The Heinous Prodigies Book One: The Lost Dreamer

Chapter 9: Civil Formalities (Part 2)

“This dress is making me itch,” she mumbled. She scratched her arm rapidly, clawing, making her skin turn red. The dress was clearly made for a peasant girl. The low quality of stitching and cloth made it clear. The bodice was dark-blue and had buttons at the center. The long-sleeves of the shirt were tight in the wrists and loose at the limbs. The skirt was also dark-blue and flowed till the ground, hiding her boots. The prince bought a cape from the shop for her. She accepted it but decided not to wear it as they crossed the streets of his serene kingdom. She wasn’t bold enough to wear a cape, living to tell the tale to Alex. He’d surely laugh at her.

The prince hid his face carefully so as to not draw any unnecessary attention. It was understood that the simple mention of the prince’s name would cause uproars. He was adored by his subjects. He was restricted by the king from visiting public area’s without breaking the crowd into a riot. Eden felt sorry for him.

The city was adorned with flowers and banners to celebrate an occasion, the prince’s birthday, a couple of days from now. Everybody seemed busy with gathering food for the feast, picking the right accessories from the stalls, and gossiping about the residents of Castle Vesper, the palace of the West Elves. The people around town had the same pointed ears as their prince. They wore the same medieval clothes and chattered among the streets.

“Then bear with it,” Will replied. Eden envied him. At least, he wasn’t wearing itchy clothes. His dress added to his face was causing the whispers and murmurs of the crowd. The girls giggled hysterically as the three passed them. Eden mimicked their voices and rolled her eyes. Will smirked jeeringly at her.

“Here.” She handed him her cape. “Hide your face. You’re grabbing more interest than you should,” she contorted.

“It’s a cape. It doesn’t have a hood.”

“You’re smart enough to improvise.”

His smirk widened. “It’s not my fault I was born handsome.” He winked at a couple of girls, making them jump and cry like fangirls in the presence of their idol.

“Alright, alright, we all know you’re ‘handsome’ but that doesn’t mean that you have to boast.”

He raised his head defiantly. “Don’t you know that accepting that God gave you this certain gift is a sign of being humble?” He argued.

“You’re either mad or…” She paused. “Mad.” She sighed “Why are men so conceited?” She muttered.

“And why are women always such naggers?” Will bit back.

Eden almost retorted again when the prince came over to them. “May you tell Sir Sage to hide his face to remove the attraction of the crowd?” He requested half-urgently and half-calmly. “It will cause a disturbance if they find out who he is with.”

“I'm sorry, Prince,” she apologized and shot Will a fierce look.

The prince’s mouth quivered, trying hard not to form a smile. “You can call me Ariance when we’re alone. I’ve never had anyone call me by my given name other than the King,” replied he furtively.

Eden grinned warmly at him. “As you wish, Ariance.”

He smiled back when she did. He walked faster, leaving her behind with an incompetent Will. She wore the cape over him. “The Prince told me to put it on you.  I told you, you were attracting too much attention,” she pointed out.

He looked at the stalls selling food and accessories. “He did now, did he?” He was about to pick up an apple from a fruit stall when she dragged him by the collar and paced after the prince.