You're The Only One - Prinxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter Five: Arriving Early

After his first dragon lesson with the new stable boy, Roman had returned to the palace with new invigoration to study every book he owned about the subject. They had spent the first lesson covering what he knew already, which was mostly basic classifications of dragons along with some specific facts about his personal favorites. Virgil had told him that he would start actually teaching him properly during their lessons to come, but the next lesson would be a test of sorts.

The prince took it as a challenge. He assumed that the stable boy was going to truly test his knowledge and score him accordingly. Roman was determined not to fail; he didn't want Virgil to think of him as a royal who's head was filled with glitter.

He strutted into the stables with his chin up early that morning, ready for whatever test was going to be thrown his way. He was prepared to announce this, but he found that the boy he was looking for was not in the first room. Brian and Harley were, looking up in surprise to see him and quickly scrambling to bow.

"Oh, gosh, please don't," he rushed out, instructing them to stand up. "There's really no need to do any of that when my mother isn't here, you know that."

Harley looked apologetic as Brian shrugged his words off. "You know that I only follow the protocols I'm instructed to," he explained. "I've been taught to show the royals respect as they enter the room and you are a royal."

"You sound like Logan," the prince said with a chuckle. He then shook his head and refocused on what he was here for. "Can you direct me to where Virgil is?"

The auburn haired boy nodded with a wide grin, pointing to the doorway that led deeper into the stables. "He should be a few rooms down. He was just washing one of the dragons last time I talked to him. He should be easy to spot!"

He thanked him and headed through the stables. Roman looked around curiously at all the stalls with mostly slumbering dragons inside. He had no idea that his mother had invested in so many dragons of so many different species. It made him appreciate Virgil's position a bit more; the stable boy was the only one of the three of them with the knowledge required to take care of each of these vastly different beasts. 

The prince wandered passed the stalls, hearing a shuffling coming from a room that branched off of the main building. He peaked his head around the doorway, his breath catching in his throat at what he saw.

Virgil was standing on a stool and held a sponge in his hand as he cleaned a dragon's wings. It was a large beast with a long neck. It was so tall that it had to curve its neck downward to avoid hitting its head on the roof of the building. It had down curling horns like a ram but despite the size of its wings, it was clearly not of the sky striker kingdom. It was a fire breather, of this, Roman was certain.

His gaze shifted to the boy. He felt his cheeks warm as he realized he was shirtless. Watching as the muscles of his back and his arms worked, he was mesmerized. Virgil was scrawny, but somehow had very strong muscles beneath his pale and scarred skin. 

The dragon sniffed the air and twisted its head toward him, letting out an alarmed noise. The stable boy looked toward him and he blinked in surprise. He quickly jumped down from the stool and moved around to touch the base of the dragon's neck. He mimicked a cooing noise to him before speaking. "It's alright, Makapo. He's not a threat."

Makapo swung his head down to look at Virgil, sniffing harshly. He turned toward Roman as he pet his large snout gently. "He's blind," he explained, looking back at the dragon with a sympathetic look in his eyes. "He get's a bit spooked around people other than me."

"Is... Is he gonna attack me?" the prince asked. 

He hated how naive he sounded, but he needed to be sure that the giant creature in the room wasn't going to lash out at him. Virgil's eyes twinkled with amusement as he shook his head and beckoned him closer. He took hesitant steps until he was standing directly next to him in front of the dragon's nose. The stable boy took his hand and guide it to lie flat on top of his own. Roman felt a jolt of electricity run through his skin as his breathing hitched. Then Virgil removed his own hand and the feeling was gone.

"He's just got to get used to your scent," he explained, seemingly unfazed by what had just occurred between them. "Makapo is very sweet. He's really a gentle giant, but his blindness can cause him to be a bit clumsy, which might be potentially dangerous to smaller creatures like deer and dogs."

The prince nodded as he focused on his hand being placed on a dragon's snout. He'd never actually touched a dragon before. This was a whole new experience for him. He smiled at up at the white glossy eyes of the beast before shifting over to Virgil. 

He swallowed nervously as he realized that he was still shirtless. It seemed to dawn on him the moment their eyes met, because he quickly cleared his throat and moved to pick up his discarded shirt. "Well, I was just about finished cleaning him anyway. He'll be fine, so I'll just take him back to his stall and we can start our lesson, okay?"

Nodding, Roman watched as the boy moved to guide the giant beast out of the room. It amazed him. Makapo was a massive creature, capable of crushing a human under his foot if he desired, but he was relying on Virgil to guide him through the building. It made him think more about the bonds that the stable boy must have with each of the dragons he'd seen in the stables. 

He's got a way with dragons, he thought, smiling a little. I can't wait to learn more about how he does it.