"The guys at the palace sure know how to eat!" Frato said happily as he
munched at a large chunk of meat in his hands. "This is the most succulent
meat I've ever tasted!"
The only thing that was polite about Frato while he was eating was that by some miracle he talked when his mouth was empty. Other than that, Frato tore away at his food like some kind of rabid monster.
"Sir Frato, could you please try and eat with a little more civility?" Fratley asked in a polite tone, whilst holding a cutlet of meat in his hand. Freya was standing next to him, looking away in utter disgust.
Frato stopped eating and looked at Fratley, feeling a little hurt. He then looked around to see only a few Burmecians with slight frowns on their faces. The rest were turned away talking to friends or relatives. Frato sighed before answering.
"All right, I didn't think everyone would make such a big deal of it." Frato replied.
"They will Sir Frato, because we're Dragon Knights. Fratley stated. "Try setting an example would you?"
That thought had not yet fixed completely in Frato's mind. However, either way he was not doing himself a favour. Frato just nodded, lowered his head slightly and turned around. He walked off quietly, taking another bite from his chunk of meat, looking slightly more like a man than a beast.
The celebrations had begun, and with that came a whole banquet of food. Everyone had been moved from the stage where the knighthood had taken place and into a banquet hall further in the castle. A humongous feast had been prepared by the castle cooks on the extremely long tables in the hall which were placed near the walls. Like before, everyone was still standing. It was customary to eat with your hands in a hall like this. Everyone had stayed to enjoy the free food, which did not lack any royal taste.
The King was once again sat at the front, although this time he was at the same level as everyone else. He had his own chair and table complete with a hearty meal which consisted of the same meats as the feast, prepared especially by the castle cooks and taste tested before being served by a servant to make sure it wasn't poisoned or drugged. Like everyone else, the King was also following the custom of the feast and eating with his hands. He took small, delicate bites from his meat whilst being kept from being completely isolated by a servant who stood next to him for any assistance and for some company.
Everything was going just fine. Burmecians were eating, drinking and talking merrily together. Only a small handful of adult Burmecians went over the top and got drunk, and were escorted by the castle guards outside of the castle. The King couldn't be happier; however there was one small matter that needed to be dealt with.
"Has there been any sign of Puck yet?" The King said aside to the servant after swallowing his piece of meat.
"No your highness, we will inform you straight way if there is any news on the missing prince." The servant replied. "Aside from that, is everything else alright your majesty?"
"Yes." The King answered with a small sigh. "Everything is just fine."
The banquet continued without much hassle but a lot of conversation. Later in the celebration, a female servant came into the banquet hall and made her way through the gigantic crowd calmly and up towards the King. She stopped and curtseyed in her scruffy clothes in front of her King.
"Your majesty, we have found your son." The servant said in a pleasant tone.
"Really?! Where was he?" The King turned and asked the servant, eyes wide with interest.
"We found him hiding in the cupboards of the castle kitchen." The servant answered.
"Bring him to me immediately." The King commanded in a calm tone.
"Yes, your highness." The servant answered before turning to leave the giant banquet hall through the way she came.
A few moments later the door to the banquet hall opened yet again, this time with the guards at the door shouting "Make way for the prince!" as they pulled the doors wide.
The crowd dispersed to form a small clearing for the servant and Prince Puck to walk down. The servant walked towards the King holding Prince Puck's hand to make sure he didn't try to run into the crowd. The crowd nearest to the royal toddler and mischief maker started to murmur amongst themselves. The female servant eventually reached the King and stopped with the young prince.
"Here is Prince Puck your majesty." The female servant stated.
"Please fetch my son a seat." The King asked the male servant who was nearest to him.
The male servant quickly bowed and marched off, returning quickly a chair that was similar to the King's, only it was much smaller and slightly less decorated. He placed the chair in between the King and the young Prince, who was on the King's right.
