Andrew stayed zoned out for most of the day. Elias picked up on his lack of interest in conversation and allowed him to walk silently next to him while the prince took him for a proper tour of the castle.

Most of it was as fancy as the rest. They didn’t seem to be too big on decorating aside from their banners and a few plants. Andrew had seen movies, pictures and videos of castles that became too gaudy too quickly with the amount of crap rich people stuffed into every nook and cranny, so he appreciated the minimalism.  

“Would you like to see something interesting before we retire for the night?”

A quiet, fairly awkward dinner had just wrapped up, and the queen excused herself so quickly that Andrew didn’t get the chance to examine if her makeup was as good as Elias’. The prince didn’t seem to let his mother’s rapid departure bother him, and with how relaxed being in the hot spring had kept him throughout the day, Andrew didn’t either.

“Define interesting, because I think you and I have a different understanding of the word,” Andrew snorted. He stood up from his seat, stretching his arms above his head. At home, he had a routine for stretch breaks. He would have to make one there as well so that he didn’t get too stiff. “Also, so long as it’s not something that requires much walking, then I’m alright with it. The tour was nice, but I don’t need my feet to ache all over again after that soak fixed them.”

Elias smiled as he gave Andrew a pat on the shoulder. “I believe we do as well, but I think we’ll both agree on this one. As for walking, I can help with that.”

Andrew scrambled for purchase against Elias as he was suddenly scooped up, his hands gripping his shawl. “Hey! We’d better not be flying again!” Heights had never been a problem for him before, but trusting the unknown technology strapped onto Elias didn’t sound like a smart idea. “I would rather walk if you’re wanting to launch me into the freaking sky again.”

“No, no,” Elias laughed. “We’ll be walking, don’t worry. I just figured carrying you would be better. It’s not a long walk, but I wouldn’t want to make your feet sore again.”

The way the prince’s wings tucked further behind his back didn’t have Andrew convinced that his first idea was walking. Complaining at that point didn’t seem worth it, though, so he let it go and relaxed against Elias.

His warm arms and chest, mixed with the rocking of his steps, did their best to lull Andrew to sleep. Questions were all that kept him awake, one after the other popping up in his mind each time they turned a corner. Elias’ body temperature ran exceptionally high. Could it be the mechanism for the wings generating heat? Did he catch a cold and not want to ruin his princely character by admitting it? It was his job to be nosy. It only made sense for Andrew to dig up answers in such a strange place. Though he didn’t bother asking any out loud, still sure that Elias would give him the same lies as before.

“We’re almost there.”

Elias’ voice knocked Andrew free of his mind’s onslaught of questions. Andrew blinked away the sleep in his eyes and looked up to see where they had ended up.

At the end of the hallway were glass doors, ones that opened with a whine and revealed purple flowers growing out of thick vines over a cozy balcony. They covered the wall and the railing, some so big they looked ready to spill over the sides and fall to the ground. Andrew couldn’t recognize it as a plant he had seen before. A sweet, pollen-like smell wafted over, reminding him of the garden his mother kept at his childhood home.

The chilly night air didn’t stand a chance against Elias’ warmth, so he opted to stay in his arms, making no move to get away even as the prince walked over to one of the wooden chairs.

“Look up at the sky, Andrew. Tell me, what do you see?” Elias seemed to realize that Andrew had settled into his hold, so he stayed standing and held onto him tighter.

Too tired to give a smart-ass response, Andrew indulged the prince in whatever he was trying to show him. “Um… Stars, I guess?” He rolled his eyes before he let them steal a glance at the sky.

While his answer hadn’t been wrong, it had been incomplete. Plenty of stars, more than he had ever seen while living in the city, floated overhead, covering so much of the sky that he had to wonder how their light didn’t keep the night away. Not one but two moons hung overhead, one similar but much larger than the moon he knew, and the other much smaller and unlike anything he had seen before.

“What is that?” he whispered. Andrew pointed up at the second moon, admiring its blue and orange swirls that moved like waves. “It looks almost like it’s orbiting the moon. How in the world did you manage to pull that one off? I’d guess a projector of some sort, though that’d have to be pretty big to get that kind of picture. But I guess with how much money you seem to have, and how many people are going along with this, that might not be too big of an issue.”

Elias laughed, finally sitting on the chair with Andrew in his lap. “You keep asking me how I do things, but do you not think that perhaps a more simple answer would be that this is all real? Those are simply the moons we look up to every night.”

“Listen, I get that you’re all into making this stuff seem real, but if you’re trying to sell it to me, at this point you have to realize I’m not going to buy it.” Andrew let his hand fall into his lap with a huff. “As impressed as I am with your fortitude and the stuff you’ve made here, it’s also frustrating sometimes not getting a straight answer from you. Being stuck because you refuse to acknowledge cell phones exist is only tolerable for so long before I’ll start getting upset.”

Elias grew silent, no wind or nocturnal animals chiming in to fill the gap of their conversation. “I know this is hard,” Elias sighed. “But I don’t know how else to prove to you that this isn’t some made-up game, Andrew. You’ve flown with me, had magic guide you, and now you’re sitting under an unfamiliar sky. Are those things not enough?”

Andrew shook his head. “You don’t understand that these things can only be real in movies and books. Some handsome dragon prince ruling over a kingdom out in the middle of the woods isn’t something that just happens. And there’s no such thing as a path to get from reality into a place that it does. I’m sorry, but I just can’t believe you. Even with all of this insane stuff you’re pulling off. I won’t fall for your words and then look like an idiot when the truth comes out.”

Elias mumbled something under his breath, too muffled for Andrew to pick up. “Well, Andrew, if that’s how you feel, then I won’t push more,” he said clearly. “Just please understand that if I tell you something, I’m only trying to help and that I would never want to make you look like an idiot for believing in me.”

“Fine, fine. Let’s talk about something else now, ‘cause this isn’t getting us anywhere.” Getting into an argument with the prince seemed like a horrible idea, so Andrew racked his brain for anything they could talk about that wouldn’t lead to more of the same discussion. “Let’s find things we have in common. Do you like music?”

“I enjoy music when I get the chance to listen to it, yes. I tend to enjoy slow songs more, but I don’t mind something with more kick to it now and then. Especially at parties, which we try to have often here. It keeps the people happy and gives them a chance to socialize with people they might not have before.” The prince wrapped his arms around Andrew a little tighter. “If I threw a party here in the palace, would you like to join? You could be my special guest, and I would show you just how fun they can be. And I’ll do my best to play whatever music you like.”

Parties weren’t at the top of his to-do list. But it would be rude to turn Elias down, especially because his attempts at being entertaining while they waited to find him a way home had been alright. Any party someone like Elias would put together would be tame enough for him, anyway.

“Sure, why not? If I’m going to be here a while, then I might as well. But I doubt you’ll want to play the stuff I’m into. It’d definitely ruin the illusion.” Andrew yawned, turning so that his face was pressed against Elias’ chest. The soft material of the shawl called to him, and he wasn’t one to shy away from comfortable things. “I might need something a little fancier to wear for that, though. Unless you don’t mind your guest looking like I just rolled out of bed.”

Elias hummed, and Andrew could feel him moving, but the idea of sleep and being so comfortable had his question about what he was doing stuck behind tired lips.

“We can go into town tomorrow and find clothes for you to wear during your stay here.”

Andrew grunted in reply. The warmth of the shawl had spread over his torso, and there wasn’t much that could force him from the peaceful slumber he had fallen into.