You're The Only One - Prinxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter Nine: Setting The Stage

The prince escorted him to the palace but didn't take him directly to the throne room to talk to the queen. Instead, he taken to the servants quarters through a secret passage in the castle.

"So... why is there a secret passage?" he asked Roman while they walked.

"It's old, it's part of the original layout of the castle. The older rulers didn't like having their servants... out in public, I guess," he replied, looking a little guilty. "They built a network of passages for the servants to move through the castle without being seen. We barely have the staff use them now, but it would be expensive and difficult to get rid of them. Plus... they make for an easy way for me to get out of the palace when I want my absence to go unnoticed."

He flashed a charming smirk his way and then turned to continue down the passage.

"Why are you taking me through this way?" Virgil then questioned.

The prince stopped and turned around. He looked him up and down and gave him a look, complete with a raised eyebrow. "You're soaking wet, smell like dragons and soap, and look like a mess, no offense."

"Gee, no offense taken," he muttered, cheeks flushing with embarrassment as he pulled at his damp clothing, suddenly feeling very self conscious. 

Roman hurried to explain upon seeing his reaction. "Sorry, I mean, I need to convince my mother to have you represent the kingdom," he said. "I don't mind anything about you, but my mother... she's a bit more like what you'd expect a royal to be like. She'll expect you to look respectable."

"Great, so what's the plan?"

"I'm taking you to the servants' wing, we'll get you cleaned up and into some dry clothes, and then we'll talk to my advisor and convince my mother about having you represent Sun Glade."

Roman and Virgil continued their way to the servants' wing, where the latter was ushered into the showers. He washed himself off and found fresh clothes waiting for him just outside the door of his stall. They looked like ordinary peasant clothing, but they weren't his own, making him wonder where they'd gotten them from. He felt incredibly awkward as he put them on.

He came out of the showers and walked back into the main room. The prince was waiting for him and smiled upon seeing him. "Here, try and dry your hair some more," he suggested, grabbing another towel for him. 

Virgil hurriedly rubbed his hair with the towel until it was no longer noticeably wet. He then ran his fingers through it to comb it somewhat. Roman nodded and took him to the throne room, where the royal advisor, Logan, was waiting for them outside the door.

"Are you sure about this?" the stoic man asked.

"As long as Virgil is comfortable with this, I'm positive," he replied, nodding confidently before turning his gaze on the stable boy.

Virgil just stared for a moment, unsure of what to say. This was moving too fast for him to comprehend. He wasn't comfortable. He wasn't comfortable with any of this, but he wasn't sure if that was because he didn't want to do it, or it was just happening faster than he was able to understand.

He knew he wanted to help and that if they needed a person who was good with dragons, he was the right person for the job. He swallowed and nodded to the prince, signaling his agreement. Roman smiled wide and led the way inside the throne room.

The queen was waiting for them inside on her throne. Virgil tried not to have a panic attack as he followed the prince and advisor toward her. Last time she'd spoken to him, she hadn't even bothered to learn his name properly, but now they were supposed to convince her to let him represent her kingdom in a dragon competition? What was the plan if she told them no? What would happen to Roman?

"Your Majesty," Logan began, bowing slightly. "We have come up with a possible alternative to the arranged marriage."

"I'm listening," she said, eyeing her son and the young man next to him. "Isn't that the new stable boy? Vincent, right?"

Virgil bit back a sigh and opened his mouth to correct her, but Roman stepped in before he could. "Mother, his name is Virgil. His name is Virgil Black," he said, frustration clear in his tone as he stepped forward. He gestured toward the stable boy. "Yes, he's our new stable hand. He's an expert with dragons, and I think he would be the perfect pick for our champion."

"Champion? Champion for what exactly?" the queen said as she raised and eyebrow at him. 

"Your Majesty, what if we were to host a series of competitions involving dragons?" the advisor spoke up. "Dragons are the new popularity of the kingdoms, and competitions would give the Fire Stone king an opportunity to showcase his own strength and superiority. You know he does like to show off. We could invite the other kingdoms within our alliance to bring ships of their citizens and dragons, make it a huge event revolving around the new role dragons have in all our lives. Surely, that would please him."

Virgil bit back a comment about how dragons were not a new discovery and that they had been a huge part of life for other kingdoms for decades; though he was right, he knew it wouldn't be smart to sass the royal advisor in front of the queen.

"Virgil here is the most experienced when it comes to dragons," Roman explained, gesturing for him to step forward. "He could represent our kingdom in the competitions as our champion so to speak."

The queen pursed her lips and nodded to the stable boy, beckoning him closer. "What can you say about this? You are our dragon expert after all."

"Well your Majesty.... I can say with confidence that your dragons would perform very well in competitions, considering they've had proper training and have properly undergone the domestication process," he said cautiously. "If flying races is what you've got in mind, I'm a very skilled rider. I can certainly represent Sun Glade well in a competition like that. My concern is-"

"Perfect, then Logan, draft the invitation and see to it that the proper preparations are made," she interrupted, clapping her hands. 

The stable boy sighed softly and nodded, stepping back. I can't speak for the other kingdoms' dragon trainers, he thought to himself. It's going to be dangerous if their dragons haven't been trained properly. I just hope that none of them have been abused or that the other kingdoms bring species they shouldn't try and domesticate.