EmpireVerse

Chapter three

It was loud and annoying, to say the least. Mari Annora folded her arms and simply refused to make an appearance other than in the dark corner by the curtain.  Her mother, on the other hand, laughed loudly in a very posh way, making her voice heard above all others. Mari knew that this was her way of showing off her importance. She also knew that as soon as the Crowned Prince Dream and Prince Nightmare entered the room, everyone would ignore Nightmare's very existence and overwhelm the poor Crowned Prince.

But this didn't bother Nightmare or Mari too much to be ignored because this would mean they would get to run away from the party and play with Luna... But this time, they planned to make separate turns, change into different rooms as poor street beggars, dirty each other with mud, then run off into the streets undercover... Why on heaven's name would they do this? Simply to watch the sailors at the bay unload cargo. Nightmare also had his own reason to be going, but he refused to tell Mari what it was.

An old man with an unbelievably good posture for his age, hit the ground four times with his large staff, and proudly announced in a strong voice; "Now presenting, The Crowned Prince Dream! And the former Crowned Prince, Nightmare." He brushed off the last part as if he was unimportant. Even when Nightmare was the Crowned Prince, they would proudly announce Dream.

Mari watched Dream enter wearing too-tight white pants and a ridiculous amount of silk. She couldn't quite make out what he was wearing, but it consisted of golds, whites, and the occasional light blue. She stifled a snort. Dream looked very uncomfortable. Then came Nightmare, dressed in his regular uniform. In Mari's opinion, it was much better than whatever Dream was wearing.

Nightmare had deep circles under his eyes... Nightmare looked downward with an expression of deep regret and sadness... He must've been in another disagreement with his father, the King. But, his expression changed upon seeing Mari, his eyes lightened and he rushed over when the old announcer wasn't looking. He grasped Mari's right hand with his and kissed it was a deep bow. "Your beauty this evening is one of an angel. I believe I have died and met the Heavenly Mother of Creation." 

Mari felt her cheeks lighten but she then scoffed and elbowed his head. "Oh, you big Blighter. You're only trying to make me flustered. You do this often. One moment you calling me Mother Nature, the next you call me an old fart." Nightmare laughed, but it felt different from his wholesome hearty laughs. She tilted her head, and this time took his hand. "What is the matter?" Nightmare's tired eyes seemed to deepen with great anxiety.

"N-nothing Mari... I am just nervous as I just realized that today, six years ago, we met and became instant best friends." Mari smirked slightly. "Oh, is that so? Well then, you should know the routine by now! Let us go." Without a second's hesitation, the best friends escaped the room and ran separate ways. 

Mari struggled with an old maid's dress as it wasn't cropped to fit over her horns like most of her clothing. She eventually got it, but as she ran out, Nightmare had been waiting five minutes already and was playfully impatient. "You old fart. You take centuries to dress." Mari smiled brightly "See! There it is! The old pattern of flattery then insults!" Nightmare scoffed and nudged her. "Last one out the gates is an old mother hen!" The two ran laughing, getting strange stares from the maids. By this point, the maids and servants found out it was best not to question or disrupt their fun.

~~~

Once the two were out of the gates, Nightmare surprised Mari with a handful of mud at the ready. He shaped it with his hands, then threw it hard against the back of her head. She exclaimed and turned around. "Ohh- you old nanny goat!" She grasped a handful of mud and chased after him. After a good minute of running, Nightmare hunched over to take in some deep breaths, just to be mauled by a vicious Mari and handfuls of mud. He was on the ground by the time Mari was done.