Schlaffhausen was a quiet little town in the middle of nowhere. It was at least a month away from the capitol by riding a horse at top speed, and three months if you were busy recruiting soldiers from any town and village you could find.

Danico watched the soldiers line up at the town square from a nearby bakery. Some of them were old, shuffling slowly to line up with the youths chattering excitedly as if they were going on a jolly field trip and not an adventure that could cost them their life. Danico bit into the sourdough bread he purchased earlier and enjoyed the resounding crunch of the crust. It was still warm, but the bread was painful to chew. It would have been great if he had some cheese or ham to eat it with or a fresh cup of coffee to wash it down. He chewed aggressively as he thought about what he overheard this morning.

Martha from down the street was seen walking to her house at the crack of dawn by the baker, Shawn from the neighboring town passed away in a milling accident, and the prince paid families to send one of their sons or fathers as soldiers to campaign with him.

He wasn’t sure who was more desperate, the prince or the people who accepted the money to send someone to their death. He can see it in his mind's eye, the families unable to support their elders sent them to die for some coins, after all, they were already old and knocking at death’s door. Might as well make a profit off of it, right? 

Children’s freedom was traded to feed themselves. Poverty ran rampant in the peasantry and oftentimes they had too many mouths to feed in a single household. It was no secret that some families would sell a child into slavery to survive a harsh winter.

Danico could only imagine the hurt as children were torn from their families with tears in their eyes and as the elderly looked at their own flesh and blood with disappointment. How tragic.

The possibility they would volunteer willingly to head into battle was not lost on Danico either. People yearned for fame and glory, and what is more glorious than helping the prince charming save his princess from whatever evil beasts dwelled in the Rose Garden.

Danico saw a young man walking purposely in front of the army gathered at the town square. The short red cape around his shoulders swung dramatically at every step. How odd, he thought the prince would have blond hair, as was often the case in fairy tales. This one however, has pitch black hair and dark eyes to match. 

At least his princely attire was not as disappointing as his looks. The white pants suited him well and he couldn’t go wrong with a short black coat with golden accents to complete the look of an imposing royal.

Danico flipped long lilac gray hair over his shoulder, and approached the prince after he was finished rallying the troupe with an impeccable speech Danico didn’t care to listen to. He tried to hide his surprise as he got closer to the prince who got shorter and shorter with every step he took. It turns out the prince was almost a head shorter than him, and Danico was not exactly a tall man.

His own pretty face blocked his view and he looked up to a man decked in full armor. He was a serious looking bulky man who frowned at Danico. “State your business,” he said coldly.

Danico smiled cheerfully. “Good day, sir knight. I wish to speak with his highness.”

“For what?”

“Business.”

The knight stared at him, unmoving and unamused.

“Tough crowd,” Danico laughed softly.

“What is it?” The conversation brought the attention of the prince who stared at Danico with slight curiosity in his eyes. It’s not everyday some random commoner would dare approach royalty with the same confidence Danico had.

Danico once again put on his best smile, the smile that got ladies swooning, grandmas pinching his cheeks and men following his every whim. He tried not to show his surprise at the charming face who glared at him through thick black lashes. Up close, one can see the princes' dark eyes were actually a violet hue so dark it almost seemed black.

The prince looked to be barely in his twenties, perhaps it’s the large amethyst eyes that made him look younger than he was. Danico forced his eyes not to wander to the small pimple under the prince’s left chin. “Good day, your highness,” he said with a dramatic bow. “I came here to join your army.”

“Can you fight?” asked the prince.

“I’m afraid not, your highness.”

“Can you cook?”

“Only the best poison known to man.”

Danico could tell that the little prince was losing his patience with him and he was getting annoyed at the haughty prince who still hadn't told him to look up from his bow.

“Useless. What am I supposed to do with someone like you? We do not need another mouth to feed.”

“I assure you, my prince, I’m not as useless as I look,” he said and finally looked up. “I could be as useful as the old men and young children who are part of your campaign.”

“Those old men and children are not here to fight. They’re here to do menial tasks like cooking and tending to horses.” The prince scoffed, his amusement showing on his face. “But you must be a jester to make me laugh at your idiotic face.”

“No, your highness, I am a bard.”

“What would I need a bard for?”

“Why, to write songs about your glory of course!”

The prince tilted his head to the side, a mocking smirk on his lips, “Alright, sing then.”

Danico froze, “Here? Right now?”

“Yes, where else? I will judge if your voice is suitable to sing me praises, otherwise…” He looked at the knight who never left his side. The knight placed his hands on the hilt of his sword to make the threat loud and clear.

Danico did not expect the prince to play along with this nonsense for so long. He thought for sure that the man would shoo him away or have his knight behead him for even daring to approach and joke casually with royalty.

Pushing a lock of lilac gray hair to the back of his ear, Danico smiled and sang his favorite song in the most dramatic and soulful way possible. He’d be surprised if none of the listeners cried.

“Twinkle twinkle, little star,” Danico sang. “How I wonder what you are.”

When Danico finished, there were several men weeping around him. “I miss my mother,” murmured all around.

Danico waited patiently for the prince to judge his song. The prince stared at him blankly.

“Ahem,” the knight coughed, snapping the prince out of whatever trance he was in.

“R-Right,” he cleared his throat. “Right, your voice is undoubtedly good. You may become my bard.”

The prince turned and walked off, the cape on his shoulders swishing dramatically.

The knight waved over a man, “Show him the ropes,” he said simply and followed the prince.

The prince and knight mounted their horses and led the troupe to the Rose Garden. “Love at first listen?” the knight teased. Now that they were mostly alone, he had let go of his strict personality and talked to his childhood friend casually.

Faris Manvel was the youngest of three brothers and was appointed as Prince Mikhail’s knight and right hand man ever since they were young.

“Nonsense,” the prince said with a red tint on his cheeks. Faris tried not to point it out. “The bard is right, I do need someone to record my glory and sing me praises!”

“Indeed? And not because the bard’s pretty face is something you enjoy gawking at?”

It was an open secret in the palace that the prince preferred men over women, and he would often gravitate to the ones who were as pretty as a flower. It was a point of contention at the royal dinner table. The crown prince needed an heir to the throne after all, but no princess or noble lady was beautiful enough to catch his attention. Prince Mikhail hoped the slumbering princess of Stachel was as beautiful as the rumors said and would make him fall in love with her at first sight.

“Sir Faris, might I remind you, you are talking to royalty?” The prince said with a haughty huff but no bite in his voice.

“Apologies, your highness,” Faris said. “But it might be good to let out all your carnal desires before you’re to be wed.”

“Sir Faris!” the prince looked at him in shock.

The knight shrugged his shoulders, his metal armor clinking. “I’m just saying. The bard seemed to be interested too. Might as well make the best of it, right? This is going to be a long journey after all.”

Prince Mikhail huffed, “I am not going to sleep around with any pretty man I see. I am not a common whore.”

Later on, there were rumors the prince pushed his knight off his horse, leaving him on the ground to gallop ahead. Danico wasn’t sure if those were true since he’s only chatted with them for a couple of minutes, but it was a funny thought that entertained not only him, but also the men all around.