Royal Desires - 2/8
Title: Royal Desires - Chapter Two
Pairing: Colin/Ryan
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: I finally know how many chapters this has. :)
Colin, meanwhile, was busying himself with that morning’s hay duties. He’d gotten very used to it now, so pitch forking the dirty grass out whilst fetching new batches from the hay storage didn’t seem like much of a strenuous chore. And thanks to all the manual labour, it meant that he never needed to work out either.
Once that was finally done, Colin figured that he deserved a bit of a break before his next errand - his arms and hands were beginning to ache, so it felt like he could do with the rest. Retreating back to his bunk, he retrieved the photograph from under his bed once more in habit and simply looked at it for a while.
He remembered being told once, by whom he wasn’t sure, that if you wish for something hard enough then wonderful things could happen. There was a marvellous sense of possibility with that thought, and Colin had begun to wonder if there was any truth in it.
A cool breeze wafted in and chilled him at that moment - Colin was suddenly reminded of where he was, what his life was like and more so what he wanted. A saddened sigh escaped his lips as he became lost within the confines of the picture again. Maybe, just maybe, if he did wish hard enough, he could visit the lake for a while and escape the monotony that he called his life.
Closing his eyes, Colin imagined what it might be like to stumble across a place like that, with the wind wafting through trees and the sun beating down with luscious rays. He imagined what it might be like to dip your feet into the cool water, contrasting with those rays, and what it might feel like if he screwed protocol and just jumped straight in. Then he pictured being with someone, splashing with him… okay, it was a guy he was with, whoever he was. He’d always wondered about his wavering preferences…
“Hey.”
Colin’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a soft, familiar voice and his gaze came to rest on the young prince himself, though he hardly recognised him without that angry expression on his face. “Oh! Y- Your Highness!” Colin jumped in utter surprise and hastily stuffed the picture into his pants pocket carelessly. “Forgive me, I was… erm… just taking a break actually- but I’m finished with that now.” He laughed nervously and stood. “Back to work I go.”
“Wait, stop a minute.” The younger man held out an arm to stop Colin in his tracks, but Colin recoiled away in reflex. It wasn’t that he feared the prince would hit him, but more like he’d be shouted at again. The strangely handsome man looked confused, which was actually a very adorable look on him, Colin noted, as he began to stutter his apologies.
“Listen, Your Highness, I’m sorry about earlier with the bucket and-”
“Please, don’t apologise… what’s your name?”
Colin’s eyebrows shot upwards - princes don’t change their hearts that easily, do they? “My name, sire? But-”
The younger man shook his head. “Don’t worry about all that formality, just tell me.”
Colin still felt very unworthy, even as the prince’s large hand came up to rest on his aching shoulder. He swallowed nervously, giving a small smile as he proceeded to answer. “Colin, sire. Colin Mochrie.”
“Colin,” the prince repeated, testing the name on his tongue. “Don’t apologise for that, Colin. It wasn’t your fault, I spooked the horse and I really shouldn’t have been so rude to you.” He extended the hand that wasn’t occupied on Colin’s shoulder. “We’re good, right?”
Colin blinked at the offered hand, wondering if he should accept it. Of course you should, dumbass. He’s the future king for crying out loud.
“Yeah, we’re good.” As they shook on it, Colin noted just how snugly the younger man’s hand fit into his own. They were larger than his (which very much intrigued him) and it felt like the simple pleasant greeting was devouring his own hand.
“So…” the young prince began, smiling slightly. “What have you got there?” He gestured to the picture that was still peeking out of Colin’s pocket.
“Umm, it’s just a photograph I keep with me, nothing special…” He felt himself blush furiously and heard a very pleasing sound: the prince’s deep laughter.
