Rise Of The Peasant King

CHAPTER 4

why,,, but Darryl saw the look in his eyes and thought it unwise, And with that, he was gone.

'Zak, come let your uncle in, he's here," a middle-aged woman called from the kitchen. The boy in question fixed his hair in the mirror before running to the door. He flung it open and returned to his room to continue getting ready. He heard his family talking in the living room, mostly congratulating his sister on her upcoming nuptials. The raven-haired male adjusted his tie and stepped back to admire his work. Zak was dressed rather nicely for someone on a budget. The majority of the month's fund had gone towards the wedding, leaving little for everyone's outfits. But it was fine, they'd always been a thrifty family, they found a way. Now, the wedding day was upon them.

His sister was already in her dress, and now she was waiting for the carriage to take her to the venue. Zak's parents would accompany her, leaving him and the extended family to walk there, as per wedding traditions. People Zak had never even met before stood in their living room, conversing as if they had known each other all their lives. The boy's mother pulled him aside and told him the carriage had arrived. "Just wait a few minutes to see if anyone else is coming, and then start moving people in our direction," she instructed. He nodded and she left. A few uncles that he'd never met before made conversation with him, and soon it was time for them to go. Zak climbed up on a table and instructed people to start walking. With a cheer, the crowd obliged and the wedding festivities began. It was a lovely spring morning, perfect for a cheerful stroll through town. The trees were green and the flowers were blooming, showing no signs of the winter that had ended not too long were blooming, showing no signs of the winter that had ended not too long ago. Children laughed and ran along side their parents, while the adults chatted about simpler times. 3 It had been approximately two months since Zak had last seen Darryl. His birthday had come and gone, leaving him one year older, and one year closer to 18. Nothing really felt different, except for the amount of responsibilities growing ever-heavier upon his shoulders. 1 The people on the street stopped and stared, but they knew this was a wedding crowd. This time of year, it was common to see a family walking to a nearby wedding venue. It was a tradition practiced only in Trimid, so tourists considered themselves especially lucky if they were able to see one. Zak looked around, smiling as he caught some foreigners looking on with interest. Suddenly, his eyes caught on a familiar face staring right at him. He blinked in disbelief. Darryl ran up to him, smiling wildly. "Hey!" 'Don't 'Hey!' me!" Zak pushed at his chest lightly. "I haven't seen you in two months, and all you can say is hey?!" 17 The older man laughed. " Well, I didn't want to hug you, wouldn't want to mess up your hair!" ' Oh, shut up, I know I look stupid," Zak huffed, fidgeting with his tie. " My sister's getting married in a little bit." The raven-haired man noticed he was falling behind the rest of the wedding crowd and gestured for Darryl to follow him as they talked. "Your sister's getting married?! Congrats, dude!" "Yeah, it's been quite the trip getting prepared for today," Zak sighed. He ran a hand through his hair. "You know, I had to get a night job just to pay for her dress?!" 'What?! No way!" The brunette gaped at his friend, shoving his hands into his pockets. " Don't you already have two other jobs?!" Zak nodded and the chef whistled in amazement. " I could never do all that!" 'Please, you work for the King! I'm sure you could work fifty of these little jobs and still be perfect at all of them," the younger man pointed out. Darryl shrugged, grinning from ear to ear. "You'd be surprised, I'm not all that," he responded. Zak noticed they were getting closer to the venue and he bit his lip. "What? Something wrong?" He thought for a minute, debating his options. It had been two months since he'd last spoken to Darryl, and he really didn't want to cut the night short again. In one swift move, he turned to the older boy and grabbed his hand. The brunette raised an eyebrow, confused. "Would you be my date to my sister's wedding?" He immediately cursed himself out and Darryl started to laugh. "No! Shut up! That's not what I meant!" "You want me to come to the wedding with you? I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion," the taller man said. Zak pointed out a few of his cousins who were dressed in basically rags, and Darryl reluctantly agreed to go. " But if anyone asks why I'm here, I'm totally telling them that I'm your date!" The two joked with each other until they reached the meadow where the ceremony would take place, and where the groom waited at the altar. A cheer came from the crowd as everyone settled into the provided seats. Zak pulled Darryl to the front row, where his mother and father already waited. They shot him a questioning look, but he pretended not to see it. Eventually, the carriage pulled up, and Zak's sister and her bridesmaids began their procession down the aisle. Darryl shifted awkwardly in his seat when a few aunts looked at him strangely, causing Zak to snicker. The priest cleared his throat and began his speech. It went on for an unbearably long amount of time, before the couple in question began their vows. It was sappy, to say the least, but even Darryl shed a tear when they finally kissed. The crowd cheered and practically ran to a nearby barn where the reception would take place. Darryl and Zak were swept away by the mob of party-hungry family members, and had to fight to escape. They elbowed their way to the drink table and both got something before unanimously voting to escape the stuffy atmosphere. When they finally got out into the open air, they noticed a few kids had gotten the same idea. A group of cousins kicked around a ball, nearly running into the two older boys, and a few girls were chattering loudly around the side of the barn. The brunette nudged Zak a bit and pointed to a very familiar tree in the distance. " No way, we're that close to it?!" Darryl laughed and began running towards it, Zak on his heels, both trying not to spill their drinks. Their pace slowed to a walk as they climbed the hill and collapsed under the mighty trunk of the tree. The shorter male ran a hand through his hair, not caring if he was messing it up. The two panted for breath, matching smiles on their faces. The sun was setting on the horizon, but the city seemed more alive than ever. Music echoed over the hills, and laughter created a distant melody for any who might listen. Zak glanced down, and noticed the flowers blooming in the grass, their scent soft and inviting. The boy soon found himself sprawled against the earth, letting nature's gentle lullaby overwhelm him. 'It gets prettier every time I'm here," Darryl whispered, his voice quiet, as if he might disturb the world around him. Zak hummed in agreement. The brunette moved to sip his drink, but pulled back at the taste of alcohol. " I thought you said this was grape juice!" ' Wine is grape juice," Zak giggled. He downed a bit of his own drink, wincing at the sour taste it left in his mouth. " Seriously? I work three jobs and they can't even afford a nice bottle of red?!" Not to mention, they're serving this strong of a red wine with hors d'oeuvres!" Darryl commented. " Everyone knows you serve this with a soft Sauvignon Blanc!" Zak stared at his friend. Darryl blinked before smiling slightly. " Sorry, my mother really likes wine, so I know a decent amount about it." 1 'Yeah, I can tell," the raven-haired boy responded. " What the f**k is a hors d'oeuvres?!" "That's what you call those little snacks you get as appetizers before a meal," the chef explained. When Zak still didn't get it, he tried to simplify it even more, "Some people call it an horderve?" "Man, I work in a kitchen part time and even I have no idea what you're talking about," Zak said. He downed the rest of his drink and felt the world around him tilt. "You castle chefs have some kinda f****d up language." 18 Darryl took note of the increase in curse words, and the slight slurring of Zak's speach, but he didn't say anything. The younger boy was clearly a lightweight. The chef set aside his own drink with a sigh, deciding it was better if one of them was sober. It wasn't long, though, before the tipsy boy spotted the untouched drink. He pointed to it and smiled. " May I?" Darryl rolled his eyes and waved his hand. " Knock yourself out! It's some kind of scientific anomaly that you're able to get drunk off of one cup of wine!" The cup was empty in a second and Zak was giggling like a madman.