Two Bodies, One Soul

Going rather red when he was praised, the boy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly "You have to know where to look and what to look for, the chest was probably put there to keep people from finding it" thats what he guessed anyway. Perking up at the thought of exploring he let the prince open the trapdoor wincing when Atrel tumbled backwards as it opened without resistance. Peering around him into the tunnel. Grinning in response to the question of wanting to find out where their tunnel had gone, the boy hopped into the tunnel and clambered down the ladder that seemed to go down for aaages. finally there were no more steps in the ladder and he hopped off onto the bottom of the passage way only a foot or so. Hunched over a little he walked along carefully taking his time as it didn't do to rush down passage ways when you didn't know where they were going. Reaching what felt like a wall he touched his hands to it and left around before finding a handle of sorts, pulling on it the wall infront of him pulled to the side like a door. Moving to the next bit he carefully touched his fingers to the surface and blinked "We're behind a painting" not strong enough to lift it up or move it he gestured for his friend to come over and help him. Together they were able to lift the painting up a little and off of its hook, it slipped to the ground with a thud, looking around the room the boy perked up "This is my room!" the blue walls only had one or two paintings and they were ones painted by the little boys father, it was fairly bare and simple reflecting the fact that they were both very low ranking nobles however it suited them both. He had a small stack of books on his bed side table, there was a small crate that might have once had cider bottles in it, that had small worn toys. There was two doors, one went through to his father rooms, which from there soft noises could be heard of a man painting.

Smiling still as the other boy bounced into the room he listened to the bubbly words, it was fantastic being back where he knew where he was and being able to see his new best friend whenever they wanted sounded like another fantastic thing. However he lost his smile a little when his friend began to wander towards the door, flying after him he landed and took his friends hand "My Dad, he's painting, we shouldn't disturb him now it takes lots of concentration so we should go elsewhere and come see him when he's done" he could only hope that Atrel would listen to him, doing his best to lead him back towards the secret passage they'd found, perhaps they could play there instead and he'd feel safe knowing there was a way to get back to his father if something bad happened, there was always a faint bit of anxiety coursing through the boy that something bad was going to happen. It was why he didn't fly, he got a prickly feeling in his toes when he got too far away from the ground, looking over his shoulder hoping to see the prince coming with him the boys dark blue eyes glittered with concern.


It'd been a long, cold and awfully boring winter, he'd spent much of his time in the castle writing some new poetry and penning frequent letters to his friend. He hadn't seen his
best friend since they'd been fourteen, issues in the valley meaning he'd had to stay behind and help his mother run the place whilst his father visited the palace again. However the most recent letter that had been sent had brought the young noble hope, King Oberon had finally agreed to let Atrel and Katherine to come out and stay the entire summer, his first thing to do had been clean up the mess of his room so that it at least looked presentable. Dressed neatly he'd been hanging around the castle all day waiting for his prince to show up, it was a warm late spring day but by his calculations this would be the day they arrived, brightening up when he spotted the group travelling along the road from his perch up on the roof, the young man ran down through the castle to skid to a halt, nearly sliding into the door. He'd grown quite a bit in the past two years and had begun to fill out from the lean kid he'd been, pushing his hair out of his eyes yet again he greeted the prince with a smile "Took your time my prince, i was starting to think you'd never show" it was so good to see the prince once again, amused to find that he was a good foot taller at least than Atrel now Conrad didn't bow knowing his princes preferences.

Grinning hugely at the comment Conrad retorted "I've been eating my vegetables my prince" nodding at Katherine when she appeared, his main focus was on Atrel. Knowing the servants would put the prince and princesses things in the rooms they usually had, the teenager grinned "There's so much to catch up on" sure the letters had been regular but it wasn't the same as listening to him talk, taking his hand without thought like they always had in the past, the warmth that flared through him at the touch was new to say the least. Although he'd taken the time to talk to his father he hadn't really expected this, glancing at Atrel briefly he added "Shall we go to the lake or roam the castle my prince?" deciding to leave it up to the other boy, he waited a little eagerly wanting to do everything from riding or walking through the forests, to mischief in the village or even just sitting on the roof watching the blue sky turn dark and be lit up with stars. Half by hoping that the silver eyed faerie wouldn't bring up the poetry he'd sent him as well as that was still incredibly embarrassing for the youngster.