“Nothing special, huh?” the younger man smirked. “When I came in just now, you were so fixated on it you didn’t even realise I was there. C’mon, let’s see it…”
He reached for it but Colin’s hand clasped around his in protest. “No!” he cried. Their hands had joined again, and something sparked inside their heads in tandem. Colin coughed nervously, wondering to himself why he was so worried about letting the prince see the picture. “Sorry, sire… here.” He caved, took the paper out carefully and straightened its many creases.
Ryan had begun to wonder what this stable boy- Colin- had to hide. His eyes showed youth and a little fear, and realised that it was his stature that caused that. His eyes were also amazingly shiny and deep, but Ryan wasn’t about to tell him that.
Coming around to Colin’s side, the prince examined the landscape captured in the photograph. “Where is this?” he asked, but Colin shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know, sire. It could be anywhere.”
The prince held the corner of the picture and glanced at Colin’s eyes briefly. “Can I?” he asked, and Colin nodded in surprise but was still reluctant to hand it over to another person - after all, why would anyone be interested in some tatty old keepsake of his?
The prince looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, then pointed his finger to the air and shook it in prelude. “I know somewhere like this…” he began, sitting down on the edge of Colin’s bunk in thought.
Colin just blinked at the sight: The prince, the most important man of this manor, was sitting on the stable boy’s ratty old bed with cotton sheets and wooden legs. To anyone else, it may have seemed like the young man had lost his bearings. Colin had a quick thought that one should always sit down after the prince had descended and hurriedly moved to sit next to him before hesitating and sitting a bit further away so that they weren’t touching knees in the process.
“Look at this…” the prince said in reverence and moved closer to Colin so that they were right next to each other. The older man tensed a little, but relaxed almost immediately. “I don’t know this exact place, but I remember going to a lake like this.”
Colin looked at him, at the expression of utter concentration on his face, and waited for an explanation. “You do?”
“Yeah… it’s like déjà vu or something.” After a while of staring, the prince handed the picture back to him and smiled. Colin smiled back in appreciation, fiddling with it as a new topic of conversation was brought up.
“Do you like working here?”
Colin, clearly taken aback by the question, looked back up at the prince as he spoke and suddenly wondered what had happened to the amount of space between them, which seemed to have evaporated in an instant.
“Yes, sire,” he replied truthfully. “I get shelter and food, and in return I just have to mind the horses. It’s quite a good deal, really.” He smiled slightly at his situation and figured that it was probably a lot better than street living.
Ryan thought about his new friend’s words for a moment, likening it to his own life: He got much better shelter and much better food and in return just had to mind… well, the kingdom, and suddenly felt like much more of a jerk that this kind-hearted man was working for him. Colin was nice, and it seemed wrong that he should be wallowing in the stables when there was so much more that he could be doing.
“Do you ever think about life beyond this place?” he asked, glancing down at the lake briefly as he spoke.
“Oh, yes sire,” Colin nodded unsurely, wondering if the prince would rebuke him for such a comment of wanted escapism. But he seemed to be mutually understandable as he nodded also.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Now, at what point in this conversation had they started to stare into each other’s eyes? Colin couldn’t remember, as he was entirely fixated on green irises that seemed far softer than they once had been. They were beautifully flecked with golden specs, and the young stable boy was suddenly reminded as to why his favourite colour was green. Those eyes made the handsome prince’s face look youthful and-
Waaaaait, hold on a minute, why was his hand suddenly on the prince’s leg? When did that happen?! And… why was the younger man returning the gesture?
Oh, his hand feels so warm… Whoa! Did… did he just stroke my thigh? Colin suddenly felt a wave of pressure between his legs at the touch and felt like his head was going to explode with all the blushing he was doing. He dropped the forgotten picture to the floor, as that handsome face was so close and getting closer with each breath. Would he… will he… was he going to…?
*Neeiiigh!*
Lance stomped his hooves against the floor and both men shook out of whatever reverie they had escaped into. Nervous laughter filled the awkward atmosphere and the prince quickly stood with a cough. Colin struggled to stand up also, not wanting to seem disrespectful.
