Episode 3: The Choice of a Generation! Leos Must Marry?
Great, just great. Kristen's on my tail, Prem's super upset with me, I have to put aside something as important as a Poipole, and now Castle Eris is empty? Leos growled. He didn't care one bit that he showed those thoughts through his impatient march, and wore a frown the whole way. Every single time I get involved with Mother and Father, something incredibly dumb happens, and it always feels like I'm the only one who sees it. Gods, you guys better have a good reason this time, or so help me I'll—
Laurent's shrill squeak made him jump, but it wasn't anything major. The curious little creature had checked out a lantern and burnt their hand trying to touch the fire. Prem told them off, and they were back at his side, sucking on that hand to try and cool it off.
With the guards still at the front, there's absolutely no way they aren't aware of what's going on. Add in the fact that they're Zoroark, and things don't seem so convoluted. So the real question is, why evacuate? he asked himself as he turned a corner to go upstairs. This floor had his and his parents' personal quarters, but their large rooms all being distant from one another meant the area was still long to walk through.
"I don't understand. There's no one here. Well, don't fret, My Lord," Kristen said.
"I'm not fretting," Leos replied with a half-lidded frown.
"If something has happened, I'll contact the higher ups of Halcandra and Faernia Castle to begin a search immediately. We'll find everyone before the day is done," Kristen proposed.
As much as that sounds totally unnecessary, she does sound worried. At least it doesn't seem like she's onto some hidden plan or something. He folded his arms as he gazed to both ends of the hallway. By natural instinct, he checked out his room first, surprised to find it exactly as he left it. Or at least, everything felt the same as he'd left it months ago. For a prince's room, barebones was the kindest compliment. A bed, a bedside table, a large mirror on the wall, and then piles and piles of books, all scattered across the walls and corners. Just the way he liked it.
"Well it doesn't look like anyone's touched your stuff." Griselle smiled.
"You still keep it like this?" Prem commented.
"Ah! Unbelievable. They didn't tidy your room at all. Come now, we have servants for a reason!" Kristen bounced right toward one of the piles.
"Don't touch anything, Kristen. I actually told them to leave my room alone," Leos slapped his forehead.
"But it's a mess! What would the other ladies think upon seeing this?" Kristen gasped.
"The… ladies?" Laurent said, a hand on their lip.
"Ignore that one, Lau." Prem rolled his eyes.
"I like it this way. It's an organized mess. I know where everything is just fine," Leos assured. He brushed over the top of a pile, letting the books tumble noisily. "This reveals another thing, too. Like Griselle says, there's no signs of a struggle. So I guess, throne room it is."
"So they're not after anything or anyone. And they're not hiding, either," Iola said as she investigated. She was still mega evolved, and had an apple in hand. Not something Leos wasn't used to seeing from her.
"There are so many. Daddy, what does it say?" Laurent pointed at one of the books.
"It's an old diary. Not from Leos, but a traveller. You're still collecting stuff like this?" Prem asked.
"I never stopped. Anything that can point me in the direction of you-know-what." Leos smiled.
"Just say aura. All of us here know what it is," Prem shrugged. "How is that going, anyway?"
"There's a bunch of stuff I found about the ruins in the Second Country that's super interesting, if you want to hear about it." Leos put a hand on his hip.
"Time and a place, you two. We need to focus here." Kristen tapped him.
"You really don't like Prem, do you?" Leos turned to her.
"I do not know him, yes, but that is irrelevant. Your parents and the wellbeing of the royal Pokémon take priority. We have to find them," Kristen reasoned.
"And I'm telling you that it's going to be stupid. It's Mother and Father plotting something wasteful, and doing a sloppy job of it." Leos walked off and tucked his arms behind his head.
"Leos, these are the royals we're talking about! You know that everything they do is of great importance and for a greater good," Kristen cried.
"And I know them more than you ever will. This'll be a big waste of our time."
"Please for the love of, don't start arguing again," Prem groaned.
