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The dragon's fire blazed around him, thanks to the protection of his shield. Roman had tried to sneak up on the beast, but he had slipped on the floor of treasures. With a deafening roar, it swung its massive tail towards him. Roman ducked behind the safety of a column just in time. With all his courage and strength, he got up quickly and ran towards the dragon's open mouth. It saw him coming, and crushed its jaws around him. Encased in saliva and ash, Roman swung his sword upwards, impaling the dragon's only weak spot, and ended the fight.
With a gasp, Roman managed to open the dragon's mouth, and get out quickly before it snapped back shut. With the battle over, he took a moment to examine his condition. Other than having a few scratches here and there, a gushing wound on his left arm, and having dragon slobber all over him, he was okay. Now it was time to do what he had come here to do.
He stumbled over to his bag that had been thrown across the room when the beast had first woken up. Roman pulled out some bandages for his arm, and gently applied them. He used the cloak he had worn as a disguise to wipe off some of the spit. Once he was all cleaned up, the prince fixed his hair, put on his crown, and made sure he was presentable, Roman headed to the inner most chamber of the caverns.
It was a shorter journey than he thought, though it consisted of many twists and turns. He knew when he had reached it at last. There were vases filled with flowers everywhere, beautiful pearl and diamond chains hung from the ceiling, and in the middle of the tiny cave, was the prince. He was sweeping what appeared to be animal remains off the floor and humming a merry tune. It was a couple moments before he noticed Prince Roman standing at the entrance. "Oh!" He waved, "Hello! Are you the one who's here to rescue me?" He walked over to the side of his prison and set down the broom. "That mustn't be an easy feat Your Highness," Roman commented as the other prince trotted towards him in a big, poofy dress.
"Well, I've gotten used to it over the years, but it's much easier when the dragon ate your only pair of shoes." He smiled at Roman, who then carefully climbed down the slope. "I am Prince Roman, pleased to meet you, Your Highness. Do you need a hand getting out of here?" He offered his arm to be polite, but his company shook his head. "No, there's a much easier way to leave than through there. Follow me. My name is Patton, and I too am pleased to meet you." Prince Patton giggled, and took Roman by the hand, leading him to a much less noticeable exit in the back of the room.
Quizzically, Roman asked his new friend, "Wait a minute. If this exit has been here the whole time, why didn't you just leave?" He could feel wind coming from the tunnel, and looked at Patton. The other prince's face saddened, and he sighed. "There's nothing for me out there. That's why I waited for someone to come and rescue me, so when I did go into the outside world again, I'd at least have a friend with me." He let go of Roman's hand, entered the tunnel.
"Hey, wait up Patton!" Roman called out, racing after him. "Hey," he said, grabbing Patton's shoulder. "Hey. You don't have to be sad. You're free! You can do anything you want now, you can see your family again, and best of all, you'll have me! Of all the princes who tried to find you, I'm the best! I'll be by your side whenever you need me!" This heart-felt statement seemed to lift Patton's spirits again, which made Roman overjoyed that he could cheer up his newfound friend.
They left the caves, the treasure, and the dragon's corpse behind. On horseback, the princes rode to Roman's kingdom, which took several days. They partied at Patton's freedom, and hung out together almost every minute. Roman rushed out to his family's garden, where his beloved prince was waiting. Except he wasn't. There was no sign of Patton, or that he had been there. "Patton!" Roman yelled worriedly.
"Patton?" He called again. Oh dear, where are you Patton? Roman wandered around the garden for ages, looking for his best friend, but to no avail. Where could he be? Remus, I swear to Them if you've done something to Patton, I'll- his train of thought was cut off by footsteps running towards him. He whirled around, sword at ready, only to see Patton jump into his arms, knocking them both to the ground.
"Patton?" Roman gasped as he hit the ground. "Yeah!" Patton clumsily clambered off him, and helped him back onto his feet. "Sorry, Princey, I completely forgot we where meeting tonight." Patton uncertainly smiled at Roman, looking nervous. Roman hugged him tight, and they stood there in the rose bushes for a few quiet moments. "Roman? Is everything okay?" The adorable prince asked.
Roman nodded, and let go. "I was just scared something might've happened to you, and I didn't want to lose you so soon." He took Patton's hands into his own as he said it, which made Patton smile. "I'm your best friend Princey, I would never leave you." They sat in silence under the moon for the rest of the night, eventually falling asleep beside one another.
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A couple years had passed since they first met, and everything had been great. The kingdom was in prosperity and Roman had finally found a prince's hand. He was going ask today, around midday, when they went to the garden to care for Patton's flowers. Roman had been trying to work up the nerve for years, but every time he got close enough, Patton or somebody else would talk about how close friends they were.
