Drowned Flowers

Rows of screams and applause had swarmed the famed Kingdom of Dressrosa on this day. The citizens had organized large banquets in praise of their King and her Army, and the streets cheered with happiness. The general public had all reason to celebrate, for their Kingdom had acquired victory over a hostile foreign kingdom, and their daily lives had been preserved thanks to the grace of their King.

The majority of the army who had returned from their service on this campaign partook in the celebration, while the royal family ensured that the celebrations were running smoothly. Within the bustling cityscape, a brown-haired man with a regal demeanor stood upon a building and observed the cheerful scene. This man, equipped with two spears along his back, was the Crown Prince of this Kingdom — Longinus Judas.

By virtue of his strength and status, he was required to ensure the stability of the celebrations remained in-tact and that criminal behavior did not spike. As such, with a focused poise, Judas let out a calm breath. His eyes would become pigmented with red, and his vision encompassed the entire town square as silhouettes of varying colors. The colors he observed were positive and radiant, but there was one color in particular that worried him. It was a deep, rusted red emitted by a particularly strong and familiar presence to Judas.

"Hm...There is an issue. It seems I must address this soon, for the sake of the Queen, at the very least." The man spoke to himself, before continuing his duties to monitor the celebration that stretched till the sun came out the next morning.

The celebrations quietened and the people would return to their homes. As they did, Judas awoke from his brief respite on the roof he was monitoring from. He descended onto the ground with a single jump, landing on the ground without a single sound or impact. He located a nearby water fountain and splashed his face with water in order to wake himself up. A red glow enveloped his eyes once again as he searched for the familiar presence. He found the rusted red once more, and approached it quietly.

He reached the desired location to find the rusted red, Longinus Adelia, fast asleep. But she was guarded, as if afraid of something to consume her while asleep. Although Judas was tempted to wake her, he was afraid of causing a negative reaction to occur in the unstable Princess. Accordingly, he took his spears off his back and placed them on a bench near the woman, and sat down, awaiting for his sibling to awaken.