Of Regal Honor and Noble Misgivings - Two: Woods
Title: Of Regal Honor and Noble Misgivings
Pairing: TezukaFuji
Rating: Gen for now
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Angst
Warnings: sort of regency AU, shounen ai
Disclaimer: Tezuka and Fuji aren't mine. They own each other, though. But the setting is all mine.
Summary: Tezuka is the Prince. Fuji is the Marquis. They'll be friends forever, Yumiko thinks.
Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
50episodes prompt: 33. woods
Chapter Two
----Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.----
Ever since he was crawling in his crib, His Highness had been addressing Fuji by the given name. Similarly, the young Marquis was able to utter ‘U-i-mitshu’ even before he was able to pronounce ‘Okaachan’. Hence, the Queen always found herself smiling whenever she caught snippets of conversation between the Prince and the young Marquis. She was, yes, a mother who adored her son. And, yes, she was a mother who liked to see her usually too silent a son open up and smile - albeit sparsely - around another child.
The Duchess of Chrysalium was equally amused. Yet, as she stuck a needle through her embroidery in one of her afternoon visits to the Queen, she pointed out that the children would soon have to learn how to address each other with formality.
The Queen couldn’t help but flash a thin smile at her friend.
“It just is not proper, Your Majesty,” added the Duchess as she threw a side glance to her five year old son who was in a play of wooden swords against the Prince. “Such familiarity is generally frowned upon.”
Nodding, the Queen fixed her eyes on her son who was pointing the end of his sword at the Marquis. She watched as the Marquis grinned and took the Prince’s hand to help himself up. Even the Queen herself had to call her husband ‘Your Majesty’ most of the time.
“I should teach Syusuke how to properly accost His Highness, then,” said the Duchess thoughtfully.
“Yes, please,” said the Queen with a sigh.
At dusk of that very same day, as they made their way home, Fuji found himself seated beside his sister inside the coach.
Yumiko, who had been handed down with the arduous task of teaching her brother how to address the Prince, was eyeing the Young Marquis rather pensively. “Syusuke, do you know that you’re not supposed to call the Prince ‘Kunimitsu’?”
Fuji inclined his head in childish wonder and asked, “What am I supposed to call him, then, neesan?”
“You should call him ‘Your Royal Majesty’,” replied Yumiko, wearing a patient smile.
“Why?” asked Fuji, furrowing his brows in question.
“Because everyone calls him that way, aniki,” spat Yuuta, who was sitting on Yumiko’s lap.
Grinning, Fuji pinched Yuuta's cheek and said, “But I don’t call him that.”
Yuuta glared at his brother and rolled to Yumiko’s other side. “Stupid aniki,” he grumbled, clinging to Yumiko as if for help.
“You should start calling the Prince ‘Your Royal Highness’, Syusuke,” said Yumiko, patting Fuji’s head.
“Mm... My Royal Highness?” asked Fuji innocently.
“No, no, dear,” said Yumiko as she lightly covered her lips while grinning, “‘Your Royal Highness’.”
“But… neesan, that’s what I said,” Fuji pointed out. “My Royal Highness.”
“Aniki doesn’t understand what neesan is saying,” muttered Yuuta.
“But it was neesan who said so… From now on, I shall call Kunimitsu ‘My Royal Highness’,” said the young Marquis decidedly.
oOo
“Kuni - “ The young Marquis paused to think and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes fell on his sister and he remembered what he had been told. “My Royal Highness,” he called, tugging at the hem of the Prince’s silk shirt.
His Majesty turned around and blinked at his friend. “Hn?”
“This is boring,” said Fuji, still clutching the Prince’s shirt. “I found something interesting,” he said, grinning jovially. “Let’s go.”
The Prince inclined his head and watched his mother sip her tea. He had been told to stay put because he was in a formal gathering where men got to hunt, women got to gossip and the children… the children never got to do anything, the Prince observed. The children scratched and fidgeted on their cushions save for the Prince, who as the governess said “should always be a good example”, and one girl down the other end of the mat.
