Work Text:
The Somniel was tranquil and quiet. The dark, starry sky had few eyes on it, as most of its occupants were asleep. The Divine Dragon’s army had a long road ahead still, so they needed their rest.
Diamant stood by the fountain, relishing in this solitude. He often volunteered to do guard duty at night since he already had a hard time sleeping. Still, he could not help but relish in the cool, breezy night air. The grass rustled with it.
Then, silence permeated the air. Diamant noticed the waning gibbous had moved from its spot since he last looked. Almost 5 am, he thought. His shift was one more hour.
His thoughts were interrupted by a snap. He noticed that it had come from the right. He remained calm and as he looked in that direction, expecting for something to approach him.
Passing a grass path and running past the pool was Etie and Alfred, who were jogging. Their faces were red and they were panting as they made their way out of Diamant’s sight.
“Right on schedule,” He chuckled to himself.
The two exercise junkies ran down the path past by the farm, Alfred and Etie slowing their pace.
“Final push, Alfred! We can do it!” Etie said weakly, panting.
“I know, but…” He huffed. “My legs feel like bricks!”
They took a left, passing by the fountain a second time, this time on the other side. Diamant could hear their rapid footsteps from behind.
Passing the fountain, the runners made their way to the orchid, slowing down and stopping right at the orchid’s entrance. Both of them were too out of breath to speak for a minute or two.
Once the panting and their hearts slowed down, they smiled at each other.
“That felt good ,” Etie started, downing some water.
“I know! Finally, we broke through our platitude! It’s moments like these that make me feel accomplished.”
“Me too,” Etie agreed. Then, the retainer exhaled, and grabbed an apple off of one of the trees. “Here. Think fast!”
“Woah!” Alfred gasped in shock, he stretched his arms to catch the apple. With the fruit landing along his fingertips, he barely caught it. “Maybe give me more of a warning next time, haha!”
Etie then grabbed another apple, chuckling. “Don’t worry, I will.” Taking a bite out of the apple and swallowing it, Etie continued. “You know, Alfred, I’ve been thinking. I’m your retainer, so it’s probably not my business, but I’ve always wondered where your spark for exercise came from.”
“Wow, Etie, you’re asking me?” Alfred chuckled. “Don’t I come off as a simple guy who just wants muscles?” He asked, walking towards the fence on the far side of the orchid. He looked out at the dark beyond. The Somniel seemed alone.
“Well,” Etie walked up to the fence. “You do. But why do you want those muscles?”
Alfred’s smile faltered into a neutral expression, looking at his retainer. “I could ask you the same thing, you know.”
“True,” Etie nodded. “But I will say, I am not entirely sure myself. All I know is that it feels good, and that you need protecting. Maybe…those are my reasons.”
The prince looked back at the sky, sighing. “I’ll tell you my story, but you promise not to tell anyone. No one needs to know except for you, Boucheron, Celine, and Mother. It’s…sensitive.”
“Retainer’s Honor, Your Majesty,” The archer lifted up a hand with two fingers up.
“Alright then,” Alfred paused. He looked at the floating islands, and the stars as they slowly started to fade.
“As a child, I had always felt different from other people. Not because I was royal. It was this feeling that I could not pinpoint.
But, when I became a teenager, it got worse; I had developed an illness. Those were…dark years for me and my family.”
“Alfred, I had no idea. You hide it very well.” Etie responded in disbelief while retaining a relaxed tone.
Alfred hung his head over the fence, looking down into the abyss that was the night. “I tell no one about this because I don’t want to be seen as weak.” He paused as Etie raised an eyebrow. “But worst of all…people would know my secret.”
His retainer leaned forward in interest. Alfred continued. “I…wasn’t always a prince, or a boy, for that matter.”
“No way. I always thought you had two sisters with all the talk Celine gave me.”
“Unfortunately, it’s true. I only had one sister,” Alfred sighed, a wave of sadness looming over him. “When I turned eleven, I noticed changes to my body, things my Mother never warned me about. And as time passed, those changes were more apparent.”
Etie stood there in shock. For once, nothing could be said.
“Every night was an ordeal for my sister and Mother. I would be found in my room, heart rate up, shallow breathing…I felt like I was dying. There was nothing I could do to stop what was happening to me. My body had overwhelmed me. It scared Celine, and I felt bad for that, but no matter what I did, it always came back.
“When I had become too much for them to handle, Mother had appointed Boucheron to become my retainer.”
“No fair,” Etie chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. “He beat me to it.”
“My Mother’s choice made sense to me. After all, Boucheron and I were friends, and he knew exactly how to keep me calm throughout the day. We went fishing, and he showed me his favorite spots to read; He led a tranquil life. At night, when I began to feel bad, he knew exactly how to handle it, and I was taken care of.”
Alfred exhaled, out of breath. He was looking forward, a hand on his stomach.
“Can I ask you a question?” Etie piped up.
“Go ahead.”
“Was it Boucheron’s muscles that made you realize things?”
“Yes.” Alfred turned to look at Etie, his tone sounding a little more normal. “One day while fishing, I asked him how he got his muscles. He told me that he did not know, and I did not believe him. A few days later, he came to me with a book about working out, and I took it from him. I read it and began to follow its instructions.”
“Then, he must have used that book, right?”
“Nope. No,” Alfred chuckled. “Apparently he found it on the…ground.”
“Anyway,” Alfred continued. “I started working on my arms, but I started with too much weight, hoping for results overnight. But it only made my illness worse. So, I actually listened to the book and started out small, working my way up. By month six, I felt like I was starting to see a prince in the mirror, slowly yet surely.”
Alfred had a soft smile on his face. Etie looked at him, seeing the light in his eyes. “I’ve always seen a prince. And now, I see a future king, where you’re headed. You’ve worked so hard to get here now.”
“Thank you, Etie. I’m very happy that my curves have mostly toned down, and that my arms have thickened. My illness has become much more bearable in spite of some hard days.”
There was a pause. A shooting star glazed over the sky. Small hints of orange sit at the bottom. A few small clouds have formed.
“You know,” Etie chimed in. “What you have said has made me realize some things.”
“Oh? Like what?” Alfred blinked in surprise.
“I don’t like my curves either,” the retainer replied. “I actually felt…kind of giddy when I noticed I was starting to form abs and was losing my hourglass figure. But I never took interest in being super bulky like Boucheron. Or you.”
“Oh stop it! You’re making me blush,” Alfred laughed. Then, he tone turned more serious. “So Etie…does that make you a man too?”
Etie shook their head.”I don’t think so. I never felt that way. I’m not sure if I feel anything at all, actually. I just want the physique of someone who is strong and agile, but not masculine or feminine. I don’t think I knew it before, but…maybe that is one of the reasons I keep going.”
“Oh, okay then, I see.” Alfred nodded. “Do I call you something else now or…?”
“Etie is fine. Call me whatever you want, I don’t care,” They laughed. “If I do start to care though, I’ll be the first to let you know.”
Alfred chuckled too. “You sure know how to make your voice heard.”
The two of them looked out beyond once more. The sky was now stricken with pinks, purples, and a bright orange strip larger than earlier. The sun was nearly visible.
“We should go get our recovery breakfast soon, before the others wake up and begin to fill the dining hall up,” Alfred said, taking his arms off of the fence.
“Good idea,” Etie nodded. “That way, we can continue to forge our paths. To strength!”
“To strength!” Alfred raised a fist in the air. “And to our happiness.”
“Yes…to happiness!”
The two of them, smiling, began to walk their way out of the orchard and into the dining hall. Behind them was the sun rising, shining brightly on another hopeful day in the Somniel.