A New Fantastic Point of View (Azalea)

[James Florian]

"Azalea are you sure this is a good idea?" James nervously asked as the two royals walked down the path that lead from the town to the dark forest beyond. The Prince was a bit wary of this daring plan, but Azalea had insisted and who was James to object? After all when else was this boy, who came from a land where candles drove back the darkness, was going to get the opportunity to fly. Yeah that's right, this earthbound seventeen-year-old was about to get the chance to soar through the air like a bird and James was so sure this going to be amazing. However at the same time he couldn't shake away the small pit of dread forming in his stomach. Maybe it was the superstitious part of him that had been instilled into him thank's to the time era he came from. After all humans had been designed to be land dwellers, were they tempting fate by soaring up to the clouds like eagles? 

Though James had a feeling it had something to do with the location. One of the very first things that James and Grove talked about when he arrived at the school was a pretty clear warning that Jim was to stay as far away from these woods as he could get. Now that was something James was planning on listening to for the time he was a pupil here, after all Grove was a lumberjack for Christ's sake and if he said that the woods weren't safe for him, then it would be a death trap for the raven haired lad. He wholeheartedly trusted his best friend's judgement so until now James had managed to steer clear of the woods, but now he had no choice other than go to the forest or miss his opportunity to feel the wind running through his hair, see off into far off places, and just experience something that he would have never had back home. In a few short minutes, James was going to fly and to think it had all started with an innocent comment about how he only knew four stone walls growing up.

Earlier in the week the groups of royals had brought up the topic of the places everyone had been before attending Seacombe, and everyone talked of these exotic places that their parents controlled, and James had to admit when it was his turn that he had only know the castle, the woods around the dwarfs' cottage,  and parts of his kingdom. Granted he had been dragged to various social events in other kingdoms, but for the most part everywhere was the same. Then Azalea had promised that she would "show him the world" and now she was keeping to her promise. Oh this was going to be fun, if they didn't die in the process.

As Azalea made sure that everything was ready, James asked with a curious tone of voice, "So uh... How does this thing work exactly?" He had never heard of a so called flying carpet and he was quite curious as to how it worked. 

[Azalea]

Azalea smiled at the hint of nervousness in the Prince’s voice as they neared the forest. She just nodded in reply, her senses acutely aware that this was really not the best place to be. There were stories and rumours that spread through the school every time a student was foolish enough to take a walk through here, or got lost after having one too many drinks in the village. They were not going far in, just far enough not to draw attention to themselves. She didn’t get much chance to air out her magic carpet and she wasn’t sure how the teachers would react. Also the whole Prince/Princess behaviour code was to be considered. So just to be safe, they wanted some cover.
They followed a small path into the forest and soon came to a clearing. Azalea listened for a moment to be sure that they were not followed, then placed her fingers to her lips and gave a short, shrill whistle. She knew it was un-ladylike but carrying the carpet here would be way too obvious. It was only moments before the carpet came slipping silently through the trees, its deep blue and gold colours shimmering in the bright sunlight. It came to a halt by the sultana’s feet and she fondly patted the fabric, like one would reward a dog for returning to its master.
“It’s magic” the Princess replied matter of factly,”but it does help to have a bond with it if you want to keep one for your own. Each one needs to be broken by its master, or mistress. Like a horse. They have wild carpet’s at home; They can be quite a ride. But don’t worry, this one has been mine since I was 6. My father helped me break it” she added with a note of pride.
Azalea hopped deftly aboard the carpet and knelt on the soft material hovering about a foot from the ground. “Trust me” she told the prince, getting comfortable and waiting for him to climb on.

[James Florian]

Despite Azalea's smile of reassurance, James could still not shake away that feeling of imminent doom creeping upon them. They were in a dark forest rumored to have beasts far more dangerous than trolls or ogres and vengeful ex-students  who wouldn't think twice about harming two pupils who wandered a bit too far from the safety of the school buildings. Thank god James always had his trusty sword at his side, at least that way if anything dangerous presented itself they wouldn't be completely defenseless. Just one of the few positives of growing up in a time era that treated the code of Chivalry as the sharia laws. Though he did also understand why this was the only safe place for them to do this, the both of them still had the label as troublemakers in the teachers' eyes and the villains would warp and bend this little trip way out of proportion if they caught wind of it. Certain precautions must be taken. 

James nodded in understanding when Azalea explained how the magic carpet worked. True the whole notion still seemed a bit outlandish to the raven haired lad, but he knew from personal experience about the forming of bonds between horses and people. After all the whole reason as to why James was so good with the equines is that it was basically the only thing the Prince had in common with his father, so a lot of their time together had been spent riding and training horses. Like Azalea, from a young age James had been in a saddle learning from his role model. 

"Ah so it's just basically a flying horse, but without the horse." He said with a small grin as Azalea climbed onto the fabric. Surely he could handle that, it wasn't bound to be that different from Chaos or any of the horses he handled back home. Could it?

"Yeah I do, but I've been questioning that decision lately." He said with a small laugh and joking tone of voice as he tried to clamor onto the fabric, but it became very clear that James never had any experience moving from the steady, trustworthy ground to a levitating carpet. He wobbled a bit as he first put a foot onto it, but he managed to climb on without falling on his face or making himself look like a fool. Which in itself was a miracle. It felt weird knowing that the only thing separating the two of them from the ground was a centimeter's worth of fabric and a foot or so of air. He laughed nervously as he glanced over the edge of the fabric, this was absolutely crazy and mindblowing. He was leviating and in a moment or two he would be flying. Now how many people did he know that could say the same thing? James could only think of one and she was sitting beside him.

Once James got used to the idea, he looked over at Azalea and said, "So where are we zooming off to first?"

[Azalea]

“Exactly so” Azalea laughed. “but much more comfortable over long distances” She tried her very best not to laugh as the Prince nervously climbed onto the carpet. She smiled though, and allowed him to get himself settled.

"So where are we zooming off to first?" she heard him ask. “UP!” she gave the carpet it’s first command and it took off, gaining altitude through the trees quickly.

Soon they had cleared the canopy and were gliding gently across the expanse of the forest. They were close enough to the tree tops to touch the nests of the birds that made their home in them, and the breeze felt delicious in Azalea’s hair. It had been far too long since she’d been flying and it was her instinct to set the carpet racing across the landscape. She didn't want to frighten James on his first flight though, and she kept a steady pace as they flew across the treetops.

“What do you think?” she asked her friend, wanting to check on him, but not imply that he was scared. She knew that carpet riding took a little getting used to.

[James Florian]

James rolled his eyes and said "I beg to differ on that." The raven haired lad honestly had no problem going long distances on horseback. Given the fact that his options of transportation were limited back home it had always been either getting to feel the wind beat against his face as he watched the forest --or cobble road-- zoom past him, or being forced to suffer in a hot and very cramped carriage while someone prated about where they were going, who were they meeting, how the prince should behave, yada yada you get the picture. It was kind of clear which option this seventeen-year-old preferred. Too bad his overprotective mother wouldn't let him go on ahead on his trusty steed too often. Who knew if there was a hitman lying in wait for someone of royal descent to pass by?

However now that he thought about it for a moment, James realized that after a certain amount of time these rides had become rather uncomfortable. After all the human body could only spend so long tucked up into the same position before protesting, but still James practically begged his parents to let him travel as such anyway. Certainly it wasn't because he was a fan of the cramping of muscles later on or the sudden wave of vertigo he felt when he finally slid off of the animals' back. (Because believe me, James was not fond of the side effects of his favorite pastime.) So what made him do it? The answer is simple enough. Freedom. All that time he spent racing the guards over long stretches of dirt roads meant that he wasn't cooped up inside reciting some stupid passage in Latin or dealing with his mother's constant coddling. It was there on the horse's back that made him feel as if that he had no worries, no concerns for the future. There were no expectations from him nor was anyone judging his actions. While he held the reigns in his hands he wasn't Prince James Alexander Henry Florian, Eldest Prince and Crowned heir. No, instead he was just James. A normal lad just going out for a ride, and that is what made it so comfortable to him. It was the only opportunity  he got to just be himself while penned in by four walls. Now that was what made his hobby worthwhile, and as he glanced over at Azalea, James got the feeling she understood what it was like too.

However all thoughts of the misconceptions of being a royal were pushed out of his mind when Azalea responded to his question with one rather loud word. "Up?! What kind of answer is tha--Woah!" James yelled in surprise as suddenly the carpet suddenly shot up into the air and was soon soaring above the forest. As an automatic reaction one hand clutched the side of the carpet with a vice like grip and the other dug it's nails into the intricately woven fabric. At first his expression was that of terror because before today he never though it would be possible for any human to fly, and his face turned a light shade of green as his stomach jumped up and down in his body. At any moment he was convinced they were going to fall from the sky to their deaths, but when the carpet leveled out and it became clear that they were not going to die, James let out a nervous laugh.

