Sneaking Out Has It's Perks (Iwaoi AU)

👑Ch.2👑

~{Iwaizumi's POV}~

"Good morrow, good knight!" Matsukawa comes up to Hanamaki and I at the beginning of our training. Matsukawa and Hanamaki are the only other knights that have acknowledged my existence besides the commander. Matsukawa tells me to just call him Matsun and Hanamaki tells me to just call him Makki. I already feel apart of the group.

"The day sure went by fast," I broke into a small laugh at Hanamaki's comment.

"Stop talking to me," Mattsun walks ahead of us as Makki and I talk some more.

"So the King and Prince are coming here at some point?" I ask my friend. He's been here a few more months than me so has more connections to people around the castle. He has a weird ability to find anything and everything out in the same hour a question was first asked. I don't know how he does it and I'm not asking questions.

"Yeah. It was sort of last minute that they decided to do a tour," he shrugs. We continue having some small talk when the doors open and a crowd of people start watching us. "Those girls try so hard for the prince's attention," he motions for me to get closer so I do. "I hear he's not into them... or any females for the matter," he smirks and hits my chest. "Also I heard his brother is the same way."

"Oh I heard about that!" I accidentally raise my voice. The second oldest named Kageyama. The name will always live on infamously within the Aoba Johsai kingdom. 'He underwent the ultimate betrayal. He went against the king and all of his people.... for what? For some Prince he's suppose to hate?'

"Silence!" He whisper yells at me. "They say Kageyama snuck out through tunnels within the castle walls," Makki draws over the castle with his fingertip. "And there's something very interesting in there." He drags out the word very.

"No," I immediately respond. "I'm not sneaking off with you guys!" I turn away to the group that is still watching us. As I do I catch the Prince staring at me. I'm immediately repulsed.

"Awe come-" I stop listening and only pay attention to Prince Tooru. 'That idiot... quit staring at me,' of course i would never actually say that. He's the Prince... I'm just a knight fit to serve him until I eventually die in battle. "Village idiot," Makki rolls his eyes at me.

"I'm sorry?" I ask. I didn't really hear him.

"It's impolite to stop paying attention to a friend in the middle of their sentence," he crosses his arms.

"Weileway," I apologize and bow my head slightly.

"Come on! You should come with Mattsun and I. Think of all the silver and gold," he says with a mischievous smile and I give a small giggle thinking about what I could do with all that money. I think of my family back at home. The only reason I enlisted.

Outside the castle... is a whole different world. A harsher world. Overwhelming poverty. People being literally worked to death. Children dying of starvation on the streets. Diseases. A horrible horrible disease that kills anything in it's wake.

The Bubonic Plague.

"Fine... but we better not get caught."

"I know the guard schedules," Mattsun says confidently. "Believe me. We won't." Not long after that the Prince and the King leave with the girls tailing behind them.

>•<

"Wow I can't believe you're not complaining," Makki muses as we pass over another dead rat in the tunnels. The walls are made of a dark rock covered in moss and some other sticky fluids I'd rather not think about. The tunnels are littered with trash and dead animals that it smells disgusting. My home town is worse so it has no affect on me but I can see how it might on others.

"It's fine," I whisper.

"No it's not. It's disgusting in here. This is only the second time we've been in here so we haven't gotten around to cleaning," Mattsun tells me. We take a few more steps until Makki points at a door.

"That is the Prince's bedroom," he bites his lip and starts to open it. "He's never here at this time..." I look at him suspiciously. "I can't tell you who told me that." He slowly slips in with Mattsun on his tails.

"Hey," I whisper hesitantly. "Wait for me," I don't want to get left behind so I quickly slip through the opening into the bedroom. Just as I'd expect. The room is... well perfect.

The bed is all a light blue with gorgeous gold accents that swirl around the soft fabric with the Oikawa family crest in gold (most likely actual gold) on the headboard. There's a wooden dresser to the side with gold and silver knicknaks on top of it. The balcony opens up to a perfect view of the gardens with a gold railing to top it off. The walls littered with surely expensive paintings and a mural. I'm not sure what the mural depicts but it seems very...

Gruesome.

"Stop gawking at the stupid trinkets and go on look out," Makki shoos me out of the fancy room into the hallway. The hall has a shiny floor that I could easily tell was just polished and just from barely stepping down hard my steps echoed throughout the hallway. There's no windows in the hall. My only source of light is the candles that are lit on the walls. I look side to side to try to see anybody but I can barely see anything. There's a corner close to where I am standing. 'Better go check to see if the coast is clear,' I think before peering over the corner. I take a few steps and someone rams into me. They fall to the ground but I catch my balance before I could do the same.

"What... what," I hold my hand out for the stranger on the ground. I don't recognize him by his voice but I guess I should have. "Iwaizumi," he says breathlessly as he grabs my hand. I examine the stranger further while cocking my head to the side in confusion. The realization of who I am touching hits me hard.

"Your Highness...?" I mouth and his smile immediately disappears. I help him up and immediately start looking down at the ground. According to Mattsun I'm not allowed to look the royal family in the eye (even though I failed earlier but no one caught me and the Prince didn't say anything, which is good). "I'm sorry Your Highness. Please forgive me."

"It-It's fine," he loudly exhales. I'm not allowed to leave until given permission according to Makki so I stand there with my head bowed. "You can look at me it's fine," he tilts my head up to him with his fingertips. He's closer now. Very close. He looks at me weirdly... almost... like... admiration? Then he starts to lean in. At the last second I understand what he is trying to do. I put my hand on his mouth and shake my head.

"I know you're the Prince but... no," I look at him in disgust and turn away. Completely ignoring the rule about not being able to leave. Makki and Mattsun pull my into the tunnels as soon as I round the corner.

"What happened? You were suppose to guard the door?" Makki yells at me.

"It's nothing..." I simply reply and follow them out.

'I hope the Prince doesn't hold a grudge...'