Royally Screwed

Kellin watched with plate still full of food for lunch as one of the servants pushed in their cart into the soup kitchen with food on top not even touched while his mind drifted away from the memory of last night's dream. The man approached Jean, the woman looking so upset and worried.

"Try again, Lumiere. I'm not going to have that child starve."

"He just isn't hungry," he said and Jean frowned.

"But he went without breakfast too and he's cooped up in his room. Feed it to him if you have to, I'm not allowing him to go hungry," the woman replied sternly and he sighed, turning around and pushing the cart back out and up to where the sullen prince was. Kellin picked at the sandwich Jean had made him, his fingers picking off crumbs off of the fresh bread's crust and crumbling it into a dust before his fingertips pulled off bits of the leafy green lettuce in between the turkey and ham and roast beef slices. He saw the woman look over at him, giving a heavy sigh, "Don't tell me you're not going to eat your food either."

"I'm sorry Jean, I just don't have an appetite," Kellin murmured and the woman clucked her tongue, walking over and wrapping arms around Kellin as she pulled him in to rest a head on her chest. She smelled of cookies, cakes and tea, like of his grandmother's and it made Kellin feel nostalgic of home. Of his old home with his mother and father, even the way Jean rubbed her hand over Kellin's arm up and down was just like his mother trying to comfort him when he was sad.

"I know that what you both are feeling is painful and hurts you. But you can't make yourselves sick. Things will work out, I promise you they will," she said gently, kissing his cheek and red lips leaving a small mark that she gently wiped away. Kellin smiled at her gently, she resting against the counter.

"None of this is your fault, understand? You can't fight who you fall in love with."

Kellin blushed, "But I. . .I didn't mean to-"

"It isn't your fault, remember? Whatever happens between His Highness and Parliament, it has nothing to do with you so don't worry," she replied and Kellin looked back at his sandwich. But it did. Everything that happens between Parliament and Vic always ended up coming back to him. Was there a deal made? Of Vic trying to throw away his title as prince just for him? He couldn't do that, not when Kellin had saw those people and how much they loved their prince. How much the little orphans adored seeing Vic approaching them and getting the chance to hold his hand and walk along side him. He couldn't take their prince away like that, take him away and keep him all to himself when they needed him and loved him so much.

Jean settled down a small bowl of celery sticks, "For Yuma," she replied and Kellin nodded, looking back down at his untouched food, "I'll wrap it up for you to eat later. But you are going to eat, absolutely won't allow mouths to go unfed all over a little bit of love sickness."

Kellin just nodded, taking the small bowl for his little piglet and gave a kiss to Jean's cheek as a thanks before turning and walking out the soup kitchen in the direction of his room while thinking on Vic. He hasn't seen the prince at all, even his tutor deciding to take her things to his bedroom instead of them usually studying in the library. And it was all his fault, he hurt Vic by running away like that. But. . .he just didn't know what to do, he was scared. He was terrified, what else could he do? He never was in the middle of such conflict before, he never wanted to be again either. The yelling, the pain in Vic's voice, how he was holding him so tight as if Kellin would just disappear at the snap of Rian's fingers.

Kellin opened his bedroom door, "Yuma! Yuma!" No response was heard and Kellin looked around his room. He always made sure to lock the patio door if he left so Yuma wouldn't find her way out there and Kellin had already settled the small little bowl on his table to go peeking around the bed and underneath to find her. "Yuma! Yuma!" Kellin called, biting his lip. Where had she gone? He walked to his closet, the door closed but still checking inside to see if maybe she had went in there but had yet to see her in the mass of clothes. Kellin bit his lip, nerves coming over him as he went to the wall where the escape compartment was, finding that it was ajar just slightly.

Not again.

Yuma had found the secret compartment and escaped Kellin's bedroom before, Kellin running all over the palace trying to find his little piglet before Rian or Tino discovered her. He eventually did, Yuma rooting in the library and overturning books. Kellin just hoped that he'd find her fast like now, quickly running out of his bedroom and down the hall. His feet were quick and stepped lightly, running down each hall that he encountered and called out 'Yuma' once or twice before moving on. He checked in every nook and cranny, behind the statues and the curtains, behind the planters and columns. He searched and searched, trying to act like there wasn't a thing wrong when he passed by a couple of servants and rounded the corner again.

"Yuma! Yuma, where are you?" Kellin called out, making his way down the steps and in the direction of the main foyer, hopefully she hasn't gone outside. That would be terrible, the grounds were so huge she could get lost. Then again, the palace was just as big and Kellin wasn't even sure in the slightest where she might have gone or how much ground she had covered.

Kellin was so caught up in looking for the piglet that he didn't notice Rian who was looking for someone himself. The teenager bounced slightly back when he hit the man who gave a pained grunt.
"Kellin, oh I was just looking for you. Parliament has called for you. We must go," Rian said sternly and Kellin's heart beat faster and his eyes widened at the mention of Parliament. Oh, it happened, they knew. The ballroom, the dance, the kiss; everything. And now they were going to make him sign the order or worse, send him home. The boy was trembling all over, his heart seemed to have dropped to his stomach and Rian seemed to have taken notice of this.

