Pop!
The sound of balloons popping rang through he air as the people in the Middle Circle of Skyhart celebrated. Yells of joy rang through the streets as children chased themselves around, built snowmen, or created snow angels.
The adults were busy finishing up their various preparations, setting up stalls that sold snacks, souvenirs, or food. Grills were set ablaze, with heavily spiced sticks of meat laid across them to cook well, making all sorts of wonderful fragrances and aromas slow through the air.
Ding! Ding!
The sound of a strange, high pitched bell rang out through the streets, making all the adults pause for a moment before exploding into chatter.
"The Grand Archmage is coming!"
"He's here!"
"Arnold! Prepare our tables, and show off our snacks!"
Exclamations of joy and instructions rang out as the adults returned to their tasks with greater fervor, eager to show off their skills to the greatest mage in the country, the Grand Archmage, Merlin.
Before long, the decorated carriage which carried Merlin and Arthur came down the street, straight from the gate that led to the Inner Circle. From a space that was built into the top of the carriage, Merlin stood, waving at the people, and smiling at them. He waved his hand, and the snow stopped for a moment, only to resume falling, but as twinkling lights instead. his small trick greatly enthused the people, with the children being the most joyous.
Merlin continued waving his hands and casting some small tricks that were sure to dazzle the commoners, while Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes. He was a noble himself, and he was very familiar with magic, so he could easily tell that the things that Merlin was doing were so basic that even he, with his poor magical affinity could easily perform these things.
"Arthur, don't you think that you should come out and wave a bit?" Merlin's voice reached Arthur's ears without him even opening his mouth to speak to the boy.
"Not really. It's not like I hold an esteemed position anyways." Arthur sighed and folded his arms. He was right in a way. He was an Apprentice Alchemist of the Grand Archmage. While that position held quite a bit of prestige, that was only in certain circles that knew of how important an alchemist was. To most commoners, especially those who were not adventurers themselves, or close to adventurers, an alchemist held little meaning to them, so they would probably have no idea who Arthur was.
"Hmm..." That was all Merlin said as he left Arthur alone. He could tell that the boy was feeling a bit sour.
...
Charles and Darwin rushed through the streets of the Middle Circle of Skyhart. They had heard the bell that signaled the Grand Archmage's arrival in the Middle Circle, so they were hurrying extra quickly.
Before long, they could hear the cheering of people, and knew that they were close to the area where the carriage of the prestigious figure currently was.
Turning down a couple of streets, and taking a bit of a shortcut through a couple of alleyways, the two brothers finally arrived at the street where the carriage was, albeit at the back of the carriage.
"Oh, come on. Let's go up a bit." Darwin groaned before turning back and using a different alleyway to arrive ahead of the carriage in just a few seconds. Charles also did the same, appearing beside his brother with an excited look on his face.
"There he is! The Grand Archmage!" Charles couldn't help but exclaim. He easily spotted the bearded figure that was standing through the open rooftop of the carriage and waving around at the people. Stars basically took shape in his eyes as he stared at the magical wonders that Merlin was performing. He yearned to be able to do all that with such ease one day, but his affinity was so low that he could barely even form a proper fireball and hold its form for a dozen seconds.
Seconds ticked by in what seemed like an eternity to Charles as the slow carriage made its way along the street. But when the vehicle came to pass the spot where Charles and Darwin were standing, the prestigious mage atop the carriage suddenly spoke.
"Coachman, stop for a moment." Merlin said. The carriage came to a stop, and Merlin looked around for a moment before turning to face Charles direction. "You, young man." As soon as he said those three words, all the noise and sounds in the air abruptly stilled.
Charles, as if woken up from a deep sleep turned around, meeting the eyes of dozens of people that were pointed at him. He turned to face Darwin, and saw that his brother was also looking at him with a mixture of shock, confusion, and excitement.
"E-erm... Do you mean me... my lord?" Charles hesitantly asked as he tried to swallow his nervousness, but failed spectacularly.
"Of course, I do." Merlin laughed. "Do you not recognize me already?" He smiled warmly at Charles, and it was as if someone just rang a deafening church bell right in his ears! It was almost as if Merlin's face morphed for a fraction of a second, and he truly recognized him as that old man who had helped save him from getting beaten up, and then gifted him two of the strangest things that he had ever received in his life.
"I-I" Charles stuttered, more than a bit lost for words.
"It's okay, Charles. There is no need for you to speak right now. Just come with me." Merlin waved at Charles to approach the carriage.
Charles turned to look at his brother hesitantly, not sure whether he should leave his brother all of a sudden.
"It's fine. Just go, I'll tell mom and dad." Darwin gave Charles a wobbly, crooked smile and pushed him forward.
Merlin gave Darwin a nod as the door on the side of the carriage swung open, and Charles stepped in with a final look back at his emotional brother.