“Heh, Lance is always doing that, sire,” he muttered, completely flushed and embarrassed.
“Yeah, he’s a trouble maker,” the prince agreed with a large grin, silently cursing the horse under his breath. “Well, I… I’d better go. Sherwood and Proops are probably freaking out about losing me. They’re always doing that, y’know.”
Before Colin could say anything in reply, the young prince had turned to leave in one swift movement, and Colin felt himself unable to keep his eyes of how the prince walked, so fluidly and gracefully. Snapping himself out of it, he grabbed a broom and started sweeping erratically at the floor, despite there being nothing to sweep.
“Colin?” The prince had paused on his way, looking back with a smile. “Thanks for talking.”
Colin blinked. That man never ceased to amaze him with every second. “Oh… you’re welcome, sire.”
He shook his head, still smiling warmly and requested, in a soft voice, “You can call me Ryan.”
And with that, Ryan was gone, just as the sun disappeared behind some clouds and darkened the world a little.
Colin gripped his broom and subconsciously hugged it with a faraway sigh. He’d already successfully got onto first name basis with the hierarchy, and what a lovely name it was.
“Ryan,” he repeated dreamily to himself. “Prince Ryan…”
~~~
For the rest of that day, Ryan felt a weird sort of giddy energy run through him at random intervals. Coincidentally, these random intervals were the same time that Colin the stable boy entered his thoughts. He’d be in the middle of his royal dinner when he’d suddenly crack a smile around his mouthful of green beans.
And even as he was settling down for sleep in his extravagant four-poster bed, he thought back to the bed he’d sat on back at the stables. The mattress was… questionably lumpy, and the covers had no real thermal qualities at all. It was a wonder how Colin get any sleep on the thing and Ryan felt bad for having such luxury and complaining about life, yet Colin never complained at all.
Overall, he still felt pretty bad for yelling at Colin that morning. He was, after all, a very sweet-natured guy.
First thing tomorrow… Ryan thought to himself sleepily as he drifted off, I’ll make it up to him…
To be continued...
Pairing: Colin/Ryan
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: I finally know how many chapters this has. :)
Colin, meanwhile, was busying himself with that morning’s hay duties. He’d gotten very used to it now, so pitch forking the dirty grass out whilst fetching new batches from the hay storage didn’t seem like much of a strenuous chore. And thanks to all the manual labour, it meant that he never needed to work out either.
Once that was finally done, Colin figured that he deserved a bit of a break before his next errand - his arms and hands were beginning to ache, so it felt like he could do with the rest. Retreating back to his bunk, he retrieved the photograph from under his bed once more in habit and simply looked at it for a while.
He remembered being told once, by whom he wasn’t sure, that if you wish for something hard enough then wonderful things could happen. There was a marvellous sense of possibility with that thought, and Colin had begun to wonder if there was any truth in it.
A cool breeze wafted in and chilled him at that moment - Colin was suddenly reminded of where he was, what his life was like and more so what he wanted. A saddened sigh escaped his lips as he became lost within the confines of the picture again. Maybe, just maybe, if he did wish hard enough, he could visit the lake for a while and escape the monotony that he called his life.
Closing his eyes, Colin imagined what it might be like to stumble across a place like that, with the wind wafting through trees and the sun beating down with luscious rays. He imagined what it might be like to dip your feet into the cool water, contrasting with those rays, and what it might feel like if he screwed protocol and just jumped straight in. Then he pictured being with someone, splashing with him… okay, it was a guy he was with, whoever he was. He’d always wondered about his wavering preferences…
“Hey.”
Colin’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a soft, familiar voice and his gaze came to rest on the young prince himself, though he hardly recognised him without that angry expression on his face. “Oh! Y- Your Highness!” Colin jumped in utter surprise and hastily stuffed the picture into his pants pocket carelessly. “Forgive me, I was… erm… just taking a break actually- but I’m finished with that now.” He laughed nervously and stood. “Back to work I go.”
