"Gladdy, are you even listening?!"

Iris stopped walking hoping her brother would do the same. Her irritation only grew the more he continued on without her. She crossed her arms over her chest opting to have him realize his error and make his way back to her. It took half a minute but Gladiolus finally noticed that his sister was not speaking anymore. He looked back though he made no effort to retrace his steps.

"What now?" He asked, without a hint of excitement in his voice.

Unfolding her arms with a stomp, Iris complained, "You weren't listening! I might as well have gone shopping by myself."

"I don't know why you don't," came his reply.

Iris knew why she always forced him to accompany her. It was something that didn't need to be stated. It was common knowledge between them. Instead of answering back she grabbed him by the arm to continue their walk through the marketplace in silence. There were many vendors Iris wanted to check out but she was irritated now.

"If you're going to be this way, then I'll just get what I really came here for—"

"Wonderful," he interjected with relief.

"Quiet! I'll just get the one thing and then we'll head back home. Wait for me outside."

Gladiolus couldn't be happier. Before entering the boutique, Iris gave her brother a look of anger, commanding him to stay. As soon as her back was turned his eyes rolled. Don't mistake him; he loved his sister dearly. It was her intense clinginess that rubbed him the wrong way. Iris was not someone who enjoyed spending much time on her own, Iris was also not someone many people enjoyed to be around too long. Hence the reason Gladio didn't get to spend much time with companions of any nature. Much less suitors for fear that Iris would never get to spend any of her time with him. Being King of Mount Olympus definitely had many perks; the one downfall was literally Iris.

He took this time to relax by the nearby clearing. He leaned on the stone fence separating him from the grass. Even if Iris were to purchase just one item, no one person would be able to determine how long she would take. Might as well count the sheep as they go by, he thought to himself. He didn't want to, but he might as well entertain himself somehow.

Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, hello… Gladio's counting was cut short when he noticed a blonde boy amongst the herd. Standing up straight, he watched the boy begin to count the sheep himself.

"How much is this?"

Iris' voice pierced the air so sharply he almost fell forward onto the fence. She would be paying and making her way back towards him in a minute. Gladio whistled a tune and, almost instantly, his trusted eagle appeared in front of him.

"Aquila," he whispered, "follow that youth and find out where he lives. Make sure he doesn't see you." Gladio brought his finger to his lips before Aquila had a chance to reply. And with a wave of his hand, the bird was out of sight.

"Gladdy, I'm done!" Iris' mood shifted dramatically from just moments ago, "Let's go home!"

Straight-faced, Gladio allowed his sister to interlace their arms and lead him back home. Seemingly happy with her new dress, Iris began to talk animatedly about where and when she would wear it out although Gladio's mind was elsewhere and containing his excitement proved to be extremely hard.

Gladio paced his room expectantly, his patience wearing thinner and thinner by the second. Thankfully, Iris had preoccupied herself in her own room, most likely breaking in her new dress. His pacing stopped when, at last, the tap against the window he had been waiting for came. Gladio rushed to the curtain and thrust it aside, tearing it down in the process. There he found Aquila perched on the windowsill.

"I trust you found his home?" Gladio impatiently asked receiving a nod in return then continuing, "I trust you can lead me to him later?"

Aquila nodded once more and flew inside to rest on his pedestal. It was only a matter of time then Gladio wouldn't have to contain his excitement any longer. Sneaking away from his sister late in the night wasn't new to him; he had grown accustomed to it. Although they slept separately, she always knew when he'd be up and about trying to have adventures of his own. She'd never approve of him gallivanting about without her so he did what he had to. On the nights he wanted to escape her clutches, he'd ask their royal envoy, Ignis, to spike her wine with a concoction of valerian root and concentrated melatonin so she wouldn't be aware of him casting Sleep on her as they ate together. She never grew to be one the wiser always assuming she had just tired herself out that day.

"You know what we must do tonight," Gladio said in a hushed tone watching Aquila nibble on his favorite treat.

Ignis was already at his door having seen Aquila fly directly to Gladio's window as opposed to entering from the front doors of the palace. He wiped his glasses and confirmed, "As always, My Lord, my lips are sealed."

Tap, tap, tap

Prompto rolled over in his bed and grumbled, "I'm not hungry yet…"

Tap, tap, tap!

"I'll eat it cold..." Came his second attempt at skipping breakfast.

SMACK!

With a yelp he fell out of his bed. He stood up and threw his blanket on top of his mattress, "What time is it? Have the sheep gone loose?!"

