Enormity // Jalex

10. Why are you my clarity?

~~

Just as Alex had predicted, the moment he arrived back through the vast, rain-rusted castle gates the next morning he was met by a furious King who was demanding to know where his son had been. Alex wasn't stupid enough to let Jack and Rian back in with him and had told them to wait it out a couple of hours because he'd told his father that Jack was sick and them returning through the gates together would surely have raised some suspicion, as well as people widening who the new comer was.

He'd been a little cold towards the pair on the way home but he could hardly blame himself; he'd gone and saved Jack's life and the boy hadn't even thanked him? Two could play at that game, he decided.

"Where on earth have you been!" Peter boombed, dragging the Prince off his horse and getting the guards to restrain him, hands being ripped harshly behind his back.

Alex struggled and strained but it was to no avail; he was strong but could not out weigh two guards. "Get off me!" He ordered but the Kings words clearly out did his. The 20 year old looked up to find his father glaring furiously at him and he sighed. "I just went to get some fresh air!"

"You expect me to believe that? You were gone all night!" The King spat, spinning around and back-handing his son across the face. Alex's head went flying to the side and the red mark on his cheek was proof enough that the hit had been a pretty hard one. He could taste that familiar metallic tang in his mouth and sure enough, blood was soon dripping from the corner of his lips onto his sun-kissed skin. Peter wasn't done there, though. "And getting that silly little girl to lie for you as well, you're a disgrace Alexander and you'll never make a good king unless you learn the hard way."

Alex was honestly more mad that his father had just called Taylor a silly little girl than he was at the man for hitting him. It had hurt though, and he was far too frightened of speaking out again so instead, bit back his anger and stayed silent. Like the cowards he always knew he was.

"I'm putting you out in the stocks. That'll teach you a lesson." And with a swift nod of his head, Alex was dragged helplessly to the castle dungeons while the villagers were told to prepare their rotten food for the next hour to pass.

/

There was a quiet tentative knock on Alex's door that afternoon as he picked the rotten squashed fruit out of his hair. "Go away," his voice was raised angrily, teeth snapping together. He wasn't in the mood for anything. His head was throbbing from where the villagers had decided that potatoes were a good thing to throw and his whole upper half stank like rotten fruit.

The citizens of Glenfall had been more than delighted at the opportunity to throw their waste food at a member of the Royal household and had come in their flocks, some even just to watch the show. Alex, admittedly, hadn't found it all that awful. He was a light hearted boy at best and had even laughed a little along with the villagers when a tomato hit him right on the head. But for now, reflecting on the previous days events, he wasn't in a good mood.

Despite the angry warning, the door creeped open the tiniest bit and Jack's bruised head popped around. Alex scowled and looked away going back to picking out the food. His hair was sodden with it and that really didn't put him in any much more of a better mood.

Jack sighed sympathetically seeing Alex's own bruised cheek and fruity hair and strolled into the room shutting the door quietly behind him, bucket of warm water in hand. The Prince ignored him and continued sitting in front of his mirror attempting to get the last bits of tomato seed out before dunking his head in a clean bucket of cold water. He was even too lazy to call the maids and order water for a bath after the day he'd had.

Jack watched silently from where he now stood at the side of the Prince's bed. He'd been watching the frustrated man for little over a minute but he could already tell that he was angry, frustrated and maybe a little upset.