It isn't until hours later, having been touched by foreign hands quite literally everywhere, that Soul finds himself standing stiffly in front of an elongated mirror, tilting his head carefully so he could watch his cheeks shimmer with whatever weird powder Christine insisted be put onto his face.
His outfit was nice, but simple all the same. His placid red shirt clung to his body tightly, loosening around his wrists in ruffles. A pair of dark corduroy pants accompanied the shirt, a pair of suspenders pulled over his shoulders proudly. He can't say he remembers the last time he wore something so dressy, but despite the fact, he smiles.
That smile only grows when he catches Maka dipping into the mirror's view behind him, the Princess craning her neck backward to look at him. "You look good," She comments, dropping herself at his side.
Now with her so close, Soul admires her outfit. It's painfully similar to the outfit she'd worn when they had first met a month ago, but nevertheless, Soul takes in the view all the same. She's wearing an emerald green dress that hands loosely around her arms and a royal green cape draped across her shoulders. In a fleeting moment of weakness, he looks down to Maka's hand just inches away from his. A sparkling golden ring sits prettily on her index finger, begging for him to reach out and touch it.
"Thank you, your highness," Soul replies, careful to make sure he uses the formality, especially in front of Hero. He lets his eyes cascade down the Princess's body one last time before he flicks them back up, only to meet Maka's eyes in the mirror. "You don't look too bad yourself."
In a knowing manner, Maka raises her eyebrows. "Awe, don't flatter me," She gushed jokingly, rolling her eyes as she turned from the mirror.
Soul followed her lead, turning to the crowd in the room.
"Why, don't you two just look marvelous!" Hero marveled as he clapped his hands together. "At least now, it looks like you fit at her side, Soul!"
"Hero-"
"Thank you," Soul responds in spite of himself, rudely cutting Maka off in the process. "I'm sure her highness appreciates the sentiment as well."
At his side, Maka just sighed defeatedly. "There is no sentiment to be appreciated," SHe bickered, "You look the same."
"On the contrary, your highness! It's very nice to see him cleaned up! It makes the outfit look all the more flattering."
Behind Hero, Soul can't miss the way Blackstar chuckles into the back of his palm, his eyes turning upward as if his attention laid elsewhere.
"Well, now you two look more than ready, it is time to make our way to the ballroom! The cooks should be finishing setting the tables by now."
The walk out of the room is awkward. Both Christine and Maka's tailor bid them awkward goodbye waves, refusing to say a word as Hero began on another tangent. Normally, Soul really did try to pay attention to what he was saying, but he found it incredibly hard to when Maka stepped to his side, their arms brushing together with each step.
"I'm kind of nervous," Maka whispered to him as they faltered a few steps behind Hero and Blackstar. There was a moment of hesitation before Soul felt Maka's pinky poke at his pal, hesitantly dragging down the smooth surface before wrapping their pinkies together. Soul's heart swelled at the action. "I should be used to this stuff by now, but I never really am."
"Maka, being nervous?" A small huff of a laugh escaped him. "You don't strike me as the nervous type."
"Being nervous is part of human nature, what the hell do you mean by that?"
"Maybe you're not human," Soul countered, "You certainly look like an angel to me."
The comment slips from his lips with ease, as if it were second nature. He hates how simple it feels to just say something like that- especially to Maka of all people. God, their confessions had been less than twenty-four hours again, and here he was- being selfish as always. Taking too much- going too far-
"That was the compliment I was hoping to receive earlier," Maka giggles, pulling him from his spiraling thoughts.
"Oh, of course it was, Princess."
"Have I ever told you, I think red's your color?"
Soul opened his eyes, catching another set of eyes blinking down at him owlishly. He's taken back by how close Kid has gotten, a small gasp leaving his lips as he pushes himself into his bed a little further.
"No, but let me guess, it has to do with my eyes, right?"
"I mean- that too," Kid stumbled over his words, leaning back a bit. "Do you know what the color red represents, Soul?"
Red, a color that wielded a double-edged meaning to it.
"No," He replies rather flatly, "But I have a feeling you're about to inform me."
"Red's an emotional color- it's actually considered the color of life because it stands for renewal and health. There's a handful of other meanings to it too, but when I think about the color, I think about you, and I think about life and strength."
With a huff, seventeen-year-old Soul rolled his eyes. "Doesn't red also represent the wild and dominance?"
"I thought you said you didn't know what red represents," Kid sighs sorrowfully, half closing his eyes as he stared down at Soul.
"Well, I lied. I was hoping you weren't comparing me to some wild threat."
Blinking down surprisingly at him, Kid raised an eyebrow. "Would it be so bad if you were wild and dominant?"
"Very," Soul warned, propping himself up on his elbows, "Don't be ridiculous now."
Kid doesn't move back- instead, he holds his ground, his eyes flickering over Soul's features carefully. "I wasn't trying to be," the guard replies, "I was actually going to say that I thought red was your color because I've always felt like you stood as a symbol for renewal for our kingdom, like you'd be our saving grace-"
"I think that's even more foolish."
