Life is Harder Than You Think [18+]

[FatPanda]

Loud thumping runs could be heard as men scurried about and cried out:

 

"The prince has disappeared again!"

"Find him you imbecile! He could be in danger!"

"Yes sir!"

"Disperse all of the guards!"

"Right away sir!"

"Search the entire city, every cranny and every nook! Don't leave a single spot uncovered!"

"Get out of my way!"

"What're you doing?! Find him!"

 

Luca laughed aloud, trying his best to muffle the sounds. "Ah, what buffoons they all are." The Prince was standing off to the side, observing the uproar he'd caused. The palace was as stuffy as usual, having too many doting servants and people watching his every move. Once in a while, he liked to get out of the place to see what life would be like if he wasn't royalty. He scoffed, "These idiots don't even know what their Prince looks like although they see him everyday."

 

The Prince had simply changed into a dull brown shirt and a pair of black pants instead of the usual brightly coloured silk robes. It amused him to note that simply changing his clothing to something less elaborate could confuse the entire palace court into believing he had disappeared. In actuality, he had only changed into servant's clothing pretending to sweep. His hair was the same black cut short and his skin was the same pale white as were his eyes the same light grey. He wasn't even sweeping seriously, he moved the broom side to side imitating the act he'd only ever seen twice. He watched them run in, out, and around the palace.

 

"You, over there! What are you doing? Go search for the Prince immediately!" Some dunce was headed towards him, telling him to find the Prince. Lucas nearly fell to the ground laughing. The man was telling him, the Prince, to find himself. It really showed how idiotic the system inside the palace was. His own men couldn't pick him out from a crowd. He turned to go off to "find the Prince". "Where do you think you're going, you brat?! You've got no manners, answer me!"

 

With a blank look, the Prince stared. Noting his mistake, he smiled and replied with a chirp, "Yes, sir!" He stalked off towards the gate leaving the yard. Luca was in a good mood; he could leave the palace without anyone catching him. With a goofy smile on his face, he skipped up to the exit. That was when an old man dressed in not-so-dull coloured fine robes came up to him. He groaned, although most of the palace couldn't find him even if he stood before them there were a few who could spot him from a mile away. This old man was one of them. "Salant, don't do this." He whispered with his finger to his lips in an attempt to quiet the man. He pulled the man to one side, hiding behind a bush near the gate.

 

"Sire, please. The whole palace is in an uproar. You've got to stop doing this." Salant was a long time attendant of the royal family. He ran mostly everything inside the palace. He'd helped raise Luca and knew of his habit to leave secretly. He was one of the only people Luca loved and trusted.

 

"Come on, Salant. You're the great head of the attendants, if you just say I've gone to bed they won't know a thing. Please~" The Prince begged his guardian. It was true, a word from this man and the whole palace would settle down, laughing at their stupidity. Salant looked at the Prince with a stern face before relaxing and giving in. He always did; after all, it was his Prince that was asking. Without a word, he walked by Luca but the Prince knew the words his caretaker was thinking even without saying them. Be very careful and come back safely. He whispered thank you before slipping past the gate.

 

Salant shouted at the bustling guards and servants, "What is all this noise? The Prince is sleeping, you are disturbing his slumber!" At the words, all the servants stopped in their tracks.

 

"But sir, it was said the Prince has disappeared!"

 

The head attendant scowled. "Do you think I, Salant, head attendant of the Prince, would not know where my Prince is?! He is in his quarters and you are disturbing his peace!" At that, all noise subsided and all members of the palace returned to their duties.

 

Luca was the Prince of Harlinzuri, a country thriving off agriculture. It was a relatively beautiful country according to the little bit he'd seen. He lived in the Gold Palace in the middle of the Capitol, heart of the country. It was laced in riches and the surrounding area was a prosperous market. The nobles gathered here to settle in mansions and the vendors came to sell goods making outrageous profits. What he didn't know was that the rest of his country was in poor shape and were bordering poverty if not already there. They were at war with another country trying to take their land for themselves. It had destroyed a lot of homes in the outer areas where the war took place.

 

He stepped into the beautiful streets filled with a flurry of action. They were as lively as usual; people shouted their bargains, children ran in the streets, music played in the background. The Prince

[lilrockstar163]

Ilyias hefts the small sack he was carrying higher to his back, barely avoiding the playing children that ran the opposite way. He smiles indulgently, watching them run around the corner but still hearing their merry shouts. So this is Harlinzuri, he muses as he continues on walking, heading to the gates of the Capitol within the distance.

