"You're finally done, I thought you're gonna take forever!" Before Willow could reply, Ryan was already wrapped around him. The guy was much taller than Willow, yet he was the one clinging. His face had a few scars here and there, but was handsome, his brown hair all over the place, while his also brown eyes were fixed on his friend.

"You tell me. I thought my father will never finish that lecture," Willow wrapped his arms around him, burying his freckled face into his shoulder. 

Ryan laughed and ran a hand through Willow's blonde hair before he let go, looking him over. His short figure was nimble and elegant, his pale skin was covered in makeup, most of which  already rubbed off on Ryan's shoulder, his blue eyes were shining as he smiled at him.

"Lemme guess. You were at prince training?" Ryan asked in a teasing tone and nudged his shoulder. 

Willow let out a tired sigh and nodded. "Yeah. Mother and father wouldn't give me a break with it. 'You're going to be king soon, Willow, you have to learn every little thing as soon as possible'," he imitated his father before laughing and leaned against Ryan, his head resting on his shoulder.

"I don't get it. They said you're only gonna be king when they grow old. We still have way too much time! Are they just tryna torture you?" Ryan wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close as they walked through the halls of the castle together. 

"They want to get Willow ready in case something happens to them, idiot," Came a voice from behind them. A girl stood there with her raven hair falling onto her shoulder, green eyes piercing through the other two with a judgmental look. 

Ryan and Willow both jumped and spun around to face her. 

"You promised you'd stop doing that!" Ryan whined. 

The girl raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest, acting surprised. "Oh, did I?" she asked before she shrugged. "Can't remember," 

"What did you mean by.. Something happens to them?" Willow spoke up, his eyes wide as he held onto Ryan's arm, staying as close to him as he possibly could.

"You know, like, murdered," she replied in a casual tone and cocked her head to the side. 

Ryan gently punched her shoulder and frowned, his hold on Willow becoming a little tighter. "Cut it out, Melody,"

"What? We can't ignore the current events happening in Nimira. The tension's getting worse with the gemless and who knows when they decide to attack. We have to be ready," Melody spoke and her grip tightened on the staff she was holding, the amethyst gem emitted a purple mist.

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"Cool your jets, edge-lord, stuff's not that bad," Ryan shrugged as he tried to play it off. He rubbed Willow's shoulder. "It's okay. Nothing' s gonna happen to you parents, a'ight? I'm part of the royal guard, so I'm gonna make sure of that," 

Melody rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Willow's not a child anymore, Ryan, you don't have to baby him like that. You are both seventeen and you're not his babysitter. He can handle a little bit of truth," 

"But I am his bodyguard, so it's my job to keep him safe. Including his mental health. Way to ruin the mood by the way,"

"You can't shield him from the outer world forever. I get that he's a prince and valuable or whatever, but that doesn't mean all the horrible shit happening outside should be kept from him!" Melody huffed, the mist from the staff was starting to become more prominent as she was getting worked up.

"Melody, watch your staff," Ryan didn't bother to react to the rest, he just turned around with Willow close.

That's when the prince spoke up. "Guys.. You both know I am here, right?" he asked in a soft tone as he pushed himself away from Ryan to try and stand his ground without him. 

"Yeah, right, sorry Willow... We got carried away there. Continue your walk. But Ryan, think about what I said, okay?" Melody's voice was a lot softer now and she turned around, her purple cape hit Ryan in the face. "Oops," she chuckled before she walked off into the opposite direction. 

Ryan was speechless. She really went there with Willow standing right there with them. They never fought about this when he heard them before.

Willow tapped his shoulder, which snapped him back to reality. " Ryan... What was she talking about?" 

Ryan's expression hardened and he shook his head. "By the order of the King and Queen, I can't tell you. She should've kept her mouth shut too,"

The response wasn't what Willow expected, so he frowned and shook his head as well. He couldn't let this go so easily now that he knew this much. "And I'm your prince. I order you to tell me," He tried to keep his tone firm, but it had a tremble in it and sounded more scared. 

"I can't...Willow, I promise it's for your own good," Ryan took a step closer to him and reached out to take his hand into his own. "You trust me, right?"

"Then... I ask you as my best friend," Willow whispered and looked up to meet Ryan's eyes. 

"Willow, please, I-" 

"No. I want to know," Willow's gaze was strong and determined, if not a little fearful. He kept his eyes locked with Ryan's to show he will not back down from this.

"Fine, damn it..." Ryan whispered and tore his gaze away. He couldn't stand the sight of those eyes. He could never say no to them. "Come on, your parents can't know about this. We gotta go somewhere safe. Wanna sneak out with me?" 

Willow's eyes lit up and he didn't hesitate a moment before he replied with a yes, but a few seconds later, that sudden burst of confidence died out. "Wait... Are you sure they won't find out about it?" he asked in a whisper and looked around, already paranoid that someone was listening in on them. 

"Not if I can help it," Ryan gave a reassuring squeeze to his hand and smiled at him. "I'll take you to somewhere super cool, a'ight?" he asked as he led him along the corridor with an occasional hand squeeze and comforting smiles.