They couldn't be more different. Ridley is a knight in shining white armor, so perfect in every way that it makes people hardly able to stand him. Prince Vandel on the other hand (aka the evil demon prince of darkness) is the sworn enemy of the king...
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Author's Note: This gorgeous fanart of Ridley in a suit from @watsonjadedakota11 on IG has cleared my skin and watered my crops!
Tuttle
I had never seen Vandel like this before.
I had raised that boy since he was a child. I had been at his side for over 200 years, through every tantrum, through every fight, through every moment of conceited arrogance. In all that time, he had never shown any kind of weakness. I never thought it was possible for him to break down like this.
Since Ridley's departure from the castle, Vandel had hardly left his room. When I checked on him, I would often find him either crying or lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as if unable to move at all. I could hardly get him to eat and I had barely heard him speak a word since the knight had left.
I'd never realized Vandel had surrendered his entire heart to Ridley until it was far too late and now the poor boy had been left completely empty.
The thought of him suffering like this broke my heart.
I approached his room now, giving the door a gentle knock. "My lord," I said, "may I come in. I have your supper."
There was silence for a moment, and I was afraid he was going to turn me away and refuse to eat. Finally however, I heard a soft, "You may enter."
I walked into his dimly lit room. My prince sat on his bed, curled up in a little ball with a blanket pulled around him, rising up over his head. Despite being half hidden, it was obvious his eyes were red and puffy from crying, a few little sniffs still escaping him.
"Here you are, my lord," I said, gently laying a silver tray on his bedside table.
"Thank you, Tuttle," he mumbled, wiping his eyes with one hand. "Hey," he said suddenly.
My head instantly snapped back towards him, surprised he had spoken more than just the few words necessary, a rarity for him these days.
"Yes, my lord?"
"How many days has it been...since...y'know?"
"Four days, my lord."
He sighed heavily, pulling the blanket a little tighter around himself. "It makes me pathetic, doesn't it? Acting like this? Everyone has probably lost all respect for me around the palace. The Evil Demon Prince of Darkness, Vandel, reduced to...well...this."
I nervously approached him, my heart pounding in my chest from the mere insanity of what I was about to request of him.
"M-My lord, would you permit me to sit beside you on your bed?"
I didn't know if he would yell at me for asking such a thing. It would be within his rights and I would completely understand if he did. However, to my surprise, after a second he gave me a stiff nod.
