The Prince and his Vagabond

Hey guys, Starting a new little project here, and This time, I decided I might as well try my hand at an AU fic. Yeah, I know It's odd for me to do it, but I had this idea. And it just kept bouncing around in my head like "Write me! Write me!"

Anyway, it goes like this: Fox is a prince. After meeting a rather charming, violet eyed man, his life changes. For better or worse, he doesn't know.

Hope you guys like this new little story I'm starting. It shouldn't be too long, because it's sort of a side to keep me sharp on my writing, as well as help me get a little more into the game with my new book I'm writing, but hey, I like doing new things.

The castle was in an uproar, maids bustling all over the place, and guards panicking as they couldn't figure out whether to stay at their posts or to be celebrating. Today was the day that Prince McCloud would be taking over his father's throne, and finally getting his useless uncle off the seat of stand-in. Sure, he'd only keep the title of Crown-Prince until he was of age, but it was better that he took the throne than his Father's best friend, Pigma Dengar.

A teenage Fox McCloud sighed as he sheathed the wooden blades he held, offering his hand to one of the newer recruits of the Blue Falcon Guard. He turned to his fellow instructor, and best friend, Falco, grinning as he helped the recruit up and gave him a pat on the back. "Nice attempt, Calhoun. Next time though, try to telegraph your movements less. You have a tell every time you make a strike, your wrist twitches in the next direction you want to move. I know it's hard to fix, but if you can just fix that, you'll be a force to beat." He smiled, giving the cadet a respectful bow, dismissing the rest of the recruits with a chorus of "Yes, Sir" meeting him.

Falco approached him and chuckled softly. "You really think you should be telling that kid how to improve anymore? He really had you on your guard, even with both of your swords."

"Yeah, I'm not so invincible. I'd much rather my guard be better at swordsmanship than I am. That way I'd have to use that less." Fox shrugged, casting an uneasy glance at the gloves covering his hands.

"Well, at least it hasn't been acting up on ya like it used to." Falco shrugged, brushing the blue locks of hair out of his eyes. "My rune is still just as useless as ever." He shrugged, rolling his eyes. "What am I going to do with water, anyway? I just wish something more badass chose me, like lightning or something." Falco pouted, causing Fox to chuckle.

"Uh-huh. You could be chosen by the rune I have, and then you'd have a weird fate to have to deal with. Hell, even I don't know what it wants from me sometimes." Fox scowled, rolling his eyes. "Let alone having it try to kill you everytime you use it." He frowned.

"Still, isn't it part of the reason why you're so good at using those swords?" Falco chuckled, motioning to the two swords sheathed in the corner of the practice yard, typical long-swords, with ancient Cornerian runes lining the blades. "At least you get some physical bonuses from your rune even without it trying to kill you." He pouted again.

"Um… Your Highness?" A maid interrupted from the entryway to the yard. "There's a letter for you." She curtsied deep, before holding out the letter with both hands, gaze averted from the prince.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Marietta. Call me Fox. That whole Your Highness thing is better suited for Pigma anyway." He shrugged, strolling over to grab the letter and flick the seal off with his knife. The rather hurried scrawl of the duke of a neighboring town in the kingdom's borders was all too familiar to Fox.

"Well? What's it say?" Falco inquired, trying to peer over Fox's broad shoulders.

"Well, It's Duke Trell. He's apparently requesting help, there's a rather strange rebellion going on in his lands, and it's apparently started by someone calling themselves 'Lunatus'." Fox explained after reading the letter. "And apparently, this rebellion is spreading into his guardsmen too. Marietta, would you mind fetching me a piece of parchment and a quill, as well as one of our messenger birds?" He asked, smiling kindly at the young maid.

"Ah, well, he'll have to wait for the troops to arrive, since it'd still be a few days away. Say, isn't there something you should be attending in the castle somewhere?" An old voice mused from the entryway as Fox wiped the last of his sweat from his brow. "Maybe, oh, I don't know, your own coronation, young prince?" An elderly man with his long hair pulled back into a ponytail chuckled as Fox's face lit up.

