Notes: This one doesn't have any sex, just fluffiness. Pairing is Tetsu + Sou (or Sou + Tetsu, since there really isn't any dominance in play here). And yes, I know that "Souichi" isn't really a fitting name for a Danish prince… Oh, well…

The Prince of Denmark

Prince Souichi should have known better than to go walking on such a perfect morning. The Baltic Sea was calm that day, and it was surprisingly warm for so early in the spring. He had woken up to see pale yellow sunlight filtering into his bedchambers through the dusty windows, casting an early-morning pall to everything in the room. Even through the small panes of smudged glass, he could see it was a beautiful day. It had been nice enough to coax him out of his room, at least. Once he was in the castle courtyard, it was easy to absent-mindedly walk through the gates and onto the cobblestone road leading from the castle. The guards knew better than to protest; they knew their crown prince was more than capable of taking care of himself. He wore his saber wherever he went, and he was well-trained in using it.

Indeed, he cut a fine figure as he strode out among the tall hedges. Royal blue pants and coat contrasted with the blood-red cape he often wore, and the golden gleam of his sword's hilt glittered in the morning sunlight. His boots were of the finest leather, and his pale blonde hair whipped around him as a salty breeze came off of the sea. He looked every bit like a prince, and the guards watched him go with respect.

He soon found himself walking along the seashore, having made a big loop around the castle until he was at the flagstone steps leading directly to the sea. It was one of his favorite places to go. Backed by the looming castle high above on the slope, he would sit for hours and watch the sea. He always ended up here when he went on walks.

Inevitably, though, he was bound to experience something weird on beautiful days like this. Several times, he would come here and start feeling like he was being watched. For a prince who had been under constant guard all of his life, that was saying something. Sometimes he saw someone bobbing along on the ocean, only to have the vision disappear when he got closer. He had even slipped and fallen on his rear one time, only to hear eerie disembodied laughter coming from somewhere off-shore.

He went nonetheless, though the day was so perfect that he felt he would find something weird. He wasn't disappointed. As soon as he rounded the corner of the hedges guarding the little alcove, he saw something further down the slope.

Souichi blinked once, then again. He rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and looked around suspiciously. Was he seeing things, or was there a naked body on the beach?

"What the hell is this…?" he muttered, walking cautiously over to the figure. It was indeed a person, lying face-down on the pebbly shore. Souichi broke into a run, skidding to a halt at the person's side and kneeling down to check his pulse. "Still alive…" he looked around, seeing no debris. "Doesn't look like a shipwreck… Maybe he fell from a ship or was caught in an undertow while swimming?"

As for why the man was naked, Souichi couldn't even begin to guess. "Hey," he said, shaking him by the shoulder gently, "Hey! Wake up!"

The man didn't move. Souichi groaned and pulled off his red cape. "Dammit, don't you die on me!" He turned the unconscious man over, averting his eyes from the more private area of his body, and wrapped him in the cape. Taking a good look at his face, Souichi tried to guess at the stranger's origins. He didn't seem to be of Danish descent, or of the Vikings across the sea. His hair was black, darker than anyone else's he'd seen except for his sister's. Their mother was from Scotland, and her family had been the only people Souichi had ever seen with such dark hair. Perhaps he was an escaped slave from a Viking village to the north?

Judging from his features, he was young as well. He was little more than a boy, probably in his early twenties. Souichi lifted his upper body into his arms, shaking him a little. "Wake up!" This time, the boy's eyes opened. They were a rich shade of sea green – he had to be from Scotland, Souichi decided. "About time! Just what are you doing lying naked on my beach?"

The young man didn't say anything. He looked at Souichi with something akin to disbelief, then suddenly leaned into his chest and nuzzled him.

"Hey!" Souichi pushed him away, holding him at arm's length, "What was that for? If you want to thank me for finding you, just say so!"

It was the strangest encounter Souichi had ever had. The kid was smiling at him. He had just nuzzled him, and now he was beaming as if all his dreams had just come true. Souichi growled in irritation; that face made him want to punch the guy.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

The naked man's face fell suddenly, and he shook his head. Pointing to his throat, he opened his mouth and let out a few breaths. Then he shrugged.

"You… can't talk?" Souichi sighed, "Great… Well, I don't know what to do with you… Are you hurt?"

The shake of a black mop of hair signaled no.

"Can you walk?"

A nod answered him. Souichi stood up, offering his hand to the man, and tried to pull him upright. The young man seemed to be very weak, though, and he collapsed back onto the sand. He looked down at his own legs, touching them tentatively, seemingly unsure about them.

"You must have been swimming for a while," Souichi said, "Your leg muscles must be cramped. I'll have to carry you… There aren't any guards here, so they can't help much…" Bending down, Souichi managed to get the other man in his arms and stand upright. He wobbled a little under the weight, but was surprised at how light his burden felt. He gained a solid footing and started back up the path to the castle, taking the fork that would lead them directly to the courtyard. All the while, the boy cuddled up to him contentedly. Maybe he was glad to be rescued.

"Your Highness!" a guard called out to him when he came up the path, and the armored man came running up to him. "What happened?" he asked, "Who is this?"

"I found him on the beach. It looks like he washed up on the shore from somewhere."

"Shall I take him, Your Highness?"

Souichi moved to hand the boy over, but then changed his mind. "No," he said, stepping past the guard, "I'll take him to Kurokawa. Go back to your duties."

