Chapter Text
Every April, nobles and royals travel miles to the Sky Kingdom for one special occasion.
The Carnival.
A massive event created to build peaceful relationships between the elemental Kingdoms. Lasting for three days, monarchs and nobility participate in parties and games while the Kings and their advisors set up trade systems for the rest of the year. The Carnival has had much success in the past, with little contention between kingdoms and minor conflicts smoothed over by May.
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The Water Kingdom is split into two different regions. The West and the East.
The two monarchies are close, almost like family. One doesn't make a decision without consulting the other for approval.
As a result, Prince Jisung and Prince Jay are very close. The princes visit each other often. Prince Jisung tends to visit Jay's palace more often, preferring the warm beaches of the West to the tall cliffside villages and lakes of the East.
— ❈ —
Prince Jay packs his last garment into his bag and clips it closed with the help of his friend, Jake.
"Did you have to take all those clothes?" Jake complains.
"Yes. Of course." Jay sits on the side of his bed.
"It's only three days." Jake sighs.
Jay rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything.
Jake is a student at Decelis Academy, one of the best universities in all five kingdoms. Students travel all over the world just to go to the university. Due to Jake's scholarship and his ties with the water monarchy, he can attend the Carnival for the first time this year. He's stoked.
"Aren't you so excited!" Jake exclaims as they pass down the pathway to the carriages with their luggage. The entrance to the West Water Kingdom is a beautiful sight. Vibrant green bushes line the road, decorated with red loch petals, the national flower.
"Not really. I've had to go to the Carnival since I was five. The novelty has worn off." Jay sighs as it begins to drizzle. He hands his bag to a carter to load his bag onto one of the two carriages.
"I'm so excited!" Jake says, almost trying to convince Jay that he should be excited just because Jake is excited. Jake hands the carter his bag and the two boys head back into the castle.
"It ruins every birthday. Why can't I ever celebrate it at home?" Jay complains. Every single year, Jay must celebrate his birthday in the Sky Kingdom, since the Carnival takes place on the same three days every year. He wants to celebrate it at home, for once.
"OH, MY GOODNESS! I forgot about that! It's so exciting I will get to be there for it this year!" Jake exclaims.
"Yeah. So exciting." Jay mutters to himself. Jake did not hear.
"I'm hungry." Jake announces, changing their course for the kitchen instinctively. He had never really liked waiting until the set dinner time to eat, he always had instinctively just gone to find food whenever he was hungry. The kitchen staff knows Jake very well.
The two boys look in the kitchen for something to snack on, only finding seaweed.
"Dang. Living near the ocean sucks." Jay sighs, "I bet Sunoo never has to eat this crap."
"How would he? It would be expensive to import trashy food into the sky." Jake stuffs his mouth with some seaweed. "You know, if you add tabasco sauce, it drowns out the terrible taste."
"Okay boys time to leave." Mrs. Yoon, the chef, announces, shooing the two boys out of the kitchen like rodents. She was kind, but protective of her kitchen.
The boys leave without protest. They head down the hallway just as Jay's fourteen-year-old sister, Ara, comes running down the hallway to meet them.
"Mom and dad want you in the throne room. They sounded serious." She sprays Jay in the face with water from her fingertips and skips off down the hallway.
"Bro, what do they want from me this time?" Jay sighs, wiping the bit of water out of his eyes, "Well. I guess I better go down there. Bye dude."
The two boys head their separate ways. Jay towards the throne room.
He quietly knocks on the door and is admitted.
"We have something to talk about." The King announces but then gets tapped on the shoulder by his wife. She whispers something into his ear.
He immediately changes his posture to be a lot more casual.
"Come here son. You're not in trouble."
Jay heads up towards where his dad sits, dipping his head politely as he finds a spot in front of his sitting parents.
"So, as the Carnival is coming up, we have some issues that have become quite apparent." The King said.
Why is he telling me this? Jay thinks to himself.
"Okay..." Jay says, confusion plastered on his face.
"Your father and I think it's important that you know what is going on between the kingdoms and for you to know about trade issues, as you will become king one day." His mother smiles at him.
"Oh."
"Yes. It is quite important." The king says, nodding to himself, "So you know about the rising issues between the fire kingdom and us? They have been... quite uncooperative."
"Well yeah. They've never been the greatest to work with, but that's always how they've been." Jay answers.
"Yes. But they seem to think... that we are getting in the way. You see, they must send ships through our canals to get to the Line port." The king says.
"Oh. So, what does this have to do with the Carnival?"
"Well, we were hoping you would try becoming friends with the Fire Prince. He seems to be a lonely kid, and we were hoping that if you became friends with him, we could cooperate with his kingdom a little more." The queen informs him, with a small smile on her face.
"Oh. But Prince Minho is hostile to people he doesn't know. I don't know how to become friends with him." Jay argues.
"Please? At least try." She says kindly.
"Can't Jisung Hyung do it? I bet he would love to." Jay complains, "Prince Minho is terrifying."
The queen laughs a bit. "It would be preferable that both of you make friends with him. That would make everything easier."
"Fine. But I'll probably fail. He doesn't make friends with people who aren't already in his friend group. Which means he only has like, two friends. I don't know." Jay sighs.
"Well, I know that Jisung is better at making friends than you, so maybe he can help out." The queen smiles.
I mean it's true, but she didn't have to say that out loud.
Jay nods and heads to the door.
"Oh! Also," The queen calls, "What do you want for your birthday this year?"
a/n: I hope you like it so far! I am kind of nervous, it's my first time doing this 😭 so please tell me if you like it and want more! —Dargon