Chapter Text
As a member of the Royal Guard, it was his duty to protect the kingdom with his life. But this was a time of peace for the kingdom, so most days Nakamura just wandered about on the palace grounds. He daydreamed about a time when he may finally be needed to act on his sworn duties, and not a day went by where he wasn’t bored out of his mind. That was, until today.
He had found himself in the courtyard of the castle, a place he was familiar with and had been many times. But unfamiliar to him, a man, his age it seemed, was sitting around the courtyard’s fountain, staring intently at the water flowing out.
The man immediately caught Nakamura’s eye. He had fair brown hair, and eyes the same color, though they looked amber in the sunlight. And he wore noble attire, so Nakamura could only assume that he was of high status. His expression was inscrutable, but he looked deep in thought, or maybe absent of thought altogether.
While he was immediately enrapt, Nakamura didn’t approach. Rather he opted to walk the long way around the fountain, so as not to interrupt the man’s focus. As he cautiously made his way to creep around, he felt eyes suddenly lock onto him. Nothing was said, but the two maintained eye contact for several seconds before Nakamura broke away.
What. Was. That.
Those eyes had pierced straight through him. They were wide and soft and acknowledging and suddenly Nakamura felt really small. His ears burned and anxiety ran through him. That’s when the man spoke up.
“Hey,” He started, “Are you a part of the Royal Guard?”
Nakamura’s body acted before his brain could formulate the sentence, so his words came out with an awkward stutter,
“I- am, yes. Part of the Royal Guard.”
The man’s eyes lightened and he smiled.
“That’s good. If you know the castle grounds well, can you show me around?”
Nakamura didn’t know how to respond. Number one: Who is this guy?? Number two: If you’re here, in the palace’s gardens, shouldn’t you know how to get around?
He left those thoughts inside and instead readied himself to ask a more polite question, but before he could say anything, the other man spoke again.
“Ah, I should introduce myself!” He stood and outstretched his hand. “I’m Aiki.”
Nakamura shuffled forward to acknowledge his greeting, giving Aiki a firm handshake. His hand was warm and soft, a contrast to Nakamura’s own sweaty and rough palm. He immediately felt the back of his neck get hot in embarrassment, but he trained everyday, so of course his hand wouldn’t be as gentle as that of a noble. He knew this, yet that feeling that he burned in his chest.
Aiki cleared his throat, and Nakamura was shaken from his thoughts. He fumbled over himself trying to think of what to say. He spoke quickly, almost running over his own words.
“Uh, yeah- should we get going? Is there anywhere you’d like to go? Or just, do you want to see everything?”
Aiki responded with what sounded like a scoff, or maybe a laugh? It was always hard to tell with nobles as some were rather uptight.
“We can go where you like. I have time on my hands today. Just, show me the best scenery.”
Nakamura was taken aback. What was this guy on about?? Sure he looked new enough around here, but Nakamura was starting to question his legitimacy as someone who actually belonged here. He had never run into an intruder before, and while his job was mainly to be at the ready for any attacks from assassins and the like, no one in this generation of kings had ever found it pertinent to attack one another, especially not in a flourishing and benevolent kingdom like this one.
Nevertheless, he stood weary.
“Can I ask where it is you hail from, Aiki?” A fluttery feeling rose into his stomach.
“Oh, that?” was what Nakamura got in response.
“Uh, yes. That.” He replied dubiously. “I kind of need to know…” He couldn’t put his finger on why, but this guy’s gaze made it hard for him to be assertive.
“It's… hmm…” Aiki pondered for a second before answering, “It’s a secret!” He smiled so cheerfully that Nakamura’s jaw dropped to the floor.
He attempted to compose himself and asked,
“So you mean to tell me, a member of the Royal Guard, that you, a man whom I have never seen within the castle walls and is on undefined business, hails from a place that cannot be named because it's a ‘secret’, Do I have that correct?”
He was met with, “Yes, quite so.”
Nakamura just stared at him in awe. Okay, for real, what was this guy doing here? And for what reason was he so nonchalant with a member of the Royal Guard? As an outsider????
He had to be crazy- or someone of insanely high status. But why? Why was he asking to be shown around like some sort of prince? Nakamura was at a loss. At most- this guy was some random who somehow broke onto palace grounds and was now requesting a tour. OR. And he thought that maybe this was the more likely option, that given the attire, this man was a noble from some family on a private stay at their palace.
Maybe his family had business with the royal family, Nakamura thought. Or maybe, he was here for the princess’s coronation?
Just when he thought he might be losing his mind, Aiki broke the silence yet again.
“So, are you going to show me around? He gave a smile that was warm but mischievous. Nakamura couldn’t help but weaken his initially headstrong stance. While he was so conflicted at the start, he could only come to one conclusion now.
What’s the worst that could happen?
