Greetings and salutations! I have been bitten by the writing bug so you guys get two chapters in two days. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far.

Love Eden

It was early morning and the great hall was sparsely filled. The events of the previous night left many people, both nobility and common alike, feeling the affects of all the alcohol consumed in merriment. Edd had learned from his night out with the prince and his friends, keeping to his two glass minimum. He needed to he in good condition for the archery tournament being held today. The last thing he wanted to do was mess up in front of a huge crowd and shame his kingdom.

It was still a strange thought that Eloria was his kindom. The letter felt like a dream but the response of King Barr cemented his standing. He was a prince. A bastard prince but a prince none the less. He now held the same social standing as Kevin. One day, Edd would be making the decisions for an entire providence. His word would be law. It was all very daunting for the scholar turned prince.

A very tired looking Nat took a seat across from Edd and poured himself a large glass of water from the clay jug close to them. From what Edd remembered from the night before, the young knight had drank quite a bit and he looked worse off for it this morning.

"Good morning Sir Nat," Edd smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

Nat only grunted in response and downed his drink in one long swig.

"I'm surprised to see you up so early. If I had consumed as much mead as you did last night, I would still be burrowed into my bed." Edd teased.

Nat frowned. "I have to get Kevin up and ready for the second half of the tournament. He's such a pain to wake up in the mornings that I have to get up especially early for him to wake up on him. Did you know that he once throw a book at his last chamberman because he was in a cranky mood one morning? Now everyone is afraid to rouse the prince. I'm the only one that has a firm enough hand to really get his day going."

Pouring another drink, Nat grumbled something about his knightly duties and not being a nursemaid. Edd cover his mouth as tried to hide his amused smile. The interaction between the prince and the young knight had amused Edd. Kevin seemed the most relaxed around Nat and smiled more often.

"How about I assist you this morning? I have nothing to do until the archry tournament anyways. It might be easier to get the prince out of bed if two people pestered him." Edd said playfully.

A wicked gleam caught in Nat's eyes, clearing suddenly of sleep. "That, my scholarly friend, is a marvelous idea."

Something tickled Kevin's face, drawing him out of his slumber. He swatted lazily at space in front of his face. As he tried to slip back into sleep, the tickling started again. He swatted harder but didn't make contact with the source. Giggling pulled at the edge of his muddled mind.

Kevin sat up suddenly, looking around him, alarmed. Perched on either side of his bed was Nat and Edd. Both had their hands covering their mouths and smothering laughter. Nat held a small brush in his hand, the bristles tinted a bright pink.

"I do say you are the finest looking lady of the court, Kevin." Nat snorted and laughed unabashed.

Edd nodded in agreement, amusement making his blue eyes dance wildly. "I would have to agree Sir Nat. That shade of rouge goes so well with his skin tone."

The pair doubled over laughing. Edd buried his face in the plush bedding, muffling his laughter. Kevin flung off his blankets and ran over to the mirror that hung above his washing bason. What he saw in the mirror made him flush in embarressment. Make up was caked on his face like a bad actor of a penny show. White powder made him as pale as a ghost while the hideous blush made him look like a cheap whore. It seemed that he woke up while they were in the process of applying lip stain. Only his lower lip had the bright red smear.

Kevin turned on Nat. "What the hell?"

"I just wanted to help prepare you for a day among the noble women. They seem to enjoy wear this stuff so maybe it will help attract women to you." Nat giggled.

"Hopefully he won't get mistaken for a noble woman and draw the attention of the grabby lords." Edd said, smiling broadly with his gap exposed.

Kevin was greatful that the bason was full of clean water as he scrubbed at his face. The water turned murky from the stage make up. When he looked back at his reflection, the washing had only seemed to distort the hideous make up. Nat roared with laughter when he caught sight of it. Edd, who was a little more tactful, approached Kevin with a clean clothe. Kevin snatched it from him and glared at the both of them.

"Well I hope you enjoyed your little prank because I will be returning the favor tenfold." Kevin growled.

"Well at least you are up and washed your face." Nat said smuggly. "It usually take about twenty minutes for you to reach this portion normally."

