Chapter Text
"Nico, you will get a beautiful wife to serve as queen," the king told his son.
The two were in the throne room of their castle, which sat in the heart of the kingdom in which the di Angelos ruled. Nico was seated upon his father's throne as the King of Italy paced back and forth, to and fro, in front of his son, dictating Nico's future for him as he did ever since Nico could understand him. Racked with unpleasant boredom, Nico rested his elbow on the armrest of the throne, leaning his cheekbone on the heel of his hand.
He had a small table that a servant had received for him placed before him, and lie upon it a piece of parchment, which was now covered in absentminded doodles he made with his feather quill and ink. He was not paying a single shred of attention to his father, for his thoughts had been whisked away to what lie undiscovered across the ocean.
"She will be gentle, delicate, clean, cautious, kind, and obedient. She must be a natural-born leader, but know when to keep quiet when she needs to. Nico, are you listening?"
"What?" Prince Nico was ripped back into reality, apart from his daydreams and ink doodles on the parchment that sat before him.
"Nico, as the future king of Italy, you must be attentive," the king snapped.
"Must I be king?" Nico sighed, absentmindedly caressing the edges of the soft vanes of the feather on his quill with his index finger and thumb. "There must be a thousand men out there who would murder others for this position."
"That is exactly why we do not want them to serve as king, son," King Hades replied, sighing in exasperation. "Our kingdom believes in peace, unless war is forced upon us."
Nico nodded understandingly, but he was not interested. He knew that his father would arrange a marriage for him, because they have gone through many a princess, and he had not a liking for any of them.
"Nico, we have discussed this issue multiple times, you will become king, and you will get married to a princess, whether you like it or not." King Hades got fed up with Nico's playing with his quill, so he confiscated it out of his son's hand and placed it on an armrest of his wife's throne.
Nico resisted the urge to groan; that would only get him slapped. Instead, he nodded respectfully. "May I be excused?" he asked.
"Very well, just be sure to come down for dinner," his father agreed reluctantly.
"Of course, Father."
Nico nodded his head again and got himself down from the throne. He moved the table slightly so he could get out, and gracefully walked out of the room and to the staircase before looking around to see if his father was looking, which he was not. Instead of going up to his room, the prince slipped around the corner and toward the front entrance, which led to the village.
He ran all the way downhill, through the unsanitary village and down to the docks, where cargo ships were loading and unloading. He watched the waves gently rise and fall in the distance, a seagull calling to another in the clear sky, where sat a couple of fluffy white clouds, which reminded Nico of sheep.
He took off his shoes and socks and pulled up his pant legs, setting his feet up to his ankles in the harbor. The water sloshing gently against the prince's ankles emitted an aroma much more pure than the foul-smelling village, which was filled with feces and other unpleasant things Nico would rather not think about.
He kicked his bare feet around in the water as he inhaled the salty air, wishing he could explore what was beyond what his eyes, or even the high-powered telescope perched in the window of his room could see. The world wasn't flat, no, it was a round object containing many terrains and seas, filled with unexplored lands, waters, and adventures, if only Nico could see it. But no, he had to rule stupid Italy with a stupid wife by his side.
He did not want a wife at all. That might sound completely normal for a prince not wanting a wife; however, Nico felt that his case was different. He wanted a husband, not a wife. Nico wanted a husky voice telling him good morning as the prince was held close to his body, muscular and comforting, or strong arms pinning him against the wall as he kissed Nico's lips fiercely and fervidly. He wanted to be treated like he was valuable, a rare treasure. A woman's breasts and hips held no temptation for him, not as they should have. He knew that ancient Greeks thought it was more manly for a man to be attracted to other men, but times changed, and Nico wished they had not.
"Hello, Your Highness," a voice came from behind him.
Nico turned around quickly, startled, for he had no knowledge that someone was there, having been in his own little world of his fantasies, the salty air, and the serene, tranquil silence of it all, excluding the sound of the waves caressing the poles that held the docks upright occasionally, some of the young, muscular seamen, most of whom were very attractive, conversing, and seagulls shouting to each other overhead. He saw Leo, one of his favorite servants, approach him, whom soon sat down next to the prince.
"Shouldn't you be in your studies, future King of Italy?"
Nico glared at his curly-haired servant, whom he was a couple of centimeters taller than. Leo knew that he hated being reminded of his future. He shook his head. "No, he let me go early today."
"He did?" Leo asked. "That is a first."
Nico gave a slight smile to his servant before returning his gaze to the tides. "I know that he is going to force me to get married to some princess soon."
"You better hope it is Princess Reyna Ramirez-Arellano of Spain," Leo grinned. "She is beautiful, well-put-together-"
"Then she is not my preference."
"Your highness, this is why your father is forcing your betrothal," Leo said. "You are always being picky."
"That is because when I get married, I want to get married to someone I love, not to some princess I never had acquainted to," Nico explained. "I want to get married to someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and, at this moment, I do not have anyone in mind."
"Well, good luck, my friend," Leo concluded. "I hope you marry someone that works for you."
Nico gave a brief laugh. "Fat chance, knowing my father. His ideals for wives are extravagant and pretty, which is not me."
"Then what are your ideals?"
Nico thought about it for a little while before answering. "My ideal spouse is selfless, funny, kind...charming, caring, sweet, observant; sarcastic, but they get along well with everyone, strong, and skilled at combat. Someone who is challenging for me. Not to mention, I would like it very much if they were attractive."
"Good luck finding a girl like that," Leo snorted.
"Yes, a girl," Nico said to himself.
"Your Highness, I know you are only attracted to men, but that is not an option for your father," Leo told him honestly. "Not at all. If so, he would want you to get married to a boy younger than you, and no offense, but you are more of a submissive kind of boy, so that would not work out."
"I am not submissive!" Nico protested, but his attention got yanked away by a muscular seaman grunting as he loaded a heavy crate on a cargo ship.
"Of course not," Leo said sarcastically.
"Oh, do shut up," Nico snapped.
"No can do, Your Highness," Leo smirked.
"I will throw you in the harbor."
"I wish you luck lifting me off the ground."
"I despise you greatly at the moment," Nico growled.
"You cut me deep, di Angelo," Leo retorted in a sarcastic tone. "Anyways, you said you found sarcasm in the 'Your Type' category."
"And I said I would like it if they were attractive," Nico remarked.
"Okay, okay," Leo chuckled. "Shouldn't you get back before anyone notices that you're gone?"
"Probably, that would be a good idea," Nico agreed. "I do not want to get in trouble again. Last time it did not go so well."
He had to clean out the horse stables. How revolting was that? Being royalty did not change his consequences, unfortunately. If he messed up, he would have to clean the throne room, or the stables, or help the old ladies, who sort of looked like birds, also whom Leo and Nico joked about, calling them "harpies", clean the dishes and kitchens. Wandering out of the castle unsupervised would mean a big chore when he got back. Fortunately, Leo could vouch for him, saying he was chaperoning him, but it would only muffle the consequences, since he had left the castle unannounced.
"I bet," Leo chuckled, beginning to walk back toward the village to the castle. Nico followed the shorter boy, leaving his fantasies and dreams in the salty, crystal blue waters of the ocean, heading toward the object of all of his worries and fears: reality.