"Daddy, will you read me this story?" Laurent popped up in front of the Pikachu, a new book in hand. Leos stopped in the doorway to observe them.
"Fashion and hairstyles for studs: a guide? I don't think you'll want to hear this story." The Pikachu snickered, and slipped it underneath the pile.
"That just makes me want to know what it says even more," Laurent whined.
"A better story is how such an embarrassing book ended up here," Prem wondered.
"I was about to ask that," Iola added.
"Yeah, it's not like you to worry about your appearance. I felt that way when you decided to style your head fur in the first place." Griselle rubbed her face.
"I've actually had that one for ages, believe it or not. It's painfully dated, according to Kristen," Leos snickered, and his cheeks flushed a little. He led the group to the central staircase for the throne room. "When my fur kept growing and I was younger, Mother really wanted to make sure I fit in. But you know how she is. For everywhere she's a genius, she can be a little…"
"Dopey? Quirky? Funky?" Griselle giggled.
"Whatever you equate to 'not so bright', yeah," Leos chuckled.
"You two! This could be a serious situation," Kristen cried.
"If it was, we'd have seen so by now," Leos commented.
"Keeping the cool is an admirable trait for an explorer, after all," Iola said, and took a bite of her apple.
"Will you keep quiet? You are lucky you're even getting to explore this place with us." Kristen pointed at the Audino. "In fact, why are you eating at a time like this? Surely you can resist."
"I can't. I'm sure I've told you before," Iola said with a finger by her chin.
"Hmpf. Well, it still looks uncouth," Kristen pouted.
"Oh lighten up already, gods. I won't have you shutting up my friends. Consider that an order," Leos raised his voice.
"I-urk, um… apologies, My Lord." Kristen turned away.
About time, he thought as he came to a stop at the throne room doors.
These giant walls were a real pain to get open and impossible for him alone. He still made an attempt anyway, and pushed with his back. The others joined him without instruction, and with grunts and growls from all, the door groaned open.
The moment they stepped in, the feeling in the air changed. It was warmer due to the giant glass windows and natural light, but there was still something unsettling about a hall bigger than the dojo being completely devoid of Pokémon. There was nothing here except a couple of fancy thrones towards the back end, and the expected decorations of a red carpet, curtains, and other expensive décor.
Wait, there's actually no one here? Leos thought as he strained his ears. All he got were the footsteps of his group and the crackling of flames from candle lamps.
"This is super weird. I don't think I've ever seen a big place like this have no one," Griselle said.
"Let alone how impossible it is. I do think we should be prepared for anything," Iola added, finishing her apple. She had another one ready, though.
"Lau, stay by me, and keep quiet," Prem ordered. Poipole slapped their hands over their mouth and walked on their feet to hug up to him.
"I can't sense a thing. There's actually no one here," Leos began to whisper as he stumbled into the centre of the room. He slowly spun as he did so, and half expected to spot someone sneaking up from behind. But there was no one behind his group.
He stopped and focused when he reached the thrones, and then a funny sensation hit. His surroundings started to blur and fade into smog, but it took over so quickly that he felt dizzy just trying to keep his eyes open. That dizziness turned into pangs that made him growl and hunch over. Before he knew it, the pangs subsided and he was able to look up again.
"What?" he whispered.
Trumpets and confetti cannons filled the room with fanfare and colour so suddenly that his heart jumped out of his chest. Banners rolled down the ceiling, a group of Pokémon in butler uniforms showed up, and a familiar duo of adults, a Dewott and a Clefable, popped out from behind the two thrones.
"Surprise! Happy birthday, Leos!" the duo cheered at the top of their voices.
Laurent shrieked and fired a huge glob of green fluid from the needle on his head. Leos just about stumbled out of the way of it, but the Dewott behind the thrones wasn't so lucky, and was splatted in the face so hard he crashed to the floor.
"Oh my goodness! Rune! Rune, are you alright?" the Clefable beside him cried. The trumpets and cheering stopped just as suddenly.
