The next day...
The sun shone brightly upon the castle of the kingdom of Agravar, as the castle servants worked diligently, preparing for the big occasion. Today was the naming ceremony of the newborn prince. The servants and maids rushed to prepare the palace for the many noble families who would come to meet the prince.
"Get His Majesty dressed quickly!" commanded one of the maids. Her attire was different from the others. She wore a distinct maid's outfit adorned with a little embroidery—not too elegant, but precise and clean. The brooch she wore was adorned with jewels, and she had a matching watch. She was the chief maid.
"Chief Maid, the guests will arrive in approximately 30 minutes," said a butler, entering the throne room.
"You heard the butler? Thirty minutes, everyone, move faster!" the Chief Maid raised her voice, commanding everyone.
"Heard!" the servants replied, working even faster than before.
In the prince's room, servants scrambled to get him ready for the royal naming ceremony.Aren't things pretty chaotic today? I didn't realize it would be this much, Aslan thought, watching them scramble through the mountain of royal attire.
Suddenly, they all turned to look at him intently. Wait! Wait! Aslan thought as they quickly approached him. They combed his hair, bathed him, and applied makeup in what felt like a fraction of a minute—a terrifying speed, to say the least.
"You look splendid, little prince," said one of the servants.
"Right! His Majesty might be the cutest baby I have ever laid my eyes upon," another servant added.
"If only he'd look at us, though," another servant added, sounding a bit disappointed in Aslan. Aslan continued looking away as though nothing else were in that room except him, perhaps he still couldn't feel comfortable with strangers.
Nevertheless, one servant quickly grabbed a little mirror from the top of the desk. She then walked to Aslan while holding it in her arm. At first, it was rather hard to make the little Aslan look into the mirror because he would move his gaze away even when the mirror was right in front of him. So instead, she brought it in the direction Aslan was looking away. And lo and behold, the little prince looked a little stunned by it.
Is this me? I look cute! Seriously, the servants weren't lying. I look just like the baby on the powdered milk carton in Mr. Brett's shop!
"Tup tup" sounds came from the door leading into the room. It was Her Majesty! Her royal attire was adorned with jewels and draped in pure white fabric. The dress seemed simple, and yet it looked beautiful, like a flower in winter, adorned with intricate embroidery depicting flowers. Truly, if beauty were a person, it must have been the Empress.
"Where is my little prince?" asked the Empress lovingly.
"He's here, Your Majesty!" the servants answered, before each of them moved away from the little prince, making way for the Empress. She walked slowly toward her son, and lo and behold, the Empress's expression turned even cheerier than when she walked in.
"My lovely son, you look magnificent!" she said happily, as she raised Aslan into her arms.
"Do we look matching?" asked the Empress to all of the servants. Her attire's color was just like the prince's.
"Absolutely, Your Majesty! I can't take this level of cuteness—I'm going blind!" one of them exclaimed. She didn't lie; the Empress and the Emperor's looks really fell to their son. The handsomeness of the Emperor and the fairness of the Queen literally morphed together to create such an angel."
After a while, the empress and Aslan departed from Aslan's room. Aslan was carried by the empress within her embrace while being followed closely by a couple of guards behind them. The distance between his room and the ballroom was quite far, perhaps because of how big the palace was. There were even stairs leading to somewhere that Aslan hadn't known existed, not like he could explore the castle himself, after all, he was still a baby. The Emperor and the Empress's bedroom is probably on the second floor. I notice one set of stairs in particular, bigger than the others and more grand, perhaps indeed it is, thought Aslan.
Thus, after almost 1 minute of walking, they arrived at the main ballroom, which apparently was also the main audience room. And there he was, the Emperor, sitting on his throne, waiting for him and the Empress. The Emperor rose from his seat, slowly walking toward them.
"My good morning, Empress, and of course, you too, my little prince," the Emperor greeted them while performing a curtsy. Honestly, the Emperor looks different than before. He looks so dignified. Is it perhaps because he is now addressing and being witnessed by countless nobles? wondered Aslan.
Indeed, the Emperor looks so different; in fact, he looks serious and quite charming. You can see the gracefulness of the Emperor even when he performs a simple gesture like arising from his throne, perhaps to avoid showing the nobles that the Imperial family is weak. After all, charisma is one hell of a thing one needs to run a country, let alone an empire.
The Emperor escorted the Empress to her throne. The spectators marveled at the sight of the Imperial family: an Emperor with such a commanding presence and an Empress that drew the attention away from everything within the ballroom, almost like a comet ripping through the canvas of space.
Then the Emperor spoke, "To all nobles and the lords who have contributed to this kingdom's prosperity, I am honored by your attendance today. Today, we are gathered to celebrate the birth and the name-giving ceremony of the prince of the Agravar Empire, the successor to my legacy and the forefathers before me."
"Then, without further ado, I call forth the Tower of Silence, the one and only great mage for this ceremony. I welcome you, the sage of Agravar, Verdinand Basilius of the House of Heartwell," the Emperor declared.
Heartwell? As in the Empress's house? Aslan thought.
"Do you have a name in mind, Your Majesty?"
The Emperor then whispered into the great mage's ear, perhaps telling him his son's name. "Wonderous name indeed," replied the great mage. The mage then wrote it on a piece of paper before soaking it in water, his mouth speaking in tongues that resembled neither language nor spoken word. Suddenly, light emanated from deep within the water inside the golden plate.
"The one who overcame sorrow," spoke the great mage.
"His Highness will know pain, and so too happiness. The path shall not be without thorns, but he will prevail," added the mage.
Thus, he proclaimed, "I, the great mage of the Kingdom of Agravar, hereby announce that from today onward, the prince's name shall be Aslan Darius Agravar! Let there be light for the path the prince might take!"
As the proclamation was heard, the crowd burst into cheers, celebrating the prince's newfound name.