The table buzzed with excitement during dinner, everyone laughing and smiling as they ate. Giggles and squeals from the children could be heard, while the older people on the end laughed and talked. Remus was smiling for onces while he joked with one of his cousins, and, immediately, the prince's grandparents turned to Virgil.

"So, Roman, who is this?" his grandmother asked.

"Oh. Why, this is Virgil. He is-"

"Awww. The suitor you chose, we know!!" his grandfather chirped, appearing completely serious. Virgil nearly choked on his drink and blushed up to his ears. Roman turned to him, also blushing, with a look that asked if he was okay. He nodded silently and placed his cup down.

"U-um, actually, he's not-"

"Ohhh. No need to be embarrassed, Ro. He's quite handsome. Hello, Virgil. My name's Elizabeth, but you can just call me Liz," Elizabeth told him, smiling warmly.

"I'm Alfred, but I go by Al," Alfred said, grinning.

Virgil nodded, his entire face red. "Thank you, sir. Thank you, ma-"

"And we don't go by all that. So don't worry." Alfred picked up his fork again.

"Yes. It's too stiff," Elizabeth agreed. "Our names will do just fine."

Roman and Virgil shared a look, but the other two had already gone back to eating. Roman shrugged slightly.

When everyone was finished eating, they all left in an orderly fashion. Roman and Virgil walked back to the room in silence, though neither could tell if it was awkward or not. The prince held the door open for the other, and they entered. After the door closed, the silence of the room became deafening.

"I've... got a balcony... And it has a lovely view at night..." Roman finally said, causing Virgil to look over at him.

"Really?"

"Yes. Do you want to go see?"

"Yeah. That would be cool..."

"Alright." Roman started walking toward the other end of the room, with Virgil following close behind. He opened a door, and motioned for Virgil to go first. The other did so, and his eyes widened.

"Woah..."

"Yeah."

The large, marble balcony hung over one of the gardens. From the left side you could see the lights of the town, and the right showed off a beautiful pond. Directly ahead was a collosal patch of roses, and behind those loomed huge apple, pear, and plum trees. A few baskets with flowers flowing over the tops lay around on the balcony, and the stars shown brightly overhead, illuminating the whole place with silver moonlight.

Virgil stared at the scenery in amazement, but Roman's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the other. The stars lit up his face, and his eyes shone just as brightly as them. 'He looks like an angel...' Roman thought. 'I knew there was something different about him, but... I think...'

"This is beautiful..." Virgil whispered. Roman snapped out of his daze and nodded.

"It's one of my favorite places in the whole castle."

"I can see why."

Roman walked toward the banister and leaned against it. "I stay out here as much as I can when I have any free time."

Virgil stood next to him. "You can see so much from up here."

"Indeed. There's so many little things I've noticed. For example, that treehouse," Roman said, pointing toward a part of the wood. Virgil blushed and looked away from it.

"Y-yeah. What an... ugly... house... Pffft..."

"Really? I've always found it to be quite interesting..." Roman didn't look away from the house.

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. Just... it would be so cool to live like that. Free of responsibilites and stress. Free to do whatever you want whenever you want..."

"It's not as great as you think..."

"Well, at least you're not forced to live your life the way others want you to..."

Virgil froze and looked up at him again, but Roman was looking away. He summoned as much courage as he could and gently took the prince's hand. Roman's eyes widened and he glanced over at him. "You don't have to do that now..." Virgil told him softly.

Roman blushed and held his hand back. "How so?"

"Well, first of all, you can marry who you want to marry. You're going to be king, so that will be fun."

"It's hard sometimes..."

"You'll get used to it." Virgil squeezed his hand slightly.

"I don't really want to."

"Why not?"

Roman took a deep breath. "You've met my father... I never want to be the type of king or man that he is."

"You won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Roman, look at me." Roman met his eyes, and Virgil intertwined their fingers. "Because you are the sweetest person I've ever met. You are so kind to everyone you meet, no matter what. You do things your way, no matter what others think. Everyone adores you. You never have to worry about that."

Roman had tears in his eyes as he looked down. "Th-thank you... That's the first time anyone's ever told me that..."

"It's true. So-" Virgil reached up with his other hand and wiped away Roman's tears. "-don't cry." Roman smiled again and leaned into the touch.

"I'll try."

"Good."

They stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Roman spoke up again. "Do you... have anyone out there?"

"Hm?"

"As in, friends, or family."

"Oh. Well, there's Pat. He's my only friend. Then I have a cat."

"Aww. A cat?"

Virgil blushed softly. "Yeah. It's actually just a stuffie, though..."

"Oh. Well, that's still cute."

"Sure."

As they chatted, the two slowly moved closer together. Finally, Virgil stopped and looked up, blushing. Roman noticed the same thing and smiled softly. "... May I?" he asked, leaning in and stopping a few inches away. Virgil's breath caught in his throat, but he nodded, connecting their lips.

Roman gently wrapped his arms around the other's waist, and Virgil pulled him closer. When they pulled away, both were smiling and blushing messes. The wind blew through the trees, and Virgil rested his head on Roman's chest, the prince kissing the top of it.

"It's cold..." he whispered.

"Let's head back inside, then. It's warmer there."

"I don't want to move..."

"We can cuddle if you wanted," Roman suggested.

Virgil smiled more. "Yeah. Okay."

A Prince's Kiss