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Silk sheets, silk curtains, silk carpets; he’d always been surrounded by silk. Silk was soft, beautiful, and handled with care, but it was also tough. He liked to relate himself to silk sometimes.
But then, he had never had the opportunity to discover if he was tough. Tough inside he liked to think so, but strength-wise who would he be kidding? His parents had never allowed him near a sword, like other royal sons. They had never trained him to be a fighter, to lead, he never really felt like a son, or even a person to them actually. Just an object, a beautiful trophy spawned from their love. Like a white rose in a hidden garden, admired only by themselves or those they deemed worthy. Like Anzu, his best friend.
His best friend who he was arranged to marry in two days.
Ryou sat by his usual window, sliding his hand through the ebony fur of his purring friend sitting on his lap, as usual, and looking out over the royal garden he was only allowed to venture in during the cover of night… as usual.
He was somber. He and Anzu had been friends since they were toddlers; they had learned how to walk together, that’s how long they had known each other. Unfortunately, it was also how long they had been planned to marry, breed the next line of royalty and lead the kingdom as partners.
A commotion at the door caught his attention but he couldn’t work up his usual smile as Mana entered, pushing a cart carrying silver platters containing his dinner and looking more sheepish than joyous.
“Hello Mana…” Ryou said weakly. Mana approached with a doubtful expression.
“No offense my lord, but you look awful,” she said simply.
Ryou snorted bitterly. “No offense taken, I feel awful.”
“I assume it’s about the arranged wedding just announced?”
Ryou nodded and looked up to her with watery eyes. “You know I love Anzu, right?”
“Of course.”
“But…”
“You don’t love her the way they expect you to,” Mana looked down at him knowingly and Ryou nodded defeatedly once more. Mana was one of the few new servants that blundered when first meeting the prince, and because Ryou was Ryou he had only encouraged her unrefined behavior.
“Maybe I could learn to…”
“Well, maybe this will make you feel better,” Mana held out a pale envelope with Anzu’s seal pressed into dripping red wax.
“I can only guess what it’s about,” Ryou said sarcastically as he stood, his little Yugi jumping off his lap and running over to jump on his queen size canopy bed cover, curling up on the thick blankets with amethyst orbs squinting in content. Ryou took the letter and went over to his desk to fetch a letter opener.
“The letter actually arrived just at sunrise this morning, by Otogi.” Ryou listened as he carefully cut through the seal and pulled out the letter inside. Otogi was Anzu’s personal servant, like Mana was for Ryou. “He told me not to tell another soul about it and deliver it with dinner. He seemed pretty excited about it…” Ryou read over the letter and his eyes widened at his friends words.
“She can’t be serious…”
“Can I ask what she said?” Mana whispered, suddenly at his side trying to peek over his shoulder, even though she was a few inches shorter than him, and he startled slightly before tilting the page towards her.
“She wants to…” he leaned in close and continued in a whisper. “ Sneak me out. ” Mana’s face broke out into a huge smile.
“May I read?” Ryou handed her the letter and her eyes flew across the page excitedly, taking in all the juicy details. “You’re gonna do it right?” Mana asked when she finished reading, staring up at him with big excited eyes.
“I don’t know...” Ryou rubbed the back of his neck as he went over and sat on his bed, scratching Yugi behind his little black ear.
“You have to! I’ll even go with you if it makes you feel better.”
It would… “But I don’t want to get you in trouble if we get caught.”
“So you will do it?” Ryou shrugged up his shoulders.
“I’ll need to think about it.”
“Come on, you’ve never been out there! It’s just a little stroll around town, nobody will even know who you are because they’ve never seen you before.” Ryou cringed at the last part and Mana hurried to reassure him further. “Don’t worry, I'll get everything ready myself- all the arrangements- I’m going to make this happen! Plus, it’ll give you a chance to talk to her. You haven’t talked since it was announced right?”
Ryou took a breath through his nose and nodded.
“You’re right… we haven’t. I need to talk to her.”
Mana squealed. “This is happening!” Mana hurried for the door and looked back at him with her joyous expression returned, eyes sparkling and hand hesitating on the handle. “I’ll see you in the garden! Enjoy your dinner!” She rushed out but stayed composed enough not to slam the door and Ryou chuckled for the first time in days. He picked up Yugi and cradled him like a baby, the small cat pawing at the lapis lazuli jewels hanging from gold chains around his neck.
“I’m finally going out…” He hoped it was everything he dreamed and more.
-
“The prince?”
Bakura took hearty gulps of his ale, face hidden under his sand colored hood as he eavesdropped on the group of bandits a table away.
“Nobody’s ever seen him. Rumors are he’s so pretty the royals never let him out of his room.”
“I didn’t even know there was a prince ‘till they announced the wedding!”
“Those cheeky bastards sure know how to keep a secret. But then he’ll probably be a shitty king if he’s never even met his subjects before.”
“They might be better off selling him off and trying again.”
