Legacy's Prince

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Acrobats and Sea-Serpents

The weekend brings freedom, and a cool breeze scented with the saltiness of the sea and the crispness of impending autumn. It also brings theatre day. A day for all of us to dress up in nice clothes to go watch some fancy, probably too unbearably long, show for "cultural" purposes. While I dread sitting in a cramped theatre surrounded by people for hours, I've still dressed myself in a silver colored suit with blue buttons and embellishments to at least look the part. It's not that I don't enjoy the arts. I do. I just don't like crowds of people. To be perfectly honest, I'm not particularly fond of people in general unless they are among the select few I call friends.

Nonetheless, Dezden fixes up the suit Inlet him borrow for the feast earlier this year, and he and I make our way outside, stopping at Axellia and Seana's room on our way to the amphitheater. That may or may not be a mistake as when I knock, Axellia shouts to us that they'll be there in a minute. More than a minute later, though, no sign of either of the girls is to be seen.

"Ugh! Always waiting on a woman," Dezden groans.

"'Always?'" I ask. "So how many women do you have in your life?"

"Oh," Dezden grins. "I've got seven beautiful ladies waiting on me back home."

"You do?" I ask, shocked. I didn't take Dezden to be that type of fellow.

"Yeah," Dezden nods. "My mother, my three sisters, and my three cousins."

"Oh, good grief!" I exclaim, rolling my eyes, though I am happy to learn more about his family. He still hasn't mentioned a father, or aunts or uncles, but it's nice to know he has someone other than the Rajah he'd mentioned earlier that week. We both laugh at Dezden's the door opens. Axellia walks out, dressed in a frilly blue and green dress with a gold circlet on her head, and gold, jingling necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, a matching fan hanging from one of her wrists.

"What are you two laughing at?" she asks, adjusting her bracelets.

"Well, it's about time," I grumble, crossing my arms.

"Yes, it-oh!" Dezden's eyes grow wide. In the setting sun and can see his cheeks reddening ever so slightly as he looks Axellia up and down. "You look nice!"

"Thank you," Axellia smiles as she twirls to give Dezden a full view. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Thanks," Dezden mutters as he rubs at the back of his neck.

Axellia nods and turns to looks at me, smirking mischievously. "Now why can't you be nice like him?"

"Who said I wasn't being nice?" I question as I take a step closer to her, setting myself ever so slightly between her and Dezden. I'm sure Dezden is just being nice, but I still can't shake the uneasy twinge in my chest as he continues looking wide-eyed at her.

"The first thing you said was 'about time,'" Axellia replies.

"Well, you were taking a long time," I roll my eyes.

"Beauty takes time," Axellia sighs, tapping me on the nose with her fan before turning back to the still open door, asking. "Are you coming or not?"

"Sorry," Seana's voice calls as she steps into the doorway, head hung, a blush on her cheeks.

The twinge I felt in my chest earlier while watching Axellia and Dezden melts away as my entire body grows warm. I can almost swear Seana is glowing, and I'm unable to stop the gasp from escaping my lips at the sigh of her. Dressed in a soft, flowing, light yellow dress, her hair shimmers all the brighter, mimicking strings of gold. The pink flowers decorating the sleeves and skirt bring out the rosiness of her cheeks. Simple strands of pearls hang around her neck and arms, catching the setting sunlight and reflecting it against her skin. It's a much simpler outfit compared to Axellia's, and I couldn't be happier for it. Rather than looking like an over-embellished chandelier, or a stuffed and primed peacock ready to be served at a feast, Seana resembles a spring meadow come to life. Her natural beauty not hidden beneath layers of fabric and jewels, the fabric of her dress accentuates the curves of her body perfectly. Which makes it all the more puzzling when she shyly mutters: