The Prince and the Pauper (6/24)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Ariokamoto
Rating: PG-15
Genre:Romance
Disclaimer: I don't own much of anything.
Summary: Keito was a common citizen of the South Kingdom until the night his family's house burns down. Without anywhere to stay, they end up moving into the servant's section of the royal castle. There, along with his best friend Yuto, Keito meets the five royal princes...and catches Prince Daiki's eye. This is a spinoff of The Prince's Princess, by my sister ai_ai_gasa2 . It's basically a retelling of the story from Keito's perspective. I would encourage you to read that fic first if you haven't. You can find the prologue for that fic here. Please, enjoy!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
It was late into the night, and Keito was putting his haystacks away, ready to go to bed, when the sound of hooves caught his attention. He scoured the night, searching for the horse, and he eventually found it, riding through the main courtyard of the castle, a figure on its back. He ran to meet the man, reaching him just as he was dismounting. Up close, Keito realized that he had seen this man once before. It was the messenger from last time. Now he looked weary, his movements slow from exhaustion.
"Good evening." Keito said, and the man jumped, turning around with wide, surprised eyes.
"I didn't think anyone would be awake at this hour! Good evening." The man nodded and smiled politely, already removing his horse's tack, a yawn escaping his lips. His stomach growled, and Keito took pity on him.
"Do you have a place to sleep?"
"Wha-? Oh, yes, I have a room over there." He brandished in the general direction of the servants rooms.
"Are you hungry? Please eat before you go to bed, at least." The man sized Keito up for a minute, before he nodded.
"Okay. Thank you." Together they put his horse away and returned to Mrs. Nakajima's kitchen. Keito felt weary, but he shook sleep away, preparing a small pot of Miso Soup and placing a bowl of the steaming liquid in front of the messenger. He grinned, and thanked Keito before digging in, eating with obvious relish. Within minutes the bowl was empty, and Keito took it back into the kitchen to clean, willing himself to not fall asleep there amidst the pots and pans. The man bid him goodnight, and was just about to leave when he turned back around, recognition in his eyes.
"You're Okamoto, right?" Keito looked up from where he was scrubbing the bowl.
"Yes sir."
"These are for you. Prince Daiki told me you were kind. He's not mistaken, Okamoto. I'm lucky to have met you."
"T-thank you, sir." Keito let the words stumble out of his mouth, surprised. The man nodded with a small smile, and left a scroll on the counter, tied with a leather cord just like the first one was. The sight of the letters sent a spark of excitement through him that would have made him jumpy had he not been so tired. Thoroughly exhausted once he had cleaned up, he tucked the letters safely into his dresser, falling asleep before he could even undress properly, Nokogiri at his side.
He woke the next morning with the events of his nighttime encounter a dreamlike blur, and he debated their substance until he pulled out his drawers to get dressed and found the bundle of pages waiting for him. With care he peeled the pages apart, examining them. Seven letters, one more than last time. Keito flipped to the beginning, and began to read. Almost immediately Keito noticed a shift. In these letters there was less wandering of Daiki's mind and more stories about that day's events. The prince told of s'mores by a fire, horseback competitions and fencing, swimming and dancing. There were new characters in his letters, more royalty; the princes of the Northern Kingdom, and the northerners head advisor's son had met them there. From the letters Keito learned a lot about the northern boys. There were three prince's and one advisor's son, and they ranged from around Prince Inoo's age all the way down to a few years younger than Prince Chinen. They sounded like nice people, Daiki only wrote good things about them, and his versions of the events were very funny, he'd often talk about how well they all got along, and from his stories it sounded like the whole trip was a big flirting party for everyone involved. Now every letter contained at least one I miss you., and Keito too felt a want to see the prince tugging at his chest.
When Keito flipped to the last letter the first thing his eyes caught on were the words We're coming home! written in flourished writing, and a pang of excitement rang through him. He read the letter in a rush, it was shorter than the others, only containing Daiki's excitement about the return, a quick story about his brothers discussing boys, and the prince's own calculations about when he and his family would be arriving back at the castle. Keito read the prediction, putting it in perspective. If Daiki was right, they would be home in...two days. Only two days! Keito quickly got dressed, running around the castle halls until he found Yuto, barreling into his friend by accident and landing on the ground with him in a pile of limbs.
"Yuto-riin! Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Keito found himself exclaiming as he rolled off of the skinny boy. Yuto just blinked, stunned for a moment.
"It's okay Keito...what happened? Why're you running?" Yuto asked, propping himself up on his hands. Keito grinned.
"They're on their way back home. The royal family should be back in about two days!" He showed Yuto the letter, and his friends excitement level rose to match his own.