Enticed by his words, Kid leans in closer, his eyes dropping to Soul's lips. "Really- do you-"
Kid never got to finish his sentence when Soul pushed him away. "Stop." he gritted out with seriousness. He swung his legs out from his bed, pushing himself to the edge of his mattress. "Never say red's my color again. Dont say I'm some symbol for 'renewal' either."
"Why? You know, everyone here thinks-"
"I don't care what everyone here thinks!" Soul yelled, throwing his hands into the air with exasperation. "I was never meant to be someone who saved people. The moment I become this Kingdom's ruler, I'll drive them into the ground. It will be the opposite of some renewal, don't you understand?"
WIth tears welling in his eyes, Soul whipped his head towards Kid.
"I was only put on this Earth to create destruction."
Soul's impressed with the looks of Eibons main ballroom. Surely, all the work that had been put into preparations the past month went to good use. He assumes the Princess at his side feels the same way when he hears her gasp, "Oh wow, this is beautiful."
"It truly is, your highness! Oh, they have done such a wonderful job preparing everything!" Hero gushed happily, taking large strides into the room with extended arms.
The room was filled with servants carrying large trays over their shoulders, each of whom paused mid-way through their tasks to give a simple bow in Maka's presence.
Around them, the room was illuminated in a soft golden hue. The chandeliers above them hung with pride as tassels of gold fell from them. The windows had been sealed off with royal blue drapes, giving the room more of a sophisticated vibe. The tables, set with golden and white mats, were pushed off to the side of the ballroom, leaving the middle of the room completely open. Large tables were pushed against the pillars supporting the room, filled with arrays of different candies, foods, and drinks.
It was a sight to see for sure- a sight fit for a Princess.
"I don't think I've seen so much food in one place ever," Blackstar whispered from behind them, their shoulders barely brushing.
"As if the dinner party didn't look much like this," Maka joked from Soul's other side.
"To think this room will be filled with royals from all kingdoms in just mere hours!" Hero clapped his hands excitedly. "It will be a sight to see, then! A party they will talk about for the ages!"
Exasperated, Maka tore away from Soul's side, making it over to Hero. Delicately, she placed a hand on the advisor's shoulder. "You always say this. The party will be wonderful as always, but remember, it's just a birthday party."
"A birthday ball, your highness!"
"And the difference?" Maka pulled away from Hero. "Why don't you check and see if everything's finished with the catering?"
The advisor listened happily, leaving the ballroom with a bounce in his step. The moment he'd vanished out the lavished doors, the trio deflated.
"I promise he can be more calm and collected than this," Maka reassures, bringing a hand to her temples, "He just gets like this when he's excited. It's hard to think he's younger than me sometimes."
Soul turned to the Princess, unable to contain the smile that broke out on his face. "At least he's enthusiastic."
With more of a docile nature, Maka insisted on checking out the ballroom. Soul and Blackstar followed behind the Princess wordlessly as they passed the nicely decorated tables. Every so often, a servant would stop and ask Maka if everything looked okay- to which he'd reply with a curt 'of course, as always' and then they'd be moving again.
It took mere minutes for them to check over every single table, but thankfully, the mood changed when an all too familiar cook and guard stepped into the room with another handful of platters.
Kim barely got to set her platter down before she was locking eyes with the Princess.
"Maka!" She'd shouted, wiping her dirtied hands onto her apron before she broke across the ballroom floor. With equal enthusiasm, Maka stepped forward, opening her arms to embrace her friend. "Happy birthday, you old fart!"
"Oh, don't remind me, please," The Princess groaned, pulling her friend in tighter.
Amidst their encounter, Kilik made his way across the floor too, bidding a quick happy birthday to Maka before he stepped in like with Soul and Blackstar.
"You all look so well-rested," Kilik spoke jokingly, nudging at both of his friends. "But anyway- what do you think of all this? Everyone's been working extra hard to get everything set up in here that they had to pull in some extra guards to do the heavy lifting."
"It's fancy," Blackstar snorted, "way too fancy for me, honestly."
"Same," Soul found himself agreeing, "but I believe everyone did a wonderful job putting it all together. I can't imagine what it'd been like in previous years preparing for birthday celebrations. I feel like we always got lucky with extra shifts at the gate or whatever."
"Yeah, it's really weird seeing all this happen from the inside," Kilik agreed, nodding his head as he adjusted his cape over his armor. "I'm excited to see everyone come in. I got hallway duty after this."
"Hallway duty," Blackstar parroted in an antagonizing manner. "Sounds fun."
"I mean, it should be," Kilik insisted, throwing a thumb to the doors. "Ox Ford and Stein will be out there too so it shouldn't be too bad. At least I don't have to actually mingle with the masses."
Two twin groans escaped Soul and Blackstar. "Soul may have gotten more of the shit end of the stick tonight. All I have to do is follow Maka, like a shadow. Quiet and stealthy."
"I'll live, at least."
Their conversation was cut short as a small bell chimed in the ballroom. As if in sync, the servants around in the room began filing out like they were programmed to.