"Peppy, it's so good to see you, uncle." Fox exclaimed as he quickly moved to scoop the elderly man into a hug. He was met with an equally energetic hug from the old man. "How have your travels been? Take you to any exotic locations?" he asked with a smile.

"We can discuss that latter, Fox. For now, you've got a coronation banquet to get ready for," Peppy chuckled, tugging at Fox's simple tunic with a playfully disgusted expression. " lest the crowds see their crown prince accepting his throne in such sweat-drenched clothes." He chuckled again.

Fox laughed and shrugged, picking the pair of swords up from their spot in the corner of the yard, ignoring the faint pulse from his hands from the runes etched into them acting up from their proximity to the special blades. "I guess I can make myself appear there." He chuckled, taking the parchment from Marietta as she reappeared next to him and dipping the quill in the inkwell, writing up the notice of reinforcements letter to the Duke. "Alright, send this to Joyvis please, Marietta." He smiled and handed her the letter, after he pressed his ring into the wax he managed to scavenge off a nearby candle.

"Ah, a letter to Duke Trell? What's the situation?" Peppy asked, tilting his head curiously. He prided himself with keeping up with all the trivial matters that Fox or Pigma didn't like dealing with, even during his little trip out of the kingdom he still kept up with rumors for their sake.

"Well, apparently some guy named Lunatus is causing a weird uproar within the Duke's private guard as well as the commonwealth of his town. He says he'd like some reinforcements to help sort out the issue, and seeing as how we're some of the only ones worth using in the nearby area, as well as being the kingdom over him, he seemed to think it most worthwhile to plead to us." Fox shrugged, explaining the situation as if discussing the weather.

"Well, It doesn't seem to far-fetched. The man always was a shady type in the first place, a rebellion was bound to happen under him." Peppy shrugged, pushing one of the stray locks of hair out of his face with an annoyed grunt. "The bigger issue is this Lunatus guy. His name's been popping up quite often around the whole kingdom, a 'freedom fighter' they call him. Some say he's out to overthrow the crown, other's say he's silently working to put the proper person to the crown, although no word's reached the castle, or Pigma about this, and I shall see to it that it never does." Peppy nodded, winking at Fox as he caught Fox's mystified expression. If he knew how the young man thought, he'd want to meet this Lunatus himself and get the answers directly.

"Hm. Well, who knows what'll happen. We've got ourselves to worry about, and a quick trip to the wardrobe, I guess." Fox muttered, chewing on his lip as he thought of what else he had to do for the day. "And isn't there a ball being held in my honor after the coronation banquet?" Fox asked, rubbing his chin. "Bah, there's something I'm not looking forward to. Falco, can you snatch me a copy of the invite list?" He turned to his best friend and retainer, chuckling at the man's offended look.

"I could snatch you a thousand copies, if You wanted. Remember who was the world's greatest thief and assassin before he became your babysitter." Falco frowned, rolling his eyes. He twirled a dagger around in his hand that wasn't there when Fox blinked last.

"Yeah yeah, I remember, man." Fox chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Let's just get going. I have a stupid ceremony to go deal with." He shrugged, strolling forward past Peppy. He had a feeling that Pigma wouldn't easily give up his spot to its rightful owner. He adjusted the glove on his right hand nervously. He just might have to use it again. "Falco, after getting the copy of the invite list, look into everyone's background personally and give me a note of what you find out. I don't want Pigma trying to bring in some sort of Lobbyist that he paid to try to keep me out of the crown." Fox sighed, quickening his stride slightly out of anxiety.

"Gotcha, Fox." Falco nodded, breaking off away from the prince and off to a separate hallway, suddenly disappearing into the shadows.

"Peppy, how's Slippy coming with that new magitek that he's been developing for the easier communications? Has he mentioned anything to you about it?" He quickly turned down another hallway leading to his room, pushing open the silver door and into his chambers. He stepped in his wardrobe and changed as quickly as the intricate robing would let him.

