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The sound of a bow firing was all it took to change everything.
The arrow came from a nearby forest. Mathematicians hired by the king calculated the exact route it took to implant itself above the prince’s throne, his throne. If the aim was a millimeter lower it would have cut through flesh, imbedding his head into the wooden chair carved from the finest oak.
They never found the person who took the shot. It was too crowded. He and the rest of the family had been invited to a jousting tournament, box seats. They set him up at the perfect angle for an assassin to set up shop in a nearby tree.
It was a clear view. He was lucky his attention was drawn away by one of his sisters.
The unintentional movement saved him. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. He heard the arrow embed itself into the wood behind him, he heard the drop of silence before his mother screamed. He could only stare as he was tackled by his personal guard, then whisked away to the castle.
Everyone was on high alert after that, fighting through the thick forestry trying to find who would attempt something so heinous. The biggest question on Noah’s mind was why? He wasn’t first in line for the crown, that was his older brother, he was the youngest, never to see a hint of power. He accepted that, he dedicated himself to being better in other ways.
The assassin seemed to think that wasn’t good enough. He needed to die, he had to die, the arrow was supposed to go through his head and everyone would watch him bleed out.
The violent imagery filled his head, furthering his panic.
Assassinations weren’t a new thing among royalty, his great uncle was taken out by a man on a horse with a sword. He was apprehended and executed but, the entire family mourned for ages. They were forced to find a replacement, something that took another decade at least.
Noah wouldn’t pretend to think his death would impact anyone that greatly but, he didn’t want to die. Not yet. He had more to learn, he had already learned so much. He could be useful, he could be an asset to the family. He wouldn’t be snuffed out, not yet.
It was apparent that he still would be, in other ways. The second he got back to the palace his father demanded that he go into hiding, to a safe house hidden away in the country side.
It was jarring. One second he was relaxing with his siblings at a sporting event and the next he was being carted away with only a lone guard to a random house he’d never seen before.
The chain of events certainly made things a lot more terrifying.
He was in the carriage now, thoughts spinning in his head like a wheel, always coming back to one point again and again.
“Prince Noah, are you alright?” the guard asked, the only one allowed to come with him.
“Fine,” Noah responded, turning his nose up to meet his eyes.
His name was Alejandro, he was the son of a well respected general in the army. He’d been assigned to guard Noah since he was young and had stuck by him ever since. They were close, close enough that Alejandro could read his facial expression and know he was telling a lie.
“It is okay to be shocked, I too was surprised at the news,” Alejandro said. That was another thing about him. He spoke formally, very formal. Noah usually made fun of him for it. His father was always well spoken, it rubbed off on him.
Noah didn’t feel in the mood to jest with anyone.
“I assure you my father and the others will track this person down and execute them,” Alejandro encouraged.
“I doubt it, you heard them, they couldn’t find a thing other than a crossbow, it’s pointless,” Noah said.
It had almost been a day yet he still felt off, like any second an arrow would come flying through the window and finish the job.
“Have faith Prince Noah, all hope is not lost,” he said.
“Cut the positivity..I’m doomed..if they’re out there then they’ll find me and I’ll be dead by the end of the week..”Noah said miserably.
“And I don’t even know why…why do they want to kill me..”Noah asked, shrinking on himself.
“I don’t want to die Alejandro...”Noah said. He voice was small, hands grabbing the sides of his head.
“I am here to protect you, if they try anything I will be there to take it,” he comforted. He laid a hand on his back, rubbing circles into it. He performed the motion often, even when Noah wasn’t on the verge of panicking due to an assasination attempt.
“I don’t want you to die either Alejandro,” Noah said, taking a deep breath.
“My life is not as valuable as a prince, you know this,” Alejandro said.
“That’s wrong, your life is valuable to me,” Noah said. He made sure to meet Alejandro’s eyes as he spoke. He couldn’t stand hearing that his life somehow mattered more than a solider or a guard. He did nothing to deserve his title other than get lucky. He had no power to show for it either, he was essentially there for appearance.
“Of course,” Alejandro said to appease him. That was the end of the discussion.
