A story about a prince and his pretty consort presumptive.
Crown Prince Raffe, as the only son of High King Alizade and sole heir to the High Throne of the Ruemri Empire, is bound to fulfill one important duty for the crown. Even if that duty involv...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
SOREN'S WORLD was spinning.
"He's okay now," he said through barely clenched teeth, trying to assure the mother who clutched her child fiercely while fighting not to be overwhelmed by the black spots across his vision.
He thought he said it anyway. He was sure he did. But with the white noise still roaring in his ears, he couldn't entirely hear himself. He had managed to keep a straight face in front of Raffe earlier but now that he can grasp the entirety of what just happened, he felt like he was going to collapse any minute. He felt the knives being pressed from the back of his skull to his forehead. He didn't remember closing his eyes, but he recalled forcing them open.
Soren bit back any sounds that would give away his discomfort and desperately sought out other things for a distraction. Giving one last kiss to the child's forehead, he stood up and immediately regretted his decision when a sudden wave of nausea washed over him. His vision tilted and he knew he was falling but couldn't do anything about it.
Before he can physically react, strong arms caught him and a firm chest took his whole weight.
"I got you."
"I'm fine."
"Of course, you are."
"You're a very nosy prince."
Raffe grunted. "And you're a stupid mess. Last time I checked, I'm the stubborn one here," he scolded and scooped Soren up.
"Goddess." Soren groaned weakly. "Why are you doing this again? This is embarrassing."
"Doing what?"
He pursed his lips. "Let me down, boob. People are staring."
"Let them stare."
But despite his protests, however, Soren looped his arms around Raffe's neck, leaned close, and breathed him in.
Raffe smelled like rosewood—strong and sweet and the kind of smell that Soren hadn't realized he already loved. And though he tried, Soren was not good at hiding the ridiculous fact that he liked the way Raffe constantly fussed over him. Not that he's ever going to say it in front of him anyway. He'd die first for sure. He liked the fuss, but he didn't want to appear weak to other people. So he fought his desire to succumb to the comfort of Raffe's embrace and remained petulant.
"I'm totally alright. I can walk by myself."
Raffe just looked at him and ignored him the entire time he walked through the halls and barked orders to the El Casin guards. The stiff demeanor and the set of his jaws told Soren more than any volume of words that Raffe would ever say. Giving up, because if willfulness and stubbornness had a king it would be Raffe, Soren laid his head on his shoulder, closed his eyes, and let out a soft sigh.
He awoke with a start, only realizing he had dozed off when he felt the cool touch of a damp cloth being gently wiped across his face.
