Ephemeral Affairs [MXM]

Pretends

A few days had passed by in Osay while Artemis, Aguano, and Jin traveled North to retrieve Juda.

While Alosrin plays in the snow with the children, they notice loud noises in the palace's front gates.

"Wanna see what's going on?" Yllathanise whispers in Arabret's ear.

They turn to make sure Alosrin is still busy with Jaufasi before giving each other firm nods and smiles.

"Do you usually disobey your mom?" Arabret holds onto Niowei's hand as they walk to the front gates.

Niowei sucks in her bottom lip, "Only when I know there aren't any severe consequences."

As they got closer to the front gates, shouts start to make distinct sounds and words.

"How dare you stay in comfortable homes while we starve in this winter!"

"You feed your Aarthian guests like royalties while we, your people, starve like cattles!"

"The Regent must be overthrown! We want Crown Prince Arabret to rule us! Only he has the right to rule Kalor!"

Yet when some of them take notice of Arabret and Niowei, they only recognize Niowei as a Northern Conqueror of Aarth and not their Crown Prince.

"Princess!" The owner of the inn where Niowei once ate lunch in and his friend shouts at the little girl with silver hair. "Give us some food. Please, we're starving."

Niowei stares at them with her rosy cheeks kissed by the weather.

"Your Highnesses!" The guard captain comes to Arabret and Niowei wearing a terrified face.

Niowei reaches in her pocket for a cookie she saved and walks to the innkeeper and his friend.

"You mustn't, Princess," the guard captain wraps an arm around Niowei's waist while hiding Arabret.

"It's okay. I'm only giving them a cookie," Niowei smiles and continues her journey toward the angry mob.

But when she is within reach, the angry mob throws snows, rocks, and whatever is within reach at the young Aarthian Princess.

She falls onto her bottom with her hands blocking her tearful face, holding the last fragment of her cookie in her hand.

"Princess!" Arabret rushes to her rescue.

The innkeeper and his friend try to stop the other angry civilians but are fruitless.

"Stop!" Alosrin steps into the scene with a mild disheartening expression on his face.

The rage ceases and the mob questions itself:"Is that the Queen of Aarth? Why is the Aarthian Queen here? Whose child is the Queen carrying? The child doesn't seem to be a Northern Conqueror. Didn't the Aarthian Queen bear sons? Who is the Aarthian Princess?"

Alosrin looks down at his daughter and then back at the mob on the other side of the gates.

"What's with the silence? Are you all an angry mob?" Da'an Ryul wears his serious and fashioned look.

The crowd begins talking all at once again, each demanding a different thing but collectively it is food to survive the surprise winter.

"You who wear nice things and eat luxuriously have gotten yourself the Aarthian Queen as your concubine, how dare you continue to call yourself OUR Regent!"

"You call yourself OUR Regent and you have yet to set out programs to help the poor in your capital, cities, and towns!"

Da'an Ryul glances at Alosrin before speaking as if he is trying to impress him, "Please form a line, I, your Regent, shall listen to your worries and answer your prayers."

The guards immediately are able to organize the crowd as if it had been planned.

Alosrin averts his eyes with his usual indifferent and stoic expression, "Let's return to your studies, children."

"No," Niowei whimpers. "I won't go."

"Please, child. Come inside with me—"

"No! You're my mommy but you only care about the baby. You don't care about me at all! I was trying so hard to be a good big sister but you never praise me anymore."

Alosrin offers a hand before his angry daughter, "I would like to apologize, my darling child. Will you take my hand once more?"

Niowei stares up at her tall and beautiful mother with a pouty and flushed face, "I'm still your darling?"

"Yes. My one and only," Alosrin curls the corners of his mouth. "Please take my hand."

"Okay," Niowei sucks in her lips, takes her mother's hand, and offers Arabret a hand, "Come on let's go back inside."

The moment they're out of the prying eyes where it is warm, Alosrin lays the tired and asleep Jaufasi on the bed with a beloved toy fish and kneels before his daughter, "I'm sorry that I hadn't had time for you, Yllathanise."

"Yllathanise is sorry too. Yllathanise shouldn't have acted out," Niowei jumps onto her mother's embrace.

Alosrin takes his daughter and seats her on a comfortable chair, "Arabret, could you get me some clean towels and wounds cleaning supplies?"

"Okay," Arabret goes into the hall and calls the maids to get the items.

"Does it hurt?" Alosrin knits his brows softly and lifts Niowei's limbs for injuries.

The little girl smiles and shakes her head, "I don't mind getting hurt if mommy will take care of me."

"Don't be silly, Yllathanise. Mommy will take care of you even if you're not hurt at all," Alosrin brings his daughter in for a warm hug. "Please don't put yourself in harm's way to get my attention, I will cry from sadness."

"No mommy. Don't cry. I'm sorry," Niowei bursts into tears as she tries to simultaneously wipe her mother's tears.

Arabret who stands on the side is also brought into tears and Alosrin pulls him in for a good cry as well.

After Alosrin tends to Niowei's injuries, the children take a peaceful nap and a guard comes to escort Alosrin to the throne room.

The doors to the throne room have a long line of commons, waiting to be heard and delivered by their Regent.

Inside is Da'an Ryul taking on the role of a ruler on the throne and the innkeeper and his friend smiling when they see Alosrin.

"They say they know you," Da'an Ryul smiles and gestures for Alosrin to sit on the throne next to him.

Alosrin stops at the steps up to the thrones and answers, "I only briefly know them and not enough to even learn their names."

Da'an Ryul pinches his chin and puckers his lips, "Regardless, they have a message for you that can't be relayed by a messenger."

The two drop to their knees, "Thank you so much for the donation to help the poor like us. And as a result, we would like to ask if you would consider marrying our Regent. If we have a dark skin Queen like the Aarthians, we may also quickly recover from the mountain explosions."

"Sorry. I didn't make any donations. Also having a dark skin Queen does not guarantee a quick recovery," Alosrin narrows his eyes and speaks without restraint or respect toward the Regent's lie.

"But you are—"

"Alosrin, please don't lie to the people," Da'an Ryul's tone is sorrowful. "Our reunion will help the people of Kalor."

"I may be your prisoner but do not get carried away. I have no intention of dipping my hands in your dirty water, Da'an Ryul."

The Regent scratches the back of his ear with an acting laughter, "What dirty water? We're helping the people."

"It seems that all you have to say to me are useless things. Nevertheless, I shall remind you—"

"In Kalorian tradition, a wife is a property like a prisoner. Since you're my prisoner, ergo you're my wife."

Alosrin glances at the innkeeper and his friend for affirmation, and then replies, "Isn't it good that we're both not Kalorians?"