The castle was decorated, and the king and queen at their respectable seats. The young children ran round, friends close by their sides, and servants keeping a close eye on them. Guests of old drank wine and laughed as merry music played in the background.
In the middle of it all, a flamboyant brunette, a wide grin on his face, as he chatted away to his people, telling jokes and being the 'life of the party', as they say.
The other? Well, he was the mirror image, bar his blonde spikes instead of brunette, and the way he held his posture was atrocious. He stayed out of the way, hidden in the corner, preferring not to be fawned over, unlike his brother, who seemed to ravish the attention.
His small crown peered out from beneath the unruly spikes, glinting as the blonde moved from his place to go and retrieve a drink.
"Damn... How long is this going to last?" He sighed to himself, finding a servant and requesting a drink.
From afar, a certain man stared- He was clad in a servant's uniform, holding an empty tray against his chest, signalling his break. His eyes followed the blonde prince's every movement. No, he wasn't some obsessed stalker, merely one who had fallen in love with the wrong person. And almost everyone in his division of staff knew.
The red haired man wanted to dance with the prince, even if just for a moment- Maybe it would weaken his desires, his love for the other. Little did he know...
"Axel!" A dirty-blonde haired man ran up to him, a large grin on his face- His eyes shone with excitement, his mullet perfectly in place, even after the run, "We have a surprise for you."
The redhead's eyebrow arched.
"Demyx, I don't want to see any more witch's broomsticks... They always end up being cook's mop, and I'm the one who gets the blame." Axel, the redhead, replied- He could feel the sting of the belt coming back to him. He sub-consciously rubbed his side.
"No, no... It's real this time. Trust me- The cook doesn't have anything to do with this." A dangerous shine appeared in Demyx's eyes- A bad sign, especially as the red haired servant was dragged off towards the servant's quarters.
Roxas sighed, watching his brother talk- His crown stood out against the dark hair, and his eyes were bright and filled with happiness and excitement. He loved the attention, and Roxas knew his twin brother knew it himself.
The blonde stared at the ruby liquid in the thin glass.
"May as well, Roxas." He said to himself, downing the liquid in one, before pulling a distasteful expression. He wasn't a fan of alcohol, but if it helped get through this awful event...
Another was ordered, as he sat down and watched as people gathered together to find a partner- 'A slow song...' He thought to himself sadly. Even though he was prince, no pity was taken on him, nobody wanted him to dance. Not that he wanted to, of course!
"U-uhm... My prince..." Roxas looked up, to find dazzling green eyes staring at him from behind a slim mask, "May I take this dance?" The blonde stared at the man- Fiery red hair, the alluring eyes, the thin body... And were they tattoos on his face?
'Interesting...' Roxas' heart skipped a beat, as a warm smile appeared on the man's face.
"Of course." Roxas stood, barely able to contain a small pout as he saw the height difference, "I'm guessing you're leading." He stated, the redhead looking away quickly.
"Whatever you're comfortable with, my prince."
Roxas blinked- Well. That was a first. He suddenly started to beam.
"Let's go before we can't take a spot, then." The blonde stated, slipping his hand into the stranger's, before leading them to the dance floor.
Behind the mask, Axel felt ecstatic. No servant would be allowed this close to the prince unless they were a maid, and they were dressing or undressing him. His heart thudded had against his ribcage, as they took their place.
'Calm down Axel.'
And so, the music started.
The blonde prince stayed in Axel's arms, their footwork perfect. It was almost... Magical, in a sense.
"Thank you." Axel snapped out of the trance he'd lured himself into, and looked down at bright blue eyes- Eyes that had never look as bright as they did now.
"I'm sorry, my prince?" Axel seemed confused, a puzzled tone to his words. This caused the blonde to laugh a little- Axel's heart skipped a beat.
"You're the first to ask me to dance." Roxas smiled, and moved to wrap his arms around his companion's neck, the music becoming slower for those who simply felt content swaying with their lovers, partners... Or in this case, 'companions'.
"My prince-"
"Roxas."
"... Roxas..." Axel ravished the name- Oh, it felt so sweet to say the name-, before smiling back, "Thank you for accepting my invitation."
The music slowed to a stop, and people continued to sway, content with the new silence, the remnants of musical noise echoing around the grand hall.
"My p- Roxas..."
"Shh..." The blonde went onto his toes, and pressed his velvety lips onto the rough ones Axel owned, for just one moment, "Axel..." He whispered when he finally pulled away.
The servant froze, getting ready to run.
"Thank you." Roxas whispered, beaming at the redhead, before a devious smirk played on his features, "Please meet me in my chambers later on... I think there are objects you forgot to clean."
A smile crept on to the servant's face.
He'd been wrong.
He'd fallen so far, he'd hit the ground.
He couldn't get out of it.
He was in love.