At Your Service- A Royalty Solangelo AU

Chapter 9

TW: Mentions of Torture

~Time Skip to the following week~

In the minimal time he had been there, the gardens had become Will's favorite job as a servant. All he had to do was walk behind the Prince and the diplomats, giving Will plenty of chances to be with his boyfriend. As him and Paolo strolled behind the Prince and the strange man visiting from Olympia- Kronos- he laced his fingers with those of his boyfriend's, looking over to see Paolo smiling at him. Life was as good as it could get in the Aruman palace, walking around a gorgeous garden in the fresh air with no real duties. It was liberating. 

He was so enthralled with the man next to him that he almost did not realize the Prince had come to a full stop. Halting in his tracks, he had to take a couple steps backwards as to not trip over the young prince as he leaned over a spot on the side of the path. He couldn't hear much that the Prince was saying to Kronos, but Will could see him as he produced a small bundle of wildflowers and place them on the ground next to the bush. Turning confusedly to Paolo, his heart dropped at the expression on his face. Paolo looked disgusted, angry almost, but when he saw Will looking at him, his expression immediately changed. Had he imagined it?

Slightly confused, he watched as Paolo stepped forward to stand next to the Prince, looking down at the wildflowers on the ground before clearing his throat. 

"Little late to be planting wildflowers isn't it, Prince?" Paolo's voice had an edge to it, one that made Will uneasy. 

The Prince straightened, turning around with a strange expression. "Careful Paolo, these flowers have thorns and I'd hate to see them mess up your beautiful skin." His tone was biting, daring Paolo to challenge him. 

"It's too late for that, if only you had given me the warning earlier. But still, sad to see such beautiful flowers waste away in this meaningless spot."

He stiffened at this remark, taking a second before looking up, his face completely blank. 

"You are dismissed."

"But your highness, I'd hate to leave you alone. It can be quite scary to walk alone in these gardens." 

"Go." 

Will grabbed his arm, leading him away before it could get ugly. He and Paolo returned to the lake. It was a small clearing, but no one could see them so they spent most of their time there. Paolo settled back onto the grass, hand under his head, and Will lay his head gently on his boyfriend's arm. As he moved his head, he saw the flash of white of the long scar that ran across his tan arm. He had to know. 

"Paolo?"

"Yes, love?" The light brown eyes met his. 

"What happened?" 

From the look in his eyes, Will knew he knew exactly what he was asking about. "Oh. You really want to know?" 

"Yes. I want to know who hurt you" 

Paolo took a sharp inhale, bracing himself for the explanation. "I had played a prank on the Prince. Him and I used to be close once, but he changed Will. I scared him in the gardens one night and he never forgave me for it. He ran to tell his father about it, and the next thing I know, I was being dragged in front of the royal court. They set me in the middle and lashed me, almost tearing my arms off in the process. And what's even worse, he just stood there and watched. The sick little bastard enjoyed seeing me in pain. From that moment on, we have never been anywhere close to civil with one another. I hate him too much to give him that." 

Wills stomach lurched at the thought of Paolo being tortured, imagining his pained yells as the lashes hit him, imagining the sick grin that may have spread across the Prince's face. Paolo had sat up and was staring blankly at the lake in front of them, tears running down his face. 

"Hey," Will gently cupped his cheek, wiping the tears with his thumb. "I will never let him hurt you like that again, you hear me?" 

His boyfriend nodded softly, lips trembling before fully breaking down. The sobs shook his body, so Will wrapped his arms gently around his frame and held him close. As Paolo cried into his shoulder, he made a decision. He was going to find the Prince and make him pay for his actions.