For anybody wondering why "We are NOT soulmates' hasn't updated this week it is because of THIS! I wrote this in exchange for some cover art for 'we are NOT soulmates.'
Once upon a time, a blackened carriage rattled along the brick road that connected two kingdoms. These two kingdoms, though drastically different in all respects, stood side by side in peace for centuries. One, the Hades Kingdom mined the smoothest, iridescent obsidian rock known to the world. And the other, the bright, colorful kingdom of Apollo harvested knowledge, music, literature, art and culture of all kinds.
On this day, a blackened carriage made its way to the main royal gates of the Apollo kingdom. It contained only one royal guard, his daughter, Reyna, a royal guard in training, and the young princess of the Hades kingdom. The princess, only approaching her sixth birthday. Due to meet the similar in age Prince of the Apollo kingdom. A prince and a princess, destined to meet upon each of their births.
Or perhaps, that's what the common person may think.
In this story, we have not a prince and a princess, but a prince and another young prince. That's right, the princess of Hades felt that her title was ill fitting and instead insisted to be addressed not as Nina, the Second Princess of Hades, but as Nico! The first Prince of Hades. Getting others to see this as well was the real challenge for our young Prince.
So we have a young Prince trapped in a young Princesses body. Wearing a frilly, pale, gray dress in spite and a dainty tiara on his head. Scowling when being referred to as 'My princess.' Or 'Young mistress'.
The black carriage came to a stop in front of the bright golden gates of the Apollo royal palace, and they opened upon site of the royal crest embedded upon the dark carriage. The young royal guard in training, Reyna, steps out of the carriage after her father and reaches back for her mistress's hand.
"My lady, Nina." She proclaimed reaching for his hand. Nico huffed in anger.
"It's NICO and don't call me lady!" Nico pushed his guards hand away and clambered out of the family carriage alone. Reyna, looking distraught, followed him as Nico followed the head family guard through the gates and up the steps to the royal palace. The whole time fidgeting mercilessly with his dress.
Finally, their royal party stopped in a grand throne room. Lined with nothing but gold, and shining emblems that resembled the sun.
"Your highnesses of the sacred Apollo kingdom. May I present, Second Princess of Hades, Nina di Angelo." Nico's head guard announced and bowed in the presence of King Apollo, his young and beautiful wife, and partly hidden between one leg, their young son. First Prince of the Apollo Kingdom, William Solace.
"It's Prince!" Nico exclaimed in an unbecoming voice. "Prince Nico!" Eyes cast downward toward the small child stomping around in a frilly dress and tugging at long locks of black hair that were swept up in an elegant bun and held in place by obsidian pins.
Reyna sent the young royalty a look of shock and the Head royal guard chuckled awkwardly.
"The princess is going through a phase right now." The Apollo royal family nodded in understanding and before Nico could protest once more, the grand king Apollo stepped forward.
"Presenting our son, Royal First Prince of the Kingdom of Apollo. Prince William Solace." Apollo's voice rang out loud, strong, and clear as a bell. The small boy in question hugged his father's leg tighter and King Apollo chucked before shoving his boy gently down the throne steps.
Prince Will stumbled down the steps and regained his balance in front of Nico, who watched in interest, with his hair still threaded into his long hair.
Flustered, and embarrassed a young Prince Will recalls his lessons and bows awkwardly to Nico. He grabs his hand, which Nico found sweaty and clammy, and calming.
"My Princess, Nina." Prince Will mutters, kissing it awkwardly. The solace that Nico found in Will's voice vanished in an instant and he ripped his hand back instantly.
"It's PRINCE Nico!" Nico shouted angrily. Will's eyebrows came together in confusion.
"If you're a prince, why are you wearing a dress." Will responds. By this time, the royal family guard had began delivering news from the Hades kingdom to the Apollo kingdom. Both ignoring the children as they talked.
Nico shrugged and answered, "I want to be wearing what you are, but my chambermaids say it is unbecoming." Nico responded shyly.
"Only princesses have chambermaids." Will declares in a 'gotcha' moment. Nico's face flushed and was quickly replaced with anger once again. His cheeks puffed out in anger and he turned on his heels from the prince and ran out of the Apollo cabin in a hurry, toward the royal gardens looking for a place to hide.
"My highness. What's wrong?" Nico had found a nice quiet bush to hide in. Happily destroying his dress in the process. Reyna crouched down and peered at her charge through the thick leaves. Nico hid his crying face in his dress and turned away from her. Before she could try and coax him out a third voice entered the garden.
Nico couldn't make out what it initially said but he recognized it as the Prince of the Apollo kingdom's voice. Reyna turned from the bush and pulled her small dagger out.
"Who's there?" She asked. Nico watched her lower her weapon immediately when noticing it was Will Solace, and she bowed in apology.
"What do you want with the princess." Reyna asked in a semi accusing manor.
"Well… Princess Nina says she is a Prince.
Nico emerged from his resting place in the bush.
"It's Prince Nico!" He argued once more.
Reyna regarded him and turned back to the Prince.
"The princess is going through a hard time right now." Reyna tried to reason toward Will. Nico felt tears well up in his eyes as he clambered to his feet.
"None of you understand!" Nico spat bitterly as he took off from the garden and toward the forest that separated the two kingdoms.
Nico heard Reyna's voice shout after him but he ditched his small shoes and took off into the dense forest looking for a place nobody will find him. If nobody could find him, nobody could ever call him 'princess anything' again.
All too quickly, Nico finds a large darkened pine tree and scales it. His dress tearing and branches getting caught in his hair as he tried to reach the top. He only made it halfway before becoming exhausted and resting his body between a low hanging branch and the trunk of the tree. Once he was safely nudged between the two, he let his eyes close and promptly fell asleep.
"Princess!" Nico opened his eyes, to darkness. The sun had set over the horizon and he could hear men combing through the trees searching for him. Nico considered getting down or calling out for help, but with each call of Princess Nina into the forest the higher he wanted to climb.
"Nina-I mean… Nico?" Nico jumped in surprise. It was at that moment that somebody had finally called him Nico. Nico looked down and cast his gaze upon the young Prince Will.
"What do you want?" Nico shouted down to him. Will gazed up the tree in worry.
"I wanted to say sorry. And invite you back to the castle." Will answered as if he had practiced the two sentences for days. Nico considered his offer as deeply as any six year old could consider anything.
"Are you going to call me a girl?" Nico asked loudly.
"Not if you don't want me to."
"What's my name?"
Will smiles up into the tree and it seemed to chase out the night. Nico felt his face heat up and his heart skip a beat.
"The First Prince, Nico of the Hades Kingdom."