He looked around and was shrouded in complete darkness. It was barely past midnight and he looked over to his door to demand what was going on but it was still shut. His window, however, was slightly ajar. He scratched his head and walked over to close it when an eagle appeared flapping its wings. He fell down with a scream and covered his eyes. After a second, he opened them to see if the bird was still there but instead a large, gruff man stood in its place.

Screaming he asked, "What? Wasn't there a bird here just a while ago?!"

Gladio gave no reply and started to crawl over the windowsill into Prompto's room causing the young man to panic and back away, "Hey! What are you doing?! You can't just come in here!"

Gladio didn't stop and made his way closer. Prompto stood and ran for his door with the intention of screaming for his father but was cut off by a hand over his mouth.

Smoothly Gladio asked, "What's your name?"

Prompto just screamed louder into his hand.

"Shh," Gladio started, "I'm not here to hurt you."

Prompto just kept screaming.

"You really don't know who I am?"

Prompto got quiet.

"I'm your king. You don't recognize me?

Prompto thought about this for a second. Was the king really in his bedroom? At this he resumed his screaming.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

Softly, Gladio began to enchant Prompto with sleep and soon enough the young man was knocked out.

Aquila flew back into the room squawking as quietly as he could to signal Gladio that someone was approaching the room. Fast. It was time to leave. Gladio would just explain to whomever else this young man resided with later as to why he would no longer be living there.

"Quick, Aquila!" And with that the two were gone.

Prompto's eyes opened slowly feeling like he had gotten the best sleep in years. The room was lavish with decorations of grand and intricate design. Thick, velvety curtains draped the bed railings. The bed itself was soft, yet firm, contouring the shape his figure. It dawned on him that this was not his bedroom.

"Wh-wh-what?!"

He jumped off the bed, begrudgingly, and scanned the room. There was an empty pedestal in one corner with a small cot on it. He felt an urge to go over and inspect it but withheld his curiosity to break for the doorway. The double doors were large and very heavy, he soon realized, as he pried them open.

As he kept pulling, the weight seemed to lift off his arms as he was pushed back by slight force by another man entering the room. With a slight smile, he said, "Gladiolus, but I'm sure you knew that."

Prompto backed up, "Gladiolus? As in King Gladiolus?"

"The one. The only," he stepped inside the room making sure to close the doors behind him.

Prompto backed up even more, "The king kidnapped me?"

"I'd like to think I swept you off your feet."

"By force—"

"With care," the king retorted, "which is what I offer. I'll take excellent care of you. All you have to do is stay here."

"Wh-wh-what?!" Prompto was frantic. He kept backing up until he was at the edge of the bed, back against the railing. Panic clear in his voice, "B-b-but I can't do th-that! Wh-what will m-my father say about th-this?!"

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he's taken care of."

"You're gonna kill him?!" Prompto dropped to his knees, "Please, I beg you, please don't kill my father!"

Gladio chuckled, "I meant as well, he'll be taken care of as well. I've sent word to your father already."

Prompto shook his head, "But our sheep! He'll need me to help him herd the sheep! He can't do it on his own!"

The boy had his hands clapped in front of him, pleadingly. Eyes closed in desperation. This did nothing to deter Gladio, if anything it had just enamored him more. A silence fell between the two. The king placed a hand on Prompto's head, parting his hair slightly. Prompto opened one eye expectantly.

"No," came Gladio's response, "this is your home now," preemptively Gladio covered Prompto's mouth to cease him from screaming, "I only ask that you don't cause too much commotion. My sister wouldn't like it."

Muffled by Gladio's hand, he asked, "Your sister?"

"Yeah," embarrassed he admitted, "she doesn't take kindly to strangers. For now, you must stay in this room."

"What?" Prompto shrieked. His attempt to stand failed as Gladio held him down in order to kneel.

"Just give me a few days, I'll figure something out."

A knock came at the door. Ignis called from the other side, "Your Majesty, Iris needs your assistance at the gates."

Gladio grumbled, "With what?"

"It seems she's unsatisfied with this week's delivery," Ignis answered.

"Stay here," Gladio stood and walked towards the doors, "I won't be long."

As soon as Gladio left the room, Prompto ran for the window. The windows were, unfortunately, heavier than the door and he was only able to raise it an inch from the sill. All three windows proved too heavy for him to open. He looked around more thinking there might be some hidden passage or a large enough vent for him to crawl through but nothing. His only option was to use the bedroom doors. With a heavy sigh he crept his way forward.

