I'm trying something a bit different from my usual style with this one. It's an idea I've been thinking about for a while but never actually got around to writing until now.

Once upon a time, there was a great kingdom ruled by a wise King. The King and Queen had a son who was their pride and joy. Though the Prince was young, it was said that he had the gentlest of smiles and the kindest of hearts. All the people throughout the land agreed that he would grow up to be a fine ruler someday.

Alas, it was not to be. One bitter winter, a sickness swept through the kingdom, taking the lives of countless people. The King and Queen also succumbed to the illness and passed away, leaving the Prince to ascend to the throne at the tender age of 12.

The Prince was devastated by the loss. Though his body had not fallen victim to the illness, his heart sickened instead, losing all its warmth and becoming as cold as ice. Though he ruled fairly and was never cruel to his subjects, there was no joy in his heart, and he no longer had love for anything.

And so, the years passed, with the Prince continuing to lock his heart away and guard it from further suffering.

That is, until one day in the 7th year of the Prince's rule, when a strange young man arrived and requested an audience with the Prince…

Prince Giorgio looked at the youth kneeling before him. His hair was the colour of the sun, and though his pale blue eyes would have looked cold on anyone else, it seemed impossible that they could express anything but warmth.

"What is your name?" The Prince asked.

"Evan Bernard, Your Majesty," the youth replied with a musical voice. "I am a traveller seeking my fortune, and I have come to humbly request permission to enter your service."

Giorgio frowned, eyeing Evan doubtfully. "What are your talents?"

"I can be whatever you need me to be, Sire," Evan answered. "Be it a bard, a jester or even a simple servant."

"I have no need for tomfoolery in my court," Giorgio said coldly. "If you wish to join my court, you will be nothing more than a servant."

"I shall be honoured to serve, my Prince." Evan's voice was soft but determined. And indeed, although Giorgio's response had been aloof, the bright smile on Evan's face would have made anyone think the Prince had given him a priceless treasure.

Evan Bernard quickly settled into his role as a servant in Prince Giorgio's court. Despite the oddity of his introduction to the court, Giorgio soon forgot about him, and he became nothing more than another faceless servant.

One day, weeks after Evan's arrival, a clever assassin infiltrated Prince Giorgio's castle and attempted to kill the Prince while he was holding court. The Prince's royal bodyguard was struck down by the assassin while attempting to stop him, leaving nobody standing between the assassin and Prince Giorgio.

As the assassin rushed towards Giorgio, he wondered why he didn't feel any of the fear he should have at the thought of his impending death.

"My liege!" There was a sudden cry, and the assassin abruptly fell to the ground as something heavy crashed into him.

Giorgio blinked and looked at the fallen assassin. Evan was lying next to the assassin, pinning him securely with his own body.

The royal soldiers swarmed in at that moment, roughly pulling the assassin to his feet and dragging him off to the dungeon for questioning as Evan got to his feet and stood out of the way.

"My Prince, are you alright?"

Giorgio looked up to see Evan watching him, a look of concern on his face. Despite having just placed himself in harm's way, he didn't appear the least bit winded and seemed more worried about the Prince than himself.

Giorgio felt an odd, fluttering sensation in his chest. Rather than dwell on what it might be, he brushed it aside and replied, "I am unharmed. Thank you for your courage."

"I live to serve, Sire," Evan replied, lowering his eyes deferentially.

"Where did you learn the art of combat?" Giorgio asked, a hint of curiosity in his usually cold voice.

"I have many talents, my Prince. I can be whatever you need me to be," Evan repeated his words from his audience with the Prince, and Giorgio found himself blinking in surprise.

"It seems I am in need of a new bodyguard," he said at last. "What would you say to taking on the role?"

Evan's face broke into a wide smile. "It would be my honour, Your Majesty."

And so, the strange youth rose to become the Prince's bodyguard, keeping him safe during the day and guarding his rest at night… if the Prince deigned to sleep. Evan found that Giorgio kept odd hours, working late into the night and shunning sleep most of the time. Despite the long hours involved in his duty, Evan's smile never wavered, and he continued to watch over the Prince with gentle concern.

Giorgio sometimes wondered how a youth like Evan was able to keep up with his long working hours and still remain eternally cheerful. Whenever he asked, Evan's only response was, "I live to serve."

One night, Giorgio had finally retired to his chambers after exhausting himself reviewing taxation reports from across his kingdom. As he fell deep into slumber, he found himself in the grip of a terrible nightmare.

In his dream, he saw the King and Queen standing before him, smiling gently at him as they always had while they were alive. But as Giorgio approached them, they slowly began to wither before his eyes, crumbling into skeletons.

As Giorgio cried out desperately, reaching for his parents, he felt a hand shaking him as a voice called his name.

"Prince Giorgio, are you alright?"

