This was to be short and uhhhhh, it wasn’t.
Characters: Virgil, Logan, Roman, Minor Characters
Virgil leans his head against his window, looking down disheartened, seeing the captain of the royal force and the grand duke walk in his house. He had given up trying to open the door, his sweet little mice not being able to do much. He looked down at the custom made pocket watch with the solar system in the middle. Opening it, the planet Pluto was in the middle of the clock, shining the most. He had heard how the prince was looking for such watch, knowing that there was many out there, but his had the inscription of the prince’s name. Also, rumor was that they were searching for a certain poem only the person he danced with knows.
He remembers the night he danced with the prince, and while he was a nervous wreck in a purple colored suit that could not be replicated by the best seamstress with a black morning coat and a thin purple crown on his head, with earrings and necklaces that any female, male or other monarch would envy. His dark brown eyes to the point of looking black stood out against his smooth pale skin and how his hair was styled on the left that made his jaw look sharp. He remembers looking over the balcony, how eyes went towards him and he went down the stairs, a small smile on his face but also looking down at his fingers.
As he walked down the stairs, he was face to face with the prince, making him breathless at how such beauty and highness stood in front of him. Having just met the prince- Logan, was his name -a few days ago while horse riding. How could he forget such a gentle smile, soft honey eyes, glasses perched on his nose, hair so neatly styled not even one strand is out of place. He felt like the luckiest man alive just having spoken to him for two minutes that day.
“Mr. Logan,” Virgil whispers only for Logan to hear, giving him a small bow.
“It’s you. You’re really here,” Logan whispers, smile still on his face.
“Guess I am,” Virgil gives a small one shoulder shrug and gives a small smile in response, hand moving to tuck a piece of his own hair behind his ear out of habit.
Logan just smiles, his own nervousness now setting in and chuckles, swallowing them down and stands up straight, “Your highness,” He says and holds out his hand, “It would give me the greatest honor to dance with you..”
Virgil looks at him and places his hand on top of his and gives a small smirk in response, “The honor is all mine, Prince Logan.”
Virgil subconsciously smiles at the memory, remembering the feeling of such a firm but gentle grasp on his waist. The waltz was smooth, tranquil, intimate. Virgil never felt so...so calm at such a public event, having forgotten momentarily that others were watching him dance with the prince. He forgot that his stepmother and stepsisters were even there. Their moment outside in the royal garden, their flowing conversation that never seemed to end. They’d jump from one subject to another, their longest being about the wonders of the galaxies.
However, all that came to an end five minutes before midnight. He had to leave, barely on time when he was stopped. His arm was grabbed by Logan, who looked upset that Virgil had to leave but was not questioned. All he did was place the pocket watch on his hand and ask,
“Please, tell me your name.”
“V-“ He starts and his eyes widened as the clock was close to midnight. He says his farewells quickly, running down the stairs and ignores the calls made to him.
He had just reached the forest in time, a fair distance away from his house, seeing his pumpkin carriage deflate and his mice go back to normal. He looks at his torn up suit from before, the only his stepsisters had destroyed, but all he could care for was that he danced with the prince. Well, not even the prince. With Logan. A man who cared for him in a way that no one has in so many years. Nothing could ruin this night, not even his miserable family.
He breaks out of his memory and hears groans and sobbing, rolling his eyes at his family’s theatrics. He sighs, closing his eyes, singing the one thing that always did calm him down as a child and today as a grown adult;
“Lavender's blue/Dilly dilly/Lavenders green.
When I am King/Dilly dilly/You shall be Queen.
Who told you so/Dilly dilly/Who told you so?
T'was my own heart/Dilly dilly/That told me so.”
A smile slips on his face as he remembers his mother singing that to him as a child, sighing happily and held the pocket watch close to his chest as he kept singing,
“Call up your men/Dilly dilly/Set them to work.
Some to the plow/Dilly dilly/Some to the fork.
Some to make hay/Dilly dilly/Some to cut corn.
While you and I/Dilly dilly/Keep ourselves warm.”
He didn’t notice his mice staring up at him, little squeaks coming out as they relaxed to the sound of his honey voice. Virgil was into the lullaby, tears welling up as he remembers his mother, as he tells himself he won’t a life with Logan. He didn’t notice as his mice struggle to open the window, all five of them hanging onto each other and used their tiny force to pull down the handle.
“Lavender's green/Dilly dilly/Lavender's blue.
If you love me/Dilly dilly/I will love you.
Let the birds sing/Dilly dilly/Let the lambs play.
We shall be safe/Dilly dilly/Out of harms way.”
The captain down on the ground straightens up as he hears the smooth singing, a smile on his face and he looks at the grand duke. His eye seemed to twitch, and the captain hums.
“I love to dance/Dilly dilly/I love to sing.”
“No, I hear nothing,” The grand duke says, walking away while the captain looks at the stepmom.
