The party was a complete triumph for Frank. Not surprisingly, however, it left him totally exhausted. After the party finally broke up, shortly before 4am, he sought out Rocky, his platform shoes dangling from his fingers.
"I've never been so tired in my entire life." He smiled wryly. "I'm so tired, in fact, that the prospect of going to bed alone is actually appealing. Needless to say, I'll not require any breakfast. Just check in with me around lunchtime, and we can eat together."
In accordance with Frank's instructions, Rocky showed up at his door around 12:30, with their food in hand.
Frank had been staring out the window when Rocky appeared. "It looks absolutely beautiful out there. How does a picnic sound?"
It sounded good to Rocky. Frank grabbed the blanket off his bed, and he and Rocky set out toward their usual meeting place, the clearing.
As the two of them crossed the palace grounds, they unknowingly attracted the attention of a certain member of the gardening staff. Riff Raff, much to his dismay, had been assigned the extremely unglamorous task of picking up all the trash that had been carelessly discarded throughout the lawns and gardens by the glittering crowd that had attended the party the night before. He was just straightening up after retrieving a lipstick-smeared napkin when he spotted Frank and Rocky. His eyes narrowed, and a malevolent smile crossed his lips. He murmured softly to himself, "Well, how interesting. Perhaps I should see what our young Prince and his ever so faithful manservant are up to."
Riff Raff followed them at a discreet distance, taking care to be as quiet as possible. He almost lost them when he arrived at the grove of trees, but finally found the narrow path they'd taken into the forest.
Arriving at the clearing, he ducked behind a tree in order to spy on them undetected. He was, shall we say, not exactly surprised by what he saw. A picnic lunch had been spread out, but it seemed both Frank and Rocky were hungry for something other than food. They were locked in each other's arms, exchanging a series of lengthy, passionate kisses. The quaint term Riff Raff had heard somewhere, "making out," popped into his mind. Riff Raff was slightly surprised by the reciprocal nature of the activity; he had supposed that Rocky could have fulfilled his entire function for Frank on his knees.
Finally they pulled apart and began fumbling with each other's clothing. Rocky paused to look into Frank's eyes and smile. "I wouldn't have thought it possible, but I love you more as each day passes. You mean everything to me."
Riff Raff was disgusted. Rocky was even more stupid and naïve than he'd thought. Did he truly believe he was anything other than a beautiful sex toy for the Prince? Either that, or Frank was so incredibly arrogant that he demanded expressions of love from the underlings he forced to cater to his sexual whims. Either scenario was possible; both were nauseating.
He was, therefore, thunderstruck to hear Frank's response. Affectionately running his hand through Rocky's hair, he answered, "I assure you, I feel the same way. Last night made me realize just how much I need you. Aside from a few genuine friends, everyone in attendance was no more than a sycophant. I'm quite certain none of them would give me the time of day were I not royalty. I know you'd love me even if I were working for the Royal Family, rather than being a member of it. I'd trust you with my life."
He sighed, and sat down on a nearby rock. "If I were *anyone* other than who I am, we wouldn't have to hide our relationship. If only my sister were able to take the throne, I could give up this damned title, and we could truly be together. I don't even *want* to rule Transsexual...I just want to be a scientist."
Rocky looked at him curiously. "Your *sister*? I thought you were an only child."
Frank shook his head. "No. I have a younger sister. There were complications during the birthing process, and she was deprived of oxygen for an extended period. She sustained massive brain damage. My parents wanted to protect what little dignity she had left, so it was announced she was stillborn in order to keep the press away. She's actually still in the Palace, being cared for by her own team of nurses."
Rocky was astounded. "Have you met her?"
Frank shrugged. "Well, naturally I've *seen* her, but I don't know that it's possible to `meet' her. She has no awareness of her surroundings."
Rocky looked at Frank sympathetically. "I'm so sorry." He put his arms around Frank and kissed him tenderly.
The physical contact with his lover drove all thoughts of his sister from Frank's mind. As he ardently returned Rocky's kiss, they again began to undress each other.
Riff Raff didn't particularly relish the prospect of watching them make love, so he crept back down the path. Once outside the grove of trees, he sat down on the ground, both stunned and elated. That conversation between Frank and Rocky, the two people he most resented, was a veritable loaded gun for Riff Raff. It was just a question of how to best fire that gun to cause the most damage to the two of them...and the greatest benefit to Riff Raff himself. As he considered his options, a warning issued earlier that day by his boss to the gardening staff ran through his mind.
"The Lord Chamberlain has requested I remind everyone to be especially wary of anyone you encounter outside the Palace. Now that the Prince has come of age and lost his protection from media coverage, the members of the press will be most anxious to speak with anyone who may have firsthand knowledge of his activities. I must also remind you that anyone caught divulging information about the Prince to outsiders will be subject to the most severe punishment allowed by Transsexual's laws. I trust you know precisely what that punishment would be."
Everyone knew. The sentence would be execution by laser squad. While the Queen was generally a humane ruler, she was known to be fanatically protective of her son. Anyone betraying him would be shown no mercy.