 

In contrast to the children, however, the whole lower district seems falling apart. The once pretty houses, Ilyias guessed, were dilapidated and some of them were already crumbling. It was a danger waiting to happen but the people, the older ones, seemed content to let it be. Most of the people were looking despondent, wearing clothes that make his own ragged and battered longsleeved off-white shirt and dirty blue pants that's tattered on the ends look newer than anything.

 

It was a very different Harlinzuri that he expected.

 

"Hey, you there!" A girl, probably just over her legal age, catches his attention. She approaches him with a sway to her hips and wearing a scrap of fabric that was more nothing than should be actually called clothing. "Um, yes?" Ilyias hesistantly replies, biting his lip when the girl stopped too close to him and was looking at him like fresh prey. "You look new, I'm pretty cheap for a night." She gestures to one of the crumbling houses behind her, close to the market. Ilyias blinked, caught off-guard. Was the girl suggesting...?

 

"I'm sorry...?" He takes a step back, he was on an unfamiliar ground. The girl rolls her eyes, "Look, I have a brother if that's what you want. He's younger than you, though, you look too feminine he's probably the one that's going to do you." She rants, oblivious to Ilyias' cringe.

 

True some people had already compared him to a girl due to his light brown locks of hair that falls in a wavy disarray to the middle of his nape and frames his soft facial features. The green tint to his eyes, natural curve to his lips, and his skin that just stays fair no matter what weren't helping either. But the callouses on his feet and hands from traveling would disprove all that. He'd acquired it from traveling and working hard on the little towns he had gone through just to arrive at the Harlinzuri country.

 

"So, mister, we can do this the pleasurable way or the hard way." The impatient voice of the girl cuts through his mind. Now he noticed the increased number of shadows on the alleys, the feeling of being trapped creeping up his skin. He swallows in nervousness, clutching tight to his bag. He doesn't have any money, the expenses of his travel weren't exactly cheap, but Ilyias doubts that telling them that would do any good.

 

Ilyias looks around, trying to find any means of escape or help but the other people were all looking the other way. Dread settles low inside his stomach, this was probably common around here then. He knew the basics when it came to fighting but he doubts his chances against the desperate people who got nothing more to lose.

 

The Capitol gates were right there. Just a sprinting distance away from where he was standing. Ilyias clenches his fists, blunt nails digging painfully to his palms.

 

He needed to get there no matter what.

[FatPanda]

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... O.O ... errrrr... I'm not sure what happened to the end of my previous post, it was supposed to be a complete sentence at the least XD I'll continue it here anyways :/ apologies ))

 

The Prince mused at the activities. He hardly ever got to see the streets and when he did, they were usually quiet and solemn. He'd came through in his massive palanquin led and followed by an immense amount of guards, attendants, and servants. All the people would stand to the side of the roads and have their heads bowed down, their eyes cast to the ground. Luca hated that, he wanted his people to be proud to live in his country, to adore him as he passed by, to shout and scream and wave to him. Just like this. He smiled to himself as he observed the livelihood.

 

He strolled through the grounds, looking at the various goods being sold. There were stores lining the streets back to back selling fabric, shoes, jewellery, clothes, and utilities. There were restaurants competing across from one another: seafood, noodles, meat, and cheese. Small stalls were placed between two entrances selling little trinkets and home-made accessories. Luca walked up to a stall and picked up a hair clip with a flower decoration. He didn't have much use for it but he bought it anyway. He reached into his coin pouch and paid for the clip, letting the little girl who took the money keep the change to buy herself something nice.

 

Staring at the beautiful little clip, he walked passed the stores. He wasn't interested in buying anything else. He could get anything he wanted at the palace and he'd snuck out before to take a look around. This trip was meant to be an exploration of the other end of the city and perhaps outside. He'd made it only half way through the last time he came about and was interested to see more of his city. He weaved through running children who almost knocked him over. One child ran right into his legs and fell onto the ground. Shocked for the child, he reached down to ask if he was okay but the boy picked himself up and ran off faster than he could react. With a smile, he ventured to the end of the street.

 

The bustling flurry of activity from before slowed but the city was far from quiet. There were still many stores and restaurants as well as people, just a little less crowded was all. The stores were a little different here; they were more handicrafts, pets, and swords. Luca picked up a two-bladed sword, looking it up and down. He been taught to use regular swords before, long and short, but he'd never used a two-bladed one before. With a smile, he decided he'd have Salant find a teacher for him. He bought the sword and swung it over his shoulder.