"This is utterly insane. I can't believe this!" He exclaimed as he loosened his death like grip on the carpet, and cautiously reached over the side to feel the leaves of the trees as they were passing by. His fist closed around one and he pulled it close to him as proof that this was real. He turned it over once, twice in his hands before letting it go and letting it fly behind them, being carried by the same cool air that was barraging his face. James watched it twirl in the breeze a few times before watching it fall to the forest floor below. Which was far below them now. This was crazy, this shouldn't be real. Yet it was. It was real, he was flying.

Oh my god, I'm flying. James thought as he let out another laugh, but this time one of joy as he got used to the notion of this utter defiance of both gravity and logic. He looked over at Azalea with a smile on his face, "This is amazing Az. I just can't believe this is real!" He shook his head in slight disbelief before continuing, "So is this how you got to all those places you talked about at lunch the other day?" If this was really how the Sultana got around from place to place, James might seriously consider leaving Chaos in the stable from now on and instead travel on one of these things instead, because this was an amazing way to see the world. 

[Azalea]

"Yes, it's a great way to travel." Azalea laughed to see James enjoying himself so much. She hadn't been quite sure how he would adapt to the sensation of being so high above the ground. "I always snuck out of the palace at night to go and visit the animals, not just the ones in our own kingdom."

She tapped the carpet and it rose higher, leaving the trees behind them. They could see the whole forest from this height. Azalea was sure she could see some smoke rising from the midst of the trees, but that couldn't be right, because no one lives in there, it was too dark and dense a forest for homes to be built there. She dismissed it as a figment of her imagination, and pointed the carpet back over the lake.

As they neared it, a flock of ducks went past them, and the royals had to flatten themselves agains the carpet to avoid a collision. Sitting upright again, Az laughed and looked at the Prince sitting next to her. "Where would you like to go?"

[James Florian]

 "Yeah it seems to be far more efficient than a stupid carriage." James said with a laugh as they zoomed just above the treetops of the forbidden forest. This was an amazing feeling, kind of like when he decided to risk his neck by standing up in the stirrups while out riding. It was that feeling you get while you're teetering on the edge of safety and you didn't know whether or not you were going to nosedive into the dark abyss of danger. For those trapped all their lives by rules and regulations this feeling had to be better than anything else on earth. Because for a moment, only for a moment, it felt like they had control of their own fates instead of just going where people told you to go as well as smile and wave. This was freedom and James loved it. Apparently so did Azalea because she divulged the fact that she often sneaked away thanks to her trusty old rug. The Prince raised an eyebrow and said in a fake proper tone, mocking that one person who always disapproved even setting a toe out of line. "My, my, we have a little rule breaker on our hands now don't we?" He broke down in a fit of laughter after saying that remembering all the times someone said that to him. For the most part he was serious at the time, but later he laughed at how silly they sounded and how foolish they looked. 

James himself never really had as much luck being able to sneak out like Azalea did. Thanks to his overprotective mother he always had a guard or two stationed outside his room to make sure that nothing happened during the night. (Like anything would happen. It wasn't like he was already penned in by four impenetrable walls or anything like that.) Anyway it was rare for them to not be outside his door or somewhere in the corridor chatting with whoever else was in the halls at night. However every now and then James would quietly open his door to find them asleep or beyond drunk out of their minds. So those were the few nights he was able to get out, for the most part he just sneaked over to the stables and went out for a midnight ride in a large grassy area that was in the four walls boundaries; since there was no way he was going to get past those. He was almost always caught, but that exhilarating feeling to know that there was no one watching him, no one following him, and just being free was well worth the punishments he had to deal with later. 

However he was quite forcefully shaken out of his thoughts when Azalea told the carpet to go up once more, and once more James clutched to the side as a startled half-yell left his mouth. Once it leveled out again James let go and said to Azalea, "If you're going to do that for Christ's sake warn me first!" As amazing as the feeling of being free was, he did not enjoy the sensation of having his stomach in his throat. He had no problem when it was level, but going up so quickly that irked him. However after a moment of getting used to it steadily soaring above the forest, his stomach returned to where it was supposed to be and his irritability left. Once again James focused on his surroundings, now if he thought brushing the treetops was a crazy seeing everything from a bird's eye view was insane. "It's all so tiny..." James muttered as he spotted the village, stables, dorms, and the school itself. From the ground the space seemed to be so large, but this showed him it was all a matter of perspective. It was just simply mind blowing. There were no other words for how this entire experience was. He also spied the soft billowing plumes of smoke break through the treetops. and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion for a moment, but he shrugged it off quickly. James just figured it was something like the dwarfs cottage back home. Nothing to be concerned about, right?

