It was the Festival of the White lotus in Delsgade.
A three-day celebration by all members of this kingdom of prosperity and fertility where the earth goddess was praised for her goodness to the people.
The festival could only be complete after three key rituals, one for each day.
One was the use of earth based powdered paint to decorate the streets of the entire kingdom. The second was the masquerade chants and songs sang in the streets. The third and most important was the dance of the white lotus. It was made-up of specific movements that were revealed to the high priestess in a spirit realm.
The identity of the white lotus changed every year and this year, it was none other than Prince Roshan.
His white hair and grey eyes were a perfect fit for the role.
Roshan had, in addition to his earth bending practice, been practicing his dance for months.
The ritual could only be done once and he knew it should be done right.
...
Zichen and Jihan were red from head to toe, covered in red powered paint.
"Zic! Han! Are you children, why are even your eyelids covered in paint?" The queen began and they knew they were in for an earful.
"Where's Layel?" Queen Roberta asked.
"Probably with one of his girls?" Jihan absentmindedly responded, wiping some parts of his palm on his shirt to get them a bit clean.
"One of his girls? What does that mean?" The queen asked, her pitch rising unbelievably.
Jihan only shrugged and stood in silence.
The queen huffed and rubbed her temple feigning a mild headache to show her exasperation with her children.
The first day of the festival was the palace's favorite day of the festival because the color of the palace was changed by the collective effort of the workers.
They were permitted to use any color of their choice and in any way they chose.
Hours later, the palace was painted in beautiful colors that resembled the sunset.
Everyone around was so proud and happy with the way their hard work turned out.
.....
The second day was just as beautiful as the first.
The people danced and sang in the streets for hours and hours.
There were refreshments at every street to feed the multitude that marched from all directions.
The people were full of life by the end of the second day, happy to be witnessing such a beautiful festival.
That night, Roshan tossed and turned in his bed.
He was nervous for the next day. He had been practicing for months now and was sure he could perform the dance ritual well enough. However he knew that the difference between practice and an actual performance was the pressure he would feel.
He needed cookies and warm milk to calm his nerves so he left his room and headed for the kitchen.
On getting there, he gasped in surprise after seeing King Zane.
What was he doing here? he thought.
"Are you nervous for tomorrow?"
"You know what's happening tomorrow?" Roshan was surprised.
"You're performing a ritual, right?"
"Oh yes. I am"
"Nervous?"
"A little bit"
Zane observed how fidgety the white haired boy before him was.
"Want to hear a story about when I was nervous and fucked up my coming of age ceremony?"
Roshan looked up at him abruptly, "you? Fucked up? In front of many people? Forgive me but I find that very hard to believe, King Zane"
"Have a seat and I'll tell you"
They both sat down across from each other with a marble counter separating them.
The lighting was perfect. The bright warm light hung just above them, hiding every shadow.
"I was nineteen years old and I had to perform a dance at my coming of age ceremony. Once the bell was rung, I started dancing in silence until I heard someone whisper something I couldn't understand. My mind went blank and I forgot the dance routine entirely" Zane said with a fond smile.
"What did you do?" Roshan asked, eyes expectant, clearly interested in the story.
"I made up a dance on the spot"
Roshan chuckled, "what?"
"Yes I made up a dance, went with it and completed the ceremony. Though I would admit that I most definitely looked like an earthworm"
Roshan laughed out loud, his eyes filled with mirth.
Zane got up and gave a little demonstration, making Roshan laugh even harder.
Roshan was crying at this point, he felt like his stomach would burst open if he didn't stop laugh but he just couldn't.
It was when he groaned in pain with a smile on his face that Zane decided to stop making him laugh.
"What I'm trying to say is. You can do this. And even if you can't, make up your own routine. Everyone will adjust"
Roshan visibly thought of what Zane had just said for a few seconds.
He then nodded enthusiastically and said thank you.
Roshan got up and opened a nearby window, allowing the breeze kiss his face gently.
He felt his worries blow away in the gentle breeze and confidence envelope him. He didn't need the milk and cookies anymore.
He walked back to where Zane was and thanked him with a sweet smile before saying goodnight and leaving the kitchen.
...
The next morning, Roshan was feeling very good about his performance that evening.
He ate a little food because he would have to not eat eight hours before his performance, an instruction given to him by his dancing coach.
The final fittings for his outfit was almost complete when his mother walked into the room he was in.
"Oh my Ros, you look beautiful" Queen Roberta spoke the moment her eyes landed on him.
Her heart silently ached at the thought that her Roshan could've been a Rosanne, a precious daughter, but she put all those thoughts aside and drank in the presence she was witnessing.
Her boy was stunning.
She wanted him to know that she was proud of him by default no matter how his performance went.