"We need to tell the rest of the staff! Everything needs to be ready For them when they arrive." Keito shared his thoughts, and with a nod Yuto ran off to tell his parents the news, who in turn told anyone that ate breakfast. By noon the whole castle was in a bustle and everyone was beginning preparations for the royal family's arrival. Yuto and Keito were assigned the task of putting new sheets on the beds, and given stacks of new clean fabric and a large basket to put the used sheets into, before being sent off to the third floor. They wandered throughout; Yuto, in the prince's absence, explored their rooms to his heart’s content, rolling on the beds and peaking into closets. Keito smiled a his friend's amazement. They had never seen such extravagant living quarters. One by one they finished the princes rooms, wandering down the hall and around a corner to find the princess' bedroom. Gently they pushed open the door, stepping just inside the threshold. As if on que there was a sudden wave of water, and before either of them had time to react both boys were drenched from above. Sputtering and blinking water out of his eyes Keito looked up to see a contraption rigged up over the doorway, ropes and a now overturned bucket hanging over their heads.
"What the heck?!" Yuto exclaimed, wiping his face with his hands, his dark hair plastered to his scalp.
"It was a trap, see?" Keito pointed to the bucket.
"What would something like that be doing here?"
"I don't know." Keito sighed. The sheets, the floor, the carpet, everything was soaking wet. He pushed some hair out of his face.
"I guess we should start cleaning up..."
Due to the water contraption Yuto and Keito were busy for the rest of the day returning the princess' room back to its original condition, they themselves having to change and dry off before hand, thus eliminating the chance of floundering in a ridiculous circle during the cleanup process. Once they had finished they took warm baths and went to bed, waking up the next morning to a day full of cleaning. They scrubbed the floors and washed curtains, they polished windows and mirrors and ornamental shiny things. They swept the main courtyard and weeded the garden, and dirty and exhausted they joined the rest of the castle staff at the dinner tables, eating hungrily.
"I bet they'll be here tomorrow." Yuto said, looking up from his bread. Keito smiled. He felt it to. Felt them getting closer.
"Yeah."
Keito woke the next morning at the crack of dawn, with Yuto's face centimeters from his own.
"I volunteered us for lookout duty today." Yuto announced, sitting on Keito's bed, his weight making the springs squeak slightly. Keito pulled himself up and out of his covers, going to his window and looking a the sunrise for a few moments before getting dressed and slipping the straps for Nokogiri's sheath across his chest, buckling it on securely.
"Let's go!"
Yuto's mother gave them bento boxes with enough food to last them all day, and two pairs of binoculars, and sent them up to the western tower. The large windows looked out in the direction they were expected to be coming from, and Yuto and Keito plopped down, opening their breakfasts and eating in comfortable silence. Keito took a piece of his meat, putting it in front of Yuto's lips.
"Here, for you, Yuto-riin~" He giggled, and Yuto took the meat from his chopsticks, chewing happily.
"Keito, you need to eat some too!"
"Okay, okay." He put a bite in his own mouth, and Yuto nodded approvingly, lifting his binoculars to his eyes. Hours ticked away. They had finished their breakfasts a long time ago, and Keito had just started on his lunch when Yuto put his binoculars to his eyes once more, and yelped in surprise.
"They're here!"
Keito picked up his own binoculars, scanning the hillside, excitement rising in his stomach. Then, he spotted them. A parade was coming over the hill, the Southern Kingdom's banners floating on a breeze, and in the lead was Prince Daiki, his brothers close behind in a cluster. They were obviously having a good time, talking and laughing. At the sight of the prince a wave of anticipation crashed over him, and Keito had a hard time tearing his eyes away from him, only pulling back from the binoculars when Yuto reminded him that they had to tell the rest of the castle. The ran through the halls, yelling the news, making their way through the labyrinth of halls until they finished at the main entrance. Out of breath they sat down just outside the door, leaning against the wall. Five more minutes passed, and their breathing calmed, but the anticipation built, and Keito felt his heart pounding in his ears. Any second now...any second...
"D'you hear that?!" Yuto exclaimed. Keito listened. He thought he could, faint sounds of laughter. Yuto was grinning from ear to ear. He stood up, waving back and forth, if you could call it waving. He used his whole body, flinging it around with momentum. Keito too stood, and when he did he could see them, and he couldn't help but smile. Prince Hikaru was the first one to spot them, and he laughed, pointing them out to his brothers, and waving back. Servants split away from the group, leading horses covered in packs off to be unpacked, and the princes approached them alone on foot, their golden bands glinting in the sunlight. Prince Hikaru was the first one to meet them, grinning a big toothy grin and holding out his hand for a friendly handshake. Yuto took it, shaking it with a smile.
"Welcome back, your majesty. How was your trip?" Yuto asked. Prince Hikaru was just about to respond when Prince Chinen pounced on Yuto, tackling him in a hug. Prince Inoo and Prince Yamada made their way up just as Prince Chinen untangled himself from Yuto enough to give Keito the same treatment, wrapping his arms around Keito's broad shoulders. Keito hugged him back, tucking the shorter boy's head under his chin.
"Nakajima-kun, Okamoto-kun, this is a pleasant surprise." Prince Yamada was smiling, and when he made eye contact with Yuto the taller boy blushed and grinned, bowing his head. Prince Chinen released Keito, and asked how things had been while they were gone. Keito was about to respond when a short brown haired figure caught his eye. Prince Daiki was finally approaching him. Keito felt a swell of happiness at the prince's arrival, and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.
