A/N: Sorry for the huge delay! My vacation ended last week and I had no time to write! x( Thanks again to everyone who has followed/reviewed/favorited the story. :) All of your reviews are so helpful.

Also, in case you haven't noticed, I had to bump up the rating to 'T' thanks to a certain Frenchman... ;) Except for him, the story shouldn't stray too much in regards to the tone.

In those days, the kingdom of Seychelles was a very popular destination for both traders and travelers. Its pleasant climate and beautiful beaches would draw even the most far-flung royals to the country, who would then use the mostly uninhabited island as a private getaway, much to the chagrin of the royal family of Seychelles.

Despite their reluctance to allow in outsiders, the royal family had invited the prince of America to visit in order for Princess Michelle to be considered as a possible bride. There had been much talk by the residents of the island that the royal family was illegitimate, and Michelle's mother and father believed that marrying her to another royal heir would secure their place as the rightful rulers of the island. Unfortunately, another prince had decided to visit the island as well…

"It's nice to be going somewhere sunny, for a change." The weak breeze fluttered Arthur's hair as he and Alfred stood looking out over the water, the caravel skipping over the waves with ease.

Alfred stretched lazily, nodding his head. "Especially after being locked in a dungeon."

The island of Seychelles could be seen in the distance, blanketed by swaths of green. The sand looked as white as snow, especially in contrast to the pure blue of the sea.

"Are you two ready?" A man's gruff voice called out from above Alfred and Arthur, waking them from their relaxed reverie. They both turned to see the captain standing near the masthead looking at them expectantly.

"Ready for what?" Alfred asked as he and Arthur exchanged glances.

"We're on a tight schedule, lads. You're gonna need to take the dinghy out to shore," the captain explained, pointing to a rickety boat resting near the wooden rails of the ship.

"Take the dinghy? That wasn't part of our deal!" Alfred exclaimed as he walked over to the small boat, which looked as if it wouldn't be strong enough to carry one of the men, let alone both of them.

"Well, we told you we'd take you out on the water. We didn't say we'd take you all the way to Seychelles," the captain said with a shrug. "We'll slow down the ship a little, if you want, so you don't fall into the water."

"How kind of you," Arthur replied sarcastically.

The pair stood back and watched as the captain and his men lowered the dilapidated ship into the water and then threw a thick net over the side of the ship. The captain motioned for them to climb down. "Go on then," he said, pushing them towards the rail.

Arthur sighed and climbed over the edge, resigned to his fate. Alfred; however, kept shaking his head.

"You can't be serious," the prince repeated over and over. When none of the crewmembers replied he followed his manservant down into the dinghy, albeit reluctantly. As soon as he had boarded the tiny boat, the caravel began to speed away with help from the wind, leaving large waves in its wake.

"I suppose I'll be rowing the whole way then?" Arthur said, grabbing the oars from the bottom of the boat. He began to row them to shore.

Alfred frowned. "No, I'll row, too." He bent down and picked up the other set of oars, copying Arthur's movements.

"We're a long way from shore. Are you sure you want to row?" Arthur asked as he watched the prince struggle with the oars.

"Of course. I should pull my own weight," Alfred replied. They had only rowed a few feet before Alfred lost one of his oars in the water, followed shortly by the other.

"I think you ought to stop," Arthur said when Alfred began leaning over the edge of the boat in an attempt to retrieve his oars. "I'd rather row by myself then have you tip over the boat and make us swim all the way to shore."

Alfred settled back into the boat with a sigh. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Arthur said as he continued to row, feeling slightly guilty at the harsh tone he had taken with Alfred. "So… what do you know about the princess of Seychelles?"

"Not very much. Maybe you should ask what I know about the prince of France instead," Alfred replied, his mouth twisted into a frown.

"What? Why?"

"Because he's waving at me from the beach."

Arthur glanced over his shoulder. The prince of France—Francis Bonnefoy—was indeed waving at Alfred from the shore, his long blonde hair bobbing as he jumped up and down. Arthur involuntarily shuddered.

He had met the prince of France numerous times before as he and his family were always inviting themselves over to the Jones' castle. Francis was known by the servants, and even the monarchs, as a complete lecher. To be alone with him was to take your life into your own hands.

