the prince

“Stop that,” Adam mimicked, snickering once more. The other prince’s attempts at assertiveness just looked and sounded pathetic. Did he truly think he accomplished anything that way? He could barely speak properly, let alone demand anything. Ordinarily, he might feel insulted that someone would dare talk back against him, but Adam felt more amused now than anything. 

“You’re only embarrassing yourself, Alexander.” He heaved a sigh. “Your sister isn’t even here. What does it matter?” 

It wouldn’t have changed the situation much, anyway. His sister could witness the exchange or not, and it mattered little to him. 

More footsteps, however, echoed through the hallway. After a few minutes worth of finding a proper hiding spot (something that didn’t work out as well as she thought — too many servants asking her if she needed assistance), Rosella decided she may as well find Alexander again. If he did run into this kingdom’s prince, it undoubtedly wouldn’t go well with how shy he still acted around other royals (or most people, really). 

It surprised her how quickly she found him — and not alone. Brows furrowed in concern, Rosella quickened her steps until she reached them. “There you are, Alex. What’s going on?” 

Her gaze flickered towards the other man. Judging by the clothing and the way he carried himself, definitely the prince. Rosella quickly found herself relieved she didn’t bother looking for him, and disappointed she ran into him anyway. He looked like the typical, smug, too full of himself prince that she saw far too often. Rosella forced a pleasant smile. 

Adam looked on in momentary surprise at the arrival. He certainly didn’t expect the princess to show up so suddenly. Seconds before, he didn’t care either. But it seemed she didn’t look as pathetic as her brother. Perhaps this attempted match wasn’t as terrible after all. He raised an eyebrow, impressed. 

“You’re the sister, I take it? Alexander’s just been telling me about you.” Adam flashed a charming smile and took her hand, bringing it to his lips in a brief kiss. “My apologies for not attending the meeting earlier. I’m afraid I lost track of time. Thankfully I just ran into Alexander here.” 

While Alexander had been terribly thankful to hear his twin’s voice, part of him felt all the more close to cracking with her around. He didn’t want to be the one to ruin this arrangement by talking about how horribly Prince Adam spoken to him and about Rosella. For the time being, he would stay silent and watched the two interact.

Despite trying to keep his comments and irritation to himself, Alex found himself growing antsy as he stood off to the side of both of them. The elder twin looked as though his feelings had been hurt, as well as a small bit of confusion there. Something just wasn’t quite right with him, though he didn’t initially intend on telling Rosella about just what was going on. 

Perhaps it was just a fluke. Maybe if he tried to act more proper, Adam would treat him in a more kind manner, like he did with his sister. Swallowing back his emotions, he was beginning to recognize a small feeling of numbness that he hadn’t experienced since he’d left Manannan’s prison of a home.

His eyes rolled impatiently at the boy’s stuttering. “P-Prince A-A-Alexander of D-Daventry?” Adam mocked, voice becoming high and meek. A laugh broke his imitation. “For a prince, it seems they haven’t spared much expense on your speech.”

Sad, really. According to his father, the princess came with an exceedingly impressive dowry, so he couldn’t imagine them desperate for gold. Perhaps they simply gave up on this sad excuse for a prince who couldn’t even carry himself like one. 

Adam heaved a sigh. “No, I’m the butler. Of course I’m Prince Adam.” Did he truly think they let their staff dress so well? They only dressed as well as needed for a good impression. 

Bored, Adam idly examined his fingernails while this Alexander attempted an explanation for his sister. “Your sister can go wherever she pleases. I don’t really care,” he answered finally, “I can’t imagine she’s much to look at anyway if this is what her sibling looks like.” Adam’s nose scrunched in disgust. She looked pretty enough in the portrait that arrived not long before they made the trip, but people lied in paintings made for arranged marriages all the time. If this princess possessed a similar beak of a nose or such massive ears, he most certainly didn’t want such features getting into his family line. 

Listening to the way Prince Adam spoke to him, Alexander was actually quite taken aback. The young prince had never heard anyone really mock him for his stuttering, other than perhaps Manannan if he was too irritated to listen to him speak in the first place. It’d never really been worked on with his doctor, either, as they and his family mostly assumed it would sort itself out once he became more confident.

Confidence was feeling impossible to fake when in the presence of this man already.

