Palpable

Reflection

Reflection
Challenge: Curiosity 
» There is little known about Prince Draco except that his prowess was legendary and that he was ruthless, efficient, and charismatic. Aaron is intrigued by the man standing alone in the middle of the woods. 

CURIOSITY

Why is Draco all the way out here alone?

While the older prince wasn't one to talk much, as far as Aaron had observed, he tended to avoid being alone. To be this far in the woods, away from the chatter and laughter of those gathered around the fire, was unusual. Or maybe it was not unusual—after all, he didn't know him very well.

For a moment, he agonized over whether or not he should stay. It wasn't like they were friends—they were barely acquaintances, if that—, so it wasn't like anybody would expect Aaron to say anything... but would it be rude to ignore him standing like that?!

"Are you going to stand over there all night, or do you want to talk?" Draco interrupted him before he could come to a decision. Aaron hesitated, opened his mouth and held his finger up—and closed his jaw when nothing came out. He stepped up to Draco's side and caught himself tapping his fingers against his thigh as he was prone to do when he felt nervous.

He swallowed. His mouth was very dry. He waved and tried to grin, but it felt too wide and his fingers were trembling slightly. "Hi."

Draco blinked, and then he smiled. Something about his features weren't quite as fierce as they were earlier, and Aaron felt slightly less petrified. "You're Adrian's brother, right? Aaron?"

"Yes, sir."

A strange expression crossed his face—almost like a grimace, but not quite. "You can call me Draco. You don't have to be so nervous around me. I'm not going to hurt you."

Feeling slightly braver—or maybe more reckless, now that his initial anxiety had ebbed away—, Aaron tilted his head back to look at Draco in his eyes. "Adrian told me something like that a couple of months before he chased after an assassin. I had to stop him from getting himself killed."

Draco laughed. The sound was surprisingly pleasant for somebody so tall and intimidating. "Adrian seems so level-headed, it's hard to imagine he'd risk his life like that."

"You have no idea," Aaron said, though he was humored. "He's so hotheaded at times that it makes me want to hit him!"

"You're lucky you have such a close relationship with your brother." Draco was still smiling, but his gaze was distant now—as if he was looking at something far away. It wasn't hard for Aaron to guess that it might have something to do with his family. He was probably thinking about his family.

Before his head could filter himself, he asked, "Is that why you're hiding out here? Are you thinking about your home?" Draco's eyes widened. Aaron slapped his hands over his mouth. "U-uh—" he stuttered, unable to get an apology out.

Draco's expression shuttered and he looked away. "You and your brother are lucky you have good parents. They probably always supported you two. I wish my sisters had that."

Aaron scowled at him. "What makes you say our parents were good people?" he snapped, feeling defensive.

"You're normal," said Draco tiredly. "You're not constantly scared of control over yourself, or how your actions affect others. You don't have to watch every single word you say."

Aaron hesitated, and assessed the situation, rearranging the facts that he knew about Draco in his head. Until recently, he had been DRAGON in his head. Then he had become the dragon who had stolen his brother's fiancé and then the dragon who had saved his brother's life. There were more words and phrases he connected with him, of course, such as prince and future king and comrade and angry and somebody Adrian trusts.

The last phrase was the one that made him say, "Our father wasn't exactly kind behind closed doors. Adrian shielded me from him when we were younger so that I never knew how cruel he could be. So, honestly, the reason why I'm close as I am to my brother is because he's all I've got left."

Are you a friend or a foe? There's so little known about you, except that you were Ambrose's best three years ago. Your prowess was legendary for somebody so young, and you were ruthless and efficient. Even more terrifying, you were charismatic as well. We should be fighting you. So how did you end up here?

Draco's face remained blank, but he exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to assume when I know so well how easily these kinds of things can be fabricated."

"Don't mention it." Aaron meant it literally. Draco tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. "So, why are you out here anyway?"

"I was practicing." Draco flicked his wrist and the ground rumbled and shifted under their feet. Aaron swallowed against his nerves and forced his feet to remain firmly planted on the ground. "My youngest sister, Cassandra, could make the earth rumble like that when she was seven. I've never been quite able to totally control it."

A bush caught on fire. They both jumped.

"At least you're doing it away from everybody," Aaron said.

Draco swept his foot across the ground in a graceful, smooth motion. He lifted his arms and flicked his wrist. A thin layer of dirt rose into the air, connected to the ground by a thin train of dirt, and fell on top of the burning bush, smothering the fire.

"It's interesting watching you and your brother. I could have been in Adrian's position now if I was still the heir of Dracónia."

What do you want? Why do you fight? Because there has to be a reason...

"Nothing can take your birthright away from you." Aaron said.

"What do you mean?"

Aaron met Draco's gaze and held it, frowning at him slightly. "People like you and Adrien are meant to revolutionize this world while other people, like Victoria and I, follow your lead—we protect you because you are the hope of our future. But you and Adrian—you're born leaders."

There was a haunted look in Draco's eyes. His body language was defensive, too—he had hunched his shoulders, and the way he held himself was tense and rigid, as if he was expecting an attack.

What are you so afraid of?

"Do you not see how they look at you? You give them hope."

"I see how they look at me," he admitted, but he elaborated no further. "Let's go," he said, changing the subject so suddenly that Aaron barely noticed what he was saying. Draco tilted his head and his gaze swept up and down—as if he was assessing Aaron. "I'm hungry, aren't you?"

Who are you, Draco King?

"Yeah. I think Miss Victoria said that she caught a deer, so we might be having venison." 

____________________

  And so begins the mutual respect from both parties that eventually becomes a solid bickering friendship where Aaron stops questioning everything he says and Draco rants about Stuff while asking for Aaron's opinion since there are just some things about ruling that Victoria doesn't understand. 

I may or may not ship it.