Alfred had never spoken to him before. Never even seen him. He was, after all, a prince and very rarely was dangled in the public eye. Even worse, while comical and jolly to his guests and people, the King was adamantly against the prince so much as stepping beyond the safety of the palace walls and kept him under even tighter lock and key than the others. He was not the only child of the king, but he was the most prized. The crown prince and the only one who hadn't since moved away to live in prettier and more extravagant kingdoms. Even the kind, albeit slightly dangerous, Princess Felicia didn't bother to visit except on holidays, anymore. And so, the King kept Lovino hidden from the eyes of admirers and suitors alike. May it be the way the lights hit him or his natural state, Alfred couldn't remember having ever seeing someone so beautiful - Man, woman or child. In that very second that he burst through the oversized wooden doors, finding the blonde haired boy knelt before the king's throne, Alfred fell in love.
"Bastard!" Lovino yelled, directing every bit of his attention on the King, "I thought
I told you to stop having your guards stalk me all the time! I don't even leave the damn castle! They don't need to trail behind me while I stroll through the garden!" With the way the King flinched slightly at his angry voice, Alfred was suddenly really glad that he was not the center of the Prince's attention.
"Lovi. Darling. I have a guest," the King tried to reason, gesturing vaguely at Alfred. For a brief second, the baby blue of his eyes met the emerald ones that belong to the Prince. For a brief second, Alfred felt his heart stop completely.
"Who's he?" Lovino turned back to the King. He didn't remember seeing this boy around here, before. The last time the King had entertained guests, that stupid Germanian Prince had taken his little sister away.
"He is the eldest son of the Queen Alice of Britannia and heir apparent to the throne, Prince Alfred Kirkland I," the King quickly rambled off introductions, not particularly thrilled about doing so, "Prince Alfred, this is my son and the crown prince of Hapsburg, Prince Lovino Romanus Fernandez Edelstein I." Lovino took a few steps towards Alfred and the blonde took the hand offered to him and gently kissed the ring on one of his fingers. The Prince's face turned the tiniest bit red when he pulled away and growled at Alfred, who simply smiled back in the least intimidating way humanely possible.
"Anyways," the King was quick to interrupt… Whatever that was, "Lovi, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to return to my-"
"No!" Lovino turned on him, furiously, "You're going to go hunt down those guards I lost in the labyrinth and tell them to leave me alone! Right now!"
"But I'm in the middle of a meeting."
"It can wait!"
"But who will entertain him while I'm doing that?"
"I will!" Lovino replied, taking Alfred by the collar and pulling him to his feet. Before the king could object, an equally excited and distressed Alfred was dragged out of the throne room, completely at the mercy of the irritated Prince.
"I, uh…" Alfred stumbled for what to say, barely keeping from falling on his face as he was dragged along.
"Don't say anything. You're stupid mouth is gonna ruin it," Lovino hissed, "Just keep moving. We need to get lost before he comes to his senses and tries to find us. He'll never tell the guards off if he locates me, first." Alfred snapped his mouth closed. The Prince dragged him around a corner and into a room, the door closing behind them as the leaned against it, one ear pressed to the wooden surface.
"Your Majesty! What seems to be the matter?" one of the guards inquired.
"The Prince. He's been taken by our guest, Prince Alfred, and being held hostage. You must rescue the Prince at all costs," the King's reply made dread fall over Alfred, "Oh and, uh… See if you can find the Prince's men. He seems to have accidentally gotten lost from them in the garden. I need to speak to them, immediately."
"Yes, Sire." Lovino rolled his eyes, fully intending to just hide until his demands were met. It wasn't like it wasn't reasonable that he get some alone time every now and again. Peeking out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Alfred fretting, looking much paler than he had when they'd met moments ago.
"Mother's gonna be furious," he muttered, fingers buried in his hair, "I can already hear her now. Blah blah blah, you were there to represent the entire kingdom and also your position as the heir apparent and you've completely ruined all relations between Britannia and Hapsburg. Blah, blah, blah. Lecture, lecture. Oh and Papa's gonna have to smooth things over, again and, she's gonna be furious about that which means we're gonna have to eat her cooking for at least a week and-"
"Prince Alfred," Lovino cut him off, "What in the world are you going on about?"
