Chapter Text
The small velvet box sat on Yuya's wooden nightstand from when it had been given to him prior, untouched to the point that it was developing a small layer of dust. Although he knew when his mother had presented him with it over a week ago that she hadn't meant him anything but happiness, the sight of it made his heart feel heavy with stress.
'When you meet the right person, you'll know,' she said.
'I met your father when I was about your age too,' she said.
'It can all happen in an instant!' she said.
It wasn't as though it was the first time she'd ever brought up the subject of true love and really, when he was younger, Yuya had adored hearing about it. But... now that he was older, it felt... tense. It felt like... pressure. It felt like... his time to do what he wanted to do was coming quickly to an end and he wasn't prepared for that.
Yuya took a deep breath and finished adjusting the sash that ran over his chest, checking himself in the mirror one last time before leaving his room and stepping out into the hallway where his less-than-patient escort waited for him.
“Finally,” Sawatari stressed, “As much as I understand the importance of looking your best, I don't exactly appreciate being kept waiting when I told you I'd be here at 3:00pm sharp. You could show a little more respect for my time,” he lectured him, earning a chuckle and a grin from the other male.
“You'd think you were prince with the way you talk. Honestly, you'd probably suit it better than me,” Yuya joked as the two made their way down the long hallway. Sawatari snorted, turning his nose up. “Oh, there's no question in that! But alas, fate has dealt us such different cards,” he bemoaned, tilting his head back a bit and resting his fingertips on his forehead dramatically.
Yuya laughed, feeling a bit of the pressure he'd felt on his chest lifting. There was a reason that Yuya had chosen Sawatari as his personal knight that went beyond his not-quite-perfect coordination or sub par fighting skills and this was it. He could always manage to make him laugh.
Sawatari reached the two large doors that led to the throne room, pushing them open and stepping inside first, taking a sweeping bow after he entered. “The ever-late Prince Yuya has arrived!” he announced, letting Yuya walk into the room, the young prince still chuckling to himself. “Thank you, Sawatari,” he grinned, then went to stand beside his parents who sat on their respective thrones.
King Yusho chuckled a bit himself. “Oh, how kind of you to join us, Yuya! On time I might add,” he beamed.
“Although cutting it close,” Yoko interject with a bit of a huff. Yuya smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I got a little... caught up. You said you wanted me to look extra nice for today after all!” he pointed out, coming up with a quick excuse which, by her expression, his mother wasn't buying.
Today was the day the royal Prince and Princess from the kingdom of Heartland were to arrive and Yuya had been expected to be there to greet them. It was customary among their kingdoms to host the royals from a neighbouring kingdom once every couple of years. The royals from that kingdom would come stay in the castle for a few days and on the last day, there would be a grand ball held in their honor. This year, it was their turn to host Heartland.
Yuya had only been there once before, though they hadn't stayed too long as there had been some sort of... friction between his mother and the, at that time, current queen. He didn't know much about it and he'd probably have been too young to properly understand at the time even if he had been told.
Either way, his contact with the two royals coming to visit them now had been brief. So much so that Yuya could hardly remember them.
The sound of the herald entering the room mixed with the sharp jab of Sawatari's elbow snapped Yuya back into focus in time for his announcement.
“Introducing their highnesses of the Kingdom of Heartland, Prince Shun and Princess Ruri.” the herald announced, bowing and gesturing the two royals as they entered to the sound of trumpets, their guard at their sides as they stepped into the room, stopping the appropriate distance away from the king and queen.
Yuya had to admit, they were an interesting pair. The prince had a sharp, guarded look to him and an intimidation in his piercing, yellow eyes that dared anyone to try something funny. The princess, on the other hand, had a gentle, sweet aura to her, her soft smile inviting and kind. Although there was one shockingly apparent similarity between the two of them that Sawatari voiced to him before he could even finish his thought, leaning in closer to him to whisper.
“Whoa, talk about gorgeous,” he murmured, “They must have really good genes in that family. I dare say, they're almost as attractive as me!” he urged. Yuya giggled softly at that, “Sawatari, stop~” he whispered back with a grin before a sharp side eye from his mom made him straighten again.