At first, he wouldn’t say anything about the rudeness. He somewhat hoped that he’d realize for himself that he was being rather cruel, and apologize by himself. However, the insults only kept coming at a more alarming rate. In silence, he would take the mockery. That being said, when he finally accidentally ended up being rude to Rosella by proxy, that was when he finally drew the line.

“Stop that,” Alexander attempted to assert, his expression hardening just a bit. Memories were filling his mind. Manny had always shouted abuse at him for just about every trait he had that seemed unreasonable or undesirable to him. His appearance, of course, was one that was brought up often. 

Adam roamed the halls, looking not the slightest bit rushed. In fact, he seemed perfectly lax — was perfectly lax — not at all like a prince who missed an important meeting. 

In truth, Adam did not care in the least. The process of proper meetings for arranged marriages bored him to death. Whatever princess his father brought in this time would surely stay for dinner. He could get to know her then. If the princess looked pleasant enough and didn’t bore him to death, he might consider going through with it. Until then, Adam intended on enjoying his day. Perhaps a ride upon his favourite horse, so he could avoid the inevitable scolding from his father. 

The approach of an unfamiliar man, however, made Adam stop in his tracks. He knew about a princess visiting, but who on earth was this? Surely she brought handmaidens along, but not a simple servant (and with the way the man dressed, Adam had no doubt that’s what he was — any self-respecting royalty should never be caught dead in such a hideous tunic). Maybe he was the other king’s squire. 

“You’re lost, stable boy,” Adam began haughtily, turning his nose up at the stranger, "The stables are in the other direction.” 

Continuing down the hall, away from his irritating twin and in search for this apparent prince, he was actually surprised to find him fairly easily. Alexander had a small smile appear over his face, though a bundle of anxiety was hitting him over like a blunt brick. Not that that was unusual by any means, but he still found it difficult to deal with as he approached the other.

Opening he mouth try to attempt conversation with him, Alexander was surprised by the words Adam said before he was able to say a single word.

“...Stable boy?” He questioned slowly. No, that wasn’t him. Not -- well, not anymore. Perhaps he was just mistaken. Alex could get that. He felt as though he often did say the wrong things to people, and definitely felt embarrassed when he would realize how wrong he could be at times.

“No, um... I’m one of your guests, actually!” Alexander told him. “I’m, uh, P-Prince Alexander... o-of Daventry. I assume you’re Prince Adam, right?” Or he was just an extremely well-dressed staffer. “My sister would’ve been here, too, but she...” 

Oh Stars, what could he even say about Rosella right now? If he told the other that his sister had intention of even marrying him, what would he say? Surely he’d be upset, right? Alexander hesitated, and ultimately froze as he realized he really didn’t know what he should say to the kingdom’s prince.

“If someone avoids a meeting for an arranged marriage, it’s a pretty clear sign they don’t want it,” Rosella pointed out. “And trust me, I know. I’ve avoided or shown up late to more than one.” Every one of them, actually. Rosella still wanted nothing to do with marriage, let alone an arranged one. 

“I don’t want to find him, Alex!” she snapped, then, catching herself, she let out a sigh. “Sorry. I’m just… I’m frustrated. I don’t want to get married any time soon, nor do I want to leave Daventry. Ever. And I doubt this prince is willing to leave this shining castle for ours. They’re looking for a queen here.” 

Just the thought of moving away from Daventry gave her an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. No matter how much Rosella adored seeing other places, she never intended on leaving Daventry for good. She loved her home more than anything. 

“Maybe… maybe I can just sneak out by myself. You can tell our parents you lost track of me?” Rosella suggested, turning to her brother with a hopeful smile. “It’s not as if they’ll be surprised, and then you won’t get in trouble for anything!”

Alexander flinched as he’d heard his twin raise her voice at him. While he wasn’t necessarily upset with her about it, it had still done enough to startle him. Her apology made him feel better, but not by much. His brown eyes trailed down, and just listened as Rosella started to tell her more of her plans to sneak away.

Great. He’d have to deal with this himself.

“But when I find Adam, I’ll have to deal with him myself. I don’t know if he’ll really care about the brother of the girl his dad wants him to marry.” Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too much of an asshole. Though, he supposed that if he was, then at least Rosella would have a valid reason as to why she didn’t want to be with him.

Despite his attempts to reason with her, Alexander knew it was probably just a waste of his time. Rosella wasn’t exactly the type to listen to other’s if she had her mind made up. Or even a fraction made up. Just like their dad, much to the misfortune of the young prince. The older twin rolled his eyes, then shook his head at her. Whatever. He could deal with this.

