Draco sighed as he refrained from adjusting the sword around his waist for what seemed like the thousandth time since he had put it on. It was a necessary part of his clothing that showed his position over the peasants, but that didn't meant that it was comfortable.
His father always reminded Draco of the need to make sacrifices. Things like discomfort and personal dislike weren't supposed to make a difference in their decisions. They were supposed to be the leaders, the examples for everyone else to follow. They needed to be perfect, and he tried. He really did, but Draco always managed to make some blunder or not. His father covered it up easily enough, but there was still the disappointed look his father gave him that turned him into a stone statue every time it fell upon him.
"Draco, stop shuffling. It is unbecoming."
"Sorry Father," Draco muttered in reply, forcing himself to stand still despite the feeling that the belt for the sword was slipping down his waist.
Draco sometimes wished that he was like one of the peasant people, who could express every emotion that passed their mind without having to check whether or not the reaction was appropriate for that occasion. It had been particularly difficult when he was younger, and lacked the filter between hi brain and mouth.
"Draco, stop slouching."
He straightened instantly. His father turned away from him without a glance to see if he was doing as he was told or not, attention returning to whatever the King was saying.
The King was an old man, the oldest of the pureblood Lords still living, and held a lot of respect among the other royal families. The other people seemed to hate him though, they cursed him as he passed, and there was always someone who tried to kill him during every speech he held.
In fact, Draco was expecting an attempt any moment now. There usually was an explosion or attempt within the first half an hour, and it had been nearly two hours since this speech had started. Draco wouldn't admit it, but that was probably the only reason he even came to these things. He wasn't required to be there, but it made it seem like he was taking an interest in these things when he was young, so there would be a better chance of him eventually becoming king.
That's what his father told him, at least.
Draco half-dreaded that day. It would be the day where every single one of his reactions would be a measured response that was appropriate for that situation. He was afraid that he would lose himself to the mask he would be forced to wear.
He wished there were days when he could slip out of their manor and run around, be a child of ten as he was, wear those incredibly fascinating sunglasses to see if they actually did anything but make people look like they knew what they were doing. He wanted to not have to wear stiff clothing that was ironed to perfection, and to stop needing to watch out for every crease that could in any way embarrass him or his father.
They were Malfoys. They held a high standing amongst the other purebloods, and that meant that they were more carefully watched than any of the other families, which meant that they could afford only a few small mistakes unlike the larger ones his father had pointed other people doing.
When the loud bangs echoed through the courtyard, Draco saw his father's wand in his hand within seconds. The worried expression on his father's face told Draco enough about the situation. The explosion was too close, too loud, too dangerous.
"Draco, join the people leaving. I'll find you when everything is safe again. Be safe."
One last worried look, and Draco saw his father moving in the direction opposite the leaving people. Despite wanting to follow his father, Draco knew that he would only be getting in the way and may actually bring more danger to the situation.
Joining the masses of people was easy. They were all rushing in the same direction, all he had to do was allow himself to be pushed and pulled in whichever direction everyone else was going. He had pulled his sword into a vertical position between his arms already, or it would have been poking everyone around him, bringing attention that he definitely didn't want.
The panic subsided at long last, and Draco found himself in a part of the city that he had never been to before. Nothing around him looked in the least bit familiar. The buildings were tall enough that he couldn't see beyond them either. The buildings had wild vines growing up their walls, and some looked half-broken, something Draco had never before seen in the well-kept areas he had always visited with his father.
It took him a moment to realise that there was a girl staring at a nearby puddle of water in fascination. Her hair was dirty and knotted, making Draco screw his nose up in distaste, with her grey dress that blended in with the buildings behind her. The only reason he had even noticed her was her surprisingly pale skin. Upon closer inspection, he realised that her hair was nearly as light as his own underneath all the dirt.
Cautiously, he approached the girl. He tried to make some kind of noise so that he didn't startle her out of whatever she was doing.
"You don't need to walk like that. I know you're there, besides, that just looks weird," the girl said suddenly, shocking Draco into standstill.
"Who are you?" Draco asked, regaining his mental bearings. He could almost imagine his father's look of disappointment at his loss of control of his emotions.
"I'm Luna, and you're Draco," she said simply.
"What are you doing in a place like this?"
"I think the better question would be what you are doing here. It doesn't seem like a place you would willingly visit, especially considering how you're dressed. Aren't those clothes awfully hot?"
Draco hadn't noticed it before, but this girl, Luna, was right. It was uncomfortably hot with all of his formal clothing on, yet he could not take any of them off for fear of losing it and not having them when his father found him.
"I can manage," Draco replied, ignoring the sceptical glance that was sent his way by the odd girl. Curiosity getting the better of him, Draco asked, "What are you looking at?"
"The Nargles are showing me the way home."
Draco perked up at the words, "So you're lost too? I am. I have no idea how to get back to the main part of the city."
Luna raised her eyebrow, "I never said I was lost. The Nargles were showing me the way to their home. If you want to make it back to the main part of the city, you take the path between twelve and fourteen there. Two lefts, and a right, and you should be on the main street. I wouldn't go there now though, the Nargles say that there's still a lot of confusion there. They love the chaos."
"They wouldn't harm me."
"Are you sure you want to test that theory? That sword around your waist is enough proof to them that you're a danger," Luna said, eyes returning to the puddle of water for a moment before she stood stiffly.
"I'm going home now. It's just past lunch. You can come if you want. I doubt Daddy would mind," Luna offered.
"No. I'm sure I'll be fine here."
"Alone?" Luna questioned, noticing Draco's body tensing at the thought. "Oh, well, do be careful about the grim that wanders around here sometimes. It's generally harmless."
Luna began walking away.
"Wait! I'll come with you. Your father can send mine an owl to tell him where I am."
Draco rushed to follow Luna, who hadn't stopped walking while he had changed his mind and was already on the other end of the road.
The journey wasn't particularly short, or perhaps it was but walking with Luna made it a whole lot longer than it really had to be. When Luna stopped to look at a flower for what seemed like the hundredth time, Draco couldn't help his frustration.
"Aren't you supposed to be going home for lunch? Wouldn't your father mind that you're this late?" Draco demanded. His father would have been furious had he ever stopped to do everything Luna had done on the way home. His father had a time for everything, and those times needed to be followed no matter what.
"Of course not. Lunch only starts when I get there. There are only two of us after all, and neither of us enjoy eating alone, so any meal only starts when both of us are there. It's been that way ever since my mother passed," Luna shrugged. "I guess it's different for you."
"Yeah, much different." Draco glanced at Luna for a moment, "You're weird, Luna, but I think I like you."
"You're demanding, but I guess I could work with that."
"Hey!"
Written for Major and Minor Arcana [swords] – royalty
Written for Game of Life: 1.5k min, sunglasses, statue