"Thank you." The King said with a slight smile. He then turned to face his son and his smile soon faded. "Sit down Puck." The King said with a slight growl.
For once, Puck did as he was told and sat down. He then began to sulk heavily as he crossed his arms and wriggled further into his chair. His father looked over at him.
"I've been worrying about you all morning!" The King said with a frown. "What were you playing at?"
Puck didn't answer; he just looked away and continued to sulk.
"Just eat something! You've been hiding away all morning!" The King said, keeping his voice at a surprisingly moderate level despite his slight anger. He then sighed and shook his head as he calmed himself down. "What am I going to do with you?"
The King then turned away from Puck and looked to the left of his chair. Not particularly to look at the servant standing on that side, but to look at the area where his wife would have been sitting had she not passed away giving birth to the mischievous child sitting on his right.
The King gave a heavy sigh before looking at the feast taking place in front of him.
"Life just isn't the same without her...even now." The King muttered quietly to himself.
---
"Congratulations you two; finally you have joined the ranks alongside me in the Dragon Knights!" Lion-heart beamed at his two children. "Words cannot express how much joy now fills my heart! All these years of training with me and at the academy have served you well!"
"Thank you father, but I think we have been praised enough." Fratley replied. "We've only just started, and you already congratulated us for passing the test."
"Don't be so modest. You deserve it after all, Sir Fratley." Lion-heart answered with a smile.
The last two words caused Fratley to pause a minute just to take in what he heard. This was the first time his father had referred to him as anything other than "Junior".
"Well, I have to get ready for my evening patrol. However, before I go I would like to point out that while we are at home I would prefer it if we didn't stick to formalities and just called each other by our names." Lion- heart explained. "Okay Fratley? Okay Frato?" He looked at them in turn as they nodded. He then turned and walked towards the stairs. "But remember your titles in public!" He seemed to look at Frato then, obviously remembering the scenario that had happened previously. With that, Lion- heart marched up the stairs to get changed.
"He's never going to ease off me for that is he?" Frato moaned, shifting his vision to Fratley.
The knighthood celebrations had finished, and Frato and Fratley had returned home for the afternoon. Their jobs as Dragon Knights began the following morning, as the King felt that no-one would feel like working the minute straight after a huge celebration; some wouldn't even be fit enough to work the afternoon, but that was their problem.
Fratley and Frato just wanted to relax for most of the afternoon, whereas Lion-heart had finished his morning duties and wanted to congratulate the two further. The other newly appointed dragon knights were also at home for the same reason.
"I think he will let you off, it wasn't that long ago Frato." Fratley reassured with a little grin. "Say, do you want to go for a walk outside?"
"A walk?" Frato repeated looking slightly confused. "What for?"
"To relax, why else?" Fratley answered. "We don't want to strain ourselves too much before we start our jobs as Dragon Knights."
"We don't want to lose our fighting prowess either." Frato retorted. Then Frato had another thought. If Fratley didn't walk with him, who else would he walk with? "Oh, alright. I don't really feel like training by myself again."
"That's a first." Fratley said whilst getting his brown raincoat and putting it on.
Frato quickly put on his blue raincoat and followed his brother with a slight frown on his face from that comment. As the two stepped outside they noticed that the rain was fairly mild, as if representing the calm mood that had followed the celebration. The streets were also filled with Burmecians doing shopping, daily work and other everyday activities.
The two walked down casually through the street with no real destination. They turned down another alley, which was just as packed as the other, when Fratley saw something.
"Is that Freya?" Fratley asked looking into the pack of Burmecians in front of him.
"Please no..." Frato prayed to himself.
In only a few seconds, Freya had caught Fratley in her line of vision and came walking up to him. Frato hung his head as he saw her marching towards them and looked up to glare at her as she came near.
"Hello, Sir Fratley! What did you think of the party?" Freya asked merrily as she stopped in front of the two.
"It was a divine celebration, but I would prefer it if you weren't so strict about such formalities with me." Fratley answered.
