“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 looked like Elias’. The prince didn’t seem to let his mother’s rapid departure bother him, and with how relaxed being in the hot spring made him, 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 try and 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. I just relaxed my feet, I don’t need them to ache all over again.”

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 started to lull Andrew to sleep. Questions were all that kept him awake, one after the other popping up in his mind each time they entered a new part of the castle. Elias’ body temperature ran awfully high. Could it be the mechanism for the wings generating heat? And had the queen left them so soon because she didn’t like the fact that he questioned everything? It was his job to be nosy, it only made sense for him to try and dig up answers in such a strange place.

“We’re almost there.”

Elias’ voice shocked him back into reality. Or this version of reality. Andrew had zoned out staring at the passing brick walls and didn’t realize that they had gone to a balcony. The glass doors opened with a whine, revealing purple flowers growing out of thick vines. They covered each wall, none of which Andrew recognized as a plant he had seen before. A sweet, pollen-like smell wafted over, reminding him of a garden at a theme park he had visited once as a child.

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.

“Take a look up at the sky, Andrew. Tell me, what do you see?” Elias seemed to realize that Andrew wasn’t going to get down anytime soon, so he stayed standing and held onto him tighter.

Too tired to give his usual smart-ass response, Andrew decided to indulge the prince in whatever he was trying to show him, “Um… Stars I guess?” Looking up, however, made him forget how to breathe for a moment.

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 it still managed to be dark out. Along with them were not one but two moons. One didn’t look any different from what he was used to seeing, but the other…

“What is that?” he said softly. Andrew pointed up at the second moon, admiring the blue and orange swirls covering it 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, 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, it’s also frustrating sometimes not getting a straight answer from you. Being stuck here because you refuse to acknowledge cell phones exist is only tolerable for so long before I’ll start getting upset.”

“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. I won’t be falling for your words and then looking like an idiot for being right in the first place.”

Elias mumbled something about the use of the word “handsome” and then sighed. “Well, Andrew, if that’s how you feel, then I won’t push more. 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 wasn’t going to lead to more of the same discussion. “Let’s find things we do have in common. Do you like music?”

“I enjoy music when I get the chance to listen to it, yes. I tend to like 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 had a party, would you like to join in? 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 something Andrew had ever been a big fan of, however, he figured it would be rude to turn Elias down. Even though the place wasn’t real, he still didn’t want to get on the bad side of the prince. And it’s not like he could possibly be thrown in the middle of a mosh pit in a fantasy world, right?

“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 seemed to call 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 sleep had quickly begun to overtake him, and opening his eyes to see what he was doing sounded like too much effort.

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

Andrew didn’t give anything more than a grunt 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.