"And that's my cue to go," Kim groans, running a hand through her hair. "It was nice seeing you two, even if it was just for a minute. Try to enjoy the night, for my sake!"
With a quick wave, Kilik was making it to Kim's side, whispering something in her ear before they both bid their goodbyes to Maka. In carefully timed steps, the two walked side by side out of the ballroom just as Hero flew back in, Liz and Patty following after him with their hands hanging over the hilts of their swords- the normal stance a royal guard should hold when escorting a royal.
"Your Majesties, I can assure you, everything has come out phenomenally!"
With a bright smile, Maka walked over to the entrance of the ballroom to greet her parents. Liz and Patty bowed in her presence before dismissing themselves from the King and Queen's sides, immediately making their way to Soul and Blackstar.
"Now isn't this a fun sight!" Liz called out, her hands dropping to her sides. "Soul, you look so out of place amongst us guards today."
"Your cheeks have a pretty shimmer tothem!" Patty pointed out, taking a step closer to him to poke him in the cheek.
With a scrunched nose, he batted away Patty's hand.
"You look like a fancy ass royal or something." Liz laughed, "How does it feel to be stripped of your armor, guard boy?"
"Guard boy?" Soul laughed. "That's a new one."
"Well, of course! We have guard boy, a giraffe girl, a fire boy, and of course, the most beautiful girl." In a flaunting way, Liz fanned herself with her hand, batting her eyes.
"Oh my god, I forgot about fire boy," Blackstar chuckled, bending at his stomach as he leaned forward.
"Oh everyone remembers the fire boy joke, mister 'let me stick my hand in this kiln and see if i catch on fire' mother f-"
"Language!" Patty shushed her, pushing her hands into Liz's face abruptly.
With wide eyes, Liz swiped at Pattys hands. "I swear Patty, I really will kill you, I really will, don't you dare test me."
In the hour before the party began, they stayed like this- the guards huddled together, laughing and joking with one another with ease as the royals seated themselves at a table in the corner with Hero, speaking animatedly to one another.
It felt nice, Soul decided, being surrounded by happiness and friendship in the large ballroom that would be filled to the brim with guests soon enough.
But even then, he decided it was nicer when Maka ended up at his side again, grasping at his hand and giving the other guards a quick 'excuse me' as she pulled Soul away from them and toward the entrance of the ballroom, pulling him behind one of the many pillars in the room away from their sight.
"Hello there," Soul spoke, eyes turning town to the Princess, "Is everything okay?"
"Oh yeah, everything's fine," Maka replied, grasping at Soul's hand a little rougher, "I just wanted to talk to you before it got too hectic in here. Hero said people should be arriving any minute now."
"Exciting huh?"
"I guess," Maka hummed, rolling out her neck as she turned to face the opened ballroom doors. "I missed you though."
"We've been in the same room for an hour now-"
"I meant after you left this morning," Maka grumbled, turning to face him with rosy cheeks. "Thank you, for last night- and you know, not freaking out after I kissed you."
With screwed up eyebrows, Soul wheezed. "Didn't we already have this conversation? Why would I have freaked out? You know well enoughI liked it."
"I don't know, I kind of expected it to just be an 'in the moment' thing and you'd regret it all come morning." Maka explained in a soft whisper. "You looked uncomfortable earlier when we were getting ready so I just assumed maybe you changed your mind."
This time, Soul doesn't laugh. The seriousness of what Maka was saying finally kicked in.
"Christine was just weird, and I hadn't expected you to say something in front of everyone, especially something so forward," Soul assured, reaching out to hold both of Maka's hands in his. "I promise there's nothing I regret. Last night was perfect, you idiot."
Maka batted her eyes for a moment, a smile breaking on her face. "Oh, your way with words really gets me. You say such sweet things." The sarcasm lacing her tone had Soul really laughing this time.
"You know, I told you I wanted to be a poet-"
"Don't start with this joke again," Maka warned, pulling her hands away, "You idiot. You'd do better as a cattle wrangler than a poet."
"Oh, how your words burn me."
The two fell into a fit of laughter. With the back of her palm pressed against her lips, Maka tore away from Soul's side, making her way to a nearby table filled with sweets. Her eyes traced the table carefully before she examined a bowl of sweet candies held in a glass bowl. Once her laughter had subsided, she grabbed one of the small candies and popped it into her mouth with a hum.
"You move so fast from one thing to another," Soul can't help but comment as he follows Maka, leaning against the table as he examines the Princess's reaction to the candy. "Is it good?"
"I think so." Maka leaned across the table again, plucking one of the candies into her fingers. "Want to try one?"
"Sure, why not." Soul held his hand out to Maka, but was pleasantly surprised when Maka ignored his open palm and brought the candy to his face. "Oh, romantic." The two giggled happily as Soul allowed the Princess to drop the sweet candy into his mouth.
With a determined expression, Maka reached out for another candy, but their moment was broken as the clicking of heels in the hallway grabbed their attention.
The party was just beginning.
