Conrad and Brandon were among the elite phoenix warriors, albeit more special than the rest. Possessing a wide range of capabilities and skills so refined that the king himself had acknowledged their abilities in combat.
As a result of this, they were the only two tasked with keeping the two princes in their best shape as far as their training went. As a result, these two males were considered mentors in the eyes of the two princes.
Colton was responsible for training Arthur while Brandon was responsible for training Gray. To keep up with the princes' progress, the king randomly dropped by and challenged them, personally assessing their progress before handing them back into the care of their guardians.
Having spent decades under their tutelage, they'd grown far too comfortable with each other, their bonds going far beyond the intricacies of the Elemental Battle Arts.
…which is why Arthur was shocked when he heard Conrad agree so quickly to switch charges.
"Conrad, why are you so quick to give me away?" Arthur whipped around to the large man beside him.
"Oh! I want to know if this hoodlum hasn't been slacking off with Prince Gray's training. You don't really think I'd want to switch permanently. Just for one day," Conrad explained.
"Oh… I see. Great!" Arthur sighed.
"Hey, don't look so down. I might get the idea that you don't like me," Brandon chuckled. His meal was just as heavy as Conrad's.
"No offence, Brandon but you're my brother's guardian. How do you do it? Do his fans just flock around you when he's training? Or do you get to train them as well? How do you ignore them?
Do they also… y'know… hold his face towel and wait for him to wipe off his sweat so they can take back a piece of him?"
"That last one was disgusting… even though I've seen it happen a few times," Brandon shuddered, "I thought you would have a few of those fan girls yourself."
"Oh, come on, Brandon. Have you seen this hatchling? He's like the prince of doom and gloom in phoenix castle," Conrad intervened before the two of them exploded into peals of laughter.
Arthur chuckled along but couldn't help the hint of sadness that crept into his chest. He knew they meant no harm in what they said but it still got to him.
It made him question whether or not it was the right decision for him to shut out the phoenixes of his age group.
It was rarely that he let them in. This morning at the counter... had been one of those rare moments. Was he going about this the wrong way or was he simply fated to remain like this forever? Without phoenix friends among his peers.
...................
When Arthur felt too satisfied to continue with his meal, partly from the anxiety of having to go to the Sorting at the prestigious School of the Supernatural that he'd been looking forward to for more than a year now.
His anxiety kept getting worse as the seconds ticked by.
"Aren't you going to finish this up?"
"Oh no. I wouldn't want to risk throwing up at the Sorting," Arthur replied.
"Is Arthur EmberFallen scared of the Sorting?" Conrad teased.
"Not just the Sorting. I'm going to Barthlorn School of the Supernatural. This isn't the same as the human school in Alcove. Everything at Barthlorn will be different… grander," Arthur shuddered.
The prince's nerves were so evident now that it was impossible for the two guardians to miss it.
"Yeah, that's what anxiety looks like. I never thought I'd see the day a prince would openly show it," Brandon sighed.
"It happens to all of us. The good thing is that it happened here and not right before the Sorting," Conrad replied rising to his full height and facing the prince.
Arthur's guardian placed his large calloused hands on the prince's shoulders, "Now listen here, Arthur. You do not forget who you are. Your identity might be a secret to the humans and the Supernatural… but that doesn't mean you're allowed to forget it.
Arthur Emberfallen, second son of the king of phoenixes. You stand proud and strong like I've taught you to be. You're royalty and a warrior that's been trained to lead armies. You can survive a mere Sorting Ceremony," Conrad squeezed the prince's shoulders whilst trying to calm him down.
Surprisingly, Arthur's nerves vanished completely.
In a sense, however, it wasn't so hard. Given the right words, Arthur could overcome his anxiety within seconds.
After all, it wasn't his first time doing something nerve-racking. Arthur was the second prince of the phoenixes. And as a prince, he'd endured far worse than school had to offer… and yet, this felt like uncharted territory.
Drawing on the confidence he had when he assumed the persona of a prince, he calmed his nerves and stared back at his guardian.
