On the outskirts of the Joestar castle, Prince Giorno had chased the young man in an attempt to get him to stay and talk. "Mista… " Prince Giorno called out his name, as he tried to stop Mista from climbing the garden wall leading to the back forest. The young man felt guilty dragging the prince out into the woods away from his party. Mista finally stopped and sighed. "I'm sorry Giorno." He was midway, with one leg inside the garden and the other out into the wilderness, outside of the castle limits.
Prince Giorno looked up and blinked a couple of times trying to adjust to the strong white moonlight behind Mista. "You can at least leave through the main entrance." The young man had no intention of leaving through the front of the castle, for he didn't want to be seen with the prince. "Don't you think it'll be suspicious if they find you climbing outside my private garden?"
Mista chuckled at Prince Giorno's phrasing. "But my Prince, I have done more than climb your private garden..."
Prince Giorno couldn't help but smile, even at a moment like this Mista was still the jester boy he'd met a couple of years ago, cracking jokes. "'My lord, will you please climb down and let me, at the very least walk you out the main entrance, and let me say a proper goodbye?"
Mista looked at the prince's face full of hope, it was clear that he wanted him to stay, he couldn't break his heart and run away. "I suppose… " Then switched both legs to the inside of the property and slowly started climbing down. As soon as the young man's boot touched the ground, Prince Giorno ambushed him and held him tightly. Mista didn't have the heart to push him off and let him hold him. Prince Giorno pressed his lips against Mista's unsuspecting mouth until Mista kissed him back. The handsome young man, with boyish good looks, allowed the Prince to kiss him for a few moments. But after the Prince gave no sign of stopping, the young brunette pushed him back and closed his eyes. "Giorno… Giorno... I told you… I cannot do this anymore."
"I don't accept." Prince Giorno tried to tighten his grip on Mista, but the French silk his father had bought him was simply too elaborate, after all, it was a celebration garment for the occasion. "I can't let you go, Mista… It's not fair."
Mista had become tired of explaining his point of view to the young prince. Their love had become dangerous, and he couldn't bear the thought of putting the prince in any danger. His face became serious, a rather unusual look painted on Mista's otherwise happy-go-lucky face. He looked deeply into Giorno's hopeful eyes, shining from the moonlight. "I love you, Giorno."
Prince Giorno softened his lips, and offered a smile, "I love you too, my lord."
"Don't call me that." Mista shook his face and gained more distance from the prince. "I am not a lord… I'm a jester, a buffoon, and a mediocre welder in my spare hours… I have nothing to offer someone like you… I-I'm nothing." Mista felt the need to remind the prince why their love was simply not meant to be and the longer they prolonged their goodbye, the harder it would be.
But the prince put his arms around him once again because none of that mattered to him. "You're brilliant, and you're the most important person in my life." The shiny golden hair started falling off the crown adorning Prince Giorno's head, Mista pushed it back for him.
"I love you, Giorno, I would never want any harm to fall upon you." He began, once again, to explain to the prince why their love was dangerous. "I am certain if we continue seeing each other like this… Someone will find out." He felt cold rejecting him, but the thought of what the consequences would be for the Prince sounded much louder in his heart. They lived in a society that did not accept two men loving each other, even less two men of such a vastly different status in society. Their love was simply impossible.
"I cannot protect you from what would happen if they found out." Mista went silent.
Prince Giorno however, had a different mindset. He held some power in the society they lived in, being a man and having royal blood coursing through his veins allowed him to feel some sort of control. "It's not right Mista… all these rules… all these useless, useless, useless rules… they do not matter to me." Prince Giorno tightened his grip on Mista's welder, sculpted, tan arms. "I want to be with you."
In contrast to the loud noises from the party inside the castle, the night was silent and they held each other in the darkest part of the forest, the only place they could safely do so. Out in the outskirts of a private somewhat secret garden, far away from the main area, away from his father, his people, and anyone who ever loved him. Mista thought his love was selfish for this was no place for a prince like Giorno, with a great moral compass and sense of justice, he had all the potential to help those who needed him.
"You are going to live your life as a just and rightful prince.. and you will have ...a queen and you'll be happy… Giorno, you'll be happy … and I'll be happy too, knowing you are safe." The sadness in the tone of his voice could not reach the young Prince's heart at all.
