Elisop/Aeseli Summer Week Day 2: Fairies

____

A century of bloodshed. Thousands of broken homes and even more of lost lives. A real disaster born from a conflict between two fairy kinds who just set foot in a new realm, one wanting to control humankind like their puppets as they believed their power made them superior while the other only wished for peace and coexistence.

Since no one could come to an agreement, a war broke out and two countries were born to separate the opposing sides. Decades of misery and hunger then plagued the population and after one hundred years, a new king arose in the country of the beings also called the blue fairies.

Unlike his predecessor, the new king seemed to be wiser and seeing that his opponent was far from backing down, he came up with an idea.

This revolutionary process of summoning sounded like a crazy idea at first, humans would have to summon fairies and then ask them for their power and whether the fairy wanted to grant it would be up to them. This way, the yellow fairies inhabiting the other kingdom would quench their thirst for worship while the blue fairies could live in the peaceful way they wished for.

Despite the war coming to a stop, the relations between the blue and yellow fairies were still quite stormy and to lessen the fire between them, it was decided that the yellow fairies would send a member of the royal family to sign a peace treaty.

Everything was planned for the envoy's arrival and things were moving smoothly towards a new start from now on...

"My king... Are you sure it's a good idea...?"

A brown-haired fairy with a blindfold spoke. Even though his eyes were hidden, it couldn't mask the worried expression he bore in front of the man sitting on the throne above him. That one had an aura more majestic and imposing than the latter, blue strands hanging in the middle of his delicate face that framed his golden eyes.

"I never thought that you of all people would be so concerned about unfounded rumors."

"That's not what I mean-..." The man looked flustered for a second then sighed. "My apologies. However, everyone says that they are arrogant fairies who are power-hungry and I can't help but fear what kind of person they would send..."

"What are you afraid of, Eli?" Said the fairy King nonchalantly.

"I should ask why aren't you worried instead, your highness! What if that envoy is here to stir up trouble and create another war!?"

"I think you're too worked up for nothing." He replied with a yawn, putting his elbow on the armchair of his throne. "Maybe I gave you too much work... How about you take care of the envoy and show him around? This will be a less straining task than your usual duties and you could maybe make a friend of him."

The king gave him a smirk and Eli gasped. This was clearly just a set up made by the man for his own entertainment and he had fallen for it blindly.

"Understood..."

"Good, good. Now, shan't you prepare something marvelous before our dear guest arrives, chancellor Clark?"

"I'll leave now."

Eli bowed and left the room under the amused gaze of the king, he walked a bit in the hallway before stopping near a pillar and letting out a deep sigh once he was out of sight from everyone. Becoming friends with the envoy...? This was the most silly thing he had ever heard.

This wasn't a playground but a royal palace! There was just no way he could go out of his way to befriend some big shot who announced nothing but worries for him.

Anyhow, as much as he felt irritated by the situation, he still had stuff to do before the arrival ceremony as the one in charge of most things in the castle.

Days passed after that and sooner than expected, it was already time for the envoy to come. A flowery alley was made just for him from the castle's gates to the entrance where stood the king in his blue attire as well as Eli. They waited for a bit until a white carriage covered with yellow flowers entered their sight. The vehicle slowed its pace and stopped just in front of them, the drawn curtain hiding whoever was inside.

A servant then opened the door of the carriage and helped the envoy climb down. At this instant, Eli got mesmerized by what he could call the embodiment of royalty. It was only for a millisecond but when the gray-haired prince came down the carriage's steps, his hair floated along the gush of wind bringing the flowery scent of yellow roses to his nose. His ashen pupils looked like the haze from the morning dew and he had a kind of ethereal atmosphere surrounding him.

If Eli's eyes were stuck to the man, the prince didn't spare him a glance and gave a simple bow to the king with an expressionless gaze.

"Thank you for your invitation." He blurted out coldly.

"No need for such formalities, let's talk around a cup of tea instead." Replied the king with a faint smile.

Eli thought he saw the prince shudder for a second but it evaded his mind pretty fast when his king called for him to lead them to a quieter place. The chancellor nodded, finally earning some of the envoy's attention, and thus guided them to a balcony which access was only allowed to a few.

"Let me present myself, I'm king Naib Subedar of the blue fairies."

"Aesop Carl of the yellow fairies, fifth prince." He curtly replied.

"May I call you Aesop?"

"Sure."

"I see you're not a talkative one... Well, it doesn't really matter anyway." Naib smiled before gesturing to Eli to come closer to them, "This is chancellor Clark, he will be the one assisting you during your stay here, just ask him if you need anything."

"Greetings, you may call me Eli if you feel more comfortable that way."

Aesop looked at Eli then stood up.

"I believe this talk has no further goal, am I right? Then I shall go to my quarters to rest since the journey was quite tiring."

"Oh, my bad, I'm not that great of a host so I'll leave you to my chancellor's hands."

The prince nodded before leaving the room and Eli hurried to catch up with him and lead the way. In the meantime, the king looked at them going, wondering how things would unfold from here on.

"So... This will be your room during your week with us. I hope it suits your tastes."

"That's enough, you can go."

He was told to leave but Eli couldn't just let things like that. He knew that arriving in a country you've been at war with for a century wasn't the most welcoming but Aesop's attitude was like he was telling him to get lost just like... a jerk!

"Why aren't you leaving?" The prince resumed, a bit annoyed.

"Sorry, your highness," answered the chancellor, "I just thought you would like to take a walk in the royal gardens later! They're known for their exquisite beauty and its pavilion."

