Can't this be 'happily ever after'?

2

"Roman Princeton! Get out of bed!" I hear my mother scream. I groan and check the time. 6:15am?! Why do I have to get up so early, it's Saturday! I don't have anything on today!

I roll out of my bed and hit the floor.
"Ow," I rub my elbow. Time for another day of living without anything to live for. Maybe, war will be good, maybe I can just die.

"Ugh, don't step on me Ro." I look down to see a tired Patton lying on my makeshift bed.
"Ugh, sorry, I forgot you were there." I reach down and help him up.
"Training today!" He says, unenthusiastically.
"What?"
"For the war. It starts in three days."
"What?!" I explode. "I hate this."

--

"So, did your brother tell you about the war against the Dark Kingdom that we're starting?" Father asks at breakfast. I have the urge to scream at him, but I compose myself.
"Yes, we start training today."
"I don't think you need the training but yes." Training is the worst; we get commoners in and fight them. It's usually to the death and it's horrible, why on earth can we just use commoners like that? They're not bad people! Virgil was a commoner. I start to choke on my food.

"Oh shit, come here, Princey." Virgil says, quietly, not to disturb anyone else in the house. I walk over to him and he rubs my back. "Hey, it's gonna be okay, it won't be me, if that's what you're worried about." I have to kill another commoner tomorrow.
"Wha-what if it is you?"
"You sign up for that sort of thing, they get payed heaps for there lives and then when it's time to die they go in. Obviously, I would go in and do that, but mum stopped me from signing up. We need the money, but she said she needs me more."
"They pay you? Oh, that makes me feel better."
"Yeah, don't fret. It's gonna be alright."

Father slaps my back and my throat clears up. I try not to cry. "I'm fine, I'm going to go get some air."
"Be at the fencing hall at 8!" Father yells after me.

Once I turn the corner I run. I just run and run, out of the castle, out into the streets. Past random people who say hi, but I ignore them. I run all the way to the gate. The gate that leads outside the kingdom, I stop. I wipe the tears from my eyes and check my watch.

I've ran through the woods before, one time, I was with Virgil. I have two hours until I have to be back. I sigh, I know it's a bad idea and I'll probably end up stopping and crying but I don't care. I start to open the gate when an arm stops me.

"Prince Roman?" I turn around to see a guard dressed in dark blue.
"I'm going for a run, sir. I'll be fine."
"Uh..." he looks down awkwardly, "I can't let you out, I promised the Queen I would make you stay in the premises."
"Break the promise, guard. I don't care, tell my mother that I was upset, and I needed somewhere to think."
"I- fine." He whispers and let's go of my arm. "I have to come with you, though."
"What! Why?"
"They don't want you to do a runner."

"I- oh my god! Fine. Let's go then." I roll my eyes; he'll be fired if he doesn't so, I let it go. We run through the woods.
"Gah, can you please slow down, your highness?" The guard says after a while. I stop, he bumps into me, causing us both to fall over on the uneven ground. "S-sorry."
"It's fine," I say, sitting up, combing a hand through my hair. He sits opposite me.

"So, what's your name?"
"Oh... uh, Logan, Logan Crofters." He sticks out his hand. I shake it.
"I take it you know who I am." He smiles a bit.
"No, I have no idea who you are." I laugh, and smile at him. He looks a bit like Virgil. The same chocolate eyes and the same laugh. I shake my head. "Are you alright, Prince Roman?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry. You remind me of someone, it's stupid."
"Virgil?"
"How...?"
"He's my cousin. We look alike."

I make an 'o' shape with my mouth. "I heard all about you and what happened. I'm sorry it got found out. Virgil was so happy."
"Yeah, so was I." I smile weakly. Pushing more tears from my eyes I stand up. He does the same. "We should probably head back."
"Yeah, probably. Sorry for reminding you about-"
"Don't be sorry. And call me Roman." He blushes.
"Okay, Roman." I smile.
"So, Logan, tell me about yourself."

--

I say goodbye to Logan and tell him we should go on another run tomorrow; he laughs but agrees. He's a year younger than me, same age as Patton. I tell him I'll bring Pat. He shakes his head, telling me not to set them up but I smirk and say I can't help it. They would be a cute couple. I also tell him they won't get found out because I'll always be there and you're just the guard running with us.
He rolls his eyes saying that they will not get together. I run to the hall, I'm late but I don't care.

We practice all day, fighting, fighting, fighting. Patton hates it too. In the breaks I tell him about Logan. He whacks my shoulder and says that I shouldn't be so naive, I laugh saying that he would like Logan.

We keep fighting. I kill someone. It hurts my insides, but I shake it off. I get cut with a sword, twice. Patton tries to convince Father we should stop. He says no, we have to keep fighting. We do. It's horrible. I burry my emotions.

--

"You're early today, Roman." Logan says when we reach him.
"Yes sir." I laugh, "I wanted to spend longer in the woods this time. Go further. I know this place about half an hour away that's beautiful."
"Ah, okay. You must be Prince Patton," Logan says, sticking out a hand, "I'm Logan."
"Nice to meet you Lo," Logan blushes at the nickname. I smile.

"Come on, lets go." I say, dragging them out. We run for half an hour, finally reaching out destination. It's an opening in the trees. The sun shines down perfectly in the middle. There's a little tree growing in the middle. Virgil and I planted it when we were here. I smile at the memory.

"Hey, this spot is beautiful!" Virgil exclaims. We sit in the exact middle, smiling giddily and the beautifulness of it all. Virgil pulls something out of his pocket. "I though we'd find a place like this and I brought a seed. If we ever come back we can see a little tree in the middle of it and it's pretty."
"You plant trees?"
"Yeah, I have so many spots where I've planted stuff. It's kind of weird, I know that."
"No, it's not. It's adorable." He blushes and starts to plant the seed. I help him. Our hands keep brushing.
"Roman," he looks at me, I nod for him to keep going, "uh, this is weird and stuff but uh..."
"What?"
"Uh... I think... I think I love you."

"Roman?" Patton snaps his fingers in front of my face.
"Hm? Yeah?"
"You zoned out again."
"Oh, sorry. I was thinking about... never mind." Patton squeezes my hand and we all sit down.
"What's it like being a prince?" Logan asks, changing the subject.