Kevin rolled his eyes and finished washing his face. He was use to Nat pulling stunts like this but the presense of Edd only fueled Kevin's embarassment. But the smile he saw was worth it. Edd seemed relaxed as he lounged on Kevin's couch, idly chatting with Nat. Once the embarassment wore off, it was a nice morning. A servant brought in breakfast, which Kevin was thankful for. Like Nat, he was feeling the effects of last night heavily. Lords and ladies came by the royal table, making small toasts towards his prosperous future. He could not turn them down so the wine kept flowing into his cup. It was his mother that had finally cut off the line of well wishers, saying that there was always time for it later. The festival still had two days left in which they could present themselves.

"So are you nervous for the archery competition Edd?" Nat asked as he tried steal a sausage off Kevin's plate, which got him a slap on the hand from the prince.

Edd shrugged. "I am fine for now but that may change the closer it comes to the start. I was able to practice a little before dinner last night. I'm a little rusty but it should not be embarassing if I were to lose."

"Have a little more faith in yourself, Edd." Nat chidded. "I believe in you and so does Kevin, right Kevin?"

Kevin, caught unaware of the question mid drink, coughed as the mild went down the wrong away. Edd attention was suddenly on Kevin and he tried not to blush. Leave it to Nat to have a big mouth so early in the morning. The prince had told Nat about Edd entering the tournament and how he was excited to see what Edd could do with a bow and arrow.

"Of course," Kevin smiled softly, not making eye contact with Edd.

The day went by quickly. Kevin won a few more sword fights, cementing his place in the finals that would be held on the last day of the festival. His mother had ushered him back into the castle to take a bath before rejoining his people in watching the rest of the days activities. Kevin was glad to be out of his boiling armor and under the shade of the royal tent set up in front of the archery range.

Archery had been one of the few skills that Kevin could not get a grasp on. His aim at a distance was poor and the muscles needed to pull a bow was different than those used to swing a sword. It took much convincing on his part to get his father to skip archery lessons and focus on sword play. He just was not good at it and would rather focus his efforts of what he excelled at. Secretly, the king was proud that his son was able to understand that he could not do everything. It was realistic and very mature.

Most of the contestants were young lords, local hunters, and rangers. Edd stood out among the hefty men and grizzled rangers. His hair was tied back from his face and he wore plain, loosing clothing. He had over heard Jimmy fussing about how Edd had refused an outfit he had brought for him to wear because it constricted his movements too much. It had been a lovely set on clothing but Kevin could see what Edd had meant. Brocade was not meant for such an occasion.

A trumpet sounded and the large crowd fell silent. One of King Barr's men stepped forward to address the people.

"Welcome one and all to the archery tournament. Today we shall witness great feats of skill and accuracy. Archery has been around for many ages and takes intense training to do properly. While it started out as a means for hunting, it is no less esteemed then that of sword play. Now, let me introduce our competitors!"

The crowd cheered as each man stepped forward to acknowledge their names. A few waved and some bowed to the crowd.

"Prince Eddward of Eloria!"

Edd stepped forward sheepishly, took a deep breath, and bowed gracefully. The cheering doubled in volume as he seemed to be popular among the fairer sex. Kevin smiled and clapped loudly since shouting in this instance would have been unprincely.

"Archers, take your positions!"

Twelve men stepped forward, each in front of a circular, straw target painted with red rings. Edd rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, completely focused. All he had to do was following Theo's training and things would be fine. This was not a life or death situation. This was for sport and entertainment for the enjoyment of the crowd.

"Ready!"

Edd notched his arrow.

"Aim!"

In a smooth motion, Edd drew back on the string, looking down the arrow at the target in front of him. Time seemed to slow as he adjusted his sights closer to the center. When he was satisfied with his aim, he held solid, waiting for the next instruction.

"Fire!"

