"Good morning, my love," Kenric whispered, leaning forward to press a soft kiss against Archie's lips. The stable boy hummed, his eyes still shut as he shifted towards the prince.
They snuck back to Archie's room after a long conversation at the river and spent the night in each other's arms. Both of them needed the comfort that only the other could provide them. It was the only brightness in what felt like the darkest of days.
"Morning," Archie muttered, nestling his head in the crook of Kenric's neck as he pressed his body as close as humanly possible to his lover. Kenric ran his fingers through Archie's hair, which had gotten longer.
"It has been a while since you cut your hair," Kenric spoke.
"A while, yes," Archie hummed, his voice still barely audible. "Still not as long as yours."
"You would have to grow it for quite some time if you want it to be as long as mine," Kenric chuckled. "Besides, you look handsome with short hair."
"Are you saying I do not look handsome right now?" Archie asked, finally opening his eyes just to glare at the prince. Kenric grinned, pecking the stable boy once again before speaking.
"You always look handsome, Your Highness," Kenric said. "The most breathtaking man in the entire Kingdom."
"Some would argue and say that the title belongs to you," Archie retorted. "You are the heartthrob, not me. The most eligible bachelor of all the lands."
"I am not a bachelor though, am I? Now that I have you," Kenric replied.
"Good," Archie smiled. "Because I am not afraid to fight a bitch for you."
"Is that so?" Kenric could not help but laugh at the other man's cheekiness. "That is not what you were saying when you thought I was smitten by the neighboring princess. You were so selflessly ready to marry me off to her."
"That was before. This is now," Archie stated. "You are mine. And anybody that tries to take you away...well, they will have to grow through me."
"Huh," Kenric hummed. "I cannot say that I do not like this new side of you."
"I am still the same ol' me," Archie said.
"You are. But you are just a tad bit more sure of yourself now. More confident," Kenric spoke. "And I'd say it is a rather attractive look on you."
"I suppose I have a new perspective on things now," Archie admitted.
"What might that be?" Kenric asked.
"Everything that has happened makes me feel like life has led me to you. That you and I are meant to be. You are the best thing in my life, Ken, your love keeps me going and I will do everything in my power to safeguard what we have, no matter what it takes," Archie finished.
"Only last night you were considering this love to be a weakness," Kenric retorted.
"Sure, loving someone so deeply means having something to lose. But it also means that I have something to protect. It gives me a reason to stay strong and to fight," Archie said. "I would sooner lose myself than lose you."
"Oh, my love..."
Kenric did not know what to say. He should have been happy about Archie's confession, but a part of him was scared too. Now that there was a chance of Archie literally losing himself, more precisely his soul or at least a part of it, these were not just words. It was a very real possibility.
"You should leave soon if you do not wish to be found here, the sun is about to rise," Archie pointed out. Kenric nodded, knowing that the man was right. The last thing he wanted to do was leave him, but he had no other option. "Will you visit me again tonight?"
"Of course."
***
Archie got a couple more hours of sleep after Kenric left, and then it was finally time for him to wake up and get on with his day. He was in the stables, cleaning the stalls when someone cleared their throat behind him.
Archie turned around to find Prince James there, his arms behind his back as he stood in attention with a determined expression on his face.
"Now that you are back from your quest, when do we begin my training?" Prince James asked.
Archie was slightly taken aback, as it had completely skipped his mind that he had promised Prince James and two other boys that he would teach them archery.
"We start today at noon. There will be two more students if that is okay with you, young prince?" Archie questioned.
"Sure, I do not see why not," the child nodded. "Noon it is."
Archie was a little amused at how mature Prince James sounded, but he did not comment on it as the heir left Archie to finish his work. Archie sent word through one of the other stable hands that was going into the town to run an errand to let the other boys know that he would be starting their training today, hoping that it would reach them.
Archie went to his room to change into a different pair of clothes, ones that did not stink of the shit that he had been shoveling all morning. He was about to grab his bow before heading to the training ground, when he paused, his hand frozen in mid-air.
He could not look at the weapon the same way as before, now that he knew what it meant and the power it held. Archie gulped, before picking up his old bow that belonged to his mentor.
At the training ground, stood the three boys waiting for their new teacher. The two brothers looked rather uncomfortable as they occasionally glanced at the crown prince, justifiably feeling intimidated by his presence. Whereas Prince James looked unbothered as he stared right ahead with a blank expression on his face.
The two boys introduced themselves. They were brothers, Milo, who was twelve years of age, and Finn who was ten.
