The Fallen Angel - Prinxiety (ON HOLD)

Chapter Six

Virgil looked at him with an unreadable gaze. He didn't seem to be intimidated or impressed by Roman, despite his royal status or the fact that he was currently in a prison cell. He stared him down, his dark brown bangs hanging over his eyes. "What are you suggesting, Your Highness?" he asked skeptically. "I doubt you could persuade your father to change my sentence if that's what you're referring to."

"No, I'm talking about busting you out of here and going with you to your magic guild," Roman explained, leaning forward and using a hushed tone. The mage's eyes immediately widened at his words. The prince felt a grin start to break out on his face. "What do you say?"

"Excuse me?" he managed. He looked beyond confused by his proposal. Virgil shook his head out and ran his fingers through his hair. "What?"

The prince rolled his eyes and approached the cell. He grabbed a hold of the bars, leaning his face in as far as he could. "Look, I've been stuck in this castle basically my whole life," he said exasperatedly. "I used to have a brother who was a magic user, but there was an accident. Magic has been banned ever sense. I don't want to that to stay how this kingdom is for the rest of my life. I want to see it come back. I think you could help me make a point. If I could go with you to your guild and talk to them, maybe they could help us with a magic related issue and my father would see that there's potential for good in magic."

"So what I'm saying is... please?" he continued, putting his hand through the bars toward the mage. "You don't deserve to be locked up in here, and I think we could help each other."

Virgil looked at him with eyes full of curiosity, confusion, and awe. He stepped forward and glanced down at the offered hand. "Won't breaking me out get you in trouble?" he asked nervously. He looked down the hallway where guards were standing. "How do you even intend to get me out of here without anyone noticing? If you're trying to make a case for magic being a good thing, me breaking out of prison guns blazing is not the best way to do it."

"There's a secret exit that way," Roman said, nodding with his head toward the seemingly dead end of the hallway. "It's in case of emergencies if the dungeons needed to be evacuated. The guards should be switching positions soon. We'll have a couple minutes to get out of here unnoticed."

He glanced back at the guards, seeing them discussing something. They were already preparing to change positions. He waved his hand at Virgil again, locking eyes with him. "Are you in?"

The mage looked uncertain but ended up taking his hand and shaking it cautiously. Roman sighed in relief, a smile finding its way back onto his face. He looked back toward the guards. They began heading back up the stairs. "Okay, now's our chance," he muttered, taking out his sword. He slid the blade into the lock and twisted it harshly. It popped off and the door swung open with minimal noise. He motioned for Virgil to follow him. "Come on."

He hesitated, looking scared. "What if they catch us-"

"That's not going to happen if we move fast, and besides, they'll be mad at me, not you," Roman rushed out. He grabbed a hold of Virgil's wrist. "Now come on!"

The prince was in too much of a rush to notice the way the other boy flinched at his contact. Virgil wanted to pull his wrist out of his grip, but was more focused on their prison break to be concerned about the touch. Roman pulled him toward the end of the hallway and stopped at the wall. He turned to his right and then pushed in one of the bricks in the wall. The wall slid open like a door. He nodded to Virgil and pulled him inside, closing it behind them.

A dimly lit tunnel awaited them. The mage took this opportunity to pull his wrist away, rubbing it anxiously once he did so. Roman shrugged it off and began leading the way. "This should take us to the edge of the castle grounds, near the stables if you want to get a horse-"

"No, no, we're already breaking enough rules as it is," Virgil hurried out, feeling his heart in his throat. He was struggling to remain calm.

Roman just shrugged once more. "Whatever is fine with me, I haven't been on a good adventure in years, and even those were within the kingdom," he said, a glimmer of excitement in his voice. He turned to look at Virgil over his shoulder. "This should be fun!"

"I wouldn't say that, Your Highness," he replied. "The world is more dangerous than you're prepared for. The fact that you were almost kidnapped in your hometown proves that, and that guy was right. There's plenty of criminals around who would pay a lot of money for someone like you. You'd make good leverage for blackmail. I'm not exactly a welcomed person in a lot of places either..."

He looked down at his hands, feeling them trembling slightly. He squeezed them into fists as he tried to regulate his breathing.

"Contrary to what you might think after what happened earlier, I can actually defend myself," Roman explained. "I'm a very skilled swordsman. I was caught off guard and unarmed earlier. If I had my sword, I would've handled it on my own."

"Whatever, but I'm telling you now, the world isn't sunshine and rainbows, Princey," Virgil grumbled. 

The prince huffed at his comment, pouting. "Wow, rude, I never said it was, I was just being optimistic," he said. "Are you going to be this much of a downer the whole trip? Because we're not going to get along well if that's the case. I could just walk you right back to your cell."

Virgil glared at him. "With an ego like yours, I'm going to have to refrain from strangling you, so the feeling is mutual."