Pigma sighed as he sat in the throne room, sipping from a chalice full of wine. "Well well, Looks like my friend's little son won't show up on time to take his crown." He snorted, grunting slightly as he tried to grab some of the food he had dropped off of his rotund stomach. 'not that I'd even let him take the crown from me, regardless.' He thought snidely, smirking outwardly. He didn't expect the door to burst open suddenly, Fox striding in with his head held high wearing the dark green and red robes of the royal family. Pigma snorted again as he leaned up a little in his seat, a feat for the obese man. "Well, if it isn't Fox himself. Come to take your spot on the royal throne?" He grunted out as he stood from the throne, barely managing to squeeze himself out of it.

"It's officially time for me to take the title of Crown-Prince, Pigma. Father wanted it, and he even told you to step down when this time came. We can debate or scuffle all you want, but the title is rightfully mine. You've been driving this kingdom slowly into ruin, and need to leave." Fox stated with an unusually commanding tone. Pigma rolled his eyes, striding forward with a grin.

"You'll have to take the throne from my cold dead hands, Fox. I've kind of grown used to this nice little lifestyle. I'm not even of the same blood, but I'm still the king, and wouldn't it be bad if someone were to leak that you killed the king in cold blood?" Pigma cackled, smirking wildly.

"No one would really believe it's in cold blood. We have enough witnesses here. Besides, I'm supposed to take the throne as of today anyway. Assassinations and murders are all too common for the monarchy." Fox shrugged, grinning as he crossed his arms, glaring Pigma down, smirking inwardly as he saw the sweat start rolling off the grotesque male.

"You wouldn't dare." Pigma scowled.

"Oh, go on and try me, Pigma." Fox smirked, pulling the gloves off of his hands just in case. He quickly held a hand up as a bolt of fire sprung from Pigma's palm at him, letting off a very slight grunt in pain as he activated the rune on the back of his hand. A shimmering wall of light protected him from the bolt of fire. "Good job, Pigma. You've singlehandedly put everyone here in danger, how would your subjects see that, if not a case of a king not fit to rule?" He smirked.

"You provoked me. I can always tell people that you put something in my drink. With that ruffian Falco as your retainer, nobody would question it too much." Pigma grinned, the rune on the back of his hand glowing brightly as he focused for a much more powerful bolt of fire. The large bolt of fire shot from his palm, searing through the air towards Fox, leaving burning flakes in its wake as it made contact with the young man's arm, only to leave no mark.

"As long as I have this rune, you'll never touch me, Pigma." Fox smirked, putting out his other hand as the bolt of fire was shot back at the obese man, only much bigger, seeming to scorch the very air.

"Hahah, that's what you think." Pigma chuckled, putting up a circle of blue fire in front of him, shielding him from the large bolt of fire. "You can't beat a fire rune with a fire spell. Especially not the one it just used." Pigma chuckled. "And besides, that takes years off your life every time, doesn't it?" He grinned.

It was then that the doors burst open once more, the elderly Peppy stepping in chanting with an entourage of guards behind him, weapons drawn. "O guardian of twilight and minister of dawn, grant your power to me. All things in the world must be judged and so shall I, who have been granted this power of yours. Allow me to borrow this strength to bring yet another evildoer to their deserved justice. Chains of Light spring forth and capture the true evil culprit so that justice may be dealt." Peppy chanted out, pure white chains springing from his hand, magically shooting forth and wrapping themselves around Pigma, the blue-fire shield of his disappearing from existence immediately when the chains touched his body. He let out a loud squeal of discomfort as the chains squeezed tight around him.

"Pigma Dengar. You are under arrest for attacking His Higness without provocation, as well as crimes against the Kingdom of Lylat." The guard-captain announced.