 

He'd rarely walked so much before; his soles began to become sore. The distance was quite large and he'd never really had to walk on such rough surfaces. Looking around, he found a seat. There, he stared at his feet. Usually, there was a servant who would massage the pain away but he hadn't come with anyone nor did he find anywhere for a massage. He waited for the pain to subside so he could make his way back. The Prince was excited to try out his new sword.

[lilrockstar163]

"Get him!"

 

The girl's high pitched shriek behind him grates at his eardrums. Ilyias ducks and skitters around a bulky man, barely avoiding the outstretched hand that tried to grab to his clothes. He sprints towards the large ornate gates in the distance, aware of the multiple pounding of feet against concrete signaling his many pursuers. He holds the sack to his chest, protective, as he runs without looking back.

 

'Harlinzuri,' his mother softly says, stroking his head and trying to make him fall asleep, 'is a beautiful town. Everyday, the moment the windows are opened, you'd hear the children laughing among the cheerful noise of the market.' She caresses his cheeks, 'You'd see all kinds of pretty things on display as you walk along the streets, the large beautiful buildings passing you by.' She smiles a little, eyes staring wistfully in a distance, 'You would have loved it there, my little one.'

 

'Why don't we go there, mother?' He replies, voice already slurred with incoming sleep.

 

'Someday, you will know why. Someday, you will be.' She covers his eyes, and just as he was drifting off, 'Someday, you will have what you deserve. But now, you will sleep. Have pleasant dreams, my love.'

Ilyias takes a deep breath, his lungs burning from the sudden run. Just a few meters away-!

 

"Caught you, you little imp!" Something catches on the edge of his shirt, forcing him to a sudden halt. He looks back and pain suddenly blooms on one side of his face. He falls to the ground, shaken, as he looks up to the looming figure of a gaunt man.

 

'No!' Ilyias cries as he watches helplessly her mother get beaten to the ground by her new lover. He was locked in a cage fitting for a dog, face streaked with tears as he was subject to the sight of life slowly trickling out his beautiful mother. The man was drunk, like he always was, but little Ilyias had been too playful in the wrong night and his mother gets the brunt of his new stepfather's anger.

 

'You're gonna kill her! Stop!' He shouts but the man was too far gone, her mother already unmoving on the floor inside her own little house. The man probably noticed that his mother was barely breathing and murder was a heavy offense in the little village so he scoffs. He turns to Ilyias, grabbing the keys to the cage and tossing it carelessly in his direction. 'Fix your mother, brat.' He spits and Ilyias feels the burning hatred settle down his veins, searing his skin and etching deep in his mind.

"Don't try running away again." The man sneers down at him. Ilyias feels the same anger welling up his chest. How dare this man? He kicks out hard, hitting the man's shins and he scrambles up as the man went down with a pained grunt. He starts running again before the others caught up with him.

 

With a burst of speed, fueled by a mix of anger, panic and desperation, he arrives panting at the gates. "Let me in!" He pounds hard, looking back to gauge the distance he created between him and the pursuers. It was not much but there's time to slip in if the gates would open now!

 

The gates part with a small crack, a guard peering at him. "Business?" Ilyias scrambles for a fake id he had made from one of the towns at the neighboring country. "Merchant!" He presents himself. The guard takes a look down his id and squints at him. "No funny business lad." And the gates were finally opening wider, allowing him to slip in.

 

Ilyias nods gratefully at the guard as the gates close behind him. He takes a look ahead of him and in front was finally the Harlinzuri his mother had described to him as a child. The Harlinzuri that was to be his home from now on.

 

Ilyias will finally get what he deserved.

 

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[FatPanda]

Luca sat where he was, feeling the pain subside to a mild nagging. He stomped his feet a little to test his tolerance before standing up. He gripped at the strap holding his new sword over his shoulder and smiled. He was excited to get back to the palace and have Salant bring him a teacher. He started towards what he thought was home, but had in reality gone the wrong direction. Being in the more unfamiliar part of the city, he didn't realize which way was the way he came from. He'd forgotten he had turned around to face the other way when he'd sat down. Soon, the stores that should've been bustling with activity turned into more interesting stores. There were some lodgings present now, and more and more stores selling travel goods than he remembered. It was only when he looked up ahead of him that he realised he was walking towards the gate that separated the city from the rest of the country. He grunted in displeasure; Salant had always told him not to grunt as it was very unlike a Prince but in the instant, he didn't care how Prince-like he was. What he wanted was to get back to the Palace but he'd ventured quite far and his feet were aching.