"Laurent, what was that?" Prem cried.
"I am sorry! Did I hurt someone? I was the scared," Laurent cried and hugged the Pikachu.
Leos' mouth was on the floor, and he couldn't close it. His heart began to speed up as he turned to his father, the Dewott whose face dripped with green substance. He couldn't say a word as Rune rose to his feet.
In fact, no one said anything and anxiously waited for a response. Rune raised an arm and formed a Water Pulse over it, a large, perfectly spherical orb of swirling water. He stuffed his head into the water to let the orb soak up the green fluid. He was clean after a moment, but raised an eyebrow at the contaminated Water Pulse he now held.
"Huh. Is this that slime stuff the kids are into? I didn't think it'd be so harmless," he said. Leos and the others collectively sighed.
"It's not poison? It's green, where did that even come from?" Clefable asked. Rune dismissed his attack, and the fluid disappeared with it. "Never mind that, you sure you're okay? It wasn't acidic or anything?"
"Ariala, it's cool. I'm right as rain. It got in my eyes, but I'm pretty sure I feel fine," Rune assured, and then vaulted over the throne to confront Leos and the others. He had to brush his large, messy head fur out of his face. The messy bundle of fur flowed behind him down to his tail. "But never mind that, that's just what I expect from my little warrior and his entourage. Never a dull moment with your colourful cast!"
"F-Father." Leos's shock turned into a frown. "What is this? What is going on?"
"It's what it says on the banners, kid! Your own surprise party," he announced, and raised his arms high. "The whole town's in on this. So you're about to have a special week!"
"The whole town? A surprise party? For me?" Leos gasped.
"We never got to do anything special for you growing up, so we thought we'd do something special for the time you turned an adult." Ariala walked over, her voice soft and inviting. She looked to be dressed the part too. She wore a beautiful gown of her favourite shades of pink.
Leos normally found it hard to be aggressive with her because she always sounded so serene. She had the voice that soothed him to sleep when he was younger, after all. Right now, that wasn't doing it for him. Leos stood tall, grit his fangs, and shifted a foot forward. "So you did this?"
"Yeah. A big, festive celebration all for you. Right here is just this small little thing between us, but by the end of the week, everything'll be just yours," Rune said.
"That's really why you called me back to the castle? Are you serious, this is the 'all important' meeting?" Leos raised his voice. "You know I hate parties! And you know I hate my birthday. I don't do stuff like this. What in the world compelled you to try and force me into something like this?"
"Aww, don't be like that kid. You can't knock it 'till you try it," Rune replied, and winked. "And besides, you haven't even gotten to the best part yet. Your present!"
"This is going to be the worst part." Leos slumped.
"It's important. Something special that I'm certain will make you happy for the rest of your life," Ariala said, though the way she rubbed her face and twiddled her fingers kept a frown on his face. "It's unusual. Not what you'll expect. But equally it's something that must be done."
"Oh no. Stop beating around the bush, just get to it," Leos groaned.
"As you know, I am the king of Eris, while your mother is queen of Faernia, and that makes you the centre of something super special. An entirely new nation. A kingdom that signifies the start of our united realm of Etheria." Rune shut his eyes and folded his arms.
"You're reminding me of this because… you got me a castle? A kingdom?" Leos raised an eyebrow.
"Not exactly. A kingdom must be built up on your own terms and your own power. You assured us that was what you wanted long ago, and we will stick by that promise," Ariala said. She laid a palm on her chest. "Now that you are of age, such a kingdom can be established. But no kingdom is maintained without a lifelong partner."
"Your present is our guaranteed blessing for a partner of your choice. You may pick a partner, and the royal wedding will take place before the week is done," Rune announced.
"Ma-marriage?" Griselle whispered. Prem and Kristen gawked at the same time.
