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Jann is minding his own business. He is playing by himself in the courtyard with a wooden sword: this definitely constitutes minding his own business. Nothing that follows is his fault.
Reko has the distinction of being the only person other than Ainar who has ever beaten Milo at chess. Milo respects him greatly.
When Reko enters the courtyard, Milo runs over and hugs him.
When Reko enters the courtyard, Milo runs over and hugs him.
abeance
Jann pays attention to the possibility that Reko might want to hug him (what with the deceased grandfather), but isn't quite so spontaneously enthusiastic about it.
"Hi," he says, trotting up behind Milo.
"Hi," he says, trotting up behind Milo.
seewhathappens
Reko seems pretty content with his Milo-hugs. He sits on the cobblestones and hugs back.
"Hi. I'm a Duke now," he sighs.
"I saw," says Milo. "It didn't fix the crown."
"There was no reason it would've."
Hugs.
"Hi. I'm a Duke now," he sighs.
"I saw," says Milo. "It didn't fix the crown."
"There was no reason it would've."
Hugs.
abeance
"I don't think I understand how that's meant to work anyway. The crown," says Jann, sitting down too.
seewhathappens
"Well, back when Raxwell was one kingdom, it had one entire crown," says Reko. "Then its king made some bad decisions, and it split into two half-kingdoms with half a crown each. The Dukes of Raxwell and Ferdinandia have been trying to put the crown back together ever since, but nothing's worked yet. Before it came apart, the crown would glow when crowning a new king, and if it didn't glow that person couldn't be king, and that's why we're dukes instead."
"The bad decisions were kind of funny," opines Milo.
"I think they were less funny to the people involved," says Reko.
"The bad decisions were kind of funny," opines Milo.
"I think they were less funny to the people involved," says Reko.
seewhathappens
"It's a magic crown," says Reko. "It came apart by magic and it has to go together again by magic or it's not going to work."
"And if it doesn't work my bones stay messed up forever."
"That too."
"And if it doesn't work my bones stay messed up forever."
"That too."
abeance
"Well, they've tried magic, then, I assume? Somebody magic has tried it. Or they tried magic glue."
seewhathappens
"Fairy Nightfire looked at it," says Milo. "And she said if the two halves of the kingdom married back together it would work. But I don't have a sister and neither does Reko."
"She also said that just trying to stick it back together with a spell wouldn't do anything good. I think magic glue falls into that category," says Reko.
"She also said that just trying to stick it back together with a spell wouldn't do anything good. I think magic glue falls into that category," says Reko.
abeance
"Yes, which is why it was so much stranger than the time you turned you into a rabbit, that one not being an accident."
seewhathappens
"...Oh?" says Reko.
"You can't tell anybody!" says Milo. "I wasn't supposed to. But Jann was so fluffy and he didn't get to pet himself while he was fluffy, so I snuck into the treasure room again and touched the rabbit carpet and snuck out and let him pet me while I was fluffy. I was even fluffier than him."
"I see," says Reko. "And nobody knows about this?"
"Except us and now you."
"You can't tell anybody!" says Milo. "I wasn't supposed to. But Jann was so fluffy and he didn't get to pet himself while he was fluffy, so I snuck into the treasure room again and touched the rabbit carpet and snuck out and let him pet me while I was fluffy. I was even fluffier than him."
"I see," says Reko. "And nobody knows about this?"
"Except us and now you."
abeance
"It's Reko, he's not going to tell anybody. ...Unless being a duke makes you officially a grownup all of a sudden."
seewhathappens
"I think it does," says Reko. "But it also means there's no one I have to tell things to if I don't want to."
"Good," says Milo firmly.
"Good," says Milo firmly.
abeance
The funeral proceeds funereally.
The Raxwell contingent goes home.
Jann develops a crush on the stable groom's daughter, who is four years older than him and thinks this is cute and gives him enough tidbits of attention that it's a long time in winding down. When it does wind down he promptly develops a crush on a village milkmaid, who doesn't think it's quite so cute; when he has wrested his attention away from her it is pretty clear that "Jann is fascinated by damsels" is going to be an ongoing theme.
Milo is entertained by Jann's girl problems for about a week. Then he is bored. Then he is exasperated. He doesn't see what's so interesting here.
abeance
"Well, they're - you know, damsels! I'm going to be a knight and you're already a prince, we are supposed to be interested in damsels. And rescue them from things and then kiss them, it's like a rule."