FLASHBACK: the prince and the visitor
"How did you even sneak past the guards?"
The question, emphasized by a curious quirk of a brow, made him pause, unsure if he should reveal the magic he wielded or fabricate some form of an explanation that would suffice. Or perhaps, more accurately -- he briefly froze the moment those words are spoken to him. The very presence of the prince had him tongue-tied and it's nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't stumbled out something ridiculous.
Nick seemed patient, surprising his visitor of the nonchalance about the encounter instead of immediately summoning the guards or even moving to defend himself. Had the prince experienced this before? Were there others like him that attempted to gain an audience as he did? He wets his bottom lip.
"Ah... Not to show that your forces are inadequate or lazy," the intruder quickly began with a sheepish smile, a hand reaching up to play with his spectacles. "It had just been my luck that I've found my way through the castle without much scrutiny. Good places to hide, if you ask me."
To his surprise, the prince merely laughed. A show of pearly whites and a melodic chuckle that had red coloring the tips of the visitor's ears. Thank the powers above that it was dusk, the sun already shying down the horizon. "Yes, that's always been the case," he affirmed after his chuckling subsided. "It makes them a little too confident, y'know? The bastards that think they can just come in and decide to have a little fun with me."
Something flashed across the other man's eyes yet Nick hadn't caught it in time. Only the surprise flickering at his features afterwards. "You've dealt with this before?" At Nick's nod, the visitor frowned. "What, to get at you or to take your life or something?"
A grin graced the prince's lips, and his breath nearly hitched at the sight. "All of the above, my guy~. And I can already tell that you aren't like them, considering you don't have a knife at my throat by now or threatened me the minute you stepped foot into the courtyards. Who are you, then?"
The man stared at Nick, almost impassive if it weren't for the intrigue glimmering in his eyes. During their conversation, he can't help but observed the way the prince kept his distance -- not entirely casual or lackadaisical as he would have initially believed given their chatter. He, on the other hand, felt himself guarded, not convinced that this is all there is to it and there were no trickery or traps of the matter to capture him the moment he gets too comfortable.
Regardless, he felt himself swayed by the natural allure of the prince. How that fortune blooming from Nick's essence welcomed him in spite of the sudden meeting between them. Something fluttered in the pit of his stomach, like butterflies beginning to fly in a frenzy, and his cheeks felt warm to the touch though he dared not to reveal that flustered state.
Instead, the visitor attempted to mimic the grin, not caring if it happened to look shaky or bashful, and he decided to lower down to one knee to offer a proper greeting.
"Pleasure to meet you, your highness. You can refer to me as Noah."