Normally, Rosella loved trips into other kingdoms. She adored seeing other lands, staying in different castles. They all looked remarkable in their own ways, and this one appeared breathtaking. 

She did not, however, enjoy trips taken purely for discussing the subject of marriage. Namely, her marriage. 

Walking down the halls at Alexander’s side in search of this elusive prince, Rosella didn’t think she ever felt so angry in her life. Of course she grew used to handling suitors over the years, but marrying her off to another kingdom? Shining Stars! Just because Alexander returned home didn’t mean she intended on leaving! 

“I think we should just find our chambers and climb out the window,” Rosella suggested with a huff. “Prince Adam clearly doesn’t want anything to do this arrangement, and neither do I. If we get out quickly enough, it’ll be ages before they can ever find us.” 

“...How do you know he doesn’t?” Alexander asked honestly. As rude as it seemed that the prince hadn’t exactly shown up to be introduced to the rest of them, he didn’t want to immediately assume that it was purely him fault. After all, he and Rosella both were occasionally made late by their own personal mischief. Maybe this Prince Adam would surprise them by being actually quite compatible with his twin.

“Maybe be we should just... find him? And see whether he’s a good  man or not.” He didn’t necessarily like the idea himself, honestly. He was still getting used to the idea of meeting with people. While he wasn’t already just clinging to his twin’s side through this, Alexander still like he was terribly nervous at the prospect of meeting his sister’s possible future husband. “Then, at least if he’s a jerk, we can tell Mom and Dad. They wouldn’t make you marry someone you don’t like.”

The problem truly was, though, that he didn’t quite know where they should attempt to look. Where would a prince spend his days? ...Other than a reclusive nobody such as himself? He... he really didn’t know.

Alexander hadn’t been really been anticipating this trip for “royal business,” or just whatever his parents were supposed to be doing. Didn’t it have something to do with Rosella? The young man honestly didn’t have a clue of anything, outside of the fact that he already didn’t like it here.

While he had been slowly doing better with interacting with others, he still had very little interest in going on these sorts of trips. However, if he didn’t exactly want to be left alone in the castle with no one but the guards, then he didn’t have much of a choice than to go with the rest of his family.

When they were introduced, it was really only the king there. While there was apparently a prince that Ella was meant to be seeing about a courtship (seriously? That was why they were there?), he hadn’t exactly... well, shown up to see everyone. Which was... well, it was weird, wasn’t it? Even he was usually encouraged to meet guests before he was allowed to stay in the library for a good, long while.

Maybe they were just a bit more lax there.

She almost hoped he did say yes about Cinnamon. Anything that could help ease his suffering at night, Cassima encouraged fully. Even if he didn’t think Cinnamon’s presence would help anymore, if he still missed her, then she didn’t see it as a bad idea. 

“Even so, it can’t hurt to try, Alex. Especially if you miss her,” Cassima offered. “You can at least give it a thought. And if you do want her back at your side, we’ll have a talk with Shamir.” Having a genie in their palace certainly came in handy for such things. Their wedding itself would have happened so much later if not for Shamir’s help in bringing Alexander’s family here. Some might have counted that as a good thing, not having it all so soon, but Cassima didn’t regret it. Her heart felt fuller with him here, and that’s all she needed to know. 

Tears still lingered in her eyes, but Cassima couldn’t push them back. Hearing about such horrible things her husband endured and revisited him at night made her heart ache for him, even if they had ended in the present. Still, she found a smile returning when he reached out and pulled her into his lap. Cassima curled into him easily, both arms slipping around his shoulders. “I’m sorry, love. I don’t mean to, but… I only wish for you to be as happy in your sleeping hours as you are when you’re awake. You don’t deserve for such terrors to follow you like this.” 

Once more, Cassima’s hand drifted to his cheek, fingers settling there as her eyes locked with his. Her heart swelled at his words. “And you have done the same for me, Alexander. When I first saw you again in that little hole in my wall, I felt happier than I had since… well, since I found myself free of Mordack’d imprisonment.” Before she found out about her parents’ death, that is. “And then you brought me yet more joy by staying, and by even bringing my parents back. I still feel at times that it must be a dream!” A beautiful dream that she never wanted to wake from.