"What-"

"It's a must to see if you're here plus you won't stay holed up in your room during the whole week isn't it?"

Aesop gasped, as if what he had in mind since the beginning got found out effortlessly. It was obvious that he didn't like being here and Eli hit right in thinking the most relevant thing he would try to do would be to cut all contact with them. But! This wasn't what the chancellor thought to be right for a peace treaty and he had no intention of leaving the prince alone.

"Sure, I'll see the gardens later but that's it. Now, if you would..."

Eli sketched a smile and bowed, satisfied. The prince glared at him before closing his door, leaving the chancellor alone in the hallway. The sun rose upon a new day afterwards and later in the afternoon, the blue fairy led the yellow fairy prince to the gardens as planned.

Just as one would expect from a royal domain, the gardeners gave great care to the plants there and thousands of flowers in different hues of blue greeted the two men as they stepped in it. Even after being so reluctant, Aesop couldn't deny that the sight was worth the argument.

One thing that the prince noticed were the hydrangeas. Their various bluish and purplish shades were not a common thing to him. Such flowers could only bloom in the kingdom of the blue fairies due to the frequent rain and the bright sun from his country would only make them wither.

"Do you like them?" Asked Eli, seeing his interest in them.

"They're indeed magnificent." He answered with a new-found softness.

"I could send some to your room if you wish."

"I would be delighted..."

Eli glanced at Aesop from under his blindfold, an eyebrow raised. At first, he thought the prince was just as arrogant and haughty as the rumors said but just a few flowers succeeded in turning the wolf into a sheep? Or maybe it was just all an act. He may have made an opinion about the prince too early, he could have circumstances he was unaware of.

And so, during the next few days, Eli tried harder to understand Aesop, sometimes being awfully obvious about it by asking him what he liked to do in his free time. Then, the second to last day of the prince's stay, the gray-haired man was tasked to perform a dance from his land before all the high figures of the blue fairies.

While it seemed like entertainment to most, for the royal, it was an important part of the whole reason behind his presence here and no mistakes were allowed.

For the occasion, Aesop wore a more extravagant make-up, a pale yellow eyeshadow covering his eyelids and one thin streak of eyeliner of a brighter shade to give an accent to his cold expression.

The performance was about to begin soon and Eli was waiting behind the velvet curtains just beside the yellow fairy. Aesop's gaze was as emotionless as ever but the blue fairy noticed that his hands were closed into fists.

"Are you perhaps... nervous?"

"What are you saying, of course I am." He exhaled sharply, slightly more relaxed now that he let a bit of his anger out.

"Sorry, I just thought it was unexpected coming from you."

"Because of what? Before visiting this kingdom as an envoy, I was only spending my time leisurely in my room." He said, his fists releasing a fraction of their frustration. "I was just sent here due to my low standing within the royalty, a pawn you can just get rid of. I have a few so-called talents thanks to my lessons but this is the first time I really have to perform in front of an audience."

"I didn't know..."

"Of course you didn't. Though I was hoping you had an idea of what my country's folks were like."

Well, he had stereotypes about it since the beginning but he may have slightly forgotten since he began to see how the latter wasn't near that despicable description.

"I'm sorry."

"Your apologies won't change anything."

"Still," he breathed, "It may not be much but... I'm sure you will be marvelous, I believe in you and your abilities."

Aesop's eyes widened and he sketched a smile for the first time in front of the other, a small chuckle escaping his rosy lips which sounded like the tinkling of a bell.

"You never saw me dance, I could very well be horrible at it." He laughed again, "I appreciate your kindness though, thank you"

The last part was only louder than a whisper before the prince set off for the stage decorated with the same flowers coming from the garden.

Unlike what he told him, the prince wasn't bad at all, far from it, every move he did simply looked mesmerizing, each being filled with that same elegance that has always been emanating from him. Eli wasn't really a connoisseur of arts but to him, Aesop's dance was like a masterpiece.

The presentation ended without any trouble and Eli welcomed Aesop with a cheering smile while applauding him, earning a faint blush on the other's face.

"There's no need for that..."

"Of course there is! You were incredible!"

"I'm glad you liked it."

"Are all yellow fairies as talented as you in dancing?"

"I don't know... I just trained a bit more for my mother..."

There seemed to be a hint of sadness in his voice as he said that but before the chancellor could ask about it, the prince walked towards him and bowed. This was so sudden that Eli's mouth was left agape, not knowing what to do in this sort of situation.

"Y-Your highness!?"

"I would like to apologize for my rudeness during the past week. My time here is coming to an end and I thought I ought to thank you since you did your best to make my stay enjoyable."

"I just did what I was asked to..."

"Likewise when I was told to come here, yet my behavior wasn't really the nicest."

"Well... If you want me to forgive you, how about visiting us another time not as an envoy but just as Aesop Carl?"

"This means...?"

"I would like to get closer to you not as the chancellor but simply as Eli Clark, and if you would like, I could even show you the best places to see in town since you only stayed within the castle!"

Aesop wasn't sure how to react about Eli's proposition nor the fast beating under his chest. He said the truth concerning the man making him feel happier between those marble pillars and the thought of coming again somehow gave butterflies to his stomach.

"If it's not too much of a bother..."

"It would be my pleasure!"

The two men exchanged a smile and another day ended with a good note. Finally, the treaty was signed and Aesop went back to his country, not without promising to Eli to be back in the near future.

They didn't know much about each other for now but with the situation between the blue and yellow fairies changing for the better, it wouldn't take long before opening more trade roads and creating more opportunities for one to see the other.