The Golden Prince | Solangelo Royal AU

Chapter XXI: The Golden Kingdom and the Announcement

Nico was surprised.

Did he just ask me to dance?

He looked at Will, who was looking at him anxiously and expectedly.

Nico looked down and tried to say something, but when he finally did, he was stuttering.

"Uh- s-sure," he finally said. Will looked surprised that Nico said yes. "Wait- actually?" He asked. "Y-yeah," Nico said, still stuttering. Will blinked. Then he said, "Okay." He held out his hand for Nico to take. Nico took it, his heart beating faster. Why am I nervous? We're just friends... he told himself.

They walked on to the dance floor. Nico could hear Will taking a shaky breath. He's nervous too... at least i'm not the only one, Nico thought.

They got in position as the song ended. They locked eyes for a second, then they both looked away. Nico took as deep breath as a new song started. Then they danced.

It was slow and hesitant at first. But it wasn't like those cheesy dance scenes in books, where they kept stepping on each other's feet. They both knew how to dance, so that didn't happen.

Nico avoided making eye contact. But even so, he felt his cheeks become red. He saw a slight blush on Will's cheeks as well.

They danced for the duration of one song. At the end of that song, Nico finally made eye contact with Will. Both of them moved their hands out of the dancing position. They stared at each other for a moment. Will broke eye contact when something vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out of his pocket. It was a small golden circle. Nico had never seen it before. He didn't know what it did.

After Will saw the thing, he said, "Sorry, I have to go." He jogged halfway to the door, then he looked back at Nico. He looked back to the door and ran the rest of the way.

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Nico didn't see Will for the rest of the time he was at the Golden Kingdom. He had asked Aurelius and Orla about it, but they didn't answer.

The day came where everyone was leaving the golden kingdom. Orla made each kingdom go a very confusing path so they wouldn't know how to get there again. Nico entered the carriage with Hades, Persephone, and Hazel. He stared through the window as they left the castle and the kingdom.

At one point, he stopped looking out the window because it was dizzying. Orla really made sure no one found their way to the kingdom. He just closed the window and stared at the closed window.

When they made it back to the Shadow Kingdom, Nico was kind of relived to be back home. At the castle, he immediately went to his quarters. He fell onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.

He thought about Will, and the dance. He wondered why Will had to leave so soon. He was kind of upset about it.

Nico sighed. He couldn't have done anything to stop it.

He closed his eyes, wanting to rest them for a moment, but he found himself drifting off to sleep.

Nico woke up to someone knocking on his door. "Who is it?" He asked groggily. "It's Hazel. Get ready. Father wants to tell us something over breakfast," she said. He heard her walk away, and after a few minutes, he got ready and left his room, heading to the dining room.

As soon as he entered, Hades spotted him. "Ah, Nico, you're here. Well, get some food," he said. Nico got food and waited for his father to say something. "We agreed to let you do the thing Queen Orla talked about," Persephone said. "Is that it?" Hazel asked. "We would like you to make the announcement, since people are more likely to sign up if you are," Hades said. Nico groaned, but Hazel looked excited. "Really?" She asked. "Yeah," Hades answered.

After they finished breakfast, Hazel and Nico headed to the announcement area. Hades told them he'd still be there, but they were going to talk.

He got the people's attention and Hazel started peaking. "The Golden Kingdom was worried Kronos' Army would come back again. So, they made something, that if you sign up you can go on mission to make sure the rest are gone. Even normal civilians can. My father, King Hades, has allowed anyone in this kingdom to sign up. Nico and I have signed up, and we are wishing you will too. You can sign up in Umbra Square," Hazel said. It was the end of the announcement, so people went back to what they were doing before. Nico, who had said nothing, immediately went back to the castle, Hazel following after a few seconds.

"I'm so glad you didn't make me speak," Nico said. Hazel chuckled. "I know you didn't want to. You'll have to one day, but for now, don't worry about it," she said. "Thanks," he said. "Of course," Hazel said, and they walked to their individual quarters.