The decrepit boat finally reached the white sand of the beach and the prince and manservant climbed out.

"What is he doing here?" Arthur whispered. He and Alfred watched as Francis rushed over to join them.

"I don't know. Maybe we can pretend we don't seem him," Alfred hissed.

"Oh, Prince Alfred! How long has it been?" Francis exclaimed as he got closer to the pair.

It was then that they saw what Francis was wearing clearly for the first time. Or, rather, they saw what he wasn't wearing.

"Y—you seem to have lost your clothes in the water, Francis," Alfred stuttered, trying to avert his eyes.

"Ohonhonhon! Silly boy. One does not swim in the crystal clear waters of Seychelles burdened by clothing," Francis replied, leaning forward to hug the American prince. Alfred deftly avoided the naked man by hiding behind Arthur.

"I don't think it's fitting for a servant to hug a prince," Arthur said when he saw Francis coming towards him with outstretched arms.

Francis looked at Arthur thoughtfully, dropping his arms.

"Aren't you worried someone might see you, Prince Francis?" Alfred asked. He had removed his glasses and planted his hands firmly over his eyes.

"This is the royal family's private beach. Take a look around, there's nobody here!" Francis was indeed right. Besides the three men, the rest of the beach was uninhabited.

"I think I'll keep my eyes closed," Alfred whispered so only Arthur could hear. "Why are you here, Francis?"

"To see Michelle, of course," Francis replied with a smirk. "She is to be my bride after all."

"Your bride?" Alfred repeated, removing his hands from his face.

"Why, yes. I'm proposing to her tonight." Francis flipped the hair from his eyes. "Why, there she is now! " He began waving once more, calling out the princess' name.

Alfred and Arthur turned to watch Michelle make her way across the beach, happy to have someone besides Francis to look at. She was dressed in a long ruffled blue dress that was clearly unsuited for the beach.

"I brought that over from France. She looks lovely, doesn't she?" Francis said, sighing contently. "Although perhaps I should not have bought such a conservative dress," he added with a wolfish smile. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Prince Alfred!" Michelle called out, ignoring the Frenchman's greeting. "I'm afraid your luggage beat you."

"The boat brought my things all the way to the island? They wouldn't even bring me and Arthur all the way!" Alfred exclaimed crossly. When Michelle gave him a confused look, he shook his head.

"Forget it. It's nice to see you again, Princess Michelle," he said, taking her hand and bowing deeply.

"Have you come to join me in the water, ma chérie?" Francis moved to wrap an arm around Michelle's waist, but she pushed him away.

"I thought we discussed this. No touching," she scolded. Arthur and Alfred laughed.

"Oh, of course! No touching… at least, not in public," Francis replied, wiggling his eyebrow. Princess Michelle responded by pretending to gag.

"Princess, might we go get my things? I'd love to see more of the island, as well," Alfred said smoothly, offering his arm to Michelle. She smiled and curled her arm around his.

"Of course. You're free to continue using the beach, Francis," she said, nodding curtly at the naked prince.

"Oh, ma belle! Don't leave me alone," Francis pleaded, his bottom lip jutting out. "I wanted to show you how far I could swim."

"Maybe later," Michelle replied, although by the tone of her voice it was evident that "later" meant "never". She and Alfred began walking to the castle, Arthur and Francis trailing behind them. Francis attempted to place an arm around the manservant, who shrugged him off.

"Francis, I thought you were going to swim?" Michelle asked, both her and Alfred glancing over their shoulders. Francis smiled and elbowed his way in between the two monarchs.

"Mon trésor, my swimming can wait!" Francis exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Michelle's waist. "I'd rather spend my day with you."

"Threatened?" Alfred whispered coolly under his breath. Francis smirked.

"Well, I wish you'd put some clothes on," Michelle sighed, leaning away from the French prince. Alfred found himself falling behind the other royals and instead walking alongside Arthur.

"What should we do? Should we just leave?" Arthur whispered, nodding towards Francis.

"Leave? Why would we leave?" Alfred replied with a laugh.