Roman sighed. Maybe he should wait until next year, just in case Patton didn't feel the same. But what if Patton met someone else by then, or what if something happened to him? Tonight was the anniversary of when Roman "rescued" his darling prince, but what if- "Hey Roman!" Patton's voice echoed down the hall. Quickly, Roman shoved the jewelry he had been saving into his pocket, and got up to go see what Patton needed.
"Yeah, Pat Pat?" Roman popped his head into the room of his favorite person ever, and was astounded to see Patton in a soft, blue ballgown. "Do you think it looks nice enough? For your family's ball, I mean." Roman slowly nodded his head, admiring Patton's beauty. "Ye-Yeah. You look gorgeous." His puffball of a prince was stunning, with the puffiness of the dress complementing the puffiness of his hair.
Patton smiled, blushing slightly at the cheeks. "Thanks Roman. I just wanted to make sure it was okay for tonight." He looked down at the many layers that have the illusion of a soft ombre from blue to gray. "No, no, Patton, it's absolutely perfect. You're absolutely perfect." He smiled at Patton. "I should go put on my outfit too and make sure it fits." They grinned, and Roman left for his room.
After trying on his new suit, and making sure he was dashing enough, Roman changed back into his regular clothes, ready for the flowers. He had the ring in his pocket, and went off to find his darling. He wandered throughout the garden a bit, before finding Prince Patton next to the lilies, his favorites. Being very quiet, he snuck up behind Patton and crouched down. "Patton?" Roman's voice softly wavered in the wind, catching Patton's attention. "Roman!" He bubbled, turning around. "I-" he paused and looked at Roman.
"Patton. I-I- I love you. I've loved you for years, and I just, I want to be with you forever, but as your husband. Would you like to be mine?" Roman's face was as red as roses, but Patton's turned a subtle pink. "Well, Roman...I don't think I'm the one for you. I love you too, but I've never said anything because we both know you deserve better. I can't marry you." He folded his arms and looked at the ground.
Crushing disappointment weighed on Roman's chest. He got up, and put the ring away. "Oh. I see." He walked back towards the palace stiffly, trying to figure out Patton's words. He turned around once, as he was about to enter the castle's doors, and saw Patton had gone back to his lilies. I guess he didn't care after all. But why say that he loved Roman, if he didn't want to get married? Had he done something wrong, something that had hurt Patton?
The clock at the center of town struck nine, it's gongs echoing loud enough that they could be heard all the way over at the palace. It was time for ball. Unhappily, Roman got into his outfit, and went downstairs to the ballroom. It wasn't even ten minutes after the gates had opened for guests and it was already almost completely full. Roman looked around to see if Patton was there, but stopped himself.
A couple hours had gone by, and Roman had to deal with the unbearable pain that was dancing with potential suitors. If only Patton were here. Even if they weren't going to get married, at least he'd have someone pleasant to talk to. Roman took a break from dancing abs went over to the drinks table. He scanned the ballroom several times over, but there wasn't any sign of Patton or his lovely gown.
Slightly concerned, Roman ventured out of the ballroom to make his way upstairs to Patton's room. Once he got there, he could hear a muffled sobbing from his prince. He slowly opened the door, as to not startle his friend. There was Patton, sitting on his bed in his beautiful dress, crying his eyes out. Roman creeped over and sat down beside him. "Hey, Pat-Pat. Is everything alright?" The prince asked, putting his arm around Patton's shaking shoulders.
Between tears, Patton spoke. "N-no, of course nothing is alright. I hurt you Roman. I love you, but I can't marry you, and it's hurting you." He put his head between his knees, with tears streaming down his face. That was what he had said earlier. "Why can't you marry me? Have I done something wrong?" Roman asked gently. Patton forcefully shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes as he said, "No, no! Roman it is not your fault at all! It's mine."
This caught Roman off guard. Patton was one of the most pure, precious people he'd ever known. How could he have done something wrong? "What do you mean?" He asked, with his voice beginning to quaver. "I'm a fake Roman. An imposter. I've been lying to you this whole time and I feel so horrible. Lying is wrong, but...I saw a chance and I took it. I'm so sorry, Princey." Patton wiped his tears and looked at Roman. The look on his face broke Roman's heart in half.
"I'm not a real prince, or even anything close to it. The dragon grabbed me as a snack, and I ran down the tunnels, to where some princess was. She taught me how to act like royalty, but was rescued a couple months after we met. Then you came down, and I just...needed that opportunity. You deserve more than me, you deserve a prince that won't lie to you."
Roman reached behind himself and grabbed Patton's glasses, which had been neatly set on a night table. He wiped his darling's eyes and placed the glasses onto his face. "C'mon Pat Pat. There's still some ball left tonight. Let's go dance." Patton smiled sadly. "You don't...care? That I lied to you?" Roman brushed the hair out of his eyes. "You're still my prince, Patton."
That night they danced together, and had a ball of a time. The wedding was a month later, and the two of them got their happily ever after