 

With a heavy sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at a horse. He decided he needed to get back through another means. Walking was not his friend anymore and he knew it. He looked at a white mare with a soft black mane. Without considering the rest, he was about to pay for the mare. Just as he was about to pay, he heard the gates open. Curious, he stepped out of the store and peered at the unfamiliar sight. He'd only ever seen the gates open when he was riding his palanquin and made a grand entry into the Capitol. Abandoning the mare he had almost paid for, he walked a little closer. He took a good look at the act. The gatekeeper was talking to someone beyond the door. The Prince tried to peer around the man but had to wait to see what the newcomer would look like. Finally, the man entered their beautiful city.

 

Luca stared at him, surveying the not as well dressed man. He definitely did not look like a returning noble; his clothes were more tattered than most people would find acceptable here in the city. The Prince found the man amusing, wanting to make friends with the stranger. Salant always warned him against befriending strangers but he couldn't help himself. He went up to the stranger and offered a hand in greeting. "Hi there, I'm umm... Luca." It was treason to call the Prince, or any member of the royal family, by their first name but Luca couldn't give away his identity either. He smiled the smile of a Prince greeting his people.

[lilrockstar163]

It really was a wonderful city, Ilyias mentally gushes as his jaw goes slack from the beautiful big houses and the majestic towering castle in the distance. He was content to just stand there a while and let his eyes drink in the sight when a figure blocks his view. Or, well, to be more precise, a tall man was standing in front of him.

 

The man was, for lack of better term, striking in his own way. The man wears nothing special, nothing as lousy as his of course, but still very plain. He was probably a servant of some rich noble if Ilyias would assume from his attire but there was just something in that appearance that screams well-bred. Not to mention the gorgeous eyes the man have.

 

"Hello." Ilyias cautiously replies. If the lower town was any indication, some people here might also not have the best intentions. They were probably just more subtle in their approach with the way of living in this city. Ilyias won't let his guard down despite the friendly introduction or the man's looks. He does take the offered arm though. "I'm Ilyias."

 

When the man smiled, Ilyias has to blink a few times to regain his bearings. It was- dazzling. How could a mere servant be that dazzling? He squints at the man suspiciously and tightens his grip on the man's hand. He probably has no right to ask, being a new arrival in the city compared to the other, but this was an opportunity too. He smiles politely, something he normally reserves for hotheaded bosses on some of his jobs, and asks. "Do you live around here? Do you think the Royal family would want to hire a new servant like me?"

[FatPanda]

Luca shook the hand as he'd seen many do before. It was his first hand shake, not having been allowed to touch just anyone before. He stared at his hand as he released the shake and smiled at it. This man seemed to be an interesting one. Looking back up into the green eyes, he laughed. The face was smiling back at him. Rarely did anyone express emotions in his presence, save for a few close attendants like Salant. He spoke with a chuckle, "Ilyias, wonderful name. I live... in this city." He hesitated only a as a short pause; he wasn't dressed as a Prince nor did he want to draw attention by claiming he was so couldn't say he was from the palace but he also couldn't lie about it either. Planning to move the topic forward as quickly as possible, he replied. "I'm positive they've got space for another one. As Salant always says, 'there can never be too many servants in our grand palace'.

 

He wasn't considering what Salant and the rest of the servants would think if he brought back a hand picked one. It would be a first for the whole palace. He mused at the idea, thinking he would do just that. He absolutely loved the prospect of creating chaos in the palace again. It changed the uptight atmosphere into a more joyous one. With the new sword in hand and a very unfamiliar but interesting person, he couldn't wait to return. Turning to lead the way as his Princely self would, he walked off while holding himself high. Luca momentarily forgot he wasn't in the Palace as he went back for the white mare and an additional horse. The other one was a dark chocolate coloured horse with a long black mane.

 

Luca paid for the horses and took their reins. Drawing them out of the store, he stroked the white one to familiarize it with him. When it was comfortable knowing he would be the one riding atop, the Prince straddled the horse. They trotted around in a circle to test each other before stopping back in front of the black horse. He looked at Ilyias and remembered he wasn't the "Prince" at the moment. Putting a hand on the black horse, he adjusted his speech, "Can you ride a horse, Ilyias? We're going to the palace." He smiled down at his potential new servant as the two horses nuzzled together.

