"I don't understand why he would just run off," Louis ranted in a tame manner as the tailor wrapped the tape around his waist. "Did he not like me?"

The tailor took down the measurements, making sure they were written clearly. The pencil squeaked as it moved across the paper. Louis was getting a new outfit tailored. It was his father's orders and Louis could not refuse.

The tailor had his silver hair neatly parted and tied into a ponytail. Two round pieces of glass, framed in gold-coloured metal, balanced on the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know, your highness." The tailor said. "I could not think of a reason he would dislike you."

"Do you think I am too pampered?" Louis asked, hoping for an honest answer. "He said that I was a 'spoilt brat' and that I was up on a 'high horse'."

The tailor put a hand on his hip, balancing himself on one foot. "That sounds like a weak reason for someone to physically run away from you," the tailor said. He did not say whether Louis was spoilt or not but Louis got the idea. Sometimes avoiding the question was good enough of an answer.

"What if he really doesn't come to the party today, like Modeste had speculated?" Louis sighed.

"Haven't you learnt that Modeste is usually wrong?" The tailor shook his head. "Don't tell her I said this but I don't know why she has not been sacked yet."

Louis giggled at the gossip. Despite the age gap, Louis enjoyed the company of the royal tailor. Even when Louis was not getting fitted for new suits, he would come around to sit with the tailor as the tailor worked. He had been doing so since he was a little boy.

Louis was a restless child but he was always captivated by the tailor's stories. The tailor told tales he had compiled from working for all sorts of men and women from different parts of the world, young and old, rich and poor. He narrated stories of men battling pirates on the high seas and women, sneaking onto all-male battlefields. Louis had listened to the tailor's stories with his blue eyes bulging out of their sockets, cheering for the old man to repeat them after each narration. Eventually, Louis grew out of storytime but his friendship with the tailor never died.

"And if Modeste is right this time?" Louis asked.

"If Modeste is right, you could poke your head into every bakery, asking for the mysterious boy whose coat you ruined with chocolate fondue." The tailor teased.

The tailor finished measuring Louis up. "If you expect this boy to be here tonight, you might want to go pick out a nice outfit for the ball. I'll be here if you need any help." The tailor said as Louis left.

Louis wore a different jacket to the second ball, considering the jacket he wore previously was not with him. He surveyed the crowd. This time, Louis was looking out for a specific person.

People danced to live music. Many of the royals who had visited to attend the previous party but there were still hundreds of aristocrats who were present in the ballroom. Despite the decrease in attendance, the party was still extravagant and grand.

An hour passed. Louis bit his lip nervously. He tiptoed to get a better view of the people at the dance but none of them was whom he was looking for. Another hour passed, Louis grew more anxious. He bit his nails. It was a nervous habit Louis had, much to Modeste's disapproval. Modeste noticed his hand brought to his mouth and shot a glare at him. She stared in disfavour. Louis lowered his hands to his sides. By the third hour, Louis felt like giving up.

When Louis thought all hope had been lost, Modeste exacerbated his plight by clicking her tongue at him. "He isn't coming. I told you so." She said. Louis frowned, too disheartened to argue with her. He wanted to stuff his face with chocolate to put an end to his heartache but that would just remind him of the boy.

King Niall nudged Modeste and ordered, "Stop it! You're ruining the mood of the party. Look at Louis! He's already so sad. You're not making him feel any better."

Louis rolled his eyes. He did not want the sympathy. He decided to mope in the garden, away from the censorious eyes of the party guests.

As Louis made his way out of the ballroom, he noticed a familiar head of brown curly locks. If Louis had not recognised the effervescent smile on the boy, his jacket would have been a dead giveaway. Louis' jacket hugged the boy tightly. The coat was slightly too small and evidently too short for the boy.

Louis pulled the boy into a pavilion in the garden, much to the boy's surprise. "You came!" Louis exclaimed.

"Yeah, I did. Discrimination against baked goods is not enough to keep me away." The boy winked, letting out a laugh.

"I need to ask you something." Louis said.

"And what is that?" The curly haired boy smirked.

"What is your goddamn name?" Louis blurted out.

"There's no need to be so vulgar, your majesty." The boy criticised.

"Sorry. Just tell me your name," Louis requested. "Please?"

"Guess." The boy grinned cheekily.

"What?" Louis was puzzled.

"Surely a wise prince like yourself could guess my name." The boy poked fun at Louis. He found joy in seeing the prince frustrated.

"Who are you, Rumplestiltskin?" Louis questioned sarcastically.

"Bingo!" The boy exclaimed. "That's my name, Rumplestiltskin."

"Ha! Ha! Very funny." Louis's words were filled with sarcasm. "What is your name?"

"You never told me your name, your majesty, and I know it is Louis." The boy stated.

"My name is plastered on posters hung up all over town, thanks to my dad. That's not fair. Tell me your name." Louis whined. He pouted, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Okay, but only if you kiss me first." The boy said. He winked flirtatiously with a suggestive smirk plastered on his face.

"Well, you could have said so earlier." Louis said. He tiptoed to reach the taller boy's face. Louis kissed the boy. Their lips touched for a second before Louis lowered his heels, dropping himself back onto the ground.

"Wait, I wasn't ready!" The boy blurted.

"Too bad, boy! What's your name?" Louis said. "A deal is a deal."

"Harry." The boy said.

"Harry?" Louis clarified.

"Yeah, Harry Edward Styles." The boy confirmed, adding his middle and last name. Louis asked Harry why he had run off in such a hurry the day earlier.

