Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or names of the places and monsters. They are owned by Clamp and Gravity respectively.
Chapter 2- Before the Storm
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" A young page called out, running at top speed. A middle aged man with a golden crown sitting on his silver grey hair turned from his crowd of advisors and sighed. This young page had a reputation for making a big deal out of nothing. Still, it was his job to listen and he will do just that, even if it's only to stifle his craving for something out of the ordinary. The young page ran out into the grand hall and onto the red carpet, scarcely tripping over its golden rim. The usual splendours of the Grand Hall that made him stop and stare in awe were all forgotten today. To think that he, the youngest page in the palace, would have a chance to relay what was to probably be the most important message in his life. With his pride swelling up, he rushed up to the king and saluted. With one knee on the ground, he cleared his throat and belted, "Prince Syaoran is back!" His voice resonated thoroughly through the marble hall. He listened with a satisfactory grin, knowing that he made a difference today with such happy news. King Tristam III, as that was his name, was ecstatic. Quickly he left his group of followers and sat down in his royal throne full of anticipation. He raised his hand, palm up, signaling the young page to stand.
"Tell me, my good man, did he come back with a bride?"
The noise in the room died down. Every man and woman in the room was leaning slightly forward to hear the young page speak. It was a custom here in Prontera, that the prince must go out into the world and make his living when he turned 18. He was to come home a month before his 21st birthday with a bride or else relinquish his throne. This custom has been passed down for generations because the Pronterans believe that the kingdom is an extension of the family and if the Prince cannot find a bride by the appointed time, then he is seen as unfit to rule a kingdom. He will be viewed by his people as "the Prince who is useless". If he does now know how to maintain a family, how could he take care of the whole kingdom?
The young page being too young to understand this custom did not see the weight of this question. Any one older would have turned green at this question. "Unfortunately, no, Your Majesty." Seeing his King's face falter to such a degree that it scrunched up. The King was making such a face that it hurts the young page's eyes to look at. It took a moment for King Tristam III to recover himself. When he did, he waved his hand at the young page, signalling him to take his leave. Realizing that he has disappointed his king, he sadly saluted and stepped off to the side. Little did the young page know that in what he thought was his three seconds of fame turned into the whole kingdom's shame. The King sighed and raised his hand to one of the royal guards, "Summon Prince Syaoran." He said in a resignedly.
The guard saluted and went out the big double doors at the end of the hall. Though the doors closed behind him and the people of the court could still hear him yell, "King Tristam III calls for Prince Syaoran!" They could hear the next guard repeat after him and the next after that. After a while of all this yelling, peace was finally restored. A low murmur had risen from the people of the court. The young page that was standing amongst them could feel the underlying tension and fear, as they wondered about the uncertainty of the kingdom's future. The young page could not take this insult and went up to the group standing closest to him and said angrily, "The custom only says that the Prince must be married on his 21st birthday. There was still a month before his birthday, there is still hope."
That group of people did not take to being talked to like that by a mere page very well. Nonetheless, they were too civilized to engage in a squabble with the young page. They simply turned their heads and walked away. That very statement of the young page, however, has not gone unnoticed by the King.
"Come here, my boy. What is your name?"
"Jimmy, Sire." The young page felt honoured having occupied the King's attention. He saluted again.
"Jimmy. You believe in your Prince, do you not?"
"Yes sir." Jimmy answered solemnly, not in the least afraid of what the others in the court may think.
The King smiled a kind smile and twirled his grey beard with his fingers thoughtfully. "So do I," he began slowly. "So do I. Your loyalty will prove to be invaluable. I believe I may have come to a solution to help the Prince with your help." The King's kind smile had turned into a confident smirk. Whatever he was thinking about, it was giving him great pleasure. The people of the court shuddered, they knew this look only all too well and it usually means that their workload had just more than tripled.
Just then, one of the guards standing guard outside the Grand Hall came in. "Announcing Prince Syaoran."
The grand hall was hushed with silence at once and heads in the court turned with great anticipation. A handsome young man had walked into the room, grinning from ear to ear. He walked up to the king. "Hey old man," he said affectionately. "Looks like I've finally made it, alive and well." He walked up to the throne and wrapped his arms around the old King. The King pulled back to take a good look at his son. His sandy colored hair was a bit longer than he remembered. The King stood up and looked up. He was certainly taller and bigger than when he left. He nodded to himself, thinking, yes, this is the way it should be. Finally, gazing into his son's eyes, looking into the depths of his heart. His son's serious but kind eyes were the only things that have not change. They still crinkle at the edges when he smiled. Putting his hands on his son's shoulders, he let his happiness overwhelm him. "Welcome home, Syaoran. Welcome home." Feeling unusually cheerful, he called out to his subjects. "We must celebrate your return Syaoran. We shall have a feast." The King was now in his element, feeling that he should spread his happiness. "No, that wouldn't do. We must have a ball, this instant! Get the musicians! The cooks and the servers! We must invite the whole kingdom to attend!"
Prince Syaoran watched his father with an amused grin on his face. "You haven't changed one bit, old man." Syaoran had spoken so softly that no one heard him. His father turned to him and asked, "Did you say something Syaoran?" Prince Syaoran shook his head. "I said that there is no way you can prepare for something as big as a ball today. We might as well do it at the end of the week and give the servants sometime to organize this. Besides, I think I want to settle down a bit first." Yelling over the ruckus that his father had caused was no easy task, but it worked. The chaotic scrambling about has ceased. Prince Syaoran let out a sigh of relief. "You really should think things over before you say them father." Then turning to the rest of the court, "Thank you all for taking care of my father while I was away. There were probably times when you wanted to strangle him because of his unreasonable demands. I know I have." Nervous laughter filled the room but the prince was not finished. "Thank you for your patience and for sticking by him. You have no idea how much this means to me. I know that you are all weary of the fact that I haven't brought home a wife but let me reassure you, I plan to find one at the ball. So please, lets all work hard together and make this ball a success. The future of the kingdom is in our hands, so let's make the most of it. Oh, and as a token of my appreciation for each and every one of you, once the ball is underway, you are all free to come and take part in it. It is your ball even more so than mine."
King Tristam III is practically glowing. His son has really grown into a man and he had caught the hint of the ball very quickly. The tension in the room had died since the Prince himself, have addressed the issue that was nagging them at the back of their minds. It was a great relief to the court to hear such words. Prince Syaoran had always been popular within the Kingdom and he had today, shown them what he was capable of. He had, with that short speech, caused them to forget their worries and gave them something to look forward to.
For the next few days, everyone in the Kingdom was bustling with anticipation. Not just the servants in the palace who were in charge of the decorations and food, but the town folks as well. The contents of the speech had leaked onto the streets. Every woman or girl living in Prontera scrambled for the Kingdom's finest fabrics and made for the finest dressmakers in town. This was a chance nobody wanted to let go of, the rich or the poor. To become royalty was a part of every woman's dream. And so the palace went on cheerfully with the preparations, while the townsfolk went on with the same cheerful countenance but more frantically.