- It's an extraordinary gift, - the prince finally exhaled, passing the sword, as well as the cape, to his late servant, taking a small bag from his hands. - My gift is smaller in size, but I hope you will not be offended.
Prince Jamie was spellbound as Charles dived into the bag and pulled out the buckle with his thin fingers. It was quite large, obviously silver, in a circle on which was engraved bizarre ornament, the mountaineer learned the national drawing of the Mountain lands. In the center of the buckle were depicted the mountains themselves, the space between them was empty so that you could see the fabric of the kilt. Fraser exhaled noisily, for him such a gift was a sign of the highest honor because there is nothing better for a mountaineer than to recognize the importance of his country.
Jamie took off his buckle, letting parts of the kilt slide on his shoulder and knelt down on one knee in front of the Prince of the Central Lands: the young participant in the tournament was so tall that an attempt to put a gift on him could turn into a small fiasco, but Prince Jamie also wanted to pay his respects. Charles stepped up to him, carefully picking up the kilt and buckling up the buckle on the mountaineer's shoulder, feeling the goosebumps running down his back from Frasier's gaze.
- Thank you, my prince, - Jamie whispered it as he went up, and the young Xavier flashed to the roots of his hair, which he seemed to have heard alone.
The mountaineer reluctantly left the site, giving way to the king of the Southern lands, who climbed the stairs confidently and proudly. King Houlett walked with his servant, he seemed displeased with how much the prince liked the gift of his rival, and now looked hot and jealous.
- Let me give you, Prince Charles, a gift not worse than you already have, I hope you will appreciate it.
He turned to the assistant, and at that moment the doors of the throne room opened, forcing everyone, including the southern king, to turn around. In the silence of the coffin, one could hear the footsteps of a tall young man dressed in all black, calm and heavy, walking along the red carpet. On his shoulders rested a cloak of skin covered with long, slightly curly wool, his hands were wearing black gloves, the unexpected guest was pale and it looked as if he had been whirling cold, even platinum hair as if covered with frost, and gray eyes were suggestive of the ice covering the waters of the kingdoms in particularly harsh winters, although the last fifty years did not happen.
The king of the Central Lands rose from his throne, frowning on his eyebrows, and he easily recognized the guest by his clothes, even though no one had been in contact with them for many years. The young man walked confidently forward, taking off his gloves and untie his fur coat, throwing everything in the hands of a servant barely keeping up with him, who ran into the hall after him. When he reached the first staircase, he stopped, stretching out his arms at the seams and barely leaning over the whole body in a small bow.
- Let me introduce myself, - he looked up at Charles as if he had been burnt by the eyes of those cold, horribly calm eyes. - Eric Lenscherre, The Prince of the Northern Lands.
***
Of course, the ceremony was disrupted, should we even talk about it? The late Crown Prince of the Northern Lands had made the Southern King very angry, and Houlette was ready to start the tournament in the throne room with a public execution, but Xavier The Elder had managed to cool his ardor with just a few words, calling for calmness.
The rest of the evening turned out to be blurred, Charles remembered him very, very badly, and there were reasons. The king of the South Lands presented him with a chic carpet that was a little gnarly, but so soft to the touch that it seems it could replace the bed. In return, the prince gave him a bow made by the best masters of the Central Lands, along with quiver, and Houlette was more than satisfied. Well, how satisfied can a man, during whose triumph all the attention was drawn to himself.
When the line reached King Wilson, he hesitated for a second, I think, doubting how good his gift is, but still climbed up to the prince and personally handed him his gift on a pillow. Charles ripped off the fabric that was hiding him, and he fucked it up - it was an incredibly beautiful chessboard with onyx figures, and the Prince of the Central Lands knew it at once. They were beautiful, and he didn't even get a chance to speak at once, which was probably the best confession for the king, who smiled a little. In response, the young Xavier gave him a cup of pure silver, decorated with paintings so reminiscent of the land of fire: plains and volcanoes, hot as if in the blacksmith's furnace.
The king of the Western lands found himself in his repertoire - and gave Charles a huge portrait of himself, the prince looked at himself on the canvas and could not understand why he needed this painting, but politely thanked him, and the answer was a magnificent bandage, decorated with stones and embroidered by hand - bright and rich to become the one to whom it was intended.
To Be Continued...