Work Text:
Prince Steve is not sure which was the correct option anymore.
He was told about a month ago that the princess he was to marry had been captured by Baron Strucker, and that if he wanted to ever see her –not again , because they had never met- he had to go save her.
Clichè, I know.
The best option, according to his father, was to send a search party with the best soldiers in the land so he would not get hurt –her being guarde by a dragon all the time-, but he thought that if he wanted the honor of the hand of the princess, he had to go save her himself.
The King wouldn’t let him go alone, so, just in case, he sent the best tactical soldier he had in hand, Lord James Buchanan, to be his companion in the long, awful trip. The prince knew the Lord, they had been classmates some years before in the Academy, but he wasn’t exactly fond of James as of now: they had grown into different environments –Steve being surrounded by nobelty and richness in the safe space of his castle, and James picking a fight when he had the opportunity and attending pubs every night.
They ventured into the foreign lands exactly a week after the notice was sent. Lucky for them, they knew where the Baron was hiding, so they took a direct way to the castle.
During the trip Steve and James got to bond once again, but there was always that voice into the back of the Prince’s mind telling him that he was a bad influence; that he did not need the company of such a laughable being like Lord Buchanan.
Despite of these thoughts, Steve grew fonder of the Lord, sometimes being taken aback by the attraction he felt towards him.
After two long weeks of traveling, they reached the so called Dragon Guarded Castle. James was ready to enter it and look for Princess Margaret, but Steve hesitated.
And we are back to the start of the tale.
Was he going to save the princess and marry her? Was he going to leave that poor girls to suffer?
“James, I…I don’t know what to do,” he said as he grabbed his friend’s arm, pulling him back.
James looked taken aback, “but, Prince, she is your destiny; you need to save her. You are going to marry her, for the love of God!”
“But, what if I don’t want to marry her?” he whispered low, almost to himself.
“Then, who do you want?” James asked expectantly.
“You.”
James was taken aback, to say the least, the soft gasp he let out giving him away, and he looked Steve with so much love and intensity, that the Prince had to do something. So he did: he kissed him. After a soft kiss, and love declarations, they entered the castle together, as a united front, ready to fight everything that came into their way, but they were surprised by what they found –well, what they did not find . The dragon wasn’t there anymore, and that was a surprise. On top of all that, when they reached the hall where the princess was supposed to be held captive, they didn’t find her. They searched the whole castle, but there was not a soul in there.
Kind of defeated, they returned to the lands where the Prince’s father reigned. When they went to see the King, he informed them that during the time they were gone, they were notified that the princess managed to escape by herself –with everything and the dragon- and that she claimed she didn’t want to be held married to someone she didn’t want to.
And maybe, the journey helped Steve save the love of his life; it just so happens that it wasn't a beautiful princess, but a wonderful man instead.