Leaning in, Cassima kissed him once more, this time letting her lips linger softly. “Whatever visions plague you at night, my love, we will find a way to conquer them.” 

“...I can only hope that your own sleep won’t be too bothered by them until then. Ella and I both were terribly sleep-deprived back when I still lived in Daventry, because she was often the one I turned to for help with my nightmares. At least, until I got more used to Cinnamon.” He’d never slept better than when he finally stopped being afraid of hurting her. Regardless of whether she would still be able to help him, anyway, Alexander still did desperately want his dear friend back.

Again, he returned the soft kiss. He felt as though nothing could beat the elation he felt when his wife initiated such clear affection. His heart would soar in ways he he only thought possible in storybooks. The new king truly never thought that someone would love him, and yet here he was. He wanted to cry with tears of joy, and never let Cassima go.

For several moments, he just let the moment sit in silence.

Thoughts popped up at the back of his mind, however, recalling some of the few awkward and panicked encounters they’d had since they’d been married. A few came to mind, where he’d been too fearful to tell her why he’d been so antsy, or so nervous. Now that she knew about this, it felt like it’d be easier to tell the truth about those instances.

“I must admit,” Alexander began. “...my years with Manannan are the reason why I’ve been shy about dressing in front of you. I-- ... I didn’t want you to see.” Even while they were physically intimate with each other, Alexander had done everything he could to make sure that his new wife wouldn’t see the set in scars along his back. He hadn’t wanted to upset her with them, by accidentally having her see without him properly telling her the source.

Cassima waited patently through his silence. It seemed like a difficult subject — Cassima gathered that from the intensity of his screams when he woke in the night, but his hesitation now solidified it. She let her hand drop to his shoulder, offering her encouragement with a gentle squeeze. 

…Oh. Years. Cassima thought these started recently. After the things he endured under Mordack’s imprisonment, and even traveling into the Underworld so recently, surely that provided plenty fuel for night terrors. But years more worth of terrors? 

The horror that entered Cassima’s eyes only grew as he explained the source of his nightmares. “Oh my—” She raised her hand instead to her mouth, muffling her gasp. “I didn’t— I remember overhearing Mordack talking about… something about you and his brother. But I didn’t think—”

Cassima knew Manannan and Mordack were terrible, terrible people. But stealing Alexander away as a baby? What awful villain did something like that? 

“Alexander, I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” she sad, voice thick with tears. “Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe… Maybe we can ask Shamir to bring Cinnamon here? Was she the only thing that helped?” 

Alexander was quick to shake his head as he listened to his wife become so upset.Of course, it must have been hard to hear when you love someone. You would rather the world pile itself upon you than to hear that your love was hurt in any way, shape, or form. He felt that deeply, and so he understood her feelings.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel horrible for dumping this all on his new wife. Alexander felt bad that he wasn’t able to just properly move on from things like he would have wanted. He wanted things to be okay. For him to no longer to have any terrors, and so he and his wife could have a good night’s sleep. Even with her question about his dear pet, Alex almost wondered whether Cinnamon would bring that same ease anymore.

“I don’t know,” The slightly older man admitted to her. “It’s been so long since I’ve had her with me. I wonder whether she’d still be able to help with them, though I do miss her. Terribly.” He finally raised his head back up to look at her properly, and offered her a clear look of worry. Alexander didn’t want to see her cry for him.

Cautiously, he reached out to her. He’d only really learned so much about this type of intimacy while on their honeymoon. How just being near someone could feel good between those in love. While he was still extremely nervous about these types of affections, he was still making the effort. Perhaps, in time, he’d enjoy them, too. For now, he was just doing this purely for her sake.

He pulled her closer, bringing her into his lap. Alexander wasn’t nearly as thin as he’d used to be. For that, he was thankful. He was actually able to handle a full grown person sitting on his lap now, while just this time last year, he’d still been too thin for such a thing. 

The apology he uttered didn’t surprise her. In fact, apologies from him seemed like a regular thing, even in such a short time. Cassima hoped that eventually, her insistence against it paid off. He didn’t have anything to apologize for. 

“Alexander, it’s alright. I’m not upset about it. I’ve slept better with you than I have in months,” she admitted. “I’m only worried about you.” 

She noted the hesitation. And, Cassima understood. They still knew so little of each other, their wedding only recently passed. If he didn’t feel like opening up about something terrorizing his dreams, Cassima didn’t fault him. But… she hoped that he would. 