And just like that, Leos felt himself about to throw up. A million different curse words exploded in his head, so many that he wound up not saying anything at all. He opened his mouth, he held his hands out, he shivered, and yet, nothing came. In the end, he shook his head and turned around. "Okay. I'm done."
"Lord Leos?" Kristen said.
"I'm done. I'm leaving." He walked off. "It was good to see you all again, but I have important matters to attend to, so good bye."
"Whoa, kid! No holding back on the savage, huh?" Rune broke into laughter.
"I knew this was a bad idea," Clefable sighed.
"And yet you went through it. I thought better of you Mother, but you still went through with this oaf's absolute stupidity." Leos turned around and shook. "You genuinely thought it was a good idea to drag me halfway across the world away from the Second Country to force me into a pointless, aristocratic party of the kind you know that I absolutely despise, so you could try get me to marry? Bravo, you got this far."
Everyone had gone silent. All eyes were on him, but that only drove his frustration further, and he began to stomp around the room. "So how'd you do it? You got the town dressed up, you managed to hide in the castle so that not even me and Kristen could sense you, and gods knows how you convinced Prem to come back. Unless you're in on this too, buddy? Is that Poipole a Combee in disguise or something?"
"No! I am a real Poipole. And my name is Laurent!" Laurent cried and confronted him. "It is a very special name that Daddy gave me, so please call me that."
He was surprised, but all that did was make him kick the floor and raise his arms.
"I had no idea this was happening. I just, this really is an insane coincidence," Prem gasped.
"I almost feel bad." Leos waved at the crowd, a combination of Indeedee, Lopunny, Zoroark, and Quilava. Each and every one of them was dressed in a suit or a dress. "You managed to get servants from both the planets up here, too. So what is this, you take away a percentage of the country bank to run all this, and now you've got to get your money's worth? All of you are better off quitting this acting skit and heading home. It's over, right here, right now."
"My… Lord. Perhaps it would be best if you could at least try things? And humour your parents. They have clearly done a lot to prepare this for you," Kristen suggested.
"Kristen, you really need to learn to read the room and not say things that're going to tick me off more," Leos replied. Her face contorted in embarrassment.
"You're really going to leave? Not gonna humour your old man?" Rune asked, hands on his hips. Leos squinted his eyes at him. He wasn't going to give that an answer, so he turned to leave for good. "Alright. I know when I'm beaten."
"Rune," Ariala said.
"This is now a private meeting, I'm afraid. Can I get everybody to leave the room?" Rune ordered.
That got Leos to stop, but only to raise an eyebrow. The servant Pokémon didn't seem to mind either, and promptly stepped out.
"Not you. You guys stay," Rune corrected just as Prem moved to leave as well. He waited until the room as totally empty before sighing and flinging his arms down. "You know, this what I like about you, Leos. You're never afraid or hold back on saying and doing the things you want. Really puts my childhood to shame. Like, I wish I could've had half the bravado you have."
Leos still didn't answer him, but he did face him and put a paw on his hip.
"Don't get me wrong, I wish you could've played along someday. Maybe given me a chance to learn to be a better Dad. But either way, it's impressive. A weird thing to be proud of, isn't it?" Rune said.
"You did all this because you had a real reason, didn't you?" Leos asked.
"And you played along because you knew I had an ulterior motive this time," Rune added as he casually walked around them.
Leos' glare intensified. "If it's just as stupid, I'm still leaving."
"You have to have some faith in your old man. I'm sure plenty of kids would very happily swap dads with you," Rune joked.
"I'm not here to indulge your ego. Get to the point," Leos raised his voice.
Ariala came into his view with a Pokémon held delicately in her hands, a small, round, cloud-like creature with two floppy, ear-like extensions. Besides its face, its whole body took on a spatial colour scheme of blues and purples, complete with distant stars in its ears. Its face was a deep black with glowing blue cheeks, but it was sound asleep.
"This is Cosmog. We recently found it deep underneath Castle Eris." Ariala presented it to him. Laurent flew right up to it, but was snatched away by Prem.
