The Trickster's Test {Prinxiety}

Chapter 2

Third Person

Ever since Roman Garcia was named Prince Virgil Lancaster's knight, the prince had learned a lot about how persistent a person could be. Roman had not stopped talking once they alerted King Edrick to his presence, at least, that's what it felt like. He must have realized Virgil wasn't too keen on answering his questions so he filled the conversational void that the other didn't mind the existence of. Virgil would much rather enjoy the scenery, now that they had reached the gardens. It was always nice to get away from the stuffy castle walls, so he took some enjoyment from the open area even if his company was determined to disrupt the peace.

"Who maintains this place? It's incredibly beautiful out here," Roman asks. He had chosen to attempt one question every five minutes or so. He took special interest in the rose bushes that lined the path to a statue of a long-dead king.

"My mother did," It was common knowledge that Queen Ophelia had passed away years ago from hydroxia, a flu-like disease that almost always ended in death, "She was in charge of its care for some time. There are a bunch of extra gardeners now to take care of the areas she handled."

Roman shot him a sympathetic look, "At least the gardeners have done a magnificent job of upkeeping such a beautiful place. I'm sure your mother would have approved of their skills."

"Don't do that," Virgil warned him.

"What?" He was reasonably confused.

"Look at me like a kid whose dog got trampled," The prince snaps, "She's been gone for a long time now, and yes, I still miss her, but what I don't miss is the pitiful looks I get every time someone remembers that fact."

The guard puts his hands up to ward off any aggression, "I guess that would be pretty irritating if you hate having people you care about be concerned for you," He admits sympathetically.

"Thanks, I really do," Virgil replies sarcastically, making an obviously forced face of agreement in his general direction.

Technically, it wasn't too late for him to fire the boy; he had already proven himself to be rather annoying, and he believed that he had given him a fair shot to get in his good graces. Plus, he'd get to stick it to Logan, who seemed confident they would get along. Virgil still firmly believed that Patton never should have taught him the phrase, 'opposites attract' but that was just his opinion. He just didn't feel like having to let Logan and King Edrick know so soon after someone finally received the position as his guard. He would give the guy a week; after that point, Virgil should know whether or not he could tolerate Roman, and this way he'll have an official guard at his side for the Sunstrix Gala. People seemed to think that was incredibly important and there were only so many snooty aristocrats he could tolerate getting condescending glares from at those stuffy events.

"What's your family like?" Virgil asks curiously, shying away slightly at the smug look Roman shot him. It was the first time he had shown even the slightest interest in him.

Before the prince could take the question back, Roman begins to answer, "Obviously you know my dad, but my mom works as a seamstress so she has something productive to do. I've even helped out on a few projects of hers, mostly holding some pins in place and, regretfully, trying some of them on," She specialized in women's clothing, and he didn't have any sisters to take his place. He could now say for certain that, while he looked absolutely alluring in a skirt, cross-dressing wasn't for him. It was ridiculous how much the garments restricted his movement.

"Do you want to be horribly embarrassed or are you that confident, because I can't think of another reason why you would admit that," Virgil laughs loudly, slapping a hand over his mouth in a desperate attempt to smother the sound.

He shrugs, "I've got nothing to hide."

"Maybe you should re-evaluate what you do and don't willingly share with people," Virgil suggested slyly, walking towards the back entrance of the castle. Roman quickly got up so as not to be left behind, and Virgil prodded at the vines that had partially overgrown this side of the castle while waiting on the other, "Why the hell did I ever think it was a good idea to climb these?" He muttered, more than a little embarrassed by the actions of his younger self.

"At least I didn't shut down the whole conversation, you dark and stormy night," Roman argued, easily catching up to him.

"'Dark and stormy night'?" Virgil repeated slowly, one eyebrow raising to show his confusion, "Could you sound more like a fairytale prince? Seriously, it cannot be possible."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that," He replies thoughtfully, "Like, I could still-"

Virgil interrupts him, "I swear on my family name if you burst out into song and run off on a quest to save some 'fair maiden,' I will fire you right now," He wasn't joking.

"Just know that I was right," On second thought, he might fire him anyway. No one could blame him for wanting a quieter companion, given that it was Roman's job to be around him as much as possible, "So, where are we going?"

"Since there's a ball coming up, I have a lot of extra work to do the next few days," Virgil hated doing work. If it wouldn't earn the rage of the nobles and a crappy reputation from the commoners, he would hardly ever do any work. If he didn't do it, he couldn't do it wrong, "Basically, all the things King Edrick doesn't 'have time for' get passed on to me. That means I tell the cooks what food to prepare, the amount of decorations used, and I also get to stand still for hours on end while being fitted for a suit."

Roman paused slightly, running over his words again, "That didn't answer my question."

Virgil tensed up, "Right," He said awkwardly, "First we're going to the kitchen in case the local merchants and farmers don't have everything they'll need," And I already look like an idiot, great going, Virge! He berated himself, "Come on, we'll go through the dining room."

If he remembered correctly, the king would be eating lunch by now, and Virgil didn't particularly want to disturb him. King Edrick and him had a fairly distant relationship. They understood that between Edrick's work and Virgil's love of solitude there wasn't much reason for either to fight for more bonding time than they already got with each other. Because of this, family meals weren't common; the long silences that filled the large dining room weren't very appealing.

The royal dining room was relatively plain in comparison to those of other kingdoms. The table was unadorned, with only a dozen chairs set out at the moment. There were more lying about in a closet somewhere for whenever they had extra company. Soon enough, people would be bringing out those chairs for the Sunstrix Gala but the room was still pretty empty for now. Virgil led them through the bland room without hesitation, his regal posture disappearing the closer they got to the kitchen doors. No one in there cared about proper sh!t, so there was no reason for him to keep it up. His shoulders got tired of being held back and keeping his back straight for so long felt unnatural.

"Ready with those food orders, Your Highness?" One of the male cooks asked, parchment and pen at the ready. He had clearly been waiting for the prince to arrive.

"You already know you don't have to call me that, Charles," Virgil reminded him, "And yes, I have a few specific dishes in mind. Like usual, the rest will be up to you."

Charles nodded, "As usual. Also," He looked at Roman, "It's nice to see someone else finally get a chance at that job. Someone needs to keep Virgil from worrying too much."

What is that supposed to mean? Roman wondered while Charles and Virgil began to discuss the catering plans. 

A/N: Pretty typical 'get to know you' kind of chapter, but I had to get some sort of relationship going with Roman and Virgil before we get into the juicy parts of the story. And yes, I am aware of how much Remus would take advantage of me using the word juicy there. And no, I'm not going to change it