Royally Screwed

Kellin picked at his dinner, Jean with hands on her hips and frowning, "You're not leaving this table until that food is all gone."

"I'm just not hungry," Kellin replied and she scoffed.

"Ridiculous, you only had an apple and carrot sticks all day after you came back from Parliament! That's a nice hearty slice of roast and mashed potatoes right there, I'm not allowing you to become nothing but skin and bones," she said and Kellin spun his spoon in the potatoes.

"I'm sorry. . .Jean?"

"Yes, dearie?"

"Can I just take my dinner to my room? I promise I'll eat but I just want to be alone."

She didn't look like she liked that idea very much but she just gave a small nod and Kellin grabbed his plate and silverware. He walked over to the woman, she leaning down to give a small kiss on his cheek, "Let me take it to your room. You go walk around a bit, you've been cooped up in your room all day. Things are going to be alright, okay? Have a nice evening."

He nodded, giving the tray to Jean, leaving the soup kitchen and walked down the hall. Quiet silence was all around him, just the sound of his footsteps. His stomach growled and yes, Kellin was positively starving. But at the same time, he just didn't have an appetite to eat, if that made sense.

He hadn't talked to Vic all day and well, he wasn't supposed to. He hadn't seen the prince all day either because well, Kellin has been in his room all day, only getting out when Jean made him eat dinner. He missed Vic already, they haven't even talked about that evening in the ballroom and what was going on between them and what was going to happen. He was so confused, all he needed right now was to talk to Vic.

He made a right to head to the spiral staircase but stopped and hid behind the corner, spotting Vic and the Queen slowly exiting out a room with a grand white double door. Must have been for the Royal Family's use only, he never saw what was inside.

"I don't care anymore, I just don't."

"You don't mean that, Vic," his mother said gently and Vic rubbed his head.

"I just want Kellin, I just want Kellin and they just won't let me have him. Why? Why would that make me a bad king if I have Kellin as a consort? Why would it make me a bad king if I just want to focus on the orphans and make sure that they're well fed along with the lower class? I don't care about all this stupid foreign affairs and global economics and what wars we should be fighting, that's Mike's thing, not mine. I just want to help our people, the world around us could disappear for all I care," Vic said sternly and she stopped him, resting hands on his cheeks.

"You know, you remind me so much of your father when he was younger. You know what was his first order as King of Miridia?"

"What?"

"That a haypence would buy someone a loaf of bread."

If Kellin hadn't had that lesson on Miridian economics with his tutor, he wouldn't have known what a haypence even was. It was just a simple coin, but it was valued at so little yet so many people had them. Especially spread out among the poor, couldn't even buy themselves a crumb with that coin. And for King Ferdinand to say that coin was worth a loaf of bread, that must have helped the poor greatly. Vic frowned, "Bet Parliament got mad at that."

"Well there are a lot of things that our past monarchs did that infuriated Parliament. But that didn't make them bad kings or queens in the slightest just like you won't be a bad king for loving Kellin."

"Are you mad at me?" Vic asked quietly, "That I'm not marrying a girl that could give you grandchildren?"

The Queen gave a sort of sad little smile, "As much as I would love to have grandchildren, I'd love to see you smiling and happy again like you used to when Ferdinand was still here. . .and the only times that you are like that are when you're with Kellin."

"Then can you do something? They're not going to listen to me and-"

"They are just concerned about you picking a consort already. Your birthday is coming soon and-"

"And I need to have decided otherwise they'll just find some more. . .or just take my titles."

"Which they won't. You are going to be king."

"I don't want to be king if I'm going to be miserable and alone," Vic said and glanced over, his eyes spotting Kellin and Kellin quickly hid back around the corner, heart beating frantically, "I just wish. . .I just wish that I knew how Kellin feels. I just want to know if he loves me just as much as I love him. Because I love him so much, I love him and adore him and he makes me happy and smile every single time I see his face and hear his voice. And it hurts me to think I just scared him away. . .I just want to know. If I knew if he loved me or not, maybe I'll start listening to Parliament and get what they want me to do done."

Kellin peeked his eye back around the corner, the Queen rubbing Vic's back in a comforting and soothing manner.

"Things will turn out for the better, I promise. . .and I'll do business with some of the justices to see if maybe they'll make an exception. I don't know if they'll listen to me but it'll be worth a try," the Queen replied and Vic smiled, wrapping arms around her frame and hugging her tight.

"Thank you Mom, so much."

"You're welcome, Vic. Now hurry and get to bed before it gets too late," she replied and her son nodded as Kellin moved back behind the wall as he listened to the sound of the footsteps slowly beginning to fade off. He took a slow breath, stepping around the corner and finding Vic still lingering in the hallway, waiting for him to come out and now there was no place to try and run to. His feet felt locked into the ground as Vic approached, his hands trembling as Vic stopped merely inches away and was looking at him.

"Hi," Vic said plainly.

No, he wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't supposed to talk to Vic. Did Vic know about the order? Regardless, he wasn't supposed to talk to him so Kellin just walked away and tried not to stumble over his own feet in the process. Vic cast a worried look at Kellin's direction and hurried over to the boy, putting his hand on his arm to stop him.

"H-hey, I'm sorry if I scared you away or something last night. I just. . .The music was so nice, the moonlight hit your skin just right and your voice was. . .You were beautiful, you were just a dream. I couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry," Vic said, looking deeply distressed.

". . .If you don't love me back, I understand. It's okay. I'm fine with it."

Kellin frowned at the look on the prince's face. He looked absolutely heartbroken, so very far from fine and Kellin couldn't stop himself. It was wrong, they weren't supposed to talk to each other but he wanted to wipe that heartbreaking look from Vic's face so bad.

"I do love you," Kellin said, just barely above a whisper, loud enough for only Vic's ears to hear and at that, Vic's entire face lit up, his smile the widest Kellin has ever seen it and his eyes brimmed with hope and longing. It was a beautiful sight, a sight that Kellin might not see for quite some time.

"We can't talk to each other," Kellin said, whispering so that no one would hear.

"Why not? Do you uh, want space? Or, uh. . ."

"No, no, it's. . .It's Parliament. They made me sign an order. The order says I can't talk to you until I pick a consort."

"What?! They can't do that!" Vic yelled, outraged.

"Shhh, someone might hear us. And they already did do it, I signed the paper. This one guy, William--"

"Oh you mean that pig, Espinosa?"

"Yes, yes. He told me that if I broke the rules, they'd s-send me back. . .to America."

"They can't do that, I won't allow them. You're staying here with me and I'm going to marry you and we will have our happily ever after. They can't do this," Vic was holding Kellin's hands now, interlacing their fingers and holding tight as if he thought Kellin would disappear if his hold faltered. Vic brought one of the pale hands to his lips and kissed it softly, "I love you too much. This isn't it for us, I promise it isn't."

Kellin blushed and smiled a small, sad smile. He said two words before turning and walking down the hall, "Goodbye, Vic."