The Majesty of Choice

Zeal

"Most people call me Frank," Frank, who is the fucking Prince, says.

"Okay, but you're the fucking Prince."

"Yeah, I know that, I'm the Prince, but really it's just Frank."

"The fucking Prince just got his foot caught in a fox trap," Gerard says.

"I'm aware of that."

"The fucking Prince is an idiot," Gerard says.

"I wouldn't go that far," he says.

"Dude, you got your foot stuck in a fox trap. Most foxes don't get their feet stuck in traps."

"I was... I'm new!"

"And you grew up in a castle, so you're basically clueless of the world around you."

"That's not very nice," Frank says.

"What are you gonna do, behead me?" Gerard asks, turning and walking back down the road to go straight home where he had intended to go in the first place, before this weird conundrum.

"I mean, I could do," he says, and for some reason unknown to Gerard, he follows him. "I'm the Prince, like I have that power."

"Oh dearie me, I quake in my boots," Gerard replies.

"You're awfully sarcastic," Frank says.

"Well, I figure I'm probably safe from being beheaded because then you'll have to admit that you got your foot stuck in a fox trap."

"Fair point," he says.

"Why are you following me?" Gerard asks him.

"I don't know. Should I not?"

"Don't you have lives to ruin and species to enslave or something?"

"Excuse me?" Frank asks.

"Am I not supposed to acknowledge the genocide? I'm sorry, next time, I'll keep it between me and everyone else in the kingdom."

"What are you talking about?"

"Please," Gerard groans, "it's your policies that have made this place hell on earth and you think people didn't notice?"

"My policies... you do realize I'm not the King right? Like I have virtually no power over this place. I have about as much pull as you," Frank says, "basically the only difference between me and you is that I sleep in a nicer bed. And have more manners, but that's beside the point."

"Are you calling me rude?"

"Yes," Frank says.

Gerard grins, happy with himself for being rude to the Prince, which is not something he would have thought he'd get the opportunity to do.

"Why are you smiling?" Frank asks, unsure of why he's also smiling at the look on this, admittedly, complete strangers face.

"I'm proud to have been called rude by the Prince," Gerard says, "I mean it's kind of ironic considering that one of us is a total piece of shit who's murdered thousands of innocent lives and enslaved a bunch of others, but it's funny that you think I'm the rude one because I state the obvious."

Frank stops in his tracks, and Gerard really wishes he could bring himself to keep walking but he doesn't. He stops too, turns around and looks at the Prince.

Frank doesn't say anything for what feels like a couple of decades, maybe a millennia or two. Gerard can feel the leaves around them changing colors. His hair is practically turning grey just standing here looking scathingly at the fucking Prince who's got this look on his face like Gerard just tried to explain a really complicated math expression to him. All in all, it's probably about twenty seconds before Frank speaks up.