"Yes, Sir,"

The guard walked past him up the path, and Souichi went on past the guards who held the door open for him. The servants gave him questioning looks as he passed them, but they preferred not to ask if he needed help. It was safer to wait for him to ask for assistance.

"Kurokawa!" Souichi called as he entered the family living quarters. The head butler, Kurokawa, and the treasurer, Isogai, were good friends. They were also the closest to friends that Souichi had ever had, and he found them playing a game of chess in an alcove by a balcony door.

"Good to see you, Souichi!" Isogai greeted him, tossing the oak queen behind his back as Kurokawa groaned in dismay. "Who's that? Your new boy toy?"

"Sh- shut up!" Souichi wanted to punch him, but couldn't because of the man in his arms, "Don't say crap like that! You want me to put you on shit duty?"

"No, those stable keepers do a good enough job on their own," Isogai laughed. "I like to tease His Highness, you know," he said, addressing the mute boy.

"Kurokawa, I need you to take him and get him some clothes. Feed him, too, if he wants to eat. I found him washed up on the shore, so he might be hurt. He can't walk, obviously."

"Right away, Sir," Kurokawa jumped up, taking the boy gently into his arms, "I'll press your cloak and return it to you soon."

"Good. Let me know when he's taken care of." Souichi walked off to attend to his morning duties, but he didn't miss the pained look that the young man gave him as he walked away. "What's with that kid?" he muttered, glancing back to see Isogai and Kurokawa taking him into the servant's quarters.

XXXXX

Four hours later, Souichi stormed into the servant's quarters. "Kurokawa!" he shouted, but was surprised to find only a maid there. "Where's Kurokawa?"

"Oh, he went to Her Highness' sewing room," she answered.

"Did he have another guy with him?"

"Yes. Isogai and a younger man… I've never seen him before."

"Thanks," he said, turning around and rushing up to the second floor. "Kurokawa!" he shouted, bursting into the room. His sister Kanako was fond of sewing, and she delighted in making up new designs for the servants. Being the youngest of the family, and still a child who wouldn't be introduced into the social circuit for a few years yet, she was given her own sewing room and allowed to do what she wanted. Souichi found her there, with Isogai, Kurokawa, and the young man from the beach.

"Hi, Souichi!" she said perkily, "Isogai said that Tetsuhiro here didn't have any clothes. So I decided to make him some!"

"Tetsuhiro?"

"It's his name," Kurokawa said, "We figured that out after giving him a list of syllables. It was a long process…"

"Yeah, we figured it would be easier to teach him to write than to do THAT again," Isogai said, "But at least we know his name now."

"True," Souichi said, walking over to Tetsuhiro and looking him up and down. He was sitting on a stool by Kanako's mirror, dressed in clothes that were too neatly sewn to have been Kanako's handiwork. "Where did these clothes come from?" he asked.

"The shirt's yours," Isogai said, "You seem to be the only one in the castle with the same clothing size as him. Mine were a little big on him… The pants are mine, though. His legs are too long for yours, Your Highness."

"Did I say you could take my clothes?" Souichi demanded.

"Oh, settle down," Kanako said, busily working on a shirt, "You never wear that one, anyway!"

Souichi huffed, but relented. Green did look good on the boy. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked.

Tetsuhiro nodded, smiling.

"Alright, then you won't mind me asking some questions?"

A shake of the head. No.

"Fine," Souichi sat down on one of the plush stools, next to Kurokawa and in front of Tetsuhiro. "Since it would take too long to go through the whole syllable thing, I'll just ask yes or no questions. First of all, were you shipwrecked?"

Tetsuhiro shook his head.

"Fell overboard?"

No.

"Are you a slave?"

No.

"A commoner?"

A nod. Yes.

"Are you from Scotland?"

Tetsuhiro tilted his head to the side.

"Have you never heard of it?"

Nope.

"You know you're in Denmark, right?"

No.

"Did you come from up north?"

Tetsuhiro hesitated, then nodded.

After half an hour of questioning, Souichi hadn't gained too much information and Tetsuhiro had gained another shirt. It was sloppily done, as were most of Kanako's creations, but he accepted it with genuine gratitude.

"You can go ahead and keep that green shirt, too," Souichi said when Tetsuhiro started to unbutton it. The silent young man beamed. Blushing slightly, the prince turned to Kurokawa. "I think it's about time I took on a personal servant. I think he'll do."

"You want to make him your servant?" Kurokawa said, "But what if he doesn't want to be? What if he's got a family somewhere looking for him?"

"Hey, I saved him, didn't I? I gave him the shirt off my back!"

"You mean the shirt from the bottom of your closet," Isogai chimed in.

"Whatever. He owes me, right?" When he turned back to Tetsuhiro, though, he found himself on the floor with the young man hugging him around the neck. "Hey, get off! What gives?"

"I don't think he minds the idea too much," Isogai said as Souichi pushed Tetsuhiro off of him.

"What, you want to be my servant?" Souichi asked, looking down at the hopeful young man who was still clinging to him. A vigorous nod answered his question. "OK, then. You can stay with me. Just let me go, already!"

Tetsuhiro let go, allowing the prince to get up and feeling like the luckiest person in the world.

After all, it wasn't every day that a merman got to hang out with humans.

XXXXX

This one will actually have a second part (maybe a third), but for now it stands alone. Reviews are appreciated! :D