He was so wrapped up in the view before him as they swooped down towards the lake, that he nearly almost got hit in the face by a bird. Out of instinct he shouted without realizing the irony of the statement until after he identified the bird, "Duck!" He forced his body against the carpet and protectively put one arm over Azalea. When the flock of birds passed he pulled his arm back and sat back up with an embarrassed expression on his face. He did it because of the stupid chivalry rules drilled into his brain, not because of anything else. Pure instinct only, but he has no idea if Azalea would be mad or not. He already knew some of the students here had no patience for the medieval ways of going about one's day that James was raised with. "Sorry about that, once a medieval prince, always a medieval prince." James quietly said as an apology, hoping that she'll accept it and move on if she was upset. He didn't want to cut this amazing trip short just because of stupid automatic reactions and a flock of ducks for Christ's sake. 

However it didn't seem like Azalea was too mad at him though, because she offered to let him chose where they went next. Truth be told James had no idea, he was new to this whole carpet riding thing. So he said with a small laugh "I honestly have no idea. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how this thing works. Why don't you choose, you certainly know about this than I do." 

[Azalea]

She didn't really mind the older customs, it was just more that they weren't really needed anymore. Where she was from, women could do pretty much anything men could do, mostly thanks to her mother and her generational counterparts from the village. So when James automatically "protected" her from the ducks, she just smiled and let him. She knew it was a reflex and just told him it was fine when he felt the need to defend his actions.

When James allowed her to choose the destination of their flight, Azalea thought hard. They had to be back on school grounds by dinner or they'd be missed, so that limited them slightly. Then, she had a great idea. "Hold on then" she suggested. She tapped the carpet and it took off at speed again.

They raced across the green fields that surrounded the school, and gained altitude across a little range of mountains. They spent just enough time at the summit to see the little flowers starting to peek through the snow. Az thought that she would have to remember to tell Isla that, the next time she was feeling the cold. The other side of the mountains was warmer, and the warmth grew the further they travelled.

The sultana brought the carpet in to land in a long field, full of evenly placed trees, dry earth, and warmth. She stepped off, and sent James a smile. "I love these" she pronounced, reaching into a tree above her head and pulling off an orange. She threw one to her companion. "It's not as warm as home but it's a lovely change from the weather at school" she continued, spreading her arms out and spinning in a slow circle in the sunlight. What she didn't say was that her first idea had been a beautiful orchard she knew of much closer to home, but she had decided that when your friend is the son of Snow White, you don't offer them apples. But it had given her a great idea: Orange groves. A little sun, and a perfectly "safe" adventure for someone who knows very little about the outside world.

[James Florian]

James was relieved that Azalea didn't smack him or push him off the carpet like some of the other girls at this school would've done. God sometimes he hated being so out of date compared to everyone else here. He kept running across things that were foreign to him, but commonplace to all his friends. Even the orientation that was designed to help him understand all these changes and technologies that were new to him didn't help that much. It just confused him more. After all they only gave him three hours to learn what had basically everything that happened in about seven centuries that separated his home from this school. It was mind blowing how everything had changed, and how almost nothing was the same. (So much so that when he was alone in the dorm room, James would sometimes mess with the light switch just to watch in awe of how light could be found that quickly instead of having to have candles everywhere.) Unfortunately though that everything also included the moral codes he had grown up with. His lifestyle had been absolutely rigid and strict. He had to behave a certain way in every situation, while everyone else seemed a little more laid back. He was honestly trying to assimilate to the same attitudes his peers had, but it was hard to undue seventeen years of being told how to act to medieval standards. Knowing his luck he would finally shake all the 'old-fashioned' behaviors right before he went home. Oh wouldn't his mother be absolutely thrilled to see her ray of sunshine be centuries ahead of his time. 