Giorgio's eyes opened, and for a moment he was still lost in the terror of his dream. Disoriented, he clutched at the hand resting on his arm, clinging to it as though it could chase away the demons plaguing him.

"My Prince, it's alright. You are safe."

At this, Giorgio recognised the soft voice and looked up to meet Evan's worried eyes. He realised that he was still clutching Evan's hand and immediately released his bodyguard, face flushing slightly.

"My apologies. I did not mean to wake you." As he said this, he noticed that there was a wetness to his face and his voice sounded hoarse.

"It's alright, I don't mind," Evan replied, the same gentle smile gracing his face.

Slowly, Giorgio sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"My Prince, will you not get some rest?" Evan asked softly. "The work of the realm can wait till morning."

Giorgio hesitated, torn between going back to sleep and leaving his chambers to get back to work. While the bone–deep exhaustion from earlier lingered, he was reluctant to close his eyes and revisit his dreams.

Seeing his hesitation, Evan gently brushed a cool hand across Giorgio's forehead. "Rest, my Prince. No harm shall come to you while I am here."

"Evan…" In spite of his lingering trepidation, Giorgio found himself lying back down and closing his eyes.

There was a moment of silence, then Giorgio heard Evan starting to sing softly.

Though Giorgio couldn't quite make out the words, Evan's voice was melodic and soothing. Slowly, he felt himself calming down and drifting off as Evan's presence banished the shadows of his dreams.

Over the next few weeks, Giorgio began to having difficulty focusing on his work. Although he had begun to sleep through the night and woke feeling well–rested every morning, he increasingly found his young bodyguard occupying his thoughts. Trying to push away those thoughts only distracted him even more.

Evan's constant presence didn't help either. Every time Giorgio saw Evan's soft smile, his heart began twinging oddly, and Giorgio found himself feeling strangely nervous.

For his part, Evan didn't act any differently around Giorgio, even as Giorgio found himself steadily growing more nervous around Evan, yet at the same time slowly becoming accustomed to his soothing presence.

Then one day, when the Prince and his personal guard were out hunting, they were ambushed by a band of outlaws.

As the guards engaged the outlaws in combat, one outlaw managed to fire off an arrow aimed right at Giorgio's heart.

As Giorgio's eyes widened, he felt something heavy collide with him, knocking him to the ground.

Winded, he picked himself up and turned to look.

Evan was lying where Giorgio had been standing, an arrow protruding from his arm.

The blood drained from Giorgio's face, and he found himself staring at Evan, frozen in place.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, as Giorgio and his men returned to the castle with an injured Evan in tow. Thankfully, the healers were able to treat Evan's wound, and he was soon recovering in the small room he slept in next to Giorgio's chambers.

As Giorgio looked at Evan's still form, he felt a surge of fear rising up within him. Giorgio had never seen Evan asleep before, for his bodyguard only rested when Giorgio himself was already asleep. Looking at Evan, Giorgio realised for the first time how fragile and vulnerable he seemed.

The next morning, when Evan awoke, Giorgio requested his presence in court.

Evan answered the summons, his usual smile still gracing his face despite the lingering pain from his injury.

"You called for me, my Prince?" He asked.

"Yes, I did." Giorgio inhaled slowly, trying to swallow the sliver of fear still clinging to him.

"I'm afraid that after what happened yesterday, I have decided to dismiss you from my service."

For the first time since Evan had arrived, his smile vanished, and a look of distress flashed across his face.

"My Prince, I beg you… Please, reconsider. I swear I won't fail you again," he pleaded.

Giorgio could not find the words to explain that it was for fear of Evan's life that he wanted Evan away from him.

Instead, he adopted the same cold tone which he had used when Evan had first arrived and said, "My decision is final. I will permit you to remain in my castle for one last day. As soon as the morning dawns, you are to leave."

Evan bowed his head for a long moment.

"As you command, my liege," he said at last.

That night, for the first time in weeks, Giorgio had a nightmare.

In his dream, he was once again back in the forest, outlaws surrounding him and his men. As one of the outlaws fired an arrow straight at him, Evan leapt in front of Giorgio, shielding the Prince with his body. Giorgio desperately grabbed hold of Evan, turning him over, only to find the arrow had pierced him straight through the heart.

"No… Evan…" He wept, cradling his bodyguard's limp form as it began to grow cold.

"My Prince…" Evan rasped, reaching out with a shaking hand.

"Evan… I'm so sorry…"

"My Prince, please… Wake up."

Abruptly, Giorgio realised someone was shaking him, and he found himself looking up at Evan's worried blue eyes. Though his bodyguard still bore the mark of the previous day's injury, he was alive and well, not bleeding out in Giorgio's arms.

"Please, calm yourself my Prince. You're alright," Evan said softly, his eyes never leaving Giorgio's.

"I'm sorry," Giorgio whispered, averting his gaze as he scrubbed at the tear marks on his reddening cheeks.

He felt the bed dip slightly as Evan slowly took a seat next to him.

