Michael

Michael groaned as he took off his white and gold shirt, the service in the church had been long and the air in the church thick. He hadn't attended any sermons in a while since Father Albion banned him from his, so he had forgotten how boring and uncomfortable they were. The high priest had just talked and talked for over three hours, Michael could have sworn that half the church would be asleep after half the sermon, but they all pulled through, maybe dreading divine punishment or something.

"Come on, Michael. Hurry up and change," he could hear his mother call into his room. He groaned again, after that mind-numbing service came the garden party where the adults would make light conversation and he had to listen to them talk about which daughter should marry whose son or how big the boar was some lord has killed. Michael wasn't actually sure what he disliked more the service or the prospect of the garden party.

He quickly changed into the thicker tunic and put on his cape, wiggling a little until it sat right. When he left his room, he found Geron and Eydis waiting in front, Geron in his coat of arms and Eydis in a black and red shirt and cloak with the house crest on her chest.

"You are looking good," he said to them. Lady Rowan came into the hallway before they could answer, followed by an unhappy-looking Lira and a beaming Luciel.

"Where are the twins and your father," Lady Rowan looked at Michael with a slight of annoyance in her voice.

Michael just shrugged and she stomped off toward their rooms. He turned back to Geron and waved at them as he followed her together with his sisters. Geron and Eydis stayed behind, they were not invited to follow along to any of the events, only the heads of noble houses or other important figures were allowed to have one guard with them because too many augmenters following the order of a single person could lead to situations with arrogant and self-centered nobles.

The twins left their room before Lady Rowan could open the door and stepped out. She inspected them with a neutral expression and then said, "Oska fix your cape, please."

He looked irritated and not very comfortable with the clothes that his stepmother had ordered for him even though they looked like a perfect fit. "You are not my mother, so don't pretend you care," he grumbled as he yanked his cap into position.

Lady Rowan shook her head with disappointment, "I am not but I am sure your mother wouldn't have let you go to an event with chaotic clothing, she never did herself in the years I knew her. So, stop being a brat and accept kindness when it is offered."

He grumbled a little but couldn't return anything before Lord Rowan entered the hallway, dressed in a simple but elegant black vest and a red cape. "Let's get this over with."

They made their way outside of the building where open carriages waited for them to bring them to the garden party. Michael thought that this was kind of stupid and they could have just walked over but who was he to argue. They reached the open field of grass a couple of minutes later. It was in the middle of the flowerbeds and at the shore of the lake Michael had seen on their way in. He hadn't noticed the tables and parasols yesterday but now they were filled with people and beverages. Servants walked among the nobles distributing snacks and drinks with fluent movements that one would expect from a dancer.

Lady Rowan let her gaze wander over the crowd until she found who she was looking for. "Come on, we have to greet the king and queen first." She began to move over the field on a direct trajectory with a group of nobles that had formed around the monarchs. Michael couldn't see them in the crowd and cursed his small stature. The rest of the family followed Lady Rowan with appropriate speed and when they approached the group Michael could hear a clear and sympathetic male laugh.

"Make way people," the voice said, and the nobles parted in front of House Rowan, opening the view for Michael to see and approach. In front of them stood a tall man with bright blond hair, held back by a sturdy-looking silver crown that contrasted his hair perfectly and a well-maintained beard, he looked about his father's age and was covered in silver clothing with golden details, it reminded Michael of the outfits of Idas priests but a little different.

Next to him stood a woman with long black hair and a simple yet somehow at the same time elaborate blue dress. Her crown was also silver but much thinner with a focus on elegance. She looked at the newcomers with a polite smile, giving them a nod of acknowledgment. She obviously was the Queen Susanne Merland.

Behind them, Michael could spot Sir Gavin Strom, ready to strike anyone down who approached his charge with ill intent.

The family approached the king and queen and bowed in front of them. It was accepted to just bow and not kneel during festivities when kneeling would unreasonably dirty one's clothes, one of the things where King Johann was laxer than other monarchs Michael had read about.

The king signaled them to rise and approached them, holding out his hand to Lord Rowan, and said, "Good to see you, Cedric." Lord Rowan grabbed his hand and returned the greeting. After a quick introduction of the children, the king moved on together with their father. The king had many nobles to greet and talk to, so he had little time for long conversations. Michael was a little disappointed that he didn't get to talk to the king except for introducing himself but he would probably get a chance later, at least he hoped so.