"What proof do you have?" Pigma managed to grunt out as the chains tightened. It was then that he noticed the chains were also connected to the guard captain by Peppy's other hand. "Wait, you had this rune power this whole time, Peppy Hare? Why was I not aware of this?" He snarled, baring his teeth at the elderly man.

"Well, there was a reason why I disappeared from the castle after James' death. He didn't want you to find out about this power, otherwise he was afraid that you'd do your best to try to incarcerate me so that it could never be used against you, and therefore keep yourself in the crown." Peppy explained, stepping closer to Fox as the chains detached from the Guard-Captain, as well as Peppy's hand, staying wrapped around the rotund former-king.

"Even I didn't know you had this power, Peppy. That's kind of awesome." Fox chuckled, grinning as he was patted on the back by Peppy.

"I've always had this rune, just like you've always had yours. This rune of Light is the only one that can even attempt to counter yours, Fox." Peppy chuckled, shrugging. "Now, let's take care of Pigma and your Coronation first." He chuckled, turning to the guard with a suddenly stern look. "Take him to Macbeth and have them watch over him in the mines. He'll be forced to work there for the rest of his life." Peppy announced. "You have official use of the Dragon Cavalry for as long as necessary to reach Macbeth. You are to also take some of the youngling dragons to Macbeth with you to raise for the defense force as well. I'll take care of the rest." He announced, smiling as he plucked the crown off of Pigma's head and placed it on a cushion one of the cadets offered for it.

"Why would they take some of the younglings for their own defense force? You can't mean to be stationing some of the dragon brigade in Macbeth permanently?" Fox asked, suddenly bewildered. He was even more confused by Peppy's nod. "But why?" Fox asked curiously.

"Well, we've been receiving reports of other kingdoms using Dragons attacking Macbeth for their gems in the mines. If we can get some Dragons and riders that know the area from birth or a young age, then Macbeth would have considerably less problems, wouldn't you think?" Peppy asked with a wink at the young prince.

"I guess that makes sense, now that you explain that Macbeth was coming under raid." Fox scowled. He hated not knowing anything, and the fact that his father-figure was keeping the state of his kingdom a secret from him is even more of an insult.

"Let's just get you ready for the gala tonight. That's when we'll have the official coronation. This was all just a plot by James to get Pigma off the throne. He always had planned for the worst possible outcome." Peppy chuckled. Fox frowned slightly, looking down at his current attire of the ceremonial robes.

"So you mean I got all worked up and dressed up for nothing?" Fox groaned, putting his head in his hands.

Fox sighed to himself as he stood out on the balcony of his chambers, watching the sun set and the guards down below fan out and start lighting the street lanterns throughout the city. He felt a presence behind him and chuckled as he shook his head. "Trying to sneak up on me, Falco?" he laughed as he saw his blue-haired friend lean against the balcony as well.

"Nah, just decided to pay you a visit, your highness." He mocked, grinning widely.

"Oh shut up. It's not like I'll have you beheaded for not calling me that. In fact, I prefer you not." Fox laughed, smiling as he gave the other man a weak punch on the shoulder. He looked back out as the sun dipped below the mountains on the horizon. "It's about time for that little gala or whatever, isn't it?" Fox asked, taking Falco's noncommittal grunt as a yes. "Do you think this looks good enough?" Fox turned to the other man, crossing his arms.

"Hmm, looks rather simple for a Crown-Prince, but yeah, I'm sure the ladies, and the guys, would be all over you." Falco chuckled, giving Fox an over exaggerated wink, causing the orange-haired man to shake his head. Falco wasn't lying though, The silver shirt shimmered in the dimming sunlight, the material clinging tight to Fox's toned muscle. The simple fitted pants also added to the allure of the newly crowned prince. Falco smirked. "Definitely going to have everyone asking you for a dance." He laughed.

"Whatever, Falco." Fox laughed, shrugging as he turned around to walk out the door, striding to the ballroom of the castle. As he pushed open the doors, the soft notes of a simple waltz drifted to his ears. He smiled as he looked around the top of the stairwell leading into the ballroom. The waltz died down when he entered, all heads turning to see who was entering the room. Peppy smiled as he saw his young charge enter the ballroom and grinned, turning to address the crowd.