“Maybe they’ll have to if their prince goes missing…”
“Oh please, nobody’s going to even see him until the wedding, and then they’ll put him right back into hiding.”
“You’re right, I’d be surprised if they didn’t. You’d have to be quite the thief to even get onto the castle grounds!”
The bandits continued their banter and Bakura silently finished his drink and slid out of the tavern without another word.
Getting onto the castle grounds wouldn’t be hard, especially for the King of Thieves.
-
“You actually came!” Mana bounced on the soles of her feet as her white haired prince exited the secret passageway door leading into the gardens.
“It’s been a long time since I used the passageways,” Ryou coughed as he brushed dust off his fine roebs. Mana took his hands and met his eyes excitedly.
“Are you ready?” Ryou cringed and shrugged his shoulders up uncomfortably.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. So... not very.”
“Perfect! Let’s go!” Mana tugged him across the garden and into another forgotten passageway, lined with years worth of dust and cobwebs from not being used. The narrow passage wavered up and down until eventually Mana let go of his hand to beat and push the stone sliding door open and get them both through before closing it again.
“I am covered in dirt and dust,” Ryou grumbled. Mana pat his shoulder with a grimey hand, further dirtying his robes.
“Don’t worry, it would be stranger if you weren’t. You look a little too fancy though, so here,” she pulled a sandy colored cape out of her satchel and draped it over his shoulders. “It gets cold at night, also this’ll cover you up!”
He tied the cape around the silver button at the top and pulled the fabric around himself. “Thank you.”
“We should get going before they think you bailed out.”
“Where are we meeting them?”
“At a discrete bar in town. I think it would have been better if they came here but then they could have been followed.” Ryou swallowed and dug his heels into the soil under his feet. “Don’t worry!” Mana took his hand again, noticing his unease. “I’ll hold your hand the whole way if it makes you feel better.”
“It does… Thank you Mana.”
“It’s my pleasure. C’mon let’s go!” And then the prince’s excitable brunette servant was off once more, tugging him into the unknown.
-
Ryou was in awe. The streets of his home city were buzzing with festivities, dance and drink. Ryou stumbled multiple times as children ran by, catching him on his trailing robes and pushing passed him as they chased each other through the streets. Ornamental lamps were hung from post to post and ale given out freely by multiple shops.
A smile had latched itself onto his face. He had never seen so much color or heard so much laughter outside or inside of the palace, much less his own room. It was refreshing and wondrous; he never wanted to leave.
They entered a small ale house that looked more like a large home than a restaurant and Mana elbowed the prince when she noticed the two figures in the corner.
“There they are! Hey!” Mana waved and the two were up to greet them in a second.
“Ryou,” Anzu pulled back her hood and squeezed the prince like they hadn’t seen each other for years, Ryou squeezing back just as hard. When they pulled away he and Otogi shared a nod before they all sat at the small table.
“Want a drink?” Anzu asked and Ryou shrugged his shoulders.
“Maybe later… I’ve never had anything other than wine…”
“Speak for yourself,” Otogi said before taking a long drink of his ale and wiping the foam from his lip with a laugh.
“So Ryou, about the wedding,” Anzu started, breaking the gates right off and Ryou’s heart seemed to skip a beat as all the blood in his body seemed to slow for a second. “You know I love you very dearly, but…” She shared a look with Otogi and their hands slid together, squeezing slightly. “I… I just can’t marry you.”
“Oh thank the gods-” Anzu’s brows shot up and she scoffed a laugh as Ryou stuttered to correct himself. “I mean - I, uh, feel the same way.” He wrung his hands in his lap. “I- I love you too but… not in that way…” He looked down at her hand within Otogi’s and glanced between them. “It look like you’ve found your partner anyway.”
“I’m so glad we feel the same way.”
“I told you sweetness,” Otogi muttered and Anzu gave him a stubborn look as he planted a kiss on her cheek in apology for being cheeky. He then waved his empty jug around half-drunkenly and shouted. “Oi, barkeep! Bring over a full round for the four of us!”
“Wait- but what are we going to do about this?” Ryou cut in, still worried. “It’s an arranged marriage.”
“That’s another thing we wanted to talk about,” Anzu said, taking her hand out of Otogi’s and folding them together seriously. “It’s been in my head since I realized we were going to be set up to marry, since we were twelve. I started thinking about it more seriously when me and Otogi... got together.” A busty waitress brought over their drinks and they all thanked her merrily, Ryou more quietly. He boggled as Mana started chugging her drink, downing half the contents with her first take.
“We were planning on running away.” Mana spluttered on her drink at the idea and Ryou stared agape at his friend. “And we want you to come with us.”
“Yes!” Mana cheered, planting her hands on the table excitedly before remembering herself and sitting back in her seat.
“Run away?” Ryou breathed. “But… I’m an only child, Anzu. I’m the only heir to the throne.”
