up for her but that her cruel mean stepsisters had torn and ripped apart until it was nothing but rags and tatters, same for a white rose on the side replacing the little bow in Cinderella's ribbon-headband and *EILONWY'S bead necklace* being made of sunset-colored pearls. Her heeled slippers were still dark pink, though.
Wart, meanwhile, was clad in a vermilion-red suit with an orange shirt and butter-yellow ascot tie and dark brown boots. A slightly-blushing Pinocchio thought that the former to-be-king looked rather handsome... (Little did he know his bashful thoughts were being mirrored by a certain two-years-older awkward but friendly brown-eyed blond.)
"Y-You *look GREAT*, Wart!"
"Thanks, 'Nocchi! Yeah, well- you know, gotta make sure we all look OUR BEST for our queen-to-be's coronation, plus the ball! *Gosh and golly*, but I still *can't BELIEVE* we both got invited; two 'common' kids like us!"
"I know! It's- It's really somethin', isn't it?"
"Heh- sure is! -You look 'awful' nice too, by the way."
"Gr-'Grazie'..."
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
Hans and Tadashi said they were going to go for a quick ride on Sitron before it was Time- Merlin let them know that 'Nocchi-lad' would be in very good hands as always with himself and his adopted grandchildren. It was a LOVELY day to take a stroll alongside Arendelle's streets, anyhow; and especially on Coronation Day... (A pouting disgruntled Figaro and slightly ruffled disguised-as-a-cat Archimedes were 'sitting' one another at Merlin's, Wart's, and Eilonwy's house since they couldn't attend the ceremony or ball themselves.)
Snatches of conversation passed by their ears as they walked close together, admiring the many decorations in honor of their new queen.
"Why do I have to wear this??"
"Because the queen has *come of age*! It's Coronation Day!"
"That's not *MY fault*!"
"I can't believe they're *FINALLY opening the gates*!"
"*And for A WHOLE DAY*!! Ha-ha! *Faster*, Persi!"
"Oh, me sore eyes *can't WAIT* to see the queen and princess! I bet they're *absolutely LOVELY*!"
"I bet they are *BEAUTIFUL*...!"
"*Ahhhh*... ARENDELLE! *Our MOST MYSTERIOUS* trade partner! Open those gates so that I may UNLOCK YOUR SECRETS and *exploit your riches*! -Did I say that out loud?"
*THAT last* made Merlin and his charges angrily purse their lips and narrow their eyes, Eilonwy greatly wrestling back a strong urge to punch, kick, or knee the slimy little man who had uttered those *DISGUSTING words*. -Who unfortunately happened to be the Duke Tudyk of Westleton. Still, Merlin's long gnarled fingers were ITCHING for his wand in order to turn him into an actual weasel if not toad, goat, or cockroach after shouting or snapping out the proper spell...
Thankfully for the toupeed small thin mustached Duke with big round glasses flanked by bodyguards, all four of his would-be-assilants were distracted by-
"Hello, Princess! *How WONDERFUL* to see you outside the gates!"
"It is *so wonderful* to see you, Princess! It's been too long...!"
For Princess Anna Frossen, as bouncy, cheery, and sparkling as she had been as a young child, had *practically DANCED* into view while being happily and enthusiastically greeted by the citizens of her sister's kingdom, wearing a beautiful bright green rosemaled ballgown and with her long vibrant strawberry-blonde hair put up in a braided bun. Currently, she was laughing at something a fruit peddler had said as she paused to inspect the apples in his cart...
"This is *the PRETTIEST* GREENEST apple I've ever seen, sir! You must bring some up to the castle so Cook can use them in her pies!"
"Oh, Princess! You are *too kind*! I'll go straightaway! And here- take this apple *on ME*. Enjoy!"
"Thank you very much, kind sir!"
Where Crown Princess Elsa was said to be a recluse, *Princess ANNA* was ANYTHING BUT. Everywhere she went, she was stopped by one person or another- and each time, she greeted them with a warm beaming smile and a bit of conversation. Her sparkling blue-green eyes were lively, and when she laughed, you wanted to laugh with her, and often did. She was all energy and light- alive and vibrant...
And rather musical, apparently, since as she now raced towards the docks, Pinocchio and his 'amicoe' could just faintly hear her singing joyfully. Not loud enough to be obnoxious, but certainly not quiet. -And not unheard of, when it came to places like Arendelle, Corona, Pariva, or Villeneuve, to be perfectly honest.
~"I know *it all ends tomorrow*,
So it HAS TO be *TODAY*,
'Cause for the first time in forever-
*For the first time in forever*,
*NOTHING'S in my way*...!"~
"*SOMEONE'S happy* yet DESPERATE," Sebastian tutted in an almost-chuckle from Pinocchio's vest pocket.
"How 'd ya know??" Pinocchio queried of his 'outer conscience'.
"Just a gut feelin', 'Nocchi-lad. An' I wouldna really call it 'good'..."
Just then, there was a muffled '*THUMP*', a startled neigh, two males shouting in surprise, and a couple of shocked female cries. Pinocchio, Wart, Eilonwy, Merlin, and Sebastian all jerked their heads to see that Princess Anna had landed in a boat as a result of accidentally bumping into Sitron's chest and falling into the boat, which had almost tipped over and landed in the fjord wrongside-up but had been stopped from doing so via Sitron firmly placing his hoof into it and therefore keeping it upright. Hans and Tadashi were still riding on his back.
"*Hey*! Do you mind?!" exclaimed the much-startled ruffled princess while moving a stray piece of seaweed from out of her eyes, glaring up at the dashing white horse and his handlers.
"We're *so SORRY*, 'bomme' (miss)!" Hans stammered, backing Sitron up a bit. "A-Are you hurt?"
