Of Highborn & Squalor | Ryden

Chapter Two - Is She With You?

The young prince let his hand graze over the wall as he walked towards their bedroom, sighing quietly. He knew this discussion would not end well, there was no way for him to approach Sarah without upsetting her.

"Sarah?" Brendon spoke softly as he creaked the door to their bedroom open. Sarah was sniffling with her maid, Elizabeth, beside her. Elizabeth glared at Brendon's entering figure, still stroking Sarah's corseted back comfortingly.

"Brendon.. I- I do not wish to further this discussion.." Sarah said through her tears. Brendon nodded, he knew Sarah was upset, no matter how articulate her words may be. She always had a well-kept facade of composure covering her.

"Of course, my love.." Brendon smiled sympathetically before sitting at the foot of the bed, "Though I do need to speak to you."

Sarah frowned, cocking her head to the side slightly in confusion, "Yes?" She asks. Brendon sighs, "I ended up in the slums whilst walking.." He begins. Sarah gasps, immediately rushing to her fiancés side, "Well are you alright? Were you cheated?" The young princess rushes out.

Brendon shakes his head, "No, love, but there was an injured man- Very injured.. He was nott going to survive out there so I took him in. He's in the washroom." Brendon explains.

Sarah's face turns pale, and her mouth is slightly hung open as she stares at Brendon, "You took a man in from the slums?!" She cries. Brendon winced, "Darling-" He tries, but Sarah interrupts him, "No! I cannot believe you! You know how those.. Those.. Things are out there! They are barely even human! We cannot be seen with them! How would the newspapers react!?"

Brendon sighed, "Sarah, my love.. You know those stories are just fairytales.." He cooes, putting a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder, "Ryan is a very nice man, he will not hurt you." Sarah huffs irritably, crossing her arms over her chest. "He may only stay for one night, then you must remove him."

Brendon is disappointed, but nods in spite of it. He had no idea Sarah actually believed all those stories of people in the slums. Sure, they are poor, but they're still human. Brendon shakes his head in exasperation, the least he can do is try and keep things between him and Sarah copacetic, if that were even possible at this point.

Brendon steps out of the room, almost knocking into Spencer, who was right in front of it.

"Oh! Brendon, my apologies, I was just about to call for you." Spencer gave Brendon a guilty smile, which Brendon laughed at softly. "No, have no worries, Spencer. Is Ryan out of his bath?" He asks, following Spencer, who was leading him down the hall.

"Yes, and I must say that he is looking much better." Spencer opened the door to the washroom.

All of the air in Brendon's lungs seemed to flood out with a hitch of Brendon's breath as he saw Ryan standing, dressed in the washroom. Ryan's pale skin, which had been hiding under the layers of dirt packed into his joints, was now visible. It made him almost look like a ghost under the faint glowing of the candles surrounding them. His brown hair was tousled and curly, still slightly wet but now clean and shining. He was dressed in some of Brendon's clothes, a simple creme tunic and a pair of deep brown trousers. He still had his scuffed boots on, but they did not dull Ryan's shine.

The sound of Ryan clearing his throat is what snapped Brendon out of his trance, and he blinked rapidly to gain his bearings. "My apologies, Ryan," He breathed out, still in awe at the man- Or angel, Brendon would say more accurately, in front of him. "Let me guide you towards where you will stay for the night."

Ryan simply nodded with a small smile curling across his lips as he followed Brendon, trailing behind him like a lost puppy. The house surrounding him was so large. Brendon's washroom was as big as Ryan's home, and he had a bath in his house. In his house. Ryan felt extremely out-of-place, the gold intricate crowning throughout the whole house almost made him queasy.

"Just here," Brendon says, opening a door to reveal a large bedroom. A large chandelier was hanging from the ceiling over the king-sized bed, made neatly with two bedside tables on either side. The curtains that hung from the ceiling draped over the bed, almost inviting you to sleep on it. Ryan had never even had a mattress to sleep on, let alone a bed like this.

Brendon chuckled, which made Ryan turn his head back towards the prince. "My apologies, but you look like you've seen an apparition," The future king grinned. Ryan shook his head, "No- I have never seen such an extravagant room before." Brendon smiled a little at the comment, "Why, thank you. My fiancé decorated it, she is a creative woman."

Ryan noticed Brendon's smile falter slightly as he spoke about his fiancé. Ryan wondered of the reason why, but wouldn't pry about it. "You are to be wedded?" Ryan asked as he stepped into the room. The dark-haired man across from him nodded, "She is- She is kind." He hesitated. Ryan nodded, "From what kingdom is she from?"

"Oh, it is not far from here, Labyrinthay." Brendon smiles, though theres was an underlying tone of uncomfortableness in his speech. Ryan just nods, able to tell that Brendon didn't want to speak of it anymore. "How can I repay you for this, prince?" Ryan asks, picking at his hands.

"You do not have to, I couldn't bare to leave you like that," The brown-eyed man put a hand on Ryan's shoulder, reassuring him softly. Ryan frowns, "I- Thank you, Brendon." Brendon just cocks his head slightly and raises an eyebrow, a soft smirk on his face, "You do not need to thank me, consider it a gift, Ryan."

Ryan nods, sitting on the bed, feeling sleep tug at his eyes. "I shall see you in the morning, get well rested," With that, the black-haired blew out the candles lighting the room and shut the door behind him. Ryan sighed and let himself fall back onto the mattress, immediately absorbed by the soft feeling of the springs below him. So much better than the floor he thought.

Ryan was engulfed by sleep as his eyelids fluttered shut, not even bothering to pull the comforter up to swaddle him.