Nai carries Luan to a small clearing next to the main road of the festival, where chairs and tables have been laid out for those who wish to enjoy their meals whilst sitting down.
For the first time all day, Nai releases Luan from his arms and places him in a chair before sitting down in the one next to him.
"Be careful not to spill your soup," Nai says as he picks up his spoon and picks up a spoonful of his soup.
Luan nods and begins to wolf down the soup, practically inhaling the thing. When he is finished, Luan leans back in his chair, eyes closed and tiny hands patting his stomach. 'What a good meal,' he thinks while cracking his eyes open slowly, giving Nai a sideways glance. The pretty man has not had a single bite yet, and only swirls the soup around his bowl with his spoon. Luan isn't one to be compassionate. But this beautiful man, who may or may not be the Blessing from the Sun, makes him feel something strange in the pit of his stomach.
Luan doesn't like it one bit, so instead he reaches out for Nai's arm and puts on his sweetest face. Nai looks down at him and tilts his head. Luan gestures with a stubby finger at Nai's bowl before pointing that same finger at himself. Nai smiles gently and nods, pushing his bowl towards Luan.
"Careful not to eat too much, otherwise you'll grow chubby. You won't be able to run away from any 'bad people' then," Nai teases, running a hand through Luan's bushy hair and messing it up.
'This man is strange,' Luan thinks as he inhales his second bowl of soup. One minutes he's smiling humbly as a group of villagers praise him, then his smile is gone and he seems annoyed by their kind words and gestures. In fact, every time the topic of the Blessing of the Sun is brought up, his whole mood changes. He was reasonably happy-looking the whole walk here from that little village I accidentally almost burnt down, but as soon as we saw the festival in the city, his mood shifted.
And then there's the matter of whether Nai is the Blessing of the Sun or not. It would be dangerous for Luan to stay by his side for two reasons. One, if Nai ever found out who he really was, he would be killed instantly. And two, there is also a bounty on his head in the Demon Realm. Surely there are many Demons who would love the challenge of killing the prophesied hero of the humans.
Luan huffs as he finished the soup, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. He feels as his his brain also shrunk when the rest of his body did, for his mind cannot cope with all of these strange, gross feelings and questions he has no answers to. It's making him tired…
Smack! Luan's head hits the table as he falls asleep, but the sudden pain in his forehead chases away any feelings of fatigue in an instant.
Nai rubs Luan's back gently. "Are you ok? What happened?"
Luan shrugs, a tear forming at the edge of his eye. 'Shit, don't cry, you sorry excuse for a man!' "Sleepy," Luan says, wiping the side of his eye.
Nai chuckles softly, his hand retreating from Luan's back. Luan's back feels unusually cold and empty as Nai retreats his hand.
"Alright then, lets get you to the castle, hmm?" Nai lifts Luan back up into his arms, cradling his against his chest. "You can sleep for now, I will wake you when I reach the castle."
Luan nods and almost instantly falls sleep, despite the constant deafening noises and his lack of fatigue.
…
"Noah … Noah, it's time to get up now … Noah," Nai's soothing voice is an amazing thing to wake up to.
Luan cracks his eyes open slowly, taking in his surroundings.
It is surprisingly quiet up here near the castle, considering how close the festival comes. But even here, banners and streamers of orange, yellow, and red little the ground and the roofs, and every space in between. Nai and Luan stand at the top of a majestic flight of white marble stairs, which emerge from between two large houses back down in the main street of the city. A looming, beautiful, old, white castle lays before them, rising up in a drastic contrast between the lower houses and buildings in the rest of the city. The castle leans against the mountain which covers the entire back wall of the city, parts of the castle built into the stone of the mountain. It really is a wonderful sight.
Now that Luan was awake, Nai bends over and places him on the ground. "You will have to walk now by yourself. It is not busy anymore so there should be no fear of us getting separated, alright?"
Luan nods. He did not care about that. He only cared about the massive wooden doors of the castle opening, and a figure dressed all in white stepping out the greet them, a massive smile plastered across his face.
"Nai!" This white-clad man rushes forward, arms extended and embraces Nai tightly. Nai's feet leave the ground slightly as the new man lifts him off the ground. Luan grabs at Nai's trousers with a small hand and clenches it, unconsciously grabbing it.
"It has been too long, too long indeed," the man continues, placing Nai on the ground again, but seemingly unwilling to let go. It is only after a few awkward moments that he finally releases his grip. "I was absolutely ecstatic when General Candra told me you were coming. Come, there is so much for us to talk about."
The man in white starts to leave, dragging Nai behind him when he stops, finally noticing the little child dressed in oversized black clothes. The smile on the man's face drops and Luan's heart starts to race. Surely he doesn't notice who Luan really is? He doesn't have enough power saved up yet to fight with the Crown Prince and escape alive. Plus, Nai still didn't know his true identity, and - for reasons still unknown to Luan - he didn't want him finding out.
"Oh?" The Crown Prince says, tilting his head and looking Luan up and down, assessing the small boy before him. "Who is this? Nai - don't tell me you've had a son?!"
Nai chuckles and shakes his head. "No. This Noah. I found him abandoned after being attacked in a village a couple days journey from here. He has decided to come with me on my journeys. Noah, this is the Crown Prince, Aelius Sorelia. Noah, say hello."
Luan grits his teeth, his grip on Nai's trousers tightens. "Hi."
Crown Prince Aelius Sorelia nods, his scrutinising look fading and a smile reforming on his lips. "Hello, Noah. It is nice to meet you."