Each year the Kingdom of Khearia throws a festival in remembrance of one of their most beloved kings who had tragically perished along with his wife and second son. His first son, Prince Fabian, was the only one to survive. Witnesses claimed his cro...
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Alex did his best to seem calm. The sundial had indicated two hours had passed and there hadn't been any sign of the others. The muggy heat combined with the pungent reek of ageing flowers, like fermenting perfume, had only made each minute more disturbing.
ㅤThomas was like a hard rock beside him, still, not even seeking out shade under a tree.
ㅤ"There," Thomas suddenly said.
ㅤAlex whipped his head around, seeing them before hearing them. Unlike their usual squabbling, they were silent.
ㅤ"Where the fuck have you three been?" he hissed at them.
ㅤHis heart was still pounding as they approached sedately, slowly, like they had all the time in the world. James came into view, stepping out from behind Riley with a blank look, and only then did Alex feel himself relax. He didn't want to unpack the reason behind why.
ㅤ"We were this close to leaving without you," Thomas griped, pinching his thumb and finger together.
ㅤRiley smiled, but his steps were stabbing into the patio, forceful. "We're here now, okay? Calm down."
ㅤ"How is it that hard to be on time?" Thomas continued.
ㅤFletcher winced, Alex caught it.
ㅤ"What happened?" Alex asked immediately.
ㅤHis gaze went from Fletcher to Riley, and then scanned James' face carefully, but James was zoning out to the side, looking at nothing. If it had been at any other moment, he wouldn't have noticed that James was deliberately avoiding eye contact.
ㅤRiley tried to nudge Alex around, attempting to guide them out of the courtyard and through to the exit. But, Alex wasn't going to let it go. He recoiled from the touch, glaring in accusation.
ㅤRiley wasn't discouraged. "Please, you should all go."
ㅤAlex was about to argue but, surprisingly, it was Fletcher who approached him and stood tiptoe to whisper.
ㅤ"We were summoned by Prince Maurice and he said Riley had to meet him again. Also, he said something that really pissed James off. So, be careful around him."
ㅤAlex's stomach dropped.
ㅤRiley snatched Fletcher back by the bicep and laughed.
ㅤ"Think how this looks on the outside, yea?" he said through gritted teeth, but his outward demeanour was pleasant.
ㅤAlex risked a glance around the courtyard, although he didn't see people, there were large windows that overlooked all sides, and there were so many flower bushes that one could easily hide behind.
ㅤHe made himself seem more outwardly friendly, the attempt was stilted, but he couldn't ignore what he heard.
