(Ophelia)
If I could have spent the hours preceding the ceremony with Koharu, I would have certainly done so, but I instead missed her for much of the time as she ran around doing magical tasks for her brother.
While she was distracted by a plethora of orders and willing favors, I completed many small jobs like setting out the food and punch in pleasing enough ways to entertain the aristocratic sensibilities of some of the guests and delegating the castle's numerous employees—otherwise useless due to my lack of magic. It took forever for Koharu to return with her uncle; however, that was the most monumental thing she did during the day as his army got everything together except for the elegant stage, for which we would need Sinclair.
I figured Hikaru and Akiyoshi would argue more, but Akiyoshi only made one indirect mention of the mysterious conflict.
"Koharu's too nice to forgive them so easily when she suffered the most…"
He spoke under his breath, and I whistled to pretend that I wasn't paying attention to him as he lethargically ambled around with sets of commands and thick stacks of parchment on a clipboard.
But what the hell did Inei and Hikaru do to their kids if I'm hearing Akiyoshi right?
By the time Sinclair arrived, the sun would have wavered on its way downward in any normal kingdom. They showed up quite late, and I was surprised that Akiyoshi didn't chew them out in his sour mood. Instead, he seemed relieved that he was getting help from someone who wasn't a part of his family and thus could detach himself from that issue for a moment.
Most of the decor was up by then. White garlands covered the houses in jagged rows so that their tan sides were hardly visible. The tables followed suit in color, though half of them were dressed in black robes, likely indicating the kingdom for which they were reserved (or perhaps just a conciliatory design choice). The cloths were bland, but their edges were tastefully frayed to give them a more sophisticated look as they flirted with the ground.
There were no worries about them getting dirty; Akiyoshi had tasked the soldiers with converting their spare weapons into usable water guns to clean the bricks below until years of wear washed away from them, calcified gunk blasting from their surfaces in seconds.
At the front, the chairs were ornate with woven rattan providing a seat in each, and the ones around the tables were similar with pads placed in them for comfort.
The biggest spectacle of all was the fountain, which was covered in panels of glass and magical lights to give it a stained look as if it came from a different era. Gentle sounds of water still escaped between its cracks, but it became an attraction in itself as a colorful spike amidst the monochrome scheme of everything else. I was worried it would obstruct the vision of the townspeople, but Akiyoshi said not to worry. So I accepted that without further questions before I got reprimanded in some verbal or physical way.
All Sinclair had to do upon seeing the decorations and the messy pile of stage bones and skin was to arrange the latter items into something presentable but durable on which the kings could stand. With their magic, Sinclair took the metal pieces and bent them into a frame, extending and widening the slabs as they pleased to make them fit as if cut precisely by the soldiers.
Once the frame was set atop the demarcations, it was easy for Sinclair to drape the linens over it to hide the unpleasant grease and discolored spots. The fairy stepped onto it to check its stability, and it hardly creaked. They smiled as if they considered it a job well done.
For the fun of it, Sinclair also placed a sunflower in the center of each table, (respectfully) claiming the place looked like a morgue and not the joyous occasion it was supposed to be. At least, they said, the stupid pieces of parchment with smiley faces and colors that sufficed as fliers promoted the event as being a happy one, and they didn't want Inei to get slandered for false advertising.
Akiyoshi, worn down by the day, simply clapped when he saw Sinclair putting the final touches on the display, and I bowed to the messenger as they passed by me. In return, they nodded their head to me kindly, strolling back to their chariot with a small grin to feed their horses.
"What time is it?" Akiyoshi bellowed as he inspected the stage and the stairs leading up to it.
One of the houses had a pathetic clock hanging from it by a thread, so I turned to it. "If this thing isn't broken, it's around 5:30 in the afternoon."
"Thank you."
"No problem, sir."
"Sinclair, could you retrieve Leo from the castle? We need him out here soon."
They nodded to Akiyoshi and began making their way over to the building, but Hikaru stopped them.
"Let me come with you," he said softly, so the two went to bring Leo and Inei out for the ceremony, which was set to begin in an hour.
At last, Koharu had the chance to walk over to me for a break. She placed her forehead in the center of my chest, nearly crashing to the ground.
"Lia, I'm tired!"
A feeling of tenderness replacing my subtle worry about the preparations, I stroked the back of her head. "The hard part is over, I think. Now, you just need to stay awake during the ceremony."
