3. The Peasant

2.20.20

Kody's POV

I breathed a small sigh of relief when he said that he wouldn't kill me. I had so much more that I wanted to do with myself, and I wouldn't have a chance if I died. However, I knew that I would still have to pay for the actions that I didn't do.

"Instead, you will become my servant. You will do what I say when I say it whether or not you want to," he concluded. I agreed with a swift nod of my head because I knew that it was uncommon for him to see pity on anyone. I don't know why I got it, but I wasn't complaining.

"Follow," he commanded shortly before turning and climbing the stairs. I almost sprinted after this mysterious prince so that I wasn't a burden. The last thing that I wanted was to make him mad enough to kill me anyways. He was quite a few inches taller than me, so I had to move quicker to keep up with him.

By the time we reached our destination, I was panting quietly. "Go in there and take a shower. Borrow some of my clothes if you must."

I scampered into the room to find it pretty much bare. Was this where he lives? If the bedroom was the window to the soul, then his soul must be pretty empty. I walked into his bathroom and looked around. I probably hadn't showered in almost a year, so it took me a moment to figure out how to turn it on. Once the water was running, I striped down until I had no more clothes on. I stood underneath the spray for a few moments enjoying the feel of water running down my body.

I thought about everything from the past 24 hours. I had gone from barely surviving on the streets to taking a shower in the palace over those hours. Sure, the in between was a little rough, but the result was alright. I finally got to the soap part of the shower, and it smelt like a calming mint. I had noticed that he smelled that way, and it made sense now. I washed my hair, and I realized how long it had gotten.

When I was done, I wrapped a towel around my waist. I looked at myself in the mirror for the first time since I was a little boy, and I liked the way I had changed. I had grown taller, and my emerald eyes popped against my tanned skin. My hair went past my shoulders in a way that it never had before, and I found that I liked it that way.

I suddenly got an idea and searched around the bathroom. Eventually, I found a hair tie and put it into my hair before looking at myself again. Honestly, I had to say that I looked like a whole snack right now. I wandered into his room to find some clothes to wear. He wasn't there, so I got to work on finding the dresser. Eventually I found it and wore a red hoodie with a white shirt and black pants. I didn't think him the type to have anything like this, but I guess he had a casual side. The clothes were long on my since I was short and skinny from not eating frequently enough. That's just the life of the streets, I suppose.

I was too scared to make the prince upset with me since my life was still in his hands, so I sat on the floor and stared at the wall. Finally the door clicked open rather loudly, yet I didn't look up. I nervously fiddled with my fingers, a habit that I really need to break, and waited for him to tell me what to do.

"I brought you food since you're already too skinny. I hope that you like chicken 'cause that's all you're getting," he stated before handing me a plate.

"Thank you," I muttered in appreciation. I ungracefully dug into the meal since it was probably a week or more since I had eaten anything. My mouth melted at the perfect taste, and I praised whoever had made this mentally.

"You act like you haven't eaten in days," the prince mused from somewhere above me once I had finished eating.

"I haven't."

"Why?"

"Life on the streets is difficult. I often had to chose between a remotely safe place to rest and food. Most of the time I chose shelter because the danger of the world these days isn't nature; it's other people."

"I guess I've never had to choose between that. I've always just had a meal on the plate and a room that I sleep in."

"That's the problem. The people in power underestimate our needs because they've never experienced it. Everyone tells us to just get jobs, but a lot of times no one wants to hire someone like me. I have nothing to bring to a job. No education, no experience, just nothing."

"Why didn't you get an education? I thought that it was free."

"I was born into a turbulent world. When I was five I had no parents. I had to join the hustle early to survive. When I was supposed to be worried about getting a future, I was thinking about where I was going to sleep that night."

Why am I being so open with him? There's just something about his presence that makes me feel safe.

"Hmm... How old are you, anyways?" he asked quietly.

"22."

"I thought you were younger then that. You look 16."

"I know. I grow later because of my unhealthy nutrition. How old are you?" I questioned in response praying that I didn't overstep any boundaries.

"Oh, I just turned 18. I just realized that we don't even know each other's names yet. I'm James."

"Kody. Is that why you had your moon pairing ceremony today?"

"Yeah, it's a royal duty to find someone to rule the kingdom with. I knew that no one there would be my pair."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I've always felt like I would be paired with a boy, but I'm too nervous to tell my parents. They're obsessed with having the perfect son, and I'm too dumb to recognize that I can control myself sometimes."

"Well, I hope that you can find the right person one day. It really kind of sucks watching everyone else your age pair off and being left alone. I feel like the moon has forgotten me because I'm just another bastard son."

"You're a wonderful person, I'm sure that you'll find the one some day."

I wondered if he straight up forgot what he was mad at me about. I got my answer when he suddenly belted out, "why do I feel like I should be friendly with you when you killed my best friend?"

"I told you once and I'll say it a lot more, I didn't kill anyone. If there's anything I am, it's not a murderer. A hustler? Yes. A thief? Probably. A murderer? Never. I have some decency."