A Prince's Pride

*Aaron*

When I wake up, my eyes snap to Milo and the cot in the corner of my room. Or, rather, my eyes snap to the spot where it was yesterday before my father gave the all clear and had it removed. With the danger passed, Milo slept in his own home last night. 

It’s been a week since he was found breaking into Corianne’s house. He’s even more furious with her now because, thanks to her lie, he has to plan a bachelorette party for her. 

Mine and Milo’s relationship is in a strained place right now. No matter what Corianne says, he still won’t trust her. Fearing for her life since someone tried to boobytrap her house, Corianne is now staying in the castle full time. She’s spent several nights in my room to keep up the illusion we’re betrothed. I had hoped that, when she forgave him for breaking into her house, he’d start to come around, but it only made him more suspicious of her.

Neither us nor Criston has come up with a solution for the problem of our upcoming nuptials. Thankfully, Corianne is playing the part of a crazy bride, insisting every single detail be planned out perfectly while changing her mind constantly. My father wants the wedding planning to be done so we can do the thing already, but my mother keeps telling him that these things take time.

When I enter the dining hall for breakfast, I’m surprised to see Milo there. He normally greets me in my room.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” he says. “Is there anything you require of me this morning?” He’s acting like a servant. And, yes, he is, but I don’t like this.

“No, Milo, thank you,” I say, sitting down. I catch Riley’s eye, but I ignore the questioning look on her face. I haven’t spoken to her since our argument over Corianne. Speaking of which, Corianne is sitting next to Riley, a book open in front of her filled with photographs of flowers, dresses, veils, and other wedding crap.

“Milo,” says Corianne, “would you fetch me some more water, please?”

“Of course, my lady,” he says. He takes her cup to a small serving cart and fills it before bringing it back. When he sits it down, it spills over the wedding plans and pours down onto Corianne’s dress. 

“Oh, no,” Milo says. “I’m so sorry, my lady. Let me fetch you a towel.”

“That won’t be necessary, Milo,” says Corianne, standing. Riley turns her head away from Corianne, her eyes shut tightly, her body wracking with silent laughter. Corianne shoots her a look as she picks up the book and leaves the hall.

“Are you alright, Milo?” asks my mother, looking at him concernedly. “You haven’t been acting normally for a few days.”

“I’m just overworked, Your Majesty,” he says to her with a bow. “Planning the bachelorette party has been taking up much of my time and I’m exhausted.”

“By all means, then,” says my father through a mouthful of toast. “Take today off. Aaron can get by with one of the other servants.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he says with a bow before leaving the hall. 

He doesn’t look at me as he makes his exit.

*Milo*

Great. Now Aaron is going to think I dumped the water on Corianne on purpose. Truly, it was an accident. What I told the queen is true. Planning a bachelorette party for a future Princess of Midoor is hard work, even with Xion’s limited help. They’re too busy planning Aaron’s wedding to help me much.

I’m walking down the road toward my apartment when a figure moves out of the shadow of the building next to it.

“Milo!” says Tanner, raising his arms as if to embrace me. I duck under them and don’t say anything. “Wait, wait, wait, my friend. I have something for you.”

He follows me up the stairs and we stop at the door to my apartment.

“Tanner, just leave me alone,” I tell him as I walk in and try to close the door behind me, but he jams it with his shoe.

“You don’t want to know what the Lady Corianne is up to?”

“Let me guess,” I say, rolling my eyes. “You saw her with Criston again?”

“Well, yes,” he says, “but you’ll never believe who I saw Criston with.”

“And who is that?”

“Delaina Penner.”

“Penner?” I echo. “Why does that sound familiar?”

Tanner leans his head closer to me, putting his face in the space of the door.

“Do you remember Cassandra Penner? She was one of the Red Hand agents that led the attack that killed all those poor orphans.”

That’s right. The King had Aaron pass judgment on her, sentencing her to death.

“Who is she?” I ask.

“Let me in, and I’ll give you the information. You can decide what it’s worth.”

I hesitate for a moment before I step back and let Tanner in, closing the door behind him.

We sit at my table and I look at Tanner expectantly.

“Delaina is Cassandra’s mother,” he tells me. “I saw Criston talking to her in a dark alleyway. He handed her a bag of gold.” That piqued my interest.

“Do you know why?”

“I could find out, for a price.”

I shouldn’t be doing more dealings with Tanner. That’s how I got in this mess in the first place. Still, I can’t help myself. I’m determined to prove Corianne is up to no good.

“Do it,” I say.

“Excellent! And, you can have this, free of charge,” he says, sliding a photograph to me. It shows Criston and a woman who must be Delaina Penner, a bag of gold changing between their hands.

“Also, there is the matter of the fee of my information.”

I roll my eyes and reach into my coin purse, then put five gold crowns in front of him.

“I’ll see you in a couple of days,” he says. He stands and leaves my apartment.

I fold my arms on my table and rest my head on them, looking at the photograph.

