'This is Jasmine, she is the daughter of Gunther and Luca. Been working in the parliament as a secretary,' his mother introduced. The girl was quite fair with pale skin, and her elven ears poking out of her styled green hair. She gave a small curtsey and spun in a circle at the former queen's insistent hand waving.
'Lovely to meet you, your highness.'
Lou nodded and turned away when her friend came to intrude on their brief meeting. Instead, he began to look around and consider who would be the best person to stay by Hale's side. He was starting to worry that his mother was right in setting him up, and therefore considering the benefit of Hale being partnered up too.
Though he knew very little of the man, he had noted the way that he stared for more time at the fairy with blonde hair and blue eyes. Such a basic taste. So, as he worked his way through the crowd, Lou considered each person that fit at least a similar structure. The party was an unfortunate case, 'of being modern,' which plainly meant that instead of sitting down to eat, everyone was forced to stand and enjoy the small finger foods.
This led to many servers tripping over themselves and guests. Quite often leading to the guests humiliating the poor servers for their own entertainment. But the ball that he would attend later, held some hope in Lou's heart.
'Mother, I am going to take a breath of fresh air and see if they really have dwarf sirens in the pond,' Lou announced coming back to his mother's side.
And as Lou wandered out of the doors, he noticed that behind a large pot was the familiar crest of the royal house on a cape. A hidden servant of his own cowering in the shadows.
Upon closer inspection, the servant was not quite that. Rather it was Hale, tucked into the corner with a small plate of cake and two glasses of wine. Drinking himself into a haze.
'Did my uncle send you?'
Hale shrieked and dropped all three objects only managing to save the cake on the way down. The two wine glasses shattering and pooled at his feet.
'Yes, he did sir,' he nodded placing the plate on the pots edge.
'Well, you can keep me company at least.'
Lou then turned and headed off for the hedge maze, relying on Hale to follow cues. Which he did.
'So tell me, what is your honest opinion on that task I have given you?'
Hale was silent as he trudged along beside Lou, ignoring or pondering the question while Lou chose each turn through the maze. The bright turquoise of the bushes standing lit up under the moons and casting an endless shade of pale blue around them. Lou was busy tracking where he had been in his mind, whilst also trying not to trip over Hale.
'Why would I want it? If you don't' he countered eventually. 'I know that I said I would, but I have reservations.'
'Do you not seek power over others? I have met many that would sell their soul for this chance,' Lou commented.
They turned another corner to a dead end and began the slow process of finding their way back. Hale a step behind and twisting his thumb.
'What good is power if you cannot get what you want?' Hale finally asked.
'Well, what is it that you seek?' Lou wondered tripping into a rose bush. 'Though if you plan to use my name, I suggest that you do not start a war. While my uncle may not stop you, I doubt you would survive my sisters wrath.'
'Love, all encompassing and overflowing love,' he answered.
Lou slowly retrieved himself from the bush, considering how to answer the question without being insensitive or unintelligent. Neither of which he succeeded, when he said, 'love can't be that important, right? I mean just find someone and declare them your partner. All you need is someone at your beck and call, who can also help release some stress.'
Hale gave him an incredulous look and shook his head. 'Love is the only thing that I really want,' he explained. 'As you and Lane have guessed I have a past, and due to that past the only thing I think that may sate me, is real love. But as I said before, I already love someone and I don't want to hurt them.'
'Oh, just make them love you,' Lou shrugged.
'You really know nothing about love do you,' Hale spat pushing ahead as the maze opened to the centre.
'My mother murdered my father, my uncle has had his heart broken six times, by three different people. In the academy my best friend, was publicly ridiculed and cheated on. My other best friend was being beat by the guy that she claimed 'loved her,' and 'it was in an act of love.' I have never met anyone who has wanted more than my title, and anytime I mention my interests in dragons people look at me like I'm a child,' Lou answered.
'I suppose that would disillusion one,' Hale conceded.
'I don't want to rely on another person my whole life, because of some stupid concept that is as changing and weak as love. Maybe, if it is true and real, love is special and good. But from what I know of it, it is a way to create alliances and an excuse to hurt others.'
That comment had silenced Hale and Lou for the rest of the short journey to spotting dwarf sirens. Which in Lou's opinion were the cutest little things in the world. They were the size of doves, and because their wings in comparison to their bodies were larger, they could fly around. Their little green, shimmering tails waving in the air as they dove around the pond. The small creatures would fly up and settle on their shoulders singing enchanting songs that captured their hearts. Though the pond was too shallow and their voices not strong enough to drown them. The sirens would also dive into the water and spring back up, showering their guests in water. Their soft voices echoing around the open maze centre, rippling across the water and reverberating around the rocks.
Lou sat on a rock by the side of the pond and watched as three attempted to coax Hale to join them. The servant refused quiet blatantly and remained stonelike under a blossoming tree. The prince leant forward to sway a hand through the water and create waves for the little merfolk to ride. Some of their young had even come up to his hand and were clinging to his fingers as he rolled his hand through the water.
'Hello, little ones, I'm Lou.'
A couple of the elder nodded and made calls to the younglings that clutched his hand. An older and greyer siren approached, flying from the water and hovering by his face.
'I am Renny, the leader of our clan,' he introduced.
Lou offered a hand out, the old man nodded and took a seat on it to catch his breath. He pressed his wings on the length of his body and took slow deep breaths.
'Renny, maybe you could settle an argument between me and my friend,' Lou suggested.
The old man looked up with sparkling eyes and a grin. Below others were squealing and the two on his shoulders were leant in holding on his hair to not fall.
'Of course, I can try, though I may not be of use,' the old siren chuckled.
Hale had sat up when Renny had landed and was watching Lou conversation with vigour. The sirens over by him, had abandoned their coaxing to come and listen to the elder.
'Well, the thing is that I don't believe in love,' he began. The sirens all around let out gasps and started to splash him. But Renny just raised a hand and called them all back to order.
'To not believe in love is not wrong, but it does make me think that something has happened for that to be your opinion,' he urged.
'Indeed,' Lou sighed, 'I have never seen or experienced a real loving relationship. I understand that emotions felt between people range widely, but I prefer to think that it is all admiration and adoration. Not something as simple as love.'
'Love is profound, and it can be hard to understand. Us sirens use peoples love to capture our prey,' Renny explained. 'Or out ancestors did, now we only seek to bring joy to others with their own love. That is why we are here in this garden, because many couples come to us.'
'He thinks that love is nothing but political and logic,' Hale interrupted from his seat.
'And in many ways that is the truth of the upper class, especially royalty,' Renny nodded.
'It is just hard to believe that I could ever find one person who loves me unconditionally,' Lou shrugged jostling the sirens on his shoulders.
'Do not limit yourself to one,' Renny warned, 'love comes in many forms. Parental, self, friendly, romance, unconditional. But you should also not limit yourself to one person for any category.'
'I believe that love comes in every form imaginable, and is what we should be building our lives around,' Hale offered.
The elder nodded and turned back to the prince. 'Lou, as you say, love is a belief not a certainty. No one can be sure it exists, and it is depending on what you believe the amount of control love has on your life,' Renny advised. 'If you do not believe in love, then no one can force you. You may come to realise it for yourself, or you may find something else to comfort you. As you said, you believe in admiration and adoration. Those terms may be to you what love is to others.'
'Thanks, Renny,' Lou smiled and gently let the siren go back into the pond. The creatures on his shoulders flying down after their leader while the prince stood up.