{ Aelius: }
Chapter 23.
'𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭,
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞.'
"Brother?" Amelia spoke.
"..Hmn?"
"Why do you keep staring at those flowers?"
"..What flowers?" Asked Aelius.
Amelia looked at her brother in disbelief.
Aelius had been staring at the white flowers that were on the table quite oftenly. He would stare at them in Deep thought, then randomly laugh or giggle at them.
As if he was having a full on conversation with the flowers anyone would say.
And Amelia looked at her brother questioningly as he did. While Toah only stared at the two.
"...Does this have to do with the prince were going to look at?"
This seemed to catch Aelius's attention.
His eyes widened and his smile lightly dropped, that's when he finally got what his sister was asking him. He looked up and stared at the two, only to get questioning faces stare him back.
And suddenly, the place was like an interrogation room. Caused by two 10 year olds.
"Y'know brother, if anyone else saw you stare at those flowers like that. They would think you fancy them." Toah told him.
And Aelius only sat in shock. Unable to muster up any words to fight back. Just how long had he been staring at those flowers like that?
He had been dozed off for a while, that he will confess. But enough to stare at them like that? It drove shivers down his spine just thinking of how he could have possibly looked.
"H-have you finished you're coffee's?" Spoke Aelius, attempting to change the topic.
"Yes, we were just waiting for you to do so." Amelia giggled.
Aelius stared down to his coffee, it was almost- to- completely full. Barely a sip had been taken from the cup.
"Not that hungry?" Aelius awkwardly laughed and sighed.
He took out his wallet and left the money he owed, before standing up and leaving the place, along with his siblings.
-------------------------------------------------------
The stage was crowded with people, a mixture of some adults and some kids could be seen in the distance within the crowd.
It was a public speech so the pay was free. It would also explain the abundance of people who waited for the prince to show his appearance in the stage.
Aelius managed to squeeze into the crowd with his siblings. The three stayed in the middle of the crowd, not too far but not too close - a perfect view of the stage for the three.
"Are we really just here to listen about the paying and stocks the prince is announcing?" Amelia asked.
"Well absolutely! What did you think we came here for?" Aelius responded.
"I thought we were here for candy." She responded back.
Aelius held both his siblings hands with an unintentional strong grip, to be completely- fully- honestly honest.
He wasn't here to just hear the prince talk about scheduling and taxes or whatever the prince was going to talk about.
But that was quite obvious to his siblings, they knew something was happening -but they kept quiet not wanting to mention it.
Then came on stage the prince that everyone had been waiting for, there was slight cheering and clapping when the prince appeared.
But it all calmed down when they saw the prince's guest on the stage with him. It was a beautiful princess who's outfit matched the prince's.
And they looked so dashing together, it made Aelius doubt the little date even more than before. Was the prince already engaged?
But what if it's just a distant relative? A million thoughts ran through his head at once. Confusing ones, loving ones, pretty ones, jealous ones, and many more.
Aelius stared the prince up and down, he looked beautiful in the outfit he weared.
With the pearly white color plastered all over the outfit with gold scattered on the outfits sides.
But he still used his mask per usual.
As if the prince could hear his thoughts, he made eye contact with him but suddenly looked away, then he looked back at Aelius then looked away.
The prince stuttered mid sentence then covered it with a cough. His face lightly heated at the view of Aelius.
And Aelius started to smile and giggle at this, he fell in love a tad bit more seeing how differently the prince acted towards him.
Then suddenly all doubts left his body and he started to feel confident again.
Grinning at the prince and tilting his head. But this time he looked away from the prince and towards the princess.
He felt a slight chill run down his spine when she looked back at him, but didn't let it show.
She wrapped her arm around the prince while glancing at him and then staring at Aelius again.
So Aelius looked away from her and towards the prince again, then this time, he felt a different kind of chill run down his spine.
The prince had such a fierce yet calmed expression on his face it took aelius by surprise. And he looked away.
And when he looked back, and the prince winked at him. And this took him by even more surprise.
Aelius released the hold he had on his siblings's hands and in unsuccessfully covered his face.
And he heard the prince chuckle mid sentence, this made him wanna dig himself a grave and die in it.
But instead of attempting to hide his face more he decided to act confident, when in reality; he was struggling to breathe.
Everytime the prince looks at him, he forgets how to breathe.
He wasn't going show that too of course.
Then came the children -and -prince meetings.
"Brother! Can we go meet the prince!!" Excitedly spoke his siblings in unison.
"Sure, just wait for you're turn okay?"
"Okay!" They spoke back.
The two patiently waited for the kids that we're with the prince to detach from him so that they could properly meet him.
And finally, they left.
The prince looked around for a minute, then quickly gave up and sighed. Placing both his hands on his hips.
