Chapter Text
Brush, brush, brush...
The sound of a hairbrush running through long pink hair clashes nicely against the sound of the wind against the leaves of the large oak tree that two 17 year olds are leaning against.
"Aubrey, your hair is so pretty! I wish I could have hair as lovely as yours..." The blond prince sighs contentedly, feeling more relaxed than he has in a long time.
The pink-haired servant turns her head to the right to smile at Prince Basil.
"Hehe, not true!" She retorts "Your hair is perfectly fine as it is." She reassures, turning back around so that the prince can keep brushing her hair. "Although... My hair is a lot prettier than yours."
"Hey!.."
"What? It's the truth! You said it yourself."
"Well, yes, but-"
"See? Now keep brushing my hair."
Basil rolls his eyes, leaning his head against the oak tree that the pair had claimed as their daily hangout spot as he continues to diligently oblige Aubrey's order to make her hair perfect. Although both of them know that Aubrey would be much better at this job than Basil. But nobody speaks up, choosing to bask in the relaxation of the comfortable silence.
The silence is nice, and much appreciated, until it is interrupted by the loud voice of the instantly recognizable servant, Kel.
"YO! GUYS! OVER HERE!" He yells as loud as he can, running towards the hill that the prince and the servant are resting on.
Basil and Aubrey turn their heads, watching in amusement and confusion as Kel drags an embarrassed-looking Hero behind him.
"Gosh, I don't know how his voice isn't gone by the amount of yelling Kel does..." The blond says softly, shaking his head in concern.
"Maybe if we duct tape his mouth shut, he'll have less chance to hurt his voice..." Aubrey grumbles, annoyance bubbling up at Kel for disrupting her time with her friend.
Kel speeds over to them, abandoning Hero someway down the hill. "Guys! I was looking all over for you! How have yo-" He becomes distracted, choosing to focus on his attention on the scenery "Wow, look at that! You can see the whole kingdom from here! How cool is that?! Hero, you gotta see this!-"
The brown-haired servant looks around for his brother "...Huh?"
"He's down there, Kel!" Basil laughs, pointing down at Hero, who is struggling to climb up the hill.
After a few more seconds of waiting, the royal cook arrives.
"pant... Sorry... pant Guys... pant Hills aren't my... pant Strong suit..." Hero says, leaning over with his hands on his knees.
Basil manages to stifle his chuckle and replaces it with a kind, concerned expression.
"Um... So did you guys need us for something?..." He asks, remembering Kel's earlier words.
Kel, seemingly remembering what they were here for, responds first.
"Right! Oh man, you're gonna love this! Me and Hero totally just pulled off the best plan ever!"
"Hm?"
"Hero, quit panting like Hector and show them!"
Aubrey snickers at that, before quickly stopping, not wanting to give Kel that satisfaction of managing to make her laugh.
"R-Right!" Hero responds while sitting down in front of Aubrey and Basil, better now. "To summarize it, Kel told me to trick the head chef to make some extra desserts for us by saying that they were for you, Basil."
"Uh-huh! And behold!" Kel opens his satchel, taking out multiple items covered by napkins, and sets them in the middle of the group.
"Oh wow, really?! You actually did something useful for once, Kel!" Aubrey muses, giving Kel a playful jab in his side with her elbow
"Huh?! You must be lying!" He exclaims, excited to have not done something stupid, as he rubs his sore side.
"You're right, I am. Now give 'em here! I wanna see what you got. I swear, if you got something bad, I'll kill you."
"Ugh, fine..." He deflates, the hint of a faint pink blush disappearing from his tanned cheeks.
Basil looks curiously down at the items, reaching down to inspect the treat closest to him. He carefully unwraps it, revealing a large slice of Victoria sponge cake. The blond's mouth practically waters by just the sight of it.
The group all take their own dessert, eagerly devouring them happily with Aubrey and Kel bickering about who got the bigger slice.
"I feel bad that you had to lie to get these, but they're really nice, so I can't really complain too much..." Basil says, wiping his mouth on his napkin.
"Oh, don't worry Basil," Hero reassures, giving him his usual calming smile. "Technically we didn't lie since they really were for you, but... let's just say that we forgot to mention that they were also for us!"
"Aw, thith is awethome! Why didn't we do thith before?" Kel asks, a mouthful of chocolate cake in his mouth.
Aubrey grimaces at the sight "Because me and Basil hang out here. Not you." She says, brows furrowed.
"You can hang out with us though, Hero." Aubrey says to the chef, a teasing smirk on her face, just to annoy Kel.
"Guys..." Hero mutters, embarrassed.
Basil sighs quietly, watching the scene unfold in front of him. He wishes that his friends didn't bicker so much, although he knows that they really do love each other.
Leaning against the large oak tree, Basil reminisces with a small smile on his face. He's incredibly grateful for his friends, especially since they're the only friends he has. Being a prince, it's quite a lonely life. It's hard to make friends with the servants, since they're a bit scared of him because of his higher status.
