Oh, just so you know, I've changed the Orc prince's name...

Every Heart:

The yearly Peace celebration... a time for great joy, sharing, and showing off. The Peace celebration lasts for three days at the beginning of spring, symbolizing the three days it took for the Orcs and Elves to make up their peace treaty. All races celerate these days with vigor, pleased and relieved that the treaty has worked for the past 178 years.

This celebration is switched back and forth between the Elf and Orc kingdoms each year and the royal familie's of the two peoples come to stay for the three days... and the castle is always prepared. Everyone is kept busy for months before the celebration. In whichever kingdom that is having it's turn, maidens are kept busy cleaning and decorating, the castle shining long before they are done, men go out hunting and farming to bring back the freshest, best food to feast upon, and the royals spend their time prepping, giving out orders, and thinking up debates.

Yes, it truly is a marvel... especially in the Elven kingdom, since it is their turn to welcome the Royal, Orc family of Royette into their castle...

A short man, with shoulder length, straight pink hair hurries down a long set of green carpeted stairs, honey eyes flashing angrily. He pulls at his ridiculous-looking orange outfit consisting of tights and fluffy sleeves and straightens the golden crown upon his head... the King of Elves... Charles Kiwivi.

Charles growls as the sounds of laughing and singing children reaches his ears, recognizing the tune.

"Love not the Elven King

for whom we lively do not sing!

The deepest chaos he brings to the brink!

With his shoes to tight and his hair too pink!

The most ri-di-culed man in the land

holds our lives in his bony little hand!

Pity us, please, we all do pray

take this lunatic far a-way!"

The king's left eye twitches as he recognizes some adult voices singing along, but he continues on his way as if not noticing... that is, until a little elf girl skips by chirping the song sweetly. Disregarding the fact that she is too young to really understand what she's saying, Charles roars, charging at the small girl.

Squeaking, she skitters away towards the other children. One of the older boys grabs her hand as they all skatter, giggling at their king's latest explosion... all except one that is. A tiny blonde boy wearing an extremely too-big long sleeve shirt, barely old enough to speak, quietly traces invisible designs in the marble floor as he sits in the middle of the hallway.

"Tienawon!" Charles snarls, yanking his youngest son up by the arm. The blonde child flinches, but remains quiet, allowing his father to drag him away through the castle, his small legs that had only recently learned to walk unable to keep up with the adult's angry strides. The king pulls Tienawon into the throne room and throws him into a large, golden lounge chair with the engraving 'Tienawon Ali Kiwivi- Prince' at the top. The seat dwarfs the tiny boy as he curls up against an armrest.

Charles glares at the young prince, his features cold as he hisses "Stay here, boy! I'll not have you misbehaving today in front of the Royettes!"

The blonde toddler blinks innocently up at his father, unable to understand what the king is telling him, but judging the adult's tone, he continues to be silent, not moving.

After a moment, Charles nods, his rigid pink hair flopping dryly with the movement, and turns to walk out of the room.

Half an hour later

A lovely woman with long, wavy blonde hair makes her way gracefully into the throne room. Her glazed eyes slowly look over the skillful artwork on the throne room's walls unseeingly. She steadily makes her way to the quean's seat and lowers herself down onto it... Gwenia Vi Kiwivi, the quean on the Elves.

Gwenia surveys the room again, a distant smile on her perfectly shaped lips, until her cloudy green eyes at last fall upon the small boy curled up on the chair beside hers. Still smiling, she reaches out to pet his hair like one would a cat. "Hello darling, how are you today?"

Tienawon peeks up at his mother wearily, leaning into her gentle caress. "O-tay mammy."

"That's nice dear... it's too bad you aren't a girl..." The quean's eyes grow slightly more distant. "I had so hoped you would be a girl... isn't that right, sweetheart?" Gwenia turns to stare in front of her... at nothing... and continues to talk.

Not sure why his mother's words, that he doesn't undertsnad, hurt so much, Tienawon simply nods. Sliding out of his throne seat, he wobbles unsteadily, not yet completely used to walking, and finds his way out of the room and into the grand hallway of the castle. A few steps into the hall... Tienawon eyes widen and fill with surprised tears as his bottom makes contact with the floor. He had lost his balance and fell backwards. Bottom lip trembling, the prince begins to make small whimpering sounds, threatening to turn into a hurt child's wails... until a pair of arms wrap around him comfortingly.

Startled from the beginning stages of crying, Tienawon looks up with his bottom lip sticking out. His curious golden eyes meet with another mismatched pair of black and light blue. A young Orc, at least four years older than the elf prince, was hugging Tienawon possessively, his long maroon hair falling over them both like a thick silk curtain... Kon Romui Royette, the Orce prince.

Tienawon stares, transfixed at the Orc's midnight black skin, having never seen anyone colored any darker than light brown. Remembering his 'accident', he sniffles and snuggles into Kon's warmth and the other prince holds him tighter.

"No cwying." Kon mumbles.

"O-tay." Tienawon sniffles again and squirms slightly to make sure all the hurt was gone. Mistaking the movement for an attempt to leave, Kon squeezes the blond tighter.

"No! S'mine!" The dark boy growls.

"Kon? Kon! There you are!"

An Orc with black hair and matching eyes marches toward the two princes, his silver cape flowing elegantly behind as he walks... The Orc King, Fron. "The celebration is beginning soon and we are expected at the opening- who's that you've got there?"

Kon buries his nose in Tienawon's hair, nuzzling the soft tangles of gold. "S'mine."

The Orc king kneels next to his son attempting to look between his arms to get a look at the other child clutched there... he manages to make out one golden eye and bright blond hair. "Well, what's your name, boy?"

"Tiemmawim." Tienawon answers muffledly, Kon's sleeve dulling his words.

Fron gets the gist and recognizes the name. Giving a kind smile that doesn't reach his eyes, the king slowly pries his son off the blonde. "Ahhh... the little Elf prince..."

Kon reaches his small arms toward Tienawon, upset over being separated from the other prince. "No! I wann'im! S'mine!"

Laughing, the older Orc takes hold of Kon's arm and begins to lead him towards the heavy double doors leading outside to the festivities. "You can't have this one, son. I'll get you a nice pixie to play with."

"No!" Kon outstretches his unheld hand behind him, looking over his shoulder at Tienawon. "No! I wan' Tie-Tienna... I want Tie!"

The Orce prince is pulled through the doors and they close with a heavy thud. A moment later, a maid finds Tienawon still sitting where he was left, and brings him to the throne room. He and Kon do not see eachother for the remainder of the three days.

when he says 'to play with' he actually means to play with... nothing bad.