“Wait, stop a minute.” The younger man held out an arm to stop Colin in his tracks, but Colin recoiled away in reflex. It wasn’t that he feared the prince would hit him, but more like he’d be shouted at again. The strangely handsome man looked confused, which was actually a very adorable look on him, Colin noted, as he began to stutter his apologies.
“Listen, Your Highness, I’m sorry about earlier with the bucket and-”
“Please, don’t apologise… what’s your name?”
Colin’s eyebrows shot upwards - princes don’t change their hearts that easily, do they? “My name, sire? But-”
The younger man shook his head. “Don’t worry about all that formality, just tell me.”
Colin still felt very unworthy, even as the prince’s large hand came up to rest on his aching shoulder. He swallowed nervously, giving a small smile as he proceeded to answer. “Colin, sire. Colin Mochrie.”
“Colin,” the prince repeated, testing the name on his tongue. “Don’t apologise for that, Colin. It wasn’t your fault, I spooked the horse and I really shouldn’t have been so rude to you.” He extended the hand that wasn’t occupied on Colin’s shoulder. “We’re good, right?”
Colin blinked at the offered hand, wondering if he should accept it. Of course you should, dumbass. He’s the future king for crying out loud.
“Yeah, we’re good.” As they shook on it, Colin noted just how snugly the younger man’s hand fit into his own. They were larger than his (which very much intrigued him) and it felt like the simple pleasant greeting was devouring his own hand.
“So…” the young prince began, smiling slightly. “What have you got there?” He gestured to the picture that was still peeking out of Colin’s pocket.
“Umm, it’s just a photograph I keep with me, nothing special…” He felt himself blush furiously and heard a very pleasing sound: the prince’s deep laughter.
“Nothing special, huh?” the younger man smirked. “When I came in just now, you were so fixated on it you didn’t even realise I was there. C’mon, let’s see it…”
He reached for it but Colin’s hand clasped around his in protest. “No!” he cried. Their hands had joined again, and something sparked inside their heads in tandem. Colin coughed nervously, wondering to himself why he was so worried about letting the prince see the picture. “Sorry, sire… here.” He caved, took the paper out carefully and straightened its many creases.
Ryan had begun to wonder what this stable boy- Colin- had to hide. His eyes showed youth and a little fear, and realised that it was his stature that caused that. His eyes were also amazingly shiny and deep, but Ryan wasn’t about to tell him that.
Coming around to Colin’s side, the prince examined the landscape captured in the photograph. “Where is this?” he asked, but Colin shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know, sire. It could be anywhere.”
The prince held the corner of the picture and glanced at Colin’s eyes briefly. “Can I?” he asked, and Colin nodded in surprise but was still reluctant to hand it over to another person - after all, why would anyone be interested in some tatty old keepsake of his?
The prince looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, then pointed his finger to the air and shook it in prelude. “I know somewhere like this…” he began, sitting down on the edge of Colin’s bunk in thought.
Colin just blinked at the sight: The prince, the most important man of this manor, was sitting on the stable boy’s ratty old bed with cotton sheets and wooden legs. To anyone else, it may have seemed like the young man had lost his bearings. Colin had a quick thought that one should always sit down after the prince had descended and hurriedly moved to sit next to him before hesitating and sitting a bit further away so that they weren’t touching knees in the process.
“Look at this…” the prince said in reverence and moved closer to Colin so that they were right next to each other. The older man tensed a little, but relaxed almost immediately. “I don’t know this exact place, but I remember going to a lake like this.”
Colin looked at him, at the expression of utter concentration on his face, and waited for an explanation. “You do?”
“Yeah… it’s like déjà vu or something.” After a while of staring, the prince handed the picture back to him and smiled. Colin smiled back in appreciation, fiddling with it as a new topic of conversation was brought up.
“Do you like working here?”
Colin, clearly taken aback by the question, looked back up at the prince as he spoke and suddenly wondered what had happened to the amount of space between them, which seemed to have evaporated in an instant.