It also looked like James was about to be introduced to something new as well. He eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion as the two of them zoomed past the peaks of the picturesque mountains that framed the school's border and came closer to a orchard of strange trees that little orange bulbs decorating them. He didn't really have a moment to think about that though, because as the carpet came to a stop, James was suddenly noticed the heat. Now it wasn't too hot, but it sure wasn't like the brutal winter that Seacombe was currently trapped in. It was more of a springtime temperature and since the prince didn't see a single flake on the ground only reinforced this notion. "Ah so this is where spring had been hiding." James said with a laugh as he pulled the gray jacket he was wearing off before not so gracefully getting down from the carpet. Ah he missed this weather. Maybe this meant that spring wasn't too far off at the academy as well. 

As he breathed in the warm air, James suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. After all if he closed his eyes he could almost convince himself that he was back home in the courtyard trying to gather his thoughts, or just simply spending time with his family. It had been so long since he had last seen his parents, this by far was the longest amount of time he had been away from them. James was homesick, but he was also stubborn, If his parents offered to pull him out of the school so he could go back home, he would stick his heels in the dirt and refuse to move. He wasn't going to admit defeat that easily. He had worked hard to get here, and a couple of trees were not going to destroy all that effort. Not on his life. 

James was suddenly forced out of his thoughts when he saw Azalea toss one of the orange bulbs to him. He quickly caught it and looked at it with a mild curiosity. It's strange texture felt weird in the prince's hands. When Azalea started to spin around, he lifted it up to his nose to smell it, since for some reason he felt as if he should know exactly what this was. One whiff of the citrus fruit gave him two connects, both completely odd and yet acceptable in his mind at the same time. Breakfast and the Royal Physician. The Breakfast one was easy for him to figure out, this fruit was propably the source of the orange juice he drank every morning. The royal physician was a bit trickier. After a moment of thinking James realized the connection  was that the doctor always left these fruits with little other spices stuck into the rind in his bedroom whenever he was a sick. James couldn't remember whether or not is a cure or a preventive to keep other people from catching whatever he was ailing him. However the shape was wrong. The one in his hand was a perfect sphere. The medicine ones were oblong shaped. Maybe a different variety?

Knowing that he probably looked weird just looking at the fruit instead of eating it, James shrugged these thoughts off and bit into the rind, not realizing he was supposed to peel it off first, trusting that Azalea wasn't poisoning him, but his reaction to the taste sure would've made someone believe that he was! Almost instantly a bitter, almost burning taste filled his mouth and he spit out the fruit in response. "Bleh! That burns! Ahh!" He yelled as he tried to spit out all the sour tasting bits that was left in his mouth. He looked over at Azalea with a confused expression on his face he never had sweet oranges before, at least not the kind you and I were used to. 

[Azalea]

Azalea realised her mistake too late. It hadn't occurred to her that James might not have seen an orange before. She was shocked when he bit into the fruit without removing the peel.

"Oh I'm sorry James!" She ran towards him and took the Orange from his outstretched hand. "You have to peel it. You don't eat the skin. Well you put it in cakes but you don't just eat it." She rambled a little while she performed the task, splitting the segments down and handing them back.

She hoped it hadn't spoiled the trip for him. Az sat back on the rug and glanced at the sky, thinking.

[James Florian]

Even though James' mouth still stung with the bitter citrus taste of the orange rind, he managed to make a light joke out of the situation, "Well at least we know now for a fact I am Snow White's son." He said this in reference to the fact that even though Sweet Oranges had yet to find it's way to his homeland, James didn't get many other varieties of fruit growing up. Apples were definitely off limits, tropical fruits from the west haven't been discovered by Europeans yet, and those from the east were treated more like decorations than food items. Even here he had kind of avoided the fruit salad at meal times. It really wasn't that much of a deal though, berries were fair game when he was growing up so James never got scurvy and since everyone kind of knew why he politely declined a piece of fruit to accompany his breakfast in the morning, opting instead for one of the juices, it was easy to avoid what caused his family so much strife. Though he had to admit it was highly unlikely that somebody else would spike his food with the sleeping death curse. Although he may be a lot like his mother, he wasn't that similar to her. 

He smiled sheepishly when Azalea took the orange from him, peeled it, and handed it back. It was moments like this that James absolutely hated although he never let it show on the outside. He was constantly embarrassing himself for not knowing little things like this. Why couldn't his mother just let him start the school when he was twelve like everyone else here? Sure he would've still embarrassed himself back then, but it wouldn't be as bad as now when he was seventeen. After all everyone would be embarrassing themselves as they adjusted from life back home to life here, but now it was just him. Which in turn caused everyone to focus on his little blunders. Orientation should've covered a whole lot more than what it did. 

