"Did you see that?" Patton said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Roman nodded slowly, but didn't take his eyes off of the boy. The feathers on both wings were a mix of black and white. Like the salt and pepper he put on his eggs every morning. Despite being tied, they resisted the ropes with extreme force. The ropes looked on the verge of snapping, but eight guards quickly replaced it with metal chains. 

Four guards pinned down the boy while the other four worked the chain a bit too tightly around the beautiful wings. The avian hissed in pain and kicked one of the men in the face. 

"Hurry, the king will be in at any second!" a familiar voice called out as the men dragged the boy with wings into the main area of the throne room. Roman's friend, and now captain of the royal guard, walked through the main doors. The servants quickly shut the doors behind him. 

"Remy!" the prince yelled in a hushed voice. A pair of emerald eyes turned and met the prince. Roman ran over to his friend, who was walking quickly into the throne room where his father would soon be. 

Only three years older than Roman, Remy had climbed the ladder straight to the top ever since he arrived at the palace. His parents were killed by thieves in one of the towns on the outskirts of the kingdom. He worked his butt off every day, and it eventually paid off. No one expected a man the ripe age of 21 to be one of the most influential members of the court. 

"Prince Roman, you're supposed to be at your lecture around this time." Remy said as he adjusted his armor placed around his arms. 

"Yeeah, professor Lindon quit." 

"You're joking." 

"Alas, I am not. Though as of recent events I am that much more thankful he did. If I had missed this because of that man's lectures, I'd be far more angered than Lindon was at me." 

Remy sighed, placing a hand on his head. "My liege, permission to speak off the record?" 

Roman shrugged. "Granted." 

The captain pulled the prince's ear, which earned a small yelp from Roman. "Lindon was the best history professor in the kingdom. I'd wager that Patton would kill for that kind of education, as would I." 

The two looked to Patton, who backed away nervously. "Hey, don't drag me into this!" 

Remy cleared his throat and let go of the prince's ear. "It's not worth arguing now, I suppose. Now, you two shouldn't be here. The king specifically requested no other members of the court except for me." 

"But I am eighteen now, aren't I? Surely now that I'm old enough I should be allowed to attend one of father's private meetings." 

"Roman, I can see the three pastries in your right pocket. I can also see the icing left over from a cupcake around Patton's lips. If you were truly old enough to be listening to one of these meetings, then you wouldn't be running off to the kitchen stealing sweats. Not to mention purposefully getting your professor to quit." 

Roman opened his mouth to testify. After all, he hadn't made Lindon quit. If he didn't like the prince, then that was on him. However, before he could get a word out, the trumpets sounded as the king walked into the throne room. 

Remy ushered Roman and Patton out of the room. He paused for a quick second, "I gave you the king's orders, however I cannot stop you from stealing a listen." With that, the prince's friend disappeared as the doors shut behind him. 

Almost. 

One of the doors didn't fully shut, and slowly slid open just a crack. Roman looked at Patton and smiled. He turned to the rest of the servants that remained by the front doors. 

"You may take a short break. I'll have Patton fetch you when it's over so you won't hear a word from the king." 

The two men looked at each other, and then back at the prince. They quickly bowed and gave him their thanks as they sped out of the room and down to the servant's quarters. After a few seconds of silence, Roman slowly opened the door. When the coast was clear, he grabbed Patton's hand and ran behind a large curtain. 

They held their breath, waiting for someone to yell at them. When no one did, they peeked around the white velvet curtain. 

The avian boy was on his knees, four soldiers still holding him while two others stood guard beside him. Roman's father, King Henry, sat atop of his throne. Like the curtains, and everything else in the castle, it was white as snow, and not a single stain was present. 

The crown atop his head was as golden as could be, with intricate jewels of white and blue wrapping its way all around. His chestnut hair and beard started to combine with streaks of grey. He wore a slight smirk on his face as he eyed the avian, who returned his stare with nothing but hate. 

"Well, well. I say, it's quite a delight to finally see one of your kind in person. The rumors of your wings have not been exaggerated, I see that clear as day." 

The boy said nothing. 

"Your lack of respect was much more expected, I am sad to say," he didn't wait for a response this time, "I suppose you would much rather I skip to why you are here." 

The king stood from his chair and slowly walked down the steps that led to his throne until he was on the same level as the avian. "I am willing to let you go be free as a bird once more, however this will come with a price." 

"Eat shit." The boy spat at his feet. Roman's face knotted in disgust. His father hadn't even insulted him, yet he was speaking completely out of turn. He looked at Patton, who's face showed a hint of sadness. 

King Henry chuckled. "Listen here, boy," he said and kicked the avian in the gut. He let out a grunt and fell to the floor, "You will either tell me where your brethren are hiding, or I will rip those pretty wings off your body and sell you as a slave to the highest bidder." 

Patton let out a quiet gasp, clasping a hand over his mouth. Even Roman's stomach dropped. He had never witnessed one of these meetings before. Not to mention he rarely got to see his father. They only met on the occasion of Christmas or The Comet Festival during dinner, and even that was for a half hour at best. He never knew his father could be so...cruel. 

"So, little crow. Are you going to give me what I want?" 

The boy said nothing. 

With a turn of his heel, the king made his way back up the stairs. He sat atop his throne and folded his legs. His arms found their way to rest on both arm rests. The same smug smirk reappeared on his face. 

"I know it's a lot to consider, especially under pressure. I may be blunt in my wishes, but I am no devil. You have until the sun sets in two days time to make up your mind. I will eagerly await your decision. Let us both hope, for your sake, you choose right." 

He clapped his hands and the guards took hold of the boy and dragged him away. This time, the boy did not struggle. The fire had gone out in his eyes, but Roman could still see his determination. With once glance he knew that the boy would never give into his father. Maybe King Henry knew it, too. 

As the knights made their way to the door, Patton and Roman held their breaths and hid as far as they could behind the curtain. The gentleman-in-waiting was no longer looking, however the young prince couldn't resist. He peered around the curtain and met eyes with the avian boy. His golden eyes had something else in them, perhaps confusion. Maybe hate. 

Whatever it was, it made Roman's heart race. The fear of avians had been beaten into him in all of his lectures as a child. He knew that it was in his best interest to stay as far away from that boy as possible. Yet his curiosity ate away any common sense. 

After all, the young prince wasn't one to do what was best for him. 

--

(I hope y'all enjoy reading this as much as I love writing it. More chapters are definitely coming soon, but might be delayed bc of school and the fact that I'm constantly tired :D -Manzana)

Word Count: 1433