“And you’re unfit to rule a kingdom. This is the first time you’ve been outside the palace since we were kids!” Ryou couldn’t disagree, a little part of him even wanted to support her words. “It would be better for everyone if you traveled with us. Any single treasure in your palace or mine would be worth enough to keep all of us comfy from this lifetime to the next! We’ll take a few, pack some horses and ride to the next kingdom outside our own and finally be a part of the world rather than locked away from it.”
“It sounds tantalizing… but I’m not sure…”
“Let’s drink on it,” Otogi proposed, gesturing with his mug of frothy drink. “Tonight, we’ll drink and celebrate with the town and if you can’t get over this little taste of freedom we’ll all be on our way.”
“Why is the town celebrating?”
“Our marriage and the unity of the kingdoms.”
“But…”
“I know, kind of a let down that even if you come with us or not there won’t be a marriage, but I think it’s good the kingdom has something to celebrate. It hasn’t been this lively since before we were born!”
“I’m loving it!” Mana cheered. “Now drink Ryou! Give the world a chance!”
Ryou looked down into his jug and took a breath before taking a sip. It was bitter sweet and warm with a hint of fruit. He took a long gulp after the first taste and it warmed him from the inside out.
“What is this?”
“Mead, stewed with fruits and herbs for months.”
“It’s pretty good.”
“Drink as much as you can!” Otogi pointed at him with a raised brow. “This may be the only time you can.”
-
“How was it?”
“It was…” Ryou slumped down on the fountain, shrugged up his shoulders and breathed out the last of his sentence to the sparkling stars. “Wonderful. “
“
- Bakura flirts with Ryou to try and snatch his jewelry
- They bond over their dislike of the wedding
- Bakura saves Ryou from some bandits trying to mug them and takes him back to his hideout to show off some of his jewels
- They sleep together
- Ryou runs out of the room and back to the streets
- Ryou runs into Mana and they head back with Anzu and Otogi to the palace
- Anzu holds his hands and tells him to meet them in two nights at that exact spot if he wanted to leave
- Ryou goes into the garden to think and he and Mana talk
- The next night Bakura sneaks into the garden and finds Ryou there, thinking, petting Yugi and talking out loud to him
- He ends up crying and Bakura reveals himself
- They end up talking for a bit, Ryou vents his frustrations since Bakura knows he’s the prince then
- Bakura says he’s been places and offers to travel with him
- Ryou says he’d very much like to, but he’s a prince, Bakura says he should start thinking about himself
- “I was born into a position where I can’t be that selfish. Everything I do and say… it’s all much bigger than me.”
- “But it wasn’t your choice. This is. I think it all comes down to whether you want to be happy or miserable.” Ryou smiles and wipes his eyes.
- “Thank you. You’re quite nice for a thief who snuck into my garden to kidnap me.”
- “King of thieves. And I can’t in good conscious sell you off now. I thought you would be more stuck up.” Bakura shrugs and leans over with a hand on Ryou’s hip. “But now, I wouldn’t mind having a beautiful travel partner such as yourself.”
- They kiss and make out for a while and are broken up when Mana comes out to warn him that the guards were coming and rushes Bakura to go out through the secret passage.
- Bakura and Mana talk and Mana tells him to come back tomorrow night if he really means it about being with Ryou.
- Ryou is restricted to his room after his parents find Anzu’s letter and get the truth out of him and Mana can’t see him because only his parents most trusted servants may attend to him until they locate Anzu.
- Messengers are sent to Anzu’s palace to have her given the same treatment. They were both the only children in their families and this marriage would take place.
- Ryou feels hopeless, like he’s truly trapped, with only Yugi there to support him.
- Yugi senses Bakura coming and paws at the secret passage to his room right before he opens it.
- Ryou is incredulous that Bakura actually came for him and Bakura says Mana let him know what was going on. “I did mention that I planned on kidnapping you right? Well now I’m kidnapping you, so let's go!” Bakura grabs all his jewelry while Ryou packs actual necessities and they (plus Yugi) escape out to town.
- Mana bids them farewell at the passage exit, lamenting that she loved Ryou dearly but she had friends and a life that she couldn’t leave behind, something that she hoped Ryou could find as well.
- Ryou hands Yugi over to Bakura and he holds him awkwardly as he mews up at him. Ryou hugs Mana.
- “Tell Mahad my farewells.” Mana wipes her tears as they part. “Of course. Until next time.” “Thank you Mana. For everything.”
- Ryou and Bakura run to Anzu’s caravan and get inside, kissing and laughing as it started moving.
- “Geez, you go out of the palace one time and you’ve already got a… partner.” Anzu says.
- “Don’t give him all the credit, I wouldn’t settle for a gem less beautiful or rare than a prince.”
- “Am I just jewelry to you?” Ryou asks this kind of seriously.
- “You’re more than petty jewelry.” Ryou blushes as Bakura kisses him breathlessly. “You’re priceless.”
The End!