Yusho stood up from his throne, opening his arms in a wide gesture. “Welcome to our kingdom! It is a pleasure to have you here! It is a shame that your parents could not join us.” he noted, earning a brighter smile from Princess Ruri.
“Yes, father apologizes for not being here, but he trusts that my brother and I will make for polite and suitable guests in his place,” she began before bowing her head and doing a smooth curtsy, every movement she made feeling full of grace and poise. “We thank you very much for hosting us. We look forward to seeing your kingdom this week and bringing back tales to our own.”
The queen made a whine rather close to a squeal and stood up, clasping her hands together. “Now aren't you so polite and sweet!!” she gushed, “Ohhh, how I wish I had had a girl! The Queen is certainly lucky to have someone like you!” Yoko sighed contently, earning a pout from Yuya.
“Mom!” he protested, earning a wave her hand. “Oh, Yuya, you know I love you, but sometimes a woman just needs a little girl time!” she passed off before looking at Ruri again. “Oh, I do hope you'll join me from time to time for tea while you're here,” she encouraged.
Ruri giggled, hiding her mouth behind her fingers. “Yes, of course, your highness, I would be happy to~” she smiled before she heard the sound of her brother clearing his throat beside her. She looked at him, seeing him glance towards the other quiet figure on the other side of her before a little of surprise crossed her face. She looked towards them again. “Ah yes! Before I forget, though my father does trust we'll be safe in your care, he still insisted we bring our personal knight with us. I do hope that's okay,” she explained, gesturing to the male beside her, Yuya looking at the knight for the first time now.
He had a stoic expression and though he looked youthful(Yuya had to think he couldn't be much older than he was), he had a sort of strength to him that he couldn't quite ignore. For instance... though he would never say this to his own knight, he felt like if he and Sawatari got in a fight, it would end in a short and swift manner with Sawatari on his back in an instant. He could see why their king would only feel the need to send one knight with them. Between him and, honestly, the prince himself, they seemed pretty set.
The knight's cool grey eyes met with Yuya's and the young prince couldn't help the soft gasp that escaped him. There was something about the way he looked at him that made him freeze up in an instant and sent nerves running through him, even if the gaze had left him almost as quickly as it had came.
His parents kept chatting with the royal siblings about... something, but Yuya had stopped paying attention a while ago, finding himself studying this calm, mysterious male in front of him. He looked him over from his dark purple shoulder pads that kept the black cape attached to him that fell just below his knees to the sash that ran across his breastplate, a small broach of what looked light a bird attached to it. He had to wonder if there was any meaning in that. Maybe it was part of their kingdom's crest? He couldn't say he remembered much about that when he had been there before.
He was broken from his thoughts by a sharp jab to his side from, once again, Sawatari's elbow. “Ow! Hey!” he protested probably louder than he should have, suddenly noticing everyone's eyes on him, including those of the knight he'd been dazing off about. Yuya never usually minded being the center of attention, but something about this situation made him feel meek, feeling a blush come to his cheeks.
“You were introduced,” Sawatari whispered to him in an urgent tone, much too used to Yuya's spacing by now.
“Oh! Ah! N-Nice to meet ya!” he replied quickly, again, louder than he meant, quickly bowing to them, though his tone completely casual. “Smooth...” he heard Sawatari mumble flatly under his breath and he knew he was rolling his eyes even without looking at him.
Luckily for him, his father swiftly took back the show, offering in his booming voice to show the royals and their knight to their rooms himself, stepping down the few steps in front of him to put his arms over the shoulders of the two guests and guide them out the door, chatting to them right away about stories of their parents. The knight followed behind them after a final bow to the queen and catching Yuya's eye for another fleeting moment before he too disappeared through the same door.
He heard his mother give a heavy sigh, though she got up and ruffled his hair a bit before following after Yuya's father. Well... at least he knew he wasn't in trouble. Although... he still felt like his cheeks were burning from embarrassment. Or at least... that's what he thought it was.