Our Royal Duties

Chapter 1

Arthur looked down at himself, scowling and rubbing tears from his eyes. The white dress that he had been forced into by the various servants of the Red castle reached down past his ankles, the hoops of the skirt raising the skirt just a little bit off of the ground because of the way he sat. The trim of the dress was done in red thread, and was woven through the white silk so tightly that it looked almost like roses made of bloodstains covered the skirt of the dress. He had thought it odd at first that he had been put in such clothing, but as he had been the only one of his family to be removed from the dungeon he could only assume that there was some reason for it. He had learned, to his horror, that his parents had made a deal with the leaders of the Red Kingdom- who currently held them prisoner, Arthur himself included- that he would be given to the Red Kingdom in exchange for the freedom of his people, and the end of a war between the Red Kingdom and his own kingdom of Green. Nobody had expected such an offer, so of course when it was made Arthur's parents had handed him over without so much as a second thought. Arthur didn't blame them, of course, but it still hurt him to think that he was being given as a peace offering to a people that he loathed so. Whoever had been sent to collect Arthur- or "Alice", as he was being called now- had mistaken him for a woman, because now he was to be married to the only prince of the RedKingdom. Arthur had never met the boy in his life, and was completely opposed to the idea. If it hadn't been for the deal made between their parents Arthur probably would have found a way to escape and would have left without looking back. A small noise at the door to his dressing room caused him to jump, he not having expected anyone to come for him. He could see the blue eyes of the prince peeking through the door and he hurriedly rubbed his eyes on his long gloves, shivering fearfully.

Francis smirked a bit to himself. He had been watching "Alice" through a small crack between the door and the wall, eager to see his bride before the wedding started. He had heard that he had been given a beautiful princess from the now conquered kingdom of Green, although he had wondered about whether or not it was true due to the rumors going around that the Green royal family had only been known to have sons; five of them. To his disappointment, he found that the rumors were false, and that there was a young woman sitting inside the dressing room and preparing herself for the wedding. He would have rather been married to one of the sons, having little interest in women. He leaned against the door just enough to cause a small creaking sound, causing the young woman to notice him. He silently pushed the door open, taking in the appearance of the person in front of him; she had short, blonde hair and a thin frame, although her face was hidden by the wedding veil that covered it. "Are you mon petit wife?" he whispered softly, a small smirk tugging at his lips but disappearing when he noticed her tears. "Don't cry now, amour, I have only just met you and today is our wedding day. I'll take you down there, alright?"

Arthur defiantly covered his face with his hands, wanting to scream at the other to leave him alone and go away but fearing some further punishment from the guards. He had been beaten around well enough during his time in captivity and had the marks to show it, most of which were either hidden by the dress of had been carefully covered by makeup. He had barely even been listening to Francis. He tried to say something but all that came out was a choked sob, after which he sealed his lips and looked back at him in terror. All of the small red beads and gemstones clinked together of his veil when he turned his head, moving on one fluid motion with the movement of the translucent fabric over Arthur's face.

Francis's smile faltered with this, but he walked up to him and lightly brushed some of the Englishman's hair behind his ear. "If I don't marry you, your weak and pathetic kingdom will die and your parents will most likely die with it. Your brothers will be forced into slavery." He whispered softly, beginning to get irritated with Arthur's sobbing. "My sweet, little dove, I won't hurt you though, you're a treasure, you're going to be my wife..." With the word 'my' he placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, gripping him tightly. "Trust me, I'm doing this to save you, they're going to kill you if you don't do this..." he whispered. As hard as Francis tried to be gentle and loving he found it difficult to do so with Arthur, seeing as the younger man hated him already. "Please, we need to go. Now." His grip on Arthur's shoulder tightened.