He swore up and down he would normally never move like this, but something about this man made him feel almost giddy inside, not to mention he was curious to learn more about Aiki.
He vowed to find out what was going on by the end of the day.
“Sure,” Nakamura finally answered. He sounded unsure but apparently that didn’t matter. Aiki took the approval at face value, and responded cheerily, “Great, let’s go!”
~
It wasn’t long before Nakamura grew exhausted. Aiki seemed entranced by every view that he was shown, while Nakamura on the other hand had seen it all a million times before. Every day, back and forth across the castle grounds, he had seen it all.
Their last stop was honestly Nakamura’s favorite- it was the only one that would never get old to him. The lush gardens were full of vines and flowers and trees bearing ripe fruit. He would often take it upon himself to help himself to some of the fruits if he so desired. The palace was mostly deserted of people, with few roaming to catch him in the act, and they probably wouldn’t care even if they did catch him. Nakamura was one of the few of the Royal Guard that stayed active on duty within the outdoor castle grounds, so he knew the ins and outs of the palace yards as well as the schedules of other guards and staff. And he knew for a fact no one was ever here.
It was a place he had always found beautiful, ever since he obtained his guard’s status, so of course, he would sneak into the gardens at night. It was strangely peaceful in the dark, and when his eyes adjusted to the moonlight, the silvery flowers in the shrubbery came to life.
Apparently it wasn’t just Nakamura who found it captivating today. Aiki had been mute, his mouth agape, for the past several minutes. Nakamura couldn’t help but crack a smile.
The sun was setting and the night flowers were starting to open up, much to his contentment. When Aiki finally gathered himself, it was the first thing he commented on.
“Those flowers- they’re beautiful!”
Nakamura nodded knowingly and beamed.
“Yeah, they look the best at night, though, when they’re fully bloomed and the dew sparkles on them.”
“Hold on,” Aiki interjected.
That's when Nakamura realized he had slipped up.
“Nobody is supposed to be in the castle yards at night, right?”
“Um, well, you see-” Nakamura faltered, “It's- Well, I’m like the night guard.”
That was a lie. In order to conserve their efforts and pay, guards like himself, who weren’t of noble status, were to stay at the barracks. He personally didn’t apply this rule to himself. While the barracks were technically on castle grounds, the curfew was too early for his preference. The rules weren’t strict enough for him to care about not sneaking out. But what does this guy know?
“Uh huh,” Aiki said skeptically. He obviously didn’t believe Nakamura. To be fair, he wouldn’t believe himself either.
“Yup!” Nakamura responded, laughing awkwardly. “It’s a tough job, you know.”
Aiki just agreed.
“Sounds like it. I prefer to get a good night’s sleep.”
Nakamura started to say, “I understand that,” before he was suddenly very aware of the time.
“Wait. What time is it?” was what he got out before the chime of a bell cut him off.
“Oh, is that curfew?” Aiki asked.
“Yeah it’s- I gotta go. I have five minutes. If I run I can make it!” He readied himself to make a run for it when Aiki laughed.
“Okay ‘night guard’.” His hand was over his mouth to conceal the fact that he was trying not to giggle, but it was very obvious. Nakamura’s face flushed.
“You’ll see! I am- I’m here all the time!” He shouted this as he ran off.
Aiki smiled and waved.
~
That night, Nakamura didn’t go to the gardens. And he did not hold true to his vow to find out literally anything about that guy. He was spent. He fell asleep thinking of the strange man, and hoping he didn’t just show an assassin how to get around the castle.
He slept.
A little too long.
He missed the morning bell and didn’t make it to breakfast. They were halfway done before he even rolled out of bed.
Why didn’t anyone wake me up?? Was his first thought upon coming out of sleep, right after, Shit, Shit, Shittttt!!
Today was the one day out of the week that Nakamura actually patrolled inside the castle. But first he had mandatory combat training for two hours. They flew by, naturally, as he was used to doing this every morning.
And off to the castle he went.
This was his least favorite day of the week. He didn’t have nearly as much freedom. But the other guards needed their days off, so it was his duty. The one thing he could do was daydream without consequence, as he had no major duties he had to attend to. Just. Stand there.
“There” being the very honor of the Prince’s Chambers. He wasn’t all that excited about it, though.There was a hall just for the prince, and then the multiple rooms of course. It was unbeknownst to Nakamura, and most of the castle staff for that matter, just what the prince did all day within those chambers. And to be honest, Nakamura didn’t even know what he looked like.
He had taken the oath like everyone else, to devote his life to the good of the kingdom and royal family. But the royal family was actually one big mystery to him. They were incredibly frivolous, and held frequent parties. People from neighboring kingdoms were always invited, and even the royal guard- those who weren’t working- were permitted to attend. In all their generosity, Nakamura had never gone. It wasn’t really his thing.
