Where the Sun Meets The Sea

The full moon disappeared behind the darkening sky and the winds had picked up, filling the sails as well as sweeping through Prince Adrien's hair as he leaned against the mast on the quarterdeck. The feel of a storm was brewing, not only in the sky, but deep in Adrien's heart as the ship sailed closer to home. Behind him his ship's Captain, Luka, played a melancholy tune on his lute. It perfectly matched Adrien's mood.

"With this strong wind we should make land by sunrise." Nino said as he climbed the stairs leading to the quarterdeck.

"A storm will slow us down." Luka countered, lifting his face to the wind. "We might have to find shelter and wait it out."

"I'm not in that great of a hurry to get home." Adrien added, folding his arms and kicking his shoe on the deck.

"Aww, don't be like that." Nino said, patting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Not many people get to have a ball held in their honour. I mean the music, the food, the ladies..."

"It's a bride finding ball." Adrien deadpanned, rolling his eyes. "All it's going to be is a bevy of tizzied up entitled wall flowers in some sort of hideous beauty contest with me as the prize." He emphasised, tapping his own chest.

"Doesn't sound so bad to me." Nino chuckled. "I wouldn't mind lots of beautiful women throwing themselves over me."

"Well you're welcome to your pick of the bunch as far as I'm concerned because I have no intention participating." Adrien offered. "I'm sure as Captain of my guard there would be plenty of ladies with an eye for a man in uniform. Although I thought you were a taken man"

Nino smiled to himself. "Well, I think Lady Alya might like me. She kind of smiled at me the last time she was at the palace. I don't know though. Maybe it is just the uniform."

"What about a man in a bandana?" Luka asked, shifting the tune he was playing to something less depressing.

"Not if you turn up smelling like a fishmonger." Nino teased. Adrien chuckled at Luka's feigned offence, then he let out a sigh.

"It's not fair." Adrien lamented. "My father is forcing me to find a wife, like my only goal in life is to produce an heir and secure the kingdom. I don't want to pick a wife because I have to, I wanted something more than that, something... special."

"You're just an incurable romantic." Nino said. "You know the world of a Prince doesn't work that way."

Luka stopped playing and stood up, walking over to the Prince. "Your highness, I know it feels like an orchestra is drowning you out right now, but it doesn't mean all is lost. You never know, you might just meet someone that fills that missing melody in your heart. Look at your own parents. They didn't even meet until their wedding day, but in the end they made beautiful music together."

"Yeah, maybe." He said, not looking at him. "But love at first sight is about as rare as finding a pink pearl in the ocean." He bent his head down, casting his eyes to the deck under his feet. "You better secure the deck in case this wind picks up more."

Luka looked over towards Nino and the two nodded in silent understanding, making their way back down to the deck and leaving the Prince alone with his thoughts.

Adrien turned his head and looked out over the rippling ocean, resting his hand on the rail. He really wished he could talk to his mother about all this, but ever since she fell ill just a year ago, she had become weaker and weaker by the day. Now she was totally bedridden and his father spent almost all his waking hours beside her bed to the detriment of the running of their kingdom, reading book after book looking for anything that could make her well again. He had sent Adrien and his companions travelling far and wide with their trading ships in search of a cure, but nothing they had found helped.