"Daiki." He bridged the gap between them, stopping right in front of the prince, taking him in. He was more handsome than Keito remembered. He looked nervous, lips pressed together, eyes not looking at Keito's face. Instead they caught on Nokogiri. Keito felt a rush of fear. Something was wrong―that was pushed aside when Daiki pulled him into a tight hug, letting a breath he had been holding, nuzzling his face into Keito's neck. Keito returned the embrace, closing his eyes and taking in the feel of Daiki, the smell of Daiki. He could feel the prince's lips move as he whispered
"I missed you so much." Keito felt himself turning red, but his heart soared.
"I missed you too." He whispered back, and he could feel Daiki smile against the crook of his neck. There was a whoop, and Daiki pulled away to send a disapproving glance at Prince Chinen. It only took a second to realize that all of them were giggling to themselves, letting out muttered "Awww"'s or other similar sighs.
"Hey, if you're free tonight, after we get settled, want to practice fencing again?" Daiki asked, a hand still resting on Keito's lower back. Keito nodded, liking the prospect of begin able to be with the prince so soon. They all returned back into the castle in a sweeping mass of people, everyone else sharing stories from their time spent away from each other. Even Yuto, who told the princes about the water contraption. When they all heard that story, Prince Inoo whacked Prince Hikaru on the head, telling him to apologize. He did, explaining that he had been the one to set up the trap, intending for it to be for Princess Ayaki. At the foot of the stairs the princes broke off from Yuto and Keito, climbing to the third story while they returned to their own rooms.
It was late in the evening when Daiki came to Keito's room, the prince looking calm in the fading sunlight. Keito had been waiting for him, sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out the window, watching as a faint outline of the moon became more and more visible. It would be a full moon tonight. When the prince rapped his knuckles lightly on the doorframe Keito smiled, standing to join him.
"It's been a while." Daiki remarked, leading Keito out into the courtyard. Keito nodded. It had been a while.
"I practiced a little while you were away..." He told Daiki, and the shorter boy looked up at him, a glint of surprise in his eyes.
"Oh? How'd it go?" Keito contemplated the nights he had spent out in the dark, trying to remember what Daiki had said, or during free time, with Yuto.
"I don't know. It kept me busy, at least. You'll have to judge if it helped." Keito said after his contemplation. Daiki smiled, and nodded, and as he did so they reached the courtyard. As they unsheathed their swords Keito felt himself growing scared. It had been a long time since he'd had that one training session with Daiki. What if-?
"You ready?" Keito nodded, body on autopilot.
"Let's see how much you've been practicing." Daiki announced, lunging at him. Keito sidestepped, and the match began. It was pure reaction on Keito's part, his body already retaining a muscle memory from all of his practices, no specific thought accompanying the movements. But his eyes caught on the prince's face, and he realized that Daiki was taken aback. Concerned, he took a couple or steps back, lowering Nokogiri and taking a deep breath.
"Daiki, is everything okay?" The short prince's eyes were still wide with surprise.
"You said you'd practiced a little. How much is a little?" Daiki sounded almost exasperated.
"Um...every night. And in some of my free time during the day..." Keito muttered, looking at the hilt in his hand. Daiki made a "Tch" noise.
"I'm sorry...I'll try harder..." Keito was embarrassed. He obviously wasn't doing well. Daiki stepped closer, putting a hand on Keito's cheek, forcing him to look into his eyes. Keito's heart jumped, and he felt a nervous tingle spread through him. What was Daiki-
"Your skills are amazing. Don't tell yourself otherwise. And quit apologizing for something you didn't do."
"Sorry." Keito muttered, and Daiki sighed, a small smile on his lips. He dropped his hand, putting his own blade back in its sheath.
"Keito, you're adorable." The prince had a glint in his eye that made Keito uncomfortable. He busied himself with Nokogiri, carefully returning the sword to its sheathe. He was just sliding the last of the blade in when in a low, gentle voice Daiki asked
"Will you go on a date with me tomorrow?" Keito froze, mind going numb. He glanced over at the prince, disbelieving. Already there was a swell of joy, of excitement in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him. But his logical side still rejected what he'd heard. It didn't make sense. But Daiki continued.
"I really like you. We can have a brunch in the royal garden, by the pond. You'll enjoy it. Please..." Daiki was looking back at him with a serious expression. He truly wanted this. Keito let his happiness take over, and he broke into a grin, grabbing Daiki in a hug. Daiki hugged back, asking slowly
"So...is this a yes?"
"Yes." Keito felt the word fall from his lips feather light, just like his heart. They stayed like that, holding each other, reveling in their beating hearts and the smell of their hair, and eventually Keito murmured
"I like you to, Daiki."
They pulled away, awkwardly saying their goodnights, ridiculous grins on their faces, and going their separate ways, Keito jittery with excitement.
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