"I had curfew," Harry said.

"What's that?" Louis asked.

Harry stared at Louis for a moment before responding, "You don't have a curfew?"

"What's a curfew?" Louis asked again.

"It's a set time that you have to be home by." Harry explained.

"Well, I barely leave the castle anyways." Louis admitted. "Why do you have to be home by a certain time?"

"I have to start work early in the morning so I need to go to bed early too. Besides, my parents like to have me at home." Harry elaborated.

"My father is always complaining about how I barely come out of my room." Louis said. "He encourages me to leave the palace but I often prefer to stay home."

"When you live in a place like this, staying home should be nothing as boring as compared to my place." Harry lamented. "There is literally only my bed and a small closet in my bedroom. That's all that fits anyways." Louis pressed his lips together, unsure of how to respond.

Louis tried to change the subject. "After you left yesterday, I encountered a vicious beast in the forest." Louis said.

"Were you hurt?" Both of them asked each other simultaneously. When they replied, they spoke at the same time again. "No," They responded. "Good." Louis and Harry blushed at their synchronised words.

Louis wrapped his arms around Harry's waist. Harry draped an arm over Louis' shoulders as Louis leaned his face against Harry's chest. The sweet scent of butter and sugar wafted around Louis. Louis traced a finger over the embroidery on Harry's coat, which used to be his.

"It looks good on you but it's quite small," Louis commented, letting out a little laugh at the end.

"You are quite small so that's expected." Harry teased. He tousled through Louis' hair, messing it up.

"I am not small." Louis scoffed. He stomped his foot.

"Fine, you're bigger than the kingdom's only school," Harry said.

"And that is?"

"Very small." Harry said. Louis crossed his arms. Harry continued, "I'm just saying if we had more openings in centres for education, we could have more people with better jobs."

"Are you in school?" Louis asked.

"Not anymore," Harry admitted. "I have to help my parents at the bakery and we haven't got the money but I did get books on things like Maths and Science so that I can learn without actually going to school."

Louis nodded to show he was listening. Harry glanced at the clock. "Don't tell me you're leaving so soon." Louis said. A frown tugged at the corners of his lips.

"I'm sorry but I have to go." Harry apologised.

"Can't you stay a little longer?" Louis pleaded, to which Harry shook his head. "By orders of the prince, stay!"

"Sorry, your highness. I'll drop by tomorrow after work, around half past five." Harry offered but Louis was not satisfied. He would rather Harry stayed for a while more. It was only eight o'clock after all. Louis saw no reason for Harry to be home so early but Harry insisted.

Harry tried to go. Louis held Harry's hands tightly, preventing him from running off. Louis leaned into Harry for a kiss, hoping that it would tempt Harry into delaying his departure. However, as soon as their lips brushed, Harry pulled away and hurried off. Louis lost his balance and collapsed onto the floor. His crown landed on the ground with a sharp noise.

Harry turned back to see if Louis was alright. Louis was hoping Harry would stop to get a definite answer. Louis saw sympathy and remorse in Harry's eyes as he looked behind him at Louis but Harry kept running.

Louis pulled himself off the ground and chased after Harry. Harry headed into the forest again. He vanished into the night as he had done so the previous day.

"Do you have to run into the woods?" Louis shouted. His voice echoed in the darkness. He did not get a reply from Harry. Harry's footsteps were unheard. Louis heard another set of footsteps around him. It was too heavy to be Harry's and it was slow. Whatever it was, it was not running away from Louis. Louis held his breath.

Louis looked around, hoping to take away the element of surprise from whatever was with him in the forest. "Come out," Louis ordered. "Show yourself." Louis looked as if he was speaking to himself as there was no response. The footsteps continued to reverberate around Louis.

Louis spotted a pair of crimson coloured eyes that closed upon being seen. "Gotcha," Louis whispered. Louis put a hand on the handle of his blade. The creature revealed itself. It stuck its tongue out, grazing Louis' face with it. The tongue was rough and dry, like sandpaper rubbing against his skin.

Louis flinched and squirmed as the beast licked his face. It scratched his cheek with the papillae on its tongue. Louis moved away in discomfort. The creature tried to grab Louis with its lengthy, snake-like fingers. Louis darted away.

The creature leapt onto a tree trunk, bouncing off it like a rubber ball and landing in front of Louis. It growled threateningly. The monster stood upright. It had to be at least twice of Louis' height.

Louis shrieked in terror but was silenced by the long fingers that covered his mouth. Louis struggled to pry the creature off him. The creature's ears, that closely resembled a pig's, twitched slightly. It loosened its grasp on Louis. The pig ears twitched again. Louis slipped out of the hold of the beast. The monster withdrew itself into the trees.

"You let him run off again?" King Niall bellowed.

"I did get his name but there's something else I need to tell you." Louis tried to convey.

"Out with it, boy! What is it?" Niall asked.

"There's a vicious beast in the forest next to the garden." Louis said.

"Rubbish! I have been living in the castle twice as long as you and I have never seen nor heard of a beast in our midst."

"Father, please be serious. I saw it with my own two eyes."

"Well, perhaps you were daydreaming." Niall tried to account for the presence of the creature. Upon noticing the look of worry and discomfort on Louis' face, Niall said, "If it makes you feel any better, I will send a party to seek out the beast tomorrow morning." Louis thanked his father.

Louis regretted giving Harry that last kiss because the taste of Harry lingered in his mouth, leaving Louis craving for more.

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