The Sole Prince

I am, aren't I? [part 1]

James wakes up warmer than he has ever before. Sage's hand is still wrapped around the prince's waist, the prince's head rested on the top of the captain's chest. Nothing else seems to exist besides the two of them, on the bed, as the rest of the world revolves. James moves his head slightly, only slightly, to adjust his position while attempting to not wake the captain. Little does he know that the captain is already awake.

He's been awake for quite a while, allowing the prince sleep for as long as he wants, rested on his chest. It's not as if he could have gotten up anyway, the wound in his stomach occasionally waking him up in throbbing pain. But then he would feel the prince's weight laid down upon him, and the pain suddenly ceased.

So, as the late morning dances around them, they are both awake, yet neither of them are wise enough to know of the other's consciousness. Which is completely fine. More excuses to stay exactly where they are.

How long has it been for the prince since he originally departed Roriark, unknowing of the fact he might never return? Around six weeks, it seems. Two from the original ship, one from the first pirate ship, and almost three on this one. It's not as if each day makes him miss his home less, but it's more as if he's becoming accustomed to being lost. Well, lost doesn't seem to be the right word, but it still gets the point across. The prince knows that he'll eventually have to accept this as his new life, but that's not to say he'll forget his old one.

To be fair, James' new life isn't horrendous. Sure, it doesn't have the luxuries of being a prince, yet it also doesn't include his stepfather. Pros and cons. He has more acquaintances on this ship, he thinks at least, than he ever had back at home. Maybe if he had been kidnapped a few years prior, back when his mother was alive, he would be slightly more devastated. But other than the comforts of his own bedroom and a secure future, the prince doesn't truly miss that much. A few years changes everything.

He was happily living in a kingdom separate to Roriark, with his mother, a princess at the time, and his biological father, a prince. But then his father passed, leaving his mother all alone with James. They still lived well, and the two were close, very close. Life moved on, but then James turned 15. It was then that his mother had stopped acting as a princess and was upgraded to the spot of queen; all that means is that she had been set up with a king from kingdoms away—Roriark, in fact—who soon became James' stepfather.

It required the two of them to move miles and miles away to a separate kingdom, but at least they were still together and would have all the riches they could imagine. Their life was good for a while. The queen and her son spent loads and loads of time together. She was once a cartographer too, and she taught him everything she knew. Sure, the king wasn't the best to be around, but it wasn't horrible. The queen had her son, and the prince had his mother.

But then, James turned 18, and his mother passed. The king had wanted a biological child. Wanted a better child. Despite the risks all the best doctors of Roriark had expressed, the king wanted—no, demanded—that his wife would bear a child.

It wasn't a surprise when the queen died from complications, yet it was still a tragedy.

For the prince lost his mother.

And the king lost his last chance at a real son. He would always mourn that, the son that never happened, rather than the wife that was gone.

That's when everything turned for the worse. What was once a rocky relationship between stepfather and stepson became a rockslide. Nothing that the prince accomplished seemed to be enough for the king. And, eventually, James learned to accept it. From then on, the prince had no clue what to expect for his future.

But, now in the middle of the ocean the prince is realizing that maybe a secure future isn't always the best. Maybe there is beauty is uncertainties, like the prince being unsure of the man who has his hand wrapped around his waist. Just as the ship washes over the sea, the prince's life is being played out in front of him. And he's out of control. He's not the one steering. But is that necessarily a bad thing? He feels the captain's grip on his waist get slightly tighter, and he melts into the touch. Uncertainty can be quite comfortable.