Royal Academy Diaries I

Steel & Gold ⚜ Ch. 1

His Imperial Highness Prince Darius Pahlavi of The Imperial State of Persia
Knight Academy, third year - 17
✧❈✧

"Gustav! Start the car! Now!"

Darius just laughed as they sprinted across the grass, the groundskeeper chasing after them. He held the broken off statue head under his arm, tossing it to his friend as they reached the car.

"Get back here! Vandals!" the groundskeeper shouted, waving a small gardening tool.

"Get in Haraz!" Darius yelled, pulling his friend into the back seat. "Let's get out of this joint!"

Gustav stepped on the accelerator and the four delinquents cheered and shouted as they sped away from the manor. "Yeah! We finally got it!" the boy grinned.

Dren smirked, climbing into the front seat and picking up the Grecian style head. "To haunt or not to haunt, eh Master Parvinta?" He laughed. "This is going to be the best prank we've ever pulled!"

"Patience," Darius smirked mischievously, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's all about the timing."

"What do you know?" his friend teased good naturedly. "I'm the one that's run real cons."

"Yeah yeah, we know, mobster. Hey Gustav, let's get some tunes going," Haraz suggested.

"I've got you, mate." Dren turned on the radio and tuned it to the village's music station.

Darius grinned as the music starting coming in. "I love the twentieth century."

"Yeah you do, prince of Persia," Dren chuckled. '"Hey, let's go to Eshan's!"

Haraz scoffed. "You just want to see the new girl working there. What's her name, Kamara?"

Dren looked over his shoulder at him. "Hey now, I may get into a little trouble with the crime circles at home in Albania, but even I know to be loyal to your dame."

"Ugh, you're such an Al Capone wannabe," Gustav drawled.

Dren just grinned. "Hey, every Clyde needs his Bonnie."

Darius just laughed, enjoying the wind in his hair as they drove along the green lined roads. As his friends started arguing about where to go for lunch, he looked out over the ridge that offered a picturesque view of the Andorran village below, Vanera. He thought that perhaps he could take his girl up this way sometime.

"Earth to Darius. Anybody home?"

"Hm?" He looked back to see his friends grinning at him. "What?"

"What'cha thinking about there?" Haraz asked.

"Maybe a certain princess? Mariem, perhaps?" Dren pressed, laughing as Darius swatted at him.

"Quit that," he blushed. "You know girls like a pretty view."

Gustav added, "Especially desert princesses?"

Darius glared at the back of his head. "Stay out of this Gustav. Oh look, we're here." He jumped out the moment the car pulled to a stop next to the restaurant they had decided on while he was distracted.

Dren laughed, taking the statue head with them. He half concealed it under his jacket as they walked through the stained glass doors and made their way to a booth.

Once they were seated, Darius pulled out some money and handed it to Gustav. "You know what we like, pal."

He wanted to argue, but knew it was pointless. "Fine," the boy sighed, taking the cash back to the ordering counter.

"Thanks Gustav," Haraz called after him in a sing-song voice.

The friends laughed and waited for him to come back. And once Gustav returned with the food, their voices lowered.

Darius watched as Dren put the head on the table and crossed his arms. "Alright gentlemen, what shall we do with our new friend here first?"

Dren grinned mischievously as he went over his plan. "Haraz, your presentation on Parvinta for history is this Thursday. That will get people thinking about him and revive the old legend that he still haunts the school. I say we wait a week for people to hear about how the statue was broken, then of course start the obligatory ghost sounds and disappearing items. Next will be the torn books, then the blood on the walls, the portrait, and then," his eyes glinted, "the grand finale."