Laughing quietly when his friend sniffed and retorted that he did too, nodding at the suggestion of the roof, Conrad hurried up through the well worn castle passageways and staircases until they were finally upon their favourite spot the roof. Leaning against him quietly when Atrel mentioned his mother, even though it'd been fourteen months since her death his eyes grew wet. Unable to talk about her without a lump appearing in his throat, the youngster opted not to say anything else for a while, just lean there and take comfort in the familiar presence of his best friend. Looking out over the valley he was able to pick out the princess heading off to do her own thing, she always seemed to be a bit of a loner, it was likely as difficult for Katherine as it was her brother he supposed distracting himself from the tragedy of his mothers loss. He had no idea how to talk about it, his father usually so open to discussing things had never said a word, merely hid himself away for a few months before continuing on like normal, Conrad tightened his grip a little on his friends hand silently.

Gritting his teeth he was silent for a few moments "I don't know how to my prince, it all feels tangled, hard to get out" he'd understood of course when Atrel had written back that his parents hadn't allowed him to come out as they'd wanted him to stay and continue his lessons. It wasn't the princes fault after all, turning his face to look down at his lap, studying his lap and taking comfort in his friends presence made it easier for the tangled knot of feelings inside of him to loosen and become easier to talk about. Conrad murmured "Father dosent talk about it at all either, i don't think he can" he'd been well aware of how much his parents had loved each other despite the large age gap between them. However the effects of his mother dying had had an effect that he never thought he'd ever see, "He paints more now, and dosent eat as much, I run the castle and the valley now" the young noble had been forced to grow up quite a bit, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve that was becoming unraveled he couldn't bring himself to look up at Atrel with his eyes so shamefully full of tears. The coward side of him wanted to run and hide, but where could he run to? The prince had always been the place he'd want to hide, his father had been more enthusiastic to talk about Conrads strange and somewhat awkward feelings about the prince than about what had happened to renee, still he had no real intention of acting on the feelings that were bubbling away in the background as of yet. He'd only get rejected or confuse the prince and then get rejected and then loose his best friend.

Shrugging a little the boy replied "Court is always boring" it was nicer out here, the only reason he went to court was to spend time with his best friend. Internally kicking himself for walking right into that question "They don't know, I don't really plan to tell him until I know they feel the same, if he does" there was no way he was spilling the beans and telling his friend how he felt right now. It'd just make things awkward, and he could only hope that Leif wouldn't muck it up, shaking his hair out of his face, thankful for now that at the very least he had his friends comfort and company. Watching the land that would one day officially be his spread out infront of them, later perhaps they'd go ofr a ride or a walk through the woods and explore, he'd found a good spot for a campsite up towards the far end of the valley behind the lake, no caves but he wasn't the type to do something as stupid as cave exploring, he could get trapped in there for pitys sake.

Glancing at his prince at the sigh, Conrad briefly wondered what the cause behind it was, absently wrapping an arm around Atrel when he felt the prince lean his head against his shoulder, the young lord stifled the butterflies that tangled themselves around in his chest and stomach leaving him feeling slightly nauseated. The urge to nuzzle into the thick black hair so within reach wasn't that easily ignored either, nor was the desire to plant a kiss there. Sharply telling himself off for entertaining such thoughts as he was rather certain the prince had no idea of his sexuality let alone Conrads, the thoughts caused the dark eyed boy to sigh deeply himself. At the same time he sent a prayer to any spirits and especially his mothers spirit that his body wouldn't react in embarrassing ways, awkwardly trying to find something else to think about he wound up thinking of the best things they could do that wouldn't end up with Conrad giving into his feelings and trying to jump the prince. Being a faerie really was a pain in the ass, internally grumbling about that he soon chose to get up and offer his friend a hand up, not telling him the true reason for getting up he spoke instead "It's a long way from the palace, you should probably eat before you fade away and then where would i be without my only friend" speaking a little dead pan the twinkle of amusement in his dark blue eyes betrayed him.