Edd relaxed his finger and the arrow sprung forward. It whistled through the air and hit the target. It was a little to the left of where he wanted it to go but it was still a good shot. He breathed out slowly and lowered his bow. Pages ran foward to check the results. One of the lords, to his embarassment, had completely missed, immediantly disqualifying him. A few had bearly hit the target, not scoring them enough points to move on to the next round. The number of competitors dropped from twelve to seven. Edd was among the top five.

Pride filled Edd and he wished that Theo had been here to see him compete. The old rangers would have grumbled about him not being in first or something about his stance.

The targets were moved back further and arrows were retreived. It was time for the next round. Unlike the sword fights, this portion of the tournament could be accomplish rather swiftly, depending on the number of contestants.

Ready... Aim... Fire!

Another volley of arrows flew. One came short, buring into the ground just short of the target. The ranger next to Edd groaned and his head fell. He had misjudged the distance and that had cost him a spot in the next round. Seven became three. Then three became two.

Edd, who had not picked up a bow until last night, stood shocked that he had made it so far. With only two people left, there was a small interlude to give the archers a break before the last arrow. Nat trotted over to him and pulled him towards the royal pavillion.

King Barr beamed down at the young prince. "That is some fine shooting, Prince Eddward. From what Sir Nathan has told me, this if the first time you have ever competed like this."

"Thank you sir," Edd said, bowing his head. "It is true though. This is actually the first time in over six summers that I have picked up the bow. I'm glad that I have brought pride to my kingdom so far."

"I am sure your father and king would be proud." King Barr said smiling.

There was a pang in Edd's chest at the thought of his king- his father hearing of his entry into this competition. King Barr had no idea how wrong he was about the supposide pride of the king of Eloria.

"Let's get you a drink of water before the final round," Kevin suggested, getting out of his seat.

The king looked proudly at his son. "Good idea Kevin. Make sure he gets back on time though. We don't need two princes holding up the final round."

Edd followed Kevin away from the range and through the crowd towards a rest area for competitors. It was empty for the most part, minus the staff running about. They bowed their heads respectfully towards the princes but left them alone. Edd sat on a bench as Kevin fetched two mugs of water.

"Nat was right. You should have more faith in your skills." Kevin said as he returned. "You are quite skilled with a bow. You could even win."

Edd smiled shyly. "My opponent is a veteran ranger twice my age. He's had many years to hone skills. Even if I lose, which I do not think I will win, I know that a better man has won."

Kevin bumped his shoulder against Edd's playfully. "With that attitude, you definately won't win."

Suddenly, Kevin started looking around with searching eyes. When he found what he was looking for, his eyes lit up and he told Edd to stay there. The red haired prince jogged over to a line of streamers and flags. He looked them over thoughtfully and cut one off when his small dagger he kept on his hip.

"Here," Kevin said, offering the cloth towards Edd.

It was bright crimson with gold details along the edges. It might have been a hankerchief at one point but became scrape fabric for the festival.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" Edd asked curiously.

Kevin laughed. "Give me you right hand."

Confused, Edd complied.

"During tournaments, ladies would offer knights and lords favors like this as a token and to encourage them to do their best. It's usually done in a showier fashion in fron the crowds to further the drama of the competition. It is also a sign of affection between the two." Kevin explained as he tied the cloth around Edd's wrist.

"So you are giving me a token?" Edd asked.

Kevin nodded. "I want you to do your best and win."

Looking around quickly, Kevin placed a kiss on the back of Edd's hand.

"That and other things," Kevin smiled coyly.

Edd won by only a small margin. The last target was much farther away and they took turns shooting. They were each given three arrows to get as many points as possible. Edd last arrow had been just right of the rangers final arrow, grazing the outer edge of the bull's eye. That arrow gave him just enough points to pull ahead and win.

The crowd went wild as the winner was announced. Many of the women chatted about how romantic it was that the new prince had won. The also took notice of the favor tied around Edd's wrist and speculated at the which lady had been brave enough to give it. Kevin smiled a crooked smile when he heard them gossiping. They would never guess correctly, no matter how long they contemplated.

Thanks for tuning in for another chapter. It took a while to write this but I enjoyed it greatly and I hope you did too. I write for you guys as much as for myself.

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