Arthur watched the brown-haired boy walking away and sighed to himself before turning back to the girl behind him. "Alex… who?"
"Alex Oakwood. Why are you interested in knowing my name? It's almost been a century," the girl asked him.
"I'm trying to learn a name each year. This year is Alex Oakwood," the prince winked.
"Yeah, that's a lie. Do you normally lie?" Alex asked him.
"Not getting past you that easily, huh? No, I don't normally lie. Sounded cheesy in my head. Although, that is the first name I've learned this year. So… if I don't learn any other, then it won't be a…"
"You're going to the Sorting. You're going to meet a ton of new people there. Most of them won't be phoenixes. You're going to learn a ton of new names this year," the girl replied, "Is there anything else you would like? I'm sure there is something better I'd rather be doing."
Colton's friendly air dissipated, his smile vanishing all at once, "No, there is nothing more. Later."
The prince adjusted the straps of his rucksack and turned to leave. As Alex watched the prince leave, she couldn't help but feel like he'd just shut her out after only letting her into the layers of protection he'd created for himself.
'You won't make any friends that way… Then again, who am I to talk?' the maid sighed before walking away from the counter.
Arthur felt like taking his tray up to his room but knew there was no time to do something like that. He had to eat and get ready to leave the castle. The Sorting would not be rescheduled for him even if he was royalty.
So he walked to the far end of one of the long tables in the Mess Hall, staying as far as he could from Gray's group, set down his tray and started munching on his breakfast.
Eating by himself was torture… and something he'd eventually stopped doing altogether.
Today, however, was not a normal day. He couldn't just stay in his room and have his food brought to him. The distance back to his room alone would consume too much of his precious time.
He'd run through these thoughts before coming here and found no way out of this predicament. And so he'd simply tried to prepare his 'mask of indifference.'
That didn't change the fact that he completely hated the eyes that continued to bore into the back of his skull while he ate. He just wanted to scream at the phoenixes that wouldn't stop staring at him.
It was bad enough that he could hear everything they were saying about him behind his back. Most of which comprised bitter statements of pity and misfortune. Gray's voice never once made it to his ears… making him wonder if the First prince ever paid attention to what was said of his brother.
The clutter of a tray being set down beside him interrupted his… 'deep' meditation.
Arthur turned to the phoenix that had chosen to sit with him. Sitting at his side was a large man who was several years older than him and completely out of his age group. Regardless of their age difference, the prince was fond of this specific phoenix.
Arthur easily relaxed in his presence.
"You're seated alone again."
"Yes, Conrad. That's what happens when you're big brother suddenly gets crowned heir to the phoenix throne," Arthur gave the large man a tight-lipped smile.
"Bah! You younglings can be so petty. A prince is a prince…"
"I appreciate the effort, Conrad but I'll be fine," Arthur stopped him, "I have the Sorting to go through. So much to look forward to this year without remembering the shame of not being picked as my father's favoured son and heir."
"Hey, don't say it like that. The king doesn't play favourites," Conrad dropped his tone to that of concern. A pang of guilt went through the prince. Perhaps he was being too harsh.
"You're probably right. In any case, I'm fine, Conrad. Thanks."
The man sighed, "You're sure?"
"Yeah."
"Very well," with that, the man picked a fork off his tray and started eating a heavy plate of food that Arthur would have had trouble with even if he'd been starved.
To top it off, he had a burger and a large mug of milk nicely placed at the other end of the tray, "As long as you don't slack off in your training, we don't have a problem."
Arthur was no longer listening, his mind trying to fathom where all that food was supposed to go, "All that for a breakfast?"
The man stared at his plate, then at Arthur's simple assortment of confectionaries, "You should eat more. Like my mother always used to say. Young fledgelings should eat healthy lest they be plucked out of the sky… or something like that."
Arthur chuckled, "That would be a wise saying indeed… if phoenixes could fly."
"You're right about that. Sometimes I think the old lady was onto something though," the man gave a boisterous laugh, "Smartest woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."
Arthur laughed along with him. Another tray cluttered on the other side of the table. This one belonged to a man dressed in gladiator armour.
On his right shoulder, a purple messy fluid was fuming, the stain vanishing with each passing second. While his armour would soon be stainless, the stench that was coming off him was not for the faint of heart.
"Someone's been gutting demonic beasts again. Do you have to do that every morning?" Arthur pinched his nose in a repulsive gesture, inching away from the new arrival.
"Yes, it's a fine way to start my day. Nothing beats the pleasure of testing the Elemental Arts on a live enemy," he swooned, then turned to Conrad with an enthusiastic expression, "Conrad, so glad you're here… I've been thinking…"
"Stop right there, Brandon. Your thoughts are always so aggressive and twisted. I'll listen if this one doesn't end up with someone in the infirmary. One of these days, you're going to poison the water system. Ever heard of a bath," Conrad snapped at the man, scrunching his nose at the stench rolling off him, "Sometimes I wonder how the First Prince is still alive!"
"Umm… I… I was about…" the man's eyes flickered to Arthur and back to his peer, "…to-to-to say the first prince needs a new trainer."
"—just for a short while. To sharpen his skills and improve his reflexes," he quickly added.
Conrad narrowed his eyes at the man before him, "What happened to your charge?"
"Well, his highness wants to grow stronger. What's a better way than to have him face someone he's never faced before, you know?" Brandon chuckled nervously.
Conrad thought for a moment, pondering the thought while he munched on a piece of meat. After a while, he sighed, "Very well. We'll give it a try."