Zorian raced out of the room and walked the long way to the kitchens, through the servant passageways, it was near empty as he traveled, but when he arrived at the kitchens, he saw a small number of servants gathered, chatting among themselves, even Mertal joined into their chatter.
“This could save our lord,” Zorian heard one mutter,
“The prince,” another gushed wishfully, “imagine.” she sighed.
“Why would ‘e be callin’ for our lord?” he heard a girl ask,
“I ‘ad ‘eard in town today, that the prince ‘as finally found someone to marry.”
Zorian heard someone snort, “who ‘ad told you that?”
“The princes serving boy,” they answered,
“Will,” the person burst, chuckling, “that boy knows nothin’, ‘e ‘ad told you that as a jeer, you shouldn’t ‘ave believed ‘im.”
None took notice of Zorian, carrying on to talk amongst themselves, he could hear the echoing of voices from the main keeps doors, and listened in from the frame of the kitchen doors to the front entrance.
“I am sorry your highness, but we have no one by that name here,” his stepmother spoke gently.
Zorian breathed out slowly, inhaling as he grew more and more anxious, worried why the prince had come, had he angered him that much to warrant him to find Zorian? Was he to be arrested by the prince's guards? He began to pace nervously, hoping his stepmother could turn them away, but all too suddenly he heard his stepmother's voice, “please your highness, i assure you i am hiding no one, your serving boy is lying.” Zorian felt a peek in his beating heart, Will was there, and felt angry at his friend's betrayal.
“Zorian had died years ago from a fever-no please wait-” her voice grew louder as she shouted for the princes, till from behind Zorians back he heard footsteps enter into the kitchen.
Zorian turned, and a flood of relief came over him as he saw Mule, with a frowning Will following close behind. The boy looked around the kitchen till he spotted Zorian, “Mule, what are you-” but Zorians words ended as he gazed at Mule, looking internally at his attire, which was a fair make, with velvet and golden thread with the richly dyed red and a sword at his side with a jeweled encrusted hilt placed fittingly into a scabbard. Zorian gulped, “your the prince,” Zorian breathed,
The prince stepped to Zorian, his hands holding softly to the boy. “I am,” he sighed.
“You lied to me-”
“I hadn’t meant to, i was fearful it would scare you away and i couldn’t bare the thought of it,”
“So you tell me that you're the prince's serving boy?” Zorian gritted between his teeth in a horrible laugh,
“Zorian,” Remulus spoke softly,
“Were you playing a game with me, tricking me with sweet words and-”
“No!” Remulus cut through, he sighed looking around the kitchen to the many who were watching. He cleared his throat, “perhaps it would be best if we were left alone for a moment.” he said to all, turning his neck to Will, giving him a look in which the boy groaned, and yelled,
“Everybody out!”
Zorian frowned as the servants began to leave the kitchen, Will ushering them out, once they were the only ones left, he began to speak again. “Why are you here? To make fun of me?” Zorian asked in a scoff,
Remulus squeezed Zorians hands, “last night you had said you love me.” he said in a shaking tone.
“That was when you were not a prince.”
“So you would not love me because of my rank, Zorian-”
“I thought I had shared my thoughts with someone who could understand, not some pomus prince, who only saw a lonely little servant boy.”
“I never saw you like that, I never would. Zorian, I love you.”
“Love me,” Zorian chuckled, “there will be nothing to love soon,” he murmured to himself,
Romulus sighed, “what must i do so that you will be mine?” he asked desperately.
Zorian pulled away from him, “leave,” he told him,
“Zorian-”
“Go!” he shouted.
Remulus glared at the floor, “I won't give up, I'll come back everyday till you admit you love me.”
Zorian sighed, “i never said that i didn’t,”
“Then-”
“But i can’t go with you, or be anything to you,” Zorian spoke clearly, “it’s too late, he’ll be-” but his words were cut off as lips planted onto his, it was soft and tender, passionate in ways their last wasn’t, Zorian took hold of Remulus’s waist as the prince steadied himself on Zorians shoulders, eventually they parted after several moments.
“Gods, please do not turn me away after that?” the prince breathed.
“Milord!” Mertal burst through the doors, “Milord, he is here, he has come for you.”
“Who?” Remulus questioned, confused, but Zorian pulled away, walking out of the kitchens and into the entrance hall. He saw the slaver who looked impatient and gazed at everything with irritation, he was a pale looking man, with blonde dark locks reaching to his shoulders, his clothes were of a high make, no doubt he was a rich man, his nose was crooked like and lips small and thin, his eyes beady and of one of the deepest of blues, Zorian held back a shiver as he gazed at the man.
“Here he is,” his stepmother announced, her hands pointing at Zorian as he came closer to her, she smiled brilliantly, a glimmer of joy in her eyes.
