Royalty

IV

"Do you have half a sun tattoo on your arm?" Phil asked with a panicked voice. I gulped and nodded. "Does the other half look like the moon?" I nodded again. "Shit" he whispered. I stared down at the black marking on my wrist. It was beautiful. I traced it with my finger. The half that I was born with was looked like the sun, only now there was another half that looked like the moon. "Oh my god" I was to stunned to say anything. "Oh my god. You're- we're... I cannot believe this! I never thought I'd meet you" his voice was a mixture of fear and excitement. "I thought I was never going to meet my soulmate"

"Prince Daniel!?" the voice was closer again. I had been gone too long. I needed to go back. I needed- Shit. I looked at my tattoo again in disbelief. I was so shocked that I couldn't even speak.

Phil looked at me, waiting for me to say something. I tried to open my mouth to say something, but I couldn't. He grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eye. "Wait for me outside the gates tomorrow night, down by the stables" he said. "Please?" I widened my eyes and nodded. I think I was in shock. "Okay" his hands slid down my arms until they were on my hands. I gripped his hands tightly. "I have to go" I dropped his hands and he disappeared into the shadows.

"Dan," I whipped around and saw Jack standing there. He looked relieved. "Finally, I've been looking everywhere for you" My brain was whirling as I tried to process what had just happened. "Come on, we have to get you back to the party" he grabbed my arm and pulled me back inside.

"Where have you been!?" My mother cried when Jack brought me back into the room. Most of the people were gone by now as it was late, but a few still stood around the room.

"I found him out in the garden, your highness" Jack said to her when I didn't answer her. "He was just standing out there alone" she turned to him.

"Thank you so much for finding him" Jack bowed. "What were you doing out there, Daniel?" it was like my entire body had shut down. I couldn't make myself talk.

"I imagine he was getting some air, your highness" Jack said. "There was quite a lot of people here, it must've just gotten to much for him" she nodded, in understand.

"Yes, I imagine it did" she cupped my cheek lovingly. "You're probably very tired, Dear" she turned to Jack. "Why don't you take him up to his room. He's had enough for today" Jack bowed again and then took me by the arm and led me out of the ballroom. I didn't speak until I was back in my room, alone with him.

"I'm sorry" I said. He rolled his eyes and started to take my shoes off. I pulled away from him. "I can do that myself" he shrugged and sat on the bed next to me. Jack was the closest friend I had. I'd known him since we were both little. His mom was a servant here, and when he turned sixteen he became my male servant. Although I didn't let him do much. He mostly just hung out with me when I was bored.

When I had changed into my pajamas, I turned to him.

"Jack..." I said nervously. His eyes slowly moved up my body to my face. "You're my friend, right?" he nodded.

"'Course" I chewed on my lip.

"And if I told you something, you won't judge me? Or tell anyone else?"

"What did you do?" he asked in a bored voice. "Get a maid pregnant?" I scratched the back of my neck. Maybe I shouldn't tell him. I mean, how did I know that he wouldn't tell anyone? But he was my friend. Jack really was my friend. He had always been here for me. "Come on, spill" he was perched on the edge of my bed, waiting for me to tell him my secret. "You can't just leave me hanging"

"I- I kind of kissed a boy" I stuttered out. I closed my eyes and waited for Jack to laugh, yell, say something. But he didn't. I slowly peeked my eyes open. He was still sitting there on the edge of the bed, looking at me. His face looked different.

"Okay" he said simply. "Do you want to talk about it?" I balled my fists and started pacing. Of course I wanted to talk about it. All I wanted to talk about was Phil. I wanted to talk about how he was the only person from tonight that I noticed. He was the one that I talked to, the one that noticed when I left the party, and followed me to make sure I was okay. I wanted to talk about how his face shone in the moonlight and the way the stars reflected in his eyes, making them appear as if they were filled with galaxies. How we danced, and he was the clumsiest person I had ever met. And how his lips felt on mine...

I wanted to talk about the fact that he was my soulmate.

"Have you met your soulmate?" I asked instead of answering his question. He looked confused at my sudden topic change.

"No, not yet" he said. He pulled up his shirt, showing a tattoo of a vine spiraling upward on his side. I studied it and then I leaned back against my dresser. Jack pulled his shirt back down and asked, "Do you think he's your soulmate?" I took a deep breath. For some reason I didn't want to tell him. I wanted to keep it a secret. I mean it's one thing for me to have kissed a boy but having a boy as my soulmate... Plus what if he accidentally told someone? No I couldn't tell him.

"I'm... not sure"

"Do you like him?" that weird feeling in my stomach came back.

"Yeah, I do" Jack leaned back on my bed, propping himself up on his elbows. I walked over and sat next to him on the bed. "What do I do? I don't- I don't know how to do this. I don't know what to do" I sighed in frustration. I had no idea what I was supposed to do next. How was I supposed to go from trying to find a wife to finding out that my soulmate was a boy?

"You're thinking about this too much" Jack said. "And I can't really help you if you don't want to talk about it" I glanced at him apologetically. "Maybe you should just get some sleep, that might clear your head" I nodded and crawled up to the other end of the bed. "But Dan?" 

"What?" I asked. Jack got off the bed and crossed his arms.

"We're talking about this tomorrow" he said, leaving no room for argument. I looked away from him. This was the first time I kept a secret from him. I normally told him everything. But I couldn't tell him this. I couldn't tell anyone.