Chapter Text
Joel walked slowly, stifling a yawn as Etho accompanied him into the dining hall for breakfast. The bodyguard seemed surprisingly awake for sunrise, but then again, he always did.
That guy was always on alert.
They sat down next to each other, and Joel noticed the way he had grown to accept Etho’s presence in the few weeks they’d known each other. He shrugged it off however – it was just one of those things.
They weren’t friends and they weren’t ever going to be such.
Etho meekly slipped a thin sheet of brightly inked paper in front of the prince, who groaned slightly at the sight of the perfectly drawn timetable.
“General Gemini said your timekeeping has been – questionable – during the last few weeks, so she drew this out and asked if I could help you stick to your routines and get to your meetings on time,” he explained, and Joel raised an eyebrow as he studied the writing, before throwing the paper down with a sigh, his eyes lingering on the only meeting he had today.
“Ocean Empire,” he mumbled dejectedly, poking absentmindedly at his food with his fork. Etho tried to cheer him up by offering a little optimism.
“It’s only one meeting,” he said. “Then you have the rest of the day free.”
“I don’t have the rest of the day free. She’ll stay all day. That’s how it works.”
“She?”
“My princess,” Joel replied, pushing food around his plate.
“Princess?” Etho asked, and Joel dropped his fork with another heavy sigh.
“I’m in an arranged marriage Etho.”
Joel slumped, his appetite almost entirely gone. Etho stood from the table and backed up, aiming to give Joel as much space as possible, for the prince’s aura had turned suddenly hostile. His princess was none other than Princess Elizabeth Axolotl of the Ocean Empire, better known to her subjects as Princess Lizzie. They’d been engaged since Joel was sixteen, and with the death of his parents, their wedding date had been moved closer and closer. She was a lovely girl really, Lizzie, but Joel just didn’t want to have love like this. He wanted to find someone, make a connection in his own time, not be forced into a relationship for politics and power.
But it was for the benefit of the people, and it was never Joel’s decision. He had just run with it in submission, for being quiet was easier than kicking up a fuss.
Etho noticed the prince’s discomfort but didn’t say anything. He sensed that it was a sensitive topic and didn’t want to make it worse, so he stood in the corner of the room, hiding in the shadows, his eyes still on the prince. Making sure he was safe.
After a few minutes of almost awkward silence, Joel got to his feet and walked swiftly from the room, his food still untouched, Etho following mere meters behind.
---
Joel stepped regally outside the large entrance doors a few hours later, the sun casting a warm glow other his rather presentable court clothes, to welcome the princess’s carriage. It was only the second time they’d met, ever, and Joel could feel his heart pounding in his throat. With a slightly plastered smile, he watched as the glistening dome-on-wheels was pulled across cobbles and gravel.
It was a shinning blue, that rippled like ocean waves in the late morning sun, and pulled forth by seafoam white horses, seemingly carved from waves and sleek in stature. It was like a fairy princess carriage from a storybook and bore some resemblance to a bubble.
Joel stepped up to the curved side door, offering his hand to help the princess down, which she took gratefully with a dazzling smile. She nimbly exited her ride, her bubblegum-pink hair almost radiant in the light. She wore a small tiara decorated with pearls, along with a pink pendant necklace to match her hair and contrast the sky-blue dress that floated along the ground behind her. Her pale skin looked almost wet despite her dry hair, and if you looked closely enough you could spot a few rows of deep blue scales along her cheeks.
In short, she was beautiful.
As she stood in what appeared to be ballet flats on the gravel path that lead up to the mantral palace, she dropped Joel’s hand and turned to stare at the carriage she had just exited, a look of clear distaste curling the corner of her lips.
“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” she asked quietly, he voice soft and melodic. “Mother insisted I take it, and I couldn’t argue her.” Joel tried to nod sympathetically without coming off as rude or awkward. “More of a damsel in distress, long lost princess vibe, isn’t it?” she asked again.
“I supposed so,” Joel replied.
“Sorry,” Lizzie said with a bright, bubbly tone. “It’s a bit much for a second meeting. Not exactly what I wanted.”
I don’t want any of this Joel thought, but he knew well enough to keep his thoughts private.
---
“I know this is strange,” Lizzie acknowledged as they sat down to eat lunch together. “Getting married to some far-off princess you hardly know, but we don’t have much of a choice right now, so lets just make the most of this, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Joel replied, running a hand through his brown hair.
In another life, where Lizzie was that beautiful girl he’d met on the street or during court one day, he would’ve fallen in love with her, grown to love her, but he wasn’t sure how to love someone he’d just met. He wasn’t even sure how to love. Especially when it wasn’t even his decision anymore.
But imagining himself an unmarried king wasn’t a pleasant thought.
Unless you were someone who simply radiated power, which Joel wasn’t, you had to prove your right to your kingdom, show your loyalty and stuff. Taking over in the aftermath of a tragedy was one thing, and marrying for the sake of his people’s trust was just another.
And then, there were foreign relations to worry about – with so many enemies, having the Ocean Empire as an ally would significantly increase his military power, political standing and leverage over other kingdoms, should he ever need such a thing.