The Prince wouldn't hear it. "No, Mista." He shook his head, stubbornly. "I'm going to fight for what I want. I'm going to fight for what is right." With a fiery look on his face, he looked into Mista's big, beautiful brown eyes. "I'm going to fight to be with you, because I love you and none other, and I will provide a better, more hopeful future for my people."
Mista was losing his patience with the Prince. In the past, Mista had been caught kissing the prince and Giorno managed to escape the situation without anyone knowing his identity. Mista was sentenced to six months, two of those in isolation due to the nature of his arrest, deemed inappropriate homosexual behavior. Mista began huffing his chest, he then grabbed the prince's face with his calloused hands. "They will have your beautiful, lovely…." He looked into Prince Giorno's fiery green eyes staring back at him, "Head... on a bloody... fucking... spike…" He cried to the Prince. "The church will never allow it… and you will lose the love of your people, the same people you seek to protect." Mista's eyes began to water, overflowing with emotion.
"NO, I WILL FIGHT FOR US!" The Prince had lost his patience too and raised his voice, a rare occurrence. The situation, however, was merited as he felt helpless and he was getting nowhere with young Mista.
"I will NOT be your fucking executioner!" Mista's eyes became filled with rage and tears. "Are you that selfish? Are you that spoiled? ACCEPT MY WILL!" He shouted and turned his back on the lover he was having such a hard time saying goodbye to.
The prince then grabbed Mista by the shoulders, "For god sake, Mista. You say you love me, then fight for me." Prince Giorno began to match Mista's rage.
Mista's dark brown eyes were overflowing with tears, his thick black lashes began sticking together. "Then.. maybe I don't love you, Giorno." He abruptly freed himself from the prince to gain some space and began to quickly and stealthy climb the wall again.
"Coward!" Prince Giorno shouted in a desperate attempt to get him to stay. He didn't mean it, he knew Mista was no coward, but he'd hoped to make him angry enough to stay and fight with him. "Guido Mista, if you leave now, you are a coward!"
"Arsehole," Mista grunted, he was very angry at the prince shouting insults at him, but he couldn't stay any longer. They could argue all night and never agree. "Fine. I am a coward…" He continued to climb the wall, and finally reached the top and sat on the edge for a brief moment. "But your head will sleep on a pillow tonight… And that's all that matters." Mista finally let go of the wall and jumped into the wilderness, sprinting away.
Prince Giorno stood by the wall, gathering his thoughts. Even if he wanted to chase after Mista he couldn't leave. It was expected that he would return to the festivities with his family. Knowing his mother, his father probably needed help with her at this point of the evening. He would never be so careless as to desert them.
At that moment he heard loud screaming coming from the inner woods, it sounded like it was by the old frog pond. The alarming sound of the screams made the prince jump to conclusions that only the worst violation could cause such shrieks. He heard the screams again, it was Princess Trish, she was being taken advantage of in the middle of the woods with no one to help. The rage he felt from his fight with Mista quadrupled by the thought of knowing his friend was in distress. He went blind with rage and quickly ran the distance to the inner woods, headed for the pond, ready to kill.
—————————————
The celebration for Prince Giorno's name day continued inside the castle. After the dance, Lady Joestar had invited their guests of honor to the main table, it was in an elevated area as they would have more privacy and be able to witness the event from the best seat in the house.
"King Jonathan, you've done a marvelous job for your son's celebration. I am in awe." Queen Donatella began the conversation. The castle was decorated from top to bottom with the House of Joestar star banners, as well as foreign tapestries the King had collected in his travels.
King Jonathan smiled, "I'm sure you know, as well as I, that we would do anything for our children… I'm no exception." The King savored the bite he'd taken from the piece of chocolate cake sitting in front of him.
"I'm glad you feel that way…" The Queen took a seat next to him. "I'm sure you understand…" The Queen began in a soft, low tone. "Why Diavolo and I, why we decided to marry our daughter to Bruno Bucciarati, instead of Prince Giorno" The Queen discreetly looked around, making sure no one was listening in. "However, I must say I am deeply sorry."
