"Steady..." Viren muttered to himself as he carefully poured a few drops of one liquid into a jar while working on a new experiment to create a new spell for his dark magic.
Because he was literally trying something he and for as far as he knew nobody else had ever done before, he needed to be extra careful as the slightest mistake with the sensitive ingredients could proof disasterous.
He was so focused on his work that he didn't hear the incoming footsteps until-
BANG!
He jumped and nearly dropped the jar he was holding when the door to his study flew open and Prince Ezran ran in, giggling.
"Prince Ezran!" he scolded, "You almost made me... made me... do something!"
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking when I ran in here!" the little boy at least had the decency to look ashamed.
"I was just running from-" "Me!" Prince or moreso Step-Prince Callum grinned as he rushed into the room too and started tickling his younger brother who happily laughed and tried to wiggle away.
"Enough already! Both of you get out of here!" Viren snapped, not amused at the sight.
He felt himself getting even more frustrated when the boys stopped, but the normally timid and awkward Callum had the gall to glare at him.
"Hey, it wouldn't kill you to at least be more polite, you know. One day Ezran's gonna be your boss." he said and Viren scoffed.
"The day Prince Ezran will be king is fortunately still very far away." he grunted.
"Well, I just can't wait to be king!" Ezran cheered, jumping up and down.
He ended up accidentally knowing into Viren's table and knocking several things over.
Viren gasped and rushed over, seeing he was too late as multiple ingredients mixed together and... music started playing?
He did have a few dried melodaisies in there so maybe that was why.
The boys on the other hand didn't seem bothered at all.
In fact, especially Ezran seemed happy with said music as he jumped in front of Viren.
"I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!" he actually started singing.
"Well, I've never seen a king of Kalotis with quite such wild hair." Viren frowned, reaching over and lightly flicking at the prince's bushy hair, his hand almost bouncing off.
"I'm gonna be the main event, like no king was before," Ezran ran around Viren and jumped on top of the table so they were at the same height, "I'm brushing up on looking down, I'm working on my role!"
"Thus far, a rather... uninspiring thing." Viren rolled his eyes, finding himself following the boys as they ran outside.
"Oh, I just can't wait to be king!" Ezran sang as he and Callum reached outside.
"You've rather a long way to go, young master, if you think-" Viren tried to scold, but he was cut off.
"No one saying 'do this'!" Ezran grinned cheekily up at Viren.
"Now when I said that, I-" Viren tried to say again.
"No one saying 'be there'!" Callum this time sang, cutting Viren off again and grinning just as wide as his brother.
"What I means was-" Viren tried again but was once again cutt off.
"No one saying 'stop that'!" Ezran went again.
"Look what you don't realize is-" Viren tried one final time before the boys sang in unison "No one saying 'see here'!" and running away.
"NOW SEE HERE!" Viren finally roared, out of patience before yelping and barely managing to dodge the princes as they rode past him on a pair of horse they somehow found somewhere.
No, wait. They weren't the ones really riding the horse but were sitting behind... Soren and Claudia?!
His kids were so grounded after all this!
"Free to run around all day!" Ezran sang over his shoulder.
"Well, that's definitely out." Viren huffed as she chased after them again.
"Free to do it all my way!" Ezran sang again as Soren and Claudia steered the horses towards the square.
Viren muttered and quick spell to give himself a boost and managed to catch up to and slightly ahead of them calling "I think it's time that you and I arranged a heart to heart!" before he ran right into a tree he hadn't seen die to having been too focused on the kids.
"Kings don't need advice from some old mages for a start!" the youngest prince giggled when Soren and Claudia stopped the horses in front of Viren and allowed him and Callum off to run away again on their own, they themselves also quickly leaving.
"If this is where the monarchy is headed, count me out!" Viren cried in frustration as he scrambled to his feed. "Out of service, out of Katolis - I wouldn't hang about... aagh!" he yelped when a bird circled the giggling boy's head for a moment before diving at Viren and smacking him right in the face before flying off again, "This child is getting wildly out of wing!"
"Oh, I just can't wait to be king!" Ezran sang again as he and Callum ran through the training grounds of the soldiers, all of them parting naturally for them but when Viren tried to follow they... pointed their weapons at him?! And some were even smiling or grinning?!
He was about to demand what they were doing when he noticed that in the back General Amaya was standing with Gren, both of them grinning widely because of course she'd use any oppurtunity to to make his life more difficult!
It took some effort but Viren managed to get past the soldiers, finding the boys in the castle's square where multiple servants, merchants and a few soldiers and guards were gathered, doing their business.
Until Ezran jumped in the middle of the square and gathered everyone's attention on him.
"Everybody look left!" he sang and gestured grantly to his left with his arms and Viren yelped and he was suddenly knowcked over and trampled when every single person ran to the way the prince told them too, not caring for Viren being in the way and trampling him again whem Ezran sang "Everybody look right!"
"Everywhere you look I'm standing in the spotlight!" Ezran jumped around onto several crates, tables and more before holding Bait up in his arms, the glowtoad creating a blinding flash of light.
"Not yet!" Viren yelled, jumping to his feet and pushing the people around him aside.
Then to Viren's absolute horror, everyone around them also decided to join in on the singing.
"Let every person go for broke and sing!" the choirised together as they somehow danced in perfect sync, two people even grabbing Viren's arms and dragging him along, "Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing!"
"It's gonna be King Simba's finest fling!" several strong men gathered around the boys and working together tossed them high into the air.
"Oh, I just can't wait to be king! Oh, I just can't wait to be king! Oh I just can't wait... to be king!" everyone else sang together until finally at the end Amaya appeared and lifted Ezran onto her shoulders, Callum sticking by her side as they walked off with everyone else following like a parade, but not without trampling Viren one final time.
And then the music that had somehow sounded all the way from his study to there stopped and Viren was alone in the dirt.
Not that it mattered if anyone even still saw him anymorem with his dignity having been completely destroyed.
There was no way he was ever gonna let that boy be king while he was around!