"Well, there are more princesses… we should just move on. Perhaps to Vietnam?"

Alfred continued to chuckle. "You think she'll choose him over me? Inconceivable!"

Arthur frowned. He knew the prince was about to enter another one of his competitive fervors, and the fact that his opponent was the prurient Francis Bonnefoy greatly concerned Arthur.

"Alfred, please don't do this. Let's just grab your luggage and go," Arthur begged. Alfred smiled cheekily at the manservant, then ran to catch up with Princess Michelle, pulling her away from the Frenchman.

"C'mon, Michelle! Let's go on the tour now," Alfred said, grinning as he pulled her towards the dense thicket of forest surrounding the palace.

"Um, sure, I guess—" Michelle replied as she let herself be led into the forest. When Arthur tried to follow, Alfred broke out into a run. The princess and prince disappeared into the dense green flora, leaving the bewildered manservant alone with Francis.

"Ah, I suppose it is just you and me now!" Francis exclaimed.

"Aren't you going to follow them?"

"Non. Why follow them when I can spend time with my good friend Arthur?" Francis replied, placing a hand on the Briton's shoulder and whispering the words into his ear.

Arthur shivered. "Please put some clothes on, Francis."

"Prince Alfred, can we stop running now?" Michelle inquired, struggling to break free from Alfred's grasp. The two were now deep into the forest, the only sounds coming from their footsteps.

"Yes, of course! Sorry, princess," Alfred apologized as he let go of her hand.

"It's fine. I must warn you, though, that there isn't much to see besides the forest and the palace," Michelle shrugged, "and the forest looks the same way the whole way through."

"Well that's alright," Alfred smiled, "I'm fine just being in your company." Alfred felt a flush of pride—how could anyone resist that line?

Michelle giggled. "Did you get that line from Francis?"

"What? Non—I mean, no. It's the truth!" Alfred sputtered.

"Right. Of course," Michelle said, rolling her eyes. "Let's just go get your things from the palace."

The pair walked in silence, Michelle leading Alfred through the twisted path of the forest.

"Are you worried I'm going to accept Prince Francis' proposal?" Michelle questioned, peering over at Alfred.

The prince was surprised. "You knew he was going to propose?"

"One of the maids found the ring," she explained.

The two began walking side-by-side as the path widened and the rows of trees began to thin out. They were nearing the palace.

"Well, are you going to accept?" Alfred asked worriedly. He did not want to lose.

"I'm not sure," Michelle replied, her smile gone now. "Are you going to propose to me, too?"

Alfred paused. "I was thinking about it."

"Right, well, that makes it more complicated, doesn't it? Everything about being 'royal' is complicated," she scoffed.

"It seems so."

"Like you, you don't really want to get married do you? But because you're royalty, you must." Alfred took her hand as the pair jumped over a fallen tree.

The prince kept his eyes fixed on the ground as he said, "No, I can't say that I do."

"I appreciate your honesty," she replied, giving his hand a quick squeeze.

"If it makes it less complicated, perhaps I won't propose," Alfred suggested, albeit reluctantly. Beating Francis to the altar was the only reason he had decided to stay on the island.

The pair paused as they came to a clearing. They had reached the palace.

It was the exact opposite of the one in Belarus. The castle was bright white and seemed to glow in the sunshine. The main building itself was not very tall; however, there were four towers in each corner and they stretched upwards for hundreds of feet, as if they were reaching for the blue sky above. All of the windows were made of stained glass which caught the light and dotted the ground with colorful reflections.

"We'll see," Michelle replied mysteriously. And then she let out a sharp gasp, as if she had just remembered something extremely important.

"I know somewhere else we can go, Alfred," she said, taking his hand and leading him back into the forest. "It'll help the both of us!"

As Michelle and Alfred traversed the forest, Arthur and Francis were making their own way to the castle. Arthur had eventually managed to make Francis put on his clothes, but nonetheless he kept the French prince at a distance by walking very quickly. Aside from Arthur's labored breathing, the pair were quiet.

"Mon chou, won't you walk with me?" Francis said, breaking the silence.

"No. And don't call me that."

