You're The Only One - Prinxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Six: Changes

Virgil looked at the king in confusion, tilting his head questioningly. "What do you mean by that?"

A sigh came from Roman's lips as he sort of tired smile spread across his lips. "Well, there's just a lot going on right now," he began. "For instance, the whole 'being king' thing is kind of crazy. I'm still trying to figure it out, but our alliances-"

"Oh god, is Sun Glade going to war with Fire Stone? What happened to Ormus?" the stable boy rushed out. His eyes were wide and his hand gripped the king's tightly as he began to panic. "Does he blame me for what happened? What about the other racers? Did anyone else get hurt? What's going to happen to the kingdom if we go to war?"

"Whoa, whoa, it's okay, we're not going to war," Roman reassured him. "Relax, and I'll fill you in."

Virgil sighed heavily and relaxed against the pillows. He winced a little; his brief panic had made him tense up and he could feel the soreness in his muscles. 

"Okay, first and foremost, we're not going to war with Fire Stone," the king said. "The other kingdoms in our alliance agreed that Fire Stone's Champion, Ormus, was responsible for the disaster. Ormus was killed when the Lava Surfer threw him off. We found his body in the rubble of the building. Collectively, Fire Stone has been removed from our alliance, and the other kingdoms have agreed that if they were to wage war on Sun Glade, they would be challenging all of us. It's highly unlikely that he'd be stupid enough to go to war with that many kingdoms at once."

The stable boy blinked a little as he comprehended everything. He wasn't happy that Ormus had died, but he wasn't saddened either; the man was a monster and unleashed the Lava Surfer on innocent people for his own gain.

He nodded. "What else happened while I was out?" Roman sucked in a breath a looked a bit more nervous about the next part. Virgil scowled and felt his own anxieties return. "What?"

"Well, do you remember our discussion about my orientation? Specifically my lack of attraction toward females?" he asked. Virgil gave him a tiny nod as his stomach twisted uncomfortably. "I haven't always known that I wasn't attracted to females, I only came to realize my preference about a month before you were hired."

Virgil swallowed. "Well... that's not very long at all... I've only been working in the stables for five months..."

"Yeah, and about a month before I figured it out... I was in a relationship with a princess named Cassandra," Roman explained cautiously. "We were more like best friends than lovers, but we were... intimate... which is partially the reason why were broke up. We're still friends, which is good, because- well..."

The stable boy felt a lump in his throat. "You have a kid?!"

The king winced and nodded hastily. "Yes, she gave birth to a child just a week ago, but it's not a bad thing-"

"Oh my god... what the hell..." Virgil muttered, feeling his breathing accelerate. His hands had begun to shake again. This was too much change for him to handle. He felt like he was going to pass out. "What does that even mean? Are you going to have to marry her? What's going to happen to you?"

"Whoa, breathe, breathe Virgil," he murmured, moving closer to put a hand on the side of his neck. The touch calmed him. "I promise it's going to be okay."

He squeezed Roman's hand tightly as he tried to regulate his breathing. The king used his thumb to rub his jaw comfortingly as he whispered soothing things. Virgil felt his mind still racing, but he was beginning to calm back down. He sighed heavily and opened his eyes to meet Roman's. It was then that he realized how close he was to him. "What are you doing?"

"Um- sorry, I was-" Roman tried, blushing as he removed his hand. "It's just... I've been obvious, haven't I?"

Virgil felt his own cheeks warm as he remembered their flight on Dante, their dance, and the kiss on the cheek the royal had given him. He had been pretty obvious, and Virgil hadn't been completely oblivious, but somehow he still felt surprised. "I mean... yes, I guess you could say that," he replied. "But surely you can't pursue a relationship with someone like me, for numerous reasons."

"Is one of those reasons because you don't return my interest?" the king asked softly. The stable boy shook his head quickly, not wanting him to misinterpret his statement. "Then I can pursue a relationship with you."

"But you and this Princess Cassandra have a child?! You're the king! You're expected to continue the royal bloodline and I'm just a stable hand who trains dragons!" Virgil exclaimed.

The king shook his head and smiled widely. "Virgil, Cassandra and I are not getting married. She wants to have children with her actual future husband, so she's giving the child to me to raise," he explained. "She'll visit, of course, and everyone knows she's the mother, but this is a perfectly reasonable agreement. Even in the eyes of the public, we'll be platonic parents of the child."

"And your people will be okay with that?" he asked.

"It's not about them, it's about Cassandra and I, and this is the solution that we both want," Roman said, voice radiating confidence. "I'm expected to continue the bloodline, and I've done that now that I have a child. There's nothing that says I have to be married to the mother."

Virgil swallowed and felt his head pounding with all the information. It made sense. There was no law saying Roman had to be married to the mother of his child; even if there was, he now had the power to change that. There were plenty of cases of single parented royal children because of the death of one of the parents. Roman's father had died when he was very young. It wasn't abnormal for a child to be raised by one parent. 

He sighed heavily as he began to relax. "So what does that mean?"

"It means, that I get to ask you to accompany me to a ball I'm holding in a couple weeks," Roman said, flashing his typical charismatic smile. "You should be full recovered by then, and then we can dance together for real."

Virgil's cheeks turned pink, but a smile spread across his lips in spite of his embarrassment.