The slaver stepped forward, his hands gripped Zorians faces, he examined him, looking deep into his eyes, “yes,” he muttered letting go of Zorian, “he will sell well, i will surely get more than enough gold for him.”
“Sell him?” Remulus questioned, “to whom?” he asked in a darkened voice. Zorian jolted at the prince's voice, his head twisting to him.
“To the highest bidder of course,” the slaver answered carefree.
Remulus, gripped Zorians shoulder, pulling the boy behind him, Zorian grimaced and flinched at the hardened touch, his pain constricting in bouts of agony.
“you’ll not sell him,” Remulus commanded,
“Your highness, please think rationally about this,” Zorian stepmother spoke smoothly, “Zorian is but a serving boy, what reason is there to stop this? None, he will be well used served as a slave, better yet happy.” she smiled, all her words seemingly to make sense as if it were the truth. But the prince did not fall for it, he carried on his hold on the salver's blue eyes.
“How much?” Remulus asked,
“Your highness please, do not waste your gold on him,” the woman laughed, “it would be better for all if you turned your head another way, my daughter perhaps, Gwyn is a beautiful girl and-”
“I do not want her. Now how much?” he asked with more force, still gazing at the slaver.
“I had bought him for five coppers, but I want a hundred in gold, if you so persist.”
Remulus's jaw clicked, “five copper,” he muttered darkly, he closed his eyes, “Very well,” the prince seethed. “I will have someone to send you the funds today.”
The slaver nodded, “then I will postpone my voyage for a day, and I will be back to collect my other cargo, tomorrow.” the man said to the woman, she smiled tightly watching as the slaver left, all knowing well how she trained her desire to stop the slaver back and hidden tightly with her frozen raged filled eyes. Zorian could see with his eyes that every fiber of her being wanted to run after the man and begged him to take Zorian away, but her better judgment stopped her.
Remulus spun to Zorian, “how long had you known?” he asked, his fingers immediately extending to Zorians jaw, stroking his face,
“A few days,” Zorian breathed,
“And you did not think to mention this to me, i could have paid the man off or-”
“I had not known you were a prince.” Zorian defended shortly.
“You could have said something at the festival,” he shot back.
Zorian sighed, “why did you do that?”
“Because, my beloved, you are everything that I have waited for, and if you had stayed last night, you would have heard me tell you of my lies and my wish to ask for your hand.”
“And your plan if i said no,” Zorian smirked,
“Bribe you till you have no reason other than to say yes.”
Zorian chuckled, “you really are an idiot.”
Remulus smiled, “please say yes.” he pleaded.
Zorian sighed which then turned into a groan, “i would have leave here,”
“You would,”
“And live at Stregan,”
“You would,” Remulus grinned,
“I would have to start calling you Remulus,”
“You would,”
“But,” Zorian began, “i would have Will waiting upon me,”
Remulus laughed, “you would,”
“And I would not have to call you by that ridiculous name. Gods why had you chosen Mule?”
“It was the only thing i could think of,” he smiled,
“Nothing normal then,” Zorian sniggered, “but i can’t just abandon this place.”
“Then you won’t. It’s yours, I'll make sure of it.”
Zorian snorted, “how gracious of you.”
“I try,” the prince smiled, he leaned close to Zorian, landing yet another kiss.
“You treacherous snake,” his stepmother hissed, “after all I have done for you, and you take this away from Gwyn.”
Zorian stared at his stepmother, he looked up to the stairs seeing both his step sister and brother standing there. He sighed, “Gwyn, marry the damn merchant. Or i swear by the Gods-”
“They are,” Remulus interjected,
“What?” Zorian questioned, his brows furrowed,
“I do not know when, but they had a priest at the temple marry them.”
“And i will be making sure it is annulled by the end of this day.” Zorians stepmother spoke up.
“You’ll not do a thing,” Remulus said, “you had told me that you had one one within your household with the name Zorian, yet here he stands, you had lied to me, my lady.”
“I had done it for your own good, your highness,” she chuckled, though she sounded nervous to Zorians ears.
Remulus frowned, he nodded to one of his guards who took hold of the woman, “the punishment for that is rather serve at court,” the prince spoke, “in the form of cutting the person's tongue out.” the guard began to bring up his sword out from his scabbard, but Zorian stopped him,
“Wait, don’t,” he said to the prince, “i hate her but i would rather carry on the Harlingway tradition.” Remulus gave Zorian an odd look. Zorian looked to one of the servants, “take her down to the cells,” he said, “I will think of something later.” the servant did so, with the lady dragged away, though she begged and demanded Zorian to release her.
Zorian sighed deeply, he turned to Remulus, “yes,” he spoke suddenly. “I will,” he said carefully to Remulus, “accept your hand.”
Remulus smiled brightly, “you have made me the happiest of men.”
Zorian snorted, “I know.”
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