Distance Between Us | Peterick AU

16

Pete's eyes widened when he heard the leaves crinkled and the panic in Patrick's voice. They immediately began sprinting off in the other direction.

"Hey!" Someone shouted from behind them. "There they are! They're going that way!"

The two looked at each other with fright, but couldn't run any faster than they were already going.

The footsteps behind them became louder, and when Patrick risked a look over his shoulder, there were two more people chasing after them in additoin to the first.

"We're not going to be fast enough," Pete panted out. "Use that amazing mind of your's and get us out of this!"

The words gave Patrick that last bit of motivation he needed. He scanned their surroundings quickly, but unfortunately he wasn't fast enough. Two of the guards caught up to the boys and yanked them back into their grasps.

"Lookie what we have here," one of them crooned. "The pretty prince and his boy toy. The king is going to be happy to hear we finally got 'ya."

The two were jerked back violently, their hands held tightly behind their backs, as if they were being arrested. They began in the direction of the castle, the guards joking and laughing all the while behind them.

The five approached the front walkway to the grand entrance, and Patrick hadn't felt that nervous in a long time, even when a murderous creature was chasing after him. He was expecting to be pushed to the front door, but the guards waited until the other man who sent to alert the king and queen was back out. Then they were violently pushed through the doors.

"Your highness!" The guard that was gripping Patrick shouted. "We have found your son and his friend in the forest surrounding the royal castle."

It was the first time Patrick had seen his parents in days. They didn't look too happy to see him and Pete standing in front of them, covered in dirt and blood and being held by the castle guards. Everyone stood in silence, waiting for someone to be the first to speak up.

"This is unbelievable," the queen whispered. Her stare was frozen.

"Unbelievable is correct," his father added. He surprisingly wasn't shouting, but was speaking quieter than normal.

"What would you like us to do with them, sir?" The other guard asked. Patrick felt like a piece of rotten meat.

"Send them to me, cleaned up. I will not have them in my home whilst filthy."

The boys were led out to the water pump, but neither spoke as the guards watched them wash the dirt and grime off their skin. It was definitely different that how both thought the situation would go upon entering the castle.

Once both had rid of the filth the best they could, the same three guards led them back to the front entrance. There, they were greeted by an unfamiliar maid.

"The king and queen request the two boys at a formal supper. They need to dress appropriately for the occasion." Pete and Patrick looked at each other in confusion, but followed the maid that beckoned them after the guards had finally let them go.

She brought them to a spare bedroom, where some of Patrick's nicer clothes were laid out on the bed for them. She told them to quickly get changed then report down to the formal dining room. Do not keep the king and queen waiting, she said to them.

"Is this for real?" Pete asked Patrick when they were finally alone again. Both were stuck staring down at the outfits on the bed.

"I don't see what else it could be," Patrick responded quietly. He grabbed on of the fancy shirts. "I suppose we better do what we were ordered to."

The two dressed, Pete having to inspect each outfit to see which one would fit him best. They looked at each other with a hint of fear and more confusion, but they knew that they had to go back downstairs and face Patrick's parents.

The table was covered in food when they stepped through the doorway, but no one had any on their plates. The king and queen were sat on one side of the table, looking up at the two boys that had entered, waiting for them to take their seats across from them.

Pete and Patrick walked over slowly to where the table was set for them, and when they sat, the king and queen immediately began taking food from the platters in front of them and put it on their plates. The boys suspiciously did the same.

"So, Patrick," his mother spoke first. "What possessed you to do this?"

He paused in picking up the food with his fork. "Possessed me?"

"Well. . .what made you do what you did?"

Patrick looked over at Pete next to him. They were both frozen in confusion. His parents were calm. Too calm. They were even giving off a strange aurora. An unsettling pit sat in Patrick's stomach.

". . .Uhh, well you sent my boyfriend off to be imprisoned in a dangerous castle and kept me locked in a dungeon room below the castle."

"That seems like a reasonable explanation to me," she said to the king. Things were getting weirder and weirder. Why were they acting like that?

"Seems reasonable to me too," his father responded with his deep voice.  "I just do not know why Patrick did not come talk to us about it."

The prince couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Excuse me? I tried to tell both of you when you accused me of causing havoc to the family but neither of you bothered to listen!"

Pete seemed frozen with fear. He had never seen Patrick act like that in all the time that he had known him. Judging by the stories he had heard about Patrick's parents, he was astounded that they weren't throwing him in the basement cell again for what he was saying to them.

When Patrick received no blasting reaction from his parents, he was stunned into silence. Normally he would be severely punished for speaking out.

The queen spoke up again. "It is hard to believe that we did not listen to you," she took a sip of her tea.

Patrick visibly gripped onto Pete's hand on top of the table to keep himself from lashing out again. The room went uncomfortably silent as the husband and wife glanced down at the conjoined hands.

"Where did I lose my son?" The King whispered.

That was the last straw for Patrick. He stood up abruptly, releasing his hand from Pete's grasp.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He shouted, knocking his dishes back loudly in the process. "I can't believe everyone has been treating me so harshly just because of who I am. The only person that I could trust here was Earl and you ruined that for me too."

He grabbed Pete's right arm, yanked him up, and pulled him along as he stomped out of the dining room and up the stairs.