Fran was feeling like he could take on the world. He was pumped on adrenaline and he felt like he could do anything now that he had confirmed his affections to the heir.
Bel in the other hand was beyond happy that Fran cared for him enough to want to do something about it. And it made him even happier to see Fran in such a good mood.
The young illusionist had been hopping along the garden as Bel walked not to far behind him. He noticed the blond staring at him and and smiled.
"You should smile more often, it suits you." The heir called out.
Fran waited for Bel to catch up, "Believe or not I'm trying really hard not to smile, it feels weird." Although as he said this he was smiling.
"Where'd you get all this energy all of a sudden? You looked like you were about to pass out during dinner." The blond said with a wide grin.
"Ah well I feel a lot better, like I can do anything." Fran explained with a hum.
"Thats because you can do anything, if there's anyone in this world it's you." Bel admitted truthfully.
Fran flushed and changed the subject, "Weren't you going to bed as well?"
"Yeah, as much as I'd prefer to stay up all night talking to you, have to go to church early tomorrow." He smiled. "I would not show up but I have to tell a certain councilman that I'm breaking my engagement to his daughter."
Fran thought of the last couple hours with Lucius and his daughter. Something told him that it wasn't going to be easy.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Fran asked nervously and admitly feeling a bit guilty.
Bel was touched by his concern, although he was touched by anything that Fran did or said. He tilted Fran's chin to face him and pecked him on the lips, "Absolutely."
Fran was still skeptical that this would all work out but he had hope. He wasn't going to lie to himself, this was going to be a long journey on a rough sketchy road.
"Thanks."
Margret looked up from her folding with a look of question on her face.
"For yesterday." Fran cleared.
She smiled breaking it only when Bel came in.
"Yesterday what?" he asked curiously, taking a seat on Fran's bed.
Margret bowed politely before exiting.
"You should give her a raise." Fran explained. "She's smart."
"Margret?" Bel thought, "Well she's not a bimbo like all the other maids that try to sneak into my bedroom during the night... I'll look into it."
"What are you still doing here anyway?" Not that Fran wanted him to leave. "Don't you have church?"
Bel smiled mischievously, "I figured that if I'm bailing out on the whole marriage thing, what better way to let them know than by not showing up at all."
Fran didn't like the sound of that, "I don't think Lucius will like that very much."
"I don't really care what it is Lucius likes, in fact I only care about what you like, and from what I hear that's me so we're going out." he announced nonchalantly. "I'll have someone bring you something to wear, I'll see you downstairs in an hour."
"This is too big." Fran protested as he looked in the mirror. "Why can't I wear what I wore yesterday?"
The ivory shirt he was wearing made him look too feminine for his liking, and the brown shorts that cut off at his knees were not helping.
"Nah you look adorable." Margret reassured, "You should pull you're hair back." she winked at him through the mirror.
"'Adorable' is not as flattering as you might think it is." Fran took the hair tie and pulled his hair back. He did look a bit less feminine, or maybe more, he couldn't tell anymore.
"You can't wear what you wore yesterday because it's too nice, you're trying to blend into the crowd not attract attention to yourselves." She explained for the 7th time.
Margaret had said that they were not to attract attention but so far that's all that they had done.
Even in 'commoner' clothing, Bel was rather good looking. Especially as he had his usual bangs swept back as part of his disguise. And even though when Fran had first met the blond he had hoped his odd hair was hiding a hideous deformity, Bel actually had a really pretty face.
Not pretty like the all the girls they had seen so far had called Fran (although half of them had mistaken him for a girl). Bel was a handsome pretty, in his own prince-ly kind of air.
"What a cute couple." Fran overheard someone say for the umpteenth time. He glared at the back of their heads as they continued to walk past.
He was sitting at a small umbrellaed table, watching people walk by from the shade.
He glanced at the grinning blond sitting across from him.
"Oh shut it." Fran snapped with a pout.