He was there when the arrow was shot, he’d practically tackled him to the ground to protect him. It warmed Noah’s heart, not that he would ever share it aloud. Having someone value him so much was nice. He was one of nine siblings, there wasn’t enough attention to go around.
Everyone cared after the arrow was fired but, Alejandro cared before. He always cared.
“Thanks for coming with me..”Noah said. Alejandro was still rubbing circles into his back, humming softly.
“It is my duty, and I would have fought your father if he tried to put you with someone else,” he said with a smile. He said everything with a smile, a perfect smile.
“I appreciate it..really Alejandro you’re—“ Noah stammered
“You’re great..I..I don’t know what I would do without you.” Noah’s fist shook. He held it there, staring at it. He willed his eyes not to water. He didn’t cry, he was too disassociated when it happened. He didn’t even when the thoughts swirled. It was only when he was alone, when everything finally crashed down on him like a wave.
“Take a deep breath, it will be okay, you are safe here,” Alejandro coached. He put a hand to the sheath of his sword, moving it with his armor.
“Nothing is going to happen, we are going to be here a couple of days and then we will catch whatever fiend dared to attack you in such a cowardly manner,” Alejandro said with determination.
“I know..I know..”Noah admitted, wiping whatever escaped his eyes. Crying wasn’t becoming of a prince, he needed to get a hold of himself.
“I’m sorry..I just never thought—“
“Don’t explain yourself, you don’t have to,” Alejandro said.
“This is a stressful time for everyone, you are right to be troubled,” Alejandro said.
Noah nodded his head slowly, tilting his chin upwards. “There is no use worrying, I need to be strong, I need to show everyone that I can do this,” Noah said.
He took a deep breath, like Alejandro said. He didn’t feel much better but, he was able to compose himself.
“At ease Alejandro, you should get some rest before we get there,” Noah said.
Alejandro removed his hands from Noah’s back, nodding slowly.
“As you wish,” he said. He took a seat next to Noah, remaining rigid. It was his nature. Noah had never known him to relax, he was too worried half the time. Noah tried to get him to calm down like he managed to do for him. He had varying degrees of success.
Noah decided to look out the curtain of the cart, watching the scenery pass by. It was calming, peaceful.
They would arrive soon. Then he would be stuck waiting for his attempted killer to find him or get caught.
Alejandro didn’t provide much comfort to the situation. He was a person Noah couldn’t stand to lose. Whatever the outcome Noah felt like he would lose.
All it took was one day for his life to alter drastically. That was all he could say with certainty.
_________________________
The safe house was unimpressive. The driver pulled up and dropped them off somewhere in the middle of the country side.
They were only going to stay there for a week and then move again, for his own safety. In the mean time they were stuck watching cows graze while they adjusted to their new living quarters.
Noah put away his royal garbs, donning simpler clothes that itched in weird places. Alejandro refused to change, citing that his armor was necessary for their protection. Noah convinced him to ditch the sword, that was as good as he would get.
They stuck close together the first couple days, Alejandro following him everywhere. There wasn’t that many places to explore, the house was three rooms large: a main area, a bedroom, and a bathroom which was really just a bucket. The floors were mud and the walls were made of straw.
Noah felt like the main character of a tale he’d heard a long time ago.
He was stuck, waiting for the big bad wolf to blow his house down.
After his claim in the carriage he tried to be brave. He acted normal, he pretended they were both on a leisurely vacation. They played cards, they watched nature, they picked flowers. It was perfectly domestic with the undertone of an assassin probably hunting him.
He felt safe with Alejandro there but also worried.
The façade of normalcy didn’t break until day four.
Four perfect days he managed to hold in everything that was bothering him.
Then he messed up, he let his anxieties get to him, he drew attention to himself as weak.
Alejandro was sitting in a field while Noah walked around collecting flowers. Each were a vibrant shade. They grew well in the meadow, better than any palace garden. It was the one good thing about their “vacation” he got to breathe the fresh air, away from everyone.
There was nothing to do around the house so they made things, and shared stories. Noah was in the process of making a sash for Alejandro, out of different colors of flowers. He figured it served as a thank you for all he was doing. His sewing was rough given that he’d only read how to do it in a book, but he was making progress.