Why is Criston giving a bag full of gold to the mother of a known terrorist? Surely, the money came from Corianne. Criston is some kind of property manager for them, from what Corianne has said. I doubt he makes that kind of money.

I sigh, wishing I could either forget this Corianne business, or find the proof I finally need to nail her dead to rights.

A realization hits me then. I’ve been going about this the wrong way. If I’m going to find out what Corianne is up to, I can’t be on her bad side. What’s that old saying? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. 

I tuck the photograph away somewhere safe and head out the door. I guess it’s time to get very close to Corianne.

*Aaron*

I grunt as my gloved fist connects with a dummy in the gym. It’s my favorite way to release pent up frustration, other than having Milo fuck me silly, but that’s out of the question at the moment.

Why is he so stuck up on Corianne? Why is he so determined to see wrong in her? She’s done literally nothing but help us. Milo, Riley, Oswald…are they just being paranoid, or do they really see something I don’t?

“You hit that dummy any harder and you’ll break it,” comes a voice from the door. I turn to see Riley standing there in her workout clothes.

“What do you want?” I snap at her.

“Touchy,” she says, walking up to me. I hit the dummy several more times before she says anything else. “I’m here to workout, but I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to talk to you.”

“I have nothing to say,” I tell her.

“Then just listen.” But I don’t want to. I pull the gloves off as I head for the door and throw them on the ground. “Aaron!” she calls after me, but I don’t stop until her arm wraps around mine. She sweeps my legs, sending me on my back, and places a foot on my chest.

“You should make up with Milo,” she says. I balk at her, push her foot off, and roll myself to the side before pushing myself up to my feet.

“Why?” I demand.

“Because you love him. And he loves you. All of this stuff with Corianne is stupid.”

“You don’t trust her, either,” I remind her.

“True, but it’s not ruining my relationships. Just go talk to him. He told me you’ve been ignoring him for the last week.”

That’s true, I have been. And it’s been miserable.

“Fine, I’ll talk to him,” I say.

“Good,” she says. Without another word, she turns to one of the dummies and lifts her fists.

*Milo*

Finding Corianne isn’t too difficult. I head for her room and knock. When she opens the door, she looks at me skeptically.

“May I help you, Milo?” she asks. I can see the anger on her face, but her voice doesn’t betray anything, and I know she’s doing it for the sake of the guard standing outside her door.

“I wanted to talk to you about the bachelorette party, my lady,” I say. “May I come in?”

She steps back and allows me to enter. I see the dress the water spilled on laying on her dresser, drying probably.

“I’m sorry about the water,” I tell her when the door is shut. “It really was an accident.”

“You don’t have to lie to me, Milo. I know you don’t like me.”

“It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s just—” and here’s where the lies begin, “—I’m…jealous.”

Corianne looks shocked. “Jealous?” she echoes. 

“You can just waltz around with Aaron, planning a wedding. You can kiss him in public, people are congratulating you on your relationship. I…I can’t do that.” It shocks me to realize part of this is true. I am jealous.

“Oh, Milo,” she says, walking up to me. She wraps her arms around me and hugs me. Damn, her hug feels so nice. She’s warm and smells like honeysuckle. “Is that why you’ve been treating me so awful?”

“I guess so. I just…I want that life.”

“I want it for you,” she says. “I have no intention of marrying Aaron. I love Criston. That’s why he’s moved to the city, to be with me. Once this wedding thing is figured out, we’re going to leave and go home together.”

A thought occurs to me then. What if Corianne doesn’t know about Criston’s possible involvement with the Red Hand? Then again, I don’t even know if Delaina is involved with the Red Hand. I know an investigation was launched against the families of those Red Hand members that were caught from the attack, and that no one else was suspect, but still…

“How about this,” suggests Corianne. “Let’s start over, right here, right now.”

“I’d like that,” I say. “And I would really like your help with the bachelorette party. I don’t know anything about you.”

“Well,” she says, pulling out a chair for me. “Let’s fix that.”

I smile at her and sit down.

*Aaron*

Where the fuck is Milo? I’ve checked his apartment, his favorite bar, our spot in the Crown Wood, and our spot in the gardens. He isn’t in my room, or the kitchens, or the servants quarters.

When I eventually find him, I’m surprised to see Corianne is with him. They’re in the library, talking in hushed tones at a table, the wedding book open in front of them.

“Oh, hey, Aaron,” says Corianne when they notice me. 

“You two are together?” I ask.

“I’ve decided to bury the hatchet,” says Milo. “Aaron, I’ve been acting like an idiot. I’m sorry about everything. I was just feeling jealous that you and Corianne can be in the open. I’m done with all the sneaking around and being rude to her.”

A happiness blooms inside me and it’s like a cloud has shifted away from the sun.

“I’m so happy,” I tell him. He smiles and I see the light return to his eyes. He’s been so dead lately. So have I.

“Kiss him,” Corianne hisses out of the corner of her mouth at Milo after looking around to make sure the coast is clear.