Lady Rowan spoke to them while Michael watched his father and the king move away, "Okay, children. You can now talk to people, eat a little, and socialize but behave and don't eat too much, we don't want to make a bad impression." She then turned around and made her way into the crowd, greeting and making small talk with the other guests. The twins also left, Michael didn't care to see where they were going, and his sisters turned toward him. "What are you going to do? Want to look at the buffet, I am starving", Lira asked him, but he shook his head. "Go on, I have someone to find. I will come back later," he waved at them as he started walking. He could see the question on their faces, but he was gone before they could voice them.

He walked around the groups of people, thankful that it wasn't as packed as the church had been. He came past many nobles with crests on their clothes and decided to train a little while he was looking by trying to identify the houses. He had a good memory but there were many lesser nobles present so he could only figure out around half of which he saw.

After moving around a table that had blocked his view, he finally saw the crest he was looking for and walked toward the small group of children, Prince Zenial in their midst. He approached them and saw Theodore spot him coming and nudge the prince. He turned around and looked at Michael, he then smiled, and a heavy weight fell off Michael's shoulders. He was concerned that the prince would not react well to his defeat or mock what happened after, but he looked actually happy to see Michael.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Once he reached them, Michael bowed and said with a respectful voice, "Your Highness, my apologies for the quick exit I made yesterday. My mother seemed to be embarrassed by the misunderstanding." Zenial laughed at that and said with a wink, "No worries. It is good to see you again, I was concerned you would avoid me after beating me up so badly."

"True that was a really effective fighting style," Theodore added with a thoughtful expression, other kids that were there also expressed interest in where he had learned to fight like that.

Michael rubbed his head awkwardly and admitted, "Eh, most of it was improvised, I just started learning that fighting style a couple of days ago but knew out of my own experience that being faced with an unfamiliar style can throw someone off pretty hard. I wouldn't get you with that next time though, now that surprise is gone and without experience in the aggressiveness of it."

Zenial waved him off, "Don't be humble, yes you surprised me but your strength and the way you moved even impressed my guardian knight. You have some serious talent, must be in your blood with how my father talks about yours." Michael was surprised at the unexpected compliment from a knight of the Kingsguard, he knew that he was better than other children his age but having a guardian of the royal family say it gave him a large confidence boost. "I thank you and your guardian knight for the compliment," he said while trying to suppress a self-satisfactory smile.

"How about it, once this festival is over, we can train together and you can show me some of your tricks," the prince said excitedly, he reminded Michael of himself when he wanted to know something so he could not say no. "Of course, it would be my honor."

"Stop with the ass kissing," the prince smiled amused. "I get enough of that, and we will be friends so you can just call me Zenial or Zen, as long as we are not on some official function."

Friends with the crown prince, he thought excitedly but then frowned and looked at Theodore. He knew that the boy called the prince 'Your Highness' and not by his name, at least last time he didn't. The tall boy seemed to guess his question and explained with a shrug, "My father would rip my head off if I called the prince by his first name and that is not worth the trouble."

Michael nodded at this; his mother would probably not be that amused as well but his father was calling the king by his first name, so Michael didn't see a problem with it either. "I would be happy to be your friend, pr... Zen."

"Very good," Zen grinned. "Do you want to hang around with us? These garden parties are beyond boring, and we are just decoration here anyway with the adults plotting and planning."

"Yes please!" Michael joined the group of boys as they walked around talking and playing games. It felt good to just be a kid for a change, with nothing to learn, no responsibilities, just having fun with other kids. He never had any friends close to his age that weren't part of his family because he was the count's son, first a coward no one wanted to be seen with and then a demon child everyone avoided. Now with a group of noble children of the same station or higher, he felt free, liberated of the pressure of doubt if they liked him, free of the stigmata that had followed him through his life. He was just another noble child and he relished in the opportunity to be just that for the time he could.

Zen was right though, the garden party was boring, the adults were just standing around talking, quiet music being played in the background. After three hours Michael and Zen were standing alone on the shore of the little lake and were throwing stones in the water.

