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"Your Highness! How many times must I tell you that you cannot leave the castle without supervision?" The royal advisor wanders behind the grinning prince, agitation clearly written on his face.
"Logan,” the prince whines, all the while still grinning foolishly, “how many times must I tell you to you don’t have to call me Your Highness? Always so serious- you’re going to get frown lines if you aren’t careful...” Patton teases, laughing when Logan sputters in indignation, touching his forehead self-consciously. The blue-blooded man elbows Logan gently in the ribs, grinning when the other finally returns the smile and rolls his eyes. Patton giggles again, darting down the cobblestone road of the upper city limits and dodging people as he goes. His attendant signs, reluctantly following his prince.
The young man laughs as the breeze ruffles his tunic, blue eyes squinting in the mid-afternoon sunlight. As the King’s youngest son, Patton knows that as third heir in succession to the throne he should be more diligent. However, Patton had always had a problem with boredom and staying cooped in his quarters all day only made him more rambunctious. Sometimes to the point where he rivalled his favourite stable boy, Emile, in energy.
“Slow down, Patton,” Logan calls, amusement evident in his voice this time.
"Lighten up, Logie," he tells his attendant with a laugh. The elder only sighs, smiling as he shakes his head and trails behind the prince. “You’re such a mom, I should just call you-” however, as Patton reaches the edge of the castle walls he gasps, train of thought interrupted in excitement. “He's back!" he exclaims, catching sight of convoy of returning knights.
"Indeed he is, your highness," Logan affirms, unable to hide a small smile that appears at the sight of Patton's happiness.
"Roman!" Patton shouts as he hurries down the uneven steps towards a blond in full battle armour. Behind the young knight, several others waver in exhaustion.
"Sunbeam!" the knight exclaims as he dismounts his stallion and hugs the shorter male that races into his arms. "I've missed you,” Roman grins, kissing Patton lightly, careful not to jostle his armour too much as to upset any wounds.
"It’s been awhile- I was worried," Patton says as they separate from their embrace. "No letters this time?" he asks, pushing Roman’s sweaty bangs out from his eyes.
The taller man’s eyebrows knit together, "Really? We sent word back with a page several nights ago… Did he- did Virgil not arrive?"
Patton shakes his head, "I’ll see to it that my father sends out a search party. Maybe he was lost during the journey through the woods."
Roman smiles sadly and kisses the crown of the brunet’s hair, knowing that a slight step off the forest path isn’t the case. "I’m sure you’re right," he murmurs.
Scowling, Patton looks up, “Don’t patronize me Roman. I know very well what could’ve happened, but excuse me for being optimistic," his words are harsh, but his tone soft.
"Of course, love. Now, shall we see the king? He’ll be interested in the details of the convoy’s return."
"Surely, he will," Patton smiles, leaning up on his tiptoes to kiss Roman’s cheek one last time before walking ahead with Logan to tell his father of the news.
"So, Ser Brenin, I hear that one of your couriers has yet to return?" The King asks from his place on the throne. On either side of the King sits Patton’s older brothers, Thomas and Janus, and on the outermost throne sits Patton, sitting straight and looking regal.
Roman doesn’t rise from his deep bow, but lifts his head as he speaks: "Yes, my Lord, we are yet to receive word from Virgil."
"How long has it been since you've seen the squire?"
Roman swallows hard, "Nearly a week, your majesty." He rises and wills his body not to shake, dreading the next words.
The King nods, his face clean of any and all emotion, "Very well. Then we are to assume the worst. Obviously the lad has been taken or slaughtered by a neighbouring kingdom. Bandits, or the like, perhaps…”
Patton’s heart drops as he watches Roman’s eyes. To anyone else, his face is perfectly schooled, but Patton knows. Knows that Virgil is Roman’s best friend- knows that Roman is only barely biting his tongue as his king reduces that disappearance to ‘nothing of concern’.
But Roman keeps his composure, hazel eyes alit with newfound fire, but voice strong and respectful when he presses on."Your majesty, if I may, Virgil has been loyal to our cause for years. He stands by our knights and is an honest and true man. And," Roman spares Patton a glance who looks conflicted, but nods subtly, "if you will allow it... I would like to lead the search party to retrieve for him."
The King narrows his eyes and turns the ring around his finger for a moment, studying the knight before him silently. Roman swallows nervously but holds his steady gaze, eyes locked like the door of the dungeon he knows he could very well be throw into for overstepping boundaries.
"Very well," he finally says. "Dismissed," and suddenly, the audience is over.
Hours later, in the glow of pale moonlight in the early hours before dawn, only then does Patton finally mention the rescue mission.
"What if Virgil has been taken by another kingdom?” his voice is soft and warm, like his embrace on Roman’s side.
"Then we rescue him," the response is simple enough and the other man hopes it ends the conversation, but of course, it does not. Patton shifts from his side and slips from the bed, leaving a cold spot on the sheet where he had laid. Moments later, his willowy silhouette appears in front of the open window.
It's silent. Roman sits up and watches as Patton simply stands there as goosebumps scatter across his skin and a light breeze tousles his curls.
"What if you don't return?" Patton finally says, his voice nearly inaudible from across the room. “I know Virgil’s a spitfire, but there are rogues out there and he’s only one man. What if something bad happened to him, Roman? What if something bad happens to you?”
Saying nothing, Roman stands up and makes his way over to the smaller male. He wraps his muscled arms around the delicate yet deadly prince and nuzzles his jaw into the slanted curve of the young man's neck.
"What happens then?" Patton says slightly more frantic. It's only moments like this, when they're both sticky with sweat and oh so alone in the hours of night that Patton lets his royal composure slide; only after they've experienced the weakest and strongest pieces of one another does he let go.
"I don't know," Roman answers honestly, his throat feeling dry as the words drag past, "but we just have to hope that I return."
"Your voice tickles when you lean on me like that," Patton says after a long pause and Roman breathes out a laugh, kissing the side of his prince’s tanned throat.
"So you'll be okay without me, sunbeam?" Roman stares out into the sky, peaks of orange and pink beginning to crest over the hilltops in the distance.
"I won't have to be," Patton whispers, pausing for a kiss, "my royal pain always comes back for me."