(you should) see me in a crown

chapter three;

Most mornings Darryl had a strict routine. In fact it was odd for him to differ from how he had always done things. He regularly woke up as early as possible (the earlier he started, the earlier he finished and the more he would get done after all) and set two alarms to make sure he was up on time. He'd then often get ready and grab a quick breakfast on his way out the door.

So to say it was a shock for him to wake up in a completely unfamiliar environment would be an understatement. He didn't usually wake up with a sore neck from sleeping in an armchair the whole night, nor did he usually wake up with a prince hovering over him. This was a rather unusual morning it seemed.

"Are you finally awake?"

Zak's voice was clear and bright, almost verging on too upbeat for someone who had clearly gotten so little sleep. Blinking open tired eyes, Darryl finally focused on the boy in front of him. Somehow Zak had already been able to get ready for their trip out, dressed immaculately as always in a light blue jacket and black jeans, a travelling cloak thrown over one arm and the crown seal emblazoned on the pocket of his shirt. It's hardly completely appropriate attire for a prince, but Darryl isn't going to be the one to point that out. If he had to bet he'd assume that Zak had already been spoken to about it several times and had simply chosen to ignore it.

"What?" Darryl mumbled, words still slurred a little from sleep. The sunlight had filtered in from the large windows on the side of the room, casting a bright glare of light across the room's occupants, something that he didn't exactly consider a pleasant thing to wake up to. "What do you mean?"

Zak's smile only widened, and Darryl was struck once again with the urge to stop him before he had even spoken. "Oh, so you really are out of it, huh." A pause, and Zak takes a few steps backwards, shoulders shaking a little in what Darryl recognises as an attempt not to laugh. "We're going out today, remember? You're supposed to accompany me out, do your duties as a knight and all that."

"Wait we-" A pause. Realisation often comes a moment too late, after all, and Darryl found that this situation was not an exception. "Oh my goodness. No. Wait, what time is it?"

"Eleven am."

Two hours later than they were supposed to leave, then. Darryl had well and truly blown this opportunity, hadn't he? It was a miracle that Zak and Vincent hadn't run off on their own if the King's words were anything to go by. That and there was the small matter of Darryl waking up in the prince's rooms and not in his own quarters. If anyone were to find out about that they could easily misread the situation, deem him to be unprofessional and get him kicked from his job. It would truly be a nightmare situation after he had worked so hard to get to where he was.

"I did not sleep here," Darryl said slowly, rising from the chair and brushing off his clothes, a small frown pulling at his lips. "Please tell me I'm misinformed and I didn't sleep here."

This time Zak really did laugh. "You want me to lie to you?" A pause while he stops to cover his mouth with one hand as though to try and curb his laughter. "Okay. You didn't sleep here. At all. Vincent and I were alone the whole night and you most definitely didn't fall asleep while sitting up, spilling that glass of water all over the floor. It didn't happen."

"Not helpful." Darryl replied, taking a moment to look around the room, brows furrowed in confusion. Although Zak was here and he'd stayed the whole night, Vincent seemed to be nowhere to be seen despite the fact that Zak had all but begged to let him go with them. "Where's your friend? The astrologer one."

"Oh. He was called off early this morning. Something about actually doing his job." Zak shrugged. "He's only an apprentice, you know? Kind of like me. When the King dies I'll take over. When the old astrologer dies, Vincent will take over. Which supposedly is predicted to be soon."