"C'mon you. Don't disturb it," Prem said. Laurent giggled.
"It looks cute," they said.
"It's fine, we can't wake it up anyway. According to our research, Cosmog will only awaken when in the presence of royalty. A king and a queen considered to be leaders of the world, to be precise," Ariala explained. Everybody gathered around to observe it, so she sat down to lower it for them. "In the past, the royal families of Etheria would raise a Cosmog until it evolved into a legendary Pokémon they called the Radiant One."
Prem choked, and exchanged glances with Laurent.
"And guess what, this Radiant One just so happens to be the creator of that energy you've been looking for," Rune said.
"Aura? The Radiant One creates aura?" Leos gasped.
"Bingo. The key to saving Etheria is right here, and it lies with you, buddy," Rune stated and winked. "See the thing is, I desperately don't want things to seem like they're forced. I hoped that throwing a huge party, letting you relax with your friends and stuff, maybe seeing Prem again, all that stuff would make you loosen up and maybe realise your feelings for someone."
"That actually just makes everything worse." Leos went stiff and shut his eyes. "I haven't been thinking about marriage at all. In fact, I couldn't possibly be somebody's partner. How could I—"
"Just because we have told you this, don't consider it a mandatory requirement," Ariala cut him off.
"But it is, now. If I don't get to raise that Cosmog, Etheria will…" Leos whispered, and shook his head. "This… can't be happening."
"It's not mandatory. This isn't an arranged marriage. We're just saying you have our blessing for whoever you choose. And the procedures for a royal wedding too. But if you want things simple after all, that can be arranged, too," Rune explained. He sat down in one of the thrones. "Me and your mother didn't get a choice, our marriage was arranged. We're lucky we get along, and that the gods blessed us with a child."
"But this is arranged. If Etheria doesn't get its aura restored—" Leos cried.
"You've got plenty of time, kid," Rune argued. Leos finally opened his eyes and looked up at the Dewott. "Plus, you get to pick from your friends, or any of the other pretties from the realm. Prem even came back! It's like an all-you-can-kiss buffet, food included."
"Rune, really?" Ariala sighed, and he laughed.
Leos turned to his friends who were a rainbow of emotions. Prem still had his mouth agape, Griselle was going pale, and Kristen looked like she was about to fly off like a Sharpedo through water. Iola hid her thoughts well, but even she shifted back when she noticed him look at her. She had stopped eating, too. "I can't just pick a partner like I'm checking off a shopping list. Why couldn't you guys just raise the Cosmog?"
"Oh come now, you've got to have more faith in us than that. You think Cosmog would still be asleep if we were capable?" Rune replied. Ariala was still cradling the thing, after all. It remained motionless, besides the light mouth movements of it breathing.
"I fear it may be a technicality. Despite us being married, I am still only the queen of Faernia, and Rune, Eris, after all. Neither of us have much jurisdiction over one another's domains," Ariala explained. "Things are different for you. I don't know how to convince you that you have a freedom of choice, that this isn't an arranged marriage. This is why I didn't want to tell you about Cosmog in the first place."
Leos tensed up his face. "Look, don't try to tell me it isn't something I have to do. You and I both know that Etheria needs aura, and a source of aura is the thing I've been looking the past two years for. If that Cosmog can truly evolve into a Pokémon that creates aura, then that means I have to get married, and me and my partner will have to raise it."
"But if you lie to your heart and propose to someone who you regret later, it'll spell doom. That's why I wanted to keep things natural." Rune pointed at him. "So don't sweat it. You've got years before Etheria starts decaying or something. You just reached adulthood! You're old enough to drink and talk naughty, and nobody can use the excuse 'you're a kid' anymore. So go live a little!"
"I can't believe you're still saying all this stuff now." Leos shook his head.