"Oh, uh… Nothing. It's not anything for you to worry about," he gave the Prince a small smile. Lovino bit his lip, guiltily. He hadn't meant to cause anybody else any trouble. It was just a little ridiculous that his father was so overbearing.
"Hey, uh… I'll talk to the King," Lovino placed a hand on his arm, startling the blonde with the sudden gentleness his voice took, "He's just overreacting right now. Don't worry, I'll defend you if he tries to do anything stupid." Alfred willed the red in his cheeks to go away.
"Um… Yes. Thank you," he took a step away from the Prince, brushing out his pants and straightening up a little to give his hands something to do. Acting casual and distant was how he'd protect himself, after all. Lovino narrowed his eyes at that. He peered out and, seeing the hallway was clear, dragged Alfred away, again.
"Come on."
"So… What do you think?" Lovino wondered, standing beside the Britannian prince in the garden. Alfred hadn't said anything for a few minutes, now, just staring at the hidden patch of bluish-purple flowers. Once upon a time, he'd heard from one of the gardeners that these tiny little flowers were the pride and joy of the Britannic Kingdom, but with the way Alfred just stood there, he began to wonder if perhaps he'd been lied to.
"It's beautiful," Alfred said, just above a whisper, "But I've never seen these flowers outside of Britannia. I was certain it was illegal to even take them beyond the border - Not even I can ignore that rule. How do you have so many?"
"Yes, I'd heard that as well," Lovino nodded, "My best guess would be the pirates."
"Not ours. My mother would have a conniption if it were them. You can't imagine how horrid she can be in that state," Alfred said, kneeling down and inspecting some of the tiny flowers.
"No, I'm certain they would have been off the harbors of Hapsburg," Lovino agreed, "As far as I'm aware, our parents have been rivals far longer than they've been friends. Father probably ordered them to steal some just to spite. They've been growing out here without much attention. When I was younger, I had to ask several gardeners just to figure out what they were. No one comes here except me."
"Ne m'oubliez pas, as my Papa would call them," Alfred explained, "Or more commonly know as Forget-Me-Nots. They're my favorite."
"Eh… They're okay," Lovino muttered, not at all feeling a little pride at making Alfred so happy, "Tomatoes are way better."
"Oh, I've seen those before!" Alfred perked up, "Mother won't let us plant any in the royal garden because they're the namesake of Hapsburg, but you can find them in the village if you know where to look. I've always thought they were pretty, but only ever had one once."
"Would you… Would you like me to bring you one?" Lovino questioned. Alfred shot him a look of disbelief.
"You'd do that?"
"Yeah… It's not that big of a deal, Bastard," the Prince grumbled. Part of him was saying that t absolutely wasn't something he'd do. Nobody was allowed to have him tomatoes, damn it! But… It wouldn't hurt to share one and the idiotic boy needed to be further enlightened on their significance, "Wait right here and don't bring attention to yourself. There has to be guards all over the place." Alfred furrowed his brow and stopped the Prince by taking his arm.
"Are you sure you should go?" he questioned, concerned, "If they catch you, your demands will never be met."
"I'm used to evading guards, Idiota. I'll be fine," Alfred still look skeptical, but released him.
"Well… Alright," he muttered, "Just be careful. If you need any backup, feel free to call for me. I'll swoop and rescue you."
"Like a knight in shining armor, I suppose?" Lovino grumbled. What was it with every person he met treating him like he was a princess?
"Pfft. No. That's lame," Alfred replied, "I'm a hero, Your Majesty. Knights in shining armor only save damsels in distress and slay dragons. I, on the other hand, save can save everyone. Including very handsome gentlemen like yourself." Lovino blushed and looked away with a scowl.
"Sh-shut up! Just stay here and don't get yourself into trouble!" he ordered, pointedly ignoring the way his heart fluttered as he stormed off. The bubbly Britannian prince was left behind him, smiling like he hadn't a care in the world.
Lovino returned shortly after, carrying two of the reddest tomatoes he could find. Not because he wanted to impress Alfred or anything. He just refused to eat anything but the best ones. That's all.