“Yes, sire,” he replied truthfully. “I get shelter and food, and in return I just have to mind the horses. It’s quite a good deal, really.” He smiled slightly at his situation and figured that it was probably a lot better than street living.
Ryan thought about his new friend’s words for a moment, likening it to his own life: He got much better shelter and much better food and in return just had to mind… well, the kingdom, and suddenly felt like much more of a jerk that this kind-hearted man was working for him. Colin was nice, and it seemed wrong that he should be wallowing in the stables when there was so much more that he could be doing.
“Do you ever think about life beyond this place?” he asked, glancing down at the lake briefly as he spoke.
“Oh, yes sire,” Colin nodded unsurely, wondering if the prince would rebuke him for such a comment of wanted escapism. But he seemed to be mutually understandable as he nodded also.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Now, at what point in this conversation had they started to stare into each other’s eyes? Colin couldn’t remember, as he was entirely fixated on green irises that seemed far softer than they once had been. They were beautifully flecked with golden specs, and the young stable boy was suddenly reminded as to why his favourite colour was green. Those eyes made the handsome prince’s face look youthful and-
Waaaaait, hold on a minute, why was his hand suddenly on the prince’s leg? When did that happen?! And… why was the younger man returning the gesture?
Oh, his hand feels so warm… Whoa! Did… did he just stroke my thigh? Colin suddenly felt a wave of pressure between his legs at the touch and felt like his head was going to explode with all the blushing he was doing. He dropped the forgotten picture to the floor, as that handsome face was so close and getting closer with each breath. Would he… will he… was he going to…?
*Neeiiigh!*
Lance stomped his hooves against the floor and both men shook out of whatever reverie they had escaped into. Nervous laughter filled the awkward atmosphere and the prince quickly stood with a cough. Colin struggled to stand up also, not wanting to seem disrespectful.
“Heh, Lance is always doing that, sire,” he muttered, completely flushed and embarrassed.
“Yeah, he’s a trouble maker,” the prince agreed with a large grin, silently cursing the horse under his breath. “Well, I… I’d better go. Sherwood and Proops are probably freaking out about losing me. They’re always doing that, y’know.”
Before Colin could say anything in reply, the young prince had turned to leave in one swift movement, and Colin felt himself unable to keep his eyes of how the prince walked, so fluidly and gracefully. Snapping himself out of it, he grabbed a broom and started sweeping erratically at the floor, despite there being nothing to sweep.
“Colin?” The prince had paused on his way, looking back with a smile. “Thanks for talking.”
Colin blinked. That man never ceased to amaze him with every second. “Oh… you’re welcome, sire.”
He shook his head, still smiling warmly and requested, in a soft voice, “You can call me Ryan.”
And with that, Ryan was gone, just as the sun disappeared behind some clouds and darkened the world a little.
Colin gripped his broom and subconsciously hugged it with a faraway sigh. He’d already successfully got onto first name basis with the hierarchy, and what a lovely name it was.
“Ryan,” he repeated dreamily to himself. “Prince Ryan…”
~~~
For the rest of that day, Ryan felt a weird sort of giddy energy run through him at random intervals. Coincidentally, these random intervals were the same time that Colin the stable boy entered his thoughts. He’d be in the middle of his royal dinner when he’d suddenly crack a smile around his mouthful of green beans.
And even as he was settling down for sleep in his extravagant four-poster bed, he thought back to the bed he’d sat on back at the stables. The mattress was… questionably lumpy, and the covers had no real thermal qualities at all. It was a wonder how Colin get any sleep on the thing and Ryan felt bad for having such luxury and complaining about life, yet Colin never complained at all.
Overall, he still felt pretty bad for yelling at Colin that morning. He was, after all, a very sweet-natured guy.
First thing tomorrow… Ryan thought to himself sleepily as he drifted off, I’ll make it up to him…
To be continued...