A Dragon's Treasure

Chapter 8 - The Other Son

Logan refused to go to a different room that night, far too worried about Roman's emotional state. He had seen Roman survive the criticism of his parents, the ire of dignitaries, and the scorn of his peers, but Logan had never seen Roman look so completely and utterly lost. It wasn't surprising, this situation was unprecedented. Previously Roman had his entire life planned for him, and now he had entered something that was very much uncharted. Even if he had battled so many other things over the years, Logan was beginning to believe that much of the doubt clouding Roman's eyes had been there for years.

"Remus asked me if I liked myself. I've been thinking about that a lot, possibly too much, but I was startled to realize that... I don't know who I am." The two of them were seated on Roman's bed, the weight of the future hanging between them. "I've spent my life always acting in the service of my people and what I believe is right, but I... I don't know who I am. What if it's too late to figure it out? And what if I'm not supposed to? My country and my people will always be my priority, is it selfish for me to want to look at who I might be without them?"

Roman was shaking, though if anyone else had seen it, Logan was sure they wouldn't notice. Best Friend privileges had their perks, though it was also a curse considering Logan didn't know what to do. He wanted to reach out to his friend, to comfort him and help reassure him that it would all be okay, but Logan didn't have the answers. It was his job to have the answers for Roman, but he was coming up short.

He reached out before his arm went limp and he let it slide back to his side. "You are an amazingly hard worker who always comes up with creative solutions once you fully understand a problem. Sometimes, those solutions aren't practical, but I will be here, by your side to help you through everything. Including this identity crisis." He hoped his voice conveyed what he needed Roman to know, that he wasn't alone, that it was okay to worry about these things, and that Logan would be by his side throughout.

Slowly, the prince shuffled his way towards Logan, resting his head on his friend's shoulder. "Logan, I feel so lost."

What could he say to that? What could he do to make it all better?

"It's not surprising, considering the situation," Logan hesitantly began to rub Roman's back. "But I am here to help you through it."

[Section Break]

Janus was standing outside Roman's room, listening in on the conversation, back against the wall. He knew taking in the sheltered prince was going to be interesting, he just didn't realize how heartbreaking it was going to be. He had never seen a human with their value so completely tied up in their use. No creature should have to live without an identity to call their own. He had seen the shreds of it when Roman introduced himself with his full title, but Janus had chalked it up to the circumstances of their meeting. Now that he was hearing the full confession, he knew he had made the right choice taking Roman in.

"You really sent me an interesting one," Janus muttered to a shadow down the hall. "I hope you aren't intending for me to help this poor young man alone."

"Why would I, lizard? You have Patton," the shadow answered.

Janus rolled his eyes, taking a step back, turning down the hall to his own room. "Patton is my partner, not a tool."

"I never said he was."

Janus didn't retort back, he didn't need to; he already knew how conversations with that man played out.

"Once the curse is broken we can work on fixing the Prince." Janus let out a noise halfway between a scoff and a laugh. "How do you help someone see their intrinsic value when they have only been taught about what use they have." He was thankful now that he had gotten to raise Remus, but he was concerned about what damage the king and queen had done to their other son.

AN: Sorry for the delay everyone. I wasn't really in a good place, so I've had this written for a month but just couldn't get it posted 😅 I should be back on track now!