"You have nothing to apologise for, my Prince." Evan gave him a gentle smile, as though the events of the past few days had not occurred.

"How can you say that?" Giorgio snapped. "You could have been killed!"

Evan was silent for a moment.

"Perhaps you're right," he answered at last. "But if my wounds mean that you are safe, then I consider it a worthy price to pay."

"I can't lose you!" Giorgio shouted. It was then that he realised how absurd his statement was. After all, even though Evan was alive, Giorgio had ordered him to leave. He would be losing his bodyguard anyway, by his own fear of having to watch Evan die.

Despite this, Evan seemed to understand.

"…Then let me stay, my Prince. We can protect each other."

Giorgio looked into Evan's pale blue eyes, feeling that odd, fluttering sensation again.

"Please… call me Giorgio," he found himself saying.

Evan's eyes widened, and a smile spread across his face. "As you wish… Giorgio."

Giorgio swallowed, realising how close Evan's face was to his.

"Evan…" He closed his eyes, heart beating faster than should have been possible.

"…What? Wait, are you talking in your sleep?"

Confused, he opened his eyes.

There was an unfamiliar face staring at him in amusement.

Giorgio stared back for a moment, then his memories came rushing back.

He was a VSSE Agent. It was his off–day… and he had apparently fallen asleep on the sofa in the rec room while reading.

"What time is it?" He asked, scrubbing a hand across his face with a groan.

"Just past 1," Wesley replied, grinning impishly. "You said you'd join us for lunch, remember? I drew the short straw, so they sent me to go fetch you… Or rather, try to wake you from your nap."

"Right…" Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Giorgio picked up his book from where it had fallen to the ground.

"Grimm's Fairy Tales?" Wesley asked, mouth twitching as though he was trying to suppress a laugh. "Doesn't seem like your type of book."

Giorgio shrugged, not quite awake enough to feel embarrassed. "I was in the mood for something simple and light–hearted."

"It must have been pretty boring if it put you to sleep," Wesley snickered.

Giorgio's only response was a sleepy yawn as he slowly got to his feet and stretched, feeling his joints cracking as he did so.

Ugh… How long was I asleep? My body feels really stiff.

"So, why were you saying Evan's name in your sleep?" Wesley suddenly asked, an evil grin lighting up his face.

Giorgio's thoughts came screeching to a halt.

"W–What?" Even to his own ears, his voice sounded flustered.

"When I tried to wake you, you were calling Evan's name. Don't tell me you were dreaming about him?"

Fragments of a half–remembered dream filtered into Giorgio's mind, and he found himself flushing involuntarily.

"D–Don't be ridiculous! Of course not!" He snapped, directing his best death glare at Wesley.

Wesley seemed entirely unfazed, grinning wider. "So, the ice king DOES have a soft spot after all! Wait till Evan hears about this!"

"Don't you dare—"

"Hears about what?" A new voice interrupted.

Turning in surprise, Giorgio saw his partner standing at the entrance to the rec room.

"You were taking a long time, so Alan sent me to see if you needed help waking Gi," Evan explained with a nod towards Wesley. "I heard my name. What were you guys talking about?"

Wesley smirked. "Giorgio was just telling me—"

"Nothing!" Giorgio hastily interrupted. "We weren't talking about anything."

Evan snorted. "Suit yourself. Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, sure." Giorgio carelessly tossed his book onto the sofa, willing his heart to stop racing.

Evan frowned. "Hey, are you feeling alright? Your face looks kinda flushed. You're not sick, are you?"

He stepped closer to Giorgio, reaching out and placing a hand against Giorgio's forehead.

Startled, Giorgio jerked backwards, breaking the contact between them.

"It's nothing, I'm fine!" He yelped, averting his gaze as he felt his face redden further.

Evan gave him an odd look but backed off. "Man, you're weird when you've just woken up. You'd better hurry, Alan's getting impatient."

Turning, he left the room. Wesley followed Evan out, giving Giorgio a knowing wink as he did so.

Letting out a breath, Giorgio ran a hand through his hair, trying to compose himself.

What WAS I dreaming about anyway?

An image floated to the forefront of his mind: The last part of his dream, with Dream Evan's face so close to his…

"Hey, Giorgio! What are you doing in there, falling asleep standing up?" Wesley shouted from somewhere outside. "Get your ass out here!"

"C–Coming!" Giorgio shouted back, hastily banishing the memory.

As he headed out to join his colleagues, a small part of him wondered why his heart was still fluttering wildly.

I know this is probably taking a lot of artistic license with how medieval kingdoms worked, but just imagine that any inconsistencies are simply because Giorgio was dreaming everything.

Also, Bodyguard Evan might seem out of character, but I think that raises some interesting implications about how Giorgio's subconscious views Evan... After all, the real Evan who appears at the end is considerably snarkier than the gentle soul who appeared in Giorgio's dream :P