It was not often a king found himself in such a situation as this.. standing tall with his chin held high and a proper stern expression resting on his face even as he stood with his back to the wall.

And the court jester. A fool brought on at the last minute for a banquet to celebrate the unannounced arrival of a visiting nobleman who had expressed a fondness for the colorful motleys and elaborate displays of fools during his last visit to the kingdom. And now here he stands, finding the king between himself and the cool stone of the castle wall. The colorful diamond patterns over his eyes play a stark contrast to the plain white painting the rest of his face- except for the grin. The grin is painted a deep black, it stretches up to the man’s sharp cheekbones and is only made more obvious by the slightly yellowed teeth that show from the wide smile.

“You find yourself far from the festivities, jester. Best you do not wander about, the guards do not take kindly to fools out of place.”

“Oh but your highness, you have not cracked a smile since my arrival, when I found you slipping away I knew this might be my only chance to correct such a grevious error. Tell me, my king, what is it that brings a smile to such a sullen face?”

“It would bring me great delight to hear your ridiculous bells slowly fade from my ears as you make your way back to the guests.”