"...Can Eyes Always Shut join me on this platform?" King Albedo asked with his left hand outstretched toward the crowd, his eyes landing on the one that was named Eyes Always Shut.
Silence followed the King's request, and for the next few seconds, everybody turned to Eyes Always Shut, and even Rey was looking around for the said person.
However, he found it strange that he was the only one searching for Eyes Always Shut and every other person at this ceremony was looking directly at him.
This left him confused and he started to look at them. It was then Rey felt Uncas' hand tap his back as the dwarf fell into his arms.
Uncas hiccuped twice, his ale spilling each time as he tried to stabilise the wooden tankard in his grasp.
"It's… (hiccup-!) it's you… (hiccup-!) silly," Uncas stated, really struggling to keep his posture steady.
"What do you mean, Uncas?" Rey queried, confused as to why he was the one. "I wasn't called—"
Before he could protest any further, Uncas pushed him forward into the crowd.
Every dwarf in the path of the staggering elf made way for him as Rey struggled to steady himself.
He eventually succeeded in doing so, but then he was already in front of the crowd, standing before the Dwarven King of the Brownbeard Dwarf Clan — King Albedo Durin XXI Brownbeard.
Had he not been in front of a king, Rey would have protested further and maybe gone back to where he was standing.
But he needed to show his utmost respect to this dwarf with a stony and crystal-adorned crown on his head. Otherwise, he would risk turning the Brownbeards against him.
As he contemplated this, Rey heard a giggle from behind King Albedo, causing him to take a quick look in that direction.
Towards the left of the King, from where the laughter had come, sat a young, beautiful dwarf.
Long, curly, orange hair flowed down over her shoulders, settling just at the top of her bosoms.
Rey blinked as he noticed she was covering her mouth with her hand and giggling, her eyes closed and her face turned slightly away from the gaze of the crowd.
'The King's daughter, Citrea Brownbeard' Rey recalled his conversation with Uncas when the King and his entourage had first graced the party.
'...She is pretty up close.'
"Ahem…" King Albedo cleared his throat, bringing Rey back to the present.
Rey realised himself immediately and instinctively bowed his head in deference to the Dwarven King.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty."
The expression on the young elf's face made both Uncas' father and the beautiful Dwarven Princess, Citrea, let out short laughs.
Citrea turned to her right to look at Uncas' father who seemed to also be enjoying the scenario just like she was.
"Uncle Ulfgar…" Citrea called out to Uncas' father in a whisper, covering her mouth. "Uncle Ulfgar…!"
Hearing his name, Ulfgar turned to his niece and smiled at her, raising a brow as if encouraging her to speak.
"He really is a laugh a minute," Citrea pointed out, giving Rey a sidelong glance as he was bowing to her father.
Ulfgar smiled again and nodded his head. "I told you that you would like him, didn't I?"
Nodding her head in agreement, Citrea shut her eyes and smiled cutely at the older dwarf.
King Albedo's eyes had traced to both his left and right side as he turned his head toward his daughter and cleared his throat again, prompting her to look another way.
"Thank you," the King said before returning his focus to their guest, Rey.
"Come up here, young elf," King Albedo demanded, urging Rey to come.
Rey thought for a second as if they sensed the hesitation, the crowd began to cheer him on. He finally gave in and climbed to the platform where King Albedo, Ulfgar and Princess Citrea were.
The Dwarven King shook Rey and handed his mug over to the elf.
"Here, you go," he said as Rey collected the wooden mug. "As a guest, I ask that you drink from the king's cup."
King Albedo turned his clan and threw the question to them as well. "Isn't that right, Brownbeards?!"
"Yesss!"
The crowd went into a frenzy and Rey had no other choice but to drink from the tankard the King had given him.
The elf loved the treatment he received here and it was a far cry from what he imagined would become of his life if he survived the jump from the cliff several weeks before this day.
Rey plugged the remaining content of the mug in one go, his throat gulping in rhythm with the dwarves' chants.
When he was done, the king collected the mug and turned it upside down for all to see. Not even a single drop came out.
He then raised the cup in the air. "To Eyes Always Shut!"
The rest of them raised their mugs and repeated after their ruler. "To Eyes Always Shut!"
Rey laughed at the sound of the name they had given him, and he didn't even know why they did so. However, Rey guessed that it would certainly have a funny or flimsy origin.
Considering that a clan of dwarves whose males had brown to reddish-brown beards decided to take up the name of Brownbeard as their clan name, Rey was sure that it was a similar case for this dwarven nickname of his.
"How about Eyes Always Shut sing for us, huh? Huh… Huh?" someone threw open from the crowd, with fellow dwarves around him supporting his idea.
'Uncas…!' Rey yelled out in his mind as he noticed the person responsible for this potential setup was none other than Ulfgar's son — Uncas.
"Sing! Sing! Sing! Sing!"
The dwarves started to chant and clap in unison, prompting even Ulfgar and Princess Citrea to do the same as the rest.
King Albedo looked at the elf, and Rey looked back at the king, his eyes almost watering as they seemed to send a sincere plea to not allow him to sing.
The Dwarven King smiled, clicked his tongue and shrugged.
He looked up at a few corners of the venue and pointed upwards, directing eyes there.
"Lights…!" King Albedo ordered, after which he stepped back and sat on his chair.
Rey looked back at the seated trio and gulped.
Ulfgar paid him no heed, expressing no friendly expression to help him out.
The King had already made his stand on the matter and he was not Rey's ally but a supporter of what his people wanted.
His last choice being Princess Citrea was no different. She was even clapping and cheering him on.
There was no way out for him but to sing.
Rey turned back to the chanting crowd of dwarves, and an instant later, light shone on him from above at a direction position, giving him a performer's spotlight.