"Allow me to announce the arrival of the new Crown-Prince Fox McCloud." He stated, grinning as he used a slight bit of magic to help his tired voice reach every corner of the ballroom. Guests stood up and clapped as he made his way down the stairs slowly, waving at everyone. "There should be food and drink available shortly. The kitchen staff is working their hardest to provide you all with the best that they can." Peppy chuckled softly, smiling as he motioned the band to start playing again. "Until then, feel free to enjoy yourselves. Chat amongst yourselves, or dance. Today is a day of celebration."

Fox roamed around the floor, occasionally being drawn aside and introduced to important figures in the kingdom, the occasional invitation to dance from a young lady, which he always politely declined. He had never preferred dancing, never really been good at it. A pair of violet eyes watching him did catch his attention though. He looked around idly, toning out the person in front of him, some bigwig for a merchants guild from Fichina that was looking to set up a trade post in Corneria. "Well, if you're wanting to set up a branch for your guild here in Corneria, then I'd be fine with it, as long as you would be willing to provide us a ledger of your trade. I don't want illegal trade within my kingdom, let alone within my own castle town." Fox explained, nodding as he ended the conversation quickly with a curt smile and a quick handshake.

Those violet eyes were still on him, and he could tell. He looked around the room, finding what he thought may be the owner of that piercing stare. What surprised him most was that the man was striding confidently towards him, his long coat flowing behind him with his long stride. The strange man smiled and gave a deep bow before taking Fox's hand in his own with a grin. "Well well, if it isn't the young Crown Prince himself." He smiled, his violet eyes shining despite the somewhat dim light of the room.

"Well, yes, I guess. And you are?" Fox asked, flustered as he fought the blush on his cheeks. He had been known to fool around with the occasional man as well as the ladies, but this was definitely the first time that a man had swept him up so thoroughly.

"Call me Wolf. But if you need my full name, Wolfric Kenneth O'Donnell." The mysterious man introduced himself, punctuating his introduction with a kiss to the back of Fox's hand.

"Charming. Pleased to meet you." Fox blushed even deeper, his heart racing at the man's introduction. "So, Wolf, why did you seem in such a hurry to get to me?"

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine, my lord. And I was afraid some young lady was going to scoop you up, and that I wouldn't get the pleasure of asking you to dance all night." Wolf grinned, his silver hair falling into his eyes as he stood back up, a few heads taller than the young prince.

"But I don't really dance…" Fox trailed off as the band started playing a new piece and Wolf looked at him expectantly.

"But this song just seems meant for you, My prince." Wolf grinned, looking around to see all the couples pairing up to dance to the three-step beat of the new waltz. "It also seems that this band likes playing waltzes." He chuckled softly, looking expectantly at the young prince.

"F-fine. I'll humor you with this dance." Fox smiled, Wolf taking the lead easily, smiling widely as the duo danced, with Fox's blush deepening and deepening as the steps they took sped up a bit. He wasn't expecting Wolf to suddenly spin him around, pulling Fox close against his body. For once, Fox was glad that the world knew about his occasional dance with men as well as women, and glad that no one was staring too much. Sure they'd stare, but that's because he's the prince and he's dancing with some guy after declining so many offers.

Fox found his back pulled against Wolf's chest, as they continued the three-step of the waltz, the larger Wolf leading expertly, as if he had experience dancing with an inexperienced partner. He felt Wolf's breath on his neck, on his ear.

"I know your secret, my prince." He whispered into Fox's ear, grinning.

Fox could do nothing but keep up with the steps of the dance, but his mind was racing.

"How much do you know?"

And that's that for the first chapter in this new story. I should be keeping up with this one, hopefully. I don't know if I'll just make it a three- or four-shot, or a much larger piece. Please guys, read, review, and recommend this to your friends if you like it well enough.