On popular demand, Ansel ^^
(Howz it?)
"You peasants would know nothing about poetry, I say!" Faisal Mohammed Karem Yilmaz the Fifth was yapping again.
And Jubilant, Fane, Harvey and Ansel... one of those rare occasions where he'd come out of the library and sit outside in the sun, well Harvey had invited him to meet his friends.
"Don't you get tired from talking this much?" Fane scoffed.
"My mouth isn't small like your little peasant mouths... I am royalty, you parasite-"
"Then why are you here with us? Go sit with royalty?"
Faizal was a chihuahua. He was small, he had these bulging kohl lined eyes and he had a habit of yapping non stop.
"You should be grateful that I am in your presence-"
"Why? Your royalty kicked your butt away?"
Faizal could have evaporated due to anger, considering that he was way past his boiling point. But he pressed his lips tightly and stared at Fane, thinking that if he'd do that, Fane would somehow magically explode and die...
"We can at least listen to what he wrote, can't we?" Ansel finally butted in, chuckling softly at the antics of these boys, and Harvey looked at him.
The five of them, Harvey, Jubilant, Fane, Faizal and Ansel, whom Harvey had dragged out, were sitting together like old friends would.
And somehow, in the midst of talk, poetry became a topic.
"I'd rather have my ears bleed," Fane scoffed.
Faizal removed an elaborate, long and sharp hair pin from his gorgeous black hair, and smiled wickedly, "Do come here then."
Ansel laughed loudly, slapping the back of Harvey, and the younger boy felt a jolt from that touch, gulping down all unnecessary thoughts which arose...
Especially when Ansel was so close, their arms pressed together.
Faizal cleared his throat and made a great show of it, and after a while, he started speaking.
"The blueness epitomizes!
The pitch blackness of the waters,
Fugaciousness of my soul.
As I, lust for that gelid
Misery which pleasure pours!"
Faizal finished yapping, and bowed down to a dumbstruck audience, three of them- the ones with absolutely no connection to literature clapped delightedly, sending praises flying to the Prince.
While Ansel bit his lip.
"What's the matter?" Harvey whispered, when Faizal was slandering praises from the Sullivan brothers.
"Men have a nature to appreciate things they don't understand."
Harvey smiled, "How'd you know? I didn't concur a word of his."
"Whatever he said," Ansel couldn't hold back giggling now, "it meant that he wants to go on a swim!"
"Huh?" Harvey exclaimed loudly, unfortunately which caught the attention of the yapping chihuahua.
"You peasants over there-" he narrowed his rounded, pretty eyes. "How can you dare laugh in my presence?"
"It's nothing, Your Grace," Ansel stopped laughing, although not quite able to erase that gorgeous smile of his. "I was just not able to contain my delight at the humour from your verse."
And Faizal stomped over to Ansel, pushing apart Harvey shamelessly to stick close to the boy.
"You found it humorous?" He asked, even for a short span of time it came up- the childish, boyish nature of the Prince.
"Absolutely." Ansel smiled, his icy blue eyes crinkling up, "and your use of words was on point."
"You look like you know poetry yourself."
"Aah..." Ansel tucked a stray lock of his shaggy hair behind his ear, before waving his hand, "just a dabbling interest. Not quite as profound as yours, can I call you Faizal?"
Chihuahua stopped yapping at once, and with his peery eyes fixated at Ansel, sat down, and twitched his small mouth, "Of course! Tell me something!"
"How did he do it?" Fane blinked his eyes, quite a magnificent achievement on Ansel's part- earned the approval of Prince Faizal Mohammed Karem Yilmaz the Fifth. "That... that's witchcraft..."
"Those kind of lads-" Jubilant scratched his chin, "I don't trust 'em."
"Why?" Asked Harvey, clearly enjoying the whole scene unfold, "what is wrong with him?" The hushed whispers between the three of them continued, as Ansel smiled and nodded his head along to whatever Faizal had to say.
"Say Ansel, won't you recite something for me?"
Ansel went silent for a moment, and then he smiled at the boys, "would you really listen to me?"
"Why not? You say," Faizal patted Ansel's back, "these peasants would mandatorily have to hear."
As much as Harvey loved Ansel's calming prose, the sight of Faizal arose dark desires in him- desires of seeing blood.
Ansel cleared his throat, before starting to speak out his thoughts.
"Build a monument in name
Of glory, fortune and fame-
Then see it turn ash and dust,
No weeping hath save you insane.
I wept once, reason for same,
Fury gave me no avail-
Folly grants wisdom they say,
Hearts those lie in words of prose-
Stronger than those set in stone."
"And I understood it." Fane slowly shook his head, "I understood it, I understood poetry for the first time."
"You did?" Ansel's eyes crinkled, the softness of his features illuminating his face. "That's an honour."
"Well you aren't bad yourself," Faizal cleared his throat loudly, "When I become King, I'd appoint you my court poet."
"That'd be an honour so great, Your Grace!"
"Ya; first be the King mate!" Jubilant yelled, causing another fit of laughter to ring out.
Ansel smiled at Faizal, slowly patting his back when he was about to start yapping at Jubilant again. And somehow, he turned his frown into a harmless childlike tantrum.
"Let us go, Ansel! I don't require company of these peasants."
Harvey's heart plummeted when he saw Ansel smile at Faizal. The same way he used to smile at Harvey.
Hey there! I hope you are enjoying reading this story as much as I enjoy writing this. :)
By the way, since I am so much hung up on mood boards, I made one for a character from the other novel, SCENERY.
Curious about him?
Well... you'll find out soon. *wink wink*