“Whatever it is, love, you can tell me,” she assured him. Her hand trailed up to his cheek, thumb delivering soft caresses as she leaned up and delivered a kiss upon his lips. “But I… understand if you’d rather not. I only want to help, if I can.” 

Alexander knew her intentions were innocent. His wife saw him suffering, and wanted nothing more than to find out the reason why. It still just felt as though it should’ve been his burden to bear. It still didn’t feel right, bring this all down upon her. She didn’t know just how long of a story it could be, if he truly intended on telling her everything.

The information still hung on the tip of his tongue, honestly wanting to talk about it. Alexander hadn’t seen his doctor in over half a year, and had been without Cinnamon, as well. While things had been getting better before he left Daventry, it definitely seemed as though things had regressed.

The elder of the two finally returned the affection, kissing her lips gently before allowing them to part.

Just how much could he tell her before it became all too much?

“...I--” He attempted once. How was he supposed to do this? How could he even begin?

“I... I’ve been having these nightmares for years,” Alexander admitted. “Since I was a boy. About my --... my... my captor.” His teeth clenched tightly, and he tried to force more words out of his mouth. “Cassima. When... when I was still a baby, I was stolen was my cradle. The brother of the man who stole you from your family. Manannan. He’s hated my father since he was still but a young man, and apparently decided to punish him through me.”

It all still seemed so unfair.

What had he done to deserve the treatment he received? Why had he been punished for his father’s deeds? The thought made tears well up in his brown eyes.Try as he might, blinking them away didn’t work too terribly well.

“For almost eighteen years, I was his slave. If I didn’t do things as he told me, he would beat me. Berate me. Shoot me with magic. Anything to make sure I was miserable. Those -- ... Those are what my terrors are about. About him. Trying to kill me all over again. For managing to escape him. For a while, I thought they were under control. I have a pet rabbit, Cinnamon. She helped me feel at ease enough that I didn’t have nightmares for a few short months. But, I guess sleeping soundly isn’t going to be happening again for... for a while.”

@caduceusthemagnificent; // ♡ ‘d for a starter — ALEXANDER && CASSIMA

Cassima sat amidst a mess of pillows, her head snugly nestled against Alexander’s shoulder. Moments like this brought her more happiness than anything. Quiet moments where she could content herself to simply sit at his side. The past few years proved arduous, from the unrest in the isles, to Mordack’s kidnapping, to the murder of her parents and Alhazared’s schemes. But Cassima couldn’t imagine a happier end — or rather, beginning. Things still felt… awkward between her and Alexander at times, but then again, everything about their relationship was still so new. He made her happy, and the awkwardness that came with newness would fade, she knew.

In these moments at the end of the day, though, worries did plague her. Not about them, but about Alexander. It didn’t escape her notice how often he woke in the middle of the night, with screams and tears. Cassima knew he endured many things under Mordack’s imprisonment, and even in his adventures to free her. But… Cassima felt so helpless merely holding him through his terrors.  Perhaps if she knew what plagued him, exactly, she could help more…

Alexander hadn’t addressed them with her yet. And Cassima didn’t ask, herself, out of respect. She didn’t stop dwelling on the topic, though, or wondering if talking would help. Tonight, like many nights so far, it sat on the tip of her tongue, and she let it remain there as she lightly ran her fingers up and down his arm in soft, idle caresses. 

“Alexander? Are you… alright at night?” Cassima frowned briefly — it didn’t sound as nice finally leaving her lips. But a sympathetic smile formed as she tilted her head up at him. “I’m sorry, I— I don’t mean to pry, if you don’t want to talk about it. It’s just… I’ve noticed you waking a lot, and I want to make sure everything’s okay.” 

Within the dimly candlelit room, Alexander read quietly from one of his books. His eyes were growing heavy, but every part of him had wanted so desperately to at least get to the end of the chapter before he would attempt to get some sleep. Especially with his wife’s warm body so close to his own, the body heat shared between them left him just a bit drowsy. 

The new king never truly would look forward to going to sleep, but he’s realized long ago how useless it was to resist it. At that point, nightmares were just as normal and typical as getting dressed in the morning. It was becoming routine again, now that he didn’t have Cinnamon to truly calm his nerves like before.

Waking up your new wife screaming and sobbing during your honeymoon likely wasn’t the best of first nights together. And even more as they were slowly becoming more and more used to sleeping beside one another, the terrors still refused to let up. 

