Erica

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"Did I ever tell you just how much I love you?" Louis tried to jump into Aleric's arms and smoother his poor cousin in sloppy kisses. 

"Don't even think about it." Aleric held up a hand to block him. It took quite a bit of strength; Louis was stronger than he looked. 

"Hmph! So mean." Louis grumbled and stepped back crossing his arms.

"Yeah yeah. Anyways if I am to go with you, we should probably inform Walter." 

"What? No ways! I may love you but I refuse to be thrown into a fountain again by that brute!" Louis grumbled pouting like a child.

"Oh relax would you. I will not let that happen again, but it is still the right thing to at least let him know before he calls the whole kingdom after us for a manhunt once he discovers us gone. Besides we almost always sneak out with him, we don't want our Walty to feel left out now do we?" Aleric reasoned with reluctant cousin.

"Fine but only if you are the one to tell him." Louis gave in.

Aleric smiled and patted his cousin on the shoulder, before heading off to get changed and find a certain Commander who for some reason had yet to appear. Walter was normally a very easy person to find on palace grounds but for some reason no one seemed to know where his was.

According to the head of the barracks, the Commander in question was supposedly supervising his squadron's training session and according to his squad, they had not seen their Commander all morning.  It was rather strange and unusual for the Walter.

It took them over an hour to find the man. He was passed out in his room and would not wake no matter what they did to him. Louis smiled wickedly at this revelation. He had a idea.

"Louis, no." Aleric could sense what he was thinking.

"Um I think you meant yes." His eyes glinted as he grabbed the ink and quill off the bedside table.

"Don't do it, he is going to kill you for real this time and I will not stop him." The prince cautioned.

Louis gave a smirk not listening and dipped the quill in the ink lifting it slowly to bringing it towards the sleeping Commander's face. "He won't do a thing; he loves me too much and besides it's his fault for sleeping."

"Your funeral," Aleric rolled his eyes but did nothing to stop his cousin, "Just don't waste all the ink, we should leave him a note on our whereabouts."

Louis gave a small nod and focused on the task before him. He gently drew a scruffy moustache on Walter followed by a few squiggles and scribbles and the words: Louis is spitacular, on his forehead with a clear spelling mistake that the bright spark did not notice. The final touch was two ridiculously large, shaded hearts on his cheeks. 

Prince Aleric rolled his eyes but could not hide the amused smile he had on his lips.  Louis would truly meet his maker as soon as Walter realised what had been done. It was inevitable now but he had to admit seeing his friend's face all covered in ink was truly a sight to behold and absolutely hilarious. 

Rescuing the quill from Louis, Aleric quickly jotted down a few words and left the note on his bedside table putting the quill and ink back in place. He looked down at the Commander noting how tired his friend looked, something was obviously bothering him. The prince would query him on it later.

As they were leaving, Louis blew a kiss to the sleeping Commander and gave a wave, "See you later Walty, hopefully you appreciate my gift."

The crown prince grabbed the future duke by the arm pulling him out the room and shutting the door behind them, "Let us be on our way now or you may miss your chance of seeing your so called beloved, she is not going to wait for you forever." 

"My Georgie would definitely wait for me; you do not know her." Louis defended.

"Of course." Aleric chuckled at his overly dramatic cousin.

"You know, something is a little weird about this situation. You agreed to come with a little to quickly..." Louis trailed off narrowing his eyes in suspicion of his cousin. He may act dim-witted, but Louis was no idiot. 

"Just curious to finally meet the girl that you have been so strung up on." Aleric told a half truth.

"There is another reason, I know there is." 

"Perhaps."

"You met with someone last time. This has got to do with a girl, doesn't it?" Louis knew he was right.

"Sometimes I really dislike how intuitive you are." Aleric deadpanned, indirectly admitting the truth the Louis' words.

"So, who is she?" Louis was smiling this victory.

"I have no idea." Aleric loosely shrugged his shoulders.

"Impossible." Louis widened his eyes, "Does she know you?" 

"No, we never disclosed any personal information." 

"Interesting. So, you have met some mysterious girl and now you hope to meet her again, but you barely know a thing about her." Louis rubbed his chin in mock thought.

"I do know a few things. She is definitely nobility, and she knows the girl you claim to be so madly in love with." Aleric gave a small smile giving his cousin a side glance.

"It is not a claim! It is the truth; my heart only beats for Georgie." Louis passionately and proudly defended. 

"Why of course. How dare I question that boisterous statement." Aleric chuckled.

Together the two of them made their way to the meet up point that both Louis and Georgie agreed on. It appeared that they were early as they were the first to arrive.

About twenty minutes in, Louis was beginning to get impatient. His constant foot tapping was starting to get on Aleric's nerves.

"Do you mind?" He sighed.

"Pardon?" Louis looked up at his cousin.

"The foot tapping." Aleric indicated with his eyes to Louis's feet.

"Oh sorry." Louis apologised, "I'm just nervous. I hope she can make it."

 "I am sure she will and if she does not, I am sure she will have the decency to send a message." Aleric reassured. 

Before Louis could reply, a boy walked up to them and held up a letter with a name written on it. The boy pointed to the name as if asking who this person was. 

Scruffily written on the envelope was the name Louis.

When the boy noticed the other person standing beside the man he was looking for, recognition immediately flashed across his features.