Alejandro was telling Noah a story of his father’s great battle, where he took down the enemy army and won a badge of honor from the king— Noah’s father.
Alejandro was a good storyteller. Noah was fully engrossed in the tail he wove, only mindlessly picking flowers. He would toss most of them, only a few good enough for Alejandro.
“He stared down the enemy troops with only a couple men,” Alejandro continued. Noah was drifting towards the edge of the field, the flowers growing most vibrantly near the dilapidated wooden fence that lined the property.
Alejandro’s words continued but, Noah stopped listening.
He heard the sound of a bow being drawn, the wood being pushed back. It was quite distinct. Noah dropped the flowers he was holding to the ground. He felt frozen, eyes darting around but body unable to move.
He noticed a shadow behind a tree, the sound of footsteps trampling on the beautiful meadow.
A guttural sound escaped his throat. The sound drew Alejandro’s attention.
“Noah!” Alejandro cried from across the field.
Noah finally regained his senses. He sprinted, as fast as he could go, towards Alejandro. The sound of wood stretching echoed in his ears, dulling the sound of footsteps— or someone else’s.
He didn’t stop until he grabbed onto Alejandro, squeezing tightly. “I heard it, I heard a bow, I know it was there in that tree, I know it,” he said, stumbling over his words as he struggled to breath.
Alejandro held a protective hand over him, stepping forward.
“Who is there?” he asked.
Only the wind responded. Noah turned his head, seeing an empty meadow behind him. He saw where he dropped the flowers he was collecting, no one was behind the tree. In fact he couldn’t even see indents in the ground.
“Perhaps it was the wind blowing the branches,” Alejandro justified.
Noah shook his head slowly. He couldn’t have imagined it, it felt so real.
Maybe he just wasn’t over everything. It had nearly been a week yet it felt like yesterday.
“Let’s go inside,” Noah said coldly.
“Of course,” Alejandro said. And that was that.
_________________________
The fire crackled softly.
Alejandro draped his arm over Noah’s neck, holding him close. They didn’t sleep apart, Alejandro refused to. Noah didn’t mind seeing that his arms were comforting. After the incident in the meadow he needed to be safe for a little while.
Alejandro still wore his suit of armor, somewhat. He had slowly disrobed himself as the days past, citing that he needed to clean each piece of armor. He only wore his chain mail, coupled with his leather gear. It was a lot softer than solid metal. Noah was able to curl closer to him until he didn’t feel worried anymore.
Maybe he was hallucinating. He was safe. He had Alejandro, he had the safe house, and most important Alejandro had a sword. He was going crazy from the stress, that was it.
He finally admitted it as he drifted off into a peaceful slumber. It was quite easy to fall asleep with the crickets chirping and the smell of lavender coming from outside.
He could hear, vaguely, words being spoken. They didn’t seem important. It was probably Alejandro telling him goodnight. He liked to wish him sweet dreams before he dozed off. Noah really couldn’t ask for a better personal guard. He wouldn’t want another one, Alejandro was perfect. Everything about him made Noah feel safe, made him want to stay close to Alejandro.
“Noah..”came a voice.
Noah groaned. “I’m trying to sleep..”he said, hoping Alejandro would get the memo.
“Prince Noah…”Alejandro mumbled.
That was when Noah realized the first voice sounded nothing like Alejandro. It was older, raspier.
Noah jolted up, seeing a man with a sword pressed to Alejandro’s neck. He held the handle tightly, a twisted smile on his face.
“Finally sleepy head, I was beginning to worry if someone else had gotten to you first, I didn’t think of poison now that you mention it, I prefer practical weapons,” the man said.
Noah felt like ice cold water was dumped on his back.
“Do not worry, I will dispose of—“
“Not so fast,” the man said, tightening his grip on the sword, and by extension Alejandro’s neck.
“I won’t have you playing hero Al, this is something I have to do and you will watch,” the man said.
“It’s Alejandro,” Noah corrected. He cleared his throat, standing up from the cot. He kept his head up, trying to look tough. He had to, because he knew without a doubt that the man in front of him was his attempted assassin.
“What do you want here heathen?” Noah asked confidentially. If only he could stop his hands from shaking.
The man laughed.