"I'm teasin' ya. It's still a party we've got all setup for you, you know. The whole town's in celebration mode for your coming of age. So it's up to you, really. Go take a load off and have fun with your friends for a bit, and don't worry about a thing." Rune smiled. "Or if you would rather take this seriously, you can start figuring things out, and have a talk with everybody. Whichever one you want, no one is going to hold it against you."
"I don't get it. You sound like you don't care a bit," Leos groaned. He gave everyone a glance again, and sighed. He locked eyes with Prem especially, who closed their mouth and glared back, paws curled into fists and face stern. "No matter who I choose, it's a problem. And I don't want any of you to feel like you're any lesser or anything."
"Just before we go any further with this, I'm not being considered, am I?" Iola asked.
"Oh yes you are. A fine fairy like you has been the topic of Leos' praise a good few times, mhmm," Rune teased. Leos gasped and twisted, while Ariala gave him a pinch.
"Rune! Don't say stupid things like that!" Leos cried.
"Oh gosh, I can't even tell whether you're being serious or not. I'm nearly forty, you do realise that, right?" Iola gasped, a hand on her face.
"What? But you look and sound a lot younger," Prem cried.
"It's the permanent mega evolution. Point is, aren't I a little too old for you? And too different a species, for that matter," she added.
"I am not considering you!" Leos shouted; his face redder than a tomato. "It's just Rune being weird. Please stop making a joke out of this!"
"Oh, so now the situation warrants a totally serious attitude?" Kristen joked with half-lidded eyes and hands on her hips. Leos breathed in for a sharp reply, but his heart heaved instead. He didn't have a smart comeback. "I jest, My Lord. This is an exciting time, however. If I may make a suggestion that I believe would benefit all of us here?"
"Hmm? Go right ahead," Rune said.
"How about we delegate days to Leos' potential partners? We are all here, after all," Kristen began. She walked over to him and linked their paws, and he felt his face heat up again. "We will each get to spend a fair day with Leos on a date. No interruptions from others, lest they forfeit themselves. With a full week of individual days with each of us, surely your feelings will have developed. We can proceed with the marriage as planned."
He pulled his hands free from her and tried to look away. "This isn't a competition. I can't just suddenly decide I love someone after spending a day with them."
"But it won't be just a day. These are Pokémon who you have spent much of your life with, me included. And you will get that spare time to catch up with Prem, like you wanted," Kristen said in a singsong voice. "Knowing you, I do believe that you will have a better understanding of your feelings."
"It's not just that, though. Regardless, the other Pokémon won't stand for it. Griselle's a hybrid, you're a Constellar, and Prem's the same gender. It'll take so long for everyone to conform, if at all," Leos replied, and sighed.
"… Wow Leos, you really are dying of nervousness," Rune remarked. "Pretty sure you and Prem have shared a bed before. But now you're worried what other Pokémon think?"
"Rgk, don't say things like that!" he cried, and he blushed yet again. "And why wouldn't I be worried what others think?"
"Because you spent your entire life not being worried about stuff like that? It's actually a pretty good proposal, though. I'd take it," Rune agreed.
Leos sighed and turned away. "You're an idiot."
"Um, excuse me, but what is aura?" Laurent wondered. "The Radiant One is to make light. I do not get what you mean when you say aura."
"Oh, that's just a change of wording over history. What the old books call light, we call aura. So it's the same thing, really," Leos explained, and put a hand on his hip. "Aura is kind of like an energy in the air, but it comes from legendary Pokémon. We're running out of it because there aren't any legendary Pokémon left."
"Is that all? If you marry somebody, then you can make the Radiant One?" Laurent asked.
"That's the gist of it." He nodded.
"Then you can marry me!" Laurent cheered. "Then everybody can be happy."
"Y-you?" Leos leaned away.
"Ahahaha, you've got the enthusiasm, but I don't think that's going to work," Prem commented. He took Laurent's hand and pulled him back to the door. "Marriage is a lot more complicated than that, Lau."
"Oh. What is a marriage?" Laurent asked.
"You proposed without even knowing?" he said. He glanced over at Leos again, and took a deep breath. "I'll tell you later."
