The Price of a Kiss // A Garrence FF

A Drunk Choice, An Angry Father, I'm Now The Laughing Stock Of The Kingdom

1

I wake up nauseous, and with a terrible headache.

A groan escapes my lips. My hair is stuck to my forehead.

I sit up slowly, trying to shake the dizziness. 

What happened last night?

I'm in my bedchambers, but I don't remember falling asleep. And I'm still wearing the fancy outfit father had gotten me for the ball last night.

The ball last night!

"Fuck." I mutter, standing up. A sharp pain shoots through my ankle and I stagger forward. What other body parts are out of order? I manage to make it to the door but when I try to open it, it's locked.

"Fuck." I mutter again, a tad louder than before.

What happened last night?

I limp to the large window that frames the village and try to get a glimpse of the courtyard. I just barely manage to see a few tents up and people milling about. Yesterday was the third day of the fortnight-long festival of Irene. 

I crane my neck farther, trying to see if I can make out anybody down there. A shock of red hair stands out against the greenery that I'm pretty sure is Nicole, Princess of Scaleswind.

I jump as my door opens. I turn a little to quickly and my head screams at me again. 

My little brothers, Vylad and Zane, stand at the door, along with a few of my friends from other kingdoms.

"Garroth! I'm so glad you're okay!" Vylad yells, running forward to hug me. The others follow suit.

I wrap my arms around the small green eyed boy. "What do you mean? Why was my door locked?"

Aphmau looks like she has been crying. They all do when I look at them again. 

"You don't remember?" Katelyn asks gently. 

"No."

"Oh Irene." Zane groans, putting his head in his hands.

"So, uh, congratulations I guess." Dante says awkwardly. "That took guts my brother."

"Dante!" The girls practically shriek at him.

"What? I don't know what to say! What are you supposed to say when Prince Garroth, oldest son of the biggest kingdom in this region, gets blackout drunk at the biggest festival of the year and announces he's-"

"Enough!" Zane shouts at him. "Stop. Talking."

"What the hell happened?" I ask them again, my unease growing.

"Long or short version?" Vylad asks, maneuvering me so I was sitting on my bed.

"Just tell me what happened."

Everyone shared a glace.

"We were all with you at different parts of the night," Aphmau began. "You seemed really upset and Zane told us you had gotten in a fight with your father."

She stopped, staring at me. Come to mention it, I do remember fighting with my father. He had told me he had picked a bride for me. I made a motion for her to continue.

"Dante and Vylad snuck into the kitchens and stole some beer to cheer you up. We told you to slow down and stop but you wouldn't listen."

"We were all a little drunk," Vylad continued, motioning at the rest. "But you were the most by far. You started.. confessing some stuff. You said father had picked you out a bride - Ivy, the  girl from the eastern regions - and you said you didn't like her. Or any maiden for that matter."

He also stopped, probably trying to see if he could jog my memory. I couldn't believe my ears. There was no way I could have told them... that.

"You then told us about the servant boy, Blaze, you wanted to marry. You told us about many of your... times in the servants quarters." 

"Fuck." I breathed out. No, no, no. There was no way that could have happened. I couldn't have told any of them my secret.

"Why didn't you tell us Garroth?" Katelyn asked, resting a hand on my shoulder. It was out of character for her. Crying, gentleness. She was a rough, strong-willed girl who was seen on equals to the boys by many of the other young royals. 

"I-I.." I stuttered.

"It's okay, just so you know." Dante said. "We don't hate you or anything."

"We don't." Katelyn assured. "But the others are a different story. After you had told us everything, you decided you wanted to see the servant boy, Blaze, right then. So you stumbled off. In hindsight it was stupid of us to let you go off alone, but Dante was sure you weren't telling the truth and it was just the alcohol. Zane found you later."

"I had made my way back inside when I heard commotion by the tables." Zane started, having obediently waited his turn. Again, so out of character. "You had cornered Blaze. Blaze was pushing you off, saying he had no idea what was going on. Then you stood up on one of the tables and announced that you, Garroth Ro'Meave, loved that boy and you were going to marry him instead of Ivy."

Dante wrapped things up. "The rest of us had come in at that point. You said some other things, filthy things. I had no idea shy, innocent you could ever think such things. You then denounced all maidens forever, said you were happy to live as a queer, and that we could kill you if we wanted, but that was better than living a lie."

I sat back, practically breathless. There was no way. No way. 

"The guards carried you off then and locked you in here, at your father's request."

I stared at them. Zane's icy blue eyes looked sad, a startling change from their hardness. Aphmau and Katelyn's faces said that if anyone tried to hurt me they would kill them without a moment's notice. Dante was biting his lip, his usual grin gone. Vylad sat next to me, holding my hand, his jaw set forward. He also would defend me at a moments notice, even if he was nothing more than a scrawny fourteen year old.

These five people were the only people I had left in this world.

"You have to go." I heard my voice say. "Father will be here soon no doubt."

"Garroth-" They all said in unison.

"No buts, I have to deal with this, and if father finds out you were all here, he'll-"

"He'll what?" A deep voice by the door asks coldly.

We all freeze.

There, in my doorway, stands Garte Ro'Meave in all of his cold, terrifying glory. 

My father.