The prince looked down and spotted Aelius's siblings and crouched towards them.
The prince inspected them for a little and then his face unnoticeably lit up and he quickly looked up to meet eyes with Aelius.
"Hey." Aelius smiled at him.
"I see you met my siblings." He laughed.
"They're a beautiful bundle." The prince spoke.
"You can thank my parents for that."
Then they laughed together, one crossing his arms and one instantly carrying two children.
"What's your names ?" The prince asked the children.
"Amelia."
"And this is my brother, Toah. He's a very big fan of you." She commented.
"H- hello!" Toah coughed out.
"Awe, well aren't you two cute."
"I have a feeling I'll be seeing you two a lot in the future." The prince smiled. Glancing at Aelius. And Aelius felt a heart rise to his face, but quickly dismissing it away.
"Prince." A distant voice called.
The prince turned around for a moment, and he seemed to recognize someone, releasing the children from his grasp.
"I thought I lost you for good, whoo dear." The familiar and mean looking princess said, seeming tired from searching.
"Brother, me and toah are gonna go back home." Amelia said.
"Okay.. just don't get lost Along the way." Aelius smiled at them before kissing them both in the forehead.
"Oh and, this is?" She spoke. Glancing at Aelius.
"Oh, i haven't introduced you to one another haven't i?" The prince calmly laughed.
"Princess Agatha, this is Aelius- a dear friend of mine." He told the princess.
Then the princess lightly wrapped they're arms together, making the prince look at her in shock, but quickly changing his attention to Aelius.
"Aelius, this is Princess Agatha, a guest to the kingdom." He finished.
"It's lovely to meet you, Princess."
Aelius sternly said. popping his hand out of his crossed arms. Waiting to shake hands.
"I can say the same to you, Aelius."
Then she held her hand out aswell, but with her free hand. Not letting go of the prince. And calmly smiling at him.
"Well i better should get going!" The princess said.
"I'll wait for you in the carriage, prince."
Then the princess left, leaving him and the other alone.
There was an awkward moment right then and there, the both just stared at eatchother.
Aelius wanted to speak, but he was at a loss for words. Seeing how the prince constantly stared him down questioningly wasn't really helpful either with what he tried to remember.
Then Aelius remembered why he came to the speech in the first place.
Aelius got closer to the prince, then he looked around. And chose to grab the prince's hand. Making him follow behind him into a corner, not really seen from anyone else.
"So, the date." Aelius brought up. Getting closer to the prince.
"..Date at 7?" The prince whispered.
Aelius got even closer to the prince, but the prince backed away. Untill he hit his back with the wall behind him.
Aelius inspected the prince's expressions, the more he got closer - the more the prince looked hesitant.
Aelius wanted to kiss him. But it seemed like the prince didn't, the prince's eyes wandered everywhere in the eye can see, anywhere but Aelius's eyes.
This broke the boy slightly, he didn't want to pressure the prince into anything he wasn't sure of wanting.
So instead of a kiss, it turned into a hug. A very tight one.
"A.. hug?" The prince whispered questioningly.
This caught Aelius's attention, and he felt himself breathe out air he didn't know he was holding.
"Of course. Would you expect more, prince?"
The prince didn't respond him.
"I can give you more.
I can give you everything there is to give, i may not be as rich and as praised as you are. But i promise you, that if you accept me completely, i can give you a galaxy and more than what you could imagine. Prince."
"I-.." the prince could barely speak. At a loss for words.
Then Aelius released the prince from the hug. Looking at the prince with sad eyes.
" I'll wait for you at the field of flowers." Aelius calmly spoke.
"How do you know I'll even come to the date?" Asked the prince. A stern look on his face.
Then Aelius mentally started to panic, was he not going to go?
"Oh i really hope you do, i won't force you in any way. You're so beautiful anyone would be dying to have a chance with you. But i have a gut feeling you will." Aelius smiled at him.
"...I will go then, i expect you to be there Aelius. Or i will almost litterally murder you." the prince stated.
The prince's eyes wandered from Aelius's eyes to his lips. And Aelius slightly stiffened, catching on to knowing where the prince looked.
"Goodbye Aelius." Then the prince walked off and out of the hidden alleyway.
And Aelius only stared at the princes back. His eyes didn't dare try to stare anywhere else. Fearing that if he did, the moment they just had would dissolve into thin air.
'How could i possibly give up on him, now that I've seen him? Everytime he looks at me and i look at him i just..' Aelius thought.
He was to bothered to care we're he was at the moment, he was staring at the prince go into his carriage and left.
Was it his smile?
Was it his eyes?
Personality?
Bluntness?
Laugh?
Well whatever it was,
It made him fall really damn hard.