Away

Chapter 3

The carnival was exactly as Naira expected it to be. Colorful and crowded and the smell of delicious street food wafting through the air. Henry, despite his promise, tried to run off first thing after the stepped off the carriage, but she caught him by the back of his collar and yanked him back. Neal laughed at the sight, and stepped in, offering to keep Henry by his side.

"He'll stay with me." Neal said, holding Henry's hand.

"Yes. I have a lot to show Prince Neal." Henry squealed, pulling him towards the first stall. That left Naira with the ever-sulking Will, and they both followed in silence as Henry and Neal chattered ahead of them.

"I want candy." Naira finally broke the silence once she spotted the stall that was serving the licorice she loved.

Will looked at her with the same amused expression that was starting to irritate Naira.

"How old are you?" He asked, stopping at the stall. They watched as Neal and Henry stopped near a station where a man was showing magic tricks.

"Younger than you." She retorted, before realizing again that she was being mouthy and not speaking to him as a royal ought to be spoken to. If Will noticed her blunder, he didn't show it.

"Clearly." He stated, before asking the candyman to give them a few grams of licorice. Naira watched Will as they both waited for the candy. It was true that she was younger than him. Her uncle had mentioned that both cousins were 22 years of age and that Neal was just a few months older than Will, making him the heir to the throne. Naira hardly paid attention when her uncle would come home from Starland and talk about the royal court and household; she was surprised to realize details such as the boys' age had stayed there in her mind, somewhere in her subconscious. And now, standing in the middle of a crowded carnival, she was in awe of how beautiful the boy next to her was. Will's attention was neither on the carnival, nor on her- he kept turning his head back to see where his cousin was. And while Naira also had the urge to turn around and check on her brother, she couldn't do it. In part because she trusted her brother would be safe with Neal, and in part because she could not take her eyes off of Will. With the sun beating down on his face, and his hands on his hips as he impatiently waited for the candy, Will looked more beautiful than anyone Naira had seen before. A tiny drop of sweat was rolling down from his eyebrow onto the right side of his cheek and his honey brown eyes looked lighter in the sun.

"Please make it quick." He urged the man behind the stall.

"You have to wait, sir." The man replied with the same impatience. Clearly, he did not know who Will was. "They were here first." He added, gesturing to the man in front of us, who was waiting with two young children. Naira watched Will clench his jaw, and realized this might very well be the first time someone was keeping him waiting. And for the first time, rather than being annoyed or resentful about the fact that royals were so entitled and expected everyone to bow to their wishes, Naira found Will's reaction humorous.

"Is something funny?" Will asked, arching his eyebrows.

"Nothing." She replied, realizing that a smile was playing on her lips. Will looked away, and she could have left it at that. But she couldn't help herself. "It is just interesting to see a prince get agitated when he is not getting royal treatment." She added.

"Glad you find this entertaining." He muttered, before taking the paper rolled up with licorice and handing the man a handful of coins. He walked off, leaving her, as she laughed and raced to catch up to him.

For the rest of their time at the carnival, Naira continued walking besides Will, following along as Henry took them from one center to another, mostly the ones involving magic tricks or some form of children's games. Neal later suggested that they visit the horse-racing section. It was quite a walk to the other end of the carnival, but worth it at the end. Naira didn't know much about horse-racing, but the boys seemed to be experts, so she sat and enjoyed her licorice with her brother while Neal and Will placed bets and cheered on for the horses they backed. She even caught Will laughing a few times, a sight that she never thought she'd see.

"I told you she would win!" Neal exclaimed, slapping the back of Will's shoulder as they were heading back to the carriage.

"Yeah, yeah.Your horses always wins." Will complained, stopping at the door of the carriage.

"After you." He gestured, extending his hand to Naira. There was no sarcasm or mockery in his tone, and his usual smug expression was nowhere visible on his face. And in his casual attire that he and Neal purposely wore to avoid attraction, he looked like a simple commoner. For just a moment, he wasn't a prince, just a boy helping a girl get into a carriage. For some inexplicable reason, the thought made Naira's heart hurt.

The ride back was less awkward than earlier. The carnival seemed to have lifted Will's mood, and without him looking outside the window as if he would rather be anywhere else caused Naira to loosen up a little also.

"That was fun." She exclaimed after they settled in and the carriage started off.

"We aren't able to do what we did here at the carnivals at Capella. Too many people recognize us there." Neal responded.

"Yeah." Will chimed in. "We have to have guards with us at all times. This one reminded me of the street fair we went to in Sicily a few years back."

Neal nodded. "Oh yeah. The one near St.Mark's Place."

Naira wondered briefly what it must be like to travel to so many parts different parts of the world. To be able to discuss and analyze the similarities and differences in the foods and clothings and lifestyles of different places. She listened intently to their conversation, her arm wrapped around her brother who had fallen asleep. Outside the window, the sky was beginning to turn red.