Prince Farley [BL]

Farley's POV Kade Sandoval barreled into my life without any warning, quite literally. At the tender age of eleven, I could do nothing but stare with wide eyes at the boy who knocked me over. My palms stung from the fall but I didn't register it until much later, long after the boy was gone. He looked just as surprised as me, staring with impossibly wide eyes from his place on the ground. I remember the grass being wet that day. It was watered hours before, ordered by my mother. My mother loved this garden. She loved it so much that only the royal family and the gardeners were permitted in. I should've felt scared, or at least a little nervous. There was an unfamiliar boy in my mother's garden with no guards around. Any fear that I should've felt quickly vanished when I saw he was of similar age. He can't be much older than me, I thought silently, still shocked yet intrigued by this boy who knocked me over. My book was sprawled off to the side, having been thrown during my fall. I was just heading back inside after finishing the last three chapters when a large weight suddenly fell atop me. The boy was a mess of long limbs and unruly black curls. Rather than scared, I felt intrigued. His clothes were tattered and looked like they hadn't been washed in days. They looked unfamiliar, lacking our family's crest. So he's not from the palace. Mirroring my curiosity, his eyes ran over me quickly. When his dark, almost black, eyes focused on the royal crest sewn into my collar, his face paled. "You-" He quickly scrambled up and took a step back. "Royal. You-" He took another step back, and then two more. He said no more. Instead, he did a full ninety degree bow and ran. I watched him grab hold of the vines lining the brick walls before he started climbing. When he got to the top, he looked back, bowed his head, and jumped down. That was the first time I met the boy with unruly black hair but it wasn't the last. In fact, I'd come to see him again and again until his presence was comforting. I'd come to look forward to our meetings and secretly await for him to jump the brick wall to mother's garden. And eventually, after years and years of childhood, I'd come to love him. ____ Two weeks after our first encounter, I'd forgotten all about the boy who managed to sneak into my mother's garden. I didn't tell anyone. I wasn't sure why. Part of me believed it was because I didn't know what to tell them, a larger part of me wanted the boy to come back, so I kept silent. He didn't. At least, not for two weeks. Two weeks for a child is a lot. In fact, it's fourteen days. Fourteen days to forget someone you met once was easy. I didn't forget the boy, not after that lasting first encounter we made. For a few days, I purposely went to the garden in hopes of seeing him. I stayed for hours, mindlessly reading and glancing towards the brick wall. I didn't see the boy but mother praised me for reading so much so I wasn't that disappointed. Though, she probably wouldn't be too happy to know I didn't remember half of what I read. I wasn't sure why I wanted to see him again. He clearly wasn't supposed to be there and he knew it, but he didn't seem dangerous. Though, he did seem quite skilled for an eleven year old. Even with all my training, I wouldn't have been able to scale that wall as easily as he did. Like most children, I lost interest in things quite fast. This boy was no exception. With no contact besides the few minutes we first met, there was nothing to keep me thinking about him. But just as I was forgetting, he quickly reminded me why I was so intrigued. Walking into mother's garden, I hadn't expected to see him. Even the first few days I waited, I fully expected him to come falling from the top of the wall. Instead, he was waiting for me. Or, at least, I hoped he was. I didn't notice him at first. Actually, I didn't notice him for a while. He was well hidden behind the thick, flat shrubs. It wasn't until I was at page fifteen in my book that his slight movement caught my eye. I was immediately on edge. Father would scold me if he knew I took this long to react. I couldn't find the words to ask who was there, I simply stood up and stared at the shrubs. My book was forgotten by the fountain while I slowly crept forward. I could feel my heart racing while my hand slowly reached for the dagger in the back of my pants. Father had given it to me just a year ago and I remember thinking I'd never have to use it. Today, I was grateful. Grasping the handle, I pulled it out and wielded it just like father taught. The weight was familiar. I've never used it like this but I was expertly trained how to. "Who's there?" My voice finally found me and I was pleased to hear it didn't waver. It lacked the authority my father's voice held but it was enough for now. "Who's there?" I repeated. There was subtle movement but no response. Grasping the dagger tighter, I took a deep breath and didn't hesitate it lunging over the shrubs. My free hand immediately reached out for whatever I could grab and yanked it down with me. I didn't give the intruder time to react. I rolled us over and quickly