King Jonathan exhaled in dissatisfaction, the subject made him lose his appetite and so he pushed his plate aside. "Captain", he emphasized, "Captain Bruno Bucciarati is a fine match for the young Princess… and a most fortuitous alliance for Diavolo."
Donatella watched as the maid opened the bottle of champagne and poured it on the golden champagne glasses. The smell of fruit wafting from the bottle, spilling the bubbly substance on the golden spare table. The Queen exhaled deeply, "Jonathan I know it may seem as though this decision was solely based on a financial aspect… Yes, Sir Bruno Bucciarati is a very rich man… but… I wanted my daughter to be loved."
King Jonathan took a glass of champagne from the maid and took a quick sip. He waited until the maid walked away to give his response. "Does my Giorno not love Princess Trish?" King Jonathan looked at the crowd and smiled weakly as the guests made eye contact, enjoying themselves. "Have they not loved each other since they were children?"
"They care for each other." The Queen stated. She looked at the crowd, this time she didn't smile, she was unable to fake one this time.
The King bobbed his head. "And isn't that the purest, most natural type of love there is?" It was rumored that in his childhood, King Jonathan had fallen deeply in love with a young maiden, and therefore the situation with his son and Princess Trish was particularly devastating to him. It was as if he'd relieved the heartbreak all over again.
"Let me be frank, Jonathan." The Queen discreetly looked around. "I want grandchildren someday… and with Giorno…"
The King furrowed his eyebrows forming the deepest v-shape across his forehead, an otherwise extremely handsome king, showing his true much older age. "What are you implying about my son, Donatella?"
The Queen held onto the King's arm, in a gesture of compassion. "Jonathan…" She searched for the right words. "It is our job as parents to love our children and do everything in our power to afford them a chance at happiness."
King Jonathan turned to Queen Donatella and looked her in the eyes, "What exactly are you saying Donatella?"
Donatella looked into Jonathan's eyes with the most compassion, "I was simply doing my job as a mother." Then she removed her hand as she saw her husband, out of the corner of her eyes narrowing his eyes at her from across the distance. "I am the one who asked Diavolo to find a good man, someone who could fall in love with our daughter... make her happy."
King Jonathan's eyebrows opened up and looked at Queen Donatella in disbelief, while his breathing became shallow.
"It was me, it was me who broke our unspoken promise to marry the children." She then fanned herself with a cloth napkin. The beautiful dress she'd been sown into was giving her flashes, and her beautifully stylized hair had become an oven.
King Jonathan continued looking at Donatella in shock, "I-I'm speechless…"
She stopped fanning herself and paused, trying to find the right words again. Her face was red not only from the champagne but from the confession she'd just made. "I have made the right decision for my daughter, My Lord... Now you must do the same for Prince Giorno."
Queen Donatella looked at King Jonathan like they were in on a secret, a secret he didn't yet understand. "I still don't understand… Whatever do you mean, Donatella?" Jonathan asked in true confusion.
"I cannot speak of it any longer than I already have." She took a sip of the champagne and made eye contact with her husband. "Diavolo… he doesn't know about the... true nature of Prince Giorno. I did not disclose that to my husband out of respect for our friendship." They were neighboring kingdoms and therefore Donatella had the utmost respect for King Jonathan.
"The true nature of my son?" King Jonathan was completely lost. The way Queen Donatella was talking about him, it was as if his son was some kind of mythical creature.
The Queen gave him a quick nod, as her time with the King had come to an end. Her husband kept staring at her from across the table giving her death glares, and Lady Joestar was on her second bottle of champagne and had passed out, Jonathan would soon have to go to her aid.
"Talk to your son." That was the last thing Donatella said, as she got up and left.
--
Under the moonlight, using the tree that had stood for centuries the young couple used it as their bed. They embraced each other as one of them thought of the possibility of allowing happiness into his life and creating a future together.
"Are you thinking about the future, Sir Bruno?" The princess smiled sweetly, as the knight gazed into her eyes.
The knight smiled back for she had read his mind like some fortune teller. "Precisely."
"Are you thinking about which poem you will read to me tonight?" She grazed her fingertip against the soft plump curve of his lips that had turned into a smile.
"Me gustas cuando callas." He said the name of the poem that reminded him of her, it reminded him of when he fell in love with her, on their wedding day.
