Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time
A/N:
-Hello all! I'm back with a new story, this one is the result of watching the Princess Bride
too many times while I was sick. I love this story, and I think it's pretty perfect for Axel and Roxas-
so I hope you all like it as much as I do.
-"The Princess Bride" is a story by S. Morgenstern, I don't own it.
-Axel, Roxas, all other charcters, and Kingdom Hearts are property of Square Enix/ Disney,
I dont own them, I just abuse them.
Once upon a time, in the country of Florin, there lived a young boy, with hair as golden as the first rays of sunlight and eyes as blue as the summer sky. Roxas lived on a farm near the village of Twilight and enjoyed nothing more than riding his horse through the fields, except maybe taunting the farm boy, Axel, who worked there. The farm boy was really more of a young man, but Roxas still thought of him as the small farm boy who had come to work for his father so many years ago. Every day Roxas found great amusement in ordering the farm boy around. "Farm boy, you lazy fuck, go clean out the stables." or "Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher." Always, the farm boy did as he was told, with a lopsided grin on his face. "As you wish." Was his only reply.
As the years went by, Roxas watched Axel grow into a man, His hair growing out into a wild red mane, His lean frame toned with muscles from the hard labor, his face was incredibly handsome, with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline. One morning Roxas noticed something different about the farm boy. After scrutinizing him all day, Roxas finally saw the tiny tattoos under Axel's venom green eyes. Roxas worked the farm boy extra hard that day.
The village girls started to come around, to watch the farm boy work in the hot sweating sun. Roxas began to become irritable, pacing, and yelling at the farm boy more than usual. He couldn't figure out why he was so angry, and took to scowling. At night he dreamed the strangest dreams.
Roxas walked out to the field, searching for the farm boy. He looked in the barn, in the orchard, in the pasture, but the redhead was nowhere to be seen. Roxas spotted the farm boy's hovel at the end of the field, by the trees. Upon reaching the hut, Roxas took a deep breath. He had never been to the farm boy's hut before, and was suddenly nervous. He pushed the door slightly, seeing the warm fire glowing inside. "Farm boy, I--" Roxas stopped. The farm boy was wrapped around one of the village girls, naked and sweating in the firelight. He could hear the girl giggling as the redhead rocked against her, nuzzling her neck.
Roxas shot up in bed, sweating and gasping. He threw back the covers and started to pace the room. The young blonde was shaking, trying to get the image of the redhead and the girl out of his head. He walked to the window, and could see the golden glow at the far end of the field from the farm boy's hut.
He squeezed shut his eyes, but the image of the farm boy's lean sweating body was burned into his eyelids. Roxas almost screamed.
For weeks the dreams continued. Roxas took to avoiding the farm boy, and doing the chores himself. But always the redhead was there, waiting for Roxas to give him an order. The blonde couldn't meet his eyes. That lopsided grin mocked him, and nightly, images of the redhead filled his dreams. Roxas slept less and less, haunted by the slender farm boy, and soon he was at his wits end. When the village girls came around to stare, Roxas would chase them away with buckets of water. He became reclusive, staying in his room rather than riding through the fields. Every night he stared out his window at the golden glow.
One night, Roxas awoke from a particularly vivid dream. He was shaking as he walked out of his bedroom, only taking time to throw a shirt on and a blanket around his shoulders as he wandered out into the night. The fields were silent as he walked through the moonlight to the farm boy's hut. The walk was over much too soon, and Roxas found himself at the farm boy's door, his heart hammering against his ribcage.
Slowly he raised his fist to the door, knocking three times. Roxas tried to breathe evenly. The door opened, and there the redhead stood, half naked with a quizzical look in his eye. Roxas reminded himself to breathe, and tried not to stare at the farm boy's exposed chest. Axel simply stood there silently, waiting for Roxas to speak. "Farm boy--" Roxas began, but corrected himself. "Axel, I- I think I love you." He blurted quickly, a blush burning on his cheeks. "And I keep having these dreams, I can't stand it, you and the village girls are always all sweaty, and it's making me crazy. I can't sleep anymore, and I can't look at you anymore without remembering the dreams, and they just wont go away, so if you really want to go run off with one of those ugly village girls then I hope you're happy because I wont take you back when they're done with you---" Roxas was running out of breath, and getting more and more uncomfortable as the farm boy just stood there expressionless and silent.
"Goddammit Axel won't you say something?!" He cried. He looked at the redhead with pleading eyes on the verge of tears. With that, the redhead slammed the door in his face.
The next morning Roxas had resolved to ignore last night entirely and go on like nothing had happened. In all probability the farm boy was simple, and hadn't even enough grasp of the english language to understand what Roxas had told him. Roxas brushed off the evident rejection by the redhead and proceeded to go about his day the same as usual. He opened the door to walk out to the field and his heart stopped. There the redhead stood, with a bag around his shoulder and a bandana tying his hair back. "Oh, Farmboy, there you are. I hope you weren't too offended by last night, you see I was just trying to play a little prank on you, no hard feelings of course--" Roxas began smoothly, but was interrupted when the redhead spoke. "I've come to say goodbye."
Roxas melted at the sound of his low, velvety voice. Then he realized what the redhead was saying. His heart dropped, but he tried to hold onto his resolve. "You mean you're going to sleep? And you've come to say goodnight? That's thoughtful of you Farm B---"
Axel cut him off. "I'm leaving."
Roxas' knees started to give. "Right now?"
"Yes."
"Is it because of what I said?"
"Yes."
Roxas huffed. "Well fine. But remember, I wont take you back when that village slut is through with you. Just because you're handsome, and perfect you think that I'll wait for you, but you've got another thing coming buddy."
Axel rolled his eyes, a smirk playing at the edges of his lips.
"I'm going to America. A ship leaves tomorrow. I'm going to work 20 hours a day until I save enough money to buy a farm of my own and a bed big enough for two."
"I hope you and your village whore are happy in your run down farm in America. Just know I wont be here when you come back." Roxas scowled, trying to mean every word.
"Will you please stop talking about village girls!? It's really frustrating." Axel nearly shouted, half laughing.
Roxas pouted. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" The redhead asked, his eyes locked with the blonde's. Roxas shook his head.
"Roxas, I've lived in my little hut all these years, teaching myself how to read and write, teaching myself philosophy and science. I've worked hard to make my body strong and handsome because I hoped you might be pleased by it. Every time I see you my heart pounds in my chest, Every night I dream of you while I sleep. I've always hoped that some day, you would finally glance in my direction. Every time I've obeyed your requests, you heard me say, 'As you wish,' but you heard wrong. What I've been saying all along is 'I love you.'
Roxas nearly swooned. 'I hear you now. Oh god, Axel, I love you. Only you, forever.'
The redhead looked at the ground. "So you understand now why I have to go. I love you Roxas, I always have, and I always will. I want to go make a life and home for us. I will send for you as soon as possible." He reached out to Roxas and held him in his arms. "I love you Roxas."
The blonde was weeping now, in his new lover's arms. "I love you Axel. I'll wait for you."
The redhead held the smaller boy's cheek and turned it towards his lips. Slowly and delicately Axel pressed his lips against the blondes, in a desperate kiss. Roxas gave in completely, letting the redhead have access to his mouth. Regretfully, Axel pulled away, watching the despair grow in the little blonde's eyes. "Goodbye my love, you will hear from me soon." With that, Axel turned and walked up the hill, and out of Roxas' sight.
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