← Day 0 / Contents Page / Day 2 →
Zeraora Fanfic – The Lone King (Collab with ZDX36)
【 Day 1: Tours 】
It was a sunny morning–the first day of Zephyr’s deal to be King Z’s butler. Zephyr woke up early as he usually did. Froslass had brought two sets of clothes to his room–a normal grey long coat and a cute pink sweater, the latter complete with ribboned socks. The maid said that the king had created both clothes by himself (He didn’t know Z had such a talent!). They wanted Zephyr to wear something because being an ‘Unclothed’ was indecent, apparently–just like the humans’ rules. He was to put one of these on and meet the king for breakfast.
Zephyr clicked his tongue as he sat up in his bed with both clothes in front of him, still against the idea of wearing anything. His gaze naturally trailed to the sweater, thinking that it looked more comfortable, but there was one problem. It was cute–too cute. Z would probably laugh at him if he showed up like a house cat on the first day.
This was a trap, wasn’t it? Unsure, Zephyr decided to go with the safer option–the long coat. Wrapping it around himself, he stepped out of his room, ready for the day.
“Good morning, sunflower.”
“WHOA!!” Zephyr jumped in surprise at the sudden greeting. Mismagius stood there, gracefully bringing a hand to her lips as she chuckled at him, amused.
“You scared me!!” Zephyr said, before realizing something and glaring at her.
“YOU! You trapped me here on purpose! What do you want?!”
“Hm?” The witch smiled, tilting her head. “I did naught but hand out an invitation. Your heart’s own desire guided you to this land. You’re the only one to heed my call among many.”
“Tch… Unlucky…”
“Unlucky? Ufufu~…” Mismagius said, floating to circle around Zephyr and study him. “That would depend on you, little sunlight. Euhitras will give you an experience like no other. But whether you see it as hell or heaven depends on you.”
“Why did you even invite me? Was it random? By chance?” Zephyr asked, desperate for a logical reason for his predicament. Mismagius smiled her bewitching smile at him.
“No, you’re my chosen one. One who could save the king… One who could bring the lost light back to Euhitras.”
“Save… the king?” Zephyr asked, his expression softening, replaced by curiosity. Mismagius nodded.
“The white lion’s been through many ordeals. Our beloved king’s heart had frozen for a long time, suffering alone in bitter loneliness. This entire land depends on him, so inviting you–a light that might save him–is my little blessing to His Majesty.”
Zephyr’s eyes softened as he listened, feeling Mismagius’ kindness. He felt bad for shouting at her earlier. “Sorry, I… I didn’t know.”
The witch shook her head, looking to the ground sadly. “The one to apologize is me. How selfish to drag an Unclothed into matters of Euhitras. But I really wanted someone who can make His Majesty smile, even just for awhile.”
‘Team Rhyme’s goal is to make people smile,’ Zephyr remembered as he searched for a reply. Mismagius continued.
“I understand if this is unacceptable. If it pleases you, I shall offer help in negotiating your faster release.”
“No, I’ll… stay here for the week,” Zephyr replied with a quiet determination, “When I battled on Aeos Island, I’ve always liked when my audience said that I gave them joy and courage. I came to Paldea with my team just for that too, so I won’t walk away from a sad person. Let’s make King Z smile, Mismagius!”
The witch’s eyes widened and watered for a moment, smiling a true smile at Zephyr. “Thank you, sir Zephyr. Euhitras is counting on you!”
Zephyr had been confident when talking to Mismagius, but saying and doing were two different things. He sat awkwardly with Z at the dining table while Froslass served them their breakfast.
Z wore something more casual than last night–a decorative black cloak, but his expression was no less stern. The two Zeraora ate their bread and cheese quietly, not knowing where to start or what to say to each other. Z wasn’t used to receiving a guest and Zephyr didn’t know how to talk to a king. But they needed to start somewhere, so Zephyr ignored their status and tried to interact with Z like how he usually would with someone he just met–in a friendly and polite manner with a touch of curiosity.
“Um… Thanks, Your Majesty, for inviting me to breakfast. And… And for the clothes! They’re really well-made.”
Z smiled, pleased. “Hmph, glad that you like them. They may be simple, but the materials were expensive and high quality!”
“I can see that. This coat’s quite easy to move in. It’s an honor,” Zephyr replied, stretching a little.
Z set his fork and knife down on his plate, finished with his meal. He watched Zephyr continue drinking his soup daintily with his spoon.
“You’re surprisingly well-behaved and cultured for an Unclothed,” Z remarked, “I was expecting you to eat with your hands and sink your face into the bowl, like all the other outsiders.”
“Wha– oh!” Zephyr stopped, thinking that it would’ve been a natural behaviour if he were a wild Pokémon, so he explained. “My human Trainer friend Rhyme taught me how to use some simple tools like these. I can’t read, cook, or make clothes like you do, though. But we had to appear in public a lot when I was on Aeos Island, so Rhyme also taught me the human society’s basic manners.”
“I see.” Z chuckled, leaning back into his chair in a kingly manner, crossing his legs. “Seeing that you’re not as wild as I expected, I suppose my stay with you would be quite pleasant.”
“I’ll see to that,” Zephyr said, setting his spoon down. “And… sorry for my rude behavior yesterday. I was panicking.”
Z shrugged and shook his head. “Worry not. Apologies for seeing you as a barbarian and for suspecting that you were a thief as well. Guess we’re even.”
Zephyr smiled at Z a little, happy that the white cat could be nice.
“This is my first time visiting a castle,” Zephyr said, looking at the sunlit gardens outside the large windows to their right. “It certainly looked pretty in the morning. Mind if we go on a walk together? I’d like to see your home with you,” he suggested.
“Heh, it’s a beautiful day outside. Why not?” Z agreed.
The two Zeraora walked around Euhitras Castle, Z leading the way while explaining each part and the interesting history behind them. The castle seemed to be his pride and joy, Zephyr able to see the bright spark in the king’s violet eye as he talked excitedly. They saw the castle walls, the gardens, the kitchen, the chapel, the leisure room, the bedrooms and many more. The castle’s long history was reflected in its architecture, consisting of different styles that were added through the ages. The tour eventually brought them back to the castle entrance gates where they started.
“And there we go. I hope Euhitras Castle was too your liking!” Z said proudly.
“Of course!” Zephyr exclaimed. “You don’t get to be shown around a castle by a real king everyday. Thanks for the experience!”
They laughed together for awhile, completely forgetting their former distrust of each other. The castle’s entrance gates caught Zephyr’s eye, then.
“The entrance gates are a little strange, aren’t they?” Zephyr pointed out.
“Hm?”
“The doors looked new compared to the rest of the construction. and what are those huge scars on the nearby walls? Did a huge fight happen there?”
“Oh…” Z replied, quiet for awhile before answering with a darkened expression, “Yeah, just a little squabble and a small accident. Don’t worry about it.”
“……?” Zephyr was sure that there was something more to it, but decided not to push since Z didn’t look like he wanted to share it. He decided to change the topic to lighten the mood.
“Say, Your Majesty, I’d like to see the city, too. Can you show me around a little more?”
“…? Oh, of course.”
There wasn’t much in the city as there weren’t many inhabitants, but it was still nice to see the remnant structures and buildings. The two Zeraora explored the quiet streets together, forgetting their troubles by seeing Z’s favourite places until sundown.
← Day 0 / Contents Page / Day 2 →