"Did you run into any trouble?" Alfred glanced up when he returned.
"No. There were a lot of guards, though," Lovino stated, "Especially around the tomatoes. If I wasn't used to this happening, I'd have probably been caught."
"So this is a usual occurrence, then?" Alfred chuckled, "You kidnap your guests and use them as hostages?"
"No! Of course not!" Lovino argued, plopping in the grass besides Alfred with a scowl, "You're the first, actually. The last bastard to come visit was the one from Germania. My little sister - Princess Felicia - had been all over him, but my father thought it was cute. He's got such double standards."
"Oh, trust me. I understand that," Alfred nodded in understanding, "I've got a twin brother named Matthew. We're the exact same age and you'd never even be able to tell the difference between us at first glance, but Mother is way harder on me. Mattie can get away with everything and never gets caught, but I so much as put a toe out of line and she chews me out. Every time my Papa steps in and defend me, they end up in a huge fight, too. It pretty much sucks." Lovino frowned. He may have an overbearing father, but his father had always been pretty good about loving them both - Even if he did mention occasionally that Felicia was much cuter. His parents hadn't ever really fought, either. Whether it was because his mother was a passive aggressive freeloader or because his father was an idiot, he'd never know. Probably a combination of both.
"Here," Lovino handed him one of the tomatoes, "Eat this."
"Thanks… Oh! I made you something." Alfred set the tomato in his lap for safekeeping and then produced a bracelet of flowers, "Hold out your hand." Lovino did as he was told and Alfred slipped it onto his wrist.
"You made this?" he wondered, turning his wrist to see it better.
"Yeah. I used to do it all the time when I was little," Alfred nodded, biting into the tomato and then wiping the juice off his face, "Mattie was always a lot better at it then me, though. He can make crowns, too, but I'm stuck on bracelets."
"It's not the worst gift I've ever gotten," Lovino grumbled, eating his own tomato to have an excuse to hide his face. He definitely didn't find the gift sweet and Alfred's bright expression definitely wasn't making him feel anything! They ate their tomatoes in silence. Once Alfred finished his, he laid back in the grass and closed his eyes, drawing the attention of Lovino.
"What are you doing, Bastard?" he demanded. The Britannian peeked open one eye and smirked at him.
"Taking a nap," Alfred answered, "You've been dragging me all over the castle, your Majesty. I thought I'd rest for a moment."
"Lovino, Bastard," he corrected.
"Hmm?"
"Call me Lovino," the prince clarified. Alfred chuckled and closed his eyes, again.
"Okay, Lovino. You can call me Alfred." the Hapsburg prince sat there for a moment, watching Alfred lay there, peacefully. Lovino couldn't help noticing he way his blonde hair gently swayed with the wind or how comfortable he looked.
"Huh?" Alfred blinked, opening his eyes slightly when a weight settled over his chest. He was met with Lovino's glare, which practically dared him to say anything and see what happened.
"If you get to rest, so do I, Bastard," Lovino stated. Alfred chuckled, an action which Lovino could feel rumble through him and secretly found kind of nice.
"Alright. Seems fair enough." Alfred went back to his peaceful resting. Lovino slowly slipped into the same state and it wasn't long before both of them were fast asleep, the warm sun acting like a blanket over both of them.
"Lovino?" someone said a few hours later. The Queen Sophia poked her head into the small crevice, spotting the two boys sleeping soundly. She smiled, softly and slipped away to let them be.
"Sophia!" the King ran into her, passing right by the crevice where the two boys were hidden, "Have you seen Lovino? The guest - You know, the Prince of Britannia - kidnapped him and is holding him hostage!"
"No, I cannot say I have," she answered, simply.
"I knew letting that boy come here wasn't going to end well!" Antonio growled, "Anyone related to the witch that calls herself a queen over that border can be nothing but trouble!"
"You're overreacting a little bit, Antonio," Sophia stated, "Come inside. I'll play the piano for you."
"But I don't-" Antonio began, only to be cut short by the look she gave him, "I mean… Of course, Dear. You know how much I love your music!"