pinned them under me. With the dagger to their throat, I finally got to see who was intruding in mother's garden. It was the boy. His eyes were just as wide as last time, staring up at me unmoving. His body was still and I could feel how stiff he was. "You-" My eyebrows came together, silently trying to figure out why he was back. "Why are you here?" He didn't answer. He didn't even blink. At least, not until my dagger slowly pulled away and was safely tucked back into my pants. It was probably foolish and I'd hear an earful from father if he saw me put away a weapon when a possible threat was right in front of me. Something told me this boy was nothing to threat. If anything, he probably felt threatened by me. He was wearing the same clothes and they somehow looked even dirtier than before. Sensing he wasn't going to answer, I sat back and stared at him. "What's your name?" He sat up and mimicked my position but his eyes were still wide, like a frightened animal. They darted towards the wall before settling on me. "..Name?" His voice was soft yet gruff, sounding like he'd just woken up. Or hasn't talked in a while. It was slightly slurred and I could only speculate why. "Your name." I explained. "What is it?" He didn't respond. He just stared at my lips as if trying to piece something together. "Name." He repeated. "Do you not speak Rerian?" He seemed to recognize this word as he perked. Still, he shook his head and placed a hand on his chest. "Weben." "Weben?" I asked, having read about that language and its origins before. Their kingdom was taken over years ago. Not by my father, but their remaining citizens who hadn't died during the raid fled far and wide. It wasn't surprising some of them resided here. "That's far from here." He nodded but I'm sure he didn't understand. "Do you have a name?" I knew it wouldn't help but I still talked slower. "My name is Farley, first son of King Gideon." "Name." He spoke slowly before pointing at himself. "Name.. Kade." "Why are you here? These are royal grounds. You could be executed if you're found sneaking in like this." He tried processing my words slowly. "Royal.. you royal." As if he forgot, his eyes suddenly went as round as before and he scrambled up. He did another ninety degree bow and just before he could flee, I quickly reached out and caught his wrist. I didn't know why. It was best that he leave, he shouldn't be here. If mother and father knew about this, the punishment would not be light. He stared at me with those eyes, he looked helpless in my grasp. I couldn't bring myself to let go. "I won't tell." I blurted out, hoping he'd understand. "I won't tell so stay.. Stay." The last part sounded a lot like a plea. Slowly, after I let him go, he lowered himself onto the grass. Nowhere near as close as last time, but he stayed and that was enough. That was the second time I met the boy- Kade. ____ Kade started showing up again and again. He started showing up so much that I started bringing books for him. Not to read, he wouldn't be able to, but to teach. If he planned to stay in Rerian, he would need to know the language. He already knew quite a few words but he never knew how to piece them together. Teaching him wasn't all that hard. He paid more attention that than I thought he would, basically glaring at the book while nodding deeply. While it seemed like no progress was made for a while, only a week later- he was able to introduce himself and say where he was from without my help. His appearances were different each time. Sometimes he was there, already waiting for me. Sometimes I waited for him. Most times, he didn't come. I didn't know what he did when he wasn't with me. I asked once and he grew silent, but not because he wasn't sure how to tell me. I didn't ask again and he never told me. "Mother thinks there's animals eating at her vines." I told him. His shoulders tensed and he avoided my eyes. "As ugly as they are, she still loves them so try to be careful when you climb them." Kade nodded and gave the brick wall a remorseful stare. It was long after my comment, too long to be continued but, "I like them." He uttered softly. "The vines?" He nodded with a soft noise. "They're nice." "Well," I stared at him and then over to the wall, "you should be extra careful then." _____ There were times when Kade showed up with bruises. They blossomed across his jaw, neck, cheeks, and probably in areas that were covered by his dirty clothes. "What happened?" I tapped my cheek to show him what I meant. His hand lifted to his face, as if forgetting the red mark. "Work." "What kind of work?" His head titled, thinking. "Inside work." "Do you work in the palace?" A subtle head shake, "No." "Then how are you here?" "I run." I wanted to ask more but his eyes were skimming a book, mostly likely to distract himself, so I let it be. "What is this word?" He asked while tilting the book towards me. Leaning forward on my knees, I followed where his finger was pointing. "Knight. You've never heard of them?" He shook his head and mouthed it back. "Knight." "They work for the royal family, protecting us and the citizens. There are different