"So, my father told me a lot about you lately," Zenial said to Michael. "He is very interested in you it seems to me."

Michael looked at him suspiciously with a raised eyebrow, "Your father, the king is interested in me?"

"I don't know what exactly he is expecting you to do in the future, but he said I should pay close attention to you." He looked at Michael closely and added, "But this is not the reason I want to be friends with you, I think you are interesting on my own and not because of anything my father said. I know how difficult it is to have friends in our positions, but I promise I will never try to trick you or any of my friends. I chose to not play along with these politics and the backstabbing, you know."

Michael met his gaze and tried to determine if he spoke the truth. He had little experience with the politics of the capital and there was very little politicking in Reen, but Zen looked just fed up right now, even though he just mentioned it for a moment. Michael believed him and felt a certain kinship from their mutual dislike of the topic. "I believe you and someday you will be king and can change how it works," Michael said, to which the older boy smiled and nodded lost in thought.

They stayed a while in companionable silence until Zen had to leave and Michael returned to his sisters. The garden party didn't continue for much longer and shortly after they left back to their rooms to rest and change for the feast in the evening.

- A couple of hours later -

Michael was looking into the great hall with wide eyes, Lira and the twins standing next to him also staring at the spectacle of luxury. They were met with a magnificent sight, the hall was larger than any room Michael had ever seen, at least fifty meters long, and the ceiling nearly reached the height of the city walls. It was illuminated by large crystals hanging from the chains in the ceiling and large windows on its right-side wall. The floor was made out of bright wood and seemed to reflect the light back into the room. The hall was filled with rows of tables, making space for hundreds of people, and still had a large circular space open for dancing. On the northern end of the hall was a long table on a podium overseeing the entire hall. There the royal family had taken their place and throned above their subjects.

The hall was already filled up a lot and Michael wondered where their seats would be. Michael smoothed out his black tunic and looked over to the servant who had approached them, signaling to follow them. Another man announced loudly, "Count Cedric Rowan of Reen and family!"

While they walked through the hall, he could hear whispering conversations and felt the gaze of some of them on himself. There were some counts here and there but the lower-level nobles were in the majority, he recognized many from the garden party. He tried to ignore them and rather focused on the wonders of the great hall, he had absolutely no idea how they even built something this big, but he would have to ask Solon when he got home.

They moved further and further through the hall until they reached the podium, and the servant began to climb the small set of stairs. Michael looked at Luciel who was walking next to him and she looked nervous but still shrugged and ascended onto the podium.

The right side of the table is still free and would probably be their seats. On the other side of the table, Michael could see an assortment of important-looking men, and most important of them was a man with piercing brown eyes. He was in his early thirties and had perfectly groomed long brown hair and was dressed in a grey tunic with silver detail, that got nearly lost in the grey fabric but shined when the light hit them right. His cape was adorned with a dire wolf pelt and even though he didn't wear a family crest on his clothes Michael knew who that was, or at least he was pretty sure he knew. The man was Lord Leopold Wulfen, the Duke of North Mark and the chancellor of the king. He was one of the most influential men in the kingdom and one of the most dangerous according to what Michael had heard.

He stared at the man for a couple of moments until he met his gaze. Michael quickly looked away and concentrated on not tripping or embarrassing himself any other way.

The king rose from his seat as House Rowan reached the table and waved at the space to the open spots to the left of him for them to take their places. As Michael moved over to his seat, he could see the queen and the prince on the other side of the king but also a girl with black hair, leaning over the table to get a good look. She was around Michael's age and watched the newcomers with interest.

Michael was too nervous to pay her much mind though and quickly sat down on his chair, adjusting his cape to sit comfortably. The servants quickly moved in between them and filled their cups. Michael stared at the glass cups as the liquid filled them and wondered if he could have one of those.

The king rose from his chair and spoke to the whole room straining to be loud enough, but Michael couldn’t see any mana from him. "I welcome each and every one of you. I am glad to see so many friendly faces and I will not keep you with a lengthy speech. I am just going to say that especially now we will have to stand together and thank Idas for the light that protects us with the rise of mana and monster activities. So, I raise my glass to Idas’s protection and to our unity."

He raised his glass of red wine, and everyone followed his example.

"To Idas and to unity!"