[lilrockstar163]

Luca, Ilyias thought, was really too handsome for his own good. Even his laugh made Ilyias' stomach twist pleasantly despite the almost arrogant way the man holds himself. It was embarrassing, he doesn't even know why he was feeling this way when he was initially suspicious of the man. Through his musings though, he almost missed what Luca said if it weren't for the familiar name - Salant.

 

The name itself was like a bucket of cold water dumped over to douse whatever admiration he was feeling at the moment. The person who carries that name was one of the few reasons why he went to Harlinzuri. He needed to meet the man. Ilyias' plan had originally started with establishing a secure job with the high nobles in Harlinzuri. From there, Ilyias had no qualms with working his way towards the palace even if it took him years but fortunately, a better opportunity presented itself through the form of Luca. With the way Luca mentioned the man, they were probably closely connected. And connection, right now, was one of the things that lists pretty high up on his priorities.

 

When Luca started walking, he followed closely. When he saw where the other was heading, he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. As Luca paid for the two horses, he mentally filed away the fact that a mere servant, royal or not, could easily pay for one let alone two without even a blink of hesitation. Luca even rides the horse with poise he'd only seen displayed by nobles themselves. Ilyias would have preferred to ponder more over this but then Luca was suddenly there and addressing him about riding the other horse.

 

"Um." He mumbled, biting his lips nervously. The horse was admittedly beautiful and Ilyias willingly runs a hand down its soft mane. He likes horses, the majestic but peaceful creatures that he had always wanted to have since he was a child. He likes them, yes, but he only knew how to put straddles and take care of a horse. He never learned how to ride one. "Luca..."

 

People had often told him that with his pretty face, a little flutter of his eyelashes here and there coupled with his coy smile could get him to places. He didn't fully understand it at first - what does smiles and lashes have to do with anything? - but as time passed, he gradually got the basic gist of it. His first reaction was to be offended, of course, but then he'd learn how to use it to his advantage. Although he despised using it (no man wanted to be called pretty, after all), the situation now probably calls for it. He wasn't willing to risk missing this chance. Bowing his head and looking up from beneath his lashes at Luca, he adds bashfully, "Will you teach me how to ride?"

[FatPanda]

The Prince hadn't been expecting his name to be used so soon and was caught by surprise. Blinking blankly before smiling down, he listened to the request. Ilyias was beautiful and his eyes charmed Luca. He wanted to smile and say yes immediately but he pondered on the question, really thinking about whether he could teach or not. He'd never taught anyone to ride, as he had a hired teacher to do such things for him so he wasn't sure if his level of horse-riding would be enough to teach the boy sufficiently. Though he was an expert in the act himself, he didn't want the pretty boy to fall off and injure himself. He thought about it for a while, running his hand along his mare's mane. "We suppose we could grace you with the act." Luca replied without remembering to drop his speech pattern. It was what he'd used all his life so was natural that he would forget to abandon it amidst all his thoughts.

 

He slipped off his own horse and landed on the ground. Wrapping an arm around the body, he moved in close and considered putting Ilyias in the harem instead of working for the Palace. "Put your foot in the stirrup and step on. Trust your mare and don't hesitate. The more unsure you are, the more she worries you will hurt her." He placed his arms on Ilyias's hips in case he needed a lift. It would prove to be a little more difficult than he thought but he'd never held anyone up before. His teacher had done that for him when he was younger; he thought perhaps it would help for a first time situation. Hoisting someone else up was definitely not the job of a Prince. He reminded, "Stroke her when you've settled. She'd like to know you're kind before you two should move." With a pat to the mare, he let them go and watched to see whether he'd done well as a teacher or not.

 

Luca stepped back and admired how beautiful the boy was. It wasn't really a debate anymore; he wanted him in the harem and he planned to have him serve on the first day there. He quickly lost interest in learning to use the sword he'd just bought and replaced it with interest in Ilyias. Even if Salant had a problem with having Ilyias working in the Palace, Luca wasn't going to let him go. No, he would keep this one and discard all the others waiting for his return. He looked longingly at the boy before judging that they should be on their way. "Hold the reign and I will lead the way." He straddle his mare again and took hold of both his own and Ilyias's mare's reigns. He let the two mares trots slowly on their way back to the Palace, in no particular hurry to hurt the boy but also in anxiousness to take him home.