#sspatton

The young prince hurried down the deep red carpet that led down the long corridor of the palace, a few castle guards trailing after him. His crimson eyes trailed from the artwork on the walls, to the windows lining the corridor's left side, and to the doors right in front of him, giving him an anxious appearance. The bottom of his bold red cloak brushed against the back of his knees as he walked. He wore a neat white tunic tucked into formal, tan colored trousers, the cloak attached right at his left shoulder with an elegant gold clasp among other small, gold accessories. The white dress shirt was covered diagonally by a red sash that seemed recently ironed. Every part of his attire seemed spotless, from the straight cuffs of his shirt to the shine of his recently polished shoes. He approached the large wooden doors at the end of the hallway and stopped for a few moments. He adjusted the edges of his cloak, making sure they rested evenly and neatly at his knees as well as the sash, making sure it splayed evenly and wasn't wrinkled in any places. After fussing with his neatly styled hair a bit and making sure the silver crown, one that was no where near as elegant as those of the king and queen, was on the top of his head and was in the perfect place. The prince took a deep breath and proceeded opened the grand double cedar doors leading into his father’s study.

Inside was King Alanus along with the head of the royal guard, Sir Patton, and a few other knights. They were standing around a large table that a map of the kingdom had been spread out on, the corners held down with various heavy books so the information could be consumed. On the map there were six or seven red X’s, each one on a different marketplace or local shop. Roman approached the table, making his way to his father’s side. He gave a short nod, “Good afternoon, Father.”

The king rose his head at the words, exposing the crinkles in his skin from the corner of his mouth and eyes and the graying of the reddish-brown hair he shared with his son. He didn’t smile, no, he didn’t even greet his son. Just grunted, “You’re late.”

Roman frowned as he approached his father’s side, “My apologies.”

The king only responded with a quiet growl, standing up a bit straighter and clearing his throat, “I’m sure that Sir Patton would be happy to fill you in on what you missed due to your late arrival..”

Patton looked up from the map covered table, his curly blonde hair falling in front of his sapphire eyes as he almost immediately stood to attention. The head knight was wearing an outfit composed of shiny silver armor pieces that were bordered with gold, black leather padding visible in between the sturdy medal plates. The plates were centered around his chest, shoulders, and knees, his arms and legs given some leather padding. A light blue cape was attached by the shoulder plates, falling so it just barely brushed the floor. Patton nodded, adjusting his uniform the slightest bit before resting his hands on the edge of the table, leaning over the map, “We’ve been notified of several robberies across town. Originally we believed they were unrelated events, but when they begun to overlap..it became a bit more clear that they were connected in one way or another..”

Roman contemplated for a few moments, crossing his arms, “What has been stolen?”

Patton rubbed at the back of his neck, “That’s the odd thing, no money was stolen from any of the establishments, it was the wares of the shop. Anything from food to bandages to...weapons..”

Roman nodded, looking up to the knight, “Stockpiling perhaps..?”

Patton nodded, “My thoughts exactly, this had led us to believe that there has been the creation of a-”

“A thieves guild..” King Alanus cut off the knight. He cleared his throat again, “In that case we’ll have to take them down before they cause serious harm. Here’s what I want-”

“I can do it.”

The king looked over at his son, almost seeming surprised. He chuckled a bit, shaking his head, “You think you can take down an entire thieves guild?”

Roman nodded, standing up a bit straighter as he turned to fully face his father, “I’m positive.”

His father shook his head, “Roman, I don’t think-”

“I can do it..” he insisted, “I’m the heir to the throne, how am I supposed to rule a kingdom if I haven’t proven myself worthy of the responsibility..”

Patton eyed the prince before looking at the king, bowing his head a bit, “With all do respect your majesty..I do believe that the prince should be given a chance to prove himself.”

The king pondered the proposal for the following moments, doubt filling his face as he gave an exasperated sigh, “Very well then, but one mistake and I’m taking control of this operation. We don't have room for careless mistakes, not with the safety of the kingdom and its citizens on the line,” he looked down at his son with a serious, but somewhat doubtful, expression, “Do you understand me?”

The young prince nodded, seemingly shrinking a bit under the eyes of the king “Yes, Father.”

With that King Alanus gave a sharp nod and cleared his throat yet again, quickly tidying his clothing before beginning for the door, “Well then, I’ll leave it in your hands..”

The knights in the room, whom were the king’s personal guard, followed close behind, disappearing from sight as the cedar doors closed, sending the click of the closing door echoing through the room. Roman placed his hands on the table, sighing as he removed his crown and set it down, “What have I done?”

Patton frowned, making his way around the table and to the prince’s side. He placed a gentle hand on the prince’s shoulder. Roman and Patton had always considered each other more friends and less a prince and his knight. They’d been close since Patton had started his apprenticeship as a teenager and continued to grow closer. In fact, Roman would commonly sneak out of the castle to visit Patton and his husband, Logan, at their house across the kingdom.

Patton gave the prince a gentle smile, “You trusted your instincts, which is the quality of a strong leader,” He turned Roman to face him, Patton’s hands on his shoulders, “You’ve got this, Roman. I believe in you. We’ll take this guild down together, and I’ll make sure to give advice anywhere I can.”

Roman gave a weak smile and nodded a bit, the smile falling shortly afterward into a nervous frown, “But...what if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.”

Patton’s comforting smile grew a bit, patting Roman on the back, “I can assure you that you haven’t..you’re going to do a great job,” he moved his hands back to the table as he leaned his elbows on the edge of it, “Trust me..”

Roman’s smile returned, “I do..”

Patton chuckled, “I’m glad,” he stood up fully once more, stretching before backing away from the table, “Now as much as I’d enjoy to stay and chat some more, I have some recruits to train,” he began making his way to the door, stopping just short of exiting, “I believe in you, your highness..”.

Roman smiled and gave a short nod, waving at the knight as he made his exit. As soon as Patton left, Roman sighed, letting his head fall to rest on the table as he took a seat in a nearby chair. He huffed a bit, muttering a bit to himself as he tried to start formulating a plan in his brain that he could present to the royal guard. After a few moments he stood up, stretching and taking a deep breath before deciding he would be able to think better in the castle’s courtyard.

On the prince’s way out of the study, he stopped short of the door as a small clatter from outside drew his attention. It sounded..nearby. From the window at the far end of the room, in fact. So he carefully drew closer to the window, almost sneaking up on it like a lion hunting its prey. Once he got close enough to the window he peered out of it, suspicious that it possibly was being used to spy on the meeting, yet he couldn’t see evidence that anyone had been there at all. The only thing that sparked even the slightest interest was the view of the bustling market located on the main street of the kingdom. He sighed, making his way back to the door and finally making his exit.

But Roman had a right to be suspicious...because someone had been spying.