The Runaway Prince

Chapter Eight: All's well

Mikhail wakes up with a small smile, his arms wrapped tightly around Alexander's waist and his face buried in his hair. He must admit it's a nice way to wake up.

"Mikhail, your grip is getting tighter." Alexander points out, laughing a little. "You really are cute~!"

Mikhail twitches a little, leaning forward and lightly biting the back of Alexander's neck. "I'm not cute."

"You're adorable." Alexander teases, turning to face him for a kiss.

"Nope." Mikhail says simply, pushing the boy of the side of the bed.

"Owww! Mikhail that was mean!"

"You'll live."

Alexander sighs, sitting up on the floor and watching Mikhail get out of bed and dressed. "You have to work today?"

"Yes, make sure to go to Daniel's or Ranier's while I'm gone." Mikhail says and Alexander smiles.

"I can survive on my own."

"Don't be stupid." Mikhail scolds, putting on his coat and heading to the door. "I don't want to lose you, so go somewhere safe." He mumbles and Alexander notices the red on the tips of his ears as he heads out.

"Ahhh~", Alexander sighs, covering his face with his hands to hide his own blush and smile as he falls over onto the ground, "Why is he so cuuuuute?" He giggles to himself, "I suppose I could go to Daniel's today. Ranier and Marceau are probably busy."

"Orrr you could go to the palace." A familiar voice suggests and Alexander sits up, looking to the window behind him to see Julchen leaning against the frame with a grin. "Lovebirds are so adorable in the morning, don't you think?"

"How…did you find me?" Alexander asks and Julchen sighs, jumping down to stand in front of him.

"Alexander, I am the royal family's favorite knight. If I could not find the wayward prince with ease my title would be a lie, don't you think?" Julchen counters, watching Alexander frown. "Look, I don't want to bring you back any more than you want to come back. Your sister doesn't want you with a criminal." She explains, grabbing him. "Come now, let's go back."

"Say you couldn't find me!" Alexander begs, struggling in her grasp. "S-say I moved out of the kingdom and you don't know where I went! Say anything! Don't take me from Mikhail!" He pleads and Julchen looks away guiltily.

"I'm so sorry, if it were up to me I wouldn't do this." Julchen apologizes, knocking him out with ease before sneaking out back to the castle.

When Mikhail returns to the building he immediately notices Alexander's night clothes strewn across the floor and his day clothes missing. "SHIT!" He hisses, grabbing his daggers and running out of the house. There's no way he's going to just let them take Alexander from him.

As Mikhail rushes towards the castle, Alexander slowly wakes up, recognizing his old bedroom. "Damnit Julchen…" Alexander whines, standing up and looking down at his clothes, sighing to himself. "She even dressed me? I'm not a baby anymore…"

"You are the royal family's baby." Rika says, coming into the room, "A baby who chooses awful playmates."

Alexander glares at her. "Mikhail is a good man. He's taken care of me all this time, asking for nothing and expecting nothing. I was the one who initiated everything. Our living together, our friendship, our…relationship as it is now. Do not talk badly about someone I love."

"He is a criminal and someone you should not waste your time on. He will only hurt you." Rika warns and Alexander tosses a pillow at her.

"It is my decision whether he is a waste of time or not! Let me make my own choices, Rika! I'm old enough to warrant the right to make my own decisions!" Alexander yells, growing more furious by the second, "You are cruel, Rika!"

Rika looks at him surprised. "Alexander…I am simply concerned for your well-being."

"Then let me return! I want to be with Mikhail!" Alexander yells. "I want to be with him, Daniel, Liu, Ranier, and Marceau! They are good people who know how to enjoy life far more than anyone in this stuffy palace!"

"Alexander! Enough of this!" She yells, silencing him. "They are criminals!"

"Only because they have no choice! Those born in that part of town are given no chances! Sister, I beg of you to renovate that section of the city and help them gain respectable jobs!" Alexander pleads and Rika sighs.

"Renovation of that portion of the city would require the arrest of criminals." Rika explains, looking to him seriously. "Tell me, will Mikhail be arrested if we do this?"