Run quickly. Don't look around; just make it outside, he thought.

The doors, though still heavy, opened easily, revealing a large empty hallway. He looked left to right expecting servants of the sort to be walking around but the hall was absent. He took one deep breath and suddenly he was sprinting. He was sprinting as fast as he could. The hallway led to what was obviously the throne room. A massive, daunting throne chair sat at the helm of the room, perched on a wide staircase.

"These are hideous!"

A shrill, yet faint, cry broke him away from staring at the seat longer. Looking in the direction of the scream he came across the palace entrance. Relief washed over him and he ran towards it. Once outside several unfamiliar faces that shared his look of surprise greeted him. The servants, as they appeared to be, ignored him and went back to their tasks of watering plants, sweeping the floor, and carrying in crates of produce.

"You expect us to eat these?"

That voice again. He made his way down the steps of the palace entrance when a different voice interrupted his thoughts.

"They're the same as last week's."

Curiously he picked his head up to look at the source of this voice and almost tripped over himself. At the gates was a dark haired man, probably his age or so, dressed in a plain white t-shirt and jeans. The man looked unfazed and bored out of his mind.

"They are not!"

The other voice, he found out, came from a woman, who also appeared to be his age if not younger. Next to her was the king. The heat started to rise in his body and he began to sweat. Don't panic, he tried to tell himself. He stopped walking and started to go over other possible ways of escaping in his head.

"They're the same."

The dark haired delivery boy's voice broke his thoughts. Maybe he could help me, Prompto figured. With a renewed vigor, he walked towards the gates once more, fighting the building heat and excessive sweat that began to consume his body.

Upon reaching the trio, Prompto spoke up, "She's right, those vegetables won't do."

All three turned to him in complete shock.

Gladio opened his mouth to speak but Iris cut him off, "Excuse me, who are you?"

Breaking his composure for a second, Prompto bashfully shared eye contact with Gladio. Noticing this, Iris pivoted on her heels in rage, "Gladio, who is this?"

Fed up, the delivery boy tried pulling focus back to his produce, "Do you want these or not?"

Prompto cleared his throat to grab his attention and when it did they locked eyes. For a brief moment, Prompto forgot why he had done so.

"Yes?" Prompto answered.

Iris pivoted back around, more irate, "No, we don't! Don't answer for us," she poked Gladio roughly, "Who is this?"

"A wine connoisseur!" Gladio pushed her hand away and repeated, "He's a wine connoisseur. I've invited him to stay here with us to be a sort of 'consultant' for our wine imports."

"To live with us? He would just be choosing which wines to have!" Iris exclaimed stamping her foot, "You want this farm boy to live with us, too?"

Gladio placed both hands on his sister's shoulders, "There's only so many fine wine connoisseurs out there. He wouldn't only be selecting which wines would suit us best, but also he said," Gladio looked over at Prompto who, at the moment, was red from staring at their delivery boy. Angrily he concluded, loud enough to grab the blonde's attention himself, "he would also be serving us our wine. At every meal."

Iris rolled her eyes, "Ridiculous! Why on Eos would you decide on this without consulting me about it?!"

The delivery boy yawned, "Look, I don't have all day."

Iris turned to face him, "We'll go without cabbage this week. These look awful."

"I can go with him and make sure he brings us a better batch," Prompto offered.

"Are you a cabbage connoisseur, too?" Iris was livid, "And no, you won't go with him to bring us better cabbage, he'll just have to make sure he brings only the finest produce to us next week. This time it's a deduction in pay, next week it could spell termination."

Because Prompto hadn't heard a word Gladio said, it riled the man even more, "You're not going with him."

Prompto and Iris faced him at this, the former embarrassed and the latter upset.

"Whatever." The delivery boy picked up his unwanted boxes of cabbage and loaded them back into his truck before taking off.

Prompto's eyes followed the truck pull away until it was completely out of sight. A throat being cleared redirected him back to the situation at hand. He shifted uncomfortably not wanting to make eye contact with either of the two people he stood beside.

Iris spoke up first, "Gladdy, I'm so upset right now. But I'm more concerned with what we'll be eating for the week so you and I will deal with this later." She huffed and stormed back up to the palace.

Prompto kept his eyes to the floor to remain calm. A larger shadow, presumably Gladio's, loomed over his entirely. Next came a rough, yet warm hand on his shoulder.

"Head back into my room," the command came very direct and devoid of emotion, "I have to discuss things with my sister."

And with that, Prompto resigned himself to return to His Majesty's quarters.