Celeste was quite perceptive to situations and people outside of herself, and even she had trouble picking up on her betrothed's current mood. She could not tell if he was annoyed about the prospect of marrying her or if he couldn't care less. And she realized wistfully that he was not a man of outstanding and valiant character. A man like him would never cherish her. Instead, Prince Aestir was akin to a vacant husk, much like a vessel that moved mechanically. An iron man, who she now regarded as having an iron heart.
The prince's offer of his outstretched hand felt like a death sentence to the princess, regardless of whether she accepted it. It made her feel as if she were being asked to make a life-altering profession of love right on the spot, and she considered declining before remembering that she genuinely had no choice in this endeavor. Her kingdom -and, more fearfully, her father- would accept no doubts or uncertainty about their union, so she reluctantly grasped his hand despite her inner turmoil.
Deep down, she knew that this union would shape the future of their kingdoms, yet all she could focus on was the fact that this was not what she wanted. Nevertheless, there was no telling what her father would do to her this time if she embarrassed him publicly again. She would hold the prince's hand.
Aestir was shaken to his core that the princess seemed so comfortable with him and fought against shuddering in aversion when she proudly clasped their hands together instead of taking his arm as he'd intended. There had never been a time when someone had ever touched him so brazenly, and he wanted to yank his hand away from her, the sensation of having his hand held being too anomalous for him. Nevertheless, he put on a stoic front and walked hand in hand with the princess, more distressed than he'd ever been in his entire life.
These elves were looking at them with so much hope and pride, and… and that was unsettling for him. He glanced at Princess Celeste to see how she handled this attention. She seemed used to it as he saw her waving and continuing to grin at her citizens proudly, which caused him to briefly doubt himself.
Should he do the same, then?
Offering a stiff nod at a citizen, he was surprised when they looked at him in confusion and fear, and quickly assessed his disposition, going off of a mental checklist in his head. He was standing straight, he had what he believed was a perfect smile on his face, not a single hair was out of place, and he was showing some sort of affection towards the princess.
What more could these people want?
"I understand this is unnatural for you, but… try to relax. If they see that you are at ease, they will be calm, too." Celeste murmured, briefly glancing over at her betrothed. The elf was as stiff as a board, whose apathetic demeanor starkly contrasted with the jovial, relaxed behavior of those around him.
Aestir met Celeste's gaze, that same tendril of intrigue from earlier returning as he noticed she didn't immediately look away from his inquiring gaze. "Why would they care how I feel?"
The princess stared at him strangely, unsure how to answer such an obvious question without being tactless. "Because you'll be their king one day. And as king, you're meant to set an example for them. A calm yet assured hand is better perceived by our people than an unsteady and unsure one." She finally answered, nodding at another crowd member as they followed her father into their palace. "Though, please do not take my words as instruction betrothed; it was a mere suggestion born out of concern."
Aestir was confused about why she felt the need to clarify her statement. "There's no need to worry, betrothed; I appreciate you ensuring I don't look like a blundering fool in front of your people."
The pair followed Celeste's father hand in hand to the opposite side of the castle from where the royal family resided, with King Virion leading them into the guest suite. "Here is where you and your elves will stay. I hope it's to your liking?"
Aestir looked around at the bright suite, wondering why it was so floridly designed.
Gold, just as bright and splendorous as the sun, was everywhere in the suite.
The walls were lined with golden pillars, each topped with a gem of red, yellow, and orange. The ceiling gleamed with the sun through a skylight designed to look at the clear blue sky. There was a grand, winding staircase towards the left of the room, leading up to a plethora of bedrooms. Downstairs offered a common area for leisure, with plush, white couches and polished bookshelves filled to the brim with books waiting to be read. To the right lay a dining room with ample tables and chairs for the Strexxan elves.
"...I appreciate your grand hospitality." Muttered Aestir, staring at the skylight in disdain. His servants were shown his room so they could begin to put away his things, so he turned to face the king, wanting to get right to business. There was, unfortunately, only so much they could glean from letters, and they had much to discuss. "When would you like to discuss the finer terms of our agreement, King Virion?"
"Straight to business, like a true Strexxan." Snorted the king, clasping Aestir's back again. "Not for some time, dear boy. In five days, we shall feast with the dawn's light, so we will meet the afternoon before. In the meantime, allow Celeste to show you around the royal palace and the capital today."
Aestir physically forced himself to not roll his eyes, offering the king a stiff nod and a strained smile. "I understand."
"Of course, every interaction with my precious daughter will be supervised until your marriage." Continued the king, a protective glint in his eyes. "I understand things are different between our people, but her honor must remain in place."
Again, Aestir fought against rolling his eyes at the obsolete belief. "I understand, Sir."
"Great!" Laughed King Virion, turning to leave. "I will see you both for dinner. Enjoy your day." He glanced at Celeste, a smile in warning on his face. "Take care of our Prince, Celeste."
Celeste immediately straightened up and turned to bow to her father, forcing herself to smile. "Of course, Father." She turned to face Aestir next, her smile remaining on her face as she addressed the prince and again took his hand. "I would like to show you the gardens first, if you don't mind? We have a flower that reminds me of you, and I'd like to show you."
Aestir was taken aback by how the princess could still find it within herself to talk and smile so easily at him before remembering she had grown up in an environment with uninhibited emotion. It made sense why she would think of him as someone deserving of such a splendorous smile. "Certainly. Please, show me the way."
He was surprised when 16 guards materialized behind the pair to follow them and tried to not grow irritated at their unnecessary presence, following the princess through the winding halls of the castle and out to the palace's expansive gardens. Immediately his nostrils were assaulted by a vast array of aromas, and he looked from side to side in awe, as… he'd never seen anything like this before.
Trees that were hundreds of feet high and dozens of feet wide surrounded them, with bushels of flowers, herbs, and plants with fruit that were foreign to him, filling the gaps in between. Every inch of this massive garden was bright and colorful, down to the blades of grass that glistened like lustrous gold in the radiant glory of the sun. There was a sense of life here unlike anywhere he had ever seen in Stelle.