Happy Birthday, Maria

'Okay — once and one time only, and we'll never have to do this again.'

'Fine…' everyone grumbled, with 'everyone' being Adele, Leonhard, Licht, Bruno, Kai — and Prince Eins.

They walked down the hall, carrying an oversized bouquet between the lot of them with Adele leading the way.

'Whose idea was this?' Leonhard hissed. A storm of dirty looks was brewing, and if it wasn't for the bouquet blocking everyone's view of each other, then there would likely be blood spilled in the hall.

'I would dearly like to know that as well,' Eins muttered.

'It's Grandmother's seventieth birthday — can't you set your differences aside for one moment?'

'Like you're one to talk, Brunie…'

Eins sighed. 'Are you still sulking about that other time, Licht?'

'Yes, I am — I worked hard on that bouquet, Eins, and you destroyed it! I invested my time and energy in it!'

'What the h_ do you want — a receipt so you can get your wasted time and energy back?'

'Ooh, I swear, one of these days I'm going to — '

'Licht.'

'Fine, okay. Shutting up in three, two, one — ' Licht swiped a finger over his lips, giving Eins a filthy glare, and they came to a halt outside the queen mother's chambers.

'So how are we going to do this, exactly?' Bruno asked.

'Could we not have planned this prior to — '

'Can we put this down first?' Leonhard whined. 'It's heavy…'

'I thought you were the only one with any stamina around here, brat.'

Leonhard dropped the bouquet and yelled, 'I am not a brat — '

And it hit the floor with a crash, taking down the other four princes with it.

'Leonhard!'

'Couldn't you at least have pinned Eins under this blasted thing if you were going to drop it?'

'Licht!'

'Okay, fine, I'm still bitter!'

The princes disentangled themselves and got to their feet, but they still had the unresolved problem of exactly how they were going to present the queen mother's birthday gift.

'How are we going to carry it in?'

'I don't think all of us will be able to fit through the door at once…'

'Then the strongest person should carry it.'

'So who's the strongest one here?'

'Me!'

'No, it's Kai.'

'But — !'

'Kai can carry entire statues around the palace grounds — perspective, Leonhard.'

Eins held up a finger. 'Leaving aside the fact that you're overlooking me in this equation — what on earth are the lot of you even doing in my absence?'

'Well, wouldn't you like to know?'

'Licht...'

'Kainie, it's valid and — '

'No, I mean — Licht, the bouquet is moving.'

And they all whirled around to see the bouquet floating across the carpet to the queen mother herself, framed in the open doors of her chambers.

Adele popped out from beneath the bouquet; looked back at them, and rolled her eyes. 'You're too slow, all of you!'

'What?!'

'How did she even get it over there?' Bruno spluttered. 'Don't tell me she has Kai's superhuman strength?!'

Yet the queen mother paid no heed to their hysterics, instead taking the bouquet from Adele with a loving smile. 'Oh, dear heart, you're too precious.' She admired it, and said, 'And I see Sir Shadow helped you, what a good doggy!'

And the secret behind Adele's spontaneous feat of superhuman strength was revealed — Shadow had been beneath the bouquet as well.

'Guys…' Licht said weakly. 'That's still one little girl and a dog, when it took all five of us…'

Leonhard nodded. 'It's official: she's a force of nature.'

Adele looked back at them with a smile, fending off 'kisses' from Sir Shadow. 'It's from all of us, Grandmother!'

'Yeah, she's right.' Licht grinned. 'I got in touch with a friend of mine who's a florist — '

'…I helped choose the flowers…'

'And I picked up the flowers because Licht was too lazy to do it himself,' Bruno said with a weary smile and a swat in Licht's direction.

Leonhard placed his hands on his hips and said, 'And I helped carry it!'

Eins sighed. 'And apparently I was dragged along to remind you of your manners and customary greetings.'

'Geh… Yes, yes.'

'Many happy returns!' the princes and and princess chorused, with a bark from Sir Shadow.

'Oh, thank you, my dears.' And Maria hefted the bouquet into her arms, giving them all a bright smile. 'But the best gift of all is seeing you getting along so well; it touches my heart. Thank you.'

'N-No problem,' Licht stammered, in as much shock as the rest of them at the queen mother effortlessly picking up the ninety-pound bouquet.

'Come, Adele,' she said, pushing open the doors of her chambers further. 'Do you want to help Grandmother pick out a vase? And do you want to come and have some tea, boys?'

'Yes!' Adele said, and she and Sir Shadow scampered inside.

'Y-Yeah, sure,' Leonhard said.

The princes followed the queen mother in a daze.

'…My word,' Bruno finally said. 'I wonder if Adele and Kai's strength is actually hereditary…'

'Don't forget about me!' Leonhard protested. 'And yeah, if we have to have got it from somewhere, then Dad had to have got it from somewhere too, right?'

'It could possibly be from Mother's side of the family…?'

'…Does that mean that Bea is some kind of Amazonian warrior princess, then?'

'Licht!'

'What? It's a valid point! Yeesh, I think we're going to have to have a weights-lifting contest on the weekend to sort this out — and no, you're not getting out of it, Eins!'

'Why do I ever think that I can get away with visiting you without incident… I should know better by know…'

'Incident? What incident? We're all getting along so well!'

'Licht, I swear, if Eins does not speed up the spontaneous combustion of your trousers by pushing you in the fireplace then I will follow it up myself.'

'Okay — tea time, everyone!'

The End