Authors Notes: Hi! This is an Akagami no Shriayuki-hime Yoi au, kind of, and I would just like to inform you that I have only the vaugest of ideas about where I'm going with this.
"Mirror mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" the crowned Prince, Christophe Giacometti asked, sweeping his hand into the air with a flourish. He smiled expectantly, despite the silence that had suddenly enveloped the throne room.
"Um, your majesty?" The young royal messenger tentatively broke the quiet. "Forgive me for asking, but why exactly are you referring to me as a mirror?"
The Prince grinned.
"Clever, isn't it? Since you tell me what you see in the town, it essentially makes you my mirror, does it not?"
The young boy simply nodded, deciding that silence was his best option.
"Your majesty. We hardly have time for such ridiculous displays." The prince's unamused attendant interrupted, not batting an eyelash when the Prince pouted theatrically. "And besides, why are you even looking for, 'the fairest of them all'?
Christophe sighed, dropped his pout, and lowered himself back into his throne, propping his head up with his arm. A mischievous glint shone in his eyes.
"Because I'm bored. I want someone to play with."
The attendant and the royal messanger both grimaced. The prince's words could have been innocent, had it not been for the way he smirked and suggestively licked his lips.
"So, do you have an answer to my question?" Christophe asked, turning his attention back to the young messenger.
The boy swallowed nervously, but shakily nodded his head.
"I believe so, your majesty. There is a pharmacist in the town. He is apparently young and attractive, and very kind.
Christophe leaned forward in his seat, eyes shining with interest.
"Oh, how intriguing. Do tell me more."
"Thank you, please come again!" a boy with messy dark hair and glasses bowed and waved cheerfully as yet another customer exited his shop.
A scoff came from a figure seated at one of the worn wooden tables strewn about the room.
"Wow Yuuri, you're way too nice. That guy was an asshole." The boy's companion, a girl with brown hair up in a ponytail, stated bluntly.
Yuuri looked up and smiled at his friend, shaking his head.
"Don't say that, Yuuko, his wife was sick. I think I'd be a little grumpy too." He said calmly, beginning to clean up the mess that had formed while making the medication his customer had required.
"Yuuri." Yuuko huffed in fond exasperation at her friend. "That doesn't give him an excuse for being a jerk. I mean, Takeshi is sick right now, but you don't hear me yelling at you, do you?"
The boy paused in his cleaning, and opened his mouth to argue, but closed it when he realized the truth of her words.
"I guess you have a point." He admitted, adjusting his glasses sheepishly.
Yuuko grinned triumphantly.
"By the way, speaking of Takeshi, shouldn't you be getting back to him? Not that I don't appreciate it, but you don't have to hang around here with me. I'll be closing up soon anyway." Yuuri reassured her. Yuuko's smile softened.
"First of all, I know I don't have to, but you're my friend, so I want to." she said, standing up and walking over to Yuuri and ruffling his hair. She laughed as the boy lightly smacked her hands away, and let out a distressed sound.
"Second of all, you're probably right. I had better go and make sure he hasn't died of boredom." She joked, walking towards the door. At the exit, she paused, and looked over her shoulder. "Be careful, Yuuri, you really are too nice. I worry about you."
The boy rolled his eyes good naturedly, and made shooing motions at the girl.
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm too nice and everybody's out to get me, right?" he asked teasingly as Yuuko stuck her tongue out at him before walking out the door. "Bye, Yuuko!" he called just before the door closed.
There was an indistinguishable response shouted back, and Yuuri shook his head and smiled fondly at his friend's antics.
Finding himself alone once again, the boy turned his attention back to his workplace, and put his hands on his hips. All that was left for him to do before he could leave for the night, was finish cleaning the mess he had made earlier, and take stock of his inventory to make sure he wasn't low on supplies.
Easy!
Yuuri hummed quietly to himself as he quickly cleared away the remaining clutter around his work station. After he was done with that, he went to his supply closet, and made a list of all the plants he needed to gather.
He was so absorbed in his work that he hardly registered the ring of the bell signaling that somebody had entered his shop.
"Yuuko? Is that you? Did you forget something?" he asked, not turning around.
"Are you Yuuri Katsuki?" a harsh and unfamiliar voice demanded.
Yuuri froze, his heart skipping a beat, and slowly turned to face the man who had just spoken. He was wearing a uniform from the palace, and seemed to be carrying a letter of some sort. The letter was stamped with the official seal of the royal family. Dread pooled in Yuuri's stomach.
"Yes, I'm… I'm Yuuri. Can I help you with something? I'm sorry, I was just about to close-"
"You are hereby summoned to the castle, by order of the Prince." The blank faced man thrust the letter into the boy's face.
Yuuri's eyes widened in shock, and he let out an involuntary gasp. Wordlessly, he slowly reached out to take the letter with shaking hands.
"Excuse me, I don't understand. I-"
"Prince Christophe Giacometti has generously decided to make you his escort. You are expected to arrive at the palace no later than tomorrow morning. Failure to follow these instructions will have consequences. Do you understand?"
Escort?
Yuuri's heart was pounding painfully in his chest, and his ears seemed to be ringing. What was happening? Surely this had to be a mistake. What could the Prince possibly want with him, of all people?
"I'm sorry, I think…" choked words escaped his lips. "I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding. I mean, I'm hardly escort material. I'm just a pharmacist. I would only be an embarrassment to the Prince." He said, desperation tinting his voice.
In the first visable display of emotion since he arrived, the man's lips curled in distaste.
"True though that may be, the Prince has inexplicably selected you and you alone to be his escort. You should be grateful, commoner." He said sharply, eyes cold.
Yuuri flinched.
"I advise you to be at the castle bright and early tomorrow." The man said, conspicuously resting his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword.
Yuuri swallowed hard, and was certain that his heart, which had previously threatened to beat out of his chest, had stopped.
Seeing that he would be getting no more conversation out of the pharmacist, the man turned on his heel, and left without another word.
The ringing of the bell above the door seemed to snap Yuuri out of his frozen state, and he jerkily ran across the room and locked the door.
He stood still for a moment, attempting to process the shocking events that had just occurred.
Escort.
Yuuri noticed, almost absentmindedly, that his legs were shaking uncontrollably.
Escort.
A sharp exhale tore itself from Yuuri's lungs, and his furiously trembling legs gave out on him.
Escort.
He collapsed to the floor, landing hard on his knees, and leaned his head against the door.
Escort.
Yuuri couldn't breathe. He tried his best, but no matter what he did, he couldn't seem to catch his breath. Harsh, ragged gasps were all he could manage.
Escort.
His hands were shaking, but when he brought them to his face to try to steady them, they came away wet with tears.
He remained like that for what seemed like ages, before he finally managed to get his breathing somewhat under control. Some small part of him noted that the sun had gone down.
After a few more moments, he shakily forced himself back to his feet. He wiped his eyes and cleaned his glasses, which had been stained with tears, and knew one thing.
Yuuri had to leave.
Authors Notes: This is just a sample of the first chapter. Based on the response, I may or may not continue this. If I do continue, the next chapter will cover the rest of the events of the first episode of AnS. After that, there will be one chapter per episode, and they'll be much longer. But I did have a lot of fun writing this, so I hope to return with another chapter soon!