You're The Only One - Prinxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter Three: The Prince

In Virgil's opinion, it was far too early to be talking to anyone, but clearly, he was the only one in the stables that had this opinion. "Morning Virge!! How are you today?" Harley greeted as he entered the structure.

"I'd be a lot better if you let me wake up before asking me that question," he replied, making the other young man laugh as he left the room. Rubbing his eyes, he headed for the bag of raw meat to feed the dragons. He tossed a slab of meat into each stall and the each of the dragons made their own noises of gratitude. He smiled toward them; they were amazingly unique creatures. "You're welcome."

He had begun his morning routine of tidying the equipment area when he heard them. Virgil let out a low groan; the royal bells were jingling outside, gradually getting louder as they grew closer. 

Shit, he thought with a sigh. Looking out the small window, he saw none other than the queen herself. Following her, was the prince who he guessed was the one watching him last night. He sighed again as he prepared himself mentally to suck up to them. What did I do to deserve this so early in the morning? What could they possibly want from the dragon stables?

The queen waltzed into the stables with her chin in the air. Virgil noticed her face shift into one of disgust as she looked around; clearly she wasn't a fan of the smell or the mustiness. Her cold gaze landed on him first and he silently cursed Harley and Brian for not being here to distract her. 

She strutted toward him and cleared her throat, making him swallow and slide into a bow instantaneously. "Good morning, Vincent was it?"

"Virgil, actually, your Majesty, good morning," he said, secretly gritting his teeth. She hadn't bothered to learn his name and had looked at him with the expectation that he'd bow. He was positive he didn't like her. "I was simply in the process of doing my everyday work routine. What brings you to the stables?"

She laughed, a high and annoying laugh that made his skin crawl. "Oh, you'll be doing something much more interesting today, Vincent."

Virgil looked up in confusion, stomach churning as he thought about what that potentially meant. He also felt another spike of annoyance caused by the fact that she'd completely ignored his correction of his name. "Your Majesty?"

"You'll be beginning my son's dragon lessons," she explained, smiling and pushing the young prince forward. "He's required to learn about them and I'm placing you in charge of his education in the subject considering your past with the creatures. You are to teach him all you know about dragons and how to ride them."

The darkly dressed stable boy looked at the queen with wide eyes. "Your Majesty, may I ask why you're requiring him to be taught such knowledge?" he inquired. "I'll gently remind you that dragons are extremely dangerous and-"

"Dragons are the new symbol of power and prosperity and I need my son to be an example of perfection. He is to be a person other kingdoms will admire," she interrupted, smiling to herself. Virgil noticed the prince shift on his feet uncomfortably at her words. "He was a fine rider when horses were still the expected steed of royalty, but now he must learn about these new, magnificent creatures."

"Of course, your Majesty... I suppose we could begin now if he's free?" he said. 

She wasn't paying any attention as she waltzed out of the stables with a dismissive wave of her hand. Virgil sighed before catching himself. He'd forgotten that the prince was still standing there, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Uh, apologies, I uh-" He scrambled for an excuse but couldn't find one. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "So, what does she want me to teach you, your Highness?"

"Yeah, can we not do the whole 'your Highness' when we're out here? I don't like the idea of being overly formal in this kind of setting. It makes me feel uncomfortable, like it highlights the difference in status that I don't believe matter all that much," the prince said. The shock must have been obvious on Virgil's face because he flushed and quickly started to explain. "I mean, I just- I like having a normal relationship with people my mother would consider beneath me, so could you just call me Roman?"

The stable boy nodded a little and shifted on his feet. "So... Roman then, what exactly am I supposed to be teaching you?"

"Everything you know about dragons apparently," Roman replied, shrugging his shoulders with a charming smile in his direction. "If I'm honest with you, my mother really just wants to be able to tell the other kingdom rulers that her son can ride a dragon."

Virgil felt a tug of sympathy in his chest but promptly ignored it. He didn't know nearly enough about this prince to draw the conclusion that he should feel sympathy for him. For all he knew, Roman hadn't had to work a day in his life and was just complaining about having to learn something for once. 

He crossed his arms. "Well, do you know anything about dragons? Anything actually substantial?" he asked, arching an eyebrow in his direction. 

"I know that there's different classifications of dragons, of course. There's three main kingdoms of dragons: fire breathers, water dwellers, and sky strikers. In each of them are different classes and families and species of dragons, but I can't go into super detail about everything in each," he replied as he looked upwards thoughtfully.

The stable boy couldn't help but be impressed. He was certain that if he asked Harley or Brian that same question they'd have no answer; well, maybe Brian would, but Harley most certainly wouldn't have anything to say. 

"What decides which kingdom a dragon belongs to?" Virgil said, a challenge in his voice.

"Their fire type, if they have one," Roman said smugly. "Fire breathers are obviously the dragons that produce fire from their lungs which are in land habitats. Water dwellers are those that live in the ocean and they never breathe fire. Sky strikers have other forms of defense mechanisms, like electricity or sonic waves, and they usually inhabit very high places."

He almost smiled before he caught himself, clearing his throat and turning to head to a more pleasant room to study in. "Not bad, Princey," he mumbled as he beckoned him to follow.