"It is a term of endearment!"

Arthur laughed bitterly, still angry at Alfred for having left him alone with the Frenchman. "Nothing you say will endear me to you."

"Such a lofty claim!"

"No, not really."

They made their way uphill, Arthur eventually slowing down due to fatigue, leading Francis to catch up with the manservant easily.

"Arthur, how long have we known each other?"

"Not that long, really."

Francis laughed shrilly, sending another shiver down Arthur's spine. "Ohonhonhon! I consider you to be one of my closest friends!"

"Really? Because earlier you decided not to hug me because I'm a peasant."

"…Well, would you like a hug now?"

"No."

Arthur and Francis could see the castle in the distance, its giant towers rising up over the sea of green treetops.

"You should be the best man in my wedding, Arthur!" Francis suddenly announced, once again trying to wrap his arm around the Briton.

"You haven't even proposed yet," Arthur replied, shoving the Frenchman's arm away.

"True, true. But it is only a matter of time!"

Arthur glanced over at the prince, who was now so content he had begun to whistle. "What if-," Arthur paused, turning his gaze back to the forest, "-what if Alfred proposes while they're on their little tour?"

Francis' face instantly darkened. "W-well, that cannot happen. I—I mean, my family, needs the money…"

"But it could. Alfred needs a wife." Arthur felt slightly guilty for causing Francis so much distress, although he had to admit he found some pleasure in it as well.

"Well, it cannot happen. I am pushing it from my mind!" Francis exclaimed dramatically, raising his hands to his temple as if he were literally going to push the thoughts from his head. "I must marry Michelle."

"Surely there's someone else you could propose to?" Arthur asked innocently.

Francis gave Arthur a lascivious look. "Not me," Arthur amended.

"Well, I suppose there are other princesses out there," Francis admitted. "And Michelle is so uninterested in marriage. She never wants to spend any time with her dear Francis!"

"Who could blame her?" Arthur muttered.

Francis suddenly slapped his knee, as if he had just made a great discovery. "Why, I could even marry a prince!" The Frenchman exclaimed.

"Um, well yes, I suppose you could. I don't really know how royal lineage works in France…"

"But he'd have to be rich," Francis continued, ignoring Arthur. "We need the money."

"Right, of course—"

"And it would need to be soon."

"Yes!" Arthur agreed enthusiastically. The Briton figured that if he could get Francis to reconsider proposing to Michelle, perhaps Alfred would reconsider his little competition.

Arthur peered over at Francis, whose eyes were now gleaming.

"It would also be best for the marriage to be mutually beneficial. Arthur, do you know anyone who needs to get married?"

Francis looked over at the manservant, whose face was beginning to drain of all color. Arthur tried to say 'no', but he found the word caught in his throat. All he could do was gape.

"No? Because I do. Perhaps I will still make my proposal tonight… just to someone else." He broke out into a run towards the palace. Suddenly he stopped and spun on his heel, looking at Arthur's still shocked face.

"Arthur, would you be my best man if I married Alfred instead?"

It was then that Arthur regained his voice. "No!"

But the Frenchman paid him no heed. He let out another of his strange laughs as he went to offer his hand to the prince of America.

"Where are we?" Alfred asked after Michelle had let go of his hand.

Alfred and Michelle were on the other side of the island now, standing in front of a shabby-looking hut.

"She's our resident bonom di bwa. A seer," Michelle explained when Alfred gave her a confused look. She knocked on the ramshackle door and waited for a response.

"I don't understand. What do we need a seer for?"

Michelle sighed. "She can read our fortunes. Neither of us want to marry and she can see if there is another way… another future!" The Seychellois princess rhapsodized. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea," Alfred lied. What he was really thinking was how crazy the princess had shown herself to be. Alfred had no use for seers, or bonom di bwas, or whatever you wanted to call them. He believed that he was in charge of his own future. But if it made Michelle happy, he was willing to play along. Especially if it made him look good in comparison to Francis.

"Come in," a voice from inside the shack croaked. "Your future is waiting."

Alfred and Michelle exchanged nervous glances. Then the prince and princess stepped inside, ready to have their futures revealed.