Chasing The Cure

Chapter 11: Taming The Beast

You could tell that Prince Edward was a royal from miles away. He simply radiated that aura. He arrived on his horse, dressed in a knight's outfit, much to the surprise of Archie and Kenric. His armor was different though, it was polished brighter and had jewels embedded in it, making him stand out from the other soldiers.

Of course, the crown on his head did that too.

His wavy, blonde hair reached his shoulders. He was tall, maybe only an inch or two shorter than Kenric. His face was chiseled, his jaw sharp and his noise pointed but slightly crooked. He was clean-shaven, bringing a softness to his face. He had a half-smile on his lips. Not a happy grin, but rather an arrogant smirk that pissed off Kenric the moment his gaze fell upon the prince. His eyes were sky blue, a few shades lighter than his sister, though the two looked eerily alike. 

Archie's breath was caught in his throat as he watched Princess Eleanor step out of her carriage. He had no words to explain how she looked, she was hands down the most beautiful woman Archie had ever laid his eyes on. She had the same gentleness on her face as her brother, but hers felt more... genuine. Even with her half-hearted smile, she was drop-dead gorgeous.

Archie was not attracted to her. He had never been attracted to a woman. But he could not deny that she was stunning. He had eyes, after all. He gulped nervously as Kenric walked towards her, holding her hand as he pressed a light kiss on the back of her palm.

It was a polite gesture, that was all. But it made Archie sick to his stomach. He knew Kenric did not wish to marry her, but that was before he saw her. What if he was to change his mind after seeing how beautiful she was?

No, no, Archie lightly shook his head. He could not think this way. He was not going to doubt Kenric. He knew the prince loved him and only him. He kept reminding himself of that, which helped a little with his insecurities but did not make them go away completely.

The King and the Queen welcomed the two royals, with Prince James standing behind them. He had a bored expression on his face, which made Archie smile. He knew that the boy would rather be reading or playing than faking formalities. James sometimes reminded Archie of a young Kenric, which warmed his heart beyond measure.

When one of the knights motioned for Archie to come take the horses, he neared the group slowly and carefully. Kenric glanced at him as Archie held the rein of Prince Edward's horse. Archie met his eyes for a brief second before looking away. Just as Archie was about to walk, someone called for him.

"Stable boy!" Exclaimed an unfamiliar voice. Archie turned around to see Prince Edward looking at him. The prince ran his hand through his horse's mane, looking at the animal with affection. "I need to know my Steed will be treated well."

"Of course, sire, you need not worry," Archie replied, bowing slightly in courtesy. "I will take good care of him."

"I shall see that for myself," the prince hummed before his gaze moved to Archie. "And I shall keep an eye out for you too."

All Archie could do was nod and bow again as he took the neighboring prince's precious horse to the stables. The small interaction had his heart beating fast, and Archie could not point his finger at what the exact issue was. There was something about Prince Edward's look and his tone... it felt unsettling.

Or maybe the stable boy was just overthinking it. He was on edge because of the proposal, and he was probably jumping onto other matters to divert his mind.

Archie had neither time to practice for the tournament nor to take a short break to sit down and breathe. He worked all day- cleaning, feeding, and grooming. Two of the other stable hands had chosen the most unfortunate time to fall sick, which meant that Archie had to take on double his usual load.