The Prince (A KOTLC Selection Fanfiction)

Chapter 17

I peek around the corner at the guest rooms, specifically focusing on the room of one shady boi. I saw him leave his room earlier, so I should be able to get in and potentially surprise him.

Why am I going to see him? Well...

Actually, I don't have much of a reason. I guess I'm bored. 

I look around, before quietly slinking towards the door, quickly getting in. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see that there's no traps or anything, then cautiously sit on the bed.

I bounce on the bed a bit. For some reason, it's a bit springier than my bed, but still soft.

I yawn. All this thinking about beds has made me tired.

The stress from the past few days seems to catch up to me - Lena and Fitz not telling me something, that weird dream, the fact that Tam has nightmares even though he's really powerful.

I stretch, somehow finding myself now on the bed. Ah, it's so comfy. It smells like vanilla for some reason, and I could sleep here if I wanted.

The door bangs closed as someone enters the room, but I'm too sleepy to care.

"Mmm," I turn to the other side, snuggling into the pillow.

There's a long moment of silence, in which I feel like I'm being stared at. Then I get whacked with a pillow.

"What are you doing in my room?" Tam demands, holding the pillow aloft like a weapon. He's not dressed in his usual uptight gear, instead opting for a gray tunic with a delicate black design on it and black pants. 

His socks stand out against his outfit, being bright blue and covered in smiley faces.

I sit up, facing him. "I wanted to surprise you with a visit."

And yep, Tam looks surprised.

"Well then, why'd you fall asleep in my bed?" 

I shrug. "Was tired. And speaking of being tired," I look more closely at the dark circles on his face, "How much did you sleep last night?"

"Eh." Tam avoids my gaze, so I decide to change the subject.

"Nice socks. They really fit the edgy vibe you got going on here." I wave at his outfit.

Tam rolls his eyes, and flicks me on the forehead. "Shut up, Prince. You wish you had socks like these."

"Anyways," I clap my hands together, "You mostly follow Linh around, right?" Tam nods. 

"So... have you befriended any of the other girls yet?"

Tam frowns, thinking on this. "I don't know if you'd call it friendship, but there are ones that talk to me sometimes."

"Hmm, which ones?"

"Eh," Tam shrugs, "Mostly Biana and Marella."

I lean in. "Have you learned anything about them?"

"Like?"

"Y'know, what they like to do, favorite food, favorite color, how hot they think I am. Stuff like that."

Tam raises an eyebrow at me. "Are you asking me to be your wingman?"

"...Yes?"

Tam sits down next to me. "Then sure, why not."

Over the next few days, Tam's room becomes a memorized spot in my mind as I frequently visit him. Most of the time, I ask about the girls, but sometimes I go there just to talk.

"Oooh, what does Biana like?" 

"Sparkles. Fashion." Tam mumbles around a ripplefluff stuffed in his mouth, "That kind of stuff."

So I gift Biana a silvery dress, complete with a sparkling tiara.

"What about Marella?"

"Give her something that she can relate to, something that strikes her right in the heart."

And Marella is happy with the flame-themed jewelry I give her.

"Sophie?"

"Literally anything. As long as you put your heart into it, I'm sure she'll like it." Tam rolls his eyes at that and tosses a pencil at me, which I grab in mid-air.

And after a few hours of drawing, I give Sophie a drawing of the two of us together.

"But what about Linh?"

This question finally makes Tam pause and think. Finally, he says, "Honestly, I feel like she'd like something that reminds her of me."

I roll my eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Bangs Boy."

After a few conversations with Linh, she mentions something about how, "Tam likes to think happy shadow thoughts to calm himself down. Oooh, I should get that printed on a tunic."

I manage to coerce Errol into creating a tunic that says exactly that, giving it to an ecstatic Linh. 

Apart from the main four girls that I have my eyes on, I go on a few dates with the other remaining girls. 

I go on a quick stroll through the gardens with a girl named Ames, which reminds me of the other times I was there. But she, too, gets eliminated.

A few days after that, Father calls me to his office.

"Keefe, my son, I need to tell you something important."

"Okay. . ." I sit down in the chair in front of him, "What is it?"

"You've heard about the southern rebels, the Neverseen?"

I nod, and Father continues.

"Since their attacks have been steadily approaching, we've decided that new bodyguards will be coming here. Our alliance with the goblin queen, Queen Hylda, is quite strong, so several of her best-trained goblins will be coming to protect us here."

"Alright, so who gets a bodyguard?" 

Father sighs, rubbing his forehead. "Several of your Selected. Sophie Foster will have her bodyguard from her home province brought to the castle, since she has been targeted by the rebels before. Others, like Biana Vacker, Fitz Vacker, and Dex Dizznee shall get bodyguards, too."

"Hey, what about me?" I ask, slightly offended.

"Since your current bodyguard - Dex Dizznee - is being temporarily relieved of his position, a meeting is currently underway with the other leaders for a bodyguard for you."

"Okay." I stand up. "Can I leave now?"

Father sighs, waving his hand in my direction, and I take that as a cue to get out of there. New bodyguards?

The situation with these rebels, these Neverseen, must have been a bit worse than I thought.

~~~~~~~~~ AUTHOR'S NOTE ~~~~~~~~~

Hi guys! So, in this chapter, Bangs Boy got a surprise, and has become better friends with Keefe (which is always good). And the bodyguards are finally coming!

Honestly, I'm kinda excited for the next few chapters? Also, just a heads up, this chapter is basically the halfway chapter - we're halfway done! 

So, I hope you guys liked the chapter!