Basil closes his eyes. It's practically a miracle that Aubrey had decided to befriend him one day. If he didn't become friends with her, he wouldn't have become friends with both Hero and Kel. Who knows where he'd be without them? Probably being forced to mask a polite smile to the other princes and princesses from other kingdoms that his parents force him to hang out with.
Kel and Aubrey had been laughing about something, before suddenly growing quiet. "Hm. That's a change..." The prince thinks, lazily opening an eye to check that everything is alright.
"Hm? What's wrong?..." He asks, concerned at the nervous expressions on his friends' faces.
"Your Highness, my apologies for the intrusion." A deep voice that Basil doesn't recognize suddenly says, making him jump in fright.
Looking behind him at the voice, he sees one of the royal escorts, an old, slender looking man with greying hair.
"U-Um, yes? I-Is there something you need me for, sir?" Basil asks, immediately turning on his 'polite prince voice'.
"Your father, His Majesty, requests you in his study."
"Um!! My father? Really? D-Did he say why?"
"He only told me to bring you there, my apologies, Your Highness."
Basil turns his head to glance at his friends, looking terrified.
"A-Ah, okay..! I'll be there right away.." He replies to the royal escort, standing up and brushing some grass off of his shorts.
"Yes, Your Highness. Right this way, please."
Standing up, he gives his friends a small smile, trying to reassure them that he'll be back soon. He is met with confused and uncertain looks from the three.
Walking with the royal escort is a bore. It took about 10 minutes just to walk down from the hill and through the palace gardens into the palace.
"Why do I even need an escort? It's not as if I'll get lost in a place that I've lived in for my entire life..."
Although, he can't really complain, Basil supposes. He's always liked having someone to walk beside him; it makes him feel a little less lonely.
Paintings decorate the walls of the palace, some being paintings of nature, some being fruits, and some being portraits of important people, including... Prince Basil's parents.
He'd never really had the chance to get along with his parents. His mother was always too busy with something to care, and his dad scolded him for every little thing, causing the parents and child to become distant.
He's a little nervous to go see what his father wants. Usually, the only reason that his father calls him to his office is to tell him off, but he really can't remember doing anything wrong this week... Right?
With a panicked look on his face, he remembers the cake he had just been enjoying.
"Did he find out about the cake?! Oh gosh, I knew something felt off...!" He worries in his mind, brushing the crumbs that could have possibly clung to the corners of his lips away.
"Here we are, Your Highness." The royal escort says, stopping in front of a large dark oak door.
Giving it three firm knocks with the golden knocker, he opens the door for the prince, giving Basil a polite nod.
"Thanks..." Basil replies quietly, stepping inside.
Once the door softly closes behind him, he scans the room with his eyes. It's definitely not the first time he's been in here, but he always appreciates the coziness and luxury of the office. There are spiral staircases at the left and right side of the large room, leading up to a large balcony. Between the two staircases, there is the desk where the king sits, with bookcases lined around him.
The 17 year old prince walks nervously towards the desk. "Um... F-Father? Did you want to speak with me?"
The king snaps his head up from his work, as if realizing that his son is there. "Ah, yes. Sit down, then."
He sits down a little too quickly at the plush chair in front of the desk, immediately obliging.
An awkward silence falls over them, with unspoken words begging to be said.
".....Father? Did... Did I do something bad?" He asks timidly, hoping that the sweetness on his breath could just be excused as having nice breath.
"Err- No, Basil. You didn't do anything wrong."
"...Then... What do you need me for?"
Sighing, the king runs two hands over his face, showing an extremely rare sliver of vulnerability. Basil's expression softens, wondering what is bothering his father.
"Basil," He starts, taking his hands away and removing the vulnerability from his expression with practiced ease. "You are aware of your duties as a prince, correct?"
"Duties of a prince? Well, sure.. Studying, being polite, and making a few occasional public appearances are quite easy.." He lists off in his mind.
"Correct..." He replies, unsure of where this conversation is headed.
"And you are aware of the fact that since you are royalty, you must do everything you can to strengthen your bond with other kingdoms?"
He nods.
"Being friendly and polite to the other princes and princesses is easy. Is he going to tell me that he wants me to be friends with another kingdom? That's not a bother.."
Seemingly proud that his son is taking this well, the king relaxes a bit more.
"Ah, that is quite the relief. I'm glad that you are co-operating with me today."
"That's really no problem," Basil replies, smiling. He likes it when his father talks kindly with him, instead of the usual shouting, or just not speaking with him at all. "So which kingdom will I become friends with now?"
"Friends?" The king looks surprised. "Oh no, no, Basil. I assumed that you had caught on by now."
"H-Huh? Caught on to what? Father, what are you saying?" He questions, his anxiety rising at the thought of a new situation.
"...Basil." His father looks stern; a scary sight to anyone. "It's your duty as a prince to be wed with another kingdom."
(Sorry that this is short!!!)