He tried to speak confidently because he knew how much Charles didn't want to leave and how important it was not to ruin the Tournament, but he let McCoy down a little. He wasn't ready to be left without his best friend - and was seriously considering asking the king for permission to go after the prince, after all, he had to have friends and subjects in his new country too.
- Who will you bet on? - Charles asked with a sad smile.
- I don't know, - he shook his shoulders a little. - The mountaineer is young enough to withstand all the trials, the river king is wise enough to outwit the others, you conquered King Wilson with your gesture - and you can say something similar about the remaining trio. They'll all want to win.
- And to get his prize, - Xavier grinned crookedly as he climbed up decisively. - Let's see if they want to...
- Just don't do anything stupid, Charles, - Hank watched the prince tie his hair with ribbon and put on a camisole.
- Oh no, - the heir to the crown innocently waved his eyelashes, and McCoy realized that everything was gone.
* * *
From the age of ten, Charles was raised in a special way - he was prepared as The Prize, which means that in addition to the usual activities such as riding or fencing, he painstakingly studied the history of all seven surrounding the Central Lands of the kingdoms, meticulously, to the smallest detail. Music, customs, etiquette, life, clothes - fortunately, the prince was so curious and hungry for knowledge that all this was given him immensely easily. Charles could read, read, and read, and all new things were gone.
He was prepared in such a way that in any country, no matter how victorious, the prince would not stab his face in the mud. The king rejoiced at his success and was horrified at the way it was combined with his son's character, Charles greedily absorbed knowledge, was able to apply it, was a model of behavior and manners in any official manner - and grew up to be a perfect stubborn man, disregarding the opinion of others and doing it in his own way anyway.
Therefore, the king's and Hank's fears were not groundless, they both knew Charles's character, and they both understood that even with all their love for the people, the prince would not let them make the thing they were fighting for so easily. All they had to do was to guess what the young Xavier had in mind - and when he would throw it away.
So far, the prince has been behaving peacefully and calmly, politely communicating with the courtiers, ahead of them waiting for the ceremony of presenting gifts - an essential element of the Tournament. Each participant brought a gift for the Prize, something that should have conquered him, because the representatives of seven kingdoms knew very well: it is not enough to win the tournament, you have to win the heart of the prince to take him to his country. Yes, it seems that Charles's temperament was known in all the lands.
The king ascended to the throne, sitting on him, the younger Xavier stood at his father's right hand, perhaps this part of the tournament was the last thing he liked - to accept gifts that he did not deserve. The fact that they had prepared a return offering improved a little so that each participant had to come to the throne and hand over his gift, after which the prince could make a return gesture.
The gifts were presented in the order of the royalty's arrival, so the first to the king and prince was a guest from the Riverland. The throne was standing on a hill, so that on the way to it it had to pass a staircase, platform, and another staircase, now Charles went down to this very platform, beautiful as an angel in his new camisole, despite all his dislike for it.
King Strange was now without a cape, followed by a representative of his entourage, carrying a massive box. Charles wondered what was in it, but couldn't imagine it, so he was just waiting for the lid to rise.
- Prince Charles, - the river king bowed a little, smiling at the prince with a smile on his lips. - Let me give you this - as a sign of infinite admiration for your desire for knowledge.
The king's assistant opened the box and Xavier lost his voice. On the blue velvet lay a book, opened in the middle, it was just huge, it seems that Charles himself would have raised it with difficulty. The pages were full of text and illustrations, the prince ran his eyes through the lines - there was no doubt that the book was linked to the history of the eight kingdoms, it seems that Charles's delight reflected in his face because the river king smiled.
- Thank you... - Charles muttered. - Let me... Let me give you a gift in return.
The two servants brought the painting into the room, it was so large that it seemed to occupy a wall in a small room. One glance at her was enough for Strange to understand what a treasure he would fight for.
To Be Continued...