Arabian Nights

Chapter 1

"Your Highness? Your Highness?! There you are!"

Virgil sighed and closed his book in a performance of annoyance he didn't really feel. "Damn, thought you'd never find me."

Janus laughed and dropped down to sit next to his friend. "After you've been using the same hiding space for, what, 10 years?"

"More or less," Virgil said with a shrug. His smile dropped and he hugged his book closer to his chest. "Can't you just tell them you couldn't find me?"

"I'd lose both my job and my very pretty head," Janus said, flipping his hair with his hand. Virgil laughed. "It's just one prince."

"Yes but one prince turns into two, which turns into three and before you know it, there are floods of men at the palace gates!" Virgil declared with a groan. He flopped back in the grass. Janus rolled his eyes.

"Oh, what a difficult life you lead," he said sarcastically. "If I had that many suitors, I'd be trying them all out." Virgil made a noise of disgust that Janus ignored. "I'd probably be married now."

"What, you'd have found someone who lives up to your impossibly high standards?" Virgil asked. He opened his book to a random page and let it fall on his face, hiding his eyes from the blazing sun.

"It's a possibility." Janus shrugged as he spoke. "And there not impossibly high. I just want someone worthy of me, that's all."

"Jan, you don't think anyone is worthy of you," was Virgil's muffled reply.

"Maybe no one is," Janus retorted. "But," he stood up, brushing down the back of his tunic and trousers, "if I had as many suitors as you, I'm sure I'd find someone. Come on." He held his hand out to Virgil. Virgil lifted the book away from his eyes with his thumb. "It's one prince, once you've done with him, I'll sneak down to the kitchen and get us something to get blind drunk on."

Virgil let out a scoff at the word 'sneak' - there was no need for Janus to sneak, he had almost everyone in the palace wrapped around his finger - but grabbed Janus' hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. Janus took his book and brushed some of his hair away from his forehead. Virgil pulled back in annoyance.

"Oh, hold still, it's for your own good," Janus said. He brushed at Virgil's hair and touched a thumb to the black under Virgil's eyes. "You know, you really should stop with this. It makes you look like a racoon."

"I get too hot without it," Virgil said, pushing Janus' hand away. "And I don't look like a racoon."

Janus shrugged and tucked Virgil's book under his arm. "Keep telling yourself that."

"Besides, I can do what I want." Virgil rolled his shoulders back and straightened his purple tunic. "I'm a prince, after all."

"That was a nightmare!" Virgil snapped, throwing the doors to his room open. He made a beeline for his bed and fell onto it, face first. "I'm never meeting suitors again."

Janus closed the doors before turning around to lean against them. "That's what you said last time," he sighed. "Couldn't you at least give that one a shot? He was very handsome."

"If you think he's so dashing, you marry him for all I care." Virgil rolled out of bed and scrubbed his face with his hands. He groaned and stood up. "Please tell me you got something strong enough to black out everything that just happened."

Janus produced two small bottles from his trouser pockets. He chucked one to Virgil, who caught it, and cracked the lid open on his own. "Strongest they got, Alex said they only use it for medicinal purposes. Anaesthetic and the like."

"Well, this is a medical purpose," Virgil said. He opened his and took a swig. The coughing fit that followed was so strong it pushed him back onto his bed. "My God, Jan, what the Hell's in this?!"

"Alex did mention not to take too much at a time," Janus pondered, taking a small sip of his own. It burnt his throat long after he'd swallowed it. "Did I forget to mention?"

"You arse, I could have you fired for that," Virgil said without any feeling. Janus shrugged.

"You could, I suppose," he said slowly, "but then you'd never find out my plan for leaving the palace..."

Virgil jumped up so fast he lost balance and fell back on his bed. He slammed the small bottle on his bedside table, forgotten. "You've got a way to get out?"

Janus grinned. "And back in." Virgil groaned. "It's only for a night, I don't want to lose my life!"

"Whatever, whatever, fine!" Virgil sighed. "One night of freedom is good enough, I suppose."

Janus rolled his eyes. "You're so hard-done-by," he muttered sarcastically.

"So?" Virgil asked, tapping his foot impatiently. "What's the plan?"

Feeling so much better about this already!
Bye,
Blaize