"Nonsense! I like calling you Sir Fratley. It has a nice ring to it." Freya insisted.
"Then at least allow me the same privilege, Lady Freya." Fratley responded with a smile.
"You can just call me Freya, especially if we are alone." Freya stated. "I thought you weren't keen with these formalities."
"Yes, very well Freya. I will refer to you by that if you so wish." Fratley replied in a rather formal tone.
"Well Freya, I..." Frato began.
"It's Lady Freya to you!" Freya interrupted with a slight glare.
Frato just scowled and remained silent. Fratley took a step forward and asked something to break the tension between Freya and Frato.
"What are you doing out on the streets anyway?"
"I'm just buying a few bits and pieces for me and my mother. That's all." Freya answered, breaking her slight glare into a calm expression. "You?"
"We're just taking a walk." Fratley explained.
"Hey, perhaps you could help me with my little shopping trip?" Freya asked, her expression now lighting up.
"Sure, why not?" Fratley responded with a smile before turning to Frato. "What about you, Sir Frato?"
"Thanks, but I'd rather get myself eaten alive by a Malboro." Frato responded in a calm but sarcastic voice. He then turned away and slumped off in his usual manner, leaving Freya scowling at him and Fratley slightly shocked and disappointed by his rude remark.
Freya and Fratley quickly disappeared into the market stalls as Frato walked alone back home.
"I'd love to see the look on their faces if they get separated into different missions as Dragon Knights." Frato muttered to himself with a slight smile.
---
Disclaimer: Square-Enix owns Final Fantasy 9 and all the characters and places in it. However, as Frato is a concept of my own imagination he is mine.
Breeze of Summoners: Maybe the celebration seemed bland because it didn't quite finish then! I know what you are saying, but I don't know how else a knighthood is supposed to go! And who says there is anything wrong with Freya wearing a skirt? It's better than wearing the same raincoat all the time! Also, the King of Burmecia needed a name.
Everyone else: Review this story please. If you can read this, you can click the submit review button and send me a review.
The only thing that was polite about Frato while he was eating was that by some miracle he talked when his mouth was empty. Other than that, Frato tore away at his food like some kind of rabid monster.
"Sir Frato, could you please try and eat with a little more civility?" Fratley asked in a polite tone, whilst holding a cutlet of meat in his hand. Freya was standing next to him, looking away in utter disgust.
Frato stopped eating and looked at Fratley, feeling a little hurt. He then looked around to see only a few Burmecians with slight frowns on their faces. The rest were turned away talking to friends or relatives. Frato sighed before answering.
"All right, I didn't think everyone would make such a big deal of it." Frato replied.
"They will Sir Frato, because we're Dragon Knights. Fratley stated. "Try setting an example would you?"
That thought had not yet fixed completely in Frato's mind. However, either way he was not doing himself a favour. Frato just nodded, lowered his head slightly and turned around. He walked off quietly, taking another bite from his chunk of meat, looking slightly more like a man than a beast.
The celebrations had begun, and with that came a whole banquet of food. Everyone had been moved from the stage where the knighthood had taken place and into a banquet hall further in the castle. A humongous feast had been prepared by the castle cooks on the extremely long tables in the hall which were placed near the walls. Like before, everyone was still standing. It was customary to eat with your hands in a hall like this. Everyone had stayed to enjoy the free food, which did not lack any royal taste.
The King was once again sat at the front, although this time he was at the same level as everyone else. He had his own chair and table complete with a hearty meal which consisted of the same meats as the feast, prepared especially by the castle cooks and taste tested before being served by a servant to make sure it wasn't poisoned or drugged. Like everyone else, the King was also following the custom of the feast and eating with his hands. He took small, delicate bites from his meat whilst being kept from being completely isolated by a servant who stood next to him for any assistance and for some company.