"I wasn't going to say anything." He teased, "Are you done with your gelato?"
Fran nodded.
"Then let's go." He hopped up and Fran followed behind trying not to get lost in the crowds of people.
After noon the streets burst into life, and it didn't look like it was going to die down anytime soon.
They arrived at a shady street market thriving in color. Which Bel practically ran through, in a hurry to get to something. Fran wondered what as he suddenly stopped in front of a small pavilion.
As Fran looked up to see what it was that he was supposed to see not expecting to be immediately entranced by the show.
It was a visual performance of some sort. An extremely dangerous performance but beautiful nevertheless. It was a dance in the air, Bel leaned over to name it but the boy didn't quite catch it. 'Trapeze?' is what what he said?
He was still in a daze when the performance ended he almost forgot to applaud. He was disappointed when he realized that the act was over. But the feeling left him when a man and an encaged lion were brought on the stage. He gave his companion a curious look.
"Are they-?" He froze as an assistant dropped the door to the cage.
The lion mused almost disinterestedly. When the man whipped out a whip Fran's jaw almost dropped, he isn't going to agitate the-
The crack of the whip made Fran jump much to the blond's amusement. The cry the large beast roared out made him back up into the person standing behind him. He apologized to them then felt Bel pull him closer to his side. It was nice of him and everything but Fran really didn't feel comfortable being this close to the large carnivore before them. Although catching a whiff of the blond's scent made him feel a bit better. He chose to ignore the fact that previously he had made fun of the blond for smelling him.
Meanwhile on stage the man pestered the animal but never let him out of his control, causing a shift of gasps to awe in the audience.
Next, was what was to be Bel's favorite. An illusionist. Now here's how the act became the heir's favorite:
"The two wires are supposed to be seen, there's actually a third wire..."
"There's a second bird in his sleeve..."
"There's a third deck of cards in the hat..."
Fran had spoiled every single one of the tricks so far but he seemed to really be enjoying himself, which pleased Bel.
"Oh if he can pull this one off Ill be very impressed..." He winced as the magician presumed to have seemingly chopped off his hand, then revealed it to be untrue. Fran joined the crowd in a great applause.
"That last trick is really hard to do." Fran explained as they walked away from the concluded street performance. "I've attempted it a couple of times and I almost chopped off a finger the first time." He showed Bel a pale long scar on the back of his hand. "Although that WAS sometime ago, maybe I should give it another go.."
"Or maybe you should keep all your fingers intact..." Bel said warily causing Fran to laugh in amusement.
"What are we going to do now?" He asked as he breathed in the light wind that was starting to pick up as the sun began to set.
"Well we can go down to the fountains again, I heard that they were putting on a light show, orrr we can head back home and get ready for class tomorrow?"
He sounded less enthusiastic about the second, as was Fran. "To the fountains!"
On top of the large set of stone steps Fran paused to admire the night scene at the plaza. He reminded himself to return later with a good set of acrylics. That feeling of invincibility returned to him as he hopped down the steps.
"Fran?" Oh Crap.
He whirled around to an almost familiar face. It took him a second to recognize Charlie, his old neighbor. What was she even doing in the city?
"Charlie?"
Charlie? Bel thought of why the name sounded familiar.
"I knew it was you!" The girl beamed before throwing herself on him in a hug. "What are you doing here?!"
"I was wondering the same…" Fran muttered a bit shyly, which Bel thought was weird because as much as the kid was indifferent he wasn't 'shy'. "I go to school down here now."
"Oh yeah I heard about that!" Her eyes gliding towards Bel. "Who's your friend here? He a friend from school?"
"Yeah, this is um- Larry." He choked unable to come up with anything better.
Bel gave him a look asking if that was really all he could come up with. "Short for Lawrence…" He played along and he shook her hand.
"Larry this is Charlie, she's an old friend…. Ancient." And not so much a friend, he was tempted to add.