"No. Mikhail is not a criminal and neither are my other friends. Sister all of those who are truly criminals are already behind bars now, allow those in that section of the city a second chance. That is all I ask is one chance with a good start rather than the unfair disadvantage they were all born with." Alexander pleads and Rika sighs.

"This can be done…I suppose…if you stay away from Mikhail." She orders, watching her brother pale.

"A-away…from…Mikhail…?" Alexander looks away troubled. "I-if that is what it takes…for them to have happiness…" He swallows hard, his hands tightening into fists. "I...accept…"

"Understood." Rika says, turning away from him. "I will inform mother and father of this new decision."

"Wait!" A voice calls from the window, Mikhail jumping inside and grabbing Alexander. "Do not make decisions for others like that!"

"How did you get inside?" Rika hisses, glaring at him.

"It was not hard." Mikhail says, gesturing to the windows, "My friends managed to get in as well."

Alexander looks in awe at Daniel, Liu, Ranier, and Marceau jumping into the room with ease.

"This is quite impressive." Rika admits, looking to them all. "Our soldiers are the best out there and yet a group of five got through a group of 1000."

"Allow them to be soldiers if they wish." Alexander says, looking to his sister. "They are better than most of yours, since you are going to let that part of the city rise you might as well start with this."

Rika looks the men over carefully. "Would you all object to this?" She asks and they all shake their heads no except for Mikhail.

"The only royalty I will serve is Alexander." He says and Rika glares at him.

"I have already struck up a deal with him on you. Stay away from my brother." She orders, receiving a heard look from Mikhail.

"Never. I had to put up with his frustrating innocence when he arrived, he was so naïve to the world thanks to all of you. If, after suffering his stupidity all this time, I don't get to have the one thing I want for keeping your prince safe then I will start an uprising." Mikhail threatens. "Telling the world of how cruel the princess is."

"You drive a hard bargain…" Rika admits, looking over to Alexander. "If you go into our military and pass, I will allow you to be my brother's personal body guard. Only if you prove yourself loyal to the crown, including those of us whom are not Alexander, obedient, and disciplined." She says, crossing her arms. "Then and only then may you have my brother wearing the respectable title of a knight. As for all of you…" Her gaze turns to the other four men, "If you wish to become knights you must join him in the military. It will take you all six months, and when you return your homes will be renovated."

The men all agree, surprising Alexander and greatly pleasing Rika. Over the course of the next year those from the bad part of the city receive a new chance with better jobs, the majority of them joining the army while the rest go to other respectable work. Mikhail and the others returned top of their classes; Mikhail coming back as Alexander's body guard, Liu and Daniel becoming members of the royal knights, and Marceau and Ranier becoming patrol soldiers who mix with the people (including gambling).

Rika and Francesca get married, soon adopting a child of their own whom they name Alexis. Alexander and Mikhail marry a few years after Mikhail becomes his body guard and the others marry in their own time as well. The story of Prince Alexander venturing out into the world and uniting it through friendship with those who would normally be considered criminals becomes a favorite story of the city, a story that goes on for centuries. While Rika becomes a beloved queen of her people, Prince Alexander forever is known as the beloved prince for the people.

Mikhail and his friends are seen as honorable thieves and gamblers, rather than the murderers most of them were. Only few written forms of the story keep them as what they truly were, especially Mikhail. To Alexander's amusement, people paint the man as a gentle and loving caretaker to the prince, something Alexander loves to point out is far from the truth. They also show Rika to be more accepting of the relationship in most forms, something everyone in the castle knows is a lie. To the day she dies Rika is no fan of Mikhail, she simply accepts that he is going nowhere anytime soon.

Despite the historical inaccuracies in some of the text, the ending is always the same. All of the lives touched by the great Prince Alexander became happy, enriched lives. The lives of his family, friends, and country prospered all from a young man's simple curiosity of the outside world.

A/N: Wow, wow, WOW DO I SUCK AT ENDINGS! Anyways, I'm so sorry. HEre it is in all it's...glory...? Ahem...anyways, yeah, it's over now. Thank you to all of those who actually took the time to read this random whim of mine for a crack pairing XD