Everything was going just fine. Burmecians were eating, drinking and talking merrily together. Only a small handful of adult Burmecians went over the top and got drunk, and were escorted by the castle guards outside of the castle. The King couldn't be happier; however there was one small matter that needed to be dealt with.
"Has there been any sign of Puck yet?" The King said aside to the servant after swallowing his piece of meat.
"No your highness, we will inform you straight way if there is any news on the missing prince." The servant replied. "Aside from that, is everything else alright your majesty?"
"Yes." The King answered with a small sigh. "Everything is just fine."
The banquet continued without much hassle but a lot of conversation. Later in the celebration, a female servant came into the banquet hall and made her way through the gigantic crowd calmly and up towards the King. She stopped and curtseyed in her scruffy clothes in front of her King.
"Your majesty, we have found your son." The servant said in a pleasant tone.
"Really?! Where was he?" The King turned and asked the servant, eyes wide with interest.
"We found him hiding in the cupboards of the castle kitchen." The servant answered.
"Bring him to me immediately." The King commanded in a calm tone.
"Yes, your highness." The servant answered before turning to leave the giant banquet hall through the way she came.
A few moments later the door to the banquet hall opened yet again, this time with the guards at the door shouting "Make way for the prince!" as they pulled the doors wide.
The crowd dispersed to form a small clearing for the servant and Prince Puck to walk down. The servant walked towards the King holding Prince Puck's hand to make sure he didn't try to run into the crowd. The crowd nearest to the royal toddler and mischief maker started to murmur amongst themselves. The female servant eventually reached the King and stopped with the young prince.
"Here is Prince Puck your majesty." The female servant stated.
"Please fetch my son a seat." The King asked the male servant who was nearest to him.
The male servant quickly bowed and marched off, returning quickly a chair that was similar to the King's, only it was much smaller and slightly less decorated. He placed the chair in between the King and the young Prince, who was on the King's right.
"Thank you." The King said with a slight smile. He then turned to face his son and his smile soon faded. "Sit down Puck." The King said with a slight growl.
For once, Puck did as he was told and sat down. He then began to sulk heavily as he crossed his arms and wriggled further into his chair. His father looked over at him.
"I've been worrying about you all morning!" The King said with a frown. "What were you playing at?"
Puck didn't answer; he just looked away and continued to sulk.
"Just eat something! You've been hiding away all morning!" The King said, keeping his voice at a surprisingly moderate level despite his slight anger. He then sighed and shook his head as he calmed himself down. "What am I going to do with you?"
The King then turned away from Puck and looked to the left of his chair. Not particularly to look at the servant standing on that side, but to look at the area where his wife would have been sitting had she not passed away giving birth to the mischievous child sitting on his right.
The King gave a heavy sigh before looking at the feast taking place in front of him.
"Life just isn't the same without her...even now." The King muttered quietly to himself.
---
"Congratulations you two; finally you have joined the ranks alongside me in the Dragon Knights!" Lion-heart beamed at his two children. "Words cannot express how much joy now fills my heart! All these years of training with me and at the academy have served you well!"
"Thank you father, but I think we have been praised enough." Fratley replied. "We've only just started, and you already congratulated us for passing the test."
"Don't be so modest. You deserve it after all, Sir Fratley." Lion-heart answered with a smile.
The last two words caused Fratley to pause a minute just to take in what he heard. This was the first time his father had referred to him as anything other than "Junior".
"Well, I have to get ready for my evening patrol. However, before I go I would like to point out that while we are at home I would prefer it if we didn't stick to formalities and just called each other by our names." Lion- heart explained. "Okay Fratley? Okay Frato?" He looked at them in turn as they nodded. He then turned and walked towards the stairs. "But remember your titles in public!" He seemed to look at Frato then, obviously remembering the scenario that had happened previously. With that, Lion- heart marched up the stairs to get changed.
"He's never going to ease off me for that is he?" Frato moaned, shifting his vision to Fratley.