"Is that Spanish my love? Do you know Spanish?" She was surprised and immediately wanted to know more.
"Hmmh" He nodded.
"Did you have to learn because you are a captain, my love?" She asked with the curiosity of a child while still touching his lips.
He wrinkled his eyes at the princess adding "my love" to the end of each sentence. He decided to kiss her finger, currently exploring his face.
The couple was blissfully unaware as Prince Giorno came rushing down the other side of the woods, sprinting, wanting to investigate the loud screaming.
The knight had his back turned to the wilderness. He was carefully placing a soft kiss on the princess's lips and was completely caught off guard when the young prince, in an attempt to save the princess from what he believed was abuse. Prince Giorno grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and pulled him to the ground.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Prince Giorno shouted. The sleeves of his shirt had become undone by the force of his actions.
"NO GIORNO!!!" The Princess shouted as everything went from a peaceful quiet moment of love confessions to the horror before her eyes. She watched the Knight be pulled back into the darkness. "What are you doing?!"
The knight flew backward and fell onto the ground, and stayed in the ground for a few moments in true confusion, but quickly stood up and regained his posture after the initial shock.
Prince Giorno turned to Princess Trish, "Are you hurt? I heard shouting!" Prince Giorno quickly checked on his friend, becoming increasingly concerned by her disheveled appearance, especially around her bosom.
The Princess shook her head and held onto Giorno's arm as he helped her up, she covered herself as much as possible.
"Giorno! I am fine!" She said in a quick attempt to calm his nerves, her eyes still bugging out in disbelief.
But Giorno was furious, he looked back at the Knight, and narrowed his eyes at him with distrust, and then back at Trish. "You don't seem fine". The princess was flustered and her garments were scratched and pulled. "I heard screaming… Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine GioGio, we were just horsing around and lost track of time." The princess said in a calm voice, desperately trying to cool down her friend as he continued to examine her.
Bruno slowly got up and walked back into the moonlight. With a look of distaste, he licked clean the small bit of blood dripping from the tiny cut on his hand that was made when he landed against the ground. "I understand how this must look, but there is no need to frighten the Princess." He said, trying to remain civil, but hating every minute that Giorno had his hand around a half-naked Trish.
"Why on earth was the Princess screaming in pain?" Prince Giorno wanted answers. He slowly walked back to face the Knight. "Answer me."
"Giorno I-... I'm fine. It was the pond, I got scared by the frogs." Princess Trish said in an attempt to save her honor, for the real reason she'd been screaming were screams of passion. "GioGio… My husband and I were just kissing and we lost track of time." She said and looked back and forth with a worried look on her face. The Knight was bleeding and she wanted to run to his aid.
"Kissing?" Giorno tilted his head to the side without breaking eye contact from the Knight, who looked back at him as if getting ready to jump him.
Trish took a small piece of a handkerchief from her bosom and walked back to the knight and started to clean his wound.
Giorno was surprised she went back into his arms so quickly, she had married the Knight but they had only met a week ago. Since childhood, Princess Trish would hide behind him, in stressful situations, and at this moment everything looked off and Giorno was sick to his stomach letting his imagination run wild. "You brought the Princess into the back bushes like some common whore?"
"GioGio!" Princess Trish gasped and stopped cleaning the knight.
"Have you no honor Sir. Bruno?!" Giorno's face was red, his pink complexion sweating from all the thoughts running in his mind.
The Knight wasn't happy with Giorno's behavior, it was his castle and his birthday and everything belonged to him, but Bruno couldn't stand him frightening the princess.
"Prince, I will only ask you once. Do not speak in such foul language in front of the princess."
Bruno said, brooding with rage inching forward his chest puffed out. If Giorno had been any other man he'd be on the ground eating dirt by now. "We got carried away… We are newlyweds… you must understand." Bruno said in a spiteful tone.
"Sir Bruno, you may have arranged a marriage to my friend, but make no mistake she is not alone." Giorno stood tall and proud. "She will always be a part of my family and I will defend her honor no matter if she's someone else's wife."