A smirk split the man's countenance, "That's more like it. Now you go there and show them that the prince of phoenixes is someone to fear. You've already slain countless Dark Beasts on this side of the Wall so really, you should have nothing to fear."
Arthur sighed, smiling brightly at the man's words. He was right. Arthur was more than ready to attend a simple School of Supernaturals. If the same kind of people attending the school came from the pool of humans with whom he'd studied back in Alcove, he really had nothing to fear.
"I won't be gutting anyone but I'll do my best," Arthur replied before bidding them his farewells.
............…..
The prince made his way to the massive parking lot that housed all the cars that belonged to the car-owning phoenixes that lived in the castle. Once here, he searched for a black armoured Cadillac that belonged to his big brother, Gray.
The cars within the parking lot were nothing short of awe-inspiring. Equipped with the powerful Rune cores, the peculiar vehicles were capable of achieving speeds of hundreds of miles per hour, a feat that was hard even for a phoenix.
As he searched through the numerous cars, he couldn't help but notice the hum of magic that came from their Rune cores. 'RuneTech is really something else,' Arthur mused.
"Hey Second prince, over here," a voice interrupted Arthur's search.
His eyes flew from the sleek red car he'd started admiring and landed on the face of a boy he recognised as one of Gray's closest friends.
The prince rattled his brain for the boy's name… 'Trevor… I think. Having to remember names is so annoying.'
"Hurry up. Time's wasting," the boy called harshly, leading him through the maze of cars to the parking lot exit. Parked at the exit and humming silently was a black Cadillac.
Shimmering at the bonnet was a circle of intricate lilac runes, carved into the vehicle by its manufacturers.
From the passenger's seat, an orange-haired male peeked out.
"What took you so long, Snow?" Gray smirked.
"Nothing..." Arthur mumbled, before entering the back seats. His mind trailed off, completing his response the way it should have been, '...Carrot Top.'
Nicknames he'd long stopped using but Gray still insisted on mocking his white mop of hair. His white hair stood out even among the phoenixes. That said, Gray's orange hair wasn't normal either.
'What happened to me looking like crap on my first day? Oh yeah… He didn't say it himself. I forget,' Arthur mused, "How's this going to work exactly?"
"Oh, we'll drop you in Alcove and you'll walk to the terminal. Colton and you will then proceed to the Sorting by the RuneCar that brings the First Year humans to Barthlorn every year. Piece of Cake," Gray shrugged.
After mentioning Colton's name, Arthur finally took notice of the male phoenix seated beside him. Before his eyes could wander to the rest of the phoenixes that were in the car, Arthur turned his attention away from them.
The car rolled out of the parking lot and was soon tearing through the thick forest that surrounded the Phoenix Castle. Arthur turned his head to face the passing trees as they drove on.
"He doesn't greet now. How rude of him! Surely the king wouldn't be proud of such conduct coming from one of his sons," a feminine voice caught Arthur's attention.
'THAT'S BACKWARDS!' Arthur mentally screamed. Fortunately, he'd long learned to keep his cool in such situations.
"Gray, what was Father's take on getting me a RuneCycle?" Arthur broke the silence.
"He got you one but since you don't know the way to the Barthlorn, I offered to take you to the Sorting," Grey replied, "Starting tomorrow… you won't have to cross paths with me when getting to the school."
"Thanks," with that, Arthur fell into another silence glueing his attention to the passing trees. His question had got him the desired effect and the phoenixes in the car didn't bother him again.
Unfortunately for him, Gray's melancholic tone did not go unnoticed.
'Oh come on, Brandon. Have you seen this boy? He's like the prince of doom and gloom in the castle,' Conrad's words echoed through Arthur's mind.
The prince spared the people in the car one glance. A myriad of memories washed through his mind. Humiliating, cruel, harsh memories…
The blue-eyed prince went back to watching the trees rush by. 'You might be right, Conrad, but I'm not let my guard down soon. At least for now, I'll enjoy my life at Barthlorn.'
....................