The Fallen Angel - Prinxiety (ON HOLD)

Chapter Seven

Roman sighed heavily to himself as he walked through the forest. The tree branches swayed overhead and the sounds of life surrounded them on all sides; however, it felt unnervingly quiet. The mage hadn't said a word to him since they'd left the castle grounds. Once they'd established what direction they needed to go, he'd fallen silently instep behind him. 

He could at least make conversation, the prince thought with annoyance. I did just break him out of jail, and he saved my life, so we're not quite strangers... I guess we're not friends either though.

He looked over his shoulder at Virgil. His eyes were lowered and focused on the ground. He seemed to be deep in thought, his bangs hovering over his face. Roman swallowed as he turned his gaze back toward the trees in front of him. He debated in his head if it was worth it to try and converse with him. Eventually, he settled for a simple question. "So where is your guild located?"

Virgil jumped a little at the sudden sound of his voice. "Oh, it's just a day south from Mythcairn in Hikari Kingdom," he replied softly.

"Oh, I know of Mythcairn," Roman said with enthusiasm. "It's a couple days from Swanhold, which is perfect! Swanhold is where we've been having some magic related attacks recently. Maybe when we get to your guild's temple, I could convince them to help us. It wouldn't be too far out of their way. Do you think they'd help?"

"It's difficult for me to say," Virgil admitted. "I'm not a fully realized member of the guild yet... I haven't completed my training yet. I would like to think that they would help you, but I can't tell you for certain."

The prince tried not to let the mage's answer deter him from his plan. "What kind of magic users are they anyway? Or rather, what kind of magic user are you?" he asked curiously. 

"They're light mages," he replied hastily. "I'm- I'm a light magic user. Obviously. Do you not remember the bright flash of light I used to knock your kidnapper on his ass? It was pretty clear, I don't know how you could've missed it. That was a stupid question."

Roman felt his temper get tempted, but he stopped it in favor of his suspicion. Something seemed off about the way Virgil had answered the question. He seemed desperate to avoid any possible assumption that he used any magic other than light. He eyed him over his shoulder briefly as he thought about what his defensiveness could mean. Perhaps he was more than a light magic user.

"That was pretty rude, but fine, you're a light mage, cool," the prince said, waving his hand dismissively. "Did your parents not teach you manners? It was just a simple question."

Virgil's eyes flared up with anger. "Not that it's any of your damn business, Your Highness, but I don't have parents," he snapped. He reached up to pull his hood over his head. "And you shouldn't have assumed that everyone is lucky enough to have a family like you. Maybe you're the one who needs to learn manners, instead of acting like a spoiled brat."

He shoved passed Roman to take the lead, clearly not interested in listening or talking to him anymore. The prince was torn between being furious and feeling guilty. On one hand, he couldn't believe that the mage had just spoken to him like that. On the other, he had accidentally brought up a sensitive topic that clearly hit too close to home for comfort. He swallowed as his emotions silently battled in his mind. Virgil had the right to be angry, but there was no way Roman could've known he didn't have a family. He hadn't intended for the jab to be that offensive.

Conflict swirled in his stomach as he watched Virgil cloak swishing in front of him. This wasn't a good way to start their journey. Swallowing his pride, he sped up his steps to walk beside the mage.

"Look, Virgil, I'm sorry, you're right," he managed. "I shouldn't have assumed. I'm sorry, that was rude of me to say."

Virgil didn't respond and didn't make any movements to remove his hood. He stopped walking, causing the prince to do the same. He looked at him regretfully, hoping that he hadn't completely ruined his chances of developing a friendly relationship with a magic user and his guild. They stood in silence for a couple moments before he finally spoke.

"I don't know my parents. I don't know where I'm from. I don't know who I was supposed to be," Virgil murmured. Roman's heart rate picked up as he realized he was potentially opening up to him. "According to my mentors, they found me as a child outside their temple. They took me in and raised me, but they're not my family. I... I appreciate all that they've done for me, and I'm returning to them because I owe them my life, but they aren't my family."

As he spoke, the prince slowly got the impression that Virgil was thinking out loud rather than purposefully talking to him. He kept quiet to see if he'd continue, but the mage shook his head and turned to glare at him.

"I'll forgive you this time, but you should watch what you say around people you don't know. You couldn't have known, but it was insensitive to not even think about it," he muttered.

Roman swallowed and let his royal stubbornness fade as he nodded. He knew he was a bit of a hot head and he knew he had a tendency to be self centered. If he was to rule in his father's place some day, he needed to think about his citizens more than himself. He wanted to improve himself and he decided to start with something as simple as respecting Virgil's privacy.

"You're right," he agreed. He tried to smile apologetically. "You have my apologies, I'm aware that I have some flaws. Making insensitive comments is something I need to work on. Thank you for calling me out on it."

Virgil blinked in surprise at this, reaching up to take off his hood. "Wow... I didn't know it was possible for a royal to actually... appreciate getting told off?"

He managed to smile charismatically and flash a wink his way. "Well, you'll find out pretty quickly that I'm a little bit different," the prince said, nudging him with his shoulder. The mage looked down at the touch and then back up at him with an emotionless expression. His smile turned to a questioning one. "Too soon for friendly touching?"

"Definitely," Virgil replied, blinking at him. Roman managed an awkward laugh to diffuse some of the tension as they continued walking.