Final Honor x Hamlet

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It was a sunny day like any other, and Eli Clark had just started his shift as the castle's new royal guard this morning. Since he was still a fresh recruit, he had been assigned to the position below the crown prince's window. A generous paycheck that only required him to stand like a stake, he honestly couldn't ask for more.

The regent was a good person and there was no war. It was simply paradise...

Until an angel suddenly fell from heaven.

"Ack-!"

Eli let out a cry of pain as his face came to bite the green grass under the weight that crashed onto his back.

"Huh. How come there's a guard here? I can't believe they replaced him so quickly, tsk." said a deep, soft voice.

The knight was still a little stunned by the blow he had sustained but was offered the generous hand of his attacker to help him up. He accepted it with a thank you before putting some order in his outfit. Who would have thought that something so mind-boggling would happen on his first day. But now was not the time to daydream, he had the problem of dealing with this extremely suspicious individual!

"Who are you?!"

Eli grabbed the handle of his sword, ready to draw it. However, he was overcome with hesitation when he saw that his opponent was a young blond man who appeared to be almost the same age as him. His obviously high quality clothes also indicated that he was most certainly a nobleman, but what kind of nobleman would jump from a balcony of at least three meters? Besides, wasn't this where the prince's room was located?

"Seriously?" The green-eyed male raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I wonder what they teach you at the Academy to not even recognize the master you're supposed to serve."

"What the..."

The blonde sighed with exasperation before raising his hand to Eli's face, his closed fist showing a topaz ring on his finger. A wave of dread ran through the knight's body at that moment as he recognized the ornament. Looking closely, it was easy to see the emblem of the kingdom inlaid on the gemstone, meaning that the person he was confronting was none other than the prince himself.

"Well? Mr. Guard?"

"P-Pardon me-! Your highness-! Lord Aesop-! My prince-!" shouted Eli as he released his grip on his sword.

"Uh, yes..." the prince replied as he lowered his arm then muttered to himself, "What kind of idiot did they admit..."

Well, for a first meeting, it was rather unforgettable to say the least.

A rookie guard and a prince who chose to deny his responsibilities for the time he had left before ascending the throne.

A singular pair, not unique but still special.

Aesop was a free soul who longed only to breathe the fresh air beyond this fortress in which he had grown up and Eli quickly understood this. With his infinite empathy, the knight was easily persuaded by the prince whenever the latter wished to evade his teachers and in time, a certain bond was born between them.

"Your highness-! You know I'm risking my job by letting you out of the castle..."

"All you had to do was stop me."

"You know very well that this is impossible, aren't you a bit of a hypocrite?"

"Woah, you dare to answer your master? I didn't know you had so much guts, Eli."

"I guess a bad influence is the cause."

"I can't wait to see you turn into a despicable man!"

"Aesop!"

The blond finally stopped and turned his head slightly toward the brunet, sketching a faint, almost non-existent smile.

"You called me by my first name."

"Urgh..."

"Come on, it wasn't that awful, was it?"

Aesop moved closer to Eli, the tips of his shoes brushing against the knight's as did their noses. From this distance, Eli could easily admire the emerald green of the prince's eyes without the prince suspecting anything.

"Your-"

"Ha ha!" The prince burst out laughing. "I hope you don't think it's impossible for me to see the way your eyes are lusting after me, do you?"

"What-!"

Bull's-eye.

"Your oh-so-honest nature is one of your qualities as a knight and I admire that."

Eli mentally panicked, not only had the prince discovered his awkwardly hidden feelings, which made him extremely uncomfortable, but the compliment he had just given him created a fire of joy in his chest that he couldn't calm. 

Then, as if that wasn't enough, his heart nearly left his rib cage when Aesop closed the distance between them and grabbed his face between his hands before pressing a kiss against his lips. A kiss! From the prince of this kingdom! Between two men! This one was chaste, a simple touch and yet so deep and tender that Eli got caught up in the action and placed his hands on the blonde's hips.

When it ended, leaving a bittersweet feeling in the aftertaste, both men were red as tomatoes although Aesop seemed calmer than Eli.

"If anyone saw us, your highness-!"

"Isn't that why we've moved away from the castle?"

"Still-!"

"Did you hate it...?"

"Wh- N-No..."

"Obviously," the prince laughed and threw his arms around the knight's neck, "Since I know our feelings are mutual."

He didn't give the brunette time to process that fact as he attacked him again with his pink lips for a hungry kiss.

Eli felt weird. How could he not?

The adrenaline that came from that passionate embrace was as delicious as biting into forbidden fruit, and every morsel he tasted only made that hunger grow.

"Aesop-"

"My gentle knight, I probably can't avoid my fate but know that my heart will belong to you for eternity."

Eli felt his chest tighten but unable to waver, he sketched a smile at his magnificent prince for it was his duty to always be by his master's side to support him, was it not?

"I cannot receive better honor."

He kissed his delicate hand and under the shade of the great oak, the knight held his prince in his arms until the sun set over the horizon.