A/N: This is actually a redo of a fic I didn't get too far into LOL. Hopefully I've improved as a writer ;w;
Once upon a time, a beautiful princess was the idol of the Land of Harmonica's people. She enchanted young and elderly, rich and poor alike; her warm brown eyes shone bright with purity and kindness, her movements ladylike and elegant. Silky chestnut hair, unassuming smile, sweet lilting voice that could bring the entire population to swoon and fall just a little bit more in love with the rose of the kingdom.
"Or so they like to believe," Gill said pointedly.
"Gill, dear," Angela had long since deserted the prim straight-backed posture – the one she liked to call the "Arrogant-Ass" position, otherwise known as the "Gill Pose" – for a much more comfortable sprawl across the cushion-laden chesterfield. "I'm surprised you think so highly of me. But honestly, when I asked you to tell me a story, I didn't expect it to be about my wonderfulness."
"Don't flatter yourself," the prince snapped (Angela was amused to note that he was sitting in the "Arrogant-Ass" pose, though this really shouldn't come as a surprise. The poor boy has a stick perpetually up his ass). "Sometimes I can't help but wonder what your people see in you." Here his normally cold flint-like eyes seemed to soften (though really, that was probably just her imagination running amok). "I just worry about you, you know?"
Angela waved her hand flippantly at him. "Relaaaax. As long as I don't mess up in front of my dad, it's not really a huge deal. You know I can't stand being that stiff and ridiculously fake for so long."
Gill only frowned and harrumphed.
The princess stood up abruptly. "I, for one, am going to go out for a walk. You coming?"
"But princess!" Gill stood up as well and strode over to her in wide, urgent steps. "We have –"
"Angela."
"What?"
"We've known each other since we were wee little things. I think that means you can call me by my given name now, at least in private." Angela quickly flashed him a grin.
The prince sighed. "Fine. But anyways, Angela, we have explicit orders to stay in the castle and prepare for the feast in two weeks. You can't feasibly leave and –"
"I beg to differ. You see that window?" She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder.
"Of course I do, you baboon."
"Exactly. I think this is pretty self-explanatory."
"But we need to prepare –"
"Not like we were preparing before I proposed a walk."
While the blonde spluttered and fought for a response, Angela strode purposefully towards the window. "In any case, if you're not coming, you can't stop me from going anyways." Hitching up her skirt (Gill turned away, a light blush dusting his cheeks) and climbing onto the windowsill, the brunette grabbed a rather conveniently placed branch outside her window and looked over her shoulder. "You coming or not?"
He deliberated for all of two seconds. "I – well, I suppose someone has got to make sure you don't get into anymore trouble," Gill sighed, before following the princess towards the window.
"Brilliant. Now just help me hold that branch steady …"
"Fantastic," the prissy prince grumbled, picking leaves and dirt out of his once impeccable hair, "Remind me, why did I decide to go on this ridiculous excursion with you again?"
"No sense of adventure," Angela teased. She wasn't faring much better, in terms of looks, but she looked much more comfortable than Gill, who was pulling a distinctly disgusted face as he brushed at his clothes in vain.
"I've got a reputation to uphold, and all this grime is not helping." Gill looked over Angela's disheveled appearance critically. "You're not bothered at all by this?"
"No, not particularly. I do this regularly enough that both the citizens and me are used to it."
"Citizens and I, Angela."
"Whatever, you priss."
"I am not –"
"Oh, oh look, that's the lady who always gives me free samples of her cakes! They're amazing, I love them, she seriously makes the best cakes in town …" With that, Angela drifted over towards a middle-aged lady with a kind smile who had already spotted the princess and began waving delightedly at her.
"Angela!"
"Good morning, princess," the lady bowed dutifully. "You brought someone with you today!"
"Hello, Colleen! Colleen, this is Gill. He's my childhood friend, here to visit with his father for the celebration in two weeks – which I still have honestly no idea what it's going to be about, by the way, but I digress. Gill, this is Colleen, baker extraordinaire."
"Pleased to meet you, Colleen," Gill said smoothly, bowing slightly, "I've heard wonderful compliments about your baking skills from Angela."
"You're never this pleasant to me, you bimbo," Angela muttered, lightly elbowing her companion in the stomach.
"Oh!" Colleen's eyes lit up in recognition. "You're Prince Gill, from Waffle Kingdom! It's such an honour to meet you in person!" She bowed low, before quickly scurrying off towards the kitchens. "I have bread pudding in the oven right now – new recipe I found recently – and it should be done just about now! Let me just get the caramel sauce …"
"Oh no, don't worry about it Colleen! We just dropped by to say hi, anyways," Angela called after her.