Smiling to himself at the prospect of a race he simply took off not bothering to say anything else taking the various short cuts and was soon happily eating some honey sandwiches waiting for his friend to show up. Watching him push open the door the young lord gave a slight wave and a smug grin very proud of the fact that he knew his home like the back of his hand, it was slightly amusing that while his friend had barely grown Conrad had shot up to five six over the past couple of years and judging from the amount of food he was consuming at present it wasn't unlikely that he was going to stop any time soon. Not particularly minding being taller than the prince, he could imagine that it was a source of frustration for Atrel, passing him a plate with sandwiches and moving onto his fourth he replied "Never good to try to race someone on their own territory my prince" smugness still issuing forth despite himself "i've found a good camping spot out in the woods where we can watch the stars and get away from the castle, theres a boat that Father purchased that we can take out on the lake too if you want its sort of fun" of course there were also all the other spots that they loved throughout the valley, that they'd discovered together. Indeed the summer would be well spent if he got to spend a large amount of time with his best friend.

Rolling his eyes when his friend started stealing his sandwiches, Conrad simply switched their plates and began eating off of the bigger stack, wrinkling his own nose when his friend mentioned lessons the young lord replied "You should just come live here when you're eighteen and don't have to stay at court anymore. I wouldn't mind the company" once he was full he finally leant back a little with a sigh and soft burp, his own wings neatly kept close to himself. He knew his friend hated court and was quite honestly relieved that Atrel would never become king, he and Atrel could spend time here instead as adults if the prince wished it. His chest suddenly ached painfully at the idea of his friend not wanting to stay here as they got older, he was well aware that it was a small valley and not very rich with only so much to explore. Sometimes he felt a little isolated here too but that feeling went away when he was with his prince, offering his friend a smile Con patiently waited for him to finish off the food.

He'd forgotten about that rule, there were so many his friend had to abide by that he often lost count of them, how did one even find their death spot after all? There was likely something to do with magic that he didn't understand, there was so much after all that he didn't understand about the world. Which was frustrating, but at the same time he just wanted to know what was required for him to be able to spend time with his best friend and keep the world at bay. At the suggestion he nodded and stood "Alright, I'll show you the potential campsite while we're out there" Deciding that while it'd be quicker by horseback, it'd be better for today that they walk and perhaps fly, he stood and headed out soon quite happily outside again. Conrad headed towards the thick forest that covered the lower slopes of the mountains that formed his valley, above them were the pastures where most of the animals were kept in the summer and spring, bringing them down in the autumn to keep them safe in the deep snows of winter. The thick forest had trails well worn through it from the constant activity of those that lived in the valley, Conrad while not always very outgoing while at the palace loved to make his own tracks and find his own secret places out there. Once he reached the tree he'd marked subtly the boy turned right and soon enough had lead Atrel to the small clearing on the slopes of the mountain that had a good view spot over the valley. "Here it is" he loved the forest of his valley, every time he went into it he discovered something new or refound something he'd completely forgotten about.

It'd been a couple of months since the prince had shown up at his doorstep, his feelings hadn't exactly gone away and despite his best intentions he had the feeling that some of them had shone through none the less. They were at the campsite beneath the stars, the fire had burnt down some and it was just the pair of them, summer was now in full swing and it was a pleasantly warm night. The stars stretched out above them seeming endless and innumerable there was something special about sitting there with Atrel, something different this time to all of the other nights they'd spent camped out here or in the castle. He'd had more time to think and come to terms with what he felt and what he strongly suspected his friend felt, shuffling to sit next to the silver eyed faerie and lean against him gently he spoke "they're beautiful tonight" not a single cloud in the sky, the last of his hesitation had gone although he was still a little worried that he'd ruin his friendship over it Conrad was reluctant to keep hiding what he felt.

Smiling a little when he felt Atrel lean against him he took a calculated risk and wrapped his arm around him holding him close, "Yeah, I haven't exactly figured out why yet" all together too wary of pushing his prince away he didn't do anything else for a few moments and when he had no negative reactions to his first movement, Conrad leaned his head against Atrels and turned his head a little to nuzzle into the black hair. How long had he wanted to do this? It felt like forever, ever since they'd met they'd always been two peas in a pod, never one without the other when they were at the palace together. His father had informed him that it was okay, this wasn't wrong to feel like this about another even if they were a male, he'd added that a male preference had been seen in the royal family for some time anyway. He just had to remember that Atrel likely had no idea of any of this, so he made himself not do anything crazy, to test the waters and proceed slowly.