"Thanks." James said as he brought the first orange slice to his mouth and cautiously ate it, sure that the burning sensation would return with it. To his delightful surprise it didn't. In fact it tasted amazing, like sunshine raining down onto his tongue. It was light and airy, the tropical flavor bouncing on his taste buds like children on a trampoline. The taste brought forth a volley of happy and pleasant memories. In fact in this moment James would actually be content just eating this for the rest of his life. His face lit up as he finished the first slice and moved onto the next, letting the juice stick to his hands and leave the wonderful scent stained onto them. "Wow Azalea, this is amazing. I can't believe I never actually had them before." He said after he swallowed the second one as well. At least now James knew that maybe he wouldn't pass the fruit bowl on so quickly again. Though regardless, he was still never going to have an apple. Not in this life thank you very much. Too much bad history associated with the fruit. 

However he didn't think Azalea was listening though, she seemed fixated on the sky. James regarded her with curiosity for a moment, wondering what she could be thinking of. Carefully so he wouldn't send the both of them tumbling and so he wouldn't startle Azalea, he too climbed onto the carpet ans asked her, "A penny for your thoughts?"

[Azalea]

Azalea was aware of James' look of enjoyment as he ate the Orange. She was pleased that he liked it and that her little blunder hadn't ruined the trip for him.

She barely noticed when he sat back on the carpet, and when he spoke to ask her of her thoughts she blinked in surprise that his voice sounded so close.

"I was just thinking about home. It's so warm there. I miss that. Its pretty at home. The architecture isn't so harsh as at school. Less sharp corners." the Princess sounded reminiscent but not despondent. She was happy at school. It was just different from home. Different wasn't always a bad thing.

"So oranges are good?" She brought the topic back to the present. "Worth the run in with the ducks?" She asked laughing.

[James Florian]

Wow either James was getting pretty good at climbing up onto the carpet --well naturally he would get the hang of it since they both described it as a flying horse-- or Azalea was really lost in her thoughts. James guessed it was a mixture of both when she looked at him in surprise, not having heard him getting on the rectangle of enchanted fabric. He felt a little guilty for disrupting her train of thought since he knew from personal experience that sometimes it was hard to return to a really good daydream when someone shook him out of it. However at the same time he wasn't, since he was curious as to what was going on in comrade's head. No doubt some grand adventure the two of them could fly off to if Azalea told the carpet to bring them there, surely no one would miss them at dinner. It was just one meal after all. 

However James was a bit surprised when she divulged what her thoughts consisted of. Home. He sighed quietly before adding, "Yeah I miss it too. It was easier to get around there, and things weren't as confusing like they were here." He was referencing all the things he didn't know here, but everyone else did. He missed the quiet cackle of the fire as he stayed up to finish just one more chapter of whatever history book he was reading this week. He missed the food, although it may not have been palatable as some of the meals here, it was still familiar to him. He missed being able to duck into a few of the hide-aways he had made for himself out of unused storage rooms and broom closets whenever he wanted to avoid his lessons. He missed the winding passageways, he missed the familiar faces of staff, guards, and other people who called the castle home ready to reprimanding him for wandering off. He missed being able to race his dad or talking with his mom. He missed the trips to cottage. James missed it all. James was homesick. Yes he loved the school as well, but nothing beats home. 

"It's almost spring though, you could probably go home for Easter. The School's going to let me." James said to Azalea as a possible cure for the homesickness. Sure it was only going to be a day or two, but Easter was a major thing in his kingdom. It was the end of lent, which beyond the whole do not eat meat thing James didn't really follow this year. So there was going to be a big party at the castle celebrating the resurrection and what not. James was expected to be there, so the school was giving him the day before Easter to the day after in order to do his princely duty before being whisked back here. "Even if you don't celebrate it you can say that you do. They'll have to listen especially if you get your parents to say that you do." He added remembering that religion was only a really big thing in the medieval kingdoms. True other kingdoms may be religious, but none of them could truly be on the scale of the dark ages. The church was ingrained in every little aspect of everyone's lives. Everyone was religious, and those who weren't were excluded in society. No body wanted to risk eternal damnation after all.

When the subject of how James was enjoying the orange, he laughed and said, "Azalea this is probably the best thing I ever tasted. Time has deprived me of such wondrous things." Too bad it would be quite a while before sweet oranges made it's way into James' homeland time wise. "So yeah it was definitely worth almost crashing in the ducks." He said with a laugh as he ate another slice. With only a few left in his hand he held the few remaining ones out to her and asked, " Want one?"

