Knights in Shining Armor (And Princes in Love)

xii

Tretho was a nation that had always been grand in its existence, widespread and magnificent. It appeared even more grandiose with the Crowning Ceremony taking place.

Cirthe looked up to the giant palace ground gates before her, decorated now with all sorts of flowers and ribbons. She had always felt tiny before these gates when she was young and had just stepped foot in Tretho as an orphan and though she had now grown quite a bit, that feeling of smallness didn't truly go away. But she was no longer weak and naive. Cirthe felt she had matured and grown a lot more over the past few days discovering several things. Or perhaps it was merely the shock of it all.

"Got you here just in time, didn't I?" the now familiar voice chirped from her side.

Cirthe rolled her eyes at the silver haired Mage and started towards the servant quarters where Greta and the others waited, "Lady Esther, I hope you're not expecting me to offer you some form of gratitude when you're the very reason we almost didn't make it to the palace grounds in time."

Esther tutted, "Now, now, let's not fret over small details. I thought you were supposed to be dressed up before the ceremony began?"

Cirthe sighed, "I'll get an earful from Greta, I hope this weighs on your mind."

"It absolutely will not," Esther grinned before waving her off to head to the other direction, "Good luck with your dress! I shall see you later, Cirthe."

"It's Knight Cirthe to you," she muttered but the Mage was already hopping away. 

Time to deal with Greta and her dress.

------

"You look wonderful, Your Highness."

Veran grinned at his assistant as the young tailor double checked the royal brooch over his robes one final time before stepping away.

"Adler, you sure have a way with words."

"I speak the truth and only the truth, Your Highness," Adler bowed his head cheekily.

"Yes, yes, I'm well aware of your honest nature," the Prince replied with a laugh, "Your jolly mood has nothing to do with your promotion from assistant of a Prince to the assistant of the next King to be." 

Said assistant chose to feign ignorance and turned to the other servants in waiting, likely double checking on all things a final time.

"It's time, Your Highness."

Veran took one final look at himself in the tall mirror in the dressing room. The robes adorning his body were a rich shade of black in color with the darkest shade of red threads carving details on the edges of the sleeves and lapels. The thick but soft cape that was clipped on to his shoulders was a shimmery black as well though he knew it would be soon replaced by another one as part of the ceremony. The traditions were nothing if not a touch dramatic in that sense. 

"It is time, indeed," he muttered to his reflection before turning to the set of door that led outside.

-------

The main hall was already crowded and noisy by the time Cirthe made it there after Greta was done with her. Men and women of noble families she could recognize mingled with some unfamiliar faces and Cirthe assume those were people from other nations. 

"Don't you look nice all dolled up like that?"

The snide remark was something Cirthe had already expected from someone like Edmund Fergo so it was quite easy for her to turn to him with a look of boredom.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same for you, Fergo," she replied with a slight tilt of her head. She had agreed to wear a pair of high heels after Greta's nagging but with the way the dark haired man had to look up to her made her feel better about her decision.