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The stars were shining brightly that night in an almost magical display and it reminded the prince of the day he met his protector, his prince charming. Of course, the young royal was well aware that his knight was most likely not part of any kind of royal family, he feels like he would know otherwise, but, at the age of sixteen, having not been outside much and only experiencing the world through countless fantasy books in his castle’s library… He certainly saw him as such.
His crimson cape flowed behind him as he ran through the hallways after having escaped the sight of his self-proclaimed best friend, his duo-toned brown locks being blown away by how fast he was going, panting softly. The only noise he made was the soft thud of his very delicate shoes, which thankfully was very much silenced by the red-carpet lining most of the castle’s floors. The prince made a sharp turn to the right, catching sight of some big dark wooden doors with golden handles and finally made it to the balcony of the highest tower, opening said doors to be greeted by the endless sky and the big opening of the circular terrace.
At first, he doubted his protector would actually show up. How was he supposed to appear in such a place? Could he fly? Well… Jougo did believe he came from a star- granted, that was silly of him to think of, besides, there’s no way the blond man could just become a shooting star and show up right by his balcony, right? Maybe he meant to say he’d simply give a signal all the way from the forest he lived in, to say hello. That seemed more plausible and in fact, the brunet began walking carefully towards the railing trying to look in direction of the big forest and catch sight of any light from within.
He couldn’t deny that he was beginning to become a little impatient, beginning to swing back and forth on the heel of his shoes and to his toes like a kid waiting for anything exciting to happen. Somehow, he hoped his friend Yubel would just show up and tell him to go back inside and go sleep, maybe they’d both see the sign together and then the prince could have a chance to talk about the knight in shining armor that he’d met and perhaps Yubel would actually believe him this time. To be fair, they tended to not believe any of the prince’s wild stories, dismissing them as mere dreams, so when Jougo had come to Yubel with a story about a white and gold knight that came from a star, they simply giggled and told the prince to stop making up such silly stories, suggesting him to start writing them up instead of wasting their potential by just speaking them up.
The royal pouted as he rested properly against the railing, completely bored out of his mind, his eyes beginning to close as he imagined his protector; bright blond hair, fair skin, beautiful smile, that white cape with gold lining just like his chestplate and boots, long lavender shirt… that white and gold mask that looked like it bore wings, he was just… dreamy and the prince swore the reason he saw him at night was because perhaps his friend was right and he was merely a figment of his wild imagination, sometimes he really did think so. Especially when he couldn’t stop thinking about the way he always held his hand, kissed it and smiled at him.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a noise, a distant neigh as if a horse was not too far away from where he was standing. That was impossible, he was all the way in the balcony in the east tower and the town was more north-west so why was a horse so close by? He opened his eyes and looked around in confusion, was he just half-asleep? There’s no way—Then it happened again, and it forced the prince to look up, making his eyes open up in complete shock, a blush grazing his cheeks.
There, in the sky was Mamoru, his protector, his knight in shining armor, riding on what looked like to be a white horse with golden wings and two beautiful blue gems underneath each wing, not to mention the beautiful blue gem-like horn coming out of its head. A Pegasus? Beautiful gems? Jougo was in complete shock, he heard of the Crystal Beasts, but those were merely mythical, rumors… creatures so beautiful they brought blessings upon any who’d encounter them. Rumors of being shown a rainbow that would grant any wish and desire, miracles. And the blond man was riding one of them like it was a common occurrence to him. He truly did look like a knight in shining armor that time, like a prince.
“Prince!” A warm and gentle voice called over as the Pegasus descended from the sky slowly, making a stop at the balcony, right behind the prince, folding its wings and turning to him as they bowed to him respectfully. “My apologies, I had things to attend to, I hope you weren’t waiting for too long?”
“N-No, it’s alright” He was still in shock, but the brunet still walked closer, his honey eyes inspecting the horse for a moment before looking up to meet the handsome masked man who expertly dismounted the horse, beginning to approach the royal as he caressed their head gently.
“I’m glad, I was worried I kept you waiting, your majesty.” He turned to the horse, smiling at them. “Thank you for the ride, Sapphire.” The creature seemingly responded to his master, acknowledging his gratitude, before the blond turned to the prince. “Ah, pardon, I should have introduced you. Prince Jougo this is Sapphire Pegasus. Sapphire, this is Prince Jougo.”
“A-Ah, p-pleased to meet you, Sapphire Pegasus!”
The prince bowed and the creature bowed once again as if it understood every little word that both of them spoke. Jougo couldn’t understand how such a majestic creature even existed and this certainly felt like a dream, perhaps he really did fall asleep before the blond even arrived and this was all a wonderful little world his mind had made up, one to make the blond seem even more magical and mysterious than before.
“Sapphire is going to be taking us to our destination.”
