The smell of food at the café he had been dragged to only distracted Andrew so much before he began hounding Elias for answers.

“It’s pretty weird to keep that sort of thing around, you have to admit that. And what a weird place to put it, too. A door handle? Why? What’s the point of that?” Andrew flinched, his hand nearly being pulled from Elias’ when the prince dabbed a cloth on it.

It took the townsfolk no time at all to bring Elias a box filled with first aid things when he asked for one, and he got right to cleaning Andrew’s hand as soon as they were seated at a table.

“Hold still, please. I’m almost done cleaning it, then I’ll wrap it as quickly as I can.” A few more dabs of the cloth and Elias seemed happy enough with his work, setting it aside and reaching into the wooden box for something to wrap it with. “I don’t keep anything here that would hurt the people. Everything is made and used by them all the time.”

“So, then, why the hell did the doorknob hurt me?” Andrew accepted his fate and slouched in the chair. A waiter came over and brought them water in wooden mugs, leaving the second they were able to. “How did it even do that, anyway? An electric current?”

Elias sighed. “No. This is simply another world than the one you’re from, so it would stand to reason that your body would have a poor reaction to some of the things in it. I do not have an explanation other than that.” He continued to wrap Andrew’s hand, not looking up at him as he did.

“But you got the door for me when we walked in, and you acted like you knew that it was going to hurt me when I went to open it for myself. That and we both know I don’t believe that this is some other world. You’re going to have to give me something better than that, because this really hurts, and my hand looks like it’s stained purple now.” Andrew grabbed Elias’ hand as soon as it was fully wrapped, ignoring how his burnt palm screamed at him to not flex the muscles under the sore skin. “I get it, this place means a lot to you or whatever, but if this is going to start being a problem, then I’m not going to keep playing nice about it.” He stared at the prince until he looked back at him. “I need more than that, Elias.”

Another, much heavier sigh came from Elias and he closed his eyes. “I can’t give you a better explanation, Andrew. I’m sorry, I really am, but until you realize that this is real, that I’m not trying to lie to you or hurt you, then I can’t give more than I have. I’m sorry that it’s not enough.”

Andrew clenched his teeth. Anger had always been the first emotion he jumped to, seeing as it was the easiest for him to express. But, before he could turn things into a shouting match, Elias opened his eyes again and Andrew’s fury dropped from a boil to a simmer.

“You’re not going to let this go,” Andrew huffed. “Fine, that’s fine. Just know that I’m not going to touch anything again until you give me an all-clear, and even then you’re going to start doing nearly everything for me. I’m not going to burn myself because you refuse to just tell me how this place works and drop the act.”

Elias’ defeated expression brightened. “If that’s the peaceful conclusion we can come to, then I’m alright with that. I will guide you through this world and do what I can to help you avoid any and all things that might harm you.”

“Good. I can accept that, too.” His time there would be spent being pampered a bit at least, but that didn’t stop his hand from stinging every time he moved his fingers. “Can we start the apology with some food? We’ve been sitting in this place for a while, and the cozy old-timey vibes and the smell of bread are making me hungry.”

“Food sounds wonderful.”

Andrew hadn’t let go of Elias’ hand, and he didn’t plan to, either. Even when another waiter brought over plates filled with fish, bread, and fruit, Andrew kept his hurt hand in Elias’. The prince’s warm skin offered some comfort and helped him forget about the pain for a few moments here and there while they ate.

As he ate, Andrew tried to take in his surroundings, not wanting to just sit there and think himself in circles. Elias would eventually have to tell him the truth, but until then, arguing with him and thinking too much about it wasn’t going to solve anything. He’d have to remember that his frustration would only be met with more lies, and not engage with Elias on it again.

Several people glanced at him, almost as if they could sense that Andrew was staring everyone down. That didn’t stop him from looking them over, wondering why they chose the costumes that they did. Most were boring humans, and it made him wonder again if the place had a rule about what sort of role they were allowed to play. Maybe if they paid more money, they got to be something cooler. Or, if they were all a bunch of rich people, then they enjoyed playing the role of a normal person for once.

If that were the case, Andrew found it to be a bit boring of them. Why not be something cooler if they had the choice? Rich or not, he would want to play a bigger part in something so complex. Though, that sort of game had never been his thing, so it wasn’t like he had more of an opinion on it than that.

“It seems to be raining outside,” Elias hummed, tugging Andrew’s hand more into his lap. “Is my shawl going to be warm enough for you?”

Andrew looked up from his plate, waiting to swallow his mouthful of food before responding with a shrug. “I don’t know, probably. This thing is huge on me, it’s more like a blanket, so I’m assuming yes.”

Elias smiled, reaching over and adjusting the shawl so that it was more centered on his shoulders. The prince’s plate had been finished, for how long Andrew didn’t know, but seeing it made him rush to shovel his food into his mouth faster.

“If you think that will be enough, then we’ll just hurry back to the castle. But, if you feel cold when we step outside, please let me know, and I will do what I can to warm you up.”

“Will do.” Andrew nodded and then focused once more on his food, finishing it off quickly. “When we get back to the palace, what are we going to do? I’m sure you have prince crap to do or whatever, so do you want me to just sit in my room and like, wait for you to be done? ‘Cause I won’t lie, that sounds boring as hell.”

“No, no,” Elias laughed. “You are free to go to the hot springs again, the library, or even follow me around, if you’d like. There’s nothing in the castle that will hurt you, and I want you to do what will make you the most comfortable while you’re here.”

Andrew hummed. “Follow you around? And see all the prince things you do? Hmm, I think that could be interesting, at least. Maybe I’ll finally get to see how some of this place works.”

“Perhaps you will.” Elias stood and helped Andrew get up as well. “Though, I’ll mostly be speaking with others about ways to get you home. One of the mages briefly mentioned finding answers out past the forest, so I think making a trip out there will be worth it. After the rain passes, of course.”

“Right, going through a magical forest for answers. Sounds great.”

Elias didn’t reply, instead leaving coins on the table to pay for their meals, then turning to lead them out of the café. Some of the coins looked as if they could be real gold, but Andrew didn’t have the eye for that sort of thing, so he couldn’t tell for sure. Knowing how detailed Elias was about making that place seem legit, he probably did get actual gold coins made for it.

As soon as the door opened, Andrew shivered and pulled the shawl forward a little to help cover his face. “Great, we’re in a place that has nice weather one minute, then freezing rain and wind the next.”

Before Andrew could take another step forward, Elias wrapped him in his arms, hoisting him up and holding him bridal style.

“Please tell me if I walk too quickly for you. I don’t want to jostle you too much.”

Andrew could only stare up at Elias as the prince began their walk, his cheeks suddenly hot enough to not feel the cold. A determined look filled the prince’s handsome features, and his wings were spread overhead, keeping the rain from reaching Andrew.