As an official knight in the king's service, Turrin was expected to stick to a rigorous schedule, a specified diet, and be completely obedient to all his superiors. For most, a life as a royal knight was far too stringent and difficult, but for those who excelled with the sword, it was all worth it to hone their craft.

When Turrin became a royal knight, his family feared that his kind and chipper disposition would put him at a disadvantage, leaving him open to scorn for those who interpreted his affability as frivolity. But Turrin found many other knights to be as fun and, well, social as himself. Inside the assembly of knights, you’d find every type of personality and disposition, from the most taciturn to the most gregarious.

At the social pinnacle of it all, there was Hael—a massive, brawny man with the demeanor of a jokester and a heart of gold. One week into his training and the two were as thick as thieves, with Hael taking in Turrin as if he was his big brother. Between their welcoming persona and impressive swordsmanship, the two were well-known and respected among their comrades.

“Hey, Hael!” Turrin spotted his friend as he entered the training field.

During official training, they were led by the Royal Commander or one of the higher-level knights. But their training session had already finished for the day, leaving time for the men to practice recreationally on the large training grounds. While some exercised, others challenged their friends and enemies to a match, and others still prepared for the upcoming competition at the festival.

Seeing his friend waving, Hael excused himself from his companions and jogged to where Turrin stood. The field was abuzz with anticipation for tomorrow and the hope of glory in return for a successful sparring match. At last, they had an opportunity to impress their families and their sweethearts with their skills. The hope of success filled their thoughts and lingered in their minds like a sweet perfume.

Unbeknownst to them, Theo stood by the stone entry gate, surveying his men. A hint of a smile lingered on his face as he watched the men abuzz with hopes of glory. It was a welcome sight. Since he took over as Royal Commander two years prior, each knight had grown in dexterity and wit on the battlefield, proving themselves true knights of Falworth. To accomplish it, he’d pressed them hard. He hoped he’d done right by them.

Hael reached Turrin, pretending to be out of breath from his short jog, and Turrin punched him playfully. “You ready for tomorrow?” Turrin asked.

“You talkin’ about showin’ off my skill or eating my fill of the festival food? Because my answer is yes,” Hael laughed heartily.

“Glad to hear it. Emmy’s selling some of her goods at the fair. I’m going early in the morning to help her set up, so don’t rat me out, okay.”

“Ooh, okay. Your sister, huh? I’d sure like to see her again.” Hael said with a devilish grin. It only took a matter of weeks after forming their friendship to discover that this was the best way to press Turrin’s buttons. The love between the Finchly family was one of the most sincere, genuine bonds Hael had ever seen—but it didn’t stop him from using it as ammunition for his boyish jests.

“Don’t even think about it!” Turrin warned.

“Oof. You're cold, man,” Hael replied, enjoying messing with his pal. “Anyway, don’t worry about it; we all have the morning off anyway before we have to be back. Just don’t take too long helpin’ your sister.”

A strong voice behind them shouted, “Come on, men. Today’s not the day to slack off.” Theo rode toward them on his mahogany steed. “Do your best today. Either exercise or eat.”

“Sir,” Turrin nodded in respect.

“You got it, boss!” Hael nodded in suit.

“Well, they don’t call him the Stoic Commander for nothing,” Turrin said quietly as their leader turned to go.

While he liked the Royal Commander well enough, they weren’t exactly on friendly terms. But then again, Turrin was smart enough to recognize that his attitude forced them to grow rather than be coddled into complacency. However, he wished they had an occasional respite from his usual stiff demeanor.

“Wouldn’t hurt for him to lighten up, juuust a bit,” Hael whispered back.

“I bet I could think up a prank or two that would do the trick.”

“Oh yes, do it.” Hael slapped Turrin’s shoulder enthusiastically, almost as if he had something in mind.

“You, Hael, are a bad influence on me,” Turrin joked, pointing at him as he walked backward, then turned and hustled toward the training equipment across the field. Hael just laughed and trotted back, seeking a sparring partner. For all their talk, neither would dare cross their lofty commander. Except under ideal circumstances, perhaps.

