#aprincelybeast [001]

[beautyawoken]

ari  himself  had  yet  to  learn  about  the  royal  world,  about  selfishness  &  greed  for  he  -  it  felt,  had  barely  lived  at  all  until  now.  mesmerized  by  the  man's  speech,  there  was  that  pull  he'd  felt  once  before.  he  was  quite  sure  this  one  was  a  different  prince,  but  ...that  he  was  one,  of  that  he  was  sure.  "i...  you  think  they  aren't  here  for  the  prince?"  was  he  ..wrong  to  trust  in  the  good  in  people?  that  they  were  truly  here  at  his  father's  castle  to  celebrate  a  lifted  curse  &  a  new  world  just  waiting  for  them.  portals.  all  of  them  ....connected.  one.  he  was  right  though,  waking  up  had  not  been  pleasant.  more  years  lost.

he  wanted  to  know  more  about  him,  who  his  father  was  &  why  his  court  would  put  a  foul  taste  in  his  mouth  -  he  wanted  to  know  his  name,  his  favorite  season  &  if  he  would  like  a  dance  with  him,  but  -  socially  skilled  or  not,  ari  knew  he  was  moving  too  fast.

"prince  adam,  it's  wonderful  to  meet  you."  ari  all  but  beamed  at  the  man,  even  his  lack  of  manners  -  as  he  called  it,  was  endearing.  a  prince  &  yet  he  didn't  act  like  those  he  knew.  "less  lively?  what  happened  to  it?"  were  they  attacked?  did  he  need  help?  "oh,  yes  -  of  course."  he'd  hoped  to  avoid  it  for  longer,  but  he  was  not  a  liar  &  the  truth  could  no  longer  be  hidden  before  he  would  delve  into  non-truths.  "my  name  is  aurore.  prince... aurore,  but  you  can  call  me  ari.  i  much  prefer  that."

"So many gawkers. Filled with nobles who just want to be seen, who delight in gossip but fall apart at the suggestion they aren't perfect themselves." A tongue slid out, licking at a smear of cheese on his mouth, and with another bat of his hand, the crumbs were gone. At least he assumed. "Reminds me of my father's court, decades ago. Puts a foul taste in my mouth but it is not my party, it is the Prince's, and I suppose that's what's important." Adam shrugged, straightening a sleeve. His brow furrowed at the strangers words. "That's awful. A sleep like death...I can't imagine the shock waking up." Adam grunted. Damned faeries and witches. "Apologies. Manners aren't my strong suit these days." Adam smirked. "I am Prince Adam. From another realm, so this is my first time here. My castle is much less...lively. And your name?"

[beautyawoken]

the  man  had  looked  shorter  from  afar,  less  ...intimidating  for  sure,  but  he  seemed  friendly  for  all  ari  could  tell.  maybe  the  godfairies  had  been  right  in  trying  to  keep  him  away  from  others.  no.  he  yearned  for  this  moment,  he  was  going  to  succeed.  at  socializing?  or  maybe  ...  he'd  end  up  making  a  friend.  maybe.  their  gazes  met  &  held  for  a  short  while  until  his  eyes  trailed  off  &  found  a  stubborn  crumb  stuck  in  the  man's  beard.  he  observed  as  the  other  tried  to  clean  up,  watched  him  with  amusement  creeping  onto  his  face  -  almost  enough  to  light  up  the  room.  "stuffy?  how  so?"  the  food  at  least  seemed  to  impress,  but  if  someone  was  unhappy  with  something  at  the  celebrations,  he  had  to  know.  right?  right.  "oh,  ummm..  both,  you  could  say.  i  heard  the  curse  let  him  fall  asleep  on  his  birthday  and  that's  the  same  day  he  woke  up.  just  ...  later."  he  was  said  prince,  but  he  didn't  want  that  to  change  anything  between  them  just  yet.  one  thing  he  noticed  since  becoming  a  prince  was  that  people  seemed  to  see  him  in  a  different  light  once  they  knew.  "what's  your  name?  where  are  you  from?  is  this  your  first  time  at  the  king's  castle?"

To make a friend you have to find someone you have something in common with. That's what his majordomo had always told him to try and encourage him to leave the castle more. With the portals these days it was much easier. Unfortunately. But Adam would be lying if he said that the nature of this prince's curse wasn't interesting. Sleeping? Maybe Adam had gotten off easy. He waded through the evening, through waves of small talk, glasses of wine, and these actually delectable little savory pastries. No dancing, however. He drew the line there, giving a death stare at anyone who even looked to approach him with the proposition. At the hand on his shoulder, Adam turned, dark eyes looking down at the man dressed in finery. Adam was halfway through a pastry, crumb in his beard. Swallowing, he attempted to brush them away with his sleeve. "It's a bit stuffy, but the banquet is excellent." Adam replied frankly. "Though I am bit confused, is this party for the prince's birthday or because he woke up?"