Two Princes In Panama

Chapter 19: Myles

"Sorry for the mistake, my name is Fredrico Rueles. I'll be interviewing you on policy and a little about your day-to-day life." I hated pleasantries. "Well, let's get to it."

"Yes sir," he replied. Something about the way he said sir felt like he was spitting it out of his mouth. It must have been an ego blow for someone much younger than him to be at a higher station in life. He turned on his heels and guided us inside the glass building and showed us the primary stage. They designed it to be a simple living room of all gray and tan. Light hit every object in the room, which eliminated shadows. Federico pushed me to my seat, and a man came over and removed the shine from my face with a flick of his wrist. Things moved quickly since I was almost an hour late.

"Outstanding afternoon citizens of Panama! We have a treat for you tonight. Prince Myles, who is half of our royal family, has graced our humble studio. Tonight we have a conversation planned that will touch on important topics such as the economy, enrichment efforts, and making the quality of life even across socio-economic classes." Federico spoke in Spanish with a buoyant tone that I would not have guessed was possible from a man of his standing.

"Welcome prince Myles, I'm sure you know that you have the distinction of being the most favored royal in several generations," he said. I smiled at the compliment. His speech pattern calmed me down. It felt like we were talking as friends would. I attributed it to a form of psychological magic.

"Thank you for having me." I smiled and then turned to a floating camera and smiled at the audience watching. Fredrico hosted the most popular daytime talk show, so I was sure there were several million listening.

"Sir, I know you are busy so let's get right to the points. I, like many others, sat in shock when you made the unprecedented trip to the ghettos. Since the trip had no official media coverage the nation could not see what sent you on the path to improving those areas. Could you tell us why?"

"Gladly. I think we as people who don't worry about finances and status in a survivalist scope believe we live in a utopia. The truth is that many of us are still unsure of where our next meal will come from. This society we live in falls under the rule of the monarchy and capitalism. I intend to make it so that those two things are working for the people. I want to spread equity. When I saw that we had ghettos, I knew there was a problem and intended to fix it before I touched down on Panamanian soil. We all deserve stability and I plan on making it a reality instead of an idea." I did my best to focus on both him and the cameras floating around, but it was proving difficult.

"Well, being a former resident of a ghetto that no longer exists, I would like to thank you for those improvements. My mother is a dean and could not stop talking about your visit to the school. She used to run the one near where we lived." He seemed to soften the more I talked. "Moving on, are you willing to provide an answer to the reports you acted as a combatant when your team of guards and Prince Bernardo got ambushed? This resulted in a civilian casualty and two terrorist being killed. Many question if you are a real pacifist?"

"Well, I would like to say that I miss-characterized myself as a pacifist when I mean I am violence averse. I hate conflict of any kind and do all that I can to stray away from arguments and anything physical. Though I hold these values dear, I am still a trained Prince formerly of the North. My family groomed me to defend myself to the bitter end and I will do so if the need arises. I only wish that the death didn't happen and that the family didn't have to bury a child."

"That is understandable. What made you jump into that situation? You have many intensely trained guards." He sat back and looked at me with fascination. I was skeptical of him when we first met, but he seemed to need a moment to get to know me as I did with him. Now there was no unsaid tension, just a reporter happy to be the first to interview a prince who might become king.

"I am an enhancer as many at home might know. The job of an enhancer is to aid comrades as they fight or heal. I was aiding my husband and guards when I noticed danger. My goal is to remain peaceful, but I was also not going to let ideals put the people protecting me in an early grave. Luckily I could hold the treat off long enough for my husband to take charge and neutralize the threat before I had to take the next step," I said.

Fredrico nodded before moving onto a host of other questions that went on for two hours, though we intended for the interview to be short. I found it easier to navigate the cameras to face as the conversation went on so I didn't mind. When the interview ended Fredrico asked for a hug before my guards rushed back to the palace. I smiled as I rushed through showering, primping myself, and finding a soap opera to watch.

"Why did you let him between your legs?" I was asking myself. I remembered the feel of him on top of me. Things had escalated at a blinding pace and my emotions were in shambles from being thrown from extremes. I might have opened up a door for him to hurt me again. It only took one kiss.

The longer I waited for the hulking idiot to get home, the more negative my thoughts got. By the time the sun had set, and the news was showing the rain to come I was under the covers on the brink of a panic attack. Even though I knew to give him the grace to prove himself it was still hard to do.

A pluck at the back of the neck was what it felt like to sense him and Mileta grow near. I felt them make their way from the driveway to inside the house. My heart beat harder as he made his way up the stairs and to the door.

"Good afternoon," he said as he entered the room. He was wearing a black suit with a cider shirt. He stood at the door waiting for me to respond.

"Good afternoon," I said. Don't be weird.

"I didn't get to see the interview Myles, I tried, but I got swamped with requests for approval. How did it go?" He faced me while making his way into the bathroom. He loved his showers. I had been with a noble in the past who thought the natural scent of a man was something to embrace. I had differing opinions.

"It went well! Fredrico is a great interviewer. He engaged me but kept from topics I didn't want to talk about."

"That's good. Let me get ready for bed and we can talk about it more." He rid himself of his shirt as I laid back in bed. The television was no longer of interest, so I cut it off. The sounds of him showering entertained me more. I felt like a child with a crush. Feeling both delighted that we were getting along and angry with myself for being so easily forgiving I stared at the ceiling.

Bernardo finished showering and then shuffled around out of view until he came back to the bedroom wearing skin tone matching boxers. I had an internal fight to not look away as he walked over; he left nothing to the imagination. He waved his hands and the lights in the bathroom turned off along with the dimmed ones in the room, then he crawled under the covers. He settled on his side of the bed, and we sat in silence. The room was full of unanswered questions on both ends.

"I know we have a few things to talk about but I don't have the energy to take part in the conversation fully. Last night was both confusing and wonderful. All I want right now is to hold you. Will you let me?" He scooted over just a touch, bringing the smell of pine. Without thinking, I used a spell my mother would use that made her skin smell like lavender. Just like an adolescent with a crush would do.

"Just hold me. We won't be going any further until we have the conversation," I said. I wasn't sure he heard anything past the word hold since he busied himself with pulling me to his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his chest to my back. He was stiffening between my cheeks, which I tried to ignore.

"I can't believe I stopped myself from enjoying this for months. I will have to make up for lost time. Your skin is soft, wish you weren't wearing this pajama set but I understand why and this is more than enough for me." He started playing with my hair, I would have complained but the feeling was so good that I was ready to fall asleep.