"Aww." They puffed out their cheeks.
"Well, you should have a think about it, Leos. Even if your answer is no for now, I do still believe it'll be good for you to take a load off. And if things don't work out, me and Ariala will be in town for the week, too. You can always come find us for a chat," Rune proposed.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Leos began to say, and then found it hard to keep talking.
He sighed yet again and looked over his friends. No matter what angle he tried to think at this from, the idea of marrying any of them crushed him. He loved all of them, but he knew for a fact that becoming a king and ruling with one of them at his side would change his life forever.
Whoever he didn't choose would become distant to him, if based solely on duty. Choosing to marry multiple Pokémon didn't feel right at all, either. And worst of all, he didn't want this to feel like the mandatory job it currently felt like.
With his eyes shut, his breath light, and body loose, he zoned out his surrounds and ran possibilities through his mind. There was a polite way and an honest way to end this scene, so he decided to go with the polite way. The best thing he could get out of this was a holiday, after all.
"It's time to study. Fine, I'll play along. But you have to promise me something, Rune, Mother," he said as he turned back to them. "Please stick by your word. You won't hold it against me no matter what happens, right?"
"I wouldn't be a man, or a king, if I didn't honour my words with a royal fist. Go have fun, kid," Rune replied.
"I promise I won't back down on my word, just I have in the past," Ariala bowed. "That said, I am glad. This sounds like a wonderful idea. One of the best you've had, Kristen."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Kristen bowed.
"You're really going through with this?" Prem tripped over to confront him. "Are you going mad? What in the world did I miss?"
"Not a lot, but I guess, loads at the same time. And let's be real, the way Rune's acting, he's going to be on my case about it in the corniest way if I say no." Leos shook his head.
"That may be true, but don't you have the patience anymore? This is such a weird move," Prem remarked.
Leos lowered his voice. "Don't worry. Nothing's changed. I just want to talk to you again."
"Well now, if this is the plan, then we shan't waste any time. I will begin preparations immediately!" Kristen started to bounce on her toes. "Oh yes! Plans. Plans and procedures. And they will all be a surprise. That means you'll have to cooperate, My Lord."
"What—" was all Leos managed to say before she clutched and pulled him out of the room. She had to drag his feet across the floor. He got a glimpse of Griselle, surprised to see how pale and sickly she appeared, but he only pulled back when the door was shut behind them. "Wait a minute, Kristen!"
"No can do, My Lord. If we're going to make this a success, we need to start immediately, and that means you cooperating for just a short while longer. You'll wait in your room, won't you?" She constantly danced on her toes as she spoke.
"You're way too excited about this. I don't even know why. What do you get out of this?" Leos wondered.
That made her freeze on the spot. "If I may speak boldly for a moment… really, My Lord? I didn't think of you as oblivious in this scenario."
"Oblivious?" He cocked his head.
"Don't worry about it. You just get a good night's sleep tonight, okay?" she said, and waved a hand at him.
"A good night? But it's not even—"
"If you scamper around too much, you'll spoil the surprises. We can't have that now, can we?" She giggled. "You can go read those books and research for the rest of the day. I won't even tell you to tidy your room!"
"Seriously, what's gotten into you?" he asked with a furrowed brow.
"Oh Leos." she kept giggling, and turned him around to guide him downstairs.
"Okay okay, I get it, I won't ask. Can you at least promise me you're not going to be annoying about this, too?" he groaned. "And get off! I can find my own way back."
"Only if you promise to stay put and not spoil," she said in a singsong tone.
He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Don't get used to demanding like that, though."
She giggled again and skipped away, looking back after a moment to give him a cheerful wave. He couldn't help but groan after she disappeared into the busy castle halls, and turned to the throne room doors. He couldn't get Griselle's troubled look out of his mind. Equally, Prem hadn't flipped out nearly as much as he expected. The whole mess brought a paw to his head.
"What am I doing…?"