"No, no, I insist! You two came just at the right time, anyways, so you can help me sample a new recipe." Colleen emerged again, clutching a platter laden with steaming golden-brown cake with syrup generously drizzled on top, pooling into a thick puddle around the bread pudding. Angela's mouth watered.
"Colleen, this looks absolutely amazing. Gill –" Angela twisted around to grab the boy's hand and tug him forwards, "I told you Colleen is a fantastic baker!"
As the lady grabbed utensils for the two royals, she looked between the two – Angela, who was gushing animatedly, gesticulating wildly with one hand and clutching her friend's hand with her other, and Gill, who looked amused by Angela's antics –and asked hesitantly, "Excuse my rudeness, Princess Angela, Prince Gill, but I can't help but be a bit curious. Are you two …?"
The prince proceeded to splutter and flush a bright red, jerking his hand out of Angela's grasp, all the while spewing half-formed denials. Angela, on the other hand, looked bemused.
"Are we …?" she repeated, eyebrows crinkled together. "Oh!" her eyes lit up with understanding. "No, we're just really good friends. We've known each other since forever, so …"
"Ah, I understand." Colleen smiled. "Sorry, it's just that you two seem awfully close, and I assumed –"
"It's not a problem," Gill replied smoothly, apparently recovered from his initial shock apart from the pink residue of his violent blush.
The older lady proceeded to push the platter of heavenly baked goodness towards the two royals and urge them to stuff their faces.
Which, of course, Angela did enthusiastically, Gill twittering disapprovingly over her head all the way.
As it turns out, Angela was on a first-name-basis with a good part of the townsmen.
"How on Earth did you manage to get all these people to like you so much?" Gill said in awe as he dragged the girl – discreetly, of course – away from the fourth person to ambush her with pastries and cakes and ice cream since leaving Colleen's shop.
"It's an art, really," Angela replied, neatly wiping her hands free of shortbread crumbs on Gill's arm ("Angela, that's disgusting! Ewwwww –"). "I think it comes with heading to town every other day to – ah – communicate with the people." She paused, before adding, "Brings plenty of fantastic treats for me, anyways."
"I've noticed," the blonde said dryly. "And every other day? You sneak out that often?"
"Well, the air in the castle is rather stifling, I find. Need to head out for some fresh air every – ouch!"
"Ack – sorry," a new voice mumbled.
"It's quite alright," Angela said to the man she had just walked right into, rubbing her sore head dolefully. "Sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was going."
"That's fi –" The man did a double-take. "Your Royal Highness? What are you doing out here? I thought you had orders to stay in the castle?"
"How do you know about that?" Gill asked suspiciously, eyeing the stranger distrustfully.
"I work in the castle." The other casually ran a hand through his tousled orange – peach-coloured, almost – hair. "No, but in all seriousness. We've all received orders to make sure you're preparing. Guess that didn't turn out to well."
"Don't tell anyone back at the castle about this?" the princess asked hopefully. "I'd really appreciate it if you could keep my excursions a secret from my father."
The tall youth simply shrugged. "Hmph. We'll see. If I did tell someone though, it'd teach you not to disobey orders so blatantly."
"You," Gill spat out, "have no business speaking to the princess in such a rude manner!"
"Whatever." The Peach-Coloured-Hair-Man waved a hand flippantly before checking his watch. "Oh, look at the time. I'm headed back to the castle. Ta." With that, he tucked four cartons of eggs more snugly under an arm as he started back for the palace.
"I spoke to him for all of two minutes, but I am already really not fond of that man." Gill glared intensely at the other male's retreating back.
"Don't judge so quickly, Gill," Angela replied. "He's could be just a bit awkward with his words. Much like you."
"Oi!" the prince said indignantly. "I assure you that I am quite articulate, thank you!"
"Or so you like to believe."
It was quite a heartwarming scene for the townsmen to see the two royals gleefully chase each other back towards the palace – or rather, Gill angrily stalking after a prancing Angela, who was cackling the whole sprint back.
A/N: We are going to pretend that Waffle Kingdom is a perfectly normal name. And that they have the same slang as we do. 8I
Also, I'm not entirely certain if the characters are OOC or not OTL SORRY.
But otherwise, I hope you enjoy! ;w; Feedback is loved. Really.