My Prince Chapter 2
Alfred walked around the garden. It was the only place that he could really think. Even though the palace was enormous, the garden never ended. That was one of the reasons that Alfred loved it so much. It was the only place that he truly could be himself.
Alfred looked around to make sure that he was alone. He listened for any sound of movement and smelt the air. Satisfied, he unclasped his heavy royal blue from his neck. He let his wings stretch out and basked in the spring sun. He pushed himself off the ground and into the air. He flew around the small alcove that he went to nearly every day. He was so happy that he didn't happen to hear the soft footsteps heading his way
Arthur Kirkland had worked at the palace since he was a child. He scrubbed floors, wiped down windows, and occasionally tended to the royal garden. Arthur loved the royal garden with all of the brightly colored roses. There were the traditional blue and purple, but there was also a mix of black, white, red, and gold. God only knew how the gardeners managed to grow gold roses. There were very few of the gold roses, and they would end up in the weirdest places. Blue roses would surround one, another could be found near the small stone bridge that stood over the river that snaked through the garden. Yet, the oddest place for a gold rose, was where the 5,000-year-old willow tree was. The tree sat alone, overlooking the bridge and river. There, right in front of the tree, facing the river was the single gold rose. It hadn't bloomed yet and Arthur didn't know why. It was the only rose in the vast garden that had yet to bloom. Arthur always paid special attention to the rose whenever he was on garden duty. He would water it, sing it soft melodies, and remove any dirt from its leafs and unblossomed petals. Occasionally, when no one was around, he would talk to the rose, as if it was his only friend. In truth, Arthur didn't have any friends. Sometimes he would talk to the castle's staff, but it was only for work, and unlike his other staff members, he didn't party after a hard day's work. In fact, he had never been drunk before. Some people would say that he was a liar, but Arthur was used to it, since he was the runt of his family.
He was always bullied for being the smallest, weakest, and smartest. Every night, he used to get beaten without fail by his drunken father. His father, although thoroughly knocked off his ass, was smart and hit him in places where no one would see. Unless, he took off his clothing and the whole family knew that his pride was too high a cost to ever commit a thing. His brother's were almost exact copies of their father. They would come home drunk late into the night, or wouldn't ever come home until the next morning. But since his brothers were all great warriors of the realm, he would get blamed for being drunk and upsetting his mother.
Diana Kirkland was a kind woman married into a cruel family. She was sweet, smart, and back in her youth, she was quite the daredevil. That was until lord Kirkland decided to arrange a marriage with his son and her, so as to show that the Kirkland family could tame anyone. Lady Diana was the only person that truly knew Arthur, with the exception of the gold rose from the garden.
Thinking of his mother and the rose always made his mind wander, along with his body. And that wandering lead him to his current situation.
Arthur always knew that the Prince of Spades was a little off the chain, but he never expected to see him grow wings and take flight. Confused, Arthur went closer for another look. Doing so, Arthur realized that anywhere he moved, the flying prince could spot him easily. So, he opted for a different approach and slid next to the gray stone statue that sat at the alcove's entrance. He slid behind it and had less than an inch to spare between the tall bushes that made up the alcove's walls, and the stone statue. He was grateful for his small form and lean body as he watched the prince. Thinking, that he was observing unseen.