Slowly a smile of unholy glee spread across Riff Raff's gaunt face. It was all too perfect. Now all he needed was an audience with the Queen.
"I've never been so tired in my entire life." He smiled wryly. "I'm so tired, in fact, that the prospect of going to bed alone is actually appealing. Needless to say, I'll not require any breakfast. Just check in with me around lunchtime, and we can eat together."
In accordance with Frank's instructions, Rocky showed up at his door around 12:30, with their food in hand.
Frank had been staring out the window when Rocky appeared. "It looks absolutely beautiful out there. How does a picnic sound?"
It sounded good to Rocky. Frank grabbed the blanket off his bed, and he and Rocky set out toward their usual meeting place, the clearing.
As the two of them crossed the palace grounds, they unknowingly attracted the attention of a certain member of the gardening staff. Riff Raff, much to his dismay, had been assigned the extremely unglamorous task of picking up all the trash that had been carelessly discarded throughout the lawns and gardens by the glittering crowd that had attended the party the night before. He was just straightening up after retrieving a lipstick-smeared napkin when he spotted Frank and Rocky. His eyes narrowed, and a malevolent smile crossed his lips. He murmured softly to himself, "Well, how interesting. Perhaps I should see what our young Prince and his ever so faithful manservant are up to."
Riff Raff followed them at a discreet distance, taking care to be as quiet as possible. He almost lost them when he arrived at the grove of trees, but finally found the narrow path they'd taken into the forest.
Arriving at the clearing, he ducked behind a tree in order to spy on them undetected. He was, shall we say, not exactly surprised by what he saw. A picnic lunch had been spread out, but it seemed both Frank and Rocky were hungry for something other than food. They were locked in each other's arms, exchanging a series of lengthy, passionate kisses. The quaint term Riff Raff had heard somewhere, "making out," popped into his mind. Riff Raff was slightly surprised by the reciprocal nature of the activity; he had supposed that Rocky could have fulfilled his entire function for Frank on his knees.
Finally they pulled apart and began fumbling with each other's clothing. Rocky paused to look into Frank's eyes and smile. "I wouldn't have thought it possible, but I love you more as each day passes. You mean everything to me."
Riff Raff was disgusted. Rocky was even more stupid and naïve than he'd thought. Did he truly believe he was anything other than a beautiful sex toy for the Prince? Either that, or Frank was so incredibly arrogant that he demanded expressions of love from the underlings he forced to cater to his sexual whims. Either scenario was possible; both were nauseating.
He was, therefore, thunderstruck to hear Frank's response. Affectionately running his hand through Rocky's hair, he answered, "I assure you, I feel the same way. Last night made me realize just how much I need you. Aside from a few genuine friends, everyone in attendance was no more than a sycophant. I'm quite certain none of them would give me the time of day were I not royalty. I know you'd love me even if I were working for the Royal Family, rather than being a member of it. I'd trust you with my life."
He sighed, and sat down on a nearby rock. "If I were *anyone* other than who I am, we wouldn't have to hide our relationship. If only my sister were able to take the throne, I could give up this damned title, and we could truly be together. I don't even *want* to rule Transsexual...I just want to be a scientist."
Rocky looked at him curiously. "Your *sister*? I thought you were an only child."
Frank shook his head. "No. I have a younger sister. There were complications during the birthing process, and she was deprived of oxygen for an extended period. She sustained massive brain damage. My parents wanted to protect what little dignity she had left, so it was announced she was stillborn in order to keep the press away. She's actually still in the Palace, being cared for by her own team of nurses."
Rocky was astounded. "Have you met her?"
Frank shrugged. "Well, naturally I've *seen* her, but I don't know that it's possible to `meet' her. She has no awareness of her surroundings."
Rocky looked at Frank sympathetically. "I'm so sorry." He put his arms around Frank and kissed him tenderly.
The physical contact with his lover drove all thoughts of his sister from Frank's mind. As he ardently returned Rocky's kiss, they again began to undress each other.
Riff Raff didn't particularly relish the prospect of watching them make love, so he crept back down the path. Once outside the grove of trees, he sat down on the ground, both stunned and elated. That conversation between Frank and Rocky, the two people he most resented, was a veritable loaded gun for Riff Raff. It was just a question of how to best fire that gun to cause the most damage to the two of them...and the greatest benefit to Riff Raff himself. As he considered his options, a warning issued earlier that day by his boss to the gardening staff ran through his mind.
"The Lord Chamberlain has requested I remind everyone to be especially wary of anyone you encounter outside the Palace. Now that the Prince has come of age and lost his protection from media coverage, the members of the press will be most anxious to speak with anyone who may have firsthand knowledge of his activities. I must also remind you that anyone caught divulging information about the Prince to outsiders will be subject to the most severe punishment allowed by Transsexual's laws. I trust you know precisely what that punishment would be."
Everyone knew. The sentence would be execution by laser squad. While the Queen was generally a humane ruler, she was known to be fanatically protective of her son. Anyone betraying him would be shown no mercy.
Slowly a smile of unholy glee spread across Riff Raff's gaunt face. It was all too perfect. Now all he needed was an audience with the Queen.