I walk around the table, take Milo’s face in my hands, and kiss him. Electricity crackles between us as it hasn’t in too long. He kisses me back, hard and passionate. Corianne clears her throat suddenly and we break apart just before Lindsay O’rien, the librarian, comes around the shelf blocking us from the rest of the library. Even if she’d been a second earlier, she wouldn’t have seen anything for the large stack of books in her arms.

“Oh, Your Highness,” she says with a bow when she sets the books down and sees me. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“We’re looking at wedding books,” says Corianne. I notice the book she and Milo were looking at have hand drawn pictures. Cameras are such a new invention, barely any books have real photographs in them.

“I see. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials, my prince,” she says. I incline my head at her.

“The wedding is going to be magnificent,” says Milo, and Lindsay nods her agreement. I’m floored, but make sure I don’t show it. 

I want to believe Milo’s come around to Corianne, but it’s such a huge change in attitude. I believed it a moment ago, but the fact that he’s acting enthused about the weeding, I’m having a hard time.

Lindsay puts the books away and leaves us be.

“So you trust Corianne now?” I ask, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table from them.

“I’m working on it,” says Milo. “I hate what this has done to us and, honestly, Corianne hasn’t done anything wrong. I trust you, Aaron. If you trust Corianne, then so do I.”

I don’t know whether to trust him, and I hate it. I’ve never mistrusted Milo before, but his change in attitude doesn’t make sense. Just a week ago, he broke into her house because he thought he’d find something incriminating. Now, all of a sudden, he trusts her?

No, I’m being stupid. I’ve never had reason to doubt Milo’s intentions before. If he says he trusts Corianne, he does. 

I decide to believe him. 

*Milo*

Later that night, I follow Aaron into his room. He seems to be buying my act about trusting Corianne. I guess I’m a better actor than I thought.

I feel a pang of regret that I’m leading Aaron on. However, I know that once I prove my suspicions about Corianne right, he’ll be on my side. She’s up to something, I just know it. I can feel it in my bones.

“I’m really glad you’re trying to trust Corianne,” says Aaron as he pulls me into his arms. 

When I wrap my own arms around him, I feel a sense of ease. I’ve missed him, his touch. The worst part of all this has been our time apart from each other.

“Me too,” I say, knowing it’s a lie.

He kisses me and I kiss him back. We haven’t so much as shared a polite word with each other for over a week. His presence, the contact of our skin, the taste of his lips, are all intoxicating. Before I know what’s happening, I’m laying on the bed. I have no idea where our clothes have gone.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he says as our bare cocks rub against one another.

“Me too,” I say, entirely truthfully.

He wastes no time. Within moments, his mouth leaves mine and swallows my cock down his throat. My body sings as electricity crackles over my skin. I gasp as he cups my balls and pulls my cock deep into his throat. His tongue races against the underside of my dick, caressing it in a way I haven’t felt in too long.

He swings his body over mine and plants his ass in my face. Without needing instruction, I grip his ass cheeks in my hands. Oh, how I’ve missed the feel of him. I spread his cheeks apart and gaze at that perfect, beautiful hole for just a moment before my tongue touches it, sending a spasm of pleasure through Aaron’s body that radiates within my own. 

I feel him moan, his lips still wrapped around my cock. The sound of it vibrates throughout my entire body as my tongue swirls around his hole.

He looks over his shoulder at me as my tongue expertly navigates his flesh. His eyes droop, his mouth hangs open. He’s putty in my hands. 

I push my tongue into his hole and he gasps, letting out a whimper of pleasure. As if by instinct, it seems, he presses his ass into my face, pushing my tongue deeper inside him. He presses further, pushing the back of my head into the pillow as he sits on my face.

I can’t breathe, but that doesn’t matter now. My only focus is on his writhing, shaking, shuddering body as my tongue explores his hole. I reach around and find his hand on his cock. I pull it away, then wrap my own around it. I start to stroke him as he bounces on my face. He’s moaning loudly enough for me to hear it, though my ears are covered by the pillow.

I don’t care. I want him to moan. I want him to scream my name. But I know what I’m doing isn’t enough.

When I grip him and flip him over to his side, I know his hole is wet enough from my saliva. I pull his leg up, my body spooning his, and press my cock into his hole.

He gasps and I can see he’d need to adjust. I don’t give him the time. I start to spoon him, fucking his hole like I never have. 

I know it’s hurting him, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I can see the moment the pain turns into bliss as his hole opens to accept me. I thrust into him, his head turned toward me, us staring into each other’s eyes. I make love to him, letting our souls connect as our mouths meet one another’s.

We stay in this position for the entirety of it. In this moment, I have never felt more connected to him. He cums, once again without us touching his cock and, again, it sends me over the edge. I shoot my cum deep inside him and, as always, continue to fuck him until my cock goes soft.

In the aftermath, he’s too dazed to try and convince me to leave his bed, not that I would listen.

This is where I belong. I won’t let anyone stop me from being with Aaron. 

And I’ll take Corianne down, if it’s the last thing I do.