“Destination? We’re leaving the castle?” The brunet blinked a few times, his eyes now fixated on the protector, who chuckled softly.
“Now, this wouldn’t have been a simple invitation for a visit if I requested that you stand in a high place, now would it, prince?” This caused the prince’s cheeks to feel warmer, making him smile sheepishly and kick dust off of the ground, trying to hide his embarrassment.
“I-I guess not. You’re right.” He giggled and his eyes began shining once he caught on, jumping up and down excitedly as he approached the knight. “Wait! Does that mean I get to ride Sapphire too?!”
“Why, of course.”
Before the brunet could react he felt his protector’s strong hands around his waist, making him gasp as he felt completely flustered while he was carefully sat on Sapphire’s back, he had helped him mount the horse and not soon after the blond man followed suit setting himself right behind the prince to keep him safe and make sure he wouldn’t fall as he wrapped a strong arm around Jougo’s waist yet again, holding him close.
“Now, be careful, prince. Sapphire will take us around the kingdom for a bit.” He smiled, his voice gentle and warm. “To the skies!”
As soon as those words left him Pegasus began running full force, getting closer and closer to the railing of the terrace that the prince couldn’t help but close his eyes. But nothing came as the wind began blowing his hair and he felt the cold breeze of autumn. Slowly, the brunet took his hands away from his eyes and the sight made him audibly gasp, feeling completely amazed at what he was seeing.
Sapphire Pegasus had taken full flight, gracefully gliding and occasionally flapping his wings to keep them afloat as he gently rode around the castle and into the woods below, always keeping his distance and preferring to stay very high up, probably to avoid detection. The sight of the luscious forest left the prince in awe, the dark greens accentuated by the beauty of the moonlight, the way the lake and river shone like diamonds when the stars reflected off of the liquid, the gentle sounds of the night accompanied by the flapping of Sapphire’s wings and the breathing of his knight behind him, everything felt picture perfect, wonderful.
Feeling the wind blow his hair, the way they flew so effortlessly… The prince felt free for once in his life. No ropes tying him down, no responsibilities, no staying in the castle, he was felt like he wasn’t a prince, tonight, at that very moment he simply felt like Jougo, the young man who wished nothing but to be free, escape his destiny as the future supreme king… to live with the one he loved most. He closed his eyes smiling and spread out his arms, trying to feel the air around him and he began laughing gleefully, pure joy emanating from the future king at that very moment.
“Look at me!” He exclaimed confidently, his gentle laughter filling the darkness of the night. “I’m free! I’m flying!”
His protector could do nothing but lovingly smile at the sight of his prince, something about the way he looked just struck him right into his heart and for once, he felt thankful to himself for deciding to present him with one of the fabled Gem Beasts he swore to keep safe. It was worth it, if only to see the joy in the young royal’s features. Love was a strong word for sure, but at that moment, he felt nothing but adoration for the younger man and gently, he took hold of one of his shoulders momentarily, making him turn around if just a little.
“Mamo?” The prince questioned him as he turned around to his side, trying to find a comfortable position as he was now balancing by properly sitting sideways, he felt safe enough by Mamoru’s hold that he decided that sitting this way was okay.
The protector did not respond with words and yet his free hand carefully took hold of the prince’s chin, turning his face so he’d face him directly. Jougo’s heart began racing, the sight of his knight under the moonlight, his hair and cape moving with the wind as his parted lips seemingly sparkled under the stars was too much for the prince to bear. The brunet felt his cheeks warm up and he unconsciously began closing his eyes as he inched ever so closely to the blond who did the same.
And their lips met, in a soft innocent kiss, expressing nothing more than the love they both secretly held for each other. The prince melted completely into his arms, placing a hand right on the blond’s chest as he continued pressing his lips to his, he couldn’t believe how soft his lips were and he swore he tasted of faint strawberries, perhaps he baked another pie, Mamoru spoke of his baking fairly often. He hadn’t tasted one yet, but this could be a good introduction to his protector’s baking.
“Prince… Forgive me… I-“Mamoru began speaking, voice trembling as he realized what he’d done once they parted ways. “I shouldn’t have-“
“Please, don’t apologize… Do… Do it again.” He didn’t intend for that to come out as a command, but Jougo meant it.
“Ah... As you wish, my prince”
They met again in another gentle kiss, cherishing their soft contact, right under the moonlight and this time Mamoru wrapped both of his arms around the prince, keeping him close and safe, sharing his warmth with Jougo, who opted to wrap his arms around his neck. The whole flight left forgotten in the back of Jougo's mind. Their hearts beating as one for that very moment. He knew right then and there, this was real. His love for him was real, not a dream.
For once, Jougo felt grateful for being a prince, for being allowed the chance to meet his protector that night, when he saw that shooting star from the very same balcony they once stood in before taking flight.
Perhaps being born as a prince was a blessing in disguise after all.