"These look mighty good, where did you get them from?" Archie asked, examining the wooden bows that they had. He wanted to put the boys at ease, so he was hoping some casual conversation would do the trick.
"Our father made them!" Finn exclaimed excitedly. "He was so happy when he got to know that you would be teaching us."
"He was. He calls you the people's champion," Milo added.
The words brought a warmth to Archie's heart. All he could do was nod with a soft smile on his face before officially starting their training. As it was just their first day, Archie only taught them how to hold the bow and the correct posture for it. He wanted them to get comfortable with the weapon first, before beginning to shoot.
He could tell the kids were not too happy about it, as they probably expected to shoot arrows, but Archie reassured them that they would soon get there.
Prince James stayed silent throughout the session, following every instruction that Archie gave without question or hesitation. Archie could not tell whether he was trying to be a good student, or if there was another reason unknown to the stable boy. Once they were done, and the brothers had left, Archie decided to ask the young prince.
"You were rather quiet today," Archie spoke. "Is something the matter, prince?"
"It is nothing," James muttered, looking at his shoes as he kicked dirt. Archie could tell that he was lying, making the brunette frown.
"You can tell me anything, you know that, right? Whatever you say remains between the two of us," Archie assured. James looked a bit reluctant at first, but then he nodded.
"The village kids...they always act different around me," James spoke. "I have tried speaking to some of them but they look so fearful just to be in my presence. I did not want Milo and Finn to be scared of me too so...so I remained quiet."
"Oh James," Archie trailed off, his frown deepening.
Having grown up at the castle and being near Kenric and his brothers, Archie did have an idea of how lonely being a royal was. Especially as the crown prince, it was clear that James had no friends. Godric had been the same way when he was younger, which played a role in his initial bitterness towards Archie.
"Nobody wants to talk to me," James whispered. "Mother says it is because I am above them but...I do not want to be above anybody if it means I can never have a friend."
"They are scared because your father is the King, and because you will be too, someday," Archie said, bending down and sitting on his knees so that he was the same height as the child. "Making friends is hard for someone in your position."
"You are my friend though, are you not scared of me?" James questioned, making Archie chuckle as he tapped the young prince's nose gently.
"I am your friend, and friends are never scared of each other," Archie smiled. "And I can assure you that you will make more friends. Milo and Finn seem like good kids, do they not? Give them a chance and speak to them. You never know when someone might surprise you."
"Okay," James replied, the corner of his lips turning upwards faintly. He met Archie's eyes for a brief moment, before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around the stable boy, engulfing him in a tight hug. Archie was taken aback at first, but he returned the gesture. "Thank you."
"There is no need for that, young prince," Archie retorted, before letting go and standing up. He ruffled James' hair, making the child groan in fake annoyance. "Now, I have some more time before I have to get back to work. So what do you say we go to the library and find a new book to read for this week?"
James nodded eagerly with a huge grin on his face, which Archie mirrored as the two of them made their way to the library. Archie stayed with the boy for another hour or so, before he eventually had to leave to go back to the stables. Archie was just about to get started with his work when there was a knock on his door.
"You missed lunch," said Sybil as Archie opened up. She had a plate of food in her hand, and Archie's brows shot up in surprise at the kind yet unexpected deed.
"Oh, uh," Archie blinked. He was used to Kenric sending Jude whenever the prince felt like Archie was not eating enough. But seeing Sybil at his door, alone for the first time was new. "Thank you."
Archie took the plate from the handmaiden, who smiled at the stable boy. Archie could not help but shift uncomfortably. If Bella and Edith's indications were true, then that meant Sybil had a crush on Archie. A crush that the man could never return.
"My pleasure," Sybil replied, her voice tender as her cheeks flushed a light pink. "Do you...do you want company as you eat?"
No, Archie wanted to say. But how could he possibly do that after she had been nice enough to bring him lunch? It seemed rude, and Archie had always been terrible at being blunt.
"That would be nice, but I do not want to trouble you if you have better things to do with your—"
"No, no!" Sybil protested. "I have some time to kill right now, anyway. My lady has gone to the town market and will not be back before sunset so..."
"Oh, um, all right then," Archie smiled awkwardly. "We can sit out—"
"No offense but it kind of smells out here. We are at the stables after all, not exactly an appetizing place to have a meal," Sybil said. "How about we eat in your room instead?"
"My room?" Archie gulped. "Uh, sure?"
"Splendid!"
***
The next part will be free on May 29, 2024, but until then, it can be unlocked for only 5 coins.