squadrons but the highest are the Royal Knights. My father, the king, leads that one." He stared at the picture of what was meant to be a knight. It was merely a painting and didn't exactly resemble the ones in our day and age but he seemed fascinated. "Knight." He repeated. "They fight?" "Sometimes, yes." I watched as he folded the page and set the book aside. In my head, I mentally noted to bring more books about knights next time. "You have knights?" "Yes, two. They follow me anywhere I go when I leave the palace." "They protect you?" "If there's a threat, yes." "Hm." His head titled while he stared at me. "I will be knight." My eyebrows raised, a little surprised. "You want to be a knight? Why?" "They fight. They protect. I can do that." We were the same age, yet Kade already seemed so much stronger than me. I trained every day with my father and yet, this boy far surpasses me. "Then, I hope you'll become a knight to be proud of." Kade smiled. A smile that stretched far wider than it normally did. He stood and just like the painting in the book, he posed. He had no idea what knights actually did but here he was, posing like one. It made me smile. "Lift your arm higher. Pretend you're holding a sword." "Like this?" His hand thrusted up and balled into a fist. From the corner of his eye, he peeked at me and readily awaited my response. Before I could stop it, a laugh bubbled up my throat. "Like that." I nodded, not able to control my smile. Maybe because it was the lack of friends I had or perhaps I was already fond of him, but I grew more and more grateful that he fell atop me weeks ago. I wondered if his smile hurt his bruised cheek. If it did, he didn't let it show. ____ Now thirteen years old, Kade and I were quickly growing. And even though we were the same age, he seemed to be growing much faster than me. His already long limbs were even longer and made it even easier to scale the wall. "I've never held one before." The slur under his words were gone and he was now perfectly fluent in Rerian. "It's quite sharp." After another minute, he handed my dagger back and I secured it back in my pants. "They're meant to be." "Could you kill someone with that?" "I probably couldn't but I believe you could." "Me? Why?" "You said you wanted to be a knight, didn't you? Killing is part of a knights duty." "Is it?" He mused thoughtfully. "I thought it was to protect." "Sometimes you need to kill to protect." "Interesting." He seemed to mean it. "Have you changed your mind? About being a knight." A quick head shake tousled his hair. "I'm going to be a knight." I wanted to ask how he'd do that with no title, no background, and no schooling but I kept silent. "I'll become a knight you can be proud of." I wanted to believe him, to believe in him, so I smiled. "Then, I hope you can be my personal knight." His interest was immediately piqued. "How can I do that?" "You'll need to train." A pause, "A lot." "I train by myself. Nothing compared to the Royal Knights, but I found myself a sword a while ago." This was news to me. "Really? How come you didn't tell me?" "I was hoping to show you my skills as a surprise." He told me, a bit shyly. "But perhaps I need help." I wasn't sure I could help him. I was more focused on my studies than my training but still, I nodded. As long as he keeps coming back. "You shouldn't bring a sword here, it's too dangerous, but I'll try to bring some next time you come." His eyes lit up. "You would do that? You won't get in trouble?" "I'm the prince." I waved off. In my mind, I was thinking of a hundred different ways I could possibly pull it off. "Must be nice being a royal." If it were someone else, I would've maybe felt a prick of annoyance from how it was worded. But there was a smile on his face as he watched me, as if waiting for me to tell him all about my luxurious life as a prince. I wanted to say it's not all grand. I wanted to tell him that I was never allowed to leave the palace, I had to train for hours and hours, study for even more, I wasn't allowed friends and my parents' expectations were pressuring me. But I'd sound spoiled if I told him that. Compared to his situation, my circumstances seemed like nothing. I got three meals a day, I could snap my fingers and have anything what I wanted brought to me, I had a very large roof over my head, and I had both of my parents. I wasn't sure if he could even say one of those things. So instead, "It is, yes." I wasn't allowed friends but Kade was my friend. At least, I considered him my friend. I could only hope he felt the same. And because of this, anything else was insignificant. He was enough. ____ At fifteen years old, Kade still showed up now and then. It wasn't everyday, sometimes I went an entire week without seeing him, but I knew he'd come back. Like today. "Your hair is messier than normal." I commented when he jumped down from the wall. "The girls quite like it." He reached out flicked my hair as he walked by, tousling the brown strands. They fell into my eyes before I brushed them away. "I'm still the crown prince, have you forgot?" "I have not." He denied and took a seat at the fountain. "It's