Looking up at the imposing stone castle, Virgil felt anxiety claw at his insides. He couldn't do this. He really, really couldn't do this. I mean, he had been living on the streets until a few days ago. Sighing, he recalled what had landed him in this mess.

He had been sketching something on the cobbles with a piece of chalk when it had happened. A coach - the royal coach no less- had come speeding down the road, it's horses in a blind panic. Virgil had acted on pure instinct. He had jumped in front of the carriage and grabbed the reigns of both horses. Then, he had started stroking the noses of both horses, whispering to them that it was alright and that they needed to calm down. This last step wasn't needed but Virgil had found it a useful tactic. When the occupants of the carriage had climbed out, Virgil nearly had a panic attack. It was the Queen and one of her sons. By the looks of things, it was the younger son and not the Crown Prince who had been travelling with his mother. The Queen looked shaken but the prince was giggling madly and clapping his hands.
"That was fun, mother." He said gleefully. If it had been anyone else, Virgil would've scoffed but he was too scared to do anything.
"You, boy, where did you learn how to do that?" The Queen asked, pointing at Virgil.
"I've known how to do it all my life, your Majesty." Virgil had managed to say, bowing slightly. The Queen looked Virgil up and down.
"I suppose we have been needing a new stable boy." She muttered to herself. "Young man, you have saved my life and to show my gratitude, I have decided to employ you as a new stable boy at the castle."
"Oh, um, thank you, your Majesty." Virgil muttered, wondering if this was a joke or not. To work at the castle was the opportunity of a life time.
"Very good. Come up to the castle tomorrow, I'll make sure Janus has everything ready for you." The Queen climbed back into the carriage and her son pointed at her back and made a 'she's crazy' motion with his hands before climbing into the carriage himself.

And that brings us up to now. Virgil took a deep breath and decided to ask the first person he came across where the stables were.

Walking along a gravel path, Virgil heard someone up ahead. Looking around a corner, he saw someone. Another boy, about his age, with clean, bright clothes. "He must be one of the servants up at the castle." Virgil decided, stealing another glance at the huge building. Going up to the other boy, he tapped him on the back.

"E-Excuse me?" He asked, tugging on his sleeve as the boy turned around, a red rose clutched in his hand. "Do you know where the stables are?"

"Oh, yeah." The other boy pointed around a corner. "They're just down there."

"Thank you." Virgil smiled before running off to where the boy had pointed.

***

Virgil heard someone enter the stable but didn't turn around.

"Who's there?" He asked, carefully combing a snowy-white horse's mane.

"It's me. From the garden." A familiar voice said. Virgil turned around to face the other boy from the garden. "I don't believe I ever caught your name." He said. Virgil smiled slightly.

"Virgil. You?"

"Er, Red."

Virgil looked at Red sceptically. He sighed. "Alright, it's not my real name, just a nickname."

"Okay. You know, you don't need to be so nervous." Virgil said lightly, taking in Red's awkward posture. "I know that this probably isn't your natural habitat or whatever but it's alright. The horses are under control and I don't bite."

Red nodded but didn't say anything. "You, er, looking after all the horses here?"

Virgil nodded, returning his attention to the horse. "There aren't many. One for the queen, one each for the princes and four to pull the carriage."

"That's still six horses and you're only one boy." Red said, balancing precariously on the edge of a stall.

"It's still not many compared to some places I've been." Virgil laughed slightly. "You should've seen the amount of horses they had in London. And guess who had to take care of them all." Virgil looked up at the shocked Red and laughed again. "It's a gift. You learn it. What about you?" He asked, combing the horse's mane again.

"What?"

"What's your job?" Virgil repeated slowly.

"I, er, I'm an assistant to the prince."

"Which one?" Virgil asked, dead-pan.

"Prince Roman."

Virgil laughed slightly. "Oh, I feel sorry for you, mate."

"Why?"

"Well, from what I've heard, Prince Roman's pretty stuck up and entitled."

Red made a small 'oh' noise, swinging his legs. "That's Prince Roman's horse, you know." He muttered, pointing at the blinding white horse Virgil was combing. "He calls her Snow White."

"What, like the fairy tale?"

Red nodded and Virgil sighed. "These princes are ridiculous." He muttered. Red jumped down from where he was perched.

"I think I'd better go." He said, pointing over his shoulder and starting to walk backwards.