Bruno looked at the ground for a moment and thought if the shoe was on the other foot he'd act the same. Of course, Giorno would jump to conclusions and want to defend the princess, after all, she had been screaming and moaning. "Rest assured Prince Giorno, I would never do anything….against her wishes." He said, trying to politely explain everything had been consensual.
"Is he telling the truth?" Prince Giorno softened his gaze and directed it as his childhood friend.
"I promise." She nodded and smiled. "Bruno and I are just… " she smiled and hid her face in his chest. "We're in love."
But Prince Giorno wasn't so sure. How could they possibly be in love so quickly? They had known each other for less than a week. Giorno felt that love should come slowly and deeply and couldn't understand. "Is this love Sir Bruno? You show your love by treating her no better than a courtesan?" Giorno looked him up and down, still dissatisfied by his friend's disheveled appearance. He had been friendly before but things had quickly turned sour.
"I will not ask you again, Prince." Bruno spat.
"Oh? Now you worry about her honor Sir Bruno?" Giorno responded with sarcasm. "Just moments ago you had her screaming like some common wh-"
But Prince Giorno didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because Sir Bruno stepped up and buried his knuckles on Giorno's pink fleshy cheek. He'd punched him so hard that Giorno lost his balance and almost fell on the ground. Giorno touched his cheek and spat blood. He looked back at sir Bruno and threw himself against him throwing punches right back.
"AHHH!!!" Trish shrieked behind Bruno, appalled by their actions.
Giorno, who was seething with rage from living in an unjust society, would finally get the fight he'd been waiting for all night.
Sir Bruno dogged each one of his punches by swinging his body back and away from the Princess. But Giorno managed to reach and grab him by the neck of his shirt and pull him down and kneed him. Bruno was no amateur, for when he fell on his knees, he flipped his body to the side and kicked up on Giorno's leg making him fall, and then pounced on him, straddled him, and grabbed his face by the jaw. "You will honor my wife and never speak like that again." He gritted through his teeth.
"Stop it! Stop it, Sir Bruno!" Trish shouted and tried to pull the Knight away from the Prince but Bruno had his hand around Giorno's jaw tightly locked and wouldn't let go.
"You will honor my wife." Bruno kept growling, squeezing the grip tighter and tighter.
Giorno managed to free one hand and smack Sir Bruno in the face with the hill of his hand, and push him off enough so that he was able to get away from his grip then rolled underneath him and freed himself.
Trish pulled on Bruno's sleeve trying to separate the two. "STOP IT!"
Bruno and Giorno looked at each other wanting to continue the fight but saw the distressed look on the princess and stopped.
"You are acting like children!" Trish looked back and forth at both of them, the two men she loved most were at odds with one another. "What is the matter with you two?!"
Neither of them wanted to speak. Silently huffing and sulking in brooding rage.
"This fight doesn't make any sense! You both care about me and want to honor me… and you beat on each other?! It's senseless!" She couldn't understand why they would fight like this for her. They both seem to want the same thing, to protect her.
"GioGio I have told you before my husband and I got carried away and that doesn't make me a... whore." She looked at him full of distress, waving her hand in front of him trying to snap him out of it, and then she turned to the Knight. "And Bruno you must understand how badly this must have looked … he was just trying to protect me."
Bruno looked at the ground in slight shame and answered. "He should have asked first, he could have hurt you." He said, still brooding.
Giorno cleaned the bloody lip with his wrist. "I could have hurt her? YOU could have hurt her!" He accused Bruno.
"STOP IT." Trish shook her head. "This is unnecessary. Bruno, didn't you want to speak to Giorno about the Alliance?" Princess Trish looked at Giorno while still holding Bruno by the sleeve.
"Yes," Bruno said, still sulking.
Prince Giorno looked at Sir Bruno in surprise, he'd gone missing from his party chasing after Mista for a while now and realized that the Knight and the Princess were probably out in the woods looking for him. He realized everything they said made sense. "Ah-yes, you seemed to have a lot on your mind earlier tonight at the Alliance meeting," Giorno said, already feeling slightly more civil towards the Knight remembering how agreeable he'd been with his father in the meeting.
"Are you two going to be able to talk without killing each other?" Trish looked back and forth at Bruno and Giorno testing the waters.
Giorno was the first to give a nod. "Of course."
Bruno followed with a simple nod.
