Each year the Kingdom of Khearia throws a festival in remembrance of one of their most beloved kings who had tragically perished along with his wife and second son. His first son, Prince Fabian, was the only one to survive. Witnesses claimed his cro...
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There weren't that many spare rooms in the duke's villa. Ultimately, they had to split into two groups of threes. Alex, James and Fletcher were in one room; and Riley, Thomas and Yufus were in the other. Alex felt some relief over it, knowing he could use Fletcher as a shield.
ㅤAlex liked James but James was deeply unserious and Alex wouldn't be able to withstand his provocative nature at the moment, not under this much stress. Even if James did try something, Fletcher was an unthreatening presence, so Alex wouldn't feel so self-conscious.
ㅤTheir room was no more than a bed and a sofa. But it would do.
ㅤ"You two take the bed, I'll sleep over here," Alex said, readying himself for an argument.
ㅤ"No, I'll take the sofa," James protested. It surprised Alex, who thought James would argue for a different reason. "You take the bed."
ㅤJames always found new ways to be unpredictable. Alex had fully expected him to try to kick Fletcher onto the sofa. Not only that, but he was giving Alex a lot of physical space, standing a few paces away. Nothing about him was playful right then.
ㅤ"No," Alex insisted. "This isn't negotiable."
ㅤ"You're already thirty-one. You need to take care of your back."
ㅤAlex did have a minor backache from rough sleeping, which made the remark heavier than it should've been. "Fuck you, James. Sleep on the sofa if you want, but I'll sleep on the floor."
ㅤ"Now, you're just being dramatic."
ㅤ"Hey, I can take the sofa," Fletcher suggested. "It's not that big of a deal. You two can take the bed."
ㅤThe answer to that was a collective; "no".
ㅤThey left the decision to Fletcher, who clearly didn't want to get involved. After some pushing, he relented, defeated, and chose James. It was Alex's victory. Only then did James accept the arrangement, not speaking another word about it.
ㅤThey'd been given enough time to wash up, refreshing themselves and scrubbing away the filth from their short journey. Alex was careful not to let it relax him too much. He had to remain sharp.
ㅤ"It's a shame Fletcher can't speak the royal language," James was saying as they waited around. He had a habit of talking to Eris, so sometimes it was difficult to know what comments were meant for them.
ㅤFletcher didn't seem nearly as unnecessarily analytical of James' intentions as Alex and easily responded, uncaring if he was the intended recipient.
ㅤ"I need permission to learn it from the Royal Council," he said, writing in his notebook as he lounged on the bed. "I'd have to be a junior advisor at most for that."
ㅤ"And do you feel more worldly yet?" James asked.
ㅤFletcher grinned. "I feel very worldly, thank you."