That aside, one thing he knew was that the princess was the heir to the throne, rather than the prince. She made her appearances around the castle and to the people, as the host and face of the royal family’s parties and public displays.
He pondered on this for a long time, thinking about how little he truly knew, and patiently standing guard outside the Prince’s Hall. He was actually starting to fall asleep with his eyes open when he heard quick footsteps down the corridor. A man was running towards him.
Shit, what do I do? He tensed.
Nakamura was so used to the monotony that he honestly was clueless on what to do when something actually happened.
As the man drew near, his figure came into view, and Nakamura let out a sigh of relief.
It was Oomori, The Prince’s Advisor.
He hurried towards Nakamura, holding up a paper. It was a declaration of his clearance.
Nakamura nodded and opened the doors to the hall, allowing Oomori to enter. The man nodded in thanks and ran off into the beyond.
Nakamura had never actually set foot within the hall, so he didn’t really know what went on in there. He decided a quick peek wouldn’t hurt, and looked in before gently closing the door. One of the room doors had opened slightly to reveal a brunette figure greeting Oomori and welcoming him in.
Of course, Nakamura didn’t get a good look, but that must have been the prince, he thought.
He seems short, was the only other thing he concluded.
~
The sun was setting on the castle and golden light streamed through the tall windows of the corridor. Nakamura yawned. He knew curfew was soon. And the night guard- the real night guard, would be switching with him soon.
The doors creaked open behind Nakamura, and the Prince’s Advisor peeked out. Nakamura moved to the side to let him pass.
The bells tolled and right on time, a guard, who somehow looked much more official than him, took his place. He meandered back to the barracks, dragging his feet after his long, uneventful day.
Laying in bed, he found himself thinking about the man, Aiki. His brown eyes and brown hair. His smile and playful laugh. Nakamura couldn’t help but smile himself. In fact, he couldn’t get Aiki off his mind. He needed to clear his head.
He waited until he was sure everyone was asleep, as he did most nights. Then, he crept out through the window, careful not to trip over himself, and made his way to the castle’s garden.
The moon was full, and it lit up every last flower. It had apparently rained a bit while Nakamura was waiting; the flowers were especially shimmery. The raindrops glistened and the petals seemed to almost glow under the moonlight, just the way he had described to Aiki. Nakamura was so entranced by the garden itself, that he didn’t hear the footsteps that were steadily making their way towards him.
“Boo!”
Nakamura almost jumped out of his skin. He whipped around to a familiar brown eyed face.
He clutched his chest and glared at Aiki, who was laughing uncontrollably.
“I didn’t know,” Nakamura breathed, “you would be here.”
“Well.” Aiki composed himself. “I do like to explore, and I’ve found that I, too, enjoy this garden at night.”
“I should think you like exploring, seeing as you led me on a merry chase the other day.” Nakamura’s face burned.
Aiki smiled.
“But you love the scenery, don’t you? I’ll bet you didn’t mind,” He replied nonchalantly.
Nakamura grumbled. His ears were getting red.
“You. Are right.”
Aiki smiled again, bigger, and piped up, “So, you really do come out here at night, huh?”
Nakamura smiled back. “Yeah, it’s really beautiful here.”
“It really is…”
Aiki trailed off and there was a moment of silence between them. They both stared into the shrubbery before them, before Nakamura remembered his burning question: No. For real. Who was this random man?
“So,” Nakamura started. “Are you going to tell me just where you’re from, or at least what you’re doing here?”
“Sorry, nuh uh.” Aiki shook his head cheerfully. “I can tell you this though. “I’ll be there for the princess’s coronation next month.
SO HE WAS RIGHT!
“I knew it! I knew you were here for the coronation!” Nakamura blurted triumphantly. He had to admit to himself, he had a knack for this sort of thing.
“Ha-hahh, yeah. That’s. What I’m here for.”
Nakamura was almost jumping up and down before Aiki spoke again. “But, to be honest. I hate that type of thing.”
Nakamura stopped. “What? What do you mean?” Suddenly he was serious.
“There’s just… So many nobles in one place… and they're all so old-fashioned or snobby. They just. Are too much for me. You know?”
“I never thought about how it must feel to be a noble.” Nakamura responded thoughtfully. “It must be tough to keep up appearances all the time. I mean, you’re only human, right?”
“Exactly!” Aiki exclaimed, before covering his mouth. “Sorry, that was kind of a lot.” He was suddenly bashful. “And sorry for complaining too. I mean, it's probably the last thing a Royal Guard member like you wants to hear, right?”
“N- No! It’s no bother at all.” Nakamura put up his hands. “I. Like that you feel like you can talk to me… I guess.”
“Really?” Aiki said, almost sounding startled.
“Yes! Yes. I want to listen to you. If… that’s not… Weird.”
Aiki laughed.
“No. It’s not weird at all.”
Nakamura smiled.
How was this guy so charming?