“Are you sure there is no one left? No young unmarried person left?” The captain asks.
“No,” The stepmom hesitates and smiles, “No one left.”
“Captain, it’s time to g-“
“She’s obviously lying!” The captain hisses at the duke, “Unless her cat has suddenly learned to sing in the English language, there is someone left!”
“Nonsense! I trust the woman! Let us go and you will have an evaluation of your rank,” The duke snaps at him and tenses up as a certain voice speaks up.
“Grand Duke,” Logan says and takes off the royal uniform, smirking as he looked over from his horse, “My my, such a sweet voice. It refreshes one’s mind, don’t you think?”
“When I am Queen/Dilly dilly/You'll be my King.
Who told me so/Dilly dilly/Who told me so?
I told myself/Dilly dilly/I told me so.”
The three standing bow down to Logan, who gets off his horse and smiles at the captain, “Now captain, if you may, please do check on the source of such beautiful singing?”
“It will be my pleasure, your magesty,” He smiles and nods, standing up and the stepmother leads.
Virgil has started singing again, staring up at the sky and fiddled with the pocket watch. He looks up as his door was unlocked and sees his stepmother. He tensed, and was ready to be snarky with her if it wasn’t that the captain came out from behind. Virgil gets on his feet quick, slipping on his torn shoes.
“Captain...” Virgil breathes out, about to bow when stopped.
“As the note said, all young unmarried people of the castle who were at the ball are to show up to show something that the prince gave to their mysterious dance partner,” The captain says and smiles, “You are our last one of our kingdom. Please, report downstairs.”
Virgil swallows down his fears and nods, putting the pocket watch in his pocket and walks out of the room, seeing his stepmother give him side eye. He shakes off his nerves and goes downstairs, holding onto the rail and sees him there.
Logan looks up and gives a warm smile at the sight of him, standing up straight once more and waited for Virgil. He could feel eyes on him, but he had eyes for only person.
As Virgil got closer to him, his nerves simmered up again, close to a boiling point as his cheeks flushed standing in front of the prince. He was about to bow, when stopped once more and Logan spoke up.
“Who are you?” He asks, looking at Virgil with curiosity and fondness.
He hesitates, letting out a deep breath, “My name is Virgil,” Virgil responds, a shy smile on his face, “As you see, I’m not made of riches, I don’t dress as such, and to be honest, I’m not as modest as I act. I’m a servant boy to my family, a maid basically. I would understand if my magesty would like back his gift given to me.”
“What gift would that be?” Logan asks as he steps forward to Virgil, now only inches apart.
Virgil takes out the pocket watch slowly and holds it with care, showing Logan. Virgil doesn’t look up to see Logan’s smile of realization, the smile that held happiness and excitement, and much more that is hard to describe with simple words. Logan places a hand on it, turning around and there was his name and a small atom symbol on it.
“Until I met you my heart stood still,” Logan starts off, Virgil looking up into his eyes, “Like the moon and the sun-“
“Their love is true,” Virgil continues, his voice almost breathless, “That's how I feel when I look at you,” He finishes.
“You remember,” Logan mentions and wraps Virgil’s hand on the watch and smiles.
“How could I forget such poem, Logan? Why, I think it’s the first time I ever believed in love at first sight,” Virgil chuckles at the cliche.
“My captain, Captain Roman, will have a field day with that,” Logan grins and looks at Virgil, seeing their hands still close, “I too, believed in such saying that night. I never did believe in such saying,” He gets serious, clearing his throat but no one could miss that blush on his cheeks and tips of his ear, “Virgil, while I wish to spend my life with you, I would like to not rush the process. I would like to get to know you more, win over your heart properly.”
“Didn’t take you for old fashion consorting,” Virgil laughs lowly and looks at Logan, “Though, I thank you for such consideration. I would love to get to know you too, Logan. I do have a request, and you can reject if you’d like.”
“Take me from my house,” Virgil says and Logan has never seen such a broken look in a split second, “I would like to escape from this place I once called home with my deceased mother and father. I’m afraid if I stay, I will never see you again.”
“Pack a bag, anything you have or want to take,” Logan tells him, looking up, stare darkening at the sight of the stepmother, who took a step back, “You’re coming to the castle and living there from now on.”
Logan had Roman go with him and protect him, Virgil only packing the necessary and looks at his mice. He kneels down and doesn’t have the heart to leave them with such cruel women, he hoped Logan had a fond heart for them. He lets them leap into his shirt pocket and thanks Roman for the protection and goes down. Logan was waiting for him, standing near the stairs. He took over his bag and held hands, walking towards their exit when Virgil stops and looks at his stepmother, who was standing on the stairs. Virgil straightens up, feeling his heart finally be free, only speaking three words to her.
With that, he walked out, ready to start his new life with Logan.