Any power gained was welcome with open arms.
Lizzie really was a nice girl. She was sweet and charismatic – but she really wasn’t anything like Joel. She had this confident, optimistic, bubbly persona, while Joel was more awkward and quiet. Maybe in another universe, it was meant to be, but not here.
Not in this universe.
They talked some more, walked through the sunny palace grounds and Lizzie stayed for dinner of beautifully cooked stew before Joel led her back out to her parked carriage. So, she departed with a wave of her hand and a small kiss on the prince’s cheek. He blushed as she did so, bringing his hand up to his cheek absentmindedly. He watched as she climbed up into the blue of her carriage and waved as the horses pulled it out of the gates.
They wouldn’t see each other again until their wedding day. Such was the way of an arranged marriage.
They were lucky to have met before the aisle.
---
Etho had watched from aside as Joel’s discomfort grew as he led the pink-haired princess into the palace, with him trailing a few paces behind as always. It was almost painful watching the princess flirt and smile so naturally while Joel blushed at the slightest comment and just had this awkward air around him so much as he tried to hide it. But he couldn’t exactly blame the prince. These things were… difficult.
He had shadowed the prince all day, making sure he was safe at all times. Lizzie must’ve been expecting it, because she raised an eyebrow in his direction only once, upon her first sight. And it likely wasn’t because he was a bodyguard.
People had a strange habit of raising eyes when they saw him. What, with that scar that left his left eye a blood red, and the mask he used to cover his mouth when he was with other people. He attracted unwanted attention without even trying – with his ‘unnatural’ hair colour and tall, lean, army frame. He isn’t like other people and learned to accept that. But, other people, they don’t.
He’ll always be the weird one in their eyes.
He followed Joel through the palace after Lizzie’s departure and out of a servant side door, which he wasn’t even aware Joel knew of. As soon as the prince’s feet hit the sun-baked floor, he was running – sprinting – towards a cluster of trees at the end of the grounds.
The oasis.
Etho ran quietly behind him, keeping a reasonable distance but never, not even for a moment, taking his eyes of the prince. Things happen, and he didn’t want to let Joel down.
Running through the foliage, the still, clear pool that was the oasis came sharp into focus. Joel came to a stop before the peaceful body of water shrouded in cool shadow from the surrounding trees, Etho hovering meters behind.
He broke down.
The tears came thick and fast, running down the prince’s face, his body shaking silently. He stood; shoulders drooped in a sorrowful silence as he breathed through his emotion. There was so much water running down his face that there seemed to be no point in wiping them away. He was shaking so hard that as he walked slowly to the water’s edge, he stumbled, slipping to his knees in the white sand.
It took everything for Etho to not try and catch him.
Etho couldn’t help but feel like he was trespassing as he watched the prince’s emotion spiral in rivers of salty water. He couldn’t possibly begin to imagine what was running through Joel’s head right now. Back when he was younger, Etho believed that being royalty would solve his every problem – now, he would never dream of such a thing.
Walking up behind him, letting his feet crunch in the sand so as to not scare him, Etho sat down next to Joel. Joel turned his head, sniffling slightly as if to hide his glassy expression. With a soft sight, Etho gently laid his hand on Joel’s arm, but pulled it away quickly as Joel flinched.
“I’m sorry,” Etho stammered, but Joel shook his head, and Etho saw the red underneath his eyes. Saw the overwhelming emotion that still threatened to spill.
“N-no,” he replied between small sobbing gasps.
Etho gently laid his hand on Joel’s arm with a small smile as the prince didn’t flinch away.
“I’m here if you ever want to talk, you know,” Etho whispered.
“Thank you.”
They sat in silence for a while, Joel’s crying beginning to ease. “Sometimes I wish I wasn’t the prince,” he said shakily. “Sometimes I wish I had done what Jimmy had done before he had, and left the Kingdom to anyone, but I wouldn’t wish this life on anybody. Not even you.”
Etho didn’t know whether to be relieved or offended, so he just nodded in what he hoped was an understanding manner.
“I love being the prince,” he continued with a skyward glance. “But ever since my parents died, it feels like everyone is depending on me, believing I’ll become this ‘hero’ of the Kingdom, and I’m not that.”
“I think you are,” whispered Etho, and Joel shot him a confused look.
“What do you mean?” he stuttered. “You hardly know me.”
“But I’ve seen you. Been with you. I know you can be, if you aren’t already.”
There was a heavy pause.
“You’re something of a hero to me,” Etho admitted after a few seconds. “You saved me. Gave me a second chance at life. Now, I’m here to repay my debts.”
Joel stood up suddenly, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve. Etho stood beside him, dusting the sand off his legs.
“I’m always here if you need anything, sire,” Etho said, reinstating formalities. Joel nodded sharply before walking back towards the palace as if nothing had happened. But that didn’t stop Etho noticing the quick glance he cast over his shoulder to make sure Etho was still there and following.
Etho felt a flower of joy bloom in his chest, something he hadn’t truly felt in a long time. He had done his job. Maybe Joel was beginning to trust him after all.
Maybe
But maybe was better than not at all.
There’s nothing more powerful than hope.