"Okay. Come back when you can." Virgil looked up, smiling slightly. "It's nice to have someone to talk to."

***

Virgil felt someone tap him on the back. He smiled slightly. "Hello Red."

Red grinned and held out a rose as Virgil turned around. Virgil laughed.

"A red rose?" He asked, taking the rose and putting it in a cracked clay jug full of water.

"To remind you of me until we meet again."

Virgil rolled his eyes at Red's ridiculous behaviour. "You know, it's funny."

"What is?"

"You act almost royal sometimes." Virgil said, grabbing a hammer and some nails. He had to re-shoe the horses, not a pleasant task.

"I guess I've been working at the castle for so long that their regal behaviour has rubbed off on me." Red said, brushing the comment aside with a laugh.

"Oh God, I hope it doesn't rub off on me." Virgil said, half-joking.

"How's Snow White doing? Prince Roman wanted to ask."

"Well if he wanted to ask, he should've come here himself. But Snow's doing fine. We're getting along well." Virgil muttered.

"Should I tell him that?" Red joked. Virgil nodded. "Wait, you're serious?" Red asked incredulously. Virgil nodded again.

"Tell perfect Prince Roman that if he wants to know how his horse is doing, he should come and see the bloody thing himself."

"He's not going to be the happiest, hearing that." Red muttered. Virgil shrugged.

"I don't care. The princes need to wake up and learn that this world doesn't revolve around them and that not everyone is bent to their will." Virgil hissed venomously before sighing and looking up at Red. "Sorry. I'm not the best at keeping what I'm thinking in my head."

Red shrugged. "It's fine." He grinned. "I'll tell Prince Roman that and he can choke on it for all I care."

Virgil grinned and stood up. "You see this," he said, wielding his hammer in Red's direction, "this is why I love you. Oh shit, I said that out loud." His face fell as he realised what he had just said. "Shit."

Red burst out laughing. "Glad you feel the same." He said. Virgil's mouth fell open and Red checked his watch. "I'd better go, bye."

"Wait a second!" Virgil yelled, running after Red and catching his arm. "You can't just dump that information on me and then leave!" Red laughed again.

"Alright, I'll give you something to remember me by." And then he kissed Virgil. Virgil's eyes went wide before fluttering shut. When he pulled away, Red's face was the same colour as his nickname. Virgil grinned.

"You can go now." He said, making Red laugh.

"You're insufferable." Red muttered before running off, leaving Virgil with a rose and the feel of Red's lips on his.

***

"Who's that?" Virgil asked, hearing someone approach him from behind.

"Prince Roman." A familiar voice said. Virgil laughed slightly.

"Red, this is no time to play prete-" He turned around and was cut off. It was Red but it wasn't Red. It was Prince Roman.

"Holy shit." Virgil whispered, his eyes flicking between the crown on Roman's head and his face. "Holy shit, you're the prince."

Roman smiled slightly and lifted his arms up slightly in an 'I-don't-know' kind of way. Virgil shook his head.

"No, no, no. This can't be real. Holy shit, it is real. Oh God, I'm going to die. I said all those horrible things about Prince Roman in front of Prince Roman. And just when I thought I had a good job, me and my big mouth had to ruin it." Virgil kept mumbling and pacing, his voice spiralling through different levels of panic. Roman put a hand on Virgil's shoulder.

"Virgil, it's okay."

"No, it bloody well isn't! I called you stuck up and ridiculous and then," Virgil's eyes sparkled with panic, "and then, I told you that I loved you." Virgil sat down on the ground and put his head in his hands. Roman sat down next to Virgil.

"Don't you?" He asked, the hurt apparent in his voice.

"Yes? No? I don't love you, I love Red. But then you are Red, aren't you." Virgil mumbled into his hands. Virgil laughed shakily. "I guess it makes sense. You talk like a prince, walk like a prince, Hell, you even kiss like one."

"So you've kissed a prince before?" Roman asked doubtfully. Virgil shook his head. "Then how could you know-" Roman cut himself off, realising that he was acting exactly how Virgil thought a prince would act.

"I've just got a question." Virgil said, lifting his head out of his hands and looking at Roman. "Why? If you wanted to toy with my heart, you could've done that by being a prince. You didn't need to invent a whole new status to toy with my feelings."

