At Your Service- A Royalty Solangelo AU

Chapter 1

The lights were low in the dining hall, casting long shadows on the white towering walls of the castle. Few were in the room, save for a couple servants who were gathered at the far end of the table. On the opposite end sat the royalty and their generals, 7 men and women in total, all gathered at the base of the throne of King Apollo. 

"It is decided then," His voice was quiet enough that only those nearest him could hear, "Our invasion of the Aruma kingdom begins a month from today. General Castellan, begin training your best men now." 

A sandy-brown haired man, Castellan, nodded at the right hand side of the King. His blue eyes sparkled sharply in the glow of candlelight, personifying the power the young general possessed. As a young man, he had seen his fair share of wars, evident by the scars marking his face given to him by none other than their sister nation. It was no hidden truth that the Hele and Aruma kingdoms had a long and brutal history, poisonous water that was attempted to be placed under the bridge. But it was never that simple. 

"You can't think, Father, that the Aruman won't see this coming?" The voice rang out, sparking a murmur among those at the King's side. And the voice belonged to none other than Prince Will Solace, the heir to the Hele throne. At barely 22, the Prince was revered among the Hele military staff for his quick wit, though he had never been given a chance to fight in any war. "Their presence on the border has been heightened the last few months, they would surely become suspicious of any sudden mobilization of our troops" 

King Apollo paused in consideration of this, everyone's eyes glued between the pair. What would the king make of his son speaking against him?

"Very well. We will need to be careful about this. What do you propose son?" 

"Inside information. Send a man of ours to get close to the prince, become his companion, rise among the ranks. Play him so well that he cannot even begin to imagine it being a threat. And all the sudden, we have all the secrets we need." 

"An inside man. That could just work," General Castellan chimed in, proud of the prince for finally learning something. "Who do you propose?" 

The kings booming voice came in response before his son could answer, a damnation of a soul yet revealed. "I believe I have just the answer for that"

______

Will Solace, now stripped of any semblance of royal connection, was minutes from the border. His feet ached from making the journey on foot, miles of walking over uneven terrain. Rather than send an ordinary soldier, his father decided that him, the prince, would be the best man for the job. Arriving as a prisoner to the border, he would be taken to the Aruman palace as a slave. Why? Because he was the only one the Aruman's didn't have record of. As per traditional Hele values, princes were not announced until the king stepped down, until then they remained hidden from public view.

As if on cue, a hoard of soldiers descended from the border, dressed in the traditional midnight blue colours of the Aruman high ranking generals. 

"What business do you have at the border today?" A general with dark hair and piercing green eyes barked at the group, scanning them over quickly. Will opened his mouth to respond, before quickly shutting it after realizing they could care less what he had to say. 

"A gift, from King Apollo, for your recent success in war." General Castellan responded, one of the other soldiers prodding him in the back to make him step forward. 

"And what is this 'gift' exactly?" From the tone, he could tell they were intrigued but still not sold on the idea of a Hele man entering their kingdom. 

"A servant for the prince. We hear he's in the market, and we just got a new class in the other day. This is the most promising of the litter," He cringed at this, people talking as though he were a shelved product with no ears. But, he had no choice other than to sit there and let the negotiations occur.