“It’s José, you won’t get more than that,” the man said. His face was largely cast in shadows but, he wore a suit of armor similar to Alejandro’s, and had a sword. He was a knight, a guard more like it. He didn’t look familiar, it was too dark to tell anyways.
“Now Al stay still for me okay, I’m going to remove the blade..if you move a muscle this little prince will get a sword through the chest..do not underestimate my reflexes,” he threatened.
Alejandro put his head down, nodding as much as the sword would allow.
“Good,” José said. He slowly slid the sword out, “accidentally” nicking Alejandro’s neck. Noah winced as Alejandro’s hand shot up to his neck. He swallowed hard, keeping his eyes trained on Noah.
“It is okay, he is harmless,” Alejandro said with moxie.
José made a move towards Noah. Alejandro shut up after that. He grabbed Noah’s arm harshly, pulling him to his side with ease. He wasn’t on the heavier side but, José made it look like he was a rag doll.
“Why not just kill me without my knowledge? Clearly you found this house so why the charade?” Noah asked. It must have been his nerves. He’d never felt so brave. His eyes caught on Alejandro looking terrified. The sight hurt Noah. He would be fine, he needed to make sure Alejandro was fine.
“I tried to earlier but, I decided that introducing myself would be more fun…after all I’m doing this for someone very close to you,” José said. He smiled, looking at Alejandro.
“Why don’t you introduce me…brother,” José said. Noah would have found the situation dramatic if he wasn’t terrified. What was he talking about? Noah wasn’t aware he had a brother.
“Enough with this José, please leave him alone, I know you simply wish to hurt me,” Alejandro said.
“And this is exactly how I’m going to do it little brother, I know how you feel about him so killing him will be a lot sweeter,,” José said. He held Noah’s arm up, shaking it as he spoke. Noah didn’t dare resist, he stared at Alejandro, only feeling more confused.
“Please José don’t, I will do whatever you want but please… it is my duty to protect him,” Alejandro pleaded.
“Duty? Don’t make me laugh Al, you love him and you always have, I saw how you looked at him before all of this it’s obvious,” José said.
“I don’t—“
“Shut up!” José said. He held up his sword, placing it promptly under Noah’s chin. The metal felt cold against his skin. Noah was afraid to swallow too harshly.
“Maybe it was a good thing I missed the first time, this is so much better,” José said.
“Please brother..I don’t understand why you are doing this..I thought you were happy?” Alejandro asked. Noah recognized the strategy. It was hostage negation 101, get the individual talking to plan an escape. Noah had read a variety of books detailing it. He never expected to be the hostage.
“Happy? I was discharged from the army, I was cast out because they had no use for me, you think I was happy? I was living off of whatever our father had left while you got a cushy castle job with your little crush,” José snarled. He tightened his grip.
“I did not know…you always wrote back that you were happy..” Alejandro said.
“I should have known you would believe my letters..typical Al,” José said.
Alejandro moved slowly, fidgeting with something behind him. It was subtle, Noah watched him like a hawk. He didn’t really have anywhere else to look given that he was stuck in place. José’s grip was harsh, nothing like Alejandro’s.
“Perhaps you should have been upfront about your ailments and I would have helped you, I care about you José,” Alejandro said forcefully. He stepped closer, like he was getting angry.
José planted his feet, bracing for confrontation.
At the last possible second Alejandro moved his arm forward, flinging something as José’s face. It was yellow, almost golden. José’s eyes shut in an instant.
Alejandro grabbed blindly for the sword. Noah could see when he grabbed the blade, hissing in pain. He didn’t stop, he kept going, pulling it with all his might so José couldn’t bring it any closer to Noah’s neck.
Noah used the chaos to slip out of José’s grasp, sliding to the floor with a soft thud.
He didn’t waste time, he got up and ran to the other side of the room, grabbing Alejandro’s sword, discarded on the ground.
“Alejandro!” Noah called.
Alejandro jumped back as José swung his sword, grabbing his own with his uninjured hand.
“Pollen..really Al? How weak,” José scoffed. His eyes were red, nose leaky.
Noah looked behind Alejandro, spying the flower sash discarded. It had been hanging on the frame of the bed, unfinished.
“I call it clever,” Alejandro voiced, holding his sword steady.