Roman stood up and offered a hand to Virgil, who stood up on his own. Roman sighed. "Because I didn't want to play with your heart, Virgil. I wanted to... I don't know. I guess I wanted to know what a real relationship felt like, with someone who I actually love who would actually love me. If I had tried to talk to you as a prince, you would've never spared me a second glance."

"That doesn't make your case any better, Princey." Virgil hissed.

"I was in love with you, Virgil." Roman yelled, the sound echoing around the stables. "I, I was in love with you from our first encounter."

"Love at first sight doesn't exist."

"Well, maybe it doesn't. But I felt something, Virgil. I felt something in my heart when I looked at you. I guess I wanted to see what that feeling was. So I visited you, made up a fake person, and I talked to you." Roman smiled. "And it was nice. It was nice to just step outside myself for a while. To not have to be Prince Roman. To just be me."

Virgil narrowed his eyes at Roman. "Your stories may work on some, Princey, but I've heard it all before. I'm not stupid."

"Well you're certainly acting stupid right now." Roman snapped, his short temper fraying. Virgil laughed, ignoring the tears that sprung to his eyes.

"And this, this is exactly what I'm talking about. People like you, Roman, they build me up, they create this big, beautiful image for me of what life's going to be like with them. And then they break me. Well, I got wise. I'm not falling for your tricks." He hissed, turning away from Roman.

"Virgil, I know you want to believe me. And I know that, deep down, you do believe me."

"Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it, ignore it." Virgil kept telling himself. Roman sighed, giving up.

"I'll come back tomorrow. Maybe you'll have calmed down by then." He said, throwing something on the floor and leaving.

Virgil looked at what he had thrown on the floor. It was a rose with a note attached. Picking it up, he quickly skimmed through the note.

Virgil, if you are reading this, then I have left because I was angry. I want you to know that it was not your fault that I got angry. I've never been the best at controlling my temper. I know what you said to me when I was Red. And I know that I deserved those things. I was stuck up and entitled but then I met you and I finally wanted to be something to someone. I hope you can forgive me and whatever I did.
Yours,
Prince Red.

Virgil felt a tear slip down his cheek and he didn't bother to wipe it away.

***

"Virgil?" Roman asked cautiously. Virgil didn't look up from the black horse he was combing. "Virgil, can I talk to you?"

"It's your own palace, you can do what you want." Virgil muttered. Roman sighed.

"I'm sorry, Virgil. I really am. If I could turn back time, I'd turn it back to before yesterday so that I wouldn't have to see you hurt."

"Red, I don't want to talk to you." Virgil said harshly, not noticing the use of Roman's fake name. Roman noticed it, though.

"I'm not Red though, Virgil. Never have been, never will be." Roman laughed. "It's crazy but Red, a figment of my imagination, is a better person than me." Virgil didn't look up at Roman kept on combing the horse's mane quietly. Roman sighed. Virgil, look at me."

"Are you asking me as Prince Roman or as Red?"

"Which one will get you to look at me?"

Virgil sighed, turning the question over in his mind. "I guess Red."

"Then I'm asking you as Red, please look at me."

Virgil sighed again but looked at Roman and noticed that his eyes were rimmed with red.

"Woah, Princey, have you been crying?" Virgil asked, starting up out of his chair with worry.

"A little bit, yeah." Roman said, smiling weakly. "But it's not your fault, Virgil." He said hurriedly. "It's my fault. I should've just told you I was Roman instead of pretending to be someone I'm not." Roman shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'll leave you in peace. You probably don't want to see me ever again, do you?" He asked, smiling slightly before turning around and leaving the stables.

Virgil sighed. He was going to be stupid and it could end in two ways. 1, he could get his heart completely broken in half or 2, he could have his heart mended. Praying that it was the second ending, Virgil ran after Roman.

"Princey, wait." He said, catching Roman up. "Will you look at me?" He asked in a small voice. Agonizingly slowly, Roman turned around to face Virgil.

"Yes Virgi-" Virgil cut him off by pressing his lips to Roman's. Roman stood there shocked for a few seconds before melting into the kiss, cupping Virgil's face.

When Virgil pulled back, his pale face was dark red and pink blush had crept up Roman's face to his ears.

Virgil smiled slightly. "Yep. Exactly like a prince."

Hi everyone.
Yes, this was very long. Sorry about that, I just got the idea and then let my imagination run wild. Anywho, don't forget to vote if you liked this story and comment any ideas for other one shots you have.
Bye,
Queenie