"I had to tell them, Kellin, I couldn't just stand there and let His Highness think he can just abandon all of his priorities," Rian said calmly, tugging the boy along down the hall to go outside probably for the limo awaiting to take them to Parliament. Kellin's legs struggled to keep up but it was hard to considering his knees were shaking. He felt like collapsing right then and there just so he wouldn't have to go to Parliament. How he managed to string together words to say to Rian? He didn't know.
"R-Rian, I'm sorry for getting in the way. I didn't mean to--I didn't ask for. . .I can't control what Vic feels about me, I'm just. . .Sorry."

The advisor stopped before the magnificent double double door and sighed. "It's quite alright. It is not your fault, anyway. His Highness is just so stubborn, so unruly. Come, let us not make haste."

Kellin nodded and Rian opened the doors, stepping outside in the breezy air. Though the air seemed still and stuffy to Kellin. They climbed inside the limo and had a quiet trip to the Parliament's big, daunting building. Kellin was so nervous? What were they going to do to him? What would happen to he and Vic? Was Vic there, just arrived earlier than him? Oh, Kellin wouldn't know what to do, didn't know what to say to the prince if he were there. The limo came to a halt and the advisor climbed out first. He looked at Kellin expectantly and Kellin frowned back, climbing out of the vehicle. They walked up to the building and inside, down the familiar hallway and they stopped in front of the doors that when opened, would take them to the source of Kellin's being on edge.

The advisor turned to Kellin, "Now, listen. Whatever it is they decide to do with you, whatever conclusion they come up with, please do not argue. William Espinosa is there, back from vacation in Barcelona. He is known to be quite. . .oh alright, merciless with troublemakers who stand before him and the rest of Parliament. Please, please, Kellin be polite and hold your tongue unless they ask you to speak."

And that made Kellin all the more nervous but he nodded his head slowly and Rian opened the door. As usual, everyone was busy, papers were flying around and people were chattering as they walked into the room. Kellin walked to the center like he always did and he looked at the long table where Parliament should be. No one was there yet and Kellin was snapped out of his thoughts by a rather loud, rude sounding cough. At once, everyone in the room calmed down to an almost eery silence and they took their places hurriedly. Kellin could see now the members of Parliament walking up to their positions on the table.

Kellin could see the judges that were there the last time he was here and he could see one new one, must have been that William that Rian warned him about. He looked old, maybe about the age of sixty. He looked a bit like that grumpy old man who used to live two houses away from the little secret garden in America, Kellin remembered. There was a scowl on the man's face upon laying eyes on Kellin and it only made the boy all the more uneasy. Then, the man spoke, making Kellin jump.
"Kellin Quinn, huh?"

Kellin stared wide-eyed at the man before nodding slowly, "Y-yes sir."

"You're the kid who's set out on marrying Victor and taking all the money and power for himself?"

"No! It isn't like that, I swear!"

"That's what they all say," the man murmured, shaking his head. To Kellin's relief, another member of Parliament spoke; a woman.

"We know what happened in the ballroom yesterday, Mr. Quinn. We have decided to let you sign the order," the woman said calmly.

"Ah, why bother with that stupid order?! Let's just send the kid back off to America and all our problems will be over!" William said loudly. Kellin's heartbeat sped up and his mouth hung slightly open. He might get sent back to America, back to the McDougall's, back to being a slave in his own house, back to being nobody. He was going back just after finding out that Vic loves him.

"Mr. Espinosa, the people have taken a great liking to this boy. To send him back would cause an uproar," the woman retorted.

"Better to have a rally from the people than keep this boy around much longer," William murmured grumpily, deep lines forming on his forehead.

"So, Mr. Quinn, you must sign the order. The order states that you must not communicate with His Highness unless asked to by a tutor or Her Majesty or if it is absolutely necessary. The order expires when His Highness has chosen a consort. Are we clear here?" The woman said.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well. Edward, the order, if you will."

A young man, Edward, Kellin guessed, stood up and made his way over to the Parliament's long table. He gave a piece of rolled up paper to the person to the far right of the table who then, opened it and signed. Parliament passed the paper among themselves and each of them signed, William looking rather hesitant. When they finished, Edward was handed the paper by the person to the far left of the long table. Edward gave Kellin the paper and Kellin looked over it. It looked quite official, the Royal Crest at the bottom right and the Parliament's at the lower left.

His name was right beside the Royal Crest and he gulped, but at the same time he was relieved to sign the order instead of going back to America. He carefully affixed his signature atop his printed name and gave it back to Edward who in turn, nodded and flashed a small sympathetic smile.

"So if we are clear, you may leave now, Mr. Quinn."

Kellin nodded slowly and turned to leave when he heard William's voice, "Kid, if you don't follow the rules in the order, you're going straight back to where you came from, got it?"

Kellin gulped and said quietly, "Y-yes, sir."