A True Prince: Sanders Sides AU

Chapter 1: The Forest

Roman wandered through the forest, surrounded by the calm, golden light only nature could give him. He glanced behind him, making sure he wasn't followed. He breathed a sigh of relief, then started whistling to himself. Whistling soon turned to humming, which soon turned to quiet singing, which soon turned to a full on belting of notes accompanied by appropriate choreography.

That was another reason Roman loved nature; it gave him solitude away from the castle, away from the responsibilities of being a prince.

Roman laughed to himself, finishing up his song. He turned towards a nearby bluebird. "What would my father say if he saw me here? I know what he'd say:

Roman, you are a prince, and a true prince has no business jumping around like a dancing monkey! You are the future of our kingdom, boy, so you should start acting like it."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Like he'd ever understand." He looked up at the bird. "Honestly, I don't know how you could understand either. You're a bird; you're free to fly and go wherever you want, whenever you want. You're not cooped up in a stupid castle, with some stuffy old 'royal adviser' telling you what to do...blaming you for everything, even if it wasn't your fault."

Roman sighed. "It's not like father would believe me, anyways. Yeah, I sneak out of the castle, but I didn't set a fire in the kitchen! I didn't try on the crown 'just for fun'. And I certainly never touched Logan's spellbooks. Sometimes I can't tell if my father is going senile, or Dolos is just that good of a liar.

"Between you and me," Roman whispered to the bird. "I like to call him Deceit. Father hates it when I give people nicknames, but I think it's quite fitting. Unlike that stupid hat he always wears. I mean, seriously, who did he get fashion advice from, the Dragon Witch?"

"I think it's rather tasteful."

"How would you know? You're a bird."

"Your highness, turn around."

He did as he was told, and was met face to face with the royal adviser himself. Roman felt his face go white with fear, save for a bit of pink embarrassment from his stupidity.

Dolos tutted disapprovingly. "Honestly, this is the third time this month, your highness. You simply cannot leave the castle unaccompanied; it isn't safe."

"The only thing threatening around here is you, Dolos." Roman muttered.

"Excuse me?"

Roman adopted a voice of fake grandeur. "My apologies, sir, let me speak up so that you may hear what I have to say. You are the most troublesome figure in my life right now, Deceit, and I would feel much more at ease if you left me alone. Now." Roman took a dramatic bow. "If you'll excuse me, I must take my leave."

Before Roman could ditch the royal pain in his you-know-what, Dolos grabbed the prince's wrist and started dragging him back to the castle.

"I'm sorry, your highness," he said, clearly not feeling sorry. "But it's my duty to protect the future heir of the kingdom. I will be notifying your father of your latest exploit as soon as we return."

If Dolos didn't scare Roman, the thought of his father certainly did. "No, please!" he begged, trying to remove himself from Dolos' grasp. "He'll never let me leave the castle again, even if I am attended!"

Dolos smirked. "That's kind of the point, your highness." And with an almost inhuman strength, Dolos continued dragging Roman back to the castle to face his father.