• Chapter Two "PARIS!!!" The calls of the schoolmaster echoed through the princes' quarters of the palace. "PARIS!!!" The teenage son sat up sharply in his bed, paling a shade or two as he looked around panicking ever so slightly. "Oh gods..." His voice strained as he struggled to untangle himself from his sheets, pulling a high cut shirt over his head and a length of material, tying it around his waist. "PARIS!!!" The voice continued, standing in the middle of the room, the younger brother started to panic. "Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods. Hector!!!" Big brother would save him. He knew it. With that thought in mind he quickly slid out of his bedroom and down the hall, flinging open the flimsy curtain into his brother's room. "Hector! Help!" The elder brother just groggily slid over in bed and held out the sheets to the boy, who quickly dove in bed next to the muscular man, almost trembling against him. There was a reason why Hector's room was the only room in the entire palace without a door, as there was a reason Paris always ran to him. He always had done. Since their mother's death, the younger boy had always suffered nightmares and so Hector was always there to comfort him. But soon, the elder got weary of waiting for the knock knock on the wood each night and just removed the door so that Paris could slide silently into the room and into bed with him. To keep him safe. To keep him warm. If only Paris knew...But then they wouldn't have these brotherly moments, that was the thought that kept returning to his own troubled mind as he kept his secrets and just cared for his beautiful little brother. "Prince Hector, have you seen..." The confused voice of Egia peered around the curtain only to trail off as he saw the common site of the two brothers arm in arm. "My Lord Hector, your brother has lessons which require attendance." Almost letting out a groan Hector opened his eyes, trying to focus on the man in front of him. "My brother is ill Councillor, he caught a chill during the night." "But then surely he needs to be seen to by a healer..." "He is fine in my care councillor." "But then..." "Councillor!" Hector narrowed his eyes on the greying man. The prince was not a morning person at the best of times, but to have some man demand that he was to pull Paris from his own bed was not going to happen. Egia just cleared his throat, studying the man. "If I may Prince Hector, Paris has not been attending his lessons." "That I know," he said, letting out another yawn, trying to hide a smirk as Paris poked him playfully under the sheets. "And he must attend this day, sick or not I don't..." Sitting up slowly Hector's dark eyes narrowed to slits "What are you saying sir? You don't trust my word when I say my brother is ill?" "No, Hector its just..." "Its just nothing...Leave us." And with that he slid back down into bed pulling the sheets over his head. Egia stood there for but a moment more before turning and leaving the room with a swoosh of a curtain. At that precise point, Paris just burst into giggles. "You're great, Hector you know that?...-He caught a chill during the night-? Phft." Hector just rolled his eyes and flipped over onto his stomach, his mop of curls just falling over his face, staring up at Paris through what seemed to be his own prison. "Now perhaps I can get my mornings rest?" Paris just pouted, as was his way. "But I thought we were going to go down to the river today...I was looking forward to the swim away from father's eyes." Hector just let out another groan and pulled the silk up over his head. "Unless there is a reason that you did not get sleep dear brother..." The tables had turned to the younger teasing the elder, and what fun Paris had with it. His brother's reputation with the women was not well known mainly to its non-existence, but he just believed his brother was exceedingly secretive. "Or perhaps...Many reasons..." The only response Paris received was a sharp push, sending him flailing to the floor. "I was just saying..." "You can –just say- all you like dear brother, though my personal bedroom fancies do not concern you no matter how much you yourself believe it so." "So it was a girl." The younger's eyes lit up mischievously. "No it wasn't, it wasn't anyone," the larger man replied, almost too quickly, pulling from the bed to his feet, wrapping a length of cotton around his waist, holding it there with a thin band of crimson rope. "Plus, even if it was Paris, I wouldn't tell you." Arching a brow as he watched his older brother, now pouting and trying to use the –sweet innocent- card that he liked to use so often "And you know that doesn't work on me so don't bother." Paris just let out an overdramatic sigh and got up also. "So what are we to do then today Hector?" Already near to perfecting the skill of whining, it was becoming more and more frequent to say the least. Hector just shrugged, glancing in his looking glass at the tussled brown curls. "Well..." The younger brother contemplated aloud "We could always go sit down in the stables. It's nice and cool down there. And no one will find me." Obviously the idea of Councillor Egia finding him up and about wasn't an option. Hector just nodded, soon giving up with trying to make his hair sit in some sort of order, and soon after a quick stop in the winery, the two brothers were running as fast as their legs would carry them down to the stables with two large urns of stolen wine under their arms.