In a Crowd of Thousands
NOTE: This is for Yearly Esca's Pic'n'Fic, with the prompt "Memories," for my partner QuietDuna. This is a Folken and Eries fic (of course) greatly inspired by "In a Crowd of Thousands" from Anastasia the musical so I lifted the title from there because I couldn't think of anything better. I've had the idea for this fic since I got obsessed with the song last year and I couldn't help but see it in a FolkenxEries context and it fit with the prompt so this was a perfect opportunity to finally write this.
Posting Folken's POV today (Independence Day!) and will be posting Eries' POV before the 15th.
Enjoy!
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"I've been here before," Folken mused, as he moved through the crowd, discreetly attired and practically indistinguishable from the thousands of spectators who had gathered to watch the parade.
And this was more than the geographical location. He had been to Cesario on several occasions over the years and had watched other parades, but none had evoked the same ineffable sense of recognition.
Folken had been living discreetly in Fanelia, having been reconciled with his brother, and he had been actively trying to atone for his time in Zaibach. The trip to Cesario had been one such attempt, a simple visit to establish reparations with the country for the damages of war. It had been more or less successful, but he was still too careful about being recognized in public. He had been about to return home when something had made him linger a while longer.
Standing there at that moment had elicited a small, distinct memory that had long been buried under years of more eventful times. He had not thought about this day for so long and he wondered why the memory had surfaced now.
It had been a hot, summer day as well, and he had been twelve, still the crown prince, but still only a boy eager to go home after an official visit to Cesario. But something had gone amuck with his ship and his return journey had been delayed for a few hours. Rather than return to the hospitality of the old duke, the young Folken had defied Balgus and had lost himself in the crowd that had gathered to welcome their latest royal guests.
He had not wanted to be recognized, to be subject to that reverence that had rendered those of his status unapproachable. He had had enough of that for the last few days and he was simply curious to see the new celebration. He asked around him and learned who would be honored in that grand parade.
The entire Asturian royal family was making a rare public appearance, to the delight of all who had come to witness them. A lavish, open carriage, bore King Grava and Queen Therese along with their three daughters, as they paid their first royal visit to the kingdom of Cezario. The king bore himself with the expected dignity though one sensed his discomfort with the summer heat. Beside him sat the queen, who nodded regally at the people around her, while cradling her youngest daughter in her lap. Beside her sat Princess Marlene, radiant with youth and beauty, awing all those who saw her, and beside her was her younger sister, Princess Eries, who sat straight and tall, a perfectly proper, neutral expression on her face. The crowd cheered them all as the carriage made its way through the city, flanked by guards.
Being unusually tall for his age, Folken had not needed to crane his neck too much to get a good look at the Astons. He had been introduced to them all once before, during another royal visit, and had even managed to have a short conversation with the second princess, primarily about their shared love for books. It had only been for a few minutes but it had been a rare, unscheduled, and unstructured event for both so it stood out as one of the highlights of an otherwise routine, royal duty.
So, it was her he sought, even as most of the crowd seemed focused on other members of her family, remarking on the grave expression on the king's face, the gentle poise of the queen, and the shining beauty of the eldest princess. But the Fanelian prince had eyes only for the second princess, for the friend he believed he had made in her despite their brief interaction.
She sat straight, as a queen. Only eight but so proud and serene, he observed. Not that there was anything particularly unqueenly about her older sister. But it was clear to him that she had the regal bearing of one who could rule with firmness and justice.
And it frustrated him that no one else seemed to notice. The crowds had cheered for the whole family, crying things such as "Long live the Astons!" or "A blessing on Asturia!" And many had shouted "Princess Marlene" and even the young Princess Millerna had been mentioned by name. But no one had cheered the second princess. If she had noticed this, she did not show it, but it irked the prince nonetheless.
Seeking to rectify this injustice, Folken had tried to cheer "Princess Eries" but his voice had been drowned out by the rest of the crowd. He grew even more determined for her to know she was noticed. For a moment, he considered doing this the official way, by returning to the palace to greet the royal family properly or even approaching the guards and introducing himself so as to gain an audience with the Astons. But that would take too long and would require too much explanation, and he really only wanted to catch Eries' attention, if only for a moment.
So, he had started to run, still calling out her name, hoping that the wind would carry his voice over the noise of the parade. But she continued to look straight ahead, and he knew he would have to try something drastic if he wanted to achieve his goal. Frantically, he had looked around and spotted a large, ancient tree by the side of the road where the parade would soon be passing. And at that moment, a rather ridiculous idea had seized him.
"Balgus would be furious if he found out," he had thought with some amusement, "And Mother must never find out."
But he would go through with it anyway.
That same, crazy idea seized him again, fifteen years later, as he stood watching yet another parade welcoming the Astons to Cesario, with the crowd cheering only for one of the two princesses. Once again, he would not let this go unrectified.