He’d been more surprised that she didn’t end up asking sooner, honestly. The question had brought him out of his concentration on the page, and left him carefully taking note of the place where he  was before placing the thin, blue ribbon bookmarker between the pages. Alexander gave Cassima all of his attention, though he was left momentarily silent as he tried to figure out just how he’d be able to express to her the truth behind things.

“I... I am still very sorry. That I keep waking you.” Alexander first expressed to her, though he must’ve apologized for waking her with his cries countless times by now. “I really should have warned you, about just how relentless they are. I can promise you that everything’s fine, it’s just...” He trusted her. Right?

“The mess is already there, Alex! Getting a kiss isn’t going to hurt any,” Rosella protested, and when she kissed his cheek again it seemed more out of spite than anything.

Cassandra let out a sigh from where she stood, watching the events unfold. Prince Alexander didn’t seem comfortable stuck in a group hug with the two princesses. Poor guy. Cassandra knew from experience that Rapunzel hugged tight, and from the looks of it, so did Rosella. 

The princess, however, seemed utterly oblivious. Instead, Rapunzel blinked at his answer. “All of them? Well, I can arrange that!” she exclaimed. But then, the prince finally expressed his distaste for the hug, and Rapunzel hastily jumped back. “Oh! Sorry! I need to remember, there’s a time for bear hugs.” 

Rosella, too, released her brother, though Cassandra noted she just slipped her arm through Alexander’s again anyway. Cassandra rolled her eyes and chuckled in amusement. “Alright, why don’t we get all of you back to your rooms to change. And… possibly into the bath. That flour’s not gonna get out on its own.” 

“Yeah, but you approaching me and hugging me made it all the worse.” Alexander scolded his twin, scowling at her as he was finally released from the hug. There were spotty  patches of flour all over his outfit now, including some that now sat on his face from it dusting off Rosella’s hair and rubbing off from her skin.

His body did hurt just a tad from the tight squeezes from both young women. Alexander was more than sure that all three of the women were far stronger than he would ever hope to be, so it’d been no surprise to him that he was in a little pain.

The suggestion of a bath and a change of clothes did sound good, one that the young prince was quick to nod his head in favor of.

“It might be a little hard to get out of here without making a total mess, though,” Alexander hardly wanted to create more work for the staff involved. He knew far too well how much he hated cleaning up after another’s mess, so he found himself almost always conscious about whether he was making a mess for castle staff that probably didn’t want to be cleaning up after royalty.

“No, do— You don’t have to—” She let out a frustrated grunt and reached up to wipe yet more tears from her eyes. “It’s not your fault, Alex. Don’t apologize. It’s just… the situation. I mean, you’re home now. You’ve been home for a while. Things should be good! Not… like this.” 

It frustrated her, and honestly, Rosella did feel angry. Rosella knew her father missed Alexander just as much as the rest of them, felt just as happy having him home. Why couldn’t he just make the effort to think a little more before he spoke, or at least apologize? She heard enough about what happened in the Ice Palace to know things did not go well between them. And Rosella understood that — she and Alexander had their misunderstandings when he first came home, and even now. But as much as they did clash now and then, they always made up. 

Graham doing the same with his son shouldn’t turn into so much of an issue. 

Watching Alexander scoot away from her, Rosella’s frown deepened. For a moment, Rosella hesitated, then she twisted herself around so she faced him. She reached out and took hold of his hand, clasping it between both of hers. 

“Alex, just… let me talk with him, alright? He’s being a jerk with you, I know, but I know that he cares about you. And he listens to me. If I try and talk with him about this, then I’m sure things will change.” 

Despite her encouraging words, Alexander still felt like a piece of trash in terms of everything. Of course, Graham would listen to Rosella, but not him? What does he not listen to their mother, either? There was a large part of him that felt bitter about that. Though he said nothing to his sister, and instead kept silent as he considered her offer. 

His dark brown eyes stared down at the bed as he thought and thought, wondering honestly if it’d even be worth it. 

Yes. Of course it would. Why would he think otherwise?

On the other hand, he didn’t want his father to end up faking his enthusiasm when it came to everything he did just because  Rosella told him not to be such a jerk toward him. This wouldn’t have even been a problem in the first place if Graham hadn’t been so completely inconsiderate of the young man’s feelings.

