** Β the festival to celebrate the peace between all five kingdoms, celebrated through the efforts of dragon riders across all kingdoms to show their expertise to the willing audience that came from all corners of metia to watch them in the kingdom of valtolia. the royal family of sollia would be present like any other family, representing themselves as some of the sollian court owned a dragon β solaris did not own a dragon himself, the consort was not very fond of them anyway. to him, it were mere beasts that lacked any sophistication and were bound to someday break loose of the mental chains their owners held over them.
** Β nevertheless solaris and the respective court of sollia had traveled towards their northern neighbour, to witness the festivities and represent their kingdom as best as they could. for the occasion the proper wardrobe was needed and thus, the personal seamstress of the consort had gone beyond their greatest activity to provide robes that were neatly decorated with symbolism that only screamed dragon and fire at anyone whoβd pass by the monarch.
** Β doing what he did best, the consort strutted through the crowds on a mission to look for wine that was remotely close to tasting like the wine off sollian descent. the valtolian wine was not necessarily bad, but it lacked the balance between the alcohol and a sophisticated taste of recently harvested grapes. ββmay i ask you where i can find some more.. decentΒ beverages, wine preferred??β the consort decided through approaching someone random he might get an answer.
If anyone knewΒ Nikolai, theyβd know at events like this, he always hand a glass of something. Water, when servants would notice he was getting too far gone, but normally it was something alcoholic. Heβd moved on from wine hours ago, a nicely aged whiskey warming against his hand while he watched the festivities happening around him.
Everyone seemed so happy. It made a tighten in his chest for not just his people, not just his family, but for all of Metia. Arguments, war, disagreements -- all long forgotten in exchange for half a fortnight of celebration. And, yes, things would go back to normal after the event, but each year he could feel them becoming calmer and calmer as people realized just how alike they were.
Heβd just finished his whiskey when another approached him in search of wine. His guard took the empty glass from him, probably to refill it, so he could turn his attention towards the other man. He wasnβt drunk, no, but his eyes did have a bit of a glaze to them and he was visibly relaxed.
βYes, I was actually just about to go to a pub that serves a very nice dark wine, if youβd like to follow?β