@ahnenstolz sent: [ ZENITH ] - A dance invented to celebrate the burgeoning peace recently established between the once feuding kingdoms of Askr and Embla. Long ago, so the story goes, these faraway lands had been meant to work in harmony. One land tasked with the closure of gates, and the other charged with opening them - this dance evokes a history of the back and forth of conflicting duty, eventually culminating in a tranquil hope for a better future. /
One melody ends, and all it takes is the slowly building hum of a lone violin to transition into the next. There is no better time, and certainly no better song, to which he can approach a man he hopes to know for the rest of his days.
"Prince Shiro," he greets, far too formal for the smile he wears with his approach. "You've room in your schedule to spare me a dance, I hope."
despite his inherent — and some would say questionable — competitive streak, this is where shiro's forced to admit defeat. and sure, even with a laundry list of faults to tote, he can manages to admit that where he's a fish out of water in this environment, it's siegbert who takes up the winning mantle.
tall, decorous, eye-catching. already looking more king-ly than prince-ly. born for this, really. all that talk of not being able to hold a candle to his father, but here he stands, the steadiest flame of them all.
"nuh-uh. we're NOT doing that." a very (un)princely finger prods siegbert's shoulder. firm, yet friendly. "it's always been 'shiro' to you. 'siegbert' to me. you're letting the night get to you, buddy."
no matter the fun he pokes — oooooh! siegbert the always-proper! siegbert the chivalrous! siegbert who unfortunately grew half a milicentimeter taller than him since the last time they met! — there's still truth in what he says. maybe it's not as forthright as it should be, or packaged in a neat and pretty way, but on the heels of a request comes a plea:
( let's keep things between us as they always have been. let's not change, even for the future. let's stay friends, and not solitary figures sat across opposite thrones. )
before siegbert deflates, shiro hurriedly slides in an, "oookay okayokay. okay, fine. this once. after you're all danced out, though?" a challenging grin spreads across his face. "we go back to the basics — best out of three arm-wrestling matches. loser has to fill the other's cup for the rest of the night. deal?"