hard to when you're wearing such clothes." I glanced down at my embroidered tunic before staring at his tattered, thin one. I'm a prince, I thought, I can't help it. Still, I felt twinges of embarrassment. "It's too much, isn't it?" He leaned back on the fountain and patted the spot next to him. I took a seat and slowly felt my ears turn pink, flustered from his intense staring. "Never too much for a prince, it quite suits you." I didn't take it as a compliment but he meant it. Sensing my thoughts, "Blue is flattering on you, it always has been." His head tipped up to stare at the sky. It was much lighter than my tunic. "It's my favorite color." In the weeks to come, I'd find myself wearing more blue. He'd notice and huff in amusement when I wasn't looking. "I prefer yellow." I told him. "My mother liked yellow." Quickly, my head turned towards him. Mother, I felt more disbelief than I should've, I almost forgot he had one. But of course- everyone should have a mother. "Your mother.." I spoke slowly. "Is she..?" "Dead?" He smiled, still looking up. "Yes." Saying sorry didn't feel right but I wasn't sure what else to say. I've never experienced death in all my fifteen years of living. "I'm sorry." "Why are you sorry? Did you kill her?" "Well- no." A frown pulled at my lips. "But I still feel sorry." He didn't respond at first, not until he finally looked back down and cast his eyes towards me. "Thank you." It didn't feel right to sit in the silence to come. I wanted to hear anything he had to said. I wanted to hear what he remembers of her, when she died, how she died, if he loved her, if she loved him like a mother should. "What was she like?" "Mother was kind." He started, no hesitation in his words. "She was very kind and she cried easily. She cried for the littlest thing that weren't worth crying over, yet she still cried. She was kind like that." My mother doesn't cry. "Her and my father were in love, despite their arranged marriage. It was.." He thought about it, "I think I took it for granted. Many of my friends at the time had parents who didn't love each other but married out of necessity." He turned towards me. "I hope I can marry out of love someday." His eyes were lighter today, appearing brighter from the sun. I could see every little detail as I stared into them. "It would be nice, yes." "A prince probably doesn't have a choice, hm? You'll end up marrying who your father wants." "Probably, yes." He thought about it, "Maybe being a prince isn't as nice as I thought." I couldn't agree this time. At least, not aloud. "It is a small price to pay for what I've received." He laughed and I wasn't sure why. "You remind me of my mother, at times. I can't remember her that much but she was kind, just like you." His laugh died down until he was smiling down at his loafers. He looked tired. "She lied a lot for my sake too." I wasn't sure what to respond with, because it was neither true nor untrue. So instead, I looked towards the sky that he seemed so fond of and kept silent. ____ We aged. We aged and grew until we were sixteen years old. And even as we aged, Kade still showed up with bruises. I wasn't sure why and how it happened. I could no longer hide behind a child's ignorance of asking so I kept silent. It was cowardly but I didn't want to know because there was nothing I'd be able to do for him. Prince or not, I wasn't supposed to know him. "You're late." He sang when I entered the garden. "Do you know how long I've been waiting here?" I was going to remind him of how hard it was to sneak away from my lessons and everyone's watchful eyes but once I got a good look at him, I couldn't find the words. He was leaning against the shrubs, mindlessly peeling a stick but that's not what left me speechless. There was a bruise blooming across his jaw that carried all the way up his cheek. It was purple and turning yellow at the edges. That wasn't the only one. Around his neck, there were fingerprints that couldn't be hidden by his tunic. Further down, in places I couldn't see, there were much more. "What happened?" "This?" He gestured to his face, sounding careless. "It's nothing." "It is not nothing!" Why am I angry? He looked surprised from my outburst but continued peeling the stick. "I was scolded, that's all."  "That- Is that how they scold you all? Where do you work?" "Inside." He was just as vague as ever. "Where? Is it inside the palace?" "No." "Then how are you here?" I remember having this exact conversation years ago. I almost forgot about it until now. "I sneak out, just like you do." My mouth opened and closed. He was right, I did sneak out but I was certain it wasn't like him. While I snuck out to the safety of my home, he entered the royal garden knowing he could be executed if he's found out. "It's not the same." "Isn't it? We sneak out to see each other." "It's different, our circumstances are different." "Because you're a prince, I know." That was the first time I've ever heard Kade call me a prince with such distaste in his tone. He didn't apologize and I didn't expect him to. He was right. He left early that day and I could tell he regretted coming. ____