“Whatever you say, I will still beat you in combat and then I will kill that prince and leave this country,” he said.
“Good luck with that,” Alejandro said. He went in for an attack, nicking Jose’s side. He was wearing chain mail, making it hard to get a clean hit.
He attacked back, Alejandro blocking it with his sword.
Noah could only watch, trying to calm himself down at the thought that Alejandro could die at any moment.
“You are unbelievable, I cannot believe you came back after all this time to commit treason!” Alejandro said as they clashed swords. The sound of metal hitting metal probably echoed for miles.
“It’s called revenge Al and if you offered to help me I wouldn’t be forced to resort to this!”
“No one asked you to kill him, you made that decision to hurt me! I can’t..you are a monster!” Alejandro yelled.
“You will not touch him!” he said bravely. He waved his sword with great speed, displaying an effort Noah hadn’t even seen in his training. He lunged forward, side stepping José’s jab to get his sword in position of José’s neck. It was the only free area. He leveled it there, holding his shoulder.
“Move and I stab you brother, do not make me do it,” Alejandro said.
José stared at him, fear in his eyes for the first time since Noah saw him.
“You wouldn’t—“
“Don’t test me José,” Alejandro said, face growing dark.
He narrowed his eyes at Alejandro, grip on his sword tough. He remained in the position for a moment.
Then his sword clattered to the ground.
Noah breathed a sigh of relief.
Alejandro kicked it over to Noah, he promptly picked it up.
He waited another moment before releasing José.
“Go brother, now, the guards will be on your tail soon,” Alejandro said.
“Consider this my help,” he said with disgust lacing his voice.
José fought back a snarky response in his throat, only frowning.
“Fine, but they will not catch me,” he threatened.
José stepped back, looking around before taking off out the entrance to the room. Alejandro didn’t move until footsteps could no longer be heard.
Alejandro took a breath, collapsing onto his knees. His sword dropped, his hand went to his injured hand.
Noah spurred into action, bending down.
“Alejandro, are you okay?” he asked, hesitating to touch him at first. He looked tired.
“I’m okay, it is a flesh wound, it will heal,” he said, holding his bloody palm closed.
“Thank you,” Noah said before he could forget.
“I almost died..he almost killed me, he almost killed you,” Noah said. He realized that he was on the verge of freaking out again. That wasn’t what Alejandro needed.
Alejandro turned to look at Noah, eyes wide.
“I love you,” he said suddenly.
“José was right..I love you and I almost lost you tonight,” he said, voice nearly breaking. He didn’t wait, he grabbed onto Noah, pulling him into a hug.
Noah held on tightly.
“I think I love you too,” Noah mumbled into his hair, overcome with an emotion that must have been relief.
“I don’t want you to die, I never want to see you die,” Noah said quickly. He combed his hand through Alejandro’s hair, refusing to let go.
They sat there for a moment, just hearing each other breathe softly in the firelight.
“I’m sorry I brought him here, I threatened your life because I didn’t read the signs,” Alejandro whispered.
“Don’t do that, you didn’t know and you didn’t cause him to do that,” Noah said.
“But I wrote to him, I told him how much I was enjoying myself, how much I enjoyed protecting you,” Alejandro said.
“That’s no excuse for him to do what he did, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Noah comforted.
Alejandro just shook his head slowly.
“Hey this wasn’t your fault, you just saved my life at the cost of your hand, that was very courageous,” Noah said. He grabbed onto Alejandro’s shoulders, waiting for him to meet his eyes.
“I owe you my life Alejandro,” Noah said bluntly. He stared at him for a moment, feeling bravado fill him for a moment. It must have been the adrenaline.
He leaned forward and gave Alejandro a quick kiss on the lips. He felt himself turn red, meeting Alejandro’s eyes again the second he finished.
“A thank you,” he said, attempting a wink.
Alejandro didn’t look like he could form words. He didn’t need to as he grabbed the sides of Noah’s face, pulling him in for a sloppy kiss on the dirt floor of their safe house.
“I love you, I always have,” he said gingerly, holding him close.
Noah smiled, face burning as bright as the fire.
And Noah knew, in that moment, that he felt the exact same.