[Azalea]

"Thanks,"she said as she took a segment offered, "We do celebrate a little, its more of a festival these days. It will be good to get home for a day or two. I miss playing with the tigers."

The princess added the last sentence with an expression of playfulness. Most people looked at her like she was insane when she mentioned playing with her mother's pet tigers. They weren't an animal that was seen much outside of books in this part of the world. They were the best protectors that any princess could have. "Mother wanted to send one with me to school, but the teachers wouldn't even allow a cub!"

The sultana thought for a moment, and got a rebellious look in her eyes. "You know, I'm sure we could miss one dinner. After all, it is your first flying adventure..."

[James Florian]

He listened to how Agrabah celebrated Easter, which was hands down the biggest holiday back home with Christmas coming in a close second. It was James' favorite just because of all the fun they got to have after Lent ended which was honestly torture to the growing lad. You couldn't eat practically anything other than fish, which he wasn't the most fond of truth be told, dark colors were a must, fun was banned, and a lot of time was spent in church. Not that these were all bad things in moderation, but forty days straight? Not even the most straitlaced of teens would be able to willingly last that long without causing some chaos for their parents. "Well back home it's practically one huge party. Singing, dancing, feasting, and all sorts of other ways of celebrating freedom from Lent. It's always fun, especially helping out with the egg hunts. I know all the best hiding spots and everyone wants me to help them." James said with a laugh remembering all the memories he had from himself searching the courtyard for the painstakingly decorated eggs, to the plays that were performed -some of which he and his family participated in,- and just the general merriness everyone enjoyed.

However there was one thing that wasn't so fun, but even still it brought a smirk to his face."Well except Hock Monday. It's never fun waking up to find out that my female cousins and my mother's ladies-in-waiting 'captured' me for 'ransom.'" The not so widely known tradition usually involved members of one gender trapping the other and demanding payment --usually a donation to the church for the men and a kiss from the girls-- in order to release them. Since James was a heavy sleeper, more often than not they struck before dawn and just tied him to his bed. One year the left him there for half the morning even though he promised more than double what they asked for. That was not a fun Monday, however he was rarely alone in these traditions. His father was almost always a victim as well, and of course a handful of other men throughout the castle woke up with emptier pockets. "However it's all just fun and games. Which is a good thing because otherwise my Mother would have my hide when it's our turn on Tuesday." He concluded with a smirk as he took another bite from the orange.  Easter was always a fun holiday to celebrate regardless of the time period. 

James' eyes widened a little when Azalea stated that she 'missed playing with the tigers.' She couldn't be serious, could she? After all Tigers were dangerous beasts that with one rake of their claws, disembowel a man and she acted like they were nothing more than pets. "Wait back home you have pet tigers?" The prince asked with a shocked expression clearly written on his face. All his family had were the horses in the stables and the king's hunting dogs. Beyond that the only animals that called the castle walls home were the birds who made their nests in the courtyard trees and whatever poor woodland creature his mother happened to befriend. Not exactly a menagerie like the animals Azalea seemed to have. He shook his head in disbelief when she continued by saying that she wasn't even allowed to bring a cub. "For good reason too!" James countered since where he came from all felines in general were looked down upon as vermin. "I mean just think of when the little cub became a big cat, the dorm rooms would be way too small for such a creature." Although James may have never seen one in his life, even he knew that the moderate sized dorm rooms would not be enough room for a big cat and two students. 

When Azalea set forth the idea of the two of them skipping dinner in order to do a little more flying, James weighed the options here. First of all if the school found out they were playing hooky in a way they would land in a whole heap of trouble, or at least James would given his disciplinary record. Secondly Grove would be worried sick over where the Prince was, and finally that meant the two of them wouldn't have anymore real food until morning. However he compared that to the amount of fun it was bound to be, and honestly James was quite sick of eating fish. So he wouldn't be missing out on much would he? As for Grove, he could just it explain his absence away with losing track of time at the stables or him possibly not feeling well. Also given the fact that James was also a seventeen year old who was already prone to bending the rules, it became clear what his answer was going to be. 

"Yeah I'm sick of fish anyway. So where to next Princess?" He asked with a laugh as he pulled his feet onto the carpet and grabbed one last orange from the branches of the nearest tree within arms reach, for later of course.