One good look at the former prince, and amazement and a WHOLE LOT of *INTEREST* replaced the shock and irritation in Princess Anna's widened-further teal eyes. A shy little smile began to blossom over her pretty rosy mouth as she flushed bright red and stammered while removing and flicking away the seaweed and sitting up, "Hey... Um, no. I'm, uh- I'm okay."
%"*Are you SURE*??"% asked Hans and Tadashi in tandem, jumping off of Sitron's back so that one of them could help the princess up back on her feet.
"Yeah, I wasn't just looking where I was going, but- *I'm GREAT*, actually," Princess Anna more-or-less clarified.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Hans sighed in relief. He held out his hand (still non-gloved; he'd been forced to wear gloves 24/7 in the Southern Isles, and now only did so when he HAD TO, like for certain chores), and the princess took it as she stood up. She was smiling shyly and blushing with an added sparkle to her eyes, clearly *SMITTEN* by the handsome charming stranger on a white horse...
'-*Oh*. Now I see what ya mean by "not-so-good gut feeling" when you called Princess Anna "happy yet desperate", 'Bastian...' Pinocchio swallowed, nervously biting his lower lip. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tadashi's smile and body stiffen just slightly observing Hans and Princess Anna together.
"Oh! Uh- Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."
WAIT. *Waitwaitwait*. *Why THE HECK* had his brother introduced himself like that???!!
"Well, *FORMER prince*, that is. I'm- I'm just simply 'Hans Belmagio the baker' now."
...Ooookay. Maybe since he had been greeting royalty after three years of not doing so, he'd just fallen into a similar pattern... Understandable, he guessed (he wouldn't know).
"And this is-,"
But Hans was interrupted via Princess Anna remembering her manners and regaining her composure as she dropped a small curtsy. "Hi, Hans of the Southern Isles! Princess Anna of Arendelle."
Of course, how else could Hans respond to that other than a respectful "*Princess*??? My lady...!" complete with a deep bow and knee-bend?
'Huh- Neither Hans nor Mr. 'Dashi must've known the lady they accidentally bumped into and almost sent flying into the fjord was one of Arendelle's princesses.'
Dear Sitron attempted his own horsey version of a bow, but since his hoof was still planted in the rowboat, it began to tip backward again, sending Hans tumbling into Anna since he too hand been standing on the boat now. *Whoops*!
Hans was clearly flustered and embarrassed, but Princess Anna seemed *charmed and delighted* as well as flustered and abashed. "Hi, again-!"
Sitron realized what he had done and slammed his hoof back down. The boat snapped back, sending Hans flying backward and Princess Anna flying forward. Merlin and Wart coughed, Eilonwy snickered, Tadashi choked out a strangled shocked sound, and Pinocchio squeaked, all five of them plus a hidden Sebastian turning bright red and hot in the face alongside Hans, who was now lying *UNDER Princess Anna* rather than catching her in his arms.
(Pinocchio's cheeks resembled nothing less than ripe apples by now, and poor Wart practically matched his coronation outfit.)
"*Oh, boy*..."
"Well, *THIS is*- awkward! Not *YOU'RE awkward*, but just because we're- *I'm* awkward. You're *GORGEOUS*! -*Wait. What???*"
True on both accounts, though Hans *COULD be* rather awkward and dorky himself, and Princess Anna was actually awful pretty.
"I'd like to formally apologize for hitting the princess of Arendelle with my horse, -and for every moment after."
'WOW and *awww*... That's *ESPECIALLY courteous* considering he's actually one of her sister's citizens! Color me *FURTHER impressed* alongside secondhandedly embarrassed- oh, geez, I've *got it SO BAD* for him...!'
Clearly, Princess Anna was flattered, but she was doing her best to not make a big deal out of it in her own awkward way; which garnered Hans' friends and family's opinion of her up a few notches. "No, no- *it's FINE*! It's fine- I'm not *THAT princess*! I mean, if you hit *my sister Elsa*, it would be '*YEESH*!!'- 'cause, you know- Hello!" she added to Sitron, giving him a few friendly forgiving chin-scratches, which he much enjoyed.
'Okay- admittedly, another point for her. She's nice to 'n likes animals; probably doesn't even mind *insects* that much, so wouldn't scream at or try to squoosh Sebastian... That doesn't mean I want her *gettin' any ideas* where HANS is concerned, though; 'm sorry, Your Highness, but *he's TAKEN*, even if it's not anywhere near official yet-!'
"But- But *lucky you*, it's *just ME*," she chuckled coyly with a small shrug.
"'JUST *you*'??" Hans repeated with a small smile and eyebrow raise.
Princess Anna hum-giggled and nodded, looking like the happiest girl on Earth. Pinocchio's stomach twisted uncomfortably when he heard her breathe a small happy sigh- then his heart beat loudly in relief when the castle bells rang, announcing that it was Time.
"*The bells*- *the CORONATION*!" Princess Anna realized herself, FINALLY mostly jerking herself away from Hans' hazel-green eyes. "I better go! I have to- *whoop*! I better go! Uh- 'bye!"
She waved at Hans, and then sprinted to the castle along with the others.
Pinocchio, Hans, Tadashi, and the Emerys family soon followed after, 'Little Woodenhead' worriedly thinking about what Hans' accidental knee-jerk slip of the tongue would lead to where Princess Anna was concerned. In the musical words of Bonejangles from Tim Burton's 'Corpse Bride', 'He was plenty good-lookin', had lots of panache- but it seems the young fella was *down on his cash*... Well, money or not, our girl was HEAD-OVER-HEELS; and our poor little baby, *she fell HARD AND FAST*...!'
Hans was a *FORMER prince*- but would Princess Anna pay any attention to that detail, or simply hear what she wanted/longed to hear???