Face ashen, Theo turned and watched as they parted ways. He gave himself the luxury of one self-pitying sigh before he straightened his shoulders and moved on to survey the ongoing matches.

* * *

“Don’t you need to prepare with your family?” Theo asked Yuki, who burst into his quarters a few moments before. While the nobility considered the staff quarters to be off-limits, Yuki never heeded this unofficial policy. In fact, he would frequently pop in to visit Theo whenever he had the inclination. It was for this reason, among many, that Theo never felt the weight of their gap in social standing.

“Oh no, there’s not much for me to do but walk out, sit down, and then parade around like a peacock once the presentation is over.” He ran his fingers through his hair absentmindedly as he wandered around Theo’s room, touching his books and a random assortment of things by his bookshelf.

“Would you sit down? Your aimless wandering is making me feel on edge,” Theo called from his small wooden desk, pushed up against the solitary window. He was still scribbling notes down in preparation for his role at the Presentation of the Royal Family. He shook his right leg nervously under the desk until a loud clunk sounded from behind him.

“Oops.” Yuki bent down to retrieve the book from where it lay, spine up on the ground.

“Seriously. Stop fiddling with my things.” Looking back over his shoulder at Yuki, all thoughts of the book disappeared as his gaze narrowed on Yuki. “Gracious. What are you wearing?”

“This?” Yuki looked down at his attire as if astonished, though his astonishment turned into a devilish grin.

Unlike his normal lavish outfits, he was decked in simple brown trousers with a white button-down shirt and tweed vest. Indeed, it was very dull. Theo, incredulous, gave up craning his neck and instead jumped to his feet to confirm that his eyes hadn’t deceived him. He strode forward, eyes fixed on his ratty clothes. Yet his garb only worsened the more he inspected it.

“Mercy. This doesn’t suit your tastes at all! Surely, this is not what the legendary Yarn Spinstress created for you.”

“Course not. My clothes for the event are upstairs, and they’re quite impressive, mind you. You’ll see this afternoon.”

Theo clicked his tongue at Yuki while loosely shaking his head, his brown strands as disarrayed as his thoughts. There was only one reason why his friend would shed his posh clothes in favor of the offensively bland attire he now wore. He was concocting mischief of some sort. And on the festival day, no less. Friend or not, Theo wanted no part, but he couldn’t help the curiosity bubbling within him. Besides, Yuki clearly couldn’t wait to share his half-baked scheme; he hadn’t stopped grinning since Theo brought up his clothes.

How bothersome.

“So what is this monstrosity?” Theo asked dryly, finally giving in to his friend.

“First, a monstrosity, my dearest friend, is what you are wearing. Secondly, this is the attire of the people.”

“Don’t tell me. Please don’t.” Theo massaged his temple as though plagued by a headache.

“What are you implying? I’m as innocent as a dove.” Yuki touched his fingers to his collarbone in an act of feigned shock.

“So you’re not going to play the commoner at the festival this morning.”

“Oh, ho! What keen observation skills you have. That’s absolutely what I’m doing.” Yuki excitedly placed both his hands on Theo’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, the chick will be back with plenty of time, mother hen.”

Shocked, Theo stood up to face Yuki as he transformed his silver locks and trademark blue eyes to chestnut brown. Brown, brown, and more brown. Ick.

“Oh great. Now you’re just a walking brown… thing.”

“Well, I can’t parade my good looks about town!” he said jokingly, tossing his pal a playful wink.

“Yuki, don’t you–”

In a swift motion, a swirling blue light encompassed Yuki as he donned his black coat.

“Byyyyye!” And the cheeky prince was gone, swept away with his teleportation spell.

“At least one thing wasn’t brown,” Theo huffed as he stumbled back to his desk sunk into the desk chair, utterly worn from Yuki's antics. The festival had yet to begin and already there was one Yuki Clarion loose about the town. He only hoped he would make it back in time for the presentation...