“Okaasan, can I go with Syusuke?” asked the Prince, almost mumbling.
The Marquis waited, still grasping the Prince’s sleeve. He knew that the Prince was not supposed to run off. But the Prince was also always allowed to go with him because the Prince happened to be a responsible five-year old.
The Queen regarded her son for a moment and said, “Of course. Just come back quickly.”
The Prince nodded and stood up straight.
The Marquis smiled broadly at this and led the Prince by the sleeve up the sloped lawn and into the forest that surrounded the castle grounds.
“Do you find the woods interesting?” asked the Prince as Fuji stopped in the middle of tall, branched trees.
“Not really,” said a grinning Fuji. “Look up there, My Royal Highness.” He raised his hand and pointed it to the top of a tree.
The Prince wrinkled his forehead. “Why do you call me that?”’
“Neesan said that I’m supposed to call you My Royal Highness,” said the Young Marquis proudly.
The Prince stared at Fuji. “You’re supposed to call me ‘Your Royal Highness'.”
“Isn’t that what I said?” asked Fuji matter-of-factly. He tugged at the Prince’s shirt again. “Look up there!”
Shielding his eyes from the sunlight, the Prince craned his neck and blinked. “It’s a treehouse.”
“Ahh,” said the Marquis, tilting his head as well. “It’s a bit old… can you ask someone to repair it?”
“Why me?” asked the Prince as he turned back to his friend.
“Because everyone follows you, My - “
“Your Royal Highness,” called a soft voice that made the young Marquis stop and scan around him. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
Fuji stared at the black-haired girl who was curtsying at them.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, my lord,” said the girl to the Marquis.
The Young Marquis ogled because he couldn’t remember seeing anyone as quiet-looking as the girl save for… he cast his eyes and chuckled at the Prince who said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too…?”
“Aoiyama Chio,” said the girl in a gentle voice, “Marquise of Hestrium.” She curtsied once more.
The Young Marquis couldn’t possibly know the word ‘mature’ then, yet he knew that the Marquise, just like the Prince, did not act like a five-year old.
“I was told that I am His Royal Highness’ fiancée,” said the Marquise.
“Truly?” asked Fuji innocently. He looked up at the Prince and asked, “Kunimitsu, what’s a fiancée?”
The Prince shook his head.
Fuji then turned inquiringly at the Marquise of Hestrium and asked politely, “Would you know what a fiancée is?”
The girl gave a thin smile. “I’m sorry, my lord, but I do not know.”
“Ahh… Don’t worry, it’s all right, I suppose I could ask neesan,” said Fuji reassuringly because the Marquise seemed to be afraid to offend anybody for not knowing the answer.
As Yumiko tucked the Marquis to bed that night, the latter said, “Neesan, neesan…”
“Yes, Syusuke?” asked Yumiko.
“What is a fiancée?” asked Fuji curiously.
Yumiko raised a brow. “Why do you ask, dear?”
“Because I’ve met Kuni - My Royal Highness’ fiancée,” said Fuji, correcting himself and beaming proudly at his sister.
Yumiko could only shake her head and hide a chuckle. “A fiancée is the woman that a man would be marrying.”
Fuji’s blue eyes widened and he jumped up enthusiastically. “Eh? Is Kunimitsu getting married? When? When? When?”
“A long time from now,” said Yumiko, trying to push her brother back to bed.
“Oh,” said Fuji disappointedly. “Don’t I have a fiancée?”
“No, dear,” said Yumiko patiently.
“Why not?” asked the Young Marquis, finally dropping to bed.
“You’re too young for such things,” answered Yumiko, covering her brother with a blanket. “Don’t worry, soon enough, you’ll have one, too.”
“Isn’t…” the Young Marquis yawned. “Kunimitsu too young like me?”
“But he is the Prince,” said Yumiko pointedly. She smiled as no further response came; Fuji Syusuke had fallen asleep.
oOo