Peasant | A Phan AU

| An Unlikely Friendship |

*Chapter Two*

After the exchange between the two, Philip grabbed Daniel's hand and led him to the tree he had sat at before. Philip walked along merrily, a bit of skip in his step due to happiness. Daniel and I will be the best of friends, the prince thought to himself. Philip had already fallen in love with the boy's beautiful, brown eyes. The prince couldn't shake the image of his nervous, teary face from his head. He was determined to see each reaction Daniel would have for each emotion. Philip didn't know why, but he wanted to find out everything about the peasant.

On the other hand, Daniel was horrified. He wanted nothing to do with the prince. Most people would be honored to have the prince of Ashrudel save them from punishment and drag them along cheerfully, but Daniel was trying to think of ideas how to escape. Sure, the prince had gorgeous eyes, a firm build, clothes that were tight in all of the right places, a smile that could cause a heart attack, hair that one could only dream of being privileged enough to touch, and a delightful voice, but that's not the point. If Daniel made one wrong move, he could find his head on the wall of Philip's bedroom or something. It was too much pressure on the peasant, and even though the idea of a friend warmed his heart, he'd rather be alone.

They were both shook from their thoughts as they reached the tree Philip had sat at before. The simple oak wasn't different from any other tree–it offered shade, had large branches, and was home to a few bird nests–but it stood out to the prince. Philip sat on the ground, comfortably crossing his legs. He patted the ground next to him gently and told Daniel, "Come; sit! I have food in my satchel for us to feast upon."

Daniel cringed at his choice of words. Philip sounded like a stuck-up, rich kid, but then again, that's what he is. Nonetheless, Daniel slowly took a seat next to the prince. He kept his legs outstretched in case of the need to get up and run away quickly, but he tried to look calm. Daniel smiled reassuringly at Philip, but the prince could tell he was nervous. The peasant's body was rigid and he looked like a bird preparing to take flight.

Philip quickly gushed, "You are timid, but why? I mean no harm to you, Daniel." The prince placed a hand on Daniel's bare shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up, but the peasant quickly shook his hand off. Philip swallowed his annoyance and asked frantically, "Are you hurt from the guards' violent actions? Would you like to have my shirt? Can I do anything to help with your discomfort?"

The peasant merely shook his head. After a minute of patient silence he spoke up, "I'm used to their roughness. But I'm not used to people being nice to me."

"Oh, but Daniel, I could never refuse you kindness!" Philip gasped. He cupped Daniel's cheeks and stared into his brown eyes, hoping for some sort of connection. The prince's thumbs were resting on Daniel's cheekbones, and with soft, gentle touches, he traced around the peasant's cheeks slowly. Daniel blushed a light red and leaned into his touch, completely abandoning any rules he had tried to set for himself and the prince. It was just so lovely to have Philip's hands resting lovingly on his face, to have his fingers wash all of the loneliness all away, even if it was just for a moment.

Philip brought his hands away and ran a few fingers through Daniel's curly locks, suppressing a smile as the younger boy bit his lip. A bird from a nearby tree chirped loudly, causing both of the boys to jump from surprise. The peasant used this as an opportunity to awkwardly scoot away, leaving approximately a meter between the two.

"Well, let's move on to the picnic, shall we?" Philip smiled widely, not even realizing how awkward it was between the two. The prince took everything out of his satchel and placed it onto the grass, making sure that the food didn't directly touch the dirt.

Daniel's small voice made Philip look over at him. "What's that?" He asked, pointing at the journal the prince had been carrying with him. The book was leather bound, with a few splatters of colorful paint making it look more joyful.