She groaned. "Are you sure that's not the hard part?"
"I'll squeeze your hand if I see you falling asleep."
She grinned and looked up to the sky as she backed away. "What was I complaining about again?"
The clunky footsteps across the stage silenced the chatter in the audience as it rose like a flame upon a match, squashed as soon as it came into existence. Both kings stood beside a podium, piling papers onto it as the audience glared at them like a spider in the focus of a room.
The advisors sat strictly according to their roles and kingdoms behind the couple, so I landed between Seiji in his bleak suit and Jisoo in her bronze-adorned dress. Directly across from us were Asahi, Zhi, and Mr. Wen, all with blank expressions and similar white suits. Koharu and Akiyoshi stood next to their fathers, keeping quiet (which was surprising for Koharu with her verbosity).
I pouted. I wasn't going to be able to keep my small promise to her from earlier with the way the commemoration was set up and would likely proceed.
At least she probably can't sleep while on her feet.
Palms sweating, I looked down at the audience. It felt like I was under that same magnifying glass as the kings were, though I knew nobody paid attention to me. The attire was mostly formal, save for the occasional person who showed up in overalls and peculiar color combinations. Plenty had meals in front of them, while others had empty plates and blank table space on which they rested their arms.
Akiyoshi was correct when he told me the fountain wouldn't be an issue.
This was because Sinclair hid behind the stage beside Leo. The messenger used their magic to create a panel above the fountain, enlarging the ceremony so that the attendees at the back could see and hear Inei and Hikaru. The broadcast extended to nearly a mile away, and I was surprised by the even mix of people from both kingdoms who wished to watch the reunification. I sincerely hoped nobody slipped into the deep trench nearby as I spotted it between the small houses.
After enough slamming papers and whatnot against the oak podium, Inei assumed a straight posture behind it and began shouting, making me wish Koharu had some future device in her museum to alleviate that problem.
Why is he so fucking loud? My ears hurt, and he hasn't even enunciated a full word!
"Greetings, distinguished guests. I would first like to apologize for the short notice regarding this ceremony. Sometimes, I like to think miracles strike unexpectedly. Thus, it is a wonderful coincidence that my daughter has returned, and the internal conflicts have been settled between the two sides. As you all know…"
Inei did most of the talking during the ceremony with Hikaru joining at some points for a quick word. His presence was not nearly as authoritative, and a sore throat did not help him project his voice.
Most of the speech dragged on for what seemed like hours with flowery bullshit and dubious promises for the sake of public relations, but between moments during which I picked at the skin around my nails, I tuned in and out of what Inei was saying.
"…For the past two years, though we are a collective, we have not acted as one. The actions on both sides have been closely linked, but they have yet to be in sync. Even the sky and stars move in a disjointed way for us. I extend another apology to everyone for the lifestyle changes this has caused and whatever unnecessary strife it has brought your families. We will be giving aid to any citizens who have been affected negatively, especially those residing in Mirai.
"To prevent this sort of altercation from getting out of hand once more, on the first day of next year, King Hikaru and I intend to install a legislative body to regulate the actions of the nobility. It was a tough decision to make, but we have agreed that it is perhaps the best one for the welfare of the kingdom."
There was a round of reluctant applause from the audience as Inei nodded.
"I think the most obvious and symbolic change that we all had to adjust to was this." He pointed to the moon above him, dragging his finger across the air to the direction of the trench. "Days and nights must all seem the same to everyone, and I concur that they throw me off as well."
The last sentence of his wasn't particularly eloquent, but its diction made me snap my head up to look at him. It hadn't hit me until then that things were finally going back to normal—to the way they were before the kings' war nearly two years ago. Excitement bubbled within me, seeping from the rim of a tub like foam.
Accidentally, it seemed, I managed to accomplish the task I was assigned prior to meeting even Koharu. I was ready to stand up to cheer, ready to have my emotions overcome the logicality I was forced to possess for so long in an attempt to right the wrongs of the past.
As I looked to the podium in awe, Koharu shifted her head slightly to see me, and she gave me a quick smile that I reciprocated. I knew that everything was about to return to the sunny, balanced times.
"Without further ado," Inei yelled as he raised a hand to the sky, "let the two kingdoms become one once again!"