Even with that thought in mind, Alexander finally looked back up at Rosella and nodded his head.

Fine. If Rosella talking to him was all it took to get Graham to respect him, then so be it. Even with that idea, however, Alex still wasn’t so sure that’d be all it took to properly mend their extremely strained relationship.

Rosella’s mouth opened to intercede, multiple times, but closed just as quickly as his rant continued. She didn’t think she ever heard him talk so fast. Tightening her hand around his shoulder, Rosella chewed at her lower lip. It wasn’t as if Alexander didn’t have a good point — a fair point — but…

All her life, Rosella exhibited nothing but fierce protectiveness and love for her family. All her family. It was why she agreed to sacrifice herself to that dragon in the first place, why she journeyed to Tamir without hesitation to save her father, why she glued herself to Alexander’s side day and night. But Graham hadn’t treated Alexander right, and her protectiveness towards each of them were at war with each other. 

“Alex, I— I’m not— saying you shouldn’t be upset. You have every right. But— Dad’s made a lot of mistakes. I know that. That doesn’t mean you’re not wanted here, though. That you’ve somehow brought misfortune on any of us. Whatever Dad has said, you are not the cause of any of it.” 

Sniffling in irritation, Rosella hurriedly wiped a stray tear from her eye before she continued. “I— I didn’t know he never apologized. I… thought that he did.” 

Alexander immediately did feel the pang of guilt when he saw his twin getting upset. The dark haired twin had pent up this issue he’d had for a while now, just for this very reason. Alex knew it would end up making his sister upset or angry with him for feeling so strongly about their father. After all, Graham had clearly been the most important person in her world. 

He wasn’t sure where he stood on that, honestly, since he got back, but he wouldn’t question it. Alexander just knew something like this would happen, and he did feel sorry. 

That being said, the prince had felt the weight of his father’s actions on his mind for months now. Nearly years, if he was to count the ice palace. Alexander just didn’t feel like he was continually welcome in this family if he refused to comply with his father’s wishes.

His expression had softened at the sight of his sister’s tear, and reached a hand out to gently hold her arm in some form of comfort. Alex wasn’t nearly as good at is as Rosella was, but... well, he wasn’t going to just do nothing.

“I’m sorry,” He apologized softly. “I didn’t mean to make you sad, but I just--...” 

Frustration was more accurate than rage, he felt. The frustration he felt toward his entire relationship with his father was affecting him greatly, when he truly wished he could just blindly adore him like Rosella did. 

Retreating inward again, Alex took his hand back and scooted away from his sister slightly. 

Cassandra took in the sight of just how much flour the princesses were covered in with an amused roll of her eyes. It didn’t surprise her one bit, though, nor did it upset her, even as someone in charge of keeping Rapunzel presentable. She dealt with helping Rapunzel clean up far worse messes in her time as the crown princess’s handmaiden. 

“C’mere, Raps. Let’s see if we can find your face in there,” she said as she took a towel from one of the counter tops. Rapunzel giggled as her handmaiden took up the task of wiping away the layers of flour that covered her face, hair, and dress. “What, did the flour sack attack you both?”

“Well, sort of?” Rapunzel shrugged, sharing another laugh with Rosella as she glanced at the other princess.

“We decided to make the baking a little more entertaining,” Rosella explained while Alexander brushed the flour off her. Not bothering to get the rest of it off, she threw her arms around her brother a placed a quick kiss against his cheek. “Sorry for running off. I was promised pie.”

Considering how Alexander talked about his sister earlier, she assumed that was explanation enough for Daventry’s princess.

“Sorry, I should have brought you along, too!” Rapunzel chimed in, peeking over now that Cassandra got most of the powder off her face. She dashed over and gripped Alexander in a tight bear hug. “I’ll make it up to you with pie! What’s your favourite?” 

While he hadn’t been bothered by the small amount of flour, the amount that adhered to him after his twin hastily threw herself at him made him recoil. Still, he had nowhere to go, with him trapped in his sister’s tight embrace. Well, there went his clothes... Alexander, however, did aggressively attempt to get his face away from hers as she planted the kiss on his cheek.

“Ella! Stop, you’re just spreading your mess!” He complained to her, and tried to pry the blonde’s arms from around his thin body.

Even if he had managed to get Rosella off of him, Rapunzel’s speed and tight grip around him didn’t exactly do him well. Oh, Stars... he was going to be crushed.