The knighthood celebrations had finished, and Frato and Fratley had returned home for the afternoon. Their jobs as Dragon Knights began the following morning, as the King felt that no-one would feel like working the minute straight after a huge celebration; some wouldn't even be fit enough to work the afternoon, but that was their problem.
Fratley and Frato just wanted to relax for most of the afternoon, whereas Lion-heart had finished his morning duties and wanted to congratulate the two further. The other newly appointed dragon knights were also at home for the same reason.
"I think he will let you off, it wasn't that long ago Frato." Fratley reassured with a little grin. "Say, do you want to go for a walk outside?"
"A walk?" Frato repeated looking slightly confused. "What for?"
"To relax, why else?" Fratley answered. "We don't want to strain ourselves too much before we start our jobs as Dragon Knights."
"We don't want to lose our fighting prowess either." Frato retorted. Then Frato had another thought. If Fratley didn't walk with him, who else would he walk with? "Oh, alright. I don't really feel like training by myself again."
"That's a first." Fratley said whilst getting his brown raincoat and putting it on.
Frato quickly put on his blue raincoat and followed his brother with a slight frown on his face from that comment. As the two stepped outside they noticed that the rain was fairly mild, as if representing the calm mood that had followed the celebration. The streets were also filled with Burmecians doing shopping, daily work and other everyday activities.
The two walked down casually through the street with no real destination. They turned down another alley, which was just as packed as the other, when Fratley saw something.
"Is that Freya?" Fratley asked looking into the pack of Burmecians in front of him.
"Please no..." Frato prayed to himself.
In only a few seconds, Freya had caught Fratley in her line of vision and came walking up to him. Frato hung his head as he saw her marching towards them and looked up to glare at her as she came near.
"Hello, Sir Fratley! What did you think of the party?" Freya asked merrily as she stopped in front of the two.
"It was a divine celebration, but I would prefer it if you weren't so strict about such formalities with me." Fratley answered.
"Nonsense! I like calling you Sir Fratley. It has a nice ring to it." Freya insisted.
"Then at least allow me the same privilege, Lady Freya." Fratley responded with a smile.
"You can just call me Freya, especially if we are alone." Freya stated. "I thought you weren't keen with these formalities."
"Yes, very well Freya. I will refer to you by that if you so wish." Fratley replied in a rather formal tone.
"Well Freya, I..." Frato began.
"It's Lady Freya to you!" Freya interrupted with a slight glare.
Frato just scowled and remained silent. Fratley took a step forward and asked something to break the tension between Freya and Frato.
"What are you doing out on the streets anyway?"
"I'm just buying a few bits and pieces for me and my mother. That's all." Freya answered, breaking her slight glare into a calm expression. "You?"
"We're just taking a walk." Fratley explained.
"Hey, perhaps you could help me with my little shopping trip?" Freya asked, her expression now lighting up.
"Sure, why not?" Fratley responded with a smile before turning to Frato. "What about you, Sir Frato?"
"Thanks, but I'd rather get myself eaten alive by a Malboro." Frato responded in a calm but sarcastic voice. He then turned away and slumped off in his usual manner, leaving Freya scowling at him and Fratley slightly shocked and disappointed by his rude remark.
Freya and Fratley quickly disappeared into the market stalls as Frato walked alone back home.
"I'd love to see the look on their faces if they get separated into different missions as Dragon Knights." Frato muttered to himself with a slight smile.
---
Disclaimer: Square-Enix owns Final Fantasy 9 and all the characters and places in it. However, as Frato is a concept of my own imagination he is mine.
Breeze of Summoners: Maybe the celebration seemed bland because it didn't quite finish then! I know what you are saying, but I don't know how else a knighthood is supposed to go! And who says there is anything wrong with Freya wearing a skirt? It's better than wearing the same raincoat all the time! Also, the King of Burmecia needed a name.
Everyone else: Review this story please. If you can read this, you can click the submit review button and send me a review.