"Oh Fran you're the same as always! He's so funny isn't he? Nice to meet you Larry, are you guys here for the light show? We were in town for the engagement announcement and my father suggested that we stop and see the show before we headed home."
Fran felt a pang of guilt at the mention of the engagement announcement.
"Although it kind of seems like I have lost my family- oh but the show is starting I guess I can watch it with you two if you don't mind…" She looked at Fran and Bel with shining eyes.
Fran shot Bel his thoughts, No, just say no, please…
He received the thoughts but he couldn't bring himself to say no. "Of course we don't." The blond said with a shrug, which Fran rolled his eyes at.
Charlie happily took to Bel's side.
"So what school do you guys go to again?"
Here we go… Fran knew Charlie was incapable of keeping her mouth shut for more than half a minute.
"V.A.R.I.A., although everyone just calls it the V." Bel explained casually.
"Wow that's a lot of letters, what does it stand for?"
The blond looked at Fran, who was still glaring at him. "I don't know really… Fran?"
"Something something about Art." He answered honestly. "I'm not sure anyone knows really."
"Ooh! Is that the art school the Emperor is going to? You two are so lucky to be going to school with his highness! Have you guys met him? What's he like?"
"Well… I don't know him too well," Fran began shooting a smirk at Bel. "But he's kind of a jerk, like really self-absorbed and he has the biggest ego…"
"Hey, weren't you saying the other day that you thought he was a really talented musician?" Bel defended. "And pretty good looking I believe."
"I guesss but he's still an idiot." He made a small hint towards Charlie, who didn't catch it because she was ogling Bel. Exhibit A.
"Oh Fran is just a bitter, he's always been like that." Charlie waved disinterestedly. "Good luck getting a girlfriend like that."
Good luck indeed…
"Do you have a girlfriend Lawrence?" She asked happily.
Bold girl… "Um… I am seeing someone at the moment." Like literally at the moment.
"Poor soul whoever that is." Fran muttered loudly.
"Oh Fran's just jealous, whoever it is, they're lucky to have you." She was starting to lose interest in the conversation. "Oh look I think it's over, I don't know what was the big deal, oh look my family, I guess I better get going, it was nice to see you again Fran, and nice to meet you Larry." She curtsied and hurried off.
"Bold girl…" Bel said giving Fran an apologetic smile.
"Yes she is." Fran agreed forgiving but feeling a bit less energetic than earlier.
Fran was starting to have doubts about his decision. This really was something that would affect everyone…
"Bel… maybe you shouldn't-"
"Fran don't." Bel said knowing what he was about to say. "If you want to, you can take it back later, but now just enjoy the now."
They were walking back to their carriage as the street lanterns began to flicker out. Despite what he had just said, Bel had no intention of letting Fran sway his decision to break his engagement. Even if it weren't for Fran, Bel still didn't want to get married yet, and especially not like this.
And that took forever to get up, I almost forgot what I wrote about... and it's so short, my apologies!
I really don't have a good excuse either, it's just been a long week at work... rather scandalous affair with my proof reader and one of our managers at work... it's way cute and everything... but still it's not even like I have a boyfriend or anything- gah! Mais je ne t'oublierei pas! I got it up eventually...
Anyway this is probably going to come to a conclusion within the next two chapter, I know it's so sad! I've really enjoyed writing this :)
Well until next time cherished friends...
I'm going to reply to reviews here because I am on mobile and it's so much easier to do it this way:
Froggy-One: Haha I'm not going to endorse drinking to the underage, but if anyone is of age and wants to make it a drinking game they can be my guest, thank you for taking the time to review again ^.^
lone green leaf: Your review made me laugh :D but it's true, she definately does not beat around that bush... thanks! I work really hard on keeping it real with the suspense :)
Kaissica: Right? Bel can handle this... Fran's all grown up now :)
xXnazaraXx: I agree, he just needs to relax a bit &^.^
I promise next time I won't reply on here, as I feel like this is way is a lot less personal and unique. But for now enjoy :)