CuCan Oneshots 2

The Cloud Prince (2)

There is a man
Dressed all in white.
Holds me and sings
A lullaby.
He's nice to see
And he's soft to touch.
And he says

"Carlos!"
He startled awake, sitting up quickly and grabbing his plow. The sting of the whip served to cement his place in the land of the conscious, and he quickly got back to work.
Her Royal Highness, The Queen, had ordered the garden to be redone, and Carlos was a part of the staff sent to do it. They'd been given no rest, not even to eat, and had been at it all day. They were to dig up the rose bushes and make way for tulips, which Carlos thought was a waste. The thorns dug at his hands, and he felt the dislodging of each root in his very soul.
Roses were so pretty. He wondered why Her Royal Highness had grown tired of them. The white roses in his Prince's garden were always so beautiful.
As the day drew to a close, they were told to get something to eat, then come back immediately. Annoyance crept up from the tips of Carlos' toes, rising all the way to the top of his head. 'Are we expected to work through the night?!'

They were.

And they did.

Dawn had just graced the edges of the garden when they were sent to their rooms to sleep. All of the workers were informed that they would be retrieved in two hours to continue, and Carlos had to suppress a groan. It was wise not to complain when the royal family had given you a 'special' task.
He blacked out almost as soon as he hit the mattress, and all that he saw for what seemed like forever and a moment all at once, was darkness. He could hear the garden around him; the soft trickle of water and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. He could feel the wet, dewy grass beneath him. He could hear his Cloud Prince, but couldn't make out what he said.

And then, he was awake again.
Working in the palace gardens was different than working the fields, Carlos came to discover. The hours were long and relentless, and there was little worry of animals, so there was little time for sleep. The workers were driven like cattle, and in the end, the garden was bursting with the vibrant reds and yellows of Her Royal Highness' tulips. Carlos thought it was an eyesore.
The Queen, in all her garishness, complimented each of them on their hard work, and gave them a day to recover before returning to the fields. Carlos took this time to clean up in what little way he could, and eat something more than the small rations they'd given him on garden duty. Then, he collapsed in his bed and drifted soundly to sleep.

The gleaming palace towered over him, as he found himself at its doorstep. He hadn't ventured inside before, always somehow appearing in the garden when he arrived.
He couldn't quite recall where the garden was from here, and this was where he'd awoken this time. He knocked on the door, but there was no sound from within.
He wondered if he should wait outside for his Prince, but eventually curiosity got the better of him. He opened the door and stepped inside, shivering slightly at the chill.
The entire interior lacked colour. Everything was a glimmering alabaster white, and immediately Carlos was taken aback. He didn't expect there to be so little colour.
He walked up the marble staircase, his eyes tracing the faint grey lines webbed across it. He almost fell down the stairs when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He whipped around, his eyes widening at the sight before him.
A man, entirely white save the deep red of his eyes, stood two steps below him, his right arm crossed over his chest and his left resting on the hilt of a sword. "Have you an appointment?"
His accent was like none Carlos had ever heard before. He didn't know how to answer, and his silence was broken by the sound of a blade being drawn. The red eyed man had pulled his sword, which gleamed a bright silver, halfway from its scabbard at his waist. The only thing stopping the man was a hand placed against his own. The hand was equally as white, and Carlos looked from it to the face of its owner; his Prince.
The red eyed man had gone completely still, as if frozen. His eyes were wide, as if in surprise.
The Cloud Prince smiled at Carlos and moved his hand to Carlos', turning to the red eyed man. "He does. Back to your post please."
The red eyed man bowed low, his eyes still wide. He glanced at the Prince, and Carlos thought he saw a question there before the man walked away.
"I've never seen anyone else here. Who was that?" Carlos asked. The Prince lead him up the stairs and down a hall with tall windows. The garden was visible below, and beyond that, a sea of clouds and the vibrant blue of the sky.
"He is a knight." The Prince said, then smiled sadly. "I would tell you his name, if I knew it."
Carlos frowned and stopped his Prince, placing a hand on his cheek. "You never told me your name either."
His Prince's eyes widened slightly, then looked away. His voice was softer than usual. "I cannot."
Carlos frowned. "Why not? I've told you mine."
"That was-" The Prince began, his voice faltering. Then, he turned away. "Please. Stop asking questions. Are you not content to just be with me?"
Carlos was content, yes. But he wanted answers. He frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I want to know who it is that I love so much."
His Prince turned to him, his eyes misty with tears. "Such a bold confession. Why, then, does it break me so to hear?"
Carlos frowned and wiped away a falling tear, then leaned in to kiss the other man. His Prince pulled away, covering his face with his hands.
"You know not what you ask of me. You remember so little... and yet wonder so much." His Prince said mournfully, and the sound caused Carlos' heart to squeeze pitifully in his chest. "I... I don't want to see you right now."

With a heavy impact, as if he'd fallen quite a distance, Carlos awoke. He sat up quickly, his heart racing. He was on the floor, having fallen out of bed. He could remember the Cloud Prince; could remember the sorrow, and the blinding white of the palace. And yet, there was so much he could not recall.

He loved the Prince. He knew that.
He wanted to be with him always.

He wondered when those feelings had emerged, and why they were so strong. Perhaps when they had first met?

Alas, that was one of the many things he could not quite recall.

//1178 words.
//there will be one chapter after this, and then this AU is done. Hope you're enjoying it so far!